Here are five of the most important news stories this week, as well as relevant links to the full articles and videos here on theTrumpet.com.

Beijing Quietly Ramps Up Militarization of South China Sea

Satellite photos published by Reuters on October 31 show that from November 2015 to October 2017, China made considerable progress in developing installations on Tree Island and the North Reef of the disputed Paracel chain.

China is converting these and several of its other artificial islands into naval and air bases to strengthen Beijing’s sovereignty claims over nearly the entire resource-rich and strategically located South China Sea.

“Everything is headed in the direction of war,” wrote Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry in “China Is Steering the World Toward War.”

Russia and Iran Sign $30 Billion Energy Deals

Iran and Russia signed a series of energy deals worth $30 billion on November 1 as Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Tehran to meet with his Iranian counterparts.

The deals are more than economic. Both Russia and Iran stand to make significant geopolitical gains. And those gains come at the expense of the United States.

Iran’s ‘Act of War’ Against Saudi Arabia

Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen fired their most potent ballistic missile when they targeted King Khalid International Airport in the Saudi Arabian capital of Riyadh on November 4. It was the 77th missile fired by the Houthis on Saudi Arabia since 2015, but it was the first to reach Riyadh.

Human Rights Watch called the attack “an apparent war crime.” Saudi authorities called it “direct military aggression by the Iranian regime” and “an act of war against the kingdom.”

Hariri Resignation: Saudi Arabia and Iran Battle Over Lebanon

On November 4, Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri resigned from office, fearing assassination from Iranian-sponsored terrorists.

“Wherever Iran settles, it sows discord, devastation and destruction, proven by its interference in the internal affairs of Arab countries,” Hariri said. He also said that Iran’s “hands” in the region “will be cut off.”

Time (and Bible prophecy) will prove him right!

Austria Reclaims Its Historic Role

In a recent interview with Spiegel magazine, published October 21, Austrian Chancellor-elect Sebastian Kurz claimed: “Austria is a country that can function in Europe as a bridgehead between Eastern and Western Europe. This has always been good for our economy, and politically, I believe this to be our obligation”

This obligation comes from, among other things, Austria’s historic role in the kingdom of Charlemagne and as the capital of the “Holy” Roman Empire during the Habsburg dynasty. It also points to Austria’s prophetic role in Europe.

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