7th July 2026

Yesterday, thunderstorms and tornadoes hit the cities of Huangshi, Huanggang, Ezhou, and Xianning, in China’s Hubei province in which eight people died and one person went missing. A landslide at a village in north-western China buried 33 people early today. 17 people have been rescued. The storms came in the wake of widespread flooding in Guangxi brought by the passage of Maysak, which made landfall as China’s first typhoon of the year. In Guangxi, around 55,000 people have been affected by flooding in the regional capital, Nanning, where overflowing water has breached barriers at three reservoirs. Heavy rain triggered flooding, road closures and evacuations in New Zealand's southern city of Dunedin and the neighbouring Waitaki District on Monday, with officials urging residents to stay home and avoid unnecessary travel. On Sunday, a building collapsed in Mumbai taking the lives of six people including five children, as monsoon rains pounded India’s financial capital, flooding roads and leading to school closures. More than 200 millimetres of rain within 24 hours.

You can read more about the impact of the climate crisis on the world here.

Loving God, we ask your loving care for all in China and across the world who are adversely impacted by climate change. Our hearts go out to all in China who have experienced flooding and particularly to those who now mourn the deaths of those they loved. May the leaders of nations work collaboratively and urgently to address the climate crisis and move us away from fuels that put greenhouse gases into the air causing the world to heat. May they also work diligently to prevent the destruction of carbon sinks, such as the tropical forests and mangrove swamps. We thank you for th wonder of your creations.  Help us to treasure it and cherish all life upon the planet.  In  the name of Jesus we pray,  Amen.  

More than 1,000 people have been arrested as part of a global crackdown on human trafficking spanning 59 countries. Operation Global Chain was coordinated by Interpol.  It target trafficking for sexual exploitation, forced labour and criminality, and coerced begging and identified 2,070 victims or potential victims were identified, most of them women. 334 people were arrested for human trafficking and 690 for associated crimes. The operation, which took place between 8 and 12 June, and involved 40,000 officers across countries in Africa, the Americas, Asia and Europe. It found that most of the victims were trafficked for sexual exploitation, while 20% were forced into criminality, 11% were forced into labour and 2% into forced begging. Interpol Secretary Valdecy Urquiza spoke of the "severe and lasting harm to victims", and that human trafficking is "one of the most profitable and pervasive forms" of organised crime. He added that the operation demonstrates what can be achieved when countries work together.

O God, almighty Father,

Lord God, heavenly King,

we acknowledge you to be the Lord.

We praise you, we bless you, we adore you,

we glorify you and we give you thanks,

for you alone are the Holy One, you alone are Lord.

We praise you heavenly Father.

that you loved the world so much

that you sent your Son, Jesus Christ,

to live our earthly human life,

the King of glory,

the Lord of heaven and earth;

that by his death and resurrection

he brings your people to new birth.

We praise you heavenly Father

that you sent your Holy Spirit

to be our guide

and that you live in us through your Spirit.

We thank you for the joy of human existence,

for all that fulfils our lives.

We praise you for all that sustains our earthly bodies

and all that sustains us in life eternal.

 We thank you for all the blessings you give us.

Praise and glory, honour and power be yours, one eternal God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Amen.