Sunday, August 18, 2013

Interfaith Prayers

Continued prayers for Egypt, where the violence has worsened this past week. According to BBC news 638 people including 43 police officers were killed just on Wednesday. Demonstrations followed Friday prayers.  Islamists attacked Christian churches (http://news.yahoo.com/egypt-islamists-hit-christian-churches-235144103.html) The Muslim Brotherhood faces a government ban: http://news.yahoo.com/muslim-brotherhood-calls-rallies-across-egypt-day-bloodshed-002114268.html  http://www.watoday.com.au/world/violence-in-egypt-draws-global-condemnation-as-families-continue-to-count-the-dead-20130816-2s03e.html

Thousands of refugees from Syria have been moving to Kurdistan this past week. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-23745201

UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon will tour Middle Eastern countries this week in order to support the peace negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians. http://uk.news.yahoo.com/un-chief-tour-middle-east-week-194729161.html#KG0CTvs

Roadside in Baquba near Baghdad killed 14 people and wounded 26 as Ramadan came to an end. Al Qaeda claimed responsibility for similar attacks; that group “has been boosted by the war in neighbouring Syria and discontent among Iraq's minority Sunni population,” according to a Reuters report. http://en-maktoob.news.yahoo.com/roadside-bombs-kill-14-north-baghdad-police-202430999.html

In Japan, cabinet minsters and other lawmakers visited the Yasukuni shrine on the anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War II, a visit which drew criticism from China and South Korean, where the shrine symbolizes Japan’s 1930s and 1940s war effort. The shrine has religious meaning but obviously also political meaning: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-23695131

The economy in India has drawn concern recently as the rupee drops in value against the dollar: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-23722553



No comments:

Post a Comment