Child rape charges refiled against Mexican megachurch leader

LOS ANGELES (AP) — California on Wednesday charged the leader of a Mexican megachurch with child rape and human trafficking, months after a court dismissed the previous allegations because of prosecution errors.

Naasón Joaquín García, the self-proclaimed apostle of La Luz del Mundo, was charged with three dozen felony counts.

Also charged were Susana Medina Oaxaca and Alondra Ocampo.

Prosecutors contend the three committed sex crimes and also produced child pornography involving five women and girls who were church group members. The crimes took place between 2015 and 2018 in Los Angeles County, authorities said.

García is the spiritual leader of La Luz del Mundo, which is Spanish for “The Light Of The World.” The Guadalajara, Mexico-based evangelical Christian church was founded by his grandfather and claims 5 million followers worldwide.

https://www.heraldextra.com/news/national/child-rape-charges-refiled-against-mexican-megachurch-leader/article_f40cadf8-84a6-5fc0-b5e9-1990e69e45dc.html

US troops could soon be heading to Poland under new agreement

STUTTGART, Germany — The U.S. and Poland have agreed to a defense deal that will lead to more American troops deployed in the central European nation, a top U.S. diplomat said Friday.

The two countries have completed negotiations on a new Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, which “will implement the joint vision of our two presidents to enhance the U.S. military presence in Poland,” Washington’s ambassador to Poland Georgette Mosbacher wrote in a Twitter post.

Washington and Warsaw have been involved in lengthy talks over the plan to add U.S. troops and one of the key decisions was how much Poland would spend.

https://www.stripes.com/news/europe/us-troops-could-soon-be-heading-to-poland-under-new-agreement-1.639498

Chinese scientist arrested after seeking medical care

SAN FRANCISCO — A Chinese scientist charged with visa fraud after U.S. authorities said she concealed her military ties was arrested after she left the Chinese consulate in San Francisco to seek medical care for her asthma, court documents showed.

Juan Tang, who has a doctorate in cellular biology, entered the United States on Dec. 27, 2019, to work at the University of California, Davis as a visiting researcher in the Department of Radiation Oncology, Alexandra Negin, an assistant federal public defender, said in the filing Wednesday asking the court for her release on bail.

A hearing on whether Tang, 37, should be released on bail is scheduled Friday. She is being held at a Sacramento County jail on behalf of federal authorities after her arrest last week.

Tang and three other scientists living in the U.S., face charges of lying about their status as members of China’s People’s Liberation Army. All were charged with visa fraud, the Justice Department said.

https://www.stripes.com/news/us/chinese-scientist-arrested-after-seeking-medical-care-1.639484

US to pay US$2.1 billion to Sanofi, GSK, in COVID-19 vaccine deal

The U.S. government will pay US$2.1 billion to Sanofi SA and GlaxoSmithKline Plc for COVID-19 vaccines to cover 50 million people and to underwrite the drug makers' testing and manufacturing, the companies said on Friday.

REUTERS: The U.S. government will pay US$2.1 billion to Sanofi SA and GlaxoSmithKline Plc for COVID-19 vaccines to cover 50 million people and to underwrite the drug makers' testing and manufacturing, the companies said on Friday.

The award is the biggest yet from 'Operation Warp Speed', the White House initiative aimed at accelerating access to vaccines and treatments to fight COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus.

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/business/us-to-pay-us-2-1-billion-to-sanofigskin-covid-19-vaccine-deal-12980764