The Philippines faces international pressure to end one of the world’s most repressive coronavirus lockdowns, with 120,000 people detained and some killed or abused for curfew violations in the past month. Witnesses, including Christian single mothers, have told Worthy News of intimidating police and military checkpoints.
The wife of a pastor imprisoned by Chinese authorities has said her husband was arrested for re-posting messages about the coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan, International Christian Concern (ICC) reports. Zhang Xinghong said she was told by Chinese authorities that her husband Pastor Zhao Huaiguo has been charged with inciting subversion of state power because of these posts.
Organizers of the April 24 “Secret Church” online event reported that a cyberattack may have blocked many participants from logging on in real-time. Focused on God, government, and the Gospel, the event is simulcast to around 50,000 people worldwide and is centered on Bible study and prayer for persecuted Christians.
Christians in Nigeria continue to be murdered and kidnapped by Muslim Fulani herdsmen who also burn down homes and invade churches in their communities. One Christian couple was recently kidnapped from their own wedding ceremony in Niger state, Morning Star News reports.
In his first appearance since surviving COVID-19, Britain’s prime minister expressed hope that his nation is defeating the coronavirus disease pandemic and could “now see the sunlight.” Boris Johnson suggested that figures showed Britain was “past the peak” of its worst health crisis since the 1918 influenza outbreak.
The six-week surge in new unemployment claims continued last week as businesses deemed nonessential by state and local governments reduce staffing in response to COVID-19.
The revival that was taking place in hundreds of churches in Tennessee before the pandemic is now moving online in anticipation of spreading the gospel around the world.
Syria accused Israeli helicopters of carrying out airstrikes in the Syrian-held Golan heights in the early hours of Friday morning.
The Arab League said Thursday that Israel’s controversial proposal to annex part of the West Bank constituted a ‘new war crime’ against the Palestinians, during a virtual conference chaired in Cairo.
Turkey’s planned deployment of Russian S-400 missile defenses has been delayed by the coronavirus outbreak but will ultimately go ahead, President Tayyip Erdogan’s spokesman said on Thursday, despite Washington’s warnings that Ankara risks U.S. sanctions.
President Donald Trump invited some of the top leaders in business and industry to the White House Wednesday for a discussion on how to safely begin reopening parts of the economy that have been devastated by stay-home orders in response to COVID-19.
The US marriage rate is at its lowest since the federal government began collecting data in 1867, the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) reported on Wednesday. Lead author of the report Sally Curtin told the Wall Street Journal: “Millennials are in peak marriage years, their 20s and 30s, and it’s still dropping. This is historic.”
A survey by the world’s largest journalism group shows three in every four journalists have faced official restrictions, obstruction or intimidation in reporting on the new coronavirus disease COVID-19. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) also noticed that most staff and freelance journalists have “suffered pay cuts, lost revenue, job losses, canceled commissions, or worsening working conditions.”
Urban experts have warned that over 100 million people in cities worldwide may suffer extreme poverty as a result of losing their jobs and income to the COVID-19 pandemic, Reuters reports. In addressing the issue, the World Bank and other experts have called for investment in slum areas around the world and for mapping strategies to identify vulnerable communities.
A senior World Health Organization (WHO) official has praised Sweden for its strategy in managing the coronavirus outbreak, the NY Post reported. Executive director of Emergencies Program Mike Ryan told reporters Wednesday: “I think in many ways Sweden represents a model if we wish to get back to a society in which we don’t have lockdowns.”
Apple and Google released a beta version of their coronavirus tracing software on Wednesday.
Germany has banned Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah’s activities on its soil and designated it a terrorist organization, a move welcomed by Tehran’s rivals the United States and Israel.
Explosive new internal FBI documents unsealed Wednesday show that top bureau officials discussed their motivations for interviewing then-national security adviser Michael Flynn in the White House in January 2017 — and openly questioned if their “goal” was “to get him to lie, so we can prosecute him or get him fired.”
A nationwide curfew ended Wednesday evening as Israel’s 72nd Independence Day came to a close, with further restrictions aimed at halting the spread of the coronavirus set to be eased in the coming days.
America’s top health official in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic dampened hopes of a full reopening of the U.S. economy as he expects many more cases of the virus disease COVID-19.