Threat to pupils: 100 illegal schools uncovered
20 May 2016
Ofsted has warned, ‘Thousands more children than previously thought are at risk of harm and indoctrination in illegal madrassas and faith schools.’ Inspectors uncovered 100 ‘underground’ schools across Britain, many catering to very religious communities. A third of illegal schools were Muslim, and one-sixth either Christian or Jewish. Others were private, non-religious schools. Investigators were deeply alarmed by sub-standard education which undermined Government efforts to ensure schools promote British values. In a drive to crack down on radicalising pupils, new rules state that schools must promote tolerance of other faiths and lifestyles. The illegal schools have not registered with the Government and so are not subject to any regulation. Ofsted said that pupils attending these schools may be at significant risk of harm and indoctrination. Inspections revealed serious fire hazards, and unsafe and unhygienic premises. Ofsted believes that unregistered schools uncovered so far are a small proportion of the total of those operating.
Detained British-Iranian woman - update
20 May 2016
Last week we prayed for Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a British charity worker who was arrested at Baghdad airport and held in solitary confinement without charge. A campaign to free her was instigated with a petition to David Cameron to act on her behalf. On Thursday Nazanin’s husband Richard wrote on his blog, ‘I was not planning an update - but I wanted to share. Nazanin told her family a few hours ago that she has been moved out of solitary confinement, and is now kept in a group cell. More details will follow when I have spoken to the family, but it is a happy day. Thank you to everyone who has made that happen.’ Next week he is going to Brussels to petition about her case.
Midwives head in abortion row
20 May 2016
Cathy Warwick, the chief executive of the Royal College of Midwives, has been attacked for her decision to give the union's backing to a campaign to scrap the abortion time limit without consulting its members. She chairs the board of trustees at British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS), which assists 65,000 women a year with birth control, and believes that abortions should be removed from criminal law. Peter Saunders, CEO of the Christian Medical Fellowship (CMF), has called this decision ‘absolutely appalling’ and called for her resignation. Mr Saunders said, ‘It looks like a personal crusade; she wants to decriminalise it all together. This is astonishing from an organisation whose very motto is that life is the gift of God.’ New research by the World Health Organisation shows that one in four pregnancies now end in abortion – that is 56 million abortions every year worldwide. Official figures released by the Department of Health on Wednesday revealed that abortions across England and Wales in 2015 have reached a five-year high. See:
Archbishop’s call to end AIDS by 2030
20 May 2016
The Archbishop of Canterbury has given his strong support to the work of community-based responses to the global AIDS epidemic. In a video message released before next month’s High-Level Meeting on Ending AIDS (8-10 June), Archbishop Justin Welby celebrates the great progress that has been made to eliminate AIDS as a threatening global disease by 2030, and calls for a ‘great further step’ - the mobilisation of ‘political, financial, technical and clinical resources through communities’ to make this a reality. He praises the role of communities, particularly faith-based communities, in providing treatment for the poor and marginalised. The Archbishop highlights the role the Anglican Communion has played for many years in offering community-based treatment, ‘enabling communities to…support the victims of AIDS, their families, and others affected directly and indirectly’.
Soldiers’ defective body armour
20 May 2016
British soldiers are raising concerns about their new Israeli-made, army-issue body armour – with one troop suggesting parts of the latest load-carrying system may as well be ‘used as fire fuel.’ The criticism focuses on parts of an integrated new armour system called Virtus, which is being brought into service to replace the heavier Afghanistan-era Osprey armour. Soldiers say some of the pouches and straps used to store and attach equipment are ‘snapping.’ So far the military has issued 9,000 units of Virtus to key combat units including the Parachute Regiment and Royal Marines. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said it is working with the supplier to fix the issues. However, the father of one soldier told the BBC he is appalled, the new kit appeared to be substandard. His son and fellow-soldiers still found it hard to get back up again if they were forced to go to ground in the face of the enemy, he said.
Eleven children in dog attack
20 May 2016
A Staffordshire bull terrier was restrained by a parent after biting eleven children in a play park in Blyth, Northumberland. They suffered bite wounds as they remained trapped in the fenced-off area. Nine were taken to hospital, with a seven-year-old girl expected to need skin grafts. Northumbria Police officers are working to find the animal's owner. The most recent survey reports that hospital admissions for injuries caused by dogs are up by 76% in ten years. The most likely age group to be admitted after dog attacks are children under ten.
Zika virus could reach Europe this summer
20 May 2016
The World Health Organisation (WHO) said the Zika virus could spread to Europe this summer, although the likelihood of an outbreak is low to moderate. Areas most at risk are those where Aedes mosquitoes spread the virus: the Black Sea coast of Russia, Georgia, and Madeira. Countries with a moderate risk include Spain, France, Italy and Greece. UK risk is low. The WHO is calling on countries to eliminate mosquito breeding sites and ensure that people, particularly pregnant women, have information on the potentially harmful consequences of the disease.
Authorities vow solidarity over missing aircraft
20 May 2016
French and Egyptian authorities have been reacting to the disappearance of EgyptAir flight MS804 with 66 people on board. The French foreign minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said in Paris, ‘Obviously, we can only imagine the anguish of the families. There are fifteen French citizens on board. So our top priority is to inform the relatives. A crisis management unit has been set up at the Foreign Ministry and a hotline number has opened. Another crisis unit is at work in our embassy in Cairo.’ The French prime minister promised assistance in the search for the aircraft. Speaking from Cairo International Airport, Egyptian prime minister Sherif Ismail said, ‘All we can say is that contact with the aircraft stopped in a specific area and the search operation is focused there. The military have sent aircraft and ships which will arrive at the site shortly. Greek aircraft are currently searching the area.’