Syrian army, allies break Islamic State siege in eastern city
Syrian government forces on Tuesday reached troops besieged for years by Islamic State in the eastern city of Deir al-Zor, the militants’ last major stronghold in Syria, the army said.
Year: 2017
Trump declares Hurricane Irma emergencies as Florida worries megastorm could be worse than Harvey
As Hurricane Irma barreled toward the Caribbean on Tuesday — on a path that could send the Category 5 megastorm toward Florida — people up and down the state were starting to prepare for the worst.
South Korea’s Moon discusses ‘unpredictable’ North Korea situation with Putin
South Korean President Moon Jae-in told Russian leader Vladimir Putin on Wednesday that the situation on the Korean peninsula could become unpredictable if Pyongyang did not halt its ‘provocative actions’ after its latest nuclear bomb test.
Nikki Haley: Trump Has Grounds to Declare Iran in Violation of Nuclear Deal
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley on Tuesday said President Donald Trump would be justified if he denied Iranian compliance to the nuclear accord when it comes up for a quarterly review next month, though she said she does not know what Trump will decide.
Unmanned subs, sniper drones, gun that won’t miss: Israel unveils future weapons
The Defense Ministry’s weapons development department on Tuesday unveiled nine pieces of technology, including two unmanned submarines and a hybrid gas-electric powerful tank, that are due to enter service in the IDF in the coming years.
PA arrests radio station chairman who publicly denounced Abbas
The Palestinian Authority Preventative Security arrested Ayman Qawasmeh, the chairman of the Minbar al-Huriyya radio station, in Hebron late Sunday evening, a senior PA security official said on Monday.
Trump phaseout of DACA gives Congress six months to devise solution for Dreamers
The Trump administration on Tuesday declared the Obama-era DACA program unconstitutional and ordered a phaseout, giving Congress six months to devise a permanent solution for 800,000 young adult illegal immigrant Dreamers who could be at risk of deportation.
Mixed reaction to DACA spells trouble for Republican action on immigration
Congressional Republicans flashed a glimpse Tuesday of the coming battle they will face over what to do with those protected by the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, an Obama-era directive for young illegal immigrants who have grown up in the U.S. and could lose their legal status when the Trump administration completes its phase-out of the program next spring.
Federal appeals court gives go-ahead to new Texas voter ID law
A federal court of appeals voted 2-1 on Tuesday to stay a lower judge’s ruling preventing Texas from implementing a revised version of its voter ID law.
Hezbollah reacts to IDF drill: We are ready for any act of Israeli stupidity
Lebanon did not remain silent following the start of a massive IDF drill simulating a war, with a Hezbollah official threatening that ‘the Israelis won’t succeed in surprising us.’
Hurricane Irma is so strong it’s registering on devices designed to detect earthquakes
Hurricane Irma is so strong it’s showing up on seismometers — equipment designed to measure earthquakes.
Trump reportedly to meet with Abbas, Netanyahu on sidelines of UN gathering
US President Donald Trump is expected to meet with Israeli and Palestinian leaders on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York later this month, Haaretz reported Wednesday citing local officials.
Texas churches sue FEMA for disaster relief after Harvey
The Federal Emergency Management Agency has been sued by three Texas churches severely damaged in Hurricane Harvey, over what they called its policy of refusing to provide disaster relief to houses of worship because of their religious status.
Irma becomes strongest Atlantic hurricane outside Gulf and Caribbean ever recorded
Irma spun into a monster storm Tuesday morning with sustained winds topping 180 mph, becoming the strongest Atlantic hurricane ever recorded outside the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean, National Hurricane Center forecasters said in their 11 a.m. advisory.
Egypt finalizes deal with Russia for first nuclear plant
Russian media said Monday that Egypt has finalized a deal to build a nuclear power plant with funding from Moscow after nearly two years of negotiations.
Russell Moore, Evangelical Leaders Urge Trump to Protect DACA Recipients
A group of evangelical leaders are pressuring President Donald Trump to continue protecting immigrants who were brought to the United States illegally when they were children, and are urging Congress to take permanent legislative action to ensure their long standing protection from deportation.
Church leaders protest ‘attempt to weaken Christian presence’ in Jerusalem
Heads of churches in Jerusalem on Monday criticized what they see as a breach of the status quo in the capital, claiming there is a ‘systematic attempt to undermine the integrity of the Holy City of Jerusalem and the Holy Land, and to weaken the Christian presence.’
American Pastor Imprisoned in Turkey Faces New Charges
Andrew Brunson, the American pastor who has been imprisoned in Turkey for nearly a year on dubious terrorism charges, is now facing new charges: ‘gathering state secrets for espionage, attempting to overthrow the Turkish parliament and government, and to change the constitutional order.’
CDC: Drug overdose deaths spiked 21 percent last year, 64,000 deaths
Drug overdose deaths in the United States skyrocketed 21 percent in 2016 from the previous year, accounting for the deaths of approximately 64,000 people, according to numbers from the Centers for Disease Control.
Armed with new data, committees ready to ratchet up investigations into Trump’s ties with Russia
The progress congressional investigators have made this summer comes into sharp focus this week as House and Senate committees return to work to ratchet up the legal and political clash into the Trump campaign’s suspected collusion with the Kremlin in the November presidential election — and whether Democratic rival Hillary Clinton’s allies tried to falsely fan the story.