Cathy

Trump: If Iran has put out any mines in the Hormuz Strait, and we have no reports of them doing so, we want them removed, IMMEDIATELY! If for any reason mines were placed, and they are not removed forthwith, the Military consequences to Iran will be at a level never seen before. If, on the other hand, they remove what may have been placed, it will be a giant step in the right direction! Additionally, we are using the same Technology and Missile capabilities deployed against Drug Traffickers to permanently eliminate any boat or ship attempting to mine the Hormuz Strait. They will be dealt with quickly and violently. BEWARE! President DONALD J. TRUMP 9 ReTruths 38 Likes 3/10/26, 1:07 PM

Trump deleted and reposted about the mines, adding:

“Additionally, we are using the same Technology and Missile capabilities deployed against Drug Traffickers to permanently eliminate any boat or ship attempting to mine the Hormuz Strait. They will be dealt with quickly and violently. BEWARE!”

Iran begins laying mines in Strait of Hormuz, sources say | CNN Politics Iran has begun laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz, the world’s most important energy chokepoint that carries about one-fifth of all crude oil, according to two people familiar with US intelligence r...

This will be very negative if confirmed - adds a whole demining operation onto the end of the conflict before the passageway is safe again

edition.cnn.com/2026/03/10/p...

Tuesday views of Mussenden Temple on Northern Ireland’s beautiful Causeway Coast.

📸 Anne Kelly Art and Photography • @annlizkelly.bsky.social

in case you've never seen it, this is Roger Ebert on The Mummy

did somebody get their country into a wee situation they can't get out of

Middle-aged man in a T-shirt, hoodie and baseball cap carrying a skateboard over his shoulder. Caption reads: ‘HOW DO YOU DO, FELLOW BLUESKIS?’

A vertical shot of a small woodland waterfall cascading down dark, moss-covered rocks into a shallow pool. The water is captured with a long exposure, giving it a smooth, milky white appearance. Lush green ferns and leafy bushes vividly frame the waterfall on both sides. Tall tree trunks with patches of light moss rise into the canopy in the background. The soft, diffused lighting creates a tranquil, verdant, and magical forest atmosphere.

I took a wander down to Edenvale Woods in County Wexford recently. I love this little waterfall that’s tucked away beneath the lush moss-draped trees and vibrant green ferns.

#photography #EastCoastKin #TeamPixel #EdenvaleWoods #Wexford #Ireland #Nature #Waterfall #ForestWalk #RiverSow

Square format in bold painterly acrylics on canvas. Yellow and orange large leaves float over your head in the foreground against a background of tall straight black trunks and green foliage of evergreen trees with some blue sky peeping through on the right and in even smaller gaps in the top left corner. Above is a canopy of smaller yellow leaves with darker yellow leaves behind them and in between are some small twisted branches of almost black, whereas the large leaves in the foreground have no obvious branches connecting them so appear to float. The ground is a small glimpse of deep orange. Signed bottom left in light blue, Liam Daly

A #painting from a couple of years back. "Golden Leaves V" was started many years ago when I had a studio in an old cobbled stableyard, and a few acres of woods led down to the River Liffey so I would happily lose and find myself in them all the time. And who wouldn't? #art #SpeirGhorm

❗️Saudi Arabia plans to purchase Ukrainian interceptor drones and electronic warfare systems as Gulf states face drone threats similar to those used against Kyiv, The Wall Street Journal reports. The deal could be worth millions of dollars but has not been signed. #Ukraine

Thank you so much for sharing this. Coming from the far side of Europe, theres a lot I don't know about Ukraine etc. Things its good to know.

Words cost nothing.
Watch what they do, not what they say.

Meanwhile, Trump has removed sanctions from Russian oil.

Such a tragedy to be torn away from everything they had known. I wish we were beyond these things rather than, apparently, drifting back to them.

Line chart of Brent crude oil price

Thursday: "I can't believe the Strait of Hormuz is closed and oil is less than $90 a barrel."
Tuesday: "I can't believe the Strait of Hormuz is still closed and oil is back below $90 a barrel."

Oh wow. I knew there's a lot of Ukranians in Canada but I didn't realise it went that far back.

Mennonite belief is pacifist, isn't it? So sad what these smaller religious groups went through.

Pistorius agrees on the delivery of Patriot missiles for Ukraine Ukraine will receive a batch of Patriot anti-aircraft missiles from Europe in the coming weeks. Germany arranged the delivery. Pistorius’ aid package

🇩🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺 Ukraine will receive a batch of Patriot anti-aircraft missiles from Europe in the coming weeks. Germany arranged the delivery. Ukraine will receive about 35 interceptor missiles.

Read more 👀
theukrainianreview.info/pistorius-ag...

Russian deportation and ‌transfer of Ukrainian children amounts to crimes against humanity More than 19,500 children have been forcibly displaced or illegally ​deported to Russia and Belarus during Ukraine war

Russian deportation and ‌transfer of Ukrainian children amounts to crimes against humanity

"My time in local government copper-fastened my view that decisions affecting people's lives should be made as close as possible to those whose lives they impact."

Classic subsidiarity. Makes sense.

WE CAN TAKE THEM AT THEIR WORD 😳

Hungary's parliament passes resolution against Ukraine's EU bid Lawmakers urged Hungary's government to "avoid sending money or weapons to Ukraine" and instead support "international peace efforts," Hungarian government spokesperson Zoltan Kovacs said.

The Hungarian parliament on March 10 voted in support of a resolution opposing Ukraine's EU accession and continued European assistance to the war-torn country.

kyivindependent.com/hungarian-pa...

Exactly. There is a reason that fewer people are taking jobs in crop picking etc. But rates are not that high so you have to work hard to make a living in all weathers.

Happened in Ireland, happened more recently in Eastern Europe.

VW to cut 50,000 jobs amid Trump tariffs and falling Chinese sales Car group reports 54% drop in pre-tax profits as it says Iran war could affect demand for Audi and Porsche brands

Volkswagen announce 50,000 job cuts as pre tax profits fall 54%.

But over in France, Renault is moving forward faster with EV transition announced it will end fuel only cars in 2030.
www.theguardian.com/business/202...

Office.eu and the hope for a digitally sovereign Europe A new productivity platform called Office.eu promises to enable organisations to regain control over their data and digital operations.

The idea of digital sovereignty has finally taken centre stage in Europe, after years of the region conducting its business and administration on infrastructure made elsewhere.

Chart showing Brent oil crude prices, fluctuating around 70 from 10 Feb to 26 Feb, then rising to a peak around 95 on 6 March, dropping down to about 90 today.

'Self-defeating': EU and US clash over Russia sanctions relief Granting sanctions relief to Russia would be "self-defeating", Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis said after Donald Trump's announcement. #EuropeNews

After Trump's announcement, Brussels says granting sanctions relief to Russia would be "self-defeating".

I look deeper into the latest EU-US clash.

Pakistan to close schools, take other measures to cut energy as oil spikes Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ‌said on Monday that schools would close for two weeks and office workers would work more from home as he announced a range of measures to cut fuel use and gov...

Some examples of how the energy crisis is affecting South Asia.

1. Pakistan will close schools for the next two weeks, get government employees to work from home and universities will shift to online learning.

www.reuters.com/world/asia-p...

🎵 It was 11 years ago today,
Ireland legalised ecstasy,
All the lads and ladies went for broke,
Gobbling down the bags of yokes,
So may I introduce to you,
Everybody’s biggest fears,
Coming down in work again! 🎵

#speirgorm

In the chaos in Iran, you might have missed the news that Russia's operational momentum has slowed, even reversed, on the frontlines in Ukraine.

Rand Paul: "I think we've gotten overextended. This is our second war in a month, and these wars are very very expensive not only in the lives that are lost, but also in treasure. I'm very very concerned about the debt. Half a trillion dollars for the military budget is fiscally irresponsible."

The University of Zurich and ETH Domain will host the ceremony, which gives prizes to achievements "that first make people laugh, then make them think".