News

The “European Experiment” appears to be reaching its end, at least in its present form. With the fiscal turmoil in the south, the European Central Bank just issued its own quantitative easing program, excluding Greece because it is too great a risk for default (Stratfor, January 27, 2015).

The last week of January 2015 marks the 50th anniversary of the death and burial of Winston Churchill, Britain’s great wartime Prime Minister. Churchill is revered as the leader who galvanized British resistance to Nazi Germany, and is remembered for his indomitable spirit and commitment to fight to eventual victory—no matter how slim the chances may have seemed. He is also remembered for possessing a profound sense of personal destiny, something which colored his entire life. 

“More than 170 people have been killed and 200,000 displaced by torrential rain and flooding in Malawi. Large areas in the south are underwater and homes, crops and livestock have been washed away” (BBC, January 19, 2015). Drinking water sources have been either submerged or contaminated and officials fear an outbreak of cholera (ibid.).

Last weekend Belgium sent troops to protect sites across the nation, including some Jewish sites. “It was the first time in 30 years that authorities used troops to reinforce police in Belgium’s cities” (Times of Israel, January 17, 2015).

After several years of the value of the Swiss franc being capped against the euro, “The euro lost nearly 20 percent of its value against the Swiss franc on Thursday [January 15] after the central bank abandoned the cap on the franc’s value against the single currency” (EU Observer, January 15, 2015). “The value of the Swiss franc increased by around 30 percent in the hours following the announcement… The euro also fell to new lows against the dollar and sterling.