Around the World
72 People Killed in South African Riots
Seventy-two people have been killed in riots and looting in South Africa, police said Tuesday, amid protests over the jailing of former president Jacob Zuma.
Iranian commander said to encourage escalation against US forces in Iraq
Visiting Baghdad last week, a senior Iranian Revolutionary Guards commander urged Iraqi Shi’ite militias to increase their attacks on United States targets, Reuters reported Tuesday, quoting multiple Iraqi sources.
More than 140 Cubans detained or disappeared in widening crackdown by regime
More than 140 Cubans have been detained or disappeared in a widening crackdown by Cuba’s security forces, according to international rights advocates monitoring the aftermath of the anti-regime protests that swept the island nation on Sunday.
WHO is Developing Digital Wallet for COVID Vaccination Certification
The World Health Organization (WHO) is developing a digital wallet that could be used as international certification of COVID-19 vaccination in a similar way to the yellow fever vaccination card that has been used for many years, the WHO panel of doctors said at a July 12 virtual press conference.

Israel-Palestinian Conflict
Israel: Archaeologists unearth jug which may have belonged to Biblical judge Gideon
Archaeologists in Israel have unearthed a jug that dates back 3,100 years to the Biblical time of Judges, and which may have belonged to the Israelite judge Gideon, All Israel News reports. Discovered in southern Israel near Kiryat Gat, the jug has an inscription that reads “Jerubbaal,” a name found only in the Bible and by which Gideon is referred.

Inside the United States
Bootleg Fire, one of dozens raging in the West, creates ‘firenado’ near Oregon-California border
Scores of major wildfires were raging virtually unchecked across the West on Tuesday as an unrelenting heat wave and historic drought turned a wide swath of the nation into tinder.
Biden: ‘We’re Facing the Most Significant Test of Our Democracy Since the Civil War’
President Joe Biden on Tuesday accused Republicans of wanting to make it hard and inconvenient for people to vote, adding that the United States is “facing the most significant test of our democracy since the Civil War.”
Polls Show Soaring Crime Rates is a Major Problem Across All Voter Groups
A poll published last week by Navigator Research, a Democratic firm, showed the majority of voters from both parties and independents — as well as white, black, and Hispanic voters — cited violent crime as a “major crisis.”
Inflation accelerates to 5.4% in June as overheating fears swirl
Consumer prices increased 5.4% for the year ending June, according to a report by the Department of Labor.
Federal Taxes and Spending Set Records Through June
The federal government set new records for taxing and spending through the first nine months of fiscal 2021 (October through June), according to the Monthly Treasury Statement.
‘We’ve done nothing wrong’: Texas Democrats brush off governor’s arrest threat
Texas Democratic state representatives doubt they will be arrested upon their return to Texas after flying to Washington D.C. in protest of GOP voting legislation.
Democrats try to regroup after sweeping election overhaul failed
After Republicans blocked their sweeping voting rights bill in the Senate last month and with GOP-led state “election integrity” bills looming, House Democrats are going back to basics on elections.
New Jersey residents can access COVID-19 vaccine data on an app
Residents of New Jersey will be able to access their COVID-19 vaccination data through a mobile Docket app, although Gov. Phil Murphy says the app is not intended to be a vaccine passport, Just the News reports. The app has been approved by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Christian News
India: 154 reported cases of Christian persecution in first half of 2021
Christian rights groups have recorded 154 incidents of persecution against believers in India for the first half of 2021 alone, International Christian Concern (ICC) reports. Persecution against Indian Christians has intensified since the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party came to power in 2014.
Militants Kill 18 In Nigeria’s Christian Area
Eighteen people have been killed in Nigeria’s, mainly Christian, southern Kaduna State by suspected Fulani Islamist militants, aid workers confirmed Tuesday.

Worthy Watch
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