General Current Affairs Chat - Global and Local

[isha]

Mauna Loa, the biggest volcano in the world (Hawaii), has started erupting for the first time in 40 years. Because, why not, I suppose

[95438756]

Putin says 'Nyet' to bilateral talks with US

[isha]

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-63658818

I was going to make a thread on it. But it is too depressing.

One in five children in the Philippines are at risk of child sex abuse. Over the pandemic business boomed, because schools were closed and parents were strapped for cash. So here's another unspeakably rotten thing lockdowns caused.

The parents, often the mothers, abuse their children online for money from paedophiles all around the world. In some poor areas it is reported to be absolutely endemic. The Philippines is the biggest source of online child sex abuse material in the world.

It is beyond depraved. All the people who produce this material and all the people who one can verify have paid for this should just be lined up against the wall wherever they live and shot dead. I don't care about due process, the world would be better off without every single one of those vile bastards.

[KHD]

Mauna Loa, the biggest volcano in the world (Hawaii), has started erupting for the first time in 40 years. Because, why not, I suppose

Some nice aerial footage of it.

[95438756]

Surveillance collected in six counties can be used in Hutch Trial
https://www.rte.ie/news/2022/1202/1339615-hutch-trial/

[KHD]

Looks like a Nazi plot to retake the Reichstag was thwarted in Germany this morning.

Federal prosecutors say 25 suspected members and supporters of the Reichsburger group - the so-called Reich Citizens movement - were detained during the raids in 11 of the country's 16 states early on Wednesday.

https://news.sky.com/story/german-polic ... t-12763188

[95438756]

Further Suspect in Lockerbie bombing of Pan am flight 103 in US Custody
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-63933837

[knownunknown]

Further Suspect in Lockerbie bombing of Pan am flight 103 in US Custody
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-63933837

The last guy spent only 8 years in prison before being released on compassionate grounds? Something about this does not seem right.

[KHD]

The Serbs and Albanians are at each other's throats again in Kosovo.

https://www.euractiv.com/section/politi ... -military/

[Del.Monte]

The Serbs and Albanians are at each other's throats again in Kosovo.

https://www.euractiv.com/section/politi ... -military/

Two countries that wish to join the EU and that our overlords would love to welcome.

[marhay70]

Two countries that wish to join the EU and that our overlords would love to welcome.

I saw a small piece of a discussion about this on Euronews last night. Reading between the lines, the real reason we want these countries in the EU is to combat the Russian influence in the Balkans. Didn't really work with Hungary or Bulgaria from what I can see.

[KHD]

I saw a small piece of a discussion about this on Euronews last night. Reading between the lines, the real reason we want these countries in the EU is to combat the Russian influence in the Balkans. Didn't really work with Hungary or Bulgaria from what I can see.

You are correct as far as I'm concern with regard Russian influence in the Balkans. Serbia and Montenegro in particular. But also there are at least 5 countries in the EU that do not recognise Kosovo, if I can recall correctly these are Greece, Bulgaria, Spain, Cypress and I think Slovakia.

There is obviously some shenanigans going on here in all of this, and an extremely wreckless move as a conflict could kick off again quite easily if people are backed into corners with no way out. The fact that Kosovo is applying for candidacy of the EU on December the 15th, means that there are some countries in the EU with a hand in this, they would not be applying otherwise. From media reports on some of the statements by the likes of Borrell and Baerbock, basically saying it is unacceptable that the Serbian Prime Minister is asking Nato's KFOR to allow the sending of Serbian security forces to protect the local Serbian population in this region, which he is entitled to under security resolution 1244 and the Dutch parliament voting to "Punish" Serbia over not getting in line with the Russian sanctions, which would be political suicide for any Serbian government to go along with, considering the Serbian population is very pro Russian, it is clear to me that the EU are doing the stoking of the fire here. Its lunacy.

Anyway, I'll shut up with my conspiracy theories, but it would be sad to see another Balkans conflict spark off again as the last one really stuck in my mind, probably cause it would have been the first real war I saw on the TV and newspapers and I also befriended some Croatian refugees who came over, used to go off fishing with them... nice lads but it was either stay and kill your neighbour, or get out via Germany.

[marhay70]

You are correct as far as I'm concern with regard Russian influence in the Balkans. Serbia and Montenegro in particular. But also there are at least 5 countries in the EU that do not recognise Kosovo, if I can recall correctly these are Greece, Bulgaria, Spain, Cypress and I think Slovakia.

There is obviously some shenanigans going on here in all of this, and an extremely wreckless move as a conflict could kick off again quite easily if people are backed into corners with no way out. The fact that Kosovo is applying for candidacy of the EU on December the 15th, means that there are some countries in the EU with a hand in this, they would not be applying otherwise. From media reports on some of the statements by the likes of Borrell and Baerbock, basically saying it is unacceptable that the Serbian Prime Minister is asking Nato's KFOR to allow the sending of Serbian security forces to protect the local Serbian population in this region, which he is entitled to under security resolution 1244 and the Dutch parliament voting to "Punish" Serbia over not getting in line with the Russian sanctions, which would be political suicide for any Serbian government to go along with, considering the Serbian population is very pro Russian, it is clear to me that the EU are doing the stoking of the fire here. Its lunacy.

Anyway, I'll shut up with my conspiracy theories, but it would be sad to see another Balkans conflict spark off again as the last one really stuck in my mind, probably cause it would have been the first real war I saw on the TV and newspapers and I also befriended some Croatian refugees who came over, used to go off fishing with them... nice lads but it was either stay and kill your neighbour, or get out via Germany.

Tito kept the lid on a lot of this stuff but once he was gone and Yugoslavia was broken up, it was odds on that it would kick off again. Relationship problems date back before Austria/Hungary and the Ottoman Empire. God himself would have difficulties solving this and really, the EU would be better off without Serbia, they have been pro Russian for long before Yugoslavia.

[KHD]

EU is basically getting too big as far as I'm concerned. Bigger it becomes the more insignificant the likes of Ireland becomes in the whole scheme of things. And I agree, leave Serbia and Kosovo to it's own devices... it's like the Taiwan / China situation on a smaller scale... leave them at it there is no need to get involved its only hassle at the end of the day.

[KHD]

Anyway, speaking of the EU, I see the Vice President of the EU Parliment was found with "bags of cash" in her house. At least cash won't be going out of circulation for a while if this is the sort of thing that's going on. Cash is still king.

https://www.rte.ie/news/world/2022/1212 ... -sanction/

[Del.Monte]

Corruption at the highest level in the EU - who would ever have thought it.

[KHD]

Corruption at the highest level in the EU - who would ever have thought it.

Sorry found this is funny, guess who was the first to troll the European Parliament about this news this morning ? Victor Orban , after the EU Parliament urged EU member states two or so weeks ago to freeze EU funds destinated to Hungary over corruption concerns. He looks like someone from the Sopranos.

https://www.politico.eu/article/hungary ... n-scandal/

Feckin autocorrect is doing my head in.

[95438756]

A shadow of the 'dont be evil' spirit still at google

BBC News - Hong Kong anthem: Google won't alter search results amid protest song row
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-63983802

[Setanta]

One Irish soldier killed,another injured in the Lebanon last night

https://www.rte.ie/news/2022/1215/13419 ... h-lebanon/

[knownunknown]

There are so many unanswered questions here, if he made the phone call in toilet why didn’t he just lock himself in and wait for police?

The story of the attack on Pelosi’s home just keeps getting weirder and weirder. His son has been quoted as saying, “ He isn't a danger to society, I don't even know if he even attacked Mr. Pelosi. For all that we know he was some sort of sex slave, as Elon Musk pointed out.'”

[Hairy-Joe]

So, we got a "new" gaffer.........

Oh yawn.

[KHD]

So, we got a "new" gaffer.........

Oh yawn.

Same shite, different face.

[KHD]

Big story in the middle east. Assad still in power, American forces will have no option but to pull out, surrounded by hostile countries apart from maybe Jordan for a supply route and an extraction route for robbed Syrian oil.

https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/20 ... -and-putin

[Hairy-Joe]

Big story in the middle east. Assad still in power, American forces will have no option but to pull out, surrounded by hostile countries apart from maybe Jordan for a supply route and an extraction route for robbed Syrian oil.

https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/20 ... -and-putin

Erdogan changes his tune more often than our own crowd!

That man is playing both sides and if he's not careful, he'll fall between the two trying to keep both happy.

[Hairy-Joe]

Well, Eamonn is digging his heels in.....

https://www.newstalk.com/news/we-are-go ... ad-1412569

Now, how's that going to help a bog man like me in West Cork get to work when it's 3 HOURS by public transport to get to work with two buses (25 min by car)?