Displaying items by tag: Europe

On this day a national referendum to ratify Cuba's new constitution will take place; the government says that gay marriage protections will be removed from the draft, but this is still being argued by politicians. Moldova’s elections are under a new mixed electoral system which people do not trust. Pray for peaceful electioneering and outcomes in both these situations. Since the military coup in Thailand, a new political party, the youthful Future Forward Party, has emerged (see). Critics say the constitution dilutes the power of elected governments and embeds the role of the military role in politics and policy for the next twenty years. Activists have been calling on the government not to postpone the election again, amid fears that it might do so.

Emmanuel Macron delivered a defiant New Year's address on TV, vowing to push forward with economic reforms despite the protests by the ‘yellow vests’ over the past two months. He acknowledged their anger over injustices, but he also strongly condemned their leaders, ‘who claim to speak for the people, but in fact speak for a hateful mob - attacking elected representatives, security forces, journalists, Jews, foreigners and homosexuals - these are quite simply the negation of France.’ He promised that his economic reforms would continue despite the prolonged clashes between protesters and security forces that have turned French cities into battlegrounds, and rejected demands for referendums on major policy decisions and the possibility of ousting elected representatives, including the president himself. The ‘yellow vests’ vowed to continue their protests.

Mount Etna volcano is restless, with small earthquakes and steam emissions continuing for six days. Aerial footage by emergency services has revealed the scale of the damage from the two earthquakes (4.3 and 4.8 magnitude) which injured 28 people and left 600 homeless across a broad area near Catania, one of the most densely populated metropolitan districts in Sicily. More lava was being spewed out on 1 January: see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E42VCLuJC4I Strong gas and dense ash emissions have been rising, prompting frightened villagers to flee their homes. Italy's civil protection officials said that the quakes were part of a swarm of 1,000 tremors, most of them barely perceptible, that are linked to Etna's ongoing recent eruption.

For days, thousands of Hungarians have demonstrated against the rule of prime minister Viktor Orban (see ). Opposition parties, student groups and civilians object to two new laws: one allows employers to ask for up to 400 hours of overtime work per year, and the other has set up a parallel judicial system which will severely undermine judicial independence. A Budapest-based research group observing the protests said there is a committed opposition against the government, and it could be the starting point of a broader movement. Meanwhile, French 'yellow vest' protesters have demonstrated for five consecutive Saturdays against President Macron’s rule. The movement was initially against fuel taxes, then education reforms, and now many issues bring them to the streets, even though their protests have forced the government to adjust its economic course. Also, the UN migration pact has brought thousands of demonstrators on marches in Brussels near major EU facilities, amid fears that it could lead to an increase in immigration.

Young men brought clubs and brass knuckles to Pechersk Monastery in Kiev, intent on disrupting worship. Police spread-eagled them against a wall depicting centuries-old frescoes of saints, then hauled them away. Meanwhile at a small church in the centre of Kiev, a dozen men organised round-the-clock guard duty against nationalist radicals making their third attempt in a year to seize their place of worship. These incidents underline Ukraine’s potent, possibly explosive mix of politics, religious faith, and national identity that is emerging in the creation of an Orthodox church of its own. There are deep concerns about what will happen to the 12,000 churches and their property in the church split. The war between Ukrainian forces and Russia-backed separatists, which has killed 10,000+ people, has increased hostility towards the Moscow Patriarchate churches. With such passions on both sides, it is feared that more violence between the two sides lies ahead.

An artwork was unveiled in London on 11 December, to coincide with the climate change conference taking place in Poland. Centuries-old Greenland icebergs weighing between 1.5 and 6 tonnes keep melting. This installation seeks to bring the effects of climate change closer to home, putting people in direct contact with its effects. The icebergs remind us we have only twelve years to limit the worst effects of climate change, and they also represent another 10,000 blocks of ice which are falling from the same ice sheet in Greenland every single second. ‘People need to face the tangible consequences of their actions’, states the artist on his website. Meanwhile NASA has detected new signs of large glaciers in East Antarctica losing ice. This area has long been considered more stable than West Antarctica.

In addition to all Europe’s other problems, falling birth rates pose a huge threat to family and national life. At present there is no EU member state that has a birth rate high enough to enable the renewal of the population that is ageing. The demographers and political decision-makers need to pay attention to this situation and find solutions through policy-making. Last year, more deaths than births were recorded across the EU, meaning that the natural change of population was negative. Pray for a political and social environment that favours marriage and family. The Gospel is the profound response to change people’s hearts and convert corrupt systems in our societies.

Preachers at the Bethel Church in the Hague have been holding a round-the-clock service for over a month to stop a family of Armenian asylum seekers being deported. The family has lived in the Netherlands for nine years, integrated into the community, and made friends. But a court ruled on 25 October that they must return to Armenia. A centuries-old tradition states that authorities cannot enter a church while a service is taking place, so a service has continued since 26 October. The Tamrazyan family - mother, father, two daughters and a son - are staying inside the church, and therefore avoiding immigration authorities. The family’s asylum issue is still unresolved. The Dutch ‘children's pardon’ grants asylum to children who have lived there for over five years while their asylum application is processed. This action also calls attention to the fate of 400 children in similar circumstances.

Participants at the UN climate talks in Poland have discussed how they will keep promises made in 2015 to reduce their climate footprint by 2020. Global warming occurs when carbon dioxide and methane emissions increase, trapping solar energy. As more gases enter the atmosphere, earth’s temperature rises rise; changing the timing and length of seasons and the amount and frequency of rainfall - rising sea levels, flooding, droughts and a range of ecosystem changes affecting life on earth. Two years ago, research found (see) that widespread adoption of vegetarian diets would cut food-related emissions by 63%. There are 3.6 billion sheep, cattle, goats and buffalo on the planet, 50% more than fifty years ago. Methane from their digestive systems is the single biggest human-related source of greenhouse gas. This is a great concern to the livestock industry worldwide. See also

In Florian Dou’s shopping cart there was a packet of sausages and not much else. He had spent all his salary ten days before the end of the month. To survive when the money runs out before the next payday is a monthly challenge for him and many others in provincial French towns. Mr Dou was angry, and used what money he had left to drive 250 miles to join fiery protests in Paris, where police moved in with teargas, water cannon and rubber bullets against those protesting against fuel tax and price rises. Dou vowed the protesters are not going anywhere: see https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/02/world/europe/france-yellow-vest-protests.html The gilets jaunes (‘yellow vests’) protests have come to embody widespread disillusionment with President Macron and are gaining intensity. Macron has now abandoned fuel tax increases. Some protesters said his surrender came too late, and does nothing to quell the mounting anger at a government they consider out of touch with the problems of ordinary people.