13 JANUARY ’21 | PRAY FOR THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Dear prayer partners, The United States has experienced a traumatic and tumultuous week, with the implications thereof still unfolding. President Donald Trump is facing a historic second impeachment after Democrats in the House of Representatives formally charged him on Monday 11 January, with one count of “incitement of insurrection” over the Capitol Hill riot. The…
TANZANIAN GOVERNMENT CRACKS DOWN ON OPPOSITION AFTER DISPUTED ELECTION
Several opposition leaders were arrested in Tanzania after the 28 October presidential election gave incumbent John Magufuli five more years in power. The integrity of the election was called into question as Mr Magufuli received 84% of the vote, which is suspiciously high, according to experts. Main opposition leader Tundu Lissu said he would not…
KYRGYZSTAN’S PRESIDENT DECLARES STATE OF EMERGENCY IN POST-ELECTION CHAOS
By Donnelly McCleland Kyrgyzstan’s president on Monday [12 October] ordered a new, week-long state of emergency in the country’s capital after parliament failed to consider and approve his previous order within the legally required three days. The confusion reflected the chaos that has engulfed the country after a disputed parliamentary election triggered mass protests. According…
LEBANON CRISIS DEEPENS AS LEADERS FAIL TO FORM GOVERNMENT
Lebanese leaders have failed to form a cabinet as the French-given deadline to do so passed in mid-September. Current president Michel Aoun has expressed deep concern if a government is not formed soon. He proposed annulling sectarian quotas in the main cabinet ministries, a legacy of Lebanon’s unique confessional power-sharing system. However, this suggestion has…
AUSTRALIA AND CHINA’S STANDOFF INTENSIFIES
Australia’s media is without representation in China for the first time in nearly 50 years as the diplomatic standoff between the two countries continues. The conflict shifted its focus towards media personnel when two Australian journalists, Bill Birtles for ABC and Mike Smith for the Australian Financial Review, were detained as “persons of interest” in…
ETHIOPIA’S ESCALATING REGIONAL POLITICAL CRISIS
By Alex Pollock The feud between Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and the ruling party in the strategically important Tigray region is escalating, raising fears of military confrontation and the break-up of Africa’s second-most-populous nation. The tensions revolve around the regional government’s decision to press ahead with organising its own election for the Tigray parliament…
PROTESTS CONTINUE IN BELARUS AFTER CONTENTIOUS PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS
By Alex Pollock Alexander Lukashenko, the leader of Belarus, said on Monday (17 August) he would be ready to hold new elections and hand over power after a constitutional referendum, an attempt to pacify mass protests and strikes that pose the biggest challenge yet to his rule. (Reuters) The Election Belarus – an Eastern European…
MALAWIAN OPPOSITION LEADER WINS HISTORIC ELECTION RERUN
By Alex Pollock Lazarus Chakwera was sworn in as Malawi’s new president Sunday [28 June] after the announcement the previous night that he had won the southern African country’s rerun elections. Mr Chakwera is Malawi’s sixth president after winning the historic election held last week, the first time a court-overturned vote in Africa has resulted…
CHINA’S PROPOSED SECURITY LAW LEADS TO NEW HONG KONG PROTESTS
Protests have erupted again in Hong Kong after Beijing announced a proposed national security bill that could threaten Hong Kong’s sovereignty. The law would allow Beijing to set up intelligence agencies in Hong Kong, with the aim of “tackling secession, subversion, and terrorist activities.” Chinese Secretary for Security John Lee cited an increase in terrorism…