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News in Brief, 13 October 2017

13 Oct 2017 General
News in Brief, 13 October 2017

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

Society & Politics

  • Ealing Council bans anti-abortion protests: The decision to ban pro-life groups from protesting close to a Marie Stopes clinic in Ealing, which was even voted for by a Christian councillor, could see similar bans being introduced nationwide. Read more here. Meanwhile, click here to hear anti-abortion campaigner Aisling Hubert and Catholic lawyer Ed Condon speak on behalf of the unborn child on a special edition of Radio 4's Moral Maze.
  • Baliol College bans Christian Union from freshers fair: Leaders of the Oxford college’s students union reportedly wanted to save freshers from ‘harm’. A backlash from students has forced the JCR to relent and allow the CU to participate in future.

Church Issues

  • Bishop calls for CofE to lose exemption in same-sex marriage: The call, for the legal provision allowed to the Church to prevent it being forced to conduct same-sex marriages to be removed, comes from the Bishop of Buckingham, the Rt Rev Dr Alan Wilson. Read more here.

World Scene

  • USA and Israel withdraw from UNESCO, citing anti-Israel bias: The decision comes as UNESCO votes this week for its new director-general, with one front-runner a Qatari known for his anti-Semitic views. Effective at the end of next year, the US will remain active at UNESCO only as a non-member observer state. Read more here and here.
  • Trump to decertify Iran nuclear deal: The decision will not end the agreement, but will kickstart a debate in Congress and send a strong political signal. Read more here. In a recent phone call to President Trump, Theresa May re-stated Britain’s commitment to the pact, the effectiveness of which in preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons is hotly contested.
  • 10-year-old French Jewish girl hospitalised in school attack: The girl was beaten by classmates in her Paris school on multiple occasions. Due to increasing anti-Semitism, the number of Jews sending their children to public school has dropped sharply. Read more here.
  • New Netflix series normalises sexual sin and sexualises children: Pro-family groups are warning about ‘Big Mouth’ as ‘fantasy food for pedophiles’. Read more here. Also this week, BBC Panorama released new statistics that child-on-child sex offences have risen by over 70% in the last three years.

Israel & Middle East

  • Feast of Tabernacles parade sees 80,000 internationals march in Jerusalem: People from 80 nations joined the parade on Sukkot, also the 50th anniversary of the city’s reunification, as a show of support for Israel and a united Jerusalem. Read more here.
  • Hamas and Fatah reach reconciliation deal: The deal was signed in Cairo this week, agreeing Hamas’s handover of Gaza's administration to Fatah by early December- read more here and here. Questions remain about the future of Hamas’s 25,000-strong military wing, with fears that the deal will simply free up Hamas to focus on attacking Israel. 
 

Upcoming Events

  • VFI Feast of Tabernacles celebration, London: Friday 20 October (7:30pm) and Saturday 21 October (10:30am), Emmanuel Centre, Westminster. Join Barry and Batya Segal and guests to celebrate God's faithfulness and provision. £15 per person, children under 12 go free. For more information and to book, click here.
  • Commemorating 50 years of the abortion act, London: 2-5pm, 28 October, Emmanuel Centre, Westminster. Join CARE to commemorate the 8.8 million lives lost since the Abortion Act was introduced in 1967. The event will include speakers, music, theatre and prayer. Attendance is free but registration is requested – click here for more details.
  • ‘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: