Australia’s Mouse Plague

Families and farmers in New South Wales are doing everything they can to fend off a biblical incursion of rodents. Guardian Australia’s Matilda Boseley has spent months reporting on the story – and hearing the experiences of those who have been affected
Listen to the podcast HERE »

Want to Live to 100? Dan Buettner Tells You How | Amanpour and Company

Dan Buettner is a National Geographic fellow and founder of The Blue Zones Project, a well-being improvement initiative launched in over 40 cities across the United States. It also inspired a cookbook called “The Blue Zones Kitchen,” based on the diet of people who live in these zones living long and healthy lives. Buettner tells Hari exactly what makes these places so special to him. Originally aired on January 17, 2020.

3 Dinge die Dein Leben verlängern! - Ein Arzt packt aus und verrät, worauf es wirklich ankommt

Wer möchte es nicht: ein möglichst langes und gesundes Leben führen. Und tatsächlich gibt es einen Haufen Angebote, die das bewerkstelligen sollen. Nur: Welche davon sind sinnvoll, und worauf kommt es wirklich an? Das verrät der Arzt und Bestsellerautor Dr. Gerd Reuther im Gespräch mit Robert Fleischer bei Welt im Wandel.TV.

Israel May Have Avoided a Fifth Election and Ended Up with Two Prime Ministers | ABC News

A deal between rivals announced in the nick of time may have sealed the fate of Israel's longest-serving prime minister, with a power-sharing arrangement announced that would oust him from government.

Israeli Opposition Parties Strike Deal to Form New Government | DW News

An unlikely coalition of disparate Israeli opposition parties struck a deal on Wednesday night to form a government. The agreement could potentially resolve an extended period of political deadlock and force beleaguered Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from the political stage after 12 years in office. Yair Lapid, a centrist, and Naftali Bennett, an ultranationalist, announced the deal after they succeeded in cobbling together a coalition government with a number of parties from across the political spectrum. Lapid managed to pull together signatures from seven parties signaling their willingness to form a coalition shortly before his mandate to form a new government expired at midnight.

Lapid has officially informed President Rivlin that he has the backing of the majority of the Knesset to form a cabinet — over two months after the March 23 election. The new government could face a vote of confidence in Israel's Knesset parliament sometime before next Wednesday unless Lapid asks for time to negotiate any disagreements before parties sign on to a binding coalition. Such a move would delay the vote by another week and give parties time to iron out any disagreements about the policies and appointments of the new government. It is expected that Netanyahu, the country's longest-serving prime minister, will attempt to bring lawmakers from the coalition over to his side. Unless the newly formed coalition collapses before being sworn in, Netanyahu's 12-year stint in the top job will come to an end.

Die unglaubliche Wahrheit: Das musst Du wissen, wenn Du zum Arzt gehst - Ein Mediziner packt aus!

Der Medizinethiker Prof. Dr. Giovanni Maio fordert einen radikalen Umbruch im Medizinsektor. Denn viele Ärzte sind von wirtschaftlichen Zwängen getrieben - der Mensch, der Patient und seine Krankheit geraten dabei aus dem Fokus. Die Verwirtschaftlichung eines eigentlich sozialen Bereiches - der Medizin - schadet den Patienten. Der Fehler liegt im System: So erhalten Ärzte beispielsweise nur eine Pauschale von etwa 100 € pro Quartal für alle Gespräche mit ihren Patienten. Geld verdienen sie nur durch mehr oder weniger notwendige Behandlungen. Im Gespräch mit Robert Fleischer schildert Prof. Mayo die Abgründe des deutschen Medizinsystems, in dem die Behandlung eines Patienten davon abhängt, wie profitabel seine Genesung ist.

Prof. Dr. Giovanni Maio ist Direktor des Instituts für Ethik und Geschichte der Medizin an der Uni Freiburg, Mitglied der zentralen Ethik-Kommission für Stammzellenforschung, Mitglied des Ausschusses für ethische und juristische Grundsatzfragen der Bundesärztekammer und seit 2010 ständiger Berater der Deutschen Bischofskonferenz.

Psychiatrist: ‘Donald Trump Is Delusional’ Even Out of Office

Dr. Lance Dodes, retired Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, joins Lawrence O’Donnell to discuss Donald Trump reportedly making false claims that he will be “reinstated” as president by August and why “lack of power is the thing Trump can’t stand and doesn’t acknowledge.”

‘It’s Dehumanizing’: Texas Valedictorian Goes Off Script to Attack Abortion Ban

THE GUARDIAN: Paxton Smith criticizes near-total ban that makes no exception for rape or incest

The valedictorian at a Texas high school went off script while delivering her graduation speech, criticising the state’s extreme abortion ban in an address that has since been widely shared on social media.

School administrators had signed off on Paxton Smith’s pre-written speech on how TV and media have shaped her worldview. But, when it came time to address the graduating class of Lake Highlands high school, she pivoted.

“In light of recent events, it feels wrong to talk about anything but what is currently affecting me and millions of other women in this state,” she said, her voice shaking as she began. » | Maanvi Singh | Thursday, June 3, 2021

Opinion: France Is Becoming More Like America. It’s Terrible.

THE NEW YORK TIMES: PARIS — It’s become a familiar refrain in French political life. From President Emmanuel Macron and his cabinet to the far-right opposition, from print columnists to talking heads, “Americanization” is increasingly held responsible for a whole set of social ills ailing the nation.

For some of these critics, it’s the reason so many young people — adopting the view of Black Lives Matter activists — believe police violence is a problem. For others, it explains why the quality of academic research is in decline, as fanciful ideas concocted on American college campuses like intersectionality and post-colonialism supposedly flourish. To others still, it’s why people can’t speak their mind anymore, suffocated by the threats of “ cancel culture.”

Perhaps the most common gripe is that ideas and practices imported from the United States are making the French obsessed with ethnic , religious and sexual difference at the expense of their shared identity as citizens of the universal Republic.

They’re not wrong: French politics are, in fact, becoming Americanized. But the problem is not left-wing theories or censorious scolds. It is instead the rise of an insular, nationalistic, right-wing discourse driven by a belligerent style of press coverage. Distinctively French in content, the form this discourse takes — grievance-wallowing hosts conjuring embittered conversations about national decline, immigration and religion — follows America’s lead. As in the United States, the result is a degraded political landscape that empowers the far right, dragging mainstream politicians into its orbit. » | Cole Stangler * | Wednesday, June 2, 2021

* Mr. Stangler is a journalist based in France who writes extensively about the country’s politics and culture.

Finding the Cure for Dementia | 60 Minutes Australia

Listet Fehler und Versäumnisse der Medizingeschichte auf | Dr. Gerd Reuther | Radiologe | SWR1 Leute

„Ich bin aus dem Medizinbetrieb ausgestiegen, weil meine Zweifel zunehmend gewachsen sind und ich kein Erfüllungsgehilfe mehr für schlechte Medizin sein wollte!“ Gerd Reuther hat 30 Jahre in verschiedenen Kliniken als Radiologe gearbeitet, um sich dann aus einem System zu verabschieden, das er für grundlegend renovierungsbedürftig hält. Das geht für ihn bei sinnlosen und überflüssigen Operationen los und endet bei einer dramatischen Über-Medikamentierung der Patienten. In seinem neuen Buch „Heilung Nebensache" blickt Reuther kritisch auf 2500 Jahre Europäische Medizingeschichte zurück. Moderation: Wolfgang Heim
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Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey - When You Believe

Whitney Houston - Hold Me

Das Geschäft mit der Krankheit: Das solltest Du wissen, bevor Du zum Arzt gehst - Dr. Gerd Reuther

Der Radiologe Dr. med. Gerd Reuther erklärt im Gespräch mit Sabine Linek, warum Menschen in Gefahr sind, wenn sie sich in medizinische Behandlung begeben. Jährlich sterben in deutschen Kliniken rund 18.800 Menschen durch Behandlungsfehler. Das sind etwa fünfmal so viele Todesfälle wie im Straßenverkehr. Doch Dr. Gerd Reuther, geht noch weiter: Die Dunkelziffer der Todesopfer von Ärzten dürfte sogar noch deutlich höher liegen. Seine Recherchen hat der Arzt in dem vielbeachteten SPIEGEL-Bestseller „Der betrogene Patient“ zusammengefasst und gibt hier im Gespräch wichtige Ratschläge.

Was dieser Spezialist über Medikamente zu sagen hat sollte gar nicht verpaßt sein! Er spricht über Vieles Klartext. Was er über Medikamente für hohen Blutdruck, Blutverdünnungsmittel, Beta Blocker, und vieles Andere zu sagen hat ist maßgebend und ist zudem ein Augenöffner! – ©Mark

USA: Conspiracy Theories Pose a Real Threat

Mehdi explains the nonsense and dangerous conspiracy theories Trump's allies and former White House officials have been pushing. Then, Rep. Adam Smith joins to discuss just how dangerous they could be to the future of the republic.

A Professor Gives the Most Well-researched Analysis of the 1950s

The speaker is a University of Texas at Austin Prof. Steven Mintz, being interviewed in 1990 about families in the 1950s by David Hoffman. The filmmaker. Prof. Mintz is America's leading historian on the history of the American family. He is the author of 14 books on this subject.

Amazon US Customers Have One Week to Opt Out of Mass Wireless Sharing

THE GUARDIAN: Critics raise transparency fears over plan to turn all smart home devices into ‘mesh network’

Amazon customers have one week to opt out of a plan that would turn every Echo speaker and Ring security camera in the US into a shared wireless network, as part of the company’s plan to fix connection problems for its smart home devices.

The proposal, called Amazon Sidewalk, involves the company’s devices being used as a springboard to build city-wide “mesh networks” that help simplify the process of setting up new devices, keep them online even if they’re out of range of home wifi, and extend the range of tracking devices such as those made by Tile. » | Alex Hern, Technology editor | Tuesday, June 1, 2021

Homosexuality: It's about Survival - Not Sex | James O'Keefe | TEDxTallaght

This passionate talk from Dr. James O'Keefe MD gives us a deeply personal and fascinating insight into why homosexuality is indeed a necessary and extraordinarily useful cog in nature's wheel of perfection.

James H O'Keefe MD, is a Board Certified Cardiologist and Director of both the Charles & Barbara Duboc Cardio Health & Wellness Center and the Preventive Cardiology service at Saint Luke’s Mid America Heart Institute. He is also Professor of Medicine at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. His postgraduate training included a cardiology fellowship at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Dr O’Keefe is board-certified in Cardiology, Internal Medicine, Nuclear Cardiology, and Cardiac CT Imaging. He is consistently ranked among the ‘Top Doctor’ lists regionally and nationally as one of America’s Top Rated Physicians in Cardiology. He has been named as one of USA Today’s Most Influential Doctors. Dr O’Keefe has contributed more than 300 articles to the medical literature and has authored best-selling cardiovascular books for health professionals including: The Complete Guide to ECGs (which is used for Cardiology Board Certification), Dyslipidemia Essentials, and Diabetes Essential.

Seven European Countries Begin Issuing a Digital Covid Certificate for Travel

THE NEW YORK TIMES: A digital Covid certificate system that will facilitate travel within the European Union became operational in seven countries on Tuesday — ahead of schedule — previewing what could become a standard for post-pandemic global mobility.

The document, known as a digital green certificate, records whether people have been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, recovered from the virus or tested negative within 72 hours. Travelers can move freely if at least one of those three criteria is met.

Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Croatia and Poland made the certificates available to their citizens as of Tuesday and are accepting them for visitors. The European Commission, the bloc’s administrative branch, said the system would be used in all 27 E.U. countries as of July 1. » | Matina Stevis-Gridneff | Tuesday, June 1, 2021

Ein sehr interessantes Gespräch über die Gesundheit! Rechnet nach 30 Jahren als Arzt mit seinem Berufsstand ab | Gerd Reuther | Radiologe | SWR1 Leute

Ein langes und glückliches Leben in Gesundheit steht auf der Wunschliste der meisten Menschen ganz oben. Doch wer den Therapieempfehlungen der Mediziner rückhaltlos vertraut, schadet sich häufiger, als er sich nützt. Das sagt Dr. med. Gerd Reuther, Facharzt mit Lehrbefugnis für Radiologie, der nach 30 Jahren als Arzt seinen Berufsstand schonungslos seziert. Er deckt auf, dass die Medizin häufig nicht auf das langfristige Wohlergehen der Kranken abzielt, sondern in erster Linie die Kasse der Kliniken und Praxen füllen soll. Eine bessere Medizin müsste mit einer anderen Vergütung medizinischer Dienstleistung beginnen und Geld dürfte nicht mehr über Leben und Tod bestimmen - so seine Forderung. Moderation: Nicole Köster

BJ Thomas Obituary

THE GUARDIAN: Singer who enjoyed huge success with Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head, written for the film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

In 1969, BJ Thomas, who has died of complications from lung cancer aged 78, spent four weeks at the top of the US chart with Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head, from the soundtrack of the popular film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. It is the song he will always be synonymous with, but he nearly didn’t get to sing it. » | Adam Sweeting | Monday, May 21, 2021


'Hooked on a Feeling' singer B.J. Thomas dies at 78 »

Macron and Merkel Demand Explanations over US-Denmark Spy Claim

"This is not acceptable between allies, even less so between European allies and partners," Macron said

India Covid Variant Spreading across England, Data Shows

THE GUARDIAN: Scientists say geographical spread ‘entirely predictable’ and window of opportunity has been missed

The coronavirus variant of concern first detected in India is continuing to spread across England, with cases emerging beyond “hotspot” areas, data suggests.

The variant, known as B.1.617.2, is thought to be driving a rise in Covid cases in parts of the UK and is believed to be both more transmissible than the variant first detected in Kent, which previously dominated, and somewhat more resistant to Covid vaccines, particularly after just one dose.

At present up to three-quarters of new Covid cases in the UK are thought to be caused by the India variant. There have also been signs of a slight rise in hospitalisations.

The situation has led some scientists to warn that the country is now in the early stages of a third wave of coronavirus which, despite the vaccination programme, modelling suggests could lead to a rise in hospitalisations and deaths, and that full easing of restrictions in England on 21 June should be reconsidered. » | Nicola Davis, Science correspondent | Monday, May 31, 2021

Israeli Opposition Parties Unite in Bid to Oust Netanyahu | DW News

Political opponents of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are joining forces - with little in common besides a desire to oust him.

A former Netanyahu aide and right-wing hardliner, Naftali Bennett, says he's looking to form a diverse minority government and avoid another round of elections in Israel and put an end to the Netanyahu era.

Netanyahu has been on the defensive for some time. Israel's longest serving prime minister has been able to brush off public outrage over corruption charges. But after failing to form a majority government after the fourth election in two years, Netanyahu's hold on power had become tenuous.

Former TV Host Yair Lapid is determined to pull together parties from the far right to the left, including Arab-Israeli parties. The commitment by Bennett, who leads the right-wing, pro-settler Yamina party, is crucial to the proposed alliance.

Netanyahu responded by painting the broad coalition as a threat to national security. But he knows that the biggest threat posed by the new government is to current prime minister himself.

Trump Org Was ‘Rotten to Its Core’ Says Deputy Assistant AG

Harry Litman, former deputy assistant attorney general, explains the charges under the New York law, “little RICO”, that Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance could be considering against Donald Trump’s businesses.

‘Chronic Corruption’ & Neoliberal Capitalism’s Role in Boris Johnson’s Britain’s COVID Disaster

We speak to Prof. Guy Standing. He discusses his new book ‘The Corruption of Capitalism’, the shocking revelations made by Dominic Cummings about disastrous Coronavirus pandemic mismanagement by the Boris Johnson government, arguable neglect and chronic corruption, the revolving door between big finance and politics in the UK, the financial sector’s tremendous control and influence over the British economy, the mainstream media being a part of the rentier economy system, how big financial companies groom people to go into politics to ensure favourable policy, why work doesn’t pay in the UK and how the economy directs most wealth to the capitalist class, why the furlough scheme was fundamentally unfair, the prospect of economic catastrophe coming out of the pandemic for the working class killing more people than Coronavirus in the UK, mass privatisation of public services due to neoliberal economic doctrine and much more!

China's Competition for Living Space | DW Documentary

More than 60 percent of China's population of 1.4 billion currently lives in cities. Within a decade, the share of urban dwellers is expected to increase to 75 percent. Construction is booming and competition for residential land is fierce.

But the right to live in a city in China is conditional. Authorities want their modern cities to be peopled with well-educated, highly-qualified or politically well-connected residents. As a result, certain standards have to be met to be eligible for a modern, urban home. Only members of China's political classes and the financially successful have a hope of qualifying. Yet more than half of the people who live in cities are so-called "migrant workers." They come from rural communities and have no official rights to settle in cities. They are there to work. With no proper rights, they are merely tolerated while they serve as merchants, servants, waitstaff, cleaners, construction workers and tradespeople. But while they are indispensible to daily life in the cities, they are unable to afford their exorbitant rents. This documentary looks at how and where these workers live, and asks whether middle and working class Chinese even figure in the official vision of shiny, high-tech cities. The filmmakers also look at what happens to those who oppose official plans, or stand in the way of the building boom.

New Report Says Denmark Helped US NSA Spy on German Politicians | DW News

New details have come to light in the scandal over the US National Security Agency's surveillance of top European politicians.

Revelations that emerged in 2013 showed that the US intelligence agency had tapped the phones of several leaders – including Germany's Angela Merkel.

Now, a new multi-national media investigation says a Danish military intelligence unit supported the US wiretapping operation. Danish intelligence reportedly worked with the US National Security Agency from here - to eavesdrop on European politicians.

A joint investigation by several European media outlets shows former German chancellor candidate, Peer Steinbrück, was among the espionage targets.

A major problem is that the Danish government didn't inform their German neighbors, though they apparently knew about the eavesdropping as early as 2015. The German government said it only found out about the spying after press inquiries.

Spying on Chancellor Angela Merkel and former Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier was revealed by NSA leaker Edward Snowden and a parliamentary inquiry. It did not reveal that a close European ally was involved.

The NSA, the Danish intelligence service and the Danish government refused to comment on the latest revelations.

Why I Believe In UFOs, and You Should Too... | Ben Mezrich | TEDxBeaconStreet (2016)

Ben discuses the UFO highway located at the 37th Parallel, and the strange phenomenon of cattle mutilations.

Ben Mezrich is the author of 18 books including Bringing Down The House that was made into the movie 21, and Accidental Billionaires that was made into the movie The Social Network.


Robert Bigelow »

Stelter: Right-wing Propaganda Is Taking the Place of Reality

CNN’s Brian Stelter says that comments from Arizona State Senate President Karen Fann is an example of how media outlets who share misinformation are dividing American’s view of the facts.

Warum Ex-Raucher zunehmen

DW: Wer mit dem Rauchen aufhört, wird dicker. Es wurde viel spekuliert, woran das liegen könnte - jetzt scheint die Ursache des Dilemmas geklärt zu sein. Und die hat nichts mit zu viel Schokolade oder Eis zu tun.

Rauchen ist ungesund. Punkt. Das ist so - ohne wenn und aber. Logische Konsequenz? Aufhören. Würden viele Raucher auch gerne, ist aber gar nicht so einfach. Ein Grund für viele, weiterzuqualmen ist die Angst, zuzunehmen. Und die scheint durchaus berechtigt zu sein. Etwa 80 Prozent der Raucher, die sich entschließen aufzuhören, nehmen danach durchschnittlich sieben Kilo zu. Das ist viel und vor allem frustrierend, da es nicht an zu viel Kompensations-Schokolade liegt. Auch Ex-Raucher, die gleichviel oder sogar weniger Kalorien als vor dem Rauchstopp zu sich nehmen, legen an Gewicht zu. » | Judith Harti | Donnerstag, 29. August 2013

Viel Schall um Rauch »

Rauchen gestattet: Wieso die Zigarette zum Film gehört »

Dollars vs Decency: Is China Taking Over New Zealand? | 60 Minutes Australia

In calling out China for its increasing aggression, human rights violations and COVID cover-ups, Australia is paying a hefty price for storming the high moral ground. A furious Beijing is doing everything it can, using trade tariffs to punish us economically. But across the Tasman it’s a completely different story. New Zealand has been much more circumspect – critics say weak – when it comes to its relationship with China. However, the tactic is being rewarded. Trade with China is booming, and the Kiwi economy is flying high. Despite the apparent prosperity, questions are being asked about the ethics of prioritising dollars over decency. And it’s clearly a touchy subject as reporter Tom Steinfort discovered when he tried to discuss the issue with an uncharacteristically sensitive New Zealand Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern.

Dairy Milk May Lower Cholesterol and Reduce Coronary Heart Disease Risk

MEDICAL NEWS TODAY: A new study suggests that drinking dairy milk may lower cholesterol levels. / The study consists of a meta-analysis of three surveys involving over 400,000 individuals. / The scientists found that even though drinking milk leads to higher body mass index (BMI) and body fat, it still lowers the risk of coronary heart disease.

Dairy milk is a complex substance. For example, it contains 18 out of 20 essential proteins and amino acids, but it also contains saturated fats.

Perhaps this is why attempts to definitively identify its role in cardiometabolic diseases and its effect on cholesterol levels have produced conflicting results.

A newly published study from the University of Reading in the United Kingdom attempts to resolve such contradictions. The study is based on a meta-analysis of three existing large population studies.

The authors conclude that people who consume dairy milk have lower levels of both types of cholesterol and a lower risk of coronary heart disease than people who do not drink milk. » | Robby Berman | Friday, May 28, 2021

An Arms Race in America: Gun Buying Spiked During the Pandemic. It’s Still Up.

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Preliminary research data show that about a fifth of all Americans who bought guns last year were first-time gun owners. Sales usually spike around elections, but the sheer volume is notable.

WASHINGTON — It was another week with another horrific mass shooting. In cities across the country, gun homicides were climbing. Democrats and Republicans argued over the causes. President Biden said enough.

But beneath the timeworn political cycle on guns in the United States, the country’s appetite for firearms has only been increasing, with more being bought by more Americans than ever before.

While gun sales have been climbing for decades — they often spike in election years and after high-profile crimes — Americans have been on an unusual, prolonged buying spree fueled by the coronavirus pandemic, the protests last summer and the fears they both stoked.

In March last year, federal background checks, a rough proxy for purchases, topped one million in a week for the first time since the government began tracking them in 1998. And the buying continued, through the protests in the summer and the election in the fall, until a week this spring broke the record with 1.2 million background checks. » | Sabrina Tavernise | Saturday, May 29, 2021

Americans are stuck on stupid! Unfortunately, you can't fix stupid. – © Mark

Phone Intercepts Shine More Light on Jordanian Prince’s Alleged Coup Attempt

THE GUARDIAN: Discussions took place before Prince Hamzah was put under house arrest

Aides to the former Jordanian heir Prince Hamzah sought pledges of allegiance on his behalf from tribal leaders and former military officers in the weeks before he was detained, conversations caught on phone intercepts and listening devices suggest.

The recordings are key pieces of evidence in the Jordanian government’s case against two men accused of acting as proxies for Hamzah in a failed attempt to oust his half-brother, King Abdullah, as monarch. Both men – Bassem Awadallah, a former envoy to Saudi Arabia, and Sharif Hassan bin Zaid, a cousin of the king – are expected to stand trial in Amman starting on Monday.

The calls and intercepts, which have been heard by the Guardian, took place over three weeks in March, a period in which officials say Hamzah tried to rally support from figures who could elevate what officials describe as a seditious plot into a serious challenge to Abdullah’s reign. » | Martin Chulov and Michael Safi | Sunday, May 30, 2021

Boris Johnson and Carrie Symonds Marry in Secret Ceremony

THE OBSERVER: Pair exchanged vows at Westminster Cathedral on Saturday, according to newspapers

Boris Johnson has married Carrie Symonds at Westminster Cathedral in a ceremony planned in strict secrecy, according to newspapers.

The pair exchanged vows in front of a small group of close friends and family on Saturday, the Mail on Sunday and the Sun newspaper reported.

The ceremony had been planned for six months and a handful of church officials were involved in the preparation, according to the Sun.

The 30 guests invited, the maximum number under current lockdown restrictions, were said to have been informed only at the last minute. » | Nadeem Badshah | Saturday, May 29, 2021

Mail on Sunday: Boris Johnson and Carrie Symonds wed in secret ceremony at Catholic Westminster Cathedral in front of 30 guests – the first Prime Minister to marry while in office for 199 years »

Boris Johnson and Carrie Symonds marry in secret ceremony »

The Observer View on Deadly Government Incompetence>

THE OBSERVER: Dominic Cummings’ account confirmed what many knew – the government was unprepared for the pandemic and has remained that way for its duration

That Boris Johnson lacks the leadership skills, capability and integrity to guide the country through a national emergency is not a new insight: it has been clear for months. But the significance of Dominic Cummings’ testimony to the House of Commons last week was that the prime minister’s former adviser provided more evidence of Johnson’s culpability for decisions that cost countless lives.

Cummings himself is a man lacking in integrity, who will for ever be associated with the electoral deceit and the implicit racism of the Vote Leave campaign during the Brexit referendum. Although he expressed what appeared to be genuine contrition for his role in the policy disasters that caused people to die, he is unlikely to be a wholly reliable narrator. But that does not mean his account of what happened during his time advising Johnson can be dismissed out of hand. Much of what he said last week accords with what we already know in relation to Johnson’s failures and rings true about his well-established character flaws. » | Observer editorial | Sunday, May 10, 2021

Covid Deaths in US Fall to Level Not Seen Since March 2020 | The Mehdi Hasan Show

With Covid cases receding in the United States and Americans readjusting to life before the pandemic, Anand Giridharadas reflects on the lessons he hopes society has learned in the 14 months in between.

How Does North Korea Finance a Nuclear Weapons Program? | DW Documentary

How is it possible that North Korea can finance a nuclear weapons program? One of the poorest countries in the world is even able to worry the United States with its nuclear arsenal. The answer lies in the criminal activities of "Office 39".

The organization "Office 39" is a secret division of the government. Its goal is to obtain foreign currency by any means possible, providing Kim Jong Un’s totalitarian regime with financial resources. Drugs, counterfeit money, human trafficking, insurance fraud: nothing is off-limits for these North Korean gangsters. This documentary reveals their most spectacular schemes, and lays bare the sensational methods that have allowed the isolated country to circumvent UN sanctions and build up its nuclear program over a period of decades.

Rachat de la Metro Goldwyn Mayer : le cinéma selon Amazon

LE MONDE: Mercredi 26 mai, le groupe de Jeff Bezos a déboursé 8,45 milliards de dollars pour acquérir le studio et son catalogue de 4 000 films. Cet achat à prix d’or est une nouvelle illustration du pari que l’entreprise américaine fait sur le streaming, au détriment des salles de cinéma traditionnelles.

Editorial du « Monde ». Que ne ferait-on pas pour tenter de devenir le roi de la jungle du divertissement ? Amazon a signé, mercredi 26 mai, un chèque de 8,45 milliards de dollars (6,92 milliards d’euros) pour capturer le célèbre lion rugissant de la Metro Goldwyn Mayer (MGM). Cette opération constitue une nouvelle étape du mouvement de concentration dans le secteur de la production cinématographique, sous la pression de la montée en puissance des sites de streaming, c’est-à-dire de diffusion de contenus en continu sur Internet. Les principales plates-formes, comme Netflix, Hulu (Disney), Apple ou Amazon, cherchent à étoffer leurs catalogues à marche forcée pour attirer de plus en plus d’abonnés. » | Éditorial, Le Monde | jeudi 27 mai 2021

A Dangerous Cult Now Runs Britain – The Worshippers at the Temple of Johnson

THE GUARDIAN: No matter what the prime minister does, no matter the consequences, his devotees line up to heatedly excuse it

Last night’s Downing Street coronavirus briefing was given by Matt Hancock, now identifiable only by his dental records. According to Dominic Cummings, Hancock was a serial liar at a deadly level who should have been sacked 15 or 20 times. According to himself, Matt Hancock “threw a ring around care homes”. It would have been a lot better if he’d thrown the ring into Mount Doom instead.

Elsewhere, it has emerged that a government that came to power promising to control our borders has allowed 1.59 million – ONE POINT FIVE NINE MILLION – travellers to fly into the UK in the four lockdown months from January to April alone , two-thirds of whom were not UK nationals. If we don’t open up fully in three weeks, make sure to thank the Conservatives by popping a couple more points on their poll ratings.

So yes: you’ve heard a lot of denials over the past 24 hours. But the biggest UK repository of denial remains the polls, where no revelation of incompetence or failure impacts other than positively for the government. A midweek poll saw the Conservatives climb six points, to 44%, which feels about perfect for a country where at that moment Cummings was claiming industrial levels of lying, incompetence and contempt for elderly and vulnerable people, and spiking it all with such details as Boris Johnson wanting Chris Whitty to inject him with the virus live on TV. Remember, even Donald Trump at his maddest only wanted other people to inject the disinfectant. » | Marina Hyde | Friday, May 28, 2021

German Voters’ View of Personal Wealth Causes Problems for the Left

THE GUARDIAN: Analysis: left-of-centre parties struggle to cut through as survey shows ‘everyone thinks they are middle class’

It is a country with levels of wealth inequality more similar to the US than France, and one where the richest 10% of the population already owned two-thirds of the national wealth before the pandemic further widened the gap.

Yet the inequality of German society and how to fix it is likely to play a minor role in the race to September elections this year, with those parties expected to offer solutions – the centre-left Social Democratic party (SPD) and the leftwing Die Linke – struggling in the polls.

A new study offers answers why, showing how a central perception fallacy among the German electorate on questions of income and wealth creates a major obstacle for the traditional left. » | Philip Oltermann in Berlin | Wednesday, May 26, 2021

Number of Smokers Has Reached All-time High of 1.1 Billion, Study Finds

THE GUARDIAN: Governments told to focus on stopping young from taking up habit that killed 8 million people in 2019

Smoking killed almost 8 million people in 2019 and the number of smokers rose as the habit was picked up by young people around the world, according to new research.

A study published in the Lancet on Thursday said efforts to curb the habit had been outstripped by population growth with 150 million more people smoking in the nine years from 1990, reaching an all-time high of 1.1 billion.

The study’s authors said governments need to focus on reducing the uptake of smoking among young people, as 89% of new smokers were addicted by the age of 25 but beyond that age were unlikely to start.

“Young people are particularly vulnerable to addiction, and with high rates of cessation remaining elusive worldwide, the tobacco epidemic will continue for years to come unless countries can dramatically reduce the number of new smokers starting each year,” said the study’s lead author Marissa Reitsma, a researcher at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation.

Though the prevalence of smoking has reduced globally over the past three decades, it increased for men in 20 countries and for women in 12. Just 10 countries made up two-thirds of the world’s smoking population: China, India, Indonesia, the US, Russia, Bangladesh, Japan, Turkey, Vietnam and the Philippines. One in three tobacco smokers (341 million) live in China. » | Kaamil Ahmed | Thursday, May 27, 2021

South Africa tobacco ban greeted with cigarette smuggling boom »

QAnon Now as Popular in U.S. as Some Major Religions, Poll Suggests

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Fifteen percent of Americans believe that “patriots may have to resort to violence” to restore the country’s rightful order, the poll indicated.

As hopes fade for a bipartisan inquiry into the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, it’s increasingly clear that the Republican base remains in thrall to the web of untruths spun by Donald J. Trump — and perhaps even more outlandish lies, beyond those of the former president’s making.

A federal judge warned in an opinion yesterday that Mr. Trump’s insistence on the “big lie” — that the November election was stolen from him — still posed a serious threat. Presiding over the case of a man accused of storming Congress on Jan. 6, Judge Amy Berman Jackson of the United States District Court in Washington wrote: “The steady drumbeat that inspired defendant to take up arms has not faded away. Six months later, the canard that the election was stolen is being repeated daily on major news outlets and from the corridors of power in state and federal government, not to mention in the near-daily fulminations of the former president.”

But it’s not just the notion that the election was stolen that has caught on with the former president’s supporters. QAnon, an outlandish and ever-evolving conspiracy theory spread by some of Mr. Trump’s most ardent followers, has significant traction with a segment of the public — particularly Republicans and Americans who consume news from far-right sources. » | Giovanni Russonello | Thursday, May 27, 2021

‘House of One’: Berlin Lays First Stone for Multi-faith Worship Centre

THE GUARDIAN: Construction begins on project that will unite Muslims, Jews and Christians under one roof

Muslims, Jews and Christians are to be united for worship under one roof in Berlin in a groundbreaking project called ‘House of One’.

The cornerstone of the multi-denominational temple was laid in the German capital on Thursday with supporters saying they hoped it would forge greater understanding between the three religions.

A mosque, a synagogue and a church will be combined on the site on Leipziger Strasse, in the area where Berlin has its historical origins, and on the former foundations of a 13th-century church, the Petrikirche, which was badly damaged during second world war bombing and pulled down during communism. » | Kate Connolly in Berlin | Thursday, May 27, 2021

Lisa Shaw Death: BBC Presenter Had Blood Clots after AstraZeneca Jab, Family Says

THE GUARDIAN: Radio Newcastle broadcaster had severe headaches a week after vaccine and fell seriously ill days later, relatives say

The award-winning BBC radio presenter Lisa Shaw died in hospital after suffering blood clots following her AstraZeneca vaccination, her family has said.

The 44-year-old, who was a well-known broadcaster in the north-east of England and had worked for BBC Radio Newcastle since 2015, developed severe headaches a week after having the jab and fell seriously ill a few days later, relatives said in a statement.

Shaw died at the Royal Victoria infirmary in Newcastle on Friday last week after being treated in intensive care for blood clots and bleeding. She was surrounded by family, the statement said. » | Lucy Campbell | Thursday, May 27, 2021

Switzerland Walks Out of Seven-year Treaty Talks with EU

THE GUARDIAN: Swiss say terms unacceptable despite Brussels’ claims they are better than those offered to UK

Switzerland has walked out of talks on a closer trading relationship with the European Union despite being offered better terms than the UK in key areas, EU officials have claimed.

On Wednesday the country’s foreign minister, Ignazio Cassis, pulled the plug on long-running discussions with the EU, saying that Berne’s conditions were “not met”.

Switzerland, while outside the EU, is the bloc’s fourth biggest trading partner and its economy is closely integrated with those of the 27 member states. Citizens of Switzerland and the EU member states have a mutual right to free movement.

But the Swiss government claimed it could not accept the EU’s demands to maintain and deepen ties as they would be rejected in a legally required referendum on a deal. » | Daniel Boffey in Brussels | Thursday, May 27, 2021