Mindy Belz

Mindy is senior editor of WORLD Magazine and the author of They Say We Are Infidels. Follow Mindy on Twitter @mcbelz.

Associated Press/Photo by Leo Correa

COVID-19 hammers Brazil

International | But Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro remains unfazed
by Mindy Belz
Posted 5/04/20, 06:53 pm

BRAZIL: As global deaths top 250,000, COVID-19 is hammering South America’s largest country. While critical cases outnumber the beds to care for them, President Jair Bolsonaro continues to shrug at the disease, enacting no isolation policies. Some observers argue he is simply federalizing the country’s response.

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Associated Press/Photo by Jonathan Hayward/The Canadian Press

Sealed borders and soft openings

International | Dealing with the ongoing pandemic at home and abroad
by Mindy Belz
Posted 4/30/20, 02:14 pm

UNITED STATES: With grim milestones reached this week—more than 60,000 Americans dead, 1 million confirmed having COVID-19, and 30 million unemployed—President Donald Trump said he will not extend federal guidelines set to expire on Thursday on limiting activity.

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Associated Press/Photo by Frank Augstein

Boris is back to lead Britain

International | Key countries attempt reopening, plus other international news and notes
by Mindy Belz
Posted 4/27/20, 04:54 pm

BRITAIN: Prime Minister Boris Johnson returned to work on Monday after his battle with the coronavirus, appearing lighter and less intense, but he resisted calls to ease Britain’s lockdown measures. He also said Britain will not extend its deadline for negotiating a trade deal with the European Union following Brexit, despite the pandemic.

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Ramadan under lockdown

International | Some mosques are closed as many of the world’s 2 billion Muslims begin their observance from home

Mindy Belz | 4/23/20, 01:41 pm

SAUDI ARABIA: Thursday marks the start of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month normally characterized by communal prayers and sprawling nighttime meals to break each day’s dawn-to-dusk fast.

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Innovation over irritation

Coronavirus | It’s a national emergency, so be excellent to each other

Mindy Belz | 4/21/20, 09:02 am

Our new socially distanced Saturday morning outdoor market has an alligator greeting shoppers. In better days he worked the pool as a floatie, but now the inflatable reptile has been deployed in the war on coronavirus. At full capacity, he’s precisely six feet long, sporting a cheerful sign directing those heading toward spring lettuce and turnips to stay at least that far apart.

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Witnessing in place

Missions | Coronavirus lockdowns have radically changed the nature of missions overseas, but cut-off-from-home missionaries say they still have work to do

Mindy Belz | 4/20/20, 06:31 pm

In a world turned upside down, Kristiina Day greets another morning by prepping to teach her students online at an international school in Madrid. 

Georgi Dugulescu dons protective gear, gloves, and a face shield before she heads out on food deliveries to elderly residents in Timisoara, Romania.

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An open and shut world

International | COVID-19 affects border crossings, bombing plans, prison sentences, even a friendly game of tennis

Mindy Belz | 4/20/20, 03:59 pm

NORTH AMERICA: The United States, Mexico, and Canada are extending non-essential travel restrictions across their shared borders for an additional 30 days, according to U.S. Department of Homeland Security acting Secretary Chad Wolf. He said those and other restrictions “remain critical” to slowing the spread of the coronavirus.

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Bill Gates steps in

International | The Microsoft founder pledges millions toward the pandemic after Trump defunds the WHO

Mindy Belz | 4/16/20, 02:48 pm

GLOBAL: President Donald Trump’s decision to defund the World Health Organization in the middle of the global fight against the coronavirus “is as dangerous as it sounds,” said Bill Gates, the Microsoft founder who has pledged $100 million toward containing the virus. Trump on Wednesday placed a hold on all U.S.

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Ebola resurfaces in Congo

International | The Central African nation could face a ‘triple emergency’

Mindy Belz | 4/14/20, 01:49 pm

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO: The World Health Organization reported two new cases of Ebola on Friday, less than two days before health officials prepared to declare a formal end to the outbreak that began in 2018 and killed nearly 2,300 people. With its resurgence, aid groups warn Congo could face a “triple emergency”: lingering Ebola, a surge in coronavirus cases, and ongoing violence in the war-racked country.

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The altered face of Easter 2020

International | Stay-at-home orders and social distancing mark the culmination of Holy Week in Jerusalem and elsewhere

Mindy Belz | 4/09/20, 08:38 pm

ISRAEL: Jerusalem’s Via Dolorosa will be empty on Good Friday, as Christians around the world mark Holy Week events leading to Easter under the restrictions of COVID-19.

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