To the man with a hammer, everything looks like a nail. And to the real estate developer in the White House, everything looks like a beachfront site for hotels and casinos.

It’s not just Gaza that receives such treatment. Last year, President Donald Trump told his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky that the coastal city of Odesa would be ideal for real estate development. In his first term, he thought he could end the decades-long stalemate between the US and North Korea by tempting Kim Jong-un to surrender his nuclear weapons in exchange for hotels and waterside developments.

Even better than real estate is Trump’s ability to spin a tall tale

It was one of those head-snapping, blink-and-you’ll-miss-it weeks in Washington, D.C. Many U.S. science agencies abruptly abandoned normal operations last week to focus on a slew of executive orders from President Donald Trump targeting what he calls “woke gender ideology;” diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI); foreign aid; the “green new deal;” and support for “nongovernmental organizations that undermine the national interest.”

Trump orders cause chaos at science agencies

Wild week of canceled meetings, program changes, and data purges creates high anxiety

BY JEFFREY MERVIS

US President Donald Trump’s envoy to Ukraine and Russia, Keith Kellogg, has brushed aside Kiev’s demand for nuclear weaponry, stating that it is “not going to happen.”

Kellogg made the remarks on Thursday while speaking to Fox News Digital. He was asked about the latest call by Vladimir Zelensky for “nuclear weapons” and “missile systems” from Kiev’s Western backers.

“The chance of them getting their nuclear weapons back is somewhere between slim and none. Let’s be honest about it, we both know that’s not going to happen,” Kellogg said.

EU member states are growing frustrated with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen over her unilateral approach to foreign policy, Politico reported on Wednesday, citing diplomats. The latest criticism reportedly comes after von der Leyen announced a partnership agreement with Jordan.

The deal was inked last week following talks between von der Leyen and King Abdullah II. It aims to assist Jordan in facing the socio-economic impact of the Syrian crisis and broaden avenues for investments and business opportunities in the Arab country. The deal will be complemented by €3 billion ($3.1 billion) in financial resources, comprising grants, investments, and macro-financial assistance.

However, according to two sources who spoke to Politico, von der Leyen made the decision to allocate the funds to Jordan without consulting EU member nations.

While the big China threat remains AI platform DeepSeek, The Australian reminds us that the true “evil” is Canberra not doing anything about China’s threat to national security, and Nine Newspapers remind us that LNP politicians taking money from rich Chinese-Australians are good, while their benefactors are likely up to no good.

Chinese New Year: a time to bring good fortune to the Chinese and votes to Dutton

UN points out major flaw in latest Israeli protest
West Jerusalem’s claim it has quit the UN Human Rights Council is contradictory, as it is not a member of the body, a UNHRC spokesman has clarified

Israel is not currently a member of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC), meaning it cannot officially withdraw from a body it is not part of, UNHRC spokesman Pascal Sim has stated.

On Wednesday, a day after US President Donald Trump announced Washington’s withdrawal from the UNHRC, West Jerusalem declared that it was also quitting the council, which is responsible for promoting and protecting human rights worldwide.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has ridiculed British Foreign Secretary David Lammy’s assertion that ties between London and Kiev date back “thousands of years.”

The UK’s top diplomat arrived in Kiev on Wednesday, where he met with Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky and pledged to continue backing the country.

In a post on her Telegram channel late on Wednesday, Zakharova quoted part of Lammy’s speech, as translated by a Ukrainian interpreter, where he insisted that “our partnership is about hundreds and thousands of years.”

The Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman added: “… with its roots going as far back as the foot of the Egyptian pyramids?”

“Why not older? [Ukrainians and Britons] also hunted Brontosaurus together,” she quipped.

America has been in 19 wars since World War II, but we will list the death toll from three of the bloodiest conflicts: The Korean War, The Vietnam War and wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan. The total death toll of people killed by American troops in all these wars put together is over 12 million. 

Each of these three conflicts have something in common: they were wars fought in the name of making the world "safe for democracy." 

It’s said that what the world needs today are strong leaders whom social media and associated propagandists insist are the only ones who can bring order back into a dangerously chaotic world. Their strengths, it is claimed, outweigh their shortcomings. In Australia, attention is turning to Peter Dutton, who according to his supporters, is the epitome of a strong leader. 

What is a strong leader?

Donald Trump predicted the end of “democracy” BACK IN MARCH 2024, SHOULD the Biden Administration be voted back in… He was right and wrong, because democracy in AMERICA died the day it was born. Yes, the American people have the opportunity to vote, but is is not in favor of “democratic ideals” but to elect the next leader of the AMERICAN EMPIRE, which was never democratic BUT ALWAYS DICTATORIAL. 

We even did a cartoon to this effect under OBAMA… Even NEWSWEEK had a go...

see also: https://yourdemocracy.net/drupal/node/47573

Middle East: Trump's Gaza takeover remarks met with backlash
Kate Hairsine with Reuters, AP, AFP, dpa | Wesley Dockery Editor

Saudi Arabia and China are among those rejecting President Donald Trump's suggestion that the US could "take over" Gaza. US top diplomat Marco Rubio has stood behind the president's remarks. DW has the latest.

China said on Wednesday that it disagrees with the "forced transfer" of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip, reports AFP news agency.

The comment came after US President Donald Trump suggested a US takeover of Gaza and the "resettlement" of Palestinians living there.

There are texts that were written a long time ago and suddenly become topical again. One of them is the closing speech in Charlie Chaplin’s film “The Great Dictator” :
  “I’m sorry, but I don’t want to be an emperor. That’s not my business. I don’t want to rule or conquer anyone. I should like to help everyone – if possible – Jew, Gentile – black man – white. We all want to help one another. Human beings are like that.”
 

Charlie Chaplin’s appeal for democracy, peace and humanity

by Eliane Perret and Renate Dünki

US President Donald Trump has announced that the United States will assume control over the Gaza Strip, vowing to rebuild the war-torn enclave and create economic opportunities for its future residents. When asked whether US troops would be deployed to Gaza, Trump vowed to “do what is necessary.”

Trump made the remarks on Tuesday following his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House. The US president reiterated his view that Palestinians should be permanently resettled elsewhere, adding that the US would “take over” Gaza and lead efforts to clear the destruction left by 15 months of war between Israel and Hamas.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz criticized U.S. President Donald Trump's proposal to tie military aid for Ukraine to access to the country's rare earth resources, calling it "very selfish and self-centered," Spiegel reported on Feb. 4.

Speaking after an informal meeting of European leaders in Brussels, Scholz reportedly stressed that Ukraine should first be helped to "get back on its feet" and that its resources should be used for reconstruction after the war.

Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky has expressed readiness to negotiate with Russian President Vladimir Putin if it is the only option to bring the Ukraine conflict to its end. 

He made the remarks during an interview with British journalist Piers Morgan, with excerpts published on Tuesday. When asked if he was prepared to meet with the Russian president, Zelensky indicated his willingness to do so.

“If that is the only setup in which we can bring peace to the citizens of Ukraine and not lose people, definitely we will go for this setup, for this meeting,” he said. “What is my attitude to him [Putin]? I will not be kind to him and I… consider him an enemy. And to be honest, I believe he considers me an enemy as well,” he stated.