This Week: Five Events You Need to Know (December 31)

KCNA VIA KNS/AFP/GETTY IMAGES; YANG BO/CHINA NEWS SERVICE/VCG/GETTY IMAGES; MAHMOUD ZAYYAT/AFP/GETTY IMAGES; ROBERT JAEGER/AFP/GETTY IMAGES; ALFREDO ESTRELLA/AFP/GETTY IMAGES

This Week: Five Events You Need to Know (December 31)

Threats of North Korean biological warfare, Chinese expansionism, Austria’s Nazi connections, and more

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.

Is North Korea Planning to Use Anthrax?

According to a recent United States National Security Strategy report, North Korea is “pursuing chemical and biological weapons that could also be delivered by missile.” Japan’s Asahi newspaper similarly reported that the North has been testing the feasibility of loading anthrax bacteria onto intercontinental ballistic missiles and testing whether the anthrax would survive the intense heat of the missile as it reenters the atmosphere.

Analysts have found “credible evidence” of North Korean plans for chemical and biological warfare. The Bible indicates that chemical and biological weapons akin to North Korea’s will certainly be used in a global war. Our free booklet The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse explains the Bible prophecies on that subject in greater detail.

China’s Ever Expanding Backyard

China recently launched its largest and most advanced cutter-suction dredger to accelerate its land reclamation efforts in the South China Sea. The Tian Kun Huo is a 140-meter vessel which reportedly possesses the most powerful excavation system in Asia, digging 35 meters below the surface of the water and dredging 6,000 cubic meters per hour.

These artificial islands “function as forward [military] bases for Beijing to challenge seven decades of American naval dominance in the Pacific Rim,” as Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry wrote in our July 2016 magazine. “This should alarm the world!

Hezbollah’s Power Is Growing—Thanks to Iran

Iran’s chief terrorist proxy, Hezbollah, now has almost 10 times the number of rockets and missiles it had in 2006. Foreign Policy showed in a December 22 article that such a dramatic expansion in military power was possible only because of Iran’s financial and materiel support, sanctions or no.

And the Obama administration was somewhat complicit in that frightening expansion.

Pay Attention to Austria’s Right-wing Coalition

On December 25, a far-right political party founded by a former SS officer became part of Austria’s governing coalition. The far-right Freedom Party of Austria, headed up by Heinz-Christian Strache, has roots that go back to 1956, when it was established by Anton Reinthaller, an SS officer in Nazi Germany. It has joined Chancellor Sebastian Kurz’s Austrian People’s Party in a coalition government.

America’s Drug Crisis Leading to Martial Law?

On average, 69 people were murdered each day in Mexico between January 1 and November 30. That makes 2017 the deadliest year in Mexico’s recent history.

On December 15, Mexico’s Congress took the drastic action of passing the Law of Internal Security, which, if signed into law by President Enrique Peña Nieto, will authorize the Mexican government to put federal soldiers on Mexico’s streets to fight crime without having to consult Congress first. Human rights activists worry that the passage of this law will weaken local law enforcement agencies and lead to extrajudicial killings.

“This Week” appears every Sunday. To get these same top stories in your inbox ahead of time every Friday afternoon, subscribe to the Trumpet Brief daily e-mail. Sign up by clicking here or by visiting theTrumpet.com home page.