EUROPE - Thomas Gottstein has been CEO of Credit Suisse for 63 weeks. There is no doubt that the overwhelming majority of them, and indeed all of the last eight or so, have been waking nightmares. Surely, however, there have been some consecutive five-day calendrical periods that he has enjoyed the job he has presumably been pining and preparing for most if not all of his professional career... This was not that week.

INDIA/BRAZIL - Fresh coronavirus waves showed no sign of abating Saturday as devastating surges in India and Brazil pushed daily infections and deaths to record levels.

GERMANY - Dozens of separate protests took place in Berlin, drawing demonstrators from across the political spectrum. Police had their hands full, as some of these groups started fires and smashed cars. May Day is an international day of leftist protest, but demonstrations in Berlin on Saturday drew participants of all stripes. Pro- and anti-vaxxers, trade unionists, anti-capitalist radicals, Palestinian activists and techno music fans all took to the streets in around 20 separate protests across the city. Notably absent were the extreme right, although small right-wing protests were held in other German cities. A heavy contingent of police kept order throughout the day, periodically arresting protesters for violating face masking rules. By late afternoon, police said that 60 demonstrators were arrested at a protest against the virus restrictions in the Lichtenberg neighborhood. Demonstrators in several European countries marked May Day with protests, with intense clashes breaking out in France and a heavy police crackdown seen in Belgium.

FRANCE - May Day protests in the French city of Lyon got out of hand, with black-clad anarchists clashing with armored riot police. Tear gas was fired and squads of cops charged at demonstrators. In Paris, Yellow Vests came out in force. Trade unions and workers’ groups took to the streets of Lyon on Saturday to mark International Workers’ Day. Waving red banners, an estimated 3,000 workers were soon joined by black-clad anarchist protesters, who reportedly clashed with the larger groups of demonstrators. Rather than focusing on one specific issue, May Day is usually a clearinghouse for leftist dissent of all kinds, and across the country, protesters came together to air a spectrum of grievances. Some protested their wages and working conditions, others marched against new security bills that would dramatically extend the police’s surveillance powers and criminalize the sharing of pictures of officers. Still more protested the government’s perceived inaction against climate change and response to Covid-19.

AFGHANISTAN - This weekend marks the 10th anniversary since Osama Bin Laden, the mastermind of the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States, was killed by US special-operations forces, Seal Team 6, inside his high-walled compound in the Pakistani military college city of Abbottabad. His name and that of his terrorist network, al Qaeda, came to define an era of US reaction and retribution dwarfing any previous counter-terrorism policy. America's "war on terror" is about to enter a new phase as President Joe Biden prepares to withdraw all US forces from Afghanistan by the 20th anniversary of 9/11, but now al Qaeda claims its war with America is far from over. In an exclusive interview with CNN conducted through intermediaries, two al Qaeda operatives tell CNN that "war against the US will be continuing on all other fronts unless they are expelled from the rest of the Islamic world."

USA - California is said to be setting the stage for the early release of as many as 76,000 prison inmates, including 63,000 who were convicted of violent crimes, as Governor Gavin Newsom furthers his efforts to reduce incarceration. The sudden rules change went into effect on Saturday after being approved by California's Office of Administrative Law on Thursday, giving prisoners increased early-release credits for good behavior. Among those affected are 20,000 inmates whose crimes were so severe that they were sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole. Inmate populations are falling so fast, in fact, that the state has announced plans for two prison closures in recent months. California's prisons were previously plagued by overcrowding. "This latest effort to reduce the California prison population further tips the scales of justice against the rule of law and safety of the general public," Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes said.

JAPAN - A large quake of magnitude 6.8 struck northeast Japan this morning, but seems to have caused no significant damage or injuries, thanks to the country's excellent building standards and preparedness for large quakes. No tsunami alert was issued - fortunately, the quake was too deep and the mechanism of the faulting that occurred did not trigger any significant waves. Especially to central eastern Honshu, large earthquakes are no strangers: Today's quake occurred only 40 km SE of the magnitude 7 earthquake on 20 March this year, a similar one in February, and 70 km west of the catastrophic Tohoku quake on 11 March 2011, infamous for the large tsunami and following nuclear disaster at Fukushima.

GERMANY - Fierce attacks by politicians and media in Germany against Great Britain are flanking the ratification of the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen threatens punitive measures, if London fails to scrupulously comply with the agreement. Punitive tariffs are being discussed in Brussels. Germany's main media outlets are fueling the old prejudice against Great Britain of the "perfidious Albion." German government advisors warn that the severely "strained" relations "limit" the urgently desired EU-UK foreign and military policy cooperation. "Trust" could be built through exchanges in "bilateral and minilateral formats," for instance in the "E3" framework (Germany, France, Great Britain) to lay "the foundation for long-term institutionalized cooperation." At the same time tensions are growing in the dispute over cooperation in the financial sector, threatening to deepen the rift between the two sides.

ISRAEL - About a third of people who receive unemployment checks in Israel don’t want to work again, the government data says. Many of them are happy to continue living off benefits even as the economy is reopening. Around 20,000 people, which is nearly 30% of workers currently living off unemployment benefits, are refusing to return to work, the data from the Central Bureau of Statistics show. Roughly 64% of those refusing to work again say they prefer to keep receiving unemployment checks. Hundreds of thousands were forced to stop working due to extremely tough quarantine measures, with the number of unemployed rising to 560,000 shortly after a third nationwide lockdown came into effect in late December. The lockdown was eventually eased as the immunization campaign kicked in.

USA - Biden says white supremacy is terrorism and tells Congress he wants them to pass the George Floyd act on the anniversary of his death next month. President Joe Biden proclaimed that 'white supremacist terrorists' are the worst threat to the homeland today, directly before asking Congress to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act by next month. 'By the first anniversary of George Floyd’s death,' the president said at his first joint address before Congress Wednesday night.

CHINA - The launch of the first module of China's new space station - "Heavenly Palace" - on Thursday underlined how far the country has come in achieving its space dream. The Tianhe core module houses life support equipment and a living space for astronauts, and is another key step in Beijing's grand plans to establish a permanent human presence in space. Beijing has poured billions into its military-run space programme, with hopes of having a crewed space station by 2022 and eventually sending humans to the Moon. The country has come a long way in its race to catch up with the United States and Russia, whose astronauts and cosmonauts have decades of experience in space exploration. But Beijing sees its space project as a mark of its rising global stature and growing technological might.

USA - The head scientist of the US Space Force has an unusual idea for how to maintain military dominance: augmenting and upgrading human soldiers. Speaking at an Air Force Research Laboratory event, Space Force chief scientist Joel Mozer suggested that we’re entering an era during which soldiers can become a “superhuman workforce,” according to Metro, thanks to new tech including augmented and virtual reality, sophisticated AI, and nerve stimulation.

USA - Major hailstorms pelted three big cities across the south-central United States on Wednesday night, shattering windows, denting vehicles and leaving behind headaches for homeowners. The hail hit such a widespread and populated area that damage estimates are expected to total upwards of $3 billion, according to AccuWeather forecasters. Communities around Norman, Oklahoma, and San Antonio and Fort Worth, Texas, were hit the hardest by the storms, forcing residents to take shelter inside as the massive hail bombarded the areas. In Hondo, Texas, located west of San Antonio, hailstones rivaled the size of grapefruits, reaching roughly 4 inches in diameter. In Norman, hail ranged from the size of golf balls to baseballs. The hail was flying with such ferocity that windows of homes were shattered and, in some cases, caused damage inside.

SOUTH AFRICA - Only 1.5% usable water left in Nelson Mandela Bay’s biggest dam. Nelson Mandela Bay’s director of water and sanitation, Barry Martin, looked stressed as he read from the list in front of him. He is dealing with the extreme water crisis in the metro: 1 July, 1 August, 1 October, 1 December. These are the projected dates when, absent some serious rainfall, the city’s four major dams will run dry. On 1 July, the city is due to lose its biggest dam. Kouga currently has 1.5% of usable water left.

GERMANY - The EU has been labelled an "anti-democratic" organisation to its core by a German MEP, who revealed three reasons why Berlin must leave the bloc. Such is his hatred for the bloc under Ursula von der Leyen, MEP Gunnar Beck warned Germany needs Dexit as the "EU is finished financially" following the coronavirus pandemic. With Germany being the powerhouse of the bloc, Mr Beck warned the state can no longer be part of the crumbling EU project. While the EU has insisted member states remain unified in prolonging the project's future, Mr Beck claimed leaving the bloc is now a "necessity" for Germany.