Evil At Work!

 (Photo: Getty/iStock)

Marking the 59th anniversary of the Abortion Act receiving Royal Assent, Right To Life UK has estimated that more than 11 million lives have been lost since the legalisation of abortion.

While the government does record and publish the number of abortions every year, figures for recent years have been subject to delay. The last full year for which abortion numbers have been published is 2023.

That year there were 278,740 abortions in England and Wales, a record high and a 10 per cent increase on 2022. Right To Life suggested that the significant rise was driven in part by the increased use of at home abortion services.

Introduced during the Covid years, the 'pills by post' scheme allowed women to end their pregnancies up to 10 weeks without ever meeting a medical professional in person. The scheme has been subject to criticism following a number of abuses, including a woman who illegally ended her pregnancy at around 32 to 34 weeks, and a man who was jailed after procuring abortion pills on false grounds and secretly giving them to his girlfriend, who subsequently miscarried and was left infertile.

Right to Life estimates that at the time of the 59th anniversary of the Abortion Act, a total of 11,256,470 unborn babies have been killed. The estimate would suggest an abortion every two minutes and is based on the assumption that the most recent official figures are unchanged. The real figure could in fact be higher.

Whatever the true figure, Right To Life said that the number of abortions in Britain is only likely to rise following the passage of an amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill that effectively legalises abortion up to the point of birth. CT

Birdie.

 

Live Wisely!

 

Petition.

Petition against anti-Christian violence in Africa aims for a million signatures.

Pastor Josiah leading some villagers in a time of remembrance in northern Nigeria. He lost his wife and multiple sons in attacks carried out by Fulani militants targeting Christian communities. (Photo: Open Doors)

Open Doors UK & Ireland is calling on Christians to “make history” by gathering a million signatures for a petition against deadly sectarian attacks in sub-Saharan Africa.

The “Arise Africa” petition notes that on average 12 Christians are killed because of their faith every day in the region. The petition calls for greater efforts to protect believers from deadly attacks and for perpetrators to be brought to justice.

The petition also calls for efforts to promote “healing and restoration” to communities affected by violence.

Every year Open Doors publishes a list of the world’s 50 countries where Christians are persecuted the most. In its 2026 watch list, 17 of the 50 countries were in Africa. Five African countries were in the top ten.

Among these are Somalia, which is ranked behind only North Korea for its persecution of Christians. The country is, according to Open Doors, “one of the harshest environments in the world” for Christians, thanks largely to the militant Islamist group Al-Shabaab.

Also of concern is Nigeria, ranked 7th by Open Doors. While Somalia is home to only a few hundred Christians, Nigeria is Africa’s most populous nation and is more or less evenly split between Christians and Muslims.

Violence by Islamic groups and religiously unaffiliated bandits kills more Christians in the country every year than all other countries combined. Of the 12 Christians killed on average each day in sub-Saharan Africa, most will be Nigerian.

Open Doors said it planned to present its petition to the African Union, the United Nations, the European Union and to national governments.

Tiffany Barrans, CEO of Open Doors UK & Ireland, said, “This is a defining moment. One million signatures would send an unmistakable message to the UK Government and world leaders that the suffering of African Christians cannot be ignored.

"Every signature counts, and the UK Church can help make the difference in these final days.”

At the time of writing, the petition had secured over 919,600 signatures. CT.

Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka.   Our partner in Sri Lanka exists to mobilise and empower local churches and Christian organisations for reaching their nation with the gospel. They assist and support those who suffer persecution.   Pray for a church in Kurunegala District, in the North Western Province of Sri Lanka, which was recently asked by locals to stop conducting Sunday worship services. There have been similar incidents in other parts of the country. Pray for the pastors and congregations: that God will grant them wisdom, courage and protection.   Pray for those volunteer Christian teachers who attended a camp run by our partner. Pray that each will have been strengthened and equipped to continue to serve faithfully, often in challenging circumstances.   Pray for God’s continued protection and provision for our partner’s staff. Pray for the work our partner does, particularly supporting Christians facing financial and other serious challenges in Sri Lanka.

All personal data/special categories of personal data are processed in accordance with the DPA 2018 and the UK GDPR 2021. Please read our Privacy Statement published on the Voice of Persecuted Christians website for full details.    Registered Charity (England No. 280577) and company limited by guarantee (England No. 1506576), Scottish Charity No: SC040456    Registered office: Betchworth House, 57-65 Station Road, REDHILL, Surrey, RH1 1DL       Copyright © 2026 Voice of Persecuted Christians, All rights reserved.

Butchery in Ethiopia - Oromo' Liberation Army.'

What the Ethiopian Government Told the Ethiopian Orthodox Church After a Year of Warnings Will Make Your Blood Boil

Posted on October 31, 2026

moomin201 via shutterstock

The Ethiopian Orthodox Church buried 60 of its faithful in two weeks and called it a massacre.

Now the same rebel group accused of the killings is part of a coalition trying to topple the government.

What the Ethiopian government told the Ethiopian Orthodox Church after a year of warnings will make your blood boil.

The Two Attacks That Killed 60 in 10 Days

On October 20, gunmen descended on the Merti district in Ethiopia's Oromia region and killed 14 people.

Four days later, they came back.

On October 24, attackers hit the Shirka district and executed 46 more – five of them children.

Over 20 homes were burned to the ground.

A survivor described exactly how the ambush unfolded: "We were completely unprepared and had no prior knowledge. They surrounded us from all four directions."

Security forces arrived at the scene and still could not stop it.

A church official called it a "massacre."

The Holy Synod of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church confirmed the death toll and issued a formal statement condemning what it called a "reprehensible, inhumane deed" that violated Ethiopia's constitutional protections for religious freedom and the right to life.

The Synod had warned authorities this was coming.

"So far there has been no solution," the church said – a damning indictment of a government that watched these communities beg for protection and delivered nothing.

The Group Behind the Attacks

Oromia's regional government pointed blame at the Oromo Liberation Army – a rebel group that has been terrorizing Ethiopia's Christian communities since 2018.

The OLA broke from the Oromo Liberation Front after peace talks collapsed and chose armed insurrection instead.

Ethiopian lawmakers designated the group a terrorist organization.

UN investigators have previously accused the OLA of killings, rapes, and kidnappings across the region.

Pre-Christmas Redundancies To Look Forward To.

 Employers are preparing for a wave of pre-Christmas redundancies as businesses rush to avoid tougher unfair dismissal laws that come into force on Jan 1. Companies fear the changes could expose them to unlimited compensation claims, prompting some to get rid of highly paid staff before the deadline. Employment lawyers say job losses are already running at up to twice the usual rate. Melissa Lawford, Economics Correspondent, has the details below.

Elsewhere, Cara McGoogan has the definitive read on the dark case of Debbie Cooper and the investigation that uncovered the truth behind her disappearance.

Allister Heath, Sunday Telegraph Editor