Displaying items by tag: Europe

The UK Government’s decision to refuse lone child refugees (see last week’s Prayer Alert) has been a boost to traffickers, who are ‘helping’ desperate teenagers rejected by official schemes. Labour MP Yvette Cooper, chair of the home affairs select committee, said that MPs felt misled by the premature closure of the scheme after only six months. It takes councils time to set up systems, and we are back to square one, with teenagers and children at risk of traffickers in Dunkirk. Desperation is what the traffickers want. Traffickers tell children, ‘Every route has been closed, but I can help you’. Volunteers have no hope to offer them, to make them go back to the official centres. Almost 100 under-18s believe they are eligible for transfer to the UK. Hundreds are sleeping rough (about 200 are teenagers), with no shelter and donated sleeping bags. See also the article in the British Isles section.

IS fanatics have issued ‘direct threats’ to Spanish tourist hotspots where millions of Britons are expected to visit this year, according to a government report. The warnings were reportedly found on social media, amid fears that the terror group is also recruiting translators and foreign jihadists from the country. Its bid to find Spanish speaking fanatics started last summer, the report claims, adding that extremists are increasingly publishing in the language. It comes just weeks after police in San Sebastian, in the country’s north, arrested a Moroccan boxing coach suspected of recruiting for IS.

Following further pressure from public protests, Romania’s parliament has agreed to hold a referendum on fighting corruption. An estimated 70,000 people took to the streets last Sunday, the thirteenth consecutive night of anti-government demonstrations. They have accused the government of attempting to water down anti-corruption laws. As reported in Prayer Alert last week, the parliament has already backed down over a planned decree that would have made the crime of abusing power punishable only if the sum exceeded 200,000 lei (£37,600). Prime minister Sorin Grindeanu withdrew the decree more than a week ago, but nightly demonstrations have continued to draw large crowds demanding the resignation of his government, which assumed power last month. On Monday, 310 lawmakers voted in favour of the referendum proposed by the president, Klaus Iohannis. The exact wording of the referendum has not yet been decided, but it is seen as a way to bolster support for the fight against corruption. See also:

Russia has denied violating a Cold War missiles treaty, following accusations by unnamed officials in President Trump's administration that Russia had deployed a banned cruise missile. A Kremlin spokesperson said on Wednesday that Russia continued to uphold its international commitments. The US state department has made no official comment. The alleged deployment was discussed during Wednesday's Nato meeting in Brussels, the first since President Trump took office. Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that any non-compliance from Russia on the arms control treaty would be a ‘serious concern for the alliance’. A New York Times report said that the Russians now have two battalions of the prohibited missiles. Republican senator John McCain responded to the situation by calling on the Trump administration to enhance US nuclear deterrents in Europe. He said Russian president Vladimir Putin was ‘testing’ Mr Trump.

Last week we prayed for a peaceful and satisfactory outcome when 200,000 people took to the streets over a government decree to free dozens of officials jailed for corruption. This week Romania's government scrapped the controversial decree. Now many politicians will no longer be shielded from prosecution for corruption. The decision came at an emergency meeting on the issue, following days of further street protests. One of those behind the move said it was to restore calm in Romania, but also strongly criticised the judiciary. Protesters have vowed to keep the pressure on the cabinet, with some demanding that the entire government should quit. One of them, Daniel, said, ‘I hope that this is a real repeal. We are going to keep an eye on them to make sure we are not being had’. The protests have been the country's largest since the fall of communism in 1989.

The year 2017 could well be the hardest for Europe since WWII. The new US administration is likely to accept Crimea as a Russian territory if it gets enough in return. At least a cancellation of the sanctions against Russia has already been mentioned. There will be serious discussions in the EU if this happens, with incalculable consequences for the unity of the Union. Another danger for the EU in 2017 is the elections in Holland (March), France (May), and Germany (Sept). In all these countries the populists are strong. If the Front National succeeds in France and Marie le Pen wins the presidential election, that will be hugely difficult for the EU. If Angela Merkel loses her chancellorship, all might be lost. We can only pray and proclaim, ‘For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory, for ever and ever!’ Pray for the kingdom values in the political world; truth against falsehood, a sense of responsibility against egotism , and consideration against extortion.

European diplomats in Washington are relying on ‘strategic patience’ while they try to chart a new course with the White House. Ambassadors, academics and others have personally invested in a strong relationship between the EU and the USA. The relationship is built on a shared belief in European integration. The current version of the EU was established with a treaty signed in Maastricht on 7 February 1992: the anniversary was celebrated this week in Maastricht, New York and other cities. For the USA, the EU has provided a forum for a unified approach towards global issues. Its leaders have worked closely with US officials on trade, counter-terrorism, and sanctions against Russia. Now European officials are trying to come to terms with the new administration and its hostile attitude to the EU - and are wondering how the relationship between Washington and Brussels will evolve in this environment.

In a keenly-awaited white paper, Brexit secretary David Davis today set out the Government’s negotiating strategy for the UK’s withdrawal from the EU. Launching the 77-page document in a statement to the House of Commons, Mr Davis said the paper confirmed the Prime Minister’s vision of ‘an independent and truly global United Kingdom’. Confirming that the UK’s strategy would be guided by the twelve principles set out by Mrs May in her Lancaster House speech last month, Mr Davis said the Government was aiming for ‘a new, positive and constructive partnership between Britain and the European Union that works in our mutual interest’. The white paper was published a day after MPs voted overwhelmingly to permit Mrs May to press ahead with starting withdrawal negotiations under Article 50 of the EU treaties.

Police Scotland has been called ‘an organisation in crisis’ after it emerged the force will face a £200 million funding gap by 2020-21. Auditor-general Caroline Gardner gave this figure, which she said was a conservative estimate, to MSPs during a scathing assessment of the Scottish Police Authority (SPA). Her evidence led to a call for the SPA, Chief Constable Phil Gormley, and the Scottish government to appear before the committee to explain the “financial mess”. Ms Gardner said there was ‘weak financial leadership’ in both Police Scotland and the SPA, the organisation which manages the £1.1 billion policing budget. She also said there may yet be wider financial implications as a result of the decision to scrap the controversial i6 computer system last year. SNP MSP Alex Neil, a former health secretary, told the committee the performance of the two organisations was ‘totally unacceptable’.

Ex-UKIP chief Nigel Farage has accused London mayor Sadiq Khan of hypocrisy for attacking US President Trump’s travel ban while inviting ambassadors from countries which refuse entry to Israeli citizens. At a meeting in City Hall on Tuesday night, Khan condemned Trump’s so-called ‘Muslim ban’ for being a ‘cruel, prejudiced and counterproductive’ policy. Also present at the reception were diplomatic representatives from eleven of the sixteen countries which do not allow entry to Israelis. Farage took to Twitter to call the London mayor a hypocrite. However, LSE professor and Middle East expert Fawaz A Gerges told the Independent that the two situations are totally different. ‘Trump’s ban is a Muslim ban, based on religious discrimination and racial discrimination. The relationship between Israel and its Arab neighbours is one of war since 1947 - for the last 70 years. By trying to force comparison, it just flies in the face of reality, it’s apples and oranges, sky and sea,’ he said. ‘What Trump has done has undermined America as a moral voice in the world.’