News

“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).

“As the region, which is home to over 350 million people, begins to recover from a series of deadly heatwaves…  the World Resources Institute (WRI) claims water shortages were a key factor in the 2011 Syria civil war. ‘Drought and water shortages in Syria likely contributed to the unrest that stoked the country’s 2011 civil war.

Animosity and persecution against Christians are rising again around the globe. “A persecution watchdog group is warning believers that statistics suggest a Christian is martyred for their faith every five minutes somewhere around the world” (Christian Post, September 16, 2015). Religious attacks are increasing in non-Christian nations.

German Prime Minister Angela Merkel shocked many with her recent comment about her nation’s commitment to accept Middle Eastern refugees. “What we are experiencing now is something that will occupy and change our country in coming years,” she said, adding that “We want the change to be positive, and we believe we can accomplish that.” Is this simply the kind and generous act of a nation trying to make amends for its Nazi past? Is it an act of economic self-interest? Or might this influx of new residents bring with them an unintended consequence?

As the political landscape of Europe changes, “The euro’s founding father has warned that Europe’s latest plan for an EMU-wide finance ministry is a dangerous attempt to smuggle through political union, and breaches the basic tenets of modern democracy. Professor Otmar Issing… said it would be ‘dangerous’ to transfer control over tax and spending to the EU federal level before full political union has been established first on democratic foundations.