A New Perspective on Constantine

(Worthy News) – The persecution of Christians is now “worse than at any time in history,” according to a report by the Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need, which states that not only are Christians more persecuted than any other faith group, they are also experiencing the worst forms of persecution.

The Europe-based group also found that in 12 of the 13 countries reviewed, the situation for Christians was worse in overall terms in the period 2015–17 than within the preceding two years, says the report titled, “Persecuted and Forgotten? 2015–17.”

“In many countries the situation was already so severe, it could scarcely get any worse, and yet it did – the obvious exception being Saudi Arabia, where a long-established pattern of some of the world’s worst oppression saw no obvious indications of deterioration,” it explains. [ Source: Christian Post (Read More…) ]

(Worthy News) – The UN Security Council must not ignore Iran’s aggressive behavior, its ballistic missile testing and its violation of this body’s resolutions regarding its military activity, US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said on Wednesday.

She urged the 15-member body in New York to follow in the footsteps of the United States by changing its policy toward Tehran or risk it becoming another North Korea.

‘”When a rogue regime starts down the path of ballistic missiles, it tells us that we will soon have another North Korea on our hands. If it is wrong for North Korea to do this, why doesn’t that same mentality apply to Iran’,” Haley asked the UN during its quarterly open debate on the Middle East. [ Source: Jerusalem Post (Read More…) ]

(Worthy News) – A 17-year-old immigrant who was detained after entering the country illegally should not be “obstructed” by government officials from having an abortion, a US federal judge ruled on Wednesday in Washington DC.

Judge Tanya Chutkan ordered US President Donald Trump’s administration to move “promptly and without delay” to transport or allow the teen to be brought by others to the abortion provider closest to her shelter in Texas.

The order also temporarily bars officials from “retaliating against” the girl for her decision to undergo an abortion as well as stopping officials from revealing her decision or forcing her to disclose her decision. [ Source: Deutche Welle (Read More…) ]

(Worthy News) – The United States called Thursday for the Hamas terror group to disarm and renounce violence before being allowed to implement a highly touted unity deal with Palestinian rival Fatah, in a first detailed response to the agreement.

In a statement, White House Mideast peace envoy Jason Greenblatt welcomed the Palestinian Authority’s impending return to the Gaza Strip as part of the renewed reconciliation efforts with Hamas, but said it was essential the terrorist group reform and adhere to the principles set out by the so-called Middle East Quartet.

“Any Palestinian government must unambiguously and explicitly commit to nonviolence, recognize the State of Israel, accept previous agreements and obligations between the parties – including to disarm terrorists – and commit to peaceful negotiations,” Greenblatt said in a statement released by the US Embassy in Tel Aviv. [ Source: Times of Israel (Read More…) ]

(Worthy News) – U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley said Wednesday the United States is circulating a resolution that would extend by another year the work of inspectors seeking to determine who is behind chemical weapons attacks in Syria.

Haley told reporters the United States wants a quick vote so the Joint Investigative Mechanism is renewed before its expected report Oct. 26 on responsibility for the April 4 attack on the opposition-held town of Khan Sheikhoun that killed more than 90 people.

She said “there’s overwhelming support” in the Security Council to renew the inspectors’ work for another year. But, she added, “Russia has made it very clear that should the report blame Syria” for the attack “they won’t have faith in the JIM. If the report doesn’t blame the Syrians then they say that they will.” [ Source: Washington Times (Read More…) ]

(Worthy News) – Former campaign aides to President Trump have begun to fight back against what they consider libelous allegations in the Russia election saga.

Instead of expensive legal actions, they are representing themselves in what might be considered unconventional actions through court, ethics and FBI complaints. The aim is to clear their names of any involvement in Russian election interference, as alleged by online bloggers, the press and Democrats.

Michael Caputo, a Trump campaign communication adviser, has filed a complaint with the Office of Congressional Ethics against Rep. Jackie Speier, California Democrat. At a House intelligence committee hearing in March, she asserted that Mr. Caputo was Vladimir Putin’s “image consultant.” Mr. Caputo says the claim is false. She later accused him of lying under oath.

“We live in fear,” he said of he and his family after Mrs. Speier’s charges prompted scores of social media threats. [ Source (Read More…) ]