Prophecy News Watch provided by Worthy Ministries

Prophecy News Watch is a service hosted by Worthy Ministries to provide Christians daily news from a Biblical, and yet Prophetic worldview. Our news is gathered by our Christian News Service, Worthy News. For more about our vision for how we assemble our daily headlines, please read, "What is Worthy News?"

Around the World
EU summit readies for Brexit in May - or next week
EU leaders will tell Theresa May on Thursday she can have two months to organize an orderly Brexit but Britain could face a hugely disruptive ejection from the bloc next Friday if the prime minister fails to win backing from parliament.
Genetic Manipulation Enters a New Era As Chinese Scientist Oversees Birth of First Successfully Gene-Edited Babies
The science world is abuzz with news of the world's first successfully gene-edited babies.
Putin Kicks Off Massive New Gas Field in Russia’s Arctic
President Vladimir Putin has kicked off the full-scale development of one of Russia’s largest proven gas fields in the Yamal peninsula, the Kremlin reported on Wednesday.
May urges parliament to back her on Brexit, tells Britons 'I'm on your side'
Prime Minister Theresa May made an impassioned appeal to MPs to support her on Wednesday after the European Union said it could only grant her request to delay Brexit for three months if parliament next week backed her plans for leaving.
High potency marijuana, daily use 'strongly linked' to psychosis
Smoking high-potency cannabis, used daily, has been linked to diagnosis of conditions like schizophrenia, paranoia and other psychosis disorders, new findings say.
Pompeo heads to Lebanon, where Hezbollah is at peak strength
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo hopes to use his first visit to Lebanon this week to step up pressure on Iran and its local ally, Hezbollah. But he could face resistance even from America's local allies, who fear that pushing too hard could spark a backlash and endanger the tiny country's fragile peace.
Trump Marks Persian New Year With Call for 'Rebirth of Liberty in Iran'
Amid talk of possible terror blacklisting of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, President Trump greeted Iranians around the world on the Persian new year (Nowruz), on Thursday, while condemning the 'dictatorial' regime in Tehran, and saying he joined those praying for 'the rebirth of liberty in Iran.'
Rwanda sparks human rights concerns in proposing world’s first nationwide DNA database
Rwanda has proposed the world’s first country-wide DNA database, a project that will involve collecting samples from all of the country’s 12 million citizens in an effort to crack down on crime.

Israel-Palestinian Conflict
Israel Condemned by UN for Defending Itself Against Gaza Border Riots
Nearly a year after Palestinians launched violent protests along Israel’s border with Gaza, a United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) report calls for some Israelis to be tried as war criminals for the military’s response to those border riots.
Israel, US intercept long-range missiles during joint drill
Israel and the U.S. have successfully intercepted a series of medium to long-range ballistic missiles in a joint drill.

Inside the United States
Federal Reserve Says No Rate Hikes, 2.1% GDP Growth In 2019
The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) concluded its meeting at 2 PM ET today and announced that the Federal Reserve would not raise fed fund rates. The revised dot plot—which records individual committee members' projections for where interest rates will be at year-end—indicated that the Fed will pause any further rate hikes until 2020.
U.S. farmers face devastation following Midwest floods
Midwestern farmers have been gambling they could ride out the U.S.-China trade war by storing their corn and soybeans anywhere they could - in bins, plastic tubes, in barns or even outside.
US Democrats Broach Audacious Changes to Elections, High Court
Frustrated in the Trump era, several Democratic presidential hopefuls are proposing dramatic reforms that would shake up US institutions and their centuries-old traditions, including abolishing the Electoral College and adding justices to the Supreme Court.
Arkansas House OKs bill requiring schools offer Bible course
The Arkansas House has approved a bill that requires public schools to offer an elective course on the Bible if students request one.
'It looked like an ocean': Severe Midwest flooding could last all spring
Gov. Kim Reynolds is warning Iowans what millions of Midwesterners have come to understand in recent days – the severe flooding that has swamped much of the region may be a long way from over.
Religious 'nones' now as big as evangelicals in the US, new data shows
The number of religious 'nones' in the United States are now statistically equal than the number of evangelicals, according to a political scientist who analyzed data from the recently released 2018 General Social Survey.
Powell calls for returning focus to the federal debt
Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said Wednesday that reducing the federal debt needs to return to the forefront of the agenda, warning that the government's finances are unsustainable.
Trump set to sign executive order on campus free speech
President Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order on Thursday that addresses campus free speech as well as other higher education issues, according to several sources familiar with the White House’s plans.
Gillum’s ‘red flag’ plan to stop Trump: 1M more Florida voters
Andrew Gillum announced a plan Wednesday to register and turn-out 1 million new and low-propensity Florida voters in an effort to crush President Donald Trump’s reelection chances in the nation’s largest swing state.

Christian News
Christians respond after deadly cyclone tears across Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe
Christian Aid is appealing for donations as it assists communities affected by Cyclone Idai, which has killed hundreds and devastated communities across Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe.
China Tells Christianity To Be More Chinese
The headlines out of China last week sounded ominous. In strident language not heard in a long time, the head of China’s Protestant church gave a speech supporting the government’s policy of reducing Western influence on religion and making it 'more Chinese,' a process dubbed sinicization in English.
Around the World
EU's Juncker says Brexit delay decision unlikely this week
The head of the European Union's executive branch says a decision on a delay to Brexit is unlikely at this week's EU summit and the bloc's leaders may have to meet again next week.
China trade talks to resume next week in Beijing
Top U.S. officials will travel to China next week in a bid to finalize a new trade deal, administration officials said Tuesday.
Putin Signs 'Fake News,' 'Internet Insults' Bills Into Law
Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a controversial set of bills that make it a crime to 'disrespect' the state and spread 'fake news' online, Russian media reported on Monday.
First supermoon on the spring equinox in 19 years
Assuming spring showers stay at bay, sky-watchers in the Northern Hemisphere will get to see a cosmic triple play on March 20, as a “super worm moon” lights up the vernal equinox. According to astronomy website EarthSky.org, a full moon has not landed this close to the first day of spring since the year 2000, and the two celestial events won’t happen less than a day apart again until 2030.

Israel-Palestinian Conflict
Rare protests erupt against Hamas' 12-year rule over Gaza
Hamas is facing the biggest demonstrations yet against its 12-year rule of the Gaza Strip, with hundreds of Palestinians taking to the streets in recent days to protest the dire living conditions in the blockaded territory.
Israel, U.S. complete successful David Sling tests
Israel and the United States carried out a series of successful interception tests with an advanced version of the David’s Sling missile interception system, the Defense Ministry announced on Tuesday.

Inside the United States
Supreme Court sides with Trump in immigrant detention dispute
The Supreme Court on Tuesday backed the Trump administration’s ability to detain immigrants with criminal records at any time and hold them indefinitely while they await deportation, even if they served time for their offense years ago.
Pentagon finds $12.8 billion for Trump's border wall
The Defense Department has identified $12.8 billion in possible funding that it could use to fulfill President Trump's call for a border wall.
Hawaii bills push 1st state ban on plastics in restaurants
Hawaii would be the first state in the U.S. to ban most plastics at restaurants under legislation that aims to cut down on waste that pollutes the ocean.

Christian News
Another 10 Christians Killed in Kaduna State as Carnage Continues in Nigeria, Sources Say
Muslim Fulani herdsmen killed 10 Christians in southern Kaduna state, Nigeria on Saturday (March 16), bringing the lives lost in the past five weeks to 140 with 160 houses destroyed, sources said.
White evangelical support for Trump drops 9 points; largest of any surveyed religious group
White evangelical Protestant support for President Donald Trump has declined by 9 points since 2017, the largest of any surveyed racial religious demographic, while nonwhite Catholics have doubled their support for the president.
Azusa Pacific Drops Ban on Same-Sex Student Relationships, Again
Azusa Pacific University (APU) has gone back and forth this school year on whether to allow students to date members of the same sex.
Around the World
Iran Building Two New Nuclear Plants
Iranian leaders announced on Monday the construction of two new nuclear plants, and it remains unclear if the Trump administration views this as crossing a red line since its abandonment of the landmark nuclear deal, which included provisions permitting Iran to work on heavy water nuclear reactors that could provide a plutonium-based pathway to a bomb.
Brexit in crisis as May plots a course around speaker's obstruction
Prime Minister Theresa May’s Brexit plans were in disarray on Tuesday as her government sought to plot a way around the speaker of parliament’s ruling that she had to change her twice-defeated divorce deal to put it to a third vote.
Construction of new Iranian nuclear plants going well, atomic chief says
Construction of two new nuclear plants in the southern Iranian city of Bushehr, home to the country’s only current working nuclear power station, is on schedule and going to plan, the Islamic Republic’s atomic chief said on Monday.
Flash Floods and Earthquake in Indonesia Kill at Least 79 People, Officials Say
The number of people killed after torrential downpours triggered flash floods and mudslides that tore through mountainside villages in Indonesia’s easternmost province has climbed to 79, with dozens of others missing, officials said Monday.
EU leaders could avoid final call on Brexit delay this week
European Union leaders could hold off making any final decision on any Brexit delay when they meet in Brussels later this week, senior diplomats in the bloc said, depending on what exactly British Prime Minister Theresa May asks them for.
US, Russia to hold talks on Venezuela in Rome
U.S. and Russian officials are meeting in Rome this week to discuss the crisis in Venezuela.
Cyclone Idai: Death toll 'could reach 1,000'
The death toll in Mozambique following tropical cyclone Idai could reach 1,000, the country's president said on Monday.

Israel-Palestinian Conflict
Israel was a ‘hair’s breadth’ from war with Hezbollah, ex-IDF chief says
Recently retired IDF chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot said Monday that Israel came close to all-out conflict with Hezbollah during his tenure.

Inside the United States
DHS on track to nab 100,000 illegals at border this month
The government is on track to catch nearly 100,000 immigrants crossing the border illegally this month, Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said Monday, renewing the administration’s plea for Congress to do something.
Pentagon lays out $6.8 billion of projects to cut for Trump border wall
The Pentagon has a list of $6.8 billion worth of construction projects it could choose to take money from in order to build President Trump’s border wall, according to a list belatedly provided to Congress on Monday.
2020 Dems warm to expanding Supreme Court, Diminishing Conservative Majority
Some of the progressives vying for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination have said they’ll consider diminishing the conservative majority on the Supreme Court either by adding more justices or by imposing term limits.
Pentagon Wants to Test A Space-Based Weapon in 2023
Defense officials want to test a neutral particle-beam in orbit in fiscal 2023 as part of a ramped-up effort to explore various types of space-based weaponry. They’ve asked for $304 million in the 2020 budget to develop such beams, more powerful lasers, and other new tech for next-generation missile defense. Such weapons are needed, they say, to counter new missiles from China, Russia, North Korea and Iran. But just figuring out what might work is a difficult technical challenge.
Heartbeat Bill Victory in Kentucky
Kentucky's House passed Senate Bill 9, a fetal heartbeat bill, by a vote of 71 to 19 last night. SB 9 bans most abortions in the state once a fetal heartbeat is detected. The measure requires anyone seeking an abortion to first determine if a fetal heartbeat is detectable, typically about six weeks into pregnancy. The bill now moves on to Governor Matt Bevin's desk.

Christian News
6 Christians Murdered, 470 More Flee Muslim Militia Attack in the Congo
Open Doors USA reports six Christians, including three women and a nine-year-old child, were killed in an attack on the Christian village of Kalau located near the city of Beni in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Tornado Rips Roof from Church as 40 Kids Miraculously Shielded While Singing 'Jesus Loves Me'
A miracle story is emerging after a tornado struck Paducah, KY last week, devastating a church building where 40 preschool kids and 10 church staff were going about their day.
Christian B&B must serve same-sex couples, Supreme Court lets ruling stand
The United States Supreme Court declined to hear oral arguments in a case about a Hawaiian bed and breakfast that refused on religious grounds to serve a lesbian couple, allowing a ruling against the business to stand.