Worldwide
Myanmar: kidnapped pastor could be dead
14 Feb 2019
On 19 January, in Myanmar, Pastor Tun was kidnapped with several others and held captive by a group of Buddhist militants. He is believed to be dead, but Barnabas’ contacts in the region say that his…
Nigeria: elections on 16 Feb and 2 March
08 Feb 2019
Rev Mathew Sukada, from Jos, has cautioned Nigerians, ‘Do not kill yourselves over politicians; they do not even know you and will reconcile with each other long after you are gone’. He said some politicians were…
UAE: signs of religious freedom?
08 Feb 2019
An estimated 180,000 people attended mass with the Pope in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, close to the birthplace of Islam. The crowds gathered to hear him just a day after he…
Venezuela: backstory to crisis
07 Feb 2019
Juan Guaidó and Nicolás Maduro both claim to be president. While resolving their standoff over leadership is critical, finding prosperous and stable paths forward requires taming criminal non-state groups controlling local territory and illicit industries across…
Australia: wild week of floods and fires
07 Feb 2019
Townsville, with 180,000 people, has been facing tropical cyclones, king tides and drenching summer rain. Over a metre of rain fell in seven days, leaving many residents without power; others were cut off by flooded roads.…
Russian and US treaty breaches
07 Feb 2019
In 1987 a treaty was agreed on by Mikhail Gorbachev and Ronald Reagan. Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov has said that the US has been violating the treaty since 1999 by testing unmanned aerial combat vehicles…