About that  Ukraine-Russia War , and the meeting in Saudi Arabia about a ceasefire: Ukraine welcomes this proposal. We see it as a positive step, and we are ready to take it," Zelenskyy said. "The United States must now persuade Russia to do the same. If Russia agrees, silence will take effect immediately." So what's happening in the  Gaza Strip  these days? Israel has for 11 days now blockaded the region with no food, fuel or medicine allowed to cross into the territory. Deadly Israeli attacks continue. There is a new round of negotiations in Qatar. Latest info has 61,700 dead Palestinians. What about Trump's plans to convert the Strip into a tourist resort?  No one in the Middle East likes it. Six days ago on March 4, only a few days after the end of the first phase ceasefire, a  Palestine Summit  was held. Involved Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, rejecting Trump's plan, but demanded an end to all forms of violence and a r...

But first, an assessment by the  New York Times  this morning of what just happened in Germany: Germany’s next chancellor is likely to be Friedrich Merz, a former corporate lawyer who has promised to crack down on migration, cut taxes and regulation and adopt a hawkish policy toward Russia. Merz leads a center-right alliance  (the Christian Democratic Union of Germany, or CDU)  that finished first in yesterday’s election, with 29 percent of the vote. A far-right party, Alternative for Germany ( the party that Elon Musk supported) , that promises even tougher immigration policies — but is friendly toward Russia — finished second, with 21 percent of the vote.   The center-left Social Democrats, who led the government for the past four years, tumbled to third place, with 16 percent of the vote. It was their worst showing in a national election since at least 1890. The percentage of the current population born in another country is now 20%, which was only 12.5%...