Italian researchers have reopened the 600-year-old debate over the Shroud of Turin, the linen cloth that some believe was used to wrap the body of Jesus after his crucifixion.

The Netherlands has been shaken by political turmoil over revelations that Dutch government members knew about Ukraine’s involvement in blowing up Nord Stream pipelines transporting Russian natural gas to Europe, even before it happened. Information about the planned sabotage in September 2022 was shared by the Dutch secret service with the United States, officials say, which raised questions about former Prime Minister Mark Rutte, who is due to become the secretary general of the NATO military alliance.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Wednesday that Ukraine had not informed Berlin about its August 6 shock incursion into Russia, and he defended his government’s decision to reduce military support for Kyiv by billions of euros.

A U.S. government-requested study has concluded that the U.S. army is not ready to respond to tactical nuclear weapons strikes by Communist-ruled China if war breaks out.

Azerbaijan has applied to join the BRICS bloc of developing economies despite the European Union vying for attention from the oil—and natural gas-rich South Caucasus nation.

Anxiety remained Wednesday after Taiwan conducted live-fire missile drills in response to growing military pressure from Communist-ruled China.

Ukraine says it wants peace talks to end Russia’s incursion, but not directly with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Kyiv seeks an agreement similar to the Black Sea grain deal between the two nations, which allowed Ukraine, a key bread basket, to transport grain to the rest of the world again.

As the Democratic National Convention began, the United States said Monday that Iran was responsible for hacking into former President Donald J. Trump’s campaign and trying to breach the Biden-Harris campaign.

Christians in Indonesia have appealed for prayers amid fresh concerns about a once-in-a-century earthquake in the country and Japan.

Indonesia observed 79 years of independence from Dutch rule over the weekend with a ceremony in its unfinished future capital, Nusantara, but in the Netherlands, there were mixed feelings.

While Israel continues to prepare and brace for a threatened attack by Iran, the United States has deployed a second aircraft carrier, the USS Abraham Lincoln, to the Middle East to help defend the Jewish state if necessary.

Continuing a campaign of terror against Israel that it began in solidarity with Hamas’ attack against the Jewish state, the Lebanese Hezbollah terror organization launched 50 rockets at the Golan Heights on Wednesday morning, with several missiles hitting homes, All Israel News (AIN) reports.

Israel Defense Forces bombed several of its arms depots in Lebanon for the second consecutive night, Hezbollah responded by firing over 50 rockets into civilian areas in northern Israel on Wednesday morning.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant announced the defeat of Hamas’ Rafah Brigade during his visit to troops stationed along the Egypt-Gaza Strip border, emphasizing the destruction of over 150 tunnels.

Advancing the fight against cancer, scientists at Israel’s Bar-Ilan University have developed a new way to revive natural killer (NK) cells that identify and destroy cancerous and viral cells, World Israel News (WIN) reports.

Hamas rejected the bridge proposal by the Biden Administration called on the U.S. to reverse its “partnership” with Israel and “work seriously” toward stopping the war in Gaza as it accused the U.S. of “complete bias” toward Israel.

Israeli Defense Minister Gallant stated that Israel is shifting its “center of gravity” following the destruction of several Hezbollah arms depots in Lebanon by the Israel Defense Forces on Monday night. In retaliation, Hezbollah launched 115 rockets and drones at northern Israel throughout Tuesday.

In an important victory for federal authorities taking on Big Tech market control, a district judge in Washington DC has ruled that Google violated antitrust law by creating an illegal monopoly to become the world’s default search engine, Reuters reports.

Five states declared a state of emergency in response to Tropical Storm Debby, which brought record-setting rain to some of America’s most historic Southern cities. The storm was expected to cause prolonged downpours and flooding throughout Tuesday, prompting the rescue of hundreds from flooded homes.

Tensions rose Saturday after U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin overrode a plea agreement reached earlier this week for the accused mastermind of the September 11, 2001, attacks and two other defendants, reinstating them as death penalty cases.

Two illegal Jordanian migrants who were charged with illegally entering the Marine Corps Base in Quantico in May were released from federal custody after posting bail, according to the NY Post.

The United States Senate on Tuesday (July 30) voted overwhelmingly to approve bipartisan legislation intended to protect children from dangerous online content and hold tech companies to better account for harm suffered by minors on the internet, CBS News reports.

The US national debt has officially surpassed a massive $35 trillion, having increased by nearly $5 billion every day so far in 2025, Yahoo Finance reports.
The debt increased by nearly $8 trillion during the Republican administration of former President Donald Trump and is set to see a similar rise under the Democratic administration of current President Joe Biden.

Members of Congress grilled FBI Director Christopher Wray Wednesday over details of the FBI’s investigation into the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump.

A prominent church leader in military-ruled Burma, also known as Myanmar, has been released by local authorities while serving a lengthy prison sentence for allegedly violating the Asian nation’s controversial anti-terrorism legislation, Worthy News established Wednesday.

There was fresh concern Wednesday about a Ukrainian Orthodox priest sentenced to 14 years in a Russian labor camp after Kyiv effectively banned the branch of the Orthodox church with links to Moscow.

Amid intensifying persecution against Christians in Nicaragua by the ruling post-communist dictatorial regime, seven Nicaraguan Catholic priests were arrested and sent to Rome, Italy in exile earlier this month, CBN News reports.

Churches across the western United States are facing soaring insurance premiums, and even potential closure, as high building costs and extreme weather, including hurricanes, wildfires, severe thunderstorms, and flooding buffet their regions, Religion News Service (RSN) reports.

The governor of Nigeria’s north-central Niger state has asked residents to remain calm and cautioned against reprisal attacks after arsonists destroyed a major evangelical church building over the weekend.

Christian investigators say they are concerned about a series of attacks against Christians in Laos, including the recent killing of a pastor and the earlier murder of another church leader.

At least 50 Christians were murdered in Nigeria’s Benue state last week during an attack on their villages by Fulani jihadist herdsmen and a criminal gang, Morning Star News (MSN) reports.