Trump bans dealings with Chinese owners of TikTok, WeChat
US President Donald Trump on Thursday ordered an unspecified ban on “transactions” with the Chinese owners of the consumer apps TikTok and WeChat.
World News
Hundreds of Thousands of Homeless After Blast Devastates Beirut
Hundreds of thousands of people, including many Christians were homeless in Beirut on Wednesday after an explosion killed at least 135 people and injured 5,000 others.
Dozens Injured As France Battles Blaze Amid Pandemic
France faced two battles Wednesday with firefighters struggling to contain wildfires and authorities warning of a new wave of coronavirus infections.
US Action Against IS Financier Shows Jihadists’ Cash Flow Continues from Turkey
The U.S. designation last week of a new Turkey-based member of the notorious Rawi Network for allegedly facilitating money transfers to the Islamic State (IS) in Syria has raised fresh concerns among observers that jihadists continue to use Turkey to fund their activities in Syria.
Lebanon Mourns As Blasts Kills Dozens, Injures Thousands
Lebanon’s prime minister has declared a national day of mourning after his nation’s worst explosion in years devastated Beirut killing scores of people and injuring thousands.
US Troop Size in Afghanistan Will Reduce to 4,000 ‘Very Soon’, Trump Says
U.S. President Donald Trump has said the U.S. military presence in Afghanistan will be reduced to “anywhere from 4,000 to 5,000” troops by November this year.
North Korea has ‘probably’ developed nuclear devices to fit ballistic missiles, U.N. report says
North Korea is pressing on with its nuclear weapons program and several countries believe it has “probably developed miniaturized nuclear devices to fit into the warheads of its ballistic missiles,” according to a confidential U.N. report.
Locust Swarms Invade Southern Russia, Cause Colossal Damage
Locust swarms have invaded Russia’s southern regions causing colossal damage to the local agriculture.
Europeans Struggling With Heatwave and Coronavirus Lockdowns
Despite the coronavirus pandemic, millions of Europeans are crowding beaches and other areas amid a massive heatwave. That has added to deaths at sea, including in the Netherlands.
Europe’s Economies Plunging Into Coronavirus Recession
The European Union’s statistics agency has reported the most significant economic falls within the 27-nation bloc since it began recording the figures 25 years ago.
Eurozone suffers 40.3% annualized contraction, greatest drop on record
The Eurozone suffered its greatest contraction on record, exceeding the U.S. economy’s record plunge.
Pompeo warns TikTok users’ personal info could be going ‘directly to the Chinese Communist Party’
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo supported President Trump’s proposed ban of social media phenomenon TikTok, explaining to Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures” just how use of the app exposes Americans to having their personal information sent straight to the Chinese government.
US to Have Permanent Troop Presence in Poland as Defense Pact Agreed
The United States will establish a permanent military presence in Poland as it deploys around 1,000 additional U.S. troops there, Poland‘s Defense Ministry said on Friday.
Revolutionary microchip hailed as ‘generational’ breakthrough that will upend defense tech
An energy-efficient microchip under development combines different types of processors into one chip and is expected to revolutionize commercial and defense technology, the advanced semiconductor’s inventor says.
Hurricane Isaias moving toward the Bahamas
A powerful storm bearing down on the Bahamas was officially declared a hurricane late Thursday night, after it caused power outage and downpours in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, Fox News reports. The US National Hurricane Center declared Isaias a Category 1 hurricane when it reached maximum sustained winds of 80 mph.
As China, Cuba, Saudis Line Up For UN Human Rights Council Seats, Democrats Want to Rejoin Too
At a time when the Chinese Communist Party is eyeing another three-year term on the U.N. Human Rights Council, a pledge in the Democratic Party’s draft 2020 platform for the U.S. to return to a body plagued by the presence of rights-abusing regimes is drawing some criticism.
US is ‘Satan,’ Israel is its ‘Chained Dog,’ But Twitter Gives Ayatollah’s Tweets a Pass
Iran’s supreme leader, in a tweet Wednesday that was not flagged, restricted, or blocked by Twitter, called the United States “Satan” and labeled Israel America’s “chained dog,” drawing fresh attention to questions about the platform’s content policies.
Space Force on alert: Behind Russia’s mysterious testing of deadly anti-satellite weapons in orbit
Last week, the head of the U.S.’s newest military branch, the Space Force, cautioned publicly for the first time that Moscow had undertaken at least two concerning anti-satellite weapon tests in recent months, in a potential bid to develop on-orbit efficiency that could dangerously hinder the U.S.’s heavy dependency on space-based systems.
Iran fires ballistic missiles from underground for 1st time, during major drill
Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard launched underground ballistic missiles for the first time, as part of an exercise involving a mock-up aircraft carrier in the Strait of Hormuz, state television reported Wednesday.
Russia and China in Talks About Building a Joint Moon Research Base
Looking to strengthen its space cooperation with China amid heightened geopolitical tensions with the United States, Russia is in talks with Beijing about the possibility of building a joint lunar research base.