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Evangelical Christians and Orthodox Jews in Washington have united to offer their sacred spaces for vaccine distribution to assist government and private companies to combat the pandemic. Walter Kim, of the National Association of Evangelicals, and Rabbi Moshe Hauer, of the Orthodox Union, stated, ‘Anyone in need of vaccination, whether or not they are members of our congregations or of our neighborhoods, is welcome.’ They offered to help with coordinating appointments and providing the medically trained volunteers to administer the shots, as well as spreading awareness to our communities about the importance of vaccination. Hauer said that everything about his faith compels him to contribute to the historic vaccination effort. His tradition teaches that not only is life the greatest gift from God, but it is an obligation to care for the well-being of others.
Praise: God for the united use of religious facilities in areas that lack pharmacies. (Psalm 133:1)
More: religionnews.com/2021/01/27/evangelical-christian-and-orthodox-jewish-leaders-offer-spaces-for-vaccine-distribution/ |
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‘The Iranian media, schools, everything you see and hear is Islamic’, said Ramin Parsa. ‘They brainwash you. We had no magazines or books. We saw caricatures of Israeli soldiers killing Palestinian babies. They sowed hatred in our hearts.’ Ramin went to the mosque every morning to pray. Every morning at school, they shouted, ‘Death to Israel! Death to America!’ Although it is illegal, every house has a satellite dish – an alternative to non-stop religious propaganda on government channels. On the Trinity channel he heard about Jesus. Ramin didn’t immediately believe. ‘If you give Jesus your heart, he will change your life. He loves you,’ the man was saying. ‘He died for you and rose again from the dead.’ Then Ramin relented. Asking to be forgiven, he started weeping. He felt God move in his body, providing heat and warmth. He rushed to see his mother, ‘Why is your face so shiny?’ she asked, bewildered.
Praise: God for satellite and online broadcasting that brings the love and salvation of Christianity to closed countries like Iran. (Ephesians 2:8-9)
More: www.godreports.com/2021/01/when-muslim-received-jesus-his-mother-wondered-why-his-face-was-so-shiny/ |
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Cocaine worth £76 million was discovered in a shipment of bananas by officers during a routine inspection at Southampton. The class A drugs, weighing almost a ton, were placed in the cargo in Colombia and bound for Belgium. Home secretary Priti Patel said, ‘This was drug-smuggling on an industrial scale’. She is delighted that Border Force prevented such dangerous goods from reaching our streets to devastate communities, line the pockets of criminals, and ruin young lives across the country. On the same day as the cocaine discovery a gangster hit squad was jailed for dousing a rival drug dealer in petrol, setting him on fire, and leaving him to burn to death in his own flat. See
Pray: for the forces working in partnership to prevent criminals smuggling and selling drugs. May He give them even more success in 2021. (James 1:5)
More: www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9177335/Police-seize-nearly-TON-cocaine-76million-street-value-hidden-shipment-bananas.html |
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Boris Johnson has said reopening schools is a national priority, and the return of students to the classroom will be ‘the first sign of normality beginning to return’. He acknowledged how ‘frustrating’ the news will be for teachers, parents and carers, as well as the mental health impact on pupils stuck at home for such a prolonged period of time. Despite pressure from backbenchers and parental pressure groups calling for schools to reopen, the Prime Minister urged that they should do so only when it is safe to do so. Please continue to pray for stressed and weary parents working from home and educating their children; may they find a peaceful and quiet time in their busy schedule to be spiritually and mentally refreshed. Pray also for isolated and vulnerable children, particularly those falling into depression and/or rebellion. Ask God to help them have positive internet conversations with teachers and friends and discover ways to combat anxiety.
Pray: for GCSE and A Level preparation by educators and students to be appropriate and achievable. (Proverbs 22:6)
More: www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/01/28/schools-closed-new-lockdown-when-reopen-uk-areas-covid/ |
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A BBC programme aimed at nine- to twelve-year-olds claims that there are ‘over 100 gender identities’. The film, ‘Understanding Sexual and Gender Identities’, is offered on its website as part of its relationships and sex education package for home schooling. It tells children that becoming transgender is a way to be ‘happy’, while making no mention of the growing legal and medical concerns about the rising number of children saying they want to change gender. When a pupil asks, ‘How many gender identities are there?’ the teacher replies, ‘There are many gender identities. We know we have male and female, but there are over 100 if not more gender identities now. Some people might feel they are two different genders, some might think they are bi-gender. There are some who might call themselves “gender-queer” – like, I don’t want to be anything in particular, I just want to be me.’
Pray: for the Government to impress on the BBC they must exercise caution when teaching children about gender issues. (Mark 10:6)
More: www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9179703/BBC-programme-tells-9-year-olds-100-genders.html |
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Michael Gove said that vaccines paid for must be delivered, with no ‘interruption’ in immunisation because of an argument between AstraZeneca (AZ) and the EU. The row erupted after the pharmaceutical giant warned the EU that it would experience a shortfall of up to 60% in the promised delivery of 100 million doses this quarter. AZ blamed its troubles on technical issues at its Belgium plant, the main production facility for Europe – and delay in ordering by the EU. The EU says it has legal right to jabs from AZ’s two UK plants, as AZ must stick to its contractual obligations. The company claims its agreement includes a ‘best effort’ clause that makes its delivery goals an estimate rather than a rock-solid commitment. See also the Europe article ‘Vaccination supply chain’.
Pray: for the mass rollout of vaccination across the country to continue with adequate supplies. (1 Timothy 5:8)
More: www.rt.com/uk/513866-eu-astrazeneca-coronavirus-vaccine/ |
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Senior Christian Tory MP Sir Desmond Swayne claimed that Covid-19 statistics were ‘manipulated’. In a November interview by a US anti-vaccine campaigner, he said, ‘Official data should not be trusted’. Also, he told the anti-lockdown group Save Our Rights UK that the figures of deaths being quoted were at a typical level for the time of year. They were manageable, and the UK had become ‘a police state’. He accused the Government of attempting to implement ‘social control’ through actions such as the mandatory wearing of face masks. Michael Gove called for Sir Desmond to issue a full retraction and apologise for ‘unacceptable’ comments. The deputy Labour leader said endorsing conspiracy theories and questioning the official figures was deeply dangerous, as there is absolutely no evidence.
Pray: for Sir Desmond to apologise for proclaiming falsehoods, and for authentic science and research to be understood and believed – not used as a political weapon. (Proverbs 16:28)
More: premierchristian.news/en/news/article/christian-mp-sir-desmond-swayne-told-to-apologise-over-anti-lockdown-comments |
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Conservative London Mayor candidate Shaun Bailey used City Hall branded paper to warn Londoners of an alleged 21.2% council tax increase. The leaflet, with a Tory Party logo, invited readers to sign a petition against council tax rises. He was reported to the Crown Prosecution Service for fraudulent leaflets, and London’s Labour deputy leader called for the Tories to apologise. She said Mr Bailey seemed ‘determined to insult voters’ intelligence by bringing discredited Donald Trump-style fake news to London. He has consistently misled over finances, the congestion charge, and council tax, and his latest leaflets are literally a work of fiction. Fake news, fake polls and fake leaflets will reflect badly on him and the Conservative Party and erode trust in politics.’ The Liberal Democrat candidate posted a picture of the leaflet on social media, labelling it a ‘cheap trick’.
Pray: for the May elections in London and across the nation to be free of controversy and for electioneering to be full of truthful facts. (Psalm 37:5)
More: www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-55805172 |
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Sir Keir Starmer said that faith leaders are vital in encouraging BAME communities to take the Covid-19 vaccine. Amid low confidence concerning vaccines among ethnic minorities, Labour is partnering with church leaders in its Let’s Vaccinate Britain campaign. Sir Keir said, ‘I’m a big believer in the importance of faith. In a pandemic there is a role for faith leadership. Communities will listen to faith leaders in a way that they may not necessarily listen to politicians and others.’ Senior NHS figures have previously expressed concern that people in some BAME communities are reluctant to take the vaccine for religious reasons or concerns about ‘unethical’ experiments carried out in the last century. Also misinformation on the internet about the pandemic and the vaccines is contributing to their distrust.
Pray: for faith leaders to succeed in dispelling misinformation in their communities, and for social media to tackle misinformation on their sites. (Jeremiah 29:11)
More: premierchristian.news/en/news/article/people-listen-to-faith-leaders-more-than-politicians-sir-keir-starmer-working-with-churches-to-tackle-vaccine-misinformation |
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Police have detained a 53-year-old man from Chatham after a suspicious package was sent to a Covid-19 vaccine factory in north Wales. He remains in custody as enquiries continue. However, the police said in a statement that there is no evidence to suggest there is an ongoing threat.
Pray: for God to protect the research, production and distribution of Covid vaccinations across the nation. (Psalm 138:7)
More: www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/covid-vaccine-factory-wrexham-package-b1794129.html |
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The dispute between the EU and AstraZeneca continues. The EU ‘wants clarity on the vaccine delivery schedule’, and requested a clear plan for fast delivery of their reserved vaccines. AstraZeneca explained the complexities of scaling up production of the vaccine. It is striving to bring this vaccine to millions of Europeans at no profit during the pandemic, but there were production issues at factories on the continent and problems with Europe’s supply chain. It is providing as many doses as possible. The EU said this is a breach of contract, and that the company should send vials from other production facilities – like those in the UK – to match previously made commitments. The UK said vaccine supplies would not be interrupted: see
Pray: for supplies of the vaccine to be fairly distributed, and for distribution confusion to be replaced with understanding and planning. (2 Timothy 2:7)
More: news.sky.com/story/covid-19-european-union-demands-plan-from-astrazeneca-to-deliver-promised-vaccines-as-row-continues-12200919 |
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On 23 January, riots began in many Dutch towns and cities against a night-time curfew to slow the spread of Covid. Protesters burned down a Covid testing station, burned vehicles, threw knives at police, looted businesses, threw fireworks, dynamite, gasoline, and bricks. The police detained hundreds. By 27 January conspiracy theorists and far-right sympathisers were sending invitations to join the protests, using every type of social media. The invitations were alarming and very aggressive. The country had begun tough lockdown measures in October, and by December schools and non-essential shops were shut down. The decision to restrict people further came in the middle of a political crisis after prime minister Mark Rutte resigned over a corruption scandal involving child tax benefits. His cabinet will continue to govern until the 17 March elections, which have now taken on a greater significance.
Pray: for the government to have the wisdom, insights and manpower to prevent further unlawful and violent demonstrations. (Matthew 5:9)
More: www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/1/27/what-is-driving-the-netherlands-most-violent-riots-in-decades |
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Greece and Turkey were on the verge of military confrontation last August, after Turkey launched its seismic survey ship and a small naval fleet to explore for undersea oil and gas in Eastern Mediterranean waters which Greece claims as part of its exclusion zone, but Turkey disputes this. Although these zones do not entail the absolute sovereignty that territorial waters do, they give countries rights of exploration and exploitation of mineral and living resources. Last week, Greece doubled the extent of its western territorial waters in the Ionian Sea to twelve nautical miles – the maximum allowed by the UN. The possibility of conflict has alarmed both NATO, of which Greece and Turkey are members, and the EU. However, on 25 January Greece and Turkey announced they will begin exploratory talks in Istanbul, with the aim of setting maritime boundaries.
Pray: for the talks to end the escalating friction between two countries which historically have had a hostile relationship. (Proverbs 21:15)
More: www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/1/25/greece-and-turkey-resume-maritime-talks |
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Up to 1,000 people – including priests and church leaders – were killed in recent attacks in Ethiopia. A Belgium-based nonprofit organisation released reports of 1,000 people hiding in an Orthodox church in Aksum, thought to contain the Ark of the Covenant. They were brought out and shot in the square. 750 were definitely murdered, and possibly more of the injured died later. Inside Ethiopia there is political conflict. The government’s term of office ended in September, and the May elections were cancelled due to coronavirus. This has created political unrest where Christians and Muslims are dying in a long line of fatal assaults against innocent people in the Tigray region. 154 were killed in December in Maryam Dengelat, and ten from one family were killed on Christmas Day. Also, Eritrean troops have been killing dozens.
Pray: for Ethiopia’s prime minister Abiy Ahmed, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, militia, and Amharan and Eritrean troops to meet for peace talks to end fighting. (Romans 12:17)
More: acnuk.org/news/ethiopia-surge-in-violence-leads-to-up-to-1000-deaths/ |
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The Archbishop of Canterbury has criticised Canada for massively over-ordering supplies of the coronavirus vaccine, hindering the rollout of jabs to the world’s poorest nations. He said the North American country had in the pipeline more than five times what it needed for the size of its population. The archbishop highlighted surplus stocks as one of the main obstacles to a global vaccination campaign, along with misinformation and logistical challenges. His comments came after the head of the United Nations urged the world to act with far greater solidarity to ensure vaccines are available and affordable in all countries. Meanwhile, Oxfam claims that ‘the increase in wealth of the world’s top ten billionaires during the pandemic is more than enough both to pay for a Covid-19 vaccine for everyone on the planet and to reverse the rise in poverty caused by coronavirus’. See
Pray: for every nation to recognize that global recovery from the pandemic is achieved by ethical decision-making and supporting distribution to poor and vulnerable. (Proverbs 19:17)
More: premierchristian.news/en/news/article/archbishop-of-canterbury-takes-swipe-at-canada-for-vaccine-over-ordering |
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A growing groundswell of youth unrest, tapping into a well of economic frustration, is sweeping Tunisia, the country which triggered the 2011 ‘Arab Spring’. A third of the nation’s young people are unemployed. Many are angry about their poverty. Since 14 January they have taken to the streets in violent marches. There have been 1,000 arrests, and the army has been deployed in four hot spots. Protest groups are growing in size and are out in force every night staging simultaneous, often-violent demonstrations: pelting municipal buildings with stones, throwing Molotov cocktails, looting, vandalising, and clashing with police in poor, densely populated districts. By 24 January hundreds more were protesting against police repression, chanting, ‘No more fear, the streets belong to the people’ and ‘The people want the fall of the regime’ – popularised during the Arab Spring. They also called for the release of hundreds of protesters detained recently. See
Pray: for wise and honest governance, and for police to maintain order and end looting and vandalism so that peace replaces unrest. (Luke 1:79)
More: www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/1/24/tunisia-protests-continue-against-police-brutality-corruption |
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Recently, the situation in Hong Kong has changed dramatically. There is great fear that things are not going to settle down or be anywhere like they used to be. On 6 January, over 1,000 police officers raided 73 different locations across the city, arresting 53 politicians, pro-democracy leaders, human rights activists, and others. Chris Patten, Hong Kong’s last governor, says that what is happening in the city is nothing short of China’s brutal destruction of a free society. The government and the police use many different means to persecute pastors and others. Reports estimate that over 300,000 plan to flee Hong Kong in the coming months. Several pastors have already left, while others have gone underground. The UK will introduce a new visa at the end of January which will give 5.4 million Hong Kong residents the right to come and live in the UK, and eventually become citizens. See
Pray: for an end to the persecution, and for the release of those imprisoned in the recent mass arrests. (Psalm 34:17-18)
More: www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2021/january/hong-kong-christians-prepare-for-possible-persecution-from-china |
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Indian farmers have been protesting against farm acts passed by the parliament last September. Their unions have demanded the laws be repealed, and will accept nothing less. The new acts, which exclude guarantees giving farmers a fair price for their produce, are described as ‘anti-farmer laws’ by the unions and opposition politicians. Since September the protests have become more violent. On 26 November a nationwide general strike by 250 million people took place in support of the farmer unions,and on 30 November 300,000 farmers converged in various places from the Punjab to Delhi. On 26 January tens of thousands violently fought the police, overturned vehicles, and hoisted religious flags from the ramparts of Delhi’s Red Fort. See
Pray: for a fair resolution to this situation before it becomes the source of greater violence and ill-feeling among the millions of farmers in India. (Micah 6:8a)
More: timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/bjp-government-played-decisive-role-in-turning-resentment-of-farmers-into-anger-akhilesh-yadav/articleshow/80476215.cms |
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23 January marked a year since the coronavirus lockdown chaos in Wuhan City when 11 million people were isolated for 76 days as authorities tried to contain the spread of a virus that overwhelmed hospitals and emptied streets. Many now fear it could happen again. China announced sanctions less than half an hour after US president Joe Biden took office. A year on, Yue, a Wuhan resident, said he had almost forgotten the chaos in the early days of that long quarantine, but new outbreaks in Hebei in the north of the country – where millions are again in lockdown – brought it all back. ‘The most miserable thing wasn’t death itself. Trying to get medical treatment was more painful than death. Chinese people have a strong capacity to endure disasters. I survived the Great Famine,’ he said, referring to the catastrophe between 1959 and 1961 that claimed at least 45 million lives.
Pray: for the Chinese people, who have lived through so much disaster, and for the authorities to be more transparent and honest in their proclamations. (Proverbs 19:1)
More: www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3118854/more-painful-death-year-coronavirus-lockdown-chaos-wuhan |
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