Displaying items by tag: Asia

Once again there is political tumult in Israel, where the fifth election cycle in three years is about to begin. Crippled by dysfunction and tribalism, Israel has joined the ranks of Italy and Greece, where general elections occur with infuriating frequency. In June 2021 there was a big change when the new government sworn in was not headed by Benjamin Netanyahu, who had held the position for twelve years. A politically diverse coalition was cobbled together by Yair Lapid, leading the centrist Yesh Atid (There Is a Future) party. The coalition government, headed by rightwing prime minister Naftali Bennett, was a grouping of eight political parties, including an Arab Islamist party. It began crumbling in recent months after two right-wing lawmakers defected, which meant that the coalition lost its majority. In recent weeks left-wing and Arab coalition members were not backing key legislation. The next coalition will form after October’s polls.

A meeting between China’s defence minister Wei Fenghe and his US counterpart Lloyd Austin took place during an Asian security summit in Singapore. The hour-long meeting took double the time allotted. The USA is concerned about China’s increasingly unsafe, aggressive, unprofessional military behaviour, which indicates an attempt to change the status quo. A Chinese fighter plane dangerously intercepted an Australian military surveillance plane over the South China Sea, and Chinese warplanes harassed Canada’s aircraft monitoring North Korean sanction evasions. ‘If anyone dares to split Taiwan from China, the Chinese army will definitely not hesitate to start a war no matter the cost,’ said Fenghe. The Chinese minister also pledged, ‘Beijing will smash to smithereens any Taiwan independence plot and resolutely uphold the unification of the motherland. Taiwan is China’s Taiwan. Using Taiwan to contain China will never prevail.’ Joe Biden intends to spend more time on Asian security issues after months focusing on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Iran's proxy militias have caused the decline of Christians in many regions by adopting ‘forced immigration’. In Lebanon Hezbollah targets missionaries, impedes conversions, imposes strict dress codes and alcohol bans, and limits mixed sexes in public, in what have been dubbed ‘mini-Tehrans.’ A sizeable amount of land owned by Christians has been taken over by Hezbollah through eviction. In Iraq, initially employed to resist American forces, the Shiite Mahdi Army has changed the demography, Making Baghdad 'Christian-free' was high on its agenda when they morphed into IS. Iran had influence in Syria through the Assad family (Alawite Sunni). After the uprising Iran restructured the Syrian Army and created several militias within the Shia Liberation Army. It saved the Assad regime, killing 600,000 people, displacing 6.5 million internally, and forcing 6.6 million to flee Syria. In Yemen the Houthis have invested considerable effort into ending the Christian presence in the territories under their control.

Church leaders are common targets for violations of rights in Uzbekistan. They are fined for meeting illegally, possession of religious literature, having Christian songs on their smartphones and more. They can be detained, denied exit visas, and put under house arrest: all tactics to cause a ripple effect of fear and anxiety throughout their congregations. Pastors and lay leaders of unregistered churches are insulted, beaten and humiliated. Some men will be denied promotion at work, while others may lose their job altogether. When a church does try to officially register, persecution increases. Adam tried unsuccessfully to register with the government. Then the police demanded he renounce his faith because he had asked for registration. Ask God to encourage, equip and empower believers facing pressure and persecution. May hostility against them soften. Grant leaders wisdom and discernment when they navigate state restrictions. Keep them in good health and spirits.

The situation for women deteriorates rapidly as restrictions erase girls and women from public life. They are virtually prisoners in their homes. Christians remain in danger as the Taliban do house-to-house searches and even confiscate people’s smartphones. Men, women and children are being deprived of freedom to think and live freely in different ways. But Pastor Ebadi speaks hope into viewers’ lives on SAT7 Christian broadcasting, saying, ‘Jesus Christ is the only one who can help us be freed from the cage in which we are held. Whatever the chains, whether sin, power, desire, or temptation, Jesus can rescue us. While we are alive, we must encourage and help one another.’ SAT7 is responding to the need for emotional and spiritual support through regular live broadcasts of Secret of Life and the pre-recorded programme Window of Light. Later this year they will broadcast two seasons of the Dari scripture teaching programme.

The World Bank has extended another year of financial aid to Lebanon despite political bickering. Inflation reached 206% in April, Lebanon’s currency dropped yet again last week, and Heart for Lebanon reports shortages of everything from electricity to fuel to bread. Everything costs more, and 78% of the population needs some kind of food assistance to survive. They are becoming more desperate every day. Divisions are deepening among the newly-elected parliament members. Fighting between parties that are for and against Hezbollah is taking priority over much-needed reform. People are looking for answers. They are turning to God in record numbers. Heart for Lebanon and local churches provide food and encouragement to families, showing them the love of Christ before telling them about the love of Christ. Ask God to strengthen and encourage Lebanese believers. They are staying put to care for people in need, instead of leaving the country to benefit themselves.

On 4 June an explosion and deadly fire rocked the Bangladeshi port city of Chittagong, with fifty official casualties, but five days later hundreds were still missing. Firefighters responded to the blaze but used water on incorrectly labelled hydrogen peroxide, causing further explosions that killed some firefighters and people in the streets. Debris from the explosion landed a third of a mile away, and the impact shattered windows 1.5 miles away. See In early June Northern Bangladesh saw the worst flooding in two decades, and it is not yet the monsoon season. Millions have been stranded after villages and cities were inundated. Millions more remain without electricity or clean water. The situation might worsen if water-borne illness begins spreading. The deluge has forced 90,000 people into shelters. 270 camps have been set up until the water subsides, but it is still difficult to get to these camps. Four hundred miles of strategic highways are under water, preventing first responders from reaching people.

On 25 May North Korea test-fired at least two ballistic missiles, just a day after Joe Biden left the region. One flew about 300 km, the other 750 km: they were the latest in a flurry of such launches in 2022. Japan’s defence minister said they were ‘unacceptable’, and South Korea called them ‘a grave provocation’.' Mr Biden visited both those countries, and agreed with the South Korean president to hold bigger military drills and deploy more US strategic assets if necessary, to deter North Korea’s intensifying weapons test.' He said that the USA was ‘prepared for anything North Korea does’.

Drought is threatening the Iraqi tradition of growing amber rice, a key element in a struggling economy. This variety of rice, which takes its name from its distinctive scent, is widely used, but after three years of drought amber rice production will be only symbolic in 2022, forcing consumers to seek out imported varieties and leaving farmers pondering their future. Rice fields normally stay submerged all summer, but that’s a luxury Iraq can no longer afford. The country’s available water reserves are well below the critical level. Officials have limited total rice crop areas to 1,000 hectares; the normal quota is 35,000. The water shortages have also led to reduced quotas for wheat farmers. Last year, the agricultural sector contracted by 17.5%, according to the World Bank.

More than 5,600 civilians have been killed in Myanmar since the military seized power on 1 February 2021, according to an independent research institute, which called the death toll ‘unprecedented’ in the country’s history. This number includes those killed by security forces during anti-junta protests, in clashes between the military and pro-democracy paramilitaries, while held in detention, and in revenge attacks. At least 1,831 civilians were killed in shooting deaths; the largest number occurred in war-torn Sagaing region, where junta troops have faced tough resistance from the People’s Defence Force (PDF) paramilitaries. The clashes have displaced tens of thousands of residents since the coup. A PDF member claimed that those who report paramilitary movements to the military have been targeted because the opposition is ‘handicapped in manpower and weapons’.