SCOTUS declines to hear appeal from Chicago church

The US Supreme Court has declined to hear an appeal from a Chicago church that says it continues to face the threat of COVID-19 related closure, the Christian Post reports. The state of Illinois argued the case filed by Elim Romanian Pentecostal Church is moot because pandemic-related restrictions ordered by Gov. J.B. Pritzker have been eased and churches can now gather again.

Leaders Call For New World Order After Pandemic

More than 20 world leaders want all nations to unite under a new global settlement saying it is the only way to prevent future pandemics and stamp out nationalism. They made the appeal Tuesday in an open letter published in Britain’s the Daily Telegraph and publications such as Le Monde in France and El Pais in Spain.

Dozens slain, beheaded; thousands displaced in ISIS attacks in Mozambique

A series of brutally murderous attacks by Islamic State terrorists in northern Mozambique, close to the site of a multi-billion gas project, has caused thousands of people to flee for safety, CBS News reports. According to international aid agencies, some 6,000 to 10,000 people are awaiting evacuation to the provincial capital of Pemba after the attacks began in Palma on Wednesday last week.