Thursday, February 03, 2022

On the Campaign Trail with Controversial Politician Pauline Hanson | 60 Minutes Australia

Feb 3, 2022 • She is Australia's most controversial political figure and she is back with a vengeance. Once thought a spent force, Pauline Hanson has returned to centre stage. After the stunning success of her One Nation Party in the West Australian elections, the message for leaders on both sides of the political fence is to be afraid, be very afraid. In a revealing and feisty interview, Hanson hits back at those who wrote her off. As she tells Ellen Fanning, she is not out to keep the bastards honest, she is out to get rid of them. Ellen travelled with the One Nation caravan during its Queensland election campaign. Her report is a real insight into Pauline Hanson's new strategy - the politics of vengeance.

‘Levelling Up’ Has Been Tried Before – So Where Did We Go Wrong?

THE GUARDIAN: Michael Gove’s strategy faces myriad obstacles, as I found to my cost when I tried to tackle regional inequalities

It is now more than 50 years since I first wrestled with the restructuring of local government. After the Conservatives won the 1970 general election, I was sidekick to Peter Walker, secretary of state for the newly created Department of the Environment, and our attempts to change things faced entrenched resistance.

It would be understandable, therefore, if I were to say that I know where the bodies are buried. Michael Gove’s new white paper on “levelling up” makes it clear that, far from being buried, the bodies are alive and very much kicking.

In the white paper, Gove has proposed cautious, evolutionary moves towards greater devolution, achieved by agreement. I cannot criticise him for this. Time and again I faced the same pressures, and was able to persuade colleagues to accept only partial and gradual shifts in the status quo.

The objections came from all directions. The Treasury wants to maintain its tenacious grip on expenditure. The Whitehall barons fight to preserve their functional powers. Local councillors resist the abolition of their jobs, and members of parliament are deeply suspicious of change that creates local figures more powerful than them and deprives them of the foot soldiers they need to hold their seats. » | Michael Heseltine * | Thursday, February 3, 2022

* Lord Heseltine is a former Conservative deputy prime minister and environment secretary

Boris Johnson veut «niveler par le haut» l’Angleterre : Le projet de rééquilibrage économique, en faveur des régions défavorisées d’Angleterre, a été présenté mercredi. Mais l’objectif est avant tout politique. »

Das grosse Brexit-Versprechen: Wie Boris Johnson die englische Provinz aufpäppeln will: Zwei Jahre nach seinem grossen Wahlsieg versucht Boris Johnson die neu gewonnenen Tory-Wähler im englischen Norden bei Laune zu halten. Doch seine Strategie zum Ausgleich der historisch gewachsenen regionalen Ungleichheiten enthält wenig kurzfristige Massnahmen und bloss beschränkte finanzielle Feuerkraft. »

Islamic State Leader Killed during Raid by US Special Forces in Syria

THE GUARDIAN: Joe Biden says military has removed Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi from the battlefield

Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi, the leader of Islamic State and one of the world’s most wanted men, has been killed during an overnight raid by US special forces in north-west Syria.

The pre-dawn attack on a house in the village of Atme, just south of the Turkish border, led to up to 13 casualties, among them women and children. It also resulted in the destruction of a US Apache helicopter, which had been used to carry special forces troops from Erbil in Iraq. » | Martin Chulov, Middle East correspondent | Thursday, February 3, 2022

Daech affaibli après l’élimination de son chef par un raid américain : ANALYSE - Le leader de l’organisation terroriste s’est donné la mort lors d’un raid des Forces spéciales américaines en Syrie. »

‘It Is Soul-destroying’: Lorry Drivers Face Hours Stuck in Queues at Dover

THE GUARDIAN: Emergency traffic controls triggered 20 times this year as extra Brexit checks and freight volumes cause logjams

His lorry loaded with British Airways aircraft parts, Ivo Hradilik was expecting to drive onto a ferry headed to Calais, before delivering his cargo to the outskirts of Paris.

But there’s a problem with the customs paperwork, and the 26-year-old HGV driver from the Czech Republic will have to park up near the Port of Dover while the haulage company sorts everything out.

“From the new year it has got worse with the paperwork,” Hradilik said, clutching a handful of documents. He usually visits Dover five times a month bringing goods between Britain and the EU. » | Joanna Partridge ; photographs: David Levene | Thursday, February 3, 2022

Fresh Revelations about Jennifer Arcuri Affair Threaten to Damage Boris Johnson

THE OBSERVER: Hundreds of pages of notes and documents have been handed to City Hall’s oversight committee

Boris Johnson is facing damaging new revelations about his relationship with the US businesswoman Jennifer Arcuri after hundreds of page of notes and documents were handed to officials at the Greater London Authority (GLA) overseeing two separate investigations into their affair. » | Mark Townsend, Home Affairs Editor | Saturday, January 29, 2022

Russland verhängt Sendeverbot für die Deutsche Welle

NACH BESCHEID GEGEN RT DE

FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG: Russland hat gegen die Deutsche Welle ein Sendeverbot verhängt. Zudem verfügte das russische Außenministerium am Donnerstag die Schließung des Korrespondentenbüros in Moskau und den Entzug der Akkreditierungen der Journalisten.

Russland hat der Deutschen Welle (DW), dem Auslandssender der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, ein Sendeverbot erteilt. Zudem verfügte das russische Außenministerium am Donnerstag, dass das Korrespondentenbüro des Senders in Moskau geschlossen werden muss. Den Journalisten des Senders werden die Akkreditierungen entzogen. Zudem seien Sanktionen vorgesehen gegen „Vertreter deutscher staatlicher und öffentlicher Strukturen, die an der Einschränkung der Ausstrahlung von RT beteiligt sind“, erklärte das russische Außenministerium am Donnerstag. Der Rundfunkempfang der Deutschen Welle über Satellit oder andere Verbreitungswege auf dem Gebiet Russlands werde beendet. Zudem werde geprüft, ob die Deutsche Welle als „ausländischer Agent“ agiere. » | Quelle: FAZ.NET | Donnerstag, 3. Februar 2022

Energy Bills: Rishi Sunak Gives One-off £200 Discount to Households

THE GUARDIAN: Most consumers to get additional support from £150 rebate on their council tax amid cost of living crisis

A one-off £200 discount and a rebate on council tax bills have been announced by Rishi Sunak in a £9bn package designed to “take the sting” out of a £700-a-year rise in the average household’s energy bills in April.

The chancellor said 80% of households would receive £350 in support this year in response to the decision by the energy regulator Ofgem to raise its price cap to just under £2,000.

In an attempt to mitigate Britain’s cost of living crisis, Sunak said all households would receive £200 off their energy bills in October – but then pay the discount back by £40 a year for the subsequent five years.

The chancellor said council taxpayers in England in bands A to D would receive a rebate of £150 from their bills in April, which will not have to be paid back. » | Larry Elliott | Thursday, February 3, 2022

British households face record 54% energy bill rise as price cap is raised: Move by Ofgem means millions likely to be driven into fuel poverty unless government acts to ease cost of living crisis »

Bank of England Raises Interest Rates to 0.5%

THE GUARDIAN: Rise aims to combat soaring inflation despite faltering economic recovery from pandemic and deepening cost of living crisis

The Bank of England has raised interest rates to 0.5% to tackle soaring inflation amid intense pressure on households in Britain’s cost of living crisis. » | Richard Partington, Economics correspondent | Thursday, February 3, 2022

Wednesday, February 02, 2022

Bundesrat beschliesst weitgehende Lockerungen: Die Corona-Krise ist vorbei

NEUE ZÜRCHER ZEITUNG: Nun geht es schnell: Der Bundesrat hebt per sofort Quarantäne und Home-Office-Pflicht auf. Ab dem 17. Februar wird für Restaurants, Kinos und Theater kein Zertifikat mehr benötigt. Die Regierung hütet sich aber davor, das Ende der Pandemie zu verkünden.

Keine Gebete, sondern klare Stossrichtung – Bundesrat Alain Berset will zurück zur Normalität. | Anthony Anex / Keystone

«Heute ist ein schöner Tag.» Ignazio Cassis wollte sich diesen nicht entgehen lassen und die freudige Botschaft auch gleich selbst überbringen. Der Bundespräsident sekundierte am Mittwoch den Gesundheitsminister Alain Berset bei dessen gewohntem Gang vor die Medien. Diese Medienkonferenz unterscheidet sich jedoch stark von den unzähligen davor – Prädikat: historisch.

Die Regierung kündigt nicht das Ende der Pandemie an. Aber das Ende der Massnahmen. Kein Freedom Day mit Fanfare, sondern die Schweizer Version davon: Die Rückgewinnung eines «guten Stücks Freiheit», wie es Cassis nennt. Man könnte auch ganz einfach sagen: Die Schweiz kehrt zurück zur Normalität, die Krise ist vorbei. » | David Biner, Christof Forster, Bern | Mittwoch, 2. Februar 2022

LESEN SIE AUCH DEN KOMMENTAR:

Heute ist ein schöner Tag: Der Bundesrat im Krisenmodus ist endlich Geschichte: Die Pläne des Bundesrates zum Ausstieg aus der Krise gehen weiter als vor kurzem erhofft. Es ist gut, dass der Bundesrat das euphorische Grundgefühl in der Bevölkerung aufnimmt. »

Argentine : 12 morts, 50 hospitalisés par de la cocaïne frelatée près de Buenos Aires

«Ceux qui ont acheté de la drogue dans les dernières 24 heures doivent la jeter», a déclaré le ministre de la Sécurité de la province de Buenos Aires. DedMityay / stock.adobe.com

LE FIGARO : Les autorités ont lancé une mise en garde urgente aux consommateurs ayant acheté de la drogue ces «dernières 24 heures». Une dizaine de personnes ont été interpellées.

Douze personnes sont mortes et une cinquantaine ont été hospitalisées, en banlieue de Buenos Aires, après avoir consommé de la cocaïne frelatée, ont annoncé mercredi 2 février les autorités, lançant une mise en garde urgente aux consommateurs ayant acheté de la drogue ces «dernières 24 heures». » | Par Le Figaro avec AFP | mercredi 2 février 2022

More Conservative MPs Call for Boris Johnson’s Resignation | 5 News

It was another busy day in Westminster and the Prime Minister's troubles are far from over. More of his own MPs have publicly called for his resignation, and the ongoing police investigation into possible lockdown breaches gave his opponents plenty of ammunition in Prime Minister's Questions


Related article.

Levelling-up: some wealthy areas of England to see 10 times more funding than poorest: Exclusive: Per-head funding inequality exposed by Guardian research into Boris Johnson’s levelling-up agenda »

World War II and the Holocaust

May 7, 2020 • The Holocaust was the state-sponsored, systematic persecution and annihilation of European Jewry by Nazi Germany and its collaborators, between 1933 and 1945. Jews were the primary victims - six million were murdered. Roma (Gypsies), physically and mentally disabled people and Poles were also targeted for destruction or decimation for racial, ethnic, or national reasons. Millions more, including homosexuals, Jehovah's Witnesses, Soviet prisoners of war, and political dissidents also suffered grievous oppression and death under Nazi tyranny.

Dinu Lipatti : Chopin Balade No.4 F-Moll, Op. 52

Ballade No. 4 In F Minor, Op. 52 | Artist: Pavica Gvozdic | Album: Top 50 Chopin Classics - The Very Best Of Classical Music | Licensed to The Orchard Music (on behalf of Symphonic Treasures); UNIAO BRASILEIRA | YouTube by DE EDITORAS DE MUSICA - UBEM, Public Domain Compositions, Songtrust, LatinAutor - Warner Chappell, and 3 Music Rights Societies

Dinu Lipatti : Chopin Concerto, No. 1, 1st Movement

May 31, 2011 • A new remastering I made of the only known complete tape of Lipatti's fabled 1950 Zurich performance of the Chopin E Minor Concerto with Otto Ackermann conducting, based on a remastering I assisted with in 1999 which was published on the German label 'archiphon' in 2000. The sound is much clearer than the EMI release, and the piano sound is more faithfully represented. One can hear Lipatti's huge dynamic range, warm singing sound, clean articulation, and most surprisingly his incredibly vigorous delivery of virtuosic passages, all the more amazing considering how seriously ill he was at the time of this concert.


Dinu Lipatti.

'Just Cook with Michael Santos': Portuguese Cozido : One of Portugal’s National Dishes

Cozido à portuguesa


Get the recipe here.

Doku: Frankreich und die deutsche Besatzungszeit | 1: Die Zeit der Sieger | 2. Von einer Demütigung zur nächsten | (2012)


USA verlegen Tausende Soldaten nach Deutschland und Osteuropa

ZEIT ONLINE: US-Präsident Joe Biden schickt laut Pentagon 2.000 Soldatinnen und Soldaten nach Deutschland und Polen. 1.000 weitere werden von Deutschland nach Rumänien verlegt.

Im Ukraine-Konflikt verstärkt US-Präsident Joe Biden die Präsenz US-amerikanischer Truppen in Mittel- und Osteuropa. Wie das US-Verteidigungsministerium ankündigte, sollen insgesamt 2.000 Soldatinnen und Soldaten nach Deutschland und Polen entsandt werden. 1.000 weitere bereits in Deutschland stationierte Soldaten sollen demzufolge nach Rumänien verlegt werden. Die Truppenverlegungen würden in den nächsten Tagen erwartet, sagte Pentagonsprecher John Kirby. Es handele sich nicht um dauerhafte Verlegungen. Zuvor hatten unter anderen das Wall Street Journal und die Washington Post berichtet. » | Quelle: ZEIT ONLINE, AFP, dpa, sue | Dienstag, 2. Februar 2022

Erasing History: Holocaust Graphic Novelist Art Spiegelman on “Maus” & Wave of Book Bans Sweeping US

The Silencing of Black & Queer Voices: George M. Johnson on 15-State Ban of “All Boys Aren’t Blue”

Democracy Now! Top US News & World Headlines — February 2, 2022