President Trump on Friday announced that new Centers for Disease Control guidance will classify houses of worship as “essential,” as he called on governors to allow them to open “right now” after being closed during the coronavirus lockdowns. Trump announced the policy for churches, synagogues and mosques, during a short briefing at the White House. “The governors need to do the right thing and allow these very important essential places of faith to open right now–for this weekend,” Trump said. “If they don’t do it I will override the governors.” “In America, we need more prayer not less,” Trump said.

A passenger plane with 107 people on board crashed in a crowded neighborhood on the edge of the international airport near Pakistan’s southern port city of Karachi on Friday after what appeared to be an engine failure during landing. Mayor Wasim Akhtar said at least five or six houses were destroyed in the crash of the domestic flight operated by Pakistan International Airlines. He said all those on board died, but two civil aviation officials later said that at least two people survived the crash. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief media. Local TV stations reported that three people sitting in the front row of the aircraft survived and aired footage of a man on a stretcher they identified as Zafar Masood, the head of the Bank of Punjab.

Over 3,400 Muslim teenagers and children stood in line this week in Nigeria to receive food boxes from Chabad shlichim for the holiday of Ramadan, COL reported. “It’s a sign of co-existence and mutual respect,” one of the shlichim explained to COL. According to the Collive website, this is not the first time that Chabad has helped impoverished residents of Nigeria. Rabbi Israel and Haya Uzan, co-directors of Chabad of Nigeria have established many humanitarian projects in Nigeria since establishing their Chabad House in 2013, including an eyeglass-distribution program, programs for children with special needs, technology classes for locals and assisting local orphanages.

It could be days before the full scope of damage from flooding in Central Michigan that submerged houses, washed out roads and threatened a Superfund site is apparent, authorities warned Thursday, as Gov. Gretchen Whitmer expressed hope the president will soon sign a federal emergency declaration. Some of the floodwaters from heavy rains that overtook two dams retreated, but much remained underwater, including in Midland, the headquarters of Dow Chemical Co. And floodwaters continued to threaten downstream communities. “The damage is truly devastating to see how high the water levels are, to see roofs barely visible in parts of Midland, and to see a lake that has been drained in another part,” said Whitmer, who toured Midland County on Wednesday.

One person was injured in a partial collapse of a building under construction in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn. It happened at around 8:00PM at 376 Flushing Ave near Franklin Ave. Sources tell YWN that the collapse involved freshly poured concrete. Dozens of emergency personnel from the FDNY and NYPD responded. One civilian with moderate injuries has been transported to a local hospital. All other construction workers are accounted for. The NYPD says that Flushing Avenue from Kent Avenue to Franklin Avenue is closed. The Building Department is on the scene investigating. STAY UPDATED WITH BREAKING UPDATES FROM YWN VIA WHATSAPP – SIGN UP NOW Just click on this link, and you will be placed into a group. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

The home of HaRav Yechezkel Auerbach, the Rov and Rosh Kollel of Ohr Sameach in Johannesburg, was totally destroyed in a fire on Thursday night. Bichsdei Hashem there are no injuries reported. A large number of firefighters were on the scene for hours attempting to put the fire out. Video footage submitted to YWN from eyewitnesses shows that the home was totally destroyed. STAY UPDATED WITH BREAKING UPDATES FROM YWN VIA WHATSAPP – SIGN UP NOW Just click on this link, and you will be placed into a group. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

NY Governor Cuomo, during a daily coronavirus task force briefing in Manhattan, said a syndrome that is similar to Kawasaki disease that has afflicted 157 children across the state has made his administration hesitate to make a decision on reopening summer day camps for children. A decision on schools, he added, will not be made until well into the summer months. “Should I send my children to day camp? Is it safe? Until we have this answer on this pediatric syndrome; as a parent, until I know how widespread this is, as a parent I would not send my children to day camp,” he said. “They’re still exploring this. So, make a decision on the facts.

Has Michael Cohen become Frum in prison? Video and photos from his return home sure make it seem that way. Footage shows his Tallis and Tefillin bag being brought into his home upon his early release from prison. Additionally, a “Kedem Grape Juice” box was taken out of the vehicle with the words “Michael Cohen Legal Documents” on it. LOOK AT THE FOOTAGE BELOW: STAY UPDATED WITH BREAKING UPDATES FROM YWN VIA WHATSAPP – SIGN UP NOW Just click on this link, and you will be placed into a group. Wearing a surgical mask and a baseball cap, Cohen arrived at his Manhattan apartment building at around 10:40 a.m. after his release from FCI Otisville in New York. He removed boxes of legal documents from the trunk of a car.

Hundreds if not thousands of Israeli websites were hacked in a cyberattack on Thursday, the National Cyber Directorate stated. The websites’ homepages were replaced with an anti-Israel video and the ominous (but poorly translated) message of: “The countdown of Israel destruction has begun since a long time ago,” in Hebrew and English. The anti-Israel video was also uploaded to YouTube with the statement: “An universal mission completed. It is done in order to support resistance and freedom of palestine.” “Hackers_Of_Savior” was named on the bottom of the page as the group responsible for the attack. The National Cyber Directorate said that it warned last week that Iran may perpetuate a cyberattack to mark al-Quds Day.

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