Iraq: ‘wherever we go, we get bombed’
31 Mar 2017
Exploring Mosul, RT news reporters have gathered more evidence in support of the Amnesty International report which accuses the US-led coalition and Iraqi government of indiscriminately bombing civilian homes along with IS targets. The debris of destroyed houses, schools and hospitals has turned the city into an urban graveyard. On Tuesday, with explosions and gunfire heard in the distance, RT's crew saw coalition jets heading to and from Mosul every 5–10 minutes. They heard chilling stories of how IS terrorists use civilians as human shields during airstrikes. The Iraqi government isn’t organising humanitarian corridors for civilians to leave Mosul, they’re urging them to stay inside. The perceived safety of their homes becomes their graves as bombs continue to rain down (although less intensively since a severe loss of civilian life which is being investigated).
Egypt: persecution, politics and poverty
31 Mar 2017
Egyptian Christians, as security worsens, are fleeing the increasingly lawless Sinai Peninsula, some with just the clothes on their backs, after several killings and explicit calls by IS to target them. The displacement has reached a scale rarely seen outside natural disasters. Pray for God’s comfort and strength for all experiencing continued death threats, and for those who have fled from their homes and communities. Ex-president Hosni Mubarak was freed last week after six years in custody. His release comes amid an economic crisis after years of political tumult and worsening security. Egyptians complain of empty pockets and rumbling bellies as inflation exceeds 30% and the government tightens its belt in return for loans from the International Monetary Fund. A politician said that the economic crisis and high prices, plus the fear of terrorism, take priority over everything, including politics. See
Russia: a divided people
31 Mar 2017
On 8 March celebrations began for the centenary of the Russian revolution; they will continue for one year. Revolution brought education to those at the bottom of the social pile, while destroying the middle class. Conflicting rich v poor views continue today. Last Sunday Alexei Navalny, an anti-corruption and opposition activist, called on his supporters to protest, and accused prime minister Dmitry Medvedev of personal enrichment through embezzlement. The biggest rally of 8,000 people in Moscow was unsanctioned, and 600 were detained. 3,000 demonstrated in St Petersburg (131 detained), 500 in Vladivostok (25 detained), 1,500 in Novosibirsk, and others elsewhere. Many believe that Russia and democracy are incompatible, and that 2017 will reunite Russians to a legacy of revolutions that continues to divide. See http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/russian-revolutions-1917-centenary-celebrations-2017-vladimir-putin-bolsheviks-lenin-stalin-trotsky-a7605791.html
Turkey: constitutional referendum
31 Mar 2017
In a referendum on 16 April, Turks will vote yes or no to constitutional amendments to shift Turkey from a system where executive powers lie with the prime minister and are checked by parliament to one giving unprecedented powers to the president. Many fear this will lead to one-person rule, with power to suspend parliament and appoint all ministers and high-ranking officials. Turkish Christians are concerned about rising nationalism, and also the random arrests since last summer’s coup attempt. American pastor Andrew Brunson, who has been in detention since October, still has no clear outline of the charges against him, although the prime minister has promised to speed up his court case. He and his family have been in Turkey for over twenty years, leading a church in Izmir. See:
Last week veteran newspaper journalist Miroslava Breach was shot eight times in front of her youngest son, in the Sierra Tarahumara region. She is the second journalist murdered in a week, and the third this month. The region is rich in precious minerals and old growth forests. It also has ample and hard-to-reach fertile land, ideal for growing illicit crops. Cartel-linked paramilitaries have for years carried out terrifying displacement campaigns against the indigenous Tarahumara residents. In January, gunmen killed the area’s most high-profile indigenous land rights defender, Goldman Prize-winner Isidro Baldenegro. One of Breach’s last reports was about the discovery of mass grave sites that were probably were used to hide the bodies of kidnapping victims and disappeared persons. Without her reporting, the region might become another journalism no-go ‘silence zone’ in Mexico’s media landscape.
Australia: results of the cyclone
31 Mar 2017
Australia is dealing with the aftermath of Cyclone Debbie, which caused widespread wind damage. It is now a low-pressure system, dumping hundreds of millimetres of rain and moving slowly down the eastern coast. Queensland was expecting the worst wild weather last night. Brisbane received twice the average monthly rainfall in 24 hours. The deluge will continue to the weekend. People are preparing sandbags for protection against further flood damage. 52,000 are without power, and rivers are rising significantly. In 2013 a research facility reported increased intensity in tropical cyclones near Australia as a result of climate change. See:
Nigeria: meningitis outbreak
31 Mar 2017
An outbreak of meningitis has been reported in six Nigerian states, infecting over a thousand and killing 140. Meningitis causes acute inflammation of the brain and spinal cord. The current outbreak is the worst since 2009, when over 150 people died. The disease is spreading; it could become out of control if refugee camps, prisons and police cells become affected through crowds. Vaccination is a way of preventing meningitis. However a new strain imported from a neighbouring country is now prevalent and requires a different vaccine. The outbreak, attributed to cold nights / dusty winds / dry weather, is aggravated by traditional beliefs, poor hygiene, and overpopulation.
Brexit process begins
30 Mar 2017
The 30th March 2017, the UK Government formally ‘triggered’ Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, to start the process to leave the European Union. A new chapter in this nation’s history is being written.
Thousands of words have already been written about ‘Brexit’ since the Referendum on 23 June, and tens if not hundreds of thousands will no doubt be written in the days, weeks and months to come.
So today we do not wish to add to the deluge of comment. We simply ask the Church in Scotland – the ‘family of God’ – the ‘army of ordinary people’ – to stand together ‘As one!’ and to pray, crying out to Almighty God, to the One who holds the fate and the destiny of every nation in His hands, on behalf of Scotland and all parts of the UK – and for Europe.
We ask that from today - individually, in prayer groups, prayer assemblies and in our church meetings, we all commit, whatever our political views, to bringing our Governments and all those with any responsibility for the negotiations before God on a regular basis – for their protection and well-being - that His will may be done and that through it all His Kingdom may be advanced.
At this early stage in the process, please pray:
- for Theresa May, the UK Government and officials – especially those directly involved in the negotiations – for their protection, health and energy, and for wisdom and integrity in all they do;
- for those negotiating on behalf of the European Union, in the same way;
- that, despite all the predictions of how complex and difficult the negotiations will be, especially with 27 EU Governments plus EU institutions having to agree on their position as discussions proceed, the negotiations turn out to be surprisingly straightforward;
- that on both sides the negotiations would be carried out in a civil, positive manner – without harsh words or disruptive behaviour
- for Nicola Sturgeon and the Scottish Government – that notwithstanding the desire to hold a second independence referendum, they will contribute positively to the process for the benefit of all of Scotland, and through that for the UK as well.
Source: Pray for Scotland