In a South Asian country, approximately 15,000 women and children are trafficked each year with 1,000 being rescued. Exploitation happens frequently and many rituals and practices are hidden from sight. Although there is a minimum age for marriage, it is still common practice for children to be married off as young as twelve. A ritual where menstruating women are expected to live in a small hut away from their families for the duration is still widely practised despite being difficult for women. Child labour is still common, and many children still work in the entertainment sector, brick factories and dance bars. The sex industry has gone underground but still exists with girls that have been tricked into working. Migrant workers have left their families in search of better incomes and find themselves locked into physical labour contracts, or working as housemaids in homes where they are often abused.

One of the root causes of poverty in Asia is corruption that diverts resources from the poor to the rich in a culture of bribes. Corruption and bribery are two sides of the same coin. Another root cause of Asian poverty is recurring natural disasters - floods, typhoons, volcanic eruptions, landslides, etc. ‘Asian countries are mostly dependent upon agriculture, forestry and tourism. All can all be affected by natural disasters. Education is affected by poverty because poor people stop going to school to work; leaving them without literacy and numeracy skills needed for a career. Poor people tend to believe not only that they are poor, but that they will remain poor, leading to psychological poverty - an unhealthy frame of mind that is usually self-inflicted. Spiritual poverty occurs when people’s incompleteness and dependency overwhelms them. In their brokenness they feel that something is wrong within themselves. They need God. Ask God to brood over and touch the impoverished Asian.

Join the World Prayer Centre and many international friends for an afternoon of celebration to welcome and bless the nations and territories of The Commonwealth to Birmingham. This July and August the Commonwealth is coming to Birmingham in the form of the Commonwealth Games, known as ‘the friendly games’. As thousands of athletes and officials arrive from the 54 nations, we want to prepare a highway of blessing and thanksgiving. The team from World Prayer Centre have partnered with Gas Street Church in Central Birmingham for a service that will include worship led by Tim Hughes and Gas Street music, together with prayers and messages from countries including, The Caribbean, India, Africa, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Malaysia. IT’S FREE TO ATTEND. This will be a powerful event. This is your personal invitation to come to Brum and join us!

Ananthram opened the door and faced a Naxalite mob who grabbed him, tied his hands behind his back and dragged him away. His seven-year-old son tried to follow but the mob threatened to kill him. He ran to his uncle for help and they searched for Ananthram through the night. The next morning, they discovered Ananthram’s body on the side of the road, his skull fractured with a large rock and a note warning others against following Christ. Sukbati, his wife, was afraid they would kill the whole family after being threatened since his murder. When asked why she does not return to Hinduism to make her life easier she said that it’s difficult to care for five children alone but Jesus will care for them. They are the only Christians in their village and boldly share the gospel whenever they can. They occasionally see Ananthram’s killers but Sukbati holds no animosity towards them. She prays that they will come to know Christ.

Boris Johnson sacked Michael Gove after Mr Gove advised Boris to quit on Wednesday, July 6th evening. By the next morning, 62 government resignations had accumulated. Boris announced he is resigning as the Conservative Prime Minister at mid-day Thursday, July 7th. He will still be PM until the autumn as there must always be a prime minister. A contest for leadership will now begin. God is not surprised by flawed individuals in high places. This is a reality since Adam and Eve chose their own way in the garden. Romans 13:1 recognises those in positions of power are allowed there by God for a purpose. Pray for God’s purposes for our nation to be fulfilled. Ask God to raise up His leaders so that the British Isles can reclaim its dignity at home and abroad. Pray for every member of our Government to be trusted once more by their fellow MPs and the public (1 Timothy 2:1-4)

Andrew Hill and Dylan Healy will stand trial for ‘mercenary activities’. Dylan is a chef who volunteered as an aid worker. He was captured with another Briton, Paul Urey, at a checkpoint in April while driving to a village to rescue a family. There is no news of Paul Urey. On the same day of their capture, Russia released a video of Andrew Hill in military uniform, saying he had surrendered. This follows last month’s death sentence for Shaun Pinner and Aiden Aslin who faced the same charges as Andrew and Dylan. Hearings are held at a Russian proxy court in eastern Ukraine, which is not internationally recognised. Russia has rejected calls for their release as they no longer implement the Strasbourg Court of Human Rights. The men’s fate is decided by the pro-Russian breakaway Donetsk People's Republic. Pray for the prisoners, who will be in atrocious conditions, and their families, who desperately want them home.

The CEO of the UK Health Security Agency said, ‘Covid hospitalisation numbers are expected to rise further’ as Covid cases jumped by 32% in a week. The Office of National Statistics reported ‘Over 1.7m people were infected on 7th July’. People are encouraged to ‘go about their normal lives but take precautions’ by handwashing, keeping a distance from others where possible and wearing a face-covering in enclosed, poorly ventilated areas. In England 9,000 Covid patients were hospitalised on 30 June, twice as many as at the start of June. The latest rise in Covid infections was 500,000 cases last week. One in 30 has the virus. It is ‘quite likely’ that hospital numbers will peak above where they were in the spring. There is evidence of a slight reduction in the effectiveness of vaccines on variants, but they are still keeping the majority of people safe from severe disease and hospitalisation. People with Covid symptoms should stay at home.

Ritchie Herron lived as a woman for five years and is suing the NHS for pressuring him into the ‘biggest mistake’ of his life. While battling mental health issues, strangers on the internet said he was trans. The NHS clinic he visited didn’t take his mental health crisis into account or counsel him about the impact of ‘sex swap’ surgery. The gender clinic diagnosed ‘transsexualism’ after two 30-minute appointments and prescribed testosterone-suppressing drugs. They ignored family concerns when they warned doctors ‘Ritchie was on strong antidepressants and had many complex issues’. Ritchie was then asked if he wanted genital surgery. Although uncertain, he said yes because ‘having surgery would make therapy available to him.’ The following year he had irreversible surgery and immediately regretted his decision saying, ‘Transition is being sold on a mass scale. It’s sinister. I’m proof the whole system must become far more robust. How many more people are there out there like me?’

The Bank of England’s chief economist pledged to ‘deliver inflation back to its 2% target’ despite the challenges of rising food and energy costs and a fall in the pound’s value that has made both more expensive. The central bank’s single purpose at the moment is to bring down the rate of price growth - a clear hint that more interest rate rises are on the way. His comments follow an equally stark warning from a deputy governor of the Bank, who said its monetary policy committee (MPC) would ‘do whatever is necessary’ to prevent the rocketing cost of living from becoming a lasting inflation problem. The Bank has raised interest rates five times since December in response to soaring prices.

Vaping among children and teenagers has almost doubled in two years. Experts blame the rise on social media. A survey by Action on Smoking on Health (Ash) showed 7% of 11- to 17-year-olds are vapers. They are being attracted to disposable e-cigarettes, in fruity flavours used by people on TikTok and Instagram. Over the past year, a new generation of disposable vapes known as ‘puff bars’, which contain nicotine, have come onto the market. While it is illegal to sell vapes to under-18s, social media carries posts from teenagers showing the new vapes and discussing the flavours, which include pink lemonade, mango and strawberry banana. The disposable popular vapes are brightly coloured, pocket-size, with sweet flavours and sweet names and cost under £5. Pray for more funding to enforce the law against underage sales. Pray for action against child-friendly packaging and labelling