Europe: A call to ‘Rise Up-now ’
From May 14 to16, in Wiesbaden, Germany, International Prayer Connect will hold a prayer conference for Europe for prayer leaders based on the fact that Europe is the first port of call for millions of immigrants coming from the Arab world. This conference will be the third in a succession of similar prayer gatherings where God’s people have sought His face for Europe. The first was in 2013 in the UK. Many representatives of Arabic churches attended. In 2014 Germany held a similar conference and later that year 35 prayer leaders from 15 European countries organised the 2015 conference that is to be not only for the Arabs living in Europe, but for all Christians to unite and seek God's face in a season when many believe He is calling His church to rise up and stand in prayer for Europe in a time of significant security threats and economic cracks that are beginning to happen across nations. For more info please visit, www.riseup-now.com
Thousands protest government corruption across Hungary
Thousands of people have gathered in 50 cities across Hungary to protest what many say is an erosion of democratic freedoms and government corruption. Sunday’s (19 April) demonstrations came after the European Commission suspended payments to Hungary over suspected corruption and irregularities in the awarding of tenders. ‘Listening to my heart I would make them resign and call an early election,’ a woman told Euronews. ‘For me, anybody else would be better than them, They have no shame.’ Euronews correspondent Attilla Magyar filed the following report from Budapest: ‘The last months have seen several demonstrations against corruption and the actions of Orbán’s government. The most recent protest demonstration was sparked by the recent disagreement between the European Union and the Hungarian government. The organisers have promised more demonstrations.’
Can this be true? Two million Indonesian Muslims find Jesus each year
Some startling facts are causing quite a stir among the Muslim population in Indonesia, amid all the news about Islam's gains around the world. In Indonesia - the most populous Muslim nation - 2 million Muslims are converting to Christianity per year. That's one new convert every 15 seconds. At this rate, Indonesia will be mostly Christian by 2035. Some Muslims are so alarmed they've created a video on YouTube to alert other Muslims to this menace and are trying to raise $2 million to start a TV station aimed at Muslim youth to keep them in Islam. Read the full story via the ‘More’ link.
France foils jihadist attack on Paris Church
Top security officials in France say they've arrested an Islamic jihadist in Paris who was planning an attack on at least one church. In a press conference on Wednesday, the country's interior minister says the suspect - whose name has not been released yet - is a 24-year-old Algerian computer science student. He was arrested on Sunday after he shot himself by accident and called for an ambulance. That is when police found an arsenal of weapons and notes about potential targets in his car. Documents proved without any ambiguity that the individual was preparing an imminent attack against one or two churches. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Manuel Valls reminded French citizens that the country was facing an unprecedented terrorist threat, saying ‘Terrorists are targeting France to divide us and our response must be to protect citizens and rally together as we face terrorism’. See also article 1 in the Europe section.
Can this be true? Two million Indonesian Muslims find Jesus each year
Some startling facts are causing quite a stir among the Muslim population in Indonesia, amid all the news about Islam's gains around the world. In Indonesia - the most populous Muslim nation - 2 million Muslims are converting to Christianity per year. That's one new convert every 15 seconds. At this rate, Indonesia will be mostly Christian by 2035. Some Muslims are so alarmed they've created a video on YouTube to alert other Muslims to this menace and are trying to raise $2 million to start a TV station aimed at Muslim youth to keep them in Islam. Read the full story via the ‘More’ link.
France foils jihadist attack on Paris Church
Top security officials in France say they've arrested an Islamic jihadist in Paris who was planning an attack on at least one church. In a press conference on Wednesday, the country's interior minister says the suspect - whose name has not been released yet - is a 24-year-old Algerian computer science student. He was arrested on Sunday after he shot himself by accident and called for an ambulance. That is when police found an arsenal of weapons and notes about potential targets in his car. Documents proved without any ambiguity that the individual was preparing an imminent attack against one or two churches. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Manuel Valls reminded French citizens that the country was facing an unprecedented terrorist threat, saying ‘Terrorists are targeting France to divide us and our response must be to protect citizens and rally together as we face terrorism’. See also article 1 in the Europe section.
Fourth attempt to redefine marriage at Stormont
The Northern Ireland Assembly is to vote on redefining marriage at the end of the month, despite similar proposals having already been rejected three times in the last three years. Four MLAs have tabled a motion calling for marriage to be brought in for same-sex couples. The Christian Institute has warned that the motion also seeks to limit the free speech of Christians who object to the redefinition of marriage. A spokesman said, ‘the motion last year claimed to support ‘freedom of religion’ but this has now been deleted. It looks like they only want to allow free speech within church services. But a Christian’s faith must apply to every area of life. We can’t section off Christ’s teaching from our daily activities.' The motion will be debated on 27 April. MLAs have defeated three similar attempts to introduce gay marriage, in 2012, 2013 and again last year. In April 2014, MLAs voted 51 to 43 against redefining marriage. See also the statement from 'The Mill Gathering'in last week's Prayer Alert.
Post Office 'failings' over cash shortfall investigations
The Post Office failed to find out why large cash shortfalls occurred at sub-post offices before starting civil and criminal proceedings against sub-postmasters, according to a report by forensic accountants. The report looked into complaints by sub-postmasters of unfair sackings and wrongful convictions caused by flaws in control systems. Concerns were raised by MPs in 2012. The Post Office vehemently denies the report's conclusions. The report also revealed that the Post Office had refused to hand over documents which the accountants felt they needed to investigate properly. A number of MPs raised concerns that dozens of sub-postmasters had been faced with unexpected demands to pay large shortfalls - and been sacked, sued or prosecuted for theft when they could not pay. Alan Bates, chairman of the Justice for Sub-postmasters Alliance, has previously said problems with the computer system were reported since its introduction more than a decade ago.
Sharp rise in number of schoolgirls with emotional issues
Teenage years could never be described as an easy ride emotionally, but according to new research, it would seem that, for girls at least, early adolescence is getting increasingly difficult. According to new research emotional problems are increasing, with a 55 per cent rise between 2009 and 2014. This is compared to other mental health and behavioural difficulties, which didn’t see a significant change. It has been suggested that increasing pressure on girls to perform academically, coupled with anxiety over body image ‘amplified by social media’, could be reasons behind the rise. The research, conducted by University College London and the Anna Freud Centre, compared the mental health of 1,683 11 to 13-year-old boys and girls in 2009 with the same number of pupils in 2014. Dr Elian Fink, lead author of the report, warned that ‘more effective interventions’ were needed in order to address the issue, including increasing provision of mental health services for young people
Police report sharp rise in religious and race hate crimes in London
Anti-Muslim sentiment is widely considered to have increased in the UK, particularly with the rise of IS and following the January Charlie Hebdo attack in Paris. Race and religious hate crime have increased by more than a quarter in the past year, a new report from London's police force has found. Statistics released by the Metropolitan Police Service compare offences reported between 1 April 2014 and 31 March 2015 with those reported in the previous financial year. They reveal that these crimes, have risen by 25.7 per cent in the capital. The Met has attributed this rise to an increase in awareness of and willingness to report hate crime, as well as the support of more than 500 specialist investigators