British Isles

Gambling by children ‘a generational scandal’

23 Nov 2018
An audit by the Gambling Commission issued on 21 November has shown the quadrupling of child problem gamblers to more than 50,000 in two years. It also found 70,000 youngsters were at risk,…

BBC presenter at odds with her mother over faith schools

23 Nov 2018
Alice Roberts, a professor at Birmingham University who presents BBC documentaries, has been criticised by her own mother for fronting an ‘antagonistic’ campaign by Humanists UK to end state funding of faith schools.…

School took all children to a gay pride event

23 Nov 2018
A Christian parent is challenging a London school which took all its children to a gay pride event in June 2018. Heavers Farm Primary School allegedly said the visit did not come under…

TV reality show participants pray together

23 Nov 2018
Participants in ITV's I'm a Celebrity have been seen praying together. On 19 November, viewers saw quiz supremo Anne Hegerty offer to spend time in silent prayer for actress Emily Atack, who had…

Call for ban on alcohol advertising in winter

23 Nov 2018
Dr Peter McCann, an alcohol and drug rehabilitation expert, has called for a ban on alcohol advertising in winter and stricter laws on alcohol pricing. He says that new research has established a…

UK government backs down over gambling machines

16 Nov 2018
The Government has been forced to bring forward its proposed changes to gambling machine betting limits. Philip Hammond had announced in his Budget speech that the maximum stake on fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs)…

Couple’s 100 years of service

16 Nov 2018
A couple have been recognised for giving more than a hundred years of service to the Church of Scotland between them. Don and Alice Barrie have played key roles at a church in…

Embattled PM stands by draft Brexit agreement

16 Nov 2018
On 15 November, the day after Theresa May persuaded her cabinet to endorse the draft EU agreement, two cabinet ministers (including Dominic Raab, the Brexit secretary) and three junior ministers resigned in protest,…

Manchester bomber’s brother to be extradited

16 Nov 2018
The younger brother of the Manchester bomber Salman Abedi will be extradited to Britain before the end of the year, according to Fayez al-Sarraj, the Libyan prime minister. Hashem Abedi, 20, was arrested…

Christmas comes early at Lambeth

16 Nov 2018
Lambeth Palace was transformed on 13 November when the front of the building was lit up with giant stars. This was part of the Church of England's new campaign, #FollowTheStar, which aims to…