News and Prophecy Staff

A European Union study on governmental corruption revealed that it costs the union over €120 billion annually (BBC, February 3, 2014). “In Croatia, the Czech Republic, Lithuania, Bulgaria, Romania and Greece, between 6% and 29% of respondents said they had been asked for a bribe, or had been expected to pay one, in the past 12 months. There were also high levels of bribery in Poland (15%), Slovakia (14%) and Hungary (13%),” often in healthcare (ibid.).

Last Sunday in Los Angeles, the most coveted music awards were doled out at an awards extravaganza where no holds were barred by the performers. This year’s program boasted sultry sex scenes, satanic occult imagery, and even a mass wedding including many homosexual couples and presided over by a female hip-hop star.

Chinese real estate investors are now flocking primarily to Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the U.S. (China Daily, January 28, 2014). “Investment and education are the main drivers of Chinese migration… The expanding number of Chinese emigrants [nearly 50 million now] is creating business opportunities for a range of industries” (ibid.).

“China has tested a ‘hypersonic’ aircraft which is so fast that it could render the defense systems of every nation on Earth obsolete and reset the global calculations of nuclear diplomacy” (The Times, January 16, 2014).

“Three-quarters of the world’s big carnivores—including lions, wolves and bears—are in decline, says a new study. A majority now occupy less than half their former ranges according to data published in the journal, Science… The researchers say the loss of these species could be extremely damaging for ecosystems the world over” (BBC, January 9, 2014).