Government demands action on web safety
Google, BT and a clutch of other web giants and internet service providers have been put on notice - the government wants action on sorting out the problem of harmful content on the internet. The Culture Secretary Maria Miller has summoned them to a meeting on 17 June where they will be expected to come up with plans to do more to stop access to material such as child abuse images or material designed to promote terrorism. In her letter to the companies, the culture secretary says there is widespread public concern. Whether these concerns focus on access to illegal pornographic content, the proliferation of extremist material which might incite racial or religious hatred, or the ongoing battle against online copyright theft, a common question emerges. An aide to Ms Miller says. ‘Enough is enough - concentrated effort is now needed by the whole industry.’
Pray: that the meeting on 17 June will lead to significant developments and changes in web safety. (Pro.1:33)
More: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-22794498
Number of lone parents rising by 20,000 a year
The number of lone parents is rising by a rate of more than 20,000 a year with ‘devastating’ consequences for children and adults alike, warns the Centre for Social Justice. In a report, the CSJ says the number of lone parents will pass two million by the time of the next election. The increase is not being fuelled by divorce but by the surge in cohabitation. Since 1996, the number of people cohabiting has doubled to nearly six million but cohabiting parents are three times more likely than married couples to separate by the time a child is five. The number of lone parents increased by almost a quarter between 1996 and 2012. Britain has one of the highest rates of family breakdown in the developed world, with a quarter of families with dependent children being headed by a lone parent. Around a million children are growing up without any contact with their father.
Pray: or less family breakdowns. And for lone parents and their children to establish sound relationships compensating for any loss of stability and family breakdown. (Ps.79:6)
More: http://www.christiantoday.com/article/number.of.lone.parents.rising.by.20000.a.year/32814.htm
Humanists want the church out of schools
A group of humanists are demanding that faith schools should be open to all children, regardless of their parents’ religion. The Fair Admissions Campaign wants all state-funded schools in England and Wales to be open equally to all children, without regard to religion or belief. The Church of England’s website says: ‘Latest available statistics indicate one in four primary schools and one in 16 secondary schools in England are Church of England schools. Approaching one million pupils are educated in more than 4,700 Church of England schools.’ The Fair Admissions Campaign claims that it is ‘widely supported’, by those at its meetings. In the real world, according to the Church of England: ‘Seven in ten (72%) of the population agree that Church of England schools help young people to grow into responsible members of society and 8 in 10 (80%) agree that they promote good behaviour and positive attitudes.’
Pray: that faith will continue to be central in our schools' teaching and the developing of positive attitudes. (Rom.15:5)
More: http://www.christianvoice.org.uk/index.php/2013jun07fac/
Marriage Bill to be scrutinised in Committee
On Wednesday, the House of Lords voted against a motion which would have vetoed the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill by 390 votes to 148. Whilst this is disappointing, there are grounds for hope as we approach Committee Stage. Many Peers said that although they had serious misgivings about the Bill they did not feel able as members of an unelected House to vote it down at this stage. However, some of these Peers indicated support for amendments and did not write off the possibility of voting against the Bill at a later stage. Far from being the end of the battle in the Lords, Wednesday's vote was just the beginning. We were very grateful for some excellent speeches on Monday and Tuesday. Please click on ‘More’ to see an analysis of the vote and excerpts from some of the speeches given by Peers supporting the current legal definition of marriage.
Pray: for the ongoing work of parliament as it seeks support for amendments. (Job.12:12)
Boy, 3, taught about gay marriage in nursery
A three-year-old boy has been taught by his nursery carer that when he grows up he will be able to marry a boy or a girl. The boy’s identity is being protected, but his parent wrote a letter to a local newspaper about the incident. ‘In response to my three-year-old son’s question as to what marriage was, I told him that it was when a man and woman loved each other very much and wanted to spend their lives together. My son then told me that ‘boys’ could get married, too. As he doesn’t read the newspapers, I was keen to understand how he had formed this view. Apparently, his carer at nursery, a homosexual, told the entire class that he had great news: when they grew up, they could get married to a girl, or a boy.
Pray: that the teaching of those who are young should be wise and not be directed along non conformist ways. (Ps.25:5)
More: http://www.christian.org.uk/news/boy-3-taught-about-gay-marriage-in-nursery/
Our beliefs risk being made ‘illegal’, says adoption agency
Scotland is ‘on the brink of declaring illegal the belief that every child where possible deserves a mother and father’, the chairman of a threatened Roman Catholic adoption agency has said. It follows the agency being told to end its pro-marriage policy by officials who say it discriminates against gay couples. But one board member of the agency commented: ‘The ultimate irony is that apparently in the name of tolerance, societies such as Saint Margaret’s are no longer to be tolerated.’ St Margaret’s Children and Family Care Society, which is based in Glasgow, lost a ruling in March from the charity regulator. The regulator backed a previous decision which forces the agency to end its policy of prioritising couples that have been married for at least two years. And he added: ‘The reality is that the issue is not one about equality or diversity, but about freedom of religion and belief.’
Pray: that those organisations that hold to a belief in the centrality of marriage will be able to follow those convictions. (2Cor.8:13)
More: http://www.christian.org.uk/news/our-beliefs-risk-being-made-illegal-says-adoption-agency/
Germany: From ‘Call of the Watchman’
Europe is dependent on a well-oiled working relationship between France and Germany. However the chemistry between François Hollande and Angela Merkel is poor. Merkel offended Hollande by refusing to meet him in Berlin when he was a candidate in the French presidential election. He took his revenge by inviting the SPD chief to the Elysée Palace, where only heads of state are normally welcomed. There is much that has yet to come out into the open between the two of them. Politically they are divided on how to solve the European crisis. Merkel believes this can be achieved by strict budget control, debt reduction, liberalization of the labour market (with minimal state interference), and the reform of the social system. Hollande holds the opposite opinion. The economy should first be revived with state investment, before looking for savings and reform – a more palatable recipe. In the past, Berlin and Paris agreed a policy in advance and then presented a united approach. This is not happening and Germany appears to be standing alone.
Pray: for reconciliation between the two leaders at a personal level. (Psalm 133) and wisdom for an agreed basis of budget control. (Job 12:.13)
Germany: From ‘Call of the Watchman’
Europe is dependent on a well-oiled working relationship between France and Germany. However the chemistry between François Hollande and Angela Merkel is poor. Merkel offended Hollande by refusing to meet him in Berlin when he was a candidate in the French presidential election. He took his revenge by inviting the SPD chief to the Elysée Palace, where only heads of state are normally welcomed. There is much that has yet to come out into the open between the two of them. Politically they are divided on how to solve the European crisis. Merkel believes this can be achieved by strict budget control, debt reduction, liberalization of the labour market (with minimal state interference), and the reform of the social system. Hollande holds the opposite opinion. The economy should first be revived with state investment, before looking for savings and reform – a more palatable recipe. In the past, Berlin and Paris agreed a policy in advance and then presented a united approach. This is not happening and Germany appears to be standing alone.
Pray: for reconciliation between the two leaders at a personal level. (Psalm 133) and wisdom for an agreed basis of budget control. (Job 12:.13)
European week against cancer
The European commission estimates that 700,000 people die and millions of EU citizens suffer as a result of smoking related diseases every year. Tobacco consumption is by far the largest avoidable health risk and the biggest cause of premature death in the EU. Linda McAvan parliament’s rapporteur on the tobacco products directive, said, ‘The biggest worry for me is that more young people smoke than adults in the EU.’ The British MEP, who is a member of parliament’s environment, public health and food safety committee, said that 28 per cent of European citizens smoke. According to the European commission, the figure for 15 to 24-year-olds is slightly higher, at 29 per cent. ‘We have to do something to tackle the recruitment of children and young people into smoking, and that’s what this new law from Europe’s about,’ McAvan said.
Pray: that the battle against cancer and smoking by the young will be taken seriously. (Ps.144:1)
European week against cancer
The European commission estimates that 700,000 people die and millions of EU citizens suffer as a result of smoking related diseases every year. Tobacco consumption is by far the largest avoidable health risk and the biggest cause of premature death in the EU. Linda McAvan parliament’s rapporteur on the tobacco products directive, said, ‘The biggest worry for me is that more young people smoke than adults in the EU.’ The British MEP, who is a member of parliament’s environment, public health and food safety committee, said that 28 per cent of European citizens smoke. According to the European commission, the figure for 15 to 24-year-olds is slightly higher, at 29 per cent. ‘We have to do something to tackle the recruitment of children and young people into smoking, and that’s what this new law from Europe’s about,’ McAvan said.
Pray: that the battle against cancer and smoking by the young will be taken seriously. (Ps.144:1)