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
Europol: ISIS planning large scale attacks in Europe
ISIS has increased its ability to launch global terror attacks and plans to attempt more Paris-style attacks in Europe, the head of EU police agency Europol was quoted as saying by AFP on Monday.
Mega-deals await as Iranian president starts European trip in Rome
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani flew to Italy on Monday at the start of his first official visit to Europe, looking to sign multi-billion dollar contracts to help to modernize Iran's economy after years of crippling financial sanctions.
UN sees six-month Syria peace talks starting Friday
Talks on ending the war in Syria are expected to start on Friday and take six months, although invitations have still not been sent due to "intense disagreements", the U.N. Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura told a news conference on Monday.
U.K. welfare changes to benefit Muslims with many wives
Changes to the British welfare system are expected to be a boon for Muslim immigrants with multiple wives.
Paris attackers were versed in atrocity, ISIS video shows
A new video released by the Islamic State group purports to show the extremists who carried out the Nov. 13 attacks in Paris committing atrocities in IS-controlled territory while plotting the slaughter in the French capital that left 130 people dead and hundreds wounded. The group also threatens Britain.
UN Seeks Over $500 Million to Help Nigerian, CAR Refugees
The United Nations refugee agency and its partners are appealing for more than half a billion dollars to provide life-saving aid to hundreds of thousands of people fleeing conflicts in Nigeria and the Central African Republic. The funding would also assist the communities hosting the refugees.
Zika virus outbreak will likely spread across Americas, WHO says
Global health authorities are warning that the Zika virus is predicted to spread through South, Central and North America and will likely reach all countries and territories where the Aedes mosquitoes are found.
EU states push for two-year border controls
EU member states Monday (25 January) asked the EU Commission to prepare for measures that allow member states to prolong temporary border controls to up to two years.
Israel-Palestinian Conflict
Israeli jets bomb targets in Gaza after rocket hits south
Israeli warplanes struck the Gaza Strip early Monday morning in response to a rocket fired at southern Israel on Sunday evening.
Hamas deputy leader praises media for supporting the 'intifada'
Hamas' deputy leader Ismail Haniyeh on Sunday praised the Palestinian Arab media for continuing to play a major role in strengthening the morale of the Palestinians during the intifada.
Poll: 67% of Israelis concerned for safety of Jews abroad
Ahead of International Holocaust Remembrance Day and in light of the significant rise in anti-Semitic incidents in Europe and across the globe, the World Zionist Organization conducted a survey, which showed that 67% of Israelis are worried for the safety of Jews abroad.
Inside the United States
Grand Jury Indicts Abortion Foes Behind Undercover Videos
A Harris County grand jury on Monday indicted the videographers behind undercover recordings of a Planned Parenthood clinic in Houston and cleared the women's health provider of any wrongdoing.
Mid-Atlantic coastline flooded by blizzard's storm surge. 'This is worse than Sandy.'
While the snow piled up in the Washington region, the ocean raged on the coast. For three high tides, the storm known as Snowzilla thrust a hurricane-like surge of water into the coast, producing historic flooding.
Feds foresee $30 trillion debt, blame looming tax hikes and Obamacare
The federal government will be flirting with $30 trillion in debt within a decade, the Congressional Budget Office reported Monday, blaming an aging population, new spending and tax cuts approved on Capitol Hill, and the growing burden from Obamacare for erasing the progress Washington had made over the past few years.
House committee OKs bill outlawing early ballot collection
A House committee has passed a measure that would block voter-outreach groups from collecting and dropping off early ballots as the state prepares for the 2016 election season.
Damage from two destructive Northern California fires exceeds $1 billion in insured losses
Damage from two destructive Northern California wildfires that killed six and sent thousands fleeing their homes topped $1 billion in insured losses, according to a preliminary estimate by the state’s insurance department.
U.S. Politics
Bloomberg Willing To Spend $1B On Possible Presidential Bid
Former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg is taking a look at the 2016 presidential landscape, and putting the pieces in place for a possible presidential run, sources close to Bloomberg said.
Christian News
Cuban gov't demolishes two churches
Earlier this month, police in Cuba had arrested two pastors while government officials supervised the demolition of their churches.
Islamic rage erupts over Christian march
A mob of Muslim men swarmed a group of Christian activists on British streets and said they were “taking over” the country.
US pastor freed by Iran says he was tortured
Saeed Abedini, an American pastor freed this month from an Iranian prison as part of a US-Iranian prisoner swap, said in a television interview aired on Monday that he was tortured and left in solitary confinement for refusing to sign a false confession and saw other prisoners being taken to be hanged.
Around the World
Europol: ISIS planning large scale attacks in Europe
ISIS has increased its ability to launch global terror attacks and plans to attempt more Paris-style attacks in Europe, the head of EU police agency Europol was quoted as saying by AFP on Monday.
Mega-deals await as Iranian president starts European trip in Rome
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani flew to Italy on Monday at the start of his first official visit to Europe, looking to sign multi-billion dollar contracts to help to modernize Iran's economy after years of crippling financial sanctions.
UN sees six-month Syria peace talks starting Friday
Talks on ending the war in Syria are expected to start on Friday and take six months, although invitations have still not been sent due to "intense disagreements", the U.N. Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura told a news conference on Monday.
U.K. welfare changes to benefit Muslims with many wives
Changes to the British welfare system are expected to be a boon for Muslim immigrants with multiple wives.
Paris attackers were versed in atrocity, ISIS video shows
A new video released by the Islamic State group purports to show the extremists who carried out the Nov. 13 attacks in Paris committing atrocities in IS-controlled territory while plotting the slaughter in the French capital that left 130 people dead and hundreds wounded. The group also threatens Britain.
UN Seeks Over $500 Million to Help Nigerian, CAR Refugees
The United Nations refugee agency and its partners are appealing for more than half a billion dollars to provide life-saving aid to hundreds of thousands of people fleeing conflicts in Nigeria and the Central African Republic. The funding would also assist the communities hosting the refugees.
Zika virus outbreak will likely spread across Americas, WHO says
Global health authorities are warning that the Zika virus is predicted to spread through South, Central and North America and will likely reach all countries and territories where the Aedes mosquitoes are found.
EU states push for two-year border controls
EU member states Monday (25 January) asked the EU Commission to prepare for measures that allow member states to prolong temporary border controls to up to two years.
Israel-Palestinian Conflict
Israeli jets bomb targets in Gaza after rocket hits south
Israeli warplanes struck the Gaza Strip early Monday morning in response to a rocket fired at southern Israel on Sunday evening.
Hamas deputy leader praises media for supporting the 'intifada'
Hamas' deputy leader Ismail Haniyeh on Sunday praised the Palestinian Arab media for continuing to play a major role in strengthening the morale of the Palestinians during the intifada.
Poll: 67% of Israelis concerned for safety of Jews abroad
Ahead of International Holocaust Remembrance Day and in light of the significant rise in anti-Semitic incidents in Europe and across the globe, the World Zionist Organization conducted a survey, which showed that 67% of Israelis are worried for the safety of Jews abroad.
Inside the United States
Grand Jury Indicts Abortion Foes Behind Undercover Videos
A Harris County grand jury on Monday indicted the videographers behind undercover recordings of a Planned Parenthood clinic in Houston and cleared the women's health provider of any wrongdoing.
Mid-Atlantic coastline flooded by blizzard's storm surge. 'This is worse than Sandy.'
While the snow piled up in the Washington region, the ocean raged on the coast. For three high tides, the storm known as Snowzilla thrust a hurricane-like surge of water into the coast, producing historic flooding.
Feds foresee $30 trillion debt, blame looming tax hikes and Obamacare
The federal government will be flirting with $30 trillion in debt within a decade, the Congressional Budget Office reported Monday, blaming an aging population, new spending and tax cuts approved on Capitol Hill, and the growing burden from Obamacare for erasing the progress Washington had made over the past few years.
House committee OKs bill outlawing early ballot collection
A House committee has passed a measure that would block voter-outreach groups from collecting and dropping off early ballots as the state prepares for the 2016 election season.
Damage from two destructive Northern California fires exceeds $1 billion in insured losses
Damage from two destructive Northern California wildfires that killed six and sent thousands fleeing their homes topped $1 billion in insured losses, according to a preliminary estimate by the state’s insurance department.
U.S. Politics
Bloomberg Willing To Spend $1B On Possible Presidential Bid
Former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg is taking a look at the 2016 presidential landscape, and putting the pieces in place for a possible presidential run, sources close to Bloomberg said.
Christian News
Cuban gov't demolishes two churches
Earlier this month, police in Cuba had arrested two pastors while government officials supervised the demolition of their churches.
Islamic rage erupts over Christian march
A mob of Muslim men swarmed a group of Christian activists on British streets and said they were “taking over” the country.
US pastor freed by Iran says he was tortured
Saeed Abedini, an American pastor freed this month from an Iranian prison as part of a US-Iranian prisoner swap, said in a television interview aired on Monday that he was tortured and left in solitary confinement for refusing to sign a false confession and saw other prisoners being taken to be hanged.
Today's Breaking News
Around the World
Iran general: US paid Tehran $1.7 billion to release 'spies'
An Iranian general this week claimed that the $400 million debt and $1.3 billion in interest the US has agreed to pay Iran from a pre-revolution international legal tribunal, was actually a ransom to secure the release of dual citizens recently freed by Iran as part of a prisoner swap.
Saudi says US well aware of Iran 'mischief'
Saudi Arabia on Saturday said it does not see a 'coming together' of Iran and the United States, which is well aware of Tehran's regional 'mischief'.
Slain ex-KGB spy accused Putin of pedophilia 4 months before poisoning
Alexander Litvinenko publicly accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of being a pedophile just four months before he was poisoned in 2006, an inquiry into the ex-KGB spy's death has found.
Israel-Palestinian Conflict
IDF official: Hamas ready for fresh hostilities with Israel
Eighteen months after its last war with Israel in Gaza, Islamist terror group Hamas has rehabilitated itself and is ready for a fresh round of hostilities, a senior defense official said Friday.
Faced with new ISIS threat, Israel readies itself for possible confrontation
As pressure on Islamic state intensifies in Iraq and Syria, the organization is working to establish itself in other countries and construct alternative arenas for its activities and Allen cautioned participants at the annual Institute for National Security Studies conference in Tel Aviv that it is too early to write the obituary for ISIS.
Netanyahu 'hopeful' of normalization of ties with Turkey
Prime Minister tells Turkish news agency on sidelines of World Economic Forum that resuming ties with Ankara 'will be good for both countries.'
Inside the United States
Immigration prosecutions drop 36%, detaining illegals in jail down 2/3rds
Criminal prosecution of immigration offenses over the past five years is down 36 percent, and the once-successful program of detaining illegal immigrants in state and local jails is in free fall, down by two-thirds, according reports from two federal agencies.
Blizzard for record books paralyzes New York and Washington
A blizzard that has paralyzed much of the U.S. East Coast intensified on Saturday, bringing Washington to a standstill and forcing the closure of roads, bridges and tunnels into New York until Sunday morning.
7.1-magnitude earthquake hits Alaska
A 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck Alaska early Sunday morning, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
U.S. Politics
Michael Bloomberg Considering Independent Presidential Run, Report Says
Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is considering a presidential run as an independent candidate, according to a new report.
Trump weighs lawsuit over Cruz citizenship
Businessman Donald Trump hinted Saturday he might decide to sue rival Texas Sen. Ted Cruz over the legality of his U.S. citizenship.
Paul Ryan Goes on Offense
Paul Ryan enters his first full year as speaker of the House with a unified caucus, an ambitious agenda, and an audacious goal: Go on offense against President Obama and the Democratic Party, while laying the predicate for unified Republican control of government in 2017. 'We have no clue who our nominee is going to be,' Ryan tells me over the phone, 'and the last thing we should do is sit around and wait.'
Christian News
Kazakhstan: Christian convert sentenced
A Kazakh court in Astana has increased the severity of the sentence given a Christian convert from Islam.
Algeria: Church looted, vandalized
Last week, vandals who wrote 'Allah Akbar' on a church's walls in Tizi-Ouzou, Algerian, also stole its congregation's cash.
Czech Republic accepts Christian refugees
Thirty-seven Christian families fleeing from the Islamic State are being relocated to the Czech Republic.
Saeed Abedini Arrives Safely at Billy Graham Center to Recover, Reconnect With Family
Pastor Saeed Abedini, who was released last week from an Iranian prison after more than three years, has arrived in the United States, and is resting and meeting with family members at the Billy Graham Training Center in North Carolina.
Around the World
Iran general: US paid Tehran $1.7 billion to release 'spies'
An Iranian general this week claimed that the $400 million debt and $1.3 billion in interest the US has agreed to pay Iran from a pre-revolution international legal tribunal, was actually a ransom to secure the release of dual citizens recently freed by Iran as part of a prisoner swap.
Saudi says US well aware of Iran 'mischief'
Saudi Arabia on Saturday said it does not see a 'coming together' of Iran and the United States, which is well aware of Tehran's regional 'mischief'.
Slain ex-KGB spy accused Putin of pedophilia 4 months before poisoning
Alexander Litvinenko publicly accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of being a pedophile just four months before he was poisoned in 2006, an inquiry into the ex-KGB spy's death has found.
Israel-Palestinian Conflict
IDF official: Hamas ready for fresh hostilities with Israel
Eighteen months after its last war with Israel in Gaza, Islamist terror group Hamas has rehabilitated itself and is ready for a fresh round of hostilities, a senior defense official said Friday.
Faced with new ISIS threat, Israel readies itself for possible confrontation
As pressure on Islamic state intensifies in Iraq and Syria, the organization is working to establish itself in other countries and construct alternative arenas for its activities and Allen cautioned participants at the annual Institute for National Security Studies conference in Tel Aviv that it is too early to write the obituary for ISIS.
Netanyahu 'hopeful' of normalization of ties with Turkey
Prime Minister tells Turkish news agency on sidelines of World Economic Forum that resuming ties with Ankara 'will be good for both countries.'
Inside the United States
Immigration prosecutions drop 36%, detaining illegals in jail down 2/3rds
Criminal prosecution of immigration offenses over the past five years is down 36 percent, and the once-successful program of detaining illegal immigrants in state and local jails is in free fall, down by two-thirds, according reports from two federal agencies.
Blizzard for record books paralyzes New York and Washington
A blizzard that has paralyzed much of the U.S. East Coast intensified on Saturday, bringing Washington to a standstill and forcing the closure of roads, bridges and tunnels into New York until Sunday morning.
7.1-magnitude earthquake hits Alaska
A 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck Alaska early Sunday morning, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
U.S. Politics
Michael Bloomberg Considering Independent Presidential Run, Report Says
Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is considering a presidential run as an independent candidate, according to a new report.
Trump weighs lawsuit over Cruz citizenship
Businessman Donald Trump hinted Saturday he might decide to sue rival Texas Sen. Ted Cruz over the legality of his U.S. citizenship.
Paul Ryan Goes on Offense
Paul Ryan enters his first full year as speaker of the House with a unified caucus, an ambitious agenda, and an audacious goal: Go on offense against President Obama and the Democratic Party, while laying the predicate for unified Republican control of government in 2017. 'We have no clue who our nominee is going to be,' Ryan tells me over the phone, 'and the last thing we should do is sit around and wait.'
Christian News
Kazakhstan: Christian convert sentenced
A Kazakh court in Astana has increased the severity of the sentence given a Christian convert from Islam.
Algeria: Church looted, vandalized
Last week, vandals who wrote 'Allah Akbar' on a church's walls in Tizi-Ouzou, Algerian, also stole its congregation's cash.
Czech Republic accepts Christian refugees
Thirty-seven Christian families fleeing from the Islamic State are being relocated to the Czech Republic.
Saeed Abedini Arrives Safely at Billy Graham Center to Recover, Reconnect With Family
Pastor Saeed Abedini, who was released last week from an Iranian prison after more than three years, has arrived in the United States, and is resting and meeting with family members at the Billy Graham Training Center in North Carolina.