Thursday, August 13, 2026
Iran looks to ramp up economic alliance with BRICS nations as war with U.S. drags on
Published Thu, Aug 13 2026 8:48 AM EDT
Chloe Taylor@ChloeTaylor141
Key Points
- Iran is set to join the BRICS New Development Bank, the country’s central bank chief said Thursday.
- Iran would have to move through the NDB’s accession process before it can become an official member country.
- The war with the U.S. and Israel has further ramped up the pressure on the Iranian economy, with inflation surging, growth plummeting and its currency in freefall.
A woman and a child walk past Iranian-made Zolfaghar missiles displayed at Azadi Square in Tehran on July 24, 2026.
Afp | Getty Images
Iran is set to join the BRICS New Development Bank, the country’s central bank chief said Thursday, as Tehran seeks to shore up its economic alliances almost six months into its war with the U.S. and Israel.
The BRICS alliance was set up in 2006 by founding members Brazil, Russia, India and China, with South Africa joining in 2010.
It has since expanded to include Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Indonesia, with various other nations — including Belarus, Cuba and Nigeria — joining as partner countries.
Iranian state media reported Thursday that Abdolnasser Hemmati, governor of the Central Bank of Iran, had announced Iran would soon become a member of the BRICS Bank. Hemmati is currently in India ahead of next month’s BRICS Summit, according to Iran’s Tasnim News Agency.
“We are seeking to establish bilateral and trilateral monetary cooperation with member states,” Hemmati said, per Tasnim’s report.
The NDB was established by Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa to help mobilize resources for infrastructure and sustainable development projects in emerging markets and developing countries.
A spokesperson for the NDB told CNBC the bank cannot confirm information regarding Iran’s membership.
Afp | Getty Images
Iran is set to join the BRICS New Development Bank, the country’s central bank chief said Thursday, as Tehran seeks to shore up its economic alliances almost six months into its war with the U.S. and Israel.
The BRICS alliance was set up in 2006 by founding members Brazil, Russia, India and China, with South Africa joining in 2010.
It has since expanded to include Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Indonesia, with various other nations — including Belarus, Cuba and Nigeria — joining as partner countries.
Iranian state media reported Thursday that Abdolnasser Hemmati, governor of the Central Bank of Iran, had announced Iran would soon become a member of the BRICS Bank. Hemmati is currently in India ahead of next month’s BRICS Summit, according to Iran’s Tasnim News Agency.
“We are seeking to establish bilateral and trilateral monetary cooperation with member states,” Hemmati said, per Tasnim’s report.
The NDB was established by Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa to help mobilize resources for infrastructure and sustainable development projects in emerging markets and developing countries.
A spokesperson for the NDB told CNBC the bank cannot confirm information regarding Iran’s membership.
The BANNED Interview That Warned Us All
The BANNED Interview That Warned Us All
A Propaganda Expert Predicted 2026 In 1984. Every Word Came True.
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Script - BE INSPIRED
Narration - BE INSPIRED
Footage is licensed through Videoblocks, Artgrid, and Envato.
Music: Epidemic Sound / Audiojungle / Envato Elements Interviews / Video References were used under FAIR USE LAW.
© BE INSPIRED - All rights reserved
Pope Leo hat giveaway turns White Sox game into the church of baseball
CHICAGO (RNS) — After three terrible years, the White Sox are in the midst of a revival — with good young players and perhaps a little divine intervention. The team's best-known fan is Pope Leo XIV.
White Sox fans cheer while wearing Pope hats during "Pope Night," Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026, in Chicago. (Photo courtesy of the Chicago White Sox)
August 12, 2026 at 1:17 p.m. ET
CHICAGO (RNS) — On a hot August night on the South Side of Chicago, Rate Field, home of the White Sox, turned into a church of baseball, filled to capacity with true believers who sang, passed the peace, cheered on a celebrity nun and, of course, wore their pope hats.
Those hats, emblazoned with the Sox logo, were given to every fan who entered the park on Tuesday (Aug. 11). It was, according to team officials, the biggest promotional giveaway in White Sox history, with more than 40,000 pope hats given away. The night was a testimony to the resurgent White Sox, who appear to be playoff-bound after three years of losing 100 games a season, as well as to the appeal of Pope Leo XIV, a longtime fan of the team and Chicago native.
“It doesn’t matter your religion or your denomination,” said Brooks Boyer, chief revenue and marketing officer for the White Sox. “Everyone respects the pope. For us, it’s obviously fun that he is a White Sox fan.”
As soon as the gate opened, the park was flooded with fans, young and old, some with jerseys with the pope’s name on the back, many already wearing their pope hats. They stood in line for hot dogs or beers, where some greeted Sister Mary Jo Sobieck of the Dominican Sisters of Springfield, Illinois, who was grabbing a hot dog before throwing out the first pitch.
Jaime Garcia and his wife were decked out in Sox garb and their new pope hats. Garcia, who is from the Back of the Yards neighborhood on Chicago’s southwest side, grew up both Catholic and a Sox fan. He got off work early to get to the game.
Jaime Garcia attends the White Sox’s “Pope Night,” Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026, in Chicago. (RNS photo/Bob Smietana)
“Got to get the hat,” he said. “Got to represent.”
Wednesday, August 12, 2026
Islam Is FINISHED ⟶ Muslims Can No Longer HIDE the TRUTH
Islam Is FINISHED ⟶ Muslims Can No Longer HIDE the TRUTH
Fall of Nations
Aug 11, 2026
Iran’s streets are filled, but not just with mourners. Beneath the surface of state-controlled narratives, a quiet revolution is brewing. Official statistics claim overwhelming religious devotion, yet independent surveys reveal a shocking disconnect. Why are young Iranians, especially women, openly defying laws like the hijab, challenging decades of enforced faith? This video uncovers the hidden struggle within the Islamic Republic, where the deepest threat isn't from abroad, but from a generation that has stopped believing in the very system built to rule them.
0:00 The Big Funeral
Senate Approves Bill That Could End Pennies And Change Cash Payments Across The U.S.
The U.S. Senate has approved the Common Cents Act, a bill that could end new penny production, introduce changes to the nickel and reshape how Americans handle cash payments at stores across the country.
Credit: Sutterstock | en. Econostrum.info - United States
The U.S. Senate has passed a bill that could reshape the future of American coins by ending new penny production, changing cash transaction rules and opening the door to a redesigned nickel. The Common Cents Act received unanimous consent approval from the Senate, moving the legislation closer to becoming law after a similar version passed the House of Representatives.
The proposal addresses growing concerns about the cost of producing low-value coins and the challenges businesses face when handling cash payments without enough pennies available for change. If enacted, the bill would allow businesses to round cash transactions to the nearest five-cent increment while keeping existing pennies legal tender.
It would also give the Treasury Department authority to test a cheaper material composition for the nation’s five-cent coin. The legislation could mark one of the biggest changes to everyday U.S. currency use in decades.
Senate Bill Targets Penny Production And Cash Payment Challenges
According to The Hill, the Common Cents Act focuses on three major areas of U.S. currency policy: ending regular penny production, creating a national framework for cash rounding and exploring a new nickel design. The bill comes after the United States produced its final one-cent coin for circulation last year.
Although no new pennies are being made for everyday use, existing coins remain valid currency and can continue circulating throughout the economy. The disappearance of newly produced pennies has created challenges for some retailers that rely on cash transactions.
Without enough one-cent coins available, businesses have had difficulty providing exact change to customers. Under the proposed system, cash purchases would be rounded to the closest nickel.
For example, a transaction totaling $19.82 could become $19.80, while a purchase ending in $19.83 could be adjusted to $19.85. Supporters of the legislation argue that a nationwide rule would reduce confusion caused by different state and local regulations regarding cash rounding.
The U.S. Senate has passed a bill that could reshape the future of American coins by ending new penny production, changing cash transaction rules and opening the door to a redesigned nickel. The Common Cents Act received unanimous consent approval from the Senate, moving the legislation closer to becoming law after a similar version passed the House of Representatives.
The proposal addresses growing concerns about the cost of producing low-value coins and the challenges businesses face when handling cash payments without enough pennies available for change. If enacted, the bill would allow businesses to round cash transactions to the nearest five-cent increment while keeping existing pennies legal tender.
It would also give the Treasury Department authority to test a cheaper material composition for the nation’s five-cent coin. The legislation could mark one of the biggest changes to everyday U.S. currency use in decades.
Senate Bill Targets Penny Production And Cash Payment Challenges
According to The Hill, the Common Cents Act focuses on three major areas of U.S. currency policy: ending regular penny production, creating a national framework for cash rounding and exploring a new nickel design. The bill comes after the United States produced its final one-cent coin for circulation last year.
Although no new pennies are being made for everyday use, existing coins remain valid currency and can continue circulating throughout the economy. The disappearance of newly produced pennies has created challenges for some retailers that rely on cash transactions.
Without enough one-cent coins available, businesses have had difficulty providing exact change to customers. Under the proposed system, cash purchases would be rounded to the closest nickel.
For example, a transaction totaling $19.82 could become $19.80, while a purchase ending in $19.83 could be adjusted to $19.85. Supporters of the legislation argue that a nationwide rule would reduce confusion caused by different state and local regulations regarding cash rounding.
Total solar eclipse Aug. 12, 2026 live updates
Follow our live coverage of the total solar eclipse 2026 as we count down to eclipse day with the latest news, expert insight and updates before bringing you live reports from Greenland and Spain.
By Daisy Dobrijevic
Today, Aug. 12, a total solar eclipse will darken the sky for millions of people. (Image credit: © Created in Canva Pro)
Today, Aug. 12, 2026, Europe will experience its first total solar eclipse since 1999, as the moon's shadow sweeps across Greenland, Iceland, northern Spain and the Balearic Islands.
Along the narrow path of totality, day will briefly turn to twilight as the moon completely covers the sun, revealing its elusive outer atmosphere — the corona. Meanwhile, millions more skywatchers across much of Europe, as well as parts of northeastern United States and eastern Canada, will witness a partial solar eclipse as the moon appears to take a bite out of the sun.
Live reporting from the path of totality
We'll be following the eclipse from two locations along the path of totality.
Our skywatching editor Daisy Dobrijevic is currently aboard HX Expeditions' MS Spitsbergen exploring Greenland's dramatic coast. She'll be aiming to witness totality from Scoresby Sund, the world's largest and longest fjord system. Dobrijevic is hoping for more eclipse luck than last time, when unfortunately, totality was a total bust, but not for the reason you may think.
Tuesday, August 11, 2026
No Deaths Among Adventist Members Reported After Colombia Earthquake
A magnitude 7.4 quake damaged an Adventist school and church as leaders assess needs and ADRA assists dozens of families in Cali.
August 10, 2026 | Bogotá, Colombia | Laura Acosta, USC, and Inter-American Division News Staff
Seventh-day Adventist leaders in Colombia reported no deaths or serious injuries among church members today, as they continued checking congregations and institutions after a magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck western Colombia, killing more than 100 people nationwide.
Pastor Henry Beltrán, president of the South Colombia Union, said the church was maintaining contact with local conference presidents to assess the condition of members, pastors, employees, churches, schools, and other institutions.
ADRA Colombia personnel survey damage to a collapsed building next to CEA Cámbulos Adventist School in Cali, Colombia, following the 7.4-magnitude earthquake on Aug. 10, 2026. [Photo: ADRA Colombia]“As of this time, we have received no reports of serious incidents or deaths within our church territory,” Beltrán said. “We continue gathering information and remain attentive to any needs that may arise.”
The earthquake struck at 7:34 a.m. local time on Aug. 10 near San José del Palmar in Colombia’s Chocó department according to the Colombian Geological Service. The shaking was felt across much of the country, including Cali, Pereira, Manizales, Bogotá, and Medellín.
Students Evacuated in Cali
One of the church’s principal concerns was the CEA Cámbulos Adventist School in Cali, where the earthquake damaged portions of the school’s infrastructure. An apartment building next to the campus also collapsed during the shaking.
Jaime Moreno, youth ministries director of the Pacific Colombia Conference, was in the conference offices when the earthquake began. He said students were evacuated to a nearby sports field and later released to their families.
Churches respond to earthquake in Colombia with solidarity and accompaniment
World Council of Churches (WCC) member church, the Presbyterian Church of Colombia, and ecumenical organizations in Colombia are mobilizing in solidarity with communities affected by a powerful earthquake that struck the western and central parts of the country on 10 August.
Photo: Marcelo Schneider/WCC
11 August 2026
According to preliminary figures, the 7.4-magnitude earthquake, with an epicentre near San José del Palmar in Chocó, has affected 16 departments. Authorities report over 110 deaths, hundreds of people injured, and over 1,000 homes damaged.
In a communiqué to ecumenical partners, the leadership of the Presbyterian Church of Colombia expressed its solidarity and called for prayers for affected families and communities, as well as for those engaged in rescue and emergency response efforts. The church is monitoring the situation in areas where it has a presence and is coordinating with its Presbyteries to develop an organized and responsible response based on the needs identified locally.
"May the God of all consolation sustain those who today face fear, pain, or uncertainty, strengthen those who are serving in the midst of this emergency, and enable us, as a church, to walk together and be instruments of hope, solidarity, and service,” reads the message signed by Rev. Leonardo Vargas Delgado, moderator of the church, and Marwin Hurtado Echavarria, executive secretary.
“Christian fellowship becomes especially visible through prayer, closeness, service and solidarity.”
Community infrastructure, including schools, health centres, and community buildings, has also been affected, while damage to roads and bridges has disrupted connectivity in several areas.
The ACT Alliance Colombia Forum is likewise in close contact with local churches, partner organizations, and community networks to assess the impact of the earthquake and identify humanitarian needs.
The forum will assess how its members and the ACT Alliance’s response mechanisms can complement the national emergency response, according to available capacities and presence in affected territories.
Churches and ecumenical partners emphasize that any response will be locally led, needs-based, and grounded in dignity and human rights. Alongside humanitarian assistance, they will continue providing pastoral presence, psychosocial support, and accompaniment through existing church and community networks.
The churches call on the ecumenical family to remain attentive to official updates and coordinated opportunities to support affected communities.
US evangelical body welcomes government announcement of $2 billion for faith-based global health work
By CDI Staff Aug 11, 2026 06:09 EDT
A newly acquired Boeing 757 sits outside the Samaritan's Purse Airlift Response Center at the Piedmont Triad International Airport in Greensboro, North Carolina. Courtesy of Samaritan's Purse
The National Association of Evangelicals has praised a U.S. government announcement directing nearly $2 billion in health and humanitarian funding through faith-based organizations, calling it an encouraging sign that global compassion work will remain a national priority.
The State Department announced on Aug. 6 that the investment represents the largest allocation of global health foreign assistance to faith-based organizations in more than 20 years. Awards will support services in more than 20 countries and are expected to reach 7 million people across 16 humanitarian crises.
"Faith-based hospitals, clinics, community health workers and humanitarian organizations combine trusted local relationships with compassionate service," NAE President Walter Kim said in a statement issued Aug. 10.
Galen Carey, the NAE's vice president of government relations, said the announcement signals that such partnerships will endure. "The administration's announcement is a big boost to those efforts and an encouraging sign that lifesaving global health partnership will remain a national priority for years to come," he said.
The funding is divided into two streams. Approximately $1.4 billion is designated for health services — including an $850 million, five-year Faith and Community Initiative Award to World Vision and its consortium partners, along with $570 million channeled through agreements with country governments. That portion is projected to strengthen more than 2,500 faith-based hospitals and clinics across 17 countries and fund the training of more than 30,000 community health workers. Programs supported include vaccinations, HIV/AIDS treatment, Ebola response and nutrition initiatives.
The remaining $538 million will go toward humanitarian assistance through Samaritan's Purse and a World Vision–Compassion International consortium. More than $100 million is immediately available for natural disaster response across 23 disaster-prone countries, the State Department said.
One notable feature of the awards is a requirement that at least 80 percent of resources go directly toward frontline health services. That compares with the 35 to 40 percent the State Department has historically allocated in comparable programs — a shift the NAE indicated reflects the efficiency and community embeddedness that faith-based organizations bring to global health delivery.
The announcement comes after a turbulent period for U.S. international assistance. Following significant changes to foreign aid programs in 2025, the NAE issued a statement titled "Compassion for a World in Need," urging evangelical Christians to support global compassion ministries and calling on Congress to preserve poverty-focused aid delivered through faith-based partners. The Aug. 6 State Department announcement was received by the organization as a positive response to those concerns.
The NAE has long maintained that faith-based organizations occupy a distinct position in global health and humanitarian work — not only as service providers, but as institutions embedded in local communities with relationships that government agencies cannot replicate. Kim and Carey both framed the funding as a recognition of that role, and as an investment in long-term, trust-based partnerships rather than short-term contracting.
The National Association of Evangelicals has praised a U.S. government announcement directing nearly $2 billion in health and humanitarian funding through faith-based organizations, calling it an encouraging sign that global compassion work will remain a national priority.
The State Department announced on Aug. 6 that the investment represents the largest allocation of global health foreign assistance to faith-based organizations in more than 20 years. Awards will support services in more than 20 countries and are expected to reach 7 million people across 16 humanitarian crises.
"Faith-based hospitals, clinics, community health workers and humanitarian organizations combine trusted local relationships with compassionate service," NAE President Walter Kim said in a statement issued Aug. 10.
Galen Carey, the NAE's vice president of government relations, said the announcement signals that such partnerships will endure. "The administration's announcement is a big boost to those efforts and an encouraging sign that lifesaving global health partnership will remain a national priority for years to come," he said.
The funding is divided into two streams. Approximately $1.4 billion is designated for health services — including an $850 million, five-year Faith and Community Initiative Award to World Vision and its consortium partners, along with $570 million channeled through agreements with country governments. That portion is projected to strengthen more than 2,500 faith-based hospitals and clinics across 17 countries and fund the training of more than 30,000 community health workers. Programs supported include vaccinations, HIV/AIDS treatment, Ebola response and nutrition initiatives.
The remaining $538 million will go toward humanitarian assistance through Samaritan's Purse and a World Vision–Compassion International consortium. More than $100 million is immediately available for natural disaster response across 23 disaster-prone countries, the State Department said.
One notable feature of the awards is a requirement that at least 80 percent of resources go directly toward frontline health services. That compares with the 35 to 40 percent the State Department has historically allocated in comparable programs — a shift the NAE indicated reflects the efficiency and community embeddedness that faith-based organizations bring to global health delivery.
The announcement comes after a turbulent period for U.S. international assistance. Following significant changes to foreign aid programs in 2025, the NAE issued a statement titled "Compassion for a World in Need," urging evangelical Christians to support global compassion ministries and calling on Congress to preserve poverty-focused aid delivered through faith-based partners. The Aug. 6 State Department announcement was received by the organization as a positive response to those concerns.
The NAE has long maintained that faith-based organizations occupy a distinct position in global health and humanitarian work — not only as service providers, but as institutions embedded in local communities with relationships that government agencies cannot replicate. Kim and Carey both framed the funding as a recognition of that role, and as an investment in long-term, trust-based partnerships rather than short-term contracting.
Americans’ role in the surveillance state
Sun Aug 9 The Constitution Study
The United States is quickly becoming a surveillance state. While this rightly concerns many people, I don’t think they realize how much of a role they play in this trek toward a dystopian future.
People are concerned about Flock and other license plate readers, never considering that it’s our desire for government to keep us safe that is driving the need for surveillance. To make matters worse, many are hoping the federal legislation will help protect their privacy. I guess many Americans are willing to trade a federal government with limited and enumerated powers for protection against the nightmare they created.
Meanwhile, cities and states across the nation are passing gun-owner control laws, forgetting that it is often lawful gun-owners who are saving the day while others wait for the police to show up. Maybe, if more people defended themselves and their family, police wouldn’t need all this surveillance tech.
The Constitution Study with Paul Engel on America Out Loud Talk Radio can be heard weekdays at 4:00 p.m. ET. Listen on iHeartRadio, our world-class media player, or our free Apple, Android, or Alexa apps. Listen to other episodes of The Constitution Study, which are available on podcasts.
Transcript Summary of this podcast episode ⤵
Americans are being told that more surveillance is the price of safety. License plate readers, body cameras, digital IDs, car kill switches, and age verification rules are all sold as common-sense protections. The pitch sounds comforting. Trust the system, and it will keep you safe.
But safety without liberty is not security. It is submission.
The Constitution protects us from unreasonable searches and seizures. It does not promise freedom from being recorded in public. The real danger comes later, when data is stored, shared, searched, and used without meaningful limits. That is where the line is crossed. A camera on a street corner is one thing. A searchable database of everywhere you have been, every plate you passed, every movement logged and cataloged, is something else entirely.
The same problem appears in other forms. Government wants to decide when your car may start, what your child may see online, and which shoppers qualify for subsidized food. Each plan is wrapped in concern for public welfare. Each one shifts power away from families, property owners, and citizens, and toward distant officials who know little about your life.
That is the trade many Americans keep making. We ask government to protect us, then act surprised when it starts controlling us. We want crime prevented, children shielded, and order restored. Those are worthy goals. Yet every new layer of control teaches the public to depend less on themselves and more on force from above.
A free people do not survive by outsourcing responsibility. They survive by taking it back.
If liberty means anything, it means ordinary citizens must defend their rights, train their children, watch out for one another, and demand real limits on government power. Otherwise, the surveillance state will keep growing, not because it was imposed on us all at once, but because too many of us welcomed it one convenience at a time.
Monday, August 10, 2026
Sunday, August 09, 2026
Pastor, 6 others executed extrajudicially in Sudan
By Anugrah Kumar, Christian Post Contributor Saturday, August 08, 2026
EBRAHIM HAMID/AFP via Getty Images
A pastor in Sudan’s Nuba Mountains was executed extrajudicially along with six other people after members of an armed faction arrested him at his church residence in the town of Heban.
The Rev. Adil Idris Jangoul, of the Sudanese Episcopal Church, was detained on July 23 inside the church compound in Heban’s Erie neighborhood, where he lived, the religious freedom advocacy group Christian Solidarity Worldwide reported this week.
Members of the Sudanese People’s Liberation Movement-North, or SPLM/N, an armed group in the region, seized his money and arrested him without incident.
However, his body was later found on a road alongside those of six other people, all from the Otoro ethnic group. All seven had been killed in extrajudicial executions.
A related attack struck Heban the same day. Members of the Otoro ethnic group, the same community whose members had been killed alongside Jangoul, carried out the raid, killing at least 10 people and seizing more than 20 hostages, among them children, CSW said.
One hostage was the Rev. Yakoub Brahim Tia. He once served as general secretary of the Sudanese Church of Christ and belongs to the Shawaya ethnic group. Six of his relatives were also seized.
All the hostages were released unharmed on July 28, after ministers from several ethnic communities appealed for their freedom.
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