John Paul Jackson, well known prophetic minister and founder of Streams Ministries International, passed away on Ash Wednesday. Jackson had recently survived major cancer surgery, but while he was recovering he developed an obstruction in his breathing; the lack of oxygen eventually caused his major organs to fail. Jackson, who was in his early sixties, was best known for not only receiving detailed messages from God that he often used to encourage people, but also for teaching many others how to hear from God for themselves, with a particular focus on Bible-based dream interpretation. Daystar TV (available in the USA or on the Internet) is currently in the midst of broadcasting a series of TV programmes where he teaches some of his key principles.
Sex-selective abortion may shortly be banned in the UK, as Conservative MP Fiona Bruce has proposed in Parliament an amendment to the Serious Crimes Bill, in the section which deals with outlawing female genital mutilation, to outlaw the practice. The amendment has considerable support from MPs of all parties. The Government believes that sex-selective abortion is already illegal, but the British Medical Association refused to pursue action against two doctors who performed it because they thought the legal position was unclear, and Britain’s biggest abortion provider BPAS has stated that, in their view, it is legal. The amendment’s first debate could take place within a week; supporters of the amendment are being urged to lobby their MPs.
The tension between “equal rights” and “free speech” in the UK has reached a new low, with Peter Tatchell, a veteran gay rights campaigner, being criticised and threatened for publicly supporting free speech on the issue of transsexual rights. Tatchell and 129 others signed an open letter criticising universities who ban speakers whose views are deemed to be “transphobic.” However, Tatchell says he has received more than 5,000 messages attacking his stance, including some which were threatening. Other signatories of the letter have also been subjected to similar treatment.
Floods in Mozambique have killed dozens and badly disrupted the lives of tens of thousands of people, says Christian relief organisation Tear Fund. Northern Mozambique is subject to flooding during the rainy season, but this year the intense rains have flooded houses and fields, and the floods are not expected to recede until the end of the rainy season some time in March. 11 million people are also without electricity. Both the national government and international groups have swiftly sent response teams, but further aid and prayers are requested.
In Kansas, the state’s Governor, a Republican who promised to support equal rights, has upset gay rights groups by using a dictionary definition of “equal.” He has rescinded laws passed by the previous liberal Governor that provided special protection to gay, lesbian and transgender state employees. A gay rights group called the move an “outrage”, but the Governor said, “This Executive Order ensures that state employees enjoy the same civil rights as all Kansans.”
In sports news, a Belorussian league match between FC Slutsk and Shakhter Soligorsk might not seem to arouse great interest, even if underdogs Slutsk did overcome a 1-0 deficit in the last five minutes to win 2-1. Both teams published on their websites full match reports – which were entirely fake, since the game never took place. The ‘ghost game’ was discovered during an investigation by a sports magazine into organised bookmaking fraud. A man who previously worked for a data-gathering firm, relaying incidents from the match to bookmakers, is under suspicion; Shakhter have blamed a hacker for publishing a report of the game on their website; and FC Slutsk are also under suspicion as one UK bookmaker contacted the club for confirmation that the game had taken place and received a positive reply.
In technology news, two new sources of malware have been identified that can fool the digital certificate mechanism that is used to keep the Internet secure. One relies on remote access to the computer, and had yet to be deployed when it was discovered; the other was found to have been shipped with all new Lenovo computers for the past months or even a couple of years, and could thus intercept secure communications “in the middle”, which is easier to perpetrate. Anyone who has purchased a Lenovo is advised to take steps to remove the “Superfish” software immediately.
And finally, the huge snowfall in New England has led to some unexpected pastimes. Some residents who opened their doors to find the doorway completely filled with snow have cut snow-caves or beer fridges in the snow; children have been seen tobogganing down the roofs of houses; and adults have used snow mounds as tees for golf driving practice. Others have had some difficulty finding their cars under the snow. And the mayor of Boston has appealed for people to stop trying out a new craze: jumping out of first floor windows in their underwear to land on a mountain of cleared snow.
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