UK - A footbridge at the Princess of Wales’s local railway station has finally opened after taking as long to build as the Eiffel Tower. Work began on installing the prefabricated bridge in January 2023, and it was opened to passengers this week, more than £8 million over budget. The small footbridge at Theale Station in Berkshire had already taken longer to build than the Empire State Building when The Telegraph first reported on the delays more than a year ago. At the time, it was described by the then MP for the area, Sir Alok Sharma, as a “case study” in bureaucracy and inefficiency. Funding for the upgrade to the station was first announced in December 2011, with the budget set at £1.25 million.

EUROPE - The Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) is pushing a heady mix of Prussian imperial nostalgia and a shrewd form of Euroscepticism that catches the mood of post-globalist German voters. The insurgent Right-wing party of Alice Weidel – a gay, Hayekian, Mandarin-speaking Goldman Sachs alumna, who worked for the Bank of China and wrote a paper on the Chinese pension system – is flying high as elections approach next month, reaching 22 per cent in the latest INSA poll. The German media fears that the “shy voter syndrome” may understate the strength of the AfD support. If the final tally reaches the mid-20s, it could leave Germany in much the same state of political paralysis as France, unable to form a stable government on the broken rubble of the old party system.

ISRAEL - After the smoke clears and the bodies are buried, the impact of Israel and Hamas’s war will continue to be felt far beyond Gaza’s borders. Four hundred and sixty-six days since Hamas fighters massacred over 1,000 Israelis and kidnapped hundreds more, the guns may finally be falling silent. It is difficult to overstate how much the world has changed since that horrific day two autumns ago.

MIDDLE EAST - A total of 466 days after the tragic events of October 7, 2023, when the simmering Middle Eastern conflict reignited with devastating intensity, claiming the lives of nearly 50,000 civilians, the long-awaited news of a ceasefire finally emerged. In the shadow of destruction and loss, through indirect negotiations, Hamas and Israel – two adversaries locked in an endless struggle – have managed to reach an agreement. This fragile accord has become a symbol of hope for millions who have endured the horrors of war.

MIDDLE EAST - On Wednesday’s broadcast of CNN’s “Situation Room,” Representative Michael Waltz (Republican for Florida), President-Elect Donald Trump’s pick to be national security adviser, stated that the incoming Trump administration has assured Israel that “if Hamas reneges on any parts of this deal, we are with them and that Gaza will be demilitarized and Hamas will be destroyed.” And stated that “We cannot allow, nor should they allow, this terrorist organization to continue, who has pledged to have more October 7s if they are allowed to continue as a terrorist organization.”

USA - Price Increases over the last 4 years...

• CPI Medical Care: +9.5%
• CPI Apparel: +12.0%
• CPI New Cars: +19.0%
• CPI Used Cars: +19.6%
• CPI Food at home: +22.7%
• CPI Shelter: +24.4%
• CPI Food away from home: +25.1%
• CPI Electricity: +28.2%
• CPI Gas Utilities: +31.6%
• US Home Prices: +38.3%
• CPI Transportation: +40.6%
• CPI Gasoline: +41.0%
• CPI Fuel Oil: +44.5%
• CPI Auto Insurance: +59.0%

[CPI = Consumer Price Index]

USA - American food markets are running short on eggs, and the situation may not improve for months. The highly contagious avian influenza has wreaked havoc on the egg market. In November and December 2024 alone, 17.2 million egg-laying hens died as a result of the virus. That’s nearly half of all birds killed by the virus in 2024, according to the USDA. And it will take months to replace those flocks. The USDA has spent $1.25 billion compensating farmers for the lost birds to encourage prompt reporting and containment. However, it will take months to replace those flocks, leading to prolonged shortages and higher prices. Consumers have been distracted from this important news, but the impact on the egg market is undeniable.

UNITED NATIONS - On Wednesday, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres issued a grave warning regarding the myriad challenges facing humanity, characterizing them as a “Pandora’s box of ills.” He identified four principal threats that could fundamentally disrupt various aspects of our global agenda and, in the most severe scenarios, jeopardize our existence: escalating conflicts, pervasive inequalities, the escalating climate crisis, and uncontrolled technological advancements. In his address to the General Assembly, Guterres outlined his priorities for the upcoming year, highlighting the unprecedented crises and polarization that the organization is currently confronting.

ISRAEL - Israel and Hamas on Wednesday agreed a ceasefire to end 15 months of war, with the first hostages set to be released on Sunday. Donald Trump hailed the “epic deal” on Wednesday night, claiming that it could only have happened because of his election victory in November. Hostages will be swapped for Hamas prisoners held in Israel over the course of months under the deal, which has been separated into three separate phases. It will end with a permanent ceasefire, the full military withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and the release of hostages and remains from Hamas tunnels. Joe Biden, the US president, also took credit for the deal from the White House on Wednesday night, saying “my diplomacy” forced the agreement. The American negotiating team was formed of US government officials and Mr Trump’s team, who worked together to secure an agreement in line with ceasefire plans outlined by Mr Biden in May. Mr Trump claimed credit for the agreement, arguing that his election victory in November had “[sic] signalled to the entire world that my Administration would seek Peace and negotiate deals to ensure the safety of all Americans, and our Allies”.

UK - The Left is more unpopular than any time since the Cold War – except in Britain. Right-wing groups emerged as global winners after more than 1.5 billion voted in over 70 countries last year. The analysis comes after a year of election triumphs for conservatives around the world, crowned by Donald Trump’s election as US president. Right-wing groups emerged as the worldwide winners after more than 1.5 billion people voted in more than 70 countries in 2024, the most on record in a single year. Leftist parties suffered a record low average vote share of just 45.4 per cent in each democracy’s latest election, according to Telegraph analysis of elections in 73 democracies. In Western Europe and the US, Left-wing parties secured just 42.3 per cent of the vote while the Right won 55.7 per cent, which represents the widest gap in vote share since 1990.

USA - It is no accident that we are starting to see just now how the Middle East and Ukraine conflicts may end. After the drift and equivocation that has defined Joe Biden’s approach to global security issues during his four years at the White House, Donald Trump’s impending return is certainly having a galvanising effect in resolving some of the world’s more intractable conflicts. Trump’s inauguration has not even taken place, yet it is already evident that the mere prospect of his return to serve a second term as president is having a salutary impact on conflicts ranging from Gaza to Ukraine.

USA - Policy holders in Los Angeles have faced a wave of cancellations by some of the largest companies in the sector. While the Los Angeles fires are still raging, having killed 25 people and caused billions of dollars’ worth of damage, Californians are also feeling the heat from a slower-burning crisis: the dysfunction of the state’s insurance market.

VATICAN - The pontiff has revealed the existence of documents relating to a series of abuse and corruption scandals in the Catholic Church. A sitting Pope has for the first time revealed the existence of files detailing “abuse” and “dark dealings” in the Catholic Church. Pope Francis has confirmed that he inherited a “large white box” of documents detailing crimes by clergy when he took over from his predecessor Benedict XVI. The revelation features in the pontiff’s autobiography, Spera (Hope). The last year of his tenure was further smeared by the ‘Vatileaks’ scandal – a series of leaks which exposed allegations of corruption, internal conflicts, and financial mismanagement within the Vatican.

USA - The Net Zero Asset Managers initiative — a coalition of investment behemoths turned self-proclaimed climate warriors—hit a wall this week after BlackRock’s dramatic exit forced it to suspend operations. The fallout comes as US political pressure mounts against the green agenda championed by corporate giants. BlackRock, the globe’s largest asset manager with $11.5 trillion under management, walked away citing “confusion over the initiative’s climate efforts” and rising legal scrutiny from Republican lawmakers.

USA - The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is warning of a rise in tularemia, or “rabbit fever,” cases in the United States. The zoonotic bacterial disease is often spread through tick and deer fly bites. Fox News reports: Caused by the bacteria Francisella tularensis, the disease commonly infects rabbits, hares and rodents. However, it is zoonotic, which means it can spread from animals to humans. The bacteria is a “tier-1 select agent,” a classification given to agents and toxins that “present the greatest risk of deliberate misuse with significant potential for mass casualties or devastating effects to the economy, critical infrastructure or public confidence, and pose a severe threat to public health and safety,” per the CDC.