International Relations

Opps Back to front
- @SimCityAT

I saw that Jimmy Kimmel show on YT and it was just "bad timing" on the show's writers.  How did they know there would be an attacker? 

And besides that, suck it up Donny.  If you want to play with people, expect some people to disagree and to take the mickey - free speech etc.  There is of course the obvious 23-year age gap between Melamine and Mango Man.  For sure he's going before Melamine.

It's all the same crap as Mandelson.  Just storms in teacups. 

Donny spends more time riffing on pointless rubbish like his ballroom, arch and wotnot than he does on the real issues of the people, like the price index and the war he started. 

Put a clown in charge and you get a circus.

@fluffy2560

The attacker had booked the hotel room well in advance as well.

@fluffy2560The attacker had booked the hotel room well in advance as well. - @SimCityAT

Yes, could have been a fatal mistake if the attacker had gotten lucky.

That's what they say - the attacker only has to get lucky once - but the authorities have to get lucky multiple times.

I heard a comment on the radio - Trump is POTUS 47.  Out of 47 POTUSes (or POTUSi?), 4 have been assassinated.  That's close to 10%.  Seems a bit high.

Latest report is that Trump's image will appear in US passports.

???

???
- @SimCityAT

Delusional. 

Who is Trump talking to?

Iran decentralised its decision making long ago just for these circumstances.

HU:

Hungary's incoming PM Péter Magyar offers to meet Ukraine's president in June

Relations between the two neighbours hit rock bottom before Hungary's 12 April election that saw Magyar beat long-time nationalist premier Viktor Orbán.

.....

"I am initiating a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for early June, symbolically in Berehove, which has a Hungarian majority," Magyar said in a social media post after meeting the mayor of the Ukrainian city in Budapest.

Very good of PM to do that.   Now I think of it, I guess we'll have to say PM PM (Prime Minister Peter Magyar) or possibly PM^2 (PM squared).

US regulator to review Disney broadcast licences after Jimmy Kimmel joke about Melania Trump

America is turning into the old Hungary, run by a dictator.

The US Federal Communications Commission is ordering an early review of Disney's television broadcast licences days after President Donald Trump called for the firing of late-night host Jimmy Kimmel.

Trump had urged ABC - whose parent company is Disney - to pull Kimmel's show after the comedian joked that Melania Trump had the glow of an "expectant widow". Kimmel made the remarks days before a gunman fired shots at a gala attended by the Trumps.

In an order on Tuesday, the FCC said it had been investigating Disney's ABC stations for possible violations, including unlawful discrimination.

A Disney spokesperson told the BBC that ABC and its stations serve the public within FCC guidelines.

The stations "have a long record of operating in full compliance with FCC rules and serving their local communities with trusted news, emergency information, and public‑interest programming", the company spokesperson said. "Our focus remains, as always, on serving viewers in the local communities where our stations operate."

The FCC order directs the company to file licence-renewal applications for all of its licensed TV stations within 30 days.

The agency as part of its renewal review can require Disney to prove that it meets the agency's public-interest standards. The Disney-owned ABC television station licences were not scheduled for renewal until 2028.

The reviews could lead to the revocation of the stations' licences to broadcast, an action the commission has not taken in more than 40 years, Reuters reported.

....
The FCC order directs the company to file licence-renewal applications for all of its licensed TV stations within 30 days.

The agency as part of its renewal review can require Disney to prove that it meets the agency's public-interest standards. The Disney-owned ABC television station licences were not scheduled for renewal until 2028.

The reviews could lead to the revocation of the stations' licences to broadcast, an action the commission has not taken in more than 40 years, Reuters reported. - @SimCityAT

It's going to get tied up in court and the case for against ABC seems flimsy. 

Trump will want money as he always does.

USA (Metro UK):

Here’s why King Charles gave Donald Trump a bell from HMS Trump

The King and Queen have exchanged gifts with Donald Trump and the First Lady, with the royal couple giving the US President a bell from a historic submarine.

....

King Charles paid tribute to America’s ‘special relationship’ with the UK by giving him the bell from the HMS Trump, a WWII submarine which served in the Pacific.

‘I’m delighted to present to you the original bell which hung on the conning tower of your valiant namesake. May it stand as a testimony to our nation’s shared history and shining future,’ the King said.

‘Should you ever need to get hold of us, just give us a ring,’ he added, as the crowd laughed.

I never knew there was a submarine called HMS Trump.  There are so many jokes one can make about that aspect.  But I reckon most of the double meanings the King may have used in his speech were way over DJT's head.

HU (Guardian):

Orbán associates rush to move wealth out of Hungary after election defeat

Along the banks of the Danube, news that the Viktor Orbán era had come to an end set off an hours-long party. The joy echoed across Hungary as people traded hugs and high-fives. For some, however, the landslide loss set off a frantic scramble.

Private jets allegedly laden with the spoils of those whose wealth swelled during Orbán’s 16 years in power have steadily been taking off from Vienna, while other individuals are racing to invest their assets abroad, sources have told the Guardian. Meanwhile, high-level figures close to Orbán have been looking into US visa options, hoping to find work at Maga-linked institutions.

.....

Since the election, the Guardian has learned of three members of this inner circle who have begun moving their assets abroad. The wealth is being moved to countries in the Middle East – Saudi Arabia, Oman and the UAE – while others have their sights set on Australia and Singapore, two Fidesz sources said.

I'm surprised it's only 3 of the inner circle.  There must be 100s of them.  There have been rumours there's a bank in Dubai owned by these people.  And that's where the money is.

EU (Euronews):

Europe moves to break Visa and Mastercard's grip — but not everyone agrees

The digital euro could arrive by 2029 — but a bitter battle between Brussels and the banks stands in the way. Europe's payment system is on the brink of its biggest shake-up in decades.

A digital euro, a push for sovereignty from US payment giants and a bitter fight between banks and Brussels are all coming to a head — and the outcome could affect how Europeans conduct even the simplest day-to-day payments.

I found this article of interest since, this will be enacted probably before HU joins the EUR.

HU:

Already been a busy news week:

Orbán-linked media baron Gyula Balásy offers his companies to the state for free: what he may get in return

Police investigating against Orbán’s friend, the wealthiest Hungarian, Lőrinc Mészáros

What will happen with Orbán’s elite guard? Péter Magyar does not want their protection

It seems things are moving pretty fast.  PM^2 will be sworn in shortly and literally takes the reins of power.   These kinds of investigations and re-orientation will speed up.   Mrs F says, Fidesz people are still in shock and did not make sufficient plans to run away from HU with their grifted cash. 

HU (Euronews):

PM^2 has gone to Italy to see Meloni:

'We had to fight a different kind of mafia,' Magyar says ahead of talks with Meloni

But for some reason, Euronews chose to illustrate their article with an odd Meloni photo (she seems surprised or horrified by something - probably OV's election failure):

HU (BBC):

Hungary's new PM to be sworn in during 'regime change' party

A parliamentary session is under way in Hungary to swear in Péter Magyar as prime minister, almost a month after an election victory that swept away 16 years of rule by Viktor Orbán.

Magyar's Tisza party holds 141 seats out of 199 in the new parliament - up from zero, a result of the party being founded just two years ago.

Tens of thousands of people are expected to take part in a "celebration of freedom and democracy" outside parliament in Budapest, along the shores of the Danube. Magyar has told Hungarians to step through the "gateway of regime change".

Orbán's Fidesz party crumbled from 135 to 52 seats, and shows signs of imploding.

It's going to be hard to get to the party.  Apparently metro will not stop and some trams will not be running around the Parliament.   15h for the inauguration and party starts I believe at 17h and will go on into the night.  It'll be mostly on TV.  Mrs F and I are due there but I don't want to walk too far so I might have to look at it on TV.