TAIWAN - Taiwan has been hit by earthquakes for the second day in row, with the magnitude of Sunday’s tremor estimated at 6.9 by the United States Geological Survey (USGS). The epicenter was located in the Tainan municipality, in the south of the self-governed island, at a depth of 10 km, according to the agency. The tremors caused the collapse of a low-rise building housing a convenience store, leaving several people trapped under the rubble, according to local media. The Taiwan Railway Administration said a train derailed in the affected area, leading to the evacuation of some 20 passengers. Videos online have shown a road bridge that appears to have collapsed due to the shaking.

USA - California Governor Gavin Newsom on Friday announced a sweeping package of what he called the country’s “most aggressive” climate measures to “accelerate the state’s transition” to non-conventional energy sources. The package includes 40 bills that appear to provide new green rules on laws related to things ranging from large-scale industry to the family home and private and public transportation. The Democratic governor’s office said in a statement the package of climate change-focused measures aims to cut pollution and target “big polluters.” It comes as America’s most populous state has struggled to provide stable electricity for residents amid a heat wave, which saw the state asking residents to use less power and suggest the best times to use air conditioners or charge electric cars. “This month has been a wake-up call for all of us that later is too late to act on climate change. California isn’t waiting any more,” Newsom said in a statement. “Together with the Legislature, California is taking the most aggressive action on climate our nation has ever seen.”

SWITZERLAND - A Swiss billboard is making the rounds on social media depicting a young woman on the telephone. The caption reads, “Does the neighbor heat the apartment to over 19 degrees (66F)? Please inform us.” While the Swiss government has dismissed the poster as a fake, the penalties Swiss citizens face for daring to warm their homes are very real. According to the Swiss newspaper Blick, those who violate the 66 degree heating limit could face as many as three years in prison!

GERMANY - After weeks of negotiations, German politicians finally reached a deal on a massive €100 billion military modernization fund. Germany has spent months touting its epochal shift toward a more muscular military policy. Now the country finally has a spending plan to make it happen. Three months after Chancellor Olaf Scholz first announced Germany’s so-called Zeitenwende, or historic turning point, political leaders late on Sunday approved the main pillar of the new policy — a massive €100 billion military modernization fund.

TURKEY - Ankara seeks to formally join the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, Turkey’s president has said. Turkey seeks accession to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday. The remark came after the summit of the group wrapped up in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. Erdogan took part in this year’s event as a special guest. “Our relations with these countries will be moved to a much different position with this step,” Erdogan told reporters on board his plane. Asked whether Turkey is seeking to formally join the group, the president responded affirmatively. “Of course, that's the goal,” he said. The SCO is an economic integration and trust-building alliance that was founded in 2001, and is now the world’s largest regional bloc. Currently, the SCO brings together China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India, and Pakistan. There are also four observer states – Afghanistan, Mongolia, Belarus, and Iran – which are seeking to become full-fledged members of the bloc, with the two latter nations already having launched the accession process.

RUSSIA - The Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s goal is “friendship in the name of something, not against someone” Dmitry Peskov says. The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) – the world’s biggest regional bloc, which counts Russia and China among its members but is set to expand – is not an alternative to a military alliance, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the media on Thursday. According to Peskov “all relations in the SCO are built on the basis of mutual respect for each other’s interests and mutual benefit.” “No one sets the goal of making the SCO an alternative to a military organization. This is friendship in the name of something, not against someone,” he said. Ahead of the summit in Samarkand, SCO Secretary General Zhang Ming said the suggestion that there is “a long queue outside the door” to the organization is not an exaggeration. On Thursday, the SCO signed a protocol with Iran which paves the way for the country’s full accession. The SCO encompasses 40% of the world’s population, and more than 30% of global GDP.

IRAN - Tehran has signed a formal commitment to become a full member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. Iran has signed a memorandum paving the way to transition from its current observer status to full membership of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). The Middle-Eastern nation, which the US has long sought to undermine with diplomatic isolation and economic sanctions, made a formal step on Thursday to become the ninth member of the organization. Among the SCO’s heavyweights are Russia and China, two major powers that are on Washington’s list of geopolitical opponents. The SCO was created in 2001 as an intragovernmental forum aimed at fostering trust and developing economic and humanitarian ties in Asia.

UK - The diplomatic wrangles played out as dozens of heads of state, political leaders and dignitaries descended on the capital for an extraordinary reception tonight at Buckingham Palace being hosted by King Charles. US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill were due to touch down at Heathrow last night. The President was travelling on Air Force One with the White House’s ‘Chief of Protocol’ Ambassador Rufus Gifford, who will make sure he avoids making any of his trademark gaffes when he meets the new King. Among those catching the bus will be Japanese Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako, who were due to arrive in the UK last night. Their decision to attend the Queen’s funeral underscores the importance and the deep bond between the royal families. Traditionally, a Japanese emperor stays away from funerals except for those of his own parents because of a cultural belief based in the Shinto religion that considers death to be impure.

JAPAN - Nine million people have been told to evacuate their homes as Japan is battered by one of the worst typhoons the country has ever seen. The super typhoon Nanmadol has killed two people and injured almost 90. It hit Japan's most southerly island, Kyushu, on Sunday morning, and is forecast to pass over the main island of Honshu in the next few days. Tens of thousands of people spent Sunday night in emergency shelters, and almost 350,000 homes are without power. Transport and business has been disrupted, and the country is braced for extensive flooding and landslides. Nanmadol has brought gusts of up to 234 km/h (145 mph), and some areas were forecast 400 mm (16 inches) of rain in 24 hours. Bullet train services, ferries, and hundreds of flights have been cancelled.

UK - Fears of the end of the world are growing as apocalyptic imagery from the Bible has come to life in recent months, as diseases, fires and floods have ravaged the planet. The Bible's Book of Revelation sees the Earth suffer from "intense heat" and drought, a shower of deadly hailstones and disease. The extreme weather is then followed by the Apocalypse - the final judgment of man and destruction of the world by fire. Fires have been seen across Europe in recent days, as extreme temperatures scorched the continent.

ISRAEL - Red heifers raised in Israel as sacrificial offerings to the Third Temple have been inspected in a secret location, stoking fears end of the world prophecy is rapidly unfolding. The red heifers form part of an elaborate plan to reclaim Jerusalem's former glory through the construction of a third Holy Temple. The efforts are being led by the Temple Institute, a religious organisation dedicated to the restoration of Judaism's holiest seat of worship. The return of the Temple plays a critical role in doomsday prophecies in Jewish and Christian prophecies alike. Many believe the Third Temple's construction will precede the arrival of the Messiah. And the sacrifice of a red heifer in the dedication of the Third Temple will supposedly facilitate these prophecies to unfold. The long-awaited update has been welcomed by Christian evangelists who believe biblical prophecy is unfolding in the Holy Land. However, according to Christian scripture, there is no way of predicting when the end of the world will unfold. Jesus Christ said in the gospels: "But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father."

GERMANY - German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has urged Europe to take on more responsibility in NATO, with Vladimir Putin aiming to make Russia an "imperial power" on the continent. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Friday once more stressed that Moscow's invasion of Ukraine was a turning point in European history, underlining the importance of Germany's armed forces in the new situation. He said Russian President Vladimir Putin was trying to redraw borders with the aim of making Russia an "imperial power" in Europe once more. "NATO remains responsible for the collective defence of the entire alliance with a focus on Europe. Credible deterrence remains the core element," said Scholz. "We, Europeans, must however assume significantly more responsibility within NATO." He was speaking on the second day of a two-day conference of the German armed forces that took the title "The Bundeswehr in a new era — Taking critical stock at a time of war in Europe."

GERMANY - Chancellor Olaf Scholz called on Germany to become the "best-equipped force in Europe." In its power struggle against Russia and China, the EU is aiming at the formation of a global bloc, seeking to comprehensively expand the Western bloc and to move against foreign powers’ “Trojan horses” at home, according to yesterday’s State of the Union Address by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. The transatlantic bloc, which includes some Asia-Pacific nations, will thus be given the positively connoted label of “democracies.” It is to include as many African and Latin American nations as possible and juxtaposed with a non-western bloc, which will be given the negatively connoted label “autocracies.” While the EU is fostering the formation of a bloc, in the non-Western “rest” of the world – ie, three quarters of all nations – new alliances are forming, seeking a multipolar international order. Besides Russia and China, these include India Brazil and South Africa. Diverse countries such as Argentina, the United Arab Emirates and Indonesia are seeking to join BRICS or SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organisation).

GERMANY - Sensing a feeding frenzy, German arms makers jockey for position. German companies are jockeying for position as the government tees up massive investments meant to drastically improve the state of the armed forces. Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s February 27 proposal to ramp up defense expenditures by tens of billions of euros, spurred by Russia’s war on Ukraine, has defense officials in Berlin scrambling to identify spending opportunities that promise fast results, according to several company officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. So hasty is the process that a key official in the Defence Ministry’s acquisition office, Vice Admiral Carsten Stawitzki, signaled to company executives that certain acquisition rules could be outright circumvented in service of quick deliveries. Companies also were put on notice that they should drop outstanding procurement disputes on the docket with the ministry in order to partake in upcoming work.

UK - World set for extreme weather event as La Niña to spark flooding and droughts across globe. Meteorologists say that La Niña will hit in the Pacific for the third consecutive year in a 'triple dip' weather phenomenon. A rare weather phenomenon will have impacts around the world as a ‘triple dip’ La Niña has formed in the Pacific. La Niña is an oceanic and atmospheric phenomenon that is the colder counterpart of El Niño, where the sea surface temperature across the eastern equatorial part of the central Pacific Ocean is lower than normal by 3C to 5C.