Hello, Thursday. Here are the top 10 things you need to know today:
A Chaldean Catholic woman holds a rosary during a Mass at St. Joseph’s Chaldean Catholic Church in the Ankawa neighborhood of Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan, on June 27, 2014. Many Iraqi Christians have fled to Erbil from other parts of the country because of violence from Muslim extremists.
The U.S. must “destroy” Islamic State, says a coalition of religious leaders, calling on President Obama to sharply escalate military action against Islamic extremists in Iraq.
New York State has issued an Amber Alert for two young Amish girls who have been abducted in northern New York.
Pope Francis has touched down in South Korea, calling for peace. On the papal airplane, he prayed for two journalists who had been killed in the Gaza Strip. Here are five things you need to know about this trip, including the big elephant in the room.
The Pope's ride of choice here in South Korea – a Kia Soul. Because that's how he rolls… pic.twitter.com/MrHQMDh3fY
— Clare Duffy Swift (@cduffy4) August 14, 2014
Sierra Leone has lost another doctor to Ebola. The husband of one of the infected medical workers flown to the U.S. says his wife is making progress.
Things have been heating up in Ferguson, Mo., since an unarmed man was killed by a police officer, who has remained anonymous. About a dozen more have been arrested, including an alderman and two national reporters, in a predominantly black area outside St. Louis. On Tuesday, the Rev. Al Sharpton held a news conference to bring national attention to the issue.
Groups out here praying #MikeBrown http://t.co/XKiBSVTuEQ
— Patricia Bynes (@PatriciaBynes) August 14, 2014
Korean-American missionary Kenneth Bae has been transferred to a North Korean labor camp from a hospital, despite U.S. concerns that his health is worsening.
Lauren Bacall had a conflicted relationship with her Jewishness that characterized post-World War II Hollywood. Speaking of Hollywood, Seth Rogen’s film about murdering Kim Jong-un is reportedly being altered to avoid blasphemy.
Nearly three in five births to unmarried women across the United States were to women living with their partner, marking the first time a majority of these births were to women in cohabiting relationships.
Israel says it will now allow Jews to immigrate to Israel with their non-Jewish same-sex spouses.
Muslim clerics in Nigeria advocate for the polio vaccine in a community where some once opposed it.
