GERMANY - Food prices in Germany have spiked by just under 40 per cent over last year, with items such as potatoes spiking by as much as 70 per cent in 12 months. The German general public is facing a massive surge in the price of food — a considerable contributor to the ongoing cost of living crisis — with government statistics released on Monday indicating that the overall price of groceries in the country has risen by nearly 40 per cent within the last 12 months. With many in the country already treading financial water as a result of an extreme surge in energy prices, the increased costs could not come at a worse time for citizens, with officials in the country worrying that riots and civil unrest remains possible should people be unable to properly heat their homes.

QATAR - Pork, porn, sex toys, and LGBT flags could get fans arrested in Qatar. As the soccer world prepares for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, many are warning fans of the things that could get them arrested while attending the games in the strict Muslim country. British authorities, for instance, recently released a list of items that fans should leave at home as they pack for Qatar, the New York Post reported. “Importing drugs, alcohol, pornography, pork products, and religious books and material into Qatar is illegal,” UK fans are told on the UK Foreign Travel Advice government website.

JORDAN - Exploring Petra, one of the main surprises is the shear immensity of this ancient city. On a blistering hot day, it is imperative to carry a water bottle while exploring this incredible site. How sophisticated was the Petra water system to be able to supply its population with enough water in such a dry climate? The city of Petra, first founded around 312 BC by the Nabataean Empire, was a viable city for close to 1,000 years. The Petra water system needed to be extremely robust to sustain the population for so long. Much research and investigation revealed amazing facts about how the city of Petra thrived in such a dry climate.

ISRAEL - Israel's longest serving leader Benjamin Netanyahu secured a mandate today to form a new government despite still being on trial for corruption charges. The veteran politician was given the green light to form his government by Israel's president Isaac Herzog - paving the way for him to lead what could be the most-right wing administration in the country's history. After a period of unprecedented political gridlock saw five electoral votes in less than four years, the November 1 election gave Netanyahu and his far-right allies a clear majority in the 120-seat parliament.

JAPAN - Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has delivered an unusually harsh rebuke of China, accusing Beijing of violating his country’s sovereignty and of stirring up tensions in the Asia-Pacific region. “There has been continued, increasing actions by China in the East China Sea that violate Japan’s sovereignty,” Kishida told fellow heads of state on Sunday at the East Asia Summit in Cambodia. “China also continues to take actions that heighten regional tension in the South China Sea.” Kishida was apparently referring to Chinese incursions in waters around the Senkaku Islands, which are controlled by Tokyo but also claimed by Beijing.

CHINA - Chinese President Xi Jinping has just announced that China will be “preparing for war”, and that should deeply alarm all of us. Needless to say, nobody is going to be attacking China any time soon. So why would the Chinese need to prepare for war if there is zero chance that they will be attacked? Unfortunately, the answer is obvious. The only reason China would be engaged in a military conflict any time soon is if it chooses to invade Taiwan. The moment such an invasion is launched, the United States and China will be at war. The Chinese know this, but Chinese President Xi Jinping is going ahead with preparations for war anyway… This truly is a time of “wars and rumors of wars”, but most people out there still do not understand what is happening.

EUROPE - EU will set up first ‘rapid deployment’ military force by 2025, claims report. In what appears to be the most concrete development in the EU’s desire to have its own military, lawmakers in Brussels are reportedly in the concrete planning stage for establishing a 5,000-man “rapid deployment” military intervention force, a report has claimed. Josep Borrell, the EU’s Security Policy High Representative, has said that training for the establishment of such a force could kick off as early as “the second half of 2023”, with Germany seemingly eager to be the first country to lead the intervention force once it is created.

USA - In a weekend tweet, the National Educators Association (NEA) wants everyone to know that they know what is best for our children. The Saturday tweet said, “Educators love their students and know better than anyone what they need to learn and to thrive.” In truth, teachers unions have been damaging to children across the nation. From shutdowns, to Critical Race Theory, to demonizing parents, to abuse, children come second to their political agenda. And as for physical, sexual and verbal abuse of children by educators? A Project Veritas video showed union leaders admitting that they have protected and defended union members that have abused students... According to Fox5, “At least 135 teachers and teachers’ aides have been arrested so far this year on child sex-related crimes in the US, ranging from child pornography to raping students.”

UK - Mindfulness books for children as young as two are the latest runaway publishing trend, the industry has said, with children themselves calling for more titles to help them make sense of their emotions. Publishers including Magic Cat Publishing are reporting that sales of books for children under 10 years old that address emotions and mental health issues are up almost 40% year on year since 2021. Laura Horsley, the publishing director for Hachette Children’s nonfiction list, said: “There’s a real appetite for these books, especially when written by authors with proven expertise. A Better Day: Your Positive Mental Health Handbook by Dr Alex George is a recent example: this went straight to the top of the children’s nonfiction chart a few weeks ago.” Annie Rhodes, from the Norfolk Children’s Book Centre, said: “We have definitely seen an increase in the amount and variety of books published on mindfulness and anxiety aimed at children from the publishers.”

WALES - Campaigners against Wales' new relationships and sexuality education (RSE) curriculum are set to have their legal challenge heard in the High Court on Tuesday. Five claimants representing parents and grandparents in Wales are taking the Welsh Government to the High Court in an attempt to remove its new relationships and sex education (RSE) from the mandatory part of Wales' curriculum.

USA - When, in early October, President Joe Biden remarked that the risk of nuclear “Armageddon” was now at its highest since the Cuban missile crisis of 1962, he faced considerable skepticism and pushback. Yet senior US officials appear to be taking the risk of an escalation involving nuclear weapons in Ukraine deadly seriously. Later that month, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin jumped on the phone to his Russian counterpart, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, and spoke with him twice in three days after Shoigu had claimed that Ukrainian forces planned to use a nuclear “dirty bomb” and blame it on Moscow. The reasons for the Pentagon’s concern were clear: Russian falsehoods about a dirty bomb could pave the way for potential nuclear use by Russia.

GERMANY - Thousands of people demonstrated in Berlin on Saturday calling for food prices to be controlled and for the rich to face higher taxes as Germany faces a cost of living crisis. Marching behind banners, one of which was emblazoned with the demand “Redistribute!”, the demonstrators marched through the German capital after a call by left-wing organisations to protest against soaring prices and rents. Both police and organisers said at least 3,000 people took part in the protest which took place to the backdrop of rising inflation caused in part by the war in Ukraine which has hit energy and food supplies. Inflation in Germany is at its highest level in more than 70 years and reached 10.4 percent in October, according to figures released on Friday.

ITALY - Alessandra Mussolini, the granddaughter of Italian dictator and father of fascism Benito Mussolini, is once again a member of the European Parliament (MEP). She was one of the eight replacements for Italian MEPs who have taken up seats in the national parliament, the Chamber of Deputies. During her time in politics, she has on many occasions defended her infamous grandfather, who formulated the ideology of fascism and ruled Italy from 1922 to 1943 as ‘Il Duce’. After Italy’s surrender in 1943, he was evacuated by Nazi paratroopers and ran a German-allied rump state in the north until he was executed by communist partisans in 1945.

INDIA - A truly stable and just global order can only be created when nations cease attempting to ensure their own security at the expense of others, Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh has said. Speaking to the National Defense College on Thursday, Singh argued that the world should develop a collective approach to security. “India does not believe in a world order where few are considered superior to others,” he said, adding that India’s own strategic policy should be “moral.”

VATICAN - Libero Milone, the former chief auditor of the Vatican, has sued the Church’s Secretariat of State and current auditor general, claiming the Church has reopened a baseless criminal investigation against him in order to silence him after ignoring his reports of official malfeasance. Milone and fellow auditor Ferruccio Panicco claim the Vatican unjustly ended their contracts, ruined their professional reputations, and rendered them persona non grata in Italy. They are demanding €9 million ($9.2 million) in damages.