News and Prophecy Staff

“Iran reportedly test-fired two ballistic missiles Wednesday with the phrase ‘Israel must be wiped out’ written on them, a show of force by the Islamic Republic as U.S. Vice President Joe Biden visited Israel” (Time, March 9, 2016). A leader in Iran’s Revolutionary Guard stated, “The 2,000-kilometer (1,240-mile) range of our missiles is to confront the Zionist regime… Israel is surrounded by Islamic countries and it will not last long in a war.

As the pope pushes Europe to “recover its spiritual roots” (CatholicCulture.org, March 2, 2016), “The German chancellor has refused to back down under mounting pressure to reverse course on the refugee crisis. Campaigning on behalf of her party, she said it’s time for Germany to broaden its international role” (Deutsche Welle, March 2, 2016).

With Angela Merkel’s career on the line due to the mounting immigration crisis in Germany and beyond, many are watching for a person who could replace her. Recently, former German economics minister and former defense minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg has surfaced once again in the press as a future contender for the chancellor’s office.

“Australia will increase defense spending by nearly A$30 billion ($21.6 billion [USA]) over the next 10 years, seeking to protect its strategic and trade interests in the Asia-Pacific as the United States and its allies grapple with China’s rising power… The announcement riled Beijing, where the Foreign Ministry expressed ‘dissatisfaction’ with Australia’s ‘negative’  remarks on the South China Sea and its military development” (Reuters, February 25, 2016).

Russia continues to make strategic moves in the global chess game. Capitalizing on the weakened foreign policy of the United States, Russia continues to seize opportunities to exercise its power and influence across the globe. “More than two decades after the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan, Moscow is once again seeking to play a major role in the country by boosting military and economic cooperation with Kabul” (Deutsche Welle, March 2, 2016).