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By Brendan Clarey | The Center Square (Worthy News) – A federal court in Kentucky ruled Thursday that the Biden administration’s rulemaking expanding Title IX to include gender identity is “unlawful.” The judgment from the United States District Court from the Eastern District of Kentucky sided with Kentucky, Indiana, Tennessee, West Virginia and private organizations and individuals. Critics of the rule lauded the court’s decisions. Chief Judge Danny C. Reeves wrote in Thursday’s order that the administration’s final rule overstepped its congressionally given boundaries. “Congress gave the Department authority to issue rules, regulations, and orders to effectuate Title IX’s prohibition on sex discrimination consistent with the objectives of the statute,” Reeves wrote. “However, the Department exceeded that authority in issuing the Final Rule and the text of Title IX shows why. “Put simply, there is nothing in the text or statutory design of Title IX to suggest that discrimination ‘on the basis of sex’ means anything other than it has since Title IX’s inception – that recipients of federal funds under Title IX may not treat a person worse than another similarly-situated individual on the basis of the person’s sex, i.e., male or female,” Reeves wrote. “As this Court and others have explained, expanding the meaning of ‘on the basis of sex’ to include ‘gender identity’ turns Title IX on its head,” Reeves wrote. “While Title IX sought to level the playing field between men and women, it is rife with exceptions that allow males and females to be separated based on the enduring physical differences between the sexes,” Reeves said. Reeves said that the final rule’s approach to locker rooms “does not make sense.” “Confirming the arbitrary nature of these new regulations, the Department has offered no rational explanation for the stark inconsistencies that will result if the Final Rule is allowed to go forward,” the judge wrote. The court also said the rule violates the First Amendment because “the Final Rule’s definitions of sex discrimination and sex-based harassment … require Title IX recipients, including teachers, to use names and pronouns associated with a student’s asserted gender identity.” “The Final Rule also is vague and overbroad,” Reeves wrote. “As the Court explained previously, several of the terms used in this regulation are so vague that recipients of Title IX funds have no way of predicting what conduct will violate the law.” The court also said the final rule violates the Spending Clause of the Constitution and is arbitrary and capricious. “The Department does not provide a reasoned explanation for departing from its longstanding interpretation of Title IX,” Reeves wrote. “Although it relies primarily on Bostock, the Supreme Court was clear that the decision was limited to the context of Title VII and did not purport to address ‘bathrooms, locker rooms, or anything else of the kind.’” The court struck down the entire ruling, rather than the portions challenged by litigation. In the order, Reeves concluded that “the entire Final Rule and corresponding regulations are invalid and must be set aside.” Reeves said that other courts have indicated it is unlawful and “would simply ‘cause a return to the status quo’ that existed for more than 50 years prior to its effective date.” The judgment is appealable. Critics of the Biden administration rule celebrated the order. “Huge blow today for Biden’s wildly unconstitutional plan to hollow out Title IX protections and instead use federal law to enforce gender ideology in public schools and colleges across our nation,” said Kim Hermann, executive director of the Southeastern Legal Foundation. “Freedom has won in the Court’s decision to grant summary judgment for the plaintiffs in this case and to throw out the Biden Title IX rules as ‘unlawful’ — adding that it ‘offends the First Amendment,’” Hermann said. Hermann also said it creates a precedent for the other cases, including one in which her firm is challenging the Biden administration’s rules. The rule’s implementation has remained piecemeal since legal challenges and court orders have halted its widespread implementation. The Biden Department of Education attempted to expand the definition of sex discrimination to include gender identity and strengthen protections for pregnant students, citing the discrimination faced by LGBTQ+ students. Critics have said that it would redefine women’s sports and put female students at risk. The Biden administration recently withdrew its proposed rule that would have dictated how schools and institutions of higher learning would approach transgender athletes on single-sex sports teams. • This story first published at Chalkboard News which, like The Center Square, is published by the Franklin News Foundation Reprinted with permission from The Center Square. The post Federal Court Strikes Down Biden Admin’s Title IX Rewrite appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent (Worthy News) – As Iran-backed Yemeni Houthi insurgents continue to violently disrupt US, Israeli, and Western commercial shipping in the Middle East, the US military on January 8 carried out air strikes against two of the militant group’s weapons storage facilities in Yemen. The US suffered no injuries or damage to property in the operation. Wednesday’s strikes followed talks between US Central Command commander, Navy Vice Adm. Brad Cooper and the Israel Defense Forces Deputy Chief of Staff Amir Baram on how to proceed against the Houthis. “U.S. Central Command forces conducted multiple precision strikes against two Iranian-backed Houthi underground Advanced Conventional Weapon (ACW) storage facilities within Houthi-controlled territories of Yemen, Jan. 8. The Houthis used these facilities to conduct attacks against U.S. Navy warships and merchant vessels in the southern Red Sea and Gulf of Aden,” CENTCOM said in a press release after the strikes. In a statement to reporters, Pentagon deputy press secretary Sabrina Singh added: “We’re going to continue to work to degrade capabilities and to ensure upholding the international rules-based order and the free flow of commerce through that region. We continue to be successful in our strikes.” “Again, we’re not going to be able to take off the map every single capability, but every single time that we conduct a dynamic strike, or do the strikes that you saw CENTCOM announce earlier this morning, that further degrades capabilities that they can use against commercial ships or our own Navy ships,” Singh said. The post US Strikes Houthi Weapons Facilities in Yemen appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent (Worthy News) – The US-based Anti-Defamation League has reported there were over 10,000 antisemitic incidents in the United States after the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel triggered the current war in Gaza. In a report released on October 6, 2024, the ADL said the number of antisemitic incidents in the US that it documented from October 7, 2023 to September 24, 2024 represent a more than 200% increase compared to the number of incidents (3,325) reported in the same period a year earlier. The ADL breaks down the 10,000 antisemitic incidents into the following as follows: “Over 8,015 incidents of verbal or written harassment. Over 1,840 incidents of vandalism. Over 150 incidents of physical assault.” “At least 1,200 of these antisemitic incidents happened on college campuses, the ADL report reads. “In the same period a year before, ADL recorded about 200 incidents, representing a 500-percent increase. Of these incidents, over 2,000 occurred at Jewish institutions such as synagogues and Jewish centers.” “Over 3,000 of all incidents took place during anti-Israel rallies, which featured regular explicit expressions of support for terrorist groups including Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), one of the most concerning antisemitic trends ADL captured since October 7, 2023,” the ADL report added. The post US Saw More Than 10,000 Antisemitic Incidents in Year Following Oct. 7 Attack, Report appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent (Worthy News) – Responding to US President-elect Donald Trump’s recent statement that he would not rule out military action to seize Greenland, an autonomous territory of EU member Denmark, France on Wednesday warned that Europe is “strong” and will not allow another nation to attack its “sovereign borders,” Reuters reports. Starting in 2019, Trump has floated the idea of buying the Arctic island of Greenland for various reasons including the military defense of US interests in the region and that its natural resources can be used to strengthen the US economy and energy security. After Greenland and Denmark refuted the idea that the former is for sale, Trump told reporters this week that military intervention was a possibility because the US “needs” Greenland for “economic security.” On Wednesday, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot emphasized in a statement on France Inter radio that he did not believe Trump would lead a military assault on Greenland but that Europe would defend its borders if necessary. “There is obviously no question that the European Union would let other nations of the world attack its sovereign borders, whoever they are. We are a strong continent,” Barrot said. “If you’re asking me whether I think the United States will invade Greenland, my answer is no. But have we entered into a period of time when it is survival of the fittest? Then my answer is yes,” Barrot added. The post France Warns That Europe Will Not Tolerate Potential US invasion of Greenland appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent (Worthy News) – In an effort to become less reliant on the United States and other nations for heavy weapons, Israel has signed two major arms deals with Israeli munitions company Elbit Systems totaling $275 million, i24News reports. The deal was signed by Defense Ministry Director General Major General Eyal Zamir and Elbit CEO Bezhalel (Butzi) Machlis on Tuesday, i24News said. “Western countries have made moves over the past year against supplying Israel with weapons and munitions, most notably Canada and the UK. Even the US, long considered Israel’s closest ally, has conditioned military aid on Israel’s conduct,” i24News noted in its report. Elbit Systems has committed to producing thousands of heavy air munitions in the first deal and to setting up a raw material factory to produce munitions in the second deal. “Today, we are laying the foundations for expanding manufacturing independence in two critical areas for the IDF’s operational sustainability – domestic production of heavy air munitions and establishing a national raw materials plant,” Zamir said in a statement. “Both agreements will ensure sovereign capability in producing bombs and munitions of all types. We initiated this historic move before the war but accelerated it during it. Under both agreements, initial capabilities will soon gradually expand until we achieve full independence in both areas. This is a central lesson from the war that will enable the IDF to continue operating powerfully in all theaters,” Zamir added. The post Israel Advances In-House Weapons Production With Two Major Deals appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent (Worthy News) – Continuing a campaign of terror against Christians in northern Nigeria that has lasted over 18 years, Fulani militant herdsmen launched a fresh attack against believers in Kaduna state during a New Year’s Day dawn raid on Unguwar Rogo village, Kajuru County, Morning Star News (MSN) reports. While no one was killed in this particular attack, all the Christian villagers were forced to flee for their lives as homes and the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) building were set on fire, MSN reports. “Tragic New Year’s attack, terrorists invaded one of our communities, Unguwar Rogo of Ugom community under Maro Ward, Kajuru LGA, Kaduna state,” resident Istifanus Ma’aji told MSN. “It is quite unfortunate that the terrorist herdsmen have vandalized many valuables, stole all kinds of farm products they came across, burned down about six houses, and set fire to the ECWA Church after looting all the movable valuables in the church and the pastorium. All our people have fled into the bushes, abandoning their belongings in a bid to save their lives.” “The year is too young for us to start like this. Please, God our Creator, intervene,” Ma’aji said. In a website statement about the devastating and protracted situation facing believers, in Nigeria, the Open Doors international Christian advocacy organization explains: “Christians in Nigeria, particularly in the Muslim-majority north, continue to live under immense pressure and to be terrorized with devastating impunity by Islamic militants. More believers are killed for their faith in Nigeria each year, than everywhere else in the world combined.” The post Nigeria: Fulani Continue Terror Attacks on Christians, “Please, God our Creator, Intervene” appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent (Worthy News) – Archaeologists excavating in southern Israel have uncovered a unique Byzantine-era ((5th-6th centuries AD) mosaic floor with a Scripture from the Bible’s Book of Deuteronomy, the Times of Israel (TOI) reports. Announcing the find on Monday, the Israel Antiquities Authority said the mosaic was part of a large Byzantine-era monastery complex unearthed next to the southern city of Kiryat Gat, TOI reports. In its statement, the IAA said the mosaic floor depicts “crosses, lions, doves, an amphora (a ceramic maritime shipping jug), [and] flowers and geometric patterns” in tiny stones. At the center of the floor is the Biblical inscription: “Blessed are you when you come in, and blessed are you when you go out” (Deuteronomy 28:6). The IAA said the monastery site is “the largest and most significant site discovered in the region” from the period. The complex also has a “sophisticated” wine press and evidence of a local pottery industry, including “detritus typical of a ceramic factory, garbage pits, misshapen vessels that were flawed in production, and even a number of vessels unique to this site,” the IAA said in its statement. The mosaic will be transferred to the IAA’s mosaic workshop for preservation and will later be returned to Kiryat Gat for future public display, TOI reports. The post Ancient Mosaic Floor with Deuteronomy Bible Verse Uncovered in Southern Israel appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent (Worthy News) – The US Biden administration this week accused the Sudanese paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) of committing genocide against the people of Sudan amid the ongoing civil war in the country, BBC News reports. The war in Sudan began in April 2023 as a fight for power erupted between the RSF and the Sudanese Armed Forces. That power struggle has resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of people and massive displacement of civilians. The RSF now controls around half of the country, including almost all of Darfur, Khartoum, and other areas south of the capital, while the Sudanese army has been pushed out to Port Sudan in the east, BBC News reports. In a statement Tuesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he was informed that the RSF and allied militias had murdered “men and boys – even infants.” The RSF has also murdered civilians trying to escape the war, he said. “Based on this information, I have now concluded that members of the RSF and allied militias have committed genocide in Sudan,” Blinken said. Blinken went on to announce sanctions against RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo for “systematic” atrocities, including the rape of women on ethnic grounds, that have been committed against the Sudanese people since the war began. The sanctions prevent Dagalo and his family from traveling to the US and freezes any assets they may have there. The genocide designation will also impact all sales of weapons to the RSF. At the same time, Blinken said the Sudanese Army is also unfit to rule Sudan. “Both belligerents bear responsibility for the violence and suffering in Sudan and lack the legitimacy to govern a future peaceful Sudan,” he said. The post Sudan: RSF Paramilitary Group is Committing “Genocide,” US says appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent (Worthy News) – Iranian ally President Bashar al-Assad of Syria was ousted by Islamic insurgents just one month ago, and Iran has already withdrawn most of its troops from the country, the Wall Street Journal reports. Iran’s Islamic regime had been a strong ally of Assad since Syria’s civil war broke out in 2011 and used the country as a base from which to fight proxy wars against the US and Israel though backing armed groups on Syrian territory. Assad’s departure represents a substantial blow to Tehran’s power in the Middle East, WSJ reports. Iranian Quds Forces have gone back to Iran, and other militant groups have disbanded as Syria looks to the future under new anti-Assad leadership, WSJ said. “The swift withdrawal marks a dramatic reshaping of the regional order in the Middle East,” WSJ noted in its report. “The shift to the new fledgling government in Damascus, led by the Sunni Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham that toppled Syria’s longtime dictator, has undercut the influence of Assad’s primary backers, Russia and Shiite-led Iran.” “For Iran, Syria was among its most important strategic assets, allowing it to move personnel and weapons to Hezbollah in Lebanon and position forces near its arch-adversary Israel. The Assad regime’s collapse severely undermines Tehran’s ability to rebuild both Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza, which have been battered by Israel in recent months,” WSJ noted. The post Iran Withdraws Most of Its Forces From Syria appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent (Worthy News) – The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada (EFC) has called on the Canadian government to reject a recommendation made by the House of Commons Finance Committee that religious organizations should be stripped of their charitable status for tax purposes. The Finance Committee’s proposal was made in a pre-budget report, and reads: “Amend the Income Tax Act to provide a definition of a charity which would remove the privileged status of “advancement of religion” as a charitable purpose.” In a December 20 letter to Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc, the EFC explains the “significant role” that religious organizations have in the charitable sector and the country as a whole. “Of the more than 73,000 charitable organizations registered with the CRA, more than 30,000 fall under the advancement of religion, roughly 42% of the charitable sector. It is estimated that there are 23,000 Christian congregations in Canada,” EFC Director of Public Policy Julia Beazley writes. “The thousands of churches and faith-based organizations across Canada that are religious charities benefit their participants, their communities and Canadian society as a whole. Religious charities foster vibrant social networks, mobilize outreach, spark local volunteerism, and foster community resiliency,” the EFC letter continues. “More and more Canadians are grappling with loneliness and social isolation. Polarization and lack of social cohesion are increasing concerns. This is a time to encourage the presence and participation of religious charities, which foster hope, mutual support, and belonging, rather than taking steps to destabilize them,” the letter attests. “We urge you not to follow the recommendation of the Finance Committee, but instead to recognize the relevance and benefits of religion to the charitable sector and Canadian public life,” the letter concludes. The post Canada Evangelicals Call on Government Not to Strip Religious Organizations of Charity Status for Tax Purposes appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent (Worthy News) – An annual report by the Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination against Christians in Europe (OIDAC) shows there were “2,444 anti-Christian hate crimes” across 35 European countries in 2023, Christianity Today (CT) reports. Published in November, the OIDAC annual report shows that the most affected countries were France (1,000 incidents), the United Kingdom (over 700 incidents), and Germany (277 incidents), CT reports. “These trends should alert us all to step up efforts to protect freedom of religion or belief, including the freedom to openly and respectfully discuss different philosophical and religious viewpoints on sensitive issues, without fear of reprisal and censorship,” Anja Hoffmann, executive director of OIDAC Europe, said in a press release. Noting that hostility toward Christians in Europe does not generate the same kind of attention that the persecution of believers in other parts of the world does, Christof Sauer, senior consultant and former founding director for the International Institute for Religious Freedom, told CT: “It is particularly challenging to attract attention for discrimination against Christians in Europe, compared to the discrimination of minority groups such as Jews and Muslims.” “Secularists might regard Christians in Europe as those in power, as ‘perpetrators’ of violence from a historical perspective, and might have a hard time acknowledging victimhood,” Sauer said. “There is an increasing degree of religious illiteracy in Europe, and understanding of the broad scope of religious freedom often is limited.” The post Europe Saw Over 2,400 “Hate Crimes” Against Christians in 2023, Report appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

By Kenneth Schrupp | The Center Square (Worthy News) – California’s fire insurer of last resort has long been on the brink of insolvency. Not only could FAIR customers — in the absence of a government bailout — face major assessments, it’s likely the FAIR’s relatively low property insurance maximums could leave many Palisades property owners with uncovered losses. Now, with the FAIR plan holding just $200 million in cash and facing nearly six billion dollars of exposure in the Pacific Palisades alone, every FAIR customer in the state could face an assessment in the thousands of dollars to cover losses from the three major blazes raging across the Los Angeles area. Because state regulations prevent the plan from passing on the cost of reinsurance, which covers losses in excess of available funds, to its customers, every customer in the state may face a major assessment. FAIR, created as a “temporary safety net,” covered just $50 billion of property in 2018, and now covers $458 billion. Even a single large blaze would wipe out FAIR’s relatively paltry $2.5 billion of reinsurance. Making matters worse, FAIR only covers up to three million dollars of home value, while the median home listing in the Palisades is $4.6 million. Because the state has to approve fire insurance rate hikes, insurance rates have not kept up with fire losses, leading insurers to exit the state in droves, leaving FAIR as the only option for over one million property owners. FAIR covered just 445,000 properties in September 2021, rising to 1.4 million by September 2024. In the Pacific Palisades, where State Farm recently canceled over 1,600 policies a few months ago, FAIR plan residential plans in the 90272 zip code grew 85% from 2023 to 2024. While the state insurance regulator just approved a plan to let fire insurers use “catastrophe” modeling that would let them rapidly raise rates, consumer activist group Consumer Watchdog warned that the balance of power could soon be going too far the other way. “Companies can use secret algorithms to correspond to black box climate models to raise insurance rates,” said Consumer Watchdog President Jamie Court in a statement. “Even the insurance commissioner doesn’t know how much rates will go up because no one can see in the black box.” While rates have risen less than what is required by the market for insurers to remain in business, they still have risen fast enough to drive California residents to other states. Global credit ratings agency S&P warned that property-insurance driven outmigration could even risk government revenues and credit ratings. One alternative to the state’s fire and insurance crisis could lie with addressing the 15 million acres in California the United States Forest Service says requires forest thinning to become healthy and resilient. With a USFS estimated “treatment” cost of $1,000 per acre, such a program would cost the government $15 billion. Reprinted with permission from The Center Square. The post Blazes Could Break California’s Last-Resort Insurer; Plans May Not Cover All Damage appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Correspondent (Worthy News) – Israel is expanding the IDF’s Unit 504, part of the Military Intelligence Directorate, which specializes in HUMINT (human intelligence). Previously operating covertly, the unit’s critical role during the war has made its activities vital to the army’s success, leading to Tuesday’s announcement of its significant expansion. The IDF announced the expansion of Unit 504, including the promotion of its commander to brigadier general, highlighting its critical role during the war. The military credited the unit with leading operations across multiple fronts, resulting in the arrest and interrogation of thousands of Hamas terrorists, as well as operatives from Hezbollah and the Syrian front. “Throughout the war, Unit 504 operated intensively on various fronts and led the effort in which thousands of Hamas terrorists, as well as from Hezbollah and the Syrian front, were arrested and interrogated,” the IDF stated. The IDF revealed that Unit 504 conducted surveillance missions leading to targeted strikes and managed agents in enemy states. During the war, it reopened a unit in the Gaza Strip—closed for over a decade—significantly increasing its workload. To support these operations, the IDF is recruiting additional officers to manage agents and prepare for special missions in enemy territory. In peacetime, the highly secretive Unit 504 operates entirely under the radar. As the IDF’s human intelligence unit, it functions as the military’s counterpart to similar units within the Mossad and Shin Bet. Unit 504’s motto, drawn from the Bible, is: “To explore and spy out the country and overthrow it,” 1 Chronicles 19:3 (NIV). Its emblem features a stylized depiction of the biblical 12 spies returning from Canaan, carrying a branch of grapes. The post Israel to Expand Military Intelligence Operations appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article

Friend, are you insured? Psalms 118:8 It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man. Following the devastating fires in California, we reported that the state's insurer of last resort is nearing insolvency, potentially leaving many property owners with uncovered losses. This would be catastrophic for affected homeowners. It reminded me of when we first arrived in Israel over twenty years ago, my wife was almost eight months pregnant. We wanted to have everything concerning the birth worked out ahead of time because we knew we'd have so many other things to think about once we got here. So we made certain to pay for our Israeli health insurance coverage even before we arrived, just to be sure we would have no problems. But something inconceivable happened -- the Israeli government went on strike before our payment information was entered into their records. When we tried to get prenatal care and sign up at the hospital, they had no record of our payment and thus, no way to help us (unless, of course, we were willing to pay an obscene amount of money, money we didn't have). Little did we know that the strike would continue on for four months! To make a long story short, our baby was born on the kitchen floor of our little Jerusalem apartment. I can honestly say it was one of the most terrifying, yet profound experiences of our lives. But this got me thinking about insurance. Why do we buy insurance? So that we can be insured that we will get the help or care we need, should we ever need it, right? SURE! Well, we even paid in advance to have that assurance, and we didn't get it when our time of need came! We are living in crazy times. Times where anything goes -- and anything can happen. And there is really only one insurance company that has been found truly faithful to help us in our time of need through it all. No, it's not Red Cross, or Blue Cross... It's THE Cross! What's more, this insurance doesn't cost us a thing! You'd think more people would jump on this deal, wouldn't you? Yeshua (Jesus) already paid for it with His hard-earned blood sweat and tears, on the cross two thousand years ago. Friend, let's take the time today to spread this heavenly insurance available for FREE -- in this day and age ... people need it! Your family in the Lord with much agape love, George, Baht Rivka, Elianna and Obadiah (Phoenix, Arizona) Editor's Note: Latest message: The Mysteries of Yeshua's Birth and Chanukah 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: New Mexico and Arizona …. 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 Releases Jailed Italian Journalist Italian journalist Cecilia Sala was back home Thursday after spending nearly three weeks behind bars in one of Iran’s most notorious prisons. France Detains Founder Of ‘Rape Site’ The founder of a website used by Dominique Pelicot to recruit strangers to rape his wife has been arrested in France after scores of men were jailed over one of the nation’s worst abuse cases. Investors Alarmed Over China’s Economy (Worthy News Analyse) Investors are reportedly increasingly concerned that China risks sliding into an economic malaise that could last decades. Last Days Of Syria’s Assad Marked By ‘Chaos and Betrayal’ The final days of Syria’s autocratic President Bashar al-Assad “unfolded in complete chaos,” with him being used as “a puppet” by various nations, a senior aid revealed Wednesday. Iran Steps Up Drills Amid Nuclear Bomb Threat (Worthy News Focus) Iran's military has launched massive drills aimed at improving its air defenses as Tehran rushes to enrich uranium to near atomic bomb levels, Worthy News monitored Wednesday. Israel-Palestinian Conflict Israel to Expand Military Intelligence Operations Israel is expanding the IDF's Unit 504, part of the Military Intelligence Directorate, which specializes in HUMINT (human intelligence). Previously operating covertly, the unit's critical role during the war has made its activities vital to the army's success, leading to Tuesday's announcement of its significant expansion. Inside the United States Blazes Could Break California’s Last-Resort Insurer; Plans May Not Cover All Damage California’s fire insurer of last resort has long been on the brink of insolvency. Not only could FAIR customers — in the absence of a government bailout — face major assessments, it’s likely the FAIR’s relatively low property insurance maximums could leave many Palisades property owners with uncovered losses. ‘Apocalyptic’ Wildfires Raging Through California; 400,000 Without Power Massive wildfires raged through neighborhoods of Los Angeles, America’s second-largest city, and surrounding areas in the U.S. state of California late Wednesday, where tens of thousands of people were forced to leave their homes. Republicans Introduce Constitutional Amendment to Impose Term Limits Republicans in Congress led by U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, introduced a joint resolution proposing a constitutional amendment to impose term limits for members of Congress. Christian News Indonesia Muslims Rally Against Church Construction (Worthy News Investigation) Muslims have threatened massive protests against the construction of a Catholic church in Indonesia’s West Java Province in the latest standoff over Christian worship in the world’s largest Muslim country. View the full article

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News ROME/TEHRAN (Worthy News) – Italian journalist Cecilia Sala was back home Thursday after spending nearly three weeks behind bars in one of Iran’s most notorious prisons. Sala landed at an airport near Rome on Wednesday afternoon, just hours after Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s office announced she was on her way home. Sala had been detained in Tehran while on assignment, officials said. The 29-year-old journalist was reportedly arrested for what Iran said was her involvement in “violating the law” of the Islamic Republic. According to her supporters, Sala entered Iran on a valid journalist visa in mid-December and was scheduled to return to Rome on December 20. However, Worthy News learned she was arrested a day before her departure. Her release followed “intensive efforts through diplomatic and intelligence channels,” Meloni’s office declared. EXPRESSING GRATITUDE “Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni expresses her gratitude to everyone who contributed to Cecilia’s return, allowing her to reunite with her family and colleagues.” Meloni personally informed Sala’s family over the phone of her release. One of Sala’s employers, the Italian podcast company Chora Media, had earlier reported that the journalist was held in solitary confinement at Tehran’s feared Evin Prison. That detention facility has been holding political prisoners as well as Christians, Worthy News documented. Sala had told her family that she was forced to sleep on the floor in a cell where the lights remained on constantly, sources familiar with the situation said. Italy summoned the Iranian ambassador last week to demand Sala’s release. The following day, Iran reportedly summoned the Italian ambassador to address the detention of an Iranian citizen in Italy. Iranian national Mohammad Abedini had been arrested three days before Sala’s detention, as the U.S. Justice Department accused him of involvement in a deadly drone attack. He and another Iranian allegedly supplied drone technology to Iran used in a January 2024 attack on a U.S. outpost in Jordan that killed three American troops. He remains in detention in Italy. Iran has denied any connection between Sala’s case and Abedini’s. The post Iran Releases Jailed Italian Journalist appeared first on Worthy Christian News. View the full article