Asia
Gulf of Oman: escalating tensions
On 16 June the Saudi crown prince said he would ‘deal with’ threats to his people and vital interests following attacks on tankers in the Gulf of Oman. America blamed Iran for the…
Saudi Arabia: youth faces execution for actions when aged 10
Amnesty International reported that the Saudi public prosecutor has sought the death penalty for Murtaja Qureiris for offences and participating in protests when he was ten years old. This prompted a global outcry…
North Korea / China: sex trade trafficking
China’s president Xi Jinping visited North Korea on 20/21 June. It is the first visit by a Chinese president in over a decade. While the world ponders Korea’s denuclearisation issue, the plight of…
China: earthquakes and fracking
On 17 June buildings collapsed, trapping people underneath in a 6.0 magnitude earthquake in the south-west Chinese province of Sichuan. Thirteen people have died so far, and 4,000+ people have been relocated from…
China, Hong Kong: Catholics urge restraint
A proposed bill allowing mainland China to pursue government critics and criminals in Hong Kong and extradite them to China drew protest marches by thousands on 9-11 June, causing a debate on 12…
India: Cyclone Vayu
Powerful tropical cyclones rarely make it this far north in the Arabian Sea. Gujarat has not had a strong storm make landfall in twenty years. However, the state's additional chief secretary has appealed…
Gulf of Oman: oil tankers attacked
Two oil tankers have been attacked off the coast of Iran. They were evacuated, and search and rescue teams from Iran saved 44 sailors. The Front Altair, carrying crude oil, is believed to…
East Asia Younger Leaders Gathering
220 younger leaders from China, Mongolia, Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Macau, and Hong Kong gathered from 25-28 March in South Korea, for the first-ever Lausanne East Asia Younger Leaders Gathering. Young leaders from every…
Iraq: Displaced elderly Christians
Displacement by IS has inflicted trauma on Iraq’s Christians, particularly the elderly. Reconstruction goes on, but for elderly believers, displacement has placed them in a living coffin. Their relatives have fled the country…
Iran: Outrage forces 'correction' of kindergarten directive
Images of a controversial administrative order went viral across Iranian social media in recent days, enraging large sections of the country's religious minorities and causing widespread public outrage. Iranian authorities had to revise…
