Prophecy News Watch - October 26, 2017
Around the World
US Navy sends a 3rd aircraft carrier to the Pacific after it completes mission against ISIS
The USS Nimitz aircraft carrier and its accompanying strike group of destroyers have left the Middle East, where they had launched airstrikes against ISIS, to back up US forces in the Pacific, the US Navy announced on Wednesday.
A Russian ghost submarine, its US pursuers and a deadly new Cold War
The Krasnodar, a Russian attack submarine, left the coast of Libya in late May, headed east across the Mediterranean, then slipped undersea, quiet as a mouse. Then, it fired a volley of cruise missiles into Syria.
China has launched another crackdown on the internet — but it's different this time
Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered a message for the world during his opening speech at the 19th Communist Party Congress: China supports an open economy, and it will further liberalize its markets to foreign investors.
U.N. nuclear chief to visit Iran this weekend
The head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog will visit Iran on Sunday for talks with senior officials there, as opposition from the United States threatens to undermine an international accord to curtail Iran’s nuclear program.
Israel-Palestinian Conflict
Report: Hezbollah to leave Syria to prepare for conflict with Israel
Hezbollah is planning to withdraw its forces from Syria in 2018 in order to bolster its presence along the border with Israel, Lebanese news site Lebanon 24 reported on Tuesday.
Israeli Ministers Set to Vote on Annexing West Bank Settlements to Jerusalem
Ministers will vote Sunday on annexing Israeli local authorities beyond the Green Line to Jerusalem following several long delays. The bill is expected to win the support of the panel and be sent to the Knesset floor for approval.
US House of Representatives Passes Tough New Measures Targeting Hezbollah, ‘Iran’s Leading Terrorist Proxy’
The chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee declared on Wednesday that the US had sent an unmistakable message to Iran’s Lebanese Shia proxy, Hezbollah, with the passage by the House of Representatives of three new measures targeting the terrorist organization’s financing and recruitment operations.
Censorship? Youtube Shuts Down Israeli Account Exposing Palestinian Terrorism
Palestinian Media Watch (PMW), an Israeli organization that exposes incitement in the Palestinian media, says Youtube is censoring the organization by shutting down their account.
Bridge Tying Saudi Arabia to Africa May Need Israeli Signoff
Connecting Egypt to a new $500 billion Saudi city via a bridge across the Red Sea will require cooperation from Israel, analysts say. Could it one day help integrate the Jewish state with its Arab neighbors?
Pence will visit Israel, Egypt in December
US Vice President Mike Pence will visit Israel and Egypt in December at President Donald Trump's request, overlapping with the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah.
Inside the United States
FBI informant in Obama-era Russian nuclear bribery cleared to testify before Congress
The Justice Department on Wednesday night released a former FBI informant from a confidentiality agreement, allowing him to testify before Congress about what he witnessed undercover about the Russian nuclear industry’s efforts to win favorable decisions during the Obama administration.
Trump to bypass U.N. and send aid directly to persecuted Christians in Middle East
Vice President Mike Pence announced Wednesday night that President Trump has ordered the State Department to shut off funding for 'ineffective' United Nations programs to help persecuted Christians in the Middle East, saying the administration will take over those efforts directly.
IRS agent’s email says groups were targeted ‘primarily because of their political party affiliation’
Lawyers think they have finally found the smoking gun in the IRS’s tea party targeting scandal: an email from an IRS agent to her supervisors alerting them that the agency was, in fact, singling out some groups’ applications for extreme scrutiny 'primarily because of their political party affiliation.'
Trump to issue emergency declaration next week on opioids
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he would declare a national emergency next week on opioid abuse, a move that could give states access to federal funds to fight the drug crisis.
Mike Pence casts tie-breaking vote to cancel Obama-era rule favoring class-action suits against banks
With Vice President Mike Pence casting the deciding vote, the Senate voted late Tuesday night to undo a rule issued by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau that would bar financial firms from contracts that rule out class-action lawsuits related to their products. The measure now goes to President Trump's desk.
Christian News
Five Church Leaders in Sudan Arrested after Refusing to Cancel Worship Service
In an ongoing bid by the government of Sudan to take over leadership of the Sudanese Church of Christ (SCOC), police on Sunday (Oct. 22) arrested five SCOC church leaders after they refused to comply with an order to refrain from worship, sources told Morning Star News.
Muslims Target Pastor with Criminal Accusation in Zanzibar, Tanzania
A judge failed to show up at a hearing for a pastor facing accusations of child abuse in a case in Zanzibar that Muslims have kept alive after charges were twice dismissed, sources said.
North Korean defector describes 'life of hell' for Christians
North Korean Choi Kwanghyuk is one of the lucky ones.
US Navy sends a 3rd aircraft carrier to the Pacific after it completes mission against ISIS
The USS Nimitz aircraft carrier and its accompanying strike group of destroyers have left the Middle East, where they had launched airstrikes against ISIS, to back up US forces in the Pacific, the US Navy announced on Wednesday.
A Russian ghost submarine, its US pursuers and a deadly new Cold War
The Krasnodar, a Russian attack submarine, left the coast of Libya in late May, headed east across the Mediterranean, then slipped undersea, quiet as a mouse. Then, it fired a volley of cruise missiles into Syria.
China has launched another crackdown on the internet — but it's different this time
Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered a message for the world during his opening speech at the 19th Communist Party Congress: China supports an open economy, and it will further liberalize its markets to foreign investors.
U.N. nuclear chief to visit Iran this weekend
The head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog will visit Iran on Sunday for talks with senior officials there, as opposition from the United States threatens to undermine an international accord to curtail Iran’s nuclear program.
Israel-Palestinian Conflict
Report: Hezbollah to leave Syria to prepare for conflict with Israel
Hezbollah is planning to withdraw its forces from Syria in 2018 in order to bolster its presence along the border with Israel, Lebanese news site Lebanon 24 reported on Tuesday.
Israeli Ministers Set to Vote on Annexing West Bank Settlements to Jerusalem
Ministers will vote Sunday on annexing Israeli local authorities beyond the Green Line to Jerusalem following several long delays. The bill is expected to win the support of the panel and be sent to the Knesset floor for approval.
US House of Representatives Passes Tough New Measures Targeting Hezbollah, ‘Iran’s Leading Terrorist Proxy’
The chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee declared on Wednesday that the US had sent an unmistakable message to Iran’s Lebanese Shia proxy, Hezbollah, with the passage by the House of Representatives of three new measures targeting the terrorist organization’s financing and recruitment operations.
Censorship? Youtube Shuts Down Israeli Account Exposing Palestinian Terrorism
Palestinian Media Watch (PMW), an Israeli organization that exposes incitement in the Palestinian media, says Youtube is censoring the organization by shutting down their account.
Bridge Tying Saudi Arabia to Africa May Need Israeli Signoff
Connecting Egypt to a new $500 billion Saudi city via a bridge across the Red Sea will require cooperation from Israel, analysts say. Could it one day help integrate the Jewish state with its Arab neighbors?
Pence will visit Israel, Egypt in December
US Vice President Mike Pence will visit Israel and Egypt in December at President Donald Trump's request, overlapping with the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah.
Inside the United States
FBI informant in Obama-era Russian nuclear bribery cleared to testify before Congress
The Justice Department on Wednesday night released a former FBI informant from a confidentiality agreement, allowing him to testify before Congress about what he witnessed undercover about the Russian nuclear industry’s efforts to win favorable decisions during the Obama administration.
Trump to bypass U.N. and send aid directly to persecuted Christians in Middle East
Vice President Mike Pence announced Wednesday night that President Trump has ordered the State Department to shut off funding for 'ineffective' United Nations programs to help persecuted Christians in the Middle East, saying the administration will take over those efforts directly.
IRS agent’s email says groups were targeted ‘primarily because of their political party affiliation’
Lawyers think they have finally found the smoking gun in the IRS’s tea party targeting scandal: an email from an IRS agent to her supervisors alerting them that the agency was, in fact, singling out some groups’ applications for extreme scrutiny 'primarily because of their political party affiliation.'
Trump to issue emergency declaration next week on opioids
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he would declare a national emergency next week on opioid abuse, a move that could give states access to federal funds to fight the drug crisis.
Mike Pence casts tie-breaking vote to cancel Obama-era rule favoring class-action suits against banks
With Vice President Mike Pence casting the deciding vote, the Senate voted late Tuesday night to undo a rule issued by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau that would bar financial firms from contracts that rule out class-action lawsuits related to their products. The measure now goes to President Trump's desk.
Christian News
Five Church Leaders in Sudan Arrested after Refusing to Cancel Worship Service
In an ongoing bid by the government of Sudan to take over leadership of the Sudanese Church of Christ (SCOC), police on Sunday (Oct. 22) arrested five SCOC church leaders after they refused to comply with an order to refrain from worship, sources told Morning Star News.
Muslims Target Pastor with Criminal Accusation in Zanzibar, Tanzania
A judge failed to show up at a hearing for a pastor facing accusations of child abuse in a case in Zanzibar that Muslims have kept alive after charges were twice dismissed, sources said.
North Korean defector describes 'life of hell' for Christians
North Korean Choi Kwanghyuk is one of the lucky ones.