Les adieux au long cours d’Angela Merkel

Accompagnée d’Emmanuel Macron, la chancelière allemande Angela Merkel faisait ses adieux, à Beaune (Côte-d’Or).POOL/REUTERS
LE FIGARO : La chancelière était reçue mercredi par le couple Macron après une impressionnante tournée internationale.

À Beaune, mercredi 3 novembre, Angela Merkel a eu droit aux égards réservés aux amis de la France: reçue par Emmanuel Macron et son épouse, avec qui elle a déambulé dans les ruelles de la cité bourguignonne sous les applaudissements des badauds, après Helmut Kohl et François Mitterrand lors d’un sommet en 1993, la chancelière a été décorée grand-croix de la Légion d’honneur et intronisée, au Clos Vougeot, membre de la Confrérie des chevaliers du tastevin. Même pour cette fille de pasteur qui affiche d’ordinaire une superbe indifférence envers les attributs du pouvoir, la réception qu’elle a reçue du couple élyséen avait de quoi ébranler ses penchants pour la sobriété protocolaire.

La presse allemande s’interroge d’ailleurs sur les états d’âme de «Mutti» à la veille de quitter le pouvoir. Angela Merkel gère-t-elle sa tournée d’adieux internationale à la manière d’une rock star, mettant en scène ses dernières apparitions pour maintenir en haleine son club de fans jusqu’à l’ultime minute? En l’occurrence la semaine du 6 décembre, lorsque son successeur Olaf Scholz sera élu par le Bundestag. » | Par Pierre Avril | mercredi 3 octobre 2021

Réservé aux abonnés

À LIRE AUSSI : Angela Merkel ou la puissance du pragmatisme : GRAND RÉCIT - Sa rationalité froide, son pragmatisme et son sens du compromis lui ont permis d’affronter les crises en série qui ont marqué ses quatre mandats. »

Auf ein letztes Glas Wein mit der Kanzlerin: Emmanuel Macron weiß, dass Angela Merkel guten Wein schätzt. So lud er sie zum Abschied in die idyllische Kleinstadt Beaune nach Burgund ein. Dort wurde der scheidenden Kanzlerin eine Ehre zuteil, die selbst Kohl verwehrt blieb. »

‘I’ve Always Aimed Big’: Vietnamese Tycoon behind £155m Oxford Donation

THE GUARDIAN: Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao has gone from importing fax machines as a student in Moscow to name-changing billionaire

Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao has an estimated $2.7bn (£2bn) fortune, part of which was made from VietJet, the airline she founded and runs. Photograph: Bloomberg/Getty Images
Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao began her business career as a sideline importing fax machines and latex rubber into the then Soviet Union while studying economic management at D Mendeleev University of Chemical Technology in Moscow. Before she had turned 21 – or graduated – she had made her first million.

Phuong Thao, who is popularly known as Madam Thao, is now Vietnam’s first and only female billionaire with an estimated $2.7bn (£2bn) fortune made from VietJet, the airline she founded and runs, alongside a vast property empire that stretches from skyscrapers in Ho Chi Minh City to five star beach resorts across the country as well as offshore oil and gas exploration and fossil fuel financing.

But her name may soon be well known in the UK as well as Vietnam after University of Oxford’s Linacre College agreed to rename itself Thao College after a £155m “transformative donation” from her holding company Sovico Group.

“Education and research are the keys to the development and prosperity of mankind,” she said on announcing the deal. “I believe the long-term cooperation with Oxford University will bring new opportunities and good value to the community.” » | Rupert Neate | Thursday, November 4, 2021

The Love That Cannot Be Extinguished!

"Homo Couples. Vintage Photos. Male Affection."
So you thought that gay love was a new phenomenon. There’s nothing new about It. It was always there. It has been there since the beginning of time. The only thing new is that tt is out in the open now. Gays are now proud to be who they really are. You legislators can try to legislate It away. You will fail! It cannot be done. The urge to love is much, much stronger than any law could ever be.You cannot legislate the gay away; and you cannot pray the gay away either. My advice to you is this: Learn to live with it and concentrate your energies elsewhere, on things you really can change. Gay love will be around a lot longer than you will be. So don’t waste your time! – © Mark

Covid: Germany Enveloped in ‘Massive’ Pandemic of the Unvaccinated

THE GUARDIAN: Health minister says wave ‘far from over’ as vaccination rate flatlines and clinics report rising numbers of Covid-19 patients

Germany’s health minister, Jens Spahn, has warned that his country is going through a “massive” pandemic of the unvaccinated.

“The pandemic is far from over,” said Spahn, a member of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU). “We are currently experiencing a pandemic of the unvaccinated, which is massive. There would be fewer coronavirus patients on intensive care units if more people would let themselves be vaccinated.”

In the last week several German clinics have raised alarm about rising numbers of patients with Covid-19 on the wards. On Wednesday authorities reported 2,220 patients in intensive care beds, the highest number since the start of June.

Over the last seven days 666 people have died from the virus in Germany, slightly more than in the same week a year ago, before the start of the vaccination drive and the arrival of the more infectious Delta variant. For now the number of fatalities is rising less steeply than it did during the previous three coronavirus waves in the country. » | Philip Oltermann in Berlin | Wednesday, November 3, 2021

Kanzlerin erwägt neue Regeln für Ungeimpfte: Die Politik zeigt sich besorgt über die steigenden Infektionszahlen, das Kanzleramt dringt auf ein rasches Bund-Länder-Treffen. Die 2G-Regeln könnten ausgeweitet werden. »

En France aussi, la hausse du taux d'infections est inquiétante :

Covid-19 : le masque à nouveau obligatoire à l'école à partir de lundi dans 39 départements : La hausse du taux d'incidence provoque un rétropédalage sur les mesures d'allègement des mesures sanitaires, alors que 79 territoires étaient exempts du masque dans les salles de classe. »

In England as well, the chief medical officer fears Covid is spreading into older age groups:

Jonathan Van-Tam voices concerns over rising Covid death rate: England’s deputy chief medical officer says he fears infection is spreading into older age groups »

Allzeithoch bei Neuinfektionen: Die vierte Corona-Welle rollt weiter – den Höchststand der dritten Welle hat sie nunmehr übertroffen. Die Gesundheitsminister ringen um einen gemeinsamen Corona-Kurs. Wie könnte der aussehen? »

Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 4 in G Major, Op. 58 - I. Allegro moderato | Krystian Zimerman · London Symphony Orchestra · Simon Rattle

Prince Andrew Could Face US Trial in 2022 over Alleged Sexual Abuse, Judge Says

THE GUARDIAN: Development comes after Andrew’s lawyers attacked Virginia Giuffre, accusing her of seeking a ‘payday’ at prince’s expense

Virginia Giuffre’s civil lawsuit alleges she was forced to have sex with Prince Andrew when she was 17 years old. Photograph: Steve Parsons/AFP/Getty Images
Prince Andrew could face civil trial in the US over alleged sexual abuse at the end of 2022, a judge said on Wednesday.

Speaking [at] during a phone conference with lawyers in New York, US district judge Lewis Kaplan said he anticipates a trial date of “somewhere in the September to December period of next year”.

The development came after Andrew’s lawyers attacked his accuser, Virginia Giuffre, in legal filings over the weekend, accusing her of seeking a “payday” at Andrew’s expense and referring to accusations that Guiffre was a “sex kitten”. » | Adam Gabbatt and agency | Wednesday, November 3, 2021

Gay Man's Life Changes for the Better after Coming Out. “We Have a Very Modern Family.”

Oct 27, 2021 • Andre Kahn had a wife and a daughter and a secret - he was gay. Though he ultimately came out, the journey that followed wasn’t always easy. Fortunately, thanks to a supportive community and a loving family, Andre was eventually able to live his truth happily and form his own “modern family.”

La Bourse de Paris bat à nouveau son record

L'indice parisien a fini à 6.950,65 points. Bruno Bleu / stock.adobe.com
LE FIGARO : Le CAC 40 a battu son record de la veille qui dépassait déjà le record de clôture établi en septembre 2000.

La Bourse de Paris a fini en hausse de 0,34% mercredi et battu de nouveaux records avant la décision de la Réserve fédérale américaine sur la mise en œuvre d'une réduction de ses achats d'actifs attendue par le marché.

L'indice parisien a fini à 6.950,65 points, dépassant son record absolu en séance qui remontait au 4 septembre 2000 et battant son record de clôture établi la veille. La place parisienne a notamment profité ces dernières semaines d'une saison de résultats d'entreprises de bonne facture au troisième trimestre, notamment ceux du secteur du luxe qui représente environ un quart de la cote. Pour la suite, «le rythme de progression ne va peut-être pas être aussi effréné dans la mesure où l'économie est en transition», note toutefois Benoît Peloille, stratégiste chez Vega IM. » | Par Le Figaro avec AFP | mercredi 3 novembre 2021

À LIRE AUSSI : Comment le CAC 40 se transforme »

Inflation Bonds Are Getting a Big Rate Bump »

Fed Announces Plan to Slow Its Bond Buying Program: The Federal Reserve is dealing with high inflation at a time when millions of workers remain on the job market’s sidelines. »

Democracy Now! Top US News & World Headlines — November 3, 2021

Wirtschaftswissenschaftler sieht Welt im Endspiel des Kapitalismus | DW Nachrichten

Nov 3, 2021 • Die Preise steigen. Aktuell beträgt die Geldentwertung in Deutschland 4,5 Prozent, das ist der höchste Stand seit 28 Jahren. Norbert Häring, Wirtschaftswissenschaftler und Autor, sieht die Welt im Endspiel des Kapitalismus. In den nächsten fünf Jahren, wahrscheinlich darunter, könnte es den nächsten Crash geben, so Häring. Auch die aktuellen Lieferengpässen in vielen Branchen seien ein Anzeichen – eine Folge geopolitischer Machtspiele. Generell kritisiert er die Finanzbranche und auch die EZB, die mit viel billigem Geld kaum reale Wirtschaftsimpulse gesetzt habe.

Ronnie Kroell | I'm From Chicago, IL | True Gay Stories

Oct 16, 2009 • Ronnie Kroell's grandma comes to the rescue when his mom is being less than supportive after finding out he's gay.

The Secret World of Sugar Babies and Sugar Daddies | 60 Minutes Australia

Jun 10, 2019 • Incredibly, right now in Australia there are more than 200,000 young women who have either become, or are trying to be, “sugar babies”. Their ambition is for a sweet life of pampered luxury, paid for by older, sometimes much older, men. For the so-called “sugar daddies”, the equation is simple: the wealthier they are, the more attractive they are. But as Sarah Abo finds out, it’s not hard to read between the lines here. The term sugar baby is often code for sex worker, and the male moneybags are often crinkled-up creeps. And that leads to a very important question: is this sugar baby phenomenon about empowering women or exploiting them?

Due to the content and bad language in this documentary, it is most unsuitable for children. Viewer discretion is therefore advised.

This phenomenon could also be called ‘sex for sale’; and we all know what the traditional word for that is! Just because it is high-tech, it doesn’t change the fundamental nature of what is happening here. It turns 'love' and sex into a financial transaction.

Personally, I find this a very sad indictment on modern society. True love can never be bought. It doesn’t matter whether it is straight or gay love. It’s just not how love works. Sad! – Mark

Neofascist Seizure of America’s State Governments

Oct 22, 2021 • On the show, Chris Hedges discusses the seizure of state government by American’s homegrown neofascist movement with the historian Paul Street.

The creeping homegrown Christianized fascism that is steadily gaining power in the United States is most evident not in Washington but in state-level politics. Some 150 million Americans live in fully or mainly “red states,” where state politics and policy are completely or largely in the hands of a neofascist Republican party. There are 22 states where Republicans control the governorship and legislative bodies. There are 15 states where the Democratic party controls the governorship and legislative bodies. And there are 13 states with divided governments. In the “red” states such as Texas and Florida laws are being passed to suppress voting, outlaw abortion, forbid honest discussion of white systemic racism in public education, ban local governments and school districts from enforcing minimum wage ordinances, prohibit local vaccine and mask mandates, cut pandemic-related unemployment benefits, reject federal Medicaid dollars to help the poor receive health care, and persecute undocumented workers and their families. The nation’s most retrograde corporate political funders and operatives – the Koch-backed “fifth column” culprits in historian Nancy MacLean’s book Democracy in Chains – have long focused heavily on politics and policy at the state level. State politics, with the collapse of the local press and its consolidation by a handful of corporations, is an easy mark. It is rarely covered and almost never in depth. Corporations, for relatively small costs, can buy the loyalty of state officials and banish those who do not do their bidding. What is happening, as the historian Paul Street writes, is that in the white nationalist “flyover” states, Republican neofascists are hard wiring these jurisdictions to orchestrate this creeping coup with Leninist discipline.

Paul Street is the author of ten books including his latest Hollow Resistance: Obama, Trump, and the Politics of Appeasement. He also writes regularly for Counterpunch where he published a recent column headlined “What Happens in the Red States."

‘This Is a Total Fabrication of the Government’ – Ex-NSA Official William Binney on Assange’s Case

Nov 3, 2021 • The extradition trial of WikiLeaks co-founder Julian Assange made headlines worldwide last week, and his fate still hangs in the balance. RT talks to former NSA intelligence official and whistleblower William Binney, who says the governments involved want to silence the free media. [Originally aired on 27/10]

The UK Must Ban ‘Conversion Therapy’ – Even for Adults Who Claim to Want It

THE GUARDIAN – OPINION: In allowing over-18s to give ‘informed consent’ to this abusive practice, the government is pandering to rightwing evangelicals

Last week the government finally published its proposals on how it intends to ban the degrading practice of so-called “conversion therapy”. It has taken years of lobbying, several high-profile resignations, as well as various statements from senior religious leaders and indeed whole denominations – such as the Church of England and the Methodist church – to get us to this point. Was it worth the wait?

In truth there is much in the proposals that can and should be welcomed. The government has shown willing to listen to the senior human rights lawyers behind the Cooper report, which I convened, and has accepted our proposal of a two-pronged approach involving both criminal and civil remedies. This means that as well as clear criminal sanctions against perpetrators, who now face sentence of up to five years and a hefty fine, it will also introduce new protection orders that will work to safeguard young vulnerable LGBT+ people from harm.

That is, if you are under 18 or have been found to have been forced or coerced into conversion therapy. But this restriction, focusing purely on the under-18s, is woefully inadequate and leaves thousands still open to abuse, particularly in religious settings – which the government’s own research has shown accounts for the majority of conversion practices. The new law would still allow adults to freely seek out such therapies. However, we know that it is young adults (aged 18-24) who are vulnerable to significant risk when they leave home and find themselves wooed by fundamentalist religious groups. » | Jayne Ozanne | Tuesday, November 2, 2021

Les talibans interdisent l'utilisation de devises étrangères aux Afghans

LE FIGARO : Le gouvernement taliban a annoncé mardi qu'il serait désormais interdit d'utiliser des devises étrangères dans le pays, mettant encore plus à risque une économie déjà en lambeaux. «La situation économique et l'intérêt national du pays nécessitent que tous les Afghans se servent de l'afghani comme monnaie pour toutes leurs transactions», a indiqué le porte-parole taliban Zabihullah Mujahid dans un communiqué. «L'Emirat islamique ordonne à tous ses citoyens, commerçants, marchands, hommes d'affaires (...) de strictement s'abstenir d'utiliser des devises étrangères», insiste le responsable. » | Par Le Figaro avec AFP | mardi 2 novembre 2021

Turkey: Homosexuality Could Soon Be “Illegal”

Mar 15, 2021 • “The clock is ticking! Homosexuality will be illegal in Turkey! We must act NOW! Recently, Turkish President Erdogan said there was no such thing as LGBT people! His Interior Minister referred to protesters as ‘LGBT Deviants’ on Twitter. Their rhetoric is ramping up, and we KNOW how this will end. Soon, it will be illegal to be LGBTQ in Turkey. We must act NOW!”

In this video, Okan Sengun explains what is happening in Turkey. From the 2021 Boğaziçi University student protests, trans women were arrested at the Women's March.

Okan explains what Twitter should do immediately to stop the spread of hate speeches in Turkey and the horrible end gay Turks are facing if they don’t speak out.

Abus sexuels : l’Eglise doit reconnaître sa responsabilité

LE MONDE : Réunis en assemblée plénière du 2 au 8 novembre, les évêques de France doivent tirer les conséquences du rapport Sauvé. De leur capacité à engager de profondes réformes dépend l’avenir de la première religion de France.

Editorial du « Monde ». Pour l’Eglise catholique, c’est peu de dire que le rapport Sauvé sur les abus sexuels commis en son sein, rendu public le 5 octobre, a fait l’effet d’une déflagration. La surprise est venue moins de la mise au jour d’un scandale déjà amplement connu, grâce aux témoignages des victimes, que de son ampleur – 216 000 personnes aujourd’hui majeures auraient été agressées sexuellement par des prêtres ou des religieux depuis 1950 – et du fait que l’Eglise soit désignée comme l’institution, en dehors de la famille, où de telles agressions sont de loin les plus fréquentes.

Dans l’Eglise, les abus sexuels ont un caractère « massif » et « systémique », a assené le rapport rédigé à la demande de l’épiscopat par l’ancien vice-président du Conseil d’Etat. Les évêques français, réunis à Lourdes du 2 au 8 novembre en assemblée plénière, vont devoir décider des mesures à prendre, non seulement pour réparer les vies blessées, mais aussi pour réformer le mode de fonctionnement d’une institution où la dissimulation et la non-dénonciation de délits et de crimes sexuels ont longtemps prévalu, et dont le discours sur la sexualité masque un immense malaise. » | ÉDITORIAL | mardi 2 novembre 2021

Shutting Down Historical Debate, China Makes It a Crime to Mock Heroes

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Under a new law, China has zealously prosecuted even the perceived slander of Communist figures, broadening Xi Jinping’s campaign to dominate party orthodoxy.

A painting showing Mao with Red Army soldiers and officers at the National Art Museum in Beijing during the exhibition “100 Years Toward Greatness” in June. | Gilles Sabrié for The New York Times
The young woman in Beijing began her post complaining about mobs gathering online, where recluses vent misogynistic insecurities from the safety of desk chairs. As provocative as it was, it might have passed unnoticed except that she added another beat.

She mocked the toxic masculinity of users imagining themselves as Dong Cunrui, a textbook war hero who, according to Chinese Communist Party lore, died valiantly during the civil war that brought the party to power in 1949.

For that passing reference, the woman, 27 and identified in court only by her last name, Xu, was sentenced last month to seven months in prison.

Her crime: violating a newly amended criminal code that punishes the slander of China’s martyrs and heroes. Since it went into effect in March, the statute has been enforced with a revolutionary zeal, part of an intensified campaign under China’s leader, Xi Jinping, to sanctify the Communist Party’s version of history — and his vision for the country’s future. » | Steven Lee Myers | Tuesday, November 2, 2021

Michael Bublé : Everything