The Top Journalist, the Mafia Boss and the Gunman: Dutch Fear the Rise of ‘Narco Crime’

THE OBSERVER: While Peter R de Vries fights for life in an Amsterdam hospital the nation reflects on how to end the grip of drug gangs

Five gunshots blasted like fireworks on a sunny evening, just behind Amsterdam’s busy Leidseplein. To the horror of the Netherlands, a cold-blooded shooting has left prominent Dutch crime journalist Peter R de Vries fighting for his life in hospital.

Everyone from European leaders to the Dutch king Willem-Alexander and Amsterdam mayor Femke Halsema have expressed their shock at the ambush of “national hero” De Vries as he walked back to his car on Tuesday after recording a chatshow, on a busy street in broad daylight.

Within hours, the Dutch police arrested two men on the A4 motorway and are holding a 21-year-old from Rotterdam and a 35-year-old Polish national. The younger man has been named in Dutch media as rapper Delano G, the Polish man as Kamil Pawel E.

But many are speculating whether it is coincidence that De Vries, who made his name reporting on the kidnap of brewing magnate Freddy Heineken in the 1980s, has recently been involved in a high-profile gangland drug and murder court case, known as the Marengo trial. » | Senay Boztas | Saturday, July 10, 2021

You will find more about this brutal attack here and here.

Brutal Assault in Barcelona Raises Concerns about Growing Homophobia

EL PAÍS: LGBTQ+ groups are reporting a rise in attacks as the far right makes new inroads in a polarized society

It’s just a few minutes past 10pm on May 29, a Saturday. The scene is Somorrostro beach in the Barceloneta neighborhood of Barcelona, where nightlife venues remain closed due to Covid-19 but the cosmopolitan vibe lives on. Two homosexual couples and a heterosexual couple meet and strike up a conversation as they sit in a circle on the sand. They laugh, drink and chat. Four individuals suddenly approach. “You fucking faggots!” shouts one of them. Another spits at one of the young men. “I’ll cut the throat of anyone who raises an eyebrow!” yells a third.

The threats are followed by a relentless series of punches and kicks. One of the attackers pushes the heterosexual couple aside so they can focus on the four gay men. Israel (not his real name) is knocked to the ground. He tries to get up, but receives a brutal kick in the mouth that leaves him semi-conscious on the sand. His jaw is broken and he has lost several teeth. The other three victims were luckier; despite their injuries, they did not require medical treatment.

The aggression in Somorrostro is one of the most serious attacks against members of the LGBTQ+ community in Barcelona in recent memory. There were two other incidents on the same day, though there is no connection between them. On the morning of June 5, a protest was held in the center of the Catalan capital against any act of hatred against the LGBTQ+ community. “We aren’t familiar with violence such as that of last Saturday in Somorrostro. It is a very serious crime that produced very serious injuries,” said Eugeni Rodríguez, president of Barcelona’s Observatory Against Homophobia (OCH). » | Alfonso L. Congostrina | Barcelona | Wednesday, June 9, 2021

LGBTQ+ Groups Protest across Spain after 24-year-old Beaten to Death

Samuel Luiz, a 24-year-old nurse killed in A Coruña. (R.I.P.)
EL PAÍS: Police have not yet determined the motive of the brutal assault against Samuel Luiz in A Coruña, but the victim’s friends believe it was a homophobic attack

LGBTQ+ groups across Spain arranged street demonstrations on Monday to call for justice for Samuel Luiz, a young nurse who was killed in a brutal attack in the early hours of Saturday morning in the northwestern city of A Coruña in Galicia. While investigators are still working to find the authors of the crime and establish the motive, one of Luiz’s friends has claimed on social media that there was a homophobic motive to the assault, which apparently began outside a nightclub over a misunderstanding involving the 24-year-old victim.

The María Pita square in A Coruña was filled with thousands of people on Monday evening, expressing their support for friends and families of Luiz, who was killed during Pride weekend. The female friends who were accompanying the victim during his final moments were also there. They made public addresses calling for the case to be resolved and requesting respect for the family of the young man, who opted not to come to the protests. » | Caridad Bermeo, Elisa Lois, Marta Pinedo | A Coruña / Pontevedra / Madrid | Tuesday, July 6, 2021

English version by Simon Hunter (Twitter a/c here)

La comunidad LGTBI dice basta »

I first posted on this tragic story in German from the Swiss newspaper, Tages Anzeiger, here

Les Pays-Bas face à un inquiétant péril mafieux

LE MONDE : La tentative d’assassinat envers Peter de Vries, journaliste d’investigation spécialisé dans les affaires criminelles, souligne l’urgence, pour le gouvernement néerlandais, de revoir sa stratégie de lutte contre le trafic de drogue.

Editorial du « Monde ». Le crime était son univers, qu’il explorait avec obstination depuis des décennies. Le journaliste néerlandais Peter de Vries, 64 ans, a payé cher cet engagement : trois jours après avoir été atteint d’une balle dans la tête, mercredi 7 juillet, à Amsterdam, il était toujours, samedi, entre la vie et la mort, et son pays est sous le choc. » | Éditorial | samedi 10 juillet 2021

James Taylor : Shower the People

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Lionel Richie : Do It To Me

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Lionel Richie : Penny Lover

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Mahler Symphony No 5 Adagietto – Herbert von Karajan

Jul 25, 2013 • Slide-show of Venice with contemporary photographs and antique oil paintings. Symphony No5 /Mahler/ Adagietto/ Berlin Philharmoniker/Herbert von Karajan. The 1974 recording - Deutsche Grammophon

The Pink Triangles: The Story of the Gay Holocaust (Complete Documentary)

Premiered Jan 21, 2021 • The vastly ignored history of Germany's war on gay men during World War 2. A special note: Trans women were also persecuted but Germany categorized them as gay men so there's no official records to refer to.
This video is age-restricted; so, to watch it, you will have to verify your age with a credit card or a driver’s licence. The video cannot be embedded; it has to be watched on YouTube itself. This documentary is not for the faint-hearted. It shows how gays were persecuted in the Third Reich. People with a conscience should watch it, however. We need to ensure that such atrocities never ever happen again – anywhere.

Click here for viewing.

Emotional Gay Commercials

Jun 1, 2021 • Some of the best wholesome Gay commercials.

Annie Lennox: A Whiter Shade of Pale (Tradução)

"Woke Capitalism": Jetzt auch mit Haltung

ZEIT ONLINE: Unternehmen geben sich in sozialen und politischen Fragen neuerdings besonders progressiv. Wie glaubwürdig ist das?

Im Frühjahr ließ der Online-Modehändler Zalando einen Werbespot produzieren. In dem Film treten auf: ein schwarzes Plus-Size-Model, ein schwuler Skateboarder, ein Tänzer, der mit einem Arm geboren wurde. Vor ein paar Jahren hatte Zalando noch mit Kundinnen geworben, die beim Klingeln des Paketboten ausrasteten. Damals wollte Zalando bloß Schuhe verkaufen.

Heute genügt dem Unternehmen das nicht mehr, es hat sich eine neue Mission verpasst. "Diversität und Inklusion" seien für Zalando "weit mehr als nur eine Geschäftsstrategie – sondern der einzig richtige Weg", schrieb Konzernvorstand Rubin Ritter im November. Zalando versprach, den Anteil von Frauen in Führungspositionen bis Ende 2023 auf mindestens 40 Prozent zu erhöhen. Neuerdings sind in Zalandos Kampagnen auch nicht mehr nur Models zu sehen, die dem ultraschlanken Schönheitsideal der Modeindustrie entsprechen. Und als vor einem Jahr auch in Deutschland Zehntausende gegen den gewaltsamen Tod des Afroamerikaners George Floyd protestierten, versicherte Zalando seinen 1,2 Millionen Instagram-Followern, "unsere Stimme" für die "schwarze Community" zu erheben.

Woke capitalism, aufgeweckter Kapitalismus, hat der US-Kolumnist Ross Douthat es genannt, wenn Unternehmen sich in sozialen oder politischen Fragen besonders progressiv geben; wenn es ihnen nicht mehr allein ums Geldverdienen geht, sondern darum, auf der richtigen Seite zu stehen. Richtig, das heißt in diesem Fall: für die Gleichberechtigung von Frauen und Minderheiten zu sein – oder auch für den Klimaschutz. » | Von Heike Buchter, Ann-Kathrin Nezik und Theresa Rauffmann | Mittwoch, 7. Juli 2021

Brazilian Potential Presidential Candidate Announces He Is Gay

AL JAZEERA: Governor Eduardo Leite of Rio Grande do Sul could challenge Jair Bolsonaro, who has espoused anti-gay rhetoric.

Brazilian governor and potential major party presidential candidate Eduardo Leite, a prominent critic of President Jair Bolsonaro, came out as gay in a TV interview.

Leite, governor of the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul, would be the first openly gay presidential candidate in Brazil. Anti-gay rhetoric has been a staple of speeches by Bolsonaro, who once declared that if he had a gay son, he would rather the child died in an accident. “I have never spoken about a subject related to my private life,” Leite told Brazilian journalist Pedro Bial in a TV interview on Thursday evening. “But during this moment of low integrity in Brazil, I have nothing to hide, I am gay. I am a governor who is gay, not a gay governor, as former President Obama in the US was a president who was Black, not a Black president. And I am proud of that.” » | Source: Al Jazeera and news agencies | Friday, July 2, 2021

CORREIO BRAZILIENSE: Governador do RS, Eduardo Leite namora médico capixaba há nove meses »

Related: Brazilian Presidential Hopeful Comes Out as Gay ahead of Jair Bolsonaro Challenge »

Brazilian presidential hopeful Eduardo Leite comes out as gay: “I’m proud of this” »

Alone Out Here: A Gay Farmer on Love, Isolation, and Disrupting the Meat Industry in Australia | The New Yorker

Jun 9, 2021 • In “Alone Out Here,” by Philip Busfield and Luke Cornish, an Australian rancher who is openly gay in a conservative industry fights to reduce carbon emissions through his cattle farming.

Washington de nouveau confronté au chaos haïtien

LE MONDE : Editorial. Après l’assassinat du président haïtien, Jovenel Moïse, aider les Haïtiens à former un gouvernement de transition, susceptible de stabiliser le pays afin de le mener à des élections, devrait être la priorité des Etats-Unis.

Editorial du « Monde ». C’est peu de dire que Haïti, dont le président, Jovenel Moïse, a été assassiné, mercredi 7 juillet, est un Etat failli. La malédiction semble frapper ce pays de 11 millions d’habitants qui partage, avec la République dominicaine, l’île d’Hispaniola et qui fut, avec les Etats-Unis, la première nation indépendante des Amériques. Dictatures, coups d’Etat, corruption, tremblements de terre, cyclones et épidémies ont entretenu depuis des décennies la misère et l’insécurité d’une population impuissante.

L’assassinat d’un chef d’Etat élu est en soi un traumatisme politique majeur. Il est encore plus déstabilisant lorsque, comme c’est le cas à Haïti, il intervient dans un vide de pouvoir quasi total. Jovenel Moïse fut d’ailleurs l’un des artisans de cette faillite politique, gouvernant par décret depuis janvier 2020 après avoir échoué à organiser des élections législatives. » | Éditorial | Samedi 10 juillet 2021

Un abonnement numérique du Monde (mensuel ou annuel) est disponible ici »

Julio Iglesias, Stevie Wonder - My Love

Les prix de l’immobilier flambent dans les stations balnéaires

LE MONDE : La pandémie de Covid-19 entraîne une demande grandissante pour les résidences secondaires en bord de mer. La Bretagne est de plus en plus recherchée, à l’inverse de la région PACA en perte de vitesse.

Dans les grandes villes, la tendance est à l’exode depuis le début de la crise sanitaire. Conséquence, les prix de l’immobilier s’emballent sur les littoraux français, selon une étude publiée vendredi 2 juillet par Meilleurs Agents.

Au palmarès des plus fortes hausses, citons la Bretagne (+ 7,2 % en un an, à 2 996 euros du mètre carré), la Manche (+ 5,9 %, à 3 110 euros du mètre carré) et la côte Atlantique (+ 5,6 %, à 4 372 euros du mètre carré). « La Bretagne et la Manche sont des territoires où les prix n’ont rien à voir avec la Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur [PACA] ni même le Sud-Ouest, il y a donc un effet de rattrapage », explique Thomas Lefebvre, directeur scientifique de Meilleurs Agents.

Les stations balnéaires de la Manche séduisent les Parisiens par leur facilité d’accès : à peine trois heures de voiture séparent la capitale du Touquet-Paris-Plage, la station manchoise la plus chère (6 544 euros du mètre carré en moyenne). » | Par Isaline Thomas | Samedi 10 juillet 2021

Meals by Wheels: UK Drive-through Booms as Brands Invest in New Sites

THE GUARDIAN: Social distancing is feeding an appetite for a new generation of US-style drive-through restaurants

Drive-through restaurants used to be a US-inspired novelty but a big increase in custom during the pandemic means money is pouring into new UK sites, with even upmarket names looking to serve food through car windows for the first time.

New property research suggests that demand for drive-throughs has increased by 25% post-Covid with restaurant chains looking to open a total of 200 sites a year. The clamour comes as established names such as McDonald’s and Burger King face competition from North American brands such as Tim Hortons, famous for its coffee and doughnuts, and burger chain Wendy’s.

The growing trend for ordering burgers, fizzy drinks and coffee from our cars, which comes at a time when the UK is trying to reduce car use and obesity, is spreading beyond its traditional heartland of Big Macs and chicken nuggets. » | Zoe Wood, Consumer affairs correspondent | Saturday, July 10, 2021

More junk food for the troughs! There’ll be no shortage of baby elephants by the end of the decade! – Mark

US West Heatwave: 31 Million People Brace for Record-breaking Temperatures

THE GUARDIAN: Las Vegas could surpass its record-high of 117F as residents of US west face very high risk of heat-related illness

More than 31 million people across the US west and south-west are bracing for a brutal heatwave that could bring triple-digit temperatures this weekend, with authorities warning that records could be broken in many regions of California and Nevada. Officials have said that Las Vegas could even surpass its record-high temperature of 117F.

The “heat risk” is classified as “very high” across much of this area, meaning all residents there face “very high risk of heat-related illness due to both the long duration heat, and the lack of overnight relief”, the National Weather Service (NWS) has said. » | Victoria Bekiempis | Saturday, July 10, 2021

Haiti Calls US for Troops, after Wild Day of Gunfights and Suspicion

THE NEW YORK TIMES: At least 20 people were arrested in the assassination of the Haitian president — 18 Colombians and 2 Americans of Haitian descent — on a day of deepening mystery.

After 24 hours of wild gun battles with suspects in the assassination of Haiti’s president, the nation’s authorities announced the arrests of 20 people and called on the United States to send troops to help protect crucial infrastructure.

Haiti’s remarkable request for military assistance from the United States, a former colonial overlord that has repeatedly intervened in the nation’s affairs, is a measure of how deeply shaken the nation has been by days of chaos and intrigue. As new developments unfolded at a dizzying pace on Friday, the mystery over who was ultimately behind the assassination only deepened.

On the streets, vigilantes prowled for suspects, and the police killed at least three people in gunfights. The vast majority of those arrested have turned out to be from Colombia — former military men said to have turned mercenaries — as questions arose about why it had been so easy for attackers to burst into President Jovenel Moïse’s home and kill him, seemingly with no shots fired from security staff. » | Natalie Kitroeff, Anatoly Kurmanaev, Catherine Porter and Julie Turkewitz | Friday, July 8, 2021

Political Crisis in Haiti Deepens Over Rival Claims to Power »

Citizens, Not the State, Will Enforce New Abortion Law in Texas

THE NEW YORK TIMES: The measure bans abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy. And it effectively deputizes ordinary citizens to sue people involved in the process.

People across the country may soon be able to sue abortion clinics, doctors and anyone helping a woman get an abortion in Texas, under a new state law that contains a legal innovation with broad implications for the American court system.

The provision passed the State Legislature this spring as part of a bill that bans abortion after a doctor detects a fetal heartbeat, usually at about six weeks of pregnancy. Many states have passed such bans, but the law in Texas is different.

Ordinarily, enforcement would be up to government officials, and if clinics wanted to challenge the law’s constitutionality, they would sue those officials in making their case. But the law in Texas prohibits officials from enforcing it. Instead, it takes the opposite approach, effectively deputizing ordinary citizens — including from outside Texas — to sue clinics and others who violate the law. It awards them at least $10,000 per illegal abortion if they are successful.

“It’s completely inverting the legal system,” said Stephen Vladeck, a constitutional law professor at the University of Texas at Austin. “It says the state is not going to be the one to enforce this law. Your neighbors are.” » | Sabrina Tavernise | Friday, July 9, 2021

Journalist’s Monthslong Hunger Strike Points to Perils of Reporting in Morocco

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Soulaimane Raissouni, who has been held without trial for over a year, is more than 80 days into a hunger strike.

For years, Soulaimane Raissouni, a Moroccan newspaper editor, didn’t shy away from reporting on some of the most sensitive issues in the North African kingdom, including antigovernment protests that erupted in 2011 and 2016. But his criticism of how the authorities have handled the pandemic appeared to go too far.

A little over a year ago, he was arrested at his home in Casablanca after accusations of a sexual assault — allegations that he says are false and trumped up to intimidate him. Imprisoned ever since, he launched a hunger strike almost three months ago in protest.

On June 10, he appeared in court, emaciated and unable to walk without assistance. “Please take me back to prison to die,” he told the judge.

Mr. Raissouni is one of at least 10 Moroccan journalists who have been jailed in recent years, most of them accused of sex crimes and other acts deemed illegal in Morocco, including certain forms of abortion. Rights groups say the cases are being pursued by authorities whose true aim is to silence the country’s small cadre of independent journalists with false and politically motivated accusations.

All of the journalists detained had published articles about corruption or abuse of power within the kingdom, many of them targeting businesses or security officials with ties to King Mohammed VI.

Morocco, a constitutional monarchy in which the elected Parliament has little sway over the royal palace, has close ties to the United States and is a reliable ally in counterterrorism cooperation. But rights groups have long criticized the kingdom over its limits on freedom of expression and violations of human rights. » | Nicholas Casey and Aida Alami | Saturday, July 2, 2021

Maroc : le journaliste Soulaimane Raissouni condamné à cinq ans de prison »

Au Maroc, le combat désespéré du journaliste Soulaimane Raissouni contre l’« injustice » de son emprisonnement »

Soulaimane Raissouni »

“Goodbye! Where? I don’t know” »

In Spanien hat das Virus wieder Hochsaison

FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG: Auf der Iberischen Halbinsel stecken sich vor allem Jüngere mit den Mutanten an. Die fünfte Corona-Welle gefährdet die spanische Sommersaison.

Die spanische Sommersaison ist in Gefahr. Nachdem die französische Regierung vor einem Spanien-Urlaub gewarnt hatte, hat die deutsche Bundesregierung am Freitag das gesamte Land zum Risikogebiet erklärt. Bisher war das nur für rund ein halbes Dutzend Regionen der Fall – allen voran Katalonien, das zum neuen Corona-Hotspot Spaniens wurde. Seit drei Wochen steigen die Fallzahlen wieder stark an. Nach Angaben des Gesundheitsministeriums lag die Sieben-Tage-Inzidenz am Freitagmittag bei 179 und am Abend bereits bei 199 Neuinfektionen pro 100.000 Einwohnern.

In Katalonien betrug die Inzidenz sogar 448. Immer mehr spanische Regionen verhängen deshalb neue Restriktionen. In Katalonien mussten am Freitag Diskotheken und Nachtclubs nach nur gut drei Wochen wieder schließen. Auf Mallorca und seinen Nachbarinseln verzichtet man auf geplante Öffnungen im Nachtleben. Valencia, die Kanaren und andere Regionalregierungen forderten die Zentralregierung dazu auf, nächtliche Ausgangssperren zu ermöglichen. » | Von Hans Christian Rößler, Madrid | Freitag, 9. Juli 2021

Sufjan Stevens - Mystery of Love – from the Soundtrack of Call Me By Your Name

Lebanon Faces Dire Crisis after the Elite Plundered the State for Decades, Exacerbating Inequality

Jul 9, 2021 • Lebanon is days away from a “social explosion,” according to the country’s prime minister, amid what the World Bank has described as one of the worst economic depressions in modern history. The country’s currency has lost more than 90% of its value, unemployment has skyrocketed, and fuel prices have soared. Most homes and businesses, and even hospitals, only have power for a few hours each day, and pharmacies are running low on medicine. The U.N. has warned over three-quarters of households in Lebanon do not have enough food or money to buy food. Lebanon is also facing a massive political crisis following the devastating explosion at the Port of Beirut last August, which killed over 200 people, injured 7,000 and left more than a quarter-million Beirut residents unhoused. Nisreen Salti, an economics professor at the American University of Beirut, says “the entire system crumbled” in Lebanon due to decades of structural inequality. “The business and political class that benefited from the system was able to plunder the economy for 20-odd years,” Salti says. We also speak with Middle East scholar Ziad Abu-Rish of Bard College. He says the economic crisis and the port explosion, for which there have been no major prosecutions, both reveal the impunity with which the country’s elites operate. “Part of the problem is the total lack of accountability,” Abu-Rish says.

Joe Cocker: Up Where We Belong

Provided to YouTube by Parlophone UK

The Beach Boys: I Can Hear Music

Provided to YouTube by Universal Music Group

The Beach Boys: God Only Knows (Remastered)

Provided to YouTube by Universal Music Group

Covid-19 : Emmanuel Macron s’adressera aux Français lundi à 20 heures ; le variant Delta « bientôt majoritaire » dans le pays, selon Olivier Véran

LE MONDE : Ce vendredi, le conseil scientifique a préconisé « une obligation vaccinale pour les soignants » ainsi que des « mesures partielles de restriction » pour cet été dans les zones les plus touchées.

Emmanuel Macron prendra la parole lundi 12 juillet à 20 heures pour s’adresser aux Français, a annoncé l’Elysée vendredi. Cette allocution intervient dans un contexte de dégradation de la situation sanitaire en raison de la propagation du variant Delta du SARS-CoV-2.

Cette allocution, prévue depuis plusieurs jours, interviendra deux mois et demi après l’entretien qu’avait donné, le 29 avril, le chef de l’Etat à la presse quotidienne régionale, et dans lequel il détaillait le calendrier du déconfinement. L’Elysée n’a pas donné de détails quant au contenu de l’intervention, mais l’entourage d’Emmanuel Macron a récemment fait savoir qu’elle avait pour objectif de définir le cap à suivre pour les dix derniers mois de la fin du quinquennat, en particulier sur des réformes telles que celle des retraites. » | Le Monde avec AFP | vendredi 9 juillet 2021

Un abonnement numérique du Monde (mensuel ou annuel) est disponible ici »

Taliban Sweep through Herat Province as Afghan Advance Continues

THE GUARDIAN: Fears grow for Kabul government after militant group seizes two key border crossings

The Taliban has swept through western Herat province, seizing two key border crossings to Iran and Turkmenistan, and much of the countryside beyond city limits.

It was the latest part of Afghanistan to collapse in the face of a rapid militant advance, during which they have taken control of areas far beyond their original southern strongholds. Their speed has fuelled fears the government in Kabul could fall within months.

In Herat, the civil war era warlord Ismail Khan called up his supporters overnight, and deployed armed units to guard key parts of the city and its outskirts. He is in his mid-70s, but called on all armed men in the city to join the fight and promised to go to the frontline himself. » | Emma Graham-Harrison in Kabul and Akhtar Mohammad Makoii in Herat | Friday, July 9, 2021

La Lituanie va construire un mur à la frontière avec la Biélorussie

LE QUOTIDIEN : La Lituanie a annoncé vendredi qu’elle allait construire un mur à la frontière avec le Bélarus, suite à une forte augmentation du nombre de migrants arrivant via ce pays.

Les forces armées de Lituanie, pays membre de l’Union européenne et de l’Otan, ont d’ores et déjà commencé à installer des barbelés le long de la frontière, une mesure rapide destinée à dissuader les migrants, pour la plupart originaires du Moyen-Orient et d’Afrique, de passer du côté lituanien. “La première étape est une clôture en fil de fer barbelé. Dans un deuxième temps, nous allons construire une clôture physique”, longue d’environ 550 kilomètres, a déclaré la ministre lituanienne de l’Intérieur, Agne Bilotaite. » | LQ/AFP | vendredi 9 juillet 2021

Call Me By Your Name | Official Trailer HD (2017)

Aug 1, 2017 • CALL ME BY YOUR NAME, the new film by Luca Guadagnino, is a sensual and transcendent tale of first love, based on the acclaimed novel by André Aciman.

It’s the summer of 1983 in the north of Italy, and Elio Perlman (Timothée Chalamet), a precocious 17- year-old American-Italian boy, spends his days in his family’s 17th century villa transcribing and playing classical music, reading, and flirting with his friend Marzia (Esther Garrel).

Elio enjoys a close relationship with his father (Michael Stuhlbarg), an eminent professor specializing in Greco-Roman culture, and his mother Annella (Amira Casar), a translator, who favor him with the fruits of high culture in a setting that overflows with natural delights. While Elio’s sophistication and intellectual gifts suggest he is already a fully-fledged adult, there is much that yet remains innocent and unformed about him, particularly about matters of the heart.

One day, Oliver (Armie Hammer), a charming American scholar working on his doctorate, arrives as the annual summer intern tasked with helping Elio’s father. Amid the sun-drenched splendor of the setting, Elio and Oliver discover the heady beauty of awakening desire over the course of a summer that will alter their lives forever.


I am no film buff, but I streamed this movie two Christmases ago. It put more than a little sparkle into what would otherwise have been a pretty dull Christmas for me. If you’re feeling blue, try this fix: it is sure to buck you up. It did me; no end!

Actually, I found the movie by chance; I stumbled upon an ad for it online. God knows how it got there! You know the kind of ad I mean: one of those often bothersome ads dangling in the ether in the corner of your screen. So, without further ado and out of more than a little boredom, I clicked on it. Thank God! I had never heard of the film before. Watching that film turned out to be a Christmas-changer for me! I cannot tell you how many times I watched it over the Christmas period because I lost count!

The film hits all your senses – head on! You’ll feel as if you’re in Italy with all the characters. In a grand, old villa. It’s rather mesmerizing; it’s certainly delightful, too. Truly delightful! Warning: It is not for those without an iota of fantasy, for the boring, or for the prudes. If you are easily shocked, don’t watch it! The movie will take you on a ride. You might even end up in seventh heaven! Go for it! And enjoy! © Mark

Democracy Now! Top US & World Headlines — July 9, 2021

Climate Change in the Desert | DW Documentary

Jun 30, 2020 • Climate change is leaving its mark on Morocco’s oases, too. Sandstorms are becoming more and more frequent, groundwater levels are sinking and palm trees are shrivelling up and dying. An age-old way of life is in danger.

Halim Sbai says an oasis really is a paradise. But drought and desertification are now taking their toll on oases like M'hamid El Ghizlane in southeastern Morocco where he grew up. The survival of a whole region is at stake. Over hundreds of kilometers between the Anti-Atlas Mountains and the Sahara desert there is one palm-fringed oasis after the next. Close to two million people live in these settlements. Up to now, many earned their living by harvesting dates from the palm trees. But this is proving more and more difficult. Decreasing and irregular rainfall is having a devastating impact on the trees and their yields.

Halim Sbai is planting new palm trees and preserving as much precious water as he can in a bid to keep the oasis of M'hamid El Ghizlane and the region’s traditional way of life alive. Up to now, he has also been supplementing his income with earnings from tourism. Global warming could put an end to all this.

Jetzt auch in der Schweiz: Ehe für alle kann kommen

Jun 11, 2020 • Das Schweizer Parlament hat den Weg dafür freigemacht, homosexuelle Paare heterosexuellen gleichzustellen. Heißt: Ehe für alle, Adoptionsrecht und die Möglichkeit künstlicher Befruchtung für lesbische Paare.

Der Weg wurde vom Ständerat am 1. Dezember 2020 für „Ehe für Alle“ freigemacht; das Referendum soll am 26. September dieses Jahr stattfinden. – Mark

Gladys Berejiklian Faces Instability Within as a Covid Storm Brews Outside

THE GUARDIAN: Disgruntled cabinet colleagues touting a plan B are making NSW premier’s job of imposing a lockdown on the public even harder

The New South Wales premier, Gladys Berejiklian, emerged from her crisis briefing at the Department of Health on Friday looking more stressed – with good reason.

All the signs are that NSW is losing control of this outbreak of the Delta strain of Covid-19, despite the increasingly stringent lockdown rules.

“To 8pm last night there were 44 cases of community transmission. Regrettably, 29 of those were either partially or fully exposed to the community and that is the number that is really concerning us,” Berejiklian said on Friday.

“It tells us that both the case numbers and unfortunately the number of people who may be exposed or have been exposed in the community is going to go up.” » | Anne Davies | Friday, July 9, 2021

Cold, wet and windy weather ahead for Sydney could pose added risk in Covid lockdown »

NSW Covid update: stronger restrictions for Sydney as Gladys Berejiklian flags lockdown extension »

Attacke in Spanien: «Vom Patriarchat getötet»

TAGES ANZEIGER: In Spanien stirbt ein 24-jähriger homosexueller Mann nach einem Angriff auf offener Strasse. Zehntausende protestieren gegen das Hassverbrechen.

Es war am vergangenen Samstag gegen drei Uhr morgens, als der 24-jährige Samuel L. zusammen mit ein paar Freundinnen vor einer Diskothek im galicischen A Coruña stand. Erst am Tag zuvor hatte die Region im Nordwesten Spaniens die Discos nach langer Corona-Pause wieder aufgemacht. Samuels Freundinnen sagten hinterher, er habe per Video telefoniert, da habe ihn ein anderer junger Mann angepöbelt: Er solle aufhören, ihn zu filmen, wenn er nicht wolle, dass er ihn umbringe. Er habe Samuel einen Faustschlag verpasst. Dann hätten sich noch mehr Leute, sechs oder sieben, auf Samuel gestürzt, ihn geschlagen und getreten und mit abfälligen Ausdrücken für Homosexuelle beschimpft. Samuel L. überlebte diese Attacke nicht, er starb kurze Zeit später in einem Spital. » | Karin Janker aus Madrid | Donnerstag, 8. Juli 2021

Bangladesh: plus de 50 morts dans le gigantesque incendie d'une usine

LE POINT : Au moins 52 personnes ont péri et une trentaine ont été blessées selon les autorités vendredi dans un gigantesque incendie qui a ravagé une usine près de Dacca au Bangladesh, où de nombreux ouvriers ont dû sauter par les fenêtres pour échapper au brasier.

On ignorait encore vendredi le nombre total de personnes qui se trouvaient dans le bâtiment de six étages situé à Rupganj, une ville industrielle proche de la capitale. Et des familles continuaient d'attendre des nouvelles de leurs proches près de l'usine qui était toujours la proie des flammes. » | Source AFP | vendredi 9 juillet 2021

James Taylor : How Sweet It Is (to Be Loved by You)

ClioHughes : Siccome trovavo solo versioni live, ho pensato di caricare la canzone originale. Tutti i diritti riservati ©

The Eagles : Lyin' Eyes (Remastered)

Nov 1, 2018 • Provided to YouTube by Rhino/Elektra

The Eagles : Hotel California (Remastered)

Nov 1, 2018 • Provided to YouTube by Rhino/Elektra

Pro LGBT Protest against New Hungarian Law

EURONEWS: Hungarian civil organisations protested against a new law that Budapest says cracks down on paedophilia and critics argue is an attack on the LGBT community.

In Budapest, protesters set up a 10-metre tall heart balloon in the colours of the rainbow. The EU has also expressed outrage over the law.

This is a homophobic and transphobic law that blames the LGBTQ community for the crimes against children. So it makes consensual love of two people equal to a crime. It is unacceptable. – Dávid Vig Director of Amnesty International Hungary

But late modifications included a ban on the "display or promotion" of homosexuality and gender reassignment to under-18s, as well as restrictions on sex education in schools. » | Catriona O’Sullivan | Updated: Thursday, July 8, 2021

The Guardian View on Risking England’s Health: Not Everyone Can Choose to Stay Safe

THE GUARDIAN: For too many, Johnson’s ‘freedom day’ will bring fear rather than release

“The purpose of the state is freedom,” the Dutch philosopher Baruch Spinoza wrote. Its aim is to liberate everyone from fear, he argued, “so that they may live in security so far as is possible, that is, so that they may retain, to the highest possible degree, their right to live and to act without harm to themselves and others”.

Boris Johnson might nod in approval at the first part of the statement. But the plans for axing Covid restrictions in England, which the prime minister set out this week, fall far short of Spinoza’s fuller formulation. A more cautious relaxation would have been widely welcomed. Charging ahead in this gung-ho manner, scrapping almost all legal restrictions and failing to introduce mitigation measures (such as air purifiers in schools), or even uphold existing ones (such as compulsory masking), maximises the risk. The government is freeing some to return to aspects of life that they have sorely missed. But in doing so, those people risk serious harm to themselves and others. » | Editorial | Thursday, July 8, 2021

Adoption of Bitcoin as Legal Tender in El Salvador Is Seen as Unwise by 77% of Residents

THE RIO TIMES: Last June 9, the Legislative Assembly approved the Bitcoin Law, which gives legal tender to this crypto-asset together with the US dollar.

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The adoption of bitcoin as a legal tender in El Salvador is seen as a poor or unwise decision by 77.5% of the population, according to a university survey released this Thursday.

The Centro de Estudios Ciudadanos (CEC) survey of the Universidad Francisco Gavidia (UFG) shows that 24 % consider the decision as not correct and 53.5 % as not correct at all. In comparison, 12.9 % say it is correct and 6.5 % very correct.

Last June 9, the Legislative Assembly approved the Bitcoin Law, which gives legal tender to this crypto-asset together with the US dollar.

The initiative, which does not include other cryptocurrencies or the underlying projects, was approved with the votes of 62 of the 84 deputies in the Parliament, with a large majority of the ruling party, without further debate or parliamentary discussion.

The measure, which generated doubts among local banks and the population due to the limited information disclosed by the Government, will come into force next September 9. » | Latin America News | Friday, July 9, 2021

More El Salvador news here »

Cigarettes: les gagnants et les perdants de trois années de flambée des prix

LE FIGARO : GRAND DÉCRYPTAGE - Emmanuel Macron l’avait promis: le prix du paquet est passé dimanche à 10 euros. Son plan a fait baisser les ventes… et a aussi rempli les caisses de l’État.

Dix euros. Ce dimanche 1er novembre, le prix moyen du paquet de cigarettes a franchi ce cap symbolique. Les marques les moins chères sont vendues 9,90 euros et Marlboro, leader du marché, 10,40 euros. Mission accomplie pour Emmanuel Macron, dont c’était une promesse de campagne présidentielle. À son entrée en fonction, le prix du paquet était compris entre 6,50 et 7 euros.

Sa première ministre de la Santé, Agnès Buzyn, avait décidé un «choc de prix» afin de réduire la consommation de tabac, responsable d’un décès sur huit en France. Son objectif: 5 millions de fumeurs en moins et la «première génération sans tabac» en 2027. Pour obliger les industriels à augmenter les prix, le gouvernement a lancé un plan de hausses régulières de la fiscalité sur les produits du tabac, étalées sur trois ans, et qui s’est donc achevé dimanche. » [ € ] | Par Keren Lentschner et Service Infographie | Publié : dimanche 1 novembre 2020 ; lundi 2 novembre 2020

Pour l'amour de Dieu, arrêtez d'agresser les fumeurs ! - Mark

Un abonnement numérique du Figaro, formule sans engagement, est disponible ici »

L'étau se resserre autour des assassins du président haïtien Jovenel Moïse

LE FIGARO : Le commando armé responsable de l'assassinat du président haïtien, tué mercredi, était composé de 26 Colombiens et de deux Américains originaires d'Haïti. Parmi eux, trois sont morts et huit sont en fuite.

L'étau s'est resserré jeudi 8 juillet autour des assassins du président haïtien Jovenel Moïse,< /a>, la police ayant annoncé l'arrestation de 15 Colombiens et de deux Américains d'origine haïtienne, tandis que la controverse montait dans le pays au sujet du rôle de la police et de la légitimité de l'exécutif de transition.

L'assassinat du président Moïse, criblé de balles à son domicile dans la nuit de mardi 6 à mercredi 7 juillet, a été perpétré par un commando armé de 28 assaillants, selon la police. Outre ces dix-sept personnes, trois Colombiens ont été tués et huit autres sont toujours en fuite, selon Léon Charles, le directeur général de la police haïtienne. La police avait indiqué jusqu'alors avoir tué «quatre mercenaires». » | Par Le Figaro avec AFP | jeudi 8 juillet 2021

President Jovenel Moïse’s Assassination: Haiti Seizes 2 American Suspects »

Afghanistan : «Pas inévitable» que le pays tombe aux mains des talibans après le retrait américain, selon Biden

LE FIGARO : Le président américain a par ailleurs annoncé que le retrait des troupes serait achevé le 31 août.

Le président américain Joe Biden a déclaré jeudi 8 juillet que le retrait des troupes américaines d'Afghanistan serait «achevé le 31 août», et assuré que la prise de contrôle du pays par les talibans n'était «pas inévitable».

Le démocrate a souligné que les Américains avaient «atteint leurs objectifs» dans le pays, à savoir lutter contre la menace terroriste. «Ce n'est pas inévitable», a-t-il dit en réponse à une question sur une possible victoire des talibans, qui multiplient les offensives militaires dans le pays. Joe Biden a aussi assuré que les autorités afghanes avaient «la capacité» d'assurer la continuité du gouvernement. » | Par Le Figaro avec AFP | jeudi 8 juillet 2021