On 8 March celebrations began for the centenary of the Russian revolution; they will continue for one year. Revolution brought education to those at the bottom of the social pile, while destroying the middle class. Conflicting rich v poor views continue today. Last Sunday Alexei Navalny, an anti-corruption and opposition activist, called on his supporters to protest, and accused prime minister Dmitry Medvedev of personal enrichment through embezzlement. The biggest rally of 8,000 people in Moscow was unsanctioned, and 600 were detained. 3,000 demonstrated in St Petersburg (131 detained), 500 in Vladivostok (25 detained), 1,500 in Novosibirsk, and others elsewhere. Many believe that Russia and democracy are incompatible, and that 2017 will reunite Russians to a legacy of revolutions that continues to divide. See http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/russian-revolutions-1917-centenary-celebrations-2017-vladimir-putin-bolsheviks-lenin-stalin-trotsky-a7605791.html

In a referendum on 16 April, Turks will vote yes or no to constitutional amendments to shift Turkey from a system where executive powers lie with the prime minister and are checked by parliament to one giving unprecedented powers to the president. Many fear this will lead to one-person rule, with power to suspend parliament and appoint all ministers and high-ranking officials. Turkish Christians are concerned about rising nationalism, and also the random arrests since last summer’s coup attempt. American pastor Andrew Brunson, who has been in detention since October, still has no clear outline of the charges against him, although the prime minister has promised to speed up his court case. He and his family have been in Turkey for over twenty years, leading a church in Izmir. See:

Last week veteran newspaper journalist Miroslava Breach was shot eight times in front of her youngest son, in the Sierra Tarahumara region. She is the second journalist murdered in a week, and the third this month. The region is rich in precious minerals and old growth forests. It also has ample and hard-to-reach fertile land, ideal for growing illicit crops. Cartel-linked paramilitaries have for years carried out terrifying displacement campaigns against the indigenous Tarahumara residents. In January, gunmen killed the area’s most high-profile indigenous land rights defender, Goldman Prize-winner Isidro Baldenegro. One of Breach’s last reports was about the discovery of mass grave sites that were probably were used to hide the bodies of kidnapping victims and disappeared persons. Without her reporting, the region might become another journalism no-go ‘silence zone’ in Mexico’s media landscape.

Australia is dealing with the aftermath of Cyclone Debbie, which caused widespread wind damage. It is now a low-pressure system, dumping hundreds of millimetres of rain and moving slowly down the eastern coast. Queensland was expecting the worst wild weather last night. Brisbane received twice the average monthly rainfall in 24 hours. The deluge will continue to the weekend. People are preparing sandbags for protection against further flood damage. 52,000 are without power, and rivers are rising significantly. In 2013 a research facility reported increased intensity in tropical cyclones near Australia as a result of climate change. See:

An outbreak of meningitis has been reported in six Nigerian states, infecting over a thousand and killing 140. Meningitis causes acute inflammation of the brain and spinal cord. The current outbreak is the worst since 2009, when over 150 people died. The disease is spreading; it could become out of control if refugee camps, prisons and police cells become affected through crowds. Vaccination is a way of preventing meningitis. However a new strain imported from a neighbouring country is now prevalent and requires a different vaccine. The outbreak, attributed to cold nights / dusty winds / dry weather, is aggravated by traditional beliefs, poor hygiene, and overpopulation.

The Church of Ireland has launched a new resource on supporting asylum seekers and refugees in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. The 14-page document summarises how the Church has supported asylum seekers and refugees, and highlights opportunities for church members to become more involved in this area of ministry and service. Rt Revd Patrick Rooke, Chairman of the Republic of Ireland Working Group, said: ‘This is an excellent resource for all those who want to be informed about the refugee crises.’ Rt Revd Ken Good, chairman of the Northern Ireland working group, said, ‘It is clear that public awareness of the plight of asylum seekers and refugees fluctuates considerably, depending on the emotional impact of media coverage. This resource seeks to provide helpful information to keep before us the scale of the human need while also acknowledging people’s fears and concerns.’

In April 2016, we prayed for a Kickstarter account that was set up for a Wall of Answered Prayer made of a million bricks - each brick telling the story of how Jesus answered someone’s prayer. This wall will now go ahead and be built as a national landmark in the UK. It will lead people to consider and reflect the worth of prayer, through people sharing stories of how God answered their prayers. It will become a source of inspiration. The project is being led by Christian entrepreneur Richard Gamble, former chaplain to Leicester City FC. A person can pledge £5 and get one brick, which will be linked to them and their unique story of how Jesus answered prayer. A corresponding website will be created to give details of the answered prayers. It will be like a ‘database of a million prayer testimonies.’

Loving your neighbour begins with sacrificing time to pray for them. Bringing five neighbours before God regularly, praying for them to become Christians, will lead to people getting to know Jesus for themselves. Neighbourhood Prayer Network can testify that this has already happened on a number of streets across the UK. Will you join many others praying for their neighbours?

(Rebekah Brettle, Neighbourhood Prayer Network)

On Wednesday a British-born man, Khalid Masood, drove a car along the pavement on Westminster Bridge, knocking down, injuring and killing pedestrians. He then ran towards Parliament and fatally stabbed an unarmed policeman. Armed security police killed the terrorist. The police and MI5 had investigated him years ago, but he was ‘peripheral’ and not part of the current intelligence picture. Eight arrests in London and Birmingham followed Wednesday's attack. The murdered policeman was PC Palmer, to whom Mrs May paid tribute by saying, ‘He was every inch a hero and his actions will never be forgotten’. Others killed by the attacker were Aysha Frade, who worked at a London college, and Kurt Cochran. an American tourist. Seven of the injured are still in hospital in a critical condition. A further 29 have been treated in hospital. Pray for comfort and support for all who are grieving and / or suffering physical and mental injuries.

‘Passion for the Nation’ circulated this prayer yesterday, in response to the terror attack at Westminster: ‘Lord, we speak Your healing, comfort and strength to every person injured in the Westminster attack and to the relatives of all those killed. In the Name of Jesus, we declare that a spiritual watch will be increasingly established in our land, and we call the Church to a new level of watching and prayer. May God’s watchmen be positioned over the high places of our nation, over our cities, borders, streets and all high-profile locations. We declare an increase of divine connections to civil authorities in this season. God’s plans are for good and not for evil, so in the Name of Jesus we pray for God’s plans for peace, mercy and hope over and against every plan and purpose of Satan to bring fear and division into our land.’ For the full declaration, click the ‘More’ button.