Dozens Die As Blaze Hits Baghdad COVID Hospital
Anxious families searched for relatives in Baghdad after the death toll of a weekend fire at a hospital for coronavirus patients rose to at least 82.
Terrorism
Sudan abolishes boycott of Israel
Sudan on Tuesday repealed its 1958 law that imposed a boycott of Israel and cut ties between the two countries, Christian Headlines reports. The move follows the Sudan-Israel agreement to normalize diplomatic relations and end the state of belligerence between them. Sudan’s citizens will now be allowed to visit Israel, where around 6,000 Sudanese live.
In J Street speech, Abbas urges Biden to scrap US law deeming PLO a terror group
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Sunday urged the Biden administration to revoke a US law that deems the Palestinian Liberation Organization and its affiliates a terror group.
Iran and Turkey leaders discuss recent Israeli activity
Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, spoke on Wednesday to discuss “recent Israeli activities in the region,” and Israel’s normalization of relations with a number of Arab states last year, the Times of Israel said. According to Iranian media, Rouhani and Erdogan talked about regional and economic cooperation between their countries.
Iran Says Attack On Nuclear Plant ‘Nuclear Terrorism’; Israel Suspected
Iran said Sunday that a blackout at the country’s largest uranium enrichment facility was an act of “nuclear terrorism” amid rising tensions with Israel.
ISIS terrorist offshoot grows more brazen, brutal
An estimated 670,000 people displaced by the shadowy, brutal Islamist militant organization linked with the Islamic State group known as al-Shabab, or “The Youth.” The Mozambique force has no known link to a similarly named group affiliated with al Qaeda in Somalia but has quickly earned a reputation as a growing threat to stability in Mozambique and other parts of the region.
Indonesia Suicide Church Bombing Injures 14 Worshipers
Indonesian President Joko Widodo pledged to break up a terror network Sunday after two suspected suicide bombers attacked a Catholic Church in the city of Makassar, injuring 14 worshipers.
Pope Prays For Iraq’s Persecuted Christians
Pope Francis has visited Iraq to reassure the nation’s dwindling Christian community of his prayers after years of Islamic attacks and persecution.
Middle East In Biblical City of Ur, Pope Urges Inter-Religious Tolerance, Fraternity
Pope Francis has addressed an interfaith gathering of Iraq’s religious and ethnic groups in Ur, said to be the birthplace of Abraham, the common patriarch for Jews, Christians and Muslims. He drove home the need for respect and unity, and he used the opportunity to condemn violent religious extremism.
US, Russia warships dock in strategic Sudan port
A US warship docked in Sudan Monday a day after a Russian frigate arrived in the same key Red Sea port where Moscow is planning to establish a naval logistics base, an AFP correspondent said.
FBI chief says US Capitol riot was domestic terrorism, defends handling of intel
FBI Director Chris Wray condemned the January riot at the US Capitol as “domestic terrorism” Tuesday as he defended the bureau’s handling of intelligence indicating the prospect for violence.
A Bipartisan Group Supports Domestic Terror Laws Despite Opposition From 150 Civil Rights Organizations
A bipartisan group of lawmakers came out in support of new domestic terror laws this week, despite earlier opposition from over 150 civil rights groups that were concerned about the implications for minority communities.
Homeland Security issues domestic terrorism alert due to ‘violent extremists’
The Department of Homeland Security issued a domestic terrorism alert cautioning the public of potential attacks from “violent extremists.”
Iran imposes sanctions on Trump, Pompeo
Iran on Tuesday imposed sanctions on President Donald Trump and a number of members of his administration over their alleged role in support of “terrorism,” according to its foreign ministry website.
Dozens of Pygmy citizens slaughtered by Islamist militia in DR Congo: “Impotent government does nothing”
Forty-six Pygmies were slaughtered by the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) Islamist militia group in Ituri province in eastern DR Congo on Thursday, the Defense Post reports. Described as a “terrorist group” by International Christian Concern (ICC), the ADF is accused of slaughtering over 1000 Congolese citizens in the last year.
US House reintroduces bill to sanction global backers of Hamas, Islamic Jihad
Bipartisan American legislation directing the US president to sanction international individuals and agencies tied to the Gaza-based Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror groups was re-introduced in the House on Thursday.
MS-13’s highest ranking leaders charged with terrorism offenses in US
Federal authorities have charged multiple leaders of the MS-13 criminal gang with terrorism offenses, the Justice Department announced Thursday.
Iranian lawmakers debate bill seeking destruction of Israel by 2041, “decisive act of revenge” against US
Iranian lawmakers have begun debating a bill which includes the goal of destroying Israel in 20 years. Introduced to Iran’s parliament on Dec.30 2020, the bill describes Israel as the “aggressor Zionist regime” and states the Jewish nation constitutes a threat to Iran.
Cuba re-added to U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism
The outgoing Trump administration, in one of its last foreign policy acts, is putting Cuba back on the official list of state sponsors of terrorism, reversing an Obama-era decision that aimed to normalize diplomatic relations between the U.S. and the communist island.
Indonesia Bans Islamic Defenders Front
Christians in a movement of former Muslims and other believers welcomed a decision by Indonesia’s government to ban an Islamist group that attacked churches and other targets.