In Other News

The U.S. State Department has labeled four Antifa associations as Foreign Terrorist Organizations: Following numerous Antifa-fueled riots and the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, Trump’s State Department has identified as terrorists members of Antifa Ost in Germany, International Revolutionary Front in Italy, and Greek groups Armed Proletarian Justice and Revolutionary Class Self-Defense. The designation prevents these leftist groups from using the U.S. financial system and conducting business with Americans. Numerous radical-leftist groups, outside the U.S. and within, continue to operate, and some are turning to increased violence and guns.

China announced a zero-tariff trade agreement with Venezuela, Fox News reported Wednesday. This came after President Donald Trump identified Venezuela’s regime as an oppressive and illegitimate dictatorship guilty of smuggling drugs and criminals into the U.S. and after he began applying economic pressure and threatening imminent military action. Gordon Chang, an expert on China’s global trade strategy, told Fox: “This really looks like China is going to completely take over the Venezuelan economy.” This matches Bible prophecies stating that China, as well as Europe, will create a worldwide anti-American trade bloc.

A Chinese official threatened to behead Japan’s prime minister: The Chinese Communist Party diplomat, who lives in Osaka, Japan, posted his threat on X and reposted others’ threats. He was responding to Japan’s prime minister telling parliament that Japan’s collective self-defense interests might require the military to defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese attack. The threatening post was deleted, but the outburst shows how desperately China wants to raise its banner over Taiwan. Bible prophecy indicates this will happen soon.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is working on a “mobility agreement” that will give skilled Indians an immigration pathway and worker rights in Russia, bringing in approximately 70,000 Indian employees by the end of next month. Putin plans to sign the deal during a visit to New Delhi on December 5. This agreement is one of many that are bringing India and Russia into a tighter, stronger relationship, as prophesied in the Bible.

Indonesia has trained 20,000 troops for the Gaza peacekeeping force: Indonesia’s defense minister announced that the country has trained up to 20,000 troops for a potential mission in Gaza. However, these soldiers will prioritize health and construction over patrols and deterrence. Israel has resisted certain foreign interventions but appears open to Indonesia’s offers. But there is a reason why peace strategies, especially in the Middle East and specifically in Israel, are tragically doomed.

In response to U.S. deployments of an aircraft carrier and other military assets to the region, Venezuela’s government announced it will conduct military exercises. This will include the deployment of 200,000 troops, preparing the national militia, and readying “land, air, naval, riverine and missile assets.” The exercises come as tensions rise between the U.S. and Venezuela over the former’s military strikes on drug smuggling boats. Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro claims these drills are a response to America’s “imperialistic threat.” This conflict is worth monitoring closely because Bible prophecy indicates that these resentments and hostilities will ultimately result in a devastating economic siege against the U.S. by Europe, Asia and South America.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian suggested the possibility that Iran will destroy itself in a speech to Iran’s parliament on Tuesday and sought to rally the Iranian regime around Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. “We can disagree with one another, but there is someone who ultimately makes the decisions,” he said. “During the war, I had no fear for myself, but I was worried that, God forbid, if something happened to the leader, we would turn on one another—there would be no need for Israel to intervene. … We must value him and stand firmly behind him.” Israel and the U.S.’s attacks on Iran in June had many wondering if its leader or its radical Islamist government would survive. The Trumpet asserted at the time that the country would grow far stronger, explaining why in “Is Iran’s Regime Finished?”

The German government has further restricted Internet freedom, according to an annual report published today by Freedom House, a U.S. democracy advocacy group. This year’s study reveals a decline in Internet freedom in Germany of 3 percent, down to an overall score of 74. The report cites the criminal prosecution of individuals in Germany for posting memes about politicians as an example. Expect the German government to continue tightening its grip on Internet freedoms.

All 18-year-old men in Germany will have to undergo a military medical examination, the German government decided last night. This will make it easier for the government to enforce compulsory military service through a lottery if insufficient numbers of citizens volunteer. The military intends to recruit an additional 80,000 professional troops, increasing its total by 44 percent to 260,000. Continue to watch Germany’s dramatic and accelerating process of remilitarization, which was prophesied in the Bible.

President Trump signed a bill last night to reopen the federal government after a 43-day shutdown, the longest in United States history. Congressional Republicans promised to hold a vote in December on extending Affordable Care Act subsidies, which prompted six Democrats to vote in support of a temporary funding bill. Yet the bill only funds the government through January 30, so lawmakers still have to settle their disagreements about next year’s budget. The fact that even the temporary bill increases America’s national debt beyond $38 trillion indicates that if and when a compromise is reached, it will not address the main issue with government spending: catastrophic debt.

Google will invest $6.4 billion in Germany by 2029, the U.S. tech giant announced on Tuesday in Berlin. The investment includes the construction of a new data center. “Artificial intelligence and climate-neutral energy generation are two of the key technologies within the High-Tech Agenda Germany,” Dorothee Bär, federal minister of research, technology and space, said. “They will be strengthened by Google’s commitment. This brings growth and added value to our country.” These and other investments allow Germany to take a leading role in AI, a development the Trumpet watches closely.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro called for re-creating Gran Colombia at the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States summit on Sunday. Gran Colombia was a 19th-century state covering the territory of modern Colombia, Panama and Venezuela. Petro’s remarks come amid tensions between Venezuela and the U.S. over the latter’s military strikes on drug smuggling boats in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean. He asserted that a European Union-like bloc in South America could better counter U.S. “aggression.” Bible prophecy indicates that South American nations will indeed turn against the U.S. and work with Europe to impose a deadly economic siege on America.

The United Kingdom Office for National Statistics reported yesterday that the nation’s official third-quarter unemployment rate was up 5 percent, slightly higher than analysts expected and the highest rate since 2021. The British economy is suffering from high inflation, high national debt, slow growth and recent increases in employment tax that make hiring more expensive. For the ultimate cause of Britain’s economic vulnerability, request your free copy of The United States and Britain in Prophecy, by Herbert W. Armstrong.

Israeli media are reporting a claim that the United States plans to build a military base accommodating 2,000 troops near Gaza to monitor the Israel-Hamas ceasefire. U.S. Central Command has denied the claim and said U.S. troops will not be deployed to Gaza. The rumor is further exacerbating the divisions between American conservatives. Bible prophecy emphasizes that dramatic, world-engulfing conflicts will soon revolve around Jerusalem, Israel and the Middle East and lead to the destruction of Israel and the U.S., as well as Britain and its Commonwealth. Continue to monitor events in Israel, including U.S. and foreign involvement, closely.

French President Emmanuel Macron met with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Tuesday to discuss the Gaza ceasefire. Macron said, “We decided together to establish a joint committee for the consolidation of the State of Palestine” that would also participate in creating a Palestinian constitution. In the meeting, Macron also said that if Israel attempts to annex the West Bank, “We will respond strongly with our European partners.” Learn about Europe’s prophesied role in the Middle East in The King of the South.

The United States has signaled to Israel that it approves of the deportation of 200 Hamas terrorists from Gaza, the Jerusalem Post reported yesterday. President Donald Trump has suggested such deportations since February. So far, no country has offered to accept the deportees. As our latest print issue stresses, Bible prophecy shows that neither negotiations nor more forceful measures will bring actual peace to the Middle East.

A member of the Vatican guard is being investigated for a possible anti-Semitic incident: The Swiss Guards soldier is accused of hissing “les Juifs” (“the Jews” in French) and making a spitting gesture toward a Belgian Jewish professor and Israeli writer who were visiting the Vatican for a papal audience last month. The Swiss Guards are the pope’s private army and the closest Vatican City has to a formal military. This is an isolated incident involving one corps member, but it demonstrates what Gerald Flurry wrote in our August 2014 issue: The Vatican is an enemy of the Jews.

Extreme water shortages may force Tehran to evacuate, the Iranian president warned last week. Rainfall is at record lows, and reservoirs throughout the country are depleted. Iran is still reeling from Israel and America bombing its nuclear facilities earlier this year. This weather crisis is compounding Iran’s increasing desperation. Despite Iran’s tough situation right now, Bible prophecy shows that its regime will not only survive but thrive.

Over a dozen people were killed after a car bomb exploded in India’s capital, New Delhi, last night, and over 20 others were injured. Authorities are treating it as a terrorist attack and believe a Pakistani-based Islamist group is responsible. Pakistan has placed its military on high alert and restricted the airspace near the Indian border in fear of a retaliatory strike. Pakistan’s military intelligence has long had links with militant Islamist groups. The two nuclear power countries fought a war earlier this year. This is one of the many “rumors of wars” the Bible prophesies will precede nuclear World War iii.

In March, Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu was arrested alongside 105 others and removed from office. According to an indictment announced on Tuesday, prosecutors accuse İmamoğlu of leading a major corruption network and are seeking a prison sentence of 2,352 years on 142 charges. İmamoğlu was once seen as President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s main rival. The Turkish judiciary has also issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other officials. Erdoğan is an anti-Semitic autocrat. While America sees Erdoğan as an ally, the Bible warns emphatically of a coming betrayal.

Third disaster in a month wreaks havoc in the Philippines: Superstorm Fung-wong, locally named “Uwan,” pummeled Luzon, the Philippines’ largest and most densely populated island, on Sunday and Monday. With a diameter of more than 1,100 miles, the storm killed at least eight people and displaced almost 1.5 million. Fung-wong came less than a week after Typhoon Kalmaegi struck northern Luzon, leaving 224 people dead, and only one month after a 7.5-magnitude earthquake devastated areas in the nation’s southeast. For the Bible’s answer as to why such calamities occur, read Why ‘Natural’ Disasters?

On November 5, the German government approved European multinational defense company mbda’s Small Anti-Drone Missile. It authorized a $565 million contract to integrate the missile onto Rheinmetall Skyranger 30 antiaircraft vehicles, specifically to counter the drone threat observed in the Ukraine conflict. Each of these missiles enables one Skyranger to down 30 small drones. The sadm “will be added to a list of systems qualified under the European Sky Shield Initiative, which the previous German government launched as a pan-European initiative to address the Continent’s lack of air defense capabilities.” Germany’s investment in anti-drone weaponry is part of the European militarization prophesied in the Bible.

Britain, France and Germany will deploy anti-drone teams in Belgium: This is in response to unidentified drones shutting down airports last week, believed to be part of Russia’s “hybrid war” on Europe. Russia has significant frozen assets in Belgium, and the European Union is considering seizing them. The drone incursions may be Russia putting pressure on Belgium not to cooperate. 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!” The fear continues to prompt European unity and armament.

The EU significantly advanced its mercosur trade deal on Thursday when member states approved additional protections for European farmers. Significant imports from South America could undercut European farmers’ prices, which poses a concern for France which is heavily reliant on its agricultural exports. The safeguard has made the deal much more attractive to France. Today, French President Emmanuel Macron said he was “quite positive” regarding mercosur and indicated possible support for the deal. Bible prophecy shows that a trade alliance between Europe and South America will be catastrophic for the United States. To learn why, read “America Is Being Besieged Economically.”

Hollywood is cutting back on its sexually deviant characters, the pro-homosexual group glaad revealed in its annual “Where We Are on TV” report. It counted 489 lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender characters for the 2024–2025 television and streaming season; 41 percent of these characters will not return due to shows being canceled or characters leaving the story. About 25 percent of transgender characters have had their contracts removed. This does not mean that Hollywood executives have had a change of heart. They have a clear, radical agenda to push these perverted lifestyles on viewers, but have gotten so far ahead of mainstream society that they’re losing money. They may cut back for now—but it’s a strategic retreat, designed to help them more effectively lead society step by step into more perversions. See this strategy exposed in “Disney and the Fight for Our Children.”