Globe Trot: One year since ISIS killed 21 Christians on Libyan beach

ISIS: Monday will mark the anniversary of the martyrdom of 21 Coptic Christians executed a year ago in Libya. The Greek Orthodox chancellor of Chicago is calling on U.S. officials to declare ISIS bloodshed a genocide (subscription required), saying it has so far been “lost in the fog of diplomatic inertia and military half-measures as the bloody conflict in Syria drags on, spilling across much of the region.”

SYRIA: The death toll in Syria’s war stands at 470,000—almost twice the 250,000 counted a year and a half ago by the United Nations (until it stopped counting because it couldn’t verify the numbers). Life expectancy has dropped 14 years, to 56 from 70, since the war began, with an even deeper plunge for Syrian men, says the report, compiled by the Syrian Center for Policy Research from its longtime base in the capital, Damascus. It put the war’s economic cost at $255 billion, essentially wiping out the nation’s wealth.

Secretary of State John Kerry announced late Thursday a “cessation of hostilities” in Syria to start in a week. This doesn’t rise to the level of a cease-fire agreement. And it represents a compromise with the Russians, who wanted to hold off a deal until March 1 (presumably to consolidate gains on the ground for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Iran-backed Hezbollah).

SUDAN: Expert Eric Reeves says don’t forget Darfur, where Sudan’s Islamic regime, desperate to end the conflict, threatens to dismantle refugee camps and has carried out assaults that have displaced 34,000 in recent weeks.

BRAZIL: A third adult fatality has been linked to Zika virus as authorities prepare for a house-to-house eradication campaign with soldiers joining health workers.

BRITAIN: The petition to block Donald Trump from entering the United Kingdom had 578,890 signatures as of this morning.