May 23, 2026
EU and Mexico Seal Trade Deal to Reduce Reliance on US | DW News
Rob Groves: Would Burnham’s Labour Finally Kill Off Brexit?
Brexit could only have appealed to Brexiteers on an emotional level. It couldn’t possibly have appealed to them on an intellectual level. How can I say this? Because Brexit defied common sense and because it defied all sensible laws of economics.
Voters were manipulated and hoodwinked into voting for Brexit by the few that were going to make a killing from it. Those arch-Brexiteers who led the people to drink from the poisoned chalice couldn’t have cared a damn for the well-being of the electorate because there were simply no real, concrete benefits attached to exiting the European Union.
As a result of Brexit, the British economy has suffered greatly: it has suffered a serious contraction. And people have suffered, too: they are much, much poorer than they ever needed to be. They have also lost all their rights as European citizens. That means FA to the superrich, of course, because they can afford to pay hundreds of thousands of pounds to buy back those lost privileges. But that is a luxury the average voter cannot afford.
Actually, Brexit brought with it a serious loss of rights and privileges. Here are just a few of them: Brits have lost the right to move to any EU nation to work, live, and retire; they have lost the right to move around Europe freely, and to stay for as long as they wanted; they have lost their right to free healthcare, even when on holiday, and in any EU nation; they have lost their right to vote in any EU election when living in an EU nation; and they have lost robust consumer protections as well. And all this just to fulfil and cater to the wet dreams of benighted europhobes and xenophobes! — © Mark Alexander
Why the Breath Is Leaving Trump's Regime | Steve Schmidt
Trump STINKS of CORRUPTION! How much longer are Americans going to tolerate this S***? Enough is enough! Don’t just lie down and play dead: Do something about it! This man is STEALING innocent, hard-working Americans’ tax dollars, their hard-earned money. — © Mark Alexander
May 22, 2026
UK Pitched Single Market for Goods with EU in Pursuit of Deeper Trade Ties
THE GUARDIAN: Exclusive: Top British official presented idea in Brussels but sources say it was rebuffed
This screenshot has been taken from this Guardian article. | UK government sources denied the EU had definitively rejected a single market for goods. Photograph: Steve Parsons/PA
The UK government pitched the creation of a single market for goods with the EU as the cornerstone of an ambitious attempt to reintegrate British trade back into Europe, the Guardian can reveal.
During recent visits to Brussels, the Cabinet Office’s top official on EU relations, Michael Ellam, presented the idea to deepen the UK’s economic relationship with the bloc.
But in a sign of the challenge Keir Starmer’s government faces in securing growth through a closer relationship with Europe, sources told the Guardian that EU officials rejected the idea – and instead suggested a customs union or economic alignment through the European Economic Area.
Those ideas are impossible under Starmer’s red lines. He said in 2024 the UK would not rejoin the EU, the single market or customs union in his lifetime. The EEA – a single market of 30 mostly EU countries – would also mean accepting free movement of people, another Labour red line.
UK government sources however, denied that the EU had definitively rejected a single market for goods and said it was among a range of options being discussed before a summit tentatively pencilled in for 13 July. » | Jennifer Rankin in Brussels and Rowena Mason | Friday, May 22, 2026
The UK government pitched the creation of a single market for goods with the EU as the cornerstone of an ambitious attempt to reintegrate British trade back into Europe, the Guardian can reveal.
During recent visits to Brussels, the Cabinet Office’s top official on EU relations, Michael Ellam, presented the idea to deepen the UK’s economic relationship with the bloc.
But in a sign of the challenge Keir Starmer’s government faces in securing growth through a closer relationship with Europe, sources told the Guardian that EU officials rejected the idea – and instead suggested a customs union or economic alignment through the European Economic Area.
Those ideas are impossible under Starmer’s red lines. He said in 2024 the UK would not rejoin the EU, the single market or customs union in his lifetime. The EEA – a single market of 30 mostly EU countries – would also mean accepting free movement of people, another Labour red line.
UK government sources however, denied that the EU had definitively rejected a single market for goods and said it was among a range of options being discussed before a summit tentatively pencilled in for 13 July. » | Jennifer Rankin in Brussels and Rowena Mason | Friday, May 22, 2026
Michael Lambert: Trump's $700 Billion Disaster | Why He Thinks He's Greater Than Alexander
May 22, 2026 | Donald Trump, the coiffured orange buffoon, has started a war that's cost the world $700 billion — and he genuinely believes history will remember him alongside Alexander the Great.
In this video I explain why the exact opposite is true. From his delusions of imperial grandeur — a Versailles ballroom, an Arc de Trump, his face on banknotes and passports — to a cabinet of sycophants and a Treasury Secretary who couldn't tell the truth about who pays tariffs, this is the story of a president who has lost his grip on reality.
And it gets worse. His war on Iran has thrown the Middle East into chaos, blocked the Strait of Hormuz, and the economic fallout is hitting Britain too — higher petrol prices, disrupted trade, all on top of the damage already done by Brexit.
Meanwhile, his biggest cheerleader in the UK is Nigel Farage — the same man who gave you Brexit and told you we'd have £350 million a week for the NHS. If you think Trump's America is a disaster, imagine Farage's Britain. …
I loved Michael Lambert’s colourful description of the failed president as the “coiffured orange buffoon” in the White House! It caused me to burst into laughter!
I totally agree with Michael’s synopsis. Both of the situation in America and of the situation in the world under Trump, and of the distinctly possible scenario of Britain under our very own home-grown buffoon, Nigel Farage.
His assessment of the situation is absolutely spot-on, but oh so depressing! All we can hope for, I suppose, is a miracle to help us avert total and utter disaster. — © Mark Alexander
In this video I explain why the exact opposite is true. From his delusions of imperial grandeur — a Versailles ballroom, an Arc de Trump, his face on banknotes and passports — to a cabinet of sycophants and a Treasury Secretary who couldn't tell the truth about who pays tariffs, this is the story of a president who has lost his grip on reality.
And it gets worse. His war on Iran has thrown the Middle East into chaos, blocked the Strait of Hormuz, and the economic fallout is hitting Britain too — higher petrol prices, disrupted trade, all on top of the damage already done by Brexit.
Meanwhile, his biggest cheerleader in the UK is Nigel Farage — the same man who gave you Brexit and told you we'd have £350 million a week for the NHS. If you think Trump's America is a disaster, imagine Farage's Britain. …
I loved Michael Lambert’s colourful description of the failed president as the “coiffured orange buffoon” in the White House! It caused me to burst into laughter!
I totally agree with Michael’s synopsis. Both of the situation in America and of the situation in the world under Trump, and of the distinctly possible scenario of Britain under our very own home-grown buffoon, Nigel Farage.
His assessment of the situation is absolutely spot-on, but oh so depressing! All we can hope for, I suppose, is a miracle to help us avert total and utter disaster. — © Mark Alexander
Investitionen, Zölle, Rohstoffe: Mexiko und EU besiegeln neues Abkommen
BERLINER ZEITUNG: Mehr als 90 Prozent des Handels sollen künftig ohne Zölle abgewickelt werden. Gegen die Ratifizierung mobilisiert ein Bündnis aus Gewerkschaften und Umweltgruppen.
Die Europäische Union und Mexiko wollen am Freitag in Mexiko-Stadt ein modernisiertes Handels- und Partnerschaftsabkommen unterzeichnen. Der neue Vertrag soll nach Ratifikation das seit dem Jahr 2000 geltende Globalabkommen ersetzen. Das Dokument wird die Unterschriften von Mexikos Präsidentin Claudia Sheinbaum, EU-Kommissionspräsidentin Ursula von der Leyen und Ratspräsident António Costa tragen.
Vorgezogenes Handelsabkommen noch 2026
Parallel wollen beide Seiten ein vorgezogenes reines Handelsabkommen unterzeichnen, das vor dem Gesamtpaket in Kraft treten soll. EU-Handelskommissar Maroš Šefčovič sagte beim Unternehmergipfel am Donnerstag laut der Tageszeitung El Universal, dieses Interimsabkommen solle noch 2026 wirksam werden. Nötig seien dafür noch die Ratifizierung durch den mexikanischen Senat und die EU-Seite. » | Peter Steiniger | Freitag, 22. Mai 2026
Die Europäische Union und Mexiko wollen am Freitag in Mexiko-Stadt ein modernisiertes Handels- und Partnerschaftsabkommen unterzeichnen. Der neue Vertrag soll nach Ratifikation das seit dem Jahr 2000 geltende Globalabkommen ersetzen. Das Dokument wird die Unterschriften von Mexikos Präsidentin Claudia Sheinbaum, EU-Kommissionspräsidentin Ursula von der Leyen und Ratspräsident António Costa tragen.
Vorgezogenes Handelsabkommen noch 2026
Parallel wollen beide Seiten ein vorgezogenes reines Handelsabkommen unterzeichnen, das vor dem Gesamtpaket in Kraft treten soll. EU-Handelskommissar Maroš Šefčovič sagte beim Unternehmergipfel am Donnerstag laut der Tageszeitung El Universal, dieses Interimsabkommen solle noch 2026 wirksam werden. Nötig seien dafür noch die Ratifizierung durch den mexikanischen Senat und die EU-Seite. » | Peter Steiniger | Freitag, 22. Mai 2026
« Leur système économique ne fonctionne pas » : les États-Unis se disent «déterminés» à imposer un changement à Cuba
LE FIGARO : Marco Rubio, lui-même d’origine cubaine et farouche opposant au gouvernement communiste, a cependant dit que les États-Unis espéraient éviter le recours à la force et privilégier « une solution diplomatique ».
Le secrétaire d'État américain Marco Rubio a averti jeudi Cuba que les États-Unis étaient « déterminés » à imposer un changement dans l'île communiste, au lendemain de l'inculpation par la justice américaine de l'ex-président cubain Raul Castro. « Leur système économique ne fonctionne pas. Il est défaillant, et on ne peut pas le réparer avec le système politique actuel », a déclaré Marco Rubio aux journalistes depuis sa ville natale de Miami.
« Ce à quoi ils se sont habitués toutes ces années, c'est simplement de gagner du temps et d'attendre que nous nous lassions », a-t-il ajouté. « Ils ne pourront ni faire traîner les choses ni gagner du temps. Nous sommes très sérieux, très déterminés. » Le chef de la diplomatie américaine, lui-même d'origine cubaine et farouche opposant au gouvernement communiste, a cependant dit que les États-Unis espéraient éviter le recours à la force et privilégier « une solution diplomatique ». » | Par Le Figaro avec AFP | vendredi 22 mai 2026
Je ne suis absolument pas un partisan du communisme, mais affirmer que le système économique cubain ne fonctionne pas est aussi ridicule que stupide. Pour que le système économique cubain puisse fonctionner, il faut le laisser tranquille. Aucun système économique, qu'il soit communiste ou capitaliste, ne peut fonctionner s'il est soumis à des sanctions permanentes et qu'on ne lui laisse aucune chance de se développer. Les déclarations dénonçant le dysfonctionnement du système économique cubain ne sont que des manœuvres de tromperie. La Maison Blanche le sait pertinemment, mais cela sert son discours belliqueux et son intention d'envahir l'île. — © Mark Alexander
Le secrétaire d'État américain Marco Rubio a averti jeudi Cuba que les États-Unis étaient « déterminés » à imposer un changement dans l'île communiste, au lendemain de l'inculpation par la justice américaine de l'ex-président cubain Raul Castro. « Leur système économique ne fonctionne pas. Il est défaillant, et on ne peut pas le réparer avec le système politique actuel », a déclaré Marco Rubio aux journalistes depuis sa ville natale de Miami.
« Ce à quoi ils se sont habitués toutes ces années, c'est simplement de gagner du temps et d'attendre que nous nous lassions », a-t-il ajouté. « Ils ne pourront ni faire traîner les choses ni gagner du temps. Nous sommes très sérieux, très déterminés. » Le chef de la diplomatie américaine, lui-même d'origine cubaine et farouche opposant au gouvernement communiste, a cependant dit que les États-Unis espéraient éviter le recours à la force et privilégier « une solution diplomatique ». » | Par Le Figaro avec AFP | vendredi 22 mai 2026
Je ne suis absolument pas un partisan du communisme, mais affirmer que le système économique cubain ne fonctionne pas est aussi ridicule que stupide. Pour que le système économique cubain puisse fonctionner, il faut le laisser tranquille. Aucun système économique, qu'il soit communiste ou capitaliste, ne peut fonctionner s'il est soumis à des sanctions permanentes et qu'on ne lui laisse aucune chance de se développer. Les déclarations dénonçant le dysfonctionnement du système économique cubain ne sont que des manœuvres de tromperie. La Maison Blanche le sait pertinemment, mais cela sert son discours belliqueux et son intention d'envahir l'île. — © Mark Alexander
Trump's Failure in Iran Has Turned US into a Global 'Loser' | Professor Robert Pape
Trump is a failed president! — © Mark Alexander
Exclusive Interview with the Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar
What a delightful and sensible political leader! Very likeable indeed. A breath of fresh air after the corrupt Orbán with his antediluvian and fossilized ideas and thinking!
Was für ein entzückender und vernünftiger Politiker! Wirklich sehr sympathisch. Eine Wohltat nach dem korrupten Orbán mit seinen veralteten und versteinerten Ideen und seinem Denken!
Quel dirigeant politique charmant et sensé ! Vraiment très sympathique. Un vrai bol d'air frais après le corrompu Orbán et ses idées archaïques et dépassées ! — © Mark Alexander
Steve Rosenberg: "Russia and Belarus Flex Their Nuclear Muscles," Reports Russian Paper
May 21, 2026
Trump’s Corruption Scandal Just Exploded
So why are Americans tolerating Trump’s corruption? — © Mark Alexander
Inside the Broligarchy: Is Big Tech Running US Politics? | DW News
Why Cuban Cigars Are So Expensive | So Expensive
Jul 11, 2026 | Cuban cigars hold a reputation as the world's most opulent tobacco product. A box of good quality Habanos can cost thousands of dollars.
Every hand-rolled Cuban cigar goes through about 500 manual tasks from seed to cigar. But over the last 25 years, cigars made in other countries in the Caribbean and Central America have become comparable in quality, consistency, and cost.
Some experts suggest that up to 95% of all Cuban cigars in the US, which hasn't allowed the import of Cuban cigars since the 1962 embargo, are actually counterfeit.
So why are Cuban cigars so desirable? And is that why they're so expensive?
Every hand-rolled Cuban cigar goes through about 500 manual tasks from seed to cigar. But over the last 25 years, cigars made in other countries in the Caribbean and Central America have become comparable in quality, consistency, and cost.
Some experts suggest that up to 95% of all Cuban cigars in the US, which hasn't allowed the import of Cuban cigars since the 1962 embargo, are actually counterfeit.
So why are Cuban cigars so desirable? And is that why they're so expensive?
Guerre au Moyen-Orient : l’inflation va quasiment doubler en Europe cette année
LE FIGARO : La Commission prévoit désormais une croissance de 1,1 %, cette année, après 1,5 % en 2025. La projection a été abaissée de 0,3 point. L’inflation repart en forte hausse sous l’effet du choc énergétique. » | Par Anne de Guigné | jeudi 21 mai 2026
Steve Rosenberg: No Deal on Gas Pipeline at Putin-Xi Meeting
Clearly They Don’t Like…’: Kallas Blasts Vance, Trump for ‘Profound Hostility’ to Europe
May 20, 2026
Xi Says World Is At Risk of ‘Law of the Jungle’ as He Hails China-Russia Links
THE GUARDIAN: Chinese president hosts Putin in Beijing and welcomes relationship as stabilising global force
Xi Jinping said the world was at risk of regressing into the “law of the jungle” and hailed the China-Russia relationship as a stabilising global force as he hosted Vladimir Putin in Beijing on Wednesday, just days after hosting Donald Trump.
The Chinese leader welcomed the Russian president with pomp and pageantry as the pair began talks in the Great Hall of the People.
Chinese soldiers stood in position as a military band played the Russian and Chinese national anthems for the leaders in central Beijing. Children waved Russian and Chinese flags and cheered: “Welcome, welcome!” in Chinese before the pair entered the Great Hall.
The scene was reminiscent of Trump’s high-profile meeting with Xi in Beijing last week, when the leaders of the world’s two largest economies discussed issues from trade and investment, to the Iran conflict and Taiwan. » | Alastair McCready in Taipei | Wednesday, May 20, 2026
Xi Jinping said the world was at risk of regressing into the “law of the jungle” and hailed the China-Russia relationship as a stabilising global force as he hosted Vladimir Putin in Beijing on Wednesday, just days after hosting Donald Trump.
The Chinese leader welcomed the Russian president with pomp and pageantry as the pair began talks in the Great Hall of the People.
Chinese soldiers stood in position as a military band played the Russian and Chinese national anthems for the leaders in central Beijing. Children waved Russian and Chinese flags and cheered: “Welcome, welcome!” in Chinese before the pair entered the Great Hall.
The scene was reminiscent of Trump’s high-profile meeting with Xi in Beijing last week, when the leaders of the world’s two largest economies discussed issues from trade and investment, to the Iran conflict and Taiwan. » | Alastair McCready in Taipei | Wednesday, May 20, 2026
Face à l’Occident, Xi Jinping et Vladimir Poutine affichent un partenariat énergétique « sans limites »
LE FIGARO : DÉCRYPTAGE - Le président russe a promu un projet de gazoduc lors de sa visite à Pékin. Un atout pour échapper au blocage du détroit d’Ormuz, malgré les divergences d’intérêts entre les deux pays sur le conflit en Iran.
Visage poupon, un jeune Vladimir Poutine pose avec un garçonnet asiatique face aux eaux turbides du lac Beihai, lors de sa première visite en Chine, en 2000. Un quart de siècle plus tard, un président russe aux traits émaciés a retrouvé l’enfant devenu ingénieur joufflu, ce 20 mai, à Pékin, en marge de sa visite auprès de son « cher ami » Xi Jinping, sur les pas de Donald Trump. Des retrouvailles nostalgiques avec ce diplômé de l’université de Moscou, mises en avant par la presse russe pour souligner l’ancienneté des liens tissés entre Poutine et l’empire du Milieu, où le chef du Kremlin a effectué sa vingt-cinquième visite, quelques jours après celle du président américain.
Alors que le régime communiste orchestre une timide détente avec l’Amérique, la Russie est venue serrer les rangs auprès d’un géant asiatique plus indispensable que jamais à son effort de guerre face à l’Ukraine. Les relations russo-chinoises ont atteint des « hauteurs sans précédent », malgré des « facteurs extérieurs défavorables », s’est félicité Poutine, sous les ors staliniens du Grand Hall du peuple. Son ambition est d’approfondir entre les deux pays le « partenariat sans limites » sur le plan énergétique, alors que l’offensive américaine contre l’Iran perturbe les approvisionnements de l’usine du Monde. » | Par Sébastien Falletti, correspondant en Asie | mercredi 20 mai 2026
Réservé aux abonnés
Visage poupon, un jeune Vladimir Poutine pose avec un garçonnet asiatique face aux eaux turbides du lac Beihai, lors de sa première visite en Chine, en 2000. Un quart de siècle plus tard, un président russe aux traits émaciés a retrouvé l’enfant devenu ingénieur joufflu, ce 20 mai, à Pékin, en marge de sa visite auprès de son « cher ami » Xi Jinping, sur les pas de Donald Trump. Des retrouvailles nostalgiques avec ce diplômé de l’université de Moscou, mises en avant par la presse russe pour souligner l’ancienneté des liens tissés entre Poutine et l’empire du Milieu, où le chef du Kremlin a effectué sa vingt-cinquième visite, quelques jours après celle du président américain.
Alors que le régime communiste orchestre une timide détente avec l’Amérique, la Russie est venue serrer les rangs auprès d’un géant asiatique plus indispensable que jamais à son effort de guerre face à l’Ukraine. Les relations russo-chinoises ont atteint des « hauteurs sans précédent », malgré des « facteurs extérieurs défavorables », s’est félicité Poutine, sous les ors staliniens du Grand Hall du peuple. Son ambition est d’approfondir entre les deux pays le « partenariat sans limites » sur le plan énergétique, alors que l’offensive américaine contre l’Iran perturbe les approvisionnements de l’usine du Monde. » | Par Sébastien Falletti, correspondant en Asie | mercredi 20 mai 2026
Réservé aux abonnés
Democracy Now! "Dictatorship in Action": David Cay Johnston on $1.8 Billion Slush Fund
May 20, 2026 | In a shocking and unprecedented move, the Justice Department issued a memo Tuesday saying the IRS is "forever barred" from investigating past tax returns of President Trump, his family, company and "related companies." It came just a day after the department announced the creation of a $1.776 billion "anti-weaponization" fund to "compensate" people prosecuted for supposedly political reasons by the Biden and Obama administrations — a move expected to benefit January 6 insurrectionists, other Trump allies and even Trump himself. It's all part of an agreement between the Department of Justice and President Trump's personal attorneys in exchange for Trump dropping a $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS over leaked tax returns. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche — President Trump's former personal attorney — will appoint the commission overseeing the Justice Department's new fund.
"This is dictatorship in action," says reporter David Cay Johnston. He calls the "anti-weaponization" fund "a slush fund to pay a criminal enforcement arm, a violent arm of Trump supporters to intimidate people" and says the order to not investigate the Trump family's dealings "screams that Donald Trump is, in fact, a criminal-level tax cheat."
As I stated below: Trump’s presidency is nothing but a SHITSHOW! This slush fund underscores my point perfectly. — © Mark Alexander
Democracy Now! can be supported here.
"This is dictatorship in action," says reporter David Cay Johnston. He calls the "anti-weaponization" fund "a slush fund to pay a criminal enforcement arm, a violent arm of Trump supporters to intimidate people" and says the order to not investigate the Trump family's dealings "screams that Donald Trump is, in fact, a criminal-level tax cheat."
As I stated below: Trump’s presidency is nothing but a SHITSHOW! This slush fund underscores my point perfectly. — © Mark Alexander
Democracy Now! can be supported here.
Chris Hedges: Why You Should Hate the Rich Even More (w/ Rob Larson)
NB: I post this not because I agree with all viewpoints expressed therein; rather, I post this very interesting video for the insights it gives us all into the workings of the American élite. It should be noted well that Chris Hedges , despite being born into great wealth and privilege, is a socialist. I do not share his political and ideological bias in this matter, even though I have the greatest respect for his erudition and intellect.
My own political position is very moderate: I decide on each political issue based on its merits and demerits. That means to say that whether I am on the right or the left depends on what is being considered. So, in general, I am neither left nor right. As far as I am concerned. neither side has a monopoly on the truth.
In many ways, I despise this left-right divide in society, in the economy. The divide is very contentious and it is inclined to cripple the possibility of finding a sensible way forward.
The main thread in my political and economic thinking is that an economy should work for the good of all citizens, for the rich and poor alike. — © Mark Alexander
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