Twenty-one years ago, we wrote an article entitled, “Less Understanding in an Age of Knowledge.” This current article draws heavily from that earlier one, as well as providing an update. The earlier article spoke of a new age of knowledge and the attendant boom in information. In the 1990s, this notion had become very popular as Wall Street and its cousins around the world fanned up a massive technology investment boom. Anything to do with information—information technology (

Portugal is ageing faster than it can replace its workforce. The country currently has approximately 1.7 workers for every pensioner—well below the roughly 2.5 considered necessary to keep social security in balance, according to data from Portugal’s National Statistics Institute (INE) and the Agency for Integration, Migrations and Asylum (AIMA). As the native population shrinks and retirements accelerate, projections indicate Portugal will need up to 1.3 million new workers

The humpback whale stuck for more than a week in two different spots in the Baltic Sea was showing several signs of deteriorating health, according to rescuers and the state environment minister in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. Pro­fessor Burkhard Baschek of the Ger­man Ocean­o­graphic Museum said [this] could prove a “decis­ive day” in the strand­ing. He warned that it was almost entirely up to the whale to free itself from the shal­lows and there was lim­ited scope to offe

Israel was the most attacked country in the world by geopolitically motivated hackers and malicious actors in 2025, as the country’s multifront wars with the Hamas terror group and Iran and its proxies spurred a spike in cyberattacks, according to the annual global cyber threat analysis report published by Israeli cybersecurity firm Radware. With 12.2 percent of all global geopolitically motivated cyberattacks directed at the country over the past year, Israel is a

What has occurred in the Gaza Strip over the last 20 years is actually a textbook example of why a Palestinian state must never be created. To understand this, we need to look back to recent history. The USA’s role as mediator After the Yom Kippur War in 1973, Israel was growing increasingly dependent on the United States (although Israel doesn’t like to hear it). The US mediated the peace agreement with Egypt in 1979, and the later 1994 peace agreement with Jordan. Both of t

The rankings, produced annually by Gallup, the Oxford Wellbeing Research Center, and the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, are based on a three-year average of how residents in 140 countries rate their own lives alongside factors such as GDP, social support, life expectancy, perceived freedom, generosity and corruption. For the second year in a row, no major English-speaking countries made the top 10, with Australia at 15th, the United States at 23rd, Canada at 25

The Islamic Republic said that the 1,400-mile inlet dividing Africa and Asia was fair game for retaliatory attacks because of the presence of the American aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford. Whether Iranian forces would assault Red Sea shipping themselves remains unclear, but in recent years the Houthis, Tehran’s proxy militia based in Yemen, have vastly reduced traffic through the waterway with attacks on vessels there. Historically, the Red Sea has been invaluable, with ar

The World Tourism Barometer is a publication of the World Tourism Organization (UN Tourism) that monitors short-term tourism trends on a regular basis to provide global tourism stakeholders with up-to-date analysis on international tourism. • International tourist arrivals (overnight visitors) grew 4% in 2025, with most destinations worldwide posting solid results. • An estimated 1.52 billion international tourists were recorded around the world in 2025, almost 60 million mor

The first generation to get rich after China embarked on market reforms is beginning to die, which is why Chen Kai’s state-backed charity, the China Will Registration Center, is helping the elderly write and file wills. Yet even Mr. Chen is somewhat conflicted about China’s first big inter-generational transfer. A small sliver of society will soon be inheriting vast wealth. It was only in the late 1970s that Deng Xiaoping, then China’s paramount leader, opened the economy and

There is virtually no news platform that doesn’t mention a war somewhere in the world. And, unfortunately, many wars don’t even attract media attention, as experts claim that dozens of military conflicts are happening in different parts of the world. Furthermore, this is not the only problem. There are also private “wars”—family disputes, fights between neighbors, conflicts at work ... and, of course, widespread crime. Hundreds of thousands of cases of domestic violence also

Analysts are sounding the alarm over a growing ‘brain drain’ as American scientists and international researchers flee to Europe, an exodus driven by deep cuts to research funding and stricter visa rules under the Trump administration. A 2025 poll by Nature found that 75% of American scientists were considering leaving the United States. This potential mass departure has contributed to policies aimed at further restricting the flow of international students, who have long fu

Australia and the European Union signed a free trade agreement after eight years of negotiations, removing tariffs on almost all goods and potentially easing EU access to Australian critical minerals. The deal follows intensified talks amid sharply higher U.S. tariffs under the Trump administration and growing Western concerns over China’s dominant position in rare earths and other critical minerals. The two sides also signed an agreement to deepen security and defense cooper

The European Union and United Kingdom have demanded that Israel halt a surge in violence by Jewish settlers against Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank that has taken place since the start of the country’s war with Iran. Six Palestinians have been killed during attacks by settlers across the West Bank over […] 11 days, according to the United Nations. The Israeli military condemned the violence and said it was working to bring those responsible to justice. Israel h

George Frederick Handel is regarded as one of the greatest composers in church history. His oratorio Messiah is the most popular of his works, as it has captivated and inspired many with its biblical lyrics and musical score. King George II of England was present during the first performance in London on 23 March 1743. When the famous “Hallelujah Chorus” was sung, which contains the words, “For the Lord God omnipotent reigneth,” the King stood unexpectedly. His act of homage

The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in its latest report on Afghanistan’s military and political situation, said the country remains complex and unstable, with terrorist networks representing the main source of unrest, as reported by media outlets including the South Asia Terrorism Portal and Russian news agency, Interfax. The report estimates that between 20,000 and 23,000 fighters belonging to international terrorist groups are active in Afghanistan, more than half of

The largest-ever purchase of an Israeli-founded tech company was completed after multiple anti-trust regulators cleared the acquisition of cybersecurity unicorn Wiz by Alphabet’s Google for a staggering $32 billion. The deal, first announced in March last year, amid Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza, marks the largest purchase of an Israeli-founded company after US giant Intel Corp bought Mobileye, a Jerusalem-based developer of advanced vision and driver assistance systems, fo

The Jewish State is no coincidence, nor is it the product of the whim of the nations. The Jewish State is the work of God, who is pulling the strings behind the scenes and using the nations for His affairs. This State is necessary for the Lord’s return: Only in this way can biblical prophecy be completely fulfilled. Israel’s current existence is like a guarantee of Jesus’ return. It is a reality, and is inexorably approaching. The final fulfillment of God’s history with Israe

The Swedish research institute SIPRI, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, published its global arms export and import report, comparing the arms exports of various countries in the years 2016–2020 to 2021–2025. Israel’s share of global arms exports in recent years (2021–2025) has climbed to 4.4%, up from 3.1% in the previous period (2016–2020). Israel is now the world’s seventh-largest arms exporter. Furthermore, even though Israel required substantial quant

The concept of a “G2”—a more exclusive version of the Group of Seven or Group of 20 forums—was introduced in 2005 by American economist C. Fred Bergsten to underscore the importance of communication between the world’s two biggest economies. There is no doubt that China and the U.S. have a significant impact on the world. But we should not forget there are more than 190 countries on our planet,” Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in response to a question from NBC News. “W

New data from Nielsen BookScan has revealed that UK Bible sales in 2025 reached their highest point since records began in 2008. Annual sales more than doubled from £2.69m in 2019 to £6.3m in 2025, while sales have shot up by 106 percent in volume—the number of copies sold—over the past five years. According to a Bible Society study, Christians aged 18-24 were the group most likely to be reading the Bible regularly. Despite their digital native status, they’re using physical