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China’s health ministry says the virus epicenter of Wuhan and its surrounding Hubei province have reported no new cases. 
  
The ministry said Thursday that results over the past 24 hours showed 34 new cases, all detected in people arriving from abroad.
  
Eight new deaths were reported, all in Wuhan. 
  
Wuhan at the peak reported thousands of new cases of coronavirus infection daily, overwhelming its health care system.
  
Of those new cases of infection, 21 were in Beijing, nine in the southern manufacturing powerhouse of Guangdong, two in Shanghai and one each in coastal Zhejiang and Heilongjing in the far northeast. 
  
China has only just begun loosening draconian travel restrictions within the country, but has stepped-up 14-day quarantine regulations on those arriving in Beijing, Shanghai and elsewhere from overseas, amid expectations of a new influx of students and others returning home. 
  
China has now recorded a total of 80,928 confirmed virus cases with 3,245 deaths. Another 70,420 people have been released from hospital and 7,263 remain in treatment.
  

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A Canadian father who has been unsuccessful in blocking his 15-year-old daughter from receiving hormone treatments to become a transgender boy is now facing jail time for talking to the media about the case, a move that could also land an independent journalist behind bars as well.

LifeSiteNews reported the action came after journalist Laura Lynn Tyler Thompson, a Christian broadcaster from Vancouver, posted an interview she did with the dad, known only as “CD” in court papers.

A judge had earlier issued a gag order forbidding the publication of any information that could identify any parties to the case, such as the teen, parents and several medical experts involved in the lawsuit, including a psychologist and a pediatric endocrinologist. Thompson ultimately removed the video, but copies are still available on several sites.

The dad filed suit last year trying to stop doctors from injecting his then 14-year-old girl with testosterone. During those court sessions, CD argued against the treatments saying his daughter suffered from emotional distress and depression since her parents’ 2013 separation. He added she was not mature enough to understand the long-term ramifications of the hormones treatments and had been unduly influenced by transgender activists.

On Tuesday, British Columbia Supreme Court justice Michael Tammen referred the matter to the province’s attorney general to consider prosecuting the two for criminal contempt of court. During the March 9 and 10 court hearings, attorneys for the teen acknowledged they were not acting under the direction of their client in their pursuit of criminal charges against the father.

A second journalist, Dan Dicks of Press for Truth, also posted an interview with the CD, but it is not yet known what action the court might take in that incident.

“It’s judicial activism, weaponizing the court to achieve a political agenda,” Kari Simpson of Culture Guard told LifeSiteNews. “The public has lost confidence not only in the rule of law but the administration of justice.”

Culture Guard, a pro-family activist organization, was earlier involved with the case.

Source: Christian Headlines

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Senators from across the country have sent a letter to the government of India demanding the release of a Tennessee pastor who has been detained in the country since October of last year.

“We write to bring your attention to the case of Bryan Kevin Nerren Sr. of Shelbyville, Tennessee. We are immediately concerned with the health of the Nerren family, including Mr. Nerren’s daughter with special needs, who has been hospitalized with pneumonia as Mr. Nerren remains in India without a clear point of return,” said the letter, written by Sens. James Lankdford, R-Okla. and Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., and Reps. Scott DesJarlais, R-Tenn., and Jody Hice, R-Ga, The Christian Post reports.

The trouble began for Pastor Nerren, who leads the International House of Prayer Ministries in Shelbyville, after he was questioned by Indian authorities for carrying about $40,000 in cash while traveling. Nerren explained that the money was to pay for his two-week stay, which included attendance to two conferences for 13 other ministers.

Officials released him after an hour of questioning, stating that he was free to fly. However, upon his arrival in Bagdogra, police arrested him for violating the Foreign Exchange Management Act because he did not have the correct form signed, despite officials in New Delhi never giving him the form.

After a hearing, India offered to let Nerren go if he compounded his offense and paid $7,000. Nerren agreed and followed through with the offer. However, the government has continued to keep him trapped in the country.

“[Nerren] has completed all of [the] required actions,” the letter stated. “However, Customs is now requiring the submission of a waiver of forfeiture for the money lost, a request that was not included in the original conditions—and to our knowledge is not required by Indian law.”

Source: Christian Headlines

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Since we can all use some encouragement these days, we’ll begin this morning with Rita Wilson’s “Quarantunes.”

As you know, she and her husband, Tom Hanks, are in isolation after testing positive for coronavirus. To help pass the time, she has made a playlist for those dealing with social distancing. Her song choices include “All By Myself,” “Lonely People,” “So Far Away,” and “Right Here Waiting.” But it also includes “I Will Survive” and “Amazing Grace.”

In other news, the CDC announced last night that it is advising against gatherings of fifty people or more for the next eight weeks. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo stated that New York City’s public school system will be shutting down this week. Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders engaged in a presidential debate last night without a live audience. And churches across the country held worship services online rather than in person.

These are all responses to social distancing, an imperative that is more urgent than ever.

According to the nation’s top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, we need a “dramatic” reduction in social activity to fight the spread of coronavirus. He warned yesterday that America’s death toll from the disease depends on our response.

As statistical models show, the sooner we take steps to end public gatherings, close workplaces and some schools, engage in mass testing, and fortify hospitals, the better. Without such intervention, one model predicts that a third of Americans—more than one hundred million people—could become infected and one million could die.

Tragically, crises such as this can bring out the worst in humanity. A woman at an Australian supermarket allegedly knifed a man in a confrontation over toilet paper. A student of Chinese ethnicity was beaten on the streets of London and left with a fractured face. Protesters welcomed returning cruise passengers (none of whom was infected) by hurling abuse and rocks at them.

But crisis can also bring out our best. Rudy Gobert, the first NBA player to test positive for coronavirus, and other players are donating money to those affected by the league’s suspension of play. Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban is doing the same. Sports stars in South Korea are giving to relief efforts.

One of the ways God wants to redeem this crisis is by showing us how much we need him. But the Lord also wants to redeem it by showing us how much we need each other.

It is difficult to make sacrifices that don’t seem necessary at the time. If America were Italy and huge numbers of us were sick and dying, we would obviously see the need for social distancing and other sacrifices for the common good. However, to keep their experience from becoming ours, we must act as if it were.

The key is to reframe personal sacrifice as service to others.

According to the CDC, older adults and people with chronic medical conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, and lung disease are at higher risk from COVID-19. Data from China showed a mortality rate among those with cardiovascular disease of 10.5 percent; for those with no underlying conditions, it was 0.9 percent. For those under fifty years of age, the death rate was 0.4 percent or less; for those over eighty years of age, it was 14.8 percent.

This means that social distancing is not just to keep you from becoming infected—it is to keep you from infecting others, especially those at greater risk from the disease.

Think of your parents or grandparents. Imagine them not getting medical care because you became infected and took the hospital bed or respirator they needed. You would never willingly do this, of course. It would not be a sacrifice to do whatever you could to give them what they need.

Source: Christian Headlines

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