China Jails Pastor Nine Years for Calling Communist Party ‘Morally Incompatible With the Christian Faith’

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A Chinese court sentenced a priest to prison for nine years after the priest called the Chinese Communist Party “morally incompatible with the Christian faith.”

The court sentenced 46-year-old Pastor Wang Yi, who led the Protestant Early Rain Covenant Church in the Chinese city of Chengdu, for incitement of subversion of state power and for illegal business operations, according to The Wall Street Journal. The Chinese government often uses those charges against religious leaders and against those who disagree politically with the government, according to the WSJ.

Wang wrote a 2018 essay titled “Meditations on the Religious War” in which he wrote that the ideology of the Chinese Communist Party is “morally incompatible with the Christian faith and with all those who uphold freedom of the mind and thought.”

Wang’s church had been one of the most politically active churches in China for years, holding a service every year commemorating the 1989 massacre at Tiananmen Square, even though the government severely restricts the observance of this massacre, the WSJ reports. But the church was closed in 2018 as the Chinese government cracked down on religious houses of worship. (Read more from “China Jails Pastor Nine Years for Calling Communist Party ‘Morally Incompatible With the Christian Faith’” HERE)

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U.S. Targets Five Facilities Controlled by Iranian-Backed Militias in Drone Strikes

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U.S. forces conducted strikes on five facilities in Iraq and Syria that were believed to be operated by Iranian-backed militias in the region.

This operation, which was announced by Assistant to the Secretary of Defense Jonathan Hoffman on Sunday, was the first combative effort against the militias who have been responsible for attacks on U.S. troops in recent weeks. The militia, Kata’ib Hezbollah, was given lethal aid from the Iranian government, which was used in attacks on an Iraqi base that killed an American contractor and injured four servicemen, according to the Defense Department.

Americans have been stationed in Iraq at the request of the Iraqi government to assist in the battle against ISIS. Several non-American members of the coalition have also been killed or injured in the attacks by Kata’ib Hezbollah.

The strikes, two of which were in Syria and three in Iraq, took out control centers and weapons storage facilities that have been key in the attacks on coalition bases. (Read more from “U.S. Targets Five Facilities Controlled by Iranian-Backed Militias in Drone Strikes” HERE)

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ISIS Executes 11 Christians on Christmas

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An offshoot of ISIS in West Africa released a video yesterday, the day after Christmas, that reportedly shows the terrorists shooting, stabbing, and beheading a group of 11 Christians in retaliation for the U.S. Armed Forces killing ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in October.

“No details were given about the victims, who were all male, but IS says they were ‘captured in the past weeks’ in Nigeria’s north-eastern Borno State,” the BBC reported. “It was released on 26 December and analysts say it was clearly timed to coincide with Christmas celebrations.”

One of the terrorists in the video reportedly said, “This is a message to Christians all over the world.”

Reuters reported that the video showed “men in beige uniforms and black masks lining up behind blindfolded captives then beheading 10 of them and shooting an 11th man.” . . .

“In recent months, ISWAP has intensified its attacks on Christians, security personnel and aid staff, setting up roadblocks on highways and conducting searches,” the AFP reported. “On Sunday, the jihadists killed six people and abducted five others including two aid workers when they intercepted vehicles on a highway on the outskirts of Maiduguri, the Borno state capital.” (Read more from “ISIS Executes 11 Christians on Christmas” HERE)

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Israel’s Netanyahu Wins Ruling Party Leadership Vote

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Embattled Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared a “huge” victory Friday, after winning a leadership primary that ensures he will lead his right-wing Likud party into March elections.

Israel’s longest-serving premier, who faces a corruption indictment and a third general election in twelve months, was expected to beat rival Gideon Saar but the convincing margin of victory strengthened his position in the party he has dominated for 20 years.

With all votes counted, Likud announced early Friday that Netanyahu had secured 72.5 percent, with Saar winning 27.5 percent. . .

Netanyahu held multiple campaign events a day in different parts of the country, while on Thursday his Facebook page broadcast live video of him phoning supporters.

In the campaign’s most dramatic moment on Wednesday, Netanyahu was rushed off stage at a rally in Ashkelon in southern Israel after a rocket was fired from the nearby Palestinian enclave of Gaza. (Read more from “Israel’s Netanyahu Wins Ruling Party Leadership Vote” HERE)

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For China’s Underground Churches, This Was No Easy Christmas

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Li Chengju glared at her prison interrogator as he pressed her to renounce her Christian church and condemn her pastor. . .

“I’m a citizen who has faith,” she told the interrogator. “God knows everything you are doing and he will judge you one day.”

Then she repeated a saying she’d heard at church about the Chinese president: “Xi Jinping is sinning against God. If he doesn’t repent, he will be judged by God.” . . .

The government calls its campaign “Sinicization” — a euphemism for turning faith into a tool for indoctrination in Chinese Communist Party ideology. The official five-year plan, issued in 2018, calls for inserting “patriotic education” and “socialist core values” into churches, revising the Bible and using church sermons to enforce party leadership and reject foreign influences. . .

“Every day, we’re in a battle with fear,” she said. “But we can pray, and God will be faithful.” (Read more from “For China’s Underground Churches, This Was No Easy Christmas” HERE)

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Hong Kong Police Use Tear Gas, Pepper Spray on Christmas Eve Protesters

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By The Blaze. While many across the world are spending Christmas Eve doing last minute shopping and spending time with family, protesters in Hong Kong are continuing to experience violent clashes with the police as they seek to secure additional freedoms and autonomy from the Chinese government.

According to Bloomberg News, hundreds of citizens turned out in various Hong Kong shopping districts in the latest round of protests, which have now lasted more than six months and have often turned violent.

Police were reported to have fired tear gas canisters around 9pm local time at a crowd that gathered outside the Peninsula Hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui, and also to have used pepper spray on protesters inside other shopping malls and centers throughout the city. Chinese state media reported that a handful of arrests were made.

The protests, which occurred on one of the busiest shopping days of the year, further added to the economic unrest in Hong Kong, which has been severely impacted by the protracted civil unrest. (Read more from “Hong Kong Police Use Tear Gas, Pepper Spray on Christmas Eve Protesters” HERE)

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5 Charts Show How Protests in Hong Kong Have Affected the City’s Economy and Stock Market

By CNBC. . .The protests, along with uncertainties such as the U.S.-China trade war, sent the Hong Kong economy into a recession for the first time in a decade. . .

One major driver of the economic downturn in Hong Kong is a steep decline in retail sales. Private consumption accounts for around 65% of the city’s GDP. . .

Declining tourist arrivals into Hong Kong have added to the city’s economic troubles. . .

Despite the pressure on the economy, Hong Kong’s benchmark stock index — the Hang Seng Index — appears on track to end 2019 higher than where it started the year. . .

That’s because investors still see the Hong Kong stock market as a way to buy and sell Chinese assets, according to Mark Mobius, founding partner at Mobius Capital Partners. (Read more from “5 Charts Show How Protests in Hong Kong Have Affected the City’s Economy and Stock Market” HERE)

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‘No More Mercy’: 1,500 Iranians Killed in Crackdown on Protesters

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By Washington Examiner. New numbers reported by three Iranian interior ministry officials paint a picture of the magnitude of last month’s fuel hike protests in the country.

Close to 1,500 protesters are said to have been murdered in what marks the bloodiest political shakedown since the Islamic Revolution in 1979.

Mounting economic despair and a surprise November fuel price hike, which increased gas prices by as much as 200%, led Iranians to demonstrate, with early death estimates far lower than what was reported on Monday.

In response to the economy and the new fuel tax, protesters filed onto the streets in more than 100 cities and towns. They burned images of Iranian leader Ali Khamenei and called for the return of Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of the former shah of Iran.

The Department of State told Reuters that they estimated hundreds had died during the protests but included that the number could be over 1,000. (Read more from “‘No More Mercy’: 1,500 Iranians Killed in Crackdown on Protesters” HERE)

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Iran Spending $24.5 Million per Day to Crush Dissent in the Country

By The Jerusalem Post. As Iran suppressed protests that spread throughout the country, Radio Farda reported that the Islamic Republic has been spending $24.5 million per day to crush dissent and suppress protests throughout the year.

Protests affected over 100 cities since November, with security forces using violent measures against the demonstrators, including lethal force.

According to the report, Iran has spent $9 billion on various sectors of the security service this fiscal year, which includes the intelligence ministry, police, Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps and paramilitary Basij, the latter often used to crush popular dissent.

The report also detailed the recent growth of the Iranian security forces budget, rising from $3.1 billion since the start of Hassan Rouhani’s presidency in 2013, to $5.7 billion by the sixth year of his term.

The $9 billion budget this year comes amid a deepening economic crisis in the country, combined with a marked decline in Iran’s oil exports of 213,000 barrels per day. (Read more from “Iran Spending $24.5 Million per Day to Crush Dissent in the Country” HERE)

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No Christmas Mass at Notre Dame for First Time in Over 200 Years

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It will be a true silent night at the Notre Dame Cathedral this year, as there will be no Christmas Mass for the first time since it was briefly converted to the secular “Temple of Reason” during the French Revolution.

“Notre Dame Cathedral is unable to host Christmas services for the first time since the French Revolution, because the Paris landmark was too deeply damaged by this year’s fire,” reported The Associated Press.

“Its exiled clergy, choir and congregation are celebrating the holiday in another Gothic church next to the Louvre Museum instead,” the report continued. “Christmas Eve and Christmas Day services will be held in the Saint-Germain l’Auxerrois church, once used for French royalty. Notre Dame’s rector, Monsignor Patrick Chauvet, will celebrate Mass there Wednesday for Notre Dame’s faithful, accompanied by song from some of Notre Dame’s now-itinerant choir.” . . .

Following the fire, French President Emmanuel Macron announced that the cathedral will eventually be even “more beautiful,” while also calling for it to be rebuilt in just five years.

“The fire at Notre Dame reminds us that our history never stops and we will always have challenges to overcome,” Macron said. “We will rebuild Notre Dame, more beautiful than before — and I want it done in the next five years. We can do it. After the time of testing comes a time of reflection and then of action.” (Read more from “No Christmas Mass at Notre Dame for First Time in Over 200 Years” HERE)

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Trump Win: China to Lower Import Tariffs

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China will lower tariffs on products ranging from frozen pork and avocado to some types of semiconductors next year as Beijing looks to boost imports amid a slowing economy and a trade war with the United States.

Next year, China will implement temporary import tariffs, which are lower than the most-favored-nation tariffs, on more than 850 products, the finance ministry said on Monday. That compared with 706 products that were taxed at temporary rates in 2019.

The tariff changes were made to “increase imports of products facing a relative domestic shortage, or foreign specialty goods for everyday consumption,” the ministry said in a statement on its website.

China and the United States cooled their drawn-out trade war earlier this month, announcing a Phase 1 agreement that would reduce some U.S. tariffs in exchange for more Chinese purchases of American farm products and other goods.

The finance ministry said the tariff rate for frozen pork will be cut to 8% from the most-favored-nation duty of 12%, as China copes to plug a huge supply gap after a severe pig disease decimated its hog herd. (Read more from “Trump Win: China to Lower Import Tariffs” HERE)

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U.S. Officials Closely Monitoring Possible Nuclear Launch by North Korea After ‘Christmas Gift’ Warning

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By Fox News. U.S. officials are on high alert for signs of a possible missile launch from North Korea in the coming days that officials have referred to as a “Christmas gift.”

A significant launch or nuclear test would raise the end of North Korea’s self-imposed moratorium on missile launches and tests. It would also be a major blow to one of President Trump’s major foreign policy goals to get North Korea back to the negotiating table to eliminate its nuclear weapons.

Earlier this month, the North conducted what U.S. officials say was an engine test. Experts believe it may have involved an engine for a long-range missile.

“North Korea has been advancing. It has been building new capabilities,” said Anthony Wier, a former State Department official who tracks nuclear disarmament for the Friends Committee on National Legislation. “As long as that continues, they gain new capabilities to try new missiles to threaten us and our allies in new ways,”

North Korea warned of a possible “Christmas gift” in early December, saying the Trump administration was running out of time on nuclear negotiations, and it was up to the U.S. to choose what “Christmas gift” it gets from Pyongyang. (Read more from “U.S. Officials Closely Monitoring Possible Nuclear Launch by North Korea After ‘Christmas Gift’ Warning” HERE)

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U.S. Officials Bracing for Imminent North Korea Intercontinental Ballistic Missile Test

By Slate. . .Pyongyang has promised to deliver a “Christmas gift” if there is no progress on easing up on sanctions. But any movement on that front seems nearly impossible at this stage, considering talks with Washington have stalled and the North Korean regime is once again insulting President Donald Trump regularly. As tensions with North Korea increase, and especially if there is a test around the holidays, it would mark a huge blow to one of Trump’s major foreign policy initiatives. And it would happen right as he gears up for the presidential campaign. Some North Korea experts say Pyongyang may be watching the electoral calendar as well. There is speculation that Kim could be using “Trump’s intense focus on his re-election next November as leverage to pressure him into lifting sanctions and striking a deal that favors Pyongyang,” notes Politico. The impeachment proceedings may also make Pyongyang feel that Trump is particularly vulnerable.

If the test does happen, it seems clear how the administration will react. Even though Trump used to cite suspensions of tests as a sign that his efforts at diplomacy with Kim were working, officials now say a test will show the North Korean leader feels cornered, with few options as to how to proceed.

There is uncertainty about what North Korea may even test, with some speculating that it may be a satellite on a long-range booster rather than a long-range missile, notes CNN. CBS News talks to intelligence officials who say that while a short-range missile test or rocket engine test could happen at any time, a long-range intercontinental ballistic missile test is unlikely before the beginning of the year. (Read more from “U.S. Officials Bracing for Imminent North Korea Intercontinental Ballistic Missile Test” HERE)

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