GIBRALTAR - UK minister for Gibraltar emphasised that defending sovereignty was a 'red line'. European judges could rule on disputes involving Gibraltar under a new Brexit deal, ministers have admitted. The Rock territory will also have to follow some EU rules under the agreement in order to secure a more open border with Spain, the Foreign Office said. Tory MPs have expressed 'considerable alarm' over the concessions, and questioned whether British sovereignty of the territory might be compromised as a result of the deal. UK minister for Gibraltar David Rutley emphasised to the Commons European Scrutiny Committee that defending the sovereignty of the British Overseas Territory was a 'red line'. The sovereignty of the territory, which was ceded to the British from Spain in 1713, remains a source of tension between the UK and Spain.

TURKEY - Turkey has suspended all trade with Israel over its ongoing offensive in Gaza as relations continue to sour between the two regional powers. The Turkish Trade Ministry said exports and imports had abruptly 'stopped' on Thursday, and that the measures would remain until Israel allows what it deems 'an uninterrupted and sufficient flow of humanitarian aid' into the beleaguered Strip. 'This is how a dictator behaves, disregarding the interests of the Turkish people and businessmen, and ignoring international trade agreements,' Israel's Foreign Minister Israel Katz snapped in a post on Twitter/X on Thursday.

ISRAEL - A scientific breakthrough has exposed the truth about a site in ancient Jerusalem, overturning expert opinion and vindicating the Bible's account. Until now, experts believed a stretch of wall in the original heart of the city was built by Hezekiah, King of Judah, whose reign straddled the seventh and eighth centuries BC. He had seen his neighbours to the north, the Kingdom of Israel, destroyed by the Assyrian Empire, and it was thought that he built the wall to defend against the invaders. But now an almost decade-long study has revealed it was built by his great-grandfather, Uzziah, after a huge earthquake, echoing the account of the Bible.

USA - When Raymond Dolphin became assistant principal of a middle school in Connecticut two years ago, it was clear to him that the kids were not all right. The problem was cellphones. Students were using the devices in class, despite a rule against it. Social media was exacerbating nearly every conflict among students. When Dolphin walked the hallways or surveyed the cafeteria, he invariably saw heads bent over screens. So in December, Dolphin did something unusual: He banned them. The experiment at Illing Middle School sparked objections from students and some parents, but it has already generated profound and unexpected results.

USA - EV are quickly becoming a boomerang to the head of Leftists. I have reported on various backfires on EV, that should cause panic to the Green Weenie crowd. For example, car manufacturers are scuttling plants, as well as production of EV. Apparently consumers don’t want to buy the cars having seen the real data. The cars are more expensive to operate than their gas-guzzling cousins. Next, rental agencies are canceling orders for EVs. It seems that people not only don’t want to buy the cars, but they don’t want to rent them either. That’s a real problem, because many people rent cars to determine what they may buy next.

USA - In a wide-ranging interview with TIME Magazine, former President Donald Trump addressed his vision for the nation were he to secure a second term as president — a possibility the outlet published under the ominous title “If He Wins.” In what the outlet described as “the outlines of an imperial presidency that would reshape America and its role in the world,” the former president pledged to secure the southern border with military force, fire federal employees with impunity, and take steps to prevent the rise of anti-White racism in the country.

USA - Nearly half of the protesters arrested at the Columbia University and City College campuses during violent anti-Israel unrest weren’t students, police sources said Thursday — a day after Mayor Eric Adams warned that “outside agitators” were radicalizing youngsters. Of the 282 protesters cuffed and hauled away during a massive NYPD operation late Tuesday, 134 of them had zero affiliation with either school, according to law enforcement sources. Hizzoner, who has repeatedly blamed this week’s on-campus chaos on professionals with a history of fueling non-peaceful protests, also touted the initial figures, saying more than 40% of the initial arrests were “outsiders.”

GERMANY - Germany's far-right is pushing to dismantle the European Union and transform it into a loose confederation of nation-states with limited powers. The German far-right party, Alternative für Deutschland (AfD), has set its sights on dismantling the European Union in its current form, advocating for a transformation into a confederation of nation-states with limited power. Marc Jongen, an EU candidate for the AfD and a key figure in shaping the party's ideology, told Euractiv: "The AfD wants to strengthen our national sovereignty and limit the power of the EU to what is necessary and conducive."

SAUDI ARABIA - The US and Saudi Arabia have drafted a set of agreements on security and technology-sharing which were intended to be linked to a broader Middle East settlement involving Israel and the Palestinians. However, in the absence of a ceasefire in Gaza and in the face of adamant resistance from Benjamin Netanyahu’s Israeli government to the creation of a Palestinian state – and its apparent determination to launch an offensive on Rafah – the Saudis are pushing for a more modest plan B, which excludes the Israelis.

UK - Supermarkets have been slammed for posting a 97 per cent surge in profits while millions struggled to put food on the table. Bosses at Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda, Lidl and Waitrose today came under fire from MPs investigating spiralling bills. Evidence from the consumer champion Which? shows millions are worried about prices or have been forced to skip meals. At the same time farmers have been squeezed by supermarkets who have failed to pay them a fair price that reflects surging costs.

CHINA - Beijing is aiming to secure a total victory against all its rivals and enemies, heralding in the dawn of a new age of Chinese world hegemony. Xi Jinping is preparing to launch a "war without limits" against the West in his quest to retake Taiwan, according to a China expert. President Xi Jinping has made no secret of his ambition to annex the island state across the Taiwan straits, as he seeks to make his mark on history. In preparation for the grand event, the Chinese dictator is closely observing events in Ukraine, and in particular the West's response. And one of the key lessons he appears to have learned is the need to create a firewall that would protect China's economy from punitive Western sanctions.

ITALY - Around 1,500 fascists descended on the streets of Milan, sparking an investigation by the city's prosecutor and drawing widespread condemnation. The group, dressed mainly in black, marched through the city on Monday before standing together in a military style and delivering fascist salutes. Leading the marchers, six of the group carried a black banner with white typeface that read: "Honour fallen comrades". The demonstrators were out in force to mark the death of a 19-year-old far-right radical, who was killed by a group of leftists in 1975. Sergio Ramelli, a member of the student wing of the Italian Social Movement, a party formed by supporters of Benito Mussolini, was beaten to death by two members of the hard-left paramilitary group Avanguardia Operaia in Milan.

IRAQ - Iraq’s parliament has passed a law banning same-sex relations and transgenderism. The measure was condemned by the US and UK, but the speaker of the parliament described it as “a necessary step to protect the value structure of society.” The amended Law on Combating Prostitution and Homosexuality passed the legislature on Saturday. According to a copy of the law seen by Reuters, it mandates prison sentences of 10-15 years for anyone engaging in homosexual relations, seven years for anyone who promotes homosexuality or prostitution, and between one and three years for anyone who changes their “biological gender” or dresses in an effeminate manner.

INDONESIA - The Mount Ruang volcano in Indonesia erupted for a second time this month as a tsunami alert was issued and an airport was forced to close. It has caused widespread disruption with an airport forced to close as ash was propelled nearly a mile into the sky - and debris rained down on nearby villages. This follows an increase in the alert level for the Sulawesi Island volcano after sensors detected heightened volcanic activity.

ISRAEL - We have been here before, but Israel woke up on Sunday to renewed hope that a ceasefire could be brokered with Hamas and the remaining 139 hostages returned. The reported shift in the Israeli position sparked anger from sources close to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday night who, playing with words, said Israel’s war aims remained unchanged - something the new formulation allows for. Nevertheless the new deal - if accepted by Hamas - could spark a political crisis in Israel. The extreme Right-wing parties that Netanyahu’s finely balanced coalition relies on have long said they will pull out if he stops the war before Hamas is wholly defeated.