Asia
Iran: nuclear negotiations resume, executions mount, radicals battle reformists
Iran’s nuclear negotiations with the E3 countries (Germany, France, and the UK) have resumed in Geneva. With a packed agenda, the focus is on lifting sanctions, which have caused severe damage to the…
Iran: ‘unimaginable joy’ for an undercover believer
Bita’s life in Iran was marked by abandonment, abuse, and despair. Raised in hardship, forced into servitude, and married at 14 to an unfaithful addict, she endured decades of rejection and loneliness. Broken…
Pakistan: devastation and deaths caused by monsoon floods
The village of Bishnoi in northern Pakistan has been devastated by a sudden flash flood, leaving entire homes buried beneath rocks and debris. On 15 August, torrential rains triggered a surge of water…
Gaza: Hamas agrees to Qatar’s latest ceasefire proposal
Qatar has emphasized the urgent need for a ceasefire in Gaza, highlighting what it called a ‘positive response’ from Hamas to a new truce proposal. The plan, similar to an earlier US-brokered offer…
Hong Kong: UK and Australia each grant asylum to a pro-democracy activist
Australia and the UK have each granted asylum to a prominent Hong Kong pro-democracy activist. In 2020, lawmaker Ted Hui threw rotten plants on the floor of the legislative council chamber to protest…
Malaysia: urgent action needed to combat school bullying
Bullying remains a pervasive and deadly problem in Malaysia’s schools, with thousands of cases recorded annually and incidents escalating to violence and even death. Despite public outrage, policy gaps and weak enforcement allow…
Japan: a great example of embracing Christ’s peace in troubled times
Political unrest; environmental changes; natural disasters; human rights violations; war and famine; migration. The list could go on: all of them are causes of widespread anxiety and stress. While experts recommend practical strategies…
Israel: plans to build 3,000 houses in contested West Bank settlement area
Far-right finance minister Bezalel Smotrich has announced plans to approve over 3,000 housing units in the contested E1 settlement area between Jerusalem and Maale Adumim in the occupied West Bank. Long frozen due…
China / USA: trade truce extended for a further ninety days
Donald Trump has extended the trade truce with China by another ninety days, narrowly avoiding a major escalation between the world’s two largest economies. The announcement came just hours before the previous deadline…
Gaza: is Netanyahu contemplating a full occupation?
After nearly two years of war in Gaza, Benjamin Netanyahu is reportedly preparing to escalate the conflict further by ordering a full military occupation of the territory, despite international outrage, domestic opposition, and…
