Displaying items by tag: Global

Thursday, 28 July 2022 22:06

Global health emergency: monkeypox

WHO has declared monkeypox a global health emergency. The first case was in a child in 1970. Since then, outbreaks were small and traceable to an individual returning from a country with monkeypox. But the current outbreak is different, with sustained person-to-person transmission of infection. By 22 July there were 16,593 confirmed infections in 68 countries (none having had monkeypox before). Most infections are in Europe. The majority of infections are in men who have sex with men, especially those with multiple partners. There are concerns of under-reporting of cases in some countries. On 28 July the US federal government allocated 786,000 vaccine doses to local authorities after the Food and Drug Administration cleared them for use by people aged 18 and older who are at high risk. See There is limited supply of the two-dose Jynneos vaccine, and infections could become endemic or be introduced into at-risk groups such as children, the elderly, and pregnant women.

Published in Worldwide
Friday, 22 July 2022 05:51

Global: Christians persecuted and displaced

When our brothers and sisters are displaced because of their faith in Christ, we can support them through prayer. As we pray, we open our hearts to their needs and grow deeper in fellowship with them. Pray for the Lord to meet all their needs. (Philippians 4:19) Pray for their healing from physical and emotional trauma. (Psalm 147:3) Pray for them to be able to love and forgive their persecutors. (Matthew 5:44) Pray for persecutors to repent and trust in Christ. (Luke 15:10) Christians in Burma, China, Eritrea, India, Iran, Nigeria, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and Vietnam are persecuted by their governments and religious freedom is violated. Afghanistan, Algeria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, the Central African Republic, Cuba, Egypt, Indonesia, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Sudan, and Turkey are countries whose governments allow or engage in ‘severe violations of religious freedom.’. Take time to pray for Christians in these nations. 

Published in Worldwide
Friday, 15 July 2022 09:50

Global: hunger - no time to lose

Hunger is stalking the world. In 2017 the UN vowed to eradicate it by 2030. Yet the number of people affected globally reached 828 million last year, and an unprecedented 345 million are currently experiencing acute food insecurity. Since May 2020 there has been a 55% increase in the food price index. The head of the World Food Programme said, ‘We thought it could not get any worse’ - but the Ukraine war has worsened freight and fertiliser costs due to rising fuel prices, and has blocked ports. Ukraine and Russia previously accounted for almost one-third of global wheat exports. Many middle-income countries have spent large parts of their reserves due to the pandemic. Even in wealthier countries, more parents are going hungry to feed their children. In low-income countries rising prices are deadly. Around 2.3 billion people face moderate or severe difficulty obtaining enough to eat, which could result in social unrest and political violence.

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Only 3% of Christian missionaries focus on ‘unreached’ people groups’. Of 7.7 billion people around the world, over 3 billion are either unreached or least reached. There are 7,000 unreached people groups representing nearly 42% of the population of the world who have never heard of Jesus Christ. There are many factors why these groups are unreached, including physical, political and cultural barriers. See Some unreached people have portions of scripture translated into their language. Some people groups do not even have their language written down. Other unreached groups have no translation of the Bible available in their mother tongue. Pray for more Christian linguists to hear God’s call to study the culture and language of unreached people so that they can then train people to translate the Bible into their languages. Pray for Christian broadcasting and technological innovation to reach the unreachable in closed countries and isolated remote communities.

Published in Worldwide
Friday, 01 July 2022 15:09

Global: Probes into migrant deaths

Five human rights organisations want Spain and Morocco to investigate the deaths of 18 migrants, the injuries of 76 others, and the actions of 140 Moroccan security officers when migrants attempted to scale a fence separating the two countries. Spain's Commission for Refugees decried ‘indiscriminate use of violence to manage migration and control borders had prevented people who were eligible for international protection from reaching Spanish soil’. Meanwhile, UNHCR is asking both Africa and Europe to enhance legal frameworks and operational capacities at land and sea borders and urban centres plus youth programming and local community-based development as alternatives to dangerous journeys. In America the bodies of 51 dead migrants were discovered inside a lorry in San Antonio. An official said they found ‘stacks of bodies and no water in the truck. Sixteen survivors are in hospital with heat stroke and exhaustion, including four minors. No children were among the dead. See

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In Afghanistan, after America and its allies withdrew, the Taliban controlled the government, declaring an Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, employing harsh tactics to expose Christians. This has brought persecution in Afghanistan to its highest levels since the Taliban’s first government in 1996. In Nigeria Fulani Militants, the largest nomadic ethnic group, have killed tens of thousands of Christians and left many more homeless since 2000. Having seen increasing violence against Nigeria’s Christian population in the Middle Belt, it is alleged that the Fulani militant aggression is aided by stakeholders within the Nigerian government. Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the country’s Supreme Leader, exerts control over every aspect of Iranian life, both physically and spiritually. As an Islamic republic, Iran poses severe limits on the ability of Christians to practice their religion, enforcing a hardline regime that allows the brutal torture and execution of many Iranian Christians.

Published in Worldwide
Thursday, 23 June 2022 21:49

Global: Talking Climate Justice

Christian Aid (CA) recently posted online: ‘As Christians we are called to challenge the injustice of the climate crisis. We know the next decade will be critical for us to act. Every social movement started with a conversation - these conversations stirred anger, fuelled hope and inspired people to act. As the church, we need to have those honest conversations that spur us into action. We want to walk with you, to join these conversations, and act together in the pursuit of climate justice.’ Churches are invited to join in kickstarting a climate justice conversation on 4 July: CA will provide free resources to help engage churches and communities in transformation action. See also

Published in Worldwide
Friday, 17 June 2022 09:50

World Refugee Day: 20 June

Every minute twenty people leave everything behind to flee persecution of their race, religion, nationality, politics or social group membership. Others escape the effects of natural or human-made disasters. There are also internally displaced persons, stateless people with no recognised nationality, not belonging to any country due to discrimination against certain groups. With no citizenship certificate, they are excluded from healthcare, education and employment. There are also asylum seekers who have fled their homes, but their refugee status is not yet definitively evaluated in the country to which they fled. Every one of them, according to the 1951 Refugee Convention Protocol, has the right to work, to housing, to education, to public relief and assistance, and to freedom of religion. They should also have access to courts and freedom of movement. and be issued with identity and travel documents in the country at the end of their journey.

Published in Worldwide
Friday, 13 May 2022 09:23

Global: rising Christian persecution

Release International reports, ‘With all eyes on Russia’s assault on Ukraine, we will be watching closely to see how Russia is treating Christians of faiths other than Russian Orthodox.’ The USCIRF has long criticised the Taliban for their extremist policies. Its 2022 report warns, ‘Afghans who do not adhere to the Taliban’s harsh and strict interpretation of Sunni Islam and adherents of other faiths or beliefs are in grave danger. With the Taliban’s return to power, religious freedom conditions in Afghanistan, and the overall human rights situation, have significantly deteriorated. Christian converts (and other minorities) practise their faith in hiding due to fear of reprisal and threats from the Taliban.’ Also religious persecution in India has taken a significant turn for the worse. In Nigeria there is an anti-Christian dimension to much of the violence which the government is failing to control.

Published in Worldwide
Thursday, 05 May 2022 23:37

Global: IJM prayer requests

Please pray for IJM Ghana staff and partners to be inspired with wisdom and innovation as they seek to identify and investigate cases of trafficking in the fishing industry. Pray for reliable sources of information that leads to the rescue and protection of many children exploited for labour on Lake Volta. In South Asia, please pray for IJM teams distilling and disseminating key information from recent studies to highlight the areas of greatest need. Pray for the approval of Philippine’s National Police Women and Children Protection Centre to become a National Operating Support Unit. The approval would allow the unit to be given a larger budget, enabling it to direct rescue operations of online sexual exploitation of children. IJM’s offices in the UK, USA, Australia, Canada, Germany, Hong Kong, South Korea, Switzerland, and the Netherlands all need more team members and funding.

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