Introduction The long-awaited regulations on the Administration of Commercial Franchise Operations (the 'New Regulations') were promulgated by the State Council of the PRC on 6 February 2007, and will take effect on 1 May 2007. They apply equally t...

In times of need help can come from anywhere, even your favourite restaurant. Seventh Avenue Group runs three Tauranga restaurants - Brooklyn Patio on The Strand, Neighbourhood Kitchen in Cherrywood and Rain Bar in Pāpāmoa....

Health Minister David Clark has rejected claims he and other Government ministers have been "gagged", as he fronted today to announce a $160 million boost to Pharmac health spending.An email from the Prime Minister's office, obtained...

Australians and New Zealanders who are desperate to escape to each other's countries could soon have their wish, but passengers would need to adhere to strict travel safety protocols.On Tuesday, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda...

After weeks of Kiwis being urged to stay home, stay safe and wash their hands, the Cabinet will have its own hands full with a final piece of the Covid data jigsaw revealed today.There are just two new cases of Covid-19 - continuing...

A woman was concerned about the lack of physical distancing among fellow shoppers after a fire alarm went off at an Auckland Pak'nSave supermarket.The woman, who did not want to be named, said while staff and security did advise...

COMMENT: The lockdown has seen us all spend time with our families or a close group of people in our own bubble, for a few weeks now. For us personally this has meant time with 10 in our bubble. One of our six kids, our eldest daughter,...

A woman has just tested positive for Covid-19 despite flying back to New Zealand more than two weeks ago.The woman, in her 20s, is one of two new confirmed cases of the virus announced today.She travelled from the United States...

Almost 500 possible breaches of level-3 rules have been reported to police this weekend, as many Kiwis prepare for what they hope will be a move to level 2 this week.People flocked to beach suburbs and took waterfront walks in cities...

An Auckland hostel manager has revealed the impressive steps she has taken to ensure her 140 residents have been safe during the Covid-19 pandemic.The YWCA hostel in Auckland contains 173 bedrooms that house international students,...

It was welcome news this week for bars and restaurants that they'll be able to re-open at alert level 2.But when that happens, don't expect your local to look, or even feel the same as it did before Covid-19. "One of the best...

After nearly two weeks at level 3, Cabinet is set to make its decision on when to move New Zealand down to level 2 - with the last release of public data before their big call continuing a promising streak of single-digit daily coronavirus...

Many parents say they will keep their children at home when schools reopen at alert level 2.The more than 900 parents who responded to a question on the New Zealand Herald's Facebook page over the weekend were evenly split on whether...

The Dti has, this week, announced plans to introduce a series of measures designed to give greater protection to certain agency workers. The proposals follow the publication of a green paper by the European Commission, in which it vows to look again...

Many families have had to adjust to new routines with the extension of the lockdown. Nathan Adams writes about life in Cape homes in a time of crisis

A 56-year-old Johannesburg man was arrested during a roadblock at Calvinia in the Northern Cape this week for storing drugs in his spare tyre.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort; who comforts us in all our affliction so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God” (2 Corinthians 1:3-4).

God entrusts comfort to us, often through trials, so that we may comfort others.

The nation of Ireland is nicknamed the “Emerald Isle” for good reason—it contains some of the greenest countryside of any location on earth. In visiting there I have noticed that abundant mist and fog, which often shroud the rolling landscape, help produce the rich green grass and trees. That phenomenon is much like the Christian life. Many times when our life is obscured by the sufferings and sorrows of trials, it has a refreshing beauty of soul that is not always readily seen. As the apostle Paul’s life demonstrates, sensitive and merciful hearts are the products of great trials.

Difficulties beset us so that God might bestow much comfort on us. But such comfort is not merely for our own benefit. The Lord entrusts His comfort to us that we might share it with others, as verse 4 of today’s passage indicates. And He comforts us in direct proportion to the number of trials we endure, which means the more we suffer, the more God comforts us; and the more He comforts us, the more we can comfort others who are hurting.

When we do experience real comfort in the wake of a trial, perhaps the most precious result is the sense of Christian partnership we feel. If God’s comfort helps us to comfort others, then it’s clear that other believers are positively affected by what we learn from our trials. The entire process lifts us beyond ourselves and shows us that as part of a local fellowship or the greater Body of Christ we are not alone and do not have to undergo various trials in a vacuum.

The comfort we receive and the sense of partnership that results is a great incentive for any of us to be encouraged through trials and sufferings, knowing that such experiences enable us to minister as integral parts of the Body of Christ (see 1 Cor. 12:26; 2 Cor. 1:6-7).

Suggestions for Prayer

Thank God for His unlimited supply of comfort.

For Further Study

Read Isaiah 40:1; 49:13; 51:3; 61:2. What promise does each verse have in common?

From Strength for Today by John MacArthur Copyright © 1997. Used by permission of Crossway Books, a division of Good News Publishers, Wheaton, IL 60187, www.crossway.com.

• The Study Bible (mobile app)
• Grace to You Sermons (mobile app)
• John MacArthur’s complete sermon archive
• The MacArthur Study Bible
• The complete MacArthur New Testament Commentary series

China and its rivals in the West are using Africa’s debt problems, exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic, as a political football in their struggle for power on the continent, experts say.Seifudein Adem, a professor of global studies at Doshisha University in Kyoto, Japan, said that ballooning national debt had been a major concern for many African countries even before Covid-19, but had now been brought front and centre.While it was encouraging that major creditors were seriously considering…

A Chinese social media group set up to provide personal protective equipment to hospitals in Wuhan has switched focus in line with the spread of the deadly coronavirus and is now reaching out to those in need around the world.FightforWuhan was the idea of 17-year-old high school student Yihe Chang and 19 other young people. It was launched on January 23, the same day the central China city at the epicentre of the health crisis was plunged into total lockdown.“That day was also my birthday and I…

The setback has not thrown Ogallo off-track.

When Zima did her weekly grocery shopping in March, she was shocked by the prices.“A package of chicken that used to cost HK$39 (US$5) was HK$50,” she recalled. A litre of milk went up from HK$35 to HK$49, and the tomatoes she used to pay HK$8 for were now HK$12.She worried her family of three might not have enough to eat for the month, because they would run out of money.The 32-year-old fled Pakistan in 2015 together with her husband and son, claiming religious persecution as members of the…

Hong Kong recorded at least one new imported coronavirus case on Sunday, ending a string of three days with no reported infections. The tally of confirmed Covid-19 cases now moves to at least 1,045. The last time the city recorded new infections was on Thursday, when four imported cases were revealed. At least eight new infections have been recorded so far this month, all imported – cases involving people with recent travel history. Health authorities have previously said the deadly…

The US government began distributing remdesivir, an experimental drug recently approved for emergency use against Covid-19, to areas of the country struggling the most with the disease.The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) arranged for some 600,000 vials of Gilead Sciences’ antiviral medication, shown to reduce recovery times for some patients, to be shipped to health authorities in New Jersey, Illinois, Michigan and three other states, to treat an estimated 78,000 hospitalised…

US regulators have approved a new type of coronavirus test that administration officials have promoted as a key to opening up the country.The Food and Drug Administration on Saturday announced emergency authorisation for antigen tests developed by Quidel Corporation of San Diego. The test can rapidly detect fragments of virus proteins in samples collected from swabs swiped inside the nasal cavity, the FDA said in a statement.The antigen test is the third type of test to be authorised by the FDA…

Former president Barack Obama has launched a scathing attack on Donald Trump’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic, calling it an “absolute chaotic disaster”.In a leaked web call Friday night with former members of his administration, Obama also said the Justice Department’s decision to drop charges against Michael Flynn, the former Trump national security adviser who pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI in the Russia probe, endangers the rule of law in the US.In the audio, first obtained by…

Three members of the White House coronavirus task force, including Dr Anthony Fauci, placed themselves in quarantine after contact with someone who tested positive for Covid-19, another stark reminder that not even one of the nation’s most secure buildings is immune from the virus.Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and a leading member of the task force, has become nationally known for his simple and direct explanations to the public about the…

With her neighbourhood south of Manila locked down due to the coronavirus, Dolly Pelle had been planning to close her sari-sari convenience store – until customers convinced her they couldn’t do without her. Pelle’s store is one of a handful of similar shops all on the same street, but her’s has a crucial difference: it is the only one able to process local remittances. Lock down, start up: the digital firms cashing in on coronavirus in the Philippines In the past four years in the…

The B.C. Centre of Disease Control says the Calgary to Kelowna flight happened on May 5.

"As I mention in my song, I am wearing a mask and shield and I'm trying to smile with my eyes so they know everything will be OK."

Prisoners and area residents are hit by toxic fumes that could cause fatal harm

1. Coronavirus: Only severe cases need to be tested before discharge, says Centre in revised guidelines  Scroll.in
2. Govt revises Covid-19 patient discharge rules. Here’s what you need to know  Top Live News
3. Health Ministry shares 3-tier discharge policy for COVID-19 patients based on severity of symptoms  Times Now
4. Coronavirus Treatment: Blood Thinners Can Boost Survival Of COVID-19 Patients, Study Reveals  Medical Daily
5. Could Blood Thinners Be Crucial For Patients With COVID-19 Related Clots?  Forbes
6. View Full coverage on Google News

RAWALPINDI: Federal Minister for Industry and Production Hamad Azhar has said that two more new schemes are being introduced for small businesses.The government is well aware of the challenges being...

[[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

PESHAWAR: Minister for Health and Finance Taimur Saleem Jhagra on Saturday said the health system was being upgraded to deal with the coronavirus as well as dengue and polio.He was talking to...

[[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

KARACHI: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Karachi President Khurram Sher Zaman on Saturday claimed that the Sindh government is exaggerating the number of COVID-19 cases to keep the markets shut down. The ...

[[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

In-depth stories, analyses, features on the gov't response to #COVID19PH, including state of public health system & impacts of #COVIDPHQuarantine on the most vulnerable.

The post Beyond the virus: COVID-19 Special Coverage appeared first on Bulatlat.

At a panel discussion called, The Finance Crisis: Lessons Learned from Canada and the Way Forward, at the Canadian Embassy in Washington, D.C., Robert Rubin, former U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, shares his thoughts on the EU debt crisis, the pros and cons of the United States and the impact of Occupy Wall Street, with Chrystia Freeland, Global Editor-at-Large of Reuters.

In this panel discussion from "The Finance Crisis: Lessons Learned from Canada and the Way Forward," Reuters' Chrystia Freeland moderates a conversation focused on the success of Canada's financial system through global economic turmoil and what lessons can be learned by countries with less healthy financial systems. Panelists: Ted Price, Assistant Superintendent, Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions Canada, Gordon Nixon, President and CEO, RBC Financial Group, CFTC Commissioner Jill Sommers, Tom Glocer, CEO Thomson Reuters and Nicolas Veron, Senior Fellow, Bruegel and Visiting Senior Fellow Peterson Institute.

Former U.S. Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers speaks with Reuters Chrystia Freeland about the European Union's chances for survival during a discussion at The University of Western Ontario.

George Soros explains to Reuters' Chrystia Freeland how German Chancellor Angela Merkel's actions in 2008 could lead to the disintegration of the European Union. Consequently, a disorderly default of European sovereignties may lead to a global financial meltdown worse than 2008. He explains his analysis here.

Markets are cool over Aviva’s £5.6 bln takeover of Friends Life. The scepticism over the deal is excessive says Breakingviews.

Apex Legends might finally be getting a mobile version, at least that's what EA's latest financial briefing seems to suggest

A WB Games leak that has so far proved accurate suggests Injustice 3 will introduce even more extended universe characters

The design of an eLearning game is critical to its effectiveness. Keeping learners engaged and involved is key to learning success.

The post The Key to Engaging Learners: Designing Effective eLearning Games appeared first on e-Learning Feeds.

We continue to look at how the coronavirus outbreak is impacting mobile apps; that big app crash caused by Facebook; new app releases from Facebook and Google; and Apple's plans to move WWDC online.

Ryzen CPUs are some of the best on the market, and thanks to Newegg, could be yours for a discounted price.

How are musical Valley Girl remake, Clark Duke's Arkansas, and Spaceship Earth? Here are our reviews.

In the stillness and the night, take heart in knowing that women across the world are joining you in prayer and that God is listening and loving you right where you are.

The scene in 70s war movie Colonel Croesus where 1st Squad get ambushed by the flak halftrack made a big impression on Master Timothy Stone Esquire. Me and my friends re-enacted it countless times in a local pedestrian underpass. Invariably there would be multiple Private O’Rourkes. All of us wanted to be the selfless BAR […]

The NCAA has made it clear that unless college campuses are open to the entire student body in the fall, there are no plans to risk the health of student-athletes for the sake of sports.