October federal deficit is a record high
The federal budget deficit last month was $284 billion, the highest for any October, the Treasury Department reported Thursday.
News
Acting Secretary of Defense: ‘We are not a people of perpetual war’
Acting Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller in a letter Friday to the Defense Department stated that the end America’s nearly two-decade-long war with Al Qaeda is close, and that the U.S. is looking to “transition our efforts from a leadership to supporting role” in that conflict.
Iran to Block Inspectors at Nuclear Sites
Iran will reduce the access international nuclear inspectors have to its sites following a new watchdog report indicating Tehran is stockpiling more than 12 times the amount of enriched uranium allowed under the 2015 nuclear agreement.
Are Israel and the US planning to attack Iran?
The speculation has a number of catalysts. First was the firing of Mark Esper as secretary of defense this past week and the replacement of him and other top Pentagon officials with Trump ideologues. Some media outlets in the US have raised the possibility that Trump wanted to get Esper out of the way, so he could more easily carry out controversial military moves.
Arabs states draw closer to Israel to counter defiant Turkey, Iran
The decision by three Arab states to make peace with Israel can be credited both to efforts by the White House under US President Donald Trump administration and the recognition by these Sunni states that doing so would bolster their security against ongoing threats from Turkey and Iran.
Strong typhoon leaves 42 dead, 20 missing in Philippines
Thick mud and debris coated many villages around the Philippine capital on Friday after a typhoon killed at least 42 people and caused extensive flooding that sent people fleeing to their roofs, officials said.
Netanyahu announces purchase of 4 million vaccines by January
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Friday an agreement to purchase 4 million vaccines from Pfizer as early as January, an agreement that will cost well over $200 million and remains subject to the vaccine receiving approval in the United States.
Archaeologists find 1,000 year-old coins in Jerusalem
Israeli archaeologists have unearthed a jar containing 1,000-year-old coins in the Old City of Jerusalem, CBN News reports. Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) inspector Yevgenia Kapil made the discovery during preliminary digging for a Western Wall elevator installation in October.
China ‘Congratulates’ Biden On U.S. ‘Election Victory’
China on Friday “congratulated” Joe Biden with his claimed victory in the November 3 presidential elections, despite ongoing White House investigations into reported voter fraud.
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.
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.
‘Church Elder Homeless As China Harasses Independent Church’
Chinese security forces harass Christians of an independent church in western China because they still worship after their building was destroyed, and the pastor jailed, friends say.
Poll shows vast majority of Americans want Saudi Arabia to make peace with Israel now
A new poll shows that, following Israel’s normalization agreements with three Arab countries, an overwhelming majority of Americans now want the US to broker a peace treaty between Israel and Saudi Arabia, All Arab News reports. While the UAE, Bahrain, and Sudan normalized relations without ever actually being at war with Israel, Saudi Arabia has participated in major wars against Israel and is an official enemy of the Jewish state.
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.
Trump nominates loyalists to senior Pentagon positions
While pursuing a legal challenge to the November 3 election results, President Donald Trump has nominated three loyalist officials to senior Defense Ministry posts, the Voice of America reports. The nominations were made Wednesday, a day after the President fired Defense Secretary Mark Esper.
Justice Samuel Alito rips Supreme Court for not considering church coronavirus lawsuits
Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito on Thursday criticized his colleagues’ decision not to consider two lawsuits in which churches fought state coronavirus worship restrictions.
‘No evidence’ any voting system lost or changed votes, Trump’s election security agency says
The Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and other groups said on Thursday that “there is no evidence that any voting system deleted or lost votes, changed votes, or was in any way compromised” as President Trump pushes claims that the election was rigged in favor of President-elect Joe Biden.
Israel announces plan to legalize recreational cannabis within 9 months
Israel is planning to legalize cannabis for recreational use within nine months while balancing “liberalism and responsibility,” Justice Minister Avi Nissenkorn said Thursday.
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.