Scarred from civil war, people in Burundi need to recover from years of tribal wars and loss. 70-80% live below the poverty line. Last weekend the army attempted to overthrow President Nkurunziza ahead of an election which has now been postponed. Opposition and human rights groups say that Nkurunziza's bid for a third five-year term in power is against the constitution. Former rebel leader Nkurunziza, who claims to be a born-again Christian, believes he has divine backing to lead the country, arguing his first term in power did not count as he was elected by parliament, not directly by the people. Burundi has a Hutu/Tutsi divided population. Hutu rebels are loyal to the government, while the army is dominated by Tutsi, who are sympathetic to the opposition. Weapons and military training have been given to the ruling party's youth wing. Disagreement over a third presidential term could descend into conflict either along ethnic lines or the new military divisions. See also

On Sunday four Irish bishops simultaneously published statements urging Catholics to vote ‘no’ in Ireland's referendum on gay marriage. They defend marriage between a man and a woman as the natural order and argue that a vote against same-sex marriage is a vote for the common good. Bishop of Killala John Fleming admits that during the past fifty years there has been a great change in the home environment in Ireland. It must be acknowledged that single parents and, in recent years, same-sex parents provide children with a loving home environment. However, this does not take away from the fact that it’s the firm belief of the bishops that the traditional family environment of a father, mother and children is in fact the best environment in which to raise children, despite the fact that family life as we know it is not without its problems and difficulties.

Russian people and religious organisations charged with distributing banned ‘extremist’ texts face sharply increased fines after changes to the law this month. Confiscations of religious texts from all religions, mostly during raids or detentions, frequently result in prosecutions of people. Convictions have led to liquidation, or threats of liquidation of ministries. The possession of allegedly ‘extremist’ texts is not the only obstacle to exercising freedom of religion or belief. Communities face barriers to holding public events. Baptist pastor Pavel Pilipchuk was imprisoned for five days in mid-April for refusing to pay a fine for allegedly organising an open-air meeting for worship without informing the city administration beforehand. The increases are part of a number of legal changes proposed by the Communications Ministry in December 2014, which introduce specific charges for media outlets accused of inciting "extremism’ and harsher existing punishments for related offences. There have been 19 prosecutions so far in 2015.

A new law to tackle human trafficking, with better protection for its victims and tougher penalties for those convicted of the crime, has been backed by the Scottish Parliament. Holyrood supported the general principles of the legislation, which creates a specific offence of human trafficking for the first time and increases the maximum penalty for offenders to life imprisonment. The Human Trafficking and Exploitation Bill was brought forward by the Scottish Government to strengthen existing criminal law against the practice, enhance the status of victims, and boost support for them. Under the proposals, prosecutors will be given guidance from the Lord Advocate setting out a presumption against prosecution of victims in cases where trafficked people have been forced into committing crime. The legislation will also commit Scottish ministers to publishing and updating a human trafficking strategy. Justice Secretary Michael Matheson said, 'We intend to make Scotland a hostile place for traffickers and those who exploit others, and to better identify and support potential and confirmed victims.'