Disability hate crimes
Data from Crime Survey England and Wales estimate that, on average, 62,000 people per year are discriminated against on the grounds of their disability. Home Office statistics reveal police recorded 1,841 reports of disability hate crime in 2012-13, with 810 incidents going to court. This led to 349 convictions, but only seven of these resulted in an increased sentence with the victim's disability being considered an aggravating factor. Reviews by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary show that police often feel uncomfortable asking an individual about their disability and that not enough officers are trained to deal with people with learning disabilities. Kelly, one of the thousands of disabled abuse victims, said, ‘I'm getting bullied in the shops, when I walk home and then I get bullied in the pubs’. After a passer-by poured a fizzy drink over Kelly in the street, she says the police officer's response was ‘Just ignore it.’
Referendum division will take time to heal, says moderator
More than a thousand people have attended a service for reconciliation in Scotland after last week's independence referendum. It was led by the Church of Scotland moderator at Edinburgh's St Giles Cathedral. Rt Revd John Chalmers told the congregation, including Scotland's Finance Secretary John Swinney and Labour's shadow foreign secretary Douglas Alexander there would be no quick fix. He said: ‘The Church here and in congregations across the country are playing their part in making it a little easier to stretch out that hand of friendship to those who are our fellow Scots who did not support the side we supported. How we voted on one particular day does not define who we are. How we work together to put in place the democratic will of the Scottish people will be defining - both for us as individuals and for us as we work to redefine our place within the United Kingdom.’
Crack cocaine’ betting machines to hit arcades
Amusement arcades are being converted into betting shops in order for highly addictive gambling machines to be installed, The Independent on Sunday has reported. The fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs) allow gamblers to bet up to £100 every 20 seconds and have been dubbed the ‘crack cocaine’ of gambling. A Gambling Commission report earlier this month found that half of adult gaming centres (AGCs) allowed people under the age of 18 to use their machines without challenging them to prove their age. Emails seen by The Independent on Sunday revealed that the arcade industry is already converting arcades in order to use FOBTs. In Watford, part of an arcade owned by gaming firm Praesepe is being converted into a betting shop, allowing it to apply for licences for up to four FOBTs. Praesepe is the country’s fastest growing AGC operator, with 159 premises across the UK.
Bone paste could provide treatment for osteoporosis
A liquid bone tissue is being developed by scientists that could help regenerate weak and fragile bones in patients suffering from osteoporosis. The paste is made up of porous calcium phosphate microspheres which contain stem cells to trigger new bone growth. This would be injected into specific areas of concern, providing a minimally invasive treatment for thinning bones. Calcium phosphate, which is the principle mineral in bones, provides a protective casing for the stem cells, which are very delicate and often die after being transplanted. The treatment is being developed by a team from the University of Nottingham, who hope to target the growing number of older people at risk of fracture, reducing hospital visits and easing the financial burden on the health system. Dr Ifty Ahmed, a researcher at Nottingham University, said his team wanted to provide a preventative treatment, strengthening the bones of those at risk before they suffered a fracture.
Britain secretly decriminalised cannabis – and it's a disaster
For some time now, England and Wales have had a semi-decriminalisation programme for cannabis. And it has ended up criminalising more cannabis users than ever before. But it doesn't criminalise all cannabis users: it primarily targets people who are young, black or Asian. It is a story of muddle-headed government initiatives, skewed police incentives, racism, drug wars and the old, old habit of treating white people more leniently than everyone else. In 2004, when cannabis was made Class C, cannabis warnings were introduced. These were spoken warnings given by a policeman on the street if you were caught with a small amount of weed for personal use. Five years later the drug was returned to Class B, but the cannabis warnings remained. This effectively gave the police discretion in how they treated cannabis possession. The result of this discretion has been s the disproportionate targeting of black and Asian youths.
May I ask for your prayers for the National Prayer Assembly that those God is calling, a Gideon's Army of ministry leaders and intercessors, from America and other nations will be assembled for this crucial time of intercession for the USA at the end of next month? Also, if the Lord moves your heart to take part, you are invited to register on the website noted below.
Thank you,
John Robb
IPC Chairman
National Prayer Assembly: Seeking the Face of God for America, October 29-30, Pentagon City Sheraton, Arlington, VA.
The National Prayer Committee, Mission America, Intercessors for America, Jesus Alliance and International Prayer Council are cooperating to call together people with a heart to pray for an all-out time of prayer for the nation just before the congressional elections. We sense that the country is at a crucial point in its history with many dangers and threats from without and within that need to be confronted through getting on the Lord's wavelength with others from across America. As one theologian put it, "History belongs to the intercessors, who believe the future into being!"
Ukraine crisis: Rebels defiant over new self-rule law
Ukraine's parliament has granted self-rule to parts of eastern regions held by pro-Russian rebels, as well as an amnesty for the fighters themselves. A senior Ukrainian rebel leader has told the BBC that a new law granting self-rule to parts of the east will not sway the demand for independence. Andrei Purgin said there were no plans to develop any political relationship, federal or otherwise, with Ukraine. But he said there were ‘positives’ in the move by MPs to grant self-rule and an amnesty to pro-Russian rebels. He said it could be used as the basis for dialogue but rebels would not give up on a desire for ‘the Russian world’. The new law, which affects Donetsk and Luhansk regions and is in line with the 5 September ceasefire, was condemned by some Ukrainian MPs as ‘capitulation’. The truce halted months of conflict between separatists and government forces. It has held despite sporadic fighting between the two sides over the past 12 days.
Malta: Traffickers accused of drowning 500 migrants in the Mediterranean
Traffickers are accused of ramming a boat carrying more than 500 migrants sailing from Egypt, causing it to sink in the Mediterranean off the coast of Malta, an inter-governmental agency reports. The account is based on reports from two survivors who were rescued and taken ashore in Sicily after spending a day and a half in the water clinging to flotation devices. The two Palestinian men, aged 27 and 33, were picked up by a Panamanian merchant ship. They told staff from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) that they had fled Gaza through Egypt and were requesting asylum. They said that the migrants were forced to change boats several times, but resisted moving to a boat that they did not think was safe or big enough to carry them. When they refused to cooperate, the traffickers, in a separate boat, reportedly rammed the boat the migrants were in, causing it to sink 300 miles southeast of Malta on September 10.
Ukraine crisis: Rebels defiant over new self-rule law
Ukraine's parliament has granted self-rule to parts of eastern regions held by pro-Russian rebels, as well as an amnesty for the fighters themselves. A senior Ukrainian rebel leader has told the BBC that a new law granting self-rule to parts of the east will not sway the demand for independence. Andrei Purgin said there were no plans to develop any political relationship, federal or otherwise, with Ukraine. But he said there were ‘positives’ in the move by MPs to grant self-rule and an amnesty to pro-Russian rebels. He said it could be used as the basis for dialogue but rebels would not give up on a desire for ‘the Russian world’. The new law, which affects Donetsk and Luhansk regions and is in line with the 5 September ceasefire, was condemned by some Ukrainian MPs as ‘capitulation’. The truce halted months of conflict between separatists and government forces. It has held despite sporadic fighting between the two sides over the past 12 days.
Malta: Traffickers accused of drowning 500 migrants in the Mediterranean
Traffickers are accused of ramming a boat carrying more than 500 migrants sailing from Egypt, causing it to sink in the Mediterranean off the coast of Malta, an inter-governmental agency reports. The account is based on reports from two survivors who were rescued and taken ashore in Sicily after spending a day and a half in the water clinging to flotation devices. The two Palestinian men, aged 27 and 33, were picked up by a Panamanian merchant ship. They told staff from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) that they had fled Gaza through Egypt and were requesting asylum. They said that the migrants were forced to change boats several times, but resisted moving to a boat that they did not think was safe or big enough to carry them. When they refused to cooperate, the traffickers, in a separate boat, reportedly rammed the boat the migrants were in, causing it to sink 300 miles southeast of Malta on September 10.