Gabon: hopes for a better future after coup
Selling mobile phone accessories in a small shop in Gabon's capital Libreville, Doles Gabriel sees coup leader General Brice Oligui Ngeuma as someone who has unshackled the nation from the chains of his former boss - President Ali Bongo. ‘Moses was educated in the house of Pharaoh, but God appointed him to liberate the people of Egypt from slavery. This is what is happening in the house of Bongo’, the 23-year-old said. Her comments reflect the joy - and hopes - of many people who had lived under the Bongo dynasty. With an iron fist, the family have ruled oil-rich Gabon since 1967, when Omar Bongo became president in 1967. When he died in 2009 his son Ali succeeded him. He appointed the general head of the elite Republican Guard, in charge of his own security. But on 30 August, shortly after Mr Bongo was announced as the winner of disputed elections, the general seized power from the man he was supposed to protect. In a new development, on 20 September Gabon was partially suspended from the Commonwealth, as its foreign ministers said that they ‘strongly condemned the unconstitutional removal of the elected government from office’. See
Antarctic sea-ice
Satellite data has shown that the sea-ice surrounding Antarctica is well below any previous recorded winter level, a worrying new benchmark for a region that once seemed resistant to global warming. An unstable Antarctica could have far-reaching consequences, polar experts warn: its huge ice expanse regulates the planet's temperature, as the white surface reflects the sun's energy back into the atmosphere and also cools the water beneath and near it. Without its ice cooling the planet, Antarctica could transform from Earth's refrigerator to a radiator. The ice that floats on the Antarctic Ocean's surface now measures less than 17 million sq km - that is 1.5 million sq km of sea-ice less than the September average, and well below previous winter record lows. That is an area of missing ice about five times the size of the British Isles. Since the 1990s, the loss of land ice from Antarctica has contributed 7.2mm to sea-level rise: even modest increases in sea levels can result in dangerously high storm surges that could wipe out coastal communities.
Venezuela: government regains control of prison
The Venezuelan government has announced that it has regained control of a notorious jail, which had been controlled by the powerful Tren de Aragua criminal gang. Some 11,000 security personnel stormed the Tocorón prison, which had been run by inmates for years and had hotel-like facilities including a pool, nightclub and a mini zoo. It doubled up as the gang’s headquarters. From it, Tren de Aragua ruled a criminal enterprise spanning several Latin American countries and reaching as far as Chile. Its members engage in human trafficking, run prostitution rings, and extort migrants. One commentator said that the clearing of the prison did not automatically constitute the end of the gang. ‘Their centre of operations has been closed down, but the leaders of this organisation and its cells abroad can continue functioning’, she said.
A miracle that has changed lives
Pastor Christopher Green stayed in a Dallas hotel as he was preaching there the next morning. As he came out of his room he saw a housekeeper and asked her what she would like God to do for her, as he was headed to church and would pray for whatever she needed. Without hesitation, she showed him a massive growth on her neck saying, ‘They’re not sure if it’s cancer. They’re doing a biopsy on it. Can you ask God to heal this growth?’ He said, ‘I felt the urge to pray for her immediately. I put my hand under her chin and said, “Such as I have, give her thee. In the name of Jesus, be whole right now.”’ As he said those words the growth shrivelled up under his hand. She opened her eyes, and said, ‘It’s gone, it’s gone! It’s gone!’ That moment changed Pastor Chris’ life, too. He realised that indeed, there is power in the name of Jesus!
