GERMANY - In a dangerous swipe at Chancellor Angela Merkel, her own interior minister is siding with the Austrian and Italian governments to forge a right-wing “axis of the willing” to curb immigration. Conservative lawmakers threaten with a vote on refugee policy in the Bundestag.

NIGERIA - In the fertile grasslands of central Nigeria the roar of a motorcycle is enough to instill fear in the Christian cattle herders stalked by an increasingly bloody conflict. The rev of an engine is the first warning sign that gangs of kidnappers have emerged from the forest for their latest sortie in a battle over diminishing farmland that appears to be drawn along sectarian lines. Across Africa’s most populous country, an undeclared war, triggered in part by climate change and fought over cattle, has turned Muslims and Christians against each other in a confrontation so bitter it threatens to tear Nigeria apart. Warring over cattle is almost as old as human history in parts of Africa. But across a swath of the continent, cattle-related violence is unleashing more bloodshed than at any time in living memory.

USA - A global shortage of sand is prompting black-market gangs to steal large amounts from rivers and beaches. Scientists are warning that the global supply of sand is slipping through our fingers. Statistics show that worldwide, we go through 50 billion tons of sand every year – twice the amount produced by every river in the world during the same period. According to writer and journalist Vince Beiser, who wrote a book on the subject, “Sand is the essential ingredient that makes modern life possible. And we are starting to run out.” That’s mainly because the number and size of cities is exploding, especially in the developing world, Beiser told Business Insider. “We're on track to be a planet of at least nine billion people in the next 20 years. Most of them are going to want to consume resources the way we do in the Western world, and that is just physically impossible,” said Beiser.

EUROPE - The President of the European Parliament Antoni Tajani issued a shock warning to European leaders ahead of a crucial European Council summit at the end of June. Speaking at the Parliament in Strasbourg this week, Mr Tajani said the current migrant debacle encompassing Europe could be the final nail in the coffin for the bloc. A migration crisis has hit the EU this week, after Italy has stood by its decision to block migrant rescue ships from docking at the country's ports. At the same time, Germany faces shock uncertainty amid calls for Chancellor Angela Merkel to stand down following a coalition argument.

EUROPE - The biggest threat to the EU is the imminent collapse of Angela Merkel's fragile coalition, which would lead to a Europe-wide breakup "in an uncontrollable way" according to a leading left-wing and pro-EU commentator. The political instability that has rocked the German government could set in motion the breakup of the European Union, according to Paul Mason, a left-wing commentator. Angela Merkel faces a make-or-break week as German Chancellor, after leading figures in her sister party, the Christian Social Union, gave her a stark ultimatum. In an unprecedented challenge to Mrs Merkel's authority, the CSU will give Chancellor Angela Merkel a two-week deadline to meet its demands for overhauling asylum policy, according to German paper Bild.

CHINA - The Chinese State Council's commission on tariffs and customs said in an online statement that a 25 percent tariff will take effect July 6 on agriculture products, automobiles and "aquatic products." The tariffs counter the United States Trade Representative's announcement earlier on Friday that the US will initially impose an additional 25 percent tariff on 818 Chinese imports worth about $34 billion on July 6.

INDIA - India will suspend trade concessions and raise import duties on 30 products from the United States by up to 50 percent, in a mirror response to Washington’s impetuous move to impose tariffs on steel and aluminum imports. New Delhi has drawn up a list of 30 American products it now wants to target with increased import duties. The new measures will see a 50 percent tariff increase on motorcycles with engine capacities of over 800cc, while apple imports would be charged with a 25 percent levy. Imports of almonds and walnuts would see a 20 percent levy.

GERMANY - As Chancellor Merkel's grip on power continues to look more and more fragile, Bild Zeitung reports that Germany’s Christian Social Union party will give her a two-week deadline to meet its demands for overhauling asylum policy. If true, the reports would be an unprecedented challenge to Merkel's authority and risks plunging the nation further into chaos, as Der Spiegel pulls no punches in explaining: "The German question… How do we deal with migrants? Endangers Merkel's chancellorship." However it ends, the spat has laid bare the limits of Merkel's authority in a fractious government that took office in March after nearly six months of post-election haggling.

GERMANY - As Chancellor Angela Merkel fights to save her government in a heated battle over immigration, an opinion poll Friday showed most Germans support the tougher line of her rebel interior minister. The survey found that 62 percent of respondents were in favour of turning back undocumented asylum seekers at the border, in line with the stance of Interior Minister Horst Seehofer who is openly challenging Merkel. And 86 percent want faster deportations of rejected asylum seekers, a process now often held up by bureaucratic hurdles, according to the Infratest dimap poll. The survey heightens pressure on Merkel, who has faced a backlash for allowing into Germany more than one million people fleeing war and misery in Syria, Iraq and elsewhere since 2015.

EUROPE - The President of the European Parliament has admitted that the future of the European Union faces a make-or-break moment by the end of June if European leaders cannot resolve the expanding migration crisis. Speaking at the Parliament in Strasbourg this week, Mr Tajani said the current migrant debacle encompassing Europe could be the final nail in the coffin for the bloc. A migration crisis has hit the EU this week, after Italy has stood by its decision to block migrant rescue ships from docking at the country's ports. At the same time, Germany faces shock uncertainty amid calls for Chancellor Angela Merkel to stand down following a coalition argument. The fall-out sparked panic in the EU as Italy and Austria teamed up with Horst Seehofer, Germany’s interior minister, in an “axis of the willing” to defy Mrs Merkel's open-door policies.

USA - President Donald Trump said Friday he was in the process of fighting a war with agencies like the FBI, citing their “very dishonest” behavior in their investigations. “I’m actually proud because I beat the Clinton dynasty. I beat Bush dynasty, and now I guess hopefully I’m in the process of beating very dishonest intelligence,” Trump said. He said the FBI betrayed both Republicans and Democrats in the 2016 presidential election. Trump clarified he was only criticizing the corrupt leadership at the top of the FBI, not the rank-and-file agents. He said that Comey’s replacement at the FBI would fix the problems in the agency. “I think Christopher Wray’s very different from Comey,” he said. “Which is what you need … and he’s moving step by step. And you’re going to see a whole new very proud FBI.”

JAPAN - There’s almost no more room for anymore storage tanks at the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) nuclear reactor site in Fukushima, Japan, which means that very soon there won’t be any way to dispose of the ever-growing amount of treated water, also known as tritium water, that continues to accumulate within the disaster area.

JAPAN - At least three people have been confirmed killed and more casualties are feared, after a magnitude 6.1 earthquake hit north of Osaka Prefecture in western Japan, local media report. At least 217 people were injured, mainly across the northern Osaka and neighboring prefectures, the broadcaster reports, citing data from local police and fire departments. Some 170,000 households remain without power in Osaka, as well as neighboring Hyogo prefecture, according to local electricity operator Kansai. The jolt struck during the Monday morning rush hour, and forced a halt to some rail services. As a precaution, flights were also delayed in Osaka airport.

GERMANY - German Chancellor Angela Merkel could lose her powerful seat in the heart of Europe as soon as next week amid clashes within her coalition Government over EU migration policies, claimed German MP Kai Whittaker. Speaking on BBC World at One, the German politician claimed clashes between Angela Merkel and German interior minister Horst Seehofer could result in a "new political situation" in Germany by the end of next week.

GERMANY - The murder of a teenage German girl in Wiesbaden by a rejected asylum-seeker is raising a debate in Germany about the country’s refugee policy. Sputnik discussed the incident with Sebastian Munzenmaier, an AfD member of parliament for Mainz, the home city of the slain girl.