The Russian rouble hit a two-year-high against the euro. However, it stabilized near Monday’s close. It is a week in which tax payments support the currency. Investors are also looking forward to a rate cut Friday.
After earlier reaching 75.95 at 8:17 GMT, 0.3% had been gained by the rouble to trade at 76.190 against the euro. This was its best mark since February 2020. The rouble was 0.1% higher against the dollar at 73.2.
European Union companies may be able to comply with Kremlin demands that they pay for Russian pipe gas in roubles, instead of dollars or euros which are part of the original contracts, without disrupting the bloc’s sanctions against Moscow for its illegal invasion of Ukraine in February.
“A brave new nightmare.” Those words from former US Labor Secretary Robert Reich described the threat created by Elon Musk’s bid to restore free speech values by buying Twitter.
Yet, despite warnings that censorship is necessary “for democracy to survive,” neither the Tesla CEO and billionaire nor ordinary citizens appear to be sufficiently terrified of free speech. Twitter confirmed Monday that Musk will acquire the company in a deal worth $44 billion. Once the deal is complete, Twitter will become a privately held company.
Progressives, in the meantime, have adopted a dangerous shift in their strategy of calling for corporations to censor speech.
Last week, former President Barack Obama made this shift clear in his much covered speech at Stanford University. Just days after Musk re-enforced his bid for Twitter with the support of many in the free speech community, Obama warned that social media was “tilting us in the wrong direction.” He called for more censorship of disinformation while calling himself “pretty close to a First Amendment absolutist.”
Obama has never been viewed as an ally on free speech by those of us who have been attacked for our “absolutist” views. Moreover, calling for censorship as a free speech absolutist is like claiming to be a vegetarian while calling for mandatory meat consumption.
From my sources: Vocal Twitter employees on internal chats indicate their biggest fear is Donald Trump being unbanned. Many express strong hatred toward @elonmusk & say they’re sick of hearing about “free speech.” They’re concerned about their mental health. #ElonMuskBuyTwitter
Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications and Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan arrives for cabinet.
Meanwhile…
…via Irish Examiner:
Eamon Ryan’s watering down of a proposed ban on the sale of turf still does not go far enough according to a Fianna Fáil TD.
The Green Party leader has now suggested that small rural communities of under 500 people will be exempt from a ban on the sale of turf, which is due to come into force in September.
…He is now due to meet a number of Fianna Fáil members today, including Barry Cowen, in a bid to ease tensions and hammer out an agreement.
Mr Cowen said the proposal to allow villages and areas with a population of less than 500 continue to burn turn sods is “senseless” as it won’t cater for relationships that exist between the commercial cutter and those families that need a supply that do not have their own resource.
“I could point to 10 or 11 villages and towns in Offaly, for example, that have a population of over 500 where there are pockets of them dependent on turf for their heating, for their water, for their cooking even, so they are a vulnerable cohort that just can’t be cut adrift.”
Taoiseach Micheál Martin has said ‘we must do everything we possibly can, within our energies and resources’ to help those arriving in Ireland after fleeing from the war in Ukraine | Read more: https://t.co/FW6jYYmtdJpic.twitter.com/YXKAzrHUYV
Provision has been made for costs of up to €3bn to house people arriving from Ukraine as Minister for Public Expenditure Michael McGrath has said ‘the system is now under real strain’ | Read more: https://t.co/FW6jYYmtdJpic.twitter.com/MJ8xEjpZNd
Deliberations at today’s Cabinet meeting are expected to be dominated by the question of how best to provide assistance to refugees arriving from Ukraine.
It is believed Minister for Public Expenditure Michael McGrath will tell colleagues that the projected cost of helping Ukrainians next year is €3 billion, up from a €2.5 billion estimate in March.
Latest figures show that 25,173 Ukrainian refugees have arrived in Ireland.
Of that number, 16,788 have been provided with accommodation by the State. However, it is expected around 33,000 Ukrainian refugees will have arrived by the end of next month.
World exclusive! Mary Lou McDonald sues RTE for libel. She’s represented by Dundalk solicitors McCartan and Burke who previously represented Matt Carthy in his libel spat with FF activist Ken McFadden.
A reminder the Shinners are the most litigious politicians in all the land – Maurice Quinlivan v Willie O’Dea, Pearse Doherty v Examiner, Mary Lou McDonald v Examiner, Gerry Adams v Sunday World, Gerry Adams v BBC, Donnchadh O’Laoghaire v RTE Liveline 1/3
3/3 Alex Maskey v Irish Times
Biggest pay-out so far is believed to be from Donnchadh’s case against #Liveline where the reported settlement was around €150,000.
Irish electronica pioneer Daithí collaborates with New Zealand filmmaker Ayla Amano on his new single.
Daithí says:
“‘Familial’ started out life as a track I wrote around an uncertain feeling I had about returning to my home county of Clare. Growing up in a remote area, there was a stifling feeling of repressed emotions; people in the area would sometimes find it difficult to say what they really felt. It was quite a personal piece of music to me, but it was transformed into something with even more to say when I began to collaborate with Ayla.
“The idea of finding common ground and themes with a community so far apart from my own got me really excited, and I started seeing the track in a new, more global perspective. The themes are universal.”
Ayla says:
“Originally, the concept for the ‘Familial’ video was set to film in Ireland. We’d discussed themes of family roots and community; ideas Daithí had been exploring around returning to his hometown in Clare.
“Then, while on holiday in New Zealand visiting my family, my partner and I discovered that we had a baby on the way, so we decided to stay there for the year.
“Apart from finding myself in a similar situation – reconnecting with my hometown and the community I grew up in – I was also reminded of New Zealand’s unique position in the Pacific.
“Our Pasifika communities are so integral to the spirit of Auckland, and after spending time in Ireland I could draw some unexpected parallels between the two cultures – wildly different on the surface, but both with a real strong sense of family and community, as well as a humour and warmth that my Irish partner immediately connected with.
“There was a real sense of community both on and off the screen. Filming while I was six months pregnant provided yet another layer to the story. We spent a lot of time on set talking about family and reflecting on where we’d come from.”
A judge has held Donald Trump in contempt and fined him $10,000 a day until he hands over documents to prosecutors investigating his business practices
A New York judge stood up to say
That Donald J Trump has to pay
Until an attempt
To purge his contempt
Ten thousand dollars a day
A rival bidder to Musk may not be stepping up any time soon, fearful of the byzantine task of moderating content on the platform, something that Musk has vowed to do less of.
“The Twitter Board could not find a white knight and with Musk’s financing detailed the clock has essentially struck midnight for the board which is why negotiations have begun to get a deal done,” said Dan Ives, who follows Twitter for Wedbush Securities.
