Soldiers’ deaths in training accidents
Figures released under Freedom of Information laws have showed that a British serviceman dies in a training accident every six weeks, and there have been 125 deaths during armed forces exercises in the past fifteen years. Compare this to the Iraq War, when 179 British service men and women died. Troops have been shot dead in mock battles, crushed by armoured vehicles and drowned during river crossings. The death toll reflects the need to prepare for war with dangerous equipment and hostile conditions, but it also reflects the need for more care to be taken. A military injuries specialist said, ‘This is a shocking number of deaths. It is not enough to say, well, they are using guns, or we put them in hazardous situations. There are detailed guidelines which stress the fact that, if the risk factors are assessed properly and appropriately managed, nearly all injuries can be prevented.’
Edinburgh Festival euthanasia machine not a joke
Controversial assisted dying activist Dr Philip Nitschke, dubbed 'Dr Death', will perform at the Edinburgh Fringe festival using his euthanasia machine. Dr Nitschke will ask his audience - some of whom may be terminally ill - to try his 'Destiny' machine, to show them 'a peaceful and reliable means of death'. His apparatus is a version of the Deliverance machine he used in Australia, where he successfully campaigned to have a legal euthanasia law passed in the 1990s. At the time he helped four terminally-ill people end their lives. The law was overturned in 1997 by the Australian parliament. Last month police questioned Dr Nitschke amid concerns about the show's content. He was eventually cleared to perform at the Fringe throughout August. With seven days until his show opens, Scottish lawyers have been appointed to ensure he does not breach laws on advising, counselling or assisting others to commit suicide.
Legal aid cuts will cause ‘huge amounts of injustice’
Barristers began striking on Monday in solidarity with defence solicitors protesting over cuts to legal aid. The legal aid system pays lawyers from public funds to provide representation for people facing legal proceedings. James Bogle, a Christian barrister, said the Government's cuts to legal aid will cause ‘huge amounts of injustice’ to people who cannot afford to be represented in court. His message for the Government is: ‘If you want to save money, this is not the way to do it. Very little money will be saved but huge amounts of injustice will be done. People’s reputation, their life and that of their family, could be on the line if they're unable to get proper representation. They may find themselves convicted, even though they are innocent. Conversely, people who have committed serious offences may get off.’ The cuts will create a two-tier system that favours the better-off. Those who cannot afford to pay for a solicitor are suffering at the hands of the Government. See also: http://news.sky.com/story/1525700/barristers-strike-over-cuts-to-legal-aid
Cyprus: United States of Cyprus?
President Nicos Anastasiades expressed hope that there would be a solution to the Cypriot divide and the island’s name could be ‘United States of Cyprus’. In an interview with a Turkish newspaper he said that both he and his Turkish Cypriot counterpart had the same vision on solving their problems, and this was the first time there was so much hope that this could be done. For the first time in the island’s Greek/Turkish history, both leaders have the same vision. They want to reach an agreement taking into account their mutual concerns. Please continue to pray that negotiations continue to be held in a positive atmosphere over the most difficult matters of property and territory. Some matters have been agreed on while others have not.
Finland: Asylum seekers situation chaotic
The number of asylum seekers entering Finland this year has already surpassed the average for previous years. Officials in southwest Finland had processed over 600 asylum applications by the beginning of July, compared to 400 for all of 2014. Many applications are successful, but even unsuccessful applicants remain in Finland if their security elsewhere cannot be guaranteed. So they receive subsidiary protection on humanitarian grounds. Asylum seekers entering Finland come from the conflict and destruction of Islamic State or their migration might involve family feuds or political persecution. Some Albanians say they are seeking better living conditions. More often than not there is some kind of persecution behind many of the applications. There is increasing overcrowding at reception centres. The high demand for asylum services has caused police in southwest Finland to redirect resources from other police responsibilities to help ease the bottleneck in the system.
Athletes publicly speak of their Christian faith
Zach Johnson, winner of this year's British Open, told reporters of his Christian faith and the encouragement the Bible gave him during the tournament. ‘I’ve been reading bits of scripture to myself all week. I thank God for the talent he has given me and I take it seriously.’ On 18 July Jason Robinson, a former rugby international, told ITV News how he came to faith in Jesus Christ. He described how he considered suicide but through the life and testimony of a New Zealand player was drawn to Jesus. ‘The very reason that I became a Christian is because I'm not perfect, I need help, and I can't do it on my own.’ On 24 July Paris Saint Germain, defender and ex-Chelsea player David Luiz, was baptised in a team-mate’s swimming pool and said on Instagram that he will abstain from sex until after he is married to girlfriend Sara Madeira. He captioned his Instagram post quoting 2 Corinthians 5:17.
Restoring worth in Kenya
In August one hundred women will gather in Eldoret and Meru, Kenya. These women are wives of pastors and missionaries, the support behind the public face of native missions. They don’t often get much attention, but for a few days they will get all the attention from a Ministry Mates Matter (MMM) team. Advancing Native Missions sends these MMM teams of staff and volunteers to encourage and refresh women who face many hardships without relief. God esteems such women as ‘far above rubies.’ Ministry Mates Matter teams travel around the world to encourage the unsung heroines of missions - native missionary wives and women in ministry. These women are the forgotten ones.
Thank you so much for the prayer- backing during the time in Iraq. As I shared with some of you, the bomb blasts and suicide bombings in Baghdad have been reduced from 20 to 30 per day in 2014 to 3 to 5 a month now. In Erbil, there have been no reports of explosions since a long time.
The prayer initiative meetings finished well with an amazing prophetic time on the 16th morning and repentance and spiritual warfare on the 16th night. One evening a phone call came from 10 young Kurds who had an encounter with Jesus and believed in HIM. The reports from participants about the harvest that has started among internally displaced people and Muslim - IDPs as well as Syrian refugees have been amazing. A team from MHOP has gone regularly to a camp of Muslim refugees and found so many people who had a vision of Jesus. Those from Catholic / Chaldean / Syrian / Orthodox / Armenian / Assyrian background IDPs are totally open as well to the Gospel and are coming to faith. It's an ocean of people in endless refugee - camps who are just waiting for someone to bring them Jesus in the midst of their sufferings.
During a meeting of Muslim background believers, leaders came to the conclusion that there are more MBBs now in the Middle East / North Africa than all other believers together. We had to acknowledge that ISIS has driven the multitudes into the arms of Christ.
The sad part: from approximately 12 churches in Erbil there are no reports of any unity, even between two churches and extremely little prayer. In Baghdad as well, very sad to find a total lack of revelation about the need of unity and very little prayer. The good thing is that Muslim background leaders are in unity!!!!
So God's own arm is bringing Him victory! Isa. 59: 16
(From a Colleague in the prayer movement who facilitated times of prayer training for the believers in Iraq earlier this month)
Please pray for His unity among all who follow Christ in Iraq, that their hearts, especially of pastors and leaders would be softened and that they would begin to stand together in prayer for their nation and the driving out of ISIS. Pray too for those who were trained that they will put it into effect in their lives and that they will be used of the Lord to train and encourage others so that a strong, united prayer movement can arise in this much besieged and divided nation. Also, pray that these vast millions of Iraqi and Syrian refugees will be able to hear the Gospel with many of them coming to know the Lord who cares for them.
Videos discussing use of fetal tissue in research stir antiabortion activists' hopes of ban on federal funding for organization
Wall Street Journal, July 23, 2015
"Videos of Planned Parenthood staffers discussing how they gather fetal tissue during abortions for use in medical research are stirring antiabortion activists' hopes of converting the controversy into a ban on federal funding for the organization. Cutting off federal funds for Planned Parenthood has emerged as one of the short-term moves that activists believe is most achievable in the wake of the release of two videos in the past two weeks.
Some lawmakers preparing to debate appropriations bills cite the videos as a reason to cut off the approximately $500 million a year in federal funds Planned Parenthood gets for providing care to Medicaid beneficiaries, contraception through family planning programs and for helping people sign up for insurance under the 2010 federal health law. Long-standing restrictions bar the federal government from paying for abortions in most cases.
A new surreptitiously recorded video released by activists this week shows a Planned Parenthood official bluntly describing abortion procedures, and whether they could be adapted to preserve tissue that could be provided to researchers...
Kristan Hawkins, president of the Students for Life of America antiabortion group, said younger activists began In Planned Parenthood's most recent annual report covering the 12 months through June 30, 2014, federal and state grants and reimbursements of around $528.4 million were the organization's single largest source of income, totaling 41% of its revenue.The majority of its funds came from a combination of other payments for services, along with private contributions and bequests.
Ten states have barred state funding of Planned Parenthood clinics for family planning services, including Texas while GOP presidential contender Rick Perry was governor and Wisconsin under rival GOP contender and current Gov. Scott Walker.
In its annual report, Planned Parenthood said its affiliates performed 327,653 abortions. In recent years, about one million abortions have been carried out annually in the U.S.
Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton defended Planned Parenthood on Thursday, saying that the organization had apologized for one employee's "insensitivity," and that its work is important...
"Listen, I've seen these two videos. They're gruesome and I think they're awful," Mr. Boehner told reporters. "That's why the Energy and Commerce Committee and Judiciary Committee are doing an investigation. I expect that we will have hearings, and the more we learn, the more it will educate our decisions in the future."
Planned Parenthood also reported providing 4,470,597 tests for sexually transmitted diseases, 3,577,348 appointments to provide contraception, including emergency contraception, and 935,573 appointments for cancer screening including pap tests, HPV vaccinations and breast exams.
Bans on taxpayer funding for abortion enjoy widespread support from voters, even among some of those who believe abortion should be legal in at least some circumstances. But lawmakers have had limited success in previous efforts to curb funds to Planned Parenthood for other services.
In 2011, the Republican-controlled House of Representatives wanted to disqualify Planned Parenthood affiliates from receiving any federal funds for family planning or as Medicaid reimbursements. A face-off with the then-Democratic-controlled Senate and White House nearly shut down the government, but ended with the House trimming funds for family planning and allowing Planned Parenthood to remain a participant in Medicaid.
Pray for a cut-off of government funding for Planned Parenthood which exists mainly to abort children and seeks to profit from selling their body parts. This is Nazi-like behavior that is being sanitized with the rationale that it is "for the benefit of medical science". May this cause a great outrage across the USA. Please pray also for the shutting down of this corrupt and deceitful organization that trafficks in the death of precious human beings God has knit together in their mother's womb.
The African Union Mission in Somalia, better known as AMISOM, has launched a renewed offensive against al Shabaab. Despite achieving major successes with the liberation of Mogadishu in August 2011 and Kismayo in September 2012, the
Somali military and AMISOM failed to eradicate the jihadist militant organization. Sustained ground operations and the targeted killings of its leaders by U.S. airstrikes damaged the group, but al Shabaab is still dangerous. As well as conducting direct attacks, the group routinely interdicts the movement and supply lines of African Union forces with guerrilla-style operations. The African Union is drawing on new resources and capabilities in an attempt to defeat al Shabaab, or at least render the organization ineffective.
The fight will not be easy, however. AMISOM forces have suffered setbacks in the past, being forced to conduct tactical withdrawals from untenable positions in the face of al Shabaab attempts to dislodge them. A June 26 attack on an African Union base in the village of Lego inflicted a notable defeat on AMISOM forces, highlighting a major problem facing African Union forces as they expand their area of operations. While typically able to defeat al Shabaab in conventional head-on battles, AMISOM forces become overstretched as they project into the expansive reaches of southern Somalia. They lack the necessary resources to secure lines of communication over land and, as a result, frequently have to withdraw from newly liberated areas to protect their own personnel.
The nature of AMISOM's limitations is not lost on military commanders. In an attempt to prevent further embarrassments, major efforts to stabilize the situation are underway. The most immediate is the launch of a major offensive against known al Shabaab strongholds. Known as "Operation Jubba Corridor," separate maneuver elements converged on the city of Baardheere on July 22, successfully routing its militant defenders. Baardheere had been under al Shabaab control for six years and has served as a refuge in the fertile valley region.
Even though the Baardheere offensive was successful, it will not necessarily prevent continued al Shabaab operations. The militant group has already been forced to stop depending on territorial control; its guerrilla and terrorist attacks have become its most potent tool against African Union forces. Denying al Shabaab refuge in the Juba valley will contribute to the gradual decline of the militants' capabilities. The more territory AMISOM forces liberate, however, the more resources they will require to patrol and secure those areas. That said a weakened al Shabaab poses less of a threat to extended positions than before.
Please pray for the African Union forces to prevail over the Islamic terrorist al Shabaab group that has caused so much destruction and death in East Africa. Pray for wise strategy, determination and the resources the AU needs to finish this campaign and clear the region of this scourge.