News and Prophecy Staff

In vitro fertilization (IVF) is increasing in Western nations as a tool for a woman to become pregnant when she is naturally unable. According to the Department of Health, “Almost 2.5 million embryos have been deliberately destroyed in the United Kingdom since 1990” (Catholic Herald, November 23, 2016). With IVF, multiple fertilized embryos are used in order to maximize the probability of a successful pregnancy.

China recently launched a Shenzhou 11 spacecraft marking “another great leap forward for the nation’s space program… China is NASA’s biggest rival in space exploration… In 2007, the nation tested an anti-satellite missile by blowing up a Chinese craft… U.S.-based analysts are concerned that China is hitting the accelerator as NASA hits the brakes” (Bloomberg, November 28, 2016).

Deutsche Welle reports, “Spitting, hitting, shoving: Physical aggression is an everyday occurrence in schools. But a new study by the German teachers’ union shows that it is on the rise—and is even increasingly directed at teachers” (November 14, 2016). According to the article, “A 14-year-old boy chokes his male teacher with a shoelace. A mother beats up her child’s female teacher. A 15-year-old attacks four teachers with his fists.

In spite of positive job growth in the U.S., “the percentage of working-age Americans in the labor force remains stuck near its lowest level since the late 1970s. Although retiring baby boomers are the main reason, there’s another troubling factor that experts predict won’t be solved by stronger economic growth. Too many men in their prime don’t have a job and aren’t even looking for one. Experts trying to figure out the reasons are probing the roles of criminal background checks, painkillers and even video games.

President Duterte of the Philippines recently stated that “if China and Russia decide to create a new world order, he would be the first to join them and leave the U.N.” (Wall Street Journal, November 17, 2016).