US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has ordered all US embassies to pause scheduling interviews for student visas in order to vet applicants’ social media in an effort to weed out those who might pose a threat to national security or push antisemitism on campus. That’s a bright idea…
Rubio wrote yesterday:
“Effective immediately, in preparation for an expansion of required social media screening and vetting, consular sections should not add any additional student or exchange visitor (F, M and J) visa appointment capacity until further guidance is issued. If you apply for a visa to enter the United States and be a student, and you tell us that the reason you are coming to the United States is not just because you want to write op-eds, but because you want to participate in movements that are involved in doing things like vandalising universities, harassing students, taking over buildings, creating a ruckus- we’re not going to give you a visa.”
Cue wailing from the usual suspects, with US universities complaining it could slow down the process of bolstering their ranks (and coffers) with overseas talent. Immigration lawyer David Leopold called it “cataclysmic, maybe even catastrophic.” Or you could make sure foreign students will abide by your country’s laws…
A fresh Ipsos poll shows Canadians are rediscovering their fondness for the Crown. A whopping 65% believe the Monarchy is a key part of Canadian heritage and helps define who they are. Meanwhile 66% say the Monarchy is “useful” because it distinguishes Canada from America…
Two years ago, 67% of Canadians believed the Royal Family should have no formal role in Canadian society, seeing them as “celebrities and nothing more.” Today King Charles will outline new Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government priorities in a speech in the Canadian Parliament – a somewhat rare occasion with Queen Elizabeth II only doing so twice in her reign. Canadians are brushing off the usual cries of colonial guilt and taking a fresh look at the benefits of ties to the Royals…
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu launched a full-on attack on Keir Starmer overnight. He accused Starmer of having “effectively said (he) want(s) Hamas to remain in power” and said he had sided with “mass murderers, rapists, baby killers and kidnappers”. The comments came after a brutal antisemitic terrorist attack on two Israeli Embassy staff in Washington DC…
Bibi said:
“I could never understand how this simple truth evades the leaders of France, Britain, Canada and others. I say to President Macron, Prime Minister Carney and Prime Minister Starmer, when mass murderers, rapists, baby killers and kidnappers thank you, you’re on the wrong side of justice. You’re on the wrong side of humanity, and you’re on the wrong side of history”.
Starmer is currently being fried by both pro-Israel and pro-Palestine groups inside his own party, having failed to please either camp. Rumours on the diplomatic circuit abound that the Labour government is moving towards recognising Palestine more rapidly than thought, as behind the scenes talks begin on the matter today between foreign office officials and other governments. Recognising Palestinian statehood would be a huge move from Starmer with big repercussions inside the Labour Party…
Newly-elected Canadian Prime Minister and former ‘politically neutral’ Bank of England Governor Mark Carney has come out against his old friend Keir Starmer for inviting President Trump for a second state visit. He whinged to Sky News:
“[Canadians] weren’t impressed by that gesture quite simply given the circumstance. It was at a time when we were being quite clear about the issues around sovereignty. I was not yet prime minister but I was being clear on the campaign trail and it cut across some of those messages.”
When asked whether he personally thought the invite was inappropriate, Guido was surprised to hear Carney reply that he keeps some of his opinions to himself. Wait until the arch-remoaner hears that the US-UK trade deal counts as a Brexit dividend…
The Court of Justice of the European Union has just ruled that the European Commission was wrong to reject a request from the New York Times to access messages between Ursula von der Leyen and Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla from Jan. 1, 2021 and May 11, 2022. “Pfizergate” has been wound up to represent the EU’s issues with accountability at its top levels…
Co-conspirators used to firing FoIs will be familiar with the case:
“The Court notes that the Commission’s replies regarding the text messages requested throughout the procedure are based either on assumptions or on changing or imprecise information. By contrast, Ms Stevi and The New York Times have produced relevant and consistent evidence describing the existence of exchanges, in the form of text messages in particular, between the President of the Commission and the CEO of Pfizer in the context of the procurement of vaccines by the Commission from that company during the COVID-19 pandemic. They have thus succeeded in rebutting the presumption of non-existence and of non-possession of the requested documents.”
The Commission has lost on all counts in the ruling – the case was brought to the ECJ in January 2023. Two months to appeal now…
US Treasury secretary Scott Bessent is in Riyadh today after climbing down on tariffs with China. Speaking at the Saudi-US Investment Forum on future trade deals with other countries, Bessent didn’t exactly give good news for the EU. He said:
“On my side of the world things are going very well. I think the US and Europe may be a bit slower. My personal belief is Europe may have a collective action problem. The Italians want something that’s different than the French. But I’m sure at the end of the day we will reach a satisfactory conclusion.”
That’s after President Trump said yesterday that “the European Union is in many ways nastier than China. We have all the cards. They treated us very unfairly.” Meanwhile, Downing Street still refuses to accept that the US-UK trade deal was a Brexit benefit. All as Starmer gears up for major concessions at the EU surrender summit next week…
Speaking at his speech on how to achieve “progressive capitalism” Wes Streeting fired a dig and Andy Burnham:
“Bond markets are not bond villains and fiscal rules matter.”
