News and Prophecy Staff

“On February 4th, Dutch Defense Minister Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert and German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen signed a new deal paving the way for the full integration of their countries’ naval units” (Huffington Post, February 20, 2016). This agreement “will push Germany and the Netherlands further towards a pioneering model for European defense cooperation” (ibid.).

“The U.S. and South Korea conducted a big military exercise Saturday, storming a simulated North Korean beach defense as tensions on the Korean Peninsula continue to rise and Kim Jong Un threatens to wipe out his enemies… The U.S. Navy said about 55 American Marine aircraft and 30 U.S. and South Korean ships… took part in Saturday’s military drill on the beaches near Pohang… North Korea said it was prepared to counter the U.S.

“ISIS is planning a ‘spectacular’ attack on British soil—and unprecedented numbers of women and teenagers are being arrested to stop one, the UK’s top anti-terror officer warned today. Scotland Yard Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley has said the terror group is ‘trying to build bigger attacks’ around the world and the UK is one of its top targets. After the devastating series of suicide attacks on Paris last year where 130 died, a similar plot in Britain is a ‘natural next step’ for the terror group, he said.

“Iran reportedly test-fired two ballistic missiles Wednesday with the phrase ‘Israel must be wiped out’ written on them, a show of force by the Islamic Republic as U.S. Vice President Joe Biden visited Israel” (Time, March 9, 2016). A leader in Iran’s Revolutionary Guard stated, “The 2,000-kilometer (1,240-mile) range of our missiles is to confront the Zionist regime… Israel is surrounded by Islamic countries and it will not last long in a war.

As the pope pushes Europe to “recover its spiritual roots” (CatholicCulture.org, March 2, 2016), “The German chancellor has refused to back down under mounting pressure to reverse course on the refugee crisis. Campaigning on behalf of her party, she said it’s time for Germany to broaden its international role” (Deutsche Welle, March 2, 2016).