Some news from over Christmas and the New Year to aid your prayers.

Society & Politics

• Maths teacher sues in transgender row: Oxfordshire teacher Matthew Sutcliffe, who was suspended in November for saying “Well done, girls” to female pupils when one identified as a boy, is taking his school to an employment tribunal. The case is being supported by the Christian Legal Centre. Read more here.
  
• Parents speak out against Downs abortion: A number of parents were able to speak on this issue on the BBC Radio 2 Jeremy Vine show, leading the presenter to comment that “Some advances [i.e. in pre-natal screening] are not advances”. Read more here.

Church Issues

• 150+ Christians killed over Christmas season: A number of reports have surfaced of Christians being targeted for attacks over the festive season. Please remember their families and friends in prayer at this time. Read more here and here.

World Scene

• Russia plans nationwide biometric database: State-linked companies and the Government are leading a push for access to banking to be managed via facial and voice recognition, and eventually via irises/fingerprints. Read more here.
• Guatemala to move its embassy to Jerusalem, others to follow: The South American nation is the first to announce its intention to follow the US, with others also considering a move. Guatemala has a history of supporting Israel. Read more here.

Israel & Middle East

• Rain in Israel! After a long period of drought, the arrival of lots of rain in a short period has caused flash flooding and some minor accidents, but has raised water levels in the Sea of Galilee by 3cm. Read more here.
• Knesset passes Jerusalem bill: The bill means that any future division of the City (such as to parcel off land as part of a peace deal), and/or any alteration to its status, requires a 2/3 majority in the Knesset - a virtual impossibility. Read more here.
• Crackdown on Iran protests: The Iranian regime is claiming to be successfully curbing the civilian protests that erupted in the past week - but nobody knows for sure whether or not this is true. Click here for a broad overview of the demonstrations, which have been (at least in part) against the hardline Shi’a clerical regime and its involvements in Syria, Lebanon and the Palestinian territories.
• Drama at the UN: Over the Christmas period Israel followed the USA in quitting UNESCO, while the US slashed the UN budget by $285m. The latter has also threatened to stop aid to the Palestinians – see here and here.
• New synagogue opens underneath Temple Mount: After 12 years of construction, a brand new synagogue is now open for prayer – underground, directly beneath the Western Wall. Read more and see a photo here.

Upcoming Events

• The P Word Conference (Cardiff): 27 January 2018, 10:30am-4pm, Freedom Church, Cardiff. A practical Christian response to pornography for all leaders. In partnership with CARE. For more information and for tickets, visit pwordconference.com.
• Foundations 9 (Cumbria): 19-23 March 2018, Grange-Over-Sands. Theme: 'Into the lion's den: reaching a world gone mad'. Steve Maltz's annual week-long Hebraic conference. £260 per person. Click here for more information and to book.