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Move comes after murder of 22 people in worst mass shooting in Canada’s history Canada has banned assault-style weapons following the murder of 22 people in the worst mass shooting in the country’s history, Justin Trudeau announced on Friday. “These weapons were designed for one purpose and one purpose only: to kill the largest number of people in the shortest amount of time. There is no use and no place for such weapons in Canada,” said the prime minister. “Effective immediately, it is no longer permitted to buy, sell, transport, import or use military-grade assault weapons in this country.” ......................At...

Iraq’s revenues plummeted in April amid a historic oil price crash, the Oil Ministry said Friday, raising concerns over how the country will cope with severe financial shortfalls while struggling to contain the coronavirus pandemic. The crude-dependent economy earned just $1.4 billion in oil revenues last month, at an average price of $13.8 per barrel, according to data released by the ministry, a sixth of average figures from before the oil price crash... The figures provide the first tangible indication of the desperate circumstances facing Iraq as officials struggle to determine how to implement austerity measures — expected to be...

Classic from Rob Zombie. Enjoy.

As the coronavirus pandemic spreads across America, many of the nation’s governors find themselves in a political vise, squeezed between pressure to reopen local economies amid record unemployment and to keep citizens safe from a highly contagious disease. No region in the country has met the public health crisis with a wider range of responses than the Midwest, which is home to large rural swaths with fewer cases of the virus and major cities such as Detroit and Chicago that are among the hardest hit. As the U.S. tops 1 million people sickened by the virus and 61,000 deaths, differing...

These 5 extremely hyperactive kittens are playing and running like crazy and the mother cat is being very patient with them.

There’s good news and bizarre news for Christians who live in Knoxville, Tennessee. The government will allow you to return to your church house on May 1st, but there are a number of rules, regulations and hoops you will have to jump through to make that happen. City and county leaders released a lengthy list of guidelines for church members and pastors. Click here to read the full list. I was particularly curious about an edict from government leaders banning what we in the Baptist faith tradition call The Lord’s Supper. “The physical taking of communion/sacrament should not be performed...

UCLA is one of seven sites participating in a clinical trial investigating whether hydroxychloroquine, a commonly used anti-malarial and autoimmune drug, can prevent infection with COVID-19. The multi-site study led by the University of Washington in collaboration with six other university centers, is now enrolling 2,000 participants who are close contacts of persons who are confirmed or suspected to be infected with COVID-19. The aim is to determine whether hydroxychloroquine can prevent infection in people exposed to the virus. "There has been a lot of speculation as to whether hydroxychloroquine can treat or prevent COVID-19," said Dr. Raphael J. Landovitz,...

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Pope Francis moves the date of the annual Peter’s Pence Collection to 4 October, due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Below is a Vatican News translation of the full statement: “In view of the current health crisis, the Holy Father has decided that, for this year 2020, the Peter’s Pence Collection, which traditionally takes place around the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, on 29 June, will be transferred throughout the world to the XXVII Sunday of Ordinary Time, October 4, the day dedicated to St. Francis of Assisi.”

“Reopening … obviously is a few months away at a minimum,” the mayor said in response to a caller asking about small businesses and COVID-19 restrictions during an appearance on WNYC radio's “The Brian Lehrer Show.”

April 28, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) — France’s National Assembly approved Prime Minister Edouard Philippe’s presentation of a staggered deconfinement plan as of May 11 on Tuesday afternoon, despite major uncertainties, including the possibility that the end of lockdown will not take place if daily tallies of new COVID-19 cases are not reduced significantly by then. Recovery of civil liberties will probably move at a different pace according to the regions involved, Philippe warned. More importantly for Catholics in France, places of worship, including Catholic churches, will not be able to organize public Masses before June 2 at the earliest, the prime...

CNA Staff, Apr 29, 2020 / 03:30 pm MT (CNA).- New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio apologized on Wednesday afternoon, hours after sending a tweet that singled out “the Jewish community” while warning of consequences for groups if they violate social distancing orders during the coronavirus pandemic. "I regret if the way I say it in any way gave people a feeling of being treated the wrong way — it was not my intention," said de Blasio on Wednesday, referring to the past evening’s controversial tweet. De Blasio characterized his comments as “tough love.” The previous evening, the mayor...

Six members of the boards overseeing James City County, Williamsburg and York County are urging Gov. Ralph Northam to reopen the economy sooner rather than later. The six - three from James City, two from Williamsburg and one from York - pressed for a “phased reopening of businesses as soon as possible," contending in an April 24 letter to the governor that not doing so could cause some businesses to be forever lost. “We are very concerned that (the current expiration date of the governor’s shutdown orders) may put some of these closed businesses in jeopardy of never reopening,” they...

It worked on monkeys, so researchers at the University of Oxford have high hopes that their coronavirus vaccine will also work on humans. But they don’t expect preliminary results until the middle of June, John Bell, a regius professor of medicine at Oxford, told BBC Radio on Thursday. Human trials — the first in Europe for a vaccine — began April 23, following successful tests on rhesus macaque monkeys in late March. The results were so promising that British pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca agreed to partner with the Oxford team to help ramp up production of the hAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine once...

North Korean state-run media is reporting that Kim Jong Un made an appearance at a May Day celebration, which would be his first public appearance in about three weeks. "Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un Cuts Tape For Completion Of Sunchon Phosphatic Fertilizer Factory," the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported. KCNA says there was a "completion ceremony of the factory" on Friday, "the international holiday of the working people of the whole world." No pictures of the ceremony have yet emerged. CNN cannot independently confirm KCNA's reporting. Questions were raised about Kim's well-being after he missed the celebration of his...

I’ve known Joe Biden a number of years. He has always been straight forward and true to his word, so I accept his word.” Cuomo pointed out that “just in general, it’s a political time, people make accusations. They don’t need any basis for it.” “Anybody can say anything, and then if you’re in elected office you can defend it to the best you can,” the governor said. “But the ‘do you beat your wife? When did you stop beating your wife?’ You know those accusations, they’re just ugly, they can have no basis to them but you know people...

How long will it take to reach herd immunity to the coronavirus? A group of experts from the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP) has taken a look back at other pandemics over the past 300 years and concluded COVID-19 will probably be around for 18-24 more months. “I have said for a long time that when you are trying to understand how infectious disease is going to unfold, you should rely on history as well as models,” Lipsitch told CNN. For instance, pandemic infections don’t tend to die down in the summer, like seasonal flu does.,...

The White House is blocking Anthony S. Fauci from testifying before a House subcommittee investigating the coronavirus outbreak and response, arguing that it would be “counterproductive” for him to appear next week while in the midst of participating in the government’s responses to the pandemic. The White House issued a statement about Fauci’s testimony shortly after The Washington Post published a story Friday afternoon quoting a spokesman for the House Appropriations Committee, who said the White House was refusing to allow Fauci to appear at a subcommittee hearing next week. “While the Trump Administration continues its whole-of-government response to COVID-19,...

Protests against stay-at-home orders were held across the country on Friday, amid mounting frustration over the economic impact from the coronavirus pandemic. While the protests were widespread, with rallies scheduled to held in at least 10 states, many were sparsely attended, including one outside of the Capitol building in Albany, New York. Protesters there chanted "USA! USA!" as they flew American and "Don't Tread on Me" flags. Gov. Andrew Cuomo indicated he wasn't impressed with the size of the crowd — he noted there were "only a few dozen" while others issues in New York have drawn hundreds of protesters...

Southwest Airlines is joining other major carriers in requiring passengers and employees who interact with them to wear face masks. Starting Sunday, the Dallas-based airline’s employees who have contact with passengers will be required to don face coverings. Passengers will be required starting May 11. JetBlue started the trend April 27 when it said travelers would have to cover their noses and mouths during trips, beginning next week. Delta, Alaska, United and American quickly followed.