Friday, December 10, 2021
George Michael : Father Figure | Official Video
The History of Balenciaga
Les hôpitaux libanais déstabilisés par l’exode de leurs médecins
LE FIGARO : REPORTAGE - L’Organisation mondiale de la santé estime que 30 à 40 % du personnel a démissionné à cause de la crise.
Un hall d’entrée quasi désert, personne ou presque dans les couloirs: difficile de croire qu’on est en milieu de journée, en pleine semaine, au cœur d’un des plus grands hôpitaux du Liban à 30 kilomètres de Beyrouth. «Quelle misère, mais quelle misère…», se lamente sœur Élisabeth Noirot alors qu’elle traverse au pas de charge l’aile fermée de l’hôpital général de Bhannes, dans le Metn. À l’âge où d’autres partent à la retraite, elle dirige ce centre hospitalier qui dépend des Filles de la charité, une congrégation catholique fondée en France au XVIIIe siècle sous l’autorité de l’Ordre de Saint-Vincent de Paul. «À ce rythme-là, on en a pour trois, quatre mois tout au plus.» Après? «Khalasse», dit-elle en arabe, comme si la fatalité trouvait plus facilement à s’exprimer dans la langue d’Avicenne. Si rien n’est fait, ce centre niché dans un parc immense, où cèdres et pins parasols se disputent les cimaises, fermera ses 250 lits au printemps prochain. «On ne veut pas perdre l’espoir, mais, en l’état, on n’a pas le budget pour survivre et notre ordre n’a pas les moyens de nous soutenir.» » | Par Cyrille Louis | vendredi 10 décembre 2021
Réservé aux abonnés
À LIRE AUSSI :
La France et l’Arabie saoudite au chevet du Liban : DÉCRYPTAGE - Riyad, qui a coupé les ponts avec Beyrouth, ne s’est engagé que sur de l’aide humanitaire. »
New Zealand Law Aims to Stamp Out Smoking – BBC News
• Dec 9, 2021 • New Zealand will ban the sale of tobacco to its next generation, in a bid to eventually phase out smoking.
Anyone born after 2008 will not be able to buy cigarettes or tobacco products in their lifetime, under a law expected to be enacted next year.
"We want to make sure young people never start smoking," Health Minister Dr Ayesha Verall said.
The move is part of a sweeping crackdown on smoking announced by New Zealand's health ministry on Thursday.
Doctors and other health experts in the country have welcomed the "world-leading" reforms, which will reduce access to tobacco and restrict nicotine levels in cigarettes.
Verwandt.
This is a draconian law being introduced by socialists. Should we be surprised? Socialists have got a nasty habit of wanting to legislate for everything. They love to ban this and ban that. It must be something in their DNA, I suppose.
I would say that this law, in the long-run, is unworkable. First of all, it is going to be fodder for an underworld of cheap, illicit imports; but more than this, there are many unanswered questions. For example, what happens when someone born after 2008 goes abroad to work as an ex-pat and takes up the smoking habit? What will happen to him/her upon return to New Zealand? If the ex-pat becomes ‘addicted’ to smoking whilst working abroad, he or she will face a dilemma when the tour of duty is over: Either keep on smoking and stay away from the homeland, or return home and struggle to live without cigarettes.
Apart from being draconian and undemocratic, this law is also bonkers! I despair of meddlesome politicians. – © Mark
Anyone born after 2008 will not be able to buy cigarettes or tobacco products in their lifetime, under a law expected to be enacted next year.
"We want to make sure young people never start smoking," Health Minister Dr Ayesha Verall said.
The move is part of a sweeping crackdown on smoking announced by New Zealand's health ministry on Thursday.
Doctors and other health experts in the country have welcomed the "world-leading" reforms, which will reduce access to tobacco and restrict nicotine levels in cigarettes.
Verwandt.
This is a draconian law being introduced by socialists. Should we be surprised? Socialists have got a nasty habit of wanting to legislate for everything. They love to ban this and ban that. It must be something in their DNA, I suppose.
I would say that this law, in the long-run, is unworkable. First of all, it is going to be fodder for an underworld of cheap, illicit imports; but more than this, there are many unanswered questions. For example, what happens when someone born after 2008 goes abroad to work as an ex-pat and takes up the smoking habit? What will happen to him/her upon return to New Zealand? If the ex-pat becomes ‘addicted’ to smoking whilst working abroad, he or she will face a dilemma when the tour of duty is over: Either keep on smoking and stay away from the homeland, or return home and struggle to live without cigarettes.
Apart from being draconian and undemocratic, this law is also bonkers! I despair of meddlesome politicians. – © Mark
Perfekt, um Sie im Winter warm zu halten: Ein liebevoller, schwuler Kuß!
Julian Assange's Fiancée Brands US Extradition Decision 'Cynical'
Related.
The US’s poodle does what it has been told to do: it agrees to extradite Julian Assange. Free speech is on its last legs: the truth must never be told. This is the age of “alternative facts” ! »
Die Luft für Julian Assange wird dünner: Laut dem britischen High Court darf Julian Assange nun doch an die USA ausgeliefert werden. Seine Anhänger kündigten zwar eine Berufung an, doch ist offen, wie lange sich der Wikileaks-Gründer dem Zugriff der amerikanischen Justiz noch entziehen kann. »
Vladimir Poutine n’a jamais accepté le départ de l’Ukraine
LE FIGARO : ANALYSE - Il y a clairement un déséquilibre fondamental entre ce que représente l’Ukraine pour la Russie, un membre vital dont elle a été amputée et dont elle ressent toujours l’absence, et l’intérêt plus lointain que lui porte l’Occident. Ce déséquilibre rend la tâche de Joe Biden et de ses partenaires face à Poutine très ardue. Mais ils semblent moins naïfs qu’en 2014.
Alors que Washington dit craindre une invasion russe de l’Ukraine début 2022 et a engagé une discussion musclée avec Vladimir Poutine pour le dissuader de répéter le coup de force de Crimée de 2014, il est utile de relire le texte que le président russe a écrit en juillet. «Russes et Ukrainiens, nous sommes un même peuple», explique-t-il dans cette méditation étonnamment longue sur l’histoire ukrainienne. Il y affirme qu’en acceptant en 1924 laisser un droit de sortie aux républiques lors de la création de l’URSS, les Bolcheviks ont mis en place «une bombe à retardement» qui a explosé à la face des dirigeants russes en 1991. » | Par Laure Mandeville | Jeudi 9 décembre 2021
Réservé aux abonnés
À LIRE AUSSI :
Biden et Poutine, sommet virtuel en quête de désescalade : DÉCRYPTAGE - Les deux chefs d’État évoqueront mardi, lors d’un sommet par vidéoconférence, les vives tensions en Ukraine. »
Boris Johnson pris dans une violente tempête politique
LE FIGARO : Le premier ministre est rattrapé par le scandale des «Christmas parties». Des députés de l’opposition appellent à sa démission.
Boris Johnson risque de ne pas savourer «l’esprit de Noël». Alors que la fin de l’année s’approche à pas prudents, les feux des fêtes de l’an dernier viennent d’exploser dans un ciel déjà chargé au-dessus du premier ministre britannique. Le pays tout entier s’indigne d’une fête qui aurait eu lieu à Downing Street malgré les restrictions anti-Covid. Et «BoJo» fait face à l’une des pires crises politiques depuis son accession au pouvoir.
Alors que le gouvernement plombait le Noël des Britanniques en leur interdisant de se réunir en famille ou de se rendre à l’enterrement de leurs proches, il semble que l’on s’amusait bien dans les bureaux de l’exécutif. » | Par Arnaud De La Grange | jeudi 9 décembre 2021
Réservé aux abonnés
À LIRE AUSSI :
Boris Johnson, ou la politique comme un match de boxe : PORTRAIT - À force de volontarisme, le premier ministre a remis son pays sur les rails du Brexit. »
LINKS IN ENGLISH:
Lies, damned lies: the full list of accusations against Boris Johnson: Alleged dishonesty over Downing Street Christmas party and flat redecoration join list of infamous controversies »
Scathing attack on Boris Johnson by his erstwhile chum, Dominic Cummings »
The Arguments about Abortion in the US Are about One Thing: Controlling Women
THE GUARDIAN: Anti-abortionists are intent on enhancing men’s privileges, while women cannot even have rights over their own bodies
Pro-choice protests outside the supreme court, Washington DC, 1 December 2021. Photograph: Allison Bailey/NurPhoto/REX/Shutterstock
Alot of people with a lot of power don’t see why women should have jurisdiction over their own bodies. That’s the anti-abortion argument in a nutshell, in that they claim a foetus, or even an embryo, or in some cases even a fertilised egg too small for the human eye to see, has rights that supersede those of the person inside whose body that egg, embryo or foetus might be.
What was clear from the rightwing pundits and conservative supreme court justices who have piped up over the last month as arguments were being heard in the most significant abortion rights case since Roe v Wade, is that in a country whose constitution is supposed to grant us all a lot of rights, they are happy to strip away a right so fundamental it’s unimaginable in other circumstances – or that it would be stripped from other people, namely men. In the case, Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the state of Mississippi is asking the court to rule on whether it can outlaw abortions after 15 weeks’ gestation. They are asking, in other words, for the right to punish women for being women.
The goal of the anti-abortionists seems to be to enhance men’s privileges by undermining women’s rights, by making us separate and unequal. (People who do not identify as female also get pregnant and bear children, but the animosity is directed at women and girls, so I’m going to talk about women and girls here.) Since acknowledging this would undermine the anti-abortion case, the emphasis is instead shifted to someone else whose rights are claimed to trump those of pregnant people, the unborn. The unborn are a convenient constituency to advocate for, since they have no voice or vote and anyone can claim to speak for them. » | Rebecca Solnit | Friday, December 10, 2021
Alot of people with a lot of power don’t see why women should have jurisdiction over their own bodies. That’s the anti-abortion argument in a nutshell, in that they claim a foetus, or even an embryo, or in some cases even a fertilised egg too small for the human eye to see, has rights that supersede those of the person inside whose body that egg, embryo or foetus might be.
What was clear from the rightwing pundits and conservative supreme court justices who have piped up over the last month as arguments were being heard in the most significant abortion rights case since Roe v Wade, is that in a country whose constitution is supposed to grant us all a lot of rights, they are happy to strip away a right so fundamental it’s unimaginable in other circumstances – or that it would be stripped from other people, namely men. In the case, Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the state of Mississippi is asking the court to rule on whether it can outlaw abortions after 15 weeks’ gestation. They are asking, in other words, for the right to punish women for being women.
The goal of the anti-abortionists seems to be to enhance men’s privileges by undermining women’s rights, by making us separate and unequal. (People who do not identify as female also get pregnant and bear children, but the animosity is directed at women and girls, so I’m going to talk about women and girls here.) Since acknowledging this would undermine the anti-abortion case, the emphasis is instead shifted to someone else whose rights are claimed to trump those of pregnant people, the unborn. The unborn are a convenient constituency to advocate for, since they have no voice or vote and anyone can claim to speak for them. » | Rebecca Solnit | Friday, December 10, 2021
Julian Assange Can Be Extradited to US to Face Espionage Charges, Court Rules
THE GUARDIAN: Decision overturns previous ruling that Wikileaks co-founder could not be extradited due to mental health concerns
Julian Assange can be extradited to the US, the high court has ruled as it overturned a judgment earlier this year.
The decision today deals a major blow to the Wikileaks co-founder’s efforts to prevent his extradition to the US to face espionage charges, although options to appeal remain open to his legal team. » | Ben Quinn | Friday, December 10, 2021
U.K. Court Rules Julian Assange Can Be Extradited to U.S.: The WikiLeaks founder can still appeal the verdict, which would leave him facing espionage charges that could put him in prison for decades. »
Julian Assange can be extradited to the US, the high court has ruled as it overturned a judgment earlier this year.
The decision today deals a major blow to the Wikileaks co-founder’s efforts to prevent his extradition to the US to face espionage charges, although options to appeal remain open to his legal team. » | Ben Quinn | Friday, December 10, 2021
U.K. Court Rules Julian Assange Can Be Extradited to U.S.: The WikiLeaks founder can still appeal the verdict, which would leave him facing espionage charges that could put him in prison for decades. »
Thursday, December 09, 2021
Le Golfe persique à l’heure de la détente
LE FIGARO : Guidés par leurs intérêts économiques, l’Arabie saoudite et ses voisins s’efforcent de tourner la page de leurs disputes.
Après des années de tensions, l’heure est à la détente entre monarchies du Golfe, qui doivent se réunir en sommet à la mi-décembre en Arabie saoudite. Ces derniers jours, une série de visites entre leaders qui entretenaient des relations difficiles, voire même parfois hostiles, ont eu lieu dans plusieurs capitales de la péninsule arabique.
La plus marquante est celle qu’a entamée mercredi au Qatar, le prince héritier saoudien, Mohammed Ben Salman, la première depuis que l’homme fort de l’Arabie surnommé MBS a pris les rênes du royaume. » | Par Georges Malbrunot | mercredi 8 décembre 2021
Réservé aux abonnés
À LIRE AUSSI :
Arabie: sous la pression, MBS tend la main à l’ennemi iranien : DÉCRYPTAGE - Anticipant un accord entre Washington et Téhéran, le prince héritier cautionne des pourparlers secrets en Irak avec Téhéran. »
Global Gay: The Next Frontier In Human Rights - Documentary
Japans LGBT-Szene erreicht einen Meilenstein – Tokio will gleichgeschlechtliche Partnerschaften anerkennen
NEUE ZÜRCHER ZEITUNG: Auf lokaler Ebene in Japan schwindet der Widerstand gegen die gleichgeschlechtliche Ehe. Wird Japan das zweite Land Asiens, das die Ehe für alle beschliesst?
Tokio will den Weg ebnen für gleichgeschlechtliche Ehen. Bald könnte das ganze Land folgen. Auf dem Bild: Pride-Parade in Tokio 2019. | Alessandro Di Ciommo / Imago
Tokios konservative Bürgermeisterin Yuriko Koike gehört bei der Förderung von Lesben- und Schwulenrechten zu Japans Avantgarde. Anfang dieser Woche kündigte sie an, in der 14-Millionen-Einwohner-Metropole umzusetzen, was es auf Landesebene noch nicht gibt: eine Gleichstellung gleichgeschlechtlicher Partnerschaften.
«Um das Verständnis für sexuelle Vielfalt zu fördern und die Probleme der Betroffenen zu verringern, werden wir die Grundprinzipien für die Einführung eines Systems gleichgeschlechtlicher Partnerschaften im bis März 2022 laufenden Haushaltsjahr vorlegen», versprach Koike.
Damit wäre zwar nur eine gleiche Behandlung bei administrativen Akten wie Sozialleistungen oder im öffentlichen Wohnungsbau gewährleistet und keine volle legale Anerkennung homosexueller Ehen. Aber für die Organisatoren der japanischen Bewegung von Lesben, Schwulen, bisexuellen und transsexuellen Menschen (LGBT) ist Koikes Ankündigung ein wichtiger Meilenstein auf dem Weg, Japan zum zweiten Land Asiens zu machen, das die Ehe für alle ermöglicht. » | Martin Kölling, Tokio | Donnerstag, 9. Dezember 2021
La ville de Tokyo va reconnaître les unions homosexuelles : La gouverneure de la capitale japonaise a annoncé que des certificats pour les personnes de même sexe pourraient être prêts d’ici à début 2023. Le Japon est le dernier pays du G7 à ne pas autoriser le mariage pour tous. »
Tokios konservative Bürgermeisterin Yuriko Koike gehört bei der Förderung von Lesben- und Schwulenrechten zu Japans Avantgarde. Anfang dieser Woche kündigte sie an, in der 14-Millionen-Einwohner-Metropole umzusetzen, was es auf Landesebene noch nicht gibt: eine Gleichstellung gleichgeschlechtlicher Partnerschaften.
«Um das Verständnis für sexuelle Vielfalt zu fördern und die Probleme der Betroffenen zu verringern, werden wir die Grundprinzipien für die Einführung eines Systems gleichgeschlechtlicher Partnerschaften im bis März 2022 laufenden Haushaltsjahr vorlegen», versprach Koike.
Damit wäre zwar nur eine gleiche Behandlung bei administrativen Akten wie Sozialleistungen oder im öffentlichen Wohnungsbau gewährleistet und keine volle legale Anerkennung homosexueller Ehen. Aber für die Organisatoren der japanischen Bewegung von Lesben, Schwulen, bisexuellen und transsexuellen Menschen (LGBT) ist Koikes Ankündigung ein wichtiger Meilenstein auf dem Weg, Japan zum zweiten Land Asiens zu machen, das die Ehe für alle ermöglicht. » | Martin Kölling, Tokio | Donnerstag, 9. Dezember 2021
La ville de Tokyo va reconnaître les unions homosexuelles : La gouverneure de la capitale japonaise a annoncé que des certificats pour les personnes de même sexe pourraient être prêts d’ici à début 2023. Le Japon est le dernier pays du G7 à ne pas autoriser le mariage pour tous. »
Apéritifs de fête : 5 conseils et 5 erreurs à ne plus commettre
LE FIGARO : «Ouvrir» le temps des fêtes, un passage délicat à bien négocier. Voici 5 astuces et 5 erreurs à éviter pour un apéritif festif réussi.
Cinq conseils pour réussir l'apéritif » | Par Véronique Raisin | jeudi 9 décembre 2021
À LIRE AUSSI :
Comment choisir son champagne pour les fêtes ? 5 conseils malins et 5 erreurs à éviter : Le champagne est un vin et il en existe une multitude de variations et d’expressions. Traitez-le dignement et réservez-lui la meilleure place sur votre table. »
Business Insider: Why Cuban Cigars Are So Expensive | So Expensive
How the Left Destroyed Paris
The Countries Banning Smoking and Taking On 'Big Tobacco' | 60 Minutes Australia
The world is full of meddlesome people! They are not very consistent, either. At the very same time as the world is clamping down on cigarette-smoking, it is relaxing laws on the smoking of cannabis and other substances. How sensible, or logical, is that?
Furthermore, doctors and medical people are encouraging e-cigarettes and vaping; yet we don’t know the long-term consequences of that habit. Many a young person has suffered from “popcorn lung” because of vaping; some have even died.
Smoking cigarettes is not a healthy habit. That we know. But so many other habits are not healthy either. Moreover, are Americans today that much healthier than they used to be when they smoked a lot? I would say that they aren’t. Diabetes and obesity are huge problems in the States, indeed in the West in general. Diabetes, in particular, leads to cardiovascular disease just as smoking tobacco does. I would therefore posit that by making it difficult, and often virtually impossible, to smoke tobacco, we have merely traded in one set of illnesses for another, namely tobacco-related illnesses for sugar-related ones.
If you truly want a healthier population, find a way to encourage people to quit smoking (voluntarily) without those people taking up other bad habits to compensate for their loss of pleasure from smoking. But the fact remains that people throughout the ages have always got their fun, pleasures and kicks from something or other. If you take one source of pleasure away from them, they will find something else to replace it, something else to fill the void. And that ‘thing’ might yet turn out in the long-term to be unhealthier than smoking ever was! – © Mark
Black Market Tobacco Floods Australian Market
Neuseeland will Zigarettenverkauf an kommende Generationen verbieten
FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG: Um sicherzustellen, dass junge Leute nie mit dem Rauchen anfangen, soll es ab Ende 2022 strafbar sein, rauchbare Tabakprodukte an Jugendliche zu verkaufen. Neuseeland möchte so zum ersten rauchfreien Land werden.
Neuseeland will zu einem rauchfreien Land werden und den Verkauf von Zigaretten an zukünftige Generationen verbieten. Jugendliche, die bei Inkrafttreten eines entsprechenden Gesetzes mit dem Namen „Smokefree 2025 Action Plan“ jünger als 14 Jahre seien, könnten in dem Pazifikstaat niemals legal Tabakprodukte kaufen, sagte die stellvertretende Gesundheitsministerin Ayesha Verrall am Donnerstag. Die neuen Regeln sollen voraussichtlich ab Ende kommenden Jahres gelten, berichtete die Zeitung New Zealand Herald.
„Wir wollen sicherstellen, dass junge Leute nie mit dem Rauchen anfangen, also machen wir es strafbar, rauchbare Tabakprodukte an Jugendliche zu verkaufen“, sagte Verrall. Dem Plan zufolge können Raucher dann auch nur noch Tabakwaren mit sehr niedrigem Nikotingehalt kaufen. Zudem sollen immer weniger Geschäfte die Erlaubnis erhalten, Tabakwaren anzubieten. „Dies ist ein historischer Tag für die Gesundheit unseres Volkes“, betonte Verrall. » | Quelle: dpa | Donnerstag, Dezember 9, 2021
Dummheit! Ein typisches Gesetz einer sozialistischen Regierung! Einmischen ins Privatleben der Menschen. Natürlich ist Rauchen nicht gesund, aber auch Alkohol, Zucker oder verarbeitete Junkfoods sind es nicht. Wird die neuseeländische Regierung diese auch verbieten? Und dies zu einer Zeit, in der ein Großteil der Welt das Rauchen weitaus gefährlicherer Substanzen als Tabak lockert und sogar legalisiert. Sozialisten werden nie lernen, Freiheit zu akzeptieren und zu feiern. – © Mark
New Zealand Plans to Eventually Ban All Cigarette Sales: The proposal, expected to become law next year, would raise the smoking age year by year until it covers the entire population. »
Neuseeland will zu einem rauchfreien Land werden und den Verkauf von Zigaretten an zukünftige Generationen verbieten. Jugendliche, die bei Inkrafttreten eines entsprechenden Gesetzes mit dem Namen „Smokefree 2025 Action Plan“ jünger als 14 Jahre seien, könnten in dem Pazifikstaat niemals legal Tabakprodukte kaufen, sagte die stellvertretende Gesundheitsministerin Ayesha Verrall am Donnerstag. Die neuen Regeln sollen voraussichtlich ab Ende kommenden Jahres gelten, berichtete die Zeitung New Zealand Herald.
„Wir wollen sicherstellen, dass junge Leute nie mit dem Rauchen anfangen, also machen wir es strafbar, rauchbare Tabakprodukte an Jugendliche zu verkaufen“, sagte Verrall. Dem Plan zufolge können Raucher dann auch nur noch Tabakwaren mit sehr niedrigem Nikotingehalt kaufen. Zudem sollen immer weniger Geschäfte die Erlaubnis erhalten, Tabakwaren anzubieten. „Dies ist ein historischer Tag für die Gesundheit unseres Volkes“, betonte Verrall. » | Quelle: dpa | Donnerstag, Dezember 9, 2021
Dummheit! Ein typisches Gesetz einer sozialistischen Regierung! Einmischen ins Privatleben der Menschen. Natürlich ist Rauchen nicht gesund, aber auch Alkohol, Zucker oder verarbeitete Junkfoods sind es nicht. Wird die neuseeländische Regierung diese auch verbieten? Und dies zu einer Zeit, in der ein Großteil der Welt das Rauchen weitaus gefährlicherer Substanzen als Tabak lockert und sogar legalisiert. Sozialisten werden nie lernen, Freiheit zu akzeptieren und zu feiern. – © Mark
New Zealand Plans to Eventually Ban All Cigarette Sales: The proposal, expected to become law next year, would raise the smoking age year by year until it covers the entire population. »
Business Insider: Why Frankincense And Myrrh Are So Expensive | So Expensive
The Guardian View on Boris Johnson: A Stranger to Honesty
THE GUARDIAN – EDITORIAL: The scandal of a Downing Street party in lockdown reveals something rotten at the very heart of government
Boris Johnson’s career path is paved with falsehood. He was fired from his first journalism job for fabricating a quote. As a correspondent in Brussels, he traded in grotesque Eurosceptic mythology. In 2004, he was sacked from the Conservative frontbench for lies he had told to Michael Howard, then opposition leader, about an extramarital affair.
In the 2016 referendum campaign, he misled the public over the cost of EU membership. In the 2019 general election, he boasted about the qualities of a Brexit deal he now wants to renegotiate. No one who has followed the prime minister’s dysfunctional relationship with the truth now believes him when he denies knowledge of a Christmas party in Downing Street on 18 December 2020, in contravention of pandemic restrictions. » | Editorial | Wednesday, December 8, 2021
Boris Johnson’s career path is paved with falsehood. He was fired from his first journalism job for fabricating a quote. As a correspondent in Brussels, he traded in grotesque Eurosceptic mythology. In 2004, he was sacked from the Conservative frontbench for lies he had told to Michael Howard, then opposition leader, about an extramarital affair.
In the 2016 referendum campaign, he misled the public over the cost of EU membership. In the 2019 general election, he boasted about the qualities of a Brexit deal he now wants to renegotiate. No one who has followed the prime minister’s dysfunctional relationship with the truth now believes him when he denies knowledge of a Christmas party in Downing Street on 18 December 2020, in contravention of pandemic restrictions. » | Editorial | Wednesday, December 8, 2021
Boris and Carrie Johnson Announce Birth of Baby Girl
THE GUARDIAN: Johnsons announce birth of daughter, their second child together following birth of son, Wilfred, in April 2020
Boris Johnson’s wife, Carrie, has given birth to a baby girl, they have announced, a second child for the couple and at least the seventh for the prime minister.
“The prime minister and Mrs Johnson are delighted to announce the birth of a healthy baby girl at a London hospital earlier today,” a statement said. “Both mother and daughter are doing very well. The couple would like to thank the brilliant NHS maternity team for all their care and support.” » | Peter Walker Political correspondent | Thursday, December 9, 2021
Boris Johnson’s wife, Carrie, has given birth to a baby girl, they have announced, a second child for the couple and at least the seventh for the prime minister.
“The prime minister and Mrs Johnson are delighted to announce the birth of a healthy baby girl at a London hospital earlier today,” a statement said. “Both mother and daughter are doing very well. The couple would like to thank the brilliant NHS maternity team for all their care and support.” » | Peter Walker Political correspondent | Thursday, December 9, 2021
Gig Economy Workers to Get Employee Rights under EU Proposals
THE GUARDIAN: Draft legislation would improve status of millions of workers, with likely knock-on effect on UK despite Brexit
Gig economy companies operating in the European Union, such as Uber and Deliveroo, must ensure workers get the minimum wage, access to sick pay, holidays and other employment rights under plans for new laws to crack down on fake self-employment.
Publishing long-awaited draft legislation on Thursday, the European Commission said the burden of proof on employment status would shift to companies, rather than the individuals that work for them. Until now, gig economy workers have had to go to court to prove they are employees, or risk being denied basic rights.
Nicolas Schmit, EU commissioner for jobs and social rights, told the Guardian and other European newspapers that internet platforms “have used grey zones in our legislation [and] all possible ambiguities” to develop their business models, resulting in a “misclassification” of millions of workers.
In the EU’s 27 member states, about 5.5 million workers are misclassified as self-employed, when they should be treated as employees with benefits and protection, such as accident insurance, according the commission. Firms would only have to pay minimum wages, where they already exist. About 28 million people work for platforms in the EU, but this is expected to reach 43 million by 2025. » | Jennifer Rankin in Brussels | Thursday, December 9, 2021
Brexit may not stop EU’s gig economy reforms from reaching UK: Analysis: UK-based firms may find it easier to fall in with Brussels’ proposals to give casual workers more rights »
Gig economy companies operating in the European Union, such as Uber and Deliveroo, must ensure workers get the minimum wage, access to sick pay, holidays and other employment rights under plans for new laws to crack down on fake self-employment.
Publishing long-awaited draft legislation on Thursday, the European Commission said the burden of proof on employment status would shift to companies, rather than the individuals that work for them. Until now, gig economy workers have had to go to court to prove they are employees, or risk being denied basic rights.
Nicolas Schmit, EU commissioner for jobs and social rights, told the Guardian and other European newspapers that internet platforms “have used grey zones in our legislation [and] all possible ambiguities” to develop their business models, resulting in a “misclassification” of millions of workers.
In the EU’s 27 member states, about 5.5 million workers are misclassified as self-employed, when they should be treated as employees with benefits and protection, such as accident insurance, according the commission. Firms would only have to pay minimum wages, where they already exist. About 28 million people work for platforms in the EU, but this is expected to reach 43 million by 2025. » | Jennifer Rankin in Brussels | Thursday, December 9, 2021
Brexit may not stop EU’s gig economy reforms from reaching UK: Analysis: UK-based firms may find it easier to fall in with Brussels’ proposals to give casual workers more rights »
Wednesday, December 08, 2021
Inside Karl Lagerfeld’s French Home Filled with Wonderful Objects | Vogue
La vie après la chancellerie: le dilemme d’Angela Merkel
LE FIGARO : À 67 ans, celle qui va quitter le pouvoir après l’avoir exercé pendant 5860 jours semble hésiter sur son avenir.
Une dernière réunion de son cabinet, une ultime séance au Bundestag, et Angela Merkel quittera le pouvoir, mercredi 8 décembre, après 5860 jours passés à l’exercer. La chancelière transmettra officiellement le témoin à Olaf Scholz et une longue page de l’histoire politique allemande se tournera, même si le record de longévité appartiendra encore, avec neuf jours de plus, à son mentor, feu Helmut Kohl. Les compliments vont pleuvoir. Son successeur social-démocrate a déjà salué une «chancelière qui a réussi» et est «restée fidèle» à elle-même. » | Par Pierre Avril | lundi 6 décembre 2021
Olaf Scholz elected to succeed Angela Merkel as German chancellor: Former Hamburg mayor secures 395 of 736 delegates’ ballots in parliamentary vote »
Steinmeier ernennt Scholz zum Bundeskanzler: Nachdem der Bundestag Olaf Scholz zum neuen Bundeskanzler gewählt hat, ernennt ihn der Bundespräsident formal. Nach der Vereidigung des Kanzlers müssen noch die neuen Minister ernannt werden. »
Germany's Olaf Scholz takes over from Merkel as chancellor: Olaf Scholz has been confirmed as Germany's new chancellor, bringing to an end Angela Merkel's historic 16 years as leader. »
Kühler Pragmatiker mit grosser Mission: Wer ist der neue Kanzler Olaf Scholz?: Nach sechzehn Jahren unter Merkel steht ein SPD-Politiker an der Spitze der Regierung. Scholz startet mit grossem Selbstbewusstsein. Die Pandemie aber, Konflikte mit der FDP und nicht restlos aufgeklärte Vorwürfe gegen ihn könnten den Start erschweren. »
Tuesday, December 07, 2021
One of Suspected Killers of Jamal Khashoggi Held in Paris
THE GUARDIAN: Khalid Aedh al-Otaibi arrested as he was about to board flight to Riyadh
Otaibi (not pictured) was among 17 individuals sanctioned by the US for their suspected role in the killing of Kashoggi (above) at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October 2018. Photograph: Mohammed Al-Shaikh/AFP/Getty Images
French police have arrested a former member of the Saudi royal guard who has also served as a personal security official for the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for his suspected involvement in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Khalid Aedh al-Otaibi was taken into custody at Paris’s Charles de Gaulle airport as he was about to board a plane to the Saudi capital, Riyadh. The arrest marks the first time that any individual accused by international experts of participating in the grisly state-sponsored execution of the Washington Post columnist has been arrested outside Saudi Arabia. Otaibi, 33, has been named as one of the “commando” group in the Saudi Arabia consulate in Istanbul where Khashoggi was killed on 2 October 2018, and was among 17 individuals sanctioned by the US for their suspected role in the murder. » | Kim Willsher in Paris and Stephanie Kirchgaessner in Washington | Tuesday, December 7, 2021
Affaire Khashoggi : un suspect arrêté à Roissy : Il serait impliqué dans l'assassinat du journaliste saoudien. Son identité était mardi en cours de vérification. »
French Police Arrest Man in Connection With Khashoggi Killing: A man with the same name, Khalid Alotaibi, is wanted in connection with the murder of the Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. A Saudi official says France arrested the wrong man. »
Dernières Nouvelles :
Affaire Jamal Khashoggi : le suspect arrêté mardi soir à Roissy est un homonyme : INFO LE FIGARO - L'homme de 33 ans devrait être libéré au maximum demain matin. »
French police have arrested a former member of the Saudi royal guard who has also served as a personal security official for the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for his suspected involvement in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Khalid Aedh al-Otaibi was taken into custody at Paris’s Charles de Gaulle airport as he was about to board a plane to the Saudi capital, Riyadh. The arrest marks the first time that any individual accused by international experts of participating in the grisly state-sponsored execution of the Washington Post columnist has been arrested outside Saudi Arabia. Otaibi, 33, has been named as one of the “commando” group in the Saudi Arabia consulate in Istanbul where Khashoggi was killed on 2 October 2018, and was among 17 individuals sanctioned by the US for their suspected role in the murder. » | Kim Willsher in Paris and Stephanie Kirchgaessner in Washington | Tuesday, December 7, 2021
Affaire Khashoggi : un suspect arrêté à Roissy : Il serait impliqué dans l'assassinat du journaliste saoudien. Son identité était mardi en cours de vérification. »
French Police Arrest Man in Connection With Khashoggi Killing: A man with the same name, Khalid Alotaibi, is wanted in connection with the murder of the Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. A Saudi official says France arrested the wrong man. »
Dernières Nouvelles :
Affaire Jamal Khashoggi : le suspect arrêté mardi soir à Roissy est un homonyme : INFO LE FIGARO - L'homme de 33 ans devrait être libéré au maximum demain matin. »
Sufjan Stevens - Mystery of Love (From "Call Me By Your Name" Soundtrack)
Call Me By Your Name - Official Trailer - Starring Armie Hammer and Timothée Chalamet
Aug 14, 2017 • Call Me By Your Name, the new film by Luca Guadagnino, is a sensual and transcendent tale of first love, based on the acclaimed novel by André Aciman.
It’s the summer of 1983 in the north of Italy, and Elio Perlman (Timothée Chalamet), a precocious 17- year-old American-Italian boy, spends his days in his family’s 17th century villa transcribing and playing classical music, reading, and flirting with his friend Marzia (Esther Garrel).
Elio enjoys a close relationship with his father (Michael Stuhlbarg), an eminent professor specializing in Greco-Roman culture, and his mother Annella (Amira Casar), a translator, who favor him with the fruits of high culture in a setting that overflows with natural delights. While Elio’s sophistication and intellectual gifts suggest he is already a fully-fledged adult, there is much that yet remains innocent and unformed about him, particularly about matters of the heart.
One day, Oliver (Armie Hammer), a charming American scholar working on his doctorate, arrives as the annual summer intern tasked with helping Elio’s father. Amid the sun-drenched splendor of the setting, Elio and Oliver discover the heady beauty of awakening desire over the course of a summer that will alter their lives forever.
Armie Hammerbr /> Timothée Chalamet
Michael Stuhbarg
Amira Cesar
Esther Garrel
If you haven’t seen this film yet, you might want to watch it when you have some spare time over the Christmas holidays. I watched it at Christmastime two years ago. I stumbled upon the film by chance. I’m glad I did: I was spellbound by it! I watched it so many times. I lost count how many times in total!
It’s a lovely story; but more than that, it transports one back to a bygone age, a simpler age, when people led less complicated lives. There’s lots of smoking in it, too. Something you don’t see much these days. People actually did smoke a lot back then before people became politically correct and when the notion of secondhand smoke hadn’t been thought of.
But what is particularly enjoyable about this movie, in my opinion, is the fact that one feels as if one is actually in Italy along with the characters. It’s the way it’s been filmed, apparently. The ending of the film is also very good – it’s moving. Very moving!
I was particularly taken by the film because of its setting. It reminded me of the times I spent in Ticino many years ago, in a similar setting. Watching this film was, for me, like a trip down memory lane. Not because of the relationship, because I didn’t have a gay relationship in Ticino, but because of the ambience of the film.
Do yourselves a favour and try and watch it. I’m sure you’ll enjoy it. – © Mark
It’s the summer of 1983 in the north of Italy, and Elio Perlman (Timothée Chalamet), a precocious 17- year-old American-Italian boy, spends his days in his family’s 17th century villa transcribing and playing classical music, reading, and flirting with his friend Marzia (Esther Garrel).
Elio enjoys a close relationship with his father (Michael Stuhlbarg), an eminent professor specializing in Greco-Roman culture, and his mother Annella (Amira Casar), a translator, who favor him with the fruits of high culture in a setting that overflows with natural delights. While Elio’s sophistication and intellectual gifts suggest he is already a fully-fledged adult, there is much that yet remains innocent and unformed about him, particularly about matters of the heart.
One day, Oliver (Armie Hammer), a charming American scholar working on his doctorate, arrives as the annual summer intern tasked with helping Elio’s father. Amid the sun-drenched splendor of the setting, Elio and Oliver discover the heady beauty of awakening desire over the course of a summer that will alter their lives forever.
Armie Hammerbr /> Timothée Chalamet
Michael Stuhbarg
Amira Cesar
Esther Garrel
If you haven’t seen this film yet, you might want to watch it when you have some spare time over the Christmas holidays. I watched it at Christmastime two years ago. I stumbled upon the film by chance. I’m glad I did: I was spellbound by it! I watched it so many times. I lost count how many times in total!
It’s a lovely story; but more than that, it transports one back to a bygone age, a simpler age, when people led less complicated lives. There’s lots of smoking in it, too. Something you don’t see much these days. People actually did smoke a lot back then before people became politically correct and when the notion of secondhand smoke hadn’t been thought of.
But what is particularly enjoyable about this movie, in my opinion, is the fact that one feels as if one is actually in Italy along with the characters. It’s the way it’s been filmed, apparently. The ending of the film is also very good – it’s moving. Very moving!
I was particularly taken by the film because of its setting. It reminded me of the times I spent in Ticino many years ago, in a similar setting. Watching this film was, for me, like a trip down memory lane. Not because of the relationship, because I didn’t have a gay relationship in Ticino, but because of the ambience of the film.
Do yourselves a favour and try and watch it. I’m sure you’ll enjoy it. – © Mark
Gay Wrestler Anthony Bowens Lays the Smackdown on Christian Homophobes with Defiant Kiss
PINK NEWS: Pro-wrestler Anthony Bowens has received a flood of love and support after kissing his boyfriend in front of a crowd of homophobic protesters.
The All Elite Wrestling star posted a photo where he can be seen kissing his boyfriend, YouTube star Michael Pavano, in front of people holding signs bearing pro-Trump messages and anti-gay slurs.
Posting the photo to Instagram, Bowens said: “Stand up against hate” with the rainbow emoji.
Bowens, who came out as gay in 2019 after previously identifying as bisexual, shared the photo on Monday (6 December) and quickly received several supportive messages.
Fellow wrestling star and Olympic boxer Anthony Ogogo sent several emojis, including the rainbow flag, while producer Anthony Ramos wrote, “That’s right!!!”
Since coming out in 2017, Bowens has campaigned for LGBT+ visibility in sports. » | Emily Chudy | Tuesday, Dece,ber 7, 2021
Jewish in Europe (2/2) | DW Documentary
Jul 11, 2021 • What is life like for Jews in Europe today? What are their stories? How do they combine traditional and modern life? And how do they deal with marginalization and threats?
"There is an everyday Jewish life in Europe that rarely gets shown. Debates about politics, the Middle East and anti-Semitism overshadow the diversity of Jewish life. That's why it was important for us to be able to capture it, just by spontaneously going there and seeing what was happening." This was the mission statement that led Swiss writer Yves Kugelmann and German film producer Alice Brauner, both Jewish, on a journey across Europe.
The second part of this two-part documentary takes Brauner and Kugelmann to Budapest, Warsaw and Venice. In the Hungarian capital, they talk with philosopher Agnes Heller about the anti-Jewish climate that has developed under the Orban government. In Warsaw, they visit the graves of resistance fighters from the 1943 Warsaw Ghetto uprising. In Venice, Italian writer and vice president of the local Jewish community Riccardo Calimani talks about everyday Jewish life in what he calls the "land of disorder".
"There is an everyday Jewish life in Europe that rarely gets shown. Debates about politics, the Middle East and anti-Semitism overshadow the diversity of Jewish life. That's why it was important for us to be able to capture it, just by spontaneously going there and seeing what was happening." This was the mission statement that led Swiss writer Yves Kugelmann and German film producer Alice Brauner, both Jewish, on a journey across Europe.
The second part of this two-part documentary takes Brauner and Kugelmann to Budapest, Warsaw and Venice. In the Hungarian capital, they talk with philosopher Agnes Heller about the anti-Jewish climate that has developed under the Orban government. In Warsaw, they visit the graves of resistance fighters from the 1943 Warsaw Ghetto uprising. In Venice, Italian writer and vice president of the local Jewish community Riccardo Calimani talks about everyday Jewish life in what he calls the "land of disorder".
Privatisation of the NHS: Allyson Pollock at TEDxExeter
Apr 29, 2014 • This talk was given at a local TEDx event, produced independently of the TED Conferences. The 1948 Act establishing the NHS gave the Secretary of State for Health the duty to provide universal health care.
The Health and Social Care Act 2012 removes this duty and introduces a market. Allyson Pollock describes why we need to worry. Allyson Pollock is Professor of Public Health Research & Policy at Queen Mary, University of London. She is one of the UK's leading medical intellectuals, and undertakes research and teaching intended to assist the realisation of the principles of social justice and public health, with a particular emphasis on health systems research, trade, and pharmaceuticals.
She trained in medicine in Scotland and became a consultant in public health. Among her previous roles she has been director of the Centre for International Public Health Policy at the University of Edinburgh and director of research & development at UCL Hospitals NHS Trust. She is the author of NHS plc and co-author of The New NHS: a guide.
If you believe in a public NHS, the new health and care bill should set off alarm bells: The government is easing the way for the privatisation of the health service – where is the opposition to their plans? »
The Health and Social Care Act 2012 removes this duty and introduces a market. Allyson Pollock describes why we need to worry. Allyson Pollock is Professor of Public Health Research & Policy at Queen Mary, University of London. She is one of the UK's leading medical intellectuals, and undertakes research and teaching intended to assist the realisation of the principles of social justice and public health, with a particular emphasis on health systems research, trade, and pharmaceuticals.
She trained in medicine in Scotland and became a consultant in public health. Among her previous roles she has been director of the Centre for International Public Health Policy at the University of Edinburgh and director of research & development at UCL Hospitals NHS Trust. She is the author of NHS plc and co-author of The New NHS: a guide.
If you believe in a public NHS, the new health and care bill should set off alarm bells: The government is easing the way for the privatisation of the health service – where is the opposition to their plans? »
UAE Cuts Working Week and Shifts Weekend Back a Day
THE GUARDIAN: ‘National working week’ aimed at improving work-life balance and economic competitiveness
Construction workers in Dubai. Moving to a Saturday-Sunday weekend will bring the UAE into line with most of the non-Arab world. Photograph: Karim Sahib/AFP/Getty Images
The United Arab Emirates is cutting its working week to four-and-a-half days and moving its weekend from Friday-Saturday to Saturday-Sunday in a major shift aimed at improving the country’s competitiveness, officials have said.
The “national working week” will be mandatory for government bodies from 1 January and bucks the regional norm of a full day-off on Friday for Muslim prayers.
While becoming the only Gulf state not to have a Friday-Saturday weekend, the move will bring the resource-rich and ambitious UAE into line with the non-Arab world.
Under the new timetable, the public sector weekend starts at noon on Fridays and ends on Sunday. Friday prayers at mosques will be held after 1.15pm all year round. » | Agence France-Presse in Dubai | Tuesday, December 7, 2021
The United Arab Emirates is cutting its working week to four-and-a-half days and moving its weekend from Friday-Saturday to Saturday-Sunday in a major shift aimed at improving the country’s competitiveness, officials have said.
The “national working week” will be mandatory for government bodies from 1 January and bucks the regional norm of a full day-off on Friday for Muslim prayers.
While becoming the only Gulf state not to have a Friday-Saturday weekend, the move will bring the resource-rich and ambitious UAE into line with the non-Arab world.
Under the new timetable, the public sector weekend starts at noon on Fridays and ends on Sunday. Friday prayers at mosques will be held after 1.15pm all year round. » | Agence France-Presse in Dubai | Tuesday, December 7, 2021
Jewish in Europe (1/2) | DW Documentary
Jul 11, 2021 • What is life like for Jews in Europe today? What are their stories? How do they combine traditional and modern life? And how do they deal with marginalization and threats?
"There is an everyday Jewish life in Europe that rarely gets shown. Debates about politics, the Middle East and anti-Semitism overshadow the diversity of Jewish life. That's why it was important for us to be able to capture it, just by spontaneously going there and seeing what was happening." This was the mission statement that led Swiss writer Yves Kugelmann and German film producer Alice Brauner, both Jewish, on a journey across Europe.
The first part of this two-part documentary takes Brauner and Kugelmann to Marseille, Strasbourg, Frankfurt and Berlin. They talk about life in the Jewish quarter with Harold Weill, Chief Rabbi of Strasbourg, and ask whether he and his community feel threatened. Alon Meyer, chairman of intercultural soccer club Makkabi Frankfurt and president of the Jewish sports organization Makkabi Germany, describes the hostility his team faces away from the field. In Berlin, Brauner and Kugelmann meet the writer and dramatist Sasha Marianna Salzmann.
"There is an everyday Jewish life in Europe that rarely gets shown. Debates about politics, the Middle East and anti-Semitism overshadow the diversity of Jewish life. That's why it was important for us to be able to capture it, just by spontaneously going there and seeing what was happening." This was the mission statement that led Swiss writer Yves Kugelmann and German film producer Alice Brauner, both Jewish, on a journey across Europe.
The first part of this two-part documentary takes Brauner and Kugelmann to Marseille, Strasbourg, Frankfurt and Berlin. They talk about life in the Jewish quarter with Harold Weill, Chief Rabbi of Strasbourg, and ask whether he and his community feel threatened. Alon Meyer, chairman of intercultural soccer club Makkabi Frankfurt and president of the Jewish sports organization Makkabi Germany, describes the hostility his team faces away from the field. In Berlin, Brauner and Kugelmann meet the writer and dramatist Sasha Marianna Salzmann.
Michael Lucas Shows You a Gay Israel Heaven | Gay Documentary | Israel: Gay Men in the Promised Land (2019)
Monday, December 06, 2021
Israel: Gay Oasis
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