British Isles
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…
Islamic finance in the UK
Islamic finance has been welcomed uncritically into the UK. Today there are over twenty lenders in the UK offering Islamic financial services. The British government has been promoting Islamic finance for some years,…
Recovering patients to be put in people's spare rooms?
A pilot scheme in Essex, called CareRooms, would have patients waiting for discharge from hospital staying with local residents who have a spare room. Increasingly, hospitals are full of patients who have nowhere…
Tory MP accused of McCarthyism over Brexit
In 1947 people suspected of un-American activities were asked by Senator Joe McCarthy, ‘Are you now or have you ever been a member of the Communist Party?’ Recently, Conservative government whip Chris Heaton…
