NewsWatch

German-Italian Relations Growing Closer

Germany and France have had an on-again, off-again relationship for decades. Recently, that relationship has soured. Germany sees France as undermining “the landmark Mercosur trade deal with South America, which the Germans have long wanted in order to promote industrial exports. Germany is also considering pulling out of a €100 billion joint fighter-jet program over disputes with the French” (Politico). Germany is particularly bothered by the political instability in France (Telegraph).

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is now looking to Italy’s far-right Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. “In years past, Germany would traditionally have turned to France at decisive moments to map out blueprints for the EU, so it’s significant that Merz is now aligning with Meloni in his attempt to drive forward core European priorities on trade, industry and relations with the U.S.” (Politico). Germany’s foreign minister noted that “Europe’s future, freedom and power” will depend on Germany’s relationship with Italy! Chancellor Merz and Prime Minister Meloni have held meetings that included 21 high-level officials from the two nations, and a lawmaker from Meloni’s political party has observed, “It is clear that Meloni and Merz still probably have a long path ahead of them, during which they can work together.” Both world leaders have suggested changes to the structure of President Donald Trump’s “Board of Peace” that would decrease his power and influence and increase their own (Politico).

What does this relationship look like in view of Bible prophecy? The Bible foretells a coming European “beast” power led by Germany and backed by the Roman Catholic church—the “woman” who rides the beast (see Revelation 17). The growing relationship between Germany and Italy could lay important groundwork for this coming power.

Military Control in South African Cities

Violence and crime are not new to South Africa. However, a drastic increase in gang-related violence and other crimes has prompted the South African government to deploy military troops in several of the nation’s provinces (Deutsche Welle). According to South African Police Service crime statistics, South Africa recorded 5,727 murders between January and March 2025—about 64 per day—and 4,571 kidnappings within the same period, or about 51 per day. “This suggests that kidnapping is increasingly being adopted as a low-risk, high-reward offence” (ISSAfrica.org).

The valuable minerals mined from beneath its soil are among South Africa’s most vital exports. Unauthorized mining has boomed in recent years, bringing riches to illegal miners and preventing others from benefiting from those minerals. Stopping this illegal mining is one goal of the military troop deployment, and “parts of the national deployment could last more than a year, officials have said” (Deutsche Welle). Opponents of the deployment warn that troops on the streets may intensify conflicts or be ineffective due to lack of adequate planning.

South Africa has long been a wealthy nation, richly blessed with natural beauty and natural resources. Yet in recent decades there has been tremendous societal decline due to crime and corruption. The growing sense of terror created by this criminal activity is crippling and destabilizing. What many do not realize is that South Africa has long been an Israelite-descended nation and richly blessed because of the promises God made to the ancient patriarch Abraham and his descendants. Yet God also tells those nations that, as they reject Him and His laws, “I will even appoint terror over you” (Leviticus 26:16). Many of the events accelerating the societal decline of South Africa and other Israelite-descended nations are prophesied in the Bible.

Frustrations Increasing Against the United States

The first year of President Donald Trump’s second term was marked by unpredictability, and the second year seems to be proceeding in similar fashion. Recent months have witnessed the extraction of Venezuela’s president, threats of taking control of Greenland, and other unexpected upsets. While some argue that the rationale behind President Trump’s actions has been sound, they have generated frustration not only among America’s foes, but also among nations generally considered its friends and allies.

Actions taken by the White House are pushing Europe together in a way nothing else has in decades, and they are also inspiring other regional powers to cooperate more in opposition to the U.S. Once seen as a friend of many nations, certainly a friend of Europe, the United States is increasingly distrusted as a partner and seen as undermining world peace—as it withdraws from dozens of organizations aimed at promoting international unity and cooperation (Deutsche Welle). Europe sent a symbolic number of troops to Greenland to push back against what they thought to be a potential U.S. military action (Reuters).

Is there more to be learned from the changes taking place in the world order? Bible prophecy foretells that, at the end of the age, the modern Israelite-descended nations (including the United States) will be hated by other nations and taken into national captivity (Jeremiah 30:14; Deuteronomy 28:41). Such prophecies have often seemed outlandish to some, given the U.S.’s role as a protector of many nations since World War II. Events in recent months are beginning to reveal one possible route. As the U.S. isolates itself with its dramatic actions, frustration and even hatred for the nation are on the rise, and God could be using the current administration to accelerate the fulfillment of age-old Bible prophecies.

European Union Trade Influence Growing

Earlier this year, the European Union and the South American countries of Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay signed the Mercosur trade deal (BBC). This is currently the EU’s largest free-trade agreement and will need to be ratified by the European Parliament in the next couple of months. While many in the EU claim the deal will greatly benefit “both sides,” European farmers fear cheap South American products will greatly undercut their locally produced goods. Yet farming is only one industry impacted by this trade deal. The South American nations also possess gold, copper, and rare minerals necessary for electric battery production, and the European Commission estimates the deal will save European companies 4 billion euros in trade tariffs.

The ink on the Mercosur deal had barely begun to dry when German chancellor Friedrich Merz began talking about a major trade deal between the EU and India that will help reduce India’s reliance on Russian goods (Reuters). “The EU-India pact would follow on the heels of the European Union’s recent agreement with South America’s Mercosur group and support Europe’s push to build new trade networks as global rules shift.” Merz was recently in India signing deals between India and Germany and has expressed a desire to expand the agreements to include the EU. India is approaching one-fifth of the earth’s total population and represents a huge, untapped market.

End-time Bible prophecy warns that the coming European beast power will be deeply involved in global trade—a trade system that makes the nations of the earth rich (Revelation 18:3). As we look for the coming German-led beast to rise in Europe, an area of specific interest is that of expanding trade relationships between Europe and various nations.

High-Tech Chemicals Found in Dolphin Brains

Each year, over 62 million tons of waste generated by discarded or broken electronic devices are generated globally (The English Chronicle). That amounts to “enough waste to fill 1.55 million 40-tonne trucks, which lined up bumper-to-bumper would encircle the equator” (Oceanographic Magazine). A recent study reveals how by-products of technology can impact marine biology, even on the subcellular and genetic level.

Scientists have observed that chemicals used in high-tech computer, television, and cell phone screens—known as liquid crystal monomers (LCMs)—have been found in ocean fish. In a study focused on the predators of these fish, Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins and finless porpoises, researchers found LCMs in the blubber, muscle, liver, kidney, and brain tissues of these animals. Finding these chemicals in dolphin brains demonstrated the ability of the chemicals to cross the blood-brain barrier. Of particular concern is that the LCM particles “were associated with gene alterations in dolphin cells, affecting DNA repair and cell division” (The English Chronicle). Scientists believe that LCMs are transmitted to dolphins through their prey and could possibly find their way into humans through contaminated seafood or drinking water.

Human beings are incredibly creative and ingenious. However, the far-reaching impacts of human creativity and engineering are seldom sufficiently considered. When money is to be made, it seems little else matters—not even the contamination of creation itself. As Romans 8:19–23 notes, that creation cries out for God to save it! Thankfully, Jesus Christ will return and heal not only people, but the entirety of creation as well.