Credits:
Directed by Marco Lopez
Music by Ryan Taubert
Voice over by Bob Darling
Tuesday, December 28, 2021
'The Wild Ride' : Glacier Express | Switzerland
Switzerland has some of the most scenic train rides in the world. Crossing forests, tunnels and bridges across the Alps, the Glacier Express is a dream for a lot of people. The magic of this train takes another dimension in winter when all the mountains are covered of fresh snow. [“This video is not an advertisement.” – 'exploremarco' on YouTube.]
Credits:
Directed by Marco Lopez
Music by Ryan Taubert
Voice over by Bob Darling
Credits:
Directed by Marco Lopez
Music by Ryan Taubert
Voice over by Bob Darling
Der Zorn Gottes #7 | Die Geburt des Christentums | ARTE
Der Jude Paulus denunziert die Juden. Ist er der Begründer des christlichen Antisemitismus? Um das Jahr 50 schickt Paulus vom griechischen Korinth aus Anweisungen an die christliche Gemeinde im 500 km entfernten Thessaloniki. Dieser Brief ist der älteste Text des Neuen Testaments. Paulus bezeichnet die Juden als „Feinde aller Menschen“.
Verfügbar bis zum 03/12/2022
Einige frühere Teile, nämlich Teil 1 und Teil 2 sind hier verfügbar.
Verfügbar bis zum 03/12/2022
Einige frühere Teile, nämlich Teil 1 und Teil 2 sind hier verfügbar.
Russian Court Orders Closure of Country’s Oldest Human Rights Group
THE GUARDIAN: Supreme court ruling on Memorial is watershed moment in Vladimir Putin’s crackdown on independent thought
A Russian supreme court judge delivers the verdict. Photograph: Evgenia Novozhenina/Reuters
Russia’s supreme court has ordered the closure of Memorial, the country’s oldest human rights group, in a watershed moment in Vladimir Putin’s crackdown on independent thought.
The court ordered Memorial’s closure under Russia’s controversial “foreign agent” legislation, which has targeted dozens of NGOs and media outlets seen as critical of the government.
Memorial was founded in the late 1980s to document political repressions carried out under the Soviet Union, building a database of victims of the Great Terror and gulag camps. It has also grown into an important advocate for the cause of human rights in Russia, spawning branches and initiatives in many of Russia’s more than 80 regions. » | Andrew Roth in Moscow | Tuesday, December 28, 2021
Comment Vladimir Poutine poursuit la réécriture du passé soviétique : DÉCRYPTAGE - Le travail titanesque de l’organisation russe Memorial, véritable «conscience» historique de la nation et pilier central de la résistance à la répression politique actuelle, vient d’être stoppé en plein vol avec sa dissolution par la Cour suprême. »
Russia’s supreme court has ordered the closure of Memorial, the country’s oldest human rights group, in a watershed moment in Vladimir Putin’s crackdown on independent thought.
The court ordered Memorial’s closure under Russia’s controversial “foreign agent” legislation, which has targeted dozens of NGOs and media outlets seen as critical of the government.
Memorial was founded in the late 1980s to document political repressions carried out under the Soviet Union, building a database of victims of the Great Terror and gulag camps. It has also grown into an important advocate for the cause of human rights in Russia, spawning branches and initiatives in many of Russia’s more than 80 regions. » | Andrew Roth in Moscow | Tuesday, December 28, 2021
Comment Vladimir Poutine poursuit la réécriture du passé soviétique : DÉCRYPTAGE - Le travail titanesque de l’organisation russe Memorial, véritable «conscience» historique de la nation et pilier central de la résistance à la répression politique actuelle, vient d’être stoppé en plein vol avec sa dissolution par la Cour suprême. »
Iran, Ukraine, Taïwan: 2022, année de tous les dangers dans le monde
LE FIGARO : DÉCRYPTAGE - Plusieurs crises géopolitiques majeures menacent l’équilibre international: l’acquisition de l’arme atomique par l’Iran, une agression russe de l’Ukraine ou chinoise de Taïwan mettraient les Occidentaux au pied du mur.
Certaines des crises qui guettent le monde, et donc la présidence française de l’Union européenne, en 2022, sont déjà annoncées. La première, le dossier nucléaire iranien, ne fait pas forcément la une des journaux. Elle menace pourtant le Moyen-Orient d’une véritable révolution.
Depuis l’élection d’un président ultraconservateur, en juin 2021, Téhéran a quitté les négociations et multiplié les violations du JCPOA, l’accord conclu avec la communauté internationale en juillet 2015 pour ralentir la marche iranienne vers la bombe. L’enrichissement de l’uranium a été poussé à des taux interdits par la communauté internationale, 20% et 60%. De nouvelles cascades de centrifugeuses ont été construites pour produire de l’uranium enrichi à 90%, dernière étape du programme d’enrichissement. L’Iran s’est aussi lancé dans la production d’uranium métal, destiné à fabriquer une coquille d’arme. «Les Iraniens ont avancé de manière irréversible en ce qui concerne l’enrichissement et la connaissance», résume un diplomate proche du dossier. La fermeture des frontières aux inspecteurs de l’Agence internationale de l’énergie atomique (AIEA), le gendarme mondial du nucléaire, a rendu la communauté internationale «aveugle» sur une partie du programme. En même temps qu’ils progressent au niveau technique, les Iraniens sabotent les négociations. Ils sont revenus à Vienne fin novembre, sous la pression de la communauté internationale, en ayant rayé 90% des progrès difficilement arrachés au printemps. Avant de repartir en pause de Noël jusqu’à la fin du mois de décembre. » | Par Isabelle Lasserre | lundi 27 décembre 2021
Réservé aux abonnés
'He Loved, He Laughed, He Cried': Desmond Tutu: In His Own Words – Video Obituary
Archbishop emeritus Desmond Tutu, the cleric and social activist who was a giant of the struggle against apartheid in South Africa, has died aged 90. Tutu, described by foreign observers and his countrymen as the moral conscience of his nation, died in Cape Town on Boxing Day.
Excitable, emotional and charismatic, Tutu won the Nobel peace prize in 1984 and chaired the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), the controversial and emotional hearings into apartheid-era human rights abuses. This is his life, in his own words
• Anti-apartheid hero Archbishop Desmond Tutu dies aged 90
• ‘A patriot without equal’: world mourns death of Desmond Tutu
A wonderful, saintly man. R.I.P. – Mark
LGBTQ+ Rights Ally Archbishop Desmond Tutu Dies at 90: “I would refuse to go to a homophobic heaven. No, I would say, ‘Sorry, I would much rather go to the other place.’” »
Excitable, emotional and charismatic, Tutu won the Nobel peace prize in 1984 and chaired the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), the controversial and emotional hearings into apartheid-era human rights abuses. This is his life, in his own words
• Anti-apartheid hero Archbishop Desmond Tutu dies aged 90
• ‘A patriot without equal’: world mourns death of Desmond Tutu
A wonderful, saintly man. R.I.P. – Mark
LGBTQ+ Rights Ally Archbishop Desmond Tutu Dies at 90: “I would refuse to go to a homophobic heaven. No, I would say, ‘Sorry, I would much rather go to the other place.’” »
Monday, December 27, 2021
Brexit: ‘The Biggest Disaster Any Government Has Ever Negotiated’
THE GUARDIAN: Exclusive: British cheesemaker says Brexit and subsequent trade deals have cost his firm £270,000
ABritish cheesemaker who predicted Brexit would cost him hundreds of thousands of pounds in exports has called the UK’s departure from the EU single market a disaster, after losing his entire wholesale and retail business in the bloc over the past year. Simon Spurrell, the co-founder of the Cheshire Cheese Company, said personal advice from a government minister to pursue non-EU markets to compensate for his losses had proved to be “an expensive joke”.
“It turns out our greatest competitor on the planet is the UK government because every time they do a fantastic deal, they kick us out of that market – starting with the Brexit deal,” he said.
Spurrell predicted in January that Brexit would cost him 250,000 in sales. “We lost £270,000, so I got one thing right,” he said, describing the post-Brexit EU trade deal as the “biggest disaster that any government has ever negotiated in the history of trade negotiations”.
His online retail business was hit immediately after the Brexit negotiator David Frost failed to secure a frictionless trade deal addressing sales to individual customers in the EU. » | Lisa O'Carroll Brexit Correspondent | Monday, December 27, 2021
ABritish cheesemaker who predicted Brexit would cost him hundreds of thousands of pounds in exports has called the UK’s departure from the EU single market a disaster, after losing his entire wholesale and retail business in the bloc over the past year. Simon Spurrell, the co-founder of the Cheshire Cheese Company, said personal advice from a government minister to pursue non-EU markets to compensate for his losses had proved to be “an expensive joke”.
“It turns out our greatest competitor on the planet is the UK government because every time they do a fantastic deal, they kick us out of that market – starting with the Brexit deal,” he said.
Spurrell predicted in January that Brexit would cost him 250,000 in sales. “We lost £270,000, so I got one thing right,” he said, describing the post-Brexit EU trade deal as the “biggest disaster that any government has ever negotiated in the history of trade negotiations”.
His online retail business was hit immediately after the Brexit negotiator David Frost failed to secure a frictionless trade deal addressing sales to individual customers in the EU. » | Lisa O'Carroll Brexit Correspondent | Monday, December 27, 2021
Argentine : deux alpinistes français recherchés dans les Andes
LE FIGARO : Ils avaient entrepris l'ascension du pic enneigé du Ojos de Salado, considéré comme le plus haut volcan du monde à la frontière du Chili et de l'Argentine.
Des secouristes argentins étaient lundi 27 décembre à la recherche de deux alpinistes français qui seraient en difficulté face à des conditions météo difficiles dans le secteur du volcan andin Ojos del Salado, qui culmine à 6891 mètres d'altitude, a annoncé la police.
Les montagnards qui avaient entrepris son ascension ont envoyé un signal satellitaire de détresse et une équipe de secouristes de haute-montagne s'est mise en ordre de marche dimanche après-midi. Les secours se trouvaient dimanche soir à quelque 5500 m d'altitude, où ils ont installé un campement temporaire, avant la reprise des recherches aux premières heures lundi. » | Par Le Figaro avec AFP | lundi 27 décembre 2021
Dans les Andes, comment deux Français ont échappé à la mort sur le plus haut volcan du monde : RÉCIT - Les jeunes touristes qui s'essayaient à l'alpinisme ont été recueillis sains et saufs ce lundi en contrebas de cet emblématique sommet andin qui culmine à presque 7000 mètres d'altitudes. »
À LIRE AUSSI :
La grandeur indomptable de la haute montagne : MA NUIT DANS UN LIEU ATYPIQUE - Dans les hauteurs froides et minérales, la nuit au cœur du massif des Écrins se voulait contemplative. La force des éléments l'a rendue violente. »
Schwule Väter - 2 Kinder und noch ein Baby | SWR Doku
Dec 27, 2021 • Johnny und Stefan haben sich als schwules Paar einen Traum erfüllt - sie sind Eltern geworden. Mit Hilfe einer Leihmutter in den USA haben sie vor 4 Jahren Zwillinge bekommen: Amalia und Aurelio sind ihre leiblichen Kinder. Und die Familie wird nochmal größer. Leihmutter Robin war bereit für eine weitere Schwangerschaft.
Die SWR-Reportage begleitet Johnny, Stefan und ihre beiden Kinder in ihrem stressigen, aber schönen Familien-Alltag. Jetzt wird alles anders. Jonny und Stefan entschließen sich, ein weiteres Kind zu bekommen. Die Zuschauer:innen erleben ihre Reise nach Amerika unter Corona-Bedingungen, die Geburt des Kindes und die neue Situation zuhause. Wie kommen sie zu fünft klar? Wie gehen die Geschwister miteinander um? Wo bleibt die Partnerschaft zwischen Johnny und Stefan?
Während Stefans Eltern in Oberschwaben die queere Familie längst akzeptiert haben, gibt es in Jonnys Familie Ablehnung. In einem Familienurlaub in Italien sucht Johnny Akzeptanz und Annäherung zu seinen Verwandten.
Die Reportage zeigt auch schmerzhafte Konflikte und wirft Fragen auf: Wie können homosexuelle Paare eine Familie gründen? Viele wünschen sich leibliche Kinder und verwirklichen das mit Hilfe einer Samenspende bzw. Leihmutterschaft. In Deutschland ist das gesetzlich bisher nicht erlaubt. Daher weichen viele ins Ausland aus - in die USA, nach Osteuropa und Asien. Das kann Hunderttausende Euro kosten oder geschieht oft unter fragwürdigen Umständen.
"Regenbogenfamilien" sind inzwischen gesellschaftliche Realität, aber nicht unbedingt angekommen in den Köpfen vieler Menschen.
Es gibt noch viel Skepsis: Können Homosexuelle überhaupt Kinder großziehen? Fehlt da nicht die Mutter/der Vater? Was wird den Kindern zugemutet? Ist das medizinisch Machbare auch das moralisch Richtige oder bereits ein zweifelhafter Eingriff in die Natur? Und ist Leihmutterschaft nur etwas für Reiche?
Diese Doku von Almuth Röhrl aus der SWR-Reihe "Mensch Leute" trägt den Originaltitel: Schwule Väter - 2 Kinder und noch ein Baby, Ausstrahlungsdatum: 20.12.21.
Die SWR-Reportage begleitet Johnny, Stefan und ihre beiden Kinder in ihrem stressigen, aber schönen Familien-Alltag. Jetzt wird alles anders. Jonny und Stefan entschließen sich, ein weiteres Kind zu bekommen. Die Zuschauer:innen erleben ihre Reise nach Amerika unter Corona-Bedingungen, die Geburt des Kindes und die neue Situation zuhause. Wie kommen sie zu fünft klar? Wie gehen die Geschwister miteinander um? Wo bleibt die Partnerschaft zwischen Johnny und Stefan?
Während Stefans Eltern in Oberschwaben die queere Familie längst akzeptiert haben, gibt es in Jonnys Familie Ablehnung. In einem Familienurlaub in Italien sucht Johnny Akzeptanz und Annäherung zu seinen Verwandten.
Die Reportage zeigt auch schmerzhafte Konflikte und wirft Fragen auf: Wie können homosexuelle Paare eine Familie gründen? Viele wünschen sich leibliche Kinder und verwirklichen das mit Hilfe einer Samenspende bzw. Leihmutterschaft. In Deutschland ist das gesetzlich bisher nicht erlaubt. Daher weichen viele ins Ausland aus - in die USA, nach Osteuropa und Asien. Das kann Hunderttausende Euro kosten oder geschieht oft unter fragwürdigen Umständen.
"Regenbogenfamilien" sind inzwischen gesellschaftliche Realität, aber nicht unbedingt angekommen in den Köpfen vieler Menschen.
Es gibt noch viel Skepsis: Können Homosexuelle überhaupt Kinder großziehen? Fehlt da nicht die Mutter/der Vater? Was wird den Kindern zugemutet? Ist das medizinisch Machbare auch das moralisch Richtige oder bereits ein zweifelhafter Eingriff in die Natur? Und ist Leihmutterschaft nur etwas für Reiche?
Diese Doku von Almuth Röhrl aus der SWR-Reihe "Mensch Leute" trägt den Originaltitel: Schwule Väter - 2 Kinder und noch ein Baby, Ausstrahlungsdatum: 20.12.21.
Keshet [Rainbow] : LGBTQ Jews
Jakobus der Herrenbruder #2 | Die Geburt des Christentums | Doku | ARTE
Dec 31, 2020 • Jesus rechnete mit dem Reich Gottes zu seinen Lebzeiten, Nachfolger kümmerten ihn nicht. Dennoch scheint Jakobus – auch „Bruder des Herrn“ genannt – in den Jahren nach Jesu Tod sein gebührender Nachfolger zu sein. Wie kam das? Hatte Jesus eigentlich Geschwister? Und warum hielt ihn seine Familie für verrückt?
Video auf YouTube verfügbar bis zum 03/12/2022
Teil 1.
Video auf YouTube verfügbar bis zum 03/12/2022
Teil 1.
Mort de Desmond Tutu : la grande émotion
Liens connexes
Die Geburt des Christentums #1 | Doku | ARTE
Dec 13, 2020 • Jesus wollte keine Kirche gründen. Er wollte die Erneuerung und Befreiung Israels. Um das Jahr 30 wird Jesus in Jerusalem hingerichtet. Drei Jahrhunderte später wird das Christentum zur Staatsreligion des Imperium Romanum. Eine Staatskirche. Wie konnte es dazu kommen? Welche Rolle spielte Petrus, der sich nach Jesu Tod an die Spitze der Anhänger Jesu stellte?
Video auf Youtube verfügbar bis zum 03/12/2022
Teil 2.
Video auf Youtube verfügbar bis zum 03/12/2022
Teil 2.
Toll! Liebe und Zuneigung sind hier deutlich sichtbar.
Richard Chamberlain: Coming Out at 68, No Big Deal
The Story of Julius Caesar's Murder | Tony Robinson's Romans: Julius Caesar Pt 2 | Timeline
Julius Caesar's Rise to the Republic | Tony Robinson's Romans | Timeline
Jesus Statue Smashed in Spate of Attacks on India’s Christian Community
THE GUARDIAN: Amid growing intolerance to India’s Christian minority, several Christmas events were targeted by Hindu right wing groups
Christian devotees pray at a Church to celebrate Christmas in Guwahati, Assam. Violence against Christians is growing in India Photograph: David Talukdar/NurPhoto/REX/Shutterstock
Festive celebrations were disrupted, Jesus statues were smashed and effigies of Santa Claus were burned in a spate of attacks on India’s Christian community over Christmas.
Amid growing intolerance and violence against India’s Christian minority, who make up about 2% of India’s population, several Christmas events were targeted by Hindu right wing groups, who alleged Christians were using festivities to force Hindus to convert.
In recent years, Christians have increasingly faced harassment around Christmas but this year saw a notable surge in attacks.
In Agra in Uttar Pradesh, members of right wing Hindu groups burned effigies of Santa Claus outside missionary-led schools and accused Christian missionaries of using Christmas celebrations to lure people in. » | Hannah Ellis-Petersen in Delhi | Monday, December 27, 2021
Festive celebrations were disrupted, Jesus statues were smashed and effigies of Santa Claus were burned in a spate of attacks on India’s Christian community over Christmas.
Amid growing intolerance and violence against India’s Christian minority, who make up about 2% of India’s population, several Christmas events were targeted by Hindu right wing groups, who alleged Christians were using festivities to force Hindus to convert.
In recent years, Christians have increasingly faced harassment around Christmas but this year saw a notable surge in attacks.
In Agra in Uttar Pradesh, members of right wing Hindu groups burned effigies of Santa Claus outside missionary-led schools and accused Christian missionaries of using Christmas celebrations to lure people in. » | Hannah Ellis-Petersen in Delhi | Monday, December 27, 2021
Sunday, December 26, 2021
One Year On, Most Voters Say Brexit Has Gone Badly
THE OBSERVER: An Opinium poll also found that 42% of people who voted Leave in 2016 had a negative view of how it had turned out
Brexit. Photograph: Lenscap/Alamy
More than six out of 10 voters believe Brexit has either gone badly or worse than they expected – a year after the UK left the EU, according to an anniversary poll for the Observer.
The Opinium survey – coming a week after the minister in charge of Brexit, Lord Frost, resigned from Boris Johnson’s government – also found that 42% of people who voted Leave in 2016 had a negative view of how Brexit had turned out so far.
26% of Leave supporters said it had gone worse than they expected, while 16% of those who voted for Brexit said they had expected it to go badly and had been proved right.
Among people who voted Remain, 86% said it had gone badly or worse than they expected. Overall, just 14% of all voters said Brexit had gone better than expected. » | Toby Helm | Saturday, December 25, 2021
The penny is slowly dropping that the electorate have made a grave mistake in voting for Brexit. Increasingly, they will come to realise that they have been led up the garden path by chancers and the few politicians at the top seeking to line their own pockets at the expense of the many. Brexit was, is, and will remain a stupid idea. – © Mark
More than six out of 10 voters believe Brexit has either gone badly or worse than they expected – a year after the UK left the EU, according to an anniversary poll for the Observer.
The Opinium survey – coming a week after the minister in charge of Brexit, Lord Frost, resigned from Boris Johnson’s government – also found that 42% of people who voted Leave in 2016 had a negative view of how Brexit had turned out so far.
26% of Leave supporters said it had gone worse than they expected, while 16% of those who voted for Brexit said they had expected it to go badly and had been proved right.
Among people who voted Remain, 86% said it had gone badly or worse than they expected. Overall, just 14% of all voters said Brexit had gone better than expected. » | Toby Helm | Saturday, December 25, 2021
The penny is slowly dropping that the electorate have made a grave mistake in voting for Brexit. Increasingly, they will come to realise that they have been led up the garden path by chancers and the few politicians at the top seeking to line their own pockets at the expense of the many. Brexit was, is, and will remain a stupid idea. – © Mark
Carols from King's 2016 | #12 "It Came Upon the Midnight Clear" - Choir of King's College, Cambridge
I am re-posting this beautiful Christmas carol because the version I put up originally was taken down by the person that posted it on YouTube. Another ‘Christian’ who doesn’t understand Jesus’ message or Christianity! Let’s hope for better luck this time. – © Mark
Machtwechsel in Afghanistan: Taliban wollen Musik und Frauen ohne Hijabs aus Autos verbannen
NEUE ZÜRCHER ZEITUNG: In Afghanistan haben die Taliban im August 2021 die Macht übernommen. Viele Staaten haben ihre Landsleute und lokalen Mitarbeiter unter teilweise dramatischen Umständen evakuiert. Die Lage im Land ist unübersichtlich.
Wer in Afghanistan Auto fährt, soll dazu weder Musik hören noch eine Frau ohne Hijab als Passagieren mitnehmen. Dies heisst es in einem Schreiben des Ministeriums zur Erhaltung der Tugend und Unterdrückung des Lasters, das an Autofahrer verteilt wurde. Der Sprecher des Ministeriums, Mohammed Sadik Asif, bestätigte am Sonntag (26. 12.) die Direktive. Wie genau der Hijab aussehen soll, geht aus der Anordnung nicht hervor. Die regierenden Taliban verstehen darunter in der Regel nicht die Bedeckung von Haaren und Hals, sondern einen Umhang von Kopf bis Fuss. Die neusten Entwicklungen: » | NZZ-Redaktion | Sonntag, 26. Dezember 2021
Wer in Afghanistan Auto fährt, soll dazu weder Musik hören noch eine Frau ohne Hijab als Passagieren mitnehmen. Dies heisst es in einem Schreiben des Ministeriums zur Erhaltung der Tugend und Unterdrückung des Lasters, das an Autofahrer verteilt wurde. Der Sprecher des Ministeriums, Mohammed Sadik Asif, bestätigte am Sonntag (26. 12.) die Direktive. Wie genau der Hijab aussehen soll, geht aus der Anordnung nicht hervor. Die regierenden Taliban verstehen darunter in der Regel nicht die Bedeckung von Haaren und Hals, sondern einen Umhang von Kopf bis Fuss. Die neusten Entwicklungen: » | NZZ-Redaktion | Sonntag, 26. Dezember 2021
Desmond Tutu, Whose Voice Helped Slay Apartheid, Dies at 90
THE NEW YORK TIMES: The archbishop, a powerful force for nonviolence in South Africa’s anti-apartheid movement, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984.
Desmond M. Tutu at Washington National Cathedral in 1984. The archbishop was a spellbinding preacher, assuring his parishioners of God’s love while exhorting them to follow the path of nonviolence in their struggle. | Associated Press
Desmond M. Tutu, the cleric who used his pulpit and spirited oratory to help bring down apartheid in South Africa and then became the leading advocate of peaceful reconciliation under Black majority rule, died on Sunday in Cape Town. He was 90.
His death was confirmed by the office of South Africa’s president, Cyril Ramaphosa, who called the archbishop “a leader of principle and pragmatism who gave meaning to the biblical insight that faith without works is dead.”
The cause of death was cancer, the Desmond and Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation said, adding that Archbishop Tutu had died in a care facility. He was first diagnosed with prostate cancer in 1997, and was hospitalized several times in the years since, amid recurring fears that the disease had spread.
As leader of the South African Council of Churches and later as Anglican archbishop of Cape Town, Archbishop Tutu led the church to the forefront of Black South Africans’ decades-long struggle for freedom. His voice was a powerful force for nonviolence in the anti-apartheid movement, earning him a Nobel Peace Prize in 1984. » | Marilyn Berger | Sunday, December 26, 2021
Desmond Tutu, South Africa's Nobel Peace winner, dies at 90: Desmond Tutu, South Africa’s Nobel Peace Prize-winning activist for racial justice and LGBT rights, has died at 90 »
Desmond Tutu’s long history of fighting for lesbian and gay rights »
Desmond Tutu kämpfte sein Leben lang für Gerechtigkeit und blieb bis zuletzt ein Quälgeist für die Mächtigen: Desmond Tutu war neben Nelson Mandela der grosse Held Südafrikas, für das er den Traum der Regenbogennation am Leben erhielt. Tutu hatte unermüdlich zum Sturz des Apartheidregimes beigetragen – und legte sich danach unverändert vehement mit den neuen Mächtigen an. Er starb am Sonntag im Alter von 90 Jahren in Kapstadt. »
Ein Architekt des neuen Südafrika: Mit unbedingtem Willen zur Aussöhnung: Der Erzbischof Tutu bekam den Friedensnobelpreis für seine Bemühungen um das Ende der Apartheid. Er blieb ein scharfer Kritiker des ANC. Im Alter von 90 Jahren ist er gestorben. »
Décès du Nobel de la Paix Desmond Tutu : les hommages se multiplient : Le président sud-africain Cyril Ramaphosa a exprimé «sa profonde tristesse» après le décès de ce «patriote sans égal». Emmanuel Macron a salué son combat «pour la fin de l'apartheid et la réconciliation sud-africaine». »
Desmond Tutu, infatigable pourfendeur de l'apartheid et des injustices : DISPARITION - L'archevêque, Prix Nobel de la Paix, s'est battu sans relâche contre le système ségrégationniste, puis contre les injustices qui traversent son pays. Il est décédé ce dimanche à l'âge de 90 ans. »
Desmond M. Tutu, the cleric who used his pulpit and spirited oratory to help bring down apartheid in South Africa and then became the leading advocate of peaceful reconciliation under Black majority rule, died on Sunday in Cape Town. He was 90.
His death was confirmed by the office of South Africa’s president, Cyril Ramaphosa, who called the archbishop “a leader of principle and pragmatism who gave meaning to the biblical insight that faith without works is dead.”
The cause of death was cancer, the Desmond and Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation said, adding that Archbishop Tutu had died in a care facility. He was first diagnosed with prostate cancer in 1997, and was hospitalized several times in the years since, amid recurring fears that the disease had spread.
As leader of the South African Council of Churches and later as Anglican archbishop of Cape Town, Archbishop Tutu led the church to the forefront of Black South Africans’ decades-long struggle for freedom. His voice was a powerful force for nonviolence in the anti-apartheid movement, earning him a Nobel Peace Prize in 1984. » | Marilyn Berger | Sunday, December 26, 2021
Desmond Tutu, South Africa's Nobel Peace winner, dies at 90: Desmond Tutu, South Africa’s Nobel Peace Prize-winning activist for racial justice and LGBT rights, has died at 90 »
Desmond Tutu’s long history of fighting for lesbian and gay rights »
Desmond Tutu kämpfte sein Leben lang für Gerechtigkeit und blieb bis zuletzt ein Quälgeist für die Mächtigen: Desmond Tutu war neben Nelson Mandela der grosse Held Südafrikas, für das er den Traum der Regenbogennation am Leben erhielt. Tutu hatte unermüdlich zum Sturz des Apartheidregimes beigetragen – und legte sich danach unverändert vehement mit den neuen Mächtigen an. Er starb am Sonntag im Alter von 90 Jahren in Kapstadt. »
Ein Architekt des neuen Südafrika: Mit unbedingtem Willen zur Aussöhnung: Der Erzbischof Tutu bekam den Friedensnobelpreis für seine Bemühungen um das Ende der Apartheid. Er blieb ein scharfer Kritiker des ANC. Im Alter von 90 Jahren ist er gestorben. »
Décès du Nobel de la Paix Desmond Tutu : les hommages se multiplient : Le président sud-africain Cyril Ramaphosa a exprimé «sa profonde tristesse» après le décès de ce «patriote sans égal». Emmanuel Macron a salué son combat «pour la fin de l'apartheid et la réconciliation sud-africaine». »
Desmond Tutu, infatigable pourfendeur de l'apartheid et des injustices : DISPARITION - L'archevêque, Prix Nobel de la Paix, s'est battu sans relâche contre le système ségrégationniste, puis contre les injustices qui traversent son pays. Il est décédé ce dimanche à l'âge de 90 ans. »
Édith Piaf: Ohne Liebe ist man nichts | Doku HD (Reupload) | ARTE
Ce documentaire est disponible en français ici.
Saturday, December 25, 2021
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing | Descant: David Willcocks | Carols from King's 2021
I am re-posting this Christmas carol because the original version was nixed. Some so-called Christian, I suppose, who understands diddly about the real meaning of Christianity took it down! Let us see how long this recording remains up! Let us see just how Christian these people really are! Homophobia has no place in true Christian teaching. Ask yourselves one simple question: For whom did Christ really come? – © Mark
The Queen's Christmas Broadcast 2021 | BBC
The Queen strikes a hopeful tone in personal Christmas message: Monarch speaks of the death of Prince Philip, and encourages the nation to see the joy in simple things »
Elizabeth II apporte une dimension personnelle à son message de Noël : La reine a déclaré que si Noël était un moment de bonheur pour beaucoup, il pouvait être difficile pour ceux qui ont perdu des proches, une peine qu’elle dit comprendre tout particulièrement cette année, marquée par la disparition du prince Philip. »
Elīna Garanča & Karel Mark Chichon – Adam: 'Cantique de Noël'
Friday, December 24, 2021
A Christmas Message
Christmas, as wonderful and joyous a time of year as it can be, for many it can also be poignant and sad, especially for people who have lost loved ones. In the commercial frenzy that often accompanies the build-up to the festive season, it is easy to forget that many people suffer at this time of year. Our thoughts should be with them.
Marginalised people, as gays can often be, especially older gays, are frequently very lonely. This can be an especially challenging time of the year for them. Since the loss of my own partner in 2016, I am myself no stranger to loneliness; so, I understand how difficult this time of year can be for so many people, whether gay or straight. Loneliness is no respecter of age, class or social standing. Money doesn’t buy good company. Further, many young gays who have been rejected by their families can suffer just as much as older people can. Please spare a thought for young gays, too; especially gays who have come out and who have been rejected by their families just for being true to themselves.
We are all living through especially difficult times since the start of this ‘forever’ pandemic. So, all we can do is do our very best to stay safe and healthy. It is my sincere hope that you ALL stay healthy and safe. Then we need to hope and pray for better times ahead.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for your continued support. As I have told you before, it means a lot to me. I can only hope that my blog posts bring you all as much pleasure as your visits bring me.
With my best wishes to you all for Christmas. / Avec mes vœux chaleureux pour Noël. / Mit den herzlichsten Wünschen zu Weihnachten.
Mark
Queen's Christmas Message Expected to Be Personal
BBC: The Queen is expected to give a very personal Christmas message this year, in her first Christmas since the death of her husband Prince Philip.
The annual broadcast was recorded last week, before the Queen's decision to stay in Windsor Castle because of concerns about the pandemic.
There are not any Christmas day public appearances expected from the Queen.
But she was said to be in "good form" by Buckingham Palace aides and needed few takes to complete the recording.
The traditional Christmas day message, to be screened at 15:00 GMT on Saturday, is an address to the nation and to the Commonwealth, reflecting on the passing year. » | Sean Coughlan, BBC News royal correspondent | Thursday, December 23, 2021
Mit der Übernahme von Selfridges landen die Globus-Eigentümer einen Coup
NEUE ZÜRCHER ZEITUNG: Die britische Selfridges gilt als Juwel unter den Luxuswarenhäusern. Die bisherigen Eigentümer haben entschieden, sie an Signa und Central zu verkaufen. Das österreichisch-thailändische Joint Venture wird damit zu einem weltweit führenden Player in der Branche.
Die britische Selfridges-Gruppe ist für Investoren aus verschiedenen Gründen hochattraktiv. | Jason Alden / Bloomberg
KOMMENTAR
Die österreichische Signa-Gruppe von René Benko und die thailändische Central Group übernehmen zusammen die in Europa domizilierten Luxuswarenhäuser der britischen Selfridges-Gruppe. Mit diesem Deal landen die beiden Partner, die 2020 gemeinsam bereits Globus gekauft haben, einen veritablen Coup. Denn Selfridges, unter deren Dach unter anderem 18 Nobelwarenhäuser für Investoren aus verschiedenen Gründen hochattraktiv.
Zum einen sind da die Warenhäuser selber, die einen exzellenten Ruf haben und für Branchenverhältnisse allesamt sehr profitabel sind. Die Marke Selfridges ist gewissermassen der Inbegriff des modernen, dynamischen Premium-Warenhauses, das nicht nur vermögende Touristen anzieht und von seiner Geschichte lebt, sondern das auch bei einer jüngeren, lokalen Käuferschaft beliebt ist. » | Andrea Martel | Donnerstag, 23. Dezember 2021
Selfridges sold as part of £4bn deal: Deal with Thai and Austrian firms includes the four UK stores and raises hopes for Oxford Street redevelopment »
Selfridges sale one more chapter in luxury brand’s rollercoaster history: Since the first store thrilled London shoppers in 1909, the chain has passed from US to UK, Canadian and now Thai/Austrian ownership »
René Benko »
Die österreichische Signa-Gruppe von René Benko und die thailändische Central Group übernehmen zusammen die in Europa domizilierten Luxuswarenhäuser der britischen Selfridges-Gruppe. Mit diesem Deal landen die beiden Partner, die 2020 gemeinsam bereits Globus gekauft haben, einen veritablen Coup. Denn Selfridges, unter deren Dach unter anderem 18 Nobelwarenhäuser für Investoren aus verschiedenen Gründen hochattraktiv.
Zum einen sind da die Warenhäuser selber, die einen exzellenten Ruf haben und für Branchenverhältnisse allesamt sehr profitabel sind. Die Marke Selfridges ist gewissermassen der Inbegriff des modernen, dynamischen Premium-Warenhauses, das nicht nur vermögende Touristen anzieht und von seiner Geschichte lebt, sondern das auch bei einer jüngeren, lokalen Käuferschaft beliebt ist. » | Andrea Martel | Donnerstag, 23. Dezember 2021
Selfridges sold as part of £4bn deal: Deal with Thai and Austrian firms includes the four UK stores and raises hopes for Oxford Street redevelopment »
Selfridges sale one more chapter in luxury brand’s rollercoaster history: Since the first store thrilled London shoppers in 1909, the chain has passed from US to UK, Canadian and now Thai/Austrian ownership »
René Benko »
Thursday, December 23, 2021
It’s Time to Boogie!
Capitalism Hits Home: Addiction and Desperation
It is sad, very sad, that BoJo and his band of merry clowns are trying to emulate the appalling American ‘healthcare system’ here in the UK! Followers of BoJo and his buddies are being fooled into believing that the American healthcare system is superior. It is NOT! It is very inferior indeed. I know that from personal and sad experience. I say this NOT as a friend of socialism; I am NOT. But I can assure you that, based on my sad experience(s), the American healthcare system is INFERIOR. Don’t be fooled! – © Mark
Orient-Express, le voyage d'une légende | ARTE
Dec 21, 2021 • Symbole de luxe et d'aventure, l’Orient-Express a ouvert une nouvelle voie entre l’Occident et l’Orient. Mata Hari, Joséphine Baker ou Agatha Christie, qui lui dédia un roman, contribuèrent à sa légende. Plongée dans les secrets d'un train mythique. Paris, le 4 octobre 1883. L’Orient-Express quitte la gare de Strasbourg (future gare de l’Est) pour son premier voyage vers Constantinople (aujourd'hui Istanbul).
Le Tout-Paris est venu assister à l’inauguration en grande pompe de ce palace sur rail. Relier la capitale française à celle de l’Empire ottoman est le pari fou d’un entrepreneur belge, Georges Nagelmackers, fondateur de la Compagnie internationale des wagons-lits, fasciné par les fastueuses voitures-couchettes de l’Américain George Pullman.
La création, en 1869, de la première ligne transcontinentale américaine inspire ce train de luxe européen à l'homme d'affaires, qui rêve d’unir les peuples au-delà des frontières. Dans les couloirs feutrés de l'Orient-Express vont se côtoyer diplomates, politiciens, artistes, têtes couronnées, négociants, espions et femmes fatales. Mata Hari, Joséphine Baker ou Agatha Christie, qui lui dédie un roman, contribueront à sa légende.
De Paris à Istanbul, en passant par Munich, Vienne et les Balkans, il a été le témoin de l’histoire et des soubresauts géopolitiques des XIXe et XXe siècles. Seul train à pouvoir franchir le rideau de fer, il convoie ainsi pendant la guerre froide les exilés économiques ou politiques fuyant les régimes de l’Est. Mais la démocratisation des voyages en avion lui porte un coup fatal, et le service régulier s'arrête en 1977.
À la recherche du train perdu Nourri des recherches et des témoignages d’historiens, d'écrivains, de passionnés de trains anciens, ce documentaire retrace une tumultueuse épopée, entre gloire, déclin et ruine.
Pour revivre cette longue histoire, le réalisateur suit le parcours d’Arthur Mettetal, historien chercheur en patrimoine industriel, en quête des wagons de l'Orient-Express disséminés à travers l'Europe, et qui parvient à retrouver une rame de treize voitures, abandonnée aux confins de la Pologne et de la Biélorussie.
S’appuyant sur des images d’archives, des reconstitutions et des scènes de fiction tournées dans d’authentiques voitures, un voyage passionnant au cœur de la légende, entre mythe et réalité. Orient-Express, le voyage d'une légende.
Documentaire de Louis Pascal Couvelaire (France, 2018, 1h23mn)
Disponible jusqu'au 04/01/2022
Le Tout-Paris est venu assister à l’inauguration en grande pompe de ce palace sur rail. Relier la capitale française à celle de l’Empire ottoman est le pari fou d’un entrepreneur belge, Georges Nagelmackers, fondateur de la Compagnie internationale des wagons-lits, fasciné par les fastueuses voitures-couchettes de l’Américain George Pullman.
La création, en 1869, de la première ligne transcontinentale américaine inspire ce train de luxe européen à l'homme d'affaires, qui rêve d’unir les peuples au-delà des frontières. Dans les couloirs feutrés de l'Orient-Express vont se côtoyer diplomates, politiciens, artistes, têtes couronnées, négociants, espions et femmes fatales. Mata Hari, Joséphine Baker ou Agatha Christie, qui lui dédie un roman, contribueront à sa légende.
De Paris à Istanbul, en passant par Munich, Vienne et les Balkans, il a été le témoin de l’histoire et des soubresauts géopolitiques des XIXe et XXe siècles. Seul train à pouvoir franchir le rideau de fer, il convoie ainsi pendant la guerre froide les exilés économiques ou politiques fuyant les régimes de l’Est. Mais la démocratisation des voyages en avion lui porte un coup fatal, et le service régulier s'arrête en 1977.
À la recherche du train perdu Nourri des recherches et des témoignages d’historiens, d'écrivains, de passionnés de trains anciens, ce documentaire retrace une tumultueuse épopée, entre gloire, déclin et ruine.
Pour revivre cette longue histoire, le réalisateur suit le parcours d’Arthur Mettetal, historien chercheur en patrimoine industriel, en quête des wagons de l'Orient-Express disséminés à travers l'Europe, et qui parvient à retrouver une rame de treize voitures, abandonnée aux confins de la Pologne et de la Biélorussie.
S’appuyant sur des images d’archives, des reconstitutions et des scènes de fiction tournées dans d’authentiques voitures, un voyage passionnant au cœur de la légende, entre mythe et réalité. Orient-Express, le voyage d'une légende.
Documentaire de Louis Pascal Couvelaire (France, 2018, 1h23mn)
Disponible jusqu'au 04/01/2022
Exprimez votre amour ! Nullement intimidé !
Ricciarelli : Typical Italian Christmas Almond and Orange Pastries – Quick, Easy & Gluten-free
Ingredients
400 g almond flour
150 g sugar
70 g corn starch / [cornflour]
1 orange
Extra] 60 g sugar for the orange spread
30 ml of water
Juice of 1/2 an orange / 75-80 g
2 – 3 egg whites
1/2 vial of almond flavor
Putin Accuses West of ‘Coming with Its Missiles to Our Doorstep’
THE GUARDIAN: Russian president again voices anger at Nato expansion and says he would be prepared to intervene in Ukraine
‘They keep telling us: war, war, war’: Vladimir Putin during the press conference on Thursday.Photograph: Natalia Kolesnikova/AFP/Getty Images
Vladimir Putin has accused the west of “coming with its missiles to our doorstep” as he reiterated demands for no further Nato expansion in Europe.
The Russian president did little to reduce tensions over Ukraine as he spoke at a televised press conference, saying he would be prepared to launch an intervention if he felt Ukraine or its western allies were preparing an attack on Russia’s proxies in the country.
“They keep telling us: war, war, war,” Putin said on Thursday. “There is an impression that, maybe, they are preparing for the third military operation [in Ukraine] and give us a fair warning: do not intervene, do not protect these people but if you do intervene and protect them, there will be new sanctions. Perhaps, we should prepare for that.” » | Andrew Roth in Moscow | Thursday, December 23, 2021
Vladimir Putin has accused the west of “coming with its missiles to our doorstep” as he reiterated demands for no further Nato expansion in Europe.
The Russian president did little to reduce tensions over Ukraine as he spoke at a televised press conference, saying he would be prepared to launch an intervention if he felt Ukraine or its western allies were preparing an attack on Russia’s proxies in the country.
“They keep telling us: war, war, war,” Putin said on Thursday. “There is an impression that, maybe, they are preparing for the third military operation [in Ukraine] and give us a fair warning: do not intervene, do not protect these people but if you do intervene and protect them, there will be new sanctions. Perhaps, we should prepare for that.” » | Andrew Roth in Moscow | Thursday, December 23, 2021
At a Paris Market, Costs Rise, Even for the Humble Baguette
THE NEW YORK TIMES: Soaring inflation in Europe is starting to squeeze shopkeepers and consumers. Many are preparing for more price increases in the new year.
Florian Bocciarelli, right, a third-generation butcher in Paris. Meat prices are up 10 percent since the summer. | Andrea Mantovani for The New York Times
PARIS — At the Marché d’Aligre, a bustling open-air food and antiques market in the Bastille district of central Paris, Mohamed Sharif grabbed a piece of chalk and reluctantly marked up the price of the fragrant Valencia clementines that he sells to throngs of shoppers.
Transport costs for produce imported to France had more than doubled since autumn amid a surge in gasoline prices, he said, one of several factors that have driven up wholesale costs for oranges from Spain, lychee from south China and passion fruit from Vietnam — and the prices he must charge at his fruit stand.
“Customers don’t understand why they are having to pay more for what they buy,” Mr. Sharif said, pricing a pound of clementines on a recent weekend at 1.90 euros (about $2.15), up from 80 cents ($0.90) a week earlier. “People are buying less because costs are going up.”
Meat prices at a nearby butcher are up 10 percent since the summer. Some French cheeses are expected to rise 20 percent in the new year. Even the traditional baguette, a staple of the French diet, will get more expensive, bakers say. » | Liz Alderman | Published: Wednesday, December 22, 2021 ; Updated: Thursday, December 23, 2021
PARIS — At the Marché d’Aligre, a bustling open-air food and antiques market in the Bastille district of central Paris, Mohamed Sharif grabbed a piece of chalk and reluctantly marked up the price of the fragrant Valencia clementines that he sells to throngs of shoppers.
Transport costs for produce imported to France had more than doubled since autumn amid a surge in gasoline prices, he said, one of several factors that have driven up wholesale costs for oranges from Spain, lychee from south China and passion fruit from Vietnam — and the prices he must charge at his fruit stand.
“Customers don’t understand why they are having to pay more for what they buy,” Mr. Sharif said, pricing a pound of clementines on a recent weekend at 1.90 euros (about $2.15), up from 80 cents ($0.90) a week earlier. “People are buying less because costs are going up.”
Meat prices at a nearby butcher are up 10 percent since the summer. Some French cheeses are expected to rise 20 percent in the new year. Even the traditional baguette, a staple of the French diet, will get more expensive, bakers say. » | Liz Alderman | Published: Wednesday, December 22, 2021 ; Updated: Thursday, December 23, 2021
L'Arabie saoudite déjoue une attaque visant un aéroport
LE FIGARO : La coalition militaire dirigée par l'Arabie saoudite au Yémen a annoncé jeudi 23 décembre la destruction d'un drone piégé lancé en direction d'un aéroport du sud du royaume, sans faire de victime, les rebelles Houthis ayant multiplié les attaques ces derniers mois.
Ryad intervient au Yémen depuis 2015 pour appuyer les forces gouvernementales en guerre depuis sept ans contre les rebelles. Ces derniers, proches de l'Iran, lancent régulièrement des attaques depuis le Yémen vers le territoire saoudien. «Un drone piégé qui a tenté de viser l'aéroport international d'Abha a été détruit», a annoncé la coalition dans un communiqué cité par l'agence de presse officielle SPA. L'interception de l'engin n'a fait «aucune victime», avec seulement des éclats d'obus éparpillés aux alentours de l'aéroport. Un responsable de l'aéroport a assuré à l'AFP qu'«aucun vol n'a été annulé». » | Par Le Figaro avec AFP | jeudi 23 décembre 2021
Ryad intervient au Yémen depuis 2015 pour appuyer les forces gouvernementales en guerre depuis sept ans contre les rebelles. Ces derniers, proches de l'Iran, lancent régulièrement des attaques depuis le Yémen vers le territoire saoudien. «Un drone piégé qui a tenté de viser l'aéroport international d'Abha a été détruit», a annoncé la coalition dans un communiqué cité par l'agence de presse officielle SPA. L'interception de l'engin n'a fait «aucune victime», avec seulement des éclats d'obus éparpillés aux alentours de l'aéroport. Un responsable de l'aéroport a assuré à l'AFP qu'«aucun vol n'a été annulé». » | Par Le Figaro avec AFP | jeudi 23 décembre 2021
Stevie Wonder : Knocks Me Off My Feet
Wednesday, December 22, 2021
Ägypten: Ikone der Demokratiebewegung zu langjähriger Haft verurteilt
NEUE ZÜRCHER ZEITUNG: Im September verkündete Präsident Abdelfatah al-Sisi einen Fünfjahresplan zur Verbesserung der Menschenrechte in Ägypten. Dennoch geht das Regime weiterhin hemmungslos gegen Kritiker vor.
Der prominente ägyptische Aktivist Alaa Abdelfatah hat die letzten zehn Jahre mehr im Gefängnis als in Freiheit verbracht. | Khaled Desouki / AFP
Kürzlich schien es, als würden die Ermahnungen westlicher Regierungen an den ägyptischen Autokraten Abdelfatah al-Sisi Wirkung zeigen. Nach 22 Monaten Untersuchungshaft liess das Regime Anfang Dezember den Studenten und Menschenrechtler Patrick George Zaki frei.
Der Kopte hatte an der Universität Bologna studiert, um einen Masterabschluss in Frauen- und Geschlechterforschung zu erlangen. Zudem setzte er sich in Ägypten für Geschlechtergleichheit und Menschenrechte ein. Als er Anfang Februar 2020 für Ferien nach Kairo flog, wurde er festgenommen. Die Klage wurde zwar nicht fallengelassen, aber immerhin schien Zakis Freilassung ein Lichtblick. Das erste Ziel sei erreicht, twitterte der italienische Aussenminister Luigi Di Maio. | Erbarmungslos gegen Demokraten » | Inga Rogg, Jerusalem | Dienstag, 21. Dezember 2021
Kürzlich schien es, als würden die Ermahnungen westlicher Regierungen an den ägyptischen Autokraten Abdelfatah al-Sisi Wirkung zeigen. Nach 22 Monaten Untersuchungshaft liess das Regime Anfang Dezember den Studenten und Menschenrechtler Patrick George Zaki frei.
Der Kopte hatte an der Universität Bologna studiert, um einen Masterabschluss in Frauen- und Geschlechterforschung zu erlangen. Zudem setzte er sich in Ägypten für Geschlechtergleichheit und Menschenrechte ein. Als er Anfang Februar 2020 für Ferien nach Kairo flog, wurde er festgenommen. Die Klage wurde zwar nicht fallengelassen, aber immerhin schien Zakis Freilassung ein Lichtblick. Das erste Ziel sei erreicht, twitterte der italienische Aussenminister Luigi Di Maio. | Erbarmungslos gegen Demokraten » | Inga Rogg, Jerusalem | Dienstag, 21. Dezember 2021
The Guardian View on Liz Truss and Brexit: New Chapter, Same Story
THE GUARDIAN – EDITORIAL: Even with a will to be pragmatic, the foreign secretary will encounter high obstacles to a better relationship with Europe
‘Liz Truss will not want Brexit to consume all of her political bandwidth.’ Photograph: Reuters
Since her appointment as foreign secretary in September, Liz Truss has said little about the European Union. Her speeches exalt the UK as the broker of a global “network of liberty”, listing alliances with scarcely any reference to the club of democracies on Britain’s continental doorstep. That omission partly reflects the ideological temper of the Conservative party, to which Ms Truss is highly sensitised. It also expressed divisions of labour in the cabinet when David Frost was in charge of post-Brexit negotiations with Brussels. But since Lord Frost’s resignation, the European portfolio has returned to the Foreign Office. Silence on the subject is no longer an option for the secretary of state.
Her first intervention has been to restate Britain’s readiness to trigger article 16 of the withdrawal agreement, suspending its operation, if grievances regarding the Northern Ireland protocol are not satisfied. The terms demanded by Lord Frost for a renegotiation still stand.
The pugnacious tone disappointed those who had hoped that a change in personnel indicated a new willingness to compromise. That prospect is not entirely lost. Ms Truss had to signal continuity in the negotiating position. Anything else would have caused a commotion on the Tory benches and destabilised an already wobbly government. That does not rule out a pragmatic shift in the coming months. The foreign secretary will not want Brexit to consume all of her political bandwidth, and the most efficient way to avoid that is to take her finger off the article 16 trigger. » | Editorial | Wednesday, December 22, 2021
EU und Grossbritannien einigen sich auf Fischfangmengen »
Since her appointment as foreign secretary in September, Liz Truss has said little about the European Union. Her speeches exalt the UK as the broker of a global “network of liberty”, listing alliances with scarcely any reference to the club of democracies on Britain’s continental doorstep. That omission partly reflects the ideological temper of the Conservative party, to which Ms Truss is highly sensitised. It also expressed divisions of labour in the cabinet when David Frost was in charge of post-Brexit negotiations with Brussels. But since Lord Frost’s resignation, the European portfolio has returned to the Foreign Office. Silence on the subject is no longer an option for the secretary of state.
Her first intervention has been to restate Britain’s readiness to trigger article 16 of the withdrawal agreement, suspending its operation, if grievances regarding the Northern Ireland protocol are not satisfied. The terms demanded by Lord Frost for a renegotiation still stand.
The pugnacious tone disappointed those who had hoped that a change in personnel indicated a new willingness to compromise. That prospect is not entirely lost. Ms Truss had to signal continuity in the negotiating position. Anything else would have caused a commotion on the Tory benches and destabilised an already wobbly government. That does not rule out a pragmatic shift in the coming months. The foreign secretary will not want Brexit to consume all of her political bandwidth, and the most efficient way to avoid that is to take her finger off the article 16 trigger. » | Editorial | Wednesday, December 22, 2021
EU und Grossbritannien einigen sich auf Fischfangmengen »
Stark, süß und liebevoll!
EU-Kommission eröffnet Verfahren gegen Polen
FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG: Weil das polnische Verfassungsgericht nationales Recht über EU-Recht stellt, leitet die EU-Kommission ein Vertragsverletzungsverfahren gegen Polen ein. Dieses könnte zu abermaligen finanziellen Sanktionen führen.
Wegen umstrittener Urteile des polnischen Verfassungsgerichts zum Status von EU-Recht geht die EU-Kommission rechtlich gegen das Land vor. Die Brüsseler Behörde leitete am Mittwoch ein Vertragsverletzungsverfahren ein, das mit einer weiteren Klage vor dem Europäischen Gerichtshof (EuGH) und schließlich mit finanziellen Sanktionen gegen Warschau enden könnte.
Nach Ansicht der EU-Kommission verstoßen die Urteile des Verfassungsgerichts unter anderem gegen den Vorrang und das Prinzip der einheitlichen Anwendung des EU-Rechts sowie gegen die bindende Wirkung von EuGH-Urteilen. Zudem äußerte die Brüsseler Behörde erhebliche Zweifel an der Unabhängigkeit und Unparteilichkeit des Verfassungsgerichts. » | Quelle: DPA_Basis | Mittwoch, 22. Dezember 2021
Männer werden immer weiblicher | Männlichkeit im Gespräch | Sternstunde Philosophie | SRF Kultur
Arrests, Beatings and Secret Prayers: Inside the Persecution of India’s Christians
THE NEW YORK TIMES: “They want to remove us from society,” a Christian farmer said of Hindu extremists. Rising attacks on Christians are part of a broader shift in India, in which minorities feel less safe.
INDORE, India — The Christians were mid-hymn when the mob kicked in the door.
A swarm of men dressed in saffron poured inside. They jumped onstage and shouted Hindu supremacist slogans. They punched pastors in the head. They threw women to the ground, sending terrified children scuttling under their chairs.
“They kept beating us, pulling out hair,” said Manish David, one of the pastors who was assaulted. “They yelled: ‘What are you doing here? What songs are you singing? What are you trying to do?’”
The attack unfolded on the morning of Jan. 26 at the Satprakashan Sanchar Kendra Christian center in the city of Indore. The police soon arrived, but the officers did not touch the aggressors. Instead, they arrested and jailed the pastors and other church elders, who were still dizzy from getting punched in the head. The Christians were charged with breaking a newly enforced law that targets religious conversions, one that mirrors at least a dozen other measures across the country that have prompted a surge in mob violence against Indian Christians.
Pastor David was not converting anyone, he said. But the organized assault against his church was propelled by a growing anti-Christian hysteria that is spreading across this vast nation, home to one of Asia’s oldest and largest Christian communities, with more than 30 million adherents. » | Jeffrey Gettleman and Suhasini Raj | Photographs by Atul Loke | Undated
Antisemitismus? Wo denn?
TACHLES: Neue antisemitische Skandale jenseits des Kanals.
Grossbritannien ist - leider – ein Hort antisemitischer Vorfälle, wie eine breite Öffentlichkeit spätestens mit dem Aufstieg des antisemitischen Politikers Jeremy Corbyn zum Vorsitzenden der altehrwürdigen Labour-Partei erfahren konnte. Auch die zum Teil antisemitische BDS-Bewegung hat an den Campi britischer Universitäten mehr Erfolg als in so manch anderen Staaten. Nun gibt es neue antisemitische Vorfälle, in ganz unterschiedlichen Bereichen, die zeigen, wie tief sich der Judenhass auch in der Gegenwart in die britische Kultur hineingefressen hat. … » | Redaktion | Dienstag, 21. Dezember 2021
Grossbritannien ist - leider – ein Hort antisemitischer Vorfälle, wie eine breite Öffentlichkeit spätestens mit dem Aufstieg des antisemitischen Politikers Jeremy Corbyn zum Vorsitzenden der altehrwürdigen Labour-Partei erfahren konnte. Auch die zum Teil antisemitische BDS-Bewegung hat an den Campi britischer Universitäten mehr Erfolg als in so manch anderen Staaten. Nun gibt es neue antisemitische Vorfälle, in ganz unterschiedlichen Bereichen, die zeigen, wie tief sich der Judenhass auch in der Gegenwart in die britische Kultur hineingefressen hat. … » | Redaktion | Dienstag, 21. Dezember 2021
Héritage nazi : une artiste juive veut retirer ses œuvres du Kunsthaus de Zürich
LE FIGARO : La Suisse Miriam Cahn, dont la renommée est mondiale, a adressé une lettre ouverte à l'hebdomadaire Tachles dans laquelle elle revient sur les soupçons qui pèsent sur les origines de la collection Bürhle.
Miriam Cahn, une artiste suisse de confession juive veut retirer ses œuvres du Kunsthaus de Zürich, qui accueille la collection Bührle, ternie par le soupçon d'avoir été en partie constituée d'œuvres acquises à la faveur de la persécution des Juifs par les nazis.
« Je ne veux plus être représentée dans “ce” Kunsthaus de Zürich », déclare Miriam Cahn, une artiste de renommée mondiale dans une lettre adressée à l'hebdomadaire juif Tachles, paru mercredi 22 décembre. » | Par Le Figaro avec AFP | mercredi 22 décembre 2021
Miriam Cahn zieht ihre Bilder vom Kunsthaus Zürich ab: Die international renommierte Schweizer Künstlerin reagiert auf die Causa-Bührle. »
'The Big Quit' as Millions Leave Jobs in US - BBC News
Tuesday, December 21, 2021
Miles and Jim | Giving Ourselves the Permission to Thrive
Recently, I stumbled upon this great series on gays in the Mormon Church. I have already posted a few of these episodes here on this blog for you. I have posted them not because I have any connection to the Mormon Church; I don’t. But the quality of these discussions is excellent and commendable. These are also quality people: sincere, good-living people who simply have come to terms with same-sex attraction.
Further, there is much to be learnt from these discussions, there is much that crosses religious divides. I find that the people that are interviewed are very fascinating and very much to be respected. They are sincere people who have had great difficulty coming to terms with their sexuality. I therefore hope that you enjoy these discussions every bit as as much as I do. Please remember that this blog is open to people of all faiths and none. Hopefully, you will enjoy this discussion as much as I have. – © Mark
A Birthday Kiss.
Heston's Christmas Classics : Roasted Gammon with Maple-mustard Glaze | Waitrose & Partners
Get the recipe here.
Gabriel Boric Win in Chile Is “Huge Victory” for Social Movements That Fought Off Far-Right Threat
The Guardian view on Chile’s new president: Boric brings a fresh start: The leftist triumphed over his far-right rival with promises of a fairer deal for ordinary people. Can he achieve it? »
Barrister Who Sued after Colleague Asked Him to Stop Farting Loses Case
THE GUARDIAN: Lawyer said flatulence was caused by heart medication and argued the request violated his dignity
A senior barrister who sued the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) after a colleague asked him to stop breaking wind in the room they worked in together has lost his case.
Tarique Mohammed sued for harassment and told an employment tribunal that his repetitive flatulence was caused by medication he was on for a heart condition.
He said the comment from his colleague Paul McGorry was “embarrassing” and violated his dignity – but the panel found it was a reasonable request to have asked him to stop.
The prosecutor, who suffered a heart attack in 2014, also alleged he was discriminated against because of his disabilities and made a number of further allegations against his co-workers and bosses.
He claimed they threw away his water bottles, asked him to work one day a week 60 miles away and failed to pay for his barrister’s practising certificate while he was on sick leave. » | Tom Ambrose | Tuesday, December 21, 2021
A senior barrister who sued the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) after a colleague asked him to stop breaking wind in the room they worked in together has lost his case.
Tarique Mohammed sued for harassment and told an employment tribunal that his repetitive flatulence was caused by medication he was on for a heart condition.
He said the comment from his colleague Paul McGorry was “embarrassing” and violated his dignity – but the panel found it was a reasonable request to have asked him to stop.
The prosecutor, who suffered a heart attack in 2014, also alleged he was discriminated against because of his disabilities and made a number of further allegations against his co-workers and bosses.
He claimed they threw away his water bottles, asked him to work one day a week 60 miles away and failed to pay for his barrister’s practising certificate while he was on sick leave. » | Tom Ambrose | Tuesday, December 21, 2021
‘A Fire-eater Who’s Run Out of Fuel’: European Press Lays Into Boris Johnson
THE GUARDIAN: Continental media are in no mood to donner un break to the British PM, sensing the ‘beginning of the end’
El País said it was clear that Johnson’s ‘electoral magic has run out’. Photograph: Tolga Akmen/AP
For El País in Spain, his “magic has vanished”. For Libération in France he is “the only actor in the Boris Johnson show – which is, increasingly, a flop”. In Germany, Der Spiegel asked how long Britain could last being governed “almost exclusively by defiant optimism”.
As the scandals mount, the approval ratings plunge, the electoral defeats accumulate, the rebellions multiply, his trusted Brexit lieutenant jumps ship and the Omicron variant runs rampant, continental media seem – to coin a phrase – in no mood to donner un break to Britain’s beleaguered prime minister.
“Johnson says he accepts responsibility,” wrote Libération. “But for what? The spectacular defeat of his party in North Shropshire, which he himself triggered by supporting the local MP, accused of corruption? The multiple parties under his roof when the country was in lockdown?”
Does he also accept responsibility for “the total absence, for months, of any social distancing measures or masks” in the face of a rampaging virus that has killed nearly 150,000 people, the paper asked. And for “the ailing economy; the plunging foreign investments; Brexit, which still has not delivered the slightest positive result?” » | Jon Henley in Paris | Tuesday, December 21, 2021
For El País in Spain, his “magic has vanished”. For Libération in France he is “the only actor in the Boris Johnson show – which is, increasingly, a flop”. In Germany, Der Spiegel asked how long Britain could last being governed “almost exclusively by defiant optimism”.
As the scandals mount, the approval ratings plunge, the electoral defeats accumulate, the rebellions multiply, his trusted Brexit lieutenant jumps ship and the Omicron variant runs rampant, continental media seem – to coin a phrase – in no mood to donner un break to Britain’s beleaguered prime minister.
“Johnson says he accepts responsibility,” wrote Libération. “But for what? The spectacular defeat of his party in North Shropshire, which he himself triggered by supporting the local MP, accused of corruption? The multiple parties under his roof when the country was in lockdown?”
Does he also accept responsibility for “the total absence, for months, of any social distancing measures or masks” in the face of a rampaging virus that has killed nearly 150,000 people, the paper asked. And for “the ailing economy; the plunging foreign investments; Brexit, which still has not delivered the slightest positive result?” » | Jon Henley in Paris | Tuesday, December 21, 2021
Ruler of Dubai Ordered to Pay Divorce Settlement That Could Exceed £500m
THE GUARDIAN: Payment to protect Princess Haya and children from threat sheikh poses to them is highest awarded by a UK court
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum and Princess Haya attending Derby Day at Epsom Downs Racecourse in 2016. Photograph: David M Benett/Getty Images
The ruler of Dubai has been ordered to pay his ex-wife Princess Haya and their two children a divorce settlement which could reach over half a billion pounds – the highest ever awarded by a UK court – to protect them from the threat he poses to them.
In a written judgment, Mr Justice Moor said that “uniquely” the “main threat” to Haya and the children came from Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, who is also prime minister of the United Arab Emirate, a close Gulf ally of Britain.
Haya fled to Britain in April 2019 with her two children. Since then, in a series of hearings concerned with custody, access and financial support, which have so far cost over £70m in legal fees, high court judges have found on the balance of probabilities that: » | Haroon Siddique, Legal affairs correspondent | Tuesday, December 21, 2021
Dubai ruler’s divorce settlement reveals ‘truly opulent’ standard of living: Couple spent £2m on strawberries in a summer and children had annual £10m allowances »
The ruler of Dubai has been ordered to pay his ex-wife Princess Haya and their two children a divorce settlement which could reach over half a billion pounds – the highest ever awarded by a UK court – to protect them from the threat he poses to them.
In a written judgment, Mr Justice Moor said that “uniquely” the “main threat” to Haya and the children came from Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, who is also prime minister of the United Arab Emirate, a close Gulf ally of Britain.
Haya fled to Britain in April 2019 with her two children. Since then, in a series of hearings concerned with custody, access and financial support, which have so far cost over £70m in legal fees, high court judges have found on the balance of probabilities that: » | Haroon Siddique, Legal affairs correspondent | Tuesday, December 21, 2021
Dubai ruler’s divorce settlement reveals ‘truly opulent’ standard of living: Couple spent £2m on strawberries in a summer and children had annual £10m allowances »
Monday, December 20, 2021
The Guardian View on the Police Bill: A Fight for the Right to Protest
THE GUARDIAN – EDITORIAL: Labour and the Lords must take a stand against the draconian crackdown on demonstrators proposed by ministers
Insulate Britain activists protest in London last month. Photograph: Belinda Jiao/Sopa Images/Rex/Shutterstock
An already illiberal police and crime bill threatens to become even more so, if 18 pages of amendments added to it by the government in the House of Lords last month are accepted. A new criminal offence of obstructing major transport works, the expansion of stop and search powers and a new power for police to ban named people from demonstrations are clearly intended to strangle off what ministers are worried could be a new line in disruptive climate protests, after two months of roadblocks organised by the direct-action group Insulate Britain – and a decision by the supreme court earlier this year reaffirming the right of protesters to cause disruption.
Emboldened by the angry response to Insulate Britain from some members of the public, and criticism from paramedics about delays to ambulances, the home secretary, Priti Patel, and her colleagues have calculated that they can risk bypassing the scrutiny by MPs that is an essential part of our parliamentary process. In January, the Lords will have the opportunity to prove them wrong by rejecting these tacked-on, kneejerk measures.
The police, crime, sentencing and courts bill was bad enough before, as was vividly illustrated by criticism of it from David Blunkett and Theresa May – neither of whom remotely resembles the stereotype of the out-of-touch-with-public-opinion, human-rights-obsessed liberal that some on the right love to hate. The bill, wrote Lord Blunkett earlier this year, would make Britain “more like Putin’s Russia”. More than 600,000 people signed a petition objecting to it. » | Editorial | Sunday, December 19, 2021
An already illiberal police and crime bill threatens to become even more so, if 18 pages of amendments added to it by the government in the House of Lords last month are accepted. A new criminal offence of obstructing major transport works, the expansion of stop and search powers and a new power for police to ban named people from demonstrations are clearly intended to strangle off what ministers are worried could be a new line in disruptive climate protests, after two months of roadblocks organised by the direct-action group Insulate Britain – and a decision by the supreme court earlier this year reaffirming the right of protesters to cause disruption.
Emboldened by the angry response to Insulate Britain from some members of the public, and criticism from paramedics about delays to ambulances, the home secretary, Priti Patel, and her colleagues have calculated that they can risk bypassing the scrutiny by MPs that is an essential part of our parliamentary process. In January, the Lords will have the opportunity to prove them wrong by rejecting these tacked-on, kneejerk measures.
The police, crime, sentencing and courts bill was bad enough before, as was vividly illustrated by criticism of it from David Blunkett and Theresa May – neither of whom remotely resembles the stereotype of the out-of-touch-with-public-opinion, human-rights-obsessed liberal that some on the right love to hate. The bill, wrote Lord Blunkett earlier this year, would make Britain “more like Putin’s Russia”. More than 600,000 people signed a petition objecting to it. » | Editorial | Sunday, December 19, 2021
Seong-Jin Cho – Chopin: Impromptu No. 1 in A Flat Major, Op. 29
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