USA - Dr Foresman compared today’s medical training, which forces most doctors into huge debts, as “the indoctrination, almost the indentured servitude of the average physician” coming out of medical school. “Today’s doctor, they’re spending hundreds of thousands of dollars, and then when you go through medical school and residency, and you put your life on the line, you’ve been on call every four nights – you’ve had some of the worst nights of your life overnight in the ICUs, and I have, you do not like to come out of that training, and think you don’t have all the knowledge. So you start to act like you do. Even when you haven’t had training in that area.”

USA - Suddenly, volcanoes all over the globe are shooting giant clouds of ash miles into the air, and this is greatly puzzling many of the experts. Let’s review what we have witnessed over the past 7 days.

IRAN - Iran has been at war with the West since the Islamic Revolution of 1979, but the West has refused to acknowledge it. Over the intervening years, as Iran has become more dangerous, the West did not much more than to try to appease it. President Barack Obama’s Iran nuclear deal, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), was perhaps the worst example of that. ...The policy of appeasing Iran has now brought us to the brink of war.

IRAN - There is a version of Iran peddled by influential officials in the US and elsewhere in the West that Iran has a “moderate” political leadership waiting to emerge as the country’s true face while exerting a countervailing pressure on its fanatical clerics. This delusion is belied by the government’s actions and by the public statements of its true power brokers like Soleimani, who left no question about the absolutism of his loyalties and the zealotry of his murderous ambitions. The elimination of Soleimani restored an element of American and Israeli deterrence power, but it could further stoke tensions in the region and have far-reaching security implications.

ISRAEL - Historically, at the end of major wars, the great powers in the world have drawn together to consider two questions. First, what brought states to enter the last conflict to begin with and second, how the same kind of war can be averted in the future. It is well known that at the end of the Thirty Years War in 1648, the first time these questions were considered was in Westphalia, in what was to become Germany. ...Then there is the case of Israel. The League of Nations Mandate that came out of the San Remo document from 1920, spoke about the “historical connection of the Jewish people with Palestine,” It called for “reconstituting” the Jewish national home. Yet today with what is called the delegitimization of Israel, what was axiomatic 100 years ago is regularly being questioned in many international bodies from UNESCO to the UN Human Rights Council.

ISRAEL - The machine, which resembles a typical water cooler, taps into atmospheric water using patented heat-exchange technology and can produce up to 30 liters of drinkable water every day. It is designed especially for homes and offices. “GENNY” eliminates the waste caused by drinking bottled water, significantly reducing plastic usage and disposal, and makes water always available on demand. Also, according to Watergen, “the water produced by ‘GENNY’ provides consumers with higher-quality water than the water that runs through filtration systems attached to municipal water lines. It eliminates concerns of corroded water pipes that could lead to higher-than-normal levels of lead in drinking water. Watergen’s ‘GENNY’ additionally works as a home air-purifier, circulating clean air back into the room as part of the water-generation process.” “GENNY” was also awarded a CES Best of Innovation Award in 2019.

RUSSIA - Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke with German Chancellor Angela Merkel at a joint press conference about ending the ongoing conflicts in Libya, saying peace talks are already happening and will continue. Libya peace talks are planned for Berlin, Putin and Merkel announced, following calls for a ceasefire in the country. “It’s time to make the necessary measures to find a timely end to this war, to overcome the division inside the country and to form unified state institutions,” Putin said on Saturday. Warring factions in Libya began fighting for power following a US-led NATO intervention to overthrow the government of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. The nation has also become a safe haven for terrorists in the ensuing chaos. General Khalifa Haftar, leader of the Libyan National Army, controls much of the country, warring with the Government of National Accord (GNA), which is the internationally recognized authority in the country.

USA - In her meticulously referenced testimony submitted to the Massachusetts legislature which is considering whether to eliminate religious exemptions from the childhood vaccination schedule, Meryl Nass, MD, board member of the Alliance for Human Research Protection, laid out the facts to refute the Pharma-orchestrated propaganda about vaccines.

PHILIPPINES - The Taal volcano could cause further devastation in the Philippines as the Alert Level rose from three to four after it caused volcanic tremors and earthquakes. As the volcanic activity intensified, two volcanic earthquakes of magnitudes M2.5 and M3.9 were created. They were felt in Tagaytay City and Alitagtag at 6.15pm and 6.22pm local time. The Department of Science and Technology at the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (DOST-PHIVOLCS) released the warning, raising the Alert Levels. Releasing a statement on Twitter the organisation urged people to evacuate. About 8,000 residents were ordered to evacuate, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council. The eruption produced terrifying lightning strikes in the ash cloud above its crater. Volcanic lightning is an electrical discharge caused by a volcanic eruption, rather than from an ordinary thunderstorm.

GERMANY - As Trump pushes his weight around, Russia-Germany relations defrost. Angela Merkel’s visit to Moscow is far from a courtesy call. Germany and Russia’s political relations are thawing. It’s good news for all Europeans. As Iran and the United States seemingly limbered up for war, Russia and Germany, as the continent’s two most powerful countries, have a special responsibility to protect it from any fallout.

AUSTRIA - Washington has become an increasingly unreliable partner for its European allies, Austria’s Chancellor Sebastian Kurz has said, adding that the European Union remains a “weak” player on the world stage. “The balance of power is shifting internationally,” Kurz told lawmakers as he presented his new government, formed after his conservative People’s Party struck a coalition deal with the Greens.

EUROPE - With Brexit looming, new European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is facing a huge challenge to absorb the costs of the UK’s departure from the bloc alongside a “whole range of problems”, from slow growth across the Eurozone to the behaviour of “rogue members” such as Poland and Hungary, a political analyst has said. He told Express.co.uk: “The EU has a whole range of problems and Brexit is just one on a list." In a reference to Hungary and Poland, both of whom are facing sanctions under the EU’s Article 7 over controversial legal reforms, Prof Travers said: “There are a whole range of problems - they have got slightly rogue members, members who are not actually behaving in ways that proper democracies are expected to. So against that backdrop, Brexit is on a list of big issues but it is by no means the only one. It’s true that losing the UK’s money will make their budget a bit more difficult though in fairness less money will go out as well."

EUROPE - European Council President Charles Michel today admitted the EU faces a challenge to remain united during its future relationship talks with Britain. Speaking at the launch of Croatia’s rotating EU presidency, Mr Michel said: “It will be very important, like the first phase, to guarantee the unity… to guarantee the transparency of member states in order to get that deal.” He added: “Unity requires permanent effort at the European level and we know when we have to negotiate a budget it is always complex and difficult, especially difficult at a European level because we face the Brexit gap. I am confident… I am confident because I feel at a European level there’s a strong commitment to make progress together.” According to the European Commission’s assessment, the Brexit gap accounts for around £11 billion per year.

IRAN - The Ukrainian passenger jet that crashed after takeoff from Tehran was downed due to "human error" after it flew too close to a military site and triggered a missile launch amid a standoff with the US, the Iranian Army said. The Army General Staff stressed that the tragic mistake was made amid the flare-up of tensions with Washington. The nation's air defenses were placed on alert and ready to "respond to possible threats of the highest level," after US President Donald Trump warned that the Pentagon would strike targets on Iranian soil if US citizens or assets were attacked by Iran.

PAKISTAN - Pakistan has violated a ceasefire with India after one person was killed and three other injured, with the Indian army now responding “strongly and effectively”. This is the latest escalation in tensions between the two feuding Asian countries and the second time Pakistan has violated a ceasefire in the last two weeks. The Indian army responded immediately on December 27 after Pakistan broke a ceasefire in the Shahpur sector of the Poonch district, and Naushera in Rajouri district along the Line of Control (LoC). The Pakistan Army fired on Indian posts along the LoC, triggering a strong retaliation from the Indian army.