A selection of the week's happenings to aid your prayers

Society & Politics

• Abortion levels reach highest since records began: 1 in 4 pregnancies in England and Wales now end in abortion, according to new data from the Office for National Statistics. Conception rates are also at their lowest since 2004. Read more here.
  
• 15 million Brits oppose same-sex marriage: A survey conducted last month shows that despite years of sustained propaganda promoting same-sex marriage, it is still not accepted by 24% of Brits, with a further 16% undecided. Read more here.
  
• 80% arts workers admit culture of censorship: A new study has found that the majority of people working in arts/culture jobs are concerned about their own professional freedom of speech, facing “gagging orders, bullying and a culture of fear”. Read more here. Also this week, John Humphrys has written in the Daily Mail about censorship being imposed by the trans lobby, while Ofcom has pledged to uphold online freedoms as the Government grants it more power over social media.
  
• Think tank finds Ofsted guilty of secular bias: An investigation by Policy Exchange has found that the education authority stokes division, fails to properly understand religious faith and uses its authority to impose its own liberal agenda. Read more here.

Church Issues

• Church takes Edinburgh Council to court: A legal case is being brought against the Council, which cancelled Destiny Church’s conference booking at Usher Hall due to objections to the views of one of its speakers. Read more here.
  
• Religious people are healthier: A new study suggests that people of faith have better physical and mental health than self-proclaimed atheists. Read more here.

World Scene

• Turkey opens refugee floodgates: Ankara has announced that millions of refugees and migrants will once again be allowed to flood into Europe, though the Gatestone Institute reports that President Erdogan’s threats might not wash this time with European leaders. Read more here. A ceasefire has been agreed between Russia and Turkey in Syria, where the two countries are supporting different sides of the civil war. Read more here.
  
• Brazil has a month’s rainfall in a few hours: Dozens are either dead or missing after torrential rain in coastal areas of the country caused flooding and landslides. Read more here.
  
• Coronavirus shakes global economy: The virus, which has now reached at least 60 countries, wiped $6 trillion off global stock markets last week and could wipe $113 billion off global airline revenues this year. Read more here.

Israel & Middle East

• Israel quarantines 50,000, El Al lays off workers: As a part of a bid to prevent the spread of coronavirus, Israel has widened its quarantine restrictions to all travellers coming from Europe. Read more here. Israeli airline El Al is making 1 in 6 of its workers redundant in a bid to survive the crisis. Read more here.
  
• Likud three seats shy of majority: After Israel’s unprecedented third general election in a year, incumbent PM Netanyahu came out on top but still lacks enough seats to form a government. Read more here.

Recommended Sources

At Prophecy Today UK we are aware that the world is moving very quickly and it is difficult to keep up with all the latest developments – especially when the material circulated by our mainstream media is increasingly far from reality and definitely not devoted to a biblical perspective!Though we are not a news service, we want to help keep you informed by passing on updates and reports as we are led. This will be a selective, not an exhaustive, round-up, which we hope will be helpful for your prayers. Click here to browse our News archive.We recommend the following news services for regular updates from a Christian perspective: