TANZANIA<\/strong>.\u00a0\u00a0Dar es Salaam governor launches witch hunt for gays<\/a>: \u2018\u201dI have information about the presence of many homosexuals in our province,\u201d Paul Makonda told reporters on Monday, calling on citizens to begin reporting homosexuals for round-ups to begin next week. Under British colonial-era laws homosexuality is illegal in Tanzania, with same-sex<\/a> acts between men<\/a> punishable by a maximum life sentence. \u201cThese homosexuals boast on social networks,\u201d said Makonda, a fervent Christian and loyal ally of president John Magufuli. \u201cGive me their names,\u201d he demanded. \u201cMy ad hoc team will begin to get their hands on them next Monday.\u201d<\/p>\n MALAWI<\/strong>. New report shows how lack of clarity about the legal status of same-sex conduct leaves LGBT people vulnerable to arbitrary arrests, physical violence, and routine discrimination<\/a>:\u00a0\u201cThe law criminalizing same-sex<\/a> conduct contributes to a perception that LGBT people are fair game and can be assaulted without any consequences for the attacker,\u201d said\u00a0Wendy Isaack<\/a>, LGBT rights researcher at Human Rights Watch. \u201cImagine being beaten up in the street, reporting to the police, and being arrested yourself while your attacker goes free \u2013 this happened to people we interviewed, solely because of their perceived gender identity or sexual orientation.\u201d<\/p>\n POLAND<\/strong>. Schools cancel LGBT Tolerance Day over government pressure<\/a>. \u2018More than 200 schools had planned to take part in \u201cRainbow Friday,\u201d an anti-discrimination event that a civic rights group, the Campaign Against Homophobia, had promoted in hopes of building greater acceptance for LGBT students.\u2019<\/p>\n MALAYSIA. <\/b>Official plays down claim that there are 310,000 homosexuals in the country<\/a>. \u2018A senior officer from the Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim) today sought to play down his earlier remark on the current homosexual population in the country, where the minority demographic group still faces discrimination. Mohd Izwan Md Yusof from the Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim) clarified that his reported remark that there are 310,000 homesexuals in the country was only a \u201cpreliminary\u201d figure and that it had \u201cnot been finalised by the Ministry of Health Malaysia as quoted\u201d.\u2019<\/p>\n TAIWAN<\/strong>. Hundreds of thousands attend Pride march<\/a>: \u2018Hundreds of thousands marched through Taiwan\u2019s capital on Saturday to press the government to deliver on its promise of marriage equality amid an increasingly heated debate over whether civil laws should recognize same-sex<\/a> marriage. In Asia\u2019s first such ruling, Taiwan\u2019s constitutional court declared in May last year that\u00a0same-sex couples had the right to legally marry<\/a>, and set a two-year deadline for legalization.<\/p>\n CZECH REPUBLIC<\/strong>. Marriage equality under consideration this week<\/a>: \u2018On Wednesday, October 31, marriage equality is for the first time in history guaranteed to be\u00a0on the agenda<\/a>\u00a0of the 20th meeting of the Chamber of Deputies. The opening of this debate item will take place as part of the Chamber of Deputies\u2019 meeting, which starts at 14:30. The amendment is the third item up for debate in the afternoon program. In the meeting\u2019s agenda, the first reading of the Civil Code amendment is to be included as a fixed item, which would open up the possibility of marriage for gay<\/a> and lesbian<\/a> couples<\/a>.\u2019<\/p>\n FINLAND<\/strong>.\u00a0Finnish LGBTQ police network established to fight discrimination<\/a>: \u201cIn many European states, LGBTQ police have their own associations, but Finland lags behind on this front. Without an official arena, Finnish LGBTQ police have been limited to a hidden Facebook group where members can share their experiences and concerns without fear of workplace discrimination.\u201d<\/p>\n ISRAEL<\/strong>. LGBT groups slam appointment of new police commissioner<\/a>: \u2018LGBT rights groups on Friday slammed the\u00a0announcement that Moshe \u201cChico\u201d Edri was nominated as the next Israel Police commissioner in light of a deadly stabbing at the Jerusalem pride parade when the nominee was the city\u2019s top officer. Edri, who also formerly served as Tel Aviv police commander, received a reprimand over the 2015 attack at the march in Jerusalem, in which ultra-Orthodox extremist Yishai Schlissel stabbed to death 16-year-old Shira Banki and wounded five others.\u2019<\/p>\n MALTA<\/strong>. Matthew Grech, a contestant on X-Factor Malta, made national headlines when he said he used to live a \u201chomosexual lifestyle\u201d but left it when he found Jesus.<\/a> X \u201cX Factor contestant Matthew Grech has demanded that the government and the Malta LGBTIQ Rights Movement (MGRM) issue an apology for putting pressure on the state broadcaster to remove not only the interview he gave to X Factor, but also his audition clip on the show.\u201d (Note: the clip below does not contain his interview).<\/p>\n<\/p>\n The post LGBTQ World News Digest: 10 International Stories You Need to Know About<\/a> appeared first on Towleroad Gay News<\/a>.<\/p>\n