Macron Rolls the Dice… Again: Appoints Centrist Ally François Bayrou as New French Prime Minister
French political veteran François Bayrou, a long time ally of President Macron has been named as the head of the new French government after the last collapsed in record time. French President Emmanuel Macron is unable to dispose of his three-way-split … Read More
Drone crashes into NJ homeowner’s backyard — as panic over mystery sightings grips state
A drone fell out of the sky and crashed into a New Jersey homeowner’s backyard Thursday night — prompting the town’s mayor to even drive to the scene to survey the site himself. The aircraft smashed down in a residential … Read More
UK, Italy and Japan team up for new fighter jet
Rishi Sunak has announced a collaboration between the UK, Italy and Japan to develop a new fighter jet that uses artificial intelligence. The prime minister says the joint venture aims to create thousands of UK jobs and strengthen security ties. … Read More
Weekly Update by Mark Armstrong – December 13, 2024
Greetings from Tyler, Everybody’s concerned about the drones. You mean our military command can’t figure it out? People who should know claim to be baffled. We can come up with explanations, but none quite satisfy. For now, unbelievably, the government … Read More
ECB cuts interest rates by 25 bps, as expected
Investing.com – The European Central Bank cut interest rates at its meeting on Thursday, as widely expected, and signaled the likelihood of further easing in 2025 as the eurozone’s economy is struggling and inflation is nearly back at target. The … Read More
Judge shot dead in his car outside courthouse in resort of Acapulco
A judge was shot dead Wednesday in Mexico’s once-thriving beach city of Acapulco, local media and the state prosecutor’s office said. Local press identified the slain judge as Edmundo Roman Pinzon, president of the Superior Court of Justice in Guerrero … Read More
Why the Assad regime collapsed in Syria – and why so fast
Syrian insurgents toppled President Bashar al-Assad’s on Sunday after a stunning, two-week offensive that saw major cities slip from the regime’s fingers one by one, until rebel forces captured the capital Damascus almost without a fight. More than 50 years of … Read More
Eastern German state elects new premier, excluding far-right AfD
Germany’s eastern state of Thuringia elected a new premier on Thursday, after months of delicate negotiations ensured the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) could be left out of government despite winning elections in September. Mario Voigt from the conservative Christian … Read More
House approves $895B defense bill with military pay raise, ban on transgender care for minors
A massive $895 billion defense spending bill cleared the House of Representatives on Wednesday with provisions that would ban transgender medical treatments for minors and raise military pay. The must-pass legislation to fund the military for the next fiscal year passed in … Read More
Austrian Parliament Lifts Far-right Leader’s Immunity
Austria’s parliament on Wednesday approved a request from the public prosecutor’s office to lift the immunity of Herbert Kickl, the leader of the far-right FPO party. Prosecutors want to question Kickl over alleged false testimony. The OeVP conservatives, SPOe social … Read More
US defense contributions ‘unfair,’ Europe needs to do more, incoming Lithuanian minister says
NEW YORK, Dec 11 (Reuters) – Lithuanian Defence Minister Dovile Sakaliene said on Wednesday that the large U.S. proportion of Western defense spending is unfair to Washington and that Europe needs to step up and bolster its defense industries to … Read More
AI chatbots pushed autistic teen to cut himself, brought up kids killing parents: lawsuit
AI chatbots pushed a Texas teen to start cutting himself and even brought up kids killing their parents because they were limiting his screen time, a shocking new lawsuit claims. The 15-year-old boy became addicted to the Character.AI app, with … Read More
EU countries approve new 4.2 bln euros payment for Ukraine
BRUSSELS, Dec 9 (Reuters) – Ukraine will soon get another 4.2 billion euros ($4.4 billion) in funds after the European Union’s member states approved the planned payment of the money, said the EU Council on Monday. The money, which forms … Read More
Israeli warplanes pound Syria as troops reportedly advance deeper into the country
DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Israel carried out a wave of heavy airstrikes across Syria as its troops advanced deeper into the country, a Syrian opposition war monitor said Tuesday, and the Israeli defense minister announced that his forces had destroyed … Read More
Brazilian President Lula stable after emergency brain surgery
Dec. 10 (UPI) — Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was listed in stable condition while in intensive care on Tuesday after undergoing emergency brain surgery to address bleeding, physicians said. Lula, 79, was first taken to a hospital … Read More