Belgium’s federal parliament is close to introducing a ‘right to die’ for sick children, according to reports in a Belgian newspaper. Der Morgen has said that a consensus is forming around proposed legislation which would allow children, whose situation is deemed dire enough, to opt for euthanasia. Euthanasia is already legal in Belgium. A law legalising the practice was introduced in 2002 but restricted it to people aged 18 or over. If the law passes, Belgium would become the first country to legalise euthanasia for children. The bill was introduced in December by the Socialist Party. It would lay out guidelines for doctors to assess on a case by case basis whether a child is mature enough to make the decision to end their life and whether the child’s illness is serious enough to warrant euthanasia. Leader of the Socialist party, Thierry Giet, said: ‘The idea is to update the law to take better account of dramatic situations.’ (See also Prayer Alert 01-2013)

Pray: that these proposed changes will not be accepted. (Ps.119:126)

More: http://www.christianconcern.com/our-concerns/end-of-life/belgium-considers-euthanasia-for-children

Belgium is considering allowing children and Alzheimer’s sufferers to ask to be euthanized. The proposed changes to the country’s decade-old law were submitted to Parliament on Tuesday by the Socialist Party. The draft legislation calls for ‘the law to be extended to minors if they are capable of discernment or affected by an incurable illness or suffering that we cannot alleviate’. Belgium was the second country in the world after the Netherlands to legalise euthanasia, but it applies to people over the age of 18. The European Institute of Bioethics has already criticised the current law in Belgium, in a report reviewing ten years of euthanasia in the country. Dr Peter Saunders, director of campaign group Care not Killing, warned in response to the report: ‘The lessons are clear. Once you relax the law on euthanasia or assisted suicide steady extension will follow as night follows day.’

Pray: that the Care not Killing response be listened to and these proposed changes would not be accepted. (Ps.119:126)

More: http://www.christian.org.uk/news/belgium-considering-extending-euthanasia-law-to-children/

The body that keeps tabs on the terrorist threat in Belgium, the OCAD, has just heightened the country's terror alert level from 2 to 3 across Brussels. The OCAD that analyses the security situation believes that there is now a greater terrorist threat following Friday night's stabbing of two police officers on the Brussels metro. The OCAD says that the terrorist threat in Brussels is now serious. Until yesterday alert level 3 only affected the Brussels borough of Saint-Jans-Molenbeek where the arrest of a woman wearing a full veil sparked rioting. Level 3 has now been extended to the entire Brussels Region.

Pray: that the situations which led to the terror alert rising would be calmed. (Ac.4:29)

More: http://europenews.dk/en/node/55495

Religious communities in various parts of Belarus have faced visits, threats and warnings for holding meetings of worship which officials regard as illegal. On one Sunday in January, officials visited three Pentecostal services in separate villages. Pastor Vasili Raptsevich – who led worship in a church-owned house in a village in Brest Region for about ten disabled church members - was summoned to the police station. There he was told that he had violated the law by conducting a religious service away from its legal address without permission. Police threatened him with court proceedings and threatened to strip his Pentecostal church of state registration. In February, police in the capital Minsk - among them masked riot police - launched a mass raid on a cultural meeting being held in a Pentecostal pastor's home. 34 participants were taken to a police station, but were released two hours later without any explanation and without any official record being drawn up.

Pray: that God’s Church will be protected from persecution. (Ro.8:35)

More: http://www.christiantelegraph.com/issue15611.html

A young Catholic layman, who turned his home in a western Belarus village into a shelter for homeless people with a prayer room, is being accused of leading an unregistered religious organisation, Forum 18 News Service has learnt. Aleksei Shchedrov - who says he has helped about 100 local people since December 2011 - is being investigated on criminal charges under Article 193-1, and faces a maximum possible sentence of two years' imprisonment. Shchedrov denies the authorities' accusation of founding an unregistered religious organisation. ‘I am a Christian and I started to help those who are in need,’ he insisted to Forum 18 on 24 June from the village of Aleksandrovka, Grodno [Hrodna] Region. ‘I give them food, a bed, a bath and clothes and I pray together with them. But this is no religious organisation, just charity.’ Local police launched the criminal investigation against the 28-year-old Shchedrov following raids on the shelter in February and April.

Pray: for Shchedrov that the authorities will release him and allow him to continue to care for those in need. (Rom.12:13)

More: http://www.christiantelegraph.com/issue20209.html

An online petition was launched to repeal the amendment of Belarus criminal code, that allots two years of imprisonment for religious activity without registration, reports Christian megaportal InVictory.org. The author of the petition is Alexey Shein, co-chair of the Belarus Christian Democracy party. The goal is to collect 5,000 signatures. In his appeal, Mr Shein notes that, since 2006, 18 people have been convicted under this law. ‘There are hundreds of Christian communities and ministries that work without registration in Belarus. A lot of organizations tried to register but they were denied. At the same time, the right to freedom of association means the right to found free associations,’ underlined the author.

Pray: for a huge response to the petition and that the authorities will reconsider their amendment. (Je.1:19)

More: http://www.christiantelegraph.com/issue15362.html

Christians gathered to worship this weekend in Vanuatu, only a week after a deadly cyclone killed nearly 20 people. Pastor Barry Phillips told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that they have joy despite the circumstances. ‘The cyclone is the biggest one in but people are still happy. They have joy because they know that God is with us,’ Phillips said. ‘The trees are damaged, the buildings are damaged, but surely it will be rebuilt.’ Rebuilding efforts are underway on the Pacific Island nation. All-though there's concern that many of the outlying islands still don't have any way to communicate with the outside world and many people are still worried about basic necessities like water, shelter, and food.

650 people gave their lives to Jesus during a week of 24-7 prayer in South Africa which culminated on New Years Eve. And that was just the beginning of an incredible January for Peter Sekhonyane who mobilises prayer in giant tents around the South African townships. ‘Speak about the power of prayer,’ he says. A few days later they launched three nights of prayer in Johannesburg, and these continued for two weeks! ‘Out of that time of prayer we ended up with 812 conversions and no single shop was attacked,’ says Peter. Such stories demonstrate, once again, the powerful transformational relationship between prayer, mission (more than a 1000 people saved in January alone through prayer meetings), and justice (protection on businesses in a deprived and volatile part of the world). More about Peter Sekhonyane's remarkable story in this video on the ‘More’ link.