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“A deluge of rainfall has burst rivers and brought flood warnings to several southern US states, with Texas and Oklahoma the worst hit so far… Parts of Texas saw up to 10 inches (25cm) of rain over a 24-hour period, with more predicted across the region into next week. An official declared it the ‘largest flood in the history of this region’” (BBC, May 25, 2015).
“Saudi Arabia’s King Salman promised on Sunday to punish those responsible for the recent suicide attack at a Shiite mosque in the country’s east—a rare occurrence in the kingdom. Salman decried the ‘heinous terrorist attack’ that runs counter to Islamic and human values” (Deutsche Welle, May 24, 2015).
“Britain Resigns as a World Power” was the sobering title of a recent article in the Washington Post (May 21, 2015). Author Fareed Zakaria observed, “After an extraordinary 300-year run, Britain has essentially resigned as a global power” (ibid.). “Over the next few years, Britain’s army will shrink to about 80,000.
“An Air Force general who recently spoke about how God has guided his career should be court-martialed, a civil liberties group is saying. In a speech at a National Day of Prayer Task Force event on May 7, Maj. Gen.
“The extent of decline of religious faith is exposed in new research suggesting that British people no longer turn to God even in the face of death” (The Telegraph, May 18, 2015). “The findings emerge from research carried out by ‘Dying Matters,’ a coalition of 16,000 hospices, charities, care homes and others working with people facing their end of life. (ibid...
“Luxembourg prime minister Xavier Bettel put himself in the history books on Friday (15 May) by becoming the first EU government leader to marry someone of the same sex The marriage…symbolises how legal rights for gay citizens of the EU have advanced in the past years” (EU Observer, May 18, 2015). “‘Luxembourg can set an example,’ Bettel noted on his wedding day...
“During his election campaign, prime minister David Cameron had promised [the British people] an in/out referendum by 2017 if he was re-elected” (EU Observer, May 12, 2015). Another report states, “The UK could hold a referendum on EU membership as early as July 2016, The Guardian reported Monday evening (11 May).
China’s President Xi visited Russia this week and Russian President Putin is scheduled to visit China in September. “The Ukrainian crisis has strained Russia’s relations with the West. Sanctions have been imposed on Moscow, hurting Russia’s economy as well as causing its currency and energy exports to plunge. As a result, the Russian government is moving closer...
“In the April 12 edition of the Jordanian daily Al-Dustour, columnist Maher Abu Tair sheds light on what he calls the ‘sad’ contemporary situation in which the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan finds itself. He accuses Arab countries of turning their backs on Jordan and abandoning it, pushing Jordan totally into Israel’s economic and political lap” (Israel National...
Modern research indicates, “About 60% of giant herbivores—plant-eaters—including rhinos, elephants and gorillas, are at risk of extinction” (BBC, May 2, 2105). Professor David Macdonald of Oxford University noted “The big carnivores, like the charismatic big cats or wolves, face horrendous problems from direct persecution, over-hunting and habitat loss, but our...