MIDDLE EAST - "The Palestinian people does not exist. The creation of a Palestinian state is only a means for continuing our struggle against the state of Israel for our Arab unity. In reality today there is no difference between Jordanians, Palestinians, Syrians and Lebanese. Only for political and tactical reasons do we speak today about the existence of a Palestinian people, since Arab national interests demand that we posit the existence of a distinct 'Palestinian people' to oppose Zionism." — Senior PLO official Zuheir Mohsen, interviewed by James Dorsey, Trouw, March 31, 1977

ISRAEL - Israelis were shocked Saturday at the physical condition of three emaciated hostages released by Hamas under the ongoing ceasefire deal, with many condemning the evident starvation of the Israelis after nearly 500 days in captivity. Eli Sharabi, 52, Or Levy, 34, and Ohad Ben Ami, 56 — all civilians — were released in exchange for 183 convicted Palestinian terrorists. The Times of Israel noted that Sharabi had not yet been informed that his wife and two teenage daughters had been murdered by Hamas on October 7, 2023.

UKRAINE - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told Reuters on Friday that he hopes to make a deal with President Donald Trump to bring an end to the war with Russia. During his campaign for office, Trump vowed to bring peace to the world, as multiple foreign wars had been pushed during the Biden-Harris administration. In an interview with Reuters, Zelenskyy said he was open to making a deal with the US regarding Trump’s request for Ukraine to supply the US with rare earths and other minerals in exchange for continued financial aid. “These deposits are priceless, it is huge amounts of money, huge. That’s why we need to protect it,” Zelenskyy said. “If we are talking about a deal, then let’s do a deal, we are only for it.”

GERMANY - With two weeks to go until the ‘snap elections,’ the political temperature in Germany has soared. If you only pay attention to the ‘Legacy’ (aka USAID-funded) media, you will know that yesterday (8th), there was a mass protest in Berlin and around the country against the surging right-wingers of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) and immigration reform. However, if you pay closer attention, the German press itself will show us that these demonstrations are not in any way organic. There is taxpayer money funding shady groups making this happen. This is a scandal that would be bad enough to topple the failed government of Olaf Scholz, if it was not already terminally unpopular and outgoing.

USA - The US risks major defeat in the country’s next war unless it urgently reforms its outdated weapons programs, Elon Musk has warned in a stark assessment of the nation’s defense capabilities. Musk, who owns X and heads SpaceX and Tesla, has been appointed as a “special government employee” to lead the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) under US President Donald Trump, and is now among his key advisers.

UKRAINE - The War in Ukraine Is Becoming Unhinged: Drones Are Now Targeting Other Drones With Drones. Ukrainian officials have realized that a smaller military can compensate for its numerical disadvantages through innovation, advanced technology, and rapid adaptability. The war in Ukraine has sparked an unprecedented military transformation, with drone warfare redefining modern combat. In the early months of 2022, the conflict primarily involved rifles and machine guns along tree lines. However, the battlefield is currently dominated by swarms of kamikaze drones and precision strikes, with recent attacks becoming increasingly unhinged.

NORTH KOREA - As Russia continues to wage its war in Ukraine, reports have emerged suggesting North Korea and Moscow's joint drone production in 2025. North Korea will reportedly develop drones with Russia as part of their strategic defense treaty amid Moscow's ongoing war in Ukraine. According to Japanese public broadcaster NHK, undisclosed sources have revealed that Pyongyang and Moscow will begin joint drone production sometime in 2025. According to them, the newest initiative is Russian President Vladimir Putin's reciprocation to Kim Jong Un after Kim sent nearly 12,000 soldiers to the Russian frontlines to aid the Kremlin's three-year-long war in Ukraine.

USA - Is there anything more laughable than the so-called leader of the free world having to declare publicly that there are only two sexes? I wasn’t alone in cheering on the Commander-in-Chief as he signed an executive order banning transgender athletes from all women’s sports in the US, surrounded by girls in sports gear. Women’s rights activists including J K Rowling joined the chorus of approval as Trump declared: “My administration will not stand by and watch men beat and batter female athletes.” Even more insane than Trump? Treating teenage anxieties with puberty blockers and mastectomies; referring to breastfeeding mothers as “chest-feeders”; “de-gendering” life and language for a tiny proportion of the population. Like him or loathe him, what Trump has achieved in his first three weeks back in the White House has revealed the abject ridiculousness of the status quo in spectacular fashion. Maddening though it may be to Trump’s detractors, he’s finally freed the West from the folly of groupthink.

PANAMA - China has hit back at the United States, accusing it of "coercion" after Panama decided not to renew an important infrastructure agreement with Beijing. This move came in the wake of a threat from Washington DC to reclaim the Panama Canal. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said at a press conference that China "firmly opposes the US smearing and undermining the Belt and Road cooperation through means of pressure and coercion." The Belt and Road Initiative, a cornerstone of President Xi Jinping's foreign policy, aims to connect China with other regions through extensive infrastructure projects such as roads, railways, airports, power plants, and more, reports The Associated Press. China is working on a cross-continental infrastructure and now that Panama has backed out, they blame the US for running interference by means of intimidation.

GERMANY - More than 200,000 protesters rallied in Munich, Germany, on Saturday against far-right extremism ahead of the country’s general election. The far-right, anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany, or AfD, is in second place in recent polls and has prompted widespread protests across the country before voters cast their ballots on February 23. The protest at Munich’s Theresienwiese — where Oktoberfest takes place each year — brought a significantly larger crowd than expected, according to the German dpa news agency. The event’s organizer estimated the crowd could be up to 320,000 people, many of whom carried signs against the AfD with slogans like, “Racism and hatred is not an alternative.” Activists said they hoped the rally also would draw attention to other far-right parties in Europe and the new administration of US President Donald Trump.

ISRAEL - Two weeks ago the world commemorated the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. In the years since 1945 the images of the inmates have become part of the fabric of history, documenting the evil of which some of our species are capable. We may now be used to seeing them, but the pictures of starved, emaciated bodies, barely more than skeletons, have never lost the power to shock. The footage of Eli Sharabi, Ohad Ben Ami and Or Levy could have come straight from 1945. The only difference was the presence of their Hamas captors; the Nazis had fled the camps by the time they were liberated.

USA - Donald Trump, ever the disruptor, has done it again. His latest proposal — grandiose, controversial, and yet not without a kernel of strategic insight — suggests nothing less than a radical rethinking of Gaza and, by extension, the Middle East. He envisions a total transformation: Gaza, no longer a nest of terror but a dazzling Mediterranean Riviera. The cynics scoff. The usual critics rage. But beneath the bluster lies an unavoidable truth: something fundamental must change. Before engaging with the specifics of Trump’s vision, one must confront the grim, inescapable reality that led to this moment. October 7 was not simply an attack on Israel. It was an assault on civilisation itself.

USA - The US is expected to unveil its plan to end the war in Ukraine next week, which could involve freezing the conflict along the current lines and using British troops to enforce a ceasefire. Donald Trump made ending the war one of his main pledges during the election campaign, previously insisting that it could be done in 24 hours. That, of course, did not happen, with General Keith Kellogg, the special envoy for Ukraine, later conceding that achieving peace would be more complicated and could take 100 days.

USA - US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order imposing sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC) for investigating the US and its allies. Last November the Hague-based court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister, Yoav Gallant, in a move that angered US officials. The order states that the ICC’s recent actions “set a dangerous precedent” by exposing Americans to “harassment, abuse and possible arrest,” thereby endangering them. “This malign conduct in turn threatens to infringe upon the sovereignty of the United States and undermines the critical national security and foreign policy work of the United States government and our allies, including Israel,” the order adds. Trump’s executive order will enforce financial and visa-related sanctions on individuals and families who support ICC investigations into US citizens or allied nations.

NIGERIA - The accession of Nigeria as the ninth partner state in BRICS marks a significant milestone in the history of this group. It’s not merely a change of status; it represents a profound evolution in global economic and political cooperation dynamics. With Nigeria as a partner country, BRICS enhances its geographical and economic diversity, allowing for better representation of the interests of developing countries, particularly those in Africa. As of today, full membership of BRICS, along with Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, is held by Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, the UAE, and Indonesia. The status of a BRICS partner state, along with Nigeria, has been acquired and confirmed by Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Thailand, Uganda, and Uzbekistan.