BRIEFING
20 million additional free school meals served up in Wales
THE FIRST MINISTER of Wales has announced that over 20 million additional meals have been served since the rollout of universal free school meals to all primary pupils in Wales began in September 2022. All primary school children and more than 6,000 nursery-age pupils...
No-fault bailiff evictions in England rise to a six year high
NEW government data shows 2,682 households in England were removed from their homes by bailiffs as a result of Section 21 no-fault evictions between January and March. This is an increase of 19 per cent in a year and the highest number in six years. The Ministry of...
Online shopping harms Europe’s only recognised Indigenous People
SHOPPING online may be convenient and time-saving, but it comes with a price, says a new report from Greenpeace Sweden. According to the report, Amazon, Zalando, HelloFresh and other big players are connected to the destruction of old-growth forests in Sweden. The...
Africa experiencing worst debt crisis in a generation
THE majority of African countries spent more repaying external debts than on healthcare or education – and in some cases both – last year as the continent experienced its worst debt crisis in a generation, according to a new report by the international aid agency...
Urgent action needed in adult social care, say councils
ONLY around two thirds of councils are confident of being able to meet all their legal duties under the Care Act by next year (2025/26) – a decade after the Government introduced landmark legislation designed to improve access to vital care and support. This is...
COMMENTARY
Starmer’s challenge: a courageous government in a courageous state
“MY CHANGED LABOUR PARTY”. Keir Starmer has used that phrase many times in recent months. All parties must evolve – failure to do so means sclerosis and death. But the more boldly inclusive and consensual that process is, the better the health of the party and of our...
The traumatic identity of the Armenian Genocide
MANY decades ago, when my bones were less creaky and when I was a happy-go-lucky young lad with hardly any serious responsibilities, I used to sit next to my maternal grandfather and listen intently to his nostalgic stories. I was very fond of my granddad – médzbaba...
Threatened with resurrection
Luke 24. 36b – 58; Acts 3. 12-19; Psalm 4. “They were startled and terrified… Jesus said to them, why are you frightened and why do doubts arise in your hearts?” AT THE VERY core of Christian believing is the conviction that – despite persistent appearances to the...
The two child limit: a cruel and unfair false economy
EVERY CHILD born in the UK, whatever their circumstances, is a member of our society. Society has a choice – we can do our best to support and nurture those children, to help them grow into healthy, happy adults, or we can turn our backs on them, allow them to...
Scotland, gender reform and law: difference and common ground
ISSUES around gender identity, wider equality, law and policy have been much in the news recently. A Scottish government attempt to overturn the UK government veto of a bill to make it easier to change legal gender failed. But Scotland’s leaders are pressing ahead...
MEDIA
UPDATES
Gaza news updates and truth-sourcing
IT HAS long been said that truth is the first casualty in war. In the age of digital technology, social media, AI and deepfakes, that awful reality has been turbo-charged. The continuing bombardment and assault on Gaza and the Russian invasion of Ukraine are prime...
Stations of the Cross for Gaza
WE ARE grateful to our friends at Christians for Palestine for producing a moving set of meditations and prayers for Gaza, using the traditional form of the Stations of the Cross, which depict Jesus's path to crucifixion. In commending these reflections we remember...
Confronting Christian Zionism and advocating for peace and justice
JOIN the Rev Dr Munther Isaac for a thought-provoking online conversation (6:30pm UK time, Sunday 4th February) on combatting Christians Zionism and empowering people of faith to advocate for Palestinian liberation. This will be an insightful discussion, shedding...