U.S. private payrolls post largest gain in eight months
U.S. private payrolls increased by the most in eight months in December, pointing to sustained labor market strength though job gains last month were likely flattered by a seasonal quirk.
Year: 2020
Strongest Earthquake to Hit Puerto Rico Since 1918, Over 500 Earthquakes in Past 10 Days
More than half of Puerto Rico’s 3 million people remained without power on Wednesday and thousands slept outdoors after earthquakes toppled homes on the Caribbean island and raised fears more could collapse.
Putin, Erdogan Call for De-Escalation After Iran Missile Attack
Hours after Iran fired missiles at U.S. soldiers in Iraqi military bases, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called for a de-escalation between both parties.
Trump Asking NATO to Become More Involved With Middle East in Wake of Iran Missile Strikes
President Donald Trump said he’d be asking the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, or NATO, to get more involved with the Middle East after Iran fired missiles at Iraqi bases hosting U.S. troops on Jan. 7.
Netanyahu said exploring uniting Likud with other factions on right
Likud party chief Benjamin Netanyahu is reportedly looking into a joint run with right-wing and religious factions in Israel’s upcoming national elections, as he warned Wednesday that some smaller parties on the right may fail to enter the Knesset if they do not join forces.
Israel Reveals Breakthrough in Laser-Based Aerial Defense System
Israel’s Defense Ministry announced on Wednesday that a breakthrough has been made in using laser beams to thwart aerial attacks.
House to vote Thursday to curb President’s war powers
House Democrats emerged from a classified briefing Wednesday deeply skeptical of President Donald Trump’s decision to order the killing of a top Iranian leader and unconvinced that he posed an ‘imminent’ threat to United States forces.
Trump returns to “maximum pressure,” avoids military confrontation following Iranian strike
President Trump announced that the US would not be responding militarily to a barrage of 16 missiles launched from Iran in the early hours of the morning Wednesday that hit Ain al-Asad airbase in Iraq and damaged aircraft hangers and a US helicopter.
Ukraine investigating ‘all possible causes’ of plane crash in Iran
A Ukrainian passenger jet crashed minutes after takeoff from Iran Wednesday, killing all 176 passengers and crew.
Iran believed to possess more than 2,000 ballistic missiles, Pentagon officials say
U.S. defense officials believe Iran is sitting on a stockpile of thousands of ballistic missiles and powerful munitions, following the country’s attack early Wednesday on American coalition forces in Iraq.
Putin makes unannounced visit to the Middle East
Russian President Vladimir Putin is visiting Syria where he has held talks with his Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad in Damascus, Syrian state media and Russia’s Interfax said on Tuesday.
US Trade Deficit Falls to Lowest Level in More Than 3 Years
The U.S. trade deficit fell in November to the lowest level in more than three years as U.S. exports rose while imports declined, putting the country on track to see the first annual decline in the trade deficit in six years.
‘We’re going to war, bro’: Fort Bragg’s 82nd Airborne deploys to the Middle East
The 600 mostly young soldiers at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, were headed for the Middle East, part of a group of some 3,500 U.S. paratroopers ordered to the region. Kuwait is the first stop for many. Their final destinations are classified.
Report: Hezbollah will attack Israel if US responds to Iran attack
Hezbollah will attack Israel if the United States responds to missile attacks carried out by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on Tuesday night, according to the Iranian Tasnim news agency.
Pentagon Says a ‘Dozen Missiles’ Were Fired From Iran at Iraqi Bases With US Troops
Iranian officials said missiles were launched at U.S. troops in Iraq in retaliation after Iranian Gen. Qassem Suleimani’s death in Baghdad, according to Iranian state-run media outlets, in an attack that was later confirmed by the Pentagon.
Iranian attack scrambles House war powers vote
Top House Democrats’ plans to push a measure limiting the Trump administration’s war-making powers are in flux following an Iranian missile attack Tuesday on U.S. bases inside Iraq.
Erdogan seeks a “greater Turkey” through Libya conflict
MPs in Turkey passed a bill approving the deployment of troops to Libya last Thursday in support of the embattled UN-backed government there, shoring up a relationship that experts say is a consolidation of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s idea of a ‘greater Turkey’ resembling the Ottoman Empire.
Nigerian church leader kidnapped, hostage video released
Islamic extremists kidnapped a leader of the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria on January 2, a video appearing a few days later of the pastor expressing his faith in God and asking for release.
Red flag over Iranian Mosque at Soleimani funeral has eschatological overtones, means all-out war
An extremely portentous symbol was raised over one of Iran’s holiest mosques in the city of Qom Sunday for one of the myriad funeral rallies of fallen IRGC commander Qassem Soleimani, says a researcher at Israel’s Bar-Ilan University.
Planned Parenthood performs more abortions this year, but loses private funding
Planned Parenthood performed 345,672 abortions in its most recent fiscal year, up from 12,915 the previous year, according to the 2018-2019 annual report it released over the weekend.