News

It appears that the COVID-19 pandemic has affected more than just people and the economy. New research by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is warning of “‘unusual or aggressive’ behavior in American rats as a consequence of more than two months of human lockdown” (The Guardian, May 25, 2020). Urban rats that normally feed on food waste from restaurants and trash in the streets no longer have these food sources available to rely on.

For the last few months, the novel coronavirus pandemic has seemed at times like a cosmic black hole: It has relentlessly consumed everyone’s attention—especially in the media. Turn on the television or radio, scan headlines on the web, or swipe through the news on your phone, and COVID-19 often dominates the headlines and discussion. However, behind the ominous, ever-present cloak of the virus, the world is suffering from numerous other calamities.

As the world watches China and Hong Kong struggle over differing definitions of freedom, and many nations express individual concern, why have four nations recently chosen to issue a joint statement disapproving of how events are unfolding in southeast Asia?

Millions of people around the globe have been outraged by the viral video of a policeman kneeling on the neck of a defenseless George Floyd. This action was, by all appearances, an excessive use of force on the part of the officer. Since then, protests have broken out across the United States and even in Europe.

Jesus Christ responded to His disciples’ question about the impending destruction of Jerusalem and, further, when the end of the age would come by pointing to many conditions. He described various worldwide calamities, including religious deceptions, wars, famines, pestilences, and earthquakes.