USA - The US military sent two nuclear-capable B-52 bombers to fly over the disputed Spratly Islands amid tensions with Beijing. The “routine” mission occurred days after a Pentagon chief said “America is to stay” in the Indo-Pacific.

EUROPE - Bilderberg globalists are concerned about the populist uprising sweeping Europe. The annual elitist confab is set to meet this week in Turin, an appropriate venue given that Italy has just elected an anti-mass migration, eurosceptic coalition government.

EUROPE - The US is force-feeding Europe its liquefied natural gas, which is three times more expensive than buying it from Russia, Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen said after signing a gas-supply contract with Moscow until 2040. While US politicians are accusing Europe of being dependent on Russian gas, they forget that "American liquefied gas is two or three times more expensive than Russian gas. Under such circumstances, it makes little sense in purely economic terms to replace Russian gas with American LNG,” Van der Bellen said at a press conference after meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin in Vienna on Tuesday. OMV and Gazprom are now implementing the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which seeks to double the capacity of the existing Nord Stream. The project has faced opposition from the US, which is seeking to ramp up LNG exports to Europe.

EUROPE - Angela Merkel on Sunday gave German support to French proposals for a joint European military “intervention force” that will take action in trouble spots around the world. Britain has already backed the planned force, which will operate independently of the European Union, despite misgivings that it could be seen as a “European army”. The force is a key element of Emmanuel Macron’s proposals to reform European defence and integrate the continent’s many militaries more closely together. The new intervention force has been touted as an opportunity to involve Britain in European defence cooperation after Brexit.

UK - Parents who barely know how to be parents are raising kids who can barely function. Cut off from their extended families, many parents have no sources of inspiration or knowledge. Step into a classroom of pre-schoolers and you will find, along with pastel drawings of Peppa Pig and daisy chains, four-year-olds who can’t speak intelligibly, or dress themselves, or who are toilet trained. These “unlucky” children, according to Amanda Spielman, head of Ofsted, have been raised in a “family culture” that failed to prepare them for nursery – and life. Ms Spielman is right to raise the alarm. A child’s early years matter. Without the right mixture of stimulus and nurturing – what scientists call neurotransmission and we used to call parenting – children won’t develop...

USA - Toxins have been found in tap water in Salem, Oregon, resulting in the declaration of a state of emergency by Oregon Governor Kate Brown. The declaration includes the capital city of Salem, as well as the towns of Turner and Stayton. The National Guard is expected to deliver water to residents using 10 water stations supplied by 2,000-gallon tankers. Toxic algae blooms have been plauging the Pacific Northwest… Officials said the water is harmless to shower in or wash dishes and laundry with, but stressed that drinking the water could cause symptoms including vomiting and diarrhea and even kidney and liver damage. Experts have warned that the water cannot be treated — filters, boiling, and other methods will not eliminate the troublesome cyanotoxins.

USA - The US Supreme Court ruled on Monday in favour of a Colorado baker who refused to make a wedding cake for a same-sex couple. The verdict was a limited decision, that leaves for another day the larger issue of whether a business can invoke religious objections to refuse service to gay and lesbian people. The justices' decision turned on what the court described as anti-religious bias on the Colorado Civil Rights Commission. The Colorado commission ruled against baker Jack Phillips. The justices voted 7-2 on Monday that the commission violated Mr Phillips' rights under the First Amendment.

GERMANY - German pharmaceutical company Bayer AG said Monday that it plans to complete its purchase of US seed and weed-killer maker Monsanto Co this week after receiving all the required approvals from regulators. Bayer said in a statement that it plans to complete the acquisition on Thursday. The deal will cost some $63 billion including debt. Bayer will become Monsanto's sole shareholder Thursday. Bayer said that, following the takeover, "Monsanto will no longer be a company name." "The acquired products will retain their brand names and become part of the Bayer portfolio," it added.

CHINA - Anyone who has listened to me in the past decade knows that I think China’s going to take the greatest economic fall of any major country. They’re the only emerging country that has continually declining demographics. The top-down Chinese mafia-like government has overbuilt everything (decades ahead) in the name of job growth in cities to leverage steroid-like GDP growth. But I’ve also considered another proven principle: it’s younger people that move and migrate, but they also revolt and drive unrest, much more than older people.

EUROPE - The most important task for Europe in the upcoming years is to show its people that it can protect them. EPP Group’s Chairman Manfred Weber lays out his ambitious political plans for a Europe that protects its people, preserves its unique way of life, and that is fit for the future.

RUSSIA - The dry spell of Russia’s diplomacy in Europe that set in after the outbreak of the Ukraine crisis in 2014 also appears to be the opening of a new chapter. Germany has had more engagements with Russia than unaligned, historically pro-Russia Serbia this year.

GERMANY - Germany is outraged. Only hours after right-wing media outlet Breitbart released an interview with the new US ambassador to Germany, Richard Grenell, some are calling for his expulsion. In it, the Donald Trump appointee expressed his desire to empower conservative, anti-establishment movements in Europe. Many of his talking points would have roused applause from the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party: the passages referencing a silent majority, the welfare of the average worker, as well as those criticizing Germany's current refugee policies and describing an out of touch political elite. As difficult as it is to accept: the EU's former ally has become a danger to its internal unity. It is unheard of that an ambassador would so explicitly interfere with the internal affairs of his host country...

EUROPE - Following massive pressure from Berlin, Italy's new government has renounced on appointing a well-known euroskeptic to become economy and finance minister. The renowned economist Paolo Savona must accept a less prominent post as Minister for European Affairs - above all because he criticizes Germany's blatant policy of domination at the expense of the other euro zone countries. The far right Lega Nord is now almost as strongly represented in Rome's government as the 5-Star Movement: Due to Germany's open interference, Lega's poll ratings have soared, thereby significantly increasing its political clout. According to German media with wide circulation, Italy's policy "concerns all of us" - "Interfere!"

AUSTRIA - The Russian president is heading to Austria, where he’s sure to get a warm welcome. Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz [said] “We want to be a bridge between East and West and keep the lines of communication to Russia open”. The visit is full of symbolic importance for both sides. Fifty years ago this month, Austria became the first Western European country to sign a natural gas deal with the Soviet Union, a commercial arrangement that survives to this day. Next month, Austria takes over the rotating EU presidency, just as Russia has begun making signals that it wants to engage more with Europe. It sees Vienna as an important ally.  “The bilateral relations between Russia and Austria are developing very well,” Dmitri Ljubinski, Russia’s ambassador to Vienna, told Austrian radio. “We have a very good dialogue …”

USA - The world's push towards de-dollarization continues to accelerate as Americans go about their daily lives worrying more about blasphemous comedians, participation trophies, and Kim and Kanye's traitorous behavior.