News and Prophecy Staff

In the South Australian summer, extreme heat is normal. But  The Guardian reports that the heat this summer has been far more severe than usual—recently reaching a record-breaking 49.5° Celsius (120° F) just north of Adelaide (AFP, January 24, 2019).

Right-wing candidates have been growing in favor and popularity throughout Europe due to the European immigration and budget crises. According to one source, “Right-wing populist parties in Europe have been gaining strength for years.

The Telegraph reports that research continues to document the hazards of children spending time in front of electronic screens. In a review of 80 published studies, “the World Cancer Research Fund [WCRF] found increasing exposure to smartphones, tablets and gaming consoles in childhood is driving long-term weight gain—identified as one of the key causes of cancer” (November 7, 2018). In fact, obesity in childhood leads to adult obesity.

A recent BBC article laments the changing relationship between the United States, Britain, and the rest of Europe (January 14, 2019). The author reflects nostalgically on the former close ties between the U.S. and Europe—a relationship that grew closer under American presidents following the Cold War.

The London Telegraph recently published an article with the sobering title “Geostrategic dystopia: is this the year the world falls apart?” (January 7, 2019). The article states, “This is the year that serial hammer blows to the Western alliance system and the edifice of global governance threaten to bring the old order tumbling down…. Pax Americana is unravelling. The transatlantic concord underpinning the West since the 1950s is dying.