Deadly typhoons hit Japan, Korean Peninsula

JAPAN: Typhoon Faxai made landfall early Monday morning just east of Tokyo—the most populous metropolitan area in the world—killing at least three people and leaving dozens injured and nearly a million people without power. The storm, which now has moved back out into the Pacific, left Japanese travelers and commuters stranded. Meanwhile, another powerful storm struck the Korean Peninsula over the weekend. Typhoon Lingling left five people dead in North Korea and killed three in South Korea.

BAHAMAS: A long recovery begins in Dorian’s wake. As churches and faith-based groups mobilize to aid recovery (see aid list), residents criticize the islands’ government for a slow response: “I don’t think they’re doing a good enough job to evacuate the people. It ain’t livable for nobody. Only animals can live here.”

Watch as the slow-marching hurricane made landfall in Nova Scotia over the weekend.

AFGHANISTAN: President Donald Trump called off a secret meeting with Afghan government and Taliban leaders at Camp David, ending for the time being 10 months of negotiations to end the 18-year war.

SYRIA: In a new report issued Monday morning, the Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) said the Assad regime is to blame for most of the destruction of churches in Syria. In a phone call with reporters, Fadel Abdul Ghany, chairman of SNHR said, “The new reality is the Assad regime is the main threat for Christians.” SNHR research shows 124 regime attacks on churches, with some houses of worship targeted three times. Christians made up 10 percent of the population before the war began in 2011, and now make up an estimated 2 to 3 percent.

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO: William Bahemuka, Anglican Bishop of Boga Diocese, said about 50 people are still missing of those abducted Aug. 23 in an ADF rebel raid on Boga. One staff member from the diocese and her 2-year-old nephew are among them.

“There is a lot of fear in Boga now,” Bahemuka said. “People are not going to their gardens because of fear, so there is a lot of hunger and they are not able to sell their garden produce to buy medicine. We are appealing for food and medical support for the hundreds of displaced people living in fear.”

AFRICA: Malaria eradication within a generation is “ambitious, achievable, and necessary,” is the conclusion of an extensive study published in The Lancet.

ZIMBABWE: Robert Mugabe, a one-time independence hero turned dictator who ruled Zimbabwe for 37 years, died in Singapore at age 95. Conservatives called on the U.S. Embassy in Harare to delete a tweet eulogizing the strongman, who destroyed the agriculture sector with land confiscations and sparked hyperinflation while silencing opponents (report here).

UNITED STATES: A meeting is set for Tuesday to decide whether the United States will continue to admit refugees. Here’s a thoughtful suggestion for prayer and some tips for action.

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