A New Perspective on Constantine

(Worthy News) – While attacks against the Christian minority has increased in Nepal, the Himalayan country’s parliament passed a bill criminalizing religious conversion and the “hurting of religious sentiment,” aiming to restrict evangelism. The move is likely to further escalate Christian persecution.

Clause 160 in section 9 of the bill, which restricts religious conversion, could be invoked against a wide range of legitimate expressions of religion or belief, including the charitable activities of religious groups, or merely speaking about one’s faith, which could be portrayed as attempts to convert others, said the U.K.-based Christian Solidarity Worldwide.

Clause 158 of section 9 of the bill, which criminalizes the “hurting of religious sentiment,” is similar to the blasphemy laws in Pakistan, which make it a criminal offense to insult another’s religion, CSW pointed out. [ Source (Read More…) ]

(Worthy News) – President Trump stood firm Monday on his threat to shut down the government if congressional Democrats block funding for a wall on the border with Mexico, saying the wall was crucial to U.S. security and stopping the flow of illegal drugs.

Mr. Trump said he hoped a shutdown wouldn’t be necessary. “We’ll have to see,” he said.

“The wall is needed from the standpoint of security. the wall is needed from the standpoint of drugs — the tremendous drug scourge,” Mr. Trump said at a White House press conference. [ Source (Read More…) ]

(Worthy News) – The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is suing President Trump over his decision to ban transgender people from serving in the military.

The ACLU made the announcement on Twitter on Monday morning.

“BREAKING: We’re taking @realDonaldTrump to court to challenge the unconstitutional transgender military ban,” they wrote. [ Source (Read More…) ]

(Worthy News) – Proposed tighter U.S. sanctions on Hezbollah have been altered enough to allay fears of major damage to Lebanon’s economy, a sign Washington is taking concerns about Lebanese stability seriously, banking and political sources said Sunday.

But banking figures also advised Lebanese authorities not be complacent as U.S. President Donald Trump’s future stance on Iran and its allies cannot be predicted, and the bill would not be debated and voted on until autumn when Congress reconvenes.

When drafts said to be U.S. plans for extended anti-Hezbollah legislation circulated in Lebanon earlier this year, local media warned of dire consequences for Lebanon’s fragile economy and fractious sectarian politics. [ Source (Read More…) ]

(Worthy News) – The European Union’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier has expressed concern about progress so far, as the third round of Brexit talks gets under way.

He warned that UK “ambiguity” must be removed and progress on “separation” issues made before any talks on the future EU-UK relationship.

For his part, UK Brexit Secretary David Davis said both sides had to show “flexibility and imagination”. [ Source (Read More…) ]

(Worthy News) – Iraq still faces tough military battles and hard political choices in the wake of the surprisingly quick advance over the weekend to oust Islamic State militants from the northern city of Tal Afar.

Brutal counterinsurgency battles lie ahead on both sides of the border with Syria, and Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi now faces a stepped-up schedule to establish stability and political reconciliation in the regions recaptured from the Islamic State, officials and analysts say.

On Wednesday, Iraqi military and counterterrorism forces pressed deeper into the heart of Tal Afar. The city lies less than 50 miles west of Mosul, which until last month was Islamic State’s biggest urban stronghold in Iraq. [ Source (Read More…) ]

(Worthy News) – North Korea fired a missile that flew over Japan and landed in waters off the northern region of Hokkaido early on Tuesday, South Korean and Japanese officials said, marking a sharp escalation of tensions on the Korean peninsula.

The test, which experts said appeared to have been a recently developed intermediate-range Hwasong-12 missile, came as U.S. and South Korean forces conduct annual military drills on the peninsula, against which North Korea strenuously objects.

Earlier this month, North Korea threatened to fire four Hwasong-12 missiles into the sea near the U.S. Pacific territory of Guam after U.S. President Donald Trump warned Pyongyang would face “fire and fury” if it threatened the United States. [ Source (Read More…) ]

Top US, S.Korean military officers pledge tough response to N.Korea missile launch

The top US and South Korean military officers agreed to make a strong response to North Korea’s latest ballistic missile launch on Tuesday, including possible unspecified military measures, South Korea’s Yonhap news agency said.

The chairmen of both countries’ Joint Chiefs of Staff agreed on a phone call “to take response measures at the earliest possible time that can demonstrate the alliance’s strong will including military measures,” Yonhap reported, quoting the South Korean military. [ Source (Read More…) ]

(Worthy News) – Iran is helping terrorists in Gaza prepare for war with Israel, according to a leading Hamas official.

“Every day we build missiles and continue military training,” Yahya Sinwar, a military leader recently voted prime minister of Hamas in Gaza, told reporters.

That effort derives significant support from Iran. [ Source (Read More…) ]

(Worthy News) – California Democrats who whipped up opposition to the weekend’s free speech rallies had little to say after radical leftist protesters, led by the antifa movement, attacked police and Trump supporters on Sunday in Berkeley, injuring six.

Those familiar with recent right-of-center rallies in the Bay Area, Boston and Portland, Oregon, say it’s a familiar pattern: Democrats play to their base by hyping fears of neo-Nazis while ignoring or glossing over any leftist violence.

“There has been nearly complete silence from Democrats regarding the violence of antifa in Berkeley and elsewhere,” said Cornell Law School professor William Jacobson. “This silence only emboldens and encourages those who seek to turn our streets into battlegrounds. Leading Democratic politicians need to go on record unconditionally rejecting and condemning antifa.” [ Source (Read More…) ]

(Worthy News) – A senior Israeli official has issued a warning to Russia that the Israeli military will bomb Syrian President Bashar Assad’s palace in Damascus if Russia allows Iran to make military advances in Syria.

The official added another caution in the Al-Hayat al-Jadida newspaper that if regional changes don’t take place in the current advance by Iran, Israel will act to scuttle the Syrian ceasefire deal recently concluded by the U.S. and Russian governments in Kazakhstan.

The warnings came during a meeting last week on the Black Sea between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Russian President Vladimir Putin. [ Source (Read More…) ]