US social justice activists incensed at the Cannes Festival’s intent to honor Alain Delon have started a petition to stop it, citing the legendary actor’s “close-minded” views. The festival, and the French public, were not amused.

Cannes organizers have held firm in their intent to honor the actor, now 83, with a Palme d’Or for lifetime achievement. One of the most prestigious European film festivals kicked off this week with posters of Delon from his 1960s heyday as a sex symbol.

The decision is not sitting well with some feminists and #MeToo activists, who have started a petition declaring that “no amount of good acting can neutralise such a close-minded vision of the world. There is no place in such an important event for racists, sexists and homophobes.”

“Alain is an old, depressed ex-movie star who goes on TV shows and spouts misogynistic and homophobic insults,” actress Carole Raphaelle Davis, the co-founder of #MeToo France, told the Daily Beast. “Cannes should ditch the old white guy syndrome and honor a woman, not a sexist homophobe.”

Activist Melissa Silverstein of Women and Hollywood was likewise outraged, saying that Delon “hits every single button embodying everyone in the world agrees are not values we want to have anymore.”

“You’d think French people would be up in arms about this. It is so tone-deaf,” she added.

The French do seem to be up in arms, however – against American social justice warriors attempting to thought-police their film festivals and meddle in their cultural affairs, that is.

Comments on social media appear to be overwhelmingly pro-Delon and angry at attempts from overseas to impose “political correctness” on Cannes.

“Never has the Hollywood of today resembled yesterday’s Hollywood, when McCarthyism and witch-hunting were rampant,” declared literary critic Eric Naulleau, referring to the 1950s climate of ‘red scare’ and blacklisting. “F**k the PC!” he added, in English.

Thierry Frémaux, general delegate of the festival, also defended the decision to honor Delon.

“Today it is very difficult to ­reward or honour or recompense anyone because the political police then falls on you,” he said at a press event on Monday. “People are free to express their views. Alain Delon was entitled to say what he did. We need to have things in context. In any one person’s life there are many contradictions.”

“We’re not giving him the Nobel Peace Prize. We are giving the honorary Palme d’Or for his career as an actor,” said Fremaux. “He has said certain things and he is entitled to express his views.”

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Among the sins Delon’s detractors hold against him are speaking out against immigration, expressing sympathies for the nationalist National Rally party, and opposing homosexual couples adopting children.

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Moscow cannot save the Iranian nuclear deal from falling apart all by itself, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said, adding that the destruction of the agreement was triggered by the US, while Europe has failed to react.

While Moscow believes the deal – officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) – should be preserved, it can be saved only through the efforts of all its signees, Putin said during a press conference Wednesday after meeting Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen.

“Russia is not a firefighting team, we cannot go around and save everything that does not fully depend on us,” Russia’s president stated.

He added that saying such an “undiplomatic thing might hurt the ears of our European friends.” Putin squarely put the blame for the dismantling of the JCPOA on the US while blasting the EU’s inability to actually do something about saving the deal.

“The Americans have withdrawn from the deal, the agreement is crumbling and European countries are unable to do anything to save it, unable to actually work with Iran and compensate for [its] economic losses,” he stated.

Putin believes it’s not quite “expedient” for Iran to leave the deal altogether, given how strictly Tehran has abided to it and how transparent the country’s nuclear sector has become.

“I’ve repeatedly told our Iranian partners that, in my opinion, it would be advisable for Iran to stay within the deal no matter what,” Putin said. “Iran might take retaliatory steps [over the US leaving the JCPOA], and say that it’s leaving something, but tomorrow everyone will forget it was triggered by the US and all the blame will be put on Iran.”

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New patches of distinction to honor the downing of a Pakistani F-16 by Indian MIG-21s in a tense dogfight in February have been awarded to the Indian Air Force’s 51st Squadron – even though Islamabad firmly denies the loss.

The patch depicts a MIG-21 Bison as the centerpiece with a red-colored F-16 in crosshairs in the background. ‘AMRAAM Dodger’ is written at the top of the design with ‘Falcon Slayer’ inscribed at the bottom.

“Patches instill a sense of pride in not only the present generation of pilots but also future ones. It gives a sense of achievement to the pilot,” Group Captain Anupam Bannerjee said.

Meanwhile, another Indian squadron that flies Sukhoi-30 jets, which also participated in the Pakistani raid, received a patch that portrays an SU-30 dodging AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAMs) used on F-16 jets.

The dogfight between Indian and Pakistani warplanes over the contested border region of Jammu and Kashmir erupted on February 27, following the IAF’s raid on Balakot a day earlier. The raid penetrated deep inside Pakistani territory to strike a Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) camp in retaliation for a terrorist attack on Indian paramilitary forces in the disputed region.

While India lost one of its aircraft in the fight, New Delhi said that hero Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman of the 51st Squadron managed to shoot down one of the PAF’s F-16 jets before he was shot down and captured. Pakistan, however, vehemently denies the loss, claiming it didn’t even use the US-supplied plane during the sortie. “No Pakistani F-16 was hit by Indian Air Force,” Pakistan’s military insists.

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Germany and the Netherlands halted training of Iraqi troops hours after the US said it will partially evacuate its Baghdad embassy. Amid growing tensions with Iran, analysts offered differing views on the reasons behind the moves.

Washington announced the partial evacuation of its embassy in Baghdad as well as a consulate in Erbil in Iraqi Kurdistan on Wednesday, citing heightened tension in the region. Hours later, Germany and the Netherlands suspended their missions to train Iraqi troops. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had earlier warned that “Iranian activities” endanger American sites and soldiers stationed in the country.

Are the latest moves a sign that the US is preparing for military action against Iran, are they just a precaution, or do they signal something about a shift in the security situation on the ground in Iraq?

‘Preparing for instability’

The recent actions are likely an indication that the US administration is expecting some kind of destabilization in the region, Ted Seay, a former US diplomat and senior policy consultant at the British American Security Information Council told RT.

“The only time the US government ever evacuates diplomatic personnel is because they expect instability, violence, or warfare,” he said, adding that the US does not take this kind of action unless it’s “very serious about the situation that’s unfolding.”

Seay said the timing of the evacuation was interesting, given Pompeo had recently “made nice noises” about the Iraqi authorities and their ability to keep US personnel safe in the country.

“Unfortunately I think the evacuation speaks far more clearly than the Secretary of State when it comes to the situation in Iraq,” he said.

‘Just being cautious’

But military analyst Kamal Amal believes that by pulling its embassy staff, Washington is “just being cautious,” as the White House fears that the sanctions and the economic crisis in Iran may force the nation to “retaliate physically.” He said such a mindset and behavior is not surprising because the US and Iran have been waging “a proxy war for over a decade.”

The threats the US is allegedly facing from Iran, he said, are “based on little intelligence,” however, and it would be “very unlikely for Iran to actually do anything against the US.”

Amal also said it was difficult to follow Washington’s strategy as there is “no one policy” and seems to be a “contradiction every week.” While Pompeo might say something one week, the White House and Pentagon might say something different the next.

‘Lack of confidence in Iraq’

The US decision to remove embassy staff could also reflect, to a certain extent a “lack of confidence” in its Iraqi allies, Ammar Waqqaf, who heads the Middle East-focused think tank Gnosos, told RT.

The embassy move “may be the prelude to more deployment of US forces in the region, just as we’ve seen recently with them sending an aircraft carrier [to the Persian Gulf],” Waqqaf said.

Still, there is nothing major happening on the ground in Iraq itself that seemed to precipitate the embassy move, he added.

‘Creating a justification’

Udo Steinbach, former director of the German Institute for Middle East Studies and honorary professor at the University of Hamburg said Germany, which has halted its training of Iraqi soldiers amid the worsening tensions, is likely to be very cautious about following the US line on Iran and is unlikely to take “any measure which would have a negative impact on the climate between the EU and Iran and between Germany and Iran in particular.”

As for the evacuation of US embassy staff and the cutoff of military assistance programs, Steinbach said it could mean the US is preparing to create “an excuse or justification” for some new military action in the future.

While there remains no diplomatic deal between the US and Iran on the table, “one has to be prepared that the Americans are preparing for military attack,” Steinbach said. Although “whether they will start it themselves or they will create some sort of excuse or justification” by “simulating an attack” against American installations remains unclear.

In any case, he said, the situation remains “extremely dangerous.”

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Two seaplanes carrying a total of 16 people have collided midair and crashed into waters off Ketchikan City, Alaska. While ten people miraculously survived the incident, at least five were killed and another one is still missing.

Five people have been confirmed dead after a de Havilland DHC-2 Beaver and de Havilland DHC-3 Otter collided and crashed near a popular tourist lodge on Monday.

The passengers in both planes came off the Royal Princess, the cruise ship operator said in a statement, noting that the crash happened approximately eight nautical miles from Ketchikan shortly after 1:00 pm local time.

“The flight was returning from a Misty Fjords tour and carried ten guests from Royal Princess and a pilot. A second float plane was also involved in an incident and was carrying four guests from Royal Princess on an independent tour,” the company said, expressing their condolences to victims’ families.

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Following the incident, the Coast Guard dispatched helicopters and boats for search-and-rescue operations, while Forest Service and Alaska State Troopers also sent personnel to the scene. The cause of the tragedy is now under investigation.

Ten people were accounted for, the Coast Guard said in a statement, amid an ongoing search and rescue effort. One of the survivors was reported in critical condition, three are in serious condition and six people are in fair condition, authorities said earlier.

The Voyage of the Glaciers cruise was a seven-day trip that departed Vancouver on May 11 and is scheduled to arrive in Anchorage on May 18.

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Bollywood star-turned-politician Kamal Haasan is facing harsh criticism and even calls for his arrest over his recent claim that independent India’s “first terrorist” was a Hindu nationalist who killed Mahatma Gandhi.

Haasan, who heads the small Makkal Needhi Maiam (People’s Centre for Justice) party based in the state of Tamil Nadu, made the comments at a Sunday campaign event, where he seized the opportunity to attack the ruling BJP party of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing it of whipping up division based on caste and religion.

“I am not saying this just because this is a Muslim-dominated area,” Haasan told the crowd while speaking in Tamil. “They attack me for saying that Hindu extremism exists in India. I say that independent India’s first terrorist was a Hindu. His name is Nathuram Godse,” he said, in reference to the Hindu nationalist who shot and killed Gandhi in 1948.

“Good Indians desire equality and want the three colours in the tricolour to remain intact. I am a good Indian, I will proudly proclaim that,” Haasan added.

Critics were quick to slam Haasan for his comments linking Hindus to terrorism, with a flurry of calls on Twitter for the Bollywood star’s arrest for promoting hate speech. Some BJP supporters accused him of begging for votes by appeasing India’s minorities.

However, there were those who defended Hassan’s stance.

“So, according to BJP, Godse was a peace activist. Great,” said one commentator. Another said there was nothing wrong with calling the murderer of “the Father of the Nation” a terrorist, adding, “If you don’t want to hear words like ‘Hindu Terrorism’ pls stop saying Muslim terrorists either.”

Haasan’s remarks on political violence by Hindus isn’t the first time he’s landed in hot water. In 2017, the ruling party branded the actor “myopic and brazen” when he suggested some Hindu groups had embraced extremism.

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Pro-Maduro activists occupying the Venezuelan embassy in Washington have refused to vacate the premises in defiance of a notice threatening them with arrest and police entering the building but stopping short of evicting everyone.

“We are expecting the police to come in and violate the Vienna convention with their fictional government, nongovernment claiming that we should leave,” the Embassy Civilian Protection Collective said in a video message shortly before the police arrived at the doors of the diplomatic premises to the cheers of the pro-Guaido camp outside.

At least four embassy ‘protectors’ have remained inside the building and could be seen through the windows – even after police entered and left, apparently stopping short of forcefully evicting everyone – for now.

Despite their resolve to defend the diplomatic mission from “illegal seizure” by Guaido-appointed US representative Carlos Vecchio, many of the activists have left the embassy – apparently tired of the siege and worried about the threat of arrest – after a notice, which was not signed by any US government agency, urged them to “depart immediately” from the building in which they have lived for the last 34 days.

“The United States does not recognize the authority of the former Maduro regime or any of its former representatives to allow any individuals to lawfully enter, remain on this property, or take any action with respect to this property,” a notice taped to the door of the building earlier in the day read.

Amid the standoff for control of the building, Venezuela’s Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs for North America reminded Washington that an intrusion would be a breach of international law. “The Government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela has not authorized the entry of police officers into the former Embassy building in Washington, DC. This intrusion is yet another violation of international law by US authorities and aggression against Venezuela,” Carlos Ron said on Twitter.

The crisis surrounding the Venezuelan embassy in Washington began after US authorities forced diplomats loyal to President Maduro to leave the premises more than one month ago. Just before departing for Caracas, the diplomats appointed by Maduro allowed the peace activists to occupy the building.

A failed US-backed coup attempt in Venezuela inflamed the situation at the embassy, with the pro-Guaido camp blocking any attempts by activists to sneak supplies inside. Several people were arrested as they attempted to throw food and hygiene products through the open windows, while authorities cut the power and water supply to the diplomatic compound.

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The US risks setting the stage for war if peace activists are evicted from the Venezuelan embassy in Washington and representatives of US-backed Juan Guaido move in, investigative journalist Max Blumenthal told RT.

“It could be considered an act of war for them [US authorities] to allow the parallel government, which is unrecognized, which controls no institutions of government and is essentially a fake government” to take over the diplomatic premises, Blumenthal told RT after US authorities tried to raid and evict the so-called ‘Embassy Civilian Protection Collective’ on Monday, before allowing activists to stay.

Allowing a Guaido-appointed “playtime ambassador” to enter the building could be detrimental to any prospect of a peaceful resolution, Blumenthal believes. He says Carlos Vecchio has the intention of turning the building into a “lobbying shop for war” after recently asking the United States Southern Command (Southcom) to provide “military assistance” to the self-proclaimed Venezuelan ‘interim president’, who despite full US backing has so far failed to oust Maduro from power.

US authorities seemed hesitant to further escalate the conflict at the embassy, which has been occupied by peace activists on behalf of the government in Caracas for over a month. Blumenthal suggested US authorities could potentially let a third country take over the premises without surrendering the building to Guaido’s representatives – noting however that such a move would be a major setback for the pro-coup forces.

“There could be an embassy protection agreement between Venezuela’s government and a friendly country which would allow that country to move in as a custodian for the embassy and allow Switzerland to take over the US embassy in Caracas,” Blumenthal said.

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A large group of vegan activists have occupied a pig farm in the Netherlands, protesting the suffering of animals. Local farmers have responded in force, grilling meat outside the farm and flipping the activists’ cars.

The activist group calling itself ‘Meat the Victims’ arrived at the farm in Boxtel, near the Belgian border, on Monday morning. Video footage shows the group breaking into a barn housing sows and their piglets, and describing the conditions within.

Save for one injured-looking animal seen at the end of the video, none of the pigs appear mistreated. However, as vegan activists, ‘Meat the Victims’ argue that the breeding and confinement of animals is in itself an act of cruelty.

While some activists camped out in the pigsties, others stood in the farmyard chanting “What do we want? Animal liberation!” and “if you have nothing to hide, let the media go inside!”

Police soon showed up and surrounded the farm, negotiating with the activists camped inside. A spokeswoman for a pork producers’ association condemned the occupation, and said that “for this group of people, pork farmers can never do good enough.”

The mayor of Boxtel has also declared the demonstration “unacceptable.”

The real trouble started when local farmers descended on the scene to stage their own counterprotest. The disgruntled farmers set up barbeques and began flame-grilling sausages and pork shoulder, presumably traumatizing both pig and vegan alike.

The farmers soon became angrier, with some flipping cars that the activists had parked nearby. Several of the vehicles had Belgian and German registration plates, suggesting that the eco-activists had came from abroad for the protest.

As night fell, police continued to negotiate with the activists inside, and said they were looking for “a constructive solution that minimises risks to human and animal welfare.” Shortly after 10.30pm local time, the vegans announced they were “going to leave.”

The occupation was not a flash in the (frying) pan. ‘Meat the Victims’ protesters have broken into farms in Australia, Canada, Spain and the UK. While the scenes documented by the activists in Boxtel were tame, undercover footage shot by other groups has often captured horrific scenes at Dutch pig farms.

An undercover investigation by Dutch-Belgian NGO Animal Rights last November found workers kicking wounded pigs at two farms in the towns of Lunteren and Nuenen. Extremely disturbing footage showed dead and injured pigs, many with festering abscesses on their bodies, kept next to healthy animals in filthy pens.

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Despite taking fire on social media for comments accusing Disney’s ‘Frozen’ of being homosexual propaganda, Brazil’s Human Rights Minister Damares Alves just won’t let it go in the fight over gender identity.

Alves offered her controversial crossover fan theory about the Disney film princesses Elsa and Sleeping Beauty in a video which was recorded last year, but went viral on social media Saturday.

“You know why she only ends up alone in an ice castle, because she is a lesbian!” Alves explained, warning that the animated heroine would return to awaken Sleeping Beauty with a “lesbian kiss.”

She went on to lament how while she had once “dreamed about [her] prince,” today’s Disney films are teaching young girls to wait for princess charming.

Her concern may not be pure speculation: there have been rumors and discussion among the film’s production team about Queen Elsa “coming out” in the yet-unreleased 2019 sequel.

Nonetheless, mocking responses to the minister’s video across social media were extensive. Some ironically commented that Alves had given a “spoiler” of the real ending of Frozen 2, while others said that Disney producers should take note of her “suggestion.”

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There were also commenters who saw her statement in a much more serious light, arguing her words were stimulating hatred, some calling her “unbalanced” and “deranged.”

Responding to the flak on Instagram, Alves expressed surprise her comments were seen as controversial, arguing that her goal is to protect children from exposure to sexualized messaging.

“My criticism is known to all, I am criticizing the attempted interference of gender ideologists in our children’s identities,” adding that children need play with toys and study rather than thinking about gender and sexuality.

Critics have linked her comments to the attitudes of Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro toward the LGBT community. In March, during Brazil’s annual Carnival, Bolsonaro tweeted a video a man urinating on another man commenting that “This is what many street Carnival groups have become,” which was widely interpreted to be a homophobic dig.

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