Julie Smyth

World: Counting every life: Why mortality evidence can't be optional in humanitarian crises

. But months later, one question often remains unanswered - how many people died? That omission matters - because mortality data changes decisions. As the UK Humanitarian Innovation Hub (UKHIH) and Elrha close Phase 2 of our Mortality Estimation in Humanitarian Crises Systems Innovation Partnership,

DR Congo: What might it take to increase leadership of local actors in humanitarian mortality estimation?

Countries: Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Somalia . In our second blog we focus on the work of a consortium led by IMPACT Initiatives. This consortium is drawing attention to the roles that national and local actors play in mortality data collection and use by decision-makers and what i

DR Congo: The metric of life and death: How local and technical experts are strengthening mortality measurement in Eastern DRC

. Earlier blogs in this series highlighted why excess mortality measurement is critical for understanding crisis severity, as well as exploring how to maximise local and national actors' leadership in the mortality estimation ecosystem. In this third blog, we turn to Eastern Democratic Republic of t

New World Bank Project will Help Transform Ukraine's Social Protection System

. Specifically, the project will support Ukraine's government in implementing a comprehensive package of reforms to modernize social assistance through a new system that links cash beneficiaries to employment and social service support, helping them to have greater access to jobs. The project will h

Burundi Key Message Update May - September 2026: Seasonal improvements being slowed by high food prices and bean crop loss

. Key Messages The Eastern and Northern Lowlands, Eastern Dry Plateaus, and Imbo Plains are projected to remain in Stressed (IPC Phase 2) through September. While the arrival of Season B harvests in June will temporarily improve access to food and income, improvement will be hindered by expected loc

Zimbabwe Key Message Update May - September 2026: Food access improves with harvests, but grain prices remain high in deficit areas

. Key Messages Stressed (IPC Phase 2) outcomes are expected through September 2026 in deficit-producing areas as the April to June main crop harvest progresses. Households in these areas are accessing food through their own-produced crop harvest, despite localized impacts to production from excessiv

Yemen - Key Message Update May - September 2026: Price fluctuations and above-average temperatures negatively impact incomes

. Key Messages In areas controlled by the Sana’a-Based authorities (SBA), Emergency (IPC Phase 4) outcomes are expected to persist through September in Al-Hudaydah, Hajjah, and Ta'izz governates, with Crisis (IPC Phase 3) outcomes widespread elsewhere. The slow recovery of operational capabilities a

Pam Bondi blames acting AG during House committee Epstein testimony

Swatting call made to home of Supreme Court justice, police say

Several injured after train car fire at Penn Station

Chinese astronauts return from country’s longest space expedition

Bishops Raise Human Rights Concerns, Invite Pope to Pakistan

This month, Catholic bishops from Pakistan visited the Vatican for their special Ad Limina visit. The group included three archbishops, four bishops, and a cardinal. During the visit, the bishops went to different Vatican departments to submit their reports and meet with Pope Leo XIV. Bishop Samson

Rescue efforts underway after four climbers fall on Mount McKinley

How Long, O Lord? The Cry of the Martyrs Before the Throne of God

By Pieter Vermeulen, ICC Board Member, as part of a series, “Persecuted but not Forsaken.” As we reach the final biblical foundation of this series, the Book of Revelation brings us into a remarkable scene. Throughout Scripture, we have seen the pattern unfold. Abel’s blood cried out from the ground

Haiti: Latin America & The Caribbean Weekly Situation Update as of 29 May 2026

Countries: Haiti, Colombia, Ecuador . KEY FIGURES 1.47M people internally displaced due to persistent violence across Haiti 2.6M people in Ecuador could face IPC 3-4 food insecurity between April - June 2026 1.2K people displaced or confined due to escalating violence in Antioquia, Colombia Regional

Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda | Ebola Bundibugyo virus disease outbreak and EU response - DG ECHO Daily Map | 29/05/2026

Countries: Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda .

Ukraine: Health Cluster Bulletin #4 (April 2026)

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oPt: Attacks on Gaza over Eid kill 26, as Israeli forces push deeper into the strip

. UN Human Rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OHCHR OPT) condemns the increase in Israeli attacks in Gaza since the eve of Eid Al Adha on Tuesday, 26 May. At least 26 Palestinians were killed since Tuesday including six women and seven children as Palestinian families prepared to observe

Bahamas: Location Map (2026)

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Belarus: Україна – Профілі областей – Опитування загального населення – Раунд 23 – травень 2026 року

Countries: Belarus, Ukraine . Профілі областей представляють результати 23-го раунду Загальнонаціонального опитування населення (GPS), проведеного в період з 12 січня до 30 березня 2026 року. Звіт містить ключові показники для 17 областей та міста Києва, включаючи поточні оцінки чисельності населенн

Belarus — Surveys with Refugees from Ukraine: Needs, Intentions and Protection Risks (Dec 2025 - Feb 2026)

Countries: Belarus, Ukraine . This report focuses on refugees from Ukraine present in the territory of Belarus, and is based on 301 valid surveys conducted between December 2025 and February 2026. This report complements earlier analytical work, namely the 2023 Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) Bel

Belarus — Surveys with Vulnerable Migrants: Needs, Intentions & Protection Risks (Dec 2025-Feb 2026)

. This report focuses on migrants in vulnerable situations present in the territory of Belarus, and is based on 192 valid surveys conducted between December 2025 and February 2026. The survey was addressed to all foreign nationals regardless of status and country of origin. This report analyses the

Nigeria: West and Central Africa — Solutions and Mobility Index (2023-2024)

Countries: Nigeria, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Mali . The West and Central Africa (WCA) region faces some of the world's most complex displacement crises. Across the Lake Chad Basin, the Liptako Gourma tri-border area, and the coastal countries of the Gulf of Guinea, millio

Nigeria — Solutions and Mobility Index Round 1 — Benue State (August 2025)

. The state government under the internal displacement solutions fund (IDSF) project launched the Solutions and mobility Index (SMI) in 2025 to evaluate the stability of areas hosting returnees or displaced populations in Agatu, Apa, Buruku, Gboko, Guma, Gwer East, Gwer West, Katsina-Ala, Konshisha,

Haiti — Emergency Tracking Tool 94 — Displacement following armed attacks in Gonaïves, Artibonite department (26 - 28 May 2026)

. This information was collected following displacements caused by armed attacks that occurred on 26 May 2026 in the locality of Cator/Nan Chapelle, located in the 3rd communal section of Petite Rivière de Bayonnais, in the municipality of Gonaïves, Artibonite department. Approximately 1,103 persons

Christian Groups Could Lose Property Under India's 'Dangerous' New Bill

G. Sudharshan lives with his wife, Renuka, and his children, aged 8 and 5, in a half-built rental house on the outskirts of the southern Indian city of Hyderabad. He drives an auto rickshaw—a motorized version of a pulled rickshaw—while his wife works as a domestic helper in a nearby upscale neighbo

What Does It Mean to Be a Bible-Centric Family?

This piece was adapted from CT’s books newsletter. Subscribe here. Sissy Goff and David Thomas, Capable: How to Teach Your Kids the Strengths, Skills, and Strategies to Build Resilience (Bethany House, 2026) In Capable, family therapists Sissy Goff and David Thomas observe the trend of today’s kids

What's Widening The Religion Gender Gap?

The Syllabus is a column that features student opinions on timely national and international topics. We aim to highlight how evangelical students in the US are thinking about important issues and how the Christian faith informs their worldview. Students should use this link to submit a response for

Sudanese Civil War Fractures Refugee Families

Last week, Emmanuel Nwachukwu showed how Christians are coping after the loss of their church communities in Omdurman. Today, he describes the war’s impact on Christian families split apart by violence. In April 2023, Kilani Rahama heard gunshots crack through the air as he walked to church in Port

When Grace Overcomes

Why does Christ suddenly seem beautiful to some but not others? John Piper shows from John 3:1–10 how the Spirit makes Christ irresistibly compelling.Watch Now

Tomorrow May Be Too Late: Testimonies of the Damned

“I just never got around to it.” This must be one of the worst thoughts of those tormented in hell who heard the gospel in life. They passed through church doors a few times. Maybe they even admitted they were sinners. They were open to being saved — really, they were — and even planned on getting a

Finding Hope When Life Falls Apart

How do we move forward when everything around us is crumbling? How do we hold on to hope? Drawing from her experience of losing an infant son, losing her marriage, and being diagnosed with a debilitating disease, Vaneetha Rendall Risner shares questions she asked God in suffering, the beautiful ways

DR Congo: 80 Christians killed as Islamists target "worshipers of the cross"

DRC (MNN) – In eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), entire Christian communities are running into the jungle with nothing but the clothes on their backs. Earlier this month, more than 80 Christians were killed in a series of Islamist attacks. “It’s really chilling, that’s for sure,” says

Ministry leader urges caution as Christians turn to AI for guidance

USA (MNN) — New findings from Barna Research show that 48 percent of practicing Christians trust their spiritual growth to artificial intelligence. One in three U.S. adults says AI is just as reliable as a pastor for guidance. Keys for Kids Ministries’ Greg Yoder calls the findings a bad sign. “It b

Determination and grit persist in the middle of Burkina Faso's insecurity

Burkina Faso (MNN) — Burkina Faso’s military junta has suspended over 900 civil society groups and non-governmental organizations since April. The West African country has been fighting Islamic insurgencies for over a decade. The junta’s suspensions are an attempt to stop foreign funds that it suspe

The Life Story of Jesus in Romans

Critical biblical scholarship has sometimes driven a wedge between Jesus and Paul. Some claim, for example, that Paul’s version of the gospel is different from the Gospel’s presentation of Jesus. A closer look at the gospel in Romans, though, confirms that Paul’s message of justification by grace on

180 Christian Families Denied Water, Economic Rights in Chhattisgarh

More than 180 Christian families in 32 villages across Chhattisgarh’s Kanker district in India have reportedly been denied access to communal water sources and livelihood opportunities for the past three weeks as punishment for refusing to leave their Christian faith. Many Christian families in the

Report Highlights Rapid Erosion of Christian Freedoms in Australia

Australia’s first-ever Australian Christian Freedom Index (ACFI) was launched at the Australian Parliament in Canberra today. As reported by the Daily Declaration, the Index is a comprehensive audit and review of Christian and religious freedoms in Australia. The Index initiated a national survey of

Egypt Grants Legal Status to 191 More Church Buildings

The Egyptian government released an order last week granting legal status to 191 church buildings that previously lacked official recognition. In total, 3,804 churches and related buildings have been approved since the creation of a committee to review churches in 2016, according to media reports an

Traditional Hot-Button Issues Still Dominate Political Talk from the Pulpit

Despite a decade of seismic shifts in American public life, a recent Pew survey shows that clergy are largely addressing the same political and social issues in their sermons that they were ten years ago. Adults who attend religious services at least one to two times a month told researchers they ty