Israel strikes Hamas targets after Gaza rocket fire
The Israeli military struck targets in the Gaza Strip early Friday, hours after Palestinian terrorists in the coastal enclave fired a rocket at southern Israel.
War
Putin will block foreign warships from entering Black Sea via the Kerch Strait
Russia will block foreign warships and non-commercial vessels from transiting the Kerch Strait to access the Black Sea, according to reports from Ukrainian media. The strait lies between Crimea and Russia, and connects the Black Sea to the Sea of Azov.
Poll: Most US adults hold to syncretist, not Biblical, worldview
A new survey has found that just six percent of American adults hold to a Biblical worldview, while nearly nine out of 10 hold to syncretism, a mixture of worldviews, Christian Headlines reports. The study was carried out by the Cultural Research Center (CRC) at Arizona Christian University on a nationally representative sample of 2,000 people in February 2021.
US Imposes Sanctions On Russia As Tensions Rise; 10 Diplomats Expelled
U.S. President Joe Biden on Thursday expelled 10 Russian diplomats in retaliation to Moscow’s interference in last year’s presidential election and the hacking of federal agencies.
Turmoil Over China’s First University In Hungary (Worthy News In-depth)
Political tensions are rising in Hungary over government plans to build the European Union’s first Chinese university campus in Budapest, the capital, despite security and social concerns.
Democrats to introduce legislation to add four Supreme Court justices
Democratic lawmakers will introduce legislation to expand the Supreme Court on Thursday, jumping ahead of President Biden’s recently created commission that’s studying the pros and cons of packing the court.
China Sends 25 Warplanes Into Taiwanese Airspace
China sent 25 military planes into Taiwanese airspace on Monday, escalating tensions between the United States and Beijing.
‘Hungary Rescues Syrian Christians’
An archbishop in war-torn Syria has thanked Hungary for enabling hundreds of Christians to return to their homes, Hungary’s government said.
Netanyahu hosts Bennett for second round of intensive government talks
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday hosted Yamina party chief Naftali Bennett in Jerusalem for the second day in a row, after the former interim Defense Minister said his faction would throw its support in forming a right-wing government with Likud.
US To Withdraw All Troops From Afghanistan By Sept. 11
U.S. President Joe Biden will announce that all American troops will leave war-torn Afghanistan by September 11, officials said.
World Halts Rollout Of J&J Vaccine Amid Concerns About COVID Jabs
The United States, South Africa, and European Union have “temporarily” halted the rollout of the Johnson & Johnson (J&J) COVID-19 jab amid mounting global concerns about coronavirus vaccinations.
Russia says the US is an “Adversary”
Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Tuesday that the US is an “adversary” which works to “undermine Russia’s position on the world stage,” Reuters reports. Ryabkov made his statement while two US warships prepare to sail into the Black Sea this week, an event which Russia says is “provocative.”
Biden to approve $23 billion sale of F-35s to UAE that followed Abraham Accords
The Biden administration has told Congress it will move ahead with a massive arms deal to the United Arab Emirates, including advanced F-35 aircraft, that was signed in the wake of Israel’s normalization deal with the Gulf nation, congressional aides told Reuters on Tuesday.
Bipartisan bill calls for Biden to declassify intel on COVID-19 origins in China
A newly introduced bipartisan bill aimed at confronting the growing economic challenge and national security threat posed by the Chinese Communist Party calls for the Biden administration to declassify a host of intelligence related to the origins of COVID-19, including any evidence related to a Chinese cover-up or tied to a Wuhan lab.
White House says U.S. wasn’t involved in attack on Iranian nuclear facility
The White House said Monday that the U.S. had no role in the attack on an Iranian nuclear facility that Tehran has blamed on Israel.
Pakistan persecution: Christian nurses jailed for violating blasphemy law
Two Christian nurses in Pakistan have been jailed for violating blasphemy laws by following a hospital supervisor’s instructions to clean up an area covered with old hangings and stickers, including a half-torn old sticker with a verse from the Koran on it, International Christian Concern reports. Rights groups have said Pakistan’s harsh blasphemy laws are frequently abused; Pakistan ranks 5th on the Open Doors Watch List of countries where Christians are persecuted.
St. Vincent: “Only Those Vaccinated Allowed To Flee Rumbling Vulcano’
The prime minister of Saint Vincent island has warned residents fleeing a rumbling volcano that only those vaccinated against the coronavirus can be brought to safety.
Russia Warns of Full-Scale War in Eastern Ukraine, Blames Kyiv
The recent deployment of Russian troops along Ukraine’s border and Moscow’s indication that it could intervene in the event of a full-scale war in eastern Ukraine are dimming hopes for a peaceful resolution of the conflict that has festered for seven years and cost thousands of lives.
U.S. intelligence report warns of looming ‘catastrophic’ shocks worldwide due to tech, disease
A U.S. intelligence report is warning of a potentially grim set of scenarios in which factors like environmental issues and technology disruptions could have a significantly destabilizing effect on the global order in the near future.
U.S. Carrier Strike Group, Amphibious Warships Massed in South China Sea as Regional Tensions Simmer
A U.S. carrier strike group and amphibious ready group are in the South China Sea as tensions increase between Manila and Beijing over a Chinese maritime militia incursion into the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone, the Navy announced on Friday.