Nissar Hussain and his family, including six children, have been forced to flee their home for the second time, amid fears for his safety after suffering seven years of persecution from his Muslim neighbours. He converted from Islam to Christianity and appeared in a 2008 TV documentary about mistreatment of Muslim converts. He was hospitalised a year ago after a brutal attack caught on CCTV. This week the fifty-year-old and his family were moved to a safe place by armed police. Mr Hussain said the culmination of continued 'extreme persecution' had devastated his family,and the dramatic arrival of armed police was a complete surprise. He said, 'My family are distraught and very traumatised to be leaving. But when your life is at stake, there is no other choice.' Mr Hussain converted to Christianity twenty years ago, but in recent years he has been subjected to harassment and violence, particularly after the documentary.

One in three households with at least one person in a full-time job - four million in total - say it is difficult to afford their energy payments. Half of them (49%) will cut their energy use over the winter to keep payments low, and one in three will not be switching on the heating even as temperatures plummet, despite two-thirds worrying about the effects on their family’s health. The situation is set to worsen as major suppliers prepare to raise their prices, warns comparison website uSwitch.

The Salafi movement is an ultra-conservative movement within Sunni Islam that developed in Arabia against a background of European colonialism. It advocated returning to the traditions of the ‘devout ancestors’ (the salaf). The movement divides into three categories - the purists who avoid politics; the activists who are involved in politics; and the jihadists. Salafi is synonymous with Wahhabism - see last week’s Prayer Alert article about Switzerland. For months there have been reports of Salafists disguised as aid workers canvassing Europe’s refugee shelters for new recruits from Africa, Asia and the Middle East. Some Salafists offer gifts of money, clothing, translation services, or invitations to Salafists’ homes for tea. Bosnia now suffers from Salafi movements which spread there after the Balkan war. They were brought there by Muslim extremist fighters who travelled to Bosnia to fight for the nation. In February the Independent newspaper reported that there are up to 5,000 jihadists, trained abroad, in Europe. See also:

France's prime minister Manuel Valls has said that far-right leader Marine Le Pen had a chance of winning next year's presidential election, boosted by the momentum of Donald Trump's shock win in the United States. While attending a Berlin economic conference, Mr. Valls said it was ‘possible’ that the populist candidate of France's anti-immigration National Front could win. Le Pen is widely tipped to reach the second round of the election on 7 May , where she would face either a candidate from the left or the right. Warning of ‘the danger presented by the extreme right’, Valls said, ‘This means that the balance of politics will change completely.’

Donald Trump has told the Wall Street Journal, ‘As a deal-maker, I’d like to do the deal that can’t be made - and do it for humanity’s sake.’ He hopes to orchestrate ‘the ultimate deal’ between Israel and the Palestinians which would resolve ‘the war that never ends.’ On Syria, Trump rejects calling for the removal of President Assad, and is focused on combatting IS. He also said,‘Israel and America share many of the same values, including freedom of speech, freedom of worship and creation of opportunities for all. Israel is the one true democracy and defender of human rights in the Middle East.’ Pray for wisdom to be given to the Trump administration, in the words they choose to speak and in the choices they make.

Vice-president Riek Machar and his supporters fled Juba in July after fighting broke out between government forces and his own. He is a Nuer, and President Salva Kiir is a member of the Dinka. Tribal rivalries are at the heart of the dysfunction of South Sudan's government. The unity the tribes shared in their fight for independence from Sudan has dissolved into bitter conflict, with terrible atrocities committed by both Nuer and Dinka. Both Kiir and Machar have abused their positions and misled their people, keeping many ignorant and uneducated.They have also mismanaged billions of dollars poured into South Sudan by foreign countries. Pray for the two sides to reach agreement in forming a unity government. Pray for both men to be exposed for their lust for power, greed, witchcraft, evil and wickedness.

It is expected that most Christians will wait for the Nineveh plain to be safe and 'IS-free' before returning. This now seems likely to be a matter of months, not weeks. Mission agencies are monitoring the situation and are planning how to support displaced people to return home once it is safe. The following is the prayer of Martin, from the Nineveh plains: ‘O Lord, we trust You, who calmed the storm. We pray and demand - liberate Mosul, liberate Nineveh plain. We want to go back.’ Prayer requests from Iraq are for the forces of darkness to be defeated and for justice to be done, for Christian soldiers joining the battle, for the protection of Christians known to be living secretly in IS-held territories, and for pastors and church leaders in Iraq to be living examples of Christ's presence among His people. Stop press: 50,000 Iraqi Christians will pray and commit their nation to God at a major gathering in Erbil tomorrow. See

Yesterday officials in Brussels were searching for ways to fund their programmes in Central African Republic (CAR). UNICEF reported on Wednesday that over 850,000 people, half of them children, are still on the move - either internally displaced or refugees in neighbouring countries. UNICEF's deputy director said, ‘When children return to their communities as security improves, they will need to have schools and clinics to come to. Access to quality health and education is the cornerstone of any recovery, and the foundation for a peaceful future. Currently CAR is one of the world's most dangerous countries for children, and renewed violence threatens to undermine signs of progress.’ At the moment, efforts to reach every child in the CAR are limited by significant funding restrictions. UNICEF is calling on Central African leaders and global donors to put children first in the recovery plan.

A mission co-ordinator writes, ‘Our team leader from the North is planning his next trip into the mountains soon. It has already begun to snow in this area, so pray for good weather conditions and for safety throughout the trip, for good connections to the target group, and that he gets everything done. Pray also for protection for his family, staying at home. The team in the west needs our prayer as lots of changes are taking place. One family has just arrived and is trying to adjust to the culture and demands, while another family will be leaving in December. We have surprisingly good contacts with the government. Because the security situation can change from day to day, we cannot travel as freely as we want. Pray that we will not be distracted through circumstances but will continue to reach out to our target groups.’ Some people groups are more open to receive - others are still not reached.

Moscow insists warplanes from its aircraft carrier stationed off the Syrian coast did not target Aleppo, but Russia's intensifying intervention could be a game-changer in the momentum in this brutal war. Aleppo was Syria's economic hub with a pre-war population of two million. One million now live in the west of the city, in comparative safety. Those trapped in the east live in appalling conditions as over the past year more troops and considerable firepower, including advanced missile systems, have been moved by Russia onto the battlefield. There is no single group in charge: the area is divided between mainstream rebels backed by the USA and its allies, the al-Qaeda-linked jihadist group Jabhat Fateh al-Sham (formerly known as al-Nusra Front), and Kurdish forces, who say they support neither the government nor the opposition.