Evangelical Leaders Meet to Discuss Upcoming 2020 Presidential Election, Prepare for National Day of Prayer

(Worthy News) – Around 20 evangelical leaders met Wednesday at Trump Hotel in Washington, D.C. discussing ways to help re-elect President Donald Trump.

They prayed for the president and discussed 2020 and the issue of immigration policy. [ Source: CBN News (Read More…) ]

The post Evangelical Leaders Meet to Discuss Upcoming 2020 Presidential Election, Prepare for National Day of Prayer appeared first on Worthy Christian News.

Putin Signs ‘Sovereign Internet’ Law, Expanding Government Control of Internet

(Worthy News) – Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed into law a new measure that aims to expand government control over the Internet.

Critics have warned that the new law, signed by Putin on May 1 and published on the Kremlin website, will lead to censorship over wide parts of the Internet.

Among other things, the new measure requires Internet providers to install equipment to route Russian web traffic through servers in the country. [ Source: Radio Free Europe (Read More…) ]

The post Putin Signs 'Sovereign Internet' Law, Expanding Government Control of Internet appeared first on Worthy Christian News.

USCIRF Annual Report Highlights China’s ‘Tragedy’ of Religious Freedom

by George Whitten, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) released its annual report Monday, detailing religious rights abuses around the world and recommending state actors for the U.S. State Department to earmark as “Countries of Particular Concern” (CPCs).

An alarming trend, the report noted, was the recurrence of the Chinese Uighur Muslim crisis in three separate editions of the Commission’s annual publication, in 1999, 2010, and 2019, a disturbing illustration of China’s wide-ranging, systematic program for destroying religious freedom across the two decades of the USCIRF’s existence.

“Policy and practice now must focus on holding the responsible parties accountable, ceasing China’s myriad abuses against all faith communities, and documenting the evidence of the atrocities that have occurred” in the Communist nation’s detention of between 800,000 and 2 Million Uighurs in forced reeducation camps, according to the report, a blight which it says ought to merit “swift” and “resolute” U.S. sanctions.

Another common trend the report discovered among countries like Vietnam, Russia and Tajikistan was the use of “national security” as a pretext for apprehending religious undesirables, who were accordingly framed as “extremists” working for foreign powers.

It also found that religious persecution tends to go hand in hand with the “politicization of religion,” as in India where Hinduism and jingoistic nationalism are inextricably linked.

Aside from 16 countries that the State Department already includes on its list of CPCs, the report recommended that Central African Republic (CAR), Nigeria, Russia, Syria, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam be added as newcomers for “systematic, ongoing, egregious violations” of the right to freedom of conscience in belief.

Notably, amidst a dearth of coverage on persecuted Christians in the West, the report called on the Chinese government to release Wang Yi, a Chinese Christian Pastor detained in December for “inciting subversion of state power,” who will also populate the USCIRF’s forthcoming database for religious prisoners of conscience.

The post USCIRF Annual Report Highlights China’s ‘Tragedy’ of Religious Freedom appeared first on Worthy Christian News.

‘Common Diseases Are Becoming Untreatable,’ Greater ‘Global Governance’ Necessary, According to April UN Report

by Jordan Hilger, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) – “Antimicrobial resistance is a global crisis that threatens a century of progress in health and achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals,” states the opening line of a UN Report to the Secretary-General published last month.

The report, which grows out of an agreement by all UN member states in 2015 to end poverty by 2030 and abide by 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), claims that overuse and misuse of antimicrobial drugs like antibiotics are contributing to the spread of drug-resistant pathogens such as N. gonorrhoeae, the bacteria that causes gonorrhea, and could lead to around 2 million deaths in developed countries over the next 50 years.

Besides the overuse of antibiotics, everything from “inadequate access to clean water” to “lack of equitable access to affordable and quality-assured antimicrobials” to poor “food safety and waste management systems” has led to the proliferation of common diseases that are developing immunities to conventional treatments, necessitating “a sustained One Health response,” according to the report.

“If we are going to develop successful strategies to reduce the impact and spread of antimicrobial resistance the scientists, clinicians, veterinarians, policymakers, and members of the community will have to work together to address the problem from a One Health perspective,” Melinda Pettitgrew, a professor of epidemiology at the Yale School of Public Health, reiterated to CNN, citing the new paradigm of global health management described by the website for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as “a collaborative, multisectoral, and transdisciplinary approach” that involves harnessing both the public and private sectors of a society to combat disease.

In addition to infectious disease control and prevention, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development lists as objectives “universal health coverage and access to quality healthcare,” “universal access to sexual and reproductive health-care services,” “sustainable patterns of production and consumption” in the private sector, “adaptation [of societies] to the adverse impacts of climate change,” “the systematic mainstreaming of a gender perspective,” and fostering a sense of “global citizenship.”

The post 'Common Diseases Are Becoming Untreatable,' Greater 'Global Governance' Necessary, According to April UN Report appeared first on Worthy Christian News.

Two rockets fired into Israel from Gaza after IAF strikes Hamas targets

(Worthy News) – Palestinian terrorists in the Gaza Strip launched at least two rockets into southern Israel early Thursday, the military said. The projectiles fell in an open area, and no injuries were reported.

The rocket fire came after Israeli aircraft bombed a Hamas base in the northern Gaza Strip around 3:30 a.m. Thursday in retaliation for a wave of balloon-borne incendiary devices that were launched into Israel from the Strip the day before, which sparked at least two fires.

“Earlier today, explosive and arson balloons were launched from the Gaza Strip,” the army said. “In response, overnight, an IDF fighter jet and an IDF aircraft struck a number of terror targets in a Hamas military compound in the northern Gaza Strip.” [ Source: Times of Israel (Read More…) ]

The post Two rockets fired into Israel from Gaza after IAF strikes Hamas targets appeared first on Worthy Christian News.

U.S., Taliban resume talks as Afghan govt seeks role in peace process

(Worthy News) – American and Taliban officials resumed talks in Qatar to end a 17-year war in Afghanistan on Wednesday while the Afghan government hosted a rare assembly in Kabul to ensure its interests are upheld in any peace deal.

Afghan representatives were not allowed to attend the sixth round of U.S.-Taliban talks in the Qatari capital, Doha, said Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the insurgent group.

“There will be no other side except the US and Taliban representatives in the meeting, but some Qatari officials will remain present as hosts,” he told Reuters. [ Source: Jerusalem Post (Read More…) ]

The post U.S., Taliban resume talks as Afghan govt seeks role in peace process appeared first on Worthy Christian News.

US Urges Russia to End ‘Escalation’ in Syria’s Idlib

(Worthy News) – The United States on Tuesday urged Russia to abide by its commitments and end an “escalation” in Syria’s northwestern Idlib region after a monitor said air strikes killed 10 civilians.

“The violence must end. The United States reiterates that any escalation in violence in northwest Syria will result in the destabilization of the region,” State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said in a statement.

“We call on all parties, including Russia and the Syrian regime, to abide by their commitments to avoid large-scale military offensives, return to a de-escalation of violence in the area, and allow for unhindered humanitarian access to address the humanitarian disaster created by the ongoing violence,” she said. [ Source: VOA News (Read More…) ]

The post US Urges Russia to End 'Escalation' in Syria's Idlib appeared first on Worthy Christian News.

103,000 Illegals Caught Crossing Border in March–Highest Monthly Total Since 2007

(Worthy News) – Customs and Border Patrol apprehended over 103,000 illegal immigrants crossing the border in March – the highest number of apprehensions in a month in over a decade, acting Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan told Congress Tuesday.

“In March alone, CBP apprehended and encountered over 103,000 migrants crossing without legal status – the most in one month for over a decade,” he said at a House Appropriations subcommittee hearing on his department’s proposed 2020 budget request. [ Source: CNS News (Read More…) ]

The post 103,000 Illegals Caught Crossing Border in March–Highest Monthly Total Since 2007 appeared first on Worthy Christian News.

Trump: Violence against people of faith ‘must end now’

(Worthy News) – President Trump called for an end to violence motivated by religious hatred Wednesday, citing attacks ranging from a shooting at a California synagogue to terrorist bombings at Christian churches in Sri Lanka.

“Violence and terrorism against people of all faiths must end and it must end now,” the president said to applause at a National Day of Prayer dinner at the White House.

The president and first lady Melania Trump hosted about 100 faith leaders. Vice President Mike Pence and his wife, Karen, also attended. [ Source: Washington Times (Read More…) ]

The post Trump: Violence against people of faith 'must end now' appeared first on Worthy Christian News.

Coalition might not be assembled by deadline, PM warns

(Worthy News) – The swearing-in of the 21st Knesset on Tuesday afternoon took place in an atmosphere of ongoing difficulties in assembling a governing coalition.

Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Lieberman was the first person to touch on the issue, saying at a meeting of his faction that “we are in favor of a Jewish state, but against a state of Jewish law. The haredi-national haredi camp got 22 seats. We have five, so it’s obvious to me that we won’t be able to get everything done in this Knesset that we wanted to. We’ll demand that the status quo be upheld and this madness be prevented,” Lieberman said.

Later, Shas leader Aryeh Deri responded to Lieberman and requested that he dial down the rhetoric: “The election campaign is over. The discussions and negotiations take place behind closed doors. There is no other way of putting a government together,” Deri said. [ Source: Israel Hayom (Read More…) ]

The post Coalition might not be assembled by deadline, PM warns appeared first on Worthy Christian News.