German regional lawmaker admits drawing swastika on ballot paper next to far-right candidate's name
The speaker of the legislature in the southwestern state of Baden-Wuerttemberg said Thursday that someone had drawn the Nazi symbol on a ballot paper in a vote for a regional cross-border body that includes representatives from Germany as well as neighboring France and Switzerland.
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Fox News
31 minutes ago
- Fox News
Lt. Col. Darin Gaub calls to 'defeat and eradicate' Hamas as ceasefire talks break down
Senior geopolitical strategist Lt. Col. Darin Gaub joins 'Fox News Live' to weigh in on President Donald Trump's push for ceasefires in Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas war.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Voices: Governor Bailey is wrong: We should embrace the digital pound
Is the digital pound dead in the water? More than 100 countries are looking at the creation of their very own digital currencies. China already has one. The EU is developing a digital euro at pace. But the Bank of England? It seems to be tacking the opposite way to the rest of the world. Andrew Bailey told MPs on the Treasury Committee that he would need 'a lot of convincing' to greenlight a launch, which the Bank has already said couldn't happen until sometime in the 'second half of the current decade' anyway. Is this an opportunity missed? Even a case where the governor's conservatism threatens to leave Britons in the digital dark ages? First off, I should explain what the digital pound actually is. Digi-pounds (that's not the official name; I'm not sure we have one yet) would be currency issued by the Bank that could be stored in a digital wallet provided by a company like, say, Apple. This would allow you to pay for things directly, without the need for the card you currently have to be set up to use Apple Pay. People could also pay you by the same means. PS, Apple CEO Tim Cook isn't paying either me or The Independent for the mention. I'm using Apple Pay as an example because it's a service I use. Bailey is distinctly unimpressed with the idea of this new form of money. His preferred option is to help the market improve digital payment tech, which he said could deliver 'huge benefits'. Fraud reduction, lower costs, faster payments to SMEs (small to medium-sized enterprises), which at this point are probably saying chance would be a fine thing. 'That's a sensible place to do it because that's where most of our money is," the governor opined. But here's an idea: why not simply do both? Is that really so hard? Or is the Bank yet again in 'can't do' mode? It is true that there are legitimate concerns about digital currencies. Sceptics worry about vulnerability to hacking. Fears have also been expressed about their making it easier to launder money, even to facilitate terrorist financing. Criminals took up Bitcoin with alacrity. Lately, they have favoured so-called 'stablecoins', the value of which are linked to an underlying commodity or an existing currency such as the dollar. On the flip side, some critics have voiced fears about digital currencies being used to facilitate government snooping. This has been a big concern with the Chinese version given the obsessive interest in what its citizens do, say and even think of that country's government. But every new technology comes with pluses and minuses. It would be better for Bailey to accept that and roll with the punches. Bitcoin and its ilk already have a legion of fans in this country. If people like the concept of central bank-issued digital currencies, there would theoretically be nothing to stop them from using digital euros if and when they arrive. There are already outlets in London that accept the paper equivalent (and dollars and yen while we're at it). Here's a potential selling point for your business: 'We accept the digital euros!' Right now, the central bank looks flat-footed, a very obvious laggard, largely thanks to the conservatism of the governor. I suspect some of Bailey's caution can be traced back to his time at the head of the Financial Conduct Authority – a fairly thankless, if well remunerated, task at the best of times. Its CEO tends to get the blame for everything and the credit for nothing. Launching a new form of money is bound to create challenges, and it will once again be Bailey's head on the block if something goes wrong. There have lately been suggestions that the Bank could cease or at least shelve the work it has been doing on a digital pound. That would be a mistake. Digital currencies are coming. The Bank should accept that and prepare for the future. The governor badly needs to pull his legs out of the mud in which they're stuck. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Fox News
2 hours ago
- Fox News
Trump slams Europe over immigration, says ‘horrible invasion' is killing the continent
President Donald Trump arrived in Scotland on Friday and wasted little time lashing out at European leaders over mass immigration, warning that the crisis is "killing" the continent and calling it a "horrible invasion." Trump fulfilled a key campaign promise by effectively closing the southern border with Mexico while Europe and the U.K., in particular, are still struggling to get to grips with the crisis as dozens of boats packed with illegal migrants continue to pour into the country every day from France. "On immigration, you better get your act together or you're not going to have Europe anymore," Trump said to reporters after landing at Prestwick airport on Friday evening. "You got to get your act together and last month we had nobody entering our country. Nobody. Shut it down. And we took out a lot of bad people that got there with Biden." Biden repeatedly had single days when apprehensions ranged from 8,000 to 10,000 migrants, with his highest single month being December 2023, when 249,785 Border Patrol apprehensions were recorded. "Biden was a total stiff. And what he allowed to happen," Trump continued, chiding his predecessor. "But you're allowing it to happen to your countries and you got to stop this horrible invasion that's happening to Europe." "Many countries in Europe, some people, some leaders have not let it happen. And they're not getting the proper credit. They should. I could name them to you right now, but I'm not going to embarrass the other ones. But stop this. Immigration is killing Europe." The U.K. saw a major surge in 2022 and 2023 when small boat crossings reached over 44,000 per year, according to government figures. Nearly 22,500 people have arrived in the U.K. so far this year after crossing the English Channel, up 57% on the same point last year. Net migration to the UK was 431,000 last year, down almost 50% from 2023. Hungary and Poland are two of the most prominent European countries to take hardline stances against immigration, particularly irregular migration and asylum seekers. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is a Trump ally. Trump is in the U.K. for a five-day trip where he will check in with his golf resorts in Turnberry and Aberdeen, as well as with British Prime Minister Kier Starmer and head of the Scottish government, First Minister John Swinney. The president is expected to discuss the latest U.S.-U.K. trade agreement, a deal dubbed the "Economic Prosperity Deal" last month, which agreed to slash tariffs. The U.K. is one of the few countries with which the U.S. has advanced its trade agreements under relatively amicable terms. "I like your prime minister. He's slightly more liberal than I am, as you've probably heard. But he's a good man, he got a trade deal done," Trump told reporters. "And they've been working on this deal for 12 years. He got it done. It's a good deal. It's a good deal for the U.K." Trump added that he would be meeting Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission about securing a trade deal with Europe. "We're meeting with the European Union. And that would be actually the biggest deal of them all if we make it," Trump said.
