USA - Even Snow White has to be a big deal. In the latest sign of the politicisation of absolutely everything, Disney has cancelled its customary red carpet razzmatazz because its two leading ladies, Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot, are now seen as ciphers for Israel and Gaza. Looks like casting the Israeli actress as the evil queen and the “free Palestine” advocate as Snow White wasn’t a strong enough message.

GERMANY - Germany’s main centrist parties have struck an historic deal that unlocks billions in debt-funded investment for defence and infrastructure, as well as aid to Ukraine. The Christian Democrats (CDU) and Social Democrats (SPD), who are poised to form Germany’s next coalition government, came to an agreement with the Greens on Friday. The deal will exempt defence spending and aid to Ukraine from Germany’s strict debt brake, a 16-year-old constitutional clause that limits the structural public deficit to 0.35 per cent of GDP. The parties also agreed to set up a €500 billion special fund outside the regular budget for investment in Germany’s creaking infrastructure.

EUROPE - The European Union has laid out plans to revitalize its military industry, citing an alleged “existential threat” from Russia and concerns over the future of NATO, according to a White Paper obtained by Politico. Moscow has repeatedly denied having any intention of attacking Western states, dismissing such claims as “nonsense” meant to justify increased military spending. The initiative comes in light of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s proposal to mobilize up to €800 billion for defense. The so-called ReArm Europe plan includes financial incentives for EU member states to expand their military budgets, as well as a proposed €150 billion in loans for joint defense projects.

YEMEN - President Donald Trump has warned Houthi terrorists to cease their attacks against Red Sea shipping or 'hell will rain down upon you' - while also cautioning Iran to cease their support, as the US launched a series of military strikes over Yemen. Trump ordered the 'decisive and powerful' military action over the capital of Sanaa on Saturday afternoon. At least 13 civilians have been killed and nine injured so far, according to the Houthi-run health ministry. The US President confirmed in a post on Truth Social that 'overwhelming lethal force' would be used until Iranian-backed Houthi rebels cease their attacks on shipping along a vital maritime corridor. Trump also warned Iran, the Houthis' main backer, that it needed to immediately halt support to the group. He said if Iran threatened the United States 'America will hold you fully accountable and, we won't be nice about it!' The action represents the biggest US military operation in the Middle East since Trump took office in January.

GERMANY - Germany’s perfect storm: Skyrocketing knife crime, crumbling economy, and failed leadership threaten national stability. As Germany contends with a faltering economy, soaring prices, rising unemployment, intensifying political violence, and mounting geopolitical instability, it also faces an alarming surge in knife crime — an epidemic fueled by decades of failed leadership, reckless, short-sighted policies, and unchecked mass immigration from countries with alien cultures. Over the past decade, violent crime has climbed by 20%, with non-German passport holders accounting for 41.8% of suspects. Germany’s status as an economic powerhouse is also waning, and with it, the broader European continent’s stability. Inflation and rising energy costs, largely driven by the economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine, are crushing both businesses and families alike.

USA - The stock market slipping by 10 percent is nothing new. It has happened over fifty times since 1950. But what is different now is the effect. This decline has already erased wealth equal to 12 percent of GDP, something that has only happened a handful of times in modern history. That should make people ask the real question: why is the economy this dependent on stock prices?

VATICAN - Pope Francis approved a new three-year process to consider reforms for the global Catholic Church, the Vatican said on Saturday, in a sign the 88-year-old pontiff plans to continue on as pope despite his ongoing battle with double pneumonia. Francis has extended the work of the Synod of Bishops, a signature initiative of his 12-year papacy, which has discussed reforms such as the possibility of women serving as Catholic deacons and better inclusion of LGBTQ people in the Church. The synod, which held an inconclusive Vatican summit of bishops on the future of the Church last October, will now hold consultations with Catholics across the world for the next three years, before hosting a new summit in 2028. Francis approved the new process for reforms on Tuesday from Rome's Gemelli hospital, where he is being treated, the Vatican said on Saturday.

UKRAINE - Did we just get closer to peace, or did we just get closer to war? On Thursday, some media outlets in the US were boldly proclaiming that Vladimir Putin had “agreed in principle” to Donald Trump’s proposal for a 30 day ceasefire in Ukraine, while other media outlets in the US were flatly telling us that Vladimir Putin had rejected Donald Trump’s proposal. So what is the truth?

USA - At least 31 people have been killed after deadly tornadoes ripped through central and southern America, flattening homes and destroying neighbourhoods. Forecasters have warned that more storms and hurricane-force winds are due on Saturday night, as thousands of people were left without power. Twelve people were killed in Missouri, officials said, after twisters tore through the state. One man died after a tornado passed straight through his house. “It was unrecognisable as a home. Just a debris field,” said Coroner Jim Akers of Butler County. “The floor was upside down. We were walking on walls”, he said, adding that emergency responders managed to save one woman from the property. About 138 million people are at risk of severe weather in central and southern US states. Tornado warnings are in place in parts of Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas, Mississippi, Indiana and Kentucky.

UKRAINE - US negotiators want a quick deal but Moscow is demanding Ukraine must not join Nato and occupied territories are recognised internationally. In all peace negotiations, there are thrusts, parries and counter-moves long before the opposing parties take to the table. Even as a plane carrying US negotiator Steve Witkoff to Moscow was in the air, it was reported that a list of demands had been issued by the Kremlin. Ukraine must not be allowed to join Nato. The international community must recognise Russia’s capture of Crimea and the Ukrainian provinces of Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk and Luhansk. There must be no foreign peacekeeping troops inside Ukraine once a deal is struck.

POLAND - Poland’s outgoing head of state has appealed to President Trump to station American atomic weapons on Polish territory as a close-range deterrent against Russia. The rift between the US and Europe has opened up a broad debate about how to shore up Nato’s nuclear deterrence. Germany’s probable next chancellor has expressed an interest in sharing France or Britain’s arsenal. Poland, however, remains one of the most staunchly Atlanticist members of the alliance and is seeking to use its good standing with the Trump administration to keep the US on side. President Duda said he had told Keith Kellogg, Trump’s Ukraine envoy, that Poland stood ready to host American nuclear bombs or missiles. They would be the first to be based in what was the Cold War-era eastern bloc and the first to be deployed to a Nato member bordering Russia, as Poland shares a 130-mile border with the Kaliningrad outpost. At present the US is believed to have “tactical” (low-yield) atomic weapons at six bases in Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy and Turkey, under the Nato “nuclear-sharing” programme.

UK - Five years ago this month, Britain entered its first Covid lockdown. Streets were emptied, families separated and the NHS pushed to breaking point. Frontline heroes emerged, while others flouted the rules. Although the Covid global emergency was officially declared over in May 2023, debate over the origin and impact of the pandemic rages on. Despite early claims that the virus originated in a Wuhan 'wet market', many are now convinced that a leak from a laboratory in the Chinese city was the cause. The effect of Covid on British life has been profound. For some, lockdown was a positive experience, prompting lifestyle changes and bringing communities together. But for others it brought anxiety and loneliness. Research has found that the educational progress and social development of young children was severely affected. The full impact of the pandemic may not be known for many years.

GERMANY - Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel allegedly covered up a report from her country’s foreign intelligence service that concluded that the likelihood that the coronavirus pandemic originated from a Chinese lab was overwhelming. The Bundesnachrichtendienst (BND), German’s version of the CIA, conducted an intelligence gathering operation dubbed “Saaremaa” that concluded that there was an 80%-95% likelihood that the pandemic originated during a lab accident at the Wuhan Institute of Virology.

GREENLAND - The Demokraatit party just SHOCKED everyone with a massive victory, jumping from 9% to 30% of the vote. They're replacing the anti-American leftists who kept saying "Greenland's not for sale." Let's be CLEAR: This is a HUGE shift. While the old guard was busy shouting "NO" at everything American, the new leadership is talking about "business" and "pragmatic cooperation." Trump's been crystal clear: "We need Greenland for national security." He's offering BILLIONS in investment, to an island with only 57,000 people, but that's bigger than the Louisiana Purchase.

USA - US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said he would impose an even higher levy on Canadian imports, doubling steel and aluminum tariffs to 50%. He also reiterated that he wants to annex the world’s second largest country, stating that the only way to resolve the tariffs standoff would be for Canada to become the “cherished” 51st state of the US. Trump announced the move in a post on his platform Truth Social, explaining that the hike in tariffs was in response to the 25% retaliatory surcharge on electricity exports to the US imposed on Monday by Ontario, Canada’s most populous province.