L’Autriche interdit les symboles des Frères musulmans

LE POINT : L’Autriche est le premier pays d’Europe à s’en prendre directement aux Frères musulmans. Depuis les années 1970, Vienne abrite l’argent de la confrérie.

Le 8 juillet 2021, le Parlement autrichien a interdit d’exposer, d’afficher, de porter ou de distribuer les symboles des Frères musulmans. Cette interdiction concernait déjà depuis 2020 Daech, Al-Qaïda, le Hamas, et la branche armée du Hezbollah. Elle touche également aujourd’hui le PKK kurde, les Loups gris turcs et un mouvement fasciste croate. Par ailleurs, la confrérie des Frères musulmans, créée en 1928 en Égypte par Hassan al-Banna, rejoint la liste noire des « groupes extrémistes liés à la criminalité à motivation religieuse ». L’Autriche devient ainsi le premier pays européen à prononcer une semi-interdiction des Frères musulmans. Même Donald Trump, durant sa présidence, n’avait pas franchi le pas. » | Par Ian Hamel | jeudi 15 juillet 2021

Une large majorité des Français soutiennent les mesures annoncées par Emmanuel Macron

LE FIGARO : SONDAGE EXCLUSIF - Selon un sondage Odoxa-Backbone Consulting pour Le Figaro, 62% des personnes interrogées pensent que ces mesures sont efficaces sans être si contraignantes que cela.

Les mesures sanitaires annoncées par Emmanuel Macron hier soir lors de son allocution télévisée ont convaincu les Français. Alors que certains élus de La France Insoumise ou du Rassemblement nationalont largement critiqué les décisions prises par le chef de l'État, celles-ci semblent plutôt bien acceptées par l'opinion publique. Selon un sondage Odoxa-Backbone Consulting pour Le Figaro, plus de deux tiers des Français (67%) soutiennent les quatre principales mesures contraignantes annoncées hier soir. » | Par Wally Bordas | Publié : mardi 13 juillet 2021 ; mis à jour : mercredi 14 juillet 2021

L’allocution d’Emmanuel Macron »

GB News Shows Attracted Zero Viewers after Boycott over Taking the Knee

GB News presenter Guto Harri taking the knee on air on Tuesday. Photograph: GB News
THE GUARDIAN: Channel label Guto Harri’s on-air gesture in solidarity against racist abuse suffered by the England team ‘unacceptable’

GB News attracted zero viewers during some of its broadcasts this week, according to official television audience figures produced by rating agency Barb, after a viewer boycott prompted by one of its presenters taking the knee in solidarity with the England football team.

The channel has now said the decision of Guto Harri to make the on-air gesture on Tuesday in solidarity against the racist abuse suffered by English players was “an unacceptable breach of our standards”.

A GB News spokesperson declined to say whether Harri, a former spokesperson for Boris Johnson, was still with the channel.

Business editor Liam Halligan and former Labour MP Gloria De Piero attracted no measurable audience to their show between 1pm and 1.30pm on Wednesday afternoon. During the same timeslot the BBC News channel attracted 62,000 viewers, while Sky News had 50,000 people watching. » | Jim Waterson | Thursday, July 15, 2021

This country needed this God-damn awful TV channel like a hole in the head! GB News, for those who aren’t aware of it, is the UK’s very own version of Fox News. You could say, ‘nuff said! This channel will be spewing out anti-European, pro-American, far-right garbage to manipulate the masses—the people that they perceive to be “The Little People” – normal people, in other words, the people whose daddies were not squillionaires so were not rich enough to send their little darlings to our most expensive élite schools for a super-privileged education.

I have more than a little experience of watching Fox News. My late American partner was ostensibly ‘addicted’ to it. He had it on a loop, much to my chagrin. I can assure you that YOU DO NOT WANT TO WATCH AND LISTEN to the likes of Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity, Laura Ingraham and many more TV hosts like that for extended periods. Unless, that is, you want a nervous breakdown! They manipulate the unthinking. Now we have a cloned version our side of the Pond.

If you didn’t know it, GB News has surely been set up to indoctrinate the masses into being anti-Europe, especially anti-EU, be pro-America, and to bring its viewers to the point of learning how to enjoy being ‘raped’ by their masters! Wasn’t it Confucius who said, “If rape is inevitable, lie back and enjoy it.” I can’t vouch for the veracity of that statement, but it sure is a good line!

For your information, and for what it is worth, I have never watched GB News and I have no intention of doing so anytime soon. – © Mark

Bank of England ‘Addicted’ to Creating Money, Say Peers

THE GUARDIAN: BoE must be more transparent and justify use of quantitative easing, says Lords report

The Bank of England risks becoming addicted to creating money and needs to come clean about how it plans to unwind its £895bn bond-buying programme, the House of Lords has warned.

A report from a Lords committee – the members of which include the former Threadneedle Street governor Mervyn King – said there was a threat of quantitative easing (QE) leading to higher inflation and causing damage to the government’s finances.

The Bank started using QE, a process whereby it creates money by buying government and corporate bonds, in 2009 during the global financial crisis, but has stepped up its use during the coronavirus pandemic.

But the Lords economic affairs committee said the Bank had become too dependent on the use of QE, which it said was widening Britain’s wealth gap by boosting asset prices.

Michael Forsyth, the committee’s chairman, said: “The Bank of England has become addicted to quantitative easing. It appears to be its answer to all the country’s economic problems and by the end of 2021, the Bank will own an eye-watering £875bn of government bonds and £20bn in corporate bonds.” » | Larry Elliot, Economics editor | Friday, July 16, 2021

The clowns of Threadneedle Street! The fools don’t understand the first principles of sound economics! It’s all to do with Economics 101! They must have missed those lectures at university! We are being led by fools! We really are! By creating a distortion in the market—in this case, the distortion of super cheap money, brought about by setting extremely low and unhealthy interest rates, and for such a protracted period of time (11+ years)—they have unwittingly enriched the already superrich, the squillionaires, and impoverished the rest. In fact, it has been made virtually impossible for the less-than-privileged young to gain a foothold in the housing market unless, of course, Daddy is able to help darling son or darling daughter along the way with a generous pecuniary gift! Alas, for many of our young people today, such a scenario is a pipe dream. There is one thing that our central bankers need to understand: The economy should be run for the benefit of the many, not the few! – © Mark

EZB trifft Vorbereitungen für einen digitalen Euro | DW Nachrichten

Jul 14, 2021 • Im Jahr 2002 wurde der Euro eingeführt, knapp 20 Jahre danach soll ein E-Euro auf den Weg gebracht werden - eine digitale Währung also, die die Europäische Zentralbank ausgeben und kontrollieren will. Darüber hat die Notenbank heute in Frankfurt beraten: wobei noch viele Fragen offen sind, die Konkurrenz aber schon jetzt groß ist. Vom Münzgeld zum elektronischen Portemonnaie. Ein digitaler Euro soll künftig wie die Plattformen Paypal und Apple Wallet funktionieren, oder wie Cryptowährungen wie Bitcoin - allerdings kontrolliert durch die EZB. Die Pandemie und das vermehrte Online-Shopping haben Investitionen in digitale Währungen beschleunigt.

Analysten schätzen, dass sich Verbraucher daran gewöhnen, ihre Einkäufe online zu tätigen und per Smartphone zu bezahlen. Daher sei wichtig, eine sichere digitale Währung zu haben. Auch andere Zentralbanken sind daran interessiert. Großbritannien untersucht derzeit die Einführung einer eigenen Digitalwährung - "Brit-Coin" genannt - auch die USA und Japan erwägen diese Möglichkeit.

Die EZB verspricht, dass ein künftiger digitaler Euro "schnell, einfach und sicher" sein würde, die Dienstleistungen kostenlos, und dass Zahlungen per Karte oder Smartphone erfolgen könnten. Viele Fragen bleiben bislang unbeantwortet, aber es bleibt noch Zeit. Denn der digitale Euro kommt frühestens in fünf Jahren auf den Markt.

BBC World – Iran's "Sex-change" Solution ( Long Version)

Nov 13, 2014 • Ali Hamedani, BBC World service reporter, visits Turkey to meet LGBT exiles who have fled Iran in fear of being forced to change gender

Meet Iran's Gay Mullah Forced to Flee the Country - BBC News (2016)

Jun 8, 2016 • In Iran, homosexuality is banned and punishable by execution under its strict code of sharia, or Islamic law. In a country dominated by the religious class, being gay is taboo, and especially among the establishment. One Iranian gay cleric, who conducted gay weddings in secret, was forced to flee the country, and has been threatened with death. BBC Persian's Ali Hamedani reports. Video Journalist: Kelvin Brown

Francisco Franco - Spain's Nationalist Dictator Documentary

Who Sounds Gay? | Op-Docs | The New York Times

Jul 1, 2015 • This short documentary explores the reasons that some men sound stereotypically gay, whether they are or not. (YouTube views: 1,548,110 :

Dutch Crime Reporter Peter de Vries Dies after Shooting

Peter R de Vries had previously received threats from the criminal underworld. Photograph: Remko de Waal/ANP/AFP/Getty Images
THE GUARDIAN: Family announces death of 64-year-old just over a week after attack in Amsterdam, reports say

The Dutch crime reporter Peter R de Vries has died just over a week after he was shot in the head in central Amsterdam, local media have reported, citing a statement released by the veteran journalist’s family.

“Peter fought to the end but was unable to win the battle,” the statement said, according to RTL Nieuws. “He died surrounded by the people who love him. Peter lived by his conviction: ‘On bended knee is no way to be free.’.”

The statement continued: “We are proud of him beyond words, and at the same time inconsolable. His family, partner and loved ones want to process his death in peace and urge everyone to respect that.” » | Jon Henley, Europe correspondent | Thursday, July 15, 2021

Le journaliste néerlandais blessé par balles à Amsterdam est mort »

Journalist de Vries nach Anschlag in den Niederlanden gestorben »

More on this sad story here

Dutch Crime Reporter Dies After Being Shot Outside TV Studio »

Dutch Reporter Who Exposed Underworld Dead after Shooting - BBC News

Jul 15, 2021 • The Dutch crime reporter Peter R de Vries, who was shot and seriously wounded in central Amsterdam nine days ago, has died.

The 64-year-old was shot in the head minutes after leaving a TV studio.

Mr de Vries had won critical acclaim for his reporting on the Dutch underworld - including the 1983 kidnapping of the beer millionaire Freddy Heineken.

The statement released by his relatives on Thursday said he died "surrounded by the people who love him".


More on this tragic story here

Acts of Resistance: Love Stories of the Holocaust

Feb 12, 2021 • Sam and Regina Spiegel found love in the most unlikely of places—at a forced labor camp in German-occupied Poland. For Gad Beck and Manfred Lewin, their affection put the young Jewish men at a greater risk, so they kept their forbidden relationship a secret. Even in the darkest hours of the Holocaust, love gave many a reason to hope for a better future, the will to survive, and inspiration to rebuild after the war.

Join Museum historians on Facebook Live to learn how love became an act of resistance for people persecuted by the Nazi regime.

Speaker: Dr. Lindsay MacNeill, Historian, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

Moderator: Dr. Edna Friedberg, Historian, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

Angela Merkel's Last Trip to Washington after 16 Years in Office - BBC News

Jul 15, 2021 • German Chancellor Angela Merkel is making her farewell visit to Washington DC after nearly 16 years in office, during which time she has worked with four US presidents.

Her tenure ushered in a warm transatlantic friendship, marked by occasional spats over Germany's military spending, climate change and financial recovery policies.

Ms Merkel isn't running again in September's German parliamentary election, and this last White House bilateral could be a litmus test for both nations going forward.

Helikopter-Flug über das Hochwasser-Katastrophengebiet in Schuld (Rheinland-Pfalz)

Jul 15, 2021 • Die Hochwasser-Katastrophe weitet sich immer mehr aus, seit Donnerstagmorgen ist Rheinland-Pfalz schwer betroffen: überflutete Orte, weggerissene Straßen, sechs eingestürzte Häuser, Einsturzgefahr bei vielen weiteren Gebäuden. Dutzende Vermisste – und leider sogar Tote.

Etwa 70 Menschen waren in Schuld (Ahrweiler) in Rheinland-Pfalz am Morgen vermisst. Eine gute Nachricht kam gegen Mittag: Einige der Vermisstenfälle hatten sich laut Polizei zwischenzeitlich wohl aufgeklärt.

Der BILD-Live-Helikopter fliegt über das Katastrophengebiet und zeigt das volle Ausmaß der furchtbaren Zerstörung, die das Hochwasser angerichet hat.

Democracy Now! Top US & World Headlines — July 15, 2021

At Least 21 Dead in ‘Catastrophic’ Flooding in Western Germany

THE GUARDIAN: Many more missing as buildings give way amid heavy rain and flooding

At least 21 people have died and dozens are missing or awaiting rescue from rooftops after heavy rain and floods caused buildings to collapse in the western German states of Rhineland-Palatinate and North-Rhine Westphalia.

In the Rhineland-Palatinate district of Schuld, set in the Eifel mountain range, police said on Thursday morning they were searching for about 70 missing people following the collapse of six houses. At least eight people are confirmed to have died, officials said.

“There are dead people, there are missing people, and many who are still in danger”, said Rhineland-Palatinate’s state premier Malu Dreyer. “We have never seen a catastrophe like this,” the Social Democrat politician added. “It is truly devastating.”

A spokesperson for the Koblenz police told Reuters that an “unclear number” of people needed to be rescued from roofs. » | Philip Oltermann in Berlin and agencies | Thursday, July 15, 2021

Interview: ‘Death in Venice Screwed Up My Life’ – the Tragic Story of Visconti’s ‘Beautiful Boy’

Angelic … Björn Andrésen with Dirk Bogarde in Death in Venice. Photograph: Allstar/Warner Bros
THE GUARDIAN: Björn Andrésen was the striking child star of the classic film, the perfect embodiment of youthful beauty. Fifty years on, he is still haunted by the exploitation that continued long after filming stopped

Björn Andrésen was just 15 when he walked straight into the lion’s den, being cast as Tadzio, the sailor-suited object of desire in Luchino Visconti’s film Death in Venice. Its release in 1971 made him not merely a star but an instant icon – the embodiment of pristine youthful beauty. Sitting alone in Stockholm today at the age of 66, he looks more like Gandalf with his white beard and his gaunt face framed by shoulder-length white locks. His eyes twinkle as alluringly as ever but he’s no pussycat. Asked what he would say to Visconti if he were here now, he doesn’t pause. “Fuck off,” he says.

No one who sees The Most Beautiful Boy in the World, a new documentary about Andrésen’s turbulent and tragic past, will be surprised by that answer. Visconti, he tells me, “didn’t give a fuck” about his feelings. He wasn’t alone in that. “I’ve never seen so many fascists and assholes as there are in film and theatre,” says Andrésen. “Luchino was the sort of cultural predator who would sacrifice anything or anyone for the work.” He makes his feelings about Death in Venice itself equally plain: “It has screwed up my life quite decently.” Although he is an accomplished pianist, no one seems very interested in that side of him. “Everything I ever do will be associated with that film. I mean, we’re still sitting here talking about it 50 years later.” » | Ryan Gilbey | Thursday, July 15, 2021

House with No Toilet Sells for $2m as New Zealand Property Market Soars

A house in in Auckland, New Zealand, has sold for more than $2m despite needing more than $200,000 worth of improvements. Photograph: Barfoot & Thompson
THE GUARDIAN: The decaying, rundown property in the Auckland suburb of Grey Lynn was prized because of its renovation potential

A decaying three-bedroom house with no toilet or bathroom, missing walls and an overgrown garden has sold in New Zealand for more than $2m (£1m), in the latest example of runaway property markets around the world.

The 1920s-era bungalow on Ariki Street, in Auckland’s affluent suburb of Grey Lynn, sold at auction on Thursday for $2.075m (£1.05m), after the bidding opened at $1.75m, Stuff reported.

Auckland council’s property valuation page estimates its value at $1.65m and that the property requires $200,000 worth of improvements. » | Eva Corlett in Wellington | Thursday, July 15, 2021

Kremlin Papers Appear to Show Putin’s Plot to Put Trump in White House

Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump. The documents appear to confirm the Kremlin possesses compromising material on Trump. Photograph: Evan Vucci/AP
THE GUARDIAN: Exclusive: Documents suggest Russia launched secret multi-agency effort to interfere in US democracy

Vladimir Putin personally authorised a secret spy agency operation to support a “mentally unstable” Donald Trump in the 2016 US presidential election during a closed session of Russia’s national security council, according to what are assessed to be leaked Kremlin documents.

The key meeting took place on 22 January 2016, the papers suggest, with the Russian president, his spy chiefs and senior ministers all present.
They agreed a Trump White House would help secure Moscow’s strategic objectives, among them “social turmoil” in the US and a weakening of the American president’s negotiating position.

Russia’s three spy agencies were ordered to find practical ways to support Trump, in a decree appearing to bear Putin’s signature. » | Luke Harding, Julian Borger and Dan Sabbagh | Thursday, July 15, 2021

George W. Bush Reflects on Angela Merkel's Legacy | Exclusive Interview | DW Documentary

Jul 14, 2021 • Exclusive DW interview: Former President George W. Bush reflects on his relationship with Chancellor Angela Merkel and her legacy.

"Merkel brought class and dignity to a very important position and made very hard decisions. She did what's best for Germany, and did so based upon principle," former U.S. President George W. Bush said in an interview with DW Washington Bureau Chief Ines Pohl ahead of Chancellor Angela Merkel's farewell visit to the White House on Thursday, July 15.
The interview at the Bush family's summer home in Maine was conducted as part of the DW documentary "Angela Merkel – Navigating a World in Crisis," which will be published on our DW Documentary YouTube channel in September, shortly before the federal elections which will determine Merkel's succession.