Globe Trot: War in Yemen brings excess tragedy, scant headlines

YEMEN: The war in Yemen is taking a terrible—and underreported—toll in yet another proxy battle shaping up between Saudi Arabia and Iran. I’m following tweets by Yemeni political analyst Hisham al-Omeisy as one way to keep up with the latest.

INDONESIA: This Sunday, a church in Bogor City, south of Jakarta, will hold its 100th service outdoors after authorities padlocked its church building. The congregation decided to meet on the street, where it has faced repeated harassment in the Muslim-majority nation. Congregants and supporters plan to meet outside the presidential palace this Sunday, pressing President Joko Widodo to make good on pledges for new religious tolerance.

IRAN: Saturday marks three years of imprisonment in Iran for Iranian-American pastor Saeed Abedini. About 800 prayer vigils on his behalf are scheduled around the world. This week, his wife, Naghmeh Abedini, told WORLD her husband is worse off, facing new charges and increased punishments: “My husband’s situation has gotten worse … Honestly, since the [nuclear] deal, I thought the treatment of my husband would improve.”

CHINA: The president has welcomed Chinese President Xi Jinping to the White House, where the two are expected to etch a broad agreement on climate change likely to affect industries in China and U.S. businesses that manufacture there. Protesters are seeking to highlight China’s clamp on religious freedom and human rights, and this time they include not only house-church representatives, but also those from China’s official church.

VATICAN: The Pope’s hourlong speech to a joint session of Congress yesterday skirted the church’s position on marriage and abortion at a time when protection for the unborn is coming under new scrutiny in America (and may be what is forcing House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, to resign). And the pope failed to mention Jesus. Today he wrapped up a speech at the United Nations covering global … well, everything.