Guam is a 210-square-mile sovereign US territory and military base in the western Pacific Ocean. 92% of the population are professing Christians. On 10 August North Korea defied threats of ‘fire and fury’ from Donald Trump, deriding his warning as a ‘load of nonsense’ while announcing a detailed plan to launch missiles aimed at the waters off the coast of Guam. This comment caused Trump’s deputy assistant, Sebastian Gorka, warn Pyongyang, ‘Do not challenge the United States because you will pay a cost if you do so.’ Meanwhile Hawaii has started preparing for a nuclear strike, starting with a new educational campaign to help residents and visitors know what to do in the event of a nuclear missile attack and they will start testing a new ‘wailing’ emergency siren on the first workday of each month. Pray for the Guam church to rise up, speaking the hope and faith into their communities that overcomes fear.

http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/36092282/amid-rising-tensions-north-korea-threatens-preemptive-strike-against-guam

Over 180 individuals and communities have been taken to court since ‘anti-missionary’ punishments came into force on 20 July 2016. Forum 18's list of known cases documents the wide range of people and communities across Russia subjected to such punishments.  The 180+ cases were punished for ‘issuing or distribution, within the framework of missionary activity, of literature and printed, audio, and video material without a label bearing this name, or with an incomplete or deliberately false label.’ Both Russians and foreigners were punished under this law, some were fined, some were deported. Vladimir Putin approved this law in a package of anti-terrorism laws and despite prayers and protests from religious leaders and human rights advocates, the Kremlin passed laws against sharing faith in homes, online, or anywhere that is not a recognised church building.

Fr Aidan Troy, of St Joseph's, Paris, has called for prayer following a suspected Paris terror attack on 9 August. A car drove into a group of six soldiers from the 35th infantry regiment in Levallois-Perret.  The soldiers served in Operation Sentinelle, created to guard prominent French sites after Islamic extremist attacks in 2015. The terrorist was arrested on the A16 highway in northern France. A counter-terrorism investigation was launched. Fr. Aidan said people should pray for Paris, saying that all who care about our world have to keep praying ourselves, and also saying to others 'will you pray with me and we will offer up a prayer for peace’ and I'm convinced that it will happen.’

The closure of the ‘Jungle’ failed to remove migrants from Calais. Since January 17,000+ have attempted to board UK-bound trucks and trains. Migrants haven't gone, they have moved into the woods where they live like animals. There are not as many as a year ago, but there are more than the French government would wish. The French interior minister said there were ‘about 350 ‘. He is wrong. It is clear from spending four days there that the number is much closer to the estimate by volunteers, who say 1,000 are playing a constant game of cat-and-mouse with the police. A recent Human Rights Watch report said that riot police are using brutal methods to disperse new arrivals. Regular attempts are made to remove migrants to processing centres. Some go and some hide. Many who go will return later.

The National Trust required staff and volunteers at Felbrigg Hall, in Norfolk, to wear rainbow badges and lanyards in support of their ‘Prejudice and Pride’ programme marking 50 years of homosexuality freedom. By 4 August over 30 (possibly 75, depending where you read) of 350 volunteers refused to wear the rainbow slogan or be part of the activity. National Trust management told those who refused to wear pride memorabilia they were free to step back from the volunteer role or take a behind the scenes role. By 7 August 240 National Trust members had revoked their membership and the volunteers went to the newspapers accusing the Trust of encroaching on their political freedoms. The trusts response was, ‘We are therefore making it clear to volunteers that the wearing of the badge is optional and a personal decision.’ But they will continue with the Pride programme and exhibition. see also http://www.christianvoice.org.uk/index.php/hurtful-national-trust-rainbow-row/

Modern slavery and human trafficking are more prevalent than previously thought. A growing body of evidence points to growing numbers of victims. There are currently over 300 live policing operations targeting slavery in the UK. More than a dozen of the highest risk operations targeting organised crime groups are being led by the National Crime Agency. One recent result was the arrest of three men in North England with links to a Romanian group using the internet to advertise the services of victims trafficked for sexual exploitation, then forcing victims to launder the proceeds through criminally controlled bank accounts. Ten women were safeguarded. The group and its wider network are suspected to have made around €5 million in criminal profits. A surge in operational activity focusing on labour and sexual exploitation through May and June led to 111 arrests in the UK and 130 victims being rescued.

Damian Green, the UK’s first secretary of state, urged the Trump administration to use the UN processes to resolve the crisis between the United States of America and North Korea. He said, ‘It’s obviously in all our interests to make sure that nothing escalates,’ and, ‘we are very strongly in support of the UN process, which has put, and continues to put, pressure on North Korea to stop acting in an irresponsible way.’

‘I got saved behind the glue factory at an open-air meeting, around a fire.’ said a softly-spoken Romany gypsy from the Gypsy Light and Life, evangelical Pentecostal church that has been spreading Christianity among UK gypsies since the 1980s. They are facing criticism after setting up their annual conference at Thame Showground in Oxfordshire. Local residents are complaining that their town has been 'taken over' while the showground owners are now claiming the booking was deceitfully made. It has claimed that lawyers and police are now involved. A festival organiser said they have done nothing wrong. ‘We've paid for it, signed a contract, we have insurance we have everything covered. As far as I know we have no problems.’ Festival organisers say many people without faith will attend the event and they hope many will come to know Jesus. A Town Councillor said, ‘it’s difficult to separate fact from fiction. Local opinions expressed outright support and outright indignation.’ See also http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-38016090

Statistics from the Home and Foreign Offices show that forced marriages have jumped from 1,220 cases in 2015 to 1,428 in 2016. Most were under the age of 15 and 140 had learning disabilities. August is the ‘critical’ month. Parents take their teenage daughters abroad on holiday then trick them into forced marriages. The government's Forced Marriage Unit (FMU) says it has received 770 calls for help this year from victims. Since 2009 schools have been helped to identify signs of forced marriages. However the numbers are still rising which indicates that some schools, communities and councils are failing to act on suspicions or evidence of abuse. Pray for schools and communities to play a greater preventative role. The UK’s Forced Marriage Unit said that because of the nature of forced marriage a number of them are not reported so the true scale of the problem remains unclear.  See also: http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/child-bride-speaks-out-forced-13429971

Brexit could injure food and farming or reform it; depending on whether we adopt, amend, or abolish about 4,500 EU regulations. If Michael Gove can highlight the future of our food and farming in negotiation and not reduce it to a bargaining chip, he could make interventions to change our food system for the better. Using government procurement for schools, hospitals, the military and prisons to favour healthy British food. He could adopt a joined-up policy and target subsidies to increase production of the sort we need for health – more fruit and vegetables, less sugar and intensive meat production. He could ensure new trade deals are built on maintaining welfare and environmental standards, not lowering them to compete in new markets. He could insist that continued access to foreign labour is tied to the industry, improving what are often appalling working conditions and pay so that British workers are drawn back to jobs they now shun. See also the Bishop of St Albans comments on ‘Food Security’ at https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/aug/09/food-security-has-to-be-a-brexit-priority?CMP=twt_gu