Hong Kong - 'Prayer must be our loudest response'
Prayer vigils in churches throughout the city are being held for those involved in the pro-democracy demonstrations gripping Hong Kong. Congregations are upholding Hong Kong in prayer as the protests are into their third day. (see world article 3). Among the leaders of the movement, under the banner 'Occupy Central with Love and Peace', are former Catholic Bishop of Hong Kong Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun and Baptist minister Rev Chu Yiu-ming. The Vine, an international church located a few blocks from the protests is open for 48 hours as a place of prayer, intercession, rest and refuge for those involved. Pastor Andrew Gardener said, ‘We're digging into prayer and worship over the next 24 hours which will be crucial, and on the practical side we're saying if you need rest, refuge, first aid, if you're hungry or thirsty come to us.’
Home Secretary plans new powers to ban extremists from TV appearances
Radical Islamist extremists and neo-Nazis could be banned from making public appearances, including on television, under a gagging order proposed by the Conservatives with echoes of the broadcast ban that once applied to the voice of Gerry Adams. Theresa May will announce the measure as part of a widely drawn counter-extremism strategy that is intended to catch so-called hate preachers such as Anjem Choudary, who was released on bail last week after being arrested on suspicion of encouraging terrorism. The home secretary’s new orders would be aimed at those who undertake activities ‘for the purpose of overthrowing democracy’, a wide-ranging definition that could also catch a far wider range of political activists. The ‘extremist asbos’ are reminiscent of the 1980s broadcasting ban under which Sinn Féin spokesmen such as Adams were banned from the airwaves. Actors were used to voice the words of republicans and others with links to paramilitary groups in news reports
Trojan Horse scandal 'worse in London' claims Department for Education
Some schools in east London are being taken over by Muslim extremists who are trying to convert pupils and staff to their hardline ideology, according to a report in The Sunday Times. The newspaper spoke to a contact within the Department for Education (DfE) who claims the problem there is even worse than in Birmingham, where a 'Trojan Horse' plot to take over schools was revealed this year. ‘Tower Hamlets is expected to be the next Birmingham,’ said the DfE source, ‘but even worse, because the problems surrounding Muslim fundamentalists imposing their views on education seem to be more embedded.’ One of the schools highlighted in the report is Marner Primary School, which has been inspected by Ofsted following the raising of concerns by the Home Office. The council said it expects Marner to be given a ‘clean bill of health’ within the coming days.
Fracking - license demand growing
The government will vote next month on whether to allow fracking firms to drill under people’s properties without the permission of the land owners. Ahead of this vote shale gas licences are attracting solid interest from investors. A government spokesperson said ‘There’s more big companies coming into this space with the resources and I warmly welcome them.’ The Department of Energy and Climate Change will simplify underground access for oil and gas developers despite 99% of respondents to a consultation objecting. The UK-wide plan gives companies the right to drill 300 metres or more under private land without negotiating a right of access. On the flipside of the fracking coin the British firm Ineos is accused of a ‘bribes and bulldozers’ approach to fracking by offering 6% of future shale gas revenues to those sitting on reserves or affected by extraction. See:
Missing Bristol teenager could become Jihadi bride
A missing British girl believed to be heading to join extremists in Syria could become a ‘jihadi bride’ when she gets there. Extremism expert Haras Rafiq from the Quilliam Foundation said, ‘She’s not a professional, she’s not a doctor, she’s not an engineer etc. It’s more than likely that she will become a jihadi bride. At 15 she will marry a holy warrior and play a part in the jihad by producing the next generation of Jihadists.’ Yusra Hussein, is thought to have headed to Turkey with a 17-year-old girl from London. They will try to cross the border into Syria. Friends said Yusra had recently become tied to her mobile and computer after viewing extremist material on chat rooms and forums. As many as 600 Britons are believed to have joined Islamic forces fighting President Bashar al-Assad in the last three years. See also: l
Cameron wrong to redefine marriage, say councillors
The majority of Conservative councillors believe David Cameron was wrong to pursue legalising same-sex marriage, a poll for the BBC has revealed. Responding to a survey conducted by ComRes, 60 percent of councillors said they disagreed with the Prime Minister’s push for gay marriage. Nearly two-thirds of councillors said that legalising gay marriage made the Conservative party less electable. The survey also found that 58 per cent of councillors think redefining marriage will cost the party more votes than it gains at the next election. Writing for the Daily Mail Online this week, former Tory frontbencher David Davis picked up on why he thinks the party are likely to lose votes. He said the party has ‘abandoned traditional Conservative principles and made ourselves less appealing to those who supported us’. Davis argued that the party should not have focused on ‘fringe issues’ such as gay marriage because it is rarely in voter’s ‘top five concerns’.
Slavery in the UK on the rise
Thousands of people are being treated ‘like cattle’ by modern slavery gangs who tattoo them and force them to work for a pittance. The number of victims smuggled into Britain has soared by a fifth as organised criminals cash in on the lucrative market in human misery. They are expanding their operations from the sex trade and drug factories into hand car washes and bogus doorstep charity collections. Victims are bought and sold for as little as £200 and put to work in fear of violence against them and their families. Many are Eastern Europe children brought into the country to join street begging gangs while their handlers steal their generous benefits. Adults are duped into travelling here, often through recruitment websites or even dating agencies, with the promise of better paid work or education. When they arrive they are forced to work as prostitutes, on illicit cannabis farms, as construction labourers or on isolated farms
Studies indicate abortion increases risk of breast cancer by 5 times
Twelve studies into the link between breast cancer and abortion have shown that on average, women who have had a prior abortion have a 54% greater risk of developing the disease. The President of the Population Research Institute (PRI), Steven W. Mosher, reports the findings from studies conducted in the Indian subcontinent between 2008 and 2013. He says the main reason the findings are so important ‘is that women in India and neighbouring countries are simply ideal subjects for studies; they marry early, do not use the pill, have multiple pregnancies, and breastfeed their babies.’ In other words says Mosher, ‘all of the other major risk factors for breast cancer are absent; such as marrying later in life, the use of oral contraceptives at a young age, the use of Hormone Replacement Therapy when older, having only one or no full-term pregnancies and not breastfeeding their babies.’
INSIGHT: Middle East and terrorist cells
President Barack Obama admitted that U.S. intelligence underestimated the Islamic State's emergence in Syria and that breaking up the terrorist cell will be a complicated battle involving both military and political action. The president spoke about implementing the multi-national effort against terrorists and acknowledged that U.S. intelligence didn't take seriously enough what had been taking place in Syria, while overestimating the ability of the Iraqi army to fight militant groups. Islamic militants went underground when al-Qaeda was quashed in Iraq, but over the past two years, during the Syrian civil war when huge swathes of the country were completely ungoverned, they reconstituted themselves. He said we have to push them back, shrink their space, go after their command, their weapons, their fuelling, cut off their financing and work to eliminate the flow of foreign fighters. For facts and INSIGHTS to help your prayers into this subject click the ' Info' button
Iraq: Baghdad frontline from Canon Andrew White
The following is a segment of the Bishop of Baghdad’s Facebook page entry for Sept.30th. ‘Thank you for your prayers, we seriously need them. The good news is - IS has been halted 5 miles from Baghdad. People are very fearful the nation looks as if it has collapsed. The usual hectic streets are almost empty. The news from areas surrounding Baghdad is worrying. ISIS or DAASH as they are known locally are very close to Baghdad. This morning I was with one of the soldiers assigned by the government to protect me. When asked what he would do if he saw IS coming he said he would take off his uniform and run. I asked if he took seriously his role to fight and protect his people. He assured me he did not. He did it for the money. Meanwhile yesterday at Church I spoke on the subject of why we must love Israel.