On Thursday, the Oakland City Council passed a budget that redirects more than $17 million away from the police department to pay for social service programs over the next two years.
The U.S. National Guard is preparing for cyber warfare amid concerns about possible attacks on critical infrastructure in the United States, Worthy News learned.
Fox News reports that 153 employees at Houston Methodist hospital in Texas have either resigned or been fired because they refused to be vaccinated for COVID-19. These employees were among 178 staff members who were suspended for not getting the vaccine by the hospital’s June deadline.
Israel’s Prime Minister Naftali Bennett on Tuesday recommended Israelis should not travel abroad because, he said, the Indian variant of the COVID-19 virus “is spreading rapidly around the world,” Israel News reports. The PM made his remarks three days after a fresh outbreak of COVID-19 was reported in two schools in the northern Israeli town of Binyamina, with 45 people infected.
Filipino president Rodrigo Duterte has threatened to jail people if they refuse to get vaccinated against coronavirus.
From coast to coast, violent crime is rising in American cities. In just one recent weekend more than 120 Americans were killed in shootings.
Intelligence officials are investigating why suspected Chinese spies returned to the United States on student and work visas at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to internal government documents reviewed by the Washington Free Beacon.
Mexico’s Religious Affairs Unit has reported that 270 evangelical pastors have died of COVID-19 in the country, Evangelical Focus reports. Seventy-two Catholic priests, and 15 nuns have also died of the virus, the Unit reported.
The world appeared a step closer Tuesday to learn about the origins of the COVID-19 outbreak amid reports that a senior Chinese state security official defected to the United States.
Russia’s government has blamed a surge in COVID-19 cases on reluctance among Russians to have vaccinations amid concerns about side effects. Critics also point out that it usually takes years to develop vaccines, while Russia was the first country to announce a coronavirus jab.
US Christian radio and television stations that broadcast the Gospel message saw a remarkable increase in listeners and viewers during the 16 months of COVID-19 lockdown, the Washington Times reports. The US has over 4,000 Christian media outlets.
Don’t call it a vaccine passport, but California now offers something that’s awfully close.
Israeli authorities have begun rolling out a new document showing proof of COVID-19 vaccination or recovery, the Times of Israel reports. However, the Health Ministry has stated it is acting to ensure that current certification remains valid so that people can travel in the interim without having to undergo expensive testing.
More than 350 health care workers have become infected with COVID-19 in Indonesia and dozens hospitalized despite being vaccinated with China’s Sinovac shot, officials said.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed a law banning state agencies and public officials from closing houses of worship.
Recent accusations by Vietnamese government authorities that Christians are responsible for spreading COVID-19 in the country may have caused long-lasting damage to Vietnam’s Evangelical community, Morning Star News.
Germany last week Thursday began rolling out a digital COVID-19 vaccination pass that travelers can use to travel across Europe, the Associated Press reports. The “CovPass” is expected to be available by the end of the month to everyone in Germany who has been fully vaccinated.
Nevada is to pay Calvary Chapel Dayton Valley church $175,000 for legal fees it incurred in its lawsuit against state COVID-19 restrictions on houses of worship, the Christian Post reports. The Nevada Board of Examiners unanimously approved a request from the Office of the Attorney General to pay the funds as the result of a tort claim.
Christian leaders in India and Nepal are dying of COVID-19 at such a rate that “scores of Christian ministries” are in danger of closing as there is no one to lead them, aid workers say. ‘Black fungus’ now poses an additional deadly threat in India, where thousands of pastors and other Christian leaders reportedly died.
Christian aid workers are rushing dry food parcels to several nations amid concerns that many Christians face starvation.