In Other News
At least 146 people have died in a Hong Kong apartment building block fire that began Wednesday afternoon and expanded to seven of the block’s eight buildings. The cause of the fire is unknown, but flammable materials used during renovations are believed to have contributed to the spread. Eight construction firm employees have been arrested on charges of criminal negligence.
Cyclone Ditwah kills at least 69 people in Sri Lanka after arriving on the island Friday. Twelve inches of rain caused landslides and floods; more deaths are expected as flooding continues. The flooding has disrupted transit routes, and neighboring India is flying in food aid. Sri Lanka effectively went bankrupt in 2022, its economy is still struggling, and now this cyclone adds another major burden. This comes after two deadly typhoons struck the Philippines. Why does a loving God allow such disasters? Read the Bible’s answer in your free copy of Why ‘Natural’ Disasters?
“To all airlines, pilots, drug dealers and human traffickers, please consider THE AIRSPACE ABOVE AND SURROUNDING VENEZUELA TO BE CLOSED IN ITS ENTIRETY,” President Trump posted on Truth Social on Saturday. The next day, he confirmed that he had called Venezuela’s dictator, Nicolás Maduro. Anonymous sources told the Miami Herald he gave Maduro an ultimatum: “You can save yourself and those closest to you, but you must leave the country now.” Venezuela under Maduro and his predecessor, Hugo Chavez, has been transformed into a nest of vipers on America’s doorstep. Few realize that Maduro’s fall, if it happens, could provide an opportunity for Europe much more so than for America, to the detriment of the latter. Read what the Bible says about Latin America and the rising Holy Roman Empire in Europe in “Vatican Eyes Regime Change in Venezuela.”
Today, Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau raided the premises of Andriy Yermak, chief of staff to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Ukrainian legislators and anti-corruption groups had previously demanded that Zelenskyy fire Yermak amid an ongoing investigation into a $100 million energy corruption scandal. The investigations could end Zelenskyy’s presidency, leaving the country more vulnerable to a Russian takeover. The Bible shows that, one way or another, Russia is certain to make more gains in Ukraine.
President Emmanuel Macron announced the program yesterday, open to men and women, mostly ages 18 and 19, who will receive 10 months of training starting in April. He claimed that the younger generation has a “thirst for engagement” and that they are “ready to stand up” for their nation. Although European militarization is regarded as a reaction to Russia, the Bible reveals that European military “engagement” is a threat to the U.S. and the world.
After a lengthy conflict over pension reforms that threatened to topple the German coalition government, the legislature passed a $607 billion national budget for 2026. The budget relies heavily on new debt to finance increased spending on the military, infrastructure and social programs. Even with this budget passing, Germany still desperately needs reforms to its welfare state and stronger leadership overall.
A German astronaut is going to the moon, the European Space Agency announced yesterday. Artemis, a nasa mission in conjunction with agencies from Europe and nine other countries, is scheduled to reach the moon in 2027. A stronger European presence in space is “more and more important for security and defense, and it is a domain where Europe has to catch up,” European Space Agency Director General Josef Aschbacher said. Dr. Wernher von Braun, the Nazi rocket scientist who helped take the first Americans to the moon, stated years ago: “He who controls the open space around us is in a position to control the Earth.”
President Donald Trump said yesterday during a call with troops that he plans to conduct operations “by land” against Venezuela “very soon.” He has used anti-drug trafficking laws to strike Venezuelan drug smugglers at sea, killing more than 80, and has reportedly deployed more than a dozen warships and more than 15,000 troops to the region. Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his predecessor, Hugo Chávez, turned the nation into an enemy of the U.S., allowing cartels and terrorist groups to operate. The U.S. is finally taking action, but Bible prophecy suggests that this could lead to an even worse situation.
A federal appeals court has upheld a $937,989 fine assessed by a district court for filing a “frivolous lawsuit.” Trump’s suit accused former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, former FBI Director James Comey and others of racketeering, due to their conspiracy to frame him as colluding with Russia. This fine is roughly nine times the amount assessed against Kevin Clinesmith for forging information to spy on the Trump campaign or against the Clinton campaign and the Democratic National Committee for involvement in the collusion accusation. No other conspirators have been fined, and none have been imprisoned.
Jewish News Syndicate summarized intelligence discussed at a recent Israel Defense Forces meeting, reporting: “According to the assessment, 13 of Gaza’s 25 municipalities have returned to full activity—effectively meaning they are again being run by Hamas.” The recent Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal calls on Hamas to cede power in Gaza, but this latest news shows they don’t have plans for that.
Russia will export to China and India via a new route through Iran starting next year, the head of the nation’s Federal Agency for Sea and Inland Water Transport said Monday. The road, rail and shipping route, called the International North-South Transport Corridor, will carry goods from Russia down through the Caucasus region and Iran to ports on Iran’s southern coast, where they will be shipped to China and India. This route will provide Russia with an alternate export avenue at a time when the West seeks to constrain it, thereby sustaining Russia’s war economy—thanks to stalwart support from its energy-hungry Asian allies.
Three in four Germans polled in a recent Körber Foundation/Forsa survey of 1,503 adults rate German-American relations under Trump as poor. A year ago, under the Biden administration, 74 percent of Germans rated relations with the U.S. as good. At that time, only 10 percent saw relations with the U.S. as the nation’s biggest challenge: Today, it’s 33 percent. The drastic mood change shows how fragile this relationship is.
Two West Virginia National Guardsmen were shot about half a mile from the White House on Wednesday and are in critical condition. The suspected gunman was wounded and is in custody. Shortly after the shooting, President Trump posted that the perpetrator would pay “a very steep price.” Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced that 500 additional National Guard troops will deploy to the capital as a result. The shooter’s motives are currently unknown, but the attack highlights the increasing violence within the nation.
Israel announced the Red Cross handed over the coffin of a hostage held in Gaza on Tuesday. Before this, three bodies of hostages (two Israelis and one Thai) were still held in Gaza. Israel has yet to comment on the body’s identity. Despite flare-ups, the Trump-negotiated ceasefire between Israel and Hamas appears to be holding. But once Hamas has handed over all hostage remains, negotiations for “phase two” of the ceasefire will continue. This phase entails Hamas laying down its weapons, something the terrorist group has refused. Hamas may be willing to hand over dead bodies to buy time, but it clings to its goal to destroy Israel.
Last night, Russia struck energy infrastructure in the capital city of Ukraine with 22 missiles and over 460 drones, killing seven and injuring 21. This attack is the latest example of Russia’s ruthlessness under Vladimir Putin, who has repeatedly said he will consider peace deals yet has responded to extremely favorable offers from the U.S. and Europe with continued war and strikes on civilians. Kyivans waking up to death and destruction this morning is the latest reminder that men simply do not know the way to peace.
Pope Leo xiv approved the publication of new regulations of the Roman Curia on Sunday. These implement the reform established by the new Apostolic Constitution introduced by Pope Francis on March 19, 2022. As the Trumpet wrote in October 2022, these reforms reveal “the most radical shakeup of the Curia in a generation.” By reestablishing the teaching that each diocese is led by a bishop who reports to the pope, this constitution reemphasizes that the Roman Curia does not lead the church but exists only to assist the pope and the bishops with certain tasks. The stated reason for this new constitution is to restructure all Curia activities under one simple mission: support the pope in his crusade to convert all nations to Roman Catholicism.
A Federal Police report published on Monday showed that sexual offenses on trains and at train stations rose by 19 percent to 2,262 last year. Most cases involved sexual harassment. Sexual assault, coercion, rape, and abuse of children and adolescents accounted for 5 percent of cases. Germans increasingly feel unsafe in their own country and blame the large influx of refugees. The German people understandably want change. Bible prophecy reveals that a strong German leader will soon exploit their fears.
Mark Kelly was one of six Democratic members of Congress to release a video urging military servicemen and intelligence agents to disobey the president and “refuse illegal orders.” (They and other critics of President Trump have declined to define any of his existing orders as illegal.) The Department of War announced on Monday that it is reviewing the federal law that forbids encouraging disloyalty and insubordination in the armed forces, and it might recall Kelly, a retired Navy captain, to active duty for a court-martial. The rule of law is disintegrating in America as political division becomes so bad that even senators and soldiers cannot be trusted to obey the law.
Large-scale naval exercises began yesterday in the Baltic Sea, involving 5,000 personnel, 20 ships, and aircraft from 11 nations: Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland and the United States. The exercises run through December 4 and focus on securing critical infrastructure, clearing mines, and defending against amphibious landings. Finland, which joined nato in 2023, largely organized the drills. During World War ii, it sided with Germany against Russia, and there are indications that it would choose the same side in a future conflict, for which Germany is already preparing.
More than 13,000 Chinese companies are operating in Russia, Boris Titov, a representative of the Russian government, said at the sixth Russian-Chinese Business Forum in China on Tuesday. “Russia and China are getting ready to launch more than 80 joint projects worth some $200 billion,” he said. “New opportunities for business are expanding.” About 95 percent of transactions between Russian and Chinese businesses use either Russian rubles or Chinese yuan, bypassing not only Western sanctions but also the U.S. dollar as a reserve currency. Bible prophecy shows this growing alliance will lead to the formation of an Asian economic and military superpower.
Japan plans to deploy antiaircraft missiles near Taiwan: The nation’s defense minister announced the plan on Sunday during a visit to a Japanese island about 70 miles from Taiwan. This is the latest of several moves by Japan to deter the Chinese regime from invading Taiwan. But Bible prophecy shows that such divisions between Asian nations will be bridged, either by diplomacy or by force, as “the kings of the east” build the largest military alliance in human history.
Israel Defense Forces air strikes near Beirut killed Haytham Ali Tabatabai on Sunday. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tabatabai was responsible for rebuilding the terrorist group after Israel decimated it last year. “My policy is clear,” Netanyahu said in a televised statement. “Under my leadership, Israel will not allow Hezbollah to build its power anew and again constitute a threat.” Hezbollah remains powerful in many parts of Lebanon, but the Bible says that another power is about to move in: Europe.
The Department of Government Efficiency (doge) has been quietly canceled, eight months ahead of schedule. Last November, President-elect Donald Trump put Musk in charge of a task force to dismantle the federal government’s labyrinthine bureaucracy, restrictive regulations and obscenely wasteful spending. He promised that their work would be concluded no later than July 4, 2026, because “a smaller government, with more efficiency and less bureaucracy, will be the perfect gift to America on the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.” Almost immediately, billions in waste were found, including $4.7 trillion in payments by the U.S. Treasury that did not even specify what the payments were for. Yet Musk fell out with President Trump and largely gave up on doge after the president strongly supported the “One Big Beautiful Bill” (estimated to add $3.4 trillion to the U.S. national debt over 10 years) and signed it into law on July 4. doge fell by the wayside. Office of Personnel Management Director Scott Kupor told Reuters earlier this month that doge “doesn’t exist.” America will not have a smaller government with less bureaucracy by July 4, 2026.
Marjorie Taylor Greene is resigning from Congress: Posting on X on Friday, the Republican representative cited the recent government shutdown and President Trump’s attacks on her and said her resignation would be effective January 5. She accused Trump of preparing to have supporters “hatefully” spend “tens of millions of dollars against me and try to destroy me” in the 2026 midterm elections. Her statement also appeared to connect her resignation to the conservative divide over supporting Israel. “America First should mean America First and only Americans First,” she wrote, “with no other foreign country ever being attached to America First in our halls of government.”
U.S. President Donald Trump welcomed New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani to the White House Friday. Trump previously called Mamdani a “Communist”; Mamdani has called Trump a “fascist.” Yet the two New Yorkers stated that they want to work together to bring the cost of living down for New York; Trump even said he was “cheering” for Mamdani’s success. Mamdani is an open socialist and, by many definitions, a Communist, but Trump has shown himself willing to befriend anyone to achieve his goals. It could be a ploy to undermine the man who has been touted as the new face of the Democratic Party; Trump certainly has leverage because of New York’s dependence on federal funding. Whatever the president is doing, these are bizarre days in American politics.
