EU faces 'lost generation' of almost 8 million young people
The European Commission has indicated it is going to delve further into the employment, social and education policies of member states as it seeks to tackle the job crisis in the EU. The continued eurozone crisis, now in its third year, has seen the Commission make recommendations in policy areas that, pre-crisis, were considered an absolute taboo. OECD secretary general Angel Gurria at the same conference pointed out that for the EU to reach its 2020 goal of having 75 percent employment in the Union, then 17 million jobs will have to be created. Gurria referred to a ‘potentially lost generation’ of 7.8 million young people who neither have a job nor are in education or training. He added that policy-makers are facing a new phenomenon of ‘structural long-term unemployment’ where people are unemployed for over two years, and the longer they are unemployed, the harder it is to get a job when one is available. Employment Commissioner Laszlo Andor called it a ‘jobs crisis.’
Pray: that ways would be found to meet the needs of the many unemployed, especially the young. (Tit.3:14)
More: http://euobserver.com/economic/117458
Libya: US ambassador killed in attack on consulate
The US ambassador to Libya has died after an attack by militiamen on the US consulate in the eastern city of Benghazi, reports say. Ambassador Christopher Stevens is said to be among four US officials killed in a protest over a US-produced film that is said to insult the Prophet Muhammad. Protesters have also attacked the US Embassy in Cairo over the film. In the attack in Benghazi, unidentified armed men stormed the grounds, shooting at buildings and throwing handmade bombs into the compound. Security forces returned fire but Libyan officials say they were overwhelmed. A Libyan official has said Ambassador Stevens died from smoke suffocation as a result of the attack.
Pray: that peace will descend on Benghazi and Cairo and this situation will not esculate into more conflict - see below. (Pr.10:12)
STOP PRESS: Yemen: US embassy stormed in capital Sanaa
Angry protesters stormed the US embassy in Sanaa, Yemen, on Thursday as regional discontent over an amateur US film mocking Islam spread throughout the region. Police used water cannons and fired warnings shots to drive the protesters out of the building, according to an AFP correspondent at the scene. There were unconfirmed reports of casualties on both sides. The protests in Sanaa come two days after a similar attack on the US consulate in the Libyan city of Benghazi resulted in the deaths of four US citizens, including the US ambassador in Libya, Christopher Stevens. There were also reports of fresh scuffles outside the US embassy in Cairo on Thursday, a day after protesters scaled the embassy walls, ripped down the US flag and replaced it with the black Islamic flag.
Pray: against further unrest in the region see above..
Bahrain: Catholic Church plans challenged by Muslim clerics
Plans in the kingdom of Bahrain to build the nation's largest Roman Catholic Church have been challenged by complaints from Sunni Muslim clerics who have signed a petition against any motions to build churches in the Arabian Peninsula, regarded as the birthplace of Islam. Bahrain, which is a constitutional monarchy ruled by King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, is heavily Muslim, with 99 percent of Bahranian people identifying as either Shia or Sunni. Although the nation also has a significant Christian population, among which are Catholics and Protestants, no official figures exist on their precise count. Religious freedom, while protected by the government, has been the subject of much contention. Sunni and Shia communities are engaged in sectarian battles, The Associated Press reported, and more than 70 Sunni clerics have warned against plans to expand the Roman Catholic Church in the Asian nation.
Pray: that these plans to build would succeed and a Church will bring glory to God. (Ps.24:9-10)
