Investors, including the Church of England, are demanding that big oil companies take more concrete action to curb global warming. This week the Church Commissioners, who are Shell shareholders, said they would like to see ‘targets that are firmer, creating the necessary internal and external accountabilities, providing a clear impetus for action. Having a target provides us with the clarity we need to have an informed discussion with Shell’s board members about your response to the transition to a low carbon economy.’ They added, ‘We recognise that companies have been reluctant to set targets, expressing concern that they might constrain their ability to act and to take advantage of opportunities as they emerge. We do not agree with this argument.’ Last year Shell set a climate ambition, but did not state specific targets. See also

Human trafficking and modern slavery are amongst the most widespread crimes in the world, affecting millions daily. These crimes happen in every corner of the world and can include any person, regardless of age, socio-economic background or location. As a result, each case can look very different. The following are some of the most commonly reported forms of human trafficking and modern slavery: sexual exploitation, labour exploitation, domestic servitude, forced marriage, forced criminality, child soldiers and organ harvesting. The first step in stopping trafficking is to recognise it. Pray for more understanding of what to look out for in communities and at workplaces. Pray for teachers, social workers, medical practitioners, and other parents to recognise child neglect, emotional abuse, physical and sexual abuse, and forced marriage. Also see the next article.

A Birmingham woman was jailed for four and a half years for duping her daughter into travelling to Pakistan and forcing her to marry a man sixteen years her senior. The judge told the mother, ‘You cruelly deceived her. She was frightened, alone, held against her will, being forced into a marriage she dreaded. You must have known her state of mind. Yet for your own purposes, you drove the marriage through.’ It is the first time a victim has given evidence against her family in a trial for this type of offence, and the first conviction for forced marriage in England. The NSPCC hope the sentence will show that young victims can come forward and be supported when they bravely report abuse suffered at the hands of their families. They reported 205 counselling sessions for children concerned about a forced marriage in 2016/2017, and Childline recorded 6,099 visits to its forced marriage online page during the same period.

11-year-old Adam has weakened muscles, speech impediments and autism, and is a full-time wheelchair user. Adam wants to go out with friends, but this depends on whether he has access to a suitable toilet and changing room. Standard disabled toilets are small and do not provide the changing benches or hoists to meet his special needs. He and his family risk health and safety by changing him on a toilet floor and manual lifting. Adam represents thousands of people with special needs who are not having these needs met, and is taking a theme park to court for not providing ‘reasonable’ disabled facilities. He wants the term ‘reasonable’ to include the space and equipment needed for a disabled person’s personal care. It is now expected that everyone has a right to live in the community and access all its facilities. Government policy promotes ‘community participation’ and ‘active citizenship,’ but for some disabled people the lack of a fully accessible toilet is denying them this right. See:

Research for the charity Scope reported that one in eight people hardly ever or never thinks of disabled people as the same as everyone else. Three comments from disabled people: ‘I’ve experienced loneliness as an adult, been excluded from social situations or activities due to my condition, and people make assumptions about what I am able to do or not do.’ ‘I’ve had people getting off the bus because they didn't want to share one with a cripple.’ ‘People used to see me as “one of them” but now, because I’m disabled, they see me differently.’ Scope’s CEO said that we need to increase understanding of disabled people's lives and step up our efforts to combat negative attitudes and misperceptions that hold them back in all areas of life, from work and leisure activities to shopping on the high street. Currently a million ‘disabled’ people who are ‘able’ are excluded from the workplace.

From 4 August to 11 November 2018 there will be a hundred days of prayer for peace, marking the centenary of the end of World War 1. Some 65 million men were mobilised across Europe during this war. On 11 November, people will remember them, but also will pray and work for peace. On 4 August 1918, George V called for 100 days of prayer across the country. This year, throughout those 100 days, there will be prayers and actions for peace. People can sign up to take part and spend just a few minutes of their day, adding their prayers to those of tens of thousands more throughout the season of prayers for peace.  The period will culminate in Peace Parties on 11 November in communities across the nation. For details of the many organisations providing resources needed to stage a local event, click the ‘More’ button.

Thank God! Christians have finally been told they can wear crosses and religious symbols at work. New official guidance will warn that dress codes will NOT be allowed to ban such items. Non-compliant companies could be fined or forced to pay compensation. Equalities minister Victoria Atkins is rounding on religious intolerance as long as symbols do not interfere with the ability to do the job. She said: ‘Discrimination in the workplace is not only completely unacceptable but also against the law. We will not stand for it. Our society has a proud tradition of religious tolerance; I want to see that reflected in workplaces across the country.’ The Church of England welcomed this ‘sensible decision’, adding: ‘Christians who wish to show their faith by wearing a cross should be free to do so. Freedom of expression continues to be an important British value.’

The head of the US Episcopal Church, the Most Rev Michael Bruce Curry, will preach at the wedding of Prince Harry and American actress Meghan Markle in Windsor, says Kensington Palace. Curry, from New York, is the first African-American to have served as presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church. He will join the dean of Windsor, Rt Rev David Conner, and the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, who will officiate at the service. Welby baptised Meghan ahead of her marriage to Harry, the grandson of Queen Elizabeth II, who is the supreme governor of the Church of England. Justin Welby said that he is ‘thrilled’ that the couple asked Curry to preach at their wedding, calling him ‘a brilliant pastor, stunning preacher and someone with a great gift for sharing the good news of Jesus Christ.’ See also: and

The maximum stake on fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs) will be reduced to £2 under new rules unveiled by the government. Currently, people can bet up to £100 every 20 seconds on electronic casino games such as roulette. Culture secretary Matt Hancock called the machines ‘a very serious social blight’. FOBTs generate £1.8bn in revenue a year for the betting industry, according to the Gambling Commission, and taxes of £400m for the Government. A high proportion of those seeking treatment for gambling addiction identify FOBTs as their main form of gambling. Matt Zarb-Cousin, who was previously addicted to them, commented. ‘It's no exaggeration to call FOBTs the crack cocaine of gambling. If we had a gambling product classification like that of drugs, FOBTs would be Class A.’ See also:

Serious crime soared in London in the past year, police figures have revealed, with the murder rate up by 44% and youth murder, personal robbery and home burglary all up by about a third. The figures, from the Metropolitan police, also showed a 23% increase in gun crime, a 21% rise in knife crime, and an 18% increase in the number of rapes. They were released just before a meeting of the London assembly’s police and crime committee on 15 May. Its chairman, Steve O’Connell, called the rise ‘unacceptable’ and ‘deeply troubling’. So far in 2018 the Met has launched more than sixty murder investigations, and the increase in violent crime has been reflected in many other urban areas. Sophie Linden, the deputy mayor for policing and crime, defended her office’s record. ‘It’s very, very early days’, she said. ‘We’re talking about knife crime with injury and we’re seeing that stabilising. But every murder is so appalling on the streets of London that there is no complacency here whatsoever.’