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News in Brief, 14 December 2018

14 Dec 2018 General
News in Brief, 14 December 2018

A selection of the week's happenings for your prayers.

Society & Politics

  • UK’s abortion stats revised upwards: An extra 3,000 abortions were missed off the Government’s 2017 statistics, making the total the highest since 2008. There have been notable increases in older women having abortions, as well as abortions of disabled babies. Read more here.
  • Britain signs UN pro-migration compact: While Brexit has dominated Britain’s news headlines, our Government has quietly signed the UN’s new migration compact, a move described by the Gatestone Institute as a ‘power grab’ by ‘globalist elites’. Read more here and here. Several European countries have refused to sign the compact, including Italy, which has instead moved to tighten its own immigration laws. Read more here.

Church Scene

  • Government still trying to regulate Sunday Schools: A DfE consultation hints that regulation of out-of-school education settings is still a possibility, with talk of a ‘code of practice’. Opposition from Christians in 2015 led to a similar regulation attempt being shelved. Read more here.
  • Crackdowns on believers in Iran and China: Authorities in Iran have arrested 100 believers in recent days to try to stem conversions and evangelism. Read more here. A similar number have been arrested in China in co-ordinated raids on a particularly prominent house church. Read more here.

World Scene

  • ‘Yellow vest’ protests turn anti-Semitic: The protests in France are now targeting Jews. This includes a banner hung on the main road between Paris and Marseilles reading “Macron is a whore of the Jews”. Read more here. Meanwhile, a poll of 16,000 Jews from 12 European countries reveals nearly 90% fear rising anti-Semitism and 30% have been harassed in the last year.
  • Nashville goes abortion-free: The last clinic in the city closed down last week, leaving the city abortion-free, at least temporarily. Pro-life centres have reported an uptick in calls since the closure, which was of a Planned Parenthood clinic that aborted nearly 2,000 babies in 2016. Read more here.
  • Google hosts pro-Sharia, ‘blasphemy’ app: The app, ‘Smart Pakem’, makes it easier for Indonesians to report blasphemy and deviations from Islam to Jakarta officials. It has been approved by the Google Play store. Read more here.
  • Canadian politician praises Christ in parliament: Ted Falk used his speech to talk about keeping Christ in Christmas. He received a standing ovation. Read more here.

Israel & Middle East

  • Multiple West Bank attacks claim Israeli lives: On Sunday a drive-by shooting at a bus stop near Ofra wounded seven, including a pregnant woman whose unborn baby was delivered in an emergency C-section but later died. Barely a mile away on Thursday morning, another shooting killed two IDF soldiers and wounded two others, one severely. Read more here and here. A third attack on Friday has left an IDF soldier critically wounded. Read more here.
  • Australia to recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital: The announcement is expected on Saturday, thanks to Australia’s new Prime Minister Scott Morrison. Australians travelling in Muslim-majority Indonesia have been warned to take extra care in case of backlash. Read more here.

Upcoming Events

  • A Day of Prayer and Fasting for God to Deliver our Nation from Chaos! Saturday 26 January 2019, The SSE Arena, Wembley, 10am-6pm. Organised by David Hathaway. Dr Clifford Hill will be speaking. Tickets available soon. Click here for more information.
  • Issachar Ministries conference: Monday 18 – Wednesday 20 March. ‘Brexit: Hardship or Harvest?’. Swanwick, Derbyshire. Call the office for more details and to book: 01767 223270.
  • A Day of Prayer in Westminster: Friday 29 March (Brexit Day). The Emmanuel Centre. Organised by Issachar Ministries. With Dr Clifford Hill, David Hathaway and others. Click here for more information and to book tickets.

 

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: