Bilderberg group meets in Sweden amid US-Europe tensions
The high-level networking event was formed in 1954 to foster dialogue between the US and Europe.
It does not invite media and delegates rarely speak about what has been discussed, triggering numerous conspiracy theories about their aims.
NATO General Secretary Mark Rutte, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and Christopher Donahue, Commander of the US Army Europe and Africa are among those on this year's delegate list, published by the organisers just ahead of the meeting.
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson will give a speech "on Sweden's and the EU's competitiveness and Sweden's support for Ukraine," his spokesperson told Reuters.
Transatlantic relations top the agenda, with Ukraine, critical raw materials and AI also on the list, the organisers who also publish the names of the participants, said.
Other than that, information is scarce. The organisers say the secrecy is to allow participants to be able to speak freely in an environment of trust.
"There is no desired outcome, there is no closing statement, there are no resolutions proposed or votes taken, and the Meeting does not support any political party or viewpoint," the official website says.
How much impact groups like Bilderberg actually have is hard to judge, according to Christina Garsten, professor at the Swedish Collegium for Advanced Study, who studies transnational think tanks.
They aim to shape the broad political and corporate agenda .But if they are seen as having too much influence, they can be accused of being anti-democratic.
"It's there that conspiracy theories can flower," she said.
She dismissed the belief held by some that groups like Bilderberg make up a shadowy world government. "I think it's very much exaggerated," she said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Independent
2 hours ago
- Irish Independent
Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly in talks with South Sudan to take Gazans as Israeli bombs kill 123 in past day
Mr Netanyahu has previously said he wants to realise US president Donald Trump's vision of relocating much of Gaza's population through what the Israeli leader refers to as "voluntary migration". At least six people familiar with the matter told the Associated Press that Israel was in discussion with the authorities of the war-torn North African country. It was not clear how far the talks had progressed, but the plan, if successful, would amount to transferring people from one war-ravaged region to another. This came as Israel's military pounded Gaza City on Wednesday prior to a planned takeover, with another 123 people killed in the last day according to the Gaza health ministry. The 24-hour death toll was the worst in a week and added to the massive fatalities from the nearly two-year war that has shattered the enclave housing more than 2 million Palestinians. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated an idea - also enthusiastically floated by US President Donald Trump - that Palestinians should simply leave. "They're not being pushed out, they'll be allowed to exit," he told Israeli television channel i24NEWS. "All those who are concerned for the Palestinians and say they want to help the Palestinians should open their gates and stop lecturing us." Arabs and many world leaders are aghast at the idea of displacing the Gaza population, which Palestinians say would be like another "Nakba" (catastrophe) when hundreds of thousands fled or were forced out during a 1948 war. Israel's planned re-seizure of Gaza City - which it took in the early days of the war before withdrawing - is probably weeks away, officials say. That means a ceasefire is still possible though talks have been floundering and conflict still rages. Israeli planes and tanks bombed eastern areas of Gaza City heavily, residents said, with many homes destroyed in the Zeitoun and Shejaia neighbourhoods overnight. Al-Ahli hospital said 12 people were killed in an airstrike on a home in Zeitoun. Tanks also destroyed several houses in the east of Khan Younis in south Gaza too, while in the centre Israeli gunfire killed nine aid-seekers in two separate incidents, Palestinian medics said. Israel's military did not comment. Eight more people, including three children, have died of starvation and malnutrition in Gaza in the past 24 hours, the territory's health ministry said. That took the total to 235, including 106 children, since the war began. Palestinians and human rights groups have rejected the proposal of Israel to remove Gazans from their homeland, which is in violation of international law. Israel has reportedly floated similar resettlement proposals with other African nations, including Somalia, Egypt, and even Indonesia in Southeast Asia. "I think that the right thing to do, even according to the laws of war as I know them, is to allow the population to leave, and then you go in with all your might against the enemy who remains there," Mr Netanyahu said, without naming South Sudan. For South Sudan, such a deal could help it build closer ties to Israel, now the almost unchallenged military power in the Middle East. It is also a potential inroad to Trump, who broached the idea of resettling Gaza's population in February but appears to have backed away in recent months. Israel's foreign ministry declined to comment and South Sudan's foreign minister did not respond to questions about the talks to AP. A US State Department spokesperson said it doesn't comment on private diplomatic conversations. Israel's 22-month-long air and ground offensive has since displaced most of Gaza's 2.3m population, destroyed vast areas and pushed the territory toward famine. It has killed more than 61,600 Palestinians, according to Gaza's health ministry. Joe Szlavik, the founder of a US lobbying firm working with South Sudan, said he was briefed by South Sudanese officials on the talks. He told the news agency that an Israeli delegation plans to visit the country to look into the possibility of setting up camps for Palestinians there. Edmund Yakani, who heads a South Sudanese civil society group, said he had also spoken to South Sudanese officials about the talks. Efforts to relocate the Palestinians to North Africa have been reportedly ongoing for months, according to Egyptian officials. NBC News reported in March that the Trump administration was working on a plan to permanently relocate up to one million Palestinians from the Gaza Strip to Libya. A spokesperson for the Trump administration later denied the reports as "untrue". The bid to relocate Palestinians escalated after Mr Trump on February 4 said the US should "take over" the war-battered enclave and rebuild it as "the Riviera of the Middle East" after resettling the Palestinians elsewhere. Mr Trump has since appeared to have backed away from his statement. Israeli officials, along with a controversial US-backed aid group, Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), were working to build large-scale camps called 'Humanitarian Transit Areas' inside – and possibly outside – Gaza to house the Palestinian population, according to reports. The $2bn plan, created sometime after February, was submitted to the Trump administration, Reuters reported, citing two sources. The plan, which was widely discussed at the White House, describes the camps as "large-scale" and "voluntary" places where the Gazan population could 'temporarily reside, deradicalise, re-integrate and prepare to relocate if they wish to do so". The GHF started distributing aid on 26 May, following a nearly three-month Israeli blockade that pushed Gaza's population of more than 2 million people to the brink of famine. In a statement, the organisation said it had delivered more than 52 million meals over five weeks. 'Instead of bickering and throwing insults from the sidelines, we would welcome other humanitarian groups to join us and feed the people in Gaza,' the statement said. 'We are ready to collaborate and help them get their aid to people in need.' The UN has called GHF's operation "inherently unsafe" and a violation of humanitarian impartiality rules. The UN human rights office says it has recorded at least 1,373 killings at GHF aid points and near humanitarian convoys run by other relief groups. UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric on Tuesday warned that starvation and malnutrition in Gaza are at the highest levels since the war began. At least 121 adults and 101 children have died of malnutrition-related causes during the war. "Against this backdrop, humanitarian supplies entering Gaza remain far below the minimum required to meet people's immense needs," Mr Dujarric said.
Irish Times
4 hours ago
- Irish Times
Hamas attends Cairo ceasefire talks as Israel says Gazans free to ‘exit' enclave
Hamas's chief negotiator held talks on Wednesday with Egyptian mediators over a potential ceasefire in the Gaza war , while Israel struck the territory's main city in advance of its planned takeover and again invited Palestinians to leave. Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu reiterated an idea – also enthusiastically floated by US president Donald Trump – that Palestinians should simply leave the enclave, which is home to more than two million people, after nearly two years of conflict. 'They're not being pushed out; they'll be allowed to exit,' he told Israeli television. 'All those who are concerned for the Palestinians and say they want to help the Palestinians should open their gates and stop lecturing us.' Arabs and many world leaders are aghast at the idea of displacing the Gaza population, which Palestinians say would be like another 'Nakba' (catastrophe) when hundreds of thousands fled or were forced out during the 1948 war that led to the creation of the state of Israel. READ MORE Israel's planned reseizure of Gaza city – which it captured in the early days of the latest conflict before withdrawing – is probably weeks away, officials say. That means a ceasefire is still possible, though talks have been floundering and conflict still rages. Israeli planes and tanks bombed eastern areas of Gaza city heavily overnight, residents said, with many homes destroyed in the Zeitoun and Shejaia neighbourhoods. Al-Ahli hospital said 12 people were killed in an air strike on a home in Zeitoun. Tanks also destroyed several houses in the east of Khan Younis in south Gaza too, while in the centre of the territory Israeli gunfire killed nine people who were seeking aid in two separate incidents, Palestinian medics said. Israel's military did not comment. Hamas chief negotiator Khalil al-Hayya's meetings with Egyptian officials in Cairo on Wednesday were to focus on stopping the war, delivering aid and 'ending the suffering of our people in Gaza,' Hamas official Taher al-Nono said in a statement. Egyptian security sources said the talks would also discuss the possibility of a comprehensive ceasefire that would see Hamas relinquish governance in Gaza and concede its weapons. [ Israeli hostages not a priority for ministers planning Gaza takeover Opens in new window ] A Hamas official told Reuters the group was open to all ideas if Israel pulls out. However, 'Laying down arms before the occupation is dismissed is impossible,' the official told Reuters. Mr Netanyahu's plan to expand military control over Gaza, which Israeli sources said could be launched in October, has heightened global outcry over the widespread devastation, displacement and hunger in the enclave. About half of Gaza's residents live in the Gaza city area. Foreign ministers of 24 countries, including the UK, Canada, Australia, France and Japan, said this week the humanitarian crisis in Gaza had reached 'unimaginable levels' and urged Israel to allow unrestricted aid. Israel denies responsibility for hunger, accusing Hamas of stealing aid. It says it has taken steps to increase deliveries, including daily combat pauses in some areas and protected routes for aid convoys. The Israeli military on Wednesday said that nearly 320 trucks entered Gaza through the Kerem Shalom and Zikim crossings and that a further nearly 320 trucks were collected and distributed by the UN and international organisations in the past 24 hours along with three tankers of fuel and 97 pallets of airdropped aid. [ Mary Robinson urges states to act decisively to stop Gaza's 'unfolding genocide' Opens in new window ] The UN and Palestinians say aid entering Gaza remains far from sufficient. The war began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, according to Israeli figures. Israel's offensive against Hamas in Gaza since then has killed more than 61,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials. – Reuters
The Journal
5 hours ago
- The Journal
Zelenskyy to speak with Trump in Berlin-led talks ahead of Putin summit in Alaska
UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT VOLODMYR Zelenskyy will speak directly with US President Donald Trump today as part of a series of high-stakes meetings in Berlin, aimed at defending Ukraine's interests ahead of Trump's planned summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The call, hosted by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and also involving vice president JD Vance, will follow earlier talks between Zelenskyy, Merz, and other European leaders, including the heads of the EU and NATO. Later, a smaller group of Ukraine's key European military supporters will meet under the banner of the 'coalition of the willing' to coordinate positions. The flurry of meetings comes just two days before Trump and Putin meet in Alaska for their first face-to-face talks since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine over three years ago. European leaders fear that without their direct involvement, Kyiv could be pressured into making painful concessions, including the loss of territory. Trump has hinted that 'land swaps' could be part of a future settlement, an idea Ukraine and its allies firmly oppose. Advertisement 'Difficult' battles Trump on Monday played down the possibility of a breakthrough in Alaska but said he expected 'constructive conversations' with Putin. 'This is really a feel-out meeting a little bit,' Trump said at the White House, but he also added that eventually 'there'll be some swapping, there'll be some changes in land'. Russia, as a prerequisite to a peace settlement, has demanded Kyiv pull its forces out of several regions claimed by Moscow, commit to being a neutral state, shun US and EU military support and be excluded from joining NATO. Ukraine has said it would never recognise Russian control over its sovereign territory, though it acknowledged that getting land captured by Russia back would have to come through diplomacy, not on the battlefield. Ukraine said Tuesday it was engaged in 'difficult' battles with Russian forces after Moscow had made rapid advances in a narrow but important section of the front line in the country's east. Zelensky said on social media that 'we see that the Russian army is not preparing to end the war.' 'On the contrary, they are making movements that indicate preparations for new offensive operations.' Additional reporting from Andrew Walsh
