USA - It is rather a surprise to learn that we are all going to die from a viral pandemic, considering that we have all already died from swine flu, bird flu, SARS, and that one time when four people had Ebola. Nonetheless, if media reports are to be believed, we are on the verge of yet another planet-wide outbreak. This time, the imaginary global destruction will happen courtesy of the coronavirus.

USA - As we all know, the “unsinkable” Titanic suffered a glancing collision with an iceberg on the night of April 14, 1912. A half-hour after the iceberg had opened six of the ship’s 16 watertight compartments, it was not at all apparent that the mighty vessel had been fatally wounded, as there was no evidence of damage topside. Indeed, some eyewitnesses reported that passengers playfully scattered the ice left on the foredeck by the encounter.

USA - US President Donald Trump announced his “Deal of the Century” peace plan together with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday in the White House, giving Israel full control of the settlements and Jerusalem as its undivided capital. The plan also established a Palestinian state. “For years, the international community said that if Israel annexes any land in Judea and Samaria, there will be sanctions against us in the UN Security Council,” Netanyahu explained in a press briefing at the Blair House. “Now, America will prevent those sanctions.”

ISRAEL - President Donald Trump unveiled his long-awaited Mideast peace plan Tuesday alongside a beaming Benjamin Netanyahu, presenting a vision that matched the Israeli leader’s hard-line, nationalist views while falling far short of Palestinian ambitions. Trump’s plan envisions a disjointed Palestinian state that turns over key parts of the West Bank to Israel.

ISRAEL - Netanyahu indicted in court on corruption charges after dropping immunity bid. This marks the official start of Mr Netanyahu's prosecution. Even if convicted, Mr Netanyahu would not be required to step down as prime minister until the appeals process was exhausted - something that could take years.

Mr Netanyahu vowed that in due course he would "shatter all the disproportionate claims made by my detractors". "But right now, I will not allow my political opponents to use this matter to interfere with the historic move I am leading." Mr Netanyahu will fly to Moscow to brief Russian President Vladimir Putin on President Trump's peace plan, Israeli officials said.

UK - Boris Johnson has given the green light for Huawei to build non-core elements of Britain's 5G network, sparking concerns over rows with the US and Donald Trump. The Government made the announcement today after lengthy debates over allowing the Chinese firm access to Britain's network. Huawei will be allowed to play a limited role in the UK's 5G network, but will be banned from operating in sensitive sites such as nuclear and military facilities.

GERMANY - Angela Merkel last night demanded an European Union deal allowing Albania and North Macedonia to open membership talks in March. At a joint press conference, the German leader said: “Anyone who looks at the map, who knows the geopolitical context, knows that it is good for everyone if the countries of the Western Balkans also become member states of the European Union one day.” She declared that she wants to strike a deal, which would allow accession talks to begin, at the next European Council summit on March 29. “We will now work hard to achieve the desired results in March,” she said.

CHINA - As The Epoch Times is now reporting, China’s Hubei Province, which encompasses the Wuhan region known as “ground zero” for the coronavirus outbreak, is urgently adding 100,000 hospital beds even as the official infection numbers from the Chinese government are barely above 2,900. “The epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, China’s Hubei Province, is opening up 100,000 hospital beds in an effort to contain the disease, the province’s vice governor announced on January 27,” reports The Epoch Times. This is on the same day that China’s official numbers leapt from 2,901 infected to 4,239 infected, an increase of 46% in just one day. The Chinese government’s official numbers cannot be reconciled with the announcement that 100,000 hospital beds are being urgently added to the regional health care infrastructure. If only three to four thousand people are infected, why build 100,000 additional hospital beds and lock down 17 cities?

USA - Trillions are thrown towards an endless war that kills thousands, yet we can’t afford to spend a penny to help millions of Americans.

Things we can’t afford: healthcare, infrastructure, public transport, education, renewable energy, clean environment, feeding the poor and public elections.

Things we Can afford: Iraq and Afghan wars - $4-6 trillion, Wall street bailouts - $12.8 trillion, Big oil subsidies - $37.5 billion per year and the F35 jet program - $1.5 trillion!

USA - Russian intelligence sources have confirmed that Michael D’ Andrea, the head of US intelligence operations against Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan, has been killed in Taliban’s shoot-down of a US military plane in Ghazni. The downed plane was the mobile CIA command for Michael D’ Andrea, and now, America’s most advanced spy platform and mobile command centre with all equipment and documents are in Taliban’s hands. De Andrea, who was responsible for the assassination of Iran’s top commander Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani, was apparently among the officers on board the plane, the Veterans Today website reports, quoting Russian intelligence sources. Also known as Ayatollah Mike, D’Andrea is the most prominent figure of the CIA intelligence in the region.

USA - US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman was one of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s special guests on his flight Sunday to Washington for the upcoming festive unveiling of the administration’s much-expected “Deal of the Century.” Friedman hinted at the likely contours of the proposal, which, according to various reports, will recognize Israel’s sovereign rights over all of Jerusalem and large parts of the West Bank, but also include a provision for Palestinian statehood, if several conditions are met. More specifically, the proposal is said to give Israel a green light to annex the Jordan Valley and possibly many, if not all, settlements.

USA - US President Donald Trump will release his peace plan for Israel and the Palestinians on Tuesday and for the first time publicize a map outlining the borders of a proposed Palestinian state. Presentation of a detailed map of the borders between Israel and a future Palestinian state is something that no American president has done before, a source involved in drafting the plan told The Jerusalem Post on Monday. Trump will reveal the plan at a ceremony in the East Room of the White House that will be attended by Jewish and Republican leaders. He will be joined onstage by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “This is an opportunity for peace,” Trump said, standing next to Netanyahu upon his arrival to the White House on Monday. “We’ll show a plan that has been worked on by everyone. We’ll see if it catches hold. If it does, that’d be great. If it doesn’t, it’s okay.” Netanyahu told Trump he is “looking forward to making history” together tomorrow and called the plan “a vision of peace, which is historic.”

ISRAEL - As Israel hosted dozens of world leaders last week for the World Holocaust Forum, the country’s cyber defense system fended off hundreds of cyberattacks targeting the country’s international airport and the planes of the world leaders. Citing officials from the Airports Authority Cyber Division, Channel 12 reported Sunday that at least 800 distinct cyberattacks targeted Israeli aviation on Thursday while world leaders, including US Vice President Mike Pence and Russian President Vladimir Putin, were landing in the country. All the attacks were successfully beaten back, officials said. The attackers came from Iran, China, North Korea, Russia, and Poland, the report said. The attacks “were directed at the airport and the planes,” the report said, “and were aimed at disrupting the flight paths of more than 60 planes carrying heads of state, kings and presidents.” Officials said Israel was prepared for the onslaught because security preparations for the high-level diplomatic gathering included planning for just such attacks.

USA - A black swan event is a term used on Wall Street that refers to a rare and unpredictable occurrence that is beyond what is expected and has severe consequences. It's derived from European explorers who had previously thought that all swans were white and only white, as that was all they knew. They were overcome with shock and confusion when Dutch explorer Willem de Vlamingh discovered the existence of black swans in Australia.

USA - There’s widespread concern that video cameras will use facial recognition software to track our every public move. Far less remarked upon — but every bit as alarming — is the exponential expansion of “smart” video surveillance networks. Private businesses and homes are starting to plug their cameras into police networks, and rapid advances in artificial intelligence are investing closed-circuit television, or CCTV, networks with the power for total public surveillance. In the not-so-distant future, police forces, stores, and city administrators hope to film your every move — and interpret it using video analytics. The rise of all-seeing smart camera networks is an alarming development that threatens civil rights and liberties throughout the world. Law enforcement agencies have a long history of using surveillance against marginalized communities, and studies show surveillance chills freedom of expression — ill effects that could spread as camera networks grow larger and more sophisticated.