UK - Misinformation and fake news continue to be a major problem across social media platforms. Now, a new study reports people with high emotional intelligence are much less likely to fall for deceptive and untrue news items. “Fake news on social media is now a matter of considerable public and governmental concern. Research on dealing with this issue is still in its infancy but recent studies have started to focus on the psychological factors which might make some individuals less susceptible to fake news,” says Dr Tony Anderson, Senior Teaching Fellow in Psychology at Strathclyde, in a university release. Some statements made by those who fell for fake news items include “the commenter on the post has the same thoughts as me” and “my kids are in this position so I completely get this.” Meanwhile, subjects who correctly identified fake news told researchers “comes across as more of a rant” and “fearmongering article with no data.”

USA - I have been telling parents for decades that sending a child to almost any college is playing Russian roulette with his or her values. But it is a different version of Russian roulette. In the traditional version, only one of the gun’s six chambers contains a bullet. In the college version of Russian roulette, 5 of the 6 chambers contain a bullet. If your child attends almost any university in America (or Canada or anywhere else in the English-speaking world), the odds are that your child’s decency, intellectual acuity, faculty of reason, character and moral compass will be damaged, perhaps permanently. The worse news is that sending your child to almost any elementary school or high school — public or private — is fast becoming equally toxic. More and more schools are being taken over by left-wing ideologues and by nonideologues who lack the courage to confront the ideologues.

VATICAN - The Vatican decreed today that the Catholic Church cannot give its blessing to same-sex unions because God 'cannot bless sin'. Pope Francis signed off the two-page ruling which was published in seven languages by the Vatican's orthodoxy office, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. It called on Catholic clergy to treat gay people with 'respect and sensitivity' but ruled that blessing their unions would 'approve and encourage a choice and a way of life that cannot be recognised as objectively ordered to the revealed plans of God'. Francis last year caused controversy among Catholics by giving his backing to civil unions, but has never come out in favour of religious unions. Francis has always voiced opposition to gay marriage, saying that marriage should only be between a man and woman.

USA - President Joe Biden warned that the US may have to reinstate coronavirus restrictions in a Thursday address marking one year of the Chinese coronavirus pandemic. While Biden attempted to provide a glimmer of hope, touting the advances the US has made in vaccination distribution and administration, he warned that the US “may have to reinstate restrictions” down the road if people do not remain vigilant, follow “the scientists,” and put “trust and faith” in the government. “Unity is what we do together as fellow Americans. Because if we don’t stay vigilant and the conditions change, then we may have to reinstate restrictions to get back on track,” Biden said during the Thursday address. “And please. We don’t want to do that again. We’ve made so much progress. This is not the time to let up. Just as we were emerging from a dark winter into a hopeful spring and summer is not the time to not stick with the rules,” he said, urging Americans to continue to wear masks and follow other protocols.

USA - Do you feel like no matter how hard you work, it’s harder and harder to get ahead? There’s a good explanation for that. The government intentionally and dramatically underreports the true cost of living, and that fake low number is what most employers use when they set the wages they pay. So your paycheck isn’t growing nearly as fast as it needs to in order to stay ahead of inflation.

USA - When the media lies, the media normalizes deceit, and the word “liar” loses its sting. Lying becomes part of the New Normal. When government lies as well — Saddam Hussein’s weapons of mass destruction, Assad’s use of chemical weapons, Iranian nukes, Russian invasions, Russiagate — lying becomes ubiquitous. Truth becomes so discordant that truth is discarded. Truth-tellers become dissident “conspiracy theorists” who are guilty of trying to shake the population’s confidence in the ruling lies. They are censored, and if they persist they risk becoming labeled “domestic terrorists” and “enemies of democracy.” Orwell’s 1984 is our reality.

EUROPE - Polish MEP Ryszard Legutko, of the governing Law and Justice (PiS) party, said the EU Parliament voting to make the bloc an “LGBTIQ freedom zone” was “absurd.” Earlier this week, the European Parliament voted by 492 to 141 to declare the political bloc a “zone of freedom” for “LGBTIQ” people, which was described as an act against allegedly increasing homophobia in conservative EU member-states like Poland. After calling the debate “absurd,” Legutko went on to accuse the EU Parliament of “only [being] interested in its ideology. They want to assert all of this at any price, they are denying freedom in this manner,” EU Observer reports. “Western Europe is engaging in ideological propaganda. At kindergarten age, you want to introduce ridiculous stories about gender,” Legutko lamented. Despite criticism from media and politicians outside of Poland, polls have revealed that the majority of the Polish public back the government’s position on LGBT ideology, with a June 2020 poll revealing that 62 per cent of the public are against same-sex marriages.

USA - An ethnic studies curriculum proposed for California schools includes a script for chants to ancient Aztec gods of human sacrifice and war, according to a report. Rufo reveals part of the curriculum includes teachers leading students in chants to Aztec gods — including Tezkatlipoka, the god of cannibalism and human sacrifice — asking them to grant the speakers power to be social justice warriors. The chant ends, Rufo says, “with a request for ‘liberation, transformation, [and] decolonization,’ after which students shout ‘Panche beh! Panche beh!’ in pursuit of ultimate ‘critical consciousness.’” It’s clear the curriculum intends to replace the Christian God and its extension of white supremacy with indigenous gods, Rufo argues. “It is, in a philosophical sense, a revenge of the gods,” he writes.

GERMANY - German companies are increasingly dependent on business with China and are shifting their activities to the People's Republic at a growing rate, as current economic data and a recent survey of German companies reveal. China is not only one of the very few countries to which German companies could continue to export in 2020 as much as in the previous year, but it is also the only major economy to which they could already export this January more than during the same month the previous year. The fact that exports to the People's Republic are a vital support for the German economy is particularly significant because Germany's domestic consumption remains sluggish due to the pandemic. Already five DAX companies, such as VW, Daimler, Infineon, are generating their largest share of sales in China more than on their German domestic market. To protect themselves against the risks of US economic warfare, German companies doing business with China are increasingly relocating their activities to the People's Republic. Efforts to encourage their withdrawal from China have failed.

GERMANY - Among Germany's ruling elites, demands for imposing new sanctions on Moscow and stirring up Russia's younger generation are increasing. "The objectives we have in relationship to Russia are very big" explained Gabriel Felbermayr, President of the Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW), "we want … regime change." The recent protests by the Russian dissident Alexey Navalny's followers, which had been coordinated from Berlin, were not enough to endanger "the regime's stability" according to the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP). One could, however, count on the young generation ("generation Putin") that includes many young people who are very critical of the government, an assistant of the Green Party-affiliated Heinrich-Böll-Foundation suggests. Navalny is particularly appealing to younger people; he embodies "a new type of politician." The man, German elites acting in the manner of colonial rulers, would like to bring to power in Russia is only supported by a small minority in the Russian population.

GERMANY - The conflict with Russia is gaining in importance in Berlin's military planning in comparison to previous foreign deployments in the global south. This becomes evident in the position paper ("Reflections on the Bundeswehr of the Future") published last week by the German Minister of Defense Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer and Inspector General of the Bundeswehr Eberhard Zorn. Initially, since the 1990s, the Bundeswehr had focused its capability profile on foreign deployments primarily in the Middle East and Africa and since 2014 it has increasingly been shifting its focus towards the strategic requirements of the great power conflicts with Russia and China. In the meantime, the situation has "escalated," according to the position paper. Germany's role as a strategic military logistics "hub" eastward should therefore be enhanced. With the Bundeswehr's growing focus on the power struggle with Russia, the current position paper is but an initial impetus - further steps will follow over the next few months

USA - A leading US journalist has accused Democrats of promoting an "unfit candidate" to the US's top political post and of "betraying their responsibilities" to the American people. Dominic Green, deputy editor of The Spectator’s US edition, pointed to the behaviour of the new US President Joe Biden in his limited public appearances. He claimed Mr Biden "looks and sounds frail", suggesting the 78-year-old may not be well enough to efficiently manage the demanding role. Mr Green believes he has become "so embarrassing to watch" that it felt "cruel to mention it". The 46th US President - and oldest in history - recently caused concern during a visit to Houston at the beginning of March. While delivering a speech, Mr Biden appeared to lose focus and become disorientated. At one point the US President said: "What am I doing here?" In an op-ed for the Daily Telegraph, Mr Green writes: "Compare how he moves and sounds now to how he was a year ago, let alone five years ago." Biden looks and sounds frail.

USA - Gillian Turner at FOX News reported today that the Head of the National Guard wrote a letter opposing the National Guard’s presence in Washington DC but the Biden Administration overruled him. Gillian Turner at FOX News reported this afternoon that FOX News had obtained a letter from the chief of the National Guard that disagreed with keeping Guardsmen in the Capitol. However, this recommendation was overruled by the Biden Administration. Why are the Democrats so scared of America? Is it because they are destroying our freedom and future every day in every way?

The San Cristobal Volcano erupted, sending thick plumes of smoke and ash over the city of Chinandega in Nicaragua — ABC News (@ABC) March 12, 2021

Guatemala’s Pacaya volcano shoots streams of hot lava into the sky— Reuters India (@ReutersIndia) March 5, 2021

This is what the sky looked like in the morning in Riobamba, Ecuador after the Sangay volcano expelled an 8-kilometre-high column of ash — euronews (@euronews) March 12, 2021

Rising magma and empty coffers, following an allegation of embezzlement, has left volcano watchers in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo worried that they will not be able to provide an early warning if a volcano towering over the city of Goma erupts — Reuters (@Reuters) March 10, 2021

Significant explosive eruption at Sangay volcano, ash to 12.5 km (41 000 feet), Ecuador — The Watchers (@TheWatchers_) March 11, 2021

A volcano in Russia's Kamchatka region erupted, sending plumes of ash into the sky — Reuters India (@ReutersIndia) March 10, 2021

Indonesia's Mount Sinabung volcano sent a cloud of hot ash as high as 3.1 miles in multiple eruptions on Tuesday — Reuters (@Reuters) March 7, 2021

A volcano in Nicaragua erupted on Tuesday, showering surrounding areas in soot and cinders. Large plumes of smoke and ash were visible from San Cristobal, the country's tallest volcano — CBS News (@CBSNews) March 11, 2021

Magma chamber continues to expand, more than 35 000 earthquakes hit Reykjanes Peninsula in two weeks, Iceland — The Watchers (@TheWatchers_) March 11, 2021

ICYMI: Ash rises up to 9 km (29 500 feet) after 11th paroxysm at Etna, Italy — The Watchers (@TheWatchers_) March 11, 2021

USA - Over the past week, the Hawaii Volcano Observatory recorded over 200 small magnitude earthquakes below Mauna Loa. These and other observations of increased activity in recent weeks all point to an increased flow of magma into the volcano's shallow storage system, according to the HVO. In other words, Mauna Loa is slowly waking up. While scientists emphasize that an eruption isn't necessarily going to happen today or tomorrow, this week the HVO put out a release urging that "now is the time to revisit personal eruption plans."