ISRAEL - A Jerusalem court ruled on Sunday that Jews should now be permitted to recite the seminal Jewish “Hear o Israel” prayer as well as bow down on the Temple Mount, Judaism’s holiest site, in a decision that sparked an outcry among Arab officials. Three Jewish teenagers were arrested after being caught praying at the holy site, in violation of a arrangement with the Jordanian Islamic Waqf that bars Jewish prayer there.

EUROPE - Consumer price growth has hit double digits in at least a third of EU countries, with the most severe spike seen in the Baltic region, the Financial Times reported this week. According to the paper, nine members of the bloc have seen inflation surpass 10%, with the biggest increase observed in Estonia, where consumer prices have surged by 19% year-on-year. Other badly affected countries are Lithuania with inflation at 16.8%, Bulgaria with 14.4%, the Czech Republic with 14.2%, along with Romania (13.8%), Latvia (13%), Poland (12.4%) and Slovakia (11.7%). The publication added that Turkey, which has had the status of an EU candidate since 1999, has an inflation rate of 70% due to the collapse of the national currency. Also, recent media reports citing the Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT) say that inflation in Greece surged to double digits in April, amounting to 10.2% year-on-year.

NATO - NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg addressed the Allied defence chiefs on Thursday (19 May 2022), at the start of the one-day Military Committee in Chiefs of Defence session. He outlined the changed security environment due to Russia’s… war in Ukraine, describing it as “a crucial and dangerous time for Euro-Atlantic security.” President Putin is failing in his strategic objectives, the Secretary General said, “Ukraine stands, NATO remains strong, and transatlantic unity is solid”. Mr Stoltenberg thanked the thirty Chiefs of Defence [in] defend[ing] every inch of NATO territory against threats from any direction. “It is important that we sustain our efforts and ‘reset’ our posture for the longer term”, he said, adding that “resetting does not mean starting from scratch. We will build on our ongoing adaptation” since Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014. The 2022 Concept “will drive the future adaptation of our Alliance, so that we are better prepared for an era of strategic competition and rising security threats”, Mr Stoltenberg said.

USA - Eight decades ago, America’s ‘arsenal of democracy’ helped in the defeat of Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan. In recent years, however, it's been less effective. American democracy in action is as perturbing and frustrating to watch for a US citizen as it is confounding to outsiders. It's become especially true in this age of extreme partisan politics, where legislation is prepared, debated, stalled, passed, or killed through parliamentary procedures and processes that are opaque even to those participating in them.

EUROPE - In response to the European Council tasking at the Versailles Summit, the Commission and the High Representative have presented an analysis of the defence investment gaps, and propose further measures and actions necessary to strengthen the European defence industrial and technological base. Russia's unprovoked aggression against Ukraine has significant implications for European defence, which is leading to increased military spending by Member States. With today's Joint Communication, the Commission and the High Representative aim to help Member States to invest together, better and in a European way. It also responds to the call made in the context of the Conference of the Future of Europe for stronger EU action in defence.

USA - The San Francisco archbishop issued a notice Friday that he would no longer allow House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to receive Communion, an escalation of his feud with the Catholic Democrat over abortion politics. In a public notification to Pelosi, Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone wrote that he had warned Pelosi in April that she must either repudiate her support of abortion rights or not refer to her Catholicism in justifying them, and that Pelosi declined to meet with him. “As you have not publically repudiated your position on abortion, and continue to refer to your Catholic faith in justifying your position and to receive Holy Communion, that time has now come,” Cordileone wrote. “Therefore, in light of my responsibility as the Archbishop of San Francisco to be ‘concerned for all the Christian faithful entrusted to (my) care’ ... I am hereby notifying you that you are not to present yourself for Holy Communion and, should you do so, you are not to be admitted to Holy Communion, until such time as you publicly repudiate your advocacy for the legitimacy of abortion and confess and receive absolution of this grave sin in the sacrament of Penance.”

SWITZERLAND - The World Economic Forum is the ideas and narratives shop for the ruling class, and Davos is where it all goes down. The infamous World Economic Forum (WEF) will host its annual meeting in Davos next week... For those of you who are new to this nefarious organization: The World Economic Forum (WEF), through its annual Davos conference, acts as the go-to policy and ideas shop for the ruling class.

BELGIUM - The first mandatory quarantine for monkeypox has been introduced in Belgium, which recently hosted a massive gay pride and fetish festival attended by an estimated 80,000 people in Antwerp. “Those infected with the monkey pox virus must be in isolation for 21 days,” the Dutch publication Standaard reported. “Not high-risk contacts, but they’re best watching over any symptoms. In the meantime, virologist Marc Van Ranst wants to investigate whether the virus can spread airborne.” Belgium recently hosted the Gran Canaria pride festival, which has been labeled a monkeypox ‘superspreader’ event after attendees from multiple nations appear to have spread the virus worldwide. “The Gran Canarian pride festival attended by 80,000 from Britain and across Europe is being investigated after being linked to numerous monkeypox cases in Madrid, Italy and Tenerife,” the Daily Mail reported.

USA - The World Health Organization just announced that they are “convening an emergency meeting on the alarming spread of monkeypox around the world.” Just how bad is this new “outbreak” which now threatens the world in a similar way to how COVID threatened to wipe out humanity? Cases of monkeypox in the UK doubled this week – to an “alarming” 20 cases. And it is now spreading to the US at an alarming rate, as one person has reportedly now tested positive for it (determined by the PCR test apparently) in New York City.

USA - The Biden administration has placed an order for millions of doses of a vaccine intended to protect against smallpox and monkeypox, after the first case of monkeypox in the United States this year was confirmed in Massachusetts on May 18. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the company’s Jynneos vaccine in September 2019 for the prevention of smallpox and monkeypox disease in people aged 18 and over. The vaccine would be “available for those determined to be at high risk of either smallpox or monkeypox infection.” The order represents $119 million worth of the Jynneos vaccines, which would be manufactured and invoiced in 2023 and 2024. Under the contract, the Biden administration has the option to place another order worth $180 million.

USA - The WEF received $60 million in taxpayer funding over the last eight years. Davos - it’s a “playground” for the world’s billionaire business elite. Every year, the uberrich and powerful people descend upon a picturesque ski town in Switzerland to mix with world leaders. They discuss shaping our future into a utopian global society. For the first time since 2019, the 2022 Davos meeting will be in person beginning Sunday, May 22.The host organization, World Economic Forum (WEF), founded by German economist Klaus Schwab, says it provides a platform for high-powered leaders to “shape global, regional and industry agendas.” In other words, they want to socialize the world order and much of this runs contrary to American values. Attendees cough up $28,000 just for a ticket, with a coveted all-access badge fetching more like $50,000 – and that’s before attendees spend tens or hundreds of thousands on private air travel, ski chalets, and entertainment. You probably didn’t even realize it, but you – the American taxpayer – helped fund the sponsoring organization with tens of millions of dollars in federal grants. Why are American taxpayers funding this organization?

RUSSIA - By invading ukraine, Vladimir Putin will destroy the lives of people far from the battlefield — and on a scale even he may regret. The war is battering a global food system weakened by covid-19, climate change and an energy shock. Ukraine’s exports of grain and oilseeds have mostly stopped and Russia’s are threatened. Together, the two countries supply 12% of traded calories. Wheat prices, up 53% since the start of the year, jumped a further 6% on May 16th, after India said it would suspend exports because of an alarming heatwave.

ISRAEL - Israeli authorities on Wednesday said they have given the go-ahead for flag-waving Jewish nationalists to march through the heart of the main Palestinian thoroughfare in Jerusalem’s Old City later this month, in a decision that threatens to re-ignite violence in the holy city. The office of Internal Security Minister Omer Barlev said the march would take place on May 29 along its “customary route” through Damascus Gate. Each year, thousands of Israeli nationalists participate in the march, waving Israeli flags, singing songs and in some cases, chanting anti-Arab slogans, as they pass by Palestinian onlookers and businesses. The march is meant to celebrate Israel’s capture of east Jerusalem in the 1967 Mideast war. Israel subsequently annexed the area in a step that is not internationally recognized. The Palestinians claim east Jerusalem as the capital of a future state. Last year’s Gaza war erupted as the march was just getting underway, even after authorities changed the route at the last moment to avoid Damascus Gate. The Old City has experienced weeks of violent confrontations between Israeli police and Palestinian demonstrators, and the march threatens triggering new unrest.

ISRAEL - The leader of an Israeli far-right group called for the demolition of the Dome of the Rock Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem on Wednesday. Bentzi Gopstein, the founder and leader of Lehava, published the controversial post online in which he called on Israeli settlers to unite on “Jerusalem Day” on 29 May to break into Al-Aqsa and start dismantling the revered Muslim landmark and pave the way for building a Jewish temple at Al-Aqsa Mosque. “Jerusalem Day, which falls on 29 May, is the day the demolition of the Dome of the Rock will begin,” Gopstein wrote.

SOUTH AFRICA - In less than a month, Nelson Mandela Bay will become the first South African metro to run out of water. In an appeal and warning that is almost unimaginable, the metro’s water chief has called for prayers as the disaster moves closer, confirming that water for drinking, washing, flushing toilets and fighting fires will be severely limited. He further cautioned that drinking water may be unsafe and called on people to pray for rain. “Pray for rain so that the heavens may open,” he said, begging residents to do all they can to save water “in the spirit of ubuntu”. “We are going to have to queue for water,” Martin said, addressing the only public meeting organised by the municipality to address the water crisis. He said they were not considering water shedding at the moment, but were planning to introduce water collection tanks and water collection stations. “We will need 50 to 100 trucks. We are concerned that water quality will be compromised. We will have to issue a boil-before-drinking notice as a matter of precaution.” He said they feared that water trucks could be hijacked and drivers attacked.