MIDDLE EAST - Husseini, born in 1895, fled British Mandatory Palestine in 1937. After some time in Lebanon and Iraq, he went to fascist Italy and from there to Nazi Germany. There, he was in contact with Foreign Ministry officials and senior SS and Gestapo officers and even met with Hitler more than once, the first time in 1941. But he never realized his goal of obtaining a German-Italian declaration recognizing the independence of Arab states and their right to work to prevent the establishment of a national home for the Jewish people in the Holy Land.
ISRAEL - Israeli and US officials are in the process of jointly pre-empting Donald Trump’s supposed "ultimate deal" to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. They hope to demote the Palestinian issue to a footnote in international diplomacy. The conspiracy – a real one – was much in evidence last week during a visit to the region by Nikki Haley, Washington’s envoy to the United Nations. Her escort was Danny Danon, her Israeli counterpart and a fervent opponent of Palestinian statehood.
ISRAEL - The Israeli government, the Palestinian Authority and, to a lesser extent, the Egyptian government are locked in a game of chicken with Hamas, which has brought along the two million unfortunate residents of the Gaza Strip for the ride. This death race is being fueled by a combination of internal Palestinian spats, various Israeli policies, military changes on the ground, and a diplomatic siege in the Gulf. A catastrophic collision seems increasingly likely. Will the game of chicken end in a horrific wreck, a fourth round of fighting in the beleaguered and battered coastal enclave? Israel, it seems, is prepared to take a gamble and stay the course, relying on Hamas to blink and swerve out of the way.
MEXICO - At least one person has died after a very powerful but deep earthquake struck the border between Mexico and Guatemala, sending shockwaves that could be felt by around 12 million people across neighbouring countries. The US Geological Survey measured the earthquake at magnitude 6.9, and there were reports of landslides, power cuts, damage to homes and injuries across Guatemala and Mexico. One man was killed when a Catholic church collapsed in San Sebastian, in Guatemala's Retalhuleu province, emergency services officials said.
UK - More boastful than the Brits, successive US presidents have trumpeted the notion of American exceptionalism. Prime ministers, in a more understated manner, have also come to believe in British exceptionalism, the idea that Westminster is the mother parliament, and that the UK has a governing model and liberal values that set the global standard for others to follow, not least its former colonies.
USA - According to Reuters, Russia has warned the US not to attack Syrian-aligned troops again in the war-torn country. Reuters reports that Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov relayed the message to US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in a phone call on Saturday — a phone call the US reportedly initiated.
EUROPE - The European Commission has launched legal action against three EU member states, claiming Poland, Hungary, and Czech Republic have not “taken the necessary action” in dealing with migrants and refugees. Infringement proceedings were launched by Brussels on Tuesday. Warsaw, Budapest, and Prague have been accused of not fulfilling their obligations in dealing with migrants and refugees according to a 2015 plan.
EUROPE - Did you know that the sixth largest bank in Spain failed in spectacular fashion just a few days ago? Many are comparing the sudden implosion of Banco Popular to the collapse of Lehman Brothers in 2008, and EU regulators hastily arranged a sale of the failed bank to Santander in order to avoid a full scale financial panic.
USA - President Trump may be chief of state, head of government and commander in chief, but his administration is shot through with disloyalists plotting to bring him down. We are approaching something of a civil war where the capital city seeks the overthrow of the sovereign and its own restoration. Thus far, it is a nonviolent struggle, though street clashes between pro- and anti-Trump forces are increasingly marked by fistfights and brawls. Police are having difficulty keeping people apart. A few have been arrested carrying concealed weapons. That the objective of this city is to bring Trump down via a deep state-media coup is no secret. Few deny it.
EUROPE - The eurozone economy will still need to be supported by the central bank's massive money-printing programme well into 2019, a top investment bank has predicted. The European Central Bank (ECB) has already pledged to continue injecting billions of euros into the economy every month until the end of this year. But monetary policymakers are likely to continue with the bond-buying programme, or so-called Quantitative Easing (QE) for another two years, according to Societe Generale. SocGen now predicts the bank will announce an extension later this year, in a move that could antagonise Germany.
EUROPE - Lord Jacob Rothschild has accidently admitted that the plan for the New World Order is collapsing according to a new report. The Rothschild empire is now looking at fresh financial turmoil as suggested by the RIT Capital Partners 2016-year-end report, which could also have a huge effect for the rest of the planet. Jacob Rothschild also recently announced that he is to buy up all remaining gold to replace stock market and currency exposure, which signals the biggest financial crash since the Lehman Brothers crash in 2008. According to the report, Rothschild and his very powerful family have a vested interest in preserving their assets.
POLAND - When President Donald Trump travels to Poland this week to meet with its embattled president Andrzej Duda, the two will have a lot to talk about. Both are alternately ridiculed and pilloried in the international press and both are intensely disliked at European Union headquarters in Brussels.
USA - If Jim Rogers is right, the worst stock market crash that any of us has ever seen is right around the corner. For the past 15 years, Rogers has been a frequent guest analyst on CNBC, Fox News and elsewhere, and he is immensely respected for the depth of knowledge and experience that he brings to the table. So the fact that he is warning that we are about to see the worst stock market crash in any of our lifetimes is making a lot of waves in the financial community.
EUROPE - Are calls for European common defense just following the path of NATO and will serve as an offensive alliance in all corners of the world? This must be explained, says Willy Wimmer, European security expert and former German Deputy Defense Secretary. Europe’s largest military powers can’t defend it from external threats; and the protection of the region can’t be “outsourced,” EC chief Jean-Claude Juncker said.
GERMANY - With Vladimir Putin destabilising the east, Middle Eastern and Asian conflicts spurring new migration into Europe, and Donald Trump questioning US commitment to NATO, Germany has good reason to feel insecure. Chancellor Merkel told Germans in May that "we must fight for our future ourselves as Europeans".
Disclaimer:
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.