Starting New Again

Hi Global Recap readers,

Long-time readers will remember: Global Recap started as a quick rundown of key stories, followed by a deeper dive into one big topic.

• Over time, thanks to your feedback and lots of polls, I shifted toward longer, more in-depth pieces. But with thousands of new readers now on board, it feels like the right time to check in again.

• So today, we’re trying out a format that’s both new and a bit of a throwback. Give it a read—and don’t forget to vote in the poll at the end. I want to keep shaping this around you.

Thanks, as always, for reading—and for helping shape this newsletter into what it is.

🌐 WORLD
Fast Scroll News

🇪🇺 EU Looks to Bypass Hungary. Some EU members want Ukraine’s accession talks to move ahead—with or without Hungary. Several states have asked the European Commission to find “legal workarounds” to bypass Budapest’s veto, which Hungary defends by citing concerns over its ethnic minority in Ukraine. Hungarian PM Orbán briefly backed off in December but is blocking progress again, using “national consultations” to stall. One option: break talks into clusters so negotiations can keep moving even if one country objects.

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🇵🇰 Pakistan Expels Indian Diplomat. Pakistan has ordered an Indian High Commission staffer to leave within 24 hours, citing “activities incompatible with his privileged status.” India fired back by expelling a Pakistani official in New Delhi over alleged espionage. The tit-for-tat move follows New Delhi’s Operation Sindoor, which targeted terror camps in Pakistan after the deadly Pahalgam attack on April 22. A ceasefire agreement between the two nations barely lasted a day before gunfire and shelling erupted again.

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🇮🇱 Israel Strikes Hamas Leader. Israeli jets bombed Khan Younis, targeting Muhammad Sinwar, a top Hamas commander. The name sounds familiar, right? He’s the younger brother of Yahya Sinwar, the notorious Hamas leader killed last year. The strike hit a Hamas command center beneath the European Hospital, killing at least six and injuring 40, according to Gaza’s health ministry. Israel hopes his death could push Hamas toward a ceasefire, but past assassinations haven’t changed the group’s stance. His fate is still unclear.

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🇫🇷 New Russian Sanctions Soon. French President Macron says the EU will hit Moscow with new sanctions “in the coming days,” targeting financial services and oil sales—especially secondary sellers—in coordination with the US. In a three-hour prime-time interview, he also floated sharing France’s nuclear umbrella, but only on French terms. Europe, he warned, must be ready if the US steps back from its commitments.

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🇪🇺 Europe
Cocaine Conspiracy Meme

👃 Have you heard of this claim going around? It says Macron, Merz, and Starmer were caught with cocaine on a train to Kyiv.

It all allegedly started as a conspiracy theory on pro-Russian social media, then Kremlin-linked accounts picked it up and ran with it. Honestly, it’s not surprising—Russia’s been pushing the same line about Zelenskyy for a while now, trying to spin every clip of him touching his nose as “proof” he’s a cokehead.

The two differing views are:

• Macron’s hiding a bag of coke, Merz is also hiding a coke spoon.

• They’re probably just stashing something harmless for the cameras, but the awkward body language and expression just make it seem more sus than it is.

✍️ But that’s not even why I’m writing this. I recently came across a video online that looked and sounded completely legit. It honestly freaked me out for a second—AI has gotten scarily good.

But once I realized it was fake, I couldn’t help but laugh. It’s creepy, sure, but also kind of hilarious.

🇺🇸 UNITED STATES
Trump’s Big Saudi
Investment Deal

Trump kicked off his Gulf visit with a surprise announcement:

• lifting all US sanctions on Syria, and

• securing a $600 billion Saudi investment package.

Syria Shift

This marks a huge policy reversal. Since 1979, the US has labeled Syria a state “sponsor of terrorism,” piling on sanctions in 2004 and again after civil war erupted in 2011.

• Rebels toppled President Bashar al-Assad last December, paving the way for new leadership under Ahmed al-Sharaa.

• Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani called Trump’s announcement a “new start.”

• Trump made the decision at the request of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Trump joked, “Oh, what I do for the crown prince,” as the crowd laughed.

The $600 Billion Deal

Trump didn’t leave Riyadh empty-handed—Saudi Arabia agreed to a $600 billion investment package with the US.

• This comprehensive agreement spans multiple sectors, including defense, AI, energy, infrastructure, and aviation.

• Part of the package is a $142 billion defense deal. It includes major weapons systems, but details on F-35 jets remain unclear. This is touted as the biggest Washington’s ever made.

• Bin Salman hinted that total Saudi investments could hit $1 trillion in the coming months.

US-Saudi Relations

Trump’s warm relationship with the Saudis contrasts sharply with past tensions.

• Relations soured after the 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

• US intelligence linked bin Salman to the killing, but Saudi officials denied involvement.

• But this time around, Trump praised bin Salman as an “incredible man” and avoided mentioning Khashoggi entirely.

No Visit to Israel

Another key detail about Trump’s Middle East trip: he is skipping Israel.

• He’s pressing Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu to accept a Gaza ceasefire deal, but Netanyahu is adamant about completely eliminating Hamas first.

📊 POLL
So, What Do You Think?

As you can see, each format has its pros and cons.

• With this newer style, I can prioritize what deserves a deep dive. That lets me create a clearer news hierarchy—so you’re not stuck wading through details that don’t need to be there. It saves you time and mental energy, and it gives me room to serve more stories and memes. (Fun fact: Squeezing a story into one tight, info-packed paragraph actually takes much more time to write. But hey, that’s my problem. 🫠)

• The usual format, on the other hand, gives you more context upfront, so there’s less need to click around for extra info. That said, it does make the newsletter longer. Many of you preferred that in the last poll, but with so many new readers now, it might not be everyone’s thing anymore.