Gaza Strip: Israeli raids after rockets
Israeli warplanes carried out three raids against the Gaza Strip Wednesday after militants pounded Israel with rockets. The raids targeted a training centre for the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas at Rafah in the south of the Strip, a ‘workshop’ in Gaza City and Hamas naval police installations in the north. The Brigades fired 45 rockets in 24 hours at Israeli territory injuring four border guards, one seriously, after a direct hit on a border police outpost. The rocket attacks on Israel came after six Palestinians were killed and five others injured in a series of air strikes across the coastal strip. In a rare show of force, militants from the armed wing of the ruling Hamas movement said they would continue firing unless the air strikes ended. There has been a sharp increase in rocket fire recently. An anonymous Gaza Palestinian official said Egypt was making efforts to restore calm between the Palestinian movements and Israel.
Pray: God would protect the innocent, repair the broken hearts, renew the minds of those in pain, and infuse hope and life into minds set on retribution. (Job 8:6)
Major study shows children need love from fathers as much as mothers
A major study has confirmed that the absence of a father figure can be damaging to a child’s life, and that the love of a father is equally important to the emotional well-being of children as that of a mother. The study, which reviewed 36 studies from around the world, found that the absence of fatherly love in a child’s life can have serious psychological consequences which persist into adulthood, since rejection in childhood has the most ‘strong and consistent effect on personality and development’. The study suggests that rejection from a father can cause long-term problems for children that last for decades, including anxiety, insecurity and low self-esteem. The study found that such children tend to shut themselves off emotionally, and consequently find it harder to build relationships later in life. Andrea Williams, CEO of Christian Concern, said: ‘The study confirms what has been known for decades - that two natural parents in a life-long marriage provide the ideal conditions for raising children.
Pray: for wider recognition of the importance of stable families with a mother and a father especially by government. Also pray for those who are in single parent families particularly those who are unsupported in any way. (Eph.6:1-4)
Mental health 'shockingly' under-treated, claims report
Only a quarter of people under 65 with mental health problems are receiving care, according to a landmark report that is highly critical of the lack of access to therapy. The authors of the report, led by academics at the London School of Economics, say those who cannot get treatment are essentially being discriminated against. They say that mental health now accounts for almost half the total burden of ill health suffered by people under 65. However, they found that only a quarter of children and adults of working age received treatment, due in part to poor provision. Ministers have promised to raise the profile of mental health services - using such slogans as ‘no health without mental health’, but the report’s authors want them to back up their words with action. They say: ‘The under-treatment of people with crippling mental illnesses is the most glaring case of health inequality in our country.
Pray: for all those affected by such illness and their needs may be better met. (3Jn.1:2)
Churches attack Cameron's plan to redefine poverty
Three of the UK's largest Christian Churches have criticised government proposals to change the way that poverty is measured. The Methodist Church, Baptist Union of Great Britain and United Reformed Church said that the proposals continue a trend of blaming the poor for their own poverty. ‘These proposals risk further stigmatising the poor in the eyes of voters and the media,’ said Paul Morrison, Public Issues Adviser for the Methodist Church. ‘It is universally acknowledged that poverty is a relative concept. These proposals seek to undermine the idea that relative poverty matters, by focusing on other issues. At its worst it will seek to measure the 'faults' of the poor, further blaming them for poverty’ We are called to stand alongside the poorest and most vulnerable in society,’ insisted Morrison, who accused the government of avoiding the real issues. He added, ‘Recession, low pay and decreasing benefits are driving poverty and none of these are the fault of the poor’.
Pray: for better understanding and agreement of poverty and how best it can be tackled. (Pr.14:31)
