• Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid handed mandate to form government The leader of the centrist Yesh Atid party, Yair Lapid, has been asked by the country’s president to try and form a government. Yesh Atid is the second biggest party. This comes after Netanyahu, the long-standing Prime Minister, and leader of Likud, the biggest party, was unable to form a governing coalition in the given time period, following elections last month. Read more here and here.

Society and Politics

• Conservatives take Hartlepool seat from Labour With most results across the UK yet to be declared, early signs of an increased Conservative share of the vote in English councils is overshadowed by the extent of Labour's defeat in Hartlepool. The reasons for the defeat are already being considered, with Labour's antipathy to Brexit considered a key factor, and the 'vaccine bounce' enjoyed by the Conservatives. It may also show how Labour's 'woke' outlook is out of touch with most voters. Others are decrying Labour's move away from socialist policies, and too much 'flag-waving'. Read more here and here.
• Britain’s changing religious vote. As Britain awaits most of the results of yesterday’s elections, a fascinating survey by two lecturers in British Politics reveals that faith played an "important and under-appreciated role" in voting for Brexit in the EU Referendum in 2016. One in five Brits had religious beliefs that made them more likely to vote Leave. Anglicans were more likely to vote for Brexit whereas Catholics and Presbyterians were more likely to oppose it. The report also showed that Labour’s Catholic vote has collapsed, while the Conservatives are increasingly the party of choice for Christians. These and many other findings can be read here. 
• Douglas Ross criticised as he would have voted against gay marriage Douglas Ross, Scottish Tory leader, has been heavily criticised for comments he made seven years ago that he would have voted against gay marriage had he then been an MSP. Ross, who is not a Christian, has since changed his mind on same-sex marriage. Yet, this didn’t stop a barrage of criticism. Scottish Labour MP Ian Murray insisted Ross is ‘out-of-touch’ with Scots (as if every man, woman and child in Scotland rejects traditional marriage). The Scottish Lib Dems blasted his views as ‘awful’. The clear implication is that Christian views are beyond the pale, and have no place in politics. Read more here and here. 
• Headteacher bans 'sexist' language like “Good morning, boys and girls”. A headteacher of a Birmingham school has sparked outrage by banning teachers from using phrases including, “boys and girls”. Students as young as three are taught to hold up posters flagging 'sexist' terms and the pupils who find the best examples are rewarded with certificates. Parents previously protested against lessons on gay relationships at the school, and are furious at recent excesses. Chairman of the Campaign for Real Education, Chris McGovern, said, “This is about adults who have a neurosis about gender and are hoisting their own anxieties onto the shoulders of young children”. Read more here. 
• A third of recent Covid deaths not caused by virus. Lockdown sceptics have long claimed that official Covid death figures have been significantly exaggerated. It now transpires that nearly one third of recently registered Covid deaths in England and Wales are people who died primarily from other causes. Covid was not an underlying cause of death but was merely mentioned on the death certificate. The number of people who are not principally dying from Covid but are still being included in the official figures has been creeping up steadily over recent months.

World News

• Fulani herdsmen kill 33 Christians in Nigeria The persecution of Christians in Nigeria continues to increase in intensity. Muslim Fulani herdsmen last week killed ten Christians (and injured another nine), who had taken refuge in a camp for the displaced in north-central Nigeria. Two days previously, another band of herdsmen attacked predominantly Christian communities in Benue state, killing 17 Christians. Sadly, the violence in Nigeria gets little international news coverage; nor is it met with effectual response from the Nigerian government or military. Read more here, and also here. 
• French Jews angry as anti-Semitic killer not facing trial due to drug use. Calls are growing in France for a change in the law, as Kobili Traoré, who shouted ‘Allahu Akbar’ as he murdered 65-year-old Sarah Halimi, a former kindergarten teacher, in a frenzied attack, was cleared from facing trial. Two of the three psychiatrists whose expert opinion was sought deemed that he was undergoing a psychotic episode brought on by years of cannabis use, and that his discernment was ‘abolished’. Many Jews in particular are angry as it is clear that, whilst not planned, the attack was clearly motivated by the fact that Halimi, his neighbour, was Jewish, and therefore sprang from his known religious prejudices. Read more here and here.
• Swedish hospital halts use of puberty blockers Citing the case of Keira Bell in the UK, a leading hospital in Sweden has announced that it will no longer treat children under 16 presenting with gender dysphoria with puberty blockers. The Karolinska University Hospital’s announcement stated that the difficulties in assessing the risks, including potential irreversible effects such as cardiovascular disease and thrombosis, made informed consent too challenging for minors. As in the UK, the numbers of teenagers presenting with gender dysphoria, particularly girls, have increased exponentially – by approximately 1,500% in 10 years.

Church Issues

• Pastor on trial for church breaching social-distancing regulations The trial has begun of a Canadian pastor who has already spent 35 days in jail for encouraging his church to breach coronavirus restrictions. James Coates, lead pastor of Grace Life church, is charged with holding in-person services exceeding the coronavirus capacity limit and ignoring distancing rules. Coates, who was fined and warned but continued ignoring the breaches, argued the coronavirus restrictions in the area were unconstitutional and directly restricted the church's right to freedom of worship. Read more here.

Upcoming events

• Online talk on Scottish revivals No nation on earth has enjoyed a more longstanding, varied and colourful legacy of evangelical revivals than Scotland. Tom Lennie, one of PT’s Managing Editors, will be giving an online talk this Monday 10th May (8-9.30pm) on Scotland’s remarkable history of revivals. The talk will be followed by a Q&A / discussion time. The event is free, and you are most welcome to attend. Please register here.

Help wanted

• Issachar Ministries are seeking volunteers with professional backgrounds and skills: in particular, HR and IT/technical, but also legal, accounting, business, finance, and charity governance, to serve the Lord with us at an exciting time of transition and new opportunity.
  Contact: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Please respond by 31 May.