Iran Releases Footage of U.S. Sailor Apologizing After Capture
Iranian state-controlled news outlet Tasnim released video Wednesday afternoon that shows a U.S. sailor apologizing for purportedly infringing upon Tehran’s sovereignty.
Images of U.S. Sailors on Their Knees Before Iran Surface as Biden Denies Apology
Iran Has Released Captured U.S. Sailors
Islamic State Looting of Middle East Worst Cultural Devastation Since World War II
Turkish Airlines Kick ‘Unruly’ Russian Women off Flight to Bahrain
Venezuela: Chavista Supreme Court Declares Opposition Legislature Void
Earnest: Destabilizing Behavior Being ‘A Hallmark of Iranian Behavior’ Is Why We Pursued the Nuclear Deal
Tom Cotton: Obama ‘Seems Intent on Protecting Iran and the Nuclear Deal Than Getting Our Sailors Back’
Psaki: ‘No Plans’ To Address Iran Capturing Sailors, Revoking Deal Over This Isn’t ‘What We Want To See’
Featured Contributors
SOTU: Obama Defends Muslims, Silence for Persecuted Christians and Jews
Nigeria Declares Defeat of Boko Haram Despite String of Recent Attacks
North Korea: Scientists ‘in High Spirits’ to Destroy U.S. ‘All at Once’ with H-Bombs
Afghanistan: Faulty USAID GPS Data May Expose U.S.-Funded Hospitals to Attack
National Security
Vietnam, Philippines, Japan Protest Chinese Jet Landing in South China Sea
The governments of Vietnam, the Philippines, and Japan have all condemned China for landing a plane on an artificial island in the South China Sea, constructed in what is widely regarded as sovereign Vietnamese territory. China rejects international claims in the sea and has begun constructing military facilities in the Spratly Islands.
Lesbian Daughter of Archbishop Desmond Tutu Marries Partner in Netherlands
The Rev. Mpho Tutu, daughter of Nobel laureate Desmond Tutu, the former Anglican archbishop of Capetown, married her longtime lesbian lover Marceline van Furth in a small private ceremony last Wednesday. Tutu, who was previously married to Joseph Burris and
‘Allah Will Not Forgive’: Shiite Leaders Threaten Saudis After Cleric Execution
The most prominent leaders in the Shiite world have issued threatening statements against the Saudi monarchy, pledging that the House of Saud will pay a price for executing Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, who was an influential cleric among the Saudi Shiite minority.
Turkey’s Erdogan Blames Pro-Hitler Comment on ‘Media Distortion’
A national debate turned to international scandal on Thursday after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan cited Adolf Hitler’s Germany as the type of presidential system he would like to see established in Turkey. Now, the Turkish president’s office is claiming Erdogan’s comment was “distorted by the media.”
World View: Saudi Arabia Cuts Diplomatic Ties with Iran as Violent Shia Protests Spread
Contents: Violent Anti-Saudi Shia protests spread around region after al-Nimr execution; Saudi Arabia cuts diplomatic ties with Iran
China New Year: Stocks Crash, Gold Jumps
China welcomed the New Year with a 7 percent stock market crash that was so intense that government authorities suspended trading across the nation. Markets around the world plunged, with Asia and Europe down -3 percent, U.S. markets down 1.7
Global Stocks Sink After China Index Dives 7 Percent
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Chinese stocks plunged nearly 7 percent Monday, triggering an emergency trading suspension and pushing global markets sharply lower. The grim start to 2016 was caused by weak Chinese manufacturing data and tensions in the Middle East.
Jew-Hating Turkish President ‘Mas-Kom-Ya’ Erdogan Extols Hitler’s Presidency
Upon returning from a visit to Saudi Arabia late on Thursday, Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan cited a striking example to illustrate his quest for consolidation of executive powers.
Gaffney: Shariah-Compliant Twitter
Twitter seems to think 2016 is 1984. It has welcomed in the New Year with a change in the rules governing all of its accounts that is reminiscent of Orwellian thought-control. Or at least that practiced by another, non-fictional totalitarian system: the Islamic supremacist program known as shariah.
Saudi Arabia Pumps Oil Before Iran Sanctions Lifted
Fearing a flood of crude oil when the Iran sanctions are lifted in the next few months, Saudi Arabia is pumping an extra 1.5 million barrels a day and signing long-term export contracts at low prices in a desperate effort to grab cash flow and avoid bankruptcy.
Dershowitz: Criminals Have More Rights than Law-Abiding Citizens
Speaking on the surveillance of Muslims, leading liberal constitutional professor Alan Dershowitz declared, “Criminals should have more rights than law-abiding citizens.” The professor’s statement is wrong, and it misses the more relevant point regarding the war on Islamic terrorism.
Record Number of Saudi Beheadings Trigger Violent Backlash
One particular execution carried out by Saudi Arabia this weekend, that of Shiite cleric Sheikh Nimr, led to violent protests and the sacking of the Saudi embassy in Tehran.
Vladimir Putin Security Report Labels United States a ‘Threat’
An updated assessment of Russian national security, signed by President Vladimir Putin on New Year’s Eve, names the United States as a threat, along with NATO. The report does not, however, list Syria as a threat, even though Russia is currently bombing rebel forces in that country.
Saudi Arabia Orders All Iranian Diplomats to Exit Country
Saudi Arabia has reacted to the burning of its embassy in Iran by cutting off all diplomatic relations with the country.
Muslims Riot Over Death of One Muslim Cleric, But Silent Over Genocide of Christians in Their Midst
While the world again focuses on sectarian strife in the “religion of peace,” with stories about it headlining every news outlet, the cleansing of those who would wear an “N” as believers in Jesus of Nazareth continues regardless, with indifference again, as throughout history.
Arabs/Kurds Kill 16 Islamic State Jihadists in Syria
Beirut (AFP) – Arab and Kurdish forces have killed at least 16 fighters from the Islamic State group during fierce clashes north of the jihadists’ stronghold of Raqa, a monitor said Sunday.
Pope Francis: The Devil Is ‘Crouching at Our Door,’ ‘Wants to Enter’
In his weekly Angelus message Sunday, Pope Francis continued his reflections on the meaning of Christmas, reminding his hearers that on coming into the world Jesus was rejected, and that we too must make a choice whether or not to accept him.
Egypt Arrests Facebook Admins Charged with Ties to Muslim Brotherhood
As the fifth anniversary of the social media-driven Arab Spring uprisings approaches, Egyptian authorities have arrested three influential Facebook administrators, accusing them of belonging to the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood. On Saturday Egypt’s Interior Ministry charged two men and one woman,
World View: Mideast Tensions Surge as Iranians Burn Down Saudi Embassy
Contents: Saudi Arabians execute 47 prisoners for ‘terrorism’ including prominent Shia cleric; Execution of Shia cleric Nirm al-Nimr triggers mass protests in Mideast
Obama Plans Visit to Cuba, WH Defends ‘Revolution’
The White House has confirmed that President Barack Obama may visit Cuba in 2016–and says it is looking for ways to let the Cuban “revolution” interpret human rights norms in ways that allow it to retain power.
German Police Remain on Alert Following New Year Eve Threat
Police in the German city of Munich are maintaining a heightened presence following warnings of a planned attack on New Year’s Eve.
How ISIS Controls Life in Its Caliphate
Pamela Engel reports in Business Insider on how ISIS has been tightening security along the borders of its “caliphate” to prevent people from fleeing.
French Bishops Fight Back Against Efforts to Remove God from the Public Square
In the face of growing tensions due to the violence spread in the name of God by Islamist jihadists, it can be tempting to simply try to stifle all religion, a temptation that the French bishops are calling “an illusion and a mistake.”
Holy War: Shiites Riot Over Saudi Execution of Prominent Cleric
On Saturday, Saudi Arabia carried out the execution of Sheikh Nimr, a prominent Shiite cleric, along with 46 other individuals, many of whom faced suspect charges, causing a sectarian divide among the two major sects of Islam.
Pope Francis Reveals: As a Child, ‘I Wanted to Be a Butcher’
In a meeting with youth this week, Pope Francis was asked what, as a child, he had desired to be when he grew up, to which he offered the surprising response that he had wanted to be a butcher.
