U.S. employers added 379,000 jobs in February, unemployment rate drops to 6.2%, report
U.S. employers added 379,000 jobs in February, and the unemployment rate fell to 6.2%, according to a Labor Department report released Friday.
Year: 2021
IDF completes underground anti-tunnel barrier surrounding Gaza
After four years of work, the Israel Defense Forces has completed the sophisticated new underground barrier on the Gaza border which is used to detect and prevent tunnel-digging by terror groups into Israeli territory.
Middle East In Biblical City of Ur, Pope Urges Inter-Religious Tolerance, Fraternity
Pope Francis has addressed an interfaith gathering of Iraq’s religious and ethnic groups in Ur, said to be the birthplace of Abraham, the common patriarch for Jews, Christians and Muslims. He drove home the need for respect and unity, and he used the opportunity to condemn violent religious extremism.
Pope Prays Amid Ruins of Iraqi Churches Destroyed by IS
Pope Francis was in northern Iraq Sunday where he prayed in the ruins of churches destroyed by the Islamic state and celebrated an open-air Mass.
Texas surges resources to border amid migration ‘crisis’
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Saturday announced Operation Lone Star, which he said would integrate the state’s own resources to try to contain damage from the new migrant surge that’s struck the Biden administration.
U.S. deploys B-52 bombers to Middle East in warning to Iran
The U.S. military on Sunday delivered a pair of clear warnings to Iran, with the Air Force dispatching two B-52H “Stratofortress” bombers to the Middle East while Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin vowed to “hold people accountable for their acts” if Americans are targeted.
China tells Biden to reverse ‘dangerous practice’ on Taiwan
China’s foreign minister warned the Biden administration on Sunday to roll back former President Donald Trump’s “dangerous practice” of showing support for Taiwan, the island democracy claimed by Beijing as its own territory.
Will Israel, Saudi Arabia form the NATO of the Middle East?
Answering questions from his audience on Zoom at a Likud event on Wednesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke of two reasons four Arab states normalized ties with Israel in the past year, and more want to join them: the economic advantages of cooperating, and shared security aims.
US Democrats Pass Controversial Voting Law
U.S. House Democrats voted for the most extensive overhaul of the nation’s election law in at least a generation despite unanimous Republican opposition and warnings is could undermine democracy.
Winter storms caused $155 billion in economic damages
Devastating coast-to-coast winter weather is estimated to have caused around $155 billion in economic damages, making it likely that February 2021 was the costliest in terms of weather impact in recent US history, UPI reports. The estimated economic damage costs for the entire 2020 Atlantic hurricane season were a comparatively small $60 billion to $65 billion.
House passes George Floyd Justice in Policing Act
The US House of Representatives passed the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act Wednesday, in an effort to increase police accountability and end practices that facilitate the use of excessive force against unarmed citizens, USA Today reports. Drafted by Democrats, the bill was first introduced in the last Congress after the death in police custody of George Floyd in Minneapolis on May 25, 2020.
Algeria Jails Pastor and Assistant For Evangelism
Algerian Christians have urged prayers for a pastor and his assistant who were jailed and fined for evangelizing in Algeria, an Islamic nation, Worthy News learned.
Islamic Militants Free Nigerian Pastor On Execution Day
Islamic militants have released a Nigerian pastor who they threatened to kill unless their demands were met, security sources said. Bulus Yikura of the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria (EYN) was held captive since December 24, 2020.
US: Russia blocks Syria chemical weapons use accountability
The United States accused Syrian President Bashar Assad and his close ally Russia on Thursday of trying to block all efforts to hold Damascus accountable for using chemical weapons during attacks on civilians.
$100 trillion in new debt over next 30 years: CBO
The government has opened the spending spigot over the last year to deal with the coronavirus crisis — but the Congressional Budget Office says unless something changes, Uncle Sam’s freewheeling ways will last long after the pandemic is over.
Gantz: IDF updating military plans for potential strike on Iran nuclear sites
Defense Minister Benny Gantz on Thursday said the Israel Defense Forces is continuously updating its plans for a prospective military strike on Iranian nuclear sites.
North Korean nuclear activity detected, possibly extracting plutonium
North Korea could be at it again. New activity has been detected at the Yonbyong nuclear site north of Pyongyang.
2,000 More to Go: Wycliffe Bible Translators Keeps On Task During the Pandemic
Wycliffe Bible Translators says the COVID-19 pandemic displaced some of its staff but that the urgent work continues as 1.5 billion people still do not have the full Bible available in their language.
Mississippi Gov. Reeves tells Biden after ‘neanderthal’ jab we should trust, not ‘insult’ Americans
Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeve is responding to President Biden’s “neanderthal thinking” comment after he and Texas Gov. Gregg Abbott announced earlier this week that they are lifting their coronavirus mask orders, saying the president should “trust Americans, not insult them.”
New Zealand downgrades tsunami threat after 8.1-magnitude quake
Officials in New Zealand on Friday downgraded a tsunami warning after multiple powerful earthquakes struck off the coast earlier in the day.