Iran:’Arson Attack At Tomb Esther and Mordechai’

Iranian officials have admitted that fire broke out at an ancient shrine viewed by Iran’s Jewish community as the resting place of the Biblical Queen Esther and her cousin Mordechai. The announcement published by the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) came after activists reported an overnight arson attack at the site.

Israel’s Parliament Approves New Government Amid Tensions

Israel’s parliament accepted a new government on Sunday, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former rival Benny Gantz. The approval ended the most extended political crisis in the Jewish state’s history.

US Medal of Honor Army Medic Dies

A former U.S. Army medic who received the Medal of Honor in 2018 for his heroic efforts to save the lives of fellow soldiers in Afghanistan has died, his wife and officials confirmed. Staff Sgt. Ronald Shurer II was 41.

Typhoon Devastates Lockdown Wary Philippines

A Christian woman was among many fearfully hiding Friday as parts of the Philippines were devastated by winds and rain from Typhoon Vongfong. “It is always scary,” Virgie Overdevest told Worthy News. “We already had a minor earthquake here.”

U.S. Churches Defy Coronavirus Bans On Indoor Worship

Churches across the United States are planning to defy bans on indoor worship and will open for in-person services this Sunday, May 17, Worthy News learned. The move is part of the “Peaceably Gather Sunday” initiative in which congregations seek a balance between safety against the coronavirus and worshipping without restrictions.

U.S. Retail Sales Plunge To Record Low

U.S. stocks sank Friday after figures showed retail sales in the country plunged by a record 16.4 percent last month, the worst decline in decades.

North Carolina Churches Sue Governor Over Ban On Indoor Worship

Christian leaders have sued the governor of the U.S. State of North Carolina for banning extensive indoor church services to limit the new coronavirus outbreak. Their lawsuit asked a court to throw out Governor Roy Cooper’s restrictions on person-to-person services in North Carolina during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Church in North Korea Exists but Deeply Underground

There are Christians in North Korea but congregations are typically made up of two or three people from the same family, Fox News reports. The North Korean church exists, but it has had to go deeply underground: under the Kim Jong Un regime, believers – and their families – may face the death penalty or detention if their faith is discovered.

Massive locust swarms threaten catastrophe for African nations

The United Nations (UN) has warned that vast swarms of locusts are set on a “path of destruction” across Africa, affecting nations that had not seen the pest in decades. Locust controllers are concerned the pests will wipe out crops in a potentially “Biblical catastrophe,” leaving millions of people without food in some of the most vulnerable countries in the world.

Fed Warns of Possible Long-Term Recession, 3 Million More File Jobless Claims

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell says the United States may face a prolonged economic downturn, and new unemployment numbers out Thursday morning seem to reinforce his prediction. The latest stats reveal nearly 3 million more Americans filed for jobless aid –coronavirus-related layoffs now reaching 36 million.

U.S. Senate votes to extend government surveillance tools

The U.S. Senate comfortably approved a 2-1/2-year extension of parts of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) on Thursday, two months after the divisive provisions allowing government data collection expired.

US Mission Pilot Dies In Indonesia Crash

An American mission pilot flying much-needed coronavirus test kits to a remote village in Indonesia has died in a plane crash, her Christian aviation organization confirmed.

Worthy Christian News