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News in Brief, 6 October 2017

06 Oct 2017 General
News in Brief, 6 October 2017

Some of the week's news to aid your prayers.

Society & Politics

  • PM smears supporters of traditional marriage: Theresa May’s speech to the Conservative Party conference celebrated the legalisation of gay marriage, while attacking supporters of biblical marriage as ‘lacking compassion’. Read more here.
  • Bath Spa University censors research into transgender regrets: The university barred a Masters student from researching the experiences of people who regret having sex-change surgery, citing it as too ‘politically incorrect’. Meanwhile, a surgeon has voiced concern about increasing levels of this regret.
  • LGBT population still over-represented at BBC: In 2016 the percentage of the UK population identifying as LGBT rose from 1.7% to 2% - a significant increase – but still remains far below the BBC’s LGBT staff quota of 11%.

World Scene

  • Trump prepares response to Iran nuclear agreement: Amid reports that the President will try to wound the Iranian regime by modifying Obama’s nuclear deal, evidence surfaces that Iran may not be complying – under a Russian shield. Read more here.
  • Russia quietly helps North Korea amid sanctions: Moscow is playing a double-game, backing UN sanctions on Kim Jong-un’s regime whilst boosting trade behind the scenes. Find out why here.
  • Ireland to hold abortion referendum: The vote will take place sometime in 2018, not long before a papal visit. Ireland is under considerable pressure, from within and without, to change its ban on abortion. Read more here.
  • New study indicates link between abortion and breast cancer: Though the connection is still hotly debated, new research shows a huge increase in the risk of breast cancer for women who have had abortions. Read more here and here.

Israel & Middle East

  • PA government convenes in Gaza: On Tuesday the PA met in the Gaza Strip for the first time in three years, negotiating a takeover from Hamas. Abbas will reportedly try to pressure Hamas to disarm in addition to relinquishing civic authority (read more here). But is there more going on here than meets the eye?
  • Pray for Israel to receive rain: At the end of this year’s dry season, Israel is desperate for water, with the Sea of Galilee approaching its lowest level ever recorded.
  • Coptic Christian girls being kidnapped by extremist Muslims: A new report from World Watch Monitor suggests that Coptic Christian young women are being abducted by Islamists on a daily basis and forced into marriage or slavery. One successful rescue story has just hit the news – but such stories seem to be rare.
 

Upcoming Events

  • ‘Explore Hebrew’ day course, Oxfordshire: 10am-3:30pm, Saturday 28 October, Wantage. Intensive introductory course to the Hebrew language, for beginners. Led by Melissa Briggs. Registration required by 21 October and spaces are limited. £28 for the day - register by contacting This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
  • 'Balfour 100' Centenary celebration, London: 7:30-10pm on 7 November, the Royal Albert Hall. A wonderful evening of music and drama celebrating the Balfour Declaration. Tickets from £10 - click here for more details and to book.
  • Foundations North Conference, Matlock: 24-26 November, Willersley Castle Hotel. Theme: The Hebraic Jesus. Speakers to include Prophecy Today's Paul Luckraft. For more details and to book, click 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 also recommend the following news services for regular updates from a Christian perspective: