Twenty-four boys used their small bodies every day to dive into the deep water of the lake to untangle nets for their masters. It was dangerous, back-breaking work, made worse by violent abuse, lack of food and sleep. Early in the morning of 24 January, International Justice Mission  and Ghanaian authorities prepared for a rescue operation. Eight boats launched off the shores to look for the boys. A spokesman said, ‘When we found them, most were scared - they didn’t know what was happening.’ As they were pulled into the boats, the Ghanaian commander instructed his unit to arrest the suspected boatmasters, sixteen in all.

Even though the incumbent governor of Jakarta, ‘Ahok’ Tjahaja Purnama, a Christian, is awaiting trial for blasphemy, he is still in the running in the current elections for his post. In the first poll, on Wednesday, he was ahead, but did not have enough of a lead to take immediate victory. More than a thousand supporters flocked to the campaign headquarters of Ahok and Djarot (his running mate) to welcome the two candidates and watch the most recent quick count results. ‘We wanted to secure a one-round victory. But still, we should thank God for this result’, Ahok added. Anies Baswedan and Sandiaga Uno, their opponents, are close behind, while the third contestant has conceded defeat. This means that there will be a second round between the two remaining pairs of candidates - scheduled for 19 April.

Pakistan’s religious affairs minister has announced that there will be no change to the country’s ‘blasphemy’ laws. Previous attempts to amend the harsh legislation have been blocked, and those proposing changes have faced threats and intimidation. Although the majority charged under the laws are Muslims, Christians and other minorities are disproportionately targeted, and blasphemy accusations are often made to settle personal grudges. Those convicted can face the death penalty for 'defiling the name' of Muhammad: however, to date no one has been executed, although several Christians are among those on death row. On 1 February Adnan Prince, a Christian from Lahore, was granted bail after three years behind bars; despite several charges being dropped, he remains accused of insulting Muhammad.

Gambia’s new president, Adama Barrow, has announced that the country will no longer officially be called an Islamic republic, reversing the decision made by his predecessor in 2015. There had been encouraging signs that Barrow, a Muslim who was a successful property developer before running for office, would begin a new era of positive relations with the country’s Christian minority. But this courageous announcement appears to signal a significant step away from the Islamist agenda promoted by Gambia’s previous president.

A Zimbabwean pastor who criticised his government has been detained after flying back to the country. Evan Mawarire, who left the country last year in fear for his life, was arrested at Harare International Airport. He first came to fame last April when he went on Facebook wrapped in a Zimbabwean flag complaining about the state of the nation. It sparked a #ThisFlag protest movement against the leadership of the country. In July, protesters staged a national ‘shutdown’ which led to a complete closure of schools, businesses and shops across the country. It was the biggest strike action since 2005. Mr Mawarire was arrested and charged with inciting public violence, but a court ruled that police had violated his rights and released him. He left the country soon after, and had been in the US for about six months. At the airport, Mr Mawarire ‘was escorted into another room by three men even before he went through immigration or customs’, his sister Telda said. It is reported that he was then taken to a police station in the centre of Harare.

Hundreds of homes have been evacuated in Christchurch as a huge wildfire raged on its outskirts. One pilot has died in a helicopter crash, and least eleven homes have burned down. A state of emergency has been declared, and the military has been deployed to help firefighters. It is unclear what caused the fire; prime minister Bill English has said that it looked suspicious, and investigations are continuing. The fire broke out in two separate places on Monday in the dry hills south of the city, before merging into one blaze which now covers about 1,800ha. More than 130 firefighters have been deployed, along with 14 helicopters and three aircraft. A total of 400 homes have been evacuated by police, but hundreds of other people have also chosen to leave the area. A police spokesman warned people that fires can change direction and move quickly, giving little time to escape. ‘If you're worried, don't leave it too late - it's better to be safe than sorry.’

Last week we prayed for a peaceful and satisfactory outcome when 200,000 people took to the streets over a government decree to free dozens of officials jailed for corruption. This week Romania's government scrapped the controversial decree. Now many politicians will no longer be shielded from prosecution for corruption. The decision came at an emergency meeting on the issue, following days of further street protests. One of those behind the move said it was to restore calm in Romania, but also strongly criticised the judiciary. Protesters have vowed to keep the pressure on the cabinet, with some demanding that the entire government should quit. One of them, Daniel, said, ‘I hope that this is a real repeal. We are going to keep an eye on them to make sure we are not being had’. The protests have been the country's largest since the fall of communism in 1989.

Last week, after more than three years in jail, a Christian facing the death penalty on charges of blasphemy was granted bail by the Supreme Court in Lahore. Adnan Prince had been imprisoned in Lahore’s district jail since November 2013 after he was accused by a work colleague of insulting Islam, the Qur’an and Islam’s prophet. The three-man bench ordered the release of Prince, with bail set at Rs 300,000 (around £2,300). According to Mr Prince’s lead counsel, the case against her client should have been decided within two years. This did not take place due to lawyers’ strikes and delaying tactics by the prosecution, she said. She also explained that legal formalities were not fulfilled; guidelines passed by the Supreme Court say that a police officer of at least the rank of superintendent should have conducted the investigation. She added that there were no direct eyewitnesses and that all forensic evidence failed to link the accused. Although earlier bail applications had been dismissed by both a district judge and the Lahore High Court, the Supreme Court granted Prince bail and ordered his release. Similar cases have been known to take as long as seven years to reach trial.

‘Parents, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.’ (Eph. 6:4) Earlier in this letter, Paul urges husbands and wives to love and respect each other, laying down their lives for each other. When this is our aim, we go a long way to providing the role model that our children need to be witnesses to the love of Christ, encouraging them rather than ‘exasperating’ them, and building the kingdom of God as a family.

(written by Father Simon Penhalagan, Sion Catholic Community for Evangelism)

Record numbers of patients spent more than four hours in accident and emergency units in England in January, figures leaked to the BBC suggest. It seems that January was the worst performing month since the four-hour target was introduced. The figures also suggest record numbers of people waited longer than twelve hours for a hospital bed once seen in A&E. The British Medical Association said the Prime Minister could no longer ‘bury her head in the sand’, and accused the Government of failing to grasp the seriousness of the situation. But a spokesman from the Department of Health said the vast majority of patients were seen and treated quickly, and busy periods in hospitals were supported by an extra £400 million of funding. The figures seem to show that of over 1.4 million attendances at A&E last month, only 82% - rather than the target 95% - were transferred, admitted or discharged within four hours. More than 60,000 people waited between four and twelve hours for a hospital bed after a decision to admit, known as a ‘trolley wait’.