Nederland: Al-Qaeda planning attack in The Hague
Al-Qaeda has reportedly recruited two Somali men in Pakistan to carry out a suicide attack in The Hague. According to the Pakistani weekly Friday Times, al-Qaeda has recruited two Somali students in the Pakistani city of Karachi. The terrorist organisation trained them in the use of weapons and explosives and reportedly ordered them to carry out an attack in The Hague, similar to the shooting and bombing attacks in Mumbai in 2008. The Friday Times reports that the two Somalis would travel to Europe ‘as Christians’ with stolen Spanish passports. A Dutch intelligence source told the daily De Telegraaf that the threat is ‘serious'. A spokesperson for the Dutch embassy in Pakistan told the Friday Times that they take all these threats very seriously. ‘We are working closely with our Pakistani counterparts to eliminate such threats.’
Pray: that God would confuse the enemy and bind those who are threatening violence. (Ps.7:9)
More: http://www.rnw.nl/english/article/%E2%80%9Cal-qaeda-planning-attack-hague%E2%80%9D
Nederland: Al-Qaeda planning attack in The Hague
Al-Qaeda has reportedly recruited two Somali men in Pakistan to carry out a suicide attack in The Hague. According to the Pakistani weekly Friday Times, al-Qaeda has recruited two Somali students in the Pakistani city of Karachi. The terrorist organisation trained them in the use of weapons and explosives and reportedly ordered them to carry out an attack in The Hague, similar to the shooting and bombing attacks in Mumbai in 2008. The Friday Times reports that the two Somalis would travel to Europe ‘as Christians’ with stolen Spanish passports. A Dutch intelligence source told the daily De Telegraaf that the threat is ‘serious'. A spokesperson for the Dutch embassy in Pakistan told the Friday Times that they take all these threats very seriously. ‘We are working closely with our Pakistani counterparts to eliminate such threats.’
Pray: that God would confuse the enemy and bind those who are threatening violence. (Ps.7:9)
More: http://www.rnw.nl/english/article/%E2%80%9Cal-qaeda-planning-attack-hague%E2%80%9D
Poland: Reconciliation walk
Descendents of Nazi SS officers, together with Holocaust survivors and their offspring completed a week-long march across Poland and through the sites of former Nazi death camps today. The symbolic march began at Auschwitz, near Krakow, in southern Poland on Monday and ends on Friday 31st at Treblinka, 65 miles north-east of the capital Warsaw. At the opening ceremony one of the descendents of a Nazi SS officer asked for forgiveness for her grandfather, an electrician who installed the electrified barbed wire fence at Auschwitz-Birkenau and wired the camp's gas chambers. Other descendants spoke at the opening ceremony in an effort to try to begin to rectify the unspeakable bitterness that divides the two peoples. Lia Shemtov, an Israel member of Knesset for Yisrael Beiteinu, together with hundreds of people from Israel, Poland and Germany, will attend the final ceremonies.
Pray: According to the words of St Francis that where there is hatred, let there be love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is discord, union; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light’ where there is sadness, joy. Amen (Col.1:19-22)
More: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/159125#.UD35FaAsE9Z
Poland: Reconciliation walk
Descendents of Nazi SS officers, together with Holocaust survivors and their offspring completed a week-long march across Poland and through the sites of former Nazi death camps today. The symbolic march began at Auschwitz, near Krakow, in southern Poland on Monday and ends on Friday 31st at Treblinka, 65 miles north-east of the capital Warsaw. At the opening ceremony one of the descendents of a Nazi SS officer asked for forgiveness for her grandfather, an electrician who installed the electrified barbed wire fence at Auschwitz-Birkenau and wired the camp's gas chambers. Other descendants spoke at the opening ceremony in an effort to try to begin to rectify the unspeakable bitterness that divides the two peoples. Lia Shemtov, an Israel member of Knesset for Yisrael Beiteinu, together with hundreds of people from Israel, Poland and Germany, will attend the final ceremonies.
Pray: According to the words of St Francis that where there is hatred, let there be love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is discord, union; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light’ where there is sadness, joy. Amen (Col.1:19-22)
More: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/159125#.UD35FaAsE9Z
Drugs are too easy to get hold of, warn grieving parents
Drugs are everywhere and far too easy for teenagers to get hold of, warn the grieving parents of a teenage girl who died after taking ecstasy. They criticised websites for glorifying the effects of drug use and blamed peer pressure for the death of their daughter, 16-year-old Serena Harding. The judge, sentencing three men for supplying the teenager with drugs, said the ‘misguided individuals’ were part of a culture which believes that taking drugs such as ecstasy is harmless. Miss Harding collapsed after taking ecstasy whilst on a night out with friends to celebrate her exam results. Mr and Mrs Harding warned: ‘It’s too easy for teenagers to get hold of drugs. Drugs are everywhere and somebody will always know somebody who will sell you some.' Three men were sentenced for supplying Miss Harding with the drugs, one of whom was said to be a close friend of Miss Harding.
Pray: for the authorities that they will be able to find the source of these dangerous drugs blocking the supplies and jailing those responsible. (Rom.13:5)
More: http://www.christian.org.uk/news/drugs-are-too-easy-to-get-hold-of-warn-grieving-parents/
Putting the 'fair' back into welfare
This is the theme of an expert panel discussion that will take place at the Greenbelt Festival, at 11am on Saturday 25th August 2012. The controversial Welfare Reform Act has reignited debate about the scope and nature of public support for children, carers, disabled people and vulnerable people in society. So is ‘the welfare state’ a thing of the past? Who is welfare for? Who provides for whom? And what is the role of voluntary and faith bodies? This Children’s Society panel in association with the Christian think-tank Ekklesia looks at the future of ‘welfare for all’ in tough economic times, and asks how fairness and creativity can help chart fresh ways forward. The speakers are: Sam Royston (Children’s Society policy adviser) - Sue Marsh (Disabled activist, Spartacus Welfare Campaign) - Savi Hensman (Care and equalities adviser, Christian commentator) - Simon Barrow (Ekklesia think-tank).
Pray: that the discussions will lead to a wider understanding of fairness in this generation and beyond. (Pr.2:9)
The Word of God in 667 languages and counting!
Faith Comes By Hearing has added five new language recordings to their catalogue of Audio Scriptures this month. Combined, these five languages represent more than 169,000 people who now have God's Word in audio available in their heart language. The new releases are: Ayta Mag-antsi - Philippines; Kandozi - Peru; Kebu – Uganda; Quichua - Northern Pastaza - Ecuador/Peru; Terena – Brazil. These recordings are possible because of the dedicated work and partnership of many translation ministries and Bible Societies around the world. Our catalogue of Audio Scripture features a total of 667 languages, but changes regularly with new additions every month. Notably, New Testaments in 94 languages have been added in just the last 12 months. Spoken in almost every country in the world, these recordings as a whole represent a potential outreach to more than 5 billion people - or in other words, two-thirds of the world's population. This unprecedented access via the Digital Bible Platform continues to expand rapidly.
Praise: God for this opportunity to harness technology to spread the Word. (2Th.3:1)
More: http://www.faithcomesbyhearing.com/word-god-667-languages-and-counting
The Word of God in 667 languages and counting!
Faith Comes By Hearing has added five new language recordings to their catalogue of Audio Scriptures this month. Combined, these five languages represent more than 169,000 people who now have God's Word in audio available in their heart language. The new releases are: Ayta Mag-antsi - Philippines; Kandozi - Peru; Kebu – Uganda; Quichua - Northern Pastaza - Ecuador/Peru; Terena – Brazil. These recordings are possible because of the dedicated work and partnership of many translation ministries and Bible Societies around the world. Our catalogue of Audio Scripture features a total of 667 languages, but changes regularly with new additions every month. Notably, New Testaments in 94 languages have been added in just the last 12 months. Spoken in almost every country in the world, these recordings as a whole represent a potential outreach to more than 5 billion people - or in other words, two-thirds of the world's population. This unprecedented access via the Digital Bible Platform continues to expand rapidly.
Praise: God for this opportunity to harness technology to spread the Word. (2Th.3:1)
More: http://www.faithcomesbyhearing.com/word-god-667-languages-and-counting
Albania: Small church, big effect leading up to TiranaFest
Like many Eastern European nations, Albania prides itself on an atheistic worldview. When the Soviet Union was in its prime, inquiries into the existence of God or any higher being were quickly stamped out. Most young people in Albania grew up believing ‘there was no God.’ In 1967, the government closed all religious institutions, and Albania became the first atheistic state in Eastern Europe. Private religious practice wasn't allowed again until 1990, and with not even an underground church in sight, the Good News had to start from scratch in Albania. A mere two years ago, the government granted legal status to over 100 of the country's evangelical churches. A small but passionate group of believers in the nation's capital city want to change this societal outlook. Though the group may be small, their influence is mighty. On September 22, believers will gather in the city of Tirana for an evangelistic outreach called TiranaFest with Luis Palau.
Pray: that the church will be blessed and increase in numbers through this outreach. (Gen.1:22a)
B&B owners win right to appeal to Supreme Court
A Christian couple who were fined because of their ‘marrieds only’ policy for double rooms at their guest house in Cornwall have won permission to take their case to the Supreme Court. Earlier this year the Court of Appeal upheld the verdict that Peter and Hazelmary Bull had breached equality legislation and discriminated against Martyn Hall and his civil partner Steven Preddy after refusing them a double room due to their ‘marrieds only’ policy for double rooms. Mr Hall and Mr Preddy were awarded a total of £3,600 in damages. Now the Supreme Court, the highest court in the land, has decided to hear their case, and may overturn the decision of the Court of Appeal. Andrea Minichiello Williams, CEO of Christian Concern, said: ‘This case is one of many where the judiciary have severely restricted freedom of religion in favour of homosexual rights.’
Praise: God for this change of direction by the authorities to allow a right of appeal. Now may God over-rule. (Job.5:8)