Europe fiddles as Libya burns
Disagreement between European countries over Libya has moved from the merely embarrassing to the wholly humiliating, after Germany again blocked Anglo-French no-fly zone proposals at a G8 meeting in Paris. The EU's Libya debacle is now the foreign policy equivalent of last year's eurozone meltdown, and similarly damaging to its global credibility and influence. Once again, Europe is being forced to confront an unpalatable truth: unless the US takes the lead, nothing gets done. Alain Juppé, France's foreign minister, suggested Europe had left it too late to stop Gaddafi winning. ‘If we had used military force last week to neutralise some airstrips and the several dozen planes that they have, perhaps the reversal taking place to the detriment of the opposition wouldn't have happened,’ Juppé told Europe-1 radio. ‘But that's the past. What is happening today shows us that we may have let slip by a chance.’ Pray: that God will have mercy on those who are afflicted and pray for wisdom for the EU over its decisions. (Ps.9:18) More: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/mar/15/europe-libya-intervention-eu-us
China: Company ‘legally’ publishes 110 Christian books
An Englishman now living in China has revealed that the company he works for has now brought out 110 Christian books – with the full permission of the government. This surprising fact was revealed by David Wright, General Manager of ZDL Books, during a recent interview at NRB 2011 in Nashville, Tennessee. ‘I work for an organization called ZDL and we are based in Beijing and are focused on bringing Christian content legally to China,’ Wright began. ‘We have worked since 2003 to do that and today we have around 110 legally approved books that are being distributed all over the country. We also have a number of websites that have been built and are distributing content all over the country and we’re running training events which again are all open and legal.’ Praise: God for the spread of His Word. (Rom.10:15)
China: Company ‘legally’ publishes 110 Christian books
An Englishman now living in China has revealed that the company he works for has now brought out 110 Christian books – with the full permission of the government. This surprising fact was revealed by David Wright, General Manager of ZDL Books, during a recent interview at NRB 2011 in Nashville, Tennessee. ‘I work for an organization called ZDL and we are based in Beijing and are focused on bringing Christian content legally to China,’ Wright began. ‘We have worked since 2003 to do that and today we have around 110 legally approved books that are being distributed all over the country. We also have a number of websites that have been built and are distributing content all over the country and we’re running training events which again are all open and legal.’ Praise: God for the spread of His Word. (Rom.10:15)
Malaysia: 35,000 Bibles released in 'Allah' row
The Malaysian government has said it will release 35,000 Bibles that have been impounded for months for using the word ‘Allah’ in reference to God. The Bibles were printed in Indonesia for Christians in the Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak. Muslim groups protested against the Christian use of the word Allah, saying it is an attempt to make Christianity appeal to Muslims. Malaysia's constitution promises freedom of worship to all faiths, however Malay-language Bibles containing the word Allah have repeatedly been blocked at customs over the years even though they have been using the word Allah in Bibles since 1963, before Malaysia was formed as a federal state. Rising Malay and Muslim consciousness, sparked by Malay nationalist groups seeking political power, has brought the issue to the fore in recent years, but we can praise God that His word will be spoken, read, sung, and prayed in Malaysia regardless of opposition. Praise: God for this decision and intercede for more demonstrations of His authority wherever the Good News is resisted.
