Israeli minister Karine Elharrar could not attend a COP26 meeting because the room was not wheelchair-accessible. This reflects how many disabled people are ignored and left out of climate change conversations; despite the UN Human Rights Council saying those with disabilities are among those most ‘adversely affected in an emergency’. When a heatwave hit Montreal, hospitals helped those experiencing the effects of heat exhaustion, but 61 people died. A quarter of those had schizophrenia. Schizophrenics take anti-psychotic medication which makes them less tolerant to heat, increasing the risk of heatstroke, dehydration and death. What happened in Montreal is a snapshot of things to come. When California fires caused power outages Gerald Niimi’s ventilator stopped, He struggled to breathe and died two days later. During the wildfires disabled Californians had difficulty fleeing their homes. Those able to escape found many emergency centres providing water, bathrooms and safety were not accessible. 12 German disabled care home residents died when sudden flooding hit. They were unable to evacuate, because wheelchair-users cannot get into a rubber dinghy.

Over 100 students lost their opportunity to continue their education at Jinweizi Christian School founded by Golden Lamp Stand Christian Church. The school mainly served Christian families escaping government-mandated public school. Because of its loving environment many children with autism and other special needs also attended. These children were discriminated against and rejected by public schools. Jinweizi operated for many years with a wide range of grades, from kindergarten to secondary, with comprehensive educational facilities and equipment for over 100 students. Communist party officials confiscated the school’s expensive equipment and effectively stripped the students of any opportunity to continue their education. Private schools in China do not have a traditional campus. Students meet in any available space: apartments, office spaces, or any available venues. Teachers and faculty rent properties until the government intervenes. Many Christian schools are considered ‘illegal’ because they are separate from the communist-controlled public schools.

Billionaire Jeff Bezos recently made a journey into space. He said his expedition on a space ship had radically changed his view of the world. He has pledged £1.47 billion to help restore nature in Africa. The Amazon founder said he expected his rocket to alter ‘the lens from which he viewed the world’, but he didn’t anticipate the extent to which that would be true. He said, ‘Looking back at Earth from space, the atmosphere seems so thin, the world so finite and fragile. Two-thirds of Africa’s land is degraded, but this can be reversed. Restoration improves soil fertility, raises yields and improves food security, making water more reliable, creating jobs and boosting economic growth, while also sequestering carbon.’

Roughly half of the world’s known languages are still without God’s Word. Bible Translation Acceleration Kits, or BTAKs, are helping believers in hard-to-reach areas translate God’s Word. Wycliffe’s CEO says, ‘We receive great expressions of thanksgiving from those who are making use of them. One of the pastors we trained in Zambia taught three other language groups how to do Bible translation. Those groups completed their New Testaments and have already started working on OT translations.’ Most translators live in isolated regions with no Internet. BTAK has built-in internet connection and provides access to all the Bible translation software a language group needs.

Over 60% of Africa’s population is under the age of 25; over half of them are under 16. Christ for all Nations (CfaN) is committed to reaching the children and youth of Africa. In the last few decades, CfaN has built a very strong follow-up system with local churches. During the last 18 months their Bootcamp and CfaN team members have conducted an astonishing number of children’s campaigns. They have now produced a special booklet just for children, with the same powerful Gospel message in language that they can understand, read and reread, building the same first steps in faith that adults do. The What’s Next? booklet is already in English, Xhosa, Zulu, Congolese French, German, Afrikaans, Haitian Creole and Kirundi. CFaN is moving as fast as possible to translate it into the local language in each place where there will be an evangelistic campaign in 2022. They plan to reach a million children.

A British trawler was seized by France and another fined, in fishing rights arguments. The French checks on UK trawlers overnight are not part of the range of retaliatory actions announced in the post-Brexit row. But there is no doubt it is a message of what is to come. From 2 November British and Channel Islands fishing boats will not be allowed to offload fish at French ports. There will be intensified controls at Calais and other entry points for UK trade by ferry and tunnel. The French authorities will conduct a ‘grève de zèle’ (punctiliously looking for violations) on fish and other imports which will create long tail-backs to remind British subjects of the costs of go-it-alone. The UK government said the threat of sanctions was ‘not what we would expect from a close ally and partner’. The boat owner said his fishing activity for scallops was ‘entirely legal’.

France is threatening to block any UK-EU deal over the Northern Ireland Protocol unless the row over post-Brexit fishing licences is resolved in Paris’s favour. With presidential elections next year, he cannot afford to sell out his fishermen, as many hail from a stronghold of his rival Marine Le Pen. Macron has trodden this path before. In 2019, he blocked extending Brexit negotiations, risking a no deal to Theresa May’s withdrawal agreement. In 2020 he threatened to veto any Brexit trade deal that did not satisfy French fishermen, ratcheting up pressure on London. Judging by the negative reactions of the British fishing industry to the trade deal, the tactic worked. Now he is threatening extremely delicate negotiations over the NI Protocol. There is a greater risk now of the UK triggering Article 16 of the protocol than any time before. France also threatened to block the UK from joining the EU’s research programme. See

The COP26 climate conference (31 October - 12 November) is expected to draw 25,000 delegates plus 100,000 protesters to Glasgow. Major road closures will last until 15 November, causing disruption. The biggest disturbance will be on 6 November - the Global Day For Climate Justice. A breakdown in union talks means workers will strike from 1-12 November. Pray for pedestrians, cyclists, drivers, and passengers to have composure and patience as they face difficulties when commuting to work. Also 1,500 refuse collection and cleansing staff are striking over a pay dispute. Concerns are also raised regarding COP26’s impact on Covid cases. Many of those attending will not be fully vaccinated, and the magnitude of the event will cause increased cases in an already fragile situation. It could trigger the need for further pandemic restrictions.

The chancellor pledged increasing public spending amid higher than expected economic growth. Whitehall departments will receive a rise of £150bn over the course of this parliament, the largest increase this century. There is extra money for schools, tax cuts for businesses and a cut in air duties for internal flights. A changed alcohol duty will see cheaper sparkling wine and draught beer, and the planned fuel duty rise is cancelled. Amid huge concern over the £20 cut to Universal Credit, changes will be made to let working claimants keep more of their benefits. There is new money for the NHS, a rise in the National Living Wage, and public sector pay rises. The Institute for Fiscal Studies said inflation and higher taxes on incomes would negate small wage increases for middle earners. Low-income households will see the cost of living increase faster than benefit payments. The chancellor acknowledged in his budget that families are under strain: see

Christians in Media is a UK community supporting, encouraging and inspiring Christians working in, and with, media: producers, journalists, photographers, editors, content creators, social media managers, press officers, war correspondents. Through local meet-ups and a flourishing online network, they help, encourage and inspire each other to be disciples whilst meeting the demands of the industry. Their vision is to see Christians in the industry flourish and become key influencers, to see churches engaging positively with the media, and to see the life-affirming Gospel message of faith, hope and love increasingly reflected in the UK media. 31st October is a day of prayer for Christians in the media; a call to churches to set aside time in their meetings to pray for local, regional, national and social media. To inspire this time of prayer, Christians in Media have produced a new short video that can be used as an introduction to prayer. See