Syria: ISIS gaining ground in Syria, despite US Strikes
At least one-third of the country’s territory is now under ISIS influence, with recent gains in rural areas that can serve as a conduit to major cities that the so-called Islamic State hopes to eventually claim as part of its caliphate. Meanwhile, the Islamic extremist group does not appear to have suffered any major ground losses since the strikes began. The result is a net ground gain for ISIS, according to information compiled by two groups with on-the-ground sources. In Syria, ISIS ‘has not any lost any key terrain,’ Jennifer Cafarella, a fellow at the Washington, D.C.-based Institute for the Study of War who studies the Syrian conflict, explained to The Daily Beast. Even US military officials privately conceded to The Daily Beast that ISIS has gained ground in some areas, even as the Pentagon claims its seized territory elsewhere, largely around the northern city of Kobani.
Nepal: Up to 8,000 girls trafficked to Dubai
A multi-agency international operation, led by Central Bureau of Investigation, has stumbled upon an organised racket of trafficking young Nepalese girls to Dubai for alleged prostitution, Delhi's IGI airport is the transit point for their travelling to the gulf country. The investigation has revealed that nearly 6000-8000 Nepalese girls aged between 20 to 30 years have been trafficked to Dubai via Delhi till December 2014.The agency has informed the ministry of external affairs, ministry of home affairs, bureau of immigration and Nepal authorities through Interpol about the organised syndicate, which sends the girls on tourist visas. The sources said during the inquiry which was being covertly conducted by the agency, probe officers collected information from Foreign Regional Registration Office, Air India, Qatar Airways, Bureau of Immigration and 15 travel agents based in Delhi.
Zimbabwe: Authorities threaten Christian ministry with closure
In an act that is being repeated across Zimbabwe, government authorities have declared new ownership of the Maleme farm in Bulawayo, Matabeleland, threatening its Christian owners with arrest for refusing to leave the land that houses the Shalom and Ebenezer Christian ministries. Having made an official appeal for the reversal of this land acquisition, the leadership team is currently involved in difficult negotiations with district officials. Zimbabwe’s Ebenezer ministry trains apprentices in agri-business skills. Mr Cunningham, owner of the Maleme farm, was told on 18 December that the land had been allocated to a new owner, Mr Mashingaidze and that this decision had been finalised. Later the same day, the lands officer accompanied the new owner to Maleme farm so that he could take inventory of all his assets, warning the Christian owners that if anything was taken from the site, this would be considered theft.
German leaders attend Muslim community rally
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and President Joachim Gauck have attended a Berlin vigil organised by Muslim groups to promote tolerance and religious freedom in the country. Organisers say the event aimed to condemn the Paris attacks and show solidarity with the victims. They are also responding to the recent ‘anti-Islamisation’ rallies staged by the Pegida organisation across Germany. The group's latest rally in Dresden drew a record crowd of 25,000. Large anti-Pegida demonstrations took place in other German cities on Monday. President Gauck addressed the vigil at the Brandenburg Gate, saying: ‘We are all Germany.’ He added: ‘Germany has become more diverse through immigration - religiously, culturally and mentally. This diversity has made our country successful, interesting and likeable.’ Aiman Mazyek, head of the German Council of Muslims, told the crowd: ‘We stand together for a Germany that is open to the world, with a big heart, which honours freedom of opinion, of the press and of religion.’ (See also last week’s Prayer Alert.)
Russia faces wave of bankruptcies if interest rates don't fall
The pressure is building on Vladimir Putin: Russia will be hit by a wave of bankruptcies unless it cuts interest rates very soon, a top financial official warned Monday. Anatoly Aksakov, president of Russia's regional banking association and deputy chairman of parliament's financial markets committee, said firms were running out of cash. Bankers believe that keeping the situation as it stands will cause a wave of bankruptcies, not only credit institutions but also a number of businesses and companies," Aksakov wrote in a letter to the central bank, according to Russian state media. Aksakov said the central bank must cut rates this month to 15% from 17%, then gradually to 10.5%, the level they were at before the current financial crisis. A central bank rate of 17% meant some companies were having to pay as much as 30% to borrow. The impact of Western sanctions imposed over Russia's actions in Ukraine has sparked a cash crunch by shutting many companies out of international funding markets.
German leaders attend Muslim community rally
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and President Joachim Gauck have attended a Berlin vigil organised by Muslim groups to promote tolerance and religious freedom in the country. Organisers say the event aimed to condemn the Paris attacks and show solidarity with the victims. They are also responding to the recent ‘anti-Islamisation’ rallies staged by the Pegida organisation across Germany. The group's latest rally in Dresden drew a record crowd of 25,000. Large anti-Pegida demonstrations took place in other German cities on Monday. President Gauck addressed the vigil at the Brandenburg Gate, saying: ‘We are all Germany.’ He added: ‘Germany has become more diverse through immigration - religiously, culturally and mentally. This diversity has made our country successful, interesting and likeable.’ Aiman Mazyek, head of the German Council of Muslims, told the crowd: ‘We stand together for a Germany that is open to the world, with a big heart, which honours freedom of opinion, of the press and of religion.’ (See also last week’s Prayer Alert.)
Russia faces wave of bankruptcies if interest rates don't fall
The pressure is building on Vladimir Putin: Russia will be hit by a wave of bankruptcies unless it cuts interest rates very soon, a top financial official warned Monday. Anatoly Aksakov, president of Russia's regional banking association and deputy chairman of parliament's financial markets committee, said firms were running out of cash. Bankers believe that keeping the situation as it stands will cause a wave of bankruptcies, not only credit institutions but also a number of businesses and companies," Aksakov wrote in a letter to the central bank, according to Russian state media. Aksakov said the central bank must cut rates this month to 15% from 17%, then gradually to 10.5%, the level they were at before the current financial crisis. A central bank rate of 17% meant some companies were having to pay as much as 30% to borrow. The impact of Western sanctions imposed over Russia's actions in Ukraine has sparked a cash crunch by shutting many companies out of international funding markets.
Mongolia: Church grows from four people to 40,000 since 1990
The church in Mongolia has seen spectacular growth since 1990 when the country moved from communism to a democratic form of government. At that time there were only four known Christians in the nation of 3 million. By 2000 the number of believers had increased to nearly 10,000, and a decade later it reached 40,000, the new believers gathering in some 600 churches - 300 in the capital city of Ulaanbaatar and 300 in the provinces. Today the growth continues. Mongolia has the eighth-fastest growing church in the world, although Operation World indicates that evangelicals still represent only about 1.2 percent of the population. Meanwhile, Christian radio is playing an increasingly important role in that growth. ‘Through radio, thousands of people now can hear the truth, and in this [once-communist] country - nearly voided of religious influence for decades - people are listening,’ said Sam Joseph, a Reach Beyond (formerly HCJB Global) radio planter.
Mongolia: Church grows from four people to 40,000 since 1990
The church in Mongolia has seen spectacular growth since 1990 when the country moved from communism to a democratic form of government. At that time there were only four known Christians in the nation of 3 million. By 2000 the number of believers had increased to nearly 10,000, and a decade later it reached 40,000, the new believers gathering in some 600 churches - 300 in the capital city of Ulaanbaatar and 300 in the provinces. Today the growth continues. Mongolia has the eighth-fastest growing church in the world, although Operation World indicates that evangelicals still represent only about 1.2 percent of the population. Meanwhile, Christian radio is playing an increasingly important role in that growth. ‘Through radio, thousands of people now can hear the truth, and in this [once-communist] country - nearly voided of religious influence for decades - people are listening,’ said Sam Joseph, a Reach Beyond (formerly HCJB Global) radio planter.
Church of England membership decline ‘urgently’ needs to be reversed – Welby and Sentamu
The Church of England will no longer be able to carry on in its current form unless the downward spiral in its membership is reversed ‘as a matter of urgency’, the Archbishops of Canterbury and York have warned. It could face a dramatic shortage of priests within a decade as almost half of the current clergy retire, according to the Most Rev Justin Welby and Dr John Sentamu. Meanwhile dwindling numbers in the pews will inevitably plunge the Church into a financial crisis as it grapples with the ‘burden’ of maintaining thousands of historic buildings. The two archbishops also called for the Church to invest more in building up its presence on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter to get its message across as part of a ‘major programme of renewal and reform’. Their blunt assessment of the Church’s prospects came in a paper for members of its ruling General Synod, which meets in London next month