World Mental Health Day was 1 October. This year it was supported by the International Association for Suicide Prevention. Every forty seconds, someone commits suicide. ‘40 seconds of action’ raises people’s awareness of the frequency of suicide, and the role that each of us can play to help prevent it. In the UK one in four adults will have mental health problems at some stage in their lifetime. For every suicide, there are twenty suicide attempts. These have an impact on families, friends, colleagues, communities and societies. Pray for a proactive church to support vulnerable people with mental health challenges wisely. 20% of the UK population will suffer from depression. Pray for more friends, neighbours, and relatives prepared to stand with the sufferers with compassion and support them through their crisis.

Two of the so-called ‘IS Beatles’ have been taken from a prison run by the Kurdish militia in northern Syria to a secure location controlled by the US. El Shafee Elsheikh and Alexanda Kotey are accused of being part of an IS cell which kidnapped and murdered Western hostages. The pair are from London, and Mr Trump described them as ‘the worst of the worst’. He said the decision to remove them from Syria had been taken ‘in case the Kurds or Turkey lose control’. The announcement came after the USA withdrew its forces from the region this week. See world article - Syria: praying into turmoil.

Philip de Grey-Warter, vicar of Fowey for 17 years, resigned from the Church of England and on 6 October started his own church in the town. The new church community, Anchor, will be run under the auspices of AMiE (Anglican Mission in England), a mission society established by GAFCON to multiply and strengthen healthy Anglican churches in England, assisting in evangelism and Biblical teaching. It intends to pioneer 25 AMiE churches by 2025. GAFCON is a global movement of conservative Anglican clergy who aim to restore the Bible to the heart of the Anglican Communion. Mr de Grey-Warter decided to leave the CofE when the House of Bishops allowed the baptism liturgy to be used for those who are transitioning gender. He denied that the new church is homophobic, and posted his story online . See also

News from across Europe in recent years has been bleak at times. Politicians and pastors have been investigated for ‘hate crimes’ simply for teaching or quoting from the Bible. We have seen medical professionals lose their jobs because they did not want to be complicit in practices that went against their consciences, and we have seen families risk losing their children because they sought to bring them up in accordance with biblical principles. Christians who fled persecution in the Middle East found themselves facing harassment and oppression in European refugee camps, painfully similar to what they left behind. Attacks on churches have risen; last year, in France alone, on average two churches were desecrated every single day. Our God of redemption can turn things around; pray that He speaks to those who are persecuting Christians, like Saul, that they may come to know Him for themselves. May He comfort all who are suffering persecution across Europe.

The EU squandered millions on overseas projects last year, including paying for broken toilets in Haiti and providing computer systems for empty offices in Jamaica. Auditors examined the EU’s £138 billion annual budget. The budget for aid and overseas projects was around £720 million in total: 3% of this was misspent on items such as a Mozambican radio drama series. They found that a further £4 billion was misspent because the EU Commission had sometimes ‘assumed’ that cash was spent within the rules. The UK pays £9 billion to the EU annually, and the bloc is demanding £39 billion in a Brexit divorce bill - even if there is no deal. Tory MP Nigel Evans said, ‘While we’re in the EU, we have little control over how this money is spent. In fact, it looks as if no-one is in control.’ 2.6% of the EU’s total budget was misspent last year, up from 2.4% from the year before.

Catalonia is a semi-autonomous region in north-east Spain whose history dates back almost a thousand years. The wealthy region has 7.5 million people, with their own language, parliament, flag, anthem, and police force. It also controls some of its own public services. Catalan nationalists have long complained that their region sends too much money to poorer parts of Spain, as taxes are controlled by Madrid. Last October about 90% of Catalan voters backed independence, in a turnout of 43%. Recently Spanish police arrested 9 Catalan independence activists in Barcelona. They face charges of rebellion, terrorism and possession of explosives used in bomb-making. They are associated with the Committees for the Defence of the Republic (CDR), a network of radical groups that advocates direct action to secure independence from Spain. CDR has previously blocked major roads and railway lines. Police believe the activists plan to carry out sabotage and violent attacks on the anniversary of the referendum on independence.

A five-year-old boy, from a family of Holocaust survivors, suffered anti-Semitic harassment at a school in Melbourne where pupils hounded him in the school toilets, calling him a ‘Jewish cockroach’. He was chased continuously to the bathroom and laughed at for being circumcised, to the point that he started to wet himself in class rather than using the toilet. His mother said that after behaving strangely for months, one morning he burst out crying over breakfast and literally fell down on the floor, saying, ‘Mummy, you shouldn’t love me. I’m a worthless Jewish rodent. I’m vermin’. Meanwhile a 12-year-old Jewish student was forced to kneel and kiss the shoes of a Muslim classmate. Then nine boys beat him up. Because the incident happened outside school, education officials denied responsibility for the incident. Melbourne media also reported other acts of anti-Semitism.

Join Christians around the world on Sunday 3 November, the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church - a global prayer meeting for our Christian brothers and sisters who witness for Christ boldly at any cost. Voice of the Martyrs has produced a short film providing a dramatic example of the challenges of following Christ inside North Korea, the world’s most restricted nation. The film will inspire all who watch it to pray for persecuted Christians around the world. It depicts the true story of Pastor Han, who was assassinated by North Korean agents in China because of his effective gospel work among North Koreans. The story is told through the eyes of one of his disciples who has followed in his mentor’s footsteps by continuing to share the gospel with North Koreans, despite the danger.

Benin is best known for its peaceful democracy, one of the most stable in Africa. However, corruption remains a significant issue. The country, once hosting main ports crucial in the slave trade, still negotiates shady deals. Poverty increases each year. This year deadly protests broke out after opposition parties were banned from participating in elections. The nation’s annual Voodoo Day brings thousands of participants to the country’s celebration. Voodoo, a religion approved by the government, has more than 60% devotees and contributes to significant spiritual bondages over the nation, its people and the Church. The country allows freedom to practise and propagate any religion. Pray for humility and repentance to grip the government (2 Chronicles 34:27). Because Benin has such strong connections with voodoo, it is difficult for people involved to leave it and follow Jesus. It is also difficult for Christians to grow in their faith without dealing with the spiritual bondages of voodoo. Ask God to minister deliverance and freedom (2 Corinthians 2:11).

Ecuador’s government has moved out of the capital after week-long violent anti-government protests over austerity measures and fuel price rises. The disturbances began with transport workers before spreading to students and then indigenous peoples. An 8pm to 5am curfew has been imposed around key state installations, government buildings, airports and oil refineries, which have been targets for protests. See Meanwhile, Hong Kong streets have been racked by anti-government protests that began in June. Hard-core protesters have clashed with riot police and those with opposing political views, in conflicts leading to more entrenched divisions that carve right through society. See Iraq’s latest wave of unrest has killed 100+ and injured thousands more, calling for the downfall of a corrupt political system that has brought unemployment and poor public services. See Extinction Rebellion activists are protesting in Berlin, Amsterdam, Sydney and London - see Finally, Americans are protesting against Trump ending support for Kurds in Syria: see the next article.