BBC: International trade secretary Liz Truss says Asia Pacific countries "will provide big markets" in the future for British products.
The UK is applying to join a free trade area made up of 11 Asia and Pacific nations, under its post-Brexit plans. » | BBC | Sunday, January 31, 2021
Dumb is as dumb does! – Mark
Sunday, January 31, 2021
In Russia, Economic Slump Erodes Consensus That Shielded Putin
THE NEW YORK TIMES: The rally-around-the-flag effect of President Vladimir V. Putin’s assertive foreign policy known as the Crimea consensus is unraveling with the economy.
KALININGRAD, Russia — Aleksandr Dobralsky took to the streets to protest the arrest this past month of Russia’s most prominent opposition leader. But he had other grievances as well.
“It’s like somebody stepped on your toe and said, ‘Just be patient with this for a little while,’” Mr. Dobralsky, a lawyer, said of the country’s economic woes. “How can you just wait for it to be over?”
Opinion polls have for a few years been tracking a pivot in the national mood, away from what was called the “Crimea consensus” of wide support for President Vladimir V. Putin for annexing the Ukrainian peninsula. Now, people are focused on their disappointment over slumping wages and pensions.
In Russia, the competition between the rally-around-the-flag effect of Mr. Putin’s assertive foreign policy and anger over the sagging economy is often referred to as the battle between the television and the refrigerator: Do Russians pay attention to the patriotic news on TV or notice their empty fridges? » | Andrew E. Kramer | Sunday, January 31, 2021
KALININGRAD, Russia — Aleksandr Dobralsky took to the streets to protest the arrest this past month of Russia’s most prominent opposition leader. But he had other grievances as well.
“It’s like somebody stepped on your toe and said, ‘Just be patient with this for a little while,’” Mr. Dobralsky, a lawyer, said of the country’s economic woes. “How can you just wait for it to be over?”
Opinion polls have for a few years been tracking a pivot in the national mood, away from what was called the “Crimea consensus” of wide support for President Vladimir V. Putin for annexing the Ukrainian peninsula. Now, people are focused on their disappointment over slumping wages and pensions.
In Russia, the competition between the rally-around-the-flag effect of Mr. Putin’s assertive foreign policy and anger over the sagging economy is often referred to as the battle between the television and the refrigerator: Do Russians pay attention to the patriotic news on TV or notice their empty fridges? » | Andrew E. Kramer | Sunday, January 31, 2021
Thousands Arrested at Fresh Protests in Support of Kremlin Critic Navalny
Much of Western Australia Goes into Five-day Lockdown after Hotel Guard Tests Positive to UK Covid Variant
THE GUARDIAN: Restrictions imposed in Perth, Peel and South West, with schools suspended and residents only allowed to leave home for essential reasons
Western Australia has imposed a five-day lockdown in metropolitan Perth, the Peel region and the state’s South West amid fears a hotel quarantine worker who has tested positive to Covid-19 has contracted the highly contagious UK variant.
The state premier, Mark McGowan, said the “full lockdown” would begin at 6pm on Sunday, meaning residents could only leave their homes for essential grocery shopping, medical reasons, to care for the vulnerable or exercise within their neighbourhood.
Schools were due to return on Monday but will now remain closed; masks will become mandatory during the lockdown’; and venues including bars, pubs, clubs, gyms and places of worship will need to close. Restaurants and cafes will be limited to takeaway service. Elective surgery has also been suspended. » | Luke Henriques-Gomes | Sunday, January 31, 2021
Western Australia has imposed a five-day lockdown in metropolitan Perth, the Peel region and the state’s South West amid fears a hotel quarantine worker who has tested positive to Covid-19 has contracted the highly contagious UK variant.
The state premier, Mark McGowan, said the “full lockdown” would begin at 6pm on Sunday, meaning residents could only leave their homes for essential grocery shopping, medical reasons, to care for the vulnerable or exercise within their neighbourhood.
Schools were due to return on Monday but will now remain closed; masks will become mandatory during the lockdown’; and venues including bars, pubs, clubs, gyms and places of worship will need to close. Restaurants and cafes will be limited to takeaway service. Elective surgery has also been suspended. » | Luke Henriques-Gomes | Sunday, January 31, 2021
Brexit 'Teething Problems' Endemic and Could Ruin Us, Say UK Businesses
THE GUARDIAN: Ease of trading is key measure of success, say cross-channel businesses, not lack of lorry traffic
It was billed as a deal that would secure tariff-free access to the EU, that “sunlit uplands” would follow initial disruption to trade.
But one month since the Brexit trade deal came into force, businesses are warning that the “teething problems” Boris Johnson described in a visit to Scotland last week are in fact symptomatic of endemic disruption that will force many businesses to restructure and will mean the end of some British businesses altogether.
“The last month has been like Dante’s fifth circle of hell” for importers and exporters unable to move supplies because of new red tape, said Ben Fletcher, the policy director of Make UK, which represents manufacturers across the UK.
One internationally renowned car manufacturer had “1,000 cars sitting in their car park partially built because they could not get the parts in time,” said Fletcher. “They said this has never happened ever before.” » | Lisa O’Carroll, Brexit correspondent | Sunday, January 31, 2021
Brexit is for fossils and fools! – Mark
It was billed as a deal that would secure tariff-free access to the EU, that “sunlit uplands” would follow initial disruption to trade.
But one month since the Brexit trade deal came into force, businesses are warning that the “teething problems” Boris Johnson described in a visit to Scotland last week are in fact symptomatic of endemic disruption that will force many businesses to restructure and will mean the end of some British businesses altogether.
“The last month has been like Dante’s fifth circle of hell” for importers and exporters unable to move supplies because of new red tape, said Ben Fletcher, the policy director of Make UK, which represents manufacturers across the UK.
One internationally renowned car manufacturer had “1,000 cars sitting in their car park partially built because they could not get the parts in time,” said Fletcher. “They said this has never happened ever before.” » | Lisa O’Carroll, Brexit correspondent | Sunday, January 31, 2021
Brexit is for fossils and fools! – Mark
Paris, Shuttered, Must Be Imagined
THE NEW YORK TIMES: The pandemic has enshrouded and dimmed the City of Light. But there are many reasons to soldier through the fog.
PARIS — “We’ll always have Paris.” Turns out perhaps the most famous line in the movies was wrong.
Paris is gone for now, its lifeblood cut off by the closure of all restaurants, its nights silenced by a 6 p.m. curfew aimed at eliminating the national pastime of the aperitif, its cafe bonhomie lost to domestic morosity. Blight has taken the City of Light.
Taboos fall. People eat sandwiches in the drizzle on city benches. They yield — oh, the horror! — to takeout in the form of “le click-and-collect.” They dine earlier, an abominable Americanization. They contemplate with resignation the chalk-on-blackboard offerings of long-shuttered restaurants still promising a veal blanquette or a boeuf bourguignon. These menus are fossils from the pre-pandemic world.
Gone the museums, gone the tourist-filled riverboats plying the Seine, gone the sidewalk terraces offering their pleasures at dusk, gone the movie theaters, gone the casual delights of wandering and the raucous banter of the most northern of southern cities. In their place, a gray sadness has settled over the city like fog. » | Roger Cohen | Published: Saturday, January 30, 2021; Updated: Sunday, January 31, 2021
PARIS — “We’ll always have Paris.” Turns out perhaps the most famous line in the movies was wrong.
Paris is gone for now, its lifeblood cut off by the closure of all restaurants, its nights silenced by a 6 p.m. curfew aimed at eliminating the national pastime of the aperitif, its cafe bonhomie lost to domestic morosity. Blight has taken the City of Light.
Taboos fall. People eat sandwiches in the drizzle on city benches. They yield — oh, the horror! — to takeout in the form of “le click-and-collect.” They dine earlier, an abominable Americanization. They contemplate with resignation the chalk-on-blackboard offerings of long-shuttered restaurants still promising a veal blanquette or a boeuf bourguignon. These menus are fossils from the pre-pandemic world.
Gone the museums, gone the tourist-filled riverboats plying the Seine, gone the sidewalk terraces offering their pleasures at dusk, gone the movie theaters, gone the casual delights of wandering and the raucous banter of the most northern of southern cities. In their place, a gray sadness has settled over the city like fog. » | Roger Cohen | Published: Saturday, January 30, 2021; Updated: Sunday, January 31, 2021
Amtsenthebung: Donald Trump verliert vor Verfahren seine Anwälte
ZEIT ONLINE: Kurz vor Beginn des Amtsenthebungsverfahrens muss sich der frühere US-Präsident laut Medienberichten neue Verteidiger suchen. Grund dafür seien strategische Differenzen.
Kurz vor Beginn des Amtsenthebungsverfahrens gegen Donald Trumpim Senat sind dem früheren US-Präsidenten Medienberichten zufolge seine Verteidiger abhanden gekommen. Wie unter anderem der Nachrichtensender CNN berichtete, würden die fünf vorgesehenen Anwälte den Republikaner in dem Verfahren nun doch nicht verteidigen. Unter ihnen seien auch die beiden Anwälte Butch Bowers und Deborah Barbier, die eigentlich Trumps Verteidigung im Senat hätten anführen sollen. » | Quelle: ZEIT ONLINE, dpa, AP, AFP, msk | Sonntag, 31. Januar 2021
Kurz vor Beginn des Amtsenthebungsverfahrens gegen Donald Trumpim Senat sind dem früheren US-Präsidenten Medienberichten zufolge seine Verteidiger abhanden gekommen. Wie unter anderem der Nachrichtensender CNN berichtete, würden die fünf vorgesehenen Anwälte den Republikaner in dem Verfahren nun doch nicht verteidigen. Unter ihnen seien auch die beiden Anwälte Butch Bowers und Deborah Barbier, die eigentlich Trumps Verteidigung im Senat hätten anführen sollen. » | Quelle: ZEIT ONLINE, dpa, AP, AFP, msk | Sonntag, 31. Januar 2021
Russie : plus de 4 400 arrestations lors d’une nouvelle journée de manifestations à l’appel de l’opposant Navalny
LE MONDE: Des rassemblements ont notamment eu lieu à Moscou, Saint-Pétersbourg et Iekaterinbourg. Selon l’Union des journalistes russes, au moins 35 professionnels de la presse ont été arrêtés.
Malgré la pression croissante des autorités russes, qui ont multiplié les mises en garde et les procédures judiciaires, les partisans d’Alexeï Navalny manifestaient, dimanche 31 janvier, lors d’une nouvelle journée de mobilisation pour appeler à la libération de l’opposant emprisonné. La police russe a déployé un important dispositif et fermé l’accès au centre de plusieurs villes pour empêcher les protestataires de participer à ces réunions non autorisées.
D’après l’organisation OVD-Info, spécialisée dans le suivi des manifestations, au moins 4 407 personnes ont été interpellées dans 85 villes, principalement à Moscou (1 357) et Saint-Pétersbourg (950). Selon l’Union des journalistes russes, au moins 35 professionnels de la presse ont été arrêtés. » | Le Monde avec AFP | dimanche 31 janvier 2021
Malgré la pression croissante des autorités russes, qui ont multiplié les mises en garde et les procédures judiciaires, les partisans d’Alexeï Navalny manifestaient, dimanche 31 janvier, lors d’une nouvelle journée de mobilisation pour appeler à la libération de l’opposant emprisonné. La police russe a déployé un important dispositif et fermé l’accès au centre de plusieurs villes pour empêcher les protestataires de participer à ces réunions non autorisées.
D’après l’organisation OVD-Info, spécialisée dans le suivi des manifestations, au moins 4 407 personnes ont été interpellées dans 85 villes, principalement à Moscou (1 357) et Saint-Pétersbourg (950). Selon l’Union des journalistes russes, au moins 35 professionnels de la presse ont été arrêtés. » | Le Monde avec AFP | dimanche 31 janvier 2021
Saturday, January 30, 2021
Reputations - Coco Chanel
How Big a Threat Is Navalny to Putin's Power? | DW News
Russian President Vladimir Putin has been coming under unusual pressure. A billion-dollar palace allegedly paid for illegally has been making global headlines, while young Russians flood TikTok with calls for protests. Thousands hit the streets in some of the most widespread demonstrations in years. And the president himself faced the public to deny accusations of stolen wealth. Much of the agitation was sparked by Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, now watching from prison.
With parliamentary elections looming, does Navalny pose a growing threat to President Putin's rule?
With parliamentary elections looming, does Navalny pose a growing threat to President Putin's rule?
Corona-Krawalle in den Niederlanden: So knallhart greift die Polizei jetzt durch
Es ist Freitag, 21.24 Uhr. Seit 24 Minuten greift die nächtliche Ausgangssperre. Bis 4.30 Uhr morgens müssen alle Niederländer in ihren Häusern bleiben. So will die Regierung die Zahl der Corona-Neuinfizierungen in den Griff bekommen und Krawalle unterbinden.
Jetzt greifen die Behörden in den Niederlanden hart durch. Dutzende Polizisten sind im Einsatz, um für Recht und Ordnung zu sorgen.
Jetzt greifen die Behörden in den Niederlanden hart durch. Dutzende Polizisten sind im Einsatz, um für Recht und Ordnung zu sorgen.
The Crown Prince with No Kingdom
'Half-friends Is Not a Concept': UK Should Decide Who Its Allies Are, Says Macron
Emmanuel Macron has warned that Boris Johnson’s government has to decide who its allies are, insisting that “half-friends is not a concept”.
“What politics does Great Britain wish to choose? It cannot be the best ally of the US, the best ally of the EU and the new Singapore … It has to choose a model,” the French president said, in an interview with the Guardian and a small group of other media.
“But I have the impression the country’s leaders have sold all these models [to the people]. If it decides on a completely transatlantic policy then we [the EU] will need clarification, because there will be divergence on rules and access to markets.
“If it decides to be the new Singapore, which it has once suggested … well, I don’t know. It’s not for me to decide, but I would like good, peaceful relations. Our destinies are linked, our intellectual approach is linked, our researchers and industrials work together … I believe in a sovereign continent and nation states; I don’t believe in neo-nationalism.
“I am for common ambition and a common destiny. I hope Boris Johnson is also on that path, because I think the British people are. We remain allies. History and geography don’t change, so I don’t think the British people have a different destiny to ours.” » | Kim Willsher in Paris | Saturday, January 30, 2021
Thursday, January 28, 2021
Remarkable Private Pictures of the Russian Royal Family Found in a Remote Urals Museum
THE SIBERIAN TIMES: Tsar Nicholas II appears in a photograph to be teaching his daughter Grand Duchess Anastasia how to smoke.
Another picture taken by the emperor dated 1916 shows Tsarevich Alexei - heir to an autocratic throne that would be abolished the following year - posing on a tree in winter with his beloved pet spaniel Joy.
These images of the Russian royal family, captured in photographs taken by the Tsar himself or his children, mostly date from the years of the First World War, and some very soon before the Romanov dynasty crumbled, to be rapidly replaced by Communism.
Found in a vault in Zlatoust, the album shows the private moments of the royals as the storm clouds gather over a dynasty that had ruled for more than three centuries.
The smoking picture shows the youngest princess Anastasia, then 15, evidently imbibing from a cigarette with every encouragement from the Emperor and Autocrat of All the Russias. At the time there was not the same stigma attached to smoking and in fact a year earlier Anastasia had written to her father: 'I am sitting here with your old cigarette that you once gave me, and it is very tasty'. » | The Siberian Times Reporter | Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Diary of Olga Romanov: Smoking Cigarettes »
Another picture taken by the emperor dated 1916 shows Tsarevich Alexei - heir to an autocratic throne that would be abolished the following year - posing on a tree in winter with his beloved pet spaniel Joy.
These images of the Russian royal family, captured in photographs taken by the Tsar himself or his children, mostly date from the years of the First World War, and some very soon before the Romanov dynasty crumbled, to be rapidly replaced by Communism.
Found in a vault in Zlatoust, the album shows the private moments of the royals as the storm clouds gather over a dynasty that had ruled for more than three centuries.
The smoking picture shows the youngest princess Anastasia, then 15, evidently imbibing from a cigarette with every encouragement from the Emperor and Autocrat of All the Russias. At the time there was not the same stigma attached to smoking and in fact a year earlier Anastasia had written to her father: 'I am sitting here with your old cigarette that you once gave me, and it is very tasty'. » | The Siberian Times Reporter | Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Diary of Olga Romanov: Smoking Cigarettes »
Wednesday, January 27, 2021
Poland to Implement Near-total Ban on Abortion Imminently
THE GUARDIAN: Move comes three months after original ruling prompted country’s biggest protests in recent history
A controversial ruling that imposes a near total-ban on abortion in Poland will come into effect imminently, the government has announced, three months after the original ruling prompted the biggest protests in the country’s recent history.
The announcement led protesters to gather again in Warsaw and other cities on Wednesday evening. “We are inviting everyone, please, go out, be motivated, so we can walk together, make a mark,” said protest group leader Marta Lempart.
The ruling, handed down by the constitutional tribunal in October, found that terminating pregnancies due to severe foetal abnormalities is unconstitutional. Poland already has some of the strictest abortion laws in Europe, and most of the small number of legal abortions that take place in the country are cases of foetal defects.
Once the ruling goes into effect, abortion will only be permitted in cases of rape, incest or when the mother’s life is in danger. » | Shaun Walker, Central and eastern Europe correspondent | Wednesday, January 27, 2021
A controversial ruling that imposes a near total-ban on abortion in Poland will come into effect imminently, the government has announced, three months after the original ruling prompted the biggest protests in the country’s recent history.
The announcement led protesters to gather again in Warsaw and other cities on Wednesday evening. “We are inviting everyone, please, go out, be motivated, so we can walk together, make a mark,” said protest group leader Marta Lempart.
The ruling, handed down by the constitutional tribunal in October, found that terminating pregnancies due to severe foetal abnormalities is unconstitutional. Poland already has some of the strictest abortion laws in Europe, and most of the small number of legal abortions that take place in the country are cases of foetal defects.
Once the ruling goes into effect, abortion will only be permitted in cases of rape, incest or when the mother’s life is in danger. » | Shaun Walker, Central and eastern Europe correspondent | Wednesday, January 27, 2021
2021 International Holocaust Remembrance Day Commemoration
US Issues Terrorism Alert Early in Biden’s Term
CHICAGO SUN TIMES: The Department of Homeland Security issued a national terrorism bulletin Wednesday warning of the potential for lingering violence from people motivated by anti-government sentiment after President Joe Biden’s election.
WASHINGTON — The Department of Homeland Security issued a national terrorism bulletin Wednesday warning of the potential for lingering violence from people motivated by anti-government sentiment after President Joe Biden’s election.
The department did not cite a specific threat, but pointed to “a heightened threat environment across the United States” that it believes “will persist” in the weeks since Biden took office. DHS said it consulted with law enforcement and intelligence agencies before issuing the alert about the potential for homegrown violent extremism.
“Information suggests that some ideologically-motivated violent extremists with objections to the exercise of governmental authority and the presidential transition, as well as other perceived grievances fueled by false narratives, could continue to mobilize to incite or commit violence,’’ the bulletin said. » | Associated Press | Wednesday, January 27, 2021
WASHINGTON — The Department of Homeland Security issued a national terrorism bulletin Wednesday warning of the potential for lingering violence from people motivated by anti-government sentiment after President Joe Biden’s election.
The department did not cite a specific threat, but pointed to “a heightened threat environment across the United States” that it believes “will persist” in the weeks since Biden took office. DHS said it consulted with law enforcement and intelligence agencies before issuing the alert about the potential for homegrown violent extremism.
“Information suggests that some ideologically-motivated violent extremists with objections to the exercise of governmental authority and the presidential transition, as well as other perceived grievances fueled by false narratives, could continue to mobilize to incite or commit violence,’’ the bulletin said. » | Associated Press | Wednesday, January 27, 2021
Romanovs: The Real Story
Unknown and unrevealed facts, which evince that many truths in regard to the life and death of the Romanovs remain silenced or distorted to this day. Nicholas II was surrounded by the forceful presence of his mother, the Dowager Empress, and his uncles. This generation of Romanovs could have, under normal circumstances, expected another two decades of service to and influence over their nation, and it was with both regret and misgivings that they kissed the hands of their new young sovereign and his Hessian bride.
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.
European Union: Video Message on the Occasion of the Holocaust Remembrance Day
Holocaust Memorial Day: Remembering the Victims of All Genocides
Holocaust Memorial Day is dedicated to the millions of people, including six million Jews, who were murdered under Nazi rule during the Second World War and this year, its scope has been widened to include all victims of genocide.
In the decades since the Holocaust, the world has seen many more acts of genocide and Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis says lessons have not been learnt from the horrors of the Holocaust, with the plight of Uighur Muslims in China being frighteningly similar to the genocide of Europe's Jews many decades ago.
In the decades since the Holocaust, the world has seen many more acts of genocide and Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis says lessons have not been learnt from the horrors of the Holocaust, with the plight of Uighur Muslims in China being frighteningly similar to the genocide of Europe's Jews many decades ago.
Verfahren gegen Trump: Fast alle Republikaner im Senat gegen Impeachment
FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG: Nur fünf republikanische Senatoren stimmen mit den 50 Demokraten für den Fortgang des Amtsenthebungsverfahrens gegen den früheren amerikanischen Präsidenten. Die anderen halten es für verfassungswidrig. Damit wird eine Verurteilung extrem unwahrscheinlich.
Die Hoffnungen der amerikanischen Demokraten auf eine Verurteilung des früheren Präsidenten Donald Trump im Impeachment-Prozess haben einen deutlichen Dämpfer erlitten. Bei einer Abstimmung stellten sich am Dienstag 45 der 50 republikanischen Senatoren hinter einen Antrag, den Prozess wegen der Erstürmung des Kapitols für verfassungswidrig zu erklären. Nur fünf Republikaner stimmten mit den 50 Demokraten.
Das lässt es zunehmend unrealistisch erscheinen, dass im Senat die für eine Verurteilung Trumps notwendige Zweidrittelmehrheit zustande kommen wird. Sollten die 50 demokratischen Senatoren geschlossen für eine Amtsenthebung stimmen, müssten sich ihnen noch mindestens 17 Republikaner anschließen. » | Quelle: AFP/dpa | Mittwoch, 27. Januar 2021
Die Hoffnungen der amerikanischen Demokraten auf eine Verurteilung des früheren Präsidenten Donald Trump im Impeachment-Prozess haben einen deutlichen Dämpfer erlitten. Bei einer Abstimmung stellten sich am Dienstag 45 der 50 republikanischen Senatoren hinter einen Antrag, den Prozess wegen der Erstürmung des Kapitols für verfassungswidrig zu erklären. Nur fünf Republikaner stimmten mit den 50 Demokraten.
Das lässt es zunehmend unrealistisch erscheinen, dass im Senat die für eine Verurteilung Trumps notwendige Zweidrittelmehrheit zustande kommen wird. Sollten die 50 demokratischen Senatoren geschlossen für eine Amtsenthebung stimmen, müssten sich ihnen noch mindestens 17 Republikaner anschließen. » | Quelle: AFP/dpa | Mittwoch, 27. Januar 2021
Steve Schmidt Thinks Rand Paul Has ‘Soiled His Oath’ | Deadline | MSNBC
Tuesday, January 26, 2021
Boris Johnson 'Deeply Sorry' as UK Covid Death Toll Passes 100,000
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
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)