• Israel’s worst civilian tragedy. At least 45 people were crushed to death and over 150 people injured, including many in critical condition, in a stampede on Thursday night at a mass Orthodox Jewish commemoration in northern Galilee. Children are among the dead and injured. The annual gathering took place at the tomb of the 2nd-century sage Shimon Bar Yochai at Mount Meron. The site was packed with up to 100,000 people, despite parts of it being limited to 10,000 due to Covid restrictions. The Israeli government has launched a formal investigation into the incident. Read this update.

 Society & Politics

• Isaac Newton latest historical figure swept up in 'decolonisation' drive. Sheffield University has drafted plans to “decolonise” their engineering curriculum after labelling Sir Isaac Newton a potential beneficiary of “colonial-era activity”. Newton’s crime is apparently that he purchased shares in the South Sea Company, which traded in slaves. Newton laid the foundations of modern science with his theory of gravity, and theories on light, time, colour and calculus. In recent years he was voted Cambridge University 'student of all time'.
• University halls named after William Gladstone to be rebranded. Meanwhile, Liverpool University students have forced halls of residence named after William Gladstone to be renamed after “communist” race campaigner Dorothy Kuya. The move follows from Gladstone’s family having had links to the slave trade, even though the former British Prime Minister did not. He once campaigned for compensation for slave owners after the abolition of the horrific practice but also dubbed slavery the “foulest crime”.
• 'Gender critical' beliefs protected by law, says equalities watchdog. The belief that trans women are actually men is protected by law, the equalities watchdog has confirmed. The statement from the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) came as a landmark case over trans rights concluded this week. The verdict, due to be handed down in the coming months, will determine whether it becomes legal for people with 'gender critical' beliefs to misgender trans people in the workplace. A spokesman for the EHRC also acknowledged the right to protection of religious views that homosexual practice is contrary to God's will and sinful.

Church News

• Former British Open champion points to Jesus. Professional golfer Stewart Cink made Jesus the headline after winning a US golf tournament last week. Cink – winner of the 2009 British Open – made it clear that having faith in Christ brings him peace, which impacts how he plays on the course. The 47-year-old said he relies on his faith even when the golf game doesn’t go as expected. He also shared how beneficial it has been for him to stay involved in a Bible study with other golfers while on tour. Over the years Cink has faced several professional disappointments as well as some personal struggles. But during the difficult times, he has maintained a firm grip on his faith.

World News

• US officially recognises Armenian genocide. Joe Biden has become the first president of the United States to officially recognise as genocide the massacre of Armenians and other Christians by the Ottoman Empire. Between 1893 and 1923, some 1.5 million Armenians were killed in the Ottoman Empire in a policy of extermination of Christian minorities. A further 2.25 million Assyrian, Greek and Syriac Christians were also killed within Ottoman territories between 1914 and 1923, making a total of 3.75 million Christians killed. The UK government, along with Australia, Israel and many other nations, has consistently failed to recognise the Armenian Genocide. Israel, while not formally calling the Armenian slaughter a genocide, has followed the US in commemorating the “tragedy of the Armenian people”. Read more here and here.
• Christian politician formally charged over views on marriage and sexuality. Finland's Prosecutor General has formally charged a Christian MP after she expressed a traditional view on marriage and sexuality. Päivi Räsänen, the country's former Minister of the Interior, is accused of "hate speech" over her comments in a 2004 pamphlet, a 2018 TV show and a recent tweet. Three charges have been brought against her, each carrying a two-year prison sentence. Following the decision by the Prosecutor General to bring formal charges, the 61-year-old said she would not stop sharing her views. Read also this week's Editorial. 
• China intensifies clampdown on Christian orphanages. A Catholic orphanage in Zhaoxian, home to dozens of disabled children for over 30 years, is to be closed by order of the local authorities. The Sisters and other staff, who have grown emotionally close to the children over time, have been banned from even visiting them. China’s clampdown on Christian orphanages began in 2018, and is leaving thousands of poor and disadvantaged orphans and disabled children in danger without vital support. The move is thought to be partly due to fears of Christian groups proselytising and converting children. The disabled children will apparently be transferred to other facilities.

Israel & The Middle East

• Christian family living as Orthodox Jews in Jerusalem. The Orthodox Jewish community living in Jerusalem’s French Hill neighbourhood was taken aback by the recent discovery of an evangelical Christian living as one of them for years. The community seems to have been persuaded that Michael Elkohen was a Jew trained in the “covenant of circumcision”, and also a Scribe. This allowed him and his family to fully integrate into the Orthodox community. In reality, it appears, he was a Christian missionary. Elkohen is seen as one of a number of Christians who present themselves as Orthodox Jews, a few even ministering as rabbis or leading Messianic congregations.
• EU condemns UNRWA for ‘hate speech and violence’ taught in PA schools. The European Union on Wednesday passed an unprecedented resolution to condemn the United Nations Relief & Works Agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) for printing, distributing and using textbooks inciting and endorsing violence against Israel and the Jewish people in Palestinian Authority schools. The EU insists that financial aid be conditioned on the removal of educational materials that promote hatred and incitement to violence. UNRWA texts, long notorious for being anti-Semitic, condemned the recent normalisation of diplomatic relations between Israel and several Arab and Muslim majority countries, while qualifying the Jewish state as an “enemy” or “occupier.”