Global Prayer Alerts
US Officially Tops 2 Million Total Coronavirus Cases
The United States has officially gone over the 2 million mark in total cases of novel coronavirus infections. According to figures published Thursday on the website of Johns Hopkins University’s coronavirus resource center, the U.S. now has...
George Floyd’s Brother Testifies as US Lawmakers Ponder Police Reforms
Members of the U.S. Congress are examining national police reform proposals, while local and state officials announce more steps to change funding and authorizations for the use of force in their police departments. The House Judiciary Committee is...
New Charges Filed in Death of George Floyd
New criminal charges were filed Wednesday in the killing of George Floyd, a black man who died last week while in police custody in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison charged Derek Chauvin, the white police officer who...
Before Floyd Death, Activists Saw Progress on Police Reforms
MINNEAPOLIS - Years of dialogue about police and criminal justice reforms in Minneapolis had improved the relationship between the African American community and law enforcement, activists say — before the police killing this week of George Floyd,...
As Crime Dips Worldwide, Agile Syndicates Adapt to Pandemic
El Salvador, one of the world’s homicide hot spots, reported something highly unusual early in the coronavirus pandemic — four murder-free days. Neighboring countries Guatemala and Honduras also have seen homicides plunge. For nations that have...
Revered Holy Land Churches Reopen, but Some Restrictions Remain
JERUSALEM - The Holy Land churches revered as the sites of Jesus' birth and death reopened to worshippers and tourists on Tuesday as Palestinian and church authorities eased coronavirus restrictions. Amid lingering pandemic concerns, Bethlehem's...
Churches Across Italy Reopen With New Rules
ROME - Churches across Italy prepared to reopen Monday with new rules at the end of a more than 2-month lockdown due to Covid-19. Pope Francis celebrated his last streaming morning mass to mark the centenary of the birth of Saint John Paul II....
Nairobi Neighborhood's Residents Struggle to Make Living During COVID Lockdown
NAIROBI - Kenyan authorities last week locked down the Nairobi neighborhood of Eastleigh because of a jump in confirmed coronavirus infections. As a result of the restriction of movement in and out of the area, aimed at slowing the spread of the...
Nigeria Marks 6th Year of Missing Chibok Girls Amid Coronavirus Pandemic
ABUJA - Nigerian activists are marking six years since Boko Haram militants abducted 276 schoolgirls from the town of Chibok and kept 112 in captivity. This year, a live broadcast by the Bring Back Our Girls movement is helping to mark the...
Locusts, COVID-19 Combination Pose Dire Threat to East Africa
Officials with the U.N. Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) say a resurgence of locusts – which devastated crops in parts of Africa earlier this year – is beginning to hit rural parts of East Africa. Early this year, one of the biggest locust...