World

World Vision joins $250m Ebola vaccine initiative as it continues to address stigma

World Vision announced that it has become part of a $250-million programme aimed at providing a vaccine solution to the Ebola virus disease.

Saudi Arabia: Blogger's second lashing postponed; woman publicly beheaded in Mecca

A Burmese woman was decapitated in Mecca after being convicted of the sexual abuse and murder of a seven-year-old. Meanwhile, the flogging of liberal writer Raif Badawi was postponed for medical reasons.

British PM disagrees with Pope: There is a right to cause offense

David Cameron asserts that "in a free society, there is a right to cause offense about someone's religion" so long as "it's within the law."

Japanese hostage held by Islamic State is a Christian journalist

One of the two Japanese hostages taken by Islamic State in Syria is a baptised Christian who belongs to the United Church of Christ in Japan.

Islamic State releases 200 Yazidis from captivity

ISIS has released 200 Yazidis - mostly elderly and sick people.

Boko Haram: West must deploy troops to end violence, says bishop

Bishop Oliver Dashe Dome of Maiduguri, northeast of Nigeria is calling for western military intervention to put an end to the terror brought on by the militant group Boko Haram in Nigeria.

Japan PM: Islamic State hostage threat 'unacceptable'

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has condemned the threat to the lives of two Japanese purportedly taken captive by Islamic State militants.

Saeed Abedini's wife pleads for meeting with President Obama

The wife of Saeed Abedini, the American pastor imprisoned in Iran, has requested a face-to-face meeting with President Obama.

Nigerian Church leader: 'My people are being killed like animals and the whole world is just watching'

The international community is failing to act against Boko Haram, according to the president Nigerian Baptist Convention.

'Black lives matter': demonstrators use Martin Luther King day to protest police 'brutality'

Racial equality in the US is once again in the spotlight after the deaths of unarmed black men.

Turkish PM: No peace in Middle East until there is a Palestinian state

Ahmet Davutoglu says that "provocations" like the Gaza bombing were contributing to the radicalisation of Muslims.

Mass protests in Chechnya against Charlie Hebdo cartoons

The country's Kremlin-backed leader says the images were "vulgar and immoral".

US will strip Palestinian funding over International Criminal Court, warns senator

Republican senator Lindsay Graham has said that funding will be cut off if Palestine files a complaint.

Anonymous hacker group declares war on jihadist terrorism

A hacker group known only as 'Anonymous' has vowed to exact vengeance against terrorist groups threatening the freedom of expression following the slaying of Charlie Hebdo journalists in Paris.

Mississippi Democrats want to make Bible official state book

While one US politician has abandoned his bid to make the Bible the state book for Louisiana, others are confident their efforts will be fruitful.