Churches, mosques and temples around the world — including the Vatican — are continuing to livestream religious services amid the coronavirus pandemic, AP reports.
Zoom in: In the U.S., some pastors in Maryland and Virginia are hesitant to reopen their doors as states begin to relax stay-at-home orders, per the Washington Post.
The Diamond Princess cruise ship is traveling to Malaysia after being docked in Yokohama, Japan for three months, Japanese broadcaster NHK reports.
Why it matters: The Diamond Princess carried one of the first coronavirus outbreaks on a cruise ship, affecting 700 passengers from various countries, including the U.S., Japan, Australia and Canada in February. Several people died as a result.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's popularity has surged amid the coronavirus pandemic, and he and the Bharatiya Janata Party could emerge even stronger after the coronavirus crisis, per recent opinion polls cited by The New York Times.
Why it matters: If India continues to successfully tackle the pandemic, Modi has the potential to emerge as a more powerful leader. Looking forward, he may try to push more Hindu-centric policies as "the deadly pandemic is bringing many Indians to his side despite lingering concerns about his agenda," the Times writes.
Félicien Kabuga, who faces seven indictments of genocide for his alleged role in the deaths of more than 800,000 people in Rwanda in 1994, was arrested on Saturday by French authorities, a prosecutor with the United Nations' International Criminal Tribunal said.
The big picture: Kabuga is accused of financing a paramilitary group that purchased hundreds of thousands of machetes to massacre people — predominately Tutsis — in Rwanda's genocide.
The Trump administration thinks that discussions about Israel's possible annexation of the West Bank "should take place as part of direct talks between Israel and the Palestinians on the Trump peace plan," State Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus told a group of Israeli reporters in a conference call on Friday.
Why it matters: The comments follow a series of public messages from the Trump administration in what looks like an attempt to signal to the new Israeli government that the U.S. does not support moving forward with annexation at the this time.
King Abdullah II of Jordan said in an interview with the German magazine Der Spiegel that Israeli annexation of parts of the West Bank “will lead to a massive conflict with Jordan."
Why it matters: This is the harshest statement by the King regarding possible annexation of parts of the West Bank by Israel. It comes days after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visited Israel for talks with Israeli leaders and ahead of the swearing in of the new Israeli government on Sunday.
Why it matters: Public health experts view a major coronavirus outbreak in a refugee camp as a worst-case scenario, as conditions are overcrowded with residents sharing water and basic hygiene facilities.
