Life in North Korea | DW Documentary

Are people in North Korea allowed to laugh, dance and marry? This documentary provides unique insights on everyday life in the East Asian country, which most people associate with dictatorship, military parades and nuclear missile testing.

Perhaps no other country in the world is as mysterious as North Korea. In the West, it’s known as the last Stalinist dictatorship, the land of dictator Kim Jong Un, bombastic military parades and nuclear missile tests. And it is actually quite difficult to look beyond the political and examine the daily life of 25 million North Koreans. Are they allowed to laugh, dance and marry? What do they eat? Where do they go on holiday? These simple questions are difficult to answer given the isolation of the population from the rest of the world. The filmmakers behind Have Fun in Pyongyang visited people who have lived in the isolated mountainous nation for three generations. Over eight years, they visited North Korea forty times to attend festivals and harvest ceremonies, visit factories and listen to singing contests, in the process catching surprising, fascinating and bizarre glimpses of everyday life in North Korea. The documentary gives us an insight into North Korean life and helps us understand how the impoverished, isolated country has survived the end of the Cold War, the famine of the 1990s that cost hundreds of thousands their lives, and the never-ending diplomatic and military conflicts.


Troy Collings: North Korea's 'first budget travel agent' dies aged 33 »

Elizabeth Warren, Once a Front-Runner, Drops Out of Presidential Race

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Ms. Warren, a senator and former law professor, staked her campaign on fighting corruption and changing the rules of the economy.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts dropped out of the presidential race on Thursday, ending a run defined by an avalanche of policy plans that aimed to pull the Democratic Party to the left and appealed to enough voters to make her briefly a front-runner last fall.

Though her vision excited progressives, it did not generate enough excitement among the party’s working-class and diverse base, and her support had eroded by Super Tuesday. In her final weeks as a candidate she effectively drove former Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg of New York, a centrist billionaire, out of the race with debate performances that flashed her evident skills and political potential.

She entered the race railing against the corrosive power of big money, and one long-term consequence of her campaign is that Ms. Warren demonstrated that someone other than Senator Bernie Sanders, and his intensely loyal small-dollar donors, could fund a credible presidential campaign without holding fund-raisers. » | Astead W. Herndon and Shane Goldmacher | Thursday, March 5, 2020

Dubai Ruler Organised Kidnapping of His Children, UK Court Rules

THE GUARDIAN: Ruling backs Princess Haya’s claim that husband Sheikh Mohammed intimidated her

The ruler of Dubai orchestrated the abductions of two of his children – one from the streets of Cambridge – and subjected his youngest wife to a campaign of “intimidation”, a damning UK family court judgment has found.

In findings that risk destabilising diplomatic relations with the United Arab Emirates, a close Gulf ally of Britain, the actions of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum were described by the judge as behaviour which, on the balance of probabilities, amounted to potentially breaking UK and international law.

The Guardian and other news organisations can reveal the ruling following months of private hearings and a legal dispute that reached the supreme court. It details an extraordinary family saga spanning 20 years during which the sheikh, 70, organised international kidnappings, imprisoned two of his daughters and “deprived [them] of their liberty”. » | Owen Bowcott and Haroon Siddique | Thursday, March 5, 2020

Dubai ruler's wife who shattered perception of a perfect couple »

Bevor Hitler kam : Deutschlands Weg in die Diktatur 1918 - 1933

Bernie Sanders and the Establishment Red Scare Meltdown

We are witnessing the beginnings of the cataclysmic meltdown that will occur in various sectors of the U.S. political class in the United States if Bernie Sanders wins the majority of delegates in the Democratic primary.

It has unfortunately become low hanging fruit to look at MSNBC’s coverage of this primary for a sense of how out of touch, delusional and, frankly, demoralized the Democratic establishment and its pundits are. But it is really something to behold.

And then you have this shameless class of neocons, lifelong right-wing Republicans, so-called conservative pundits who call themselves Never Trumpers. They have been in this weird alliance with the MSNBC/DNC crowd in the Trump era. And now they are all offering their totally unsolicited and unwanted panic-addled advice for what Democrats should do and how urgent it is to stop Bernie Sanders.

Bernie Sanders has been vetted. The campaign of Hillary Clinton spent substantial resources on so-called opposition research and produced absolutely nothing that could effectively tar Sanders.

One of the wealthiest people on earth, Michael Bloomberg, is spending megamillions right now trying to smear Bernie Sanders. And it is a bit ironic, and frankly nuts, that Bloomberg — with all of his heinous, well-documented skeletons walking around out in public — to pretend to be the vetter in chief of Bernie Sanders. Here is the fact: If there was any real dirt on Bernie Sanders, it would have already been weaponized and deployed. And so what do we have now? Red-baiting. McCarthyism is the central strategy of the bipartisan coalition trying to stop Bernie Sanders.

Here is the major difference between those attacking Sanders and Bernie Sanders: Bernie Sanders has consistently opposed U.S. hegemony. That’s why they attack him. These people don’t care about human rights unless it fits their agenda. If you actually listen to what Bernie Sanders has said about left-wing governments, he constantly offers nuance. He calls out authoritarianism and anti-democratic policies.

Bernie Sanders is an imperfect messenger, for sure. But he has done the work, kept focus, and inspired so many people across racial, economic, gender, and ethnic lines to fight for something bigger than themselves. Remember that when you watch the desperate smears against him. Remember that what they are trying to stop has nothing to do with Fidel Castro or the Sandinistas.

This is about stopping the masses of people in this country who are sick and tired of a system based on oppression and rooted in defense of a system where the rich and powerful rule all of our lives.

Super Tuesday: Wer wählt eigentlich Bernie Sanders?

Nach vier Vorwahlen der Demokraten liegt der linke Senator Bernie Sanders vorne. Wer sind die Wähler des 78-Jährigen und warum geben sie ihm ihre Stimme?

Reach Out, I'll Be There: The Motown Story: The 60s Version – A Rave from the Grave!

The Abolition of Monarchy | Constantine: A King's Story | Real Royalty

This documentary is an intimate portrait of King Constantine of Greece during his exile - his life in London, his interactions with other royal families and his role in securing the Games for Greece in 2004.

Alain de Botton: How Does Love Survive in Everyday Life? | Sternstunde Philosophie | SRF Kultur

Sich verlieben geht ganz einfach. Die Liebe durch den Alltag retten, ist schon schwieriger. Der Starphilosoph Alain de Botton erklärt im Gespräch mit Barbara Bleisch, warum alte Liebe nicht unbedingt rosten muss und weshalb die Philosophie ein gutes Rostschutzmittel ist.

Zwar bekommen sich nicht immer die Richtigen, und zuweilen braucht es mehrere Anläufe. Aber früher oder später landen die meisten in der «Zweierkiste». Doch was, wenn die sprichwörtlichen Schmetterlinge im Bauch davonfliegen und der nüchterne Alltag einzieht? Was, wenn Kinder und Karriere an den Nerven zehren und die Liebe auf der Strecke bleibt?

Darüber, wie es mit der Liebe weitergeht, wenn die erste Verliebtheit vorbei ist, wissen die Menschen erstaunlich wenig, sagt der Bestsellerautor Alain de Botton. Kein Wunder: Grimms Märchen und Hollywoods Traumfabrik beenden ihre Liebesgeschichten immer dann, wenn sich die Liebenden gefunden haben. Doch wie retten Dornröschen, Aschenputtel sowie Harry und Sally ihre Liebe über die Zeit?

Alain de Botton hat über diese Frage einen philosophischen Roman geschrieben - und kommt zu überraschenden Schlüssen: Partner sollten einander nicht annehmen, wie sie sind; Monogamie ist eine Tragödie, aber man kann mit ihr leben; wenn Paare streiten, sind sie selten wütend, sondern bedürftig.

Barbara Bleisch begibt sich mit Alain de Botton in die philosophische Paartherapie.


Alain de Botton »

Psychiatrist on Trump’s ‘Dangerous’ Response to Coronavirus Crisis | The Last Word | MSNBC

Dr. Lance Dodes, a contributor to bestselling “The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump,” tells Lawrence O’Donnell that President Trump is a “con man” who is making the current public health crisis “all about himself”- which could have grave results for Americans. Aired on 02/27/20.

“Pence Is Not a Medical Expert”: Is the Trump Administration Ready to Stop a US Coronavirus Pandemic?

The coronavirus disease that was first diagnosed in China’s Hubei province has now spread to at least 47 countries and every continent except Antarctica. The World Health Organization has declared the outbreak an international health emergency. President Trump sought to play down the threat from coronavirus and announced Vice President Mike Pence would be his point person to coordinate government efforts to prevent a widespread outbreak. As Trump spoke, a new milestone in the novel coronavirus outbreak was reported, in a possible example of community spread: A person was diagnosed with the virus in Northern California who had not traveled to any of the affected regions of the world, nor had known contact with anyone else who did. We speak with Laurie Garrett, former senior fellow for global health at the Council on Foreign Relations and a Pulitzer Prize-winning science writer. She is the author of several books, including “Ebola: Story of an Outbreak,” “The Coming Plague: Newly Emerging Diseases in a World Out of Balance” and “Betrayal of Trust: The Collapse of Global Public Health.”

The Debate: France and Muslims: What Will Macron's Declaration Change?

France is digesting the controversial recommendations made by President Emmanuel Macron. Essentially the president is calling to combat Islamist separation in France. The sense that a religion can separate a person from the lifestyle and values of France, where church and state are separated by law. But will Macron's words in Mulhouse, in eastern France, get to the heart of the matter?

“The Billionaire Election”: Anand Giridharadas on How 2020 Is a Referendum on Wealth Inequality

The 10th Democratic presidential debate took place Tuesday in Charleston, South Carolina, and two billionaires were at either end of the stage: Michael Bloomberg and Tom Steyer. Front-runner Bernie Sanders, who has made attacking the power of the “billionaire class” a central theme of his campaign, stood in the middle. It was a visual representation of the split within the Democratic Party, in which a growing number of people are “rising up against plutocracy,” says Anand Giridharadas, editor-at-large at Time magazine and author of “Winners Take All: The Elite Charade of Changing the World.” His recent piece for The New York Times is titled “The Billionaire Election: Does the world belong to them or to us?

Democracy Now! Top US News & World Headlines — February 25, 2020

The Economy Is Actually Trump’s Biggest Weakness

The economy for most American citizens is not working. Capitalism today only benefits those at the top, and tens of millions of Americans are just a few hundred dollars away from financial ruin. THIS is the issue that Democrats need to be hammering on the campaign trail, and some of them are. Ring of Fire’s Farron Cousins explains how the Democrats can capitalize on the REAL economic situation of millions of Americans.

Bernie Sanders Dismantles Wall Street "Crooks" at Santa Ana, CA Rally

Bernie Sanders slammed Wall Street billionaires and advocated for the middle class at a rally in Santa Ana, CA on Friday.

Wallis Simpson's Hard Lessons for Harry and Meghan

BBC: A popular, playful prince falls in love with a strong-willed US divorcee, who ends up vilified by a hostile British press. In Harry and Meghan, some royal watchers see echoes of Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson, the couple at the heart of the abdication crisis eight decades ago. But does the comparison hold up? It could do if the Duke and Duchess of Sussex end up reliving the Duke and Duchess of Windsor's tormented exile.

In December 1936, The King gave up his throne and an Empire of half a billion souls so he could wed a woman who was divorcing her second husband.

The public vitriol spewed on his bride-to-be, Wallis Simpson, might strike a chord with the latest American to marry into Britain's royal family.

On top of being condemned as a social climber from a Baltimore, Maryland, row-house, Simpson was reviled as a cheap adventuress, a lesbian, a nymphomaniac, a Nazi spy and a hermaphrodite.

She was portrayed as a sexual enchantress who supposedly learned "ancient Chinese skills" in the brothels of Shanghai, where her first husband, a US Navy pilot, had been stationed.

But the media's attacks on Simpson weren't just in print.

Daily Express reporters hurled bricks through the window of her rented Regent's Park, London, home, the newspaper's owner, Lord Beaverbrook, would later acknowledge. » | Jude Sheerin, BBC, Washington | Saturday, February 22, 2020

Naturwunder und Powerfood: Fakten zum Ei - Dokumentation von NZZ Format (2007)

Immer mehr Konsumenten sind bereit, für Eier von „glücklichen“ Hühnern mehr zu bezahlen. Schweizer Bio-Eier sind wohl die teuersten auf der Welt, trotzdem werden sie von Jahr zu Jahr besser verkauft. Der einzige Schweizer Bio-Eierhändler hatte eine gute Nase. Das weltweit grösste Zuchtunternehmen für Legehennen befindet sich in Cuxhaven an der Nordsee. Jahrzehntelang stand die Legeleistung im Zentrum der Bemühungen. Mit dem allmählichen Verschwinden der Käfighaltung und dem Aufkommen neuer Halteformen sind neue Kriterien in der Zucht gefragt. Die Produktion von Impfstoff-Viren in Hühnereiern hat eine lange Tradition. Innerhalb weniger Stunden können sie sich dort um das 200’000fache vermehren. Am Roslin Institute in Edinburgh ist es gelungen, transgene Hühner zu züchten, die in ihren Eiern Proteine liefern, die eines Tages gegen Hautkrebs, Tumore und Viren eingesetzt werden könnten. Dazu: Was war zuerst: Huhn oder Ei? Ein Philosoph klärt.

In "NZZ Swiss made": Die Kemmeriboden-Meringues. Die Geschichte einer berühmten Nachspeise aus dem Emmental.

Soul-searching in Germany as Hanau Mourns Shooting Victims | DW News

People in Germany have been holding vigils for the ten killed by a suspected far-right extremist in the western city of Hanau. Authorities have identified the attacker as a 43-year-old German national. Prosecutors are treating the killings as an act of right-wing domestic terrorism. People have been coming together to mourn the victims and also to call for action. The city has a population of about 100,000, with a wide range of ethnic backgrounds. The Confederation of Kurds in Germany has confirmed that several of the dead had Kurdish origins. We met with some family members of those killed in Wednesday's attack.

Rare Look Inside Secretive Mormon Temple (2012)

CNN's Brian Todd reports on a Mormon temple and interviews a church elder on posthumous baptisms.

Europas Kleinstaaten - Monaco - Geschlossene Gesellschaft

California Governor Declares Homeless Crisis ‘a Disgrace’

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Vulnerable to the charge that the problem has exploded under Democratic rule, Gov. Gavin Newsom pleaded with legislators to take action.

SAN FRANCISCO — With tens of thousands of people living on the streets of California, the homelessness crisis has become the state’s defining issue. For Gov. Gavin Newsom, the emergency had become so dire that he devoted his entire State of the State address on Wednesday to the 150,000 Californians without homes.

“Let’s call it what it is: It’s a disgrace that the richest state in the richest nation, succeeding across so many sectors, is falling so far behind to properly house, heal and humanely treat so many of its own people,” Mr. Newsom told lawmakers in Sacramento. “Every day, the California dream is dimmed by the wrenching reality of families and children and seniors living unfed on a concrete bed.”

Vulnerable to the charge that the problem has exploded under Democratic rule in California, Mr. Newsom, a former mayor of San Francisco, pleaded with — and at times admonished — legislators to take action.

“The hard truth is for too long we’ve ignored this problem,” Mr. Newsom said. “We turned away.” » | Thomas Fuller | Wednesday, February 19, 2020

How Germany's Universal Healthcare System Works

Germany’s health-care system spends nearly half as much as the United States but still manages to cover 100% of its population through a mix of public and private insurance schemes. There are two different systems that residents can turn to for insurance in Germany: SHI, which stands for Statutory Health Insurance and PHI or Private Health Insurance. Here’s how they work.

Sabisky Row: Dominic Cummings Criticised over 'Designer Babies' post

THE GUARDIAN: PM’s aide dragged further into row over decision to hire adviser with eugenicist views

Boris Johnson’s senior aide Dominic Cummings has been dragged further into the row over No 10’s decision to hire an adviser with eugenicist views after it emerged that he suggested in his own writings that the NHS should cover the cost of selecting babies to have higher IQs.

In a blogpost covering his views on the future of “designer babies”, Cummings said he believed rich would-be parents would inevitably select embryos with “the highest prediction for IQ” and floated the idea that “a national health system should fund everybody to do this” to avoid an unfair advantage for the wealthy.

Experts criticised Cummings’s theories about genetics, saying they were unworkable, unethical and amounted to eugenics, two days after Andrew Sabisky resigned as a No 10 contractor over his past claims that black Americans on average had lower IQs than white people. » | Rowena Mason and Ian Sample | Wednesday, February 19, 2020

Saudi Official: 'We Don't Have a History of Murdering Our Citizens' | Conflict Zone

Adel al-Jubeir, Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, tells Conflict Zone his country is paying 'a great price' over the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. But he dismisses criticism from human rights groups over Riyadh's dire treatment of activists.

Die Fürstenfamilie Liechtenstein | 15.08.2017/ORF 2

Hans-Adam II. von und zu Liechtenstein gehört heute zu den reichsten Adeligen Europas. Zudem ist er der einzige Monarch, der einem Staat auch den Namen gibt. Die Dokumentation gibt einen Einblick in die beiden prächtigen Wiener Palais der Familie, in die Gemäldedepots und die Restaurierungswerkstätte.

Why Democratic Socialism Is Gaining Popularity in the United States

Socialism used to be a scary word in the U.S., but presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders and freshman Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have helped to catapult it back into mainstream American politics. In the latest explainer from CNBC we try to answer what socialism means to different parts of the political spectrum and whether it's fad or the future of politics in America.

8 Monarchies That No Longer Exist | British Pathé

Currently there are 13 sovereign monarchies in the world. Here is a list of 8 monarchies that do not exist anymore from the Kingdom of Russia to the Kingdom of Romania.

Why Being Gay in Russia Is about "Love and Passion"

Jon and Alex, a gay couple from Russia, share an intimate moment at a small apartment in St Petersburg.

This secret glimpse into their private lives was captured by Danish photographer Mads Nissen and received the prestigious World Press Photo Award in 2015.

But while people across the globe were admiring Nissen's work, life for Jon and Alex was only getting more difficult. Members of the LGBT community in Russia say social stigma and risk of physical attacks have increased since the country approved the law banning 'gay propaganda' in 2013. And for Jon, now that Alex is not alive, the picture is also a symbol of painful struggle and, ultimately, loss.

If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this film, you can get advice and information here. Reporter: Anastassia Zlatopolskai | Producer: Julia Malkin

Pete Buttigieg: The Big Gay Interview | The Advocate x LGBTQ&A

Pete Buttigieg takes a break from the campaign trail to talk with Jeffrey Masters about his history-making candidacy, navigating his queerness as he campaigns in more conservative states, serving in the Navy under Don't Ask, Don't Tell, fighting climate change, and meeting his husband on a dating app.

Pete Buttigieg’s Unlikely, Unprecedented 2020 Campaign | TIME

The New Guy: How Mayor Pete Buttigieg became a surprise contender in the 2020 Democratic primary.

US Election 2020: Buttigieg Sexuality Becomes Campaign Issue

BBC: Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg's sexuality has become a campaign issue after a radio host questioned if voters would pick a man "kissing his husband on stage".

Firebrand conservative Rush Limbaugh said Democrats must realise America is still not ready to elect a gay man.

Mr Buttigieg's Democratic rivals leapt to his defence, and President Donald Trump said he would vote for a gay man.

Mr Limbaugh was last week awarded a top civilian honour by the president.

On his radio show which is nationally syndicated to millions of listeners, Mr Limbaugh on Wednesday imagined Demcorats' deliberations over who to vote for.

He said: "They're saying, 'OK, how's this going to look? Thirty-seven-year-old gay guy kissing his husband on stage, next to Mr Man, Donald Trump.'" » | Valentine’s Day, 2020

Sorry, Fossils! America needs a gay president. It will awaken the nation to the realities of the twenty-first century. Go for it, Pete! Your country needs you! – Mark

Türkei: Staatsanwalt fordert hohe Haftstrafe für Deniz Yücel

ZEIT ONLINE: In der Türkei hat der Staatsanwalt sein Plädoyer im Prozess gegen den Journalisten Deniz Yücel gehalten. Er fordert bis zu 16 Jahre Haft.

Die türkische Staatsanwaltschaft wirft dem Welt-Reporter Deniz YücelTerrorpropaganda und Volksverhetzung vor. Dafür fordert sie für ihn nun bis zu 16 Jahre Haft, wie Yücels Anwalt Veysel Ok mitteilte. Der Staatsanwalt hatte sein Plädoyer nicht laut verlesen, sondern zuvor schriftlich eingereicht.

Ok forderte mehr Zeit für die Verteidigung. Der Prozess soll nun am 2. April fortgesetzt werden. Yücel selbst ist nicht anwesend. » | Quelle: ZEIT ONLINE, dpa, fin | Donnerstag, 13. Februar 2020

Blasphemy 'Is No Crime', Says Macron amid French Girl's Anti-Islam Row

THE GUARDIAN: Schoolgirl Mila received death threats after posting anti-religious diatribe on Instagram

Emmanuel Macron has waded into a row over a schoolgirl whose attack on Islam has divided France, insisting that blasphemy is “no crime”.

The French president defended the teenager, named only as Mila, who received death threats and was forced out of her school after filming an anti-religious diatribe on social media.

Macron’s intervention comes after his justice minister, Nicole Belloubet, was criticised for claiming Mila’s attack on religion was “an attack on freedom of conscience” while saying the death threats were “unacceptable”.

The case has sparked a furious public debate in France, a strictly secular republic with a large Muslim population. The education authorities have since found another school for the teenager. » | Kim Willsher in Paris | Wednesday, February 12, 2020

Johnson's Caribbean Christmas Holiday Was a Gift from Tory Donor

THE GUARDIAN: David Ross, co-founder of Carphone Warehouse, provided PM’s accommodation

Boris Johnson’s Caribbean holiday over the New Year was a £15,000 gift from a wealthy and controversial Conservative donor, newly released documents disclose.

The prime minister and his partner Carrie Symonds accepted accommodation for a private holiday in St Vincent and the Grenadines.

David Ross, a Tory donor who co-founded the Carphone Warehouse chain, provided the accommodation, which was reportedly on the private island of Mustique, which is one of the Grenadines.

Ross, 54, has known Johnson for at least 15 years. He was a member of the London 2012 Board as a representative of then-London Mayor Johnson. » | Rajeev Syal | Wednesday, February 12, 2020

Islamic Conquests and Civil War

In this lecture, Professor Freedman discusses the Islamic conquests. Although they were in some sense religiously motivated, Arab did not attempt to forcibly convert or eradicate Jews, Christians, or other non-Muslims. The conquests began as raids, but quickly escalated when the invaders discovered that Byzantium and Persia were too weak to withstand their assault. In a relatively short period of time, the Arabs were able to conquer an area stretching from Spain to India. Against this background of successful conquests, Islam began to experience deep internal divisions. These began as criticisms of the election of Mohammed's successors, but broadened to criticize the Caliphate and the ruling family. Out of this strife came the division between Sunni and Shiite Muslims. Professor Freedman concludes the lecture with observations on the increasingly non-Arab Muslim populations.

Mohammed and the Arab Conquests

In this lecture, Professor Freedman introduces Islam. He begins with a discussion of its geographical context: the dry desert lands of the Arabian peninsula. The Bedouins, or nomadic Arabs of the region, lived in a tribal society somewhat similar to the Germanic tribes discussed earlier in the course. Their raids against the Byzantine and the Persian Empire, for lack of strong opposition, would lead to the Arab conquests. The second half of the lecture focuses on the life of Mohammed (570/580 -- 632) and the early years of Islam. Mohammed's revelation was one of the unity of God and a progressive interpretation of God's prophets, with Mohammed as the last of these. Early Islam was slow to differentiate itself for Christianity and Judaism, though this process accelerated after Mohammed's flight to Medina in 622. Professor Freedman ends with a discussion of the tenets of Islam and anticipates the discussion of the Arab conquests in the next lecture.

Christians Converted to Islam in Modern Mediterranean World · Noel Malcolm

What Forced Meghan and Harry to Do a Royal Runner? | 60 Minutes Australia

It's not quite disintegrating, but there's little doubt the Royal Family is fraying at the edges. Bad enough is Prince Andrew being entangled in an ongoing sex scandal involving young women, but even more gob-smacking is Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's daring – many say disrespectful – escape from the Firm.

As Tom Steinfort reports from London, the shame of it is the Duke and Duchess of Sussex had promised so much in the way of positive PR for the Royals. Sticking to the fairytale script, they'd fallen in love, married in a castle, and produced a beautiful boy. But somehow it's now all gone horribly askew.

BBC HARDtalk (2016): Julian Assange 4th Year in Ecuador Embassy Highlighted by Foreign Minister (Guillaume Long) Interview

BBC HARDtalk interview with the Ecuador Foreign Minister Guillaume Long.

Trump Has Total Meltdown over Viral Photo Showing His Tan Lines

The online community erupted in hysterics this weekend as a photo of Donald Trump went viral. The photo showed his horrid combover and his obviously fake tan lines, prompting ridicule from every corner of the internet. But Trump insists that the photo is fake, even though the authenticity of it has been verified. This is the kind of thin-skinned person we have in charge of our nuclear arsenal. Ring of Fire’s Farron Cousins discusses this.

Photo Credit: U.S. President Donald Trump walks across the South Lawn to the Oval Office as he returns from a day trip from North Carolina at the White House in Washington, U.S., February 7, 2020. - Joshua Roberts | Reuters

US Sanctions Venezuela Again to Prove Socialism Doesn't Work

Shortly after Venezuelan opposition leader and self-declared president Juan Guaidó got a standing ovation at Trump's State of the Union address, United States officials promised more sanctions on Venezuela. Why?

Arab League Rejects Trump's Middle East Plan

The Arab League has rejected US President Donald Trump's Middle East plan. At an emergency meeting in Cairo, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas attacked the proposal, saying his people will never accept it. Al Jazeera's Nida Ibrahim reports from Ramallah, the occupied West Bank.

The 200-year-old Diary That's Rewriting Gay History

BBC: A diary written by a Yorkshire farmer more than 200 years ago is being hailed as providing remarkable evidence of tolerance towards homosexuality in Britain much earlier than previously imagined.

Historians from Oxford University have been taken aback to discover that Matthew Tomlinson's diary from 1810 contains such open-minded views about same-sex attraction being a "natural" human tendency.

The diary challenges preconceptions about what "ordinary people" thought about homosexuality - showing there was a debate about whether someone really should be discriminated against for their sexuality.

"In this exciting new discovery, we see a Yorkshire farmer arguing that homosexuality is innate and something that shouldn't be punished by death," says Oxford researcher Eamonn O'Keeffe. » | Sean Coughlan | Monday, February 10, 2020

Why a Young Former Mayor Is Surging in US Election

BBC: Pete Buttigieg has surged towards the top of the pack ahead of New Hampshire's Democratic primary on Tuesday. He's drawing more attention from voters - and more attacks from presidential rivals who view this newcomer to national politics as a serious threat.

There's an old saying about the way the two parties pick their presidential nominees - Democrats fall in love; Republicans fall in line.

After a 2016 election that turned conventional wisdom on its head by producing iconoclastic Donald Trump and establishment-favourite Hillary Clinton as the nominees, that nostrum could be reasserting itself. While the Republican Party is closing ranks behind the president, there's nothing logical or expected about the early success Pete Buttigieg is having in the Democratic fight to take on Trump in November.

He's the former mayor of a modest-sized Indiana city, the 306th-largest in the US - a college town like Oxford in the UK, only smaller.

He's 38 years old, which would make him the youngest president in US history.

He's also the first openly gay major-party presidential candidate, a historic candidacy that would have seemed inconceivable just a few decades ago, when Republicans were campaigning - and winning - on opposition to gay marriage and mainstream Democrats, by and large, avoided the issue. » | Anthony Zurcher, North America reporter | Sunday, February 9, 2020

Brexit : De Gaulle "La Grande Bretagne et l'Europe" | Archive INA

Charles de GAULLE s'interroge sur la candidature de l'entrée de l'Angleterre dans le marché commun. Il pointe du doigt le refus de l'Angleterre, naguère, à participer à la communauté qui se construisait. Il met en relief le caractère "insulaire, maritime, et lié par ses échanges, ses marchés, son ravitaillement aux pays les plus divers et souvent les plus lointains". Il ajoute que "la nature, la structure, la conjoncture qui sont propres à l'Angleterre diffèrent profondément de celles des continentaux"

Simon Wallfisch ist einer von 3000 britischen Juden, die einen deutschen Paß nehmen

Seine Großmutter hat Auschwitz überlebt und schwor, nie in das Land zurückzukehren, das ihre Eltern und sechs Millionen weitere Juden ermordet hat. Doch jetzt hat der Brexit Simon Wallfisch gezwungen, etwas für sie Undenkbares zu tun: Er beantragte die deutsche Staatsbürgerschaft.

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