News and Prophecy Staff

As the United States moves forward with plans to exit from the INF arms control treaty with Russia and also discusses placing more missiles in Europe, Russian leaders are voicing growing concerns. Recently, the Russian ambassador to the EU warned that “the US risks triggering ‘dramatic events’ if it stations missiles in Europe” (Financial Times, November 21, 2018).

The title of a recent New York Times Magazine article read like a stark announcement: “The Insect Apocalypse Is Here” (November 27, 2018). The article describes the devastating loss of insect populations around the globe in recent decades. According to research cited in the article, Monarch butterfly populations in the U.S. have declined by 90 percent in the last 20 years. The rusty-patched bumblebee has declined by 87 percent during the same period.

Demonstrations over higher fuel taxes have resulted in riots in Paris (Deutsche Welle, December 3, 2018). Demonstrations have spread all over France, with hundreds of thousands participating.

“Scotland will become the first country in the world to embed the teaching of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex rights in the school curriculum” (The Guardian, November 9, 2018). “State schools will be required to teach pupils about the history of LGBTI equalities and movements, as well as tackling homophobia and transphobia and exploring LGBTI identity….

After years of independent comments by EU leaders calling for a European Army, and following “pressure” from U.S. President Donald Trump for Europe to increase defense spending, European leaders now appear ready to act. According to the EU Observer, “German chancellor Angela Merkel on Tuesday backed the idea of creating a ‘real, true’ army for the European Union,” supporting an earlier call by Emmanuel Macron of France.