Prophecy in News

Feb 20, 4:26 PM EST  By JOHN ROGERS  Associated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) -- When Paula Symons joined the U.S. workforce in 1972, typewriters in her office clacked nonstop, people answered the telephones and the hot new technology revolutionizing communication was the fax machine. Symons, fresh out of college, entered this brave new world thinking she'd do pretty much what her parents' generation did: Work for just one or two companies over about 45 years before bidding farewell to co-workers at a retirement party and heading off into her sunset years with a pension. Forty years into that run, the 60-year-old communications specialist for a Wisconsin-based insurance company has worked more than a half-dozen jobs. She's been laid off, downsized and seen the pension disappear with only a few thousand dollars accrued when it was frozen. So, five years from the age when people once retired, she laughs when she describes her future plans. "I'll probably just work until I drop," she says, a sentiment expressed, with varying degrees of humor, by numerous members of her age group. Like 78 million other U.S. Baby Boomers, Symons and her husband had the misfortune of approaching retirement age at a time when stock market crashes diminished their 401(k) nest eggs, comp...

The Irish Times - Monday, February 20, 2012 RUADHÁN Mac CORMAIC in Paris FRENCH PRESIDENT Nicolas Sarkozy has put his handling of the economic crisis at the heart of his re-election campaign, portraying himself as a strong leader who saved France from ruin. Just days after formally announcing his bid for re-election, Mr Sarkozy claimed his chief rival, François Hollande of the Socialist Party, did not understand the depth of the economic crisis and posed a danger to France’s recovery. “Those who behave like nothing serious has happened in the world over the past three years . . . are lying to the French people,” he said. “You can’t be trusted to lead the country out of the crisis if you deny its existence.” Mr Hollande enjoys a consistent lead over Mr Sarkozy in opinion polls, with the latest Ifop survey giving him 29.5 per cent against the incumbent’s 26 per cent. National Front leader Marine Le Pen was in third place on 17 per cent. Both leading candidates have pledged to reduce France’s huge public deficit at about the same rate. But Mr Sarkozy has stressed the need to improve France’s competitiveness, while Mr Hollande says he would raise taxes on the rich to fund investment in education and research. Although unemployment is at a 12-year high and eco...

  Alexander Vatutin Jan 25, 2012 17:22 Moscow Time Download Photo: RIA Novosti Job creation in the real economy should become a number one economic priority, the United Nations International Labor Organization (ILO) concludes in its annual report on global employment trends, published earlier this week. Presenting the report, ILO General Director Juan Somavia said that “despite strenuous government efforts, the jobs crisis continues unabated with one in three workers worldwide – or an estimated 1.1 billion people – either unemployed or living in poverty”. Job outlook for 2012 inspires little optimism. Last year, contrary to expectations, unemployment showed no signs of decreasing. The on-going crisis in global labor markets and the prospect of a further deterioration of economic activity may push it further up. The ILO’s baseline forecast is an additional 3 million jobless in 2012, but if global economic rates fall below 2 per cent, then the figure would rise to 4 million. A quick resolution of the eurozone debt crisis may cause unemployment to drop by 1 million this year. Vladimir Nazarov of the Russian Institute for the Economy in Transition contemplates the matter: "Public works is one way of making the unemployment issue less acute. But th...

irishtimes.com - Last Updated: Wednesday, February 15, 2012, 07:24 The world’s poorest families are cutting back on food and sending children out to work to pay for food amid soaring prices, according to a survey by British charity Save the Children. In countries which are home to half the world’s malnourished children, a third of parents surveyed revealed that their children complained they did not have enough to eat. One in six said their children were skipping school to work for food. The children’s charity is calling on the UK government to help lead a push to reduce hunger and protect children from food price spikes. It is urging British prime minister David Cameron to kick-start this with a “world hunger summit” at the Olympics - a time when world leaders will be in London - to tackle malnutrition. The survey, conducted by the charity in India, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru and Bangladesh, provides a snapshot of the hardship that families are facing in countries already experiencing high rates of malnutrition. In its new report, A Life Free from Hunger: Tackling Child Malnutrition , launched today the charity says that rising food prices and lack of global investment in tackling malnutrition are putting progress on child mortality at risk. It warns that i...

 By: Our Staff Reporter | February 04, 2012   KARACHI – The increasing food crisis has affected millions of people in Africa and now it is rapidly moving towards South-East Asian countries including Pakistan. The global food crisis has affected hundreds of millions of people worldwide, causing a surge of socio-political unrest in many countries as families struggle to find ways to survive against soaring food and fuel prices. Currently, many regions in Africa and Asia are experiencing a food crisis that is contributing to hunger, malnutrition and starvation. The increase in population is not only causing food crisis but natural disasters, pest and plant diseases, urbanisation, increasing prices of fuel and fertilizers, shortage of water are the real causes.” These views were expressed by experts, while speaking at an inaugural ceremony of one-day seminar on “World Food Crisis”: Role of Scientists and Progressive Farmers” jointly organised by Department of Biochemistry, Department of Botany and Department of Food Science & Technology, University of Karachi on Friday. The objective of the seminar was to bridge the gape between the scientists and farmers. In her inaugural lecture Dr Jehan Ara told the participants that in the last few yea...

Britain’s delegation to Rome takes a message of religious confidence that should ring out beyond the Vatican walls , writes Baroness Warsi. Pope Benedict XVI blesses faithfuls from the window of his apartment during his Sunday Angelus prayer in St. Peter's square at the Vatican Photo: AFP PHOTO / ANDREAS SOLARO By Baroness Warsi 9:23PM GMT 13 Feb 2012 Today I have the honour of leading the largest ministerial delegation from the United Kingdom to the Vatican – our reciprocal visit following the momentous State Visit of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI in September 2010. We will be celebrating the decision Margaret Thatcher took 30 years ago to restore full diplomatic relations between our countries. The relationship between the UK and the Holy See is our oldest diplomatic relationship, first established in 1479. And today, thanks to the great success of the Pope’s visit, it is one of the strongest too. But this trip is about more than a Valentine’s Day “love in” with our Catholic neighbours. This is about recognising the deep and intrinsic role of faith here in Britain and overseas. For a number of years I have been saying that we need to have a better understanding of faith in our country. Why? Because I profoundly believe that faith has a vital...

February 20, 2012 In his remarks to 22 newly created cardinals, Pope Benedict XVI appeared to pour cold water on rumors that he might resign, notes leading Vatican-watching journalist Andrea Tornielli. “Pray also for me, that I may continually offer to the People of God the witness of sound doctrine and guide holy Church with a firm and humble hand,” the Pope said. Tornielli read those words as a signal that the Pontiff has no plans to step down. Rome has heard a fresh spate of rumors about a possible papal resignation in recent weeks, following up on stories about the embarrassing leaks that have been cited as evidence of disarray at the Vatican.   http://www.catholicculture.org/news/headlines/index.cfm?storyid=13396

February 19, 2012, 7:55 PM EST By Andy Sharp Feb. 20 (Bloomberg) -- Japan posted a record trade deficit in January as the yen’s strength and weaker global demand eroded manufacturers’ profits and slowed the nation’s recovery from last year’s earthquake and tsunami. The trade deficit widened to 1.48 trillion yen ($19 billion) and shipments dropped 9.3 percent from a year earlier, the Ministry of Finance said today in Tokyo. The median estimate of 28 economists surveyed by Bloomberg News was for a trade gap of 1.46 trillion yen. The currency’s advance has hampered business at companies including Sony Corp., Japan’s largest consumer electronics exporter, which more than doubled its annual loss forecast this month. Japan last year posted its first annual trade deficit since 1980 and the Bank of Japan last week unexpectedly expanded stimulus a day after a government report showed gross domestic product contracted last quarter. “Recently we’ve seen a decline in the international competitiveness of Japanese manufacturers,” Junko Nishioka, chief Japan economist at RBS Securities Japan Ltd., said before the report. “It’s unlikely that GDP growth will accelerate this year."　　 The trade figures may have been skewed by China’s Lunar New Year holidays falling ...

  SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2012 As long as the standing Administration supports a stronger - meaning weaker dollar, those pesky little pennies and nickels will only get more expensive to produce. Eventually, Gresham’s law will release its citizen from shackles of expensive coins and paper notes to the freedom of the great cashless society provided by credit. After that, visionary citizens and fund managers will be allowed to melt their nickel hoards at a substantial profit. Headline: Obama wants cheaper pennies and nickels NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- The U.S. Mint is facing a problem -- especially during these penny-pinching times. It turns out it costs more to make pennies and nickels than the coins are worth. And because of that, the Obama administration this week asked Congress for permission to change the mix of metal that goes to make pennies and nickels, an expensive recipe that has remained unchanged for more than 30 years. To be precise, it cost 2.4 cents to make one penny in 2011 and about 11.2 cents for each nickel. Given the number of coins that the mint produces -- 4.3 billion pennies and 914 million nickels last year alone, those costs add up pretty quickly: a little more than $100 million for each coin. Source: money.cnn.com   http://edegro...

 Seismic risk at the Fukushima nuclear plant increased after the magnitude 9 earthquake that hit Japan last March, scientists report. The new study, which uses data from over 6,000 earthquakes, shows the 11 March tremor caused a seismic fault close to the nuclear plant to reactivate. The results are now published in Solid Earth, an open-access journal of the European Geosciences Union (EGU). The research suggests authorities should strengthen the security of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant to withstand large earthquakes that are likely to directly disturb the region. The power plant witnessed one of the worst nuclear disasters in history after it was damaged by the 11 March 2011 magnitude 9 earthquake and tsunami. But this tremor occurred about 160 km from the site, and a much closer one could occur in the future at Fukushima. “There are a few active faults in the nuclear power plant area, and our results show the existence of similar structural anomalies under both the Iwaki and the Fukushima Daiichi areas. Given that a large earthquake occurred in Iwaki not long ago, we think it is possible for a similarly strong earthquake to happen in Fukushima,” says team-leader Dapeng Zhao, geophysics professor at Japan’s Tohoku University. The 11 Ap...