Displaying items by tag: Asia

Five armed Iranian boats tried to seize a British oil tanker in the Persian Gulf on 10 July. The British Heritage tanker was in international waters when it was approached by Iranian Revolutionary Guard boats and ordered to change course towards nearby Iranian territorial waters. A US aircraft was overhead and video recorded the incident. The UK's Royal Navy frigate HMS Montrose was escorting the tanker from the rear. It trained its deck 30mm guns, designed to drive off small boats, on the Iranians while giving verbal warnings to back away, which they did. The UK's Ministry of Defence said ‘We are concerned by this action and continue to urge the Iranian authorities to de-escalate the situation in the region.’ The incident is yet another flashpoint in a series of maritime episodes involving Iran that have the makings of a political storm. Iran denies all charges. The US is working to strengthen maritime security in the region.

President Hassan Rouhani has said that on 7 July his country would exceed the 3.67% uranium enrichment limit set by the 2015 nuclear deal by ‘as much as necessary, as much as we need’. Iran will reverse this action if the other parties to the deal - Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia - abide by their commitments. The agreed enrichment limit is sufficient for power generation, but far below the 90% level needed to manufacture nuclear weapons. Rouhani also said Iran would restart construction of a heavy water reactor, and bring it to the condition that ‘according to you, is dangerous and can produce plutonium’. Iran has often threatened such action unless it gets some relief from the sanctions imposed on the country. The five other signatories of the deal are struggling to keep it afloat after US president Donald Trump walked out of it last year.

Last week we praised God for the peaceful anti-extradition bill rallies in city streets. This week violent demonstrators stormed the legislative building in protest against the extradition bill. Many Christians feared for their lives in light of the now-suspended bill, due to China having some of the most restrictive religious freedom laws on earth. According to the law, religious assemblies in public areas are not deemed illegal, so if people sing hymns together, it could actually work as a protection and guarantee that they stay safe. But this week people started to sing ‘Sing hallelujah to the Lord’ to protect themselves in chaotic scenes of huge groups storming into government buildings, painting graffiti on the walls and even draping the front lectern in a British Hong Kong flag used during the colonial period. Amid the political turmoil, Hong Kong’s many Christian leaders have called for peace and progress. Pray for people with different positions and opinions to listen to each other.

A government campaign to vaccinate 40 million children under the age of five against polio had to be suspended following serious attacks on workers and police in just one week. A policeman protecting polio workers was killed in Bannu, and a polio worker was injured with a knife in Lahore by a man refusing to allow his child to be vaccinated. Two others connected with different polio teams were also killed, and one man was seriously wounded. Further attacks on staff in Sindh, Balochistan and Punjab were reported. The violence was preceded by a series of rumours intended to derail Pakistan’s campaign to eradicate the disease. On 22 April several thousand children were taken to hospital in north-west Pakistan by panicked parents after a video circulated on Facebook in which a man attested that children were falling sick following vaccinations. A mob set alight a health centre following the same rumour.

Donald Trump became the first sitting US president to enter North Korea in an ‘impromptu’ meeting after he left the G20 summit. Later he said that he and Kim would restart nuclear negotiations and he invited Kim to the US ‘when the time is right’. He added, ‘Great progress has been made, great friendships have been made and this has been, in particular, a great personal friendship.’ But the ‘friendship’ faltered four days later when North Korea accused the US of being ‘hell-bent on hostile acts’ and ‘obsessed with sanctions’. When Pyongyang's delegation visited the United Nations, North Korea also accused Washington of attempting to ‘undermine the peaceful atmosphere’ on the Korean peninsula. This indicates a return to the angry exchanges which have marred relations in recent times. We need to pray for the teams representing the US and North Korean leaders who will be meeting over the coming weeks to resume the talks which collapsed four months ago.

We are excited to announce the North East Asia Prayer Council gathering in Hong Kong, July 22nd, with Gloria Au Yeung and her amazing team.

We would be honoured to have friends of IPC from around the world to join us and also if you could help us get the word out to invite key prayer leaders that you know from Korea, Japan, Hong Kong/China, and Mongolia.

People that attend are also encouraged to stay with us for the Oneness Gathering with David Demian and his team from China, July 24-27th.

My heart for this is to see a true spirit of John 17 unity and oneness grow between these beautiful nations and prayer movements.

Dr Jason Hubbard - Executive Coordinator

International Prayer Connect

U.S. President Donald Trump says he is prepared to talk to Iran but that there was always a chance of U.S. military action against Tehran.

"So Iran is a place that was extremely hostile when I first came into office," Trump who is on a state visit to Britain, told ITV television on June 5. "They were a terrorist nation number one in the world at that time and probably maybe are today."

Asked if he thought military action might be needed, he said: "There's always a chance. Do I want to? No. I'd rather not. But there's always a chance."

He said, when asked, that he was prepared to talk to Iranian President Rohani: "Yeah of course. I would much rather talk."

Trump's comments come amid heightened tensions between Iran and the United States and its allies in the Persian Gulf.

Washington a year ago withdrew from a landmark 2015 nuclear agreement between world powers and Iran that curbed the country's nuclear program in exchange for relief from economic sanctions.

Trump argued that the terms on the accord were not tough enough to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons and did not address the country's missile program or its support for militants in the region.

Since then, Washington has re-imposed sanctions, stepped up its rhetoric, and beefed up its military presence in the Middle East, citing " imminent threats" from Iran.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on June 5 that Tehran would not be "deceived" by Trump’s offer of negotiations and would not give up its missile program.

"This political trick will not deceive Iranian officials and the Iranian nation," Khamenei said in a speech broadcast on Iranian television.

Pray: for an end to the escalating tensions.

Pray: that Iran does not develop nuclear capability and adheres to its previous agreement.
Pray: that peace prevails and for a negotiated resolution to the crisis to be achieved.

More at: https://www.rferl.org/a/trump-says-prepared-to-talk-to-iran-but-there-s-always-a-chance-of-military-action/29982687.htm

An estimated two million people filled Hong Kong streets in protests against the government, which had been pursuing an extradition agreement that could have sent activists, advocates and even foreign nationals to mainland China for legal proceedings. But even after the bill was pulled, the protests not only continued: they have grown, and through the ongoing protest, an unlikely song has rapidly become the unofficial anthem by tens and hundreds of thousands. The uniting song is ‘Sing Hallelujah to the Lord’. A quarter of the entire population sang the anthem. Praise the Lord, Hong Kong! Praise the Lord, indeed!

Four brothers and their families in a wealthy Syrian suburb lost homes, cars, and belongings through shelling. They moved to the relative safety of a new city, sharing just one apartment (16 children, parents, and grandparents). The inflated rent has to be paid on a daily basis. Their vulnerability and poverty were difficult to adjust to. Family members suffered stress-related ailments, including ulcers. A pastor coordinating a Lebanese relief project visited them and asked what they needed. They said they wanted to be treated like humans not animals. One said his brain had stopped and he couldn’t think ahead: ‘How can I rebuild my life, when I now have no home and no money?' The pastor said there is hope, because Jesus gives us hope. He prayed with the sick family members. Since that visit, the family has received some food assistance through the church, and a few of them are attending Bible study sessions.

The idea of Buddhism (and Hinduism) as a ‘religion’ is partly an invention of early Western missionaries. Later the concept was taken up by Buddhists themselves. Buddhist ideas are woven into a wide tapestry of belief, ritual, filial piety and morality that often involve the occult, other gods, and ancestors. Few practising Buddhists have turned to Christ, except in Cambodia, China, Laos, Mongolia, South Korea, and Vietnam, which have growing churches or substantial Christian populations. Yet churches are being planted among Buddhists, and there are recurring reports of monks studying the New Testament and meeting Christ. Pray for the remaining Buddhist peoples of the world to encounter Christ, who is ‘desired by all nations’ (Haggai 2:7). Buddhist mindfulness, types of meditation, and statues are being adopted around the world. Pray for fresh Christian approaches to reach those seeking the peace that only Christ can give. See