Bosnia: Voting for future of divided nation
Voters in Bosnia-Herzegovina have begun casting ballots in general elections that are seen as crucial for the future of the fractured nation where politicians seek membership in the European Union (EU) and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). There are international concerns the country will fall apart along ethnic lines. Almost 15 years after Bosnia's ethnic war ended, Muslims, Croats and Serbs have begun voting in elections that at least some people hope will increase cooperation in the fractured nation. The international community, which monitors Sunday's vote, point out that cooperation between the different ethnic communities is crucial, also to overcome a major economic crisis in the country, where statistics show over 40 percent of people are unemployed. Bosnia's more than three million voters can decide the future of their former Yugoslav republic at over 5,000 polling stations. First official results are expected by midnight local time. Pray: that this Sunday’s vote will lead to increased cooperation between the communities. (Ro.15:5a) More: http://www.worthynews.com/9606-news-watch-bosnia-votes-for-future-of-divided-nation-update
Bosnia: Bishop demands end to discrimination against Catholics
‘Politicians from the West must put pressure on Bosnian politicians so that Catholic war refugees can also return to Bosnia at long last,’ said Bishop Franjo Komarica of Banja Luka Diocese, Bosnia-Herzegovina. Talking to the Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need, Bishop Komarica, chair of the Bishop's Conference of Bosnia-Herzegovina, called on politicians to make sure refugees' basic rights are respected. According to the bishop, Catholics, who are ethnically Croats, have not received the same rights as Bosniaks and Serbsin the country. Bishop Komarica said: ‘Croatian Catholics must finally be put on an equal footing with the other two ethnic groups. They must be allowed to return from abroad and possibilities must be created for them to build up a life in their hometowns.’
Better reporting of hate crime ‘a must’ for Europe
Eight out of ten instances of violentattacks on members of the LGBT community in Europe go unreported, according to a report published (15 May). According to the report, compiled by the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights, and based on the experiences of 93,000 respondents across the European Union, around LGBT) people in Europe have suffered some form of violent attack. However, the huge majority of those attacks go unreported. This is part of a growing trend in Europe, says agency director, Morten Kjaerum. A report to be published in the autumn on anti-Semitism reveals that around 85% of Jewish respondents who faced attacks based on religion said they did not report the incidents. ‘There is an acceptance that violence is an everyday occurrence for these people,’ he said. In addition, there exists a ‘devastating’ lack of confidence in law enforcement agencies.
Pray: that the reactions of people to the LGBT community will not be hatred but God’s love. (1Jn.3:10)
More: http://www.neurope.eu/article/bette r-reporting-hate-crime-must-europe
Belgium: Thousands demand politicians form a government
Tens of thousands of Belgians took to the streets on Sunday to shame political leaders who have failed to form a government more than seven months after an election and left the country at the mercy of financial markets. Organisers of the ‘Shame: no government, great country’ protest said up to 50,000 people had joined the march through the capital Brussels. Police put the figure at 34,000. Since the inconclusive June 2010 parliamentary vote, a caretaker administration has run the country while Dutch and French-speaking party leaders have argued over the degree to which powers and tax-raising rights should be transferred to regions of the linguistically divided country. ‘We are here because we want to show the political leaders that things must change. It's the politicians who are trying to split the country'.
Pray: that the government would listen to the people and work through their differences together. (Ep.4:2-4)
Belgium: Seeks new Government after 450 day milestone
Divided French and Dutch speaking parties gathered in Brussels on Tuesday in a fresh bid to forge a new Belgian government. It is now more than 450 days since Belgium had a fully functioning administration; the country passed that unenviable milestone on Monday. Despite 15 months of deadlock it is hoped the latest round of talks will finally break through the impasse. Reporting from Brussels euronews Gulsum Alan says: ‘Some believe a deal can be reached if the Liberals and Christian Democrats want it badly enough. The alternative could be elections’. Longstanding linguistic and cultural divisions lie at the heart of the political stalemate, however the most acute problem is the future of Brussels. French speaking parties oppose plans to break up the city’s current electoral boundaries, a key demand of their Flemish counterparts. Belgium’s socialist leader Elio Di Rupo is the man currently charged with trying to strike a deal. He has had 10 predecessors since the elections in 2010.
Pray: for the spirit of unity to prevail and differences be healed. (Eph.4:3)
More: http://www.euronews.net/2011/09/06/belgium-seeks-new-government-after-450-milestone/
Belgium: Police arrest 10 in 'Islamist terror plot'
Police in three countries have arrested 10 radical Islamists over a terrorist plot to attack Belgium, Belgian federal prosecutors say. They were detained in police swoops in Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany after a year-long investigation by police in the Belgian city of Antwerp. An 'international jihadist terrorist group' was allegedly plotting to attack an unspecified target in Belgium. The police investigation also looked at funding for a Chechen militant group. The 10 suspects were arrested in simultaneous operations on Tuesday, a spokeswoman for prosecutors said in a press release. Among the 10 arrested are Belgians, Dutch, Moroccans and Chechens, and most of the detainees are resident in Antwerp, the prosecutors' spokeswoman said. In the course of the Belgian investigation, a number of other people were also arrested in Spain, Morocco and Saudi Arabia. Pray: for Governments and authorities to be granted wisdom on how to handle terrorists. (Jer.1:19) More: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-11820008