Society & Politics

• Strict new lockdown in Wales. New, strict lockdown measures imposed in Wales have the aim of the country enjoying "a much more normal Christmas season". But economists have warned the 17-day lockdown may cost the Welsh economy more than £500m. The measures, in a country that has some of the lowest coronavirus infection rates in the UK, mean that once again shoppers are restricted in regard to the type of items they are allowed to purchase. Read more here
• 19-year-old student dies due to lockdown measures. Officials at Manchester University where a student recently died, insist the death was not Covid-related. The student’s father claims otherwise, insisting the death was due to ‘severe anxiety’ during Covid lockdown on the campus. “If you lockdown young people because of Covid-19 with little support, then you should expect that they suffer severe anxiety”, he stated. Read more here.

Church Issues

• Pope backs same-sex civil unions. To the to the praise of the LGBT community, but to the horror of African bishops and a multitude of ordinary Catholics worldwide, Pope Francis has declared support for same-sex civil partnerships. "Homosexual people have the right to be in a family. They are children of God," he said. His comments, released this week, were thought to have been made in an interview as early as 2019. Read more here
• Man charged after removing large cross from London church. A video was circulated widely on social media (and also posted on PT’s Facebook Community Page), showing a man tearing down a large cross from the roof of a Baptist church in Dagenham, in front of dozens of concerned passers-by. The police have since charged a 19-year-old man for “religiously aggravated criminal damage”. Read more here

World Scene

• Top Polish court bans almost all terminations. In a radical development, Poland's top court has ruled that abortions in cases of foetal defects are unconstitutional. Poland's abortion laws were already among the strictest in Europe but the Constitutional Tribunal's ruling will mean an almost total ban. Read more here.
• China bans printing of Christian literature. The past two years have seen a marked and deeply worrying step-up in China’s attempt to curb the growth of Christianity in the country. A recent development is that businesses are prohibited from publishing religious texts that don’t pass China’s strict censorship, while postal and courier services are banned from distributing them. Read more here

Israel & Middle East

• Son of senior Nazi ‘chose’ to be a Jew. The story has emerged of a young German, who, on discovering his father’s Nazi past (which had been hidden from him), and that he received the Iron Cross from Hitler in person, journeyed to Israel as a young man and converted to Judaism. He even served for a time in the Israeli military. Read more here

Upcoming Events

• Free webinar to celebrate the centenary of the San Remo Resolution. Postponed from April, this one-hour zoom meeting (followed by 30 minutes of live Q&A with the speakers) will discuss how the San Remo treaty of 1920 still offers real hope for Israel and the Palestinians too. The date is this Sunday, 25th October from 19.30 to 21.30. Register here.