In Other News
Huge crowds of ultra-Orthodox protesters crowded Jerusalem last week to push back against military conscription. Most Israelis are conscripted at age 18, but members of the devout Haredi community have been unofficially exempted since Israel’s founding in 1948. Israel’s Supreme Court ruled last year that this exemption had no legal basis and that the military must also conscript ultra-Orthodox citizens. The military has sent out tens of thousands of draft notices but has refused to go after draft dodgers. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s governing coalition relies on politicians who have threatened to end the coalition to protect ultra-Orthodox interests. The current controversy reflects the severity of the divisions within Israeli society.
New data suggests that President Donald Trump’s October 22 sanctions on Rosneft and Lukoil did immediate damage, but the Russian energy giants have already recovered. Bloomberg’s “Oil Tracker” feature shows Russia is now exporting as much or more oil than it was before October 22. Goldman Sachs estimates that Russian exports via Rosneft and Lukoil have fallen by 1.1 million barrels per day, but exports by non-sanctioned companies have risen by roughly the same amount. Meanwhile, Russia’s war economy—and its war machine—grind on.
The German Air Force reported today that it is moving “several” Eurofighters from Nörvenich Air Base in Germany to Malbork Air Base in Poland, a response to recent Russian airspace violations. The deployment, which will last until March, includes about 150 personnel—pilots, technicians, logisticians, security guards and military police. Meanwhile, the Bundestag’s budget committee approved 11 additional rifle, ammunition, reconnaissance, drone and other armaments projects yesterday, worth about $3 billion. Germany is solidifying its military leadership of Europe.
French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in China today for a three-day visit and met with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. “China and France should demonstrate their sense of responsibility, raise high the banner of multilateralism … and firmly stand on the right side of history,” Xi said. China’s economy has recently suffered under U.S. tariffs, but representatives from French companies just signed 12 cooperation agreements with their Chinese counterparts. Based on Bible prophecy, the Trumpet warns that France will ally with China and betray the U.S.
China’s ruling Chinese Communist Party wants to build a “mega embassy” near the Tower of London. The site, formerly used by the Royal Mint, is located directly above data cables carrying sensitive British financial information. The Chinese are investing a huge sum of money into the project and applying pressure to Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government to acquiesce. The UK will announce its decision on January 20. Once-mighty Britain’s diplomatic weakness in this situation illustrates that it is being cursed for disobedience to God, fulfilling prophecies laid out in the Bible.
Palestinian terrorists shot five Israeli soldiers in southern Gaza on Wednesday afternoon. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated, “Our policy is clear: Israel will not tolerate attacks on idf soldiers and will respond accordingly.” The idf conducted air strikes and artillery shelling in response. The U.S.-brokered ceasefire in Gaza is at risk, another reminder that man does not know the way to peace.
Data from several polls this year suggest that AI isn’t living up to its promise of transforming the workplace. Workers are using it less the more they have access to it, suggesting some measure of fatigue or disenchantment with the technology. “The data is nothing if not a major red flag for an industry which is expected to spend $5 trillion on AI infrastructure between now and 2030,” wrote Futurism. The exorbitant cash outlays going toward this energy-hungry technology are predicated on voracious and growing user demand, which simply isn’t materializing. “With a $600 billion gulf between AI revenue and AI spending, an immense amount is riding on whether the tech can start bringing home the bacon.” This could be the mother of all economic bubbles.
The Israeli-designed Arrow 3 system can destroy long-range ballistic missiles outside Earth’s atmosphere, a capability that German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius noted is “unique among our European partners and secures our central role in the heart of Europe. In this way, we are not only protecting ourselves but also our partners.” This advanced military technology also brings Germany and Israel into a tighter relationship, but the Bible prophesies that this is setting the stage for betrayal.
Denmark, which currently holds the European Council’s rotating presidency, has suggested expanding the EU border control agency, Frontex. This could include the use of AI for surveillance, cybermonitoring units and drone operations. A core group of European nations continues to push for an EU army, but it is vehemently opposed by others. Frontex was a compromise everyone could agree on. Revelation 17 reveals that 10 European nations or groups of nations will indeed form an integrated, powerful and forceful empire.
Last month, China and the United Arab Emirates completed their first cross-border payment using a central bank digital currency, which the Chinese Embassy in the U.A.E. characterized yesterday as “a breakthrough in global financial innovation and bilateral financial cooperation.” Supported by the Bank for International Settlements, the mBridge project technology eliminates the need for the U.S. dollar in international trade. The European Union is also developing a digital currency. The rise in international non-dollar transactions is important because Isaiah 23 prophesies that a global trade alliance will form that excludes the U.S. and other modern nations of Israel from world trade.
Nato foreign ministers are meeting in Belgium today, with the notable exception of U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. A State Department official explained, “Secretary Rubio has already attended dozens of meetings with nato allies, and it would be completely impractical to expect him at every meeting.” Yet this is the first such absence since the tensions of the Iraq War in 2003. Many European foreign ministers, and many Europeans, take this as another sign of American abandonment and the need for rapid European militarization.
Storms unleashed havoc on Asian nations in recent days, particularly Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and Sri Lanka. Heavy downpours caused catastrophic flooding and mudslides that have killed more than 1,350 people and displaced millions more. Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto attributed the destruction to climate change, but there is a spiritual reason why such heartbreaking calamities occur. Learn what it is by reading our free booklet Why ‘Natural Disasters’?
Donald Trump announced yesterday that he regards all documents, proclamations, executive orders, memorandums and contracts signed by autopen during Joe Biden’s term as null and void. “The autopen is not allowed to be used if approval is not specifically given by the president of the United States,” President Trump posted on Truth Social. According to legal scholars, presidents have the authority to revoke previously issued executive orders, yet revoking pardons may be unconstitutional without proof that they were granted without presidential approval. Trump’s new announcement highlights the fact that Biden was a “puppet president,” something Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry consistently warned about from his inauguration. Read more in his crucial book America Under Attack.
American billionaires Michael and Susan Dell pledged yesterday to give $6.25 billion to help 25 million American children open newly created investment accounts under President Trump’s Invest America initiative. This gift will fund $250 deposits for children ages 10 and under who were born before Jan. 1, 2025. Children born after that date already qualify to receive the federal government’s $1,000 newborn contribution to their tax-advantaged Invest America accounts, commonly known as “Trump Accounts.” As things stand, Social Security is the only major retirement fund in America that gives a negative rate of return. Putting $250 in diversified index funds designed to grow over time shows that there is a much better way to manage money. It is an impressive charitable contribution from a billionaire.
Pope Leo xiv will hold a mass at the site of the Beirut blast today, with more than 120,000 people registered to attend. The 2020 explosion that killed more than 160 people involved a large cache of ammonium nitrate owned by Hezbollah and called into question whether the terrorist group should continue to influence Lebanon’s future. Five years on, the Vatican is drawing attention to the tragedy because it has its own plans for the future of the entire Middle East.
Olaf Scholz was once one of Germany’s most unpopular chancellors. His successor, Friedrich Merz, is now as unpopular as Scholz at his lowest point. Only 22 percent of Germans are currently satisfied with him, the worst rating Forsa has ever recorded for the rtl/ntv trend barometer. At the same time, the Federation of German Industries sees the economy “in its worst crisis since the founding of the Federal Republic,” and it claims “the federal government is not responding decisively enough.” Germany’s democratic system is failing, and the Bible prophesies that a modern form of authoritarian rule will take its place.
The bbc reported that Georgia’s government used a “World War i-era” chemical to subdue pro-European Union protesters last year. Based on testimony of those affected, the bbc claims the government used camite, a substance that likely has long-lasting effects. This crackdown shows that the former Soviet nation is falling back toward Russia.
Chinese General Secretary Xi Jinping stated he would “resolutely crack down” on web “misconduct” at a meeting of the Chinese Communist Party on Friday. “Governing the online ecosystem is an important task in building China into a cyberpower,” he said. This comes after Chinese regulators said they would “take action” against ByteDance for “displaying harmful content”—the same type of content that Western nations allow. China’s “great firewall” of Internet censorship blocks not only harmful content but also content that questions the world’s most powerful Communist dictatorship.
On Monday, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a lower court decision disqualifying Alina Habba from serving as U.S. attorney for the District of New Jersey. Habba is a former personal lawyer to President Donald Trump. The 32-page ruling stated that the president did not obtain “advice and consent” from the Senate as specified by the Federal Vacancies Reform Act, so Habba cannot serve in a permanent capacity as a district attorney.
President Donald Trump’s military strikes on drug boats in the Caribbean Sea have reduced supply and raised drug dealers’ prices, Drug Enforcement Administration Administrator Terry Cole told cbs News on November 19. Cartels are paying more for vessels and manpower and are losing cargoes. President Trump is hoping to weaken cartels and foreign adversaries and to reduce the number of Americans who become addicted or die due to drugs. But America’s self-inflicted drug epidemic, which now claims roughly 100,000 lives each year, will continue. Cartels will find new ways to supply what so many Americans so tragically demand.
A study released yesterday shows that smartphones are making our kids tired, fat and miserable. Led by the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, the University of California–Berkeley and Columbia University in New York, the study analyzed National Institutes of Health data from more than 10,500 youths between 2018 and 2020. It found that the younger a child is when getting a smartphone, the higher his risk for depression, obesity and sleeplessness, even “clinical-level psychopathology.” Though 95 percent of teens ages 13 to 17 have a smartphone, this is another clear warning to parents to buck that trend—and to all adults of the need for self-control. Phone-induced depression, obesity and poor sleep can be a problem at any age.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday asked President Isaac Herzog to pardon him from corruption allegations. The request is highly unusual since Netanyahu has not yet been convicted. President Herzog’s office stated today that the pardon request “is clearly provoking debate and is deeply unsettling for many people in the country, across different communities. I have already clarified that it will be handled in the most correct and precise manner. I will consider solely the best interests of the State of Israel and Israeli society.”
The Lithuanian Defense Ministry has been offering drone assembly, programming and piloting courses to citizens over the past two months, with the goal of training 22,500 Lithuanians, including 7,000 children as young as 10 years old, by 2028. The ultimate objective is to bolster the nation’s defense against Russian aggression, something Europeans increasingly fear and are now acting upon.
On Friday, Russian MiG-31 fighter jets flew westward over the Baltic Sea, prompting the Polish military and nato forces to put their Patriot air defense systems on high alert. The jets then changed course. MiG fighter jets can carry Kinzhal hypersonic missiles, which have a range of 300 miles. Two Patriot systems from the German Air Force, which are currently stationed in Poland, were also involved. An officer told Bild, “Russia is constantly testing us. They want to know how we will respond to such actions.” Russia’s provocations are causing Europe to militarize and unite.
“Migration policy is our business, and we decide on it as we see fit,” German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Thursday. He was responding to news that the U.S. State Department recently instructed diplomats to lobby other Western countries for tighter immigration laws. Merz and other leaders recognize the “negative social impacts of mass migration, including displacement, sexual assault, and the breakdown of law and order” to which the State Department referred. Focusing on the fact that it came from the U.S. betrays the increasing resentment toward American leadership and pressure.
Russia’s Vladimir Putin welcomed Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán to Moscow on Friday. “We have important areas of cooperation, and we haven’t given up on any area of that cooperation, no matter the external pressure,” Orbán stated. The United States recently exempted Hungary from sanctions to allow it to continue importing large amounts of Russian oil and gas. Such exemptions and continued partnership with Putin as he wages war on Ukraine are controversial, and as a result, Polish President Karol Nawrocki canceled his December 4 meeting with Orbán. This is a vivid indication of how complex the relationships are between European states and Russia. Orban is leading Europe toward the Catholic Church and toward strongman leadership. All Europe will soon go in this direction. The fact that he is so chummy with Putin is interesting; Orban once took the lead in breaking Hungary out of the Soviet bloc. He is a bellwether showing where the political wind is blowing.
