1 Year Later: US Bombings Fail to Weaken Islamic State

A year after the United States started its campaign to attack Islamic State positions in Iraq and Syria, there is little change in the numeric strength of the terror group or its ability to execute terror attacks, according to U.S. intelligence agencies.

"We've seen no meaningful degradation in their numbers," an anonymous defense official told The Associated Press, saying his analysis is based on intelligence estimates, according to which the group still has between 20,000 and 30,000 fighters.

The estimated strength of Islamic State (IS), also known as ISIS or ISIL, was about the same when the airstrikes by the U.S.-led international coalition began last August.

An esitmated 10,000 IS fighters have been killed in airstrikes, but the Sunni terror group has managed to replenish its ranks with foreign jihadis. Not only this, IS has also expanded its activities to other countries, including Libya, Egypt's Sinai Peninsula and Afghanistan.A year after the United States started its campaign to attack Islamic State positions in Iraq and Syria, there is little change in the numeric strength of the terror group or its ability to execute terror attacks, according to U.S. intelligence agencies.

"We've seen no meaningful degradation in their numbers," an anonymous defense official told The Associated Press, saying his analysis is based on intelligence estimates, according to which the group still has between 20,000 and 30,000 fighters.

The estimated strength of Islamic State (IS), also known as ISIS or ISIL, was about the same when the airstrikes by the U.S.-led international coalition began last August.

An esitmated 10,000 IS fighters have been killed in airstrikes, but the Sunni terror group has managed to replenish its ranks with foreign jihadis. Not only this, IS has also expanded its activities to other countries, including Libya, Egypt's Sinai Peninsula and Afghanistan.

In Iraq and Syria, IS has lost roughly 10 percent of its territory in the first six months of this year, according to an analysis by the conflict monitoring group IHS, but it still has money and fighters.

"ISIL has plenty of money," Daniel Glaser, assistant secretary for terrorist financing at the Treasury Department, was quoted as saying. The group has more than enough to meet a payroll of about $360 million a year.

The Obama administration claims it wants to "degrade and destroy" IS, but its extremely cautious policy towards the terror group does not look promising, according to critics.

Why Is the World Turning a Blind Eye to the 'Eradication' of Christians in the Middle East?

Christianity is being "wiped out" of its region of birth, said Cato Institute foreign policy expert Doug Bandow Tuesday during a Family Research Council discussion on the increase in Christian persecution in the Middle East and Africa, and he offered reasons why the international community has done little to save those ancient Christian communities.

Bandow, who is also a senior fellow in international religious persecution at the Institute on Religion and Public Policy and a former special assistant to the late President Ronald Reagan, argued that as Christians continue to be martyred at the hands of radical Islamic State jihadis or continue to live in squalor as refugees in Kurdish Iraq, the United States and other nations need to be doing more to aid the affected Christians and other religious minorities.

Although the U.S.-led coalition has conducted a number of airstrikes against IS, the strikes have done little to defeat the terrorist group or prevent it from continuing to destroy the ancient Christian history that has survived in Iraq and Syria for over 2,000 years.

Although the U.S. has trained 60 vetted Syrian rebels, there's not been any fight put up by Western nations on the ground,

"Most countries don't have expeditionary militaries and would never consider sending them in a case like this," Bandow explained. "Few of them see much of a diplomatic option, so you kind of roll your eyes and don't know what to do."

Lakita Garth-Wright: Virgin Until Marriage at Age 36

This write up was done few years ago, nevertheless the message is still insightful and timeless. The article is on Lakita Garth-Wright, whose message dwelt heavily on abstinence and sexual purity. 

The message was sourced from Waiting till marriage website.

Please read further:

If there was an official figurehead of the Christian purity movement, it would probably be Lakita Garth. For nearly a decade she has been all over the country speaking about abstinence at schools, churches, youth camps, and even as a guest on the conservative-reviling TV Show Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher. True to her word, her first kiss was on the alter.

Quotes about Waiting till Marriage

"Abstinence is a lifestyle. It is mastering the art of self-control, self-discipline, delay of self-gratification. I was taught that you cannot master life unless you’ve mastered those three skills. The message that I always heard from my parents was “Begin with the end in mind.”

"I am a ’20-something’ year old black female, a former 2nd-runner up to Miss Black America, an entertainer, president of a corporation, and a virgin."

"Have I ever been naked in bed with a guy? No. I’m not having sex until I say “I do,” which means I do you, you do me, and we don’t do anyone else. No ringy, no dingy. I’m 34 years old and a virgin, but not trying to make anyone feel bad, especially the kids I speak to about abstinence."

"The guys who do stick around either see me as a challenge or are genuinely intrigued with the whole notion of abstinence and want to know more."

"Sex isn’t evil. Sex is wonderful, and we should teach our children to respect it. But we must be consistent. We don’t say, “Don’t do drugs, but if you do, use a clean needle.

"So we’re going out there and having sex to find [love]. Our society expends too much time and energy on sex and what we see today are the casualties."

Salvations Break Out after this Yazidi Leader is Radically Healed and Saved

"The last time we were there, he was standing surrounded by all his followers and telling everyone about how Jesus healed him, and after I gave a speech to the group and did an invitation to Christ, we counted 136 people who surrendered their lives to Christ."

(Iraq)—[CAM] As the world began to see the degree of savagery unleashed on Yazidis, Christians and other groups in Iraq a year ago this week, few could imagine what part it would play in hundreds of people putting their faith in Christ.

On Aug. 3, 2014 the Islamic State (ISIS) began slaughtering defenseless civilians in northern Iraq's Nineveh Governorate, and the militants abducted many others. The bloodshed went on for several days. Having taken Mosul on June 10 last year, ISIS went west to attack Nineveh Governorate's Sinjar and Tal Afar districts, massacring 500 Yazidi men and abducing hundreds of men, women and children.

"For months, Yazidis trapped on Mt. Sinjar faced imminent death either at the hands of ISIS or through starvation," the chairman of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom said in a statement this week. "At least 200,000 civilians, most of them Yazidis, were forced to flee for their lives."

With beliefs and rituals rooted in Zoroastrianism, mixed with elements of Christianity and Islam, Yazidis dwelled in the high-altitude Sinjar Mountain range stretching from Iraq's Nineveh Governorate to Syria. Many fled to Erbil and Dohuk, enabling Christian ministries aiding refugees in those areas to reach a people group that previously had been inaccessible.

One Yazidi religious leader, whose name is withheld for security reasons, was suspicious of a ministry that provided aid to Yazidis along with the message of salvation through faith in Christ, the Iraqi director of the organization said.

"He didn't like us helping people or entering their homes to evangelize, and he reported us to the local security police to stop our operations in the area he lives in," said the director, whose name is withheld for security purposes. "We were asked by the local police to stop, and we did."

Soon after, the Yazidi leader fell ill. His fellow Yazidis told him that many of them who had gotten sick had been healed after Christians came to pray for them.

RCCG 63rd Convention: Be pure as light, Adeboye charges Christians.

AT a very colorful welcome ceremony last night, the General Overseer, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, who had resolved to limit his messages during the ongoing 63rd annual convention to a maximum of 25 minutes, urged Christians to strive to remain pure as the light.

Speaking at the first plenary of the convention, Pastor Adeboye said this year’s convention will be different in all ramifications; in signs and wonders, miracles and breakthrough.

Drawing inspiration from Bible book of James 1:17, on a topic titled: “Pure as light,” the general overseer took time to introduce the theme of the convention, All Sufficient God, emphasising the need for people to acknowledge that God is the father of light.

According to the man of God, anyone who embrace Him as his/her father and “He is the father of light, it shows that you are light. You must be light if you are a child of God because God is the father of light.

“There are two forces controlling the world and affairs of men: they are forces of darkness and forces of light. Forces of darkness have various names including demons, devils, witches, wizards, herbalists, liars, fraudsters. All those evil names are appellations of forces of darkness,” he stated.

He said the characteristics of darkness include shame—anything that can produce shame, you want to do it in darkness. The bible said human beings love darkness than light because their works are evil, pointing out that the characteristics of darkness include sorrow, defeat, failure, losses, death, destruction amongst others.

“On the other hand, characteristics of light include; glory, joy! You remember how people used to shout when the electricity authority used to be called NEPA, when they take off light, darkness comes and people will shout their disappointment and when the light comes on the people shout for joy.

Chinese Officials facing backlash after severe crackdown on Church Crosses

OWER DAFEI VILLAGE, China - About a dozen Catholics wept and sang hymns outside their church as a man climbed to the top of the building and sliced off its steel cross with a cutting torch. It toppled with a thud.

"Aren't you ashamed of what you have done?" a teary woman yelled at the more than 100 security guards, who along with police and government workers kept the parishioners of Lower Dafei Catholic Church from protecting the symbol of their faith. The guards, who stood with shields and batons in the sun for nearly two hours, looked indifferent.

"Doesn't the government give us the right to religious freedom? Why are they taking down our symbol without any explanation?" another parishioner said hours earlier, as government workers arrived to build the scaffolding to reach the cross.

"We have violated no law. We do not oppose the government," said the parishioner, who gave his name only as Chen for fear of retaliation from authorities. "We have been good, law-abiding citizens."

Authorities in southeastern Zhejiang province are believed to be under a two-month deadline to remove crosses from the spires, vaults, roofs and wall arches of the 4,000 or so churches that dot the landscape of this economically thriving region.

In a rare move, even China's semiofficial Christian associations - which are supposed to ensure the ruling Communist Party's control over Protestant and Catholic groups - have denounced the campaign as unconstitutional and humiliating. They have warned that it could risk turning the faithful into enemies of the party.

How I Escaped Bomb Blast, 57 Bullet Shots, 20 Petitions, By Dr A. Abolurin, Ex CG of NSCDC

Immediate past Commandant-General of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, Dr. Ade Abolurin, on Sunday, revealed how 57 gun shots were fired at him, simply because he decided to serve God as the boss of the corps.

He also said that twenty (20) petitions were written against him while in office.

The former CG of the NSCDC made the revelations at the inter-denominational Thanksgiving Service organised for him at the National Christian Centre, Abuja.

Abolurin, who began his remarks with a song entitled, “Jesus will soon come back”, pointed out that over one thousand unused bullets were also recovered from the attackers sent to kill him, when he travelled to Plateau State to serve other Nigerians.

Noting that many people had said many things about what he had done, he added, however, that they did not remember to not talk about the efficacy of prayers in his life.

Abolurin further stated that he did not know the meaning of bomb until he was on an official assignment to Plateau State on that faithful day, when two grenades were lobbed at his car with guns equally pointed at him, stressing that fortunately enough, none of the shots hit him.

The incident, Abolurin said, led to the death of his driver, adding that he had no regret serving God.

The former CG of the NSCDC gave testimony on how God saved him from a Bellview plane crash when the pilot announced that he had lost control.

Between Christ and the False Vine - YEMI OBIDEYI

I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. 2  Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every [branch] that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. 3  Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. 4  Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. 5  I am the vine, ye [are] the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. 6  If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast [them] into the fire, and they are burned. (John 15:1-6)


One of the farthest depths on earth is the field of the riches of God’s word denominated in the scriptures- Genesis to Revelation. 

From the old to the New Testament the bible captures the story of creation from inception, the role of man as the focal point or agent of God to tend and manage creation in line with God’s end time purpose for the earth.

In terms of volume, the bible is obviously not the biggest of books, yet it is unique for many reasons. One of such is that it is a prophetic timeline which content had overtime shaped human history more than any other.   Besides, its authoritativeness and veracity are laid out not only in the sixty-six books that make it up, but also in the lives of men, women and nations who/which chose to live by the words of God contained therein.

Being the author of wisdom, knowledge and understanding God Almighty consciously and deliberately “hides” the intent and substance of His words in depths far beyond the surface. 
In other words, there are more sides to God’s word than one. In simple terms, one side is referred to as ‘the letters’ and the other, the Spirit’. The bible actually warns in this regard, saying; “the letter of God’s word killeth” but the spirit behind “giveth life”.

While it is easy to lay hold of the ‘letters’ of His word, it is not so with the ‘spirit’ behind. The Spirit gives revelation or shed light on the code and unveils the heart of God regarding His word at that point.
Whereas any intelligent personality can explain the outer layer of a biblical passage, it takes a closer relationship with God to understand His voice and His path.

Perhaps one of the reasons God chooses to work this way is that it gives Him opportunity to reveal the “life” (substance) in His word to those who please Him. And these include, for the most part, the humble, the meek at heart, the babe and the suckling (who count no offence nor engage in malice).
More than these however, God, sometimes, leaves certain things un-decoded until He finds the right person or the most appropriate time set by Him.

Being the custodian of the bible and the vanguard of gospel propagation on earth, it is expected that the church of Christ would leave no stone unturned to ensure commitment to the sanctity of God’s words, the fundamental teachings and commandments of Jesus Christ, on whom the faith is built and for whom the church exists. 

A thorough check up of the church history reveals a consistent deviation from this expectation even from one generation to another.    

Don't abandon debate on Gay Marriage, Sexual Ethics Is 'Not an Option for a Gospel People' - Russell Moore

Russell Moore, president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, the largest Protestant denomination in the United States, says churches should not abandon the debate on gay marriage and overall sexual ethics.

Speaking at an event in Austin, Texas, on Wednesday, Moore asserted that "to capitulate on those issues" on sexual ethics "is not an option for a Gospel people."

"There are some people in our context right now who because these issues of sexuality and the sexual revolution are so controversial and so often confused, where people will often say to those who hold to even the most basic definition of a Christian sexual ethic 'you're a bigot,' the proper response is to simply be silent," said Moore.

By avoiding sexual ethics debates the Church is "not just avoiding a social issue or a moral issue, we are avoiding a Gospel issue," he emphasized.

Moore also told those gathered that Christians are called to be both a people of "conviction and kindness" when arguing in defense of traditional Christian sexual ethics.

"We … tend to think of kindness and we tend to think of gentleness as being weakness or being passivity or being politeness, a politeness that does not address or does not engage controversy," said Moore.

"The Church now has the opportunity to articulate a distinctively Christian witness to marriage and sexuality. For a long time in the 20th century, local churches could count on the culture to do pre-evangelism."

COURT DRAMA: Magistrate preaches forgiveness to Pastor

The arraignment of three teenage boys at a Chief Magistrate’s Court in Benin on Monday caused a mild drama in the court as the Chief Magistrate gave a sermon on forgiveness to a Reverend of a church.

The name of the three boys involved in the case who were between 15 and 17 years of age, were given as Goodluck Benson, Omoruyi Isaiah and Ediomwan Desmond. They were alleged to have stolen N11,500 and a Techno phone worth N4000 inside St. Paul Anglican Church, Ologbo village in Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area of Edo State.

They however escaped death by the whiskers when a mob was said to have beaten then to pulp and placed tyres on their necks, but were fortunately rescued by the police.

The drama ensued when the boys were to be arraigned at the court on a four count charge of stealing and belonging to an unlawful secret cult called Blade.

One of the suspects, Benson, told Chief Magistrate Esohe Bazuaye told the court that he was 17 years old and not 19 as written by the police on the charge sheet. 

Gov. Scott Walker Says He's Not Sure if Obama Is Christian ... Again

Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker repeated what he has said earlier, that "I don't know" if President Obama is a Christian, adding, "I presume he is." The Republican presidential candidate stressed his answer won't change no matter how many times he is asked.

"You're not going to get a different answer than I said before," Walker said at a donor summit in California Saturday night, according to The Washington Post. "I don't know. I presume he is."

Walker, who was responding to a question, told roughly 400 donors at the summit he has never asked Obama about his faith.

"As someone who is a believer myself, I don't presume to know someone's beliefs about whether they follow Christ or not unless I've actually talked with them," he added.

Walker concluded his answer by saying, "He's said he is, and I take him at his word."

In Fenurary, Scott said he didn't know whether Obama is a Christian after The Post asked him the "gotcha" question about which religion President Obama adheres to.

I Was Training to Be a Radical Imam and Then Saw Jesus

Thousands of People Are Being Transformed by Jesus Christ in the Arab World as the Gospel Breaks New Ground in a Region Hostile to Its Message and Its Missionaries

ERBIL, IRAQ — Amidst the battle against Islamic State across Syria and Iraq, an Arab Holocaust continues to unfold as millions of people flee their extremist ideologies and horrifying violence.

The situation is reaching a "new level of barbarity with each passing day" that's resulting in "devastating spillover effects across the region," stated U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon at a meeting with world powers late last year.

Here in Iraq and Syria, the atmosphere among the people is one of despair as the world turns a blind eye to their suffering. "Only the mountains are our friends," say many Kurds, a minority group hatefully persecuted by the radical Islamists.

However, in the thick of the chaos and oppression, a glimmer of hope has emerged as thousands of people from traditional Muslim backgrounds discover the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

"I was a devote Muslim and often preached, but there was something missing. There was something empty about Allah and the Quran. Jesus appeared to me in a dream and open my eyes ... what has missing was His love and peace," said Iraqi Barazan Azeezi to The Christian Post.

Like many others disillusioned with the widespread oppression and injustice, Azeezi soon went looking for a Bible and started to read it and inspect it.

RCCG 63rd Convention: Expect new experience of fulfillment - Pastor Enoch Adeboye

The 63rd Annual Convention the Redeemed Christian Church of God began yesterday with great expectation in the hearts of all participants. The meeting will run for one week, and gospel preachers are expected from within and outside Nigeria. One notable figure being expected to grace the occasion is no other than Nigeria’s Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, who incidentally is a minister in the fold. 

  

Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Church, in his welcome address enjoined the participants that the theme holds lots of promises for every one and their lives will be imparted in ways they have never imagined. It will surely be a time of divine visitation.

The text of the welcome address read in part: 

“The Lord has preserved us to see another convention of His church and to participate in the blessings that he alone can give. We, therefore, welcome you to the convention of The All-Sufficient God. This year’s theme holds lots of promises for all of us who will participate in all the proceedings and our lives will be imparted in ways we have never imagined.

“The All Sufficient One has enough blessings to give all His children because there is no shortage in His storehouse. He appeared to Abraham as the El Shaddai, the One who is more than enough (Gen 17:1), and He is still the same till this moment. During this convention, He will release His all-sufficiency concerning all your long-awaited miracles and you will become a testimony in the name of Jesus.

Mark Zuckerberg and wife, Priscilla Chan are having a baby girl

Great news for Mark Zuckerberg and wife, Priscilla Chan. The couple are finally having a baby girl after three miscarriages. 

 Zuckerberg writes this cheery news openly on Facebook after several years of trying to have a baby without success.

Here's the Facebook post from Zuckerberg:

Priscilla and I have some exciting news: we're expecting a baby girl!

This will be a new chapter in our lives. We've already been so fortunate for the opportunity to touch people's lives around the world -- Cilla as a doctor and educator, and me through this community and philanthropy. Now we'll focus on making the world a better place for our child and the next generation.

We want to share one experience to start. We've been trying to have a child for a couple of years and have had three miscarriages along the way.

Over 100 Million Christians Are Being Persecuted for Their Faith in Jesus Christ, Says Christian Charity Report

A charity helping persecuted Christians throughout the world reports that over 100 million followers of Christ, along with other religious minorities, are being targeted for their faith.

AGI noted the report by Caritas Italiana published in the daily newspaper of the Vatican City, L' Osservatore Romano, reveals that Christians are facing widespread global persecution, discrimination, and violence at the hands of totalitarian regimes.

It identified several regions as being more dangerous than others for Christians, including North Korea, where it said between 50,000 and 70,000 Christians are being held in detention camps.

The violence and hostility endured by Christians throughout the Middle East and Africa, at the hands of the Islamic State and other terror groups, was also well documented. Over the past year especially, Christians in Iraq and Syria have been killed for refusing to abandon their faith and join IS' radical ideology.

"The declared aim of Caritas is to shed light on the causes of the persecution of Christians in the world, taking into account the economic, cultural and geopolitical variables of each of the countries involved, while giving voice to the silent testimony of the many Christians who continue to practice their faith despite risking their lives," the report stated.

Statistics on persecution of Christians vary, though watchdog group Open Doors also said in January at the release of its World Watch List that approximately 100 million Christians are persecuted worldwide. The type of persecution analyzed ranged from government-inflicted, to violence carried out by terror groups.

Melinda Gates fetches water in Malawi!! Carried 20-litre bucket of water on her head!!

Wife of the richest man in the world, Melinda Gates, was pictured on Saturday carrying on her head a bucket of water fetched from a village in Malawi.

Net worth of the United States’ billionaire Bill Gates, according to Forbes magazine’s annual list of the world’s billionaires, stands at $76 billion.

The billionaire’s spouse, who described herself as “philanthropist, businesswoman, mother, passionate advocate for women and girls,” posted a photo of herself with a 20-litre bucket of water on her head alongside two other Malawian women, walking on a dirt road.

Oklahoma's Supreme Court orders the state to remove the Ten Commandments Monument

It Seems like every vestige that connects America to Christianity is being targeted for a cut down.

Christianity Today Reports:

Oklahoma's Supreme Court on Monday said the state must remove a Ten Commandments stone monument first placed at its Capitol in 2012, rejecting an appeal to reconsider an earlier decision.

The justices denied a request by the Oklahoma Capitol Preservation Commission to rethink the court's June 30 decision that the statue's placement violates the state constitution's ban on the use of state property for the benefit of religion.

Earlier in July, Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin, a Republican, had said she would keep the monument in place while lawmakers sought a way to block the decision.

The 6-foot-tall monument was paid for with private money and is supported by lawmakers in the socially conservative state. Some lawmakers had threatened to impeach the justices or amend the constitution.

A Journalist/Author at Pastor Adeboye’s Roots Ifewara.., the Mt. Carmel Prayer Mountain

The town welcomed us with a blanket of old brown roofs that suggested its  age. It was Saturday afternoon and the  township had obviously emptied itself into the farmlands surrounding it. The streets were nearly deserted. It was not any different at the centre of town. Even a motor park nearby was idle. Welcome to Ifewara!

An ongoing project made it mandatory for me to visit Ifewara for a better appreciation of the miracle that is Pastor E. A. Adeboye, General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God. Ifewara, some 10 minutes drive from Ife, Osun State, is his hometown.

From various accounts and available evidence, it is indeed a miracle that from abject and debilitating depravation has emerged a highly revered man, who heads a church with a massive visible presence in over 184 countries.
Right from Lagos, the GPS on my phone assured me that there was no way one could miss it: from Lagos to Ibadan, continue to Ife, and then Ifewara.

Ife

Lagos to Ife was uneventful. But from there on, we had to ask for directions to Ifewara. The hawkers of akara (bean cake) whom we approached on the outskirts of Ife showed great excitement at the mention of the place. Many of them were eager to direct us. However, with Ife’s many streets, the information could only have been useful to someone who was familiar with the town. 

In the end, the choice for a commercial motorcyclist at the town centre became our best bet. Happy to show us the way for a fee, the motorcyclist took us through a network of narrow streets to the outskirts of the town. “Go straight along that road,” he said, pointing at it. “In about 10 minutes, you will come across Daddy Adeboye’s Church on the right and shortly after that you are in Ifewara town.”

Pastor Adeboye’s Church? I had heard about a church he’d built years ago but I had expected it to be within the town, so a church away from town could only be a new church. In any case, it was to be an important landmark for us to look for.
The motorcyclist was wrong! What we saw occupying the whole side of a hill was a beauty to behold. Work was ongoing at the site and so it had not been opened for use.

THE SCROLL 1

New Poll Suggests Few Americans View the US as a Christian Country

A LifeWay Research survey from earlier this week has found that only 19 percent of respondents consider America to be a Christian nation. Furthermore, more respondents felt the U.S. is a welcoming place for atheists than for Muslims.

While only 19 percent identified America specifically as a Christian nation, close to 69 percent said that is a "Nation of Many Religions." Another 9 percent suggested it is a secular nation.

"Debate about whether America is a Christian nation will continue," said Scott McConnell, LifeWay Research vice president. "Although most Americans are Christians, they understand a nation founded on principles of religious freedom will be a nation of many faiths."

When it comes to welcoming people of different religious faiths, 92 percent of voters said the U.S. is a welcoming place for Christians — and 87 percent said the same for Jewish people.

Nigeria is seventh largest in the world, says UN report

Nigeria is one of the six countries whose population will exceed the 300 million mark in less than two decades, the United Nations (UN) has said in a report.

The other countries are: China. India, Indonesia, Pakistan and United States (U.S.)

Listed as one of the 10 largest countries in the world, the Nigeria is said to have a population believed to be growing the most rapid.

Going by the UN report, Nigeria has the potential of dislodging the U.S. as the world’s third largest in another 35 years.

 “Among the 10 largest countries in the world currently, one is in Africa (Nigeria), five are in Asia (Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, and Pakistan), two are in Latin America (Brazil and Mexico), one is in Northern America (US), and one is in Europe (Russian Federation).

 “Of these, Nigeria’s population, currently the seventh largest in the world, is growing the most rapidly,” said the report. Consequently, the population of Nigeria is projected to surpass that of the United States by about 2050, at which point it would become the third largest country in the world.

 The report also projected that by 2050 the populations of six countries are expected to exceed 300 million: China, India, Indonesia, Nigeria, Pakistan, and the United States.

ON MARBLE 1

MUSIC: Preye - Ebezina

Microsoft rolls out Windows 10 in 190 countries

Microsoft began rolling out its Windows 10 operating system Wednesday as a free upgrade for computer users in 190 countries, saying it delivers on its vision for "more personal computing."

The stakes are high for Microsoft as it pushes out the new operating system for both traditional computers and mobile devices such as tablets and smartphones.

The US tech giant is hoping the new system can help it gain traction in mobile, where is lags Google Android and Apple iOS.

"Our vision was one platform, one store, and one experience that extends across the broadest range of devices from the smallest screens to the largest screens to no screens at all," said Microsoft executive vice president for Windows Terry Myerson in a blog post.

"Windows 10 begins to deliver on our vision for more personal computing. In this world experiences are mobile, moving with you seamlessly and easily across your devices. Interacting with technology is as natural as interacting with people -- using voice, pen, gestures and even gaze for the right interaction, in the right way, at the right time. And in our connected and transparent world, we respect your privacy and help protect your information."

Another Pentecostal Snake Handler Dies After Venomous Bite

BELL COUNTY, Ky. (WKYT) - A man died after he was bitten by a snake Sunday during a church service, according to the Bell County Sheriff's Office.

John David Brock, 60, died after a snake bit him in the left arm and he refused medical treatment, according to the Bell County Sheriff's Office. Brock was handling a snake during a church service at Mossy Simpson Pentecostal Church in Jenson.

A church member says Brock was bitten by a rattlesnake. Brock refused medical treatment and went to his brother's house where he died four hours later. Bell County Coroner Jay Steele was called to the residence and pronounced Brock dead.

Steele says Brock's death is under investigation. He said Brock had other health problems.

The coroner said an autopsy will not be conducted, and Brock's official cause of death will be determined using medical records.

Brock, who believed in the Holiness faith, had been a coal miner for 36 years, according to his obituary.