Europe
Northern Ireland election likely after McGuinness quits
It seems almost inevitable that there will be an election in Northern Ireland, following deputy first minister Martin McGuinness’s resignation on Monday. This was after first minister Arlene Foster refused to step aside…
Millennials and army recruitment
Millennials are too self-interested to be easily recruited into the military, according to General Nick Carter, the head of the British Army. In a recent speech at an event, hosted by telecoms giant…
The Church and the environment
It is ten years since the Church Times announced its first Green Church Awards. Since then, there have been great advances in scientific understanding and public awareness of environmental issues. Internationally, the new…
Atomic workers to strike
The workers’ union Unite has announced that atomic weapons workers will stage two 48-hour strikes from next Wednesday over what they claim are broken promises over pension cuts. Six hundred staff at the…
Faith organisations to the fore in helping homeless
At least 500 churches, synagogues, and mosques across the UK have opened their doors to homeless people in the past year, a report by the charity Housing Justice says. Volunteers donated more than…
France: Election frontrunner a Christian
On Wednesday François Fillon, the frontrunner for the French presidential election due to take place in April, bucked tradition by declaring his Christian faith. He was picked as the presidential candidate for the…
Europe: cold snap affects the poor, old and helpless
It snowed in southern Albania for the first time in 32 years. The homeless are dying. Most rural areas are cut off by snow. There are temporary power and water outages and army…
EU ambassador’s surprise resignation
Sir Ivan Rogers, the British representative to the EU, has resigned from his position without warning, following disagreements with Theresa May’s team. His resignation leaves the Prime Minister without a senior experienced European…
First BAME bishop for 20 years
One month after a large group of black and minority-ethnic (BAME) clergy wrote a letter criticising the lack of non-white senior clergy in the CofE, Downing Street has announced the appointment of the…
Is UK aid ‘exporting the dole’?
Tory MP Nigel Evans has harshly criticised a foreign aid programme that hands money directly to Pakistan’s poorest people. Britain currently helps fund the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), which offered cash support…
