Love – More Than a Feeling | DW Documentary

What is love? Love is more than a feeling: it is a driving force that can influence both brain and body. Recent scientific studies show how much love can really change people's lives.

Love is not only a topic in art, but also in science. Few other emotions can trump human reason like love. Love is an instinct like eating and drinking - primitive but vital. It is not romance but above all biology that brings two people together: we can identify the right partner for us by their scent, just as animals do. Recent research shows that the sense of smell, especially in women, has a significant influence on the choice of partner. Love can make wounds heal faster, lower your pulse rate and blood pressure and reduce anxiety and stress. But it can also make you sick and even kill you: "Broken Heart Syndrome” can be as dangerous as a heart attack. Love isn’t just about sex, but sex nurtures love between two people. Every touch causes the brain to release oxytocin, a hormone that triggers feelings of care and affection. And the love hormone isn’t just behind the passion of the newly smitten, but also behind the bond between parents and children and the affection for a pet. In fact, it makes social coexistence possible in the first place - for humans as well as for rats or ants. Love is above all a matter of biochemistry and scientists may one day even create a love pill in the laboratory. This science documentary shows in an entertaining way what love is, what it does to people - and how it stays alive.

Phil Collins – Can't Stop Loving You | Official Music Video

“Can’t Stop Loving You” is the tenth song by Phil Collins on his seventh solo album ‘Testify’, released in 2002.

Author André Aciman: 'I Wrote about Gay Love, Not Realising I Was Taking On the Taboo'

André Aciman is an author and academic, renowned for his novel 'Call Me by Your Name', which was turned into a hugely successful film in 2017 and has been hailed as a modern gay classic.

The story centres on the blossoming romantic relationship between a 17-year-old American-Italian Jewish boy and a 24-year-old American Jewish scholar. The sequel to the novel, 'Find Me', has just been released.

André talks to Krishnan about obsessive love, his faith in the kindness of humanity and dismissing taboos.

My Love Letter to Britain: Family Ties Can Never Really Be Severed

THE GUARDIAN: Since I went to a British school, you have always been part of me. Now you are leaving, and it breaks my heart

Irecently read a delightful book of love letters to Europe. And it made me contemplate my love for Britain. It has just occurred to me that when you joined the European Economic Community I was in one of your schools. Not on your soil, mind you, but in Italy. Saint George’s British International School in Rome, to be precise. I was 12 years old and still learning English. That year I also dressed up in a kimono, as one of the “gentlemen from Japan” in the Mikado, the school play. Mrs Alcock encouraged me not to sing too loudly, so that my false notes would be less audible. But she kept me on stage. I loved it. Like I loved being part of the chorus in My Fair Lady the next year and the Mock Turtle in Alice in Wonderland the year after. » | Frans Timmermans* | Thursday, December 26, 2019

* Frans Timmermans is executive vice-president of the European commission

The Queen's Christmas Broadcast 2019

Fmr. Amb. Robert Jordan: Jamal Khashoggi Verdict Is ‘A Mockery of Justice’ | The Last Word | MSNBC

Top Saudi officials avoided punishment in the murder of Jamal Khashoggi. Robert Jordan, the former Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, tells Ayman Mohyeldin that it’s impossible the officials were not involved and the Crown Prince should be held accountable. Aired on 12/23/19.

Saudi Court Sentences Five to Death for Khashoggi Killing | DW News

A court in Saudi Arabia has sentenced five people to death for the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The verdict also includes jail terms for three additional suspects in connection with the murder. The Saudi writer and dissident was never seen again after entering the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul last year. He was killed and reportedly dismembered inside the building, but his remains were never found. Khashoggi was a resident of the United States at the time and was known for writing critically about the Saudi royal family. It is widely believed that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered the killing.

Where Is the Outrage over British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Book, '72 Virgins'?

Marc Steiner and Moshe Machover discuss why the lack of outrage over Johnson's book is so concerning.

'Mockery of Justice’ after Saudis Convict Eight over Khashoggi Killing

THE GUARDIAN: Court exonerates crown prince’s inner circle of involvement in murder of dissident journalist

Saudi Arabia has been accused of engaging in a mockery of justice by shielding the alleged masterminds of the killing of the dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi, after a court effectively exonerated Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s inner circle of involvement in the murder.

The gruesome killing in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October 2018 stunned Saudi Arabia’s western allies, plunging the kingdom into its worst diplomatic crisis since the 9/11 attacks.

Five of the 11 officially unidentified men on trial were sentenced to death and three more were handed a combined 24 years in prison, the deputy public prosecutor, Shalaan bin Rajih Shalaan, told reporters in Riyadh on Monday.

The investigation also concluded that Saud al-Qahtani, one of the crown prince’s most trusted advisers, was investigated and found to have no proven involvement in Khashoggi’s death, Shalaan added.

The findings contradict the conclusion of the CIA and other western intelligence agencies that Prince Mohammed directly ordered Khashoggi’s assassination, an allegation the kingdom has strenuously denied. Qahtani, along with 16 other Saudis, was sanctioned by the US last year for his alleged role in the killing. » | Bethan McKernan, Turkey and Middle East correspondent | Monday, December 23, 2019

Maria Callas – O mio babbino caro – Giacomo Puccini

Oman Readies Baroque Succession Process as Sultan's Health Worsens

THE GUARDIAN: With Qaboos bin Said’s illness seemingly terminal, an elaborate set of rules is enacted

Elaborate discussions are under way in the Omani court about a potential successor to Sultan Qaboos bin Said, who has ruled the Arab nation for nearly 50 years but whose longterm illness has been worsening.

The succession process involves the opening of sealed letters in the court in Muscat identifying the sultan’s choice of successor, if the court cannot agree among itself.

The sultan, one of the mainstays of Middle East politics for the past four decades, returned a week ago from Belgium where his treatment for a reoccurrence of cancer of the colon he has suffered from for four years was cut short. He had been expected to stay until the end of January.

A former British protectorate in the Arabian Peninsula, Oman has been ruled by Qaboos ever since a bloodless coup in 1970 enacted with the help of Britain. He has travelled abroad for medical reasons at least twice since 2014.

Qaboos has no children and has not publicly appointed a successor but he secretly recorded his choice in a sealed envelope addressed to the royal family council. The Al Said dynasty has ruled Oman since the mid-18th century. » | Patrick Wintour, Diplomatic editor | Sunday, December 22, 2019

Boris Johnson Told to 'Stop Campaigning and Start Governing'

THE GUARDIAN: Ken Clarke criticises PM for having no detailed plans for Brexit or social care

Ken Clarke has warned Boris Johnson he must “stop campaigning and get on with governing”, condemning the prime minister for seemingly having no detailed plans for a final Brexit deal, or for other vital issues such as social care.

The veteran former Conservative MP, who stepped down from parliament at the election having been stripped of the Tory whip shortly beforehand, said Johnson should replace advisers such as Dominic Cummings with people who were able to govern.

Clarke said that while Johnson’s 80-strong majority meant he was able to run the country more or less as he chose, Clarke told BBC Radio 5 he had seen few signs yet of any coherent policy programme.

“Governing the country is more than going around saying, ‘Oooh, 2020 is going to be a golden year, and we’re going to be global Britain,’” he said. “At the moment we’ve got a stagnant, fragile economy, an angry, discontented population. It’s a very dangerous world out there in many, many ways.”

Clarke said Johnson’s policy vagueness was particularly acute on Brexit: “I could never get out of Boris – and nobody so far could get out of Boris – what he has in mind for the eventual deal. To say they’re generalities is an understatement. » | Peter Walker, Political correspondent | Sunday, December 22, 2019

Berlin Outraged after Donald Trump Hits Gas Pipeline Project with Sanctions

THE TELEGRAPH: Berlin has accused Washington of interfering in German internal affairs, after Donald Trump signed off on US sanctions against companies building a Russian natural gas pipeline to Germany.

"The Federal Government rejects such extraterritorial sanctions," Ulrike Demmer, a spokeswoman, said in Berlin on Saturday.

“They affect German and European companies and constitute an interference in our domestic affairs."

The US is an outspoken opponent of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which will transport natural gas about 750 miles from Russia, through the Baltic Sea and into Germany.

The sanctions will hit any company working with Russia’s state-owned Gazprom to complete the project. » | James Crisp, Brussels correspondent | Saturday, December 21, 2019

Seth Andrews: The Mystery Letter

Seth Andrews shares a very personal story about his days as a fundamentalist Christian, his escape from indoctrination, and the beauty he discovered beyond the narrow walls of religious bigotry. It's an inspiring story about friendship, freedom, humanism, and humanity.

Seth Andrews: From Religion to Reason

Seth Andrews chronicles his personal story for a live Minneapolis audience, the event sponsored by Minnesota Atheists.

Christianity Today Editor Responds to Trump’s Attack

A leading Christian magazine founded by late evangelist Billy Graham published an op-ed calling for President Donald Trump to be removed from office and urging evangelicals not to support him. The magazine's editor-in-chief Mark Galli joins CNN

Christianity Today Editor-In-Chief: Trump’s Character Is Troublesome | Velshi & Ruhle | MSNBC

Christianity Today's editor-in-chief Mark Galli discussed his article in support of removing President Trump from office and called the president's character "blatantly and obviously troublesome." Aired on 12/20/19.

Trump Admin Lists Fictional Country of Wakanda As a Free Trade Partner

The Trump administration was busted earlier this week for having the fictional Marvel Comics country of Wakanda listed on the Department of Agriculture’s website as a free trade partner with the United States. The country, home of Black Panther, even included itemized lists of prices for goods coming and going through Wakanda, showing that this was far more than just a quick accident. Ring of Fire’s Farron Cousins discusses this.

Trump's Best Words: 2019 Edition | The Daily Show

Democracy Now! Top US News & World Headlines — December 20, 2019

Major Evangelical Magazine Calls for Trump's Removal | Morning Joe | MSNBC

The editor-in-chief of prominent evangelical magazine Christianity Today says the president must be removed from office. Aired on 12/20/19.

CHRISTIANITY TODAY: Trump Should Be Removed from Office »

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Christianity Today Calls for Trump’s Removal »

NAS Pensacola Tragedy Raises Questions Over Cozy US/Saudi Relationship

Via America’s Lawyer: Mike Papantonio and Trial Lawyer Magazine editor Farron Cousins talk about the recent mass shooting at a Pensacola Naval base, with the shooter identified as 21 year-old Mohammed Saeed Alshamrani of the Royal Saudi Air Force. While the FBI was quick to investigate the shooting as a possible act of terrorism, why does President Trump appear hesitant to link the Saudi national with any terror plot? With Saudi ties to 9/11, the war in Yemen, as well as the execution of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi, DOES the U.S. government turn a blind eye to its biggest customer of military weaponry?

Lawrence: ‘Your Votes Made History Tonight’ | The Last Word | MSNBC

Lawrence O’Donnell explains how the millions of voters who gave Democrats control of the House of Representatives in last year's election made the Trump impeachment possible. Aired on 12/18/19.

Across America Thousands March to Support Trump's Impeachment

People turned out in over 600 communities all over the United States calling for President Donald Trump's impeachment. David Siever of MoveOn talks about what this means and what happens next.

More Than 700 Historians Call for Trump to Be Impeached as Key Vote Looms

THE GUARDIAN: ‘We … have concluded that Donald J Trump has violated his oath’ / Signatories include Ron Chernow and David Blight

More than 700 American historians have called for the impeachment and removal of Donald Trump.

“We are American historians devoted to studying our nation’s past,” began an open letter posted to Medium, “who have concluded that Donald J Trump has violated his oath to ‘faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States’ and to ‘preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States’.”

Two articles of impeachment will be voted on in the House of Representatives on Wednesday. They concern abuse of power, in Trump’s attempts to have Ukraine investigate his political rivals, and obstruction of Congress, in his refusal to allow key aides to testify in impeachment hearings.

Despite extensive evidence laid out in those House committee hearings, the president denies any wrongdoing. » | Martin Pengelly in New York | Tuesday, December 17, 2019

Democracy Now! Top US News & World Headlines — December 17, 2019

‘Call Me by Your Name’ | Anatomy of a Scene

Luca Guadagnino narrates a sequence from his film featuring Armie Hammer and Timothée Chalamet.

Sufjan Stevens – Mystery of Love (From "Call Me By Your Name" Soundtrack) [Official Audio]

Sufjan Stevens – Futile Devices (OST Call Me By Your Name)

Der Brexit mag hart sein, aber er setzt einer grossen Lüge ein Ende

NZZamSonntag: Der Austritt der Briten aus der EU war kein unglücklicher Zufall, er war unausweichlich. Die britische Beziehung zur EU basierte auf einem Selbstbetrug. Nun können beide Seiten neu beginnen.

Die Entscheidung ist gefallen. Grossbritannien wird am 31. Januar nach fast 50 Jahren Mitgliedschaft aus der EU austreten. Boris Johnsons überwältigender Sieg bei den Parlamentswahlen lässt keinen anderen Schluss zu.

Der Traum vieler Brexit-Gegner, noch einmal über den Austritt abstimmen zu können und alles ungeschehen zu machen, ist zerplatzt. Sie können jetzt nur noch so tun, als wäre es um ein Haar anders gekommen: wenn Premierminister David Cameron das Referendum nicht so unprofessionell in die Wege geleitet hätte, wenn Jeremy Corbyn nicht ein so unfähiger Oppositionsführer gewesen wäre, wenn Boris Johnson damals doch der Kampagne der Brexit-Gegner beigetreten wäre.

Wenn, wenn, wenn. Dann hätte der Flügelschlag eines Schmetterlings vielleicht alles ändern können. Doch vielleicht wäre es ehrlich, aufzuzeigen, dass der Brexit unausweichlich – und die EU-Mitgliedschaft der Briten von Anfang an eine Lüge war. » | Gordana Mijuk | Samstag 14. Dezember 2019

«Wer sich als englisch identifiziert, hat sehr wahrscheinlich für den Brexit gestimmt. Wer sich als britisch versteht, war eher dagegen» : Der Brexit sei das Produkt des englischen Nationalismus, sagt der irische Autor Fintan O’Toole. Dieser verbreite sich im Land und treibe den Zerfall des Königreichs voran. »

“Dark Day for Everyone Who Believes in Justice”: UK Tories Defeat Labour in Landslide Election

The British Conservative Party has won a decisive majority in Thursday’s general election, winning seats in Labour Party strongholds and paving the way for Britain’s exit from the European Union by January 31. Prime Minister Boris Johnson is projected to have 364 seats in the House of Commons compared to Labour’s 203 seats. That would give the Conservatives about a 75-seat majority, the largest since Margaret Thatcher’s landslide in the 1987 election. Johnson’s message throughout the campaign was focused on “getting Brexit done,” reflecting public exhaustion with the issue that has paralyzed British politics ever since the 2016 referendum. His win comes despite his long record of racist and anti-Muslim statements, as well as accusations of sexual harassment. Following the election, Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn announced he will resign as party leader, though he will continue to sit as an MP. The Labour membership grew dramatically during Corbyn’s tenure, with the party adopting radical policies focused on ending austerity, reinvesting in the National Health Service and promoting social justice. We get response from George Monbiot, a columnist for The Guardian and author of “Out of the Wreckage: A New Politics for an Age of Crisis,” and Priya Gopal, university lecturer in the Faculty of English at the University of Cambridge and author of the new book “Insurgent Empire: Anticolonial Resistance and British Dissent.”

Exit Poll Predicts 86-seat Majority for Boris Johnson and Conservatives

THE GUARDIAN: PM set for return to Downing Street with 368 seats for the Tories and 191 for Labour

Boris Johnson appears on course to secure a crushing majority of 86, and take Britain out of the EU in January, after a shock exit poll showed his party would win 368 seats in Thursday’s general election.

That would be the biggest Conservative majority since Margaret Thatcher’s third general election in 1987; and mark a dramatic repudiation of Jeremy Corbyn’s offer of “real change” for Britain.

If the poll is vindicated as real results come in, the Conservatives will have smashed through the “red wall” of Labour-held seats across Wales and the Midlands, many of which voted leave in the 2016 EU referendum.

The exit poll, which is compiled on the basis of a large-scale survey of 20,000 voters as they leave polling stations, put the Tories on 368 seats seats, and Labour on just 191.

That would allow Johnson to pass his Brexit deal early in the new year, so that Britain would formally leave the EU in January. » | Heather Stewart, Political editor | Thursday, December 12, 2019

'Brutal, Packed with Untruths, Uninspiring': European Press on UK Election

THE GUARDIAN: Socialism or Brexit? Britain is divided in two in a ‘Hamlet-like dilemma’, write Europe’s newspapers

France

France’s media have been following the UK election campaign closely and did not take long to draw their conclusions. “Boris Johnson: the liar weakening Europe,” was the splash in Le Parisien, a popular tabloid, last month.

The paper called the prime minister “Europe’s bogeyman”, a politician for whom “pretty much everything is either an empty promise, economical with the truth or a downright lie.” » | Jon Henley, Philip Oltermann, Sam Jones, Andrew Roth and Angela Giuffrida | Thursday, December 12, 2019

"I'm Angry and Worried": Hugh Grant's Concern If Tories Win Election

Hugh Grant told James O'Brien that the prospect of the Conservatives winning the general election is "very dark and very scary". The ‘Love Actually’ star has been campaigning over the last few weeks to encourage people to vote tactically and ignore their tribal loyalties.

Speaking to James O'Brien, he said he's never really got involved in elections before, but he is extremely concerned about a Tory win. He said: "I feel like a Coke can that's been rolling around the bottom of the car for too long and someone needs to pull the ring. "I'm just angry. I'm angry and worried."

Can Boris Johnson Lie His Way Back Into Office?

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Britons face a miserable set of choices.

LONDON — This is the dejection election. Not in my lifetime has Britain faced such a miserable choice. Two vain, incompetent, mediocre charlatans are competing to become prime minister. For the Conservatives, we have the blustering, lying, oafish puffball Boris Johnson. In the Labour corner is the querulous, wooden, sanctimonious Jeremy Corbyn.

The two candidates are so alarming that, in an unprecedented intervention, former prime ministers from each of their parties have pleaded with voters to block them. Tony Blair and John Major have urged tactical votes against Mr. Corbyn and Mr. Johnson. Everywhere, exhausted, disillusioned, skeptical voters debate who is worse. British politics has never known anything like it.

These very different men share remarkable, unflattering similarities. Each is ill briefed, hazy on the facts and implications of his policy proposals, uneasy under scrutiny and belligerent when challenged. » | Jenni Russell, Contributing Opinion Writer | Wednesday, December 11, 2019

’Politically We Don’t Count’: EU Citizens Fear for Future in UK

THE GUARDIAN: Most EU nationals living in the UK cannot vote – leaving many feeling like pawns in a political game

In a threadbare youth centre in Bradford, Vie Clerc, who got off a Eurostar from Paris 19 years ago with £50 in her pocket and never left, laments the irony. “It’s the first one I’ll actually be able to vote in,” she said. “Shame I’ve never felt less British.”

In a bright mezzanine office in Bristol, Denny Pencheva, who landed in 2013 from Bulgaria via Copenhagen and now teaches at the university, bemoans politicians “who use us to score their political points, but don’t actually have to consider us – because politically, we don’t count”. » | Jon Henley, Europe correspondent | Thursday, December 12, 2019

This Is a Brexit Election. But Boris Johnson Will Not Get Brexit Done

THE GUARDIAN: The Tories’ central campaign theme is unachievable: they created this mess and can deliver only division and destabilisation

There is only one reason why today’s election is happening: Brexit. Six weeks on, the 2019 election is still a Brexit election. You may want it to be about other things. You may be fed up and distressed with the whole Brexit argument. All this, though, is escapism. What is primarily at stake today is whether Britain leaves the EU on the Conservatives’ terms, or whether it doesn’t. Today, the nation’s votes will decide which it shall be.

The leitmotif of Boris Johnson’s campaign has been Brexit. For someone who loves to speechify as much as he does, Johnson’s message discipline has been awesome. “Get Brexit done” has been the “strong and stable” of the 2019 campaign. The slogan is brilliantly succinct and well chosen. But it is a fraud.

Johnson did not call the election because he lacked a parliamentary majority for Brexit. A Commons vote on 22 October showed that there was such a majority. But there was no majority for the unconditional departure from Europe that Johnson stands for, and which the rightwing of his party demands. This election is intended to create that majority and to weaponise the Conservatives as the leave party, on Johnson’s terms. All Tory MPs who are elected today will be bound to a manifesto that asserts “we will get Brexit done in January”, and “we will not extend the implementation period beyond December 2020”. » | Martin Kettle | Thursday, December 12, 2019

How the US Obstructs the World Trade Organisation | DW News

The World Trade Organization is facing its biggest crisis since it was founded a quarter century ago. WTO Director General Roberto Azevedo had hoped to resolve an impasse in the trade body. But instead, the organization can no longer deliver rulings on trade disputes, because Washington has blocked the appointment of new judges to its appelate panel. Critics fear world trade is now facing "the law of the jungle."

Royaume-Uni : des élections inquiétantes pour l’Europe

LE MONDE: Editorial. Jeremy Corbyn et Boris Johnson, les deux hommes susceptibles de diriger le pays après les élections législatives du 12 décembre, portent des projets problématiques pour l’UE.

Editorial du « Monde ». Qui aurait cru, au moment du référendum de juin 2016 sur le Brexit, qu’à l’orée de 2020 les Britanniques seraient encore occupés à chercher le moyen de mettre en œuvre leur décision de quitter l’Union européenne ? Tel est pourtant, l’enjeu des élections législatives de jeudi 12 décembre, les troisièmes organisées en quatre ans dans ce pays divisé plus que jamais sur la question de l’Europe et dont les gouvernements successifs, paralysés, ne font plus grand-chose d’autre que de tenter de sortir du bourbier du Brexit. » | Éditorial | lundi 09 décembre 1919

Impeachment by Christmas: Democrats Limits Charges to Ensure Swift Vote

Too much or too little? Democrats in the U-S House of Representatives drafting two articles of impeachment against Donald Trump. Less is more they say in the hopes of a swift vote that would send charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress to a trial by the Republican-controlled Senate and a vote before the first January presidential primaries.

Former Saudi Consul-General Accused in Khashoggi Murder Case

The State Department has just announced that Mohammed Al-Otaibi - the former consul-general of Saudi Arabia in Istanbul - is accused of gross human rights violations in the murder case of Saudi dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Al Jazeera's Patty Culhane has more from Washington, DC.

Luca Guadagnino on the Power of First Love in ‘Call Me By Your Name’

Based on a novel of the same name by André Aciman, Call Me By Your Name tells the story of two young men who fall in love in Italy in 1983. Director Luca Guadagnino discusses the film's dreamlike aesthetic and the power of first love.

House Democrats Unveil Articles of Impeachment Against Trump

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Democratic leaders announced they would move to charge President Trump with abuse of power and obstruction of Congress when the Judiciary Committee meets to consider articles of impeachment

WASHINGTON — House Democrats announced on Tuesday that they would move ahead this week with two articles of impeachment charging President Trump with abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, as they accused him of violating the Constitution by pressuring Ukraine for help in the 2020 election.

Speaking from a wood-paneled reception room just off the floor of the House, Speaker Nancy Pelosi and leaders of six key committees said that Mr. Trump’s actions toward Ukraine, and his efforts to block Congress’s attempt to investigate, had left them no choice but to pursue one of the Constitution’s gravest remedies. The move will bring a sitting president to the brink of impeachment for only the fourth time in American history.

“Today, in service to our duty to the Constitution, and to our country, the House Committee on Judiciary is introducing two articles of impeachment charging the president of the United States, Donald J. Trump, with committing high crimes and misdemeanors,” said Representative Jerrold Nadler, Democrat of New York and the panel’s chairman. He stood before four American flags and a portrait of George Washington. » | Nicholas Fandos | Tuesday, December 10, 2019

Republicans Heckle and Disrupt as Bitter Impeachment Divide Laid Bare

THE GUARDIAN: Monday saw Congress begin arguments on what the witness testimony on Trump meant – and it did not go smoothly

Having heard all the witness testimony in the impeachment case against Donald Trump, Congress began arguments on Monday on what that testimony meant. It did not go smoothly.

Jerry Nadler, the Democratic chair of the House judiciary committee, had barely begun introducing the session when a bearded young man got up from the public seats at the back of the chamber and started yelling.

“Americans are sick of your impeachment scam! Trump is innocent!” he shouted. “You’re the one committing treason. America is done with this!”

As uniformed Capitol policeman began ushering him from the chamber, he declared: “You can kick me out, but he’s the one committing crimes.” » | Julian Borger in Washington | Monday, December 9, 2019

André Aciman: The Meaning and Message of 'Call Me By Your Name'

Author André Aciman discusses what inspired him to write his novel, 'Call Me By Your Name', how readers have responded to the book, and his reaction to the novel being made into an Academy Award-winning film.

The Observer View on Who to Vote For in the General Election

THE OBSERVER: After a tawdry campaign of lies and racism, the choice is clear – anyone but Johnson

This is a historic election, the most important choice voters have faced in decades. The result will determine whether Britain as we know it exists in a generation or whether the union will have splintered beyond repair. It will shape the nation’s economic wellbeing: whether we make countless lives harder by cutting ourselves off from our biggest trading partner or maintain our close relationship with the EU. It will influence the type of society we are: whether the number of children who grow up in abject poverty and the number of people sleeping rough – stains on our collective conscience– will continue to rise. It will decide the sustainability of the world we bequeath to our children and grandchildren.

Yet there is no disguising that this is an election of last resort, the product of an unedifying journey through months of parliamentary gridlock. None of the options inspires enthusiasm; the campaign has been underwhelming and uninspiring. But the gloomy sense it leaves – that our politics is unequal to the tests that lie ahead – must not obscure the momentous nature of the decision voters must make on Thursday. » | Observer editorial | Sunday, December 8, 2019

German Chancellor Merkel Pays Tribute to Holocaust Victims at Auschwitz Death Camp | DW News

German Chancellor Angela Merkel is making her first official visit to the former Auschwitz death camp. The site was the Nazis' largest death camp during the Second World War. Merkel's visit marks the 10th anniversary of the foundation in charge of preserving the memorial there. In a speech Merkel payed tribute to the victims of the camp. Almost 75 years have passed since Auschwitz was liberated. Germany is now providing another 60 million euros so that the memorial site can continue and the horrors of the Holocaust can be viewed up close.