AUSTRALIAN   PRAYER   NETWORK   NEWSLETTER

* SNAP SHOT OF WORLD TROUBLE SPOTS
* AFRICAN LEADERS SNUFF OUT FLAMES OF DISCONTENT
* NIGERIA: THOUSANDS DISPLACED AS ATTACKS ON VILLAGES
CONTINUE
* MARYLAND STATE IN THE U.S.A. DEFEATS SAME SEX MARRIAGE
BILL
* JAPAN’S TRAGEDY TURNS SPIRITUAL
* GOD SAVES CREW IN MICROLIGHT PLANE
CRASH

———————————————–

SNAP SHOT OF
WORLD TROUBLE SPOTS

JAPAN
The tsunami generated by the enormous earthquake that struck
Japan on March 10, may have killed tens of thousands of people. The
damaged  nuclear power plant has resulted in  nuclear rods being
exposed, thus risking meltdown and dangerous radioactive leaks. On
the heels of these disasters a volcano has erupted on one of the
Japanese islands.
BAHRAIN
Following  large protests in Bahrain, troops were dispatched
by Saudi Arabia to help the government maintain control.
Demonstrators quickly labelled this an “occupation” and claimed Saudi
Arabia had declared war on Bahrain. Some are saying this could become
a “proxy war” between Saudi Arabia and Iran.
LIBYA
Government forces are continuing to fight the rebels who took
control of several cities after protests and violence broke out last
month. While Western nations have established a no-fly zone over
Libya, leader Muammar al-Qadhafi continues to cling to power.

EGYPT
The resignation of President Hosni Mubarak was considered a
victory for protesters and opposition groups. However, it has left a
leadership void and the future of Egypt remains
uncertain.  Constitutional amendments important to Christians were
defeated in a  referendum last month after being opposed by most
political organizations and parties in Egypt
YEMEN
Although President Ali Abdullah Saleh has made “modest
concessions,” pro-democracy protests are continuing in Yemen. In the
most recent conflict, riot police used tear gas, live ammunition and
water cannons in their attempts to control crowds. Western
journalists are also being ejected from the country. The arrests and
deportations of foreign journalists are very worrying sign of
nervousness on the part of the authorities.
SUDAN
There have been at least 16 violent attacks against South
Sudan since citizens there voted to secede from North Sudan.  The
Southern Sudan Liberation Movement has accused President Omar
al-Bashir of supplying weapons to the militias carrying out these
attacks. Despite this conflict, the South is still scheduled to
become independent on July 9. At that time it will “assume control of
about three-quarters of Sudan’s current oil production.”
Source: Windows International
Network
———————————————–
AFRICAN LEADERS
SNUFF OUT FLAMES OF DISCONTENT
Mass demonstrations forced out rulers in Egypt and Tunisia after
decades in office, but in Zimbabwe,  whose leader has been in power
for 32 years, even watching video footage of those uprisings can lead
to treason charges punishable by death. With intimidation and
arrests, longtime African rulers like Zimbabwean President Robert
Mugabe are trying to prevent people’s revolts like the ones that have
ignited North African countries. So far, they have kept the revolts
at bay with tear gas, intimidation, arrests, censorship and handouts.

In a number of countries State-controlled TV are not allowed to show
video footage from North Africa. In Cameroon, the government ordered
cell phone companies to suspend mobile services for Twitter. This
came after people used the social networking site to mobilise
protests in North African countries. Sub-Saharan Africa shares many
of the root causes that have prompted the uprisings in the north:
rising food prices, youth unemployment and repressive regimes that
survive by rigging elections.
Sub-Saharan Africa’s politics is tribally based, a fact  that leaders
use to win allegiance and divide and rule. It’s a tribalism that
helps sustain Libya’s  Gadhafi and Zimbabwe’s Mugabe. People in
Swaziland, recently staged a mass protest  over freezing civil service
wages while their King awarded himself a 24% increase in his budget
allocation. In Zimbabwe, people are held back from taking to the
streets by fears of the beatings and torture meted out to dissenters,
while Mugabe is sustained by the lack of criticism and even support
from other African leaders.
Angola’s ruler, President Eduardo dos Santos, has used  troop
deployments and arrests to quash a planned pro-democracy protest.
Opposition politicians and human rights lawyers in Angola, have
received anonymous death threats and for some, even jail terms. Riot
police recently moved against an estimated 6,000 people at an
opposition  rally, where five people were killed and dozens wounded.

In Uganda police fired tear gas against people protesting alleged
rigging in the recent   presidential vote that saw incumbent Yoweri
Museveni, win again. He threatened his opponents. “I will deal with
them decisively and they will never rise again,” Museveni said. More
than a dozen presidential elections are scheduled across Africa this
year. If winners of free and fair elections are prevented from taking
office, the people’s discontent can only build.
Source: Intercessors
Network
———————————————–
NIGERIA: THOUSANDS
DISPLACED AS ATTACKS ON VILLAGES CONTINUE
Over 4000 people are reported to have been displaced in night attacks
by heavily-armed Fulani tribesmen in Bauchi State. These attacks have
continued despite the deployment of security personnel to the area.
According to church sources, so far around 463 homes, 11 shops and 13
churches have been torched. Nigeria ¢â‚¬â„¢s National Emergency Management
Agency (NEMA) also reports that it was currently caring for
approximately 4500 internally displaced people (IDP ¢â‚¬â„¢s) in makeshift
camps set up in primary schools in eight localities.
Local sources attribute the attacks to a group of around 2,000
militants from northern Nigerian states. According to information
received by the Bauchi Chapter of the Christian Association of
Nigeria (CAN), the group plans to  ¢â‚¬Å“storm the area for fourteen days ¢â‚¬ .
The area is predominantly inhabited by non-Muslims from the Tsayawa
tribe. The area has experienced numerous sectarian attacks since
1991, when close to 1000 villages were burnt, 173 churches were
destroyed, and 400 people lost their lives.
In a comment to a local newspaper after the initial outbreak of
violence, Bukuta Zhadi, Secretary of the Tsawaya Council of Elders in
Bogoro and Tafawa Balewa, blamed the outbreak of violence on a
statement allegedly madeby Bauchi State Governor Isa Yaguda, where he
reportedly threatened to  ¢â‚¬Å“demolish the area and hand it over to the
Fulani men for grazing, should there ever be any disturbance again by
the people ¢â‚¬ ¦ So the governor has actually succeeded in destroying the
area ¢â‚¬ .
Christian Solidarity Worldwide Advocacy Director Andrew Johnston
said:  ¢â‚¬Å“It is unacceptable that lives are being lost and such
large-scale destruction is occurring. Moreover, given the area ¢â‚¬â„¢s
history of sectarian tension and violence, it would be profoundly
disappointing if the Governor of Bauchi did indeed make the remarks
attributed to him, as they would not only be deeply irresponsible,
but unworthy of the senior public servant of any state. If these
allegations are true the people  can only be protected by  security
measures taken at a federal level.”
Source: Christian Solidarity
Worldwide
———————————————–
MARYLAND STATE IN
THE U.S.A. DEFEATS SAME SEX MARRIAGE BILL
A Bill which would have legalised homosexual marriage in one of
America ¢â‚¬â„¢s most liberal states has been thrown out. Both sides of the
debate expressed surprise at the outcome, as it had been touted as a
 ¢â‚¬Å“done deal ¢â‚¬ .  It is widely believed that Maryland ¢â‚¬â„¢s black churches
were key in securing the Bill ¢â‚¬â„¢s defeat.  In the only public debate on
the matter, a number of openly homosexual delegates urged their
colleagues to legalise same-sex marriages as a matter of civil
rights.
But Derek McCoy, President of the Maryland Family Council, said:
 ¢â‚¬Å“This is not a civil rights issue ¢â‚¬ . He went on:  ¢â‚¬Å“This is an issue
where there are a group of radical folks who want to push an agenda
and want to redefine it for everybody else. ¢â‚¬  The Bill had already
been through the more conservative State Senate last month, so it
came as a surprise to all concerned when the House of Delegates
rejected it.  The failure of the Bill to be made law has been put down
to the  ¢â‚¬Å“mass mobilization ¢â‚¬  of the State ¢â‚¬â„¢s African-American churches.

Advocates of  same sex marriage didn ¢â‚¬â„¢t anticipate the mass
mobilization of black churches, which began preaching against the
legislation and urging parishioners to contact their
lawmakers. ¢â‚¬   Brian Brown, President of the National Organisation for
Marriage (NOM), said:  ¢â‚¬Å“This was a big victory. If you look back a few
months ago ¢â‚¬ , he went on,  ¢â‚¬Å“I don ¢â‚¬â„¢t think anyone would have predicted
this. ¢â‚¬    The impact of African-American churches on the Bill ¢â‚¬â„¢s defeat
was significant, according to a number of delegates.  ¢â‚¬Å“Black churches
have never asked us for anything ¢â‚¬ , said Del. Cheryl Glenn during the
debate.  ¢â‚¬Å“They are asking us now,  ¢â‚¬ËœDon ¢â‚¬â„¢t use the word marriage ¢â‚¬â„¢ ¢â‚¬ .

Baltimore Democrat Del. Tamadge Branch said his pastor had lobbied
him heavily, while other pastors had raised the matter passionately
during church services. The Rev. Franklin Lance, pastor at Mount
Lebanon Baptist Church, said members asked questions about gay
marriage at Bible study.  ¢â‚¬Å“In talking to my congregants, we have
simply been saying that we believe that marriage should be defined as
between a man and woman, ¢â‚¬  he said.  ¢â‚¬Å“This is not to be negative
toward  anyone else ¢â‚¬ , he added.  ¢â‚¬Å“We do believe that marriage is
sacred. We believe it ¢â‚¬â„¢s holy. ¢â‚¬ 
Source: The Christian
Institute
———————————————–
JAPAN’S TRAGEDY
TURNS SPIRITUAL
Warren Janzen, the International Director of SEND International, has
given  a sobering update on the situation in Japan, noting  the
disaster is now taking on a “spiritual tone.” The governor of Tokyo,
Shintaro Ishihara, recently made a public statement that he feared
the Japanese were being “punished.”   This has opened up a public
discussion on spiritual things” Janzen said.  “Some of our
missionaries are talking to people about the earthquake, the tsunami,
and the nuclear situation here. People are willingly engaging in
spiritual conversation.  That’s just not typical in Japan.”

Janzen  also said that it was  a kairos moment for Japan. “We believe
this an appointed time in  God,” he said. Help from numerous countries
around the world has now arrived in Japan to help survivors.
Engineers are working around the clock  to get the reactor cooling
systems back up whilst efforts continue  on the ground providing
whatever relief is needed to meet the massive human need that still
exists.  Please continue to pray for Japan and her people in this
tragedy.
Source: Mission Network
News
———————————————–
GOD SAVES CREW IN
MICROLIGHT PLANE CRASH
As their small plane ran out of fuel and began plunging toward earth,
Pilot Owen Wilson told his passenger Grant Stubbs to, “Pray, just
pray!”   The two desperately turned to God for deliverance, and landed
safely beside a huge sign reading: “Jesus is Lord. “When you’re in a
microlight, if you crash, you usually die,” said Stubbs. “The
aircraft was coughing and spluttering as we headed towards a hill and
Mr. Wilson told me that for some inexplicable reason we had run out
of fuel. So I said to him: ‘What should we do?’ And he said: ‘You
just pray, Grant.'”
“When we saw  the “Jesus is Lord” sign, we both burst out laughing,”
said Stubbs, who admitted that like Wilson, they weren’t particularly
religious…at least not till then.  The property the two landed on
was owned by a Christian couple. Said Stubbs: “When Owen told me to
pray, I really did pray to God to get us over the ridge and find us
somewhere to land,” and after touching down Stubbs said it was
“almost like landing in Heaven,” noting that animals that live on the
property came wandering over to greet them. “It was a powerful
testimony,” concluded Stubbs.
Source: The Daily
Mail

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