Saturday, July 03, 2021
William and Harry Unveil Princess Diana Statue
In Greece, It’s Almost Normal
The plaster-cast heads of Dionysus were back. The unblinking blue Mati evil eyes and Parthenon refrigerator magnets hung once more outside the souvenir shops of Plaka and Monastiraki, where shopkeepers tended to rows upon rows of leather sandals, silver meander rings, dried spices and Cretan mountain tea. The tourists were back, too, if not quite so many as one might expect in the historic heart of Athens on a similarly brilliant, blue June day of years past.
They strolled Pandrossou Street in their masks, filling the restaurant terraces that line the sinuous alleyways of the Psiri neighborhood as the sun set to share plates of mashed fava beans, grilled octopus and Greek salad. The streets hummed with the din of voices and clinking glasses, but no music. Music would not be allowed for one more week. The masks were mostly off now, revealing contented, sun-dazzled faces — and maybe the slightest flicker of lingering unease. » | Charly Wilder | Thursday, July 1, 2021
Pologne : l’ancien président du Conseil européen Donald Tusk prend la tête du principal parti d’opposition
Donald Tusk est de retour sur le devant de la scène politique polonaise. L’ex-président du Conseil européen est devenu, samedi 3 juillet, le chef du parti d’opposition Plate-forme civique (PO) en Pologne. Après la démission du président du parti, Borys Budka, « les tâches de président de la PO sont assumées par Donald Tusk », a déclaré le porte-parole Jan Grabiec, à l’issue d’une réunion du conseil national du parti. M. Tusk élu vice-président du parti, ce qui signifie qu’il assume les fonctions de président jusqu’à une élection formelle à ce poste prévue plus tard cette année.
Agé de 64 ans, Donald Tusk reprend les rênes du parti de centre droit qu’il avait cofondé en 2001, après avoir été premier ministre de son pays entre 2007 et 2014 et président du Conseil européen entre 2014 et 2019. Durant cette dernière période, il a dû participer à la gestion de la crise des migrants, de la situation économique de la Grèce et des difficiles négociations du Brexit. » | Le Monde avec AFP | samedi 3 juillet 2021
Is Africa's Problem with Islamist Terrorism Getting Worse? | DW News
Jul 3, 2021 • African nations have a growing problem - countries across the continent are facing attacks by Islamist-inspired insurgents. The so-called Islamic State may have lost influence in Syria and Iraq - but now it's claiming vast territory across Africa, expanding and strengthening its influence together with affiliated armed groups.
Video footage purports to show Boko Haram fighters pledging allegiance to the Islamic State in West Africa Province. If genuine it would herald a disturbing development for Nigerian security forces. For years the two militias have been fighting each other. That came to a head last month when notorious Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau reportedly killed himself in a battle with IS fighters. It has fueled fears that the so-called Islamic State is consolidating control of the insurgency in northeastern Nigeria.
That's at the heart of a string of conflicts involving various extremist groups from Mauritania to Chad. Now there are warnings IS activity is growing in the horn of Africa and northern Mozambique. They came as the global coalition against IS met in Rome to discuss the resurfacing of the terror group, sometimes called Daesh.
The Italian foreign minister wants to sharpen the focus on the continent. At the end of the first in-person meeting in two years, the global coalition added three new African countries to their ranks. And these propaganda images of former foes burying the hatchet in Nigeria only serve to underline the urgency of the situation.
Video footage purports to show Boko Haram fighters pledging allegiance to the Islamic State in West Africa Province. If genuine it would herald a disturbing development for Nigerian security forces. For years the two militias have been fighting each other. That came to a head last month when notorious Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau reportedly killed himself in a battle with IS fighters. It has fueled fears that the so-called Islamic State is consolidating control of the insurgency in northeastern Nigeria.
That's at the heart of a string of conflicts involving various extremist groups from Mauritania to Chad. Now there are warnings IS activity is growing in the horn of Africa and northern Mozambique. They came as the global coalition against IS met in Rome to discuss the resurfacing of the terror group, sometimes called Daesh.
The Italian foreign minister wants to sharpen the focus on the continent. At the end of the first in-person meeting in two years, the global coalition added three new African countries to their ranks. And these propaganda images of former foes burying the hatchet in Nigeria only serve to underline the urgency of the situation.
Alone Out Here: A Gay Farmer on Love, Isolation, and Disrupting the Meat Industry in Australia | The New Yorker
The Furlough Scheme Should Never Have Been Allowed to Fund Million-pound Bonuses
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
Can Gay Muslims Reconcile Their Faith with Their Sexuality?
Rabbi Mark Solomon Interview for Rainbow Jews
Hear How Trump Is Reacting to His CFO’s Indictment
Friday, July 02, 2021
George Conway: I'd Be Worried If I Was Trump's Children
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.
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.
Brazilian Presidential Hopeful Comes Out as Gay ahead of Jair Bolsonaro Challenge
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
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
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
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
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
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
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)