Liechtenstein: An end to ‘justice of the peace’
03 Jul 2015
Liechtenstein: An end to ‘justice of the peace’
The ‘justice of the peace’ has had its day. From 1 July there will be no more brokers elected in communities. This ends 100 years of the system and is a concession to developments of modern times. The importance of intermediaries as ‘magistrate’ has fallen sharply in recent years.
Latvia: Two Christian movements to pray for
03 Jul 2015
The Agape Students Movement is an active student network, formed by student initiatives. It wants every student’s university experience to be successful, not only academically, but also in relations with others and life in the spiritual field. Its aims are to help Christian students to look at their university as a place where they can serve God as well as to train and encourage them to take steps in faith to give every student the opportunity to invoke the gospel truths and encourage other Christians to do the same. Also in Latvia is a Christian Music Movement called Crescendo which unites professional Christian musicians and music students. Their main goal is to introduce and encourage musicians who have similar interests with each other; in many ways a sign of faith, making Christian accents in their society through the arts; and serve the churches and other Christian ministries.
Kosovo: Iranians and IS
03 Jul 2015
Last Wednesday, as reported by the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN), a foreign-funded news agency, the government of Kosovo sent police to raid the offices of five Iranian-controlled non-governmental organisations in the Balkan country. Kosovo authorities said the five entities are suspected of money-laundering and financing terrorism and that action against them conforms to a state anti-extremist strategy. ‘The raids are tied to a case that is being investigated, with the goal of preventing and fighting terrorism in the Republic of Kosovo,’ an official representative said. Two targets of the police sweep were identified – Bregu i Diellit (Sunny Hill) in Pristina, the Kosovan capital, and the Koran Foundation in Prizren, the country’s main southern city and a centre of Muslim and Christian religious life. Express, which takes a strong line against all forms of radical Islam, was the main media source in the latest incidents. Duriqi, following threats to him and allegations that he is an apostate from Islam, now lives in Germany.
The head of the cantonal government of Ticino is warning that the border with Italy will have to be closed to refugees to stem the tide of asylum seekers entering Switzerland. ‘If the influx of refugees from Italy continues, we will have to close the border temporarily.’ Norman Gobbi, the Ticino government's president said. ‘It’s the only way for Switzerland to put pressure on other countries that do not respect their obligations.’ The number of asylum seekers and illegal immigrants crossing the border from Italy has doubled since last year and Switzerland is particularly critical of Italy for not honouring the Dublin Regulation, which requires that the first country in the EU where an asylum seeker arrives is responsible for dealing with his or her claim. Since the beginning of the year more than 50,000 refugees have arrived in Italy after crossing the Mediterranean in boats. Over the summer, the level of monthly requests for asylum is expected to surpass 3,000.
A Draft White Paper on defence policy outlines main security threats over the next 10 years. Authorities in Ireland are concerned about the threat of ‘lone wolf’ terrorists. This is repeated further down the article.The document details security concerns to which the country is or could be exposed, including cyber-attacks, the emergence of domestic terrorism and the risks of organised crime. The paper which went before Cabinet on Tuesday says the emergence of extremist groups in Syria, Iraq and Libya are playing a major part in the evolution of terrorist threats. There is also concern regarding the process of radicalisation through a range of influences, including the internet. In addition, Ireland has a responsibility to seek to prevent transnational terrorist groups from using the State as a refuge or as a base from which to direct their activities against targets in other countries.
IceNews this week reported that Iceland has been named the world’s most peaceful country according to the Institute for Economics and Peace. The non-profit group, which released its latest Global Peace Index for 2015 earlier in the week, ranked 162 countries around the world based on factors such as conflict, violence and militarisation. YWAM is very active in Iceland with a vision to be a community of missional disciples growing in intimacy with God and who are surrendered to his Son. Their goal is to partner with other believers whenever they can, connecting across church boundaries to transform every area of Icelandic society to make all things new. They believe that everything is spiritual. How we treat others, stand up for the oppressed and care for the environment go hand in hand with prayer, worship and reading scripture. See also: http://www.ywamiceland.org/ourvision/
Police in the Hungarian town of Debrecen have used tear gas against unruly migrants in a local camp. The riot broke out as Hungary is overwhelmed by an influx of migrants that it says it cannot contain. One hundred migrants from the camp blocked a nearby road, throwing stones at passing cars and setting trash bins on fire. Police report it is not entirely clear what started the rioting, with spokesman Denes Dobo saying there was a row between two Turkish nationals and several other migrants, which escalated into a brawl. Hungary's Prime Minister said his country is bearing the brunt of this year's migrant influx. Sixty thousand African and Middle Eastern migrants have crossed into Hungary and the number could rise to One hundred and fifty thousand by the end of the year. EU leaders are in a frantic search for a solution to the migrant crisis, which has so far only resulted in the scrapping of a previous idea that involved mandatory migrant quotas for all member states. Hungary has used up the capacities at its disposal and the desperate situation requires fast action in this escalated situation.
Pope Francis has written the first papal encyclical focused solely on the environment, attempting to reframe care of the earth as a moral and spiritual concern and not just a matter of politics, science and economics. In the document, ‘Laudato Si: On Care for Our Common Home,’ he argues that the environment is in crisis – cities to oceans, forests to farmland. He emphasises that the poor are most affected by damage from what he describes as economic systems that favour the wealthy, and political systems that lack the courage to look beyond short-term rewards. But the encyclical is addressed to everyone on the planet. It’s 184 pages are an urgent, accessible call to action, making a case that all is interconnected, including the solutions to the grave environmental crisis. In paragraph 14 he says, ‘Young people demand change. They wonder how anyone can claim to be building a better future without thinking of the environmental crisis and the sufferings of the excluded.’