Society & Politics

Fight against anti-Semitism in Labour: Rebecca Long-Bailey has been sacked from the shadow Cabinet by Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer, for sharing an article containing an “anti-Semitic conspiracy theory”. Read more here.

• Overwhelming majority against ‘self-identification’ moves: 94 per cent of people answering a recent online poll were not in favour of making it easier for people to change their legal sex. Read more here.
• Keeping Sunday special: Over 50 Conservative MPs have called on the Government not to lift current Sunday trading restrictions. Read more here.
• The temptations of gambling: Senior MPs are urging for regulation of online betting firms to be completely overhauled in order to protect the vulnerable. Read more here. The NHS has also warned the industry not to exploit the return of live football matches on television. Read more here.
• LGBT opposition to rainbow artwork: An LGBT group in London has objected to the use of the rainbow in artwork decorating a local bridge. This complaint has sparked a backlash on social media. Read more here.

Church Issues

• First drive-in church service in Britain: Rev. Matt Timms, a vicar in Newquay, got the go-ahead for a car park ‘drive-in’ church service last Sunday, the first of its kind in the UK. Read more here, here and here.
• Being generous: A new course – called the Generosity Project – has been launched in the UK to encourage churches to give through their finances, time and energy. Read more here.

World Scene

• Iranian believers in danger: Experts have reported that a recent change of law will heighten the level of persecution already suffered by Christians in Iran. Read more here.
• Surveillance and persecution in China: The Chinese government is advancing in its programme to genetically map the entire male population of the country, raising fresh persecution concerns for believers there. Read more here.
• US-Russia nuclear talks: The United States and Russia have returned to the negotiating table in Vienna to try to reach a nuclear arms deal amid renewed ‘cold war’ tensions between the two nations. Read more here.
• Earthquakes in Iceland: The northern coast of Iceland has been hit by thousands of tremors in recent days and the country is now threatened by volcanic eruption. Read more here.
• Fightback against the trans agenda: The Department of Health and Human Services in America has revised its policy and has now returned to the biological definition of sex as male or female rather than “one’s internal sense of gender”. Read more here.

Israel & Middle East

• Israeli sovereignty plans: Republican legislators in the US have issued a statement backing Prime Minister Netanyahu’s plans to apply Israeli sovereignty to parts of Judea and Samaria, as well as the Jordan Valley. Read more here. Meanwhile, at a Palestinian rally in Jericho on Monday, the UN Middle East envoy encouraged those gathered not to give up their aspirations for statehood. Read more here.
• Cooperation between Israel, Greece and Cyprus: During a visit this week from the Greek Prime Minister, it was observed by Netanyahu that their countries, along with Cyprus, now have a growing partnership in the gas, electricity and tourism sectors. Read more here.
• Same-sex couples recognised by Tel Aviv: Israel’s second largest city has decided to challenge the government by recognising and granting benefits to same-sex couples “in honour of Pride Week”. 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: