Globe Trot: Shelling forces UN out of Damascus

The UN is pulling staff from central Damascus today as shelling by rebels hit the heart of the capital city. The Free Syrian Army took responsibility for the attacks, even as one of its commanders, former Syrian Army officer Riad al-Assad, is in a Turkish hospital recovering from injuries, including the loss of a leg, due to an IED explosion.

Following the March 21 death of Syria’s leading Sunni cleric, Islamic expert Mark Durie unpacks the religious significance of Syria’s Muslim-on-Muslim fight.

Looking for: Missionaries and others who have worked in the Central African Republic. After the weekend coup by “serial rebel” Michel Djotodia, here are some crazy facts about the country’s new head of state.

Today, from the Middle East west across North Africa; north through Syria into Iraq and Iran; and east through to Afghanistan and Pakistan, the Church is facing a trial unlike anything that has been seen in our lifetime, writes Elizabeth Kendal in a timely Easter meditation on the contrast between spiritual unity and unification among believers in times of crisis. Kendal’s commentary is newsworthy in light of this month’s publication of The Persecution Myth by Candida Moss, a “leading expert” who teaches New Testament and early Christianity at Notre Dame.

Want a cheap international vacation? Consider Iran … and other hot spots for a “hyperinflation vacation.”