Soupçonné de corruption, le chancelier autrichien Sebastian Kurz annonce sa démission

l a expliqué se retirer pour la «stabilité» du pays. LISI NIESNER / REUTERS
LE FIGARO : Le chancelier conservateur évoque de «fausses accusations», mais dit vouloir éviter «des mois de chaos ou d'impasse».

Le chancelier conservateur autrichien Sebastian Kurz, soupçonné d'être impliqué dans une affaire de corruption, a annoncé samedi soir sa démission. «Il serait irresponsable de glisser vers des mois de chaos ou d'impasse», a-t-il déclaré devant la presse à Vienne, expliquant se retirer pour «la stabilité» du pays tout en réfutant de «fausses accusations». «Je veux céder la place pour éviter le chaos», a-t-il ajouté, disant avoir proposé le nom de son ministre des Affaires étrangères, Alexander Schallenberg, pour lui succéder.

Depuis l'annonce mercredi par le parquet de l'ouverture d'une enquête à son encontre pour corruption, Sebastian Kurz était sous pression pour se retirer. Le dirigeant de 35 ans avait jusqu'alors refusé, dénonçant des allégations «fabriquées». Mais les Verts, partenaires minoritaires du gouvernement, ont accru leurs critiques au fil des jours. » | Par Le Figaro avec AFP | samedi 9 octobre 2021

Sebastian Kurz to quit as Austrian chancellor due to corruption inquiry: Coalition partner, the Green party, demanded Kurz go after prosecutors announced investigation »

Facing Criminal Inquiry, Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz Resigns: After insisting he would remain in office amid accusations that public money was used to produce favorable polling, Mr. Kurz said he would step aside to resolve a government crisis. BERLIN — Chancellor Sebastian Kurz of Austria announced on Saturday that he would resign, days after prosecutors launched a criminal investigation into allegations he used federal money to pay off pollsters and journalists for favorable coverage. »

Frankreich: Zuflucht im Club der Dissidenten | Fokus Europa

Oct 9, 2021 • Der Journalist Rateb Noori ist mit seiner Frau von wenigen Wochen aus Afghanistan nach Paris geflogen. Er ist zwar in Sicherheit, fühlt sich aber entwurzelt und muss sich an eine fremde Umgebung, eine andere Kultur anpassen. Doch es gibt in Paris einen Ort, wo man gut versteht, womit Noori zu kämpfen hat.

Der "Dissident Club" ist eine Bar, ein Begegnungspunkt, eine Gesprächsforum für Dissidenten und Flüchtlinge aus aller Welt. Gegründet von Taha Siddiqui, einem pakistanischen Journalisten im Exil. Sein Ziel ist, einen Ort zu schaffen, wo Betroffene sich austauschen können über ihr Schicksal, wo ihnen das Gefühl gegeben wird, dass man ihnen zuhört.

Vesuvius: The Catastrophe Of Pompeii | Lost World Of Pompeii | Timeline

May 20, 2018 • Since Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD, burying the city of Pompeii, it has been frozen in time. But now, more secrets behind the ancient Roman city are being revealed with the help of new technologies in Science Channel’s Lost World Of Pompeii Pompeii is a delicately conserved attraction that is under constant threat from the wears and tear of extensive tourism, the specter of landslides and the possibility of another devastating eruption from Mount Vesuvius.

Früherer iranischer Präsident Banisadr ist tot

GESTORBEN IM PARISER EXIL
FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG: Abdulhassan Banisadr, der erste Präsident der Islamischen Republik Iran, ist im Alter von 88 Jahren in Paris gestorben. Nach dem Sturz des Schahs ernannte ihn Revolutionsführer Khomeini zum Wirtschafts- und Außenminister. » | Quelle: AFP | Samstag, 9. Oktober 2021

‘Starting a Fire’: U.S. and China Enter Dangerous Territory over Taiwan

THE NEW YORK TIMES: The self-ruled island has moved to the heart of deepening discord and rivalry between the two superpowers, with the potential to ignite military conflagration and reshape the regional order.

Taiwanese helicopters flying through Taipei, the capital. China’s growing military might has for the first time made a conquest of Taiwan conceivable, perhaps even tempting. | Lam Yik Fei for The New York Times
The 25 Chinese fighter jets, bombers and other warplanes flew in menacing formations off the southern end of Taiwan, a show of military might on China’s National Day, Oct. 1. The incursions,dozens upon dozens, continued into the night and the days that followed and surged to the highest numbers ever on Monday, when 56 warplanes tested Taiwan’s beleaguered air defenses.

Taiwan’s jets scrambled to keep up, while the United States warned China that its “provocative military activity” undermined “regional peace and stability.” China did not cower. When a Taiwanese combat air traffic controller radioed one Chinese aircraft, the pilot dismissed the challenge with an obscenity involving the officer’s mother.

As such confrontations intensify, the balance of power around Taiwan is fundamentally shifting, pushing a decades-long impasse over its future into a dangerous new phase.

After holding out against unification demands from China’s communist rulers for more than 70 years, Taiwan is now at the heart of the deepening discord between China and the United States. The island’s fate has the potential to reshape the regional order and even to ignite a military conflagration — intentional or not. » | By Chris Buckley and Steven Lee Myers | Saturday, October 9, 2021

Related.

Xi bekräftigt Anspruch auf "Wiedervereinigung" mit Taiwan: Mitten in einer angespannten Lage betont Chinas Staats- und Parteichef den Grundsatz der „friedlichen Wiedervereinigung“ mit Taiwan. Dieser spielt eine zentrale Rolle in der Ideologie der KP. »

Brexit Chaos - How Much Worse Can It Get? - More Questions and Answers.

Oct 9, 2021 • Following Boris Johnson's Tory Party conference speech where he told the party faithful that the U.K. was to be transformed from a low skill/low pay economy to a high skill/high pay version without giving any idea how this nonsense might be achieved, things continue to go from bad to worse with no end of problems mounting up. Earlier this week Rob Groves of the excellent channel Truth to Power and I answered some questions which some of my followers had kindly sent in.

Xi Jinping Vows Taiwan’s ‘Reunification’ with China Will Be Fulfilled

THE GUARDIAN: Chinese president says island’s ‘independence separatism’ is a ‘danger to national rejuvenation’ following a week of tension

Xi Jinping has said Taiwan’s ‘reunification’ must happen. Photograph: Carlos García Rawlins/Reuters
China’s president, Xi Jinping, has vowed to realise “reunification” with Taiwan, without mentioning the use of force, after a week of tensions.

Taiwan responded shortly after by calling on Beijing to abandon its coercion, reiterating that only Taiwan’s people could decide their future.

Democratically run Taiwan has come under increased military and political pressure to accept Beijing’s sovereignty, but Taiwan says it is an independent country, using its formal name: the Republic of China.

Speaking at Beijing’s Great Hall of the People on Saturday, Xi said the Chinese people had a “glorious tradition” of opposing separatism.

“Taiwan’s independence separatism is the biggest obstacle to achieving the reunification of the motherland, and the most serious hidden danger to national rejuvenation,” he said on the anniversary of the revolution that overthrew China’s last imperial dynasty in 1911. Taiwan marks 10 October, when the revolution began, as its national day. » | Staff and agencies | Saturday, October 9, 2021

Poland’s LGBT+ Community at Risk as Top Court Ruling Puts Country on a Path to ‘Polexit’

PINK NEWS: Poland’s left-wing is raising alarm over a court ruling that rejects the primacy of EU law over national legislation, putting the country on a path towards a “legal Polexit”.

On Thursday (7 October) Poland’s constitutional tribunal ruled that some EU laws are in conflict with the country’s constitution, a decision that could have far-reaching consequences for the already embattled LGBT+ community.

Prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki brought the case to the country’s top court in March amid an ongoing dispute with the EU over LGBT+ rights, among other issues.

With the EU threatening to withhold funding to numerous “LGBT-free” zones across Poland, Morawieck argued that some provisions of EU treaties clashed with Poland’s highest law, and that EU institutions “act beyond the scope of their competences”.

The case represents the first time in EU history that a leader of a member state has questioned wholesale treaties in a constitutional court, and the decision could have serious ramifications for Poland’s most vulnerable communities.

The Polish LGBT+ activist Bart Staszweski speculated how PiS, the country’s homophobic ruling party, plans to use this victory. » | Emma Powys Maurice | Friday, October 8, 2021

Related links in German and English here [D], here [D], here [D], and here [E].

Young Love

Junge Liebe / Jeune amour
Many thanks to El Chulo Dominicano and Pinterest for this cute photo.

’Romantic Moments’

Author: Scarlett Avery
With thanks to Scarlett Avery (Author) and El Chulo Dominicano (who had saved this to his collection) and Pinterest, of course. A great photo!
Scarlett Avery, a Canadian author, can be found here on Good Reads.

A Little Humour to Start the Day!

With thanks to LGBT Nation for this funny quote.

Das neue Kunsthaus Zürich | Kulturplatz | SRF Kultur

Oct 7, 2021 • Der Erweiterungsbau des Zürcher Kunsthaus wird eröffnet. Im Zentrum: Die Sammlung Bührle – mit dabei sind auch Gemälde von Monet oder Cezanne. Emil G. Bührle war ein Schweizer Waffenproduzent, der an die Nazis lieferte. Wie transparent geht das Kunsthaus mit der Geschichte um?

Die Bührle-Sammlung ist zweifelsfrei die bedeutendste und gleichzeitig auch die umstrittenste Sammlung impressionistischer Kunst in der Schweiz. Denn der ehemalige Waffenfabrikant und Mäzen Emil Georg Bührle konnte die Van Goghs, Monets und Cezannes nur mithilfe seiner immensen Waffengeschäfte mit Nazi-Deutschland beschaffen. Und: Einige der Kunstwerke aus der Sammlung gehörten ursprünglich jüdischen Sammlerinnen und Sammler und landeten über Umwegen als Raubkunst oder Fluchtgut bei Bührle. Nun werden rund 170 dieser Werke im neuen Erweiterungsbau des Kunsthauses Zürich gezeigt – ein grosser Coup, der Zürich nach Paris zur bedeutendsten Adresse impressionistischer Kunst machen soll. Wie geht man mit so einer belasteten Sammlung um? Das Kunsthaus verspricht eine saubere historische Aufarbeitung, unter anderem mit einem separaten Dokumentationsraum. Doch reicht das? «Kulturplatz» spricht mit den wichtigsten Akteuren – Corinne Mauch, Jakob Tanner, Erich Keller, Christoph Becker – der aktuellen Kontroverse rund um die Bührle-Sammlung.

Die zweite grosse Ausstellung, die in den Erweiterungsbau des Kunsthauses einziehen wird, ist die Sammlung von Werner Merzbacher. Merzbacher stellt in vielerlei Hinsicht den Gegenpol zu Emil G. Bührle dar. Der ehemalige Pelzhändler flüchtete mit seinen Eltern vor den Nazis. Als Financier und ehemaliger Pelzhändler baute er in den letzten 50 Jahren eine Kunstsammlung auf, die er nun ebenfalls in Dauerleihgabe dem Kunsthaus überlasst. Ein Porträt über ein schicksalhaftes Leben.


NB: Diese Sendung ist zum Teil in Schweizerdeutsch (Schwyzertüütsch) übertragen worden.

Democracy Now! Top US News & World Headlines — October 8, 2021

Archbishop Apologises for Steamy Video Filmed in Spanish Cathedral

THE GUARDIAN: Video shows rapper C Tangana and singer Nathy Peluso grind against each other inside Toledo Cathedral

The cathedral’s dean said the video presented ‘the story of a conversion through human love’. Photograph: Youtube
The archbishop of Toledo has apologised to offended Roman Catholics after one of Spain’s most famous cathedrals was used as a location for a raunchy video that shows a couple grinding against each other in its hallowed precincts.

The video for Ateo (Atheist) features the Spanish rapper C Tangana and the Argentinian singer Nathy Peluso dancing steamily in Toledo’s 13th-century cathedral, much to the fascination of onlookers, among them a priest.

Elsewhere in the video, a naked but partially pixelated Peluso holds aloft C Tangana’s severed head, and he yanks her hair. The pulling of Peluso’s hair is an echo of one of the paintings inside the cathedral, which shows a demon pulling a woman’s hair to stop her reaching salvation. The painting is also used as the song’s artwork. » | Sam Jones in Madrid | Friday, October 8, 2021

Polen stellt nationales Recht über EU-Recht | DW Nachrichten

Oct 8, 2021 • Es geht um etwas ganz Grundsätzliches, eine Regel, die die Europäische Union zusammenhält: EU-Recht gilt vor nationalem Recht. Das mag manchmal lästig sein für die einzelnen Mitgliedsstaaten, manchmal praktisch, nur optional ist es nicht. Umso heftiger sind die Reaktion auf ein Urteil des polnischen Verfassungsgerichts: das findet nämlich, dass Teile des EU-Rechts ganz grundsätzlich nicht vereinbar sind mit der polnischen Verfassung. Ein neuer Tiefpunkt im innereuropäischen Verhältnis.

The Pink Triangles: The Story of the Gay Holocaust | Complete Documentary

Premiered Jan 21, 2021 • The vastly ignored history of Germany's war on gay men during World War 2. A special note: Trans women were also persecuted but Germany categorized them as gay men so there are no official records to refer to.

Unfortunately, because of age-restrictions, this documentary cannot be embedded into blogs or other external websites; it must be viewed on YouTube itself. Here’s a link to the documentary on YouTube. It is a fascinating, but sad, documentary. It shows how innocent people were persecuted in the Third Reich. Regardless of our sexual-orientation, we must all work towards a more tolerant world, so that innocent people never need suffer like this again. – Mark

«Ein Angriff auf die EU als Rechtsgemeinschaft»: Brüssel reagiert auf das Urteil des polnischen Verfassungsgerichts

NEUE ZÜRCHER ZEITUNG: Polens Verfassungsgericht hat erklärt, dass EU-Recht keinen Vorrang mehr vor polnischen Gesetzen hat. Damit schert das Land aus der gemeinsamen Rechtsordnung aus. In Brüssel sieht man eine rote Linie überschritten.

Erwartet und doch schockiert: Für Brüssel hat Warschau mit dem Entscheid des Verfassungsgerichts eine rote Linie überschritten. | Omar Marques / Imago
Schon seit Monaten hatte die EU auf einen Entscheid des polnischen Verfassungsgerichts gewartet und sich auf das Schlimmste eingestellt. Doch nachdem am Donnerstagnachmittag, Punkt 17 Uhr 15, die Richterinnen und Richter des Trybunal Konstytucyjny in Warschau tatsächlich zusammengetreten waren, wirkte das politische Brüssel dennoch wie aus allen Wolken gefallen.

In einem beispiellosen Urteilsspruch haben die polnischen Verfassungshüter erklärt, dass wesentliche Teile der europäischen Verträge nicht in Einklang mit der polnischen Verfassung seien. Polnisches Recht müsse grundsätzlich Vorrang vor EU-Recht haben. Jeder Versuch des Europäischen Gerichtshofs (EuGH), sich in Polens Justizwesen einzumischen, heisst es aus Warschau, verstosse gegen «die Regel, dass die Souveränität im Prozess der europäischen Integration bewahrt» bleibe. Finanzielle Sanktionen denkbar » | Daniel Steinvorth, Brüssel | Freitag, 8. Oktober 2021

Svjatoslav Richter – Rachmaninoff : Klavierkonzert Nr. 2 in c-moll op 18 – Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor

Warsaw Philharmonie

Italia Squisita: Lasagna in an Emilian Michelin Restaurant with Massimo Spigaroli - Antica Corte Pallavicina*

Jun 4, 2021 • The Aquadichef contest is back, a competition addressed only to professionals that continues to inspire many chefs and Italian cuisine lovers. The absolute protagonists of the 2021 edition will be lasagna (“lasagne” to be precise!), in all possible forms, without preclusions or limits to experimentation. To launch the contest, we could only start from Emilia, inside the Parma Food Valley: Massimo Spigaroli, a member of the jury, presents the classic version from the Antica Corte Pallavicini, one of the most historic and scenic restaurants in Italy. Echoes of the composer Verdi, stories from Emilian aunts, self-produced raw materials, and a lot of love for yet another cosmopolitan dish that has come to life in the Bel Paese.

INGREDIENTI:

Pasta fresca/Fresh pasta:

Farina/Flour 00/00 300g
Uova/Eggs 3
Sale qb

Ragù/Bolognese sauce:

Carne bovina/Beef 500g
Salsiccia/pork sausage 200g
Passata pomodoro/Tomato paste 400g
Acqua/Water 100g
Vino rosso/Red wine – 1/2 bicchiere (1/2 glass)
Carote/Carrots
3 Cipolle/Onions
2 Sedano/Celery
1 Olio EVO/EVO oil qb
Sale/Salt qb

Besciamella/Bechamel:

Latte intero/Whole milk 1l
Farina/flour 00/00 70g
Burro/Butter 70 g
Sale/Salt qb
Noce moscata/nutmeg qb

Per la guarnizione/For the garnish:

Parmigiano 24 mesi 24 (months) qb
Burro/Butter qb

*qb: quanto basta = as much as you need; according to taste

"La vie en rose", les premiers pas d'Edith Piaf en tant que compositrice - Culture Prime

Oct 8, 2021 • Si on associe “La Vie en rose” à l’interprétation d’Edith Piaf, on oublie qu’elle en est aussi l’autrice. Le 9 novembre 1945, Edith Piaf et le compositeur Louiguy déposent “La Vie en rose” à la Société des Auteurs (future Sacem).

“J'écris toujours pour quelqu’un. La vie en rose, je l’ai écrite pour Marianne Michel. Deux ans après, c’est devenu un succès. On me l’a réclamé alors je l’ai chanté" - Edith Piaf

C’est aussi une des premières créations de Piaf en tant qu’auteure.

Plus tard elle se déclare également compositrice de la chanson. Mais Edith Piaf n’a que le statut d’auteur-parolière à la Sacem.

Le 14 octobre 1948, elle obtient le statut de “mélodiste”, c’est-à-dire de compositrice, à la Sacem.


Pour plus de contenu France Musique rendez-vous sur francemusique.fr »

Cross-dressing among Nazi-era German Wehrmacht Soldiers | DW Feature

Nov 24, 2018 • Homosexuality was a crime in Nazi Germany. Still, artist Martin Dammann found so many Nazi-era photos of Wehrmacht soldiers in drag that he published an entire book of them. What do the photos tell us about sexuality in the Wehrmacht? Why was cross-dressing so prevalent among Nazi-era soldiers?

The Terrifying Reality of Life under Russia's Anti-Gay Laws

Jan 6, 2014 • The Iron Closet: Russia's draconian anti-gay laws effectively licensing violent vigilante gangs to target the LGBT community.

Brutally beaten and forced to drink their own urine while being filmed for internet broadcasts, homosexuals lured into the hands of vigilante groups like Occupy Pedofilyaj (who uniformly view gays as paedophiles) should be very afraid. But they can't expect any help from the police: if they're caught the police arrest the victims and not their torturers. "The objective is to look for paedophile-minded residents and film a video that will them leave them publicly disgraced", Yekaterina Zigunova, of the group Occupy Pedofilyaj, boasts unashamedly.

The encouragement and free hand they're given is one of the more confronting features of Russia's anti-gay stance. The law has left homosexuals living in fear. Even an expression that you believe in equal rights, or any public display, could result in arrest. "Theoretically it's possible to start hauling us into the police station today", Masha Gessen says about co-habiting with her partner. But they're not giving up and see the Olympics as a great opportunity to confront Russian society. As one activist, Polina, says, "I would call on Games participants to come here and to do visible things in support of LGBT people. Only this way will we have a public discussion".

Wem gehören Johannes und seine Jünger?

UNGARISCHER STREIT UM GEMÄLDE
FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG: Die ungarische Regierung streitet mit der Adelsfamilie Batthyány um ein Gemälde aus dem 16. Jahrhundert. Wem steht es zu? Darüber ist sich nicht einmal die Magnatenfamilie selbst einig.

Der Streit zwischen der ungarischen Regierung und der einstigen magyarischen Magnatenfamilie Batthyány entzündet sich an einem Gemälde. „Predigt Johannes des Täufers“ heißt es, gemalt vom Niederländer Pieter Bruegel dem Älteren im 16. Jahrhundert. Das Tafelbild zeigt eine Versammlung auf einer Lichtung, die Menge steht um einen Redner in braunem Gewand: Johannes der Täufer. Heute befindet sich das Bild im Museum der Bildenden Künste in Budapest. Und genau das ist der Streitpunkt zwischen Viktor Orbáns Regierung und den Batthyánys. Doch nicht nur unter ihnen herrscht Uneinigkeit. Die gibt es auch innerhalb der Adelsfamilie – darüber, wem das Werk Bruegels zusteht. Und so beschäftigen sich derzeit Gerichte in Österreich und Ungarn mit diesem Fall. » | Von Michaela Seiser, Wirtschaftskorrespondentin für Österreich und Ungarn mit Sitz in Wien | Freitag, 8. Oktober 2021

Um den ganzen Artikel lesen zu können, muß man abonniert sein. Zur Zeit, darf man hier die Zeitung 30 Tage kostenfrei testen.

Tusk ruft zu Protest in Warschau auf

NACH UMSTRITTENEM URTEIL
FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG: Nachdem das polnische Verfassungsgericht nationalem Recht den Vorrang vor EU-Recht gegeben hat, ruft Oppositionsführer Donald Tusk zum Protest auf. „Nur gemeinsam können wir sie stoppen“, schreibt Tusk auf Twitter.

Der frühere EU-Ratspräsident und polnische Oppositionsführer Donald Tusk hat zu Protesten gegen ein umstrittenes Urteil des Verfassungsgerichts seines Landes aufgerufen. „Ich rufe alle, die ein europäisches Polen verteidigen wollen, dazu auf, am Sonntag um 18 Uhr auf den Schlossplatz in Warschau zu kommen“, schrieb er am Donnerstagabend auf Twitter. „Nur gemeinsam können wir sie stoppen.“ Tusk ist kommissarischer Vorsitzender von Polens größter Oppositionspartei, der liberalkonservativen Bürgerplattform. » | Quelle: dpa | Freitag, 8. Oktober 2021

New Orleans: First Dance in Their Own Wedding Reception

”The couple shares their first dance at this luxe New Orleans reception” | Image by Kristen Marie Parker
My thanks for this great photo go to Juneberg Weddings on Pinterest.

Ein Kuß mit Gefühl

Un baiser avec sentiment / A kiss with feeling
With thanks to maury on Pinterest for this expressive photo.

Paris demande des sanctions contre la Hongrie pour sa loi «homophobe»

Depuis 2010, le premier ministre hongrois multiplie les attaques contre les droits des personnes LGBT. JURE MAKOVEC / AFP
LE FIGARO : La Hongrie doit faire l'objet de sanctions européennes pour sa loi «homophobe» adoptée en juin, a estimé vendredi 8 octobre le secrétaire d'État français aux Affaires européennes qui se rendra mardi à Budapest. «Il y a une loi homophobe très grave qui a été votée en Hongrie à la mi-juin. Sur ce sujet, il peut, il doit y avoir des sanctions juridiques, voire financières», a déclaré Clément Beaune sur BFMTV.

«On ne peut pas voter une loi qui ne respecte pas des principes de l'Europe qui sont l'égalité, la liberté, la non-discrimination», a insisté le secrétaire d'État qui a lui-même fait son coming out en 2020. «C'est pas des mots, ça a été instauré après la Seconde Guerre mondiale parce qu'on sait ce qu'il se passe quand on casse l'État de droit et les valeurs». » | Par Le Figaro avec AFP | vendredi 8 octobre 2021

« Je suis gay et je l'assume » : Clément Beaune fait son coming out : Le secrétaire d'État chargé des Affaires européennes, qui a accordé une interview à « Têtu », veut montrer que l'orientation sexuelle « n'est pas un obstacle ». »

Cabinet minister comes out as gay with defiant vow to fight Poland’s shameful ‘LGBT-free zones’: France’s minister for European affairs Clément Beaune has publicly come out as gay and vowed to fight against Poland’s “LGBT-free zones”. »

LGBT+ BBC Staff ‘No Longer Feel Safe’ as Broadcaster Expected to Cut Ties with Stonewall

PINK NEWS: LGBT+ staff at the BBC have said that they “no longer feel safe” at the broadcaster as it reportedly prepares to withdraw from Stonewall’s workplace diversity scheme.

The BBC is just one of around 800 organisations across the UK that are signed up to Stonewall’s Diversity Champions programme, which promotes LGBT+ inclusion and equality in the workplace.

Numerous organisations – including Ofcom – have pulled out of the programme in recent months as the charity has faced a barrage of attacks over its trans-inclusive stance.

The BBC is expected to become the next major casualty of the anti-trans discourse surrounding Stonewall, according to Vice.

BBC insiders told Vice that the planned withdrawal from the Diversity Champions scheme could happen as soon as next week. The broadcaster’s membership is due for renewal “in early October”, staff said, and BBC executives have reportedly decided not to continue it.

One anonymous BBC staffer told Vice that top executives at the broadcaster feel they can’t be connected to Stonewall “in any way” because the BBC needs to be “impartial on LGBTQ lives”. » | Patrick Kelleher | Thursday, October 7, 2021

Ein Tag in Auschwitz – kompletter Dokumentarfilm auf Deutsch

Polish Court Rules EU Laws Incompatible with Its Constitution

THE GUARDIAN: Country takes big step towards ‘legal Polexit’ against backdrop of rows between ruling nationalists and Brussels

The Polish prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki, arriving at an EU-western Balkans summit in Slovenia on Wednesday. Photograph: Radek Pietruszka/EPA
Poland’s constitutional tribunal has ruled that some EU laws are in conflict with the country’s constitution, taking a major step towards a “legal Polexit” with far-reaching consequences for Warsaw’s funding and future relations with the bloc.

The tribunal, whose legitimacy is contested after multiple appointments of judges loyal to the ruling nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party, said some provisions of EU treaties and EU court rulings clashed with Poland’s highest law, adding that EU institutions “act beyond the scope of their competences”.

“This is a legal revolution,” said René Repasi, professor of international and European law at Erasmus university in Rotterdam. “Admittedly it’s a captured court, but this is furthest step towards a legal exit from the EU ever taken by a national court.”

In a strongly-worded initial reaction, the European Commission said the decision on Thursday raised “serious concerns”. It reaffirmed that “EU law has primacy over national law, including constitutional provisions”.

The commission added that rulings by the European court of justice are “binding on all member state’s authorities, including national courts”, and said it would “not hesitate to make use of its powers under the treaties to safeguard the uniform application and integrity of union law”. » | Jon Henley Europe correspondent and Jennifer Rankin in Brussels | Thursday, October 7, 2021

Outrage after Gay Woman Diagnosed at Spanish Hospital with ‘homosexuality’

THE GUARDIAN: LGBT group complains to Murcia government after teenager was given report that included line: ‘Current illness: homosexual’

A Pride march in the Valencia region of Spain. LGBTI activists in Murcia want their regional authorities to apologise over a teenager’s treatment at Reina Sofía hospital, saying some in the health service ‘view sexual orientation as an illness’. Photograph: Biel Aliño/EPA
A family and an LGBT collective in south-east Spain are demanding answers and an apology after a 19-year-old gay woman who visited a gynaecologist over a menstrual condition was diagnosed with “homosexuality”.

On Monday the woman went to an appointment at the Reina Sofía hospital in the city of Murcia. After being examined she was given a piece of paper that included the line: “Current illness: homosexual.”

The woman’s mother told the online paper elDiario.es that the gynaecologist had asked her daughter whether he could include her sexual orientation in his report, and that she had consented – despite her surprise – as she thought at the time it might be relevant.

“At first, I thought it was funny, but it just isn’t,” said the patient. » | Sam Jones in Madrid | Thursday, October 7, 2021

Butter Chicken - köstliches Hähnchen in aromatischer Sauce | Thomas kocht

‘Butter Chicken‘, oder Butter Hühnchen, ist ein indisches Curry auf Tomaten-Basis. Im indischen heißt es Murgh Makhani. Das Gericht ist, wie bei so vielen, aus der Resteverwertung entstanden. Übrig gebliebenes Tandoori Hühnchen wurde in eine würzige, cremige Tomatensauce gegeben. Das Ergebnis war ein unglaublich leckeres Curry.

Das Rezept ist hier erhältlich.

Jan Lisiecki – Chopin: Nocturne in E Minor, Op. posth. 72/1 | Live from Würzburg, 2018

Boris's Brexit Boomerang: Is the UK Spiraling into Chaos? | To the Point

Oct 7, 2021 • The UK is facing chaos. With supplies of some key goods becoming scarce, the military have been called in. Is Brexit to blame? Our guests: Vendeline von Bredow (The Economist), Jon Worth (freelance journalist),Simon Young (DW)

Brexit is, and will continue to be, a disaster. BoJo is not qualified for the high position he holds: He doesn’t have any understanding of economics and he is not interested in the hard work that governing entails. Britain is on its way to becoming the ‘Sick Man of Europe’ yet again. We’ve been there before and we had to enter Europe to solve it. BoJo and his silly ideas will only compound the problem. – © Mark

Ces hommes profitent de la plage avant le début de l'hiver

These men are enjoying the beach before winter sets in / Diese Männer genießen den Strand vor dem Winter einbruch
With many thanks to El Chulo Dominicano amd Pinterest for this lovely photo.

Hinweis an den Hacker

Ich glaube, es wäre eine gute Idee, wenn Du Deine Mutter fragen würdest, Dir als Geschenk eine Babyrassel zu kaufen und sie in Deinen Kinderwagen legen. Die Rassel wird Dich sicherlich trösten!

Liebe Grüße,
Mark

A Short but Important Message to My Visitors

I am being hacked again, even as I write this. One of my posts about anti-Semitism has been taken down. I had placed that up only a short while ago. It was an article from the New York Times on anti-Semitism in Auschwitz-Birkenau.

Then, I noticed that I was unable to place a link underneath my report from 60 Minutes Australia on gay conversion therapy, entitled Pray the Gay Away. The keyword underneath that video is now ‘great songs’. I did didn’t place those words there, a hacker did. Problem is that I cannot change it back to what it should be! This has never happened to me before.

The hacker is clearly an anti-Semite. He is also sure to be a homophobe. This is extremely sad. – © Mark

Vandals Tag 9 Barracks at Auschwitz with Antisemitic Slurs

THE NEW YORK TIMES: The police and the Auschwitz Memorial are urging anyone with knowledge of the vandalism to come forward.

Wooden barracks at the former Auschwitz-Birkenau camp in Oswiecim, Poland, in 2005. | Czarek Sokolowski/Associated Press
THE NEW YORK TIMES: The police and the Auschwitz Memorial are urging anyone with knowledge of the vandalism to come forward.

Vandals sprayed antisemitic slogans and phrases denying the Holocaust in English and German on nine wooden barracks at the Auschwitz-Birkenau memorial site, in what officials there called “an outrageous attack on the symbol of one of the greatest tragedies in human history.”

The police in Oswiecim, the town in southern Poland where the concentration camp sits, said on Wednesday they were analyzing footage taken by security cameras on the site and looking for anyone who could give them information about the vandals, who they believe struck between 8 a.m. and noon on Tuesday. The barracks, which were defaced with black paint, housed men during the Holocaust and are near the Gate of Death in the Birkenau death camp. The police declined to give any further details about the slurs.

The Auschwitz Memorial site, in the statement published on its Twitter account, further condemned the graffiti as “an extremely painful blow to the memory of all the victims” who perished at the camp.

More than 1.1 million people, the majority of them Jews, perished in gas chambers at Auschwitz-Birkenau, or from starvation, cold and disease.

Countries across Europe have witnessed an increase in antisemitism online and among people protesting at demonstrations against the restrictions related to the coronavirus pandemic, with observers expressing concern that Jews increasingly feel unsafe in the European Union. The European Commission has earmarked 24 million euros, almost $28 million, to increase protection around synagogues and other Jewish events or sites. » | Melissa Eddy | Wednesday, October 6, 2021

Gay Teen Describes Traumatizing Experiences at Gay Conversation Camps | ABC News

Mar 11, 2017 • Lucas Greenfield, 17, says he was sent away to facilities aimed at "curing" him of his homosexuality.

Vandals Tag 9 Barracks at Auschwitz with Antisemitic Slurs

THE NEW YORK TIMES: The police and the Auschwitz Memorial are urging anyone with knowledge of the vandalism to come forward.

Wooden barracks at the former Auschwitz-Birkenau camp in Oswiecim, Poland, in 2005. | Czarek Sokolowski/Associated Press
THE NEW YORK TIMES: The police and the Auschwitz Memorial are urging anyone with knowledge of the vandalism to come forward.

Vandals sprayed antisemitic slogans and phrases denying the Holocaust in English and German on nine wooden barracks at the Auschwitz-Birkenau memorial site, in what officials there called “an outrageous attack on the symbol of one of the greatest tragedies in human history.”

The police in Oswiecim, the town in southern Poland where the concentration camp sits, said on Wednesday they were analyzing footage taken by security cameras on the site and looking for anyone who could give them information about the vandals, who they believe struck between 8 a.m. and noon on Tuesday. The barracks, which were defaced with black paint, housed men during the Holocaust and are near the Gate of Death in the Birkenau death camp. The police declined to give any further details about the slurs.

The Auschwitz Memorial site, in the statement published on its Twitter account, further condemned the graffiti as “an extremely painful blow to the memory of all the victims” who perished at the camp.

More than 1.1 million people, the majority of them Jews, perished in gas chambers at Auschwitz-Birkenau, or from starvation, cold and disease.

Countries across Europe have witnessed an increase in antisemitism online and among people protesting at demonstrations against the restrictions related to the coronavirus pandemic, with observers expressing concern that Jews increasingly feel unsafe in the European Union. The European Commission has earmarked 24 million euros, almost $28 million, to increase protection around synagogues and other Jewish events or sites. » | Melissa Eddy | Wednesday, October 6, 2021

Boris Johnson promet un avenir «radieux»

Boris Johnson, mercredi devant le congrès des conservateurs à Manchester: «Build back better» (reconstruisons en mieux). PAUL ELLIS/AFP
LE FIGARO : Le premier ministre britannique a déroulé, mercredi, devant le congrès des tories sa vision d’un «conservatisme radical et optimiste».

Boris Johnson ne veut pas se laisser polluer par l’air du temps. Certes, il y a ces crises en cascade, la flambée des prix du gaz, les pénuries d’essence, les problèmes d’approvisionnement dans les supermarchés ou les usines, le manque de main-d’œuvre et mille autres tracasseries qui flottent dans le sillage de la crise sanitaire et du Brexit. Mais le premier ministre se veut un indéfectible optimiste et il fallait rassurer les militants. Il a ainsi promis, mercredi, un avenir «radieux», en déroulant sa vision d’un «conservatisme radical et optimiste».

C’est la première fois depuis deux ans que «BoJo» haranguait ses troupes conservatrices réunies en congrès à Manchester. Par contraste avec un Labour «fatigué et pessimiste», le patron des tories a voulu déployer toute sa force de conviction. L’artisan du Brexit s’est engagé à libérer «l’esprit unique» de la Grande-Bretagne. Cet esprit comparable à nul autre, il le trouve chez les soignants, les entrepreneurs et les sportifs. Le premier ministre a cité en exemple la résilience mentale de la joueuse de tennis Emma Raducanu, lors de sa victoire dans le dernier US Open. Et s’est émerveillé qu’un pays représentant 0,8 % de la population mondiale ait pu se hisser à la quatrième place des médailles aux derniers Jeux olympiques. » | Par Arnaud De La Grange | mercredi 8 octobre 2021

Réservé aux abonnés

Depuis le Brexit, les différends entre Paris et Londres s’accumulent : ANALYSE - Le bras de fer franco-britannique engagé depuis neuf mois au sujet de la pêche n’est qu’un contentieux parmi d’autres. La relation entre les deux pays n’avait pas été aussi dégradée depuis longtemps. »

La France peut-elle vraiment couper le courant à Jersey ? : LA VÉRIFICATION - Le secrétaire d'État aux Affaires européennes a agité ce mardi la menace énergétique pour faire pression contre Londres dans le dossier de la pêche. »

Ces hommes profitent de la plage avant le début de l'hiver

These men are enjoying the beach before winter sets in / Diese Männer genießen den Strand vor dem Winter einbruch
With many thanks to El Chulo Dominicano amd Pinterest for this lovely photo.

Gipsy Kings : Trista Pena

Scenes from the film «Revenge» starring Kevin Costner and Madeleine Stowe Lyrics, music: Andre Reyes, Jacques Baliardo, Jalhoul Bouchikhi, Maurice Baliardo, Nicolas Reyes, Tonino Baliardo

ulio Iglesias, Stevie Wonder : My Love

Autriche : le chancelier Sebastian Kurz visé par une enquête pour corruption

Sebastian Kurz a récemment été critiqué pour ses velléités de contrôle des médias nationaux. LEONHARD FOEGER / REUTERS
LE FIGARO : «Neuf autres suspects, ainsi que trois organisations» sont aussi concernés pour diverses infractions de corruption liées à cette affaire, a annoncé le parquet dans un communiqué.

Le chancelier autrichien Sebastian Kurz, visé par une enquête, est soupçonné d'avoir utilisé des fonds gouvernementaux pour s'assurer une couverture médiatique favorable, a annoncé le parquet mercredi 6 octobre. «Sebastian Kurz et neuf autres suspects, ainsi que trois organisations» font l'objet d'une enquête pour diverses infractions de corruption liées à cette affaire, a précisé le parquet dans un communiqué, après une série de perquisitions. » | Par Le Figaro avec AFP | mercredi 5 octobre 2021

Bee Gees - Alone

Views on YouTube: 17,751,123

Rezept : Zürcher Geschnetzeltes mit Rösti | Marcel Prenz

Zürcher Geschnetzeltes ist eines meiner Lieblingsgerichte. Ich lernte es kennen als ich vor vielen Jahren in Zürich lebte und arbeitete. Falls sie dieses Gericht nicht kennen, darf ich es Ihnen empfehlen? Es ist ein Hochgenuß! Auch noch; Rösti wie dieser Herr sie vorbereitet ist authentisch und sieht wunderbar aus. Ganz lecker! Übrigens, viele Köche, vor allem in Großbritannien, machen Röstii falsch. Die Rösti, die dieser Herr vorbereitet, ist genau wie man sie vorbereiten sollte. - Mark

Das Rezept finden Sie hier.

A Scary Energy Winter Is Coming. Don’t Blame the Greens.

OPINION : THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN
THE NEW YORK TIMES: Every so often the tectonic geopolitical plates that hold up the world economy suddenly shift in ways that can rattle and destabilize everything on the surface. That’s happening right now in the energy sphere.

Several forces are coming together that could make Vladimir Putin the king of Europe, enable Iran to thumb its nose at America and build an atomic bomb, and disrupt European power markets enough that the upcoming U.N. climate conference in Glasgow could suffer blackouts owing to too little clean energy.

Yes, this is a big one.

Natural gas and coal prices in Europe and Asia just hit their highest levels on record, oil prices in America hit a seven-year high and U.S. gasoline prices are up $1 a gallon from last year. If this winter is as bad as some experts predict — with some in the poor and middle classes unable to heat their homes — I fear we’ll see a populist backlash to the whole climate/green movement. You can already smell that coming in Britain.

I am a fan of the financial newsletter Blain’s Morning Porridge, written by a smart, irreverent market strategist in London, Bill Blain. Last Thursday he bluntly summed up the energy situation for the U.K. and Europe this way:

This winter — people are going to die of cold. As the price of energy goes higher, the costs will fall disproportionately upon the poorest in society. Income inequalities will be dramatically exposed as the most vulnerable in society face a stark choice: heat or eat. … This winter the U.K. is likely to be on its knees, begging energy from wherever it’s available. Europe will be in as much trouble. The Middle East will be charging whatever they can get away with, and the capacity to deliver is limited. … And Vladimir Putin can’t wait. … He will invite each European leader to plead their case individually, menacingly asking each leader why he should open the gas taps to their nation specifically. … Make no mistake, this winter is going to be shocking. Be aware.

How did we get here? In truth, it’s a good-news-bad-news story. » | Thomas L. Friedman, Opinion Columnist | Tuesday, October 5, 2021

’Pandora Papers’: Why Is It So Difficult to Clamp Down on Tax Evasion? | DW News

Oct 4, 2021 • It is the biggest ever data leak exposing how the world's richest and most powerful keep their wealth offshore, hidden from the tax man. Journalists from around the world, including at DW News, have spent years sifting through this trove of data – and the results reveal a global offshore shadow economy inhabited by billionaires, celebrities, and political leaders. The goal is the same: to keep wealth hidden and avoid paying taxes. Some of the practices are legal, others are raising eyebrows.

Former Gay Conversion Therapist Says Practice Does Not Work | 60 Minutes Australia

Sep 16, 2019 • John Smid knows better than most the devastating effects Gay Conversion Therapy can cause. For 22 years he helped run Love In Action, one of the largest Christian gay conversion institutions in the US. But in all his time working for the institution, he says he never once saw a person 'converted' to be straight – and that he spent over two decades not just deceiving LGBT church members but also himself.

Homophobie : l'Assemblée nationale vote à l'unanimité un nouveau délit contre les «thérapies de conversion» : Le texte prévoit une infraction spécifique contre les soi-disant «thérapeutes» ou religieux qui prétendent «guérir» les homosexuels, un délit puni de deux ans d'emprisonnement et 30.000 euros d'amende. »

Les «thérapies de conversion» pour homosexuels, entre mythe et réalité : DÉCRYPTAGE - Une proposition de loi veut interdire les pratiques ou discours visant à «guérir» l'homosexualité. Mais des associations s'inquiètent des contours encore très flous donnés à cette notion, qui risquerait d'attenter à la liberté de conscience. »

Plus de 300 dignitaires religieux appellent à interdire les «thérapies de conversion» »

Loi sur les thérapies de conversion : psychiatres et juristes s'inquiètent pour les enfants en questionnement de genre : Deux collectifs de psychiatres et juristes alertent sur le danger d'inclure «l'identité de genre» dans la loi visant à interdire les «thérapies de conversion» pour homosexuels : celle-ci pourrait empêcher la prise en charge des enfants souffrant de dysphorie de genre. »

I’ve Had No Feedback Yet

Despite receiving lots of visitors to this blog, and despite requesting feedback, I have received not even one single email from anyone with any opinion or suggestions for improvement. I am surprised and disappointed.

Because I have had no feedback, I have no idea which features you like and which features you dislike. Consequently, I am working completely in the dark: I have absolutely no idea whether I am on the right track, or not.

When I changed the name and focus of this blog, I hoped to build a community. Building a community relies on some interaction. Without interaction, I am merely blogging according to my own whim and fancy. That was not my intention.

I find this a little demoralising. I am also demoralised by the fact that my page views are not growing in spite of all my hard work. I once requested that you spread the word for me. Clearly, this hasn’t helped.

Thus far I have never tried to monetise this blog; so, I get nothing from it except the satisfaction of pleasing my visitors (and seeing my page views go up). Without any feedback at all, I cannot know whether I am pleasing you, especially when the page views don’t rise accordingly.

At one point, I reached approximately 68,500 page views a month. Today, I am down to 46,200+ this month.

I have reasons to be suspicious of this page view count. I am not convinced that it is not being tampered with. Why? Because it doesn’t tally with the stats I get from a French company which also monitors my statistics. Their stats are consistently good and vary little, indicating that nothing has changed. Google’s, by contrast, go up and down like a yo-yo, sometimes the page view count can drop 1,500 views in a space of less than half an hour! Then, the following day, it climbs back up again only to be cropped again late that night. They talk of algorithms; it seems more like the human hand to me!

Make no mistake, my page views are still very good by comparison with other blogs, research tells me. However, I want this blog to grow and grow, not go up and down like a yo-yo.

So I ask you again, please be so kind as to write me an email with your thoughts and suggestions. It doesn’t have to be long. But your ideas would be very helpful to me. I don’t think that this is asking too much of you.

You can write to me in English, German, or French; in whichever language suits you best. But a little feedback would be very welcome and extremely helpful.

As always, my email address is markalexander.librabunda@gmail.com

I shall look forward to receiving your viewpoints and suggestions. – Mark

My original FEEDBACK request is here.

Daniil Trifonov – Chopin: Fantaisie-Impromptu In C-Sharp Minor, Op. 66

Vanilla crème anglaise by Pierre-Dominique Cécillon for Larousse Cuisine

Crème anglaise à la vanille

Access to the Tory Party Is Being Bought by a New Class of Tycoon Funders

THE GUARDIAN: In light of revelations in the Pandora papers, we need to be asking what are they getting in return?

Boris Johnson appointed Ben Elliot as Tory co-chair. This appointment changed the structure of the British Tory party.’ Photograph: David M Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images for Din Tai Fung
One big theme has dominated Tory party conference at Manchester this week: levelling up. Boris Johnson, we are being told, is on a mission to rescue British working people who have been forgotten and left behind in today’s UK.

According to this powerful narrative Keir Starmer’s Labour party is a manifestation of a “woke” metropolitan elite utterly alien to the “red wall” voters who flocked to the Tories at the last election.

The Pandora papers revelations undermine that Tory story. Yes, there are struggling people who have been forgotten by the system. Yes it’s a worthy cause to give them a much bigger say in public life. But no, the Tories don’t generally represent such people.

Johnson’s Conservative party essentially belongs to the super-rich. The billionaires. Those with privileged access to the prime minister and the chancellor of the exchequer. To the large and in many cases insalubrious cast of men and women with walk-on appearances in the Pandora papers scandal.

This class of Conservatives does not seem to see the British state – as Tories have historically claimed to do – as something to which you dedicate a life of service. They seem to see it rather differently: as something to be plundered and used for self-enrichment. » | Peter Oborne | Tuesday, October 5, 2021

France Threatens to Cut UK and Jersey Energy Supply in Fishing Row

THE GUARDIAN: French government pushing EU to take stronger stance in dispute over access to Channel waters

The EU could hit Britain and Jersey’s energy supply over the UK’s failure to provide sufficient fishing licences to French fishers, France’s EU affairs minister has said.

Clément Beaune, who is a close ally of the French president, Emmanuel Macron, said action would be decided on within days and discussions were already in motion.

France has been pushing the EU to take a stronger stance against the UK over its concerns that Boris Johnson’s government is acting in breach of its obligations over fishing access to Channel waters.

Last week a third of French boats applying to fish in Jersey’s waters were turned down by the island’s government. The previous week the UK government provided only 12 of 47 French vessels with permits for its coastal waters. The UK and Jersey authorities have said the vessels that had been turned down had failed to provide evidence of operating in the relevant waters. » | Daniel Boffey in Brussels | Tuesday, October 5, 2021

The End of a ‘Gilded Age’: China Is Bringing Business to Heel

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Executives sit in jail, tech companies are being reined in and the biggest developer is teetering. It’s the beginning of a new era for China’s economy.

Xi Jinping in Tiananmen Square in Beijing on Thursday. In Mr. Xi’s China, success in business no longer guarantees safety. | Carlos Garcia Rawlins/Reuters
Chinese tech companies are reeling from regulation. Nervous creditors are hoping for a bailout for China’s largest developer. Growing numbers of executives are going to jail. An entire industry is shutting down.

For China’s leader, Xi Jinping, it’s all part of the plan.

Under Mr. Xi, China is reshaping how business works and limiting executives’ power. Long in coming, but rapid in execution, the policies are driven by a desire for state control and self-reliance as well as concerns about debt, inequality and influence by foreign countries, including the United States.

Emboldened by swelling nationalism and his success with Covid-19, Mr. Xi is remaking China’s business world in his own image. Above all else, that means control. Where once executives had a green light to grow at any cost, officials now want to dictate which industries boom, which ones bust and how it happens. And the changes offer a glimpse of Mr. Xi’s vision for managing the economy, ahead of a political meeting expected to solidify his plans for an unprecedented third term in charge.

The goal is to fix structural problems, like excess debt and inequality, and generate more balanced growth. Taken together, the measures mark the end of a Gilded Age for private business that made China into a manufacturing powerhouse and a nexus of innovation. Economists warn that authoritarian governments have a shaky record with this type of transformation, though they acknowledge that few have brought such resources and planning to the effort. » | Paul Mozur | Tuesday, October 5, 2021

Pandora Papers: Massive Leak Exposes How Elite Shield Their Wealth & Avoid Taxes in Colonial Legacy

Oct 5, 2021 • The Pandora Papers, described as “the world’s largest-ever journalistic collaboration,” have revealed the secret financial dealings of the world’s richest and most powerful people. “We’ve uncovered a system that benefits a few at the expense of the many,” says Ben Hallman, senior editor at the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, who details some of the project’s main revelations so far. We also speak with Vanessa Ogle, professor of history at the University of California at Berkeley and an expert on tax havens, who says the growth of tax havens like the Bahamas and Switzerland is directly linked to wealth extraction from the developing world. “The seed money for the expansion of these tax havens comes out of the colonial world,” she explains.

Missbrauch in der katholischen Kirche: Bis zu 330 000 Opfer in Frankreich

NEUE ZÜRCHER ZEITUNG: Seit den 1950er Jahren sind in der katholischen Kirche in Frankreich 216 000 Kinder und Jugendliche Opfer von sexuellem Missbrauch geworden – dazu kommen weitere Zehntausende Opfer in von der Kirche betriebenen Einrichtungen. » | Diesntag, 5. Oktober 2021

Full interview: Boris Johnson on Brexit, Immigration and UK Labour Shortages

Oct 5, 2021 • Political Editor Gary Gibbon talks to Prime Minister Boris Johnson and asks him about his words during the 2016 Brexit referendum, immigration and labour shortages currently affecting the UK.

This is BoJo at his best! Lying, fudging, obfuscating and talking nonsense.

The other day, BoJo was talking about a low-wage economy; now he's talking about a high-wage economy! It’s time he made up his mind. That man is out of his depth.

Let’s get one thing straight: This supply chain problem, with a shortage of petrol at the pumps and bare shelves in supermarkets is largely being caused by Brexit. The problems of poor quality fruit and vegetables, price inflation and a shortage of care workers are also being caused by Brexit, not the pandemic!

I have said it before and I’ll say it again: This man does NOT understand even basic economics. – © Mark

Emmanuel Macron a reçu Antony Blinken, première rencontre avec un responsable américain depuis la crise des sous-marins

La rencontre entre les deux hommes politiques n'était pas prévue. Antony Blinken devait uniquement rencontrer Emmanuel Bonne, le conseiller diplomatique du Président. POOL / REUTERS
LE FIGARO : L'Élysée a annoncé dans un communiqué que «beaucoup de travail» restait à faire «pour identifier les décisions concrètes» sur les enjeux communs de la France et des États-Unis.

Emmanuel Macron a reçu mardi 5 octobre le chef de la diplomatie américaine, Antony Blinken, en tête-à-tête à Paris pour sa première rencontre avec un dirigeant des États-Unis depuis le début de la crise des sous-marins. Une discussion qui doit «contribuer à restaurer la confiance entre la France et les États-Unis».

Le secrétaire d'État, à l'agenda duquel ne figurait qu'un entretien avec Emmanuel Bonne, le conseiller diplomatique d'Emmanuel Macron, «a ensuite été longuement reçu en tête-à-tête par le président de la République», précise l'Élysée dans un communiqué. Il y a un «commun accord que nous avons une opportunité à présent d'approfondir et renforcer la coordination» entre les deux pays alliés, notamment «sur les enjeux d'intérêt commun, qu'il s'agisse de la coopération UE-OTAN, du Sahel, ou de l'espace Indo-Pacifique». » | Par Le Figaro avec AFP | mardi 5 octobre 2021

À LIRE AUSSI :

Sous-marins : du «contrat du siècle» à la crise de confiance »

German Division and Reunification - The Brandenburg Gate as National Symbol | DW Documentary

Oct 4, 2021 • More than just a landmark in Berlin, the Brandenburg Gate is a national symbol. Like no other building, it stands for Germany’s division and reunification. But while everyone recognizes the Brandenburg Gate, hardly anyone knows much about it.

Built in 1793, the Brandenburg Gate received little attention at first. That changed when Napoleon triumphantly entered the city through the gate after his victory over Prussia in 1806 - and took its Quadriga to Paris as a spoil of war. After the charioteer returned to Berlin in 1814, the Brandenburg Gate became a national symbol of triumph.

Following the Second World War, the gate stood at the place where two opposing political systems met. Here, East and West confronted each other, from either side of the Wall. That changed in 1989, when people from East and West crossed the Wall at the Brandenburg Gate to embrace each other.

More than any other German monument, the Brandenburg Gate has been exploited again and again for the politics of power; its symbolism has been reinterpreted numerous times; and it has been used and abused as a backdrop by countless political groups.

Die Homophobie ist wieder auf dem Vormarsch (2016)

Die Homophobie ist wieder auf dem Vormarsch, wir sprechen mit dem Journalisten Jan Feddersen, eines seiner Schwerpunktthemen ist die Homosexualität.

Unfreie Fahrt

TEMPOLIMIT IN DEUTSCHLAND
FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG: Kommt mit der neuen Regierung ein starres Tempolimit auf Deutschlands Autobahnen? Wenn sich eine Ampel-Koalition für Tempo 130 ausspricht, geht wieder ein Stück Freiheit verloren.

In den Koalitionsverhandlungen streiten die Parteien um viele wichtige Themen, ein starres Tempolimit auf den Autobahnen gehört eher nicht dazu. Es lässt sich zwar mit einem Federstrich einführen, wir hoffen aber, dass sich wenigstens die Freien Demokraten nicht von den Scheinargumenten düpieren lassen, die angeblich dafür sprechen.

Deren erstes: Alle anderen haben es schon. Das ist das schwächste, weil sich daraus nichts ableiten lässt. Wenn alle Staaten sich bis über die Ohren verschulden, wird das dadurch richtig? » | Ein Kommentar von Lukas Weber | Dienstag, 5. Oktober 2021

The Guardian View on Rishi Sunak’s Speech: Levelling Down

THE GUARDIAN – EDITORIAL: The chancellor’s praise for the economic policies of previous Conservative governments augurs badly for struggling families

Screenshot taken from the accompanying video.
One of the lessons that leading Brexiters learned from the 2016 referendum was that brazen opportunism can pay off handsomely. A Eurosceptic movement born in the more arcane reaches of the Conservative right, committed to deregulated, laissez-faire economics, achieved its goal by channelling a desire in Labour’s heartlands for more, not less, protection from the global economy.

This week, as the Conservative party conference meets in Manchester, the same audacity is on display again. As the army moves in to deliver urgent fuel supplies, food and labour shortages grow and an unprecedented, wasteful cull of more than 100,000 pigs looms. Boris Johnson and his ministers have hailed the chaos as necessary disruption on the way to a “high skills, high wage” economy. The worse things get, the better they will become, it is claimed, as business is forced to adapt to a long-term absence of migrant labour and up its game on pay and conditions. The abject handling of a foreseeable crisis, exacerbated by Brexit, is thus rationalised post-hoc as the royal road to “levelling up”. » | Editorial | Monday, October 4, 2021

Sunak is either a liar or a fool. – © Mark

FOLGEN DES BREXITS: Warum die irische Insel zusammenwächstDer Brexit sollte Nordirland fest ans Vereinigte Königreich koppeln, so hatten Unionisten sich das vorgestellt. Tatsächlich geschieht gerade das Gegenteil – notgedrungen. Bei Marks & Spencer im Zentrum von Belfast gibt es kein Toilettenpapier mehr. Dosensuppen und Kartoffelchips sind auch ausverkauft bis auf eine Sorte. Chinesische oder indische Fertiggerichte in der Kühlabteilung? Fehlanzeige. Bei Obst und Gemüse klaffen ebenfalls Lücken. Am Regal für Heidelbeeren hängt ein Schild: „Wir sind stolz darauf, britische Farmer zu unterstützen.“ Das Problem ist nur: Britische Farmer schaffen es nicht mehr, ihre Ware zu den Kunden in Nordirland zu bringen. Hier und da mag das mit fehlendem Benzin zusammenhängen, der großen Plage im Vereinigten Königreich. Doch sind die leeren Regale für Nordiren kein neues Phänomen. Es gibt sie schon seit Anfang des Jahres, seit das Königreich mit voller Wirkung die Europäische Union verlassen hat.»

The Guardian View on Tax Havens: Bring Them to Heel

THE GUARDIAN – EDITORIAL: The Pandora papers prove that secrecy jurisdictions and their super-rich clients are still running rings around the rest of us

‘The chancellor, Rishi Sunak, was wrong to say that the prominent role of the City of London in this system is not a “source of shame”.’ Photograph: Getty
Five years after the Panama papers exposed the vast scale of offshore banking and business services via the activities of the wealth management specialist Mossack Fonseca, hundreds of billions of pounds are still being secreted away in tax havens. The leak of almost 12m documents, known as the Pandora papers, reveals that 35 current or former heads of state are among the customers of secrecy jurisdictions where huge sums of money are hidden in order to avoid tax and transparency. King Abdullah II of Jordan, Czech prime minister Andrej Babiš and Azerbaijan’s ruling Aliyev family are among those with serious questions to answer, along with more than 100 billionaires and rich individuals from all over the world.

Beyond any specific acts of venality, as outrageous as these are, looms a system whose existence is a global disgrace. As a matter of course, and in spite of their immense personal advantages, the ultra-rich are ripping off everyone else. They do this by refusing to pay their share towards the services and resources (health, education, energy, water and governance) on which everyone depends. And they are facilitated and encouraged in this by an industry whose purpose is to shield their wealth and conceal what they are up to. » | Editorial | Monday, October 4, 2021

Pandora Papers: A Money Bomb With Political Ripples: Revelations from nearly 12 million leaked confidential financial records have thrown light on the concealed wealth of powerful public figures around the world. How do they hide their money, and why is this information important? »