News and Prophecy Staff

“Japan and the United States staged a naval show of strength off Tokyo Bay on Sunday as they flashed a pair of powerful, flat-deck warships perhaps just days before the U.S. Navy plans to challenge disputed Chinese claims to territory in the nearby South China Sea” (USA Today, October 19, 2015).

At least eleven people died and over a million people were evacuated to avoid 15-foot-high tsunami waves, after an 8.3 magnitude earthquake struck off the cost of Chile in mid-September (Reuters, September 17, 2015).

On September 17, 2015, Time Magazine ran an article entitled: “Pope Francis and the New Roman Empire.” The article stated, “Francis’ strategy is bold, both on the world stage and within the Vatican. First, he is injecting himself into high-level diplomacy by taking controversial positions on the biggest issues of the day… In the Middle East, the Pope has alternately pleased and disappointed all sides. His push for the Iran nuclear deal bolstered the White House but angered Israel.

“Palestinian men armed with knives and a gun killed at least three people and wounded several others in a string of attacks in Jerusalem and near Tel Aviv on Tuesday, police said, on a ‘Day of Rage’ declared by Palestinian groups.

“About 90% of seabirds have eaten plastic and are likely to retain some in their gut, a new analysis estimates. The study concludes that matters will only get worse until action is taken to stem the flow of waste to the oceans. Researcher Erik Van Sebille says the oceans are now filled with plastic and it is ‘virtually certain’ that any dead seabird found in 2050 ‘will have a bit of plastic in its stomach’” (BBC, August 31, 2015).