Israel: Passover holiday - police on alert
19 Apr 2019
Over 3,000 police will be deployed across Israel, with a focus on Jerusalem, in preparation for and during the Passover holiday, which begins on 19 April at sundown. A spokesman said that tens of thousands of people are expected to arrive in Jerusalem for the first day of the holiday, and another 100,000+ on the second day for the High Priest prayer service at the western wall. This mass priestly blessing only takes place twice a year, once during Sukkot and again on Passover. Attendees receive the historic blessing from hundreds of Jews of priestly lineage as they face the congregation, hands stretched forward, chanting in one voice. The increase in security, involving border police, undercover officers, and members of special patrol units, is necessary due to a history of increased risk during the holiday period.
Middle East: Holy Week
19 Apr 2019
Christians across the Middle East are now experiencing or preparing for Holy Week (those churches that follow the Eastern Christian calendar being a week behind the West). Streets and squares overflow with believers celebrating Palm Sunday in Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan, and Iraqi Christian towns in the Nineveh Plain, along with believers in Lebanon and the Holy Land. Thus they demonstrate the deep faith of the region’s Christians as they worship a Saviour who showed strength through love, service and sacrifice.
Global: the power of intercession
19 Apr 2019
The rise of horrific incidents worldwide seems to line up with the Bible's warning of the end coming like a woman with birth-pains increasing in pain and frequency. If this is true, then the need of the hour for God's children is persistent, biblical intercession - a cry for His Kingdom to come and His will to be done on earth as in heaven. God's nature does not change (Mal. 3:6; Jam. 1:17), yet He can change His mind and be persuaded in response to prayer. Moses argued with God to change His mind about destroying Israel. He didn’t make excuses for Israel; instead he focused on what would happen to God's reputation and His promises. Seeking God's glory as the goal of intercession gets His attention, and we see the same goal with Jesus’ death on a cross - his mediation between God and man. We deserve judgment, but receive his amazing grace. (Hebrews 7:25)
Nigeria: five years since Chibok girls taken
19 Apr 2019
Five years ago, 230 girls were abducted in Chibok by Boko Haram. Parents whose daughters have not yet returned say it still feels like a ‘fresh wound’ but refuse to give up hope. Boko Haram set classrooms ablaze and told the girls they were under attack while they pretended to protect them. They herded them into trucks, drove into the forest and subjected them to rape, pregnancy, violence, and death. Those who did not obey militants or refused to renounce their Christian faith were punished severely; there are suggestions that some of them were forced to become Boko Haram fighters and commit murders for the group. 165 of the girls belonged to the Nigerian Church of the Brethren. Pray for parents like Yana, whose daughter has not returned. ‘Any time I speak about Rifkatu, I feel so much pain in my heart’, she said. ‘When she was kidnapped, laughter ceased in my house.’
Two missionaries killed
19 Apr 2019
Missionary Wayne Goddard was killed in Paraguay last week. He was a faithful man of God and died after being assaulted by armed men in the village where he was serving the Ava Guaraní and Paī Tavyterã peoples. Since 1994 he had served with Misión a Nuevas Tribus en el Paraguay, telling people about Jesus. As news of his death reached the world, it is his family's desire to recognise the sacrifice he made as he followed our Lord in willing service. Meanwhile in Peru police are investigating another murder after the body of a British missionary, Paul McAuley, was found at the hostel he ran for indigenous students in Iquitos. Born in Portsmouth, the 71-year-old was an environmental activist and a lay brother of the Catholic De La Salle Brothers teaching order. He was awarded the MBE for his work.
South Sudan: Pope kisses the feet of leaders
19 Apr 2019
After being invited to an unprecedented 24 hours of prayer and preaching in the Vatican, South Sudanese leaders appeared stunned as the 82-year-old pontiff, who suffers from chronic leg pain, was helped by aides to kneel and kiss the shoes of the two main opposing leaders. He appealed to President Salva Kiir, his former deputy turned rebel leader Riek Machar, and three other vice-presidents to respect an armistice they signed and commit to forming a unity government next month. ‘I am asking you as a brother to stay in peace. I am asking you with my heart, let us go forward. There will be many problems, but they will not overcome us’, the Pope said. His appeal was made more pressing as anxiety grew over the coup in neighbouring Sudan, which could risk the fragile peace deal that ended South Sudan’s brutal five-year civil war.
Sudan: Bashir in prison - protests continue
19 Apr 2019
The fall of President Bashir has intensified a competition for influence in Sudan, one of Africa’s biggest countries. Talks between the new military rulers, who have now arrested two of his brothers, and protesters demanding a civilian government continue, as thousands remain camped outside Khartoum army headquarters. Omar al-Bashir is under tight guard in a maximum-security prison. Uganda said it would consider offering asylum if he applied, despite an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC). The generals now running Sudan said Bashir will not be transferred to the ICC but will be tried in Sudan. Meanwhile demonstrators have vowed to stay on the streets, pressing for women's rights and the handover of power to the people. Hundreds of doctors marched in Khartoum on 18 April to get rid of the regime.
A new report from the IMF at its spring meeting shows that curbing corruption would deliver an additional US$1 trillion in tax revenues annually across the world; money that could support much-needed investments in health, education and infrastructure. In this season of trade-war fears, threats of economic shocks and warnings of a global economic slowdown, the IMF signalled a clear ambition to take a lead on tackling corruption. Reports for over sixty member countries mention that money-laundering and bribery have more than doubled. Mentions of the term ‘corruption’ increased by over 220%. Transparency International’s report on the IMF stated, ‘It is not enough just to mention corruption. What we would like to see is the IMF also making specific, actionable, and time-bound recommendations to tackle corruption.’