Today's Daily Brief
1. McCain, Obama Tilt Over al-Qaida in Iraq - NewsMax
Republican presidential hopeful John McCain mocked Barack Obama's view of al-Qaida in Iraq, and Democratic contender responded that GOP policies brought the terrorist group there.
2. House OKs New Taxes on Big Oil Companies - AP
The House approved $18 billion in new taxes on the largest oil companies Wednesday as Democrats cited record oil prices and rising gasoline costs in a time of economic troubles.
3. Rebate Checks Expected to Be Delivered in May - CNSNews.com
U.S. taxpayers should expect to receive their rebate checks as part of the $152 billion economic stimulus package in May, President Bush said Thursday.
4. Russia tells Iran to halt enrichment or face sanctions - Int'l Herald Tribune
Russia warned Iran on Wednesday that unless it ceased uranium enrichment within days Moscow would support new UN sanctions being prepared by the West against the Islamic Republic.
5. China may scrap one-child policy, official says - Reuters
China, worried about an ageing population, is studying scrapping its controversial one-child policy but will not do away with family-planning policies altogether, a senior official said on Thursday.
6. Rare criticism in Iran of Ahmadinejad rhetoric on Israel - AFP The Middle East in Focus 1. As bigger rockets reach Ashkelon, Barak warns war is approaching - Israel Insider 2. Israel prepares for assault on Gaza - Jerusalem Post 3. First Temple seal found in City of David - Jerusalem Post Prayers for the Persecuted Church 1. KENYA: Ministry Shares Impact of Violence - Mission Network News 2. TURKEY: Radical Revision of Islamic Texts Underway - ICC 3. ERITREA: Eritrea Releases Christian Prisoners; Torture Continues Elsewhere - Worthy News 4. ALGERIA: Algeria Expels American Protestant Pastor - Worthy News
A top Iranian cleric made a rare criticism of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's verbal attacks on Israel on Wednesday, saying a foreign policy of "coarse slogans" was not in the national interest.
This week, for all the headlines cited below, please join us in proclaiming THIS DECREE:
"On that day I will set out to destroy all the nations that attack Jerusalem." (Zech. 12:9))
Terrorists in Gaza stepped up their campaign against southern Israel on Thursday, firing dozens of Qassam rockets and ten longer-range Grad rockets, ten of which hit Ashkelon, some 10 km from the Gaza border, one of them slamming into a home.
As Hamas drew Ashkelon into the circle of communities coming under heavy rocket attacks, Defense Minister Ehud Barak and the Foreign Ministry on Thursday began preparing both Israeli and world opinion for the possibility of a large-scale incursion into Gaza.
An ancient seal bearing an archaic Hebrew inscription dating back to the 8th century BCE has been uncovered in an archeological excavation in Jerusalem's City of David, the Israel Antiquities Authority announced Thursday.
This week, for all the headlines cited below, please join us in proclaiming THIS DECREE:
"Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth." (Psalm 124:8)
A spokesman for a ministry that is active in Kenya, CURE International, says the spiritual impact has already been severe. Reports Dale Brantner: "Of the 247 people who gave their lives to Christ in a recent evangelical crusade, when the team went back two weeks ago, they found only 117 of them. 130 of them were no longer in that area. . . a lot of those who are missing are probably ones that were killed in the violence."
Practices such as honor killing of women, discrimination against women, and restrictions on the freedom of religion among Islamic communities emanates from various Islamic texts. Turkey is attempting to reinterpret those texts to make them in line with the modern way of life.
An influential independent Christian rights group confirmed late Wednesday, February 27, that Eritrea has released dozens of evangelical Christians, but warned that some 2,000 other believers remain imprisoned in the African nation "due to their faith in Christ."
An elderly American pastor and former chairman of the Protestant Church of Algeria was preparing Thursday, February 28, to launch an appeal against plans by authorities to deport him from the country.
Prayer for the Primaries
PRIMARIES, CAUCUSES FOR THE MONTH OF MARCH:
Tuesday, March 4
(D) (R) Ohio Primary
(D) (R) Rhode Island Primary
(D) (R) Texas Primary
(D) (R) Vermont Primary
Saturday, March 8
(D) Wyoming Caucus
Tuesday, March 11
(D) (R) Mississippi Primary
Prayer Points:
- Pray that the truth regarding the candidates and their agendas would surface and that people would see beyond race, gender, age or rhetoric to choose the best.
- Pray that the spirits of delusion and deception would lose their ability to operate effectively in this election.
- Pray that the nation would unite to elect God's choice when hidden agendas that threaten our nation's security and freedoms are exposed.
(Source: National Governmental Alliance)
For a complete guide to the Republican primaries, go here:
For a complete guide to the Democratic primaries, go here:
