Afghanistan and the Taliban hail progress in talks
International | Uncertainty remains over the insurgent group's commitment to peace
by Onize Ohikere
Posted 7/16/19, 05:57 pm
A group of delegates from the Afghan government and the Taliban last week approved a "roadmap for peace" during a conference on ending the 18-year civil war. The meeting produced one of the most detailed peace plans yet, but uncertainty remains over the absence of a cease-fire agreement and the Taliban's commitment to the discussions.
Mali faces deadly sectarian clashes
International | The rising violence could further complicate regional insecurity
A spate of sectarian clashes in Mali threatens to spark a regional conflict in a part of Africa struggling to contain Islamic extremism.
Malian authorities suspect ethnic Peuhls, also known as Fulanis, were behind attacks last week that left at least 38 people dead in the villages of Yoro and Gangafani in the Mopti region near the border with Burkina Faso. At least 750 people fled the villages following the attacks.
Christians killed in Burkina Faso attack
International | Heightened attacks could fuel intercommunal unrest
An armed attack that killed at least four Catholics during a religious procession in northern Burkina Faso last week raised concerns that the growing extremist violence could stoke a larger crisis.
Gunmen attacked a group carrying a statue of Mary on May 13 in the Diocese of Ouahigouya in the Nord region. "They let the minors go, executed four adults, and destroyed the statue," Burkina Faso's AIB news agency reported.
Hungary's 'soft autocrat' visits the White House
International | The prime minister's controls include the country's news media
Mindy Belz | 5/13/19, 12:52 pm
HUNGARY: Prime Minister Viktor Orbán will get his long-sought sit-down with President Donald Trump Monday at the White House amid growing concerns the anti-Soviet reformer increasingly is running Hungary like a "soft autocracy." Particularly unprecedented among European Union states are Orbán's moves to
Asia Bibi leaves Pakistan
Onize Ohikere | 5/08/19, 12:23 pm
Asia Bibi, the Pakistani Christian woman acquitted of blasphemy against Islam, has left the country for Canada, her lawyer said Wednesday. The Catholic mother spent eight years on death row for blasphemy after a 2009 incident with two Muslim women who worked on a farm with her and refused to drink water from the container she used. A Pakistani court sentenced her to death by hanging in 2010.
Asia Bibi is free
International | The Pakistani Christian finally joins her family in Canada
CANADA: Asia Bibi, the Pakistani Christian held for eight years on death row on charges of blasphemy against Islam, has arrived in Canada, seven months after the charges against her were overturned by the Supreme Court of Pakistan. Bibi, who has been living in safe houses since the court's decision, after Muslim mobs threatened to kill her, gained asylum—and under-the-radar passage—to Canada, where her children already reside.
Suicide bomber targets Pakistani shrine
Onize Ohikere | 5/08/19, 11:08 am
At least 10 people died and 20 others sustained injuries on Wednesday after a suicide bomber set off a powerful explosion near security forces guarding a popular Sufi shrine in eastern Pakistan. Hundreds of pilgrims were inside the shrine in Lahore, capital of the eastern Punjab province, when the bomb went off.
Firefighters honored for saving Notre Dame
International | Their decision to focus on the two bell towers avoided a 'chain collapse'
FRANCE: The country paid tribute Thursday to the 600 firefighters who helped save Notre Dame from collapse. Firefighters and experts on the scene made a decision that likely saved the structure: As fire spread on the roof, they gave up fighting it there to focus on saving the cathedral's two iconic bell towers.
Sudanese protesters unhappy with coup results
International | Activists and international players call for civilian leadership
In a successful culmination of four months of mostly peaceful protests in Sudan, the country's military last week ousted Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, ending his three-decade rule. The military coup brought anger and a wary sense of victory, as protesters called for an entirely civilian government.
Al-Bashir's rule began with a military coup in 1989. He is wanted by the International Criminal Court for human rights abuses in the western region of Darfur, but top military officials said they will not extradite him.
NATO turns 70
International | The alliance's secretary-general lists modern threats to security
NATO: On the 70th anniversary of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, foreign ministers gathered in Washington, D.C., announced increased support for Ukraine to counter the threat from Russia.
'Nobody can hurt me'
Persecution | Asia Bibi makes a brave stand while free nations sit silent
Is Facebook working with Pakistan to block 'blasphemous' content?
Persecution Company does not deny government claims it has agreed to censor offensive content
China takes Pakistan under its wing as U.S. backs off
Pakistan The Communist nation has pledged billions in aid to the Muslim country
Afghanistan, Pakistan trade blame for terror attacks
Terrorism Retaliatory airstrikes rain fire on border-dwelling Islamic militants
Pakistani leaders tout tolerance amid ongoing persecution
Persecution Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif claims nation will soon be known as 'minorities-friendly'
Did Pakistan's government abduct outspoken activists?
Human Rights Human rights campaigners warn against official attempt to silence moderate voices
World Watch List: At least 1,207 Christians martyred in 2016
Persecution Report details disturbing trends in persecution of believers worldwide