Prophecy News Watch - October 20, 2022

Around the World
Central Bank Digital Currencies Spark Outrage; Dutch Queen Questioned
Dutch Queen Maxima has come under pressure over embracing central bank digital currencies (CBDCs), which could enable governments to control people’s spending.
Russia’s Putin declares martial law in 4 annexed Ukrainian regions
Russia has announced the implementation of martial law in the four regions of Ukraine that it claimed to annex last month.
Hundreds Die In Nigeria’s Worst Flooding In Decade
Authorities in Nigeria struggled Monday to get relief to more than a million people displaced by the country’s deadliest flooding in a decade.

Israel-Palestinian Conflict
Hamas in first Syria visit in decade as relations thaw
A Hamas delegation arrived in Damascus Wednesday for talks with President Bashar Al-Assad in the first such visit since the Palestinian Islamist group severed ties with Syria a decade ago.
Israel eyes blockchain tech to issue government bonds
Israel is planning to issue government bonds using a blockchain technology platform, the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange (TASE) said Wednesday.
Israel’s PM Against Jewish Prayer At Temple Mount, Arabs Welcome
Israel’s Prime Minister Yair Lapid has pledged to continue “Muslim rights on the Temple Mount” while he prohibits Jews from praying there and supports a Palestinian state.

Inside the United States
Biden announces release of 15 million barrels of emergency reserve oil
President Joe Biden has announced he will release 15 million barrels of oil from America’s emergency Strategic Petroleum Reserve, a move analysts say is intended to show voters in next month’s midterm elections that he is concerned about high gas prices, USA Today reports.
Texas has seized over 336 million ‘lethal doses’ of fentanyl during Operation Lone Star, DPS says
A border security mission launched by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has resulted in 336 million "lethal doses" of fentanyl being seized since it began earlier this year, enough to kill the entire population of the United States, he said.
DOJ prosecutors believe they have enough evidence to charge Trump after Mar-a-Lago raid: Report
Justice Department prosecutors in the Mar-a-Lago raid case believe they have enough evidence to charge former President Donald Trump with obstruction of justice, according to a new report.
California: 2020 wildfires wiped out all state reductions in greenhouse gas emissions since 2003
Nearly 20 years' worth of greenhouse gas emissions reductions by California were erased in 2020 when catastrophic wildfires in the state dumped twice the amount of emissions into the air as had been reduced since 2003, USA Today reports.
Report: The US military is “weak” and risks inability to properly defend America’s interests
The US military is “weak” and at increasing risk of being unable to meet the demands of defending America’s vital national interests, reports the Heritage Foundation (HF), a major conservative think-tank.

Christian News
Iran Christians Freed From Troubled Evin Prison
Iranian authorities have freed two Christian converts from one of Iran’s most notorious prisons after a fire there killed eight inmates and injured dozens of others, well-informed Christians told Worthy News Wednesday.
Iran: Concerns raised for Christian couple jailed in harsh prison for house church activity
There has been increasing concern for the well-being of an Iranian Christian couple who were imprisoned in a notoriously harsh Tehran jail in August following their convictions for leading and belonging to a house church, the Christian Post reports.