Credit Suisse Leak: Three Largest Parties Call for EU to Assess Switzerland Risk

THE GUARDIAN: Three biggest groups in European parliament support possible move to high-risk list for money laundering

The Credit Suisse leak has prompted a rare debate in Switzerland about the wisdom of the country’s banking secrecy laws. Composite: Doug Chayka
All three of the largest groups in the European parliament are demanding that the EU assess whether Switzerland should be categorised as a high-risk country for money laundering and financial crime, as reaction to the Credit Suisse leak continues to reverberate about the world.

Less than 48 hours after the Guardian and other media published an investigation into the leak as part of the Suisse secrets project, political groups representing the majority of MEPs in the European parliament support the possible blacklisting of Switzerland.

The centre-right European People’s party’s (EPP’s) economic and monetary affairs spokesperson had demanded on Monday that the European Commission reconsider whether Switzerland posed a threat to the financial integrity of the bloc. » | Daniel Boffey and David Pegg | Tuesday, February 22, 2022

Related links here, here, here, here and here.

EN FRANÇAIS :

Credit Suisse : de l’Egypte au Pakistan, la banque des espions : ENQUÊTE | « Suisse Secrets » | L’établissement a hébergé une quarantaine de comptes pour des hauts gradés de services de renseignement à travers le monde, malgré l’origine opaque des fonds. »

Boris Johnson Announces UK Sanctions against Russia

Read the article here.

UK imposes sanctions against five Russian banks and three individuals: PM gives details of sanctions against Moscow as he warns UK to prepare for ‘protracted crisis’ over Ukraine »

Biden Joins Europe in Punishing Russia with Sanctions

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Washington and its allies called the Kremlin’s recognition of two separatist regions a blunt defiance of international law that risks war. Western officials said Russian troops have entered eastern Ukraine.

President Biden speaking at the White House on Tuesday. | Al Drago for The New York Times
WASHINGTON — President Biden on Tuesday announced harsh new sanctions aimed at punishing Russia for what he called “the beginning of a Russian invasion of Ukraine,” joining European leaders in imposing severe economic consequences for blatant violations of national sovereignty.

Speaking from the East Room of the White House, Mr. Biden condemned President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia for his aggression against Ukraine, saying that the Russian action is “a flagrant violation of international law and demands a firm response from the international community.”

Mr. Biden said the United States is imposing “full blocking” on two large Russian financial institutions and “comprehensive sanctions” on Russian debt.

“That means we’ve cut off Russia’s government from Western finance,” he said. “It can no longer raise money from the West and cannot trade in its new debt on our markets or European markets either.”

He also said that the United States would impose sanctions on Russian elites and their families, an effort to ensure that those closest to Mr. Putin do not escape financial pain that is expected to hit hard for average Russian citizens. Biden calls Putin’s actions the ‘beginning of a Russian invasion of Ukraine.’ » | The New York Times | Tuesday, February 22, 2022

The White Rose: Young Germans Who Took On the Nazis

Feb 22, 2022 • In a matter of hours, they were tried, convicted, and beheaded for the crime of treason. These young friends had dared to oppose the Nazi regime—and were caught in a crucial moment, when the Nazis feared their grip on the public was slipping.

In urgent, pleading messages, copied and mailed to thousands of Germans, the members of the “White Rose” resistance group begged their fellow citizens to rise up. Their voices went unheard then, but today the group is a symbol of righteous rebellion. On this anniversary of the execution of three members, learn their story.

Guest: Rebecca Erbelding, Historian, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Host: Dr. Edna Friedberg, Historian, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum/font>

Adieu l’URSS ! | ARTE

Jan 23, 2022 • Que reste-t-il aujourd’hui de l’URSS ? Entre colère, nostalgie et amertume, ceux qui ont connu la Russie soviétique entre 1917 et 1991 témoignent dans un documentaire qui rend compte de la complexité de cette période.

En Russie, aujourd’hui, le passé bolchevique constitue une véritable attraction touristique. Le marché aux puces d’Izmaïlovo à Moscou, par exemple, regorge de poupées russes à l’effigie de Gorbatchev, de figurines de Staline, d’objets de l’Armée rouge et d’exemplaires de la "Pravda". Mais cette page de l’histoire ne passionne pas seulement les petits commerçants de la capitale et les visiteurs étrangers. Nombre de citoyens russes se déclarent nostalgiques de la période soviétique, depuis la révolution de 1917 jusqu’à la dislocation de l’URSS, en 1991. Quel regard portent-ils sur ces soixante-dix ans de leur histoire ? Que reste-t-il aujourd’hui de l’URSS ?

Documentaire de Henrike Sandner (Allemagne, 2021, 52mn)
Disponible jusqu'au 15/06/2022

Chinese Cyberwarfare I ARTE.tv Documentary

Feb 22, 2022 • Is a new cold war really happening online? From the first attacks by Chinese hackers on US websites in the 2000s to the recent theft of European diplomatic documents and the 5G rollout by Chinese tech giant Huawei, an in-depth investigation into China's increasing tech might and aggressive cyberwarfare.

Chinese Cyberwarfare I ARTE.tv Documentary
Available until the 07/06/2022

Journeyman Pictures : On the Frontline in Ukraine

Feb 22, 2022 • After a week spent in Donbass, our journalists bring back images of a Ukrainian army worn out by years of conflict. The troops now have to confront the suicide of young soldiers at the end of their nerves. In Avdiivka, on the front line, some civilians are willing to join the pro-Russian separatists zone. Ukrainian inhabitants and soldiers continue to live in fear and uncertainty, while Moscow continues to blow hot and cold on Ukraine.

Chopin - Piano Concerto No. 2 | Maria João Pires, Trevor Pinnock

Apr 6, 2016 • Frédéric Chopin - Piano Concerto Nº 2 in F minor, Op. 21, 1830. Maria João Pires with Trevor Pinnock and The German Chamber Philharmonic of Bremen. Live Concert at Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, Paris, 16.I.2016.

French Cooking Academy with Stephane : ‘Hunter’s Chicken’ – Chicken Chasseur

Poulet sauté chasseur
This chicken recipe is a classic French stew made with sautéed pieces of chicken, served with a sauce made using a combination of brown chicken stock, tomato sauce, mushrooms, shallots, tarragon and cognac.

Get the recipe here.

Ukraine President Zelenskyy: “First Step of Invasion Has Happened”

Feb 22, 2022 • Vladimir Putin recognized the independence of separatist regions in Ukraine and ordered more troops to those areas.

Putin Recognizes Ukraine Separatists; Khrushchev’s Great-Granddaughter Says War Can Still Be Avoided

Democracy Now! US News & World Headlines – February 22, 2022

Crise ukrainienne : l'UE propose d'interdire l'accès de Moscou à ses marchés et services financiers

LE FIGARO – EN DIRECT : La Commission et le Conseil européens proposent d'interdire aux autorités russes d'accéder aux marchés et services financiers européens et de cibler les banques finançant les opérations militaires russes dans les régions séparatistes ukrainiennes.

Le point sur la situation
Après une longue allocution télévisée, Vladimir Poutine a reconnu lundi soir, en signant deux décrets, l’indépendance des territoires séparatistes prorusses de l’est de l’Ukraine, faisant entrer la crise avec l’Ukraine dans une nouvelle dimension. Ce mardi, le Parlement russe doit entériner la décision du chef du Kremlin.

Le président russe a ensuite ordonné à son armée d’entrer dans ces territoires pour y assumer «les fonctions de maintien de la paix».

Rapidement, les pays européens, l’ONU, et les États-Unis ont condamné ce qu’ils considèrent comme une violation du droit international. Pour le secrétaire général de l’ONU, Antonio Guterres, cette décision est «incompatible avec la Charte des Nations Unies». Pour le chef de la diplomatie américaine Antony Blinken, elle contredit «l’engagement de la Russie envers la diplomatie».

Toute la journée de mardi, ils prépareront des sanctions contre la Russie : Les États-Unis ont déjà interdit tout nouvel investissement, échange ou financement par des personnes américaines à destination, en provenance ou dans les régions prorusses de Donetsk et Lougansk. Londres sanctionne trois oligarques et cinq banques russes. L’UE propose également de cibler les banques russes et l'accès aux marchés européens. Les céréales en hausse, sur fond de menace de conflit en Ukraine » | EN COURS : mardi 22 février 2022

Die ukrainische Armee ist zwar viel stärker als beim letzten Krieg – gegen eine russische Invasion hat sie aber kaum eine Chance

NEUE ZÜRCHER ZEITUNG: Die Streitkräfte versuchen sich innert kürzester Zeit vom sowjetischen und postsowjetischen Ballast zu befreien. Sie haben dabei grosse Schritte unternommen, kämpfen aber weiterhin mit Problemen.

Ukrainische Soldaten und Soldatinnen posieren Mitte Februar in Odessa für ein Foto. | Emilio Morenatti / AP
Die ukrainischen Streitkräfte haben sich in den letzten drei Jahrzehnten radikal verändert: Aus dem militärischen, antiwestlichen Bollwerk der sowjetischen Roten Armee wurde eine Truppe, die sich als erste Frontlinie gegen Russlands militärischen Expansionismus versteht, modernisiert und aufgerüstet durch den einstigen Todfeind Nato.

Trotz demonstrativer Gelassenheit dürften die Ukrainer aber ahnen, dass sie bei einer Invasion des grossen Nachbarn auf verlorenem Posten stünden. Mit 200 000 aktiven Soldaten und mindestens 250 000 Reservisten unterhält die Ukraine zwar die zweitgrösste Armee Europas nach der russischen. Personell wie materiell ist sie dieser dennoch haushoch unterlegen – grossen Verbesserungen seit 2014 zum Trotz. Der Schock von 2014 » | Ivo Mijnssen, Wien | Dienstag, 22. Februar 2022

«Warum schweigt die Welt zu unserem Schicksal?» – Die Evakuierten aus dem Donbass erwartet in Russland eine ungewisse Zukunft

NEUE ZÜRCHER ZEITUNG: Seit Freitag treffen Tausende, vor allem Frauen, Kinder und Ältere, aus dem Donbass in der angrenzenden südrussischen Region Rostow ein. Nach anfänglichem Chaos herrscht trotz Andrang Ruhe. Die Ausgereisten fühlen sich von der Welt alleingelassen.

Aus den Regionen Donezk und Luhansk Evakuierte kommen in Russland an. | Dmitry Rogulin / TASS / Getty
An den Sambeker Höhen brennt die ewige Flamme in der stockdunklen Nacht. Die Silhouetten ausgestellter Panzer zeichnen sich am Himmel ab. Der grosse Freilicht-Museumskomplex, in den vergangenen sieben Jahren gebaut, erinnert an den Verteidigungskampf des Zweiten Weltkriegs im Hinterland der südrussischen Städte Taganrog und Rostow am Don. Hier zweigt die Strasse nach Awilo-Uspenka ab, dem Grenzposten zur Ukraine. Dahinter beginnt der Donbass, genauer: die separatistische «Volksrepublik Donezk». Kolonnen von Militärfahrzeugen bewegen sich am Abend, als Wladimir Putin seine Rede noch nicht gehalten hat, in diese Richtung. » | Markus Ackeret, Awilo-Uspenka und Taganrog | Dienstag, 22. Februar 2022

So rüstet sich Moskau für Sanktionen

Obst und Gemüse im Supermarkt: Präsident Putin hatte das Embargo gegen Lebensmittel aus Deutschland und andere Staaten per Erlass abermals um ein Jahr bis zum 31. Dezember 2022 verlängert. | Bild: DPA
RUSSLANDS WIRTSCHAFTSLAGE
FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG: Präsident Putin sagt, dass Sanktionen Russland bloß stärker machen. Das glauben Ökonomen aber nicht. Wie steht es um die Wirtschaft des Landes?

Während die EU und die Amerika noch über Sanktionen beraten wegen Russlands Anerkennung der Separatistengebiete und der Entsendung weiterer russischer Soldaten in die „Volksrepubliken“, hat Bundeskanzler Olaf Scholz (SPD) schon die erste Maßnahme bekannt gegeben: Die Zertifizierung der Ostsee-Pipeline Nord Stream 2 wird vorübergehend ausgesetzt. Damit kann die fertig gebaute Leitung bis auf weiteres nicht in Betrieb genommen werden.

Die russische Führung war in den vergangenen Wochen stets bemüht, sich von Sanktionsdrohungen unbeeindruckt zu zeigen. Präsident Wladimir Putin behauptete mehrfach, der Westen werde ohnehin „in jedem Fall“ Strafmaßnahmen verhängen, unabhängig davon, „ob es einen Grund gibt, der mit den Ereignissen in der Ukraine zu tun hat, oder nicht“. Der Westen werde schon einen Grund finden, denn das Ziel sei ein anderes: „Die Entwicklung Russlands zu bremsen.“ Dabei, so Putin am Montag in seiner Rede zur Anerkennung der Separatistengebiete in der Ostukraine, machten Sanktionen Russland bloß stärker. » | Katharina Wagner, Wirtschaftskorrespondentin für Russland und die GUS mit Sitz in Moskau. | Dienstag, 22. Februar 2022

Crise en Ukraine : sous le choc, l’Europe devrait d’abord se limiter à des sanctions « ciblées » contre la Russie

LE MONDE : Des mesures à l’encontre de Moscou pourraient être décidées dès mardi après-midi lors d’une réunion des ministres des affaires étrangères à Paris.

L’ultime tentative d’Emmanuel Macron pour tenter d’« éviter le pire », un conflit ouvert au cœur du continent, aura donc tourné court : la reconnaissance par Vladimir Poutine des deux républiques séparatistes prorusses du Donbass met en échec les efforts diplomatiques engagés par le président français depuis le début de l’année. La décision du chef du Kremlin enterre les accords de Minsk, signés en 2015 pour apaiser, par le biais d’une médiation de la France et de l’Allemagne, le conflit entre Kiev et Moscou sur le sort des régions situées dans l’est de l’Ukraine. Afin de donner une chance à la diplomatie, Paris et Berlin s’étaient mobilisés, en vain, ces dernières semaines pour tenter de débloquer le processus, paralysé depuis des mois.

La décision de Vladimir Poutine à peine connue, les condamnations se sont succédé dans les capitales européennes, qui, à l’instar des Etats-Unis, devaient examiner, dès mardi 22 février, dans l’après-midi, l’adoption de sanctions ciblées. Ces mesures pourraient être décidées lors d’une réunion extraordinaire des ministres des affaires étrangères réunis à Paris, en marge d’un sommet avec des pays de l’Indo-Pacifique. « Il faut agir vite, ces sanctions seront partielles, mais rapides », a demandé Josep Borrell, le haut représentant de l’Union pour les affaires étrangères. Si besoin, une réunion extraordinaire du Conseil européen pourrait avoir lieu rapidement. » | Par Philippe Ricard, Thomas Wieder (Berlin, correspondant) Cécile Ducourtieux( Londres, correspondante) et Jean-Pierre Stroobants (Bruxelles, bureau européen) | mardi 22 février 2022

Article réservé aux abonnés

Putin Calls Ukrainian Statehood a Fiction. History Suggests Otherwise.

THE NEW YORK TIMES: In a speech, President Vladimir V. Putin bent Ukraine’s complex history into his own version that served as a justification for his cleaving off more of its territory.

People in Odessa on Sunday commemorated protesters killed in 2014 by paramilitary police forces in Kyiv, Ukraine. | Brendan Hoffman for The New York Times
KYIV, Ukraine — In his speech to the Russian nation on Monday, President Vladimir V. Putin buoyed his case for codifying the cleavage of two rebel territories from Ukraine by arguing that the very idea of Ukrainian statehood was a fiction.

With a conviction of an authoritarian unburdened by historical nuance, Mr. Putin declared Ukraine an invention of the Bolshevik revolutionary leader, Vladimir Lenin, who he said had mistakenly endowed Ukraine with a sense of statehood by allowing it autonomy within the newly created Soviet state.

“Modern Ukraine was entirely and fully created by Russia, more specifically the Bolshevik, communist Russia,” Mr. Putin said. “This process began practically immediately after the 1917 revolution, and moreover Lenin and his associates did it in the sloppiest way in relation to Russia — by dividing, tearing from her pieces of her own historical territory.”

As a misreading of history, it was extreme even by the standards of Mr. Putin, a former K.G.B. officer who has declared the Soviet Union’s collapse the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the 20th century. » | Michael Schwirtz, Maria Varenikova and Rick Gladstone | Published: Monday, February 21, 2022; Updated: Tuesday, February 22, 2022

The West Knows the Cost of Appeasement. We Can’t Rule Out Any Option for Stopping Putin

THE GUARDIAN – OPINION: The Russian leader has shown he cares enough about Ukraine to shed blood over it. He needs to know the gain won’t be worth the pain

‘What Putin has in common with Hitler is a mystical belief in a nation stretching beyond his country’s current borders.’ Russia's President Vladimir Putin addresses the nation in Moscow, Russia on 22 February, 2022. Photograph: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
Vladimir Putin’s recognition of two Russian-backed separatist regions in eastern Ukraine as independent, along with his subsequent deployment of troops and tanks to the regions, has moved Europe closer to the brink of war.

Despite many differences, there are echoes of 1938 in current developments. Putin may not be Hitler; Ukraine in 2022 isn’t Czechoslovakia in 1938; and French president Emmanuel Macron, Olaf Scholz, the German chancellor, and their western colleagues aren’t some sort of collective Chamberlain. But 1938 does carry important lessons: the most important being that deterrence may seem more expensive and risky than accommodation today, but it is essential for Europe’s long-term security.

Putin, though a brutal authoritarian leader, is not a charismatic madman like Hitler. He has used targeted repression and assassinations to control the Russian opposition, rather than concentration camps. His ideology is flexible: for all his anti-western rhetoric, he and his associates have often kept their money and their families in the west.

What Putin has in common with Hitler, however, is a mystical belief in a nation stretching beyond his country’s current borders. Putin sees Ukraine as the key to this “Russian world”. In his speech on Monday announcing the recognition of the Donetsk and Luhansk “people’s republics”, Putin spoke of Ukraine as an “integral part of our own history, culture and spiritual space” and described the creation of a Ukrainian Soviet republic by Lenin as “the tearing away from Russia of a part of its own historical territories”. Last year he wrote that there was no historical basis for a Ukrainian people separate from Russians. » | Ian Bond * | Tuesday, February 22, 2022

* Ian Bond is the director of foreign policy at the independent thinktank, the Centre for European Reform, and a former British diplomat.

Putin Orders Troops into Eastern Ukraine on ‘Peacekeeping Duties’

THE GUARDIAN: Russian deployment follows decision to recognise territories in south-east will be viewed in Ukraine and by other western allies as an occupation

Vladimir Putin has ordered his military to enter the Russian-controlled areas of southeast Ukraine following a decision to recognise the territories as independent states.

The decision to dispatch his troops to perform “peacekeeping duties” will be viewed in Ukraine and by other western allies as an occupation of the region and likely trigger tough sanctions and a Ukrainian military response.

The deployment was revealed in the text of two treaty documents that Putin signed with the leaders of the separatist republics on Tuesday.

The third article of the treaties provided for the “implementation of peacekeeping functions by the armed forces of the Russian Federation” in the self-proclaimed Luhansk and Donetsk People’s Republics, which Ukraine and most of the world views at its sovereign territory. With video » | Andrew Roth in Moscow and Julian Borger in Washington | Monday, February 21, 2022

What’s at Stake for the Global Economy if Russia Invades Ukraine

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Countries that depend on the region’s rich supply of energy, wheat, nickel and other staples could feel the pain of price spikes.

The seaport in Odessa, Ukraine. A Russian attack on Ukraine could contribute to far-reaching jumps in the price of food and energy. | Brendan Hoffman for The New York Times
After getting battered by the pandemic, supply chain chokeholds and leaps in prices, the global economy is poised to be sent on yet another unpredictable course by an armed clash on Europe’s border.

The lead-up to a potential Russian invasion of Ukraine has already taken a toll. The promise of punishing sanctions in return by President Biden and the potential for Russian retaliation has pushed down stock returns and driven up gas prices.

An outright attack by Russian troops could cause dizzying spikes in energy and food prices, fuel inflation fears and spook investors, a combination that threatens investment and growth in economies around the world.

However harsh the effects, the immediate impact will be nowhere near as devastating as the sudden economic shutdowns first caused by the coronavirus in 2020. Russia is a transcontinental behemoth with 146 million people and a huge nuclear arsenal, as well as a key supplier of the oil, gas and raw materials that keep the world’s factories running. But unlike China, which is a manufacturing powerhouse and intimately woven into intricate supply chains, Russia is a minor player in the global economy. » | Patricia Cohen and Jack Ewing | Monday, February 21, 2022

Putin Recognizes 2 Separatist Regions in Fiery Speech

THE NEW YORK TIMES: President Vladimir V. Putin addressed the nation late on Monday, bitterly accusing Ukraine of being a “puppet” of the United States. The U.S. and E.U. said they would begin imposing limited sanctions.

Refugees from the separatist-held territories of East Ukraine watching an address by President Vladimir V. Putin from their hotel room on Monday in Taganrog, Russia. | Sergey Ponomarev for The New York Times
MOSCOW — President Vladimir V. Putin said he would recognize the independence of two Russian-backed territories in eastern Ukraine and warned the government of Ukraine that further bloodshed “will be fully and wholly” on its conscience, delivering an emotional and aggrieved address that set the stage for the possibility of Russian military action against Ukraine.

The White House responded by saying that President Biden will begin imposing limited economic sanctions on the two separatist regions, stopping short of imposing any penalties directly on Russia for now but vowing that more would come. Leaders of the European Union also condemned Putin’s move and said they will impose sanctions on those involved.

Immediately after the speech, state television showed Mr. Putin at the Kremlin signing decrees recognizing the so-called Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics, which were created after Russia fomented a separatist war in eastern Ukraine in 2014. Mr. Putin also signed “friendship and mutual assistance” treaties, raising the possibility that Russia could move some of the forces it has built up around Ukraine’s borders into those territories. » | Anton Troianovski and Valerie Hopkins | Monday, February 21, 2022

CALLEkocht : Hähnchencurry mit Gemüse und Kokosmilch. Asiatisch Kochen. Rezept

Feb 18, 2022 • CALLEkocht: Schnelle und gesunde asiatische Küche aus dem Wok mit Hähnchen, Gemüse, Kokosmilche und rotem Curry. Super lecker und einfach selber zu machen. mein Rezept für ein Currygericht.

Mit Glück finden Sie das genaue Rezept auf Calles Websirte !

Credit Suisse : les obscures affaires du roi Abdallah II de Jordanie

LE MONDE ET SÜDDEUTSCHE ZEITUNG D'APRÈS AFP
LE MONDE : ENQUÊTE « Suisse Secrets » | Le souverain hachémite a placé au moins 200 millions d’euros chez Credit Suisse. Sa fortune reste sans rapport avec l’héritage reçu de son père et contraste avec la paupérisation de la société jordanienne.

Le roi Abdallah II de Jordanie aime les placements discrets. A l’automne 2021, le scandale des « Pandora Papers », une gigantesque fuite de documents émanant de cabinets spécialisés dans la création de sociétés offshore, avait révélé que le monarque possédait quatorze résidences de luxe, éparpillées entre Londres, Washington et Malibu, en Californie. Des propriétés d’une valeur de 106 millions de dollars (93 millions d’euros), dissimulées derrière un entrelacs de sociétés-écrans.

Mais cet empire immobilier ne constitue qu’une partie de la fortune cachée du souverain jordanien, âgé de 60 ans et au pouvoir depuis 1999. L’enquête « Suisse Secrets », coordonnée par l’Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), et à laquelle Le Monde et 47 autres médias du monde entier ont participé, montre que, durant la dernière décennie, le roi Abdallah II a abrité au moins 200 millions d’euros chez Credit Suisse, un prestigieux établissement financier helvétique frappé depuis des années par des scandales à répétition. » | Par Le Monde | lundi 21 février 2022

Skyler Wixom | My Faith. My Sexuality. My Journey Forward.

Jan 15, 2020 • Skyler Wixom, a BYU graduate and adjunct professor, shares his story of coming out and finding his path of authenticity and honesty. Skyler gives kind and sympathetic advice to Latter-Day Saints and Church leaders regarding his sexuality.

He shares his story coming out for the first time to his mission president and the loving advice his mission president gave him.

Skyler discusses where is at today, including the transition of his faith and what led him from life as an active Mormon to exploring his sexuality.

Phil Collins : Everyday

Official music video | LP version : 17,614,921

Phil Collins : Can't Stop Loving You

Official music video | Views on YouTube: 36,026,936

Home Office Bans ‘Golden Visas’ for Wealthy Foreign Investors

Feb 17, 2022 • In another sign of declining relations, the Home Office has announced an immediate ban on so-called ‘golden visas’ for wealthy foreign investors wanting residency in the UK, citing "security concerns".

Kick the b*******s out, wherever they come from! We don’t need their filthy lucre. – © Mark

Democracy Now! US News & World Headlines – February 21, 2022

When Soldiers Kiss and Make Up! When East Meets West.

Quand les soldats s'embrassent et se réconcilient. Quand l'Orient rencontre l'Occident. / Wenn sich Soldaten küssen und sich versöhnen. Wenn Ost auf West trifft.
"A Russian and American soldier kiss during a celebration party after WWII ended in Germany in 1945."
Many thanks to reddit.com on Pinterest for this truly delightful photo!

Switzerland At Risk of EU Blacklist after Credit Suisse Leak

A move to the blacklist would mean Switzerland would face the kind of enhanced due diligence applied to transactions linked to rogue nations including North Korea. Composite: Guardian
THE GUARDIAN: Apparent due diligence failures by Swiss bank prompts centre-right calls for EU to review relationship with Switzerland

The fallout from a huge leak of Credit Suisse banking data threatened to damage Switzerland’s entire financial sector on Monday after the European parliament’s main political grouping raised the prospect of adding the country to a money-laundering blacklist.

The European People’s party (EPP), the largest political grouping of the European parliament, called for the EU to review its relationship with Switzerland and consider whether it should be added to its list of countries associated with a high risk of financial crime.

Experts said that such a move would be a disaster for Switzerland’s financial sector, which would face the kind of enhanced due diligence applied to transactions linked to rogue nations including Iran, Myanmar, Syria and North Korea.

“When Swiss banks fail to apply international anti-money-laundering standards properly, Switzerland itself becomes a high-risk jurisdiction,” said Markus Ferber, the coordinator on economic affairs for the EPP, which represents Europe’s centre-right political parties.

“When the list of high-risk third countries in the area of money laundering is up for revision the next time, the European Commission needs to consider adding Switzerland to that list.” » | Kalyeena Makortoff and David Pegg | Monday, February 21, 2022

Crise ukrainienne : Poutine dira dans la journée s’il reconnaît l’indépendance des territoires séparatistes dans l’est de l’Ukraine

LE MONDE : L’Ukraine a demandé une réunion d’urgence du Conseil de sécurité de l’ONU, lundi. Si le président russe reconnaît les territoires séparatistes, le processus de paix à la frontière serait sérieusement compromis.

Le président russe, Vladimir Poutine, lors d’une conférence de presse au Kremlin, à Moscou, le 7 février 2022. JEAN -CLAUDE COUTAUSSE POUR « LE MONDE »
L’incertitude persistait, lundi 21 février, quant aux chances de voir une solution diplomatique aboutir entre l’Ukraine et la Russie. Moscou a affirmé qu’il était trop tôt pour parler d’un sommet réunissant le président russe, Vladimir Poutine, et le président des Etats-Unis, Joe Biden, pour désamorcer la crise russo-occidentale autour de l’Ukraine, contrairement à ce qu’avait annoncé Paris la veille.

Dans la journée, le président russe a estimé que le processus de paix entre l’Ukraine et les séparatistes prorusses n’avait « aucune perspective » et annoncé qu’il décidera dans la journée s’il reconnaîtra, ou non, les territoires séparatistes de l’est ukrainien, où les deux camps s’accusent mutuellement de violation du cessez-le-feu négocié en 2014. L’Ukraine a, pour sa part, demandé une réunion d’urgence du Conseil de sécurité de l’ONU, lundi. Regarder la vidéo » | Le Monde avec AFP | lundi 21 février 2022

Ukraine: Joe Biden est prêt à rencontrer Vladimir Poutine «à tout moment» pour éviter une guerre

Capture d'écran tirée de la vidéo présentée ici.
FIGARO/LIVE: La Russie et l'Ukraine ont continué dimanche 20 février à s'accuser mutuellement d'être responsables des nouveaux combats dans l'Est séparatiste ukrainien, à la veille d'une semaine diplomatique «cruciale» pour éviter une intervention de Moscou imminente selon les Occidentaux. Regarder la vidéo » | lundi 21 février 2022

Putin erklärt Minsker Abkommen für gescheitert

Spuren des Krieges in der Ostukraine: Beobachter registrieren vermehrt Verstöße gegen die Waffenruhe. | Bild: REUTERS
OSTUKRAINE
FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG: Die Lage im Ukraine-Konflikt spitzt sich zu. Russlands Präsident sieht keine Chance mehr für eine Umsetzung des Abkommens zur Befriedung der Ostukraine. Die prorussischen Separatisten fordern von Putin, ihre Unabhängigkeit anzuerkennen.

Russlands Präsident Wladimir Putin sieht keine Chancen mehr für eine Umsetzung der Minsker Abkommens zur Befriedung des Konflikts in der Ostukraine. „Wir sind zu der Überzeugung gelangt, dass es keine Aussichten“ für das Abkommen gebe, sagte Putin am Montag bei einem Treffen des Nationalen Sicherheitsrats in Moskau. In den von Deutschland und Frankreich 2014 und 2015 vermittelten und gemeinsam mit der Ukraine und Russland vereinbarten Minsker Abkommen hatten sich die Konfliktparteien in der Ostukraine zu mehreren Schritten verpflichtet, um eine Friedenslösung in dem Konflikt zu erreichen.

Vor Beginn der Sitzung des Nationalen Sicherheitsrats hatten die prorussischen Separatisten in der Ostukraine Präsident Putin zur Anerkennung ihrer Unabhängigkeit aufgerufen. Die Separatistenführer in den selbsternannten „Volksrepubliken“ Donezk und Luhansk forderten am Montag in einer im russischen Fernsehen übertragenen Videobotschaft außerdem eine Zusammenarbeit mit Moskau „im Bereich der Verteidigung“. In der Ostukraine hatte die Gewalt in den vergangenen Tagen zugenommen. Mehrmals meldeten staatliche russische Medien auch angebliche Übergriffe ukrainischer Truppen auf russisches Staatsgebiet. Westliche Vertreter warnen seit Tagen, dass Russland einen Vorwand für einen Angriff auf die Ukraine schaffen könnte.

Putin erklärte am Montag, man müsse erwägen, ob die Separatisten-Regionen im Osten der Ukraine anerkannt werden sollten. Am Dienstag treten beide Parlamentskammern zu einer außerplanmäßigen Sitzung zusammen. Das geschah zuletzt vor der Anerkennung der von Georgien abtrünnigen Regionen Südossetien und Abchasien im August 2008. Offiziell kommen die Parlamentarier aus einem anderen Grund zusammen, es wird jedoch angenommen, dass es um die Gebiete in der Ostukraine gehen soll. Angeblich fünf „Saboteure“ getötet » | Quelle: AFP/dpa/frs. | Montag, 21. Februar 2022

Falls Sie ein Abonnement abschließen möchten, finden Sie auf dieser Seite die beliebtesten Abonnements der Frankfurter Allgemeinen Zeitung.

Immer mehr russische Truppen nähern sich der ukrainischen Grenze

NEUE ZÜRCHER ZEITUNG: Zahlreiche russische Einheiten haben ihre Bereitstellungsräume verlassen und sich offenbar in Angriffsstellung begeben. Das zeigen neue Satellitenbilder vom Wochenende. Zudem sorgt eine mysteriöse Markierung auf Panzern für Aufsehen.

Russische Militärfahrzeuge und Truppen nähern sich der ukrainischen Grenze. Das vom Verteidigungsministerium veröffentlichte Bild zeigt einen Kampfpanzer bei einer Übung am 14. Februar. | Russian Defense Ministry Press Service / AP
Die Hinweise verdichten sich, dass eine Invasion der Ukraine kurz bevorstehen könnte. Am Sonntag aufgenommene Satellitenbilder beweisen, dass sich in den vergangenen Tagen russische Einheiten in Bewegung gesetzt und neue Stellungen eingenommen haben. In unmittelbarer Nähe zur ukrainischen Grenze präsentiert sich damit eine neue, hochdynamische Lage.

Bis vor kurzem waren Soldaten und Kriegsgerät hauptsächlich in grossen Bereitstellungslagern mit Truppenzelten und Fahrzeugparks versammelt. Nun haben verschiedene Einheiten diese Lager verlassen und sich in kleinere Stellungen verschoben, die nur wenige Kilometer von der Ukraine entfernt sind. Die Satellitenbilder zeigen, dass sich Militärfahrzeuge an Waldrändern, auf offenem Feld oder in Industriegebieten versammelt haben. » | Jonas Roth | Montag, 21. Februar 2022

Revealed: King of Jordan Used Swiss Accounts to Hoard Massive Wealth

Queen Rania and King Abdullah. Composite: Rex/Shutterstock
THE GUARDIAN: Leak shows King Abdullah was beneficial owner of at least six Credit Suisse accounts

In 2011, as popular revolts reverberated around the Middle East, a monarch in the midst of it all made some banking decisions. Sometime that year, as neighbouring Egypt and Syria withered in the face of momentous civil protests, King Abdullah II of Jordan opened two new accounts with Credit Suisse, the Swiss bank that had discreetly served the region’s well-heeled for decades.

Abdullah, one of the world’s longest-serving current monarchs, had chosen a banker that shared his approach to secrecy, particularly surrounding his personal wealth. Over the next five years, the king was the beneficial owner of at least six accounts with Credit Suisse, while his wife, Queen Rania, had another.

According to a massive trove of data leaked from the bank that names both royals as account holders, one account would later be worth a remarkable 230m Swiss francs (£180m).

At home, King Abdullah had been experiencing a rocky ride. The revolts, which came to be known as the Arab spring, led to leaders being toppled in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Yemen, and a brutal, protracted war breaking out in Syria. Jordan, one of the region’s more efficient security states, was able to stave off a threat from a nascent opposition, through suppression of dissent and promises of better days.

But in the decade since, a struggling economy, persistent levels of poverty, high unemployment, cuts to welfare and seemingly ever-present austerity measures have continued to stir resentment across the country. One particular gripe has been the juxtaposition between the apparent wealth of the king and the constant grind endured by most citizens just to get by. As the IMF agreed to bail out Jordan, on the condition that its people tighten their collective belts, the king was moving enormous amounts between his Swiss accounts. » | Martin Chulov, Middle East correspondent | Monday, February 21, 2022

Wherever you look, to whichever country you turn your sights, the rich élite are playing the people for fools! And we, the people, the fools, are playing along with their game. – © Mark

Leak Shows Credit Suisse Has Handled Dirty Money for Decades | DW News

Feb 21, 2022 • Credit Suisse is facing allegations that it has been handling dirty money for decades. An investigation led by German daily the Süddeutsche Zeitung has revealed that Switzerland's second-biggest lender knowingly managed hundreds of millions of dollars for suspected war criminals, corrupt autocrats and drug dealers. That's according to an investigation by a consortium of over 40 media organizations worldwide. The Swiss bank says it rejects the insinuations about its purported practices.

Related links.

Kurdish Transgender Woman Shot by Brother Had Been Hiding from Family

THE GUARDIAN: Friends of Doski Azad said the 23-year-old makeup artist had received repeated death threats from male family members

Doski Azad who had been supporting herself by working as a makeup artist since her family turned her back on her as a teenager.
The Kurdish transgender woman Doski Azad shot dead by her brother last month, had been living in hiding from her family after repeated death threats, friends have said.

According to friends, Azad had had to move home regularly after several death threats by male members of her family.

Three weeks ago, her body was found dumped in a ditch outside of the city of Duhok, in the Iraqi autonomous Kurdistan region. Her hands had been tied and she had been shot twice. Police have issued an arrest warrant for her brother, who is believed to have travelled from his home in Germany to carry out the killing. » | Saeed Kamali Dehghan | Monday, February 21, 2022

Blitzkrieg or Minor Incursion? Putin’s Choice Could Determine World Reaction.

THE NEW YORK TIMES: President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia may be looking for fissures in the Western alliance, which so far has been united against him.

Ukrainian Army solders patrol the front line near Luhansk, in eastern Ukraine.Credit. | Tyler Hicks/The New York Times
MUNICH — When President Biden declared on Friday he was convinced President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia had decided to attack Ukraine “in the coming week, in the coming days,” the skeptics among American allies suddenly fell quiet. Hours before, Mr. Biden had informed them that American intelligence agencies had just learned that the Kremlin had given the order for Russian military units to proceed with an invasion.

Now the debate has shifted to how Mr. Putin will do it: in one massive nationwide attack; a series of bites that dismantle the country, piece by piece; or a pythonlike squeeze. That last option is made all the easier with the news Sunday morning that Belarus is allowing Russian troops to remain indefinitely, where they can menace Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital. Mr. Putin might be betting that he can shatter Ukraine’s economy and oust its government without having to immediately roll in tanks.

Mr. Putin’s strategic choices over the next few weeks may make a huge difference in how the world reacts.

If he strikes to take the whole country in a single blow — the approach that senior American military and intelligence officials and many outside analysts now think is the most likely — it could provoke the largest, most violent battle for European territory since the Nazi surrender in 1945. » | David E. Sanger | Sunday, February 20, 2022

Revealed: Credit Suisse Leak Unmasks Criminals, Fraudsters and Corrupt Politicians

Composite: Doug Chayka
THE GUARDIAN: Massive leak reveals secret owners of £80bn held in Swiss bank / Whistleblower leaked bank’s data to expose ‘immoral’ secrecy laws / Clients included human trafficker and billionaire who ordered girlfriend’s murder / Vatican-owned account used to spend €350m in allegedly fraudulent investment / Scandal-hit Credit Suisse rejects allegations it may be ‘rogue bank’

A massive leak from one of the world’s biggest private banks, Credit Suisse, has exposed the hidden wealth of clients involved in torture, drug trafficking, money laundering, corruption and other serious crimes.

Details of accounts linked to 30,000 Credit Suisse clients all over the world are contained in the leak, which unmasks the beneficiaries of more than 100bn Swiss francs (£80bn)* held in one of Switzerland’s best-known financial institutions.

The leak points to widespread failures of due diligence by Credit Suisse, despite repeated pledges over decades to weed out dubious clients and illicit funds. The Guardian is part of a consortium of media outlets given exclusive access to the data.

We can reveal how Credit Suisse repeatedly either opened or maintained bank accounts for a panoramic array of high-risk clients across the world.

They include a human trafficker in the Philippines, a Hong Kong stock exchange boss jailed for bribery, a billionaire who ordered the murder of his Lebanese pop star girlfriend and executives who looted Venezuela’s state oil company, as well as corrupt politicians from Egypt to Ukraine.

One Vatican-owned account in the data was used to spend €350m (£290m) in an allegedly fraudulent investment in London property that is at the centre of an ongoing criminal trial of several defendants, including a cardinal. » | David Pegg, Kalyeena Makortoff, Martin Chulov, Paul Lewis and Luke Harding | Sunday, February 20, 2022

Datenleck bei der Credit Suisse: Die Bank soll über Jahre korrupte Politiker und Kriminelle als Kunden akzeptiert haben: Der Credit Suisse bleibt derzeit nichts erspart. Am Sonntag hat ihr ein internationales Journalistennetzwerk vorgeworfen, sie habe über viele Jahre korrupte Autokraten, Kriegsverbrecher und andere Kriminelle als Kunden akzeptiert. »

« Suisse Secrets », révélations sur l’argent sale caché au Credit Suisse : ENQUÊTE Dictateurs, réseaux criminels, espions : « Le Monde » et quarante-sept médias ont eu accès à des informations issues de milliers de comptes, montrant que le fleuron bancaire suisse a hébergé des milliards pour le compte de clients sulfureux. »

Vast Leak Exposes How Credit Suisse Served Strongmen and Spies: Leaked data on more than 18,000 accounts shows that the Swiss bank missed or ignored red flags. »

Credit Suisse denies wrongdoing after big banking data leak: Credit Suisse has hit out after a massive data leak has brought to light the hidden wealth of several clients of the bank. »

Crédit Suisse mis en cause par une massive fuite de données : L'établissement financier est accusé d'avoir hébergé plusieurs milliards d'euros liés au crime et à la corruption. »

Storm Franklin: Flooding and Evacuations as Storm Nears UK

BBC: Flooding driven by heavy rain has prompted evacuations in parts of the UK as Storm Franklin approaches.

There is severe flooding in parts of Northern Ireland, while people in Yorkshire and Manchester have been forced to leave their homes for safety.

The brunt of the new storm is forecast to hit overnight.

Franklin comes days after Storm Eunice killed three people and left 1.4 million homes without power, with nearly 56,000 still to be reconnected.

The Met Office has issued two weather warnings for Sunday evening and Monday: » | Adam Durbin, BBC News | Sunday, February 20, 2022

Fareed Zakaria Says the US Has Made a Strategic Error with Russia

Feb 20, 2022 • Fareed Zakaria gives his take on why it would be wise for the U.S. to divide Russia and China rather than unite them.

When Hitler Invaded Britain in WWII: The Secrets of Guernsey | Timeline

Dec 12, 2019 • Guernsey and its neighbouring islands have a unique distinction which sets them apart from the rest of the British Isles. Together with the rest of the Channel Islands, they were the only part of the British Isles to fall to Nazi Germany in the Second World War. In this documentary, Dan Snow discovers the unique wartime experience of these islands and the people who lived on them. From a daring commando raid on Sark to an extraordinary reconnoitre of untouched World War Two archaeology submerged in an Alderney quarry, join Dan as he explores the wartime history - above and below the ground.

WIKIPEDIA: Channel Islands.

Bond Between China and Russia Alarms U.S. and Europe Amid Ukraine Crisis

THE NEW YORK TIMES: The Biden administration plans to build up global coalitions to counter a pact between Vladimir V. Putin and Xi Jinping, portending a new type of Cold War.

President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, left, and President Xi Jinping of China in Beijing this month. U.S. and European officials are troubled by what is effectively a nonaggression pact between China and Russia. | Li Tao/Xinhua, via Associated Press
WASHINGTON — When Wang Yi, China’s foreign minister, called on Saturday for talks to resolve the crisis in Europe, he said Ukraine’s sovereignty should be “respected and safeguarded” — but also sided with Russia in saying that NATO enlargement was destabilizing the continent.

“If NATO keeps expanding eastward, is it conducive to maintaining peace and stability in Europe?” he said by video at the Munich Security Conference in Germany, which Vice President Kamala Harris was attending in person to rally countries against Russia.

It was the latest instance of what Western officials say is China taking a bold new swing at the United States and its allies by wading into European security issues to explicitly back Russia, which has amassed as many as 190,000 troops around Ukraine for a possible invasion — despite the fact Ukraine is not joining NATO anytime soon. » | Edward Wong | Sunday, February 20, 2022

heute journal vom 19.02.2022

Feb 19, 2022 • Der Russland-Ukraine-Konflikt spitzt sich zu: Bundesverteidigungsministerin Christine Lambrecht (SPD) spricht im ZDF-Interview über Gefahren und Hilfen für die Ukraine. "Wir sind in der Verpflichtung, alles möglich zu machen, um unsere Verbündeten, unsere Alliierten zu schützen", sagt die Verteidigungsministerin am Rande der Münchner Sicherheitskonferenz. Mehr dazu und weitere Nachrichten des Tages im heute journal.

Verwandt.

Joe Bidens Stärke

ZEIT ONLINE: Im Konflikt mit Russland findet US-Präsident Joe Biden zu etwas zurück, was er im Amt lange nicht gezeigt hat: Kraft und taktisches Geschick. Doch das birgt auch Risiken.

Rhetorisch klar: US-Präsident Joe Biden | © Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times/Polaris/ddp
Sechs Monate ist es her, da hatte Joe Biden das wenige Vertrauen verspielt, das er sich und seinem Land nach einem halben Jahr als US-Präsident im Westen aufgebaut hatte. Die USA waren nach 20 Jahren Krieg in Afghanistan gescheitert, Biden beendete den Einsatz. Der Krieg war eine Niederlage von gleich vier Präsidenten. Doch Biden ist es, der die Verantwortung für die Folgen dieses schlecht organisierten und durchgeführten Abzugs tragen muss: vor allem anderen die humanitäre Katastrophe in Afghanistan. Aber eben auch den Ärger und das Unverständnis der Bündnispartner über diesen desaströsen Alleingang.

Damals hätte Biden am liebsten gar nicht viel gesprochen, er wandte sich unwillig und uneinsichtig an die Öffentlichkeit. Ein halbes Jahr später steht der Präsident in dieser Woche auf einer Bühne einer Veranstaltungshalle in Ohio und verabschiedet sich früher als geplant mit der Entschuldigung, dass da derzeit eine kleine Sache in Europa im Gange sei. Außenpolitik, Europa, das ist nichts, was ein Präsident normalerweise auf seinen Touren durchs Land adressiert. Dort geht es in einem Kongresswahljahr wie diesem darum, die innenpolitische Agenda mit glänzenden Worten zu verkaufen. In Ohio war das Bidens Infrastrukturgesetzgebung. Doch zum einen glänzt innenpolitisch derzeit für Biden nicht so viel und zum anderen sind dies keine normalen Tage. » | Eine Analyse von Rieke Havertz | Sonntag, 20. Februar 2022

L’UE enfin armée pour défendre l’Etat de droit face à la Hongrie et la Pologne

LE MONDE : La Cour de justice européenne a validé, mercredi, le dispositif soumettant l’octroi de fonds européens au respect des règles de droit. Il faut espérer que la Commission ne tardera pas à mettre en œuvre, à l’encontre des dirigeants récalcitrants, ce mécanisme obtenu de haute lutte.

Editorial du « Monde ». Dans la saga des défis posés à l’Union européenne (UE) par deux de ses Etats membres, la Pologne et la Hongrie, sur le non-respect de l’Etat de droit, Bruxelles vient de marquer un point important. La décision de la Cour de justice de l’UE, rendue mercredi 16 février, valide on ne peut plus clairement le dispositif adopté en décembre 2020 par les dirigeants de l’Union afin de soumettre l’octroi de fonds européens au respect des règles de droit par les bénéficiaires.

En rejetant le recours de Varsovie et de Budapest, qui estimaient ce dispositif illégal, la Cour de justice a donné un feu vert décisif à la Commission pour faire usage du mécanisme de conditionnalité à l’égard des gouvernements récalcitrants sur l’Etat de droit. C’est un instrument qui faisait cruellement défaut à la Commission dans la bataille qu’elle mène depuis plusieurs années avec les dirigeants nationalistes polonais et hongrois, parce qu’ils se sont affranchis de certaines règles garantissant, notamment, l’indépendance de la justice. » |Éditorial | Samedi 19 février 2022

Ukraine President Zelenskyy Delivers Impassioned Speech at MSC 2022 | DW News

Feb 19, 2022 • Speaking on the second day of the Munich Security Conference, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy challenged members of the European Union and NATO to take their relationship with Ukraine seriously.

In emotional remarks, he thanked partners for their rhetorical and material support in the face of Russia's military build-up on Ukraine's borders. But he said they have Ukraine to thank for standing up to Russian aggression for years and protecting the rest of Europe from it.

Still, Zelenskyy said diplomacy is the only means for Ukraine to regain the territory it lost when Russia attacked in 2014. That led him to question Russian claims that they are not seeking to do so again now. Christiane Amanpour was on hand to conduct an in-depth follow-up interview with Zelenskyy.


WIKIPEDIA : Volodymyr Zelenskyy

Russia Expert: Putin’s Acts Are a Classic Play from a Dictator’s Playbook

Feb 19, 2022 • President Biden told reporters on Friday that he is ‘certain’ Russian President Vladimir Putin will invade Ukraine. Joy Reid and her panel analyze the escalating developments in the region.

Queen Elizabeth Tests Positive for the Coronavirus

Queen Elizabeth this month. Buckingham Palace announced on Sunday that she has been infected by the coronavirus. | Pool photo by Joe Giddens
THE NEW YORK TIMES: The 95-year-old British monarch was “experiencing mild coldlike symptoms,” Buckingham Palace said. She recently met with her son Prince Charles, who had tested positive this month.

LONDON — Queen Elizabeth II has been infected with the coronavirus, Buckingham Palace said on Sunday, becoming one of the world’s most prominent figures to battle the virus and deeply rattling the country she has led for seven decades.

The palace issued few details about the condition of the queen, who turns 96 in April.

“Buckingham Palace confirm that the queen has today tested positive for Covid,” the palace said in a statement. “Her Majesty is experiencing mild coldlike symptoms but expects to continue light duties at Windsor over the coming week. She will continue to receive medical attention and will follow all the appropriate guidelines.”

She met this month with her eldest son and heir, Prince Charles, who was reinfected with the coronavirus and went into isolation. He last contracted a mild case of the virus in March 2020, as the pandemic was first engulfing Britain. » | Mark Landler | Sunday, February 20, 2022

Inside the Court Case That Ended in the Humiliation of Prince Andrew | 60 Minutes Australia

Not all pictures tell a thousand words. This one tells so many more. We’ll never know for sure, but it’s also probably worth about $20 million. That’s the reported price Prince Andrew will pay Virginia Guiffre to settle a very disturbing legal case against him. She says when she was 17 she was trafficked to the Prince by the paedophile businessman Jeffrey Epstein, ably assisted by his sex-offender partner, Ghislaine Maxwell. Despite that photo, Andrew denies ever meeting, let alone having sex with Ms Guiffre, but he’s been so discredited, these days it’s difficult to believe anything the disgraced royal says.

Will the Tories Hand Back Russian Cash as Putin Threatens War?

THE GUARDIAN – OPINION: To begin unravelling the Kremlin’s tendrils from Britain, the government must return millions in political donations

The consulate of the Russian embassy in London. Photograph: Neil Hall/EPA
Regardless of what unfolds in the coming days and weeks, the fact that Vladimir Putin is once again menacing and stalking the world stage requires those of us committed to peace to act. In the UK, that means getting our own house in order.

Let there be no doubt: when it comes to tackling Russian aggression, the Labour party supports the UK government and our allies. Those who equivocate between the actions of Russia and Nato are misguided or worse. The unified approach of recent weeks has surprised the Kremlin precisely because it is so used to encountering division. Those divisions have contributed to decades of failure in dealing with Russia.

The Putin playbook is well known. He favours chaos over order, the fog of war over clear strategy. He takes a nihilistic, zero-sum approach to foreign policy. Illicit money and influence are used as a judo move that turns the openness and freedom of western democracies into weaknesses. Over almost 12 years of Tory government, the tendrils of the Kremlin have been allowed to wrap around the UK, turning London into the “money-laundering capital of the world”. A cottage industry has been created that directly and indirectly does the bidding of those linked to Putin. Last week, it was revealed that £1.5bn of UK property had been snapped up by Russians accused of corruption or linked to the Kremlin. They are not here for the weather: they see us as a soft touch, somewhere they can hide cash with few questions asked. » | Keir Starmer * | Sunday, February 20, 2022

* Sir Keir Starmer is leader of the Labour party

Starmer: Russians hide cash in ‘soft touch’ UK: Labour leader accuses the Tories of failing to counter the flow of corrupt money into UK property sector »

Pro-russischer Rebellenchef in Donezk verkündet „Generalmobilmachung“

Der Chef der pro-russischen Rebellen in der selbsternannten „Volksrepublik“ Donezk, Denis Puschilin, im Jahr 2018 | Bild: REUTERS
OSTUKRAINE
FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG: Die Lage in der Ukraine spitzt sich weiter zu. Joe Biden ist überzeugt, dass Putin den Entschluss zum Angriff gefasst hat. Der Rebellenchef in Donezk macht mobil. Und auch China fordert jetzt die Nato auf, keine neuen Mitglieder aufzunehmen.

Der Chef der pro-russischen Rebellen in der selbsternannten „Volksrepublik“ Donezk in der Ostukraine hat zur „Generalmobilmachung“ aufgerufen. „Heute habe ich ein Dekret über die Generalmobilmachung unterzeichnet“, sagte Denis Puschilin in einer am Samstag veröffentlichten Video-Botschaft. Er rief die Reservisten auf, „in die Einschreibebüros des Militärs zu kommen“. Zudem warfen sich die ukrainische Armee und die pro-russischen Rebellen am Samstag gegenseitig schwere Verstöße gegen die Waffenruhe vor.

Puschilin beteuerte in dem Video, seine Soldaten hätten von der Ukraine geplante Angriffe vereitelt. Die ukrainische Armee setze ihre Angriffe fort. „Zusammen werden wir für uns alle den Sieg erringen, den wir wünschen und verdienen“, sagte der Rebellenführer. „Wir werden den Donbas und das ganze russische Volk schützen.“

Puschilin forderte in seiner Ansprache Zivilisten zur Flucht in das Nachbarland Russland auf. Zuerst sollten „Frauen, Kinder und ältere Leute“ in Sicherheit gebracht werden, sagte der Separatisten-Chef. „Eine zeitweise Ausreise bewahrt Ihnen und Ihren Verwandten das Leben.“ Die Ukraine hat Vorwürfe, sie wolle von pro-russischen Rebellen kontrollierte Gebiete mit Gewalt zurückerobern, wiederholt zurückgewiesen. » | Quelle: AFP/FAZ.NET | Samstag, 19. Februar 2022

Die beliebtesten Abonnements der Frankfurter Alllgemeinen Zeitung sind hier mit einem Klick erhältlich.

Ukraine: Russia Plans Biggest War in Europe since 1945 - Boris Johnson

A screenshot from the accompanying video: Boris Johnson says people need to understand the "sheer cost in human life" war could entail.
BBC: Evidence suggests Russia is planning "the biggest war in Europe since 1945", Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said.

He told the BBC's Sophie Raworth in an interview: "All the signs are that the plan has already in some senses begun."

Intelligence suggests Russia intends to launch an invasion that will encircle Ukrainian capital Kyiv, Mr Johnson said.

"People need to understand the sheer cost in human life that could entail," he said.

The prime minister was speaking from Munich, where world leaders are meeting for an annual security conference.

The latest estimates by the US government suggests the number of Russian troops now stationed along Ukraine's border, both in Russia and neighbouring Belarus, is between 169,000 and 190,000. » | BBC | Saturday, February 19, 2022

It has been part of Putin’s game plan all along to weaken the European Union. By coming out of the EU, we Brits have weakened Europe for him and emboldened him to boot. We've done his bidding for him. That is one of the main reasons why Brexit was such a dumb idea from the very start! Now, let me think... I wonder... whom can we thank for that? – © Mark

Johnson warnt vor „größtem Krieg in Europa seit 1945“: Die NATO sieht Anzeichen für einen „vollständigen Angriff“ Russlands auf die Ukraine, Boris Johnson droht mit neuartigen Sanktionen: Im Falle einer Offensive solle russischen Firmen der Zugang zu Dollar und Pfund gekappt werden. »

Chris DeBurgh : Lady In Red

Song property of Universal Music Group | Views on YouTube: 72,433,616

Gay : Mixed Reports / Gemischte Meldungen / Rapports mitigés

Image: Adobe Stock
Gus Kenworthy retires at Winter Olympics after nasty skiing fall: ‘Thank you for everything’ : British freestyle skier Gus Kenworthy has dropped out of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics – and the sport altogether – after a spectacular skiing crash. »

The ‘World’s First Pro-Gay Film’ That Was Almost Erased from History: 1919's ‘Different from the Others’ starring Conrad Veidt was decades ahead of its time - but was almost lost completely due to government censorship and Nazi destruction. »

L'armée indienne censure le scénario du cinéaste Onir inspiré de l'histoire vraie d'un officier gay : En 2020, le gouvernement nationaliste hindou du Premier ministre Narendra Modi a exigé que les cinéastes indiens soumettent à l'agrément des autorités militaires tout scénario touchant à l'armée indienne. »

Österreich: 1,5 Prozent der Eheschließungen gleichgeschlechtlich: In den Standesämtern der Alpenrepublik geben sich seit 2019 auch gleichgeschlechtliche Paare das Ja-Wort – Verpartnerungen sind immer noch en vogue. »

World Leaders Gather in Munich to Avert Russia-Ukraine War

Feb 19, 2022 • Heavy fire in the east of Ukraine today has killed two soldiers, a reminder that the country has long been in a permanent state of war.

At the same time, there were increasingly stern words for President Putin from the world leaders gathered in Munich.

Ukraine's president was there to appeal for support, urging them to impose sanctions now before it is too late and warning that the world needs to learn the "terrible lessons from history".

Frédéric Chopin - The Nocturnes | Maria João Pires | Live Recital

"Chopin is a poet. It’s very inner music and very deep. I don’t feel at all it’s for show. He had that in himself... Chopin is the deep poet of music. But he also invented this terrible thing called "Piano Recitals". That made me suffer all my life."

The Nocturnes | Chopin Night Music: "Of the tenderness, the charm, the awe and mystery which are to be found in the Nocturnes... Oh, those Nocturnes! Tones of infinite sadness! There is music in them which fathoms the depths, which plunges us into the immensity; emotional force that rends our hearts; Horrible despair, bordering on the overwhelming immanence of death itsel; Divine ecstasy interrupted by a wail of sorrow, and again by a soft caress. And all is so sincere; the sincerity of one whose heart bleeds; whose soul is overflowing with tenderness!" – George Mathias, student of Chopin


Maria João Pires: 10 facts about the great pianist: Pianist Maria João Pires is not a fan of giving concerts and recitals, and does not wear the usual performer's evening dress. But her Chopin is unbeatable. »