Prophecy News Watch - April 9, 2020

Around the World
Warning after worldwide debt reaches 322% of GDP
Worldwide debt reached 322% of GDP last year, according to new figures which will worry governments planning post-coronavirus economic recoveries.
WHO Boss Defends Agency After Trump Threatens To Cut Funding
The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) rushed to defend his agency's handling of the coronavirus pandemic after President Donald Trump threatened to cut U.S. funding to them. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus appealed for unity and a halt to "politicization" of the global health crisis, saying China and the United States should show "honest leadership."
Saudi-led Coalition Announces Cease-fire in Yemen War
The Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis said Wednesday that it was halting military operations nationwide in support of U.N. efforts to end a five-year war that has killed over 100,000 people and spread hunger and disease.
WHO:'Hundreds In Quarantine In North Korea'
The World Health Organization said Tuesday it had received assurances from North Korea that it continues testing for the new coronavirus and has more than 500 people in quarantine. The leadership of North Korea, one of the world's most repressive states, has so far claimed there are no confirmed cases of the virus, known as COVID-19.

Israel-Palestinian Conflict
Blue & White and Likud trade blows over unity government delay
Blue & White and Likud on Wednesday accused each other of stalling the negotiations to form a unity government and backing out of agreements.
Top Hezbollah leader assassinated in Lebanon
A top Hezbollah commander close to Qassem Soleimani was assassinated in Lebanon Saturday night, following several months of seeming détente between the US and Iran.

Inside the United States
U.S. Senator Sanders Ends Presidential Bid
U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, the socialist democrat who pledged to lead a political revolution into the White House, has ended his presidential bid. He left the race after his once-strong lead in the Democratic primary evaporated as the party's establishment lined swiftly up behind rival Joe Biden. The Vermont senator's announcement came as a setback for many young people supporting Sanders. But it cleared a significant hurdle for Biden, who is now the expected Democratic nominee to challenge President Donald Trump in a general election overshadowed by the coronavirus pandemic.
Federal Appeals Court upholds Texas ban on most abortions during coronavirus pandemic
A federal Court of Appeals has allowed Texas to continue its ban on most abortions during the coronavirus pandemic. Tuesday’s ruling overturns a lower court’s decision to block the state’s ban on non-essential abortions. The ban remains in place while the case moves on to be heard by a federal court in Austin next week.
Bernie Sanders loses Democratic primary, Biden the presumptive nominee
Bernie Sanders conceded defeat in the Democratic presidential primary Wednesday, vowing to help presumptive nominee for president Joe Biden forward the progressive agenda from the sidelines.
U.S. Acting Navy Secretary Resigns Over Comments
Acting U.S. Navy Secretary Thomas Modly has resigned after his controversial comments of the officer he fired as captain of a coronavirus-stricken aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt, officials confirmed. Modly had come under fire for dismissing Captain Brett E. Crozier, last week, saying Crozier had shown "extremely poor judgment." He referred to Crozier distributing a letter calling for urgent help with the virus COVID-19 outbreak aboard his ship.

Christian News
Mystery Surrounds Jailed Chinese Christian Jiang Zhanchun
Concerns remained Thursday over the whereabouts of a jailed Christian in China after authorities prevented his wife from sending him money and clothes, Christian activists say. Jiang Zhanchun was arrested in China's capital Beijing last year when he and his wife discussed opportunities to be baptized with Christian leaders of a Beijing house church, according to the letter seen by Worthy News.
Christian father and husband in India beaten in front of family, refuses to renounce Jesus
A young Christian family in India once considered cursed by their village was attacked by a mob wielding sticks, the husband beaten unconscious before his wife and two children.
'Hope is Rising, Even in the Midst of Tragedy': NYC Churches Pray God Will Bring Many to Jesus in This Crisis
As the coronavirus hammers New York, churches continue to serve the needs of the community and pray for an end to the outbreak.
Online US church services have attracted fewer viewers than expected
A study has found that only 28% of Americans have watched on-line church services since coronavirus stay-at-home orders shut the majority of church doors. Conducted by the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), the study also found the low level of viewership was despite a majority of Americans reporting they have become more religious since the COVID-19 pandemic began.