Striking, as is the fact Russia accepts US as a mediator at all. US not merely not NATO, but apparently at best ambivalent to it.

An absolute scandal compounded in this case by failure of French government and EU institutions to forcefully react and sanction in turn those who have sanctioned ICC judges and prosecutors. Makes a total mockery of FR/EU's repeated commitment to the rule of law/ICC www.lemonde.fr/en/internati...

Agree. Coalition of the Willing has to stop deluding itself that after a ceasefire on reasonable terms it will send symbolic forces to Ukraine w US backing. UK, France, Germany, Poland &c must invest whatever it takes to defeat RU in UA, or they will have to fight it, without US help, further West.

🇵🇱⚖️🇪🇺🇭🇺🇺🇸 I had a chance to talk (a lot) with @claudiabirn.bsky.social for @apnews.com on the rule of law in Poland, but more importantly, on the lessons the process of restoring judicial independence in Poland has for other countries. Harsh lessons, I must admit. apnews.com/article/pola...

International Criminal Court judge, "sanctioned" by the USA for doing his job, blocked from using internet services worldwide, credit cards, banking... And nobody cares...

“What a morning in Portglenone. A beautiful sunrise along with some stunning winter scenes. I am going to miss this cold snap.” 📸 Colleen Webb Photography

The Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances had "reliable security guarantees" and look how well they worked.

🚨🚨This is no "peace" plan, it is a recipe for further suffering and #Russian imperialist expansion in the #west. It is difficult to appreciate just how much damage the #trump administration has done to #Ukraine and its war efforts. It is disgusting beyond words. 🧵 www.theguardian.com/world/2025/n...

Trump may change his mind tomorrow. But if this becomes fixed US policy there will have to be personal and political consequences, for the US will have become more of an enemy than a friend. And I don't think it can then be business as usual. I for one wouldn't visit the US under such circumstances.

Sunrise and the Galtee mountains on this frosty -2 C morning. #Ireland #photography #autumn #landscape #Olympus #Zuiko #180mm #F2

Viennetta season has arrived

US foreign policy continues to amaze. After proposing capitulation and turning 180° to offering support we are back to proposing capitulation. It is difficult to explain this. But my assumption is that we are back to numerous politicians working the phone.

Is JD Vance really this stupid, or saying Trump is this stupid? "Why don't Russians + Ukrainians, instead of killing each other, start trading, traveling, carrying out some kind of cultural exchange?" So, if Mexico rolls tanks into Texas, JD/Trump would trade, not fire back?🤡

Russia is paying "lip service" to Donald Trump by engaging in a new peace plan without making actual concessions to end the war, Kaja Kallas has warned. "The EU has a very clear two-point plan: first, weaken Russia; second, support Ukraine."

I presume Ireland not included in this bizarre policy as it would breach the UK -Ireland Convention on Social Security. But, FFS, every normal country where legal residents pay social insurance, they qualify for its benefits including maternity, pensions etc. This is basically theft from foreigners.

For no reason remembering Plato’s argument that our rulers - the Philosopher Kings - should be prohibited from owning private property in order to avoid corruption.

This does feel like a major crossing of the Rubicon – the world's best-funded and in many ways most powerful public health agency is now actively pushing disinformation. I know there's a *lot* going on to care about at the moment, but this one really is significant, and matters well beyond the US.

Green-card Donna Hughes-Brown is in ICE detention since returning from Ireland in late July. Her deportation hearing is due to take place on 19th Dec. Her only contact with her husband is by video phone every few days for 15 minutes. Her pastors and her legal team have been denied entry.

Did the bombshell BBC memo misquote the misquote? on.ft.com/485zOMr Spoiler alert: it did. Panorama edited Trump to make him look bad. But Prescott edited Trump to make the BBC look bad.

Nazi bar uses neo-Nazi sources

Great to have these videos up for those interested who weren't able to attend the conference. Keynotes by Prof. Eliga Gould and Prof. Nicholas Canny and a @virtualtreasury.bsky.social panel. Please share widely. www.youtube.com/playlist?lis... @historytcd.bsky.social @historyatgalway.bsky.social

Some cautionary words from Kozo Saiki from Japan's trade ministry, at the EU's trade policy day He says Tokyo prepared a subsidy programme for firms to process rare earths domestically but "very few applied" because they "can't compete with cheap products" from China

Not looking good for investors in US shale gas

Couldn’t agree more

Lot's of signs that growth is slowing. Not unexpected!

The President has put tariffs on the whole economy in an effort to revive manufacturing. It's not working.

Uhhh, there are countless media articles doing just that.

This PEANUTS comic strip was published on November 11, 1975. #Thanksgiving #Snoopy

An entire argument dismantled in two words.

Dublin’s planned new metro system will need about 8,000 workers to construct. That's more than in Irish defence forces. “MetroLink is like a marathon for State capacity that makes the Children’s Hospital look like a 5k”.

If you read one thing today please read this.

This is a nuts story. An AI chatbot and image platform left millions of images exposed. They show what people are actually using the AI for: taking random women's yearbook, graduation, and social media photos and making super realistic hardcore porn with them www.404media.co/ai-porn-secr...

Ponzi schemes always give upbeat forecasts right up until the very end.

I followed this since yesterday on French social media: Grok started to go for straight up David Irving / Leuchter style “ the gas chambers didn’t exist” holocaust denial. Which is illegal, at different levels and nuances, in France, Germany and the EU.

Grok is just Elon musk hiding inside a box with blinking LEDs all over it

I guess one difference between me and Elon Musk is that, if I was gaming an AI to say these things about me, and everyone could see that I had done this, I'd have simply no choice but to set myself on fire.

When they’re gone, they’re gone

The EU Court has found that we have failed to even bring in the laws we’d need to comply with our obligations to combat water pollution.

Sometimes the news just feels surreal - like, local and international timelines crossing

Idk all these faerie porn novels the BookTok girlies are into just seem like an elaborate plot by the daoine maithe to groom willing victims of leannáin sídhe.

But in fairness to them, M&S are making an effort here to localise their business here in the eccentric Celtic fringe of the home countries.

Ní thuigim: does AI even understand Gaeilge? We designed the Irish grammar test to end all Irish grammar tests to answer this question. The results, says Josh McGiff @unioflimerick.bsky.social @researchireland.ie, were not great www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2...

BBC News - www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c2... Religious education: Supreme Court rules the Christian-focused RE taught in NI schools is unlawful - BBC News

A 40-year-old woman has appeared in court charged with making threats to Tánaiste Simon Harris and his family.

This is a good way of putting Russian military failure in Ukraine

Clear Trump has Ukraine & Russia on his mind. From post below: "For years our Great Nation has had to endure RUSSIA, RUSSIA, RUSSIA, UKRAINE, UKRAINE, UKRAINE, IMPEACHMENT HOAX #1, IMPEACHMENT HOAX #2, and many other Democrat created Witch Hunts and Scams..."

Link: www.reuters.com/sustainabili...

Sun rising over @blacknight.social HQ here in Carlow on a frosty morning.

Far too much credibility is being given to the new ‘Trump peace plan’ that would be tantamount to Ukraine’s capitulation. Here I explain why this new plan is far less than it seems and is unlikely to lead to anything. (£/free trial), open.substack.com/pub/samf/p/y...?

"[EU] digital challenges stem from structural shortcomings such as insufficient strategic investment, ineffective public procurement, widening digital skills gaps, and a lack of long-term political vision. Blaming regulation ... may be politically convenient, but it is factually wrong"