MIDDLE EAST - The winds of war in the Middle East, specifically pitting Iran against Saudi Arabia, are turning into a full-blown sandstorm. And the latest evidence of this comes from a surprising source: An interview in a Saudi newspaper.
MIDDLE EAST - PLO members and their organizations won’t accept the peace deal reportedly being drafted by Trump administration officials, including Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, several PLO members told Breitbart Jerusalem in a series of interviews. Waleed Awad, a member of the Palestinian People’s Party (the former communist party) said, “…Despite the fact that many people in many countries are working to sell the plan, the Palestinian organizations oppose any deal that doesn’t ensure Palestinians the creation of an independent state and sovereignty over the 1967 borders with Jerusalem as their capital.”
ITALY - When a candidate for a neo-fascist party, CasaPound, won a seat this month on the municipal council of the Roman suburb of Ostia, many Italians were startled. But they really took notice days later when a television reporter arrived to interview a CasaPound supporter — a supporter who happened to belong to one of the area’s most feared crime families — and received a vicious, nationally broadcast head butt that broke his nose.
ZIMBABWE - As the world waits to see what Zimbabwe's military will do next after seizing control of the country and detaining President Robert Mugabe, we look at some of the key things you should know about the country and its current situation.
UK - Sea creatures in one of the deepest places on Earth have been found for the first time with plastic fibres in their stomachs. Crustaceans almost seven miles down in the darkest depths of the Pacific Ocean are eating plastic, scientists have confirmed. The finding, which is the deepest possible record of microplastics, means nothing living in the world's seas is now likely to be untouched by manmade rubbish. Every creature sampled at the bottom of the Mariana Trench in the Pacific had swallowed microscopic fragments including nylon, polyethylene and polyvinyls similar to PVC. Dr Alan Jamieson, from Newcastle University, who led the study, called the results 'immediate and startling'.
USA - A startling and honestly distressing view is beginning to receive serious consideration in both academic and popular discussions of climate change ethics. According to this view, having a child is a major contributor to climate change. The logical takeaway here is that everyone on Earth ought to consider having fewer children. Although culturally controversial, the scientific half of this position is fairly well-established. Several years ago, scientists showed that having a child, especially for the world’s wealthy, is one of the worst things you can do for the environment. That data was recycled this past summer in a paper showing that none of the activities most likely to reduce individuals’ carbon footprints are widely discussed.
USA - Only a sliver of Americans eat enough fresh fruits and vegetables, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Just 12% of Americans eat the minimum daily fruit recommendation of one and a half to two cups per day, and only 9% consume the minimum daily vegetable recommendation of two to three cups per day, according to the study, published on Thursday. “The study confirms years of data demonstrating that Americans do not eat their veggies,” Marion Nestle, a professor of nutrition and food studies at New York University, told the Guardian. “Assuming this result is close to reality, it suggests the need for taking much stronger action to make it easier and cheaper to eat fruits and vegetables.”
EGYPT - Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, for the second time in as many days, delivered on Saturday a stern warning to Ethiopia over a dam it is building after the two countries along with Sudan failed to approve a study on its potential effects. Ethiopia is finalizing construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, its first major dam on the Blue Nile, and will eventually start filling the giant reservoir behind it to power Africa’s largest hydroelectric dam. Egypt fears that will cut into its water supply, destroying parts of its precious farmland and squeezing its population of 94 million people, who already face water shortages. The Nile provides over 90 percent of Egypt’s water supply. It already receives the lion’s share of Nile waters — more than 55 billion of the around 88 billion cubic meters of water that flow down the river each year.
USA - Silicon Valley exec has created a new religion that will worship a ‘godhead’ based on artificial intelligence. I know that the headline sounds absolutely crazy, but this is actually a true story. A Silicon Valley executive named Anthony Levandowski has already filed paperwork with the IRS for the nonprofit corporation that is going to run this new religion.
SAUDI ARABIA - Saudi Arabia just introduced a 70% wealth tax. It did so in a most original way… As we noted shortly after the Crown Prince’s purge of potential rivals within Saudi Arabia’s sprawling ruling family, while the dozens of arrests were made under the pretext of an "anti-corruption crackdown", Mohammed bin Salman’s ulterior motive was something else entirely: Replenishing the Kingdom’s depleted foreign reserves, which have been hammered for the past three years by low oil prices, with some estimating that the current purge could potentially bring in up to $800 billion in proceeds.
EUROPE - Amid an atmosphere of growing uncertainty between the US and EU ever since Donald Trump took control in Washington, Brussels is pushing ahead with its long-awaited plan for an integrated European fighting force.
GERMANY - Angela Merkel is facing make-or-break coalition talks which could decide her future as chancellor of Germany. Negotiations were expected to last late into Thursday night as Mrs Merkel tries to form a new government following damaging losses in September’s election. With the parties still deeply divided hours ahead of a Friday morning deadline, Mrs Merkel’s political future has begun to be questioned for the first time. If the talks cannot reach agreement, Germany could face new elections — and Mrs Merkel could face a challenge to her leadership from within her own party.
ISRAEL - Israel will stop at nothing to contain Iran, even if it has to act alone, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said. The PM accused Tehran of plotting to destroy Israel from Syria, where it has been helping fight terrorists at the government's invitation. Iran is scheming to entrench itself militarily in Syria, Netanyahu claimed as he addressed the Jewish Federation of North America’s General Assembly in Los Angeles via a video conference on Tuesday.
JAPAN - “Keep cancers a secret” say doctors — “We’re getting leukemia and cataracts and we die suddenly” — “Students having sudden heart attacks” — Officials “actively ignoring” reports of illness and death…
USA - Despite all the scandals and hysteria, it appears that humans are indeed causing climate change. However, it is not because of lawnmowers, driving, or having the audacity to keep their houses at a comfortable temperature; nor does it have anything to do with human-produced Co2.