Pound Comes under New Pressure after Bank of England Fails to Raise Rates

THE GUARDIAN: Central bank stops short of emergency rate hike and instead says it will make full assessment in November

The Bank of England issued a statement in response the pound’s sharp fall on currency markets.Photograph: James Veysey/Rex/Shutterstock
The government was struggling to prevent a full-scale loss of financial market confidence in its economic strategy on Monday evening after the Bank of England’s decision to rule out an emergency rise in interest rates prompted fresh selling of the pound.

Attempts by Threadneedle Street and the Treasury failed to repair the damage caused by Kwasi Kwarteng’s mini-budget last Friday, with sterling falling to a record low against the US dollar.

Within minutes of the Bank saying that it intended to wait until November before responding to the recent turbulence, the pound had dropped two cents against the dollar and was within three cents of the record low of $1.03 hit in Far East trading overnight. » | Larry Elliott, Economics editor and Rowena Mason, Deputy political editor | Monday, September 26, 2022

Markets warn sterling slump could lead UK interest rates to triple by next year: Analysts expect Bank of England to convene meeting to raise rates with further increase in November »

Isn’t this Governor being rather lily-livered? – © Mark Alexander

Iran Protests against Mullah-regime Enter Tenth Day as Death Toll Grows | DW News

Human rights groups say protests continued for a tenth night in Iran over the death of a woman in the custody of the country's hardline Islamic morality police. They're defying authorities, who have ordered a crackdown on so-called rioters without leniency. Videos reportedly filmed on Sunday show women burning their headscarves, and large crowds of demonstrators in several cities. There have also been large pro-government rallies. The NGO Iran Human Rights says at least 57 people have died in protests in recent days. Public anger was sparked by the death of a 22-year old woman who was arrested for failing to wear her headscarf as prescribed.

Shouldn’t we be saying 'Death to the Islamic Republic of Iran'? That’s what these people have been saying about America. How many thousands of times have we heard these mullahs chant “Death to America”?

It is high time for the nonsense of Iran’s so-called “morality police” to end. Iranians deserve much, much better than this. Enough of the BS!

Wouldn’t Iranians have been far better off as subjects of the Peacock Throne, the Iranian Imperial Throne? Wouldn't they be better off today being ruled by the Shah? Should the Peacock Throne, perhaps, be reinstated?

This theocracy is brutal. Iranians have had enough of this cr**. Iranians deserve better. Power to the downtrodden Iranians! – © Mark Alexander

Den Ajatollahs bleibt nur die Gewalt: Die Proteste nach dem Tod der jungen Mahsa Amini nähern sich einer kritischen Masse. Aber das Regime ist weder zu Reformen noch zu Kompromissen bereit. »

The Dollar Is Strong. That Is Good for the U.S. but Bad for the World.

THE NEW YORK TIMES: The Federal Reserve may have no choice but to wage a relentless inflation fight, but countries rich and poor are feeling the pain of plunging currencies.

The Federal Reserve’s determination to crush inflation at home by raising interest rates is inflicting profound pain in other countries — pushing up prices, ballooning the size of debt payments and increasing the risk of a deep recession.

Those interest rate increases are pumping up the value of the dollar — the go-to currency for much of the world’s trade and transactions — and causing economic turmoil in both rich and poor nations. In Britain and across much of the European continent, the dollar’s acceleration is helping feed stinging inflation.

On Monday, the British pound touched a record low against the dollar as investors balked at a government tax cut and spending plan. And China, which tightly controls its currency, fixed the renminbi at its lowest level in two years while taking steps to manage its decline.

In Nigeria and Somalia, where the risk of starvation already lurks, the strong dollar is pushing up the price of imported food, fuel and medicine. The strong dollar is nudging debt-ridden Argentina, Egypt and Kenya closer to default and threatening to discourage foreign investment in emerging markets like India and South Korea.

“For the rest of the world, it’s a no-win situation,” said Eswar Prasad, an economics professor at Cornell and author of several books on currencies. At the same time, he said, the Fed has no choice but to act aggressively to control inflation: “Any delay in action could make things potentially even worse.” » | Patricia Cohen, Reporting from London | Monday, September 26, 2022

Youssef Al-Qaradawi, prédicateur sunnite et guide spirituel des Frères musulmans, est mort

LE MONDE : Le cheikh égyptien est mort le 26 septembre. Suivi par des millions de fidèles, il prétendait incarner un islam « du juste milieu ». Certains de ses prêches, à connotation antisémite ou légitimant la violence à l’encontre des femmes, ont fait scandale.

Youssef Al-Qaradawi, place Tahrir, au Caire, en février 2011. SUHAIB SALEM / REUTERS
Youssef Al-Qaradawi, le plus célèbre prédicateur du monde arabo-sunnite, qui anima sur la chaîne Al-Jazira une émission suivie par des millions de fidèles, est mort à Doha, au Qatar, le 26 septembre 2022, à l’âge de 96 ans. Président de l’Union internationale des oulémas (savants) musulmans et dirigeant du Conseil européen pour la fatwa et la recherche, un think tank islamique basé à Dublin, il a exercé un magistère inégalé, pendant plusieurs décennies, sur les cercles théologiques sunnites.

Issu des Frères musulmans égyptiens mais installé au Qatar depuis les années 1960, le « global mufti » – titre d’une étude qui lui est consacrée (Global Mufti. The Phenomenon of Yusuf al-Qaradawi, par Jakob Skovgaard-Petersen et Bettina Gräf, Hurst, 2009) – fut aussi l’un des atouts maîtres du petit émirat gazier, dont il a accompagné la montée en puissance diplomatique, notamment son implication controversée dans les printemps arabes. » | Par Benjamin Barthe | lundi September 26, 2022

Article réservé aux abonnés

Gay Love

Schwule Liebe / Amour gay
Many thanks to gaykiss.tumbler.com for this most expressive of photos.

Chris Brown : Forever | Official HD Video | Reupload

Views on YouTube: 299,466,766

British Pound Touches Record Low as Investors Dump U.K. Assets

THE NEW YORK TIMES: The market’s resounding rejection of the new British government’s plans for tax cuts and borrowing continued Monday as the pound briefly fell to its weakest level against the U.S. dollar on record.

After a historically bad day on Friday, the British currency plunged as low as $1.035 in the early hours of Monday morning, before recovering to about $1.08, down 0.5 percent for the day. It also weakened slightly against the euro.

On Monday, prices for British government bonds plummeted, and yields surged, sending borrowing costs to new highs. The 10-year yield, which influences mortgages, business loans and other types of debt, hit its highest level in more than a decade. It traded at around 4.15 percent on Monday, double where it was a month and a half ago.

As traders dumped British assets, analysts have said the government’s plan to quickly grow the economy through deregulation and tax cuts, which will require tens of billions of pounds in additional borrowing at a time of rising interest rates and high inflation, was a gamble. » | Eshe Nelson | Monday, September 26, 2022

Clearly, Kwarteng’s voodoo economics has failed to impress the markets! – © Mark Alexander

Législatives en Italie : une ombre sur le projet européen

LE MONDE – ÉDITORIAL : Editorial du « Monde ». Pour la première fois depuis cent ans, l’Italie s’apprête à expérimenter un gouvernement dominé par l’extrême droite. Une menace pour l’Europe, après les succès des Démocrates de Suède et du RN aux élections législatives.

Si le triomphe de Fratelli d’Italia aux élections législatives italiennes, dimanche 25 septembre, n’est pas une surprise au regard des sondages qui, ces dernières semaines, lui donnaient une large avance, la victoire d’un mouvement postfasciste dans un pays membre fondateur de l’Union européenne (UE), troisième économie de la zone euro, n’en constitue pas moins un séisme politique.

Avec un quart des suffrages, le parti de Giorgia Meloni est désormais en position de force pour former un gouvernement de coalition avec la Ligue de Matteo Salvini et Forza Italia de Silvio Berlusconi. Pour la première fois depuis l’accession au pouvoir de Benito Mussolini, à l’issue de la Marche sur Rome, il y a pile cent ans, l’Italie s’apprête à expérimenter un gouvernement dominé par l’extrême droite. Certes, Fratelli d’Italia a jusqu’à présent tenté de rassurer en gardant ses distances avec le fascisme historique. Mais ses ambiguïtés et ses références douteuses contribuent à entretenir l’inquiétude sur ses intentions véritables et incitent à la plus grande vigilance. » | Éditorial « du Monde » | lundi 26 septembre 2022

Brown Sugar Meringue Roulade with Burnt Honey Apples | Ottolenghi Test Kitchen

It's roulade week in the Ottolenghi Test Kitchen - brown sugar meringue roulade to be exact. Paired here by Yotam with sharp, sweet and caramelly burnt honey apples. It's a forgiving recipe and so much easier than you think. The result is a stunning autumnal showstopper!

Stay tuned to see Jens making a roulade with hazelnut and gianduja cream roulade for an extra good option.

Fascism Returns in Italy: Giorgia Meloni Claims Victory, Allied with Right-wing Parties

Italy's first far-right leader since Benito Mussolini, Giorgia Meloni, has declared victory. Her Brothers of Italy party is allied with Spain's far-right Vox party, Poland's ruling nationalist Law and Justice party and the Sweden Democrats party, which emerged out of its neo-Nazi movement. We look at "the return of fascism in Italy" with professor Ruth Ben-Ghiat, author of "Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present," who says that Meloni, a self-declared conservative, "really sees her party as carrying the heritage of fascism into today." Ben-Ghiat also describes why Meloni is part of a "transnational design" to create a far-right political culture across Europe.

Exclusive Interview with Ukraine's Heroic First Lady | 60 Minutes Australia

In what's likely an indication he knows he's losing, last Wednesday Russian dictator Vladimir Putin drastically upped his rhetoric in the war he started against Ukraine. He announced he was mobilising three hundred thousand reservists to join the fight and threatened he was prepared to use nuclear weapons. Putin's desperate actions have been condemned around the world. For Ukrainians, despite being battered by seven months of fighting, their resolve to boot the Russian forces out remains as strong as ever. It's largely thanks to inspirational leader, President Volodymr Zelensky, but now we want to introduce you to his inspiration - his wife, the equally heroic First Lady Olena Zelenska.

Exodus aus Russland: Männer verlassen in Scharen das Land

An vielen Grenzen stauen sich die Autos von Ausreisewilligen kilometerlang, unter anderem an den Grenzen zu Georgien und der Mongolei. In den meisten Fahrzeugen sitzen Männer im wehrfähigen Alter. © AFP

Democracy Now! Top US News & World Headlines — September 26, 2022

Pound’s Plummet Underlines Schoolboy Error by Kwasi Kwarteng

THE GUARDIAN: Chancellor added to market worries by pledging further tax cuts in full budget planned for later this year

Kwasi Kwarteng’s inexperience has been exposed. Photograph: Jeff Overs/BBC/PA
The savage sell-off in the pound in east Asia overnight was further evidence – should any be needed – that confidence in the new Liz Truss government is rapidly draining away.

Sterling fell to its lowest level against the dollar, and despite an attempt at a rally in early London trading, the likelihood is that parity against the dollar will be tested before long. September tends to be the month for a sterling crisis – and so it has proved again.

Part of the story of the pound’s weakness is a function of dollar strength but that does not explain why sterling has fallen so rapidly since the end of last week. There are three UK-related factors behind the fall.

First, once a currency hits the skids it is hard to stop it. Momentum trading took over in the aftermath of Kwasi Kwarteng’s mini-budget and it has proved hard to halt.

Second, Kwarteng committed a schoolboy error by pledging further tax cuts in a full budget planned for later this year. If the markets are worried about the state of the government’s finances and the increase in borrowing needed to fund your plans, it is not the wisest course of action to add to those concerns. Kwarteng’s inexperience has been exposed. Third,... » | Larry Elliott, Economics editor | Monday, September 26, 2022

UK Bonds Slump after Pound Plunges to Record Low against Dollar – Business Live

THE GUARDIAN: Economists suggest Bank of England may need an emergency interest rate hike, as gilts slide and sterling slumps to a record low against the US dollar

Speculation of an emergency Bank of England rate hike is giving the pound some support, agrees Matthew Ryan, head of market strategy at global financial services firm Ebury » | Graeme Wearden | Monday, September 26, 2022

Pound hits all-time low against dollar after mini-budget rocks markets: Odds of sterling hitting parity with dollar jump, as analysts say UK bond market ‘getting smoked’ by giveaway »

Jake Sullivan: US Will Act ‘Decisively’ If Russia Uses Nuclear Weapons in Ukraine

THE GUARDIAN: US national security adviser says: ‘Any use of nuclear weapons will be met with catastrophic consequences for Russia’

America and its allies will act “decisively” if Russia uses a tactical nuclear weapon in Ukraine, US national security adviser Jake Sullivan said on Sunday, reaffirming the Joe Biden White House’s previous response to mounting concerns that Vladimir Putin’s threats are in increased danger of being realized.

“We have communicated directly, privately and at very high levels to the Kremlin that any use of nuclear weapons will be met with catastrophic consequences for Russia, that the US and our allies will respond decisively, and we have been clear and specific about what that will entail,” Sullivan told CBS’s Face The Nation. » | Edward Helmore | Sunday, September 25, 2022

Pound Hits Fresh 37-year Low after Mini-budget Rocks Markets

THE GUARDIAN: Odds of sterling hitting parity with dollar jump, as analysts say UK bond market ‘getting smoked’ by giveaway

A protester outside the Houses of Parliament as the chancellor, Kwasi Kwarteng, unveiled his mini budget on Friday. Photograph: Amer Ghazzal/REX/Shutterstock
The pound has hit a new 37-year low after the bonanza of tax cuts and spending measures in Kwasi Kwarteng’s mini-budget threatened to undermine confidence in the UK.

Sterling fell to $1.077 in early trading when Asia-Pacific markets opened after the weekend, closer to parity with the US dollar.

Chris Weston, the head of research at the brokerage firm Pepperstone, said the pound was “the whipping boy” of the G10 foreign exchange market, while the UK bond market was “getting smoked” thanks to Kwarteng’s £45bn debt-financed tax-cutting package.

“The funding requirement needed to pay for the mini-budget means either we need to see far better growth or higher bond yields to incentive capital inflows,” Weston said. Targets that the pound could fall below $1.05, for the first time ever, were being “liberally thrown around”, he added. » | Graeme Wearden | Sunday, September 25, 2022

Ha! Ha! Ha!. I could say: I told you so! We deserve all the pain we get! No! I am not being unpatriotic; on the contrary, I am being extremely patriotic. The dimwits of this country need to be brought to their senses asap.

This country is a medium-ranking European nation. Britannia no longer rules the waves. And probably never will again. Are we important as a nation? Of course we are! But we are no longer an imperial power; our Empire is gone, never to be resurrected. Get over it! These days, we need Europe; and Europe needs us.

People like Nigel Farage are not patriotic; au contraire, they are unpatriotic troublemakers. In fact, where is Nigel Farage when you need him most. He belongs in the stocks! He has caused so many Brits so much unnecessary pain with his vacuous talk. He shouldn't be allowed to get away with it.

This country belongs in the European Union. The absurd policy of Brexit needs to be reversed forthwith. – © Mark Alexander

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Whitney Houston : I Wanna Dance with Somebody | Official Video

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Liz Truss Plans More Immigration in Effort to Fill Vacancies and Drive Growth

THE GUARDIAN: Government likely to lift cap on agricultural and broadband workers, and alter shortage occupations list

The prime minister, Liz Truss, may also ease the English-language requirement in some sectors. Photograph: Dylan Martinez/Reuters
Liz Truss is preparing to increase immigration to fill job vacancies and boost economic growth in a move that will anger some of her ministers and MPs.

The prime minister plans to raise the number of workers allowed to enter the UK, government sources have confirmed.

Reports claim the government will lift the cap on seasonal agricultural workers and broadband engineers, and make other changes to the shortage occupations list, which will allow key sectors to recruit more overseas staff.

Truss is said to be keen to recruit broadband engineers to complete a pledge to make full-fibre broadband available to 85% of UK homes by 2025. It has also been suggested that she could ease the English-language requirement in some sectors to enable more foreign workers to qualify for visas.

The proposals faces resistance from cabinet Brexiters including the home secretary, Suella Braverman, and the trade secretary, Kemi Badenoch, according to the Sunday Times.

One Conservative MP said that many new Conservative voters in “red wall” seats will be baffled by any softening of immigration rules.

“The government is going to have to explain to those people who thought we were a pro-Brexit government and want to curb immigration why we seem to be changing tack,” the MP said. » | Rajeev Syal | Sunday, September 25, 2022

This woman must surely be taking the effing piss! We have come out of the European Union because of too many 'immigrants' coming into the country—note that most of those people were then part of our homeland - Europe – of which we were a part; and they were largely of the same cultural and religious background: Judaeo-Christian, And when we were in the European Union, everything was going just fine. But that was too much for this turncoat: the once committed Remainer who turned Brexiteer when it suited her career ambitions. Were this woman to be an object, one would say she is not 'fit for purpose'. I therefore say this: Eject the woman from her position as soon as possible, before she does any more damage to this once great country. Shame on her! Shame on the Tories! The party is as corrupt as corrupt can be. – © Mark Alexander

Cheeky Maybe, But Very Nice!

Frech vielleicht, aber sehr nett!/ Effronté peut-être, mais très gentil !
Many thanks to Smdca on Pinterest for this lovely and interesting photo.

„Ich gehe da nicht hin“

„REFERENDEN“ IN DER UKRAINE
FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG: Putin will Russlands Eroberungen im Osten und Süden der Ukraine annektieren. Dafür soll es jetzt fingierte Volksabstimmungen geben, aber eine Frau in Cherson sagt Nein. Ein Protokoll.

Nennt mich Uljana Schewtschenko. Das ist ein Deckname, den ich benutzen muss, weil die Russen meine Stadt besetzt haben. Für eine Künstlerin ist es nicht leicht, den Namen zu wechseln, aber es muss sein.

Meine Stadt ist Cherson im Süden der Ukraine. Viele sprechen hier Russisch, und deshalb sagen die Orks: Da leben Russen. Auf mich trifft das nicht zu und auf viele meiner Freunde auch nicht, auch wenn wir mit Russisch aufgewachsen sind. Ich bin zweisprachig, und das geht so: Auf der Arbeit spreche ich Ukrainisch und auf Facebook auch. Aber zu Hause sprechen wir Russisch. Manche meiner Freunde lehnen das Russische jetzt total ab. Ich nicht, ich benutze beide Sprachen. Aber vielleicht kann ich das nur deshalb, weil ich nicht so viel gelitten habe wie andere.

Dass Putin unsere Stadt jetzt durch ein Referendum annektieren will, ist für uns keine Überraschung. Ich glaube, er macht das wegen seiner Mobilmachung zu Hause. Das geht leichter, wenn er seinen Bürgern sagen kann: Cherson und die anderen ukrainischen Gebiete, die wir besetzt haben, das ist ja Russland. Aber jeder weiß ja, dass dieses Referendum sowieso einen Dreck wert ist. In Cherson ist nur noch ein Viertel der Leute da, der Rest ist weg. Wie sollen die paar, die geblieben sind, denn den „Willen des Volkes“ ausdrücken können? » | Von Konrad Schuller | Sonntag, 25. September 2022

Elections en Italie : qui est Giorgia Meloni, la jeune dirigeante du parti postfasciste aux portes du pouvoir ?

MAURO SCROBOGNA / AP
LE MONDE : PORTRAIT | La cheffe du parti Fratelli d’Italia, donnée favorite dans les sondages aux élections législatives qui se tiennent ce dimanche 25 septembre, est entrée très tôt en politique et n’a cessé, depuis, de faire son chemin, jusqu’à incarner aujourd’hui le conservatisme transalpin.

Ce dimanche d’octobre 2019, il y avait des dizaines de milliers de personnes, venues de toute l’Italie, sur la piazza San Giovanni de Rome. D’ordinaire, cette large esplanade est le lieu de rendez-vous des rassemblements de la gauche. Mais, cette fois-ci, c’était au peuple de droite de crier sa colère. Quelques semaines plus tôt, après l’échec calamiteux de sa manœuvre consistant à rompre avec les « 5 étoiles » (parti antisystème) pour provoquer des élections anticipées, le dirigeant de la Ligue (extrême droite), Matteo Salvini, avait été évincé du ministère de l’intérieur et renvoyé à l’opposition, tandis que la gauche revenait aux affaires.

Ce meeting était l’occasion de refaire l’unité au sein de l’alliance des droites et, pour Matteo Salvini, de réécrire l’histoire de sa peu glorieuse sortie de scène, en gommant ses responsabilités évidentes pour se poser en victime innocente d’une gauche machiavélique. Silvio Berlusconi, tout heureux de voir se reformer l’alliance traditionnelle, ne s’était pas fait prier pour donner son onction au rassemblement. La dirigeante de Fratelli d’Italia, Giorgia Meloni, avait fait plus de difficultés, refusant de poser en obligée du leader de la Ligue. De plus, à Rome, elle est chez elle et n’a nul besoin de Salvini le Milanais pour se faire entendre… » | Par Jérôme Gautheret (Rome, correspondant) | vendredi 23 septembre 2022

! يا عزيزي

O my dear! / O mein Lieber! / Ô mon cher !
Thanks to Aninda khan on Pinterest / شكرا على هذه الصورة الجميلة

Kwasi Kwarteng Mulls More Beneficial Tax Cuts for High Earners

THE GUARDIAN: Reports chancellor is considering further changes to taxation after mini-budget ‘for the rich’

The government is considering a series of further tax cuts that could hand thousands of pounds to high earners, shortly after it announced the biggest giveaway in 50 years.

Plans under consideration could include bringing back a tax-free allowance for workers paid more than £100,000 a year, and lifting the amount pensioners can save before taxes kick in, the Sunday Telegraph reported.

The chancellor, Kwasi Kwarteng, on Friday delivered a mini-budget with tax cuts that will benefit many of the highest earners in the UK. Although it was not a full budget, it represented the biggest tax-cutting fiscal event since 1972 under another Conservative chancellor, Anthony Barber. » | Jasper Jolly | Sunday, September 25, 2022

Das Berner Oberland – Ein Sommer in den Schweizer Alpen | SWR Doku

Idyllische Almen, imposante Berge und … schmelzende Gletscher! In einem der begehrtesten Urlaubsziele der Schweiz stellt das Klima Mensch, Tier und Natur auf die Probe.

Das Berner Oberland in der Schweiz ist eine Region der Superlative: Hier liegt der höchste Gletscher der Alpen, der Aletschgletscher, hier fließen die größten unterirdischen Wasserfälle Europas, die Trümmelbachfälle. Und das berühmte Dreigestirn von Eiger, Mönch und Jungfrau lockt jährlich Touristen aus aller Welt in die Schweizer Berge. Flüsse und Seen in den Tälern machen das Land zum beliebten Reiseziel und sind gleichzeitig lebensnotwendige Quelle für Menschen, Tiere und Pflanzen. Alpwirtschaft, Ökologie und Tourismus sind gleichermaßen abhängig vom sensiblen Gleichgewicht der Natur. Der Sommer ist entscheidend für das Leben in den Bergen, das unmittelbar mit den Kreisläufen der Natur verbunden ist. Jonas und Fabienne fiebern als Jung-Senne dem Sommer auf der Schweizer Alp entgegen. Bis zum Herbst tragen sie die Verantwortung für 50 Kühe – und das Gold der Bauern: den begehrten Bergkäse. Die traditionelle Beweidung schafft die unverwechselbare Landschaft hier in den Bergen. Doch seit die Baumgrenze sich auch in den Schweizer Alpen immer weiter nach oben verschiebt, macht ein ungeliebter Gast den Tieren zu schaffen: die Zecke. Auf der Schweibenalp ist Gärtnerin Johanna Becker Expertin für Permakultur und weiß, welcher Salat sich besonders für die kühlen Höhenlagen eignet. Der nachhaltige Anbau von Gemüse und Kräutern lockt Freiwillige und Gäste in die Höhe. In den Berner Hochalpen, am Jungfraujoch, droht der größte Gletscher der Alpen gefährlich schnell zu schwinden. Wissenschaftler, Ingenieure und Mitarbeiter kümmern sich um den Schutz und Erhalt der Alpenregion und versuchen, die großen Herausforderungen, denen sie begegnen, zu meistern.

Diese Doku von Viktor Apfelbacher und André Schäfer trägt den Originaltitel: „Das Berner Oberland – Ein Sommer in den Schweizer Alpen“, Ausstrahlungsdatum im SWR Fernsehen am 11.9.22. Alle Aussagen und Fakten entsprechen dem damaligen Stand und wurden seitdem nicht aktualisiert.

Alle Aussagen und Fakten entsprechen dem damaligen Stand und wurden seitdem nicht aktualisiert.

‘They Have Nothing to Lose’: Why Young Iranians Are Rising Up Once Again

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Amid growing repression, a sickly economy and bleak prospects, the death of one young woman was all it took.


Dozens have reportedly been killed by security forces as demonstrations continue to spread across Iran. Protests began after Mahsa Amini died in the custody of the morality police. | Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
The 22-year-old woman emerged from the Tehran subway, her dark hair covered with a black head scarf and the lines of her body obscured by loose clothing, when the capital city’s Guidance Patrol spotted her. They were members of Iran’s notorious morality police, enforcers of the conservative Islamic dress and behavior rules that have governed daily life for Iranians since the 1979 revolution, and newly energized under a hard-line president who took office last year.

By their standards, Mahsa Amini was improperly dressed, which could mean something as simple as a wisp of hair protruding from her head scarf. They put her in a van and drove her away to a detention center, where she was to undergo re-education. Three days later, on Sept. 16, she was dead.

Now, over eight days of rage, exhilaration and street battles, the most significant outpouring of anger with the ruling system in more than a decade, her name is everywhere. Iranian protesters in dozens of cities have chanted “women, life and freedom” and “death to the dictator,” rejecting the Iranian Republic’s theocratic rule by targeting one of its most fundamental and divisive symbols — the ailing supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

In several of the videos of the uprising that have torn across social media, women rip off their head scarves and burn them in street bonfires, including in deeply religious cities such as Qum and Mashhad. In one, a young woman atop a utility cabinet cuts off her hair in front of a crowd of roaring demonstrators. In another, young women dare to dance bareheaded in front of the riot police. » | Vivian Yee and Farnaz Fassihi | Published: Saturday, September 24, 2022; updated: Sunday, September 25, 2022

Related here and here and here and here (auf Deutsch).

Are the Islamic Republic of Iran's days numbered, perhaps? Is freedom on the horizon for Iranians at last? – © Mark Alexander

Welche Zukunft hat das Commonwealth nach dem Tod der Queen? | Fokus Europa

Was hält den Staatenbund noch zusammen und wie wichtig ist er für die Identität Großbritanniens? Einige Länder haben bereits angekündigt, ihre Mitgliedschaft zu beenden.

EuroMillions Lottery: UK Winner Picks Up £171m Jackpot

THE GUARDIAN: Ticket-holder comes forward to become third biggest National Lottery winner of all time

A ticket-holder has come forward to claim the £171m jackpot from Friday’s EuroMillions draw, operator Camelot has said.

Their win makes them the third biggest National Lottery winner of all time and instantly richer than the singers Harry Styles, who is worth an estimated £100m, and Adele, worth an estimated £150m.

Camelot’s Andy Carter, senior winners’ adviser at the National Lottery, said: “What an amazing year for UK EuroMillions players. We are delighted to have received a claim for the third biggest ever win and look forward to supporting the ticket-holder and helping them to start to enjoy their truly life-changing win.” » | Jane Clinton | Sunday, September 25, 2022

Lavrov to UN: Annexed Ukraine Territories Will Have Russia's 'Full Protection' | DW News

Russia says thousands of reservists have answered the call to fight in Ukraine – while others have been fleeing the country, or staying and protesting against Vladimir Putin’s mobilization order. As Moscow bolsters its war effort, Russian-installed officials are holding sham 'referendums' that would lay the groundwork for Russia to annex four occupied regions of Ukraine. Ukrainian officials and witnesses say residents are being coerced into taking part, often at gunpoint. At the UN General Assembly, Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said the four regions will be under Russia's 'full protection' if they are annexed by Moscow.

Jessica Berlin | Putin hat schon verloren – doch kann die Ukraine auch siegen? | NZZ Standpunkte 2022

Ein russischer Blitzsieg über die Ukraine schien im Februar eine ausgemachte Sache. Doch nach einem halben Jahr Krieg scheint sich das Blatt zu wenden. Die Ukrainer haben die gegnerische Artillerie-dampfwalze im Donbass abgewehrt und unternehmen nun offensive Vorstösse. Die russische Armee zeigt mehr und mehr Schwächen. Nach wie vor setzen beide Seiten auf Sieg. Putin hat Europa offen den Gaskrieg erklärt, was erneut Stimmen laut werden lässt, die einen raschen Frieden fordern. Einen solchen wird es geben müssen, aber wann ist die Zeit dafür gekommen? Wer soll mit wem worüber verhandeln? Was bleibt von den russischen Kriegszielen, und wie könnte ein Sieg der Ukraine aussehen? Wie ist es um die Zukunft der Ukraine in Europa bestellt? Darüber spricht NZZ Chefredaktor Eric Gujer mit der deutsch-amerikanischen Politikanalystin Jessica Berlin. | Sendung vom 24.09.2022

heute 19:00 Uhr vom 24.09.22 Scholz in Saudi-Arabien, Gaspreisbremse, Strafe für Deserteure

Bundeskanzler Olaf Scholz (SPD) hat bei seinem Treffen mit dem saudischen Kronprinzen Mohammed bin Salman den Mord an dem Journalisten Jamal Khashoggi angesprochen. Bin Salman war vom US-Geheimdienst für den brutalen Mord am Journalisten Jamal Khashoggi vor vier Jahren verantwortlich gemacht worden. Diese und weitere Nachrichten des Tages in den ZDFheute Nachrichten um 19 Uhr.

El hombre en piedra: bellas esculturas

Teachers and Nurses Face Tax Increase after Mini-budget Hands Out to Bankers

THE OBSERVER: Research by the Liberal Democrats shows that key workers will be worse off next year but top bank bosses will enjoy huge perks

Liz Truss’s government is promising a cut in the basic tax rate, but freezing the tax thresholdPhotograph: Tayfun Salcı/ZUMA Press Wire/REX/Shutterstock
Teachers and nurses will see their income taxes increase next year while top bank bosses will enjoy a cut worth more than £100,000, according to a new analysis of Kwasi Kwarteng’s mini-budget.

While the tax-cutting package brought forward a promised reduction in the basic rate of income tax from 20% to 19%, that cut will be more than offset by a decision to freeze the point at which people start paying tax. It means that some key workers will be paying more income tax next year.

A teacher on a starting salary of £25,700 will see their income tax rise by £121 in 2023-24 once the threshold freeze is taken into account, according to research by the Liberal Democrats. An NHS nurse will also face a £107 rise. Meanwhile, a top banker earning £2.5m will enjoy a tax cut of more than £117,000. » | Michael Savage and Jon Ungoed-Thomas | Saturday, September 24, 2022

This woman is shameless! She has a face of brass! The sooner the electorate dumps her, the better it will be for us all.

She appears to like to compare herself to Margaret Thatcher. Dream on, Truss! Margaret Thatcher even though she was in so many ways a wonderful leader, had her faults and weaknesses, too. But one thing she had which Truss doesn’t have is any understanding of Christianity. Thatcher’s background, by contrast, was steeped in Christianity; moreover, Truss’s lack of understanding of Christianity shows in her uncaring policies.

I thought we had reached rock bottom with BoJo, but Truss has stolen the prize even after just a few days in office! – © Mark Alexander

Iran Hijab Protests: 35 Dead as President Warns of ‘Decisive’ Action

What Iran's Protesters Want and What They Will Get | DW News

Iran has seen an eighth straight night of protests sparked by the death of a young woman detained by the country's religious police. Crowds of protesters gathered hours after counter-demonstrations backed by the government. The unrest has spread to towns and cities across Iran. Activists say at least fifty anti-government protesters have been killed by Iranian security forces.

The Guardian View on the Tory Trickle Up Policies: Redistributing to the Rich

THE GUARDIAN – EDITORIAL: Kwasi Kwarteng thinks Britain needs to give millionaires huge handouts and concrete over the country. He’s wrong

Kwasi Kwarteng came to the Commons determined to bury the politics of redistribution. But the Conservative chancellor revived it with a “ mini-budget” that attached rocket boosters on to bankers’ pay, gave millionaires a £40,000 handout by abolishing the top rate of tax and cut levies for businesses and buy-to-let landlords. It is in a cost of living crisis that Mr Kwarteng has chosen to show his true colours. Ordinary families are choosing between heating and eating. The nation’s public services are falling apart. The chancellor’s medicine for such ailments is to shower money – and to loosen regulatory safeguards – on the City, energy companies and housebuilders. » | Editorial | Friday, September 23, 2022

Italian Voters Appear Ready to Turn a Page for Europe

THE NEW YORK TIMES: With the hard-right candidate Giorgia Meloni ahead before Sunday’s election, Italy could get its first leader whose party traces its roots to the wreckage of Fascism.

Supporters of Giorgia Meloni at a joint rally on Thursday for the Brothers of Italy, League and Forza Italia parties in Rome. | Andreas Solaro/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
ROME — Giorgia Meloni, Italy’s hard-right leader, resents having to talk about Fascism. She has publicly, and in multiple languages, said that the Italian right has “handed Fascism over to history for decades now.” She argued that “the problem with Fascism in Italy always begins with the electoral campaign,” when the Italian left, she said, wheels out “the black wave” to smear its opponents.

But none of that matters now, she insisted in an interview this month, because Italians do not care. “Italians don’t believe anymore in this garbage,” she said with a shrug.

Ms. Meloni may be proved right on Sunday, when she is expected to be the top vote-getter in Italian elections, a breakthrough far-right parties in Europe have anticipated for decades.

More than 70 years after Nazis and Fascists nearly destroyed Europe, formerly taboo parties with Nazi or Fascist heritages that were long marginalized have elbowed their way into the mainstream. Some are even winning. A page of European history seems to be turning.

Last week, a hard-right group founded by neo-Nazis and skinheads became the largest party in Sweden’s likely governing coalition. The far-right leader Marine Le Pen — for a second consecutive time — reached the final round of French presidential elections this year.

But it is Italy, the birthplace of Fascism, that looks likely to be led not only by its first female prime minister in Ms. Meloni but the first Italian leader whose party can trace its roots back to the wreckage of Italian Fascism. » | Jason Horowitz | Saturday, September 24, 2022

Related articles: En français. Auf Deutsch. In English.

Iran Protests Surge to Dozens of Cities

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Iranians fed up with oppressive rules and a battered economy have faced bullets, tear gas and arrests to demand an end to the Islamic Republic’s rule.

Demonstrators on the streets of Tehran this past week. Protests spurred by a woman’s death in custody have expanded to include outrage over economic problems and frustration with moral strictures. | Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
Protests in Iran against the government spread to more than five dozen cities on Friday even as the authorities escalated a crackdown that has reportedly killed dozens of people and brought the arrests of prominent activists and journalists, according to rights groups and news media reports.

Internet access — especially on cellphone apps widely used for communication — continued to be disrupted or fully blocked, affecting Iranians’ ability to communicate with one another and the outside world. News from Iran has trickled in with many hours of delay.

In many cities, including Tehran, the capital, security forces opened fire on crowds. On Boulevard Ferdous and at the Shahrak Ekbatan apartment complex in Tehran, the forces fired at windows; in the city of Rasht, they threw tear gas into apartments, according to witnesses and videos on social media.

Iranian state media said Friday that at least 35 people had been killed in the unrest, but human rights groups have said the number is likely to be much higher. A previous death toll of 17 issued by the state media included at least five members of the security services.

The videos posted online and the scale of the response from the authorities are difficult to independently verify, but video and photographs sent by witnesses known to The New York Times were broadly in line with the images being posted widely online.

In Iran’s northwest, the small city of Oshnavieh reportedly fell to protesters when local security forces retreated after days of intense fighting, the editor of a Kurdish news site said. » | Farnaz Fassihi | Saturday, September 24, 2022

Verwandt.

Truss/Kwarteng: A Reckless Economic Gamble Certain to Fail

Liz Truss and her Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng have told us that their priority is to grow the economy. They plan to do this by borrowing huge amounts of money whilst cutting taxes which will inevitably benefit the rich more than those in desperate need. This is in addition to the £130 billion which they are borrowing in order to protect the profits of energy companies as they reduce the prices charged to consumers.

Inflation is at the highest it has been for several decades, interest rates are going up and individuals and businesses are being squeezed ever more. The NHS is in crisis with around 6 million waiting for treatment.

More and more families are depending upon food banks as they face an approaching winter when many of them will be unable to afford to heat their homes.

To reduce taxes thus benefitting the rich at a time of such crisis is a reckless and stupid gamble which will not work.

Opposition to the government is increasing and will only be inflamed by this absurd government policy.

It seems highly likely that this will lead to social unrest and a breakdown of law and order in the coming months

Berlusconi Claims Russians ‘Pushed’ Putin into Ukraine War

THE GUARDIAN: Italian former PM’s party is part of coalition expected to win Sunday’s general election

The 85-year-old billionaire at the centre-right rally in Rome on 22 September. Berlusconi has long been close with the Russian president. Photograph: Giuseppe Lami/EPA
Silvio Berlusconi, Italy’s three-time former prime minister, whose party is forecast to return to government after the general election on Sunday, has sparked a row after defending the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, over the war in Ukraine.

The 85-year-old billionaire told Italian TV that Putin, an old friend of his, was pushed to invad Ukraine by the Russian people and by ministers who wanted Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s administration replaced with “decent people”.

Berlusconi, who has condemned the war, told the chatshow Porta a Porta that separatists had gone to Moscow and told the media that Ukraine’s attacks had caused 16,000 deaths and that Putin was doing nothing to defend them. » | Angela Giuffrida in Rome | Friday, September 23, 2022

Is it true that this dude has already been embalmed? – Mark

Berlusconi draws a backlash for appearing to defend Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. »

Pound Plummets as UK Government Announces Biggest Tax Cuts in 50 Years

Don't call it a budget - but it is the biggest budget intervention we've seen in decades, largely at odds with what twelve years of Conservative Chancellors have told us.

The Office of Budget Responsibility was stopped from publishing forecasts it had been working on, so the test of whether it is responsible was largely left to the financial markets.

The Chancellor claims he's unleashing "the power of the private sector".

Kwarteng Accused of Reckless Mini-budget for the Rich as Pound Plummets

THE GUARDIAN: Strategy of sweeping tax cuts gets hostile reception from markets and economic thinktanks, leaving some Tory MPs aghast

A screenshot taken from the accompanying video.
Kwasi Kwarteng has been accused of delivering a reckless mini-budget for the rich after his £45bn tax-cutting package sent the pound crashing to its lowest level against the dollar in 37 years.

In a high-risk strategy designed to revive Britain’s stagnant economy, the new chancellor announced more than £400bn of extra borrowing over the coming years to fund the biggest giveaway since Tony Barber’s ill-fated 1972 budget.

Kwarteng said tax cuts worth more than £55,000 annually to someone earning £1m a year were part of a new direction for the economy and were designed to help boost growth to 2.5% a year. Some Labour MPs described them as a “class war”. With video » | Larry Elliott and Rowena Mason | Friday, September 23, 2022

This is capitalism at its most hideous! Kwasi Kwarteng has shown us the true face of the Tory party! These disgusting people need to be kicked out of office asap! There is capitalism and there is capitalism. This kind of capitalism disgusts any decent soul. It is inhumane and unChristian. To use Margaret Thatcher’s own words: No! No! No! – © Mark Alexander

Pound sinks as investors question huge tax cuts: The pound has fallen to a fresh 37-year low against the dollar as financial markets reacted to the biggest tax cutting moves in 50 years. »

Joe Biden face au « demi-fascisme » républicain

LE MONDE : En pointant du doigt les partisans pro-Trump et en assimilant ces derniers à une menace intérieure, le président des Etats-Unis veut convaincre les électeurs indécis que le structin de mi-mandat de novembre serait existentiel.

Analyse. Au temps de la guerre froide, l’ennemi de l’Amérique était communiste. Dans l’ère post-11 septembre 2001, il était islamiste. Voici aujourd’hui les Etats-Unis face à une nouvelle menace redoutable : elle est intérieure. Une partie du pays dérive, portant atteinte à son âme, à ses valeurs et à son système politique. Tel est le constat dressé par Joe Biden, à une cinquantaine de jours des élections de mi-mandat du 8 novembre. Pour caractériser cette menace représentée par les « républicains MAGA » (acronyme du slogan « Make America great again », de Donald Trump), le président est allé jusqu’à dire, le 25 août, qu’elle était « comme un demi-fascisme ».

L’expression surprend. D’abord, comment être fasciste à moitié ? A croire que le président n’assume pas entièrement son audace sémantique, ou qu’il redoute une rupture complète avec cette partie de la population américaine. Dans le camp républicain, les calculs de Joe Biden n’ont guère été pris en compte. Chacun s’est dit heurté, évitant ainsi de s’interroger sur la pente extrémiste du parti. Le présentateur vedette de Fox News, Tucker Carlson – qui a légitimé à l’antenne la théorie raciste du « grand remplacement » menaçant supposément la population blanche chrétienne –, a prétendu que les propos du président démocrate étaient « une déclaration de guerre contre la moitié du pays ». Pourtant, Joe Biden a longuement insisté sur le rôle toxique d’une minorité seulement du Parti républicain. Et de guerre, il n’a jamais été question. Seulement d’une mobilisation civique pour défendre, dans les urnes, la démocratie américaine. » | Par Piotr Smolar (Washington, correspondant) | vendredi 23 septembre 2022

Au Conseil de sécurité de l’ONU, la Russie seule contre tous

LE MONDE : Les représentants chinois et indien ont pris leur distance avec les surenchères de Moscou lors de la 77e Assemblée générale des Nations unies. Les dirigeants occidentaux ont, eux, poursuivi leur dénonciation de l’attaque des forces russes en Ukraine.

Le ministre russe des affaires étrangères, Sergueï Lavrov, lors du Conseil de sécurité de l’ONU, à New York, le 22 septembre. MICHAEL M. SANTIAGO / AFP
Sergueï Lavrov n’est resté dans la salle que le temps de prononcer une virulente diatribe contre « l’Etat totalitaire nazi », qui serait selon lui en place en Ukraine. Il n’empêche, le ministre des affaires étrangères russe s’est retrouvé isolé comme jamais, jeudi 22 septembre, à New York, lors d’une réunion du Conseil de sécurité, qui restera comme le temps fort de la 77e Assemblée générale des Nations unies, Chine et Inde plaidant pour mettre un terme aux hostilités, deux jours après la mobilisation « partielle » décrétée par le président russe, Vladimir Poutine.

En principe, la séance devait être consacrée à « la lutte contre l’impunité » des crimes dont sont accusées les forces russes engagées en Ukraine. Un sujet douloureux, une semaine après la découverte d’une fosse commune et des nouvelles atrocités commises contre les civils dans la ville d’Izioum, tout juste libérée de la férule russe. « Il n’y a pas de paix sans justice », a asséné la ministre des affaires étrangères française, Catherine Colonna, qui présidait les débats. Au moment où Vladimir Poutine joue l’escalade dans l’espoir de reprendre la main face aux succès de la contre-offensive ukrainienne, le rendez-vous a mis en lumière l’isolement croissant du chef du Kremlin. » | Par Philippe Ricard (New York, envoyé spécial) | vendredi 23 septembre 2022

Article réservé aux abonnés

Liz Truss and Kwasi Kwarteng Have Made a Declaration of Class War

THE GUARDIAN: This unofficial budget is morally indefensible, economically reckless and so risky it suggests a political death wish

Taking from those who have least, lavishing gifts on those who have most.’ Liz Truss and Kwasi Kwarteng on a visit to Berkeley Modular in Kent. Photograph: Dylan Martinez/AP
She makes Margaret Thatcher look like a moderate and Ronald Reagan seem positively wet. Liz Truss has embarked on an ideological project so extreme that the de facto budget announced by her chancellor today amounts to a declaration of class war. It was a reverse Robin Hood: taking from those who have least, lavishing gifts on those who have most. It is morally indefensible, economically reckless and so politically risky as to suggest a death wish.

Trussonomics rests on a simple article of faith: that by rewarding the already wealthy, life will improve for everyone else. Trickle-down economics, they called it back in the 1980s, and it didn’t work then. Now it’s back in a form more stark, more extravagant, than even its most ardent apostles ever dared contemplate.

The generosity towards the amply blessed was breathtaking. Kwasi Kwarteng’s totemic move was the removal of the cap on bankers’ bonuses – as if the number one problem confronting Britain today was that bankers aren’t rich enough. It’ll be Cristal magnums all round in the City, obviously, but Labour HQ should also raise a glass: they’ve just been handed an attack line that cannot fail. The Conservative predecessors of Truss and Kwarteng had no principled objection to letting bankers receive telephone-number bonuses, but held off because they knew the optics were so screamingly awful. The new duo has no such restraint.

And so they have delivered the biggest tax cuts in half a century, outstripping the landmark Nigel Lawson budget of 1988 – and their largesse is aimed squarely at the top. Kwarteng decided it was those in the highest tax bracket who needed help, so he abolished the top rate altogether. That will hand an average £10,000 to the highest-earning 600,000 people in the country: literally the one per cent. » | Jonathan Freedland | Friday, September 23, 2022

Liz Truss makes Margaret Thatcher look like the fairy godmother! Divisive politics like this could eventually well lead to a revolution. Even tolerant Brits have their limits! Could Tory policies like this—giving the already super-privileged even more privileges—lead even to Britain overthrowing the monarchy? The French did it in 1789, declaring the motto Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité. It is very difficult to see how we Brits could declare the same here! In the UK, there is liberté for the super-priviliged, there is certainly no égalité and where there are such class divisions, there can certainly be no fraaternité, either.

It is high time for this country to call time on giving the already super-privileged yet more privileges. A well-run economy, even a capitalist economy, should be, must be run for the benefit of all. I believe it is true to say that this country has more food banks than it has Starbucks outlets! How can it be morally justifiable to pursue such shameless economic policies when so many people have to go to food banks in order to put food on the table for their children? What we need is more food for our children, not more champagne for our bankers!

Once upon a time, when I was young, I was so proud to call myself British. These days, not so much. Moreover, we Brits were spoken about in the same breath as fairness and fair play. No longer, I fear. This country has become synonymous with class division, unfairness, greed and selfishness.

With policies like these put forward like this by Kwasi Kwarteng and Liz Truss, it is easier to feel ashamed to be British than it is to feel proud. These are , indeed, sad times. – © Mark Alexander

For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. – KJB Matthew 13:12

"This Is Not a Referendum" Ukraine's Ex-President Poroshenko Slams Russia's Latest Announcements

Russian-installed authorities in occupied parts of Ukraine have been holding so-called referendums on joining Russia. Polling has begun despite worldwide condemnation and a warning from the UN chief - that the results will not be recognised. Ballots are being collected in the regions of Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Luhansk and Donetsk - an area making up about 15 percent of the Ukrainian territory. As voting continues, Kyiv say it has recaptured more ground in its continuing counter-offensive. The voting is expected to last several days and result in the regions' annexation by Moscow. Ukraine and Western governments say they won't recognize the outcome. We talk about Russia's latest moves with Petro Poroshenko. He was president of Ukraine from 2014 to 2019.

Pound Crashes as Markets Lose Confidence in Government

A screenshot taken from the accomanying video.
THE GUARDIAN: This is turning into an absolute rout on the pound, as the markets give a scathing verdict to Kwasi Kwarteng’s unfunded tax cuts and extra spending.

Having dropped through $1.10 earlier this afternoon, sterling has continued to crash….. all the way down to a new 37-year low of $1.09.

The pound has lost 3.5 cents today, cratering by 3% – on track for its worst day since the market panic of March 2020 when the pandemic hit. With video » | Graeme Wearden | Friday, September 23, 2022

Kwasi, the quasi chancellor! Kwarteng’s economics is already being shown up for what it truly is: voodoo economics. – © Mark Alexander

Pound sinks as investors question huge tax cuts: The pound has fallen to a fresh 37-year low against the dollar as financial markets reacted to the biggest tax cutting moves in 50 years. »

New Chancellor Just Shamelessly Blamed Benefit Claimants for High Inflation Labour Shortages

Sep 23, 2022

En Italie, le droit des femmes selon Giorgia Meloni

LE MONDE : REPORTAGE | La présidente du parti d’extrême droite Fratelli d’Italia a promis, lors de la campagne des législatives du 25 septembre, de limiter le recours à l’IVG. Une vision ultraconservatrice de la famille qui séduit dans un pays inquiet de sa natalité déclinante.

La candidate d’extrême droite Giorgia Meloni, à Turin (Italie), le 13 septembre 2022. JEAN-MARC CAIMI ET VALENTINA PICCINNI POUR « M LE MAGAZINE DU MONDE »
Giorgia Meloni a un débit de mitraillette. Une rafale contre la gauche, une autre contre la justice. Puis les impôts et les médias prennent à leur tour une bordée. La présidente de Fratelli d’Italia (« Frères d’Italie ») traverse la tribune, tonique, vêtue d’une veste turquoise, son micro en main et les mots comme des balles.

Le public de Turin se régale, en cette soirée du 13 septembre. Les effets de manches et les moues de bateleuse de la candidate aux élections législatives italiennes du 25 septembre contribuent à son succès. La foule rugit de plaisir lorsqu’elle dénonce « l’immigration de masse » et promet d’imposer un « blocus naval » en Méditerranée pour empêcher les bateaux de migrants d’accoster.

La Romaine baisse la voix. Son débit se calme (un peu). « Ils ont besoin de faire de nous des monstres… », dit-elle en soupirant. « Ils » ? Le public comprend. La gauche, les médias, étrangers notamment. « Il y a une fake news qui tourne, poursuit-elle. Nous voudrions abolir le droit à l’avortement ! » Un rire nerveux lui échappe. « Personne ne l’a jamais dit ! », clame-t-elle. » | Par Olivier Faye (Turin (Italie), envoyé spécial) | jeudi 22 septembre 2022

Réservé aux abonnés

Verliebt

In love / Amoureux
Mit bestem Dank an Tumblr auf Pinterest fürs schöne, ausdrucksvolle Bild.

Chris Brown : Forever | Official HD Video | Reupload

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Democracy Now! Top US News & World Headlines — September 23, 2022

Pound Sinks as Markets React to Mini-budget

GETTY IMAGES
BBC: The pound has fallen to a fresh 37-year low against the dollar as markets react to the biggest tax cutting budget in 50 years.

UK stocks also slid after Kwasi Kwarteng outlined a series of tax cuts and economic measures in a massive shake-up of the country's finances.

The pound dropped by nearly 2% against the dollar, putting it close to $1.10.

Sterling has been falling in recent weeks, partly down to the strength of the US dollar. However, sterling also fell against the euro on Friday, with the pound down more than 1% at €1.12.

Meanwhile, the UK's FTSE 100 of major shares fell to its lowest level for more than two months. » | Noor Nanji, Business reporter, BBC News | Friday, September 23, 2022

Kwarteng’s voodoo economics spooks markets. – © Mark Alexander

«Wir wollen keine islamische Republik» – nach dem Tod einer jungen Kurdin fordern Frauen in Iran das Regime heraus

NEUE ZÜRCHER ZEITUNG: Mutig reissen sich Frauen das Kopftuch herunter und verbrennen es, manche schneiden sich in der Öffentlichkeit die Haare ab. Die Herrschenden reagieren nervös.

Die Hardliner versuchen, den Kopftuchzwang in Iran mit Gewalt durchzusetzen. | Abedin Taherkenareh / EPA
Die islamische Revolution in Iran war unter anderem auch deshalb erfolgreich, weil sie von Frauen unterstützt wurde. Viele hatten das Kopftuchverbot unter dem Shah-Regime satt und wollten sich verhüllen, wie es ihnen gefällt. Zwar gab es schon kurz nach der Einführung des Verhüllungszwangs unter dem neuen Regime Proteste, dann wurde es still. Mehr als 43 Jahre nach der Revolution wollen sich viele Frauen von den Geistlichen aber nicht mehr vorschreiben lassen, was sie zu tragen haben.

Bereits vor vier Jahren kam es zu massenhaften Protesten gegen den offiziellen Kopftuchzwang. In den letzten Tagen gingen erneut Frauen – und Männer – auf die Strasse und boten den Mächtigen die Stirn. Der Auslöser war der gewaltsame Tod von Mahsa Amini. Die 22-jährige Kurdin aus der Stadt Saqez war am Dienstag der vergangenen Woche in Teheran von der Religions- und Sittenpolizei festgenommen worden und offenbar so schwer geprügelt worden, dass sie drei Tage später in einem Spital starb.

Von den Epizentren der kurdischen Städte und den Universitäten in Teheran breiteten sich die Proteste in den letzten Tagen über das ganze Land aus. Das Erstaunliche dabei ist der Mut, den manche Frauen dabei beweisen: Sie stellen sich den Sicherheitskräften direkt in den Weg. » | Inga Rogg, Jerusalem | Freitag, 23. September 2022

U.K. Government Goes Full Tilt on Tax Cuts and Free-Market Economics

THE NEW YORK TIMES: The new administration’s proposals are a sharp break from the era of Boris Johnson, and they represent a turn toward Thatcherism.

Britain’s new prime minister, Liz Truss, will be hoping that the measures can engineer at least the start of a solid economic recovery before a general election that must take place by January 2025. | Daniel Leal/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
LONDON — Prime Minister Liz Truss of Britain on Friday gambled that a hefty dose of tax cuts, deregulation and free-market economics could reignite growth before the next general election as her government unveiled a package of measures that is likely to determine its electoral success or failure.

Breaking sharply with the era of the previous prime minister, Boris Johnson, the new chancellor of the Exchequer, Kwasi Kwarteng, promised the dawn of a new age of lower taxation, with the scrapping of one planned tax rise and the reduction of levies on home purchases to try to fire up the real estate market.

Mr. Kwarteng abandoned a proposed rise in corporate taxation and, in a surprise move, also abolished the top rate of 45 percent of income tax applied to those earning more than 150,000 pounds, or about $169,000, a year. He also cut the basic rate for lower earners.

“We will focus on growth, even when that means taking difficult decisions,” Mr. Kwarteng told a packed House of Commons. “None of this is going to happen overnight, but today we are publishing our growth plan that sets out a new approach for this new era.”

The focus on tax cuts to grow the economy “is how we will turn this vicious cycle of stagnation into a virtuous cycle of growth,” he added.

…

Some dispute the comparison because the plans announced on Friday are likely to mean a large increase in government borrowing, at a time of rising interest rates, because there has been no indication of big spending cuts. While Thatcher was a committed tax cutter, she believed in balancing the books first. » | Stephen Castle and Eshe Nelson | Friday, September 23, 2022

Just when you thought we had reached the bottom with BoJo, along comes Truss to disabuse us of any such notion! At least it will be a smooth ride for the super rich! That's some consolation, I suppose. The rest will be able to look on! – © Mark Alexander

Ukraine War Comes Home to Russians as Putin Imposes Draft

THE NEW YORK TIMES: As Vladimir Putin’s “special military operation” enters a new chapter, Russians are being plucked from villages around the country for training and military service.

A day after President Vladimir V. Putin announced a call-up that could sweep 300,000 civilians into military service, thousands of Russians across the country received draft papers on Thursday and some were being marched to buses and planes for training — and perhaps soon a trip to the front lines in Ukraine.

Mr. Putin’s escalation of the war effort was reverberating across the country, according to interviews, Russian news reports and social media posts. As the day wore on, it became increasingly clear that Mr. Putin’s decision had torn open the cocoon shielding much of Russian society from their leader’s invasion of a neighbor.

Mothers, wives and children were saying tearful goodbyes in remote regions as officials — in some cases, ordinary schoolteachers — delivered draft notices to houses and apartment blocks. In mountainous eastern Siberia, the Russian news media reported, school buses were being commandeered to move troops to training grounds.

Russian officials said the call-up would be limited to people with combat experience. But the net appeared wider, and some men decided it was best to head for the borders.

Yanina Nimayeva, a journalist from the Buryatia region of Siberia, said that her husband, a father of five and an employee in the emergency department in the regional capital, had been inexplicably called up. She said he received a summons to an urgent 4 a.m. meeting where it was announced that a train had been organized to bring men to the city of Chita.

“My husband is 38 years old, he is not in the reserve, he did not serve,” Ms. Nimayeva said in a video addressed to regional officials. » | Anton Troianovski, Valerie Hopkins, Ivan Nechepurenko and Alina Lobzina | Published: Thursday, September 22, 2022; updated: Friday, September 23, 2022

Many Flee to Avoid Getting Drafted, but Where Can They Go? | DW News

Vladimir Putin's escalation of the war is running into increasing opposition within Russia. Police have arrested more than 1,000 people demonstrating against the call-up of reservists at nationwide protests. And Flights to foreign destinations are also selling out, as many fear it could be their last chance to leave.