At least something to laugh about.

"Secretary of State Antony Blinken told European allies that the United States believes the Russian war in Ukraine could last through the end of 2022," because "there are no indications that Russian President Vladimir Putin's ultimate goals have changed, and it is unlikely he will pursue diplomatic negotiations unless faced with military defeat." CNN. Or if he wins. This means that the US and Europe plan to supply arms and provoke Ukraine to keep on fighting regardless of casualties. "The longer the war goes on, the more brutal the humanitarian toll on the people of Ukraine." So who gains? "The US has supplied Kyiv military aid worth more than $2.4 billion since Russian forces invaded Ukraine," India Today. "But it's not just the US. Canada, the UK, Germany, Italy and Turkey are also among 30-odd countries providing Ukraine with weapons and defence systems that their state-backed private companies specialise in manufacturing." The stench of human carrion is irresistible to vultures. Lend money to prolong the feast. "On April 7, the European Union promised a further $543 million, taking the 27-member bloc's military aid for Kyiv to $1.63 billion." There is widespread hunger in Lebanon. "Lebanon is just a single, acute victim of a worldwide food crisis, one that David Beasley, executive director of the UN's World Food Programme (WFP), recently told the New York Times has 'no precedent even close to this since World War II'," Vox. The price of crude oil has jumped, with benchmark Brent crude trading over $111 per barrel, this morning, oilprice.com. "You can't drink oil, but the price of that keystone global commodity, which was already high pre-invasion, may affect the cost of food more than any other single factor." Ironic that President Joe Biden canceled the Keystone XL pipeline which would have carried shale oil from Canada, CNBC. US purchasing oil from other sources is one of the reasons for high fuel prices. A UN report says that "As many as 1.7 billion people --one-third of whom are already living in poverty -- are now highly exposed to disruptions in food, energy and finance systems," of which 1.2 billion in 69 countries are facing a "perfect storm", TIE. "They include 25 countries in Africa, 25 in Asia and the Pacific, and 19 in Latin America and the Caribbean." Sri Lanka has defaulted on all of its $51 billion of foreign debt as it has run out of foreign exchange for imports," ET. "Argentina's monthly inflation rate soared to 6.7% in March, the government said," while the "annual inflation hit 55.1% in the month", Reuters. Bare numbers hide the extreme suffering of people trying to buy essentials to survive as prices rise inexorably. Amidst all this misery, the Pakistan Army made us guffaw when it said that it has "nothing to do with politics" and Pakistan's "strength lies in the institutions, be it Parliament, Supreme Court or the Armed Forces", ET. We Indians have been blaming them for state sponsored terrorism, wikipedia, all these years when they are such comedians. Who knew?