News and Prophecy Staff

Tigris and Euphrates river waters have been receding over the last decade as northern Iraq and Syria experience ongoing drought (Geopolitical Monitor, August 11, 2014). According to a recent analysis, “Some of the more extreme projections hold that, owing to a combination of climate change and upstream dam activity, the Tigris and Euphrates rivers won’t have sufficient flow to reach the sea by as early as 2040” (ibid.). 

Last week’s attacks on the Canadian parliament and the murder of an honor guard at the National War Memorial in the nation’s capital of Ottawa were sobering. They followed closely a vehicular attack on two soldiers two days earlier in Quebec (Associated Press, October 24, 2014). The shooting attacks shook the capital city of Ottawa and the whole nation.

The World Wildlife Fund recently reported that “The world populations of fish, birds, mammals, amphibians and reptiles fell overall by 52 percent between 1970 and 2010, far faster than previously thought” (Reuters, September 29, 2014). Two major reasons cited for the dramatic drop in animal numbers are loss of natural habitat and exploitation from over-hunting and over-fishing (ibid.).  

“After decades of mutual suspicion—and one short border conflict—Beijing and Moscow are drawing closer as they simultaneously challenge the U.S.-led security architecture that has prevailed since the Soviet collapse” (Wall Street Journal, October 1, 2014).

Already this year Germany has spent more on U.S. investments than it did in the previous two decades (Wall Street Journal, September 22, 2014). “The latest deals bring to almost $70 billion the total value of German acquisitions announced in the U.S. so far this year, according to Dealogic” (ibid.). The motive behind these acquisitions is that Europe’s economy is still contracting, while the U.S. economy is expanding—making the U.S.