Behold the New ‘Hostile Environment’ – with the Power to Rob Millions of British Citizenship

THE GUARDIAN – OPINION: The government promised to learn from Windrush, but citizens trafficked to Syria by Islamic State have also been abandoned

‘Citizenship-stripping powers may feel abstract, but the government’s unprecedented use of them is already having a terrible impact on British families.’ Photograph: Uk Parliament/JESSICA TAYLOR HANDOUT/EPA
The government’s proposed new powers to strip people of their citizenship without notice rang alarm bells in communities across Britain. Despite being the first Muslim woman in our country’s history to serve in the cabinet, my family and I could be deprived of our citizenship without being told about it, and cast out of our home country if the Home Office believed this would be conducive to the public good. Two in five people from ethnic minority backgrounds could be at risk.

Successive British governments have torn down the basic belief that all British citizens in this country are and should be equal. The consequences of this government’s unprecedentedly broad use of citizenship-stripping powers have become even more clear to me after hearing directly from the families of British citizens detained in north-east Syria. » | Sayeeda Warsi | Tuesday, February 15, 2022

Alexei Navalny Faces 15 More Years in Prison as New Trial Starts

THE GUARDIAN: Russian opposition leader in new trial at penal colony far from support base on charge of embezzlement

Alexei Navalny (centre) is seen on a monitor during a court session in the IK-2 penal colony in Vladimir region, Russia. Photograph: Yuri Kochetkov/EPA
Russia could extend Alexei Navalny’s imprisonment for up to a further 15 years in a fresh criminal trial that his supporters warn has been overshadowed by the crisis in Ukraine.

The Russian opposition leader is accused of embezzling donations to his FBK anti-corruption organisation, which has accused Vladimir Putin of owning a £1bn mansion and other top officials enriching themselves through corrupt schemes.

Navalny has denied the charges and calls them politically motivated.

The new trial for embezzlement began on Tuesday inside the IK-2 penal colony in Vladimir, an unusual setting three or four hours’ drive east of Moscow, that severely limits the ability of supporters and observers to attend the hearings. » | Andrew Roth in Moscow | Tuesday, February 15, 2022

No 10 Pressured Me to Drop Anti-money Laundering Measures, Says Ex-minister

THE GUARDIAN: UK ‘laughing stock’ for failure to stem dirty money, says Lord Faulks QC, who was told to drop register by Theresa May’s No 10

A former Conservative minister, once at the heart of efforts to clamp down on money laundering in London, has revealed that during Theresa May’s premiership, No 10 “leant on him” when he tabled amendments to introduce a public register of overseas property owners.

Lord Faulks said he had first tried to put the register into the criminal finances bill in 2017 and then again into a government bill on money laundering in 2018. He had described the overseas ownership of dirty money in London as an obscenity.

Faulks, a distinguished barrister and now an independent peer, told the Guardian he was rung by Downing Street during May’s tenure and told to go to a meeting where he met civil servants from four government departments including the Foreign Office, business officials and the Home Office. They told him to drop the amendments – for which he had a voting majority in the Lords – because they assured him Whitehall had the issue in hand.

He told the Guardian: “I was obviously misled because nothing has subsequently happened. I can only think a deluded desire to protect the City of London has led to all these delays.

“It is a real irony that our reputation for protecting the rule of law is one of the things that attracts people who have very little regard for the rule of law themselves and come from countries which ignore it almost altogether. » | Patrick Wintour, Diplomatic editor | Tuesday, February 15, 2022

You're Never Too Old to Come Out & Find Love — Our Story Is Proof

ADVOCATE: Pat and Paulette tell their love story of finding one another in their 60s and building a life together.

Pat and Paulette Martin reside in East Harlem in New York City. Pat is the CEO of HarlemYES, Inc., a community-based not-for-profit organization. Paulette is the Vice President in charge of program outreach and development for HarlemYES, Inc., where she is instrumental in developing, promoting, and implementing the company’s workshops and networking events. As part of HarlemYES, Inc., Pat, Paulette, and their team have created and produced several intergenerational programs and events servicing the LGBT+ community and allies.

In this as told to story, they tell The Advocate editor at large John Casey about the life they've built together. Pat and Paulette » | John Casey | February 14, 2022

Franglais: l’Académie tire la sonnette d’alarme

«Le vocabulaire anglo-américain est souvent considéré à tort comme bien connu du public en général», s’alarme l’Académie. Verkhovynets Taras/tverkhovinets – Fotolia
LE FIGARO : EXCLUSIF - Dans un rapport rendu public ce mardi, les Immortels déplorent l’essor du franglais dans la communication institutionnelle et pointent un risque de fracture sociale et générationnelle.

«Allons Thomas, prenez l’autre bras de monsieur, pour voir si vous saurez porter un bon jugement de son pouls. Quid dicis?» Sur la scène du Palais-Royal, où se joue Le Malade imaginaire, le public se gausse de Monsieur Diafoirus, ce médecin, précieux et ridicule, qui abuse de formules latines auquel le peuple ne comprend rien. Aujourd’hui, les nouveaux Diafoirus ne parlent plus latin mais franglais. Ils travaillent dans des mairies, des universités, des musées, des sites institutionnels ou des entreprises de statut public ou privé.

Quelques illustrations par l’exemple. Air France inflige à ses clients sa «skyteam», la Poste propose une «pickup station» et la Fnac ses «french days». Shocking! D’autant que les jeux de mots sont souvent vaseux, sinon incompréhensibles. «Goût de France / Good France», lit-on sur le site du ministère de l’Europe et des Affaires étrangères. «Alors, ready to Ouigo?»[»], demande la SNCF. Et on ne se rend plus à l’université de Cergy-Pontoise mais à «CY» («see why») comme si l’on arrivait à New York (NY)… Et ce jargon n’est pas réservé à la région parisienne. Que penser du slogan «Sarthe me up» ? Maubeuge paraît-elle plus aimable en «creative city» ? Et Antibes-Juan-les-Pins, plus désirable avec cette offre: «Venez rider derrière des Correct Craft 200 Air Nautique»? » | Par Alice Develey | lundi 14 février 2022

Réservé aux abonnés

Unerbittliche Propaganda auf allen Kanälen: Russland stellt sich dem Heimpublikum als friedliebendes Land dar, das vom Westen bedroht wird

NEUE ZÜRCHER ZEITUNG: Das russische Staatsfernsehen malt derzeit ein bedrohliches Szenario von einem nahenden Angriff der Ukraine auf Russland. In Nachrichtensendungen und Talkshows werden abenteuerliche Thesen über die Machenschaften der USA und Europas verbreitet.

Der Journalist Dmitri Kiseljow gilt seit langem als Stimme des Kreml. In der Ukraine-Krise macht er Stimmung gegen den Westen. | Vladimir Trefilov / Imago
Sonntag ist Krimizeit, auch in Russland. Nicht, dass es hier einen «Tatort» oder einen «Polizeiruf» gäbe. Russlands Krimi geht so: «Bis an die Zähne bewaffnete ukrainische Neonazis stehen an unserer Grenze, dazu angestiftet von den USA.» Dieser Satz, mag er auch immer wieder ein wenig anders formuliert sein, fällt in den Nachrichtensendungen, in den Talkshows, in der Wochenzusammenfassung. Vor allem am Sonntagabend dominieren politische Ereignisse in Russland und der Welt die Sendungen, stundenlang, bis weit nach Mitternacht. Die Ukraine-Krise steht auch im russischen Staatsfernsehen derzeit im Fokus. Der Tenor dabei lautet: Schuld sind immer die anderen. «Unkultivierte Amerikaner» und «lächerliche Ukrainer» » | Inna Hartwich, Moskau | Samstag, 12. Februar 2022

George Michael : One More Try

Official Video | Views on YouTube: 140,115,388

Kenny Rogers : Crazy

Oct 6, 2015 • Provided to YouTube by Universal Music Group | Views on YouTube: 2,641,429

When I Need You : Julio Iglesias

(“The best song performed by Julio Iglesias” at Jakarta, December 1994) | Views on YouTube: 21,208,842

Edith Piaf : La vie en rose

Vues sur YouTube : 55,478,259

CALLEkocht : Möhrensuppe und gebackene Austern zum Valentinstag. Ein liebes Rezept

Liebe geht durch den Magen und mit dieser Suppe erst recht. Viele verschiedene aphrodisierende Mittel schmecken nicht nur gut, sondern machen auch noch Spaß. Die Karottensuppe ist einfach zu kochen und die Austern sind schnell gebraten. Und wer nicht an die aphrodisierende Wirkung glaubt, freut sich über diese leckere Möhrensuppe. Was soll schon passieren?

Zutaten:

4 Austern
1 Granatapfel
1 Avocado
Staudensellerie
4 Karotten
2 Zwiebeln
Kürbiskerne
1 TL Ginseng
2 EL Honig
1 TL Ginkoblätter
Etwas Ingwer
1 Chilischote
40 g Butter
500 ml Gemüsebrühe
500 ml Sahne

Zum Panieren:

1 Ei
3 EL Mehl
3 EL Paniermeh
l Olivenöl


Das Rezept ist auch hier auffindbar.

Democracy Now! US News & World Headlines – February 14, 2022

A Valentine's Day Kiss

Ein Kuß zum Valentinstag / Un baiser de saint Valentin
Photo: Adobe Stock

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Joyeuse saint Valentin ! / Froher Valentinstag !
Image: Adobe Stock

Barbra Streisand : The Way We Were

Dec 24, 2017 • Movie: The Way We Were (1973) | Views on YouTube: 4,288,701

BYU Electroshock Documentary | Gay Conversion Therapy Program

Mar 26, 2020 • Originally produced by Gentile Pictures in 1996, this documentary, titled: Legacies, features the personal stories of four men who were subjected to vomit, electrocution, and visual therapies at Brigham Young University.

Under the direction of BYU President, Dallin H. Oaks and other BYU administrators, the therapies were designed to rid BYU students of their homosexuality.

To date there is no evidence or personal accounts that acknowledge the conversion therapy programs were successful. Contrarily, victims of this abuse have experienced physical and emotional damage. Some even took their lives as a result of the therapy.


How barbaric! How unenlightened! How ignorant! How backward! How dangerous! How cruel! One can only pity these poor men who had to suffer through such demeaning and dangerous treatment. – © Mark

Crise ukrainienne : Moscou voit une «chance» de compromis avec l'Occident

Moscou dément toute velléité belliqueuse, mais lie toute désescalade à une liste d'exigences. SPUTNIK / REUTERS
LE FIGARO : La Russie a déclaré lundi qu'il existait une «chance» de régler la crise ukrainienne par la voie diplomatique, au moment où les Occidentaux craignent que les tensions ne dégénèrent en conflit armé.

«Existe-t-il une chance de trouver un accord avec nos partenaires sur les sujets-clés ou s'agit-il d'une tentative de nous entraîner dans des négociations sans fin ?», a fait mine de demander le président Vladimir Poutine au chef de la diplomatie russe Sergueï Lavrov. «En tant que chef du ministère des Affaires étrangères, je dois dire qu'il y a toujours une chance», a répondu le ministre, dans un entretien avec Vladimir Poutine retransmis à la télévision. » | Par Le Figaro avec AFP | lundi 14 février 2022

Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall Tests Positive for Coronavirus

THE GUARDIAN: Clarence House says Camilla is self-isolating after Prince Charles contracted Covid last week

The Duchess of Cornwall has tested positive for coronavirus, Clarence House has announced.

A spokesman said: “Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cornwall has tested positive for Covid-19 and is self-isolating. We continue to follow government guidelines.

The announcement follows that made on Thursday disclosing Prince Charles, 73, had tested positive for the virus.

The duchess, 74, carried out a string of engagements on the same day. She described herself then as “luckily” negative, saying of her testing regime during a visit to Thames Valley Partnership in Buckinghamshire: “I’ve taken it so many times.” » | Caroline Davies | Monday, February 14, 2022

Related.

La vie des frères Grimm - Au-delà des contes | ARTE

Feb 13, 2022 • Derrière les célèbres contes, deux hommes passionnés de langue, de littérature, mais également de politique. Les frères Grimm se racontent, dans un documentaire ancré dans l’Allemagne du XIXe siècle.

En 1837, les célèbres auteurs de contes Jacob et Wilhelm Grimm exercent en tant que professeurs dans la ville universitaire de Göttingen, en Allemagne. La période est trouble : quatre ans après l’adoption d’une Constitution accordant aux bourgeois et aux paysans le droit de siéger au Parlement et limitant son pouvoir, le roi Guillaume décède. Son frère Ernest Auguste, conservateur, n’est pas animé des mêmes convictions et abroge la Constitution. Les frères Grimm, entourés d’autres professeurs et intellectuels, entament une lutte politique acharnée.

Relation touchante

Constitué d’interviews de chercheurs, de reconstitutions et d’interprétations des textes par les mots des frères Grimm eux-mêmes, ainsi que d’illustrations poétiques de leurs contes, ce documentaire plonge dans l’univers germanique du XIXe siècle. Le travail de la réalisatrice Gabriele Rose éclaire le contexte historique, intellectuel et politique, mais témoigne avant tout de l’amour immense que les frères Grimm portaient aux langues et à la littérature. La relation touchante entre les deux hommes, leurs combats politiques et les coulisses de leur histoire familiale méconnue constituent les fils rouges de ce portrait vivant du duo le plus connu de la littérature allemande.

La vie des frères Grimm - Au-delà des contes
Documentaire de Gabriele Rose (Allemagne, 2020, 53mn)
Disponible jusqu'au 07/05/2022


Dieses Dokudrama ist hier auf Deutsch verfügbar.

Zarah Sultana Destroys Rishi Sunak

Feb 14, 2022 • “Rishi Sunak is taking the piss”

Chinese Censors Cut Gay References from Friends

THE TIMES: Outcry over ‘defiled’ version of hit American sitcom

Chinese censors removed scenes that referred to Ross’s ex-wife being gay | PAUL DRINKWATER/NBCUNIVERSAL VIA GETTY
Chinese censors have removed lesbian scenes and sanitised references to sex in Friends as the show is re-released on streaming sites, to the anger of the sitcom’s many Chinese fans.

The cuts have been so comprehensive that fans have complained that plots and some jokes now no longer make sense. They have called for a boycott and slammed the censorship as “defiling” the first season of the show, originally broadcast in 1994.

On Friday when several entertainment platforms, including Tencent Video, reprised the show, some fans were quick to notice the absence of several scenes, including those relating to the character Ross explaining that his ex-wife, Carol, is gay. Viewers also reported cuts or mistranslations of lines by LGBT+ characters or scenes that included mildly … » | Didi Tang, Beijing | Monday, February 14, 2022

Offer: Get unlimited digital access on any device. You can start your free trial here.

Why Is Turkey Rebranding as Türkiye? - BBC News

Feb 14, 2022 • Turkey is rebranding its internationally-recognised name as Türkiye. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the new name “represents and expresses the culture, civilisation, and values of the Turkish nation in the best way”. But the change is about more than phonetic pronunciation.

NZ Covid Outbreak ‘Like Nothing We’ve Experienced’, Ardern Says, as Cases Skyrocket

THE GUARDIAN: Virus-free for much of the pandemic, New Zealand is now reporting near-daily record case numbers

New Zealand’s prime minister has warned that the country is entering a new phase of its pandemic response that is “like nothing we’ve experienced to date”, as case numbers begin to explode.

“We are embarking for the first time in the two years since the start of the outbreak into a period where New Zealanders will see more Covid in the community,” Jacinda Ardern said on Monday.

“It is a period of disruption and, I know, of risk and will be like nothing we’ve experienced to date.” » | Tess McClure in Auckland | Monday, February 14, 2022

A letter to New Zealand, from Covid-ravaged Australia: Omicron has played out in a series of strange stages in Australia. Here’s what to expect when the wave hits »

Mauritius Formally Challenges Britain’s Ownership of Chagos Islands

THE GUARDIAN: Mauritian ambassador to UN raises country’s flag above atoll of Peros Banhos

Britain’s ownership of the Chagos archipelago has been formally challenged after the Mauritian ambassador to the UN, Jagdish Koonjul, raised his country’s flag above the atoll of Peros Banhos.

In a ceremony on Monday at 10.30am local time, Mauritian officials sang their country’s national anthem and the red, blue, yellow and green standard was raised up the flagpole.

Koonjul said: “We are performing the symbolic act of raising the flag as the British have done so many times to establish colonies. We, however, are reclaiming what has always been our own.” » | Owen Bowcott and Bruno Rinvolucri in Peros Banhos | | Monday, February 14, 2022

The Quiet Flight of Muslims from France

THE NEW YORK TIMES: All the talk of France’s presidential election campaign is about immigration. But it is the expanding emigration of French Muslims that points to a deeper crisis for the country.

PARIS — France’s wounded psyche is the invisible character in every one of Sabri Louatah’s novels and the hit television series he wrote. He speaks of his “sensual, physical, visceral love” for the French language and of his attachment to his hometown in southeastern France, bathed in its distinctive light. He closely monitors the campaign for the upcoming presidential elections.

But Mr. Louatah does all of that from Philadelphia, the city that he began considering home after the 2015 attacks in France by Islamist extremists, which killed scores of people and deeply traumatized the country. As sentiments hardened against all French Muslims, he no longer felt safe there. One day, he was spat on and called, “Dirty Arab.”

“It’s really the 2015 attacks that made me leave because I understood they were not going to forgive us,” said Mr. Louatah, 38, the grandson of Muslim immigrants from Algeria. “When you live in a big Democratic city on the East Coast, you’re more at peace than in Paris, where you’re deep in the cauldron.” » | orimitsu Onishi and Aida Alami | Sunday, February 13, 2022

Has Diplomacy Reached a Dead End? | Inside Story

Feb 13, 2022 • The latest diplomatic attempt between the United States and Russia to resolve tensions over Ukraine has achieved nothing. Presidents Putin and Biden exchanged warnings and concerns over the phone, but little else, while military activity continues on both sides.

Moscow has been massing troops in Russia and Belarus near their borders with Ukraine. The build-up is raising fears an invasion is imminent.

Ukraine is receiving Western support. Its biggest ally, the US, is sending 200 million dollars’ worth of military aid, including armour-penetrating missiles and ammunition.

Why is the crisis over Ukraine proving so hard to solve?

Presenter: Sami Zeidan. Guests: Pavel Felgenhauer, Defence and Military Analyst, and a Columnist at Novaya Gazeta; Matthew Bryza, Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council, and a Former Diplomat and National Security Official at the White House; Glenn Diesen, Professor of International Relations at the University of South-Eastern Norway and Editor of 'Russia in Global Affairs'

Les Suisses acceptent de limiter presque totalement la publicité sur le tabac

Les Suisses ont voté ce dimanche au sujet de l'interdiction des publicités pour le tabac dans les lieux publics. Valentin FLAURAUD / AFP
LE FIGARO : Les Suisses ont donné leur feu vert dimanche dans les urnes pour interdire la publicité sur le tabac accessible aux enfants et adolescents, selon des premiers résultats officiels. La Chancellerie fédérale donne le «oui» gagnant à 54%, ainsi qu'à la majorité des cantons, les deux étant nécessaires pour que l'initiative populaire soit approuvée. Les résultats définitifs sont attendus en début de soirée. » | Par Le Figaro avec AFP | dimanche 13 février 2022

Plus sur cette histoire ici.

Swiss Approve Tobacco Ad Ban Long after Neighbours

BBC: Swiss voters have backed a ban on tobacco advertising anywhere young people might see it.

In effect, the Yes vote in the nationwide referendum will lead to a complete ban.

The move will bring Switzerland into line with its European neighbours, most of whom adopted strict rules on tobacco advertising years ago.

Despite its healthy, environmentally friendly image, Switzerland has the most lax rules on tobacco in Europe. » | Imogen Foulkes, BBC News, Bern | Sunday, February 13, 2022

Related.

Deutliches Ja: Volk nimmt Tabakinitiative mit 56,6 Prozent an: Das Schlussresultat liegt vor: Das Werbeverbot für Tabak zum Schutz von Kindern und Jugendlichen wurde angenommen. »

Just Hand-in-hand Through an Italian Street. That’s All! Hide Nothing!

Einfach Hand in Hand durch eine italienische Straße. Das ist alles! Nichts verstecken! / Juste main dans la main dans une rue italienne. C'est tout ! Ne cache rien !
Many thanks to Dancefloors & Magazines on Pinterest for this image.

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

Oct 6, 2017 • Listen to Chopin’s “Fantaisie Impromptu” played by Daniil Trifonov. Daniil Trifonov's new album contains Chopin's two beautiful piano concertos in fascinating new orchestrations by pianist-conductor-composer Mikhail Pletnev. Alongside the concerts Trifonov presents Chopin's solo works and pieces by Mompou, Schumann, Tchaikovsky, Grieg, and Barber paying homage to the genius who, in Trifonov's words, "revolutionized the expressive horizons of the piano."

Military Gay Exploration, Lobotomy, & Electroshock Therapy | Beyond Stonewall | Smithsonian Channel

Dec 31, 2020 • In the early 20th century, the medical establishment became fixated with the idea that gay people could be “cured.” To achieve this, they turned to a litany of brutal practices: from electrotherapy to lobotomies.

Homosexualität

May 13, 2021 • Soll die Kirche Homosexuelle segnen?

The Observer View on How Europe Can Step Back from the Brink of War

THE OBSERVER – EDITORIAL: A united diplomatic front is the best weapon to persuade Vladimir Putin against invading Ukraine

‘It is of paramount importance that Vladimir Putin is forcefully reminded of the severe economic consequences Russia will face.’ Photograph: SPUTNIK/Reuters
Europe stands on the brink of war. The biggest conflagration since 1945 is now an all-too-real prospect. For many people, this seems incredible. How did we come to this? Are the terrible lessons of the Nazi era, of the Cold War invasions of Hungary and Czechoslovakia, of Bosnia, Kosovo and of previous suppressions of free peoples by tyrannical leaders all now forgotten? Hopefully not. And yet history, confounding reason, appears set to repeat itself.

As this dread maelstrom spins, the US, Britain and the Nato allies are united in three key respects. First, their intelligence services agree Russia has sufficient military capability around Ukraine’s borders to mount a full-scale invasion, seize the capital, Kyiv, and force a change of government that better suits Moscow’s interests. US president Joe Biden suggests an attack could come as early as Wednesday. Second, the western powers are unanimous in blaming this desperate situation on Russia’s president. Vladimir Putin, and only Vladimir Putin, they believe, will decide if, when, where and how an invasion takes place. At this point (and contrary to what Biden told the allies), it’s unclear whether Putin has made a final decision. This is crucial. It means he may yet be dissuaded. It also means he, pre-eminently, will be to blame if the worst happens. » | Editorial | Sunday, February 13, 2022

Ukraine : l'ambassadeur russe en Suède dit n'avoir «rien à foutre» des sanctions occidentales

L'ambassadeur russe en Suède, Viktor Tatarintsev. Capture d'écran YouTube
LE FIGARO : C'est ce qu'a déclaré Viktor Tatarintsev à un média suédois.

Moscou «n'en a rien à foutre» des risques de sanctions occidentales en cas d'invasion de l'Ukraine, a déclaré sans ambages l'ambassadeur russe en Suède. «Pardonnez-moi l'expression, mais nous n'en avons rien à foutre de toutes leurs sanctions», a indiqué Viktor Tatarintsev au Aftonbladet, dans un entretien diffusé tard samedi sur le site internet du journal suédois.

Les Occidentaux, États-Unis et Européens de l'ouest en tête, craignent que la Russie n'envahisse l'Ukraine voisine, et menacent Moscou de «fortes sanctions» économiques dans ce cas. «On nous a déjà imposé tellement de sanctions, et dans un sens elles ont eu des effets positifs sur notre économie et notre agriculture», souligne l'expérimenté Tatarintsev, qui parle couramment suédois et a occupé plusieurs postes en Suède. » | Par Le Figaro avec AFP | dimanche 13 février 2022

Amerikas Angst vor dem Abstieg – die Rivalen: China versus USA, Teil 2 I auslandsjournal

Feb 2, 2022 • Die China-Politik der USA: Alle Zeichen deuten auf verschärfte Handelskonflikte und zunehmende militärische Drohgebärden hin. USA-Korrespondent Elmar Theveßen und Annette Brieger zeigen, wie die wachsende wirtschaftliche Konkurrenz aus China die politischen Ziele der USA beeinflusst.

Künstliche Intelligenz, Computerchip-Produktion und erneuerbare Energien gelten als Zukunftsfelder, auf denen sich der Kampf um die technologische Führung im 21. Jahrhundert entscheidet. Mit China als Feindbild wächst der Druck auf die USA, die eigene Wirtschaft zu modernisieren. Hinzukommt ein drohender Krieg um den Inselstaat Taiwan.

Der Rust Belt, der sich seit Jahren im wirtschaftlichen Niedergang befindet, wird mit Hochdruck auf die Entwicklung von Zukunftstechnologien ausgerichtet. Elektromobilität und Halbleiterindustrien werden staatlich gefördert, um Abhängigkeiten von asiatischen Konkurrenten zu reduzieren.

Teil 1 dieses Dokumentarfilms befindet sich hier.

Chinas Angriff auf die Freiheit – die Rivalen: China versus USA, Teil 1 I auslandsjournal

Feb 1, 2022 • Innenpolitisch ist China kurz vor den Olympischen Spielen in Peking ein Land mit zwei Gesichtern. Das eine, das die Welt sehen soll, strotzt vor Kraft, Selbstbewusstsein und wirtschaftlichem Aufbruch. Das andere zeigt ein Land, das unter Wirtschaftskrisen und Versorgungsengpässen leidet, das die Macht Amerikas fürchtet und in den Nationalismus abgleitet.

Die China-Korrespondent*innen Ulf Röller und Stefanie Schoeneborn zeigen, wie Präsident Xi Jinping und die Kommunistische Partei die Olympischen Spiele nutzen, um das Land und das Volk noch stärker zu kontrollieren.

Auch Journalist*innen werden in ihrer Freiheit, zu berichten, zunehmend eingeschränkt. Wer Bilder jenseits der offiziellen Propaganda drehen will, wird massiv daran gehindert. Oft wird die Angst vor Corona missbraucht, um unliebsame Berichte zu verhindern. Trotz aller Widerstände gelingt es den ZDF-Korrespondenten, an Orte zu reisen und mit Menschen zu reden, die eigentlich niemand sehen und hören soll – ein Menschenrechtsanwalt, der nach dem Interview wieder festgenommen wurde. Eine Dragqueen, die für ein neues Bild von Männlichkeit kämpft. Eine Bloggerin, die zeigen will, wie rigoros Chinas Corona-Politik ist.

I’ll Fight to Overturn US Ban on My ‘Queer Bible’, Says British Author

THE OBSERVER: Former model Jack Guinness caught up in furore over Mississippi mayor’s attempt to withhold funding for library until ‘homosexual materials’ are withdrawn

Jack Guinness said he was proud that the controversy had turned him into a campaigner. | Photograph: Pal Hansen/The Observer
A British writer, presenter and former model says he is shocked to find himself at the centre of an unprecedented wave of book banning in the US.

A Mississippi mayor has told the Madison County Library to remove LGBTQ+ books from its shelves or lose funding. One of the books singled out as an example was The Queer Bible, a collection of LGBTQ+ history essays edited by Jack Guinness. Ridgeland’s Republican mayor, Gene McGee, has refused to release funds to the library until “homosexual materials” are withdrawn.

Tonja Johnson, executive director of the Madison County Library System, said when she told McGee that the library served the whole community, he replied that he only served “the great Lord above”.

Guinness discovered his anthology had been caught up in the book ban on Twitter. “I couldn’t quite believe my eyes,” he told the Observer. “When you write a book, you kind of imagine people might read it, but you don’t imagine anyone will ban it. Referring to it as ‘homosexual material’ – that’s the sort of phrase my grandmother would have used to talk about my jeans.”

Guinness, once described by GQmagazine as “the coolest man in Britain”, worked as a model after university for fashion labels such as Dolce & Gabbana, Gucci and Dunhill and became a famous face on the capital’s social scene. He was friends with Pixie Geldof, DJ Nick Grimshaw and musician Florence Welch, and used to be Alexa Chung’s flatmate.

He soon segued from modelling into work as a presenter and as a writer for Vogue, GQ and the Guardian. Since starting the Queer Bible as a website in 2017, he has been included in Attitudemagazine’s trailblazers list of exceptional LGBTQ contributors to the arts. He is also now a member of London mayor Sadiq Khan’s diversity in the public realm commission. » | Alice Fisher | Sunday, February 13, 2022

Jewish Survivor Lilian Saunders’ Testimony

May 1, 2012 • You are watching Lilian Saunders, a Jewish survivor from the Holocaust.

These videos are brought to us by the USC Shoah Foundation Institute, which was founded by Steven Spielberg in 1994. The Institute has video testimonies of 52,000 Holocaust survivors, witnesses, liberators, and others.

Tories Nudge Donors into Plum State Jobs

THE SUNDAY TIMES: Chosen few receive help from little-known Downing Street unit

Ben Elliot, the party chairman, is among those to have helped donors | HOLLIE ADAMS/BLOOMBERG/GETTY IMAGES
The Conservative Party is helping donors apply for public roles, with officials offering behind-the-scenes support and directing applicants to a secretive Number 10 unit closed to members of the public.

Leaked documents show that Tory officials have referred supporters to the prime minister’s appointments unit, whose existence is not widely acknowledged and which operates using interchangeable names.

Ben Elliot, the party chairman, is among those to have helped donors navigate the appointments process, often raising funds for political purposes at the same time. In one instance, in May 2020, Elliot, 46, received a message from a donor who had conceived of a new role for himself overseeing emergency Covid-19 loans. Elliot responded by looping in two people to an email: one of Boris Johnson’s most … » | Gabriel Pogrund, Whitehall Editor | Saturday, February 12, 2022

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This is a classic case of "jobs for the boys"! How much longer must we, the people, tolerate this abuse of power at the top? How much longer must we tolerate this corruption? Once upon a time, the United Kingdom was known throughout the world for its honesty and fairness. This can hardly be said of the country today, especially under its current leadership. Sadly, it makes one feel ashamded to be British! – © Mark

He Knows Putin Well. And He Fears for Ukraine.

THE NEW YORK TIMES: The Finnish president, Sauli Niinisto, has carved out a vital role as interpreter between East and West, and he is not optimistic about the prospects for peace.

President Sauli Niinisto of Finland with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia in 2016. Mr. Putin “respects the one who is fighting back,” Mr. Niinisto has said. | Mikhail Svetlov/Getty Images
HELSINKI — As the threat of a new Russian invasion of Ukraine grew, the European head of state with the longest and deepest experience dealing with Vladimir V. Putin fielded calls and doled out advice to President Emmanuel Macron of France and other world leaders desperate for insight into his difficult neighbor to the east.

“‘What do you think about this about this, what about this, or this?’ That’s where I try to be helpful,” said Sauli Niinisto, the president of Finland, as the harsh light gleaming off the snow and frozen bay poured into the presidential residence. “They know that I know Putin,” he added. “And because it goes the other way around Putin sometimes says, ‘Well, why don’t you tell your Western friends that and that and that?’”

Mr. Niinisto, 73, said his role was not merely that of a Nordic runner, shuttling messages between East and West, but of borderland interpreter, explaining to both sides the thinking of the other. The departure from politics of Angela Merkel, who for years as Germany’s chancellor led Europe’s negotiations with Mr. Putin, has made Mr. Niinisto’s role, while smaller, vital, especially as the drumbeat of war grows louder.

But Mr. Niinisto is not optimistic. Before and after his last long conversation with Mr. Putin last month, he said, he had noticed a change in the Russian. “His state of mind, the deciding, decisiveness — that is clearly different,” Mr. Niinisto said. He believed Mr. Putin felt he had to seize on “the momentum he has now.” » | Jason Horowitz | Sunday, February 13, 2022

Crise ukrainienne : pourquoi Vladimir Poutine menace d’entrer en guerre

LE MONDE : La crise à la frontière ukrainienne est à la fois le résultat de plusieurs années de tensions et d’un contexte en partie favorable à la Russie. Explication vidéo, avec Sylvie Kauffmann, journaliste au « Monde », spécialiste des questions diplomatiques.

Jusqu’où ira Vladimir Poutine ? Au début du mois de février 2022, plus de 100 000 militaires russes étaient massés aux frontières de l’Ukraine. La Russie nie avoir l’intension d’attaquer immédiatement l’Ukraine, mais Vladimir Poutine est engagé dans un bras de fer tendu avec les Etats-Unis et ses alliés occidentaux. Objectif affiché par le Kremlin : empêcher l’Ukraine de rejoindre l’OTAN. Regarder la vidéo » | Par Marc Bettinelli, Emile Costard, Elsa Longueville et Marceau Bretonnier | dimanche 13 février 2022

Swiss Vote on Tobacco Ad Ban Long after Neighbours

No-campaign posters have sprung up warning: "Today tobacco, tomorrow sausages?" | REUTERS
BBC: Swiss voters go to the polls on Sunday to decide on a raft of measures, including a ban on tobacco advertising anywhere young people might see it.

In effect it would be a complete ban.

That might cause some raised eyebrows among Switzerland's European neighbours, most of whom adopted strict rules on tobacco advertising years ago.

But Switzerland, despite its healthy, environmentally friendly image, has the most lax regulations on tobacco in Europe.

Long after smoking in pubs and restaurants was outlawed in the UK, France, or Germany, the Swiss were still puffing away.

Supermarket shoppers would be regularly approached by smiling young women giving away free samples of the latest cigarette brand. And while those things have now been banned, tobacco advertising remains.

The World Health Organization's historic Framework Convention on Tobacco Control was negotiated in Geneva almost 20 years ago.

Switzerland signed it, but still hasn't ratified it - the only country in Europe not to - because its legislation on advertising is not compliant. » | Imogen Foulkes, BBC News, Bern | Sunday, February 13, 2022

Smoking surge in young during Covid lockdown: England saw a rise in young adults taking up smoking during the first lockdown, according to a study. »

Viktor…

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It’s High Time for a Cocktail!

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Michael Bolton : Drift Away

Provided to YouTube by Columbia | Views on YouTube: 2,770,318

Un baiser chaud par une froide nuit d'hiver !

Ein heißer Kuß in einer kalten Winternacht! / A hot kiss on a cold winter’s night!
Un grand merci à equallywed.com sur Pinterest pour cette superbe photo expressive.

Thousands of Ukrainians Rally in Kyiv amid Fear of Russian Invasion

THE GUARDIAN: President tells population not to panic as Russia surrounds country with more than 100,000 troops

Several thousand Ukrainians rallied in Kyiv on Saturday to show unity amid fears of a Russian invasion, as Ukraine’s leader told people not to panic and pushed back against what he said was a glut of bleak war predictions being reported in the media.

Tension has mounted as Russia has built up more than 100,000 troops near Ukraine and carried out large-scale exercises. The US said on Friday an invasion could start at any moment. Russia denies planning to invade.

Ukrainians filed through the centre of Kyiv in a column, chanting “Glory to Ukraine” and carrying Ukrainian flags and banners that said “Ukrainians will resist” and “Invaders must die”.

The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who attended police drills in southern Kherson region, said a Russian attack could happen at any time, but pushed back against what he called excessive amounts of information about a major looming war.

It came amid reports that an invasion could happen as soon as Wednesday. With videos » | Agence France-Presse | Saturday, February 12, 2022

Boris Johnson’s Position ‘Difficult’ If Met Fines Him, Warns Iain Duncan Smith

THE GUARDIAN: Another former Conservative leader piles pressure on prime minister over Partygate allegations

Iain Duncan Smith’s intervention could influence backbench Conservative MPs. Photograph: Alberto Pezzali/AP
The former Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith has warned Boris Johnson it will be hard to cling to power if the Metropolitan police finds he breached Covid rules.

The comments from the senior Tory will ratchet up pressure on the prime minister to resign if he broke the law, after Johnson received a questionnaire from the Met on Friday regarding alleged parties in Downing Street.

Johnson has so far remained bullish, insisting he broke no rules and having rejected calls to go. But Duncan Smith’s intervention could guide backbenchers – many of whom are said to be waiting for the Met’s probe to conclude before deciding whether to submit letters of no confidence.

If Johnson broke the law, “I think it would be very tough for anyone to remain after that”, Duncan Smith told the i. “If you’ve set the laws, and you break them and the police decide you have broken them. » | Jem Bartholomew | Saturday, February 12, 2022

Boris Johnson Should Be Ashamed of Savile Slur, Says Bishop

THE GUARDIAN: Paul Bayes, retiring bishop of Liverpool, calls for an end to ‘rancid and dangerous’ political culture in Britain

Paul Bayes, the bishop of Liverpool, said Boris Johnson should take ‘serious stock of his position’ after what he said about the Labour leader Keir Starmer. Photograph: Rebecca Lupton/The Guardian
Today’s political culture is “rancid and dangerous” and Boris Johnson should be ashamed of telling a lie that led to street violence, a senior Church of England bishop has said.

Paul Bayes, the bishop of Liverpool, said the UK was facing a “struggle between those in whose interest it is to fragment society and those who want to sustain the common good”.

Speaking on the eve of his retirement, Bayes also said church law should change to define marriage as between two people regardless of gender – a highly controversial move that would overturn centuries of traditional biblical teaching.

Bayes said Johnson should take “serious stock of his position” after he told parliament that Keir Starmer had failed to prosecute the paedophile Jimmy Savile. Two days later, Starmer had to seek refuge from a mob accusing him of being a “paedophile protector”.

Bayes said: “I do not believe that was an honest statement, and I think [Johnson] should be ashamed of it. And the folks who trotted out to say ‘it’s not really a problem, it’s all part of the rough and tumble of politics’ should share that shame …

“The parallel in my mind is Donald Trump. [Johnson] is showing us who he is, and people seem to want that in politics. And I regret that. We need a politics that doesn’t have room for lies told in the House of Commons that might produce street violence two days afterwards.” » | Harriet Sherwood | Saturday, February 12, 2022

C of E bishop backs prosecution of those who defy ‘gay conversion’ ban: David Walker says faith leaders should face full force of law if they don’t comply with proposed ban »

Putin - Die Rückkehr des russischen Bären | Doku HD | ARTE

Feb 12, 2022 • Nach 20 Jahren an der Macht setzt Wladimir Putin mit Russlands Comeback auf der großen Bühne der Weltpolitik seine geopolitische Strategie um. Bereits 2007 hatte er sein Vorhaben angekündigt – und dennoch scheint es die westlichen Regierungen völlig unvorbereitet zu treffen. Was steckt hinter dieser Neuauflage des Kalten Krieges?

Nach dem Zerfall der Sowjetunion im Jahr 1991 schien die Zeit Russlands als Großmacht ein für alle Mal vorbei. Heute liegt das BIP Russlands gerade einmal auf dem Niveau Italiens, und die Truppenstärke des Landes ist kaum größer als die Frankreichs. Doch seit Beginn der 2020er Jahre redet Wladimir Putin auf der weltpolitischen Bühne wieder mit.

Von den ehemaligen Sowjetstaaten über Afrika bis zum Nahen Osten gibt es keine Wahl, keinen Konflikt und keine Verhandlung, zu denen Moskau nichts zu sagen hätte. Ob mittels Social-Media-Kampagnen, diplomatischen Gesprächen oder Handels- und Militärabkommen: der Kreml scheint fest entschlossen, zu alter Größe zurückzufinden.

Seine Ziele hatte Wladimir Putin bereits 2007 auf der Münchener Sicherheitskonferenz angekündigt. Er fühlte sich von seinen westlichen „Partnern“ despektierlich behandelt und unterschätzt, prangerte das Vormachtstreben der Vereinigten Staaten an und prophezeite das Ende der unipolaren Weltordnung. Seitdem sorgt der Kreml-Chef für die Sicherung der russischen Grenzen und bezieht außenpolitisch ganz unverhohlen Stellung, ohne dass ihm andere Staaten Einhalt gebieten. Es besteht kein Zweifel: Der russische Bär ist zurück auf dem internationalen Parkett!

Dokumentation von Frédéric Tonolli (F 2021, 55 Min)
Video auf Youtube verfügbar bis zum 17/03/2022

Iran: un homme décapite son épouse «pour l’honneur»

Mona Heydari, jeune femme iranienne âgée de 17 ans, a été décapitée par son mari et son beau-frère, samedi, à Ahbaz, dans le sud-ouest de l’Iran. Collection personnelle via Farzad Seifikaran
LE FIGARO : Mona Heydari, 17 ans, avait fui pour échapper aux violences conjugales. À son retour, son mari l’a assassinée. Le féminicide mobilise la société civile.

C’est l’image que les amis de Mona Heydari auraient préféré garder d’elle. Celle d’un visage souriant, surmonté d’un bonnet de laine. Mais la violence de son assassinat l’a emporté sur la tendresse des souvenirs. Samedi 5 février, la jeune femme de 17 ans a été décapitée par son mari et son beau-frère à Ahvaz, capitale de la province du Khuzestan, dans le sud-ouest de l’Iran.

Depuis, la vidéo de l’époux paradant dans la rue, la tête de sa victime dans une main, son couteau dans l’autre, est devenue virale sur les réseaux sociaux. L’illustration flagrante, selon l’avocat Ali Mojtahedzadeh, «des lacunes» concernant la protection des femmes dans la République islamique. » | Par Delphine Minoui | vendredi 11 février 2022

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Als Dior die Mode erfand

Mannequin Renée Breton präsentierte an der Seine die Bar-Jacke mit ausgestelltem Rock. Foto: Willy Maywald - ADAGP France
FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG: 12. Februar 2022 · Heute vor 75 Jahren fand in Paris die Schau aller Schauen statt. Der 12. Februar 1947 veränderte mit dem „New Look“ die Mode – und symbolisierte den Wiederaufstieg Frankreichs nach dem Krieg.

Es war nicht der schönste Tag für eine Modenschau. Am Morgen des 12. Februar 1947 herrschten in Paris Minusgrade. Die Modewoche war fast zu Ende, die Gäste aus aller Welt waren erschöpft. Viele französische Journalisten streikten. Diese Schau jedoch wollte sich niemand entgehen lassen. Um 10.30 Uhr sollte sie beginnen. Aber es dauerte, bis alle ihren Platz gefunden hatten. In den Salons standen die Stühle dicht an dicht, und es gab viel zu wenige Sitzplätze. Die Erwartungen waren groß. Und sie wurden sogar noch übertroffen von dem Modeschöpfer, der gerade 42 Jahre alt geworden war, also erfahren genug für eine Sensation und unbekannt genug, um noch entdeckt zu werden. Dabei wollte Christian Dior eigentlich gar keine Revolution anzetteln, dazu war er viel zu sanftmütig. Vermutlich gab er genau deshalb der Nachkriegsmode und der gesamten Nachkriegszeit einen entscheidenden Impuls – weil seine höfliche Zurückhaltung nur die Kehrseite seiner inneren Überzeugungen war, weil er genau wusste, was er wollte, nämlich nicht das, was er in den drei Jahren seit dem Ende der deutschen Besatzung in Paris gesehen hatte. » | Von Alfons Kaiser | Quelle: F.A.Z. Magazin | Montag, 7. Februar 2022

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Operation London Bridge: Will the Monarchy Survive after the Queen Dies? | Under Investigation

Levelling Up - Will Anyone Be Fooled by This Silly Dumbed-down Propaganda?

Feb 12, 2022 • The government's plans for 'Levelling Up' Global Britain are literally beyond belief. Referring to the Medicis in Renaissance Florence and a new Fourth Industrial Revolution the plans promise higher pay, better productivity, greater investment in R & D, improved public transport, better schools and skills training, life expectancy being increased by five years by 2035, greater 'Pride in Place' and reduced homicide and other crime.

All of this to be achieved by 2030 with little or no extra money. All of the above could and should have been provided by the government over the past eleven years during which time they have been in power.

This mindless drivel and crude propaganda is an insult to the intelligence of any reasonable person.

In the meantime, Liam Fox, former Trade Minister under Theresa May has launched a new 'Global Britain Commission'. Dr Fox explains that all Global Britain needs to do in order to practically double exports is to double productivity to match that of Germany. He doesn't say how this can be done.

The House of Commons Public Accounts Committee, having reviewed Brexit progress so far, has concluded that there have been no noticeable benefits but considerable disadvantages in the form of red tape and other barriers to trade.

Krise um die Ukraine: Die USA und Russland ziehen ihr diplomatisches Personal bis auf Minimalpräsenz aus Kiew ab

NEUE ZÜRCHER ZEITUNG: Bereits zum zweiten Mal innerhalb eines Jahres löst Russland mit einem Truppenaufmarsch nahe der Grenze zur Ukraine grosse Besorgnis aus. Was ist über die Lage bekannt, und welche Interessen verfolgt Moskau? Ein Überblick.

Der Berater für nationale Sicherheit, Jake Sullivan, am Freitag bei seiner Mitteilung vor der Presse im Weissen Haus. | Shawn Thew / Imago
DIE NEUSTEN ENTWICKLUNGEN
Die USA räumen ihre Botschaft in Kiew bis auf eine Minimalpräsenz. Dies teilte die amerikanische Botschaft in Kiew am Samstag (12. 2.) auf Twitter mit. Zuvor hatten Nachrichtenagenturen über die Pläne des Aussenministeriums berichtet. Hintergrund ist die Furcht vor einer russischen Invasion, die amerikanische Geheimdienste in den kommenden Tagen erwarten. Russland zieht laut der staatlichen Agentur Ria ebenfalls diplomatisches Personal ab. Eine Sprecherin des russischen Aussenministeriums sagte am Samstag, man habe sich entschieden, die Anzahl der Mitarbeiter «zu optimieren». In den vergangenen Stunden hatten mehrere westliche Länder ihren Staatsangehörigen zur Ausreise geraten bzw. von Reisen in die Ukraine abgeraten. Jake Sullivan, der Sicherheitsberater von Joe Biden, bat am Freitag amerikanische Bürger, die Ukraine innerhalb der nächsten 24 bis 28 Stunden zu verlassen.

Grossbritannien hat nochmals bekräftigt, keine Kampftruppen in die Ukraine schicken zu wollen. Der russische Präsident Wladimir Putin und seine Kollegen würden sehr gerne in der Lage sein, zu sagen, dass ihr mögliches Vorgehen eine Folge westlicher Aggression in der Ukraine sei, sagte der britische Verteidigungsstaatssekretär James Heappey am Samstag (12. 2:) im BBC-Frühstücksfernsehen. Es sei deshalb sehr wichtig, deutlich zu machen, dass man keine «aktive Rolle in der Ukraine» spielen werde. Auf die Frage, ob im Kriegsfall keine britischen Kampftruppen in der Ukraine sein werden, antwortete er: «Es ist absolut wesentlich, dass die Leute in Moskau das hören: Ja.» Britische Bürger dürften auch nicht mit Evakuierungen durch das Militär wie im Sommer aus Afghanistan rechnen, sagte Heappey im TV-Sender Sky News. » |Andreas Rüesch | Samstag, 12. Februar 2022

Bitcoin Paradise? Briton Creates ‘Crypto Utopia’ in South Pacific

THE GUARDIAN: Anthony Welch and partner try to woo cryptocurrency investors to regulation-free island on Vanuatu archipelago

Vanuatu is a South Pacific Ocean nation made up of approximately 80 islands. Photograph: Westend61/Getty Images
For the past 12 years Anthony Welch and his partner Theresa have been living a Robinson Crusoe life alone on a South Pacific island mostly untouched by humanity.

Welch, a retired British property investor, hopes the tranquility will soon be shattered by 21,000 cryptocurrency investors he is trying to convince to move to his island and form a regulation-free “crypto utopia”.

Under Welch’s plan, the 3,000m sq metre (32,000m sq ft) island, which is part of the Vanuatu archipelago between Australia and Fiji, would be transformed from 90% undisturbed rainforest into a “sustainable smart city”, filled with multistorey apartment blocks and offices for cryptocurrency investors from around the world.

Welch, who has renamed the island from its native name Lataro to Satoshi (in a nod to Satoshi Nakamoto the pseudonym of the person who invented bitcoin), has joined forces with cryptocurrency evangelists to create a “blockchain-based democracy” and “the crypto capital of the world”.

However, Welch will first have to unwind his previous marketing of the island as a “wildlife nature reserve” home to rare giant crabs. » | Rupert Neate, Wealth correspondent | Saturday, February 12, 2022

Isle of Man to Pardon Men Convicted for Homosexual Acts

THE GUARDIAN: New act will pardon those convicted for a historical sexual offence if the act in question is no longer a crime

Men who have been convicted for homosexual acts on the Isle of Man will be automatically pardoned later this year in what campaigners said was a long overdue and necessary change in law.

Homosexuality was decriminalised on the Isle of Man in 1992 and its first Gay Pride event took place last summer.

Jane Poole-Wilson, the home affairs minister, said new legislation would come into force in June at the latest.

The new act will pardon those convicted for a historical sexual offence if the act in question is no longer a crime. While the pardons will be automatic, people will have to apply to have historical convictions struck from their records in a “disregard process”. » | Helen Pidd, North of England editor | Friday, February 11, 2022

Truppenbewegungen und Eskalationsrhetorik verschärfen Ukraine-Krise weiter | DW Nachrichten

Feb 11, 2022 • Angesichts des russischen Truppenaufmarsches an der Grenze zur Ukraine will die NATO ihre Präsenz in der Schwarzmeerregion ausbauen. Die Präsenz der NATO im östlichen Teil der Allianz werde fortlaufend verstärkt, sagte Jens Stoltenberg in Rumänien.

Der Beschluss der Alliierten soll am kommenden Mittwoch bei einem Treffen der Verteidigungsminister bestätigt werden. Dann wird auch die offizielle Ankündigung erfolgen. Die Umsetzung der Planungen könnte noch in diesem Frühjahr erfolgen. Mit Spannung wird nun erwartet, wie Russland auf die Entscheidung der NATO reagiert. Kritiker befürchten, dass die Entsendung zusätzlicher Bündnistruppen in Richtung Osten zu einer weiteren Verschärfung der aktuellen Ukraine-Krise führen könnte.

n NATO-Kreisen wird betont, dass der Ausbau der Truppenpräsenz an der Ostflanke ausschließlich als Reaktion auf das russische Verhalten erfolge. Als Beleg dafür gilt die Tatsache, dass bis zur Einverleibung der ukrainischen Halbinsel Krim durch Russland keinerlei multinationalen Truppen in Osteuropa stationiert waren.

Die aktuellen Beschlüsse sind eine Reaktion darauf, dass Russland in den vergangenen Monaten mehr als 100.000 Soldaten an der Grenze zur Ukraine zusammengezogen hat. Dies schürt in der Ukraine wie im Westen die Furcht vor einem möglichen Großangriff Russlands auf das Nachbarland. Russland weist jegliche Angriffspläne zurück. Zugleich führt der Kreml an, sich von der westlichen Allianz bedroht zu fühlen.

Für zusätzliche Befürchtungen im Westen sorgt ein belarussisch-russisches Militärmanöver, das am Donnerstag nahe der ukrainischen Grenze in Belarus begonnen hat. Nach Angaben der USA hat Russland für die zehntägigen Militärübungen 30.000 Soldaten nach Belarus verlegt.

US-Präsident Joe Biden will in der Ukraine-Krise nicht nur der Diplomatie vertrauen. Offensichtlich befürchtet er eine Eskalation der Lage. Er rief alle amerikanischen Bürger dazu auf, die Ukraine sofort zu verlassen.

Ukraine: Joe Biden s’alarme d’une invasion imminente

Le président américain Joe Biden, à Washington, le 10 février 2022. TOM BRENNER/REUTERS
LE FIGARO : DÉCRYPTAGE - Malgré les craintes au sujet des tensions dans la région, Washington ne veut pas s’engager militairement.

La «désescalade» espérée par la France n’est pas encore d’actualité. «L’augmentation des forces et des équipements russes continue. Pour l’instant, le renforcement se fait à un rythme modéré, mais il pourrait rapidement s’accélérer», prévient Dmytro Kuleba, le ministre ukrainien des Affaires étrangères, à l’occasion d’une visioconférence organisée par l’Ifri. La tension augmente aux frontières de l’Ukraine, mais aussi dans son voisinage, avec l’organisation de grandes manœuvres de l’armée russe en Biélorussie et l’envoi de six navires de guerre en Crimée pour des exercices dans la mer Noire. «L’Ukraine est désormais presque coupée de la mer d’Azov et de la mer Noire», ajoute Dmytro Kuleba, qui s’inquiète de la simultanéité de ces événements. Ce blocus économique et militaire, qui immobilise les bateaux ukrainiens dans les ports, se renforce chaque jour. «Heureusement que la France avait finalement renoncé à vendre ses navires Mistral à la Russie! Avec de tels bâtiments, les Russes auraient pu bloquer les mers de façon invisible, alors que là il leur faut quand même déplacer la flotte», explique Oleksiy Karan, de la Fondation pour l’initiative démocratique. » | Par Isabelle Lasserre | vendredi 11 février 2022

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À LIRE AUSSI :

Quatre cartes pour comprendre les tensions entre l'Otan et la Russie : INFOGRAPHIE - Au-delà de la crise ukrainienne, Moscou veut bloquer l'extension de l'Alliance atlantique à l'est de l'Europe, estimant qu'elle met en péril sa sécurité. »


READ FOREIGN OFFICE ADVICE IN ENGLISH:

Leave Ukraine now, Britons are told by Foreign Office: American national security adviser warns that Russia could invade before Winter Olympics end next week »

White House warns of ‘immediate’ threat of Russian invasion in Ukraine. »

Ukraine warns that it is almost fully surrounded by hostile forces. »

Les relations russo-britanniques sont «presque à zéro», affirme le ministre russe de la Défense

FIGARO LIVE : Le ministre russe de la Défense, Sergueï Choïgou, a estimé vendredi que les relations entre Londres et Moscou étaient au plus bas, lors d'une rencontre avec son homologue britannique Ben Wallace, en pleine crise russo-occidentale autour de l'Ukraine. Regarder la vidéo » | vendredi 11 février 2022

Kenny Rogers, Sheena Easton : We’ve Got Tonight

May 3, 2018 • Provided to YouTube by Universal Music Group | Views on YouTube: 5,163,690

How Can Jacob Rees-Mogg Find ‘Brexit Opportunities’? They Don’t Exist

THE GUARDIAN – OPINION: It is increasingly clear that Brexit is doing enormous damage to Britain’s economy. And for what, exactly?

Jacob Rees-Mogg, the new Brexit opportunities minister, pictured in Downing Street this week. Photograph: Tayfun Salcı/ZUMA Press Wire/REX/Shutterstock
Jacob Rees-Mogg reminds me of a kipper. A very specific kipper, resting on a plastic pillow of ice, which intruded into the public consciousness back in 2019, when Boris Johnson held it aloft, proclaiming it as an example of the absurd, pettifogging rules imposed by Brussels on the yeoman traders of Britain. Naturally, Johnson’s claims fell apart on inspection. There was no European directive mandating a cushion of ice for the sleeping fish. On the contrary, the ice pillow was demanded by a British rule, drawn up by British officials. Nothing to do with the EU.

The episode came back to me when Rees-Mogg, newly appointed minister for Brexit opportunities and government efficiency, appealed to readers of the Sun to write in and tell him “of ANY petty old EU regulation that should be abolished”. That’s because Johnson’s kipper illustrated not only his serial dishonesty on matters European – already well-documented – but also a gap in the Brexiters’ arsenal. That gap was fairly well concealed in the 2016 referendum campaign, but Rees-Mogg’s plea in the Sun, like Johnson’s kipper, has exposed it.

Here’s how it can be identified. Take the Brexiters at their word – that leaving was about more than ending European immigration – and ask them to name some other reform that Britain badly needed but which proved unachievable so long as we remained in the EU: a specific change that only Brexit could unlock. The committed leaver will struggle and sputter, before either mentioning blue passports or else retreating into abstract nouns: “freedom” or “sovereignty”. Press them for a concrete, real-world benefit of Brexit, one that survives scrutiny, and they wilt. They either end up making something up, as Johnson did, or else phoning a friend – like Rees-Mogg’s call-out to Sun readers. » | Jonathan Freedland | Friday, February 11, 2022

UK Exports to EU Fell by £20bn Last Year, New ONS Data Shows

THE GUARDIAN: Figures show Brexit compounding Covid disruption, with clothing exports plunging 60%, vegetables down 40% and cars 25%

Shipping containers stacked high at the port of Felixstowe. Photograph: Hannah McKay/Reuters
UK exports of goods to the EU have fallen by £20bn compared with the last period of stable trade with Europe, according to official figures marking the first full year since Brexit.

Numbers released on Friday by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed that the combined impact of the pandemic and Britain’s exit from the single market caused a 12% fall in exports between January and December last year compared with 2018.

Highlighting the disproportionate impact of leaving the EU, exports to the rest of the world excluding the 27-nation bloc dropped by a much smaller £10bn, or about 6% compared with 2018 levels.

Despite the disruption, the EU remains the UK’s largest trading partner. However, for the first time since comparable records began in 1997, the UK now spends more importing goods from the rest of the world than it does from the EU. » | Richard Partington, Economics correspondent | Friday, February 11, 2022

Brexit was a dumb idea from the very start. Nobody who understood even economics 101 would have voted in favour of Brexit! Nobody in his right mind would vote in favour of walking away from the largest market in the world: the European Single Market.

The likes of Nigel Farage and Jacob Rees-Mogg will profit from it, no doubt. But the rest of us will pay only a very high price. The electorate has been led down the garden path, the path that leads to no good place, the path that will eventually lead to the impoverishment of our nation. But hey, people like Farage and Rees-Mogg will be sitting pretty. So the people, das Volk, can go to bed at night in the comforting knowledge that we now have our blue passports back and crowns on our pint glasses of beer in pubs! Whoopee! They may go to bed hungry, but what a bonus already! And, furthermore, BoJo got the keys to Number 10. Alas, he hasn’t yet been unable to figure out how to do the job that the privilege of living in Number 10 brings with it.

If the people in charge had any smarts, they’d figure out a way of reversing this stupid decision. Pronto! But I wouldn’t hold my breath if I were you. The people at the very top will be too proud to admit the error of their ways. – © Mark

Could This Be the Real Tomb of Christ? | Jesus' Lost Tomb | Timeline

Jul 28, 2018 • The Lost Tomb of Jesus is a documentary which makes a case that the 2,000-year-old "Tomb of the Ten Ossuaries" belonged to the family of Jesus of Nazareth.

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