US Mission Pilot Dies In Indonesia Crash
An American mission pilot flying much-needed coronavirus test kits to a remote village in Indonesia has died in a plane crash, her Christian aviation organization confirmed.
covid-19
Homeland Security Investigations Office has Opened Hundreds of Cases of COVID-19 Related Fraud
The Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) office has opened more than 370 cases of alleged fraud in which scammers tried to sell counterfeit COVID-19 test kits, treatments, masks, and cleaning products. Since the US entered lockdown around two months ago, the HSI has cracked down on individuals and organizations it suspects of fraud and has investigated nearly 25,000 website domains, the Washington Examiner reports.
US Government Signs Deal for over 500 million Prefilled Vaccine Syringes
The Trump administration has signed a $138 million deal for the production of over 500 million prefilled syringes in the event a COVID-19 vaccine becomes available. Produced by innovative syringe company ApiJect, the syringes will carry an optional RFID/NFC tag to provide information on the serial number, GPS location, and date/time of each vaccine.
Dozens Of Christian Villagers Killed In Nigeria
Dozens of villagers have been killed in the latest attack on Christian communities in northwestern Nigeria by suspected Fulani Muslim militants, rights investigators, told Worthy News late Wednesday. Among victims were reportedly five people who died when armed men of Fulani origin attacked Makyali village in the Kajuru Local Government Area of Kaduna state. One person was injured in Wednesday’s attack, added advocacy group Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) in a statement.
Op-Ed: H.R. 6666 a devil of a COVID-19 government surveillance plot
A House resolution from Illinois Democrat Rep. Bobby Rush that would put Big Government in charge of tracking citizens’ movements as they relate to COVID-19 mitigation efforts — even sending health bureaucrats to “individuals’ residences,” “as necessary,” as the legislation states — has a most apt number: 6666.
Illinois Churches Hold Services Against Governor’s Coronavirus Order
A number of churches in Illinois held in-person services on Sunday, against Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s COVID-19 orders limiting worship services to 10 people, Fox News reported. Several churches have filed suit claiming the Governor’s coronavirus orders are unconstitutional.
Italian Aid Worker Returns Home After 18 Months In Captivity
A young Italian woman arrived in Italy after 18 long months as a hostage in eastern Africa, where she had been an aid worker. Silvia Romano, 24, returned from Somalia late Sunday to a homeland still suffering from the coronavirus pandemic that authorities claim killed more than 30,000 Italians and devastated the economy.
Families turn to Christian streaming services during lockdown
US Christian streaming services have seen a substantial increase in viewers and membership as families have stayed home in COVID-19 lockdowns, the Christian Post reports.
Britain’s Johnson Warns Anxious Nation Most Lockdown Measures Remain
Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned Sunday that most coronavirus lockdown measures would remain until at least June 1, and he announced a “conditional plan” for reopening British society.
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.
White House: US Jobless Rate Could Hit 25% Amid COVID-19
The official U.S. unemployment rate linked to the coronavirus pandemic is already at 14.7%, but top White House officials said Sunday they expect it could reach 25% before the world’s biggest economy begins to improve.
Pompeo to discuss coronavirus, Iran with Netanyahu and Gantz
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, is slated to visit Israel on Wednesday, the State Department officially announced on Friday.
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.
World Red Cross Day Overshadowed By Pandemic Concerns
The World Red Cross Day celebrating the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement was overshadowed Friday by concerns that the coronavirus would spread to overcrowded refugee camps.
US Clinical Trial Launched to Assess Power of Prayer for COVID-19 Patients
A US clinical trial has been launched into whether multi-denominational prayer can help patients with COVID-19, the New York Post reports. Dr. Dhanunjaya Lakkireddy, a cardiologist at the Kansas City Heart Rhythm Institute, is leading a trial involving 1000 coronavirus patients who require intensive care because of the infection. The trial began on May 1 and is due to last four months.
Nearly 3.2 million new jobless claims across U.S. drives tally during outbreak to 33.5 million
Even as a handful of states have made tentative steps back to normalcy in recent days, new jobless claims continue to flood in across all 50 states, driving the number of unemployment claims to 33.5 million over the past seven weeks.
Federal Judge upholds California ban on church service gatherings
California Gov. Newsom’s executive order banning in-person church services during the COVID-19 pandemic has been upheld by a federal judge, the Washington Examiner reports. The Cross Culture Christian Center near Sacramento had filed a lawsuit stating the governor’s lockdown order violated their First Amendment right to free assembly.
Samaritan’s Purse among volunteer health workers required to pay New York income tax for helping during pandemic
Having been asked to come to New York City to help with the COVID-19 crisis, disaster relief organization Samaritan’s Purse (SP) has been told it must pay state taxes for the time it spent running its free-of-charge field hospital in Central Park.
Hungary Rejects Treaty On Violence Against Women
Rights group Amnesty International has condemned the Hungarian parliament’s rejection of an international treaty to combat violence against women amid a coronavirus pandemic. “This decision is extremely dangerous,” said David Vig, Amnesty’s Hungary director. “It comes at a time when reported domestic violence incidents in Hungary have doubled since the start of the [new coronavirus] COVID-19 lockdown” to halt the virus outbreak.
High Number of Background Checks for Firearms Purchase in April
The FBI recorded 2.9 million background checks for the purchase of firearms in the month of April, the Washington Examiner reported. Under US federal law, all gun distributors must run background checks with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives to ascertain buyers have no criminal record preventing them from owning a gun.