13 Egyptian Christians kidnapped by armed and masked men

Egypt's foreign minister, Sameh Shoukry, met with senior church officials on Saturday amid efforts to solve the crisis.

Thirteen Egyptian Christians were kidnapped in the Libyan city of Sirte, adding to seven that went missing last week in the war-torn North African country, Egypt's state news agency said on Saturday.

The 13 reported kidnapped on Saturday were Coptic Christians and Egypt's foreign minister, Sameh Shoukry, had met with senior church officials on Saturday amid efforts to solve the crisis, state news agency MENA said.


Magdy Malik, a Christian activist in Egypt, said that gunmen stormed a residence for expatriates in Sirte and abducted the 13 Copts.

Gunmen went room to room and asked for identification papers to separate Muslim workers from Christians, witness Hanna Aziz told The Associated Press.

"They were 15 armed and masked men who came in four vehicles," he said. "They had a list of full names of Christians in the building. While checking IDs, Muslims were left aside while Christians were grabbed. I heard my friends screaming, but they were quickly shushed at gunpoint. After that, we heard nothing. I am still in my room waiting for them to take me. I want to die with them." He said he escaped capture because he didn't open his door.

Libya is split between militias loyal to an internationally recognized government, which Egypt supports, and those allied to a rival government based in Tripoli that includes Islamist groups and politicians.

Egyptian Copts have been targeted in Libya before during the chaos that broke out when militias that fought together to oust dictator Muammar Gaddafi then trained their arms on one another.

Seven Egyptian Christians were found shot execution-style on a beach in eastern Libya last February.

Local reports have said a Coptic doctor and his wife were murdered in their home in early December, with their daughter's body later found.

A formal diplomatic mission to retrieve the Egyptians would be difficult because much of Libya falls outside of the officially recognized government's control, an Egyptian foreign ministry spokesman said on Al-Hayat, a state-owned television station.

Addtional reporting by Reuters

Payer Works; Sierra Leone declares week of prayer and fasting to end Ebola

The President of Sierra Leone has called upon his nation to pray and fast for a week to tackle the Ebola crisis devastating the country.

Some 20,000 people have been infected by the virus, with 2,700 dead in Sierra Leone alone.


President Ernest Bai Koroma declared a week of fasting and prayers to end suffering from the disease starting on Thursday, January 8.

"Today, I ask all to commit our actions to the grace, mercy and protection of God Almighty," he said in his New Year's Day address.

The World Health Organisation has said that while the Ebola outbreak is mostly confined to West Africa, the death toll has risen to 7,905, following 317 fatalities recorded since it last issued figures on December 24.

Sierra Leone accounts for the biggest proportion of Ebola cases - 9,000 - and the number of infections continues to grow, WHO said. Since December 24, new laboratory-confirmed cases in West Africa have reached 476, and 337 of them are in Sierra Leone.

Beyond the week-long fasting and prayers, Koroma announced that schools shut since July in a bid to slow down the spread of the virus will reopen soon.

"The ministry of education is putting in place modalities to reopen schools and colleges in the shortest possible time," Koroma was quoted as saying by Reuters.

Still, he urged people to avoid physical contact with the sick or corpses and abide by quarantine rules.

Christian Aid greeted the new year with a stern warning to the international community not to forget the plight of thousands of people affected by the Ebola crisis in Sierra Leone.

The charity is currently training 500 religious leaders in eight districts of the country to deal with psycho-social counselling and stigma reduction in affected communities.

Jeanne Kamara, Christian Aid Country Manager in Sierra Leone, said it was also providing survivors with packages of food, household materials and hygiene items.

"Survivors need food and other support, such as the provision of basic household items, since those who are infected have all their belongings burnt leaving people in a desperate situation," she explained.

She spoke of her hope that a British nurse infected with Ebola, Pauline Cafferkey, would make a full recovery.

"We are very sorry to hear of the British nurse who has fallen victim to this indiscriminate virus," said Kamara. "At a time when the Ebola crisis appears to have fallen from the international news agenda, this sad incident reminds us that this disease does not recognise country boundaries and is continuing to infect more people every day."

All saints prays for Andraé Crouch: As Gospel Legend Hospitalized

Gospel legend Andraé Crouch is in the hospital and is seriously ill, according to the family.

His sister, Sandra Crouch, announced he was taken to the hospital Monday with serious health complications.

"At this time, Andraé is being attended by a wonderful medical team, and we are so grateful for the thousands of people around the world who are praying for Andraé right now," she said in a press statement.

She asked for continued prayer for Andraé's full recovery but did not specify what exactly the singer was battling.

During the making of his album Mighty Wind in 2006, Andraé told CBN he had a cancerous growth on his throat. When doctors cut it out, the discovered seven nodes or polyps surrounding it. Andraé said when the doctors checked it again after cutting the growth, the nodes were gone.

He also told CBN his mother, father, and brother all died of cancer.

Andraé said then he told the devil, "The buck stops here," and that no matter what he will praise God.

The Grammy Award-winner has been making gospel music since he was 14 years old and has been in the music industry for more than four decades.

He's collaborated on projects with Paul Simon, Quincy Jones, Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Barbara Madrell, Elton John, Madonna, Vanessa Williams, and many others. He also serves as a co-pastor at New Christ Memorial Church in San Fernando, California.