Tens of thousands of activists have been demonstrating against China's decision to only allow vetted candidates to run for elections on the island in 2017. Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg will meet the Chinese ambassador later this week to make clear his ‘dismay and alarm’ at how authorities have handled the demonstrations. He said, ‘It is essential that the people of Hong Kong have a genuine choice of chief executive in 2017 through universal suffrage.’ The unrest began after it was ruled that in three years' time, Hong Kong residents must choose their leader, or chief executive, from candidates picked by Beijing who must declare their ‘love’ for China and its Communist system. The island's chief executive Leung Chun-Ying has called on protest leaders to ‘immediately’ withdraw from the streets. Student leaders threaten to take over government buildings if the region's leader does not resign by Thursday. See also: l
Iraq: Baghdad frontline from Canon Andrew White
04 Oct 2014The following is a segment of the Bishop of Baghdad’s Facebook page entry for Sept.30th. ‘Thank you for your prayers, we seriously need them. The good news is - IS has been halted 5 miles from Baghdad. People are very fearful the nation looks as if it has collapsed. The usual hectic streets are almost empty. The news from areas surrounding Baghdad is worrying. ISIS or DAASH as they are known locally are very close to Baghdad. This morning I was with one of the soldiers assigned by the government to protect me. When asked what he would do if he saw IS coming he said he would take off his uniform and run. I asked if he took seriously his role to fight and protect his people. He assured me he did not. He did it for the money. Meanwhile yesterday at Church I spoke on the subject of why we must love Israel.
INSIGHT: Middle East and terrorist cells
04 Oct 2014President Barack Obama admitted that U.S. intelligence underestimated the Islamic State's emergence in Syria and that breaking up the terrorist cell will be a complicated battle involving both military and political action. The president spoke about implementing the multi-national effort against terrorists and acknowledged that U.S. intelligence didn't take seriously enough what had been taking place in Syria, while overestimating the ability of the Iraqi army to fight militant groups. Islamic militants went underground when al-Qaeda was quashed in Iraq, but over the past two years, during the Syrian civil war when huge swathes of the country were completely ungoverned, they reconstituted themselves. He said we have to push them back, shrink their space, go after their command, their weapons, their fuelling, cut off their financing and work to eliminate the flow of foreign fighters. For facts and INSIGHTS to help your prayers into this subject click the ' Info' button
Yemen: Civil war threatens
26 Sep 2014In 2011, Yemen ended a 33-year dictatorship in the third successful revolution of the Arab Spring, but reconciliation did not follow revolution. Over the weekend, after a week long siege of the capital, rebels ousted Yemen’s prime minister and captured the Defence Ministry, government television station and the central bank. On Sunday their President signed a UN proposed agreement dictated by the rebels (the Houthis) calling for a new prime minister, a plan to devolve power from the capital and a reduction in fuel prices an issue the rebels seized on to justify their protests. However, the Houthis refused to sign the UN’s anticipated security clauses of the agreement calling for the withdrawal of Houthis forces from the capital, Sana, and several other areas they had seized. Many Yemenis believe the Houthis are agents of the Iranians as Iran backs them. Pray against further Houthis chaos in Yemen.
South Sudan: Four million face extreme hunger
26 Sep 2014Nearly four million people in Christian-majority South Sudan face dangerous levels of hunger after two years of violence, crop failure and disease. Acute malnutrition has doubled since last year. The UN predicted in May that half of South Sudan’s population could be either displaced internally, refugees abroad, starving or dead by the year’s end. Cholera outbreaks were reported in nine of South Sudan’s ten states by July. In the same month the UN estimated that nearly four million people (out of a total estimated population of 11.4 million) were facing ‘dangerous levels’ of hunger. An official declaration of famine was predicted for the end of 2014 or early 2015. Pray for the churches and various organisations working towards identifying, prioritising and releasing aid to the South Sudanese.
Due to drought and sanctions imposed on the Kim regime of North Korea because of the nuclear programme the population is at risk of acute malnutrition. In August the distribution of free food to citizens, which is the basis of North Korea's socio-political system, reached its lowest point in the last four years. The Government provided an average of 250 grams of food per day to its inhabitants. According to the United Nations World Food Programme, the minimum survival ration is 573 grams daily. The United Nations' food aid organisation concluded from recent data that most ordinary North Korean people are not properly fed, in danger of acute malnutrition and the group ‘calls on’ governments and non-governmental organizations to ‘find a way’ to resume the sending of humanitarian aid which was blocked after the latest military provocations by the Pyongyang regime. The current South Korean government has stopped all forms of humanitarian cooperation
Elections in the United States are being held throughout 2014, with the general elections scheduled for 4 November. During this midterm election year 435 seats in the House of Representatives and 33 of the 100 seats in the Senate will be contested; along state and territorial governorships, state legislatures and numerous state and local races. Leaders of four major ministry coalitions have sensed a call from God to hold a National Prayer Assembly in Washington prior to Election Day on 29-30 October and some time will be spent praying on-site in downtown Washington. The chairman of America’s National Prayer Committee believes the event comes at a crucial time in the nation’s life. It's not a time for politicking or posturing, but for passionate prayer for a fresh move of God for the transformation of America. The prayer focus will be on repentance, reconciliation and revival in the spirit of God’s restoration promise in 2 Chronicles 7:14.
Japan: A mission field in waiting
26 Sep 2014Japan has many of the world’s largest companies, the world’s third largest economy, and educated and peaceful population and is the second largest un-reached people group in the world. 1.5 million young people (mostly men) have Hikikiimoro (an extreme depression that exists only in Japan) They completely withdraw from society. Some have not spoken or seen anyone for over two years.It's like internal suicide or living like a corpse. Japan also has the world’s largest sex industry, a significant proportion involves underage girls. (It’s largely Japanese money funding sex industries in Thailand and Vietnam.) Many Japanese live with no hope and no desire to change. 35% of high school students feel they have no worth as a person. 0.22% of the population attend church. With 100% freedom of religion Japan still has the lowest rate of Christian workers in the world. The good news is when Japanese people visit the West, a high percentage of them become Christians.