The UK has begun to support the US in attacking Yemen’s Houthi militia. The British Ministry of Defense said on Wednesday its forces had conducted joint airstrikes against what it claimed was a Houthi-controlled military facility.

The development came against the backdrop of Houthi-linked reports stating that another US attack hit a migrant detention center, resulting in dozens of civilian deaths. At least 68 African migrants were killed in the strike on the facility on Monday, the militia’s Al Masirah TV Channel reported, adding that 47 people were injured. A US defense official said that the nation’s military were aware of the claims about civilian casualties.

US President Donald Trump launched a large-scale air and naval strike campaign against Yemen-based Houthi targets last month to protect shipping in the Red Sea from Houthi attacks.

I cannot compete with chosen mediocrity

Mutters my friend who has not entered the prizes

Where for the first time in human history

The director and the curator being shemales

More women than men have been represented

Proudly chosen as the website emphasises

(The commentary may be conjuring lesbian trails)

For the best and worst portraits in the gallery

And for the best meaningless landscapes 

Plus all the dull social smoke dystopia escapes

Where for the last time hopefully in history

Art is going down the chute at warp speed

Provided by mushy simple minds full of weed

Rubbish tip beckons or a cleansing fire

Not being there makes you a winner

Says my/he/she/them in a lemon voice bitter

And the critics full of self-important ire

Know art-beauty is in the eye of the beholder

Media freedom is deteriorating in a number of EU countries, according to a recent report by the Civil Liberties Union for Europe (Liberties). The group has claimed that pluralism and freedom of speech are “under attack” as media companies become increasingly controlled by governments and wealthy owners.

In the Media Freedom 2025 report, the authors have outlined a range of pressures facing journalists and independent outlets, including legal and physical threats, declining ownership transparency, and political interference in public broadcasting.

The group has warned that these factors have had a significant impact on the work of the media, limiting the diversity of opinions and the independence of publications, reducing public trust in content.

New polling demonstrates that most voters see President Donald Trump as a dangerous politician and view his leadership style as dictatorial.

In Truth Social posts earlier this week, Trump seemed to confirm that point of view, expressing disdain for the press and demanding firings at news companies that published data showcasing voters’ negative views of his presidency 100 days into his second term.

 

Poll: Majority of Voters View Trump as “Dictator” Who Threatens Democratic Norms
Trump has demanded prosecutions against outlets that have published his low polling numbers, calling media “the enemy.”
By Chris Walker

 

With Johann Wadephul, the center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) will once again field the German foreign minister. It will be the first time in almost 60 years. The 62-year-old from northern Germany, who has made a name for himself as a foreign policy expert in the Bundestag, is a trusted confidant of likely Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

 

Johann Wadephul to become Germany's new Foreign Minister
Nina Werkhäuser

 

The mainstream Western media and global, alternative media outlets have been delivering a remarkable converging stream of blistering commentary since 2 April on what is now widely called, even by The Economist, Trump’s tariff tantrum.

 

Richard Cullen

Who holds the better cards – China or the US?

 

The Irish-language hip hop trio Kneecap is being investigated by British counterterrorism police following a controversial appearance where the group performed in front of the words “FUCK ISRAEL, FREE PALESTINE” during a music festival in the United States.

 

Zionism Is The Single Greatest Threat To Free Speech In The Western World Today

CAITLIN JOHNSTONE

 

Days away from the Federal Election, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has yet to offer the voting public any reason to elect him, writes Dr Alex Vickery-Howe.

People are being asked to vote for the Coalition on the grounds that it is better at managing the economy. But the current evidence does not back up that claim.

For generations, the Liberal Party has asserted that it is better than Labor at managing the economy. This election, Peter Dutton has repeated this message more than ever.

 

Michael Keating

Who will better manage the economy: Labor or the Coalition?

 

But what is the evidence? A proper assessment of which party will be the better economic manager should be based on a consideration of their:

Of all the people I meet on my short swing through America’s midwest, the gruff man who lived at a roadside ranch called Hog’s Haven near the Minnesota-Iowa border might have said it best.

Despite the big blue banner on his property declaring “TRUMP: Keeping America Great”, he didn’t want to talk about it. “I’m not into politics, I just put the sign up,” the man said when I knocked on his door. Donald Trump, he told me, was “better than what we had before”.

 

The world is consumed by Trump’s chaos. In MAGA heartland, they’ve barely noticed

Polls show the president has lost his sheen. But from “Hog’s Haven” to a hair salon in rural Kentucky, Americans who voted for Donald Trump still think he’s their best chance.

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius voiced skepticism about Russian President Vladimir Putin's unilateral ceasefire in Ukraine. Meanwhile, Ukraine said a Russian drone strike killed a young girl. DW has the latest.

Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said he was skeptical about Russian President Vladimir Putin's May 8-10 cease-fire in Ukraine.

 

Ukraine updates: Germany doubtful of Putin's 3-day ceasefire
Dmytro Hubenko with AP, AFP, dpa, Reuters

 

The defense minister said that recent experience shows that such declarations often amount to little. 

All of Kellogg’s underlying assumptions lacked any basis in reality. Yet Trump seemingly took them on trust.

Political warfare in Washington is endemic. But the body count at the Pentagon has started to rise precipitously. Three of Secretary of Defence Hegseth’s top advisors were placed on leave, and then fired. The war continues, with the Secretary now in the firing line.

 

GREAT CARTOON FROM CATHY WILCOX — SMH 29/04/2025.....

 

Hairdresser Renee Johnson hears a lot in her Muswellbrook hair and beauty salon. 

But one thing she has not heard, in the two weeks since the federal election campaign kicked off, is anything from either major party that would cement her vote. 

She is still undecided.

As a small business owner in a traditional mining town, her biggest fear, and one that she shares with her customers, is job insecurity. 

In the lead-up to the Australia election, new research examines the ALP and Coalition messaging and policy on the People’s Republic of China.

 

Elena Collinson

Framing the future: Australia’s China policy in the lead-up to the 2025 election

 

The report, from the Australia-China Relations Institute at the University of Technology Sydney, examines how these positions are evolving under increased international pressure and domestic scrutiny. The key findings of the report are:

THE IRAQ WAR WAS A MASSIVE DECEPTION WHICH WAS EASY TO UNPICK EXCEPT FOR THE MMMM (MEDIOCRE MASS MEDIA DE MIERDA). THE WAR IN YUCKRAINE IS A MORE COMPLEX DECEPTION WHICH STARTED WAY BACK IN 1917, WHEN THE AMERICAN EMPIRE DECIDED TO DESTROY RUSSIA...

HOPEFULLY WE ARE SEEING THE END OF THE WAR IN THIS PART OF THE WORLD, BUT THE DECEPTION WITH A TRUMPIAN TWIST MAY CONTINUE... THE EUROPEAN UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF THEIR AMERICAN TUTORED LEADERS, AND THE ENGLISH EMPIRE, UNDER THE THUMB OF MI6, ARE STILL ACTIVELY OVERTLY PURSUING THE CAPER... 

OBAMA, BORIS JOHNSON AND JOE BIDEN ARE THE MODERN REPRESENTATIVES OF THIS PUSH TO DESTROY RUSSIA... RUSSIA HAS BEEN EXTRAORDINARILY LUCKY TO HAVE VLADIMIR PUTIN AT THE HELM...