A New Perspective on Constantine

(Worthy News) – Syria said late Thursday that its air defenses destroyed an unspecified enemy target during an attempted airstrike west of Damascus, as residents reported a series of loud explosions around the Syrian capital.

The statement, published in official state media Sana, said Syrian air defenses “engaged a hostile target and destroyed it,” but gave no further details.

The pro-government al-Masdar news service said that air defenses fired several missiles to fend off an attack near the el-Kisweh region and that it was not clear if the Syrian missiles were fired at an aircraft, drone or incoming rockets. [ Source: Times of Israel (Read More…) ]

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(Worthy News) – The National Archives says it will take months to process the records Republicans have asked to see from Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh’s previous government work, throwing a curveball at the GOP, which had hoped to review the documents, hold hearings and confirm him to the Supreme Court before October.

The Archives said it will take at least through October to review 1 million pages that Republicans have requested to see.

And that doesn’t include the 3 million additional pages Democrats have asked for. If Congress waits for those, it could push the confirmation schedule beyond the November elections and into next year, when Democrats hope to have control of the Senate. [ Source: Washington Times (Read More…) ]

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(Worthy News) – Congress and the Trump administration are issuing a stern warning to European partners: End all business ties with the Iranian regime or face harsh new sanctions in the coming months, a move that could impact international financial markets and U.S. banks tied to foreign monetary institutions, according to multiple senior U.S. officials who spoke to the Washington Free Beacon about diplomatic efforts to pressure Europe on Iran.

The Trump administration and many in Congress have been working in tandem to pressure European partners over their ongoing financial ties to Iran ahead of efforts by the United States to fully reinstate harsh sanctions on Iran, including on its lucrative oil sector and banking systems, U.S. officials said.

Key European partners have expressed opposition to the new U.S. sanctions in recent months and have held a series of meetings with senior Iranian officials to discuss tactics for evading the new American sanctions, which follow on the heels on President Donald Trump’s decision to abandon the landmark nuclear deal. [ Source: Washington Free Beacon (Read More…) ]

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(Worthy News) – U.S. President Donald Trump’s national security team said on Thursday that Russia is behind ‘pervasive’ attempts to interfere in upcoming U.S. elections, in a rejection of denials of meddling that Russian President Vladimir Putin made directly to Trump.

The top aides, including intelligence director Dan Coats and national security adviser John Bolton, appeared in the White House briefing room to stress that a major effort was under way to protect the integrity of congressional elections in November and the 2020 presidential election.

“We acknowledge the threat, it is real, it is continuing, and we’re doing everything we can to have a legitimate election,” Coats said, adding: “It is pervasive, it is ongoing, with the intent to … drive a wedge and undermine our democratic values.” [ Source: Reuters (Read More…) ]

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(Worthy News) – Senior Hamas officials who held talks with Egyptian intelligence officials in Cairo over the past three days were scheduled to arrive in the Gaza Strip Thursday to meet with party leaders, sources close to the Islamist movement said.

Meanwhile, Hamas again rejected a demand by its rivals in Fatah to disarm and give security control of the Gaza Strip to the Palestinian Authority government.

It remained unclear late yesterday whether the Egyptians had made progress in their effort to end the Hamas-Fatah rift. [ Source: Jerusalem Post (Read More…) ]

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(Worthy News) – In a rainbow of color and diversity, an estimated 35,000 people took to the capital’s streets Thursday for the 17th-annual Jerusalem March for Pride and Tolerance, with numerous groups, organizations and public officials participating in the parade.

The march comes against the background of heavy protest by the LGBT community and large parts of Israeli society against the recently passed surrogacy law that excludes gay men from access to child surrogacy service, and vitriolic opposition to the gay community at large from hardline elements in the national-religious community.

Two protests were held by hardline national-religious groups, one by the far-right Lehava group near the starting point of the parade at Liberty Bell Park, and the other at the Bridge of Strings. [ Source: Jerusalem Post (Read More…) ]

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