The Queen has approved the appointment of the Dean of Durham, The Very Reverend Andrew Tremlett, as the new Dean of St Paul’s.

He will succeed The Very Reverend Dr David Ison, who is due to retire in September 2022.

Andrew will take over leadership at an important moment for St Paul’s as it plays a central role in the rejuvenation of the City of London following the pandemic. He will oversee a growing schedule of services and special events, as visitors from the UK and overseas begin to return in their numbers to the capital.

The Very Reverend Andrew Tremlett, said, “I am delighted to be appointed as Dean of St Paul’s, following David Ison’s faithful tenure over the past decade. I’m keenly aware that I join the team at St Paul’s at a pivotal time with both immediate and systemic challenges….”

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We are delighted to announce that Her Majesty The Queen has approved the appointment of The Very Reverend Andrew Tremlett, Dean of Durham, as the new Dean of St Paul’s, London ➡ https://t.co/xhBox9TOJH pic.twitter.com/BPJKMmSi8i

— Durham Cathedral (@durhamcathedral) March 30, 2022

Two billion people, or a quarter of the world’s population, now lives in conflict-affected areas, according to the United Nations.

An estimated 84 million people were “forcibly displaced because of conflict, violence and human rights violations,” and an estimated 274 million people will need humanitarian assistance due to conflict, the U.N.’s Secretary-General António Guterres said on Wednesday. In remarks to the U.N.’s Peacebuilding Commission, Guterres said the world is experiencing the highest number of violent conflicts since 1945, as World War II drew to a close.

Guterres said the world is grappling with the most conflict since 1945, and proposed a plans to bring stability to places such as Yemen, Myanmar, Syria, Sudan and Ukraine.

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"Peace-building is a bargain and a prerequisite for development and a better future for all."
World is seeing the greatest number of conflicts since the end of WWII, U.N. says https://t.co/sBZa2fpJys

— ben smith (@bensmit06780964) March 31, 2022

What can Florida reveal about America? In many ways, it is a land apart from the rest of the country. Yet a state as diverse as Florida is also a mini-America, with its political divisions condensed into single blocks. The rise of minor parties and voters with no-party affiliation should be a reckoning for the two main national parties. Immigrants and transplants want a positive message about the future, not a dire one, which should be a wake-up call to Democrats to refine their campaigning to signal optimism and opportunity. The lurch to the right of Mr DeSantis and other Republicans, who prioritise social issues such as abortion over practical economic concerns of ordinary Floridians, is a political calculation that may yet backfire.

Nowhere are the intergenerational divisions that scar America clearer than in Florida. The elderly who retire there feel little connection to the state or much desire to invest in its future. Meanwhile, the young require more than “freedom” (Florida’s favourite rhetorical export) to thrive. With such austere investment in citizens and good government, there is a vast gulf between older migrants who import their fortunes and savings into Florida and those who want to build lives there, but face lower wages.

Florida is a test-bed for the limits of libertarian policies. The early 2020s may be remembered as America’s “Florida years”, with Mr DeSantis’s embrace of policies, such as anti-lockdown provisions, that put his state on the national stage. But now that Florida feels the pain of soaring house prices and displacement of the labour force by new arrivals, some voters’ faith that the free market alone is enough to fix things has been shaken.

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Florida has become emblematic of much of America and central to all of it https://t.co/FaSkUZoUQu

— The Economist (@TheEconomist) March 31, 2022

A raucous, celebratory atmosphere inside the Costa Rica National Stadium dictated the mood. Los Ticos had just finished off a 2-0 win to remain undefeated all time against the United States men’s national soccer team in San Jose. There were even fireworks, despite the fact the home side failed to claim an automatic place at Qatar 2022, setting up a playoff versus New Zealand instead.

For an exhausted U.S. squad that had been looking to make history, the whole thing was disorienting. With 35,000 opposing fans so happy, it was instinctual to mirror their level of emotion in the opposite direction. But a slow walk back to the locker room and a few words from coach Gregg Berhalter returned the team to reality: It had qualified for the World Cup.

“Obviously, as competitors, we hate losing. But coming into the locker room, I think everyone just decided, ‘You know what, we realized our goal,’ which was to qualify,” said center back Walker Zimmerman, who captained the team Wednesday night. “So, everyone forgot about tonight. We put ourselves in a position where we could afford to do that.”

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He was frustrated by the performance last night but Christian Pulisic quickly put things into perspective: “To be in this position and qualify for the World Cup, we're all extremely proud. This is where I've always wanted to be.” https://t.co/q9oOEwapZ4

— Kyle Bonagura (@BonaguraESPN) March 31, 2022

These poems speak, as [Philip] Yancey says, to “the guilt and fear and helpless faith that marked [Donne’s] darkest days.” They also answer one of the toughest questions we can face, “In the midst of plague times, how can we give thanks?”

Here are the three poems excerpted by Yancey, with his clarifying revisions of Donne’s eighteenth-century language…

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The Church of England today commemorates John Donne, Priest, Poet, 1631 https://t.co/eOoA6wnyxv

Portrait of John Donne by Unknown English artist, c.1595. © National Portrait Gallery, London, CC-BY-NC-ND pic.twitter.com/1MSYaKCls3

— The Anglican Church in St Petersburg (@anglicanspb) March 31, 2022

Almighty God, the root and fountain of all being: Open our eyes to see, with thy servant John Donne, that whatsoever hath any being is a mirror in which we may behold thee; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

On his death #otd, 31 Mar 1631, here's a portrait of John Donne at the age of 18 from the frontispiece to his 'Poems' of 1635

(British Museum) pic.twitter.com/WtLi1boYyj

— John McCafferty (@jdmccafferty) March 31, 2022

O Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, who art thyself the bread of life, and hast promised that he who comes to thee shall never hunger: Grant us faith truly to partake of thee through Word and Sacrament, that we may find refreshment of spirit and be strengthened for thy service; who livest and reignest with the Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end.

Up On Top. 2°C and snow showers. Sheep in the valley. pic.twitter.com/P2g6La6XNp

— Yorkshire Wolds Weather (@WeatherWolds) March 31, 2022

Then the king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiph’rah and the other Pu’ah, “When you serve as midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them upon the birthstool, if it is a son, you shall kill him; but if it is a daughter, she shall live.” But the midwives feared God, and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but let the male children live. So the king of Egypt called the midwives, and said to them, “Why have you done this, and let the male children live?” The midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women; for they are vigorous and are delivered before the midwife comes to them.” So God dealt well with the midwives; and the people multiplied and grew very strong. And because the midwives feared God he gave them families.

–Exodus 1:15-21

The @BLMNational manages over 130,000 miles of fishable rivers and streams throughout the nation. Whether fishing for tailwater trout on Wyoming's North Platte River or elusive musky on the Wisconsin River Islands, you'll have a great time on our public waters!

Photo by Bob Wick pic.twitter.com/AQyo4I6O1t

— US Department of the Interior (@Interior) March 30, 2022