That was the first thing I thought when I saw it.

Given that "HSBC" is derived from "Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation", and that HSBC has a branch listing on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (among others), this is probably not surprising.

I think a good US comparison would be the US Cabinet, which (AFAIK - I'm not from the US) are not themselves elected, but are appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate.

The President and the members of the Senate are elected. (I think you probably already know this!)

Similarly with the EU. The President of the European Commission is proposed by the European Council, which is composed of the heads of state or government of all the member states (all subject to elections in their own countries, according to that country's laws), and elected by the European Parliament, all of whose members are elected. The European Parliament also has the power to dismiss the President and the entire EU Commission.

So it seems to me that Ursula von de Leyen, the current President of the EU Commission, is no more or less democratically accountable that (say) the current US Secretary of State - Antony Blinken or (if you're of a Republican persuasion) Mike Pomeo, a previous incumbent from the Trump era.

The EU probably thought the divorce is over. However the UK is wants to unilaterally change some of the "divorce agreement" (an international treaty) it signed up to but now doesn't like. It's this that is causing the ruction now.

Its a consequence of the row over the Northern Ireland Protocol.

EU exit and the Northern Ireland Protocol

It was signed and agreed as part of the main Withdrawal Agreement. It has the status of an international treaty. However, now that the UK has left the EU, the government (that signed the Protocol) have decided they don't like it, and unilaterally want to change it. This hasn't gone down well with the EU (which is understandable), and one of the consequences has been that the UK's participation in the EU's "Horizon Europe" program has been delayed until the issue is resolved. I would imagine that if the UK Government decide to proceed with their unilateral action, the UK's participation in the Horizon program will be terminated.

I suppose the simple message is; if you sign an international agreement, it may be best to keep to it if you want to maintain good relationships!

The problem was that at the time of the vote what "Brexit" meant was never fully explained to the voters. There were various options, from "soft" to "hard". Indeed some form of "soft" Brexit was indicated (as in we could join the European Free Trade Association along with Norway, or at least remain in the EU Single Market or Customs Union).

However, once the vote had taken place, "Brexit" was taken by many in the governing party and others to mean the hardest Brexit possible, which in the end was what they went for but was not necessarily what everyone voting for Brexit voted for. (It also didn't take into account the sizeable minority who - like me - voted to remain in the EU).

We are now facing the consequences of this. Caveat Emptor applies, I'm afraid!

Regarding Northern Ireland, the answer is in the linked BBC article - Due to the Northern Ireland Protocol, the regulation is likely to apply to Northern Ireland.

Scotland will be in the same boat as the rest of the UK. I'm not sure the Scottish government will have any say in the matter as I don't think this will be a devolved issue.

Poland is in NATO. Should the Russian Federation start a "Special Military Operation" there, even with a more competent army, it will be facing NATO forces, and not just those of Poland.

Humanity's suicidal urge may in itself be a problem and a tragedy. However a far bigger problem and tragedy with humanity's suicidal urge is the collateral damage done to the rest of life that we share this planet with.

What do you use instead? As a Java dev I'm honestly curious as to what the alternatives are.

Apologies, posted this against the wrong comment!

Seems to be a lot of whataboutism in his response. Also he says that NATO shouldn't be supplying arms to the Ukrainian army, but replying on diplomacy instead. I think they tried that before the Russian Federation invaded. I distinctly remember Putin, Macron and that long table!

Western arms do seem to have had an effect though, with Russian forces now leaving the area around Kiev. I fear that without those arms, the whole of Ukraine would now be under the control of the Russian Federation.

Sometimes you need to push back against aggression.

(Originally posted this replying to the wrong comment!)

Seems to be a lot of whataboutism in his response. Also he says that NATO shouldn't be supplying arms to the Ukrainian army, but replying on diplomacy instead. I think they tried that before the Russian Federation invaded. I distinctly remember Putin, Macron and that long table!

Western arms do seem to have had an effect though, with Russian forces now leaving the area around Kiev. I fear that without those arms, the whole of Ukraine would now be under the control of the Russian Federation.

Sometimes you need to push back against aggression.

The 'original' rsilvergun has a six digit Slashdot ID. These all have (relatively recent) seven digit Slashdot IDs. I assume they're trolls trying to masquerade the original.

Probably because, like a lot of other stuff (e.g. clothing), it's probably cheaper to import rather than manufacture locally.
(Or was).