GERMANY - When 1.1 million migrants arrived in Germany in 2015, Bild Zeitung launched a 'welcome' campaign, echoing the sentiments of then-Chancellor Angela Merkel, who had unilaterally opened the country's borders to Syrians fleeing civil war in their homeland. The German people answered the call. They hung bunting on lampposts, waved balloons, offered food parcels and put up camp beds for the newcomers in sports halls, churches — and even in their own homes. Which makes the new campaign by Germany's favourite paper, known to everyone simply as Bild, quite extraordinary. Under the front-page headline 'Germany, we have a problem!', it has published a highly controversial 50-point manifesto telling migrants how to behave as the country experiences a national culture clash.

GERMANY - New Defense Policy Guidelines call for warfighting capability of the Bundeswehr and orient toward war with Russia. Berlin also hopes to increase its military clout within NATO and the EU. The German government seeks to adapt and upgrade the German army for possible war with Russia, according to the New Defense Policy Guidelines presented by German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius last week. Berlin remains committed to increasing its military strength and declares “deterrence” of Moscow as the Bundeswehr’s core task. In the guidelines, there is no mention of possible negotiated solutions and de-escalation. Ignoring NATO's war of aggression against Yugoslavia in 1999, the authors claim that Russia brought war back to Europe in early 2022. Germany must therefore become “combat-ready” as quickly as possible.

USA - The nation’s foreign-born population has hit an unprecedented 49.5 million, the largest ever recorded in American history, under President Joe Biden. Analysis by Steven Camarota and Karen Zeigler at the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) revealed that in October the foreign-born population reached almost 50 million, increasing by 4.5 million foreign-born residents since Biden took office in January 2021. Put another way, the Biden administration has added more immigrants to the nation’s population than the annual number of US births in fewer than three years. Similarly, the growth of the foreign-born population under Biden exceeds the resident populations of 25 states.

USA - The US needs to win the Gaza War to destabilize BRICS to carry on with the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) proposal presented in September at the G20 meeting in New Delhi. Veteran geopolitical analyst Pepe Escobar told the New Rules program that the Biden administration needs an Israeli win in Gaza to undercut BRICS and other economic integration initiatives headed by Russia and China.

USA - I keep sounding the alarm on this because it’s big. Really big. And it could change your life overnight. That’s not my words, that’s Glenn Beck, his guest Carol Roth, even NPR has confirmed. And when do Glenn Beck and NPR agree on anything? I’ve been warning you about this for a long time. So has Bo Polny. And I’m going to continue to do so.

USA - It is not true that one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter. In almost all cases, terrorists are terrorists whether you approve of their aims or not. They do disgusting things, with disgusting results, in the false belief that the rightness of their cause excuses the crime. The same is often true of nations, which in the past century have grown very ready to excuse the most frightful actions because their cause is just. But it is true that one man's terrorist quite often becomes the same man's negotiating partner. The Olympic champion in this sort of hypocrisy is the United States of America.

MIDDLE EAST - The Hamas “death cult” relies on “useful Western idiots” to support the Palestinian cause, which has “fused with the leftwing DEI industry,” according to world-renowned military historian and professor Dr Victor Davis Hanson, who notes that pro-Palestinian protests and support for Hamas in the US have alienated many Americans and will all but ensure a tough conservative president in 2024. Consequently, he explains, Hamas has become “the Middle-East counterpart to BLM… and, more preposterously, the trans/gay/feminist movement,” while Israelis are “recalibrated as the demonized Western ‘colonialist’ white supremacists.”

USA - Legendary diplomat Henry Kissinger, who died Wednesday at the age of 100, was still seen as influential on the world stage, giving some his final remarks on the Israel-Hamas war. Speaking on German television just days after the shock attack that killed over 1,200 Israelis, he said that there needed to be 'some penalty' for Hamas' 'open act of aggression' when asked what should be done in response to the attack.

GERMANY - French tire giant Michelin will slash over 1,500 jobs in Germany by 2025, the company announced in Frankfurt on Tuesday. Competition from lower-wage nations and soaring energy prices have made production in Western Europe unprofitable, according to a statement. The firm noted that “recent health and geopolitical crises” had pushed up operating costs, putting “additional strain on Germany’s competitiveness as an industrial location.” Some German politicians are urging the government to reconsider its antagonistic stance towards Russia, citing the economic damage their nation has suffered. Earlier this year, US tire maker Goodyear revealed plans to shut down two factories in Germany, which will cut around 1,750 jobs.

RUSSIA - The Supreme Court of Russia outlawed the “international LGBT public movement” on Thursday, designating it an extremist group. The ruling also affects subsidiaries of the movement, the court announced, without naming specific organizations. Over the past few years, Russia has gradually tightened its legislation aimed at countering the spread of so-called “LGBT ideology.” In 2013, the country outlawed the dissemination of such propaganda among minors, extending the measure to adults last December. Major fines were introduced for anyone found guilty of promoting “non-traditional sexual relations,” transgenderism and pedophilia.

INDIA - About every 11 years, the sun goes through what's known as 'solar maximum', when many bizarre dark spots appear on its surface. These 'sunspots' – which can cluster together and form what looks like an archipelago – are caused by massive changes in our star's magnetic field. They also shoot out violent explosions of energy towards Earth, causing 'solar storms' that can potentially damage satellites and disrupt the internet. Unfortunately, a new study reveals that this solar maximum is coming sooner than expected – most likely in early 2024. The new forecast comes from an Indian team of researchers and contrasts with the latest forecast from NASA, which puts its arrival at late 2025.

UK - UK school pupils should be able to wear uniforms of the opposite sex and choose another pronoun or name, according to upcoming official guidance, the Times reported on Monday. The newspaper said the document is expected to be released by the British government next week. It will reportedly recommend that children be permitted to “socially transition with the consent of their parents” but only “in limited circumstances.” There will be an effective “presumption against” doing so, the Times said, citing a government source. The guidance will clearly state that teachers should not be “compelled” to refer to children by their chosen pronoun if they have a “good faith” objection, the article said.

USA - ‘Woke’ funds funnel $5 trillion into arms industry. ESG funds, once champions of environmental causes, have raised ethical concerns after investing heavily in defense stocks. ESG – or Environmental, Social, and Governance investing – provides a framework for investing in funds that take into account environmental, social, and governance factors. It is often used interchangeably with terms like “socially responsible investing (SRI)” and “sustainable investing.” ESG investments, falling under the umbrella of socially responsible investing, analyze a company’s societal impact...

ISRAEL - Hamas, an Islamic movement that controls Gaza, is believed to have a network of tunnels that is 500 kilometers (310 miles) long. It features command rooms and training grounds, bunkers, and meeting rooms and is connected to a sophisticated ventilation system and a steady water and electricity supply. It’s been more than 50 days since Israel launched its Swords of Iron operation aimed at eliminating Hamas, following the group’s deadly attack on the country’s southern communities, which has claimed the lives of more than 1,400 people and injured thousands of others.

FRANCE - Say what you want about Napoleon Bonaparte, but there’s no denying that he was an absolute alpha who can still blow a beret right off the head of a Frenchman. The kind that sorely lacks nowadays in Western leadership roles. Which would explain why a new poll, released just as a Ridley Scott-directed biopic about him hits theatres, has found that 74 percent of French view his actions positively.