Weekly News Brief: 2/8/24

U.S. Airstrike Kills Top Commander of Iranian Backed Militia Group in Iraq


According to US officials, a drone strike carried out by the US in Baghdad resulted in the deaths of three individuals associated with the Iranian-backed Kata’ib Hezbollah militia organization, among them the leader of the group’s activities in Syria.

Pakistan Blast Kills Dozens Ahead Of Elections


Two bomb explosions have killed at least 22 people in Pakistan’s Balochistan province on the eve of general elections, officials say.

Dutch Coalition Talks With Anti-Islam Party Collapse


The hopes of the anti-Islam Dutch lawmaker Geert Wilders’ to become prime minister of the Netherlands were dwindling Wednesday after coalition talks collapsed.

Latest World News Headlines

New Report Details Iran Closer Than Ever To Building a Nuclear Weapons – February 6, 2024

China-Born Australian Activist Sentenced To Death – February 6, 2024

Australia Rushing To Become World’s First Functionally Cashless Society – February 6, 2024

Grandson Munich Massacre Victim Hospitalized After Anti-Jewish Attack In Berlin – February 6, 2024

Hungary Refuses To Ratify Sweden’s NATO Membership – February 6, 2024

Charles III Diagnosed With Cancer, Suspends Public Duties – February 5, 2024

Iran Building a New Nuclear Reactor In Isfahan – February 5, 2024

Iran to Participate in Joint Naval Exercises with Russia and China – February 5, 2024

Russia: Ukraine Kills Dozens In Bakery – February 5, 2024

Europe Sees Massive Farmers’ Unrest – February 5, 2024

Breaking Israel News

IDF Says Iran Transferred $150 Million To Hamas, “They Invested the Money In Their Personal Survival”


The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has disclosed that Iran’s Islamic regime has transferred more than $150 million to the Hamas Palestinian terror organization, i24News reports. The disclosure is consistent with a 2021 report by the US State Department that Iran is the “leading state sponsor of terrorism.”

Israel Hits Syria, Killing Several Soldiers


Several civilians were killed and injured in an Israeli strike on Syria’s Homs area, Syrian officials said Wednesday.

U.K. Signals It May Recognize Palestinian State After Gaza War


During a visit to Lebanon, British Foreign Secretary David Cameron stated achieving peace would be unattainable as long as Hamas controlled Gaza. However, he emphasized that offering Palestinians the opportunity for statehood was “absolutely vital for the long-term peace and security of the region.”

Latest Israel News Headlines

US Considers Aiding Gaza Palestinians Through Other Agencies Amid Continuing Suspension of UNRWA Funding – February 6, 2024

Israel Defense Minister States Over 50% of Hamas Beaten – February 5, 2024

Netherlands Drops Medical Supplies Over Gaza – February 5, 2024

IDF Strikes 3,000 Hezbollah Sites in Lebanon and Syria So Far – February 4, 2024

Hamas ‘Unlikely’ To Reject Hostage Deal; ‘Will Demand War Ends’ As Battles Rage (Worthy News In-Depth) – February 2, 2024

Hostages Freed In Turkey As Police Detain Armed Man Protesting Israel’s War in Gaza – February 1, 2024

‘Biden Doctrine’: Steps to Unilaterally Recognize Palestinian State Despite Israel Opposition – February 1, 2024

Breaking U.S. News

SCOTUS To Hear Arguments In Trump’s Disqualification From Election Ballots Case


The US Supreme Court will today hear arguments over whether states can remove former president Donald Trump from 2024 presidential election ballots because of his conduct before and during the breach of the US Capitol building on Jan. 6, 2021.

Federal Interest Costs to Hit Record in Two Years, CBO Says


The federal government is on track to spend $1.6 trillion more than it brings in this fiscal year with new projections published Wednesday showing federal spending is projected to remain unsustainable in the decades to come. 

Senate Border Bill Fails, Ukraine Funding Vote Expected


A $118 billion deal that combined a batch of foreign funding for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan with a slew of controversial border provisions failed in the U.S. Senate Wednesday. The text of that bill was unveiled Sunday, but support imploded almost immediately.

Latest U.S. News Headlines

U.S. House Votes Against Impeaching Mayorkas – February 6, 2024

Speaker Johnson Criticizes Biden For Turning Its Back on Israel – February 6, 2024

Trump Doesn’t Have Presidential Immunity, Federal Appeals Court Says – February 6, 2024

U.S. House Begins Debate on Mayorkas Impeachment Articles – February 6, 2024

State of Emergency Declared in California As State Hit With Historic Storm – February 5, 2024

Six Pro-Life Activists Face Up to 10 Years in Prison For Protest Outside Abortion Clinic In Tennessee – February 5, 2024

‘Don’t Fall For It’: Trump Blasts Senate Border Bill – February 5, 2024

Breaking Christian News

Global South Has The Most Christians, Asia Has Fastest Growing Christian Populations, Report Shows
A recent report on the status of Christianity around the world shows that – despite intense persecution in many countries there – the largest number of Christians are in the Global South, and that Asia (five regions) has the fastest growing Christian populations of all. Titled ‘Status of Global Christianity, 2024, in the Context of 1900–2050,’ the report was published by the US-based Center for the Study of Global Christianity (CSGC).

Pakistan: Islamic Man Attacks Two Christian Women With Ax, Attempts Rape
A spate of extremely violent attacks on Christians in Pakistan’s Punjab Province was manifest again when a Muslim man attacked two Christian women with an ax and attempted to rape one of them last month, Morning Star News (MSN) reports.

North Korea Has Imprisoned Tens Of Thousands Of Christians In Extreme Labor Camps, Global Ministries Say
Two US Christian aid and advocacy organizations have reported that North Korea’s government is so hostile to Christians that it has imprisoned tens of thousands of believers in labor camps described as “comparable to Nazi death camps.”

Latest Christian News Headlines

Vietnam: Christian Man Sentenced To 4 1/2 Years Imprisonment For Home Prayer Meeting, “Part of a Wider Pattern” – February 7, 2024

“Multiplied:” Pioneering Film Documenting Christianity Around The World, “Christianity Is Exploding” – February 7, 2024

India: Aid Group Assists 50 Persecuted Christian Farmers Attacked by Hindu Nationalists – February 6, 2024

Historic Christian Community Dwindling In Iraq – February 6, 2024

UN Asks Hungary’s Advice On Persecuted Christians – February 5, 2024

Pakistan: Christian Brothers Tortured, Forced to Confess Allegiance to Islam or Die – February 5, 2024

Islamists Attack DRC Church, Villages, Killing 8; Dozens Kidnapped – February 2, 2024

Weekly News Brief: 2/2/24

Spain Declares Drought Emergency In Northeastern Catalonia Region


Spanish authorities have declared a drought emergency in and around Barcelona, Spain’s second-largest city and the capital of its autonomous northeastern Catalonia region.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Withdraw Officers from Syria Following Alleged Israeli Airstrikes (Update)


Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) have reduced the number of their high-ranking officers stationed in Syria following a series of fatal strikes attributed to Israel according to the Reuters News Agency.

EU Leaders Agree On $54 Billion For Ukraine After Hungary Lifts Opposition (Worthy News Radio)


European Union leaders have agreed to create a 50 billion euro ($54 billion) fund for Ukraine after getting on board Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who had threatened to veto the deal.

Latest World News Headlines

US Preemptively Strikes Houthi Missile It Says Posed “Imminent Threat” To Aircraft – February 1, 2024

China’s Forced Organ Harvesting From Minorities Highlighted At International Religious Freedom Summit – February 1, 2024

US Blames Iran-Backed Islamic Resistance Group For Attack That Killed 3 US Troops – January 31, 2024

NATO With Largest Exercise Since Cold War Amid Fears Of Large Conflict – January 31, 2024

Ambassador: Israeli Embassy In Sweden Target Of ‘Attempted Attack’ – January 31, 2024

Antisemitic Incidents in France Surge by 1,100% Following October 7 – January 30, 2024

Hungary Condemns EU Plan To Cripple Its Economy – January 30, 2024

Paris In Crisis As Farmers Besiege French Capital – January 30, 2024

Billionaire Musk’s Brain Chip Implanted In Human For First Time – January 29, 2024

World Awaits Biden’s Response To Death Of U.S. Service Members In Drone Strike – January 29, 2024

Breaking Israel News

Hostages Freed In Turkey As Police Detain Armed Man Protesting Israel’s War in Gaza


Seven workers seized at a Proctor & Gamble (P&G) plant in northwestern Turkey were freed after a nine-hour standoff with a gunman protesting against Israel’s war in Gaza, Turkish officials confirmed.

‘Biden Doctrine’: Steps to Unilaterally Recognize Palestinian State Despite Israel Opposition
The Biden Administration is considering a ‘new doctrine’ to unilaterally recognize a demilitarized Palestinian State despite strong opposition to statehood within Israel.

Defense Minister: ‘Israel Facing Imminent War With Hezbollah’


Israel’s defense minister has urged his nation to prepare for an imminent war with the massive Iran-backed Hezbollah militia based in neighboring Lebanon and a broader armed conflict in the Middle East.

Latest Israel News Headlines

Israel Flooding ‘Hamas Terror Tunnels’ As Battles Rage In Gaza, West Bank (Worthy News In-Depth) – January 31, 2024

Israeli Defense Minister Gallant Claims Half of Hamas Terrorists Have Been Wounded or Killed – January 30, 2024

Netanyahu: We Will Only Accept Total Victory; We Will Not Release Thousands of Terrorists – January 30, 2024

Hamas Rejects Hostage Deal, Hamas Fires Rockets into Central Israel – January 29, 2024

Jerusalem: Discovery of Byzantine-Era Weights May Point to Pre-Islamic Christian Presence on Temple Mount – January 29, 2024

World Remembers Holocaust Amid Rising Antisemitism (Worthy News Radio) – January 27, 2024

EU: ‘UN Likely Involved In Hamas Attacks Against Israel’ (Worthy News Investigation) – January 27, 2024

Breaking U.S. News

Tax Bill Heads to Senate, Faces Uncertain Future
The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bipartisan tax bill with a vote of 357-70 late Wednesday, but that bill now faces an uncertain future in the Senate.

New York Officials Outraged Over Beating of NYPD Officers by Migrants
New York Republicans are calling for the deportation of a group of undocumented migrants who were released without bail after a brutal beating of two NYPD police officers in Times Square.

Colorado SOS Files Brief With U.S. Supreme Court in Trump Case
Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold filed a brief with the U.S. Supreme Court in the case involving former President Donald Trump’s removal from the 2024 Colorado Republican presidential primary ballot.

Latest U.S. News Headlines

US Federal Reserve Leaves Rates Unchanged – January 31, 2024

California: Child Evangelism Ministry Accuses Public School District Of Unlawful Discrimination – January 31, 2024

FBI Director Wray Warns of Chinese Hackers Targeting America’s Infrastructure to ‘Wreak Havoc’ – January 31, 2024

US: Homelessness Surges As Pandemic-Era Safety Net Provisions Expire – January 31, 2024

US Civil War Fears As Texas Sets Up Wires At Mexico Border Over ‘Migrant Invasion’ (Worthy News In-Depth) – January 31, 2024

After Hours of Debate, House Committee Advances Mayorkas Impeachment Articles – January 31, 2024

Speaker Johnson Works On FISA Overhaul By April Deadline – January 30, 2024

Breaking Christian News

Hamas ‘Unlikely’ To Reject Hostage Deal; ‘Will Demand War Ends’ As Battles Rage (Worthy News In-Depth)
Hamas is unlikely to reject a Gaza ceasefire proposal it received from mediators this week but will not sign it without assurances that Israel has committed to ending the war, sources say.

Islamists Attack DRC Church, Villages, Killing 8; Dozens Kidnapped
Christians faced major challenges in the northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) on Friday after at least eight people died and thirty were taken hostage in Islamist attacks on a Pentecostal church and other targets.

Nicaraguan Regime Charges US Missionaries/Nicaraguan Pastors With Financial Crimes After Large Gospel Events
Nicaragua’s Attorney General has charged three US missionaries and 11 Nicaraguan pastors with money laundering and organized crime, months after the Christians led large Gospel outreaches in the country, CBN News reports.

Latest Christian News Headlines

Pakistan: Govt. Announces Christian Children Can Study The Bible Instead Of Islam In School – January 31, 2024

Nigeria: Slaughter of Christians Continues, “More Believers Are Killed For Their Faith In Nigeria Than Everywhere Else In The World Combined” – January 31, 2024

National Day of Prayer and Repentance in Washington D.C. on Jan. 31 – January 30, 2024

Comoros: Christians Face Ongoing Persecution Following Reelection Of President Assoumani – January 30, 2024

US: Churches Open Doors To Homeless In Extreme Cold, Run Afoul Of Local Authorities – January 30, 2024

Eritrea Releasing Hundreds Of Christians; 300 Still Detained – January 30, 2024

Iran: New Testament Now Available in 12 New Dialects as Underground Church Grows – January 25, 2024