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True and False Disciples, Part 3




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The Pathology of False Disciples, Part 2




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The Pathology of False Disciples, Part 1




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The Pathology of False Disciples, Part 3




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I and the Father Are One, Part 1




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I and the Father Are One, Part 2




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I and the Father Are One, Part 3




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I Am the Resurrection and the Life, Part 1




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I Am the Resurrection and the Life, Part 2




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I Am the Resurrection and the Life, Part 3




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When God’s Patience Runs Out, Part 1




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When God’s Patience Runs Out, Part 2




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Traits of a True Believer, Part 1




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Traits of a True Believer, Part 2




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The Promise of the Holy Spirit, Part 1




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The Promise of the Holy Spirit, Part 2




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The Benefits of Abiding in Christ, Part 1




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The Benefits of Abiding in Christ, Part 2




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The Benefits of Abiding in Christ, Part 3




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Slaves and Friends of Jesus, Part 1




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Slaves and Friends of Jesus, Part 2




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Why the World Hates Christians, Part 2




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Why the World Hates Christians, Part 1




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The Benefit of Christ’s Departure




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The Lord’s Greatest Prayer, Part 1




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The Lord’s Greatest Prayer, Part 2




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The Lord’s Greatest Prayer, Part 3




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The Lord’s Greatest Prayer, Part 4




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The Lord’s Greatest Prayer, Part 6




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The Lord’s Greatest Prayer, Part 5




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The Lord’s Greatest Prayer, Part 7




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The Lord’s Greatest Prayer, Part 8




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Jesus Appears Before Pilate, Part 1




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Jesus Appears Before Pilate, Part 2




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Jesus Appears Before Pilate, Part 3




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Jesus Appears Before Pilate, Part 4




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Spiritual Intimidation, Part 1




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Spiritual Intimidation, Part 2




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South Africa's top political parties begin final campaign push ahead of election

JOHANNESBURG — South Africa's four main political parties began the final weekend of campaigning Saturday before a possibly pivotal election that could bring the country's most important change in three decades. Supporters of the long-governing African National Congress, which has been in the government ever since the end of white minority rule in 1994, gathered at a soccer stadium in Johannesburg to hear party leader and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa speak. The ANC is under unprecedented pressure to keep hold of its parliamentary majority in Africa's most advanced country. Having seen its popularity steadily decline over the last two decades, Wednesday's vote could be a landmark moment when the party once led by Nelson Mandela drops below 50% of the vote for the first time. Several polls have the ANC's support at less than 50%, raising the possibility that it will have to form a national coalition. That would also be a first for South Africa's young democracy, which was only established 30 years ago with the first all-race vote that officially ended the apartheid system of racial segregation. As thousands of supporters in the ANC's black, green and gold colors attended its last major rally before the election, Ramaphosa recognized some of the grievances that have contributed to his party losing support, which include high levels of poverty and unemployment that mainly affect the country's Black majority. “We have a plan to get more South Africans to work," Ramaphosa said. “Throughout this campaign, in the homes of our people, in the workplaces, in the streets of our townships and villages, so many of our people told us of their struggles to find work and provide for their families.” The main opposition Democratic Alliance party had a rally in Cape Town, South Africa's second-biggest city and its stronghold. Party leader John Steenhuisen made a speech while supporters in the DA's blue colors held up blue umbrellas. “Democrats, friends, are you ready for change?” Steenhuisen said. The crowd shouted back “Yes!” "Are you ready to rescue South Africa?" Steenhuisen added. While the ANC's support has shrunk in three successive national elections and appears set to continue dropping, no party has emerged to overtake it — or even challenge it — and it is still widely expected to be the largest party by some way in this election. But losing its majority would be the clearest rejection yet of the famous party that led the anti-apartheid movement and is credited with leading South Africans to freedom. Some ANC supporters at the rally in Johannesburg also expressed their frustration with progress, as South Africa battles poverty, desperately high unemployment, some of the worst levels of inequality in the world, and other problems with corruption, violent crime and the failure of basic government services in some places. “We want to see job opportunities coming and basically general change in every aspect,” ANC supporter Ntombizonke Biyela said. “Since 1994 we have been waiting for ANC, it has been long. We have been voting and voting but we see very little progress as the people, only a special few seem to benefit.” While conceding to some failures, the ANC has maintained that South Africa is a better place than it was during apartheid, when a set of race-based laws oppressed the country's Black majority in favor of a small white minority. The ANC was also widely credited with success in expanding social support and housing and other services for millions of poor South Africans in the decade after apartheid, even if critics say it has lost its way recently. "There are many problems in South Africa, but nobody can deny the changes that have happened since 1994, and that was because of the ANC,” said 42-year-old Eric Phoolo, another supporter of the ruling party. “These other parties don’t have a track record of bringing change to the country." As some voters have turned away from the ANC, it has led to a slow fracturing of South African politics. They have changed allegiances to an array of different opposition parties, some of them new. South Africa has dozens of parties registered to contest next week's election. South Africans vote for parties and not directly for their president in national elections. Parties then get seats in Parliament according to their share of the vote and the lawmakers elect the president — which is why the ANC losing its majority would be so critical to the 71-year-old Ramaphosa's hope of being reelected for a second and final five-year term. If the ANC goes below 50, it would likely need a coalition or agreement with other parties to have the votes in Parliament to keep Ramaphosa, once a protege of Mandela, as president. The far-left Economic Freedom Fighters had their last big pre-election gathering in the northern city of Polokwane, the hometown of fiery leader Julius Malema. The new MK Party of former South African President and former ANC leader Jacob Zuma was also campaigning in a township just outside the east coast city of Durban, although Zuma didn't attend the event. The 82-year-old Zuma rocked South African politics when he announced late last year he was turning his back on the ANC and joining MK, while fiercely criticizing the ANC under Ramaphosa. Zuma has been disqualified from standing as a candidate for Parliament in the election because of a previous criminal conviction.




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U.S.-Africa Summit: Partnership Opportunities

The upcoming summit between U.S. and African leaders is likely to make progress on a number of investment, development and security issues.




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Thai gov't warns of possible attack on Israelis at Koh Phangan 'Full Moon' party


Israeli government officials have recognized this situation of a potential terrorist attack and shared a travel warning to Israelis.




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Trump names Musk, Ramaswamy to lead newly formed gov't department


Trump said their work would conclude by July 4, 2026, adding that a smaller government would be a "gift" to the country on the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.




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Botswana: Botswana's Election Shock - Analyst Reflects On Why Voters Kicked the Ruling Party Out After 58 Years

[The Conversation Africa] The dramatic loss of power by the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP), which had governed Botswana since independence in 1966, will go down in history as one of the biggest electoral upsets in Africa.




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Ethiopia: Dereja, in Partnership with the Ministry of Labor and Skills and the Mastercard Foundation, to Host the 5th National Career Expo, Connecting Over 30,000 Recent Graduates

[Mastercard Foundation] Addis Ababa, Ethiopia -- Dereja, in partnership with the Ministry of Labor and Skills (MOLS) and the Mastercard Foundation, will host the 5th National Career Expo on November 6 - 7, 2024, at Millennium Hall, Addis Ababa. The event will connect over 30,000 skilled professionals to the job market.




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Taiwan's Participation in the WHO Annual Assembly Is Vital to Ensuring Global Health Security

Taiwan accepts World Health Organization invitation despite political caveat from China




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Russia-Africa: Developing Media Partnership

At a recent media briefing, Maria Zakharova, the spokesperson for Russia’s Foreign Ministry, criticized the United States for its support of educational programs, media and NGOs in Africa. Zakharova argued that these efforts are part of a broader attempt by the U.S. to impose Western values and governance models on sovereign African states, framing it […]





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New Somali Piracy Threats Require Partnerships and Holistic Responses

[ISS] Somalia's upcoming seat on the UN Security Council should allow it to shape international maritime security policies.




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Somalia Insists Ethiopia Not Be Part of New AU Mission

[VOA] A senior Somali official insisted Saturday that Ethiopia will not participate in a new African Union peacekeeping mission starting in January.




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Somaliland Vice President Breaks Ranks, Backs Opposition Waddani Party Ahead of Election

[Radio Dalsan] Somaliland's Vice President, Abdirahman Abdillahi Ismail Saylici, made headlines on Sunday by publicly endorsing the opposition Waddani Party just days before the November 13 presidential election.