A New Perspective on Constantine

Authorities in Laos have released a pastor who was jailed early last year for refusing to halt worship services at the church he founded in the southeast Asian country, International Christian Concern reports. Pastor Sithon Thippavong was freed on April 9 after just over a year in prison.

The Biden administration stressed its commitment to preventing a nuclear-armed Iran during a strategic meeting with Israeli officials on Tuesday, as Middle East tensions rose and Iran announced it was stepping up uranium enrichment to unprecedented levels.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday hosted Yamina party chief Naftali Bennett in Jerusalem for the second day in a row, after the former interim Defense Minister said his faction would throw its support in forming a right-wing government with Likud.

A senior Iranian official confirmed Tuesday that the blast at the Natanz nuclear facility, which Tehran blames on Israel, destroyed or damaged thousands of centrifuges used to enrich uranium.

Minnesota protesters who took to the streets for the third straight night Tuesday following the fatal police shooting of Daunte Wright are calling for an independent investigation.

ICE made 75% fewer priority arrests over the first seven weeks of the Biden administration than during the same period last year, according to data obtained by The Washington Times that shows even the highest-ranking cases involving national security or public safety have seen significant drops.

NATO leaders and Russia traded sharp threats Tuesday over a military standoff in Ukraine, with President Biden pressing the Kremlin to de-escalate the situation and suggesting it was time for him and Russian President Vladimir Putin to have a face-to-face talk about Russian provocations.

U.S. President Joe Biden will announce that all American troops will leave war-torn Afghanistan by September 11, officials said.

Around 1,000 people attended a demonstration outside GraceLife Church in Alberta, Canada on Sunday, to protest against the government’s physical closing of the church’s premises on the grounds it had violated COVID-19 restrictions, Christian Headlines reports. GraceLife is led by Pastor James Coates, who was arrested and detained for holding services in contravention of coronavirus regulations; Coates’ trial is set for May 3.

The US Labor Department reported Tuesday that the Consumer Price Index jumped 0.6% in March, the largest increase since 2012, Reuters reports. Economists have explained the spike is due to supply chains struggling to keep up with a surge in demand resulting from the vaccination campaign and from massive fiscal stimulus. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, among other experts, said higher inflation should be temporary as businesses adapt to demand.