A New Perspective on Constantine

(Worthy News) – Prosecutors say several acts of vandalism committed at five predominantly black churches in northern New Jersey are no longer being investigated as possible bias crimes.

Officials announced Sunday that a 45-year-old Morristown man has been arrested and charged with criminal mischief for breaking windows and damaging signs at the Morris Township and Morristown churches

The damage was discovered Saturday and Zuri C. Towns told officials he acted alone. Officials say he had previously attended services as a minor at one of the vandalized churches. He was arrested near his home that’s close to some of the churches. [ Source: Fox News (Read More…) ]

(Worthy News) – Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a law that allows the government to list any foreign media operating in the country as a foreign agent.

The bill, in retaliation for Kremlin-backed broadcaster RT being told to register as a foreign agent in the US, was earlier approved by parliament.

At least nine US-funded broadcasters, including Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty could be hit. [ Source : BBC (Read More…) ]

(Worthy News) – The deputy head of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards warned Europe that if it threatens Tehran, the Guards will increase the range of missiles to above 2,000 kilometers, the Fars news agency reported on Saturday.

France has called for an “uncompromising” dialogue with Iran about its ballistic missile program and a possible negotiation over the issue separate from Tehran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.

“So far we have felt that Europe is not a threat, so we did not increase the range of our missiles. But if Europe wants to turn into a threat, we will increase the range of our missiles,” Brigadier General Hossein Salami said. [ Source: Reuters (Read More…) ]

(Worthy News) – The Church of Sweden is making a few changes when it comes to how clergy refer to God the Father.

According to the Telegraph, the church’s 251 member board voted to switch out terms like “Lord” and “He” and incorporate the more gender neutral term “God.”

According the board, those changes will go into effect in May of 2018. [ Source: CBN News (Read More…) ]

(Worthy News) – The FBI failed to notify scores of US officials that Russian hackers were trying to break into their personal Gmail accounts despite having evidence for at least a year that the targets were in the Kremlin’s crosshairs, The Associated Press has found.

Nearly 80 interviews with Americans targeted by Fancy Bear, a Russian government-aligned cyberespionage group, turned up only two cases in which the FBI had provided a heads-up. Even senior policymakers discovered they were targets only when the AP told them, a situation some described as bizarre and dispiriting. [ Source: Times of Israel (Read More…) ]

(Worthy News) – The UK has ten days to make progress in Brexit negotiations for the EU leaders to unlock the next phase of talks on trade and future relations.

“Sufficient progress in Brexit talks at December’s European Council is possible. But still a huge challenge. We need to see progress from UK within 10 days on all issues, including on Ireland,” European Council president Donald Tusk tweeted on Friday (24 November).

Tusk met with British prime minister Theresa May after the EU’s Eastern Partnership summit. [ Source: EU Observer (Read More…) ]

(Worthy News) – Indonesia’s disaster mitigation agency said on Monday it had raised the alert to the highest level four on Bali’s Mount Agung volcano and warned residents in a 8-10 km (5-6 miles) radius around the volcano to evacuate immediately.

“Grey ash and occasional weak blasts can be heard 12 km (seven miles) from the peak. Flames were visible at night which indicates a potential eruption could happen anytime,” Indonesia’s disaster mitigation agency said in a statement.

“In anticipation of the possibility and imminent risk of disaster, PVMBG (the Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation Center) raised Mount Agung alert level from three to four starting from 6 a.m. local time,” it said in a statement. [ Source: Jerusalem Post (Read More…) ]