Romanian President-elect Nicusor Dan, a pro-EU centrist who pulled off an upset in Romania’s presidential election to beat out a hard-right nationalist, traveled to Warsaw, and joined Trzaskowski's march.
Leo noted that on the feast day “in the churches and shrines in China and throughout the world, prayers have been raised to God as a sign of the solicitude and affection for Chinese Catholics and their communion with the universal church.”
Speaking from his studio window during his noontime blessing, Leo prayed that Catholics in China and elsewhere “obtain the grace to be strong and joyful witnesses of the Gospel, even in the midst of trials, to always promote peace and harmony.”
Pope Francis took Benedict’s unifying efforts further by approving a controversial deal in 2018 over bishop nominations. The details of the deal were never released, but it affords the state-controlled church a say in its church leaders, though Francis insisted he retained veto power over the ultimate choice.
Leo told the archbishop of Hong Kong, Cardinal Stephen Chow, that he had “visited China several times and got to know the Chinese culture and reality,” according to the Fides missionary news agency, citing comments Chow made in his diocesan weekly newsletter after the conclave.
Chow added that he expected Leo would follow Francis’ direction for the church in China. He said he had given Leo a small statue of Our Lady of Sheshan, a statue of the Madonna that is particularly venerated by Chinese faithful and is celebrated on the feast day, May 24.
Chow, a Jesuit, said he had implored Leo “to not forget the church in China and the Chinese people,” according to the newsletter. “He nodded his head to indicate that he will not forget,” according to Fides.
The Vatican has been working for years to try to improve relations with China that were officially severed over seven decades ago when the Communists came to power. Relations had long been stymied over China’s insistence on its exclusive right to name bishops as a matter of national sovereignty, while the Vatican insisted on the pope’s exclusive right to name the successors of the original Apostles.
The 2018 deal was aimed at uniting the flock, regularizing the status of seven bishops who weren’t recognized by Rome and thawing decades of estrangement between China and the Vatican.
US to Israel: Delay Gaza Takeover for Hostage Returns
Sources told The Jerusalem Post on Sunday that U.S. officials are seeking progress on hostage and remains returns through diplomacy before the major ground invasion commences in full force.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed a full-fledged takeover of Gaza from Hamas terrorists, but the U.S. is pushing to delay that until the remaining hostages are returned, effectively giving the terrorists justification for their holding of what Israel has called its "human shields."
Sources told The Jerusalem Post on Sunday that U.S. officials are seeking progress on hostage and remains returns through diplomacy before the major ground invasion gets underway. Officials are requesting Israel's delay.
Not only are Hamas terrorists reportedly looting the humanitarian aid for the innocent civilians, but they are also reportedly firing on civilians trying to access the aid that the world leaders have demanded Israel release. Israel has long warned aid is getting stolen by the very hostage-holding terrorists Israel seeks to remove from power.
Former U.S. Undersecretary of Defense Robert Wilkie told Newsmax on Sunday that diplomacy with the "ultimate death cult" of Hamas has proved impossible over decades.
Officials from the Democratic Republic of Congo are optimistic they can reach a deal with Washington next month to secure U.S investment in critical minerals alongside support to end a Rwandan-backed rebellion in the country’s east, the Financial Times reported on Sunday.
Congolese minerals such as tungsten, tantalum and tin, which Kinshasa has long accused neighboring Rwanda of illegally exploiting, could be exported legitimately to Rwanda for processing under the terms of a peace deal being negotiated by the U.S., Reuters reported last week.
ACH (Automated Clearing House) transactions are another major payment type. MyBankTracker reported that Chase has a daily ACH transfer limit of $25,000, which could imply high monthly volumes for business and retail clients. Bank of America has a $1,000 daily limit for standard accounts, lifted with SafePass verification, suggesting significant ACH activity.
While exact transaction counts or volumes aren’t specified, the high limits and widespread use of ACH for direct deposits and bill payments indicate billions in monthly volume per bank, especially for Chase and BOA, given their deposit sizes ($2.406 trillion and $1.929 trillion, respectively)
Contemporary Risks
Today, several countries face risks of collapse:
Venezuela: Hyperinflation, oil dependency, and authoritarianism have led to economic collapse and mass emigration.
Yemen: Civil war, famine, and foreign intervention have created a humanitarian catastrophe.
Afghanistan: The 2021 Taliban takeover exposed the fragility of externally imposed governance structures.
Global trends like climate change, misinformation, and geopolitical rivalries amplify these risks. A 2023 UN Development Programme report warns that climate-induced migration could destabilize already fragile states by 2050.
Preventing collapse requires addressing these issues proactively:
Strengthening Institutions: Transparent governance and inclusive policies can rebuild trust. Post-World War II Germany’s reconstruction shows how institutional reform can stabilize a nation.
Economic Diversification: Reducing reliance on single industries (e.g., oil in Saudi Arabia) mitigates economic shocks.
Social Cohesion: Programs to bridge ethnic or class divides, as seen in post-apartheid South Africa, can prevent fragmentation.
Environmental Management: Sustainable resource policies, like those in Scandinavian countries, reduce ecological risks.
The Collapse of the Mayan Civilization (c. 900 CE)
The Classic Maya civilization in Mesoamerica collapsed due to a combination of environmental and social stressors:
Environmental Degradation: Deforestation and soil depletion from intensive agriculture led to food shortages. Prolonged droughts, as confirmed by paleoclimatic studies, exacerbated resource scarcity.
Overpopulation: Rapid population growth strained resources, leading to competition among city-states.
Political Fragmentation: The decentralized nature of Maya city-states meant that no unified response to crises was possible. Elite infighting and warfare intensified.
Social Unrest: Peasant revolts and declining trust in divine kings weakened societal bonds.
Notably, China had seen this years ago, ramping up is automation production with a national robotics policy and the new Made in China 2025 initiative that Burnstein is calling on America to at least match, if not exceed.
America, particularly with the strength of resistance from workers' unions, must drop the stigma of reliance on automation in manufacturing, because outside of automaking, U.S. robotics use in manufacturing lags worldwide, according to IFR President Takayuki Ito.
"The United States has one of the most automated car industries in the world: The ratio of robots to factory workers ranks fifth, tied with Japan and Germany and ahead of China," Ito said. "This is a great achievement of modernization.
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Romanian President-elect Nicusor Dan, a pro-EU centrist who pulled off an upset in Romania’s presidential election to beat out a hard-right nationalist, traveled to Warsaw, and joined Trzaskowski's march.
Leo noted that on the feast day “in the churches and shrines in China and throughout the world, prayers have been raised to God as a sign of the solicitude and affection for Chinese Catholics and their communion with the universal church.”
Speaking from his studio window during his noontime blessing, Leo prayed that Catholics in China and elsewhere “obtain the grace to be strong and joyful witnesses of the Gospel, even in the midst of trials, to always promote peace and harmony.”
Pope Francis took Benedict’s unifying efforts further by approving a controversial deal in 2018 over bishop nominations. The details of the deal were never released, but it affords the state-controlled church a say in its church leaders, though Francis insisted he retained veto power over the ultimate choice.
Leo told the archbishop of Hong Kong, Cardinal Stephen Chow, that he had “visited China several times and got to know the Chinese culture and reality,” according to the Fides missionary news agency, citing comments Chow made in his diocesan weekly newsletter after the conclave.
Chow added that he expected Leo would follow Francis’ direction for the church in China. He said he had given Leo a small statue of Our Lady of Sheshan, a statue of the Madonna that is particularly venerated by Chinese faithful and is celebrated on the feast day, May 24.
Chow, a Jesuit, said he had implored Leo “to not forget the church in China and the Chinese people,” according to the newsletter. “He nodded his head to indicate that he will not forget,” according to Fides.
The Vatican has been working for years to try to improve relations with China that were officially severed over seven decades ago when the Communists came to power. Relations had long been stymied over China’s insistence on its exclusive right to name bishops as a matter of national sovereignty, while the Vatican insisted on the pope’s exclusive right to name the successors of the original Apostles.
The 2018 deal was aimed at uniting the flock, regularizing the status of seven bishops who weren’t recognized by Rome and thawing decades of estrangement between China and the Vatican.
US to Israel: Delay Gaza Takeover for Hostage Returns
Sources told The Jerusalem Post on Sunday that U.S. officials are seeking progress on hostage and remains returns through diplomacy before the major ground invasion commences in full force.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed a full-fledged takeover of Gaza from Hamas terrorists, but the U.S. is pushing to delay that until the remaining hostages are returned, effectively giving the terrorists justification for their holding of what Israel has called its "human shields."
Sources told The Jerusalem Post on Sunday that U.S. officials are seeking progress on hostage and remains returns through diplomacy before the major ground invasion gets underway. Officials are requesting Israel's delay.
Not only are Hamas terrorists reportedly looting the humanitarian aid for the innocent civilians, but they are also reportedly firing on civilians trying to access the aid that the world leaders have demanded Israel release. Israel has long warned aid is getting stolen by the very hostage-holding terrorists Israel seeks to remove from power.
Former U.S. Undersecretary of Defense Robert Wilkie told Newsmax on Sunday that diplomacy with the "ultimate death cult" of Hamas has proved impossible over decades.
Congo Eyes US Minerals Deal by End of June
Officials from the Democratic Republic of Congo are optimistic they can reach a deal with Washington next month to secure U.S investment in critical minerals alongside support to end a Rwandan-backed rebellion in the country’s east, the Financial Times reported on Sunday.
Congolese minerals such as tungsten, tantalum and tin, which Kinshasa has long accused neighboring Rwanda of illegally exploiting, could be exported legitimately to Rwanda for processing under the terms of a peace deal being negotiated by the U.S., Reuters reported last week.
ACH (Automated Clearing House) transactions are another major payment type. MyBankTracker reported that Chase has a daily ACH transfer limit of $25,000, which could imply high monthly volumes for business and retail clients. Bank of America has a $1,000 daily limit for standard accounts, lifted with SafePass verification, suggesting significant ACH activity.
While exact transaction counts or volumes aren’t specified, the high limits and widespread use of ACH for direct deposits and bill payments indicate billions in monthly volume per bank, especially for Chase and BOA, given their deposit sizes ($2.406 trillion and $1.929 trillion, respectively)
Risk of collapse
Contemporary Risks
Today, several countries face risks of collapse:
Venezuela: Hyperinflation, oil dependency, and authoritarianism have led to economic collapse and mass emigration.
Yemen: Civil war, famine, and foreign intervention have created a humanitarian catastrophe.
Afghanistan: The 2021 Taliban takeover exposed the fragility of externally imposed governance structures.
Global trends like climate change, misinformation, and geopolitical rivalries amplify these risks. A 2023 UN Development Programme report warns that climate-induced migration could destabilize already fragile states by 2050.
Preventing collapse requires addressing these issues proactively:
Strengthening Institutions: Transparent governance and inclusive policies can rebuild trust. Post-World War II Germany’s reconstruction shows how institutional reform can stabilize a nation.
Economic Diversification: Reducing reliance on single industries (e.g., oil in Saudi Arabia) mitigates economic shocks.
Social Cohesion: Programs to bridge ethnic or class divides, as seen in post-apartheid South Africa, can prevent fragmentation.
Environmental Management: Sustainable resource policies, like those in Scandinavian countries, reduce ecological risks.
The Classic Maya civilization in Mesoamerica collapsed due to a combination of environmental and social stressors:
Environmental Degradation: Deforestation and soil depletion from intensive agriculture led to food shortages. Prolonged droughts, as confirmed by paleoclimatic studies, exacerbated resource scarcity.
Overpopulation: Rapid population growth strained resources, leading to competition among city-states.
Political Fragmentation: The decentralized nature of Maya city-states meant that no unified response to crises was possible. Elite infighting and warfare intensified.
Social Unrest: Peasant revolts and declining trust in divine kings weakened societal bonds.
Notably, China had seen this years ago, ramping up is automation production with a national robotics policy and the new Made in China 2025 initiative that Burnstein is calling on America to at least match, if not exceed.
America, particularly with the strength of resistance from workers' unions, must drop the stigma of reliance on automation in manufacturing, because outside of automaking, U.S. robotics use in manufacturing lags worldwide, according to IFR President Takayuki Ito.
"The United States has one of the most automated car industries in the world: The ratio of robots to factory workers ranks fifth, tied with Japan and Germany and ahead of China," Ito said. "This is a great achievement of modernization.