As May unfolds across continents, world capitals are bracing for realignments. From Gulf mega deals to EU election surprises, the tone of diplomacy is bold — and in places, abrupt. Trump flexes muscle in the Middle East while Macron gambles at home. In Turkey, the PKK’s sudden disbandment could signal a historic peace for Kurds. Meanwhile, Gaza’s devastation deepens, Nigeria surprises with economic revival, and viral misinformation targets France’s president.

In Venice, La Biennale di Venezia continues to mirror this global turbulence — beauty and resistance on canvas.

Today's Stories

Nigeria

Nigeria sees highest economic growth in a decade

Palestine and Israel

Israel razes corridor of destruction in central Gaza

Turkey

PKK to disband in landmark Kurdish peace initiative

News Briefing

Trump’s Gulf megadeals spark questions in Arab capitals

🌼 Flower of the Week

Cornflower (Centaurea cyanus)

Blooming across central Europe and the UK in May, the cornflower symbolises hope and remembrance. Once a weed of wheatfields, it’s now a protected wildflower in France and Germany.

🐦 Bird of the Week

Nightingale (Luscinia megarhynchos)

This reclusive songbird is arriving from Africa. Best heard at dusk, its powerful, melodic call echoes through southern woodlands — though habitat loss has made it harder to find.

📰 Nigeria sees highest economic growth in a decade – World Bank

Nigeria’s economy grew by 4.9% in Q1 2025, marking its highest quarterly growth rate in 10 years, according to the World Bank. The recovery is driven by investment in renewable energy, fintech, and strong performance in agriculture, which is flowing through Africa.

Despite security concerns and inflationary pressures, investor confidence appears to be rising, and analysts now expect full-year growth to surpass 4%. The naira has stabilised, and foreign direct investment is increasing.

However, challenges remain: fuel subsidy reform, youth unemployment, and regional instability continue to weigh on long-term prospects.

Media comparison – Nigeria sees highest economic growth in a decade

DW: Celebrates growth but warns of persistent inequality.
Bloomberg: Highlights renewables and tech as growth drivers.
The Guardian Nigeria: Points to disconnect between macro gains and everyday hardship.

Political Reactions + Tweets

@NGRPresident: “Nigeria is back. Growth, investment, and jobs are rising.”
@WorldBankAfrica: “4.9% growth — highest in a decade. The work continues.”
@SaharaReporters: “How much of this growth do ordinary Nigerians feel?”

📰 Israel razes corridor of destruction in central Gaza

Israel razes corridor of destruction as European observers are left gobsmacked after witnessing verified images showing that Israeli bulldozers have razed a swathe of civilian homes in central Gaza.

Creating a 1km-long corridor cutting the territory in two. Dubbed the “Morag Corridor” after a former Israeli settlement, the zone now separates the northern and southern Gaza Strip.

Israelis call this corridor the corridor of hell, if anyone breaks the boundaries, they will be blown to hell!

The IDF says the area is being used to isolate Hamas fighters and prevent weapon transfers. Critics, including UN officials and European leaders, argue it amounts to collective punishment and creates further displacement in an already devastated region.

Labour MP and London Mayor Sadiq Khan reluctantly called this a genocide on LBC.

This military corridor marks a new phase in Gaza’s physical and political fragmentation, which are war crimes, but who will hold Israel to account?

Media comparison – Israel razes corridor of destruction in central Gaza

France 24: Emphasises humanitarian cost and displacement.
Times of Israel: Focuses on military rationale and “security needs.”
Al Jazeera: Calls it deliberate ethnic engineering.
WTX NEWS: Israeli state sponsored terrorism leads to ethnic cleansing

Political Reactions + Tweets

@UNRWA: “Thousands more displaced by new bulldozed corridor. Urgent aid needed.”
@IDF: “This zone ensures Hamas weapons won’t flow south.”
@MiddleEastEye: “Entire neighbourhoods erased in Israel’s new Gaza corridor.”

📰 PKK to disband in landmark Kurdish peace initiative

In an unprecedented move, the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) has announced it will disband its armed operations and instead campaign for Kurdish rights through democratic and cultural means. The declaration was made from the PKK’s European wing, citing a generational shift and hope for political reform in Turkey

While Ankara has yet to officially respond, Kurdish communities across Turkey, Syria, and Europe are cautiously optimistic. Analysts warn that unless Turkey reciprocates with meaningful reforms, the disbandment could remain symbolic.

If sustained, this could end a decades-long conflict that has claimed over 40,000 lives.

Media comparison – PKK to disband in landmark Kurdish peace initiative

France 24: Frames it as “historic and hopeful.”
Al Monitor: Highlights cautious Kurdish optimism.
Reuters: Stresses lack of Turkish response and deep distrust.

Political Reactions + Tweets

@RojavaNetwork: “Hope is in action. Peace is possible.”
@euronews: “PKK shifts from armed struggle to democratic reform.”
@TRTWorld: “No comment yet from Turkish government on PKK announcement.”

Trump’s Gulf megadeals spark questions in Arab capitals, what is going on? US President Donald Trump is promoting a series of billion-dollar investment deals with Gulf states as evidence of his global economic clout. These include AI, defence tech, and infrastructure partnerships spanning Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar. But Arab diplomats and analysts are asking: what’s actually in it for the region.

Sources suggest the deals largely favour US firms and mirror Trump’s transactional view of diplomacy. Gulf leaders appear divided — some welcome the commercial boost, while others worry about alienating China and entrenching dependence on the US.

The crooks of the matter, this middle east deal is at the expense of Israel, who is being alienated by the pursuit of peace and diplomacy in the region. The question everyone is thinking, can we trust Trump?

Media comparison – Trump’s Gulf megadeals spark questions in Arab capitals

The Times: Casts doubt on benefits to the Arab world
Al Jazeera: Frames it as American opportunism with little strategic vision
The Guardian: Emphasises the overlap between Trump’s business interests and political positioning

Political Reactions + Tweets as Trump’s Gulf megadeals spark questions in Arab capitals

@realDonaldTrump: “Nobody makes deals like we do. Billions secured. America leads again!”
@AJEnglish: “Gulf officials question real value of Trump’s megadeals.”
@MiddleEastEye: “Are Gulf leaders buying influence or selling sovereignty?”

HIDDEN STORY

🕵️ No, Macron did not hide cocaine on a train to Ukraine

A viral video claiming French President Emmanuel Macron was “caught red-handed” hiding a cocaine bag on a train to Ukraine has been thoroughly debunked by France 24’s fact-checking team. The footage, which showed Macron holding a white pouch before tucking it into his coat, was deceptively edited. The object was a known brand of French facial tissue.

The clip gained traction on platforms like X and TikTok, fuelled by conspiracy influencers. AI analysis of the video confirmed digital tampering.

This story reflects the increasing use of manipulated media to undermine political figures — particularly during periods of tension like Macron’s current Green rebellion.

Key takeaway: In an age of digital warfare, viral misinformation can move faster than diplomacy.

✍️ Historical Quote of the Week

“History is a set of lies agreed upon.” — Napoleon Bonaparte

This week’s news shows how narratives — whether political, digital, or economic — can be engineered, exposed, or reimagined. The truth, as ever, lies between the lines.

🏛️ Global Institution Briefs

- NATO: Turkey requests joint monitoring of PKK disbandment

- IMF: Revises 2025 global growth forecast to 3.2%

- UNESCO: Adds Gaza’s Old Port to watchlist of threatened heritage sites

- WHO: Issues early warning for rising dengue clusters in Asia

- World Bank: Launches climate adaptation bond for Sahel nations

HIDDEN STORY

This weeks global cultural & business events provides a round up of the highlights key events taking place around the world. You don’t need a private jet to get around, some are virtual as well.

🌍 Global Cultural & Business Events This Week

🇮🇹 La Biennale di Venezia – Venice
🇺🇸 G7 Finance Ministers Summit – New York
🇺🇳 UN Digital Inclusion Forum – Geneva
🇩🇪 Berlin Design Week – Berlin
🇺🇸 SXSW EDU Europe – London

🏛️ Political events to keep your eyes on

NATO: Turkey requests joint monitoring of PKK disbandment
IMF: Revises 2025 global growth forecast to 3.2%
UNESCO: Adds Gaza’s Old Port to watchlist of threatened heritage sites
WHO: Issues early warning for rising dengue clusters in Asia
World Bank: Launches climate adaptation bond for Sahel nations

FEATURED EVENT – International Summit – Tirana, Albania

Meeting of the European Political Community, 16 May 2025

The sixth meeting of the European Political Community will bring together leaders from across the continent in Tirana, Albania under the theme ‘New Europe in a new world: unity – cooperation – joint action’.

The EU will be represented by the President of the European Council, António Costa, who will co-chair the meeting along with the Prime Minister of Albania, Edi Rama.

🖼️ Art/Culture Highlight – Kunsthaus Zurich: “Surveillance and the Self”

An exhibition tracing the history. A Future for the Past

The exhibition focuses on various – also contradictory – perspectives on the historical context in which the arms manufacturer and patron Emil G. Bührle built up his collection: it highlights the biographies of former owners of individual works, whose sale took place under questionable circumstances, and the question of how a differentiated approach to history can succeed in the immediate present.

The Bührle Collection: art, context, war and conflict.

Headlines

Events

Culture

ART

Buried stories

Streaming

A shifting world order, a spring in the wind

Today's Stories

Nigeria sees highest economic growth in a decade

Israel razes corridor of destruction in central Gaza

PKK to disband in landmark Kurdish peace initiative

Trump’s Gulf megadeals spark questions in Arab capitals

🌼 Flower of the Week

Cornflower (Centaurea cyanus)

🐦 Bird of the Week

Nightingale (Luscinia megarhynchos)

📰 Nigeria sees highest economic growth in a decade – World Bank

📰 Israel razes corridor of destruction in central Gaza

Media comparison – Israel razes corridor of destruction in central Gaza

📰 PKK to disband in landmark Kurdish peace initiative

Media comparison – PKK to disband in landmark Kurdish peace initiative

Media comparison – Trump’s Gulf megadeals spark questions in Arab capitals

🕵️ No, Macron did not hide cocaine on a train to Ukraine

✍️ Historical Quote of the Week

🏛️ Global Institution Briefs

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