A Jewish Far-Right Pundit Splits the French Jewish Community as He Rises

THE NEW YORK TIMES Éric Zemmour, eyeing the presidency, tries to rehabilitate the wartime Vichy regime that collaborated with the Nazis as part of a campaign filled with provocations.

Éric Zemmour attending an event last month for his new book in Versailles, France. Mr. Zemmour, 63, has done nothing to deny intense speculation that he will soon become a candidate for the French presidency. | Chesnot/Getty Images
PARIS — There have been many startling elements to Éric Zemmour’s as yet undeclared campaign to forge a hard-right path to the French presidency, but perhaps none as surprising as his attempt to rehabilitate France’s collaborationist wartime regime.

“Vichy protected French Jews and gave the foreign Jews,” Mr. Zemmour said in September on CNews, a growing Fox News-like TV channel, one of several remarks suggesting that the wartime government of Marshal Philippe Pétain that sent more than 72,500 Jews to their deaths was not so bad after all.

The comment was shocking not least because Mr. Zemmour is Jewish. From 1942 onward, there is no evidence that the Vichy regime tried to protect French Jews. It collaborated with the Nazis to round up Jews, whether foreign or French.

Clearly borrowed from the Trump playbook of staying at the top of the news through provocation and outrage, Mr. Zemmour’s declarations have divided the French Jewish community and made the unsayable sayable. But they have not slowed the giddy rise of this smooth-talking TV star and author, with the French presidential election less than six months away. » | Roger Cohen | Monday, October 25, 2021

Free Julian Assange: Snowden, Varoufakis, Corbyn & Tariq Ali Speak Out ahead of Extradition Hearing

Oct 25, 2021 • As jailed WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange faces an extradition hearing Wednesday in London, supporters gathered Friday for the Belmarsh Tribunal, named for the Belmarsh maximum security prison where Assange is being held.

The mock trial highlighted major WikiLeaks revelations of U.S. war crimes and demanded Assange’s freedom. Assange faces up to 175 years in prison in the U.S. under the Espionage Act for publishing classified documents exposing U.S. war crimes. Though a British judge blocked his extradition in January, the U.S. appealed the decision.

We feature speakers from the tribunal, including writer Tariq Ali, Afghan political activist Selay Ghaffar, NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden, former Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis and former Labour Party Leader Jeremy Corbyn.

“Julian, far from being indicted, should actually be a hero,” said Ali. “He should never have been kept in prison for bail. He should not be in prison now awaiting a trial for extradition. He should be released.

” We also hear from Srećko Horvat, philosopher and Belmarsh Tribunal chair; Ewen MacAskill, former Guardian journalist; and Stella Morris, partner of Julian Assange.

Stevie Wonder : I Just Called To Say I Love You

Hits on YouTube: 20,590,529

The Guardian View on US Abortion Laws: Freedoms Hanging by a Thread

THE GUARDIAN – EDITORIAL: By allowing the Texas law banning abortions after six weeks to stand, the supreme court has joined the attack

Protesters march in Austin, Texas, against the state’s abortion laws. Photograph: AFP/Getty
The announcement by the US supreme court that Texas’s new law banning abortions after six weeks would be allowed to stand, until it hears the federal government’s case against it on 1 November, was a blow to anyone hoping that the court might block attempts to remove women’s constitutional right to abortion. The 1973 decision that established this right, Roe v Wade, is a landmark in the history of the court.

The challenge brought by the Biden administration aims to overturn the Texas law on grounds that the state has violated the court’s authority. By outsourcing enforcement of its abortion ban to private citizens, who since September have been allowed to sue anyone who helps a woman obtain an abortion, Texas legislators have sought “to evade the traditional mechanisms for judicial review”, the suit states. The justice department argues that this is a dangerous precedent with the potential to undermine other supreme court decisions. While some employers are ffering to relocate staff to other states, the women most likely to be harmed by the ban are the poorest and least mobile, who in Texas are disproportionately women of colour. » | Editorial | Monday, October 25, 2021

Keep politics out of medical matters! The criminalisation of abortions does not affect the rich and privileged – they can afford to travel out of state, or even abroad, to get their abortions. This draconian law affects only the poor and under-privileged, who might well be forced to revert to the Victorian solution: knitting needles and bottles of gin! – © Mark

Sudan’s Army Seizes Power in Coup and Detains Prime Minister

THE GUARDIAN: Military declares state of emergency and gunfire reported as protesters flood Khartoum streets

Sudan’s military has seized power in a coup, arrested leading civilian politicians including the prime minister, Abdalla Hamdok, and declared a state of emergency as thousands of protesters flooded the streets of Khartoum in opposition.

The Sudan Doctors’ Committee said late on Monday that three protesters had been killed and 80 people wounded after security forces fired on demonstrators. As night fell in Khartoum, witnesses described gangs of young men armed with sticks reportedly beating anyone found on the streets.

Sudan has been on edge since a failed coup plot last month unleashed recriminations between military and civilian groups who have been sharing power since the toppling of the autocrat Omar al-Bashir two years ago. With video » | A reporter in Khartoum and Peter Beaumont | Monday, October 25, 2021

Renaud Girard: «Taïwan, une lente strangulation chinoise»

LE FIGARO : CHRONIQUE - Nous risquons d’assister, au cours de cette décennie, à une guerre d’usure entre la Chine et l’Amérique pour le contrôle de ce territoire.

Interrogé en public sur la question de Taïwan par un journaliste le 21 octobre 2021, le président américain actuel est sorti de l’ambiguïté stratégique que tous ses prédécesseurs avaient soigneusement conservée depuis que les États-Unis ont, en 1979, reconnu officiellement la République populaire de Chine et sa doctrine d’un seul pays.

Joe Biden a affirmé que si les forces communistes de l’Armée populaire de libération chinoise attaquaient Taïwan, l’Amérique se porterait militairement au secours de la petite île démocratique agressée.

Le sujet était dans tous les esprits, dans la mesure où l’ambassadeur de Chine à Washington, Zhang Jun, venait de critiquer publiquement «les dangereuses actions américaines dans le détroit de Formose». Ce diplomate de haut rang manie parfaitement l’inversion accusatoire, procédé rhétorique consistant à accuser l’autre de ses propres noires intentions. C’est en effet l’armée de l’air chinoise qui a multiplié, aux mois de septembre et d’octobre 2021, les vols dans la zone de défense de Taïwan et non les chasseurs-bombardiers américains qui sont allés frôler les côtes de la Chine populaire. L’ambassadeur voulait-il critiquer le passage de bâtiments de l’US Navy à travers le détroit, qui fait quand même 170 km de large? » | Par Renaud Girard | lundi 25 Octobre 2021

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À LIRE AUSSI : Pékin teste la détermination de Joe Biden dans le ciel de Taïwan »

David Beckham Slammed for Reportedly Becoming Face of Homophobic Qatar in £150 Million Deal

David Beckham speaks with Nasser al-Khelaifi, chairman of Qatar Sports Investments. (AFP via Getty/ KARIM JAAFAR)
PINK NEWS: David Beckham has reportedly signed a deal worth £150 million to become the “face of Qatar” ahead of next year’s World Cup.

According to The Sun, Beckham will “promote tourism and culture” for the next decade in the country, which is strongly anti-LGBT+ and has an atrocious human rights record.

The deal was first reported by The Mail on Sunday in February, although it is still unclear what duties the role will involve. He will reportedly earn £15 million a year for the next decade.

Beckham, who in 2007 said he was “honoured to have the tag of gay icon” and is an ambassador for UNICEF, spent a week in Qatar this month, one of the most dangerous places in the world to be LGBT+.

In a vague statement, a spokesperson for Beckham told The Telegraph: “David has been visiting Qatar regularly for over a decade and went on to play for [Qatar-owned Paris Saint-Germain] so he has seen the passion for football in the country and the long-term commitment that’s been made to hosting this World Cup and delivering a lasting legacy for the region.

“He’s always talked about the power of football as a force for good.

“As we reach the one-year-to-go point, he joins the wider football community that is coming together for the World Cup 2022 and he’s looking forward to what he thinks will be a great tournament.” Homosexuality can be punished by imprisonment, flogging or death in Qatar » | Lily Wakefield | Monday, October 25, 2021

UK Haulage Industry Tells PM to Act on Supply Chains or Face Christmas Crisis

THE GUARDIAN: Calls for Boris Johnson to intervene personally after ‘lacklustre’ efforts to tackle lorry driver shortage

The haulage industry has urged Boris Johnson to step up “lacklustre” efforts to tackle a shortage of 100,000 HGV drivers, telling him to act now on supply chains or face a Christmas crisis.

Bosses of multiple trade bodies and businesses in the trucking and food industries have written to the prime minister saying not enough had been done to resolve the crisis and urging him to intervene personally.

They said measures intended to plug the gap, including a temporary three month visa for HGV drivers, “simply do not go far enough to tackle the crisis and protect the UK economy in the months ahead”.

“Without further action, this will only get worse, particularly as we begin the countdown to Christmas,” they added.

A lack of qualified HGV drivers has been cited as a factor in last month’s petrol shortages and interruptions to supermarket supply chains, as well as prompting warnings of major disruption at Christmas, such as bins not being collected. » | Rob Davies | Monday, October 25, 2021

Royaume-Uni: le bacon et les dindes de Noël en danger : Les abattoirs et les boucheries britanniques sont frappés par un manque crucial de main-d’œuvre. »

Schweizer Auswanderer in Brasilien – Suche nach einer besseren Zukunft | Reportage | SRF Dok

Sep 4, 2017 • Nach Ende des Zweiten Weltkriegs bewirtschaftete Anton Huber einen kleinen Hof in der Luzerner Gemeinde Kottwil.

Er wollte seinen neun Kindern eine gute Ausbildung ermöglichen. Das schien ihm zuhause unmöglich. Deshalb schloss sich die Familie Huber 1951 einer Gruppe von Auswanderern an, die in Brasilien eine bessere Zukunft suchte.

Die Familien von Anton und Klaus Huber lebten in Zelten, sie wuschen sich im Fluss, wurden von Mücken fast aufgefressen. Aber ein grosser Idealismus gab den Siedlern Kraft: Sie wollten in der Savanne eine Kolonie aufbauen, in der Kleinbauern eine umweltverträgliche Landwirtschaft betreiben und ihre Produkte gemeinsam vermarkten.


Dieser Dokumentarfilm ist zum Teil in Schweizerdeutsch (Schwyzertüütsch) aufgenommen worden. – Mark

Democracy Now! Top US News & World Headlines — October 25, 2021

Saudi Crown Prince a ‘Psychopath’, Says Exiled Intelligence Officer

THE GUARDIAN: Saad Aljabri says Mohammed bin Salman boasted he could kill former ruler King Abdullah

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has been accused by Saad Aljabri in a 60 Minutes interview of boasting he could kill the kingdom’s one-time ruler, King Abdullah. Photograph: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
A former senior Saudi intelligence officer has claimed that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is a “psychopath with no empathy” who once boasted that he could kill the kingdom’s ruler at the time, King Abdullah, and replace him with his own father.

In an interview on US television, Saad Aljabri, who fled Saudi Arabia in May 2017 and is living in exile in Canada, also said he had been warned by an associate in 2018, after the murder of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, that a Saudi hit team was heading to Canada to kill him.

Aljabri told 60 Minutes on CBS he was warned “don’t be in a proximity of any Saudi mission in Canada. Don’t go to the consulate. Don’t go to the embassy.” When he asked why, he said he was told “they dismembered the guy, they kill him. You are on the top of the list.”

Some details of the alleged murder plot, which were detailed in litigation in the US and Canada, have already been reported. But the 60 Minutes interview represents the first time Aljabri has publicly spoken about his break with Prince Mohammed.

He also spoke of the plight of his two youngest children, Sarah and Omar, who were arrested and are in prison in Saudi Arabia in what is widely seen as an attempt to force their father back to the country. » | Stephanie Kirchgaessner in Washington | Monday, October 25, 2021

Saudi aide accused of directing Khashoggi murder edges back to power »

Un documentaire sur MBS et l'Arabie saoudite ici.

Saudi crown prince suggested killing King Abdullah, ex-official says: Saudi Arabia's crown prince suggested using a "poison ring" to kill the late King Abdullah, a former top Saudi intelligence official has alleged. »

Here is the 60 Minutes interview.

Gipsy Kings - Trista Pena

Nov 20, 2017 • Gipsy Kings - Trista Pena Scenes from the film «Revenge» starring Kevin Costner and Madeleine Stowe Lyrics, music: Andre Reyes, Jacques Baliardo, Jalhoul Bouchikhi, Maurice Baliardo, Nicolas Reyes, Tonino Baliardo

Erdogan durcit le bras de fer avec l’Occident

Le président turc, Tayyip Erdogan, à Sotchi en Russie, le 29 septembre. SPUTNIK/via REUTERS
Istanbul
LE FIGARO : ANALYSE - Le président turc a annoncé l’expulsion d’une dizaine d’ambassadeurs occidentaux, dont ceux de la France, de l’Allemagne et des États-Unis.

Dans les capitales occidentales et au sein de leurs chancelleries installées en Turquie, la nouvelle a choqué ceux qui s’étaient pourtant habitués aux affronts de Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Elle signale qu’une nouvelle étape a été franchie dans ce pays devenu imprévisible, dont la politique étrangère semble dépendre plus que jamais des aléas de sa politique intérieure.

Samedi, devant une foule de partisans, le chef de l’État turc a annoncé que dix ambassadeurs devraient plier bagage «au plus vite». «J’ai donné des instructions (…) pour que ces dix ministres des Affaires étrangères… pour que ces ambassadeurs soient déclarés persona non grata, a-t-il déclaré, commettant un lapsus. Ils vont connaître la Turquie, la comprendre… Sinon, ils la quitteront!» » | Par Anne Andlauer | Publié : dimanche 24 octobre 2021 ; mis à jour : lundi 25 octobre 2021

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Gotcha!

Erwischt! / Je t'ai eu !
Many thanks to Wattpad on Pinterest for this great photo.

Zufriedenheit

Contentement / Contentment
Many thanks to Michael Olivero on Pinterest for this lovely photo.

Les paris économiques risqués de Boris Johnson

La Grande-Bretagne ne peut, seule, isolée, mener une politique économique autarcique qui se défierait des contraintes pesant sur les autres. olga Akmen/Pool Photo via AP
LE FIGARO : DÉCRYPTAGE - La défiance du gouvernement britannique vis-à-vis des préoccupations des chefs d’entreprise risque d’entraîner le pays dans une spirale dangereuse.

C’était l’une des promesses du Brexit. Mettre fin à l’immigration incontrôlée d’Européens, accusée de tirer les salaires à la baisse, pour redonner la priorité aux Britanniques dans l’emploi. Boris Johnson a répété son objectif lors du congrès du Parti conservateur, au début du mois. Il entend faire du pays une «économie à hauts salaires, qualifications élevées, haute productivité et, par là même, faibles impôts».

Las. Ce postulat se heurte aux réalités d’une économie mondialisée et à ses tensions conjoncturelles. La Grande-Bretagne ne peut, seule, isolée, mener une politique économique autarcique qui se défierait des contraintes pesant sur les autres. Selon le professeur d’économie au King’s College London Jonathan Portes, l’impact prévisible de ce malthusianisme migratoire serait «moins d’emploi et moins de production», plutôt que l’inverse. » | Par Florentin Collomp | dimanche 24 octobre 2021

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Presseclub: Ja zur EU, aber ohne ihre Werte – Sprengt Polen die Gemeinschaft?

Nur knapp zwei Jahre nach dem Brexit steht das europäische Haus schon wieder in Flammen. Der Grund: Das polnische Verfassungsgericht lehnt den generellen Vorrang von EU-Recht vor nationalem Recht ab.

Der französische Präsident Macron sprach von einem direkten Angriff auf das Herz Europas. Seither wird fieberhaft überlegt, ob man Warschau durch Geldentzug gefügig machen kann. Doch die polnische Regierung will sich nicht “erpressen lassen” und weigert sich einzulenken. Fliegt der europäische Laden jetzt endgültig auseinander?

Ellen Ehni diskutiert mit ihren Gästen:

Joanna Maria Stolarek (Magazin Dialog)
Christoph von Marshall (Der Tagesgespiegel)
Daniela Schwarzer (Open Society Foundation) Eric Bonse (freier Journalist)

Life with Siberian Nomads | Survival Documentary | Real Stories

Sep 7, 2019 • Kate Humble enters the deep, cold Siberian desert of snow and ice to live with some of the strongest surviving nomads of the world.

Long Arm of Russian Law Reaches Obscure Siberian Church: The arrest of the leader of a small religious group reveals that Russian repression reaches even to the depths of the Siberian forest. »

Major Investigation Targeting Australia’s Largest Neo-Nazi Group | 60 Minutes Australia

Aug 15, 2021 • A joint investigation by 60 MINUTES, ‘The Age’ and ‘Sydney Morning Herald’ to infiltrate and expose a toxic and rotting world of hate. Reporter Nick McKenzie has been working on this clandestine operation for the past eight months. The threat is so significant Australia’s top spy, the director-general of ASIO has agreed to his first major television interview. “This is of grave concern to ASIO, and should be of grave concern to all Australians,” Mike Burgess tells McKenzie.
This 60 Minutes Australia report is very disturbing, so I do not wish to embed the video on my blog; instead, I am posting a link to the video on YouTube so that you can view it there instead.

Be warned! This report is very troubling; further, much of the language used in the video is also troubling and disgusting. Viewer discretion is strongly advised. Both because of the report’s content and filthy language and racist sentiments used by the neo-Nazis in the report. Be aware that the report is NOT suitable viewing for children; nor is it suitable viewing for the anxious , the squeamish or the faint of heart.

Considering the dreadful history of the middle of the twentieth century, it is truly astonishing that people with such obnoxious and disturbing views should exist at all in the twenty-first century. Clearly, people like this have NOT learnt the lessons of history. Unfortunately, if we, as people, don’t learn the lessons of history, we are doomed to repeat them. This is extremely sad and very worrying.

The 60 Minutes Australia programme can be viewed here. – © Mark

The Alleged Dodgy Deals Casting a New Shadow on the Royal Family | 60 Minutes Australia

Their titles bring entitlement, but how much should the British royal family be allowed to exploit that privilege? The latest shadow cast over the Windsors comes from accusations they can – and are – being bought. The timing couldn't be worse with increasing fears for 95-year-old Queen Elizabeth's health. But as you'll see, some very curious characters have been doing some dubious deals, including with senior Royals, who appear to act as if cash for cachet is perfectly acceptable.