As French Election Looms, Candidates Stake Out Tough Positions on Migrants

THE NEW YORK TIMES: France has fewer immigrants than other rich nations. But politicians are hardening their positions against immigration even as other countries compete for migrant workers.

Migrants waiting to be allocated emergency accommodation by a nonprofit organization in Paris in April. | Andrea Mantovani for The New York Times
PARIS — An out-of-control influx of immigrants. A threat to French identity and stability. A reason to urgently close France’s frontiers.

The issue of immigration is dominating political debate in the country five months before presidential elections, as candidates on the right as well as the left harden their positions. The drowning last week of 27 migrants off France’s northern coast has only added to the argument that migration must be checked.

Despite the fierce words on the campaign trail, the reality is far different: Nearly all of France’s neighbors have a greater proportion of immigrants in their populations. In the past decade, immigration has grown less in France than in the rest of Europe or in other rich nations worldwide.

The figures show that the migration situation in France is “rather ordinary, rather moderate,’’ said François Héran, a leading expert on migration who teaches at Collège de France. “We’re really not a country overrun by immigration,’’ Mr. Héran said. » | Norimitsu Onishi | Thursday, December 2, 2021

The End of Roe Is Coming, and It Is Coming Soon

Damon Winter/The New York Times
OPINION : GUEST ESSAY
THE NEW YORK TIMES: As someone who has spent my career studying the history of abortion, I thought I knew what to expect tuning into Wednesday’s oral arguments in the Supreme Court abortion case, Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. It was clear that big changes were coming to U.S. abortion law, no matter what. The Mississippi law at issue bans abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy, even though Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey recognize a right to choose abortion significantly later in pregnancy. So if the court sides with Mississippi in this case — as it is widely expected to do — then American abortion rights will be fundamentally undermined.

The only real question is how the justices will rationalize their decision to side with Mississippi. And on that front, I fear I was wrong.

There are two likely scenarios for how this decision could go: The justices could throw out the so-called viability standard, which is the underpinning of abortion law today. (Viability is the point at which a fetus can survive outside the womb, or about 23 weeks of pregnancy.) Or they could do something much more radical and say — precedent be damned — there is no right to abortion in America at all.

After hearing arguments, I now believe that the justices will fully overturn Roe v. Wade when their decision comes down next year. » | Mary Ziegler * | Wednesday, December 1, 2021

* Ms. Ziegler is the author of “Abortion and the Law in America: Roe v. Wade to the Present.”

Abortion rights advocates vow to fight on after supreme court hearing: Leaders say they will look to statehouses and lower courts if justices allow undermining of Roe v Wade »

Conservative US supreme court justices signal support for restricting abortion in pivotal case: Case poses a direct threat to the legal underpinnings of the landmark 1973 Roe v Wade ruling that guaranteed the constitutional right to abortion »

Five takeaways from US supreme court’s Mississippi abortion rights case hearing: The Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Oganization case could weaken the provisions of the landmark 1973 Roe v Wade ruling »

Abortion at the Court: The Supreme Court seems likely to undermine or overturn Roe v. Wade. »

Covid Surge in Germany: Is a Lockdown Inevitable? | DW News

As Germany faces record-breaking infection numbers and fears of the omicron variant abound, Angela Merkel's designated successor Olaf Scholz is calling for a general vaccine mandate. Talking to Germany's Bild television on Tuesday, the chancellor-in-waiting said he would like to see mandatory vaccinations "not too far away in the future, so I suggest beginning of February or March." At the same time, he said that the decision would be made in the parliament, and that it would be a "matter of conscience" for individual lawmakers. Germany's Federal Medical Association also called for a vaccine mandate to put a stop to the "endless loop of lockdowns." It urged the German government to make arrangements that would apply to "all adult citizens with no medical contra-indications against a vaccine." The question of mandatory vaccination is considered controversial in Germany, partly due to forced medical treatments during the Nazi-era. Separately, spokesman for the outgoing German government Steffen Seibert said a decision on the vaccine mandate would be made "soon."

According to Reuters news agency, Scholz also supported the idea of introducing so-called 2G rules for customers in retail stores, meaning they must be either vaccinated ("geimpft") or have recovered ("genesen") from COVID-19. The rules would not apply in supermarkets or drugstores. Reuters said that Scholz had pledged to make changes to the Infection Protection Act to provide "states with high infection rates with a suitable set of instruments." Scholz also introduced Major General Carsten Breuer as the head of a planned COVID crisis team to be set up when the new coalition government commences work. The team is to primarily speed up Germany's vaccination program, including the administering of booster injections. States governed by premiers from Scholz's Social Democrats (SPD) called for the the protection given by vaccination to be officially recognized only for six months, the daily Rheinische Post reported, citing the waning efficacy of the vaccines after that period.

Also on Tuesday, the Federal Constitutional Court ruled that the "emergency brake" imposed by the federal government from April to June was compatible with the constitution. Under the measure, districts and regions were required to implement curfews, contact restrictions and other curbs when the infection rate rose above certain levels. Several state premiers have called for similar nationwide measures to be reintroduced as Germany struggles to contain a fourth wave of the pandemic that has recently been additionally complicated by the advent of the omicron variant.

Covid: Avoid ‘Snogging under Mistletoe’ This Christmas, Says UK Minister

THE GUARDIAN: Thérèse Coffey says people should not kiss anyone they do not know to limit spread of coronavirus

Thérèse Coffey: ‘I don’t think there should be much snogging under the mistletoe. You don’t need to do things like that.’ Photograph: DW Images/Rex/Shutterstock
Britons should avoid “snogging under the mistletoe” this Christmas, according to a government minister, as a leading scientist said people could enjoy Christmas if they took “sensible” precautions.

The work and pensions secretary, Thérèse Coffey, told ITV’s Peston programme that “we should all be trying to enjoy the Christmas ahead of us”, adding: “For what it’s worth, I don’t think there should be much snogging under the mistletoe.”

She added: “You don’t need to do things like that. But I think we should all be trying to enjoy the Christmas ahead of us, and that’s why we’re working so hard to get the deployment of as many vaccines as possible.”

Coffey said kissing should be avoided with “people you don’t already know”.

She later tweeted: “Watch the full interview folks … Don’t kiss with people you don’t know … government working exceptionally hard with NHS and the jabs army to get boosters in arms so we can all enjoy a proper Christmas knees up.” » | Alexandra Topping and Aubrey Allegretti | Thursday, December 2, 2021

MP Warns of Financial Corruption in UK Escaping ‘Toothless’ Enforcers

THE GUARDIAN: Economic crime needs to ‘be taken seriously’ alongside tougher anti-money laundering levy, says Hodge

The Pandora Papers leak shows that the UK is in danger of becoming a corrupt country because it is failing to take economic crime seriously enough, the former chair of the public accounts watchdog told MPs, as she called for more funding for financial crime enforcers.

Dame Margaret Hodge, a senior Labour MP, raised the issue in the Commons as part of a debate on the finance bill, highlighting the central role of London in facilitating economic crime.

She said the Pandora Papers, leaked to the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) and shared with media around the world including the Guardian, comprised “the largest cache of documents we have ever received” in relation to tax havens.

“The UK lies at the heart of everything revealed there,” she said. “Others have talked about secret property transactions that took place – £4bn identified in the Pandora Papers. There are more UK citizens cited in that tranche of leaks than from any other country. The relationship between the UK and our tax havens is central to the facilitation of economic crime, and again we see the weak and toothless enforcement agencies.” » | Rowena Mason, Deputy political editor | Thursday, December 2, 2021

Macron Privately Called Boris Johnson a ‘Clown’, Says French Magazine

THE GUARDIAN: Report follows French president’s complaint about PM’s behaviour after they discussed sinking of refugee boat in the Channel

Macron reportedly said of Johnson: ‘We have discussions like big people, and then he gives us a hard time before or afterwards in an inelegant way. It’s always the same circus.’ Photograph: Murdo MacLeod/The Guardian
The French president, Emmanuel Macron, referred to Boris Johnson in a private conversation as a “clown”, according to reports in France.

The political magazine Le Canard enchaîné, often described as the French equivalent of Private Eye, reported Macron as saying the British prime minister has “the attitude of a vulgarian”.

It came as Macron complained about Johnson’s behaviour after the leaders spoke by phone after last Wednesday’s sinking of a refugee boat in the Channel.

The French president was angered after Johnson tweeted a letter outlining a five-point plan to tackle the issue of Channel crossings. “I spoke two days ago with prime minister Johnson in a serious way,” Macron said at a press conference on Friday after the tweet. “For my part I continue to do that, as I do with all countries and all leaders. I am surprised by methods when they are not serious. We do not communicate from one leader to another on these issues by tweets and letters that we make public.” » | Tom Ambrose | Thursday, December 2, 2021

Democracy Now! Top US News & World Headlines — December 1, 2021

Prince Harry Compares Covid Vaccine Inequity to HIV Struggle

THE GUARDIAN: Duke of Sussex says on World Aids Day that vaccinating the world against Covid is ‘test of our moral character’

Prince Harry described the emergence of the Omicron variant of Covid-19 as of ‘deep concern’.Photograph: Caitlin Ochs/Reuters
The Duke of Sussex has warned of “corporate greed and political failure” prolonging the Covid pandemic, comparing a “spectacular failure” of global vaccine equity to the struggle by millions to access HIV medicines.

In a letter read out at a World Health Organization (WHO) and UNAIDS event on World Aids Day, Prince Harry said lessons must be learned from the HIV/Aids pandemic.

Vaccinating the world was a “test of our moral character”, he wrote. “It’s time to draw from the lessons we learned throughout the HIV/Aids pandemic, where millions died unnecessarily due to deep inequities in access to treatment.

“Are we really comfortable repeating the failures of the past? Everything I’ve learned from the youth of Sentebale [his charity in Lesotho and Botswana] tells me not. They see how repeating these mistakes is destructive and self-defeating, it is a betrayal of the next generation.”

He said his late mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, who helped to highlight the work of Aids charities, would be “deeply grateful” to the scientific community for their work in combating the disease. » | Caroline Davies | Wednesday, December 1, 2021

Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex:

Meghan calls for tabloid industry overhaul as Mail on Sunday loses appeal: ANL had brought appeal after duchess sued publisher over articles relating to letter she sent to estranged father »

Une cheffe étoilée parie sur le vegan | ARTE Regards

Début 2021, l’établissement bordelais "ONA", acronyme de "Origine Non Animale", est le premier restaurant vegan à recevoir une étoile Michelin. Une petite révolution ! Jusqu’alors, gastronomie et politique avaient réussi à empêcher l'innovation dans cette cuisine d’excellence obnubilée par la viande

. La fameuse haute gastronomie française serait-elle sur le point de changer radicalement ?

Reportage (Allemagne, 2021, 32mn)

Disponible jusqu'au 23/08/2022

La Cour suprême, épicentre des batailles politiques américaines

La Cour suprême est composée de neuf juges, nommés à vie. ERIN SCHAFF/AFP
LE FIGARO : DÉCRYPTAGE - Désormais dominée par la droite, l’institution se penche à partir de mercredi sur la question de l’avortement.

Correspondant à Washington
La Cour suprême américaine doit examiner ce mercredi la constitutionnalité d’une loi votée par le Mississippi qui restreint l’avortement à 15 semaines après le début de la grossesse. La Cour doit aussi rendre sa décision sur une autre loi, votée par le Texas, qui empêche depuis septembre tout avortement au-delà de six semaines. Les démocrates craignent de voir une Cour dorénavant dominée par une majorité conservatrice annuler la décision Roe vs Wade de 1973, et revenir sur le droit à l’avortement aux États-Unis.

Ils sont neuf, nommés à vie. Arbitres des lois, chargés de garantir l’égalité devant la justice, les juges de la Cour suprême sont aussi les interprètes d’une Constitution rédigée à la fin du XVIIIe siècle, et qui reste la clef de voûte de la république américaine. Dans un climat politique profondément divisé, entre un Congrès fréquemment paralysé, et un président dont les pouvoirs législatifs ne sont pas infinis, la Cour a vu son pouvoir croître. En face du Capitole, derrière les colonnes de la façade inspirée de celle du Parthénon, la Cour suprême est devenue de plus en plus fréquemment un contre-pouvoir aux politiques progressistes démocrates. » | Par Adrien Jaulmes | mardi 30 novembre 2021

Réservé aux abonnés

It Gets Better - John Corvino

Prepare for More Extreme Weather, Britons Warned in Wake of Storm Arwen

THE GUARDIAN: Business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng says climate crisis likely to cause future extreme weather events

A fallen tree in north Tyneside after Storm Arwen’s winds of up to 100mph hit the UK.Photograph: Owen Humphreys/PA
Storm Arwen was “an event the likes of which we haven’t seen for 60 years” and the UK needs to be prepared for more extreme weather due to the climate crisis, according to the business secretary, as more than 30,000 homes remain without power.

Kwasi Kwarteng said the majority of those people will have power restored “in the next day or two”, although he conceded some in remote locations may have to wait much longer.

Paying tribute to the three people who died in the storm, the business secretary said the exceptionally strong winds of almost 100mph had damaged power lines and required an enormous restoration effort by engineers.

The most severely affected areas are the Wear valley, surrounding Eastgate and north Northumberland, the north Peak District and the south Lakes in northern England, and Aberdeen and Perth in Scotland. » | Maya Wolfe-Robinson and agencies | Wednesday, December 1, 2021

The Rise of Éric Zemmour Shows How Far France Has Shifted to the Right

THE GUARDIAN: The far-right media pundit is now a presidential candidate – and his toxic ideas have ever more mainstream support

Éric Zemmour announces his candidacy for the 2022 presidential election in a video broadcast on social media, Paris, 30 November 2021. Photograph: Thomas Samson/AFP/Getty Images
On 17 November, the far-right journalist and polemicist Éric Zemmour went on trial in Paris on charges of incitement to racial hatred. In September 2020, he had said on the French news broadcaster CNews that unaccompanied foreign minors were “thieves, they’re murderers, they’re rapists, that’s all they are. We must send them back”. He did not appear at the trial and was represented by his lawyers, who said the charges were unfounded. The verdict is expected to be delivered next year.

Zemmour has previously been convicted of incitement to racial hatred and religious hatred and been tried and acquitted in several other cases. But the stakes are different this time: the defendant is now a candidate for president of the French republic. In early November, polls indicated that up to 17% of the electorate would choose him for next president. This placed him behind only Emmanuel Macron, suggesting that the second round of the election could be between the two men. On 30 November, he officially announced his candidacy. » | Didier Fassin * | Wednesday, November 1, 2021

* Didier Fassin is a professor at the Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, and director of studies at the École des Hautes Études, Paris

Donald Trump Accuses Meghan of Disrespect towards Royal Family

THE GUARDIAN: Former president says Prince Harry ‘has been used horribly’ in interview with Nigel Farage

The former US president Donald Trump has accused the Duchess of Sussex of being “disrespectful” to the Queen and the royal family.

In a wide-ranging interview with the politician turned broadcaster Nigel Farage, Trump said he thought the Duke of Sussex had been “used horribly”.

The interview with Trump, 75, whose presidency ended in January 2021, took place in Florida on Monday and will be broadcast on GB News.

Speaking about Meghan, Trump said: “I’m not a fan of hers. I wasn’t from day one. I think Harry has been used horribly and I think some day he will regret it.”

According to GB News, he added: “I think Harry’s been used and been used terribly. I think it’s ruined his relationship with his family, and it hurts the Queen.” » | Jamie Grierson | Wednesday, November 1, 2021

Füreinander da sein.

Être là l'un pour l'autre. / Being there for each other.
Ich bedanke mich bei anderson-hummels.tumblr.com auf Pinterest für dieses schöne und ausdrucksvolle Foto.

Just a Little Passion!

via GIPHY

Juste un peu de passion ! / Nur ein bißchen Leidenschaft!

Former VP Mike Pence Asks US Supreme Court to Overturn Abortion Rights - BBC News

Former Vice-President Mike Pence has called on the Supreme Court to overturn the landmark 1973 Roe v Wade case that legalised abortion in the US. Mr Pence said the ruling was "a misguided decision" that harmed millions of unborn babies.

If Roe v Wade is quashed, millions of women would lose access to abortions. On Wednesday, the Supreme Court will hear arguments over a Mississippi law banning abortion after 15 weeks. The ban includes abortions on pregnancies caused by rape or incest.


If Mike Pence gets his way, desperate women in the USA will soon have to resort to the Victorian solution to abort unwanted babies: gin and knitting needles! – © Mark

CNN Suspends Chris Cuomo After New Details on Help He Gave His Brother

THE NEW YORK TIMES: The cable news network’s top-rated anchor was an intimate adviser to Andrew Cuomo in the last 18 months of his governorship.

The star CNN anchor Chris Cuomo was suspended indefinitely by the network on Tuesday after new details emerged about his efforts to assist his brother, Andrew M. Cuomo, the former governor of New York, as he faced a cascade of sexual harassment accusations that led to the governor’s resignation.

Chris Cuomo had previously apologized for advising Andrew Cuomo’s senior political aides — a breach of traditional barriers between journalists and lawmakers — but thousands of pages of evidence released on Monday by the New York attorney general, Letitia James, revealed that the anchor’s role had been more intimate and involved than previously known.

“The documents, which we were not privy to before their public release, raise serious questions,” CNN said in a statement on Tuesday. “When Chris admitted to us that he had offered advice to his brother’s staff, he broke our rules and we acknowledged that publicly. But we also appreciated the unique position he was in and understood his need to put family first and job second. However, these documents point to a greater level of involvement in his brother’s efforts than we previously knew.

“As a result, we have suspended Chris indefinitely, pending further evaluation,” the network added. » | Michael M. Grynbaum and John Koblin | Published: Tuesday, November 30, 2021; Updated: Wednesday, December 1, 2021

Zemmours düstere Zukunftsvision

PRÄSIDENTENWAHL IN FRANKREICH
FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG: Eric Zemmour sieht Frankreich auf dem Weg zu einem „Dritte-Welt-Land“. Deshalb hat der rechtsextreme Publizist seine Präsidentschaftskandidatur erklärt. Doch er verliert wichtige Unterstützer – zu groß sind seine Skandale.

In einer Videoaufzeichnung hat der rechtsextreme Publizist Eric Zemmour am Dienstag seine Präsidentschaftskandidatur erklärt: „Wir haben eine Mission zu erfüllen“, sagte der 63 Jahre alte Politiker. Er wolle „Frankreich retten“, deshalb habe er sich dazu entschieden, bei der Präsidentenwahl im nächsten Frühjahr anzutreten. Das Land sei nicht mehr wiederzuerkennen, sagte er und verwies auf „Masseneinwanderung, die alle Probleme verschärft hat“. Frankreich sei „eine große Nation“ und „ein großes Volk“. Er wolle diese Nation vor dem Aussterben bewahren. » | Von Michaela Wiegel, Paris | Dienstag, 30. November 2021

Tessin: Kultur einer Küche - Dokumentation von NZZ Format (2004)

Jun 24, 2016 • Im Kanton Tessin hat sich die alpinlombardische Küche in manchen Gerichten bis heute sehr reich erhalten. Denn die Beziehung zu den Produkten der Landwirtschaft ist hier intensiver als in den benachbarten italienischen Gebieten. Und auch wenn das Tessin heute eine große Agglomeration ist: Die Erinnerung an die Dorfheimat der Großeltern und damit an die traditionelle Tessiner Küche haben sich viele, auch junge Tessiner, bewahrt. «Tessin – Kultur einer Küche» entstand in Zusammenarbeit mit Alice Vollenweider, Romanistin, Buchautorin und ausgewiese Kennerin der italienischen Literatur und Küche. Auf der „Menukarte“ (Auswahl): Die Wiederentdeckung der Kastanien. Die wahrhaftigen Tessiner Wurstwaren. Alltagsbrot und Festgebäck.