Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ignited a firestorm of criticism during Israel’s Independence Day celebrations after declaring that winning the war against Hamas is a “superior objective” to retrieving the remaining hostages held in Gaza.
The U.S. economy contracted by 0.3% in the first quarter of 2025, marking its first decline in three years, according to preliminary data released Wednesday by the Commerce Department.
Ukraine’s president has urged the world to pressure Russia to stop continuing attacks on his war-torn nation after authorities said at least two people were killed and 15 injured in a Russian drone strike on the Black Sea port city of Odesa.
The United States imposed a sweeping set of sanctions Wednesday targeting an international network of companies and vessels accused of facilitating the illicit trade of Iranian petroleum and petrochemical products. The move, announced just days ahead of renewed U.S.-Iran nuclear talks, marks the latest escalation in the Trump administration’s “maximum pressure” campaign against Tehran.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced that it has removed more than 65,000 illegal immigrants from the United States during the first 100 days of President Donald Trump’s second term in office. The agency reported a total of 66,463 arrests, with 65,682 individuals removed from the country between January 20 and April 29.
Russia and North Korea have begun constructing a road bridge to strengthen their “strategic partnership” despite reports that hundreds of North Korean soldiers have died fighting for Russia.
At least nearly two dozen Christian refugees from Afghanistan have been ordered to leave the United States despite facing death in their home country for their faith in Christ, their church and other groups say.
Israel carried out an airstrike near Damascus on Wednesday, targeting what it called an extremist group plotting an attack on Syria’s Druze community. Describing it as a “warning operation,” Israel said the strike aimed to prevent further sectarian violence amid rising tensions in the region.
The founder of YouVersion, the world’s most popular Bible app, says unprecedented engagement with Scripture reflects a global spiritual revival. On Easter Sunday 2025, 18.95 million people used the app—an all-time high and a 12% jump over the previous year.
U.S. national laboratories and Pentagon-funded universities are reportedly using Chinese supercomputers in ways that jeopardize American national security