News and Prophecy Staff

The Scottish National Party recently released guidelines telling teachers, police, and social workers to respect the privacy of children as young as age 13 by not informing parents when their children are having sex (Telegraph, February 20, 2022). The rationale behind the guidelines is the issue of confidentiality.

In Mexico, drug cartels are becoming increasingly brutal. In a game of one-upmanship, when one gang does something horrendous, the next gang has to do something even more horrendous (The Daily Beast, February 13, 2022). This scenario has led to gang members mutilating those they kill from rival gangs.

With Angela Merkel gone, Europe has a power vacuum. French president Emmanuel Macron, whose nation is currently serving a six-month term as presidency of the Council of the EU, is ambitious and driven but is often seen as working solely for France. Many of his European peers also distrust him (Carnegie Europe, February 10, 2022). One analyst noted Macron is the de facto leader of Europe: “While some EU member states are skeptical of Paris, the alternatives to French leadership are few.”

CNN has reported an alarming trend: “US teacher prep programs have reported shrinking enrollment numbers over at least the past decade. Experts are sounding the alarm” (February 5, 2022). Many teachers are now retiring, and replacements are in dwindling supply.

The relationship between the United States and Europe has been suffering, especially since 2016, and contrary to what many hoped, it has not improved with the arrival of a new American administration in 2021. As the U.S. continues to pivot toward Asia, it also pivots away from Europe (Politico, January 10, 2022). Actions like America’s unilateral withdrawal from Afghanistan and the creation of the AUKUS security pact among Australia, the UK, and the U.S.