The billionaire wielded his foundation’s vast wealth to push countries to spend more on vaccination, the former German chancellor says Bill Gates turned the vast financial resources of his foundation into political leverage, using its wealth to pressure governments to spend more on vaccination, former German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said. In the Meckel & Matthes podcast released by Handelsblatt earlier this month, Merkel warned that uncontrolled corporate power could leave governments doing “what the corporations order.” She said she first saw the danger not with the rise of artificial intelligence, but when Gates set up his foundation, which had more money “than the development budgets of major industrialized countries.” An unelected billionaire had effectively put himself on a political footing with elected leaders, according to Merkel. ...
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The legislation, which would allow the president to impose tariffs on countries buying Russian energy, could drive American gasoline prices “ever-higher,” the Russian Embassy has said The “Russophobic” new sanctions bill empowering US President Donald Trump to impose steep tariffs on buyers of Russian energy will lead to ever-higher prices at the pumps for Americans, the Russian Embassy in Washington has warned. The legislation was championed by the late Senator Lindsey Graham, a Russia hawk and staunch Ukraine supporter who pushed for “crushing sanctions” on Moscow before his unexpected death this summer. Named ‘The Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026’ in his honor, the bill allows the president to impose tariffs of up to 100% on goods from major buyers of Russian oil and gas, potentially including China and India, and additional sanctions on Russ...
The WikiLeaks founder suggested that he is returning to public life two years after striking a deal for his freedom with the US WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has suggested that he is returning to public life, following a hiatus after his release from British custody in 2024. The transparency activist spent five years behind bars while fighting a US extradition request that could have resulted in a lengthy sentence in a high-security US prison. He eventually struck a deal that secured his freedom amid a global campaign urging Washington to drop the case against him. The WikiLeaks account on X announced on Thursday that Assange is “back,” posting a photo in which he is posing in front of a mural depicting him in Sydney, Australia. Assange reposted the message, confirming his return and saying it is the first post in eight years that he has personally written. I'm back. http...
President Donald Trump previously said the Yemen-based movement had asked Washington not to intervene in its conflict with Riyadh Saudi Arabia has turned to regional and global players for help defending its airspace against attacks from Yemen’s Houthi rebels after its main security provider, the US, declined to step in, The Associated Press has reported, citing regional officials. Riyadh is running low on missile interceptors, according to the outlet. The armed conflict between a Saudi-led coalition and Houthi militants reignited in mid-July after Riyadh carried out airstrikes on the airport in Sanaa to prevent an Iranian passenger plane from landing there. In recent weeks, the Houthis have made significant territorial gains against Saudi-backed forces and have intensified attacks on strategic targets inside Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia is in a “very difficult position” because it must pr...
Laurent Nunez allegedly spread a false story about left-wing lawmaker Rima Hassan while she was in custody over a social media post French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez is under fire over allegations that he helped fuel a false drug story about MEP and prominent pro-Palestine activist Rima Hassan while she was in custody over a social media post. Hassan’s left-wing La France Insoumise (LFI), or France Unbowed party, has demanded that Nunez resign after a France 2 investigation released Wednesday alleged he leaked a false story to reporters about drugs purportedly found in Hassan’s belongings by police. The drug was later identified as legal CBD (cannabidiol) and the probe was dropped, prompting LFI to accuse Nunez of media “manipulation” and fueling a false story. What exactly happened? The case dates back to April, when Hassan was summoned to Paris police headquarters o...
Nearly 92% of Piddington voters backed a symbolic secession after the government proposed housing 1,256 male asylum seekers nearby An English village has overwhelmingly voted to “secede” from the UK in protest over government plans to house more than 1,200 male migrants at a nearby former military base. The referendum in Piddington, Oxfordshire has no legal force but drew nearly 92% turnout. The result announced on Wednesday showed that 285 residents backed leaving the UK, 26 voted against, and one ballot was spoiled. Organizers staged the symbolic referendum in protest against plans to house up to 1,256 male asylum seekers at the nearby MOD Bicester site. “We are Piddington, the village that roars,” parish council vice chair Susannah Parden declared as she announced the result. Council chair Tim McNally called the vote “an example of democracy in operation,” adding:...