Inside Iran: What's Next? | The Economist

When Iran's military forces mistakenly shot down a Ukrainian passenger jet it sparked widespread protests around the country. Iran's leaders face being overwhelmed by a crisis they created—how will they respond?

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People Who Remember Every Second of Their Life | 60 Minutes Australia

Imagine being able to remember every minute detail of your life. You can recall what the weather was like, what you were reading or what you wore to the shops at any minute, any hour or any day stretching back decades. It sounds like some kind of parlour trick, but it's actually a real and very rare medical phenomenon.

Luca Guadagnino on the Power of First Love in ‘Call Me By Your Name’

Based on a novel of the same name by André Aciman, Call Me By Your Name tells the story of two young men who fall in love in Italy in 1983. Director Luca Guadagnino discusses the film's dreamlike aesthetic and the power of first love.

Stevie Wonder: Love's In Need Of Love Today

Boris Johnson prépare la révolution de l’après-Brexit

LE FIGARO: À deux semaines de la sortie britannique de l’Union européenne, le premier ministre veut montrer qu’il compte profondément changer le pays.

Londres,

À deux semaines de la date historique du 31 janvier, qui verra le Royaume-Uni quitter l’Union européenne, on ferraille désormais à Londres sur la façon de célébrer l’événement. Les brexiters veulent marquer le coup, si possible avec les onze coups de Big Ben. Or, la cloche de 13,7 tonnes de la tour emblématique de Londres est muette depuis août 2017, pour une rénovation qui doit durer quatre ans. Le coût d’une remise en service provisoire a été chiffré à 500.000 livres. Le nouveau président de la Chambre des communes a pris sa calculette: chaque «bong» marquant l’heure cruciale coûtera plus de 45.000 livres… » [€] | Par Arnaud De La Grange | vendredi 17. janvier 2020

Un tableau retrouvé en Italie est bien le « Portrait d’une dame » de Klimt, volé en 1997

LE MONDE: Le tableau avait été subtilisé en février 1997, alors que le Musée d’art moderne Ricci Oddi de Piacenza était fermé pour travaux.

Un tableau retrouvé par hasard il y a cinq semaines à Piacenza, dans le nord-ouest de l’Italie, est bien un original de Gustav Klimt, volé il y a vingt ans dans la même ville. « C’est avec une grande émotion que je peux vous dire que le tableau retrouvé est authentique », a déclaré Ornella Chicca, une magistrate chargée de l’enquête, lors d’une conférence de presse organisée vendredi 17 janvier. » | Le Monde avec AFP | vendredi 17. janvier 2020

Balearic Islands Pass Bill Targeting Boozy Brits Abroad

THE GUARDIAN: Law bans happy hours, free bars and makes it illegal to advertise pub crawls

The regional government in the Balearic islands has passed a bill aimed at clamping down on alcohol-fuelled holidays.

The law bans happy hours, free bars and two-for-one drinks parties and makes it illegal to advertise pub crawls. There will be no new licences for party boats and existing boats are banned from operating in designated areas.

Shops selling alcohol that currently stay open all night will have to close between 9.30pm and 8am or risk fines of up to €600,000 (£511,000) or the threat of being closed down for three years.

The restrictions apply to the worst affected areas of Magaluf and El Arenal de Palma in Mallorca as well as Sant Antoni de Portmany in Ibiza. » | Stephen Burgen in Barcelona | Friday, January 17, 2020

Meghan Markle's Sister's Message to the Duchess of Sussex | This Morning

Samantha Markle, the sister of Meghan Markle, shares her views with us on the shocking announcement made by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex last week. They announced they were stepping down from full-time royal duties, but there was nobody less surprised than Samantha. She told us in this exclusive interview why she thinks Meghan is tarnishing the family name and also why her father’s willingness to testify against his estranged daughter in what is being billed as the 'trial of the century’ would allow the real truth to be heard. Broadcast on 17/01/20

Prince Harry and Meghan's UK Home Being Closed Down

THE GUARDIAN: Reports add to speculation that Duke and Duchess do not plan to spend much time in UK

Frogmore Cottage, the home of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, is in the process of being shuttered, according to reports, fuelling speculation the couple do not intend to spend any meaningful time in the UK in the near future.

Key live-in staff – a house manager and a cleaner – are being moved to other duties within the Queen’s household. Other staff members, used on an ad hoc basis and including chefs, maids and footmen, have been told their services are no longer required at the couple’s Windsor residence, the Daily Mail reported.

The claim comes as Harry and Meghan begin a period of “transition”, splitting their time between the UK and Canada, with the reluctant blessing of the Queen. » | Caroline Davies | Friday, January 17, 2020

It’s not just Meghan and Harry. I’d like us all to escape this dire royal circus » | Suzanne Moore

Heaven and Hell on Newstalk with Moncrieff

Seán Moncrieff hosts an eclectic Irish radio show on Newstalk which is operated by News 106 Limited, a subsidiary of Denis O'Brien's Communicorp. He interviewed Bart on January 13th, 2020 during a seven-minute spot in brief discussion about his new book, "Heaven and Hell: A History of the Afterlife" to be published by Simon & Schuster. The interview asked questions like: Was Heaven and Hell discussed in the Old Testament? Does Judaism believe in the afterlife? Did the belief in Heaven and Hell exist during Jesus' lifetime? Did there exist an early belief that a deceased person entered limbo after death? Doesn't the physical depictions of Hell only make sense if a person is physically tortured? Why do more people in the U.S. believe in Heaven than in Hell? Other thoughts are considered during this succinct segment.

Utah Condom Campaign Halted over Racy Packaging

BBC: Utah Governor Gary Herbert has halted the distribution of 100,000 free condoms in the US state because of racy slogans on the packaging.

It features phrases like "SL,UT", a word play on Utah and its capital, Salt Lake City, "Enjoy Your Mountin" and "Explore Utah's caves".

It was part of a campaign by the Utah department of health on HIV prevention and promotion of safe sex.

The department apologised for "the offensive packaging". » | Thursday, January 16, 2020

Actor Laurence Fox's Question Time Clash over Meghan

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex's decision to step back from royal life sparked debate on BBC's Question Time.

Actor Lawrence Fox clashed with an audience member who said the way Meghan had been treated in the press was "racist".

Senate Opens Trump Impeachment Trial as New Ukraine Revelations Emerge

The chief justice was sworn in as the presiding officer and senators swore to do “impartial justice,” as the Senate opened only the third presidential impeachment trial in U.S. history.

Read the article here »

Most Canadians Don't Want to Cover Harry and Meghan's Costs, Poll Says | Power & Politics

A large majority of Canadians don’t want to pay for Harry and Meghan’s security costs during their time in Canada, according to a new poll by the Angus Reid Institute.

'Call Me By Your Name' Director Slams Homophobe James Woods | Advocate Film | The Advocate

"We have to fight back and say 'watch the movie and don't put your parochial prejudices in front of the movie and the effort of a lot of people'"

“America Exists Today to Make War”: Lawrence Wilkerson on Endless War & American Empire

Retired U.S. Army Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson, who served as Secretary of State Colin Powell’s chief of staff from 2002 to 2005, says the escalation of tensions between the U.S. and Iran today is a continuation of two decades of U.S. policy disasters in the Middle East, starting with the 2003 run-up to war with Iraq under the Bush administration. “America exists today to make war. How else do we interpret 19 straight years of war and no end in sight? It’s part of who we are. It’s part of what the American Empire is,” says Wilkerson. “We are going to cheat and steal to do whatever it is we have to do to continue this war complex. That’s the truth of it. And that’s the agony of it.”

Fareed Zakaria: Here's the Problem with Trump's Foreign Policy

CNN's Fareed Zakaria explains the impact of President Donald Trump's actions in the Middle East.

Haitham bin Tariq Al-Said : Er hat große Fußstapfen zu füllen

FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG: Der verstorbene Sultan Qabus führte Oman in fünf Jahrzehnten zu Wohlstand – und aus der außenpolitischen Isolation. Sein Nachfolger, der frühere Minister für „Erbe und nationale Kultur“, steht vor großen Herausforderungen.

Er werde den „noblen Ansatz“ von Sultan Qabus fortsetzen, der für „Entwicklung und Fortschritt stehe“, sagte der neue omanische Monarch Haitham bin Tariq Al Said. Der frühere Minister für „Erbe und nationale Kultur“ war schnell bestimmt worden, nachdem der populäre Sultan Qabus am Freitagabend gestorben war. Laut Presseberichten hatte Qabus selbst diesen Wunsch hinterlassen. Der verstorbene Sultan war nach einer Ehe mit einer Cousine kinderlos geblieben. Offiziell wurde die Ursache seines Todes nicht mitgeteilt, aber Sultan Qabus war an Krebs erkrankt und in den vergangenen Jahren immer wieder zur Behandlung im Ausland.

Der neue Sultan hat große Fußstapfen zu füllen: Qabus hatte Oman fast fünf Jahrzehnte lang regiert, seit er 1970 seinen Vater mit britischer Hilfe in einem unblutigen Putsch vom Thron stieß. Er führte das Land im Südosten der Arabischen Halbinsel mit Hilfe der Öleinnahmen aus Armut, Rückständigkeit und der außenpolitischen Isolation. » | von Christoph Ehrhardt, Beirut | Samstag, 11. Januar 2020

Sultan of Oman Dies, State Media Announces

THE GUARDIAN: Sultan Qaboos bin Said had no children and did not publicly appoint a successor, but left name in sealed envelope if royal family cannot decide

Oman’s Sultan Qaboos bin Said died on Friday evening, state media has announced. Omani television news said the council’s high military council had called the ruling family to convene and choose a new ruler.

Western-backed Qaboos, 79, had ruled the Gulf Arab state since he took over in a bloodless coup in 1970 with the help of Oman’s former colonial power Britain.

Qaboos had no children and had not publicly appointed a successor. A 1996 statute says the ruling family must choose a successor within three days of the throne becoming vacant.

If they fail to agree, a council of military and security officials, supreme court chiefs and heads of the two assemblies will put in power a person whose name has been secretly written by the sultan in a sealed letter. » | Staff and agencies | Saturday, January 11, 2020

Sultan Qaboos of Oman, Arab world's longest-serving ruler, dies aged 79 »

The Last 100 Days of Diana – Documentary

Martin Bashir's 2017 documentary "The Last 100 Days of Diana" looks at the events leading up to Princess Diana's death.