Hajj, the Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca, will take place between 26 June and 1 July. Millions from across the world will embark on this strenuous journey, believing that by doing so their sins are forgiven, their soul cleansed, and they will go to heaven when they die. (Ephesians 2:8-9) Pray that the spiritual focus of Hajj will cause many to consider what they believe and join the millions of Muslims who have met Jesus in dreams and visions in their search for salvation. See On day two they will stand or sit from noon to sunset, invoking Allah for mercy and seeking forgiveness for sins. Pray for them to experience the true forgiveness that is available through Christ alone. On day three they will throw stones at a wall (representing Satan) to overcome evil. May they realise it is only through faith in Christ that they can overcome the evil one.

Food is so scarce in North Korea that people starve to death. In 2020 the government tightened control over people’s lives and sealed its borders. The BBC secretly interviewed three North Koreans who said they were afraid they will either starve to death or be executed for flouting the rules. It is extremely rare to hear from North Koreans: they face starvation, brutal crackdowns and no chance to escape. A devastating tragedy is unfolding. In the 1990s North Korea experienced a devastating famine which killed about three million people. Recent rumours of starvation prompt fears of being on the brink of another catastrophe. A construction worker said five people in his village had already died from starvation. ‘I was afraid of dying from Covid, but now I worry about starving to death’. he said. Kim Jong Un prioritised his nuclear weapons programme in 2022; it cost more than the amount needed to make up for the annual grain shortfall.

Australia has banned Nazi symbols nationally, in an effort to crack down on far-right groups. The ban includes the trade and public display of flags, armbands, T-shirts, and insignia, and the publication of symbols online promoting Nazi ideology. Public displays of swastikas or SS symbols is punishable by up to a year in prison. The new laws do not cover the Nazi salute. Nazi symbols are already banned in many states, but now they are not allowed anywhere due to a resurgence in far-right activity. At a Melbourne rally recently a group of neo-Nazis performed Nazi salutes on the steps of the Victorian parliament. This triggered a political backlash calling for greater efforts to tackle displays of Nazi regalia. ‘There is no place in Australia for symbols that glorify the horrors of the Holocaust. We will no longer allow people to profit from the display and sale of items which celebrate the Nazis’, said the attorney general.

El Niño is associated with record breaking temperatures globally. Whether this will happen in 2023 or 2024 is not yet certain. The EU's Climate Change Service believes 2023 is more likely. 2022 was Europe's second warmest year and hottest summer ever: this year is predicted to be hotter. The effects of El Niño, which take months to be felt, may mean that 2024 breaks temperature records. Extreme weather is making coffee cost more and taste worse; we need to be prepared. See Pray for Europe’s climate adaptation conference in Dublin from 19 to 21 June, where 500 policy makers will hear from Europe’s leading climate researchers. Pray for God to work in this event to cause individuals to devise workable solutions in their particular area of expertise. 

Hauwa Maltha and Esther Marcus were abducted by Boko Haram in April 2014 and rescued on 21 April 2023. They were forced to marry Boko Haram fighters three times as one soldier after another was killed in the fighting. Hauwa had 4 children and has since given birth to a 5th. Esther had a one-year-old baby when she was found. Give thanks for the rescue of Hauwa and Esther. Pray that both young women will recover from their lengthy, traumatic ordeal, also asking for the Lord’s blessing upon their young children and that He will remove the scars from their harrowing start to life. Ask the Lord to administer His healing touch on these families as they seek to rebuild their lives by trusting in Him.

On Pentecost Sunday, hundreds gathered on Jerusalem’s Southern Steps, just below the Temple Mount, and millions more joined online, to pray for Israel, and begin a historic evangelistic outreach to the world. During the prayers for Jerusalem and the nations, an unusual unseasonal rain covered everyone. Jono Hall oversaw the broadcast and said, ‘I’ve been broadcasting 25 years and never seen anything like this before. It’s a God moment. Denominations from the East and West who wouldn’t normally speak or work together now in unity, praying for Jerusalem and for the Kingdom Gospel to reach all of the earth’. Tom Victor of the International Prayer Council said that over a hundred million were praying for Israel and for the world with the launch of this ten-year collaboration to fulfil the Great Commission.

As food prices soar the government is discussing plans for supermarkets to introduce price caps on basic food like bread and milk to limit the rising cost of living. A voluntary agreement with major retailers could see price reductions but there are no plans for a mandatory price cap. The idea of a freeze on basic food items is said to be at the ‘drawing board stage’. Supermarkets will be allowed to select which items they would cap and only take part in the initiative on a voluntary basis. The rate of inflation can be calculated in various ways, but the main measure is the Consumer Prices Index which tracks the prices of everyday items in an imaginary ‘basket of goods’. Expensive food may overtake energy bills in the cost-of-living crisis. Security tags are being fitted to expensive food, coffee jars are replaced with dummies, and some stores are limiting the number of items on shelves to reduce theft. See

The Met Police will stop attending emergency mental health incidents from September, only responding if there is an ‘immediate threat to life’, thus freeing up officers untrained in mental health issues to deal with crime. The Royal College of Psychiatrists called this ‘unhelpful’. Police are concerned about ‘mission creep’ - police filling gaps left by cuts to other services. But when Robert Peel birthed the Met the police were ‘paid to give full-time attention to everyone in the interests of community welfare’. Community welfare includes the confused elderly man gone missing or the young girl in the street distressed. The Met’s plan was adopted by Humberside Police’s Right Care, Right Person scheme in 2020. Now mental health calls are dealt with by mental health professionals. It successfully improved outcomes, reduced demand on all services, and has the right care delivered by the right person.

St Mungo's homeless charity launched a month-long strike from May 30th in a pay dispute. Trade Union members are picketing outside London, Brighton, Bristol, and Oxford offices. St Mungo's said they cannot afford to meet the union's demands for a backdated rise of 10%, calling the strike ‘unprecedented and disproportionate’. Unite union are ‘taking a stand following a pitiful 2.25% pay rise for the last financial year, 2021/22.’ The charity had already applied a rise of 1.75% to salaries in that year. Meeting Unite’s request for the last and current financial years would cost £9.7m and leave the charity not ‘financially viable.’ Plus, all eligible staff have already received an average 5.5% rise for the financial year 2022/23 and some also received £700 to help with their cost of living. Altogether, offers already made equal a 10% rise for the lowest paid. See also Shrewsbury homeless charity needs help.