Author: staff
After 30 years in the spotlight, he described his four-year “forced break” as “purgatory,” even somewhat “strange.” But just as Orbán is happy to see Szájer back, Szájer himself is in the mood to talk again, to reveal himself as a talking head on the future of Europe. With his new think tank he wants to adumbrate an “autonomous” concept of Europe, develop a complex index of sovereignty for EU countries, and draft a charter of the rights of nations. “The federalists can’t reserve the right to call themselves pro-European. At the moment, federalism is the only position of the…
On the campaign trail, Trump pledged mass deportations of illegal immigrants in the United States and said at the rally that would be one focus of the blizzard of presidential paperwork. US President-elect has said he will sign a string of executive orders on his first day as president to “set our country on the proper course.”Speaking to supporters at a ‘MAGA Victory Rally’ in Washington DC on the eve of his inauguration, Trump pledged to act with “historic speed” to fix what he sees as a raft of problems.On the campaign trail, Trump promised mass deportations of illegal immigrants…
Holzmann recalled that, back in the 1960s, the FPÖ was the first party to back Austrian membership of the European Economic Community, which evolved into the EU. In this respect, frequent comparisons to the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, which started out as a Euroskeptic party and turned into political home for right-wing extremists, may be misguided, Holzmann argued. However, the FPÖ used much the same rhetoric and ideas as the AfD in last year’s election, calling for the “remigration” of immigrants and the restriction of social benefits to Austrians citizens. It also campaigned on a platform of stopping “EU…
President-elect Donald Trump says he plans to issue an executive order that would give TikTok’s China-based parent company more time to find an approved buyer. Social media platform TikTok says it is beginning to restore access to its 170 million users in the United States after President-elect Donald Trump pledged to issue an executive order that would give the China-based parent company more time to find an approved buyer.The entertainment app went offline on Saturday in advance of a federal ban which was set to begin on Sunday.In a statement on Sunday, TikTok’s owners ByteDance said it was in the…
However local emergency services in some regions cancelled events, saying it was too hazardous for worshippers to cut bathing holes in icy ponds and rivers Orthodox Christians in Russia marked the feast day of Epiphany on Sunday with a traditional dip into icy water even as local emergencies issued weather warnings.Local media showed people bathing in Novosibirsk, Murmansk, and South Ossetia, as well as Russian soldiers purportedly in Ukraine’s Kherson region immersing themselves in water. However, unusually warm winter temperatures prompted local emergency services in some regions to cancel events, saying that the ice was simply too thin for worshippers…
The ICRC has handed over the three women to Israeli forces inside Gaza as the ceasefire passes its first hurdle. The release of the three Israeli women came just hours after the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas took hold.Qatar-based Al Jazeera, showed live video of them walking between vehicles as their convoy moved through Gaza City, surrounded by a huge crowd, with many people holding up phones and filming. The vehicles were accompanied by armed men who wore green Hamas headbands and struggled to guard the cars from an unruly crowd that swelled into the thousands.Meanwhile, in Tel Aviv, thousands…
The briefing memo underscores Trump’s reliance on the judiciary to advance his goals. Michaelis notes that the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decisions to expand presidential powers could enable Trump to bypass traditional checks and balances. However, the ambassador offers a glimmer of reassurance, stating that “even the biggest critics assume that [the Supreme Court] will prevent the worst from happening.” The document further raises concerns about Trump’s ability to exploit legal loopholes for political ends. These include potentially using the military domestically in cases of “insurrection” or “invasion,” an act that could test the boundaries of the 1878 Posse Comitatus…
Countries around the world are nervously waiting to see if — and how — Donald Trump follows through on his drastic tariff threats after he’s sworn in as U.S. president on Monday. If Trump does all he’s said he’ll do, he could saddle U.S. firms with an estimated $640 billion in import costs and drive up domestic inflation, as his promised 60 percent tariffs on goods from China, 25 percent on Canada and Mexico, and universal flat tariffs of up to 20 percent on other nations bite. Unlike in 2017, when many governments were blindsided by Trump’s aggressive trade actions, leaders in…
The California fires didn’t just destroy homes – the climate-driven disaster caught the fabric of community. At the start of last week, 76-year-old actress and producer Martha Hunter was looking forward to her latest play, a romantic comedy, opening at Theatre Palisades in Los Angeles. But tragedy struck on 7 January, as the first and most ferocious of several wildfires tore into the city. While driving away from the Palisades fire, she learned that her “theatre home” of 20 years had burned to the ground. The next day, Martha and her husband Craig, 78, heard their family home was destroyed too.The…
The Gaza cease-fire deal hangs in the balance as Hamas begins releasing the names of hostages it will free after Israel continued military attacks Sunday morning, saying the militant group wasn’t meeting its obligations under the agreement. The cease-fire was supposed to take effect at 8:30 a.m. local time Sunday, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israeli forces would continue their attacks until Hamas gave the names of hostages it planned to release. Hamas has now said the first three hostages it will release under the cease-fire agreement are Romi Gonen, Emily Damari, and Doron Steinbrecher, the BBC reported.…