A prison's problems with new psychoactive substances (NPS) have led to high levels of violence, according to a HM Inspectorate of Prisons report which said that the availability of ‘legal highs’ could also overwhelm health services at HMP Ranby, in Nottinghamshire. The report highlighted six suicides in seventeen months. NPS chemically mimic drugs that are already banned. The jail holds 1,000 men. Too many are held in large house blocks, with staff saying they felt unsafe. The number of violent incidents, including assaults on staff, was higher than in other similar establishments. The National Offender Management Service said that since an inspection in September the number of inmates had been reduced by 120 and staffing numbers increased. However, NPS remain a real concern, and the Prison Service is introducing a new testing regime across the country in April. Pray for the the police as they attempt to disrupt supply chains and take robust action against anyone found supplying or using NPS in prisons.

This year Parliament will decide on whether or not to replace Trident, the UK’s nuclear weapons system. The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) reported polls showing a majority of the public opposing Trident replacement. In recent weeks, the US Defence Secretary stated: ‘Nuclear submarines allow Britain to continue to play an enormous role on the global stage. It is important that its military power matches its standing, and we are very supportive of it. The UK’s submarine fleet contributes to the special relationship that Britain has with the US.’ Tomorrow the leaders of the Labour Party, Scottish National Party and Plaid Cymru will mount the same stage in Trafalgar Square to speak to tens of thousands of people who have signed up to attend a 'Stop Trident' rally organised by the CND. They argue that building a new, sustainable and post-nuclear Britain must take priority.

English royalty rarely speak of their beliefs, but Queen Elizabeth II has written about her faith in a foreword to a new book entitled The Servant Queen and the King She Serves. She wrote, ‘I have been - and remain - very grateful to you for your prayers and to God for His steadfast love. I have indeed seen His faithfulness.’ The book, which gives readers a glimpse into Her Majesty's religious beliefs, was jointly written by three Christian charities - HOPE, the Bible Society and LICC. It will not be used for commercial gain, a condition that had to be met in order for the Queen to agree to write the foreword, in which she also refers to problems in the Middle East, saying the world is seeing suffering on an unprecedented scale. The Bible Society will publish the book in April, marking the Queen's 90th birthday.

Today Iranians are voting for a new parliament and for the body that appoints the country's most powerful official, the Supreme Leader. These ballots are the first since the lifting of sanctions and will indicate the direction the country is heading. MPs divide into two blocs, either supporting a moderate agenda or taking a hard-line stance. Since the nuclear deal, struggles between these two have intensified. President Rouhani needs a good working relationship with parliament to make things happen; he needs the backing of MPs to push through economic reforms and to support his bid for re-election next year. Ayatollah Khamenei, the Supreme Leader, has been in poor health, and the Assembly of Experts (Iran's top clerical body) may have to choose a successor. He is very powerful - commander-in-chief of the armed forces - and appoints heads of judiciary, the state broadcaster, and half of the members of the Guardian Council who vet candidates for presidential and parliamentary elections.