Live updates on faith, culture, politics, and humanitarian issues impacting Christians across the globe.
ISIS Retakes Town After Bloody Clashes
Posted on Thursday, June 25, 2015
After a bloody assault Thursday, Islamic State fighters re-entered the Syrian Kurdish town of Kobani, five months after Kurdish forces retook the strategically important border city.
U.S. Entices Iran with High-Tech Reactors for Nuke Deal
Posted on Thursday, June 25, 2015
The United States and other nations negotiating a nuclear deal with Iran are ready to offer high-tech reactors and other state-of-the-art equipment to Tehran if it agrees to crimp programs that can make atomic arms,
Iran and U.S. Forces Share Military Base in Iraq
Posted on Wednesday, June 24, 2015
The U.S. military and Iranian-backed Shiite militias are getting closer and closer in Iraq, even sharing a base, while Iran uses those militias to expand its influence in Iraq and fight alongside the Bashar al-Assad regime in neighboring…
Iran Parliament Votes to Limit Inspections Vital to Nuclear Deal
Posted on Monday, June 22, 2015
Iran's parliament voted Sunday to oppose the inspections of government military sites as part of a pending, multi-nation agreement to curb the country’ nuclear program -- potentially complicating a final deal ahead of a June 30 deadline.
US Report Finds Iran Threat Undiminished As Nuclear Deal Deadline Closes
Posted on Monday, June 22, 2015
Iran's support for international terrorist groups remained undiminished last year and even expanded in some respects, the Obama administration said Friday, less than two weeks before the deadline for completing a nuclear deal that could provide Tehran with…
Pope Urges ‘Bold Cultural Revolution’ To Save Planet
Posted on Friday, June 19, 2015
Pope Francis called Thursday for a bold cultural revolution to correct what he calls the "structurally perverse" economic system of the rich exploiting the poor that is turning Earth into an "immense pile of filth."
Chaos in Libya paves way for Islamic State expansion
Posted on Friday, June 19, 2015
Benefiting from Libya's political chaos, Islamic State militants are consolidating their base in the city of Sirte and grabbing new territory, pushing back fighters from Misrata.
UN: World’s Refugee Crisis is Worse than Anyone Expected
Posted on Thursday, June 18, 2015
The number of people uprooted from their homes by war and persecution in 2014 was larger than in any year since detailed record-keeping began, according to a comprehensive report released early Thursday by the U.N. refugee agency that…
Assad Uses Chem Weapons as Syria Battles Spread
Posted on Thursday, June 18, 2015
Syrian President Bashar Assad's army has used chemical weapons at least 29 times in the past year, according to testimony delivered Wednesday before the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
U.S. Allies in Syria Cut ISIS Supply Line
Posted on Wednesday, June 17, 2015
A quick and successful offensive by Kurdish fighters and allied rebels in a northern Syrian town has boosted a U.S.-backed effort to choke off Islamic State's supply routes and offered a template for regaining territory from the extremist…
North Korea says hit by worst drought in 100 years
Posted on Wednesday, June 17, 2015
North Korea has been hit by what it describes as its worst drought in a century, which could worsen chronic food shortages in a country where the United Nations says almost a third of children under five are…
Pope Calls for a ‘New Global Political Authority’
Posted on Wednesday, June 17, 2015
Pope Francis will this week call for changes in lifestyles and energy consumption to avert the "unprecedented destruction of the ecosystem" before the end of this century, according to a leaked draft of a papal encyclical. In a…
Putin, Erdogan meet, discuss gas pipeline
Posted on Monday, June 15, 2015
The presidents of Russia and Turkey have met and discussed a proposal for a pipeline that would carry natural gas from Russia to Turkey.
US Ready To Move Heavy Weapons into E. Europe
Posted on Monday, June 15, 2015
The Pentagon is "poised" to station heavy weapons for up to 5,000 American troops in several Eastern European and Baltic countries to deter Russian aggression.
UN, Iran head for clash over nuclear inspections
Posted on Thursday, June 11, 2015
The chief UN nuclear inspector said Monday that Iran has already committed to letting his experts see Iranian military sites and Iranian atomic scientists despite an alleged ban by Tehran, deepening a confrontation over how much openness Iran…
