Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, held a press conference in Jerusalem as protests across the country piled pressure on him to negotiate a ceasefire in Gaza. Israel “must stand united as one” as it faces a “vicious and brutal enemy that wishes to eradicate and kill all of us,” Netanyahu said. The Israeli leader said he had spoken with the family members of the six hostages whose bodies were recovered from Gaza over the weekend. “The heart of the entire nation was shattered to pieces,” he said. He said he asked the families for their forgiveness that the hostages were not rescued alive. “We were close, but we didn’t achieve it,” he said. “Hamas will pay a very heavy price for this.”
The US president, Joe Biden, said that a “final” deal for the release of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza was “very close” but that he did not think the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, was doing enough to secure such an agreement. Netanyahu, in a press conference, said he did not believe that Biden made those comments.
The United Kingdom announced it will suspend 30 out of 350 arms exports licenses to Israel, citing a “clear risk” they could be used in serious breaches of international humanitarian law. Foreign Secretary David Lammy told parliament on Monday that the partial ban covers items “which could be used in the current conflict in Gaza” against Hamas but did not include parts for F-35 fighter jets.
Lord God of peace, we pray for an end to the fighting. We pray it ends today, and mourn that it didn’t end yesterday, and the day before, and the day before that. Empower and embolden the peacemakers, God.
After weeks of drought, farmers in the typically arid agricultural belt in northern China were ill prepared for the torrential rain that inundated fields earlier this summer and decimated their crops of eggplant, cucumbers and cabbage. Across the country, a shift in weather patterns has caught people off guard, with floods arriving two months earlier than usual in the south and then extending to northern and eastern provinces that are more accustomed to summer drought.
The prices of many vegetables nationwide rocketed, some by up to 40 percent, reaching their highest level in five years and hitting the pocketbooks of consumers who already face hard spending choices as China’s economy has slowed. The extreme weather is a challenge not only for China’s people: The country’s leaders attach great importance to ensuring they can feed its 1.4 billion-person population, seen as necessary for ensuring social stability. They also want people to spend more on consumer goods to boost the sluggish broader economy, rather than paying higher prices for staples such as food. While climate change is upending food supply chains everywhere, it is a particularly sensitive issue in China, where famines have historically led to unrest, and leaders have long made food security a policy priority.
Climate change disrupts business as usual, and forces so many among us to constantly adapt, be thrown into chaos, and lack the resources to bounce back. God, we pray for intervention that delivers for farmers and residents across China.
Intense monsoon rains and floods in India’s southern states have killed at least 25 people, with thousands rescued and taken to relief camps, officials say. At least 16 people have been killed in Telangana state, and nine in neighboring Andhra Pradesh in the past two days. “Lots of houses have been damaged as well,” Y Nagi Reddy, director general of Telangana’s disaster response and fire service, told AFP news agency on Monday, adding that there had been 400mm (16 inches) of rainfall within the past 24 hours. According to local media reports, the Telangana government has also urged India’s federal government to declare the floods a “national calamity”. “The [Telangana] government will submit a comprehensive report on the flood damage to the Centre. We will write to Prime Minister Narendra Modi requesting him to visit the flood-affected areas in the state and also urging the Centre to declare the floods in Telangana as a national calamity,” a statement released by the government said. So far, around 3,800 people have been rescued in Telangana and moved to relief camps.
We pray for the departed, God of eternity. For the families of those who have lost their loved one, we pray your comfort be abundant and that you mobilize the hands and feet of aid workers. God, we pray for relief from disaster and the infrastructure to buttress the worst effects when weather, storms, and crisis strikes.
The Liberal government's decision to reel in the temporary foreign worker program after loosening the rules to help businesses find workers after the pandemic is sparking a contentious debate about whether governments should even try to address labor shortages. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on Monday that his government is bringing back stricter rules to stem the flow of low-wage temporary foreign workers, and he urged businesses to hire and train Canadian workers. "Two years ago, in the aftermath of the pandemic and facing severe labor shortages, we adjusted the program for temporary foreign workers. That's what the business community needed," Trudeau said at the Liberal cabinet retreat in Halifax. "But today's economy is very different from it was two years ago. Inflation has started to come down. Employment is higher. We no longer need as many temporary foreign workers." According to public data from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, 183,820 temporary foreign worker permits became effective in 2023. That was up from 98,025 in 2019 — an 88% increase.
Lord God, we pray for policies and strategies not rooted in shortsightedness, but rather that policy be constructed and carried out with a long-term vision. Continuity provides expectations, especially for those traveling from long distances for work and a new life. God, we pray for a new path forward.
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