Prophecy News Watch - January 18, 2022

Around the World
Return of the flu: EU faces threat of prolonged ‘twindemic’
Influenza has returned to Europe at a faster-than-expected rate this winter after almost disappearing last year, raising concerns about a prolonged "twindemic" with COVID-19 amid some doubts about the effectiveness of flu vaccines.
Suspect Identified In Betrayal Of Jewish Diarist Anne Frank
A six-year international investigation has identified a suspect who may have betrayed famous Jewish diarist Anne Frank and her family to the Nazis.
North Korea Fires Apparent Ballistic Missiles
South Korea and Japan's coast guard believe North Korea may have fired two ballistic missiles in what would be the fourth such weapons test this month.

Israel-Palestinian Conflict
Fourth Pfizer Vaccine Shot Not Enough to Stop Omicron Infection, Israeli Study Suggests
A fourth dose of the COVID-19 vaccine increases the number of neutralizing antibodies, but the boost is probably not enough to provide protection against infection of the Omicron variant, findings of a preliminary study conducted by Israel’s Sheba Medical Center concluded.

Inside the United States
Democrats in Decline: Poll Finds 14 Point Swing in Party ID Since Biden Took Office
President Joe Biden's first year in office has been a disaster of epic proportions. Afghanistan and the southern border? Disaster. His handling of the COVID-19 pandemic after promising to "shut down" the virus and hiring Ron "Ebola Czar" Klain as his chief of staff? Disaster. His decrepit disposition and the fact that Kamala Harris is a heartbeat away from power? You get the idea.
Federal appeals court sends Texas abortion law case to Republican-majority state Supreme Court
A federal appeals court on Monday punted a case about Texas' controversial abortion law to the state's majority-Republican Supreme Court, dealing another setback to those opposed to the legislation that bans abortion after a fetal heartbeat is detected.
Va. Governor Youngkin Off to Quick Start with These Executive Orders, Including Ban on Critical Race Theory
Thousands of Virginians endured the cold on Saturday to see their new governor sworn in. Republican Glenn Youngkin took the oath here at the state capitol, and the new governor is already off to a brisk start.
Union Pacific: Train Robberies Up 356%
Medical equipment, designer handbags, luggage, throw pillows, airline parts, children’s artwork, even a new wine fridge – all those items and more have been found stolen off Union Pacific trains and discarded alongside the tracks in East LA.

Christian News
India: Nine Christians imprisoned on false charges of forced conversion
Nine Christians in India’s Madhya Pradesh state are in prison awaiting trial on false charges of forcing Hindus to convert to Christianity, International Christian Concern (ICC) reported on January 15. Persecution against Christians in India has steadily increased since the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party came to power in 2014.
India: Mob of Hindu extremists attack house church in Chhattisgarh state
As the persecution of Christians continues to intensify across India, a house church in Chhattisgarh state was violently attacked by a mob of 200 Hindu nationalists on January 9, International Chrisitan Concern (ICC) reports.
China: Christians sentenced to six months in prison for attending Gospel conference in Malaysia
Five Christians in China’s Shanxi province have been sentenced to at least six months in prison for attending a Gospel event in Malaysia in 2020, International Christian Concern reports. China’s communist regime has been progressing a nationwide program of ‘Sinicization’ which involves cracking down hard on Christians in the country.
South Sudan: Islamic extremists kill 28 in attack on Christian community
Islamic extremists killed people in an attack on a Christian community in South Sudan earlier this month, burning down 57 homes in the same attack, Barnabas Fund reports.