Weekly New Brief 8/22/24

Breaking World News

Switzerland Starts Instant Cashless Payments System
The Swiss National Bank (SNB) unveiled a new instant payment system Monday, saying it will bolster the future of cashless payments in Switzerland.

Italian Experts: ‘Evidence About Jesus’ Burial Clothing
Italian researchers have reopened the 600-year-old debate over the Shroud of Turin, the linen cloth that some believe was used to wrap the body of Jesus after his crucifixion.

Netherlands Shaken By Turmoil Over Nord Stream Blasts (Worthy News Radio)
The Netherlands has been shaken by political turmoil over revelations that Dutch government members knew about Ukraine’s involvement in blowing up Nord Stream pipelines transporting Russian natural gas to Europe, even before it happened. Information about the planned sabotage in September 2022 was shared by the Dutch secret service with the United States, officials say, which raised questions about former Prime Minister Mark Rutte, who is due to become the secretary general of the NATO military alliance.

Latest World News Headlines

German Chancellor Defends Less Support For Ukraine – August 22, 2024

Study Warns US Army Not Ready For China’s Nuclear Strikes – August 21, 2024

Azerbaijan Joining BRICS Bloc, Raising EU Concerns – August 21, 2024

Anxiety After Taiwan Fires Missiles – August 20, 2024

Ukraine Seeks Peace Talks With Russia, Without Putin – August 20, 2024

US Says Iran Launches Cyber Attacks Against Presidential Candidates – August 19, 2024

Indonesia Christians Pray Amid Massive Earthquake Warning – August 19, 2024

Indonesia’s Independence Day Attracts Sorrow and Hope in Two Nations – August 19, 2024

Egypt holds talks on Middle East Crisis with UAE, Saudi Arabia, Turkey – August 19, 2024

65 Million People Affected by El Nino Drought in Southern Africa – August 19, 2024

Breaking Israel News

Israel and Hezbollah Escalate Conflict with Cross-Border Fire
Israel Defense Forces bombed several of its arms depots in Lebanon for the second consecutive night, Hezbollah responded by firing over 50 rockets into civilian areas in northern Israel on Wednesday morning.

Hezbollah Fires 50 Rockets at Golan Heights, Hitting Israeli Homes, “This is a Great Miracle that Happened Here”
Continuing a campaign of terror against Israel that it began in solidarity with Hamas’ attack against the Jewish state, the Lebanese Hezbollah terror organization launched 50 rockets at the Golan Heights on Wednesday morning, with several missiles hitting homes, All Israel News (AIN) reports.

‘Hamas Rafah Brigade has been defeated’, Gallant Says
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant announced the defeat of Hamas’ Rafah Brigade during his visit to troops stationed along the Egypt-Gaza Strip border, emphasizing the destruction of over 150 tunnels.

Latest Israel News Headlines

Israeli Scientists Discover New Method of Fighting Cancer – August 21, 2024

Deal Increasingly Unlikely as Hamas Accuses U.S. of Bias Toward Israel – August 20, 2024

Israel Prepares Expanded Conflict with Hezbollah As It Destroys Hezbollah Weapons Depots, Hezbollah Fires Over 100 Rockets – August 20, 2024

Israeli Military Recovers Bodies Of 6 Hostages – August 20, 2024

Blinken: ‘Israel Accepts US Ceasefire Proposal For Gaza’ – August 19, 2024

Jerusalem: Archaeologists Uncover Ancient Artefacts From Jesus’ Time – August 19, 2024

Ceasefire Unlikely As Hamas Refuses To Accept Demilitarization of Gaza – August 18, 2024

Breaking U.S. News

SCOTUS Declines to Enforce Protections for LGBTQ Public School Students
The US Supreme Court last week (August 16) rejected a request by the Biden administration to enforce a new federal rule that Title IX’s prohibition of discrimination in public schools “on the basis of sex” includes discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, Reuters reports.

Pro-life Democrats Condemn Planned Parenthood Mobile Abortion Clinic Outside DNC, “It Overlooks the Need to Provide Support for a Pregnant Woman”
The Democrats for Life anti-abortion organization has vehemently condemned the Planned Parenthood abortion provider for offering free abortion pills from a mobile van parked near the ongoing Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Illinois, the Christian Post (CP) reports. Abortion giant Planned Parenthood Great Rivers in St. Louis announced last week that its mobile van would be parked near the DNC on Monday and Tuesday, the first two days of this week’s convention.

US Job Market Faces Largest Revision Since 2009, with 818K Fewer Jobs Than Previously Reported
The government acknowledged that job creation was significantly slower than initially reported on Wednesday, cutting over 800,000 jobs from previous figures. This admission came just 24 hours before Vice President Kamala Harris accepted the Democratic nomination for president.

Latest U.S. News Headlines

More Inflationary Woes: Credit Card Debt Hits Record $1.14 Trillion – August 21, 2024

March Outside Israeli Consulate Leads to Confrontation, Arrests – August 21, 2024

Obamas Headline Night Two of the DNC, Harris Skips to Stump in Wisconsin – August 21, 2024

Biden Explains Why He Dropped Out of Presidential Race – August 20, 2024

RFK Jr’s Campaign Considers “Joining Forces With Trump” to Avoid Risk of a Harris/Walz Presidency – August 20, 2024

Tearful Biden Admits Mistakes In DNC Speech Amid Pro-Palestine Protests – August 20, 2024

Protesters Get Police, Democratic Officials’ Attention During DNC in Chicago – August 19, 2024

Breaking Christian News

Whereabouts of Abducted Pastor and 13-Year-Old Daughter Are Not Known Despite Ransom Payment
The fate of a Protestant pastor and his 13-year-old daughter who were abducted in Gusau, northwestern Nigeria last month is not known, despite a ransom having been paid for their release, Christian Daily International (CDI) reports.

Nicaragua: Government Shuts Down Hundreds of Evangelical NGOs
In a move seen as punishment for not aligning with Nicaragua’s authoritarian communist regime, Nicaraguan authorities have revoked the legal status of hundreds of evangelical NGOs and transferred their assets to the state, CBN News reports.

India: Uttar Pradesh Police Arrested Over 1,600 People on Anti-Conversion Charges in Last Four Years
In the last four years, authorities in northern India’s Uttar Pradesh state arrested 1,682, people under an extreme anti-conversion law designed to suppress non-Hindu religious freedom, the International Christian Concern (ICC) advocacy organization reports.