In Other News
Poland’s central bank announced plans on Tuesday to buy another 165 tons of gold as a hedge against geopolitical instability, increasing its overall holdings to 772 tons. “This will place Poland among the elite 10 countries with the largest gold reserves in the world,” bank governor Adam Glapiński said in a press release. Former Polish Finance Minister Konrad Raczkowski told the Financial Observer last year that Poland expects the European Central Bank to start requiring eurozone members to keep 4 percent of their gross domestic product in gold bullion. Even though Poland is not currently a member of the eurozone, it wants to fulfill this financial requirement for more than one reason.
Chinese intelligence has deeply infiltrated Taiwan’s military, the Wall Street Journal reported on January 21. The Chinese use messaging apps to offer money, business deals and even sexual favors to Taiwanese officers and veterans. In return, they have obtained secrets about Taiwanese defenses and vulnerabilities, including details about the forces guarding the presidential office. Taiwan launched a crackdown on Chinese espionage and influence operations in March, resulting in charges against several former and current members of the Taiwanese armed forces. But officials warn that the full extent of infiltration has yet to be uncovered. The Chinese are “not just benignly collecting information,” said former U.S. counterintelligence official Kerry Gershaneck. “It’s all being used in preparation for annexing Taiwan.” Biblical prophecy shows that China will eventually succeed in its drive to conquer Taiwan.
Ahead of yesterday’s emergency meeting regarding U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat to take over Greenland, Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares called for the creation of a combined European Union military. “A joint effort would be more efficient than 27 separate national armies,” Albares told Reuters on Wednesday, adding that the bloc should focus on bringing together its tangible military assets before mobilizing a coalition of the willing. A joint European army was first proposed in 1951 to counter the Soviet Union, and subtle advances toward that goal have included multinational commands such as eurofor and the current integration of all three main Dutch combat brigades into German Army divisions. If elites like Albares finally succeed in creating a fully integrated joint EU military in the near future, the force would consist of 1.6 million troops (about the population of West Virginia) and a defense budget of $446 billion, making it the second-most powerful military force on Earth.
The United States is considering withdrawing its entire contingent of about 1,000 troops from Syria after the Syrian government ignored U.S. requests and conducted a lightning offensive against the Kurds, who are U.S. allies, the Wall Street Journal reported yesterday. U.S. officials stated that this will become even more likely if the main U.S.-backed Kurdish group, the Syrian Democratic Forces, fully dissolves. The Wall Street Journal said America faces challenges working with the Syrian military, which is “riddled with jihadist sympathizers, including soldiers with ties to al Qaeda and [the Islamic State] and others who have been involved in alleged war crimes against the Kurds and Druze.” President Trump has tried to portray Syria’s new regime as reformed, safe and cleansed from its former Islamist associations, yet it has some explaining to do as to why Syria’s jihadists in suits are ignoring U.S. interests and destroying U.S. allies.
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s secretary of state, confirmed on January 21 that President Donald Trump has invited Pope Leo xiv to join his Board of Peace and that the pope is considering the offer. Parolin said the Vatican will not “participate financially” in the Board of Peace because “we are not in a position to do so” and explained that the Vatican “finds itself in a different situation than other countries, so there will be a different consideration.” Meanwhile, President Trump withdrew his invitation to Canada to join after Prime Minister Mark Carney told world leaders at the World Economic Forum on January 20 that the world’s “middle powers” must band together to resist economic coercion from the world’s largest powers. Thus, the one-day-old Board of Peace is already engendering strife.
An R-rated vampire film featuring impaling, burning, occultism, profanity, drinking, smoking, racism, sex, gushing blood and other horror has received 16 nominations from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, more than any other film in the organization’s 98-year history. It’s a rare film that succeeded among both critics and viewers, bringing in $363 million globally and becoming the 12th-highest grossing horror movie ever. The Academy usually does not nominate such a movie for many Oscars—considered the most prestigious film award in the world—yet this film received more nominations than such mainstream movies as Titanic. The profusion of nominations for Sinners reflects not only the morals of the Academy but also of viewers. For more on our growing obsession with violence and horror, read “These Violent Delights.”
High school students across Russia will learn how to assemble and control drones as part of a mandatory new course on national security, Russia’s state-run ria Novosti news agency reported on Wednesday. “Fundamentals of Security and Defense of the Motherland” also requires classrooms to be equipped with mock weapons, including AK-47 assault rifles, Makarov pistols and hand grenades. The curriculum includes instruction on post-graduation military enlistment, along with classes on the penalties for failing to comply with conscription laws. This is yet another sign that Ukraine is merely the opening salvo in Vladimir Putin’s biblically prophesied campaigns.
Former European Central Bank President Mario Draghi received the International Charlemagne Prize on January 17, an acknowledgment of his decades-long push for European unification. Named after the Frankish Emperor Charles the Great, the first ruler to unify Western Europe after the fall of the Western Roman Empire, the prize is awarded by a committee of individuals connected to Aachen, Germany, Charlemagne’s capital. Committee head Armin Laschet remarked, “Europe must not become a pawn of external powers in the face of overlapping geopolitical crises.” The prize is an endorsement of Draghi’s agenda to deepen Europe’s economic integration to better compete with China and the United States.
The United States “is searching for Cuban government insiders who can help cut a deal to push out the Communist regime by the end of the year,” the Wall Street Journal reported yesterday, citing senior U.S. officials. Targeting the regime of President Miguel Díaz-Canel comes as a record 1,660 Cubans were deported from the U.S. to Cuba in 2025, according to a December 19 Cuban government report. That’s roughly double the number from 2024, and more than the three previous U.S. presidents combined. Removing a Communist government on America’s doorstep would be a temporary blessing, but the U.S. should be wary of opening the door to an even greater adversary.
On Wednesday, the Department of Homeland Security launched Operation Catch of the Day to enforce immigration laws in Maine, a state with a sizable Somali population. According to Reuters, more than 100 federal agents arrived there this week. Coming after immigration enforcement actions in Minnesota and revelations of massive Somali fraud there, the operation in Maine expands the Trump administration’s crackdown on another Democrat-run state in an effort to stabilize America’s illegal immigration crisis.
The European Parliament slowed down the approval process for the recently signed EU-mercosur trade deal today by voting, 334 to 324, to refer it to the Court of Justice of the European Union to assess whether it is compatible with EU treaties. The court could take over a year to rule—a significant delay for the massive and controversial treaty. However, the European Commission can put the deal into force provisionally without waiting for the court to rule. The deal continues to face significant opposition within Europe, but elites and powerful nations are determined to push it through. Bible prophecy shows that such a trade alliance will lead to a comprehensive and sophisticated economic siege against the United States. Decades ago, the Plain Truth under Herbert W. Armstrong identified these prophecies as pointing to “two gigantic trade blocs, Europe and Latin America ….” Continue to watch the approval process for the EU-mercosur deal. It may encounter yet more resistance, but Germany is committed to putting it into effect.
Italy will not join President Trump’s Board of Peace, the Corriere della Sera newspaper reported today. Italy’s constitution states that it will join international organizations only “on equal terms with other states,” and American dominance of the board fails that test. Of all the major European powers, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is on the best terms with Donald Trump, so if her nation declines to join the board, who in Europe will? This is yet another sign that Europe has turned against America.
Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng used his speech at the World Economic Forum yesterday to call on the nations of the world to boost trade with China. “We encourage businesses from around the world to seize the opportunities presented by our expanding domestic demand, provide more and better products and services, and further explore China’s consumer market,” said He, adding that “China will open its door still wider to the world.” The statement comes during a time of increasing tensions between the United States and many of its trade partners in Europe over American threats to seize Greenland—tensions China is eager to exploit. In an indirect criticism of U.S. President Donald Trump, He said, “The unilateral acts and trade deals of certain countries clearly violate the fundamental principles and rules of the [World Trade Organization] and severely impact the global economic and trade order.” They threaten to send the world back into “the law of the jungle, where the strong bully the weak,” he added. Biblical prophecy shows that a China-led economic alliance will soon emerge to systematically shut the U.S. out of global trade.
Timothy Broglio, the Catholic archbishop of the United States armed forces, said during a bbc interview posted on Sunday that if the U.S. orders servicemen to invade Greenland, it would be difficult for them to disobey such orders, but “strictly speaking, he or she would be—within the realm of their own conscience—it would be morally acceptable to disobey that order. But that’s perhaps putting that individual in an untenable situation, and that’s my concern.” Matters of faith are sensitive subjects, but Broglio’s comments can be interpreted as license to reject orders from the current administration. More importantly, this is symptomatic of a deeper division between the Vatican and the Anglo-American tradition. Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry’s article “Should the King Pray With the Pope?” explains.
Media released excerpts on Sunday from Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro’s upcoming memoir, Where We Keep the Light. In 2024, Shapiro was a top contender for presidential candidate Kamala Harris’s vice-presidential pick. In his book, he claims that one of Harris’s staff members vetting him for the vice presidency asked him if he had ever “been a double agent for Israel” and if he had “ever communicated with an undercover agent of Israel.” Shapiro, who is Jewish, was also asked if he would walk back his criticism of university rioters who supported Hamas. Harris ended up choosing Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate instead. Shapiro’s experience further indicates one can’t be a pro-Israel Jew in the modern Democratic Party.
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi announced yesterday that she will dissolve parliament on Friday, clearing the way for a snap election on February 8 that will likely convert her strong public approval into gains for her Liberal Democratic Party. Takaichi’s government has sustained popularity ratings of around 70 percent ever since she became Japan’s first female prime minister in October. If her election bid is successful, the LDP’s single-party majority that was lost under her predecessor will be restored. With a reclaimed majority, Takaichi would have the leverage needed to hasten Japan’s already-brisk remilitarization. “I am putting my future as prime minister on the line,” she told reporters. “I want the people to decide directly whether they can entrust the management of the country to me.”
Bulgarian President Rumen Radev resigned today, highlighting the nation’s political deadlock. The legislature, which is constitutionally scheduled for one election every four years, is now heading for its fifth snap election in less than four years. Radev’s announcement fuels speculation that he will run in the coming election, perhaps by forming a new political party. “A battle for the future of the fatherland lies ahead,” Radev said. “We are ready; we can and we will succeed.” Bulgaria joined the European Union in 2007 and adopted the euro on January 1 of this year. The country is located on the Balkan Peninsula, an area of great strategic importance to Germany. While Bulgaria’s political future remains uncertain, watch Germany’s efforts to intervene in its politics and expand its geopolitical control in this crucial strategic area.
At the end of 2025, 184,200 military personnel were serving in the active ranks of the German Armed Forces, an increase of about 3,000 soldiers. The Defense Ministry reported this week that the number of volunteer military service members also rose last year to 12,200, up from 10,300 in 2024. Germany plans to increase its active-duty force to 260,000 by the mid-2030s; however, current recruitment numbers are far too small to achieve this goal. As demands on the military increase, the government is considering more aggressive recruitment measures. Bible prophecy reveals that these will dramatically transform Germany.
The German Air Force is considering acquiring the Rostock-Laage airport for its Tactical Air Force Wing 73 “Steinhoff” air base. Over the last year, Germany has repurposed much civilian industry for military production. This is part of a bigger trend, as Mr. Flurry explained in “Germany is Arming for World War III.”
On Sunday, Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo declared a state of siege because of gang-related violence. On Saturday, inmates held 46 prison guards hostage, likely to secure better accommodations for the imprisoned leaders of the Barrio 18 gang. The guards were freed using force, but then seven police officers were murdered throughout the nation’s capital. The state of siege, similar to martial law, gives the government increased powers to abridge certain rights temporarily. Guatemala is the latest South American country to crack down on gangs. Last week, Costa Rica built a new prison for gang members, and the government of El Salvador has taken drastic actions to try to combat the power of the gangs and cartels. But the only solution to out-of-control violent crime is to address the root causes.
Iran is engulfed in protests that could finally overturn the Iranian Revolution. President Trump’s Board of Peace promises to rewrite the rules for the entire Middle East. And Britain’s Royal Navy is nowhere to be seen. The minesweeper hms Middleton, Britain’s only vessel in the region, is now set to return home. Former First Sea Lord Adm. Lord Alan West warned that Britain’s absence from the Persian Gulf “is a terrible error.” It is the latest in a series of humiliations for the Royal Navy. Britain’s poor decision-making, lack of will and the curses hitting the nation are leaving it vulnerable.
This comes despite warnings from the Trump administration and others about the obvious problems with China building its largest diplomatic complex in Europe, including extensive underground construction, directly above and near fiber-optic cables that carry much of London’s sensitive financial information. White House sources said the administration is “deeply concerned” about the plans. This morning, President Trump also condemned Britain’s decision to hand the Diego Garcia military base to China’s ally, Mauritius, as “an act of great stupidity” and an “act of total weakness.” Britain, like Canada, is drawing dangerously close to China, even at the expense of its relationship with the U.S. and the obvious dangers to its own security. It is high time the West woke up to the threat from China.
Israel began demolishing the headquarters of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (unrwa) in Jerusalem. Israel banned the organization’s activities within Israel in 2024 due to its well-documented complicity in helping Hamas attack Israel and evicted all employees of its Jerusalem headquarters earlier this month. Yet the world still frames unrwa’s work in the Holy Land as kind-hearted humanitarianism facing an evil Israeli occupation. Philippe Lazzarini, the agency’s commissioner general, called this “an unprecedented attack against a United Nations agency and its premises.” This bluster surrounding the demolition is the latest example of the UN’s thorough hypocrisy.
Radio Free Europe headlined Wednesday that “Maduro Is Gone From Venezuela, but Russia May Not Be.” The publication details how Russian President Vladimir Putin’s regime spent two decades cultivating personal relationships with a whole cast of Venezuela’s military, political and energy leaders and establishing commercial ties with a range of business moguls. Even with Nicolás Maduro removed, “these links are unlikely to disappear overnight,” the article states. The conclusion is reinforced by the fact that the United States’ capture of Maduro on January 3 did not bring about regime change but left Maduro’s vice president, Delcy Rodriguez, in power. She has long maintained warm relations with the Kremlin and, in 2024, was awarded Russia’s prestigious “Order of Friendship” by Putin himself. Though the U.S. operation was a blow to Russian power in Venezuela, deep Russian roots remain. The Kremlin will seize any opportunity to deepen those and to continue projecting power into the Western Hemisphere, about 1,700 miles from the U.S. mainland. To understand how foreign influence in Latin America will be weaponized against the U.S., read “Preparing to Storm America’s Castle.”
On Friday, Italy’s government introduced its “Italian Arctic Policy” document, highlighting the region’s economic and strategic importance. “Italy is convinced that the Arctic must always be a priority of the EU and NATO, and that the Atlantic alliance must seize the opportunity to develop a coordinated presence in the region,” Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni stated Friday, going on to say that her Mediterranean nation considers the polar territory “a central and strategic region for Italy ….” The new document contains 50 pages labeling the U.S. push to acquire Greenland a threat. Europe’s increasingly assertive interest in the Arctic is a direct geopolitical push against the United States, and Bible prophecy warns that it will not be the only one.
Syria and the nation’s main Kurdish militia, the Syrian Democratic Forces, announced a ceasefire yesterday. The previous day, Syrian forces announced that they had captured communities in Syrian Kurdistan and Kurdish neighborhoods in Aleppo. These conquests came in spite of pressure from the United States on Syrian forces to stand down. The ceasefire’s provisions allow the Syrian government to take control of Syrian Kurdistan. This is the same Syrian government that is still being empowered by U.S. President Donald Trump. As Trumpet executive editor Stephen Flurry wrote in November, sponsoring Syria is leading to a “prophesied betrayal.”
