Tuesday, February 16, 2021
Princess Latifa: Daughter of Ruler of Dubai Says She Is a Hostage in Secret Message
Harry and Meghan Aim to Avoid Embarrassing Queen in Oprah Interview
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will not wish to embarrass the Queen despite frenzied speculation over their planned “wide-ranging” interview with Oprah Winfrey, it is understood.
The announcement by CBS of a “tell-all” intimate account by Harry and Meghan of their “Megxit” departure from the UK has led to reports it is the final straw for an exasperated Buckingham Palace who will strip the couple of their royal patronages.
The couple are said to have the greatest respect and love for the Queen and will not say anything to undermine that, according to a source. They are determined to fight to retain their patronages.
Reports that the interview will directly result in Harry being stripped of his honorary military titles, and of Meghan losing her patronage of the National Theatre, personally bestowed by the Queen, are understood to have conflated two issues. Rather, practical considerations, such as the couple living thousands of miles away, are likely to see them being forced to relinquish them under palace pressure. » | Caroline Davies | Tuesday, 16, 2021
Adultery, accusations and walkouts: when royals do TV interviews »
As Fox News Struggles at Home, Murdoch Brings Its Playbook to the U.K.
THE NEW YORK TIMES: His venture and another upstart by a rival group of investors will challenge the BBC and Britain’s efforts to guard against political bias in television news.
LONDON — Beset by declining ratings, upheaval in its on-air ranks and a multibillion-dollar defamation suit related to its election coverage, Fox News is staggering out of the Trump era — blamed by many for seeding the poisonous political culture that brought a violent mob into the halls of the United States Capitol.
Yet in Britain, where television news is regulated to avoid political bias, Rupert Murdoch and a competing group of investors are seizing this moment to create two upstart news services that will challenge the BBC and other broadcasters by borrowing heavily from Mr. Murdoch’s Fox playbook. » | Mark Landler | Tuesday, February 16, 2021
LONDON — Beset by declining ratings, upheaval in its on-air ranks and a multibillion-dollar defamation suit related to its election coverage, Fox News is staggering out of the Trump era — blamed by many for seeding the poisonous political culture that brought a violent mob into the halls of the United States Capitol.
Yet in Britain, where television news is regulated to avoid political bias, Rupert Murdoch and a competing group of investors are seizing this moment to create two upstart news services that will challenge the BBC and other broadcasters by borrowing heavily from Mr. Murdoch’s Fox playbook. » | Mark Landler | Tuesday, February 16, 2021
Monday, February 15, 2021
Sunday, February 14, 2021
Friday, February 12, 2021
The Guardian View on Queen's Consent: The Crown Does More Than It Seems
In Britain the Queen is supposed to act on the advice of her government. The monarch, it is said, merely signs the laws that ministers bring her. The charade is conducted in the manner of a magician, with pomp and ceremony shielding the public so they fail to realise what is going on. The Guardian this week pulled back the curtain and let the daylight in. The truth is that the government often acts on the advice of the Queen.
Under our unwritten constitution, the monarch does have the power to withhold royal assent to a bill. It’s never been used. The Queen, wrote the Victorian thinker Walter Bagehot, "must sign her own death-warrant” if parliament sends her a law to that effect. Yet documents in the National Archives reveal that Her Majesty managed, in secret, to get laws changed – in favour of her personal interest – before they were introduced. The Guardian found four instances between 1968 and 1982 where the palace had lobbied to get the law altered. In 1973 the Queen’s lawyers intervened to allow her to hide her private wealth from the public. » | Editorial | Friday, February 12, 2021
Lisbon - What Makes Portugal's Capital City So Attractive? | DW Documentary
Lisbon, Portugal’s "White City", is an old multifaceted city in Europe. Lisbon has experienced many periods of prosperity and has survived many crises.
But what makes Lisbon so attractive today – especially among young people? A film crew met a range of mainly young people in Lisbon, and asked them about their relationship to the Portuguese capital city. Lisbon’s history has been significantly shaped by its harbor, which made it a central hub of trade in Europe and the starting point for voyages of discovery and conquest in the late Middle Ages. Vasco da Gama embarked on his last trip to India from Lisbon, and enjoyed a hero’s welcome on his return in 1499. From Bairro Alto and the National Museum of Ancient Art to the Tower of Belém and countless palaces, churches and hotels, Lisbon has a lot to offer tourists. But what makes the Portuguese capital such an attractive destination for young people in the present day? The friendly and carefree nature of the Portuguese people, says one blogger, who quit his job in a bank in order to photograph his city for an image campaign. The incomparable light of Lisbon, says a city historian committed to the conservation of Portugal’s colorful glazed wall tiles: azulejos. The sense of melancholy, adds a singer, who is just as enthusiastic about modern electronic as she is about the traditional fado, which she herself performs on stage. Culinary specialties made from locally fished seafood are the secret, says an acclaimed chef and craftsman. And for an avid surfer, the city’s appeal lies in the impressive waves along the coastline.
But what makes Lisbon so attractive today – especially among young people? A film crew met a range of mainly young people in Lisbon, and asked them about their relationship to the Portuguese capital city. Lisbon’s history has been significantly shaped by its harbor, which made it a central hub of trade in Europe and the starting point for voyages of discovery and conquest in the late Middle Ages. Vasco da Gama embarked on his last trip to India from Lisbon, and enjoyed a hero’s welcome on his return in 1499. From Bairro Alto and the National Museum of Ancient Art to the Tower of Belém and countless palaces, churches and hotels, Lisbon has a lot to offer tourists. But what makes the Portuguese capital such an attractive destination for young people in the present day? The friendly and carefree nature of the Portuguese people, says one blogger, who quit his job in a bank in order to photograph his city for an image campaign. The incomparable light of Lisbon, says a city historian committed to the conservation of Portugal’s colorful glazed wall tiles: azulejos. The sense of melancholy, adds a singer, who is just as enthusiastic about modern electronic as she is about the traditional fado, which she herself performs on stage. Culinary specialties made from locally fished seafood are the secret, says an acclaimed chef and craftsman. And for an avid surfer, the city’s appeal lies in the impressive waves along the coastline.
Growing Global Concern over Coronavirus Variants | DW News
Thursday, February 11, 2021
Former US Muslims Break Silence, Imam Supports Their Choice (2015)
Margaret Thatcher - Speech to the College of Europe ("The Bruges Speech") [1988]
In this impressive speech in Bruges, Margaret Thatcher spoke strongly in favour of the Single Market. Indeed, the Single Market was Thatcher’s baby. Today’s Conservatives under BoJo have betrayed Thatcher’s legacy. Whilst Maggie was anti-federalism, she was certainly pro-European free trade; and she was certainly very much against erecting barriers to European free trade, which Brexit does. All I can say is this: Thatcher must be turning in her grave! All her hard work has gone up in smoke. – ©Mark Alexander
Leaving the Faith - Former Muslims | People and Politics
Ex-Muslims Share Their Experiences | The Economist
Wednesday, February 10, 2021
Saudi Women's Rights Activist Loujain al-Hathloul Released from Prison
The prominent Saudi dissident and women’s rights activist Loujain al-Hathloul has been released from prison after 1,001 days in custody.
Following a concerted campaign by her relatives and global rights groups, Hathloul was granted probation by a judge in Riyadh and released to her family on Wednesday afternoon. Her sister Lina published a photo of a smiling Loujain on Twitter early evening Riyadh time – the first image of the most celebrated political prisoner in the Kingdom since she was detained almost three years ago. “Loujain is at home !!!!!!”, the accompanying message said.
Another sister, Alia, said in a separate post that Hathloul was at their parents’ home in Saudi Arabia, adding “this is the best day of my life”. » | Martin Chulov, Middle East correspondent | Wednesday, February 10, 2021
Die Nazis, die Arbeit und das Geld | Doku | ARTE
Im Juni 1940 führte Hitler Feldzüge in ganz Europa, obwohl Deutschland kaum noch Geld, nur wenige Rohstoffe und keine Devisen mehr hatte. Wie konnten die Nationalsozialisten mit einer solch schwachen Wirtschaft die zerstörerische Maschinerie des Zweiten Weltkriegs in Gang setzen?
Der Dokumentarfilm basiert auf neueren wissenschaftlichen Forschungen der Professoren Adam Tooze von der Columbia University, Richard Overy von der University of Exeter, Frank Bajohr vom Institut für Zeitgeschichte in München und der Privatdozentin Marie-Bénédicte Vincent von der Universität von Angers. Sie zeigen in ihren Forschungen zur NS-Zeit, welch treibende Rolle wirtschaftliche Aspekte für das Familienleben, die Arbeitswelt und die Kriegsführung im Deutschen Reich gespielt haben. Animationen im Stil der Collage-Kunst der 30er Jahre veranschaulichen die außerordentlichen Währungsmanipulationen der Nationalsozialisten. Damit wird der Blick auf einen bisher wenig beachteten Kriegsschauplatz gelenkt, nämlich auf die Fabriken des Deutschen Reichs, auf die Sparbücher der deutschen Familien, die Planungsbüros der Manager und kaum bekannte Protagonisten, die agierten: der Generalfeldmarschall und Staatssekretär in Görings Reichsluftfahrt-Ministerium Erhard Milch(1892-1972) etwa, der die gesamte Flugzeugbau-Industrie umstrukturierte und bereits 1954 aus der lebenslänglichen Haft entlassen wurde, der NSDAP-Gauleiter von Thüringen Fritz Sauckel(1894-1946), der in seiner Funktion als Generalbevollmächtigter für den Arbeitseinsatz für die Zwangsarbeit von Millionen von Menschen verantwortlich war und in Nürnberg hingerichtet wurde, oder SS-General Herbert Backe(1896-1947), der als Reichsminister und Leiter des Ministeriums für Ernährung und Landwirtschaft die rigide kriegswirtschaftlich und rassenideologisch begründete Hungerpolitik in Osteuropa plante und organisierte und sich in Nürnberg durch Suizid der Verantwortung entzog.Der Dokumentarfilm zeigt, wie die Nationalsozialisten ihr rassistisches und antisemitisches Weltbild in allen Bereichen der Großindustrie, der Landwirtschaft und der Finanzwelt implementieren konnten. Sie schufen damit ein abscheuliches, auf Währungsmanipulation, Gewalt, Raub und Völkermord beruhendes Wirtschafts-„Modell“, das nur durch Krieg und Unterdrückung funktionierte und zur Zerstörung Europas führte.
Dokumentarfilm von Gil Rabier (F 2020, 90 Min)
Der Dokumentarfilm basiert auf neueren wissenschaftlichen Forschungen der Professoren Adam Tooze von der Columbia University, Richard Overy von der University of Exeter, Frank Bajohr vom Institut für Zeitgeschichte in München und der Privatdozentin Marie-Bénédicte Vincent von der Universität von Angers. Sie zeigen in ihren Forschungen zur NS-Zeit, welch treibende Rolle wirtschaftliche Aspekte für das Familienleben, die Arbeitswelt und die Kriegsführung im Deutschen Reich gespielt haben. Animationen im Stil der Collage-Kunst der 30er Jahre veranschaulichen die außerordentlichen Währungsmanipulationen der Nationalsozialisten. Damit wird der Blick auf einen bisher wenig beachteten Kriegsschauplatz gelenkt, nämlich auf die Fabriken des Deutschen Reichs, auf die Sparbücher der deutschen Familien, die Planungsbüros der Manager und kaum bekannte Protagonisten, die agierten: der Generalfeldmarschall und Staatssekretär in Görings Reichsluftfahrt-Ministerium Erhard Milch(1892-1972) etwa, der die gesamte Flugzeugbau-Industrie umstrukturierte und bereits 1954 aus der lebenslänglichen Haft entlassen wurde, der NSDAP-Gauleiter von Thüringen Fritz Sauckel(1894-1946), der in seiner Funktion als Generalbevollmächtigter für den Arbeitseinsatz für die Zwangsarbeit von Millionen von Menschen verantwortlich war und in Nürnberg hingerichtet wurde, oder SS-General Herbert Backe(1896-1947), der als Reichsminister und Leiter des Ministeriums für Ernährung und Landwirtschaft die rigide kriegswirtschaftlich und rassenideologisch begründete Hungerpolitik in Osteuropa plante und organisierte und sich in Nürnberg durch Suizid der Verantwortung entzog.Der Dokumentarfilm zeigt, wie die Nationalsozialisten ihr rassistisches und antisemitisches Weltbild in allen Bereichen der Großindustrie, der Landwirtschaft und der Finanzwelt implementieren konnten. Sie schufen damit ein abscheuliches, auf Währungsmanipulation, Gewalt, Raub und Völkermord beruhendes Wirtschafts-„Modell“, das nur durch Krieg und Unterdrückung funktionierte und zur Zerstörung Europas führte.
Dokumentarfilm von Gil Rabier (F 2020, 90 Min)
Twitter Says Trump Ban Is Permanent – Even If He Runs for Office Again
Donald Trump’s ban from the social media platform Twitter is going to stick even if he runs for the White House again – and even if he won again, a senior executive said on Wednesday.
The former president’s permanent block from Twitter is permanent, Twitter chief financial officer Ned Segal said during an interview on CNBC when he was asked whether Trump’s tweeting privileges could be restored if he ever returns to power.
“The way our policies work, when you’re removed from the platform, you’re removed from the platform,” Segal said.
He added: “Whether you’re a commentator, you’re a CFO, or you are a former or current public official. Remember, our policies are designed to make sure that people are not inciting violence, and if anybody does that, we have to remove them from the service and our policies don’t allow people to come back.” » | Guardian staff | Wednesday, February 10, 2021
Queen's Consent Is a Constitutional Outrage – Parliament Must Abolish It
THE GUARDIAN: If an MP or peer sought to secretly influence a draft bill in this way, it could lead to a criminal charge
The practice of Queen’s consent, on which the Guardian has shone a welcome light in recent days, is a constitutional outrage. It gives an unelected person the opportunity to require changes to draft legislation in order to benefit herself financially, or to exempt herself from laws she does not like, and to do so in secret without any public accountability.
If an MP or peer sought to secretly influence a draft bill to advantage themselves in this way, it would be called corruption. It could lead to a criminal charge.
The palace likes to pretend that the practice of Queen’s consent is all ceremonial, somehow rather quaint. “Any assertion that the sovereign has blocked legislation is simply incorrect,” they say. This is both accurate and entirely misleading. The Queen does not block legislation because she does not need to. The draft bill is sent to the palace and to her legal advisers. If they have objections, they will ring the Cabinet Office and relay these. Nothing is normally put in writing these days, to avoid a written record. The bill is then altered to meet the Queen’s wishes and the revised version is then sent back and gains her consent. You see? Nothing has been “blocked”. » | Norman Baker | Wednesday, February 10, 2021
The practice of Queen’s consent, on which the Guardian has shone a welcome light in recent days, is a constitutional outrage. It gives an unelected person the opportunity to require changes to draft legislation in order to benefit herself financially, or to exempt herself from laws she does not like, and to do so in secret without any public accountability.
If an MP or peer sought to secretly influence a draft bill to advantage themselves in this way, it would be called corruption. It could lead to a criminal charge.
The palace likes to pretend that the practice of Queen’s consent is all ceremonial, somehow rather quaint. “Any assertion that the sovereign has blocked legislation is simply incorrect,” they say. This is both accurate and entirely misleading. The Queen does not block legislation because she does not need to. The draft bill is sent to the palace and to her legal advisers. If they have objections, they will ring the Cabinet Office and relay these. Nothing is normally put in writing these days, to avoid a written record. The bill is then altered to meet the Queen’s wishes and the revised version is then sent back and gains her consent. You see? Nothing has been “blocked”. » | Norman Baker | Wednesday, February 10, 2021
Tuesday, February 09, 2021
What Did Ancient Rome Look Like? (Cinematic Animation)
What Did Ancient Greece Look Like? (Cinematic Animation)
What Did Ancient Egypt Look Like? (Cinematic Animation)
Reaching for That Pack of Smokes? You Aren’t the Only One
THE NEW YORK TIMES: Lots of people seem to be smoking again or more during the pandemic, if anecdotal evidence and preliminary sales figures for tobacco products are any measure.
“Good quality surveys operate at a lag,” said Vaughan W. Rees, the director of the Center for Global Tobacco Control at Harvard University, referring to reliable smoking studies from institutions like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “But we are seeing interesting blips. The decline in tobacco sales has slowed in the past 10 months.”
While tobacco sales in the United States have generally fallen in recent decades (14 percent of Americans smoked in 2019, compared with nearly 21 percent in 2005, according to an annual report from the C.D.C. that tracks smoking rates), the decline flattened last year.
“The total volume of cigarettes sold in the U.S. typically declines by 3 or 4 percent,” said Adam Spielman, a managing director at Citi who follows the tobacco industry. “But in 2020, volume is flat and that’s a significant change, driven mostly by the fact that people have less things to spend money on right now.” Smokers also cited stress as a reason for lighting up. » | Monica Corcoran Harel | Saturday, February 6, 2021
“Good quality surveys operate at a lag,” said Vaughan W. Rees, the director of the Center for Global Tobacco Control at Harvard University, referring to reliable smoking studies from institutions like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “But we are seeing interesting blips. The decline in tobacco sales has slowed in the past 10 months.”
While tobacco sales in the United States have generally fallen in recent decades (14 percent of Americans smoked in 2019, compared with nearly 21 percent in 2005, according to an annual report from the C.D.C. that tracks smoking rates), the decline flattened last year.
“The total volume of cigarettes sold in the U.S. typically declines by 3 or 4 percent,” said Adam Spielman, a managing director at Citi who follows the tobacco industry. “But in 2020, volume is flat and that’s a significant change, driven mostly by the fact that people have less things to spend money on right now.” Smokers also cited stress as a reason for lighting up. » | Monica Corcoran Harel | Saturday, February 6, 2021
Saturday, February 06, 2021
Fury at Gove as Exports to EU Slashed by 68% since Brexit
THE OBSERVER: Hauliers say Cabinet Office minister ignored warnings, amid fears that worse is to come with introduction of import checks in July
The volume of exports going through British ports to the EU fell by a staggering 68% last month compared with January last year, mostly as a result of problems caused by Brexit, the Observer can reveal.
The dramatic drop in the volume of traffic carried on ferries and through the Channel tunnel has been reported to Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove by the Road Haulage Association after a survey of its international members. In a letter to Gove dated 1 February, the RHA’s chief executive, Richard Burnett, also told the minister he and his officials had repeatedly warned over several months of problems and called for measures to lessen difficulties – but had been largely ignored.
In particular he had made clear throughout last year there was an urgent need to increase the number of customs agents to help firms with mountains of extra paperwork. The number now, around 10,000, is still about a fifth of what the RHA says is required to handle the massive increase in paperwork facing exporters. » | Toby Helm | Saturday, February 6, 2021
The volume of exports going through British ports to the EU fell by a staggering 68% last month compared with January last year, mostly as a result of problems caused by Brexit, the Observer can reveal.
The dramatic drop in the volume of traffic carried on ferries and through the Channel tunnel has been reported to Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove by the Road Haulage Association after a survey of its international members. In a letter to Gove dated 1 February, the RHA’s chief executive, Richard Burnett, also told the minister he and his officials had repeatedly warned over several months of problems and called for measures to lessen difficulties – but had been largely ignored.
In particular he had made clear throughout last year there was an urgent need to increase the number of customs agents to help firms with mountains of extra paperwork. The number now, around 10,000, is still about a fifth of what the RHA says is required to handle the massive increase in paperwork facing exporters. » | Toby Helm | Saturday, February 6, 2021
Muslim Revert Stories - From Jewish Atheist to Islam
The Guardian View on Republican Extremism: Trumpism Flourishes
That someone is ludicrous doesn’t stop them being dangerous, as Donald Trump and now Marjorie Taylor Greene have demonstrated. The new Georgia congresswoman has not only repeatedly spread racist and antisemitic statements; she has suggested a Jewish banking family might have been involved in starting wildfires with “space lasers”, repeatedly endorsed QAnon conspiracy theories and questioned whether the Pentagon was attacked on 9/11. Her views are no less poisonous and extremist for being so bizarre.
The most frightening and extraordinary thing about her, however, is that she is now welcome at the heart of the Republican party. Though Mitch McConnell, the Senate minority leader, has described her “loony lies and conspiracy theories” as “a cancer for the Republican party”, his diagnosis comes much too late. Kevin McCarthy, his counterpart in the House, boasts of a “big tent” – so large that it now includes those who have supported the killing of political opponents. It took Democrats to strip Ms Greene of her committee positions via a House vote on Thursday, an unprecedented move that should never have been necessary. They are happy to seize the opportunity to portray the GOP as Ms Greene’s party. But they are not so wrong to do so. » | Editorial | Friday, February 5, 2021
Biden: Trump Should Not Receive Intelligence Briefings due to His 'Erratic Behavior'
THE GUARDIAN: Biden says predecessor shouldn’t have access to briefings, which are traditionally offered to presidents even after leaving office
Joe Biden has said that he doesn’t believe his predecessor, Donald Trump, should have access to any intelligence briefings due to his “erratic behavior”.
“I think not,” Biden said in a Friday evening interview, when asked by the CBS Evening News anchor Norah O’Donnell if Trump should get the briefings.
“Because of his erratic behavior unrelated to the insurrection,” Biden said, referring to the 6 January storming of the US Capitol by Trump’s supporters. Former US presidents traditionally receive some intelligence briefings even after they have left office. » | Reuters | Saturday, February 6, 2021
Joe Biden has said that he doesn’t believe his predecessor, Donald Trump, should have access to any intelligence briefings due to his “erratic behavior”.
“I think not,” Biden said in a Friday evening interview, when asked by the CBS Evening News anchor Norah O’Donnell if Trump should get the briefings.
“Because of his erratic behavior unrelated to the insurrection,” Biden said, referring to the 6 January storming of the US Capitol by Trump’s supporters. Former US presidents traditionally receive some intelligence briefings even after they have left office. » | Reuters | Saturday, February 6, 2021
Fox News Cancels Lou Dobbs Tonight
Fox Business Network has canceled the show of Lou Dobbs, the ardent Donald Trump supporter with a history of espousing misinformation who promoted baseless conspiracy theories of voting fraud after the election.
Friday evening marked the final airing of Lou Dobbs Tonight, Dobbs’ regular weeknight program. The Fox host was a major contributor to the false narrative that the election was stolen and continued espousing those views on his program even after admitting that they lacked actual proof.
“Eight weeks from the election and we still don’t have verifiable, tangible support for the crimes that everyone knows were committed,” he said on air in January.
Dobbs, 75, has hosted the program since 2011. Trump considered it must-see TV and even reportedly patched the host through during key policy meetings. » | Gabrielle Canon and agency | Saturday, February 6, 2021
Good riddance! – Mark
Thursday, February 04, 2021
Die Reise des Gläubigen | IMANTALK
Dies ist ein interessantes Gespräch mit einem Österreicher aus Wien, der sich vor etlichen Jahren zum Islam bekehrte. Er spricht über sein neues Leben und Glauben als Muslim. – ©Mark
UK Banks Given Six Months to Prepare for Negative Interest Rates
THE GUARDIAN: Bank of England’s monetary policy committee votes to keep rate at 0.1% but gives banks six-month deadline
The Bank of England took a step closer to introducing negative interest rates for the first time on Thursday, after it gave lenders six months to prepare for such a move.
Threadneedle Street’s monetary policy committee (MPC) voted unanimously to keep the official interest rate at historically low levels while it agreed to set the deadline for banks to prepare themselves after policymakers said they were ready to make negative lending rates part of their toolkit.
According to the minutes of the MPC meeting, officials were split over asking lenders to put in place the measures needed to facilitate negative rates on loans and mortgages, with some fearing it would signal to investors that the central bank planned to move ahead in the next few months. » | Phillip Inman | Thursday, February 4, 2021
The Bank of England took a step closer to introducing negative interest rates for the first time on Thursday, after it gave lenders six months to prepare for such a move.
Threadneedle Street’s monetary policy committee (MPC) voted unanimously to keep the official interest rate at historically low levels while it agreed to set the deadline for banks to prepare themselves after policymakers said they were ready to make negative lending rates part of their toolkit.
According to the minutes of the MPC meeting, officials were split over asking lenders to put in place the measures needed to facilitate negative rates on loans and mortgages, with some fearing it would signal to investors that the central bank planned to move ahead in the next few months. » | Phillip Inman | Thursday, February 4, 2021
The Caliph P1: Foundation | Featured Documentary
The Caliph - Part 1: Foundation - Featured Documentary
For almost 13 centuries, from the death of the Prophet Muhammad in 632 to the overthrow of the last Ottoman caliph in 1924, the Islamic world was ruled by a caliph.
Translated from the Arabic ‘Khalifa’, the word ‘caliph’ means successor or deputy. The caliph was considered the successor to the Prophet Muhammad.
It is a term that has, at times, been abused.
In June 2014, a militant group calling itself the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (known as ISIL or ISIS) declared the establishment of a caliphate and proclaimed its leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, a caliph. This proclamation was rejected by the overwhelming majority of the world’s Muslims.
ISIL had attempted to appropriate a title imbued with religious and political significance – and in doing so had cast a dark shadow over a rich history.
This is the story of the caliph, a title that originated 1,400 years ago and that spanned one of the greatest empires the world has ever known.
In this episode of the Caliph, Al Jazeera tells the story of the caliphate, providing a fascinating insight into how the first caliphs of Islam built and expanded their empire.
Director: Husein Alrazzaz
For almost 13 centuries, from the death of the Prophet Muhammad in 632 to the overthrow of the last Ottoman caliph in 1924, the Islamic world was ruled by a caliph.
Translated from the Arabic ‘Khalifa’, the word ‘caliph’ means successor or deputy. The caliph was considered the successor to the Prophet Muhammad.
It is a term that has, at times, been abused.
In June 2014, a militant group calling itself the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (known as ISIL or ISIS) declared the establishment of a caliphate and proclaimed its leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, a caliph. This proclamation was rejected by the overwhelming majority of the world’s Muslims.
ISIL had attempted to appropriate a title imbued with religious and political significance – and in doing so had cast a dark shadow over a rich history.
This is the story of the caliph, a title that originated 1,400 years ago and that spanned one of the greatest empires the world has ever known.
In this episode of the Caliph, Al Jazeera tells the story of the caliphate, providing a fascinating insight into how the first caliphs of Islam built and expanded their empire.
Director: Husein Alrazzaz
Conway: We're Watching Moral Collapse of Republican Party
Wednesday, February 03, 2021
Canada Designates Proud Boys as Terrorist Organization beside Isis and Al-Qaida
THE GUARDIAN: Move follows allegations that the rightwing group played a role in the mob attack on the US Capitol in January
Canada has designated the far-right Proud Boys group as a terrorist organization alongside Isis and al-Qaida, amid growing concerns over the spread of white supremacist groups in the country.
On Wednesday Bill Blair, public safety minister, also announced the federal government would designate the white nationalist and neo-Nazi groups the Atomwaffen Division, the Base and the Russian Imperial Movement as terrorist entities. The federal government also added offshoots of al-Qaida, Isis and Hizbul Mujahedin to its list.
“Canada will not tolerate ideological, religious or politically motivated acts of violence,” Blair said. » | Leyland Cecco in Toronto | Wednesday, February 3, 2021
Canada has designated the far-right Proud Boys group as a terrorist organization alongside Isis and al-Qaida, amid growing concerns over the spread of white supremacist groups in the country.
On Wednesday Bill Blair, public safety minister, also announced the federal government would designate the white nationalist and neo-Nazi groups the Atomwaffen Division, the Base and the Russian Imperial Movement as terrorist entities. The federal government also added offshoots of al-Qaida, Isis and Hizbul Mujahedin to its list.
“Canada will not tolerate ideological, religious or politically motivated acts of violence,” Blair said. » | Leyland Cecco in Toronto | Wednesday, February 3, 2021
Tuesday, February 02, 2021
Jeff Bezos to Step Down as Amazon Chief Executive
He will become executive chairman, a move he said would give him "time and energy" to focus on his other ventures.
Mr Bezos, the world's richest man, will be replaced by Andy Jassy, who currently leads Amazon's cloud computing business.
The change will take place in the second half of 2021, the company said.
"Being the CEO of Amazon is a deep responsibility, and it's consuming. When you have a responsibility like that, it's hard to put attention on anything else," Mr Bezos said in an [sic] letter to Amazon staff on Tuesday.
"As Exec Chair I will stay engaged in important Amazon initiatives but also have the time and energy I need to focus on the Day 1 Fund, the Bezos Earth Fund, Blue Origin, The Washington Post, and my other passions."
"I've never had more energy, and this isn't about retiring. I'm super passionate about the impact I think these organizations can have," he added. » | BBC | Tuesday, February 2, 2021
Russland: Kreml-Kritiker Nawalny zu mehr als zwei Jahren Straflager verurteilt | WELT Analyse
Der Kreml-Kritiker Alexej Nawalny ist in Russland zu mehr als zwei Jahren Haft in einem Straflager verurteilt worden. Das zuständige Gericht in Moskau entschied am Dienstag, dass der 44-Jährige eine bereits verhängte dreieinhalbjährige Bewährungsstrafe nun in einer Strafkolonie ableisten müsse. Allerdings werde ein früherer Hausarrest von der Zeit abgezogen.
Die im Hausarrest verbrachte Zeit gelte als abgeleistete Haftstrafe, sagte Richterin Natalja Repnikowa. Nach Angaben von Nawalnys Team würde dies etwa zweieinhalb Jahre Haft im Straflager für ihn bedeuten. Das Gericht machte zur genauen Zeitspanne zunächst keine Angaben.
Unmittelbar nach Bekanntgabe des Urteils riefen Anhänger des wichtigsten Widersachers von Präsident Wladimir Putin zu einer sofortigen Demonstration in Moskau auf. "Wir ziehen ins Zentrum von Moskau", schrieben sie im Online-Dienst Twitter und riefen die Menschen auf, sich ihnen anzuschließen.
Nawalny hatte sich in der Anhörung vehement gegen eine drohende Gefängnisstrafe gewehrt und die Russen zum weiteren Widerstand aufgerufen. Hauptziel des juristischen Vorgehens gegen ihn sei es, "Millionen Menschen Angst einzujagen", sagte der 44-Jährige vor Gericht.
Nawalny war 2014 wegen des Vorwurfs der Unterschlagung zu dreieinhalb Jahren Haft verurteilt worden, die Strafe wurde aber zur Bewährung ausgesetzt. Diese Aussetzung auf Bewährung wurde nun zurückgezogen, weil Nawalny gegen Bewährungsauflagen verstoßen haben soll.
Nawalny war direkt nach seiner Rückkehr aus Deutschland in sein Heimatland am 17. Januar am Flughafen in Moskau festgenommen und im Eilverfahren zu 30 Tagen Haft verurteilt worden. Es war eine von bereits mehreren kürzeren Haftstrafen gegen Nawalny, lange Zeitstrecken wie die nun drohenden zweieinhalb Jahre war er aber noch nie in Haft.
Die Festnahme am Moskauer Flughafen hatten die russischen Behörden bereits mit Verstößen gegen Bewährungsauflagen begründet: Nawalny sei unter anderem während seines Aufenthalts in Deutschland seiner Pflicht nicht nachgekommen, sich zweimal monatlich bei den Behörden zu melden. In Deutschland war der 44-Jährige nach einem Giftanschlag in Sibirien behandelt worden, durch den er beinahe getötet worden wäre und für den er den Kreml verantwortlich macht.
Die im Hausarrest verbrachte Zeit gelte als abgeleistete Haftstrafe, sagte Richterin Natalja Repnikowa. Nach Angaben von Nawalnys Team würde dies etwa zweieinhalb Jahre Haft im Straflager für ihn bedeuten. Das Gericht machte zur genauen Zeitspanne zunächst keine Angaben.
Unmittelbar nach Bekanntgabe des Urteils riefen Anhänger des wichtigsten Widersachers von Präsident Wladimir Putin zu einer sofortigen Demonstration in Moskau auf. "Wir ziehen ins Zentrum von Moskau", schrieben sie im Online-Dienst Twitter und riefen die Menschen auf, sich ihnen anzuschließen.
Nawalny hatte sich in der Anhörung vehement gegen eine drohende Gefängnisstrafe gewehrt und die Russen zum weiteren Widerstand aufgerufen. Hauptziel des juristischen Vorgehens gegen ihn sei es, "Millionen Menschen Angst einzujagen", sagte der 44-Jährige vor Gericht.
Nawalny war 2014 wegen des Vorwurfs der Unterschlagung zu dreieinhalb Jahren Haft verurteilt worden, die Strafe wurde aber zur Bewährung ausgesetzt. Diese Aussetzung auf Bewährung wurde nun zurückgezogen, weil Nawalny gegen Bewährungsauflagen verstoßen haben soll.
Nawalny war direkt nach seiner Rückkehr aus Deutschland in sein Heimatland am 17. Januar am Flughafen in Moskau festgenommen und im Eilverfahren zu 30 Tagen Haft verurteilt worden. Es war eine von bereits mehreren kürzeren Haftstrafen gegen Nawalny, lange Zeitstrecken wie die nun drohenden zweieinhalb Jahre war er aber noch nie in Haft.
Die Festnahme am Moskauer Flughafen hatten die russischen Behörden bereits mit Verstößen gegen Bewährungsauflagen begründet: Nawalny sei unter anderem während seines Aufenthalts in Deutschland seiner Pflicht nicht nachgekommen, sich zweimal monatlich bei den Behörden zu melden. In Deutschland war der 44-Jährige nach einem Giftanschlag in Sibirien behandelt worden, durch den er beinahe getötet worden wäre und für den er den Kreml verantwortlich macht.
Russian Opposition Leader Alexei Navalny Jailed for Two Years and Eight Months
A Moscow court has sentenced Alexei Navalny to two years and eight months in a prison colony in a landmark decision for Vladimir Putin’s crackdown on the country’s leading opposition figure.
Navalny, who has accused the Russian president and his allies of stealing billions, was jailed for violating parole from a 2014 sentence for embezzlement in a case he has said was politically motivated.
The court’s decision makes Navalny the most prominent political prisoner in Russia and may be the most important verdict against a foe of Putin’s since the 2005 jailing of the oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovsky.
After a judge read the verdict, subtracting the 10 months he had spent under house arrest from his original three-and-a-half-year sentence, Navalny and his wife Yulia stared at each other across the court room. She took off her mask, smiled, waved, and then shrugged. “Don’t be sad! Everything’s going to be alright!” he yelled to her. She declined to comment as she walked out of the courtroom, looking straight ahead.
Minutes before he had drawn a heart on the glass surrounding the dock as a message to her. » | Andrew Roth in Moscow | Tuesday, February 2, 2021
Impeachment Managers: 'Trump’s Responsibility for the Events of January 6 Is Unmistakable'
THE GUARDIAN: The House impeachment managers have filed a brief outlining their argument for Donald Trump’s conviction ahead of the former president’s second Senate impeachment trial.
“In a grievous betrayal of his Oath of Office, President Trump incited a violent mob to attack the United States Capitol during the Joint Session, thus impeding Congress’s confirmation of Joseph R. Biden, Jr. as the winner of the presidential election,” the brief says. “President Trump’s responsibility for the events of January 6 is unmistakable.” » | Joan E Greve (now) and Martin Belam (earlier) | Tuesday, February 2, 2021
“In a grievous betrayal of his Oath of Office, President Trump incited a violent mob to attack the United States Capitol during the Joint Session, thus impeding Congress’s confirmation of Joseph R. Biden, Jr. as the winner of the presidential election,” the brief says. “President Trump’s responsibility for the events of January 6 is unmistakable.” » | Joan E Greve (now) and Martin Belam (earlier) | Tuesday, February 2, 2021
Americans Smoking More Cigarettes during COVID-19 Pandemic
NEW YORK POST: Smoking has made a comeback as the stress of the coronavirus pandemic takes its toll — with cigarette sales rebounding in 2020.
Sales rose by 0.4 percent last year — reversing a decades-long steady decline — as people in lockdown lit up more often and vapers switched back to tobacco over health concerns, according to data released by Marlboro maker Altria Group Inc.
Bored Americans who weren’t able to travel or dine out regularly also had more disposable income to spend on smoke sticks, the tobacco maker said.
An FDA spokeswoman said changes in cigarette smoking can’t be tied to one specific event, but admitted the pandemic has played a role.
“COVID-19 has created a drastic change in daily life, including increased stress and anxiety, that may contribute to a smaller-than-expected reduction in cigarette sales,” she told the Wall Street Journal. » | Jesse O'Neill | Friday, January 19, 2021
Sales rose by 0.4 percent last year — reversing a decades-long steady decline — as people in lockdown lit up more often and vapers switched back to tobacco over health concerns, according to data released by Marlboro maker Altria Group Inc.
Bored Americans who weren’t able to travel or dine out regularly also had more disposable income to spend on smoke sticks, the tobacco maker said.
An FDA spokeswoman said changes in cigarette smoking can’t be tied to one specific event, but admitted the pandemic has played a role.
“COVID-19 has created a drastic change in daily life, including increased stress and anxiety, that may contribute to a smaller-than-expected reduction in cigarette sales,” she told the Wall Street Journal. » | Jesse O'Neill | Friday, January 19, 2021
Sunday, January 31, 2021
Notturno, Op. 27: No. 2 in D-Flat Major
Truss: Asia Pacific Countries 'Where the Big Markets Are'
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
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
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?
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