News and Prophecy Staff

The Nordic nations are discussing a possible alliance—between Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark—within the EU. These five nations share similarities in language, culture and geography. A major goal of Nordic leaders is to band together to access the untapped resources of the melting polar ice caps and challenge Russia’s claims to the region.

China is employing eminent scientists from around the globe to help it advance on many fronts. One area that China seeks to make progress in is the realm of artificial intelligence—creating thinking computer-operated machines. One scientist, Dr. Hugo de Garis, will be advising the Chinese government to establish a national artificial intelligence agency in order to regulate and promote the development of intelligent computers. He notes that these “thinking computers” could be used not only in the homes of regular families, but also in military service.

Last month, Indian, Russian and Chinese officials met in central China to conduct talks aimed at increasing the cooperation between the three nations–two of which are the world’s most populous nations (India and China encompass more than 2 billion people).

President Wulff of Germany recently became the fifth German leader to visit the state of Israel. During his visit, he voiced Germany’s support for Israel and also spoke out in support of the two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He stated, “Germany considers that it has a responsibility concerning Israel’s right to exist and to security.”

A century ago there were about 100,000 wild tigers worldwide. Today, the estimate has dropped to just 3,200. Poachers kill about 150 tigers per year, and tiger poaching is a $5 million industry. Habitat destruction is also a major factor in the demise of these remarkable animals. Scientists think that, at the current rate, tigers could become extinct in the wild in the next decade or so (Time.com, November 21, 2010; news.yahoo.com, November, 22, 2010).