A New Perspective on Constantine

(Worthy News) – All of Israel’s future conflicts will see major enemy fire on the civilian home front, meaning that air defense is more crucial than ever, a former Israel Air Force chief has told JNS following the start of an Israeli-American joint exercise.

In recent days, the Israel Defense Forces and the U.S. military’s European Command (EUCOM) announced that for the first time, the United States has brought over its Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system to Israel.

The unprecedented move is part of a drill testing the ability of American forces to quickly arrive in Israel and help the IDF protect the country from incoming ballistic-missile attacks. The exercise could be seen as a signal to Iran and its proxies of Washington’s commitment to help Israel defend its air space in the event of a future war. [ Source: Jewish News Syndicate (Read More…) ]

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(Worthy News) – House Democrats’ rapidly expanding probes of President Trump and his associates have coincided with renewed calls on the left for an impeachment fight, with high-profile testimony against the president and plans for more explosive hearings only fueling a frenzy sure to reverberate into 2020.

Despite some concerns among leadership that impeachment could harm the party politically, liberal rank-and-file members and allies in the media have sounded the impeachment call anew.

Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., assured protesters Wednesday she’ll introduce a resolution this month urging the Judiciary Committee to move forward with impeachment proceedings against Trump. [ Source: Fox News (Read More…) ]

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(Worthy News) – Germany and 35 other countries, including all 28 EU nations, joined in an unusually strong rebuke of Saudi Arabia to the UN’s top human rights body on Thursday in Geneva.

The kingdom, currently a member of the UN Human Rights Council, has long faced accusations that it violates human and women’s rights, and the October 2018 murder of Saudi journalist and kingdom critic Jamal Khashoggi heightened international criticism.

The statement issued on Thursday was the first rebuke of the kingdom since the UN Human Rights Council was set up in 2006. [ Source: Deutche Welle (Read More…) ]

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(Worthy News) – Divided in debate but mostly united in a final vote, the House passed a resolution condemning anti-Semitism and other bigotry Thursday, with Democrats trying to push past a dispute that has overwhelmed their agenda and exposed fault lines that could dog them through elections next year.

The one-sided 407-23 vote belied the emotional infighting over how to respond to freshman Rep. Ilhan Omar’s recent comments suggesting House supporters of Israel have dual allegiances.

For days, Democrats wrestled with whether or how to punish the lawmaker, arguing over whether Omar, one of two Muslim-American women in Congress, should be singled out, what other types of bias should be decried and whether the party would tolerate dissenting views on Israel. [ Source: Times of Israel (Read More…) ]

Full text of House Resolution against hate, including anti-Semitism

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(Worthy News) – China’s exports tumbled the most in three years in February while imports fell for a third straight month, pointing to a further slowdown in the economy and stirring talk of a “trade recession”, despite a spate of support measures.

While seasonal factors may have been at play, the shockingly weak readings from the world’s largest trading nation added to worries about a global slowdown, a day after the European Central Bank slashed growth forecasts for the region.

Asian stock markets and U.S. futures extended losses after the data. Chinese stocks sank over 4 percent in their worst day in five months.[MKTS/GLOB] [ Source: Reuters (Read More…) ]

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(Worthy News) – Eight years after the Fukushima nuclear crisis, a fresh obstacle threatens to undermine the massive clean-up: 1 million tons of contaminated water must be stored, possibly for years, at the power plant.

Last year, Tokyo Electric Power Co said a system meant to purify contaminated water had failed to remove dangerous radioactive contaminants.

That means most of that water – stored in 1,000 tanks around the plant – will need to be reprocessed before it is released into the ocean, the most likely scenario for disposal. [ Source: Reuters (Read More…) ]

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(Worthy News) – The European Union should make concessions in Brexit talks to convince British lawmakers to back a controversial exit deal next week, British Prime Minister Theresa May is expected to say on Friday.

The call comes as Brussels and London struggle to reach an agreement to avoid a potentially damaging no-deal Brexit at the end of March.

According to a pre-released copy of May’s speech, the prime minister will say:

• The UK government is still committed to seeking legal changes to the Brexit deal to ensure that a controversial provision known as the “Irish backstop” is temporary.
• “Just as MPs will face a big choice next week, the EU has to make a choice, too. We are both participants in this process. It is in the European interest for the UK to leave with a deal.”
• “We are working with them but the decisions that the European Union makes over the next few days will have a big impact on the outcome of the [parliamentary] vote.”

[ Source: Deutche Welle (Read More…) ]

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(Worthy News) – A majority of churches have fewer than 100 people attending services each Sunday and have declined or nearly flatlined in membership growth, according to a new study from Exponential by LifeWay Research.

The study, which was conducted to help churches better understand growth in the pews, showed that most Protestant churches are not doing well attracting new Christian converts, reporting an average of less than one each month.

“The primary purpose of this study was to obtain a set of objective measures on churches’ reproduction and multiplication behaviors today as well as to understand their core context of growth,” Todd Wilson, chief executive officer of Exponential, said in a release from LifeWay research. “By combining these measures, we can help churches think about multiplication.” [ Source: Christian Post (Read More…) ]

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(Worthy News) – International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that on February 13, Pastor U Thar Tun was taken from his home in Buthidaung township, Rakhine State, by members of the Arakan Army (AA), a Buddhist rebel group. According to his wife, Daw Hla Sein, the insurgent group initially demanded that they leave their home to talk, so the family complied with the orders. However, the insurgents then tied up the pastor and dragged him away. She soon informed the local authorities and the police are now investigating the abduction.

U Thar Tun, the 50-year-old pastor of Mara Evangelical Church, is from the Myo ethnic group, one of the most common minority groups from Rakhine State, Myanmar. The father of five received his theological education from Mizoram State in India. He has been serving as a pastor in his church for many years and, although his church could not financially support him, he still takes a leadership role in church activities. He is also involved in local community development.

A colleague from the area told ICC, “He is innocent and actively involved in social and ethnic Myo people activities. He acts with truth and love for the oppressed people and he also protects them. Even though there is only [a] slim chance, I would like to request his immediate release from the people who had taken him. He is a valued member of our community.” [ Source: International Christian Concern (Read More…) ]

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(Worthy News) – The Washington, D.C. based, Christian Defense Coalition, calls for Speaker Pelosi to include Christianity in a potential House Resolution condemning all forms of hatred including anti-Semitism, racism and Islamophobia.

According to the Pew Research Center, Christianity is the most dangerous and persecuted religion in the world with nearly a quarter of a billion Christians facing bigotry, harassment and violence.

Rev. Patrick J. Mahoney, Director of the Christian Defense Coalition, states:

“If Speaker Pelosi and the House of Representatives move forward with a resolution condemning hatred; anti-Christian bigotry and persecution must be included in that list. Christians are the most persecuted religion in the world as they face mounting pressure over their beliefs, with government restrictions, nationalist parties, and harassment continuing on a global upswing.

“It would be selective moral outrage to condemn Islamaphobia, anti-Semitism and racism while ignoring the continued attacks of Christians around the world and here in America. This resolution must be inclusive and diverse and not a partisan political statement.

“We have recently seen an uptick of anti-Christianity bigotry in the United States Senate when judges were attacked because of their Catholic faith and relationship with the Knights of Columbus. Senator Mazie Hirono of Hawaii referred to this fraternal and incredibly charitable organization as ‘alt-right’ with ‘extreme moral positions.’ Could one ever imagine referring to a judge who was Muslim or Jewish in that manner?

“Speaker Pelosi, hatred and bigotry have no place in American life and must be unequivocally condemned. That includes anti-Semitic and racially insensitive comments made by members of Congress as well as bigoted comments made against Catholics in the Senate. Without including Christianity in this resolution, it is nothing more than a cheap and shallow political stunt.”

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