VATICAN - Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò has called for the Swiss Guards to remove and arrest Pope Francis and Cardinal Victor Manuel “Tucho” Fernandez after the discovery of a pornographic work by Fernandez. Archbishop Viganò wrote on X, “The blasphemous sewer regurgitations of Tucho’s repulsive pamphlet show such a level of perversion and alienation to the Faith as to demand the expulsion manu militari of the Argentinean and his accomplices. The Swiss Guards have sworn to defend the See of Peter, not the one who is systematically demolishing it. Let them therefore be faithful to their oath and arrest these heretical perverts!”

USA - Viewers of Sunday night’s 60 Minutes were likely left gobsmacked by footage showing “large groups” of undocumented migrants from China sneaking through the US border with Mexico. The segment was filed by correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi, who opened the piece by reporting: The number of migrants arriving at the southern border is unprecedented. Last year, US Customs and Border Protection recorded two-and-a-half million instances of detaining or turning away people attempting to cross into the United States from Mexico.

UK - King Charles III, 75, has been diagnosed with cancer and will be avoiding public events after being advised by his doctors to minimize in-person contacts, Buckingham Palace announced Monday. According to the statement, the king wanted to share his diagnosis in part to avoid speculation on his condition but also “in the hope it may assist public understanding for all those around the world who are affected by cancer.” Sarah Gristwood, a royal biographer and historian, said it was “striking” that the diagnosis was announced at all given the royal family’s history of trying to “keep any sign of ordinary human fallibility behind closed doors.”

ISRAEL - The Lebanese Shiite group has a long and bloody history with the Jewish state, and now, both sides’ restraint is at an end. Since the escalation of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and the start of the IDF ground operation in Gaza, it has been repeatedly reported that one of the potential participants in an open confrontation with Israel could be the Lebanese Shiite paramilitary group and political party, Hezbollah. In January, there were even more statements by officials about the likelihood of a military clash on Israel’s northern border.

ISRAEL - As mediation efforts fail to bear fruit, war between Israel and Lebanon seems to be matter of when, not if. Israel’s Foreign Minister Yisrael Katz met his French counterpart on Monday, warning him that “time is running out to find a diplomatic solution in Lebanon,” and indicating that his country was prepared to go to war if diplomacy fails. The reason is that, since October 7, Hezbollah, the Lebanon-based group linked to Iran, has carried out hundreds of attacks on Israeli targets. Fearing an influx of militants that could potentially invade and conquer parts of the country, some 60,000 northern Israelis have opted to leave, seeking refuge in the center, away from the hostilities.

USA - Texas Governor Greg Abbott (Republican) escalated his border battle with the Biden Regime on Saturday. “Texas made history as the first and ONLY state to build our own border wall,” Abbott said in a post on X. “Construction is ongoing.” “We will not back down from our efforts to secure the border,” he said. The US Supreme Court last month sided with the Biden Regime and allowed Border Patrol agents to remove razor wire installed on the Texas-Mexico border. Governor Greg Abbott (Republican) previously installed about 30 miles of razor wire at the Texas-Mexico border near Eagle Pass to stop the flood of illegal aliens being let in by the Biden administration. Texas Governor Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton previously vowed to defy the Supreme Court’s ruling on razor wire at the southern border. In addition to building a border wall, Texas National Guard members are also installing more razor wire.

HAWAII - More than 220 earthquakes have rocked Hawaii in the last 24 hours; the increase in seismic activity and other signals at the Kilauea Volcano have prompted USGS scientists at the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) to increase the volcano alert level there. While the volcano is not erupting yet as of press time, USGS warns that an “eruption can occur in the future with little warning.” There have been 502 earthquakes on the Big Island of Hawaii over the last 7 days; 228 of those have happened in the last 24 hours.

USA - At least three people have died in the historic flooding battering California, as multi-million-dollar mansions are trashed by rivers of flowing mud and boulders - while forecasters predict more rain is still to come. The Pineapple Express, a weather system lingering over much of the Golden State, is causing chaos over several regions including the star-studded Beverly Hills, Malibu and Montecito neighborhoods. The severe weather system has killed three Californians so far and 38 million people remain under flood alerts, as the National Weather Service forecasts additional rainfall of up to six inches into Tuesday. Forecasters estimate a slow-moving and narrow axis of anomalous moisture will continue to focus across Southern California over the next 12 to 24 hours, maintaining a significant threat for life-threatening flash flooding.

CHILE - At least 112 people have been killed by forest fires in Chile's Valparaíso region, local authorities have said. President Gabriel Boric declared a state of emergency and said he would make "all necessary resources" available to tackle the situation. It is believed to be Chile's deadliest forest fire on record. Many of those affected were visiting the coastal region during the summer holidays. A health alert was put in place in Valparaíso by the health ministry. Rescue services have struggled to reach the most badly affected areas and Interior Minister Carolina Tohá said the death toll would "reach much higher figures" in the coming hours.

RUSSIA - The share of national currencies in mutual settlements among the countries of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) has reached 90% and is still growing, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin revealed on Friday. The EAEU, which is based on the Customs Union of Russia, Kazakhstan, and Belarus, was established in 2015, and was later joined by Armenia and Kyrgyzstan. In 2016, Vietnam became a free trade partner of the EAEU. The union is designed to ensure the free movement of goods, services, capital and workers among member countries.

USA - 'Irrational' policies drive coal plant shutdowns, incentivize overbuilding wind farms. Despite ongoing warnings that the electricity grid of the United States is becoming increasingly unstable, a major utility is moving forward with the elimination of two major coal-fired power plants in the upper Midwest. Energy analysts say the instability is a byproduct of the shutdown of reliable generation sources. Minneapolis-based Xcel Energy closed one of three coal units at Sherburne County Generating Plant, in December, as part of its plans to deliver 100% carbon-free electricity. It will shut the other two stations down, according to the Star Tribune, by 2030. The utility will also shutter its Allen S King coal plant by 2028.

USA - Catholic schools that teach life begins at birth aren’t just anti-christian, they’re anti-science. It’s National Catholic Schools Week, and this year’s theme, “United in Faith and Community,” highlights the value of the Catholic school as an educational community model for students, families, communities, the church, and our nation. Indeed, there are many reasons to celebrate Catholic education in the United States, from positive enrolment trends to superior academic achievement and advancement.

VATICAN - The Vatican’s doctrinal office, historically known as the Inquisition, was once known as the guardian of orthodoxy, defining Catholic teaching and disciplining theologians who dissented from it. But under its current head, the office has been accused of deviating from tradition and even embracing heresy. Since taking over the office last year, Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández has become a lightning rod for conservatives unsettled by Pope Francis’ conciliatory approach to homosexuality, a signature issue of his progressive reign and possibly the most polarizing topic currently being debated in the global Catholic Church. Fernández’s guidelines for the blessing of same-sex couples, issued in December, set off an extraordinary controversy among the church’s hierarchy around the world.

VATICAN - A group of 90 Catholic clergymen, scholars and authors have published a joint letter to "all Cardinals and Bishops of the Catholic Church," urging them to oppose a Vatican document approved by Pope Francis that allows priests to bless same-sex unions for the first time. In the letter, the Catholic conservatives say that Fiducia Supplicans, a Vatican doctrine released on December 18 and signed by the Pope, would lead to the blessing of "objectively sinful" relationships. They add that the cardinals and bishops should "forbid immediately the application of this document in your diocese" and "ask directly the Pope to urgently withdraw this unfortunate document, which is in contradiction with both Scripture and the universal and uninterrupted Tradition of the Church."

GERMANY - German Finance Minister Christian Lindner, injecting some humor at the recent World Economic Forum in Davos, stated that Germany is not the “sick man” of Europe but rather “a tired man,” following the recent years of crisis, in need of a “good cup of coffee.” However, the economic indicators point to something more than fatigue. Although Germany could be described as merely being in a mild recession – the GDP readings, after all, can hardly be called awful – in reality the economy finds itself in the uneasy place of having no clear prospects for an imminent recovery.