In Other News
“We draw the attention of the U.S. administration and the leadership of all other countries to the need to do everything possible to prevent the European Union from developing its own nuclear weapons,” Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service warned. The statement argues that the EU intends to keep relying on the U.S. nuclear umbrella, expand the role of France’s and Britain’s nuclear umbrella, and keep its intentions secret until it has established its own capacities. Germany, Italy, the Czech Republic, Belgium, the Netherlands, Sweden and Spain have advanced civilian and military industrial capacity that could contribute to building the EU’s nuclear arsenal. Russia claims that, in about a month, German specialists can produce enough weapons-grade plutonium for a single nuclear explosive device and, within a week, enough weapons-grade uranium. While Germany’s technical capacity is unquestionable, the speed at which it could transform its civilian capacity for military is uncertain. While Russia’s statements are often closer to fiction than reality, the Bible does reveal that Europe’s core nations will suddenly rise militarily to shock the world.
While its World War ii ally, the United States, has fought for weeks against an evil terrorist regime, Britain has refused to join the war and sent only one ship to defend its military base in Cyprus that came under drone attack. This destroyer, the hms Dragon, was delayed for weeks, finally arriving on March 23. But “minor technical issues” forced it to dock at a port in the region for maintenance and resupply, the British Defense Ministry said on Tuesday. Stories like these make the once-great Britain look incredibly weak. The Bible prophesied both Britain’s greatness and its sudden fall.
Public defenders for Decarlos Brown Jr., the deranged North Carolina man seen on video abruptly stabbing 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska to death on a commuter train in August, have filed a motion claiming he is currently mentally “incapable to proceed” to trial, citing a psychiatric evaluation. A judge will decide whether and when Brown goes to trial, and he remains in custody on both state and federal charges. Every year in America, roughly 10,000 to 12,000 people are ruled mentally unable to stand trial. It is a poignant example of the deep flaws in a justice system prophesied to fall short of providing true justice.
Yesterday, Cancer Research Communications published the results of a study showing a correlation between married life and lower cancer rates. Analyzing over 4 million cancer diagnoses between 2015 and 2022 in Americans ages 30 and above, the study suggests married individuals are far less likely to develop cancers like esophageal or cervical cancer, both of which are associated with sexually transmitted diseases. Unmarried men in the study were about 70 percent more likely to develop cancer, and unmarried women were about 85 percent more likely. In a world with declining marriage rates, studies like this show how crucial marriage can be even for longevity. But the Bible reveals there is a far greater purpose to marriage than mere physical well-being. Our free booklet Why Marriage—Soon Obsolete?, by Herbert W. Armstrong, explains.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian declared yesterday that he was ready to die defending Iran along with 14 million other Iranians. Hours earlier, according to the Jerusalem Post, another Iranian official called on young people to act as human shields around Iran’s critical infrastructure in hopes the U.S. would refrain from striking those targets. One way or another, watch for Iran’s current Islamist terrorist regime to remain in power and grow more radical.
Yesterday, three gunmen possibly linked to the Islamic State opened fire near Israel’s consulate in Istanbul. One gunman was killed and the other two were injured in a shootout with Turkish police; two police officers suffered minor injuries. Following several similar incidents already this year, the attack highlights the increase in anti-Semitic violence around the world.
Yesterday, Samsung Group projected profits of $37.8 billion for the first quarter of the year, more than eight times higher than last year. Annual revenue is expected to exceed that of 2025 by 70 percent. Much of this profit boost comes from increased demand for Samsung memory chips used in artificial intelligence applications such as chatbots, enterprise, content creation and defense. Analysts expect demand for AI hardware and software to continue expanding, but few executives, investors or everyday users have stopped to think about the consequences.
United States Vice President JD Vance arrived in Hungary yesterday to help Prime Minister Viktor Orbán campaign ahead of Sunday’s elections, which could possibly end the latter’s 16 years in power. Orbán is unpopular with other leaders in the European Union, and Vance’s support for the prime minister is not well received either. Yesterday, Vance accused the EU of “one of the worst examples of foreign election interference” he had ever seen to try to oust Orbán. America supporting a man whom Europeans view as pro-Russia only serves to further strain Europe-U.S. relations.
Schools in Florida and Georgia have purchased special nonlethal Black Arrow drones from a Texas company, Mithril Defense, as part of state-funded programs to respond to potential active shooters, the Wall Street Journal reports. The drones are housed in ceiling stations; when activated, they can quickly fly through halls, blast loud sirens, flash bright lights, and spray pepper gel to stop a threat. They also send live videos to the police. School shootings in the U.S. have risen sharply, from about 20 in 1970 to 251 in 2021. Technology like this may help responders act faster, but even advanced technologies cannot fully counter the deeper problem of hatred and violence that has infected U.S. society.
A study published in Scientific Reports last week analyzed nearly 500,000 Norwegian adolescents. It found that after a second dose of mrna covid-19 vaccines, teens had a risk of heart inflammation 5.3 times higher than their unvaccinated peers. Risks were also elevated for anaphylaxis, lymphadenopathy and, in some analyses, appendicitis or seizures/convulsions. Experimental mrna vaccines were hailed as a miracle to help covid-weary societies return to normal, but they have done irreparable damage. For more information, read Trumpet executive editor Stephen Flurry’s 2021 article “Gotten Your Jab Yet?”
Cheng Li-wun, chairperson of Taiwan’s Kuomintang opposition party, arrived in China today for a rare six-day visit at the invitation of Chinese General Secretary Xi Jinping. The trip comes amid intensifying Chinese military drills around Taiwan, which the Chinese Communist Party claims sovereignty over and has threatened to conquer by force. The visit also comes as the United States appears to be wavering in its support of democratic Taiwan by pausing or canceling a vital weapons contract. Although Kuomintang legislators have not ruled Taiwan for a decade, they remain a strong political force in the country and adamantly oppose military conflict with China, instead favoring engagement. “If you truly love Taiwan, you will seize every opportunity and every possibility to prevent Taiwan from being ravaged by war,” Cheng told reporters before her visit. “Preserving peace is preserving Taiwan.” Many Taiwanese voters support the Kuomintang’s stance, largely due to rising doubt that the U.S. will keep its promise to protect Taiwan in the event of a Chinese invasion. The Trumpet has said for more than 25 years that America’s broken will is going to be the main factor enabling the Chinese Communist Party, whether through Taiwanese capitulation or war, to conquer Taiwan.
On Sunday, Serbian President Aleksander Vučić announced that two backpacks containing explosives were found close to the Hungarian border near the Balkan Stream gas pipeline, which supplies Hungary and Serbia with crucial Russian gas. Hungary’s prime minister implied that Ukraine was the culprit, but Ukraine denied it and called it a Russian attempt to interfere with Hungary’s election on Sunday. If this is true, it will further stir Europe’s fear of Russia, which has allegedly conducted other recent sabotage attempts in Eastern Europe.
Citing a diplomatic memo, the Times of London claimed Iran’s new supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, is in a hospital, incapacitated and possibly unconscious. The memo claims Khamenei “is being treated in Qom in a severe condition, unable to be involved in any decision-making by the regime.” Qom, a holy city in Shia Islam, is 87 miles south of Tehran. Khamenei may have been injured in the strike that killed his father and predecessor as supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Power in the country has largely devolved to the radical Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. One way or another, the Bible prophesies in Daniel 11:40 that Iran will get a leader powerful enough to be called a “king.”
President Trump’s Board of Peace, which was established in mid-January with the prime objective to bring peace to the Middle East, is getting impatient as Hamas terrorists refuse to lay down their weapons. The New York Times cited four diplomats who said the board is demanding that Hamas finalize an agreement that concerns the demilitarization of Gaza by the end of this week. The lagging negotiations prove once more that Hamas isn’t interested in an autonomous Gaza if it can’t be used to launch attacks on Israel. The board demands that Hamas not only lay down all its weapons but also provide maps of its underground tunnel network that have been used to hide terrorists and hostages. The agreement in turn offers the withdrawal of Israeli troops, lifting of Israeli restrictions on imports of goods into Gaza, and amnesty for terrorists. Hamas terrorists have proved their willingness to sacrifice their own lives and the lives of human shields, hostages, Israeli troops and Israeli civilians to further their cause of terrorizing Israel, so pressure from the Board of Peace is unlikely to prove decisive. It fails to comprehend the evil it is up against.
China is transforming yet another reef in a disputed part of the South China Sea into an island suitable for military installations, according to satellite imagery analyzed by the Wall Street Journal and published on April 1. Since construction began at the mostly submerged Antelope Reef in the Paracel Islands in October, some 1,490 acres have been reclaimed. The Chinese have built a helipad on the island as well as jetties, numerous buildings and what appears to be the foundation of a runway. A large dredged lagoon looks to be capable of berthing submarines and warships perhaps as large as aircraft carriers. China is operating and once again expanding a sprawling network of military bases across the South China Sea, part of its illegal strategy to assert control over this vital maritime region. “China is being aggressive and provocative” and thereby challenging “seven decades of American naval dominance in the Pacific Rim,” Gerald Flurry wrote in the July 2016 issue. “This should alarm the world!” To understand the biblically prophetic implications of the alarming push, read his article “China Is Steering the World Toward War.”
France will boost its missile and drone stocks by up to 400 percent, “with a view to preparing for a ‘war economy,” a draft law to be published later this week states, according to Politico. The government plans to spend $73 billion on defense in 2027, a 26 percent increase compared to last year. This is set to rise to $87.8 billion by 2030. The 64-page draft budget the government is proposing earmarks $9.8 billion to boost missile and drone supplies before 2030. The proposed budget will go before France’s National Assembly in early May. France’s focus on boosting military capacity, even to the point of converting the nation into a war economy, is part of a broader European race to rearm. In 2017, the Trumpet wrote: “Though, at present, many nations support Europe’s efforts to expand its military power, biblical prophecy shows that this trend is one of the most dangerous happening in the world today!”
German men ages 17 to 45 may not leave the country for more than three months without permission from the German military. That specific provision, in a new law passed in January, went largely unnoticed until Frankfurter Rundschau reported it on Friday. German law previously required men of military age to get permission to leave only during times of war or imminent war. The new provision is not currently connected to any penalties, and the government said that approvals are currently being granted automatically. Nonetheless, a key provision for drastically increased German militarization of society is already on the books.
President Donald Trump asked Congress to approve a $1.5 trillion defense budget for 2027, the largest in U.S. history, to pay for the Iran war, restock weapons, and otherwise strengthen the armed forces. He also requested $40.8 billion for the Department of Justice, a $4.7 billion increase, to fight violent crime, gangs and drug cartels and to otherwise boost national security. Even with planned 10 percent cuts to non-defense programs, these expenditures plus interest are projected to add $7 trillion to the national debt, which now exceeds $39 trillion.
This evening, four astronauts will conduct a flyby of the moon, with their closest approach occurring about 6:45 (Eastern Time). They will be traveling farther from Earth than any human beings ever have. The mission is the first since the Apollo landings ended in 1972. A crewmember has sent back a photograph of the entire Earth; the perspective on humanity being a family whose home is Earth recalls similarly profound moments from the first lunar flyby in human history, Apollo 8. Artemis ii has captivated many around the world who are closely watching and celebrating the event on social media. There is a deep reason why so many are fascinated.
Yesterday, President Donald Trump announced that Attorney General Pam Bondi is leaving the Department of Justice for the private sector and named Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche as acting attorney general. Trump described Bondi as a “loyal friend.” Blanche previously served as Trump’s personal defense attorney in several criminal cases and has been a vocal critic of federal district “rogue activist judges” who have issued injunctions blocking administration policies, describing it as a legal “war.”
Russian ships continue to transit the Strait of Hormuz, Russian foreign-policy adviser Yuri Ushakov said yesterday. Typically, around a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas flows through Hormuz, but Iran has responded to attacks by the United States and Israel by attacking civilian shipping in the strait, virtually closing it. But Russia is on a short list of countries (including China, India, Iraq and Pakistan) whose vessels Iran has not attacked. Unlike China, India and Pakistan, Russia does not rely on the energy supplies passing through Hormuz. But Russia’s working with Iran to influence energy flows can complicate U.S. strategy, apply pressure on energy-importing nations, and drive global oil prices still higher, increasing its own energy revenues.
International Criminal Court member states voted Wednesday to instigate disciplinary proceedings against Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan, according to a Wall Street Journal report. Khan was placed on leave in May amid sexual misconduct allegations. Before the allegations became public, Khan had announced arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes. The baseless warrants were originally seen by many as a landmark decision, but scandals in the court have marred its credibility, another example of the international legal system’s failure to meet its lofty purpose.
New details emerged yesterday regarding the Zweibrücken scandal, in which German soldiers were accused in December of pro-Nazi sentiment, far-right extremism, sexual misconduct and narcotics violations. According to German broadcaster ard, the Bundeswehr assumed the investigative and disciplinary process for 59 defendants; 16 cases have been dismissed with five more in the process, 18 have resulted in disciplinary actions, and 19 were referred to the public prosecutor’s office. A report on the scandal is also in progress. Cases like the Zweibrücken scandal reveal that the same spirit that guided the 1930s Nazi regime is still alive in parts of the German military.
The Wall Street Journal reported Monday that Japan is continuing to fortify islands in the East China Sea. A decade ago, the string of islands stretching from southwest Japan to the east coast of Taiwan was not significantly militarized, with the notable exception of Okinawa. But in the time since, the Japanese have grown more fearful of China’s military belligerence and have installed radar systems, air-defense systems, antiship missile units, ammunition depots and thousands of troops. “The Chinese military is building up, and they’re getting aircraft carriers, increasing the number of jet fighters, increasing the number of submarines,” the Journal quoted former Japanese Defense Minister Taro Kono as saying. “We should have been going much faster, but we lagged behind.” Tensions between Japan and China are worsening, prompting these economic and military giants to amass remarkable firepower. Yet biblical prophecy shows that they will soon unite under Russian leadership and use that firepower in the most devastating war in human history.
On Tuesday, Germany’s Economic Ministry announced a $60 million investment in the Australian rare earth mining project Arafura Rare Earths to secure German access to critical materials. This follows the recent signing of the EU-Australia Free Trade Agreement. By allowing this investment, Australians are unwittingly supplying their future conqueror.
Democracy is still declining in Europe, according to the 2026 Liberties Rule of Law Report released on Monday. The Civil Liberties Union of Europe analyzed rule of law, media freedom, corruption and other factors and found Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Italy and Slovakia to have regressed compared to last year. Ten other European Union members, including the Netherlands, Poland and Spain, made no progress. The ongoing erosion of individual freedom in Europe is leading to the fulfillment of Bible prophecies of an oncoming leader who will forge the Continent into a dictatorial superpower.
