Our pick of the week's news.

Society & Politics

• 25% increase in UK-Israel trade: News of a healthy increase in bilateral trade means that we are now the biggest recipient of Israeli investment in Europe. Read more here.
• Christian MPs defend religious freedom: Speeches were made in Parliament this week in defence of Christians who feel under attack by ‘aggrssive secularism’. Read more here.

World Scene

• Major aftershock hits Papua New Guinea: Hot on the heels of the major quake that hit last week, a 6.7 magnitude aftershock struck the island’s Southern Highlands on Wednesday, killing at least 18. At least 150,000 people are currently in need of emergency supplies. Read more here.
• Poland suspends Holocaust bill: After an international row was sparked following the passing into law of a bill criminalising referencing to Polish collusion in the Holocaust, the Polish Government has suspended the law’s application until further talks with the Israelis to amend the wording. Read more here.
• Christian asylum-seekers facing attacks: A new report exposes the persecution being faced by Christian refugees in Sweden, mainly from fellow [Muslim] refugees. Read more here.
• Creative measure to protect unborn children: Minnesota pro-life advocates are putting their weight behind a bill that would guarantee a woman’s right to view an ultrasound prior to deciding on an abortion. Read more here.

Israel & Middle East

• Turkish paper calls for pan-Arab army against Israel: A Turkish daily with strong links to President Erdogan has called on 57 member states of the Organisation for Islamic Cooperation to form an ‘Army of Islam’ to besiege Israel. Read more here.
  
• Who will succeed Abbas? A temporary successor has been appointed as news of the Palestinian President’s cancer comes to light – but the fight for top spot is not likely to be that simple. Read more here.
  
• Guatemala announces embassy move: Following the US’s lead, Guatemala will become the second country to move its Israeli embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in May. Read more here.
  
• Yad Vashem announces new women’s exhibits: Timed to coincide with International Women’s Day, Israel’s Holocaust Museum has launched two online exhibits focused exclusively on the experiences of Jewish women in the Holocaust. Read more here.

Upcoming Events

• A Night to Celebrate Israel (Manchester): Thursday 15 March, 7:45pm, location tbc. An evening of speech and music to celebrate Israel at 70. In conjunction with ICEJ. Free entry, but registration required. Find out more here.
• Moedim meeting (London): Friday 16 March, All Souls Clubhouse, 6:30-9:30pm. To introduce Christians to the Hebraic mindset. With Steve Maltz and Richard Teideman. Free entry. For more details, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
• Foundations 9 (Cumbria): 19-23 March, Grange-Over-Sands. Theme: 'Into the lion's den: reaching a world gone mad'. Steve Maltz's annual week-long Hebraic conference. £260 per person. Click here for more information and to book.
• 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)