Incoming Biden administration hopes to quickly pass $1.9 trillion relief bill
The incoming Biden administration will work toward the speedy passage of its $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief plan, Voice of America reports.
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President Trump Trumpets Achievements In Farewell Message
Outgoing U.S. President Donald J. Trump, who became the voice to millions feeling voiceless, has trumpeted his administration’s accomplishments and wished his successor luck.
FBI affidavit says Virginia man conspired to breach Capitol, discussed plans on Jan. 1
An FBI agent on Sunday filed an affidavit supporting a criminal arrest warrant against a Virginia man for conspiring as early as Jan. 1 in connection with the breach of the U.S. Capitol Building five days later in Washington, D.C.
India: Christians persecuted even during lockdown in 2020
The Evangelical Fellowship of India (EFI) has reported that, even in the midst of coronavirus lockdowns affecting the whole country for months, there were over 300 incidents of religious persecution against Christians in India last year, International Christian Concern said. In its report, EFI noted that Christian persecution has more than doubled since Indian Prime Minister Narendra Damodardas Modi and his right-wing nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power in 2014.
Netanyahu says Israel may need to extend lockdown, pleads with Haredim to comply
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned on Monday that Israel will likely need to extend its current lockdown restrictions, despite its successful vaccination campaign.
Protests at state houses so far remain small amid heavily guarded capitals across U.S.
The large gatherings and possibly armed protests anticipated by the FBI at statehouses across the country ahead Wednesday’s presidential inauguration did not materialize this weekend.
Joe Biden Undoing Trump Policies After Inauguration With Executive Orders
Joe Biden will sign a series of executive actions undoing U.S. President Donald J. Trump’s key policies within hours after taking the oath of office on Wednesday, his top aid says.
Biden official tells Honduran migrants: Don’t believe “lie” that US border is open
An official from the incoming Biden administration has told a caravan comprising thousands of Honduran migrants traveling to the US that they should not believe the “lie” that the United States border will be open next month, Reuters reports. While it is known that President-elect Joe Biden plans to reverse much of outgoing president Trump’s crackdown on immigration, the official said it will “take time” to implement the new policies.
US Capitals on Edge for Armed Protests as Trump Presidency Nears End
Washington is locked down and U.S. law enforcement officials are geared up for pro-Trump marches in all 50 state capitals this weekend, erecting barriers and deploying thousands of National Guard troops to try to prevent the kind of violent attack that rattled the nation January 6.
Russia Detains Returning Kremlin Critic Navalny
Russia’s prominent Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny was detained at a Moscow airport Sunday after returning from Germany, where he received medical treatment for nerve agent poisoning.
Europe Warns Iran Over Nuclear Ambitions Amid Missile Launches
European powers urged Iran to observe a nuclear deal after the Islamic nation test-fired long-range missiles and planned uranium metal production.
Indonesia Earthquake Kills Scores Of People
Indonesian rescuers retrieved more bodies of a massive earthquake that killed scores of people in a nation already coping with a string of disasters.
Norway: Dozens Die After Receiving COVID Vaccine
Health authorities in Norway confirmed Saturday that 23 people died within days of receiving their first dose of Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine.
E.U. Suspends Aid To Ethiopia Over Conflict
The European Union has suspended some 88 million euros ($107 million) in support of Ethiopia, citing reports of ethnic-targeted killings and possible war crimes in the Tigray region.
U.S. Investigating Claims That Capitol Mob Tried To Capture and Kill Elected Officials
Federal authorities are investigating claims that some within the mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol in Washington last week intended to “capture and assassinate elected officials,” including the Vice President.
China building ‘greatest expansion of a nuclear arsenal’ since Cold War, State Department warns
China has rapidly expanded its nuclear and conventional missile forces over the past decade, nearly tripling its ballistic missile production capability and deploying a wide array of nuclear and conventional missile systems, according to an intelligence assessment released by the State Department.
UN Atomic Agency: Iran possibly closer to building nuclear warhead
Iran may have moved significantly closer to actually building a nuclear weapon, the Wall Street Journal reports. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said in a confidential report Wednesday that Tehran has started work on an assembly line for producing a central component of nuclear warheads.
At least 57 killed in airstrikes targeting Iran-backed forces in Syria
Israel carried out a series of airstrikes in eastern Syria early Wednesday, targeting Iran-backed forces and killing at least 57 fighters and wounding many others, the Associated Press (AP) reports.
Both the US and Russia bolster military presence in Syria ahead of Biden inauguration
Both the US and Russia have sent military reinforcement to Syria in recent days, in separate moves apparently timed to coincide with the inauguration of President-Elect Joe Biden on January 20, AMN reports.
“It’s time for an Evangelical reckoning on Trump” says head of Billy Graham Center
Ed Stetzer, head of the Billy Graham Center at Wheaton College has publically asserted that white Evangelicals should consider whether their behavior in supporting President Donald Trump contributed to fuelling the Capitol insurrection last week.