In Other News
Justice Frank Hoskins sentenced Omogbolahan Jegede to just two years in prison last week in a Nova Scotia, Canada, court after he was convicted on two counts of sexual assault. One woman testified that the former football player choked her; another woman testified that he raped her. Yet the Impact of Race and Culture Assessment, a report funded under an initiative from Trudeau-era Liberals, said that Jegede was feeling intense pressure around the time of the assaults, that his lack of role models “further exacerbated Mr. Jegede’s vulnerability,” and that the rapist did not have culturally appropriate support to turn to for help. The justice stated that, if not for “mitigating factors” including this report, Jegede’s “sentence would have been much higher.” The Bible, the foundation of Western law, specifies, “One law and one manner shall be for you, and for the stranger that sojourneth with you” (Numbers 15:16). Modern judges often replace what is left of the biblical rule of law in the West with their own blatantly unjust judgments.
What media is calling “Iran’s largest protests in three years” exploded this week amid soaring inflation and other economic woes. Merchants, students and others are shouting, “Death to Khamenei,” and “Death to the dictator,” aiming their grievances at the highest levels of Iran’s regime. Iran’s short-term political future appears shaky, but just as it did throughout the Israeli and U.S. attacks on Iran and its proxies earlier this year, the Trumpet emphasizes that Iran itself and radical Islam overall will increase in power, not decrease. This is due to a prophecy in Daniel 11: Iran is “the king of the south.”
Did Ukraine try to assassinate Vladimir Putin? Or is Putin lying to derail the peace talks? Russia’s foreign ministry said on Monday that 91 Ukrainian long-range drones had been shot down over Putin’s residence. Russia has produced no proof, however. “Analysts and independent Russian outlets have argued that the claim remained highly dubious, given the lack of any footage, local reports of air defense activity or debris from the incident,” noted the Telegraph. “Earlier reports by Russia’s defense minister conflicted with Mr Lavrov’s statements.” It looks like Putin has no intention of making peace, and is instead looking for a way of ending the talks while blaming Ukraine for their failure.
The head of the Swiss armed forces, Thomas Suessli, said in an interview published Saturday that Switzerland cannot “defend against threats from a distance or even a full-scale attack on our country.” He said that “in a real emergency, only a third of all soldiers would be fully equipped.” Switzerland has moderately increased military spending, but only at a pace that will make it fully functional around 2050. Suessli said that is far too slow and that Switzerland’s neutral status won’t necessarily protect it should war come. “Neutrality only has value if it can be defended with weapons,” he argued. Suessli is particularly fearful of the Russian threat. The Bible prophesies that Europe will continue militarizing, and that its first target will not be Russia.
Latvia just finished a 174-mile fence along its Russian border. Lithuania is beginning its border fortifications, including preparing key bridges close to its borders with Russia and Belarus for demolition. This digging in is another concrete proof of how fearful Europeans are becoming. When Russia invaded Crimea in 2014, Gerald Flurry wrote, “The fear you see in Europe because of events in Crimea is going to cause 10 leaders in Europe to unite in a sudden and dramatic way—and in precise accordance with the Bible’s description of that European empire!” Watch for the imminent fulfillment of this key Bible prophecy.
According to a new definition, 75 percent of Americans are obese. Researchers from Harvard, Yale and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center claim the older body mass index definition under-measured obesity rates by putting them at just 40 percent. The proposed new criteria expands to include measurements of fat tissue and the waist. This multi-measure approach gives a wider picture of how serious America’s obesity crisis is. Its causes: inactivity, poor food quality and rejection of God’s agricultural laws.
The state-run Korean Central News Agency published images on December 25 of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un inspecting what they claim is the nation’s first nuclear-powered submarine. “We regard the super-powerful offensive capability as the best shield for national security in developing the armed forces,” Kim was quoted as saying. If the claims are accurate, North Korea now poses a much more dangerous strategic threat. Only China, France, India, Russia, the United States and the United Kingdom are known to currently operate these advanced vessels. Nuclear-powered submarines can sustain higher speeds for longer periods than diesel-electric models, are far quieter, can stay submerged for months, and can launch nuclear missiles from hidden locations—perhaps the most important capability for nuclear deterrence, counterstrikes and surprise attacks.
In an interview with conservative outlet Just the News on Sunday, Attorney General Pam Bondi announced that she has asked Justice Department prosecutors to investigate Barack Obama’s and Joe Biden’s roles in an ongoing election-meddling conspiracy. She said, “[E]vidence illustrates that the fbi shielded political figures like Hunter Biden and Hillary Clinton while pursuing conservatives for their beliefs, using legal process and operations that were excessive, instead of protecting Americans from public safety threats posed by an open border and violent crime. They went so far as to serve search warrants that their own department and law enforcement officials believed were excessive.” So many of the crimes Gerald Flurry details in America Under Attack haven’t faced any reckoning. It would be stunning if this effort actually holds the criminals accountable.
On Friday, the Japanese government approved a budget to spend a record $58 billion on the nation’s military for the coming year, highlighting Japan’s intensifying fear of China. The new budget is nearly 10 percent higher than the previous year and puts Japan on target to devote 2 percent of its gross domestic product to defense two years ahead of schedule. The plan allocates funds to deploy additional missiles and drones to Japan’s southwestern islands and to fortify its “standoff” missile capability. Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi told reporters, “This budget is the least we need to fulfill our defense responsibilities as Japan faces its most severe and complex security environment since the end of the war.” Japan’s rapid rearmament may seem reassuring since it is an ally of the United States, but Bible prophecy warns that events will soon undergo a troubling turn. Read “Japan’s Coming Betrayal of America.”
Police in Germany are under attack, largely by foreigners. In 2024, the German Federal Criminal Police Office recorded 46,357 acts of violence affecting 106,875 police officers, the German Interior Ministry reported today. This represents a 67.2 percent increase in the number of officers affected compared to 2015, a year that coincided with a large influx of refugees into Germany. Foreigners make up around 15 percent of the total population and 34.9 percent of the perpetrators. About 87 percent of the cases involved acts of resistance or physical attacks. According to the statistics, violence also includes threats, coercion and intentional bodily harm. The refugee crisis continues to radically transform Germany.
Iran is fighting a “total war with the United States, Israel and Europe” and is “being surrounded from every angle,” Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told state media in an interview published Saturday. This is a telling comment in light of Daniel 11:40, which prophesies that Iran-led Islam and Catholic-led Europe will clash in a major war and that Europe will attack Iran “like a whirlwind” from every angle. This phrase is emphasized and explained in Mr. Flurry’s free booklet Germany’s Secret Strategy to Destroy Iran.
The Israel Antiquities Authority announced today the discovery of a mikveh, an ancient Jewish ritual bath, near Jerusalem’s Wailing Wall. Mikvehs were used for cleansing en route to worshiping at the temple of God. This specimen dates approximately to the time of Jesus Christ. The Trumpet’s publisher, the Philadelphia Church of God, has sponsored archaeological excavations around a similar mikveh nearby: Read about the significance of these ruins here.
A Palestinian terrorist murdered two people and wounded others today in a rampage in northern Israel near Nazareth. The terrorist, who has been arrested and identified as Ahmed Abu al-Rov, ran over a 68-year-old man with a vehicle before fatally stabbing an 18-year-old woman. These kinds of attacks are more common near Israeli settlements in the West Bank rather than in Israel proper, but they are early warning signs that tensions between Israelis and their Arab neighbors are about to explode.
Polish forces intercepted a Russian reconnaissance aircraft yesterday near Polish airspace over the Baltic Sea. The radar systems also detected several objects likely used for smuggling crossing the border from Belarus. Fearing increased Russian hybrid attacks, Poland is fortifying its defense systems and borders with help from Germany. Earlier this month, the German Air Force deployed an unspecified number of Eurofighters to Poland for a mission lasting until March, with about 150 personnel involved. Starting in April 2026, the German armed forces will assist with the construction of a protective barrier as part of Poland’s “Operation East Shield” initiative in the border region with Belarus and the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad. Fear of Russia is prompting Poland to align itself with a militarized Europe, led by Germany.
“I would like to see soldiers with the European flag on their uniforms working alongside our Ukrainian friends to secure peace,” Manfred Weber, the prominent German politician and leader of the European People’s Party, said in an interview posted today by Funke Media Group. “We cannot seriously expect Trump to secure a peace settlement solely with American GIs. And when we talk about European troops, Germany cannot be left out. … Europe stands naked in a cold world full of storms. We must stop basing our policies on documents from Washington. We must write our own security strategy, test the architecture of Europe, and finally act with confidence.” Growing distrust of the United States equates to growing support for an independent European military under German leadership. However, Bible prophecy shows that this force will not be established to support Ukraine or to keep the peace.
Record rainfall drenched Southern California on Wednesday, forcing evacuations and road closures. At least three people drowned, while dozens of others were rescued overnight amid flooding and mudslides. About 100,000 people in the state are without power. The mountain and foothill areas of Southern California received 6 to 14 inches of rain on Wednesday and Thursday, the wettest holiday span in many areas since 1971. Around the world, people are seeing dramatic swings between dry and wet conditions, which scientists are calling “hydroclimate whiplash.” The Bible specifies that such whiplash is a curse for sin. Amos 4:7 says, “… I caused it to rain upon one city, and caused it not to rain upon another city: one piece was rained upon, and the piece whereupon it rained not withered.”
Zelenskyy presents 20-point peace plan draft: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy presented to journalists a new peace proposal on December 23. It revises the initial 28-point plan presented by the U.S. that called for Ukraine to make drastic territorial concessions to Russia, limit its military strength, and agree not to join nato. Many felt the plan, as the Kyiv Independent put it, “effectively pushed Ukraine toward capitulation.” The new proposal includes the following clause: “The United States, nato and European countries will provide Ukraine with security guarantees that mirror Article 5 of nato’s founding treaty, the mutual-defense clause.” The new proposal is more favorable to Ukraine, but it also makes a ceasefire far less likely. These negotiations demonstrate that this conflict cannot be resolved through diplomacy. Meanwhile, the conflict continues and the Russian president grows more and more brutal in his warfare.
Jerusalem vulnerable to October 7-scale terrorism? Israeli State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman released a report on Tuesday stating that Jerusalem is vulnerable to an attack from the West Bank. The report says 39 percent of the border between Jerusalem’s Israeli neighborhoods and Muslim neighborhoods, as well as the West Bank, has no security measures. Englman said this could make Jerusalem as vulnerable as the southern area through which Hamas rampaged, terrorized, raped, tortured and murdered on Oct. 7, 2023, killing 1,200 men, women and children, and injuring more than 3,000. Englman said the security deficiencies “are so problematic that they should be causing the political-security leadership to lose sleep.” Zechariah 14:1-2 prophesy that Palestinians in the West Bank will conquer half of Jerusalem. Continue to watch Jerusalem closely.
Trump-endorsed Asfura wins Honduran election: After major technical problems, allegations of fraud and weeks of delays, Nasry Asfura was declared the winner of the razor-thin presidential election in Honduras today. Backed by President Donald Trump, Asfura’s conservative National Party candidate won 40.3 percent of the vote, narrowly edging out Salvador Nasralla of the center-right Liberal Party, which won 39.5 percent. Considering that the conservative José Antonio Kast was recently elected president of Chile, and that Nicolás Maduro may soon be ousted from power in Venezuela, Asfura’s election could be part of a conservative revival in Latin America. This isn’t necessarily good news: Conservative Latin Americans are more likely to ally with both the Roman Catholic Church and the European Union, two powers that are prophesied to oppose the United States.
The Chinese now have more than 100 intercontinental ballistic missiles operational across three new silo fields, according to a new Pentagon draft report seen by Reuters. The DF-31 missiles are designed to deliver nuclear warheads to targets up to 7,500 miles away. They are solid-fueled, enabling quicker launches and improved survivability over older, liquid-fueled missiles. Altogether, China now has 600 nuclear warheads, according to the report, and is expected to have more than 1,000 by 2030. Last month, U.S. President Trump announced plans for America, Russia and China to denuclearize. But the new report says China has “no appetite” for arms control discussions. To understand how close mankind is to a stunningly destructive nuclear conflict, read Gerald Flurry’s free booklet Nuclear Armageddon Is ‘At the Door.’
Iran’s supreme leader ordered the development of nuclear warheads, the Italian Institute for International Political Studies reported today, per “sources in Tehran.” The report says Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had resisted constructing warheads or enriching uranium to weapons-grade levels—but changed his thinking after joint Israel-U.S. strikes on its nuclear program in June. Iran could soon become the world’s newest nuclear power.
Israel’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations released a report claiming the UN spends $100 million on different mechanisms to specifically target Israel. Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon said, “Sometimes they do it directly, such as through committees that address Palestinian issues. Many times it is disguised under different names and organizations, but the actual activities are pure propaganda against the State of Israel.” The Trumpet has stressed for years that the UN’s disproportionate and even slanderous campaigns against Israel are evil and dangerous: They are among the causes of the October 7 massacre. Even in the aftermath of that horrific event, the UN continues to treat Israelis with deadly hatred.
Yesterday, three Islamic immigrants were found guilty of planning a terrorist attack on Manchester’s Jewish community, with two directly participating and the other failing to report what his brother was about to do. Walid Saadaoui, originally from Tunisia, said he wanted to “run rivers of [Jews’] impure blood,” with any murdered Christians being “a bonus.” Thankfully, the plot was infiltrated by British police and the men are now in prison, but this demonstrates how close the British people are to experiencing prophesied curses of terrorism and race riots.
“After two years of terrible war, we are still here,” Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, said at a Christmas mass on Sunday at the Holy Family Church, the only Catholic Church in Gaza City. The building was struck in July by the Israeli military during its operations against Hamas. Israel stated that the strike was accidental, but Pizzaballa claimed it may have been intentional. Even though only 100 or so Catholics can live in Gaza, this cardinal seems to harbor greater animosity toward Israel than Hamas. In recent decades, the Catholic Church has disputed Israel’s rule over the Holy Land. It has a centuries-long history of seeking to Christianize the area, by violence if necessary, and Bible prophecy reveals it will happen again.
The Chinese Communist Party expects to be able to seize Taiwan by force by the end of 2027, according to a Pentagon draft report analyzed by Reuters today. The Chinese now have more than 100 intercontinental ballistic missiles operational across three new silo fields, the report notes, which could factor into tactics that could complicate any American response and “could seriously challenge and disrupt U.S. presence in or around a conflict in the Asia-Pacific region.” China has been threatening to take over its small island neighbor for decades, but Taiwan has maintained its independence and freedom thanks to military equipment and a promise of protection from its main partner: the United States. But this new report follows an admission by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth last year that in simulations pitting the U.S. against China, “We lose every time.” In 2026, expect more signs that the authoritarian regime in China is actively planning to conquer this democratic nation.
Forty-nine percent of Germans expect the nation’s ruling coalition to fall apart before its term ends in 2029, according to a YouGov poll of 2,116 Germans published yesterday. Only 34 percent believe it will go the full term; the rest are unsure. Meanwhile, a separate poll for Bild shows Alternative für Deutschland leader Alice Weidel is the favorite to succeed Chancellor Friedrich Merz, with 26 percent saying they’d like her as chancellor. Only 20 percent chose Merz; 12 percent chose the left-wing vice chancellor, Lars Klingbeil. Beating all of them, with 31 percent of the vote, was “none of the above.” It’s one of the “nones” that the Trumpet expects to become Germany’s next strongman, not Weidel. But the strong support for a fringe figure and the “none of the above” frustration highlight Germans’ rejection of the nation’s current crop of politicians. To learn what the Bible says about a coming German strongman, read “A Strong German Leader Is Imminent.”
