In Other News
A proposed new German law announced yesterday will require streaming services operating in the country to invest 8 percent of their German revenue into the European film industry. It also sets a quota for German-language productions, according to dpa. France and Italy have similar laws already, but the new law would reduce profits to American companies and further escalate the trade conflict simmering between Europe and the United States. It would also promote German culture, a trend worth watching, since a massive cultural counterrevolution in Europe is prophesied in the Bible. Learn more about this oncoming transformation of European identity in “The Holy Roman Empire Goes Public—Big Time!”
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei on Tuesday said any European support for the United States and Israel’s strikes on Iran would be an act of war, stating that European nations want to “deprive Iran of its capability and capacity to fight back.” Although any conflict between Iran and Europe could seem to be a mere sideshow, the Bible prophesies that these two powers are heading for a war far greater than any now happening in the Middle East.
Responding to an attack on a British base in Cyprus, apparently by the Iran-aligned Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah, Greece has dispatched two warships to the island nation. France has announced the deployment of a warship to Cyprus and an aircraft carrier strike group to the eastern Mediterranean. Britain is sending a Royal Navy destroyer, due to arrive next week. Europe’s eagerness to defend Cyprus points to Bible prophecies that the Europeans will soon use the island to go to war in the Middle East.
On Tuesday, Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide stated his country was willing to engage in talks with France over a European nuclear arsenal and defense agreement. Such talks are designed to end dependence on U.S. nuclear and conventional forces. This follows France’s announcement on Monday that it could deploy nuclear-capable warplanes to Germany and other European nations.
The United States sanctioned the Rwandan military and four of its top commanders on Monday for continuing the war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In December, President Trump proclaimed peace when he mediated a peace agreement between Rwanda and the Dem. Congo after two years of fighting. However, the fighting never really stopped, a fact that these sanctions acknowledge. The Bible prophesied not only the conflicts of our time but also the many failed attempts to make peace.
Chinese submarines will soon be able to strike the U.S. mainland from positions closer to China than to the U.S., American naval commanders testified to Congress yesterday. Vice Adm. Richard Seif, commander of U.S. Navy submarine forces, said the ballistic missile submarines, currently under production, will soon “challenge the U.S. Navy’s long-standing undersea dominance.” Read more about this trend in “The Rise of China As a Superpower.”
Germany’s largest weapons manufacturer completed its purchase of shipbuilder nvl on Saturday. With this acquisition, Rheinmetall will create a “German systems house for the development and manufacture of state-of-the-art navy and coast guard vessels, as well as maritime autonomous surface systems,” according to its Monday press release. Rheinmetall is becoming a “one-stop shop” for weapons systems and platforms; it expects sales in its new shipbuilding division to rise by 30 percent annually. Rheinmetall’s ongoing expansion is concerning to those who remember the firm’s dark history.
The Canadian government signed three agreements with the Musqueam Indian Band recognizing “their aboriginal rights” on their “traditional territory,” which essentially consists of the Vancouver metropolitan area. The band was granted greater control over fisheries and a “nation-to-nation” relationship with Canada.
Yesterday, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that parents have the right to know if their child is pretending to be the opposite sex at school. In a 6-3 order, the court said that the student privacy policy enforced in California infringes on parents’ rights and the free exercise of religion. Lower court litigation is ongoing.
Pakistan attacked Afghanistan in what it called “open war” against the Taliban. Pakistan has alleged that the Afghan Taliban has been sponsoring the Pakistani Taliban in terrorist attacks against Pakistan’s military. Pakistan has responded with cross-border and aerial attacks against Kabul, Bagram Airbase and other important targets. The fact that this major conflict is being crowded out of the headlines by other conflicts reflects what Jesus Christ prophesied in Matthew 24:6-7 regarding the proliferation of “wars and rumours of wars.”
France is expanding its nuclear arsenal for the first time in decades. “I have ordered an increase in the number of nuclear warheads in our arsenal,” French President Emmanuel Macron announced on Monday at a naval base in Île Longue. “To be free, you must be feared.” This comes after Germany and France have officially entered discussions about developing a European nuclear umbrella independent of the United States. Prophecy reveals that France will give its power to a German-dominated Europe.
Germany’s Interior Ministry is pushing for legislation that would allow law enforcement agencies to attack cyberthreats by hunting down foreign threats, shutting down foreign computer networks, and redirecting data. The draft law states, “Like law enforcement, prevention of threats does not stop at national borders when it comes to combating cyberattacks.” Watch for laws like these to pass and for German agencies to become shockingly powerful, aggressive and effective.
Germany’s Bundeswehr added a record number of soldiers under the age of 18 in 2025, Der Spiegel reported on Saturday. A total of 3,131 (an eighth of all new recruits, and 1,000 more than the previous year) joined at age 17 with parental consent. Although 638 minors left the Bundeswehr early last year, it’s clear that there is increased interest from young Germans in joining the military.
On Thursday, the Bundestag amended Germany’s air security law, allowing the military to shoot down drones. Previously, such incursions, including those by Russia, were considered the responsibility of the police, who were often ill-equipped to respond. Flying drones into airport airspace is also now punishable by up to two years in prison. Expect Germany to rapidly progress in combating—and deploying—drone technology as it becomes a larger factor in national security.
Yesterday, a man armed with a pistol and a rifle opened fire in a busy nightlife district of Austin, Texas, killing two people and wounding 14 others. The gunman, 53-year-old Ndiaga Diagne, was wearing a shirt with an Iranian flag design on it underneath a hoodie printed with “Property of Allah.” Originally from Senegal, he entered the U.S. on a short-term tourist visa in 2000, before marrying a U.S. citizen. Authorities are working to conclusively determine whether the gunman was motivated by U.S. strikes against Iran.
Yesterday, Børge Brende, the president and ceo of the World Economic Forum, resigned after admitting that he had three business dinners between 2018 and 2019 with the late Jeffrey Epstein, who was convicted of having sex with a child in 2008. In a separate statement, the cochairs of the forum, which hosts many of the world’s most powerful people at its annual summit in Davos, Switzerland, said that its independent review into Brende’s ties with Epstein had concluded. For more information on the potential prophetic significance of the World Economic Forum, read “World Economic Forum: Fascism Revives.”
Yesterday, the Daily Mail published a report stating that Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was unwittingly cultivated by Russian spymasters who exploited his long-standing jealousy of his brother, who is now King Charles iii, and his friendship with the late Jeffrey Epstein, who was a child rapist. Citing a top-secret U.S. intelligence report, the Mail claims that Russian spies exploited Andrew’s view that he would make a better king than his older brother, together with his motivation for “financial, sexual and personal reward.” Official British investigations into whether Andrew passed on classified information to Epstein are ongoing.
On Thursday, the United Kingdom and the government of Gibraltar published a draft treaty that will allow Spanish border guards to prevent British citizens from entering Gibraltar. The deal implements no routine passport checks at the Spain-Gibraltar land border, but it does implement such checks on those arriving by air. This means people flying into Gibraltar from the UK will face dual border controls: one check from Gibraltar officials and another by the Spanish on behalf of the European Union. Gibraltar is one of the few remaining maritime passages still controlled by the British. A prophecy in Deuteronomy 28:52 reveals that the American and British people will lose their vital sea gates as punishment for rebelling against God and His law.
On Tuesday, U.S. Customs and Border Protection issued a notice that all imports will “be subject to an additional ad valorem rate of 10 percent” with exceptions for certain products covered by preexisting exemptions. The notice did not explain why the percentage differs from the 15 percent global tariff President Trump announced on Saturday. Since the Supreme Court ruled President Trump’s tariffs under the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act unconstitutional last week, these new tariffs are being implemented under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974. Absent an extension from Congress, these tariffs will remain in effect for only 150 days. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson has acknowledged that members of Congress are currently unlikely to vote for an extension.
The Chinese Coast Guard disrupted the Starlink Internet connection of several Philippine government ships and an aircraft on Monday, the Philippine Coast Guard announced. They were operating near Scarborough Shoal, just 120 nautical miles from the Philippines coast, and well within its maritime zone as defined by international law. But China rejects international law and claims almost the entire South China Sea, including sections belonging to the Philippines, Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam. Chinese forces routinely harass vessels from these nations to assert control over the vast region. This is the first known instance of China’s disruption of Starlink. “[W]hen our Starlink Internet connectivity is jammed,” said Philippine Coast Guard spokesman Commodore Jay Tarriela, “it delays the transmission of information and also compromises the communication of the vessels.” Mr. Flurry has said China’s belligerence in this vital region is heading toward dramatic escalation. “China is intimidating the nations of Southeast Asia into submission to its will,” he wrote in 2016. “It is forcing these countries to do what it wants. Everything is headed in the direction of war.”
France’s lower house has voted to have the nation’s medical industry assist people who want to kill themselves due to terminal disease. It approved the legislation in May, but it was rejected by the Senate and sent back to the National Assembly. Now the Senate will again be asked to legalize “euthanasia,” as it is euphemistically called, which has been horrific in countries where it has been introduced. Canadian news regularly reports stories of people with minor ailments who have been pressured to kill themselves. Because such “compassionate” laws violate God’s law, they will always lead to increasingly worse depravity.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi concluded a visit to Israel today, during which he received warm welcomes from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog. “I must tell you, Narendra, my dear friend, I am deeply, deeply moved by your visit today,” Netanyahu said. “Since I must be diplomatic, I won’t rank it: That would get me into trouble. But I have never been more moved than by your visit with us.” Netanyahu went on to say, “In a world where anti-Semitism is rising, India stands out: A civilization where Jews were never persecuted by the state, only welcomed.” Isolation of Israel, largely due to surging anti-Semitism, has left the Jewish state uncertain of its allies, including the United States. Modi’s visit shows Israel is looking for new partners. The Bible says Israel will get one—and that it should be careful what it wishes for.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is visiting China, the first time since taking office, to establish what he called a “balanced, reliable, regulated and fair” relationship. Merz, accompanied by 30 German business representatives, will meet General Secretary Xi Jinping and tour Chinese robotics company Unitree during the two-day visit, the latest of several high-level visits over the past two months as Germany seeks to replace the United States as an economic partner.
China’s Commerce Ministry announced yesterday that it will block the export of all “dual-use” products with potential military applications to any Japanese organization connected to the defense industry. The 20 blocked entities include Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and the National Defense Academy of Japan. The new restrictions may include a ban on “rare earths,” metals used in a wide range of technologies. “These measures aim to prevent Japan’s ‘remilitarization’ and nuclear ambitions and are fully justifiable, reasonable and lawful,” the ministry’s statement said. This further escalates China and Japan’s diplomatic conflict over the former’s threat to conquer Taiwan, but the Trumpet expects these two Asian giants to put aside their differences and join forces soon in an alliance biblical prophecy calls “the kings of the east.”
Yesterday, Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates admitted to the staff of the Gates Foundation that he committed adultery with two Russian women and apologized for his years-long association with the late pedophile and convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. According to the Wall Street Journal, files on Epstein released by the U.S. Department of Justice indicate that Gates continued meeting with Epstein after the latter’s 2008 conviction of soliciting and procuring a child for prostitution, and that Epstein threatened to reveal Gates’s adultery unless he continued meeting with him, ostensibly to discuss philanthropic efforts. The Epstein files continue to reveal that many elites in America and Britain are sexually depraved.
Slovakia halted its emergency power supply to Ukraine yesterday. This is the culmination of recent rising tensions between the two and exacerbates Russia’s weaponization of winter. Bible prophecy shows that Russia will soon become extremely powerful, so expect it to succeed in its attempts to regain control over several former Soviet states.
