Don’t discriminate against the unvaccinated, Amnesty International tells Italy
Milan, ItalyReuters Human rights group Amnesty International urged Italy to change tough anti-COVID restrictions to avoid discrimination against unvaccinated people. In a recent decree Mario Draghi’s government made vaccination mandatory for everyone over the age of 50 and for use of public transport and a range of other services, one of very few countries to […]
Thousands march against COVID restrictions in north-west Europe
Reuters Tens of thousands of protesters marched through several north-west European cities on Saturday to demonstrate against coronavirus restrictions imposed amid a surge in infections. Austria last month became the first country in Western Europe to reimpose a lockdown, which is set to last 20 days, and said it would make vaccinations mandatory from February. […]
Ireland’s Catholic church, government clash over COVID-19 restrictions
Dublin, IrelandReuters Five Roman Catholic bishops from Ireland’s 22 dioceses are set to defy COVID-19 restrictions after instructing local parishes to hold communion and confirmation services this month, drawing a sharp rebuke from the government, which have pleaded with them to wait until they consider further easing curbs later this month. Ireland has been gradually […]
US Supreme Court declines to hear church’s attack on COVID restrictions
Washington DC, USAP The US Supreme Court declined Monday to hear a lawsuit by a Maine church that sought to take a preemptive strike against future restrictions associated with a variant of the virus that’s spreading across the country. Calvary Chapel in Orrington asked the US Supreme Court to stop Democratic Governor Janet Mills from […]
Malaysian opposition march on parliament, demand PM resigns
Kuala Lumpur, MalaysiaReuters Malaysia’s opposition lawmakers tried to march on the country’s parliament building on Monday to demand the resignation of Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, after the premier deferred a parliamentary sitting amidst political turmoil. Muhyiddin cited the detection of COVID-19 infections for postponing the final parliamentary session scheduled for Monday, but the opposition called […]
PM Johnson pleads for caution as ‘Freedom Day’ arrives in England
London, UKReuters Prime Minister Boris Johnson ends more than a year of COVID-19 lockdown restrictions in England on Monday, urging the public to remain cautious but putting his faith in vaccines to protect the country even as infections are surging. On what local media have dubbed “Freedom Day”, Johnson’s decision to lift regulations in favour […]
In the US, California to pay $US2 million in church legal fees over virus closures
Los Angeles, US AP The state of California has agreed not to impose greater coronavirus restrictions on church gatherings than it does on retail establishments in a pair of settlements that provide more than $US2 million in fees to lawyers who challenged the rules as a violation of religious freedom. A deal approved Tuesday by […]
California lifts COVID-19 limits on indoor worship services
Los Angeles, USAP California on Monday lifted its limits on indoor worship services in the face of US Supreme Court rulings that struck down the coronavirus public health mandates. However, the state Department of Public Health guidelines still said indoor gatherings were “strongly discouraged” and advised limiting the numbers to 25 per cent of a […]
US appeals court rules againt Nevada cap on church attendance
Reno, Nevada, USAP A US appeals court agreed Tuesday with two Nevada churches that have argued for months that the state’s COVID-19 restrictions are unconstitutional because they place harsher attendance limits on religious gatherings than casinos and other secular businesses. The 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals reversed earlier federal court rulings that upheld Nevada’s […]
Christian musician Sean Feucht holds defiant “worship protest” in US city of Seattle after concert was banned
Seattle, USRNS A battle of wills between a California musician known for a series of open-air Christian worship concerts around the country and the city of Seattle, which denied him a park venue for a Labor Day concert, ended with a two-hour “worship protest” being held one block north of the park. A group of […]