The Beirut blast that killed 160 people adds to the suffering of Christians who already face food shortages and social unrest due to the coronavirus crisis, aid workers say. Their warnings came shortly before the government resigned Monday amid public outcry over the explosion, triggered by ammonium nitrate stored in a warehouse at the Beirut port.
Defying a California court order issued amid coronavirus concerns, the leader of Godspeak Calvary Chapel, Ventura County held indoor church services for around 1,000 people on Sunday, the Washington Examiner reports. Prior to holding the services, Pastor Rob McCoy described the county rules on indoor services as “draconian” and stated that no one in his church was infected with COVID-19.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is launching a years-long campaign for the clemency and release of 50,000 prisoners as a means to address “decades of racist, punitive, and degrading incarceration,” Fox News reported last week. “The Redemption Campaign” will be lobbying state governors to grant mass clemency to “older incarcerated people,” “people convicted of drug distribution and possession offenses,” “people incarcerated for technical probation or parole violations,” and people who would have received a lesser sentence if convicted under current laws.
Although the number of employment claims at the end of July was over 1 million for the 20th straight week, it was also the lowest number of new claims since the US was struck by COVID-19 in March, the Washington Examiner reports. The end of July saw 1.2 million claims when economists had forecast there would be 1.42 million.
Lebanon’s Prime Minister Hassan Diab announced Monday that he and his government have resigned amid public outcry over a Beirut port explosion that killed 160 people. The August 4 blast also injured 6,000 men, women, and children and left hundreds of thousands of residents homeless.
Britain’s government pledged Friday to strengthen border security, as a daily record number of people crossed the English Channel to the U.K. in small boats. The measures that reportedly could involve the Royal Navy, come amid broader concerns in Europe about a rising number of migrants re-emerging following lengthy coronavirus lockdowns.
Election officials in Belarus say the county’s longtime President Alexander Lukashenko has won his sixth consecutive term, taking over 80 percent of the vote. Monday’s announcement followed a night of riots in which dozens of people were injured, and possibly one person was killed amid mounting anger over his perceived autocratic style.
Chinese authorities have sentenced a Christian to 10 days of administrative detention for “illegal evangelism,” a well-informed advocacy group told Worthy News on Friday.
In a move to avert a fourth round of elections in under two years, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly agreed to advance legislation to delay an August 25 budget deadline. The step is also being backed by coalition partners Blue and White and Shas.
A meeting designed to finalize new measures against the coronavirus pandemic ended with mutual recriminations between Blue and White and Likud over the future of the fragile unity government.
The Israel Institute for Biological Research (IIBR) will begin testing its coronavirus vaccine on human subjects in October, Defense Minister Benny Gantz announced on Thursday.
President Trump signed multiple executive measures after Congress failed to pass another coronavirus relief bill.
The Trump administration’s Iran strategy will face a key test this week as the United States calls for a vote at the United Nations on its resolution to extend an arms embargo against the Islamic Republic.
A six-nation bloc of Gulf Arab nations torn apart by internal strife endorsed an extension of a United Nations arms embargo on Iran, just two months before it is set to expire.
More than a third of Americans say they would not get a COVID-19 vaccine right now, even if were free and FDA-approved, according to a new Gallup poll.
The economy gained 1.8 million jobs in July, lowering the unemployment rate to 10.2%, the Labor Department reported on Friday, as robust jobs growth has apparently slowed.
Police in Portland, Oregon, declared another riot after local and state officials requested federal officers withdraw from the state.
The Christian nonprofit group Campus Renewal has launched a new online platform to help address the issue that 70% of students leave their faith during their college years, the Christian Post reports. The Every Student Sent (ESS) initiative aims to connect students with other believers on their campus or to help them join churches and Gospel-based communities close to where they are studying.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Friday he was “pained” after a special flight carrying nearly 200 coronavirus evacuees from abroad skidded offa runway in southern Kerala stare killing at least 16 passengers and injuring 123 more.
Hundreds of Christians have been slaughtered by Islamic terrorists in at least three African countries in recent weeks, CBN News reports. Christian communities in Nigeria, South Sudan, and Cameroon have been targeted by terrorists from different groups, including Boko Haram and Fulani militants.