In January 2017 Noel Conway, supported by Dignity in Dying, challenged the Suicide Act in the courts. The application was dismissed in October and went to appeal in May 2018 and was dismissed.The Divisional Court ruling was upheld in June 2018. On 27 November 2018, the Supreme Court declined to hear a further appeal, bringing the case to an end. Mr Conway went to the press on 4July telling the BBC that Assisted Dying laws are 'not fit for purpose’. He raised the issue of assisted dying again in the public arena on the day that assisted dying legislation was once again the theme of a parliamentary debate. Many advocates of legalised euthanasia are waiting for a new Parliament, hoping it would be more receptive to legal change, actioned by more persuasive campaigners on the ground. See

Parliament has backed an amendment that could force abortion on Northern Ireland (NI) after Labour's Stella Creasy put forward the amendment as part of a Commons debate aimed at keeping NI running in spite of a devolved government. NI's abortion law has saved 100,000 lives and many believe it is entirely inappropriate for Westminster to force abortion liberalisation on NI in the absence of Stormont. (MPs have been known to put forward amendments to further their own campaigns in the process). Putting forward an amendment does not mean it will change NI’s abortion law. However, if devolution is not restored by the 21 October the amendment could be passed to the Speaker, John Bercow, to choose if it goes forward; and then it would be down to Commons votes. The DUP reacted angrily to the decision.

On Saturday 27 July, ‘Drag Queen Story Hour’ is scheduled from 2.30 to 3.30pm, at Wembley Library, in Brent Civic Centre,Wembley. It will be promoting homosexuality, and the Brent Council website says it is for children as young as 5. The council advertises the event as, ‘Panto/drag queen Mama G debuts in Brent Libraries for the launch of the Summer Reading Challenge with a Space Chase Pride story time which celebrates both achievements in space exploration and the LGBTQ+ angle to tie in with Pride festivities nationwide. Enjoy fun, laugh out loud heart-warming stories, with lots of participation, about being who you are. For children aged 5 to 11.’

New UK rules require big companies to disclose their greenhouse gas emissions. 12% of businesses have cut greenhouse gas emissions enough to keep global warming below two degrees and only 20 of 160 big emitters are reducing emissions fast enough to meet the Paris agreement. Meanwhile globally a quarter of the highest-emitting publicly-listed companies have actually failed to even report their greenhouse gas emissions and nearly half do not properly consider the risks from the climate crisis in decision-making. The wealthy are causing climate change. It is over three years since the Paris agreement and although the corporate sector is improving its climate planning and performance, it is not fast enough. Barely 12% of companies in oil, gas, steel, aluminium, utilities, car manufacturing and air transport plan to reduce emissions at the rate required to keep global warming below 2C.

Brexit will affect not just the UK but the whole of Europe. The Brexit reality is not just an economic problem but part of larger cultural and social forces sweeping across Europe. The impact of Brexit on the EU will result in social and economic changes to the Union and also longer term political and institutional shifts. The extent of these effects remain speculative until the precise terms of UK’s post-Brexit relationship with the EU becomes clear. With the EU's policies on freedom of movement and the economic benefits and drawbacks which the UK and the EU provide each other with, there will be a clear impact with consequences for both institutions.

The US is hoping Europe will help in the IS fight, putting pressuring Britain, France and now Germany. Germany has so far deployed surveillance aircraft and other non-combat military support. Chancellor Angela Merkel faced cross-party pressure to reject the US request for German soldiers to serve in Syria. US special Syria representative told German media that Washington wanted Berlin boots on the ground in the north of Syria. The mandate for Germany's participation in Syria runs out on 31 October, meaning that parliament would be called on to decide what to do beyond that date. The German government spokesman, Steffen Seibert said: ‘When I say that the government intends to continue with its ongoing measures in the framework of the anti-IS coalition, then that means no ground troops. For years Germany has been making a significant and internationally acknowledged contribution to fighting IS.’

In March Parliament made it possible for judges, prosecutors and others to be fired by the National Security Council. Since then the head of the Supreme Court, the director and deputy director of the anti-corruption agency, and the chief prosecutor and his deputy have all been sacked. Last week, 17 judges were removed from their posts. However there are still more corruption allegations swirling around dozens of members of Parliament. Eventhe president is implicated in a scandal from his time as head of the Transport Ministry. Mongolia as a Christian mission field is full of promise. From the capital city of Ulaanbaatar, the gospel is gaining momentum and reaching across rural areas. Churches welcome missionaries wanting to evangelise while meeting practical needs. Mongolian officials have expressed their desire for ‘foreign experts’ to help with pressing social problems, provide training for information technology and giving young people a safe environment. See

Between 100 - 135 people were slaughtered by heavily-armed Islamist extremists in a mainly-Christian village in the Mopti region of central Mali. Barnabas Fund described it as the ‘worst Mali massacre since 1946’. The jihadists encircled the isolated village of ethnic Dogon people at night and set fire to ‘everything’ in a ‘well-targeted attack’. All the victims were shot dead or burnt to death; some were charred beyond recognition, making it difficult to identify them. They set fire to all who ran and all who did not dare to go out. Only a few men escaped the gunfire. A survivor said, `About 50 heavily armed men arrived on motorbikes and pickups, surrounded the village and then killed anyone who tried to escape. No-one was spared – women, children and elderly.’ Since 2018 many Christians have been killed, abducted or forced to flee, with churches ransacked in an attempt to establish sharia law.

Women in Tijuana shelters fear their children will be kidnapped after seeing groups of men approaching mothers and offering to purchase their children to expedite their asylum process. When children are accompanied by adults crossing the border, current US law stipulates that they are held in custody temporarily, then released with parents or guardians with whom they arrived while they wait for their asylum cases to be processed. Authorities are investigating claims of women being asked to sell their children for $350 (£280) each. Border authorities are aware that migrants crossing the border are using children that are not related to in order to more easily enter the U.S. Tijuana, known for its nightlife and shopping, is in Baja California State, and has no way of keeping track of migrant children, according to the pastor of Agape Mission shelter in south Tijuana.

Demonstrations in Hong Kong have drawn in the youth, parents, first-time protesters and the church, while migrant workers have quietly and consistently participated since the beginning. Migrants distrust the Chinese justice system. In June a Chinese trawler rammed into a Filipino fishing vessel in the South China Sea (called the West Philippine Sea in the Philippines), over which China has claimed dominion. The Filipino boat’s 22-man crew ended up in the water, fearing for their lives, for hours as their vessel sank. They were ultimately rescued by Vietnamese sailors. Chinese officials downplayed the incident as an accident. Onlookers call it one of many dangerous disagreements where China has used its strength to strong-arm neighbouring nations, displaying unwanted authoritarian actions. One migrant said, ‘The moment you make your opposition to certain government policies known, you are treated like a threat to state security, and can be jailed for years.’