"The ultimate goal, I suggest, was a translatio imperii; the establishment of an imperial monarchy in the west that could rival the Habsburg empire, and which in time, perhaps, might even come to imitate the universal glory of the Roman imperium. Not the American Atlantic seaboard, but rather the continent of Europe, with its arms, its learning, and its treasure, was the goal of Bacon’s early imperial vision."
#Image attribution: Yale Center for British Art, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons. Page URL: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Anonymous_-_Sir_Francis_Bacon,_1st_Viscount_St_Alban_-_B1977.14.9772_-_Yale_Center_for_British_Art.jpg
European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen has hinted that banning TikTok in the EU is not off the table.
Speaking at a debate ahead of the bloc’s 2024 election, von der Leyen said that the Commission was “the very first institution worldwide to ban TikTok on our corporate phones,” reports Politico, adding: “We know exactly the danger of TikTok.”
The EU is getting ready to launch an investigation into Meta over its handling of election-related content, reports @engadget
Full details of the investigation are expected later this week, but concerns have reportedly been raised about “deceptive advertising and political content” on Meta’s platforms. EU officials are also unhappy about Meta’s plan to shut down CrowdTangle in August, a move the researchers and fact checkers who use the tool have called a “direct threat to election integrity efforts around the world.”
Othering, peaking, populism and moral panics: The reactionary strategies of organised transphobia
Fran Amery and Aurelien Mondon
This article shows that organised transphobia is promoted using similar strategies and politics as the wider reactionary movement which has become increasingly mainstream. In particular, we outline the transphobic process of ‘othering’ based on moral panics, which seeks to construct, homogenise and exaggerate a threat and to naturalise it in the bodies and existence of the ‘Other’. Reactionary politics rely on authoritarian tendencies and strategies which aim to remove the rights of certain communities, and as such threaten wider demands for equal rights. They claim to speak on behalf of ‘the people’, in this case often (certain) women, against an elite which seeks to grant unfair rights and privileges to a mostly silent and silenced minority, even though said rights are precarious and limited, and power is rarely on their side. Rather than a bottom-up movement in defence of women, what we refer to as ‘organised transphobia’ is a top-down movement that relies on prominent platforms and privileged access to shaping public discourse to divert attention away from the real struggle most women and LGBTQ+ people are facing conjointly.
Russia's Zakharova, commenting on statements by the head of the German Foreign Ministry that Putin allegedly "wants to drag NATO into the conflict," advised her to buy a map and a history textbook:
"I would like to ask Baerbock: is she not aware that it was not Russian bases surrounding NATO countries, but NATO expanding eastward along Russia's perimeter? Buy Annalena a map, a history textbook, and some gum, so she talks less nonsense."
💡 The campaign for elections in the 🇪🇺 #EuropeanUnion is heating up… It is important to get active and ensure #SoftwareFreedom is part of the larger political debate ‼️
How can you do this? 🤔
ℹ️ We have just published some practical advices on how to advocate for #FreeSoftware in the coming months! 🚀
How about voting in the #EuropeanUnion, a 👉confederation of sovereign nation?
"All EU country also have the right to vote and stand as candidate in local or municipal elections in the country they live in, again under the same conditions as the...
"AI that manipulates human behavior or exploits people's vulnerabilities will also be forbidden": Yes, it's true, MBFC confirms that the source is credible and M. E. trusts the EU to do good in peace WAIT OUT
The Hungarian PM stated that Trump has “quite detailed plans” to end the war in Ukraine and he will not give Kiev a “single penny,” following their meeting in the US.
"He has a very clear vision that is hard to disagree with. He says the following: first, he will not give a single penny for the Russo-Ukrainian war.
That's why the war will end, because it's obvious that Ukraine cannot stand on its own two feet. […] If the Americans don't give money, then the Europeans won't be able to fund this war alone,” Orban said in an interview with the M1 tv channel.
Tech titans yield to new EU rules before March deadline
2024 will be a year of change for the world's biggest tech companies as they bow to EU rules that come into force next month, shaking up how Europeans use vastly popular platforms from Google to Instagram.
Brussels to approve recovery funds for Poland, media say
The European Commission is ready to approve the first payment for Poland from the EU Recovery and Resilience Facility, which could happen as soon as this week.
Slovakia’s Fico backtracks on criminal law reform after EU and domestic pressure
The government of Prime Minister Robert Fico has reinstated the statute of limitations for violent crimes and withdrawn a bill that would have weakened whistleblower protection, effectively backtracking on its initial controversial proposals to reform the penal code following criticism from the EU Commission and nationwide protests.
France seeks backing for EU-financed nuclear projects of common interest
French Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire said he would convene a meeting of pro-nuclear EU countries on 4 March to discuss the launch of an “Important Project of Common Interest (IPCEI)” in the field of nuclear power.
Sign European Citizens' Initiative to ban "conversion" practices in the EU ( eci.ec.europa.eu )
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