UK - The world's deepest plastic bag has been found at the bottom of the Mariana Trench by scientists, highlighting the spread of ocean pollution. The find was made 36,000ft (10,898m) undersea in the deepest ocean trench - and was one of 3,000 pieces of man-made debris dating back 30 years. Numerous international teams working around the world on over 5,000 separate dives using deep-sea remote vehicles helped trawl through the ocean beds to discover what lay beneath. Over a third of the debris found was micro-plastic, with 89 per cent from single-use products. The full findings of the study have been published in the journal Marine Policy. It shows how human activities are now also affecting deep-sea ecosystems.

USA - We are all aware that public schools are indoctrinating our children with abhorrent subject matter that advances the agenda of the left. Alternative lifestyles and deviant sexual behavior are being taught alongside math and history – and just when you think the material being presented to our kids in school couldn’t get any worse, it does.

USA - The US withdrawal from the nuclear deal with Tehran on Tuesday is the first step in the American plan for a regime change in Iran carried out in accordance with the Iraqi scenario, Middle East expert Sami Ramadani told RT. “If one listens carefully to what Trump was saying, really, the US is not only withdrawing from this multilateral international agreement unilaterally – scrapping it, but it’s also, actually, threatening a regime change in Iran,” Ramadani said. The expert noted that not only was the Iraqi regime overthrown due to the US' military involvement, but the whole country was “destroyed.” The US has been trying to destabilize Iran for decades, he said.

USA - Recent budget policy decisions in both the United States and Germany would suggest that the two countries are on a collision course regarding Germany’s outsized trade surplus. This would seem to be especially the case since the divergent budget policies between the two countries are almost certain to increase Germany’s US bilateral trade surplus. All of which does not bode well for the long-run maintenance of an open global trading system.

CHINA - Tensions over the South China Sea have been brewing for years, which could be one reason why markets ignored the reports about the missiles last week, and have generally viewed the worsening tensions between the US and China as a non-issue. Back in 2015, the International Criminal Court ruled in favor of the Philippines, declaring that the country could officially exert sovereignty over some of the disputed islands. But China ignored the ruling, and threatened military confrontation should the Philippines try to enforce the ruling. Admiral Philip Davidson, President Trump's pick to lead the US Pacific Command, has repeatedly warned that China is trying to muscle the US out of the Pacific so it can assert unilateral domination over the territory.

USA - In the first quarter of 2018, the number of Social Security beneficiaries topped 62,000,000 for the first time, according to data released by the Social Security Administration. In fact, people receiving Social Security benefits in the United States now outnumber the population of Italy.

USA - President Donald Trump announced his decision to withdraw from the Iran deal on Tuesday, keeping his campaign promise to end the agreement reached by former President Barack Obama. “This was a horrible one-sided deal that should have never, ever been made,” Trump said. “It didn’t bring calm, it didn’t bring peace, and it never will.”

USA - President Donald Trump says “great things” can happen for the Iranian people following his announcement that the US was withdrawing from a global nuclear agreement. Trump predicted Tuesday that Iranians would someday “want to make a new and lasting deal” and that “when they do, I am ready, willing and able.” He added that a new deal could lead to the “peace and stability we all want in the Middle East.” Despite lobbying from European allies, Trump moved forward with his campaign promise to pull out of the President Barack Obama-era agreement. The Iranians have been sharply critical of the Republican president’s plan to withdraw. The possibility of the nuclear deal collapsing has raised concerns it might embolden Iran to strike Israeli targets.

MIDDLE EAST - A surfeit of Arabic-language newspapers have recently published articles discussing Israel’s superiority over Arab states, saying Israel’s strong democratic ethos and its willingness to prosecute its leaders is partly why it is the only stable country in the region, a Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) report released this week said. The articles also cited Israeli education, innovation and its superior health service, as contributing factors to its astounding success. The writers urged Arab countries to learn from Israel and warned that if they do not they will remain repressed societies. Former Egyptian official Reda Abd Al-Salam wrote on the Egyptian news site the Nile Press that despite Muslim supplications, Allah has answered the prayers of the “sons of apes and pigs,” referring to the Koranic description of Jews, by giving them prosperity.

MIDDLE EAST - Starting last weekend, the number of Gaza residents willing to participate in the riots along the border fence was dropping. Hamas is no longer hiding the fact that the demonstrations are not intended to be quiet marches but rather attempts to carry out attacks on Israeli forces and civilians as well as damage the fence and military equipment. We can assume that leading up to May 15, on which the Palestinians mark the "catastrophe" ("Nakba") of their displacement during Israel's War of Independence, the border will heat up again and Hamas will spur on Gazans to head out for the "marches of return," reminding Israel and the world that the Palestinians are still committed to the dream of return, which in essence means the destruction of the State of Israel.

UK - Students at Cambridge University are being given guinea pigs to help ease their stress levels. Bosses at the famous university's Lucy Cavendish College say the furry pets will improve mental well-being. Other initiatives aimed at supporting students through their hardest term in previous years have included 'take a break' sessions, manicures, ice-cream and massages.

RUSSIA - China has significantly boosted oil imports from Russia, while the latter has been selling less crude to Europe. An analyst told RT that Beijing has become a more preferable partner in the oil trade for Moscow. RT’s source in Russia’s largest oil exporter Transneft has said that since January 1, the country is pumping more oil to China, while exports to Europe have plunged. Earlier, Bloomberg reported that Russia will have shipped 19 percent less oil through its ports on the Baltic and Black Seas in the first five months of 2018, and sold 43 percent more oil to China through March. With the launch of oil futures in renminbi, both China and Russia have said they could reduce the use of the US dollar in oil trade.

ISRAEL - There have been coups and revolutions, external invasions and proxy conflicts, but the Middle East hasn’t seen a head-to-head war between major regional powers since the 1980s. There’s a growing risk that one is about to break out in Syria, pitting Israel against Iran. The Islamic Republic’s forces are entrenching there, after joining the fight to prop up President Bashar al-Assad. The Jewish state, perceiving a direct threat on its border, is subjecting them to an escalating barrage of airstrikes. Nobody expects those strikes to go unanswered. In Tehran, Hossein Salami, deputy commander of the Revolutionary Guards, said that “100,000 missiles are ready to fly’’ in Israel’s direction, and warned they could bring about its “annihilation and collapse.’’

USA - The United States has raised concerns with China about its latest militarization of the South China Sea and there will be near-term and long-term consequences, the White House said on Thursday. US news network CNBC reported on Wednesday that China had installed anti-ship cruise missiles and surface-to-air missile systems on three manmade outposts in the South China Sea. It cited sources with direct knowledge of US intelligence. Asked about the report, White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders told a regular news briefing: "We’re well aware of China’s militarization of the South China Sea. We’ve raised concerns directly with the Chinese about this and there will be near-term and long-term consequences."

ISRAEL - As Israel faces rising tensions with Iran, Syria and Gaza, its Parliament passed a new law allowing the prime minister and defense minister to decide alone whether their nation will go to war. The legislation, which comes after multiple attacks inside Syria widely believed to have been carried out by Israel, makes it much easier for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to declare war. Although the new law restricts the use of that power to “extreme circumstances,” it has provoked domestic criticism for concentrating it in the hands of just two people.