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Up yours! When politicians give the middle finger

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:09:58 GMT

Welcome to Declassified, a weekly humor column.Sometimes even the most stoic of politicians can’t take it anymore and, instead of responding with a reasoned argument, they simply flip the bird at their opponent.In the European Parliament this week, a very serious debate about a migrant shipwreck off the Italian coast turned into a shouting match, with Czech lawmaker Tomáš Zdechovský accusing German socialist Birgit Sippel of giving the middle finger to colleagues.“You think you can get away with this? You should be before the ethics committee here. Calm the hell down, colleague,” Zdechovský snapped.Incidentally, “Calm the hell down, colleague” sounds perfect for printing on a T-shirt, perhaps worn by an exasperated centrist MEP. The Parliament has seen offensive gestures before — and not just when a Bulgarian MEP gave a Nazi salute in the chamber. Back in April 2016 — when the idea of a country actually voting to leave the EU was just a Nigel Farage ...

BBC’s Nick Robinson: I regret telling Boris Johnson to ‘stop talking’

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:09:58 GMT

LONDON — Nick Robinson has said he regrets telling Boris Johnson to “stop talking” during a heated BBC interview in October 2021. The Radio 4 presenter and former political editor sparker a nationwide furor by cutting across Johnson in the first interview the then-prime minister had given to the “Today” program in two years, following a government boycott of the BBC’s flagship current affairs show. As Johnson plowed ahead with one of his trademark lengthy answers, an exasperated Robinson interrupted to say: “Prime minister — stop talking! We are going to have questions and answers, not where you merely talk, if you wouldn’t mind.” The BBC received hundreds of complaints about the exchange, and subsequently issued a statement clarifying “there was certainly no desire to appear rude.”Speaking on a new episode of POLITICO ‘s Westminster Insider podcast, “The Art of the Political Interview,” Robinson explained what was happening behind the scenes. ...

The Tories fought the blob: The blob won

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:09:58 GMT

LONDON — Britain’s civil service appears to be taking out ministers left, right and center. So is this the “blob” fighting back?A growing list of senior ministers has been forced to quit after clashing with government officials, whether directly or indirectly. Having put the nail in the coffin of Boris Johnson’s premiership and shrugged off the hapless Liz Truss, it was civil servants who ensured the demise of Rishi Sunak’s deputy, Dominic Raab, after a bullying inquiry. Right-leaning Tories are now up in arms at questions over the conduct and performance of Home Secretary Suella Braverman, fearing she could be next in line for defenestration by the “snivel service.”A section of the Conservative Party explains recent events as a coordinated coup by what they call the “blob”: a mass of pathetic, left-leaning, Remain-supporting functionaries trying to block the government’s agenda.Others say the current confrontation between elected ministers and Whitehall mandarins can not ...

‘Complete denial’: Europe largely blind to Chinese influence, says EU adviser

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:09:58 GMT

BRUSSELS — China is ramping up efforts to influence policy and public opinion in the EU — but much of the bloc is blind to what’s happening, a special adviser to the European Commission told POLITICO.Beijing has long aimed propaganda at the European Union, seeking to undermine transatlantic unity and promote Beijing’s outlook on world affairs, said Ivana Karásková, a Czech academic and foreign influence specialist who’s advising European Commission Vice President Věra Jourová.But since 2019, China’s approach to the EU has been “hardening” as it ramps up direct propaganda via so-called wolf warrior diplomats; as well as covert funding of think tanks, academic institutions and nonprofit organizations, she said. And EU countries, particularly outside of eastern Europe, are oblivious to or unwilling to see the extent of these operations, Karásková added.“In some countries, awareness of [Chinese influence operations] is high because they have a history of Russian-backed action...

The EU needs to find its own voice in the Indo-Pacific

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:09:58 GMT

Viktor Buzna is a journalist, former guest-researcher at Peking University and a PhD fellow at the National Sun Yat-sen University in Taiwan.Meet up with any European friend in Taiwan, and you will soon hear about the unenviable choice between staying on the island or returning home.Europe is currently facing its hardest times since World War II, with bloodshed in Ukraine, high inflation, widening social divides and an energy crisis that make everyday life depressing and difficult. Meanwhile, Taiwan has become a source of growing controversy, as the rivalry between China and the United States slowly pushes it to the edge of war.Despite this, the public mood on the island seems to be drifting away from such outside realities. Local media is often criticized for being too politically driven and is limited in its coverage of cross-strait relations. Meanwhile, politicians talk more about the relationship with the U.S. than the rising threat from China, and many locals seem to bury their...

State lawmakers consider possible ‘floating hospital’ for mental health, substance abuse recovery on decommissioned ship 

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:09:58 GMT

Massachusetts state lawmakers are considering a plan to help people with mental health and substance abuse issues by possibly putting a recovery facility on a decommissioned ship. The idea was born, in part, with the goal of assisting those living near the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Melnea Cass Boulevard in Boston. Speaking this week, state senators said they believe such a move could revolutionize the way Massachusetts battles the opioid crisis. “What’s happening isn’t working,” said Sen. John Velis. “We can and must do better. Human beings are dying.”The state senate recently passed a budget amendment proposed by Sen. Nick Collins that would set aside funding for a study looking into the decommissioned ship proposal. “It could be a one-stop shop for those suffering at Mass & Cass, and for anyone suffering from mental health and substance abuse challenges,” Collins said.Collins continued, saying the vessel would offer medical services ...

Orioles take series from Yankees with 3-1 victory behind dominant Kyle Gibson

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:09:58 GMT

Kyle Gibson’s tour of the American League East with the Orioles began opening day. He completed his first lap Thursday in the Bronx.The veteran right-hander provided Baltimore with seven scoreless innings against the New York Yankees in a 3-1 victory. The Orioles won their fourth straight series against AL East opponents, taking sets from each of the division’s other teams to pull off a feat they hadn’t achieved since 2016.Gibson, too, has faced each of the AL East’s four teams and pitched well, with Thursday’s performance leaving him with a 2.52 ERA as he’s averaged more than six innings per start. He opened and closed Baltimore’s 5-1 road trip with seven-inning outings, holding the Toronto Blue Jays and Yankees to one run combined.The Orioles (33-17) suffered their lone loss of the road trip in this series’ opener, dropping a game they led 4-0 in the fourth and 5-4 in the ninth. But they rallied for the series victory with an eight-r...

Pete Alonso hits 19th homer of the season, Mets score 10 runs in rout over Cubs

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:09:58 GMT

CHICAGO — Pete Alonso blasted his 19th home run of the season Thursday night at Wrigley Field to keep his 60-homer pace alive, but the Mets had won the game long before that.The losing streak wouldn’t be prolonged this time as the club salvaged a three-game series by routing the Chicago Cubs, 10-1.The Mets (26-25) hit the Chicago bullpen hard. They spoiled the season debut for Kyle Hendricks and got a strong performance from Carlos Carrasco.The veteran right-hander needed a performance like this as bad as the Mets did. The right-hander was hit hard to start the season and bone spurs in his elbow landed him on the injured list. His first outing after coming off the IL against his former Cleveland team left many questioning whether or not the Mets could keep him in the rotation.But the pitcher they call Cookie held the Cubs (22-27) to just one run over 6 and 2/3 innings, marking his longest outing of the season. Carrasco allowed just five hits, walked two and struck out fo...

Celtics storm to dominant Game 5 victory over Heat, force Game 6 in Miami

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:09:58 GMT

It just got interesting.Four nights ago, all hope looked lost for these Celtics. Their flaws were exposed in humiliating fashion, haunting them into a seemingly insurmountable 3-0 series deficit in the Eastern Conference Finals. They were stuck staring at what could have been a painfully long summer.But as slim as their chances looked, the Celtics still believed. They still believed they were the better team than the eighth-seeded Heat. They believed they could come back. They warned not to let them have one.Now they have two. And now there’s real hope again.The Celtics finally put everything together in the second half of Game 4 to keep their season alive. On Thursday night, they carried the momentum. They were locked in from the opening tip. They were relentless on both ends for 48 minutes. They refused to let this season end with a convincing 110-97 victory over the Heat in Game 5.These Celtics just love to play when their backs are against the wall. They forced a Game 6 in Miami...

Aaron Boone sounds off on umps, but Orioles silence Yankees’ bats in 3-1 loss

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:09:58 GMT

Aaron Boone made plenty of noise near home plate Thursday night, but the Yankees’ bats didn’t in a 3-1 loss to the Orioles.The Yankees manager earned his fourth ejection of the season — and his third in 10 games — in the middle of the third inning after taking issue with home plate umpire Edwin Moscoso’s erratic strike zone. Boone got his money’s worth after getting tossed, as crew chief Chris Guccione had to get in between Moscoso and the fiery skipper.Boone has now been tossed 30 times as a manager. That’s seven more ejections than any other manager since Boone began the job in 2018, per statistician Katie Sharp. Boone also leads his contemporaries in ejections this season.While Boone likely uttered a few four-letter words at Moscoso, the Yankees couldn’t drop any bombs of a different variety on Baltimore’s pitchers. Instead, they totaled just two hits off Kyle Gibson, who twirled seven scoreless innings despite walking four ba...