Frustration and Hope as World Deals with Virus and Visitors
Hope but also frustration and uncertainty marked the world’s efforts Sunday to deal with the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
PLO
Angry North Korea To Dump Millions of Leaflets over South Korea
North Korea threatened Monday to dump a whopping 12 million propaganda leaflets on South Korea as “retaliatory punishment” for materials and Bibles it received from activists.
Saudi-Led Coalition Intercepts 3 Ballistic Missiles Launched by Houthis: State TV
The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said early on Tuesday it intercepted three ballistic missiles launched by Yemen’s Houthis, the sectarian Yemeni militia, towards the Saudi Arabian cities of Najran and Jizan, according to the Saudi state TV.
Trump to cut immigration by 525,000 in effort to open jobs for unemployed Americans
President Trump is suspending five classes of visas through the end of the year in an effort to open more than a half-million jobs to Americans, according to three senior administration officials.
President Trump Blames Media, Protesters For ‘Low’ Rally turnout
U.S. President Donald Trump has blamed mainstream media and “radical protesters” for scaring away attendees during his first election rally in more than three months.
PM: Gov’t will pass sovereignty next week, even if Blue and White opposes bid
Even the most contentious disagreements in previous governments – including coalitions that comprised Yair Lapid, Naftali Bennett and Ayelet Shaked – didn’t prepare Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the miseries of this current government. The combination of an equal share unity government with deadbeats such as Blue and White leader Benny Gantz, his dominant deputy with an independent agenda in the form of Gabi Ashkenazi, and a cohort of inexperienced Knesset members who haven’t graduated political boot camp yet, spurred Netanyahu to utter the word “election” more than once this week in closed-door conversations.
Supreme Court decision ignites religious liberty battle
Justice Neil Gorsuch’s majority opinion in Bostock v. Clayton County, a Supreme Court decision extending employment protections to gay and transgender people, kicks off a new religious liberty battle.
North Korea Deploys Troops Amid Increasing Tensions with South Korea
A day after destroying an inter-Korean liaison office, North Korea continued to increase tensions with South Korea Wednesday, when Pyongyang announced it was sending troops to the Kaesong Industrial Zone and to Mt. Kumgang, both areas that had once been the sites of joint economic ventures between the two countries, UPI reported. The move follows two weeks of Pyongyang making angry threats against Seoul because Northern defectors have been sending balloons with information leaflets over the border.
SCOTUS, 6-3: Illegal to Fire Someone ‘Merely for Being Gay or Transgender’
In a 6-3 ruling issued on Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court said an employer who fires an individual merely for being gay or transgender violates Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
Europe’s Reopens Borders But Concerns Remain Over Pandemic
Borders reopened across Europe on Monday after three months of coronavirus lockdowns. But many restrictions persist and remain unclear how willing Europeans will be to travel this summer.
Air Force sends F-35s to Middle East to possibly deter Iran
The Air Force is sending F-35s to the Middle East to escort ships, deter potential enemies, conduct reconnaissance and, of course, support ongoing combat operations in the U.S. military’s Central Command region.
North Korea Firing ’Warning Shots’ At U.S.
North Korea has fired diplomatic warning shots at the United States saying their relationship “shifted into despair” and suggesting it may launch nuclear-capable missiles.
Twitter ‘Deletes’ China’s Communists, Zoom ‘Deletes’ Dissidents
U.S. social media giants have reacted differently to China’s mounting censoring pressure, Worthy News monitored Friday.
Russia, Seeking to Bolster its Influence, Steps Up Intervention in Libyan Conflict
Russia is reportedly stepping up its involvement in the Libyan civil war, which has in recent years has become a heated proxy conflict drawing in numerous foreign players, driven by a range of motives.
U.S. Stocks Plunge Over Coronavirus and Economic Concerns
U.S. President Donald Trump pledged a strong, swift economic recovery and coronavirus vaccine after the U.S. market had its worst finish in three months.
Fed vows to support U.S. economy’s ‘long road’ to recovery after dire 2020
The U.S. Federal Reserve on Wednesday signaled it plans years of extraordinary support for an economy facing a torturous slog back from the coronavirus pandemic, with policymakers projecting the economy to shrink 6.5% in 2020 and the unemployment rate to be 9.3% at year’s end.
Russia, China build case at U.N. to protect Iran from U.S. sanctions threat
Russia and China have started making the case at the United Nations against Washington’s claim that it can trigger a return of all sanctions on Iran at the Security Council, with Moscow invoking a 50-year-old international legal opinion to argue against the move.
Washington Outraged Over Beheading of Christians And Other Religious Rights Abuses
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo expressed concern Wednesday about ongoing beheadings and other abuses of Christians and other faith groups in several nations.
Palestinian Authority Submits Counter-Plan for Demilitarized Statehood Along 1967 Borders
Having rejected outright the Trump Peace Plan presented in January, the Palestinian Authority (PA) has now sent a counter-proposal for statehood to the diplomatic Quartet (UN, US, Russia and EU) that is mediating the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the Times of Israel reports.
U.S and Russia Invite China to Join Nuclear Weapons Talks
The US and Russia have invited China to attend nuclear arms control talks this month, the Washington Times reports. The 2021 deadline for renewal of the US-Russia New START nuclear arms limitation treaty is fast approaching, and Russia is willing to extend for another five years. However, the US reportedly wants China to come to the negotiating table and join a trilateral treaty.