GERMANY - Olaf Scholz has chillingly warned that if Vladimir Putin is allowed to "get away with it" in Ukraine with Russia's ongoing war, Germany's security and freedom could be under serious threat. The Chancellor acknowledged Germany is now waking up to the “value of democracy and liberty, and the fact that they are worth defending”. The warning comes with Germany under huge pressure to scrap sanctions aimed at crippling Russia's economy as the European Union struggles to stop the continent's economic situation from spiralling out of control. Germany could face a horrific winter amid surging fears Vladimir Putin will cut off gas supplies from Russia following the completed annual maintenance work to the Nord Stream 1 pipeline. Worse still, this could send inflation surging throughout the bloc, with experts warning the Eurozone could crash into recession. The German Government is now planning for a sustained outage that could force parts of the country - home to the EU's biggest economy - to shut down as the bitterly cold winter months approach. Heating bills could even triple, with fears right-wing populists could stir up riots that would make the ill-feeling over the country's Covid restrictions look like a “child’s birthday party”.

PAKISTAN - It’s been almost a year now since Joe Biden and the US Military surrendered to the Taliban terrorists. Joe Biden, General Milley and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin are still in power. As part of the surrender, Joe Biden armed the Taliban with nearly $80 billion in US weapons and left thousands of Americans stranded in the country to fend for themselves. The White House and Pentagon have never admitted to how many billion dollars worth of weapons they left behind for the Islamist group. Rather than destroying the equipment before leaving the country, Joe Biden decided to leave the nearly $85 billion worth of US military equipment to the Taliban. Today the Taliban has one of the best-equipped militaries on the planet. And now the Taliban from Afghanistan and Pakistan have joined together to take control of Pakistan.

UK - Britain must be prepared to face the long-term threat from China and cannot be distracted by Russia's war in Ukraine, the First Sea Lord has warned. Admiral Sir Ben Key, speaking to the Council on Geostrategy yesterday, acknowledged that Vladimir Putin's brutal invasion 'represents a near and present danger to us' and Britain 'must respond' to it. But, he added, 'focussing solely on the Russian bear risks missing the tiger,' with Beijing posing a greater 'long-term strategic challenge' to the UK. China, Sir Ben noted, has a growing economy that is already ten times that of Russia and is spending four times as much as Putin on its military - $298 billion in 2021.

VATICAN - The Vatican’s foreign minister said Pope Francis is “very committed to multilateralism” and “believes in the multilateral system,” in an interview published Monday. The pope is a firm believer in multilateralism even if “he believes in a reformed and renewed multilateral system, more responsive to the challenges of the 21st century,” Archbishop Paul Gallagher declared in an interview with the Jesuit magazine America. “We’ve got to try and make our multinational, multilateral institutions work better,” Archbishop Gallagher stated. “We have to try and get the United Nations to be incisive in confronting and resolving some problems in the world.” “And if necessary, maybe these institutions have to be reformed,” he added. “For example, here in Europe, the Organization for Security and Cooperation is more or less paralyzed. We have to work at this, I think, in some way, making them more efficient and proactive.” Throughout his pontificate, Pope Francis has been a vocal advocate for multilateralism as a remedy to what he sees as a dangerous resurgence of nationalism and populism.

UNITED NATIONS - Already, we know that we need more — and more effective — multilateralism, with vision, ambition and impact. National sovereignty, a pillar of the United Nations, goes hand in hand with enhanced international cooperation based on common values and shared responsibilities in pursuit of progress for all. No one wants a world government, BUT we must work together to improve world governance. In an interconnected world, we need a networked multilateralism, in which the United Nations family, international financial institutions, regional organizations, trading blocs and others work together more closely and more effectively.

UK - Reservoirs across the country are on the verge of running dry, with dramatic photos showing the impact of the sizzling sunshine, months of below average rainfall and an unusual surge in water demand among Britons as the heatwave hit the UK. Water companies have warned reservoirs are struggling to keep up with nationwide heatwave demands. Such are the pressures providers are facing that they could be forced to restrict usage in case there is not enough rainfall in the coming weeks. Thames Water, which supplies London and large parts of Oxfordshire, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire, did not rule out a ban. A spokesperson said: "While we're not currently expecting to need to introduce restrictions on water use this summer… If we do not receive around or above average rainfall in the coming months this will increase pressure on our resources. It may indeed result in the need for more water saving measures including restrictions."

USA - President Joe Biden could declare a climate emergency as soon as this week, according to The Washington Post, in a bid to implement elements of his environmental agenda as climate legislation has stalled in Congress. Leading Biden administration officials are debating ways to advance the president’s agenda, and the president is prepared to announce a number of new initiatives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, reported the Post, citing three people familiar with the matter. The internal discussions come after Democratic Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia told party leaders last week that he opposes the plans to advance this month’s significant economic package that includes billions of dollars toward slashing carbon emissions and promoting green energy.

USA - In case it wasn't clear that Biden and the Dems have learned absolutely nothing and are still committed to running this country off a cliff with their "green energy" push, John Kerry is here to remind you that they are still as crazy as ever. Green policies caused chaos around the globe, and the message from the "climate czar" is that we are behind and we need to transition away from fossil fuels even faster. It's not enough that fuel is through the roof because of these green policies. It's not enough that the power grids are nowhere close to being able to support as many electric cars as there are gas cars. The Left is always progressing forward. Straight off a cliff. If you want to know what a faster, more drastic, move to green energy looks like, the Democrats' dream world, just look to Sri Lanka.

USA - As more Americans buy electric vehicles, the pitfalls of owning such a car become clear, and one teenager in Florida just discovered a major problem firsthand. Avery Siwinski, a 17-year-old student in St Petersburg, was thrilled to join the ranks of electric car owners, thinking she not only was helping to save the environment but also was going to save a ton of money by avoiding high gasoline prices. But not long after taking possession of her car, she was met with a major crisis unique to EV owners. Her dashboard started lighting up like a Christmas tree telling her that a major problem was detected. After owning the vehicle for only six months, Siwinski was shocked that it needed a service so soon. The Siwinskis were told the battery pack was at the end of its life and needed to be replaced — and the bill was going to be $14,000. But then things got worse. The dealer said it couldn’t even get a battery. Ray Siwinski said customers should be aware that car dealers are not able to really service EVs because of a lack of qualified technicians as well as parts. “If you’re buying a new one, you have to realize there is no secondhand market out there because manufacturers aren’t supporting the cars,” the grandfather said.

USA - An explosion has rocked the Hoover Dam, after a transformer caught fire at the hydroelectric complex on the border between Nevada and Arizona. Officials said there were no injuries following the fire on Tuesday in the turbine house of the massive power-generating dam, which supplies electricity to parts of three states. Water levels in Lake Mead, the reservoir created by the dam, are at historically low levels due to an ongoing mega-drought in the area, which was also experiencing extreme heat on Tuesday. It's unclear whether high demand for electricity, or diminished generating capacity due to low water levels, played a role in the fire. Officials said the cause of the fire was under investigation. As both an iconic American structure and a piece of critical infrastructure, Hoover Dam has long been tightly protected against potential attacks.

RUSSIA - On Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin is visiting Iran for a fifth time. Is it a lot or a little? Well, if you count back to 2000, when he first became the leader of Russia, it doesn’t seem much. However, if you look at the dates of the visits, a very different picture emerges. It turns out that this trip is the fourth in the last seven years. Yes, Putin first came to Tehran in 2007, but his regular trips did not start until 2015. At the same time, all of Putin's visits have been of a working nature. He has never been to the Islamic Republic on an official tour. Each time his arrival was linked to a multilateral event held in the Iranian capital: Such as The Caspian Forum, a summit of gas-exporting countries.

RUSSIA - The timing is crucial and no coincidence. Just days after President Joe Biden visited Israel and Saudi Arabia and vowed the US was prepared to use 'all elements of its national power' to stop a common enemy, Iran, from acquiring nuclear weapons, who should turn up in the Iranian capital? Vladimir Putin. And when the dark master of the Kremlin pays a rare visit outside Russia, it sends shivers down Western spines. With good reason.

UK - Wildfires broke out across southern England today as Britain experienced its hottest day on record with temperatures soaring past 40C (104F) amid growing rail travel chaos as schools shut again in the extreme heat. A huge grass blaze broke out in Wennington, East London, and appeared to have destroyed at least two houses - while major fires also took hold of nearby land in Upminster and across the Thames at Dartford in Kent; on a day when millions of people were working from home. There was also a major gorse blaze at Zennor in Cornwall. The mercury hit an unprecedented 40.2C (104.4F) at London Heathrow Airport at 12.50 pm - around an hour after a reading of 39.1C (102.4F) in Charlwood, Surrey, beat the previous all-time UK high of 38.7C (101.7F) in Cambridge in July 2019. The extreme heat has been caused by a plume of hot air from north Africa and the Sahara and an 'Azores High' subtropical pressure system creeping further north than usual - which experts say is a result of climate change. Forecasters said an absolute maximum of 43C (109F) is possible later on - and the highs in England are equal to the warmest spots anywhere in Europe today. The UK is also hotter than Jamaica, the Maldives and Barbados.

GERMANY - This comes as the eurozone is descending into "crisis", according to finance expert Alasdair Macleod. The euro is facing high debt and rapidly spiralling inflation. In June, eurozone inflation rose to a record level of 8.6 percent and energy prices rose at an annual rate of almost 42 percent, compared with 39 percent in May. The rising prices come in the wake of the global pandemic and have been exacerbated by Russia's war in Ukraine. Speaking about the problems facing the eurozone, Mr Macleod said: "The euro system and its currency are descending into crisis. Comprised of the ECB and the National Central Banks, the system is over its head in balance sheet debt, and it is far from clear how that can be resolved." He said that the issue has sent Germany's economy into crisis, warning that the country may see "riots and growing political instability" as a result.

IRAN - Last month, Iran’s nuclear program entered dangerous new territory: Tehran now possesses enough highly enriched uranium for a nuclear bomb. That material, enriched to 60 percent, would need to be further enriched to roughly 90 percent — so-called weapons-grade uranium — before it could be used in a nuclear weapon. But that process, known as “breakout,” will now take just weeks due to Iran’s advances since 2019, when Tehran began casting off the constraints of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal following the US withdrawal from the agreement. Although this action alone would not give Iran a bomb, it is the most important step in building one. The consequences of this milestone are profound. Until now, the international community has had months, if not years, to prevent any Iranian dash to bomb-grade material — plenty of time to resolve the crisis diplomatically. Should that fail, the United States has always kept military options as a last resort. Indeed, this fact has helped deter Iran from trying to build a bomb. But as US envoy Robert Malley noted last month, Iran’s capabilities have reached the point where Tehran “could potentially produce enough fuel for a bomb before we could know it, let alone stop it.” Given that Democrats and Republicans have long maintained that they will not allow Iran to produce nuclear weapons, the fact that the United States might not be able to prevent an Iranian dash should be deeply worrying.