for all involved in these attacks that they will learn to live together in peace. (Ps.140:4)
Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Crimea on Thursday with senior politicians of his government. They are expected to discuss Russia’s development plans for the Crimea. This is more than just a meeting of the security council, he has effectively taken a large chunk of the Russian government to Crimea with what many believe is his intention to integrate Crimea into Russian structures. For instance Mobile phone operators’ in the Crimea currently are routed through the Ukraine, but he proposes to invest millions of dollars to have the systems routed through Russia. His aims appear to have Crimea part of the Russian federation, which is something the world does not accept. Meanwhile, 260 lorries carrying 2,000 tonnes of humanitarian aid for Eastern Ukraine are heading towards the Ukraine border, but they may not be able to enter Ukraine territory. At the time of writing, the International Red Cross have not sanctioned the convoy. Ukraine politicians describe the convoy as a provocation, Russia is determined to push the aid through, while Donetsk continues to come under heavy fire. More at:
Christian asylum seekers mobbed by Muslim asylum seekers
August 2014: Christians seeking asylum in Germany are reported to suffer anti-Christian attacks in homes for asylum seekers. Victims claim to have been verbally abused and beaten by Muslim asylum seekers. Syrian Christian Toni said: ‘It started with the children. They told them: You are Christians, non-believers. You eat pigs, we won’t play with you.’ Christian fellow countryman Farid adds: ‘We were watching our children day and night. Several times they were beating them. We were afraid to lose our temper and react to the provocations and cause even more problems.’ An Iraqi-Christian family was mobbed until they decided to return home. Other cases are reported in German media.
Number of young people self-harming is on the rise
Growing numbers of young people are admitting to self-harming behaviour, according to a leading charity in the field. Rachel Welch, director of Selfharm.co.uk, a project dedicated to supporting young people impacted by self-harm, said: ‘It's fair to say we are seeing a trend of increased self-harm. More and more young people - from all walks of life - are coming forward and making disclosures. It may be that we are on the edge of a horrific epidemic, but it's important we look at things more objectively. The recent increase of media reporting means that we are getting better at talking and more familiar with finding terminology to describe what's happening.’ She was speaking as new NHS figures released to The Times showed self-harming among children as young as 10 has surged by 70 per cent in the past two years.
Divorce concerns soar in kids’ ChildLine calls
The number of Children worrying about their parents’ divorce or separation dramatically increased last year, according to ChildLine in Scotland. NSPCC Scotland, which runs the ChildLine service, reported that they gave almost 600 counselling sessions to children about the issue in 2012-13, – a rise of 171 per cent. A child affected said she felt ‘stuck in the middle’ and as if she had to ‘make everyone else happy all the time’. NSPCC Scotland said the figures revealed the ‘huge impact’ of difficult family relationships. ChildLine Service Manager, Susan Dobson, said there were many family issues raised by children: ‘Some of these children need somewhere to vent, but for many they’re facing a really difficult time at home and are desperate for reassurance and a safe space to share their fears.’
