ISRAEL - Binyamin Netanyahu warns his country will retaliate if the Iranian-backed militia breaks terms of the deal as the displaced fear returning to northern Israel. Celebrations were under way in Beirut, with the sounds of gunfire and car horns filling the air, after a fragile ceasefire to end nearly 14 months of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah came into force on Wednesday. Tens of thousands of Lebanese began their journeys home to the southern suburbs of the capital and the far south of the country, defying a warning from the Israeli military to stay away from previously evacuated areas, as soon as the truce officially began at 4am local time (2am GMT).The agreement, brokered by the US and France, marked a rare victory for diplomacy in a region traumatised by two devastating wars for more than a year. However, Israel vowed to strike back if the Iran-backed militants broke the terms.

UNITED NATIONS - There are moments in history when we are called upon to pause, reflect, and confront the troubling realities of how far humanity can deviate from its noble intentions. One such moment lies before us now, as the United Nations finds itself embroiled in a grotesque distortion of truth. The United Nations, long criticised for its diminishing role as a moral arbiter, has once again revealed the depths of its political bias. Its latest decision to refuse the renewal of Alice Wairimu Nderitu’s contract as the Special Advisor on the Prevention of Genocide is both disheartening and deeply troubling. Ms. Nderitu, a respected Kenyan mediator and a globally recognised voice in peacebuilding, is being dismissed — not for incompetence, but for her refusal to politicise the term "genocide" in the context of Israel’s war with Hamas.

USA - Household debt in the United States grew by another $147 billion over the third quarter of 2024, with credit card debt being one of the leading drivers of the new debt. This is according to the Quarterly Report on Household Debt and Credit from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York's Center for Microeconomic Data, which noted that the $147 billion increase in household debt amounts to a 0.8 percent increase in the total household debt at the end of the third quarter, which is now $17.94 trillion. Credit card balances as they stand are now at a record-high of $1.17 trillion, around 8.1 percent higher than they were at the end of the third quarter of last year.

UK - More than two million people at time of writing have signed a petition calling for another general election in the UK. It follows a raft of broken campaign promises and downright horrendous policies enacted by the far left Labour government since it was elected in July, including imprisoning people for social media posts. The petition was created last Wednesday and quickly passed the 100,000 signatures mark, the amount needed for it to be considered for a debate in parliament. The petition, which now stands at over 2 million signatures, states that the “current Labour Government have gone back on the promises they laid out in the lead up to the last election.”

USA - Walmart has announced it will no longer sell chest binders and books about transgenderism that are marketed towards children in a major overhaul of its diversity policies. Walmart, which is valued at $665 billion, said in a statement it would phase out terms such as “diversity, equity and inclusion” (DEI) in company materials. The world’s biggest retailer went on to announce it will prohibit third-party sellers from offering LGBTQ-themed items on its website that were being marketed to transgender children, such as chest binders and a number of books.

ISRAEL - Israel has given the green light to a ceasefire deal with Hezbollah that would see the terror group leave southern Lebanon and Israel withdraw its forces. Benjamin Netanyahu’s government supports the proposals drawn up by the United States, sources told The Telegraph ahead of a cabinet meeting scheduled for Tuesday, when ministers will vote on the deal.

GERMANY - Continent is in crisis over growth, security and migration — Germany’s likely next chancellor will be key to its recovery. "You have to understand,” Angela Merkel said to me years ago, “that in German the word for debt, Schuld, is also the word for guilt. Debt and guilt are closely related in our minds.” Events in recent weeks have borne that out. The collapse of the three-party coalition government in Berlin was triggered by an argument over the “debt brake” in the constitution that limits government borrowing. Even though Germany’s total national debt is 63 per cent of GDP, compared with 100 per cent in Britain and 110 per cent in France, any idea of taking it higher brings trauma. Germany has been rendered weak and rudderless until elections in February. Chancellor Scholz is deeply unpopular at home and has been unimpressive abroad, placing a phone call to President Putin two weeks ago that signalled weakness at the heart of Europe.

RUSSIA - Russia's ability to wage war in Ukraine could be curtailed if Saudi Arabia tanks the oil price, researchers have said. Riyadh has hinted that it could flood the market with oil, if the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) does not commit to reducing output. Mohammad bin Salman's kingdom could push oil prices as low as £39 a barrel, a move which would inflict severe damage on the Russian economy. Writing in IPS Journal, LSE research fellow Luke Cooper wrote: "With Russia already selling its oil at discounted rates and with higher production costs, a low-price environment in oil markets may impact its ability to finance its aggression in Ukraine." According to S&P Global Ratings data, Moscow produced 122,000 barrels more than its daily quota in July. Now, Saudi Arabia may be making Russia pay the price for breaking OPEC agreements.

UK - Assisted dying advertised on Tube – while junk food ads are banned. Assisted dying has been advertised on the London Underground ahead of a vote this week on its legalisation, while junk food promotions are banned. Posters on display at Euston station include the demand “legalise assisted dying” as part of a campaign by a pressure group calling for a change in the law. Transport for London (TfL) appeared to have approved the billboards despite its rules banning “images or messages which relate to matters of public controversy or sensitivity”. Adverts for food and drink “high in fat, salt and/or sugar” have been banned by TfL since 2019. On Friday, MPs will vote on a private member’s bill that would allow terminally ill adults with less than six months to live to take their own lives with the consent of a judge and two doctors.

UK - Labour’s rift over assisted dying deepened on Monday after a cabinet minister accused a peer of mounting a “drive-by shooting” on a colleague who is opposed to the legislation. Lord Falconer of Thoroton claimed Shabana Mahmood, the justice secretary, was motivated “by her religious beliefs” in her opposition to assisted dying. He said that ministers’ religion “colours their view and is not an objective stance” and that their spiritual stance should not be “imposed on everybody else”.

USA - The rapid expansion of weapons by Moscow and Beijing in recent years means being left behind is a genuine concern for America. Within a decade, it is expected that China will have as many nuclear warheads deployed as the United States. Pentagon estimates suggest that Beijing will have 1,500 operable nuclear weapons by 2035. It will mean for the first time since the end of the Cold War, Washington will have to contend with more than just a single adversary considered a nuclear superpower.

UK - At Thursday’s session of the Commons Select Defence Committee, Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff (DCDS) Lieutenant General Sir Rob Macgowan asserted that the British army was ready to meet the threat of potential Russian aggression in Europe. Specifically, he said that “if the Russians invaded eastern Europe tonight then we would meet them in that fight”. This sort of hysterical optimism does Britain’s armed forces no favours whatsoever and is typical of the “can do” attitude that placates non-expert politicians, and to a certain extent explains why the services are in such dire straits today.

UK - Net zero targets will force Britons to change how they live their lives, the Labour chairman of Parliament’s energy committee has said. Bill Esterson, the most senior backbencher charged with scrutinising the Government’s energy policy, said ordinary people will “absolutely” have to adjust their habits to meet the UK’s ambitious emissions goals for 2030. His remarks directly contradict Sir Keir Starmer’s claim earlier in November that the Government can hit its climate targets without telling people “how to behave”.

YEMEN - While the world has been somewhat distracted by events in Lebanon and Gaza, the Houthi rebels in Yemen have been continuing their Iranian-backed attacks on world shipping in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. By way of background, the Houthi movement is a Shia Islamist and military organisation that emerged in Yemen in the 1990s. They established themselves as an opposition movement to the recognised government of Yemen, which they accused of corruption and of being in the pocket of Saudi Arabia and the USA.

GERMANY - Germany's Defence Minister Boris Pistorius warned that Russia takes three months to produce the amount of weapons the EU does in a year. Germany has issued a shocking warning over the scale of Russia's weapons production, as it reportedly produces four times the amount the EU does. Boris Pistorius, the country's defence minister, said Russia only takes three months to produce the amount of weapons the EU does in a whole year.