As days of protest against austerity draw hundreds, security forces show an iron fist. The crisis highlights the country’s weak political institutions. Some fear criminal and jihadist infiltrations. The political class must be renewed and economic and social reforms must be implemented.

Qaisar and Amoon Ayub have been in Jhelum Jail since 2015. The sentence was read in prison for security reasons. Their lawyer, this could be another Asia Bibi case.

Voting will take place on 30 December. Hundreds of protesters from both sides have been hurt; at least a thousand opposition sympathisers have been arrested. Opinion polls give the ruling party a 66 per cent lead. Soldiers will be deployed at polling station as of 24 December.

The pastor at the Early Rain Covenant Church drafted the letter over time, asking that it be made public two days after his arrest. In it, he expresses his “disgust” for Communist persecution of Christians, but says he is not interested in changing the country’s social system. His goal is to bear witness through non-violence and slam violations of religious freedom. God will bring down the communist regime. The Church has existed for thousands of years, but no political power has lasted thousands of years.

Receiving the artists who will perform at the Christmas concert at the Vatican, Francis said that "networking with education means allowing people to get up on their feet, to get back on their feet with full dignity" and it is also "a valid solution to open the gates of the refugee camps, allowing young migrants to enter new societies".

The event is set for tomorrow. Bible readings and Gospel-inspired hymns will accompany the mandatory national anthem. A choir from a leprosy group will sing a special "Hallelujah". Christians represent over 87 per cent of the State’s population.