China to Boost Nuclear Program with Rail-Based ICBMs
China is reportedly planning the development of a nuclear missile system that can hide in underground tunnels and be transported by train, making it harder for the West to monitor. The news of the rail-based missile system comes after China made major strides in the development of its nuclear program last year and raises serious questions about its so-called “no first use” pledge for its nuclear weapons.
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Iraq: Displaced children
Iraq is dangerous and difficult to live in - violence, poverty and insecurity have caused around two million people to flee abroad to other parts of the Middle East, and another 700,000 to move from their homes to other regions of Iraq. It is disorientating to leave your home as a child, not knowing where you are going, ending up in a new place with unfamiliar surroundings. Seeing your parents afraid and running away is a deeply unsettling experience. Displaced parents can’t find regular work - making it hard to provide the right food for their children. 9% of Iraqi children suffer from acute malnutrition. This can have a lifelong effect, as it stunts growth and damages their physical and mental development. Please pray for children to adjust to new homes easily and naturally. Pray for good facilities for refugees, with opportunities for work and the right support.
Pray: for children to have access to nutritious food, especially those who are suffering from malnutrition. (Is.65:22-23)
More: http://www.iraqprayer.org/children.htm
Egypt: 'Christian Winter'
Egyptians drove President Hosni Mubarak from office during ‘Arab Spring’. Revolutionaries are back with cries of ‘Leave, leave, President Morsi.’ The economy is in tatters, 90% of the 45 million under 30 are unemployed and European powers are reluctant to provide financial aid until the social unrest abates. In the background of every public debate is religion. The US and European powers have blinded their eyes to the fundamental nature of the Middle East; pressure between the Islamic majority and the Christian minority is reaching a boiling point. Christians in particular have felt the heavy hand of Mubarak's police (or their absence) when attacked by extremists. Christians have been fired, denied education, harassed and killed on the basis of their faith, which they are required to declare on official government documents. It will be a tragedy if Egypt's Christians are forced to flee after 1,300 years of successful co-existence with their Muslim neighbours.
Pray: for a modern, progressive Egypt. (Pr.2:10-12)
More: http://www.christianpost.com/news/egypts-christian-winter-89885/
America: Working against nuclear threats
Defying UN warnings, North Korea conducted its third nuclear test taking a crucial step toward its goal of building a bomb small enough to be fitted on a missile capable of striking the United States. They said the atomic test was merely its ‘first response’ to what it called UN threats, (and US trade sanctions) and said it will continue with unspecified ‘second and third measures of greater intensity’ if Washington maintains its hostility. Meanwhile, the economic battlefield between the United States and Iran continues. Behind the diplomatic contacts and the military discussions, and below the radar, there quietly operates UANI, a non-profit organization with a single aim to intensify economic sanctions on Iran until it stops its nuclear programme. Its principal method is ‘putting pressure on international companies doing business in Iran’ see.
Pray: that sanctions and pressure from China would eventually cause Iran and North Korea to re-consider their stance on shutting down nuclear development programmes. (Ps.140:8)
