News and Prophecy Staff

Pope Francis is known around the globe as an emissary for peace and an advocate for embattled people everywhere. However, the pope has now become the focus of accusations related to the ongoing sex abuse scandals that appear to reach the highest levels of the church (New York Times, August 28, 2018).

According to data from Public Health England, “Ten times as many children are severely obese now as was the case thirty years ago” (The Telegraph, July 24, 2018). “In just ten years, the percentage of 11-year-olds with extreme weight problems has risen by more than a fifth”—that is more than 20 percent!

American President Donald Trump is facing criticism again as he plans for a fall meeting of the group of six Persian Gulf states, including the UAE and Saudi Arabia, plus Egypt and Jordan, hoping to forge what some have called an “Arab NATO” (Deutsche Welle, July 29, 2018). The purpose of this group would be a military alliance to counter Iran and other extremist groups, and bring peace and stability in the Middle East.

A controversial bill that stalled in the California legislature earlier this year has now passed the state Senate and could become law (Desert Sun, August 16, 2018). The bill would effectively prevent those seeking help to resist homosexual tendencies from obtaining professional help.

After years of a destabilizing relationship following their two-year war from 1998 to 2000, the leaders of Ethiopia and Eritrea recently met and began what many are describing as a “warm friendship” (CSIS, July 25, 2018). This new friendship brings a thaw in relations and the resumption of air flights between the two nations. It also opens up the potential for Ethiopia, a land-locked nation of 70 million people, to use Eritrea’s strategic Red Sea ports.