Prophecy News Watch provided by Worthy Ministries

Today's Breaking News
Around the World
Islamic State Uses Chainsaw to Hack Nine Iraqi Teens in Half
Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL) jihadists reportedly tied nine young men to iron poles in Mosul before hacking them in half with a chainsaw.
Attack on Christian colony in Pakistan leaves 5 dead
A group of militants attacked a Christian colony near Pakistan's northwestern city of Peshawar early Friday, triggering a shootout in which four attackers were killed and one Christian died, police and the military said. Three security officials and two civilian guards were wounded in the attack.
U.S. imposes sanctions on 'Putin's bridge' to Crimea
Companies building a multi-billion dollar bridge to link the Russian mainland with annexed Crimea, a project close to the heart President Vladimir Putin, were targeted by the United States in an updated sanctions blacklist on Thursday.
Treasury Department hits Russia with additional sanctions
The U.S. Treasury Department announced additional sanctions on Russia to pressure it to comply with the Minsk Protocol and withdraw all military personnel from Ukraine.
Magnitude 7.1 earthquake strikes off New Zealand
The U.S. Geological Survey is reporting a strong magnitude-7.1 earthquake about 100 miles off the east coast of New Zealand's North Island.

Israel-Palestinian Conflict
Russia a ‘more balanced’ peacemaker than US, says PLO official
A senior official in the Palestine Liberation Organization praised Russia this week as a more “credible” and “balanced” third-party facilitator for Israeli-Palestinian peace talks than the US.
High Priest is Chosen by Sanhedrin, Temple Service Could Be One Week Away
A significant step was recently taken towards reinstating the Temple service when the nascent Sanhedrin selected Rabbi Baruch Kahane as the next Kohen Gadol (high priest). The selection was made as a precaution for Yom Kippur. If the political conditions should change, allowing the Jews access to the Temple Mount, they will be required by Torah law to bring the sacrifices. Rabbi Kahane is confident that if that should happen, Temple service could begin in less than one week.
PA official calls on US to compel Israel to freeze settlements
Palestinian Authority Spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeinah called on the United States to compel Israel to freeze settlement construction, in a press release to Wafa, the official PA news site.
Netanyahu may meet with Obama this month
Netanyahu is scheduled to land in New York on September 21 and, in addition to his speech at the General Assembly, is expected to meet with the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and participate in a meeting between European heads of state.

Inside the United States
Hurricane Hermine makes landfall in Florida
Hurricane Hermine made landfall on Florida's northwest coast early Friday, flooding streets, toppling trees and knocking down power lines.
National debt hits $19.5 trillion
The national debt hit $19.5 trillion for the first time ever this week, a little more than seven months after it hit the $19 trillion mark.
California Passes Pro-Planned Parenthood Bill Criminalizing Undercover Recording of Abortion Clinics
California lawmakers have passed a Planned Parenthood-backed bill that creates a criminal offense for deceptively recording conversations with abortion clinic employees, a move that comes after the release of last year's highly controversial undercover Planned Parenthood videos.
State Dept Dodges, Confuses Press on Multiple Issues Involving Iran Deal
State Department spokesman John Kirby confused the press and dodged multiple issues involving the Iran nuclear deal, known as the JCPOA, during Thursday's press briefing.
GOP chairman blasts White House for stiff-arming Senate, predicts Paris climate deal will 'fail'
The chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works denounced on Thursday the anticipated move by President Obama to enter into the Paris climate accord, accusing him of working around Congress on a deal doomed to failure.

U.S. Politics
Clinton Threatens Military Action over Cyberattacks
Hillary Clinton on Wednesday called for the U.S. to begin treating cyberattacks like any other assault on the country.
House Republicans find success separating from Trump
Polling data in half a dozen competitive races conducted jointly by House Republican candidates and the National Republican Congressional Committee in recent weeks show that while Trump is trailing Hillary Clinton in geographic regions across the country, House GOP candidates are outperforming their nominee. The GOP candidates are also leading their Democratic opponents.
Trump Maintains Hardline Immigration Stance: 'We'll Build a Great Wall'
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump made it clear during a speech in Arizona Wednesday night that he plans to stick with his hard stance on immigration.

Christian News
ISIS on a mission to exterminate Christians
The so-called Islamic State will not stop until it has 'exterminated' all other religious groups, according to a former Islamic extremist now working in counter-terrorism.
Algerian Christian appeals, 'I only wrote against radical Islam and terrorism'
Slimane Bouhafs will hear on 6 September whether his appeal against a five-year prison sentence for blasphemy has been successful.

Today's Breaking News
Around the World
'Secret' exemptions for Iran after nuclear deal
The United States and its negotiating partners agreed "in secret" to allow Iran to evade some restrictions in last year's landmark nuclear agreement in order to meet the deadline for it to start getting relief from economic sanctions, according to a report reviewed by Reuters.
Administration Still Waffling Three Months Later on Sanctioning Russia-Iran Missile System Deal
The Obama administration is still weighing whether to apply 'mandatory sanctions' called for in multiple laws on the sale of the S-300 air-defense missile system from Russia to Iran.
Khamenei: Iran must avoid negotiating with US, boost offensive capabilities
Sustaining his inflammatory attacks against the US, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Wednesday that Tehran should avoid negotiations with the US on any issues while boosting its offensive military capabilities.
Canada economy has biggest quarterly drop in seven years, third-quarter rebound seen
Canada's economy shrank in the second quarter, its worst showing in seven years, hurt by a drop in exports and a disruption to oil production caused by wildfires in Alberta, though growth was seen as likely to rebound later this year.
Pope to oversee migration issues in shakeup of Vatican offices
Pope Francis on Wednesday announced major changes to the Vatican bureaucracy, slimming down the number of offices and giving himself direct charge of migration issues, continuing a reform push he promised when elected more than three years ago.
Brazil senate votes to remove President Rousseff
Brazil's Senate on Wednesday voted to remove President Dilma Rousseff from office, the culmination of a yearlong fight that paralyzed Latin America's most powerful economy and exposed deep rifts among its people on everything from race relations to social spending.

Israel-Palestinian Conflict
UN test ban head: Israel should ratify treaty within 5 years
Israel should ratify the nuclear test ban treaty within five years - and Iran should also ratify but the timing is uncertain, the head of the U.N. organization established to implement the treaty said Wednesday.

Inside the United States
Leak: Soros funded ousting of Glenn Beck from Fox News
Does billionaire activist George Soros have the economic clout to push out conservative hosts and commentators that oppose with his leftist agenda?
Strawberries linked to hepatitis A outbreak in 6 states
An outbreak of hepatitis A caused by imported frozen strawberries from Egypt has sickened 55 people in six states, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday. Health authorities confirmed 44 total infections in Virginia, where the outbreak first appeared, and additional infections in Maryland (4), West Virginia (4), North Carolina (1), Oregon (1) and Wisconsin (1).
Supreme Court won't reinstate North Carolina voter ID law
The Supreme Court denied a request Wednesday from North Carolina to allow provisions of its controversial voting rights law to go back into effect.

U.S. Politics
Fox News Poll: Trump narrows Clinton's lead
The race for the White House has narrowed. A new Fox News Poll finds Donald Trump gaining ground in the head-to-head match up, despite improvements from Hillary Clinton on top issues.
Trump still plans to build border wall, Mexico's Pena Nieto says he won't pay for it
Donald Trump insisted Wednesday that his plans for a border wall remain intact, emerging from a sensational meeting with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto to say that, despite Mexico's reluctance, more bilateral barriers will have to be built.

Christian News
Russia Arrested Ukrainian Religious Leader While Preaching at a St. Petersburg Messianic Congregation
Russia has brought an administrative case against a religious leader under the country’s controversial new package of anti-terrorist laws.
Messianic Jews in US Targeted by Islamic Hit-List, Ignored by Media
On July 5, the counter-terrorism consulting firm SITE Intelligence Group issued an alert that a pro-ISIS hacker group calling itself the United Cyber Caliphate had published a list of targets in the USA, with calls to independent jihadists to 'kill them all'.
Police Arrest 5 Pentecostals, Sparking Fear Among Families
Five Iranian Christians were arrested on Friday Aug. 26 during a trip to the Alborz Mountains north-east of Tehran, the latest in a recent spate of arrests. Their wives and families have expressed concern for their safety.
Franklin Graham: America's New Enemies Are 'Progressives' and 'Godless Secularism'
Evangelical preacher the Rev. Franklin Graham says America's enemies today are 'godless secularism' and those who 'call themselves progressives.'

Today's Breaking News
Around the World
UN funneled tens of millions to Assad regime under aid program
The UN has awarded contracts worth tens of millions of dollars to people closely associated with the Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad, as part of an aid program that critics fear is increasingly at the whim of the government in Damascus, a Guardian investigation has found.
WHO Urges Changes in STD Treatment Due to Antibiotic Resistance
Growing resistance to antibiotics has complicated efforts to rein in common sexually transmitted diseases like gonorrhoea, chlamydia and syphilis, the World Health Organization warned Tuesday as it issued new treatment guidelines.
US drone enters Iran's airspace, leaves after warning
Iran's military detected a U.S. drone entering Iranian airspace on Monday and issued a warning for it to leave, which it subsequently did, Iran's Tasnim news agency reported Monday.
Tension mounts across Venezuela as protesters gear up for Sept. 1 anti-Maduro rally
The political mood in Venezuela is starting to heat up as Sept. 1, the day picked for a massive pro-referendum rally, approaches. On that day, the opposition is hoping hundreds of thousands will descend on Caracas to demand a vote to decide whether President Nicolas Maduro should stay in power.
Thousands buried in at least 72 ISIS mass graves, AP finds
In exclusive interviews, photos and research, The Associated Press has documented and mapped 72 of the mass graves, the most comprehensive survey so far, with many more expected to be uncovered as the Islamic State group's territory shrinks.
Russia and Turkey restart talks on EU gas pipeline
Senior executives from Russian energy firm Gazprom will in Turkey on Wednesday (31 August) resume work on a potentially divisive gas pipeline project to the EU.
Islamic State spokesman and strategist killed in Syria by U.S. airstrike
The public face of Islamic State's worldwide propaganda campaign and the commander responsible for the organization's attacks against Europe and elsewhere has been killed, the terror group announced Tuesday.

Israel-Palestinian Conflict
UN: Violations of Israel-Lebanon cease-fire could spark war
The UN Security Council warned Tuesday that violations of the cessation of hostilities agreement between Lebanon and Israel could lead to a new conflict “that none of the parties or the region can afford.”
Israel shuts down Palestinian radio station for incitement in overnight raid
The Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) together with the IDF, Israel Police and the Civil Administration shut down the 'al-Snabel' radio station in the West Bank overnight, security forces said on Wednesday.

Inside the United States
Murdered nuns remembered in Mississippi for 'Christian love in action'
Hundreds of people filled a cathedral in Mississippi's capital city on Monday to remember two nuns who spent decades helping the needy and were found stabbed to death last week in their home in one of the poorest counties of the state.
Homeland eyes special declaration to take charge of elections
Even before the FBI identified new cyber attacks on two separate state election boards, the Department of Homeland Security began considering declaring the election a 'critical infrastructure,' giving it the same control over security it has over Wall Street and and the electric power grid.
US News & World Report: A Candidate's Death Could Delay or Eliminate the Presidential Election
The presidential election could be delayed or scrapped altogether if conspiracy theories become predictive and a candidate dies or drops out before Nov. 8. The perhaps equally startling alternative, if there's enough time: Small groups of people hand-picking a replacement pursuant to obscure party rules.
Study finds 'staggering' signs of dementia in 9/11 first responders
In the first study of its kind, 9/11 responders at the World Trade Center are suffering increased symptoms of dementia at a younger age, results doctors call 'staggering.'

U.S. Politics
Rubio, McCain, Wasserman Schultz win primaries, CNN projects
The incumbents won the night in several highly watched races Tuesday night. CNN projected Republican Sens. Marco Rubio of Florida and John McCain of Arizona and Democratic Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida all won their primary races Tuesday night.
Trump announces surprise meeting with Mexican President
Donald Trump announced Tuesday night that he will meet Wednesday with the President of Mexico just hours before he is set to deliver a speech focused on immigration policy.

Christian News
Atheist legal challenge could devastate National Baptist Convention gathering
The largest African-American denomination in the US is facing a funding crisis on the eve of its annual gathering next week because of a lawsuit filed by an atheist group.
Kirk Cameron's 'Revive Us.' Discover the Only Strategy for Restoring America
Actor Kirk Cameron is looking to inspire the nation with a live theatrical event called 'Revive Us.'
Obama Admin. Faces 'Massive' Lawsuit over Christian Genocide
The American Center for Law and Justice filed a 'massive' federal lawsuit Tuesday against the U.S. State Department over what it calls the department's 'inaction on genocide.'
Egypt's New Law on Churches Angers Christian Critics
Egypt's lawmakers on Tuesday passed the country's first law spelling out the rules for building a church, a step Christians have long hoped would free up construction that was often blocked by authorities. But angry critics in the community say the law will only enshrine the restrictions.
Christians as 'Target Practice'
While not all, or even most, Muslims are involved, persecution of Christians by Muslims is growing. The report posits that such Muslim persecution is not random but rather systematic, and takes place in all languages, ethnicities, and locations.