News and Prophecy Staff

For thousands of years, mankind has known the universe is full of stars.  When the Hubble space-telescope was launched in 1990, scientists began to number the stars in our Milky Way galaxy alone at more than 100 billion.  But the assumption, based on Hubble data, was that there were very few planets outside our own solar system. Now, NASA’s new and more powerful Kepler space-telescope is sending back evidence of planets outside our solar system—thousands of them.

EU Vice President Neelie Kroes invited Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg to Brussels “to advise on how to provide ongoing support to Internet users, bloggers and cyber-activists living under authoritarian regimes.”  He has been living in the U.S. for the last several months in a type of self-imposed exile, while working with a major political think tank.

The Dover Air Force Base mortuary near Dover, Delaware, handles the bodies of military personnel killed in overseas operations.  A recent investigation revealed that the Air Force dumped partially cremated remains of 274 personnel into a nearby landfill.  This apparently happened even after families had asked the Air Force to handle their dead loved ones with respect.

Last week, North Korea’s 19-year supreme leader, Kim Jong Il, died of an apparent heart attack.  This militarized nation, unable to sufficiently feed its people, will now be ruled by Kim Jong Il’s appointed successor, his third son Kim Jong Un (age 27).

North Korea is known for its extended mourning rituals, so it is not yet known when Kim Jong Un will officially take power.  Many expect Kim Jung Un’s uncle and aunt to act as regents for a couple of years as he prepares to take control (Associated Press, December 21, 2011; Reuters, December 21, 2011).  

For 450 years, the Vatican has fought to regain control over holy sites in Jerusalem—ever since they were taken from Franciscan monks by the Ottomans about 1551 AD.