THE OBSERVER: Kleptocrats love this country, knowing full well they’ll be free from proper scrutiny
There is no better representation of the decline of the English upper class into the global rich’s servant class than Ben Elliot. On the one hand, the co-chairman of the Tory party is now a rent collector, hauling in money for the Johnson administration from the Russian rich and native hedge fund bosses.
On the other, he is an actual servant: an upmarket flunkey, to be sure, praised by society magazines for his “puppyish schoolboy charm”, but a flunkey nonetheless. Elliot is a founder of the Quintessentially “concierge” service that gives the super-rich anything they want: luncheon on an iceberg; the Sydney Harbour bridge closed for a wedding proposal. There’s nothing Elliot won’t do for paying customers up to and including arranging a meeting with our future sovereign. Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, is Elliot’s aunt and it appears that no considerations of good form or good manners have prevented him monetising the connection. Not that the prince appears to mind. A Quintessentially advert interrupts a montage of shots of yachts and celebrities to quote his royal highness as saying he is “particularly grateful” to Quintessentially for organising a party he attended. Members of Elliot’s Quintessentially club donate to the Conservatives. The Conservatives gave Elliot £1.4m of taxpayers’ money in 2016 to “attract the right high-value individual investors to the UK through bespoke programmes”. If on arrival, those high-value individuals went on to show how valuable they were by hiring Quintessentially and donating to the Tories, the circle would be complete.
Upstairs has moved downstairs in the remains of the Tory day and a large segment of British capitalism is now employed as the best servants money can buy. The law, PR, City, estate agency and banking know that easy riches come from serving the large part of the world where it pays to forget Balzac’s warning that the secret of a great fortune no one can explain is invariably an undetected crime. For want of an agreed name I propose “Corruptistan” to cover Russia and the ex-Soviet states, the kleptocracies of Africa and the Middle East and probably soon China as the communist elite learns how to expatriate its wealth. » | Nick Cohen | Saturday, December 2021
Sunday, December 05, 2021
Johnson Faces Trust Crisis as Sleaze Shatters Faith in MPs
THE OBSERVER: Poll reveals huge public cynicism, with just 5% of respondents believing politicians work for public good
Boris Johnson campaigning in the North Shropshire byelection, which was called following the resignation of Owen Paterson. Photograph: Andrew Parsons CCHQ/Parsons Media
Trust in politicians to act in the national interest rather than for themselves has fallen dramatically since Boris Johnson became prime minister, according to figures contained in a disturbing new study into the state of British democracy.
The polling data from YouGov for the Institute of Public Policy Research (IPPR) shows a particularly sharp fall in trust in the few weeks since the Owen Paterson scandal triggered a rash of Tory sleaze scandals.
In 2014, when David Cameron was prime minister, 48% of voters believed politicians were “out merely for themselves” as opposed to their country or party. This had increased to 57% by May 2021 after nearly two years of Johnson in No 10, and leapt to 63% last week in the wake of the Paterson affair. In the same poll, just 5% of voters thought politicians were in the job primarily for the good of their country.
While the polls have asked about politicians of all colours, the main opposition parties now believe the Tories are particularly vulnerable on questions of trust and sleaze, offering them a chance to break through. » | Toby Helm and Michael Savage | Saturday, November 4, 2021
Why trust politicians? How UK voters lost faith in our leaders: More people than ever before feel disaffected by our political system. But what are the reasons for this and what risks does it pose? »
One thing is for sure: history will not be kind to Boris Johnson. In years to come, pages in the history books describing his administration will be stamped with the words ‘sleaze and corruption’. In addition, the chapters written on Brexit will be stamped almost certainly with the following words: sleazy, corrupt, undemocratic, ‘financed by foreigners’.
Johnson’s apparent victory is but an illusion. One day, it will be shown to have been pyrrhic. – © Mark
Trust in politicians to act in the national interest rather than for themselves has fallen dramatically since Boris Johnson became prime minister, according to figures contained in a disturbing new study into the state of British democracy.
The polling data from YouGov for the Institute of Public Policy Research (IPPR) shows a particularly sharp fall in trust in the few weeks since the Owen Paterson scandal triggered a rash of Tory sleaze scandals.
In 2014, when David Cameron was prime minister, 48% of voters believed politicians were “out merely for themselves” as opposed to their country or party. This had increased to 57% by May 2021 after nearly two years of Johnson in No 10, and leapt to 63% last week in the wake of the Paterson affair. In the same poll, just 5% of voters thought politicians were in the job primarily for the good of their country.
While the polls have asked about politicians of all colours, the main opposition parties now believe the Tories are particularly vulnerable on questions of trust and sleaze, offering them a chance to break through. » | Toby Helm and Michael Savage | Saturday, November 4, 2021
Why trust politicians? How UK voters lost faith in our leaders: More people than ever before feel disaffected by our political system. But what are the reasons for this and what risks does it pose? »
One thing is for sure: history will not be kind to Boris Johnson. In years to come, pages in the history books describing his administration will be stamped with the words ‘sleaze and corruption’. In addition, the chapters written on Brexit will be stamped almost certainly with the following words: sleazy, corrupt, undemocratic, ‘financed by foreigners’.
Johnson’s apparent victory is but an illusion. One day, it will be shown to have been pyrrhic. – © Mark
Konsum im Zeitalter der Aufklärung | Geschichte schreiben | ARTE
Dec 5, 2021 • Mit der Kunst- und Wissenschaftshistorikerin Noémi Etienne als Gast wird in der heutigen Folge gezeigt, wie im 18. Jahrhundert bedruckte Stoffe ihren Weg aus Indien nach Europa fanden. Der Handel mit den Stoffen fand schon damals auf globaler Ebene statt und leistete so einen entscheidenden Beitrag zur Globalisierung der heutigen Zeit.
Die sogenannten Indienne-Stoffe sind Baumwollstoffe, die in bunten Farben und Mustern bemalt oder bedruckt sind. Wie der Name schon sagt, stammen sie ursprünglich aus Indien, wobei sich ihr Trend im 18. Jahrhundert bis nach Europa ausbreitete. Dort standen sie hoch im Kurs – sowohl als Kleiderstoff in bürgerlichen Kreisen als auch als Bezüge für verschiedene Möbel. Mit der Kunst- und Wissenschaftshistorikerin Noémi Etienne als Gast wird in der heutigen Folge von "Geschichte schreiben" gezeigt, wie die bedruckten Stoffe ihren Weg nach Europa fanden. Der Handel mit den Stoffen fand schon damals auf globaler Ebene statt und leistete so einen entscheidenden Beitrag zur Globalisierung der heutigen Zeit. Da sie zunächst vordergründig in Asien produziert wurden, um dann nach Europa importiert zu werden, gelten die Indienne-Stoffe als erster Schritt in Richtung der sogenannten Fast Fashion, wie wir sie derzeit kennen. Die französische YouTuberin Manon Bril schlägt an dieser Stelle die Brücke zwischen der Geschichte und dem digitalen Zeitalter der Gegenwart. "Indienne-Stoffe - Konsum im Zeitalter der Aufklärung" veranschaulicht die Geschichte der Indienne-Stoffe und zieht Paralellen zur heutigen Fast-Fashion-Industrie.
Dokureihe, Regie: Tamara Erde (F 2020, 18 Min)
Die sogenannten Indienne-Stoffe sind Baumwollstoffe, die in bunten Farben und Mustern bemalt oder bedruckt sind. Wie der Name schon sagt, stammen sie ursprünglich aus Indien, wobei sich ihr Trend im 18. Jahrhundert bis nach Europa ausbreitete. Dort standen sie hoch im Kurs – sowohl als Kleiderstoff in bürgerlichen Kreisen als auch als Bezüge für verschiedene Möbel. Mit der Kunst- und Wissenschaftshistorikerin Noémi Etienne als Gast wird in der heutigen Folge von "Geschichte schreiben" gezeigt, wie die bedruckten Stoffe ihren Weg nach Europa fanden. Der Handel mit den Stoffen fand schon damals auf globaler Ebene statt und leistete so einen entscheidenden Beitrag zur Globalisierung der heutigen Zeit. Da sie zunächst vordergründig in Asien produziert wurden, um dann nach Europa importiert zu werden, gelten die Indienne-Stoffe als erster Schritt in Richtung der sogenannten Fast Fashion, wie wir sie derzeit kennen. Die französische YouTuberin Manon Bril schlägt an dieser Stelle die Brücke zwischen der Geschichte und dem digitalen Zeitalter der Gegenwart. "Indienne-Stoffe - Konsum im Zeitalter der Aufklärung" veranschaulicht die Geschichte der Indienne-Stoffe und zieht Paralellen zur heutigen Fast-Fashion-Industrie.
Dokureihe, Regie: Tamara Erde (F 2020, 18 Min)
Saturday, December 04, 2021
UK’s Progress on Covid Now Squandered, Warns Top Scientist
THE GUARDIAN: Sir Jeremy Farrar, director of Wellcome Trust, suggests emergence of Omicron variant means pandemic is far from over
Farrar warned that rich countries had ‘a very blinkered domestic focus’ over Covid. Photograph: Nic Bothma/EPA
The emergence of the Omicron variant shows that the world is “closer to the start of the pandemic than the end”, one of Britain’s most senior scientific figures has warned, as he lamented a lack of political leadership over Covid.
Sir Jeremy Farrar, the director of the Wellcome Trust who stepped down as a government scientific adviser last month, said the progress in combatting Covid-19 since its emergence was “being squandered”.
Writing in the Observer, he said rich countries had been taking “a very blinkered domestic focus, lulled into thinking that the worst of the pandemic was behind us”. He said while he was cautiously hopeful that current vaccines would protect against severe illness from Omicron, that may not be true for future variants.
“The longer this virus continues to spread in largely unvaccinated populations globally, the more likely it is that a variant that can overcome our vaccines and treatments will emerge,” he writes. “If that happens, we could be close to square one. » | Michael Savage, Robin McKie | Saturday, December 4, 2021
The emergence of the Omicron variant shows that the world is “closer to the start of the pandemic than the end”, one of Britain’s most senior scientific figures has warned, as he lamented a lack of political leadership over Covid.
Sir Jeremy Farrar, the director of the Wellcome Trust who stepped down as a government scientific adviser last month, said the progress in combatting Covid-19 since its emergence was “being squandered”.
Writing in the Observer, he said rich countries had been taking “a very blinkered domestic focus, lulled into thinking that the worst of the pandemic was behind us”. He said while he was cautiously hopeful that current vaccines would protect against severe illness from Omicron, that may not be true for future variants.
“The longer this virus continues to spread in largely unvaccinated populations globally, the more likely it is that a variant that can overcome our vaccines and treatments will emerge,” he writes. “If that happens, we could be close to square one. » | Michael Savage, Robin McKie | Saturday, December 4, 2021
Autriche : des dizaines de milliers de manifestants contre les mesures prises face au Covid-19
LE FIGARO : Des dizaines de milliers de personnes ont manifesté samedi en Autriche pour le troisième week-end consécutif contre les mesures gouvernementales de lutte contre le coronavirus, notamment la vaccination qui sera obligatoire à partir de février, a annoncé la police.
Plusieurs arrestations ont eu lieu pour troubles à l'ordre public, selon la police qui a recensé «plus de 40.000» manifestants à Vienne, après plusieurs rassemblements dans la capitale. Selon la police, certains manifestants ont jeté des «engins pyrotechniques» sur les forces de l'ordre qui ont répliqué par l'usage de gaz poivre et une contre-manifestation a rassemblé 1500 personnes. » | Par Le Figaro avec AFP | samedi 4 décembre 2021
Le bitcoin s'effondre soudainement, rattrapé par le coup de froid sur les marchés
LE FIGARO : La cryptomonnaie a perdu 10.000 dollars en moins d'une heure, avant de se reprendre un peu.
Le bitcoin a perdu 10.000 dollars en moins d'une heure dans la nuit de vendredi à samedi, soit près de 20%, avant de se reprendre un peu mais restait affecté par la prudence prévalant sur les marchés financiers. Vers 16h GMT samedi, la devise virtuelle s'échangeait à 48.210 dollars, en baisse de 10% par rapport à vendredi soir. Vers 5h GMT, il avait soudainement chuté jusqu'à 42.296 dollars, sans explication particulière a priori. » | Par Le Figaro avec AFP | samedi 4 décembre 2021
Almost $12,000 wiped off value of bitcoin in weekend ‘thumping’: Cryptocurrency settles to just below $50,000 after record-high last month, in continuation of recent volatility »
Le bitcoin a perdu 10.000 dollars en moins d'une heure dans la nuit de vendredi à samedi, soit près de 20%, avant de se reprendre un peu mais restait affecté par la prudence prévalant sur les marchés financiers. Vers 16h GMT samedi, la devise virtuelle s'échangeait à 48.210 dollars, en baisse de 10% par rapport à vendredi soir. Vers 5h GMT, il avait soudainement chuté jusqu'à 42.296 dollars, sans explication particulière a priori. » | Par Le Figaro avec AFP | samedi 4 décembre 2021
Almost $12,000 wiped off value of bitcoin in weekend ‘thumping’: Cryptocurrency settles to just below $50,000 after record-high last month, in continuation of recent volatility »
Boris Johnson, the 'Clown' - Mistakes, Misjudgments, U-turns and Lies
Dec 4, 2021 • Boris Johnson, surely the worst prime minister ever, is not only dishonest but also incompetent making mistakes, misjudgments and U-turns almost every day.
Brexit, confrontation with the EU and especially with France, failure to resolve the Northern Ireland issue, failing to agree any serious new trade deals and the complete mishandling of the pandemic, whereby we have the second or third highest levels of new cases almost every day amounting to 40 - 50,000 cases per day. In three weeks, that’s a million cases! These are all problems caused, or made worse, by the prime minister.
Unlike countries throughout the EU such as Italy and France, this government half-heartedly brings in a new law making it obligatory to wear a mask in shops and on public transport. The public, seeing how the prime minister and Conservative politicians flout such regulations do the same.
In the past week Johnson has been called a liar in Parliament and the French president has described him as a clown running a circus and a knucklehead.
Brexit, confrontation with the EU and especially with France, failure to resolve the Northern Ireland issue, failing to agree any serious new trade deals and the complete mishandling of the pandemic, whereby we have the second or third highest levels of new cases almost every day amounting to 40 - 50,000 cases per day. In three weeks, that’s a million cases! These are all problems caused, or made worse, by the prime minister.
Unlike countries throughout the EU such as Italy and France, this government half-heartedly brings in a new law making it obligatory to wear a mask in shops and on public transport. The public, seeing how the prime minister and Conservative politicians flout such regulations do the same.
In the past week Johnson has been called a liar in Parliament and the French president has described him as a clown running a circus and a knucklehead.
Wie krank ist Homo-Heilung? | Doku | ARTE
May 19, 2021 • In Deutschland hat das Bundeskabinett am 18. Dezember 2019 einem Gesetzentwurf von Gesundheitsminister Jens Spahn zugestimmt, der sogenannte Konversionstherapien verbietet. Denn bis heute gibt es weltweit Geistliche und Therapeuten, die Menschen von ihrer homosexuellen Orientierung "heilen" wollen - mit gravierenden psychischen und gesundheitlichen Folgen für die Betroffenen
Der investigative Dokumentarfilm spürt Netzwerke auf, die äußerst fragwürdige Konversionstherapien betreiben – mit gravierenden psychischen und gesundheitlichen Folgen für die Betroffenen. Elektroschocks, frontale Lobotomien, Hormonbehandlungen und Aversionstherapien – seit Homosexualität in der WHO-Klassifizierung nicht mehr als psychische Erkrankung geführt wird, gelten diese dubiosen Praktiken eigentlich als verschwunden. Doch an ihre Stelle sind andere, ebenso grausame und menschenverachtende Methoden getreten, die weiterhin weltweit verbreitet werden. Wie es um solche Pseudotherapien steht, haben Bernard Nicolas und sein Journalistenteam zwei Jahre lang in den USA, in Frankreich, Deutschland, Polen und der Schweiz ermittelt. In den Vereinigten Staaten bekennen sich evangelikale Vereinigungen lautstark zu ihren Praktiken. In Frankreich, Deutschland und der Schweiz dagegen verhalten sich Katholiken und Evangelikale zurückhaltender, selbst wenn einige dieser „Heiler“ hohes Ansehen genießen und ein florierendes Geschäft betreiben. Der Dokumentarfilm enthält erschütternde Aussagen von Opfern, die erstmals vor der Kamera über die von ihnen erlittenen Qualen sprechen. So berichtet Benoit, dass ihn seine streng katholischen Eltern vom 15. bis zum 18. Lebensjahr in ein Sommerlager für Homosexuelle schickten, die dort umerzogen werden sollten. Deb, die Tochter eines evangelikalen Paares aus Arkansas, verfiel nach schlimmen Exorzismus-Sitzungen in eine tiefe Depression. Auch Jean-Michel erlitt die verheerenden Auswirkungen von Teufelsaustreibungen; er wähnte sich lange vom Dämon der Homosexualität besessen und lank>seiner Religion hielt. Ewa wiederum musste qualvolle Heilungsmessen, Umerziehungslager und Elektroschocks über sich ergehen lassen, die sie von ihrer Homosexualität „erlösen“ sollten.
Dokumentarfilm von Bernard Nicolas (F 2019, 90 Min)
Das Einbetten dieses Dokumentarfilms ist nicht erlaubt. Deshalb muß er an YouTube selber angesehen werden. Hier ist ein Link dazu. – Mark
Der investigative Dokumentarfilm spürt Netzwerke auf, die äußerst fragwürdige Konversionstherapien betreiben – mit gravierenden psychischen und gesundheitlichen Folgen für die Betroffenen. Elektroschocks, frontale Lobotomien, Hormonbehandlungen und Aversionstherapien – seit Homosexualität in der WHO-Klassifizierung nicht mehr als psychische Erkrankung geführt wird, gelten diese dubiosen Praktiken eigentlich als verschwunden. Doch an ihre Stelle sind andere, ebenso grausame und menschenverachtende Methoden getreten, die weiterhin weltweit verbreitet werden. Wie es um solche Pseudotherapien steht, haben Bernard Nicolas und sein Journalistenteam zwei Jahre lang in den USA, in Frankreich, Deutschland, Polen und der Schweiz ermittelt. In den Vereinigten Staaten bekennen sich evangelikale Vereinigungen lautstark zu ihren Praktiken. In Frankreich, Deutschland und der Schweiz dagegen verhalten sich Katholiken und Evangelikale zurückhaltender, selbst wenn einige dieser „Heiler“ hohes Ansehen genießen und ein florierendes Geschäft betreiben. Der Dokumentarfilm enthält erschütternde Aussagen von Opfern, die erstmals vor der Kamera über die von ihnen erlittenen Qualen sprechen. So berichtet Benoit, dass ihn seine streng katholischen Eltern vom 15. bis zum 18. Lebensjahr in ein Sommerlager für Homosexuelle schickten, die dort umerzogen werden sollten. Deb, die Tochter eines evangelikalen Paares aus Arkansas, verfiel nach schlimmen Exorzismus-Sitzungen in eine tiefe Depression. Auch Jean-Michel erlitt die verheerenden Auswirkungen von Teufelsaustreibungen; er wähnte sich lange vom Dämon der Homosexualität besessen und lank>seiner Religion hielt. Ewa wiederum musste qualvolle Heilungsmessen, Umerziehungslager und Elektroschocks über sich ergehen lassen, die sie von ihrer Homosexualität „erlösen“ sollten.
Dokumentarfilm von Bernard Nicolas (F 2019, 90 Min)
In France, a Right-Wing Polemicist Tries Channeling De Gaulle to Win Votes
THE NEW YORK TIMES: Éric Zemmour has adopted imagery reminiscent of Charles de Gaulle, the wartime leader. But his call for reborn glory for France is sharply at odds with the realities of the country today.
PARIS — The retro choreography was heavy-handed, its intent obvious: Éric Zemmour in a dark tie, eyes averted from the camera, reading into an old-fashioned microphone from sheets of paper, just like Charles de Gaulle in his famous speech from London on June 18, 1940, when he called for the liberation of a fallen France.
Mr. Zemmour is not a towering general, and France is not on its knees. But Mr. Zemmour, the far-right polemicist who this week announced his run for next year’s presidential election, understands the power of provocative imagery. Effrontery and scandal have propelled his outsider candidacy.
His campaign-launching video was a nationalistic call for reborn French glory. From Joan of Arc to the singer Johnny Hallyday, from Napoleon Bonaparte to Brigitte Bardot, from Voltaire to Versailles, from Notre Dame to village church bells, it took viewers on a tour of Mr. Zemmour’s imaginary France.
The France that — in the telling of this Jewish journalist of North African descent whose family arrived in France 70 years ago — existed before immigrants, Muslim veils, vandalism and mealy-mouthed elites led the country to its most recent strange defeat. » | Roger Cohen | Saturday, December 4, 2021
PARIS — The retro choreography was heavy-handed, its intent obvious: Éric Zemmour in a dark tie, eyes averted from the camera, reading into an old-fashioned microphone from sheets of paper, just like Charles de Gaulle in his famous speech from London on June 18, 1940, when he called for the liberation of a fallen France.
Mr. Zemmour is not a towering general, and France is not on its knees. But Mr. Zemmour, the far-right polemicist who this week announced his run for next year’s presidential election, understands the power of provocative imagery. Effrontery and scandal have propelled his outsider candidacy.
His campaign-launching video was a nationalistic call for reborn French glory. From Joan of Arc to the singer Johnny Hallyday, from Napoleon Bonaparte to Brigitte Bardot, from Voltaire to Versailles, from Notre Dame to village church bells, it took viewers on a tour of Mr. Zemmour’s imaginary France.
The France that — in the telling of this Jewish journalist of North African descent whose family arrived in France 70 years ago — existed before immigrants, Muslim veils, vandalism and mealy-mouthed elites led the country to its most recent strange defeat. » | Roger Cohen | Saturday, December 4, 2021
It Is Impossible to Work Seriously with Boris Johnson’s Government
THE GUARDIAN: On refugees, fishing and the NI protocol, we need cooperation. But Britain and France are a long way from an entente cordiale
Macron said of Johnson’s letter tweet: “I am surprised when methods are not serious. One does not communicate on those issues, from one leader to another, via tweets or by a letter made public.” Photograph: Alastair Grant/PA
Britain and France have a long and intertwined history, encompassing great friendship and solidarity as well as war and rivalry. This was evident most recently following terrorist attacks in our respective countries. It’s a relationship that can still be characterised as “sweet enemies”, as Philip Sidney put it in a sonnet in 1591.
We are twin countries, with more or less the same population, similar economies, and the same status on the world stage, as permanent members of the United Nations security council, and nuclear countries with military projection capability. As members of the same international organisations, we have often held the same positions, and coordinated closely. This respect and cooperative spirit have been particularly strong among diplomats from our two nations.
Any prejudices and mockery have remained mostly friendly, or been delivered with a touch of humour – as in 2012, when both Boris Johnson and David Cameron riled François Hollande’s government by saying they would “roll out the red carpet” for French businessmen who were being highly taxed in France. The then French Minister of Labour, Michel Sapin, rejoindered: “Frankly, I don’t understand how you can unfurl a red carpet across the Channel. It could get quite wet.” » | Sylvie Bermann | Saturday, December 4, 2021
Sylvie Bermann is a former French ambassador to the UK
France rejects idea of joint patrols with UK forces on Calais coast: Boris Johnson proposal rebuffed with suggestion he offer legal alternatives to reduce risky Channel crossings »
Britain and France have a long and intertwined history, encompassing great friendship and solidarity as well as war and rivalry. This was evident most recently following terrorist attacks in our respective countries. It’s a relationship that can still be characterised as “sweet enemies”, as Philip Sidney put it in a sonnet in 1591.
We are twin countries, with more or less the same population, similar economies, and the same status on the world stage, as permanent members of the United Nations security council, and nuclear countries with military projection capability. As members of the same international organisations, we have often held the same positions, and coordinated closely. This respect and cooperative spirit have been particularly strong among diplomats from our two nations.
Any prejudices and mockery have remained mostly friendly, or been delivered with a touch of humour – as in 2012, when both Boris Johnson and David Cameron riled François Hollande’s government by saying they would “roll out the red carpet” for French businessmen who were being highly taxed in France. The then French Minister of Labour, Michel Sapin, rejoindered: “Frankly, I don’t understand how you can unfurl a red carpet across the Channel. It could get quite wet.” » | Sylvie Bermann | Saturday, December 4, 2021
Sylvie Bermann is a former French ambassador to the UK
France rejects idea of joint patrols with UK forces on Calais coast: Boris Johnson proposal rebuffed with suggestion he offer legal alternatives to reduce risky Channel crossings »
Emmanuel Macron Accused of Trying to ‘Rehabilitate’ Mohammed bin Salman
THE GUARDIAN: Human rights groups criticise French president’s planned meeting with crown prince in Saudi Arabia
The meeting on Saturday will mark the first one-on-one between the crown prince and a major western leader since the assassination of Jamal Khashoggi. Photograph: Sarah Meyssonnier/Reuters
Human rights groups have criticised Emmanuel Macron’s planned meeting with Mohammed bin Salman in Saudi Arabia on Saturday, which will mark the first one-on-one public meeting of a major western leader with the crown prince since the state-sponsored assassination of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
For three years since the 2018 murder, western heads of state have avoided direct one-on-one meetings with the crown prince in the kingdom. The US president, Joe Biden, has even avoided speaking to the future king in what has widely been seen as an attempt to avoid conferring legitimacy on the de facto ruler.
But Macron’s move suggests at least one major western leader is ready to formally re-establish ties to the crown prince directly, less than a year after US intelligence agencies released a report stating they believed that Prince Mohammed had approved the murder of Khashoggi. » | Angelique Chrisafis in Paris and Stephanie Kirchgaessner in Washington | Friday, December 3, 2021
Emmanuel Macron entame une visite contestée en Arabie saoudite : Le président français est l’un des premiers dirigeants occidentaux à rencontrer le prince héritier Mohammed Ben Salmane depuis l’assassinat, en 2018, du journaliste saoudien Jamal Khashoggi. »
Élysée : Depuis Djeddah, le Président Emmanuel Macron répond aux questions de la presse. »
Human rights groups have criticised Emmanuel Macron’s planned meeting with Mohammed bin Salman in Saudi Arabia on Saturday, which will mark the first one-on-one public meeting of a major western leader with the crown prince since the state-sponsored assassination of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
For three years since the 2018 murder, western heads of state have avoided direct one-on-one meetings with the crown prince in the kingdom. The US president, Joe Biden, has even avoided speaking to the future king in what has widely been seen as an attempt to avoid conferring legitimacy on the de facto ruler.
But Macron’s move suggests at least one major western leader is ready to formally re-establish ties to the crown prince directly, less than a year after US intelligence agencies released a report stating they believed that Prince Mohammed had approved the murder of Khashoggi. » | Angelique Chrisafis in Paris and Stephanie Kirchgaessner in Washington | Friday, December 3, 2021
Emmanuel Macron entame une visite contestée en Arabie saoudite : Le président français est l’un des premiers dirigeants occidentaux à rencontrer le prince héritier Mohammed Ben Salmane depuis l’assassinat, en 2018, du journaliste saoudien Jamal Khashoggi. »
Élysée : Depuis Djeddah, le Président Emmanuel Macron répond aux questions de la presse. »
Friday, December 03, 2021
En dix mois, Joe Biden a déçu une grande partie des Américains
LE FIGARO : RÉCIT - Covid, inflation, immigration, politique étrangère ou réformes intérieures: le président démocrate n’est pas jugé à la hauteur de ses promesses.
Il avait fait campagne sur le retour de la compétence à la Maison-Blanche, le rétablissement d’une certaine normalité et l’apaisement des divisions partisanes. Un an plus tard, Joe Biden n’a guère convaincu, ni par ses qualités de gestionnaire, ni sur sa capacité à tourner la page de la pandémie, et les États-Unis sont plus polarisés que jamais sur presque tous les sujets.
Une récente défaite électorale en Virginie en septembre, et une autre évitée in extremis dans le New Jersey, deux États remportés par Biden en 2020, ont créé un début de panique chez les démocrates. Ces résultats sont de mauvais augure pour les élections de mi-mandat de l’année prochaine, traditionnellement difficiles pour le parti au pouvoir. Détenant une très faible majorité au Congrès, les démocrates craignent de la perdre au Sénat comme à la Chambre. Et l’élection présidentielle de 2024 est aussi dans les esprits. Même si le président, qui vient d’avoir 79 ans, a l’intention de se représenter, la question d’une éventuelle relève se pose. » | Par Adrien Jaulmes | vendredi 3 décembre 2021
Réservé aux abonnés
Fall Osman Kavala: Europarat leitet Strafverfahren gegen die Türkei ein | DW Nachrichten
Dec 3, 2021 • Der Europarat hat wegen der anhaltenden Inhaftierung des türkischen Kulturförderers und Menschenrechtsaktivisten Osman Kavala ein Strafverfahren gegen die Türkei eingeleitet. Das Ministerkomitee mit Vertretern der 47 Mitgliedsstaaten forderte in Straßburg die Regierung in Ankara zugleich auf, bis zum 19. Januar ihren Standpunkt darzulegen, wie das Gremium mitteilte.
Doch die politische Führung unter Präsident Recep Tayyip Erdogan gibt sich hartleibig: Die anhaltende Inhaftierung Kavalas sei eine Sache der "unabhängigen Justiz" in der Türkei, bekräftigte sie jüngst. Ankara ermahnte den Europarat, auf jegliche "Einmischung" in türkische Justizangelegenheiten zu verzichten.
"Im schlimmsten Fall droht der Türkei ein Rausschmiss aus dem Europarat," sagt DW-Korrespondentin Julia Hahn.
Doch die politische Führung unter Präsident Recep Tayyip Erdogan gibt sich hartleibig: Die anhaltende Inhaftierung Kavalas sei eine Sache der "unabhängigen Justiz" in der Türkei, bekräftigte sie jüngst. Ankara ermahnte den Europarat, auf jegliche "Einmischung" in türkische Justizangelegenheiten zu verzichten.
"Im schlimmsten Fall droht der Türkei ein Rausschmiss aus dem Europarat," sagt DW-Korrespondentin Julia Hahn.
Our Persian-American Wedding | Jonathan and Zachary Kiani | @jonkiani
After the outpouring of love and support we've received over the last few days. We felt compelled to share the entirety of what was truly the most special night of both our lives.
It is not lost on us how blessed we've been. To have the full unconditional support of all our loved ones is beyond priceless. Many still yearn for that reality. But in that evening, it was clear; a brighter future, void of ignorance and bigotry, familiar to far too many, is attainable. We love you all and are forever thankful.
(A huge thank you to our godmother and officiant, Ms. Shohreh Aghdashloo)
Instagram: @jonkiani
It is not lost on us how blessed we've been. To have the full unconditional support of all our loved ones is beyond priceless. Many still yearn for that reality. But in that evening, it was clear; a brighter future, void of ignorance and bigotry, familiar to far too many, is attainable. We love you all and are forever thankful.
(A huge thank you to our godmother and officiant, Ms. Shohreh Aghdashloo)
Instagram: @jonkiani
When a Far-right Candidate Has ‘le buzz’, France Shouldn’t Take Young People for Granted
THE GUARDIAN – OPINION: The youth movement around Éric Zemmour, though small, is an indication that this deeply political generation can also be nihilistic
A placard saying, ‘Stop spreading hatred, Monsieur Zemmour’, at a rally to mark Éric Zemmour’s visit to Geneva last week. Photograph: Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images
They all rolled their eyes when I asked them what they thought of Éric Zemmour, the smirking far-right polemicist running for president. My students thought he was racist and wrote him off as a crank. They hated Marine Le Pen of the far-right Rassemblement National (National Rally) but took her seriously. You had to accept that she was part of the political furniture, but this guy was beyond the pale. He had, after all, been convicted of hate speech.
Yet even then he was depressingly mainstream, writing bestsellers containing Vichy apologia and hate-filled screeds against feminism and homosexuality. He had a column at Le Figaro where he penned conspiratorial pieces arguing that Christianity had made France but Islam was trying to break it. Recently, Zemmour has become a semi-permanent TV fixture. A murky infrastructure of donors and online shock troops supporting him has emerged, and he tours France meeting fans.
Zemmour’s politics are horribly nihilistic. His ideas are straight from extremist Renaud Camus’ “great replacement” theory of a concerted demographic annihilation of white Europeans by immigration. Although his new book, La France n’a pas dit son dernier mot (France Has Not Spoken Its Last Word), is tinged marginally with optimism, his conclusion about the supposed renaissance ignores living standards and lapses into a war cry against foreigners and those who dare object to police brutality.
He is frequently compared to Donald Trump, though politically Zemmour is a different beast. He is, in his own words, engaged in a Gramscian struggle over culture. His strategy seems more considered than Trump’s spasmodic demagoguery. » | Oliver Haynes | Thursday, December 2, 2021
This article was highly commended in the Guardian Foundation’s 2021 Hugo Young award, which champions political opinion writing among 18- to 25-year-olds
They all rolled their eyes when I asked them what they thought of Éric Zemmour, the smirking far-right polemicist running for president. My students thought he was racist and wrote him off as a crank. They hated Marine Le Pen of the far-right Rassemblement National (National Rally) but took her seriously. You had to accept that she was part of the political furniture, but this guy was beyond the pale. He had, after all, been convicted of hate speech.
Yet even then he was depressingly mainstream, writing bestsellers containing Vichy apologia and hate-filled screeds against feminism and homosexuality. He had a column at Le Figaro where he penned conspiratorial pieces arguing that Christianity had made France but Islam was trying to break it. Recently, Zemmour has become a semi-permanent TV fixture. A murky infrastructure of donors and online shock troops supporting him has emerged, and he tours France meeting fans.
Zemmour’s politics are horribly nihilistic. His ideas are straight from extremist Renaud Camus’ “great replacement” theory of a concerted demographic annihilation of white Europeans by immigration. Although his new book, La France n’a pas dit son dernier mot (France Has Not Spoken Its Last Word), is tinged marginally with optimism, his conclusion about the supposed renaissance ignores living standards and lapses into a war cry against foreigners and those who dare object to police brutality.
He is frequently compared to Donald Trump, though politically Zemmour is a different beast. He is, in his own words, engaged in a Gramscian struggle over culture. His strategy seems more considered than Trump’s spasmodic demagoguery. » | Oliver Haynes | Thursday, December 2, 2021
This article was highly commended in the Guardian Foundation’s 2021 Hugo Young award, which champions political opinion writing among 18- to 25-year-olds
From Abortion Bans to Anti-Trans Laws, a Christian Legal Army Is Waging War on America
After nullifying abortion rights in the USA, extreme Christians will come after LGBT rights. You’d better believe it! Get ready for the fight! This side of the Atlantic, I wouldn't trust Éric Zemmour on LGBT rights either. He's also too extreme for comfort. – © Mark
Moskau warnt vor „Alptraumszenario einer militärischen Konfrontation“
FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG: Der russische Außenminister Sergej Lawrow wirft der NATO vor, ihre militärische Infrastruktur näher an die russische Grenze zu bringen. Der amerikanische Außenminister Antony Blinken ruft Moskau zur „Deeskalation“ auf.
Russland hat vor dem Hintergrund der Spannungen an der ukrainisch-russischen Grenze vor einer Rückkehr zu einem „Alptraumszenario einer militärischen Konfrontation“ gewarnt. Der russische Außenminister Sergej Lawrow warf der Nato am Donnerstag bei einem OSZE-Treffen in Stockholm vor, „ihre militärische Infrastruktur näher an die russischen Grenzen zu bringen“. Der amerikanische Außenminister Antony Blinken rief Russland zu „Deeskalation“ und „Diplomatie“ auf. » | Quelle: AFP | Donnerstag, 2. Dezember 2021
Ces grands restaurants qui proposent encore un chariot à fromages
LE FIGARO : LA SÉLECTION DU FIGARO - Si l’époque rime avec repas légers et réduction du gaspillage, certaines grandes tables continuent de proposer cet emblème fastueux de la gastronomie française.
Élodie, 45 ans, Parisienne friande de nouvelles tables, ne résiste pas à l’appel du chariot à fromages: «Je ne vais pas jusqu’à choisir un restaurant pour ça, mais sa présence à la carte me met en joie et influence souvent le reste de mon menu. Je n’hésite pas à renoncer au dessert pour lui faire de la place.» Elle n’est pas séduite par le fromage en soi - qu’elle snobe lorsqu’il n’est servi qu’à l’assiette - mais par le rituel du chariot. «C’est un peu désuet, fastueux et ludique à la fois. Réaliser un chariot de qualité, qui attire l’œil à la manière de la vitrine d’un fromager, demande un vrai travail de la part du restaurateur.» Et apprécie tout particulièrement «le petit voyage à travers les régions de France» mais aussi les accompagnements imaginés par le chef: «Je garde un souvenir ému du chariot de la maison Roellinger à Cancale ; il y avait une multitude de chutneys, une huile pimentée pour accompagner le chèvre… Autant d’associations étonnantes, réfléchies dans la continuité de la cuisine!» » | Par Alice Bosio | vendredi 3 décembre 2021
Réservé aux abonnés
Yuja Wang – Rachmaninov: Prelude in G Minor, Op. 23, No. 5 | Live at Philharmonie, Berlin, 2018
Bandenkriminalität in Schweden | ARTE Re:
Während in ganz Europa die Gewaltkriminalität sinkt, steigt ausgerechnet in Schweden die Waffengewalt. 124 Menschen kamen im Jahr 2020 durch Schusswaffen zu Tode. Es handelt sich dabei eher um unorganisierte, nicht um organisierte Kriminalität. "Wir sind als Gang von Freunden unterwegs", erklärt ein Bandenmitglied. "Es gibt keine Big Bosses im Hintergrund."
Jede Woche kommt es in Schweden zu Schießereien. Wiederkehrende Berichte über Waffengewalt in Brennpunktbezirken gehören mittlerweile zum medialen Grundrauschen. Die meisten Fälle werden kaum noch von der Öffentlichkeit registriert. Dabei ist die Statistik alarmierend: In Schweden sterben jedes Jahr mehr Menschen durch Schusswaffen als im Rest Europas – mit steigender Tendenz. In den vergangenen fünf Jahren kam es zu mehr als 2.500 Schießereien, 199 davon endeten tödlich, 588 Menschen wurden verletzt.
Die meisten Opfer, aber auch die Täter, sind junge Männer. Viele von ihnen gehören kriminellen Banden an. Das Problem betrifft das ganze Land, auch abseits der Großstädte. „Arte Re:“ sucht in Helsingborg, einer 150.000-Einwohnerstadt an der Grenze zu Dänemark, nach den Hintergründen.
Hier gibt es Drogenhandel, kriminelle Banden und Problemviertel. Und es kommt immer wieder zu Waffengewalt. Nour Habib war hier früher selbst in einer Gang. Viereinhalb Jahre saß er wegen bewaffneten Raubes im Gefängnis. Danach wollte er nicht wieder zurück in den Teufelskreis der Kriminalität und hat eine Allianz für gefährdete Jugendliche mit der lokalen Wirtschaft gegründet.
Omar El-Almali hat 2020 einen seiner besten Freunde bei einer Schießerei verloren. Omar hat gerade sein Kriminalistik-Studium beendet und ist angehender Sozialarbeiter. Er will sich nicht damit abfinden, dass vor allem junge Männer mit Migrationshintergrund in Gewalt und Kriminalität verstrickt werden. Gemeinsam mit der Polizistin Mona Ammar Persson arbeitet er in seiner eigenen Community gegen die Perspektivlosigkeit.
Reportage (D 2021, 32 Min)
Jede Woche kommt es in Schweden zu Schießereien. Wiederkehrende Berichte über Waffengewalt in Brennpunktbezirken gehören mittlerweile zum medialen Grundrauschen. Die meisten Fälle werden kaum noch von der Öffentlichkeit registriert. Dabei ist die Statistik alarmierend: In Schweden sterben jedes Jahr mehr Menschen durch Schusswaffen als im Rest Europas – mit steigender Tendenz. In den vergangenen fünf Jahren kam es zu mehr als 2.500 Schießereien, 199 davon endeten tödlich, 588 Menschen wurden verletzt.
Die meisten Opfer, aber auch die Täter, sind junge Männer. Viele von ihnen gehören kriminellen Banden an. Das Problem betrifft das ganze Land, auch abseits der Großstädte. „Arte Re:“ sucht in Helsingborg, einer 150.000-Einwohnerstadt an der Grenze zu Dänemark, nach den Hintergründen.
Hier gibt es Drogenhandel, kriminelle Banden und Problemviertel. Und es kommt immer wieder zu Waffengewalt. Nour Habib war hier früher selbst in einer Gang. Viereinhalb Jahre saß er wegen bewaffneten Raubes im Gefängnis. Danach wollte er nicht wieder zurück in den Teufelskreis der Kriminalität und hat eine Allianz für gefährdete Jugendliche mit der lokalen Wirtschaft gegründet.
Omar El-Almali hat 2020 einen seiner besten Freunde bei einer Schießerei verloren. Omar hat gerade sein Kriminalistik-Studium beendet und ist angehender Sozialarbeiter. Er will sich nicht damit abfinden, dass vor allem junge Männer mit Migrationshintergrund in Gewalt und Kriminalität verstrickt werden. Gemeinsam mit der Polizistin Mona Ammar Persson arbeitet er in seiner eigenen Community gegen die Perspektivlosigkeit.
Reportage (D 2021, 32 Min)
Recipe30: Sicilian Style Spaghetti – A Simple 20-minute Meal
A tasty spaghetti meal with the flavours of Sicily. This recipe uses a mixed variety of olives and cherry tomatoes, resulting in a beautiful and appetising rainbow of colours. It also contains garlic, chili, anchovies and capers for those tasty, delicious flavours.
A quick meal to make, if organized,, it should be done by the time the pasta is cooked, including boiling time, usually under 20 minutes.
I used the beautiful milder white anchovies, if you can’t find them, use the regular ones and halve the amount as they are stronger.
If you season your pasta water correctly (a little less salty than sea water), then no further seasoning is required. The anchovies, olives and cheese are salty enough. Enjoy this Sicilian Style spaghetti today!
To this chef’s website.
A quick meal to make, if organized,, it should be done by the time the pasta is cooked, including boiling time, usually under 20 minutes.
I used the beautiful milder white anchovies, if you can’t find them, use the regular ones and halve the amount as they are stronger.
If you season your pasta water correctly (a little less salty than sea water), then no further seasoning is required. The anchovies, olives and cheese are salty enough. Enjoy this Sicilian Style spaghetti today!
To this chef’s website.
Boris Johnson’s Rule Is a Throwback to the 18th-century Golden Age of Sleaze
THE GUARDIAN – OPINION: This prime minister is a reminder of an era when government jobs were sold and political leverage was bought with cash
Boris Johnson speaks during Prime Minister's Questions, 3 November 2021. Photograph: Jessica Taylor/UK Parliament/AFP/Getty Images
Corruption is a word used nervously in the UK. We’re quite happy applying it to other countries; but in Britain even critics of the status quo can be surprisingly reluctant to describe as corrupt our society’s tight, often concealed circulation of power and rewards.
Partly, this is because corruption is a slippery concept. “There has never been a single, fixed, universal definition,” wrote Mark Knights of Warwick University in 2016. “Notions about what is unfair, unjust or immoral change over time.”
As a small, centralised country with a huge capital city, Britain has for centuries been run by elites with overlapping memberships and interests, and offered a wide range of services to foreigners with dubious fortunes. To attack this system as corrupt is to risk being called unworldly – and experience feelings of deep frustration and futility. From the House of Lords to the City of London, the capital is lined with ancient institutions that anti-corruption campaigners have failed to cleanse.
Yet there are periods when the charge of corruption suddenly acquires potency. Having struggled for two years to find an effective way of criticising Boris Johnson’s government, Labour seems finally to have discovered one. “Corruption,” said the party’s deputy leader, Angela Rayner, on Monday, “is rife right through this Conservative government.” Keir Starmer, often too measured, has become just as blunt about the issue. » | Andy Beckett | Friday, December 3, 2021
Corruption is a word used nervously in the UK. We’re quite happy applying it to other countries; but in Britain even critics of the status quo can be surprisingly reluctant to describe as corrupt our society’s tight, often concealed circulation of power and rewards.
Partly, this is because corruption is a slippery concept. “There has never been a single, fixed, universal definition,” wrote Mark Knights of Warwick University in 2016. “Notions about what is unfair, unjust or immoral change over time.”
As a small, centralised country with a huge capital city, Britain has for centuries been run by elites with overlapping memberships and interests, and offered a wide range of services to foreigners with dubious fortunes. To attack this system as corrupt is to risk being called unworldly – and experience feelings of deep frustration and futility. From the House of Lords to the City of London, the capital is lined with ancient institutions that anti-corruption campaigners have failed to cleanse.
Yet there are periods when the charge of corruption suddenly acquires potency. Having struggled for two years to find an effective way of criticising Boris Johnson’s government, Labour seems finally to have discovered one. “Corruption,” said the party’s deputy leader, Angela Rayner, on Monday, “is rife right through this Conservative government.” Keir Starmer, often too measured, has become just as blunt about the issue. » | Andy Beckett | Friday, December 3, 2021
Thursday, December 02, 2021
Germany Shuts Unvaccinated People Out of Much of Public Life
THE NEW YORK TIMES: Facing a huge coronavirus surge, Chancellor Angela Merkel, her successor, Olaf Scholz, and state governors agreed on tough new restrictions on people who have not been inoculated.
BERLIN — Germany announced tough new restrictions on Thursday to exclude unvaccinated people from much of public life, seeking to break a soaring fourth wave of the coronavirus pandemic and blunt the worrisome new Omicron variant.
The new rules, which stopped short of enforcing a complete lockdown on the unvaccinated, followed an agreement hammered out between Chancellor Angela Merkel, her successor, Olaf Scholz, and state governors.
Under the new rules, those wishing to go to bars and restaurants, or shop anywhere but in stores carrying basic necessities — like pharmacies or grocery stores — have to present proof of vaccination or documentation of recovery from a recent coronavirus infection. Some of those restrictions have been in effect already in some states; the agreement sets a uniform nationwide standard.
With the new rules, and a promise by Mr. Scholz this week that he would push a law making vaccinations mandatory, Germany is following the path of Austria, which recently mandated that all adults be inoculated by February. It comes as both countries contend with strident anti-vaccination sentiment in their populations that have kept vaccination rates low compared with other western European countries. » | Christopher F. Schuetze | Thursday, December 2, 2021
BERLIN — Germany announced tough new restrictions on Thursday to exclude unvaccinated people from much of public life, seeking to break a soaring fourth wave of the coronavirus pandemic and blunt the worrisome new Omicron variant.
The new rules, which stopped short of enforcing a complete lockdown on the unvaccinated, followed an agreement hammered out between Chancellor Angela Merkel, her successor, Olaf Scholz, and state governors.
Under the new rules, those wishing to go to bars and restaurants, or shop anywhere but in stores carrying basic necessities — like pharmacies or grocery stores — have to present proof of vaccination or documentation of recovery from a recent coronavirus infection. Some of those restrictions have been in effect already in some states; the agreement sets a uniform nationwide standard.
With the new rules, and a promise by Mr. Scholz this week that he would push a law making vaccinations mandatory, Germany is following the path of Austria, which recently mandated that all adults be inoculated by February. It comes as both countries contend with strident anti-vaccination sentiment in their populations that have kept vaccination rates low compared with other western European countries. » | Christopher F. Schuetze | Thursday, December 2, 2021
Daily Telegraph Owner Could Go to Jail for Allegedly Failing to Pay Ex-wife £50m
THE GUARDIAN: Lady Hiroko Barclay asks judge to commit Sir Frederick Barclay to prison for non-payment of divorce settlement
Sir Frederick Barclay leaves the high court in London. Photograph: Kirsty O’Connor/PA
The reclusive billionaire owner of the Daily Telegraph could be sent to jail, after allegedly failing to pay his ex-wife £50m in one of the biggest divorce settlements in UK history.
Sir Frederick Barclay’s ex-wife has asked a judge to commit him to prison after claiming the businessman failed to make payments ordered by the high court.
Lady Hiroko Barclay said 87-year-old Sir Frederick is in contempt of court and accused him of breaching orders relating to the payment of money and production of documents.
Earlier this year Lady Barclay was awarded a settlement of £100m following the breakdown of their 34-year marriage. She now says Sir Frederick has failed to hand over the first half of the money and to produce relevant material. Lawyers representing Sir Frederick indicated he would mount a defence. » | Jim Waterson and agencies | Thursday, December 2, 2021
The reclusive billionaire owner of the Daily Telegraph could be sent to jail, after allegedly failing to pay his ex-wife £50m in one of the biggest divorce settlements in UK history.
Sir Frederick Barclay’s ex-wife has asked a judge to commit him to prison after claiming the businessman failed to make payments ordered by the high court.
Lady Hiroko Barclay said 87-year-old Sir Frederick is in contempt of court and accused him of breaching orders relating to the payment of money and production of documents.
Earlier this year Lady Barclay was awarded a settlement of £100m following the breakdown of their 34-year marriage. She now says Sir Frederick has failed to hand over the first half of the money and to produce relevant material. Lawyers representing Sir Frederick indicated he would mount a defence. » | Jim Waterson and agencies | Thursday, December 2, 2021
Homosexuality & The Bible 1: God Said It, I Believe It, That Settles It - John Corvino
John Corvino discusses some Bible verses from both the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures, explores analogies to slavery and divorce, and points out the inconsistencies of those who cherry-pick the apparently anti-gay parts of the Bible while glossing over other problematic passages. (Passages read from New Revised Standard Version.)
Dr. John Corvino, also known as the "Gay Moralist," is a writer, speaker, and philosophy professor at Wayne State University in Detroit. He is the author of What's Wrong with Homosexuality? and the co-author (with Maggie Gallagher) of Debating Same-Sex Marriage, both from Oxford University Press.
Dr. John Corvino, also known as the "Gay Moralist," is a writer, speaker, and philosophy professor at Wayne State University in Detroit. He is the author of What's Wrong with Homosexuality? and the co-author (with Maggie Gallagher) of Debating Same-Sex Marriage, both from Oxford University Press.
Is It Ever Too Late? No, and Here's Why...
But All I Can Think About Is You on World AIDS Day
ADVOCATE: The unequal responses to two national tragedies trigger a flood of memories for one man recalling a dear friend he lost to the AIDS epidemic.
Dear M — I am supposed to be writing about World AIDS Day, but all I can think about is you.
Today also happens to be September 11, the 20th anniversary of the attacks. The President and a couple of former ones are here to mourn. The blue lights where the towers should be are back on, reaching for the heavens. The names of the dead, all 2977, are read aloud. “Never forget,” we’re told.
I am supposed to be writing about World AIDS Day; it’s the 40th anniversary of the epidemic. We don’t get the presidents mourning though. None of the names of our 106,776 dead in New York City alone are read aloud. We still don’t have a vaccine or a cure. But we have a day, and that red ribbon. » | Richie Jackson | Wednesday, December 1, 2021
Canada Votes to Ban Barbaric Conversion Therapy while the UK Dithers and Delays
PINK NEWS: Canada’s House of Commons has voted unanimously to ban so-called LGBT+ conversion therapy, while Tory government officials continue to dither over a proposed ban in the UK.
The new legislation, proposed by the Liberal government of prime minister Justin Trudeau, would make it illegal to have a child, or anyone who is unwilling, to undergo the dehumanising practice.
All efforts to change a person’s sexuality or gender identity have long been rejected by mainstream medical and mental health organisations in recent decades.
In fact, UN experts have called for a global ban saying such interventions are “degrading and discriminatory and rooted in the belief that LGBT+ persons are somehow inferior”. » | Nola Ojomu | Thursday, December 2, 2021
Dies könnte ein Clip aus der schwulen Version von Vom Winde verweht sein!
Die große Hungersnot in Irland | Doku HD | ARTE
1845: Eine große Hungerkatastrophe hat Europa fest im Griff. Sie führte vor 175 Jahren zu politischen Unruhen und Umstürzen, unzählige Menschen starben. Mit einer Million Toten und zwei Millionen Auswanderern am weitaus stärksten betroffen war Irland, das von Großbritannien, der damals reichsten und mächtigsten Nation der Welt, regiert wurde.
Vor 175 Jahren wurde Europa von einer verheerenden Hungersnot heimgesucht. Ausgelöst wurde die Krise durch einen aus Südamerika eingeschleppten heimtückischen Pilz, der die Kartoffelernten vernichtete. In Frankreich, Belgien, Holland, Schottland und dem Königreich Preußen fielen Hunderttausende Menschen Hunger und Krankheiten zum Opfer.
In Irland, wo die Kartoffel das Hauptnahrungsmittel für die meisten Menschen darstellte, waren die Auswirkungen besonders extrem. Eine Million Iren starben, zwei Millionen wanderten zwischen 1845 und 1855 aus. Irland ist noch heute das einzige westliche Land mit einer geringeren Bevölkerungszahl als in den 1840er Jahren. Anhand von Gesprächen mit Historikern und von Zeitzeugenberichten ergründet „Die große Hungersnot in Irland“ die Hintergründe dieser humanitären Katastrophe des 19. Jahrhunderts auf dem europäischen Festland sowie in Großbritannien und Irland.
Der Dokumentarfilm veranschaulicht verheerende Zusammenhänge und Folgen: eine bäuerliche Unterschicht, die sich angesichts der existenziellen Bedrohung zu Mord, Plünderung und Kannibalismus getrieben sah; eine kapitalistische, meist britische Elite in Irland und Großbritannien, die vor nichts zurückschreckte, um die eigenen Interessen zu schützen. Irland war zwar seit 1801 offiziell scheinbar gleichberechtigt im Staatsnamen „Vereinigtes Königreich Großbritannien und Irland“ vertreten, de facto betrachteten die Briten Irland aber als eine ihrer vielen Kolonien. Deshalb gab es krasse Unterschiede beim Zugang zu Ressourcen. Eine skrupellose Mittelschicht schlug Profit aus dem Elend der Armen. Emigrationswellen erinnern an die heutige Zuwanderung aus Afrika und dem Nahen Osten nach Europa.
Der Dokumentarfilm geht auch auf die weitreichenderen Auswirkungen ein, die zum Teil bis in die Gegenwart hineinreichen: Die Krise führte 1846 zum Sturz der britischen Regierung unter Robert Peel, war Katalysator für die europäischen Revolutionen von 1848 und begründete die irische Diaspora, zu der sich heute mehr als 70 Millionen Menschen in aller Welt zählen. Und nicht zuletzt befeuerte sie den kulturellen Aufschwung und die Unabhängigkeitsbestrebungen Irlands. Erst gut 70 Jahre später, nach einem furchtbaren Weltkrieg und einem blutigen Bürgerkrieg, kam für Irland mit dem Irischen Freistaat die Unabhängigkeit und das Ende britischer Ausbeutung.
Dokumentarfilm von Ruán Magan (IE/F 2020, 91 Min)
Vor 175 Jahren wurde Europa von einer verheerenden Hungersnot heimgesucht. Ausgelöst wurde die Krise durch einen aus Südamerika eingeschleppten heimtückischen Pilz, der die Kartoffelernten vernichtete. In Frankreich, Belgien, Holland, Schottland und dem Königreich Preußen fielen Hunderttausende Menschen Hunger und Krankheiten zum Opfer.
In Irland, wo die Kartoffel das Hauptnahrungsmittel für die meisten Menschen darstellte, waren die Auswirkungen besonders extrem. Eine Million Iren starben, zwei Millionen wanderten zwischen 1845 und 1855 aus. Irland ist noch heute das einzige westliche Land mit einer geringeren Bevölkerungszahl als in den 1840er Jahren. Anhand von Gesprächen mit Historikern und von Zeitzeugenberichten ergründet „Die große Hungersnot in Irland“ die Hintergründe dieser humanitären Katastrophe des 19. Jahrhunderts auf dem europäischen Festland sowie in Großbritannien und Irland.
Der Dokumentarfilm veranschaulicht verheerende Zusammenhänge und Folgen: eine bäuerliche Unterschicht, die sich angesichts der existenziellen Bedrohung zu Mord, Plünderung und Kannibalismus getrieben sah; eine kapitalistische, meist britische Elite in Irland und Großbritannien, die vor nichts zurückschreckte, um die eigenen Interessen zu schützen. Irland war zwar seit 1801 offiziell scheinbar gleichberechtigt im Staatsnamen „Vereinigtes Königreich Großbritannien und Irland“ vertreten, de facto betrachteten die Briten Irland aber als eine ihrer vielen Kolonien. Deshalb gab es krasse Unterschiede beim Zugang zu Ressourcen. Eine skrupellose Mittelschicht schlug Profit aus dem Elend der Armen. Emigrationswellen erinnern an die heutige Zuwanderung aus Afrika und dem Nahen Osten nach Europa.
Der Dokumentarfilm geht auch auf die weitreichenderen Auswirkungen ein, die zum Teil bis in die Gegenwart hineinreichen: Die Krise führte 1846 zum Sturz der britischen Regierung unter Robert Peel, war Katalysator für die europäischen Revolutionen von 1848 und begründete die irische Diaspora, zu der sich heute mehr als 70 Millionen Menschen in aller Welt zählen. Und nicht zuletzt befeuerte sie den kulturellen Aufschwung und die Unabhängigkeitsbestrebungen Irlands. Erst gut 70 Jahre später, nach einem furchtbaren Weltkrieg und einem blutigen Bürgerkrieg, kam für Irland mit dem Irischen Freistaat die Unabhängigkeit und das Ende britischer Ausbeutung.
Dokumentarfilm von Ruán Magan (IE/F 2020, 91 Min)
Barbados erklärt Unabhängigkeit: Zerfällt das Reich der Queen? | DW Nachrichten
As French Election Looms, Candidates Stake Out Tough Positions on Migrants
THE NEW YORK TIMES: France has fewer immigrants than other rich nations. But politicians are hardening their positions against immigration even as other countries compete for migrant workers.
Migrants waiting to be allocated emergency accommodation by a nonprofit organization in Paris in April. | Andrea Mantovani for The New York Times
PARIS — An out-of-control influx of immigrants. A threat to French identity and stability. A reason to urgently close France’s frontiers.
The issue of immigration is dominating political debate in the country five months before presidential elections, as candidates on the right as well as the left harden their positions. The drowning last week of 27 migrants off France’s northern coast has only added to the argument that migration must be checked.
Despite the fierce words on the campaign trail, the reality is far different: Nearly all of France’s neighbors have a greater proportion of immigrants in their populations. In the past decade, immigration has grown less in France than in the rest of Europe or in other rich nations worldwide.
The figures show that the migration situation in France is “rather ordinary, rather moderate,’’ said François Héran, a leading expert on migration who teaches at Collège de France. “We’re really not a country overrun by immigration,’’ Mr. Héran said. » | Norimitsu Onishi | Thursday, December 2, 2021
PARIS — An out-of-control influx of immigrants. A threat to French identity and stability. A reason to urgently close France’s frontiers.
The issue of immigration is dominating political debate in the country five months before presidential elections, as candidates on the right as well as the left harden their positions. The drowning last week of 27 migrants off France’s northern coast has only added to the argument that migration must be checked.
Despite the fierce words on the campaign trail, the reality is far different: Nearly all of France’s neighbors have a greater proportion of immigrants in their populations. In the past decade, immigration has grown less in France than in the rest of Europe or in other rich nations worldwide.
The figures show that the migration situation in France is “rather ordinary, rather moderate,’’ said François Héran, a leading expert on migration who teaches at Collège de France. “We’re really not a country overrun by immigration,’’ Mr. Héran said. » | Norimitsu Onishi | Thursday, December 2, 2021
The End of Roe Is Coming, and It Is Coming Soon
THE NEW YORK TIMES: As someone who has spent my career studying the history of abortion, I thought I knew what to expect tuning into Wednesday’s oral arguments in the Supreme Court abortion case, Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. It was clear that big changes were coming to U.S. abortion law, no matter what. The Mississippi law at issue bans abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy, even though Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey recognize a right to choose abortion significantly later in pregnancy. So if the court sides with Mississippi in this case — as it is widely expected to do — then American abortion rights will be fundamentally undermined.
The only real question is how the justices will rationalize their decision to side with Mississippi. And on that front, I fear I was wrong.
There are two likely scenarios for how this decision could go: The justices could throw out the so-called viability standard, which is the underpinning of abortion law today. (Viability is the point at which a fetus can survive outside the womb, or about 23 weeks of pregnancy.) Or they could do something much more radical and say — precedent be damned — there is no right to abortion in America at all.
After hearing arguments, I now believe that the justices will fully overturn Roe v. Wade when their decision comes down next year. » | Mary Ziegler * | Wednesday, December 1, 2021
* Ms. Ziegler is the author of “Abortion and the Law in America: Roe v. Wade to the Present.”
Abortion rights advocates vow to fight on after supreme court hearing: Leaders say they will look to statehouses and lower courts if justices allow undermining of Roe v Wade »
Conservative US supreme court justices signal support for restricting abortion in pivotal case: Case poses a direct threat to the legal underpinnings of the landmark 1973 Roe v Wade ruling that guaranteed the constitutional right to abortion »
Five takeaways from US supreme court’s Mississippi abortion rights case hearing: The Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Oganization case could weaken the provisions of the landmark 1973 Roe v Wade ruling »
Abortion at the Court: The Supreme Court seems likely to undermine or overturn Roe v. Wade. »
Covid Surge in Germany: Is a Lockdown Inevitable? | DW News
As Germany faces record-breaking infection numbers and fears of the omicron variant abound, Angela Merkel's designated successor Olaf Scholz is calling for a general vaccine mandate. Talking to Germany's Bild television on Tuesday, the chancellor-in-waiting said he would like to see mandatory vaccinations "not too far away in the future, so I suggest beginning of February or March." At the same time, he said that the decision would be made in the parliament, and that it would be a "matter of conscience" for individual lawmakers. Germany's Federal Medical Association also called for a vaccine mandate to put a stop to the "endless loop of lockdowns." It urged the German government to make arrangements that would apply to "all adult citizens with no medical contra-indications against a vaccine." The question of mandatory vaccination is considered controversial in Germany, partly due to forced medical treatments during the Nazi-era. Separately, spokesman for the outgoing German government Steffen Seibert said a decision on the vaccine mandate would be made "soon."
According to Reuters news agency, Scholz also supported the idea of introducing so-called 2G rules for customers in retail stores, meaning they must be either vaccinated ("geimpft") or have recovered ("genesen") from COVID-19. The rules would not apply in supermarkets or drugstores. Reuters said that Scholz had pledged to make changes to the Infection Protection Act to provide "states with high infection rates with a suitable set of instruments." Scholz also introduced Major General Carsten Breuer as the head of a planned COVID crisis team to be set up when the new coalition government commences work. The team is to primarily speed up Germany's vaccination program, including the administering of booster injections. States governed by premiers from Scholz's Social Democrats (SPD) called for the the protection given by vaccination to be officially recognized only for six months, the daily Rheinische Post reported, citing the waning efficacy of the vaccines after that period.
Also on Tuesday, the Federal Constitutional Court ruled that the "emergency brake" imposed by the federal government from April to June was compatible with the constitution. Under the measure, districts and regions were required to implement curfews, contact restrictions and other curbs when the infection rate rose above certain levels. Several state premiers have called for similar nationwide measures to be reintroduced as Germany struggles to contain a fourth wave of the pandemic that has recently been additionally complicated by the advent of the omicron variant.
According to Reuters news agency, Scholz also supported the idea of introducing so-called 2G rules for customers in retail stores, meaning they must be either vaccinated ("geimpft") or have recovered ("genesen") from COVID-19. The rules would not apply in supermarkets or drugstores. Reuters said that Scholz had pledged to make changes to the Infection Protection Act to provide "states with high infection rates with a suitable set of instruments." Scholz also introduced Major General Carsten Breuer as the head of a planned COVID crisis team to be set up when the new coalition government commences work. The team is to primarily speed up Germany's vaccination program, including the administering of booster injections. States governed by premiers from Scholz's Social Democrats (SPD) called for the the protection given by vaccination to be officially recognized only for six months, the daily Rheinische Post reported, citing the waning efficacy of the vaccines after that period.
Also on Tuesday, the Federal Constitutional Court ruled that the "emergency brake" imposed by the federal government from April to June was compatible with the constitution. Under the measure, districts and regions were required to implement curfews, contact restrictions and other curbs when the infection rate rose above certain levels. Several state premiers have called for similar nationwide measures to be reintroduced as Germany struggles to contain a fourth wave of the pandemic that has recently been additionally complicated by the advent of the omicron variant.
Covid: Avoid ‘Snogging under Mistletoe’ This Christmas, Says UK Minister
THE GUARDIAN: Thérèse Coffey says people should not kiss anyone they do not know to limit spread of coronavirus
Thérèse Coffey: ‘I don’t think there should be much snogging under the mistletoe. You don’t need to do things like that.’ Photograph: DW Images/Rex/Shutterstock
Britons should avoid “snogging under the mistletoe” this Christmas, according to a government minister, as a leading scientist said people could enjoy Christmas if they took “sensible” precautions.
The work and pensions secretary, Thérèse Coffey, told ITV’s Peston programme that “we should all be trying to enjoy the Christmas ahead of us”, adding: “For what it’s worth, I don’t think there should be much snogging under the mistletoe.”
She added: “You don’t need to do things like that. But I think we should all be trying to enjoy the Christmas ahead of us, and that’s why we’re working so hard to get the deployment of as many vaccines as possible.”
Coffey said kissing should be avoided with “people you don’t already know”.
She later tweeted: “Watch the full interview folks … Don’t kiss with people you don’t know … government working exceptionally hard with NHS and the jabs army to get boosters in arms so we can all enjoy a proper Christmas knees up.” » | Alexandra Topping and Aubrey Allegretti | Thursday, December 2, 2021
Britons should avoid “snogging under the mistletoe” this Christmas, according to a government minister, as a leading scientist said people could enjoy Christmas if they took “sensible” precautions.
The work and pensions secretary, Thérèse Coffey, told ITV’s Peston programme that “we should all be trying to enjoy the Christmas ahead of us”, adding: “For what it’s worth, I don’t think there should be much snogging under the mistletoe.”
She added: “You don’t need to do things like that. But I think we should all be trying to enjoy the Christmas ahead of us, and that’s why we’re working so hard to get the deployment of as many vaccines as possible.”
Coffey said kissing should be avoided with “people you don’t already know”.
She later tweeted: “Watch the full interview folks … Don’t kiss with people you don’t know … government working exceptionally hard with NHS and the jabs army to get boosters in arms so we can all enjoy a proper Christmas knees up.” » | Alexandra Topping and Aubrey Allegretti | Thursday, December 2, 2021
MP Warns of Financial Corruption in UK Escaping ‘Toothless’ Enforcers
THE GUARDIAN: Economic crime needs to ‘be taken seriously’ alongside tougher anti-money laundering levy, says Hodge
The Pandora Papers leak shows that the UK is in danger of becoming a corrupt country because it is failing to take economic crime seriously enough, the former chair of the public accounts watchdog told MPs, as she called for more funding for financial crime enforcers.
Dame Margaret Hodge, a senior Labour MP, raised the issue in the Commons as part of a debate on the finance bill, highlighting the central role of London in facilitating economic crime.
She said the Pandora Papers, leaked to the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) and shared with media around the world including the Guardian, comprised “the largest cache of documents we have ever received” in relation to tax havens.
“The UK lies at the heart of everything revealed there,” she said. “Others have talked about secret property transactions that took place – £4bn identified in the Pandora Papers. There are more UK citizens cited in that tranche of leaks than from any other country. The relationship between the UK and our tax havens is central to the facilitation of economic crime, and again we see the weak and toothless enforcement agencies.” » | Rowena Mason, Deputy political editor | Thursday, December 2, 2021
The Pandora Papers leak shows that the UK is in danger of becoming a corrupt country because it is failing to take economic crime seriously enough, the former chair of the public accounts watchdog told MPs, as she called for more funding for financial crime enforcers.
Dame Margaret Hodge, a senior Labour MP, raised the issue in the Commons as part of a debate on the finance bill, highlighting the central role of London in facilitating economic crime.
She said the Pandora Papers, leaked to the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) and shared with media around the world including the Guardian, comprised “the largest cache of documents we have ever received” in relation to tax havens.
“The UK lies at the heart of everything revealed there,” she said. “Others have talked about secret property transactions that took place – £4bn identified in the Pandora Papers. There are more UK citizens cited in that tranche of leaks than from any other country. The relationship between the UK and our tax havens is central to the facilitation of economic crime, and again we see the weak and toothless enforcement agencies.” » | Rowena Mason, Deputy political editor | Thursday, December 2, 2021
Macron Privately Called Boris Johnson a ‘Clown’, Says French Magazine
THE GUARDIAN: Report follows French president’s complaint about PM’s behaviour after they discussed sinking of refugee boat in the Channel
Macron reportedly said of Johnson: ‘We have discussions like big people, and then he gives us a hard time before or afterwards in an inelegant way. It’s always the same circus.’ Photograph: Murdo MacLeod/The Guardian
The French president, Emmanuel Macron, referred to Boris Johnson in a private conversation as a “clown”, according to reports in France.
The political magazine Le Canard enchaîné, often described as the French equivalent of Private Eye, reported Macron as saying the British prime minister has “the attitude of a vulgarian”.
It came as Macron complained about Johnson’s behaviour after the leaders spoke by phone after last Wednesday’s sinking of a refugee boat in the Channel.
The French president was angered after Johnson tweeted a letter outlining a five-point plan to tackle the issue of Channel crossings. “I spoke two days ago with prime minister Johnson in a serious way,” Macron said at a press conference on Friday after the tweet. “For my part I continue to do that, as I do with all countries and all leaders. I am surprised by methods when they are not serious. We do not communicate from one leader to another on these issues by tweets and letters that we make public.” » | Tom Ambrose | Thursday, December 2, 2021
The French president, Emmanuel Macron, referred to Boris Johnson in a private conversation as a “clown”, according to reports in France.
The political magazine Le Canard enchaîné, often described as the French equivalent of Private Eye, reported Macron as saying the British prime minister has “the attitude of a vulgarian”.
It came as Macron complained about Johnson’s behaviour after the leaders spoke by phone after last Wednesday’s sinking of a refugee boat in the Channel.
The French president was angered after Johnson tweeted a letter outlining a five-point plan to tackle the issue of Channel crossings. “I spoke two days ago with prime minister Johnson in a serious way,” Macron said at a press conference on Friday after the tweet. “For my part I continue to do that, as I do with all countries and all leaders. I am surprised by methods when they are not serious. We do not communicate from one leader to another on these issues by tweets and letters that we make public.” » | Tom Ambrose | Thursday, December 2, 2021
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