Enid Blyton (« Le Club des cinq ») accusée de racisme

LE POINT : L'autrice de livres pour enfants a été épinglée par l'association britannique du patrimoine pour des écrits jugés racistes et xénophobes.

Pour des générations d'enfants du monde entier, l'écrivaine Enid Blyton évoque les aventures bon enfant du Club des cinq. Pour autant, l'association britannique chargée du patrimoine rappelle désormais dans sa documentation que l'autrice britannique a été critiquée pour « son racisme et sa xénophobie ». Dans une déclaration transmise à l'Agence France-Presse, l'association English Heritage, chargée de commémorer de célèbres personnalités, a déclaré avoir mis à jour l'entrée sur son site web concernant Enid Blyton pour y inclure « une référence » au fait que l'œuvre de l'autrice a été critiquée pour son racisme. » | Source AFP | jeudi 17 juin 2021

Being Gay in the USA. Methodist Pastor Gets Defrocked for Supporting His Gay Children (2014)

Since 2003 the US Supreme Court has said that States can't make consensual private homosexual activities between two adults a crime. Yet gay people in the US still have a long way to go before they can enjoy the rights and freedoms equal to those straight people have. Some American States still exercise blatantly discriminatory anti-gay laws and only 17 out of 50 permit gay marriage. This programme focuses on life for gay men in America; they explain why it is important to them to be able to marry, go to church and be accepted by society without having to sacrifice their true identity.

Author Salman Rushdie: "Truth Is a Battle ... Maybe Never More So Than Now" | Amanpour and Company

Salman Rushdie is no stranger to attacks on freedom of speech. In 1989, he was the subject of a fatwā from Iran’s Ayatollah Khomeini, who deemed Rushdie's novel "The Satanic Verses" blasphemous against Islam. Over 30 years later, the threat has receded and Rushdie is releasing a new collection of essays. He speaks with Walter Isaacson about the importance of storytelling and the dangers of cancel culture. Originally aired on June 16, 2021.

Richard Dawkins on Brexit

This clip is from a talk between evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins and philosopher Sam Harris, recorded 1st November 2016.

Full Discussion: An Evening with Richard Dawkins – Featuring Sam Harris:

Night 1 »

Night 2 »

Monaco: Prince Releases Rare Juvenile Seahorses into Wild

MONACO LIFE: Prince Albert has helped to release seven adolescent seahorses into the wild as part of a project to repopulate the quickly dwindling species.

It comes as the first conclusions of a new study about the seahorse population in Monegasque waters carried out by the Prince Albert II Foundation, the Oceanographic Museum and its Monegasque Centre for the Care of Marine Species (CMSEM), the BIOTOPE design office, along with expert in European seahorses Patrick Louisy have been released.

Seahorses are considered to be “near-threatened” by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the global authority on the status of the natural world and the measures needed to safeguard it. This status means the natural populations are in decline and could become extinct altogether if nothing is done to rectify the situation. » | Stephanie Horsman | Thursday, June 17, 2021

After Escaping Certain Death in the Middle East, Gay Man Faces New Challenges in America

A young man’s life was in danger. Seen as too gay, too Western, or both, his safety and that of his family were constantly threatened - even resulting in death of a family member. Thanks to hard work and a Fulbright scholarship, he was able to enroll in grad school and relocate to the United States. While his new home country offered a more hospitable environment for living an openly gay life, he quickly learned that while his life was no longer in danger, persecution of another kind was ever-present.

Lib Dems Win Chesham and Amersham Byelection in Stunning Upset

THE GUARDIAN: Sarah Green takes formerly safe Buckinghamshire seat despite senior Tories’ canvassing

The Liberal Democrats have pulled off an extraordinary victory in the Buckinghamshire constituency of Chesham and Amersham, taking the formerly safe seat from the Tories in a byelection.

In a shock result, Lib Dem Sarah Green secured 21,517 votes, leaving the Conservative Peter Fleet trailing with 13,489, and giving the Lib Dems a majority of 8,028.

The contest was called after the death of the local MP Cheryl Gillan, who had represented the constituency since 1992 and held it in 2019 with a majority of 16,223.

Ed Davey’s party will hope the surprise win shows that a swath of seats across the home counties could now be within their grasp at the next general election. » | Heather Stewart | Friday, June 18, 2021

All Over the World (Remastered)

Provided to YouTube by Vogue

Françoise Hardy, ‘close to the end’ of her life, argues for assisted suicide »

‘Something’s Going On’: UFOs Threaten National Security, US Politicians Warn

THE GUARDIAN: Some members of Congress were given advanced details about Pentagon report, which is scheduled to be released before 25 June

A group of senior American politicians have warned that UFOs pose “national security concerns” after getting a confidential briefing on a highly anticipated report on unidentified aerial phenomena that is set to be released later this month.

Some members of Congress were given advanced details about the contents of the Pentagon report, which is scheduled to be released before 25 June, and several said they are deeply worried about the findings.

“Clearly, something’s going on that we can’t handle,” Tim Burchett, a Republican congressman from Tennessee, told TMZ. » | Adam Gabbatt | Thursday, June 17, 2021

G7 - Benny Hill Showcases ‘Global Britain’ to World Leaders at the Seaside

The G7 meeting which took place in Cornwall last week was meant to be the moment when Boris Johnson could showcase ‘Global Britain’ to the American president Joe Biden and the EU leaders from whose shackles Britain had finally broken free. Instead we saw a hapless disorganised indecisive and rather scruffy individual apparently unaware of the dislike others present feel for him. Despite a huge surge in coronavirus cases and the worst performing economy in the G7 the prime minister remains as popular as ever.

The Catholic Church is a Force for Good in the World - Full Version (2015)

Großbritannien: Ex-Regierungsberater Cummings attackiert Boris Johnson erneut

ZEIT ONLINE: Der Streit zwischen Dominic Cummings und Boris Johnson geht weiter. Der Ex-Berater wirft dem Premier Versagen in der Pandemie vor und veröffentlicht private Chats.

Dominic Cummings, der frühere Berater der Regierung von Boris Johnson, erhebt erneut schwere Vorwürfe gegen den britischen Premier. In einem Beitrag auf seiner Internetseite wirft er der Regierung vor, die Wahrheit zu verdrehen und ihre Entscheidungen in der Corona-Pandemie nachträglich schön zu reden. Aus der Downing Street gibt es bisher keine Reaktion. » | Quelle: ZEIT ONLINE, AFP, dpa, gut | Mittwoch, 16 Juni 2021

Pour Vladimir Poutine, la rencontre avec Joe Biden a été « constructive »

LE POINT : L’échange entre les deux chefs d'État s’annonçait âpre et tendu. « Il n’y avait aucune animosité », a assuré le président russe, ce mercredi.

Le premier sommet entre Joe Biden et Vladimir Poutine a été un peu plus court que prévu. La rencontre entre le président américain et son homologue russe a pris fin à 17 h 05 (15 h 05 GMT) à Genève, ce mercredi 16 juin. Les deux chefs d'État se sont serré la main brièvement avant de commencer leurs discussions peu après 13 h 30 à la Villa La Grange, au bord du lac Léman. À l'issue de leur échange, ils ont donné des conférences de presse séparément, avant de repartir pour Moscou et Washington. De son côté, l'homme fort du Kremlin a jugé la rencontre avec le chef d'État américain « constructive », tout en assurant qu'il n'y avait eu « aucune animosité ». Joe Biden a indiqué que la tonalité du sommet avait été « positive », mais a assuré l'avoir mis en garde contre toute interférence dans les élections américaines. » | Source AFP | Publié : mercredi 16 juin 2021 – Modifié : jeudi 17 juin 2021

A Hongkong, cinq responsables du journal prodémocratie « Apple Daily » arrêtés

LE MONDE : Une descente a eu lieu jeudi dans les locaux du quotidien. Son rédacteur en chef, Ryan Law, a été arrêté.

Cinq responsables du journal prodémocratie de Hongkong Apple Daily, dont son rédacteur en chef Ryan Law, ont été arrêtés jeudi 17 juin en vertu de la loi de sécurité nationale, ont annoncé la police et le média.

Les cinq dirigeants ont été arrêtés au cours d’une descente dans les locaux du média « pour collusion avec un pays étranger ou avec des éléments externes visant à mettre en danger la sécurité nationale », a fait savoir la police de Hongkong dans un communiqué. Apple Daily a précisé que M. Law figurait parmi les personnes interpellées.

« Tous sont des dirigeants d’Apple Daily. Ils connaissent donc très bien les activités quotidiennes de l’entreprise », a déclaré à la presse le commissaire principal, Steve Li. » | Le Monde avec AFP et Reuters | jeudi 17 juin 2021

The Guardian View on Post-Brexit Trade: Counting the Wrong Things

THE GUARDIAN: The government’s obstinate refusal to treat the EU as a valued trading partner is making Britain poorer

The agreement reached with Australia this week is celebrated by the UK government as a landmark trade deal – the first that isn’t a rollover of old European Union membership terms. But that honour surely belongs to a treaty that was signed by Boris Johnson in December 2020. It is the trade and cooperation agreement (TCA) covering the exchange of goods between Britain and 27 other nations.

But those nations constitute the European single market, which Mr Johnson does not appear to count as a valuable trading partner, despite its proximity.

Disruption caused by the pandemic makes it hard to measure the impact of Brexit. Treasury analysis from 2018 estimated the long-term cost of a deal along the lines of the one concluded by Mr Johnson at around 5% of GDP. In March this year, the Office for Budget Responsibility estimated that the fall in trade with the EU under the TCA would shave around 0.5% from GDP in the first quarter of 2021. And that is at a time when “grace periods” are still easing border friction. » | Editorial | Wednesday, June 16, 2021

Inside The Radicalization of Fox News | The Mehdi Hasan Show

Author and Journalist Brian Stelter joins Mehdi to discuss the rapid evolution of Fox News and its symbiotic relationship with the Republican Party.

The Mehdi Hasan Show: Insightful reporting and probing interviews that examine the day's events and provide a deeper level of context for the politics of our interconnected society.


FoxNews is an appalling network! It’s an extreme, right-wing outlet spewing ridiculous, manipulating propaganda to the unthinking masses. As a direct result of Brexit, we now have sh*t like that being broadcast here in the UK! So, the minds of Brits will be further polluted by the extreme right-wing one percenters who will make a killing out of steering the masses away from rational thought. This is a very sad state of affairs. – ©Mark

Web Exclusive Interview (2013): 5 "Ex-Gay" Survivors Share Their Stories | Our America with Lisa Ling | OWN

Just weeks before Exodus International announced that they are closing their organization for good, a group of survivors of ex-gay "reparative therapy" confronted Alan Chambers, the leader of Exodus, to tell him their stories of secrecy, guilt, and liberation. From former pastors who reveal the trauma of losing their jobs, to people's broken marriages and suicidal thoughts, watch highlights from their deeply personal conversation that didn't make it into the episode. For more on #Our America with Lisa Ling, visit Oprah.com.

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Jean Castex annonce la fin du port du masque à l’extérieur jeudi

LE POINT: Dès le 20 juin, les Français ne seront plus soumis au couvre-feu, alors qu’il devait être levé le 30 juin, a également annoncé le Premier ministre ce mercredi.

C'est officiel : le port du masque n'est plus obligatoire en extérieur à compter de ce jeudi, sauf dans les lieux clos, les magasins ou encore les transports. Dans les cours de récré, le port du masque restera néanmoins obligatoire, a fait savoir Matignon auprès de BFMTV. Cette mesure sera bien prise « sans délai ». « Les arrêtés préfectoraux qui régissent le port du masque en extérieur seront donc modifiés dès demain », a annoncé Jean Castex, le Premier ministre, à l'issue du conseil des ministres ce mercredi 16 juin. Le couvre-feu sera, quant à lui, levé ce dimanche 20 juin, soit 10 jours avant la date avancée au départ. » | Source AFP | mercredi 16 juin 2021

Fighting Race, Religion and Class to Find Acceptance as a Gay Muslim Man in Modern Britain (2020)

Mohsin Zaidi grew up in a devout Muslim community in a deprived area of East London.

Struggling with his sexuality, he felt isolated from his family, but found a love for education and became the first person from his school to go to Oxford University.

He went on to work at the UN and the UK's Supreme Court, and today is a criminal barrister in one of the country's top chambers, often working on high profile cases.

He is also an advocate of LGBT rights and BAME representation, and has a new book telling his story: 'A Dutiful Boy: A Memoir of a Gay Muslim's Journey to Acceptance'.

NZZ Standpunkte : Corona-Ursprung in China: Kein Zufall | Sinologin Mareike Ohlberg

Nach wie vor ist der Ursprung von Covid-19 nicht vollständig geklärt. Dennoch ist es für Experten nicht unbedingt überraschend, dass das Virus in China ausbrach. Das enge Zusammenleben von Mensch und Tier sowie die unregulierten Märkte befördern die Ausbreitung, wie auch schon frühere Erfahrungen, etwa mit SARS gezeigt haben. Einen komischen Beigeschmack haben jedoch Chinas Versuche, eine unabhängige Untersuchung zu unterbinden. Versucht die Regierung, etwas zu vertuschen?

NZZ-Chefredaktor Eric Gujer und die Politikphilosophin Katja Gentinetta unterhalten sich mit der Ostasien-Expertin Mareike Ohlberg über die Entwicklung Chinas unter Corona.