Motorcycle gunmen, suspected to be Islamist militants, sprayed bullets at Christians attending a church service in Burkina Faso, killing a pastor and at least four others, according to local reports. A further two Christians are said to be missing following the early afternoon bloodshed on Sunday 28 April in the small northern town of Silgadji. The attackers fled north towards the country’s border with Mali. A rising tide of Islamic extremism in Mali has produced growing terrorism that is now spilling over into impoverished Burkina Faso, which is over 50% Muslim and about 20% Christian. Two days earlier Islamists were blamed for murdering five teachers and another worker at a school in the east of the country.

29 April was a day of chaos and violence after opposition leader Juan Guaidó called for a military uprising in Caracas and urged supporters to take to the streets to force his rival Nicolás Maduro from power. The US secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, said that Maduro had told America that he would leave Venezuela and live as an exile in Cuba and had an airplane on the tarmac, ready to leave: then Russia convinced him to stay. Recently Russian military personnel entered Venezuela to keep its sophisticated S-300 surface-to-air missiles operational despite its crumbling infrastructure and frequent power failures. Also Tareck El Aissami, Maduro’s closest confidant, is being investigated by the intelligence agency about helping Hezbollah militants into the country, partnering with a drug lord, and shielding 140 tons of chemicals to be used for cocaine production - making him a rich man as Venezuela spiralled into poverty. See

The reporter from the LA Times was not sure what to make of Kanye West’s Easter morning church service at the Coachella Valley music festival. describing it as ‘a new-age Baptist church revival’. The service began shortly after 9.30 am. West arrived dressed in violet-magenta hues - with his hair dyed to match. What unfolded was a nearly two-hour celebration of gospel music, which has played a major influence on his creative achievements. He was supported by hundreds of singers, dancers, and a full orchestra. His part in the service was minimised, with no sermonising or rapping. He allowed the choir and band to be the main focus as he was caught up in the worshipful atmosphere of the moment. West transformed a secular festival at Coachella into a black church experience.

‘Thank You, Father, for those who have served this nation in many capacities across the years; but now this is a new day. Lord, You positioned leaders of ten, leaders of hundreds and leaders of thousands, and You prepared and anointed leaders before their time of service, So, in the Name of Jesus, we call forth across this nation, the leaders You have appointed for this season. We declare they will be positioned and connected for Your voice to be heard, recognised, and active within every place of influence and gateway of society. We declare that those chosen and appointed by you for the next season will stand strong and secure with new levels of revelation and understanding. We declare they will listen, speak and act according to the words and strategies of the Spirit of God, causing them to grow in favour with God and man.’ For the full declaration, click the ‘More’ button.

This week, a new framework for the teaching of relationships and sex education (RSE) replaced a twenty-year-old version written before smartphones or social media. Despite steps in regulating the internet, primary school-aged children live in a world of rapid online interactions. This new legislation was formed over two years by the Government, with the Church of England among parties engaged in the consultation, to promote healthy resilient relationships set in the context of character and virtue development. It focuses on respecting others, including the beliefs and practices of people with a specific faith commitment, and the many different types of families that make up our cultural context. It makes explicit a shared duty of care between parents and schools, and what takes place in the classroom builds on what has been taught in the home. The new guidance asserts that ‘all schools must teach about faith perspectives on these questions’.

Children should have two measles inoculations to be fully protected, but 527,000 UK children were not given the vaccine between 2010 and 2017. The NHS has warned that measles cases had almost quadrupled in 12 months, and urged families to get vaccinated. One person with measles could infect ninety others who are not immune. Measles is infectious before the rash appears, so you cannot simply 'keep away'. Public Health England said that unimmunised people were in danger of catching the disease while outbreaks continued in Europe. In Greater Manchester, more cases were recorded this year than in 2018 and 2017 combined. NHS chief Simon Stevens warned that ‘vaccination deniers’ gained traction on social media, leading to false information spreading. Matt Hancock, the health secretary, called for legislation to force social media companies to remove content promoting incorrect information about vaccines.

A report on 25 April suggests the prime minister is planning to bring forward a law next week to enact her withdrawal agreement, even though it has been rejected by MPs three times. The law is expected to include new guarantees that the government hopes will entice both Tory Eurosceptics and wavering Labour MPs to vote for the deal. An attempt to force another vote of no confidence in Mrs May was scuppered after senior Tories refused to change party rules to allow another ballot to be held. We can continue to pray for God’s will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. Jesus told his disciples in Matthew 17:20 that if a person has faith as small as a mustard seed, they can say to a mountain, ‘Move from here to there’, and it will move.

4.1 million UK children live in poverty, but how many of these children experience food insecurity? How does it affect their lives and what could be done about it? The Trussell Trust gave food parcels to 500,000+ people in 2014/15 - half went to children. On 25 April 2019, at Westminster, young people joined actor Dame Emma Thompson, ambassador for the Children’s Future Food Inquiry, to launch a report calling for urgent political action on child food insecurity. The CFFI spent a year investigating this problem across the UK, and its final report compiles the experiences of hundreds of young people, academics and experts. Sharon Hodgson, its co-chairwoman, said, ‘Children are falling through the safety net. They need support from the Government in order to have access to healthy and affordable food’. See

Buckingham Palace has announced that US president Donald Trump will make a three-day state visit to the UK from 3 to 5 June. Mrs May said that the visit was an opportunity to strengthen our already close relationships in trade, investment, security and defence, and discuss how we can build on these ties in the years ahead. But shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry said that on the very day Trump threatens to veto a UN resolution against the use of rape as a weapon of war, Mrs May is planning to honour him with a state visit. His last visit saw tens of thousands of protesters fill central London's streets to tell him what they thought of his visit. Instead of a red carpet, there was a sea of people, in two large marches led by Women's March London and the Stop Trump Coalition.

Supporters of Christians Against Poverty (CAP) are being warned against scams, with online fraudsters posing as the charity. Anyone receiving an email purportedly from CAP but sent from a free email service, such as Google or Outlook.com, is being urged to be suspicious. Posting on Twitter, CAP said, ‘Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, so the saying goes and, it turns out, there are scammers pretending to be CAP. The vast majority of this is happening online. Warning signs to spot you are not dealing with CAP include requests for money in US dollars or references of orphanages.’ The advice also said, ‘We are Christians (with an S) Against Poverty. If it reads Christian Against Poverty - fake! There are loads of us’. CAP charity contributes £32 million to the UK economy annually and anyone who has received anything suspicious is urged to contact Action Fraud, on 0300 123 2040.