Iran and Russia strengthening ties
22 Jul 2022
Vladimir Putin visited Iran this week in only his second overseas trip since invading Ukraine. He received a red carpet welcome from Iran’s supreme leader who wants to strengthen long-term cooperation with Russia. Tehran and Moscow…
Germany: permanent gas pipeline cut?
15 Jul 2022
Russian natural gas supplies to Germany have been halted for annual maintenance work. But the German economy minister warned that EU countries must be prepared for gas shipments not resuming, believing Russia is using gas ‘as…
Europe: wildfires rage in heatwave
15 Jul 2022
All week Europe has been battling wildfires fuelled by soaring temperatures in Portugal, France, Turkey and Spain. Pray for 3,500 Portuguese firefighters battling dozens of blazes in record-breaking temperatures. Pray for the 600 people in Leiria…
Ireland: cocaine and guns
15 Jul 2022
On 12 July the Gardaí seized €1.1m worth of cocaine and arrested three men at Dublin Airport with support from German and South American police and revenue officers. Investigations are still ongoing. The previous day, an…
Ukraine: Canada pledges armoured vehicles
15 Jul 2022
Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau pledged to send more military support for Ukraine at the NATO summit. His defence minister said that Canada will boost Ukraine’s arsenal by sending 39 General Dynamics-made armoured vehicles ‘this summer’.…
Snake Island: Russia drops phosphorus bombs
08 Jul 2022
Snake Island is a critical outpost for controlling shipping lanes for the export of Ukrainian grain and accessing the key port of Odessa. After Moscow retreated from the Black Sea outpost in a ‘gesture of goodwill…