British Isles
Councils drop opening prayers
28 Jun 2010
Leicester City Council, in addition to Enfield Council, has banned Christian prayers at the opening of council meetings. Colin Hall, Leicester’s new Lord Mayor and member of the National Secular Society (NSS) says: ‘I personally consider…
Emergency budget
28 Jun 2010
The Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne’s emergency budget has met a lukewarm response from some Christians fearful that its impact will be felt by those least able to afford it. The Chancellor presented the severest…
The troops in Afghanistan
18 Jun 2010
Conditions in Afghanistan for the British troops are hot, dusty and strength-sapping. Long hours of work in difficult conditions far from home and family can lead to servicemen and women becoming tired, distracted, homesick and demoralised.This…
Christians’ 500 days of prayer
18 Jun 2010
The organisers of a national day of prayer are mobilising churches and networks across the UK in a season of united prayer and outreach (See Prayer Alert 2410). Last weekend’s gathering at West Ham football stadium…
Halt to 'draconian' vetting
18 Jun 2010
The vetting of up to nine million people who frequently work with children, which was due to start next month, was halted by the Home Secretary, Theresa May, pending a review intended to scale back the…
Sharp rise in repeat abortions
18 Jun 2010
New figures showing a rise in the number of multiple abortions among younger women have prompted criticisms of government sex education policies. A Christian doctor’s group called the statistics ‘profoundly depressing’ and blamed the government’s longstanding…