Haiti: Living in the shadow of Gangs
In Port-au-Prince you cannot see the boundaries, but you must know where they are. Your life may depend on it. Competing gangs are carving up the Haitian capital, kidnapping, raping, and killing at will. They demarcate their territory in blood. Cross from one gang's turf to another, and you may not make it back.
Those who live here carry a mental map, dividing this teeming city into green, yellow, and red zones. Green means gang free, yellow can be safe today and deadly tomorrow, and red is a no-go area. The green area is shrinking as heavily armed gangs tighten their grip.
Armed groups control - and terrorise - at least 60% of the capital and its surroundings, according to Haitian human rights groups. They encircle the city, controlling roads in and out. And the UN says the gangs killed almost 1,000 people here between January and June of this year.
Kidnapping is a growth industry. There were 1,107 reported cases between January and October of this year, according to the UN. For some gangs it's a major income stream. Ransoms can run from $200 (£164) to $1m (£819,740). Most victims come back alive - if the ransom is paid - but they are made to suffer.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres proposed a "rapid action force" to confront the gangs, and the United States and Mexico proposed a security mission that would be led by an unnamed "partner country".
But most countries remain sceptical of a role in any military intervention in Haiti, noting that previous efforts such as a 2004-2017 U.N.-backed peacekeeping force did not yield sustained improvements in security.
Canada and the United States have instead imposed sanctions on Haitian politicians and business leaders accused of financing the gangs for economic and political benefit.
Pray: For God’s light to shine in the darkest corners of Haiti, for His love to overwhelm the ever-growing evil of gang warfare (John 1:4-5.)
For the safety of Haitians from kidnapping, murder, and the impact of gang warfare.
For the work of the United Nations and other international organisations working to confront violence. (Psalm 107:20)
Iran: United Nations involvement
On 14th December, Iran has been removed from the United Nations women’s body, a move pushed by the United States as the Iranian government continues to repress protests across the country.
“UN Member States just voted to remove Iran from the Commission on the Status of Women,” the US ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield said on Twitter following the vote. “Iranian women and activists called on us to do this – and today, we got it done.”
Iran has rejected a newly-appointed independent U.N. investigation into the country's repression of anti-government protests, the foreign ministry said, as demonstrations showed no sign of abating.
"Iran will have no cooperation with the political committee formed by the U.N. Rights Council," ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said.
The U.N. Rights Council voted to appoint a probe into Iran's deadly crackdown on protests. Volker Turk, the U.N. rights commissioner, had earlier demanded that Iran end its "disproportionate" use of force in quashing protests that erupted after the death in custody of 22-year-old Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini on Sept. 16.
Activist news agency HRANA said 450 protesters had been killed in more than two months of nationwide unrest as of Nov. 26, including 63 minors. It said 60 members of the security forces had been killed, and 18,173 protesters detained.
The unrest has posed one of the boldest challenges to Iran's clerical ruling elite since it came to power in the 1979 Islamic revolution, though authorities have crushed previous rounds of major protests. Iran has blamed foreign foes and their agents for the unrest.
More: Reuters
Pray: Asrin’s Prayer for Iran (Prayer 24-7)
Heavenly Father,
With a breaking heart, I lift up my country to you.
Comfort
As we watch the pain, sorrow and violence spreading across Iran right now, we thank you that you are the God of all comfort.
We grieve for those hurting. We lift up especially the family of Zhina Mahsa Amini, and the loved ones of those who have died or been injured in the protests. Please, show them your comfort. You alone can ease this pain.
Many protestors have been arrested and their families do not know where they are. Many people are afraid to leave their homes amid the unrest. Many people are so hurt and angry they are consumed by it. Please, reveal your comfort to them. Comfort my country, Lord.
Hope
Now more than ever, Iran needs your hope.
So many of our people don’t know you. They are hurt, they are angry and despairing. They desperately need hope. They feel unseen and unheard. But Father, you see all. You hear the cry of every heart.
Now is the most important time for our people to hear and receive your Good News. Lord, open their hearts. Bring them near to you. Let them enter into your living hope.
Courage
Lord, you have many faithful people in Iran. Strengthen your church to be courageous as they go out to share your love with the hurting. Be with them by your Spirit and protect them as they go on prayer walks, as they hold out your words of hope, as they minister to people practically.
Awaken your church in Iran to be fully present with those who are buried deep in pain and anger. And awaken your global Church to know how to pray and act at this time.
Light
Father, we ask that no more of Iran’s daughters or sons would be killed. Restrain the violence, we pray. May many lay down their weapons and refuse to use violence.
We pray the fear of God would enter the hearts of Iran’s leaders: that they would repent and turn to you. Lord, free our beautiful nation from oppression.
Lord, dispel the darkness, the anguish and the suffering from our land. Let your light break through!
Maranatha. Come, Lord Jesus.
Amen.
China: Covid controls eased following protests
Hospitals in China appear to be filling up amid concerns about a fresh Covid-19 wave hitting the country, the World Health Organization (WHO) says. Dr Michael Ryan says intensive care units (ICU) are busy despite officials saying numbers are "relatively low". In recent days hospitals in Beijing and other cities have been filling up as the latest Covid surge hits China.
Since 2020, China has imposed strict health restrictions as part of its zero Covid policy.
But, the government ended most of those measures two weeks ago after landmark protests against the strict controls.
In a significant easing of Covid controls, the Chinese government said that people will no longer need to show negative virus tests or health codes in order to travel between different parts of the country. Chinese authorities also said that unless an area is designated as high-risk, work and local production cannot be stopped.
In an example of how strict Covid controls had become in mainland China, the capital city of Beijing this year increasingly required people to scan a health code with a smartphone app in order to enter public venues. The health code then had to show a negative virus test result from within the last two or three days. If the health code decided the user had come into contact with an infection or Covid risk area, the app would show a pop-up window, making it impossible for the person to enter public areas, or board a train or airplane until the pop-up was resolved. The capital city relaxed its health code scanning requirements on Tuesday.
Despite a national easing in Covid measures in mid-November, a surge of infections and the ensuing local implementation of China’s stringent zero-Covid policy added to people’s frustration with the controls. Students and groups of people held public protests during the last weekend of November. The unrest was triggered by a fire in a high-rise block in the western Xinjiang region that killed 10 people last week. Many Chinese believe long-running Covid restrictions in the city contributed to the deaths, although the authorities deny this.
It led to days of widespread protests across various cities, which have since ebbed amid a heavy police presence. Thousands of Chinese in more than 20 cities took to the streets beginning on November 25, frustrated by lengthy COVID-19 lockdowns, widespread testing and other restrictions placed on people's movements. It was one of the largest acts of public dissent in China in decades.
While most of the protesters focused their anger on the government's COVID-19 policies, some also demanded the resignation of President Xi Jinping. The government considers such speech subversive. Though government officials did not publicly mention the protesters, they suggested easing restrictions within days of the first protests to head off any more demonstrations. Videos of protesters across the country captured demonstrators raising blank sheets of paper, a quiet show of dissent and a tactic used to evade censorship and prosecution.
Pray: From Premier Christian News
Almighty God,
May you bless all who are persecuted and under threat.
We pray for an end to the unrest in China, Iran and other parts of the world.
May those who do not know you, come to follow you and your example of love and hope.
In Jesus' name, Amen.
Indonesia: Recovering after earthquake
A 5.8-magnitude earthquake hit Indonesia’s main island of Java on 8th December with no immediate reports of damage, less than a month after another quake in the same province killed more than 300 people.
The quake struck at 07:50 am local time (0050 GMT) around 15 kilometres from the town of Cianjur, epicentre of November’s devastating tremor, the United States Geological Survey said. It said there was a low likelihood of casualties or damage following the quake, which struck at a depth of 123 kilometres (76 miles).
Last month, a shallow 5.6-magnitude earthquake hit Cianjur, triggering landslides and collapsing buildings, killing at least 334 people, injuring thousands and leaving tens of thousands more homeless.
Save the Children warned this week that evacuees faced a “ticking time bomb” of disease and infection due to poor living conditions. Thousands of cases of respiratory infections and hundreds of cases of diarrhoea have been reported.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo is visiting the area on Thursday to distribute aid to affected residents. The tremor that struck Cinajur on November 21 was the deadliest in the archipelago nation since a 2018 quake and resulting tsunami killed more than 4,000 people on the island of Sulawesi. Indonesia experiences frequent seismic and volcanic activity due to its position on the Pacific “Ring of Fire”, where tectonic plates collide.
More: PUNCHNG
Pray: President of the Uniting Church in Australia Rev Sharon Hollis has offered this prayer:
God of mercy,
We pray for the people of Indonesia
and particularly the people of West Java
following the recent earthquake.
Be with them as they search for survivors
and recover the bodies of those who have died.
God of love we pray
For comfort for those grieving
For healing for those who are injured
For strength for first responders and medical staff
For wisdom for those who will plan the recovery.
Grant the people of West Java courage and strength
as they rebuild homes and businesses.
Grant them hope and resilience
as they rebuild lives and communities.
Stir up a spirit of generosity in us
that we may respond to the needs of our neighbours
with abundance and open heartedness. Amen.
We will focus our prayers on strategic unreached cities in each of these nations. 90 percent of the remaining unreached peoples of the world live in or near 110 strategic mega cities in these Buddhist, Muslim, Jewish and Hindu nations. 
What an amazing testimony of reaching children with the true message of Christmas - Christ with us. You can be a part of reaching the nations with the message of salvation during the holidays!
