Month: May 2023

Finance and Green Expropriation

Jamie Dimon, the CEO of J.P. Morgan Chase, the U.S.’s largest bank, has suggested that in order to allow Green Energy to develop properly, the government may need to seize private property.

Meloni and Pope Francis Agree Birth Rate Must Grow

For Meloni, the problem is not only financial but ideological. This observation is shared by Pope Francis, who also denounced “a culture that is unfriendly, if not an enemy, of the family.”

EP ‘Fact-Finding’ Mission to Hungary: No Place for Bias

EU funds must be disbursed without political bias, the delegation stressed, but as Minister Navracsics noted, the MEPs themselves were prone to partiality, inevitable since they hadn’t read the document’s contents.

The Plague of Inclusive Writing

Instead of adopting inclusive writing, we might consider learning a language without gendered grammar, like Hungarian—or Farsi—as options.

Portuguese President Signs Euthanasia Law

“The president of the republic has issued the decree … as he was obliged to do” by the constitution, the presidency said in a statement on May 17th.

EU Elections Set for June

The dates are the default ones and can only be changed by a unanimous decision of the Council.

EU Carbon Tariffs Risk Trade War With India

Carbon tariffs are a keystone of the EU’s “Fit for 55” package, but they may also herald a new era of protectionism and put strain on geopolitical relations.

Accepting Difference

Stop letting yourself be blackmailed. Stop neutering your worldview by adopting a slowed-down version of another ideology’s program.

EU Doubles Down on “De-Risking” With China

EU Doubles Down on “De-Risking” With China

The aim is not to decouple the EU and China’s economies, but to “rebalance” the relationship, Borrell said.

May 16, 2023
Democracy Summit Unveils 7-Point Ukraine Charter

Democracy Summit Unveils 7-Point Ukraine Charter

With all the heads of state legitimizing the Ukraine Charter, it should be regarded as the West’s collective program towards Ukraine, both during the war and beyond.

May 16, 2023
Celebrating the Coronation Without the Quiche: A Solid <em>Iolanthe</em> Brings Royal Overtones to New York

Celebrating the Coronation Without the Quiche: A Solid <em>Iolanthe</em> Brings Royal Overtones to New York

MasterVoices does not appear to be planning any Gilbert and Sullivan next season, but it should consider exploring that repertoire as it moves on. Events in Britain might just demand it.

May 16, 2023
Leaks Reveal Another Side to Zelensky

Leaks Reveal Another Side to Zelensky

“Ukraine should just blow up the pipeline and likely destroy Hungarian [Prime Minister] Viktor Orban’s industry, which is based heavily on Russian oil,” Zelensky said, according to the leaked intelligence documents.

May 15, 2023
Erdogan Wins First Round, Turkey Headed for Runoffs

Erdogan Wins First Round, Turkey Headed for Runoffs

The incumbent forces clearly won in the parliament, but there’s still a chance the opposition can snatch the presidential seat in the upcoming run-ups. But if left to the kingmaker, chances are they won’t.

May 15, 2023
Belgium: Deputy PM to Clarify Government Relationship With Bpost

Belgium: Deputy PM to Clarify Government Relationship With Bpost

De Sutter (Groen) suffered embarrassment after it was revealed two cabinet employees were on the postal service’s payroll while the government was negotiating a contract.

U.S.: Record-Setting Migrant Surge as Title 42 Ends

U.S.: Record-Setting Migrant Surge as Title 42 Ends

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency reported that 83,000 migrants illegally crossed the United States’ southern border with Mexico last week alone—more illegal crossings than have ever been recorded in a single week in the country’s history.

May 15, 2023
Germany’s Charlemagne Prize Comes With More Military Aid

Germany’s Charlemagne Prize Comes With More Military Aid

While Germany’s new package comprises the kind of arms it had supplied previously, fighter jets—ever high on Kyiv’s wish list—are not among them.

France’s Birth Rate Hits All-Time Low

France’s Birth Rate Hits All-Time Low

For a long time, France was able to boast of a fertility rate close to 2 children per woman in the 2000s, its fertility rate is now around 1.8.

The Middle East Is Imploding: An Interview with <strong>Fr. Benedict Kiely</strong>

The Middle East Is Imploding: An Interview with <strong>Fr. Benedict Kiely</strong>

A bomb of poverty has been hurled at the country by economic sanctions imposed by the West, Kiely says.

May 15, 2023
The America Report: Corruption, Corruption, and Biden

The America Report: Corruption, Corruption, and Biden

What happens if we find out that the current U.S. president is so corrupt that he has compromised the integrity of his own government—and maybe even the very security of his own country?

May 14, 2023
Flemish Survey: Vlaams Belang Reigns Supreme

Flemish Survey: Vlaams Belang Reigns Supreme

Vlaams Belang has capitalized on Flemish discontent with declining living standards as well as their frustration with out-of-touch political elites.