World News

Pope Francis has expressed his closeness to what he said are “our brothers and sisters suffering due to war,” including the people of Ukraine which faced a turbulent Christmas, with Russian shelling and drone attacks reportedly claiming the lives of at least four people. The leader of more than a billion Catholics, who has been involved in peace diplomacy with both nations, but there was no evidence Sunday his efforts had been successful.

Iran has denied U.S. allegations that it is involved in planning attacks by Yemen’s Tehran-aligned Houthi movement on commercial vessels in the Red Sea.

The Czech Republic plunged into a day of national mourning Saturday after a student killed 14 people and wounded 25 others at his Prague university in the worst mass shooting in the country’s, and Europe’s, recent history.

China’s battle with the West over control of the world’s critical minerals rapidly escalated Friday after the Communist nation banned the export of production technology for rare earth metals.

Britain’s High Court of Justice has ruled it is lawful to criminalize pro-life activity, including silent prayer vigils, inside a designated exclusion zone around an abortion clinic, the UK Christian Concern organization said in a press release.The ruling was handed down by Lord Justice Warby and Justice Thornton on Dec. 15, 2023.

American warships faced possible attacks Friday after Yemen’s Houthis warned they would strike U.S. warships if Washington targeted the Iranian-backed militia.

A year after he received standing ovations in Western capitals from Washington to London, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy looked beleaguered.

Ukraine continues to require international support to fight Russia’s invasion and has now received the last 1.5 billion euro ($1.65 billion) tranche from the 18 billion package from the European Union for 2023, Reuters reports. Receipt of the final EU tranche was announced Thursday Dec. 21 by Ukraine’s Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal.

At least 15 people were killed and about 30 others injured in a shooting on Thursday at Charles University in central Prague, Czech police and other sources said.

The death toll from the volcanic eruption on Indonesia’s Mount Marapi that caught dozens of climbers by surprise this month has risen to 24 after a teenage girl, who became a symbol of determination and hope, lost her life.

Turkey’s president wrapped up his visit to Hungary with a warning to Israel to end its “ongoing massacre” in Gaza, while not mentioning the Hamas atrocities in the Jewish nation that killed 1,200 people.

Communist-run China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is rolling out brain-influencing weapons and advanced psychological warfare in “a major shift in military strategy,” according to a new report obtained by Worthy News.

An appeals court in Suriname on Wednesday upheld the conviction of former President Desi Bouterse and sentenced him to 20 years in prison for his role in the execution of 15 people in the former Dutch colony in December 1982.

The death toll from China’s worst earthquake in nine years rose to 131 early Wednesday, with some 1,000 people injured, officials said.

On Tuesday, North Korea published new footage of its recent intercontinental ballistic missile launch amid calls to speed up the creation of an Indo-Pacific version of the NATO military alliance.

Iran faced accusations from Western Powers of developing and testing ballistic missiles, sending hundreds of drones to Russia for use in its war with Ukraine, and enriching uranium to a 60 percent level unprecedented for a country without a declared nuclear weapons program. Each of these violates a UN resolution, the Associated Press reported.

Jordan’s King Abdullah welcomed Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El Sisi’s re-election Tuesday at a time when both nations face war in their neighborhood.

On Monday, the United States announced the formation of a 10-nation coalition creating a new force aimed at suppressing missile and drone attacks from Iranian-backed Houthi rebels on vessels navigating the Red Sea. This “multinational security initiative” includes participation from Britain, France, Bahrain, and Italy among other countries.

The head of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Party warned the Pentagon in a letter about the necessity of establishing a more robust deterrent to avert war.  He emphasized the importance of innovative, “out of the box” strategies in arming the Taiwanese military to address the imminent threats posed by the Chinese government to the island.

In a controversial move upsetting conservative clergy, Pope Francis has formally approved allowing priests to bless same-sex couples.