GERMANY - Germany is considering reintroducing military conscription for all men by 2027. The country has attempted to bolster its armed forces through volunteer schemes to counter the growing threat from Russia, but lawmakers fear this is insufficient. Thomas Röwekamp, chairman of the German parliament’s defence committee, warned that Berlin would have little choice but to revive compulsory enrolment if ambitious recruitment targets were not met. Mr Röwekamp, of the Christian Democratic Union party, said: “If we do not manage to reach these targets through voluntary enlistment, we will have to return to compulsory conscription.” Germany has struggled to attract sufficient recruits despite increased defence spending. Friedrich Merz, the German chancellor, has pledged to build Europe’s strongest conventional army, expanding the Bundeswehr from around 185,000 career soldiers to 260,000 by 2035.

MIDDLE EAST - Hezbollah has condemned a US-brokered agreement to end the war in Lebanon, declaring the deal “null and void”. The Trump administration finalised an agreement on Friday stipulating that Israel would withdraw from some parts of southern Lebanon, alongside there being a process to disarm Hezbollah, the Iran-backed terror group. The deal, overseen by Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, was signed by Daniel Holler, the state department chief of staff, Yechiel Leiter, the Israeli ambassador to the US, and Nada Hamadeh, the Lebanese ambassador to the US, in Washington. A separate deal agreed last week between Iran and the Trump administration had been meant to end the wider war in the Middle East, including Israel’s assaults on Hezbollah. Hezbollah’s rejection of the latest agreement comes after the US and Iran traded strikes for the first time since the broader peace deal was signed.

MIDDLE EAST - The United States renewed strikes on Iran after Tehran fired on a tanker crossing the Strait of Hormuz in a fresh burst of fighting over the critical waterway. American forces said on Saturday evening that it had targeted Iranian military surveillance infrastructure, communication systems and air defence sites in retaliatory strikes ordered by Donald Trump. Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) then announced it had targeted US military assets in Kuwait and Bahrain. The tit-for-tat exchanges threaten to reverse the surge in traffic crossing the Strait that has followed the signing of an interim peace deal earlier this month. Mr Trump warned Iran it would “no longer exist” if the US was forced to continue its military action.

UK - The King’s official job is to protect faith “within the multi-faith nation”, under a newly published palace definition of the monarch’s role. The King, who is Supreme Governor of the Church of England, will “protect the space for Faith” under a redrafted job description from Buckingham Palace. Published in the annual review of the Royal family’s finances, the Sovereign Grant report 2025-26, it changes the description of the King’s role as “Head of Nation” from last year, when he was the “Head of the Church of England and Defender of the Faith”. This year it goes further to specify: “His Majesty is Supreme Governor of the Church of England and protects the space for Faith within the multi-faith nation.” The late Elizabeth II’s job description, as defined in the Sovereign Grant reports of her era, was simple: the “Supreme Governor of the Church of England”. She was also “Head of the Armed Forces”. The King, in this year’s review, “provides pastoral support to our Armed Forces”.

USA - Central banks across the globe have been repatriating gold for years, but there are signs the trend is accelerating. The number of countries increasing domestic storage of the precious metal has nearly doubled since last year, according to the World Gold Council. The Banque de France completed the relocation of 129 tonnes of gold from the US back within its own borders in January. The Deutsche Bundesbank and Banca d’Italia are also facing calls to bring home reserves from abroad. So what is happening with the repatriation of gold? Analysts believe one factor is that committing to sovereignty over bullion is a show of strength in an increasingly hostile global order. Mr Ash said Donald Trump’s tariffs, wars and territorial threats had provoked a “sudden collapse in trust” that the White House would be “friendly to its allies”. He added: “Central banks and sovereign states buying gold, particularly when they keep it at home, really does speak to a world of mistrust and broken cooperation, and that’s been increasingly true."

UK - It seemed as if common sense on the trans issue had been restored. After years of madness – male rapists being held in female prisons, primary schools stocking books explaining “medical transitioning” to children as young as seven, and politicians struggling with basic questions such as “can a woman have a penis?” – sanity appeared to be prevailing. The Supreme Court ruled that the meaning of “sex” in the Equality Act refers exclusively to biological sex. Biological men can no longer be held in female-only prisons. The sinister NHS Tavistock gender identity clinic for children was closed. The Cass Review exposed the lack of proper evidence underpinning many of the claims of the trans ideologues. But any notion that the fight was won has now been exposed as premature. Despite the Supreme Court’s ruling, many institutions also appear strangely reluctant to act on its implications.

TAIWAN - Britain, France and Germany have issued a rare statement condemning Chinese activity near Taiwan. This month, China has mounted coast guard patrols off the island’s east coast, which the three countries said threatened regional stability and freedom of navigation. Beijing also sailed its newest aircraft carrier through the Taiwan Strait, where military drills preparing for a possible invasion by China are being conducted, for the first time on Tuesday, although the joint statement, issued on Wednesday, was not in direct response to the move. “We have noted with concern novel Chinese activity in the waters east of Taiwan,” the statement said. “These actions threaten regional stability and the freedom of navigation and safety of international shipping. We reiterate our opposition to any unilateral change to the status quo, particularly by threat or use of force or coercion.” While all three countries have previously warned against increasing Chinese aggression, joint statements such as these are rare.

EUROPE - Ukraine began its long journey out of Russia’s shadow and towards Europe in Kyiv’s historic Maidan square. More than 100 protesters were killed and over 1,000 injured on the barricades of Maidan Nezalezhnosti (Independence Square) in 2014 as they demanded an end to Moscow’s malign influence. Some 12 years and an invasion later, more than 100,000 people have died fighting for freedom. And now, the EU has given Ukraine the green light to start formal membership negotiations with Volodymyr Zelensky’s government. It is a once-unthinkable step on a long and difficult road of deep reforms and painful scrutiny amid high-stakes diplomacy and an existential war. Ukrainians at the Maidan, where portraits of fallen protesters stand opposite a vast memorial to the war dead, told The Telegraph it was a fair reward for their sacrifice.

MIDDLE EAST - Iran has attacked a cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz, US officials said. In a major test of the fragile week-long peace deal, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) damaged the vessel’s bridge near the Omani coast, the UK’s Maritime Trade Operations said. The flare-up, which did not leave any casualties, adds to the growing dispute over the strait, with Iranian officials plotting to reap billions of dollars by charging fees against the wishes of the US. The Islamic Republic estimated that charging for security, safety and environmental services in the hairpin maritime artery could bring in $40 billion (£29 billion) each year. Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, told Gulf foreign ministers that Washington would not tolerate tolls being charged to cross the waterway. Yet Iranian officials are considering modelling a new levy on Turkey’s charge for ships passing through the Dardanelles, the Wall Street Journal reported. Tehran is trying to bring Gulf neighbours on board, suggesting they share the revenue, and is also seeking Chinese approval.

MIDDLE EAST - After nearly four months of grinding disruption since late February 2026, it looks like the Strait of Hormuz is slowly opening – commercial traffic is moving again. Yet anyone inclined to declare victory should pause. We have endured at least two false dawns and this could be another, with some ships turning back even as this is written. Eleven thousand mariners, many stranded for months and often the unseen victims in these situations, are finally leaving the Gulf. Fewer are entering, for now, presumably for fear of re-escalation and then getting trapped. Lloyd’s List notes that those moving first are, predictably, the vessels with the largest hull sections – the theory being that they are better placed to survive a mine strike that a smaller ship would not. That is a sobering way to measure confidence in a ceasefire.