FRANCE - By the time his parents rushed him to the hospital, 11-year-old Pablo was barely eating and had stopped drinking entirely. Weakened by months of self-privation, his heart had slowed to a crawl and his kidneys were faltering. Medics injected him with fluids and fed him through a tube — first steps toward stitching together yet another child coming apart amid the tumult of the coronavirus crisis.

USA - Microsoft founder Bill Gates brushed away “crazy” conspiracy theories about himself, 5G and coronavirus vaccines during an ‘Ask Me Anything’ session on Reddit, where he promoted his new book and sung the praises of synthetic meat. However, it didn’t take long before netizens pressed him on conspiracy-minded allegations that he is involved in a shadowy plot to implant microchips in unwitting vaccine recipients. “I am innocent!” Gates protested, adding “The whole thing about 5G and microchips is pretty crazy. Why would I want to do that?” Gates later said “fake news” and “disinformation” online is a “huge issue,” observing that “Some false information is more interesting than the truth so digital channels seem to magnify echo chambers with bad facts.” The billionaire also took the opportunity to extol the virtues of synthetic meat, promoting it in several different replies as a “green product” and a way to reduce one’s “carbon footprint.”

USA - Mainstream US media is under fire for publishing an article telling Americans that life won't go back to normal even after they've been fully vaccinated against Covid-19 – and critics argue the message discourages vaccination. In an AP article from Saturday, which has since been republished by a number of news outlets including NBC New York, medical writer Lauran Neergaard bluntly told readers not to "expect to shed your mask and get back to normal activities right away" after being "fully vaccinated against the coronavirus." "That's going to be a disappointment, if not a shock, to many people," she added. The message did not go down well with readers, who warned the outlets that hope-dashing assertions of a quick return to normalcy will only serve to stop Americans from getting the vaccine.

USA - The Biden administration is planning a “reset” with the Palestinians after the relationship crumbled under former President Donald Trump, according to an internal State Department memo. The memo, which was given to Secretary of State Antony Blinken earlier this month, would form the basis for rolling back parts of Trump’s policies, two sources familiar with the matter said. The Biden Administration’s approach will return to past formulas, with the two-state solution “based on the 1967 lines with mutually agreed land swaps and agreements on security and refugees,” the memo said. The Trump administration maintained that the two-state solution, heavily touted by the Clinton and Obama administrations, had failed on multiple fronts because it does not take into account facts on the ground.

EUROPE - EU bosses have been warned to expect a populist backlash as political scientist Mariana Mendes told Express.co.uk the potential for European political revolt is "everywhere." Brussels faces the threat of a widespread populist revolt breaking out across Europe with anti-European Union parties making ground in many member states including Italy, Poland, Hungary and Holland. Political analyst Mariana Mendes, who has followed the rise of right-wing parties such as Matteo Salvini's Italian League and Viktor Orban's Fidesz, has insisted that the potential for nationalist parties to make electoral gains is widespread even in those closely aligned with the EU such as Portugal and Ireland. Ms Mendes told Express.co.uk: "There is potential for far-right parties everywhere." Commenting on the news, Director of Eurointelligence Wolfgang Munchau said the group's plan will be to "fight the EU from within".

USA - A federal judge this week said that the Democrat Party is close to controlling the press as he detailed what he described as shocking bias against Republicans. DC Circuit Court Judge Laurence Silberman outlined his opposition to the Supreme Court’s key decision in 1964 in New York Times v Sullivan, which has since protected many media outlets from lawsuits.

AUSTRALIA - Drought, fire, the Covid-19 pestilence and an all-consuming plague of mice. Rural New South Wales has faced just about every biblical challenge nature has to offer in the last few years, but now it is praying for another – an almighty flood to drown the mice in their burrows and cleanse the blighted land of the rodents. Or some very heavy rain, at least.

AUSTRALIA - With the mid north coast of Australia facing a once-in-a-century flood, residents are bracing for the worst as the rain keeps falling. As floodwaters inundate the New South Wales mid-north coast, residents are scrambling to take stock of the damage and prepare for the rising tide. Horses and livestock were seen floating along rivers and washing up on beaches on Sunday, as the region faced a once in a lifetime deluge. The rain has battered the region for days, with the Bureau of Meteorology warning that another 100mm of rain could fall on Sunday. The flooding in the New South Wales mid-north coast comes just a year after the region was devastated by bushfires, with hundreds of homes lost and millions of animals killed.

USA - Studies estimate worldwide humans are using 129 billion face masks each month. Most masks are disposable, made from plastic microfibers that are not biodegradable and may fragment into smaller plastic particles polluting ecosystems. The high demand for face masks since the coronavirus pandemic began has resulted in the production of billions of disposable masks — with no way to properly dispose of them. Masks are littering cities, clogging sewage channels and turning up in bodies of water, prompting researchers to warn of the potential for masks to become the next “plastic problem.” Recent studies estimate that worldwide, humans are using 129 billion face masks each month — about 3 million a minute. Most of them are disposable face masks made from plastic, non-biodegradable microfibers that break down into smaller plastic particles — micro- and nanoplastics — that become widespread in ecosystems.

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - Drones that fly into clouds, giving them an electric shock to "cajole them" into producing rain, are about to be tested in the United Arab Emirates. The country already uses cloud-seeding technology, dropping salt to encourage precipitation. But with average rainfall in the UAE at just 100mm per year, the country wants to generate more. In 2017, the government provided $15 million (£10.8 million) for nine different rain-enhancement projects. Scientists at the University of Reading are heading one of them. The country does, though, "have plenty of clouds", so the plan is to persuade the water droplets in them to merge and stick together, "like dry hair to a comb" when it meets static electricity, he said. "When the drops merge and are big enough, they will fall as rain."

UK - A new Royal Navy surveillance ship is to be built to protect "critical" undersea cables. Defence Secretary Ben Wallace warned "the lights could go out" if national infrastructure was lost, and the cables were "incredibly important". He also told the BBC's Andrew Marr that Russia had "taken a deep interest" in the cables and the UK would be "deeply exposed" without further measures. Undersea cables carry more than 90% of the world's communications - including trillions of dollars worth of financial transactions every day. There's growing concern these underwater arteries could be vulnerable to attack. British and US military and intelligence officers have recently warned of Russian submarines "aggressively operating" near Atlantic undersea cables. The Ministry of Defence says there's a risk of sabotage - which presents an existential threat to the UK. As part of a wider defence review - the MoD will order a new Royal Navy surveillance ship to monitor this critical infrastructure.

USA - Biden’s team was humiliated by China’s envoy on the world stage – on American soil. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and National Security adviser Jake Sullivan met with China’s top diplomat Yang Jiechi and State Councilor Wang Yi in Anchorage, Alaska on Thursday. Blinken’s meeting with China’s top diplomat quickly went south on Thursday evening. Each delegation had two minutes for opening statements by each principal. Blinken opened the conversation with a public rebuke of China’s cyberattacks and aggression in the region.

USA - Michael Anton said the humiliating Biden meeting with China proves the communist regime now sees America as “exceptionally weak.” “Obviously the Chinese know we’re in a weak position,” Anton said. The author of The Stakes: America at a Point of No Return, said China is now emboldened, and sees it as an advantage to being “obnoxious and pushy” to American officials.

USA - A White House official has confirmed that President Biden, after stumbling aboard Air Force One on his way to Georgia, "is fine."

Elijah Schaffer made the following poignant comment: "The saddest part about Biden overall is that it isn’t actually funny watching him physically deteriorate on TV, It’s sad for him/his family, detrimental to our country, & makes us a laughing stock to the world, We are seen as weak because under a Biden administration we are".

GERMANY - In 2014, Germany’s political elites committed the country to take on a greater leadership role in foreign and security policy. It has since modestly stepped up, holding the line in the EU on Russia sanctions and increasing defense spending, among other moves. The Biden presidency is an opportunity for Germany to step up and shore up the transatlantic partnership that it should not miss. Domestic US factors and geopolitical pressures are likely to alter the framework in which their relationship will function in years to come.