Happy Thanksgiving!
Far-right figures have congratulated the Dutch anti-Islam, anti-EU populist politician Geert Wilders and his Party for Freedom (PVV) on being predicted to win the most seats in the Netherlands parliament, in an upset that opens the way for the PVV to play a key role in the formation of the next government.
With nearly all votes counted, preliminary results in the Dutch election show the Party for Freedom (PVV) took 37 seats, more than any other party and significantly more than expected in opinion polling during the campaign.
A GreenLeft-Labour party alliance (GL/PvdA) led by the former EU commissioner Frans Timmermans finished second, with 25 seats. The liberal-conservative Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD), led by the outgoing justice minister, Dilan Yeşilgöz-Zegerius, got 24 seats.
The French far-right leader Marine Le Pen, whose National Rally party is the biggest single opposition party in the French parliament, congratulated Wilders.
What did Le Pen say? She described Wilders’ Party for Freedom (PVV) as an ally with her party in the European parliament, saying his election performance showed that “more and more countries at the heart of the EU are contesting the way it works … and want us to master immigration, which is seen by many European peoples as massive and totally anarchic today”.
What happens now? Much will depend on a coalition-building process.
Energy companies still investing too much in fossil fuels, global watchdog says
Energy companies are investing twice as much in oil and gas as they should be if the world hopes to limit rising global temperatures to avert a climate catastrophe, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA).
The world’s energy watchdog said the sector still had “minimal” engagement with the global clean energy transition, and continued to contribute just 1% of clean energy investment globally.
In a special report before the Cop28 climate summit in Dubai, which begins on 30 November, the agency called on the industry to show commitment to tackling pollution by balancing its investments in clean energy and fossil fuels.
The IEA executive director, Fatih Birol, said the industry faced “a moment of truth” in which it must “make profound decisions” about its role.
What else did Birol say? “With the world suffering the impacts of a worsening climate crisis, continuing with business as usual is neither socially nor environmentally responsible,” he said.
Israel-Hamas ceasefire and hostage deal won’t happen before Friday, Israeli and US officials say
A four-day truce in Gaza and the release of some hostages will not start until tomorrow at the earliest, Israeli officials have said, delaying by at least 24 hours the proposed exchange of hostages held by Hamas in the territory for Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.
The exchange of female and minor hostages and prisoners was due to take place following the start of the first ceasefire in seven weeks of war in Gaza, officials from both Hamas and Israel have said.
The truce, which would initially last for four days, was announced early on Wednesday after days of speculation and raised hopes for a more durable pause in the violence.
More than 100 Palestinians were reported killed within hours of the announcement as Israeli forces continued attacking Gaza from the land, sea and air. After a pause from late afternoon on Wednesday, rockets were fired into Israel from Gaza at 5am this morning.
Is the deal still on track? Tzachi Hanegbi, the Israeli national security adviser, said shortly after midnight on Thursday the agreement remained on track. “The contacts on the release of our hostages are advancing and continuing constantly,” he said in a statement.
In other news …
A speeding car crashed in flames on the bridge linking New York state and Ontario at Niagara Falls yesterday, killing two people in the vehicle and sparking a security scare that closed four US-Canadian border crossings. Kathy Hochul, the governor of New York, said there was “no indication of a terrorist attack”.
A jury has found the former head of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police intelligence unit guilty of leaking state secrets, the first time a Canadian has been convicted under the country’s Security of Information Act. Cameron Ortis was found guilty of three counts of violating the act and one count of attempting to do so.
North Korea has said it will deploy new weapons and stronger armed forces along its heavily armed border with South Korea. In a sign of rising tensions, North Korea said it would restore “all military measures” it had halted under a 2018 confidence-building agreement with South Korea.
Cuba Gooding Jr was sued yesterday by two women whose sexual assault cases against the Oscar-winning actor underlie a criminal prosecution that ended with him pleading guilty but serving no jail time. Lawyers for Gooding did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Ukraine has not reached a stalemate in its war with Russia because the west can help Kyiv by “dropping five more queens on the board”, according to an influential historian of eastern Europe. Timothy Snyder, a Yale professor, argued that continuing high levels of military aid could allow Ukraine to prevail.
Don’t miss this: ‘Our little uniter’ – New Jersey town bereft by capture of beloved wild turkey
Residents of West Orange, New Jersey, have been left heartbroken after a wild turkey named “Turkules”, whose resilient nature and ability to evade capture “brought the town together”, was finally snared by state officials. Turkules, who was named by a local man, first took up residence in West Orange, 25 miles west of New York City, over the summer. The bird’s fearless attitude towards traffic and disregard for authority soon made him a local celebrity. Despite sometimes causing mile-long traffic jams, his popularity was such that on Saturday businesses organized a “Hometown Hero” event in Turkules’s honor. But after a weeks-long effort, Turkules has now been captured and relocated to Wharton state forest, 85 miles away, leaving the town bereft.
Or this: ‘It’s not a public service, it’s toxic’ – welcome to the world of gossip surveillance
TikTokers are sharing strangers’ conversations, hoping to expose gossipers to the very people they’re talking about. The videos – in which uploaders eavesdrop on strangers and report the “tea” to their TikTok audiences, sometimes offering identifying features of all those involved – have become a curious trend on the app. Dozens of these videos are popping up under various hashtags, airing out the dirty laundry of unsuspecting parties: baby daddies with secret families, fiances who cheated while on their bachelor trips, and friend groups complaining behind the back of an unwitting member. Is the humiliation worth it?
Climate check: Ban private jets to address climate crisis, says Thomas Piketty
Questions of social and economic class must be at the centre of the world’s response to the climate crisis, to address the huge inequalities between the carbon footprints of the rich and poor and prevent a backlash against climate policies, the economist Thomas Piketty has said. Regulations will be needed to outlaw goods and services that have unnecessarily high greenhouse gas emissions, such as private jets, outsized vehicles, and flights over short distances, he said in an interview with the Guardian. Rich countries must also put in place progressive carbon taxes that take into account people’s incomes, as current policies usually fail to adjust for people’s real needs.
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Last Thing: Missouri library will ban porn star book – after 20 people on waiting list read it
A Missouri library system will ban a book that critics are calling too sexually explicit – but they are allowing the 20 people on the book’s waiting list to read it first. A committee with the St Charles city-county library system in eastern Missouri has moved to ban the book Bang Like a Porn Star: Sex Tips from the Pros, but will allow everyone on the book’s waiting list before 21 November to read it first, the St Louis Post-Dispatch reported. Jason Kuhl, CEO of the St Charles city-county library, said the book was purchased five years ago because “it was the only item readily available at the time about sexuality and sexual health for gay men”.
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