Kenya: Theresa May visit
At the time of writing Theresa May is visiting Kenya. There is a desire for both countries to develop trust and trade in the future. On her visit the PM was joined by several ministers and 29 business representatives from various industries. We can pray that her visit will initiate and bolster improved post-Brexit trade and cultural ties between the nations. Many believe that in the past Britain has not treated Kenya with equality, but rather as a bully, while the Chinese have humbly generated business: statistics show that China has dwarfed UK imports to Kenya over the last three decades. Pray for the West to rethink foreign policy. One of the Kenya-UK partnership agreements was a commitment to improve lives of people living with disability.
Syria: Idlib, the final battle
Syria is preparing to take back the last stronghold, Idlib, and Russia is warning of a terrorist chemical attack. American warships, cruise missile delivery systems, strategic bombers and other hardware arrived in the Mediterranean and the Persian Gulf on 27/28 August, and NATO has called for restraint (see ) If violence escalates in Idlib, the two million people in the area will be in grave danger. Militants seem reluctant to lay down their arms, which makes the coming days crucial for the fate of Idlib and all Syria. A Russian press release (see) stated, ‘A military strike against terrorists occupying Idlib will inevitably happen, and Moscow and Ankara see eye to eye here.’ However, Turkey has twelve military outposts in Idlib governorate under an agreement with Russia and Iran for ‘de-escalation zones’, and there are intense diplomatic talks between Ankara and Moscow to prevent a Russian-backed Syrian army invasion. See
Iran: campaigns for Christians
Amnesty International has called for the release of four Iranians sentenced to a combined total of 45 years in prison. Its report calls for urgent action from the Iranian government to quash the convictions and sentences of Victor Bet-Tamraz, Shamiram Isavi, Amin Afshar-Naderi, and Hadi Asgari, ‘as they have been targeted solely for the peaceful exercise of their rights to freedoms of religion and belief, expression, and association, through their Christian faith’. They are currently free on bail, awaiting the outcome of their appeals. Also dual-nationality UK/Iranian charity worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe is serving a five-year jail sentence after being accused of spying. Her British husband has been campaigning for her release, and the UK’s foreign secretary has also attempted to secure her freedom. She is currently in hospital, after suffering panic attacks following three days of freedom from jail.
Myanmar: human rights crisis
Oscar-winning actor Cate Blanchett described to the UN security council meeting in New York 'gut-wrenching' accounts from Myanmar of Rohingya people being tortured, raped and killed in front of their relatives. 'How can any mother endure seeing her child thrown into a fire?' she said. The UNHCR goodwill ambassador also praised Bangladesh for taking in more than 700,000 refugees, calling it 'one of the most visible and significant gestures of humanity of our time'. UN secretary general António Guterres has called for those behind the Rohingya crisis to be held accountable, urging the council to act on what has become 'one of the world’s worst humanitarian and human rights crises'. However Aung San Suu Kyi probably won't be stripped of her Nobel peace prize, despite revelations around the Rohingya crisis. The UN report said that Myanmar’s military carried out mass killings of Muslim Rohingya. See
