More than 3,500 UK churches have become greener and either switched their electricity from fossil fuels to renewables or registered to do so, according to figures released by charities. The announcement coincides with the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation on 1 September, the beginning of a global ecumenical time of contemplation during which Christians are encouraged to pray and work for the protection of the environment. Around 2,000 of the switches come from 16 Catholic dioceses which are now running entirely on renewable energy; some of these diocese made the switch following the Pope’s encyclical for the environment. The number also includes the majority of the Salvation Army’s UK sites and a third of Britain’s Quaker meeting houses. They signed up through the website bigchurchswitch.org.uk promoted by Christian Aid and Tearfund. Following the success of the initiative, it will now be extended into the New Year.

Almost three-quarters of a million girls are unhappy with their looks and more than a quarter of a million are distressed about their overall lives, according to the annual Good Childhood Report. The number of 10- to 15-year-old girls who said their appearance makes them uncomfortable has reached 700,000 – more than a third of the total number of children surveyed. The survey, conducted by the Children’s Society and the University of York for the past decade, also reveals that one in seven girls (283,000) aged 10 to 15 suffers from low mood and distress. This figure is up 21% from 2011. The number of girls citing their appearance as a reason for unhappiness has gone up by 8% over the past five years. The number of boys unhappy with their lives has remained constant (11%). Girls told researchers that boys were responsible for verbal abuse and criticism of their looks.

A new study exploring sexual orientation, gender identity, mental health and well-being by Dr Lawrence S Mayer, an epidemiologist trained in psychiatry, and Dr Paul R McHugh (described by The New Atlantis journal as ‘the most important American psychiatrist of the last half-century) found that contrary to popular belief, the claim that sexual orientation and gender identity are inborn is insupportable. The first part of the study, focusing on sexual orientation, concluded that the claim that it is ‘an innate, biologically fixed property of human beings’ is not supported by scientific evidence. There was found to be some correlation between childhood abuse and later same-sex attraction and higher rates of mental health problems amongst the LGBT community. Pray for more research in these areas.

Migrants in Calais seeking asylum in the UK should be allowed to lodge their claim in France, the president of the region has told the BBC. Xavier Bertrand said people living in the camp known as the Jungle should be able to apply at a ‘hotspot’ in France rather than waiting to reach Britain. UK officials currently check passports in France, stopping many from entering. The Home Office said ‘those in need of protection should seek asylum in the first safe country they enter’. There are 9,000 people in the Jungle; most nights, many try to circumvent passport checks by hiding inside vehicles entering the port and the Channel Tunnel to get to Britain. Mr Bertrand hopes that amending the current agreement between France and the UK - called the Treaty of Le Touquet - will help to alleviate those problems. The treaty allows British immigration officials to check passports in Calais and their French counterparts to do the equivalent in Dover. The French government has repeatedly said that removing juxtaposed controls would not be in France’s interests.