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

Society & Politics

• NHS to deny medical care to ‘homophobic’ patients? Non-critical medical care could be denied to NHS patients if they make homophobic, racist or sexist comments, under new rules effective from April. Read more here.
  
• Divorce rates fall across Europe: Continent-wide, the UK has seen the biggest drop in divorce rates over the last 25 years, of 27%. Read more here.
  
• Court of Appeal rules Sharia marriages are ‘non-marriages’: The ruling leaves Muslim women vulnerable in divorce cases but puts a brake on the encroachment of Sharia law into the British legal system. Read more here.

Church Issues

• Welsh pastor completes 24hr preach for Holocaust survivors: Pastor Mike Fryer from Father’s House Sabbath Congregation, Deeside, has completed a marathon sermon in aid of Abundant Hope International. Read more here.
  
• 24 killed in church attack in Burkina Faso: Islamists stormed the Sunday morning service and killed dozens, injuring and abducting others, including children. Read more here.
  
• Revival in Tennessee? Reports are being circulated of revival breaking out as part of a month-long prayer and fasting event involving hundreds of Tennessee churches. Read more here and here.

World Scene

• Spanish Parliament debates euthanasia bill: A draft law legalising assisted suicide has begun to proceed through Spain’s Parliament. It has the support of the majority of political parties. Read more here.
  
• US nurse testifies of aborted babies born alive: Speaking before the Senate Judiciary Committee, the former nurse testified of comforting infants for the duration of their short lives. 10-20% of aborted babies survive for some hours after being born, but are currently denied medical care in the US – something which could also happen under the new abortion laws being imposed on Northern Ireland. Read more here.
  
• China braces for coronavirus’ economic hit: The Chinese economy already slowed last year and now the banking sector is bracing for a ‘worst-case scenario’ slump due to the virus outbreak. Read more here. Fears of Japanese recession are also growing due to tax increases and typhoon disruption, as well as coronavirus. Read more here.

Israel & Middle East

• High-speed rail to connect Tel Aviv with Jerusalem: Israel’s Government has announced plans to ease traffic congestion in Jerusalem and boost tourism with a high-speed rail link taking travellers from Ben Gurion Airport directly to the Western Wall. Read more here.
  
• Egypt building border wall with Gaza: A 1.2-mile wall is being constructed along Egypt’s border with the Gaza Strip to prevent terrorists from crossing into the Sinai Peninsula. The concrete wall will be 20ft high and extend 16.4ft underground. Read more here.
  
• Bibi trial to start 17 March: The trial of Netanyahu for corruption charges will open two weeks after Israel’s unprecedented third election in a year. Read more 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: