(Worthy News) – The United States has imposed new sanctions on two of North Korea’s key figures in its weapons program.
The sanctions by the Treasury Department mean that any assets Kim Jong Sik, a veteran rocket scientist, and Ri Pyong Chol, a former senior air force commander, hold in the United States can be seized and that Americans are prohibited from dealing with them.
The sanctions also target any bank accounts the two have, which involve U.S. dollars. [ Source: CBN News (Read More…) ]
(Worthy News) – Hezbollah and Syrian army forces have reportedly launched an assault on a besieged Syrian rebels’ stronghold some 11 kilometers (6.8 miles) from Israel’s border, even as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that Israel will not accept Iranian proxies on its frontier.
Rebels groups have reported heavy bombardments and artillery fire on their positions, and the Syrian army claimed it had encircled Mughr al Meer at the foot of Mount Hermon, the elevated area that commands the Golan Heights.
The rebels holed up in those areas have been ordered by surrounding regime forces to surrender or face defeat, Reuters reported Tuesday night. [ Source: Times of Israel (Read More…) ]
(Worthy News) – Senior Israeli security officials have told the Security Cabinet that the current situation in Gaza resembles the one that existed just before Operation Protective Edge in 2014, warning that it might lead to a new military conflict with Hamas.
The officials based their assessment on factors such as the rapidly-worsening humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, a high unemployment rate, the cutting of funds from Qatar and the general disappointment of Gazans from the failing reconciliation between Hamas and Fatah.
Above all, the officials cited the US recognition of Jerusalem as a major event that has prompted Hamas to unleash harsh statements against Israel in order to preserve its power. [ Source: Jerusalem Online (Read More…) ]
(Worthy News) – The Iranian parliament voted to approve a plan on Wednesday that would require the government of Iran to recognize Jerusalem as the permanent capital of the Palestinian people, Iranian news agency Fars reported.
The vote yielded 207 supporters and met with no opposition.
On December 6, US President Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem as the Israeli capital and announced that the American embassy will move from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. [ Source: Jerusalem Post (Read More…) ]
(Worthy News) – The Iraqi government estimates $100 billion is needed nationwide to rebuild cities and towns left in ruins by more than three years of war against the Islamic State group. Local leaders in Mosul, the biggest city held by IS, say that amount is needed to rehabilitate their city alone.
But so far, no one is offering to foot the bill.
The Trump administration has told the Iraqis it won’t pay for a massive reconstruction drive. Iraq hopes Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries will step up, and Iran may also take a role. The U.N. is repairing some infrastructure in nearly two dozen towns and cities around Iraq, but funding for it is a fraction of what will be needed. [ Source: Fox News (Read More…) ]
(Worthy News) – A blast ripped through a supermarket in Russia’s St Petersburg on Wednesday evening, injuring at least 10 shoppers, investigators said.
The explosion was caused by a homemade bomb packed with pieces of metal with a force equivalent to 200 grammes of TNT, they said. They have opened a criminal case on the grounds of attempted murder.
Nobody was killed in the explosion, and it was not immediately clear what the motive for it was. [ Source: Reuters (Read More…) ]
(Worthy News) – Freezing temperatures and below-zero wind chills socked much of the northern United States on Wednesday, even setting a record in a Minnesota city so cold it’s called the Icebox of the Nation, and will stay put for days to come as snow-hardened Erie digs out from a record snowfall.
Forecasters warned of hypothermia and frostbite from arctic air settling in over the central U.S. and spreading east.
The National Weather Service reported International Falls and Hibbing, Minnesota, set record low temperatures on Wednesday morning. International Falls, the self-proclaimed Icebox of the Nation, plunged to 37 degrees below zero, breaking the old record of 32 below set in 1924. Hibbing bottomed out at 28 below, breaking the old record of 27 below set in 1964. [ Source: US News (Read More…) ]
(Worthy News) – The U.S. holiday shopping season is on track to break sales records on the back of surging consumer confidence and increased use of mobile devices, presenting an unexpected boon for retailers and the delivery companies they rely on.
The holiday shopping season, a crucial period for retailers that can account for up to 40 percent of annual sales, brought record-breaking online and in-store spending this year of more than $800 billion, according to Mastercard Inc’s analytics arm.
Stakes are particularly high this year for traditional retailers that have invested heavily in technology and free delivery and returns, determined to stay relevant in a market increasingly dominated by Amazon.com Inc. [ Source: Reuters (Read More…) ]
(Worthy News) – After facing tragedy less than two months ago, First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas remembered the victims of November’s mass shooting in a special Christmas ceremony.
A gunman open fired on the church during Sunday morning worship on November 5th killing 26 people. Since then, the community has mourned and worked to recover from the horrible event.
Pastor Frank Pomeroy led the traditional Christmas Eve service where he told his congregation to look to the light and hope, WBTV reported. [ Source: CBN News (Read More…) ]
(Worthy News) – Three cities — New York City, San Francisco and Philadelphia — sued the U.S. Department of Defense on Tuesday over what they say are failures in reporting information to the federal database on gun licensing and sales.
The cities filed a lawsuit in federal court in Virginia, claiming the Pentagon didn’t report significant numbers of disqualifying records to the FBI’s national background check system, called the National Crime Information Center. [ Source: Reuters (Read More…) ]