Society & Politics

• Corbyn suspension likely to split Labour Party. A damning report has found that former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn was guilty of failing to act on anti-Semitism. Keir Starmer quickly suspended Corbyn from the Labour Party after the latter refused to accept some of the Report’s conclusions in regard to him. Read more here. Former London mayor, Ken Livingstone was also castigated in the EHRC Report.
• Sinister SNP Hate Crime Bill could see people prosecuted for expressing views in own homes. The Scotland National Party’s Hate Crime and Public Order Bill has been widely criticised by politicians, church leaders, the Humanist Society, the Scottish Police Federation and many other groups and individuals. Unrelenting, the Scottish Justice Secretary, Humza Yousaf, has revealed that the bill could go as far as criminalising free speech in people's own homes, on the basis of what is subjectively perceived as ‘hateful intent’. Read more here.
• Heading towards a cashless society? The consumer group Which has warned that the entire cash system is being threatened during the coronavirus crisis, as a great many shops have declined payments using banknotes and coins. Thousands of people have been prevented from paying with cash in recent months. While it is not illegal to refuse cash payment, this risks excluding vulnerable people, Which said. Read more here.

Church Issues

• Heart is a Christian newspaper published in the UK every two months. The publication seeks to unify churches and strengthen believers, and to inform and stimulate concern about local and national issues relevant to society. With the threat of Christmas being 'cancelled', one of Heart’s ‘Partner Pastors’ has offered to fund as many as 10,000 extra copies of the Dec/Jan issue in an effort to spread the gospel in these difficult times. The upcoming issue will have an attractive 'Christmassy' cover and a clear explanation of the gospel. Anyone wishing to help share the good news in their neighbourhoods is encouraged to contact Heart by this coming Monday 2nd Nov, Heart will post out the required number of papers (preferably in multiples of 100). Contact Anne at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Tel: 01903 209383

World Scene

• Grotesque terror attack in Nice church kills three. Three people were killed in a stabbing attack at a Roman Catholic basilica in Nice, France, by a man shouting ‘Allahu Akbar’, a now all too familiar phrase to western ears. The 21-year-old terrorist arrived in Italy on a migrant boat as recently as September. He first slashed the throat of a woman in her sixties in an attempted beheading, then hacked another to death, before stabbing a third person, who escaped the church before bleeding to death. The terrorist attack, which has again shaken France, was the third in the country since the recent start of the trial of suspects in the Charlie Hebdo magazine massacre. Read more here. In a separate incident shortly after, French police confirmed a man was shot dead near Avignon, after threatening passers-by with a handgun.
• Fears grow over new Armenian genocide. In an escalating story that has received little attention in the international media, it is reported that Azerbaijan forces are using Israeli ‘kamikaze drone’ weapons, alongside Turkish military backing, in bombing strikes against civilian targets, including churches, in the disputed Armenian Christian-majority region of Nagorno-Karabakh. Read more here.
• Amy Coney Barrett sworn in as justice on US Supreme Court. In a slim 52-48 vote majority, Amy Coney Barrett was confirmed by the US Senate this week. Coney Barrett is a devout Catholic, both anti-abortion and gay marriage, but she stressed her affiliation "would not bear in the discharge of my duties as a judge". Nevertheless, the move could have significant consequences for the future of America’s judiciary, and for abortion laws, and is regarded as a major boost for Donald Trump, days before election day. Read more here. 
• US signs international anti-abortion declaration. America has signed an anti-abortion declaration with 32 other nations. The move is seen as a direct reaction to the United Nations Human Rights Council's classification of abortion access as a universal human right. However, some have criticised the US for the move, as most co-signees are seen as illiberal or authoritarian governments, many of which greatly restrict women’s rights (although the declaration says that women should enjoy civil, political and economic rights). Co-signees include Uganda, Indonesia, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Iraq, Sudan, Libya, Belarus and only two European countries, Hungary and Poland. Read more here. Meanwhile, several churches have been attacked in Poland by anti-abortionists this week. Read more here

Israel & Middle East

• Sudan becomes the third Islamic nation to make peace with Israel. Donald Trump has announced that Sudan and Israel have agreed to begin normalising relations. The move is regarded as remarkable for a staunchly Islamic nation that has had decades of hostility towards Israel. Read more here. The President further claims that there are five other Middle East ‘definites’ and a similar number who are ‘pretty much’ ready to open diplomatic relations with Israel. Read more here.