A New Perspective on Constantine

(Worthy News) – The FBI and Department of Justice partnered on a secret program aimed at flipping Russian oligarchs with potentially damaging information about the Trump campaign’s alleged involvement with the Kremlin, according to a New York Times report Saturday.

Justice Department official Bruce Ohr worked with the FBI to attempt to turn one of those oligarchs, Oleg V. Deripaska, who is close to the Russian government.

At one point, FBI agents made a surprise, “uninvited” visit at Deripaska’s home in New York and questioned him on whether Paul Manafort, then-chairman of Trump’s campaign, “had served as a link between the campaign and the Kremlin,” the Times reports.

The effort appears to have been unsuccessful, and according to DOJ documents obtained by the New York Times, Deripaska refuted investigator’s theories about collusion between the Kremlin and Trump campaign and organized crime in Russia. [ Source: Washington Examiner (Read More…) ]

The post Bruce Ohr, FBI together attempted to flip Russian oligarchs to gather information on Trump campaign: Report appeared first on Worthy Christian News.

(Worthy News) – A Coptic community in Egypt’s Minya governorate, whose church was closed in July following protests by local Muslims, continues to be a target of mob attacks and hostility.

The only Coptic Church in Ezbet Sultan Pasha village, 250km south of Cairo, where about 20 per cent of the population is Christian, was first attacked on 13 July.

As World Watch Monitor reported, it followed a week of protests after a rumour spread that Copts had applied for the de-facto church’s legalisation, as required by the August 2016 Law for Building and Restoration of Churches. [ Source: World Watch Monitor (Read More…) ]

The post Egypt: Mob attacks prevent Coptic church’s recognition for ‘security’ reasons appeared first on Worthy Christian News.

(Worthy News) – In an interview with CBN News, Vice President Mike Pence brushed off personal insults aimed at his Christian faith.

“The Bible says, ‘count it all joy’ when you endure trials of many kinds,” Pence tells CBN News. “Anytime I’m criticized for my belief in Jesus Christ I just breathe a prayer of praise.”

Pence has been continually mocked for his faith, with the latest slight coming in a new book where the author calls the vice president a “Christian Supremacist.” [ Source: CBN News (Read More…) ]

The post VP Pence on Coming Under Fire for His Faith: 'I Just Breathe a Prayer of Praise' appeared first on Worthy Christian News.

(Worthy News) – The tide, a wave of microorganisms that choke sea life, hit the Gulf of Mexico last November and now spreads over about 130 miles of Florida’s southwest coast. Gov. Rick Scott has issued a state of emergency for seven counties, where waterways and coastlines are filled with putrid fish floating in brass-colored water.

The red tide also poses a health risk to people. The microorganisms emit brevetoxins, which can get blown into the air. When the toxins are breathed in, they constrict passages in the lungs, causing people to cough and have difficulty breathing.

Red tides seem to have increased in frequency and persistence over the last 20 years, though the historical record is too sketchy to say whether the events are really more prevalent. [ Source: NBC News (Read More…) ]

The post As Florida's toxic red tide stretches on, residents report health problems appeared first on Worthy Christian News.

(Worthy News) – Iran has given ballistic missiles to Shi’ite proxies in Iraq and is developing the capacity to build more there to deter attacks on its interests in the Middle East and to give it the means to hit regional foes, Iranian, Iraqi and Western sources said.

Any sign that Iran is preparing a more aggressive missile policy in Iraq will exacerbate tensions between Tehran and Washington, already heightened by U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to pull out of a 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.

It would also embarrass France, Germany and the United Kingdom, the three European signatories to the nuclear deal, as they have been trying to salvage the agreement despite new U.S. sanctions against Tehran. [ Source: Reuters (Read More…) ]

The post Iran said to give Iraqi militias ballistic missiles capable of hitting Israel appeared first on Worthy Christian News.

(Worthy News) – The United States presented Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas with a peace deal based on a confederation with Jordan, the Israeli left-wing organization Peace Now reported on Sunday.

The group publicized the possibility of a US-led confederation peace plan after it met with the PA leader in Ramallah.

Jordan immediately rejected the idea of a Palestinian-Jordanian confederation, and said the proposal was a non-starter. [ Source: Jerusalem Post (Read More…) ]

The post Abbas: Trump offered us peace plan based on confederation with Jordan appeared first on Worthy Christian News.

(Worthy News) – Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Sunday war was unlikely but called on Iran’s armed forces to boost their defense capacities, according to his official website.

On Saturday, Iran announced plans to boost its ballistic and cruise missile capacity and acquire modern fighter planes and submarines to boost its defenses as the country faces increased tension with the United States following the US pullout from Tehran’s nuclear agreement with world powers.

“Ayatollah Khamenei emphasized that based on political calculations there is no likelihood of a military war but added that the armed forces must be vigilant … and raise their personnel and equipment capacities,” the website quoted Khamenei as telling commanders of Iran’s air defense forces. [ Source: Jerusalem Post (Read More…) ]

The post Khamenei says war unlikely, but calls for boosting defense capacities appeared first on Worthy Christian News.

(Worthy News) – With attempts to attack Brett M. Kavanaugh’s record failing, Democrats over the weekend mounted a last-ditch bid to derail his confirmation to the Supreme Court by claiming that the vetting process is so bad that it demands a do-over.

Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer, New York Democrat, even accused former President George W. Bush of complicity, saying he used his powers to block access to tens of thousands of pages of records from Judge Kavanaugh’s time in the Bush White House.

Republicans brushed aside the complaints and prepared to welcome Judge Kavanaugh to Capitol Hill on Tuesday for his appearance before the Senate Judiciary Committee, where the fate of his nomination will be decided. [ Source: Washington Times (Read More…) ]

The post With Kavanaugh on track for confirmation, Democrats regret triggering 'nuclear option' appeared first on Worthy Christian News.

(Worthy News) – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met on Sunday with a US envoy for Syria for talks on the war-ravaged country and Iran, his office said.

Netanyahu discussed “the situation in Syria and the joint effort to stop Iran’s terror and aggression” with James Jeffrey, the US special representative for Syria engagement, said a statement.

Ahead of the visit, the US State Department said Jeffrey, accompanied by US special envoy for Syria Joel Rayburn, would discuss “maintaining Israel’s security while countering Iran’s destabilizing activity throughout the region.” [ Source: Times of Israel (Read More…) ]

The post Netanyahu meets US envoy over Syria, Iran, regional stability appeared first on Worthy Christian News.

(Worthy News) – A powerful typhoon was approaching Japan’s southern Pacific coast on Monday and is likely to make landfall on Tuesday afternoon in western or central Japan, with the weather agency warning of strong gusts, high waves, and heavy downpours.

As of 6 a.m. Monday, Typhoon Jebi was traveling north-northwest in the Pacific Ocean south of Japan’s main island of Honshu at a speed of 20 kph with an atmospheric pressure of 935 hectopascals at its center and packing gusts of up to 252 kph, according to the Meteorological Agency.

Japan has been hit by a string of typhoons recently, with western parts of the country battered by massive flooding and landslides, leaving more than 220 people dead. [ Source: Japan Times (Read More…) ]

The post Powerful typhoon on course to hit western or central Japan Tuesday appeared first on Worthy Christian News.