VATICAN - Pope Francis is urging the faithful to use the coronavirus pandemic’s “time of trial” to prepare for a future where inequalities are abolished and the poorest are no longer left behind. “This is not some ideology,” Francis said. “It is Christianity.” Francis traveled a few blocks outside the Vatican walls on Sunday to celebrate Mass at a nearby church to mark a special feast day dedicated to mercy. Only a few priests were in the pews given Italy’s strict virus lockdown. In his homily, Francis said the grave, global toll of the pandemic has reminded the world that there are no borders between those who suffer, no differences in nationalities among those who are struck or spared. “We are all frail, all equal, all precious,” he said. “May we be profoundly shaken by what is happening all around us,” he said from the altar of the Santo Spirito church. “The time has come to eliminate inequalities, to heal the injustice that is undermining the health of the entire human family!”

EUROPE - European Union solidarity has buckled under the weight of the coronavirus pandemic, with a Danish official exposing how the bloc's member states have looked after their own interests during the crisis. Lars Thuesen, Denmark’s ambassador to the UK, insisted the priority of all European Union member states was first and foremost the welfare of their own citizens amid outrage over the bloc’s shameful treatment of founding nation Italy during the coronavirus outbreak.

EUROPE - The new coronavirus appears to be tearing apart the fragile framework of the European Union. "Europe" said the former Commission chief and a EU godfather, Jacques Delors, "is in "mortal danger". If citizens feel themselves abandoned at the heart of the pandemic, said Former French Prime Minister Manuel Valls, the EU could "collapse". The EU objective was evidently supposed to be an "ever closer union". But now, if the EU does not show solidarity and strength at a time of global crisis, what is the EU's purpose? Its ideological supporters have a mantra: each new problem must be solved by more Europe. "Europe is our future, we have no other", Germany's former Foreign Minister Hans-Dietrich Genscher once said.

IRAN - Iran’s defense ministry unveiled a mass of new drones over the weekend for Iran’s army and air force. The drones have new capabilities, Tehran says, saying they can fly more than 1,000 km, which means they can reach Israel from Iran. Iran has been producing drones since the 1980s and is an innovator in drone warfare. It used 25 drones and cruise missiles to attack Saudi Arabia last September and has flown drones into Israeli airspace in the past. This would rival the best drones that the US and other countries are now using. These drones have a range of up to 1,500 kilometers he said and can fly for several hours. It is a message to Israel, the US and allies: We can reach you.

ISRAEL - While coronavirus closures are coaxing wildlife into the abandoned streets of many a metropolis, in one Israeli city the four-legged interlopers are assertive and, well, quite boorish. Wild boars, some as bulky as Rottweilers and travelling in family packs, have been trotting through Haifa in increasing numbers. Their once-nocturnal visitations now take place throughout the day, as they root through refuse, spook domestic pets and even block roads. The visitation, since nationwide lockdowns came into effect this month, has revived debate among residents of the hilly port city as to policy regarding the pests. "We are scared to go out, even to throw out the garbage. I don't know which way the boars will come," Meirav Litani, a music instructor, said as a boar loomed in the distance. "They come here and turn over our garbage dumpsters ... This is lack of protection. We actually feel defenceless."

GERMANY - In view of the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, the German media are stepping up their blame on China by moving to openly ask for compensation. The People's Republic "has caused the pandemic", this is what the mainstream media repeatedly say. And the Springer press insists on "compensation" by headlining "What China already owes us". The agitation began when it became apparent that the People's Republic of China was able to overcome the crisis more lightly than the Western powers and their global rise is likely to continue, while the transatlantic states are in danger of being thrown back by their totally inadequate preparation for the pandemic. The claims are accompanied by a massive anti-Chinese sentiment; just to make an example, it is currently stated that Peking follows a "strategy of unrestricted warfare", already formulated by the Chinese military a good two decades ago.

EUROPE - The European Union will collapse unless Brussels comes to the rescue of its ailing economies to the tune of hundreds of billions, the French President has warned. Emmanuel Macron insisted Brussels had “no choice” but to set up a rescue fund that allows member states to share the debt burden of their coronavirus pandemic with richer neighbours.

USA - Hit by more than 100 tornadoes on Easter weekend, the Southeast is bracing for another round of severe storms on Sunday. Southern states from Texas to the Carolinas are at risk for damaging winds, hail, and strong tornadoes Sunday. Overall, 35 million people face the threat of severe storms from eastern Texas to South Carolina. For cities like Montgomery, Alabama, and Jackson, Mississippi, a level 4 out of 5 severe threat exists, where strong tornadoes (EF2 or stronger) are possible, along with large hail (tennis ball size or larger).

USA - A drought, equal to the worst to have hit the western US in recorded history, is already under way, say scientists. Researchers say the megadrought is a naturally occurring event that started in the year 2000 and is still ongoing. Climate change, though, is having a major impact with rising temperatures making the drought more severe.

USA - Exploding federal spending prompted by the US government’s response to the CCP virus pandemic will force the annual deficit to at least $3.8 trillion this year, according to projections by the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget (CFRB).

ETHIOPIA - The development comes as Ethiopia and other African countries brace for a second wave of locusts. The first infestation was described by officials as the worst in 70 years, with swarms reaching the size of a megalopolis. UN experts say the upcoming wave could be 20 times larger than the first one. One million people in Ethiopia are facing a food crisis following an invasion of locusts that damaged 500 acres of cropland, said the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) in a statement. This number adds to the 8.5 million people in Ethiopia who are already in dire need of humanitarian assistance. Locusts also devastated other countries in Africa, including Somalia, Kenya, Djibouti, Eritrea, Tanzania, Sudan, South Sudan, and Uganda. The United Nations has called for $75 million to tackle the insect crisis in the region.

USA - Former Assistant Treasury Secretary in the Reagan Administration Dr Paul Craig Roberts says, “We need a debt jubilee. Debt jubilees were widely used in the ancient world… Either the system goes into collapse or you write the debts down and you start over… Again, either you paper it over again or you don’t succeed and everything blows up. Again, bailing out debt with more debt is kicking the can down the road. How long can you kick it? We don’t know until we will find out you can’t kick it any further.”

RUSSIA - Forest fires that have been burning for several days in northern Ukraine are now no more than a few kilometres from the abandoned Chernobyl nuclear plant, reports say. Tour operator Yaroslav Emelianenko said one had reached the abandoned town of Pripyat, which used to serve the plant. He said it was now just 2km (1.24 miles) from where the most dangerous waste from the plant was stored. Greenpeace said the fires were much bigger than the authorities realised. The NGO's Russia branch, quoted by Reuters, said the largest fire covered 34,000 hectares, while a second fire just a kilometre from the former plant was 12,000 hectares in area. Mr Emelianenko also said that if the fire engulfed Pripyat it would be an economic disaster, as supervised tourist visits provided valuable revenue.

USA - The CEO of Smithfield Foods has claimed the country's meat supply is at risk as the company is forced to close one of the country's largest pork processing facilities until further notice due to the coronavirus. The facility in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, is closing as a number of its employees have fallen ill with Covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, and is one in a list of plants that have shut down during the crisis. 'The closure of this facility, combined with a growing list of other protein plants that have shuttered across our industry, is pushing our country perilously close to the edge in terms of our meat supply,' the meat processor's CEO Kenneth Sullivan said in a statement on Sunday. 'It is impossible to keep our grocery stores stocked if our plants are not running. These facility closures will also have severe, perhaps disastrous, repercussions for many in the supply chain.'

UK - Ministers fear Britons will not obey instructions to lift the coronavirus lockdown when the time comes despite the risk of lasting damage to the economy, it was revealed today. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has moved to quash the idea of an imminent loosening, with the UK now facing restrictions until at least May 7.