Displaying items by tag: Fear

Florida’s hurricane season also has the complication of coronavirus this year. Two million residents live in evacuation zones with 82 permanent shelters provided, but after months of instructions to stay home and observe social distancing, will residents evacuate and risk an atmosphere conducive for virus transferral? Tropical Storm Isaias is approaching, so coronavirus testing centres have closed. When the mayor puts out the evacuation order, will the risk of catching coronavirus keep people from leaving homes in areas where they should get out? Pray for successful distancing preparations in shelters, and for the spirit of fear to be replaced with serenity. In Paraguay, violent protests broke out after the government put part of the country back into lockdown. Shops were looted and lorries set on fire, and a number of police were injured. Paraguay borders Brazil, the country with the second-highest number of infections worldwide, and is heavily reliant on cross-border trade. Pray for Latin Americans facing poverty violence and sickness.

Defence minister Tariq Shah Bahrami has said that battles are ongoing in at least ten provinces. He added, 'To be honest, the level of threat is very high and the current facilities available to security and defence institutions are not enough to repel these threats. The enemies of the people of Afghanistan including the backers of terrorists have made their final plots to break our back.' The Taliban have attacked and conquered several areas of the minority Hazara Shia community, and it is feared that they will commit many atrocities there. They have even targeted their mosques and schools. Many Hazaras are fleeing their villages and coming to the capital. The people are suffering, and wondering how long the army will be able to push back the Taliban.

New research from the Children’s Society reveals that fear of crime is damaging the well-being of 2.2 million UK teenagers, with one in three girls fearful of being followed by a stranger and one in four boys worried they’ll be assaulted. Over one million older children are contending with at least seven serious problems in their lives, significantly harming their happiness. Fear of crime has emerged as the most widespread issue for children, with almost 40% worried about falling victim to two or more crimes. The survey of three thousand 10- to 17-year-olds revealed that 53% have experienced at least three hardships in the last five years, making them markedly unhappier. Teenagers with seven or more serious issues in their lives are ten times more likely to be unhappy than those with none. Also 2.1 million teenagers were worrying because their parents were struggling to pay the bills.

South Sudan’s Catholic bishops have issued a pastoral letter condemning the civil war and labelling the famine ‘man-made’. The document responds to reports from all seven dioceses. They denounce government and opposition violence against civilians. ‘The killing, torturing and raping of civilians is a war crime. We want the world to hear the true situation in which our people find themselves. Our country is gripped by a humanitarian crisis - famine, economic hardship, and insecurity. Our people are struggling simply to survive.’ The bishops tell how people have been herded into their houses which were then set on fire, and recount atrocities of bodies dumped in sewage-filled septic tanks. They said, ‘People live in fear. While food shortages are partly related to poor rains, it is violence and a plummeting economy that are pushing the population over the edge into famine’.

As Donald Trump is sworn in today as the 45th President of the USA, there is huge uncertainty and concern in many different countries. Some fear that he will be far too influenced by President Putin, for example on easing sanctions on Russia, making a deal on Syria, and settling the Ukraine issue. Relations with Mexico are set for a downturn because of Trump’s plans to build a wall along the border and to deport illegal Mexican immigrants. Palestinians fear that he will pursue a pro-Israeli policy, while others hope for a more active US role in the Middle East than under Obama. Europe will want to see whether Trump’s negative remarks about NATO and the EU translate into a change in policy, and countries such as China and South Africa will wonder if Trump will impose tougher conditions on new trade deals. All over the world, people will watch and wait to see what kind of president we will have for at least the next four years.