Wildfires Blaze Near Jerusalem, Disrupting Travel and Threatening Homes
Firefighters battled wildfires raging to the west of Jerusalem throughout Wednesday, with 11 aircraft and 29 response teams deployed.
Month: June 2021
Egypt and Sudan urge Ethiopia to negotiate seriously over giant dam
Sudan and Egypt agreed on Wednesday to coordinate efforts to push Ethiopia to negotiate “seriously” on an agreement on filling and operating a giant dam it is building on the Blue Nile, a joint statement said.
Biden revokes Trump executive orders against Chinese apps TikTok, WeChat
President Biden on Wednesday moved to revoke former President Donald Trump’s executive orders aimed at cracking down on TikTok and WeChat, popular China-based social media apps that the Trump administration feared were collecting U.S. users’ data and could be used to spy on Americans.
Biden working under the radar to close Guantanamo by 9/11
President Joe Biden has reportedly set Sept. 11, 2021, as the deadline for yet another campaign promise: fully shuttering the Guantanamo Bay detention center.
Iran Nuclear Negotiations To Resume This Weekend, U.S. Official Says
Negotiations aimed at returning the United States and Iran to compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal will resume this weekend, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman said on June 9.
Keystone XL pipeline canceled after Biden’s decision to pull permit
The developer of the Keystone XL pipeline announced Wednesday that it had pulled the plug on the project, citing President Biden’s decision to rescind its cross-border permit, bringing the 13-year battle over the major infrastructure project to an end.
Virginia court: Teacher must be reinstated following suspension for opposing transgender policy
A Circuit Court judge in Loudoun Virginia has ruled that local school administrators must reinstate a Christian teacher who was suspended after opposing a draft policy requiring educators to use transgender pronouns when addressing children who say they are the opposite sex.
Burmese army attacks third church in two weeks
As the conflict in Myanmar rages on, the Burmese military has now attacked a third church in two weeks in the country’s Kayah state, International Christian Concern reports. This attack follows a recent public call from Myanmar Cardinal Charles Bo for an end to assaults on places of worship.
Poll: 70% of Americans support same-sex marriage
A new Gallup poll shows US support for legal same-sex marriage is at a record high of 70%, Gallup reports. The poll also shows that, for the first time, a majority of Republicans (55%) also support legal same-sex marriage.
Poll: 46% of US voters believe Fauci lied over “gain-of-function” virus research; opinion divided along partisan/race lines
A new Rasmussen Reports poll has shown that only 40% of likely American voters believe chief medical adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci has been truthful about US government funding for “gain-of-function” virus research: 46% believe he lied, and 15% are not sure. Moreover, the poll showed divisions along partisan and racial lines on the issue of whether Fauci lied or not.
US Military Says Withdrawal From Afghanistan More Than Half Complete
The U.S. military estimates that it has completed more than half of its withdrawal from Afghanistan, a pace that appears far ahead of the September 11 deadline set by President Joe Biden in April.
Biden to depart for jam-packed first foreign trip, including Putin meeting
Joe Biden will fight what he calls a “defining” battle for democracy on his first foreign presidential trip, meeting top US allies in Europe ahead of a tricky summit with Russia’s Vladimir Putin.
Alleged Israeli airstrike targets Syria from Lebanese airspace
An alleged Israeli airstrike targeted Syrian territory from Lebanese airspace on Tuesday night, according to the Syrian state news agency SANA.
IRS Data Trove Shows How The Super Wealthy Pay Such Little Taxes: Report
The super wealthy — including billionaires Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk and Michael Bloomberg — have skirted large amounts of taxes for years, according to a large trove of federal tax data obtained by ProPublica.
IRS chief asks Congress for authority and resources to regulate cryptocurrencies
Internal Revenue Service Commissioner Charles Rettig on Tuesday asked Congress for new authority and resources in order to regulate cryptocurrencies for better tax collection and to avoid frauds and scams.
U.S. Report Found It Plausible Covid-19 Leaked From Wuhan Lab
A report on the origins of Covid-19 by a U.S. government national laboratory concluded that the hypothesis claiming the virus leaked from a Chinese lab in Wuhan is plausible and deserves further investigation, according to people familiar with the classified document.
Washington state: Marijuana stores can offer free joint to people getting COVID-19 vaccine
As part of its COVID-19 vaccine drive, Washington state announced Monday that licensed marijuana stores in Washington state can offer a free joint to anyone over 21 who gets a COVID-19 shot at an on-site vaccine clinic by July 12, the Associated Press reports. Washington’s Liquor and Cannabis Board has called its drive the “Joints for Jabs” program.
Global Police Break International Crime Network
Global law enforcement agencies have busted an international crime network by monitoring encrypted phones used by criminals, officials announced Tuesday. The operation led to hundreds of arrests and drug and weapon seizures across 16 nations.
FBI’s encrypted communication platform facilitates massive international sting operation
An encrypted communications platform developed by the FBI facilitated a global sting operation that targeted criminality in 16 countries and resulted in over 800 arrests, the Washington Times reports. Led by the FBI, Operation Trojan involved the US Drug Enforcement Administration, the European Union police agency Europol and law enforcement agencies in delivering what police officials described as “an unprecedented blow” to criminal organizations.
Global Outage Of Government, News Sites
Multiple websites ranging from government to news sites went offline briefly across the globe, underscoring broader concerns about vulnerabilities in online communications.