Globe Trot: Pastors battle drug traffickers in Argentina

ARGENTINA: For Argentine pastor Marcelo Nieva, helping victims of domestic violence, sex trafficking, and drug abuse is increasingly dangerous work in a nation saturated by a violent drug trade. Gunmen shot multiple times at the Baptist pastor while he drove through the city of Rio Tercero with another church member on Oct. 21.

The Christians weren’t injured, but church leaders say the attempted murder was the latest in a string of threats and harassments against Nieva. In a joint statement, members of the Argentine Evangelical Baptist Convention and the Association of Evangelical Baptist Churches directly accused “narco-trafficking-linked assassins who have infiltrated the Cordoba Police and out of revenge [targeted Nieva] because of his pastoral work …”

Argentina is a predominantly Catholic nation, but the numbers of evangelicals have swelled in recent decades, from under 1 million in 1980 to 3.7 million in 2010.

CANADA: Mourners in Ottawa grieved at the funeral of Cpl. Nathan Cirillo, 24, who was murdered by a gunman last week while standing guard outside Canada’s war memorial. The attacker, Michael Zehaf-Bibeau, then stormed the Canadian parliament building and fired several shots before police shot and killed him.

The Canadian Press reported the gunman made a video before the rampage, saying he would act “in the name of Allah” in response to Canada’s foreign policy. Canada has contributed six fighter jets in the U.S.-led coalition battling Islamic State militants in the Middle East.

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper battled tears as he spoke at Cirillo’s funeral. His voice broke as he addressed the soldier’s 5-year-old son, Marcus Daniel: “May time ease the searing pain of today. And may [Marcus] some day find comfort in the fact that our entire country looks up to his dad with pride, with gratitude and with deep abiding respect.”

ISLAMIC STATE: Islamic State militants continue to wreak havoc in the Middle East, and the battle for the city of Kobani continues. Militants began an assault on the city bordering Turkey weeks ago. Thousands have fled, and those remaining face the danger of massacre if the militants conquer the Kurdish town.

A small contingent of reinforcements is set to arrive, as a group of Iraqi Kurds said they would help Kobani fighters in their battle against ISIS.

Meanwhile, in a grievous look into the growth and tactics of ISIS militants, The New York Times has published an account of the ordeal of slain American hostage James Foley. The report details Foley’s torture, his reported conversion to Islam, and his dashed hopes before the extremists beheaded him in a Syrian desert.

EBOLA: The World Health Organization says Ebola cases may be dropping in Liberia, and notes some Ebola treatment centers are seeing fewer patients.

That would be tremendously welcome news, but some healthcare and aid workers urge caution: Ken Isaacs of Samaritan’s Purse told me last week his organization’s Liberian staff members are reaching remote villages where many Liberians have already died without any medical attention. Even if such villagers wanted to reach a treatment center, their remote locations would make such a trip nearly impossible. In one village, Samaritan’s Purse found 20 people remaining. The rest had fled or died. Out of the 20 remaining, 10 were feverish. The organization is working to help rural villagers cope with the disease at home if they can’t reach medical attention.

The Economist offers an interactive look at some of the latest numbers of Ebola cases mapped out by country. And for some perspective, here’s a look at cases of other infectious diseases in countries across the world.