British Isles

Omicron variant: things to pray for

15 Dec 2021
Downing Street intended to hold a Christmas party this year, but following the renewal of compulsory mask wearing and restricted numbers allowed in venues it was cancelled. Pray that managers and leaders of…

Our government: things to pray for

15 Dec 2021
Boris Johnson won the biggest Conservative majority since Margaret Thatcher. His popularity among Conservative MPs marked the end of Tory Brexit rebellions. Now many believe his popularity and authority is waning. When the…

Needle-free coronavirus vaccine enters clinical trial

15 Dec 2021
Safety trials are underway for a Cambridge-led vaccine that could be used as a booster targeting Covid variants which threaten future coronavirus pandemics. The first volunteer received the vaccine on 14 December through…

Covid shadow over NHS and care homes

15 Dec 2021
Many Covid patients admitted to hospital are unvaccinated and then ask for the vaccine on arrival, when it is too late. Hospitals are treating unprecedented numbers of sick people at the start of…

Atheism, wokeism and conversion therapy

15 Dec 2021
Atheism assumes various disguises, including wokeism – politically correct views on gender, race, sexuality etc. It comes in the wake of secular humanism and challenges Judeo-Christian principles in our culture. An example of…

Hong Kong arrivals

15 Dec 2021
Rev Dave Young (Chinese name Ho Ming Lun), vicar of two churches in London, recently took part in the launch of the Teahouse - a network of clergy and ordinands across the CofE…

Student stalked at university calls for change

15 Dec 2021
K was stalked and threatened with kidnap and torture by S, a fellow student, at Oxford Brookes University. But the university's failure to act swiftly left her terrified. S was expelled from the…

France threatens UK with lawsuit over fishing dispute

15 Dec 2021
France and Britain have clashed repeatedly over migrants crossing the Channel, post-Brexit trade arrangements, the sale of submarines to Australia, and fishing territories. The fishing dispute has come to a head as France…

Christmas jumper becomes new clergy 'uniform'

09 Dec 2021
A Marks and Spencer Christmas jumper has become a hit among female clergy, with some calling it the ‘Christmas clergy uniform’ of 2021. The £19.50 jumper is in M&S's Christmas clothing range. It…

Rough sleeping

09 Dec 2021
Many homeless people sleep outside in doorways, parks, bus shelters, or other unsuitable places. They often have complex physical and mental health needs with root causes that are complex - relationship breakdown, mental…