Teenage suicide
24 Sep 2015
It’s hard to say how many young people attempt to take their lives each year. The way the data is reported and collected also means that exact figures for teen suicides are not readily available. We do know that more than 1,600 people below the age of 35 kill themselves each year, according to suicide prevention charity Papyrus. For many, suicide is still a taboo subject but Papyrus says we need to create opportunities for teenagers to talk more openly about it. Suicide remains a major gender and social inequality and is a devastating event for families and communities. The Samaritans have produced a strategy, ‘Working together to reduce suicide 2015-21’, which outlines their commitment to work to reduce suicide rates by reaching more people who may be at risk of taking their own lives. This can be achieved only by understanding which groups of individuals are particularly at risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviours. See also: http://www.samaritans.org/sites/default/files/kcfinder/branches/branch-96/files/Suicide_statistics_report_2015.pdf
Free school meals for infants could be scrapped
24 Sep 2015
George Osborne is turning his attention to his November spending review, and free school lunches for infants could be scrapped. To provide free hot meals for all schoolchildren between four and seven, regardless of their parents’ income, was a policy introduced under the coalition government by former deputy prime minister Nick Clegg. Despite an election promise to keep this policy, it is under threat as the Chancellor looks to reduce government expenditure across Whitehall, Sky News reports. The suggestion has attracted criticism from a variety of groups, who say that healthy school meals are essential for children's wellbeing. Tim Farron, a Christian and leader of the Liberal Democrats, said: 'All evidence suggests that children who have a school meal every day are two months further on in their studies than those who don't. To take away the policy is damaging to children, it's an insult to our schools.’
Sharia gender discrimination in UK
24 Sep 2015
Campaign group Equal and Free has launched a website highlighting the impact of sharia law on UK women. Sharia discriminates against women and girls, and the site carries true stories of women who have faced such discrimination. Although women from any faith tradition, or none, may suffer abuse and problems associated with dysfunctional families, the plight of those in Islamic communities is exacerbated by the application of established sharia law principles which inherently discriminate against women and girls. Forms of such discrimination include inequality in access to divorce (for men it is often effectively free and unconditional), polygamy (practised by men with multiple ‘wives’ and numerous children), discriminatory child custody policies and inheritance laws, and the implicit sanctioning of domestic violence. The online resource also explains and promotes a bill introduced by Baroness Cox, due to be debated in the House of Lords on 23 October, that seeks to tackle these challenges.
English and French bishops took part in a 'Welcome Refugee' day of action in Calais, while other UK church leaders returned from meeting thousands fleeing conflict on the Greek-Macedonian border. The Roman Catholic Archbishop of Southwark and the Anglican Bishop of Dover joined the Bishop of Arras and 2,000 supporters from England, Ireland, the Netherlands, Germany and other countries in Calais. With winter looming for the camp's inhabitants, the leaders issued a joint statement encouraging people of all faiths to help. A participant at the day of action said she saw only one water source in the camp and eight portaloos, adding that the place was disorganised and ungoverned. Other than a small understaffed centre there are no official structures in place, and the limited number of volunteers ‘struggle to cope’ with the job of sorting and distributing donations. Anglican priest Rev Tim Clapton said the refugees found the Christian delegation an encouragement.
Gospel singer on X Factor
24 Sep 2015
A Gospel singer from Camden, London, has made it through to the next stages of the televised X Factor competition. Over the weekend Jennifer Phillips, 49, made it through the Boot Camp phase of the show. When she performed Mary Mary's Shackles,her rendition of the classic got the whole crowd up on their feet, including the judges - with the exception of Simon Cowell. Lyrics of the gospel song include ‘Been through the fire and the rain. Bound in every kind of way. But God has broken every chain.’ The final episode will be aired before Christmas and the winner will release their own original track. The next show will be aired this weekend on ITV. Another church-inspired group, BEKLN, is also doing well. The five members met in the London Community Gospel Choir, and have been praised on the show for the harmonies they have been delivering.
A 25-year-old man was shot in the leg in Belfast on 14 September. Sinn Féin MLA Pat Sheehan said, ‘This attack must be condemned by everyone. Those who carried it out are not doing it in the name of the local community who have rejected these groups. There is no justification for these attacks.’ Meanwhile, over half a kilo of Semtex, two handguns, 200+ rounds of ammunition and two detonators were discovered on the Ballymurphy Road in a terrorist activity investigation. A 45-year-old man was charged on Tuesday. Also on Tuesday, Irish Catholic and Protestant leaders united to urge politicians to take a ‘critical opportunity’ to restore hope, saying that a plan was needed to rebuild trust and advance the work of reconciliation. See also: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-politics-34321179
The Archbishop of Canterbury, who said last weekend, ‘Jesus was a refugee’, will give a home to a family of Syrian refugees in a cottage at his London residence. A spokeswoman said, ‘There are refugees here who are desperate for sanctuary from war-torn places, and the Archbishop wants to make a difference.’ He has also criticised David Cameron's plans to resettle 20,000 Syrian refugees, saying the action was a ‘very slim response’ that is ‘going to have to rise over the next five years’. Earlier this month Pope Francis announced that the Vatican would house two refugee families, and called on Roman Catholic organisations to take in families and displaced individuals. The UK Green Party leader said that we hold 12% of the EU economy and should host a fair proportion of the two million refugees - urging the government to host 240,000 displaced Syrians.
Russia is preparing to establish a military airbase in Belarus, fuelling concerns over potential threats to Poland and the Baltic states. The decision is the latest example of Moscow’s determination to assert its influence beyond Russia’s borders and rebuild its military capacities, which were eroded after the collapse of the Soviet Union. By giving permission to open a Russian airbase in Belarus, the official authorities help increase offensive capabilities of Putin's Russia by pitting Belarus against other countries in the region and the Euro-Atlantic community as a whole. Also the illegal annexation of Ukrainian Crimea by Russia demonstrates the Kremlin's readiness to use its foreign military bases against the countries that allowed them to open them in their territory. For two years Nato members have complained about increasingly assertive Russian behaviour along Nato’s borders in eastern Europe. See also: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/d0ae3166-5f84-11e5-9846-de406ccb37f2.html#axzz3mYII0zRS