UKRAINE - For the first time in modern combat, an entire military position was captured without a single soldier stepping onto the contested ground. No infantry breaths. No medevac choppers. No body bags. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced April 13 that Ukrainian forces seized a Russian-held position using only unmanned systems, a milestone he framed as both a technological breakthrough and a moral one. “For the first time in the history of this war, Ukrainian warriors captured an enemy position using exclusively unmanned platforms,” Zelenskyy said during a speech marking Ukraine’s Arms Makers’ Day. “A robot entered the most dangerous zones instead of a soldier and took the positions.” The claim, if verified independently, represents a seismic shift in how wars may be fought. It also raises uncomfortable questions the defense establishment has long sidestepped: If machines do the dying, what restrains the urge to invade?

GERMANY - Germany’s political landscape continues to undergo a dramatic and increasingly undeniable transformation, as a new YouGov poll places the right-wing, anti-globalist Alternative for Germany (AfD) firmly at the top of national support. With 27 percent of the German electorate backing them, the AfD now clearly leads the political field, surpassing the once-dominant Christian Democratic Union and its Bavarian counterpart, the CSU. The numbers mark more than a statistical shift — they signal a deep and growing revolt among German voters against what they view as an entrenched, out-of-touch political establishment that’s hostile to their interests. The CDU/CSU bloc has fallen to just 23 percent, its lowest level in this poll series since 2021, while the Social Democratic Party languishes at 13 percent.

EUROPE - European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen can ignore voters’ opinions as she essentially cannot be voted out like recently defeated Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Alice Weidel, co-chair of the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, has said. The AfD is the most popular party in Germany, with a recent YouGov poll suggesting that it would get 27% of the vote if elections were held now. The CDU/CSU and SPD trail behind with 23% and 13%, respectively, according to the survey.

USA - Birth rates in the US continue to fall, according to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. US birth rates have been steadily declining for more than a decade now, and the total fertility rate (the number of births a woman is projected to have over her lifetime) has continued to hit new lows for several years. The preliminary data released this month from the CDC suggest the downward trend in fertility continued in 2025. The birth rate dropped from 53.8 births per 1,000 women in 2024 to 53.1 in 2025, and the total number of births declined by 22,534. The overall drop in the birth rate is driven mostly by a declining share of Americans marrying and forming families at all.

UK - "...Our increasing addiction to ‘welfareism’ is another facet of the same problem. If people believe there are no consequences for not working, their behaviour changes accordingly. The result is a double unfairness. Those who follow the rules carry the burden of paying for the indolent, while those who do not contribute are free to shirk their obligations. Last week we learned for the first time that Britain now pays more in welfare than we earn in income tax. That the rider is heavier than the horse."

USA - Something is causing the Pacific Ocean to really heat up. Water temperatures have been way above normal, and records are being shattered. As a result of these unusually high water temperatures, immensely powerful storms are being spawned and we are being warned that a “Super El Niño” could be on the way. So what is causing this? The experts are offering all sorts of different explanations, but I am convinced that it has to do with what has been happening on the bottom of the Pacific Ocean.

HUNGARY - In a political chess move so brilliant it borders on the comical, Viktor Orbán sensed long ago that the European Union, George Soros, Obama, and the entire globalist club were out to get him. Since there was no longer any viable left-wing opposition left in Hungary (none surpassed the laughable 5% electoral threshold), the Hungarian prime minister decided to solve the problem his way: he took his best ally and right-hand man, Péter Magyar, and sent him to the front lines as a “top-tier” opposition figure.

USA - Day after day, the mainstream media assures us that we are right on the verge of peace in the Middle East. But the Great Middle East War has been raging since October 7th, 2023, and there will never be peace in the Middle East as long as the Shiite regime in Tehran is still standing. Of course we have also been subjected to endless headlines about a potential end to the war in Ukraine, but it has been raging since early 2022 with no end in sight. On top of everything else, apparently preparations are now being made for a major US military operation in Cuba.

IRAN - Iran and United States 'far' from deal as ships in Strait of Hormuz warned they will be targeted if they attempt to cross. Iran's top negotiator said recent talks with the US had made progress but gaps remained over nuclear issues and the Strait of Hormuz, while President Donald Trump cited 'very good conversations' with Tehran despite warning against 'blackmail' over the key shipping channel. Neither side offered any specifics about the state of negotiations on Saturday, days before a fragile ceasefire in the US-Israeli war against Iran is set to expire. The war, now in its eighth week, has killed thousands, spread to Israeli attacks in Lebanon and sent oil prices surging because of the de facto closure of the strait, which before the war carried one-fifth of the world's oil shipments. An Israeli soldier was killed in combat in southern Lebanon and nine were wounded, including one seriously injured, the Israeli military said early on Sunday.

IRAN - Shipping chaos continues in the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz after Iranian gunboats opened fire on merchant vessels yesterday. Iranian authorities shut down traffic just hours after briefly reopening the narrow waterway, as tensions escalated and Tehran demanded the US lift its naval blockade on key ports. The disruption has left fleets stranded across the Middle East Gulf, with Lloyd’s List reporting that most shipowners are now retreating to previous positions amid growing fears for safety. Movement through the strait remains at a standstill after radio warnings declared the route back under “strict management and control by the Iranian armed forces.”

USA - President Trump just announced that he’s helped arbitrate a ceasefire between both Israel and Lebanon, and it will begin today at 5:00 PM eastern. Here’s what he said:

UK - It is true that the International Monetary Fund’s annual gathering of finance ministers and bankers often seems to be held during a state of crisis. But this year, the anxiety is palpable. As President Donald Trump offers his manic, daily social media commentary on the stalemate in the Strait of Hormuz, the mood of the financiers, bankers and economists is as desperate as I have ever seen. The blockade of the strait and resultant mayhem in oil and gas markets are casting a black cloud of doom over an American capital sweltering in a spring heatwave. Today’s energy catastrophe is being described to me by economic analysts here as the worst since the Yom Kippur War of the 1970s, when surging oil prices triggered explosive inflation and a global recession. In Britain, the pound crashed and Jim Callaghan’s Labour government was forced to accept a humiliating bailout from the Americans and the IMF. And yet, if things continue as they are, the current situation could deteriorate very much further.

UK - Brits are being braced for a summer of shortages with warnings that chicken and pork are among a swathe of products at risk from the Iran war. A 'reasonable worst case' scenario drawn up by the Government suggested that disruption to carbon dioxide supplies from the Middle East could have major impacts. Ministers have been war-gaming prioritising the gas for healthcare - where it is crucial for kit such as MRI machines - and civil nuclear power. But that could affect slaughterhouses, with most pigs and chickens killed using the gas. Breweries and soft drinks manufacturing could also be hit. The possibility will add to fears about looming issues with diesel, jet fuel and fertiliser as the turmoil continues from Donald Trump's war on Iran.

EUROPE - European officials are pushing to form a "European NATO" in case the United States decides to stop participating in the alliance, with the main focus on replacing American assets on the continent, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday. According to the report, the objective is to have European officers in command-and-control positions who could take over if the Americans decided to leave the alliance. While the idea had strong opposition from the main members of NATO until now, the report notes that it gained traction after Germany began supporting it in recent months. This plan also doesn't aim to rival NATO, but rather to give Europe the tools to preserve nuclear deterrence and military cohesion against Russia in case the US decides to leave the alliance. NATO's Secretary General, Mark Rutte, said recently that the alliance aimed to reduce its dependence on American officers and instead become more "European-led."

EUROPE - Europe has 'maybe six weeks' of jet fuel left, the head of the International Energy Agency (IEA) said Thursday in a sobering prediction, warning of possible flight cancellations 'soon' if oil supplies remain blocked by the Iran war. IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol painted a damning picture of the global repercussions of what he called 'the largest energy crisis we have ever faced' in an interview with AP, stemming from the pinch-off of oil, gas and other vital supplies through the Strait of Hormuz. "In the past there was a group called 'Dire Straits.' It's a dire strait now, and it is going to have major implications for the global economy. And the longer it goes, the worse it will be for the economic growth and inflation around the world," he said.