Global Prayer Alerts
Anatomy of a Kidnapping: Haitian Woman Recounts Abduction
SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO — When Doris Michel steps outside her home in Haiti, she packs her bulletproof vest and tries to use a bulletproof car. Ever since her father was kidnapped last month in the capital of Port-au-Prince, the 34-year-old Haitian...
Haitian Gang With Past Abductions Blamed for Kidnapping US Missionaries
A notorious Haitian gang known for brazen kidnappings and killings was accused by police Sunday of abducting 17 missionaries from a U.S.-based organization. Five children were believed to be among those kidnapped. The 400 Mawozo gang kidnapped the...
Thousands of Afghans Flee to Iran as Uncertainty Grows Under Taliban
WASHINGTON — A former Afghan policeman who says he is out of work under the new Taliban government is one of thousands of Afghans who have fled over the border to Iran in recent weeks. Abdul Ahad, a 22-year-old former officer, told VOA that he is...
UNICEF: Nearly 120 Million Students Remain at Home Due to COVID School Closures
The United Nations says 117 million students worldwide are still out of school due to the coronavirus pandemic that began more than a year-and-a half ago. In a statement Thursday, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization...
Christians Concerned About Turkish Attacks in Northeast Syria
WASHINGTON - Syrian Christian leaders are expressing concerns over escalating Turkish attacks in northeast Syria, saying the recent military activity has driven many Christians and members of other minority groups from their homes. Military...
UN Rights Office Condemns Violent Taliban Crackdown on Peaceful Protesters
GENEVA - The U.N. human rights office has condemned the Taliban’s violent crackdown on peaceful protests in Afghanistan, where women in particular are trying to uphold their rights in the face of the Taliban’s restrictions on women’s place in...
Militants Armed With Machetes Kill 30 Villagers In East Congo
KINSHASA - Militants armed with machetes, sticks and clubs killed at least 30 villagers in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, officials and a witness said. The fighters - suspected members of the Islamist-inspired Allied Democratic Forces (ADF)...
UN Chief: Humanitarian Catastrophe Looming in Afghanistan
The U.N. secretary-general is warning that a “humanitarian catastrophe looms” in Afghanistan, where nearly half the population needs assistance to survive. “On the day Afghanistan enters a new phase I want to express my grave concern at the...
US Airlifts Food, Tents to Quake-ravaged Southern Haiti
JEREMIE, HAITI - U.S. military aircraft are flying food, tarps and other material into southern Haiti amid a shift in the international relief effort to focus on helping people in the areas hardest hit by the recent earthquake to make it through...
UN Preparing for Exodus of Half-Million Afghan Refugees
GENEVA - U.N. agencies are appealing for nearly $300 million in preparation for the possible exodus of hundreds of thousands of Afghan refugees, seeking safety and protection from conflict and persecution under Taliban rule. The U.N. refugee agency...