Displaying items by tag: USA

As host of the G20 leaders’ summit, Japan has drafted a weak statement on climate action, in a bid to keep the US onside. This follows a G20 executive decision last week in which all countries but the US reaffirmed their commitment to implementing the Paris agreement. Japan is trying to build consensus with the USA, as they are negotiating a trade deal. But other G20 members, including the EU, are expected to push for more ambitious language at the expense of US endorsement. Japanese campaigners are organising protests to coincide with the G20's opening on 28 June. One of them accused President Shinzo Abe of being ‘full of hot air’ when it comes to his pledges on climate action. Also, on 26 June 12,000 people gathered in London to pressurise politicians to tackle global climate change more urgently. See

Published in Worldwide
Friday, 21 June 2019 11:27

Gulf of Oman: escalating tensions

On 16 June the Saudi crown prince said he would ‘deal with’ threats to his people and vital interests following attacks on tankers in the Gulf of Oman. America blamed Iran for the attack. The UK promised to deploy 100 Royal Marines ‘within weeks’ to ships operating from Bahrain. On 17 June Iran said its stockpile of uranium would soon exceed the agreed 2015 levels, and EU ministers said they were unconvinced that Iran was behind the attack and wanted more evidence and UN investigations. On 18 June the US supplied further images to back up their accusations, and promised 1,000 troops to the region in response to ‘hostile Iranian behaviour.’ On 19 June, forty workers were evacuated from an oil-drilling site in southern Iraq after it came under rocket fire. On 20 June Iran said it was ready for war after US confirmed that an American drone had been shot down in international airspace over the Strait of Hormuz. See

Published in Worldwide
Thursday, 13 June 2019 21:02

Gulf of Oman: oil tankers attacked

Two oil tankers have been attacked off the coast of Iran. They were evacuated, and search and rescue teams from Iran saved 44 sailors. The Front Altair, carrying crude oil, is believed to have been struck by a torpedo, and later sank. The Kokuka Courageous was reportedly targeted by a magnetic mine. The incident comes amid heightened tension following an attack on four vessels near the Emirati coast on 12 May; the US accused Iran of sabotaging the vessels in an attempt to raise oil prices. All the crew were reported safe and only one minor injury reported. Al Alam TV station in Iran reports that ‘successive explosions’ took place 25 miles off the Iranian coast. White House national security adviser John Bolton has pointed the finger of blame at Iran.

Published in Worldwide
Thursday, 13 June 2019 20:59

USA: Mexico border and IS plot

Despite President Trump’s stepped-up law enforcement at the Mexican border, arrests have nearly doubled since last year. ‘We are in a full-blown emergency, and I cannot say this more strongly - the system is broken’, said a border protection spokesperson. In May agents apprehended 144,000+ migrants. Now Homeland Security has uncovered an IS plot to send fighters from Syria to the USA by way of migrant routes across the porous border. Mexico is taking ‘decisive action to dismantle human smuggling and trafficking organisations as well as their illicit financial and transportation networks’, by deploying thousands of national guards to control migrant flow. On 8 June, the State Department promised to expand a programme that returns asylum-seekers to Mexico while their claims are adjudicated. Mexico will offer them jobs, healthcare and education. See

Published in Worldwide

WHAT YOU MUST KNOW! Jaco Booyens On SkyWatch On Why Sex Trafficking Is Bigger Than Most Comprehend.

Every year, more than 3.2 million children in America are sex-trafficked, abused, abandoned, or neglected. Children as young as 9 years old are being bought and sold for sex in America with the average age of young girls being 13.

In addition to trafficking, one in seven Americans are sexually abused as children.

Tragically, 1,500 to 2,000 children die each year at the hands of those who are supposed to be their caretakers. And the remainder are often (sadly) disregarded or experience a combination of these abuses.

Watch the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUSAg66nwEw

YOU CAN HELP! PLEASE VISIT: https://www.skywatchtv.com/2019/05/02

Child Trafficking Victims:

  • Child trafficking victims, like other child victims, come from many backgrounds and include both boys and girls across a wide range of ages.
  • Children are trafficked to the U.S. from all regions of the world and represent a variety of different races, ethnic groups and religions.
  • They may be brought to the U.S. legally or smuggled in.
  • Internationally trafficked children, especially adolescents, may be lured overseas to the U.S. through the promise of work or school and the opportunity to send money back to their families.
  • Children are also vulnerable to kidnappers, pimps, and professional brokers.
  • Some children are sold to traffickers by their families, who may or may not have an understanding of what will happen to the child.
  • U.S. citizen children may also be trafficked within the U.S., and come from multiple racial groups and socio-economic backgrounds.

Click the link to read the Needs of Rescued Trafficking Victims: https://arkofhopeforchildren.org/child-trafficking/what-rescued-child-sex-trafficking-victims-need

Pray: for more resources for the police and authorities tasked with apprehending the traffickers and rescuing the victims.

Pray: for the male and female victims – for physical healing and the healing of memories.
Pray: for the non-profit agencies working with the victims of all ages.

Friday, 31 May 2019 07:11

USA: Days of destruction

A cell phone tornado alert prompted Rich to take his 83-year-old mother toward the basement. They went down four steps when they heard a loud boom. His home was destroyed. Walls bent, doors tilted, roof gone. Another house crippled in a stretch of severe weather that has devastated communities from the Rocky Mountains to the Mid-Atlantic in recent weeks. Multiple tornadoes are destroying homes, downing power lines, uprooting trees; torrential rain is overflowing storm sewers and flooding rivers. Hundreds are injured and the death toll is rising. In the Columbia area alone last week, tornadoes caused over seven deaths and scores of injuries. National Federal weather forecasters logged 500+ tornadoes in 30 days. On the East Coast, tornado and severe thunderstorm warnings were issued in northern New Jersey and New York. Forecasters said the briefest of reprieves might not come until 1 June, saying, ‘We are in uncharted territory.’ See https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/05/29/us-reels-serious-series-tornadoes-40-years/

Published in Worldwide
Thursday, 23 May 2019 21:30

Bahrain: Trump’s summit (25-26 June)

Donald Trump’s ‘Peace to Prosperity’ summit in Bahrain will mark the first phase of the roll-out of US plans for solving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. But a Palestinian Authority spokesman has said that they will not be sending a representative. Some reports indicate that private Palestinian representatives will attend. Bahrain and the United States are hosting the economic leadership ‘workshop’ to share ideas, discuss strategies, and galvanise support for potential economic investments and initiatives that could be made possible by the upcoming US peace agreement. Although the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia are sending delegations to participate, the spokesman said that any Palestinian who takes part will be nothing but a collaborator for the Americans and Israel.

Published in Worldwide
Thursday, 16 May 2019 22:03

Iran / USA: sanctions and sabotage

On 10 May US merchant vessels were warned of potential threats to commercial shipping and oil production infrastructure in the seas near Iran. On 13 May two Saudi oil tankers were attacked as they prepared to cross into the Persian Gulf. ‘Significant damage to the two vessels’ halted further movement. Meanwhile seven (Iran-backed) Houthi drones targeted two (US-backed) Saudi pumping stations along a pipeline carrying 5m barrels of crude oil a day; in response, the USA has deployed aircraft strike groups and B-52 bombers to the region. On 15 May Iranian newspapers reported that Tehran will resume higher nuclear enrichment (beyond the permitted 3.67%) in sixty days if no new agreement is reached about sanctions being lifted. The US embassy in Baghdad has ordered all non-essential and non-emergency staff to leave Iraq immediately, as tensions grow between Washington and Iran. See

Published in Worldwide
Thursday, 16 May 2019 21:58

USA: national emergency over IT threats

President Trump has declared a national emergency to protect US computer networks from ‘foreign adversaries’. He has barred US companies from using foreign telecoms believed to pose national security risks. The order does not name any company, but is believed to target Huawei, who said that restricting its business in the US would only hurt American consumers and companies. The move is likely to worsen tensions between the US and China, which escalated this week with tariff hikes in a trade war. Huawei may not need the US market, but it certainly needs the key components that it gets from the US. On 14 May, Huawei’s chairman said that Huawei was ‘willing to sign no-spy agreements with governments’, as concerns over the security of its products used in mobile networks continues to grow. See also article 6 in the UK section.

Published in Worldwide

Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has appointed a new chief commander of the elite Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), just days after the United States designated the paramilitary force as a foreign terrorist organization.

Iranian state media reported on April 21 that Khamenei appointed General Hossein Salami as the new head of the IRGC, replacing Mohammad Ali Jafari, who had been in charge for more than 11 years.

Salami, 59, had been serving as a deputy commander in the IRGC. State media gave no reason for Khamenei’s decision to replace the IRGC commander.

U.S. President Donald Trump's administration on April 8 designated the IRGC as a terrorist organization in an unprecedented move that drew Iranian condemnation.

Tehran responded by designating the U.S. military's Central Command as a terrorist organization.

The estimated 100,000-strong IRGC is a branch of the military that also plays a major role in Iran’s economy.

It is in charge of Iran’s ballistic missile and nuclear programs and runs its own intelligence operations.

The IRGC has been involved in enforcing Islamic codes and crushing dissent at home, experts say, while taking part in covert operations, arms smuggling, and other efforts aimed at expanding Iran's influence abroad. It answers directly to Khamenei.

The United States has already blacklisted dozens of entities and people for affiliations with the IRGC, but not the organization as a whole.

More:https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-s-supreme-leader-appoints-new-chief-of-revolutionary-guards/29894970.html?ltflags=mailer

Pray that the devious and manipulative actions of the IRGC will be thwarted
Pray for the people of Iran, who yearn for freedom of speech and true democracy