After a public consultation with more than 4.6 million responses, the European Commission will propose that member states scrap twice-yearly time changes.

Ponte Vecchio was the only bridge across the Arno in Florence until 1218. The current bridge was rebuilt after a flood in 1345 and has miraculously survived all wars and floods since.

Supreme Court has ruled that the colonial-era law does not criminalise homosexuality. A big day for gay people in India.

“In his foreword to the document, the Chief Rabbi writes that ignoring queer issues in the Jewish community is a slight to God and your children, before challenging the infamous Torah passage used to justify homophobia,” Pink News reports.

Sweden’s general election ended with a hung parliament. The former government now has the support of about third of the electorate, but being leaders of the Social Democratic Party, they will do everything to stay in power. That’s their only true ideology—remaining in power no matter what. Their move now is to split the centre-right Alliance to make one or two of the four parties surrender to socialist rule. Time will tell if they succeed.

Table shows the result of Sweden’s general election on 9 September 2018.

Moderate Party	19.8%
Liberal Party	5.5%
Centre Party	8.6%
Christian Democrats	6.4%
Social Democrats	28.4%
Left Party	7.9%
Green Party	4.3%
Sweden Democrats	17.6%

While the drama is unfolding in Sweden, I have spent the past week here in Spain buying furniture for our new apartment. I love Gran Canaria and the relaxed climate here. I don’t regret buying our second home here, although it’s been a lot of work getting everything done in a week. But the next trip here, which is in late December, I can truly enjoy being in the sun.

The claim comes from Linda Harvey, a disturbed, yet involuntarily hilarious, columnist for the far-right website World Net Daily and the host of a fringe evangelical radio show.

“Everybody shared the view that while there are positive elements in the Chequers proposal, the suggested framework for economic cooperation will not work, not least because it risks undermining the single market,” the President of the European Council, Donald Tusk, says.

Rarely have I been this glad it’s Friday evening. I’m exhausted.

שבת שלום

From Michael Lewis’s Guardian article:

Christie had made sure that Trump knew the protocol for his discussions with foreign leaders. The transition team had prepared a document to let him know how these were meant to go. The first few calls were easy—the very first was always with the prime minister of Great Britain—but two dozen calls in you were talking to some kleptocrat and tiptoeing around sensitive security issues. Before any of the calls could be made, however, the president of Egypt called in to the switchboard at Trump Tower and somehow got the operator to put him straight through to Trump. “Trump was like … I love the Bangles! You know that song ‘Walk Like an Egyptian’?” recalled one of his advisers on the scene.

I’ve got a feeling.

It saddens me to see this prestigious institution becoming nothing more than a bastion of male chauvinism. But it’s not too late to do something about it.

The new album with Abba covers is a lot better than I had anticipated. At 72, she’s still got it.

When you thought the man in the White House couldn’t get weirder. I mean… Wow!