Authorities say two teens are in custody after they attacked and tried to shoot a student on a school bus in Prince George’s County earlier this month. Officers say a 14-year-old boy from Suitland and a 15-year-old boy from Temple Hills were both charged in the alleged attack. They are charged as adults with attempted first and second-degree murder, assault, and additional charges. Officials are still searching for the third suspect. The alleged attack happened May 1 on a Prince George’s County school bus after the driver stopped to let a student off at a stop by Iverson Mall. Police say the three teenage suspects wearing masks and hoodies pushed their way past the bus aide and began attacking the student.
Prayer
Father, please protect our children while they are in school, getting on and off the bus, and while they are in class. Father, deliver our young men and women from evil and raise up faithful role models for them to follow in the way of the Lord in Jesus Christ name. Luke 11:4, 1 Corinthians 11:1
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Roman Catholic priest has been killed in the western Mexican state of Michoacan, the ninth slain in the country in the past four years. The Church’s Catholic Multimedia Center identified the priest as Rev. Javier Garcia Villafana who had been assigned to the Capacho parish in Huandacareo just one month earlier. The Michoacan state prosecutor’s office said that Garcia’s body had several gunshot wounds and was found inside a vehicle. The killing came one day after the Mexican Episcopal Conference expressed its solidarity and condemnant of an attack against Monsignor Faustino Armendariz Jimenez, archbishop of the northern state of Durango.
Prayer
Father, let Your mercy overshadow this nation and cause the evil doer to be brought to justice. Lord Jesus, release Your spirit of comfort to the victim’s family and let this situation draw them closer to You. 1 Peter 2:14, John 14:16.
Source
https://apnews.com/article/mexico-priest-killed-04849e23cf9b1d650f1293f6b3d082e4
Among attacks on church buildings and mosques in Sudan after fighting broke out within the Sudanese military last month, a priest and other Christians were reportedly shot and injured in at least one assault with apparent anti-Christian motives. Unidentified gunmen attacked the Coptic Orthodox Church of Mar Girgis (St. George) in the Masalma area of Omdurman, across the River Nile from Khartoum, in the early hours of May 14, according to Egyptian news outlet Watani. The assailants injured the Rev. Arsanius Zaria, his son Girgis, a church cantor identified only as Seifein, a guard identified only as Habashi, and parishioner Safwat Shawqy, said the bishop of Atbara and Omdurman, Anba Sarapamon, according to Watani. All five received hospital treatment and have recovered, Sarapamon said.
Prayer
Father, visit this nation with Your salvation; touch the hearts of those behind these attacks and let them have an encounter with You on their road to Damascus. Father, let Your angels of protection protect Your people as they gather to minister to you in Jesus Christ name. Psalm 121:8, Acts 9:3
Source
https://www.christianheadlines.com/blog/christians-wounded-amid-military-fighting-in-sudan.html
At least 58 people, many of whom are Christian, have been killed amid violence in Manipur, a state in northeastern India. According to The Christian Post, the violence was reported in several parts of the state, but mainly in the Imphal Valley and Churachandpur. The Christian victims have identified the attackers as members of the Hindu Meitei ethnic community. Some 10,000 troops have been stationed in Manipur, while about 13,000 individuals sought refuge in Mizoram, Meghalaya, and Nagaland. Nine of the 16 districts of Manipur are under curfew, and internet services have been suspended in the state.
Prayer
Father, strengthen the heart of the Christians being persecuted in this nation, fill their heart with Your mercy so they can forgive and pray for those who persecute them in Jesus Christ name. Matthew 5:44
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A man arrested for having an AK-47 on school property walked up to the CIA Headquarters’ gate in Virginia and allegedly said, “I’m here and I have a gun,” a law enforcement source told CNN.
Uniformed federal officers turned him away at the gate Tuesday and notified Fairfax County police of his description, the source said Wednesday. The suspect, identified as 32-year-old Eric Sandow of Gainesville, Florida, was later arrested and charged with felony possession of a firearm on school property, police said. He allegedly trespassed on the grounds of Dolley Madison Preschool around 11 a.m. Tuesday, police said. The preschool is less than 1.5 miles from CIA Headquarters and about a 10-minute drive to major landmarks in Washington, including the National Mall.
Prayer
Father, hinder the path of anyone planning to cause harm to students when they are in school; let their evil plans be aborted and destroyed in Jesus Christ name. Psalms 37:12-13
Source
https://www.cnn.com/2023/05/24/us/mclean-preschool-trespasser-ak47-cia/index.html
The conflict in Sudan could force 800,000 people to flee the country, the United Nations warned Monday, as battles between rival military factions persisted in the capital despite a supposed cease-fire. Hundreds of people have been killed and thousands wounded over 16 days of battles since disputes between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) erupted into conflict on April 15. The crisis has unleashed a humanitarian disaster, damaged swaths of Khartoum, risked drawing in regional powers and reignited conflict in the Darfur region.
Prayer
Father, we pray that these individuals fleeing the country will find a place of refuge; let them encounter Christ in any place they will flee to. Father, we pray that You will visit the root cause of this conflict and let justice prevail in Jesus Christ name. Deuteronomy 10:18.
Source: https://www.cnn.com/2023/05/08/africa/flooding-congo-dead-intl/index.html
At least 400 people have died after floods and landslides hit the Democratic Republic of Congo’s South Kivu province last week, officials told CNN. Heavy rainfall through last week caused rivers to overflow and created mudslides that devastated the villages of Bushushu and Nyamukubi in South Kivu’s Kalehe territory, provincial governor Theo Kasi told CNN Monday. “We have 401 deaths in Bushushu and Nyamukubi villages in Kalehe territory,” Kasi said. Videos from the area show buildings swept away in the water and mud, with debris strewn across the villages.
Prayer
Father, please send help to all those that were affected by this storm; provide shelter for all those who lost their homes and properties. Father, with Your comfort, comfort the families of those who lost their lives and let this an opportunity for them to draw close to You in Jesus Christ name. Psalm 119:71, 2 Corinthians 1:4
Source
https://www.nbcnews.com/video/congo-flooding-and-landslides-leave-more-than-200-dead-173318725775
China is bracing for a new wave of Covid infections that could see as many as 65 million cases per week by the time the surge peaks at the end of June. It’s a startling prediction in a country, where the pandemic originated in late 2019, that only months ago had enforced some of the harshest Covid control protocols on the planet. Now, with the latest omicron variant, XBB, fueling a resurgence in cases, the response from China’s government and the public is muted at best. The surge comes about six months after the country dismantled its sprawling infrastructure for dealing with Covid, including harsh lockdowns, mass testing, stifling quarantines and strict mask requirements.
Prayer
Father, we come against the spirit of death caused by viruses and diseases; we cut off every evil projection that wants to put people in fear in Jesus Christ name. Isaiah 47:12-13
Source
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/china-covid-second-wave-xbb-variant-omicron-rcna86171
A Palestinian man has been killed by an Israeli settler in the occupied West Bank, according to the Palestinian health ministry. The ministry said 28-year-old Alaa Qaysiyeh was shot dead “by the occupation” south of Hebron in the southern area of the West Bank on Friday. The Israeli military said the Palestinian man attempted to stab a resident in the Tene Omarim settlement and was shot by an armed civilian. Israeli settlements in the occupied territory are illegal under international law. The military said the assailant was “neutralised” and there were no Israeli casualties. The incident occurred as people in the settlement were gathering for prayers for the Jewish Shavuot festival, Israeli media reported. Security camera footage from the site appears to show a Palestinian male crawling in under a gate and walking into the settlement while holding a knife. The video does not show the alleged stabbing attempt or the man being shot.
Prayer
Father, let the threat or outlook of war between these nations be neutralized by Your divine intervention in Jesus Christ name. Isaiah 2:4
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Small groups of ethnic Serbs in northern Kosovo have clashed with police while trying to block the entrance of municipal buildings to prevent recently elected officials from entering, according to local media. Police fired tear gas and several cars were set ablaze on Friday.
In response to the clashes, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said in a written statement carried on state-run RTS television that he put the army on a “higher state of alert”.
Vucic also said that he ordered an “urgent” movement of Serbian troops to the border with Kosovo. The media reports also said that because of “violence” against Kosovo Serbs, Vucic demanded that NATO-led troops stationed in Kosovo protect them from the Kosovo police.
Prayer
Father, we pray that the citizens of this nation will be submit to the newly elected officials You have placed in authority so that they can live peaceably in their land in Jesus Christ name. Romans 13:1-3, 12:18.
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Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan aims to extend his rule into a third decade in an election on Sunday, with the momentum seen in his favour in the runoff vote after a first round showed him ahead of his challenger, Kemal Kilicdaroglu. The election will decide not only who leads Turkey but also how it is governed, where its economy is headed, and the shape of its foreign policy. Kilicdaroglu, who received the endorsement of another far-right leader, is backed by a six-party alliance including his Republican People’s Party (CHP). Modern Turkey’s longest-serving leader, Erdogan has championed religious piety and low interest rates at home while asserting Turkish influence in the region and loosening the NATO member’s ties with the West. The election takes place three months after earthquakes in southeast Turkey killed more than 50,000 people.
Prayer
Father, we pray and commit the upcoming election in this nation into Your hand – we pray against any form of violent occurrence in every polling station. Father, let Your will be done in this election in Jesus Christ name. Provers 21:1, Psalm 22:28.
Source
https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/turkey-election-2023-whats-stake-runoff-2023-05-26/
United States convoy was attacked in Nigeria on Tuesday killing four people, including two personnel from the US consulate and two police officers, and kidnapping three others, according to local police and US officials. The attack took place in the southeastern Anambra state, with Anambra Police Command telling CNN that the attackers “murdered two police operatives and two staff of the US consulate and set their bodies and their vehicles ablaze.” The personnel who were killed were not US citizens, according to the White House and the local police. “No US citizens were involved and therefore there were no US citizens hurt,” said John Kirby of the US National Security Council. “We are aware of some casualties, perhaps even some killed.”
Prayer
Father, please have mercy on the nation of Nigeria for this act of inhumanity. Lord, we pray that the countries whose citizens were amongst the slain will not retaliate against this nation in Jesus Christ name. Nehemiah 9:31, Isaiah 55:7.
Source
https://www.cnn.com/2023/05/16/africa/nigeria-us-convoy-attack-intl-afr/index.html
Eritrean forces prevented a UN-led humanitarian mission from entering a village in the northern Ethiopian region of Tigray on Thursday, in what would mark violation of a peace deal ending fighting in the area, aid workers on the ground told CNN. After two years of fighting, the Ethiopian government and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) signed a deal to end hostilities in November last year that included withdrawing all foreign forces from the north of the country. Eritrean soldiers had joined in on the conflict on the side of Ethiopia. But aid workers said officials from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), as well as those from other NGOs, were stopped from reaching the village of Gemhalo by Eritrean forces.
Prayer
Father, let Your angels go and enforce the peace deal that has been signed between these regions; remove every principality that will not allow aid workers to reach the villages in need in Jesus Christ name. Psalms 103:20
Source
https://www.cnn.com/2023/05/26/africa/eritrean-forces-un-tigray-intl/index.html
At least five people were killed in a shooting attack near a synagogue in Tunisia, Tunisian state news agency TAP reported on Wednesday, citing the country’s interior ministry. The attack, which took place in Djerba, killed three security officers, one of whom died in hospital after sustaining a serious injury, the ministry said, according to TAP. Two visitors, a 30-year-old Tunisian and a 42-year-old French national, were also among the victims of the shooting, the Tunisian foreign ministry said in a statement Wednesday. The Israeli foreign ministry said the Tunisian citizen who was killed in the attack was a dual Israeli national. The ministry said it is “in contact with the family members of the deceased and is prepared to assist.” France’s foreign ministry condemned the “heinous attack,” expressing its “concern and deep sadness”. The identity of the shooter – who was killed by security forces – has not been made known so far.
Prayer
Father, let Your justice prevail in this nation; we pray that this situation will not create or increase tensions between the country’s who’s citizens were killed, in Jesus Christ name. Psalms 82:3.
Source
https://www.cnn.com/2023/05/09/africa/tunisia-djerba-synagogue-attack-intl-hnk/index.html