Antarctic sea-ice
Satellite data has shown that the sea-ice surrounding Antarctica is well below any previous recorded winter level, a worrying new benchmark for a region that once seemed resistant to global warming. An unstable Antarctica could have far-reaching consequences, polar experts warn: its huge ice expanse regulates the planet's temperature, as the white surface reflects the sun's energy back into the atmosphere and also cools the water beneath and near it. Without its ice cooling the planet, Antarctica could transform from Earth's refrigerator to a radiator. The ice that floats on the Antarctic Ocean's surface now measures less than 17 million sq km - that is 1.5 million sq km of sea-ice less than the September average, and well below previous winter record lows. That is an area of missing ice about five times the size of the British Isles. Since the 1990s, the loss of land ice from Antarctica has contributed 7.2mm to sea-level rise: even modest increases in sea levels can result in dangerously high storm surges that could wipe out coastal communities.
Venezuela: government regains control of prison
The Venezuelan government has announced that it has regained control of a notorious jail, which had been controlled by the powerful Tren de Aragua criminal gang. Some 11,000 security personnel stormed the Tocorón prison, which had been run by inmates for years and had hotel-like facilities including a pool, nightclub and a mini zoo. It doubled up as the gang’s headquarters. From it, Tren de Aragua ruled a criminal enterprise spanning several Latin American countries and reaching as far as Chile. Its members engage in human trafficking, run prostitution rings, and extort migrants. One commentator said that the clearing of the prison did not automatically constitute the end of the gang. ‘Their centre of operations has been closed down, but the leaders of this organisation and its cells abroad can continue functioning’, she said.
A miracle that has changed lives
Pastor Christopher Green stayed in a Dallas hotel as he was preaching there the next morning. As he came out of his room he saw a housekeeper and asked her what she would like God to do for her, as he was headed to church and would pray for whatever she needed. Without hesitation, she showed him a massive growth on her neck saying, ‘They’re not sure if it’s cancer. They’re doing a biopsy on it. Can you ask God to heal this growth?’ He said, ‘I felt the urge to pray for her immediately. I put my hand under her chin and said, “Such as I have, give her thee. In the name of Jesus, be whole right now.”’ As he said those words the growth shrivelled up under his hand. She opened her eyes, and said, ‘It’s gone, it’s gone! It’s gone!’ That moment changed Pastor Chris’ life, too. He realised that indeed, there is power in the name of Jesus!
Vietnam: human rights defender released
Human rights defender Nguyen Bac Truyen and his wife Bui Kim Phuong arrived in Germany on the evening of 8 September after he was released from Gia Trung prison in Vietnam. Truyen, a Hoa Hao Buddhist and legal expert who provided pro bono legal assistance to families of political prisoners, victims of land grabs, and persecuted religious communities, was abducted by Vietnamese police in Ho Chi Minh City in July 2017. He was held in incommunicado arbitrary detention for nine months, and in April 2018 he was sentenced to eleven years in prison on charges of ‘carrying out activities aimed at overthrowing the government’. Serious concerns were raised for his safety and wellbeing on many occasions during his imprisonment, including in May 2019 when he went on hunger strike along with three other prisoners of conscience in protest of the grievous ill-treatment of a fellow prisoner. Five other activists were sentenced at the same time as Truyen: two of them were released into exile in June 2018, but the other three are still in prison.
