There are signs which suggest a potential pause in the Israel-Hamas conflict, although a full ceasefire remains uncertain. Hamas, which has consistently said that it will only free more Israeli hostages in exchange…

In Japan, a huge surge in bear attacks has been linked to climate change. Already in 2023 there have been 212 attacks, compared to 158 in 2022; six people have died. Rising temperatures…

On 12 December, the UN General Assembly overwhelmingly passed a resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict. With 153 votes in favour, 10 against (including the United States and Israel),…

On 6 December Israeli troops fought fierce battles with Hamas in an expanding offensive into southern Gaza, forcing tens of thousands of displaced Palestinian civilians to cram into a city close to the…

We asked for your prayers last week; it took another five days, 17 in all, before 41 construction workers were rescued from from a collapsed tunnel in Uttarakhand state. The tunnel, part of…

On 30 November Israel and Hamas struck a last-minute agreement to extend their ceasefire for a seventh day. Both sides agreed to extend the truce, with Hamas releasing more hostages and Israel receiving…

Tajikistan is a beautiful mountainous country; the Tajik language is related to Iranian. After gaining independence in the early 1990s, the country endured a tribal-based civil war that resulted in significant loss of…

Israel and Hamas have struck a deal to exchange fifty hostages in Gaza for a four-day ceasefire. This agreement also includes the release of 150 Palestinian women and teenagers held in Israeli prisons…

A rescue operation to free 41 Indian tunnel workers, trapped for twelve days in the Silkyara tunnel in Uttarkhand state, has reached its final stage. Rescuers are just metres away from the workers,…

In Gaza, a significant number of Muslim men have recently converted to Christianity after reportedly seeing visions of Jesus in their dreams, an event described as miraculous by underground Christian communities in the…