More pictures of Xi Jinping replace church iconography in China
Officials in Jiangxi Province, China replaced a church’s sign with a communist party slogan and swapped out biblical paintings for a portrait of President Xi Jinping.
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Russia, Ukraine agree to ceasefire by year-end at Paris talks
Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky agreed to implement a ceasefire in eastern Ukraine by year-end, following their first meeting on Monday at a summit in Paris mediated by France and Germany.
IG: ‘17 Significant Inaccuracies and Omissions’ in FBI Applications for Warrant to Spy on Trump Campaign Adviser
The Federal Bureau of Investigation committed “17 significant inaccuracies and omissions” in four sequential applications it made to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court when it successfully sought warrants to place electronic surveillance on Carter Page, a foreign policy advisor to Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, the Office of the Inspector General for the Department of Justice reported today.
Blue and White decides no Gantz-Lapid rotation for PM
Blue and White will run Benny Gantz as the party’s sole candidate for prime minister if a third election is held, Gantz’s number two, MK Yair Lapid, announced at Monday’s faction meeting at the Knesset.
Elections to be held on March 2 if no coalition formed
Blue and White and Likud have agreed that the next round of elections will be held on Monday, March 2, 2020, barring a last-minute coalition deal in the next two days.
USMCA trade agreement reached
Trade negotiators from the U.S., Mexico and Canada have reached an agreement that makes changes to the enforcement of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, multiple sources have told FOX Business.
US Border Apprehensions Drop for Sixth Month
U.S. officials reported a sixth consecutive month of decreased apprehensions at the country’s border with Mexico, bringing November more in line with the historical average, after a significant increase that started about a year ago.
Horowitz report is damning for the FBI and unsettling for the rest of us
The analysis of the report by Justice Department inspector general Michael Horowitz greatly depends, as is often the case, on which cable news channel you watch. Indeed, many people might be excused for concluding that Horowitz spent 476 pages to primarily conclude one thing, which is that the Justice Department acted within its guidelines in starting its investigation into the 2016 campaign of President Trump.
Barr disagrees with Horowitz report on Russia probe launch
Attorney General William Barr publicly disagreed with the Justice Department’s inspector general, Michael E. Horowitz, on Monday following the release of a long-awaited internal review that concluded the FBI had sufficient reason to launch the extensive Russia probe involving the Trump campaign, although members of the bureau committed some significant errors.
New Russia-Turkey S-400 Missile Deal in the Works, Interfax Says
Russia and Turkey are working on a contract for the delivery of a new batch of Russian S-400 missile systems, the Interfax news agency cited a senior official at a Russian military cooperation agency as saying on Friday.
U.S. Justice Ginsburg puts temporary hold on Trump financial records dispute
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Friday put a temporary hold on a court ruling that would require records held by Deutsche Bank AG and Capital One Financial Corp to be handed over to Democratic-led congressional panels.
US House passes resolution supporting two-state solution
The US House of Representatives approved on Friday a resolution expressing support for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, while also warning Israel against any attempts toward annexation of territory in the West Bank.
Iran boasts it will soon unveil new nuclear centrifuges, power plant
Iran is set to unveil at least 50 new nuclear-related ‘products,’ including new centrifuge systems and a heavy water power plant in 2020, boasted an Iranian official on Saturday.
Canadian Church of Atheism denied charitable status after court finds it’s not a religion
A federal court in Canada has ruled that the self-titled ‘Church of Atheism’ isn’t a religion and can’t be treated like one for tax purposes.
Massive rally in Hong Kong marks six months of protests
Hundreds of thousands of demonstrators poured into the Hong Kong streets on Sunday in a mass show of support — marking sixth months of pro-democracy protests and highlighting the resilience of a people who continue to fight for their freedom and autonomy against the Chinese government.
Vladimir Putin says Russia open to extending New START treaty with U.S.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has opened the door to immediately extending the last nuclear arms treaty between the U.S. and Russia that is still active.
China’s Unexpected Export Drop Shows Why It Wants a Trade Deal
The unexpected drop in China’s exports in November shows one reason why the nation wants to agree on a phase one trade deal – U.S. tariffs are hurting China’s exports at a time when global demand is already weak.
Americans abandoning faith linked to drop in charitable giving, analysis finds
Americans are giving less to charitable organizations and declining religious affiliation is contributing to the decrease, according to a new analysis of philanthropic trends.
As Fed reiterates rate pause, forecasts likely to be blown off course
Friday’s booming U.S. jobs report should give the Federal Reserve all it needs to stick to its plan not to cut interest rates further in the near future, so when U.S. central bankers meet this week, most of the focus will be on their outlook for next year and beyond.
Trump warns Kim Jong Un he has ‘everything’ to lose after test at North Korea missile site
President Trump on Sunday said North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has ‘everything’ to lose by acting aggressively after Pyongyang conducted a ‘very important test’ at a missile site that supposedly had been shuttered.