Police reassure over London Marathon
A senior Metropolitan Police officer has reassured runners and spectators that Sunday's London Marathon will go ahead as planned. Commander Christine Jones said security was being reviewed following two deadly explosions at the Boston Marathon. The public should be ‘reassured’ the police were ‘very, very well-practised’ at managing big events, she added. London Mayor Boris Johnson has also spoken to police about the possibility of extra security on the day. In Boston, at least three people are known to have been killed on Monday and more than 170 injured in blasts close to the marathon's finishing line. Sports Minister Hugh Robertson said he was ‘absolutely confident’ the London Marathon could be kept safe. London had ‘enormous experience’ of delivering major events and the UK had some of the best security professionals in the world, he told the BBC, adding: ‘This is one of those instances where the best way to show solidarity with Boston is to continue.’
Pray: for the safety of this event and any steps to disrupt it will be thwarted.(Ps.5:11b)
It might take new financial crisis to restore morality to City
It could take an up’ to the scale of changes it needs to make, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales warned last Sunday. The Archbishop of Westminster, the Most Rev Vincent Nichols, likened profit-obsessed business chiefs to staff at the scandal-hit Mid Staffordshire hospitals trust who lost sight of basic morality because of an obsession with money. He will told an audience in the City that new regulations would not be enough to bring about real change in the wake of the banking crisis, and could itself become simply a ‘lazy proxy’ for moral values. He said working in the City is a noble vocation, capable of doing real good for society but that the pursuit of short term profit has been allowed to become the sole purpose of business, creating a moral vacuum.
Pray: for the financial sector in the City to develop a greater sense of morality and a clearer purpose to serve society. (Lk.12:15)
British Armed Forces redundancies
The Armed Forces are undergoing a dramatic reduction in size and reorganisation. Over 6,600 personnel across all three services were notified of their selection for redundancy in the first two tranches, which took place in 2011 and 2012. The third tranche, affecting only the Army, was announced in January 2013. A fourth tranche is expected in early 2014. The complete process should be over by the middle of 2015 with approximately 9,500 people expected to be released under tranche 3 and 4. Up to 5,300 Army personnel are in the pool for redundancy in tranche 3. Those selected for redundancy in tranche 3 will be told on 18 June 2013.
Pray: for those Service personnel as they wait to hear if they are losing their job. Please pray for the families as they have to face finding homes, new schools and a new life situation. (Jer. 29:11)
More: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-21134353
Volunteers get cleaning in Ipswich
Church members will be among those rolling up their sleeves to clean up an estate in Ipswich over the May Bank Holiday weekend. Neighbours will be joining forces to clear rubbish and disused furniture from the town's Queesnway estate. Ten skips have been positioned around the estate and leaflets have been distributed asking residents to give up four hours of their time on Bank Holiday Monday. ‘Carry the Can’ has been organised by the Christian Noisy Group, which has worked to make a difference on the Queensway estate for the last 13 years. The group is led by Mick Earrey, who lives on the estate. He said: ‘It is really great to see the local churches, businesses and community all working so well together to make positive improvements.’ The initiative has the support of local councelors.
Pray: that the witness the church gives by this initiative will lead to many blessings. (Ez.10:4)
More: http://www.christiantoday.com/article/volunteers.get.cleaning.in.ipswich/32108.htm
Vatican plans huge pro-life, evangelization gathering
A major highlight for the Year of Faith will be a two-day celebration in Rome on the Church’s teaching about the dignity of life and how it fits with the New Evangelization, reports Catholic News Agency. Father Geno Sylva, the English-language official for the Pontifical Council for Promoting New Evangelization, hopes the event will speak so clearly to the secularworld that it is 'going to have to listen and say, ‘well, there is a culture of life coming out of the Church.' The June 15-16 international gathering will begin on Saturday morning with a catechesis session on ‘The Gospel of Life and the New Evangelization The event will ‘explore the enduring and timeless truths of Blessed John Paul II's 1995 encyclical, ‘Evangelium Vitae,’ and the central role that the Gospel of Life continues to have in the Church's mission of the New Evangelization,’ according to organizers.
Pray: that this event will bring wisdom and understand ing on the subject of the dignity of life.
Vatican plans huge pro-life, evangelization gathering
A major highlight for the Year of Faith will be a two-day celebration in Rome on the Church’s teaching about the dignity of life and how it fits with the New Evangelization, reports Catholic News Agency. Father Geno Sylva, the English-language official for the Pontifical Council for Promoting New Evangelization, hopes the event will speak so clearly to the secularworld that it is 'going to have to listen and say, ‘well, there is a culture of life coming out of the Church.' The June 15-16 international gathering will begin on Saturday morning with a catechesis session on ‘The Gospel of Life and the New Evangelization The event will ‘explore the enduring and timeless truths of Blessed John Paul II's 1995 encyclical, ‘Evangelium Vitae,’ and the central role that the Gospel of Life continues to have in the Church's mission of the New Evangelization,’ according to organizers.
Pray: that this event will bring wisdom and understand ing on the subject of the dignity of life.
Demand for forced labour increasing in EU
The economic crisis is leading to a rise in the number of people being trafficked for sex, hard labour or organ donation, the EU commission said Monday (15 April,) but the vast majority of member states have failed to implement an anti-trafficking law. While the Czech Republic, Latvia, Finland, Hungary, Poland and Sweden have transposed the law, the remaining 21 member states, including Bulgaria and Romania from where most of the victims come, have not. Reported statistics, published by statistical agency eurostat, show that around 23,600 people were trafficked between 2008 and 2010. The figure rose each studied year with 6,309 in 2008; 7795 in 2009 and 9,528 in 2010. EU home affairs commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom put the rise in numbers partly down to Europe's economic crisis which has seen public spending slashed and GDP slump in several EU countries.
Pray: that anti-trafficking laws will be implemented across the EU. (Ps.105:45)
Demand for forced labour increasing in EU
The economic crisis is leading to a rise in the number of people being trafficked for sex, hard labour or organ donation, the EU commission said Monday (15 April,) but the vast majority of member states have failed to implement an anti-trafficking law. While the Czech Republic, Latvia, Finland, Hungary, Poland and Sweden have transposed the law, the remaining 21 member states, including Bulgaria and Romania from where most of the victims come, have not. Reported statistics, published by statistical agency eurostat, show that around 23,600 people were trafficked between 2008 and 2010. The figure rose each studied year with 6,309 in 2008; 7795 in 2009 and 9,528 in 2010. EU home affairs commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom put the rise in numbers partly down to Europe's economic crisis which has seen public spending slashed and GDP slump in several EU countries.
Pray: that anti-trafficking laws will be implemented across the EU. (Ps.105:45)
Please lift up in prayer one whose situation is extremely difficult. That is Kenneth Jun-Ho Bae whom we have mentioned before. He is under arrest in North Korea and is sentenced to death for espionage. He is a tour operator based in California and a Christian who was taken as he was leaving North Korea with his tour. It is unlikely that his sentence will be carried out and the North may try to use him as a pawn but there is no recent news so we do not know more about his situation. I am sure, though, that it is very difficult for him. Please keep him in your prayers.
The political situation is very troubling but I do not believe that Kim Jong Un is the least interested in attacking either the United States or South Korea and no one is about to attack him, at least not under the present circumstances. Even though he declares a "state of war", this has been the technical situation all along. The fighting ended in 1953 with a truce, not a peace treaty. The North has been trying to get a treaty through the years but the young leader is making it more difficult rather than easier for himself. The most troubling thing to me and to others is that he does not have either his father's or his grandfather's experience in international or domestic politics. He is young and very inexperienced. I also wonder if he has the intelligence of either Kim Jong Il or Kim Il Sung, both of whom were very intelligent men with great skill at knowing how far to push and get what they want and when to back off. The young leader seems at times to be almost a victim of his own rhetoric. My greatest concern is that he has no one who will or can tell him the truth and that he will do something to trigger an accidental war that most likely be his complete undoing.
The people of North Korea have been under great strain for a number of weeks now as he has ratcheted up the tension and put the whole country on top alert status. This is taking a great toll on the people as they are forced to participate in drills that take them away from earning their own living while not providing them with anything else. The countryside is also being devastated as military units wipe out young forests and steal for their own food. In the meantime, the soldiers themselves are having a rough time of it as they are forced to do things for which they received not training--like driving trucks. Because of the lack of fuel, drivers never have any experience in driving, sometimes for the whole duration of their time in the military, and the trucks have straw in the tires for lack of new ones. They often use trucks converted to burn wood gas. These pour out clouds of smoke and can only move at about 20 miles per hour or so. One person even quipped that they'd mobilize faster using ox carts. The people are complaining more and more as the situation deteriorates. The Leader is doing all of this, it seems, to secure his position internally--with the forlorn hope of getting the U.S. to negotiate with him directly. He well may go too far and stir up more trouble for himself.
What is even more absurd is that North Korea has people in China trying to drum up tourist business and who are assuring everyone that there is no danger of war.
For anyone who is interested in following things inside North Korea, I recommend www.dailynk.com. The website opens in Korean but there is a link to the English version as well as Chinese and Japanese pages. Most of the links above are to articles here. Korean versions of most of them can also be found on the site.
All in all the situation is, in many ways, more pathetic then dangerous but danger cannot be ruled out. On the other hand, all of this is taking a great toll on the ordinary people of North Korea. Keep them in your prayers and do pray that Kim Jong Un will back down and the situation stabilize.
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Malaysia’s Prime Minister Najib Razak has dissolved parliament, Wednesday, April 3rd paving the way for a long-anticipated general election that could be the closest the ruling coalition has faced in its 56-year rule since independence.
Najib's National Front (Barisan National) coalition lost its two-thirds parliamentary majority for the first time in 2008 elections and faces a confident three-party opposition alliance led by former deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
The general election is expected to be held on May 5th following a two-week campaign period.
• PRAY for God’s rule and reign to become an increasing reality across Malaysia, and in the lives of increasing numbers of Malaysians of all races.
• PRAY for the men and women standing for election, a number of them believers, to not only run an honest campaign, but for those elected to be true to their word.
• PRAY for the thousands of believers in East Malaysia whose votes are expected to be critical in the outcome of the election.
• PRAY the elections will lead to a season wherein the people may live peaceful lives in all godliness and holiness, a season of increased religious freedom for all races, a season of justice and righteousness.
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Additional prayer concerns sent by a Malaysian friend:
1. Peace & harmony during and after elections
2. Righteous candidates to be elected to every parliamentary seat and every state assembly seat
3. New government will respect people's rights, uphold justice, incorruptibility, ethics and freedom to believe
4. New government to be good stewards and wisely manage our national debt
5. Men and women to be elected who will be peacemakers, foster reconciliation and unity.
6. Pray against extremists from being elected.
7. Members of the media will publish news truthfully and with integrity giving factual information.
8. Church will rise up to pray.
9. Church will be united an love one another during this time.
10. Church to participate in the voting process and encourage members to participate in the voting process.
11. Young people constitute 43% of the population. 3 million new voters are below 40. Pray for them as they vote for the first time. My son and daughter are also first time voters.
12. Every election official of the Election Commission, police, RELA and army will act justly during campaigning and uphold peace and order.
13. Election officials especially polling and counting against to serve diligently and honorably.
14. Citizens to vote for men and women of righteousness, God's choice.
15. God's Spirit to overshadow our voters when casting the ballot.
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