Early on Saturday morning, masked militants kidnapped about 13 Egyptian Christians from a housing complex in Sirte, Libya, according to International Christian Concern (ICC). At 2:30 am, the militants went room to room checking ID cards and taking only Christian Egyptians while leaving Muslims unmolested. This latest abduction comes five days after seven Coptic Christians were kidnapped as they were trying to return to Egypt from the very same housing complex that was raided on Saturday. Both abductions followed the recent murder of Magdy Sobhy Tawfiq, an Egyptian doctor, Sahar, his pharmacist wife and their 13-year-old daughter, Catherine, also in Sirte. ‘Christians in Libya are in extreme danger from Islamic extremists who have shown they are actively hunting them down,’ said Todd Daniels, ICC Regional Manager for the Middle East

Early on Saturday morning, masked militants kidnapped about 13 Egyptian Christians from a housing complex in Sirte, Libya, according to International Christian Concern (ICC). At 2:30 am, the militants went room to room checking ID cards and taking only Christian Egyptians while leaving Muslims unmolested. This latest abduction comes five days after seven Coptic Christians were kidnapped as they were trying to return to Egypt from the very same housing complex that was raided on Saturday. Both abductions followed the recent murder of Magdy Sobhy Tawfiq, an Egyptian doctor, Sahar, his pharmacist wife and their 13-year-old daughter, Catherine, also in Sirte. ‘Christians in Libya are in extreme danger from Islamic extremists who have shown they are actively hunting them down,’ said Todd Daniels, ICC Regional Manager for the Middle East

The Catholic Archbishop of Jos, in central Nigeria, has accused the West of ignoring the threat of the militant Islamist group, Boko Haram. Ignatius Kaigama said the world had to show more determination to halt the group's advance in Nigeria. He said the international community had to show the same spirit and resolve it had done after the attacks in France. His warning came after 23 people were killed by three female suicide bombers, one reported to be 10 years old. The weekend attacks come after reports that hundreds of people were killed last week during the capture by Boko Haram of the town of Baga in Borno state. The north-eastern states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa are bearing the brunt of a five-year-old insurgency by Boko Haram, which wants to revive a medieval caliphate in Nigeria, Africa's most populous country and its biggest energy producer.

The Catholic Archbishop of Jos, in central Nigeria, has accused the West of ignoring the threat of the militant Islamist group, Boko Haram. Ignatius Kaigama said the world had to show more determination to halt the group's advance in Nigeria. He said the international community had to show the same spirit and resolve it had done after the attacks in France. His warning came after 23 people were killed by three female suicide bombers, one reported to be 10 years old. The weekend attacks come after reports that hundreds of people were killed last week during the capture by Boko Haram of the town of Baga in Borno state. The north-eastern states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa are bearing the brunt of a five-year-old insurgency by Boko Haram, which wants to revive a medieval caliphate in Nigeria, Africa's most populous country and its biggest energy producer.

Egyptian families in some Egyptian territories are not sending their children to school because of the simultaneous spread of four contagious viral diseases. - mumps, measles, chickenpox and bird flu. The Ministry of Health was faced with anger at its dealing with the diseases, especially after some patients died. A citizen even filed a complaint against the Minister of Health at the police station. Between September and December 1,823 cases of mumps, 1,115 cases of chickenpox, 1,356 cases of measles, and 15 cases of bird flu were reported. The Minister of Health said the government does not intend to carry out a mass slaughter of farm birds or domestic birds (unlike what happened earlier to deter the spread of bird flu). He said, ‘a committee has been formed to study the epidemiological evolution of measles’ and blamed parents for the spread of measles in schools accusing them of slacking in vaccinating their children.

Saudis are speculating about the royal succession after King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz’s health deterioration. Despite mechanisms to ensure a smooth succession of Crown Prince Salman after Abdullah’s death, Saudis are watching a royal drama played by several ageing contenders to the throne. The succession situation is complex, with questions of legitimacy. Abdullah has given the kingdom 20 years of stability Salman is likely to provide continuity. The House of Saud values family harmony. The two previous Saudi kingdoms were wracked by internal family squabbles that their foreign enemies exploited. The Arab world is facing its worst crisis in decades and the royals want to present a stable and strong image in the midst of undercurrents of conflict. (Saudi Arabia and Iran are rivals for Middle East influence - Saudi Arabia as the leader of the Sunni Muslim world, and Iran as the leader of the Shia Muslim world)

causing power cuts and closing highways. Police and army units are on standby for rescue operations in Israel. In Lebanon heavy snow in the central Bekaa Valley closed gas stations, banks, schools and most shops; disrupting life for everyone but devastating for the hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees living in tents and makeshift shelters. Men were seen using brooms and sticks to try to clear heavy snow from tents, fearing the weight would cause them to collapse. Inside the tents families huddled around wood burning stoves, trying to keep warm. Palestinian authorities in the West Bank and Gaza Strip declared a state of emergency over the storm. (Nearly one in three of Gaza’s population is living in temporary accommodation or homeless.)

Since the beginning of the Syrian Civil War, millions of displaced people have crossed the border with neighbouring Lebanon. Many refugees were initially welcomed by locals and given shelter, food, and renewed hope. However, tensions between the two groups are now common. Misunderstandings and lack of communication are a constant challenge to social unity and safe spaces for socialisation are needed. Please pray for the various agencies working towards conflict transformation and bringing together Syrians and Lebanese to talk about issues affecting their communities. Also Lebanon’s infrastructure cannot cope with the influx of 1,000,000+ refugees. This week new restrictions were placed on Syrians wanting to enter the country. They now need a clear purpose for their visit and must be sponsored by a Lebanese individual or company wanting to employ them for a certain duration. See 

In the coming months people in the UK will be pondering about and praying into this year’s general election. Globally 2015 will host many dynamic electoral battles in countries where political corruption, poverty caused by government mismanagement, potential nepotism in high places and opportunities for positive change will influence the ballot box. Two examples are:- On a date yet to be confirmed in Saudi Arabia women will be allowed to vote and run for office for the first time in Municipal Elections. Also in May, Spain’s elections will see Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy trying to improve his image after accusations of corruption and economic disorder that led to a historic bailout of Spain’s banking sector. For brief outlines of influences and issues surrounding other pioneering elections in 2015 click the more button.

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a radical paramilitary group, is planning to convert 4,000 Christian and 1,000 Muslim families to Hinduism by the next 25th of December in Uttar Pradesh. Militants call it the ‘returning home’ programme. Father Francis Arackal, a Dominican priest and head of the department of Communication at St Joseph's College Bangalore said, ‘The RSS claims to be upholding the culture of India and Hinduism. They are doing cheap conversions. The proposed reconversion drive is being planned as a conspiracy politics. The State Assembly elections are due in Uttar Pradesh in 2016. This is a 'diverting attention’ trick. The other intention is to hide all the wrong doings, criminalising politics and communal violence in India.’