News and Prophecy Staff

Recent research on social media usage has “determined that the more time young adults use social media, the more likely they are to be depressed… exposure to social media can cause depression—which leads to more social media usage” (Forbes, April 30, 2016). Social media studied included Facebook, Google Plus, Instagram, Snapchat, Reddit, Tumblr, Pinterest, Vine and LinkedIn.

“Human life begins in bright flash of light as a sperm meets an egg, scientists have shown for the first time, after capturing the astonishing ‘fireworks’ on film.

“Sweltering temperatures and a severe water crisis have claimed more than 300 lives in India. Officials have banned daytime cooking in some parts of the country to prevent accidental fires that have killed 80 more people… temperatures since the start of April have reached 44 degrees Celsius (111 Fahrenheit)” (Deutsche Welle, May 1, 2016). “The water crisis is very bad here. Wells have dried up in almost every household.

Europe’s long-term goal of a European Army is gaining momentum. “The German and Dutch armies and navies are poised to ‘merge’, creating the nucleus of the European Union’s longed for pan-EU military force… The German government has revealed that Dutch and German land armies and navies are set to move towards ‘closer integration’, with two Dutch units already coming under German command.

“Robert Glasser, the special representative of the secretary general for disaster risk reduction [of the United Nations], said that with the world already ‘falling short’ in its response to humanitarian emergencies, things would only get worse as climate change adds to the pressure... He also predicted a rise in the number of simultaneous disasters. ‘As the odds of any one event go up, the odds of two happening at the same time are more likely.