L’Allemagne va légaliser le cannabis

Le libéral Christian Lindner, le social-démocrate Olaf Scholz, ministre des Finances sortant et futur chancellier, et les deux écologistes Die Grünen, Annabela Baerbock et Robert Habeck. TOBIAS SCHWARZ/AFP
LE FIGARO : Le futur gouvernement alliant le SPD, les Verts et les libéraux a dévoilé, mercredi, son contrat de coalition.

Deux des trois partis qui vont gouverner l’Allemagne s’appuient sur des fondements idéologiques différents. Les Verts et le FDP, qui se partagent tous les deux un électorat jeune et libéral, ont néanmoins milité ensemble pour faire adopter par le futur gouvernement une proposition de légalisation du cannabis. Le projet figure en page 87 de leur contrat de coalition, présenté mercredi à Berlin, qui en compte 177. Il rompt avec des années de politique sécuritaire, privilégiée par la CDU, en matière de drogue. «Nous introduisons la distribution contrôlée de cannabis aux adultes à des fins récréatives dans les magasins agréés, ce qui permet de contrôler la qualité, d’empêcher la distribution de substances contaminées et de protéger la santé publique , écrivent les auteurs du document. » | Par Pierre Avril | Publié : mercredi 24 novembre 2021 ; mis à jour : jeudi 25 novembre 2021

Travel Restrictions Multiply for African Countries over Fears of a New Variant

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Countries around the world moved to restrict travel from southern Africa on Friday in a frantic effort to keep a newly identified, and apparently significantly evolved, variant of the coronavirus from crossing their borders.

The European Commission proposed that its members activate the “emergency brake” on travel from countries in southern African and other countries affected to limit the spread of the new variant.

“All air travel to these countries should be suspended until we have a clear understanding about the danger posed by this new variant,” Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Union’s executive arm, said in a statement. “And travelers returning from this region should respect strict quarantine rules.”

In the past, governments have taken days, weeks or months to issue travel restrictions in response to new variants. This time, restrictions came within hours of South Africa’s announcement — at least 10 countries around the world had announced measures before South African scientists had finished a meeting with World Health Organization experts about the variant on Friday. » | Jason Horowitz, Lynsey Chutel and Mike Ives | Friday, November 26, 2021

Covid-19 en Europe : un premier cas du nouveau variant détecté en Belgique : La Belgique est le premier pays européen à détecter un cas du variant B.1.1.529. Le patient contaminé est revenu d'Égypte le 11 novembre dernier. »

The Guardian View on Deaths in the Channel: The Tide of Xenophobia

THE GUARDIAN – EDITORIAL: The government must stop pandering to anti-migrant sentiment and come up with a humane policy that meets its international responsibilities

‘Mr Johnson and his home secretary, Priti Patel, reveal no desire to escape the trap of xenophobic rhetoric.’ Photograph: Jessica Taylor/UK Parliament/AFP/Getty Images
Boris Johnson’s government must develop a new approach to asylum as a matter of urgency. The deaths of 27 people who were attempting to reach England in a small boat on Wednesday have prompted an outpouring of distress. No one wants the Channel to become a graveyard, and the stricken faces of the people interviewed by journalists in northern France over recent days have brought home their sheer desperation to millions of Britons.

But unless Mr Johnson and his most senior colleagues and advisers take the lead in setting out a different direction, there is no reason to think that this tragedy will mark any kind of turning point. At the moment, the government appears trapped in a snare of its own making – along with the section of the public that it took with it when ministers decided to talk and act tough on asylum seekers. This is what led to the shameful situation in which the main response to this week’s tragedy is to blame the French. The government push for morally and legally dubious legislation designed to create an even more hostile environment is justified by claims that the number of people seeking asylum is overwhelming. » | Editorial | Thursday, November 25, 2021

Macron Attacks Johnson for Trying to Negotiate Migration Crisis via Tweets

Nov 26, 2021 • The French president, Emmanuel Macron, has reprimanded Boris Johnson for trying to negotiate with him about stopping people crossing the Channel in public, via Twitter. He said he was 'surprised' by Johnson’s decision to communicate with him in this way, because it was 'not serious'. He added: 'We don’t communicate by tweets'

Macron tells Johnson to ‘get serious’ on Channel crisis after tweeted letter: French president says: ‘We do not communicate on these issues by tweets’ after PM issues five-point plan via Twitter »

Channel Deaths: Priti Patel Disinvited to Meeting with France

THE GUARDIAN: Boris Johnson’s public letter to Emmanuel Macron on Channel drownings deemed ‘unacceptable’

Priti Patel makes a statement on the 'small boats incident in the Channel' in the House of Commons. Photograph: Jessica Taylor/UK Parliament/AFP/Getty
The French government has withdrawn an invitation to the home secretary, Priti Patel, to attend a meeting about the Channel boats crisis after Boris Johnson called on France to take back people who crossed the Channel to the UK in small boats.

In an escalation of the political crisis after the deaths of 27 people in the Channel, the French interior minister, Gérald Darmanin, has written to Patel to say a meeting on Sunday would proceed without British involvement.

It follows Johnson’s letter to President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday night setting out five steps to avoid a repeat of Wednesday’s tragedy. The letter was sent publicly as a tweet in time for the front pages of UK newspapers and French officials confirmed Macron had not seen the letter before Johnson tweeted it.

Darmanin told Patel the letter from Johnson to Macron, suggesting France take back people who cross the Channel, was a “disappointment”.

Referring to Johnson’s posting of the letter on social media, he added: “Making it public made it even worse. I therefore need to cancel our meeting in Calais on Sunday.” » | Rajeev Syal and Jon Henley | Friday, November 26, 2021

Crise des Migrants : Macron dénonce les méthodes «pas sérieuses» de Londres, Johnson assume : Boris Johnson a demandé à Emmanuel Macron dans une lettre publique de reprendre les migrants arrivant en Angleterre depuis la France. En réaction, Gérald Darmanin a annulé la participation britannique à une réunion de crise. »

France-U.K. Acrimony Over Channel Crossings Deepens: The French responded angrily to Boris Johnson’s suggestion that France take back migrants who reach Britain, and rescinded an invitation for a top British official to discuss the crisis. »

Aus deutscher Sicht:

Paris und London müssen kooperieren! : Seit dem Brexit ist das Klima zwischen Paris und London rauher geworden. Der Geist der Partnerschaft hat sich verflüchtigt. Das kostet Menschenleben. »

Faith & Fate | Episode 4 – Ominous Skies. 1930 - 1939

Premiered Sep 6, 2020 • The story of the Jews facing the rise of Hitler before the Holocaust. How the evil of one man bamboozled the whole world. How winning World War I and the Great Depression set the stage for World War II. The mistakes. The deceptions. The unheeded lessons of history.

Previous episodes here.

Marvin Gaye : I Heard It Through the Grapevine

Hits on YouTube : 37,754,663

Elvis Presley : Hound Dog | Official Audio

Views (Hits) on YouTube: 25,302,822

Michael Jackson : The Way You Make Me Feel | Official Video

Views on YouTube: 401,957,543

Ian Blackford Hammers Boris Johnson at PMQs

Nov 24, 2021 • Ian Blackford goes after Boris Johnson in the house of commons at Prime Minister's Questions.

The Tories now see that although Johnson can win elections, he simply can’t govern: The prime minister’s disastrous CBI speech might prove the catalyst that turns the party against his leadership style »

Dimitra’s Dishes : Baked Cod Harissa for Date Night

Get the recipe here.

George Michael : Careless Whisper | Official Video

Views on YouTube: 784,355,011

Mein Mann ist schwul: Das Coming Out eines Familienvaters – ARD, HD, Doku (2014)

Same-sex Marriage Backed by Chile’s MPs

Supporters campaigning for marriage equality at a Pride parade in Santiago this month MATIAS BASUALDO/ZUMA PRESS WIRE/ALAMY
THE TIMES: Chile’s parliament is on course to legalise same-sex marriage, four years after the reform was first proposed and despite the country’s conservative reputation among religious Latin American nations.

The lower house in Santiago approved a bill on Tuesday that would allow gay and lesbian couples to marry, sending the measure back to the Senate, where it appears to have the support needed to become law. The bill also permits same-sex couples to adopt children, recognises maternity leave for transgender people and grants a widow’s or widower’s pension for same-sex couples. » | Steven Grattan, Bogota | Thursday, November 25, 2021

Newcastle LGBTQ+ Fans' Group on 'Harrowing' Online Abuse after Saudi Takeover

CHRONICLE LIVE: Newcastle United's LBTQ+ supporters' group have faced online abuse in the wake of their takeover statement welcoming the new owners

The co-chair of Newcastle United's LGBTQ+ supporters' group has opened up on the online abuse they have received since the Saudi-backed takeover was confirmed.

United with Pride has faced heavy criticism since releasing a statement last month on the day the long-awaited sale of the Magpies was confirmed.

The fans' group outlined their hope that working with the new owners could lead to a 'a positive influence to improving the conditions for the LGBTQ+ community in Saudi Arabia'.

However, human rights organisation Fair Square labelled their approach as 'naive', while critics were quick to highlight the contrast in their pre-takeover declarations of there being 'no room for discrimination'.

Saudi Arabia's human rights record and their intolerance of same-sex relationships has come under greater scrutiny as a result of the Magpies takeover, with Amnesty International demanding changes to the Premier League's owners' and directors' test.

United with Pride's co-chair Ian Pearson-Brown has labelled it a 'harrowing' five weeks since, and fears the group's positive work to date has been undone. » | Chris Knight Business of Football writer | Wednesday, November 24, 2021

Brexit : les pêcheurs français annoncent des blocages dans plusieurs ports et devant le tunnel sous la Manche

Olivier Leprêtre, président du comité régional des pêches des Hauts-de-France. FRANCOIS LO PRESTI / AFP
LE FIGARO : Les pêcheurs mèneront des actions de blocage ponctuelles ce vendredi dans les ports de Saint-Malo, Calais et Ouistreham. L'accès au tunnel sous la Manche sera également bloqué en début d'après-midi.

Les pêcheurs du Pas-de-Calais, de Ouistreham et de Saint-Malo conduiront vendredi une action de blocage dans trois ports français, et devant l'accès au tunnel sous la Manche. «Les pêcheurs demandent la résolution immédiate du litige qui nous oppose au Royaume-Uni dans l'interprétation de l'accord de Brexit», a déclaré ce jeudi Gérard Romiti, le président du comité national des pêches. «Notre patience a ses limites, elle n'a été que trop éprouvée.» » | Par Edouard de Mareschal | jeudi 25 novembre 2021

«Le conflit va se durcir, c'est certain» : la colère des pêcheurs français piégés par le Brexit : REPORTAGE - À Boulogne-sur-Mer, les pêcheurs participeront aux blocages annoncés vendredi dans plusieurs ports de France. Ils menacent de poursuivre leurs actions si le contentieux des licences de pêche n'est pas réglé rapidement par la Commission européenne. »

French fishers to block Channel tunnel in Brexit licences row: Members of industry association say large number of vehicles will be used to block key artery between nations »

Australia: LGBTQ Advocates Blast Religious Discrimination Bill

BBC: Australia has introduced a new controversial bill aimed at protecting religious people from "cancel culture".

Among other things, it would allow Catholic schools the right to fire teachers or expel gay students in the name of "religious ethos".

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the Religious Discrimination Bill, if passed, would ensure protection for religious people and organisations, like churches, to express beliefs.

Critics say it is "deeply unbalanced".

Introducing the bill on Thursday, Mr Morrison said it aimed to protect people's "statements of belief" as long as it was not "harassment, vilification or intimation of anyone."

But Australia's Human Rights Law Centre said the bill fails to "fairly balance the right to equality with the freedom of religion".

Human rights and LGBT groups have also warned the law would instead grant licence for people to express bigoted views.

The law also authorises people to express derogatory or harmful comments in a workplace, school and health setting, the human rights group said. » | BBC | Thursday, November 25, 2021

To All My American Visitors and Followers: A Blessed and Happy Thanksgiving!

Photograph : Adobe Stock

The Guardian View on Europe’s Covid Protests: Treat with Care

THE GUARDIAN – EDITORIAL: The unvaccinated are contributing to a fourth wave. But governments must do all they can to avoid two-tier societies becoming the norm

As a fourth wave of Covid-19 infections threatens to overwhelm intensive care units in hospitals from Brussels to Berlin, European governments have begun to sound exasperated as well as anxious. On Monday, the German health minister, Jens Spahn, starkly laid out the stakes of the coming winter, in terms designed to function as a wake-up call. By the spring, Mr Spahn warned, the vast majority of Germans would be “vaccinated, cured or dead”. The Dutch prime minister, Mark Rutte, dismissed violent protesters against restrictions on the unjabbed as “idiots”, while his Belgian counterpart, Alexander De Croo, said that similar scenes in Brussels were “absolutely unacceptable”.

The comments of Mr Rutte and Mr De Croo were explicitly directed at the violent fringe that hijacked demonstrations in the Belgian capital and Rotterdam. But there is a more general sense of frustration among political leaders in western Europe: as an expected autumn surge duly comes to pass, a significant minority of citizens are deepening the crisis by refusing to be vaccinated. Dealing with this section of the population, which is far more likely to need hospital treatment after infection, has become a major policy dilemma for governments seeking to juggle civil liberties with the need to protect the interests of society as a whole. » | Editorial | Tuesday, November 23, 2021

A Message to My Followers and Visitors

In recent weeks, I have had a hacking problem again. Somebody is playing around with my ‘Page View Counter’. Each day, despite my hits increasing, thousands of page views are being ‘shaved off’ my stats.

I know that this cannot be accurate because my stats are monitored by Google itself and by other external sources. The numbers being shown on the counter do not tally with the numbers recorded by other websites, including Google itself.

For this reason, I have decided to remove the counter from my blog because of this tampering. In any case, it is not an accurate reflection of the visitors I receive. The actual number is much higher than is being shown by that counter.

If and when things settle down, I might re-introduce the counter; but for the time being, I feel that it is better and less stressful that it be removed.

I should like to take this opportunity to thank you ALL for your continued support. I can assure you that it is most apprecaited. Again, I would like to say that if there is any way you feel that this blog can be improved, you are most welcome to email me with your suggestions.

Naturally, I am saddened that I feel the need to take this step. But I feel sure that you will understand that I find it demoralizing to find that thousands upon thousands of page views are being taken away each week without any reason. This is NOT caused by an algorithm; rather, it is being caused by the human hand.

Sincerely

Mark Alexander