British Isles
Northern Ireland budget bill
Plans are being put in place to impose a budget for regional government departments in Northern Ireland, the secretary of state has revealed. But James Brokenshire stressed this did not mean a return…
Message from Open Doors UK
Open Doors write, ‘We have some breaking news to share with you! We’ve just heard that the Prime Minister Theresa May has agreed to meet us and some of our partners from Iraq…
The Church and mental health
Poor mental health costs £99bn and causes 300,000 people to leave work each year. NHS antidepressant drug prescriptions more than doubled in ten years, and mental health provision is in crisis. Christians struggle…
IS fighters return from the battlefield
As IS control erodes in Iraq and Syria, about half the foreign fighters from the UK, Sweden, and Denmark have returned. IS kept detailed records of fighters, and captured computers and cell phones…
Balfour Declaration centenary
Prime Minister Theresa May hosted her Israeli counterpart, Benjamin Netanyahu, to mark the centenary of the Balfour Declaration. It was a British pledge that paved the way for Israel's creation by supporting a…
Friday Focus: hunger for God’s word
Isaiah 55:1: this ancient invitation to God’s people to feast on God’s word and His promises at a time of national despair, continues to echo even today as we frantically consume perishable goods…
Brexit: poll backs walking away
An online poll conducted by the Observer found that British voters would back a no-deal Brexit rather than another referendum on EU membership. People are now more pessimistic about the process than optimistic.…
End slavery and trafficking
18 October was Anti-Slavery Day. 40 million people are trapped in slavery worldwide, and have no one to protect them. In many places laws against slavery are not enforced by police, so slave…
NI supreme court examines abortion law appeal
Northern Ireland's’ supreme court judges are considering whether abortion laws breach human rights. Currently abortion is illegal unless a woman's life is in danger or if continuing the pregnancy would cause mental or…
Archbishops speak out on abortion
In a statement to healthcare professionals and others involved in terminations, Cardinal Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster, and his Scottish counterpart Archbishop Philip Tartaglia called for a change of attitudes, in favour of…
