Troops find religious exemption for vaccines unattainable
More than 12,000 military service members refusing the COVID-19 vaccine are seeking religious exemptions, and so far they are having zero success.
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Rockets fired toward US Embassy in Baghdad; one shot down, other misses
Two rockets were fired in the direction of the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad on Saturday, with one of them shot down by the U.S. military and the other missing the embassy compound, Fox News has confirmed.
6th Kid Dies In Australia’s Castle Tragedy; Two Children Dead In Plane Crash
Australia was confronted Sunday with the aftermath of two deadly accidents involving children, including a jumping castle accident and a small plane crash.
Netherlands In Tough Lockdown As Europe Struggles With Omicron
The Netherlands’ government announced Europe’s toughest Christmas season lockdown Saturday as nations across the continent tried to halt massive COVID-19 infections spurred by the Omicron variant.
American Missionaries Released In Haiti Return To US
The remaining members of a U.S. Christian missionary group abducted in Haiti in October has been released and returned to the United States, their boss confirmed.
North Korea Executes 7 For Watching South Korean Videos; Christians Concerned (Worthy News In-Depth)
North Korea executed at least seven people for “watching or distributing South Korean videos,” including popular music, known as K-pop, according to a report obtained by Worthy News.
Iran Says IAEA Won’t See Images From Reinstalled Cameras At Nuclear Site Until Sanctions Are Lifted
One day after Iran agreed to reinstall surveillance cameras at one of its nuclear facilities, a spokesman for the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran said that the UN’s atomic watchdog will not be able to examine images from the cameras until sanctions are lifted.
FDA broadens access to abortion pills
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Thursday expanded access to the abortion pill mifepristone, allowing patients to obtain it by mail instead of requiring in-person visits with specific health care providers.
‘We Glorify God for Answered Prayer!’ All Missionary Hostages Finally Freed in Haiti
The remaining members of a U.S. Christian missionary group abducted in Haiti in October have been released, their group and authorities confirmed late Thursday.
CA Church Still in Court After County Slapped Them with $2.8M in COVID Fines
Santa Clara County, California is still defying a U.S. Supreme Court ruling, targeting a San Jose church and its pastor with massive fines for holding church services in 2020 during the pandemic.
U.S. imposes sanctions against China over abuse of Uyghurs
The Biden administration said Thursday it is imposing new sanctions on several Chinese biotech and surveillance companies and government entities for actions in Xinjiang province, the latest step against Beijing over human rights abuses of Uyghur Muslims in the country’s western region.
Army says nearly 98% got the COVID-19 vaccine by deadline
Nearly 98% of the active duty Army had gotten at least one dose of the mandatory COVID-19 vaccine as of this week’s deadline for the shots, but more than 3,800 soldiers flatly refused and could start being removed from the military next month, officials said Thursday.
Iranian Newspaper Publishes Map of Israel Dotted With Presumed Missile Targets
At a time of tension over troubled talks about Iran’s nuclear program, a pro-regime newspaper on Wednesday published a map of Israel covered in markers – presumably meant to symbolize missile targets – and a warning that Iran is “more than capable of hitting them [Israelis] from anywhere.”
IMF Warns of Interest Rate Risks as Global Debt Surges to Record $226 Trillion
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has warned of interest rate risks with regard to the growing mountain of global debt, which jumped to a record $226 trillion in 2020 as governments unleashed unprecedented waves of stimulus spending to blunt the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic recession.
New Report Details North Korea Regime Starves, Tortures Christians
A new report by human rights organization Korea Future attests that the North Korean communist regime uses imprisonment, torture, and starvation to persecute Christians, Christian Today (CT) reports. North Korea ranks one on the US Open Doors Watch List 2021 of the top 50 countries where Christians are persecuted.
Mozambique: Many of 600 women and girls abducted and enslaved by ISIS-affiliate are still missing
A terrorist group linked to Islamic State (ISIS) has abducted and enslaved over 600 women and girls in Mozambique’s northern Cabo Delgado province since 2018, and many of the abductees are still missing, Human Rights Watch (HRW) reports.
FDA may allow abortion pill to be sent through the mail instead of administered in person
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Thursday, December 16 faces a deadline by which it must finish a review that could result in permanently easing restrictions on the abortion pill mifepristone, allowing doctors to send the drug by mail instead of administering it to women in person, NPR reports.
Missionaries Urge Prayers As Haiti’s Petrol Blast Kills 75
Christian missionaries appealed for prayers as the death toll of northern Haiti’s petrol tanker explosion rose to at least 75 people.
Five Kids Die In Australia’ Jump Castle Tragedy
Five children have died, and three others are in a critical condition after strong winds picked up the inflatable jumping castle they were playing on in Australia’s island state of Tasmania, authorities say.
Russia’s Putin Goes To China’s Winter Games Despite Genocide Reports
Russian president Vladimir Putin has pledged to attend the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing as he seeks closer ties with China at a time tensions with the West.