Displaying items by tag: Politics

Friday, 20 January 2023 05:04

USA: Debt ceiling danger

At the time of writing, 19th January America is about to hit their debt limit, meaning the government is not allowed to borrow any more money - unless Congress agrees to suspend or change the cap, currently almost $31.4tn (£25.4tn). Since 1960, politicians have moved to raise, extend or revise the definition of the debt limit 78 times - including three just in the last six months. But Republicans recently took control of the House of Representatives and are calling for spending cuts, raising concerns that politicians will delay acting this time - leading America to intentionally default for the first time in its history. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has estimated that special measures can buy time for the US until at least June, at which point the government will no longer be able to pay its bills. A true economic catastrophe - unpaid defence contractor payments, Social Security cheques, received by retirees and salaries of government employees, including the military, will all be affected.

Published in Worldwide
Thursday, 12 January 2023 21:31

UK could send tanks to Ukraine

Britain is considering becoming the first country to send Western tanks to Ukraine in what would be a major stepping up of international support. Last week foreign secretary James Cleverly said Britain was open to sending Ukraine Challenger II battle tanks and ‘will continue to evolve our support as Kyiv readies the next phase of their self-defence’. The remarks were a shift in the Government’s position, with No 10 previously being in step with other Nato allies in being reluctant to supply heavy armoured vehicles. Any pledge by the UK could be made at the next meeting of the US-led Ramstein Contact Group of international supporters of Ukraine, due next week. Defence sources said the UK could supply Volodymyr Zelensky with the British Army’s main battle tank to encourage other Western allies to follow suit and stop the war.

Published in British Isles
Thursday, 12 January 2023 21:13

Potential new offer to health workers

Health secretary Steve Barclay will hold another round of talks with union leaders ahead of planned strikes by nurses. Whitehall said ministers were working on options for resolving the strikes, which could include a one-off payment to reflect cost of living pressures. They recognised that union leaders ‘have to get something for this year’ before they will consider calling off the current wave of industrial action. What level of payment might be offered, and how it could be funded, is not yet clear. There are also concerns that any payment to resolve the health dispute would set a precedent for other sectors facing industrial strife, including education and transport, potentially landing the taxpayer with a bill running into billions of pounds. The moves came as 25,000 ambulance workers staged a second day of walkouts and unions warned they could boycott talks on the next pay round in April.

Published in British Isles
Thursday, 12 January 2023 21:11

Change and challenges

This week the Conservative and Labour Party Leaders delivered speeches with their ideas and policies to tackle the challenges we face. Both agree that only through change will we restore hope and progress. Every new leader has bold ambitions to change the country, then they realise they are not fully in control. What a contrast to biblical hope, which is not uncertain, but solid, sure and reliable. This hope is the hope of glory to come. We live praying for improvements and policies that will uphold the most vulnerable in our society; but we do not depend on that; our happiness is not based on it. We are citizens of heaven (Philippians 3:12), and our hope is stored up in heaven (1 Peter 1:3). Whatever is achieved over the next 18 months, we can be thankful to God that we are looking forward to a city whose foundations can never be shaken.

Published in British Isles
Thursday, 12 January 2023 20:49

Asia: hotspots on the horizon

The war in Ukraine and the poor global economy have enabled dictators, regimes, and terrorists to take ad­vantage of the situation while the world’s attention was distracted. This will worsen in 2023, to the detriment of Christians. Ask God to protect China’s Christians as the crackdown on house churches accelerates. Pray for all the minorities in Myanmar, where the 2021 political coup has led to many attacks and bombings of churches. The internally dis­placed use churches as shelters. Iran has also taken the opportunity to crack down on churches, Christians, and Muslim-back­ground believers this year. Pray for Christian arrests and torture to diminish in 2023. Indian Christians need our prayers for an end to the anti-conversion laws being enforced in Hindu communities. Afghanistan has no national income and no natural resources, and all assets are frozen worldwide. Christianity is illegal. Those forced to stay or needing support to find safe havens need God's protection.

Published in Worldwide
Thursday, 05 January 2023 22:03

Sunak’s first major speech of 2023

Rishi Sunak wants all pupils to study maths until the age of 18, arguing that too many of the country’s children are being ‘let down’ by leaving school without the numeracy skills to prosper in the workplace. He is making a shake-up of education beyond the age of 16 one of the defining priorities of his early tenure in No 10. The reorganisation has been in the pipeline for a while and was addressed on 4 January, when Mr Sunak said that one of the biggest changes needed in education is to reimagine our approach to numeracy. Only half of all 16- to 19-year-olds study any maths at all, in a world where data is everywhere and statistics underpin every job. Future jobs will require more analytical skills than ever before. Around eight million adults in England have the numeracy skills of primary school children, according to Downing Street.

Published in British Isles
Thursday, 05 January 2023 21:55

Unfair pay scales

The bosses of Britain’s biggest companies will have made more money in 2023 by Thursday afternoon than the average UK worker will earn in the entire year. TUC’s Paul Nowak called on the Government to ‘bring back some fairness on pay’. ‘Everyone deserves a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work. But working people are told not to ask for more. FTSE 100 chief executives are paid £3.4m on average, which is 103 times the £33,000 average full time worker’s salary. The figures highlight how executive pay has increased dramatically after a dip during the pandemic, while ordinary workers are struggling to secure pay rises anywhere near inflation. Workers should have seats on executive pay committees to bring some common sense to top pay. And ministers must set out plans for fair pay for everyone, starting by agreeing to pay negotiations in the public sector.’

Published in British Isles
Thursday, 05 January 2023 21:08

Israel: new government

Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Egypt are worried that Israel’s new government will spark escalations in the West Bank and Gaza that spill over into their territory. Jordan’s King Abdullah warned Israel, ‘We have red lines, and if people push those red lines, we'll deal with that.’ They already crossed one red line when the coalition guidelines said, ‘Jewish people have exclusive and unassailable rights to the entire Land of Israel. The government will promote and develop settlement in all parts of the land - Galilee, Negev, Golan, Judea and Samaria (West Bank).’ May God bless Israel with effective, stable governance, and may Netanyahu's heart turn to the paths that please God. May God arise, conquer egos, and bring about a desire to do what is best for the nation and not what is best for one's personal political career. Pray for God to arrange the priorities of this coalition to line up with God’s priorities.

Published in Worldwide
Thursday, 01 December 2022 20:53

India: Modi scolds Putin

Narendra Modi, India's prime minister, has called for the Ukraine war to end. He warned that geopolitical struggles could ‘lead to humanitarian crises’. In a thinly veiled swipe at the Russian president, he said, ‘Our era need not be one of war. Indeed, it must not be one!’ The comments echoed his previous criticism of Mr Putin in September. India has abstained from condemning Moscow’s actions in Ukraine at the UN as the government balances its ties with Russia and the West, but has shifted its stance as the war intensifies and energy and food shortages pose greater global threats. Mr Modi said the world’s greatest challenges ‘can be solved not by fighting each other, but only by acting together’. India hosts the next G20 summit, whose theme is One Earth, One Family, One Future.

Published in Worldwide
Thursday, 24 November 2022 20:51

Iraq / Lebanon: headed down a chaotic path

Governments in both Iraq and Lebanon struggle to function and pass legislation. Political parties tied to ethnic and religious groups vie for control. Iran-backed militias hold more power than the military. There are many parallels between Lebanon, Syria, and Iraq because the nation-state borders were drawn around them by colonial nations around a hundred years ago. Ethnic groups thrown together by these borders often find it difficult to make their own voices heard and cooperate. It is an ongoing process that is only successful if there has been a dictator or authoritarian government. There is government corruption. Young Iraqis are dissatisfied and  are opening their eyes to opportunities for truth. South Iraq is seeing a time of harvest among the Shia community.  Even though they face persecution by larger religious groups, they are boldly proclaiming the Gospel repeatedly to all peoples and all backgrounds or ethnic minorities or majorities in their communities. God is doing amazing things in the south.

Published in Worldwide