Europe Must Never Repeat Brexit, Says Guy Verhofstadt

THE GUARDIAN: EU parliament representative says process has done ‘far more damage than ever predicted’

The European parliament’s Brexit coordinator, Guy Verhofstadt, has warned that the UK’s decision to leave the EU has already done “far more damage than has ever been predicted”.

Appearing alongside the Liberal Democrat leader, Vince Cable, at a European election campaign event in Camden, north London, on Friday morning, the leader of the Alliance for Liberals and Democrats for Europe said he wanted to send a message to people on the continent to “never repeat Brexit again”. » | Frances Perraudin | Friday, May 10, 2019

Queen's Meeting with King of Bahrain Prompts Protests

THE GUARDIAN: Campaigners say British monarch should not host king who has led crackdown on political opponents

Campaigners have condemned Buckingham Palace’s invitation to the king of Bahrain to attend the Windsor horse show this weekend, arguing that the UK should not provide a public relations opportunity to what they say is an increasingly repressive regime.

King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa met the Queen at the event on Friday, demonstrating a warmth of official ties despite the Middle Eastern’s state’s outlawing of political opposition and repression of its Shia majority since a failed 2011 revolt.

Ali Mushaima, the son of a jailed opposition leader, said he would demonstrate outside the event to draw attention to the detention of his father and other politicians jailed during the crackdown, which has lasted most of the decade. » | Dan Sabbagh | Friday, May 10, 2019

THE GUARDIAN: I’m fasting in protest outside Royal Windsor Horse Show to save my father in Bahrain » | Ali Mushaima | Friday, May 10, 2019

Donald Tusk: Chance of Brexit Being Cancelled Could Be 30%

THE GUARDIAN: EU chief says good reason to believe leave vote could be reversed in second referendum

The chances of the UK staying in the EU are as high as 30% as the country would be likely to reject Brexit in a second referendum, the president of the European council, Donald Tusk, has said.

The bloc’s most senior official claimed the British public had only truly debated Brexit after the 2016 referendum and there was significant reason to believe the leave vote could be reversed.

Describing the decision by the former British prime minister, David Cameron, to call the vote as a political miscalculation, Tusk said he would expect a different result in a vote today given what had been learned about the consequences of leaving.

“The referendum was at the worst possible moment, it is the result of a wrong political calculation,” Tusk said in an interview with the Polish newspaper Gazeta Wyborcza (GW) that was shared with the Guardian as part of the Europa collaboration of six European newspapers.

“A real debate about the consequences of Brexit wasn’t had during the referendum campaign, but only after the vote. Today the result would probably look different. Paradoxically, Brexit awoke in Great Britain a pro-European movement.” » | Daniel Boffey in Brussels | Friday, May 10, 2019

Col. Wilkerson: US Would Face a Unified Venezuelan Military in an Armed Intervention

Col. Larry Wilkerson describes the limits of a 'gringo invasion' and warns of repeating the failures of Vietnam and Iraq

Trump Admits He's a Fraud

Trump’s Foolish Iran Policy Only Makes War More Likely

THE GUARDIAN: Iran’s rulers face impossible choices as a result of unrelenting US hostility, which has one aim – regime change

It is unclear what, if anything, Iran can do to induce the United States and its regional allies to halt their escalating war of attrition before it provokes all-out conflict. When Donald Trump reneged on the UN-ratified nuclear agreement with Tehran last year, he said he wanted a better deal. Iran must change its behaviour, he said, and act like a “normal country”.

This was always disingenuous. Iran’s authoritarian and abusive rulers certainly need to mend their ways. But what Trump and his imperious advisers really meant was that they must do what America says, in conformity with American interests. What they want is an end to 40 years of post-revolution defiance. What they want is regime change in Iran. » | Simon Tisdall | Thursday, May 9, 2019

THE GUARDIAN: Trump’s antics over Iran have endangered us all. The stakes are now lethally high » | Jonathan Friedland | Wednesday, May 8, 2019

Donald Trump Tells Iran ‘Call Me’ over Lifting Sanctions

THE GUARDIAN: President suggests US could help revive Iran’s economy in return for no-nuclear weapons pledge

Donald Trump has offered Iran direct talks, saying its leaders should “call me” and suggested the US would help revive the country’s economy as long as Iran did not acquire nuclear weapons.

The impromptu offer by the US president, if serious, represents a dramatic lowering of the bar set by his administration for lifting extensive sanctions, including an oil embargo. Iran is already party to a 2015 agreement that strictly limits its nuclear programme and places it under close scrutiny. Trump withdrew the US from that Obama-era treaty a year ago.

“What I’d like to see with Iran, I’d like to see them call me,” Trump said. He pointed out the Iranian economy was in shambles as a result of the US pressure campaign.

“What they should be doing is calling me up, sitting down and we can make a deal, a fair deal,” Trump said. “We just don’t want them to have nuclear weapons. It’s not too much to ask. And we would help put them back into great shape.” » | Julian Borger in Washington and Patrick Wintour Diplomatic editor | Thursday, May 9, 2019

Is this, perhaps, a ruse? – Mark

Die Schwulenheiler | Panorama - die Reporter | NDR (2015)

Christian Deker, schwul und Panorama Reporter, besuchte Ärzte, die offenbar seine sexuelle Orientierung ändern wollen. Eine Reise in die homophoben Winkel der Republik.

Bob Woodward: I Think We Have a Governing Crisis

Journalist Bob Woodward offers his thoughts on the current state of the Trump presidency to CNN's Anderson Cooper after President Donald Trump invoked executive privilege over special counsel Robert Mueller's report and the House Judiciary Committee voted to hold Attorney General William Barr in contempt.

Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor – What's in a Name?

THE GUARDIAN: Forenames of Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s baby son are far from traditional

The decision by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to call their son Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor came as a surprise to many.

The forenames are far from traditional for the royal family, which may be exactly why the couple, anxious for their son to have as normal an upbringing as possible, chose them. While there are courtesy titles they could have used, such as the Earl of Dumbarton, they have chosen not to do so for now, according to palace sources.

The name Archie – a shortened version of Archibald, which is of German origin and means “genuine”, “bold” and “brave” – has become increasingly popular. According to the Office for National Statistics, it was the 18th most popular in the UK in 2017, while Harrison came in at 34th. » | Caroline Davies | Wednesday, May 8, 2019

Is the Iran Nuclear Deal Dead? | Inside Story

Donald Trump called it the worst deal ever.

The US president decided a year ago to pull out of the Iran nuclear agreement, which imposed limits on Tehran’s nuclear activities. Trump then re-imposed sanctions against Iran, and recently extended them to threaten those countries still party to the deal.

Iran has now reacted, warning the UK, France, Germany, China, and Russia, it will step up uranium production unless they meet their commitments within 60 days.

Russia is putting the blame on what it calls 'lamentable' behaviour from the US, while EU leaders are warning Iran of possible consequences.

Can the deal be renegotiated and revived?

Presenter: Imran Khan | Guests: Mohammad Marandi - Professor of North American Studies at University of Tehran; Rina Shah - Republican Strategist and Consultant; Ali Fathollah-Nejad - visiting fellow at Brookings Doha Center

The Rise of the Right: Populism in Germany - BBC News

A new wave of far-right politics is sweeping across Europe, promising to smash the ruling elite, end migration and shake-up the EU. But are these parties fuelling hate?

The Nine’s Europe Correspondent Jean Mackenzie travels across the continent, to find out why these movements are surging - meeting the people celebrating their rise and those fighting to stop them.

The first in this series comes from Germany, where the far-right party the AfD is now Germany’s main opposition. We ask whether their place in Parliament is emboldening more extreme groups.

Democracy Now! Top US News & World Headlines — May 8, 2019

Trump's Attacks on Palestinians Are "Evil and Unacceptable," Says Human Rights Lawyer

"What [Trump] is doing against Palestinian people, against international and humanitarian law, is evil and unacceptable by all standards," says leading human rights attorney Raji Sourani, speaking from Gaza. The Trump administration makes Israel and its leaders feel "fully immune" to international law, he adds.

Juncker: Europeans Have Lost Their 'Libido' for Each Other

Jean-Claude Juncker claims Europeans have lost their 'collective libido'.

Trita Parsi: John Bolton Has Wanted War with Iran for 20 Years. Now Could Be His Best Chance

Iran is accusing the United States of “psychological warfare” after National Security Advisor John Bolton announced the U.S. is deploying a carrier strike group and a bomber task force to the region.

In a statement on Sunday night, Bolton said the move was intended to “send a clear and unmistakable message to the Iranian régime that any attacks on United States interests or on those of our allies will be met with unrelenting force.”

On Monday acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan said the deployment was made because of a “credible threat by Iranian régime forces” but he offered no details. Axios is reporting the threat is based on information passed on from Israel.

The Trump administration has been ratcheting up pressure against Iran following Washington’s withdrawal from the landmark Iran nuclear deal last year. Last month, the US designated Iran’s élite Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist organization. The Trump administration also said it will end a waiver program that allowed some nations to circumvent US sanctions and continue buying Iranian oil without suffering penalties.

We speak with Trita Parsi in Washington DC, author of “Losing an Enemy: Obama, Iran, and the Triumph of Diplomacy.” He is the founder and former president of the National Iranian American Council, and an adjunct associate professor in the Center for Security Studies at Georgetown University.

Pompeo Won’t Seek OK to Attack Venezuela

Juan Guaidó's back. The Venezuelan opposition leader is once again inviting US military intervention, after another failed coup attempt last week. US Secretary of State Pompeo, meanwhile, says he won't promise to consult Congress before launching a potential attack. All this while the Venezuelan embassy in DC continues to be under siege by Guaidó supporters. For more on this, we turn to investigative journalist Ben Swann.

George Clooney Vows to Keep Up Pressure on Brunei over Gay-sex Death Penalty

THE GUARDIAN: Actor calls for sustained commercial boycott after Brunei puts moratorium on death penalty for gay sex

George Clooney has promised to keep up pressure on Brunei after the oil-rich country’s sultan, Hassanal Bolkiah, announced it would not enforce the death penalty for gay sex.

Gay sex remains illegal in Brunei, punishable by up to 10 years in jail.

Clooney said the moratorium on executions was a “huge step forward after a giant leap backwards”, but that “the law to stone their citizens is still in place”. He added: “For my family and me, we simply can’t walk away until this draconian law is no longer on the books.” » | Andrew Pulver | Tuesday, May 7, 2019

CIA Warns Arab Activist of Potential Threat from Saudi Arabia

THE GUARDIAN: Pro-democracy campaigner İyad el-Baghdadi has been vocal critic of Saudi crown prince

The CIA has warned Norway that a prominent Arab activist who is living in the country under asylum protection is facing a potential threat from Saudi Arabia, the Guardian has learned.

The pro-democracy activist, İyad el-Baghdadi, is a vocal critic of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

El-Baghdadi was alerted to the threat on 25 April, when Norwegian authorities arrived at his doorstep, took him to a secure location, and warned him he was in possible danger from an unspecified threat emanating from the kingdom.

The activist was told the threat had been passed on to Norwegian authorities by a foreign intelligence agency, which the Guardian has confirmed was the CIA. » | Stephanie Kirchgaessner in Washington and Nick Hopkins in London | Tuesday, May 7, 2019

John Bolton Can Almost Taste War With Iran

Bolton announced yesterday that the US was deploying a carrier strike force to the Middle East to convey the message to Iran that the US doesn't want war. Makes perfect sense.