VATICAN - In an impassioned address Friday, Pope Francis denied the existence of Islamic terrorism, while simultaneously asserting that “the ecological crisis is real.” “Christian terrorism does not exist, Jewish terrorism does not exist, and Muslim terrorism does not exist. They do not exist,” Francis said in his speech to a world meeting of populist movements. What he apparently meant is that not all Christians are terrorists and not all Muslims are terrorists — a fact evident to all — yet his words also seemed to suggest that no specifically Islamic form of terrorism exists in the world, an assertion that stands in stark contradiction to established fact. While denying the existence of Islamic terrorism, Francis also seemed to condemn the denial of global warming, asserting that “the ecological crisis is real.” “A very solid scientific consensus indicates that we are presently witnessing a disturbing warming of the climatic system,” he said.
USA - Thursday afternoon’s press conference was perhaps the most memorable moment of Donald Trump’s presidency so far. Trump’s blistering attack on the media was quite a spectacle, but the truth is that it was desperately needed. For decades, the mainstream media has dominated political discourse in this country no matter who has been in control of the White House or Congress.
USA - The man tipped as the next US ambassador to the European Union (EU) has slammed the “undemocratic” and “anti-American” bloc, indicating the Trump administration will “encourage a reversal of the … drive to a socialist, protectionist, United States of Europe”. In a furiously Eurosceptic article, Dr Ted Malloch argued the US could no longer support a federalist EU when putting “America, first”, as EU trade, foreign, and defence policies increasingly work against the interests of the US.
RUSSIA - Moscow will pay off the balance of the debt inherited from the Soviet Union this year, Izvestia daily reports, quoting sources in the Russian Ministry of Finance. Last week, the Finance Ministry said it had cleared the $60.6 million debt to Macedonia. This means that the last debt of the Soviet Union is $125.2 million to Bosnia and Herzegovina. Both countries were formed after the breakup of Yugoslavia and won the right to reclaim part of the Soviet debt. When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, the newly formed Russian Federation inherited a growing external debt of over $66 billion with barely a few billion dollars in net gold and foreign exchange reserves.
USA - One of California's strongest storms in years - dubbed a "bombogenesis" or "weather bomb" - has hit the state, killing two, and bringing torrential rain and flash floods. More than 100 homes have been evacuated amid fears of mud slides near Los Angeles. Hundreds of flights have been delayed or cancelled at Los Angeles International Airport. The weather has also brought car-swallowing sinkholes and power cuts. Ryan Maue, a meteorologist for WeatherBell Analytics, told the Los Angeles Times that 10 trillion gallons of rain would fall on California in the next week, enough to power Niagara Falls for 154 days. After five years of drought, a series of storms have filled state reservoirs. California's Sierra Nevada mountain range is also loaded with snow. Runoff from its snowpack normally supplies about a third of the state's water.
EUROPE - Voters across Europe want a harder line approach than Donald Trump, Nigel Farage has told his EU counterparts in Brussels. The former Ukip chief cited a survey by respected think tank Chatham House that found more than half of voters in 10 EU states supported an end to migration from mainly Muslim countries, with just one in five disagreeing.
GERMANY - The unconventional administration of President Trump may be causing consternation among American liberals. But here in Germany, the anchor of the European Union, Trump’s rise is helping fuel an unexpected surge of the left.
USA - No matter what your particular political perspective is, if there is one thing that virtually everyone in the United States can agree upon it is the fact that America’s infrastructure is crumbling. Previous generations of Americans conquered an entire continent and erected the greatest system of infrastructure that the world had ever seen, but now thousands upon thousands of those extremely impressive infrastructure projects are decades old and in desperate need of repair or upgrading.
ISRAEL - Lord Jacob Rothschild had admitted that his family were ‘crucial’ in the creation of Israel, in a Times of Israel interview. The 80-year-old Rothschild said in a recent interview that his ancestors “helped pave the way for the creation of Israel,” forcing the British government to sign the Balfour Declaration in 1917.
DUBAI - Did you know that 4,000 world leaders from 130 different countries gathered in Dubai this week for the World Government Summit? It was held from February 12th to February 14th, and it featured more than 100 internationally-known speakers including UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, Christine Lagarde and Elon Musk.
UK - Think fake news is a new phenomenon? Think again. Dr David Clarke from Sheffield Hallam University looks at a 100-year-old story that fooled the world. Fake news, false stories that masquerade as real news are not new.
USA - The ruthless political assassination of Michael Flynn was just one battle of a major civil war that has erupted for control of the US government. Donald Trump and his new administration are now under relentless assault by “the deep state”, and at this point it is not clear who will emerge as the victor. There are many that use the term “deep state” as a synonym for the intelligence community, but the truth is that it is much broader than that.
GREECE - The grave disagreement between the International Monetary Fund and the European lenders, Grexit bombshells flying around and Greece’s reluctance to accept additional austerity measures have increased uncertainty among citizens – for one more time. And so, as KeepTalkingGreece.com notes, what do citizens do when they feel political and economical insecurity? They run to banks and withdraw deposits. 2.5 billion euros left Greek banks in the last 45 days. And this despite the capital controls that allow Greeks to withdraw a maximum of just 1,800 euro per month. According to newspaper Eidiseis, the cash withdrawal in the last 45 days has set bankers in alert.
USA - Wednesday afternoon Breitbart released a report in which William Binney, a former highly placed NSA official turned whistleblower, confirmed that the NSA is spying on President Trump. Asked whether he believes the NSA is tapping Trump, Binney replied: “Absolutely. How did they get the phone call between the president and the president of Australia? Or the one that he made with Mexico? Those are not targeted foreigners.” Binney further contended the NSA may have been behind a data leak that might have revealed that Michael Flynn, Trump’s national security adviser, allegedly misled Vice President Mike Pence and other Trump administration officials about the contents of his phone calls with Russia’s ambassador to Washington.
VATICAN - A prominent Catholic ecumenist has urged a better understanding of the Russian Orthodox Church. "Those suspicious of the Russian Orthodox stance should go and see what's happening," said Barbara Hallensleben, a consultor with the Vatican's Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity. "Of course, nationalist and ideological tendencies are always at work. But a lot of people in Russia are promoting Christianity – and by creating relations, we can strengthen church life and proclaim the faith with them," said Hallensleben, who hosted anniversary commemorations of Pope Francis' 2016 meeting with Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill. "The Pope said unity means moving together, not just holding talks – and what's amazing is how the style of ecumenism has already changed," said Hallensleben.
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The views expressed in this section are not our own, unless specifically stated, but are provided to highlight what may prove to be prophetically relevant material appearing in the media.