Oregon wildfire is ‘out of control,’ reportedly the size of Los Angeles
The monstrous fire burning in Oregon has continued to grow since starting in early July and is still only 25% contained, according to reports.
Year: 2021
US said to weigh sanctions on Iran’s oil sales to China if nuke talks fail
US President Joe Biden’s administration is weighing fresh sanctions targeting Iranian crude oil sales to China if Tehran hinders ongoing talks aimed at reviving the 2015 nuclear deal, a report said Monday.
IDF: Iron Dome shoots down rocket from Lebanon; another lands in open area
Israel’s Iron Dome aerial defense system shot down a rocket from Lebanon after two were fired at Israel Tuesday morning, the Israeli military said.
Likud seeks to convince Gantz to bolt government, replace Bennett as PM
Opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party renewed on Monday its public efforts to persuade Blue and White’s Benny Gantz to leave the government and form an alternate coalition with right-wing parties.
New poll shows nearly 9/10 voters worried about rising cost of living, inflation
Eighty-eight percent of voters are either “somewhat” or “extremely” worried about the rising costs of living in the U.S., according to a new poll by the conservative advocacy group American Action Network.
Abdullah seeks to revive two-state solution, bury ‘Jordan is Palestine’
Jordan is hoping that King Abdullah’s meeting with US President Joe Biden will pave the way for the kingdom to return to center stage in regional developments, particularly the Israeli-Arab conflict.
Second Filling of Ethiopia’s Giant Dam Nearly Complete
Ethiopia has nearly completed the filling of a huge dam on the Blue Nile River for a second year, state media reported on Monday, a move that has already angered Egypt.
Israel pressures U.S. lawmakers to halt Biden’s bid to restore Iran nuclear deal
Israel put pressure on U.S. lawmakers to reject initiatives to restore the Iran nuclear deal during a recent bipartisan congressional trip taken to the Middle East.
China military and navy conduct landing exercises near Taiwan in apparent warning to US and Taiwan
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and Navy held joint amphibious landing exercises near Taiwan on Friday, in what should be considered as warnings and a deterrent to the US and to “Taiwan secessionists,” China’s Communist Party-backed Global Times said on Sunday. The exercises were conducted a day after a military plane landed in Taiwan for the second time this year.
England lifts COVID-19 restrictions as cases rise again
England celebrated the end of many grueling months of COVID-19 restrictions as of midnight Monday, but the lifting of all restrictions came amid a surge in infections and warnings about supermarket shortages, Ynet News reports. Following an intense nationwide inoculation drive, 87% of the UK population has now received at least one dose of the vaccine; 68% of the population is fully vaccinated.
UK Survey shows significant increase in church attendances after services moved online for pandemic
A new UK survey has shown that 43% of pastors reported an increase in attendance after their church services went online during the pandemic, Christian Today reports. Carried out by the Bible Society on behalf of the UK’s Ecclesiastical Insurance company, the poll surveyed 1,000 church leaders in May this year.
Anti-DACA court ruling sets Democrats scrambling to protect ‘Dreamers’
A federal judge’s decision against the DACA program injected new urgency into Congress‘ desire to give “Dreamers” a permanent legal solution. Still, the court ruling did nothing to overcome the deep divisions that have blocked every attempt over the past decade.
Cuba protests: Christian leaders beaten, imprisoned in government crackdown; Call for Christians worldwide to pray; “Help us!”
Christian pastors are among at least 100 people who have been beaten and imprisoned by the Cuban government amid nationwide protests against systemic rights violations, the severe economic crisis, and the surge in COVID-19 cases, the Christian Post reports. Pleading for help from the international community, the wife of an imprisoned pastor has called on Christians worldwide to pray for Cubans suffering government violence.
Pentagon: 70 percent of service members have received first dose of Covid vaccine
Seventy percent of U.S. active duty service members have received their first dose of the coronavirus vaccine, the Pentagon announced on Friday, and 62 percent of the force is now fully vaccinated.
Space Force working on laser defenses
The Space Force is developing directed-energy weapons as a counter to space warfare threats posed by both China and Russia, according to the general in charge of the force.
US drone strikes truck in Syria used by Iran-backed militia
A United States drone attack targeted a truck of an Iran-backed militia in eastern Syria on Sunday, destroying the vehicle without causing any casualties, two Iraqi militia officials said.
On Tisha B’Av, Bennett speaks of ‘freedom of worship’ for Jews on Temple Mount
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett asserted on Sunday that both Jews and Muslims have “freedom of worship” on the Temple Mount, potentially hinting at a change in policy at the most contentious site in Israel.
Ra’am: Al-Aqsa Mosque ‘is solely the property of Muslims’
The Islamist Ra’am party condemned the ascent of hundreds of what it called Jewish “settlers” to the Temple Mount on Sunday morning, during the observance of the Tisha B’Av fast.
Patriot missiles shoot down drones in ‘historic’ first
U.S. Army missile defense units have carried out the first ever firing of Patriot surface-to-air missiles in Australia as part of joint exercises with U.S. allies there that are likely to agitate China, which is engaged in its own increasingly aggressive military moves in the region.
Yellowstone rattled by swarm of more than 140 earthquakes in past day, geologists say
A swarm of more than 141 earthquakes is rattling Yellowstone National Park, geologists said.