Payday lenders told to improve by OFT
Payday loan firms have been told to change their behaviour after the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) found evidence of ‘widespread irresponsible lending’. The OFT is giving the biggest 50 firms 12 weeks to change their practices, or they risk losing their licences. It also plans to refer the market to the Competition Commission, after it found ‘deep-rooted’ problems in how payday loan companies compete. In response, the loans industry said it was already changing its operations. The Government has also announced plans to ‘weed out rogue lenders’ and place further controls on the way they are allowed to advertise. In addition, it said the high rates of interest charged by payday lenders could make the consequences of irresponsible lending ‘particularly acute’. (See also Prayer Alert 50-2012)
Pray: that the OFT’s pressure and the Government's move to exert controls will restrict irresponsible lending. (Pr.28:25)
More: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-21683739
Child sex abuse: New policy and new inquiry
An overhaul of how police and prosecutors in England and Wales deal with alleged sexual offences against children is expected to be announced in the wake of the Jimmy Savile scandal. Director of Public Prosecutions Keir Starmer told the BBC there was an ‘overcautious’ approach with victims. He said the focus was too much on whether the victim was telling the truth and not enough on the suspect. Describing this as a ‘watershed moment,’ Mr Starmer said we need to ‘clear the decks of a raft of existing guidelines’. A Scottish parliamentary inquiry into child sex exploitation and prostitution has also been launched, amid claims the problem may be far worse than thought http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-21669726 Holyrood's petitions committee is looking into the issue following the concerns from children's charity Barnardo's. MSPs will consider whether current measures and guidelines are doing enough to tackle exploitation.
Pray: that the authorities will bring measures and guidelines that will control this problem. (1Cor.6:18)
More: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-21673703
UK 'fares badly in European health league table'
The UK is lagging behind progress by similar countries on many indicators for ill-health, research suggests. Health data over 20 years was compared with figures from 18 other countries in the research published in the Lancet. Although average life expectancy has risen by four years since 1990, it says the UK needs to increase its strategies for tackling preventable problems such as heart disease and stroke. The UK had a high burden of smoking-related illnesses, and greater priority should be given to reducing lung disease. There was also a large rise in the number of recorded deaths related to Alzheimer's Disease. (See also Prayer Alert 08-2013) Health secretary Jeremy Hunt has said he has a plan to address the lag. Many deaths happen because the NHS is not good enough at preventing people getting sick or because treatment does not rival that seen elsewhere in Europe, says Mr Hunt who is responsible for health policy in England.
Pray: for our health care authorities that they would be granted wisdom and skills to meet the needs of their patients. (Ez.34:2b)
More: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-21654536
Bulgaria marches against poverty and corruption
Tens of thousands of people have protested across Bulgaria against poverty and corruption. The latest demonstrations came despite the resignation of the government and promises of early elections. (See Prayer Alert 08-2013) The protests followed earlier massive demonstrations with people shouting ‘Mafia, Mafia’, amid outrage over rising electricity prices by as much as 13 percent in what is the European Union's poorest member state. Protesters blamed foreign companies as well as high level corruption. It gradually grew into a civil unrest challenging the established order. Two weeks ago, clashes between police and protesters left two dozen people injured and prompted Prime Minister Boiko Borisov's centre-right cabinet to quit. He has since been hospitalised with high blood pressure. The government's resignation cleared the way for early elections, to be held on May 12. Yet, Bulgarians have expressed their frustration with politics and what they see as unfulfilled promises of EU membership. The Balkan nation joined the 27-nation block in 2007.
Pray: for the people of Bulgaria as they go through this transition of seeing non-corrupt and just government will be elected. (1Ch.21:12)
More: http://www.bosnewslife.com/26862-news-watch-bulgaria-marches-against-poverty-corruption
