(RNS) When the first COVID-19 cases hit Brazil in March, the government agency in charge of protecting the country’s Indigenous peoples, the National Indigenous Foundation, ordered all civilians to leave the Indigenous reservations. Only essential workers, such as health care personnel and those involved in food distribution, could remain. But a new law signed by President … [Read more...] about Missionaries Gain Access to Amazon’s Indigenous Peoples, Despite Pandemic
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U.S. Commander: Islamic State Threat in West Syria Growing
(AP) Elements of the Islamic State group are working to rebuild in western Syria, where the U.S. has little visibility or presence, the top U.S. commander for the Middle East warned on Wednesday. In the region west of the Euphrates River where the Syrian regime is in control “conditions are as bad or worse” than they were leading up to the rise of the Islamic State, said … [Read more...] about U.S. Commander: Islamic State Threat in West Syria Growing
Religious Persecution by China’s Communist Party Intensifies: Christians Say ‘We Won’t Agree to These Requirements’
(CBN News) The next wave of persecution against Chinese Christians has escalated as government officials are now forcing house churches to join the Three-Self Church which is run by the state. Bitter Winter reports that authorities in Ninghai county raided a church because the director refused to join the official church. They damaged sections of the church and took … [Read more...] about Religious Persecution by China’s Communist Party Intensifies: Christians Say ‘We Won’t Agree to These Requirements’
Church on Disputed Land Demolished Overnight in Uganda
(ChurchLeaders) The Church of Uganda is reeling after one of its churches was demolished without warning. In the pre-dawn hours of Monday, August 10th, a group of people with an excavator destroyed the 49-year-old St. Peter’s Church in Ndeeba. “The act which was done here is barbaric,” Dr. Stephen Kazimba Mugalu, the Archbishop of the Church of Uganda told reporters. … [Read more...] about Church on Disputed Land Demolished Overnight in Uganda
Lebanon’s Government Steps Down in Wake of Beirut Blast
(CNN) Lebanon's government stepped down on Monday night, less than a week after a massive explosion in Beirut killed more than 160 people and sparked days of violent protests. Prime Minister Hassan Diab addressed the nation, announcing his resignation and that of his government in the wake of the blast, which he called a "disaster beyond measure." In an impassioned … [Read more...] about Lebanon’s Government Steps Down in Wake of Beirut Blast