Adult mental health hospitals in Northern Ireland currently have a target of discharging patients within 7 days of their being declared medically fit. However, one mental health patient spent 1,235 days stranded in an acute unit awaiting discharge in the Southern Health and Social Care Trust. Over the past two years, 16 patients waited more than 100 days for discharge and five were delayed for more than a year. Discharged mental health patients are often placed in supported accommodation and a lack of these facilities can lead to delays. A spokesperson said, ‘Trust policy ensures community-based care and treatment is put in place as soon as possible for patients who can be safely discharged. But they can only be safely discharged when appropriate accommodation is available’.

British MPs from all parties called for the Labour leader to state his current position with regard to supporting Venezuela’s leadership. International censure of Venezuela’s Mr Maduro grew following two opposition leaders being seized from their homes in the middle of the night after the sham election. (see this week’s Prayer-Alert Venezuela article, below). Mr Corbyn has previously praised Venezuela as a ‘better way of doing things’ under Mr Maduro’s predecessor and mentor, Hugo Chávez, and welcomed Chávez to London in 2006. Mr Maduro has described Mr Corbyn as a ‘friend of Venezuela’. The Labour leader lauded Mr Maduro’s regime in June 2015, saying that its achievements in housing, health, education and jobs were ‘a cause for celebration’.  However, Venezuela has failed its citizens. There are food shortages, hyperinflation, citizens locked up, disappeared or murdered and there is a flow of cocaine from the country to Britain.

Prince Philip, the 96-year-old husband of Queen Elizabeth, bowed out of public life on 2 August with a final solo appearance at an official event, ending a distinguished royal career (also marked by occasional gaffes landing him in hot water). Prince Philip has been by the queen's side throughout her 65 years on the throne and she has described him as 'my strength and stay'. Arthur Edwards, a Christian, who worked with the royals for years, remembered his royal duties with fondness. He described the prince’s best attribute as kindness, saying ‘We saw that with Diana at her time of trouble. He's a good Christian man, he attends a church service most weeks and when I've watched him in church he doesn't just sit there - he has his own private thoughts and prayers.’ See https://www.premierchristianradio.com/News/UK/Royal-photographer-pays-tribute-to-good-Christian-man-Prince-Philip.

Last week we prayed for religious freedom to be protected and upheld in the UK when Victoria Wasteney took her legal case to an Employment Appeal Tribunal. (see: http://www.prayer-alert.net/british-isles-ireland-pa-site/item/9618-christian-nhs-worker-s-legal-battle )  This appeal was refused and she is now taking her case to the European Courts. Victoria's career has been damaged simply for reaching out to a Muslim colleague with whom she had a friendly, positive relationship, and who at the time seemed grateful for her Christian support. The ensuing court cases have not displayed justice. It evidences the increasing hostility towards Christians and Christianity in the UK.

It is now time to pray for the many ‘transition arrangements’ that are currently being talked about by government ministers ahead of the UK’s transition from EU control to British sovereignty. Financiers, bankers and investors believe transition arrangements will become the battleground of Brexit, and could become as controversial as the subject of membership itself. Different aspects of the UK’s departure from the EU will progress at different speeds. Some negotiations will take months to complete, some may take years. The Department for Exiting the EU estimates that 57 policy areas are affected by Brexit, producing potentially 57 Brexit varieties. Pray for God to establish strong, clear, negotiations for the break from EU control in each of the legislations and policies for agriculture, fisheries, customs, repatriation, immigration and justice. All very comprehensive with many dimensions, may God be in the new details and implementation at every step towards completion on 31 March 2019. (Linda Digby Prayer-Alert Team)

Festivals are often ‘mountaintop experiences’ where we feel the presence of God and hear his voice as Jesus did at the Transfiguration. Each summer we gather thousands of young people, seeing many encounter God in life-changing ways. The vital thing they – and we – must hear is that they are beloved children of God with whom he is well pleased.Mike Pilavachi, Soul Survivor.

Palestinian women are scoring a sweet victory against gender discrimination in the West Bank by breaking with tradition and working alongside men at the largest pastry factory in Nablus. They are ignoring prejudices and competing with men for jobs that traditionally belonged to men. However the women only earn half of the amount of the men, even though they have proved to be more competent than the men. Now the factory, supported by women’s rights organisations, plan to provide pastry courses for other women who want to work.

Friends, here is an update from Bernd Oettinghaus, the coordinator of the prayer effort in Hamburg and Berthold Becker of Kainos Ministries on what has been happening there during the recent G20:

Thanks for all who responded to our spontaneous prayer initiative joining in with the many initiatives mobilizing prayer around the globe.

The G20 finished peacefully and in a positive spirit which is an answer to prayer. Also on Saturday around 75,000 people were able to demonstrate peacefully and present their issues.

Saturday night there were riots again but much less than expected. This was certainly an answer to prayer. The force of the riots was extreme, much damage and around 470 police injured. However, the Lord hindered more evil.

The government leaders promised unbureaucratic help and compensation for all damage done over this weekend. On Sunday thousands of people of all ages spontaneously followed a grass roots initiative to clean up the streets. https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=hamburg+clean+up+after+g20+youtube&view=detail&mid=169FB132E4C493CFFC7F169FB132E4C493CFFC7F&FORM=VIRE

It was great to be in a net of international intercession. The results of the Summit are less bad as expected. The heads of the 20 nations keep talking instead of walking alone or against each other. But we have to continue in prayer for the world leadership.

In my nation we are cleansing the political arena and weeping out a hidden sympathy for the extrem left wing and asking questions about the strategy of the police, why they let the anarchy situation on Friday night grow for 3-4 hours.

One other result is: The radical left-wing movement and their open-ness for violence is no longer accepted, which helps to stand against it, but on the other side as the danger in it to move in the underground scene.

We will have a prayer conference from 1st to 3rd September 2017 in Berlin where we want to target the leftwing spirit from the 68revolution including the philosophical movement of Adorno and Horxheimer  „Frankfurter Schule“, the terroristic movement of the „Red Army Fraction“ from the 90th. The beginning of this movement is over now for 50 years, and we want to deal with all this socialist movements, kommunist and maoisem/leninism in our nation and in Europe. We also invite Chinese prayer leaders to help in this issue. www.waechterruf.de

We take those days of the G20 as a God given insight in the chaotic powers behind this still alive movement in Europe/the world. We do not want a new wave of radical violent movements in Germany and Europe. Not on the right wing and also not on the left wing.

We do not want a police, which is not under the political control of democratic forces, even no unique individuals or groups among the police fighting their own battles.

We want to learn as the Body of Christ in my nation, to stand together in Prayer alongside the political leaders and the police forces. On 24th September 2017 we will have a national vote.

Blessings and thanks to all prayer warriors

Bernd Oettinghaus /  Berthold Becker  
www.waechterruf.de / www.kainos.de