News and Prophecy Staff

On Sunday, the 27 members of the EU unanimously approved the “Brexit” plan presented to them by British Prime Minister Theresa May and her team, despite a last-minute attempt by Spain to stir up the Gibraltar debate (BBC, November 25, 2018). Britain is now one step closer to “peacefully” exiting the EU on March 29, 2019. The plan, referred to by European leaders as “the best and only deal possible,” will now be reviewed by the UK parliament and voted on in December.

A number of nations around the world celebrate a Thanksgiving holiday. Yet, the central element of “giving thanks” is frequently overshadowed by the self-centered commercialism associated with Halloween and Christmas. In the United States, even before the shopping madness of  America’s “Black Friday” (the day after Thanksgiving in the U.S. and one of the busiest shopping days of the year), retailers are already busy promoting items for Christmas.

The United States, like many other nations, is facing an ever-growing mountain of national debt. The interest paid on the U.S. national debt is on pace to even exceed military spending in the years ahead (Wall Street Journal, November 11, 2018).

Some question the media hype about an apparent connection between increasing “screen time” among youth and their increasing rates of unhappiness. However, a new study at the San Diego State University published in the peer-reviewed journal Emotion adds more weight to the connection between poor psychological health and screen time (Research Digest, October 2, 2018).

Britain’s Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) just put out a new warning about antibiotic resistance (The Guardian, November 7, 2018).