The attempted military coup has opened a new chapter in Turkey’s history, with collective demonisation and punishment of the Gulen community and the media. Reporters Without Borders say Turkey is now ‘world leader in imprisoned journalists’. Although the Gulen community has a darker side, many are innocent people being persecuted. Journalists are harassed, accused of 'insulting the president' and the Internet is systematically censored. The war in Syria and Turkey’s offensive against the PKK is exacerbating media, which are also accused of terrorism. The media and civil society are nonetheless resisting President Erdogan’s growing authoritarianism. On 30 August, historically celebrated as ‘Holiday of Victory’, there were no celebrations or parades, reflecting the grim and tense mood of a society dominated by accusation and purge. Instead, the holiday ushered in another round of crackdowns on prominent journalists for alleged ties to the Gulenist movement.

Early postal voting has started in key US states where minority voters and young adults casting ballots in advance could give a contender an advantage. Mail-in ballots could be 75% of votes in key states. Donald Trump’s chances may hinge on Hispanics, blacks and first-time voters who usually cast ballots early. Elsewhere, in Russia, Philipp Kirkorov, called Russia's Michael Jackson by Trump, is publicly expounding his virtues. The two men have known each other for more than 20 years. Kirkorov has performed at Trump's casino in Atlantic City. Trump is very often a guest of Russia, and is said to love Russia and Russians. Kirkorov said. ‘If Trump is President, the relationship between our countries will be much closer. We are two big nations. We must be friends.’ In July Trump said it would be good if America got along with Russia, hinted he would consider recognising Crimea as part of Russia, and suggested lifting sanctions. See

A seizure of nearly 2,000 pounds of cocaine was the result of a joint international investigation that started in April. Spanish authorities became aware of a global group using maritime delivery containers to import cocaine from South America, using a professional fruit firm within the southern metropolis of Sevilla as cover. The use of these containers illustrates the recent changes in the ways traffickers have undertaken to move drugs across continents. Since 2006, maritime seizures that contain drugs have risen six-fold, with a very steep increase since 2010. Concealing contraband inside shipments of perishable items is a typical tactic as there are procedures to permit these to go through ports extra rapidly. This tactic is common among traffickers in North America because pungent odours from perishable items will mask drug odours and deter inquisitive customs officials.

65% of UK Christians have experienced the supernatural, and 25% of those have had that experience in the last week. A new study by Christian Research showed just 5% did not believe in the supernatural while two thirds believe the supernatural may be caused by occult or evil forces as well as divine. Respondents’ experiences ranged from feelings of God's presence during prayer to observance of physical effects of the supernatural or miracles. The leader of Soul Survivor said he experienced the supernatural first-hand when God showed him a man in need of help waiting to be collected at an airport. 'So we went to him and said, "Look, we're ever so sorry but we're Christians and we think maybe that Jesus has said to us you need some encouragement right now, and we could pray for you, would that be okay?" He looked shocked, and it turned out he was a pastor from Kenya.’

SAT-7 has become the first Arabic Christian channel to stream live broadcasts on Facebook. Viewers have responded enthusiastically to the new service, which enables them to participate in live church services and other events as part of an online community. A viewer from Egypt posted on Facebook, ‘Wow, what a great ministry to be able to watch the live streaming on mobile devices. God bless you. Please pray for me a lot.’ The live broadcasts attracted 96,000 views and 28,000 audience responses in July. Give thanks for the opportunities created by social media to share Christian content. Pray that this will help isolated believers and seekers to connect with God and each other.

Here are some general pointers to help us support our politicians in prayer through the coming difficult months of traditional business plus Brexit. Pray for our Christian MPs’ faith to grow as they rely on God to support them through the pressure of their workload and the loneliness of being away from home. Write to them, let them know you are praying for them and ask how you might support them in serving your local community. Pray that Christian MPs, peers, policy staff and house staff will grow in number; may the depth of their faith cause them to be a positive and gracious influence in Parliament. Pray for wisdom, integrity, self-sacrifice and policymaking for the good of all as the Government considers and negotiates Brexit. May there be an effective and gracious Christian presence and influence in political debate at home and abroad.

-Theresa May pledged to take time to secure ‘a sensible and orderly departure’ after 2016. -No second referendum, Brexit means Brexit, we’re going to make a success of it. -Article 50 remains mysterious. A No.10 spokesman said that Parliament will have its say; but did not clarify whether this would be before or after Article 50 is triggered. -The cabinet needs to speak up. May’s ‘you break it, you fix it’ approach to cabinet appointments means that key Brexiteers are now in charge of overseeing affected areas, such as farming and international relations. The PM is asking each minister to report back on opportunities for their departments. -Brexit comes with social mobility, ‘We want to be a government and a country that works for everyone.’ -All eyes will be on David Davis, aka Brexit minister, responsible for Exiting the EU, a new ministerial department.

We keep hearing bad news about the NHS. This week it was announced that junior doctors will strike again, for five days at a time, over their pay claim. Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust chief executive, Katrina Percy, quit after the trust was criticised over the way it investigated patient deaths. Also, a report found that the NHS mental health trust had failed to investigate the unexpected deaths of more than 1,000 people since 2011. On Tuesday the BMA said that quick, turnaround GP appointments are 'running general practice into the ground. Doctors cannot treat patients properly under the current recommended ten-minute limit per consultation.’ Public satisfaction with the NHS is falling - see

The number of frontline officers working in public-sector prisons has fallen over the last year, despite Ministry of Justice plans to recruit additional staff to help respond to the highest levels of violence, suicide and self-injury since recording practices began. Statistics show that there were 14,689 frontline officers in England and Wales in June 2016, down from 15,110 a year earlier. This leaves prisons with barely more frontline staff than the lowpoint of 2014 which prompted the ministry’s current recruitment exercise. Almost every region has seen frontline officer numbers fall. Figures at 31 August 2016 indicate that, in spite of the recruitment drive, people remain unwilling to work in prisons under present conditions. Reducing resources while allowing the prison population to grow unchecked has created a toxic cocktail of violence, death and human misery. See

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.