In a sweeping move that marks a major shift in U.S. vaccine policy, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced Tuesday it has canceled 22 contracts worth nearly $500 million related to mRNA vaccine development. The decision follows a weeks-long internal review by HHS’s Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA).
Italy’s government has officially approved a €13.5 billion ($15.6 billion) plan to construct the world’s longest suspension bridge, connecting the island of Sicily to the mainland over the Strait of Messina. Long debated, often canceled, and frequently politicized, the project is now being fast-tracked with a new justification: national security.
Moscow was pondering options in its war against Ukraine on Wednesday, including a pause on air strikes, ahead of the arrival of U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff.
One of Pakistan’s main courts has suspended an independent commission that would investigate the misuse of the country’s blasphemy laws after pressure from Islamic hardliners, sources told Worthy News.
Predominantly Muslim Fulani herdsmen have reportedly killed a Christian woman in a village in Nigeria’s Plateau State—the latest of 17 Christians slain in the area since July 15, local sources said Tuesday.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar delivered a forceful rebuke at the United Nations on Tuesday, accusing countries that recently moved to recognize a Palestinian state of sabotaging a ceasefire deal and giving Hamas “free gifts” that have prolonged the war in Gaza.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday urged British Prime Minister Keir Starmer to take concrete steps to compel Israel to accept a ceasefire in Gaza and move toward a two-state solution. According to a statement from the Turkish presidency, Erdogan pressed Starmer during a phone call to use Britain’s influence to help end the ongoing conflict and advance Palestinian statehood.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi leveled sharp accusations against Israel on Tuesday, claiming the war in Gaza has become a campaign of genocide and starvation rather than a legitimate military operation. In a fiery press conference held alongside Vietnamese President Luong Cuong in Cairo, Sisi declared that the war’s true objective was not merely to defeat Hamas but to “starve the population, commit genocide, and eliminate the Palestinian cause.”
The U.S. trade deficit narrowed dramatically in June, falling to $60.2 billion–the lowest level since September 2023–as imports plunged and the trade gap with China shrank to a 21-year low. The Commerce Department’s Bureau of Economic Analysis released the data Tuesday, highlighting the significant impact of President Donald Trump’s aggressive tariff policies on global trade dynamics.
In a dramatic escalation of Congress’ investigation into the Jeffrey Epstein scandal, House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) on Tuesday issued sweeping subpoenas to a roster of high-profile political figures, including former President Bill Clinton, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and former FBI Directors James Comey and Robert Mueller. The committee is demanding testimony from nearly a dozen former federal officials and full access to Justice Department records related to the Epstein case.