CharlieH

The Colorado supreme court ruling on Tuesday that bars Donald Trump from the state’s presidential ballot has kicked off a firestorm among Republicans and legal scholars, and fury from Trump himself. Though the former president did not address the decision during a rally on Tuesday night in Iowa – where he went on abusive rants against immigration – he posted on his social media platform Truth Social on Wednesday. “What a shame for our country!!!” Trump wrote. “A sad day for America!!!” Noah Bookbinder, president of the watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, which brought the suit in Colorado on behalf of Republican and independent voters, praised the decision. It was, he said, “not only historic and justified, but is also necessary to protect the future of democracy in our country”. “Our constitution clearly states that those who violate their oath by attacking our democracy are barred from serving in government,” he said. Republicans have largely lined up behind Trump, railing against the ruling for allegedly infringing the right of Americans to choose their leaders. Elise Stefanik, a Republican representative from New York, said in a statement: “Democrats are so afraid that President Trump will win on Nov 5th 2024 that they are illegally attempting to take him off the ballot.” The Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy pledged to drop out of the Republican primary in Colorado, piling pressure on his fellow candidates to do the same or be seen as “tacitly endorsing this illegal maneuver which will have disastrous consequences from our country”. The Florida governor, Ron DeSantis, who is also campaigning for the Republican nomination, voiced an unusual theory that the Colorado decision was in fact a move from Democrats to incite Trump’s base and deliberately help him win the primary. FULL STORY

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The European Union is wielding its sweeping new rules for big online platforms in order to crack down on pornography sites Pornhub, Stripchat and XVideos. The European Commission, the bloc’s executive body, announced Wednesday that it had added the sites to its list of “very large online platforms” or VLOPs, a classification that subjects them to tougher standards covering age verification, content moderation and transparency under the landmark Digital Services Act. “Creating a safer online environment for our children is an enforcement priority under the DSA,” European Commissioner Thierry Breton said on X as he unveiled the three additions. The commission said in a statement that, following an investigation, it had found that all three platforms had at least 45 million average monthly users in the EU — the threshold for becoming a VLOP. Pornhub said in a statement on its site that, in the six months to the end of July, it had 33 million average monthly users in the EU. A European Commission told CNN Wednesday that it judged Pornhub to have met its higher threshold through its investigation, which included an analysis of information provided by third-party sources and discussion with Pornhub. One example of such sources is search engines. FULL STORY

Warner Bros. Discovery Chief Executive David Zaslav met on Tuesday with Paramount Global Chief Executive Bob Bakish, and they broached a potential merger between the two companies, two people familiar with the matter told CNN. A potential merger of the two media giants would create an entertainment and news juggernaut, encompassing Warner Bros. and Paramount studios as well as CBS, CNN, and other cable television assets. The discussion over lunch, which was first reported by Axios, took place at Paramount’s global headquarters in New York City’s Times Square. Spokespeople for Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount declined to comment. While a potential merger between the two studios could once again upend the media industry, the talks aren’t a complete surprise. Zaslav, who executed a number of acquisitions at Discovery, has talked in recent months about going shopping for additional assets to boost Warner Bros. Discovery’s content offerings. Meanwhile, Paramount is in need of a strategic partner to survive in the current media landscape. Shari Redstone, the family heiress of Paramount’s parent company, National Amusements, has reportedly been in talks to sell her stake in the company. A person familiar with the matter confirmed that Zaslav has spoken to Redstone about a possible deal. Analysts expect consolidation in the media business to continue as legacy entertainment companies bulk up in their efforts to compete with tech titans in Silicon Valley, which are increasingly wading into the content space. Investors weren’t happy, though: Warner Bros. Discovery’s (WBD) stock fell immediately after Axios published its report and ended the day down 5.7%. It fell another 1.4% in after-hours trading. Paramount’s stock rose initially on the report but was a little less than 1% lower after hours. FULL STORY

One of the court challenges to Donald Trump's eligibility to run for president in 2024 has finally struck gold. The Colorado Supreme Court's ruling to disqualify the former president from the Republican Party's upcoming primary ballot is yet another unprecedented moment in US politics. It's a decision that further blurs the lines between America's political and judicial systems, setting up a fresh collision between the election campaign and the courts. However, this latest legal setback is unlikely to seriously damage Mr Trump's bid to return to the White House - and he is already using it to his political advantage. The activists who brought the case in Colorado - a liberal watchdog group and collection of anti-Trump Republican and independent voters - may be celebrating their victory. But the response so far by Democratic politicians - the ones who will stand before voters next year and are working to defeat Mr Trump at the ballot box - tells a different story. This isn't a fight they want. Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold - who had declined to act unilaterally to block Mr Trump from the state's primary - issued a response to the court's decision on Wednesday that didn't exactly drip with enthusiasm. "This decision may be appealed," she said. "I will follow the court decision that is in place at the time of ballot certification." Trump disqualified from 2024 ballot in Colorado Can Trump still run for president after Colorado ruling? Voters react to Trump being kicked off Colorado ballot Part of the reason for her seeming reluctance to weigh in - and the relative silence of other Democrats - is that the ultimate outlook for the Colorado challenge isn't bright. FULL STORY

Seems more likely to be a "user error" and this topic is now closed so as not to mislead people as the headline is NOT correct. CLOSED

She obviously entered the wrong code.I would have let it play out and pleaded ignorance if questioned after all you didn't do it.

The head of a Gaza hospital has admitted to being a senior Hamas commander — and detailed how the terror group transformed the medical site into an operational hub that once housed a kidnapped Israeli soldier. Ahmad Kahlot, director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in Jabaliya, made his taped confession to the Israeli security service Shin Bet after his arrest during last week’s raid on the facility in northern Gaza. In a video of his interrogation released on X on Tuesday, Kahlot, dressed in an Israeli jail uniform and seated in front of Israel’s flag, said he joined Hamas in 2010 and held a rank equivalent to a brigadier general. Kahlot revealed that about 16 hospital staffers, including doctors, nurses, paramedics and clerks, were also members of Hamas’ notorious military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades. According to the hospital chief, the medical facility under his care had been turned into an elaborate military hub where up to 100 Hamas terrorists had been holed up for days before moving to a different location. Full Story and video.

A federal judge in New York has ordered the names of dozens of Jeffrey Epstein’s alleged victims and associates to be made public in 2024, according to documents. The order, issued Monday by Judge Loretta A. Preska, is the latest filing in a settled case by Virginia Roberts Giuffre, an American woman who claimed Epstein sexually abused her while she was a minor and that Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s former girlfriend and longtime accomplice, aided in the abuse. Epstein was indicted in 2019 on federal charges of operating a sex trafficking ring in which he allegedly sexually abused dozens of underage girls. The multi-millionaire died by suicide in jail while awaiting trial. Prosecutors in New York indicted Maxwell on sex trafficking charges involving multiple victims. She was convicted last year. While the 2015 defamation lawsuit brought by Giuffre was settled in 2017 and placed under a protective order, parts of it have been unsealed since then as Giuffre, Maxwell and a number of third-party figures have debated what should and shouldn’t be released to the public.In August 2019, the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit unsealed hundreds of pages of documents a day before Epstein died in prison, ruling that the district court judge had improperly sealed hundreds of filings. That judge had since died. The appeals court then remanded the case back to the district court to go through the rest of the documents individually and determine what could be unsealed. Judge Preska, who has since taken over the case, ruled for the unsealing of more documents in July 2020, including Maxwell’s 2016 deposition related to the lawsuit as well as emails and depositions by others. Many of the alleged victims gave public interviews and have already been identified by the media, while others “did not raise an objection” to the unsealing of documents, according to Preska’s Monday order. Preska is giving the Jane and John Does 14 days to file an appeal before the parties confer and make the documents public. As for the Epstein associates, it’s unclear how many have been investigated for alleged wrongdoing or will be. FULL STORY

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that the coronavirus subvariant JN.1 is now causing about 20% of new Covid-19 infections in this country, and it’s the fastest-growing strain of the virus. It’s already dominant in the Northeast, where it is estimated to cause about a third of new infections. JN.1 is descended from BA.2.86, or Pirola, a subvariant that came to the world’s attention over the summer because of the large number of changes to its spike proteins: more than 30. Scientists feared that it was so mutated that it would completely escape the protection of vaccines and antibodies against Covid-19, perhaps sparking another tidal wave of illness the way the original Omicron variant did in 2021. That never happened, but BA.2.86 hung around, growing very slowly in some countries, including the US. Some studies suggested that it never really took off because it may have lost some of its ability to infect our cells. Enter JN.1, which is two generations removed – a granddaughter, so to speak – of BA.2.86. JN.1 has only one change to its spike protein compared with its ancestor, but that seems to have been enough to make it a fitter and faster virus. The CDC estimates that prevalence of JN.1 more than doubled in the US between late November and mid-December. It seems to be getting an assist from holiday travel and waning immunity. “When I just look at the growth curve, it is rising quite sharply, and it seems to coincide with the Thanksgiving break in terms of timing,” said Dr. Shishi Luo, who heads infectious diseases for the genomic sequencing company Helix. Variant trackers say they expect JN.1 to become the leading coronavirus variant around the world in a matter of weeks. The World Health Organization named it a variant of interest on Tuesday because of its “rapidly increasing spread” but noted that the additional public health risk remains low. “It’s already pretty clear that it is highly competitive with existing XBB variants and looks like it’s on track to become the next sort of globally dominant group of variants,” said Dr. T. Ryan Gregory, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Guelph in Ontario, who has been tracking the evolution of the virus that causes Covid-19. The mutation in JN.1’s spike is at a position that Gregory said seems to help the virus escape our immunity. FULL STORY

Republican presidential candidate Chris Christie weighed in on the Colorado Supreme Court’s decision to knock former President Trump off the state’s ballot, arguing voters, not the courts, should decide if Trump should be “prevented” from being reelected to the White House. “What I will say is I do not believe Donald Trump should be prevented from being President of the United States, by any court,” Christie said in a statement Tuesday. “I think he should be prevented from being the President of the United States by the voters of this country.” Christie said he doesn’t believe “it’s good” for the U.S. if Trump is kept off the ballot by a court. “I think it’s bad for the country if that happens,” Christie said. “Now, the other reason I believe that is because, you know, he will have had to incite insurrection, be a part of an insurrection for him to be excluded. There’s been no trial of him on that.” Trump is currently facing charges from the Department of Justice related to his alleged efforts to stay in power after losing the 2020 presidential election, which included blocking the certification of 2020 election votes. The trial is slated to begin March 4, though Trump is attempting to have the case tossed out on the grounds he has presidential immunity from federal prosecution. The Colorado Supreme Court issued a ruling Tuesday night arguing Trump should be prevented from appearing on the state’s Republican primary ballot because of his alleged role in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack. In a 4-3 ruling, the court ruled Trump was involved in an insurrection by promoting false claims of election fraud and directing his supporters to the Capitol, where some participated in the riots in an attempt to stop the certification of 2020 election results. FULL STORY

Volodymyr Zelensky has revealed, as the war with Russia nears a two-year mark. At a news conference in Kyiv, he said his commanders were seeking "450,000-500,000 individuals", admitting this was a "sensitive" and costly issue. He said he needed more details before backing the move, hinting that 500,000 soldiers were already on the front. His comments come in the wake of aid setbacks from the US and the EU. Republicans in the US Congress first blocked a $60bn (£47bn) military package for Ukraine earlier this month. This week, representatives of both the White House and the State Department said the US was planning one more military aid package to Ukraine - but that it had limited ability to send more help after that unless Congress acted. The US setback was followed by Hungary's blocking of the EU's €50bn ($55bn; £43bn) financial aid deal last week. EU leaders, however, said Ukraine would not be left without support. Ukraine is facing an ammunition shortage as it continues to fight occupying Russian forces, following Moscow's full-scale invasion in February 2022. Kyiv's counter-offensive ground to a halt at the start of winter and there are fears that the Russians could simply outgun Ukraine. Olena Zelenska, Ukraine's first lady, warned in a BBC interview earlier this month that Ukrainians were in "mortal danger" of being left to die without further Western support. Russia President Vladimir Putin said this week that Moscow would continue its invasion, vowing that all his goals would be achieved. The Kremlin leader also said that 617,000 Russian soldiers were currently taking part in what Moscow describes as its "special military operation". But he admitted that the armed forces had problems with air defence systems and communication, and needed to increase the production of drones. Ukraine cuts military operations as aid dries up Republicans block Biden aid package to KyivHungary blocks €50bn of EU funding for Ukraine Inside Putin's carefully choreographed phone-in President Zelensky's end-of-year news conference was held in the Ukrainian capital on Tuesday, with the time and venue being kept secret from the general public. Invited Ukrainian and foreign media had been given the details in their confirmation letters. FULL STORY

Colorado's Supreme Court has ruled Donald Trump cannot run for president next year in the state, citing a constitutional insurrection clause. In a decision that upends the White House race, the court ruled 4-3 that Mr Trump is not an eligible candidate. It is the first time that Section 3 of the US Constitution's 14th Amendment has been used to disqualify a presidential candidate. Several attempts to kick Mr Trump off the ballot in other states have failed. Tuesday's decision - which has been placed on hold pending appeal until next month - does not apply to states outside Colorado. The top court wrote in its ruling: "We do not reach these conclusions lightly. We are mindful of the magnitude and weight of the questions now before us. "We are likewise mindful of our solemn duty to apply the law, without fear or favor, and without being swayed by public reaction to the decisions that the law mandates we reach." The decision reverses an earlier one from a Colorado judge, who ruled that the 14th Amendment's insurrection ban did not apply to presidents because the section does not explicitly name them. That same lower court judge also found that Mr Trump had participated in an insurrection on the day of the US Capitol riot in 2021. Supporters of the former president stormed Congress on that day while lawmakers were certifying President Joe Biden's election victory. The Colorado Supreme Court's decision does not go into effect until at least 4 January 2024. That is the eve of the deadline for the state to print its presidential primary ballots. In a statement, Steven Cheung, a spokesman for the Trump campaign, called the ruling "completely flawed" and lambasted the justices, who were all appointed by Democratic governors. "Democrat Party leaders are in a state of paranoia over the growing, dominant lead President Trump has amassed in the polls," Mr Cheung said. "They have lost faith in the failed Biden presidency and are now doing everything they can to stop the American voters from throwing them out of office next November." Mr Cheung added that Mr Trump's legal team would "swiftly file an appeal" to the US Supreme Court. The legal bid to take Trump off ballot, explained Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (Crew), the group that brought the case, welcomed the ruling. "It is not only historic and justified, but is necessary to protect the future of democracy in our country," the group's president, Noah Bookbinder, said in a statement. Similar lawsuits in New Hampshire, Minnesota and Michigan have failed. The 14th Amendment was ratified after the American Civil War. Its Section 3 was intended to block secessionists from returning to previous government roles once southern states re-joined the Union. It was used against Confederate president Jefferson Davis and his vice-president Alexander Stephens, both of whom had served in Congress. It has seldom been invoked since. Mr Trump lost the state of Colorado by a wide margin in the last presidential election. But if courts in more competitive states followed suit on Tuesday's ruling, Mr Trump's White House bid could face serious problems. During a one-week trial in Colorado last month, the former president's lawyers argued he should not be disqualified because he did not bear responsibility for the US Capitol riot. But in its Tuesday ruling, the Colorado Supreme Court majority disagreed. They said Mr Trump's messages before the riot were "a call to his supporters to fight and… his supporters responded to that call". Carlos Samour, one of three justices who dissented, argued the government could not "deprive someone of the right to hold public office without due process of law". "Even if we are convinced that a candidate committed horrible acts in the past - dare I say, engaged in insurrection - there must be procedural due process before we can declare that individual disqualified from holding public office," he wrote. FULL STORY

Off topic discussion removed.

A number of petty exchanges removed.

I liked the Bang Saray area, nice little beach, good places to eat out etc, easy distance of Pattaya if thats what you want.

More than half of all voters believe former President Trump will act like a dictator if reelected to office, according to a new poll. The Harvard CAPS-Harris poll found that 56 percent of those surveyed at least somewhat agree that Trump, who is the clear front-runner for the GOP nomination, will act like a dictator if given a second term, including almost 40 percent who strongly agree. The poll also found that 59 percent of voters believe Democrats are unfairly trying to scare voters over Trump by saying he wants to be a dictator. The results come after Trump made and doubled down on comments that he would act as a dictator if reelected president, but only on “day one” of his second term. “Democratic talking points are having an impact on Trump,” said Mark Penn, chairman of the Harvard CAPS-Harris poll. Penn added that the poll suggests people are worried Trump could abuse his power if elected. The poll found about half of all voters believe Trump would be a threat to democracy if he is reelected president, with Democrats overwhelmingly saying they believe so and Republicans overwhelmingly saying they do not think so. Independents were evenly split on the question. Pollsters found that Trump leads President Biden in a hypothetical head-to-head match-up by 5 points, 47 percent to 42 percent, with 12 percent undecided. With the undecided voters required to choose, Trump’s lead narrows to 4 points, 52 percent to 48 percent. Trump’s comments about being a dictator came at a town hall with Fox News host Sean Hannity this month after Hannity asked him about reports that Trump plans to take more authoritarian tactics if reelected president next year. FULL STORY

Major flooding in northern Australia has begun to ease but many towns remain isolated in crocodile-infested waters as supplies dwindle. Extreme weather driven by ex-tropical cyclone Jasper has dumped a year's worth of rain on parts of Queensland. Some rivers have swollen to record levels, flooding homes, severing roads and power, and forcing people to flee houses in boats. One man is missing. Hundreds of people still require rescue, many in remote communities. Queensland authorities say the rain has become less intense, and river levels have begun to fall. Rescue and relief efforts have been hampered by the closure of Cairns Airport, where planes were pictured submerged on Sunday. Many communities between Cooktown and Innisfail remain cut off by floodwaters, and food and water stocks are running low. Of primary concern is Wujal Wujal, where up to 300 people are waiting to be evacuated. Former mayor Desmond Tayley told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation he had "grave concerns" for the elderly and people with disabilities in the small community. With no electricity and supplies almost gone, "desperate" locals had been traversing floodwaters where large crocodiles had been seen, he said. "A lot of people risk their lives to get to and from different places within the community... We've got big crocs close to 6m. Being attacked by one of those, you never see someone again." FULL STORY

A volcano has erupted on the Reykjanes peninsula of south-west Iceland after weeks of intense earthquake activity. About 4,000 people were earlier evacuated from the fishing town of Grindavik and the nearby Blue Lagoon geothermal spa was closed. The eruption started north of the town at 22:17 local time (22:17 GMT), the Icelandic Met Office said. The region around the capital Reykjavik has been experiencing an increase in earthquake activity since late October. Images and videos posted on social media showed lava bursting from the volcano just an hour after an earthquake swarm, or seismic events, were detected. A coastguard helicopter has been sent to the area to confirm the exact location and size of the eruption. The Met Office said that the eruption was located about 4km (2.5 miles) north-east of Grindavik and the seismic activity was moving towards the town. The length of the crack in the volcano is about 3.5km, with the lava flowing at a rate of around 100 to 200 cubic metres per second, it added. It said that this was many times more than in previous eruptions on the Reykjanes peninsula in recent years. A senior police officer at the Civil Defence told national broadcaster RUV the eruption had happened quickly and appeared to be "quite a large event". Vidir Reynisson said the lava appeared to be flowing in all directions from a large crack in the volcano. FULL STORY

At least 116 people have been killed and another 220 injured following an earthquake on Monday night in north-west China, state media report. Chinese authorities said the 6.2 magnitude quake struck Gansu province around midnight (16:00 GMT) and also affected neighbouring Qinghai. Thousands of rescuers are braving freezing conditions to try and help people in the high-altitude area. A second quake struck neighbouring Xinjiang hours later on Tuesday. The damage from that 5.5 magnitude strike was not immediately clear. Chinese President Xi Jinping has ordered full rescue efforts to Gansu, one of China's poorest regions. Jishishan county appears to be the worst-hit area. Gansu lies between the Tibetan and Loess plateaus and borders Mongolia. The Monday night quake struck the Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture, an administrative region for China's Muslim Hui people. Chinese authorities said the quake measured 6.2 on the richter scale, while the US Geological Survey (USGS) recorded a magnitude of 5.9 and depth of 10km (six miles). About 10 aftershocks have taken place, local authorities reported. Footage showed hospitals receiving patients, and rescuers searching through the rubble of collapsed buildings. Debris was also seen on the floors of rooms whose ceilings had partially collapsed. FULL STORY

Post and response removed. Members please desist from making personal remarks./name calling.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned there will be “problems” with neighboring Finland after it joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) earlier this year. Finland’s ascension to NATO marked a major shift in the security landscape in northern Europe, and added some 1,300 kilometers (830 miles) to the alliance’s frontier with Russia. It was also a blow for President Putin, who has long warned against NATO expansion. “They (the West) took Finland and dragged it into NATO! Why, did we have any disputes with Finland? All disputes, including those of a territorial nature in the middle of the 20th Century, have all been resolved long ago,” Putin said in an interview published on Sunday. “There were no problems, but now there will be, because we will now create the Leningrad military district there and definitely concentrate military units there,” Putin added in the interview by Russian state broadcaster Russia 1. Putin also dismissed as “complete nonsense” remarks from US President Joe Biden, who earlier this month warned that Putin would “keep going” if he takes Ukraine, suggesting that Russia could eventually attack a NATO ally and draw US troops into conflict. The Russian leader said Russia “has no reason, no interest, no geopolitical interest, neither economic, nor political, nor military, to fight with NATO countries,” adding Moscow does not have any territorial claims in NATO countries. “There is no desire to spoil relations with them (NATO countries), we are interested in developing relations,” Putin added. FULL STORY

Most important is a "reason to return." if that's not absolutely foolproof, expect disappointment. As you were told back in March: Just keep in mind that all questions on a visa application must be answered correctly, failure to do so may well result in the application being refused and if answered dishonestly, may result in the applicant being banned from making future applications for a lengthy period.

Donald Trump is facing a backlash for repeating a remark at a political rally on Saturday where he said undocumented immigrants to the United States are “poisoning the blood of our country”. The former US president’s comments were the latest example of his campaign rhetoric that seemed to go beyond the lies and exaggerations that are a trademark of his stump speeches and instead go into territory of outright extremism or racism. In November he was widely condemned for calling his opponents “vermin”, language that echoed that used historically by dictators and authoritarians. Trump, who is the overwhelming favorite to be the Republican nominee for the 2024 race for the White House, made the comments at a rally in Durham, New Hampshire, attended by several thousand supporters. He added that immigrants were coming to the US from Asia and Africa in addition to South America. “All over the world they are pouring into our country,” he said. The White House hit back, saying that Joe Biden believes “our leaders have a responsibility to bring the country together around our shared values.” “Echoing the grotesque rhetoric of fascists and violent white supremacists and threatening to oppress those who disagree with the government are dangerous attacks on the dignity and rights of all Americans, on our democracy, and on public safety,” White House spokesperson Andrew Bates said in a statement. Trump’s comments come days after he warned that if he is re-elected next year he would act on immigration like a “dictator” – but only on the first day of his term. He has since floated the idea of sending potentially “hundreds of thousands” of US troops to secure the US-Mexico border, build a network of immigrant detention camps, and “begin the largest domestic deportation operation in American history”. “He’s disgusting,” former New Jersey governor and Republican presidential contender Chris Christie told CNN Sunday. “He’s dog-whistling to Americans who feel under stress and strain from the economy and conflicts around the world,” Christie said. “He’s dog-whistling to blame it on people from areas that don’t look like us.” FULL STORY