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by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent (Worthy News) – The Pentagon announced Friday that the United States has approved a new arms sale to Taiwan worth US$387 million, the Taipei Times (TT) reports. The sale represents the 18th arms deal with Taiwan to be approved by the Biden administration. Requested by Taipei amid ongoing saber-rattling by the Chinese government – which considers Taiwan to be part of China – the sale includes F-16 fighter jets and follow-up support for Improved Mobile Subscriber Equipment (IMSE), TT reports. Delivery of the equipment is expected to begin in 2025. In a statement, the Pentagon’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said the deal serves “US national, economic and security interests by supporting the recipient’s continuing efforts to modernize its armed forces and to maintain a credible defensive capability” and that it would “help improve the security of the recipient and assist in maintaining political stability, military balance and economic progress in the region.” The Taipei Presidential Office said Monday that the new arms deal represents a deepened Taiwan-US security partnership and an important element in maintaining peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region, TT reports. “[Tawian’s] Ministry of National Defense expressed gratitude to the US for the latest arms sale, which it said would continue to provide Taiwan with assistance building the nation’s self-defense capabilities and establish a foundation to maintain regional stability,” TT reports. The post US Approves $387 Million Arms Sale to Taiwan appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News CONAKTY (Worthy News) – Scores of people were killed and several injured in a stampede at a soccer stadium in southern Guinea following clashes between fans sparked by anger over the referee’s decision, the government confirmed Monday. At least 56 people, including children, reportedly died in the bloodshed during the final of a soccer tournament in honor of Guinea’s military leader Mamady Doumbouya at a stadium in Nzerekore, one of the West African nation’s largest cities. Communications Minister Fana Soumah said on national television that authorities are investigating who was responsible for Sunday’s stampede. “Protests of dissatisfaction with refereeing decisions led to stone-throwing by supporters, resulting in fatal stampedes” at Sunday’s match, the government added. “Hospital services have put the provisional death toll at 56.” Witnesses said rival fans stormed the field following the controversial referee decision. Footage reviewed by Worthy News showed people running in panic while a man was seen carrying a chair. Health officials spoke about dozens of dead bodies piling up. “There are bodies lined up as far as the eye can see in the hospital,” a doctor said. “Others are lying on the floor in the hallways. The morgue is full.” Paul Sakouvogi, a local journalist in the area, said authorities restricted internet access while police guarded the hospital. “I observe six police positions in front of three hospital entrances.” MEDICAL TREATMENT He suggested that it was difficult for survivors to learn about their loved ones receiving medical treatment. “They only allow medical staff to access the hospital, while others are told to go home,” the reporter said. The tragedy added to social and political upheaval in Guinea, with the National Alliance for Alternation and Democracy opposition coalition saying the tournament to increase support for the “illegal and inappropriate” political ambitions of Doumbouya. The military has led Guinea since soldiers ousted President Alpha Conde in 2021. It is one of a growing number of West African countries, including Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso, where the military has taken power and delayed a return to civilian rule. Doumbouya, who ousted the president three years ago, claims he is preventing the country from slipping into chaos and condemns the previous government for “broken promises.” He has been criticized for fulfilling his pledges in this mainly Muslim nation of nearly 14 million people, where Christians comprise roughly 13 percent of the population. The post Guinea: ‘Scores Killed In Soccer Stadium Stampede’ appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent (Worthy News) – Twelve Christian converts in Iran are facing the possibility of torture and lengthy prison terms after being charged with “propagating a religion contrary to Islam” and “collaborating with foreign governments,” Article 18 reports. Ruled by a harsh Islamic regime, Iran ranks 9 on the Open Doors World Watch List 2024 of the top 50 countries where Christians are persecuted. The 12 Christians were charged under Article 500 of Iran’s penal code and appeared before Branch 102 of the Criminal Court of Nowshahr on November 26 and have been released on bail. “They have identified themselves as Christian during their defense,” Prosecutor Mohammad Reza-Ebrahimi wrote in the indictment. “And this is supported by the messages exchanged in their phones,” as well as through the “Gospels and other Christian literature found in their possession.” Three of the Christians, Jahangir Alikhani, Hamed Malamiri, and Gholam Eshaghi, were re-arrested by IRGC agents in September and were tortured by officials who demanded they renounce their faith. These three men were detained for two months before their release on bail on November 17, Article 18 reports. In a website report about the situation facing Christian converts in Iran, the Open Doors international Christian advocacy organization states: “Conversion from Islam to Christianity is illegal in Iran, and anyone caught as a convert can be arrested and imprisoned. The government views conversion as an attempt by the West to undermine Islam and the Islamic government of Iran. This means that anyone who is discovered to be a member of a house church can be charged with a crime against national security, which can lead to long prison sentences.” “Anyone arrested or detained can be tortured and abused while in jail. Some Christians are released and monitored—and know a second arrest would mean a long prison sentence,” Open Doors states. The post Iran: 12 Christians Face Long Prison Terms for Their Faith, Three Tortured appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News BEIRUT/WASHINGTON (Worthy News) – U.S. President-elect Donald J. Trump on Sunday named Massad Boulos, a Christian Lebanese-born billionaire, and father-in-law to his daughter Tiffany, his senior adviser on Arab and Middle Eastern affairs at a time of mounting tensions in Israel and the region. Boulos joins real estate developer Steve Witkoff, who Trump named special envoy to the Middle East, along with nominee for U.S. ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, a devoted Christian, in serving the region. “Massad is an accomplished lawyer and a highly respected leader in the business world, with extensive experience on the international scene,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, his social media platform. “He has been a longtime proponent of Republican and Conservative values, an asset to my Campaign, and was instrumental in building tremendous new coalitions with the Arab American Community,” Trump wrote. “Massad is a dealmaker and an unwavering supporter of PEACE in the Middle East.” Massad Boulos is also the father of Michael Boulos, who married Tiffany Trump in 2022. BORN IN LEBANON Boulos, who was born in Lebanon and moved to Texas as a teenager to attend the University of Houston, began his working career by joining his family’s automotive business in Nigeria and rose to lead SCOA Motors and Boulos Enterprises. It was previously reported that Boulos unsuccessfully ran for a parliamentary seat in Lebanon in 2009 and is known to have close ties across Lebanon’s Christian political class. His father-in-law was a crucial player in the Free Patriotic Movement, a Christian party ironically aligned with anti-Israel Hezbollah. However, in October, Boulos said he is “not affiliated with any party in Lebanon” but is “acquainted with most Lebanese Christian leaders,” one of whom is a presidential candidate endorsed by Hezbollah. He also disputed previous reporting by the Saudi English-language newspaper Arab News and The Associated Press news agency that he ran for parliament in Lebanon. Yet in a June interview, Boulos described himself as a “friend” of Lebanese politician Suleiman Frangieh, leader of the Marada Movement. Hezbollah reportedly backs Frangieh’s bid to become Lebanon’s next president. In 2023, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah endorsed Frangieh’s candidacy. An Israeli airstrike on Beirut killed Nasrallah in late September. The post Trump Names His Daughter’s Father-In-Law As Mideast Adviser appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News WASHINGTON (Worthy News) – Saying “Enough is enough,” outgoing U.S. President Joe Biden pardoned his son Hunter Biden on Sunday, removing criminal convictions on tax and gun charges despite pledging this year he wouldn’t grant such a reprieve. Biden’s pardon, a decision he made over the Thanksgiving weekend, came just weeks before his son appeared for sentencing hearings in Delaware and California, where he faced the potential of lengthy prison sentences. “I hope Americans will understand why a father and a President would come to this decision,” Biden added. The president had spent the Thanksgiving holiday in Nantucket, Massachusetts, with Hunter and his family. He was set to depart later Sunday on what may be his last foreign trip as president before leaving office on Jan. 20, 2025. It caps a long-running legal saga for the younger Biden, who publicly disclosed he was under federal investigation in December 2020 — a month after his father’s 2020 victory — and casts a pall over the elder Biden’s legacy. Biden, who repeatedly pledged to Americans that he would restore norms and respect for the rule of law after Trump’s first term in office, ultimately used his position to help his son, breaking his public pledge to Americans that he would do no such thing. In June, Biden categorically ruled out a pardon or commutation for his son, telling reporters as his son faced trial in the Delaware gun case, “I abide by the jury decision. I will do that, and I will not pardon him.” TRUMP VICTORY As recently as November 8, days after Donald J. Trump’s election victory, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre ruled out a pardon or clemency for the younger Biden, saying, “We’ve been asked that question multiple times. Our answer stands, which is no.” The elder Biden has publicly stood by his only living son as Hunter descended into serious drug addiction and threw his family life into turmoil before pulling himself out in recent years. Stories from independent media, including Worthy News, reporting on Hunter Biden’s laptop showing much evidence related to the case, were removed from social media platforms, apparently amid pressure from the Biden administration. Joe Biden said his political rivals have long used his son’s mistakes as a political tool against him. In one hearing, lawmakers displayed half-naked photos of the drug-addicted president’s son in a seedy hotel. And House Republicans sought to use the younger Biden’s years of questionable overseas business ventures in a since-abandoned attempt to impeach his father. He has long denied involvement in his son’s dealings or benefiting from them despite reports to the contrary. In a statement released Sunday evening, Biden said, “I believe in the justice system, but as I have wrestled with this, I also believe raw politics has infected this process, and it led to a miscarriage of justice.” He added: “The charges in his cases came about only after several of my political opponents in Congress instigated them to attack me and oppose my election. No reasonable person who looks at the facts of Hunter’s cases can reach any other conclusion than Hunter was singled out only because he is my son.” The post Biden Pardons Son Hunter Wiping Away Criminal Convictions appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News WASHINGTON (Worthy News) – U.S. President-elect Donald J. Trump’s pledge to bring the Christian faith back into the White House appeared to have helped boost Bible sales to levels not seen in years. Data released Sunday showed Bible sales rose to 14.2 million in 2023 from 9.7 million in 2019 and have already hit 13.7 million in the first 10 months of this year. The figures cited by book sales tracker Circana BookScan and first reported by The Wall Street Journal newspaper come despite 28 percent of adults in the U.S. claiming to be religiously unaffiliated, according to Pew Research Center. Sales were up 22 percent through the end of October, at a time when a growing number of people face anxiety over, according to Christian leaders. “People are experiencing anxiety themselves, or they’re worried for their children and grandchildren,” said Jeff Crosby of Evangelical Christian Publishers Association in published remarks. “It’s related to artificial intelligence, election cycles … and all of that feeds a desire for assurance that we’re going to be OK.” President-elect Trump endorsed the Lee Greenwood “God Bless the USA Bible” ($59.99). While his endorsement was not included in Circana BookScan figures, it did not go unnoticed. Trump, who has identified himself as a non-denominational Christian, also pledged to revive a “Faith Office” in the White House. REINSTATING FAITH OFFICE During a recent interview with the National Faith Advisory Board in Powder Springs, Georgia, Trump told moderator Paula White-Cain that he would reinstate the office he created during his first term. “We’re going to set that up,” Trump said Monday. “It’s important, and it’ll be directly into the Oval Office.” He added, “We have to save religion in this country. I mean, honestly, religion is under threat in this country, a serious threat, and we can’t let that happen. It’s sort of the fabric of our country. It’s the thing that holds our country together. We can’t, we can’t lose it. We’re not going to lose it.” Experts note the election, anxiety, and new curiosity — if not commitments — to faith at a time when the world is in turmoil. “People are experiencing anxiety themselves, or they’re worried for their children and grandchildren,” Jeff Crosby of the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association said in published remarks. “It’s related to artificial intelligence, election cycles … and all of that feeds a desire for assurance that we’re going to be OK.” Cely Vazquez, a 28-year-old artist and influencer who has appeared on the reality TV show “Love Island USA,” recently bought her first Bible—one from the “She Reads Truth” line—at Barnes & Noble. “I’ve had Bibles that my mom gave me, but I felt I needed my own to start my own journey, that it symbolized I was starting a walk with God,” she said. “I felt something was missing. It’s a combination of where we are in the world, general anxiety, and the sense that meaning and comfort can be found in the Bible.” MANY BIBLES Faith & Life’s website offers over 270 Bibles, including a $95 leather-bound giant-print option and a $7.99 pocket-size New Testament. Others sell graphic novel Bibles, reference Bibles in a rainbow of color options, versions explicitly intended for men, teens, and early readers, audiobooks, and even one bound in goatskin, priced at a whopping $832.50. Bethany Martin, manager of the Faith & Life Bookstore in Newton, Kansas, said she sells to many first-time Bible buyers. “They’re looking for hope with the world the way it is, and the Bible is what they’re reaching for,” she said. That was music to the ears of Wall Street Journal reporter Jeffrey A. Trachtenberg: “Hallelujah! Bibles are a bright spot in books this year.” The post America Sees Record Bible Sales appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News BUCHAREST/BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – Romanian parties backing the European Union and NATO military alliance narrowly averted a far-right challenge that could have moved Romania into Russia’s orbit in Sunday’s parliamentary elections. Exit polls and early results showed Romania’s ruling Social Democratic Party (PSD) winning with roughly a quarter of the vote, followed by the far-right Alliance for the Unity of Romanians (AUR) with about 20 percent. Analysts said Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu’s PSD must form a coalition to govern that could include the center-right National Liberal Party (PNL), its current governing partner, and others. However, the outcome was due to be welcomed in Brussels after a pro-Russian candidate, Calin Georgescu, secured a shock victory in the first round of the nation’s presidential ballot. Georgescu, a virtually unknown admirer of Russian President Vladimir Putin, won the ballot partly due to a wildly successful on social platform TikTok that officials said was backed by Russia, charges Moscow denies. Yet the Constitutional Court ordered a ballot recount for the first round of the presidential election after an allegation of fraud from one of the 13 candidates, European Parliamentarian Cristian Terheș, who obtained about 1 percent of the vote. The Court was to meet Monday to decide whether to annul the first round of the presidential election. If it does so, the entire presidential election would likely have to be rescheduled to mid- and late December. FUELING FIRE? Critics say that would fuel the country’s political blaze as it could raise suspicions that Romania’s ruling parties try to manipulate the vote to give themselves a second chance for the presidency. Amid the turmoil, outgoing President Klaus Iohannis said Sunday’s vote would determine if Romania will “remain a country of freedom and openness or collapse into toxic isolation and a dark past.” Romania was under the military and economic control of the Soviet Union until the late 1950s. Soon after, it came under communist rule for four decades until 1989, when dictator Nicolae Ceausescu was deposed and executed. Romania, an EU and NATO member state, has a 650-kilometer (400-mile) border with Ukraine and played a crucial role in Western support for Kyiv. In addition to providing military aid, Romania allowed the export of millions of tons of Ukrainian grain through its Black Sea port of Constanta. After Sunday’s poll showed more moderate parties narrowly holding on to power, Western diplomats hope the presidential elections will be won by the liberal Elena Lasconi, leader of the reformist Save Romania Union (USR). She was to face Georgescu in the second round of the presidential vote on December 8. Brussels hopes her victory could halt Russia’s footprint in Central and Eastern European state where a pro-Russia bloc is emerging. Kremlin-friendly Central and Eastern European leaders such as Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and his Slovak counterpart Robert Fico are set to be joined next year by a familiar face: Former Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš, who is surging again in national polls. Further away, Georgia saw a fourth night of street protests late Sunday and a string of public resignations, triggered by the pro-Russia ruling party’s move to suspend talks on joining the European Union. The post Romania’s Pro-EU, NATO Parties Ahead In Elections Despite Far-Right Challenge appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

Friend, excuse me, could you direct me to the promised land? Isaiah 43:19 Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert. It is among popular "Christian" belief that an abundance of material and other blessings follow those whose hearts are truly after God and that those who seem to consistently struggle to that end, cannot possibly be in God's perfect will. I want to submit to you a realization I had about this very thing. I think we might have it all backwards. Almost all the great men of faith I've read about in the Bible had to spend some time in the wilderness. Abraham, Moses, John the Baptist, just to name a few. God had to make them desperate. He had to cause them to be quiet and undistracted enough to hear His still, small voice. He had to make them hungry and thirsty enough to cry out for a miracle. Interestingly, the word for wilderness, in Hebrew, is "meed-bahr". And meed-bahr comes from the word "leh-da-behr", which means to speak. Hmmm. Some of us are walking through the desert right now. It's hot by day -- there is only rugged, thorny, sandy terrain for miles and miles and there seems no end. By night, the wind is unbearably cold and we stumble over things we can barely see. Snakes and scorpions live here. It seems like a lonely place. But this is actually a place of blessing! It is for our growth, and ultimately for our prosperity that God has brought us here! Like it or not, the wilderness is where He can speak to us most effectively. It is the place He can most easily get our attention. It is the place we will cry out to God and truly listen for His voice. Friend, know that God is with you today! He is walking along with us through this wilderness and longing to comfort us! Let's cry out to Him and heed His voice! The promised land awaits! Your family in the Lord with much agape love, George, Baht Rivka, Obadiah and Elianna (Melbourne, Florida) Editor's Note: Latest video: Syria Collapses; Is Isaiah 17 on the horizon? Editor's Note: Feel free to share any of our content from Worthy, including Devotions, News articles, and more, on your social platforms. You have full permission to copy and repost anything we produce. Editor's Note: During this war, we have been live blogging throughout the day -- sometimes minute by minute on our Telegram channel. Be sure to check it out! Editor's Note: Dear friends — we are going to be heading WEST!!! Now booking in the following states: Alabama, Mississippi, Texas, and Arkansas …. If you know Pastors, Rabbis or Ministry Leaders who might be interested in some powerful Israeli style Hebrew/English worship and a refreshing word from Worthy News about what’s going on in the Land, please let us know how to connect with them and we will do our best to get you on our schedule! You can send an email to george [ @ ] worthyministries.com for more information. Around the World Iran In Race To Develop Atomic Bomb, Warn Intelligence Chiefs (Worthy News In-Depth) Iran held a key national military ceremony Sunday amid mounting concerns it could have an atomic bomb soon. Ukraine Suggests Giving Up Territory In Exchange For NATO Umbrella (Worthy News In-Depth) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has, for the first time, publicly suggested bringing Ukrainian territory he controls under the NATO military alliance umbrella while all Russian-occupied areas could remain under Moscow’s control until a diplomatic settlement is reached. Flood-Stricken Malaysia, Indonesia Face More Deaths Malaysia and Indonesia faced more suffering Friday, with Malaysia's Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim barring his cabinet members from going on leave after the displacement of over 90,000 people in a growing flood disaster that authorities fear could be the country's worst in a decade. Insurgents Breach Syria’s Second-Largest City Syrian opposition groups have breached Syria's second-largest city, Aleppo, after blowing up two car bombs and fighting with government forces on Friday in clashes that have killed some 200 people, a Syria war monitor and witnesses say. Australia Bans Social Media For Minors Under 16 Setting a benchmark for jurisdictions worldwide, Australia has banned social media for children under 16. with the government saying that " the safety of our kids is a priority.” Serbs: ‘15 Minutes of Silence For Victims Of Roof Collapse’ Protesters in Serbia stood in silence for 15 minutes on Friday for the victims of a roof collapse in a northern city that killed more than a dozen people and underscored concerns about corruption in the Balkan nation. Clashes Erupt As Georgia’s Premier Halts EU Membership Talks Tensions remain high in Georgia’s capital, where police and protesters clashed after the country's ruling party suspended negotiations to join the European Union until 2028 British Legislators Take First Step Toward Assisted Dying British legislators have agreed to legalize assisted dying for some terminally ill people, despite concerns the law could be misused to pressure patients deemed ‘unfit’ to live longer. Starbucks Overlooking Nuclear North Korea One may be forgiven for thinking twice about enjoying a coffee here. Yet a South Korean border observatory overseeing a quiet North Korean mountain village was precisely where the Starbucks coffee chain decided to open an outlet on Friday. Romania’s Top Court Demands Recount In Presidential Poll A pro-Russian presidential candidate has condemned Romania's top court's decision to order a recount of votes in the first round of the presidential election. Israel-Palestinian Conflict Israel Strikes Hezbollah Facility in Syria Amid Intense Fighting in Aleppo Amid intense fighting in Aleppo, Syria's second-largest city, Israeli Air Force fighter jets tested the fragile ceasefire in Lebanon on Saturday with strikes targeting infrastructure in Syria near a border crossing with Lebanon. Israel stated the site was "actively" being used by Hezbollah for weapons transfers. Hopes For Normal Saudi-Israeli Relations Saudi Arabia has softened its position on Palestinian statehood, telling Washington that “a public commitment” from Israel to a two-state solution “could be enough” for the Gulf kingdom to normalize relations with the Jewish nation, according to Saudi and Western officials. Inside the United States ICE: Nearly 180,000 Noncitizens Deliberately Not Detained, Roaming Free in US Cities In the second and third quarters of fiscal 2024, U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement agents removed nearly 68,000 illegal border crossers, ICE says. ICE claims the number “reflects a 69% increase over removals during the third quarter in fiscal year 2023, and is more than 140% of ICE removals for all fiscal year 2023.” Trump Pledges To Defend US Dollar Against BRICS Currency U.S. President-elect Donald Trump warned Saturday that he would impose 100 percent tariffs on imports from BRICS countries if they threaten the U.S. dollar as the world’s reserve currency. Christian News Christians Mourn Passing of Hal Lindsey, Author of ‘The Late Great Planet Earth’ Evangelical Christians have plunged into mourning after Hal Lindsey, who explained the Biblical “signs of times” to millions worldwide, passed away at the age of 95. Worthy Insights Attacks in Aleppo ‘ostensibly good news for Israel,’ JISS senior research fellow says The Islamist attack on Aleppo is “ostensibly good news for Israel,” Daniel Rakov, a senior research fellow for the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security, said in a Saturday post to X/Twitter. 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By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News JERUSALEM/TEHRAN (Worthy News) – Iran held a key national military ceremony Sunday amid mounting concerns it could have an atomic bomb soon. The commemoration of the Iranian Navy National Day was held in Kish Island, southern Iran, Worthy News monitored, with the reported participation of delegates from its ally Russia, Azerbaijan, Pakistan, Indonesia, and Oman along with 24 military attaches from 24 countries. It followed sensitive talks over the weekend between European and Iranian diplomats in the Swiss city of Geneva, seen as a neutral location, to defuse tensions in the region over Tehran’s nuclear program. Geneva was where world powers and Iran achieved a first breakthrough in nuclear talks more than a decade ago before reaching a deal in 2015, but there were no signs yet of such an outcome this time. They gathered as British and French intelligence chiefs warned Iran’s nuclear ambitions to pose a major global threat within the coming months, suggesting Tehran was racing to reach atomic power status. Separately, the United Nations’ nuclear agency said Tehran had plans to install some 6,000 new centrifuges to enrich uranium. In a speech in Paris, France, Britain’s foreign intelligence chief, Richard Moore, noted that Tehran’s “nuclear ambitions continue to threaten us all” despite “serious blows” dealt to its proxies Hamas and Hezbollah by Israel. The head of France’s intelligence service agreed that the risk of Iranian nuclear proliferation is a severe threat in the coming months but pledged that Britain and France are preparing for such an event. FACING THREATS “Our services are working side by side to face what is undoubtedly one of the threats, if not to say the most critical threat, in the coming months – the possible atomic proliferation in Iran,” Nicolas Lerner said at the British embassy in Geneva. “The intelligence will be crucial to enable our authorities to make the right decisions and define the right strategies,” he added in rare public comments. Iran previously denied developing nuclear weapons, but Western officials say there is no civil explanation for enriching uranium to up to 60 percent purity, close to the roughly 90 percent that is weapons-grade. No other country has done so without producing an atomic bomb, experts say. And in a sign Tehran’s nuclear doctrine is changing, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stressed Thursday that his country, which is “nominally opposed to nuclear weapons,” could “change course” if sanctions are reintroduced. Hours later, in a television interview, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that Israel would do “everything” to stop Tehran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. Yet Iran, Britain, France, and Germany still agreed to continue diplomatic dialogue “in the near future,” the German foreign ministry and high-level British, French, and Iranian diplomats announced after Friday’s talks in Geneva. DIALOGUE PATH “We are firmly committed to pursuing the interests of our people, and our preference is the path of dialogue and engagement,” Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran’s deputy foreign minister for legal and international affairs, added on social media platform X. Worthy News learned that they gathered for the first time since the United States presidential election last month to assess whether progress can be made ahead of Donald J. Trump’s return to the White House on January 20. The U.S. president-elect, who pulled Washington out of a 2015 nuclear deal with Iran during his first term, vowed to renew his “maximum pressure” strategy against Iran, suggesting more sanctions against the Islamic Republic. On Sunday, Iranian government and military officials made it a point to take away attention from a looming nuclear crisis as they gathered with Iran’s allies for an additional observation of Iranian Naval National Day. Tehran said it was held on “the occasion of the successful Iranian Navy Operation Morvarid (Pearl) against the Iraqi Baathist regime’s naval and air attack on Iran on November 27, 1980.” “Developing maritime diplomacy is a key strategy and responsibility of naval forces globally,” claimed Iranian Navy Commander Rear Admiral Shahram Irani. The post Iran In Race To Develop Automic Bomb, Warn Intelligence Chiefs (Worthy News In-Depth) appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

By Bethany Blankley | The Center Square contributor (Worthy News) – In the second and third quarters of fiscal 2024, U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement agents removed nearly 68,000 illegal border crossers, ICE says. ICE claims the number “reflects a 69% increase over removals during the third quarter in fiscal year 2023, and is more than 140% of ICE removals for all fiscal year 2023.” According to the latest data published by ICE, 179,937 illegal foreign nationals, who under current federal law are inadmissible and required to be removed, weren’t detained but were living freely in the U.S. through ICE’s “Alternatives to Detention” (ATD) program, as of June 2024. Newly published data in ICE’s Enforcement Removal Operations dashboard covers fiscal year 2021 through the third quarter of fiscal year 2024. It includes arrests, detention, removals and enrollments in ICE’s ATD, created by Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. Congressional Republicans argue ATD is illegal and circumvents federal law, which requires inadmissible illegal foreign nationals to be detained and processed for removal. Through ATD, illegal border crossers were processed to be released into the U.S. under certain conditions. In fiscal 2023, ICE began implementing four types of ATD monitoring. They include a SmartLINK Facial Matching program, which uses technology to allow “participants to report compliance via an app installed on a noncitizen’s own smartphone or a dedicated government-issued device;” GPS monitoring “to ensure compliance with conditions of release; checking in with ICE by making a phone call; and wearing wrist devices to provide “GPS monitoring, facial matching, and virtual case management functionality, including virtual check-ins and reminders.” ICE claims it provided a limited number of 50 wrist worn devices in the Denver region, where thousands were released. The data is broken down by ICE Area of Responsibility (AOR), which includes states or regions of the country. By AOR, the majority are illegally living in Texas, roughly 24,000. However, those AORs also include all of Oklahoma and New Mexico, according to the data. By state, the greatest number illegally living in the U.S. are in California. The majority are in the San Francisco AOR, which covers the majority of the state (over 18,000), and Los Angeles AOR, which covers roughly the southern third of the state (nearly 15,000). The next greatest number, nearly 19,000, are illegally living in the Chicago AOR, which includes several midwestern states, followed by nearly 14,000 in the Miami AOR, which includes the entire state of Florida; nearly 13,000 are in the Newark AOR, which covers all of New Jersey. The next greatest numbers are in the AORs of Seattle, which includes Oregon and Washington; New York City; Detroit, which covers two states; Salt Lake City, which covers multiple western states; Boston, which includes several New England states, and Philadelphia, which includes Pennsylvania and West Virginia. The overwhelming majority of ATD participants are using the SmartLINK Facial Matching program, according to the data. The majority are citizens of Colombia (over 21,000), followed by Mexico (over 20,000), Venezuela (over 18,500), Nicaragua (over 17,000), Honduras (over 16,000), among others. Those with criminal records and orders for removal from an immigration judge will be among the first to be processed for removal, according to a deportation plan to be implemented by President-elect Donald Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, The Center Square reported. The current administration claims that “detention is not necessary or appropriate” for all illegal border crossers. “The level of supervision and technology participants are assigned is based on their current immigration status, criminal history, compliance history, community or family ties, caregiver or provider status, and other humanitarian or medical conditions,” ICE states. Noncitizens were enrolled in ATD after they were apprehended by CBP or Border Patrol agents at the border, by ICE agents in the interior of the U.S., or during their removal proceedings, ICE says. Homan argues detention is absolutely necessary and required because it is the law. He also argues that preventing illegal entry saves lives, pointing to the increasing number of Americans killed by illegal border crossers after they were released into the country by the Biden administration, including through ATD. Nationwide, law enforcement officials thousands of miles from the border have been arresting noncitizens only to later find out that they illegally entered the country, were processed and released wearing ankle monitors, and took them off before they allegedly raped and murdered women and girls, The Center Square reported. The ATD data is separate from the more than 662,000 noncitizens with criminal histories identified by ICE to be deported, The Center Square reported. They include those convicted of, or charged with, homicide (14,914), sexual assault (20,061), assault (105,146), kidnapping (3,372), and commercialized sexual offenses, including sex trafficking (3,971). Reprinted with permission from The Center Square. The post ICE: Nearly 180,000 Noncitizens Deliberately Not Detained, Roaming Free in US Cities appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News WASHINGTON (Worthy News) – U.S. President-elect Donald Trump warned Saturday that he would impose 100 percent tariffs on imports from BRICS countries if they threaten the U.S. dollar as the world’s reserve currency. BRICS, the intergovernmental group of nine nations, including its founders Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, as well as newcomers Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, and the United Arab Emirates, is considering its own currency to challenge the greenback’s dominance. “The idea that the BRICS Countries are trying to move away from the Dollar while we stand by and watch is OVER,” Trump stressed in a statement on his Truth Social media network. “We require a commitment from these Countries that they will neither create a new BRICS Currency nor back any other Currency to replace the mighty U.S. Dollar, or they will face 100% Tariffs and should expect to say goodbye to selling into the wonderful U.S. Economy,” he added. The BRICS nations discussed the issue of de-dollarization at a summit last year. The backlash against the dollar’s dominance gained traction in 2022 amid the U.S.-led efforts to impose economic sanctions on Russia following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. MORE TARIFFS Trump suggested he could extend the tariffs policy to other countries, saying earlier this year that he “would not allow countries to go off the dollar” as it would be “a hit to our country.” Separately, Trump already announced he would impose a 25 percent tariff on all products from Mexico and Canada and an additional 10 percent tariff on goods from China on his first day in office in January. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met with Trump on Friday to discuss trade and border issues to ease tensions between the two allied nations after the tariff threat. Yet it remained unclear whether Trump would back down. Trump’s talks on tariffs rattled sectors of financial markets, with shares of U.S. and European automakers dropping last week. Critics say the Trump tariffs threaten the automobile industry’s supply chains and raise investor concerns about higher costs. The post Trump Pledges To Defend US Dollar Against BRICS Currency appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Correspondent (Worthy News) – Amid intense fighting in Aleppo, Syria’s second-largest city, Israeli Air Force fighter jets tested the fragile ceasefire in Lebanon on Saturday with strikes targeting infrastructure in Syria near a border crossing with Lebanon. Israel stated the site was “actively” being used by Hezbollah for weapons transfers. Israel conducted multiple strikes across Lebanon and Syria, citing violations of the ceasefire agreement. “The IDF will continue to act to remove any threat to the State of Israel that violates the terms of the ceasefire agreement,” the military stated. The IDF accused Hezbollah, with backing from the Syrian regime, of exploiting civilian border crossings to smuggle weapons into Lebanon. Amid the ceasefire, Israel has pledged to block all weapon transfers to Hezbollah. Amid escalating unrest in Syria, Israeli strikes coincided with a major rebel offensive in Aleppo, where insurgents seized territory and clashed fiercely with government forces for a second day, according to both government and opposition sources. The Aleppo offensive was launched on the same day a ceasefire began between Hezbollah, a Syrian ally, and Israel. It marked the largest attack since March 2020, when Russia, backing Syrian President Bashar Assad, and Turkey, supporting the rebels, brokered a ceasefire that halted years of conflict displacing millions opposed to Assad’s rule. Syria’s armed forces reported Thursday that Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which controls much of northwest Syria, launched an ongoing offensive targeting several villages and military bases. Designated a terrorist organization by the United States and Turkey, HTS has been repeatedly targeted by Syrian government and Russian forces. Once known as the Nusra Front, al-Qaeda’s Syrian branch, HTS has rebranded multiple times in an effort to distance itself from its al-Qaeda origins. The post Israel Strikes Hezbollah Facility in Syria Amid Intense Fighting in Aleppo appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent MOSCOW/KYIV/BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has, for the first time, publicly suggested bringing Ukrainian territory he controls under the NATO military alliance umbrella while all Russian-occupied areas could remain under Moscow’s control until a diplomatic settlement is reached. In comments analyzed by Worthy News early Saturday, he said it is an attempt to stop the “hot stage” of the war with Russia, Europe’s bloodiest since World War Two. Zelenskyy stressed that such a proposal has “never been considered” by Ukraine because it has never “officially” been offered. “If we want to stop the hot stage of the war, we should take under the NATO umbrella the territory of Ukraine that we have under our control. That’s what we need to do fast, and then Ukraine can get back the other part of its territory diplomatically,” he told broadcaster Sky News. Former British Ambassador to Russia Tony Brenton said Ukraine’s Zelenskyy was trying to reach a “freeze in the fighting where the lines actually currently are” ahead of U.S. President-elect Donald J. Trump’s return to the White House. Zelenskyy is “playing a sophisticated game,” Brenton argued. “He knows that [Donald] Trump is about to descend on him and on Russia,” the ex-ambassador stressed. “He is already arranging to have something to offer Trump on Trump’s mission to bring the war to an end,” Brenton added. FREEZING FIGHTING “What he is suggesting in many ways is bringing us much closer to the obvious target area which is a freeze in the fighting where the lines actually currently are. And then an eventual negotiation about who retains which bit of territory and then security guarantees for Ukraine in the course of that ceasefire,” analyzed Brenton Trump claimed he could end the armed conflict “within 24 hours” and showed reluctance to support Ukraine militarily. However, the head of Britain’s foreign intelligence service MI6 urged Trump in recent days to continue supporting Kyiv – saying that abandoning Ukraine would jeopardize British, European, and American security and lead to “infinitely higher” costs in the long term. Richard Moore, giving a rare speech, suggested that Putin “would not stop” at Ukraine unless faced with severe military force and tough negotiations. Despite talks on a possible ceasefire deal and follow-up negotiations, battles raged Saturday, one of many bloody days in this nearly three-year-long conflict since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022. Ukraine’s air force confirmed Saturday that the country had come under attack from ten Russian drones, of which eight were shot down over the capital, Kyiv, and the Cherkasy, Kirovohrad, Dnipropetrovsk, and Kherson regions. DRONE ‘RETURNS’ One drone reportedly returned to Russian-occupied territory, while the final drone disappeared from radar, which experts said was often a sign of the use of electronic defenses. However, Russia faced challenges too: In Moscow, the Russian Defense Ministry said 11 Ukrainian drones “had been shot down” by the country’s air defense systems. The mayor of Sochi, Andrey Proshunin, and the head of Russia’s Dagestan region, Sergey Melikov, both in Russia’s southwest, said that drones “had been destroyed” in their regions overnight. No casualties were reported. Yet it underscored that Ukraine, with NATO’s support, can reach targets far into Russia. Additionally, Ukraine has asked Latin American parliamentarians and diplomats to assist in its defense in the war with Russia. Representatives of Argentina, Belize, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, El Salvador, Ecuador, Peru, and Costa Rica arrived in Kyiv for a meeting with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, pictured showed Saturday. BROADER CONFLICT? Yet the escalating tensions have raised concerns in nearby countries about an internationalization of the Russia-Ukraine war amid reports that North Korea could send as many as 100,000 troops to help Moscow’s military. Russian Defence Minister Andrei Belousov said on a visit to Pyongyang, North Korea, that cooperation between the two countries is growing “in all areas.” The country’s leader, Kim Jong-un, vowed the North will “invariably support” Moscow’s war. That was to add to worries in Poland, where Prime Minister Donald Tusk visited his country’s border with the Russian region of Kaliningrad to inspect the construction of military fortifications along the eastern frontier, calling it “an investment in peace.” Tusk’s visit on Saturday comes a month before Poland will take over the rotating presidency of the 27-member European Union from Hungary. Back home, the Kremlin on Saturday cast the armed conflict in Ukraine as a battleground against the West and its values. Police in Moscow raided multiple bars early Saturday and detained the director of a gay travel agency under laws criminalizing “LGBT propaganda,” state media reported. Critics view it as Moscow’s attempt to distract attention from its war’s deadly consequences and the related plunging value of the Russian currency, the ruble, which prompted at least some Chinese exporters to suspend sales. The post Ukraine Suggests Giving Up Territory In Exchange For NATO Umbrella (Worthy News In-Depth) appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News KUALA LUMPUR/JAKARTA (Worthy News) – Malaysia and Indonesia faced more suffering Friday, with Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim barring his cabinet members from going on leave after the displacement of over 90,000 people in a growing flood disaster that authorities fear could be the country’s worst in a decade. Across its maritime border in flood-stricken Indonesia, rescuers recovered two more bodies from a tourist bus hit by a landslide triggered by torrential rains on Indonesia’s Sumatra island, bringing the death toll to nine, officials said. At least 20 people have died in other landslides and floods in the region this week. Rescuers found the bodies from the bus, which was covered by trees, mud, and rocks from the landslide on the road from Medan city to Berastagi in North Sumatra province, officials said. The road is the main route from the regional capital, Medan, to other districts in the area. The bus was among vehicles cut off by previous landslides along the road since Wednesday morning. More than 10 people were also injured and were taken to a hospital in Medan city, where Christians had urged for prayers. ‘CONTINUE DUTIES’ Back in Malaysia, “All ministers have been asked to continue their duties and go down to the ground now,” Anwar told reporters. Three people have died, and 94,778 people have been evacuated to 527 temporary shelters in nine states, with Kelantan and neighboring Terengganu the worst hit, according to the National Disaster Command Centre. It did not have more details on the deaths. Floods have been hampering the east coast of peninsular Malaysia during the monsoon period between October and March. Still, officials said this week’s torrential rain led to mass evacuations, mainly in the northeastern state of Kelantan, which borders Thailand. Indonesia, too, was hard-hit with Fithriyani Tarigan, a Christian, telling Worthy News: “At least nine people died in my village of Semangat Gunung, which is a one-hour drive from the city of Medan.” She said it was crucial to “Please pray for my country.” The post Flood-Stricken Malaysia, Indonesia Face More Deaths appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News DAMASCUS/JERUSALEM (Worthy News) – Syrian opposition groups have breached Syria’s second-largest city, Aleppo, after blowing up two car bombs and fighting with government forces on Friday in clashes that have killed some 200 people, a Syria war monitor and witnesses say. Insurgents have been approaching Aleppo city for days and seized several towns and villages along the way. The offensive came as Iran-linked groups, who had backed Syrian government forces since 2015, were preoccupied with their battles at home. The latest fighting marked the first time in years that rebel forces in north-western Syria captured territory from President Bashar al-Assad’s military. It came shortly after Israel and Iran’s proxy, Hezbollah, agreed on a ceasefire deal that involved withdrawing from territory in southern Lebanon. Additionally, Russia’s military, which also supports Syria’s government, faces challenges as well because of Moscow’s focus on the war in Ukraine. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war monitor, said the insurgents blew up two car bombs at the city’s western edge on Friday. INSURGENT COMMANDER An insurgent commander urged residents through social media to cooperate with the advancing forces. The Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and allied factions said they had seized control of several towns and villages in Aleppo and Idlib provinces since Wednesday. The Syrian military said its forces were confronting a “large-scale” attack by “terrorists” and inflicting heavy losses on them. More than 180 combatants on both sides had been killed in the fighting, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Additionally, at least 19 civilians had also been killed in Syrian and Russian air strikes on opposition-held areas, it added. More than half a million people have been killed in the civil war that erupted after the government cracked down violently on peaceful pro-democracy protests in 2011, according to official estimates. Among those fleeing are also thousands of Christians, Worthy News established. REMAINING STRONGHOLD Idlib, where the current fighting occurs, is the last remaining opposition stronghold and is home to more than 4 million people. Many of these residents have been displaced during the armed conflict and are living in dire conditions, according to aid workers. HTS mainly controls the enclave, but Turkish-backed rebel factions operating under the banner of the Syrian National Army (SNA) and Turkish forces are also based there. In 2020, Turkey and Russia – a staunch ally of Assad – brokered a ceasefire to halt a push by the government to retake Idlib. That led to an extended lull in violence, but sporadic clashes, air strikes, and shelling continued. Turkish media said the insurgents now control about 70 locations in Aleppo and Idlib provinces. Syria’s state media reported earlier Friday that “projectiles” from insurgents landed in the student accommodations at Aleppo’s university in the city center, killing four people, including two students. The report said that public transportation to the city had also been diverted from the main highway linking Aleppo to Damascus to avoid clashes. Fighters reportedly also advanced on the town of Saragab, in northwestern Idlib province, a strategic area that would secure supply lines to Aleppo. This week’s advances were one of the largest by opposition factions and amounted to the most intense fighting in northwestern Syria since 2020, when government forces seized areas previously controlled by opposition fighters. The post Insurgents Breach Syria’s Second-Largest City appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News CANBERRA (Worthy News) – Setting a benchmark for jurisdictions worldwide, Australia has banned social media for children under 16. with the government saying that ” the safety of our kids is a priority.” On Friday, Australians reacted with anger and relief to the ban, which tech giants like TikTok argued could push young people to “darker corners of the internet.” The law forces tech giants from Instagram and Facebook owner Meta Platforms to TikTok to stop minors from logging in or face fines of up to A$49.5 million ($32 million). A trial of enforcement methods will start in January, with the ban to take effect in a year. “We’ve passed important legislation to keep our kids safe online,” said Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in a statement obtained by Worthy News. “Social media is doing social harm to our kids. We’ve called time on it. We want our kids to have a childhood and parents to know we have their backs,” he added. BEAUTY FILTERS It comes amid growing concerns about addiction as well as age-inappropriate content, ranging from sexual to violent materials readily available online for minors. Experts also warned that girls are using beauty filters at “alarming rates,” with research showing that for many, it makes them “feel worse” about their appearance. Critics said that despite these concerns, Australia’s government ignored advice from “a chorus of experts,” including the Australian Human Rights Commission, which warned the legislation was “rushed through” parliament. The Commission said the government had not taken “the time to get the details right, or even know how the ban will work in practice.” However, a new poll shows 77 percent of Australians support the ban. Australia is the first known Western democracy to ban social media platforms permanently for minors. The post Australia Bans Social Media For Minors Under 16 appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News BELGRADE/BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – Protesters in Serbia stood in silence for 15 minutes on Friday for the victims of a roof collapse in a northern city that killed more than a dozen people and underscored concerns about corruption in the Balkan nation. The demonstrators say they want to keep pressure on the populist authorities to punish those responsible for the November 1 tragedy in Novi Sad, where the concrete outer roof at the central railway station smashed down on people. Initially, 14 people died, and three were injured, but one more person later died in hospital, officials said. The railway station building was reportedly renovated twice in recent years. Street protests and blockades have been held almost daily since the roof crash, demanding justice. Another rally is planned on Sunday in Novi Sad to mark one month since the tragedy. While prosecutors have announced the arrests of 13 people, a Serbian court this week released from detention former government construction minister Goran Vesic. This has fueled public anger about the ongoing investigation, as the ruling populists control both the police and the judiciary. CHINA’S ROLE Critics say corruption and a lack of transparency, deeply rooted in Serbia’s ruling elite, contributed to sloppy work and the eventual roof collapse. The station was renovated as part of a Chinese-led upgrade of Serbia’s railway infrastructure. The renovation was unveiled in 2022 during the election campaign, underscoring China’s growing regional economic footprint. However, reconstruction continued until July this year, when the authorities declared the station had been rebuilt “according to European standards.” Yet Novi documentation concerning the renovation has been classified as confidential, according to well-informed sources. Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vucic, who has faced criticism over his perceived authoritarian style, accused protesters of being “bullies and thugs.” ‘POLITICAL GAINS’ He said opposition supporters “used people’s deaths for political gains.” Scuffles erupted both in Serbia’s parliament and during some of the recent rallies when pro-government protesters showed up to break up the opposition-led blockades. Several incidents were also reported during Friday’s silent protest in Belgrade, the capital city. In Novi Sad, residents held a long black banner for the victims. Some people at the protests in other cities held white roses or posters with a red handprint, telling authorities they have “blood on their hands.” More protests were expected Sunday, a month after the tragedy that shocked the nation. The post Serbs: ‘15 Minutes of Silence For Victims Of Roof Collapse’ appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News TBILISI/BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – Tensions remain high in Georgia’s capital, where police and protesters clashed after the country’s ruling party suspended negotiations to join the European Union until 2028 Dozens of demonstrators were detained as police used water cannons, pepper spray, and tear gas overnight to disperse crowds who took to the streets following the announcement by Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze of the ruling Georgian Dream party. Georgian Dream claimed victory in last month’s parliamentary election, which the opposition in the South Caucasus nation dismissed as fraudulent and that European officials condemned. The election was seen as a referendum on whether the former Soviet nation would move towards the West or stay more under Russia’s sphere of influence. Some pro-EU protesters threw fireworks at police while shouting “Russians” and “slaves”. Thousands had blocked streets in the capital before the altercations began. The country’s outgoing pro-EU figurehead president, Salome Zourabichvili, accused the government of declaring “war” on its people and confronted riot police, asking “whether they served Georgia or Russia.” TENSIONS REMAIN However, there were no indications that tensions would ease as the Georgian Dream governing bloc accused the EU of using the prospect of accession talks to “blackmail” the country and to “organize a revolution in the country.” As a result, it said: “We have decided not to put the issue of opening negotiations with the European Union on the agenda until the end of 2028. Also, we refuse any budgetary grant from the European Union until the end of 2028.” The South Caucasus country of 3.7 million has the aim of EU accession written into its constitution and has long been among the most pro-Western of the Soviet Union’s successor states. Yet that pro-Western tone changed under Kobakhidze, although Moscow denied interfering in the country’s internal affairs. However, Russia still occupies about 20 percent of Georgia’s internationally recognized territory after it invaded the country 16 years ago. Russia does not allow the European Union Monitoring Mission in Georgia observers to enter the breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. The post Clashes Erupt As Georgia’s Premier Halts EU Membership Talks appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News LONDON (Worthy News) – British legislators have agreed to legalize assisted dying for some terminally ill people, despite concerns the law could be misused to pressure patients deemed ‘unfit’ to live longer. After five hours of debate in the House of Commons, they voted by 330 to 275 to support the plan that would allow doctors to help patients in England and Wales with less than six months to live to end their lives. Prime Minister Keir Starmer was among those voting for the bill, giving terminally ill adults “the right” to die once the request has been signed off by two doctors and a high court judge. Opponents of the historic bill warned patients in England could be subject to coercion and raised alarm about the level of scrutiny the law received. Experts say the change is unlikely to occur for three years as the legislation must pass several more hurdles in parliament and will not be brought before legislators again until April. It must also go through the House of Lords. If it becomes law, there will be a two-year implementation period. BROAD EMOTIONAL DEBATE Assisted dying is legal in a handful of European countries, Canada, New Zealand, and in 10 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. However, the decision in Westminster followed weeks of often emotional public debate in Britain on life and death, which commentators said “transcended political affiliations.” Churches and faith groups across Britain condemned a bill “to allow physician-assisted suicide” and tried to block its November 29 approval by parliamentarians. “The vote will be very close — many members of Parliament, elected only recently, are having to decide on a life-or-death ethical issue they haven’t considered before,” explained Timothy Dieppe, head of public policy for the advocacy group Christian Concern. “If they vote against this bill, it will send a powerful signal worldwide that assisted suicide isn’t inevitable and doesn’t constitute progress.” English, Welsh, and Scottish bishops’ urged opposition to the “Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill,” tabled by Kim Leadbeater from the governing Labour Party, as it would allow life-ending medical help for terminally ill adults over age 18. ‘DUTY TO DIE’ They insist that a change in law will turn a “right to die” into people thinking they have a “duty to die.” That sentiment was reflected in an open letter signed by the Bishop of London, the Roman Catholic Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster, and the Chief Rabbi. They wrote that they are “deeply concerned about the impact the Bill would have on the most vulnerable, opening up the possibility of life-threatening abuse and coercion.” Yet Friday’s vote prepared for a shift that some have compared to Britain’s legalization of abortion in 1967 and the abolition of the death penalty in 1969. The post British Legislators Take First Step Toward Assisted Dying appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News RIYADH/JERUSALEM (Worthy News) – Saudi Arabia has softened its position on Palestinian statehood, telling Washington that “a public commitment” from Israel to a two-state solution “could be enough” for the Gulf kingdom to normalize relations with the Jewish nation, according to Saudi and Western officials. In remarks Friday, the officials also announced that Riyadh abandoned its pursuit of an “ambitious defense treaty” with Washington and sought “a more modest military cooperation agreement” in return for regular ties with Israel. According to Western diplomats familiar with his thinking, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu views normalization with Saudi Arabia as a historical milestone and a sign of broader acceptance in the Arab world. But he faces opposition at home to any concessions to Palestinians in Gaza following the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks that killed some 1,200 people. And with public anger in Saudi Arabia and the broader Middle East mounting over Israel’s strikes against Hamas in Gaza, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has again made recognition of Israel conditional on it taking concrete steps to create a Palestinian state. Yet, with U.S. President-elect Donald J. Trump soon becoming dealmaker-in-chief, Riyadh and Washington hope a more modest defense pact could be sealed before Joe Biden leaves the White House on January 20. A full-blown U.S.-Saudi treaty would need to pass the U.S. Senate with a two-thirds majority, and this would be a non-starter unless Riyadh recognizes Israel, several sources said. However, Trump has made it clear that he wants to extend the Abraham Accords, which already include agreements on Arab–Israeli normalization between Israel and the United Arab Emirates and between Israel and Bahrain, on September 15, 2020. The post Hopes For Normal Saudi-Israeli Relations appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News SEOUL (Worthy News) – One may be forgiven for thinking twice about enjoying a coffee here. Yet a South Korean border observatory overseeing a quiet North Korean mountain village was precisely where the Starbucks coffee chain decided to open an outlet on Friday. Customers must pass a military checkpoint before entering the observatory at Aegibong Peace Ecopark. The observatory is less than a mile (1.6 kilometers) from North Korean territory and overlooks North Korea’s Songaksan mountain and a nearby village in Kaephung County. The tables and windows face North Korea at the Starbucks, where about 40 people, a few of them foreigners, came to the opening Friday, reporters witnessed. The South Korean city of Gimpo said hosting Starbucks was part of efforts to develop its border facilities as a tourist destination and said the shop symbolizes “robust security on the Korean Peninsula through the presence of this iconic capitalist brand.” It came amid mounting tensions with South Korea’s military, saying Friday that the autocratic North flew “dozens more balloons” overnight and that some trash and leaflets landed around the capital, Seoul, and nearby Gyeonggi province. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un had earlier been trying to raise pressure on South Korea and threatening to attack his rival with nuclear weapons if provoked. North Korea has also engaged in psychological and electronic warfare against South Korea, such as flying trash-laden balloons into the South and disrupting Global Positioning System signals from border areas near the South’s biggest airport. Kaephung County is believed to be one of the possible sites from where North Korea has launched thousands of balloons over several months. South Korea’s military said Friday that the North flew dozens more balloons overnight and that some trash and leaflets landed around the capital, Seoul, and nearby Gyeonggi province. Yet the coffee aroma at Starbucks provided perhaps a brief respite from what is one of the world’s most militarized zones. The post Starbucks Overlooking Nuclear North Korea appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News WASHINGTON (Worthy News) – Evangelical Christians have plunged into mourning after Hal Lindsey, who explained the Biblical “signs of times” to millions worldwide, passed away at the age of 95. Lindsey died on November 25 after spending a lifetime connecting end-time theology with Biblical prophecy. He became a household name in the United States in the 1970s with the success of “The Late Great Planet Earth,” which he co-wrote with journalist Carole C. Carlson. The book, which was translated into numerous languages, sold an estimated 35 million copies by the end of the century. Several follow-up titles, including “Satan Is Alive,” “Well on Planet Earth,” and “Planet Earth Two Thousand AD: Will Mankind Survive,” were also bestsellers. Born Harold Lee Lindsey in 1929 in Houston, Texas, he was initially not always focused on Biblical matters. After serving in the U.S. Coast Guard during the Korean War, Lindsey had a near-death experience while working as a tugboat captain on the Mississippi River. He later said, however, that this event led him to seek a deeper spiritual life, culminating in “a born-again experience” in 1955 after meeting with pastor Robert Thieme of Berachah Church in Houston. DISPENSATIONALISM FRAMEWORK Thieme, a proponent of dispensationalism—a theological framework that emphasizes distinct periods in God’s relationship with humanity—introduced Lindsey to the idea that Biblical prophecy was unfolding in the present day. Lindsey’s path into prophecy writing was strongly shaped by dispensationalism, which interprets the Bible through the lens of God’s promises to Israel and the church. He studied this theology at Dallas Theological Seminary, graduating in 1962 with a degree in Greek New Testament. Afterward, he joined Campus Crusade for Christ organization and began holding Bible studies at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). He focused on the relevance of biblical prophecy in light of contemporary events. “We are able to see … predictions made centuries ago being fulfilled before our eyes,” Lindsey told his Bible study group, including skeptical college students and young Christians eager to understand the future. The studies grew immensely popular, helping Lindsey expand his audience. While Lindsey had personal battles, ranging from divorces to ‘failed’ predictions, he maintained his Christian faith and encouraged believers to focus on the Bible, which he saw as God’s Word. SEVERAL CONCEPTS Concepts like the Rapture, the Antichrist, and the mark of the beast were woven into the fabric of contemporary Christian discourse and even appeared in secular films and discussions. Lindsey continued to write and speak on prophetic matters, always maintaining that the Bible was the key to understanding the world’s most pressing questions. “What happens next?” he often asked, offering Scripture to answer life’s uncertainties. “There are other places men search for answers: philosophy, meditation, changing environment, science,” Lindsey and Carlson wrote in the opening of “The Late Great Planet Earth.“ “Let’s give God a chance to present His view,” they wrote. Hal Lindsey is survived by his three daughters from his second marriage, Robin, Heidi, and Jenny, and his wife, JoLyn. The post Christians Mourn Passing of Hal Lindsey, Author of ‘The Late Great Planet Earth’ appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News BUCHAREST/BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – A pro-Russian presidential candidate has condemned Romania’s top court’s decision to order a recount of votes in the first round of the presidential election. Calin Georgescu’s surge to victory in the European Union and NATO member state prompted Romania’s top security body to warn that the country was “a key target” for hostile Russian actions. Having polled in single digits before Sunday’s vote, the 62-year-old far-right politician surprised friends and foes by winning. However, Georgescu said in a statement that state institutions, including the Constitutional Court, “were trying to deny people’s vote in Sunday’s election.” His centrist contender, Elena Lasconi, whom he was to meet in a run-off on December 8, shared his assessment. “The Constitutional Court is interfering in the democratic process for the second time,” she wrote, referring to a previous ruling to ban a far-right politician from running in the presidential election. “One combats extremism through votes, not backstage games.” Georgescu gained many votes from young voters and Romanians living abroad, and his campaign relied heavily on the social media platform TikTok. SUSPENDING TIKTOK? On Wednesday, a senior official at Romania’s telecoms regulator called for TikTok to be suspended pending an investigation into the platform’s role in the vote. The standoff comes ahead of Sunday’s parliamentary election, which was due to be impacted by Georgescu’s victory. The far right is expected to do well. On Thursday, an Atlasintel poll obtained by the HotNews website showed the radical right Alliance for Uniting Romanians (AUR) in first place with 22.4 percent of the vote, followed by the Social Democrats (PSD) with 21.4 percent. That worries critics as Georgescu has praised 1930s Romanian fascist politicians as “national heroes and martyrs.” He has been critical of the NATO military alliance and Romania’s support for Ukraine. Georgescu said the country “should engage, not challenge” Russia. Moscow has denied interfering in elections. The court postponed a ruling for November 29 and asked for a recount. The court will only provide the reasoning for its decision in a statement at a later date. VALIDATING RESULTS By law, the top court must validate the first round result by November 29 for the run-off vote to happen on December 8 as scheduled. However, the head of the country’s election authority said recounting the 9.46 million votes currently in archives at courthouses across Romania would take days. Social Democrat Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu ranked third on Sunday, only 2,740 votes behind runner-up Lasconi. Many of the top court’s nine judges were appointed by the Social Democrat Party. The decision to call for a recount was made after conservative presidential candidate Cristian Terhes, who got 1 percent of the votes on Sunday, challenged the ballot’s result. Terhes asked that the Court annul the election outcome, saying Lasconi got votes transferred to her from another candidate who had withdrawn from the race but still appeared on the ballot. Romania’s political turmoil comes at a difficult time for the region, with nearby wartorn Ukraine and Russia using increasingly heavy weapons against each other. Bucharest has supported Kyiv militarily, but Georgescu has criticized the aid and even questioned Romania’s NATO membership. The post Romania’s Top Court Demands Recount In Presidential Poll appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News TEHRAN/JERUSALEM (Worthy News) – Iran has canceled plans to attack Israel following Donald J. Trump’s victory in the recent U.S. presidential elections, Israeli and Iranian officials say. Israeli sources said the incoming administration is drafting plans “to bring down the Islamist regime,” which has ruled Iran for more than four decades. Tehran’s decision to refrain from attacking Israel at this time was reportedly made to head off this scenario. But it was also driven by Israel’s decimation in Lebanon of Hezbollah — the closest and most important of Iran’s allies, Iranian sources suggested. Also, Trump’s stated plans to end the wars in the Middle East and Ukraine appealed to Iran, the officials said. Before the U.S. election was even held, Iran reportedly told the Biden administration that, contrary to claims by some American intelligence officials, “it was not plotting to assassinate Trump.” In comments monitored by Worthy News, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Iran welcomed the U.S.-backed truce between Hezbollah and Israel. ‘RIGHT TO RESPOND’ He added that “Tehran maintains its right to respond to Israel’s airstrikes on Iran last month, but it will take into consideration regional developments such as the cease-fire in Lebanon.” Sanam Vakil, the Middle East director for Chatham House, a British policy research group, told The New York Times newspaper that Iran is responding to the coming changes in Washington and the changed domestic and regional geopolitical landscape. “It all came together, and the shift in tone is about protecting Iran’s interests,” Vakil said. Additionally, Iran faces economic crises at home. Its currency has dropped steadily against the dollar, and an energy shortage looms as winter approaches. These economic and social tensions are seen as another reason why Tehran can’t afford another costly armed confrontation with Israel and its allies. That seemed different on October 1, when Iran fired more than 180 ballistic missiles at Israel in the second-ever direct attack by Tehran against the Jewish state. The Israel Defense Forces, with assistance from the U.S., downed most of the missiles, with the sole casualty of the attack being a Palestinian man from Gaza struck by falling missile debris near Jericho. ISRAELI JETS HIT In response, on October 26, Israeli jets hit 20 sites in Iran, reportedly knocking out air defenses and setting back the country’s missile production industry. The Israeli air strikes also destroyed radar systems required to guide the Islamic Republic’s ballistic missiles, Israeli and Iranian sources said. Initially, Tehran downplayed the impact of the strikes, but Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei reportedly told his associates later that the scope of Jerusalem’s retaliation was “too large to ignore.” It also explained why, after the U.S. election, Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations, Amir Saeid Iravani, met with Elon Musk, the billionaire entrepreneur with Trump’s ear, at the ambassador’s residence in New York. Iranian officials described the meeting aimed at easing tensions “as promising.” However, while Iran’s reformist and centrist factions rejoiced at the news, conservatives reportedly called the ambassador “a traitor”. Analysts said it underscored Tehran’s internal struggle to engage with anyone in Trump’s orbit. Iranian critics of Trump remember he exited a nuclear deal with Iran in 2018, imposed tough sanctions on the country, and ordered the killing of a top general, Qassim Suleimani, in 2020. Yet with Trump on his way to the White House and his envoys soon to Jerusalem, Iranian officials seem more reluctant to attack Israel, though the nations feared Supreme Leader has the last word. The post Iran Cancels Plans To Attack Israel After Trump Victory (Worthy News Focus) appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

Friend, take heed to how you hear! Mark 4:23-25 If any man has ears to hear, let him hear. 24 And He said to them, Take heed what you hear. With that measure which you measure, it shall be measured to you. And to you who hear, more shall be given. 25 For he who has, more shall be given to him; and he who has not, from him shall be taken even that which he has. The Shema is recited every Shabbat in Israel and throughout the world: "Hear, O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One." The emphasis is on hearing—not just with our ears but our hearts. That same emphasis runs through the Gospels, where Yeshua (Jesus) repeatedly says, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear." This isn’t just a phrase -- it’s a life-changing command. In Mark 4:23-25, Yeshua challenges us to heed how we hear. He's teaching that how we listen to His voice determines how much we receive from Him. When we truly hear what the Spirit is saying, not just with our ears but with faith and obedience, the Word comes alive. And here’s the promise: the more we listen and respond, the more He'll pour into our lives. That's why I always begin my sermons with a prayer for listening ears -- because hearing isn’t automatic. It takes an open heart and a willingness to let the Spirit work. When we hear His Word with that kind of readiness, the message doesn't just land -- it multiplies! It bears fruit in ways we can’t even imagine. But here's the warning: if we ignore His voice or fail to act on it, even what we think we have can slip away. It's not enough to hear; we must also do. Faithful hearing leads to faithful action, and that’s where the blessing is. When we heed what we hear, we’re not just enriched—we're transformed. We go from spiritually rich to spiritually richer. Friend, so today, let’s ask ourselves: Are we truly hearing Him? Are we listening with hearts ready to obey? Because when we do, His blessings don’t just add up—they multiply! Shabbat Shalom and have a great weekend! Until Monday! Your family in the Lord with much agape love, George, Baht Rivka, Obadiah and Elianna (Melbourne, Florida) Editor's Note: Latest videos: Sanhedrin Calls Jews Home to Israel; Antisemitism on the Rise (Worthy Wrap 11/28) | Ceasefire in Israel, Ukraine War Update - (Worthy Wrap 11/27) Editor's Note: Feel free to share any of our content from Worthy, including Devotions, News articles, and more, on your social platforms. You have full permission to copy and repost anything we produce. Editor's Note: During this war, we have been live blogging throughout the day -- sometimes minute by minute on our Telegram channel. Be sure to check it out! Editor's Note: Dear friends — we are going to be heading WEST!!! Now booking in the following states: Alabama, Mississippi, Texas, and Arkansas …. If you know Pastors, Rabbis or Ministry Leaders who might be interested in some powerful Israeli style Hebrew/English worship and a refreshing word from Worthy News about what’s going on in the Land, please let us know how to connect with them and we will do our best to get you on our schedule! You can send an email to george [ @ ] worthyministries.com for more information. Around the World Iran Cancels Plans To Attack Israel After Trump Victory (Worthy News Focus) Iran has canceled plans to attack Israel following Donald J. Trump's victory in the recent U.S. presidential elections, Israeli and Iranian officials say. Crowds Protest Rising Antisemitism In Amsterdam Hundreds gathered in the center of Amsterdam Thursday to rally against rising antisemitism after the Dutch capital’s first pogrom since World War Two and an attack on pro-Israel group Christenen voor Israel (‘Christians for Israel’). Jewish London Neighborhood Strewn With Flyers Saying “Every Zionist Needs to Leave Britain or Be Slaughtered” The well-known Jewish neighborhood of Hendon in London, England, has been targeted with leaflets containing the words “Every Zionist needs to leave Britain or be slaughtered,” GB News reported on Wednesday, November 27. The message was written in both English and Hebrew. Israel-Palestinian Conflict Biden Administration Approves $680M Arms Deal Following Israel-Lebanon Ceasefire Agreement The Biden administration is moving forward with a $680 million arms package to Israel, including thousands of Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) kits and hundreds of small-diameter bombs, a U.S. official confirmed Wednesday, as reported by the Financial Times. Secret ‘Iranian Clause’ Within Lebanon’s Ceasefire Agreement A confidential clause in the U.S.-Israel side agreement to the Lebanon ceasefire, known as the "Iranian clause" and reportedly focusing on Iran, was a key element of Israel's acceptance of the ceasefire agreement with Lebanon. Inside the United States U.S. House Formally Condemns Antisemitism Antisemitism has been formally condemned in the U.S. House of Representatives through a resolution put forward by a North Carolina congresswoman passing 388-21. US House Passes Bipartisan Bill to Promote Human Rights in North Korea The US House of Representatives on November 20 passed a bipartisan bill to update and reauthorize the 2004 North Korean Human Rights Act, International Christian Concern (ICC) reports. With the Act having expired in 2022, US Reps. Young Kim (R-CA) and Ami Bera (D-CA) introduced the bill to renew the legislation. Christian News Nigeria: Christians Gather For Prayer, Support Amid Ongoing Slaughter and Abductions As Islamic jihadists continue a relentless campaign of murder, abductions, and displacement against Christians in northern Nigeria, communities of local believers are joining together to pray and to support one another, including with finances to pay extortionate ransoms for kidnapped loved ones, International Christian Concern (ICC) reports. India: Christians Banned From Eight Villages in Chhattisgarh State As part of an intensifying intolerance of Christianity in India, eight village councils in the Sukma District of India’s Chhattisgarh State passed a joint resolution earlier this month to ban Christians from staying in their communities, Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) reports. Worthy Insights Sanhedrin Announces Ruling: All Jews Worldwide Must Come Home to Israel Immediately The nascent Sanhedrin in Jerusalem has made an official ruling, calling on Jews outside of Israel to come home. UN adviser fired over refusal to label Gaza war as genocide, WSJ argues An op-ed published by the Wall Street Journal editorial board titled "The UN's anti-Israel 'genocide' purge" claims the United Nations' decision not to renew Alice Wairimu Nderitu's contract as Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide stems directly from her refusal to characterize Israel's military campaign in Gaza as genocide. View the full article