France Troops Kill Top al-Qaida leader in Mali
France said Friday its forces had killed the top leader of the al-Qaida terror group in Mali known for killing civilians, including many Christians.
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Hungary’s Orbán Orders Army To Enforce Rules Amid Controversy
Hungary’s authoritarian prime minister asked the army to help enforce a nightly curfew while introducing constitutional changes that critics said were meant to keep him in power. Viktor Orbán claimed the military was needed to maintain order during a coronavirus state of emergency that allows him to rule by decree.
Amnesty: ‘Massacre In Northern Ethiopia’
Rights group Amnesty International said Thursday that “scores and probably hundreds” of civilians have been massacred in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region. Witnesses blamed forces of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), which rules Tigray, for the bloodshed. They said the TPLF carried out the massacre after Ethiopia’s federal government troops defeated them in the Lugdi area.
Russia plans to have naval base in Sudan
Russia and Sudan have drafted a bilateral agreement that would allow for a Russian naval logistics base in Sudan, Radio Free Europe reported Thursday. The Sudanese are top importers of Russian arms in Africa, and Russia has economic and geopolitical interests in oil and minerals-rich Sudan.
Iran reportedly has 12 times more low-enriched uranium than allowed under nuclear deal
The Islamic Republic of Iran has about 12 times the quantity of low-enriched uranium as allowed under the 2015 nuclear deal, noted the United Nations atomic agency in a report, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Chinese ‘cartels’ quietly operating in Mexico, aiding US drug crisis
From nondescript buildings in the industrial nucleus of Wuhan, across wavy seas to dusty tented super laboratories in the heart of Mexico, and then across the jagged southwest border and dispersing like a wild bomb ripping through every crevice of the United States, the growing presence of Chinese drug lords and cartels below the southern border is one that is killing an unprecedented amount of Americans.
Key Al-Qaida Leader Killed in Western Afghanistan
Authorities in Afghanistan said Tuesday an intelligence-led security operation had killed a key al-Qaida leader in a western region close to the Iranian border.
France’s Macron Calls on EU Leaders to Work Together to Fight Islamist Terror
French President Emmanuel Macron hosted a virtual mini-summit on Tuesday in a bid to win broader European support for hardening borders in the wake of several Islamist terror attacks.
Lebanese society and Christian community endangered by Hezbollah and regional actors
The head of a leading Christian advocacy group has urgently called for political reform that would protect Lebanese society – and its Christian community – from power-hungry actors like the leaders of Turkey, Iran, and Saudi Arabia, Real Clear Religion (RCR) reports.
Hungary Bans Gay Adoptions In Constitution To Protect ‘Order of Creation’
Hungary’s government has proposed a constitutional amendment defending “the order of Creation” that would require children to be raised according to Christian principles and bans adoption by same-sex couples.
Russian Peacekeepers Arrive In Nagorno-Karabakh
Hundreds of Russian peacekeeping troops have arrived in the contested enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh, after Russia brokered a peace deal between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Russia Brokers Peace Deal to Stop Caucacus Conflict; Will Deploy Peacekeepers
Russia has brokered a peace deal between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region, ending a six-week war between the two former Soviet republics that has killed and displaced thousands.
Hungary Introduces Corona Restrictions Amid Standoff With EU
Hungary’s controversial prime minister has introduced a nationwide curfew and other strict measures to halt the coronavirus pandemic citing a massive increase in deaths and hospitalizations across Europe.
Post-Brexit trade deal: UK and EU resume grid-locked negotiations
Stalled post-Brexit trade deal talks have resumed once again as British and European Union negotiators convened in London Monday, the Washington Times reports. Recent talks in Brussels left the two sides still far apart on the way forward following the UK’s official departure from the EU trading bloc in January. The parties have until December 31 to agree a trade deal before the post-Brexit transition period comes to an end. Hundreds of thousands of jobs on both sides may be lost in the event of a “no-deal Brexit.”
US to sell 50 F-35 stealth jets to UAE in $23 billion deal
The Trump administration formally notified Congress on Tuesday that it plans to sell 50 stealth F-35 fighter jets to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as part of a broader arms deal aimed at deterring potential threats from Iran despite concern in Israel.
US sanctions leading Christian political ally of Hezbollah
The Trump administration announced Friday that it has placed sanctions on Lebanon’s ex-foreign minister, a key Christian parliamentary ally of the Lebanese Iran-backed group Hezbollah, PBS reports. The sanctions were placed on current lawmaker Gebran Bassil, who is a son-in-law of President Michel Aoun and head of the largest political bloc in Lebanon’s parliament.
Iran, China set to question US over human rights record at UN
The United States is facing its first review in five years at the UN’s main human rights body, with the detentions of migrant children and the killings of unarmed Black people during the Trump administration’s tenure among issues high on minds.
In Europe, Calls Grow Louder for United Front Against ‘Political Islam’
Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz is urging fellow European leaders to form a common front against what some leaders call “political Islam.”
Over 1,600 African Migrants Cross Sea To Spain as Europe Braces for Influx
Europe was bracing for another influx of people fleeing war and persecution, and poverty as over 1,600 African migrants were reportedly rescued at sea or reached Spain’s Canary Islands over the weekend.
Election Riots Rock Ex-Soviet Nation Georgia Over Alleged Fraud
Anger over an election moved far beyond U.S. borders Sunday with police in the former Soviet Republic of Georgia, firing tear gas and water cannon at crowds protesting the results of last week’s parliamentary vote.