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Biblical Prophecy In The News
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Keeping You Informed of World Events From A Biblical Perspective

Welcome to this week's edition of Prophecy News Watch

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1. Where is the United States in Prophecy?

Dollar losing clout around the world
Antique store owners in lower Manhattan, ticket vendors at India's Taj Mahal and Brazilian business executives heading to China all have one thing in common these days: They don't want U.S. dollars. Hit by a free fall with no end in sight, the once-mighty U.S. dollar is no longer just crashing on currency markets and making life more expensive for American tourists and business people abroad: Its clout is evaporating worldwide as foreign businesses and individuals turn to other currencies. Experts say the bleak U.S. economic forecast means it will take years for the greenback to recover its value and prestige. Negative dollar sentiment is growing in nations where the dollar was historically accepted as equal or better than local currency — and dollar aversion is even extending to some quarters in the United States........ read more

Study: Americans Still Know Right from Wrong
The majority of Americans — 87 percent — believe in the concept of sin, according to a new study by Ellison Research. Sin was defined as “something that is almost always considered wrong, particularly from a religious or moral perspective.” The study, conducted in August, asked more than 1,000 adults to decide whether 30 behaviors were sinful. Adultery was most often described as sinful behavior (81 percent), followed by racism (74 percent), and drug use (65 percent). “It's encouraging to know that in this day of moral relativism, that a majority of Americans still recognize and believe that there is such a thing as sin,” said Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council. Other behaviors considered sinful by a significant portion of Americans included abortion; homosexual activity; pornography; gossip; swearing; and sex before marriage. Predictably, 94 percent of Americans who regularly attend church believe in sin. Yet, 80 percent of those who do not attend church also believe in sin... .... read more

Cheney resurrects military option against Iran in Gulf tour
“Iran has got to be very high on that list,” said a senior aide ahead of the talks US Vice President Dick Cheney will hold during his 10-day tour of the Middle East and Turkey, which began Monday, March 17 in Iraq. Singling out Oman, the aide noted that the US and Oman are co-guardians of the strategic Strait of Hormuz. “The Omanis, like a lot of other people,” he said “are concerned by the escalating tensions between the rest of the world community and Iran and by some of Iran’s activities, particularly in the nuclear field, but outside its borders as well.” According to DEBKAfile, the official was referring to Tehran’s meddling in Iraq, Lebanon and the Gaza Strip. Our military, Washington and Gulf sources report that US Vice President Dick Cheney is again talking about possible US military action to shut down Iran’s covert nuclear program. Cheney stopped over in Oman Wednesday, Wed. March 19, after two days in Iraq. He will travel next to Saudi Arabia, is due in Jerusalem next Saturday and will also visit Ramallah and Turkey. Our sources report exclusively that his talks are focusing on two aspects of the Iranian nuclear threat:..... read more

Fact or Fiction? World leaders raise new concerns over possible coming nuclear attacks
Dead Heat launched yesterday and became the #1 thriller on Amazon. But while it's fiction, the threat of rogue states and/or terrorist groups trying to launch nuclear attacks against the U.S. and our allies is all too real. Indeed, in the last twenty-four hours, the leaders of Germany and Great Britain have expressed new concerns over possible coming nuclear attacks. Neither suggested having intelligence indicating such attacks were close at hand, but their warnings turned heads on several continents. They also echoed concerns raised by American national security leaders over the past year, including Vice President Dick Cheney, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, and former CIA Director George Tenet. On a tour through the Middle East this week, Sen. John McCain also warned of the growing nuclear threat from Iran and further warned that Hamas, Hezbollah and other terror groups could be planning to strike not only the Israel but the U.S. and Europe as well....... read more

U.S. Adapts Cold-War Idea to Fight Terrorists
In the days immediately after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, members of President Bush’s war cabinet declared that it would be impossible to deter the most fervent extremists from carrying out even more deadly terrorist missions with biological, chemical or nuclear weapons. Since then, however, administration, military and intelligence officials assigned to counterterrorism have begun to change their view. After piecing together a more nuanced portrait of terrorist organizations, they say there is reason to believe that a combination of efforts could in fact establish something akin to the posture of deterrence, the strategy that helped protect the United States from a Soviet nuclear attack during the cold war. Interviews with more than two dozen senior officials involved in the effort provided the outlines of previously unreported missions to mute Al Qaeda’s message, turn the jihadi movement’s own weaknesses against it and illuminate Al Qaeda’s errors whenever possible. A primary focus has become cyberspace, which is the global safe haven of terrorist networks. To counter efforts by terrorists to plot attacks, raise money and recruit new members on the Internet, the government has mounted a secret campaign to plant bogus e-mail messages and Web site postings, with the intent to sow confusion, dissent and distrust among militant organizations...... read more

2. Israel - God's Timepiece

40 days of mourning almost up - Hizbullah prepares spectacular attack to avenge assasination
This Saturday will mark 40 days since Imad Mughniyeh's assassination on February 12 by a car bomb in Damascus. Hizbullah's TV and Web sites have derided Israel's worries ahead of a possible major terrorist attack which "keep Israeli political, military, and security officials up nights." In light of their past behavior, Hizbullah and Iranian threats must be taken very seriously. They have three main options: an attack on northern Israel from South Lebanon, a major terrorist attack inside Israel or a major act of terror against Israeli or Jewish targets abroad. Hizbullah has rearmed itself with a huge amount of long-range missiles and still has a large clandestine infrastructure in southern Lebanon. Yet the presence of the UNIFIL forces on the ground, the sharp criticism of the organization in the United Nations' latest report on Resolution 1701 and the unsolved Lebanese internal situation could endanger the group's long-range political goals and standing. Moreover, Iran is probably not interested in a new conflagration at a time when its nuclear project has a good chance of surviving the latest international sanctions. In case of an attack against Israeli or Jewish targets abroad, based on the example of the two attacks in Buenos Aires, it would be clear to everybody that this is a Hizbullah or Iran/Hizbullah operation and the political price could be very high. The easiest way for retaliation would be a "mega-attack" inside Israel or the assassination of a high-level personality by a Palestinian proxy. Not only would it be more difficult to accuse Hizbullah of such an attack, but this could have a very negative impact on the negotiating process with the Palestinian Authority and would possibly provoke a major IDF operation in Gaza if it appeared that the attack was prepared there........ read more

Expected retaliation by Hezbollah for the assassination of Mughniyeh could tip Israeli/Syrian war
Lebanese sources have revealed that the Syrian army is reinforcing its military presence along the Lebanese-Syrian borders point from the western Bekaa valley area to Deir Al Ashaer. The sources linked the military reinforcement to increased speculation inside and outside Lebanon about the possibility that Lebanon will be lured into a war with Israel, which could be triggered by Hezbollah in retaliation for the assassination of its commander Imad Mughniyeh. The sources said Damascus action is aimed at preventing Israel from attacking the Syrian territory . According to war analysts, any action by Israel will be in response to Hezbollah's attack on it or any place in the world. Israeli response the analysts say will have specific objectives in quality and quantity ... stressing that such operations will target all Hezbollah bases in the Western Bekaa, which have been strengthened after the war of July 2006. According to Lebanese sources, Hezbollah chief sayyed Hassan Nasrallah is reviewing carefully all the security and military organs of the party after the assassination of Mughniyeh, in preparation for the next battle with Israel . All of this is preparation is being done in coordination with Iran. Lebanese experts believe that the options of war and peace are equal. Tipped one over another depends on the type of retaliation by Hezbollah for the assassination of Mughniyeh. This is why the Israeli sources have pointed out is the reason why Tel Aviv has issued a warning to Damascus in which it holds the Syrian leadership responsible if Hezbollah launched any attacks on its territory or its interests around the world. The sources stresses this warning is a direct threat that Syria will be attacked if Israel is attacked from the Lebanese territory. A British government source responded to a question about the possibility of an Israeli attack on Syria if Hezbollah attacked Israel, saying: "There is always a big danger of such a development if Israeli northern borders are attacked noting that this will be a catastrophe," . The source added " Hezbollah retaliation for the assassination of Mugniyeh could lead to a much wider regional conflict.......... read more

Abbas threatens to quit peace talks, revive Fatah terror
DEBKAfile’s Washington sources report that Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas has put President George W. Bush and secretary of state Condoleezza Rice on notice. He has sent them a warning that he means to break off peace talks with Israel unless prime minister Ehud Olmert comes through with concessions by April. After that, he says, the Palestinians may weigh “alternative actions on the ground” – a transparent threat for his Fatah organization to revive the Palestinian “uprising” (terror campaign) against Israel from the West Bank. DEBKAfile’s Palestinians sources note this is Abbas’ second threat to reignite the Palestinian-Israeli war launched by Yasser Arafat in 2000. Two weeks ago, he told the Jordanian A Dustour , that while he prefers negotiations for now, he does not exclude an alternative option in the future...........read more

Abbas’ master plan for wrecking Israel’s 60th anniversary celebrations
DEBKAfile publishes here for the first time details of the Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas’ master plan for wrecking Israel’s 60th anniversary celebrations. The project is called the “2008 Return” The Palestinian leader has circulated guidelines for three million Palestinians to leave their homes on the West Bank, Gaza, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon on May 14 and march on Israel’s borders, including the Green Line. The march is to take place a week after Israel’s Independence Day on May 8, 2008. If Israel obstructs their passage, they will strike camp and live in tents until Israel surrenders and lets them through. This stunt will be accompanied by pressure from the Palestinian Authority on international organizations to force Israel to implement UN Resolution 194, passed by the General Assembly on Dec. 11, 1948........... read more

Israel's New Best Friend? - Canada
A United Nations panel voted overwhelmingly this month to condemn Israel for a recent armed incursion in the Gaza Strip that claimed more than 120 lives, many of them civilian. Thirty-three member countries of the 47-seat UN Human Rights Council endorsed the resolution, which accused Israel of war crimes in its ongoing battles against Palestinian militants in Gaza. Those in favour of censuring the Jewish state included China, India and Russia. Thirteen countries abstained, among them seven European governments. But one nation stood alone against the denunciation of Israel, and that country was not the United States – Israel's leading foreign supporter – or even Israel itself, for neither country has a seat on the human rights body. Instead, the lone dissenter was Canada. "We're very happy that we see things in a similar way," Carmela Shamir, deputy director of the North America division at Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said in an interview last week. "Canada has adopted several times in recent months very brave positions". People are beginning to take notice......... read more

3. A Revived Roman Empire?

Bin Laden warns EU over Prophet cartoons, lashes out at Pope
Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden threatened the European Union with grave punishment on Wednesday over cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad. In an audio recording posted on the Internet, Bin Laden said the cartoons were part of a "crusade" in which he said the Catholic Pope Benedict was involved. The message was released on the fifth anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. The cartoons were first published by the Danish daily Jyllands-Posten in September 2005 but a furor erupted only after other papers reprinted them in 2006. At least 50 people were killed in the protests against the publication of the cartoons, which Muslims say are an affront to Islam. Newspapers which have reprinted the cartoons argue they are defending the right to media freedom. Bin Laden's message was entitled "The Response Will Be What You See, Not What You Hear", according to the password-protected Ekhlaas Web, which carries messages and statements from al Qaeda-affiliated groups around the world.. ...... read more

European Union now has world's biggest economy
The European Union has overtaken the U.S. as the world's No. 1 economy due to the continued dramatic fall of the dollar, according to a Reuters report. The U.S. Gross Domestic Product, or GDP, for 2007 is officially estimated at $13,843,800 billion. The 2007 GDP for the 15 EU countries is estimated at 8,847,889 billion euros, the report said. That means when the euro yesterday topped $1.56, the EU officially became the largest economy in the world. In a Financial Times commentary published Monday, former Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan declared the current financial crisis in the U.S. "is likely to be judged in retrospect as the most wrenching" since the end of World War II. Greenspan further concluded the U.S. financial crisis will not end until "home prices stabilize and with them the value of equity in homes supporting troubled mortgage securities.". ...... read more

4. Gog/Magog War

Israel concerned over Russia's continued supply of sophisticated weaponry to Syria and Iran, may reach Hezbollah
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert expressed concern over Russia's continuing supply of sophisticated weaponry to Syria and Iran during a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Jerusalem on Thursday. Olmert stressed Israel's fear that these weapons, including advanced anti-tank weapons and anti-aircraft missiles, could find their way into the hands of the Lebanon-based guerilla group Hezbollah, supported by Syria and Iran, which has threatened to destroy Israel. During the meeting between the two officials, the Russian minister mentioned the Middle East peace summit to be held in Moscow in the coming months as a follow-up to last November's U.S.-hosted Annapolis conference, which resumed peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians. Lavrov said that peace in the Middle East will be possible only within the framework of a comprehensive peace agreement between Israel and all its Arab neighbors, alongside a solution of all internal issues between Israel and the Palestinians. "There is already a UN resolution, there is the road map and Russia is very interested in advancing the Annapolis process forward," Lavrov said.. ...... read more

5. Apostate Christianity

Oprah takes New Age Teachings Online - 500,000 sign up for 10 week course
This past Monday Oprah Winfrey, considered by many to be the world's most influential woman, began a ten-week long online course on the best-selling book, "A New Earth," by New Age guru, Eckhart Tolle. "A New Earth" has already sold some 3.5 million copies worldwide, thanks largely to the publicity given to it by Oprah. According to Oprah, 500,000 people from across the world signed on to the first segment of the online course, to spend an hour and a half listening to Ekhart and Oprah talking about chapter 1 of the book, and taking calls from participants. In recent years Oprah has been inviting an increasing number of representatives of new age spirituality onto her talk shows, including figures such as Marianne Williamson, Barbara DeAngelis, LaVar Burton, Richard Carlson, Betty Eadie, and many others. Oprah has strongly endorsed many of their works, and has included some of them in her "Book Club" list. Since the beginning of this year Oprah has offered daily classes on her XM radio station on the book "A Course in Miracles." "A Course in Miracles" (or ACIM for short) was written by another major player in the New Age movement, Helen Schucman, who claims that the book was dictated to her by an interior voice, which she identifies with Jesus Christ. In that course, the listener is taught that there is no sin, is told not to make the "mistake" of "clinging to the old rugged cross," and that the name of "Jesus Christ as such is but a symbol." ...... read more

Charimatics warned of the Midas Touch
Charismatic Bible teacher Kenneth Hagin Sr. is considered the father of the so-called prosperity gospel. The folksy, self-trained “Dad Hagin” started a grass-roots movement in Oklahoma that produced a Bible college and a crop of famous preachers including Kenneth Copeland, Jerry Savelle, Charles Capps, Jesse DuPlantis, Creflo Dollar and dozens of others—all of whom teach that Christians who give generously should expect financial rewards on this side of heaven. Hagin taught that God was not glorified by poverty and that preachers do not have to be poor. But before he died in 2003 and left his Rhema Bible Training Center in the hands of his son, Kenneth Hagin Jr., he summoned many of his colleagues to Tulsa to rebuke them for distorting his message. He was not happy that some of his followers were manipulating the Bible to support what he viewed as greed and selfish indulgence. Those who were close to Hagin Sr. say he was passionate about correcting these abuses before he died. In fact, he wrote a brutally honest book to address his concerns. The Midas Touch was published in 2000, a year after the infamous Tulsa meeting. “Kenneth Hagin Sr. was not happy that some of his followers were manipulating the Bible to support what he viewed as greed and selfish indulgence.” Many Word-Faith ministers ignored the book. But in light of the recent controversy over prosperity doctrines, it might be a good idea to dust it off and read it again. Here are a few of the points Hagin made in The Midas Touch:..... read more

6. The Rise of Islam

Muslims nations: Defame Islam, get sued?
The Muslim world has created a battle plan to defend its religion from political cartoonists. Concerned about what they see as a rise in the defamation of Islam, leaders of the world's Muslim nations are considering taking legal action against those that slight their religion or its sacred symbols. It was a key issue during a two-day summit that ended Friday in this western Africa capital. The Muslim leaders are attempting to demand redress from nations like Denmark, which allowed the publication of cartoons portraying the Prophet Muhammad in 2006 and again last month, to the fury of the Muslim world. Though the legal measures being considered have not been spelled out, the idea pits many Muslims against principles of freedom of speech enshrined in the constitutions of numerous Western governments. "I don't think freedom of expression should mean freedom from blasphemy," said Senegal's President Abdoulaye Wade, the chairman of the 57-member Organization of the Islamic Conference. "There can be no freedom without limits." Delegates were given a voluminous report by the OIC that recorded anti-Islamic speech and actions from around the world. The report concludes that Islam is under attack and that a defense must be mounted. The International Humanist and Ethical Union in Geneva released a statement accusing the Islamic states of attempting to limit freedom of expression and of attempting to misuse the U.N. Human Rights Watch said in a statement that objectionable depictions of the Prophet Muhammad do not "give them the right under international human rights law to insist that others abide by their views."...... read more

Christians React to Muslim's Cross-Less Jesus Film
A new film on Jesus, told from the Islamic perspective, has drawn mixed reactions from the Christian community over its claim that Jesus did not die on the cross but was replaced by Judas Iscariot. “The Messiah” – written, produced and directed by Iranian filmmaker Nader Talebzadeh - was filmed in the Islamic Republic of Iran with Iranian actors to portray how Muslims understand the life of Jesus based on the teachings of the Qur’an and the Gospel of Barnabas – a book not included in the Christian Bible and in which the Prophet Mohammed appears. The movie features two endings – the Muslim and Christian version of Jesus and the cross – and has won an award at Rome’s Religion Today Film Festival for generating interfaith dialogue. Gary R. Habermas, distinguished research professor and chair of the department of Philosophy and Theology at Liberty University, said he has not seen the film but commented that Islam is “very respectful” of Jesus. He noted that the Koran has almost 100 verses on Jesus. “The bad news is he is not the son of God, he didn’t die on the cross and because he didn’t die, he didn’t rise from the dead,”. “The good news is he is a great prophet, he is sinless, he is virgin born and he did miracles.” But not all Christians are happy with the film. One blogger argues that not only the Bible but history also declares that Jesus was crucified. “Jesus didn’t come to earth for mere respect,” wrote the Ohio-based preacher. “If Jesus has not been crucified then he has not been resurrected. If Jesus has not been resurrected from the dead, then Christians are without hope. We may as well party it up if Christ has not been Resurrected from the dead.” Goldfinch further said that what the Qur’an does not understand and explain is that man’s sin must be dealt with and if it is “not dealt with in the death of Christ then we, and all of humanity from the beginning until the end, are simply obligated to be 100 percent obedient to the law.” “So if there is no death of Christ as this man is purporting in his film, then exactly how will we be saved from our sins?” the Christian blogger asked. ..... read more

Libyan leader opens huge mosque in Uganda in bid to spread Islam through Africa
In his drive to spread Libyan and Islamic influence in Africa, Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi inaugurated a huge new mosque in this predominantly Christian country Wednesday, with several African heads of states attending and scores of Arab journalists flown in for the occasion Packed in Kampala's soccer stadium, a crowd estimated at 10,000 to 15,000 chanted "long live Brother Gadhafi" before the Libyan leader delivered an hour-long lecture on the meaning of Islam. Gadhafi, who celebrates the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad a day earlier than most Sunni Muslims, had chosen the religious holiday to inaugurate the huge new Gadhafi National Mosque, which is touted by Libyan officials as Africa's second-largest. "Muhammad is everybody's prophet. He was sent to all mankind, unlike the other prophets before him," Gadhafi told the rally, which included brass-bands and neatly uniformed schoolchildren, who waived Gadhafi posters along with organizers of the "World Islamic Call Society" — all wearing T-shirts of the Libyan leader. A half dozen African heads of state, including Kenya's Mwai Kibaki, Gabon's Omar Bongo and Rwanda's Paul Kagame, joined Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni to greet the Libyan leader, who was the driving force behind creation of the African Union and wields considerable influence both with African governments and rebel movements. "He who doesn't accept Islam in the end will be a loser," Gadhafi said in Arabic in a speech simultaneously translated into English, while Museveni, a born-again Protestant Christian, sat frowning by his side. Fewer than 20 percent of Uganda's 30 million population are Muslim....... read more

7. Increase in Knowledge/New Technologies

Tracking technology in the corridors of learning
Walk around the University of Washington's computer science building and eventually you will cross paths with a researcher whose every movement is tracked by computer. Two hundred RFID antennas have been fitted into the ceilings, and individuals taking part in the trial wear RFID tags round their necks and on their possessions. Their location is followed in real time, but unlike many Orwellian deployments of such technology - where hidden overseers know what we're all doing, but individuals don't - each participant in the RFID Ecosystem can also access the data. "Our goal is to ask what benefits can we get out of this technology and how can we protect people's privacy at the same time," says Magda Balazinska, the project leader and assistant professor of computer science and engineering at UW. "We want to get a handle on the privacy issues that will crop up if these systems become a reality." Balazinska and a dozen other members of the team have been wearing RFID tags for the past year. The sensor data is collected in a central database and then passed on to applications such as Google Calendar and a Twitter widget called RFIDder which sends alerts to friends letting them know if they're in a meeting or have sat down to lunch. It also automatically logs every "encounter" event between participants....... read more

Comcast Cameras to Start Watching You?
If you have some tinfoil handy, now might be a good time to fashion a hat. At the Digital Living Room conference today, Gerard Kunkel, Comcast’s senior VP of user experience, told me the cable company is experimenting with different camera technologies built into devices so it can know who’s in your living room. The idea being that if you turn on your cable box, it recognizes you and pulls up shows already in your profile or makes recommendations. If parents are watching TV with their children, for example, parental controls could appear to block certain content from appearing on the screen. Kunkel also said this type of monitoring is the “holy grail” because it could help serve up specifically tailored ads. Yikes. Kunkel said the system wouldn’t be based on facial recognition, so there wouldn’t be a picture of you on file (we hope). Instead, it would distinguish between different members of your household by recognizing body forms. He stressed that the system is still in the experimental phase, that there hasn’t been consumer testing, and that any rollout “must add value” to the viewing experience beyond serving ads..... read more

Which biometric ID will lead the future?
You're an individual; you're unique; and you have the fingerprints to prove it. Since fingerprints were first used as a means of identification in 1892, they have become the golden standard for identification. Everyone — including monozygotic twins who have identical DNA — has their own unique set of prints. But, as countless movies and episodes of 'CSI' have shown, fingerprints can be tampered with. Easily removed or unintentionally damaged through occupational hazards, fingerprints can also be easily duplicated. As concerns with identity theft and security increase, we are turning to more sophisticated ways of proving our 'identity'. Fingerprinting is one of the most basic forms of biometrics, which is a method of identifying humans based on one or more intrinsic physical or behavioural traits. The method works by comparing an input sample with a template. As it turns out, our fingerprints are not the only things that are unique — so too are our hands, faces, irises, retinas and vein structure. We also have a number of unique behavioural characteristics such as the way we type, speak (also physiological) and sign our name. Some of these — such as the retina and vein layout — are almost impossible to change or tamper with. Biometric identification is, however, not without its concerns. All data, including biometrics, is vulnerable in storage or in a state of processing. Because we have a limited number of biometric samples, they become more difficult to replace. If you forget a password or if your access token is stolen, you can always cancel the old one and get a replacement. If, however, your biometric samples are compromised, you will be unable to replace them. So, while biometrics potentially increase personal security, they also pose a bigger threat in the case of identity theft. . .. .... read more

8. Christian Worldview/Issues

Abortions linked to mental illness in new study
Women may be at risk of mental health breakdowns if they have abortions, a medical royal college has warned. The Royal College of Psychiatrists says women should not be allowed to have an abortion until they are counselled on the possible risk to their mental health. This overturns the consensus that has stood for decades that the risk to mental health of continuing with an unwanted pregnancy outweighs the risks of living with the possible regrets of having an abortion. MPs will shortly vote on a proposal to reduce the upper time limit for abortions “for social reasons” from 24 weeks to 20 weeks, a move not backed by the government. A Sunday Times poll today shows 59% of women would support such a reduction, with only 28% backing the status quo. Taken together, just under half (48%) of men and women want a reduction to 20 weeks, while 35% want to retain 24 weeks. Some MPs also want women to have a “cooling off” period in which they would be made aware of the possible consequences of the abortion, including the impact on their mental health, before they could go ahead. More than 90% of the 200,000 terminations in Britain every year are believed to be carried out because doctors believe that continuing with the pregnancy would cause greater mental strain. The Royal College of Psychiatrists recommends updating abortion information leaflets to include details of the risks of depression. “Consent cannot be informed without the provision of adequate and appropriate information,” it says. Several studies, including research published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry in 2006, concluded that abortion in young women might be associated with risks of mental health problems....... read more

Americans Identify Their Most Important Relationships
Americans have a global reputation for being religious people, but a new study from The Barna Group indicates that people’s most important personal relationship is not with God. Family surpassed their Heavenly Father as the key personal connection. However, when asked to identify the most important group or network in their life, colleagues from their church topped the list, mentioned by three out of every ten adults. Adults are clearly most focused on their family in terms of important relationships. Overall, seven out of ten adults mentioned family or family members as their most significant connection. One-third said their entire nuclear family is tops, while one-quarter (22%) named their spouse and one-sixth (17%) identified their children. (An additional 3% mentioned their parents as their key relationship.) The only other relationship mentioned by at least 3% was various iterations of people’s deity. God, Jesus Christ, Allah, and the Trinity were among the names listed by one out of every five adults (19%). Surprisingly, just 2% of adults said a specific friend represented their most important personal relationship........ read more

Iran considers death penalty to stop flow of converts from Islam to Christianity
In its first session since last week's general elections, the new Iranian parliament is expected to discuss a law that will condemn to death anyone who decides to leave the Muslim faith and convert to other religions. The parliament, also known as the Majlis, will debate the new law which has been presented by the government of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Under the proposed law, anyone who is born to Muslim parents and decides to convert to another faith, will face the death penalty. Currently converts, particularly those who have decided to leave the Muslim faith for Evangelical churches, are arrested and then released after some years of detention. The new legislation, which has caused concern in Iran and abroad, was proposed mainly because of fears of proselytising activities by Evangelical churches particularly through the use of satellite channels. According to unofficial sources, in the past five years, one million Iranians, particularly young people and women, have abandoned Islam and joined Evangelical churches...... read more

9. Other Events To Watch

Too good to be true? - Company finds natural solution that turns plants into gasoline
After three years of clandestine development, a Georgia company is now going public with a simple, natural way to convert anything that grows out of the Earth into oil. J.C. Bell, an agricultural researcher and CEO of Bell Bio-Energy, Inc., says he's isolated and modified specific bacteria that will, on a very large scale, naturally change plant material – including the leftovers from food – into hydrocarbons to fuel cars and trucks. "What we're doing is taking the trash like corn stalks, corn husks, corn cobs – even grass from the yard that goes to the dump – that's what we can turn into oil," Bell told WND. "I'm not going to make asphalt, we're only going to make the things we need. We're going to make gasoline for driving, diesel for our big trucks." Wood pulp is among the many natural materials that can be converted into oil and gasoline. The agricultural researcher made the discovery after standing downwind from his cows at his food-production company, Bell Plantation, in Tifton, Ga. "Cows are like people that eat lots of beans. They're really, really good at making natural gas," he said. "It dawned on me that that natural gas was methane." Bell says he wondered what digestive process inside a cow enabled it to change food into the hydrocarbon molecules of methane, so he began looking into replicating and speeding up the process. "Through genetic manipulation, we've changed the naturally occurring bacteria, so they eat and consume biomass a little more efficiently," he said. "It works. There's not even any debate that it works. The research has received strong support from the U.S. Department of Defense, Department of Energy, Department of Agriculture and committees in both chambers of Congress, and Bell plans further discussions in Washington, D.C., next week. He expects to have the first pilot plant for the process running within two to three months, and will operate it for a year to collect engineering data to design full-scale production facilities. He thinks the larger facilities will be producing oil "inside the next two years." ...... read more

Australia's food bowl lies empty - what it means for the rest of the world
Though located in a remote corner of the planet, the fields of Australia's food bowl are central to the worldwide price of wheat. In this part of rural New South Wales, water-starved farms and cavernous empty grain silos have the potential to create a ripple effect which spreads around the globe. And that is precisely what is happening right now. After America, Australia is normally the second largest exporter of grain, and in a good year it would hope to harvest about 25 million tonnes. But the country remains in the grip of the worst drought in a century, which is why the 2006 crop yielded only 9.8m tonnes. Global wheat stocks are at their lowest levels since 1979, and the ongoing Australian drought is one of the reasons why........ read more

Attn Aussies & Kiwis!

Intl Bible Prophecy Expert - Dr. Chuck Missler is Down Under April 5 - 18, NZ April 19-28

Global military buildups... economic uncertianty... global game is changing quickly, but what does it all mean? Direct from spending time in Israel, Dr Chuck Missler will deliver must-hear intel and insight and how it all fits with Bible Prophecy when he visits 15 centres in Aust & NZ in April

Click here for more details

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