An American soldier has given her Invictus Games gold medal to the hospital team that saved her life at Papworth Hospital in Cambridgeshire. The swimmer, 25, from Arizona, became gravely ill when she collapsed with a lung condition on the eve of the first games in London in 2014. ‘They absolutely saved my life and I can't thank the UK enough for having that kind of medical support and taking such good care of me. So I gave Prince Harry one of my medals and hope it will find its way back to Papworth.’ She also paid tribute to the NHS, saying, ‘Thank you. I'll never be able to repay you, but what you're doing is wonderful.’

Discrepancies between stated number of migrants and national insurance records have fuelled accusations of a pro-EU cover-up. A claimed ‘missing million’ long-term EU immigrants to Britain have been proved to be a phantom army, according to a special analysis by the Office for National Statistics in the run-up to the EU referendum. The ONS says short-term migration – EU citizens coming to Britain for less than a year and sometimes for as little as a month – accounts for recent gaps between the official net migration figures for long-term immigrants to Britain and the number of national insurance numbers issued to EU nationals.

A German newspaper reports that IS is planning a massive attack against Israel from the Sinai peninsula. Such an attack could include tanks and artillery. The Sinai-based Ansar Bait Al-Maqdis terrorist organisation has pledged allegiance to IS in Syria and are training hundreds of terrorists, reportedly waiting for the order to attack. Israel has bolstered security on their Egypt border as a result of IS’ build-up. IS has already attacked civilian targets in southern Israel, and affiliated groups have solidified their presence, creating instability in the Israel-Sinai border region. Since 2011, there has been an unprecedented growth in terror groups operating from the Sinai, taking advantage of the chaotic situation in the area. Israel recently held a two-day large-scale naval drill which simulated a multiple-pronged IS attack on Eilat, including the hijack of a civilian vessel.

Orthodox Christians celebrate Easter a month later than western Christians. One beautiful Orthodox tradition is the ceremony of lights in Jerusalem: Christians light their candles in the ancient city and take the fire back to their homes. Meanwhile, the Middle East conflict continues to impact Christians alongside their fellow-citizens. From Aleppo, the Aid to the Church in Need agency shared the heart-breaking words of Franciscan priest Father Ibrahim Alsabagh: ‘Never, since the beginning of this terrible war, were things as bad as they are now. I have no words to describe all the suffering I see on a daily basis. When the bombs do stop falling, there is an eerie silence, like in a cemetery. When will the world community finally wake up and put an end to this new Sarajevo?’ A London-based Syrian Orthodox priest, Revd Nadim Nassar, said he was ‘furious’ with the global Church for its failure to speak out against the atrocities in Syria.

Faith leaders and scientists have written to ask President Obama ‘to take nuclear risk-reduction steps’ during the G7 summit next week (26/27 May). ‘Heightened tensions between the United States and Russia, and the growing risk of nuclear use worldwide, are all the more reason for the president to take meaningful steps to strengthen national and international security’, the letter read. Reducing nuclear weapons has been a key goal of Obama's presidency, and is one of the reasons he was awarded the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize. He has rebuked Donald Trump for suggesting that Japan and South Korea should consider developing nuclear weapons. The president will visit Hiroshima, but there will be no apology for the bombing in 1945 that killed 140,000 people. The G7 agenda will cover uncertainty in global economy and trade; freedom, democracy, the rule of law and human rights; counter-terrorism; the Middle East, Ukraine, North Korea; and climate change and energy. See:

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a charity worker, was visiting her family in Iran. Her husband Richard has said: ‘She was at the airport returning to the UK on 3 April when the Iranian Revolutionary Guard arrested her, transferred her to an unknown location in Kerman Province and now holds her in solitary confinement. Gabriella, our 22-month-old daughter who has British citizenship only, has had her passport confiscated and is stranded in Iran with her grandparents. Nazanin has not been allowed access to a lawyer or her daughter; has not been able to call out of the country to speak to me; the Red Cross have not been able to make contact; she has been made to sign a confession under duress, its content unknown. Her family have been informed that the investigation relates to an issue of “national security”. There have been no charges.’ See:

On Wednesday 93 people died in three car bomb attacks in Baghdad. The deadliest killed 64 and wounded 87. Later two suicide bombers targeted police checkpoints, leaving 29 dead. IS claimed responsibility for the attacks - the worst day of violence in Baghdad so far this year. ‘It was a thunderous explosion, jolting the ground,’ said a witness. Many victims were women inside a beauty salon, including several brides who appeared to be getting ready for their weddings. The bodies of two men believed to be grooms were found in an adjacent barber’s shop. There is an acute political crisis in Baghdad : the parliament is unable to meet, and the government is paralysed by factional disputes. Survivors blame politicians for failing to protect them. A Chaldean priest who oversees hundreds of Iraqi Christian refugees displaced by IS blames the USA for not protecting them and their ancient communities from attacks by terrorists. See:

Algerian Christians face increasing restrictions as the government is pressured by Islamist groups to implement more Islamic legislation. Only Muslims are allowed to hold public assemblies, and individual churches are often denied registration. Though some historical churches are allowed church buildings, Muslim-background believers (ie almost all Algerian Christians) have to worship in secret. Converting someone from Islam is illegal. Islamist terrorist movements are increasing as militants, particularly in the south, use organised crime to finance their operations. Please pray for Christians from more conservative Muslim communities who have to hide their faith or risk being rejected from schools and universities, and remember those who are being monitored by authorities or who have been thrown into jail for owning Christian literature.

A night-time assault on 3 May at a village in majority-Christian eastern DR Congo left seventeen dead. By 6 May the death toll had risen to 34, as those seriously wounded succumbed to their injuries. It is suspected that the attack was carried out by the Ugandan Islamist group, the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF). They managed to get past army positions and slash the throats of peaceful residents in their homes. ADF rebels have carried out numerous bloody attacks on the mostly Christian population in this area for years. After the event thousands fled the area. A local Christian worker said, ‘It was eerie. Hundreds of houses abandoned and thousands of people displaced. I saw people carrying their mattresses and belongings in cars, on motorcycles, on foot. Hundreds of homes along the road are abandoned. Where there was a thriving community, there is now a ghost town.’ ADF settled in eastern DR Congo after being expelled from Uganda.

“The news arrived that Europe had closed its borders. Discouraged and disappointed, hundreds took their place in a camp which had only been intended as a rest stop but was now their closest thing to ‘home’. Within a few weeks, people from our church were going every day to visit and talk to those in the camp: a little human attention and simple conversation are more uplifting than a meal for many suffering people. Though it is forbidden in the camp, Zeda had seen Sandra praying with other refugees. ‘Can you pray for me?’ she asked. Zeda had cancer. They prayed to Isa (Jesus).  Two weeks later Sandra was back in the camp. Suddenly Zeda was running towards her waving white papers and shouting out in broken English, ‘It happened! It happened!’ Sandra read the papers. It said there is no more cancer in Zeda’s body. Zeda’s face was shining like the sun. ‘I want to believe like you do’ – she took Sandra’s hands and pointed to the cross around her neck – ‘I want to pray like you do’.”