Alone Out Here: A Gay Farmer on Love, Isolation, and Disrupting the Meat Industry in Australia | The New Yorker

Jun 9, 2021 • In “Alone Out Here,” by Philip Busfield and Luke Cornish, an Australian rancher who is openly gay in a conservative industry fights to reduce carbon emissions through his cattle farming.

The Furlough Scheme Should Never Have Been Allowed to Fund Million-pound Bonuses

THE GUARDIAN: JD Sports has handed its chief £6m. It’s clear the Treasury did not attach enough strings to its business life-support scheme

It is windfall time for those lucky few who sit in the shade of the magic money tree. Take Peter Cowgill, for example, executive chairman of JD Sports. He has been paid almost £6m in bonuses since February last year. What makes this huge amount even more shocking is that his company has received more than £100m in government support since the start of the pandemic.

Unlike Primark, which has committed to paying back £121m received under the furlough scheme and business rates relief, and the big UK supermarkets, which will pay back about £1.8bn in business rates, JD Sports has not yet decided whether it will return any furlough scheme money to the government. It wants to wait and see until Covid restrictions are fully lifted.

Let’s not forget that the massive public subsidies to Britain’s businesses were drawn up in the spring of last year, when many businesses faced existential crises and did not know if they would survive the pandemic. As it turned out, though, some of them thrived as our spending habits changed. And JD Sports was one of the winners. Its profits are set to rise by at least 70% to an estimated £550m this year. » | Stefan Stern | Friday, July 2, 2021

James Taylor - How Sweet It Is (to Be Loved by You)

Can Gay Muslims Reconcile Their Faith with Their Sexuality?

Aug 15, 2018 • Act Of Faith, March 2003: This beautifully made 16 mm short questions whether it will ever be possible to be both Muslim and homosexual.

Rabbi Mark Solomon Interview for Rainbow Jews

Aug 14, 2014 • Rabbi Mark Solomon giving an oral history testimony about being Jewish & gay in the UK. The interview was conducted within the Rainbow Jews project and produced by University of Portsmouth. All rights reserved.

Hear How Trump Is Reacting to His CFO’s Indictment

Jul 3, 2021 • New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman discusses how former President Donald Trump is reacting to Trump Org. CFO Allen Weisselberg getting indicted in New York. Weisselberg pleaded not guilty to the charges.

George Conway: I'd Be Worried If I Was Trump's Children

Jul 2, 2021 • Attorney George Conway says President Donald Trump's children should be "very, very worried" about the investigation into the Trump Organization.

Angela Merkel's Final UK Visit as German Chancellor | DW News

Jul 2, 2021 • German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she will be taking a "step by step" approach to relations with the UK post-Brexit. She discussed the coronavirus pandemic and Northern Ireland with Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

In a press conference after talks, Merkel thanked her British hosts for the "gracious hospitality" extended on her first bilateral visit abroad since the pandemic.

"Now that Britain has left the European Union it's a good opportunity to open a new chapter in our relationship, to find very practical formats where we can have very close contact," she said.

"We would be very happy on the German side to work together on a friendship treaty or a cooperation treaty, which would reflect the whole breadth of relations," she added.

However, Angela Merkel has said she will be taking a "step by step" approach to the new relationship with the United Kingdom after Brexit.

The German leader was also non-committal when asked if UK prime ministers could be invited to European Union summits as an attempt to repair ties in the post-Brexit era. "We will see," said Merkel.

Finally, Merkel met Queen Elizabeth II at Windsor Castle in the west of London.

"I'm delighted to be here," said Merkel when she was introduced to the British monarch, reviving memories of their moments at the G7 conference in Cornwall which she called the highlight of that trip.

The Queen said that it was "very nice" to see the outgoing leader once again.

The monarch even invited photographers to "take a picture and make history" as the European political giant bowed out of her UK visit in style.

James Taylor: Shower the People

Brazilian Presidential Hopeful Comes Out as Gay ahead of Jair Bolsonaro Challenge

PINK NEWS: A Brazilian governor and possible presidential candidate has come out as gay, making waves in a country governed by “proud homophobe” Jair Bolsonaro.

Eduardo Leite, the governor of the southern Rio Grande do Sul state, made the announcement in an interview with the country’s top broadcaster TV Globo on Thursday night (1 July).

“In this Brazil of little integrity, at this time, we have to debate who we are, so that everything is clear and there is nothing to hide,” the 36-year-old said.

“I’m gay – and I’m a governor who is gay rather than a gay governor,” he declared, according the The Guardian, adding: “And I am proud of it.”

Leite chose Pride Week in Brazil to come out, addressing the gossip that’s been swirling around him since he became a potential presidential candidate for the centre-right Brazilian Social Democratic party (PSDB). » | Emma Powys Maurice | Friday, July 2, 2021

Entrevista: Eduardo Leite assume homossexualidade e fala sobre queixa-crime por ataque homofóbico de Jair Bolsonaro »

World UFO Day: Do They or Don't They Exist? | DW News

Jul 2, 2021 • Pentagon officials in the US recently returned an open verdict on extraterrestrial visitors to Earth. They neither confirmed nor ruled out their existence following a military probe into UFOs. So, on World UFO Day, we're asking: do they or don't they exist? The truth is out there - so they say. DW's intrepid correspondent Stefan Simons went to find it.

Kenny Rogers & Bee Gees • You and I (Tradução)

Methodist Church Allows Same-sex Marriage in 'Momentous' Vote

BBC: The Methodist Church has become the largest religious denomination in Britain to permit same-sex marriages.

A vote to change the definition of marriage at the Methodist Conference on Wednesday overwhelmingly passed by 254 in favour with 46 against.

Freedom of conscience clauses mean ministers will not be forced to conduct such weddings if they oppose the move.

Same-sex marriage is not allowed in the Church of England or the Roman Catholic Church.

However it is welcomed in the Scottish Episcopal Church, the United Reformed Church and the Quakers in Britain.

The Methodist Church is Britain's fourth largest Christian denomination with about 164,000 members across more than 4,000 churches. » | Harry Farley, BBC News | Thursday, July 1, 2021

Ist Freundschaft der Schlüssel zum Glück? | Gespräch | Sternstunde Philosophie | SRF Kultur

Jun 27, 2018 • Worin liegt der Wert der Freundschaft? Ist Freundschaft wichtiger als Liebe? Ist Freundschaft der Schlüssel zum Glück? Wer keine Freunde hat, der hat auch kein gutes Leben. Davon waren zumindest die antiken Philosophen überzeugt. Yves Bossart im Gespräch mit der Philosophin Ina Schmidt.

In der EU eskaliert der Streit mit Ungarn

ZEIT ONLINE: Welches Europa will Viktor Orbán?

Man kann Viktor Orbán nicht vorwerfen, dass er seine Ansichten verbergen würde. Drei Tage nachdem die 27 Staats- und Regierungschefs der Europäischen Union ungewöhnlich offen über die Situation von Homosexuellen diskutiert hatten, veröffentlichte der ungarische Ministerpräsident eine Erklärung. In Brüssel seien "die Ministerpräsidenten der Regenbogenfahne in Phalanx aufmarschiert", spottete Orbán und beantwortete die Frage, ob die Länder der EU noch dieselben Werte teilten, recht unsentimental: "Es gibt die Einheit der Werte nicht, und deshalb gibt es auch keine politische Einheit." » | Matthias Krupa | Mittwoch, 30. Juni 2021

American LGBTQ+ Museum Moves Towards Reality

ADVOCATE: The New-York Historical Society announced work would start on the museum, dedicated to the U.S. queer experience, next year.

The New-York Historical Society, a museum and library dedicated to telling the stories of America's largest city, announced a major expansion, which will include an entire floor dedicated to the forthcoming American LGBTQ+ Museum.

The addition to the Historical Society's building on Manhattan's Upper West Side will add 70,000 square feet of additional classrooms, galleries, collection study areas, and a “state-of-the-art compact storage facility.” Once complete, the Historical Society's fourth floor will become the American LGBTQ+ Museum, which has been in the works for at least four years. » | Neal Broverman | Thursday, July 1, 2021

What Changes in France from 30th June?

MONACO LIFE: Wednesday saw the official end of lockdown in France with the lifting of many restrictions including capacity limits in restaurants and a return to normal wedding celebrations.

Some of the last of the lockdown measures are being rescinded in France, just as summer hits its stride.

Bars, cafés and restaurants will now be able to welcome customers at 100% capacity, weddings will no longer need to restrict the number of guests they allow, and concert goers both indoors and out can stand, dance and singalong to their favourite bands so long as the total number of people remains under 1,000. » | Stephanie Horsman | Wedmesday, June 30, 2021

Annie Lennox: A Whiter Shade of Pale (Tradução)

Les démocraties occidentales face au défi chinois

LE MONDE : Le succès du Parti communiste chinois, aujourd’hui centenaire, est indéniable, bien qu’incomplet. Il oblige les pays démocratiques à mieux prouver l’exemplarité de leur modèle, si ils veulent retrouver leur aura auprès de la jeunesse chinoise.

Editorial du « Monde ». Pékin célèbre en grande pompe le centième anniversaire de la création du Parti communiste chinois (PCC), fondé en juillet 1921 à Shanghaï par une poignée d’intellectuels, sous l’étroite surveillance de Moscou. Depuis, l’élève a dépassé le maître. Le Parti communiste de l’Union soviétique n’a jamais pu commémorer le soixante-quinzième anniversaire de la révolution de 1917. Le PCC, lui, au pouvoir depuis soixante et onze ans, n’a jamais paru aussi fort. » | Éditorial | mardi 29 juin 2021

Queen Victoria Statue Toppled in Canada amid Anger at Deaths of Indigenous Children

THE GUARDIAN: Smaller statue of Queen Elizabeth also removed in Winnipeg during protest at treatment of Indigenous children in notorious residential schools

A statue of Queen Victoria has been toppled in Canada amid growing outrage over the discovery of unmarked graves belonging to Indigenous children.

A group gathered at the Manitoba legislature pulled down the statue on Canada Day – an annual celebration on 1 July that marks the country’s confederation.

Members of the group, wearing orange shirts to honour Indigenous children sent to the country’s notorious residential schools, covered the statue and its plinth in red handprints and left a sign that read “We were children once. Bring them home.”

A smaller statue of Queen Elizabeth II was also toppled on the east side of the grounds. Both royals are seen as representative of the country’s colonial history. » | Leyland Cecco in Toronto | Friday, July 2, 2021

The Guardian view on Canada’s residential schools: an atrocity still felt today »