Osinachi Nwachuckwu was best known for featuring in the hit gospel song Ekuweme has died in an Abuja hospital. Police have arrested her husband. Initial reports said the 42-year old had been sick with throat cancer, but her family deny that, alleging she had been a victim of domestic abuse. A police spokesperson said an investigation was underway to determine the cause of her death. Many Nigerians, especially Christians, have reacted with sorrow and anger to the news of her death. Some have gone online to urge religious leaders not to advise church members to stay in abusive relationships. Domestic violence has also been trending on social media.

On April 8, in Mandalay, approximately 40 soldiers from the Burmese Army (Tatmadaw) raided Sacred Heart Cathedral during Lent preparations searching for gold, money and ‘hidden weapons.’ They held scores of worshippers hostage for hours, including Archbishop Marco Tin Win. They claimed to have been tipped off about weapons being hidden in the clergy centre. When the vicar general of the Archdiocese explained that the only money they had was donations raised for the poor, he too was pushed into the cathedral. The ongoing assaults against churches and religious leaders should not be ignored by the international community. They intimidate Christians, they also occupy, desecrate, and loot churches across Myanmar.

Floods in and around Durban had caused 306 deaths by 13th April. President Cyril Ramaphosa described the floods as a calamity, saying, ‘Bridges and roads have collapsed. People have died. This is a catastrophe of enormous proportions.’ The search for missing persons is ongoing. The police force deployed 300 extra officers to the region, the air force sent planes to help with rescue operations. Days of driving rain smashed houses and ravaged infrastructure; landslides forced suspended train services. Highways flooded so that only traffic lights tops poked out. Torrents tore bridges apart, submerged cars and collapsed houses. A fuel tanker floated at sea after being swept off the road. Over 6,000 homes are damaged. TV footage showed people stealing from shipping containers during the flooding. Southern parts of the country are bearing the brunt of the climate crisis – suffering recurrent and worsening torrential rains and flooding. 

In East Jerusalem/Gaza City tensions are heading towards a large-scale eruption this Ramadan and residents fear another war. ‘We are moving gradually towards an escalation - the conditions are ripe for an explosion,’ said a Jerusalem-based political analyst. ‘The escalation may come from different places, including but not necessarily from Jerusalem,’ Fears are growing of a possible large-scale Israeli invasion of Jenin’s refugee camp, where the armed wings of Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) and Fatah are active. On April 10, a PIJ threatened, ‘continued aggression on the Jenin camp will lead events to an open and full confrontation soon.’ Hamas said, ‘Things are likely to erupt based on developments on the ground. Hamas will not stand idly by if Israelis continue storming the Al-Aqsa Mosque. The resistance in Jenin is part of us; we will not allow harm to our people.’ On April 14 Hamas called for a ‘general mobilisation’ to defend against Israeli incursions into the West Bank and the Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Tigray remains cut off from the rest of the world in Ethiopia’s civil war where the northern region experiences famine, and hospitals with no supplies. Countless Tigray civilians have fled south to Addis Ababa, many are Christians. Pastor T is a Tigray church leader who often cares for refugees from neighboring Eritrea. Now, Pastor T and his church members have themselves become refugees.
Nevertheless, these Christians continue to feed hungry refugees and have planted over 10 churches in the region. But as Tigray Protestants their welcome in Addis Ababa hasn’t been warm. Ethnic tensions are soaring due to the northeast conflict and Tigray Protestants are viewed with deep suspicion and even hatred by those of Muslim and Orthodox background.

At the beginning of the year, you prayed for continued freedom to share biblical beliefs with others in Finland when Finnish MP Päivi Räsänen was accused of ‘hate speech’ for publicly voicing her deeply-held beliefs on marriage and human sexuality and Bishop Juhana faced charges for publishing a Christian pamphlet she wrote. The Päivi was facing up to six years in prison for tweeting a Bible verse describing homosexuality as shameful and shared her thoughts on marriage and sexual ethics during a radio debate and in a pamphlet. On 30 March a Finnish district court cleared them both of all hate speech charges over their beliefs on sexuality, arguing that ‘it is not for the district court to interpret biblical concepts’.

Cheeky Pandas and Thy Kingdom Come are partnering together to bring a variety of free resources to get children excited about Jesus, the Bible and prayer, and ultimately, help each child build a beautiful life-long relationship with Him - with some panda fun along the way. There is a fun-filled, bible-based TV series for use in family services, assemblies, and at home, featuring songs, animated stories, prayer and interviews with special guests. Alongside this, there are activity packs, service plans, a prayer book, a children’s app, and Prayer Bears - each with an illustrated prayer book in their bag. The Church of England is sending out 500,000 free Cheeky Panda books on faithfulness called ‘Queen CJ and the Bouncy Castle’ to primary school children, to mark the Queen's Platinum Jubilee.

UK’s Foreign Secretary said, ‘The age of engagement with Russia is over. We need a new approach to security in Europe based on resilience, defence and deterrence. There is no time for false comfort. Russia is not retreating but regrouping and repositioning to push harder in the east and south of Ukraine.’ She called for a return to Cold War-era diplomacy, declaring that an agreement in which NATO and Moscow ‘do not consider each other as adversaries’ is dead. Liz Truss made the remarks at a dinner with counterparts in Brussels, hours after NATO secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg said the war in Ukraine could be ‘a long haul’ with Vladimir Putin still intent on taking control of the whole of Ukraine. It is anticipated that Ms Truss will put pressure on her NATO counterparts to continue supplying Ukraine’s forces with weapons, alongside fortifying sanctions on Moscow.

Tory MP David Warburton was suspended from the parliamentary party pending an investigation into three allegations of sexual harassment. A few days earlier it was revealed that Labour staffers, Laura Murray and Georgie Robertson, were asked to sign confidentiality agreements when they complained of sexual harassment about a senior official. They refused to sign the legal agreements and chose to resign without payouts. Documents show the women had reported the party official for ‘inappropriate’ and ‘possessive’ behaviour. The claims about Mr Warburton are being examined by Parliament's Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme (ICGS). Also, the Sunday Times reported allegations of Mr Warburton taking cocaine, and failing to declare a £100,000 loan in 2017, since repaid, from a Russian businessman. 

'I will never betray you', Peter declared at the Last Supper. And indeed he stayed close to Jesus all through his arrest and trial, albeit in the shadows. Yet, before the cock crowed he had denied Jesus three times. Knowing this secret he had to watch and wait three agonising days with the other disciples, sharing their anxiety and sorrow. No wonder he ran to the garden on the third day when Mary brought the news that the tomb was empty; the beginning of hope restored. Back on the shores of Galilee where he had first met Jesus, he is embraced, forgiven and recommissioned. Pray for any feeling disqualified or who have lost their way with Jesus, or are facing the sifting Satan demands of us all. May they know His love and be aware of His presence.