An expert says the whale found off Norway’s Arctic coast wearing a special harness was probably trained by the Russian navy, BBC News reports.

Or it could be the beginning of a whale uprising?

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The number of Swedes flocking to Norway for work has fallen with an estimated 60 per cent, The Local reports.

“Thailand’s King Maha Vajiralongkorn has married the deputy head of his personal security detail in a surprise wedding and given her the title Queen Suthida,” Hannah Ellis-Petersen of the Guardian reports.

Azusa and Kenji Aoshima’s child was the first born on the first day of the Reiwa era, the Japan News reports.

The news coming out of Venezuela is heartbreaking. Socialism doesn’t work and always ends in totalitarianism. We’ve seen this again and again.

Preacher Steven Anderson, who has been banned from the Netherlands for his views on homosexuality and the Holocaust, says that the Netherlands is becoming new Sodom and Gomorrah, Dutch News reports.

Leo Benedictus writes in the Guardian about shocking books.

I wouldn’t want to be without Bret Easton Ellis’s 1991 classic. I enjoyed it too much.

Charlotte Alter of Time writes about Buttigieg’s serious bid for the presidency.

Today, the Swedish krona is listed at its lowest level against the euro since the financial crisis (€1≈10.6). Had Sweden voted in favour euro introduction in 2003, we wouldn’t be in this mess. #NoSEK

“Paper says risk between male partners is zero if virus fully suppressed by antiretrovirals,” Sarah Boseley and Hannah Devlin of the Guardian report.

I can now travel to Gran Canaria tomorrow as planned. Great news!

“Uniformed members of Ireland’s police force, An Garda Síochána, will march in this year’s Dublin pride parade for the first time ever,” Patrick Kelleher of Pink News reports.

The Guardian writes:

The final English councils have declared their results and the results are worse for the Conservatives than even the most pessimistic predictions. The party lost 1,351 seats; a net loss of 1,269.

But Labour did not profit hugely from their rivals’ disastrous day, losing 307 of their own seats; a net loss of 63. The Lib Dems, the Greens and independent candidates were the big winners, seeing net gains of 676, 185 and 242 seats, respectively.

Some people are upset about social networks barring extremists and haters. What these critics don’t seem to realise is that these are privately owned companies entitled to do what they want with their platforms.

Hungary’s prime minister Viktor Orban wants the centre-right to be more open to forging a coalition with the far right, Eszter Zalan of EU Observer reports.

God help us!

The portion of Americans aged 18 to 29 who claim to have had no sex the past year has more than doubled in a decade, The Economist reports.

“Militants in the Gaza Strip have fired more than 150 rockets into Israel,” BBC News reports.

Construction of a third terminal has started, The Local reports. When completed in 2023, it will establish Frankfurt above Heathrow as the biggest air hub in Europe.

“The deeper problem is the overwhelming concentration of technical, financial and moral power in the hands of people who lack the training, experience, wisdom, trustworthiness, humility and incentives to exercise that power responsibly,” Bret Stephens writes in the New York Times.

Thailand has today crowned its new king.

Since the terror attacks in America on 11 September 2001, Islamists have carried out 31,221 attacks and killed at least 146,811 people, Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten reports.

According to a new report published by the US Geological Survey, Hawaii’s coral reefs are worth more than $835 million.

The Turkish government frequently bombs civilian Kurds, but now they have de audacity to condemn Israel when it defends itself from Gaza’s rocket attacks.

Ben Shapiro of the Jerusalem Post writes:

The social media giant deleted the personal, professional and fan accounts of some leading extremists and conspiracy theorists, like David Duke, Louis Farrakhan and Alex Jones, on Thursday. But in a letter from April 9, Joel Kaplan, Facebook’s vice president of global public policy, said the site would still allow users to “say things on Facebook that are wrong or inaccurate, even when they are offensive.”

Ben Dolnick makes the case in the New York Times.

“A new study finds that dehydrated mosquitoes are more aggressive,” Rachel Nuwer of Scientific American writes.

So, blood sucking is not only for protein needed to make eggs. We’re basically walking water tanks.

The Oxford lexicographers must have had fun when they wrote that pig could be defined as “a greedy, dirty, or unpleasant person” and “a police officer”.

Peter Walker of the Guardian writes about two senior members of the party posting Islamophobic and anti-Semitic comments online. Is anyone surprised?

Thirteen people were killed and at least five were injured when an Aeroflot aeroplane made an emergency landing in Moscow, the Moscow Times reports.

I’m frequently asked why I write this blog, and the short answer is that it helps me digest daily life and current affairs. It’s how I record noteworthy information. Opinions are often perishable and always mine alone, and they should never be taken too seriously.

“The report paints a picture of a planet in which the human footprint is so large it leaves little space for anything else,” Jonathan Watts of the Guardian writes.

“The vast majority, by self-admission, are not well-versed in religious knowledge,” Abdullah bin Khaled Al-Saud of ICSR writes in his summary of a report on Saudis who joined the Islamic State.

This is a well-documented phenomenon. Many radicalised Muslims come from secular families and have little or no knowledge of Islam. Contrary to common belief, people who are brought up with religion are less likely to become extremists, which is why the idea of shutting down religious schools in secular societies is a mistake.

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“Whether you’re religious or not, believing in oneness—the idea that all people and parts of the world and universe are connected in some way—leads to greater life satisfaction,” Study Finds reports.

“The CIA has warned Norway that a prominent Arab activist who is living in the country under asylum protection is facing a potential threat from Saudi Arabia,” Stephanie Kirchgaessner and Nick Hopkins of the Guardian report.

After 15 July, people in Britain trying to access pornography will be required to prove their age. Makes me think of No Sex Please, We’re British.

Lisa O’Carroll of the Guardian writes:

Irish people have more rights than other EU citizens in Britain because of the historical ties between the two countries, such as the right to vote and the right to stand for public office, including Westminster. These rights are reciprocated for British people settled in Ireland.

“Sweden’s national rail company SJ is planning to improve options for international rail travel by adjusting its timetable to fit with cross-border departures,” The Local reports.

I believe it when I see it.

“A leader of the Islamic Jihad said in a televised interview that he expects a war with Israel to break out by next summer.” Rossella Tercatin of Jerusalem Post reports.

Trump appears to have lost more money than nearly any other American taxpayer, the New York Times finds when it compares his results with detailed information from the taxation authority. Oops!

“Police in Chechnya have carried out a new round of unlawful detentions, beatings, and humiliation of men they presume to be gay or bisexual,” Human Rights Watch reports.

Naaman Zhou of the Guardian reports that 46 million of Australia’s new 50-dollar banknotes have been printed with a typo. Oops!

Andrew Rettman of EU Observer reports that Czech and Polish eurosceptics praise EU values and attack nationalism. Eh, what?

Germany’s top intelligence agency has written what is being called its most comprehensive analysis of rising anti-Semitism by Islamist extremists, Toby Axelrod of Jerusalem Post reports.

The Swedish krona is today listed at its lowest level against the euro ever (€1≈10.8). #NoSEK

“Conservative officials fear the party could come sixth in the European elections, with their support plummeting to single digits,” Rowena Mason and Rajeev Syal of the Guardian report.

The Economist writes about how Tallinn in 2013 became the world’s first capital city to offer residents free public transport. It’s not for every city, but I sometimes wonder how much money is spent on administration.

Doctors in the America have announced plans for a radical gene therapy that aims to drastically reduce the risk of heart attack with a one-off injection, Ian Sample of the Guardian reports.

“The private jet ownership is despite his efforts to campaign against climate change in his songs,” Marc Morano of Climate Depot reports.

Not the most reliable source, but still…

“HIV-preventing PrEP drugs will be made available for free to 200,000 people in the US,” Nick Duffy of Pink News reports.

Great news! It’s absurd that people still get HIV when there is a drug preventing it.

Trump says he’s a business man, yet he doesn’t grasp that the most basic thing in free trade is that all parties benefit from it. That’s the reason people trade with each other.

Read more about at The Economist.

I took pictures of the Pride Parade with an iPhone from my balcony on the fifth floor, so they are not great.

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“Swedish prosecutors are to reopen an investigation into a rape allegation against Julian Assange,” Caroline Davies of the Guardian reports.

Richard Orange writes about his fondness for the southernmost Swedish dialect of Skånska in The Local. Often looked down upon by most Swedes, it’s distinct in its unique blend of modern Swedish and old Danish.

Bangladeshi police say the two activists were murdered by local extremists who brutally hacked them to death in an apartment in 2016, Patrick Kelleher of Pink News reports.

“Sending Wall Street into a slide, China announced higher tariffs Monday on $60 billion worth of American goods in retaliation for President Donald Trump’s latest penalties on Chinese products,” the Associated Press reports.

The Local has made a list:

1. Don’t question the alcohol monopoly
2. Don’t leave fluff in the laundry room
3. Don’t hog the butter knife
4. Don’t drink until you’ve made eye contact with everyone
5. Don’t jump the queue
6. Don’t stay sober at Midsummer
7. Don’t have coffee at your desk during fika
8. Don’t go on holiday in September
9. Don’t decline to take out parental leave
10. Don’t eat the last biscuit at a dinner party

Right-wing populists are ridiculing the Swedish 16-year-old climate activist as “mentally challenged” and a fraud, Kate Connolly of the Guardian reports.

Well, being hated by them is an honour.

The call comes from Shahd Abusalama, an activist from the racist BDS movement, which aims to deprive Jews of their homeland. But Madonna knows better than listening to anti-Semites.

More middle-aged white men are dying of drugs, alcohol, and suicide, The Economist reports. Sadly, I’m not surprised. In Sweden, men make up more than 70% of suicide cases.

Read about the Merkel interview at the Guardian. The chancellor of Germany will be greatly missed by me when she leaves.

With the semi-final done tonight, it’s now all in for a Saturday win in Tel Aviv.

Top military leader delivers message at Baghdad meeting as tensions rise, Martin Chulov of the Guardian reports.

He’s the the fifth prominent person in radical Islamist environments in Sweden to be detained recently, Daniel Olsson and Magnus Sandelin of Expressen report.

“Muslim girls under the age of 14 will no longer be able to wear Islamic headscarves to school in Austria,” Jerusalem Post reports.

This is absurd. Reminds me of North Korea’s state-approved haircuts.

Brexit talks between the government and the Labour party have collapsed, the Guardian reports.

Stefan Gerlach writes in EU Observer that he can’t help feeling that the race to succeed Mario Draghi as president of the European Central Bank has taken on the flavour of the upcoming final round of the Eurovision Song Contest.

In a secret recording from 2017, Austrian Vice Chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache of the far-right FPÖ is heard discussing a deal with a purported Russian millionaire to trade state contracts for campaign support, Der Spiegel reports.

From The Economist:

Universal music education, a culture of egalitarian consumerism (think H&M and IKEA) and the ability to enunciate English lyrics more clearly than any native speaker help to explain why this small nation is the world’s third largest music exporter, after Britain and America.

“The disturbing trend has been promoted by Swiss app Castl, which launched its bizarre Cow Kiss Challenge to raise money for charity,” Debbie White of the Sun reports.

Yuck!

“The rally will see leaders of 12 far-right parties marching towards their hoped-for conquest of Brussels after next week’s European parliamentary elections,” The Local reports.

By Eponine Howarth from London School of Economics and Political Science:

“To conclude, the claim ‘the EU is run by unelected bureaucrats’ exhibits a deep misunderstanding of decision-making and executive politics in the European Union, a misunderstanding of the role of the Commission and a misunderstanding of the EU’s accountability mechanisms.”

“Europe’s Greens are on course for their strongest showing to date in next week’s European elections,” Jon Henley and Philip Oltermann of the Guardian report.

Kristina Winberg has been an MEP for the far-right party since 2014. She’s become known as a fan of Putin and Orbán. Now even the extremists have had enough of her extremism.

British MP Tom Tugendhat is right. It’s strange how many of the nationalist movements seem to be more in favour of Russia than their own country.

“Theresa May has offered MPs votes on a second referendum and a temporary customs union in her last attempt to get a Brexit deal through parliament,” Peter Walker and Rowena Mason of the Guardian report. “However, the immediate reaction to May’s proposals from MPs was overwhelmingly negative, with even previously loyal Conservatives coming out against it.”

“Theresa May’s final attempt to patch together a parliamentary majority for Brexit appears to have backfired after her 10-point ‘new deal’ was rejected by MPs from across the political spectrum,” Heather Stewart, Rowena Mason, and Peter Walker of the Guardian report.

“Police in Dallas said they are investigating whether the shooting deaths of two transgender women and the stabbing of a third are connected,” Janelle Griffith of NBC News reports.

“The government is facing calls to launch an urgent investigation into the treatment of EU citizens in the European elections after many people reported being denied their democratic right to vote,” Lisa O’Carroll of the Guardian reports.

Is there anything Britain can do right these days?

Andreas Kluth of Handelsblatt writes:

To survive, the euro zone needs at a minimum: the ability to tax and spend; automatic stabilizers such as common unemployment benefits; and joint deposit insurance. You may not like these things. But then you must be honest and admit that you don’t want the euro.

I’m watching the announcement from the British prime minster, and can see an emotional May talking to the press.

“A recent study that tested both men and dogs added to concerns that chemicals in the environment are damaging the quality and quantity of sperm,” Teresa Carr of the Guardian writes.

“The High Court on Friday declined to decriminalise sections of the Penal Code that make it illegal to have consensual same sex in Kenya,” Sam Kiplagat of Daily Nation reports.

It’s shameful.

“Like Pol Pot or Josef Stalin, Orbán dreams of liquidating the intelligentsia, draining the public of education, and molding a more pliant nation,” Franklin Foer of The Atlantic writes.

Rank	Currency	Daily trades – bought or sold
1	American Dollar	87.6%
2	European Euro	31.4%
3	Japanese Yen	21.6%
4	British Pound	12.8%
5	Australian Dollar	6.9%
6	Canadian Dollar	5.1%
7	Swiss Franc	4.8%
8	Chinese Yuan	4.0%
9	Swedish Krona	2.2%
10	New Zealand Dollar	2.1%

The Guardian has an essay on life after a terror attack. The terrorists lost.

A campaign to stop Boris Johnson becoming Britain’s next prime minister and taking the country into a no-deal Brexit has been launched by moderate ministers, Michael Savage, Jamie Doward, and Toby Helm of the Guardian report.

Today, EU citizens in the 28 states elect new members of European Parliament (MEP). The first exit polls are expected in about two hours.

According to the exit poll from BFM, the far-right National Rally gets about 24%.

The racist and homophobic Danish People’s Party seems to lose three of its four MEPs.

Source: Sveriges Television

Moderate Party	17.6%
Liberal Party	4.4%
Centre Party	10.3%
Christian Democrats	7.5%
Social Democrats	25.1%
Left Party	6.4%
Green Party	9.5%
Sweden Democrats	16.9%
Feminist Initiative	0.8%

The win comes after the regime restricted opposition parties from media appearance. Voter simply weren’t allowed to hear anything but the ruling party. With that in mind, it’s astounding that the opposition managed to get >40%.

Source: The Swedish Election Authority

Moderate Party	16.7%
Liberal Party	4.1%
Centre Party	10.7%
Christian Democrats	8.6%
Social Democrats	23.7%
Left Party	6.8%
Green Party	9.5%
Sweden Democrats	15.6%
Feminist Initiative	0.8%

Exit polls suggest his party, the League, gets <30%.

“Mainstream European Union parties are holding their ground against the assault from populists in elections for the bloc’s Parliament,” Ian Wishart and Jonathan Stearns of Bloomberg report.

“Marine Le Pen’s party may have topped the European elections in France, but it doesn’t mean the far-right leader is on her way to the Elysée palace,” John Lichfield writes in his analysis for The Local.

“It was a disappointing night for Geert Wilders’s anti-European and anti-immigration party PVV whose support plunged from four seats in 2015 to zero this year,” Dutch News reports.

Source: The Daily Telegraph

Party	Seats	Change	Share
Brexit Party	47	+47	30.2%
Labour Party	22	−12	18.2%
Liberal Democrats	18	+17	13.3%
Conservative party	11	−21	12.9%
Green Party	10	+5	10.2%
UKIP	3	−37	4.7%
Scottish National Party	2	0	1.4%
Others	2	0	2.8%
Change UK	1	+1	3.8%
Sinn Féin	1	+1	0.6%

Right-wing populist parties didn’t get as many new seats in the European Parliament as they sought, which might be due to the fact that voter turnout was up, Eszter Zalan of EU Observer reports.

“Two new pan-European movements managed to be elected to the European Parliament,” Peter Teffer of EU Observer reports.

Could it be the beginning of something new?

Greece’s neo-Nazi party Golden Dawn lost close to 60 per cent of its electoral base in yesterday’s European elections, Tasos Kokkinidis of Greek Reporter reports.

“According to the most recent stolen artworks bulletin issued by the Carabinieri, in the last year alone, 8,405 items of archaeological interest have gone missing in Italy,” Lorenzo Tondo of the Guardian writes.

“Boris Johnson has been summoned to court to face accusations of misconduct in public office over comments made in the run-up to the EU referendum,” Ben Quinn of the Guardian reports.

Drama!

Staffanstorp’s municipal council has voted in favour of a ban on headscarf for school girls, Anton Hansson of SVT reports.

This ought to be an obvious violation of civil liberties.

“New study confirms natural cycles play little role in global temperature trends and tackles discrepancies in previous models,” Dana Nuccitelli of the Guardian writes.

Past supernovae potentially triggered wildfires on Earth, which gave people walking upright an evolutionary advantage, Ian Sample of the Guardian reports.

“President Trump tweeted on Thursday that Russia helped ‘me to get elected’, and then quickly retracted the idea,” Eileen Sullivan of the New York Times reports.

Putin’s puppet tweets.

A simple “hello” goes a long way, Melissa Rayworth of the Associated Press suggests.

A new British poll suggests the Liberal Democrats have surged into first place ahead of the Conservatives, Labour, and the Brexit Party, Oliver Wright and Henry Zeffman of The Times reports.

Source: YouGov

Party	Share
Liberal Democrats	24%
Brexit Party	22%
Conservative party	19%
Labour Party	19%
Green Party	8%

It there anything more annoying and stressful than a slow Internet connection?