At midnight on Monday al-Shabab Somali militants killed 36 non-Muslims after separating them from Muslim workers. The victims were captured while sleeping in their tents at a quarry in Kormey. al-Shabab carried out the attack because of the presence of Kenyan forces in Somalia. There is growing concern in Kenya about security in regions bordering Somalia after a spate of similar attacks. Borders with Somalia and Ethiopia are dominated by largely Muslim Somalis. Many of those killed came from the south of Kenya where Christians predominate. These attacks affect the economy and social make-up of the region as most of its workers - skilled and unskilled - are non-Muslim Kenyans. Many Christians, including nurses and teachers, fled the area after a bus attack last week.  A presidential adviser has warned that al-Shabab is trying to fan a religious war. Christian leaders have publicly accused Muslim leaders of not doing enough to tame radicalism within their ranks.

Attacks in Jerusalem are continuing to increase. Examples are a  firebomb at Jerusalem’s ‘co-existence’ school, the foiling of a Hamas cell’s planned attack in the West Bank, and cars and vans are being used more and more as weapons to ram into pedestrians by militant Palestinian organizations. The open-ended cease-fire between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip was partially undermined by a Salafist terror group that fired their own rockets into Israel. The Gaza war has not solved any problems. Hamas is still shooting test rockets into the sea and want to repair the damaged tunnels. Behind the scenes the Palestinians plan to bring a resolution to the UN Security Council that requires Israel to withdraw from the ‘occupied territories’ by November 2016. The pressure on nations to take a stand on one side or the other grows. In October British Parliamentarians voted to support the recognition of a Palestinian State. See:

Last Wednesday Senator David Leyonhjelm from the Liberal Democratic Party introduced a bill into the Senate to remove the concept that marriage is between a man and a woman. The bill would allow any Australian to marry regardless of ‘sex, sexual orientation and gender identity’. His extreme libertarian ideology assumes all men are islands and that there is no such thing as society. Fortunately there are many members of Australia’s federal parliament who are for marriage as it is. This means Senator Leyonhjelm’s bill faces an uncertain future. So why is it being brought up? Mr Abbott promised pre-election to empower his party to decide whether the coalition has a conscience vote on same-sex marriage, and Senator Leyonhjelm believes there is enough support for that to occur.

Kabul is protected by a fortress-like ‘ring of steel,’ with police and soldiers manning roadblocks and spot-checking vehicles, but in recent weeks suicide bombers have managed to carry out attacks metres away from the office of the city's police chief and near an international military base, They have also attacked convoys and bombed the car of a prominent female parliamentarian. The parliamentarian survived but civilian casualties were high. On Sunday 45 people were killed when a bomber detonated his explosive vest in a crowd of spectators during a volleyball game. On Tuesday in Nigeria an estimated 50 were killed when two teenage female suicide bombers detonated their devices in a busy Market in Maiduguri. Boko Haram is blamed for the deaths of 1,500+ this year in Nigeria. Last month there were five separate suicide bombings in Iraq, killing 130+. British citizen Kabir Ahmed is reported to have carried out one of these suicide bombings.

Remote Australia is in the grip of a suicide epidemic that is taking the lives of children as young as eight years old. Aboriginal towns in the Kimberley area have the highest rates of suicide in the world.  As the West Australian city of Geraldton buried 11-year-old Peter Little, who was found hanging from a tree by another child, indigenous leaders called for urgent action to address this growing crisis. As many as one in twelve Aboriginal deaths are caused by suicide. ‘We are talking about an epidemic,’ said Tony Abbott’s chief indigenous adviser. ‘We are looking at a society in collapse. I am a father and I cannot understand how an 8 or 9-year-old child can’t see a future for themselves. It’s unimaginable.’ While the destitution of remote communities increases and suicide numbers increase the government stands accused of gross complacency on indigenous peoples' challenges.

The lawyer representing two Christian pastors and a deacon facing six years detention for their faith has been denied access to his clients ahead of an appeal hearing. Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) said the situation was unacceptable and they are concerned about the lack of due process in the cases and the exceptional nature of punishment for men who have committed no crime but are being punished for their faith. CSW are urging the Iranian authorities to release these men and the many others held in contravention of the international covenants guaranteeing freedom of religion or belief to which Iran is party. Pastor Irani, one of the prisoners, has had seriously deteriorating health but no medical care since his detention. Another Christian pastor, American citizen Saeed Abedini, is serving an eight-year sentence and is the subject of an international campaign for his release.

Aleppo has seen little change since a rebel offensive took over half the city and the countryside over two years ago. However a new UN-proposed ‘conflict freeze’ could see change or the regime could choose to push on with its campaign to take Aleppo back from the rebels. Yousef, a member of Aleppo’s Christian minority and a former regime militia fighter, bid his friends farewell this week. He’s leaving for Turkey with the intention to reach Europe via people-smuggling routes. He said, ‘There is no future here for us, even if the regime wins the war. There’s no work, no opportunities. When I fought in the ranks of the regime, it was to protect my Christian community from jihadist groups, not because I believed in the Baath ideology or even supported the government. Now I have done all I can. My duties are done and I will find a new future in Europe.’

Residents in Ferguson have been on edge, but area churches and pastors are countering the unrest with a message of God's love. Bishop Raphael Green pastors the Metropolitan Christian Worship Centre in south St. Louis. For nearly 30 years Bishop Green has hosted the Urban World Summit, a rally to prayer and action to heal across racial and cultural divides. It's a timely message against the backdrop of Ferguson. ‘This year's summit included a legal clinic, with frank and honest conversations about race, religion and the rule of law. Attendees heard from pastors, lawyers, and law enforcement to learn from each other's experiences. One of the panelists was Capt. Ron Johnson of the Missouri State Highway Patrol, who has spearheaded the police response in Ferguson. ‘If we're going to change the community - change this nation - it has to be everyone.

Protests took place across America for the second day after a grand jury declined to charge Ferguson officer Darren Wilson for killing 18-year-old Michael Brown in August. Ferguson quietened down Tuesday night into early Wednesday evening. Meanwhile in California, protesters vandalised police cars, smashed business windows, set fires in the streets and shut down two major freeways. Protesters in Los Angeles barricaded freeway lanes to stop traffic. Thousands marched in Manhattan causing chaos. The US Justice Department is conducting a separate civil rights search that could bring federal charges against Officer Wilson. The riots in Ferguson and other US cities can be traced to economic, social and racial factors that haunt many poor African-American communities.Distrust in policing, stereotypes of young black males and the failure to acknowledge that race still plays an important role in American society are also factors. See also

Help is urgently needed for refugees in a closed country in SE Asia. Next week a Christian team will be travelling to some refugee camps and distributing supplies. They hope to hand out items in time for a Christmas outreach, but they are in need of more supplies, especially hygiene packs. They also need notepads, washcloths, combs, and bandanas. They need them before they leave on 24 November. Although there’s not much time, the team has hope. They realise time is running out but are hoping to get these items to their contact and would be blessed by any items they receive! This is a tremendous opportunity for us to bless those in the refugee camps this Christmas!