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In her State of the Union, von der Leyen should swap pragmatism for principles

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 19:11:26 GMT

Sam van der Staak is the director for Europe at the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance.Today, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will deliver her fourth — and final — State of the European Union speech before next June’s elections. But instead of courting voters with a laundry list of promises, she should place upholding democratic values at the center of her address.When von der Leyen introduced her team in 2019, she termed it a “geopolitical Commission.” Dreaming of boosting the EU’s role on the world stage, she intended to wheel and deal with the world’s superpowers — be they good or bad — and pursue a policy of realpolitik to help the bloc survive in a world increasingly run by autocrats and populists.However, her Commission simultaneously launched its six priorities focused on promoting fundamental EU values, including defending democracy, protecting rule of law and supporting a rules-based global order. And this split vision has left...

Putin’s 4 hottest takes in Vladivostok speech 

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 19:11:26 GMT

Vladimir Putin’s been shooting his mouth off again.The belligerent Russian president was back on the warpath Tuesday in Vladivostok, firing off hot takes about Donald Trump, Elon Musk, the Olympics and Britain’s help for Ukraine. Speaking at the pauper’s version of the World Economic Forum in Russia’s Far East, Putin pontificated on all sorts of topics, while he waited for North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un to arrive on his armored train. We took the temperature of Putin’s latest remarks.   On Trump “Everything that is happening with Trump, this is persecution for political reasons of one’s political rival,” Putin blasted. Take that, American judiciary! For Putin, the four criminal cases against former President Donald Trump — who faced scrutiny over his personal ties to Russia during his time in the White House — are nothing but a witch hunt, showing “the rottenness of the American political system.” That’s quite a take for the Russian pr...

Supercharged storm wrecks Greece’s breadbasket for years to come

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 19:11:26 GMT

Greece’s agricultural heartland is under water — and recovery will take a long time. Athens is asking Brussels for aid after a violent storm brought record rainfall last week, turning the Thessalian plain — home to a quarter of the country’s agricultural production — into a vast lake. “We’ve had the worst floods in our history. This is probably one of the most powerful storms to ever hit Europe,” Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said after meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Strasbourg on Tuesday. After hitting Greece, the storm turned into a powerful “medicane” — a Mediterranean cyclone — and brought devastation to eastern Libya, where dams failed and entire neighborhoods were swept away by floods. Thousands are dead and thousands more are missing, according to the Red Cross. In Greece, where at least 15 people died in the floods, authorities have started to assess the damage. The region of T...

Not just the China spy scandal: 7 flashpoints for Britain’s Tory hawks

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 19:11:26 GMT

LONDON — Claims a Chinese spy may have been working at the heart of British democracy have the country’s MPs spooked. But it’s not the only China issue riling up Conservative lawmakers.From artificial intelligence to Xinjiang, hawkish MPs on the governing party’s benches want Rishi Sunak’s government to take a much tougher line against Beijing. Much of Sunak’s time in Number 10 has, however, been characterized by careful management of the U.K.’s relationship with China. Let POLITICO walk you through the big China issues that have been getting Tory MPs animated.The spy claimsThis weekend’s bombshell Sunday Times report — claiming that a parliamentary aide to senior Conservative MPs was arrested in a China-linked espionage investigation in March — alarmed lawmakers across the house.It’s prompted a flurry of questions from Tory MPs, who want to know why they weren’t informed about the arrest sooner and just how many people may have been im...

Britain wants to loosen rules and boost its arms exports

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 19:11:26 GMT

LONDON — Call it Global Britain, with a bang.The U.K. government wants to make it easier for arms-makers to export weapons and security systems around the world by easing access to financing and contracts for smaller firms, the country’s minister of state for defense procurement, James Cartlidge, told defense executives on Tuesday.Speaking at the DSEI arms fair in London’s Docklands — a key event in the calendar for military contractors — Cartlidge said too many restrictions were being placed on defense firms, especially smaller operators, even on access to basic banking facilities.“Environmental, social and governance rules. ESG, as we call it, ESG rules aren’t bad, per say, but have been applied wholly, misguidedly in relation to defense,” Cartlidge said. “You only need to look around to appreciate that defense isn’t the enemy.”Instead of “penalizing” contractors, the government wants to make selling munitions and missiles easier with the goal of incre...

WATCH: Flooding, torrential downpours in Leominster leave vehicles dangling from driveways, car lot caving into river

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 19:11:26 GMT

Crews in Leominster spent Tuesday morning rushing to make repairs and clear debris after receding waters revealed widespread damage in multiple neighborhoods, following Monday night’s torrential downpours and flooding.Lancaster Street alone was the scene of sinkholes, caved-in driveways and even a vehicle dangling from the foundation of a property’s garage as residents waded through inches of mud to retrieve their belongings.The area was inundated with rain Monday evening, with at least seven inches falling in the area and what was believed to be ten inches in some pockets, prompting a state of emergency declaration from city leaders.Other sites with major weather damage included Durand Buick GMC Cadillac on Main Street, where a section of the dealership’s lot caved in and sent several SUVs below street level and towards the neighboring Nashua River.Surveying the damage, the dealership’s owner told 7NEWS he was grateful no one was hurt and that no customer ca...

Patriots coaches react to Jets QB Aaron Rodgers’ ‘unfortunate’ season-ending injury

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 19:11:26 GMT

The AFC East picture – and potentially the Patriots’ path to the playoffs – took a sudden turn on Monday night.On the fourth play of his Jets career, Aaron Rodgers went down with an injury, and didn’t return. On Tuesday, Rodgers and the Jets’ worst fear was confirmed – the 39-year-old quarterback suffered a torn Achilles tendon and will miss the rest of the season.The Jets had Super Bowl aspirations with the addition of Rodgers this offseason, but just like that, their chances at even making the playoffs for the first time in more than a decade took a catastrophic blow.Rodgers’ injury creates an obvious domino effect for the Patriots, who play the Jets twice in the division, including in Week 3 in New York. And while they’re certainly focused on this Sunday night’s matchup against the Dolphins, Patriots assistant coaches took a moment to react to the Rodgers ‘ news on Tuesday.“You never want to see anybody get hurt,” Patriots cornerbacks coach Mike Pellegrino said. “I didn’t s...

Hundreds of Bahrain prisoners suspend hunger strike as crown prince to visit United States

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 19:11:26 GMT

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Hundreds of prisoners suspended their monthlong hunger strike in Bahrain on Tuesday, an advocacy group said, just ahead of a visit of the island nation’s crown prince to the United States. The strike will pause until Sept. 30 as some prisoners suffered health problems and to see if promised changes by Bahrain’s government at the Jaw Rehabilitation and Reform Center will materialize, according to the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy, an advocacy group.The promised changes include limiting isolation, expanding visitor rights, extending the hours of daylight inmates have and improving health care at the prison, the group said. If the changes are not implemented, the strike will resume. The group linked the decision to Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa’s visit to Washington this week. Bahrain’s government did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday night. The monthlong hunger strike had been of ...

MP Michael Chong urges U.S. lawmakers to work with Canada to combat Chinese meddling

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 19:11:26 GMT

WASHINGTON — The Conservative MP at the centre of Canada’s foreign interference saga is urging Capitol Hill lawmakers to work with their northern neighbour to battle Beijing.  Michael Chong, whose tale of Chinese meddling has been a political headache for the federal Liberal government, told his tale to the Congressional-Executive Commission on China.The commission was established in 2000 to keep tabs on Beijing’s human rights record, and is a bipartisan committee of U.S. senators, House members and administration officials. Chong says one of his main goals was to make clear just how widespread Chinese foreign interference is, both in North America and around the world. Several members of the commission, including New Jersey Rep. Chris Smith and Alaska Sen. Dan Sullivan, both Republicans, pressed Chong on how the U.S. and Canada could work more closely together. One of Chong’s ideas is to expose the conduct with “sunlight and transparency” — publicizing...

Supporters of Native activist Leonard Peltier hold White House rally, urging Biden to grant clemency

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 19:11:26 GMT

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Hundreds of activists and Indigenous leaders rallied outside the White House on Tuesday in support of Leonard Peltier on the imprisoned activist’s 79th birthday, holding signs and chanting slogans urging President Joe Biden to grant clemency to the Native American leader.Peltier is serving life in prison for the killing of two FBI agents during a 1975 standoff on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. He was convicted in 1977. Key figures involved in Peltier’s prosecution have stepped forward over the years to urge his release, rally organizers said, including the judge who presided over Peltier’s 1986 appeal and the former U.S. attorney whose office handled the prosecution and appeal of Peltier’s case. The rally kicked off Tuesday with chanting and drum beats. Organizers delivered impassioned speeches about Peltier’s life and his importance as a Native leader, punctuated by shouts of “Free Peltier! Free Peltier!”“Forty-eight years is long ...