| |  |  | The Reuters Daily Briefing | Thursday, August 12, 2021 by Linda Noakes | Hello Here's what you need to know. U.S. employers get religion with vaccine mandates, Kabul could fall to the Taliban within 90 days, and Lionel Messi joins the crypto craze | | | | | Today's biggest stories  A woman attends a COVID-19 vaccination clinic in Los Angeles, August 11, 2021. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson U.S. As coronavirus infections rise again, U.S. companies mandating vaccinations are confronting an uncomfortable question rarely asked by an employer - what is an employee's religious belief?
Google's parent Alphabet, Walmart and Tyson Foods are among the growing list of employees requiring some or all staff to get the COVID-19 vaccine. But employers have to make reasonable accommodations for staff who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons or refuse vaccination because of "sincerely held religious beliefs," according to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
Hours after the U.S. Senate approved a $3.5 trillion budget blueprint chock-full of investments in new domestic programs, fissures emerged between the moderate and liberal wings of the Democratic Party over the size and scope of the spending. Senator Joe Manchin, who often acts as a bridge between his party and Republicans, voiced concerns about potentially "grave consequences" for the nation's debt as well as Washington's ability to respond to other potential crises.
The U.S. Census Bureau will release data today from the 2020 census that states will use to draw congressional and state legislative districts for the next decade, marking the start of what will be a fierce partisan battle over redistricting.
New York Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul distanced herself from Governor Andrew Cuomo who resigned after sexual harassment accusations, saying when she takes over no official who had behaved unethically would keep their job. Meanwhile, Cuomo's legal woes are far from over.
|  Taliban fighters stand guard at a check point in Farah, Afghanistan August 11, 2021 WORLD
Taliban fighters captured the city of Ghazni, the ninth provincial capital they have seized in a week, as U.S. intelligence said Afghanistan's capital, Kabul, a few hours drive away, could fall to the insurgents within 90 days. Here's a timeline of the Taliban's rapid advance across Afghanistan.
Russia has detained the head of a research facility that specializes in hypersonic technology in Moscow on suspicion of state treason, the TASS news agency cited a source as saying.
Extra Australian military personnel may be called in to ensure compliance with lockdown rules in Sydney, the New South Wales state government said, as the highly infectious Delta coronavirus variant spreads into regional areas. Meanwhile, COVID success story New Zealand said it plans to allow quarantine-free entry to vaccinated travelers from low-risk countries from early 2022 after nearly 18 months of isolation.
Polish lawmakers advanced a bill that the opposition says aims to silence a U.S.-owned news channel critical of the government, leading to a swift denunciation from the United States, one of Warsaw's most important allies.
| | | | | | | | | Video of the day  Wildfires rage across Algeria, Greece and Italy Exhausted Greek firefighters are still battling blazes amid sweltering temperatures that have also helped stoke wildfires in Algeria, where at least 65 people have died, and in southern Italy. | | | | And finally… Japanese athlete to get nibbled gold medal replaced  A member of Japan's gold medal-winning softball team will have her medal replaced with a fresh one after the mayor of her hometown chomped down on the original, following an outcry on social media. | | | Thanks for spending part of your day with us. | | | | | |
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