Macrons herzlicher Händedruck

Der französische Präsident Emmanuel Macron und der saudische Kronprinz Muhamad Bin Salman am Donnerstag in Paris | Bild: Getty
SAUDISCHER KRONPRINZ IN PARIS
FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG: Der saudische Kronprinz Muhammad Bin Salman war in Europa lange geächtet. Er soll die Ermordung des Journalisten Khashoggi gebilligt haben. Emmanuel Macron empfing ihn jetzt ungewöhnlich herzlich in Paris.

Mit einem langen Händedruck vor den Kameras im Innenhof des Elysée-Palastes hat Emmanuel Macron dem saudischen Kronprinzen Muhammad Bin Salman am Donnerstagabend einen ungewöhnlich herzlichen Empfang bereitet. „Wir beglückwünschen uns zum verstärkten Austausch zwischen dem Königreich Saudi-Arabien und Frankreich“, heißt es im Abschlusskommuniqué, das am Freitag veröffentlicht wurde.

Bei ihrer Begegnung in Dschidda Mitte Juli hatten der amerikanische Präsident Joe Biden und Bin Salman nur kurz die Fäuste zur Begrüßung aneinandergestoßen. Biden gab sich sichtlich Mühe, distanziert aufzutreten, während Macron in Paris lange Minuten für die Kameras mit Bin Salman posierte und sich ein zweites Mal für die Fotografen mit dem Gast aus Saudi-Arabien an der gläsernen Eingangstür zum Elysée-Palast aufstellte. Der Kronprinz wurde vom Präsidenten zu einem Abendessen unter vier Augen empfangen, wie das Präsidialamt mitteilte. Zeitgleich fand ein Abendessen der wichtigsten Minister mit ihren saudischen Counterparts statt. » | Von Michaela Wiegel in Paris | Freitag, 29. Juli 2022

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The Rouble Is Soaring and Putin Is Stronger Than Ever - Our Sanctions Have Backfired

THE GUARDIAN: Energy prices are rocketing, inflation is soaring and millions are being starved of grain. Surely Johnson knew this would happen?

Western sanctions against Russia are the most ill-conceived and counterproductive policy in recent international history. Military aid to Ukraine is justified, but the economic war is ineffective against the regime in Moscow, and devastating for its unintended targets. World energy prices are rocketing, inflation is soaring, supply chains are chaotic and millions are being starved of gas, grain and fertiliser. Yet Vladimir Putin’s barbarity only escalates – as does his hold over his own people.

To criticize western sanctions is close to anathema. Defence analysts are dumb on the subject. Strategy thinktanks are silent. Britain’s putative leaders, Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak, compete in belligerent rhetoric, promising ever tougher sanctions without a word of purpose. Yet, hint at scepticism on the subject and you will be excoriated as “pro-Putin” and anti-Ukraine. Sanctions are the war cry of the west’s crusade.

The reality of sanctions on Russia is that they invite retaliation. Putin is free to freeze Europe this winter. He has slashed supply from major pipelines such as Nord Stream 1 by up to 80%. World oil prices have surged and eastern Europe’s flow of wheat and other foodstuffs to Africa and Asia has been all but suspended.

Britain’s domestic gas bills face tripling inside a year. The chief beneficiary is none other than Russia, whose energy exports to Asia have soared, driving its balance of payments into unprecedented surplus. The rouble is one of the world’s strongest currencies this year, having strengthened since January by nearly 50%. Moscow’s overseas assets have been frozen and its oligarchs have relocated their yachts, but there is no sign that Putin cares. He has no electorate to worry him. » | Simon Jenkins | Friday, January 29, 2022

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Ina Garten Makes Perfect Roast Chicken | Food Network

The Barefoot Contessa shares her recipe for perfect roast chicken with vegetables.

Ingredients:

1 (5 - 6 lb) roasting chicken
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 large bunch fresh thyme, plus 20 sprigs
1 lemon, halved
1 head garlic, cut in half crosswise
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter, melted
1 large yellow onion, thickly sliced
4 carrots cut into 2-inch chunks
1 bulb of fennel, tops removed, and cut into wedgesr
Olive oil

Directions / Method:

Preheat the oven to 425F [220C].

Remove the chicken giblets. Rinse the chicken inside and out. Remove any excess fat and leftover pin feathers and pat the outside dry. Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the chicken.

Stuff the cavity with the bunch of thyme, both halves of lemon, and all the garlic. Brush the outside of the chicken with the butter and sprinkle again with salt and pepper. Tie the legs together with kitchen string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the chicken.

Place the onions, carrots, and fennel in a roasting pan. Toss wiih salt, pepper, 20 sprigs of thyme, and olive oil. Spread around the bottom of the roasting pan and place the chicken on top.

Roast the chicken for 1 1/2 hours, or until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh. Remove the chicken and vegetables to a platter and cover with aluminum foil for about 20 minutes. Slice the chicken onto a platter and serve it with the vegetables.

Copyright 1999, The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, All Rights Reserved

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Taiwan Prepares for Possible Chinese Invasion (1997)

Jul 29, 2022 The Last Domino (1997): Following the handover of Hong Kong, China has turned its eyes towards the democratic island of Taiwan. It's enough to send a shiver of fear down the spines of all Taiwanese. They know they could be next and military exercises send a clear signal they are prepared to fight.

Xi Jinping a averti Joe Biden de ne « pas jouer avec le feu » à propos de Taïwan

LE MONDE : L’entretien de deux heures entre les deux dirigeants est leur cinquième sommet virtuel depuis l’élection de M. Biden, en novembre 2020. Il a été, selon l’agence Chine nouvelle, « sincère et approfondi ».

Le président américain, Joe Biden, discute avec le président chinois, Xi Jinping, lors d’un précédent sommet virtuel, à la Maison Blanche, à Washington, en novembre 2021. JONATHAN ERNST / REUTERS
Le président américain, Joe Biden, et son homologue chinois, Xi Jinping, ont discuté, jeudi 28 juillet, par téléphone pendant plus de deux heures, et abordé notamment les tensions croissantes entre leurs deux pays au sujet de Taïwan et de leurs différends commerciaux.

Un média d’Etat chinois a rapporté un entretien « sincère et approfondi », au cours duquel le président chinois a averti son homologue américain de ne « pas jouer avec le feu » à propos de Taïwan. « Ceux qui jouent avec le feu finissent par se brûler, a dit M. Xi à M. Biden, cité par l’agence Chine nouvelle. J’espère que la partie américaine comprend parfaitement cela. »

A ce sujet, M. Biden a, de son côté, affirmé que la position américaine n’avait « pas changé », selon la Maison Blanche. Le président américain a ajouté que « les Etats-Unis s’oppos[aient] fermement aux efforts unilatéraux pour modifier le statut ou menacer la paix et la stabilité dans le détroit de Taïwan », a fait savoir l’exécutif américain dans un communiqué. » | Le Monde avec AFP | jeudi 18 juillet 2022

US Supreme Court Justice Mocks Prince Harry and Boris Johnson’s Criticism of Roe v Wade Ruling

THE GUARDIAN: Samuel Alito, who authored the argument overturning the landmark case, dismisses complaints by foreign leaders at conference in Rome

US supreme court justice Samuel Alito on a banner attacking his position on Roe v Wade. He has mocked critics of his stance on abortion. Photograph: Jacquelyn Martin/AP
US supreme court justice Samuel Alito has mocked prominent figures around the world who have criticised last month’s ruling that overturned Roe v Wade, the landmark 1973 abortion rights decision.

In his first public remarks since the decision, which has led to various conservative US states imposing abortion bans, Alito dismissed criticism of the ruling, which has come from the likes of British prime minister Boris Johnson, French president Emmanuel Macron and Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau.

Alito, a conservative justice, also took aim at Prince Harry who referenced the abortion ruling in a speech at the United Nation’s last week. » | Reuters | Friday, July 29, 2022

Democracy Now! Top US News & World Headlines – July 28, 2022

La visite du prince héritier saoudien « MBS » à l’Elysée provoque la colère des défenseurs des droits de l’homme

LE MONDE : Emmanuel Macron reçoit, jeudi soir, Mohammed ben Salmane, dont c’est la première visite en Europe depuis l’assassinat du journaliste Jamal Khashoggi par des agents saoudiens.

Le prince héritier saoudien, Mohammed Ben Salman, à Athènes, le 26 juillet 2022. LOUISA GOULIAMAKI / AFP
L’entente entre le royaume et la France ne passe pas inaperçue. Pour sa première visite en Europe depuis l’assassinat en 2018 du journaliste Jamal Khashoggi, Mohammed Ben Salman dîne, jeudi 28 juillet, avec Emmanuel Macron, suscitant la colère des défenseurs des droits de l’homme.

Cette venue en France est « une honte », a ainsi réagi sur Franceinfo Abdullah Alaoudh, directeur pour la région du Golfe de l’organisation Democracy for the Arab World Now, une organisation de défense des droits de l’homme américaine, dont Jamal Khashoggi avait eu l’idée, peu avant son assassinat. « Nous pensons que MBS cherche à blanchir ses crimes. Il a soutenu les leaders de la guerre en Libye et ailleurs, et qui a arrêté tant d’activistes, de défenseurs pacifiques et d’humoristes en Arabie saoudite », a-t-il souligné.

« Il y a vraiment une réhabilitation au niveau international de MBS. Et cet individu, c’est un meurtrier », a accusé Agnes Callamard, la secrétaire générale de l’ONG Amnesty International, sur France Inter. Cette dernière avait mené une enquête sur l’assassinat de Jamal Khashoggi, chroniqueur du Washington Post et critique du pouvoir saoudien, lorsqu’elle était rapporteure spéciale de l’ONU sur les exécutions extrajudiciaires. » | Le Monde avec AFP | jeudi 28 juillet 2022

Honneurs et tractations pour la visite à Paris de Mohammed Ben Salman, le prince héritier saoudien : Emmanuel Macron devait précipiter son retour de Guinée-Bissau, jeudi, pour un dîner de travail. Plusieurs paramètres expliquent les honneurs que l’Elysée lui accorde. »

Affaire Khashoggi : plainte à Paris contre le prince héritier saoudien : Deux ONG ont profité de la présence de « MBS » sur le sol français pour saisir le tribunal de Paris, sur la base de la compétence universelle. »

Top Ghanaian Doctors Use Misinformation to Train Nurses in ‘Conversion Therapy’

OPEN DEMOCRACY: Influential mental health figures call LGBTIQ identities ‘disease’ and ‘disorder’ – yet regulators remain silent

Leading Ghanaian doctors provided anti-LGBTIQ health misinformation and promoted controversial ‘conversion therapy’ practices at a workshop for medical professionals, openDemocracy has discovered.

The two-day workshop in the capital, Accra, on providing “treatment, care and support” for LGBTIQ people was run by the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association and aimed at nurses, psychologists, counsellors and midwives.

LGBTIQ people were described as “persons with sexual orientation and gender identity disorder”, and one speaker asked if homosexuality should be “rejected” as a vice treated “as a disease”. » | Khatondi Soita Wepukhulu | Thursday, July 28, 2022

China Vows ‘Serious Consequences’ If US Politician Nancy Pelosi Travels to Taiwan - BBC News

Jul 28, 2022 China has warned of "serious consequences" if US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi were to proceed with her visit.

Second in line to the presidency, after the vice-president, Ms Pelosi would be the highest ranking US politician to travel to the island since 1997.

This has angered China, which sees self-ruled Taiwan as a breakaway province that must become a part of the country, and Beijing has not ruled out the possible use of force to achieve this.

The Lincoln Project : Really, Lindsey?

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British Exporters Report Stagnating Trade as Post-Brexit Delays Blamed

THE GUARDIAN: Customs checks and border queues cited as leading barriers, as only 29% of firms say sales increased in Q2

Lorries queue in Dover, south-east England, on 16 February 2022. A survey of 2,600 exporters found Brexit ‘red tape’ had had a chilling effect on trade. Photograph: Glyn Kirk/AFP/Getty
Britain’s exporters have seen their overseas trade stagnate over the past year despite strong growth in domestic demand for their products and booming export markets, according to a survey.

The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) said that a survey of 2,600 exporters found a quarter had suffered a fall in exports and another 46% reported no change.

Only 29% reported an increase in sales in the second quarter, down from the 40% that reported an increase in the first quarter.

Firms said Brexit was one of the main barriers to exports, after the introduction of customs checks and delays at the border.

William Bain, the BCC’s head of trade policy, said that since last summer UK exports have stalled to the EU and the rest of the world while many other leading exporting countries have enjoyed a boom. » | Phillip Inman | Thursday, July 28, 2022

Tom Daley Condemns Homophobia across Commonwealth ahead of Games

THE GUARDIAN: Gold-medallist’s comment comes ahead of opening ceremony in Birmingham on Friday

Tom Daley will not compete in the Commonwealth Games this year to spend more time with his family. Photograph: Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images for The National Lottery
The Olympic diver Tom Daley has condemned homophobia across Commonwealth nations ahead of the start of competition in the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham on Friday.

Daley, who won gold at the event in 2018, said: “Thirty-five out of the 56 Commonwealth member states criminalise same-sex relations. That’s half the countries in the world that outlaw homosexuality.

“Every single person should be free to live their true authentic self, no matter where they are born or who they are. We must all keep working until everyone is free and equal.” » | Jessica Murray, Midlands correspondent | Wednesday, July 27, 2022

Senior Tory Urges Liz Truss to Explain Deletion of Abortion Rights from Statement

THE GUARDIAN: Exclusive: Equalities committee chair Caroline Nokes joins international outcry after UK dilutes commitment to women’s rights without consultation

A senior Conservative MP has asked the foreign secretary, Liz Truss, to explain why the UK government appeared to perform a “sudden backtracking on women’s rights” after commitments to abortion and sexual health rights were removed from an official multi-nation statement on gender equality.

Caroline Nokes, who chairs the women and equalities select committee, has written to Truss, who is also the minister for women and equalities and a Tory leadership contender, asking why the key phrases relating to reproductive rights were deleted.

More than 20 countries had signed the original statement that resulted from a UK-hosted conference on freedom of religion and belief earlier this month. That version included a commitment to repeal laws that “allow harmful practices, or restrict women’s and girls’ … sexual and reproductive health and rights, bodily autonomy”. » | Lizzy Davies | Wednesday, July 27, 2022

Donald Trump Role in 2020 US Election Challenge Investigated by Prosecutors - BBC News

Jul 27, 2022 The US Justice department is examining Donald Trump's actions in connection with efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election, US media say.

Federal prosecutors have reportedly asked witnesses directly about the behaviour of the former president, but so far they have chosen not to open a formal criminal investigation into Mr Trump himself, who denies any personal wrongdoing.

The news coincides with the former president’s first major speech since leaving office, where he addressed supporters in Washington.

Democracy Now! Top US News & World Headlines – July 27, 2022

Simon & Garfunkel : Cecilia | Audio

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British Wine Wholesaler ‘Leaves Brexitland for Good’ over Paperwork

THE GUARDIAN: Daniel Lambert, who supplies M&S, Waitrose and 300 independent retailers, to set up in France after £150,000 hole in revenue

Daniel Lambert: ‘People are being in effect barred from importing from Europe unless they pay brokers lots of money’
A British wine wholesaler who last year criticised Brexit as the biggest threat to his business in 30 years has decided to leave the UK after post-Brexit paperwork made a £150,000 hole in revenue.

Daniel Lambert, who supplies Marks & Spencer, Waitrose and 300 independent retailers, is moving to Montpellier in France later this week with his wife and two teenage children.

There he will set up a French company to export back to his own company in Wales.

He said the only way he could get around the “incredibly complicated” paperwork for importing alcohol was to establish a French company to export into the UK, and do the administration in the EU himself. » | Lisa O’Carroll, Brexit correspondent | Tuesday, July 26, 2022

The Conservative Party is bringing the economy to its knees on account of this ridiculous Brexit and all because Nigel Farage & Co were able to whip up anti-EU feeling among the Europhobes and the Brits who live in the past, and all this to give Boris Johnson the keys to Number 10 so that he could enjoy his five minutes of fame and glory—and what a mess he has made of that five minutes of fame and glory!—we all now have to suffer an economy which will continue to shrink far more than it otherwise would have. Moreover, successful companies such as the one written about in the article above are having to relocate from “Brexitland” and an untold number of businesses will have already even gone out of business altogether.

The Conservative Party in its current form has a cheek, a nerve, to call itself the party of business and commerce. It so clearly is no longer a business-friendly party at all. In fact, it seems to me that the party no longer understands modern commerce at all. Does it really deserve to survive? Doesn’t this once great country deserve a more modern, pro-EU party to enable British business to thrive once again and to enable British companies to trade easily with a single market, ‘The Single Market’, a market of 500,000,000+ consumers, the largest and greatest single market in the world, a market which is right on our doorstep?

Economic ignorance in today's Conservative Party beggars belief! – © Mark Alexander

Simon & Garfunkel : America | Audio

Views on YouTube: 4,839,727

Truss v Sunak: A Sorry Spectacle of Playground Bragging from a Party without a Purpose

THE GUARDIAN: When it comes to the most pressing issues for our nation, all this divided Tory party can do is repress, displace and deny

Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss. ‘There is no ballast of gravitas to level out the swagger, so it comes across as the overcompensating neurosis of careerist nerds.’ Photograph: WPA/Getty Images
The two candidates in the race to succeed Boris Johnson represent two parties, although the distinction between them is not acknowledged. Rishi Sunak is the candidate of conservatism as it was until 2019, when Theresa May’s government was still trying to reconcile Brexit ideology with the demands of economic and diplomatic reality. Liz Truss appeals to the successor movement, the “Boris” party, which resolved the tension by denying its existence.

That conflict is buried in a contest that purports to be about other things. Tax policy is the measurable difference between the two candidates and so it dominated Monday night’s TV debate. The lines are by now well-rehearsed: Truss wants immediate cuts; Sunak wants to wait. He says fiscal loosening will stoke inflation; she says it will unleash growth. He frets that lost revenues will mean less money for the NHS; she would borrow the shortfall.

But those positions are proxies for different notions of what it now means to be a Conservative. Sunak embraced the label of “bean counter” when Truss used it as a pejorative. He is styling himself as a frugal Tory of the old school. Truss accused him of sounding like Gordon Brown, wedded to outmoded Treasury rules. She would “take on the orthodoxy” – an appeal to the Johnsonian maverick spirit. » | Rafael Behr | Monday, July 25, 2022

First Truss-Sunak Tory leadership debate: five key takeaways: The rivals did not pull their punches, on the economy or China, as they kicked off a month of debates »

Truss and Sunak trade blows in acrimonious first TV debate: Leadership candidates ignored calls from fellow Conservatives not to ‘tarnish the brand’ as they wrangled over tax cuts, inflation and relations with China »

Succession de Boris Johnson : Liz Truss conforte son statut de favorite : La ministre des affaires étrangères a évité les faux pas lors du premier débat, lundi sur la BBC, avec l’ancien chancelier de l’Echiquier, Rishi Sunak. Les échanges entre les deux candidats au 10 Downing Street se sont concentrés sur la question du pouvoir d’achat au Royaume-Uni. »

Truss und Sunak liefern sich harten Schlagabtausch: Die Bewerber um die Nachfolge von Boris Johnson an der britischen Regierungsspitze streiten sich über die Steuerpolitik und China. Der frühere Finanzminister Sunak bezeichnet die Pläne von Außenministerin Truss als „nicht verantwortungsvoll und sicherlich nicht konservativ“. »

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Motion to Oppose Same-sex Marriage Forces Rethink of Anglican Summit

THE GUARDIAN: Division flares in run-up to first meeting of bishops from around world in 14 years

The archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, faces a global Anglican community that is deeply divided on homosexuality. Photograph: Yui Mok/PA
The archbishop of Canterbury has been forced into a last-minute rethink of plans to ask Anglican bishops to oppose same-sex marriage when they meet this week for the first Lambeth conference – held in Canterbury – in 14 years.

Liberal Anglicans and gay rights campaigners in the Church of England voiced outrage after the conference recently circulated a series of “calls” – similar to motions – for the 650 bishops and archbishops from around the world to consider.

They included one that calls for a reaffirmation of a position that “upholds marriage as between a man and a woman”, that “legitimising or blessing of same-sex unions” cannot be advised, and that “it is the mind of the Anglican communion as a whole that same-gender marriage is not permissible”.

The bishop of Los Angeles, the Right Rev John H Taylor, was among those aghast at the call, warning the conference was on course to register support for a position that “divides, hurts, scapegoats and denies”. » | Robert Booth, Social affairs correspondent | Monday, July 25, 2022

La communauté homosexuelle de New York se mobilise contre la variole du singe

LE MONDE : Avec plus de 800 cas recensés, la ville est à l’épicentre américain de l’épidémie, qui touche principalement les homosexuels multipartenaires. Les associations dénoncent l’inertie de l’administration Biden.

Une manifestation appelant à davantage d’action du gouvernement pour lutter contre la propagation de la variole du singe, à New York, le 21 juillet 2022. JEENAH MOON / AFP
Ils étaient une petite centaine devant le palais de justice de Manhattan à avoir répondu à l’appel de l’association Act Up. Ce jeudi 21 juillet, Mordechai Levovitz, fondateur de Jewish Queer Youth, une association d’aide aux homosexuels juifs, harangue la foule : « Etes-vous en colère ? » Et de s’en prendre à l’administration Biden, accusée de répondre trop timidement à l’épidémie de variole du singe qui touche principalement les homosexuels multipartenaires new-yorkais : « Cette administration dit qu’elle est notre amie. Mais mettre le drapeau arc-en-ciel ne veut rien dire si vous ne vous occupez pas de vos amis homosexuels. »

Selon le département de la santé de la ville, il y avait le 19 juillet à New York 639 cas confirmés de variole du singe, touchants à 97,7 % des hommes – une seule femme était contaminée. Les malades sont à 52,4 % LGBT, 1,4 % hétérosexuels et 46,2 % à l’orientation sexuelle encore non précisée. » | Par Arnaud Leparmentier (New York, correspondant) | lundi 25 Juillet 2022

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Democracy Now! Top US News & World Headlines – July 25, 2022

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Londres et Paris : si lointaines et si proches

LE MONDE : RÉCIT | « Le Royaume-Uni, la France et moi » (1/6). Le journaliste et écrivain Simon Kuper, chroniqueur au « Financial Times » et installé à Paris, décrit ce qui oppose et unit les Français et les Britanniques. Il observe deux capitales que tout séparait ou presque et qui, désormais, semblent se confondre.

Au début du siècle, je suis installé à Londres dans un appartement insalubre, juste au-dessus d’une boutique de vins et spiritueux. Quand le nouveau propriétaire menace de faire démolir l’immeuble entier, je me retrouve dans l’un de ces grands dilemmes que doit affronter tout Londonien : dois-je vraiment sauter le pas et dépenser une fortune (que je suis loin de posséder) dans l’achat d’un petit appartement étriqué dans une banlieue morose et consacrer ma vie au remboursement du prêt ? Mon but dans la vie est pourtant simple : vivre au cœur d’une grande ville, vivre de ma plume, vivre sans jamais perdre mon temps à me soucier de choses aussi assommantes que l’argent. A vrai dire, je commence à prendre conscience de l’irréalisme de telles ambitions. » | Pa Simon Kuper | lundi 25 juillet 2022

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Lawrow: Russisches und ukrainisches Volk leben künftig zusammen

UKRAINE-UPDATE
FRANFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG: Der russische Außenminister äußert sich wie nie zuvor über den Willen, die ukrainische Regierung stürzen zu wollen. Aus Kiew folgt prompt die Antwort: Selenskyj bezeichnet Moskau als „geschichtsfeindliches Regime“.

Das russische Militär bestätigt den Beschuss der ukrainischen Hafenstadt Odessa, die Moskauer Führung sieht das Getreideabkommen trotzdem nicht in Gefahr. Gleichzeitig nannte Russlands Außenminister Sergej Lawrow während seiner Afrikareise offen den Sturz der ukrainischen Führung, die er als „volks- und geschichtsfeindlich“ bezeichnete, als Ziel.

Widerspruch aus Kiew ließ nicht lange auf sich warten. Den Angriff auf die Ukraine könne nur jemand befehlen, der die wahre Geschichte des Volkes nicht kenne, konterte Selenskyj am Abend. Am Montag ist der 151. Tag des Kriegs. » | Quelle: dpa | Montag, 25. Juli 2022

Lavrov says Russian aim is to overthrow Volodymyr Zelensky: Russia appears to reverse itself after the country’s top diplomat says Moscow’s overarching goal is to to »

US Consider Declaring Climate Emergency as Wildfires Tear through California - BBC News

Jul 25, 2022 US President Joe Biden is said to be considering whether to declare a climate emergency as wildfires tear across California.

Around 6,000 people have already been evacuated from their homes as firefighters admit high temperatures are hampering their efforts.

A state of emergency has already been declared around Yosemite National Park where ancient woodland and wildlife could fall victim to the fires.

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This Is Brexit

Jul 24, 2022 Massive lorry queues right the way into Dover starting with Operation Brock on the M20.

”Led by Dokeys”, asses, morons, dickheads, clowns and court jesters. – Mark

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Tax-cut Stunts Can’t Cover Up the Disaster That Is Brexit

THE GUARDIAN: Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak feel bound to talk lower spending to party members, but the former chancellor at least must see the folly of losing billions off our GDP

Liz Truss’s loathing for the EU is not lost on Brussels and Dublin. Photograph: Toby Melville/Reuters
‘They are trying to hide the failure of Brexit behind policy stunts.” This observation about the fiasco of the Conservative party’s leadership contest came from an economist friend and neatly sums it up.

Liz Truss, who voted Remain but is now an ardent Brexiter, cannot admit to herself that she was right first time, and that the trade deals she goes on about that are supposed to have made up for our crass departure from the European Union do not amount to a hill of beans.

Sunak, who was always a Brexiter, must surely have learned from his time as chancellor that the Treasury’s hostility to Brexit was right all along. He is an intelligent man but, like Truss, is fantasising about Brexit “opportunities” that the Treasury and other Whitehall departments know are chimerical.

Whichever contender succeeds the worst prime minister in living memory will have to come to terms with two fundamental consequences of Brexit. One is that the Office for Budget Responsibility’s estimate of a 4% annual loss to gross domestic product not only makes the country poorer but severely limits their tax-cutting ambitions – hers now, his later. Foolishly losing tens of billions of potential tax revenues through Brexit is not a good start to either of their ambitions.

The second is the devaluation of the pound by up to 12%, which the financial markets attribute to, yes, Brexit. This has not only made the country poorer but has also severely aggravated the inflation problem the government and Bank of England now face – with price growth running significantly higher than in most other European and G7 nations. » | William Keegan | Sunday, July 24, 2022

Droht Tunesien ein Rückfall in die Diktatur?

NEUE ZÜRCHER ZEITUNG: Neun Millionen Menschen sind aufgefordert, am 25. Juli in Tunesien über eine neue Verfassung abzustimmen. Sie würde Präsident Saieds Macht ausweiten. Kritiker warnen vor den autoritären Zügen des Textes. Doch die breite Mehrheit hat andere Sorgen.

Tunesiens Präsident Kais Saied will mehr Befugnisse. (Bild aufgenommen am 13. Oktober 2019 in Tunis) | Monasse / Andia / Getty
«Seid ihr für ein neues Tunesien oder für eine Rückkehr zu der Misere, in der wir gelebt haben?», ruft Zouhair Maghzaoui ins Mikrofon, bis die Lautsprecher scheppern. Der Generalsekretär der panarabistischen Partei Die Volksbewegung gibt am Ende seiner Rede noch einmal alles.

Die anwesenden Parteimitglieder klatschen energisch, doch sie geben ein eher trauriges Bild ab. Rund vierzig Personen haben sich an einem Samstagabend auf den Treppen des Stadttheaters von Tunis versammelt. Sie wollen die Passanten dazu motivieren, am kommenden Montag für eine neue Verfassung zu stimmen. Doch die meisten gehen desinteressiert vorbei. Nur eine Handvoll ist stehen geblieben und hört den Rednern zu.

Kaum Plakate, Flugblätter, Infostände oder Kundgebungen – das bevorstehende Referendum ist in der Öffentlichkeit wenig präsent. An den Cafétischen im Stadtzentrum drehen sich die Gespräche um andere Themen. Die alles lähmende Wirtschaftskrise und die ständig steigenden Lebensmittelpreise, die vielen Tunesiern den Alltag schwermachen, zum Beispiel. Oder die ständig zunehmende Zahl junger Menschen, aber auch ganzer Familien, die versuchen, irregulär mit dem Boot über das Mittelmeer nach Italien zu gelangen. Fragen nach der neuen Verfassung werden höchstens mit einem Schulterzucken beantwortet. Die Zeiten, in denen politische Angelegenheiten in Tunesien Menschenmassen auf die Strasse getrieben haben, sind vorbei. » | Sarah Mersch, Tunis | Sonntag, 24. Juli 2022

Article associé : En Tunisie, la révolution autocratique de Kaïs Saïed »

Orson & Eloy | Boyfriend [Welcome to Eden]

This is a lovely short clip, actually; but it could offend some straight people; so, just to be careful, I have decided not to embed it, but to provide you with an external link to it on YouTube instead. It is not suitable for children, though it appears not to have been categorized as age-restricted by YouTube. It is very short, but very sweet and very well directed and filmed. Enjoy! To view it, click here.

Michael & Thomas | Man in an Orange Shirt | Perfect | Movie Clip

Premiered Dec 26, 2021 | Views on YouTube: 83,648

This is a clip from the film. I have not watched the film yet, but I shall certainly try to do so sometime soon. It looks superb. This film clip, despite being very beautiful, is pretty graphic, so viewer discretion is advised. It is not suitable for children. – Mark

W.H.O. Declares Monkeypox Spread a Global Health Emergency

THE NEW YORK TIMES: There have been more than 16,000 cases in 75 countries, overwhelmingly among men who have sex with men.


Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director general of the World Health Organization, declared monkeypox a “public health emergency of international concern” after a panel of advisers could not reach a consensus. | Joe Raedle/Getty Images
For the second time in two years, the World Health Organization has taken the extraordinary step of declaring a global emergency. This time the cause is monkeypox, which has spread in just a few weeks to dozens of countries and infected tens of thousands of people.

Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the W.H.O.’s director general, on Saturday overruled a panel of advisers, who could not come to a consensus, and declared a “public health emergency of international concern,” a designation the W.H.O. currently uses to describe only two other diseases, Covid-19 and polio.

“We have an outbreak that has spread around the world rapidly through new modes of transmission, about which we understand too little, and which meets the criteria” for a public health emergency, Dr. Tedros told reporters. It was apparently the first time that the director general had sidestepped his advisers to declare an emergency. » | Apoorva Mandavilli * | Saturday, July 23, 2022

Apoorva Mandavilli has covered the 2022 monkeypox outbreak since the first case in the United States was identified.

Orbán wettert gegen „Brüssel“ und Soros

Viktor Orbán im Mai in Budapest | Bild: REUTERS
REDE IN RUMÄNIEN
FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG: Die Kraft des Westens sei im Schwinden begriffen, sagt der ungarische Ministerpräsident bei seiner jährlichen Rede in Rumänien. Er gibt auch vor zu wissen, wer daran Schuld sei.

Der ungarische Ministerpräsident Viktor Orbán sieht sich im Kampf mit dem Westen, der seinem Land eine falsche Sanktionspolitik und fremde Werte aufzwingen wolle. „Die Kraft, die Leistung, das Ansehen und die Handlungsfähigkeit der westlichen Zivilisation sind im Schwinden begriffen“, erklärte der rechtsnationale Politiker am Samstag vor Tausenden Anhängern im rumänischen Kurort Baile Tusnad.

Orbán regiert seit 2010 in dem EU-Land Ungarn. Wegen des Abbaus von Demokratie und Rechtsstaatlichkeit steht Orbán mit der Europäischen Union in Konflikt. Gegen Ungarn laufen derzeit mehrere Verfahren, darunter eines im Rahmen des neuen Rechtsstaatsmechanismus, das zum Entzug von EU-Fördermitteln führen kann. » | Quelle: dpa | Samstag, 23. Juli 2022

Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I : Also Known as 'The Lady in Gold' or 'The Woman in Gold'

A portrait by Gustav Klimt, completed between 1903 and 1907. Adele Bloch-Bauer died in 1925. The painting was stolen by the Nazis in Vienna after the Anschluss (also Anschluß) (Nazi Germany’s annexation of Austria) in March 1938. This portrait is the one used in the film, Woman in Gold. The film is about Maria Altman’s fight to get the painting returned to her family after it had been misappropriated by the Nazis after the Anschluss. The movie is excellent and well worth watching.
Many thanks to The Art Diva on Pinterest for this delightful image.
WIKIPEDIA : Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I.

En Hongrie, des milliers de personnes défilent lors de la marche des fiertés

LE MONDE : Les participants ont condamné le texte adopté l’été 2021, qui interdit « la représentation ou la promotion » de l’homosexualité et du changement de sexe auprès des mineurs.

Lors de la marche des fiertés budapestoise, samedi 23 juillet 2022, en Hongrie. AP
Un an après l’entrée en vigueur d’une loi jugée discriminatoire, plusieurs milliers de Hongrois ont défilé samedi 23 juillet à Budapest pour défendre les droits des LGBT+. Cœur géant, drapeaux et ombrelles aux couleurs de l’arc-en-ciel, la manifestation s’est déroulée en toute légalité le long du Danube par une chaleur caniculaire.

Les participants, parmi lesquels des diplomates étrangers, ont condamné le texte adopté à l’été 2021, qui interdit « la représentation ou la promotion » de l’homosexualité et du changement de sexe auprès des mineurs. Sur un pont de la ville, des contre-manifestants avaient déployé une banderole faisant l’amalgame entre homosexualité et pédophilie, à l’image de la loi. » | Le Monde avec AFP | samedi 23 juillet 2022

Acceptance : Gay Short Film

May 18, 2022 Acceptance is an LGBTQ Short Film about a gay man who is struggling to deal with the loss of his boyfriend while stranded in isolation. | Views on YouTube: 69,966

Erotic

Érotique / Erotisch
Many thanks to Simona Vitale on Pinterest for this super photograph.

Thousands of Lorries Queue Near Dover amid Travel Chaos

Jul 23, 2022 Aerial footage shows thousands of lorries queueing on the main road towards the port of Dover on Saturday, with UK authorities blaming French officials for the chaos – a claim France has denied. A major incident was declared as a second day of travel disruption consumed the key port amid additional post-Brexit checks. It comes as most schools in England and Wales broke up for the summer holidays, marking the start of one of the busiest periods for foreign travel Brexit blamed for Dover gridlock on second day of travel chaos

France rejects blame for Dover gridlock, saying it is ‘not responsible for Brexit’: Travellers told to allow three to four hours to pass through security and French border checks at port »

Marvelous thing, Brexit! This move is really enhancing the lives of us Brits, isn’t it? We have lost all our rights as European citizens, we have shortages of foods on supermarket shelves as a result of it, we have difficulty travelling to destinations in Europe as a result of it, there are long, long lines of lorries and other goods vehicles in Dover, trying to gain access to France and the rest of the continent, we have also lost our free reciprocal healthcare rights in European countries, Liz Truss wants us Brits to go back to eating traditional British goods and apples—I presume she means baked beans, greasy, fried bacon and eggs and fried bread. God Almighty! What a dud party the Tory party has turned into! Oh, and Truss wants us to eat English apples exclusively, British cheeses, and drink Yorkshire tea.

Oh, and she is ready for a trade war with the EU over the N.I. Protocol as well. She is such an uplifting soul, isn’t she? She also wants to have a bonfire of EU rules and regulations by 2023, presumably to turn is back to the Victorian Age. Does she want children going down the mines and pits, too?

To think that this woman could be governing us in a few weeks’ time sends shivers down my spine!

She compares herself to Margaret Thatcher. Dream on, Lizzie! You are no Thatcher! Thatcher, love her or loathe her, had lots and lots of stature and presence. She was also glamorous. And beautifully spoken.

I didn’t agree with everything Thatcher did; but then, I wouldn’t agree with everything anyone did, of whatever political stripe. But for the time, largely the Eighties, her policies were just what the country needed to get us out of the grip of socialism, which had crippled the nation prior to Thatcher entering Downing Street.

In my opinion, the problem with returning to Thatcherism is not that Thatcherism was bad, it wasn’t; however,it was right for the UK economy in its day. Now, we are faced with very different problems. So, we need new and fresh solutions to these problems.

Liz Truss is no Margaret Thatcher. She has neither Thatcher’s intellect nor Thatcher’s presence.

What we need right now is a leader, be he/she Conservative, Liberal Democrat, or even Labour, who is pro-business and pro-EU too. This country needs to return to the European fold asap. If it doesn’t, there is only one direction of travel for the nation; and that’s south!

Fellow countrymen! Wake up from your slumbers! – © Mark Alexander

Travel chaos is ‘the new normal’ after Brexit, British tourists are warned: Anger over lack of cash for Dover upgrade as Tory candidates vie to blame France for delays »

Thatcher ministers turn on Liz Truss over tax cut plans: Chris Patten, Norman Lamont and Malcolm Rifkind warn former PM would never have approved borrowing to fund £30bn cuts »

Rupert Murdoch describes Brexit as 'wonderful': The media mogul likened leaving the EU to a prison break and shared his view of Donald Trump as a ‘very able man’ »

En Tunisie, la révolution autocratique de Kaïs Saïed

LE MONDE : La Tunisie de Kaïs Saïed (6). Le projet hyperprésidentialiste du chef de l’Etat est dirigé contre la démocratie représentative pour restituer le pouvoir à un « peuple » spolié par les élites.

Des manifestants protestent, vendredi 22 juillet à Tunis, contre le président Kaïs Saïed et la nouvelle Constitution qui doit être soumise à un référendum le 25 juillet. FETHI BELAID / AFP
Pendant très longtemps, nul ne l’a vraiment pris au sérieux. Ses critiques le tenaient au mieux pour un doux rêveur, un gentil idéaliste, au pire pour un dangereux illuminé. Dans les deux cas, on pariait sur son inévitable normalisation au contact des réalités, du nécessaire compromis politique. Or Kaïs Saïed est très sérieux et il ira jusqu’au bout de son projet de refondation de la Tunisie. Si une certitude s’impose à l’heure où sa nouvelle Constitution est soumise au référendum populaire, lundi 25 juillet, c’est bien celle-là : le chef de l’Etat, élu en 2019 à la faveur d’un vote « antisystème » avant d’imposer en juillet 2021 un régime d’exception lui octroyant la plénitude des pouvoirs, entend bien s’imposer comme le bâtisseur d’une nouvelle ère.

Il l’a toujours dit et écrit sans qu’on y prête trop d’attention. « L’humanité est entrée dans une nouvelle étape de son histoire », avait-il prophétisé lors de la campagne présidentielle de 2019. Lui-même se conçoit comme l’opérateur en Tunisie de cette « nouvelle étape », où le peuple souverain redeviendra « acteur » de son destin grâce « à de nouveaux instruments juridiques » le « libérant » des « pensées classiques », au premier rang desquelles figurent « la démocratie représentative » en « faillite » et des partis politiques « en train de mourir ». » | Par Frédéric Bobin (Tunis, envoyé spécial) et Lilia Blaise (Tunis, correspondance) | samedi 23 juillet 2022

Article réservé aux abonnés

A Parisian Gentleman in Milan

Un gentleman parisien à Milan / Ein Pariser Gentleman in Mailand / Un gentiluomo parigino a Milano
My thanks go to Parisian Gentleman on Pinterest for this very stylish, chic photo.
Parisian Gentleman’s Vist to Santandrea Milano »

Paella Valenciana: The Secrets behind Spain’s Most Famous Dish | Food Secrets Ep.1 | DW Food

Mar 21, 2020 Paella is – next to tortilla and tapas – Spain’s internationally most well-known dish. The original recipe comes from Valencia, which is located at the Spanish east coast. While paella is eaten all over the world, many people don’t know about its origins and the secrets that come with it.

For example, paella takes its name from the large, flat pan which is also known as paella. Then, there’s the special rice that Valencians use to cook paella. And most important: never mix fish and meat if you want to eat an authentic paella!

Would You Pay 70 Dollars for This Ice Cream? | DW Food

Jul 23, 2022 The Mokambo Gelateria in the Italian town of Ruvo di Puglia makes ice cream that’s a cut above the ordinary. ‘The King’s Scepter’ is crafted by hand using premium ingredients – and one scoop will set you back 70 euros.

Report: Jana Oertel
Camera: Giancarlo Doronzo
Edit: Barbara Gebler

Steve Bannon Vows to Appeal Guilty Verdict for Defying Jan. 6 Subpoena | DW News

Michael Lambert : The Tories Would be Mad to Choose Truss but They Probably Will

Jul 23, 2022 Liz Truss is currently expected to beat Rishi Sunak in the race to become the next UK prime minister. The eventual winner will be chosen by around 160,000 members of the Conservative party and announced on 5th September.

Rishi Sunak is by far the better candidate in that he has been Chancellor of the Exchequer throughout the recent pandemic. He is committed to sound finance and, being very wealthy, is unlikely to be corruptible.

Liz Truss, the current Foreign Secretary was a former vociferous backer of the remain campaign but now says she was mistaken and supports Brexit. She also supported Boris Johnson till the end of his premiership.

Whilst Sunak says he will not cut taxes Truss has promised to reverse the recent increase in National Insurance and cancel the proposed increase in Corporation Tax. She has also promised to increase defence spending to 3% of GDP. She intends to borrow the money to cover these costs and then recover the money by 'boosting business' without specifying how.

Truss Vows to Scrap Remaining EU Laws by End of 2023 Risking ‘Bonfire of Rights’

THE GUARDIAN: Scale and complexity of task would be difficult in context of civil service cuts, say experts

Liz Truss is attempting to position herself as the self-styled ‘Brexit-delivery prime minister’.Photograph: Aaron Chown/PA
Hundreds of laws covering employment and environmental protections could disappear overnight if Liz Truss becomes prime minister after she promised to scrap all remaining EU regulations by the end of 2023.

Despite warnings about the scale and complexity of the task, Truss launched her leadership runoff campaign by promising a “sunset” for all EU-derived laws within 15 months.

Attempting to position herself as the self-styled “Brexit-delivery prime minister”, Truss’s proposed timetable is notably accelerated from that given by Boris Johnson’s government.

Jacob Rees-Mogg had pushed for a similar cliff-edge deadline, seeing the demise of 2,400 pieces of legislation, but two and a half years later, in June 2026. His plan prompted a cabinet row over feasibility, given the scheduled cull of a fifth of civil service numbers, or about 90,000 jobs.

Experts and union leaders said Truss’s proposals would be hugely difficult to achieve in the context of civil service cuts, with warnings it could end up becoming a “bonfire of rights”. >a href=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/jul/22/bonfire-of-rights-truss-vows-to-scrap-remaining-eu-laws-by-end-2023 target=_blank> » | Peter Walker | Friday, July 22, 2022

The Tories have become the dangerous party. It used to be the party one chose to elect because one felt that the country was in safe hands when they were in power. Not any longer! These days, especially since it turned into the populists' party and especially since Brexit, quite the opposite is true. The European Union had a civilising influence on this 'Upstairs, Downstairs' country of ours. If Tories have "a bonfire of rights", this country will revert to conditions last seen in Victorian times. How disgusting! – © Mark Alexander

S'il te plaît, ne me lâche pas.

Bitte verlaß mich nicht. / Please don't leave me.
Mes remerciements vont à Esdras Vutica sur Pinterest pour cette belle image.
« Tengo ganas de besarte, de tomarte de la mano y huir contigo del mundo. O sencillamente abrazarte y decirte al oído. Por favor no me sueltes. »

„Ich möchte dich küssen, dich an der Hand nehmen und mit dir vor der Welt davonlaufen. Oder umarme dich einfach und flüstere dir ins Ohr. Bitte lass mich nicht los.“

« Je veux t'embrasser, te prendre par la main et fuir le monde avec toi. Ou tout simplement vous embrasser et chuchoter à votre oreille. S'il te plaït, ne me lâche pas. »

“I want to kiss you, take you by the hand and run away from the world with you. Or simply hug you and whisper in your ear. Please don't let go of me.”

Jung und verliebt.

Jeunes et amoureux. / Young and in love.
Fürs schone Bild dieser verliebten jüngen Männer bedanke ich mich bei Taynarapazini auf Pinterest.

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

Embargo sur l’or russe, liste noire actualisée… Les Européens complètent leurs sanctions contre Moscou

LE MONDE : Les nouvelles mesures visent d’abord à rendre plus efficaces les sanctions déjà prises contre la Russie.

Les Européens ont adopté une nouvelle salve de sanctions contre la Russie, jeudi 21 juillet. Contrairement aux six paquets précédents qui, entre autres, prévoient un embargo sur le charbon et le gaz russes, d’ici au mois d’août dans le premier cas et à la fin de l’année dans le second, celle-ci ne contient pas de mesure phare et symbolique. » | Par Virginie Malingre (Bruxelles, bureau européen) | vendredi 22 juillet 2022

Article réservé aux abonnés

GOP Senator Ron Johnson Announces He Will “Not Oppose” Same-sex Marriage Bill

LGBTQNATION: Ron Johnson is the fifth GOP senator to break with party orthodoxy in a sign that the bill could pass with bipartisan support.

Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) has announced that he will “not oppose” the passage of the Respect for Marriage Act. Johnson is the fifth Republican to break ranks with party orthodoxy on same-sex marriage. The bill would codify marriage rights for same-sex and interracial couples.

Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Rob Portman (R-OH), and Thom Tillis (R-NC) are also in the “yes” column.

This isn’t the first time that Johnson has bucked the party’s anti-LGBTQ stances though. He vocally opposed former President Donald Trump’s ban on transgender military members, saying, “I think any law-abiding American who wants to serve the nation should be able to.” » | Bill Browning | Friday, July 22, 2022

Drogenkonsum mit fatalen Folgen: Wenn Cannabis gefährliche Psychosen auslöst | REUPLOAD | SPIEGEL TV

Jul 22, 2022 Als entschieden wurde, dass Cannabis in Deutschland bald legal werden soll, haben sich Millionen Kiffer gefreut. Schließlich funktioniert die kontrollierte Abgabe in anderen Ländern bereits ziemlich gut. Zur Wahrheit gehört aber auch, dass Cannabis immer häufiger zu schweren Psychosen führt – mitunter mit fatalen Folgen.

Gesundheitsschäden sind deutlich sichtbar. Meiner Meinung nach sollte der Gebrauch solcher Drogen illegal bleiben. Es ergibt absolut keinen Sinn, den Konsum solcher Drogen zu legalisieren, insbesondere in einer Zeit, in der es immer schwieriger wird, normale Zigaretten zu konsumieren. – © Mark Alexander

Julio Iglesias : Crazy

Provided to YouTube by SMI Artist | Views on YouTube: 90,394

Julio Iglesias : When I Need You

Jan 11, 2014 The best song performed by Julio Iglesias in Jakarta, December 1994 | Views on YouTube: 21,663,008

‘There’s Nothing Else to Give Them’: Liverpool Food Banks Confront Rising Hunger

THE GUARDIAN: Volunteers say they have never seen such acute need as inflation, soaring energy costs and cuts to benefits force growing numbers into dire poverty

An uncomfortable silence fills the hall of St Bride’s church in Liverpool. In a few minutes, its doors will open to some of the city’s hungriest families. Between 250 and 300 people are expected at its latest weekly food bank, although it could be more. But there is little to offer them: only 150 parcels of food and a small pile of unwanted clothes.

For the first time in years, the volunteers have to turn people away. They look aghast. “That will last half an hour at best. What do we do then?” asks Julian Sowden, one of the longest-serving volunteers. “There’s nothing else to give them. We just stop? We just shut the door?”

The answer – “yes” – is met with silence. School holidays are approaching, says another helper, the church will be “inundated with people who can’t feed their children”. Nick Mendes, one of the trustees, asks in a plaintive prayer for God to “supply our needs”. Little more than an hour later, the food has gone. » | Josh Halliday, North of England correspondent | Friday, July 22, 2022

This is heartrending! Is this what forty years of Thatcherism has reduced this once great country to? And Brexit? And twelve plus consecutive years of Tory misrule?

Make no mistake! I am no lefty. Not at all! But there is capitalism and there is capitalism. Thatcher’s version was right for the time, but it should have been placed onto the garbage of history long ago. It has outlived its usefulness, at least for the time being.

These days, we are confronting a very different set of problems than Thatcher faced. Thatcherism was joined at the hip with Reaganomics. Interestingly, and perhaps ominously, both Reaganomics and Thatcherism were economic theories based on two people’s understanding who had never studied economics!

The current Conservative leader hopefuls are arguing it out among themselves about just how much more Thatcherism this country needs. Despite being a lifelong Conservative voter until the Conservatives turned populist and anti-EU, I would say that the last thing this country needs is yet more Thatcherism. How much more ‘trickle-up’ economics does this country need? How much more inequality? How much more poverty? How many more foodbanks?

Let the lady rest in peace. This country has been almost destroyed by greed. Let’s give compassion a chance, shall we? We might well be surprised by the results. – © Mark Alexander

La guerre en Ukraine, sujet de discussion au sommet entre la Russie, la Turquie et l’Iran à propos de la Syrie

LE MONDE : Vladimir Poutine a rencontré à Téhéran ses homologues iranien et turc. Soucieux de contourner les sanctions occidentales, l’Iran et la Russie tentent de renforcer leur coopération énergétique et militaire.

Les présidents russe, Vladimir Poutine, iranien, Ebrahim Raïssi, et turc, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, au palais de Saadabad, à Téhéran, le 19 juillet 2022. SERGEI SAVOSTYANOV / AP
L’Iran a déroulé le tapis rouge pour la venue du président russe, Vladimir Poutine, accueilli chaleureusement à l’aéroport Mehrabad de Téhéran, mardi 19 juillet, par le ministre iranien du pétrole, Javad Owji. La visite de M. Poutine, la deuxième à l’étranger depuis l’invasion de l’Ukraine, est une réponse à la récente tournée du président américain, Joe Biden, en Israël et en Arabie saoudite, au cours de laquelle il a été question de contrecarrer l’Iran.

Sanctionnés par l’Occident – l’un pour ses ambitions nucléaires, l’autre pour son offensive en Ukraine – l’Iran et la Russie cherchent à approfondir leur entente tout en maintenant la Turquie dans leur sillage pour démontrer qu’ils ne sont pas isolés dans le monde.

Mardi, les trois chefs d’Etat russe, Vladimir Poutine, turc, Recep Tayyip Erdogan et iranien, Ebrahim Raïssi, se sont réunis à Téhéran pour évoquer la Syrie, où le trio est engagé dans le processus dit d’« Astana » censé ouvrir la voie à un règlement du conflit syrien. Mais la guerre en Ukraine a occupé le devant de la scène. » | Par Ghazal Golshiri, Marie Jégo (Istanbul, correspondante) et Emmanuel Grynszpan | mercredi 20 juillet 2022

Article réservé aux abonnés

Read in English.

The Guardian View on Tory Leadership and Democracy: A Dangerous Deficit

THE GUARDIAN – EDITORIAL: The next prime minister will have a threadbare mandate and badly depleted authority

Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss, the final two candidates in the Conservative leadership race.Composite: Guardian Design/Henry Nicholls/Toby Melville/Reuters
The method by which the UK’s next prime minister will be chosen is not unprecedented but it is unusual. In 2019, Boris Johnson was propelled into Downing Street on the votes of 92,153 Tory members. But the result was, by then, a foregone conclusion. Mr Johnson had comfortably won the preceding ballot of Tory MPs and went on to trounce Jeremy Hunt.

The race between Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss looks much closer. The winner will not have been the first choice candidate of many of their colleagues. Even a comfortable margin of victory among the membership will amount to the endorsement of about 0.01% of the UK population. This is not just a peculiar way to appoint a leader in a democracy. It is dangerous to give the highest elected office to someone on these terms.

In the summer of 2019, Mr Johnson claimed the result of the Brexit referendum as a personal licence to govern. That was nonsense in constitutional terms, but politically resonant since he had been the figurehead of the leave campaign. He then won a substantial general election victory. That mandate will give constitutional legitimacy to his successor, but not authority. » | Editorial | Thursday, July 21, 2022