Tuesday, January 26, 2021
Keilar Calls Out Dr. Birx's Post-Trump Reputation Rehab Tour
Monday, January 25, 2021
The Romanov Dynasty and the Hunt for Russia's Incredible Tsar's Treasure
Sunday, January 24, 2021
The Romanovs. The History of the Russian Dynasty
It was 20 years before the beginning of the XX century. The country was in fever. Never before tsar’s power had been as unstable as at that time. It was Alexander III Aleksandrovich who had to take on responsibility for the future of the empire. He was able to extricate the country from economic crisis and turn it into one of the world’s mightiest powers. It was in this condition – at the peak of its power – that the country was inherited by Nicholas Aleksandrovich Romanov. Nobody could even guess at that time that the Russian Empire would collapse soon and Nicholas would be its last ruler, the last monarch of the great dynasty, the House of Romanov.
The most vivid pages of Russian history and the establishment and consolidation of Russian state power are associated with the eighteen Russian Tsars of the House of Romanov which include such historic names as Peter the Great, Catherine the Great, Nicholas I and Alexanders I, II and III. The dynasty ended with the brutal assassination of the last Tsar, Nicholas II and his family by the Bolsheviks in Ekaterinburg in 1917.
The Romanov dynasty played a hugely important role in world history, and the series highlights the life stories and characters of the tsars, recounting their rise to power and their contribution to the dynasty, their merits and their faults, their achievements and mistakes, their victories and defeats in war.
The most vivid pages of Russian history and the establishment and consolidation of Russian state power are associated with the eighteen Russian Tsars of the House of Romanov which include such historic names as Peter the Great, Catherine the Great, Nicholas I and Alexanders I, II and III. The dynasty ended with the brutal assassination of the last Tsar, Nicholas II and his family by the Bolsheviks in Ekaterinburg in 1917.
The Romanov dynasty played a hugely important role in world history, and the series highlights the life stories and characters of the tsars, recounting their rise to power and their contribution to the dynasty, their merits and their faults, their achievements and mistakes, their victories and defeats in war.
Courtrooms and Creditors Likely to Loom Large in Trump's Post-presidency Life
Each US president has charted a unique course after leaving the White House, taking up vocations from philanthropy to human rights to oil painting.
Donald Trump’s post-presidency appears likely to be taken up by meetings with lawyers and creditors, possible sworn depositions about tax practices or sexual assault allegations and, in some long-tail scenarios, fines, criminal charges, bankruptcy or other legal sanction.
With Trump gone from Washington, and now lacking the immunity protections of the presidency, prosecutors in at least three jurisdictions are either weighing or actively pursuing criminal cases against him, and a fourth prosecutor is investigating allegedly fraudulent business practices inside the Trump Organization.
Trump’s daughter, Ivanka Trump, is reportedly a major figure in two of the investigations, over more than $700,000 in “consulting fees” she allegedly received from the Trump Organization, which then allegedly claimed those fees as tax-deductible business expenses. » | Tom McCarthy | Sunday, January 23, 2021
Sturgeon: SNP Will Hold Scottish Independence Vote If It Wins in May
THE GUARDIAN: First minister says she will hold advisory referendum, whether Westminster consents or not
Nicola Sturgeon has said she will hold an advisory referendum on independence if her Scottish National party wins a majority in May’s Holyrood elections, regardless of whether Westminster consents to the move.
Her party is setting out an 11-point roadmap for taking forward another vote, which was to be presented to members of the SNP’s national assembly on Sunday.
Scotland’s first minister told BBC One’s Andrew Marr show on Sunday morning: “I want to have a legal referendum, that’s what I’m going to seek the authority of the Scottish people for in May and if they give me that authority that’s what I intend to do: to have a legal referendum to give people the right to choose. That’s democracy. It’s not about what I want or what Boris Johnson wants.” » | Libby Brooks, Scotland correspondent | Sunday, January 24, 2021
Go for it, Nicola! Scotland's destiny is in Europe. – Mark
Nicola Sturgeon has said she will hold an advisory referendum on independence if her Scottish National party wins a majority in May’s Holyrood elections, regardless of whether Westminster consents to the move.
Her party is setting out an 11-point roadmap for taking forward another vote, which was to be presented to members of the SNP’s national assembly on Sunday.
Scotland’s first minister told BBC One’s Andrew Marr show on Sunday morning: “I want to have a legal referendum, that’s what I’m going to seek the authority of the Scottish people for in May and if they give me that authority that’s what I intend to do: to have a legal referendum to give people the right to choose. That’s democracy. It’s not about what I want or what Boris Johnson wants.” » | Libby Brooks, Scotland correspondent | Sunday, January 24, 2021
Go for it, Nicola! Scotland's destiny is in Europe. – Mark
Saturday, January 23, 2021
From the 60 Minutes Archives: Alexey Navalny
Tens of thousands protest in Russia calling for Navalny's release »
Larry King, Breezy Interviewer of the Famous and Infamous, Dies at 87
Larry King, who shot the breeze with presidents and psychics, movie stars and malefactors — anyone with a story to tell or a pitch to make — in a half-century on radio and television, including 25 years as the host of CNN’s globally popular “Larry King Live,” died on Saturday in Los Angeles. He was 87.
Ora Media, which Mr. King co-founded in 2012, confirmed the death in a statement posted on Mr. King’s own Twitter account and said he had died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.
The statement did not specify a cause of death, but Mr. King had recently been treated for Covid-19. In 2019, he was hospitalized for chest pains and said he had also suffered a stroke.
A son of European immigrants who grew up in Brooklyn and never went to college, Mr. King began as a local radio interviewer and sportscaster in Florida in the 1950s and ’60s, rose to prominence with an all-night coast-to-coast radio call-in show starting in 1978, and from 1985 to 2010 anchored CNN’s highest-rated, longest-running program, reaching millions across America and around the world. » | Robert D. McFadden | Saturday, January 23, 2021
Demstrationen für Navalnyj: „Putin ist ein Dieb!“
FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG: Zehntausende Menschen protestieren am Samstag gegen den russischen Staatspräsidenten und für die Freilassung Alexej Nawalnyjs. Die Staatsmacht geht hart gegen die friedlichen Demonstranten vor.
Im Zentrum Moskaus erschallt am Samstagnachmittag ein Hupkonzert. Zahlreiche Autofahrer hupen, winken den Leuten zu, die den Puschkin-Platz und die angrenzenden Straßen verstopfen. Polizisten flankieren die Straßen, ihre Gesichter von schwarzen Visieren verdeckt. Nur wenige derer, die sich hier versammeln, um „spazieren zu gehen“, wagen es, Schilder zu tragen, denn das liefert einen Anlass zur Festnahme. Die Veranstaltung ist aus Behördensicht illegal, daran erinnert eine Durchsage der Polizei in Dauerschleife. So wie auch die Demonstrationen in allen anderen russischen Städten, zu denen der Oppositionspolitiker Alexej Nawalnyj Anfang der Woche nach seiner Verhaftung für diesen Samstag aufgerufen hat. » | Von Friedrich Schmidt und Reinhard Veser | Samstag, 23. Januar 2021
Im Zentrum Moskaus erschallt am Samstagnachmittag ein Hupkonzert. Zahlreiche Autofahrer hupen, winken den Leuten zu, die den Puschkin-Platz und die angrenzenden Straßen verstopfen. Polizisten flankieren die Straßen, ihre Gesichter von schwarzen Visieren verdeckt. Nur wenige derer, die sich hier versammeln, um „spazieren zu gehen“, wagen es, Schilder zu tragen, denn das liefert einen Anlass zur Festnahme. Die Veranstaltung ist aus Behördensicht illegal, daran erinnert eine Durchsage der Polizei in Dauerschleife. So wie auch die Demonstrationen in allen anderen russischen Städten, zu denen der Oppositionspolitiker Alexej Nawalnyj Anfang der Woche nach seiner Verhaftung für diesen Samstag aufgerufen hat. » | Von Friedrich Schmidt und Reinhard Veser | Samstag, 23. Januar 2021
One Winning Ticket Sold for $1.05bn Mega Millions Lottery Jackpot
THE GUARDIAN: Third-largest prize in US history awaits Michigan winner / Prize had been growing since September
One winning ticket was sold in Michigan for the $1.05bn Mega Millions jackpot, the third-largest lottery prize in US history.
The winning numbers drawn on Friday were 4, 26, 42, 50, 60 and a Mega Ball of 24. The winning ticket was purchased at a Kroger store in the Detroit suburb of Novi, the Michigan Lottery said.
“Someone in Michigan woke up to life-changing news this morning, and Kroger Michigan congratulates the newest Michigan multimillionaire,” said Rachel Hurst, a regional spokeswoman for the grocery chain. She declined to comment further.
The top prize had been growing since 15 September, when a winning ticket was sold in Wisconsin. The lottery’s next estimated jackpot is $20m.
Friday night’s draw came two days after a ticket sold in Maryland won a $731.1m Powerball jackpot. » | Associated Press in New York | Saturday, January 23, 2021
$1 Billion Lottery Prize Ticket Was Sold in Michigan »
One winning ticket was sold in Michigan for the $1.05bn Mega Millions jackpot, the third-largest lottery prize in US history.
The winning numbers drawn on Friday were 4, 26, 42, 50, 60 and a Mega Ball of 24. The winning ticket was purchased at a Kroger store in the Detroit suburb of Novi, the Michigan Lottery said.
“Someone in Michigan woke up to life-changing news this morning, and Kroger Michigan congratulates the newest Michigan multimillionaire,” said Rachel Hurst, a regional spokeswoman for the grocery chain. She declined to comment further.
The top prize had been growing since 15 September, when a winning ticket was sold in Wisconsin. The lottery’s next estimated jackpot is $20m.
Friday night’s draw came two days after a ticket sold in Maryland won a $731.1m Powerball jackpot. » | Associated Press in New York | Saturday, January 23, 2021
$1 Billion Lottery Prize Ticket Was Sold in Michigan »
Joe Biden Moved to Scrap Many of Trump's Policies | Inside Story
After one of the most bitterly contested and chaotic elections in American history, Joe Biden - the 46th president of the United States - began work in the Oval Office.
Within hours of being sworn in, Biden kicked off his term signing 17 executive orders to reverse some of Donald Trump's most contentious policies. They included repealing Trump's travel ban on some Muslim-majority countries, halting construction of the border wall with Mexico, and rejoining the Paris Climate Accord.
Can the new president repair fractured relations around the world?
Presenter: Mohammed Jamjoom | Guests: Rina Shah, Founder of Republican Women for Biden; Nizar Messari, Associate professor of International Studies at Al Akhawayn University; Jill Cartwright, Writer and Georgia Organizer at Southerners on New Ground Power.
Within hours of being sworn in, Biden kicked off his term signing 17 executive orders to reverse some of Donald Trump's most contentious policies. They included repealing Trump's travel ban on some Muslim-majority countries, halting construction of the border wall with Mexico, and rejoining the Paris Climate Accord.
Can the new president repair fractured relations around the world?
Presenter: Mohammed Jamjoom | Guests: Rina Shah, Founder of Republican Women for Biden; Nizar Messari, Associate professor of International Studies at Al Akhawayn University; Jill Cartwright, Writer and Georgia Organizer at Southerners on New Ground Power.
Friday, January 22, 2021
Thursday, January 21, 2021
«Die Mehrheit der Priester im Vatikan ist schwul» | Sternstunde Religion | SRF Kultur
Mit seiner These, wonach die Mehrheit der Prälaten, Bischöfe und Kardinäle des Vatikans schwul seien, generierte der französische Soziologe und Journalist Frédéric Martel im Frühling 2019 viel Aufmerksamkeit, aber auch Unverständnis.
Sein Buch «Sodom» erschien zeitgleich in acht Sprachen und Martel wurde in unzählige Talkshows eingeladen, doch der Vatikan hüllte sich in Schweigen. Wer sich in den 30er-, 40er- und 50er-Jahren des letzten Jahrhunderts als junger Mann irgendwie anders – eben homosexuell – fühlte, fand in der römisch-katholischen Kirche eine Oase, so Martel in seinem Buch «Sodom»: Männer, die unter Männern leben, andere Kleidung tragen und singen, das wäre für viele die Rettung gewesen, die zudem noch von der Gesellschaft akzeptiert war.
Gegen aussen seien diese in der Regel sehr alten Männer nun homophob, gegen innen aber homophil. Dies führe zu einer gefährlichen Doppelmoral, einer Kultur des Schweigens, die die Skandale rund um die katholische Kirche sehr unglücklich begünstigt hätten.
Sein Buch «Sodom» erschien zeitgleich in acht Sprachen und Martel wurde in unzählige Talkshows eingeladen, doch der Vatikan hüllte sich in Schweigen. Wer sich in den 30er-, 40er- und 50er-Jahren des letzten Jahrhunderts als junger Mann irgendwie anders – eben homosexuell – fühlte, fand in der römisch-katholischen Kirche eine Oase, so Martel in seinem Buch «Sodom»: Männer, die unter Männern leben, andere Kleidung tragen und singen, das wäre für viele die Rettung gewesen, die zudem noch von der Gesellschaft akzeptiert war.
Gegen aussen seien diese in der Regel sehr alten Männer nun homophob, gegen innen aber homophil. Dies führe zu einer gefährlichen Doppelmoral, einer Kultur des Schweigens, die die Skandale rund um die katholische Kirche sehr unglücklich begünstigt hätten.
The End of the Romanov Dynasty
On March the 2nd, 1917, two representatives of the Duma, arrived in Pskov to receive Nicholas’ II abdication. That was the end of the Romanov Dynasty. The video follows the events from the February Revolution 1917 until the murder of the Romanov family and the discovery of their remains, in 1991.
One of the main features of this video is the film with V. Shulgin, one of the two Duma members who met Tsar Nicholas II and received from him his abdication statement. Shulgin related the story in 1957, after Stalin’s death, in a film that was shot in the very same train compartment where they met Nicholas II and received his abdication.
This video is produced as part of the project for the book "The Romanov Royal Martyrs”, which is an impressive 512-page book, featuring nearly 200 black & white photographs, and a 56-page photo insert of more than 80 high-quality images, colorized by the acclaimed Russian artist Olga Shirnina (Klimbim) and appearing here in print for the first time.
Explore the book HERE »
Order the book HERE »
One of the main features of this video is the film with V. Shulgin, one of the two Duma members who met Tsar Nicholas II and received from him his abdication statement. Shulgin related the story in 1957, after Stalin’s death, in a film that was shot in the very same train compartment where they met Nicholas II and received his abdication.
This video is produced as part of the project for the book "The Romanov Royal Martyrs”, which is an impressive 512-page book, featuring nearly 200 black & white photographs, and a 56-page photo insert of more than 80 high-quality images, colorized by the acclaimed Russian artist Olga Shirnina (Klimbim) and appearing here in print for the first time.
Explore the book HERE »
Order the book HERE »
In a Slight to E.U., U.K. Says Not All Ambassadors Are Equal
THE NEW YORK TIMES: Just weeks into its official break from the bloc, Britain is refusing to grant the bloc’s ambassador the same status as other top diplomats.
BRUSSELS — For all the complications and wounded feelings Brexit has introduced in the relationship between the European Union and its erstwhile member, Britain, this week saw the addition of a diplomatic spat reminiscent of a similar argument initiated by former President Donald J. Trump.
So far, at least, Britain is refusing to grant the European Union ambassador the same diplomatic status as other ambassadors.
The British argument is that the European Union is an international federation, not a nation state, and should receive the same treatment as other international organizations, further down the diplomatic ranking. There is also the suspicion that the British government is trying to embarrass Brussels and contrast its own status as a nation state with the confederation it chose to leave. » | Steven Erlanger | Thursday, January 21, 2021
BRUSSELS — For all the complications and wounded feelings Brexit has introduced in the relationship between the European Union and its erstwhile member, Britain, this week saw the addition of a diplomatic spat reminiscent of a similar argument initiated by former President Donald J. Trump.
So far, at least, Britain is refusing to grant the European Union ambassador the same diplomatic status as other ambassadors.
The British argument is that the European Union is an international federation, not a nation state, and should receive the same treatment as other international organizations, further down the diplomatic ranking. There is also the suspicion that the British government is trying to embarrass Brussels and contrast its own status as a nation state with the confederation it chose to leave. » | Steven Erlanger | Thursday, January 21, 2021
Wednesday, January 20, 2021
The Last of the Romanovs | Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna
The extraordinary story of Tsar Nicholas’ sister and her journey from the palaces of St. Petersburg to death in obscurity above a barbershop in Toronto. A life full of passion and love, set at the backdrop of an entire century. She was raised at the Gatchina Palace outside Saint Petersburg. Olga was her father’s favorite, but Tsar Alexander III died when she was only 12. After the Russian Revolution, Olga escaped to Denmark with her second husband and their two sons, in February 1920, where they lived as farmers. Finally, in 1948, she relocated with her immediate family to a farm in Campbellville, Ontario, Canada. At the end of her life and afterwards, Olga was widely labeled the last Grand Duchess of Imperial Russia.
This video is produced as part of the project for the book "The Romanov Royal Martyrs”, which is an impressive 512-page book, featuring nearly 200 black & white photographs, and a 56-page photo insert of more than 80 high-quality images, colorized by the acclaimed Russian artist Olga Shirnina (Klimbim) and appearing here in print for the first time.
This video is produced as part of the project for the book "The Romanov Royal Martyrs”, which is an impressive 512-page book, featuring nearly 200 black & white photographs, and a 56-page photo insert of more than 80 high-quality images, colorized by the acclaimed Russian artist Olga Shirnina (Klimbim) and appearing here in print for the first time.
Biden Prepares Ambitious Agenda Even as He Cleans Up Trump's Mess
THE GUARDIAN: Analysis: The new administration faces no shortage of obstacles to progress – but Biden is setting his sights high nonetheless
The last time a Democratic president took control of the White House, the wreckage he inherited was so great, there was little else his incoming team could prioritize.
Twelve years ago, Barack Obama’s blunt-spoken chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, liked to describe the Republican legacy – a financial crisis, deep recession and two wars – as a giant shit sandwich wrapped in a red ribbon.
Recovering from the economic crisis of George W Bush’s final year would require most of the Obama team’s focus in their first two years, when they controlled both sides of Congress with large majorities. Obama handed over his signature campaign issue – winding down the war in Iraq – to his vice-president to manage.
Now that former vice-president takes over the presidency with even more wreckage to sift through.
Joe Biden must overcome a pandemic, rebuild an economy, tackle racist insurrectionists and the ex-president who incited them, and reassert American leadership across a distrustful world. Somehow he must do all that while also confirming his senior officials in a Senate with no working majority. » | Richard Wolffe | Wednesday, January 20, 2021
The last time a Democratic president took control of the White House, the wreckage he inherited was so great, there was little else his incoming team could prioritize.
Twelve years ago, Barack Obama’s blunt-spoken chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, liked to describe the Republican legacy – a financial crisis, deep recession and two wars – as a giant shit sandwich wrapped in a red ribbon.
Recovering from the economic crisis of George W Bush’s final year would require most of the Obama team’s focus in their first two years, when they controlled both sides of Congress with large majorities. Obama handed over his signature campaign issue – winding down the war in Iraq – to his vice-president to manage.
Now that former vice-president takes over the presidency with even more wreckage to sift through.
Joe Biden must overcome a pandemic, rebuild an economy, tackle racist insurrectionists and the ex-president who incited them, and reassert American leadership across a distrustful world. Somehow he must do all that while also confirming his senior officials in a Senate with no working majority. » | Richard Wolffe | Wednesday, January 20, 2021
Stricter Rules and Tougher Controls as Germany Extends Lockdown | DW News
Tuesday, January 19, 2021
Biden Gets Emotional Talking about His Journey to White House
The Financial Minefield Awaiting an Ex-President Trump
THE NEW YORK TIMES: Baseless election fraud claims and the Capitol riot have compounded already-looming threats to his bottom line. And the cash lifelines he once relied on are gone.
Not long after he strides across the White House grounds Wednesday morning for the last time as president, Donald J. Trump will step into a financial minefield that appears to be unlike anything he has faced since his earlier brushes with collapse.
The tax records that he has long fought to keep hidden, revealed in a New York Times investigation last September, detailed his financial challenges:
Many of his resorts were losing millions of dollars a year even before the pandemic struck. Hundreds of millions of dollars in loans, which he personally guaranteed, must be repaid within a few years. He has burned through much of his cash and easy-to-sell assets. And a decade-old I.R.S. audit threatens to cost him more than $100 million to resolve. » | Russ Buettner and Susanne Craig | Tuesday, January 19, 2021
Not long after he strides across the White House grounds Wednesday morning for the last time as president, Donald J. Trump will step into a financial minefield that appears to be unlike anything he has faced since his earlier brushes with collapse.
The tax records that he has long fought to keep hidden, revealed in a New York Times investigation last September, detailed his financial challenges:
Many of his resorts were losing millions of dollars a year even before the pandemic struck. Hundreds of millions of dollars in loans, which he personally guaranteed, must be repaid within a few years. He has burned through much of his cash and easy-to-sell assets. And a decade-old I.R.S. audit threatens to cost him more than $100 million to resolve. » | Russ Buettner and Susanne Craig | Tuesday, January 19, 2021
Farewell Address of President Donald J. Trump
This man is delusional! He won’t be missed! Farewell! And good riddance! – Mark
Biden Administration 'To Declassify Report' into Khashoggi Murder
THE GUARDIAN: Decision would mean US could assign blame for death on to Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman
The Biden administration will declassify an intelligence report into the murder by the Saudi government of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, according to Avril Haines, who has been nominated to serve as director of national intelligence.
The decision means that the US is likely to officially assign blame for Khashoggi’s brutal murder to the kingdom’s de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Khashoggi, a Washington Post journalist and US resident who wrote critical columns about the Saudi crown prince, was murdered by Saudi agents inside the Saudi consulate in Turkey in October 2018.
While media reports have said that the US intelligence community determined with a medium to high degree of confidence that Prince Mohammed ordered the killing, that assessment has never officially been stated. The crown prince has denied he ordered the murder. » | Stephanie Kirchgaessner in Washington | Tuesday, January 19, 2021
The Biden administration will declassify an intelligence report into the murder by the Saudi government of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, according to Avril Haines, who has been nominated to serve as director of national intelligence.
The decision means that the US is likely to officially assign blame for Khashoggi’s brutal murder to the kingdom’s de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Khashoggi, a Washington Post journalist and US resident who wrote critical columns about the Saudi crown prince, was murdered by Saudi agents inside the Saudi consulate in Turkey in October 2018.
While media reports have said that the US intelligence community determined with a medium to high degree of confidence that Prince Mohammed ordered the killing, that assessment has never officially been stated. The crown prince has denied he ordered the murder. » | Stephanie Kirchgaessner in Washington | Tuesday, January 19, 2021
The Nazi Officer's Wife
«La violence n'est jamais la solution» : Melania Trump publie une vidéo d'adieu
LE FIGARO: La première dame s'apprête à quitter la Maison-Blanche et n'a qu'à peine évoqué son mari.
Vous pouvez lire l’article ici »
Vous pouvez lire l’article ici »
Brexit Was a Typically English Revolution – One That Left the Elites Unharmed
Jacob Rees-Mogg’s star has waned since his glory days leading backbench rebellions against Theresa May. He is on TV less, playing to smaller crowds. I caught him the other week on the BBC Parliament channel telling the Commons that fish unable to reach EU markets were “better and happier” because Brexit makes them more British.
Watching his performance, I recalled the perennially startling fact about Rees-Mogg: he is younger than Kylie Minogue (also Noel Gallagher and Damon Albarn, but Minogue is the more arresting comparator for some reason).
No one expects politicians and pop stars from the same generation to sound and dress alike, but how many people realise that the artist known to fans as Moggy is of Kylie’s generation? His style implies something ancient, but that is the point. It is a look, tailored for an audience – just like any theatrical costume. Except his stage is parliament. » | Rafael Behr | Tuesday, January 19, 2021
The Last Christmas of the Romanovs
President Trump: The 24 Final Hours in the White House | DW News
Le nouveau président de la CDU, un choix rassurant pour l’Allemagne et l’Europe
LE MONDE: Editorial. En choisissant de porter Armin Laschet, fidèle de la chancelière Angela Merkel, à la tête de leur parti, les conservateurs allemands réaffirment leur ancrage dans une ligne européenne et centriste.
Editorial du « Monde ». Quinze ans après l’élection d’Angela Merkel à la tête du gouvernement allemand, le congrès de l’Union chrétienne-démocrate (CDU), vendredi 15 et samedi 16 janvier, avait un parfum d’adieu : « Selon toute vraisemblance, c’est mon dernier congrès en tant que chancelière », y a déclaré Mme Merkel, qui s’est engagée à quitter le pouvoir après les élections législatives du 26 septembre.
Si elle s’apprête à tourner la page des années Merkel, la droite allemande n’entend toutefois pas rompre avec le « merkélisme ». Armin Laschet, 59 ans, le nouveau président de la CDU, est un fidèle de la chancelière, dont il a toujours soutenu la politique, y compris quand elle se heurta à de vives critiques dans le parti, comme en 2015, lors de la crise des réfugiés. » | Éditorial | lundi 18 janvier 2021
Editorial du « Monde ». Quinze ans après l’élection d’Angela Merkel à la tête du gouvernement allemand, le congrès de l’Union chrétienne-démocrate (CDU), vendredi 15 et samedi 16 janvier, avait un parfum d’adieu : « Selon toute vraisemblance, c’est mon dernier congrès en tant que chancelière », y a déclaré Mme Merkel, qui s’est engagée à quitter le pouvoir après les élections législatives du 26 septembre.
Si elle s’apprête à tourner la page des années Merkel, la droite allemande n’entend toutefois pas rompre avec le « merkélisme ». Armin Laschet, 59 ans, le nouveau président de la CDU, est un fidèle de la chancelière, dont il a toujours soutenu la politique, y compris quand elle se heurta à de vives critiques dans le parti, comme en 2015, lors de la crise des réfugiés. » | Éditorial | lundi 18 janvier 2021
Covid-19 : la lourde responsabilité de Donald Trump dans l’hécatombe américaine
LE MONDE: Editorial. Le bilan de 400 000 morts apparaît comme la conséquence de ce mélange d’arrogance, de cynisme, de mépris pour les scientifiques et de mensonge caractéristique de la personnalité du président américain.
Editorial du « Monde ».Il y a tout juste quatre ans, Donald Trump promettait devant le monde abasourdi de « mettre fin au carnage américain ». A la veille de quitter la Maison Blanche, le président républicain laisse derrière lui un pays en lambeaux, parcouru de divisions rarement égalées, secoué par des violences politiques inédites et, surtout, ravagé par une pandémie galopante et, par endroits, totalement hors de contrôle.
Sa gestion de la crise sanitaire, marquée tour à tour par l’indifférence, le déni, les mensonges et l’instrumentalisation politique, laisse les Etats-Unis face à un bilan unique au monde : près de 400 000 morts en onze mois, 23 millions de personnes contaminées. A son actif demeureront seulement les efforts financiers déployés pour permettre la découverte rapide d’un vaccin. » | Éditorial | Samedi 16 janvier 2021
Editorial du « Monde ».Il y a tout juste quatre ans, Donald Trump promettait devant le monde abasourdi de « mettre fin au carnage américain ». A la veille de quitter la Maison Blanche, le président républicain laisse derrière lui un pays en lambeaux, parcouru de divisions rarement égalées, secoué par des violences politiques inédites et, surtout, ravagé par une pandémie galopante et, par endroits, totalement hors de contrôle.
Sa gestion de la crise sanitaire, marquée tour à tour par l’indifférence, le déni, les mensonges et l’instrumentalisation politique, laisse les Etats-Unis face à un bilan unique au monde : près de 400 000 morts en onze mois, 23 millions de personnes contaminées. A son actif demeureront seulement les efforts financiers déployés pour permettre la découverte rapide d’un vaccin. » | Éditorial | Samedi 16 janvier 2021
Tunisia Protests: Hundreds Arrested as Clashes Continue
BBC: Police in Tunisia say they have arrested more than 600 people as a fourth night of violent protests saw protesters return to the streets.
On Monday, crowds of mainly young demonstrators again gathered in the centre of the capital, Tunis, throwing stones and petrol bombs at police.
Security forces responded with tear gas and water cannon.
Tunisia faces severe economic problems and a third of its young people are unemployed.
The economic crisis has worsened under the pandemic.
The latest unrest comes almost exactly 10 years since the Tunisian revolution ushered in democracy and triggered the Arab Spring revolts across the region. However, hopes that this would bring more jobs and opportunities have been disappointed.
Outside Tunis, clashes were reported on Monday in the cities of Kasserine, Gafsa, Sousse and Monastir. » | Tuesday, January 19, 2021
On Monday, crowds of mainly young demonstrators again gathered in the centre of the capital, Tunis, throwing stones and petrol bombs at police.
Security forces responded with tear gas and water cannon.
Tunisia faces severe economic problems and a third of its young people are unemployed.
The economic crisis has worsened under the pandemic.
The latest unrest comes almost exactly 10 years since the Tunisian revolution ushered in democracy and triggered the Arab Spring revolts across the region. However, hopes that this would bring more jobs and opportunities have been disappointed.
Outside Tunis, clashes were reported on Monday in the cities of Kasserine, Gafsa, Sousse and Monastir. » | Tuesday, January 19, 2021
Italy Smoking: Want to Light Up in Milan? Not Any More, You Can't
BBC: It's all change for the trendy crowds along the canals of Milan, used to holding a glass of aperitivo in one hand and a cigarette in the other. Because a ban on smoking outdoors has just come into force in a range of public places.
Smoking within a 10m (30ft) distance of other people is no longer permitted from Tuesday at bus and tram stops as well as in the city's parks and green spaces, sports and recreational grounds, children's play areas, stadiums and cemeteries.
Italy was the first country in the EU to pass a law backing an indoor ban on smoking in public places in 2003.
Milan is now the first Italian city to introduce such an extensive outdoor ban, part of a package of measures to improve air quality and combat climate change.
Other planned regulations, which will come into effect in phases over the next three decades, also target factors like car emissions and heating fuels. » | Dany Mitzman | Bologna | Tuesday, January 19, 2021
Smoking within a 10m (30ft) distance of other people is no longer permitted from Tuesday at bus and tram stops as well as in the city's parks and green spaces, sports and recreational grounds, children's play areas, stadiums and cemeteries.
Italy was the first country in the EU to pass a law backing an indoor ban on smoking in public places in 2003.
Milan is now the first Italian city to introduce such an extensive outdoor ban, part of a package of measures to improve air quality and combat climate change.
Other planned regulations, which will come into effect in phases over the next three decades, also target factors like car emissions and heating fuels. » | Dany Mitzman | Bologna | Tuesday, January 19, 2021
Majority of Europeans Fear Biden Unable to Fix 'Broken' US
THE GUARDIAN: Survey finds more Europeans than not say US cannot be trusted after four years of Trump
A majority of Europeans believe America’s political system is broken, that China will be the world’s leading power within a decade, and that Joe Biden will be unable to halt his country’s decline on the world stage, according to a report.
While many welcomed Biden’s victory in November’s US election, more Europeans than not feel that after four years of Donald Trump the US cannot be trusted, according to the study by the European Council on Foreign Relations.
“Europeans like Biden, but they don’t think America will come back as a global leader,” said the thinktank’s director, Mark Leonard. “When George W Bush was president, they were divided about how America should use its power. With Biden entering the White House, they are divided about whether America has power at all.” » | Jon Henley | Tuesday, January 19, 2021
A majority of Europeans believe America’s political system is broken, that China will be the world’s leading power within a decade, and that Joe Biden will be unable to halt his country’s decline on the world stage, according to a report.
While many welcomed Biden’s victory in November’s US election, more Europeans than not feel that after four years of Donald Trump the US cannot be trusted, according to the study by the European Council on Foreign Relations.
“Europeans like Biden, but they don’t think America will come back as a global leader,” said the thinktank’s director, Mark Leonard. “When George W Bush was president, they were divided about how America should use its power. With Biden entering the White House, they are divided about whether America has power at all.” » | Jon Henley | Tuesday, January 19, 2021
Chris Hedges on the Bleak Future of the USA (Audio Only)
Lights Go Out on Trump's Reality TV Presidency but Dark Legacy Remains
THE GUARDIAN: For four years the outrages piled up so high they were hard to keep track of but the coronavirus pandemic proved to be one crisis he couldn’t bluster away
In a cold, sombre, damp Washington four years ago this Wednesday, Donald Trump took the oath of office as the 45th president of the United States and delivered an inaugural address now remembered for two words: American carnage.
He delivered, but not as he promised. Trump pledged to end the carnage of inner-city poverty, rusting factories, broken schools and the scourge of criminal gangs and drugs. Instead his presidency visited upon the nation the carnage of about 400,000 coronavirus deaths, the worst year for jobs since the second world war and the biggest stress test for American democracy since the civil war.
“It’s not just physical carnage,” said Moe Vela, a former White House official. “There’s also mental carnage and there’s spiritual carnage and there’s emotional carnage. He has left a very wide swath of American carnage and that is the last way I would want to be remembered by history, but that is how he will be remembered.” » | David Smith in Washington | Tuesday, January 19, 2021
In a cold, sombre, damp Washington four years ago this Wednesday, Donald Trump took the oath of office as the 45th president of the United States and delivered an inaugural address now remembered for two words: American carnage.
He delivered, but not as he promised. Trump pledged to end the carnage of inner-city poverty, rusting factories, broken schools and the scourge of criminal gangs and drugs. Instead his presidency visited upon the nation the carnage of about 400,000 coronavirus deaths, the worst year for jobs since the second world war and the biggest stress test for American democracy since the civil war.
“It’s not just physical carnage,” said Moe Vela, a former White House official. “There’s also mental carnage and there’s spiritual carnage and there’s emotional carnage. He has left a very wide swath of American carnage and that is the last way I would want to be remembered by history, but that is how he will be remembered.” » | David Smith in Washington | Tuesday, January 19, 2021
Brexiters Are Waking Up to the Damage They've Done
THE GUARDIAN: From horse racing to fishing to road haulage, British industry is in chaos. No wonder leavers are turning on each other
Brexit has beached the fishing boats at Hastings. The two-man crew of Paul Joy’s boat Kaya have left for shore jobs, after the price of the huss they land fell to just 2p a kilo. Exports to the European Union are Brexit-blighted, with fishers across Britain poleaxed by new costs and regulations, their catches rotting before they reach EU markets. It’s costing them millions already.
For the past two years Joy, a passionate Brexiter, has consistently told me he believes his industry would be shafted in any trade deal. “Betrayed, sacrificed,” he says, outraged at the government’s failure to secure British fishing rights for 12 miles around the coast, and now crippled by the export costs. So when foreign secretary Dominic Raab has the effrontery to tell the BBC’s Andrew Marr that this is “a great deal for the fishing industry”, he must know it’s not true.
Other industries want to know if Boris Johnson’s promised “compensation” for fishing losses means a huge subsidy in perpetuity for this less than 0.2% sliver of the economy? Because the problems exploding in one industry after another, in less than three Brexit weeks, are not going away.
Friction is the new normal. As the chief EU negotiator, Michel Barnier said firmly last week, things have “changed for good”. UK choices mean “mechanical, obvious, inevitable consequences when you leave the single market and that’s what the British wished to do”. It’s not French revenge, or bloody-minded Brussels, but ordinary life as a third country. » | Polly Toynbee | Monday, January 18, 2021
Brexit has beached the fishing boats at Hastings. The two-man crew of Paul Joy’s boat Kaya have left for shore jobs, after the price of the huss they land fell to just 2p a kilo. Exports to the European Union are Brexit-blighted, with fishers across Britain poleaxed by new costs and regulations, their catches rotting before they reach EU markets. It’s costing them millions already.
For the past two years Joy, a passionate Brexiter, has consistently told me he believes his industry would be shafted in any trade deal. “Betrayed, sacrificed,” he says, outraged at the government’s failure to secure British fishing rights for 12 miles around the coast, and now crippled by the export costs. So when foreign secretary Dominic Raab has the effrontery to tell the BBC’s Andrew Marr that this is “a great deal for the fishing industry”, he must know it’s not true.
Other industries want to know if Boris Johnson’s promised “compensation” for fishing losses means a huge subsidy in perpetuity for this less than 0.2% sliver of the economy? Because the problems exploding in one industry after another, in less than three Brexit weeks, are not going away.
Friction is the new normal. As the chief EU negotiator, Michel Barnier said firmly last week, things have “changed for good”. UK choices mean “mechanical, obvious, inevitable consequences when you leave the single market and that’s what the British wished to do”. It’s not French revenge, or bloody-minded Brussels, but ordinary life as a third country. » | Polly Toynbee | Monday, January 18, 2021
Biden’s Incoming Chief of Staff Warns That the Virus Death Toll Will Reach 500,000 by the End of February.
THE NEW YORK TIMES: Officials in the incoming Biden administration braced the country for continued hardship in the days after the inauguration, with the president-elect assuming control of a struggling economy and surging coronavirus outbreak in less than three days.
Ron Klain, President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s incoming White House chief of staff, had a dire forecast for the course of the coronavirus outbreak in the new administration’s first weeks, predicting that half a million Americans will have died from the coronavirus by the end of February. The current toll is nearing 400,000.
“The virus is going to get worse before it gets better,” Mr. Klain said in an appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “People who are contracting the virus today will start to get sick next month, will add to the death toll in late February, even March, so it’s going to take awhile to turn this around.”
Average daily U.S. deaths from the virus have risen to well past 3,000, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has sounded the alarm about a fast-spreading, far more contagious variant of the coronavirus that officials project will become the dominant source of infection in the country by March, potentially fueling another wrenching surge of cases and deaths. » | Chris Cameron | Sunday, January 17, 2021
Ron Klain, President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s incoming White House chief of staff, had a dire forecast for the course of the coronavirus outbreak in the new administration’s first weeks, predicting that half a million Americans will have died from the coronavirus by the end of February. The current toll is nearing 400,000.
“The virus is going to get worse before it gets better,” Mr. Klain said in an appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “People who are contracting the virus today will start to get sick next month, will add to the death toll in late February, even March, so it’s going to take awhile to turn this around.”
Average daily U.S. deaths from the virus have risen to well past 3,000, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has sounded the alarm about a fast-spreading, far more contagious variant of the coronavirus that officials project will become the dominant source of infection in the country by March, potentially fueling another wrenching surge of cases and deaths. » | Chris Cameron | Sunday, January 17, 2021
Opinion: The Extraordinary Courage of Aleksei Navalny
THE NEW YORK TIMES: After a near-fatal poisoning, Russia’s top dissident steps back into the bear’s den.
Aleksei Navalny knew he would be arrested as soon as he stepped foot on Russian soil, and he had no illusions about what this could mean.
Mr. Navalny had been abroad since August, after all, because President Vladimir Putin’s political goons had poisoned him, and had failed to kill him only because a pilot had diverted his flight to Omsk, where doctors kept him alive until he could be evacuated to Germany. Ironically, his flight was diverted again on Sunday — this time by Russian authorities afraid of the welcoming crowd gathering at the Moscow airport where his flight was supposed to land.
Mr. Navalny knew he would be arrested, because he has been arrested several times before. Repression is the only way Mr. Putin knows. But he is also learning that, in the era of social media, every arrest on a trumped-up charge only broadens Mr. Navalny’s following and amplifies his indictment of the corruption of Russia’s rulers. » | The Editorial Board | Sunday, January 17, 2021
Aleksei Navalny knew he would be arrested as soon as he stepped foot on Russian soil, and he had no illusions about what this could mean.
Mr. Navalny had been abroad since August, after all, because President Vladimir Putin’s political goons had poisoned him, and had failed to kill him only because a pilot had diverted his flight to Omsk, where doctors kept him alive until he could be evacuated to Germany. Ironically, his flight was diverted again on Sunday — this time by Russian authorities afraid of the welcoming crowd gathering at the Moscow airport where his flight was supposed to land.
Mr. Navalny knew he would be arrested, because he has been arrested several times before. Repression is the only way Mr. Putin knows. But he is also learning that, in the era of social media, every arrest on a trumped-up charge only broadens Mr. Navalny’s following and amplifies his indictment of the corruption of Russia’s rulers. » | The Editorial Board | Sunday, January 17, 2021
Monday, January 18, 2021
Nicholas and Alexandra | by HRH Prince Michael of Kent | Parts 1 & 2
Narrated by Jack Perkins, presented by HRH Prince Michael of Kent, includes interviews with Prince Nicholas Romanov (1922-2014), and people who were born in the late 19th century, and witness to Nicholas II's reign.
For almost a century their fabled dynasty and tragic fate have been enveloped in myth and surrounded by mystery. Now, with the opening of the former Soviet Union, the true story of Nicholas and Alexandra can be told. This groundbreaking production, filmed on location throughout the former Soviet Union and Europe, presents a treasure trove of information and documents that have been kept secret for decades. Intimate diaries, letters, and personal effects from the once-sealed imperial archives tell the astonishing story of the Romanovs' reign. Chilling eyewitness accounts, testimony from executioners, and a somber exhumation finally put to rest the enigma of their dynasty's horrifying end. Stunning, fact-filled and grand, this is the ultimate chronicle of a romance that changed the world.
Originally produced by A&E Biography, 1998.
For almost a century their fabled dynasty and tragic fate have been enveloped in myth and surrounded by mystery. Now, with the opening of the former Soviet Union, the true story of Nicholas and Alexandra can be told. This groundbreaking production, filmed on location throughout the former Soviet Union and Europe, presents a treasure trove of information and documents that have been kept secret for decades. Intimate diaries, letters, and personal effects from the once-sealed imperial archives tell the astonishing story of the Romanovs' reign. Chilling eyewitness accounts, testimony from executioners, and a somber exhumation finally put to rest the enigma of their dynasty's horrifying end. Stunning, fact-filled and grand, this is the ultimate chronicle of a romance that changed the world.
Originally produced by A&E Biography, 1998.
Sunday, January 17, 2021
Sterben & Tod – Warum haben wir Angst davor? | Philosophie | Bleisch & Bossart | SRF Kultur – Ein Gespräch in Schweizerdeutsch (Schwiezertüütsch)
Hebrew University's Prof. Yuval Noah Harari on the Era of the Coronavirus: Living in a New Reality
Evangelical Christians in the USA | DW Documentary
Evangelical Christians often have a huge impact on American politics. Many of these people are socially conservative, consider themselves patriots, and believe that Americans have a constitutional right to own guns.
This documentary explores the core beliefs of America's fundamentalist Christians - including the concept of creation, as opposed to evolution.
Our report features interviews with conservative evangelicals who, for example, believe that God created the world in six days about 6,000 years ago. Our reporters traveled to the state of Kentucky to visit a Creation Museum and a Christian theme park that features a life-size model of Noah's Ark.
Christian churches in the US play a major social role, especially in rural areas. They operate schools and universities and organize music festivals that celebrate their faith.
Most fundamentalist Christians are opposed to abortion, pre-marital sex, and homosexuality. They believe that those who engage in these activities will be condemned to Hell. And some have formed paramilitary groups to defend themselves against those whom they perceive as enemies - including non-believers, Communists, and Muslims.
This documentary explores the core beliefs of America's fundamentalist Christians - including the concept of creation, as opposed to evolution.
Our report features interviews with conservative evangelicals who, for example, believe that God created the world in six days about 6,000 years ago. Our reporters traveled to the state of Kentucky to visit a Creation Museum and a Christian theme park that features a life-size model of Noah's Ark.
Christian churches in the US play a major social role, especially in rural areas. They operate schools and universities and organize music festivals that celebrate their faith.
Most fundamentalist Christians are opposed to abortion, pre-marital sex, and homosexuality. They believe that those who engage in these activities will be condemned to Hell. And some have formed paramilitary groups to defend themselves against those whom they perceive as enemies - including non-believers, Communists, and Muslims.
Donald Trump Isolated and Enraged ahead of Biden Inauguration
It was once easy to determine Donald Trump’s mood. All it took was a look at his Twitter account. But with that gone, it has never been so difficult to gain a glimpse into the president’s mindset.
Where frequently a series of all-caps tweets might have suggested an emotional, frustrated Trump, there is silence.
Where posts screeching at fellow Republicans would have indicated a more vindictive bent, or messages with exclamation points a triumphant mood, all that is left of Trump’s Twitter account – which once had 88.7m followers – is a curt message from Twitter’s admin team: “Account suspended. Twitter suspends accounts which violate the Twitter Rules.”
So how has Trump reacted to the events of the past few weeks? By the accounts available, not well. A notoriously excitable president has remained in a state of high alarm. » | Adam Gabbatt in New York | Saturday, January 16, 2021
Saturday, January 16, 2021
What Will Be Trump's Legacy? Hear Historian's Prediction
Friday, January 15, 2021
Deadly Earthquake Hits Indonesia's Sulawesi Island | DW News
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