Society & Politics

• Wales warned about anti-smacking push: Amidst a 12-week consultation in Wales on banning smacking, the ‘Be Reasonable’ campaign is warning about the potential consequences of a change in the law – holding up New Zealand as a case in point. Read more here.

Church Issues

• Eyes on Florida? While the world’s attention has been on the Florida shooting this week, you may not have heard that an ISIS gunman opened fire on congregants emerging from a church in Russia’s Dagestan region, killing 5, while Christian teachers were attacked and murdered in Kenya.
  
• New wave of Nigerian persecution: Open Doors is drawing attention to a new wave of attacks on Christians in Nigeria in recent weeks, with Fulani herdsmen destroying dozens of villages, burning down churches and homes, and murdering believers. Read more here.

World Scene

• French Jewish baby burned in acid attack: A 14-month-old girl has been rushed to hospital in Bron, near Lyon, suffering acid burns to her thighs and back. The acid was placed in her stroller, left overnight in a communal area of the family’s block of flats. Police are investigating an anti-Semitic motive. Read more here.
  
• 80 schoolgirls rescued from Boko Haram: The terror group stormed a secondary school in Dapchi, north-east Nigeria, on Monday, leaving over 100 girls unaccounted for. Around 80 were recovered by the army on Wednesday, including two bodies, with at least 13 still missing. Read more here.
  
• War on circumcision: Under the pretence of defending children’s rights, a bill in Iceland proposing to ban non-medical circumcision of infant boys has prompted a campaign for the same in Denmark. Such laws represent a grave threat to Jewish communities in these countries. Read more here.

Israel & Middle East

• Embassy move on independence day! The USA will move their embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem on 14 May - much earlier than expected, and coinciding exactly with the 70^th anniversary of Israel's re-establishment as a state. Media reports expect an official announcement soon. Read more here.
• US bill condemning human shields progresses: The bill, which targets Hamas’s routine use of civilian buildings to cover military operations, was passed unanimously by the House of Representatives and now moves to the Senate. Hamas has spoken out in criticism. Read more here.
  
• Situation beyond critical in Syria’s Eastern Ghouta: Around 400,000 civilians are trapped in the enclave, facing a Government siege that is bombarding men, women and children alike with bombs and chemical weapons. Read more here.
  
• Abbas calls for peace talks: At a speech to the UN this week, the PA President called for fresh negotiations later this year. He also threatened the West with terrorism if funding is not restored to UNWRA. Read more here and here. Meanwhile, rumours are swirling about the Israeli-Palestinian peace plan being prepared by the Trump team.
  
• Iran to build nuclear ships: In a snub to the US, Iran releases plans to build nuclear-powered vessels. Read more here.

Upcoming Events

• Israel & Prophecy Group meeting, with guest speaker Charles Gardner (Prophecy Today) (London): Saturday 24 February, 10am-3pm. Contact Sally for more details.
• Lobby Day for Israel (London): Wednesday 28 February, 10:30am-5pm. Help make the case for Israel in Parliament this 70^th anniversary year. Click here to book. For more information, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
• Foundations 9 (Cumbria): 19-23 March, Grange-Over-Sands. Theme: 'Into the lion's den: reaching a world gone mad'. Steve Maltz's annual week-long Hebraic conference. £260 per person. Click here for more information and to book.

Recommended Sources

At Prophecy Today UK we are aware that the world is moving very quickly and it is difficult to keep up with all the latest developments – especially when the material circulated by our mainstream media is increasingly far from reality and definitely not devoted to a biblical perspective!

Though we are not a news service, we want to help keep you informed by passing on updates and reports as we are led. This will be a selective, not an exhaustive, round-up, which we hope will be helpful for your prayers. Click here to browse our News archive.

We also recommend the following news services for regular updates from a Christian perspective:

• Christian Concern (UK)
• Christian Institute (UK)
• JNN News (Barry and Batya Segal, Israel)
• Worthy News (Israel)
• Family Watch International
• Barnabas Fund
• Kehila News (Israel)