Coronavirus Still Spreading From China to White House
Nations on Monday struggled to balance public and economic health amid mounting pressure to reopen economies despite an uptick in coronavirus cases ranging from China to even the White House.
China
China ramping up COVID-19 disinformation campaign on Twitter, State Dept. says
China’s Communist Party and government are stepping up the use of Twitter to spread disinformation that Wuhan was not the origin of the coronavirus outbreak and that China is helping the world recover, the State Department said.
Violence during raid on Christian Church by police in China
Video footage of a violent police raid on a church in the Fujian province of China was posted by Christian watchdog group ChinaAid this week. Broadcast by Fox News, the 11-second video shows members of the Xingguang Church blocking police officers who were forcibly entering the premises and a member being dragged out of the door.
Naikon, Group Tied to China’s Military, Deploys Debilitating New Cyberattack Tool
On the morning of Jan. 3, an email was sent from the Indonesian Embassy in Australia to a member of the premier of Western Australia’s staff who worked on health and ecological issues. Attached was a Word document that aroused no immediate suspicions, since the intended recipient knew the supposed sender.
Trump administration blaming China for COVID-19 pandemic
President Trump and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo have each said in recent days that there is significant evidence COVID-19 originated in a lab in China’s Wuhan province. At the same time, the Trump administration says it is looking into the cause of the coronavirus outbreak and has not published the evidence referred to. China has vehemently denied the allegations.
China Church Members Injured In Attacks, Properties Damaged
Christians in south-eastern China were recovering of serious injuries Tuesday after suffering attacks during a Sunday service amid a government crackdown on unregistered churches, rights activists told Worthy News. Church properties were also damaged in the May 3 violence against Xingguang Church in Xiamen city in China’s Fujian province, added advocacy group Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW).
Iran Threatens To Abandon Nuclear Deal
Iran has suggested it will abandon an already shaky deal to prevent it from developing nuclear weapons if an arms embargo on Tehran remains in place. The United States wants to extend the ban, which was due to end in October this year.
Majority of US spy agencies believe the coronavirus escaped from Wuhan lab
A majority of the U.S. Intelligence Community’s 17 spy agencies believe the coronavirus likely originated with an accidental lab escape from a laboratory in Wuhan, China, a senior intelligence official told the Washington Examiner.
Pompeo: ‘Enormous evidence’ connects coronavirus outbreak to Wuhan lab
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he has seen “enormous evidence” indicating the coronavirus pandemic originated in the Wuhan Institute of Virology in China.
China Locks World Health Organization Out of Origins of Coronavirus Investigation
China has refused to cooperate with the World Health Organizations’ efforts to investigate the origins of the coronavirus pandemic, a WHO official told Sky News.
New US-China Trade War Looms Over Coronavirus Pandemic
Tensions between China and the United States are rapidly escalating into a possible trade war with Beijing and Washington accusing each other of responsibility for the coronavirus outbreak.
Millions Struggle To Survive In Philippines Coronavirus Lockdown (Worthy News Investigation)
The Philippines faces international pressure to end one of the world’s most repressive coronavirus lockdowns, with 120,000 people detained and some killed or abused for curfew violations in the past month. Witnesses, including Christian single mothers, have told Worthy News of intimidating police and military checkpoints.
Pastor in China Reportedly Arrested for Posting Information About Coronavirus Outbreak in March
The wife of a pastor imprisoned by Chinese authorities has said her husband was arrested for re-posting messages about the coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan, International Christian Concern (ICC) reports. Zhang Xinghong said she was told by Chinese authorities that her husband Pastor Zhao Huaiguo has been charged with inciting subversion of state power because of these posts.
India Condemns U.S. Religious Rights Report
A U.S. government advisory panel wants India on a religious freedom blacklist over a “drastic” downturn under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, triggering an angry reaction from New Delhi. In addition to India, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) also recommends the inclusion of four more – Nigeria, Russia, Syria, and Vietnam.
Letter Campaign As Christian Spent 2000th Day In North Korean Jail
Christians have launched a global letter-writing campaign demanding the release of an ethnic Korean believer who spent his 2000th day in a prison inside North Korea. Jang Moon Seok, a deacon, was kidnapped by suspected North Korean agents in November 2014 from China, according to aid workers familiar with the situation. He is currently serving a 15–year prison sentence on charges that friends link to his involvement providing aid to North Koreans and evangelism.
Some 132,000 Turn To Christ In ‘Quarantine Revival’
More than 130,000 people from across the world, many in lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic, have decided to follow Jesus Christ after an online evangelism event, organizers said. “We are living through a Great Quarantine Revival, and I think God is just getting started,” explained evangelist Nick Hall, whose Pulse movement organized the virtual program.
EU Unveils $580 Billion Aid Package Amid Virus Lockdowns
After the U.S. unveiled similar measures, the European Union has approved a $580 billion aid package to help limit the devastating economic consequences of coronavirus pandemic lockdowns in member states. However, beyond the immediate aid, the dispute remains over the structure – and funding – of a long-term recovery plan. It emerged this weekend that the European Commission, the EU’s executive, has now been tasked to make proposals by May 6, when another video conference will be held.
Coronavirus origins in lab not ruled out by scientific studies
A scientific study recommended by White House medical adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci pointing to the origin of coronavirus pandemic as a jump from animals to humans also concludes it cannot be ruled out that the virus may have escaped from a laboratory.
Chinese house church begins meeting online, members arrested anyway
The online Easter meeting of an unregistered house church in China was disrupted and six of its members arrested, with the government warning the church of severer measures if it continued to meet.
Trump to order temporary suspension on immigration to US
President Trump announced on Monday night that, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he will be ordering a temporary suspension on immigration to the US. In a post on Twitter, the President said: ‘In light of the attack from the Invisible Enemy, as well as the need to protect the jobs of our GREAT American Citizens, I will be signing an Executive Order to temporarily suspend immigration into the United States!’