Cameron calls for airstrikes against IS in Syria
27 Nov 2015
Prime Minister David Cameron told MPs on Thursday it was time to join airstrikes by other nations against Islamic State militants in Syria, saying Britain cannot ‘subcontract its security to other countries’. He needs to persuade several MPs in his own Conservative Party and some in the opposition Labour Party to back his cause if he is to win Parliament's backing for military action. Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee criticised extending airstrikes into Syria earlier this month, saying that without a clear strategy to defeat the militants and end the civil war such action was ‘incoherent’. However since IS claimed to have killed 130 people in Paris, some MPs who had been reluctant to launch new strikes in Syria have increasingly felt action was needed to protect Britain from such attacks. Cameron’s response to the committee's objections was, ‘We do not have the luxury of being able to wait until the Syrian conflict is resolved before tackling IS’. See also this week’s Prayer Alert World article, for a different opinion.
Following the release of a Human Rights Watch (HRW) report assessing the human rights situation in Bahrain, MEPs are calling for an urgent rethink of relations between the EU and the Gulf states. Ten detainees interviewed by HRW had been subjected to electric shocks, suspension in painful positions, forced standing, extreme cold, and sexual abuse. They reported that government interrogators boasted of their reputation for inflicting pain on detainees. MEPs said that given the unrest and violence in the Middle East, it is key that Bahraini authorities accept their responsibilities and work on democratic reform, calling on the Bahraini government to investigate all allegations immediately. All of the EU's ‘international partners’ must adhere to the same high standards of human rights as the EU, and any accusations of torture must be taken seriously. HRW said there is still a ‘culture of impunity’ among security forces, which has not yet been tackled.
Climate Change Summit in Paris
27 Nov 2015
The twenty-first session of the Conference of the Kyoto Protocol will take place from 30 November to 11 December 2015, in Paris. The preliminary list of speakers (139) includes all the leaders who have registered to deliver a statement at the Leaders’ Event on Monday, the first day of the summit. Due to the number of speakers, two meeting rooms will be available for delivery of these statements, and the list is divided into two segments - morning and afternoon. Even then, it will be necessary to limit the duration of each statement to three minutes. An alliance of Catholic development agencies advocating protection for the world and its people from the impact of climate change will also meet in Paris, even though the French government has cancelled public rallies in association with the summit, citing security concerns. See: http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/news/2015/11/24/catholic-groups-to-attend-climate-summit-despite-paris-attacks/
Chancellor George Osborne has surprised critics by doing a U-turn on tax credit cuts and also vowing to protect police budgets in his spending review. Millions of low paid families will not now see their benefits cut in April. Rather than phasing the cuts in, as he had been expected to do, he decided the ‘simplest thing’ was ‘to avoid them altogether’, even though it would mean missing his own target for overall welfare spending in the early years of this Parliament. This announcement was followed by the surprise decision not to cut police budgets, amid security concerns sparked by the terror attack in Paris. This declaration was met with disbelief and ‘euphoria’ among senior police officers, according to the BBC's Danny Shaw.
Singer and boxer share their faith
27 Nov 2015
Canadian singer Justin Bieber turned a pop concert into a megachurch service when he shared why he loves God so much. After riding his skateboard into the arena at the start of the show, he sang a number of songs. Then Bieber sat on a stool next to Judah Smith, the man described as his pastor, and more or less preached. He credited God for helping him back onto his feet after a string of widely-publicised troubles. Meanwhile, Filipino boxing champion Manny Pacquiao and his wife visited Israel and shared on social media how it had impacted their faith. Underneath photos they wrote, ’Live your life in a way that brings honour and glory to God’ and ‘Because God is love, He gives us the opportunity to share His love with others’. His wife posted her reflections on the Garden Tomb, asking people to consider the crucifixion and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. See http://www.christianheadlines.com/blog/christian-boxer-manny-pacquiao-and-wife-share-scripture-on-social-media-while-touring-israel.html
According to a report by the International Atomic Energy Agency seen by Reuters on Wednesday, Iran's stockpile of low-enriched uranium has increased in the past three months even though Tehran is supposed to reduce it significantly under a deal with major powers. This isn't the only recent piece of mixed news. Last month October Iranian state media announced that the country had tested a new model of the Emad missile, a mid-range ballistic missile with the ability to deliver a nuclear warhead. The test violated a UN resolution. Iran also released five high-value al-Qaeda prisoners in September, including the interim head of the global terrorist network. Also, Washington Post journalist Jason Rezaian, a US-Iranian dual citizen, was convicted of espionage by a secret court in October, while Iranian-American businessman Siamak Namazi was arrested in Tehran in mid-October.
USA: proposal to promote Judeo-Christian values
20 Nov 2015
Republican presidential candidate John Kasich has called for the formation of a new government agency to promote Judeo-Christian values and defeat radical Islam. Kasich said, ‘We need to beam messages around the world about what it means to have a Western ethic, to be a part of a Judeo-Christian society - it means freedom, opportunity and respect for women.’ He compared the idea of the new agency to when America used to beam messages to the former Soviet Union. The new agency would promote Judeo-Christian values to China, Russia, and the Middle East. When questioned about the implications this agency would have on Americans who do not ascribe to the Christian faith, Kasich responded that this agency would also benefit them because supporting Judeo-Christian values ‘involves building up tolerance’. He also implored the West to begin again to embrace our Jewish-Christian ethic rather than running from it.
On Thursday anti-globalisation protesters were calling for APEC (American-Pacific Economic Cooperation) to be dismantled. They are accusing the trade bloc of taking advantage of poorer countries. The protests are taking place on the streets of Manila, where leaders are attending the APEC regional trade summit. Hundreds of people from indigenous, student and labour groups clashed with police, who deployed water cannon. Some protesters managed to break through police barriers. A protest leader, Renato Reyes, said, ‘APEC and globalisation have only benefited the rich countries while further impoverishing developing countries like the Philippines.’ At the time of writing, tens of thousands of soldiers and policemen are in place in the sprawling city to guard against disruptions and attacks while demonstrators carrying big placards under the hot sun are chanting slogans such as ‘down with APEC, down with America’.