Around the World
Lebanon Mourns As Blasts Kills Dozens, Injures Thousands
Lebanon’s prime minister has declared a national day of mourning after his nation’s worst explosion in years devastated Beirut killing scores of people and injuring thousands.
US Troop Size in Afghanistan Will Reduce to 4,000 'Very Soon', Trump Says
U.S. President Donald Trump has said the U.S. military presence in Afghanistan will be reduced to “anywhere from 4,000 to 5,000” troops by November this year.

Israel-Palestinian Conflict
Israel Mulls Imposing Another Lockdown to Fight Virus
Israeli leaders are considering reinstating a full lockdown in August as the country continues to battle a second wave of the coronavirus.

Inside the United States
Hundreds of Domestic Terrorism Investigations Opened Since Start of George Floyd Protests, Official Says
The FBI has opened more than 300 domestic terrorism investigations since late May and arrested nearly 100 people in Portland, Oregon, a focal point of the George Floyd protests, a top federal prosecutor said on Tuesday.
White House, Democrats Aim to Have Coronavirus Aid Deal by End of Week
White House officials and top congressional Democrats plan to meet again Wednesday as they aim to agree on a new coronavirus aid package by the end of the week.
Americans' distrust in media at alarming levels, poll reveals
Americans’ distrust for the news media to tell the story straight has reached unprecedented levels, an alarming development for any functioning democracy, a new poll reveals.
Trump administration awarding $35 million in grants to help survivors of human trafficking
The Trump administration is awarding over $35 million in Justice Department grants to provide safe housing for survivors of human trafficking, AP News reports. An announcement is being made Tuesday at a White House event attended by survivors of human trafficking, organizations that support them, Attorney General William Barr and Ivanka Trump, the president’s daughter, and special adviser.

Christian News
Virtual Bible Translation Workshops Keep Projects Moving Forward, Despite Travel Restrictions and Targeting by Authorities
Wycliffe Associates, an international organization that empowers mother-tongue Bible translators and partners with local churches in the advancement of Bible translation, has developed a virtual rendition of its MAST (Mobilized Assistance Supporting Translation) methodology.
Member of Anglican Church in Iran imprisoned for being hostile to the regime
A Christian convert in Iran has won an appeal against conviction for “insulting the sacred beliefs of Muslims,” but lost his appeal against two charges of inciting “propaganda against the state” and for “membership of a [“Zionist” evangelical] group hostile to the regime” respectively, the Christian Post reports. Ismaeil Maghrebinejad was arrested in January 2019 and sentenced by a civil court in January 2020 to a total of six years imprisonment on the original three charges.
Christians in Indian state of Haryana facing fears of proposed anti-conversion law
The Chief Minister of India’s Haryana state has announced he proposes to add a Freedom of Religion Act that would criminalize forced conversions, Persecution.org reports. Commonly referred to as anti-conversion laws, such legislation has already been enacted in eight other Indian states. The announcement on June 16 by Manohar Lal Khattar has reportedly caused serious concerns to Haryana Christians: radical Hindus have used this law in other states to justify attacks on Christians and their places of worship.