British Isles
UK and EU negotiating teams resume talks
20 Aug 2020
On 18 August, 48 hours of Brexit talks resumed in Brussels. A source close to British negotiators said it would not accept any deal that ‘constrains’ the UK to the EU’s rules and infringes sovereignty. They…
The Bishop of Dover has expressed her deep sadness over the death of a 16-year-old migrant who drowned after attempting to reach the UK in a small boat (see Europe article below). Rt Rev Rose Hudson-Wilkin…
Coronavirus - job or health?
20 Aug 2020
Thousands of clinically vulnerable people have been shielding for health reasons. This guidance was gradually relaxed, and now the government has told them that they no longer needed to shield. They now face returning to work…
Live performance of Jesus Christ Superstar
20 Aug 2020
The concert version of the 2016 production made a virtue of distancing on stage. ‘Could we start again please?’ asks Mary Magdalene in the lustrous 1970 rock opera by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice. Theatres…
Currently, under the rules in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, face coverings are not mandatory at worship services. The heads of the Church of Ireland, Methodist Church, Catholic and Presbyterian Churches said it was…
Transformation prayers
13 Aug 2020
King Alfred the Great wrote, ‘There is only one way to build my kingdom, and that is on the sure and certain foundation of faith in Jesus Christ crucified.’ We thank God for the heritage of…