Here are today’s News briefs from around the world. Here is some information to read, to reflect upon. Each of these events and issues require our prayers. Remember that God has a plan for each believer, each faithful follower.
Always direct love and generosity toward God. Strive to be good tenants of the vineyard. Do not betray God. Fidelity with God is essential for our spiritual health, spiritual well-being.
Bride kidnapping, bridenapping occurs in at least 17 countries around the world, from China to Mexico to southern Africa, to Russia. In each of these regions exist communities where it is acceptable and routine for young girls to be taken from their families, raped, tortured, and forced into marriage. This happens on each continent but there is little international awareness of these crimes, few police investigations, few global statistics.
One of the places to actually collect data on this situation is Kyrgyzstan where the practice has been on the rise since the fall of communism. There is anecdotal evidence to support that this practice might occur to avoid the embarrassment of being unable to afford a dowry. Up to a third of all ethnic Kyrgyz women in Kyrgyzstan are kidnapped brides. In certain regions of the country bride kidnapping accounts for 80 percent of the marriages.
Bridenapping is a criminal offense in Kyrgyzstan with a maximum three-year jail term, very few cases are prosecuted, and most that are prosecuted receive a light fine. Most citizens of Kyrgyzstan view this practice more as a tradition and not as a crime.
Because China has legalized sex-specific abortions because of the one child policy there is a shortage of women in China. Some desperate grooms pay between $250 and $100 for a kidnapper to locate a bride for them. Dealers often go to Vietnam, capture the young girls and smuggle them across the border into China
Anti-Gaddafi forces began a major assault on the besieged city of Sirte at dawn on Friday and heavy fighting continued into Saturday evening. Sirte is the last Libyan city resisting the rebel alliance. It is believed that Gaddafi might be hiding somewhere in the city.
Many pro-Gaddafi forces are using the high rise buildings in the city center as a base of operations to shoot at approaching fighters and to launch rockets and mortar fire.
Sirte is a Mediterranean coastal town. Once the rebel alliance gain control of Sirte they will be closer to having control over the entire contry.
The Socialist Party in France is preparing to hold the first round voting to determine which of six candidates will run against unpopular President Nicolas Sarkozy in the 2012 elections.
Former party leader Francois Hollande is the leading contender followed by the current head Martine Aubry in second place. Sunday’s primary voting will be open to all registered voters not just members of the Socialist Party. Voters are asked to sign a pledge that they share the values of the left and than donate one euro toward the cost of organizing the vote.
The Japanese city of Fukushima will host experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency to observe the decontamination effort following the world’s worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl. The 12 member IAEA group is scheduled to visit farms, schools, and government offices in the Fukushima district in northeastern Japan as part of a clean-up process observation.
Local Japanese doctors have also began a long term survey of children looking for thyroid abnormalities, a problem with associated with radiation exposure. Officials plan to test approximately 360,000 people who were under the age of 18 when the nuclear crisis began in March and then continue to collect data throughout their lifetimes.
There are unconfirmed reports that a computer virus that collects keyboard stroke data has infected the United States Air Force computer network that is used by pilots who control the drones flown on the warfront in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
