Interview with Anita Lasker-Wallfisch

Anita Lasker-Wallfisch in conversation with Norbert Meyn.

In this interview the cellist Anita Lasker-Wallfisch discusses her childhood in Breslau, studying cello with Leo Rostal in Berlin, being imprisoned for trying to escape to France, playing cello in the camp orchestra in Auschwitz, being liberated in Bergen-Belsen, arriving in Britain in 1946, starting to work as a musician in London, becoming a founder member of the English Chamber Orchestra and being part of a community of musical émigrés in London. She also speaks about her husband Peter Wallfisch, his career as a concert pianist and his time as a professor at the Royal College of Music, and about other émigrés including the violinist Maria Lidka and the pianist Alice Herz-Sommer.

This interview is presented as part of the ORAL HISTORY PROJECT "Singing a Song in a Foreign Land", which focuses on musicians who emigrated from Central Europe because of Nazi persecution in the 1930s and 40s.

Jewish Survivor Anita Lasker-Wallfisch Testimony

Romney, Breaking With Republicans, Will Vote to Convict Trump of Abuse of Power

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Senator Mitt Romney, Republican of Utah, grew emotional on the Senate floor as he pronounced President Trump “guilty of an appalling abuse of public trust.”

WASHINGTON — Senator Mitt Romney of Utah announced on Wednesday that he would vote to convict President Trump of abuse of power, making him the first Republican to support removing Mr. Trump for his bid to pressure Ukraine to investigate his political rivals.

“I think the case was made,” Mr. Romney said in an interview in his Senate office on Wednesday morning, ahead of an afternoon floor speech in which he grew emotional as he explained his decision. He declared Mr. Trump “guilty of an appalling abuse of public trust.”

Mr. Romney said he would vote against the second article of impeachment, obstruction of Congress, arguing that House Democrats had failed to exhaust their legal options for securing testimony and other evidence they had sought. But the first-term senator said that Democrats had proved their first charge, that the president had misused his office for his own personal gain. » | Mark Leibovich | Wednesday, February 5, 2020

Mark Littlewood In Conversation with Simon Clark

On 16th May 2019, to mark the 40th anniversary of the smokers' group FOREST (Freedom Organisation for the Right to Enjoy Smoking Tobacco), Mark Littlewood, director-general of the Institute of Economic Affairs, spoke to Forest director Simon Clark.

Rep. Tim Ryan Walks Out of State of the Union: ‘Give Me a Break!’ | The Last Word | MSNBC

Rep. Tim Ryan tells Lawrence O’Donnell he had to leave during Trump’s speech because of the countless lies Trump was telling. He asks, “how much can a guy take?” Aired on 2/5/20.

Highlights (and Snubs) From Trump’s State of the Union Speech

Assured of Acquittal, Trump Makes Case for a Second Term »


State of the Union: Pelosi expresses her disdain as Trump pitches for re-election »

A Very Stable Genius: A Conversation with Carol Leonnig and Philip Rucker

Watch as The Washington Post’s White House Bureau Chief Philip Rucker and National Investigative Reporter Carol Leonnig discuss their new book, "A Very Stable Genius: Donald J. Trump's Testing of America."

Comprendre la colonisation israélienne en cinq minutes

Le 14 mai 1948, selon le calendrier grégorien, Israël proclamait sa naissance. 70 ans plus tard, la région reste l’un des points les plus sensibles du Proche-Orient. Une solution pacifique entre Israéliens et Palestiniens est-elle encore possible ? Le point, en cartes et en images. – Par Véronique Malécot , Francesca Fattori , Charles-Henry Groult et Xemartin Laborde Publié le 05 juin 2017 à 15h38 - Mis à jour le 29 janvier 2020

Khashoggi Fiancée: 'Saudi Arabia Can Get Away with Whatever It Wants'

THE GUARDIAN: Hatice Cengiz tells Guardian world has failed to punish kingdom over journalist’s murder in Turkey

The fiancee of Jamal Khashoggi has said the world has failed to hold Saudi Arabia to account over the journalist’s murder and the kingdom is being “encouraged to do whatever it wants”.

Hatice Cengiz, a Turkish scholar and activist, said the lack of meaningful global sanctions against Saudi Arabia more than a year after Khashoggi’s brutal killing inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, had sent a message that the kingdom “can do what it wants, and then get away with it”.

“Because these people were not punished for what they have done, and because the world has chosen to just move on, they can still do what they want,” she said. » | Stephanie Kirchgaessner | Tuesday, February 4, 2020

C of E Sex Guidance Row: Synod Member Calls Out 'Deep' Hypocrisy

THE GUARDIAN: Jayne Ozanne, an LGBT+ campaigner, condemns ‘leaders who preach one thing and practise something different’

The Church of England has “leaders who preach one thing and practise something completely different” when it comes to sex, according to a prominent member of the church’s ruling body.

In an explosive speech on Monday, Jayne Ozanne, a member of the General Synod and a leading campaigner for LGBT+ equality, called out “the deep levels of hypocrisy that exist among certain church leaders”.

Speaking to the William Temple Association in Bournemouth, she said: “We have leaders who are married and have affairs. We have leaders who make unwanted passes and comments to those they work with and whom they pastor.

“We have leaders who are gay but won’t admit it – who then have sex with someone of the same sex – and then chastise those who who work for them, who are in openly gay relationships, for doing the same.

“It is a despicable abuse of power by those who believe that their only sin is getting caught. So they get away with it because they can, because of the power they hold and exert over those in their charge. And many of us in the church know about it and feel powerless to stop it.” » | Harriet Sherwood, Religion correspondent | Tuesday, February 4, 2020

Khashoggi Murder: Western Powers Are 'Sending the Wrong Message' | UpFront (Special Interview)

Agnes Callamard, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial Executions, who has been investigating the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi recently co-authored a report that suggests Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) hacked a mobile phone belonging to Jeff Bezos, the owner of Amazon and The Washington Post.

"I believe," Callamard said, "the hacking of Jeff Bezos is linked to a targeted campaign against dissidents and against anyone of strategic interest for information, communication, and public relations."

Since effectively taking control of Saudi Arabia, MBS has been ramping up the country's influence abroad. Khashoggi wrote critically about the de facto ruler for The Washington Post and in October 2018 was murdered in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

Though the Saudi government has jailed and sentenced to death some of the individuals who carried out the killing, Callamard has dismissed the process as a "mockery of justice".

"The individuals that had been identified as having, at the minimum, planned and organised the killing, those individuals are walking free," Callamard explained.

Callamard laments the response by countries in the West. In the US, where Khashoggi was a resident, President Donald Trump has not been shy in expressing his admiration for MBS, saying he would be a "fool" not to conduct business with the kingdom.

"So far, the governments of the United States, of France, of the UK, have been unwilling to challenge the crown prince for his behaviours, and by so doing, they are sending the wrong message," said Callamard.

This week's special interview is with the UN's Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial Killings, Agnes Callamard.

Analysis: Trump's Middle East Plan: The Farce, the Fraud and the Fury

The Trump administration has finally lifted the curtains on the final act of its Middle East diplomacy by revealing the long-awaited, ahem, "peace plan" in a surrealistic White House celebration. I will admit from the outset that I cannot write about it with a straight face, considering the absurdity of the last three years of Trump policies towards Israel and Palestine. To call it a "peace plan" is to do injustice to the infamous "peace process" and its many failed "peace plans". It is so much worse, that a better term for it would be an "assault on peace". Everything about the plan is farcical. Al Jazeera's senior political analyst Marwan Bishara discusses the outcome of the deal.

Radio Host Rush Limbaugh Reveals He Has Advanced Lung Cancer

THE GUARDIAN: ‘Shock jock’, 69, to undergo treatment immediately / Limbaugh reveals news on his nationally syndicated show

The conservative “shock jock” Rush Limbaugh revealed on Monday that he had been diagnosed with advanced lung cancer.

The hugely influential radio host made the announcement during his nationally syndicated radio show.

Limbaugh, 69, added that although his intention is to continue working “as competently and as expertly as [he does] each and every day”, he will begin undergoing treatment immediately, taking him off-air for the next couple of days. He said he was aiming to be back by Thursday, calling the program “the source of [his] greatest satisfaction”.

“Every day I’m not here, I’ll be missing you and thinking about you,” he said. In the segment, Limbaugh said doctors discovered the issue after he complained of shortness of breath. » | Kenya Evelyn in Washington | Monday, February 3, 2020

Trump's "Deal of the Century": Mideast Plan Imposes Conditions on Palestinians

Donald Trump unveiled his "Deal of the Century" even though Palestinians and Israelis are not speaking. Timing is everything for a U-S president who is running for re-election while under impeachment and an Israeli prime minister who is running for re-election while under indictment.

Brexit Sparks Renewed Calls for Scottish Independence

Britain's departure from the European Union has sparked calls for another referendum on Scottish independence.

The Guardian View on Trump’s Impeachment Trial: The Perils of Outrageous Immunity

THE GUARDIAN: In looking the other way over the president’s corruption and lawbreaking, the Republican party has offered up its soul in exchange for power

The line that best sums up last week’s Senate impeachment trial of Donald Trump probably comes from the lips of Omar Little, the stickup artist who robs drug dealers in HBO’s the Wire. “You come at the king,” warned Mr Little “you best not miss”. The truth came for Mr Trump but after the smoke cleared on Friday, the president was still standing. He remains in the Oval Office because almost every Republican senator preferred being in power to upholding the democratic principles upon which the US was founded. By Wednesday Mr Trump will have defied justice. He will then be free to continue his campaign of grievance and resentment safe in the knowledge that there is no genuine check on his executive overreach. » | Editorial | Sunday, February 2, 2020

'Pathological Liar': Bloomberg Hits Back at Trump 'Mini Mike' Insult

THE GUARDIAN: Trump uses Super Bowl interview to attack potential rival

Michael Bloomberg traded insults with Donald Trump on Sunday, calling the president “a pathological liar who lies about everything: his fake hair, his obesity and his spray-on tan”.

The comment, made through the Democratic presidential candidate’s press secretary, came in response to abusive tweets and remarks the president made in a Super Bowl interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity.

In a quick-fire section of the interview, Trump was asked what he thought of when he heard the names of various political rivals.

“Very little,” he said of Bloomberg. “I just think of little.”

Bloomberg, 77, is 5ft 8in tall. Trump, 73, is 6ft 3in.

Trump then repeated an evidence-free claim, also made on Twitter earlier, about Bloomberg demanding special treatment in the Democratic presidential primary because of his height. » | Martin Pengelly in New York | Sunday, February 2, 2020

After Elizabeth II: Monarchy in Peril? | British Royal Family Documentary | Timeline

A new sovereign can revive a royal family or be its kiss of death. So will the controversial successor to Queen Elizabeth II spell the end of Britain’s thousand-year monarchy?

This film looks at the shaky future of the House of Windsor, once the beloved Queen passes the crown to her son Charles. The aging and opinionated Prince of Wales is not widely loved in Britain or abroad. The public still resent his treatment of Lady Diana, his adulterous relationship with Camilla, now destined to be Queen, and his relentless meddling in politics. “An overtly political king”, says British columnist Johann Hari, “will be death for the monarchy.” Many agree and look to Charles’ older son Prince William. But “Wills” is a reluctant Royal, still haunted by the brutal demise of his glamorous mother Diana. His brother, Prince Harry, is best known for an unflattering series of public scandals.

This documentary chronicles the storm gathering over the House of Windsor and asks the once unthinkable question: Will the monarchy still be around after Elizabeth?

Nicola Sturgeon: Independence Best for Scotland Post-Brexit

Scotland's first minister urges supporters of Scottish independence to build and win the political case for it rather than rushing to hold a referendum.

Boris Johnson recently rejected Sturgeon’s request for the legal powers to hold a second referendum, but the Scottish National party leader said independence was the only way for the country to maintain its parliamentary sovereignty and connection to the EU Sturgeon calls for unity and focus in push for Scottish independence

'Empathy' for Independent Scotland Joining the EU Says Tusk

Former European Council president Donald Tusk says Brussels feels "empathy" towards an independent Scotland joining the European Union.

Tusk: EU would be enthusiastic if Scotland applied to rejoin »