The United States is sending 300 troops along with surveillance drones to Cameroon to bolster a West African effort to counter the Nigerian militant Islamist group, Boko Haram. An advance force of 90 military personnel began deploying to Cameroon on Monday with the consent of the Yaounde government. The troops will conduct airborne intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance operations in the region. US officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the troops would provide intelligence to a multi-national task force composed of troops from Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon, Chad and Benin. On Sunday, two female suicide bombers killed nine people in Cameroon's Far North region, employing a tactic increasingly favoured by Boko Haram. US soldiers would deploy initially to northern Cameroon, near the Nigerian border.
Detention centres were set up on Christmas Island, Manus Island and Nauru Island for processing asylum seekers from Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, China and Vietnam. A recent report revealed that suicide attempts and hunger strikes were common, and children were vulnerable to mental health episodes and growing more depressed the longer they were held. (Source: International Health and Medical Services). Children suffer especially acutely, from bed wetting, nightmares, ongoing effects of trauma and torture in previous countries, as well as ‘situational crisis’ from their current detention. On 15 October there was a renewed call for a guardian for children in immigration detention by two of the country's top welfare and overseas aid groups, saying the Australian Immigration Minister, Peter Dutton, has failed in his duty of care. Earlier this week, thousands of doctors at Melbourne's Royal Children's Hospital refused to discharge asylum-seeking children back into the care of immigration detention centre operators. See also: http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/sep/17/extended-detention-worsening-depression-on-nauru-and-manus-island
America: ‘Battle for the soul of America’
16 Oct 2015
This coming weekend more than 160 leaders of prayer ministries and networks across the USA will gather in Colorado Springs for a prayer initiative on national security, ‘Seeking God’s Face for the Deliverance and Destiny of America’. It will be a time of all-out intercession for the nation that seems to have lost its course in so many ways due to increasing social wickedness coupled with weak and corrupt government leadership. It is time to pray! One prayer leader wrote to say he sensed that it would be a ‘battle for the soul of America’. This initiative is preceded by the National Day of Prayer Leadership Summit, at the same place. Many of their co-ordinators and other intercessors from around the country will gather. The two events are in tandem and the intercessors’ prayer is that the Lord will bring greater unity to the prayer movement by all of them being in His presence together.
Canada: National election
16 Oct 2015
A Canadian intercessor writes, ‘On Monday, 19 October, Canada has a Federal Election which will determine who rules in Canada over the next five years. The three main parties are equally split and could result in a minority government or a coalition. The current PM is unpopular in the media. The Conservatives under Harper are the only party of substance that is not in favour of abortion, doctor-assisted suicide and the legalisation of marijuana. The Liberal leader will not permit a liberal candidate to be pro-life. Canada has been very supportive of Israel through Harper which would change drastically with any other party. At the moment the most likely result would be a minority government, not the most effective as they can be voted down at any moment by the majority. But let God arise!! Please pray for God’s mercy on Canada. Thank you for your fellowship in prayer.’
Indonesia: Muslim extremists torch a church
16 Oct 2015
Muslim extremists in Aceh province fulfilled a threat against Christians and burned down an Indonesian Christian church. Their pastor and congregation are greatly affected and asking people to support persecuted Christians there and to pray for this church.’ The arson followed a social media campaign by Muslim extremists and radical imams. The most dangerous time in the week for Christians is Friday afternoon after the mosque is vacated after prayers and extremists who have listened to messages preaching hate towards Christians, Jews and others come out fired up. Last month hundreds of extremists marched to the police and legislative offices demanding the closure of all churches. Every church member is guarding their own church right now. We are asked to pray that there won’t be more church demolitions.’
Israel: Fear is dividing Jerusalem
16 Oct 2015
The Temple Mount has become a focus of friction between Israelis and Palestinians. Fear is dividing Jerusalem as Jews and Arabs lose their sense of security to a severe degree unseen since the second intifada. Violence is escalating, some are calling it another intifada. The last intifada damaged Jerusalem's economy and social structure to an extent from which some say the city has never recovered. A Christian in Jerusalem asks for the following prayers. –‘For God’s protection over every community; for the Palestinian press, reporting wildly exaggerated and untruthful stories; for the few politicians (on both sides) who are using the unrest for personal political purposes; that God will discredit leaders (religious, political and others) who advocate solving this conflict with violence; that the Israeli army and police will act with wisdom and Palestinian and Israeli officials will co-operate to bring an end to the tension.’ On a positive note, Prophecy Today UK reports, ‘Prime Minister Netanyahu is a convinced Bible believer and a survey reveals that 95% of Israelis have a Bible in their homes’. See: http://www.prophecytoday.uk/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=206:the-god-of-truth-is-active-in-the-middle-east&Itemid=150&Itemid=101
On 5 October a senior occupational therapist who was disciplined for giving a Christian book to a Muslim colleague was granted permission to appeal an Employment Tribunal ruling against her. The judge recognised the significance of Victoria Wasteney's case in raising points of law of public importance and said that the Employment Appeal Tribunal should consider whether the original ruling had applied the European Convention on Human Rights' strong protection of freedom of religion and expression properly. Andrea Williams, Chief Executive of the Christian Legal Centre which is supporting Miss Wasteney, said, ‘Victoria's case raises crucial questions about how the European Convention on Human Rights' strong protection of religious freedom applies in the UK and about the extent to which employers can censor freedom of expression.’ An appeal hearing is now expected next year.
The Archdeacon of the Gulf suggests that the British media outrage over a pensioner due to receive lashings in Saudi Arabia won't help advocacy work there. Karl Andree was sent to prison after breaking their laws and carrying homemade wine in his car. A further part of his punishment included 350 lashes. His family said he may not survive the lashes. His story hit the UK media and a spokeswoman for the Prime Minister said, ‘We have provided consular assistance to Mr Andree and his family and have raised the case repeatedly with the Saudis in recent weeks.’ Then the PM wrote to the Saudis to raise the case again on the back of the action that had already been taken by the Foreign Office. Fr Bill said, ‘One of the reasons we are not successful in advocacy in Saudi Arabia is that we cannot challenge them unless we get our facts correct. If we distort the facts or don't understand them then officials can dismiss our advocacy’.