UK - Pro-Gaza activists have dramatically issued a list of 18 demands to Sir Keir Starmer and threatened to withhold their support at the next general election if he does not fulfil them. The Muslim Vote has called for the Labour leader to promise to cut military ties with Israel, allow followers of Islam to pray in school and stop people with the name 'Muhammad' being charged more for insurance should he become prime minister. It has also demanded a law that criminalises spiritual and religious leaders from instructing their congregation how to vote is scrapped and wants seven per cent of public sector pensions to be invested into 'ethical and Islamic funds'.

EUROPE - Every five years, like clockwork, mainstream politicians freak out about the rise of radicals and populists ahead of the European election. But then, the danger suddenly seems to dissipate as the traditional center-left and center-right forces that built the European Union forge coalitions that hold more radical parties at bay. Don’t bank on it this time. In 2024, the right-wing surge in the polls seems bigger and bolder, with one predicting the nationalist right and far right could pick up nearly a quarter of seats in the European Parliament in June.

UK - British farmers have issued an urgent plea for help after their product yields were hit by the worst wet weather crisis in 188 years. The National Famers Union (NFU) Farmer Confidence Survey shows that short and mid-term confidence is at its lowest since records began in 2010. The relentless wet weather has played a big part, with 82% of respondents saying their farm businesses have suffered fairly negative (52%) or very negative impacts (30%), with mixed farms, arable farms and dairy farms taking the biggest hits. Since then, farmers have been battling relentless heavy rain through January, February, March and much of April, as reported by this newspaper. Were the survey undertaken again today, the results would be even worse, the NFU has warned. NFU President Tom Bradshaw said the figures painted a “really stark picture”.

USA - At least five people, including a four-month-old baby, have been killed after dozens of tornadoes ripped through the central US causing serious damage. Tens of thousands of residents were left without power following separate storms that began on Friday. Four of the deaths happened in Oklahoma, where a state of emergency has been declared in a dozen counties. A fifth person died from their injuries in Iowa after a separate storm system hit the Midwest, local media reported. The National Weather Service (NWS) said a preliminary investigation had confirmed some of Saturday's tornadoes had gusts of above 136 miles (218km) an hour. The storms - which swept from Texas to Missouri - also saw up to seven inches (18cm) of rainfall in some places within hours, the AFP news agency reported. Further severe weather has been forecast.

GERMANY - The “greener” Germany gets, the bloodier its economy becomes. How much can an economy bleed before it dies? Since Germany has become hostile to industry and its Green Revolution has made energy prices among the world’s highest, it’s no wonder that the country’s economy is hemorrhaging economically. Companies are shutting down and moving out. For example, German online Blackout News here reports on how automotive supplier IHI has announced the closure of its plant at Erfurter Kreuz, Thuringia, and that around 300 employees will be affected in a region that is already struggling. The company is a manufacturer of turbochargers for cars and intends to close the plant in 12 to 15 months, reports Blackout News. The announcement is just the latest in a long, seemingly unending series of closures. “In recent months, several automotive suppliers have had to close their doors or file for insolvency. This development shows the volatile challenges facing the industry,” comments Blackout News.

CHINA - The Chinese navy on Wednesday launched sea trials of its third and most advanced aircraft carrier, according to state media reports. The tests mark the final stage before the warship is put into service. With a displacement of 80,000 metric tons, the Fujian dwarfs the People’s Liberation Army Navy’s (PLAN) two active carriers, the 66,000-ton Shandong and the 60,000-ton Liaoning. Only the US Navy operates bigger aircraft carriers than the Fujian. The ship features a full-length, flat flight deck with an advanced catapult-launch system for jets that will enable it to launch larger and heavier aircraft than the Shandong and Liaoning. At present, China has the world’s largest naval force (both in ship counts and overall tonnage), with more than 340 warships and counting.

HUNGARY - Budapest did not subscribe to same-sex marriages or war with Russia when it became a member, the prime minister says. Hungarian Prime Minister Victor Orban has decried the state of the European Union, claiming it is almost unrecognisable from the bloc Budapest joined 20 years ago. When Budapest joined the bloc, it did not expect to be forced to take in immigrants from other parts of the world or pressured over its constitutional protection of the family, defined as being based on a marriage between a man and a woman, Orban said. Accession “wasn’t about the European leaders maneuvering the continent into a war instead of peace,” he added, referring to the arming of Ukraine against Russia.

UK - Dozens of pro-Palestinian campaigners have been elected as councillors as the war in Gaza hit town halls across Britain. More than 40 councillors were elected in England after making the conflict part of their campaign, analysis of Thursday's vote suggests. Some wore rosettes in the colours of the Palestinian flag while others dedicated their victories to the people of Gaza. One shouted: 'We will raise the voice of Palestine. Allahu Akbar!'

ISRAEL - Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said his country will not accept Hamas's demands for Israel to end its Gaza onslaught. In response, Mr Netanyahu stated: "Israel will not agree to Hamas' demands. We are not ready to accept a situation in which Hamas battalions come out of their bunkers, take control of Gaza again, rebuild their military infrastructure, and return to threatening the citizens of Israel." Mr Netanyahu has rejected a proposed ceasefire deal with Gaza, stating that it would leave Hamas in control and pose a threat to Israel. The proposal was discussed as officials resumed talks in Egypt, aiming to negotiate a pause in Israel's offensive in Gaza in exchange for the release of hostages.

HUNGARY - Orban said he felt the EU is in an economic crisis fueled by the war in Ukraine. Speaking to a local radio station on the 20th anniversary of Hungary joining the bloc, Orban said he felt the EU is currently in an economic crisis fueled by the war in Ukraine adding that the bloc is in danger, claiming most of its MEPs were pro-war. Orban said the country had made the right decision when it joined 20 years ago saying it brought "peace and prosperity" to the country but criticised what he felt it had become. He told the local broadcaster: “We joined the union because Europe meant peace and prosperity. Now we are in an economic crisis. Europe is playing with fire; we are on the frontier between peace and war.”

USA - If you actually believe that it is just a “coincidence” that anti-Israel protests have “spontaneously” erupted at dozens of colleges and universities all over the nation, you are just being delusional. As you will see below, these protests are being organized by paid professional agitators, and they are being funded by the same far left sources that have funded other radical protest movements in the past. But don’t just take my word for it. New York City Mayor Eric Adams is a far left mayor in a far left city, and even he is admitting that there were “professionals” involved in the chaos that we just witnessed at Columbia University…

ITALY - The Western powers, gripped by green energy madness, are handing the future to China. History will not look kindly on the leaders of this forced march to subservience. Members of the G7 economic alliance, meeting in Turin, Italy, agreed Tuesday to end usage of coal for power generation by the year 2035, a mere 11 years into the future. This effort to rob power grids in the West and Japan of so much affordable, stable, round-the-clock baseload generation comes at an inauspicious time.

USA - Over the past several decades, America’s culture has been transformed at a pace that is absolutely breathtaking. When I was growing up, I was convinced that I believed in a shared set of national values that most other Americans also embraced. But in our day and age those values have been discarded and now people that see the world the way that I do are clearly not in the majority any longer. I know that a lot of people out there may not want to hear that our national values have been turned upside down, but it is the truth. Those that sought to “fundamentally transform” this country have succeeded, and at this point “American values” are vastly different from the “American values” that I cherished as a young boy.

UK - The 'ringleader' of a Gen Z mob that staged an eight-hour protest outside a Peckham migrant hotel has been revealed as a serial protester who has previously caused disruption at pro-Palestine, trans rights and eco-rallies. The scruffy activist, who has been previously named as John, has been pictured complaining at a variety of trendy social causes including a rally for trans firebrand Sarah Jane Baker who served 30 years in jail for kidnap and attempted murder. Yesterday, John was at the heart of the action at the violent protest which saw scuffles with police, journalists assaulted and 45 arrests made with some protesters being filmed being pushed violently by police in the fracas.

SCOTLAND - The SNP’s delayed ferries have been hit by a new farce after it emerged that their special ‘green’ fuel must be imported 8,000 miles from Qatar then driven thousands more miles each year by road. The vessels were designed with ‘dual-fuel’ engines which can run on liquefied natural gas (LNG), designed to cut emissions, as well as conventional diesel. However, eight years after work began on the ferries Glen Sannox and Glen Rosa, the Scottish Government says there is no clear date for when LNG tanks, known as a bunkering facility, will ever be built here. As a result, LNG must be imported in diesel-powered ships from Qatar to a terminal in England and then driven 450 miles to Scotland. It is feared that will lead to emissions far in excess of savings generated by the supposedly environmentally friendly engines.