“In light of escalating tension in the maritime areas off the Chinese coast, German foreign policy experts are analyzing the diverse interests at stake and the possibilities for intervention.” China is in dispute with Japan over the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands. The…

The AU$100 bill is becoming scare. Though the amount of money printed each year, including the $100 note, hasn’t changed, the amount of cash in circulation is falling. Studies by the Reserve Bank of Australia show that more people than…

A Catholic doctor in Poland refused to perform an abortion on a patient, even though the fetus had severe abnormalities. Prime Minister Donald Tusk said that Bogdan Chazan must choose the law over his faith. “Regardless of what his conscience…

Eighty percent of Americans carry less than $50 in cash and are getting very comfortable with paying without cash. Nearly one in ten Americans don’t carry paper money with them at all. Slowly but surely, America is moving toward a…

Israel has established a special committee to study methods on bringing Israel into a cashless society. They have recommended a three-phase plan to essentially do away with cash transactions in Israel. The reason for examining a cashless economy is overtly…

Recently, Pope Francis, Shimon Perez and Mahmoud Abbas met at the Vatican to pray for peace and discuss peace in the Middle East. Here is the background of that meeting. Pope Francis may be the world’s best politician. During his…

While in the Holy Land, Pope Francis made a few unscheduled stops. He stopped to pray at the Western Wall in the West Bank, and with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, he visited an Israeli memorial for victims of terrorism. He…

Pope Francis and the President of Mexico, Enriqué Peña Nieto, met recently at the Vatican to discuss migration, unemployment, poverty, violence and drug trafficking. They also discussed Mexican constitutional amendments regarding religious freedom. Following the meeting, Nieto met with Cardinal…

The presidents of Israel and Palestine, Shimon Peres and Mahmoud Abbas met with Pope Francis and the Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomaios of Constantinople at the Vatican to pray for peace between Arabs and Palestinians in the Holy Land. The ecumenical gathering…

In another Gallup poll released recently, Americans who believe the Bible is “the actual word of God” and that it should be taken literally word for word,” is now down to 28 percent from 40 percent in 1979. The poll…

Judges in Oregon, Pennsylvania and Arkansas have struck down same-sex marriage bans giving same-sex marriage more legal victories. The Pennsylvania ruling strikes down the last remaining ban in the U.S. Northeast region. “We are a better people than what these…

A recent Gallup poll reveals that most Americans believe gay marriage should be legal and have the same legal benefits as traditional marriage. The fifty-five percent majority is an all-time high. In 1996 the Gallup polling organization says the percentage…