News and Prophecy Staff

South America is facing a host of mounting problems. In Colombia, drug lords and narcotics trafficking have generated years of violence, corrupted the political and economic systems and contributed to a growing domestic drug problem (The Guardian, April 18, 2016).

This week, the people of Britain will make a momentous decision, whether to leave or remain within the European Union. The desire to leave is driven by the loss of sovereignty to EU institutions, a surging wave of immigrants and the growing feeling that Britain is no longer British. The pressure to stay within the EU is driven by fears of what life may be like outside the EU. European leaders also fear a vote by the Brits to leave could trigger a meltdown of the EU, if other nations decide to follow the British example.

“An Italian woman burned alive by a jealous ex-lover could have been saved if passing motorists had heeded her desperate screams for help, police said. Sara Di Pierantonio, 22, was doused in alcohol and set alight on the side of a road outside Rome by former boyfriend Vincenzo Paduano, 27, according to authorities… Surveillance footage showed at least two cars driving by as the woman screamed for help” (Yahoo News, May 31, 2016).

According to a recent report, “Fish are being killed, and prevented from reaching maturity, by the litter of plastic particles finding their way into the world’s oceans… Some young fish have been found to prefer tiny particles of plastic to their natural food sources, effectively starving them before they can reproduce. The growing problem of microplastics—tiny particles of polymer-type materials from modern industry—has been thought for several years to be a peril for fish… Microplastics are near-indestructible in natural environments.

“Violent crimes—from homicides and rapes to robberies—have been on the rise in many major U.S. cities, yet experts can’t point to a single reason why and the jump isn’t enough to suggest there’s a trend… ‘It’s being reported on at local levels, but in my view, it’s not getting the attention at the national level it deserves,’ FBI Director James Comey said recently.