News and Prophecy Staff

Last Saturday, in a coordinated assault from the land, sea, and air, Hamas attacked Israeli targets from Gaza. Over 1,200 were killed in Israel, more than 100 hostages were taken, and Hamas is threatening to kill the hostages, who include old ladies and children. In response, Israel’s prime minister has declared war on Hamas and Israel has been pounding targets in Gaza with a military response.

In recent weeks, devastating events have occurred around the Mediterranean. Libya saw massive flooding as intense rain of more than 16 inches (40 cm) over two days caused dams to break (AP, September 13, 2023). In the coastal city of Derna, over 11,000 people were reported dead and thousands more were still missing (Euronews, September 15, 2023).

A province in India is experiencing another outbreak of the Nipah virus—the fourth in the region since 2018 (Telegraph, September 14, 2023). Deaths have occurred with each outbreak, and so far, two have died in this one. There have been 800 suspected contacts. These numbers might seem low, but the fatality rate for infection with the virus can be up to 75 percent!

Roughly six billion metric tons of sand are dredged from the sea floor each year (BBC, September 5, 2023). As one analyst noted, this is equivalent to one million dump-truck loads each day! The majority of sand dredging occurs off the east coast of America, in the North Sea, and in the South China Sea. The majority of dredged sand is used to make concrete and glass. It is also used for constructing roads, dams, and even solar panels.

China claims to be neutral in the Ukraine war. However, customs records and other commonly reported data show that Russia is importing large numbers of drones, bulletproof vests, helmets, and weapon-making materials from China in very large quantities—quantities not seen before the start of the war in Ukraine (Politico, July 24, 2023). As of the end of July, Russia had imported over $100 million worth of Chinese drones.