A Ninth Circuit judge Monday expressed concern that California’s effort to curb Covid-19 transmission by banning all indoor religious gatherings could extend into the summer months or beyond if the pandemic worsens, further restricting people’s constitutional right to practice their religion.
Saudi Arabia restored its severed ties with Qatar on Tuesday, as the two countries signed a US-brokered agreement to end their dispute and resolve the Gulf crisis that broke out three years ago, Axios reports. A Saudi-led coalition cut diplomatic relations with Qatar in 2017 on the grounds of alleged Qatari support for Iran and terrorist organizations.
A house church in China’s Taiyuan city was raided by forty government officials who arrested the pastor and five female members of the congregation at the same time, Christian Headlines reported Monday. While the five women were released some hours after the raid, Pastor An Yankui, whose home the church meets in, was detained for 15 days.
On December 23, 2020, the US Navy issued a request for proposals (RFP) for the development of the largest type of underwater drone the Navy can deploy, the Eurasian Times reports. Named “Snakehead,” this type of Large Displacement Unmanned Underwater Vehicle (LDUUV) will be launched from nuclear submarines to conduct electronic warfare (EW) as well as carry out intelligence, surveillance, and anti-mine missions.
In regions where Christians risk intense persecution and even death because of their faith, Wycliffe Associates is helping believers translate the Bible for their language communities through its Tablets for National Translators initiative.
South Korea and the United States have demanded the release of a South Korean-flagged oil tanker seized by Iranian authorities in the Strait of Hormuz.
Some Georgia state senators have signed on to a letter requesting that Vice President Mike Pence postpone the count of electoral votes slated to occur this week on Jan. 6.
Representative Nancy Pelosi was elected speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Sunday for her fourth term, with a narrower Democratic majority in the chamber and challenges ahead.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson ordered a national lockdown through mid-February in an effort to combat a variant of the coronavirus that is continuing to rapidly spread in the region.
Defense Minister Benny Gantz said Monday that Israel should purchase a third squadron of the advanced F-35 strike aircraft from the US and that he has already brought up the topic with the Washington officials.
A demo of the proposed design for the green passport app was presented today by coronavirus commissioner Prof. Nachman Ash at a meeting of the Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee on Monday.
A British court says the founder of whistleblower news site Wikileaks, Julian Assange, cannot be extradited to the United States where he is wanted for revealing state secrets. The London judge cited concerns over Assange’s mental health and risk of suicide.
The Pentagon announced Sunday that the US aircraft carrier USS Nimitz will stay in the Persian Gulf because of “recent threats” by Iran, the Times of Israel reported. The announcement came after reports that the vessel would be returning to the US after having patrolled the Gulf since the end of November.
Two former Mossad directors and a former Israeli National Security Council director have each stated that Iran will likely wait until after American President-elect Joe Biden is inaugurated on January 20 to seek revenge for the US assassination of Quds Force Chief Qasem Soleimani a year ago, the Jerusalem Post reported Sunday.
At least 10 people were injured when an explosion erupted in a warehouse holding gas canisters in Lebanon Sunday, France24 reports. The wounded were rushed to the hospital by Lebanese Red Cross rescuers who had been sent to the site of the explosion near Lebanon’s border with Syria.
German police stormed a church service as pressure mounts on Europe’s devoted Christians to stop gathering or accept government rules amid the coronavirus pandemic.
A devoted Christian community in the U.S. state of Texas was left grieving after their pastor was killed and two others injured Sunday.
Sen. Ted Cruz is leading a delegation of Republican senators who are planning to challenge the Electoral College certification and demand an emergency audit.
Sky watchers have a lot to look forward to in 2021, with three “supermoons,” one blue moon, and two lunar eclipses all taking place during the new year.
The United States banned anonymous shell companies through the defense bill vetoed by President Trump last month but passed in Congress on Friday.