Since we've broached the topic of global thermonuclear war (at least of the MP3 player variety), what say we check it with the other Apple-related stuff happening in diverse non-U.S. parts of the world? Believe it or not, between trade shows, retail store openings, and the iTunes Music Store's inexorable expansion, there's actually a fair bit with which to kill some airtime while we wait for the serious drama to kick in. So make sure your safety belts are fastened low and tight across your lap and stow your tray tables in their full and upright position, because we're taking you on a whirlwind tour of every country on the planet!

We've already been in Singapore for the Creative guy's declaration of war, so now let's jet over to the UK, where they've got a trade show called MacExpo currently underway. You may not have heard of it unless you're a local, but as faithful viewer John Whitehead points out, MacExpo may be smaller than that January shindig in San Francisco, but it still probably makes Macworld Expo Boston look like a guy selling pretzels from a cart by comparison.

The real news, though, is the imminent launch of the UK's first Apple retail store, and according to the Apple press release, it's slated to open its doors this Saturday, so we hope the Londoners out there are already in line. And while we already knew about the second UK store planned in Birmingham, faithful viewer gbois tipped us off to a BBC report confirming that Apple's also got a store in Kent coming next year-- and "plans to open stores in continental Europe in 2005." If we had to bet, our money would be on a Paris store opening next summer during or around Apple Expo, but that's just a guess.

(By the way, the Beeb also notes that the Apple Store Regent Street won't have enough iPods to go around. Seriously, guys, queue up now.)

From the UK we wing our way to Canada-- where the iTunes Music Store still isn't open yet, so we keep right on flying to Japan. Granted, there isn't an iTMS there yet either, and at least Canada has an announcement to cling to, but CNET is now reporting that the iTMS Japan is slated for a launch "by March 2005" with an initial catalog of just 100,000 songs-- which would apparently still make it the "largest music download service in Japan." Of course, none of this info comes from Apple, nor has the company commented on the information, which originally appeared in the Nihon Keizai newspaper. So take it with a grain of salt, but feel free to engage in a little cautious optimism.

So let's see, here... Singapore, the UK, Canada, Japan... yup, that's all of 'em! We hope you enjoyed our whirlwind tour of every country on the planet; please remain seated with your seatbelts fastened until the show has come to a complete stop and the producers turn off the seat belt light. And no, you don't get any extra peanuts.