North Korea: summit cancelled
President Trump cited 'tremendous anger and open hostility' from North Korea as reasons for cancelling a landmark meeting with Kim Jong-un on 12 June in Singapore. In a letter to Kim he said, ‘It is inappropriate, at this time, to have this long-planned meeting. The world and North Korea have lost a tremendous opportunity for lasting peace and great prosperity and wealth. This missed opportunity is truly a sad moment in history.’ His announcement came two days after he hosted South Korean president Moon Jae-in in Washington for talks widely seen as a salvage effort to ensure the summit went ahead. A statement from Pyongyang referred to vice-president Mike Pence as a ‘political dummy’, and said it is just as ready to meet in a nuclear confrontation as at the negotiating table with the United States.
Iran: sanctions, Syria and uranium
Three world leaders outlined their opinions on Iran. The US secretary of state threatened to impose ‘the strongest sanctions in history’ if Iran doesn’t meet a list of demands, including abandoning involvement in Syria, Yemen, Lebanon and Afghanistan. President Putin said Iran and Hezbollah should leave Syria when the civil war ends; and Israel’s Netanyahu lauded Donald Trump for putting pressure on Iran to stop its intervention in Syria and end its uranium enrichment. An Iranian spokesman told Hezbollah’s Al-Manar TV, ‘No one will extract us from Syria. We will remain and keep supporting Syria so long as it needs our help. No one can force Iran to do anything’. Meanwhile please continue to pray for Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a Christian, serving a five-year sentence allegedly for spying and now having new charges made against her. See
Israel: media encourage Hamas violence
Hamas said fifty of the people killed by Israeli forces on Gaza’s border recently were its fighters and named them online, including photographs and details of their ranks within the group. Yet the IDF’s response to the clashes was condemned worldwide. See If this was the first time the media caused Israel’s self-defence actions to kill civilians, they could be excused, but this is something that Hamas repeatedly does. Fathi Hamad of the Palestinian Legislative Council said, ‘For the Palestinian people, death has become an industry in which women stand out, and all the people who live in this land. Older people excel in this, as do mujahedeen and children. This is why we have made human shields for women, children, the elderly and mujahedeen, to challenge the Zionist bombing machine. It's like telling the Zionist enemy, “We want death as much as you do life”.’
Nigeria: crime and violence
Kidnappers have started contacting families for ransom after scores of people were kidnapped in northern Nigeria, in an outbreak of crime unconnected to Boko Haram. Criminal gangs raid villages and steal cattle in bloody attacks. Earlier this month, 71 died after a bloody clash between armed bandits and militiamen. The kidnappers took advantage of a security lull on the road as a result of local elections taking place. Kidnappings for ransom often happen. A Syrian construction worker was kidnapped in Sokoto. Police dispatched to rescue him were ambushed by the kidnappers, and three were killed in the fight. Nigeria is battling an array of security threats across the country, from Boko Haram jihadists, oil militants, nomadic Fulani tribesmen, and criminal gangs kidnapping for profit. Churches are desecrated, Christians slaughtered, and women, girls and young men are kidnapped or forced into suicide missions.
Venezuela: unrest after election result
In a worsening economic crisis Venezuelans re-elected president Maduro, causing an international backlash to the ‘landslide vote’ marred by opposition boycotts and vote-rigging claims. Fourteen countries, including Argentina, Brazil and Canada have recalled their ambassadors from Caracas in protest. Leaked data from two Caracas hospitals show major shortages of food and essential supplies causing more underweight babies being born and an increase of babies and new mothers dying. Venezuela is the most corrupt country in Latin America. A recent investigation by Transparency International showed that the government had signed contracts worth at least US$30 billion with Odebrecht, the Brazilian construction giant at the heart of an enormous bribery scandal in Latin America and elsewhere. Donald Trump called for new elections to ‘end the repression’ of Venezuelans. See
Iraq: 81% of Christians have 'disappeared'
The persecution against Christians is worse today than in any period of history, said a report by Aid to the Church in Need. The great rabbi of France, Haim Korsia, made an urgent request to Europe and the rest of the West to defend the non-Muslims of the Middle East, whom he compared to the victims of the Holocaust. A new human rights report has revealed that Iraqi minorities such as Christians, Yazidis and the Chabaqui people are victims of a ‘slow-motion genocide’ that is destroying their ancestral communities to the point of disappearance. 81% of Iraq's Christians have disappeared. For the Sabians, the devout community of San Juan Bautista, the number is even worse: 94%. As for the Yazidis, 18% have died or left the country. Another human rights organisation, Hammurabi, reports that there were 600,000 Christians in Baghdad, but there are only 150,000 now.
Argentina: protests as inflation soars
Many Argentines blame the IMF for the country’s 2001 financial meltdown, punctuated by a sovereign bond default and steep currency devaluation, which tossed millions of middle-class Argentines into poverty. Now left-leaning activists have taken to the streets to protest the IMF negotiations taking place in Washington while President Macri is trying to convince average Argentines that his policies will attract the investment needed to establish sustainable economic growth. In Buenos Aires, teachers have been staging protests because life is unbearable as the value of the peso continues to decline by a further 30%, sparking even more inflation. They are demanding pay rises, and say they have been living below the poverty line. To watch a video of thousands of people taking to the streets almost every day go to:
Christians can wear a cross at work
Thank God! Christians have finally been told they can wear crosses and religious symbols at work. New official guidance will warn that dress codes will NOT be allowed to ban such items. Non-compliant companies could be fined or forced to pay compensation. Equalities minister Victoria Atkins is rounding on religious intolerance as long as symbols do not interfere with the ability to do the job. She said: ‘Discrimination in the workplace is not only completely unacceptable but also against the law. We will not stand for it. Our society has a proud tradition of religious tolerance; I want to see that reflected in workplaces across the country.’ The Church of England welcomed this ‘sensible decision’, adding: ‘Christians who wish to show their faith by wearing a cross should be free to do so. Freedom of expression continues to be an important British value.’
Commonwealth Games undergirded with prayer
The Australian Gold Coast recently hosted the Commonwealth Games. What many may not know is that local churches, with the help of Christians from other parts of the nation, undergirded the Games with prayer and evangelism. 43 churches engaged in the 24/7 prayer canopy for the games. The Gideons gave away 10,180 scriptures. Chaplains reported never having seen such hunger or such engagement during any previous Games. There were reports of a friendly, peaceful atmosphere in the village itself. The YWAM team reported 7,000 Gospels of Luke and 6,500 flyers handed out, 10,000 estimated meaningful conversations, and one baptism. Be encouraged and give God the glory! Read the full report on the ‘More’ link.
Thy Kingdom Come: celebrate!
Today’s youth meditation: #pledge2pray #celebrate - To celebrate is to do something that isn’t just required or expected. It is to go a bit over the top about someone; to do more than you need, because, as they say, they’re worth it. God’s worth it. But we regularly take it all as a bit standard. If you were going to celebrate God, how would you do it?