Christian Solidarity Worldwide reports that the scale of persecution being encountered by Christians in Cuba is unlike anything seen before, with a ten-fold increase in violations of freedom of religion or belief last year (2,300 cases). Cuban church-goers are being arrested and dragged away on a weekly basis. CSW says, ‘Perhaps the Cuban government is trying to limit the potential for social upheaval by cracking down on civil society. The church, after the revolution and following the repressive measures enacted against civil society as a whole, is one of the few places where people can come together. As the government is trying to retain control, Christians are also starting to push back a bit. They're trying to resist in a peaceful, non-violent manner, and we think that the government is trying to assert itself.’ The rise in violations of religious or belief freedoms last year was largely due to the Cuban government declaring two thousand Assemblies of God churches illegal.

Advanced weapons are going from Russia to Syria and then into Hezbollah's hands, according to an Israeli Defence Force reserve officer. The weapons are capable of hitting Israel's gas rigs and paralyzing the Haifa and Ashdod ports. General Yaakov Amidror, who was an adviser to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said that the sophisticated weapons reached Hezbollah as a result of the Syrian civil war. Russia sold its advanced weapons to the Syrians and the Syrians transferred them to Hezbollah. The Russians are said to be aware of what is happening. These first-class weapons, such as Kornet and surface-to-air missiles and perhaps even the very sophisticated Onyx missiles, are now in Hezbollah's possession.

The International Justice Mission (IJM) has been working alongside local authorities in Guatemala rescuing children from sexual violence and securing convictions against rapists and violent criminals by pushing individual cases through the justice system. Guatemala now has a law that defines a crime of sexual violence and has recently elected a new president, Jimmy Morales. Pray that he will make the protection of children from sexual violence a priority for his administration. Some cases were delayed in 2015 and re-scheduled for early 2016. Pray that the hearings in January and early February will see justice-system officials motivated to deal with these cases fairly. Pray that the new president will lead the country with wisdom and integrity, after a tumultuous political year in Guatemala.

An illegal abortion clinic in Selma, Alabama, was shut down due to the power of prayer and God at work. Last June Bound4LIFE Birmingham, along with a coalition of organisations and citizens committed to seeing an illegal abortion clinic closed, gathered for a day of intercession in a church where they heard messages from a number of speakers. The next day, they put their words into action with a public declaration. They put tape over their mouths and held placards as they marched across the town’s bridge. They then held a press conference, asking state authorities to take action to prevent Samuel Lett from continuing his illegal abortions. The protesters saw God work. On December 30, Father Terry Gensemer shared the good news that the abortion facility had been shut down and the city of Selma was abortion-free.

With anti-Semitism on the rise in Europe, a pro-Israel rally made its way through the streets of Warsaw on Sunday in solidarity with the Jewish state. Waving the blue-and-white Star of David flag along with the Polish flag, Jews and Christians danced and sang side-by-side as they marched to Grzybowski Square and the Israeli Embassy. Israel's ambassador to Poland, Anna Azari, addressed the crowd, stating, ‘I've never seen such a large demonstration of support for Israel.’ The purpose of the march was to protest at growing anti-Semitism in Europe as a result of the rise of Islam and the numerous ‘unjust UN resolutions’ against Israel. Christians who took part in the public pro-Israel display explained that their presence was to show support that the covenant between God and the Jews is still in effect.

Slovenia will request from Croatia a list of refugees who are being transported, and detailed information about them. ‘If it does not receive such information, Slovenia will refuse to accept the refugees’, said the state secretary at its Ministry of the Interior. The introduction of controls on the internal borders between some Schengen countries is a temporary measure, but Slovenia is ready to introduce additional control measures on its border with Croatia if the migrant crisis continues. Slovenia recently requested a meeting with the Croatian authorities in order to clarify its proposals about additional controls of migrants passing through the Balkan route, for the purpose of their identification. In future, Croatian police must submit with each train sent to Dobova a list of migrants with their personal data. If the lists are not delivered, Slovenia will refuse to accept the migrants. Some media outlets report that Slovenia has discovered terrorist suspects among migrants.

Irish minister for children James Reilly was challenged on his knowledge of child poverty rates at a United Nations committee on Thursday. Addressing the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child in Geneva, Dr Reilly said child poverty and family homelessness were the two most important children’s rights issues in Ireland. The minister is leading a delegation of senior civil servants and legal advisors, as Ireland is examined on its compliance with the Convention of the Rights of the Child. The state was last examined by the committee ten years ago. Norwegian commissioner Kirsten Sandberg said, ‘It is my understanding that the level of consistent child poverty last year in Ireland was one in nine.’ 330,000 people lost their jobs in the recession, which had an enormous impact on Irish society. A family escapes poverty when the head of the household has a job paying more than welfare.

Former football club chaplain Richard Gamble plans to build a national landmark made of bricks representing one million answered prayers. ‘The Wall’ would be the size of 62 semi-detached houses. The Royal Institute of British Architecture hopes to open a design competition in the summer. Mr Gamble wants the monument, with a Christian message, to be seen by thousands of passing drivers on a motorway. ‘I'm going to get Christians from all over the UK to buy a £10 brick and tell us what prayer God has answered for them. Then people driving past The Wall will be able to see that Jesus has answered a million prayers. Instinctively we remember big prayers that Jesus has answered, but Jesus is interested in the little things in life as well. I'm hoping and praying that we will have all the Church responding to this with an entire range of different answers to prayers.’

Last month the World Prayer Centre team issued a call to pray for protection on our nation, after a credible source reported that there were a series of five terrorist attacks scheduled to hit five key English cities. They were keen to stress that the call to prayer was not simply because of the prophetic word but also because the nation was particularly vulnerable to terrorist attack. Thankfully there were no attacks. Was that due to prayer or because nothing was ever going to happen? We can't say, but we need to continue to be vigilant. IS has supporters in many of our cities and towns. This is more than terrorism. We can pray for safe homes where children and families are protected; for schools, universities and churches to be protected; for our cities and regions to be safe from attack, crime and despair. Out of this protection we can then pray blessings. Isaiah 62:6 says, ‘Upon your walls, O Jerusalem, I have set watchmen; all the day and all the night they shall never be silent.’

Statistics published on Tuesday record the number of people attending Church of England services each week as below one million for the first time, reflecting a decline over recent decades of growing secularism, religious diversity, and ageing worshippers. Many believe the Anglican schism over sexuality marks the end of a global church. However the church is not surprised; recent trends have been anticipated and are being acted on. Justin Welby said, ‘The church has embarked on a radical reform and renewal programme intended to reverse declining numbers, partly by diverting funds away from small, struggling rural parishes to urban churches where the potential for growth is greatest.’ Several urban churches have shown remarkable growth in the past year, eg St Swithun’s in Bournemouth, established in 2014, now with weekly attendances of 500. The C of E is also developing ‘network churches’ that meet in cafés, pubs and other places outside consecrated buildings.