World Tour - Stoned to death in Nigeria

MARY REICHARD, HOST: Coming up next on The World and Everything in It: World Tour. Here’s our reporter in Africa, Onize Ohikere.

ONIZE OHIKERE, REPORTER: Christian student stoned in Nigeria—Today we start with troubling news here in Nigeria.

AUDIO: [Sound of protests]

Muslim students at the Shehu Shagari College of Education attacked and killed a Christian classmate Thursday after she posted a message on social media they found offensive.

The irate mob stoned Deborah Samuel to death and then burned her body. Someone posted videos of the gruesome attack online.

Police arrested two people and used the video to identify others who participated.

On Saturday, hundreds of Muslims protested in Sokoto to demand police free the suspects.

Nigeria’s population is evenly divided between Christians and Muslims. But Sokoto is one of Nigeria’s northern Islamic states that enforces Sharia law.

Sri Lanka runs out of gas, medicine—From a religious crisis in Africa to an economic disaster in South Asia.

AUDIO: [Man speaking Sinhala]

That’s Sri Lanka’s new prime minister in a televised address … announcing the country has run out of gasoline. Three tankers are waiting outside the Colombo harbor to unload shipments of oil. But the cash-strapped government cannot raise enough money to pay for it.

The government has also run out of 14 essential medicines, including drugs to treat heart disease and a rabies vaccine.

The prime minister took office Thursday after weeks of protests over the economic crisis forced his predecessor to resign. The new leader said, “The next couple of months will be the most difficult ones of our lives.”

Sri Lanka is suffering through its worst-ever economic crisis. People are struggling to find food, fuel, and medicines amid record-high inflation and lengthy power blackouts.

India blocks wheat exports—Next to India, where a sudden ban on wheat exports has created chaos at a major port.

AUDIO: [Sound of idling trucks, horns]

About 4,000 trucks are stuck in long lines outside the port in Kandla, waiting to unload. And it’s not clear whether four ships partially filled with 80,000 tonnes of wheat will be allowed to leave.

India is the world's second-largest grower of wheat. Last week, the government ordered traders not to enter into new export deals without prior approval.

Wheat prices surged to a record high on Monday amid shortages caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

India had previously said it would help meet global demand. That helped to ease fears of major shortages. But India’s extreme heatwave has caused fears of a reduced harvest. Government officials now say they need to protect the food supply for their own people.

Chinese students protest COVID lockdowns—And finally, we end today in China, where anger over strict COVID lockdowns boiled over into protests at an elite university in Beijing.

AUDIO: [Sound of heckling]

Students at Peking University shouted down a professor who spoke in support of quarantine measures. They cheered when he agreed to negotiate over a solution.

AUDIO: [Cheering]

University leaders eventually agreed to allow students to move more freely around campus and have groceries delivered.

China is the only major country sticking to a rigid zero-COVID policy. In Beijing, most restaurants and public spaces are closed and millions face daily testing and work-from-home requirements.

That’s this week’s World Tour. Reporting for WORLD, I’m Onize Ohikere in Abuja, Nigeria.

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