Key Quotes for 2013

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Last update: Wednesday 25th March




The Bible was Norway’s best selling book in the 2012, it was reported in June. A new translation by the Norwegian Bible society has sold 160,000 copies. Anne Veiteberg, of Norway’s Bible Society, commented that immigration has been a factor, with 250,000 immigrants settling in Norway in the past six years, 60% of whom claim to be Christian. She said: ‘Now that we’re exposed to other faiths, Norwegians have taken more interest in their own faith’.
World Issues	Evangelicals Now, August 2013



Belgium appears on the verge of becoming the first developed country to legalise euthanasia for children, it was reported in June. The Belgian Federal Parliament reportedly has a consensus for passing legislation that would permit some seriously ill children to choose to die by euthanasia, according to the International Business Times, which based its reporting on an article in the Belgian newspaper Der Morgen.
World Issues	Evangelicals Now, August 2013



The Office of National Statistics has discovered that being married is 20 times more important to a person’s well-being than their earnings, it was reported in early June. The analysis, based on 165,000 people, showed that bonuses do not make you happy – the top 10% of Britain’s earners were more anxious than those who earned less.
Family	Evangelicals Now, August 2013



It was reported in early July that the Scottish government wants every child from birth to 18 to have a named person who has the role of ‘safeguarding and supporting their wellbeing, working with other bodies’. The Bill explicitly rules out the possibility that the named person could be one of the child’s own parents. It has to be someone appointed by the state and will be someone in an education or health role.
Politics	Evangelicals Now, August 2013



It was reported in mid-June that at least one million children are growing up without a father, according to a think tank which describes the problem as ‘an ignored form deprivation’. The Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) says parts of the country are ‘men deserts’ because, as well as a lack of fathers, there are so few male primary school teachers.
Family	Evangelicals Now, August 2013



All married men can legally be called ‘wives’ and all married women called ‘husbands’ under the government’s gay marriage bill, it was announced in late June. The redefinition is found in the small print to the official explanation of the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill.
Politics	Evangelicals Now, August 2013



The number of young people in Stoke-on-Trent becoming criminals has fallen by nearly a quarter in the last four years. A total of 175 youths aged 10 to 17 were first time entrants into the criminal justice system in 2011/12, compared to 227 in 2007/8 – a 23 per cent decrease. The figures have been released as part of the Stoke-on-Trent Youth Offending Service’s (YOS) strategic plan for 2013/14. Eleanor Brazil, chair man of the YOS management board, said the statistics showed the service was succeeding in reducing youth crime, despite cuts to funding.
Young People	The Sentinel, 30th July 2013



Almost £400,000 is set to be spent refurbishing four police stations across North Staffordshire this year – despite the lack of overall strategy for the force’s buildings.
Money	The Sentinel, 29th July 2013



Britain’s beleaguered economy is finally ‘on the mend’, Chancellor George Osborne said as official figures showed a second successive quarter of growth. All four main sectors showed improvement, according to the Office for National Statistics. The estimate of a 0.6% rise in gross domestic product was the first time since 2011 that the UK has seen back-to-back quarterly growth.
Money	The Sentinel, 26th July 2013



Botshelo Moilwa, a young woman from Gaborone, Botswana, called on churches to affirm the dignity of women amidst the realities of HIV and AIDS and sexual violence, if they are to realise the Christian vision of justice and peace. As one of the speakers at the All Africa Conference of Churches (AACC) 10th Assembly in Kampala, Uganda, Moilwa was addressing the theme “God of life, lead Africa to justice, peace and dignity.” Representing the Botswana Council of Churches, Moilwa stressed that “affirming the dignity of women means affirming the dignity of Africa” for which she encouraged young theologians to work together. Based on her experience since 2010 of coordinating a project on HIV and AIDS targeting female sex workers, in partnership with Kgolagano College of Theological Education in Botswana, Moilwa called violence against women a major challenge for the African churches
World Issues	Life and Work, August 2013



Ministers have ‘no excuse’ to delay plans to sell cigarettes in plain packs, health campaigners said after a new study found that tobacco sold in standardised packaging is ‘less appealing’ and makes smokers ‘prioritise quitting’. Earlier this month the Government was criticised by health campaigners after announcing that plans to go ahead with plain packaging in England would be postponed until ministers had a chance to assess the impact of a similar scheme in Australia.
Drugs/Alcohol/Addictions	The Sentinel, July 23, 2013



David Cameron has threatened to impose tough new laws on internet giants if they fail to blacklist key search terms for horrific images by October as part [of] a crackdown on online porn. The Prime Minister set out a raft of reforms to protect children from ‘poisonous’ websites that are ‘corroding childhood’, including introducing family-friendly filters that automatically block pornography unless customers choose to opt-out. Possessing violent pornography containing simulated rape scenes will be made a crime in England and Wales and video streamed online in the UK will be subject to the same restrictions as those sold in shops. Mr Cameron said: “I feel profoundly as a politician, and as a father, that the time for action has come. This is about how we protect our children.”
Social Issues	The Sentinel, July 23, 2013



Churchill owner Direct Line Group warned of another 2,000 job cuts today as it said it was closing three UK sites under plans to slash more costs. Direct Line – the UK’s biggest motor insurer – said it would axe sites in Liverpool, Croydon and central London by the end of the year. It is consulting with staff over job losses across its entire 16-strong network of sites, with head office and support functions the hardest hit in the latest round of redundancies.
Work/Employment	The Sentinel – June 27, 2013



A nearby solar system is packed with up to seven planets including three ‘super-Earths’ that may be capable of supporting life, say scientists. The plants orbit Gliese 667C, one of three stars bound together in a triple system 22 light years away in the constellation of Scorpius. Astronomers believe they fill up the star’s ‘habitable zone’ – the orbital region just the right distance away to permit mild temperatures and liquid water. Three of the new worlds are categorised as ‘super-Earths’, meaning they have between one and 10 times the mass of the Earth. If like the Earth they are rocky and possess atmospheres and watery lakes or oceans, they could conceivably harbour life.
Space	The Sentinel – June 26, 2013



Young people in the UK spend almost two-and-a-half years out of work on average, longer than those in many other developed nations. Many young people will be out of the job market because they have ‘given up, more or less’, according to Andreas Schleicher, the OECD’s deputy director for education and skills. He warned the ‘biggest challenge’ to the UK is to help those youngsters who do not have decent qualifications and struggle to find work. Overall, UK young people aged between 15 and 29 expected to spend 2.3 years on average unemployed.
Young People	The Sentinel – June 26, 2013

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