U2 urges fans to vote ‘yes’ for abortion

IRELAND: This week Irish rockers U2 went all-out to proclaim their support for repealing Ireland’s Eighth Amendment in a May 25 initiative that would legalize abortion on demand. While the band has made it a signature issue, lead singer Bono, well-known as a Christian, doesn’t seem to be taking the lead on this.

TURKEY: Ahead of the trial continuation on Monday for Andrew Brunson, the American pastor in prison in Turkey, his home church in the United States has prepared a five-day prayer guide and is hosting prayer vigils. This timeline of the Brunson case also explains how it’s become political “hostage diplomacy.”

YEMEN: The presence of American ground forces at the Saudi-Yemen border taking on Houthi rebels (as opposed to Islamic State–type fighters) is a marked escalation in U.S. involvement in a proxy war between Iran and Saudi Arabia.

IRAQ: The vote in ethnically divided, ISIS-plagued Kirkuk will be all-important as Kurds, Arabs, and others go to the polls in nationwide elections in one week. One reason you aren’t hearing much about the upcoming election? Fifteen years on from a U.S.-led war, Iraq is a modest success everyone in Washington is still running from.

WEEKEND: Saturday is Global Big Day, and you obviously don’t know birds if you don’t know what that is. Tips and apps for enjoying one of the great wonders of God’s creation here.

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