Worldwide
China and the pandemic
30 Apr 2020
China filed a patent for a drug seen as one of the best potential weapons against coronavirus the day after Beijing confirmed coronavirus was transmissible to humans. The revelation that it moved so fast fuels concerns…
Lebanon: 'night of the Molotov'
30 Apr 2020
On 29 April, banks across Lebanon were torched and vandalised by hundreds of demonstrators during the second night of protests over their currency recently losing 50% in value. The largest and most violent protests were in…
United Arab Emirates
30 Apr 2020
The UAE is a federation of seven emirates, ruled by tribal Sheikhs or Emirs. The largest, richest emirate is Abu Dhabi with significant oil and gas reserves. The development of oil and financial industries has brought…
Brazil: president's troubles
30 Apr 2020
In 2018 Brazilians elected controversial Jair Bolsonaro as president to break up a corrupt political class. But he has antagonised political forces, upset environmentalists by severely damaging the Amazon, dismissed journalists as peddling fake news, and…
India: US religious rights report
30 Apr 2020
The US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) wants India, Nigeria, Russia, Syria and Vietnam to be put on a religious freedom blacklist and join the ranks of ‘countries of particular concern’. That would make them…
Global: famine in refugee camps
30 Apr 2020
Refugee-led organisations play important but neglected roles in providing protection and assistance to other refugees and host communities. Now they are on the front line of the COVID-19 response in camps and cities around the world…