FTSE suffers worst stock market start in 16 years

UK - US markets tumble after a 7 percent Chinese share price plunge batters confidence on first trading day of the year. Trading floors began the new year in a state of chaos as weak economic data from China and heightened tension in the Middle East wreaked havoc on financial markets worldwide.

Our spoiled, emasculated, de spiritualised societies in the West are in terminal decline

UK - In 2015 we witness a rare geopolitical power shift - and in the face of every kind of new external challenge the leaders of the EU and the USA have never looked weaker or more bemused. As we enter this New Year, what is the most significant feature of how the world is changing that went almost unnoticed in the year just ended? Two events last autumn might have given us a clue.

Germany's nervous mainstream shifts rightward

GERMANY - More than 600 attacks on refugee shelters, the booming AfD and PEGIDA, and hate speech on the Internet show that Germany is not only a welcoming nation: a new xenophobic sentiment is also on the rise.

Terror alerts are the 'new normal' says top German policeman

GERMANY - Living with terror threats in Germany has become the “new normal”, according to one of the country’s top policemen after a tip-off over a planned suicide bombing saw train stations in Munich evacuated on New Year’s Eve.

Refugee crisis could shake up German political landscape in 2016

GERMANY - For the past decade, German politics has been a relatively dull affair, with Angela Merkel dominating at the national level and the major parties in agreement on all the big issues, from euro zone bailouts and refugees to the phase-out of nuclear energy.

Saudi Arabia cuts ties with Iran as row over cleric's death escalates

MIDDLE EAST - Saudi Arabia cut ties with Iran on Sunday, responding to the storming of its embassy in Tehran in an escalating row between the rival Middle East powers over Riyadh's execution of a Shi'ite Muslim cleric.

Putin names United States among threats in new Russian security strategy

RUSSIA - A new appraisal names the United States as one of the threats to Russia's national security for the first time, a sign of how relations with the west have deteriorated in recent years.

Newly Discovered Superbug In Imported Meat Resistant to All Antibiotics

USA - Many of you reading this are alive today because of antibiotics. They are a marvel of the modern world that has given us so much life. But because of our abuse of antibiotics and regularly consuming dairy products and eating meat from animals that were given antibiotics, bacteria are growing resistant and causing many of the “last resort” antibiotics to be less powerful than in years past.

Texas Governor Challenges Obama on Gun Control: ‘Come and Take It’

USA - On New Year’s Day, Texas Governor Greg Abbott had a strong message for President Obama regarding his upcoming plan to unilaterally enact gun control legislation: “Come and take it.”

Former Iraq PM al-Maliki says death will 'topple Saudi regime'Comment

IRAQ - The former prime minister of Iraq, Nuri al-Maliki, has said that the execution of the prominent Shi'ite cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr by Saudi Arabia will be the downfall of the Gulf kingdom's government.

Saudi Arabia executes top Shia cleric

SAUDI ARABIA - Saudi Arabia has executed the prominent Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, the interior ministry said. He was among 47 people put to death after being convicted of terrorism offences, it said in a statement. Sheikh Nimr was a vocal supporter of the mass anti-government protests that erupted in Eastern Province in 2011, where a Shia majority have long complained of marginalisation. Shia-lead Iran said Saudi Arabia would pay a "high price" for the execution. A foreign ministry spokesman said Riyadh "supports terrorists... while executing and suppressing critics inside the country". Iran is the main regional rival of Sunni-ruled Saudi Arabia.

 
Mississippi River flooding to threaten more levees

USA - Deadly flooding is expected to surge farther south along the Mississippi River over the coming days, putting many more levees at risk of failing and more homes and highways under water. Communities along the Mississippi River in Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Louisiana should be prepared for flood issues over the coming weeks as the copious amounts of water travel farther south.

Raw Sewage Floods Major Waterways as Deluge Cripples American Midwest

USA - Floodwaters raising the level of the Mississippi River have crippled a wastewater treatment plant, causing it to divert sewage directly into nearby rivers and streams. Late Monday evening, the Meramec River, which joins the Mississippi River, swamped the Fenton Wastewater Treatment Plant outside of St Louis. The plant typically treats around seven million gallons of water a day, but was bombarded with 24 million gallons a day and became overrun, Vice reported. "Sewage that would normally be treated at this wastewater treatment plant is not being treated at this time," the agency said. "Sewage is being diverted into nearby rivers and streams. The public is asked to avoid contact with any flood water or sewage in low lying flooded areas near the plant.”

 
China restructures military as Xi eyes 'strong army'

CHINA - China has unveiled changes to the structure of its military, adding three new units, described by President Xi Jinping as "a major policy decision to realise the Chinese dream of a strong army", state media reported.

China Builds Military Hardware With Designs And Technology Stolen From US

CHINA - Technocrats in China have no moral dilemma in stealing designs and technology from other parties, especially from the US, where most of the state-of-the-art military hardware has been developed. Why? When technology exists for technology’s sake, then it is treated as if it is in the “public domain” and hence, available for the taking.

“Just what is an APOSTLE?”
Just what is an Apostle?

Today we find the Church of God in a “wilderness of religious confusion!”

The confusion is not merely around the Church – within the religions of the world outside – but WITHIN the very heart of The True Church itself!

Read online or contact email to request a copy

Listen to Me, You who know righteousness, You people in whose heart is My Law: …I have put My words in your mouth, I have covered you with the shadow of My hand, That I may plant the heavens, Lay the foundations of the earth, and say to Zion, “you are My people” (Isaiah 51:7,16)