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A Filipino villager has been nailed to a wooden cross for the 35th time to reenact Jesus Christ’s suffering in a brutal Good Friday tradition he said he would devote to praying for peace in Ukraine, Gaza and the disputed South China Sea.

On Friday, over a hundred people watched on as 10 devotees were nailed to wooden crosses, among them Ruben Enaje, a 63-year-old carpenter and sign painter. The real-life crucifixions have become an annual religious spectacle that draws tourists in three rural communities in Pampanga province, north of Manila.

The gory ritual resumed last year after a three-year pause due to the coronavirus pandemic. It has turned Enaje into a village celebrity for his role as the “Christ” in the Lenten reenactment of the Way of the Cross.

Ahead of the crucifixions, Enaje told The Associated Press by telephone Thursday night that he has considered ending his annual religious penitence due to his age, but said he could not turn down requests from villagers for him to pray for sick relatives and all other kinds of maladies.

The need for prayers has also deepened in an alarming period of wars and conflicts worldwide, he said.

“If these wars worsen and spread, more people, especially the young and old, would be affected. These are innocent people who have totally nothing to do with these wars,” Enaje said.

Despite the distance, the wars in Ukraine and Gaza have helped send prices of oil, gas and food soaring elsewhere, including in the Philippines, making it harder for poor people to stretch their meagre income, he said.

Closer to home, the escalating territorial dispute between China and the Philippines in the South China Sea has also sparked worries because it’s obviously a lopsided conflict, Enaje said. “China has many big ships. Can you imagine what they could do?” he asked.

“This is why I always pray for peace in the world,” he said and added he would also seek relief for people in southern Philippine provinces, which have been hit recently by flooding and earthquakes.

In the 1980s, Enaje survived nearly unscathed when he accidentally fell from a three-story building, prompting him to undergo the crucifixion as thanksgiving for what he considered a miracle. He extended the ritual after loved ones recovered from serious illnesses, one after another, and he landed more carpentry and sign-painting job contracts.

“Because my body is getting weaker, I can’t tell if there will be a next one or if this is really the final time,” Enaje said.

During the annual crucifixions on a dusty hill in Enaje’s village of San Pedro Cutud in Pampanga and two other nearby communities, he and other religious devotees, wearing thorny crowns of twigs, carried heavy wooden crosses on their backs for more than a kilometer (more than half a mile) under a hot summer sun. Village actors dressed as Roman centurions hammered 4-inch (10-centimeter) stainless steel nails through their palms and feet, then set them aloft on wooden crosses for about 10 minutes as dark clouds rolled in and a large crowd prayed and snapped pictures.

Among the crowd this year was Maciej Kruszewski, a tourist from Poland and a first-time audience member of the crucifixions.

“Here, we would like to just grasp what does it mean, Easter in completely different part of the world,” said Kruszewski.

Other penitents walked barefoot through village streets and beat their bare backs with sharp bamboo sticks and pieces of wood. Some participants in the past opened cuts in the penitents’ backs using broken glass to ensure the ritual was sufficiently bloody.

Many of the mostly impoverished penitents undergo the ritual to atone for their sins, pray for the sick or for a better life, and give thanks for miracles.

The gruesome spectacle reflects the Philippines’ unique brand of Catholicism, which merges church traditions with folk superstitions.

Church leaders in the Philippines, the largest Catholic nation in Asia, have frowned on the crucifixions and self-flagellations. Filipinos can show their faith and religious devotion, they say, without hurting themselves and by doing charity work instead, such as donating blood, but the tradition has lasted for decades.

A Tunisian court sentenced four people to death and two to life in prison on charges stemming from the murder of a left-wing politician, a public prosecutor said Wednesday.

Chokri Belaid, the 48-year-old leader of the Popular Front coalition, was shot in his car outside his home in Tunis in February 2013. His assassination, the country’s first in decades, prompted mass protests and helped lead to the resignation of the then-prime minister.

The case was reopened last month after a former investigating judge was arrested on suspicion of concealing certain files. Wednesday’s verdict came after hours of late night delays and lengthy deliberations due to “the complexity of the very thorny case,” said Mohamed Jmour, a member of Belaid’s defense committee.

Before his death, Belaid had earned a following for his forceful criticisms of Ennahda, the Islamist party that rose to power after President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali became the first dictator toppled in the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings. His supporters blamed the party for taking an overly accommodating approach toward extremists after his assassination.

Ennahda leaders classified Ansar al-Sharia as a terrorist group after the killing of another left-wing politician, Mohammed Brahmi, later that year. Law enforcement killed several alleged members of the al-Qaeda-linked group suspected of involvement in Belaid’s death.

Several members of Ansar al Sharia were sentenced, including Mohamed Aouadi, the head of its military arm; Mohamed Khiari, the head of its field surveillance and information arm.

The assassinations and subsequent unrest set off a political crisis for Tunisia as it struggled to transition from dictatorship to democracy.

Two dozen defendants were ultimately charged in a sprawling case that took years to investigate and bring to trial. One died in prison. Of the 23 defendants sentenced on Wednesday, five were acquitted while others received sentences ranging from two to 120 years.

Aymen Chtiba, a deputy prosecutor in the terrorism court’s judicial unit, said the dismissals had to do with the similarity of sentences already handed down against some defendants in other cases.

Belaid’s brother Abdelmajid Belaid called the verdict “a positive step” and said that supporters were still awaiting the trial of those suspected of planning the assassination.

Nigeria’s central bank implemented a significant increase in its monetary policy rate, raising it by 200 basis points to 24.75% from the previous 22.75%, according to Governor Olayemi Cardoso on Tuesday.

This decision marks a continuation of the bank’s efforts to combat surging inflation.

Last month, the bank executed its most substantial rate hike in approximately 17 years, elevating the rate by 4 percentage points in a bid to rein in inflationary pressures. With inflation surpassing 30% on an annual basis, reaching its highest level in nearly three decades, the country grapples with a cost of living crisis affecting millions of its citizens.

Speaking at a press conference, Governor Cardoso emphasized the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC)’s unanimous conviction to persist with the tightening measures to curb inflation while anticipating a moderation in price pressures starting from May. He underscored the committee’s focus on stabilizing inflation expectations and ensuring sustained exchange rate stability.

This recent decision by the MPC, only the second under Governor Cardoso’s tenure since assuming office in September, follows a series of reforms initiated by President Bola Tinubu, including the cessation of a burdensome fuel subsidy and the devaluation of the national currency, the naira, on two occasions.

Parents of more than 130 Nigerian schoolchildren who were rescued after more than two weeks in captivity said they saw them on Wednesday and that they couldn’t hold back tears of joy during the long-awaited reunion.

The meeting, three days after the children were freed, took place at a government facility in the city of Kaduna, where the children are staying while receiving medical support, the parents and a teacher told The Associated Press.

The parents said they cried and danced as they hugged their children for the first time since March 7, when motorcycle-riding gunmen seized them from their school in the remote town of Kuriga in the northwestern Kaduna state, and forced them to march to nearby forests amid gunfire.

“I am very happy and filled with joy,” Shittu Abdullahi, whose 14-year-old daughter was among those kidnapped, said after the meeting.

It was unclear when the children — who range in years from under 10 to 15 — would be allowed to go home. The local authorities have not responded to queries from our journalist about the case. The parents said the government has promised to do so this week.

One staff member who was taken along with the 137 students died in captivity, military officials have said.

Ibrahim Mikalu said he broke down in tears as he embraced his 13-year-old daughter and added that the rest of the family are eager to see her home.

Freed by the Nigerian military on Sunday from a forest about 200 kilometers (20 miles) to the north in neighboring Zamfara state, the schoolchildren have been receiving medical support from the military and the government.

Their abduction was one of several mass school abductions that have shaken the West African nation in recent years. Authorities said no ransom was paid for the Kuriga children’s freedom but have provided no details of the rescue or said whether any suspected kidnappers were arrested.

No group has claimed responsibility for their kidnapping, which locals and authorities have blamed on bandit groups known for mass killings and kidnappings for ransom in the country’s conflict-battered north.

Arrests are rare as most victims are released only after ransom payments by their families or through deals that sometimes involve the release of gang members. The government, however, does not admit to such deals.

At least 1,400 students have been kidnapped from Nigerian schools since the 2014 kidnapping of 276 schoolgirls by Boko Haram militants in the village of Chibok in Borno state shocked the world.

In recent years, abductions have been concentrated in the country’s conflict-battered northwestern and central regions, where dozens of armed groups often target villagers and travellers for ransom.

6 people were presumed dead late Tuesday (Mar.26) in the east of the United States of America after the collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key bridge.

The superintendent for Maryland State Police, announced the launch of a search and recovery mission.

“Based on the length of time that we have gone in this search, the extensive search efforts that we’ve put into it, the water temperature that at this point we do not believe that we’re going to find any of these individuals still alive,”

“And so this evening at about 7:30, we are going to suspend the active search and rescue efforts. Coast Guard is not going away. None of our partners are going away, but we’re just going to transition to a different phase.”

The Dali, a cargo ship which was headed from Baltimore to Colombo, Sri Lanka lost power and rammed into the bridge early Tuesday (Mar. 26). The ship’s crew has issued a mayday call moments before the crash.

The accident happened in the middle of the night, long before the busy morning commute on the bridge that was used by 12 million vehicles last year.

The six missing people were part of a construction crew filling potholes on the bridge.

Rescuers pulled two people out of the water, one of whom was treated at a hospital and discharged hours later. Multiple vehicles also went into the river, although authorities did not believe anyone was inside.

Jesus Campos, who has worked on the bridge for Brawner Builders and knows members of the crew, said he was told they were on a break, and some were sitting in their trucks.

“I know that a month ago, I was there, and I know what it feels like when the trailers pass,” Campos said. “Imagine knowing that is falling. It is so hard. One would not know what to do.”

Father Ako Walker, a Roman Catholic priest at Sacred Heart of Jesus, said he spent time with the families of the missing workers as they waited for news of their loved ones.

“You can see the pain etched on their faces,” Walker said.

Logistical nightmare

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said at a news conference that it was too soon to estimate how long it will take to clear the channel, which is about 50 feet (15 meters) deep.

Paul Wiedefeld, the state’s transportation secretary said all vessel traffic into and out of the port would be suspended until further notice, though the facility was still open to trucks.

Tuesday’s collapse is sure to create a logistical nightmare along the East Coast for months, if not years, shutting down ship traffic at the Port of Baltimore, a major hub. The loss of the bridge will also snarl cargo and commuter traffic.

US President Joe Biden said he planned to travel to Baltimore and intends for the federal government to pick up the entire cost of rebuilding.

“This is going to take some time,” Biden said.

Last year the Port of Baltimore handled a record 52.3 million tons of foreign cargo worth $80 billion, according to the state.

The head of a supply chain management company said Americans should expect shortages of goods from the collapse’s effect on ocean container shipping and East Coast trucking.

The collapse, though, is not likely to hurt worldwide trade because Baltimore is not a major port for container vessels.  Its facilities are more important when it comes to goods such as farm equipment and autos, said Judah Levine, head of research for global freight booking platform Freightos.

The bridge spans the Patapsco River at the entrance to the busy harbor, which leads to the Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic Ocean. Opened in 1977, the bridge is named for the writer of “The Star-Spangled Banner.”