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.

In Ethiopia’s first free and fair election last year, after decades of repressive rule, the Prosperity Party won. However, an opposition boycott and the war in the Tigray region that left many dead and two million people displaced overshadowed the election. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has now lifted a ban on opposition parties, released tens of thousands of political prisoners, and is opening up one of Africa’s last untapped markets. Praise God that the Inter-Religious Council has declared a week of prayer. Pray that calls for peace will be amplified on all fronts as the prayers are broadcast on religious and secular television channels and pray that the ethnic battle will stop. Pray that the frightened people will receive encouraging counselling to release their stress and anxieties in productive ways. Pray that in the new regime, multitudes will hear the Gospel and many will accept Jesus Christ as their Saviour. May they be trained to grow in faith through the efforts of the Churches.

The International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted (IDOP) is Sunday, November 6. It is observed every year around All Saints’ Day when the Church traditionally remembers the saints of the Church, many of whom suffered torture and martyrdom for Jesus. IDOP recognizes those who have paid the ultimate price for their faith in Christ and reminds us that many are still paying that price today. This is a special time for us to pray for those who are persevering in the face of hardship, letting them know they are not forgotten and we are praying for them. Prayer Alert intercessors are invited to be a part of this special day by scheduling a few minutes to pray for Afghans, Ukrainians and the many others now arriving into new countries, and those still waiting to re-settle. For most Ukrainian’s this will be seen as a temporary re-settlement. Pray for converts to Christianity in the Muslim world, who have been threatened and abandoned by their families because of their faith in Jesus Christ.

The next Climate Change conference, COP27, takes place 7-18 November in Sharm el-Sheik, Egypt. God has given us dominion over the earth He created, so we have a duty to steward God’s creation and pray for its healing. Let’s pray for good implementation of the climate goals. Specific prayer points are: The boldness and integrity for nations to follow up on the promises made during COP26 in Glasgow. For honest and fair access to funds for nations affected the most by the impacts of climate change. i.e. a fund has been created but it is very hard for nations to access this fund for help. For a good transition from the UK, as the prior chair, to Egypt the new chair. That the voices of truth would be listened to and louder than the voices which are speaking for their own gain. Climate Intercessors have released strategic prayers for COP27.

Lebanon is trying to contain cholera in its most vulnerable communities. 290 cases and 11 deaths were confirmed since October 6th. Cholera is a bacterial infection caused by contaminated water or food, it spreads quickly and can kill within hours through severe dehydration. It’s completely preventable with clean water and sanitation access, usually provided by public utilities, but those empowered to deliver this have already made off with the money budgeted for the infrastructure. See Haiti is also grappling with cholera, and the timing couldn’t be worse. The previous outbreak killed nearly 10,000 people between 2010 and 2019. Now, over 1,700 cholera cases have been confirmed, half of them children, and 40 people have died so far. Haiti was already struggling under hostile gang takeovers in cities. A few medical centres try to treat cases, but they lack fuel, gangs blocking the seaport prevent fuel being released, bringing businesses and health facilities to a halt.

On October 26th Canadian parliamentarians voted no to severing ties with the monarchy, after Yves-Francois Blanchet introduced a motion that sparked conversation in the House of Commons about the monarchy. His move follows 14 recently elected Quebec politicians refusing to recite an oath of allegiance to the King as required by Canadian law. Many Quebecers are in favour of Canada being a republic rather than a constitutional monarchy - a sentiment that is tied to the province's history of being a French-speaking region that was once under British colonial rule. Over the years Quebec politicians have continued to put forward policies that seek to define the province as distinct from English Canada. When tabling his motion Mr Blanchet said Canada's tie to the British Crown is ‘archaic.’ Opinion polls following Queen Elizabeth’s death found 79% of Quebec agreed they should sever their ties with the Crown.

At least 15 people were killed and 40 others were injured in a terrorist attack at the Shahcheragh Shrine in the city of Shiraz. Two children were among the victims. Iranian security forces have arrested two of the suspected attackers, and a manhunt is underway to capture a third. The terror group ISIS has claimed responsibility for the attack, releasing a statement through its affiliated Amaq news agency that said one of its members had ‘targeted groups of Sunni refusal infidels inside the shrine with his Kalashnikov machine gun, causing the death of tens of them.’ The attack happened on the same day that clashes broke out throughout Iran and thousands of people came to the burial site of Kurdish Mahsa Amini to mark 40 days since her death. Iranian news ISNA said it’s unclear if the attack was related to the protests.