Friday Fuss

As we move from Independence Day to the weekend, here are some things going on:

From National Review, the dark side of Leonard Cohen.

From FrontpageMag, are trans athletes tilting the playing field?

From Townhall, the mayor of Portland, Oregon allows ProFa to thrive.

From The Washington Free Beacon, some patriotic shoes into which I can put my big feet.

From the Washington Examiner, Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) gives the original anthem kneeler some advice about quoting from historical speeches.

From The Federalist, Senator Kamala Harris (D-Cal) has bigger problem than busing.

From American Thinker, after blasting former Vice President Biden's position on busing, Harris adopts it.

From CNS News, more Americans than ever are employed.

From LifeZette, congresscritter AOC (D-NY) criticizes CBP leadership after opposing a bill to improve conditions.

From NewsBusters, all of the media's false "doomsday predictions" for yesterday's July 4th celebration.

From CBC News, three earthquakes are detected off the coast of British Columbia.

From Global News, a Ontario court rules that not wearing a condom after promising to invalidates consent.

From CTV News, a provincial park in Alberta could become a World Heritage site.

From TeleSUR, Venezuela celebrates their independence day.

From The Jakarta Post, scientists tell climate protesters to plant trees.  (This article is distinct from the SwissInfo article I linked yesterday, but appears to convey the same general message.)

From The Straits Times, young protesters in Hong Kong are joined by their mothers.

From the Borneo Post, Malaysia's Immigration Department prioritizes investigations involving foreign children.

From Free Malaysia Today, Malaysia's Immigration Department claims to have released a detained American singer after 24 hours.  (When we Americans visit other countries, we are expected to enter, conduct ourselves, and then leave according to their laws.  Why is it wrong for us to expect the same from foreigners who enter the U.S.?)

From the Daily Mirror, a British citizen returns to the hotel where his two siblings were killed in the Easter Sunday attacks.

From the Colombo Page, Sri Lanka's Supreme Court orders a moratorium on executions until October 30th.

From The Hans India, Indian security forces kill a terrorist in Shopian, Jammu and Kashmir.

From the Hindustan Times, police in the Indian state of Bihar save a truck driver from being lynched by cow vigilantes.

From ANI, a Muslim is allegedly beaten up by other Muslims for reading from the Hindu scripture Ramayana.

From India Today, 50,000 pilgrims complete the Amarnath Yatra as 5,000 more set out.

From Khaama Press, 40 civilians are killed or wounded as Taliban terrorists attack a market in Afghanistan's Faryab province.

From The Express Tribune, according to Nobel Laureate Malala Yousafzai, no girl under 18 should get married.

From Pakistan Today, Pakistan's prime minister will inaugurate the Road to Makkah project.

From Radio Farda, the U.S. welcomes the seizure by the U.K. of an Iranian oil tanker.

From IranWire, Iranians bypass sanctions by using Bitcoin.

From StepFeed, what Saudis really think of the upcoming concert by Nicki Minaj.

From Rûdaw, and perhaps the "what took them so long?" department, UNESCO adds Babylon to its list of World Heritage sites.

From Arutz Sheva, about 1,400 Arabs demonstrate along the Isreal-Gaza border.

From The Times Of Israel, manslaughter charges are reportedly off the table for the police officer who shot an Ethiopian Israeli.

From The Jerusalem Post, Iran arrests eight Christians and reportedly put them in solitary confinement.

From YNetNews, according to Arab experts, Israel can attack Syria whenever it wants.

From the Egypt Independent, U.S. President Trump and Egyptian President al-Sisi discuss Libya and Sudan.

From Egypt Today, Christie's Auction House sells a bust of Pharaoh Tutankhamun for £4.7 million.  (The line in Steve Martin's King Tut, "they're selling you", becomes true.)

From Hürriyet Daily News, Russia, Turkey and Iran plan a summit for this coming August.

From Turkish Minute, Turkey's Supreme Court of Appeals declines to uphold aggravated life sentences given to two journalists.

From Romania-Insider, a U.S.-organized Space Adventure exhibition opens in Bucharest.

From Novinite, Bulgaria and Azerbaijan sign a document on cultural cooperation.

From Sofia Globe, stones are thrown at the headquarters of Bulgaria's Chief Mufti.

From Radio Bulgaria, Bulgaria's prime minister talks with his North Macedonian counterpart.

From Ekathimerini, the Greek party New Democracy holds a firm lead in polls against SYRIZA.

From the Greek Reporter, Kurdish refugees escape death in Syria and get married on Lesvos.

From Independent Balkan News Agency, Polish President Andrzej wants Balkan countries to be admitted into the E.U.

From Total Croatia News, the Croatian parliament commemorates the victims of the Srebrenica genocide.

From ANSA, two more migrant rescue ships are in standoffs in the Mediterranean.

From SwissInfo, Switzerland needs teachers.

From the Malta Independent, Malta offers to receive the migrants on the ship ALEX.

From Malta Today, the ship Alan Kurdi rescues 65 migrants off from a dinghy off the Libyan coast.

From Morocco World News, Moroccan authorities arrest a suspected ISIS-affiliated terrorist.

From The Portugal News, more foreigners than ever are living in Portugal.

From El País, ten literally cool places in Spain.

From France24, despite police presence, thousands of people in Algiers protest against the Algerian interim government.

From RFI, France's First Lady speaks out against "relentless" online bullying.

From the Express, Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage threatens to shut down Paris and Frankfurt if the E.U. bullies the U.K.

From the Evening Standard, British activist Tommy Robinson is found guilty of contempt of court.

From the Independent, a Swedish woman is arrested at Gatwick Airport for alleged terror offenses.

From the Irish Examiner, the crypt at a church in Dublin will reopen for the first time since the theft of an 800-year-old skull.

From VRT NWS, a Belgian gets a lifetime driving ban for the 23rd time.

From the NL Times, Dutch MPs want to make leaving children outside the Netherlands a crime.

From Dutch News, plans to bring 40,000 more flights per year into Schiphol Airport provoke an angry reaction.  (Due to my own experience with Schiphol, I'm inclined to agree with that anger.  See this blog's archives for May of 2017.)

From Deutsche Welle, a neo-Nazi organization faces a ban in Germany.

From the CPH Post, translation between Danish and Georgian becomes problematic, and other stories.

From Radio Poland, a Polish gang running a slave network in the U.K. is busted.

From the Hungary Journal, according to Hungarian Foreign Minister Szijjarto, "Hungary and Italy are strategic allies".

From Daily News Hungary, Hungary signs an agreement to establish a port in Trieste, Italy.

From Hungary Today, some minor incidents occur and controversial statements are made ahead of Budapest Pride.

From Russia Today, a 67-year-old Russian adventurer flies a solar-powered airplane.

From Sputnik International, the Russian Navy starts drills in the Black Sea.

From The Moscow Times, two Russians are arrested for allegedly trying to influence elections in Libya.

From Gatestone Institute, "the Palestinian war on businessmen".

From The Conservative Woman, the Kyoto and Paris accords, and the total failure to cut carbon dioxide emissions.

From Snouts in the Trough, a best-selling bumper sticker in Germany gives a young climate activist a vulgar message.

From the New York Post, the NYPD cops who paid for a shoplifter's food.

From LifeNews, what makes the U.S. special is that no other country guarantees the right to life.

From Fox News, 17 people are injured in Chicago when a guard mistakes fireworks for gunshots.

From WPVI-TV, a video shows the moment when yesterday's earthquake rattles a stage in Ridgecrest, California.  (I plead guilty to being remiss by not mentioning the quake yesterday.)

And from The Guardian, a strange statue of FLOTUS Melania Trump is created in Sevnica, Slovenia.  (via the New York Post)