Trump Administration Downgrades EU's Status in US, without Informing Brussels

THE GUARDIAN: Downgrade of diplomatic role seen as a snub reflecting a general antipathy to the EU in the Trump administration

The Trump administration has downgraded the diplomatic status of the EU mission in Washington, without informing the mission or Brussels, officials confirmed on Tuesday.

The downgrade from nation state to international organisation status reverses an Obama administration decision in 2016 to grant the EU an enhanced diplomatic role in Washington, and is being seen in Brussels as a snub reflecting a general antipathy to the EU in the Trump administration. The president has supported Brexit and has described the EU as a “foe”.

The change, first reported by the German news agency, Deutsche Welle, potentially means that the EU mission would have less clout and access to US officials. » | Julian Borger in Washington | Tuesday, January 8, 2019

Trump Officials Get Massive Raises As Government Shutdown Continues

Federal workers aren’t getting raises in 2019, thanks to an executive order by Donald Trump. 800,000 federal workers are currently not being paid thanks to the government shutdown. But the people in Trump’s cabinet, including Vice President Mike Pence, are getting raises of up to $13,000 starting today for no apparent reason other than they can. Ring of Fire’s Farron Cousins discusses what’s happening to our federal government.

Joe: President Donald Trump's Actions Call Into Question Fitness For Office | Morning Joe | MSNBC

During a Wednesday Cabinet meeting, the president appeared to praise the Soviet Union's 1979 invasion of Afghanistan while also managing to get in references to Tom Cruise, President Obama and plane loads of cash. Is the president fit for the position he holds?

Hungarian Foreign Minister: We Are Fed Up with 'Politically Correct, Hypocritical' European Union

Bart Ehrman Freedom From Religion Foundation Lecture

Documentary: Portugal's Moorish Legacy

In this documentary, we uncover the influence that 500 years of Muslim occupation had on Portugal and Portuguese culture. We visit some important sights and hear from Portuguese people regarding their views on this significant part of their history.

While in Spain, the seven centuries of Muslim rule is very well-known, in Portugal it typically goes unnoticed. Despite being overlooked at times, the Islamic occupation, known as its Moorish past, has had a huge impact on Portugal.

The Muslims invaded present-day Portugal in the year 711 and established their capital in what is modern day "Silves". A significant part of this documentary takes us to Silves, which is still one of the best places in Portugal to see the influence of the Muslim period. Silves was the main access route to the inland areas of the Algarve, and the Silves castle, which was built by the Almoravid Arabs in the 11th century, is the best-preserved and most significant castle in the region. One of Portugal's main tourist attractions are its the beautiful beaches in the Algarve region. The name Algarve itself is derived from the Arabic word "al-Gharb", meaning the West. Portugal was the most Western part of the Muslim Empire and it was officially referred to as al-Gharb al-Andalus, meaning West of Al-Andalus. Nowadays Al-Andalus is often referred to as Muslim Spain, or Islamic Iberia.

It is not just the physical monuments which make Portugal’s Muslim past evident, but you can also find it in the country’s language and culture, even though the entire Reconquest centred around getting rid of Islamic influence altogether. Some Arabic words have permanently entered the Portuguese language, words for sugar, rice, olive oil, lettuce, village, the West and many others. Even Portugal’s most popular holiday spot, Albufeira, gets its name from Arabic, having then been called (Albuhayra) which means the lake in Arabic. The journey also takes us to Sintra, among other places, where the massive Moorish Castle stands. It was built by Muslims between the 9th and 10th centuries, the castle was vital in order to protect its population.

The southernmost region of Portugal, was finally conquered by Christians and taken away from the Muslims in 1249, and in 1255 the capital shifted to Lisbon. Neighbouring Spain would not complete its Reconquista until 1492.

Mes voeux 2019 aux Français | Emmanuel Macron

Fidèle à une tradition qui nous est chère, je suis heureux de vous présenter tous mes vœux de vérité, de dignité et d'espoir pour l’année 2019 qui s’ouvre.

Merkel wirbt in Neujahrsansprache für mehr Zusammenhalt

Die Bundeskanzlerin sagte, 2018 sei ein überaus schwieriges politisches Jahr gewesen. Die Herausforderungen unserer Zeit könnten nur durch Zusammenarbeit über Grenzen hinweg gemeistert werden.

Theresa May’s New Year Message: Back Brexit Deal

The prime minister uses her new year message to urge MPs to allow the UK to 'turn a corner' by voting for her Brexit deal. In the video, released late on New Year’s Eve, Theresa May says that after the divisiveness of the EU referendum and its aftermath, she wants 2019 to be 'the year we put our differences aside and move forward together' In 2019 the UK will start a new chapter, says Theresa May

tagesschau 20:00 Uhr, 31.12.2018

Themen der Sendung: Bundeskanzlerin Merkel wirbt in Neujahrsansprache für mehr Solidarität, Tote und Verletzte nach Gasexplosion in russischer Stadt Magnitogorsk, Kulturhaupstädte des Jahres 2019, Vorbereitungen für Silvester in Berlin, Das Wetter

Asia and Australia Usher in New Year with Huge Firework Displays

Hong Kong welcomed the new year with a pyrotechnics show over Victoria Harbour, while Taiwan's capital held a firework display around the Taipei 101 skyscraper. In South Korea, a traditional bell-tolling ceremony was held near City Hall in Seoul, and North Koreans watched fireworks and a music performance in Pyongyang. Sydney Harbour in Australia held its biggest ever show. In New Zealand, colourful fireworks burst from the top of the Auckland Sky Tower

President Trump Approval At Record Low As Country Blames Him For Shutdown | The Last Word | MSNBC

Polls say Pres. Trump is to blame for the shutdown as his approval matches an all-time low. Jason Johnson, Mara Gay and Jennifer Rubin join Ari Melber to discuss the prospects for Trump as he digs in on his unpopular shutdown.

What Is Trump's Strategy for Syria and the Region? l Inside Story

For the first time since he became president two years ago, Donald Trump visited American troops in a conflict zone - Iraq. His surprise three-hour stop was at an air base west of Baghdad the day after Christmas. He didn't meet any of the Iraqi leadership but invited Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi to the White House in the New Year.

Trump used the opportunity to defend the withdrawal of troops from Syria saying it was made possible by the defeat of ISIL. But critics have condemned what they see as the president's increasingly isolationist foreign policy saying it will give ISIL a chance to re-group.

Trump says the work of US forces is complete, and regional forces will ensure ISIL remains dismantled. It's reported Trump also wants to reduce the number of US troops in Afghanistan from 14,000 to 7,000.

What is Trump's strategy for the region and what message is he trying to send?

Presenter: Mohammed Jamjoom | Guests: Ali Al-Nashmi, Political Analyst; Peter Galbraith, Former U.S. Ambassador; Afzal Ashraf, University of Nottingham

Why I Am Not a Christian by Bertrand Russell

Bertrand Russell first delivered this lecture on March 6, 1927 to the National Secular Society, South London Branch, at Battersea Town Hall.

Saudi King Salman Announces Government Reshuffle | Al Jazeera English

Saudi Arabia's King Salman has announced a major reshuffle of his cabinet. Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir has been replaced and a new political and security council has been formed. Marwan Kabalan, head of policy analysis at the Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies, talks to Al Jazeera about what could be behind the shuffle.

The Real Jesus Christ | Biblical Documentary | Timeline

After the death of Jesus, his followers split into two factions. They held radically different views about their leader – his identity, his message and his vision of the future. One of those factions flourished under the guiding genius of St Paul – and eventually wrote its version of the story in the Gospels of the New Testament. The other faction withered and died away, leaving behind no written records. But what if the losers in this power struggle had written their version of the story? The Real Jesus Christ reconstructs that lost biography of Jesus: an alternative version of his life as it would have been told by those who lost the battle for the succession, but who knew him better than anyone else – his closest followers and his family.

Pope Francis Uses Christmas Homily to Decry Modern Consumerism

THE GUARDIAN: Pontiff told pilgrims in the Vatican City that mankind has become ‘greedy and voracious’
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Pope Francis has assailed the “insatiable greed” of today’s consumerism, calling on people in his Christmas homily to make “sharing and giving” more a part of their lives.

“Mankind became greedy and voracious,” the leader of the world’s 1.3bn Catholics said in an address to thousands of followers in St Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican City.

“In our day, for many people, life’s meaning is found in possessing, in having an excess of material objects.”

“An insatiable greed marks all human history, even today, when, paradoxically, a few dine luxuriantly while all too many go without the daily bread needed to survive.” » | Agencies | Monday, December 24, 2018

Einsamkeit - wenn keiner da ist | Nachtcafé

Die Adventszeit ist für viele nicht nur die Zeit der Besinnlichkeit, sondern vor allem die Angst vor dem, was unausweichlich kommen wird: Weihnachten alleine! Auch wenn es das Fest der Liebe, der Familie und der Geborgenheit ist: Millionen Deutsche verbringen diese emotional besonders aufgeladenen Feiertage einsam und alleine zu Hause. Während an Heilig Abend aus der Nachbarswohnung glückliches Kinderlachen, fröhliche Lieder und Familientrubel zu hören sind, läuft in den eigenen vier Wänden der Fernseher als Dauerberieselung, um dem unerträglichen Alleinsein etwas entgegenzusetzen..

Markets Stage One of Worst Christmas Eves Ever, Closing Down More Than 600 Points as Trump Blames Fed for Stock Losses in a Tweet

THE WASHINGTON POST: The Dow Jones industrial average followed its worst week in a decade with a 653-point drop Monday, and President Trump once again took to Twitter to interject himself into financial markets.

As blue chips sank even deeper into the red after weeks of chaos, Trump tried to assign sole blame for the sell-off to the Federal Reserve, likening the central bank to a golfer who “can’t putt.”

“The only problem our economy has is the Fed,” the president said in a tweet. “They don’t have a feel for the Market, they don’t understand necessary Trade Wars or Strong Dollars or even Democrat Shutdowns over Borders. The Fed is like a powerful golfer who can’t score because he has no touch — he can’t putt! » | Thomas Heath & Philip Rucker | Monday, December 24, 2018

Clapper Blasts Trump's 'Appalling Arrogance' on ISIS

Former Director of National Security James Clapper says ISIS has not been defeated and blasts President Donald Trump's previous claims that he knows more about ISIS than the generals do.