Globe Trot: Thatcher's Christian legacy lives on in her grandchildren

Michael Thatcher, the only grandson of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, in keeping with tradition, works behind the counter at a store in Texas. The younger Thatcher is “a committed Christian” and political conservative who works with Hispanics and lives in the Highland Park area of Dallas. His sister Amanda is a hurdler, sings in a choir, and traveled to China on a missions trip. Both will be in London for their grandmother’s funeral next week.

Anne Smeddinghoff, the U.S. diplomat killed in Afghanistan on April 6, the deadliest day for Americans there this year, died fulfilling her calling, her parents said: “She particularly enjoyed the opportunity to work directly with the Afghan people and was always looking for opportunities to reach out and help to make a difference in the lives of those living in a country ravaged by war.”

Army chaplain Emil Kapuan, a Catholic priest from Kansas who saved the lives of fellow U.S. soldiers before perishing in a North Korean prison camp, was awarded a posthumous U.S. Medal of Honor by President Obama Thursday.

Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in South Korea this morning and has warned North Korea not to continue warmongering. Tension surrounding Kerry’s Asia visit escalated again after yesterday’s disclosure to Congress that North Korea has advanced its nuclear know-how to arming a ballistic missile with a nuclear warhead.

Christians in Syria face increasing danger as opposition to President Bashar al-Assad grows more brazen. On Tuesday the Iraq wing of al-Qaeda confirmed its widespread links to the al-Nusra Front, which is gaining control of the Syrian rebel opposition. A Barnabas Fund source in Aleppo said it is almost impossible for a Christian man to leave the city: “Either he is captured by the Free Syrian Army, kidnapped by al-Qaeda, killed or lost with no news.”

A pair of bombs outside a Sunni mosque north of Baghdad killed at least 11 and injured more than 30.

Bloody clashes in Bangladesh have killed 100 since February, and a not-well-understood conflict between Muslim factions could lead to a sectarian conflict that would suck into it Hindu and Christian minorities also.