Iran satellite launch fails after U.S. warning
Iran’s bid to launch a satellite has failed, Telecoms Minister Mohammad Javad Azari-Jahromi said on Tuesday, after it ignored U.S. warnings to avoid such activity.
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House Democrats vow to repeal ban on federal funding for abortions
Democratic House members vowed Tuesday to repeal a ban on federal funding for abortions and to fight against actions by the Trump administration to limit access to contraception.
Israeli strike in Syria targeted Hezbollah, Iranian commanders
The Israeli strike on Iranian warehouses in Damascus on Friday was timed to target a meeting of Hezbollah and Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps commanders who were meeting with Syrian military leaders, the Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Jadira reported Monday.
AG nominee Bill Barr says Robert Mueller will be allowed to complete his probe
Attorney General nominee William P. Barr will promise senators Tuesday that if he is confirmed, he will ll allow special counsel Robert Mueller to finish his probe, now in its 20th month, into Russian election meddling.
New ‘Visual Commentary on Scripture’ website offers new way to study the Bible
A new $2 million web project launched by King’s College London is offering users a new way to visually digest biblical Scripture through the analyses of classic and contemporary works of art.
White House ordered plans prepared for Iran strike
Following a September mortar attack near the US embassy in Baghdad that Washington blamed on Iran, US National Security Adviser John Bolton and the National Security Council he leads requested that the Pentagon provide options for striking Iran, the Wall Street Journal reported Sunday.
After strikes in Syria, Netanyahu threatens to hit Iranian targets even harder
After confirming that Israel bombed an Iranian weapons depot in Syria, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Sunday that the Jewish state will strike even harder if it proves necessary to prevent Iran from gaining a military foothold in Syria.
Earth’s magnetic field is acting up and geologists don’t know why
Something strange is going on at the top of the world. Earth’s north magnetic pole has been skittering away from Canada and towards Siberia, driven by liquid iron sloshing within the planet’s core. The magnetic pole is moving so quickly that it has forced the world’s geomagnetism experts into a rare move.
Trump demands U.S. border wall, sidesteps declaring emergency
US President Donald Trump urged Congress on Tuesday to give him $5.7 billion this year to help build a wall on the border with Mexico, but stopped short of declaring a national emergency that could have led to unilaterally funding the project.
EU sanctions Iran over thwarted attacks on European soil
The EU on Tuesday approved sanctions against an Iranian ministry and two Iranian nationals for their involvement in thwarted assassination attempts in France and Denmark.
Trump’s Syria withdrawal undermined by Turkey’s rebuke
The fate of Kurds whom the U.S. relied upon to battle the Islamic State continued to roil President Trump’s hope for a Syria troop pullout Tuesday, with Turkey’s leader rejecting outright Washington’s demand that it hold back on attacking Kurdish forces after American forces depart.
North Korea leader visits China after warning of alternate path to U.S. talks
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is visiting China at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping, only days after warning he may take an alternative path if the United States does not ease sanctions and pressure on his isolated country.
Republican senators call on US to recognize Israeli sovereignty over Golan
US Senators Ted Cruz of Texas and Tom Cotton of Arkansas on Sunday again called on the United States to recognize Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights.
U.S. strike kills al Qaeda terrorist tied to USS Cole attack
A key al Qaeda operative linked to the planning and execution of the deadly 2000 attack on the American warship USS Cole was killed during a U.S. airstrike in Yemen, military officials confirmed Sunday.
Iran deploying warships to western Atlantic amid rising tensions with US
Iran is set to deploy a fleet of warships to the western Atlantic Ocean in the coming months, a naval commander said Friday, in an apparent bid to counter the presence of a US aircraft carrier in the Persian Gulf.
Russia to Deploy Precision Strike Missiles in Western Atlantic
Russia is deploying long-range, precision cruise missiles to the western Atlantic that American defense officials say will allow Moscow to target Washington and other East Coast cities with conventional or nuclear attacks.
Bolton tells Netanyahu of U.S. concern with Chinese presence at Haifa Port
National Security Adviser John Bolton raised US concerns on Sunday with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over China’s creeping role in Israel’s critical infrastructure, particularly its upcoming management of Haifa Port, a frequent dock for the US Sixth Fleet.
Islamic Jihad tells Iran: We will create second front in any Israel-Lebanon war
The Iranian-backed Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad has committed to spark an escalation on the southern front if Israel enters a military conflict with Lebanon’s Hezbollah on the north, said the Palestinian faction’s leader, Ziad Nakhala, in an interview to the state-owned Iranian TV channel Al-Alam.
U.S. warns Iran on space launches, Tehran rejects concerns
The United States issued a pre-emptive warning to Iran on Thursday against pursuing three planned space rocket launches that it said would violate a U.N. Security Council resolution because they use ballistic missile technology.
UN envoy bound for Yemen, Saudi Arabia for Yemen war talks
The United Nations’ envoy for Yemen is heading to the region this weekend to talk with government and rebel leaders as international efforts aimed at ending Yemen’s civil war continue.