As the call with the Ukrainian president, this discussion shows Trump using high-level diplomacy to advance his personal political interests, Mark Mazzetti and Katie Benner of MSN News report.
One of my favourite Wagner sopranos has died. I’ll never forget her Kundry.
Leaked documents reveal that Britain proposes creating new customs checkpoints near the Irish border, called “inland customs clearance sites”. The idea is immediately rubbished by Ireland, Andrew Rettman of EU Observer reports.
It’s prosperity and technological advancements that will create the tools for coping with climate change, Adam Cwejman of Swedish newspaper Göteborgs-Posten writes.
He’s absolutely right.
“Johnson still has not grasped that shift in the balance of power,” Rafael Behr of the Guardian writes. “He is committed to the fiction that Britain stands equal in global stature to the EU, and wedded to an electoral strategy that treats cooperation as cowardice.”
“We need to have strong and respected EU institutions, but also strong and respected member states,” Mikuláš Dzurinda and Federico Ottavio Reho write at EU Observer.
Just read the story in the Daily Star. Gave me a laugh.
I’ve been to the Swedish premiere of Todd Phillips’s Joker tonight. I’m at a loss for words. I’d expected action, but found a man’s soul-searching.
“The French president has given Boris Johnson until the end of the week to fundamentally revise his Brexit plan, in a move that increases the chances of the negotiations imploding within days,” Daniel Boffey and Andrew Sparrow of the Guardian report.
The European Court of Justice has ruled that national courts in the EU can order Facebook to delete content worldwide, Andrew Rettman of EU Observer reports.
“It is the first time that the ongoing protests have provoked a reaction from one of the city’s army bases,” Holmes Chan of Hong Kong Free Press reports.
Communiqué from the Royal Court:
His Majesty The King has decided that the children of Their Royal Highnesses Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia, and the children of Her Royal Highness Princess Madeleine and Mr Christopher O’Neill will no longer be members of The Royal House.
Have a meaningful fast!
Now I’ll go offline for twenty-five hours.
“At least five civilians have been killed and dozens wounded in the first day of Turkish airstrikes and artillery shelling on towns and cities in northern Syria along the border with Turkey,” Hisham Arafat of Kurdistan 24 reports.
The Swedish Academy has announced the two Nobel prizewinner. Tokarczuk is a Polish author, and Handke is an Austrian. I haven’t read any of them.
“The legislation would ‘criminalise the promotion of underage sexual activity’ and would also see anti-abortion and anti-contraception ideology taught in Polish schools,” Elliot Douglas of Deutsche Welle reports.
It’s hardly surprising, considering that the country’s leader targets gay rights as threat to society.
שבת שלום
“MPs have inflicted a humiliating defeat on Boris Johnson by passing a backbench amendment withholding their support from his Brexit deal,” Heather Stewart and Kate Proctor of the Guardian report.
Ah, the drama!
Tamar Beeri of Jerusalem Post writes about the latest from the bizarre world of anti-Semitic conspiracy theories.
Emma Powys Maurice of Pink News reports some important news that’s being drowned in the Brexit mayhem.
“Hitler talked about it,” Professor Ghassib said, according to Tamar Beeri of the Jerusalem Post.
Norwegian police have arrested an armed man who went on the rampage in a stolen ambulance, running down pedestrians including a baby in a pram, The Local reports.
The police say they have found lubricants and condoms as evidence, the Guardian reports.
It’s so absurd, I’m at a loss of words.
Tomorrow, Catholic bishops at a special Vatican assembly will vote on whether to recommend Pope Francis to open the priesthood to married men, Catherine Marciano of AFP reports.
Could be interesting.
The Brits are up for a snap election. I feel sorry for them. Boris is a clown, but so is the Labour leadership. The Economist writes about the latter, and it’s a sad read.
“John Bolton will testify in Donald Trump’s impeachment inquiry next week as Democrats will look for the former national security adviser to burn the president in his deposition,” Emily Goodin of the Daily Mail writes.
The airline cuts homosexual content from the films shown on its flights, Teo Armus, of the Washington Post reports.
Please, it’s 2019!