ITALY - "Europe will be forged in crises” wrote Jean Monnet, one of the founding fathers of the European Union, in 1976, “and will be the sum of the solutions adopted for those crises.” Less than fifty years later, the first part of Monnet’s prophecy has certainly been fulfilled. Excessive fiscal austerity and the long stagnation of the 2010s, the tragic spectacle of the refugee crisis, and the insurgencies of far-right populist parties across Europe seemed more than enough to test the bloc’s crisis management skills and political unity throughout the last decade. Then came COVID-19, which is still tormenting the public health systems of Europe’s member states, and Vladimir Putin’s imperialist war, which has provided the bloc with yet another stress test. With no change of pace on the part of Letta’s Democrats, nor any contenders able to represent left-wing positions, the coming elections of March 2023 will either see the Democrats lead yet another centrist government with right-wing allies or the long-postponed victory of the far right. Either way, the crisis is here to stay.

USA - Dr Peter Pry (Executive Director of the Task Force on National and Homeland Security) warns that the consequences – of not being prepared for this event – are much more severe than one may think: “within a year of an EMP event at least 2 thirds of the US population will perish from starvation, disease and social collapse”. Former CIA double agent (Reza Kahlili) who spent time in the Iranian Army confirmed that the Iranians have conducted missile tests of ships in the Caspian Sea that are consistent with an EMP attack: “They are going to get to the Gulf of Mexico with ballistic missiles and they can launch one at a moment’s notice and they wouldn’t care about the repercussions”. Mostly because they can sink the vessel leaving no traces and because the US won’t be able to retaliate!

VATICAN - In his latest Fratelli Tutti (Brothers All) encyclical letter, Pope Francis issues a plea for the nations of the world to hand their reins of power over to the United Nations, which Francis says will lead us all into the New World Order. Since globalism has already succeeded at weakening the power of individual nation states through the trans-nationalization of their respective economic and financial sectors, the time is ripe to cement into place a system of global governance that can never be undone, Francis contends.

VATICAN - Pope Francis offered to meet with Putin but for some reason Putin has not replied. Now the Pope has suddenly gone from supporting Ukraine in its war with Russia to suggesting Putin was responding to NATO’s aggressive moves in Ukraine. Umberto Pascali sent the following message about the Pope’s reactions to the war in Ukraine. He sees the Pope suddenly changing course on the subject. He shares that the Pope went from supporting the West in getting involved in the war, to now claiming he can see why Russia invaded Ukraine. Italian observers with an insight on the situation have no doubt: the “surprising” statements of Bergoglio means that his friends in the top of the global oligarchy are scared. The Ukrainian war is not going that way they thought and now the European Union is slowly breaking down in the face of energy shortage, while the nazistoid regime of Kiev is losing the war. Why the sudden change from Pope Francis? This Pope goes from backing Ukraine in the war with Russia to seeing Russia’s side in the matter. You would think the Pope would call for peace.

UNITED NATIONS - The United Nations Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, said Monday he looks forward to congratulating Pope Francis personally for his important work in environmentalism, multilateralism, and immigration. In an interview with the Italian daily La Stampa, Guterres, who has been described as the Vatican’s “ally” at the United Nations, reiterated his opposition to the pro-sovereignty movement as well as his shared worldview with Pope Francis. “I wanted to meet with the Holy Father to express my appreciation for his work,” said Guterres, who will soon visit the pope. “He is a strong voice on the climate crisis, on poverty and inequality, on multilateralism, on the protection of refugees and migrants, on disarmament and many other important issues.” “Through his work, the Pope is contributing to reaching many of our objectives, including the Sustainable Development Goals, combating climate change and promoting a culture of peace,” he added.

USA - One of the reasons for the drop is East Coast refinery capacity has plunged over the last decade, "leaving the region vulnerable to squeezes," according to Bloomberg's Javier Blas. In the past 15 years, the number of refineries on the US East coast has halved to just seven. The closures have reduced the region's oil processing capacity to just 818,000 barrels per day, down from 1.64 million barrels per day in 2009. Total US refinery utilization capacity has plunged from 96% in February to 86% at the end of April. Also, the US has halted energy imports from Russia.

USA - Disturbing videos on TikTok show teachers bragging about how they initiate classroom discussions on sexual orientation and gender identity. While it is not known what grade cohorts these people who claim to be teachers preside over, some proudly talk about the need to introduce sexualized content to children as young as three years old. “Kids as young as three and four are actually aware of their gender identity,” one explained. “They are very aware of who they like and who they don’t like. They are very much ready for these topics and are way more accepting than adults when it comes to discussing these topics.” “Research says that there is no age too young to talk about pretty much anything,” said a man who appeared to be an education official giving a lecture to colleagues. “If they know about it, they are ready to learn about it.” “My classroom is one of the gayest places probably on the planet,” one individual declared. “Everything is explicitly queer.”

INDIA - An unexpected blast of extreme heat in India – a highly unusual event this early in the season – has taken out a sizable amount of the country’s wheat crop. The second-most populous country in the world is now attempting to assess the damage, and experts worry that India may have to increase its imports to make up for yield shortfalls that will occur come harvest time. Will this be possible, though? The world is already reeling from a supply chain shock linked to Russia’s war in Ukraine. Both Russia and Ukraine are heavy exporters of wheat and other food crops, and both nations are now capping or banning exports as part of new protectionist measures.

ETHIOPIA - April is meant to be one of the wettest months of the year in Hargududo, but there has hardly been a drop of rain in the region in 18 months. The lack of rain has killed nearly 1.5 million cattle, around two-thirds of them in Ethiopia's Somali region, disintegrating the local nomadic way of life and pushing 20 million people toward starvation.

USA - Many experts have been explaining the record inflation the US is facing simply on ‘supply chain issues’ caused by COVID-19, but these disruptions in the supply chain were not merely a spontaneous effect of a pandemic. In early 2020, the federal government declared a national emergency, and the entire country shut down for months, which produced the initial supply chain issues that led to many of the problems we’re experiencing today.

ITALY - General Leonardo Tricarico, former Chief of Staff of the Italian Air Force and current President of the ICSA Foundation, says about the Ukrainian conflict: “Neutrality? I completely agree. And I believe that before we carry out threats from both sides to escalate the conflict in NATO, we must ensure that this conflict ends. And from this point of view, I do not see the commitment of anyone, on the contrary I see a whole series of arsonists who do the exact opposite”.

AUSTRIA - Austria has just broken from what was looking like an emerging EU consensus on Ukraine’s membership bid, with Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg announcing Vienna’s opposition on Sunday at the 14th European media summit. Underscoring Austria’s commitment to neutrality as a central element to Ukraine’s “self-definition”, he asserted that Ukraine’s application for candidate status should be rejected by the 27-country economic and political union. “We don’t belong to any military alliance and we don’t want to,” he stressed in the speech, instead urging a “different way” for Ukraine to deepen its ties with Europe, strongly suggesting that EU membership for Ukraine would unnecessarily deepen Europe’s involvement in the conflict amid the Russian invasion. He called Austria “militarily neutral, but not politically” on the issue of the Russian war in Ukraine. Additionally, Schallenberg went so far as to spell out that Ukraine shouldn’t be granted membership even in the future.

GERMANY - German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has said that Berlin won’t take the lead in sending heavy weapons and vehicles to Ukraine. Pressed to do so by officials in Kiev and from within his own government, Scholz insisted that he won’t take any “hasty action” that could broaden the ongoing conflict. “I make my decisions quickly and coordinate them with our allies,” Scholz told tabloid Bild am Sonntag in an interview published on Sunday. “I am suspicious of hasty action and German solo efforts.”

USA - Bill Gates has announced the creation of a pandemic “GERM” team that will monitor sovereign nations and decide when they need to suspend people’s civil liberties, force them to wear masks, and close borders. “We need a permanent organization of experts who are fully paid and prepared to mount a coordinated response to a dangerous outbreak at any time. In my book, I propose that we call this group the GERM — Global Epidemic Response and Mobilization — team,” writes Gates on his website.

ISRAEL - In an urgent, vital and plaintive speech Tuesday night, delivered in front of the Western Wall at the start of Israel’s annual ceremonies for fallen soldiers and victims of terrorism, President Isaac Herzog reminded the watching, mourning nation that those of “our sons and daughters” who have fallen in the defense of our glorious reborn nation, “fought together and fell together. They did not ask, nor did anyone ask them, who was right-wing and who was left-wing; who was religious, who was secular; who was Jewish and who was not Jewish,” he went on. “They fell as Israelis, defending Israel. In cemeteries, arguments fall silent…”