News and Prophecy Staff

China’s Foreign Minister recently was quoted in the China Daily, “China has joined India in helping the Russian economy… ‘If the Russian side needs, we will provide necessary assistance within our capacity’… The Chinese statement comes after India, earlier this month, bought 12 nuclear reactors from Russian firm Rosatom and launched joint production of military helicopters” (EU Observer, December 22, 2014). 

Religious and racial violence continues to erupt around the world. In Nigeria, Islamic militants have killed or kidnapped hundreds of men, women and children and torched homes of people of different faiths. In Syria and Iraq, Shiites and Sunni Moslems are killing and beheading each other. In Canada, Australia and East Africa, Moslem fanatics have mounted attacks on non-believers.

“Research suggests that generosity is hardwired into our brains,” according to new research from Simon Fraser University in Canada (Wall Street Journal, December 24, 2014; NPR, December 24, 2014).

“The battered ruble plunged to a record low against the dollar again Tuesday [80 Rub to $1 USD], as investors grew convinced that the Russian central bank’s surprise move overnight to jack up interest rates to 17% wouldn’t be enough to alleviate the pressure on the currency from falling oil prices and western sanctions” (Wall Street Journal, December 16, 2014). Just a year ago, the ruble was trading at about 33 rubles to one U.S.