Monday, November 15, 2021

Spain on a Fork: The Secret to the Best Spanish Ratatouille | Pisto Manchego


Get the recipe here.

Albert Bevia’s channel ‘Spain on a Fork’ can be supported on Patreon here.

L'idéologie woke à l'assaut du dictionnaire Le Robert

Le premier dictionnaire du Robert a été publié en 1951. Le Figaro

LE FIGARO : Au nom d'une démarche «inclusive», le dictionnaire a intégré sur son site le pronom personnel «iel».

La culture woke serait-elle arrivée jusqu'au dictionnaire Le Robert ? En octobre dernier, l'institution de feu Alain Rey a accepté dans ses pages numériques le pronom personnel «iel», contraction de «il» et «elle». Sa définition : «pronom personnel sujet de la troisième personne du singulier et du pluriel, employé pour évoquer une personne quel que soit son genre. L'usage du pronom iel dans la communication inclusive (sic).» Comment expliquer cet ajout ?

Chaque mois, les lexicographes du dictionnaire veillent et scrutent les nouveaux mots. Parmi ces derniers figurent «passe sanitaire», «antivax» mais aussi le fameux «iel». «On a constaté que ce mot prenait de l'ampleur et nous l'avons intégré», explique au Figaro Marie-Hélène Drivaud, lexicographe au Robert. Il a pour l'heure une période probatoire, même si on nous laisse sous-entendre que le mot rejoindra les colonnes du dictionnaire web avant d'intégrer l'édition papier de 2022. » | Par Alice Develey, Maguelonne de Gestas et Marie-Liévine Michalik | lundi 15 novembre 2021

Auch Shell verlässt die Niederlande


BRISANTER KONZERN-UMZUG

FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG: Der Konzern zieht nun ganz nach London um. Die Politik zeigt sich „unangenehm überrascht“. Dass die steuerliche Behandlung eine Rolle spielt, erscheint offensichtlich. Inzwischen ist auch das Meinungsklima zunehmend giftig.

Die Niederlande verlieren auch ihren zweiten binationalen Industrieriesen. Der niederländisch-britische Ölkonzern Shell will – ganz ähnlich wie vor einem Jahr Unilever – seine Doppelstruktur aufgeben und ganz nach London ziehen. Dorthin soll der Steuersitz wandern, dort sollen der Vorstandsvorsitzende Ben van Beurden und Finanzchefin Jessica Uhl angesiedelt sein. Der Sitz in Den Haag hat das Nachsehen. Die Politik zeigt sich überrumpelt: „Unangenehm überrascht“ sei das Kabinett, sagte der geschäftsführende Wirtschaftsminister Stef Blok von der rechtsliberalen Partei VVD des Ministerpräsidenten Mark Rutte.

Somit verlässt innerhalb kurzer Zeit ein international bekanntes Konzernduo das Land, das viele Jahre die Liste der schwersten Mitglieder im 25 Werte umfassenden niederländischen Leitindex AEX angeführt hatte. Shell argumentierte, eine einheitliche Aktienstruktur erleichtere dem Unternehmen Rückkäufe und seine Rolle in der Energiewende. Die Anteilseigner sollen am 10. Dezember über den Plan abstimmen. Aus dem offiziellen Namen „Royal Dutch Shell“ fallen sowohl das „Königliche“ als auch das „Niederländische“ weg: als „Shell“ firmiert das Unternehmen dann. » | Von Klaus Max Smolka | Montag, 15. November 2021

Homosexuelle Liebe - Ganz anders - oder ganz normal? - ARD-alpha

Jun 1, 2017 • Die gesetzlichen Lücken zur Gleichberechtigung homosexueller Liebe schließen sich langsam, echte Akzeptanz fehlt jedoch manchmal. Dass sie mit ihrer Beziehung noch heute ein Tabu brechen, diese Erfahrung haben Lennon und Mani gemacht.

Two Young Men Simply Expressing Their Love for Each Other.

Deux jeunes hommes exprimant simplement leur amour l'un pour l'autre. / Zwei junge Männer, die einfach ihre Liebe zueinander ausdrücken.

With thanks to BeastBoy1994 on Pinterest for this super photo.

Sunday, November 14, 2021

Holistic Healing and Alternative Medicine; Is It Just a Scam? | 60 Minutes Australia

Nov 14, 2021 • Did you take your vitamin C this morning? Echinacea, folic acid or fish oil? Have you had acupuncture, a remedial massage, or seen a herbalist? If you have, you are certainly not alone. It's called 'alternative' or 'complementary medicine'; a booming industry, worth at least two billion dollars a year. Its products and therapies are used by more than half the population. Yet nobody can say for sure whether they work, and if they do, why? Even the experts seem divided. Some say science should keep an open mind. Others, that it's all in the mind, mere witchcraft, a waste of money and maybe even downright dangerous.

Queen Elizabeth Pulls Out of Remembrance Sunday Service after Spraining Her Back


Related

Queen Elizabeth Misses Remembrance Service Because of Sprained Back: The British monarch, 95, has put off multiple trips and engagements recently, and the latest cancellation has deepened anxiety about her health. She has now been out of sight since mid-October. »

Prepare for Armageddon: China's Warning to the World | 60 Minutes Australia

The message coming out of China is getting louder by the day. It doesn't like other countries, especially Australia, ganging up and meddling in its affairs. As we know Beijing is currently doing its best to punish us economically, but in the last few days President Xi Jinping has also ratcheted up the rhetoric by warning of the perils of a new cold war. A loose translation is if we don't stop poking the panda, we'll face serious consequences. Now it's worth taking the threat seriously because Xi controls the largest military force in the world, and as one of his supporters cautions tonight, the cost of conflict with China could be Armageddon.

Covid: Dutch Accept Life within 'Lockdown-lite'

People in Amsterdam enjoy their last drinks before all bars have to close their doors at 7pm | AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES

BBC: Twinkling fairy lights embellish the Linden trees around the Dutch parliament square.

Flames warm friends huddled beneath heaters glowing amber against the autumnal dusk.

While the anti-lockdown, anti-vax protesters and conspiracy propagators who hurled fireworks at riot police dominated the front pages, they represent a minority. Most people in the Netherlands reluctantly agree that sacrificing parts of their social lives can contribute to the greater good.

The Dutch government has announced a lockdown-lite designed to limit social contacts, in response to a sharp increase in infections. A record 16,324 new cases were recorded in one day this week and they remain stubbornly high. » | Anna Holligan, BBC News, Amsterdam | Saturday, November 13, 2021

In Österreich sind ab Montag Ungeimpfte im Lockdown: Im Kampf gegen die vierte Corona-Welle gilt in Österreich von diesem Montag an ein Lockdown für Ungeimpfte. Das haben Bundeskanzler Alexander Schallenberg und die Regierungschefs der Länder am Sonntag in Wien beschlossen. »

Remembrance Sunday 2021 : Poppies in the Field

Photograph : Adobe Stock

In Flanders Fields by John McCrae »

WIKIPEDIA: About the poem and the poet »

Remembrance Sunday: Nation Falls Silent to Remember the War Dead

Veterans from the Chelsea Pensioners were among those attending the service | GETTY IMAGES

BBC: The nation has fallen silent as it remembers those who died in past conflicts this Remembrance Sunday.

The Queen is not attending the service at London's Cenotaph after spraining her back. A national two-minute silence was held at 11:00 GMT, with similar ceremonies taking place at war memorials across the country.

Events have seen the return of pre-pandemic numbers of veterans, military personnel and crowds.

The National Service of Remembrance in Whitehall was closed to the public last year, with only limited numbers taking part, because of coronavirus measures.

This year sees a return to normal, with hundreds of servicemen and women marching and lining up around the Cenotaph and nearly 10,000 veterans marching past the war memorial, watched by large crowds. » |Becky Morton | Sunday, November 14, 2021

Saturday, November 13, 2021

Thomas Markle on Prince Harry, Meghan Markle and the Leaked Letter in Exclusive Interview

For Meghan, an Image Rendered in a U.K.-U.S. Split Screen

THE NEW YORK TIMES: She has re-emerged in America as a formidable A-list celebrity and social activist. In Britain, however, Meghan remains a polarizing figure.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, at a gala for veterans in New York on Wednesday. | Craig Ruttle/Associated Press

LONDON — When Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, stepped out last week at a gala for veterans in New York City, the beaming, beribboned prince declared he was “living the American dream.” That might be even truer of Meghan, who has restyled herself since leaving Britain last year as a philanthropist, multimedia entrepreneur and outspoken campaigner for family leave rights.

Even as they were taking Manhattan, though, Meghan was shadowed by the couple’s old life in London. She was forced to apologize for erroneous statements she made in a lawsuit against a British tabloid, The Mail on Sunday, for violating her privacy by publishing a letter she had sent to her father.

Meghan said it was a case of faulty memory. But the tabloids, which have been at war with the couple since before they abandoned Britain for Southern California, leapt on the admission. “Little Miss Forgetful,” said The Sun, above an unflattering caricature of Meghan, drawn from “Little Miss,” an English children’s book series. » | Mark Landler | Saturday, November 13, 2021

La Russie et la Turquie assurent n'avoir «rien à voir» avec la crise migratoire à la frontière Pologne-Biélorussie

LE FIGARO : Le président russe Vladimir Poutine et le porte-parole de la présidence turque Ibrahim Kalin ont rejeté ce samedi toute responsabilité dans l'afflux de milliers de migrants.

Le président russe Vladimir Poutine a rejeté dans une interview diffusée samedi toute responsabilité dans la crise migratoire en cours à la frontière entre la Biélorussie et la Pologne, où des milliers de migrants sont massés depuis des jours. «Je veux que tout le monde le sache. Nous n'avons rien à voir là-dedans», a déclaré le président à la chaîne Vesti, après que plusieurs voix occidentales l'ont accusé cette semaine d'avoir orchestré avec Minsk l'envoi de ces migrants à la frontière.

Vladimir Poutine a également affirmé que les dirigeants européens devaient s'adresser directement au président biélorusse Alexandre Loukachenko pour résoudre cette crise. «D'après ce que j'ai compris, Alexandre Loukachenko et (la chancelière allemande Angela) Merkel sont prêts à se parler», a indiqué Poutine. «J'espère que cela arrivera dans un futur proche», a-t-il ajouté, rejetant la responsabilité de la crise sur l'Occident. Regarder la vidéo » | Par Le Figaro avec AFP | samedi 13 novembre 2021

À LIRE AUSSI : Pour Vladimir Poutine, l’aubaine d’une crise aux portes de l’Union européenne : DÉCRYPTAGE - Le président russe, s’il n’a sans doute pas déclenché cette situation explosive, s’érige en recours incontournable. »

Sleaze & Corruption - Is This the End for Boris Johnson?

Nov 13, 2021 • Boris Johnson has demonstrated time and again that he is not a prime minister who is interested in detail. Instead, he prefers grand gestures and being in the limelight where he can wisecrack and entertain.

He has a widespread reputation for lying and for not keeping his word, something he does without any concern for the consequences.

He has presided over the mishandling of the Covid crises where the UK consistently comes second in the world for the number of new cases reported daily despite budgeting a staggering £37,000,000,000 on Test & Trace, which has generally been considered a failure.

His Brexit is a disaster which can only get worse ,especially if he triggers Article 16 next week.

The attempt to sweep away the Parliamentary Standards Committee and replace it with a more sympathetic alternative was an extraordinary misjudgment resulting in an embarrassing climb-down and U-turn a week later.

Recent events have annoyed many Tory backbenchers especially those with slim majorities such as those in the ‘red wall’ seats. Newspapers which have normally been supportive have been critical of him during the past week. His personal poll ratings are at an all-time low as it seems public opinion is turning against him. He has gone from being a vote winner to a vote loser and it seems difficult to see how he can find a way back


De Klerk Apologises for Apartheid in Posthumous Video

F.W. de Klerk, South Africa’s last white president, apologized for his past statements on apartheid, which had angered some people who still live with the legacy of its injustices, in a posthumous video. Mr. de Klerk had helped dismantle the apartheid system as the president.


Related

In a Hate-filled World, Making Love Is Always Good

Our world is filled with ‘hate’. We all know it is, because the news is filled with hatred from each and every corner of the world. For this reason, I say clearly, and without reservation, that bringing love into the world is always good, whichever way that is, or can be, done between two CONSENTING ADULTS.

But when it comes to relationships, be they in the straight or gay community, there is a vast difference between “making love” and “having sex”.

As my visitors and followers will surely be aware by now, I am strongly in favour of ‘gay rights’. By ‘gay rights’, I mean the right of gay people to fall in love with whomsoever they please. But that comes with a caveat: The two people involved should always be CONSENTING ADULTS. The converse is NEVER acceptable.

Further, when I refer to “making love”, I use that term in stark contradistinction with “having sex”. Animals “have sex”; human beings are meant to “make love”.

When and where this website refers to kissing and expressing love, it should always be borne in mind that I always mean “making love”, not “having sex”. Promiscuity, be it in the homosexual or heterosexual community, is always unacceptable and abhorrent in my view.

Further, there is absolutely nothing wrong with abstinence. Being celibate is an acceptable option until the right person comes along. I know – I have actually spent most of my adult life being celibate. I have never bed-hopped; and I am very proud of that!

PROMISCUITY is NEVER a good option. It leads to no good place for either party. It is far better to wait until the right person comes along. Then, you can express your love, your true love, for that person and go on and have many years of pleasure and enjoyment together.

© Mark Alexander

All Rights Reserved

Friday, November 12, 2021

Steve Bannon Indicted by Federal Grand Jury for Contempt of Congress

Nov 12, 2021 • Steve Bannon, a former advisor to former President Trump, has been indicted by a federal grand jury for two counts of contempt of Congress after he refused to testify before the January 6 select committee for their investigation into the Capitol riot. NBC's Pete Williams has details.

Covid-19 : les Pays-Bas reviennent au confinement partiel, des manifestations éclatent à La Haye

La police anti-émeute a dû employer un canon à eau afin de disperser les manifestants, qui jetaient des pierres et tiraient des feux d'artifice. JEROEN JUMELET / AFP

LE FIGARO : Des échauffourées ont eu lieu à La Haye, où 200 personnes se sont opposées à la police anti-émeute après l'annonce des nouvelles mesures sanitaires par le premier ministre Mark Rutte.

Le premier ministre néerlandais Mark Rutte a annoncé vendredi 12 novembre la réintroduction d'une série de restrictions sanitaires, touchant notamment le secteur de la restauration, pour faire face à un nombre record de cas de Covid-19. Mark Rutte a qualifié la nouvelle série de mesures de «grand coup de quelques semaines, car le virus est partout, dans tout le pays, dans tous les secteurs et à tous les âges». «Heureusement, la grande majorité (de la population) est vaccinée, sinon la misère dans les hôpitaux serait incalculable en ce moment», a déclaré Mark Rutte.

Les bars, les restaurants et les magasins essentiels tels que les supermarchés devront fermer à 20 heures et les magasins non essentiels à 18 heures. Les citoyens néerlandais sont appelés à ne pas accueillir plus de quatre personnes chez eux et à faire du télétravail, «sauf si cela n'est vraiment pas possible», a indiqué Mark Rutte. » | Par Le Figaro avec AFP | vendredi 12 novembre 2021

Bee Gees : You Win Again (1987)

Views on YouTube: 52,169,582

Lionel Richie : Love Will Conquer All

Ne soyez pas timide ! Exprimez votre amour !

via GIPHY


Seien Sie nicht schüchtern! Drücken Sie Ihre Liebe aus! / Don’t be shy! Express your love!

Ask Prof Wolff: Taxing Billionaires

Nov 12, 2021 • A Patron of Economic Update asks: "Now that Tesla is worth more than US $1 trillion, and Elon Musk is the wealthiest person in the world, there is more discussion of increasing the tax on billionaires specifically. Right-wingers are defending billionaires from taxation, arguing that unsold shares can't be taxed, and that billionaires, in their total pool of wealth, cannot fund the government for very long. Can you explain how taxation could work to include more progressive taxation of the billionaire class and refute some of the arguments from the right? Thanks." This is Professor Richard Wolff's video response.

Boris Johnson Holiday Villa Linked to Zac Goldsmith Firms Accused of Tax Evasion

THE GUARDIAN: Costa del Sol property firms owned by Goldsmith family ordered to pay €24m in unpaid taxes and fines

Zac Goldsmith (left) is a longstanding friend of Johnson and his wife, Carrie. In 2019, the PM personally appointed Goldsmith to the House of Lords.

The luxury villa where Boris Johnson stayed on holiday last month is linked to Costa del Sol property businesses owned by Zac Goldsmith’s family that engaged in a multimillion-pound tax evasion scheme, according to Spanish courts.

Court papers obtained by the Guardian show tax inspectors ordered two property companies owned by the Goldsmith family to pay €24m (£20m) in unpaid taxes and fines after investigating what they said was a suspicious property deal.

The tax authority’s findings have been upheld by one of Spain’s highest courts, with judges agreeing the companies effectively engaged in a deliberate effort to evade tax and committed “serious” violations of the law.

Documents indicate Spanish authorities are still seeking to recover the funds and could even seize parts of the family’s land, which is spread across more than 600 hectares (1,480 acres) of private woodland about 10 miles from the Marbella coastline. » | Harry Davies in Marbella | Friday, November 12, 2021

George Benson : Nothing's Gonna Change My Love for You

Provided to YouTube by WM Japan: Views on YouTube: 10,780,564

George Benson : In Your Eyes

Provided to YouTube by Warner Records | Views on YouTube: 3,162,448

Dimitra’s Dishes : Greek Custard Pie : Galaktoboureko


Get the recipe here.

Democracy Now! Top US News & World Headlines — November 12, 2021

The Story of Queen Farah Pahlavi - The Queen and I

Apr 10, 2021 • The personal story of Queen Farah Pahlavi and an Iranian film-maker.


WIKIPEDIA:

Farah Pahlavi

Shahbanu

UK ‘Tough Guy’ Act on Northern Ireland Will End in Disaster, Says Irish minister

THE GUARDIAN: European Affairs minister says UK government is out of step with preserving peace with protocol threats

A hijacked and burnt-out bus is removed from the loyalist Rathcoole estate in Newtonabbey, Northern Ireland. Photograph: Charles McQuillan/Getty

Ireland’s minister for European Affairs has said that a “tough guy approach” when it comes to Northern Ireland will lead to disaster, adding that threats to suspend the Northern Ireland protocol represented the first time the UK government has been out of step with the international consensus on preserving peace and stability in Northern Ireland in 25 years.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4, Thomas Byrne said there was “a serious danger of complete instability in Northern Ireland” if the UK government continues its “tough guy approach” through threats to trigger article 16, which would suspend post-Brexit trade arrangements.

He said: “We have a situation where we have the US putting pressure on the British government, the EU united in one voice with concern about Northern Ireland, Ireland concerned about Northern Ireland. We’ve never had a situation in the last 25 years where the British government is out of the loop on that.

“We want very close relations with the British government and good cooperation, we want to be singing off the same hymn sheet.” » | Rachel Hall | Friday, November 12, 2021

EU to tell Frost Brexit talks will fail unless he ditches ECJ demand »

More on Boris Johnson’s government:

The Guardian view on Boris Johnson’s Britain: cry, the corrupt country »

Johnson: „Großbritannien ist kein korruptes Land“: Das hässliche Bild vom Tory, der in die Politik geht, um Geld zu verdienen: In Großbritannien lebt die Debatte um Fehlverhalten konservativer Abgeordneter wieder auf. Die Opposition wittert Morgenluft und empört sich nach Kräften. »

Die bloße Tatsache, daß Johnson sagen muß, daß Großbritannien kein korruptes Land ist, spricht Bände! – © Mark

Thursday, November 11, 2021

The Bolsonaro-Trump Connection Threatening Brazil’s Elections

THE NEW YORK TIMES: With his poll numbers falling, President Jair Bolsonaro is already questioning the legitimacy of next year’s election. He has help from the United States.

President Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil during Independence Day celebrations in São Paulo in September. | Victor Moriyama for The New York Times

BRASÍLIA — The conference hall was packed, with a crowd of more than 1,000 cheering attacks on the press, the liberals and the politically correct. There was Donald Trump Jr. warning that the Chinese could meddle in the election, a Tennessee congressman who voted against certifying the 2020 vote, and the president complaining about voter fraud.

In many ways, the September gathering looked like just another CPAC, the conservative political conference. But it was happening in Brazil, most of it was in Portuguese and the president at the lectern was Jair Bolsonaro, the country’s right-wing leader.

Fresh from their assault on the results of the 2020 U.S. presidential election, former President Donald J. Trump and his allies are exporting their strategy to Latin America’s largest democracy, working to support Mr. Bolsonaro’s bid for re-election next year — and helping sow doubt in the electoral process in the event that he loses. » | Jack Nicas | Thursday, November 11, 2021

Biden in der Klemme: Schafft Trump ein Comeback? | Auf den Punkt

Nov 11, 2021 • Donald Trump attackiert Joe Biden und mobilisiert seine Anhänger mit Verschwörungstheorien. Will der Ex-Präsident wieder an die Macht?

Unsere Gäste: Rachel Tausendfreund (German Marshall Fund); Matthew Karnitschnig (Politico); Annika Brockschmidt (freie Journalistin).



Trump wins temporary victory in effort to keep White House records secret: The former president is asking a court to block release of material related to the House investigation into the attack on the Capitol »

Which Costs More? The Closet or Coming Out?

Oct 19, 2016 • TOPIC: Everything has a cost. What is the cost of staying in the closet? What is the cost of coming out of the closet?

”I Was a Married Pastor - Until I Fell in Love with a Man” | Love Don’t Judge

Aug 28, 2020 - A Christian dad of four lost his job as a pastor after falling in love with a younger man in the deep south of America. Eric, 48, began his relationship with Matt, 27, after employing him in his demolition business. But neither man had yet come out as gay and both faced judgment from their Bible Belt community. Eric told truly: “It's not acceptable in [the community], it was difficult.” The couple are now married but when they first met, Eric was a pastor with four children. He explained how their local community reacted to the news, “our hometown is mostly conservative, I was immediately dismissed from my posted.” The age gap also added to the public backlash, “They think we're just dad and son”, Matt explained. He even had a family member who said, “Somebody will kill you.”


Wie man so schön auf Deutsch sagt: ‚Es gibt nichts, was es nicht gibt!‘ Natürlich, wünsche ich ihnen alles Gute. Nur das Beste! – Mark

Genieße die Liebe!

Profitez de l’amour ! / Enjoy the love!

With thanks to gaykiss.tumblr.com on Pinterest for this super photo.

Dimitra’s Dishes : Tiropita: Greek Feta & Phyllo Pie


Get the recipe here.

Democracy Now! Top US News & World Headlines — November 11, 2021

A Crisis the West Says Belarus Engineered Turns Dire for Migrants

THE NEW YORK TIMES: With thousands stranded at the border of the European Union’s eastern flank, the Polish prime minister accused Belarus of using people like “ammunition.” The autocratic leader of Belarus raised the prospect of disrupting the flow of natural gas through his country to Europe.


Hundreds of people, largely from the Middle East, camped at the Belarus-Poland border in frigid weather seeking to enter Poland. Western officials say Belarus is trying to orchestrate a refugee crisis at its borders with the European Union. | Polish Defence Ministry, via Reuters

WARSAW — As the standoff over migrants gathering along the European Union’s eastern flank grew more precarious on Thursday, with Polish news media reporting that a 14-year-old boy from Iraq had frozen to death on the Belarus side of the frontier, the language from political leaders on either side of the razor wire ratcheted up.

Western leaders have accused Aleksandr G. Lukashenko, Belarus’s autocratic leader, of engineering the crisis — creating a path into European Union countries for migrants from the Middle East.

Thousands of migrants have been escorted to the borders of Poland, Lithuania and Latvia under the watchful eyes of the Belarusian authorities. And once there, they are stranded in bitter cold, prevented from entering the E.U. or from going back into Belarus. It is, according to Western officials, a hybrid attack with people used as weapons. Tensions escalate at the Poland-Belarus border as migrants face dire conditions. » | Andrew Higgins and Anton Troianovski | Thursday, November 11, 2021

F.W. de Klerk, Last President of Apartheid South Africa, Dies at 85

THE NEW YORK TIMES: A prominent Afrikaner, he vehemently defended the separation of the races but later stunned his deeply divided nation, and the wider world, by reconsidering the country’s racist ways.

F.W. de Klerk and Nelson Mandela in 1994. They shared the Nobel Peace Prize for negotiating the end of the apartheid state. | Juda Ngwenya/Reuters

F.W. de Klerk, who as president of South Africa dismantled the apartheid system that he and his ancestors had helped put in place, died at his home near Cape Town on Thursday. He was 85.

The former president’s death was confirmed by the F.W. de Klerk Foundation, which said in a statement that he had been receiving treatment for cancer.

A member of a prominent Afrikaner family, Mr. de Klerk had vehemently defended the separation of the races during his long climb up the political ladder. But once he took over as president in 1989, he stunned his deeply divided nation, and the wider world, by reconsidering South Africa’s racist ways, a step that led to him and Nelson Mandela, whom he released from prison, being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

South Africa had become such a pariah in the eyes of the world by the 1980s, its internal strife and tainted reputation so disruptive to the economy, that Mr. de Klerk argued that the country’s future depended on a new course. » | Marc Lacey | Thursday, November 11, 2021

Afrique du Sud : mort de Frederik de Klerk, «l'homme qui a aboli l'apartheid» : DISPARITION - Le dernier président blanc du pays, prix Nobel 1993 de la paix, était connu pour avoir officiellement mis fin à l'apartheid et libéré l'icône Nelson Mandela. Malade d'un cancer, il s'est éteint le jour de ses 85 ans. »

„Aus dem Kreislauf der Gewalt ausbrechen“ : Frederik Willem de Klerk, Südafrikas letzter weißer Staatspräsident, ist im Alter von 85 Jahren gestorben. Er trug maßgeblich zur Überwindung der Apartheid bei, obwohl er als Verfechter der Rassentrennung angetreten war. »

Südafrikas Türöffner für Demokratie: Frederik Willem de Klerk ist tot: Nichts hatte in der Biografie von de Klerk darauf hingedeutet, dass er entscheidenden Anteil am Ende der Apartheid in Südafrika haben würde. Im historisch richtigen Moment brachte er dennoch den nötigen Mut für den weitgehend friedlichen Regierungswechsel auf. »

FW de Klerk obituary: Last president of South Africa under apartheid who oversaw the orderly transfer of power »

Brexit: EU Warns of 'Serious Consequences' If UK Triggers Article 16

Nov 5, 2021 • Brussels could impose tariffs on UK imports or even tear up the EU-UK Brexit trade deal altogether.


Verwandt

EU to tell Frost Brexit talks will fail unless he ditches ECJ demand: Concerns grow that Boris Johnson has already decided to trigger article 16 of Northern Ireland protocol »

50,000 New Infections: Germany's Political Power Vacuum Impedes the Country's Covid Response

• Nov 11, 2021 • Germany crossed 50,000 new daily coronavirus infections for the first time on Thursday, according to the national public health body, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI). The RKI said Germany reported 50,196 new cases within the past 24 hours. The public health body also registered 235 new deaths from the virus. Germany's number of new cases per 100,000 people over the past week has now risen to 249.1. The institute previously reported on Wednesday 39,676 new cases, which was also a record at the time. The rising cases have alarmed Germany's top health officials and political leaders. Virologist Christian Drosten said the country could witness as many as 100,000 more deaths from the virus and called for urgent action. Chancellor Angela Merkel is pushing for talks with state premiers to craft a "quick and unified response" to the crisis. Some parts of the country are putting more pressure on unvaccinated citizens. On Monday, Berlin will require a certificate of vaccination or recovery for people entering public venues such as restaurants, gyms and hairdressers.

Britischer Brexit-Minister droht mit Eskalation


STREIT UM NORDIRLAND-ABKOMMEN

FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG: Seit Monaten verhandeln die EU und Großbritannien über das Nordirland-Abkommen, dass die Region an den europäischen Binnenmarkt anschließen soll. Bisher ohne Erfolg. Nun verschärft der britische Verhandlungsführer David Frost den Ton.

Der zuständige britische Minister David Frost hat im Streit um die Brexit-Regeln für Nordirland wiederholt damit gedroht, die Abmachungen des sogenannten Nordirland-Protokolls teilweise außer Kraft zu setzen. Gleichzeitig rief er die EU zur Besonnenheit auf.

Die Mitte Oktober von der EU-Kommission vorgelegten Vorschläge zur Lösung von Schwierigkeiten beim Handel zwischen Großbritannien und Nordirland bezeichnete der britische Minister David Frost als nicht ausreichend. Die Gespräche seitdem hätten keine Lösung gebracht. Noch bleibe Zeit, um zu einer Einigung zu kommen.

Sollte das jedoch nicht gelingen, werde das Auslösen des Notfallmechanismus von Artikel 16 des Protokolls „die einzige Option bleiben“, sagte Frost am Mittwoch im Oberhaus in London. » | Quelle: dpa | Mittwoch, 10. November 2021

La «pensée» de Xi Jinping déclarée «quintessence de la culture et de l'âme chinoises»

Le président chinois Xi Jinping sort encore renforcé de cette résolution. CARLOS GARCIA RAWLINS / REUTERS

LE FIGARO : Le Parti communiste chinois a adopté sans surprise un texte qui a encore élevé la stature du président en exercice parmi les icônes du pays.

Un siècle d'histoire pour mieux verrouiller l'avenir: le Parti communiste chinois (PCC) a adopté sans surprise jeudi 11 novembre un texte qui a encore élevé la stature du président Xi Jinping parmi les icônes du pays. Dans le plus grand secret, les près de 400 membres du Comité central, le «parlement» du PCC, ont approuvé une résolution sur «les grandes réussites» du mouvement fondé en 1921.

Dithyrambique, le texte publié par l'agence Chine nouvelle affirme que le PCC, qui gouverne le pays d'une main de fer depuis 72 ans, a écrit «l'épopée la plus magnifique de l'histoire de la nation chinoise sur des millénaires». Dans un pays où l'histoire est traditionnellement utilisée pour légitimer le pouvoir, Xi Jinping a profité de cette résolution pour se présenter en héritier incontestable du régime. » | Par Le Figaro avec AFP | jeudi 11 novembre 2021

À LIRE AUSSI : Xi Jinping, la quête du pouvoir absolu : RÉCIT - Lancé lundi, le plénum du PCC doit préparer le pays à une «nouvelle ère» à l’image du numéro un chinois. »

Seeking Global Praise, Boris Johnson Instead Deals with Scandal at Home

THE NEW YORK TIMES: As the host leader of the U.N. conference on global warming, Mr. Johnson was hoping to project statesmanship. But a mushrooming ethics scandal dominated the week, overshadowing his climate ambitions.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson, center, attended the United Nations’ climate conference in Glasgow on Wednesday. | Yves Herman/Reuters

GLASGOW, Scotland — Prime Minister Boris Johnson rushed back to the United Nations’ climate summit on Wednesday in a last-ditch effort to persuade countries to make more meaningful pledges to curb global warming. But his splashy return to the global stage was all but eclipsed by a mushrooming scandal over the lucrative business dealings of lawmakers from his Conservative Party.

Mr. Johnson is not the only world leader whose global ambitions have been swamped by domestic distractions. Some, like President Biden, were hamstrung by political battles back home. Others, like President Xi Jinping of China, were no-shows as they struggled with the pandemic and other challenges.

But as the host, Mr. Johnson’s split-screen moment was especially unforgiving: Rather than draw praise, as he had hoped, for his diplomacy on climate change, he has endured a skein of unflattering revelations about Conservative members of Parliament. The most recent embarrassment was a report that a former attorney general did legal work for the British Virgin Islands from his Westminster office, in violation of House of Commons rules.

On Wednesday, Mr. Johnson tried his best to change the subject.

“We need to pull out all the stops if we are to do what we came here to do,” he said at a news conference before the final two days of the climate conference, known as COP26. Mr. Johnson insisted a landmark deal was in reach, though he warned that several countries were falling short of necessary pledges.

“Will you help us grasp that opportunity or will you stand in the way?” he said. “The risk of sliding back would be an absolute disaster.” » | Mark Landler | Wednesday, November 10, 2021

Wednesday, November 10, 2021

Arthur Rubinstein - Chopin : Piano Concerto No 2 in F Minor, Op 21

London Symphony Orchestra: André Previn, conductor | 1. Maestoso 2. Larghetto 3. Allegro vivace


You can support Classical Vault on Patreon here.

Les meilleures tables du 9e arrondissement de Paris à moins de 50€

Le soufflé au Grand Marnier du Pantruche, une des adresses de Franck Baranger à Paris 9e. Sébastien SORIANO/Le Figaro

LE FIGARO : LA SÉLECTION DU FIGARO - De South Pigalle aux Grands Boulevards, en passant par les faubourgs et la Nouvelle Athènes, voici nos dix restaurants favoris, piochés parmi les nouveautés comme les valeurs sûres, pour un repas (entrée, plat, dessert) ne dépassant pas les 50 euros (ou presque!).

La sélection des meilleures tables du Figaro ici » | Par Alice Bosio, EMMANUEL RUBIN et Hugo de Saint Phalle | Publié : mardi 9 novembre 2021 ; mis à jour : mercredi 10 novembre 2021

Réservé aux abonnés

Einfach Spaß haben!

via GIPHY


Amusez-vous juste ! / Just have fun!