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?"

Today's Breaking News
Around the World
US, North Korea agreed to peace talks before latest nuclear test
Days before North Korea's latest nuclear-bomb test, the Obama administration secretly agreed to talks to try to formally end the Korean War, dropping a longstanding condition that Pyongyang first take steps to curtail its nuclear arsenal.
Pope Francis calls for worldwide death penalty ban
Pope Francis condemned capital punishment and called for a worldwide ban on the death penalty in his Sunday address in St. Peter's Square.
White House verifies U.S. airstrikes against Islamic State camp in Libya
The White House confirmed Friday that the U.S. military carried out airstrikes earlier in the day against an Islamic State training camp in Libya, targeting a top militant commander.
At least 30 killed in four bomb blasts in southern Damascus district
At least 30 people were killed in four bomb attacks that hit a southern suburb of Damascus on Sunday, pro-government media outlets and a monitoring group said.
Islamic State claims bomb attacks in Damascus suburb
Islamic State claimed responsibility for bomb attacks that killed at least 30 people on Sunday in a southern district of Damascus where a Shi'ite shrine is located, the Amaq news agency, which supports the militant Sunni group, reported.

Israel-Palestinian Conflict
Joint US-Israel drill will help build 'regional stability,' says IDF
A joint IDF-US European Command missile drill, dubbed Juniper Cobra 16, began Sunday, the military said.
OP-ED: Did someone cross Israel's red line?
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which reported Wednesday night on an alleged Israeli strike south of Damascus, is usually a reliable source of information on the subject of Syria. Although the organization is based in London, it has people on the ground all over Syria who are skilled at collecting information, and have been reporting on military and humanitarian activities throughout the five years of the civil war. Therefore, there has been a rush in the international media to highlight the attack which the organization attributes to Israel.

Inside the United States
Abortions could be curbed by US Supreme Court
The Supreme Court will hear a case next month whose outcome could limit access to abortion for millions of women across the United States.
Official Washington turns out for Justice Scalia's funeral Mass; Obama skips
Thousands of mourners, including much of official Washington, attended a funeral Mass Saturday for the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, one of the most influential jurists in the history of the high court.
Judge orders California pregnancy centers to give abortion info
A federal judge refused to grant a preliminary injunction Friday against a California law that forces pro-life pregnancy centers to advocate for abortion.
Ohio Gov. John Kasich signs bill to defund Planned Parenthood
Ohio Gov. John Kasich, a Republican presidential hopeful, signed a bill Sunday to strip Ohio's funding from Planned Parenthood.

U.S. Politics
Trump Gains Super Tuesday Momentum as Rubio Wins Second Life
Donald Trump won a decisive victory in South Carolina's Republican presidential primary on Saturday to boost his chances of winning the nomination, as Florida Senator Marco Rubio earned a second campaign life with a strong showing and later scooped up an important endorsement heading to the next state contest.
GOP sets another turnout record, Democrats' numbers slide
Republicans' turnout streak continued, with GOP voters shattering their South Carolina primary record Saturday night.
Trump Tells Story of Executing Muslim Terrorists with Bullets Dipped in Pig's Blood
Donald Trump's stump speech, which usually sounds like a one-hour stand-up comedy act, is highly repetitive as most stump speeches are. But last night, his speech turned dark as he added some new material to the mix. As an example of how the United States needs to get tough, Trump favorably recalled an apocryphal story about executing Muslim terrorists with bullets dipped in pig's blood.
Evangelicals Give Big South Carolina Kiss To Donald Trump
72% of the voters in South Carolina Saturday night with evangelical. Trump won 33 percent, of them. Ted Cruz won 27 percent, and Rubio won 22 percent. So let's not kid ourselves here: Donald Trump is on his way to the GOP nomination and if he wins it, it will be because of evangelicals. Plain and simple.
Trump poised to step on the GOP accelerator
The Republican presidential race expanded across the country Sunday, and polls show the real estate mogul ahead in eight of the dozen states voting in the next nine days.
At least 1,730 Clinton emails contain classified material
At least 1,730 emails that Hillary Clinton sent or received contained classified material, according to the State Department's latest update from its ongoing review of more than 30,000 emails.

Christian News
Belarus: Police raid private Christian gathering
Police raided a group of Christians gathered inside a private home in Gorki, Belarus on Dec. 22.
India: Hindus injure Christians
A mob of Hindu nationalists assaulted a Christian prayer gathering in Nagepur village in Telangana State on Jan. 17, resulting in the hospitalization of six Christians.
Sudan: Refugee churches may be forced to close
Representatives from Sudan's Ministry of Internal Affairs have convened leaders of refugee churches in Khartoum to tell them to stop their services until they have registered.
Ethiopia: Churches damaged and destroyed
Two separate incidents have left six churches either destroyed or damaged in the west-central border region of Oromia state in southern Ethiopia.
Today's Breaking News
Around the World
Russia Sues Ukraine in London Court Over $3 Billion Default
Russia said it filed a lawsuit against Ukraine in the High Court in London after the government in Kiev defaulted on $3 billion in bonds.
China leads global U.S. debt dump
The largest owner of U.S. debt, China sold $18 billion of U.S. Treasury debt in December. And it's not alone. Japan sold even more: $22 billion. In the past year, Mexico, Turkey and Belgium have also lowered their holdings of U.S. debt, all of which have led to a record annual dump by central banks.
U.S.: Russia can't sell Iran warplanes
The United States would object to the sale of Russian fighter jets to Iran, a State Department spokesman said on Thursday.

Israel-Palestinian Conflict
Israel's Dore Gold meets Russian FM in Moscow to discuss Syria, S-300 missiles
An Israeli foreign ministry delegation led by Director General Dore Gold met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow Thursday to discuss developments in Syria and the S-300 missile systems Russia is reportedly due to supply to Iran.
Israel, Russia sign diplomatic framework agreement in Moscow
Israel and Russia signed a diplomatic framework agreement for the upcoming year, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement, concluding MFA Director General Dore Gold's visit to Moscow.
Palestinian leader gives wife-beating tips on Gaza TV
A top spiritual leader in the Palestinian territory of Gaza told a television audience last week how and when men can beat their wives, advising not to hit them in a way that makes the face ugly.

Inside the United States
Congress Is Wary of Chinese Deal for Chicago Stock Exchange
Dozens of members of Congress plan to ask the Obama administration to review the planned acquisition of the Chicago Stock Exchange by a Chinese firm, to assess whether it poses a national security risk or a risk to the companies traded on the exchange.
GAO Report: US Unable to Block Missiles From Iran, North Korea
The Defense Department agency charged with protecting the United States from ballistic missile attacks from Iran and North Korea cannot fully do so, despite spending billions of dollars on building a missile defense system that has not been fully completed or tested, according to a government report.

U.S. Politics
Donald Trump slams Pope Francis, predicts terror attack on Vatican
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump fired back at Pope Francis Thursday, predicting that the Islamic State will attack the Vatican and the pontiff will rue the day that he said Mr. Trump isn't a Christian if he wants to deport illegal immigrants.
Pope says Trump 'not Christian' in a sign of global concern
Pope Francis forcefully injected himself into the U.S. presidential campaign on Thursday, assailing Republican candidate Donald Trump's views on U.S. immigration as not Christian in a sign of growing international concern at the billionaire businessman's election prospects.
AP: Clinton raking in superdelegate votes
Hillary Clinton has increased her lead in the Democratic primary since her resounding loss to Bernie Sanders in New Hampshire by wooing 87 new party superdelegates to support her campaign over the past week.
Clinton feels the Bern, trails Sanders by three points nationally
Bernie Sanders now tops Hillary Clinton in the race for the Democratic nomination.
Today's Breaking News
Around the World
Radioactive material stolen in Iraq raises security concerns
Iraq is searching for "highly dangerous" radioactive material whose theft last year has raised fears among Iraqi officials that it could be used as a weapon if acquired by Islamic State.
President Obama to Make Historic Visit to Cuba, U.S. Official Says
President Barack Obama will visit Cuba in the coming weeks, a senior administration official told NBC News on Wednesday night.
Pope leads politically-charged Mass at US-Mexico border
Pope Francis on Wednesday held a politically-charged Mass in Mexico's Ciudad Juarez - once considered the deadliest city in the world - less than 100 meters (328 feet) from the US border.
Freed Gitmo detainee, ex-bin Laden aide cements place as top jihadist in videos
When Ibrahim al Qosi was released from Guantanamo Bay in 2012, a lawyer for the former Usama bin Laden aide said he looked forward to living a life of peace in his native Sudan.
Air strikes destroy hundreds of millions of ISIS' dollars
Hundreds of millions of dollars are believed to have been destroyed in coalition air strikes targeting cash hoards used to finance the Islamic State group, a spokesman for the American military said Wednesday, according to AFP.
Pope problems: Francis' plane lasered; loses cool amid crowd in Mexico
Pope Francis seemingly lost his cool after he was grabbed by a spectator in a crowd and nearly fell. The incident happened one day before another Alitalia airline revealed his trip to Mexico had earlier been beset by another problem -- a laser pointed at his airplane.
White House: Obama to sign bill targeting North Korea violations
President Obama is to sign a comprehensive North Korea sanctions bill that can blacklist entities for assisting Pyongyang's nuclear weapons program or abetting its human rights violations.
Russia warns Turks: We might bomb your troops
Turkey's bombardment of a Syrian airbase recently recaptured by the Syrian Kurds from Islamic jihadists could lead to a direct confrontation with Russia if Ankara decides to send in troops, according to a new report in Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin.
U.S.-China clash over South China Sea intensifies after missile deployment
The clash between China and the U.S. over who will control the South China Sea, one of the world's busiest waterways, escalated Wednesday as Secretary of State John F. Kerry lashed out at Beijing after the Obama administration said it confirmed reports that China had deployed advanced surface-to-air missiles on a built-up island it occupies in the contested sea.
U.S. planned unprecedented cyberattack on Iran if nuke talks failed: Report
The Obama administration was ready to launch a wide-ranging cyberattack against Iran that could have rivaled the 'Stuxnet' worm, but put its plans on ice after an agreement was reached last summer over the nation's nuclear program, a new documentary revealed.

Israel-Palestinian Conflict
Report: Israeli missiles hit Syrian army outpost near Damascus
The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights on Wednesday said three Israeli rockets hit Syrian army positions near Damascus, according to Reuters.
Trump says he'd be 'neutral' with Israelis and Palestinians
Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump said Wednesday that if he is elected president, he would be 'neutral' on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Israeli archaeologists discover 7,000 year-old settlement in Jerusalem
Archaeologists in Jerusalem have uncovered an ancient settlement which dates back as far as 7,000 years ago, they announced on Wednesday. They are calling it the oldest discovery of its kind in the area.

Inside the United States
Clinton email chain discussed Afghan national's CIA ties, official says
One of the classified email chains discovered on Hillary Clinton's personal unsecured server discussed an Afghan national's ties to the CIA and a report that he was on the agency's payroll, a U.S. government official with knowledge of the document told Fox News.
White House: Obama 'regrets' decision to filibuster Supreme Court Justice Alito
The top White House spokesman said Wednesday that President Obama regrets his 2006 decision to filibuster the nomination of Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court - after being accused of hypocrisy for blasting obstructionist Republicans now vowing to block his next high court nominee.
Transgender bathroom bill passes through South Dakota Legislature
South Dakota would be the first state in the U.S. to approve a law requiring transgender students to use bathrooms and locker rooms that correspond to their sex at birth if the governor signs a bill passed Tuesday by the state Senate.

U.S. Politics
Poll: Cruz takes top spot nationally after big Trump drop
Texas Sen. Ted Cruz has surpassed Donald Trump for the top spot in a new national survey of the Republican presidential race from NBC News/Wall Street Journal.
Hillary Clinton: I don't know if the US is ready for a female president
Hillary Clinton believes she is a better candidate than her 2008 version but still wonders whether the US is ready for a female president.

Christian News
Saeed Abedini Asks Followers to Pray for His Marriage
Saeed Abedeini broke his four-year long Facebook silence Sunday, asking followers to pray for his marriage.
Visiting US Evangelical pastors: We stand unconditionally with Israel
Rev. Robert Stearns, a leading Evangelical figure from the United States, says it is crucial to educate the younger generation of Evangelical Christians in the US about the movement's strong connection to Israel.