A Year Later, a Schoolteacher’s Beheading Still Haunts France

THE NEW YORK TIMES: The killing of Samuel Paty by an 18-year-old Chechen refugee intensified debate over security and immigration, and prompted intense scrutiny of the French secular model.

Students at a high school in Paris on Friday participating in a minute of silence to honor Samuel Paty, a teacher who was beheaded last year by an Islamist fanatic. | Ian Langsdon/EPA, via Shutterstock
PARIS — Most schools throughout France observed a minute of silence on Friday in remembrance of Samuel Paty, a teacher whose attempt to illustrate free speech to his students led to his beheading a year ago by an Islamist fanatic.

As a history teacher, Mr. Paty was responsible for teaching civics. To illustrate the right to blasphemy, free speech and freedom of conscience, he showed caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad, setting in motion a swirl of lies and rumor that ended in his beheading.

The police investigation, it emerged in March, revealed that the girl who told her father, Brahim Chnina, a false version of what had taken place in the class and prompted the online frenzy that led to the killing had not been in the class at all.

The girl told the police that Mr. Paty had questioned all students on their religious allegiance, let Muslims know that they could leave because “they would be shocked” and then ordered her out of the class for causing a ruckus while images of a naked Prophet were shown. But the story was made-up; she was never there. » | Roger Cohen | Friday, October 15, 2021

The Rise of Gay Churches in Brazil (2013)

Der Versorgungskollaps im «Winter der Unzufriedenheit» veränderte Grossbritannien für immer – holt Boris Johnson die Geschichte ein?

NEUE ZÜRCHER ZEITUNG: Die Pandemie und der Brexit sorgen für Engpässe, die Erinnerungen an den Winter 1979 wecken. Damals brach Grossbritannien unter einer Streikwelle zusammen, bevor ein politisches Erdbeben Premierminister Callaghan aus dem Amt katapultierte. Doch droht sich die Geschichte wirklich zu wiederholen?

Nein, Grossbritannien werde im Winter der Strom nicht ausgehen. Und ja, die Ängste vor einer Dreitagewoche zum Energiesparen seien «alarmistisch, wenig hilfreich und völlig deplatziert». Schon nur der Umstand, dass der Wirtschaftsminister Kwasi Kwarteng jüngst solche Fragen beantworten musste, sagt einiges über die Stimmungslage in Grossbritannien aus. » | Niklaus Nuspliger, London | Freitag, 15. Oktober 2021

Deadly Clashes in Beirut Escalate Fears over Lebanon’s Dysfunction

THE NEW YORK TIMES: The fighting further traumatized the small Mediterranean country, a patchwork of sects that has tumbled into an abyss of devastating political and economic crises.


Protests led by Shiite political parties, including Hezbollah, turned violent as the groups pushed for the removal of the judge investigating the August 2020 Beirut Port explosion.Credit | Anwar Amro/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
BEIRUT, Lebanon — Armed clashes between sectarian militias transformed Beirut neighborhoods into a deadly war zone on Thursday, raising fears that violence could fill the void left by the near-collapse of the Lebanese state.

Rival gunmen, chanting in support of their leaders, hid behind cars and dumpsters to fire automatic weapons and rocket-propelled grenades at their rivals. At least six people were killed and 30 wounded. Residents cowered in their homes, and teachers herded children into the hallways and basements of schools to protect them from the shooting.

It was some of the worst violence in years to convulse Beirut, aggravating the sense of instability in a small country already buffeted by devastating political and economic crises and inviting recollections of its civil war that ended more than three decades ago.

Since the fall of 2019, Lebanon’s currency has plummeted more than 90 percent in value, battering the economy and reducing Lebanese who were comfortably middle class to poverty. The World Bank has said Lebanon’s economic collapse could rank among the three worst in the world since the mid-1800s. » | Ben Hubbard and Marc Santora | Published: Thursday, October 14, 2021; Updated: Friday, October 15, 2021

Le Liban à nouveau face au spectre de la guerre civile : RÉCIT - Des échanges de tirs ont fait au moins six morts en marge d’une manifestation organisée par les mouvements chiites Hezbollah et Amal contre le juge en charge de l’enquête sur l’explosion du port de Beyrouth. »

MP David Amess Dies after Being Stabbed at Constituency Surgery

THE GUARDIAN: Man arrested on suspicion of murder after Conservative MP attacked at church in Leigh-on-Sea in Essex

David Amess pictured in May. He is the second MP to be killed in just over five years, following the murder of Jo Cox. Photograph: Amer Ghazzal/Rex/Shutterstock
The Conservative MP Sir David Amess has died after he was stabbed several times during a surgery at his constituency in Essex.

Amess, 69, an MP since 1983 and who represented Southend West in Essex since 1997, was stabbed several times at a church in Leigh-on-Sea. He is the second MP to be killed in just over five years, following the murder of Jo Cox.

Essex police said a 25-year-old man had been arrested on suspicion of murder. Officers were called to the scene at about 12.05pm on Friday, a statement said, adding: “We attended and found a man injured. He was treated by emergency services but, sadly, died at the scene.”

The statement did not name Amess as the victim, but sources have confirmed to the Guardian that the MP had died. » | Peter Walker | Friday, October 15, 2021

Longtime U.K. Lawmaker Stabbed to Death, Stunning Britain »

Meurtre du député britannique David Amess : l'enquête confiée aux services antiterroristes : Cinq ans après celui de la députée travailliste Jo Cox, le meurtre de l'élu conservateur ébranle tout le Royaume-Uni. Un homme de 25 ans a été arrêté. »

Der Mord an einem Abgeordneten ist auch ein Schlag für die politische Kultur Grossbritanniens: Ein Tory-Abgeordneter kommt bei einem Messerangriff ums Leben. Über die Hintergründe der Tat, der ein 25-Jähriger verdächtigt wird, gibt es zunächst keine Informationen, die Ermittler prüfen ein mögliches terroristisches Motiv. Der Fall erinnert an den Mord an der Labour-Abgeordneten Jo Cox im Jahr 2016 vor dem Brexit-Referendum. »

Democracy Now! Top US News & World Headlines — October 15, 2021

Gay in Deutschland: Es läuft übel (oder?)

Aug 19, 2018 • Wie ist es eigentlich heutzutage homosexuell zu sein in Deutschland? Ich werfe einen Blick auf die aktuelle Lage.

5 ans après le 1er mariage gay en France, Vincent Autin-Boileau raconte

Apr 9, 2018 • C'était le premier couple homosexuel marié en France. Cinq ans plus tard, Vincent, le mari de Bruno, raconte.

Australian MP Proposes to Partner during Same-sex Marriage Debate in Parliament

Dec 4, 2017 • Tim Wilson proposes to his partner during his speech on marriage equality in the House of Representatives. The Liberal MP's voice breaks with emotion as he says: 'There's only one thing left to do: Ryan Patrick Bolger, will you marry me?' Bolger, seated in the gallery, beams and says yes and his answer is marked in the Hansard

Xavier Bettel’s Testimony – LGBTI Inclusion in the Workplace

avier Bettel’s testimony (Prime Minister of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg) concerning LGBTI inclusion in the professional environment.

The project "LGBTI inclusion in the workplace" aims to raise awareness and provide tools to the company's different audiences to prevent discrimination against LGBTI employees. The testimonies from which this video is taken and multiple actors' contributions were used to construct a good practice guide to collect companies' inclusion ideas. Available on www.imslux.lu.

Project in collaboration with the Lëtzebuerg Diversity Charter, the Ministry of Family, Integration and the Greater Region, and the European Social Fund.

En français :

Témoignage de Xavier Bettel (Premier Ministre du Grand-Duché de Luxembourg) concernant l’inclusion des personnes LGBTI dans le monde professionnel.

Le projet « LGBTI inclusion in the workplace » vise à sensibiliser mais également à outiller les différents publics au sein de l’entreprise pour prévenir toute situation de discrimination à l’encontre des collaborateurs ou collaboratrices LGBTI.

La série de témoignages, dont est issue cette vidéo, et les apports de multiples acteurs ont été utilisés dans la construction d’un guide de bonnes pratiques afin de recueillir des idées inspirantes d’actions inclusives. À retrouver sur www.imslux.lu

Projet en collaboration avec la Charte de la Diversité Lëtzebuerg, le Ministère de la Famille, de l’Intégration et à la Grande Région, et le Fonds Social Européen.


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Just a Kiss

Nur ein Kuß / Juste un bisou
Photo: Adobe Stock

Gay Wedding for Luxembourg: PM a First for [a] Serving EU Leader | 2015

May 16, 2015 • It is a marriage that will go down in the history books. The prime minister of Luxembourg has become the first serving leader in the European Union to marry someone of the same sex. Xavier Bettel tied the knot with his Belgian partner, architect Gauthier Destenay. A law allowing gay marriage came into force in Luxembourg in January. "I wish everyone to be as happy as I am," said the prime minister. "Thank you to the people of Luxembourg, thank you, and to everybody, I make no distinctions, … Read more here.

Daniil Trifonov – Chopin: Fantaisie-Impromptu In C-Sharp Minor, Op. 66

Oct 6, 2017 • Listen to Chopin’s “Fantaisie Impromptu” played by Daniil Trifonov. Daniil Trifonov's album contains Chopin's two beautiful piano concertos in fascinating new orchestrations by pianist-conductor-composer Mikhail Pletnev. Alongside the concerts Trifonov presents Chopin's solo works and pieces by Mompou, Schumann, Tchaikovsky, Grieg, and Barber paying homage to the genius who, in Trifonov's words, "revolutionized the expressive horizons of the piano."

Leonard Cohen - Dance Me to the End of Love | Official Video

Views on YouTube: 108,060,111

New Jersey Conducts First Gay Weddings | 2013

Oct 21, 2013 • Cory Booker, the mayor of Newark, marries seven same-sex couples and two straight couples in a ceremony at City Hall to commemorate New Jersey legalising gay marriage. The first couple to be married are Joseph Panessidi and Orville Bell, both 65. Booker had refused to officiate at wedding ceremonies until the state legalised same-sex marriage.

Coming Out | One Man’s Story

Best Gay Wedding Video: Bay Area, San Francsico 2020 | Award Winning

What Is Causing a Global Goods Shortage? | Inside Story

Oct 14, 2021 • A supply chain crisis is threatening to derail the world's economic recovery from the pandemic. New smartphones, toys, clothes, and even Christmas turkeys are among many items failing to reach consumers.

Container ports in the US and Europe are working at full capacity. Manufacturing hubs in China have slowed down output because of power shortages and high commodity prices.

So, what are the solutions?

Presenter: Imran Khan | Guests: Jas Kalra - Assistant Professor in Supply Chain Management, Newcastle University Business School; Dan Wang - Chief Economist, Hang Seng Bank China; Stavros Karamperidis - Lecturer in Maritime Economics, University of Plymouth.

Daniel Craig Says He Goes to Gay Bars to Avoid Fights at Straight Venues

THE GUARDIAN: Bond star says he dislikes the aggression of hetero spaces, and gay bars were a good place to meet women

Daniel Craig: ‘[Gay bars] would just be a good place to go.’ Photograph: Valérie Macon/AFP/Getty Images
From his portrayal of a more vulnerable Bond to his cerise suit jacket on the red carpet, Daniel Craig has worked hard to defy expectations of masculinity – so it came as little surprise when the actor revealed he liked to frequent gay bars to avoid the “aggressive dick swinging” of hetero spaces.

“I’ve been going to gay bars for as long as I can remember,” Craig said on the podcast Lunch with Bruce. “One of the reasons: because I don’t get into fights in gay bars that often.”

The 53-year-old said he started going to gay bars when he was young because he wanted to avoid ending up “being in a punch-up” during a night out, which he said happened “quite a lot” in straight venues.

Craig, who has been married to Rachel Weisz for a decade, also said that when he was single it was a good way to meet women.

“[Gay bars] would just be a good place to go,” he said. “Everybody was chill, everybody. You didn’t really have to sort of state your sexuality. It was OK. And it was a very safe place to be. And I could meet girls there, cos there are a lot of girls there for exactly the same reason I was there. It was kind of an ulterior motive.” » | Nadia Khomami, Arts and culture correspondent | Thursday, October 14, 2021

An Unforgettable Father's Toast at His Gay Son's Wedding

Life after Fifty as a Gay Man

Oct 4, 2017 • Richard Eric Weigle discusses life after 50 as a gay man - meeting his husband and forming a new family within the community.

Gay Germans Marry for the First Time. Gay Marriage Has Been Legal in Germany since October 1, 2017

Oct 1, 2017 • Same-sex couples married in Germany for the first time on Sunday, with several dozen couples tying the knot at civil registry offices that opened specially to mark the coming into force of a law passed by parliament in June.

Among them were Karl Kreile, 59, and Bodo Mende, 60, who became Germany's first married gay couple, exchanging vows at the town hall in the Berlin borough of Schoeneberg on Sunday after 38 years together.

Brexit : des exigences britanniques inacceptables

LE MONDE : ace à la surenchère de Londres concernant la remise en cause de la compétence de la Cour de justice de l’Union européenne, l’UE doit rester ferme, tant pour sauvegarder la paix en Irlande que pour défendre le marché unique.

Editorial. On croyait le cauchemar du Brexit terminé. Il n’en est rien. Tout juste deux ans après sa signature, le 17 octobre 2019, l’accord sur le divorce péniblement conclu entre le Royaume-uni et l’Union européenne est remis en cause par son principal promoteur, Boris Johnson. Le contentieux soulevé par Londres porte sur la mise en œuvre du « protocole nord-irlandais », un volet de l’accord qui prévoit l’instauration de contrôles douaniers pour les marchandises débarquant en Irlande du Nord en provenance de Grande-Bretagne afin de protéger le marché intérieur européen, auquel appartient toute l’île d’Irlande.

Instaurer une telle frontière de fait en mer d’Irlande était la seule solution pour éviter le rétablissement de la frontière entre les deux Irlandes supprimée par l’accord de paix de 1998. Les contrôles à l’entrée de l’Irlande du Nord, province du Royaume-Uni, résultaient également d’un choix net de M. Johnson : la sortie du Royaume-Uni de l’union douanière européenne. Sa prédécesseure, Theresa May, avait fait le choix inverse, précisément pour éviter une frontière en mer d’Irlande, option, affirmait-elle, qu’« aucun premier ministre britannique n’acceptera[it] jamais ». » | Éditorial, Le Monde | jeudi 14 octobre 2021

Brüssel und London lancieren riskanten Brexit-Poker um Nordirland: Sowohl die EU wie auch Grossbritannien wollen das Nordirland-Protokoll reformieren. Doch während Brüssel praktische Vorschläge für Handelserleichterungen präsentiert, wirft London Grundsatzfragen rund um EU-Richter auf. Erneut droht eine Konfrontation mit potenziell schwerwiegenden Folgen. »

Republican Lieutenant Governor Says Trans Rights Are the Antichrist’s Work in Another Vile Rant

PINK NEWS: North Carolina’s lieutenant governor Mark Robinson was caught on camera again ranting against the LGBT+ community, calling the trans rights movement “demonic” and “full of the spirit of Antichrist”.

North Carolina's lieutenant governor Mark Robinson said the trans rights movement is "demonic" in a video at the Upper Room Church of God in Christ in August. (Twitter/@RightWingWatch)
Right Wing Watch published a video of the Republican lawmaker speaking at the Upper Room Church of God in Christ in Raleigh, North Carolina, in August. In the video, Robinson claimed there “ain’t but two genders”.

In a virulently transphobic rant, he said: “You can go to the doctor and get cut up, you can go down to the dress shop and get made up, you can go down there and get drugged up, but at the end of the day, you are just a drugged-up, dressed-up, made-up, cut-up man or woman.

“You ain’t changed what God put in you, that DNA.” » | Maggie Baska | Wednesday, October 13, 2021

Related

Kongsberg: Deadly Bow and Arrow Attack Suspect in Norway Had Converted to Islam

A man arrested over a bow and arrow attack in Norway in which five people died had converted to Islam police have said.

The 37-year-old Danish citizen is accused of the killings of four women and a man on Wednesday night in the southern town of Kongsberg.

He was arrested and questioned for several hours overnight.

La Pologne poursuit son bras de fer avec l’UE

Le 10 octobre, de nombreux Polonais ont manifesté leur opposition au retrait de la Pologne de l’Union européenne. KRZYSZTOF ZATYCKI/NurPhoto via AFP
LE FIGARO : La décision du Tribunal constitutionnel contestant la primauté du droit européen sur le droit national est entrée en vigueur mardi.

La décision du Tribunal constitutionnel polonais, jugeant certains articles du traité sur l’Union européenne «incompatibles» avec la Constitution, n’aura finalement pas tardé à être publiée dans le Journal officiel. Ce mardi 12 octobre, cinq jours après l’annonce de son contenu, la décision qui dénonce «l’ingérence » de la Cour de justice de l’UE(CJUE) dans le système juridique polonais est entrée en vigueur.

Dans la presse polonaise, la nouvelle est passée presque inaperçue. Il est vrai que ce tribunal n’est plus considéré comme légitime par de nombreux juristes et experts internationaux. Certains journaux polonais refusent de l’appeler «Tribunal constitutionnel», préférant le qualifier de «Tribunal de Julia Przylebska», du nom de sa présidente, amie personnelle de Jaroslaw Kaczynski, chef du parti majoritaire au pouvoir. Un élément de chantage » | Par Hélène Bienvenu | mercredi 13 octobre 2021

Réservé aux abonnés

Finding a Retirement Home If You’re LGBT

Apr 20, 2015 • Ageing gays and lesbians should have the choice of specialised retirement homes, according to a new association aiming to fill a gap in the market.

Retired gardener Sigi Strickenberger is partly paralysed. Seven years ago he discovered a gay and lesbian home care service. Having a gay nurse looking after him is important. He feels he can only really be himself in front of someone who can also relate to him.

In Zurich an association has been set up with a view to building retirement homes and apartments for LGBT people as well as to installing other services for old age. It’s generating interest, even among younger people, some of whom also hope to find a place in an LGBT home for themselves one day.

As long as Strickenberger is healthy enough, he would like to stay at home with the aid of the gay home care service. But should the time come, he could well imagine moving to an LGBT old people’s home.

Being surrounded by people with the same interests is important. In an LGBT home, entertainment might be a drag show rather than an afternoon ballroom dancing. Plans are to have the first LGBT home up and running in five years. (SRF/swissinfo.ch)

LGBT Documentary: Gay, Old and Out

Feb 27, 2018 • Meet the people who paved the way for LGBT rights. It has been a long hard fight to secure acceptance for the LGBT community, and the older people who fought the fight often get overlooked and forgotten.

For LGBT history month this documentary follows the astonishing and moving stories of the members of the Opening Doors London project - whose personal struggles and successes paved the way.

Today’s Gay Kiss of the Day Dedicated to the Hacker!

Photograph: Adobe Stock

Message

It appears that this blog has been hacked yet again! I have not taken the Gay Pride flag down, nor my message(s), nor my email address, nor any of the links in the right-hand side bar. They have all been taken down by a hacker.

It really is high time for him to ask his mother to buy him a rattle to play with – as a matter of urgency! That way, we can all be left in peace, and he would be pacified. – Mark

The City of London Is Hiding the World’s Stolen Money

Toby Melville/Reuters
OPINION: GUEST ESSAY
THE NEW YORK TIMES: In 1969, two years after the Cayman Islands, a British territory, passed its first law to allow secretive offshore trusts, an official government report struck an ominous note. A tide of glossy propositions from private developers, it warned, was washing through the islands. Cayman was fast becoming a state captured by shady finance.

Those were the pungent beginnings of a modern system brought to light by the Pandora Papers, an enormous data leak coordinated by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists. The papers exposed a smorgasbord of secretive and questionable financial dealings by more than 330 politicians and public officials from over 90 countries and territories — and over 130 billionaires from Russia, the United States and elsewhere. On display was a dizzying array of chicanery and wealth hoarding, often by the very people who should crack down on it.

The revelations, published on Oct. 3, are global in scope. But if there is one country at the system’s heart, it is Britain. Taken together with its partly controlled territories overseas, Britain is instrumental in the worldwide concealment of cash and assets. It is, as a member of the ruling Conservative Party said last week, “the money laundering capital of the world.” And the City of London, its gilded financial center, is at the system’s core. For Britain, whose bloated financial sector exacerbates widespread economic problems, that’s bad enough. For the world, at the mercy of an economic system rigged for the rich, it’s even worse. » | Nicholas Shaxson | Monday, October 11, 2021

BSE: Grossbritannien wird den Rinderwahnsinn nicht los – ein neuer Fall hat nun Konsequenzen

NEUE ZÜRCHER ZEITUNG: Die grosse BSE-Epidemie liegt ein Vierteljahrhundert zurück. Doch bis heute haftet britischem Fleisch ein Stigma an. Und immer wieder gibt es neue Fälle von Rinderwahnsinn auf der Insel. So wie im vergangenen Monat – jahrzehntelange Bemühungen könnten damit vergebens sein.

Am 17. September ist es wieder so weit: Auf einem Bauernhof in der Grafschaft Somerset wird ein neuer Fall der Rinderkrankheit BSE bestätigt. Das infizierte Tier sei gestorben und entfernt worden, teilt die britische Tier- und Pflanzengesundheitsbehörde (Apha) umgehend mit. Und die oberste Veterinärbeamtin des Vereinigten Königreichs betont: «Es besteht kein Risiko für die Lebensmittelsicherheit oder die öffentliche Gesundheit.» » | Melchior Poppe | Diensrag, 12. Oktober 2021

Pologne: «Le droit européen doit-il prévaloir sur la souveraineté et l'identité de ses membres ?»

«La Pologne est un État souverain et n'est pas entrée dans l'UE pour perdre cette souveraineté durement conquise». AFP
LE FIGARO : FIGAROVOX/TRIBUNE - Le Tribunal constitutionnel polonais s'est prononcé contre la suprématie absolue du droit de l'Union européenne. Max-Erwann Gastineau estime qu'une nation démocratique ne saurait déléguer sa politique à des juges européens non-élus.

Diplômé en histoire et en science politique, Max-Erwann Gastineau est essayiste. Il est l'auteur d'un essai remarqué, Le Nouveau procès de l'Est (Éditions du Cerf, 2019).

En 2005, la figure du «plombier polonais», symbole de la dérégulation économique et migratoire, cristallisait l'opposition du peuple français au projet de Constitution européenne. Plus de quinze ans après, c'est une autre figure, celle du juge polonais, qui cristallise les tensions.

En cause, le refus par la Pologne de répondre aux injonctions de la Cour de Justice de l'Union européenne (CJUE), qui exigeait le retrait d'une réforme controversée de son système judicaire. Refus motivé par les juges du Tribunal constitutionnel de Varsovie qui, dans une décision datée du 7 octobre dernier, qualifient ces injonctions d'illégitimes, la question de l'organisation du système judiciaire n'ayant jamais été transférée par les États à l'Union européenne (UE) et, de ce fait, portée à l'appréciation du juge européen.

Plus qu'un tour de passe-passe juridique, une décision «gravissime», estime Clément Beaune, Secrétaire d'État aux affaires européennes, posant les prémisses d'un futur polexit ? Il faudra nous expliquer ce qui sépare fondamentalement la décision du juge polonais de la philosophie de la Cour de Karlsruhe, où siègent les juges constitutionnels allemands. » | Par Max-Erwann Gastineau | mardi 12 octobre 2021

North Carolina Lieutenant Governor Won’t Resign over Anti-LGBTQ+ Remarks

THE GUARDIAN: White House joins condemnation of Republican Mark Robinson over comments on children, homosexuality and transgenderism

Mark Robinson speaks in Raleigh, North Carolina, in April. Photograph: Rachel Jessen/REX/Shutterstock
The Republican lieutenant governor of North Carolina has said he will not resign or back down over remarks in which he called transgenderism and homosexuality “filth”.

Mark Robinson, the first African American to hold the post, made the remarks in question at Asbury Baptist church in Seagrove, North Carolina, in June.

“There’s no reason anybody anywhere in America should be telling any child about transgenderism, homosexuality, any of that filth,” he said, in video posted to social media.

“And yes, I called it filth, and if you don’t like that I called it filth, come see me and I’ll explain it to you.”

Condemnation extended to the Biden White House. » | Martin Pengelly | Sunday, October 10, 2021

Raiders Coach Resigns after Homophobic and Misogynistic Emails

THE NEW YORK TIMES: In emails detailed by The New York Times, Raiders Coach Jon Gruden casually used misogynistic and homophobic language to disparage people.

In a postgame news conference Sunday, Raiders Coach Jon Gruden addressed an email in which he used a racist trope to describe DeMaurice Smith, the head of the N.F.L. Players Association. | Rick Scuteri/Associated Press
Jon Gruden stepped down Monday as the coach of the Las Vegas Raiders football team hours after The New York Times detailed emails in which he had made homophobic and misogynistic remarks, following an earlier report of racist statements about a union leader.

His resignation was a striking departure from the football league for a coach who had won a Super Bowl, been a marquee analyst on ESPN and returned to the N.F.L. in 2018 to lead the resurgent Raiders, which he had coached years before.

“I have resigned as Head Coach of the Las Vegas Raiders,” he said on Twitter in a statement issued by the team. “I love the Raiders and do not want to be a distraction. Thank you to all the players, coaches, staff, and fans of Raider Nation. I’m sorry, I never meant to hurt anyone.” » | Ken Belson and Katherine Rosman | Monday, October 11, 2021

Richard Dawkins on Religion

May 16, 2013 • An interview with renowned atheist Richard Dawkins on whether religion is a force for good or evil.

Fanaticism, fundamentalism, superstition and ignorance. Religion is getting a bad press these days. Much of the conflict in the world, from the Middle East to Nigeria and Myanmar, is often blamed on religion.

But how are things from a different perspective? Defenders of religion claim Adolf Hitler was an atheist. Communism under Joseph Stalin, Pol Pot or Mao Zedong banned religion, but also massacred millions. And science brought incredible and amazing advances, but also pollution and the atomic bomb.

A critic of religious dogmatism, Professor Richard Dawkins revolutionised genetics in 1976 with the publication of The Selfish Gene, which explained how evolution takes place at the genetic level. He has since written 12 more bestsellers, including The God Delusion which sold millions of copies, was translated into more than 30 languages, and catapulted him to the position of the world's foremost atheist.

Mehdi Hasan interviews evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins at the Oxford Union and asks: Is religion a force for good or evil? Can it co-exist with science? Is science the new religion? And why if god does not exist, is religion so persistent?

Barbra Streisand : Woman in Love

Brazil Has the Highest Coronavirus Death Toll after the United States | COVID-19 Special

Oct 8, 2021 • Brazilian President Bolsonaro called it "a little flu". Now his country has the highest coronavirus death toll after the United States. Infection and death rates are slowly easing but that's little consolation for the bereaved.

Poland: Thousands Turn Out for Pro-EU Rallies after Court Ruling | DW News

Oct 10, 2021 • Thousands are attending pro-European Union rallies across Poland with the main event taking place in the capital Warsaw. It comes just days after the country's landmark ruling against the bloc.

On Thursday, a top court ruled that some Polish laws have priority over European Union laws. The European Commission expressed "serious concerns" over the ruling - while the opposition in Poland warned of the possibility of the country leaving the 27-nation bloc.


Why Is Poland Fighting the Supremacy of European Union Courts?: Poland argues that its courts should supersede the bloc’s top court. The E.U. sharply disagrees. »

Zu Tisch ... in Graubünden | ARTE

Oct 10, 2021 • Der Kanton Graubünden liegt in den Schweizer Alpen. Die Region ist berühmt für Bündnerfleisch und Bündner Nusstorte. Und eine seltene Kiefernart, die nur in alpinen Hochlagen wächst: die Arve. Die Schreinerin Barbara Schuler-Rozzi verwendet das Holz der Arve nicht nur in ihrer Werkstatt, sondern auch beim Kochen zum Aromatisieren.

Der Kanton Graubünden im Südosten der Schweizer Alpen beeindruckt mit imposanten Panoramen und malerischen Bergdörfern. Die Bergwelt ist in der Bündner Küche allgegenwärtig. In den kurzen Gebirgssommern gedeihen vor allem widerständige Gewächse wie Mangold, der für Capuns – Krautwickel mit Spätzleteigfüllung – verwendet wird. Oder auch Gerste, die als Grundlage für einen kräftigen Eintopf dient, die Bündner Gerstensuppe. In den Bergen haben sich haltbare Speisen bewährt. Die bekanntesten Spezialitäten sind die Bündner Nusstorte mit karamellisierter Walnussfüllung und das magere Bündnerfleisch, das über Monate an der Luft getrocknet wird. Eine Besonderheit der Region wächst in den Hochlagen der Bündner Alpen. Die Arve, auch als Zirbelkiefer bekannt, ist reich an ätherischen Ölen, deren intensiver Duft über Jahre erhalten bleibt. Die Pflanze wird jedoch nicht nur für Möbel und ganze Zimmerausstattungen wie das Arvenstübli verwendet. Ihre Extrakte eignen sich auch zum Verzehr. Barbara Schuler-Rozzi führt in dritter Generation eine Schreinerei in Bergün, einem Dorf an der Straße über den Albulapass. Barbara arbeitet in ihrer Werkstatt oft mit Arvenholz, experimentiert damit aber auch gern in der Küche. Mit Arvenholzspänen aromatisiert sie Eis, und aus getrockneten Arvennadeln bereitet sie ein schmackhaftes Bett für warmen Ziegenkäse. Weil dem Duft der Arve eine beruhigende Wirkung zugeschrieben wird, baut die Schreinerin auch richtige Betten aus Arvenholz, unter anderem für ihren jüngsten Sohn Maurus, der gerade von zu Hause auszieht und so den Geruch der Heimat in sein neues Leben mitnimmt.

Esskulturreihe, Regie: Hanna Leissner (D 2016, 26 Min)

Holocaust: Deutsche Muslime, Christen und Juden besuchen Auschwitz | DW Reporter

Oct 10, 2021 • Am Ort des Holocaust kommen sie mit Zeitzeugen ins Gespräch, teilen ihre Eindrücke miteinander. Solche Begegnungsreisen sind nötig, lautet die Erfahrung der Veranstalter, denn im Schulunterricht in Deutschland wird die Geschichte der Nazidiktatur nicht immer umfassend behandelt; manchmal nur als ein Zeitabschnitt unter vielen. Da gibt es Nachholbedarf - und die Chance, durch die drastische Konfrontation mit dem Grauen der Shoa aktuellem Antisemitismus und antimuslimischen Rassismus zu begegnen. Am Ende sind sich die TeilnehmerInnen einig: Jeder junge Deutsche sollte einmal in einem ehemaligen KZ gewesen sein. Eine Reportage von Axel Rowohlt.

Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz Steps Down But Stays in Power | DW News

Oct 10, 2021 • Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz has resigned. He has been under pressure over allegations he bribed a newspaper for favorable coverage prior to his election as party leader and then chancellor.

As he made that announcement on Saturday, Kurz said he wasn't involved in any criminal activity. And that he was standing aside to prevent a government crisis after his Greens coalition partner said he was unfit to lead the country. Kurz was expected to face a vote of no confidence in parliament next week.


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Merkel in Israel: What Has She Meant for German-Israeli Relations? | DW News

Oct 10, 2021 • German chancellor Angela Merkel is on a farewell trip to Israel before she leaves office. After a morning meeting with Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, the German leader met with the Israeli cabinet. The trip caps Merkel's sixteen years in power, which saw the chancellor deepen relations with the Jewish nation-state. With Merkel's impending departure, Israel is bracing for a new chapter in the relationship.

Speaking at the start of her visit, Angela Merkel said she finds the progress Israel and Germany have made particularly moving.

It’s been 56 years since Germany and Israel formally established diplomatic relations. In the following decades, ties between the two countries have slowly become closer. But the psychological scars of the past still run deep.

March 2008 saw a landmark moment when Chancellor Angela Merkel became the first chancellor to address the Knesset – Israel's parliament – in German.

Merkel’s final visit as chancellor this week will be her eighth – more than any of her predecessors. For 12 of her 16 years as chancellor, former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was her counterpart. But the smiles for the cameras often faded away behind closed doors.

Germany continues to insist on a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

But the likelihood of that happening has shrunk dramatically. One major reason is the expanding Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, which Germany deems illegal under international law.

Still, Germany has stuck by Israel's' side. Most recently, during a violent flare-up in the conflict between Israel and Gaza earlier this year, which saw rockets fired by Hamas and Israel. With Merkel's impending departure as chancellor, comes a new chapter. But regardless who fills Merkel's shoes, relations with Israel will remain as unique – and complicated – as ever.

Pologne : des milliers de manifestants pro-UE attendus dans la rue ce dimanche

Une manifestante pro-UE devant la Cour constitutionnelle polonaise le 7 octobre. JAAP ARRIENS / AFP
LE FIGARO : Le chef de l'opposition et ancien président du Conseil européen Donald Tusk a appelé à manifester après que la Cour constitutionnelle polonaise a contesté la primauté du droit européen.

Des milliers de Polonais sont attendus dans les rues dimanche pour défendre l'appartenance de leur pays à l'Union européenne, après la décision vendredi de la Cour constitutionnelle polonaise contestant la primauté du droit européen.

Cette décision, refusant tout contrôle européen sur les lois polonaises, pourrait marquer un premier pas vers une sortie de la Pologne de l'UE, et c'est contre cette idée que les Polonais vont manifester dimanche, à l'appel du chef de l'opposition et ancien président du Conseil européen Donald Tusk. Il a appelé ses compatriotes à manifester pour «défendre une Pologne européenne». «Nous devons sauver la Pologne, personne ne le fera pour nous», a-t-il ajouté sur Twitter. Les manifestations doivent commencer vers 18 heures, heure française. » | Par Le Figaro avec AFP | dimanche 10 octobre 2021

Lien connexe en allemand :

Tusk ruft zu Protest in Warschau auf »

Bolshoi Performer Is Killed in Onstage Accident

THE NEW YORK TIMES: The man, in his late 30s, was crushed during a scene change as the opera “Sadko” was performed before an audience, the theater said.

A performer was killed during an opera at the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow on Saturday when there was an accident during a scene change, the theater said.

The man, in his late 30s, was working as an extra in a performance of the opera “Sadko,” by the Russian composer Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. » | Javier C. Hernández | Saturday, October 9, 2021

Royals Close Door on Andrew…

Prince William ... sees his uncle Prince Andrew as a threat to the Royal Family and will never let him return to public life, according to a new report
MAIL ONLINE: Prince Andrew has been accused of sexually abusing American Virginia Giuffre / He was made to step down from public duties following crisis talks in 2019 / Now, his nephew Prince William has reportedly said Andrew will never return / Andrew's siblings - Charles, Anne and Edward - reportedly share same feelings

Prince Andrew will not return to public life after Charles, Edward and Anne closed the door on him and William branded him a 'threat to the royal family', it has been claimed.

Scotland Yard is also reported to have spoken to the Duke of York's sexual assault accuser Virginia Giuffre over claims she was raped and sexually assaulted by Andrew when she was 17.

The royal has come under intense scrutiny over the claims and over his friendship with paedophile financier Jeffery Epstein.

Andrew, who is not facing any criminal charges, 'categorically' denies Ms Giuffre's claims against him and is thought to be keen to make a return as a working royal.

However, according to sources close to him, Prince William sees his uncle as a threat to the Royal Family and doesn't intend to let him return to public life. » | Chris Jewers for MailOnline | Published: Saturday, October 9, 2021; Updated: Sunday, October 10, 2021

Trade War Looms as UK Set to Spurn EU Offer on Northern Ireland

THE GUARDIAN: EU leaders urged to push back against No 10’s brinkmanship over role of European court of justice

David Frost leaving the stage after delivering his Brexit speech at the Conservative conference. Photograph: Toby Melville/Reuters
Fears that the UK is heading for a trade war with the EU have been fuelled by strong indications from the government that it thinks proposals to be unveiled in Brussels on Wednesday over Brexit arrangements do not go far enough.

The Brexit minister, David Frost, will use a speech in Portugal on Tuesday to say that the EU scrapping its prohibition on British sausages to resolve the dispute over the Northern Ireland protocol does not meet the UK and unionists’ demands.

Lord Frost will call for “significant” changes to the post-Brexit agreement he negotiated, including over the role of the European court of justice, something the EU is highly unlikely to concede to.

“Without new arrangements in this area, the protocol will never have the support it needs to survive,” he will warn on the eve of a significant move by the EU to resolve the row.

Ireland’s foreign minister, Simon Coveney, reacted with incredulity at the UK’s “red line” and its timing just days before what he said was a “serious” offer from the EU.

He tweeted: “EU working seriously to resolve practical issues with implementation of Protocol – so UKG creates a new “red line” barrier to progress, that they know EU can’t move on … are we surprised? Real Q: does UKG actually want an agreed way forward or a further breakdown in relations?” » | Lisa O'Carroll, Brexit correspondent | Sunday, September 10, 2021

Brexit was a dumb idea from the start. It's going to end badly. It's going to be a lose-lose situation for both sides. There's so much to lose and so little to gain from it. Sad! – © Mark

EU urges UK to drop rhetoric in Northern Ireland Brexit row: Maroš Šefčovič says bloc will issue ‘far-reaching proposals’ aimed at breaking impasse next week »