‘Cottee defended cover stories and evasions as part of his work. “Maybe there isn’t a real story at all,” he mused. Hugo Martin wondered aloud if Cottee had found more questions than answers. He admitted that he had, but insisted that the point was to map motives and evasions rather than to hammer out a grand theory.’
‘The Kuomintang (KMT)—sole ruling party of the country during its rule from 1927 to 1949—and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) had been engaged in armed conflict since 1927. The warring parties had to halt the hostilities and temporarily unite with each other against Japan’s invasion of China in the Second Sino–Japanese War (1937–1945).’
Lisbon’s famed Glória funicular derailed on Wednesday evening, killing 17 and injuring 21. Prime Minister Luís Montenegro called it ‘one of the biggest tragedies’ in recent history, declaring a day of mourning. Hungary’s Viktor Orbán joined world leaders in offering condolences to Portugal.
‘Paradoxically, it appears that democracy can only sustain and protect itself from collapse—whether through tyranny or chaos—by relying on elements that are not themselves democratic. It often seems easier to justify democracy with a quasi-mystical hypothesis than with one grounded in the actual conditions of political reality.’
Talk of the Democratic Party’s extinction has surged since Trump’s 2024 win, fueled by party registration drops and the looming census set to take away electoral votes from blue states. But history shows that, since 1856, both Democrats and Republicans have survived long losing streaks, electoral setbacks, and predictions of demise—proving that in US politics, fortunes can shift fast.
At the SCO summit in Tianjin, leaders from Russia, China, India and beyond gathered to deepen trade ties, challenge Western influence, and promote a new Eurasian vision. With Europe largely absent, and figures like Modi, Putin and Xi taking centre stage, the summit signalled a significant shift in global power dynamics.
‘Pope Pius X, for us Catholics, is perhaps best remembered for his battle against modernism within the Church when he promulgated his Encyclical Pascendi Dominici Gregis (1907). He is also considered the “Pope of the Eucharist”…Yet, less well known is his crusade for peace and his remarkable political insight, through which he foresaw the outbreak of World War I…years before it erupted.’
At a campaign event, TISZA Party Vice Chair Zoltán Tarr said: ‘I won’t tell you everything, because if I did, we would fail,’ referring to the party’s plans. TISZA’s PM candidate, Péter Magyar, urged journalists to hear the full context—then admitted he hadn’t listened to the full discussion himself.
Western media suggest Viktor Orbán could ‘climb down’ from Hungary’s veto on Ukraine’s EU bid after alleged pressure from Donald Trump. Yet officials stress the call itself is disputed—and insist accession would drag an open war into the EU, a step Hungary refuses to take.
Hungary launched its Home Start home ownership programme, offering fixed 3-per-cent mortgages with just a 10-per-cent down payment required. Eligible first-time buyers rushed to apply, with thousands filing on day one. Officials hailed the record demand, as banks competed with discounts and extended hours to meet the surge.