Sturgeon strike chaos
First minister Nicola Sturgeon has faced scathing criticism over her handling of the chaos caused by binmen striking in over 60% of Scotland’s councils until the end of August. Walkouts in a further twenty councils start on 6 September. While piles of rat-infested rubbish line Scotland’s streets, Ms Sturgeon is having rubbish collected from her official residence by taxpayer-funded contractors. Teachers are also to ballot for industrial action, which would see primary schools and nurseries shut. Cleaners, janitors, catering staff and pupil support staff will walk out from 6 to 8 September, forcing the closure of a thousand schools and nurseries. Over 80% of Unite members from Scotland’s exam board have also voted to walk out following the pay dispute. Mail and train workers will also strike in September.
Ukraine: UN team inspect Zaporizhzhia
On 1 September, shelling near Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant complex forced a visit by UN experts to be delayed. Earlier, Energoatom said Russian shelling forced the shutdown of one of only two operating reactors, while Moscow said it had thwarted a Ukrainian attempt to seize the plant. There are regular incidents at or near Zaporizhzhya. The plant was recently disconnected from Ukraine's power grid and back-up generators kicked in to supply power after fires damaged overhead power lines, cutting the plant off for the first time in its history. The director of IAEA, Rafael Grossi, said the team had made good progress on the first day of their inspection and would be staying on. Residents near the site were given iodine tablets recently in case of a radiation leak.
Exodus of Russian Jews
Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, 20,500 of Russia’s Jews (12.5%) have moved to Israel, where anyone who has at least one Jewish grandparent has the right to citizenship. An estimated 30,000 other dual passport holders have left Russia for Israel since March. Thousands more have moved to other countries. In March Moscow’s former chief rabbi Goldschmidt fled to Israel, where he now lives in exile. He said that the Jewish community was pressured to support the war publicly, but did not want to do so. Many believe the security and future of Russian Jews depends on Israel-Russia relations, which currently are extremely precarious, especially after Israeli premier Yair Lapid condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Lapid also made it clear that the threatened closure of the Russian branch of the Jewish Agency would be a ‘serious event’, potentially endangering bilateral ties.
Pakistan: flood disaster
On 30 August Pakistan and the UN launched a joint appeal for $160 million to help Pakistan recover from monsoon floods that have put 1/3 of the country under water. On 1 September the UK announced a further £15 million for shelter and essential supplies to over 33 million people. Over 1,100 lives have been lost, whilst roads, crops, homes and bridges have been washed away. Pray for the bereaved to be comforted and the isolated to be rescued. Pray for the immediate needs of water, sanitation, shelter and protection to reach the needy quickly. Pray for help to reach families who must repair their homes and maintain their livelihoods. Pray for communities to be free of diseases carried by polluted water. Pray for the nation to find ways of importing vegetables as it faces serious food shortages in the coming months: it could even consider importing from arch-rival India.
