Displaying items by tag: UK

Fred Parry attributes twenty years of sobriety to a rehab clinic, saying recovering from alcoholism was the best thing that ever happened to him. He is now a cellist, a music teacher, a husband and father. When his son Adam began battling addiction, Fred sent him to the same clinic to recover. He did for a short time, but Fred could not afford further rehab. Adam didn’t present like an alcoholic; he was well-spoken, intelligent, often reading three books at a time. But he was tortured and couldn't find a way out. Addiction took over when he started studying chemistry at University. He dropped out and was hospitalised six times for alcohol-related seizures. Fred was told by a doctor, ‘There's nothing you can do for an alcoholic, just lock them up and throw the key away’ Adam died after another seizure. He was 32. Mr Parry wants the Scottish government to improve access to addiction treatment services, including residential rehab.

Dmitry Kiselyov, a Putin mouthpiece on Russian state TV, said that a possible course of action could be a Poseidon underwater drone triggering a 'radioactive tidal wave' against the UK. ‘Then Britain would be plunged into the depths of the ocean by an underwater nuclear strike. This tidal wave would also carry high doses of radiation surging over Britain turning whatever is left of them into radioactive desert, unusable for anything.’ He also warned the UK of a Sarmat 2 weapon, which Russia said earlier this month it planned to deploy by autumn. These intercontinental ballistic missiles carry ten or more nuclear warheads and could reach Europe and the US, experts have warned. Boris Johnson recently said he did not expect further Russian military failures to push Putin into using tactical nuclear weapons in Ukraine, and Russia had room to manoeuvre and end the conflict. See also Europe article ‘Russia talking about a nuclear apocalypse’.

CARE for Scotland has urged Nicola Sturgeon to oppose assisted suicide to protect people with disabilities, after she signalled she might support plans to legalise the practice. In a recent interview Ms Sturgeon said she is ‘more open’ to a law change and has no ‘concluded view’ on a member's bill from Scottish Liberal Democrat MSP Liam McArthur. Ms Sturgeon expressed opposition to assisted suicide in 2015 when it was last considered in Scotland. CARE said, ‘The First Minister's assessment of assisted suicide's dangers was correct in 2015 and ‘remains so today. It is confirmed by Canada’s tragic experience, where vulnerable citizens are coerced into opting for assisted death after being unable to access care and support. Canada experiences the ‘slippery slope’ of such laws. If Scotland agrees to assisted suicide for terminally ill, a campaign will begin in earnest to widen eligibility for the physically and mentally disabled.’ For more on Canada’s experience, see

Energy giant Shell has reported its highest-ever quarterly profits (£7.3bn) as oil and gas prices surge around the world. But Shell said pulling out of Russian oil and gas due to Ukraine’s conflict had cost them £3.1bn. BP also reported a sharp rise in profit, and Norway's Equinor, which supplies a quarter of the UK's gas, also posted record earnings this quarter. Oil prices were already rising before the Ukraine war as economies started to recover from the Covid pandemic. The public is now asking what these companies will do with all their extra profits. The Government has so far ruled out a windfall tax.

A County Antrim GP practice will only be able to open a branch clinic two half days a week because of a Department of Health (DoH) funding cut. The practice can no longer cover the costs of a full-time service which opened in 2017 to take 1,400 new patients. DoH said additional payments between 2017 and 2021 were temporary, ‘to support the practice for a period of three years to enable them to manage the registration and complete an initial clinical review of these additional patients.’ Dr John McSparran, from the practice, disagrees vehemently. ‘We were never under the impression it was for three years, otherwise we would never have entered the agreement in the first place. We've tried to address this, continuing the service at our own cost. But financially the practice is unviable and can no longer cover the costs of a full-time service.’

Neil Parish, the MP for Tiverton and Honiton, has resigned after admitting he watched pornography twice in the House of Commons. He said it had been a ‘moment of madness: I was not proud of what I was doing’. The first time was accidental after he looked at a tractor website, but the second time was deliberate. Mr Parish appeared emotional as he announced he was standing down after seeing the furore and damage it was causing his family and his constituency. This will trigger a by-election in what is a safe Tory seat. But this story - and others - have damaged Parliament's reputation, and the Conservative Party. Both will be hoping that Mr Parish's resignation will help them start to move on.

There needs to be more and better laws and legislation to safeguard children from online sexual exploitation. Later this month the Online Safety Bill will be debated in Westminster as it enters its second reading. The bill will require online platforms to take action to improve child protection. Pray for consensus on the importance of further strengthening child protection, particularly in preventing the livestreaming of child abuse.

For six years, Kristie was a pastoral assistant at a secondary school. When her school notified staff of a 'No Outsiders' programme to be introduced Kristie went to a meeting to find out more. No Outsiders introduces young children to ideas about family and gender that are very different from Biblical teaching. She was concerned and did further research and shared a couple of posts on Facebook. But one of Kristie's Facebook ‘friends’ sent her Facebook posts to the school’s headteacher complaining that ‘a member of your staff, working directly with children has posted homophobic and prejudiced views against the lgbt community on Facebook.’ Kristie was sacked for gross misconduct. Her appeal was denied. She appealed but the decision was upheld. Kristie took her case to an Employment Tribunal but they ruled against her. In a few weeks’ time an Employment Appeal Tribunal will conduct their hearing. 

Boris Johnson is sending £100m worth of weapons, including Starstreak anti-aircraft missiles and 800 anti-tank missiles, to Ukraine after an ‘unconscionable bombing’ of a crowded railway station killing dozens of refugees. He said, ‘It is a war crime to attack civilians, and Russia's war crimes in Ukraine will not go unnoticed or unpunished. Boris is sending precision munitions capable of lingering in the sky until directed to their target plus more helmets, body armour, and night vision. Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said the UK will also be providing heavily armoured Mastiff vehicles suitable for road patrols and convoys. Sensitive equipment will be removed, and British troops will help with training in a neighbouring country. So far sanctions have frozen £275bn of Russian foreign currency reserves, which is 60% of their total reserves. It is having deep and damaging consequences for Putin's ability to wage war. 

The government continues facing pressure over gatherings in and around Downing Street during lockdowns. The police are investigating 12 parties and on April 12th issued 50+ fines, with more to come. Boris and Carrie Johnson and the chancellor are among those fined; making Boris the first serving prime minister to be caught breaking the law. All three apologised, but bereaved families called their actions ‘truly shameless’ with ‘simply no way’ they could continue in their jobs. Labour MPs also want the PM and Mr Sunak to quit. Mr Johnson said he felt ‘an even greater sense of obligation to deliver’, while the chancellor said he was ‘focused on delivering for the British people’. Amanda McEgan, whose daughter died during the pandemic, said the prime minister's conduct during lockdowns made restrictions on the 19-year-old's funeral ‘more hurtful’. Boris said he accepted ‘in all sincerity that people had the right to expect better’ from him.