Pakistan Plane Crash Kills 97 (Update)
A Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) plane crashed into a residential area of Pakistan’s southern city of Karachi on Friday, killing all 107 people on board, the city’s mayor confirmed.
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Oregon Supreme Court Holds in Place Stay-At-Home Order Limiting Churches Services to 25 People
Pending judicial review, the Oregon Supreme Court held in place on May 19 Gov. Kate Brown’s stay-at-home orders that limit in-person church services to 25 people, the New York Times reported. Ten churches had filed suit, arguing that the orders placed an undue burden on houses of worship that wanted to have services with social distancing. The state appealed to the Supreme Court after Circuit Judge Matthew Shirtcliff ruled May 18 that Brown overstepped her authority in not seeking legislative approval to extend her stay-at-home orders beyond a 28-day limit.
Iran’s Ayatollah Khameini calls for “Final Solution” in eliminating Israel
In calling for the “elimination of Israel” on Wednesday, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khameini used the words ‘final solution,’ CBN news reports. The phrase Hitler applied to describe his plans for a Jewish genocide was adopted in a poster published to Khamenei’s website on the occasion of Quds Day, Iran’s annual anti-Israel event.
U.S. Pentecostal Church Destroyed In Arson Attack
A Pentecostal church in the U.S. state of Mississippi, which challenges coronavirus restrictions, has been destroyed by a suspected arson fire.
Naval Air Station Corpus Christi shooting investigated as ‘terrorism-related,’ FBI reports
The FBI said Thursday that a shooting at a Texas naval air station earlier in the morning that left the gunman dead is being investigated as “terrorism-related.”
Russia said pushing ‘mini-summit’ to mend ties between US, Palestinians
Russia is reportedly seeking to arrange a meeting in the coming weeks between US and Palestinian officials to help renew ties between Washington and Ramallah, which have frayed during US President Donald Trump’s presidency.
Hezbollah training Syria’s 1st Corps to use in future war against Israel
Hezbollah is preparing the Syrian Arab Army’s 1st Corps for a future war against Israel, training its commanders and soldiers as well as deploying it for intelligence gathering against the IDF in the Golan Heights.
Wycliffe Associates Looks to Collaborative Translation Methodology to Finish Decades-Old Bible Translation Projects
Wycliffe Associates, an international organization that empowers mother-tongue Bible translators and partners with local churches in the advancement of Bible translation, has recently identified 10 language groups that don’t yet have complete Bibles, although translation projects began decades ago.
U.S. To Exit Open Skies Treaty Over Russian Violations
The United States has announced that it will withdraw from the Open Skies treaty because of violations of the agreement by Russia.
US pledges $1.2B for 300M doses of coronavirus vaccine being developed in UK
The United States has committed $1.2 billion to secure the supply of 300 million doses of a potential coronavirus vaccine being developed in the United Kingdom.
Satellites and spacecraft malfunction as Earth’s magnetic field mysteriously weakens
Earth’s magnetic field, which is vital to protecting life on our planet from solar radiation, is mysteriously weakening.
Iran Frees Four Converts From Jail
Four former Muslims who became Christians and part of Iran’s leading house church movements have been freed from an Iranian jail, Christian activists confirmed Thursday. Kathrin Sajadpour, Moslem Rahimi, and another Christian, of the ‘Church of Iran,’ were reportedly freed on a reduced bail of 200 million tomans ($11,500) this week, Wednesday.
Hope for Iran Christian as Hungary Closes Transit Zones
An Iranian Christian father and his young son were among hundreds of asylum seekers on their way to more freedom Thursday after Hungary’s government closed prison-like transit zones.
Justice Department says California Restrictions on Churches are Unfair
The Justice Department has told California Gov. Gavin Newsom that his current COVID-19 order prohibiting worship services amounts to “unequal treatment of faith communities,” the Washington Examiner reports. In a letter sent Tuesday by the Department’s Civil Rights Division, the governor was told it is apparently unfair that church should be closed when “non-essential” businesses have opened in phase two of California’s Reopening Plan.
Scores Dead As Cyclone Hits India and Bangladesh
Scores of people have died, hundreds of thousands are homeless, and millions face flooding and power shortages in India and Bangladesh after one of the region’s fiercest cyclones in a decade.
Record-Breaking $1.3 Billion Contract Awarded to Build Section of Border Wall
A North Dakota construction company has received a massive $1.3 billion contract to build a section of President Trump’s US-Mexico border wall, the Arizona Daily Star first reported. The award to Fisher Sand and Gravel Co. is the largest border wall contract to date.
Trump Administration Spending Billions Developing Hypersonic Missiles
The Pentagon is spending billions of dollars on developing two main types of ultra-fast hypersonic missiles in order to “dominate future battlefields,” the Times of Israel reports. Referring to Russia and China in an explanation for the move, President Trump told reporters on Friday: “We have no choice, we have to do it, with the adversaries we have out there.”
Russia, UN and Vatican condemn unilateral Israeli annexation plan
International opposition to Israeli annexation of parts of the West Bank continued to gain momentum Wednesday as representatives of the UN, Russia, and the Vatican all expressed strong objections to the plan that could be implemented as early as July.
U.S. Cities Seen Losing $360 Billion of Revenue From Economic Rout
U.S. cities are projected to lose about $360 billion of revenue through 2022 because of the economic damage caused by the coronavirus pandemic, an unprecedented loss that would trigger deep spending and job cuts, according to a National League of Cities analysis released Thursday.
Report: 1,797,910 Firearms Sold in April 2020, a 71.3% Increase Over April 2019
A report by Small Arms Analytics & Forecasting (SAAF) estimates that in April 2020 there were 1,797,910 gun sales, an increase of 71.3% over the April 2019 sales.