News and Prophecy Staff

“Italy has promised to give over 20,000 Tunisian refugees temporary visas allowing them to travel freely in the border-free Schengen zone, which covers all EU countries except Britain and Ireland.” In response this week, “Germany warned Italy that it will not accept the migrants and that Berlin will tear up the EU’s border-free travel arrangements to stop them.” Such an action would reverse the free-travel agreement that has been in place throughout the EU since 1995.

From the Ivory Coast and Morocco to Saudi Arabia and Syria and Iraq, the nations of North Africa and the Middle East are in some type of, or are threatened by, civil and/or governmental upheaval.

“For years, Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad has been a technocrat shaping institutions to be ready for a future Palestinian state. Now he is crisscrossing the West Bank like a prophet, telling his people the dream of sovereignty is about to be fulfilled.”

In the wake of Japan’s recent earthquake and tsunami, Tokyo’s governor referred to the events as tembatsu—or “divine judgment.” Mr. Ishihara subsequently apologized for his religious-sounding comments. However, many around the globe agree with Mr. Ishihara’s initial assessment. A recent poll of Americans revealed that about 40% view natural disasters as “a sign from God.”  That number approaches 60% among Evangelicals, and drops significantly among Catholics and non-Evangelical “Christians” (Foxnews.com, March 24, 2011).

The euroskeptic president of the Czech Republic recently warned that adoption of new economic policies proposed at the EU Summit in Brussels would lead to political union—something many EU nations want to avoid. In a scathing article, President Klaus told how he was coerced into signing the Lisbon Treaty with promises that no further integration moves would occur for at least 10 years. Now, just two years later, the poor financial climate across Europe is being used to further erode national sovereignty.