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A massive magnitude-7.6 earthquake has struck Ishikawa Prefecture, in central Japan, along the Japan Sea coast.A major tsunami warning has been issued for the prefecture.Tsunami warnings were also issued for Niigata, Toyama, Yamagata, Fukui and Hyogo prefectures, also along the Japan Sea Coast.

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ACLJ Chief Counsel and lifelong musician Jay Sekulow has assembled this award-winning, all-star lineup, led by two of the most powerful voices in rock ’n’ roll – John Schlitt of the iconic Christian rock group Petra and legendary singer/songwriter John Elefante of Kansas. The Jay Sekulow Band is ringing in the New Year with a stellar night of classic rock anthems and original tunes.

I spent many years as a pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America until I led my congregation out for a more Biblical branch of Lutheranism. “Liberal” is no longer the word for the ELCA, it has become radical. Here is what I mean:The ELCA pays for abortion for any reason in the denomination’s healthcare plan which is funded by offering dollars. That’s right, “your offering dollars at work” can go to kill unborn children.The ELCA ordains practicing homosexuals and now also transgender pastors.

President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden said America is better positioned to lead the world than any other country and dished on his holiday meals in a New Years Eve interview. The Bidens appeared via satellite from their beach holiday in St. Croix with host Ryan Seacrest on ABC's New Year's Rockin' Eve show from Times Square. Seacrest asked the pair what their hopes were for 2024, with Biden not mentioning the potential rematch with Trump that appears the most likely scenario for the presidential election but did allude to how he felt he'd improved America.

Chinese president Xi Jinping has warned that 'all Chinese on both sides of the Taiwan Strait' will be 'reunified' in his sabre-rattling New Year message. He said today that China's reunification with Taiwan is inevitable as he addressed the nation less than two weeks before the Chinese-claimed island elects a new leader. 'All Chinese on both sides of the Taiwan Strait should be bound by a common sense of purpose and share in the glory of the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation,' Xi said according to state news agency Xinhua.

Happy New Year to everyone!

'Our study demonstrates that genetics should be able to unravel other, similar mysteries'THE abominable snowman has featured in folklore and mythical stories for hundreds of years. Also referred to as the Yeti and compared to Bigfoot, scientists have tried to work out whether the creature actually exists. Several scientific theories explain how the abominable snowman is likely just a mythical beast. In 2017, researchers from the University of Buffalo conducted DNA analysis on the supposed remains of Yetis. They discovered the remnants belonged to a dog, Asian Black Bears, Himalayan Brown Bears, and Tibetan Brown Bears. Scientists studied nine so-called...

It was the animation that launched the House of Mouse. Steamboat Willie, a 1928 short film featuring early non-speaking versions of Mickey and Minnie, is widely seen as the moment that transformed Disney's fortunes and made cinema history. Their images are now available to the public in the US, after Disney's copyright expired. It means creatives like cartoonists can now rework and use the earliest versions of Mickey and Minnie.

Japan has issued a major tsunami warning after a 7.6 magnitude earthquake struck the central region. Residents in the coastal Noto area in Ishikawa prefecture were asked to "evacuate immediately to higher ground," national broadcaster NHK said. NHK said waves as high as 5m has reached Noto.

Dave Chappelle did exactly what he said he wouldn’t do in his new Netflix special: make fun of trans people. Although his seventh special for Netflix, titled “The Dreamer,” begins with a fairly nostalgic look at his rise to fame, he turned course by telling a story about his visit to the set of “Man on the Moon” to meet Jim Carrey, one of his comedy idols. I wanted to meet Jim Carrey [who was method acting], but I had to pretend this n—a was Andy Kaufman. All afternoon,” he recalled during his show, which began streaming Sunday. “I could...

"[The king] Unis seizes the sky and splits its iron."Inscribed in hieroglyphs in a 4,400-year-old pyramid, this sentence evidences that ancient Egyptians understood the extraterrestrial origin of iron-rich meteorites—thousands of years before European scientists reached the same conclusion......the world's oldest-identified iron objects are small beads that come from a burial in Gerzeh, a roughly 5,300-year-old village in northern Egypt. Other pre-Iron Age iron objects have been found in Egypt, including an amulet in the 4,000-year-old tomb of Queen Aashyet in Deir el-Bahari and a dagger blade in King Tutankhamun's tomb...The earliest-known Egyptian references to iron in connection with stars, meteoroids...

Former President Bill Clinton will be identified as “John Doe 36” in a trove of court documents related to late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein which are expected to be released this week, according to a report. Clinton, 77, is mentioned more than 50 times across redacted documents related to a 2015 lawsuit from Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre, according to ABC News. Many of the references to Clinton are believed to stem from Giuffre’s attempts to compel the former president to testify against the late sex offender and his former paramour and coconspirator, Ghislaine Maxwell. Other Clinton mentions are expected to be...

7.4-magnitude earthquake hits western Japan, tsunami warnings in effect

To underscore how much Iowa means to Ron DeSantis, the Florida governor was unwilling to put his campaigning there on hold even in the waning hours of 2023. At a New Year’s Eve event in a Sheraton Hotel ballroom in West Des Moines, jeans and cowboy boots outnumbered tuxedos and cocktail dresses, and Miller Lite seemed more popular than champagne. But the modesty of the affair, where roughly 200 people turned out for the last campaign event of the busy year in Iowa, belied its the importance to the host, who has wagered the future of his Republican bid for...

Washington Huskies fans don't have much faith in beating No. 3 Texas in the Sugar Bowl to advance to the national championship. Washington is the only College Football Playoff team that has yet to sell all of its national championship ticket allotment. How do we know this? The Huskies sent out an email reminding donors and season-ticket holders that tickets are still available. Washington has a 20,000 ticket allotment for its fans if the Huskies reach hte national championship game. Fans can claim those tickets, which will be refunded if Washington fails to reach the national championship. It's pretty sad...

The US Food and Drug Administration announcing an infant formula recall today... Air raid warnings in four western Ukrainian regions Monday morning... A drone shot down over the US Ain al-Asad air base in western Iraq... Israeli soldiers on the ground are saying that pilots in the air are refusing to carry out air strikes... Police in Germany arresting three more terrorist suspects... In the Democratic Republic of Congo incumbent President Felix Tshisekedi proclaimed the winner... The Yemeni (Houthi) forces say 10 of their members were killed in the Red Sea... "Working for the common good has brought society together....

Pro-Palestinian protesters are marching through New York City on New Years Eve after Mayor Eric Adams said he had the NYPD prepared to step up security ahead of celebrations in Times Square. Groups had expressed intentions to protest in Times Square against Israel's military campaign in the Gaza Strip having already disrupted the Thanksgiving Day Parade and lighting of the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree. At Macy's in Herald Square, at least one demonstrator set off a bright red smoke bomb and were allowed to take a lap around the famous department store before being escorted out. At least one group...

Police have accused a North Carolina pastor of attacking a McDonald's cook and trying to push him into a deep fryer. Dwayne Wadden, 57, was arrested and charged with assault after police were called to a McDonald's branch on S. Main Street in High Point, North Carolina, on Thursday. According to his Facebook page, Weeden is a pastor at Elevated Life International Ministries and works as a semi truck driver. According to police investigation records seen by Business Insider, he came to the fast food joint to assist his wife, LaToya Gladney, who is a manager-in-training at the branch. Gladney,...

CNN’s first shot after the ball drop appears to be an interracial gay kiss And not just a quick one