CHINA - The news that on Sunday China signed a massive free trade deal with fifteen Asia Pacific Nations confirms China is busy cutting a path forward even as much of the world is in economic turmoil due to covid-19. This is a major victory in that it encompasses almost one-third of all global economic activity.

USA - The US has lost more than 110,000 restaurants, setting the stage for a commercial real estate collapse of epic proportions. The restaurant industry is in the midst of a complete and total meltdown that is unlike anything that we have ever seen before. If you ask Google how many restaurants there are in the United States, it will tell you that there are 660,755, although that number is a few years old. But for the purposes of this article, that is a good enough estimate. Americans love to eat out, and restaurant workers are some of the hardest working people in the entire country. So it is incredibly sad to see more restaurants constantly going under.

USA - The US Senate has recessed its debate over an objection to the results of the Electoral College after pro-Trump protesters forced police to lock down the building. Protesters tore down metal barricades at the bottom of the Capitol's steps and were met by officers in riot gear. Some tried to push past the officers who held shields and officers could be seen firing pepper spray into the crowd to keep them back. Mike Pence, Vice President, had to be evacuated. The outgoing president had earlier encouraged supporters gathered in DC to march on the Capitol to protest. Meanwhile, Democrat challenger Raphael Warnock has beaten incumbent Republican Kelly Loeffler in one of the two Georgia run-off elections. In the second race, Democrat Jon Ossoff has also taken a narrow lead over Republican David Perdue, with 98 per cent of the vote counted.

USA - In a spectacular interview that has gathered over 2.2 million views within its first 2 weeks of release, Catherine Austin Fitts lays out the global master plan for Technocracy, Transhumanism and total control over humanity. Fitts served as the US Assistant Secretary of Housing and Urban Development during the George H W Bush Administration and the managing director of a major investment banking firm, Dillon, Read & Co. This is a must-watch video.

USA - On Sunday, a Democratic representative — who also happens to have been a pastor for 37 years — gave an official prayer to open the 117th Congress. With great pomp and circumstance, he closed his prayer by invoking “the monotheistic god,” Brahma, and the god who supposedly goes by many names. He then concluded with the most asinine thing I have ever heard. He ended with “amen … and a-woman.” “We ask it in the name of the monotheistic god, Brahma, and god known by many names by many different faiths,” Cleaver concluded. “Amen … and A-woman.” Yet this “a-woman” fiasco should show Americans just how stupid and shallow much of Democrats’ pandering in the name of “inclusivity” really is.

EUROPE - European voters will head to the polls several times in 2021 potentially shaking up the political landscape across the Continent - but which elections are due to take place this year? European countries are facing relative uncertainty in a number of areas this year as the coronavirus crisis continues to cause problems across the region. Many leaders will be battling to maintain their roles while German Chancellor Angela Merkel has confirmed she will not seek re-election. Express.co.uk has compiled a list of all the European elections to watch in 2021.

USA - Attorney Sidney Powell was on Flashpoint Friday evening and she shared the next steps for the country in the prevention of the election steal going on right now. According to Flashpoint: Sidney Powell broke down exactly where they are at right now (December 31, 2020) and as much as she could without jeopardizing their strategy she told us what to expect next. Spoiler alert: it’s about to get REAL good. Powell shared when discussing Mike Pence: “I don’t see how any good Christian can certify a fraudulent election.” Powell encouraged all churches to open on Sunday and to pray for our country. We’ll see what happens with Pence and what actions will be taken on Wednesday soon.

VENEZUELA - Venezuela’s government is planning to move to a fully digital economy as hyperinflation has made worthless bolivar notes practically disappear, and dollarization expands through the local financial system. The US dollar has operated as an escape valve for Venezuela amid US sanctions and collapsing oil revenues, President Nicolas Maduro said in a televised interview with Telesur on Friday. Venezuela’s currency has lost 99% of its value during three years of hyperinflation, forcing the country to issue higher-denomination notes that in turn become useless in record time. Inflation soared 5,790% in the last 12 months, according to Bloomberg News’s Cafe con Leche Index. The largest note now in circulation, 50,000 bolivars, is worth about $0.04. The government has delayed plans to issue a 100,000 bolivar bill, which currently would be worth less than $0.10.

INDIA - India is fighting to dispel rumors that two newly-approved coronavirus vaccines can cause erectile dysfunction, but the country’s drug regulator may have overdone it by insisting that the jabs are more than 100-percent safe. On Sunday, India officially gave the green light to Covishield, a drug developed by the Pune-based Serum Institute based on the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine, as well as Covaxin, created by Indian pharmaceutical Bharat Biotech.

IRELAND - Dr Dolores Cahill, PhD, is a Molecular Biologist/Immunologist and Professor at the University College of Dublin in Ireland. She has more than 20 years of expertise in high-throughput protein & antibody array, proteomics technology development, automation & biomedical applications in biomarker discovery, diagnostics & personalized medicine. “The cytokine storm is when you put RNA genes, mRNA vaccine injected into your body, you bypass all of the natural immune response, which would (normally) build an immune response to prevent the vaccine from actually entering your body. But when you inject it, this mRNA, why it’s so deadly, is that it now goes into your genes, and starts expressing. And it starts stimulating the immune response from inside your body, and you can’t get rid of it because of the source of the viral protein. You now have become like a genetically modified organism.” If this sounds fantastic to you, please understand that Dr Cahill is not the only one explaining how these mRNA vaccines work. Many other doctors and scientists are saying the same thing…

USA - The Texas Senator is joined by several of his Republican colleagues who noted in a statement that “voter fraud has posed a persistent challenge in our elections, although its breadth and scope are disputed.” The move appears to be taking a leaf of out of the left’s playbook. The notion of an electoral commission for the election was first mooted by the far-left Transition Integrity Project as reported upon by The National Pulse earlier this year. As a result, the group is also expected to demand an emergency audit, with a statement reading: “In 1877, Congress did not ignore those allegations, nor did the media simply dismiss those raising them as radicals trying to undermine democracy. Instead, Congress appointed an Electoral Commission-consisting of five Senators, five House Members, and five Supreme Court Justices-to consider and resolve the disputed returns. We should follow that precedent.”

USA - “The election of 2020, like the election of 2016, was hard fought and, in many swing states, narrowly decided. The 2020 election, however, featured unprecedented allegations of voter fraud, violations and lax enforcement of election law, and other voting irregularities. “Voter fraud has posed a persistent challenge in our elections, although its breadth and scope are disputed. By any measure, the allegations of fraud and irregularities in the 2020 election exceed any in our lifetimes.

TAIWAN - Taiwan's president Tsai Ing-wen has called on China to "promote meaningful dialogue" and de-escalate tensions in the disputed South China Sea amid fears of a conflict erupting in the contested waters. During her New Year’s Day speech on Friday, Ms Tsai denounced Beijing’s frequent patrols in the disputed region. Ms Tsai also invited China to resume communication which was cut off when she took office for a second term in 2016. She said: "I want to reiterate, that when it comes to cross-strait relations we will not advance rashly and will stick to our principles." As long as the Beijing authorities are determined to defuse antagonism and improve cross-strait relations, in line with the principles of reciprocity and dignity, we are willing to jointly promote meaningful dialogue.” Ms Tsai’s speech came as China issued a warning to the US after two American warships transited the Taiwan Strait amid mounting tensions.

CHINA - China has dismissed Taiwan's offer of peace talks as "cheap tricks" after the latter appeared to offer an olive branch in a new year's message. Tsai Ing-wen, President of Taiwan, referred to ongoing tensions in the Taiwan Strait between the two countries in a national address on January 1. She said Taiwan would be “willing to facilitate meaningful dialogue” with Beijing, provided China shared its interest in improving relations. It comes after a year in which Chinese military aircraft have repeatedly been spotted entering Taiwan’s air defence identification zone. Chinese officials have referred to Taiwan as “an inseparable part of Chinese territory” – though analysts say the country is effectively independent. Ms Tsai said on Friday morning: “From a global strategic standpoint, Taiwan is more important than ever. Stabilizing relations across the Taiwan Strait is no longer just an issue for the two sides. While China has blasted any independence movements within Taiwan, Beijing officials have also hit out at the country’s formal relations with the US this year. On a number of occasions this year US officials have been flown to Taipei, including Washington’s Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar.

USA - Sales by the top 25 companies up 8.5 per cent; Big players active in Global South New data from SIPRI's Arms Industry Database shows that arms sales by the world's 25 largest arms-producing and military services companies (arms companies) totalled US$361 billion in 2019. This represents an 8.5 per cent increase in real terms over the arms sales of the top 25 arms companies in 2018.