Prophecy News Watch - April 18, 2019

Around the World
French Officials Avoid Drawing Hasty Conclusions as Notre Dame Fire Erupts on the Heels of St. Sulpice Arson
French investigators are still “favoring the theory of an accident” as the cause of the Notre Dame Cathedral fire that began Monday evening and ended Tuesday morning, despite an unnamed police source telling French reporters that the case was “extraordinary,” according to the news outlet Le Monde.
North Korea says it test-fired new tactical guided weapon
North Korea said Thursday that it had test-fired a new type of 'tactical guided weapon,' in what may be an attempt to register displeasure with a deadlock in nuclear talks with the United States without causing those coveted negotiations to collapse.

Israel-Palestinian Conflict
Iran president urges Mideast states to ‘drive back Zionism’
Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani called on Middle East states on Thursday to 'drive back Zionism,' in an Army Day tirade against the Islamic republic’s arch-foe Israel.
Jared Kushner: ‘Deal of the century’ will not be released before June
Jared Kushner, US President Donald Trump’s senior adviser, told foreign diplomats on Wednesday that the 'deal of the century' will not be released before the end of Ramadan, in June, a source familiar with the remarks told The Jerusalem Post.
Report: Israel used special missile in Syria attack
For the first time, Israel fired advanced Rampage stand-off air-to-surface missiles against Syria in order to overcome the advanced Russian-made S-300 interceptor, foreign media reported on Wednesday.
IDF shoots down targets in test of Patriot, Iron Dome air defense systems
The Israeli Air Force conducted successful live-fire tests of its Patriot and Iron Dome missile defense systems on Tuesday, the military said.

Inside the United States
Release of long-awaited Mueller report on Russia a watershed moment for Trump
Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s long-awaited report on Russia’s role in the 2016 U.S. election will be released on Thursday, providing the first public look at the findings of an inquiry that has cast a shadow over Donald Trump’s presidency.
Pro-abortion rights group asks Supreme Court to strike Louisiana abortion restriction
The Center for Reproductive Rights on Wednesday asked the Supreme Court to throw out a Louisiana abortion restriction they say is identical to a law the justices struck down almost three years ago.
50% drop in abortion traffic follows 'Unplanned'
Don’t expect this statistic to appear in Planned Parenthood’s next report to Congress when it seeks more taxpayer money.

Christian News
NYPD: Man with gas cans arrested at St. Patrick's church
Just days after flames ravaged the Notre Dame cathedral in Paris, a New Jersey man was arrested Wednesday night after entering St. Patrick's Cathedral carrying two cans of gasoline, lighter fluid and butane lighters, according to the New York Police Department.
From Practicing Witchcraft to Worshipping Jesus Christ in Cuba
Santeria — a form of modern witchcraft that fuses Catholic practices and African folk beliefs — is prevalent in Cuba. In fact, according to the U.S. State Department, some sources estimate that as many as 80 percent of Cubans practice Santeria.
Burned black churches in Louisiana raise $1.8M after Notre Dame fire
The devastating fire at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris led to an immediate outpouring of donations and an ambitious pledge by the French president to rebuild within five years. But a continent away, the blaze also spurred more than $1.8 million in donations to rebuild three historically black churches burned in suspected hate crimes in Louisiana.