On 1 January a petition calling for the banning of medical intervention to change gender surgically or medically by hormones for people below the age of 18 was sent to the Department of Health and Social Care. Responding to the petition on 20 February, the department appears not to have changed its policy, stating that a person under 16 is competent to give valid consent to a particular intervention if they have sufficient intelligence to enable them to understand fully what is proposed. There are no such sentiments when it comes to protecting under-18s from making choices they might in the future regret with regard to purchasing tobacco and alcohol; also, sex under the age of 16 remains a criminal offence.

The 14th annual Israeli Apartheid Week takes place globally between 19 February and 17 April. People will stage various events to raise awareness of what they say is ‘Israel’s apartheid system over the Palestinian people’. Students in UK universities are urged to choose a week between these dates in which to demonstrate. However, staging such events contravenes the International Definition of Antisemitism (IDA) that the UK signed up to. IDA states that describing the existence of the State of Israel as ‘a racist and illegitimate endeavour’ is anti-Semitic. Many fear such events in our universities will not only be anti-Semitic but will impact the next generation’s understanding of Israel. Our nation’s future political leaders, doctors, journalists, teachers, business people, and professionals are being encouraged to demonise the Jewish State. See also

Simon Coveney, Tánaiste (Irish deputy leader), has said that through the Brexit negotiations Ireland wished to see the creation of the closest possible future connection between the EU and the UK. He said, ‘A key strategic objective is to ensure that the outcome of Brexit does not undermine the hard-won gains of the peace process, as exemplified by the Good Friday Agreement. Despite the efforts of both governments in recent months, and especially in recent weeks, it is deeply regrettable that there is at present no power-sharing executive in place. However, we will not give up - we cannot give up. We urgently need to see the restoration of the Northern Ireland executive and assembly, to harness greater and broader input into how to make the best of Brexit.’

New research from Newcastle University published in the academic journal Environmental Research Letters reveals that nearly sixty UK cities will battle flooding by 2051, with Glasgow and Aberdeen among the worst-hit. The changes in flooding, droughts and heatwaves for European cities are blamed on climate change and the effect of greenhouse gases on global temperature. Experts are now calling for improved flood defences in order to prevent severe damage in future. The most optimistic scenario showed that 85% of UK cities with a river would face increased flooding. Some areas in the UK and Ireland could see the amount of water per flood as much as double.

Hungary's prime minister Viktor Orbán has called Christianity the ‘last hope’ for Europe, as the continent struggles to integrate millions of Muslim migrants who have fled their countries of origin. Orbán also accuses some Western European governments of facilitating the ‘decline of Christian culture’, and paving the way for Islam's advance. In his annual state of the nation speech he warned these nations that they will be overwhelmed with Muslim migrants and their culture will drastically change for the worse. He said that if millions of young Muslims move north, large European cities will have a Muslim majority. The prime minister is expected to win a third term when Hungarians go to the polls in April. Pray for an end to the fear of declining Christian culture, and for Muslim refugees to have divine appointments with Christians in European cities and encounter Christ.

At midnight on 21 February Serbian Dalibor Jaukovic, formerly of the Yugoslav People's Army, threw a grenade into the US embassy compound and then blew himself up. According to Facebook publications he was against Montenegro's accession to NATO. Montenegro, the youngest member of NATO, has for a long time been politically torn between her historic friend Russia and the USA. Historically, on the eve of the 2016 election, long-serving prime minister Duško Marković stepped down after suggesting that Russia had a role in an election plot. He said that there was a ‘strong connection of a foreign factor’ in a conspiracy to take over the Montenegrin parliament on election day. Those arrested by the police for planning this coup included more Russians and Serbians than Montenegrins. See

Monday: at a missions course in Papua New Guinea, participants came face-to-face with previously unknown realities. Pray for hearts challenged to missions. Tuesday: ‘Bloom where you are planted.’ Pray for Christians to reflect the love of God to all with whom they come in contact, wherever God places them. Wednesday: more than just language learning. ‘God uses my language learning experience to help me understand my walk with Him better.’ Pray for missionaries’ spiritual walk with God. Thursday: the first Amdu Literacy Class graduation. ‘Praise the Lord! A milestone happening here in Amdu! Pray for the team to move forward with exact translation, leading to the future clear sharing of God’s truth.’ Friday: death brings new life. At a funeral people who had never heard the gospel realised they were missing something and expressed an interest in Biblical truths. Pray for these new inquirers.

Rebels are not going to win Syria’s war, but neither will they quit while Assad's forces continue to target suburbs of Eastern Ghouta. Warplanes back his bombardment. Starving people in the besieged regions are ‘awaiting their turn to die’ as the most ferocious attacks in Syria’s history continue. Eastern Ghouta was among the first Syrian regions to shake off government rule after demonstrations against President Assad’s regime swept through the country and led to civil war. The UN has now described the situation there as ‘beyond imagination’. Amnesty International said ‘flagrant war crimes’ are being committed as civilians die. The UN secretary general is supporting a resolution that calls for a 30-day Syrian ceasefire to allow the wounded to leave and supplies to enter. Meanwhile, Assad's forces were sent to the northern Afrin region, where they came under fire from Turkish forces attacking the Kurdish-controlled area. See