Open Doors write, ‘We have some breaking news to share with you! We’ve just heard that the Prime Minister Theresa May has agreed to meet us and some of our partners from Iraq on 13 December, and receive the Hope for the Middle East petition! Her influence could make a real difference to the lives of our persecuted brothers and sisters in Iraq and Syria.’ Open Doors are inviting people to join those who have already signed the Hope for the Middle East petition before it is presented to the United Nations on 11 December and to the Prime Minister two days later. The petition presents the voice of Christians in Iraq and Syria asking for the right to equal citizenship, dignified living conditions, and a prominent role in reconciling and rebuilding society. The impact of this campaign is already being felt, as people from Iraq have been moving back to their towns and villages.

Poor mental health costs £99bn and causes 300,000 people to leave work each year. NHS antidepressant drug prescriptions more than doubled in ten years, and mental health provision is in crisis. Christians struggle to know how to engage with this growing problem. Our silence has compounded the sense of isolation by those with poor mental health; alternatively, our easy answers or immediate spiritualising of the issues leaves people feeling misunderstood or stigmatised. Experts agree that relationships and community are important for our mental health. Therefore churches can play a significant role as they seek to be communities of authentic relationships where people don’t have to hide their struggles but appropriate boundaries are also respected. Nonetheless we struggle to find a framework out of which to form our response.

As IS control erodes in Iraq and Syria, about half the foreign fighters from the UK, Sweden, and Denmark have returned. IS kept detailed records of fighters, and captured computers and cell phones have helped those fighting IS to create a membership profile. Nearly 20,000 names have been shared with Interpol. It is highly likely that, as the territorial caliphate shrinks, its leadership will look to supporters overseas, including returnees, to keep the brand alive. Rory Stewart, a government minister, caused a stir when he said, ‘They are a serious danger to us, and unfortunately the only way of dealing with them will be, in almost every case, to kill them.’ Meanwhile, Max Hill QC, who advises the government on such matters, says that former IS fighters should be reintegrated into society. See:

Half the electorate in the wealthy north-east region of Catalonia oppose secession from Spain, but recent events have brought the long-running debate to a head. A poll showed unionist parties winning 43.4% support and pro-independence 42.5%. Madrid called the situation ‘the country’s worst political crisis in four decades’. The chaos has caused an exodus of businesses, about 1/5th of Spain’s economy. Tourism has dropped and markets go up and down, reflecting fast-moving developments. After the Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont held an independence referendum despite Madrid's opposition, the constitutional court declared the vote illegal. Spain's central government has now taken direct control of Catalonia. Many believe that it might look over, but the Spanish region’s independence bid has long-lasting repercussions. See