A. A. Vardé

Edipo: Chi ti ha insegnato la verità? Il tuo mestiere di profeta, certo?
Tiresia: Me l'hai insegnata tu costringendomi a parlare contro il mio volere
(Edipo Re)

[Leonid Ragozin @leonidragozin]

I can now confirm that yesterday I was notified of my expulsion from Latvia where I lived for 12 years. This, I believe, is a long-brewing revenge by far right politicians for my investigation into their links to Russian neo-Nazis who found refuge in Kyiv and who circulated the manifesto of Christchurch shooter in 2019. It is also a punishment for my commentary on the Russian aggression in Ukraine and for Pavel Sheremet investigation.

The notification doesn’t point to any specific misdemeanours or statements which prompted the decision. I was declared persona non grata, a status designed for diplomats who enjoy immunity from prosecution, not for ordinary people. This was done - as far right politicians who spearheaded the decision openly admit - in order to deny me justice in the Latvian court system: PNG status cannot be appealed in courts. This makes me conclude that I am facing political persecution.

For me it is a huge personal tragedy. I am being evicted from my only beloved home, deprived of my circle of friendship and support. I love Latvia, the land of my ethnic Latvian ancestors, and have no sense of revenge. I will always remain pro-Latvian. It makes me immensely sad that high positions in the Latvian government have been captured by forces whose closest political relation is Putin and who are using Putin’s aggression in Ukraine as a pretext for eroding the rule of law and democracy in the European Union.

My stance on the war in Ukraine remains unchanged. I condemn the Russian aggression and support Ukraine’s sovereignty over occupied territories. Ukraine is a wound in my heart, not a source of political gain as it is for my persecutors. But I’ll continue to criticise Western countries for mishandling this conflict and not acting in the best interests of the Ukrainian people. I shall not be gagged.

Shame on those who understand what is happening but look away or buy into smear campaign waged against me by the pro-war lobby and far right info dumps. One day, they’ll come for you, too.

Attn @RSF_inter @ECPMF

[A. A. Vardé @a_a_varde]

@AngusBylsma I think we italians decided kisses on screen were more interesting :)

[A. A. Vardé @a_a_varde]

There is a terrible detail to this story: the Germans apparently discovered the documents by chance. On 28 September, 3 soldiers came to Villa Montesano looking for calves to requisition. Only then they discovered the crates. Two days later, the order was given to burn everything

[Regnum_Neapolitanum @1309Regnum]

Exactly 83 years ago, on September 30, 1943, one of the greatest tragedies in the history of Naples unfolded: the destruction of the Royal Chancery of Naples, part of the State Archives, at the hands of the German army.

A brief account of what happened:

[Aseel Swaid @aseelswaid9]

little palestine; diary of a siege (2021) dir. abdallah al khatib

[Massimo Bray @massimobray]

#MarcBloch è entrato ieri al Panthéon. Storico, resistente, fucilato dai nazisti. L'"Apologia della storia" si apre con una domanda: «Papà, a che serve la storia?». Su quel libro mi sono formato. Quando mi chiedo perché la cultura conti trovo ancora lì una parte della risposta.

[Mario Ricciardi @marioricciard18]

Grande ammirazione per @invisiblearabs che con pazienza, rigore e competenza espone i termini della questione Pelestinese (sul resto meglio tacere).

[Bruno Maçães @MacaesBruno]

Meloni really has very little self-esteem. Years flattering a man who despises her and who despises Italy

[A. A. Vardé @a_a_varde]

@AleGuerani @dorinileonardo Quali sono secondo te i migliori di Visconti?

[Civixplorer @Civixplorer]

Elevated roundabout in Catanzaro, Italy 🇮🇹

[Assal Rad @AssalRad]

Where is your ticket to The Hague?

[Tamer Nahed @Tamer_Alnoaizy]

Gaza is taking its last breaths, and the situation we have reached is extremely dangerous.

Temperatures are rising to suffocating levels, and the tents where hundreds of thousands live have turned into ovens made of fabric and plastic. There is no electricity, no air conditioning, no fans, no cold water. People try to sleep, but heat, hunger, and fear make sleep seem like an impossible dream.

Clean water is scarce, cleaning supplies are almost nonexistent, and essential medicines are unavailable. Skin diseases are spreading in a terrifying way among children and adults, while garbage piles up and sewage mixes with displacement areas, spreading even more suffering.

Long lines form for food, yet many return empty handed. Aid is decreasing, and most relief centers have stopped or are no longer able to meet even the minimum needs.

At night, rats, insects, snakes, and scorpions crawl into the tents, while during the day people face unbearable heat and endless hunger. There is no safety, no privacy, and nowhere to go. Meanwhile, killings and destruction continue daily, while Gaza’s space shrinks day by day, forcing people into smaller and more overcrowded areas.

This is not life. This is not displacement. This is a complete collapse of everything that allows human beings to live with dignity.

What more is the world waiting for? How many children must go hungry? How many patients must die before the world acts? Do not stay silent. Speak about Gaza. Share what is happening.

[joseph francis @joefrancis505]

Robert C. Allen is about the closest I get to a living intellectual hero in economic history.

[Nassim Nicholas Taleb @nntaleb]

The modern (18-19th C.) nation-state.

[Brian McDonald @BrianMcDonaldIE]

Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel says “underestimating Putin would be a mistake,” while also insisting that the EU has failed to make sufficient use of its diplomatic potential with Russia.

Merkel recalled proposing an EU summit with Putin in 2021 after Biden’s Geneva meeting with the Russian president, but said the idea collapsed because Western European leaders lacked a common position on Russia.

She added that “military deterrence plus diplomatic activity” was the formula even during the Cold War. Merkel also stressed that any future mediation effort should be led by serving political leaders, not former officials like herself.

[Reuters @Reuters]

Pope Leo criticized rising European military spending, calling it a betrayal of diplomacy and condemned rearmament as harmful to education and health investments https://t.co/y7Y1Qh1X5l

[Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur oPt @FranceskAlbs]

BREAKING! US court ha suspended the US sanctions against me!
As the judge says: "Protecting the Freedom of speech is always just the public interest".
Thanks to my daughter and my husband for stepping up to defend me, and everyone who has helped so far.

Together we are One.

[Nicholas Kristof @NickKristof]

This is a hard article to read, but I hope you'll do so. I've spent some time reporting on widespread rape and other sexual violence of Palestinian male and female prisoners by Israeli authorities, and the article is now published. The assault victims were warned not to give speak of what they endured -- they were sometimes told they would be killed or raped if they gave interviews -- but they found the courage to do so. One man described being raped three times in a single day in Israeli prison, the third time after he tried to protest. A young woman said the guards would come in at the beginning of each shift and strip her naked and abuse her. Another reported that she was shown photos of herself being raped and warned they would be released unless she cooperated with Israeli intelligence. Even three children who had been detained told me they had been sexually abused. Look, whatever our position on the Middle East, we should be able to agree on being anti-rape. Sexual assaults were horrific when Israeli women were targeted on Oct. 7, and they're equally horrific when Israeli authorities use them against Palestinians day after day after day. We should be able to find common ground in opposing rape. Here's a gift link to the article: https://t.co/aMMHId49OO

[The New Yorker @NewYorker]

Spain’s Socialist Prime Minister has opposed the war in the Middle East from the start. Now the rest of Europe is catching on. https://t.co/FhDoiPsavH

[Ben Marmarelli بن مرمريلي בן מרמרלי @mrmrly44557]

A very serious investigation has been published in @nytimes about rape and sexual violence carried out by the authorities in Israel. I am also quoted in this article as one of many, many people who provided accounts to this newspaper, which is considered extremely pro-Israeli.
In response, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs wrote that these are antisemitic “blood libels.” It is clear that the reports already published by Al Jazeera in 2024, and by me in 2025 when the BBC censored and deleted the interview with me, are true.
People simply need to listen to Palestinians. But the world does not listen to Palestinians. It only listens when it is written in The New York Times — and now it is written there.