El Salvador: three colonels convicted for 1982 murder of Dutch journalists
Three retired colonels have been sentenced to fifteen years in prison for orchestrating the 1982 killings of four Dutch journalists during El Salvador’s civil war. They are former defence minister Jose Guillermo Garcia (91), Francisco Moran (93), and Mario Adalberto Reyes Mena (85). The journalists had been filming with leftist rebels when ambushed by soldiers in a planned military trap. A 1993 UN truth commission had previously identified the ambush as orchestrated by Reyes, who remains in the USA despite an extradition request. Garcia and Moran are currently under police watch in a private hospital. The case was revived in 2018 after El Salvador's supreme court struck down a postwar amnesty. Advocacy from the victims’ families and international bodies, including the Dutch government and EU, pressured authorities to bring long-delayed justice.
Colombia: an alternative approach to fighting cocaine production
Colombia is pursuing a peaceful alternative to its enduring drug crisis by offering payments to farmers who agree to uproot coca (the plant used to make cocaine) and replace it with legal crops like cocoa and coffee. About 4,000 families have joined the $14.4 million programme, despite risks from armed groups that profit from cocaine and the uncertainty of sustaining income through legal farming. The government, under president Gustavo Petro, is aiming to eliminate coca from 45,000 hectares in conflict-heavy regions such as the Micay Canyon. However, since he took office in 2022 cocaine production has soared, driven by sustained demand worldwide, and his efforts to negotiate with armed groups, rather than using military confrontation, have faltered. Now the Trump administration is reassessing Colombia’s status as a partner in the anti-drug campaign, threatening to curtail millions of dollars in military aid.
Christian singer and pastor calls on us to rethink joy
Tauren Wells, Grammy-nominated artist and pastor, is challenging Christians to rethink joy - not as fleeting emotion, but as intentional focus rooted in the unchanging character of God. In his debut book Joy Bomb, Wells explores biblical happiness, inspired by the Sermon on the Mount, where ‘blessed’ translates to ‘happy’. Wells maintains that holiness and joy are deeply connected, saying, ‘God is holy, and God is joy’. In 2024, Wells and his wife launched Church of Whitestone in Austin, aiming to build authentic community over crowd size. He sees ministry as a new assignment, not a career shift, maintaining his identity in Christ while continuing to make music. His upcoming album Let the Church Sing reflects his evolving theology shaped by Bible college and pastoral life. Joy Bomb aims to guide readers, especially those struggling with anxiety or despair, towards lasting joy through Christ - not through circumstance, but through God’s presence. ‘Joy,’ he says, ‘is spelled J-E-S-U-S.’
Twenty years on, his near-death experience still inspires him – and others
Colton Burpo, whose near-death experience when aged three inspired the best-selling book and film Heaven Is for Real, continues to share his testimony over two decades later. At nearly four, Burpo's appendix ruptured after being misdiagnosed for five days, leading to emergency surgery. During the operation, he believes he had a supernatural encounter - witnessing his parents praying from outside his body, then finding himself on Jesus’s lap, comforted by angels. His vivid recollections of heaven and meeting deceased relatives moved millions and sparked deeper conversations about the afterlife and faith. Now 25, a husband, father, worship pastor, and electrician, Burpo sees his experience not just as a vision of what is to come, but as a call to mission. He focuses on living a life that honours Christ and encourages others to seek salvation. He continues to share the hope of heaven with new generations.
