23+ min ago (228+ words) (Worthy News) " U.S. and Ukrainian negotiators wrapped up more than four hours of discussions Sunday aimed at securing a framework to end the war with Russia, calling the session "productive" as top American envoys prepare to travel to Moscow for the next round of diplomacy. The Ukrainian delegation was led by National Security and Defense Council secretary Rustem Umerov, who replaced Andrii Yermak after the latter resigned amid a corruption scandal. Umerov described the meeting as productive and said Washington is listening closely to Ukraine's priorities. He did not offer specifics. A senior U.S. official confirmed that Witkoff and Kushner will travel to Moscow on Monday, with Witkoff expected to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin as early as next week. President Trump said he believes both sides want the conflict to end and expressed optimism that a deal is possible. Tensions also…...

30+ min ago (975+ words) (Worthy News) " Pope Leo XIV reaffirmed the Vatican's long-standing support for a two-state solution on Sunday, declaring it the "only solution" capable of resolving the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The remarks, delivered during his first in-flight press conference as pontiff, marked his clearest public statement yet on the issue. "We all know that at this time Israel still does not accept that solution, but we see it as the only solution," Leo said while flying from Istanbul to Beirut for the second leg of his maiden papal journey. "We are also friends with Israel, and we are seeking to be a mediating voice between the two parties that might help them close in on a solution with justice for everyone." Reaffirming the Vatican's Position Amid Renewed Global Debate The Holy See formally recognized the State of Palestine in 2015, but Leo's remarks…...

40+ min ago (549+ words) JERUSALEM (Worthy News) " Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has submitted a formal request for a presidential pardon to President Isaac Herzog, a move unprecedented in modern Israeli politics and one that immediately triggered fierce national debate. Herzog's office confirmed receipt of the request Sunday, noting that "this is an extraordinary request which carries with it significant implications." The president said he will review expert opinions from the Justice Ministry before making a decision. The Pardons Department has already begun examining the file, a process legal analysts say could take months. Netanyahu: Trial Is "Tearing Israel Apart" In an attached letter, Netanyahu argued that halting the long-running corruption trial'Cases 1000, 2000, and 4000'would serve the national interest by freeing him to focus entirely on Israel's worsening security environment. "A pardon would enable the prime minister to devote all of his time, abilities and…...

54+ min ago (683+ words) BEIJING (Worthy News) " Chinese authorities have released Pastor Zhang Shaojie after he completed a 12-year prison sentence on what his supporters viewed as false charges related to his faith in Christ and his growing church. "Coming out of prison during this month of Thanksgiving has been full of God's grace," said Pastor Zhang in published remarks. Despite the difficulties, "I have seen the Holy Spirit's presence every day," the Christian stressed. Zhang, 59, said he had been "deeply grateful for the help and support of the international community," believing that "otherwise [he] might not be here today and might have been "disappeared." However, Christians cautioned that the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) "installed facial-recognition cameras all around his home and has not permitted visits." U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and U.S. Congressman Chris Smith highlighted Zhang's plight in a 2017 letter to then…...

56+ min ago (550+ words) RAWALPINDI, PAKISTAN (Worthy News) " A young Christian woman who was allegedly abducted and forced to marry and convert to Islam appeared before a Pakistani court after her parents raised urgent concerns, Christians told Worthy News on Sunday. Monica Jennifer, a 21-year-old Christian from the city of Rawalpindi near the capital Islamabad, disappeared from her home on November 17, sources said. The case has intensified fears within Pakistan's Christian minority as advocacy groups warn that forced conversions and coerced marriages of Christian and Hindu girls continue across the Muslim-majority nation. Jennifer told the court that she "had converted to Islam and married her Muslim neighbor, Waleed Ahmad," according to procedural information seen by Worthy News. However, her family insists she was abducted, threatened, and coerced into making that statement. Worthy News usually does not publish names of possible sexual abuse victims unless…...

57+ min ago (270+ words) KINSHASA (Worthy News) " Pressure intensified Sunday on the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to act on water-transport safety after an overcrowded vessel capsized on Lake Mai-Ndombe, killing at least 19 people. The tragedy occurred Thursday night shortly after the wooden vessel departed the village of Kiri for the capital, Kinshasa, provincial officials said. Lake Mai-Ndombe lies in the wider African Great Lakes region, where vast waterways serve as essential " yet often dangerous " transport routes for remote communities. Many boats are outdated, poorly maintained, or overloaded, contributing to frequent accidents. Provincial governor Nkoso Kevani Lebon said recovery teams found nine bodies on Friday and ten more on Saturday, bringing the death toll to 19, with 82 survivors. He warned that it remained unclear how many passengers were still missing. "A violent wind on the lake disabled one of the vessel's two…...

58+ min ago (345+ words) STOCKTON, USA (Worthy News) " A child's birthday party in the U.S. state of California turned into tragedy late Saturday as gunfire broke out, killing four people and injuring at least 10 others, including children and adults, authorities said. No details were immediately available about any attacker following the shooting in the northern California city of Stockton. "I am in contact with staff and public safety officials to understand exactly what happened, and I will be pushing for answers," Stockton's Vice Mayor Jason Lee said on social media. Police said they received reports shortly before 6:00 p.m. local time of a shooting near the 1900 block of Lucile Avenue in Stockton. "Oh my God," a witness could be heard saying in video footage obtained by Worthy News. A responder was seen giving emergency medical attention to a victim as people shouted in panic and multiple police…...

9+ hour, 41+ min ago (480+ words) WASHINGTON (Worthy News) " The family of a West Virginia National Guardsman asked for prayers Saturday, saying he is "hanging on" after being shot near the White House along with a colleague who later passed away. Republican Congressman Riley Moore, from West Virginia, said Saturday that the family of Andrew Wolfe, 24, is "committed to service." "His father is a deputy sheriff in the county next to mine, and Andy wanted to follow in those footsteps and serve his nation as a National Guardsman," Moore told the Fox News Channel's television program FOX & Friends Weekend. National Guard member Sarah Beckstrom, 20, of West Virginia, died after the shooting on Wednesday in the nation's capital. CHARGES FILED IN WHITE HOUSE AREA SHOOTING The alleged Afghan gunman, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, faces multiple charges, including one count of first-degree murder and two counts of assault with intent…...

9+ hour, 50+ min ago (954+ words) MOSCOW/BUDAPEST (Worthy News) " Hungary's prime minister has returned from a controversial trip to Moscow where he asked his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, for secure deliveries of oil and natural gas despite attempts by the European Union to isolate Russia over its war in Ukraine. A visibly pleased Putin said Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orb'n was "always welcome," and added he would still be happy for Budapest to host a Russia"U.S. summit with former President Donald J. Trump. Orb'n's trip to Moscow, first reported by Worthy News and a few other outlets, was initially clouded in secrecy, with Hungary's government reluctant to confirm the visit. The Hungarian leader " seen by many as one of the EU's most outspoken pro-Kremlin politicians " had already been criticized by Brussels over prior meetings with Putin, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for alleged…...

9+ hour, 56+ min ago (684+ words) KYIV/BUDAPEST (Worthy News) " Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy faced a major political crisis Friday after his top aide resigned following a raid by anti-corruption investigators, adding to mounting pressure on the Ukrainian leader as Kyiv weighs a controversial U.S.-backed proposal to end the war with Russia. The crisis is unfolding as the United States and Russia circulate a draft peace framework that, according to documents monitored by Worthy News, would require significant concessions from Kyiv while offering fewer guarantees from Moscow. Ukrainian and European officials have signaled unease with elements of the proposal. Meanwhile, Russia continues slow but steady advances along parts of the 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line and has intensified strikes on Ukraine's power infrastructure, causing severe electricity shortages as winter sets in. Yermak, long considered the second-most-powerful figure in Ukraine's government, confirmed earlier Friday that investigators had searched…...