The smoke plume of California’s Dixie Fire (the largest in US history) is so thick, only the red light of the sun can pierce the smoke particles, in a scene that looks like Mars. Over a hundred other large fires are raging elsewhere in the USA. Greece has been fighting the worst blazes in Europe amid blistering temperatures, leaving dozens in hospital. Their firefighting resources are strained, exhausted, and needing help; twenty countries including the UK recently sent reinforcements. Turkey’s blazes have swept through pine forests for two weeks. Fires rage in southern Italy, with Sicily and Sardinia among the regions hardest hit and hundreds evacuated. British Columbia has seen 5,800 sq km of forest burned since spring; 279 wildfires are currently raging. Smoke from Russia’s wildfires has reached the North Pole for the first time; smoke is drifting two thousand miles from Eastern Russia. See

International Justice Mission (IJM) works globally to release captives and those suffering injustice. Their recent successes include the conviction of violent South Asian traffickers who cut off the right hands of anyone trying to escape from their brick kiln. In Bolivia justice was done for three survivors of sexual violence. In Kenya a police officer was convicted of murder after he shot an innocent man and arrested others for the crime on false charges. IJM workers in El Salvador work closely with public justice system officials, supporting responses to crimes committed against women and children. On 3 August IJM's Anu Canjanathoppil spoke at New Wine United, sharing her remarkable experiences as she works to end slavery. She has led teams globally to bring 10,000+ people out of forced labour. For more information see

In 2018 the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) bombed Golden Lampstand Church, completely destroying the building. Later workers transported the broken bricks from the scene. Now the government has initiated another round of arrests of church leaders, escalating its persecution against Christians who decide to ‘hold fast’ to the faith and refuse to compromise the gospel of Jesus Christ - despite facing another round of persecution. On 7 August police arrested nine leaders from the church, including Pastor Wang Xiaoguang, formerly imprisoned for three years, and his wife, Preacher Yang Rongli, previously imprisoned for seven years. Officials also summoned Chinese leaders from other churches for questioning. CCP authorities continue to persecute this house church with an estimated 50,000 to 60,000 members.

Paul joined the Freemasons to help his tree surgery business and as part of his search for healing after deaths in his family. Becoming a Freemason did in fact help his tree business; it grew by one-third. He wasn’t interested in the secret ceremonies, rituals, symbols, and oral pledges. In fact, he later found the same words were used by witches and warlocks. Paul’s wife had a double personality, causing him intolerable pain. In domestic agony he remembered God from his childhood and prayed: ‘I don’t know if You’re there. I’m such a sinner. I haven’t spoken to You for years. But I need help. I’m desperate.’ Two days later, after taking down a tree for a lady, she came up to him and said, ‘The Lord has been speaking to me. You’ve been praying. I’d like to help you.’ He now is Pastor Paul and leads men out of Freemasonry. To read his testimony click the ‘More’ button.

Team GB swimmer Daniel Jervis has thanked God and his family church for their support during his Olympic participation. ‘I want to thank my village of Resolven and I want to thank my church, Sardis Baptist Church, Ammanford church in Ammanford, who have really been supportive of me, and everyone back home who has been praying for me. ‘I am proud of many things in my life, but the thing I'm most proud of is that I'm a Christian. Obviously, God was with me tonight, and I'm just really grateful to be representing Him,’ he told the media just after he finished his last race of the games.

Women with babies and very young children alongside significant numbers of teenage and young adult men were among 56 migrants held in a cramped room with thin mattresses covering the floor at a unit in Dover. Members of the home affairs committee have expressed their shock and serious concern after observing this during a visit. It was wholly inappropriate and a clear Covid risk, with some migrants held longer than legal limits. The Home Office said services were pressurised by ‘unacceptable numbers of people’ crossing the Channel by traffickers. Almost 600 migrants crossed last weekend. Yvette Cooper wrote to Priti Patel saying that the holding room facility where migrants first arrive was clearly unfit for purpose. Meanwhile a 14-year-old is among 26 migrants under the age of 16 accommodated in a requisitioned hotel.

A recent report revealed Bradford social workers turned a blind eye when a 15-year-old grooming victim took part in an Islamic marriage to one of her abusers. One of her social workers even attended the ‘wedding ceremony’. Despite the teenager not being a Muslim, professionals who were meant to protect her allowed the family of her 'husband' to foster her after she became pregnant. The council even paid them for fostering her. The terrified girl was trapped in 'domestic slavery', too scared to leave the controlling relationship, fearing she would be the victim of an honour killing. The report, which makes difficult and distressing reading, found that children suffered abuse no child should have to experience, and some youngsters in Bradford still remain unprotected. The report’s authors said, 'We believe that practice across all agencies is improving, but there is still much more to do.'

David Peace has motor neurone disease, a terminal illness which gradually affects the brain and nerves. He says he intends to travel to a Swiss clinic to end his life before his condition prevents him from making the journey. David, who lives in central London, is one of several people behind renewed calls to update England and Wales assisted dying laws to allow terminally ill people with six months to live the right to end their life. The second reading in the House of Lords of the assisted dying bill will be this autumn. The first reading paved the way for a debate on prospective legislation – the first since 2014 when Lord Falconer tabled a bill. 2021’s Dignity in Dying’s chair is Baroness Meacher, and her bill would legalise assisted dying as a choice for terminally ill, mentally competent adults in their final six months of life. See also

The COP26 climate change summit will be held soon in Glasgow. Just a few hundred miles away in the North Sea, a particularly thorny problem is developing. Approval for developing the Cambo oilfield was given twenty years ago, and a regulator is due to give final approval, releasing approximately 800 million barrels of oil for Shell and Siccar Point Energy. Ministers and advisers insist that the approval of Cambo is entirely in the hands of the oil and gas regulator. But Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer is accusing Boris Johnson of delivering a cabaret of soundbites rather than the global leadership necessary to make the climate change summit a success. There is a near-impossible balancing act for the Government to protect its credibility while urging other countries to increase emission reduction.

On 23 September many people across the British Isles, young and not so young, will be interceding for the 196 nations and around 30,000 negotiators in the COP26 climate change conference from 31 October to 12 November. There have been numerous pre-conference prayer gatherings via Zoom for many months. Prayer changes things and we need to pray for climate changes. May many more catch the vision of lifting the Lordship of Jesus over all planned and unplanned meetings throughout the conference. May it accelerate the phasing-out of coal and peat, curtail deforestation, speed up the switch to electric vehicles, and encourage investment in renewables. Pray also for countries to make good on their promises to mobilise at least $100bn climate finance per year by 2020. For further information, click the ‘More’ button.