Bassam Tawil, a Muslim Arab based in the Middle East writes, ‘If anyone has been desecrating al-Aqsa Mosque, it is Muslims who have been rioting and using rocks and fireworks to attack police officers and Jewish visitors. Muslim rioters, not peaceful Jewish visitors, are the real threat to the sanctity of the mosque. Israeli authorities have clarified that the route of the “flag parade” absolutely does not include entry into any mosque. Such assurances have not stopped Palestinians and other Muslims from spreading fake news and libels against Jews. Iran's terror proxies Hezbollah, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad have also used the celebrations in Jerusalem to spread the libel that Jews are planning to “desecrate” al-Aqsa Mosque. As far as Hamas and other Palestinians are concerned, the very presence of Jews at their holy site and in Israel is a “provocation”. Terror groups are repeating the lie that the mosque is in danger.’

Mission Board’s Send, North America’s largest church planting network, has announced that Southern Baptist churches have planted over 10,000 new churches since 2010. In 2022 alone, over 47,000 churches worked together to plant 745 new churches. They focus on the quality of the churches planted and are grateful that the survivability rate remains strong.

Praise God that Christian converts Homayoun and Sara have been acquitted and released from Evin Prison after being jailed in August 2022 for belonging to house churches, aka ‘crimes against national security’. Homayoun is particularly vulnerable, as he has Parkinson's.

Violent storms spawned 80 tornadoes across the Mississippi valley in April, resulting in over thirty deaths, levelling dozens of homes and flooding across south Florida. Throughout April and early May more than 70 chaplains from Billy Graham Rapid Response Team and Samaritan’s Purse have prayed with over 2,900 people as dozens professed their newfound faith in Christ.

The former Archbishop of York, John Sentamu, was ordered to step back from active ministry in the Diocese of Newcastle after he criticised a review into the church's handling of abuse allegations against a late priest. The Church has formally apologised to the victim of sexual abuse after the review found that senior figures - including Sentamu - failed to act appropriately when disclosures were made to them. The current Archbishop of York said that the diocese remains committed to the highest standards of safeguarding, placing victims and survivors at the heart of this work. The Church of England's lead bishop for safeguarding said, ‘We all have a bigger moral duty when it comes to safeguarding matters: to really look at it, refer to it, ask questions, hold each other to account, and be curious about how things have concluded. Because of that moral imperative I think that with good training we all would know we need to act differently'.

Independent Christian economist Bridget Rosewell, previously economic advisor to the Greater London Authority, said, ‘I'm expecting the economy to be in an uncomfortable place and we shouldn't lose sight of the long term, in the short term.’ The Bank of England has raised interest rates twelve times in a row and believes inflation will fall slower than predicted as food prices stay stubbornly high. Interest rates take a while to feed through into prices but more stable prices will eventually come through. People with mortgages should expect their interest payments to rise. Pray for people to not overextend themselves or take out loans if they are not sure how they will repay them. Ask God to remove envy and the love of mammon across the UK so that people do not think that they have to have everything that others have. 

The UK has agreed to send hundreds of long-range missiles and armed drones to Ukraine. This is on top of last week's decision to provide Kyiv with Storm Shadow cruise missiles. These moves mean the UK is going further than any other country in providing weapons with the potential to tip the war in Ukraine's favour. President Zelenskyy met Rishi Sunak at Chequers for two hours of talks as part of his tour of Western allies in preparation for the much-anticipated counter-offensive against Russia. If Ukraine can destroy Russia's command centres, logistics hubs and ammunition depots in occupied territory, it may prove impossible for Moscow to continue resupplying its frontline troops. Mr Zelenskyy said the Ukraine and UK are ‘real partners’.

If an illegal migrant woman gives birth to a child fathered by a British citizen, the baby is automatically British. The mother can then apply for a family visa, remain in the UK, and eventually apply for UK citizenship. Scammers are touting for British men on Facebook and offering them £10,000 to add their names to birth certificates to help pregnant migrants stay in the UK. Facebook says its rules ban this. A BBC investigator posing as an illegal pregnant migrant was told by an agent he had British men who could be fake fathers in a ‘full package’ for £11,000, saying the process is ‘very easy’ and he would get the child a UK passport and ‘concoct a convincing backstory to successfully dupe the authorities’.