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New report highlights exploitation of Vietnamese people in UK New research by the Anti-Slavery Commissioner has focussed attention on the trafficking of people from Vietnam to be exploited in the UK . Vietnam is consistently among the top ten most common countries of origin for people referred to the authorities as possible victims of modern day slavery .

In most cases people from Vietnam are exploited to cultivate cannabis , or as manicurists in nail bars or suffer sexual exploitation . Generally controlled by organised crime gangs , victims are forced to work in terrible conditions , often in cramped spaces , sometimes without necessary safety equipment , poor accommodation , and paid little or nothing for the work they do . The research highlighted that the largest group of Vietnamese victims are young people under the age of 18 , most commonly teenage boys between 16-18 .

Vietnamese children suspected of being victims of trafficking also frequently go missing even after they have been identified and brought into the care of local authorities . It is believed in many cases that the young people return to those who have trafficked them because of fear of reprisals against their families or they feel an obligation to work for the gang in order to pay back a loan , or because they have been taught to distrust the UK police authorities .

Source : care . org . uk

Schools breaking the law by not providing RE More than a quarter of English secondary schools are failing to offer religious education , research by the Department for Education ( DfE ) indicates . Data gathered by the DfE in 2015 and by National Association of Teachers of Religious Education ( NATRE ) obtained under a freedom of information request shows that

26 % of secondary schools are not offering RE lessons .

Among academies , which comprise most secondary schools , 34 % do not offer RE to 11-13-year-olds and 44 % are not offering it to 14-16-year-olds . By law , RE must be taught in all state-funded schools in England , with the detail of syllabuses agreed at a local level .

Source : christian . org . uk

First same-sex wedding at UK Anglican church The first same-sex church wedding in the UK has taken place in Edinburgh . Peter Matthews and Alistair Dinnie were married at St John ’ s Church , run by the Scottish Episcopal Church ( SEC ), The Times Scotland reported . In June , the SEC voted to amend canon law and allow same-sex couples to be married in church during the church ’ s General Synod in Edinburgh . The move made it the first branch of the Anglican faith in the UK to allow same-sex marriage .

SEC members voted to remove the doctrinal clause , which stated that marriage is a ‘’ union of one man and one woman ’’, replacing it with a clause , which asserts that clergy who do not wish to preside over same-sex weddings will not be compelled to do so ‘’ against their conscience ’’. The Secretary General of the Anglican Communion said the SEC ’ s decision puts it “ at odds with the majority stance that marriage is the lifelong union of a man and a woman ’’.

Source : premier . org . uk

Rapper Snoop Dogg releases first gospel song Controversial rapper Snoop Dogg has swapped songs about drugs and girls for a new track about God . The American music artist , who ’ s sold more than 35 million albums across the world , has teamed up with former gospel artist B-Slade for the song titled ‘ Words are few ’.

Lyrics in the song include : “ Things ain ’ t what they seem ,

feeling like I ’ m fooling me . I know God is calling me , I ’ m not where I ’ m supposed to be . Sitting here smoking trees , when I should be on my knees .”

Source : premier . org . uk

Ireland to hold abortion referendum in 2018 Irish citizens will vote on the country ’ s constitutional protections for the unborn next year , its Government has announced . Ireland ’ s Eighth Amendment currently pledges to “ defend and vindicate ” the equal right to life of the unborn and the mother , “ as far as practicable ”. But following prolonged pressure to hold a referendum on the issue , Prime Minister Leo Varadkar has announced that a vote will be held in May or June next year .

Source : premier . org . uk

Gene-editing pioneer warns about embryo factories The developer of a controversial gene-editing technique fears that embryo “ factories ” could be set up in the UK , churning out human lives for research . Jennifer Doudna , who pioneered Crispr- Cas9 , says the thought of facilities “ pumping out lots of human embryos for the purposes of experimentation ” keeps her awake at night .

Recently , scientists heralded a new study into miscarriage where they used her technique to cut away a section of DNA from human embryos . As a result of this intervention , nearly all of the 41 embryos used in the experiment self-destructed . Commenting on the study , carried out by a team of scientists at London ’ s Francis Crick Institute , Doudna welcomed it but cautioned that it could act as a slippery slope for scientists in the area of gene editing .

She said the UK could allow embryo factories to be set up and may remove the ban on keeping embryos alive in the lab for more than 14 days . Doudna warned that in the race for scientific firsts , the UK could end up crossing more moral and ethical lines .

Source : christian . org . uk

14 Revival Times November 2017