France: Police swoop on Islamist terror suspects
French police are holding nine suspected Islamists as part of an anti-terrorism investigation. Three were arrested last Tuesday in southern France. The other six detained last Monday in the Paris area have been described by the Interior Minister Manuel Valls as ‘particularly dangerous’. They are being questioned by anti-terrorist investigators at Levallois, north of the capital. By law they can be held for up to four days. Monday’s raids by anti-terrorist police took place in three towns around Paris. Four of the six suspects are French, one is from Benin and the other from the Comoros Islands. They are all said to be aged in their twenties and thirties. They are thought to have been involved in armed robberies including a hold-up at a bank near the capital in April. Since the murders by one individual of seven people in Toulouse last year, several terrorist cells have been dismantled, according to the interior minister. France raised its domestic terror alert level after its military intervention in Mali.
Pray: that the authorities will continue to be successful in thwarting the terrorist activities. (Pro.2:7)
More: http://www.euronews.com/2013/06/25/french-police-swoop-on-islamist-terror-suspects/
NIGERIA: Militants force thousands to flee
Refugees say Islamic extremists threatening a bloodbath are forcing thousands of people from villages in northern Nigeria where the fighters have regrouped following a month-long military crackdown. People who escaped through the bush to the Borno state capital of Maiduguri say the Boko Haram terrorist network have also written letters warning government workers to resign their jobs or face death. Some villagers fled to neighbouring Cameroon. In a separate operation in Kano state police say they have rounded up 400 migrants and are deporting those who do not have the necessary documents. A state of emergency and military and police crackdown since May 14 have failed to crush the extremists blamed for the killings of more than 1,600 people since 2010. Meanwhile Amnesty International received credible reports that the authorities in the State of Edo in southern Nigeria have hanged four men in Benin City Prison on 24th June – the first known executions in the country since 2006. See also http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/18587
Pray: for the Government of Nigeria to know God’s way forward and for God to empower them with His wisdom in all decisions at this time. (Is.30:21
More: http://zeenews.india.com/news/world/militants-in-north-nigeria-force-thousands-to-flee_856991.html
India: Floods
Every summer hundreds of thousands of devout Hindus make the Char Dham Yatra pilgrimage to four temple towns in Uttarakhand, returning before monsoon rains begin in July. This year early monsoon rains,the heaviest in 80 years, swept away entire villages in Uttarakhand along with thousands of pilgrims. The Army has evacuated 100,000 stranded people. The Air Force is conducting search and rescue operations with 45 helicopters - but bad weather has hampered progress. They were unable to fly to the temple town of Badrinath where 5,000 pilgrims need rescuing. Officials said they must get to the affected areas urgently - time is running out for survivors. Thousands have no shelter, fresh water or food. On Wednesday morning Air Force Chief NAK Browne visited Uttarakhand to boost the morale of pilots a day after a rescue helicopter crashed near a pilgrimage site. More than 800 have died in the floods so far.
Pray: for the thousands who still need rescuing from remote mountain areas, for the children, elderly and vulnerable who are most at risk. (Neh.9:17b & Ps.86:15)
More: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-23058651
Congo: Women and children at risk
Tearfund says mothers and children in the Democratic Republic of Congo are in need of vital help. Fighting has worsened in the last year and 2.7 million people were forced to leave their homes. ‘Again and again we are seeing families uprooted in waves of tragic turmoil,’ said Tearfund's International Director. ‘People continue to leave their homes in fear of the sexual violence which is widespread in the eastern DRC where armed groups frequently use rape as a weapon. Women and children have suffered unimaginable horror and yet they also show amazing strength, resilience and dignity. The DRC has been plagued by conflict since 1998. More than 5.4 million people have been killed and communities have been devastated.' Tearfund said fighting was only prolonging poverty in the country and hindering its development.
Pray: for an end to the continuous outbreaks of violence. Pray also for NGO’s ministering to the displaced, fearful and hurting Congolese people. (Ps.9:13)
