China Detains Journalist Amid Corona Crackdown
China has detained a prominent journalist amid an intensified clampdown by the ruling Communist authorities on independent reporting.
covid-19
Israel to issue post-vaccination “green passport” allowing citizens into public areas
Israel will be the first country to give its citizens a “green passport” — a card or mobile phone app that will allow them to enter public spaces like restaurants, shopping centers, and airplanes – once they have received the COVID-19 vaccination, All Israel News reports.
U.S. Approves 2nd COVID Vaccine Ahead of Christmas
The U.S. added a second COVID-19 vaccine to its arsenal Friday, hours after Vice-President Mike Pence received another coronavirus jab live on television.
Iran: Ayatollah appears in public, contrary to rumors of health deterioration
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has appeared in public, countering unconfirmed publicized claims that his health had significantly deteriorated, the Times of Israel reports. At a meeting in Tehran Wednesday, Khamenei addressed the family of Iranian Revolutionary Guards Gen. Qassem Soleimani, who was assassinated in a US drone strike this year, and senior Iranian military leaders.
China infiltrates Western embassies, defense contractors and drug makers with communist operators
A leaked database of nearly 2 million Communist Party members has revealed the lengths to which China’s leaders have gone to place operatives in strategic positions in government and business around the world.
SCOTUS sides with Houses of Worship again
In another decision that favors churches, the US Supreme Court on Tuesday sent two cases back to the federal courts which had refused to block COVID-19 restrictions on houses of worship, the Daily Wire reports. The Supreme Court instructed the lower courts in the two cases to re-consider their original decisions as, in a pivotal ruling last month, SCOTUS ruled against New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s attendance limits on houses of worship.
Colorado Governor says houses of worship are “essential,” removes attendance limits
The governor of Colorado has declared that houses of worship provide “essential” services that are no longer subject to COVID-19 restrictions on attendance numbers, Christian Headlines reports.
US Allows Emergency COVID-19 Vaccine in Bid to End Pandemic
The U.S. gave the final go-ahead Friday to the nation’s first COVID-19 vaccine, marking what could be the beginning of the end of an outbreak that has killed nearly 300,000 Americans, according to a person familiar with the decision but not authorized to discuss it publicly.
US Government deficit increased by 25.1% in first 2 months of budget year
The US government deficit in the first two months of the budget year increased by 25.1% more than it was at the same time last year, PBS reports. The rise reflects increased government spending to manage the COVID-19 pandemic against a related backdrop of decreased income from taxes. The budget year begins on October 1.
U.S. Experts Approve Pfizer Vaccine Despite Side Effects
A U.S. government advisory panel on Thursday endorsed Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine, despite concerns about possible side effects.
Canada court rules church cannot hold drive-in services during COVID-19 lockdown
A judge in Manitoba, Canada has told a church it is not allowed to hold even drive-in services during local COVID-19 lockdown orders, the Daily Wire reports. The current restrictions prohibit houses of worship from holding in-person services.
California: Appeals court reverses lower court decision to uphold restrictions on church services
A court of appeals has told a lower court that, in light of recent US Supreme Court rulings, it must reconsider its decision to uphold California’s restrictions on in-person worship services, the Christian Post reported Wednesday. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals found in favor of Chula Vista’s South Bay United Pentecostal Church, which had argued the pertinent COVID-19 restrictions were discriminatory against houses of worship.
POLL: Less than half of Americans set to take a COVID-19 vaccine
A new poll finds that only about half of Americans are all in for taking a COVID-19 shot once a vaccine is approved.
Pro-Life Researchers Find Majority of ‘Operation Warp Speed’ Vaccines Not Produced with Abortion-Derived Cells
A pro-life research and education organization has published a new chart detailing whether the eight leading COVID-19 vaccine candidates supported by President Trump’s “Operation Warp Speed” are produced or tested using cells derived from abortions.
UN Chief urges Iran to stop violating nuclear deal
The Secretary-General of the United Nations is trying to persuade Iran to resume its obligations under the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) nuclear arms deal, the Times of Israel reports. In a report to the Security Council published Tuesday, Antonio Guterres called on Iran to address concerns about its decision last year to begin, among other violations, the enrichment of uranium beyond the agreed limits.
Lung specialist tells Senate committee that Ivermectin anti-parasite medicine is “wonder drug” for COVID-19
A lung specialist at Aurora St. Luke’s Medical Center in Milwaukee has pleaded with a Senate committee to review his study of an anti-parasite drug which he says has produced dramatically positive results in treating hospitalized COVID-19 patients, CNS News reports.
Judge directs stinging rebuke at LA County for outdoor dining ban
A Superior Court judge has said it is “just shocking” that LA County had not “seriously” considered the impact of outdoor dining on the COVID-19 pandemic before banning it indefinitely on November 25, the LA Times reports. Restricting the ban to just three weeks, LA County Superior Court Judge James Chalfant ruled Tuesday that county officials must carry out a risk-benefit analysis if they want to extend the order beyond December 16.
In newly surfaced July interview, Fauci warns that widely used COVID tests may pick up ‘dead’ virus
In a newly resurfaced video from July, Dr. Anthony Fauci appeared to acknowledge that large numbers of positive COVID-19 cases may arise from oversensitive tests that pick up mere fragments of the virus rather than active, viable infections.
British Grandmother First Person To Receive COVID-19 Jab
A British grandmother has become the world’s first person to receive the Pfizer COVID-19 injection as part of a controversial global vaccination program.
Swiss court pauses ban on religious services in Geneva
Switzerland’s Constitutional Chamber has ordered the suspension of a COVID-19 ban on religious gatherings in the Canton of Geneva, enabling churches in the region to resume in-person services again, Christian Post reports. The court will make a final ruling on the ban in due course but has reportedly indicated that the likelihood it will permanently strike down the ban is “high.”