Social media report that doctors have been assaulted by relatives of coronavirus patients, and health workers attacked verbally and physically. Daniel, wearing his hospital cleaner uniform, was brutally attacked on a bus by people shouting ‘dirty’ at him. He thought it was never going to end. Nurse Melody came face to face with residents blocking her path when she tried to return home. She said ‘If I entered the village I wouldn't be allowed to leave again. It would be better if I didn't enter because I came from a source of infection.’ She is temporarily renting a flat elsewhere. Experts believe that the attacks reflect the public's fear of what the medical workers represent in a country with tens of thousands of deaths. Unlike other traumatic events, cannot be avoided, and generates more fear motivated by ignorance and fright. The national guard is now in hospitals, and some medical workers receive government transport for long commutes home.

Thousands of children work in Lake Volta’s massive fishing industry: many are slaves. Children as young as 4 are abused and malnourished. Their work is dangerous; drowning and other hazards are a constant threat. Victims rise before dawn to go out and dive down into the dark water to untangle fishing nets. IJM estimates that nearly two-thirds of children working on the Lake are trapped in slavery. Since 2015, 164 victims have been rescued from the lake’s fishing industry, and 31 suspected traffickers have been arrested. Today thousands of children are trapped there. Before the lockdown IJM were about to launch rescues. Pray that these children will be found and saved now that lockdown is lifted. Pray that IJM will be able to access communities and offer support where needed.

The world's worst health crisis in a hundred years is not the best time for the WHO to lose its largest financial supporter. The Trump administration says the WHO ignored early warnings about coronavirus spread, took at face value Chinese efforts to downplay it, and failed to send researchers into Wuhan for vital investigation at an early enough stage. Unless WHO shapes up to better serve ‘American interests,’ it will stop funding them in 30 days. Some are asking ‘Is WHO in need of urgent reform, or is it imperfect but better than any current alternatives?’ Also, WHO refused to provide information directly to Taiwan - which is excluded from WHO membership - out of respect for China's wishes, putting millions of Taiwanese at unnecessary risk. President Xi has pledged up to $2 billion to help the WHO's global pandemic response efforts.

The UK public is showing impressive levels of solidarity, humanity, and kindness during the coronavirus crisis, according to a new opinion poll by Amnesty International. The poll shows that huge numbers have helped a stranger, volunteered their time, reconnected with someone they’d previously lost contact with. One in five have spoken to their neighbour for the first time. Also, an estimated 30 million people have taken part in the Thursday ‘Clap for Carers’ initiative.

Poverty on the Blackfeet Indian reservation is 37% compared to 15% in Montana state. Dr Mary DesRosier is on the front lines of the opioid epidemic. Her patients struggle with addiction, depression and substance abuse. Liver-related deaths and drug-use-poisoning deaths are among the top five causes of death. But her patients are living examples of their faith; facing unimaginable challenges with faith and humour. ‘It’s been the hardest job I’ve ever done, but the most rewarding,’ she said. ‘I feel like I’m ministered to by them.’ DesRosier believes that God put a love for rituals and sacredness in the hearts of the Blackfeet. ‘Christ is the fulfilment of our traditions. We have a heart for the one true God, Jesus. I can’t do anything without him. He is my springboard, walking with me every day. In difficult situations, his grace just comes in and takes over.’

Ahmad Quraisy (not his real name) was a commander of the feared Islamic State of Indonesia, a militant terror group. He has come a long way since he nearly blew up a Protestant church in Jakarta. Now, the 48-year-old former terrorist leads an underground movement in Indonesia converting Muslims to personal faith in Christ. His movement has grown into some 7,000 members, all of them former Muslims. They meet in house churches across the country, he revealed in an extensive interview. Leaving Islam remains a high-risk undertaking in the world’s largest Muslim nation. But, he says, ‘it was worth all the hardships we endured’. For his story, click the ‘More’ button.

The Catholic Church has said that the Government should treat the effects coronavirus has on ethnic groups as a matter of urgency. New analysis suggests that black men and women are more than four times more likely to die a coronavirus-related death than white people. Black males are 4.2 times more likely, and black women 4.3 times more likely, to die after contracting the virus. People of Bangladeshi, Pakistani, Indian, and mixed ethnicities also had an increased risk of death compared with those of white ethnicity. While public health leaders have said that they will review how different factors, such as ethnicity, obesity, and geographical location influence the effects of the virus, the church has said that more must be done.

Statistics show that in the final two months of 2019 police dealt with 664 crimes involving machetes - an average of one every 130 minutes. Three years ago the deadly blades were used in only 100 crimes a month over the same period. Also the toll will be significantly higher because only 34 of the 43 police forces responded. Stabbing hotspots London and Greater Manchester refused to provide data. Rising numbers of criminals are using machetes as their weapons of choice to instil terror in victims and rival gang members. Offenders use them in violent rapes, robberies, and murders. The Home Office said that the Government is doing everything in its power to protect communities from the effects of knife crime, and is recruiting 20,000 more police officers over the next three years as well as ensuring that the most violent offenders spend longer behind bars.

Interpol has issued a red notice to Anne Sacoolas, the wife of a US diplomat, charged with killing Harry Dunn outside a US military base. She is now ‘wanted internationally’, charged with causing death by dangerous driving after her car knocked Harry off his motorbike last year. It is alleged that she was driving on the wrong side of the road. She claimed diplomatic immunity and fled to America. A Home Office extradition request was rejected by the US secretary of state, a move described by Downing Street as a ‘denial of justice’. In an escalation of the British stance, Interpol requested police forces worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest her if she crossed their borders. Pray for Mrs Sacoolas to decide to return to the UK and face the charges.

Ebola caused a tremendous set-back for the New Generations ministry in Sierra Leone. They saw an average growth of 2,000 new churches annually, but in the epidemic this dropped to less than 200 annually. Fear of getting infected caused people to avoid personal contact. In disciple-making the Gospel spreads through natural social networks, by contacting people - in the same way as the virus. Church planting halted, so they decided to trust God and repurposed themselves to serve their communities, the government, the NGOs, and wherever the need was high. This made a strong and lasting impact in the predominantly Muslim communities. People who were quite closed before Ebola opened up to the Gospel because of the serving attitude of the church planters and their timely interventions. The enemy can use fear to bring the Church to a standstill, so the most important enemy to overcome is fear.