Around the World
Ukraine Hostage Crisis Has Bizarre Peaceful End
A hostage crisis in western Ukraine has ended after the country’s president met a bizarre demand that he post on the internet a link to an internationally acclaimed movie on animal abuse. Security forces could free all 13 hostages unharmed from a bus in the western city of Lutsk, some 400 kilometers (250 miles) west of Kiev, the capital.
US Shuts China's Houston Consulate; Pompeo Cites Intellectual Property Theft
The U.S. ordered the Chinese Consulate in Houston, Texas, shut down because of the persistent problem of Bejing’s theft of U.S. intellectual property, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Wednesday.
Massive Nile Dam Hits First Filling Target, Says Ethiopia's Prime Minister
Ethiopia's controversial Nile River mega-dam project has hit its first-year filling target, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said Wednesday.

Israel-Palestinian Conflict
Twitter determines Jewish Star of David is ‘hateful image’
The Twitter social media platform has again determined that the Jewish Star of David constitutes “hateful imagery” and has locked the accounts of several users who posted the star on their profile, the Jerusalem Post reported Tuesday. Twitter made the exact same determination in February 2018, but overturned its decision following outrage expressed by users.

Inside the United States
Planned Parenthood's New York chapter disavows founder Margaret Sanger over racist eugenics
Planned Parenthood of Greater New York is removing the name of Margaret Sanger, the founder of the nation's largest abortion provider, from its New York City clinic due to her "harmful connection to the eugenics movement," the group said Tuesday.
Biden Courts '1 Million Muslim Voters', Wants American Children to Study Islam in Public Schools
Presumptive Democrat presidential nominee Joe Biden told attendees at the Muslim Voters Summit this week that more should be taught about Islam in our public schools.
2020 Atlantic hurricane season breaks another record with earliest ever 'G' storm
Tropical Storm Gonzalo has formed in the Atlantic Ocean, the earliest such “G” storm in hurricane season history.
Trump deploys more federal agents under 'law-and-order' push
President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that he will send federal agents to Chicago and Albuquerque, New Mexico, to help combat rising crime, expanding the administration’s intervention into local enforcement as he runs for reelection under a “law-and-order” mantle.
Trump criticized for federal agents’ use of force against protestors
President Donald Trump has come under intense criticism for his unprecedented use of Department of Homeland Security troops to quell violent protests in Democrat-run cities and in Portland especially the Washington Times reported Wednesday. Local leaders have said federal troops used “significant force” against protestors and agents without badges have taken protestors away in unmarked vehicles.
Earthquake triggered Tsunami warning off Alaskan Peninsula
A magnitude 7.8 earthquake in a large section of coastal waters off the Alaskan Peninsula triggered a tsunami warning that called for local residents to evacuate to higher ground Tuesday night, Anchorage Daily News (ADN) reports. The warning was finally canceled at 12.30 am Wednesday when officials said the tsunami no longer posed a threat on land.

Christian News
Russian Court Fines Virus-Denying Priest
A Russian court has fined an influential priest for publicly denying the existence of the new coronavirus and urging his followers to ignore government ordered lockdowns.