USA - Let me first explain the seriousness of the situation, and then I will describe the latest news and signs about food shortages… Decreasing incomes, record unemployment figures, a collapsed and hopeless American economy, a fake stock market bubble with red flags everywhere, and the US dollar, with a value that decreases day by day… These are just some of the early signs pointing us toward what is to come. Forget the past economic and social disasters we have experienced. If I said that the health crisis was a walk in the park compared to what’s coming, maybe then you’ll really understand the severity of the situation that will unravel over the next few months. The food bank situation in the US is deplorable. In many states, food banks are working above capacity. Officials are talking about the dramatic increase in the number of families requiring food. Every week, new families arrive at the food bank. Although the situation seems sustainable for a while thanks to donations and volunteers, many food banks will soon be unable to respond to this increasing demand. When that occurs, what will these people do?

EGYPT - The world’s largest integrated shipping company has warned that the Suez blockage has already triggered a series of further disruptions and the ramifications on shipping and the global supply chain may take months to unravel.

USA - Even though owned by Facebook, Instagram far exceeds its parent in selling users’ personal information to third parties. As the oil of the 21st Century, Technocrats obsess over data, its collection, its analysis, its distribution and sale. We’ve all experienced this: one second you’re watching a product review on YouTube and the next you see an advert for exactly that product in your Instagram feed. While it still feels like some kind of dark magic is at work there, we’ve pretty much gotten used to this type of thing by now – even though there are instances when it still feels a bit spooky, especially when you’re certain you’ve only talked about a product or mentioned it in a personal message. The truth of the matter is, as Statista’s Felix Richter notes, the apps and websites we’re using collect vast amounts of data about us, and, in many cases, this data is even passed on to third parties. This of course, shouldn’t happen without permission, which is why we usually have to agree to a long list of terms and conditions before using an app.

USA - What’s going on in the stock markets this weekend? A massive sale of nearly $20 billion in stocks by Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley on Friday are causing market gurus to scratch their heads. The RT.com reported today: Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley have reportedly sold $19 billion worth of shares in Chinese tech and US media companies. Traders are now wondering what caused the unusually massive move and whether it will continue next week. These are huge transactions at any time. Experts are suspicious because of their size and the companies involved. Will these transactions impact these stocks’ prices on Monday? We think likely.

ISRAEL - A senior Israeli military official has declared on Friday that his country has the ability to "completely destroy Iran's nuclear programme." Tal Kalman, head of the Strategic Division and the Third-Circle Directorate of the Israeli army, told Israel Today that 2020 was a "good" year concerning war against Iran. Kalman added: "I do not want to call it a year of transformation, but it [was] a year of great change. It started with the assassination of Qasem Soleimani and continued with a series of events that I cannot comment on most of the time, which made the balance positive, and very positive."

USA - President Joe Biden has said the US will lead the world by the “power of our example.” California is now making children worship Aztec gods of human sacrifice and there’s a viral campaign for $1,000 custom ‘Satan’ sneakers. For a mere $1,018, some 666 “lucky” Americans will be able to buy “Satan shoes,” a Devil-themed modification of Nike’s 1997 Air Max sneakers, on March 29. The air bubble inside will be filled with red ink and “one drop of human blood,” according to a promotional tweet that went viral on Friday.

USA - A Washington Post “On Parenting” article this week featured “experts” who advised parents it is never too early to start raising woke children. Natalie Jesionka at the Post shared some of the resources available to help parents raise children who will fit in with woke culture: You can enroll in a music class (virtually now) that develops understanding of gender and personhood. A drag queen story time will soon be a television show. And there are more and more children’s books that discuss intersectionality and broaden representation, plus flashcards and short videos that teach parent and toddler about anti-racism ideas.

UK - A project in Manchester is one of many across the UK aimed at elderly LGBTs. But with the world striving for an ever more inclusive society, is it wise to create communities hived off from everyone else? And is it even legal? Canal Street is the beating heart of Manchester’s gay scene, and has been for decades. Canal Street was probably the best place in the city for a night out, too, gay or straight. Live and let live, and all that. Not so today, it seems. Manchester city council has just backed “a first of a kind” £20-million development for older LGBT+ people to live in a“safe and vibrant” environment. Iain Scott, a 62 year-old gay man who lives in Manchester with his partner of some 40-years, runs an LGBT website in the city, focused on the Canal Street ‘gay village,’ and he is a supporter of the new initiative. “What we all know is that, politically and socially, the LGBT community has seen a major drive forward over the last 20 or 30 years,” he told RT.com. “And almost every week there’s evidence of some new initiative and I think housing fits in with that."

UK - Letting a Muslim mob dictate what’s taught in a UK school is a shocking capitulation that breeds intolerance and endangers teachers. Batley Grammar School’s decision to suspend a teacher who showed pupils an image of the Prophet Mohammed is an act of shameful cowardice. We cannot allow angry activists of any persuasion to determine the school curriculum.

USA - The current immigration surge along the US-Mexico border could be a whole lot worse — 42-times worse. That’s because a new survey of Latin American nations found that 42 million living in the 33 countries want in. Gallup said that 27% of all those living in Latin America and the Caribbean, 120 million people, want to leave. And, said the polling company, “Of those who want to leave their country permanently, 35% — or 42 million — said they want to go to the United States.” That would more than double the 40-million foreign-born immigrants in the US. In his “Chairman’s Blog,” Gallup chief Jim Clifton said, “In addition to finding a solution for the thousands of migrants currently at the border, let's include the bigger, harder question — what about all of those who would like to come? What is the message to them? What is the 10-year plan? 330 million US citizens are wondering. So are 42 million Latin Americans.”

ISRAEL - Already in trouble with Jordan, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu escalated tensions with his country’s closest Arab ally on Friday by unilaterally rejecting its request to increase water supply to the drought-hit kingdom. Netanyahu’s decision – reportedly influenced by a souring of his personal relationship with Jordanian King Abdullah II – went against the security services recommendation to avoid risking historic water-sharing agreements critical to peace in the region. According to the Haaretz newspaper, Netanyahu did not “respond positively even though professionals in water matters and defense establishment officials recommended acceding to the request.” In accordance with the 1994 peace agreement between the two neighbours, Israel routinely supplies the kingdom with water it pumps out of the Jordan river. There has also been a tacit understanding between the countries that Amman could ask for – and would be granted – additional amounts during dry seasons.

GUATEMALA - Guatemalan volcano Pacaya, which has been active for two months, coated cars with ash in the nation’s capital and caused aircraft to be grounded at the main airport. The volcano, which lies 25 km (15.5 miles) from the capital, Guatemala City, has been active for more than 50 days, ejecting plumes of thick smoke and rocks. The eruption on Tuesday left ash on cars and sidewalks in the city, as authorities closed La Aurora International Airport, diverting a least one flight to neighboring El Salvador. Reuters reported that volcanic ash coated the entire surface of a plane on the tarmac. Guatemala’s national disaster management agency said that Pacaya was releasing ash up to 3,500 metres in the air. Officials said they were monitoring the lava flow and the ash fall above six villages.

EGYPT - The Ever Given cargo carrier which ran aground on the banks of the Suez Canal has moved for the first time in five days - as authorities today admitted 'human error' may be to blame for the blockage. Osama Rabie, Egypt's Suez Canal Authority chief, confirmed efforts to dislodge the container ship from the critical trade route had allowed for its stern and rudder to move, adding he could not predict when it would be refloated. Analysts say an estimated £290 million worth of trade is being held up every hour the ship remains wedged across the canal. The backlog of vessels could stress European ports and the international supply of containers, already strained by the coronavirus pandemic, according to IHS Markit, a business research group. It said 49 container ships were scheduled to pass through the canal in the week since the Ever Given became lodged. A prolonged closure of the crucial waterway would cause delays in the global shipment chain. It is particularly crucial for transporting oil. The closure could affect oil and gas shipments to Europe from the Middle East.

USA - A few days ago a Muslim Syrian immigrant to the United States walked into a Jewish Kosher grocery store in Boulder, Colorado, and shot up the place. Ten people are dead. The shooter is in custody. Per Pete Williams of MSNBC, federal sources recently told him they see no evidence that the mass shooting was a terror attack or terrorism-related. The list of such statements is virtually endless. To the Times and most other corporate media outlets, it seems this is a mystery without any clues.

EGYPT - A giant container ship the length of four football pitches has become wedged across Egypt's Suez Canal, blocking one of the world's busiest trade routes. Dozens of vessels are stuck, waiting for rescue boats to free the 400m-long (1,312ft) ship, which was knocked off course by strong winds. Egypt has reopened the canal's older channel to divert some traffic until the grounded ship can move again. The blockage sent oil prices climbing on international markets. About 12% of global trade passes through the Suez Canal, which connects the Mediterranean to the Red Sea and provides the shortest sea link between Asia and Europe. Reuters, quoting local sources, says there are at least 30 ships blocked to the north of the Ever Given, and three to the south.