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.

HAWAII - Hawaii's Big Island remains on high alert on Saturday after a massive 6.9-magnitude earthquake struck a day after the region's Kilauea volcano exploding, spewing toxic gas clouds and molten lava. A preliminary 5.6 magnitude earthquake struck the region earlier on Friday. Lava flows from the volcano have covered 48 square miles, according to the US Geological Survey. Following the most recent dramatic earthquake, more lava fissures were reported in a residential subdivision, where residents have been ordered to leave.

SWEDEN - Total world military expenditure rose to $1739 billion in 2017, a marginal increase of 1.1 per cent in real terms from 2016, according to new figures from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). China’s military expenditure rose again in 2017, continuing an upward trend in spending that has lasted for more than two decades. Russia’s military spending fell for the first time since 1998, while spending by the United States remained constant for the second successive year. ‘Continuing high world military expenditure is a cause for serious concern,’ said Ambassador Jan Eliasson, Chair of the SIPRI Governing Board. ‘It undermines the search for peaceful solutions to conflicts around the world.’

USA - One of Donald Trump's main arguments for cancelling the Iran nuclear deal has been Iran's role in devastating conflicts in Iraq, Syria, Yemen and Lebanon. Iran and Saudi Arabia have been locked in a proxy war for almost 40 years, competing for regional supremacy from Iraq to Syria and Lebanon to Yemen. US President Donald Trump has strongly backed Saudi Arabia in its efforts to counter Iran's influence in the region. On multiple occasions, Trump has cited constraining Iran’s influence in the Middle East as cause for canceling the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, which he claims allows Iran to continue to terrorize the region. Saudi Arabia has vowed to pursue nuclear weapons in the event the Iranians restart their nuclear program.

INDIA - India joined the world’s top military spenders last year, coming in fifth place after the United States, China, Saudi Arabia, and Russia, respectively, a defense budgets independent watchdog revealed in an analysis released Wednesday. "Tensions between China and many of its neighbors continue to drive the growth in military spending in Asia,” declared Siemon Wezeman. “The Indian government plans to expand, modernize and enhance the operational capability of its armed forces, motivated at least partially by tensions with China and Pakistan,” the assessment adds. China and its ally Pakistan consider India to be their regional military and economic rival.

USA - The Boy Scouts of America will drop “boy” from the name of its signature program for older youths as it seeks to widen its appeal to girls, the 108-year-old organization said on Wednesday. Starting in February 2019, the Boy Scouts program for boys 11 to 17 will be called Scouts BSA. The name of the overall organization will remain Boy Scouts of America. More than 3,000 girls have enrolled in the Boy Scouts of America’s Early Adopter Program and are taking part in Cub Scouts ahead of the full integration of girls later this year. The Boy Scouts last year opted to allow transgender boys to join. The Boy Scouts of America has lost about a third of its members since 2000...

UK - The horror the world witnessed last week with the mistreatment and ultimate death of toddler Alfie Evans was not simply the culmination of a flawed socialized system at work. The reason that the government judicial system and state-run healthcare could not allow even the papal hospital to treat the suffering child was not because they believed another medical team might also fail. No. A different hospital might succeed where the British system had already proven themselves disastrously incompetent. After all, the British doctors assured us that once the ventilator was removed, Alfie would expire in a matter of minutes. Alfie defied both doctors’ orders and judicial decree by continuing to live for five more days. The audacity!

ISRAEL - Intelligence Minister Katz lauds 'one of greatest intelligence operations in Israel's history' "When the idea of the operation was first presented, I didn't think it was feasible," Katz said, in an interview at the Ynet Studio on Monday. "What they did here is unprecedented. They took tons of authentic documents and brought them here. From an operational aspect, this is amazing, and all credit goes to the Mossad people. This is one of the greatest intelligence operations in the State of Israel's history. This information significantly embarrasses Iran and presents it as a liar," the minister added. "The Iranian leadership was aware of the fact that Israel got its hands on its most classified documents. The instruction to hide them was issued after the agreement was signed in 2015 and they wanted to hide the deception so that they would be able to use it in the future."

ISRAEL - Netanyahu says he is moved to see country's flag at capital's Malha Technology Park, two weeks before official inauguration. Guatemala on Wednesday started to move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, transferring furniture and other equipment into a yet-unfinished office in the capital’s Malha Technology Park. Earlier this week, the Guatemalan flag was raised outside the building. “I was moved to see the flag of Guatemala waving in Jerusalem in advance of the opening of the Guatemalan embassy later this month,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tweeted. “Dear friends, welcome back to our eternal capital!”