The Élysée Palace has derided as “disinformation” claims being promoted by Kremlin figures that Emmanuel Macron took cocaine with Friedrich Merz, the German chancellor, and Keir Starmer while on a train travelling to Kyiv.

The false claims, which emerged on pro-Russian social media channels before being taken up by a Kremlin spokesperson and another official, come amid a recent surge in Kremlin efforts to marginalise European efforts to support Ukraine.

Dumped cabinet minister Ed Husic believes speaking out on the conflict in Gaza may have contributed to his demotion as he fired shots at factional bosses behind the decision. 

The former industry and science minister lashed Richard Marles, with the move to ditch him thought to have been signed off by the Victorian right faction leader and deputy prime minister.

Speaking frankly after his ousting, Mr Husic said Mr Marles had chosen to “wield the factional club to reshape the ministry”.

“When people look at a deputy prime minister, they expect to see a statesman, not a factional assassin,” he told ABC’s Insiders program on Sunday.

Asked if Mr Marles put his ambition to boost his numbers ahead of the good of the Labor Party and government, Mr Husic said “a lot of people would draw that conclusion”.

Russia is determined to find a long-term solution to the Ukraine conflict but will not allow itself to be spoken to in the “language of ultimatums,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists on Monday.

On Sunday, Russian President Vladimir Putin offered to restart direct negotiations with Ukraine without any preconditions. Kiev, however, has insisted on establishing a 30-day ceasefire before any talks are held. Ukraine’s European backers have supported this demand. Berlin is threatening to impose additional sanctions on Moscow if it does not agree to a truce by the end of May 12.

Peskov responded to Germany’s threat by stressing that “the language of ultimatums is unacceptable for Russia.”

Four years ago, a fresh-faced Max Chandler-Mather spoke passionately about his '18-year plan for a Greens government'. 

The former union organiser and Greens firebrand said his ambitious plot relied on a simple equation: you get one vote for every three meaningful conversations you have with Australian voters. 

If, he argued with hopelessly naïve logic, Greens volunteers just had 1,866,216 meaningful conversations with Australian voters, they could seize power by 2040.

His equation would deliver them a total 45 seats, making them the senior party in a Coalition with Labor on just 44. 

A climate scientist from a leading Australian university has warned the unseasonably warm May weather in Western Australia and across the nation is a sign of things to come, because of the damage caused by climate change.

Perth has had maximum temperatures in the low 30s and high 20s for much of May, and the forecast is for maximums above 25 degrees Celsius to continue over the next seven days.

A number of regional areas have had unseasonably warm weather, with some experiencing dry spells as well.

"In places in WA we've seen max temps around eight to 10 degrees above normal in the last few days with this more recent spell of heat," said Dr Andrew King from the University of Melbourne.

UK news sources on Monday reported that Westminster lobby journalists were handed a guidebook aimed at addressing their failure to adequately cover the ongoing genocide in Gaza. The handbook, distributed by the Independent Alliance group of MPs, seeks to confront mainstream media's failure to hold the UK government accountable for its role in "Israel's" assault on Palestine.

The Independent Alliance, whose members include former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn alongside MPs Shockat Adam, Ayoub Khan, Adnan Hussain, and Iqbal Mohamed, distributed around 100 copies of the manual to journalists at Westminster. The guide offers a detailed critique of the media's coverage, particularly in relation to the UK's complicity in "Israel's" military actions.

Sixty years ago, on May 12, 1965, Germany and Israel established diplomatic relations after a long period of preparation. It was anything but a matter of course at the time: World War II had ended just two decades earlier, and the memory of Nazi Germany's genocide of the European Jews was present in both countries. Even now, 80 years after the end of the war, relations with Israel remain extremely important, but also difficult.

The British military is supplying Ukraine with flat-pack decoys designed to mimic real military hardware, The Times reported on Saturday, citing sources. The effort is aimed at deceiving Russian forces and exaggerating the amount of modern equipment on the front line.

At the heart of the effort are so-called “Ikea-style” kits resembling British-supplied tanks, artillery, and air defense systems that are designed to stretch Russia’s surveillance and strike capacity. “We haven’t gifted a huge amount of these, so anything we can do to make the quantities look greater on the front line is advantageous to us,” RAF Squadron Leader Lowri Simner told the paper.

French President Emmanuel Macron, saying goodbye to the head of the Kiev regime Vladimir Zelensky in In Kyiv, where he took part in a meeting of the "coalition of the willing", kissed him on the cheek.

The corresponding video was published by the telegram channel of the publication "Strana".

John Mearsheimer: Coalition of the Willing Have NO ANSWERS / Ukraine Paying the Price

The speaker criticizes ongoing Western military support for Ukraine, arguing that it prolongs the war without clear strategic goals or realistic assessments. Key points include:

The U.S. and Europe are providing large aid packages (e.g., $350 million for F-16s, $50 million in military aid), but this is seen as "feeding the monster" rather than solving the conflict.

Ursula von der Leyen promotes a "porcupine strategy" to strengthen Ukraine long-term and integrate defense industries under "Readiness 2030," suggesting the war may continue for years.

The speaker questions the feasibility of Ukraine holding out that long, citing Russia's superior troop recruitment and weapon production.

Australia’s Labor government was returned to office at last Saturday’s federal election in a landslide win.

Labor now holds 90 seats in the House of Representatives to the opposition’s 40, inflicting a devastating defeat on the conservatives. The opposition leader, Peter Dutton, a keen admirer of Donald Trump, lost his seat.

The conservative opposition in Australia has now been reduced to political irrelevancy in its present form, and – consumed by bitter infighting and recriminations – is destined to disappear as a major political force in the next few years.  

Here’s why no Western conservative can replicate Donald Trump

The current US president is a unique product of America’s political disfunction, and attempts to mimic him are foolish

By Graham Hryce

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1y7vMx-gHk

Former C.I.A. analyst Ray McGovern addressed the Znanie Youth Forum in Moscow on April 29 ahead of the celebration of the 80th Anniversary of Victory in Europe over the Nazis.

Ray’s Speech in Russia with English Subtitles
May 7, 2025
English subtitles are now inserted into Ray’s speech at Znanie Youth Forum, Moscow, Apr 29. Unbeknownst to Ray, former President Medvedev had spoken on Apr 28, and on Apr 30, President Putin also spoke there & held a typically interesting Q & A.

https://raymcgovern.com/2025/05/07/rays-speech-in-russia-with-english-subtitles/ 

Africa is rising, the days of colonialism are finished: This is the call being echoed around the world, from the masses of Burkina Faso and countries across Africa to Jamaica, Haiti and the whole Caribbean, to Paris, London and New York City. Millions of people have answered the call to defend Ibrahim Traoré, president of Burkina Faso, as well as the anti-imperialist governments of Mali and Niger — the three countries that make up the Alliance of Sahel States.

Defend Ibrahim Traoré and the Alliance of Sahel States!
By Arjae Red

I thought it might be third time lucky, but I was wrong again. I backed the wrong horse as pope!

When I awoke on Friday morning to learn that Robert Prevost, a dual US-Peruvian citizen had been elected, I was gobsmacked. But, on reflection, what a shrewd choice the cardinals have made. He is only the second natural-born English speaker elected pope. The first was Nicholas Breakspear, Pope Adrian IV (1154-1159).

Paul Collins

European leaders have urged Russia to agree to an unconditional 30-day ceasefire with Ukraine starting on Monday.

The call was issued at a meeting of the "coalition of the willing" in Kyiv. The leaders of France, Germany, the UK and Poland were hosted by Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky, while others joined remotely.

They made the announcement after discussing the plan by phone with US President Donald Trump - who initially mooted an unconditional ceasefire. The leaders threatened Russia with "massive" sanctions if it does not comply. 

UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the aim of the coalition of the willing was to show "that aggression will never prevail on our continent".