With the withdrawal of British troops from Afghanistan, the public focus on our troops has lessened. However, there are still many British troops still serving in Afghanistan. Their lives are still very vulnerable, as we were reminded by the tragic loss of five men (each one precious in God’s eyes) when their helicopter crashed last month. The most remarkable miracle is that this was the first British helicopter accident involving loss of life since the Afghan conflict started in 2001 – an amazing answer to your prayers. Thank you

Over-use of the internet is causing mental health problems for children, government health advisers have warned. Each hour spent in front of a computer puts them at greater risk, they say. As a result, children face mental illnesses and social problems such as loneliness, depression, anxiety, low self-esteem and heightened aggression. In a report submitted to MPs, Public Health England officials warn that one in ten children now has a mental health issue, with computers and the internet largely to blame. Public Health England, which issues guidance on good health to the NHS, says there is a clear relationship between the amount of time spent on social media sites such as Facebook and ‘lower levels of well-being’. The link becomes particularly striking when children spend more than four hours a day in front of a screen – but it kicks in even at very low levels of use.

England’s woodland is in danger unless David Cameron keeps his promise to pass laws preventing public forests from being sold off, leading conservationists have said in a letter the Telegraph. The Government was forced intop making a U-turn after hundreds of thousands of people protested against a proposal to sell swathes of the Public Forest Estate (PFE) in 2011. However, despite an assurance that an independent management organisation for the PFE would be established in statute to hold the woodland in trust for the nation, nothing has been done and the letter’s signatories are demanding action ‘before it is too late’. The coalition of conservationists from the Woodland Trust, the Confederation of Forest Industries, Our Forests, Ramblers, Save Our Woods, The Wildlife Trust and 38 Degrees urged the Government to use the Queen’s Speech on June 4 to set the wheels in motion for new legislation.

Children as young as nine are to be prescribed drugs which delay the onset of puberty as the first step towards a sex change operation, according to reports. The treatment will be offered by one NHS trust to children who are so troubled by their gender that they may wish to undergo drastic surgery after adolescence, according to the Mail on Sunday. But the decision was attacked by critics who described the decision to offer the treatment at such a young age as ‘horrifying’ and called for an immediate investigation. Monthly injections of the drugs, known as hypothalamic blockers, are used to slow the development of the children’s sexual organs by blocking the production of the hormones testosterone and oestrogen. Andrew Percy MP said: ‘I think many people will be horrified at the thought of a nine-year-old being provided with a drug that effectively stops them developing and maturing naturally.’

Cannabis is a ‘gateway drug’ that exposes users to other people who are involved in ‘harder substances’ and should not be legalised, an ex-drug addict has told The Christian Institute. Luke Wardle, who began selling drugs at the age of 15, went on to deal in amphetamines and developed a cocaine habit by the age of 19. He told the Institute how smoking cannabis caused him to climb up the ladder of drugs. He described how his various addictions led to feelings of paranoia, anxiety and depression. Speaking of other addicts he knew, he explained how cannabis had left them in a ‘complete mess’ with some even developing serious mental health problems including schizophrenia. Luke said he was astonished that instead of prison he only faced a £480 fine for importing a large amount of cannabis from Amsterdam. In an interview, he told Colin Hart, Director of The Christian Institute, his story and why he’s against the liberalisation of cannabis.

A multi-denominational group of Christians from Merseyside have issued a joint statement encouraging Christians to vote in the European Elections on May 22. The statement has been signed by regional leaders of the Church of England, Methodist Church, the Baptist Union of Great Britain, Catholic Church, the United Reformed Church, and The Salvation Army. They all shared their concern that low turnout will mean success for extremist parties such as the British National Party. In the statement quoted in the Church Times, they wrote: ‘Some of our media are dismissive about what happens in Europe but it is important in a democratic state that we make the effort to vote. It is ironic to watch people in countries like Afghanistan voting in huge numbers when people here in the United Kingdom cannot be bothered to spare a small amount of time to go to the polling station.’

Migrants to Britain should be able to speak English and ‘respect its laws and culture’, the UK’s most senior Asian politician has said. Culture Secretary Sajid Javid insisted it was not good enough for migrants to live in the UK for up to 50 years without being able to speak English. The British-born Tory, whose parents came from Pakistan, also said there was no place for Sharia law in the UK legal system. Mr Javid, a rising star at Westminster who has also taken on the role of Equalities Minister, suggested voters had legitimate concerns over immigration. He said: ‘People want Britain to have more control over its borders and I think they are right. ‘People also say, when immigrants do come to Britain, that they should come to work, and make a contribution and that they should also respect our way of life and I agree with all of that.'

The vision of the Global Outreach Day is to build up a network of Christians worldwide, equipping and mobilising them to share the Gospel to over 200 nations on one single day. What is it about? It is about YOU sharing the gospel in any possible way to people who never heard it or are not yet born-again Christians and leading those people to salvation in Jesus. There are thousands of ways to do this, either personally or together with a group or a church. Reach at least ONE person with the Gospel on Global Outreach Day! Reach out to the people, don't wait for them to come to you! Although many Christians want to reach people with the Gospel they feel limited and inadequate, sometimes not even called to do it. We are providing spiritual and practical training for you to experience a real breakthrough in personal and corporate evangelism! Let us help you to release your potential - click the ‘More’ link.

Figures released earlier this week in Parliament revealed 80 seizures of cocaine, 210 of heroin and at least 62 knives in prisons in England and Wales. Figures for knives could be higher as data was not available for a number of prisons. Under current law, Class A drugs are treated the most seriously. Possession can result in a seven-year prison sentence while supplying them is punishable with life imprisonment. And both can also carry an unlimited fine. ‘The amount of drugs and knives getting into our prison revealed by this data is alarming’, said Labour’s shadow justice secretary. ‘How can we possibly punish and reform criminals if contraband and weapons are circulating so freely in our jails? This needs a concerted effort by ministers to put a stop to this, but with all their cuts to prison staff and the increased overcrowding and violence on their watch in our prisons, I’ve not got much confidence they’re up to it.’

Far-right activists have targeted mosques in Bradford attempting to hand out Bibles and also to distribute leaflets accusing community elders of failing to stop grooming gangs. Members of Britain First, some wearing uniforms, staged protests at 10 places of worship in the city centre. They posted images of themselves on Facebook confronting members of the Asian community. They also visited the office of Labour councillor Nazam Azam. Mr Azam said, ‘They have come to Bradford to cause residents to fear for their safety. As far as I understand they have tried to access mosques and hand out leaflets but I don’t know anyone who took anything.' According to the anti-fascist organisation Hope Not Hate, Britain First is a Protestant far right group with its roots in Northern Ireland and Scotland. A Facebook site statement said, ‘This is the first of many such operations to be launched across Yorkshire against Islam.'