News and Prophecy Staff

The Canadian Bureau of Statistics recently reported that “Canadians spent $6.2bn (£3.5bn) on marijuana in 2015, almost as much as they did on wine”—and this was when marijuana was illegal (The Independent, December 20, 2017). According to this report, about 13 percent of the entire population reported consuming marijuana in 2015, with two-thirds of users being over the age 25.

A recent article in the French independent newspaper Le Monde diplomatique stated, “An old nightmare returns in Europe; Germany alone within the EU” (January 2018). The article highlighted how several Central European nations continue to distance themselves from Germany and Brussels based on German-initiated policies driving the EU.

According to Mexico’s Interior Ministry, “Nearly 30,000 people were killed last year, marking the worst year [for homicides] recorded in Mexico… But security analysts have cast doubt on the government figure, saying it’s likely much worse” (Deutsche Welle, January 21, 2018). The government figure is based on the number of murder cases opened by authorities, not on the actual number of murders.

“The Next War” is the title of a recent article in the Economist magazine (January 25, 2018) that examines the changing relationship between the United States, China, Russia, Europe and other nations, and how the U.S. seems to have overlooked or ignored those relationships. The article also notes how decades of neglected military research and development is placing the U.S.

Last week, Jamaica’s Prime Minister proclaimed a state of emergency due to extreme violence related to the lottery in the northwest corner of the island nation. According to reports published in the Jamaica Gleaner on January 19 and January 21, there were over 330 murders in St.