The country’s Prime Minister is facing a battle for political survival that could end his ten-year leadership term.

Benjamin Netanyahu has had a strong challenge from retired military chief Benny Gantz – with their parties’ neck-and-neck in the polls.

It’s claimed both parties could struggle to form a coalition government with smaller allies meaning they may be forced to work together in a unity government.

Speaking on Premier’s News Hour, Paul Calvert, a Christian journalist based in Israel said everyone there recognises the significance of their vote.

“This is such an important election,” he said. “There are really only two front runners and their message is get out and vote.”

Encouraging people around the world to pray over the election, he said: “Pray that God’s will be done.

“We want to see a leader who will stand up to the threats that are facing Israel.

“You don’t want someone weak when you have threats all around you.”

Benjamin Netanyahu, the longest serving leader in Israeli history, is seeking a fourth consecutive term in office, and his fifth overall.

He is however facing corruption charges which are scheduled to be heard next month.

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It comes after churches were named as one of the most common places to inappropriately chuckle.

New figures by Netflights have revealed that nearly one in five people admitted to laughing during a service.

Seeing someone hurt themselves and watching a serious moment in a film were top of the list of the worst times to laugh.

Church leader and author of the Sacred Art of Joking, James Cary told Premier giggling in church is more common because many people associate religious settings with a sober posture.

“Comedy is about putting things together that don’t necessarily belong together. And so therefore, churches are deemed to be generally a serious place to be, which I think is a shame.

“Therefore laughing in church feels like the sort of thing that you shouldn’t do.”

He went on to say that churches need to shake their “rather serious” image and instead focus on reflecting the joyful message of the gospel.

“The Bible does tell us to rejoice, because we naturally don’t. It doesn’t say calm down everyone – actually it says be joyful. God knows that our natural disposition is to be serious around him.”

Cary says Christians can become too concerned with causing offense and forget to follow the Bible’s example to be light-hearted.

“Jesus was funny, he told parables that would have shocked and offended people and made them laugh.

“He would have told stories that would have made…

Ruth Jarman, who is a member of Christian Climate Action, was given a conditional discharge and ordered to pay £640 in costs for knowingly failing to comply with Section 14 of the Public Order Act 1986.

She’d pleaded not guilty after being arrested during the Extinction Rebellion protests in London in April claiming she was a Conscientious Protector trying to prevent a crime against humanity and creation by drawing attention to the climate emergency we face.

Speaking after the trial, Ruth said: “For two decades, my campaigning on climate has been ignored. Two weeks on the streets of London in April could not be ignored.

“Opinion polls showed concern about the environment at the highest levels on record and the Shadow Chancellor stated that the Extinction Rebellion led directly to Parliament’s declaration of an environment and climate emergency. The leniency of my sentence shows the level of sympathy for our cause. The Rebellion is working!”

Over 1,100 people were arrested in total during the protests which closed some of London’s busiest streets.

More action is planned for October when Christian Climate Action is planning to create a ‘Bridge of Faith’ with round the clock prayer and worship.

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Joanna Duka and Breanna Koski own Brush & Nib Studios, a specialist hand-painting company in Phoenix which creates artwork for big life events, such as wedding invitations.

They talk about their love of God on their website, saying that meeting each other was ‘a God thing’.

The city of Phoenix wanted to enforce an ‘ordinance’ which would prohibit anyone offering services (such as a business) discriminating against another based on their status in a ‘protected’ group, including someone’s sexual orientation.

The Christian women weren’t accused by the state but started the case themselves to prevent the ordinance being used against them in the future.

They wanted the right to have a statement on their website that explained that they would “not create any artwork that violates our vision as defined by our religious and artistic beliefs and identity.”

It lists several examples of objectionable artwork, including artwork promoting businesses that “exploit women or sexually objectify the female body”, “exploits the environment”, or “any custom artwork that demeans others, endorses racism, incites violence, contradicts our Christian faith, or promotes any marriage except marriage between one man and one woman,” such as “wedding invitations for same-sex wedding ceremonies.”

The city wanted to dismiss this request.

It’s now been ruled that the City of Phoenix cannot force…

Colvin worked at Ballarat Christian College, a non-denominational school in Australia, part time from 2016 to February 2019, having worked there full-time as an English teacher between 2008-11.

The teacher, who sings and plays guitar at her church, Bayside Church Cheltenham in Melbourne, is being supported by LGBT group Equality Australia to launch a case of discrimination against the school on the grounds of political or religious discrimination.

Mrs Colvin alleges that from around August 2018 and in the shadow of the national marriage postal survey, the College informed her that she would no longer be offered certain teaching and professional development opportunities at the school, despite Mrs Colvin offering to remain silent about her beliefs with her students.

She says that she was talked to by the chaplain and effectively forced to resign after she refused to sign the school’s statement of faith that said marriage is between a man and a woman.

The college, which says it’s purpose is “to provide each student Christian education that gives opportunities to develop gifts and talents to fulfil the will of God in his or her life,” has a statement which outlines that there is male and female, that a marriage is the only place for procreation and that marriage can only be between a man and a woman.

She said: “I am devastated by what happened to me. I loved my job….

Cardinal George Pell, who was the Vatican’s treasurer, has consistently maintained his innocence.

He was jailed earlier this year for abusing two boys in Melbourne in the 1990s.

After failing in his appeal of his six year prison sentence, his case will now be heard by Australia’s High Court.

Pell is yet to be struck off by the Vatican.

If he loses his appeal, he’ll be eligible for parole in October 2022.

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Colvin worked at Ballarat Christian College, a non-denominational school in Australia, part time from 2016 to February 2019, having worked there full-time as an English teacher between 2008-11.

The teacher, who sings and plays guitar at her church, Bayside Church Cheltenham in Melbourne, is being supported by LGBT group Equality Australia to launch a case of discrimination against the school on the grounds of political or religious discrimination.

Mrs Colvin alleges that from around August 2018 and in the shadow of the national marriage postal survey, the College informed her that she would no longer be offered certain teaching and professional development opportunities at the school, despite Mrs Colvin offering to remain silent about her beliefs with her students.

She says that she was talked to by the chaplain and effectively forced to resign after she refused to sign the school’s statement of faith that said marriage is between a man and a woman.

The college, which says it’s purpose is “to provide each student Christian education that gives opportunities to develop gifts and talents to fulfil the will of God in his or her life,” has a statement which outlines that there is male and female, that a marriage is the only place for procreation and that marriage can only be between a man and a woman.

She said: “I am devastated by what happened to me. I loved my job….