German election, Brexit and Ireland
The German elections have weakened Chancellor Merkel’s leadership authority. Weeks of Brexit talks will be lost while Germany forms a government that can command a majority in its parliament. In the UK there are disagreements between Westminster and the leaders of the devolved parliaments/assemblies over which powers should eventually be ‘taken back’ from Brussels and the continuing failure to reach a Northern Ireland border agreement. Much more could be written, but the key thing for us all is to keep praying for those involved in the Brexit negotiations. May they make agreements that will speedily remove the fear and uncertainty faced by UK citizens in Europe and EU citizens in the UK, and bring clarity to businesses employing thousands who need to plan ahead for the next twelve months and beyond.
Crimea: human rights crimes
The UN has accused Russia of committing grave human rights violations in Crimea. There is a need for accountability. Russia annexed the peninsula from Ukraine in 2014, after that country's leader was overthrown. The UN report has documented random arrests, detentions, disappearances, torture, and at least one execution. There have been ‘intrusive law enforcement raids of private properties’, and the human rights situation has ‘significantly deteriorated’, with hundreds of prisoners illegally transferred from Crimea to Russian jails. Civil servants have been forced to renounce their Ukrainian citizenship or face losing their jobs, and Moscow has replaced Ukrainian laws with Russian ones. Education in Ukrainian has all but disappeared from Crimean schools. There was no immediate response from Russia to the report's accusations.
Antigua and Barbuda: a huge crisis
A humanitarian crisis is developing on Antigua as a result of the devastation wreaked on Barbuda by Hurricane Irma, according to Prime Minister Gaston Browne. He told the UN General Assembly, ‘Overnight Antigua’s population increased by almost 3%. I know of no country that could easily cope with such an unplanned and unexpected increase in its population.’ In addition to providing shelter, accommodation, and basic necessities to the evacuated Barbudans, Antigua’s social services need to provide school places for an additional 600 children; medical services for many elderly; and a means of income for the able-bodied. Preliminary estimates place the cost of rebuilding Barbuda at £185 million - over 15% of the country’s GDP. The PM said it was a stretch beyond their reach: ‘Barbuda is not only a natural disaster, it is a humanitarian crisis that now consumes Antigua.’
Iraq: Kurds vote for independence
An email from a Kurdish Christian says, ‘On 25 September, in a landmark referendum, Kurds in three northern provinces of Iraq voted for independence for the Kurdistan region. Kurds are the fourth-largest ethnic group in the Middle East, but they have never obtained a permanent nation state. Kurds faced decades of repression before acquiring autonomy in 1991. 5.2 million Kurds and non-Kurds who were registered as resident in Kurdish-controlled northern Iraq voted, even though Iraq’s prime minister denounced the referendum as unconstitutional. Neighbouring Turkey and Iran also vehemently objected to it, fearing it will stoke separatist feeling among their own Kurdish minorities. Even the US government voiced serious concerns. Dear friends, we ask for your urgent and ongoing prayer, for wisdom for the Kurdish government leaders and peace in the region.’ For a media report on the situation, click the ‘More’ button.
