Syria: Israeli air strikes
16 Feb 2018
Israeli planes regularly strike Syrian facilities to disrupt and prevent Iranian missiles being delivered to Hezbollah in Lebanon. However the loss of an Israeli fighter jet marked a serious escalation in hostility as Israel bombarded Syria in their largest air strikes since 1982. The final chapters of this battle should be a shift of opportunity but US, Russian, Turkish, Iranian and Israeli forces are active parties to the conflict. The UN said, ‘The conduct and management of this war has been utterly shameful and the failure to end it marks an epic failure of global diplomacy.’ Many now believe steps toward a new and lasting approach to Syria should begin in Washington and Moscow, because local and regional parties cannot make peace amongst themselves - and may not have an interest in doing so. Pray for the Security Council to be united in bringing peace to the region, and to be a forum for action rather than a podium for speeches and recriminations. See also
South Korea: Olympics opportunities
16 Feb 2018
Over five billion people across the world are not followers of Jesus, and two billion have never even heard the Gospel. Most will never hear unless somebody tells them. Pyeongchang has welcomed the world for the 2018 Olympic Games. 92 nations are participating. The world's best athletes are competing side by side with people from every corner of the world. They represent every possible worldview, religious background, and political system. Many - maybe most - of these athletes, families, and fans have never heard the Gospel. This is a special window of time for Christian athletes and participants to shine His light to those around them. What if the Olympic Games became an open door for the message of Jesus Christ to be proclaimed to the nations? Pray for an anointing of evangelism for every Christian involved in the Olympic Games.
USA: Tortured for Christ film
16 Feb 2018
The Voice of the Martyrs movie ‘Tortured for Christ’ will show in nearly a hundred cinemas across the USA. Some of the screenings are already sold out! Voice of the Martyrs are thankful for all those who have pre-purchased tickets for this film highlighting the testimony of VOM’s founder. Another 500+ events are scheduled but haven’t yet reached the minimum ticket sales necessary to confirm the event. Pray for more people to hear about this film and ask cinema managers in their area to screen it.
Cameroon: Christian persecution
16 Feb 2018
‘They threatened to kill me.’ ‘They’ are not jihadist groups, they are A’s family. When A committed his life to Christ in 2000, his Muslim family from the ethnic Kotoko people acted as if he had pointed a challenging dagger at them. The Kotoko take pride in the fact that they are one of the few tribes in their region with no known Christians. A said, ‘When all their spells and curses with the help of the local medicine man failed, they tried to kill me themselves.’ More than once, his family tried to poison his food. One night, strangers kidnapped him and took him to an unknown destination. ‘On the way there, I prayed for God to confuse them so that they could release me. And He did! They just let me go without saying anything.’ A and others face constant insults, exclusion and danger from their families when they become Christians.
Canada: returning Islamists
16 Feb 2018
Prime minister Justin Trudeau believes the IS combatants returning to Canada will be ‘a powerful voice for deradicalisation’. Many Canadians believe his desire to reintegrate IS fighters is unreasonable. Canada’s ‘Centre for Community Participation and De-radicalisation’ has no director or centre for de-radicalisation. It is not clear if Canadian law can force returning fighters to submit to such a programme. A similar programme in France failed. Trudeau said, ‘We know that someone who has turned away from that hateful ideology can be an extraordinarily powerful voice for preventing radicalisation in future generations.’ However observers do not think that Canadian mosques and Islamic schools will open their doors to anyone who previously engaged in terrorism. Trudeau’s assumptions seem to omit the prospect of justice for the victims of IS genocide and war crimes. See
Trafficking gang caught in dawn raids
09 Feb 2018
On 6 February police arrested over 20 people across the UK in a huge operation to tackle a Kurdish gang smuggling hundreds of illegal immigrants into the UK for up to £10,000 a time. Over 300 officers coordinated by the National Crime Agency raided properties in Northumbria, Cleveland, Sussex and London to arrest suspected traffickers. Hundreds of Iraqi Kurds, men, women and children, are being brought into the UK in lorries and on ferries by the gang, paying up to £10,000 each. A number of car washes were also raided, in what is said to be a bid to shut down the gang's money laundering operation. Senior investigating officer Mark Spoors said all of the agency's targets had been arrested, and a significant trafficking network has been disrupted.
Christian athletes in the winter Olympics
09 Feb 2018
Nearly 3,000 athletes will compete in 102 events in this year’s Winter Olympics. Among them are Christian Olympians who have spoken openly about their faith. Kelly Clark (snowboarding halfpipe) said she didn’t get her worth from what she did, it was from Christ. David Wise (freestyle skiing halfpipe) said his Christian faith ‘plays a huge role because it enables me to be confident’. Elana Meyers Taylor (bobsled) said, ‘Regardless of whether I win gold or not, I just have to trust that God has a plan for my life and I’m called to be his representative through the sport and outside the sport.’ Katie Uhlaender (skeleton) said God guides her and gives her the strength to keep going. Gigi Marvin (hockey) said her mission is more than winning medals: it’s about sharing Christ and leading others to him.
Terminally ill homeless people need housing
09 Feb 2018
Sir Ed Davey put the ‘Homelessness End of Life Care Bill’ before Parliament on Wednesday, but it will need to win the support of MPs and ministers to move forward and end the current situation where people with cancer or long term illnesses are ‘dying on doorsteps’. The plan is to offer homeless people with terminal illnesses a right to housing. Under current laws, many who are sleeping rough, living in hostels or staying on friends’ sofas are not automatically eligible for long-term housing. The local authority deems they have other options. The number of people sleeping rough in England hit a record high of 4,751 last autumn, double the 2010 number. Those who are expected to die in the next twelve months need palliative care. They are cold and in pain, possibly in hostels with staff who have no medical training and no painkillers or drugs to manage people who are dying.