Cameron, Alexander, Osborne, Clegg: How the Austerity ‘Quad’ Sold Their Souls

THE GUARDIAN: The 2010 coalition was a disaster. Its leaders have done little to restore their reputation

It was excruciating. To watch a former British prime minister before a committee of MPs last week trying to explain away his aggressive lobbying of ex-colleagues on behalf of Greensill, which has since collapsed into insolvency, was as humiliating as it was distressing. That we are citizens of a country whose former leader can behave in such a way is shocking. He claimed that lobbying for Greenshill was consistent with a commitment to public service. Really?

Worse was the glaring mismatch between the former puritan apostle of austerity – we are all in this together – and the compromising of such values. And not only him. In varying degrees, the other three members of the coalition quad – chancellor George Osborne, deputy prime minister Nick Clegg and chief secretary Danny Alexander, who together imposed “peak austerity” between 2010 and 2015 – have all walked away from the public square only to raise major questions about how their new lives are consistent with their old and thus the credibility of what all politicians say as they vie for support. Our democracy is the weaker. » | Will Hutton | Sunday, May 16, 2021

The Observer View on the Spread of the Indian Variant in the UK

THE OBSERVER: The government’s slow response to ban travel to and from India has put the UK at risk

‘Data, not dates.” This was the approach Boris Johnson promised to take when he announced the roadmap out of lockdown for England in February. So far, the data has allowed the prime minister to meet the target dates for each phase of relaxing of social restrictions. Infection rates are the lowest they have been since last August; the number of people in hospital with Covid has dropped dramatically and vaccination is proceeding apace.

Yet as we stand on the cusp of the next easing of social restrictions, happening across England, Wales and most of Scotland tomorrow, there are worrying signs that the B.1.617.2 variant first detected in India is spreading quickly in some parts of the country. In Bolton, infection rates are 10 times higher than the English average. They may not yet justify a nationwide slowing in easing restrictions but they are worrying and require a rapid localised response to contain outbreaks. This mixed picture is a bitter pill to swallow. For weeks, the national mood has justifiably been one of relief; psychologically, it has felt like the end is in sight. The majority of British adults have now had one jab, offering them a good level of protection against Covid. Yet it was always clear that the biggest risk of a serious third wave would be from the spread of a variant that is more transmissable [sic], more likely to cause serious illness or with a greater degree of vaccine resistance. Scientists are now confident that B.1.617.2 is at least as transmissable [sic] as the B.1.1.7 variant originally detected in Kent, which contributed to the terrible death rates we saw in the second wave, and quite possibly more so. If this is the case, the race between the virus and the vaccine rollout will become more loaded in the former’s favour: modelling suggests that hospital admissions could increase significantly beyond what was seen in the second wave if B.1.617.2 proves to be much more transmissible [sic]. » | Observer editorial | Sunday, May 16, 2021

The Observer View on the Israel-Palestine Conflict

THE OBSERVER: It’s time for the international community to address this crisis with greater honesty about the key players and solutions

The sudden rekindling of the Israel-Palestine conflict, and the ensuing horrors, is a shameful reminder of the international community’s almost criminal neglect of the crisis. There have been no substantive peace talks for more than a decade. Donald Trump’s “deal of the century” was a cruel sham. Efforts now under way to engineer a ceasefire, or what is called a “sustainable calm”, amount to applying a sticking plaster to a deeply felt, long-festering wound.

This story of neglect, cementing in place injustices and inequities stretching back to the 1948 Palestine war, made a new explosion of violence all but inevitable. It has played into the hands of extremists on both sides who seek victories, not peace. It threatens the future of Israel and Palestine and regional stability. The events of the past week have rendered the prospect of a lasting settlement more distant than ever. » | Observer editorial | Sunday, May 16, 2021

Charles to Open Up Palaces to the Public When He Becomes King – Reports

THE GUARDIAN: Prince of Wales is said to want Buckingham Palace, Sandringham and other royal homes to go from ‘private spaces to public places’

The Prince of Wales reportedly plans to give people greater access to the royal palaces when he becomes king.

Charles wants Buckingham Palace, Clarence House, Windsor Castle, Sandringham and Balmoral to be transformed from “private spaces to public places”, according to the Sunday Times.

The newspaper said the heir to the throne wants these royal residences to open more widely for longer periods during the year.

Charles is reportedly speaking to the Duchess of Cornwall, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and other royals about the plans.

The newspaper said Charles is considering opening Buckingham Palace and gardens throughout the year when he is king, including when he is in residence. » | PA Media | Sunday, May 16, 2021

Thousands Join London Protest against Violence in Gaza

THE GUARDIAN: Jeremy Corbyn and Palestinian ambassador address crowd and call for UK government to act

Thousands of people marched through central London on Saturday to express solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza.

Organisers said immediate action is needed from the UK government to help end the brutal violence.

At least 139 people have been killed in the Gaza Strip, including 39 children, after a spiral of violence that began with the attempted eviction of Arabs from the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood in East Jerusalem. In Israel at least seven people have been killed, including one child.

Saturday is the Palestinian Nakba day, the anniversary of the expulsion of hundreds of thousands of Arabs from their homes more than 70 years ago. » | Damien Gayle | Saturday, May 15, 2021

Johnson ‘Must Think Again on Plans to Relax Covid Rules’

THE OBSERVER: Top adviser warns of India variant impact as scientists urge delay in lockdown changes

Boris Johnson was under mounting pressure on Saturday to reconsider Monday’s relaxation of Covid rules in England because of the threat posed by the India variant. His own advisers and independent health experts raised fears that it could lead to a surge in hospital admissions, especially among young adults.

From Monday people will be able to meet in groups of up to 30 outdoors, while six people or two households will be permitted to meet indoors. Pubs, bars, cafes and restaurants will be allowed to serve customers indoors. Indoor entertainment such as museums, cinemas and children’s play areas can also open along with theatres, concert halls, conference centres and sports stadiums. » | Denis Campbell, Toby Helm and David Connett | Saturday, May 15, 2021

Beneath Joe Biden’s Folksy Demeanor, a Short Fuse and an Obsession With Details

THE NEW YORK TIMES: As Mr. Biden settles into the office he has chased for more than three decades, aides say he demands hours of debate from scores of policy experts.

WASHINGTON — The commander in chief was taking his time, as usual.

It was late March, and President Biden was under increasing pressure to penalize President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia for election interference and the biggest cyberattack ever on American government and industry. “I have to do it relatively soon,” he said to Jake Sullivan, his national security adviser.

Mr. Biden had already spent the first two months of his presidency debating how to respond to Mr. Putin, and despite his acknowledgment in March that he needed to act quickly, his deliberations were far from over. He convened another meeting in the Situation Room that stretched for two and a half hours, and called yet another session there a week later.

“He has a kind of mantra: ‘You can never give me too much detail,’” Mr. Sullivan said.

Quick decision-making is not Mr. Biden’s style. His reputation as a plain-speaking politician hides a more complicated truth. Before making up his mind, the president demands hours of detail-laden debate from scores of policy experts, taking everyone around him on what some in the West Wing refer to as his Socratic “journey” before arriving at a conclusion.

Those trips are often difficult for his advisers, who are peppered with sometimes obscure questions. Avoiding Mr. Biden’s ire during one of his decision-making seminars means not only going beyond the vague talking points that he will reject, but also steering clear of responses laced with acronyms or too much policy minutiae, which will prompt an outburst of frustration, often laced with profanity. » | Michael D. Shear, Katie Rogers and Annie Karni | Friday, May 14, 2021

India Variant Could Lead to Serious Third Wave of Covid in UK

THE GUARDIAN: Analysis: If B.1.617.2 proves highly transmissible, hospitalisations could peak again, models show

It was all looking so good. After a brutal second wave in the winter, the lockdown combined with the swift rollout of vaccines forced infections, hospitalisations and deaths down to levels not seen since last summer. The vaccines performed better than expected, not only in preventing deaths, but in hampering the spread of the virus. Scientific advisers were confident about England’s cautious roadmap back to a life more normal: the worst, it seemed, was over.

Now, those same advisers are deeply worried that the new variant of concern from India, B.1.617.2, could undermine the hard-won achievement. The government strategy has been to ease restrictions as vaccines reach more people, aiming for a delicate balance that opens up society while preventing another wave that overwhelms the NHS.

Without the new variant, outbreak modellers advising Sage anticipated a modest third wave in July and August, with perhaps 4,000 to 11,000 more deaths, but nothing on the scale of the devastating winter wave.

But the new variant is here. What that means is still uncertain. Take the outbreak in Bolton and surrounding areas out of the picture and the situation in England looks far less alarming, suggesting the region may be an outlier. Yet some scientists working on B.1.617.2 believe it is destined to displace the dominant and highly transmissible Kent variant, B.1.1.7, in the UK and note that charts displaying the steep rise in cases look horribly similar to those that tracked the surge of the Kent variant in December. » | Ian Sample, Science editor | Friday, May 14, 2021

India variant could seriously disrupt lifting of lockdown, says Boris Johnson »

Boris Johnson dans le piège écossais

LE MONDE: Les deux partis écossais favorables à l’indépendance ont renforcé, jeudi 6 mai, leur majorité au Parlement d’Edimbourg et souhaitent désormais l’organisation d’un nouveau référendum. Le premier ministre britannique y est opposé.

Editorial du « Monde ». Près de cinq ans après le vote des Britanniques en faveur de la sortie de l’Union européenne (UE), quatre mois après un accord signé à l’arraché, le Brexit est tout sauf un dossier clos. Non seulement pour les voisins européens des Britanniques, avec lesquels aucun des grands dossiers de la séparation – procédures douanières, Irlande, pêche, équivalences financières – n’est vraiment réglé. Mais aussi pour le Royaume-Uni lui-même, où le Brexit exacerbe les tendances séparatistes dans les deux « nations » – Ecosse et Irlande du Nord – qui, ayant voté majoritairement pour demeurer dans l’UE, se sentent trahies par le « Brexit dur » de Boris Johnson. » | Éditorial, Le Monde | lundi 10 mai 2021

EU Citizens Arriving in UK Being Locked Up and Expelled

THE GUARDIAN: Europeans with job interviews tell of detentions and expulsions despite rules allowing non-visa holders to attend interviews

EU citizens are being sent to immigration removal centres and held in airport detention rooms as the UK government’s “hostile environment” policy falls on them after Brexit, according to campaigners and travellers interviewed by the Guardian.

Europeans with job interviews are among those being denied entry and locked up. They have spoken of being subjected to the traumatic and humiliating experience of expulsion, despite Home Office rules that explicitly allow non-visa holders to attend interviews.

Confusion about whether EU citizens can explore the UK job market and then go home with an offer in order to apply for a work visa has added to the growing number of detentions. In other cases, visitors are clearly breaking rules, such as those now barring EU citizens from taking up unpaid internships.

At least a dozen European citizens – mostly young women – were detained and expelled at Gatwick airport alone over 48 hours last week, two female Spanish detainees told the Guardian. Some were sent two hours’ drive away to Yarl’s Wood detention centre in Bedfordshire, where a Covid scare meant they were confined to their rooms. » | Giles Tremlett in Madrid and Lisa O'Carroll | Thursday, May 13, 2021

Brexit and the Insanity of Our New Immigration Policy

Having demonised EU citizens who have come to the U.K. over many years to work and pay taxes, we have now ended free movement and introduced new policies which will make it virtually impossible for unskilled workers to come and work in the U.K. As our population ages and the tax paying employed shrink in number we will have to find new immigrants who are likely to come from Africa and Asia At the same time we have lost control of illegal immigration across the Channel

Prince Harry Likens Life in Royal Family to ‘Being in The Truman Show’

THE GUARDIAN: Duke of Sussex also appears to criticise the way he was raised in interview promoting new series

The Duke of Sussex has likened life in the royal family to a mix between being in The Truman Show and being in a zoo.

In a wide-ranging 90-minute interview, Prince Harry also appeared to criticise the way he had been raised by his father, stressing he wanted to “break the cycle” of genetic pain and suffering.

Speaking to the American actor Dax Shepard for his Armchair Expert podcast, Harry was promoting his new Apple TV+ series about mental health, The Me You Can’t See, with Oprah Winfrey, which launches next week.

He said that in his 20s he realised he did not want the royal “job”, having seen what it did to his mother, Princess Diana. He said he had been forced to “grin and bear it”, but added: “I’ve seen behind the curtain, I’ve seen the business model, I know how this operation runs and how it works. I don’t want to be part of this.

“It’s a mix of being in The Truman Show and being in the zoo.” » | Caroline Davies | Thursday, May 13, 2021

Prince Harry appears to criticise way he was raised by his father »

Greensill Lobbying Leaves Your Reputation in Tatters, Cameron Told

THE GUARDIAN: MPs grill former prime minister for four hours about his text message and WhatsApp campaign

David Cameron was on Thursday told that his persistent lobbying of ministers, begging for favours on behalf of the controversial bank he worked for, had “demeaned” the position of the prime minister and left his “reputation in tatters”

. The former prime minister was forced to deny that his text message and WhatsApp lobbying campaign on behalf of Greensill Capital was driven by fears that an “opportunity to make a large amount of money was at risk”.

Cameron, who joined Greensill as an adviser and lobbyist exactly two years after he left Number 10, repeatedly refused to tell MPs how much money he stood to make from Greensill before the bank collapsed last year.

He told MPs he was paid “a generous amount, far more than I earned as prime minister” but declined to give even a ballpark figure, claiming that his pay was “a private matter”.

Cameron, 56, also refused to state how many shares he had been granted in the bank. He dismissed as “completely absurd” reports that he had boasted to friends that he stood to make £60m from a successful flotation of the supply chain financing firm. » | Rupert Neate | Thursday, May 13, 2021

Israeli Cities Are Facing Increasing Incidents of Mob Violence | DW News

An Arab-Israeli man, who was beaten by a group of Israeli far-right nationalists on Wednesday evening, was "seriously injured but stable," the Ichilov hospital in Tel Aviv said. Images of the beating were broadcast by an Israeli public broadcaster.

In the northern city of Acre on Wednesday, a Jewish motorist was reportedly beaten by Arab residents. In the Tel Aviv suburb of Bat Yam, Jewish youths reportedly ransacked stores and beat an Arab man, Israeli media reported. An Arab man was also beaten by a mob in Haifa.

A state of emergency was declared in the mixed Jewish-Arab city of Lod, where a synagogue and other Jewish property were set on fire and an Arab resident was shot dead.

Prime Minister Netanyahu condemned the scenes of violence, saying "nothing can justify an Arab mob assaulting Jews, and nothing can justify a Jewish mob assaulting Arabs."

He also said that he was looking at employing the Israeli army to "bring back order and rule" within Israel, adding that he would push legislation to give him emergency powers if necessary.

Liz Cheney Castigates Republican Colleagues for Backing Trump

The US representative Liz Cheney, speaking in the House a day before her expected ouster from a Republican leadership post, chastised her party colleagues for not standing up to the former president Donald Trump and his false claim that the November election was stolen. ’Remaining silent and ignoring the lie emboldens the liar. I will not participate in that,’ she said.

Cheney, the No 3 Republican in the House of Representatives, was one of 10 Republicans in the House who voted to impeach Trump in January after he delivered a fiery 6 January speech to supporters, many of whom then stormed the US Capitol in an attempt to block certification of his election loss to Joe Biden

Covid Research: Variant Found in India May Spread Faster Than Type Detected in Kent

THE GUARDIAN: Reports that Sage will meet on Thursday to discuss threat with PHE figures expected to show big jump in cases linked to variant

Evidence is growing that a troubling variant of the coronavirus discovered in India is more transmissible than the variant first detected in Kent and which fuelled the UK’s second wave of infections and spread around the world.

It comes amid reports that Public Health England figures to be released on Thursday could show that the number of cases linked to the variant have tripled in a week. The i newspaper reported that scientists on the Sage advisory committee would hold an urgent meeting on Thursday to discuss the threat.

Meanwhile, researchers at Imperial College London analysed more than 127,000 swabs taken between 15 April and 3 May in England, and found that while coronavirus case rates had halved compared with March, the variant of concern known as B.1.617.2 and found in India could be spreading faster than the “Kent variant”, at least in London. » | Ian Sample, Science editor | Thursday, May 13, 2021

Love — What Does Science Know about It? | DW Documentary

What is love? Love is more than a feeling: it is a driving force that can influence both brain and body. Recent scientific studies show how much love can really change people's lives.

Love is not only a topic in art, but also in science. Few other emotions can trump human reason like love. Love is an instinct like eating and drinking - primitive but vital. It is not romance but above all biology that brings two people together: we can identify the right partner for us by their scent, just as animals do. Recent research shows that the sense of smell, especially in women, has a significant influence on the choice of partner. Love can make wounds heal faster, lower your pulse rate and blood pressure and reduce anxiety and stress. But it can also make you sick and even kill you: "Broken Heart Syndrome” can be as dangerous as a heart attack. Love isn’t just about sex, but sex nurtures love between two people. Every touch causes the brain to release oxytocin, a hormone that triggers feelings of care and affection. And the love hormone isn’t just behind the passion of the newly smitten, but also behind the bond between parents and children and the affection for a pet. In fact, it makes social coexistence possible in the first place - for humans as well as for rats or ants. Love is above all a matter of biochemistry and scientists may one day even create a love pill in the laboratory. This science documentary shows in an entertaining way what love is, what it does to people - and how it stays alive.

Crisis Escalates in the Middle East | DW News

Both Israeli forces and militants in Gaza have stepped up their attacks, in the worst fighting seen in years. The Gaza Health Ministry says the death toll from Israeli airstrikes rose to 48, including 14 children according to latest reports. Hamas rockets fired into Israel have killed at least five. The UN has called for both sides to cease hostilities, warning of the risk of full-scale war.

Melinda Gates Began Divorce Moves at Time Bill’s Meetings with Jeffrey Epstein Revealed

THE GUARDIAN: Wife of world’s fourth-richest man explored options almost two years ago, roughly at time sex criminal Epstein died in jail

Melinda French Gates had concerns about her husband’s dealings with the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein when she consulted lawyers to explore the option of divorcing the Microsoft billionaire Bill Gates, according to reports.

The billionaire philanthropists announced their decision to divorce last week after declaring their marriage “irretrievably broken” – but did not explain why.

The Wall Street Journal reported that in 2019 Melinda, 56, hired a team of lawyers from several high profile law firms to discuss a possible divorce. The Journal said several of its sources had said Melinda was concerned about her husband’s business dealings with Epstein, who killed himself in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal charges related to sex trafficking.

Melinda is said to have expressed unease at Bill’s relationship with Epstein since at least 2013. Her meeting with divorce lawyers in October 2019 is said to have taken place at roughly the same time as a New York Times article detailed Bill’s meetings with Epstein, which included an overnight stay at Epstein’s New York mansion. » | Martin Pengelly in New York and Rupert Neate | Monday, May 10, 2021

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.