Kremlin Calls Boris Johnson’s Ukraine Diplomacy Efforts ‘Utterly Confused’

THE GUARDIAN: Moscow ramps up criticism of Britain’s bid to be at helm of fight to protect Ukraine from Russian invasion

Boris Johnson at a joint news conference with the Ukraine president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, in Kyiv. Photograph: EyePress News/Rex/Shutterstock
The Kremlin moved to belittle Boris Johnson on Wednesday, describing him as “utterly confused” and calling British diplomacy a waste of time.

The concerted effort to ridicule Britain’s efforts to put itself at the helm of the fight to protect Ukraine came the day after Johnson flew to Kyiv to warn that a Russian invasion would be a humanitarian, political and military disaster for Moscow.

British efforts to arrange a phone call between Johnson and Vladimir Putin were in flux after a previously scheduled call on Monday had to be cancelled by the British because Johnson had to answer questions from MPs about alleged Covid rule-breaking parties in Downing Street.

The Kremlin said on Wednesday it would provide details if and when Putin spoke to Johnson by phone, and Putin was ready to talk to anyone, including the “utterly confused”. » | Patrick Wintour, Diplomatic editor | Wednesday, February 2, 2022

Ukraine crisis a test that Britain – and Johnson – dare not fail: Analysis: Diplomatic network hoping to show UK is not turning into a global irrelevance »

Liban: le pays du Cèdre brûle ses bois pour se chauffer

Une femme ramasse du bois de chauffage et le stocke devant sa maison, dans le gouvernorat d’Akkar, au Liban, le 8 décembre 2021. Xinhua/ABACA
LE FIGARO : RÉCIT - Le ministre de l’Agriculture a récemment déploré un «véritable crime environnemental».

Il n’y a pas de route pour monter au sommet du Chambouk, une forêt domaniale, à quelque 2400 mètres d’altitude. Personne ne vit ici, sauf quelques bergers et leurs brebis. Aux confins de l’Akkar, dans le nord du Liban, près de la frontière syrienne, on grimpe d’un rocher à l’autre, pour rejoindre les bosquets de vieux cèdres et de genévriers. Réservoir de biodiversité incomparable, ces forêts anciennes seraient un petit coin de paradis si le staccato des tronçonneuses ne venait rappeler la triste réalité: en montagne, une majorité des habitants délaisse le poêle à mazout, combustible désormais trop cher, pour se tourner vers le chauffage au bois. Avec le risque que la déforestation n’atteigne un point de non-retour. » | Par Muriel Rozelier | lundi 1 février 2022

Réservé aux abonnés

Luxemburgs Regierungschef zieht nach Plagiatsvorwürfen Diplomarbeit zurück

Der luxemburgische Ministerpräsident Xavier Bettel hat seine Diplomarbeit wegen Plagiatsvorwürfen zurückgezogen. | Bild: GETTY
XAVIER BETTEL
FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG: Laut Berichten sollen bis zu drei Viertel der Diplomarbeit des Juristen aus nicht zitierten Quellen stammen. Die Universität Lothringen hatte Bettel nach einer internen Untersuchung aufgefordert, seine Abschlussarbeit schnellstmöglich zu überarbeiten.

Der luxemburgische Ministerpräsident Xavier Bettel hat seine Diplomarbeit wegen Plagiatsvorwürfen zurückgezogen. Er habe die Universität Lothringen in Frankreich gebeten, seinen 1999 erworbenen Diplomabschluss zu annullieren, sagte Bettel am Dienstag. Damit wolle er „einen Vertrauensverlust in die akademische Arbeit vermeiden“. » | Quelle: AFP | Dienstag, 2. Februar 2022

Anti-conversion Laws Stoke Violence in India | DW News

Feb 2, 2022 • There has been an increase in the number of attacks on churches and Christian gatherings in India in recent years. These are often sparked by allegations of forced conversions of Hindus to Christianity. Several states have now enacted strict anti-conversion laws. Critics say these laws are often abused by right-wing groups to harass Christians and attack their churches.

Narendra Modi has traces of god in him, says BJP minister as personality cult grows »

In Clash With U.S. Over Ukraine, Putin Has a Lifeline From China

THE NEW YORK TIMES: President Biden could find his plans to punish Russia undermined by Xi Jinping, a longtime ally of Mr. Putin. But China moves cautiously during crises.

China’s leader, Xi Jinping, left, with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir V. Putin, in Moscow in 2019. The two will meet Friday before the start of the Olympics in Beijing. | Pool photo by Alexander Zemlianichenko
BEIJING — As the United States moves to exert maximal pressure on Russia over fears of a Ukraine invasion, the Russian leader, Vladimir V. Putin, has found relief from his most powerful partner on the global stage, China.

China has expressed support for Mr. Putin’s grievances against the United States and NATO, joined Russia to try to block action on Ukraine at the United Nations Security Council, and brushed aside American warnings that an invasion would create “global security and economic risks” that could consume China, too.

On Friday, Mr. Putin will meet in Beijing with China’s leader, Xi Jinping, ahead of the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics that President Biden and other leaders have pointedly vowed to boycott.

Although details of any potential agreements between the two countries have not been disclosed, the meeting itself — Mr. Xi’s first in person with a world leader in nearly two years — is expected to be yet another public display of geopolitical amity between the two powers.

A Chinese promise of economic and political support for Mr. Putin could undermine Mr. Biden’s strategy to ostracize the Russian leader for his military buildup on Ukraine’s borders. It could also punctuate a tectonic shift in the rivalry between the United States and China that could reverberate from Europe to the Pacific. » | Steven Lee Myers and Edward Wong | Wednesday, February 2, 2022

Ex-minister Tobias Ellwood to Submit Letter of No Confidence in PM

THE GUARDIAN: MP urges Boris Johnson to call vote of confidence himself rather than waiting for 54 letters to be submitted to 1922 Committee

Tobias Ellwood: ‘This is just horrible for all MPs to continuously have to defend this to the British public.’ Photograph: Mark Thomas/Rex/Shutterstock
The senior Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood has revealed he is to submit a letter of no confidence in Boris Johnson, as more Tories broke cover to criticise the prime minister after the Sue Gray report into the Downing Street lockdown parties.

Ellwood, who is chair of the defence committee and a former Foreign Office minister, is the fifth MP to publicly declare intentions to submit a letter after the Scottish Tory leader, Douglas Ross, and the backbenchers Andrew Bridgen, Sir Roger Gale, and Peter Aldous. At least 54 letters would be required to trigger a vote among Tory MPs on Johnson’s future.

Others who have called on Johnson to resign include the former cabinet ministers Andrew Mitchell and David Davis, as well as committee chairs Caroline Nokes and William Wragg. A 2019 intake MP, Elliot Colburn, has also hinted he had submitted a letter by telling constituents that his “patience had snapped” and suggesting the prime minister should consider his position.

The former prime minister Theresa May, Aaron Bell from the 2019 intake and veteran backbencher Gary Streeter have also been publicly critical of Johnson, while the centrist Tory MP Tom Tugendhat has declared he would run to replace him in any leadership contest. » | Jamie Grierson and Rowena Mason | Wednesday, February 2, 2022

George Michael : One More Try | Official Video

Views on YouTube: 139,235,699

Mario Lanza : Come Prima

Taken from the movie "For The First Time" (1959)

This Is What Mature Gay Love Looks Like.

So sieht reife schwule Liebe aus. / Voici à quoi ressemble l'amour gay mature.
Many thanks to this unnamed Pinterest contributor for this expressive photo.

The Guardian View on the Le Pen Family Firm: Reaching the End of the Line?

THE GUARDIAN – EDITORIAL: High-profile defections and the challenge of Éric Zemmour could leave Marine Le Pen with nowhere to go

‘During the current election campaign, Ms Le Pen has focused on blue-collar issues and economic nationalism.’ Photograph: Chesnot/Getty Images
Is the longest-running political dynasty on Europe’s far right finally running out of road? After her defeat by Emmanuel Macron in the presidential run-off of 2017, Marine Le Pen decided to double down on attempts to detoxify the Front National (FN) movement founded by her father, Jean-Marie, in 1972. The party’s name was changed to the more innocuous-sounding Rassemblement National (National Rally) and its hostility to the European Union and the euro was toned down. During the current election campaign, Ms Le Pen has focused on blue-collar issues and economic nationalism. Having tempered the xenophobic rhetoric and culture-warrior persona, last month she said that she had “definitively broken with provocations” that were “the sins of our political family”.

It is generally accepted that this strategy – and this election campaign – represent Ms Le Pen’s last throw of the dice. So far, her numbers are not coming up. In a disastrous beginning to the year, she has endured a number of high-profile defections to the camp of her more extreme rival on the far right, Éric Zemmour. Most damagingly of all, her charismatic niece Marion Maréchal, a former FN MP, last week signalled both her sympathy for Mr Zemmour’s old-school approach and her desire to return to the political stage after a five-year break. Ms Maréchal is far more socially conservative than her aunt, whom she has reportedly not spoken to for some time. In an extraordinary television interview, Ms Le Pen seemed on the point of tears as she described her intervention as “brutal” and “violent”. » | Editorial | Tuesday, February 1, 2022

Democracy Now! Top US News & World Headlines — February 1, 2022

Democracy Now! is an independent global news hour that airs on nearly 1,400 TV and radio stations Monday through Friday.

70. Jahre Queen Elisabeth II. | Thomas Kielinger | SWR1 Leute

Feb 1, 2022 • Thomas Kielinger zieht Bilanz des 70jährigen Thronjubiläums von Königin Elizabeth II.

Queen Elizabeth II. ist eine Ikone. Die inzwischen 95-jährige ist nicht nur Chefin des bekanntesten Königshauses der Welt, sondern auch Staatsoberhaupt in den 16 Ländern des Commonwealth auf dem gesamten Globus. Sie ist die Königin mit der längsten Regierungszeit in der britischen Geschichte. Am 6. Februar feiert sie ihr 70. Thronjubiläum, zum ersten Mal ohne ihren verstorbenen Ehemann Prinz Philipp. Zuletzt wurde sie von vielen familiären Krisen schwer getroffen. Der Journalist und Autor Thomas Kielinger war lange Jahre Korrespondent der Tageszeitung „Die Welt“ in London. Er kennt das britische Königshaus aus der Nähe und hat zum Jubiläum eine Biografie über Queen Elizabeth II. geschrieben. Mit ihm sprechen wir in SWR1 Leute über die jüngsten Krisen der Windsors und lassen 70 Jahre Regentschaft der Queen noch einmal Revue passieren. Moderation: Nabil Atassi

Arte.de – Serie: Krieg der Träume 1918 - 1939

Ein Screenshot von der Arte.de-Website.
1918. Mit dem Ende des Ersten Weltkriegs brechen die alte Ordnungen in sich zusammen. Die Welt versucht, wieder auf die Beine zu kommen. Eine Zeit der Hoffnungen und des Aufbruchs, nie zuvor erschien die Zukunft so offen. Im Europa der Zwischenkriegszeit kämpfen acht Protagonisten, in einem „Krieg der Träume“, um ein besseres Leben. Die Biografien, basierend auf wahren Begebenheiten, zeigen die Zeit bis 1939 als Labor neuer Ideen und Gesellschaftsentwürfe.

Diese wunderbare Serie ist nur auf YouTube selbst anzusehen. Sie kann nicht auf fremden Websites eingebettet werden. Um Ihnen das Navigieren dieser vierteiligen Serie zu erleichtern, gebe ich Ihnen die Links in Reihenfolge hier. Zwei Teile habe ich schon gepostet – Teil 1 und Teil 2 – doch es folgen Links zu den 4 Teilen hier auch, um die Serie zu vervollständigen. Genießen!

Teil : Crash

Teil 2: Versprechen

Teil 3: Verrat

Teil 4: Krieg

DAS ENDE

Hier ist ein Link zur Website von ARTE.de.

How Katz’s Became the Most Legendary Deli in NYC | Legendary Eats

May 1, 2019 • Katz’s Delicatessen has been a New York institution since 1888. Producer Spencer Alben visits to taste the legendary pastrami on rye and sits down with Jake Dell — the owner currently in charge of all major operations — to learn how Katz's survived the ages and became one of the most famous delis in the world.

As the U.S. Pulls Back From the Mideast, China Leans In

THE NEW YORK TIMES: China is expanding its ties to Middle Eastern states with vast infrastructure investments and cooperation on technology and security.

Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan al-Saud of Saudi Arabia, left, with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, in Wuxi, China, in January. China called the kingdom a “good partner” and “good brother.” | Xinhua, via Associated Press
BEIRUT, Lebanon — In January alone, five senior officials from oil-rich Arab monarchies visited China to discuss cooperation on energy and infrastructure. Turkey’s top diplomat vowed to stamp out “media reports targeting China” in the Turkish news media, and Iran’s foreign minister pressed for progress on $400 billion of investment that China has promised his country.

As the United States, fatigued by decades of war and upheaval in the Middle East, seeks to limit its involvement there, China is deepening its ties with both friends and foes of Washington across the region.

China is nowhere near rivaling the United States’ vast involvement in the Middle East. But states there are increasingly looking to China not just to buy their oil, but to invest in their infrastructure and cooperate on technology and security, a trend that could accelerate as the United States pulls back.

For Beijing, the recent turmoil in neighboring countries like Afghanistan and Kazakhstan has reinforced its desire to cultivate stable ties in the region. The outreach follows the American military’s withdrawal from Afghanistan after 20 years, as well as the official end of its combat mission in Iraq. That, along with the Biden administration’s frequent talk of China as its top national security priority, has left many of its partners in the Middle East believing that Washington’s attention lies elsewhere. Beijing has welcomed the chance to extend its influence, and Arab leaders appreciate that China — which touts the virtue of “noninterference” in other countries’ affairs — won’t get involved in their domestic politics or send its military to topple unfriendly dictators. And each side can count on the other to overlook its human rights abuses. » | Ben Hubbard and Amy Qin | Tuesday, February 1, 2022

Gregory Prince | A Complicated History: Mormonism and the LGBTQ Community

May 24, 2019 • Dr. Greg Prince sits down with Latter Gay Stories for a unique one-on-one discussion about the actions and unintended consequences of the LDS Church's history with LGBT people and their allies.

I am not a Mormon, but I find this series by Kyle Ashworth excellent to waatch and listen to. There is also always so much to be learnt from these discussions. So, even if you are not a Mormon, I still think that these episodes are well worth listening to: they give one food for thought. Besides, they are always so very interesting. _ © Mark

Iain Dale: “What I Saw Today Was a Prime Minister Who I Can't Be Proud of” | LBC

Dubai und Abu Dhabi unter Huthi-Beschuss

Die Hochhaus-Silhouette von Dubai. | Bild: AP
VERMESSUNG DER SCHMERZGRENZE
FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG: Die Huthi-Rebellen wollen die Emirate mit Raketenangriffen zwingen, ihr Jemen-Engagement zu verringern. Sie könnten das Gegenteil erreichen.

Die Luftabwehr der Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate hat einiges zu tun, seit das Land sein Engagement im Jemen-Konflikt wieder verstärkt hat. In der Nacht zum Montag wurde wieder eine Rakete abgefangen. Es war der dritte Angriff dieser Art innerhalb von zwei Wochen, den die Huthi-Rebellen gegen die Emirate führten. Und sie machen auch kein Geheimnis daraus, Urheber des Drohnen- und Raketenterrors zu sein. Ein Militärsprecher der von Iran geförderten Bewegung tönte unlängst über Twitter, auch das Gelände der Expo in Dubai, das im Oktober eröffnet wurde, könne Ziel eines Angriffs werden. » | Von Christoph Ehrhardt, Beirut | Dienstag, 1. Februar 2022

Nazi Gatherings In Broad Daylight in Florida Spark Alarm

Feb 1, 2022 • Florida State Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith talks with Rachel Maddow about the horror his constituents feel at learning about gatherings of Nazis in their area, and where they came from.

Moscow Warns Ukraine May ‘Destroy Itself’ as Russia and US Clash at UN

THE GUARDIAN: At a UNSC meeting, Russian diplomat Vasily Nebenzya claimed Ukraine’s violation of the Minsk pact could end in ‘worst way’

United Nations security council hold a meeting on the situation between Ukraine and Russia at UN headquarters in New York. Photograph: Jason Szenes/EPA
Ukraine will be responsible for its own destruction if it undermines existing peace agreements, a senior Russian diplomat has warned at a UN security council debate on the crisis.

Vasily Nebenzya on Monday derided western claims of a planned Russian attack as “hysterics” and blamed Ukraine for not abiding by the Minsk agreements of 2014 and 2015, which were supposed to end the conflict between the Kyiv government and the Russian-backed separatists in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions.

Nebenzya, Russia’s permanent representative at the UN, also blamed western nations for “actively pumping Ukraine full of weapons” which he said would be used against civilians in the east of the country and were “in violation of the Minsk agreements”.

He ended his address to the security council with a warning.

“If our western partners push Kyiv to sabotage the Minsk agreements, something that Ukraine is ... willingly doing, then that might end in the absolute worst way for Ukraine,” Nebenzya said. “And not because somebody has destroyed it, but because it would have destroyed itself and Russia has absolutely nothing to do with this.” » | Julian Borger in Washington and Lorenzo Tondo in Rome | Monday, January 31, 2022

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