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
U.S. Navy Sends 2 Destroyers into Tense Black Sea Region
Two American destroyers sailed into the Black Sea over the weekend, the first time since 2014 that more than one U.S. warship has operated in this tense region other than in an exercise.
US: North Korea Canceled Meeting with Pence at Last Minute
Vice President Mike Pence was all set to hold a history-making meeting with North Korean officials during the Winter Olympics in South Korea, but Kim Jong Un’s government canceled at the last minute, the Trump administration said Tuesday.
Final version of revised TPP deal released, provisions pushed by U.S. on ice
The final version of a landmark deal aimed at cutting trade barriers in some of the Asia-Pacific's fastest-growing economies was released on Wednesday, signaling the pact was a step closer to reality even without its star member the United States.

Israel-Palestinian Conflict
At UN, Abbas Calls on World Leaders to Recognize Palestinian State
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called in an address to the United Nations Security Council Tuesday to convene an international conference by mid-2018 that would result in the recognition of a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders.
Iran has 10 military bases in Syria, two near Israel border — analyst
Iran operates 10 military bases in Syria and is training militias loyal to President Bashar Assad’s regime for a possible battle with Israel, with two key facilities located near the border with Israel, an analyst for an American think tank said in an article published Monday.
U.S. 'finalizing' peace plan despite Abbas vow for international efforts
US President Donald Trump's Middle East peace team made an exceptional trip to UN headquarters in New York on Tuesday to attend an address by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, hoping to hear 'fresh and constructive ideas' that might lead to new talks with Israel toward a peace settlement.

Inside the United States
Democrats struggle with rising popularity of GOP tax law
Democrats are struggling to cope with the rising popularity of the Republican tax law, less than nine months until the midterm elections.
White House: Trump supports stronger background checks for gun buys
President Donald Trump supports laws to strengthen the background check system for gun purchases in the wake of the Parkland, Florida high school shooting that killed 17, the White House announced on Monday.
Trump orders ban on ‘bump stock’ gun modifications
President Trump announced Tuesday he is moving to ban “bump stock” accessories for semi-automatic firearms, and that he’s considering other gun measures in the wake of last week’s mass school shooting in Florida.
Extended short-term insurance deals latest blow to Obamacare
The Trump administration moved Tuesday to give consumers another workaround to Obamacare, proposing to let health insurers sell full-year plans that don’t comply with the 2010 law’s strict coverage guidelines.
Supreme Court declines to hear case on California gun law
The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to hear a challenge to California's 10-day waiting period for people seeking to buy a firearm.
Sessions creates cybersecurity task force
The Department of Justice is creating a task force to evaluate cybersecurity issues, in particular efforts to undermine U.S. elections, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced Tuesday.
Mueller’s Move on Ex-Skadden Lawyer Puts Heat on Manafort, Gates
U.S. Special Counsel Robert Mueller intensified legal pressure on ex-Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and his deputy, Rick Gates, by filing a false-statements case against a lawyer who did Ukraine-related work with the two men.
Kansas GOP Affirms 'God's Design for Gender,' Opposes Transgender Identity in New Resolution
The Republican Party in the state of Kansas on Saturday moved to affirm 'God's design for gender as determined by biological sex,' not 'self-perception.'
Researchers grow human cells in sheep embryos
Scientists in California are working on a way to reduce organ transplants and rejections: Growing embryos in sheep and pigs containing human patients' cells.

Christian News
ABC flooded with 25,000 complaints after Joy Behar mocks Mike Pence’s Christianity
Joy Behar’s mocking of Christianity as a mental illness isn’t going away as an issue.
Around the World
Syria war: More than 70 killed in rebel-held Ghouta as UN warns situation 'spiralling out of control'
War monitors say a massive surge in attacks by the Syrian Government and its allies has killed more than 70 people in the rebel-held eastern Ghouta pocket near Damascus in the past 24 hours.
Day turns into night as Indonesia's Mount Sinabung spews towering ash cloud in biggest eruption this year
Mount Sinabung in Indonesia has erupted once again shooting plumes of smoke and hot ash over 23,000 feet into the air. The volcano had not been active for four centuries until 2010 and since then it has displaced 30,000 people.
Islamic State kills 27 Iraqi security personnel in Kirkuk
Islamic State militants ambushed a convoy and killed at least 27 Iranian-backed Popular Mobilization Forces fighters in Iraq, the militia said.

Israel-Palestinian Conflict
Russia knocks Iran over vow to destroy Israel
Russia admonished Tehran on Monday for calls by Iranian leaders to destroy Israel, marking rare criticism of Moscow’s ally in the Syrian civil war.
Schools throughout Israel drill for rocket attack
Educational institutions throughout the country were set Tuesday to take part in a drill to practice responding to a rocket attack.
U.N. Chief Warns of Nightmare Scenario if Israel, Hezbollah Clash
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Monday he was worried about the possibility of a direct confrontation between Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah movement.
Top IDF general warns of increased chance of war in 2018
The chances of war breaking out on the northern border in 2018 are greater than ever before due to the victories of Syrian President Bashar Assad backed by Iran and Hezbollah, a senior IDF general said Monday.

Inside the United States
White House: Trump supports stronger background checks for gun buys
President Donald Trump supports laws to strengthen the background check system for gun purchases in the wake of the Parkland, Florida high school shooting that killed 17, the White House announced on Monday.
Columbine survivor introduces bill to expand concealed-carry in schools
Some students are calling for tougher gun-control laws after escaping last week’s horrific massacre in Parkland, Florida, but another school-shooting survivor is going in a different direction.
Gun control demonstrations planned around the U.S. after Florida school shooting
Many Americans are demanding more gun regulation in the wake of the slaughter of 17 students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., last week at the hands of a former student armed with a semi-automatic rifle.
Pennsylvania top court redraws voting map in boost to Democrats
Pennsylvania’s top court on Monday unveiled a new map carving out the state’s U.S. congressional voting districts, imposing a plan it said was based on 'traditional criteria' after rejecting a proposal drawn up by Republican lawmakers as unconstitutional.

Christian News
Pastor: School District Told Us To Remove Cross From Sanctuary
A Texas school district will no longer hold its graduation ceremonies at one of the largest megachurches in the nation after the church refused to remove a cross from the sanctuary.
Around the World
Earthquake shakes southern Mexico for second time in three days
A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck southern Mexico early on Monday, sending frightened residents into the streets as seismic alarms echoed across the capital, although there were no immediate reports of damage.
7.2 magnitude earthquake rocks Mexico, 2 killed in chopper crash
A 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck in the state of Oaxaca, Mexico, south of Mexico City, Friday evening, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

Israel-Palestinian Conflict
Israeli Air Force strikes six Gaza targets following border attack
A home in the Sha’ar HaNegev Regional Council was directly hit by a rocket launched from the Gaza Strip Saturday evening following an attack on the border in which four soldiers were wounded.
Benjamin Netanyahu: Israel will attack Iran if necessary
Israel is prepared for a direct conflict with Iran if the threat of the regime’s terrorist proxies increases, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned.
Arrow 3 successfully tested in overnight trial
The Defense Ministry conducted a successful test of the Arrow 3 missile defense system Sunday night. In conjunction with the Missile Defense Agency, a section of the United States government's Department of Defense, the missile system was tested during overnight hours.
Israeli PM Netanyahu to Iran: Don’t test Israel’s resolve
The nuclear deal with Iran has emboldened Tehran to become increasingly aggressive in the Middle East, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday, warning that Iran should 'not test Israel’s resolve' as he showed off what he said was part of a downed Iranian drone.

Inside the United States
Trump says Russian indictments prove ‘no collusion’ with his campaign
President Trump said Friday that the indictments against 13 Russians for interfering in the 2016 presidential election show that his campaign didn’t collude with Moscow, and that he beat Hillary Clinton fair and square.
Four cases to watch when the Supreme Court returns this week
The Supreme Court will reconvene Tuesday to hear oral arguments in several key cases, including the legal challenge to President Trump’s roll back of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.

Christian News
Russia church shooting kills 5 after gunman opens fire on people leaving service
Five women were killed and several others were injured after a gunman opened fire with a hunting rifle on people leaving a church service in Russia's Dagestan region on Sunday, Russian media outlets reported.