THE NEW YORK TIMES: The decision came after the country registered this week its highest number of new cases since March, jumping by more than 1,300 in the past 24 hours.
The Portuguese authorities ordered a weekend lockdown of the capital region of Lisbon starting on Friday in an attempt to blunt a recent surge of new infections, offering a powerful reminder that even as Europe seeks to reopen more fully, the virus still poses challenges.
The decision came after Portugal registered this week its highest number of new cases since March, jumping by more than 1,300 in the past 24 hours.
Public health officials said that the rise in cases was steepest around Lisbon and they estimated that roughly half of the new cases involved the Delta variant, first detected in India and on the rise in other countries, including Britain. » | Raphael Minder | Friday, June 18, 2021
Sunday, June 20, 2021
Saturday, June 19, 2021
John Bercow Defects to Labour with Withering Attack on Johnson
THE OBSERVER: Former Speaker says party has become reactionary and xenophobic under its current leadership
John Bercow, the former Tory MP and Speaker of the House of Commons, today delivers an extraordinary broadside against Boris Johnson and the Conservative party as he announces he has switched his political allegiance to Labour.
In an explosive interview with the Observer, Bercow says he regards today’s Conservative party as “reactionary, populist, nationalistic and sometimes even xenophobic”.
Bercow, who stepped down as Speaker in 2019 after 10 years, says he joined the Labour party a few weeks ago because he now shares its values and sees it is as the only means to removing the current Tory government from office.
“I am motivated by support for equality, social justice and internationalism. That is the Labour brand,” he said. “The conclusion I have reached is that this government needs to be replaced. The reality is that the Labour party is the only vehicle that can achieve that objective. There is no other credible option.” » | Toby Helm, Political editor | Saturday, June 19, 2021
John Bercow, the former Tory MP and Speaker of the House of Commons, today delivers an extraordinary broadside against Boris Johnson and the Conservative party as he announces he has switched his political allegiance to Labour.
In an explosive interview with the Observer, Bercow says he regards today’s Conservative party as “reactionary, populist, nationalistic and sometimes even xenophobic”.
Bercow, who stepped down as Speaker in 2019 after 10 years, says he joined the Labour party a few weeks ago because he now shares its values and sees it is as the only means to removing the current Tory government from office.
“I am motivated by support for equality, social justice and internationalism. That is the Labour brand,” he said. “The conclusion I have reached is that this government needs to be replaced. The reality is that the Labour party is the only vehicle that can achieve that objective. There is no other credible option.” » | Toby Helm, Political editor | Saturday, June 19, 2021
French Riviera: Uniquely Chic
Iran Election: Hardliner Raisi Sweeps to Victory amid Low Turnout | DW News
Haberman: Trump Is Preparing for an Indictment
Friday, June 18, 2021
Targeting Biden, Catholic Bishops Advance Controversial Communion Plan
THE NEW YORK TIMES: The decision was aimed at the nation’s second Catholic president and exposed bitter divisions in American Catholicism.
The Roman Catholic bishops of the United States, flouting a warning from the Vatican, have overwhelmingly voted to draft a statement on the sacrament of the Eucharist, advancing a political push by conservative bishops to deny President Biden communion because of his support of abortion rights.
The decision, made public on Friday afternoon, is aimed at the nation’s second Catholic president, the most religiously observant commander in chief since Jimmy Carter, and exposes bitter divisions in American Catholicism. It capped three days of contentious debate at a virtual June meeting of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. The measure was approved by a vote of 73 percent in favor and 24 percent opposed.
The Eucharist, also called holy communion, is one of the most sacred rituals in Christianity, and bishops have grown worried in recent years about declining Mass attendance and misunderstanding of the importance of the sacrament to Catholic life.
But the move to target a president, who has regularly attended Mass throughout his life, is striking coming from leaders of the president’s own faith, particularly after many conservative Catholics turned a blind eye to the sexual improprieties of former President Donald J. Trump because they supported his political agenda. It reveals a uniquely American Catholicism increasingly at odds with Rome. » | Elizabeth Dias | Friday, June 18, 2021
The Roman Catholic bishops of the United States, flouting a warning from the Vatican, have overwhelmingly voted to draft a statement on the sacrament of the Eucharist, advancing a political push by conservative bishops to deny President Biden communion because of his support of abortion rights.
The decision, made public on Friday afternoon, is aimed at the nation’s second Catholic president, the most religiously observant commander in chief since Jimmy Carter, and exposes bitter divisions in American Catholicism. It capped three days of contentious debate at a virtual June meeting of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. The measure was approved by a vote of 73 percent in favor and 24 percent opposed.
The Eucharist, also called holy communion, is one of the most sacred rituals in Christianity, and bishops have grown worried in recent years about declining Mass attendance and misunderstanding of the importance of the sacrament to Catholic life.
But the move to target a president, who has regularly attended Mass throughout his life, is striking coming from leaders of the president’s own faith, particularly after many conservative Catholics turned a blind eye to the sexual improprieties of former President Donald J. Trump because they supported his political agenda. It reveals a uniquely American Catholicism increasingly at odds with Rome. » | Elizabeth Dias | Friday, June 18, 2021
Growing Up Gay in The Country I The Feed (2014)
Lib Dems Can Topple Tory ‘Blue Wall’ in South of England, Says Leader
THE GUARDIAN: After Sarah Green’s Chesham and Amersham victory, Ed Davey says Conservative MPs will be worried
The Liberal Democrats have said they can topple the Conservatives’ “blue wall” in the south of England after storming to victory in the Chesham and Amersham byelection, taking a seat that had been solidly Tory for almost 50 years.
In a result that exceeded even the expectations of party activists, the Lib Dems’ Sarah Green overturned a 16,000 Conservative majority to take the seat by just over 8,000 votes, a swing of 25%.
Boris Johnson conceded that the result in Chesham and Amersham was “disappointing” but rejected the idea it shows he is alienating voters in the south of England. » | Peter Walker, Heather Stewart and Haroon Siddique | Friday, June 18, 2021
Lib Dems’ byelection victory suggests trouble for Tories in ‘blue wall’ »
Chesham and Amersham has shaken Tory MPs’ faith in Boris Johnson »
What the loss of a Conservative seat tells us about England’s changing middle class »
The Liberal Democrats have said they can topple the Conservatives’ “blue wall” in the south of England after storming to victory in the Chesham and Amersham byelection, taking a seat that had been solidly Tory for almost 50 years.
In a result that exceeded even the expectations of party activists, the Lib Dems’ Sarah Green overturned a 16,000 Conservative majority to take the seat by just over 8,000 votes, a swing of 25%.
Boris Johnson conceded that the result in Chesham and Amersham was “disappointing” but rejected the idea it shows he is alienating voters in the south of England. » | Peter Walker, Heather Stewart and Haroon Siddique | Friday, June 18, 2021
Lib Dems’ byelection victory suggests trouble for Tories in ‘blue wall’ »
Chesham and Amersham has shaken Tory MPs’ faith in Boris Johnson »
What the loss of a Conservative seat tells us about England’s changing middle class »
Enid Blyton (« Le Club des cinq ») accusée de racisme
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)
Author Salman Rushdie: "Truth Is a Battle ... Maybe Never More So Than Now" | Amanpour and Company
Richard Dawkins on Brexit
Full Discussion: An Evening with Richard Dawkins – Featuring Sam Harris:
Night 1 »
Night 2 »
Monaco: Prince Releases Rare Juvenile Seahorses into Wild
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
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
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)
Françoise Hardy, ‘close to the end’ of her life, argues for assisted suicide »
Thursday, June 17, 2021
‘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
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
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)