The Girls' Schools Association (GSA) has issued advice to a Belfast school to ‘not use the terms girls, young women or young ladies’ when addressing pupils in certain circumstances. They say that ‘pupils’ or ‘students’ would be appropriate terms for addressing those in the classroom, particularly when transgender pupils are present. The association represents the heads of many of the top performing day and boarding schools in the UK independent schools sector. The advice also recommends creating unisex lavatories.

Slovakia takes over the six-month EU presidency on 1July. Robert Fico, Slovakia's prime minister, says that ‘migrants change the character of our country’ and ‘multiculturalism is a fiction’. Fico has argued that Slovakia has no obligation to house Muslim refugees. ‘Since Slovakia is a Christian country, we cannot tolerate an influx of 300,000 to 400,000 Muslim immigrants who will start building mosques all over our land and change the nature, culture and values of the state.’ Fico declared he would ‘never make a decision that would lead to a unified Muslim community in Slovakia.’ Slovakia’s borders with Hungary and Austria have an additional 220 police officers assigned to maintain border checks. Migrants are arrested and usually sent back to their home country. See

On Wednesday Belgian police received an anti-terror alert warning that a group of Islamic State fighters recently left Syria and are planning attacks in Belgium and France. There are no immediate plans to raise the security level to the maximum that would indicate an imminent threat of an attack. A source at France's Interior Ministry said Belgian authorities had transmitted a note to their French counterparts, who were currently reviewing the information. ‘We know the threat is very high,’ the source said. The group apparently left Syria about a week and a half ago, aiming to reach Europe via Turkey and Greece by boat without passports. A Belgian security source confirmed the contents of the alert.

Paul Moynan, a policy advisor working in the European Parliament and the writer of Canopy of Prayer, asks us not only to continue to pray for the safety of the Euro 2016 tournament but also to intercede for the local churches who are welcoming visitors and sharing their faith. Pray for a boldness for Christians reaching out to fans. Pray for divine appointments between Christians and visitors. Pray for national pride to be expressed peacefully; may the best of our cultures be celebrated. Please pray also for transport arrangements as France struggles with national strikes, flooding and heightened levels of security.

In the coal region of West Virginia, a revival that began in April has brought 4,000 souls to Christ over eight weeks. Matt Hartley, a Tennessee evangelist, was God’s instrument to spark revival. He has taken a break for a few weeks. ‘He was exhausted,’ said the regional Church of God. ‘Nobody thought when we scheduled him for three days that he would be here for eight weeks.’ Hartley is scheduled to preach again in mid-August near the border with Ohio. In one Logan County school, a young cancer survivor felt stirred to preach to others in the hallway; students crowded together to hear the message, and some decided to follow Christ. In Mingo County, prayer clubs are seeing higher crowds and people are giving their lives to God. 150 students were saved in just one high school. There seems to be a widespread movement in southern West Virginia and even in some Kentucky schools. God has a plan for the region.

26 June is this year’s Prayer Sunday, the date for Canadians to pray for their nation’s leaders. Join them in praying that the leaders will not be swayed from the Charter of Rights, which begins ‘Whereas Canada is founded upon principles that recognise the Supremacy of God and the Rule of Law.’ Pray for a nation that upholds freedom of conscience and religion, and freedom of thought, opinion and expression. Pray that physician-assisted dying will not become a norm in Canada, but that good palliative care will be recognised and expanded to care for those who are approaching the end of life. Pray for wise and Godly counsellors to help leaders reach their full potential. Pray also for an increase of a generation of Josephs, Esthers and Daniels who can be raised up to advocate and provide wise counsel for righteous judgments and decisions. (Pr.11:14)

Since Fallujah was all but liberated last Friday, people have escaped to four camps outside the city that were already brimming with thousands of families who fled when the fighting began in May. These makeshift camps face a humanitarian crisis. 80,000+ are without shelter and sufficient water, in temperatures of 46 C and sandstorms. There’s sporadic electricity and a shortage of latrines. At one camp they treat 1,200 people a day suffering from malnutrition and other ailments. Conditions are miserable. New arrivals put a strain on Iraq’s cash-strapped government and aid organisations trying to meet the demand for basic needs of food, drinking water, and health care. Thousands are barred from seeking refuge with relatives in Baghdad because of suspected sympathies with IS. Allowing these families to proceed would significantly ease the burden on the camps. Pray that women, children, the sick and vulnerable may leave camps and settle with relatives in safety.

 Prostitution and sex-trafficking take place in Tehran, and the number of women working in the profession is growing. The government agency charged with overseeing morality is turning a blind eye to the issue, to avoid dealing with something ‘not spoken about’ by the state. In twelve months 32 brothels were discovered in Tehran. Most women go into the profession to avoid extreme poverty, many being sold into prostitution by their husbands to make ends meet. There are 100+ young girls in Tehran making 2 - 20 dollars per client. 35% of prostitutes are married women with children. Others are involved in ‘pleasure marriages’ (temporary couplings recognised by Shi'ite Islam to conceal the fact that they are engaged in prostitution). These marriages are decided upon by men, without the woman's consent, and accompanied by a payment given by the man. When women become pregnant, the babies are abandoned on the street and later used for other purposes.