POLAND - The Polish Senate has voted in favour of a controversial bill that will criminalize anyone who lays any blame on Poland or its people for Nazi war crimes, state-run news agency PAP reported Thursday. The bill, which was passed by the lower house last week and still has to be signed into law by the president, has sparked widespread condemnation in Israel, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu calling it an attempt "to rewrite history."
UNITED NATIONS - Water scarcity already affects more than 40 percent of the world's population and is expected to rise due to global warming, with one in four people projected to face chronic or recurring shortages by 2050, according to the United Nations. Already hosting more than half the world's people, cities are at the forefront of the problem, as population growth increases pressure on reserves, which are already stretched by too little rain and too much waste.
GUATEMALA - Guatemalan volcano Volcan de Fuego reared its ugly head on Thursday, coughing up thick volcanic ash and lava a short distance from Antigua, Guatemala and the capital Guatemala City. Alarmed officials issued an orange alert on Thursday after the active volcano erupted just 19km southwest of Antigua city. The volcano choked out the skies over the Central American nation with a smothering cloud of dark ash 1.7km high. The sense of urgency was further heightened after hazardous lava flows were spotted rushing 500m down Volcan de Fuego’s rugged sides, according to emergency services spokesman David de Leon.
USA - California is seeking to treat homeschool families as presumptive child abusers. Lawmakers in that state have indicated plans to categorically require homeschool parents to prove — through home visits, interviews, and other government oversight — that indeed the parent is not abusive if they choose to exercise a legally protected and valid option for school choice. This measure would shift the burden to the parent to prove to the government’s satisfaction his or her parental fitness.
UK - School textbooks will be updated to include “same sex” couples in their questions, one of the country's biggest education companies has announced. Pearson, which owns the exam board EdExcel and publishes thousands of school textbooks, said it will update all of its products and resources to ensure they are “LGBT inclusive”. A new handbook for secondary schools, produced by the charity Stonewall and sponsored by Pearson, advises teachers on how they can make the curriculum more welcoming for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender pupils.
NEW ZEALAND - CYCLONE Fehi has sparked evacuations and a state of emergency along New Zealand’s west coast as the storm ravages the North Island en route to the nation’s South Island. Winds of up to 80mph (130kph) are expected in southern and central New Zealand. The former tropical cyclone is currently barrelling across New Zealand’s North Island towards the nation’s South Island. A state of emergency has been declared for South Island’s cities Dunedin and Buller.
USA - Overall, CBS reported that 75% of Americans approved of the speech. For such a seriously divisive and polarising President, who is currently languishing with just 39% personal approval ratings, these were sensationally good results. Interestingly, 8/10 Americans in the poll felt the President was trying to unite the country with his speech and two thirds of Americans said it made them feel proud. Less than a quarter that watched said it made them feel scared or angry.
USA - Hours before his first State of the Union, President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he wants to unite the country amid “tremendous divisiveness” and hopes he can do so without a traumatic event affecting Americans. “I would love to be able to bring back our country into a great form of unity,” Trump said. “Without a major event where people pull together, that’s hard to do. But I would like to do it without that major event because usually that major event is not a good thing. I want to see our country united. I want to bring our country back from a tremendous divisiveness, which has taken place not just over one year, over many years, including the Bush years, not just Obama.” he said.
ISRAEL - Israeli envoy Tzachi Hanegbi attended an emergency meeting of international donor states on Wednesday in Brussels to present a $1 billion plan to rebuild Gaza from the ground up. The economic and humanitarian crisis in the region is deepening due to the incessant redirection by Hamas of any resources entering Gaza towards military infrastructure dedicated towards the conflict with Israel, rather than towards investment in the civilian investment and rebuilding for which they were intended. The meeting, called in response to the worsening situation in Gaza and the potential cut in aid to the Palestinian Authority by the United States, was chaired by Norway’s Foreign Minister Ine Eriksen Søreide and European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini.
USA - Charles Bausman - Editor's Note: Kudos to Giraldi for stating what everybody knows but nobody is willing to say in print, and to Ron Unz the publisher of the Unz Review. Unz is Jewish, so perhaps that is why he is able to publish something like this. Most Gentile publishers outside the Alt-Right are too scared to, and Jewish publishers simply won't. We need more of this fair, balanced discussion. His [Philip Giraldi] reputation as a career CIA officer and publicist is impeccable. He is one of the few highly respected mainstream writers outside the Alt-Right willing to touch this important subject.
USA - One-click shopping seems to apply to companies, too. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos announced Tuesday he’s dipping his toe into health care, and partnering with Berkshire Hathaway and JPMorgan Chase in the venture. Health care is the latest field for Bezos, who’s spent the last year ascending to become the world’s richest man. In the last five years, the e-commerce power player has also scooped up a number of high-profile companies, from grocery chains to newspapers. And with Tuesday’s news, the question begs what Bezos and Amazon will buy next.
USA - President Donald Trump pushed for greater access to experimental medication for terminally ill patients and also called for drug prices to come down during his first State of the Union. Trump lauded the FDA Tuesday night for approving more drugs and medical devices last year than ever before, but then called for reforms.
USA - Like most folks, you dutifully rub shampoo into your hair daily or a few times each week. After it strips out your hair’s natural moisture and liveliness, you apply a conditioner to get that moisture and liveliness back. Much about modern life seems to follow this general pattern.
USA - The Physicians for Informed Consent is a group of doctors dedicated to educating their patients and the public on infectious disease, the immune system, and informed consent. The group was founded in response to mandatory vaccination laws across the country which remove the rights of parents to informed consent. The group is not anti-vaccine, they are pro-freedom. It is no question that the subject of vaccines is profoundly controversial. On both sides of the argument exists truth and lies that can hinder the ability of some to make rational decisions.
USA - Is the vaccine industry in panic mode? They very well could be, especially after kids vaccinated against the flu keep dying of the influenza virus. Mike Adams, otherwise known as The Health Ranger on his YouTube channel recently theorized that the reason this flu season is so horrendous is because of the vaccine industry. And after gathering more information, it looks like he might be right.
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The views expressed in this section are not our own, unless specifically stated, but are provided to highlight what may prove to be prophetically relevant material appearing in the media.