Historic reign
Britain's jubilee, a Yemen truce, and 100 days of war in Ukraine
Queen Elizabeth II has been England’s ruling monarch for more than one-fourth of America’s existence. And on this 70th anniversary of her reign, the 96-year-old—Britain’s longest-ruling monarch—joined royal family members on the balcony of Buckingham Palace yesterday to kick off a four-day UK holiday marking her Platinum Jubilee.
Her reign has spanned virtually the entire post-World War II era, making her a witness to cultural upheavals from the Beatles to Brexit, technological advances from wireless radio to Zoom, political leaders from Winston Churchill to Boris Johnson.
Welcome June, and summer, and another edition of Globe Trot. Celebrations on the other side of the Atlantic form a study in contrast to tragedy here, where shootings have left Americans with “broken family, a shattered town and a shamed nation.” Two dozen funerals for 10-year-olds and their teachers commenced in Uvalde, Texas. A record number of mass shootings since May 14 in Buffalo—including at a Tulsa hospital yesterday where two surgeons, a medical staffer, and a patient were killed—prompted a rare prime-time address from President Joe Biden, who implored Congress to take action on guns.
UK: A photo retrospective tracks the queen’s historic reign, and you can follow events of the weekend live here and here.
Churches across the United Kingdom will commemorate the Jubilee in services this weekend. Yet the queen herself declined to attend a thanksgiving service today for health reason. Already Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby had pulled out of preaching at the service after he was diagnosed with pneumonia and COVID-19.
A Song of the Commonwealth, performed by 54 choirs from around the world, capped the lighting of beacons by the queen last night, beginning at Windsor Castle and continuing around the world.
Yemen: Warring parties agreed to extend a U.N.-brokered truce for another two months under terms that in April brought a halt to most military operations. The White House took the rare step of recognizing the role played by Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the ceasefire, ahead of an expected visit by President Biden to Saudi Arabia later this month.
Heavy shelling from Houthi fighters in the city of Taiz this week has residents skeptical the truce will hold.
Forty-one Democrats and Republican in Congress will push for Biden to end U.S. support for what’s become a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran.
Ukraine: At 100 days since Russia invaded Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russian forces control one-fifth of the country, a blunt acknowledgment of slow but substantive gains for Moscow in recent weeks.
Russia continues to block Ukraine’s access to the sea, adding to a global food crisis.
The United States is sending advanced artillery weapons to Ukraine, along with Britain. But the allies are limiting munitions and counting on an agreement with Ukrainian forces not to take aim deep into Russian territory.
Afghanistan: The U.S. military seems determined to underestimate al-Qaeda’s strength in Afghanistan and its alliance with the Taliban—while overestimating the threat posed by the Islamic State’s Khorasan Province, or ISIS-K. Reports Bill Roggio in Long War Journal:
The Taliban controls all 34 of Afghanistan’s provinces and all levers of government, took possession of $7.1 billion of U.S. military hardware, maintains support from Pakistan and to a lesser extent Iran, and shelters a host of global and regional terror groups, including Al Qaeda, the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan, the Turkistan Islamic Party, Jamait Ansarullah, the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, Lashkar-e-Taiba, and others.
These terror groups now have safe haven, with the ability to regroup, train its fighters, shelter its leaders, and plot and execute attacks against Western interests. The terror groups, at the behest of the Taliban, are limiting their external operations at the moment to give the Taliban time to consolidate its grip on Afghanistan.
Syria: In my reporting from high-conflict areas, I’ve seen how catastrophe prompts some to flee and others to dig in their heels and stay. For the latest issue of Plough Quarterly, I focused on survivors in Syria’s Khabur Valley.
India: Christianity in predominantly-Hindu India has grown most recently among Indians with low incomes and little social influence. Convert Anand Mahadevan is a journalist gripped by the spiritual need among urban professionals, who often are influential in their work but underserved by the church.
Don’t miss …
… the Xinjiang Police Files, the latest work from noted analyst Adrian Zenz. His new document cache from China includes hundreds of thousands of police records and profiles of detainees, an inside look at the government’s orchestrated campaign against Uyghurs.
… stats showing COVID-19 deaths for Africa are expected to drop from 970 people every day last year to 60 a day in 2022.
… upcoming Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles, where the Biden administration has an opportunity to forge consensus on migration, and has gotten off to a humiliating start.
Books: Business and education writer David Perell is not a believer but says the Bible is the one book everyone should read:
The Bible is the trunk that branches and leaves hang onto.
Amen. I’m also reading Indelible City: Dispossession and Defiance in Hong Kong. Be on the lookout for a new post about books here at Globe Trot. I’m excited about summer reading ahead.
Extra extra: As local newspapers shutter around the United States, the Reforming Journalism Project seeks to train and equip Christians to step into the gaps. On August 8-12, RJP will hold its inaugural intensive course at Union University. Through lectures from veteran journalists and hands-on reporting, participants will not only learn how to tell stories that inform and attract a local audience but also how to start a sustainable journalism business. For more information or to apply for the training, check out the RJP website.