A New Perspective on Constantine

by Jordan Hilger, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) – U.K. Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt pledged support from his country for war-torn Nigeria on Wednesday, where the Boko Haram arm of the Islamic State has massacred countless scores of Christians.

During a stop in Maiduguri, Borno State, Northeast Nigeria, where the terrorist organization killed 25 people returning from a wedding this week, Mr Hunt said the U.K. “will continue to support Nigeria in the fight to give people secure, prosperous and happy lives,” adding that the possibility of the U.K. lending military support to the Nigerian government was not off the table.

Hunt, who is a Christian himself, was at the helm of an effort in December to analyze the U.K.’s policy toward persecuted Christians worldwide, a project that is being supervised by the Bishop of Truro, Philip Mountstephen, and due to be completed this Summer.

“Of all the people who suffer persecution for their faith, it may surprise some to know that the greatest number are Christian,” Hunt said of the impetus for the project while commenting on the Easter carnage in Sri Lanka a few weeks ago.

In an additional gesture of support, at the end of Lent this year the Foreign Secretary sent 40 letters of solidarity to global Christian leaders, foremost among them Brother Andrew (Andrew van der Bijl), the Dutchman who smuggled Bibles behind the Iron Curtain and later founded persecution advocacy group Open Doors.

“I want you to know that the UK stands in solidarity with persecuted Christians around the world,” Hunt wrote to the famous missionary, who received the first of the Foreign Secretary’s epistles.

Nigeria is perhaps the most lethal place to be a Christian in the entire world. In July of 2018, the Nigerian House of Representatives acknowledged killings of Christians that had occurred in Plateau state as “genocide.” That spate of violence against believers by Muslim Fulani Herdsmen accounted for more than a quarter of the Christians killed worldwide in 2018, while the total death toll of Christians in Nigeria last year made up some 86% of global martyrdoms, according to Open Doors U.S.A.’s 2019 World Watch List.

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(Worthy News) – Following months of angry claims by journalists and Democratic operatives that the Obama administration never spied on Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, The New York Times admitted Thursday that multiple overseas intelligence assets were deployed against associates of the Republican nominee. It is not the first time the Times has revealed widespread spying operations against the campaign.

In addition to noting that long-time informant Stefan Halper was tasked with collecting intelligence on the Trump campaign, the Times story details how a woman was sent overseas under a fake name and occupation to oversee the spy operation. The woman’s real name is not mentioned in the article, though the Times says she went by “Azra Turk” and has a relationship with an unidentified federal intelligence agency.

Halper was handpicked by a seasoned FBI counterintelligence agent out of the New York office, according to the article. While the Times does not identify the agent by name, the paper says the FBI agent spoke at a conference organized by Halper about a 2010 case involving Russians posing as Americans. The public schedule for a 2011 conference hosted by Halper about the exact same case shows that three FBI counterintelligence agents were invited to speak on the topic. [ Source: Federalist (Read More…) ]

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(Worthy News) – The Islamic Jihad commander in Gaza Ziad Nahala responded Thursday to the revelation regarding the commander of the northern brigade of the organizations’ military wing Baha al-Atta earlier this week. They believe the publication of his name is an indication that Israel will assassinate him if terror attacks continue.

“We will respond with all our might to any killing of our member regardless of their rank, occupation or organization affiliation,” Nahala said and threatened to “strike major cities in retaliation regardless of prior agreements. We will have not red lines.”

The terror leader continued: “The existence of the resistance is tied to the very existence of Israel. As long as Israel exists, resistance will continue. We must not forget that ultimately Israel seeks to disarm the resistance. The significance of (US President Trump’s) ‘deal of the century’ is a matter of economy in exchange for Palestine.” [ Source: Ynet News (Read More…) ]

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(Worthy News) – Denver voters next week may experience the deja vu of thawing marijuana laws 10 years ago. An initiative to decriminalize “magic mushrooms” will appear on municipal ballots Tuesday.

The “Decriminalize Denver” campaign is following a similar path blazed by early marijuana legalization advocates to drop possession of the hallucinogen psilocybin in small quantities by adults over 21 to a “lowest law-enforcement priority.” [ Source: UPI (Read More…) ]

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(Worthy News) – Tensions are still high in Venezuela after violent protests turned deadly this week. A Venezuelan human rights group claims four people died in street clashes this week after the opposition leader Juan Guaido called for a military uprising.

Thursday was relatively calm in the Venezuelan capital city Caracas as government forces were out in full force trying to stabilize the country after a violent 48 hours.

Residents are back on the streets trying to resume life under very difficult circumstances. [ Source: CBN News (Read More…) ]

The post 'I See a Bad Future Ahead': Bloodshed in Venezuela as Maduro's Forces Open Fire to Stop the Uprising appeared first on Worthy Christian News.

(Worthy News) – The Palestinian Authority has demanded that Russia resolve the terror-payment crisis that could lead to the PA’s collapse as it rejected a European Union compromise solution.

“There have been attempts to find alternative channels to pay the prisoners and martyrs allowances, which we will not accept,” PA Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Information Nabil Abu Rudaineh said on Thursday.

To protest Israel’s withholding of taxes equal to the sum of money that the PA uses to pay terrorists and their families, the PA has refused to accept any of its tax revenues, a move which many believe could lead to its financial collapse. According to the UN, tax revenues make up 65% of the PA’s budget. [ Source: Jerusalem Post (Read More…) ]

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(Worthy News) – The US Defense Department expects China to add military bases around the world to protect its investments in its ambitious One Belt One Road global infrastructure program, according to an official report released Thursday.

Beijing currently has just one overseas military base, in Djibouti, but is believed planning others, including possibly Pakistan, as it seeks to project itself as a global superpower.

“China’s advancement of projects such as the ‘One Belt, One Road’ Initiative (OBOR) will probably drive military overseas basing through a perceived need to provide security for OBOR projects,” the Pentagon said in its annual report to Congress on Chinese military and security developments. [ Source: UK Telegraph (Read More…) ]

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(Worthy News) – A powerful cyclone lashed coastal areas of eastern India on Friday with torrential rain and winds gusting up to 200 kilometers per hour (124 mph), but there were no early reports of casualties with a million people evacuated before it made landfall.

India’s cyclone season can last from April to December, when severe storms batter coastal cities and cause widespread deaths and damage to crops and property in both India and neighboring Bangladesh. [ Source: Reuters (Read More…) ]

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(Worthy News) – President Donald Trump said that his administration was making religious freedom a priority, including helping to have people once again say “God” and “Merry Christmas.”

At a National Day of Prayer ceremony held Thursday morning at the White House Rose Garden, President Trump touted his efforts to advance religious liberty.

Noting that “we proudly come together as ‘One Nation, Under God,’” Trump went on to talk about a conversation he and Vice President Mike Pence had about the supposed increase in open faith expression since his campaign began.

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(Worthy News) – Senate Republicans confirmed President Trump’s 100th federal judge on Thursday, speeding through a series of picks this week thanks to the GOP’s nuclear option move last month.

Judge Rudolfo Armando Ruiz II was No. 100, approved on a 90-8 vote to a seat on a U.S. district court in Florida. The Senate also approved two other district judges Thursday, bringing to eight the number of nominees approved in floor votes this week.

That’s a much faster pace than could have happened under the old rules before Majority Leader Mitch McConnell triggered the nuclear option to change the rules. [ Source: Washington Times (Read More…) ]

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