News and Prophecy Staff

“If you’ve been thinking it seems like there are more wars raging in the world… you’re right and the data proves it” (NPR, June 9, 2026). A recent study from the Uppsala Conflict Data Program (UCDP) revealed that 2025 saw the highest number of national conflicts since World War II. Fatalities, especially among civilians, were the highest since the Rwandan genocide of 1994.

Fertility rates are dropping in nations around the world. What was once a problem of the developed world is now impacting developing nations as well. Mexico and Iran have been hit, and Asian nations are feeling population decline powerfully.

After World War II, most Europeans viewed the United States with respect and deep appreciation. However, according to a recent European Council on Foreign Relations survey of 15 European nations, Europeans’ opinions of the U.S. are plummeting (Deutsche Welle, June 10, 2026). Today, just 11 percent of Europeans see America as their ally. This is down from 16 percent six months ago, which in turn was down from 22 percent in November 2024.

For decades scholars believed two desert fortresses in southern Jordan were built by Assyrians. While Jewish history and the Bible claim that the territory of the northern tribes of Israel stretched beyond the Jordan river, others have dismissed the biblical record to be “literary exaggeration.” Now, new research supports the fact that this northern kingdom did control territory in that area.

With the apparent stalemate between Russia and Ukraine, European leaders are worried that Russia may expand its conflict with Ukraine to more of Europe; France’s minister for European Affairs recently warned that Mr. Putin intends to “threaten the whole European security architecture.” Russia’s recent drone strike on Romania has intensified Europe’s concerns (The Week, June 1, 2026).