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Russia and the United States gave no sign that they had narrowed their differences on Ukraine and wider European security in talks in Geneva on Monday, as Moscow repeated demands that Washington says it cannot accept.

The Pope used his annual address to the Vatican’s Diplomatic Corps to raise concerns about the rise of ‘cancel culture’

The Pope has condemned ‘cancel culture’ for “invading many circles and public institutions” and warned that political correctness risks eroding “all sense of identity,” in a speech to Vatican-based diplomats.

Speaking on Monday, the head of the Catholic Church blasted “one-track thinking” in which individuals express a “mindset that rejects the natural foundations of humanity.” 

Warning that this risks eroding “the cultural roots that constitute the identity of many people,” the pontiff then called ‘cancel culture’ a “form of ideological colonization” that could damage “freedom of expression.”

The religious leader also expressed concerns that people were stripping away identity “under the guise of defending diversity.”

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The Pope should lay off those who choose not to have children

“Diplomacy is called to be truly inclusive, not canceling but cherishing the differences and sensibilities that have historically marked various peoples,” he added.

While the Pope did not mention any specific examples of cancel culture, he did state that historical events should not be denied, rewritten or dictated by today’s standards. 

The papal address comes just over a month after the Vatican’s secretary of state condemned a statement from the European Commission that discouraged its staff from using the word ‘Christmas’.

Speaking to Vatican News, Cardinal Pietro Parolin claimed that the directive goes “against reality” by seeking to minimize Europe’s Christian heritage, claiming it canceled “our roots” and ignored “Christian holidays” and the region’s “Christian dimension.”

[LOCALS EXCLUSIVE] The Fed’s Secret 2019 $4.5 Trillion Bailout of Wall Street

There’s a News Blackout on the Fed’s Naming of the Banks that Got Its Emergency Repo Loans; Some Journalists Appear to Be Under Gag Orders https://wallstreetonparade.com/2022/01/theres-a-news-blackout-on-the-feds-naming-of-the-banks-that-got-its-emergency-repo-loans-some-journalists-appear-to-be-under-gag-orders/ Economist Michael Hudson explains inflation crisis and Fed’s secretive $4.5 trillion bank bailout https://benjaminnorton.substack.com/p/economist-michael-hudson-explains

There’s a News Blackout on the Fed’s Naming of the Banks that Got Its Emergency Repo Loans; Some Journalists Appear to Be Under Gag Orders

There’s a News Blackout on the Fed’s Naming of the Banks that Got Its Emergency Repo Loans; Some Journalists Appear to Be Under Gag Orders

By Pam Martens and Russ Martens: January 3, 2022 ~ Four days ago, the Federal Reserve released the names of the banks that had received $4.5 trillion in cumulative loans in the last quarter of 2019 under its emergency repo loan operations for a liquidity crisis that has yet to be credibly explained.

Economist Michael Hudson explains inflation crisis and Fed’s secretive $4.5 trillion bank bailout

Economist Michael Hudson explains inflation crisis and Fed’s secretive $4.5 trillion bank bailout

I interviewed economist Michael Hudson to discuss what is causing the global inflation crisis, and also how the US Federal Reserve quietly bailed out big banks in September 2019 with $4.5 trillion of emergency repo loans that appear to have blatantly violated the law. TRANSCRIPT BENJAMIN NORTON: Hey, everyone.

Researchers say immune cells made to defend the body against some colds could help stave off Covid.

Five things you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic this Monday evening.

The EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service says the last seven years were the warmest since records began.

United Nations envoy says consultations with Sudanese civil society groups to begin on Monday.

Israel would continue to act against Iran as it sees fit without any ‘limitations,’ PM Naftali Bennett has said

Tel Aviv is “concerned” about the potential outcome of the Vienna talks on the Iranian nuclear program that might be unfavorable to Israel, the prime minister has said, adding that its military would still act as they see fit. 

“Israel is not part of the agreements,” Bennett told the Israeli parliament’s powerful Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on Monday. Tel Aviv “is not bound by what is written in the agreements if they are signed,” he added.

The prime minister maintained that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) will do whatever is deemed necessary to ensure Israel’s security. It will also make sure to retain “full freedom of operation in any place and at any time, with no limitations,” Bennett said. 

Still, he admitted that “in terms of “the Vienna talks, the nuclear talks, we are indeed concerned.” According to the Israeli media, Tel Aviv fears that the talks might end up in a deal that it would deem unacceptable or no agreement at all. 

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Israel doesn’t need US permission to strike Iran – FM

The Times of Israel also reported that the IDF was “working intensively” to prepare a potential military strike on Iran’s nuclear sites in case of such an outcome. It did not cite any sources or data to justify this claim, though. Similar reports surfaced in the Israeli media in October 2021 when IDF Chief of Staff Aviv Kohavi reportedly ordered the nation’s air force to “intensely” drill for a potential strike. 

On Monday, Bennett also said that the IDF was in the process of its largest rearming in years. The 2022 defense budget amounted to $19.2 billion, with a significant part of it allegedly dedicated to a potential military engagement against Iran, the Israeli media reported. 

“We are investing in security rearmament of the IDF and the entire defense establishment. I would say this was rearmament that we haven’t seen for years. This rearmament is important to our survival,” Bennett said. 

Tehran previously dismissed Israel’s claims as “empty threats,” but vowed a harsh response in the case of an attack. 

Talks on the revival of the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, which de-facto crumbled after the US unilaterally withdrew from it under former president Donald Trump, have been ongoing at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) headquarters in Vienna. In late December, Iran said that the talks, which have been repeatedly paused for various reasons, were making “satisfactory progress.”

The car firm’s ‘Full Self-Driving’ software allows vehicles to drive with varying degrees of assertiveness on the road

Tesla is inching further toward handing full self-driving power to its cars, with software that can run in three modes, from “chill” to “assertive.” The latter allows a “smaller follow distance” and “may perform rolling stops.”

The three presets for Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) beta software, presumably designed to match an individual driver’s preferred means of navigating traffic, run the gamut from timid to bold.

Engaging the “assertive” driving mode enables one’s vehicle to follow other cars more closely, increases its likelihood of changing speed lanes and staying in passing lanes, and means it “may perform rolling stops,” according to its official description. Some drivers are concerned this means vehicles won’t stop at stop signs, and it’s unclear how following “closely” will affect vehicles’ performance in inclement weather or heavy traffic situations.

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Tesla Bots could become companions with ‘unique’ personalities, Musk says

“Average” mode gives the car a “medium follow distance,” though notes it may also “perform rolling stops,” while Teslas operating in “chill” mode give the vehicle in front a wide berth and “perform fewer speed lane changes.”

While FSD is still in beta, a Tesla equipped with the technology was recently involved in a crash, with the driver-assist feature engaged. The incident took place in November, and while no humans were injured in the crash, the Model Y Tesla involved reportedly sustained severe damage on the driver side.

Despite the name, FSD is not actually an autonomous AI driving system, and drivers are supposed to remain engaged with the vehicle, watching the road and touching the steering wheel. Wider rollout has required the driver to receive a high “Safety Score,” as judged by a five-point evaluation system that Tesla uses to estimate “the likelihood that your driving could result in a future collision.” The system has aroused the attention of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The US government also recently opened an investigation into Autopilot-enabled Teslas crashing into parked emergency vehicles, a problem shared by other driver-assist programs that are trained not to react to stationary objects, lest they balk at every building or sidewalk obstacle the car senses.

Tesla announced last week that it would be raising the price of its FSD software to $12,000 from $10,000, effective January 17 for US customers only. Monthly subscription prices are also supposed to increase as the software, currently in beta, approaches wide release, even though CEO Elon Musk has acknowledged there is no expectation that vehicles thus equipped will be able to fully “self-drive” – beyond maybe “from one’s house to work, most likely without interventions.”

Supermarket brand Morrisons claims the ‘bold’ move will reduce milk wastage

British supermarket chain Morrisons has been criticized over its decision to remove ‘use-by’ expiry dates on milk cartons – instead, asking customers to conduct a “sniff test” to check whether the dairy had gone bad.

Announcing the “bold step” over the weekend, the retailer said it will instead use ‘best before’ labels on about 90% of its brand milk packaging from the end of the month. The chain claimed the move will reduce milk wastage.

While the terms ‘use by’ and ‘best before’ are often used interchangeably, the UK’s Food Standards Agency (FSA) notes on its website, that ‘best before’ labels relate to food quality while ‘use-by’ dates are a matter of food safety. By the FSA’s guidance, milk consumed after a ‘best before’ date is “safe” but its “flavor and texture might not be as good.”

The agency specifically warns consumers not to “trust the sniff test” to determine food quality since people “cannot see, smell or taste the bacteria that cause food poisoning.” Morrisons, however, said it will encourage shoppers to take a whiff to check.

I would be interested to see how many times you get to sniff test a four pint bottle of milk in Morrisons before you’re asked to leave. You won’t know it’s off until you come to use it back at home surely??

— Fuzzy Man (@Fuzzy_man74) January 10, 2022

The retailer told the BBC that its research had apparently shown that milk does not need to be labeled as a perishable food, but the FSA told the public broadcaster that the labels and dates printed on all food and drink need to be based on “robust evidence about the product concerned.”

Since “generations before us have always used the sniff test,” the chain’s senior milk buyer Ian Goode told media outlets that Morrisons “believe(s) we can too.” He described it as a “bold step” to ask “customers to decide whether their milk is still good to drink.”

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The move – which Morrisons claimed would save seven million pints (3.3 million liters) of its brand milk from being wasted annually – was praised by recycling charity Wrap. The non-profit said that some 490 million pints (232 million liters) of milk were wasted yearly in the UK – out of which an estimated 85 million pints (40 million liters) were apparently poured out due to ‘use by’ labels.

However, the majority of shoppers complained about the decision on social media, with several asking whether stores will let them smell the milk before purchase. Others pointed out that the company needed to “brainstorm again” since loss of taste and smell is a common Covid-19 symptom.

@Morrisons @MorrisonsNews Dispensing with the USE BY date on milk? Have you thought this through? People, regrettably and unfortunately, are having, both, their senses of TASTE and SMELL compromised and negated by COVID. What barometer will they use? Better brainstorm again!

— IanRW (@Square_Peg4u) January 10, 2022