Boris Johnson to Marry Fiancée Carrie Symonds in July 2022, Report Says

THE GUARDIAN: Couple have been engaged since late 2019 but had put their marriage plans on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic

Boris Johnson is reportedly to marry his fiancee [sic], Carrie Symonds, in July 2022 after sending save-the-date cards to family and friends, according to the Sun.

They have been engaged since late 2019 but, like many couples, had put their marriage plans on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic with numbers able to attend ceremonies curtailed.

While this will be Johnson third marriage, it will be the first for Symonds.

It is unknown where exactly the couple will celebrate the occasion. However, the prime minister’s Buckinghamshire residence, Chequers, is tipped to host the wedding. Another possible venue is said to be the Port Lympne safari park in Kent, as Symonds works for the conservation charity. » | Edna Mohamed | Monday, May 24, 2021

Who is Boris Johnson’s first wife, former Tatler cover girl Allegra Mostyn-Owen? »

Marina Wheeler opens up about life post-Boris Johnson »

People in England ‘Face Three-year Waits for Dentist Appointments’

THE GUARDIAN: Damning report shows surgeries have ‘thousands’ of people on waiting lists

People are being told to wait until 2024 for dentist appointments while others are being removed from their practice lists for not making appointments sooner, according to a damning report into the state of dentistry.

Dental surgeries have reported that they have thousands of people on their waiting lists, while patients are unable to access care after ringing round numerous dental surgeries, a watchdog has warned.

Delays have resulted in the worsening of painful symptoms and in one instance even led to a patient needing hospital treatment after overdosing on painkillers, it said.

But Healthwatch England said that some people are being offered swift private care as an alternative at the same dental practice, with some patients reporting that they felt pressured to pay for their treatment.

Some practices appeared to be prioritising private care, it added. » | PA Media | Monday, May 24, 2021

Belarus Accused of ‘Hijacking’ Ryanair Flight Diverted to Arrest Blogger

THE GUARDIAN: Roman Protasevich is wanted for organising last year’s protests against Alexander Lukashenko

Belarus has been accused of hijacking a European jetliner and engaging in an act of state terrorism when it forced a Ryanair flight to perform an emergency landing in Minsk after a bomb threat and arrested an opposition blogger critical of authoritarian president Alexander Lukashenko.

Roman Protasevich, a former editor of the influential Telegram channels Nexta and Nexta Live, was detained by police after his flight was diverted to Minsk national airport. Minsk confirmed that Lukashenko ordered his military to scramble a Mig-29 fighter to escort the plane.

The Polish prime minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, said the plane had been “hijacked” and accused Lukashenko of a “reprehensible act of state terrorism”. He said he would demand new sanctions against Belarus at a European Council meeting scheduled for Monday.

Tom Tugendhat, the chair of the UK foreign affairs select committee, said: “If aircraft can be forced to the ground … in order to punish the political opponents of tyrants, then journalists here in the UK, politicians anywhere in Europe will find it harder to speak out.” » | Andrew Roth in Moscow | Sunday, May 23, 2021

US joins global outcry at Belarus over seizure of blogger from Ryanair flight »

Brexit Chaos - Clueless Lord Frost Talks Gibberish about Looking for Opportunities Going Forward

Every day we learn more about the damage to our economy caused by the unnecessary self-inflicted madness that is Brexit. At the same time it is becoming clear as evidenced by his appearance before the House of Commons EU Scrutiny Committee, that even Lord Frost, the man elevated to the peerage and made a cabinet minister for negotiating the TCA and Withdrawal Agreements which he now wants to change that he does not have a clue. Instead he talks of an opportunity to find opportunities and a new philosophy to take forward broadly.

Trump's Legal Nightmare Coming True? Criminal Probe Opened

The Trump Organization is now under criminal investigation after the New York Attorney General joined the Manhattan DA’s probe into Trump’s business dealings and finances. Up until this point, the AG investigation into the former president was a civil probe. Trump denies all wrongdoing and calls the probe "corrupt." MSNBC’s Chief Legal Correspondent Ari Melber discusses the significance of this step and Trump’s reaction to the probe with former SDNY prosecutor John Flannery, MSNBC’s political contributor Dr. Jason Johnson, and The New York Times's Emily Bazelon.

Trump Cornered? Feds Trying to Flip Trump Organization Executive in Criminal Probe

Citizen Trump is facing serious legal heat now that the Trump Organization is officially under a criminal probe. Prosecutors are targeting Trump's top executive Allen Weisselberg, who is also now under criminal investigation over taxes. Weisselberg has obtained his own legal counsel. MSNBC's Chief Legal Correspondent Ari Melber discusses the latest updates in the case with Washington Post reporter Libby Casey, former federal prosecutor Dan Alonso, and former Watergate prosecutor Nick Akerman. (This interview is from MSNBC’s ‘The Beat with Ari Melber’.)

Petition Calls for Smoking Ban on All Spanish Beaches

THE GUARDIAN: More than 283,000 back call to rid Spain’s coastline of smoke and discarded cigarette butts

A petition signed by more than 283,000 people calling on Spain to ban smoking at all its beaches has been delivered to the country’s environment minister.

For more than two years the organisation No Fumadores (No Smokers) has been gathering signatures aimed at transforming Spain’s 3,084 miles (4,964km) of coastline into areas free of cigarette smoke and discarded cigarette butts.

The petition, delivered to the minister Teresa Ribera, calls on the government to introduce national legislation on the issue, Raquel Fernández Megina of No Fumadores said in a statement published on Friday. The hundreds of thousands of signatures gathered, she added, “send the message that we can’t wait any longer”. » | Ashifa Kassam in Madrid | Sunday, May 23, 2021

Lock Him Up! Why Is Repeat Offender Donald Trump Still a Free Man?

THE GUARDIAN: The ex-president is accused of abuse of power, fraud, tax evasion and more but he has not been charged with anything

A sudden fall from power always comes hard. King Alfred was reduced to skulking in a Somerset bog. A distraught Napoleon talked to coffee bushes on St Helena. Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia hung around the haberdashery department of Jolly’s in Bath. Uganda’s Idi Amin plotted bloody revenge from a Novotel in Jeddah. Only Alfred the Great made a successful comeback.

All of which brings us to Donald Trump, currently in exile at his luxury club in Bedminster, New Jersey. Whingeing amid the manicured greens and bunkers of his exclusive golf course, the defeated president recalls an ageing Bonnie Prince Charlie – a sort of “king over the water” with water features. Like deposed leaders throughout history, he obsesses about a return to power.

Yet as Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell moves to kill off a 9/11-style national commission to investigate the 6 January Capitol Hill insurrection, the pressing question is not whether Trump can maintain cult-like sway over Republicans, or even whether he will run again in 2024. The question that should most concern Americans who care about democracy is: why isn’t Trump in jail? » | Simon Tisdall | Sunday, May 23, 2021

Long Slide Looms for World Population, with Sweeping Ramifications

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Fewer babies’ cries. More abandoned homes. Toward the middle of this century, as deaths start to exceed births, changes will come that are hard to fathom.

All over the world, countries are confronting population stagnation and a fertility bust, a dizzying reversal unmatched in recorded history that will make first-birthday parties a rarer sight than funerals, and empty homes a common eyesore.

Maternity wards are already shutting down in Italy. Ghost cities are appearing in northeastern China. Universities in South Korea can’t find enough students, and in Germany, hundreds of thousands of properties have been razed, with the land turned into parks.

Like an avalanche, the demographic forces — pushing toward more deaths than births — seem to be expanding and accelerating. Though some countries continue to see their populations grow, especially in Africa, fertility rates are falling nearly everywhere else. Demographers now predict that by the latter half of the century or possibly earlier, the global population will enter a sustained decline for the first time. » | Damien Cave, Emma Bubola and Choe Sang-Hun | Saturday, May 22, 2021

Germany Suspends Travel from the U.K. amid Concerns of a Variant’s Spread

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Germany is banning most travel from Britain starting on Sunday amid concerns about the spread of a coronavirus variant first discovered in India, the German authorities said on Friday.

German citizens and residents will still be allowed to enter the country from Britain but will be required to quarantine for two weeks upon arrival, Germany’s public health institution said as it classified Britain as an area of concern because of the variant.

The move came just days after Britain reopened its museums and cinemas and resumed allowing indoor service in pubs and restaurants. Many people in Britain have been looking forward to traveling abroad in the coming months, and Spain is set to welcome visitors arriving from Britain without a coronavirus test starting on Monday. » | Elian Peltier | Sunday, May 23, 2021

Europe's Most Exclusive Furniture (Interior Design Documentary) | Abode

The peek into the world of luxury interior design focuses on Chelsea, one of London's most exclusive boroughs. Leading architect Sally Mackereth is transforming a former artist's studio into a fully furnished apartment for a luxury developer. Travelling across Europe, she collects and commissions exclusive furniture - from satin wall lining to a table made from 8,000-year old wood - as she tries to appeal to an international buyer interested in Chelsea's artistic heritage. Meanwhile, Russian property investor Julia Solovyev seeks inspiration as she sets out to furnish the Chelsea house of her dreams.

Abode is the ultimate home and gardening channel for all your DIY, Garden and Lifestyle needs. We publish unique, unexpected and untold stories from across the globe.

Schwul und glücklich - Landwirt Thomas Reitmaier | Unser Land | BR Fernsehen

Thomas Reitmaier, 35 Jahre alt, lebt im Weiler Niesgau im Chiemgau. Landwirt ist er mit Leib und Seele: Er hält Rinder, Ziegen und Schweine und bietet Urlaub auf dem Bauernhof an. Dazu kommt noch ein Teilzeitjob beim Veterinäramt, er bedient auf dem Münchner Oktoberfest und ist in zahlreichen Vereinen aktiv. Und er ist verheiratet - mit einem Mann. Autor: Christoph Schuster

Trump Bills Secret Service $40,000 at Mar-a-Lago Since Leaving Office

THE GUARDIAN: Records obtained by Washington Post show agency paid $396.15 every night since 20 January until at least 30 April

Donald Trump has billed the Secret Service more than $40,000 for a room for his own security detail, which has been guarding him at his Mar-a-Lago resort since he left office in January.

Spending records obtained by the Washington Post through a public records request show that Trump’s resort in Palm Beach charged the Secret Service $396.15 every night starting on 20 January, the day he left the White House and relocated to Mar-a-Lago full-time.

The charges continued until at least 30 April, costing taxpayers a total of $40,011.15. A source familiar with the transactions told the Post the charges were for a single room that functioned as a workspace for Secret Service agents. » | Gloria Oladipo | Friday, May 21, 2021

Prince William as Personal as the Public Has Ever Seen in Diana Remarks

Analysis: usually guarded Duke of Cambridge reveals pent-up fury as he comments on BBC’s handling of Panorama interview

Read the article HERE »

The Imaginary Disease – How Italian Doctors Saved Jews from the Nazis | DW Documentary

"Syndrome K" might be the only deadly disease that ever saved lives. Despite the fact that it never really existed.

This film tells the story of three courageous Roman Catholic doctors who saved Jewish lives at a hospital in Rome by means of a convincing lie: they told the Nazis their patients were infected with a highly fatal and contagious disease called Syndrome K.

This incredible story takes place during the Nazi occupation of Rome in October 1943. As Jewish people were being deported to Auschwitz, some Jews sought refuge in the Fatebenefratelli hospital. There, the doctors invented a disease to protect them. Advising their patients to fake symptoms, including coughing, when Nazi officers arrived to carry out inspections, these doctors declared the ward far too contagious for the soldiers to enter. The ruse worked.

Jewish survivors and one of the Italian doctors who carried out the plan were interviewed for this film. In combination with archival footage, these accounts make for a chilling, heroic WWII story.

Harry en remet une couche sur le manque d’empathie de sa famille

LE POINT: Le prince Harry a réaffirmé, dans un documentaire, l’insensibilité avec laquelle sa souffrance et celle de Meghan avaient été reçues par la famille royale

Le prince Harry souligne encore, dans un nouveau documentaire sur la santé mentale, le « silence » ou « l'indifférence totale » de sa famille face à ses appels à l'aide. Le duc de Sussex et son épouse Meghan Markle ont rencontré des difficultés avant la naissance de leur fils Archie. Meghan a été la cible des tabloïds et a subi des attaques racistes. Ces événements ont eu un lourd impact sur le couple, qui dit avoir souffert de sérieux troubles psychologiques. C'est d'ailleurs en ce sens que le prince Harry témoigne dans cette série documentaire, sortie sur AppleTV+ vendredi consacrée à la santé mentale.

La mise en ligne de la série intervient au lendemain de la publication d'un rapport mettant en cause les méthodes « trompeuses » d'un journaliste de la BBC pour décrocher, en 1995, une interview avec la princesse Diana, mère de Harry. Le journaliste, Martin Bashir, a présenté ses excuses jeudi.

Dans cette série intitulée The Me You Can't See (Le moi que vous ne voyez pas), qu'il a coproduite avec Oprah Winfrey, Harry dit s'être senti honteux de demander de l'aide à sa famille « parce que, comme beaucoup de gens de mon âge, je savais qu'elle ne m'apporterait pas ce dont j'avais besoin ». S'il ne fait aucune révélation fracassante, le fils cadet du prince Charles et de Diana porte un nouveau coup à la maison Windsor, déjà ébranlée par l'entretien que Meghan et lui avaient accordé à Oprah Winfrey pour la chaîne américaine CBS, début mars. » | Source AFP | vendredi 21 mai 2021

Jeremy Paxman Diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease

THE GUARDIAN: University Challenge host reveals he has been receiving treatment for mild symptoms

Jeremy Paxman has revealed that he has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.

The 71-year-old broadcaster and host of BBC Two’s University Challenge said he had been receiving “excellent treatment” and that his symptoms were “currently mild”.

In a statem>ent to the PA Media news agency, Paxman said: “I can confirm I have recently been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. I am receiving excellent treatment and my symptoms are currently mild.

“I plan to continue broadcasting and writing for as long as they’ll have me and have written about my diagnosis in more detail for the June issue of the marvellous Saga Magazine. I will not be making any further comment.” » | PA Media | Friday, May 21, 2021

‘Black Fungus’ Disease Linked to Covid Spreads across India

THE GUARDIAN: 7,200 mucormycosis cases reported, usually in patients with diabetes or compromised immune systems

States across India have begun declaring a “black fungus” epidemic as cases of the fatal rare infection shoot up in patients recovering from Covid-19.

The fungal disease, called mucormycosis, has a 50% mortality rate. It affects patients initially in the nose but the fungus can then spread into the brain, and can often only be treated by major surgery removing the eye or part of skull and jaw.

It is usually a rare disease, but more than 7,200 people in India have now been reported with mucormycosis and 219 have lost their lives. The rise in black fungus infections, mostly in patients who had severe cases of Covid-19, has been linked to an overuse of steroids in the treatment of the coronavirus, which can acutely compromise the immune system if taken over a prolonged period. The high incidence of diabetes in India has also been blamed, with high blood sugar levels linked to susceptibility. India has the second highest rate of diabetes in the world.

It has also been reported in Covid patients who were on ventilators in intensive care units, due to their airways being exposed to humidity and moisture. » | Hannah Ellis-Petersen in Delhi | Friday, May 21, 2021

What is the deadly ‘black fungus’ seen in Covid patients in India? »

The death of a pair of twins in India punctures country’s numbing statistics. »

Rauchen: Wie steht es um Deutschlands Raucher und was denken die Bürger über die Qualmer?

Welche Erfahrungen haben Deutsche bis jetzt mit dem Rauchen gemacht und was denken Sie im Allgemeinen über die Qualmer? Laut Gedacht - das Format, in welchen wir Passanten in deutschen Fußgängerzonen nach Ihrer Meinung fragen.

What Jobs Were Like in Biblical Times - Living in the Time of Jesus - Making a Living

Historian Arne Kislenko takes us to the time of Jesus to explore how humans worked and made a living over 2000 years ago. Archaeology and hidden history is uncovered to reveal what it was like to live 2000 years ago.