A selection of the week's happenings to aid your prayers.

Society & Politics

• Tory MP calls for return to Christian values in maiden speech: Devizes MP Danny Kruger used his maiden speech in Parliament to emphasise that Britain has lost its common identity and can only rediscover it in its Christian heritage. Read more here.
  
• Government pledges Holocaust memorial support: The Conservative Government has pledged a £1 million donation to help preserve Auschwitz-Birkenau and invest in Holocaust education for future generations. Boris Johnson has also re-iterated his commitment to seeing a national Holocaust Memorial established. Read more here.
  
• British scientists in possible cancer breakthrough: British scientists say they have discovered – by accident – a type of immune cell which could lead to a ‘one size fits all’ cancer treatment. Read more here.

Church Issues

• Welby and Sentamu apologise for marriage statement: A House of Bishops’ statement affirming orthodox biblical teaching in relation to recent law changes surrounding civil partnerships has now been formally apologised for by the Archbishops of Canterbury and York. Read more here.
  
• Bill introduced to scrap bishops’ bench: A bill supported by the National Secular Society has been introduced by a Lib Dem peer, seeking to end the CofE bishops’ automatic right to sit in the House of Lords. Read more here.
  
• UK venues cancel Franklin Graham: Officials at multiple venues included in Graham’s UK tour are cancelling because of his biblical views on marriage and sexuality. Read more here.

World Scene

• NAFTA replaced by new deal: This week President Trump has ratified a trade deal between the US, Mexico and Canada which is projected to create 600,000 new US jobs. Mexico has already ratified the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) and Canada is expected to follow suit in coming weeks. Read more here.
• Jihad unleashed on Christians in West Africa: Dozens were murdered in Burkina Faso last weekend by militants who are explicitly attacking the country’s Christian population. Read more here. In Nigeria, a surge of attacks by Boko Haram have included the killing of 13 Christian men defending their village and 15 Christians in a bar in Plateau State.
  
• Locust swarms in East Africa worst in decades: In some places, the ‘super-swarms’ of locusts are the worst seen in 70 years. 175,000 acres of land across Somalia and Ethiopia have already been devoured, with the invasion expected to spread to other countries. Read more here.

Israel & Middle East

• Trump peace plan released: Pundits are divided over the value of the ‘deal of the century’, which keeps Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and recognises Israeli sovereignty over Judea and Samaria, promising Palestinian statehood and a $50 billion economic boost in return for certain preconditions being met. Read more here. The Palestinians have united in rejecting the deal forcefully. The UK Government has welcomed it.
• ISIS shifts focus to Jerusalem: The Islamic State group has announced a ‘new phase’ in its strategy, shifting from defending its caliphate lands to attacking Israel and the Jewish people. Read more here.
  
• Netanyahu withdraws immunity bid: The Israeli PM has withdrawn his request for immunity, ahead of its almost certain rejection by the Knesset. This will open the way for an indictment to be filed within days. Read more here.

Events

• Our Kids Are Being Taught What?! Part 2 (London): 22 February. The second in a series of conferences on sex, gender, relationships and young people, with a particular focus on how parents can respond to popular messages being levelled at children and teens. St Luke’s Church, Wimbledon Park, 10:30am-5:30pm. Find out more and book tickets here.

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