Coffee-shop owners in the city of Haarlem have reached an agreement with the mayor, which they believe will make the introduction of the weedpass unnecessary in their city. Under the covenant, the owners have pledged to monitor who enters their coffee-shop, bar minors from entering, provide reliable information about soft drugs and ensure that there aren't any disturbances or troubles in the immediate area around the coffee-shops. The mayor of Haarlem is pleased with the measures. But he says, if the weedpass is introduced throughout the Netherlands on January 1, 2013, it will also go into effect in his city. The weedpass was introduced in the south of the Netherlands in May. Only Dutch residents can now legally purchase soft drugs in coffee-shops. Foreigners are barred. The measure has led to a surge in the illegal trade in soft drugs in the southern part of the country.

Pray: for the government to be sensible in its decisions and not make judgements that increase the use of drugs.

More: http://www.rnw.nl/english/video/haarlem-coffeeshops-offer-alternative-weedpass

A Christian civil servant has been fired by the Dutch city of The Hague for refusing to oversee same-sex marriages on Biblical grounds. Wim Pijl said on Tuesday that he would take legal action against the dismissal despite parliamentary support for gay weddings. ‘For me this is a personal case,’ explained Pijl. He also told reporters that God opposes same-sex marriages. ‘As a Christian I learned from the Bible that there is only one marriage, between a man and a woman.’ The Hague city government said through a spokesman that it had no other choice than to dismiss Pijl as he had ‘refused to take back his remarks.’ The Netherlands has 104 civil servants refusing to perform same-sex marriage ceremonies, according to Dutch gay rights group COC.

Pray: for Pijl and others who are standing up for their Christian beliefs. May the Lord empower them to stand firm. (Ps.37:23)

More: http://www.bosnewslife.com/19058-news-alert-dutch-christian-civil-servant-fired-for-opposing-gay-marriage

We're used, by now, to the idea of Mohammedan influence gradually infiltrating its way into the media, government, the police, the military, academe. But here's a new one: football fields. Maybe it shouldn't be a surprise after the Muslim takeover of the French national football team (followed by the French people's almost total loss of interest in it) or the beating to death of a Dutch referee by Mohammedan players. But in the Hague, in the Netherlands, as recent incidents attest, football fields seem to have been appropriated as instruments for the jihad. ADO Den Haag [a Dutch football team] announced on Monday that it had nothing to do with the flag of the Islamic terror group ISIS, which was shown on a football field with the ADO logo. The club says it is 'very shocked' to be on the picture.

Pray: against the Islamist influence in French and Dutch sport. (Ps.34:16)

More: http://europenews.dk/en/node/71789

Al-Qaeda has reportedly recruited two Somali men in Pakistan to carry out a suicide attack in The Hague. According to the Pakistani weekly Friday Times, al-Qaeda has recruited two Somali students in the Pakistani city of Karachi. The terrorist organisation trained them in the use of weapons and explosives and reportedly ordered them to carry out an attack in The Hague, similar to the shooting and bombing attacks in Mumbai in 2008. The Friday Times reports that the two Somalis would travel to Europe ‘as Christians’ with stolen Spanish passports. A Dutch intelligence source told the daily De Telegraaf that the threat is ‘serious'. A spokesperson for the Dutch embassy in Pakistan told the Friday Times that they take all these threats very seriously. ‘We are working closely with our Pakistani counterparts to eliminate such threats.’

Pray: that God would confuse the enemy and bind those who are threatening violence. (Ps.7:9)

More: http://www.rnw.nl/english/article/%E2%80%9Cal-qaeda-planning-attack-hague%E2%80%9D

A group of at least 14,900 French mayors has said it will not perform ‘gay marriages,’ even if the government moves ahead with plans to legalize the practice, reports Catholic News Agency. The administration of French President Francois Hollande has put forth a measure that would legalize ‘gay marriage,’ allow gay couples to receive medical treatment for artificial procreation and to adopt children. ‘It is foolish to think that the mobilization of the elected mayors would stop if the law is passed,’ said Franck Meyer, spokesman for the association Mayors for Children. ‘As citizens, we elected officials will not give up,’ he emphasized in statements to the media. Meyer, who is mayor of Sotteville-sous-le-Val in northern France, observed that some of the mayors in the group have said they would resign if the law is adopted, while others have said they will refuse to perform marriage ceremonies for same-sex couples.

Pray: for the French mayors as they take a stand against gay marriage. Pray that their decision will bring pressure on the government. (Heb.13:4)

More: http://www.christiantelegraph.com/issue19441.html

In various European countries, young Muslims protested against the arrest of a 19-year-old Muslim woman, Umm Usamah. She was arrested two weeks ago in the Netherlands because she tried to recruit Dutch Muslims for the civil war in Syria. In London, a group of men demonstrated in front of the Dutch Embassy. Banners shown had texts in Dutch and English including ‘Sharia for the Netherlands.’ Some of the texts posted on the internet calling for her release are extremely violent, including, ‘Where is the lone wolf who takes revenge for his sister?’ On a Dutch-Muslim website, ‘De Ware Religie’ (‘The True Religion’), a letter was posted which warned the Dutch authorities about the abduction of Dutch citizens in Muslim countries.

Pray: against this threat by radical Muslims. (Ac.4:29)

More: http://badnewsfromthenetherlands.blogspot.co.il/2013/07/muslims-in-various-countries-call-for.html

The rage over a US-made anti-Islamic video spread to Europe over the weekend, when clashes took place between protesters and police in several cities even as mainstream Muslim community leaders joined European governments in condemning violence sparked by the film. French police arrested 150 demonstrators who gathered outside the US embassy in Paris on Saturday, and 250 protesters were detained in Belgium over the weekend after confrontations in the country’s second city, Antwerp. Around 300 people chanted anti-US slogans outside the American Embassy in London on Sunday. Muslim leaders in France and Belgium were quick to condemn the violence despite their outrage over the video, which mocks the Prophet Muhammad. ‘Don’t associate French Muslims with these marginalized events,’ said Mohamed Moussaoui, President of the French Council of the Muslim Religion. ‘Muslims should use legal and just means to defend their religion.’

Pray: for all those who speak out the message of peace and reconciliation that their message will be believed and accepted. (Ps.133:1-3)

More: http://europenews.dk/en/node/58708

Moldova's pro-Europe government has fallen to a confidence vote brought on by scandal and bitter feuds within Prime Minister Vlad Filat's ruling coalition. The vote on Tuesday is likely to lead to new elections and raises questions over whether a new government will continue the drive towards the European Union (EU) or seek closer relations with Russia. ‘This is a blow to Moldova and its citizens who dream of integration into the European Union,’ Filat said. ‘After the resignation of the government, it cannot be excluded that there will be changes to the direction the country takes.’ The three-party Alliance for European Integration ousted the communists in 2009. It has worked since then to break with the Soviet past and integrate into mainstream Europe. The co mmunists seized the opportunity to call a no-confidence vote amid a backdrop of corruption as Filat fell out publicly with other coalition leaders who called for his resignation.

Pray: for the government of Moldova and that the confidence vote on Tuesday would bring stability. (Pr.29:4)

More: http://www.aljazeera.com/news/europe/2013/03/201335161737970263.htm

Eurochurch.net is happy to announce the culmination of a year’s research with the release of theire report on missions and church planting in Europe. Over 600 people in 35 countries have responded to a questionnaire, making it the largest project of its type ever carried out in Europe. The report contains a country by country directory of people involved in church planting, together with an overview of church planting activity in that country and some useful reports and analysis. It will also form a research database for the future. Every six months they will email all the participants asking them to confirm that the information held on them is correct, and will also ask them to answer a few simple questions about the work in which they are involved. By doing this systematically over a number of years they will build up a comprehensive understanding of the complex nature of church planting in Europe today.

Pray: for that the information gathered will encourage the growth of church planting across Europe. (1Ki.8:28)

More: http://www.eurochurch.net/articles/report-on-missions-and-church-planting-in-europe.php