USA - The global economy has peaked and a downturn in 2018 is inevitable according to a new index and the IMF’s Christine Lagarde who has warned of an “inexcusable, collective policy failure”. Christine Lagarde told an audience in Hong Kong last week that the rules that underpin global trade were “in danger of being torn apart” by protectionist forces in what the IMF managing director said would be “an inexcusable, collective policy failure”. She is most concerned over the tariffs on imported steel and aluminium which were then followed by US action specifically targeting China. Alluding to the tariffs, Ms Lagarde warned that although “the current global picture is bright… we can see darker clouds looming.”

GERMANY - The economic outlook in Germany is deteriorating with alarming speed and any mistake by policy-makers could push the county into a full-blown slump, a leading economic institute has warned. “The danger of recession has increased markedly. It is a notably more critical picture than a month ago,” said the Macroeconomic Policy Institute (IMK) in Düsseldorf. The IMK’s early warning indicator said the recession risk over the next three months has jumped suddenly to 32.4pc as trade tensions mount and liquidity ebbs away in the international financial system.

ISRAEL - On Monday last week, Israel is believed to have attacked Syria’s T4 airbase (Tayfur airport), because the airbase is considered a threat to Israel. Apparently, seven Iranians were killed in the attack. Although the debate over Saturday’s airstrikes has dominated news coverage since the April 7 chemical attack, there is a completely different parallel issue in play, which may be even more dangerous.

USA - When asked about the hard evidence of the alleged chemical attack in Syria and justification of the US strike, Pentagon officials showed the art of avoiding direct answers and shifting the blame.

During a briefing in Washington, Pentagon spokeswoman Dana White and Joint Staff Director Lieutenant General Kenneth F McKenzie said that the operation, which launched more than 100 missiles on civilian and military facilities, accomplished all of its objections and "dealt a severe blow" to the Syrian authorities, who they blame for an alleged attack in Douma.

MIDDLE EAST - Saudi Arabia's King Salman on Sunday slammed Iran's "blatant interference" in the region and lashed out at the US over Jerusalem as Arab leaders met in the kingdom for their annual summit. The 82-year-old monarch dubbed the Arab League meet the "Jerusalem summit" as he took aim at Washington's decision to recognise the disputed city as the capital of Israel and transfer the US embassy from Tel Aviv. The final statement released by the league declared the move "null and illegitimate". Syria's war, the most complex of the region's conflicts, is the main point of contention pitting Riyadh and its allies, who mainly back Sunni rebels, against regime backer Iran and its Lebanese ally Hezbollah. Arab states have made massive donations to Syria but have not officially offered asylum to Syrians.

USA - Parents across the nation will pull their children out of school on April 23 to protest sex education programs that have become steeped in gender ideology due to an agenda forced by pro-abortion and LGBT rights organizations. Dubbed Sex Ed Sit Out, the protest has been organized by parents who want to know why their children are learning graphic details about oral and anal sex…

UNITED NATIONS - It’s debatable when the world last found itself in such a perilous situation – and there are disturbing echoes of the eve of the first world war. As UN secretary general, it is António Guterres’s increasingly frequent duty to warn the major powers they are rushing towards catastrophe. On Friday, on the eve of the US-led airstrikes, it was the former Portuguese prime minister’s turn once again to raise the alarm at the latest of a series of deadlocked security council sessions on Syria.

SYRIA - Hours after the overnight US-led missile strikes on Syria, WikiLeaks republished a crucially important diplomatic cable through its official media accounts confirming that Saudi Arabia's long term strategy in Syria has been to pursue regime change "by all means available." According to the leaked internal Saudi government document, this is the kingdom's proposed end-goal even should the United States at any point show "lack of desire" due to the threat of Russian response and possibility of a 'great power' confrontation.

SAUDI ARABIA - Saudi Arabia used its perch as host of an annual gathering of Arab leaders on Sunday to push for a unified stance against rival Iran as the regional powerhouses vie for the upper hand in wars in Syria and Yemen. Saudi King Salman told leaders from across the 22-member Arab League that Iran was to blame for instability and meddling in the region. He said Yemeni rebel Houthis, backed by Iran, had fired 116 missiles at the kingdom since Saudi Arabia went to war in Yemen three years ago to try and roll back Houthi gains there.

ISRAEL - Israel is celebrating 70 years of independence on Wednesday evening April 18 and Thursday, April 19. All the usual Independence Day festivities will be bigger and more extravagant for the state’s momentous anniversary, with every Israeli organization and establishment marking the occasion even better than they did last year. 

USA - Drought is tightening its grip across the Southwest as extreme conditions spread from Oklahoma to Utah, according to new federal data released Thursday. On the southern high plains, Oklahoma remains ground zero for the worst drought conditions in the United States. About 20 percent of the state is facing exceptional drought conditions — the worst possible classification.

SYRIA - Western allies have rallied in support of the joint air strikes against Syria, while Russia has condemned them as an “act of aggression”. Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel said it was a “necessary and appropriate” response to the deadly chemical attack on the people of Douma, near Damascus. Angela Merkel also said it was needed “to maintain the effectiveness of the international rejection of chemical weapons use and to warn the Syrian regime against further violations”.

USA - US president Donald Trump has warned Syria and their ally Russia he is considering a military strike in retaliation for last week’s sick chemical attack. But one political commentator believes Mr Trump’s motivation for any military response is more than simply to teach Bashar al-Assad a lesson. Political website The Duran believes there are several “real” reasons Mr Trump wants to go to war with Syria, ranging from the Petrodollar to his alleged affair with Stormy Daniels.

USA - US Secretary of Defense James Mattis reiterated that the Pentagon still has no independent evidence to confirm that there was a chemical weapons attack in Syria last week, but said he personally believes there was one. “I believe there was a chemical attack. We are looking for the actual evidence,” the secretary told lawmakers on Thursday. He added that the fact-finding mission by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) may arrive at the site of the alleged attack in the town of Douma “within a week,” but stressed that the inspectors’ mandate would be limited to establishing whether chemical weapons were used at the location or not. He accused Russia and Syria of obstructing the probe, despite Syria inviting the OPCW inspectors there in the first place.

SYRIA - A video described as showing Syrian children being trained to fake the symptoms of a chemical weapons attack has been widely shared online with fake and menacing misinformation. RT Digital investigated the origins of the video and found that it doesn’t depict children being coerced and prepared for future propaganda videos, as falsely suggested by users on Twitter. The video is more than four years old and the actions carried out by the children in the video are part of a play by a group called the Nesma Organization based in eastern Ghouta.