As wildfires rage in Greece, tourists flee and locals shelter; in Algeria, death toll rises to 34
Rhodes, GreeceReuters More than 2,000 holidaymakers were flown home on Monday, tour operators cancelled upcoming trips, and residents took shelter as wildfires raged on the Greek island of Rhodes for the seventh day. Repatriation flights are due to continue into Tuesday as the fires remained out of control. The Civil Protection authority warned the threat […]
Heartbroken and homeless: Algerian villagers grapples with wildfire aftermath
Bejaia, AlgeriaReuters When Algeria’s deadly wildfires tore through the forest around their village, brothers Khelaf and Lyazid Tazibt could only hustle their families out of the door and abandon the home they shared to the flames. The two men, both retired, and their wives and children, are now among hundreds of Algerians left homeless by […]
Two Christian cemeteries vandalised in Algeria
World Watch Monitor Two Christian cemeteries have been vandalised in Algeria in recent weeks, reports national news site Algerie Monde Infos. More than 30 graves were desecrated at the La Reunion War Cemetery in Oued Ghir, a town near the northern city of Bejaia, on 6th September by a group of young people, a source told […]
Algerian government allows three churches to re-open in June, but now closes another
World Watch Monitor In Algeria, the relief of the Protestant minority at the recent re-opening of three churches a month ago has been cut short, after another church was closed last week. On 11th July, the building used by a Protestant church in the small town of Riki (eight kilometres from Akbou), in the north-east […]
Algerian pastor “amazed” as three churches reopened
World Watch Monitor Three churches recently closed down by authorities in Algeria’s northern province of Oran were permitted to re-open last Sunday. The three churches, located in Oran city, Ain Turk (30 kilometres west of Oran), and El Ayaida (35 kilometres east of Oran), were closed between November, 2017, and February, 2018. Three churches in […]
“Finally my father is home” – Slimane Bouhafs released after 18 months in Algerian jail
World Watch Monitor The daughter of Slimane Bouhafs, an Algerian Christian who has spent the last 18 months in prison for insulting Islam and its prophet, has announced her father’s release. “Finally my father…has been allowed back to us,” his daughter, Tilelli, wrote on her Facebook page on Easter Saturday. “Thank you for your support.” […]
Algeria government denies church closures are discrimination
World Watch Monitor The Algerian Minister of Religious Affairs has denied discriminating against the country’s Christian minority by ordering the closure of several churches in recent months. The latest church closures took place last week, as two churches were sealed by police in the north-western city of Oran. A week beforehand, two more churches received a notification to […]
Campaign against Algeria’s church “intensified”, says Middle East Concern
World Watch Monitor The Cathedral of Algiers. PICTURE: World Watch Monitor. Churches and individual Christians in Algeria have faced increased restrictions in recent months, raising concerns that these pressures signal a “coordinated campaign of intensified action against churches by the governing authorities”, according to Christian advocacy group Middle East Concern. On 19th December, three Christians were […]