Covid Desperation Is Spreading Across India

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Infections, deaths and breakdowns that began in big cities a few weeks ago are rapidly advancing into rural areas, unleashing deep fear in places with little medical safety net.

NEW DELHI — Dozens of bodies washed up on the banks of the Ganges this week, most likely the remains of people who perished from Covid-19.

States in southern India have threatened to stop sharing medical oxygen with each other, fiercely protective about holding on to whatever they have as their hospitals swell with the sick and infections skyrocket.

And at one hospital in Andhra Pradesh, a rural state in southeastern India, furious relatives went on a rampage in the intensive care unit after lifesaving oxygen suddenly ran out — the latest example of the same tragedy repeating itself, of patients dying while gasping for air.

The desperation that engulfed New Delhi, India’s capital, over the past few weeks is now spreading across the entire country, hitting states and rural areas with many fewer resources. Positivity rates are soaring in those states, and public health experts say that the rising numbers most likely fall far short of giving the true picture in places where sickness and deaths caused by Covid-19 are harder to track. » | By Jeffrey Gettleman and Suhasini Raj | Tuesday, May 11, 2021

Violence Escalates Between Israelis and Palestinians

More Than 30 Dead in Gaza and Israel as Fighting Quickly Escalates »

Cheney Embraces Her Downfall, Warning G.O.P. of Trump in a Fiery Speech

THE NEW YORK TIMES: “I will not sit back and watch in silence while others lead our party down a path that abandons the rule of law,” Representative Liz Cheney said on the eve of a vote to remove her from House Republican leadership.

WASHINGTON — In the hours before facing a vote that will almost certainly purge her from House Republican leadership, Representative Liz Cheney of Wyoming remained unrepentant on Tuesday, framing her expulsion as a turning point for her party and declaring in an extraordinary speech that she would not sit quietly by as Republicans abandoned the rule of law.

Delivering the broadside from the House floor on Tuesday night, Ms. Cheney took a fiery last stand, warning that former President Donald J. Trump had created a threat that the nation had never seen before: a president who had “provoked a violent attack” on his own Capitol “in an effort to steal the election,” and then continued to spread his election lies.

“Remaining silent and ignoring the lie emboldens the liar,” Ms. Cheney said. “I will not participate in that. I will not sit back and watch in silence while others lead our party down a path that abandons the rule of law and joins the former president’s crusade to undermine our democracy.”

Her defiant exit — and unmistakable jab at the House Republican leaders working to oust her — illustrates Ms. Cheney’s determination to continue her blunt condemnation of Mr. Trump and her party’s role in spreading the false election claims that inspired the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. On the precipice of the vote to remove her on Wednesday, she has embraced her downfall rather than fight it, offering herself as a cautionary tale in what she is portraying as a battle for the soul of the Republican Party. » | Catie Edmondson | Tuesday, May 11, 2021

No Carriages and a Solo Throne – the Covid-compliant Queen’s Speech

THE GUARDIAN: There were just 34 seated guests in the royal gallery, socially-distanced, wearing masks – and tested

There were no horses or carriages and the Queen sat alone on her throne at the state opening of parliament, with pomp and pageantry pared back because of Covid restrictions.

The Queen, on her first engagement outside Windsor Castle since the death of the Duke of Edinburgh, wore day dress instead of the usual state robes.

In the House of Lords, she sat on a solitary ornate golden throne, where, previously there have been a pair of thrones, one each for the Queen and her consort.

Because Prince Charles, who escorted her, was to be seated separately because of the restrictions, it was felt it was not necessary to transport the consort’s throne to the Palace of Westminster for the occasion. Instead, it remained as is does when not in use, stored in the care of the lord great chamberlain. If, at the next state opening, things are back to normal and Charles is seated next to the Queen, it will be back in place. » | Caroline Davies | Tuesday, May 11, 2021

The Queen opens parliament in scaled down ceremony – video »

Nearly 40% of AstraZeneca Investors Reject Boss’s Bonus Rise

THE GUARDIAN: Covid vaccine maker passes its remuneration policy but suffers sizeable rebellion

AstraZeneca has suffered a substantial shareholder rebellion over proposals to hand its chief executive, Pascal Soriot, bigger bonus awards for the second consecutive year.

Nearly 40% voted against the policy, which could hand him pay and perks of nearly £18m for 2021.

At the company’s annual meeting in Cambridge, the Anglo-Swedish drugmaker managed to win approval for its remuneration policy, which required support from shareholders holding more than 50% of the firm’s stock, but investors owning 39.8% of the shares opposed it. » | Julia Kolleweand Damien Gayle | Tuesday, May 11, 2021

Pascal Soriot »

Thirty People Dead as Netanyahu Vows to Intensify Gaza Attacks

THE GUARDIAN: Medics on both sides put death toll at 28 Palestinians and two Israelis after day of fierce confrontation

Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to increase the intensity of attacks on Gaza, after a day of ferocious confrontations that left 30 people dead as Israeli jets and Palestinian militants traded airstrikes and rockets.

As medics on both sides put the death toll at 28 Palestinians, including 10 children, and two Israelis, the Israeli prime minister said there would be no pause. “It was decided that both the might of the attacks and the frequency of the attacks will be increased,” he announced.

Residents in Gaza City reported bombings on high-rise buildings, as families spent the night cowering in basements. On Tuesday evening, a 13-storey tower housing apartments and the offices of officials from Hamas, the Islamist group that rules inside Gaza, was hit by an Israeli airstrike and collapsed. Residents had earlier been told to evacuate. In response, Hamas’s military wing said it had fired 130 rockets towards Tel Aviv, and air raid sirens and then explosions were heard in the coastal city. » | Oliver Holmes in Jerusalem | Tuesday, May 11, 2021

13 Principles of Jewish Faith, Explained

Maimonides, one of the greatest codifiers of Torah law and giants of Jewish philosophy, he formulated a list of the thirteen principles of Jewish faith. Or, as he described them: Judaism’s fundamental truths and very foundation.

Anti-gay Campaign Shows Russia's Worst Side (2014)

As Russia prepares to host the Sochi Winter Olympics, Europe Editor Matt Frei reports that the country's campaign against gay people shows its worst side just when it hoped the world would see only its best.

Health Expert Reveals What Foods Are Killing You & How the Food Industry Lies | Dr. Mark Hyman

’Breaking Bread’ Australian Trailer

The Australian theatrical trailer for BREAKING BREAD, the new heart warming documentary from Beth Elise Hawk.

China’s ‘Long-Term Time Bomb’: Falling Births Stunt Population Growth

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Only 12 million babies were born last year, the lowest number of births since 1961, providing fresh evidence of a looming demographic crisis that could complicate Beijing’s ambitions.

China’s population is growing at its slowest pace in decades, with a plunge in births and a graying work force presenting the Communist Party with one of its gravest social and economic challenges.

Figures for a census conducted last year and released on Tuesday showed the country’s population at 1.41 billion people, about 72 million more than those counted in 2010. This was the narrowest increase recorded since the Communist Party conducted its first census, in 1953.

Only 12 million babies were born in China last year, according to Ning Jizhe, the head of China’s National Bureau of Statistics, the fourth year in a row that births have fallen in the country. That makes it the lowest official number of births since 1961, when a widespread famine caused by Communist Party policies killed millions of people, and only 11.8 million babies were born.

The figures show that China faces a demographic crisis that could stunt growth in the world’s second-largest economy. China faces aging-related challenges similar to that of developed countries, but its households live on much lower incomes on average than the United States and elsewhere. » | Sui-Lee Wee | Published” Monday, May 10, 2021; Updated: Tuesday, May 11, 2021

German Catholic Priests Defy Rome to Offer Blessings to Gay Couples

THE NEW YORK TIMES: More than 100 Roman Catholic parishes in Germany held services to bless gay couples, in defiance of the Vatican’s refusal to recognize same-sex unions.

BERLIN — More than 100 Roman Catholic parishes in Germany offered blessings to gay couples on Monday in defiance of church teaching and their own bishops.

The call for nationwide blessings came in response to a decree issued by the Vatican on March 15, reinforcing the church’s prohibition of priests asking for God’s benevolence for gay couples, stating that God “does not and cannot bless sin.”

A group of 16 German priests and volunteers organized a petition that within days collected more than 2,000 signatures. Encouraged by the response, they decided to take their action one step further and declare May 10 — chosen because of its association with Noah, who in the Bible is recognized by God with a rainbow, a symbol that has more recently been adopted by the L.G.B.T.Q. community — as a day to hold blessing ceremonies for any and all couples, but especially those in same-sex unions.

“In view of the refusal of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith to bless homosexual partnerships, we raise our voices and say: We will continue to accompany people who enter into a binding partnership in the future and bless their relationship,” the group said in a statement. “We will not refuse a blessing ceremony.” » | Melissa Eddy | Monday, May 10, 2021

Jerusalem Seethes as the Rockets Begin on Day of Rising Tension

THE GUARDIAN: A series of events come together to inflame an already volatile situation in the holy city

It was strikingly clear that the most dangerous moment in Jerusalem’s worst unrest for years would arrive on Monday. After weeks of mounting anger, a series of provocative events were all set to spiral together at once, creating a tinderbox situation that world powers warned needed delicate handling.

The European Union had called on authorities to “act urgently to de-escalate the current tensions in Jerusalem” while the US said the Israeli government should “pursue appropriate measures to ensure calm”.

But even before dawn broke, tensions had been raised another notch. And by the end of the day, rocket sirens were blaring in Jerusalem.

Fierce confrontations erupted overnight as Palestinians threw rocks and launched fireworks at police, who returned fire into the packed crowds with round after round of rubber bullets and stun grenades. » | Oliver Holmes and Sufian Taha in Jerusalem | Monday, May 10, 2021

‘Like Purgatory’: Diaspora in Despair as India Sinks Deeper into Covid Crisis

THE GUARDIAN: Indian Americans scramble to secure oxygen canisters for family members, desperately work to raise funds and pressure US legislators to lift vaccine patents

Since the pandemic began, Fatima Ahmed has lost 29 of her family members in India and one in the US to Covid-19.

A few days ago, her uncle died in his car as he was driving back home from a hospital in Hyderabad, a city in southern India. “All the hospitals were at capacity, so they couldn’t take him in,” said Ahmed. “He pulled over and he called the rest of the family, the khandan – before he passed.”

Each loss has amplified her anger – at the mass crisis unfolding 8,000 miles away, at the shortages of oxygen and vaccines, at the anti-Muslim attacks stoked by Indian officials who have scapegoated religious minorities as the country. Ahmed, an academic and activist based in New Jersey, has asked the Guardian to use a pseudonym for privacy and safety concerns.

As the US begins to emerge from the depths of the coronavirus crisis, India is sinking. And the 4.8 million members of the diaspora in the US, like Ahmed, have been anxiously monitoring their phones in case of news that an old neighbor, or relative, or close friend has died. The despair has permeated across time zones, as Indian Americans scramble to secure oxygen canisters and hospital beds for family members, desperately work to raise funds, donate resources and pressure US legislators to lift vaccine patents. » | Maanvi Singh | Monday, May 10, 2021

Of Brexit and Boris: What’s Driving the Call for Scottish Independence

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Scots voted to remain in the E.U., and they resent being dictated to by England. And they just plain don’t like Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

The millions of votes cast across Scotland Thursday could be among the most consequential in recent times, and not because of their impact on things like health, education and fisheries. The greatest issue facing the country, and the one that was really at stake, was nowhere to be found on the ballot, and that is the future of its 314-year-old union with England.

In the vote for parliamentary elections, the pro-independence Scottish National Party fell short of the majority it had hoped would create an irresistible momentum for a new referendum on breaking away from the United Kingdom. But it will retain power in Edinburgh, probably with the support of the Scottish Greens, guaranteeing that the issue will continue to dominate Scottish politics, as it has in recent years. » | Stephen Castle | Published: Saturday, May 8, 2021; Updated: Monday, May 10, 2021

‘I Seek a Kind Person’: The Guardian Ad That Saved My Jewish Father from the Nazis

THE GUARDIAN: In 1938, there was a surge of classified ads in this newspaper as parents – including my grandparents – scrambled to get their children out of the Reich. What became of the families?

On Wednesday 3 August 1938, a short advertisement appeared on the second page of the Manchester Guardian, under the title “Tuition”.

“I seek a kind person who will educate my intelligent Boy, aged 11, Viennese of good family,” the advert said, under the name Borger, giving the address of an apartment on Hintzerstrasse, in Vienna’s third district.

The small ad, costing a shilling a line, was placed by my grandparents, Leo and Erna. The 11-year-old boy was my father, Robert. It turned out to be the key to their survival and the reason I am here, nearly 83 years later, working at the newspaper that ran the ad.

In 1938, Jewish families under Nazi rule were scrambling to get their children out of the Reich. Newspaper advertisements were one avenue of escape. Scores of children were “advertised” in the pages of the Manchester Guardian, their virtues and skills extolled in brief, to fit the space.

The columns read as a clamour of urgent, competing voices, all pleading: “Take my child!” And people did. The classified ads – dense, often mundane notices that filled the front pages, and coffers, of the Guardian for more than 100 years – also helped save lives. » | Julian Borger | Thursday, May 6, 2021

How the Austro-Hungarian Empire Destroyed Itself - The Fall of The Habsburgs - History Documentary

The Habsburg Dynasty had ruled large parts of Europe and the world for 650 years. During World War I, however, the mighty Austro-Hungarian Empire sowed the seeds of its own demise. When Charles I inherited Franz Joseph's throne in November 1916, he embarked on a single-handed mission to make peace. He offered France control of Alsace-Lorraine - a betrayal of his greatest ally and brother-in -arms, Germay. The so-called "Sixtus Affair" destroyed the last chance for peace in Europe - and sealed the fate of the Habsburg Dynasty and the Austro-Hungarian Empire itself. Charles I would go down in history as the last emperor of Europe.

Mahler: Symphony No. 5 in C-Sharp Minor - IV. Adagietto. Sehr langsam

Provided to YouTube by Universal Music Group Mahler: Symphony No. 5 in C-Sharp Minor - IV. Adagietto. Sehr langsam · Berliner Philharmoniker · Herbert von Karajan - Adagio ℗ 1973 Deutsche Grammophon GmbH, Berlin

Children Who Met Hitler Speak Out - Hitler and the Children of Obersalzberg - History Documentary

The Obersalzberg retreat was the summer residence and retreat of Adolf Hitler, Eva Braun and his closest confidants in the Nazi regime. The public are mainly familiar with film footage and photographs from the alleged Nazi idyll. For the first time, eye witnesses are willing to talk about their experiences in Obersalzberg.

Obersalzberg »

Scottish Election 2021: Nicola Sturgeon Celebrates 'Historic' SNP Election Win

Nicola Sturgeon has hailed the SNP's "historic and extraordinary" fourth consecutive victory in the Scottish Parliament election.

Nicola Sturgeon Vows to Hold Indy Ref 2 as SNP Closes In on Win

THE GUARDIAN: First minister said voters gave ‘emphatic’ mandate to stage legally-recognised independence poll

Nicola Sturgeon has pledged to press ahead with plans for a second independence referendum after the Scottish National party was poised to win its fourth consecutive Holyrood election, triggering a constitutional battle with Boris Johnson.

With counting continuing into Saturday evening, the Scottish National party was expected to fall two seats short of an overall majority despite winning a record number of Holyrood constituency seats, after a surge in anti-independence tactical voting.

Sturgeon’s lingering hopes of winning a majority were quashed after the Scottish Conservatives won the key SNP target seat of Aberdeenshire West with a hefty majority – a result the Tories will argue vindicates their decision to make independence one of the biggest issues in their campaign.

Buoyed by a record turnout in a Holyrood election of 64%, the first minister said Scottish voters had given her an “emphatic” mandate to stage a legally-recognised referendum in the next parliament – a challenge the prime minister dismissed before the election result was declared. » | Severin Carrell and Libby Brooks | Saturday, May 8, 2021

Nancy Wake: Enemy of the Reich | French Resistance Documentary | Timeline

This is the incredible true story of Nancy Wake, the daring allied spy who became the Gestapo’s most wanted woman in WWII. Codenamed ‘The White Mouse’ for her elusiveness, this international femme fatale was a key inspiration behind Sebastian Faulkes’ celebrated fictional spy Charlotte Gray.

phoenix persönlich: Hamed Abdel-Samad zu Gast bei Alfred Schier

Hamed Abdel-Samad ist gebürtiger Ägypter und bekannt als Islamkritiker. Jetzt hat er ein Buch geschrieben: „Aus Liebe zu Deutschland“. Es bedarf vielleicht eines zugewanderten Deutschen um uns zu zeigen, dass unser Land liebenswert ist. Aber Abdel-Samad sagt auch, unsere Demokratie und die freie Gesellschaft sind in Gefahr.

New Concerns as Indian Covid Variant Clusters Found across England

THE GUARDIAN: Exclusive: Leaked emails show Public Health England assessment of ongoing risk from B16172 variant is ‘high’

Clusters of the Indian variants of Covid-19 have been found across England, including in care homes, the Guardian has learned, amid growing fears about the speed with which they are spreading in communities.

The latest update of case numbers of these variants was due to be published on Thursday. But leaked emails seen by the Guardian show the announcement was delayed until at least Friday because of the local elections.

The documents also suggest officials from Public Health England are poised to escalate one of the variants to one “of concern”. » | Nicola Davis, Science Correspondent | Thursday, May 6, 2021

Scenes of Scotland, as It Weighs Its Future within Britain

THE NEW YORK TIMES: If the pro-independence vote surges in Thursday’s elections for the Scottish Parliament, momentum for [an] another referendum on independence may become unstoppable.

It has weathered the conquest and loss of an empire, survived two world wars and witnessed more than one deadly pandemic. But now Scotland’s ancient alliance with England is itself in poor health, and on Thursday it could take a serious turn for the worse.

When Scottish voters go to the polls to elect 129 members of Scotland’s Parliament, strictly speaking the question of independence will not be on the ballot.

Yet as these photos vividly illustrate, Scotland is grappling with an uncertain future. Pressure is growing for a second referendum on whether to leave the United Kingdom, breaking up a 314-year-old union. If Scots vote in sufficient numbers for pro-independence parties in Thursday’s election, the momentum for another plebiscite could become unstoppable. » | Photographs by Andrew Testa; Written by Stephen Castle | Thursday, May 6, 2021

Wie alles begann - die Geschichte des Rauchens.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken: The 60 Minutes Interview

Norah O'Donnell speaks with Secretary Blinken in a wide-ranging interview that touches on China's recent military aggression, winding down the long war in Afghanistan and the immigration crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border. Read more here: https://cbsn.ws/3edTdA6

Boris Johnson - Utterly Incompetent and Yet He’s Funny on the Telly

Despite a catalogue of failures from the mishandling of the COVID pandemic which caused so many unnecessary deaths, the PPE scandals, worst economic slump in the G7, lies about a border down the Irish Sea, refusing to say who paid initially for the redecoration of his flat and, most seriously, lying to Parliament, Boris Johnson remains very popular.

Religion in Pre-Islamic Arabia

American Germany

GI's in Rubbleland - by Mathias Haentjes

"Frankly, I had very little sympathy for the Germans. After all they were the ones who started the damn war, not us." These sentiments as expressed by US Press Officer Gene Mater are shared by many former GIs who came to Germany at the end of the war.

The years 1945-1949 were for many of these young soldiers the most important time of their lives. 'American Germany' tells the stories of German-American rapprochement from the perspective of former occupying troops. The Americans, who had previously only known the Germans from the battlefield or from propaganda, found that their opinion of the local population changed as a result of living in close quarters with them. At the time, they were undertaking a task that was the first of its kind, i.e. to re-educate politically the population of a conquered country, to put that country back on its feet economically and to help its population achieve a whole new attitude to life.

In this documentary, Gene Mater and other occupying soldiers discuss their experiences in Germany. They tell us of the misery of post-war Germany, of distrust between the Americans and the Germans, of the black market and of the hunt for hidden Nazis. And they tell us of great emotions. Love amid the rubble - at that time this was no cliché but a reality a thousand times.

Bill and Melinda Gates Announce Divorce after 27 Years

THE GUARDIAN: Pair say in statement ‘we no longer believe we can grow together as a couple’ but will continue to run foundation together

Bill and Melinda Gates have announced they are to divorce after 27 years of marriage, saying they “no longer believe we can grow together as a couple”.

The Microsoft co-founder turned philanthropist and his wife have built up a combined $124bn (£89bn) fortune, making them among the five richest couples in the world.

“After a great deal of thought and a lot of work on our relationship, we have made the decision to end our marriage,” the pair said in a joint statement posted on Twitter on Monday. » | Rupert Neate, Wealth correspondent | Tuesday, May 4, 2021

Melinda Gates could become world’s second-richest woman »

Köln vor dem Krieg - Die Ringe (koloriert) - Cologne´s Ring-boulevard - Pre-war (Colorized)

Eine Tour über die Kölner Ringe im unzerstörten Köln der Zeit vor dem Zweiten Weltkrieg in kolorierten Filmaufnahmen der 20er und 30er Jahre. Zu sehen sind Chlodwigplatz, Ulrepforte, Rudolfplatz mit Hahnentor und Opernhaus, Hohenzollernring, Ehrenstraße, Friesenplatz, Friesenstraße, Kaiser Wilhelm-Ring mit Vater-Rhein-Brunnen, Kreuzung Christophstraße, Hansaring, Agneskirche, Eigelsteintor und Ebertplatz (Deutscher Platz), Rheinufer mit Reiterstandbild und Bastei und schließlich der Messeturm im Bau. Ausschnitt aus der Doku: Das alte Köln in Farbe. 90 Min. Originalaufnahmen aus dem unzerstörten Köln der Zeit vor dem Zweiten Weltkrieg. Eine Doku von: Hermann Rheindorf, Sprecher: Christian Brückner

Cologne before WWII (colorized). A trip on Cologne’s Ring boulevard, a half circle built around the old town in the 1890s until the 1910s. Our film shots show street scenes taken between the 1920ies and early 30ies with some of its major squares like Chlodwigplatz, Rudolfplatz, Friesenplatz and their monuments like the mediaeval gates, towers, the statues of the Imperial era and other monuments. We also get a glimpse into narrow streets like Ehrenstraße and Friesenstraße. Scenes from the documentary: Old Cologne in color, 90. min., (German narration).

Single frame colorization based on DeOldify, Topaz & Davinci Resolve. Part of the video contains quotations of: I Think of What You Used to Think of Me, 1928, performed by Abe Lymans California Orchestra provided by syncopatedtimes.com and archives.org

Anfragen/requests: archiv@koelnprogramm.de

More Than 3 Million Lebanese Face Poverty

More than three million Lebanese - almost half the population - are facing a tough Ramadan. The monthly cost of iftar, or the meal to break their fast, now costs 2.5 times the minimum wage. The World Bank says food prices there have become the highest in the region. Al Jazeera's Zeina Khodr has more from Beirut, Lebanon.

US-China Doomsday Threat Ramped Up by Hi-tech Advances, Says Kissinger

THE GUARDIAN: Former US secretary of state says strained relationship is world’s ‘biggest problem’, as he warns of Beijing’s economic and military might

Former US diplomat Henry Kissinger has said that US-China tensions threaten to engulf the entire world and could lead to an Armageddon-like clash between the two military and technology giants.

The 97-year-old former US secretary of state, who as an adviser to president Richard Nixon crafted the 1971 unfreezing of relations between Washington and Beijing, said the mix of economic, military and technological strengths of the two superpowers carried more risks than the cold war with the Soviet Union.

Strains with China are “the biggest problem for America, the biggest problem for the world,” Kissinger told the McCain Institute’s Sedona Forum on global issues.

“Because if we can’t solve that, then the risk is that all over the world a kind of cold war will develop between China and the United States.” » | Guardian staff and agencies | Saturday, May 1, 2021

Best of "Helmut Schmidt bei Sandra Maischberger" | Er ist im Jahre 2015 gestorben

Ein Nachruf in eigenen Worten - ARD-Sondersendung zum Tod von Helmut Schmidt, 10. November 2015

Dozens Killed in Crush at Religious Festival in Israel

THE GUARDIAN: Emergency services and ambulances ‘treating dozens of injured’ as rescue services say 28 killed

Dozens of people have been killed in a crowd crush at a Jewish religious gathering in northern Israel attended by tens of thousands of people.

A rescue service spokesman said 28 people died in the crush early on Friday, according to Reuters. The Magen David Adom ambulance service said 103 people had been injured, including dozens fatally. Channel 12 TV put the number of dead at 38.

Magen David Adom posted the updated toll on Twitter, adding “MDA is fighting for the lives of dozens wounded, and will not give up until the last victim is evacuated.”

The Jerusalem Post said six helicopters were called to the scene to evacuate the injured. The Israeli military said it had dispatched medics and search and rescue teams along with helicopters to assist with a “mass casualty incident” in the area.

Israeli media published an image of a row of bodies covered in plastic bags on the ground and videos posted on social media showed chaotic scenes as Ultra-Orthodox men clambered through gaps in sheets of torn corrugated iron to escape the crush, as police and paramedics tried to reach the wounded. » | Guardian staff and agencies | Friday, April 30, 2021

India's Hospitals Swamped as Daily COVID Cases Approach 380,000 | DW News

India's hospitals turn sick away as daily COVID cases approach 380,000 | DW News

India has set another global record in coronavirus cases, reporting almost 380,000 new infections in the last day. Medical aid from abroad has started arriving in the country, but hospitals are still struggling with shortages of staff and supplies, including oxygen. India's health care system is so overwhelmed that many patients are being turned away.

A COVID-19 ward in a hospital in Delhi. The hospital, like so many, is full to overflowing. Medical staff are stretched to the limit, some falling ill with the disease themselves. Just one reality in India's coronavirus emergency.

A woman receives oxygen outside a Sikh temple. She's not alone. There's no room for these people in Delhi's emergency wards. Relatives are left to cope with severely ill patients by themselves. A long line outside a Delhi gas supplier. People doing what they can to save their loved ones. Some get the oxygen they need. But there isn't enough to go round.

The state of Delhi is reporting one death from COVID-19 every four minutes. And as the hospitals can't cope with the growing numbers of patients so the cremation grounds are struggling to cope with the rising numbers of deaths. The funeral pyres are burning day and night.

Delhi is one hotspot of India's COVID-19 emergency. Maharashtra state and the city of Mumbai is another. Here vaccination centers ran out of supplies on Wednesday. India is one of the biggest producers of vaccines. But it doesn't have enough to vaccinate the next 600 million people who will become eligible for the jab.

Amid the frustration and suffering this: A 105-year-old man and his 95-year-old wife have survived a COVID-19 infection. The family says they want that story to give hope to others. For many fighting the disease, hope and prayers are all they have to help them.

Federal Investigators Search Rudy Giuliani's Apartment as Part of Ukraine Probe | MSNBC

The New York Times' Michael Schmidt joins MSNBC with news that federal investigators executed a search warrant at Rudy Giuliani’s Manhattan apartment and seized his electronic devices.

Federal Investigators Search Rudy Giuliani’s Apartment and Office »

Federal Agents Execute Search Warrant on Rudy Giuliani's Apartment

Federal agents executed a search warrant at the Manhattan apartment of Rudy Giuliani, advancing a criminal investigation by federal prosecutors that has been underway for months, according to two people familiar with the matter.

Anger as Ex-Generals Warn of 'Deadly Civil War' in France

BBC: Controversy is growing in France over an open letter signed by former and serving members of the military, warning of the threat of civil war.

About 1,000 servicemen and women, including some 20 retired generals, put their names to the letter.

They blame "a certain anti-racism" for creating divisions between communities, and say Islamists are taking over whole parts of the nation's territory.

Ministers have condemned the message published by a right-wing magazine.

The letter was first published on 21 April - the 60th anniversary of a failed coup d'état.

"The hour is grave, France is in peril," the signatories said. » | Tuesday, April 27, 2021

Ursula von der Leyen Says EU Could Punish UK over Brexit Breaches

THE GUARDIAN: European commission president speaks before MEPs prepare to consent to Brexit agreement

Ursula von der Leyen has warned that the EU will not hesitate to use the “real teeth” in the Brexit deal to punish the British government for breaching its obligations as MEPs prepared to consent to the historic agreement, marking the end of four years of high political drama.

Speaking ahead of an evening vote by MEPs, where a positive result is not in question, the European commission president said the trade and cooperation agreement would give the EU more leverage over the UK.

The UK government has been accused of breaching its commitments in Northern Ireland and on an agreement on fisheries, which was brought into force provisionally along with the rest of the trade deal in January, ahead of scrutiny by MEPs and their formal consent. » | Daniel Boffey, Brussels | Tuesday, April 27, 2021

Caspar Hirschi | Krisen über Krisen – das Ende der Welt, wie wir sie kennen?

Weltfinanz-, Euro- und Schuldenkrise, Corona-Pandemie, beschleunigter Klimawandel und Zerfall der liberalen Weltordnung: Die Krisen der Gegenwart scheinen sich zu häufen. Ist das tatsächlich so oder nur eine Frage erhöhter medialer Selbstwahrnehmung? Geschichte verlief immer schon krisenhaft, und oft waren es Krisen, die dem Fortschritt unter Schmerzen zum Durchbruch verhalfen. Wie krisenfest sind wir heute? Wer steht in der Verantwortung? Sind wir wirklich fähig, aus Krisen zu lernen?

Über die Turbulenzen unserer Epoche sowie die Möglichkeiten ihrer Bewältigung und Strategien dazu unterhält sich der NZZ-Chefredaktor Eric Gujer mit dem Historiker Caspar Hirschi.

Sendung vom 21.03.2021

Face au terrorisme, le poison de la démagogie

LE MONDE: Le 23 avril, à peine l’attaque contre une fonctionnaire de police de Rambouillet commise, Marine Le Pen, suivie par plusieurs responsables de la droite, a fait un lien entre cet acte terroriste et la politique migratoire française. Instrumentaliser cette question à des fins électorales est un jeu dangereux.

Editorial du « Monde ». Le meurtre d’une fonctionnaire de police, âgée de 49 ans, mère de deux enfants, vendredi 23 avril, dans le sas d’entrée du commissariat de Rambouillet (Yvelines), a soulevé une légitime indignation dans le pays. L’acte, de nature terroriste, est le fait d’un ressortissant tunisien âgé de 36 ans, inconnu des services de police, dont les premiers éléments de l’enquête commencent à reconstituer une dérive récente vers une radicalisation islamiste.

Il souligne la vulnérabilité de la France face aux attaques commises par des individus isolés mais radicalisés qui, brusquement, sèment la terreur dans une démocratie soumise à rude épreuve depuis 2015. Après l’attentat contre Charlie Hebdo et les tueries du Stade France et du Bataclan, qui ont endeuillé le quinquennat de François Hollande, la décapitation de Samuel Paty, un enseignant qui défendait auprès de ses élèves la liberté de pensée, a marqué celui d’Emmanuel Macron. Au cours des quatre dernières années, 14 attentats, perpétrés au nom de l’islamisme radical, ont provoqué la mort de 25 personnes sur le sol français, et 36 autres ont été déjoués, selon le décompte du gouvernement. » | Éditorial, Le Monde | lundi 26 avril 2021

Helmut Schmidt | Erfahrungen und Einsichten (NZZ Standpunkte 2009)

Er gilt als einer der herausragendsten Politiker in der Nachkriegsgeschichte Deutschlands und Europas, und er hat wie kein zweiter in den letzten Jahrzehnten die politische und gesellschaftliche Debatte seines Landes als Minister, Regierungschef, Intellektueller, Publizistik und Herausgeber der Hamburger Wochenzeitung „Die Zeit“ geprägt: Alt-Bundeskanzler Helmut Schmidt. Mit Helmut Schmidt, der im Dezember 91 Jahre alt wird, unterhalten sich NZZ-Chefredaktor Markus Spillmann und Marco Färber über die deutsche Wiedervereinigung, die Rolle und die Begrenzung Deutschlands in Europa und der Welt, über Freundschaften und ihren Stellenwert in der internationalen Politik und über die Bedrohung und Herausforderungen der Zukunft. Und über das Altern und Gott.

Saïda Keller-Messahli | Der radikale Islam – Angriff auf den Westen

Seit einer gefühlten Ewigkeit steht der Westen im Kampf gegen den radikalen Islam. Bis jetzt ist es weder gänzlich gelungen, Terrorakte zu verhindern, noch konnte Propaganda und Unterwanderung ein Riegel geschoben werden. Wer sind die Akteure, wo liegen die Brennpunkte? Wie kann sich Europa der mit Brutalität und Schläue verfolgten Idee eines weltweiten neuen Kalifats erwehren, ohne seine freiheitlichen Grundsätze preiszugeben? Kann es einen säkularen liberalen Euro-Islam geben?

Mit der Schweizer Islam-Kennerin und Extremismus-Expertin Saïda Keller-Messahli spricht der NZZ-Chefredaktor Eric Gujer über Möglichkeiten und Strategien, der islamistischen Gefahr wirksam zu begegnen.

Sendung vom: 25.04.2021

The Observer View on Boris Johnson’s Fitness for Office

THE OBSERVER: Weak and dishonourable, the prime minister fails the Nolan test of public life and brings further disgrace on the government

Integrity is one of the seven principles of public life, alongside selflessness, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty and leadership. Enunciated by Lord Nolan in 1995, they set out the ethical standards to which all those who work in the public sector should adhere. It would be fair to expect the prime minister, the most senior public office holder in the land, to set an example for other public servants. But with every week he is in No 10, it becomes clearer that Boris Johnson – a “vacuum of integrity”, according to former attorney general Dominic Grieve – is a man who comprehensively fails the Nolan test and who brings the office of prime minister into utter disrepute. » | Observer editorial | Sunday, April 25, 2021

Turkey Summons US Ambassador over Armenian Genocide Recognition | DW News

Turkey has reacted angrily after US President Joe Biden formally recognized the Armenian genocide, which took place during the Ottoman era. Ankara has summoned the US ambassador over the remarks.

In his statement, Biden said he and all Americans honor the memory of all those Armenians who perished in a genocide that began exactly 106 years ago. Thousands of people in Armenia's capital Yerevan have been commemorating the mass killings, deportations and forced marches.

Armenian officials led the nation in commemorating the horrors of the past. The procession at this hilltop memorial in the capital Yerevan, included Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. Members of the public too streamed in, to honor the dead.

And they welcome the announcement from Washington, calling those past events a genocide. In 1915, a million Armenians were brutally murdered by Ottoman Turks. Many more were deported and sent on death marches into the Syrian desert.

Armenians have long campaigned for the crimes against their people to be recognized internationally as genocide. Turkey argues that there was no systematic attempt to wipe out Armenians, and no such order from the Ottoman authorities.

But nearly thirty countries have recognized the atrocities as genocide.

Many Armenians would consider the diplomatic spats over terminology a distraction from the memory of atrocities of more than a century ago that haunt their nation to this day.

Russia Today: Worlds Apart: One & Only No More? Ft. Dmitry Suslov, Deputy Director at the CCEIS* at the HSE (University)

Playing hard to get has long been an underlying rationale of US foreign policy, it’s no secret that the Americans view themselves as an indispensable nation, talking to which is both an imperative and a dispensed grace to any other nation. Does it apply to Russia? Should Moscow continue walking alongside Washington while it chews its gum, occasionally popping it in Russia’s face? To discuss this, Oksana is joined by Dmitry Suslov, Deputy Director at the Center for Comprehensive European and Intl. Studies at HSE

• Centre for Comprehensive European and International Studies

Pink Supermoon Set to Brighten UK Night Skies Next Week

THE GUARDIAN: Celestial event due to take place shortly before sunset on Tuesday and will be visible until next morning

A pink supermoon is set to brighten the night skies over the UK next week, though there will not be any noticeable difference in colour, as the name might suggest.

The full moon in April is also known as the “pink moon” as it is named after pink flowers, known as phlox, which bloom in the springtime.

The celestial event is expected to take place just before sunset on Tuesday 27 April as the moon rises in the east and will be visible until it sets in the west the next morning.

It is also a supermoon because the full moon will occur when it is near its closest point to the Earth in its orbit. » | PA Media | Sunday, April 25, 2021

Was King Solomon the Ancient World’s First Shipping Magnate?

THE OBSERVER: Marine archaeologist unearths evidence suggesting biblical king’s riches were based on voyages he funded with Phoenician allies

King Solomon is venerated in Judaism and Christianity for his wisdom and in Islam as a prophet, but the fabled ruler is one of the Bible’s great unsolved mysteries.

Archaeologists have struggled in vain to find conclusive proof that he actually existed. With no inscriptions or remnants of the magnificent palace and temple he is supposed to have built in Jerusalem 3,000 years ago, the Israelite king has sunk into the realm of myth.

Now British marine archaeologist Dr Sean Kingsley has amassed evidence showing that Solomon was not only a flesh-and-blood monarch but also the world’s first shipping magnate, who funded voyages carried out by his Phoenician allies in “history’s first special relationship”.

Over 10 years, Kingsley has carried out a maritime audit of “the Solomon question”. By extending the search beyond the Holy Land, across the Mediterranean to Spain and Sardinia, he found that archaeological evidence supports biblical descriptions of a partnership between Solomon, who “excelled all the kings of the earth in riches and in wisdom”, and the Phoenician king Hiram, who “supplied Solomon with cedar timber and gold, as much as he desired”. » | Dalya Alberge | Sunday, April 25, 2021

Frankreich: Lehrer in Gefahr | Fokus Europa

Immer mehr Pädagogen, die Kritik an radikalen Islamisten üben, stehen in Frankreich unter Polizeischutz. Die Polizei befürchtet weitere Attentate, wie das auf den Lehrer Samuel Paty im Oktober 2020.

What Living in London Was Like During The Blitz | Cities At War: London | Timeline

This programme includes an award-winning trilogy whose theme is the miraculous resilience of the human spirit in the face of adversity.

Documenting Nazi Persecution of Gays: Josef Kohout/Wilhelm Kroepfl Collection

In 1994, the Museum acquired the unique collection of Josef Kohout. More widely known as Heinz Heger, Kohout recorded his experiences in The Men with the Pink Triangle, the first published account of a gay survivor of the Nazi camps. Dr. Klaus Müller, the Museum's Representative for Europe, shares his story.

Pride Month: The Nazi Persecution of Gay People (2020)

Before the Nazis came to power, Berlin was home to a vibrant gay community. Within weeks of their rise in March 1933, the Nazis drove this population underground and waged a violent campaign against homosexuality. Over the next 12 years, more than 100,000 men were arrested for violating Germany's law against "unnatural indecency among men.” During this time, proof was often not required to convict an individual. Some were sent to concentration camps and subjected to hard labor, cruelty, and even medical experiments aimed at “curing” them.

Gay Pride: Kitty Fischer on Gay Male Rescuer in Auschwitz

For National Gay Pride Month USC Shoah Foundation is featuring a testimony clip every week in June of eyewitnesses to the Nazi persecution of Gay men in the Holocaust. Kitty Fischer recounts her time in Auschwitz-II Birkenau when as a young girl she encounters for the first time a gay male prisoner who will turn out to save her life.

UK Far Right, Lifted by Trump, Now Turns to Russia

THE NEW YORK TIMES: The anti-Islam agitator Tommy Robinson struck gold in America. Keeping it might require help from Moscow, where other British far-right activists are also finding friends.

LONDON — Two days after supporters of former President Donald J. Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol, but failed to reverse his election defeat, a defiant shout sounded from across the ocean. Tommy Robinson, Britain’s loudest amplifier of anti-Islam, far-right anger, insisted the fight was not over.

“You need to pick yourselves back up,” Mr. Robinson said in an online video viewed tens of thousands of times. “As Donald Trump says, it’s only just beginning.”

A former soccer hooligan and founder of the English Defence League, one of Britain’s most notorious nationalist groups, Mr. Robinson has largely been a pariah in his home country but Trump loyalists embraced him much the way they embraced many of the American extremist groups whose members would join the Capitol riot, including the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers.

Mr. Robinson appeared on Fox News and Infowars. A right-wing U.S. research institute even bankrolled a 2018 rally in London that foreshadowed the violence at the Capitol: Mr. Robinson’s supporters attacked police officers in a street fight near Parliament. A month later, Representative Paul Gosar, Republican of Arizona, flew to London to speak at a second rally for Mr. Robinson.

His message? Keep fighting. » | Jane Bradley and Michael Schwirtz | Friday, April 23, 2021

‘The System Has Collapsed’: India’s Descent into Covid Hell

THE GUARDIAN: Many falsely believed that the country had defeated Covid. Now hospitals are running out of oxygen and bodies are stacking up in morgues

Looking out over a sea of jostling, maskless faces gathered at a political rally in West Bengal on Saturday, the Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi, proudly proclaimed that he had “never ever seen such huge crowds”. A mask was also noticeably absent from Modi’s face.

That same day, India registered a record-breaking 234,000 new coronavirus cases and 1,341 deaths – and the numbers have kept rising since.

The country has descended into a tragedy of unprecedented proportions. Almost 1.6 million cases have been registered in a week, bringing total cases to more than 15 million. In the space of just 12 days, the Covid positivity rate doubled to 17%, while in Delhi it hit 30%. Hospitals across the country have filled to capacity but this time it is predominately the young taking up the beds; in Delhi, 65% of cases are under 40 years old.

While the unprecedented spread of the virus has been partly blamed on a more contagious variant that has emerged in India, Modi’s government has also been accused of failures of political leadership from the top, with lax attitudes emulated by state and local leaders from all parties and even health officials across the country, which led many to falsely believe in recent months that India had defeated Covid.

“Leadership across the country did not adequately convey that this was an epidemic which had not gone away,” said K Srinath Reddy, president of the Public Health Foundation of India.

“Victory was declared prematurely and that ebullient mood was communicated across the country, especially by politicians who wanted to get the economy going and wanted to get back to campaigning. And that gave the virus the chance to rise again.” » | Hannah Ellis-Petersen in Delhi | Wednesday, April 21, 2021

India Scrambles to Supply Oxygen as Covid-19 Patients Gasp for Breath »

French Policewoman Stabbed to Death in Suspected Islamic Terror Attack

THE TIMES OF ISRAEL: Assailant, a 36-year-old Tunisian man, was shot and killed by officers in town of Rambouillet, southwest of Paris; prosecutors open a ‘terror probe’ over attack

RAMBOUILLET, France (AFP) — A female police employee was stabbed to death by a Tunisian man at a police station southwest of Paris on Friday in a suspected terror attack, officials said.

The attacker was fatally wounded when an officer opened fire on him at the station in Rambouillet, a wealthy commuter town about 60 kilometers (40 miles) from Paris, a police source told AFP on condition of anonymity.

Prosecutors said they were opening a “terror probe” into the attack that took place in the secure entrance area of the station at around 2:20 pm (1220 GMT.)

The woman, 48, was stabbed in the throat twice, the police source said. » | Alice Lefebvre and Tiphaine Liboux | Friday, April 23, 2021

Brexit and the Worst Government Ever - Sheep Led by a Buffoon

The present British government must rank as one of the worst ever. Incompetent and dishonest, they favour their friends and cronies who are rewarded with lucrative contracts. Thirteen (62%) of the 21 members of the cabinet voted remain and yet now champion leave. Four of the eight cabinet members including the Home Secretary and the Foreign Secretary who voted to tighten immigration, are children of immigrants.

The Queen Marks 95th Birthday

THE GUARDIAN: The Queen spending day quietly while still in official royal mourning for Prince Philip

The Queen is marking her 95th birthday on Wednesday while still in official royal mourning for her husband of 73 years, the Duke of Edinburgh.

For a second consecutive year, the traditional 41-gun and 21-gun salutes, traditionally fired in Hyde Park and the Tower of London on the occasion, have been cancelled.

Buckingham Palace is also not expected to issue any official photograph of the monarch.

Instead, she is said to be spending the day quietly. Close family members may join her but it is thought these may not include the Prince of Wales.

Prince Charles is reported to have retreated to his official Welsh home Llwynywermod, in Myddfai, Llandovery, to mourn the loss of his father, having travelled there from Windsor, where he and senior royals were among the 30 mourners to attend Prince Philip’s funeral. » | Caroline Davies | Wednesday, April 21, 2021

Alexei Navalny Moved to Hospital as Fears Grow for Life of Putin Critic

THE GUARDIAN: Doctors say opposition leader, who is on hunger strike, is in danger of a heart attack or kidney failure

Alexei Navalny has been transferred to a prison hospital as concerns have grown among supporters that the Russian opposition leader is dangerously ill and could die “at any minute”.

Navalny’s transfer came after his doctors warned at the weekend that the Kremlin critic, who has been on hunger strike for nearly three weeks, was in danger of a heart attack or kidney failure.

In a statement on Monday, Russia’s prisons service said a doctors’ committee had decided to transfer Navalny to an infirmary in another prison in the Vladimir region that “specialises in dynamic monitoring of similar patients”. » | Andrew Roth in Moscow | Monday, April 19, 2021

Ontario Shifts Strategy as It Scrambles to Combat Worsening Covid Outbreak

THE GUARDIAN: Province announces plans to make coronavirus vaccines more accessible in response to public pressure

Canada’s most populous province has announced plans to make coronavirus vaccines more accessible and the federal government pledged emergency aid as authorities scramble to combat a worsening outbreak in Ontario.

The shift in strategy comes after the premier, Doug Ford, was forced into a U-turn over deeply unpopular new restrictions announced on Friday.

In response to mounting public pressure, Ontario announced late on Sunday that it would lower the age threshold to receive the AstraZeneca vaccine from 55 to 40.

Earlier on Sunday, the federal government promised it would help send nurses and doctors from other provinces to help in Ontario hospitals, where the ICU admissions continue to grow and doctors fear the province may soon begin triaging care. » | Leyland Cecco in Toronto | Monday, April 19, 2021

König der Einsamkeit: Ein Leben als Aussteiger | ARTE Re: Doku

"Ich wollte der Gesellschaft entkommen, die ich verachte", sagt Mauro Morandi. Seit sage und schreibe drei Jahrzehnten ist der inzwischen 80 Jahre alte Italiener der einzige Bewohner der kleinen Mittelmeer-Insel Budelli. "ARTE Re:" über ein ganz besonderes Leben in Einsamkeit. Und die Angst, vertrieben zu werden aus dem selbst gewählten Paradies.

Man strandet auf einer einsamen Insel und baut sich dort alleine eine Existenz auf. Für Mauro Morandi ist das weder Wunsch- noch Alptraum, sondern gelebte Realität. Seit sage und schreibe drei Jahrzehnten ist der inzwischen 80 Jahre alte Aussteiger der einzige Bewohner des kleinen Mittelmeer-Eilands Budelli. Ein italienischer Robinson Crusoe? „Nein, das bin ich sicher nicht“, sagt Mauro. „Robinson Crusoe wollte ja wieder weg von seiner Insel. Ich aber will hier sein.“ Ein Film über ein Leben in selbstgewählter Einsamkeit. Wie schnell vergeht die Zeit, wenn man selbst das Tempo vorgibt? Wie viel Natur verträgt der Mensch, wie viel Mensch die Natur? Und was braucht man eigentlich alles zum Glücklichsein? Es sind die großen Fragen, die in der Welt von Mauro eine zentrale Rolle spielen.Doch da ist auch die Sorge, nicht für immer auf der Insel bleiben zu dürfen. Denn, wenn es schlecht für ihn läuft, könnte Mauro Morandi schon bald aus seinem Paradies vertrieben werden.

Reportage (D 2019, 33 Min)

Mahler: Symphony No.5 In C-Sharp Minor - 4. Adagietto (Sehr langsam)

Mahler: Symphony No.5 In C-Sharp Minor - 4. Adagietto (Sehr langsam) · Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela · Gustavo Dudamel

The Funeral of The Duke of Edinburgh

The Funeral procession and service for His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle.

BBC live HERE »

Elizabeth II et le Royaume-Uni font leurs adieux au prince Philip

LE MONDE: Lors d’une cérémonie en comité restreint, le duc d’Edimbourg sera inhumé dans le domaine du château de Windsor, où Philip a rendu son dernier souffle le 9 avril.

Lors d’une cérémonie en comité restreint pour cause de pandémie et aux accents militaires, la reine et le Royaume-Uni font leurs adieux, samedi 17 avril, au prince Philip, qui a servi sans relâche la couronne et épaulé Elizabeth II pendant plus de sept décennies. Mort « paisiblement » il y a huit jours, l’époux de la reine, connu pour son franc-parler et son humour – flirtant parfois avec le racisme ou le sexisme – aurait eu 100 ans le 10 juin.

Le duc d’Edimbourg sera inhumé dans le domaine du château de Windsor, où Philip, né à Corfou prince de Grèce et du Danemark, a rendu son dernier souffle après une vie dévouée au service de la monarchie depuis son mariage, il y a soixante-treize ans, avec Elizabeth, alors héritière présomptive de la Couronne. La reine perd celui qui était selon les propres mots sa « force » et son « soutien ». Depuis le couronnement d’Elizabeth II en 1952, il était resté en retrait pour soutenir indéfectiblement son épouse et devenir un pilier de la monarchie. » | Le Monde avec AFP | samedi 17 avril 2021

Prince Philip Funeral Will Be Moment of Anguish for Queen, Says Archbishop

THE GUARDIAN: Queen will behave with dignity and courage but will need the support of the nation, says Justin Welby

The Queen may behave “with extraordinary dignity and extraordinary courage” but the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral at Windsor Castle on Saturday will be an “anguished moment” for her, the archbishop of Canterbury has said.

Justin Welby spoke as Buckingham Palace revealed there will be no sermon and no eulogy to Prince Philip, who for seven decades played a prominent role in the nation’s public life.

Eulogies are not common at royal funerals and neither are family readings, which are also absent from the order of service published on Friday night. It includes readings and music chosen by Prince Philip, and the lack of sermon is at his request.

The only words touching on the impact he made as the Queen’s consort of 73 years will be delivered by clergy in the bidding and prayers.

The monarch, who marks her 95th birthday on Wednesday, would require the support of the nation at this difficult time, said Welby, who will give the blessing at St George’s chapel, where the Queen is expected to sit alone. » | Caroline Davies | Friday, April 16, 2021

Funeral of His Royal Highness The Prince Philip Duke of Edinburgh »

Prince Philip Funeral: Plans, Timings and TV Coverage

BBC: Funeral preparations are under way for Prince Philip, Queen Elizabeth II's husband, who died on Friday 9 April aged 99.

This is what we know about the event. » | Friday, April 16, 2021

Irlande du Nord : des mensonges à la violence

LE MONDE: La restauration d’une frontière entre l’Irlande du Nord et la Grande-Bretagne, que les loyalistes vivent comme une trahison, résulte d’un choix politique du premier ministre britannique Boris Johnson : celui d’un Brexit dur.

Editorial du « Monde ». Le Brexit menace la paix en Irlande du Nord. Cette dramatique évidence n’est pas une découverte. Deux semaines avant le référendum de juin 2016 par lequel les Britanniques ont décidé de quitter l’Union européenne (UE), John Major et Tony Blair avaient lancé ensemble, depuis Derry, cet avertissement solennel.

Ces deux anciens premiers ministres britanniques, artisans de l’accord de paix de 1998 qui a mis fin à trois décennies de guerre civile sanglante, savaient de quoi ils parlaient. Personne, à Londres, n’a voulu les entendre. Cinq ans plus tard, les huit nuits de violences qu’a connues la province britannique sonnent comme une terrible validation de leur mise en garde. » | Éditorial, Le Monde | lundi 12 avril 2021

Role Call: The Former Ministers Who Found Private Sector Jobs

THE GUARDIAN: The Greensill affair shows how some of David Cameron’s appointees have been among the most enthusiastic corporate jobseekers. Here’s the list...

David Cameron’s lobbying efforts on behalf of his employer Greensill Capital have shone a spotlight on the often lucrative corporate work on offer to former cabinet members and junior ministers with valuable experience of government and a bulging contacts book.

While the former prime minister’s overtures to serving ministers are unusual in that they prompted an unprecedented formal inquiry, there is nothing new about senior politicians taking private sector jobs after they leave office. Indeed, some of Cameron’s closest allies and cabinet appointees have been among the most enthusiastic corporate jobseekers. » | Rob Davies and Georgina Quach | Friday, April 16, 2021

Who Are Prince Philip’s German Relatives?

TATLER: His mother was a German Princess from the House of Hesse, while all four of his sisters wed German Princes and Dukes

When he was a suitor for the then Princess Elizabeth, much was made of Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark’s ‘foreign’-ness. Despite growing up in England and being schooled in Scotland at Gordonstoun, Philip was still seen as an outsider in some circles, leading to the decision to naturalise him as a British citizen ahead of the Royal Wedding, removing his Greek and Danish titles. Yet as well as his Danish heritage (his family had inherited the Greek throne but were not actually Greeks), he was also German through his mother’s side, as Princess Alice of Battenberg was a Hessian Princess.

It is perhaps unsurprising then that all four of Philip’s elder sisters married into German royal and aristocratic families, particularly as they had all moved there following the family’s exile from Greece. This was to have tragic consequences for the Duke, as it not only meant that he was to fight against his brothers-in-law during World War II on the opposite side, but that none of his siblings were invited to his wedding in 1947 to Princess Elizabeth. » | Rebecca Cope | Monday, April 12, 2021

A German Royal Cousin and Two Great-nephews Will Be among Mourners at Prince Philip’s Funeral

TATLER: Bernhard, Hereditary Prince of Baden; Prince Donatus, Landgrave of Hesse; and Prince Philipp of Hohenlohe-Langenburg are all reportedly isolating at Ascot ahead of the event

The death of a monarch’s spouse would usually be followed by a funeral complete with much pomp and ceremony – particularly when one considers that the late Duke of Edinburgh, who passed away on 9 April, was the longest-serving royal consort in history. Yet under the exceptional circumstances of the ongoing pandemic, the event is set to be quite a departure from royal tradition, with just 30 mourners in attendance – as opposed to the 800 expected under original plans.

The day after Philip passed away aged 99, Buckingham Palace released details of the funeral. Due to take place at St George’s Chapel, Windsor, on Saturday 17 April, it will feature elements such as military Pall Bearers and a ‘small Ceremonial Procession’, made up of ‘members of the Royal Family and The Duke of Edinburgh’s Household’. The Palace announced that the service itself will be ‘attended by Her Majesty The Queen and Members of the Royal Family’, while the coffin, ‘carried by a Bearer Party found by the Royal Marines, will be received… by the Dean of Windsor and the Archbishop of Canterbury.’ » | Hope Coke | Tuesday, April 13, 2021

A French Dinner for the Queen - in the Kitchens of the Elysée Palace

On the occasion of D-Day commemoration ceremonies, the Queen of England is paying an official state visit in France and will be attending a banquet as the guest of honor at the official residence of the President of the Republic of France, the Elysée Palace. This documentary film will describe the event from the kitchens of power, the true vitrine of French gastronomy which has been on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity since 2010. We will follow the work of the teams of the famous chef Guillaume Gomez, from the conception of the menus to the selection of products with the best French producers as well as the installation of the reception hall. A true challenge for a prestigious guest.

Could This Be the Location of Jesus' Tomb? | Secrets of The Cross | Timeline

In 1980, an ancient tomb was uncovered in Jerusalem. Inside were bones dating back to the first century. Could it be the resting place of Christ?

Controversial and compelling, Secrets of The Cross pushes aside centuries of tradition to expose fascinating secrets at the heart of the Christian story.

Prince Philip: Reporter Granted Rare Access by the Duke | 60 Minutes Australia

In his 99 years, it’s hard to guess how many people his Royal Highness met; how many hands he shook; how many events he attended. Far easier to count the number of television interviews he granted. Barely any – and for Australian TV, even fewer. He did, however, give one to 60 Minutes. It was 40 years ago, and the reporter was Ray Martin, who’ll never forget his encounter with the no-nonsense Duke.

My Years With the Queen

Episode 1 - Lady Pamela Hicks talks for the first time on television about her incredible life growing up within the Royal family and her close relationship with the Queen.
Watch the programme HERE » | Thursday, April 1, 2021

Wie deutsch ist die Queen? Die Wurzeln des Hauses Windsor – Doku

"Queen Elizabeth ist bei den Deutschen sehr beliebt, verkörpert sie doch typisch deutsche Tugenden. Auch die in England gern verschwiegenen Wurzeln ihrer Dynastie liegen in Deutschland. Zum ersten Mal berichten in der Dokumentation ""Wie deutsch ist die Queen?"" Vertreter deutscher Adelshäuser über ihre Verbindung zum britischen Königshaus und zur historischen Verantwortung ihrer Familien - auch in der Zeit des Nationalsozialismus. Kein Monarch ist hierzulande so populär wie Queen Elizabeth II. Ihr Glamour allein kann diese Beliebtheit nicht erklären.

Eine Rolle spielen auch ihre familiären Verbindungen nach Deutschland. Die Queen auf Deutschlandbesuch, 50 Jahre nach ihrer ersten Visite als Staatsoberhaupt, ist ein historisches Ereignis. Nie waren die deutsch-britischen Beziehungen nach dem Zweiten Weltkrieg so gut wie heute, und kein Monarch ist in der Bundesrepublik so beliebt wie Elizabeth II.

Die Dynastie der Windsors stammt aus dem kleinen fränkischen Ort Coburg. Bis 1917 lautete der Nachname der Mitglieder des britischen Königshauses von Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha. Unter dem Eindruck des Ersten Weltkriegs erfand man den Namen Windsor...

Die Vorfahren der Windsor-Dynastie kamen aus den Häusern Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha, Hessen, Hannover und Preußen. Wenn die Queen nach Deutschland zum Staatsbesuch kommt, ist das also immer auch eine Stippvisite bei Verwandten. Bis zum Ersten Weltkrieg trug die Royal Family sogar einen deutschen Nachnamen: Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha. Prinz Albert hatte ihn mit ins Königshaus gebracht, als er 1840 seine Cousine Queen Victoria heiratete. Die blutjunge Monarchin stammte ihrerseits ebenfalls aus einem deutschen Adelsgeschlecht, der Dynastie der Welfen. Im 17. und 18. Jahrhundert saßen sie nicht nur in Hannover auf dem Thron, sondern in Personalunion auch in Großbritannien. Prinz Albert und Queen Victoria träumten von einer engen deutsch-britischen Verbindung und verheirateten ihre älteste Tochter mit dem preußischen Thronfolger. Zwei Weltkriege später war das britisch-deutsche Verhältnis zerrüttet.Millionen Menschen beider Nationen hatten ihr Leben auf den Schlachtfeldern verloren, und die enge Verflechtung der Royal Family mit ihren deutschen Verwandten erschien so heikel, dass sie für Jahrzehnte dezent verschwiegen wurde."