Asia’s Christians face increased political violence

A riot at a Sri Lankan jail has left at least eight inmates dead and more than 50 injured. Prisoners had been protesting over surging coronavirus infections in the country's overcrowded facilities.

The violent clashes broke out after prisoners vented their anger over coronavirus-related conditions at a high-security prison located near Colombo. Eleven people have since died, with over 100 wounded in the riots.

An England cricket fan who waited 10 months in Sri Lanka to watch his team play is escorted away by police before a ball had been bowled in the first Test. Rob Lewis, who decided to stay in the country after the original tour was aborted over the coronavirus last March, tried to watch the game from the historic ramparts of Galle Fort, a vantage point which overlooks the city's cricket ground. But he was ordered off there just after the national anthems. The game was held behind closed doors because of the pandemic.

Churches around the world have changed their Ash Wednesday rituals to adapt to the ongoing pandemic. Ashes are traditionally daubed onto the forehead of worshippers, but priests have had to find new ways to observe the rite while respecting Covid-19 restrictions.

The child died in hospital after being beaten during a suspected exorcism. The girl's mother and the exorcist have been charged in connection with the death.

Iraq's Christian minority has dealt with decades of persecution — and many are skeptical about whether a four-day visit by Pope Francis will make a difference.

The authorities in Buddhist-majority Sri Lanka pledged to close over 1,000 Islamic schools and formally ban burqas. The government also granted itself powers to detain suspects for "deradicalization."

The use of hijaab by female students in schools founded by Christian mission is currently causing controversy in one of Nigeria's states. Muslim groups in Kwara State want the use of hijaab in all public schools, including those of missionary origins.

In our show "Correspondence", we explore how the world is coping with the twists and turns of 2021, amid the consequences of Covid-19 and beyond. FRANCE 24 brings you a selection of original reports from our correspondents and teams around the globe. Our reporters went to Brazil, Lebanon, Iraq and Niger.

China has shipped hundreds of thousands of much needed coronavirus vaccine shots to Sri Lanka over the past few months. Observers say it could help support Beijing's geopolitical interests and bolster influence.

An almost 90-year-old car that once belonged to Britain's late Prince Philip is now the centrepiece of a seaside museum in Sri Lanka. "We've tried to preserve it as best we can", says the current owner of the car, a 1935 Austin Standard 9.

Pope Francis celebrates a special mass at St Peter's Basilica for the people of Myanmar in the wake of the country's military takeover earlier this year. Several hundred Christians from Myanmar joined him in appealing for peace in the Southeast Asian country.