Northern California blazes now largest in state history
Twin Northern California blazes fueled by dry vegetation and hot, windy weather grew Monday to become the largest wildfire in state history.
Worthy News
DHS Reversal Reopens Asylum Cases for 87 Iranian Christians and Other Religious Minorities
The Department of Homeland Security has re-opened the asylum applications of a group of 87 Iranian Christians and other religious minorities who have been marooned in Austria for more than a year awaiting a final decision.
EU firms in Iran caught between US and Europe
European businesses that pull out of Iran because of US sanctions may end up being sued by EU states.
Once-eased US economic sanctions against Iran back in effect
The first set of U.S. sanctions against Iran that had been eased under the landmark nuclear accord went back into effect early Tuesday under an executive order signed by President Donald Trump, targeting financial transactions that involve U.S. dollars, Iran’s automotive sector, the purchase of commercial planes and metals including gold.
Massive California wildfire becomes fifth largest in state history
A massive, out-of-control Northern California wildfire that destroyed 68 homes and forced thousands to flee has become the fifth largest in state history, officials said on Sunday, as crews battled high temperatures and strong winds.
Hurricane Hector closing in on Hawaii and volcano
Forecasters are closely watching Hurricane Hector, a powerful category 4 storm that’s about to cross into Central Pacific waters.
Alt-right demonstrators, counter-protesters clash in Berkeley
Fireworks boomed and smoke filled the air in downtown Berkeley on Sunday as hundreds of counter-protesters confronted several dozen far-right demonstrators, sparking a tense showdown that led to multiple arrests but no major injuries.
Nicolas Maduro, Venezuelan president, cuts speech short after attempted attack; explosives detonated
Drones armed with explosives detonated near Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro as he gave a speech to hundreds of soldiers in Caracas on Saturday but the socialist leader was unharmed, according to the government.
Yemen: US allies strike deals with al-Qaida in war on rebels
A military coalition led by Saudi Arabia and backed by the United States has cut secret deals with al-Qaida fighters, paying some to leave key cities and towns the militants had seized across Yemen and letting others retreat with weapons, equipment and wads of looted cash, an investigation by The Associated Press has found. Hundreds more were recruited to join the coalition itself.
At least 40 shot, 5 dead in less than 24 hours in Chicago
At least 40 people were shot and five people killed over a bloody 24 hours in Chicago, police said Sunday.
U.S. envoy Kushner calls UNRWA corrupt, inefficient, unhelpful for peace
Emails published by Foreign Policy magazine this week shed light on discussions within the Trump administration on phasing out support for the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, an organization that provides aid to descendants of refugees from 1940s Mandate Palestine.
Bedouin petition High Court claiming Jewish nation-state law is illegal
Two members of Israel’s Bedouin minority community, who served as officers in the IDF, filed a High Court of Justice petition Sunday against the controversial Jewish nation-state law.
Trump attorney Jay Sekulow blames ‘bad information’ for faulty statement on Trump Tower meeting
President Trump’s attorney Jay Sekulow said that he had ‘bad information’ and made a “mistake” when he denied last summer that the president had any role in crafting a statement about Donald Trump Jr.’s June 2016 meeting at Trump Tower with a Russian lawyer offering dirt on Hillary Clinton.
Four arrested in Portland protest clash
Four people were arrested Saturday as hundreds of right-wing demonstrators faced off against self-described anti-fascist protesters in Portland, Ore., according to police.
Powerful Quake Hits Indonesia’s Lombok Island; at Least 39 Dead
A strong earthquake struck the Indonesian tourist island of Lombok on Sunday, killing at least 82 people and shaking neighboring Bali, one week after another quake on Lombok killed more than a dozen.
Israeli airstrike kills 7 ISIS terrorists on Syrian border
An Israeli airstrike on the Syrian side of the Golan Heights border has eliminated seven terrorists, the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit said Thursday.
Remains received from North Korea ‘consistent’ with being US service members, Pentagon says
The human remains returned to the U.S. by North Korea last week are ‘consistent with being Americans,’ according to an official who saw the contents of the 55 boxes.
Assault on Christian Leader in Nepal Reflects Growing Threat
Pastor Sagar Baizu, 46, had finished one meeting and had an hour before the next one, so he decided to stop at a café on a major thoroughfare in Kathmandu, capital of Nepal, on July 19.
Iran gearing up for major drill threatening to shut Strait of Hormuz
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard forces are gearing up to stage a major exercise in the Persian Gulf, perhaps within the next 48 hours that could be aimed at demonstrating their ability to shut down the Strait of Hormuz, according to a CNN report citing two US officials ‘directly familiar with the latest US assessment of IRGC troop movements.’
Worst red tide bloom in over a decade kills hundreds of marine mammals along Florida’s west coast
The ongoing toxic algae bloom is considered to be the longest red tide outbreak for the Gulf of Mexico in over a decade, and officials say it will most likely last until 2019.