Asia

Displaying items by tag: Asia

Thursday, 15 February 2024 22:16

Malaysia: fifty years since revival

In 1973, Solomon Bulan resigned as a secondary school advisor in Bario, Malaysia, confessing his lack of personal conviction. His emotional confession triggered a community-wide revival marked by repentance and reconciliation. The movement, known as the Bario revival, spread across tribes and communities, sparking four waves of spiritual renewal over eleven years. This led to cultural transformation and contributed to the growth of the Malaysian church. Despite periods of spiritual dryness, faithful intercessors sustained subsequent revivals. The revival's impact extended beyond spiritual realms, healing the land and fostering a vibrant worship culture. Prayer meetings, spontaneous worship, and evangelism became commonplace, emphasising God's power to transform lives. In recent years, efforts to commemorate and reignite the revival have seen the formation of intergenerational prayer movements like Tribal Gathering 2023, uniting believers across Malaysia and Southeast Asia in anticipation of a new move of God. The heart of this movement lies in young leaders seeking to awaken and mobilise the church for spiritual transformation.

Published in Worldwide
Thursday, 08 February 2024 23:12

Russia: villagers’ lives threatened by landfill

Novaya Urada, a village in the North Caucasus republic of Dagestan, has deep roots in livestock farming and each year draws tourists hoping to photograph a vibrant poppy field nearby. However, responding to an escalating rubbish crisis, the authorities have started work on a landfill site near the village, expected to receive 300 tons of non-recyclable rubbish a year - even though there will also be three new waste-processing facilities in the republic this year. Despite initial assurances that they had nothing to worry about, residents are fighting determinedly against the dump, citing lack of consultation and environmental impact assessment. They say that construction has already destroyed the beloved poppy field and is threatening the nearby Sarykum Dune, home to rare flora and fauna.

Published in Europe
Thursday, 08 February 2024 23:10

Gaza: Israel rejects Hamas’ peace proposals

On 7 February Benjamin Netanyahu rejected Hamas's proposed ceasefire deal, describing their demands as ‘bizarre’. Talks persist, but Israeli officials are vehemently opposed to Hamas's attempt to end the conflict on their terms. The proposed deal aimed for a 45-day ceasefire, followed by exchanges of prisoners and hostages and an Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. Netanyahu claimed that achieving ‘total victory’ in Gaza within months is possible, and announced preparations for potential Israeli operations in Rafah. His comments are a blow to a sustained push by the US to reach a deal which its top diplomat, Antony Blinken, described as ‘the best path forward’. They also highlighted the fundamental mismatch between the US and Israel's plans for Gaza's future. The immediate challenge now is salvaging talks to facilitate hostage exchanges and a desperately needed humanitarian pause, to allow more aid into Gaza.

Published in Worldwide

Efforts to restart peace talks between the Philippine government and the communist New People’s Army have faltered as clashes continue. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr surprised many when he initiated talks, facilitated by the Norwegian government, with the National Democratic Front (NDF), the rebels’ political front. These resulted in an agreement in which both parties acknowledged the underlying grievances at the heart of the conflict and agreed to seek reforms. However, military operations persist, including airstrikes in December in Mindanao which killed nine alleged rebels. The conflict, spanning more than fifty years, has claimed more than 40,000 lives, peaking during the martial law era of Ferdinand Marcos Sr. Peace talks have repeatedly collapsed over the years.

Published in Worldwide

In Indonesia's West Papua, rebel leader Eganius Koyega's group kidnapped New Zealand pilot Phillip Mehrtens on 7 February 2023, demanding impossible conditions for his release. Koyega is a member of the West Papuan National Liberation Army (TPNPB), the armed wing of the Free Papua Movement, which seeks independence. Photos show Mehrtens growing thinner and more unkempt, most often surrounded by fighters armed with guns and bows and arrows. Koyega, known for brutal tactics, has so far evaded Indonesian soldiers despite clashes. TPNPB leaders are urging him to free him for humanity's sake. New Zealand's reluctance to negotiate directly complicates rescue efforts, while Indonesia's military-driven approach has proved ineffective.

Published in Worldwide

On 28 January a drone strike on a military outpost in Jordan led to the deaths of three US soldiers and injuries to many others. Joe Biden, attributing the attack to radical Iran-backed militant groups in Syria and Iraq, has vowed retaliation at a time and manner of the US's choosing. Tehran denied involvement, stating that regional resistance groups make their decisions independently. Iran’s envoy to the UN, Amir Saeid Iravani, has threatened decisive action against any possible attacks on Iranian territory or interests abroad. He dismissed reports of communication between Iran and the USA on the matter. Biden has said, ‘I don’t think we need a wider war in the Middle East… That’s not what I’m looking for.’ Meanwhile, a federal judge has dismissed an unprecedented lawsuit by a group of Palestinians who accused Biden’s administration of complicity in genocide, as being outside the scope of the court. However, he urged Biden to reflect on his ‘unflagging’ support for Israel. See

Published in Worldwide

On 31 January Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi were sentenced to 14 years in prison for illegally profiting from state gifts. The court also imposed a fine of approximately £4.2 million on the couple and barred him from holding public office for ten years. On the previous day he and the vice-chairman of PTI, his political party, were given a ten-year sentence for leaking classified state documents. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-68138591 These convictions come just a week before a general election in which he is disqualified from participating. The sentences are expected to run concurrently, but this has not been officially confirmed. Khan's legal team plans to appeal the rulings in the High Court. He has been in jail since August; Bushra Bibi, who had been out on remand, surrendered herself at the jail. The charges revolve around allegations (which they strongly deny) that they sold or kept state gifts received during their time in office including a jewelry set from the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia. See also last week’s article.

Published in Worldwide

Thailand's constitutional court has ruled that the Move Forward party's campaign promise to amend the strict royal insult law during the 2023 election amounted to an attempt to overthrow the monarchy. The case was initiated by a conservative activist lawyer, who argued that the party's pledge to amend the lèse-majesté law violated Section 49 of the constitution. The nine judges unanimously ruled against Move Forward, stating that its efforts to change the law undermined and weakened the monarchy, posing a significant danger to the state's security. Move Forward was ordered to cease any activities violating Section 49. The party is not being disbanded, but the lawyer has said he might make a new petition asking the election commission to do so. Move Forward's leader warned that the ruling could further make the royal institution increasingly ‘a factor behind conflicts in Thai politics’.

Published in Worldwide
Thursday, 25 January 2024 19:55

Middle East: fears of regional escalation

As Israel’s war on Gaza pushes into its fourth month, fears of regional escalation are growing, with several nations and armed groups targeting each other’s territories and common waters, and the USA boosting its military assets in the region. Last week, Iran launched attacks in Syria and Iraq after members of its elite forces were killed in Damascus allegedly in Israeli attacks. Tit-for-tat attacks between Iran and Pakistan threatened to open a new military front, but diplomacy has helped cool the tempers, for now. The Iran-backed Houthi group in Yemen has been targeting commercial and military ships linked to Israel in the Red Sea as a response to the war in Gaza. This has prompted a number of air strikes against them by the USA and the UK. Many companies are now sending their ships on a longer and costlier journey around the African continent. Meanwhile, almost daily cross-border artillery firing and drone attacks between Israeli forces and Hezbollah fighters are threatening to open another front. Tens of thousands of people on both sides of the border have been forced to flee their homes.

Published in Worldwide

There are allegations of extensive official censorship on coverage of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) ahead of the country's elections on 8 February. PTI, founded by former prime minister Imran Khan, is considered one of the most popular political parties in Pakistan. However, he has been imprisoned since August 2023, facing corruption and state secrets leakage charges which he claims are politically motivated. Censorship against PTI has increased since Khan lost a confidence vote in April 2022, leading to his resignation. The election commission has rejected nomination papers for Khan and other PTI leaders and stripped the party of its election symbol (a cricket bat), forcing many candidates to run as independents. Several journalists have admitted receiving official instructions not to use party symbols or identify candidates as PTI members. though the government has denied these claims. Media censorship has grown since May 2023, when PTI supporters protested against Khan's arrest. Government officials recently said that unrestricted internet access during elections cannot be guaranteed, citing technical issues.

Published in Worldwide
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