Mu COVID Variant, Which Scientists Fear is Resistant to Vaccines, Detected in 39 Countries
A new coronavirus strain has been declared a variant of interest by the World Health Organization (WHO) with mutations that may be resistant to vaccines.
News
Majority of companies plan to issue COVID vaccine mandate for employees
A new survey by advisory firm Willis Towers Watson shows that more than half of US companies are planning some kind of COVID-19 vaccine mandate for their employees by the end of the year, ABC News reports. The survey was carried out last month, amid the surge of the more contagious delta variant.
20 states sue Biden administration over gender identity-sexual orientation rules
Twenty states have filed suit against the Biden administration to block what they say are unconstitutional new laws on sex and gender discrimination in schools, Just the News (JN) reports. In January this year, President Biden issued an executive order to “prevent and combat discrimination on the basis of gender identity or sexual orientation.”
Diverse faith groups rally to help Afghan refugees
Diverse American faith groups, including Protestant and Catholic churches, Islamic organizations and Jewish agencies are helping Afghan refugees who were evacuated to the US after the Taliban took over Afghanistan last month, Just the News (JN) reports.
Israel opens China-operated Haifa port to boost regional trade links (Video)
Israel has opened a new shipping port along its Mediterranean coast that will bring much-needed competition to a sector plagued by delays and boost the country’s standing as a regional trade hub.
Nigeria Christians Mourn Scores Killed As Kidnappings Continue
Christians in central and northern Nigeria say they are mourning scores of fellow-believers killed in recent weeks by Islamic militants. They also remain concerned about ongoing kidnappings of Christian students, including in the nation’s troubled northeast, Worthy News learned.
EU removes Israel from safe travel list, backs travel restrictions
The European Union recommended Monday that its 27 nations reimpose restrictions on tourists from seven countries, including Israel, because of rising coronavirus infections there.
Journalists now stranded in Afghanistan
U.S.-friendly journalists are still in Afghanistan, left behind following the recent exodus of U.S. troops, support teams, and other personnel. The journalists left behind have worked under the umbrella of the U.S. Agency for Global Media — USAGM — an independent federal agency that oversees such global media entities as the Voice of America and Radio Free Europe.
McConnell dismisses GOP’s Biden impeachment chatter: ‘That’s not going to happen’
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on Wednesday dismissed the notion that President Biden would be impeached over the botched withdrawal from Afghanistan, arguing that a Democratic-controlled Congress would never allow it.
WHO tracking new ‘mu’ coronavirus variant
The agency added the mu variant to its list of “variants of interest” on Monday. The mu variant “has a constellation of mutations that indicate potential properties of immune escape,” the WHO said in its weekly bulletin.
Texas Senate passes $1.8 billion border security bill with funds for 700 miles of barriers
The Texas Senate passed a $1.8 billion border security bill that will allow Republican Gov. Greg Abbott to implement a plan to curb illegal immigration from Mexico and install more than 700 miles of border barrier.
Iran says nuclear talks won’t resume for 2-3 months
Stalled talks aimed at reviving Iran’s nuclear agreement with world powers will likely not resume for another two to three months, Tehran’s foreign ministry said Wednesday.
Afghanistan on verge of humanitarian ‘catastrophe,’ World Food Programme warns
One-third of Afghanistan is facing food insecurity amid the Taliban takeover, according to the United Nations’ World Food Programme (WFP).
Russia, Iran, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan to Hold Naval Drills
Russia’s Defense Ministry announced on Tuesday that it would hold naval drills in the Caspian Sea. The drill is scheduled for early September and would include small missile and artillery ships from Iran, Azerbaijan, and Kazakhstan, Reuters reported.
Strong winds push California wildfire closer to Lake Tahoe (Video)
Flames raced across treetops and through drought-stricken vegetation as firefighters scrambled Wednesday to keep a growing California wildfire from reaching a resort city at the southern tip of Lake Tahoe after evacuation orders were expanded to neighboring Nevada.
Algerian Christian refugee arrested and repatriated by Tunisia
Algerian Christian and refugee Sulieman Buhafss was arrested by Tunisian secret police on August 25, and sent back to Algeria over alleged involvement with the Movement for Self-Determination for the Kabylie (Le MAK), a political group designated by Algeria as a terror organization, Christian Worldwide Solidarity (CSW) reports. Le MAK is a group that aims to protect the rights of Algeria’s minority, mostly Sunni Muslim, Berber population.
UN Study: Weather Disasters Increased Fivefold in Last 50 Years
A new report released Wednesday by the United Nations indicates extreme weather events have increased fivefold over the past 50 years, while the number of fatalities related to those events has dropped.
Hurricane Ida: Millions without power in New Orleans and southern Louisiana amid high temperatures
Millions of residents of New Orleans and southern Louisiana struggling to cope without power after Hurricane Ida slammed into their region, may have to wait up to 30 days for electricity to be restored, Voice of America (VOA) reports.
U.S. Military Frustrated That They Left Behind Americans in Afghanistan
With the president and commander-in-Chief Joe Biden pressuring them to leave, U.S. military officials expressed outrage about the Army abandoning Americans in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan.
Iran persecution: Court reduces prison sentences of three Christians
A court in Iran has reduced the five-year prison sentences of three Iranian Christians who were appealing against their convictions for engaging in anti-Islamic propaganda, Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) reports. Amin Khaki, Milad Goudarzi, and Alireza Nourmohammadi each saw their prison sentence reduced to three years, although their overall appeal was denied.