Boko Haram abducted 276 Christian girls from Chibok School in 2014. Girls were whipped and forced into marriage. Some experienced mock executions for refusing to become Muslims. Yana and Rejoice, now young women with children of their own, were among the captives and were recently recovered with their children by the Nigerian Army. Yana Pogu has four children, two boys and twin girls. Rejoice Sanki has two children. They are undergoing medical examinations before being passed over to the care of the Borno government.

Rishi Sunak is the first British Asian prime minister and the youngest PM for over 200 years. During the past two weeks of Government ups and downs the parliament lunchtime church services continued with the themes ‘A character of enduring faithfulness’ and ‘A character of enduring trust’. These services give opportunities for reflection in the midst of parliamentary uncertainty. We can pray for Rishi Sunak and all parliamentarians based on these themes, asking God to give them abundant grace towards each other. Where there was bickering, may there be forgiveness and peace. May each of them serve with integrity and honesty so that the nation can trust them. Pray that their words and deeds would please God, and should setbacks arise in these difficult times may they have heaven's wisdom to press on and achieve heaven’s objectives for the UK. Ask God to give the strategies needed to move the nations in the right direction.

Healthcare leaders have been quick to call on Mr Sunak to relook at nurses' pay amid nationwide strike ballots. Thérèse Coffey was removed as Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, and Steve Barclay was reappointed. Responding to the announcement of Rishi Sunak as prime minister, Royal College of Nursing General Secretary and Chief Executive, Pat Cullen, said, ‘Rishi Sunak must now decide if he wants to be the prime minister who cut the NHS and social care to the bone or one that invested in its people, patients and priorities. He is new to Number 10 but nursing staff recall this year’s NHS pay cut was designed by Sunak from his Treasury desk. The NHS Providers chief asked for decisive action to tackle diminishing funding due to soaring inflation, staff shortages and treatment backlogs.

Over 70,000 university staff at 150 universities could strike after the University and College Union members voted 'yes' to strike action in two ballots. Both ballots saw the union deliver large turnouts that exceeded the necessary threshold. The union now has authority to strike at practically every university and wants vice chancellors to enter negotiations immediately with improved offers to avoid the entire higher education sector being brought to a standstill. The union’s higher education committee meets on 3rd November to decide their next steps to pressure employers into meaningful negotiations. The union’s general secretary said 'University staff are crucial workers in communities up and down the UK. They are sending a clear message that they will not accept falling pay, insecure employment and attacks on pensions. They know their power and are ready to take back what is theirs from a sector raking in tens of billions of pounds.'

NHS England says up to half of all hospital beds in England could be occupied by patients with respiratory infections. The warning came as NHS bosses set out details of its plans to help the health service cope this winter, like rapid response teams for people who fall at home and ‘data war rooms’ to monitor work pressures. The usual seasonal viruses plus Covid will place huge strains on hospitals. It is important to be prepared as winter comes hot on the heels of an extremely busy summer. With the combined impact of flu, Covid and record NHS staff vacancies, we are facing more than the threat of a 'twindemic' this year. Pray for wise decisions to be made by the NHS in their preparations for winter. Pray for doctors’ surgeries and rapid response teams to be able to keep patients out of hospitals.

Teaching organisations have asked the prime minister for free school meals to be given to children in households on universal credit. Jamie Oliver said the rule change would help 800,000 of the ‘most vulnerable’ children. However the call comes as government departments prepare for spending cuts, saying they had already expanded access to free school meals more than any other government in recent decades. A letter signed by leaders of 12 unions representing a million teaching staff, governors and school trustees across the UK warns the prime minister, the chancellor and the education secretary that ‘hunger is a real issue in our schools, too many families are struggling to afford school meals. Families receiving universal credit, or any equivalent benefit should be eligible as an immediate first step. Not doing so would undermine all the education workforce efforts to tackle inequalities’.

In 12 months, there has been an 184% increase of children having to wait over four years on consultant waiting lists and waits are longer for children needing help with mental health issues, speech and language therapy and autism assessments. The situation is ‘alarming’. Many of the children could be ‘experiencing pain and discomfort’. Parents' hearts are breaking as they watch their children miss out on vital parts of childhood while struggling to manage health conditions. Waiting lists for ear, nose and throat conditions are the longest. 10,000 children are waiting for a consultant-led outpatient appointment and 4,000 for surgery. In order to tackle the problem trusts are asked to provide additional theatre space, and paediatric surgeons from the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children will travel to other hospitals to perform children's surgery. Commissioned paediatric day case procedure theatre lists for general surgery are being re-established as a priority.

On Oct 27th Reuters reported that British retail sales rebounded this month, according to an industry survey. This contrasted with other, gloomier gauges of the consumer economy. ‘The Confederation of British Industry's monthly retail sales balance rose, and retail sales grew at a firm pace this month. However, retailers continue to face a challenging environment due to rising costs, higher interest rates, and labour shortages.’ said CBI economist Martin Sartorius.

According to Transparency International, Russia remains the most corrupt European country. High-ranking public officials commit illegal activities. Albanian businesses are bedevilled by corruption and low conviction rates. Austria has well-developed institutions and proactive legal systems. However, high-level public officials and the central government have experienced corruption recently. Belgium also has a well-developed institutional and legal framework to combat corruption, but is also one of the most corrupt European countries. Bosnia’s political structures are the most affected by corruption. Bulgaria’s government officials engage in embezzlement, unfettered violation by the government relating to procurement of public assets as well as misappropriation of public funds. Bulgaria is the most corrupt member of the EU. Croatia is in the top three corrupt EU members but recently is making efforts to combat corruption. The Czech Republic has widespread corruption across most public sectors. France’s high-ranking officials and defence officers commit many corrupt activities.

The Czech EU presidency is proposing an annual minimum on the number of asylum seekers EU states are willing to relocate. The idea is part of bigger discussions on solidarity sharing, a concept eluding member states when it comes to EU-wide migration and asylum reforms. A Czech presidency paper is proposing either 5,000 or 10,000 voluntary relocations annually as suggestions to gauge what EU states are willing to accept. That debate feeds into an overhaul of the EU's asylum and migration laws proposed by the 2020 European Commission. The solidarity ideas are among many that have sought to create some sort of balance with what the EU has coined flexible responsibility. It is not immediately clear if EU states will agree to the Czech presidency idea. Should they fall short, it will be up to the next EU presidency under Sweden to try to find a solution.