Religion supports astronomy and religious people should not be afraid of the scientific study of celestial objects, according to the Pope's astronomer, Guy Consolmagno, the new director of the Vatican Observatory and a Jesuit. He says, ‘Religious people need to know that astronomy is wonderful and that they shouldn't be afraid of it. John Paul II said of evolution that 'truth cannot contradict truth; if you think you already know everything about the world, you are not a good scientist, and if you think you know all there is to know about God, then your religious faith is at fault.’ Dr Consolmagno said the Vatican supports astronomy because it is an important part of being human. Meanwhile Richard Dawkins told the Wall Street Journal that 'ignorant Christians’ are holding back science, and it was a wonder ‘that America is the leading scientific nation despite having this incubus around its neck of an uncultured ignorant almost majority’. See: http://www.christiantoday.com/article/richard.dawkins.ignorant.christians.are.holding.back.science/66207.htm

Rights investigators from the UN mission in the Republic of South Sudan (Unmiss) have warned of ‘widespread human rights abuses’. Some of the most disturbing allegations were abduction and sexual abuse of women and girls, some of whom were reportedly burned alive in their dwellings. The UN said it had tried to visit the sites of atrocities described by witnesses, but was denied access by the army. Aerial photographs show the burnt circles left after huts were razed to the ground. The army has previously dismissed allegations of rights abuses. The UN’s report has been handed to government officials, who are yet to comment on its findings. Unmiss chief Ellen Margrethe Loej called for ‘unfettered access’ to investigate the reported crimes. She said, ‘Revealing the truth of what happened offers the best hope for ensuring accountability for such terrible violence and ending the cycle of impunity that allows these abuses to continue.’ See also: http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2015/sep/28/south-sudan-women-girls-raped-as-wages-for-government-allied-fighters

The Kremlin’s chief of staff Serge Ivanov confirmed that President Assad of Syria had ‘appealed to the leadership of Russia with a request for military aid.’ Russia claimed that the airstrikes which followed, on Wednesday, were against IS positions, but local Syrian sources reported that they were exclusively against anti-government rebels. Syrian Civil Defence Forces, a volunteer emergency responder organisation, reported 36 civilian casualties from the Russian airstrike in northern Homs, in addition to several civilian casualties in Hama. Although there are small IS “sympathetic” cells in the rebel-held pockets of northern Homs, this decision signals Russia’s intent to assist the Assad regime’s war effort at large, beyond anti-IS operations. See also the Europe article about Russia and military talks.

While soldiers are away there is a range of family welfare support available to both regular army families and to those of mobilised members of the Army Reserve. Army life means that soldiers may have to be away from their home and family on unaccompanied tours from time to time for an operational deployment, training or an assignment to a location that does not offer family support facilities such as healthcare or housing. The first point of contact for army personnel regarding any deployment issues is their Unit Welfare Officer. Families of regular army soldiers living in Service Families’ Accommodation (SFA) will normally keep their house for the whole period of an unaccompanied tour.