Thousands attend pro-family demonstration in Paris
More than 250,000 people took to the streets in Paris on Sunday to express their opposition to ‘anti-family’ proposals in France, including plans to legalise medical procedures that will allow same-sex couples to have children. Alan Craig of the GayMarriageNoThanks campaign, who was invited to represent the UK by organisers, La Manif Pour Tous, said: ‘The youthfulness of the protesters was noticeable. Overwhelmingly the participants were in their twenties and thirties, and teenagers were conspicuous by their noisy enthusiasm and, often, street dancing too. ‘As in the UK, the government is ignoring the people as it drives through its anti-family proposals. But, clearly, at the grass-roots the traditional natural family is alive and well and full of youthful support in France.’ On Sunday, contributions were made by delegates from Spain, Italy, Portugal, Poland and Slovakia, as well as GayMarriageNoThanks from the UK.
Europe is concerned about progression of jihadism on Its territory
The growing involvement of European citizens in jihadist groups is a reason for concern here, where authorities estimate that some 3,000 Europeans, mostly French citizens, have enrolled in Islamic fundamentalist groups. According to statistics from the Ministry of the Interior, some 1,000 French citizens or residents in France are linked to extremist groups that operate in Syria or Iraq. The issue became relevant a few months ago, when four journalists who were held hostages by the so-called Islamic State (IS) for nearly a year revealed that some of their captors spoke with a French accent. Shortly afterwards it was learned that the executioner of US journalist James Foley is of British origin. Most French citizens involved in the jihad join the groups voluntarily after being recruited by cells that operate in the country, and many of them are recruited on the Internet
Asda and Tesco withdraw Halloween patient outfits
Supermarket chains Tesco and Asda have withdrawn two Halloween outfits after they were criticised for stigmatising people with mental health issues. Both stores apologised for any offence caused and agreed to make donations to the mental health charity, Mind. The charity which complained that such costumes 'fuel' stigma, will receive £25,000 from Asda. Tesco has not said how much it will donate. The £20 Asda outfit included ragged clothing, fake blood, a mask and a fake meat cleaver while Tesco's orange boiler suit came with a plastic jaw restraint and offered to ‘complete the look’ with a machete. Online retailer Amazon had also advertised the ‘psycho ward’ outfit, but later said the costume was ‘not available’. A Tesco spokesperson said: ‘We're really sorry for any offence this has caused and we are removing this product from sale.’
Malala Yousafzai and Kailash Satyarthi win Nobel Peace Prize
Pakistani child education activist Malala Yousafzai and Kailash Satyarthi, an Indian child rights campaigner, have jointly won the Nobel Peace Prize. At the age of just 17, Malala is the youngest-ever recipient of the prize. The teenager was shot in the head by Taliban gunmen in October 2012 for campaigning for girls' education. She now lives in Birmingham in the UK. Mr Satyarthi has maintained the tradition of Mahatma Gandhi and headed various forms of peaceful protests, ‘focusing on the grave exploitation of children for financial gain,’ the committee said at the Nobel Institute in Oslo. The 60-year-old founded Bachpan Bachao Andolan, or the Save the Childhood Movement, which campaigns for child rights and an end to human trafficking. Reacting to the news, Mr Satyarthi told the BBC: ‘It's a great honour for all those children who have been still living in slavery despite of all the advancement in technology, market and economy.
Asda and Tesco withdraw Halloween patient outfits
Supermarket chains Tesco and Asda have withdrawn two Halloween outfits after they were criticised for stigmatising people with mental health issues. Both stores apologised for any offence caused and agreed to make donations to the mental health charity, Mind. The charity which complained that such costumes 'fuel' stigma, will receive £25,000 from Asda. Tesco has not said how much it will donate. The £20 Asda outfit included ragged clothing, fake blood, a mask and a fake meat cleaver while Tesco's orange boiler suit came with a plastic jaw restraint and offered to ‘complete the look’ with a machete. Online retailer Amazon had also advertised the ‘psycho ward’ outfit, but later said the costume was ‘not available’. A Tesco spokesperson said: ‘We're really sorry for any offence this has caused and we are removing this product from sale.’
Malala Yousafzai and Kailash Satyarthi win Nobel Peace Prize
Pakistani child education activist Malala Yousafzai and Kailash Satyarthi, an Indian child rights campaigner, have jointly won the Nobel Peace Prize. At the age of just 17, Malala is the youngest-ever recipient of the prize. The teenager was shot in the head by Taliban gunmen in October 2012 for campaigning for girls' education. She now lives in Birmingham in the UK. Mr Satyarthi has maintained the tradition of Mahatma Gandhi and headed various forms of peaceful protests, ‘focusing on the grave exploitation of children for financial gain,’ the committee said at the Nobel Institute in Oslo. The 60-year-old founded Bachpan Bachao Andolan, or the Save the Childhood Movement, which campaigns for child rights and an end to human trafficking. Reacting to the news, Mr Satyarthi told the BBC: ‘It's a great honour for all those children who have been still living in slavery despite of all the advancement in technology, market and economy.
Trojan Horse schools 'not improved', Ofsted warns
There are still significant problems at the five Birmingham schools placed into special measures following concerns about a hard-line Islamist takeover. England's schools' watchdog Ofsted says the action plans are still ‘not fit for purpose’ in some of the five. At one, ‘staff do not trust each other’, it says, and ‘safeguarding remains a serious concern’ at another. The inspections took place early this term. The Department for Education described them as ‘a snapshot’. The five schools were inspected - on an unannounced basis - between 8th and 12th September, and in some cases new governors and heads had only just started work. Inspectors raised concerns that it had taken too much time to appoint new governors and senior leaders at these schools. This meant ‘very little action’ had been taken to address the serious concerns raised about their performance. Ofsted chief Sir Michael Wilshaw said, 'Too much poor practice remained unchallenged during the summer term’.
Lib Dems back getting rid of Christian assemblies
The Liberal Democrats have backed a motion to end Christian assemblies in schools. At the party’s conference last week, delegates voted to repeal the existing legal requirement for all state-funded schools to hold acts of collective worship of a broadly Christian character. But a motion to ban faith-based selection in state-funded schools was defeated, after Business Secretary Vince Cable and Justice Minister Simon Hughes said it risked ‘really serious harm’. Earlier this year, the Rt Revd John Pritchard, who chairs the Church of England’s board of education, said Christian school assemblies should be replaced with a time of ‘spiritual reflection’. He claimed changing the law could be ‘liberating’ for schools and churches. However, an editorial in The Daily Telegraph said replacing Christian assemblies would be a ‘fundamental change’, adding that there is ‘no evidence’ to show that parents object to their children being exposed to Christian themes. (See also Prayer Alert 25-2014)
Church of England: teach pupils by video link 'to prevent closure of rural primaries'
Village primary schools should consider teaching pupils by video link and allowing buildings to be used as post offices or community centres to stave off closure, according to the Church of England. Radical action is needed to prevent many of the 2,222 small Anglican schools – teaching almost 230,000 pupils – from being shut, it is claimed. In a major report, the CofE said rural primaries remained one of the state’s last points of contact with the countryside following a ‘steady decline’ in the number of shops, libraries, pubs and police and fire stations in recent years. But it said the days of fully autonomous primary schools – some teaching as few as 20 pupils – were ‘numbered’ because of a ‘constant salami slicing of budgets’ combined with teacher recruitment problems. The report called on the governors of all Anglican primaries in rural areas to carry out an internal review into their long-term viability, saying ‘doing nothing is not an option’.
David Cameron courting tycoons - despite anti-lobbying bill
According to recently leaked documents seen by the Guardian and the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, representatives of big business rubbed shoulders with senior politicians at a ‘black and white’ ball in February. David Cameron and other top politicians dined with billionaire donors at a dinner costing £1,000 per head. Among the guests were executives of a highly controversial doorstep lending firm criticized for soliciting retired elderly people and who had donated more than £25,000 to the party in the past three years. The first donation came when the government was being encouraged to regulate payday loan companies. Property tycoons and a Ukrainian energy boss also attended the event. The leak comes following accusations that Mr Cameron backtracked on his pledge to clean up politics by getting rid of giant company lobbying. Last year a network of bankers, businesspeople and lobby groups attended a Conservative fundraising dinner costing £12,000 per person.