• Corbyn member of second anti-Semitic Facebook group: The Labour leader was added in 2014 and only removed himself this week, after his involvement was uncovered by the press. Read more here and here. His membership of ‘Palestine Live’, another such group, was removed shortly after he became Labour leader.
  
• Down’s Syndrome video saves lives: A video released to mark World Down’s Syndrome Day this week has gone viral and is already causing parents-to-be to choose life over abortion. Read more here.
  
• Government drops Equality Oath plans: The recommendation from the 2016 Casey Review that holding public office should require the swearing in of an oath to uphold ‘British values’ has been dropped by Communities Secretary Sajid Javid. Read more here.
  
• Guernsey to consider legalising assisted suicide: The Channel Island will vote in May on the proposal, which has the backing of the chief minister. Read more here. Meanwhile, a criminal investigation has been launched into Dutch euthanasia cases, which have risen steadily for ten years and seem to be being ‘normalised’. Read more here.

World Scene

• Taylor Force Act passed! The bill all but ceases US funding sent to the Palestinians unless and until they agree to stop funding terrorists and their families. It is named after a US citizen who was killed in a terror attack in Tel Aviv in 2016. Read more here.
  
• US pro-life bill passed…then blocked: The State of Mississippi signed into law a ban on abortion after 15 weeks this past Monday, only for it to be blocked the following day by a temporary restraining order, imposed by a district judge after outcry from the pro-abortion lobby. Read more here.
  
• American pastor in Turkey could face life in prison: Andrew Brunson was arrested in 2016 and has only now been charged, facing allegations that equate Christianity with terrorism. The 50-year-old pastor could face 35 years. Read more here.
  
• Afrin taken by the Turks – what of its Christians? The Kurdish city in Northern Syria was once a refuge for Christians and Yazidis fleeing the civil war. But since Afrin’s takeover by Turkish forces, which started in January and was declared complete this week, their future is now in jeopardy. Read more here.

Israel & Middle East

• Father-of-four stabbed to death in Jerusalem’s Old City: Adiel Coleman was murdered on 18 March near the entrance to Temple Mount. Read more here.
  
• Palestinians in crisis: With relations with the USA at an all-time low and rumours of a ‘divorce’ with Hamas in Gaza, PA President Abbas and his fractious party Fatah are backed in to a corner. This article gives a good summary of recent events. It also indicates that Hamas strategy is likely to move from terror tunnels to higher-profile border protests in the near future. Meanwhile, Hamas is reportedly investing in its relations with Iran and Hezbollah in anticipation of rejecting the US’s peace deal. Read more here.

Upcoming Events

• Celebrating Israel’s 70^th (Central London): Saturday 12 May, Emmanuel Centre. Praise and worship, prayer and teaching, hosted by Vision for Israel. 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 also recommend the following news services for regular updates from a Christian perspective:

• Christian Concern (UK)
• Christian Institute (UK)
• JNN News (Barry and Batya Segal, Israel)
• Worthy News (Israel)
• Family Watch International
• Barnabas Fund
• Kehila News (Israel)