Red Wall Tories Irate as Ex-Sky Boss Takes Over at No 10 Policy Unit

THE GUARDIAN: Former banker Andrew Griffith will succeed Munira Mirza in key role shaping government thinking

Andrew Griffith in Whitehall on Friday. His Westminster townhouse was used by Boris Johnson as a base for plotting out his first 100 days in office. Photograph: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images
Conservative MPs have privately been venting their anger at the appointment of a former Sky executive who entered parliament in 2019 as the replacement for Munira Mirza as the head of No 10’s policy unit.

MPs from northern “red wall” areas were particularly vehement about the promotion of Andrew Griffith, a former investment banker representing a safe Tory seat in West Sussex, to a key role in shaping new government ideas.

“What does he know about real life?” asked one new northern Tory MP, who had not yet submitted a letter of no confidence in Boris Johnson but suggested Griffith’s arrival would “probably mean more letters”. Even one MP who spoke highly of Griffith said moving him to replace Mirza “shouldn’t have been done quite so quickly and brutally”.

Griffith is – outwardly at least – a supporter of classic low-tax, deregulatory Conservatism whose appointment could mean a pivot away from the “culture wars” sometimes associated with Mirza. But while they acknowledge his business acumen, many of his colleagues doubt Griffith is sufficiently politically minded to do the job effectively. » | Benn Quinn and Aubrey Allegretti | Friday, February 4, 2022

What do these super-privileged, self-satisfied people know about the lives of ordinary folk? BoJo’s government is completely out of touch with the lives of ordinary people, completely out of touch with the electorate. This has been shown over and over and over again.

This is not a left-right divide, but a divide within the system itself. We are being led by people who have no idea, no understanding of the circumstances of the lives of ordinary people. Therefore, these people are not fit for purpose. They must go if this once great country is to remain a democracy.

We are in dangerous territory. These politicians are creating the conditions for revolution; and no sensible person wants anything like that to happen. – © Mark

In Wales zieht ein Ort vor allem wegen seines ungewöhnlichen Namens die Touristen an | DW Euromaxx

Feb 4, 2022 • In Wales zieht ein Ort vor allem wegen seines ungewöhnlichen Namens jede Menge Touristen an: Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch. Mit 58 Buchstaben der längste zusammenhängende Ortsname in Europa.

Is Trump's House Of Cards Collapsing? …

… Or is this simply another Republican smoke screen? Richard Ojeda breaks it down.

DW's Moscow Bureau Closes after Russian Ban | DW News

Feb 4, 2022 • A decision by the Russian government to shut down Deutsche Welle's Moscow office and withdraw accreditation from the German broadcaster's journalists in Russia came into effect on Friday at 9 a.m. local time (0600 UTC).

The Russian Foreign Ministry announced a day earlier that it was canceling DW's broadcasting license in Russia, calling it a response to the ban of the Russian broadcaster RT DE in Germany.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said authorities might consider putting DW on the list of so-called foreign agents. The label, which has Soviet-era connotations, forces media outlets to publish a disclaimer on their content in Russia that they are "foreign agents."


Dies ist ein verwandter Artikel auf Deutsch zu dieser Geschichte.

Democracy Now! Top US News & World Headlines — February 4, 2021

Spain on a Fork: Spanish Garlic Artichokes | So Good You Won´t Be Able to Resist

Alcachofas al ajillo

Get the recipe here.

Albert Bevia can be supported on Patreon here.

Ukraine Crisis: ‘Few Are Ready to Die for Vladimir Putin and the Motherland’

THE TIMES: Russians are more concerned about rising prices than the prospect of war

In Moscow few people seriously believe that war is on the horizon | ALEXANDER NEMENOV/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
A short walk from the Kremlin a man in a Mickey Mouse costume hands out fliers for a children’s play centre. Near by, tourists pose for photographs next to a life-sized model of Elvis Presley at an American-themed restaurant.

Not far away, at the Ukrainian cultural centre in central Moscow’s bustling pedestrian zone, passers-by barely glance at the blue and yellow flag that is flying at the entrance to the building.

If Russia is steeling itself for a serious conflict with Ukraine, there is very little sense of it here. Despite recent warnings from the White House of an “imminent” Russian attack, few people seriously believe that war is on the horizon. Indeed, the topic is barely discussed. » | Marc Bennetts, Moscow | Friday, February 4, 2022

Currently, The Times has a special offer on for new subscribers. Enjoy unlimited digital access for one month for free. Check out the offer here.

Lord Ahmed: Ex-Labour Peer Jailed for Child Sex Offences

Lord Ahmed, pictured arriving at court in late November, resigned from the House of Lords in November 2020 | DANNY LAWSON/PA WIRE
BBC: A former Labour peer convicted of sexually abusing two children has been jailed for five years and six months.

Lord Ahmed of Rotherham, 64, was found guilty in January of a serious sexual assault against a boy and the attempted rape of a young girl in the 1970s.

The repeated sexual abuse happened in Rotherham when he was a teenager, Sheffield Crown Court heard.

Passing sentence, Mr Justice Lavender said his actions had had "profound and lifelong effects" on the victims.

The court heard Lord Ahmed, who was tried under his real name Nazir Ahmed, attempted to rape the girl in the early 1970s, when he was aged 16 or 17 but she was much younger.

The attack on the boy, who was aged under 11 at the time, also happened during the same period. » | BBC | Friday, February 4, 2022

Ministers Accused of Failing to Stem Flow of Russian ‘Dirty Money’ into UK

THE GUARDIAN: Anti-corruption activists criticise government inaction in face of years of Kremlin provocation

Britain’s efforts to halt the flow of Russian “dirty money” into the UK have been called into question in the aftermath of a threat by the foreign secretary, Liz Truss, to hit Kremlin-linked oligarchs with economic sanctions if Ukraine is attacked.

Labour and anti-corruption campaigners this week accused the government of failing to curtail Russian wealth and influence in Britain, despite years of provocative actions from the Kremlin.

“We’ve seen Russia engage in assassinations and human rights abuses, annexations and invasions – but it has taken 100,000 Russian troops at the border to push Britain towards a change of policy,” said James Nixey, a director at the Chatham House thinktank, which recently published a paper on the UK’s kleptocracy problem. » | Dan Sabbagh, Defence and security editor | Friday, February 4, 2022

Reckless, Trumpian Leadership Is Losing Johnson Allies. It Should Lose Him His Job

THE GUARDIAN – OPINION: The resignations of Munira Mirza and other aides should galvanise Tory MPs to do what they must now do

Illustration by Nate Kitch
In writing about politics you can either try to explain what you think is happening or you can say what you think should happen. Right now, there is a complete convergence between the two. Boris Johnson’s premiership is on the slide, irreversibly so. The question is not whether Johnson will go. It is when and how – and what will come after.

Simultaneously it is increasingly plain that Johnson should go. Some take this view for partisan reasons or because Johnson’s personality appals them. Fair enough. But that’s not my argument here. There is also an extremely powerful Conservative case against him remaining. In the end, this will be decisive, because he will only go only if it is in the Tory party’s interest; no one else’s.

However the main reason why Johnson should depart is now moral, systemic and governmental, rather than political. His increasingly reckless, and even Trumpian, response to it has now led to the resignation of Munira Mirza, No 10’s policy chief, who described a recent attack on Keir Starmer as beyond “the normal cut and thrust of politics”. It’s about the way the current crisis shows how he sees his job, and about the way he does it. He sees himself as above the system. He should not. His approach cannot coexist for much longer with being a prime minister of a stable and healthy parliamentary democracy. There is too much at stake. » | Martin Kettle | Feiday, January 4, 2022

«Il faut avoir le cœur bien accroché» : les épargnants secoués par la chute du Bitcoin

Après une irrésistible ascension, le cours de la plus célèbre des cryptomonnaies a chuté de moitié depuis le mois de décembre, prenant à revers de nombreux petits investisseurs. JOE RAEDLE / AFP
LE FIGARO : DÉCRYPTAGE - La baisse de moitié des cours a pris à revers des millions de particuliers. Aujourd'hui, ils s'interrogent sur leurs investissements.

La chute du bitcoin, dans le sillon des valeurs de la tech américaine, a de quoi questionner les particuliers qui y ont mis une part de leurs bas de laine. La star des cryptomonnaies a perdu plus de 20 % depuis le début de l'année et presque la moitié de sa valeur depuis son record de novembre. Aujourd'hui, elle navigue en basses eaux, autour de 36.000 dollars, soit son cours de juillet dernier. « J'ai l'impression de revenir plusieurs mois en arrière et que mes efforts ont été vains », déplore Tom. Cet étudiant a acheté du bitcoin quand il valait 40.000 dollars, soit plus qu'il ne cote aujourd'hui. Il comptait revendre avec une grosse plus-value à la clé, mais se retrouve à devoir patienter, pour ne pas assumer des pertes. « J'aurais dû vendre quand on a approché les 70.000 dollars. Ce niveau était déjà hallucinant », reconnaît le jeune homme. » | Par Jorge Carasso | jeudi 3 février 2022

Réservé aux abonnés

Australian PM to Ban Faith Schools from Expelling LGBT+ Students – and Some Christians Are Furious

Australian prime minister Scott Morrison. (Rohan Thomson/Getty Images)
PINK NEWS: Australian prime minister Scott Morrison has vowed to stop students from being expelled for their sexuality or gender identity by religious schools.

In an unexpected turnaround, the right-wing leader who has long been upfront about his evangelical Christian faith, promised to stop faith-based schools from discriminating against pupils, parents and guardians.

Morrison made the surprise remarks that left fellow lawmakers and religious activists stunned to Brisbane’s B105.3 radio station on Thursday (3 February).

He was asked to share his thoughts on Citipointe College’s now-withdrawn anti-LGBT+ student enrolment contract.

It required families to sign enrolment paperwork that said being LGBT+ is “immoral” and compared it to incest, bestiality and paedophilia.

“No, I don’t support that,” Morrison told the station. “My kids go to a Christian school here in Sydney, and I wouldn’t want my school doing that either.”

Morrison said he will introduce amendments to the Religious Discrimination Bill – which has been a thorny issue for both faith groups and LGBT+ rights campaigners – to prevent religious schools from discriminating in this way. » | Josh Milton | Tuesday, February 1, 2022

Partager l'amour! Y a-t-il quelque chose de plus beau dans la vie que d'exprimer son amour pour une autre personne ? C'est aussi un droit humain !

Share the love! Is there anything more beautiful in life than expressing love for another person? It's also a human right! / Teile die Liebe! Was gibt es im Leben Schöneres als die Liebe für einen anderen Menschen auszudrücken? Zudem ist es ein Menschenrecht!
Je tiens à remercier Bloody Paradize sur Deviant Artpour cette superbe photo.

Skier Gus Kenworthy: ‘My Legacy in Pyeongchang Was That Kiss – to Have It Broadcast to the World Felt Amazing’

THE GUARDIAN: The 30-year-old on the toll of not living as his ‘true self’ before coming out, switching to Team GB and unease at China hosting the Winter Olympics

Gus Kenworthy, who made his name representing the United States in freestyle skiing, will compete for Great Britain at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.Photograph: Tom Pennington/Getty Images
INTERVIEW
‘Ithink of that person, or look at photos of that person, and it feels like a lifetime ago,” Gus Kenworthy says as he remembers winning a silver medal for the United States as a freestyle skier at his first Winter Olympics in Sochi in 2014. So much has changed since then. He is now about to compete for Great Britain, the country of his birth, in his third and final Olympics in Beijing and Kenworthy will ski as a gay man, an LGBTQ+ activist and an actor.

The most important facet of his transition is that, as Kenworthy says: “I’m just much happier now than I was back then when I wasn’t living my life authentically. I wasn’t being my true self and it definitely took a toll.”

Kenworthy will soon talk eloquently of his misgivings about competing in China, where there is disregard for some basic human rights, but I ask him first about Sochi. He had not come out then but was he distressed by homophobia in Russia? “It ate away at me. In the buildup to the Games we did lots of media training about the anti-LGBTQ legislation they had in place that foreigners wouldn’t be exempt from. We were told not to talk about it. You couldn’t paint your nails or wear anything rainbow. I remember being really upset – but I was still in the closet and I was scared.”

Even before he returned home in American glory, Kenworthy felt distinctly uncomfortable. “In the media aftermath we had so much emphasis on our lives as young men because it was a US sweep [in the slopestyle] and the other two guys were single. I had a boyfriend but we were deeply in the closet and so to all intents and purposes I was also single. We competed on February 13 and on Valentine’s Day we were on the Today show talking about our celebrity crushes, who we would want as our Valentine and our favourite kind of girl. I just lied. I went on this whole media tour where I felt I was lying the entire time. I was very depressed and absolutely hated myself.” » | Donald McRae | Thursday, February 3, 2022

Dinu Lipatti : Chopin Nocturne Op. 27, No.2 in D Flat Major

Vincento’s Plate: How to Make Neapolitan Pizza Dough Like World Class Pizza Chef

May 31, 2020 • Neapolitan pizza dough is the most recognized in the world, but many get it wrong, so I’ve enlisted world champion pizza maker, Johnny Di Francesco to teach us his secrets to how to make neapolitan pizza dough. True to Italian tradition, Neapolitan pizza dough is made up of very few ingredients, water, salt, yeast and all-important flour. The taste and crunch make all the difference, so watch as we pair it back and respect the simplicity of this fine dough. This is the first episode in a series completely dedicated to pizza. If you aren’t already obsessed with perfecting your version of Neapolitan pizza, you will be with these traditional methods that will ensure you get it right each and every time. This is how to make Neapolitan Pizza dough like a World Best Pizza Chef

Get the recipe here.

The Town That Burned Down in a Day

Feb 3, 2022 • This year, Canada had a record heatwave which scientists say was impossible without climate change. Wildfires engulfed Patrick Michell’s hometown of Lytton after it reached 49.5°C. Now he and his community must plan for an uncertain future. Meanwhile, an environmental protest against the logging industry becomes the largest act of civil disobedience Canada’s ever seen.

On the Campaign Trail with Controversial Politician Pauline Hanson | 60 Minutes Australia

Feb 3, 2022 • She is Australia's most controversial political figure and she is back with a vengeance. Once thought a spent force, Pauline Hanson has returned to centre stage. After the stunning success of her One Nation Party in the West Australian elections, the message for leaders on both sides of the political fence is to be afraid, be very afraid. In a revealing and feisty interview, Hanson hits back at those who wrote her off. As she tells Ellen Fanning, she is not out to keep the bastards honest, she is out to get rid of them. Ellen travelled with the One Nation caravan during its Queensland election campaign. Her report is a real insight into Pauline Hanson's new strategy - the politics of vengeance.

‘Levelling Up’ Has Been Tried Before – So Where Did We Go Wrong?

THE GUARDIAN: Michael Gove’s strategy faces myriad obstacles, as I found to my cost when I tried to tackle regional inequalities

It is now more than 50 years since I first wrestled with the restructuring of local government. After the Conservatives won the 1970 general election, I was sidekick to Peter Walker, secretary of state for the newly created Department of the Environment, and our attempts to change things faced entrenched resistance.

It would be understandable, therefore, if I were to say that I know where the bodies are buried. Michael Gove’s new white paper on “levelling up” makes it clear that, far from being buried, the bodies are alive and very much kicking.

In the white paper, Gove has proposed cautious, evolutionary moves towards greater devolution, achieved by agreement. I cannot criticise him for this. Time and again I faced the same pressures, and was able to persuade colleagues to accept only partial and gradual shifts in the status quo.

The objections came from all directions. The Treasury wants to maintain its tenacious grip on expenditure. The Whitehall barons fight to preserve their functional powers. Local councillors resist the abolition of their jobs, and members of parliament are deeply suspicious of change that creates local figures more powerful than them and deprives them of the foot soldiers they need to hold their seats. » | Michael Heseltine * | Thursday, February 3, 2022

* Lord Heseltine is a former Conservative deputy prime minister and environment secretary

Boris Johnson veut «niveler par le haut» l’Angleterre : Le projet de rééquilibrage économique, en faveur des régions défavorisées d’Angleterre, a été présenté mercredi. Mais l’objectif est avant tout politique. »

Das grosse Brexit-Versprechen: Wie Boris Johnson die englische Provinz aufpäppeln will: Zwei Jahre nach seinem grossen Wahlsieg versucht Boris Johnson die neu gewonnenen Tory-Wähler im englischen Norden bei Laune zu halten. Doch seine Strategie zum Ausgleich der historisch gewachsenen regionalen Ungleichheiten enthält wenig kurzfristige Massnahmen und bloss beschränkte finanzielle Feuerkraft. »

Islamic State Leader Killed during Raid by US Special Forces in Syria

THE GUARDIAN: Joe Biden says military has removed Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi from the battlefield

Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi, the leader of Islamic State and one of the world’s most wanted men, has been killed during an overnight raid by US special forces in north-west Syria.

The pre-dawn attack on a house in the village of Atme, just south of the Turkish border, led to up to 13 casualties, among them women and children. It also resulted in the destruction of a US Apache helicopter, which had been used to carry special forces troops from Erbil in Iraq. » | Martin Chulov, Middle East correspondent | Thursday, February 3, 2022

Daech affaibli après l’élimination de son chef par un raid américain : ANALYSE - Le leader de l’organisation terroriste s’est donné la mort lors d’un raid des Forces spéciales américaines en Syrie. »

‘It Is Soul-destroying’: Lorry Drivers Face Hours Stuck in Queues at Dover

THE GUARDIAN: Emergency traffic controls triggered 20 times this year as extra Brexit checks and freight volumes cause logjams

His lorry loaded with British Airways aircraft parts, Ivo Hradilik was expecting to drive onto a ferry headed to Calais, before delivering his cargo to the outskirts of Paris.

But there’s a problem with the customs paperwork, and the 26-year-old HGV driver from the Czech Republic will have to park up near the Port of Dover while the haulage company sorts everything out.

“From the new year it has got worse with the paperwork,” Hradilik said, clutching a handful of documents. He usually visits Dover five times a month bringing goods between Britain and the EU. » | Joanna Partridge ; photographs: David Levene | Thursday, February 3, 2022

Fresh Revelations about Jennifer Arcuri Affair Threaten to Damage Boris Johnson

THE OBSERVER: Hundreds of pages of notes and documents have been handed to City Hall’s oversight committee

Boris Johnson is facing damaging new revelations about his relationship with the US businesswoman Jennifer Arcuri after hundreds of page of notes and documents were handed to officials at the Greater London Authority (GLA) overseeing two separate investigations into their affair. » | Mark Townsend, Home Affairs Editor | Saturday, January 29, 2022

Russland verhängt Sendeverbot für die Deutsche Welle

NACH BESCHEID GEGEN RT DE
FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG: Russland hat gegen die Deutsche Welle ein Sendeverbot verhängt. Zudem verfügte das russische Außenministerium am Donnerstag die Schließung des Korrespondentenbüros in Moskau und den Entzug der Akkreditierungen der Journalisten.

Russland hat der Deutschen Welle (DW), dem Auslandssender der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, ein Sendeverbot erteilt. Zudem verfügte das russische Außenministerium am Donnerstag, dass das Korrespondentenbüro des Senders in Moskau geschlossen werden muss. Den Journalisten des Senders werden die Akkreditierungen entzogen. Zudem seien Sanktionen vorgesehen gegen „Vertreter deutscher staatlicher und öffentlicher Strukturen, die an der Einschränkung der Ausstrahlung von RT beteiligt sind“, erklärte das russische Außenministerium am Donnerstag. Der Rundfunkempfang der Deutschen Welle über Satellit oder andere Verbreitungswege auf dem Gebiet Russlands werde beendet. Zudem werde geprüft, ob die Deutsche Welle als „ausländischer Agent“ agiere. » | Quelle: FAZ.NET | Donnerstag, 3. Februar 2022

Energy Bills: Rishi Sunak Gives One-off £200 Discount to Households

THE GUARDIAN: Most consumers to get additional support from £150 rebate on their council tax amid cost of living crisis

A one-off £200 discount and a rebate on council tax bills have been announced by Rishi Sunak in a £9bn package designed to “take the sting” out of a £700-a-year rise in the average household’s energy bills in April.

The chancellor said 80% of households would receive £350 in support this year in response to the decision by the energy regulator Ofgem to raise its price cap to just under £2,000.

In an attempt to mitigate Britain’s cost of living crisis, Sunak said all households would receive £200 off their energy bills in October – but then pay the discount back by £40 a year for the subsequent five years.

The chancellor said council taxpayers in England in bands A to D would receive a rebate of £150 from their bills in April, which will not have to be paid back. » | Larry Elliott | Thursday, February 3, 2022

British households face record 54% energy bill rise as price cap is raised: Move by Ofgem means millions likely to be driven into fuel poverty unless government acts to ease cost of living crisis »

Bank of England Raises Interest Rates to 0.5%

THE GUARDIAN: Rise aims to combat soaring inflation despite faltering economic recovery from pandemic and deepening cost of living crisis

The Bank of England has raised interest rates to 0.5% to tackle soaring inflation amid intense pressure on households in Britain’s cost of living crisis. » | Richard Partington, Economics correspondent | Thursday, February 3, 2022

Bundesrat beschliesst weitgehende Lockerungen: Die Corona-Krise ist vorbei

NEUE ZÜRCHER ZEITUNG: Nun geht es schnell: Der Bundesrat hebt per sofort Quarantäne und Home-Office-Pflicht auf. Ab dem 17. Februar wird für Restaurants, Kinos und Theater kein Zertifikat mehr benötigt. Die Regierung hütet sich aber davor, das Ende der Pandemie zu verkünden.

Keine Gebete, sondern klare Stossrichtung – Bundesrat Alain Berset will zurück zur Normalität. | Anthony Anex / Keystone
«Heute ist ein schöner Tag.» Ignazio Cassis wollte sich diesen nicht entgehen lassen und die freudige Botschaft auch gleich selbst überbringen. Der Bundespräsident sekundierte am Mittwoch den Gesundheitsminister Alain Berset bei dessen gewohntem Gang vor die Medien. Diese Medienkonferenz unterscheidet sich jedoch stark von den unzähligen davor – Prädikat: historisch.

Die Regierung kündigt nicht das Ende der Pandemie an. Aber das Ende der Massnahmen. Kein Freedom Day mit Fanfare, sondern die Schweizer Version davon: Die Rückgewinnung eines «guten Stücks Freiheit», wie es Cassis nennt. Man könnte auch ganz einfach sagen: Die Schweiz kehrt zurück zur Normalität, die Krise ist vorbei. » | David Biner, Christof Forster, Bern | Mittwoch, 2. Februar 2022

LESEN SIE AUCH DEN KOMMENTAR:

Heute ist ein schöner Tag: Der Bundesrat im Krisenmodus ist endlich Geschichte: Die Pläne des Bundesrates zum Ausstieg aus der Krise gehen weiter als vor kurzem erhofft. Es ist gut, dass der Bundesrat das euphorische Grundgefühl in der Bevölkerung aufnimmt. »

Argentine : 12 morts, 50 hospitalisés par de la cocaïne frelatée près de Buenos Aires

«Ceux qui ont acheté de la drogue dans les dernières 24 heures doivent la jeter», a déclaré le ministre de la Sécurité de la province de Buenos Aires. DedMityay / stock.adobe.com
LE FIGARO : Les autorités ont lancé une mise en garde urgente aux consommateurs ayant acheté de la drogue ces «dernières 24 heures». Une dizaine de personnes ont été interpellées.

Douze personnes sont mortes et une cinquantaine ont été hospitalisées, en banlieue de Buenos Aires, après avoir consommé de la cocaïne frelatée, ont annoncé mercredi 2 février les autorités, lançant une mise en garde urgente aux consommateurs ayant acheté de la drogue ces «dernières 24 heures». » | Par Le Figaro avec AFP | mercredi 2 février 2022

More Conservative MPs Call for Boris Johnson’s Resignation | 5 News

It was another busy day in Westminster and the Prime Minister's troubles are far from over. More of his own MPs have publicly called for his resignation, and the ongoing police investigation into possible lockdown breaches gave his opponents plenty of ammunition in Prime Minister's Questions

Related article.

Levelling-up: some wealthy areas of England to see 10 times more funding than poorest: Exclusive: Per-head funding inequality exposed by Guardian research into Boris Johnson’s levelling-up agenda »

World War II and the Holocaust

May 7, 2020 • The Holocaust was the state-sponsored, systematic persecution and annihilation of European Jewry by Nazi Germany and its collaborators, between 1933 and 1945. Jews were the primary victims - six million were murdered. Roma (Gypsies), physically and mentally disabled people and Poles were also targeted for destruction or decimation for racial, ethnic, or national reasons. Millions more, including homosexuals, Jehovah's Witnesses, Soviet prisoners of war, and political dissidents also suffered grievous oppression and death under Nazi tyranny.

Dinu Lipatti : Chopin Balade No.4 F-Moll, Op. 52

Ballade No. 4 In F Minor, Op. 52 | Artist: Pavica Gvozdic | Album: Top 50 Chopin Classics - The Very Best Of Classical Music | Licensed to The Orchard Music (on behalf of Symphonic Treasures); UNIAO BRASILEIRA | YouTube by DE EDITORAS DE MUSICA - UBEM, Public Domain Compositions, Songtrust, LatinAutor - Warner Chappell, and 3 Music Rights Societies

Dinu Lipatti : Chopin Concerto, No. 1, 1st Movement

May 31, 2011 • A new remastering I made of the only known complete tape of Lipatti's fabled 1950 Zurich performance of the Chopin E Minor Concerto with Otto Ackermann conducting, based on a remastering I assisted with in 1999 which was published on the German label 'archiphon' in 2000. The sound is much clearer than the EMI release, and the piano sound is more faithfully represented. One can hear Lipatti's huge dynamic range, warm singing sound, clean articulation, and most surprisingly his incredibly vigorous delivery of virtuosic passages, all the more amazing considering how seriously ill he was at the time of this concert.

Dinu Lipatti.

'Just Cook with Michael Santos': Portuguese Cozido : One of Portugal’s National Dishes

Cozido à portuguesa

Get the recipe here.

Doku: Frankreich und die deutsche Besatzungszeit | 1: Die Zeit der Sieger | 2. Von einer Demütigung zur nächsten | (2012)

USA verlegen Tausende Soldaten nach Deutschland und Osteuropa

ZEIT ONLINE: US-Präsident Joe Biden schickt laut Pentagon 2.000 Soldatinnen und Soldaten nach Deutschland und Polen. 1.000 weitere werden von Deutschland nach Rumänien verlegt.

Im Ukraine-Konflikt verstärkt US-Präsident Joe Biden die Präsenz US-amerikanischer Truppen in Mittel- und Osteuropa. Wie das US-Verteidigungsministerium ankündigte, sollen insgesamt 2.000 Soldatinnen und Soldaten nach Deutschland und Polen entsandt werden. 1.000 weitere bereits in Deutschland stationierte Soldaten sollen demzufolge nach Rumänien verlegt werden. Die Truppenverlegungen würden in den nächsten Tagen erwartet, sagte Pentagonsprecher John Kirby. Es handele sich nicht um dauerhafte Verlegungen. Zuvor hatten unter anderen das Wall Street Journal und die Washington Post berichtet. » | Quelle: ZEIT ONLINE, AFP, dpa, sue | Dienstag, 2. Februar 2022

Erasing History: Holocaust Graphic Novelist Art Spiegelman on “Maus” & Wave of Book Bans Sweeping US

The Silencing of Black & Queer Voices: George M. Johnson on 15-State Ban of “All Boys Aren’t Blue”

Democracy Now! Top US News & World Headlines — February 2, 2022

Kremlin Calls Boris Johnson’s Ukraine Diplomacy Efforts ‘Utterly Confused’

THE GUARDIAN: Moscow ramps up criticism of Britain’s bid to be at helm of fight to protect Ukraine from Russian invasion

Boris Johnson at a joint news conference with the Ukraine president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, in Kyiv. Photograph: EyePress News/Rex/Shutterstock
The Kremlin moved to belittle Boris Johnson on Wednesday, describing him as “utterly confused” and calling British diplomacy a waste of time.

The concerted effort to ridicule Britain’s efforts to put itself at the helm of the fight to protect Ukraine came the day after Johnson flew to Kyiv to warn that a Russian invasion would be a humanitarian, political and military disaster for Moscow.

British efforts to arrange a phone call between Johnson and Vladimir Putin were in flux after a previously scheduled call on Monday had to be cancelled by the British because Johnson had to answer questions from MPs about alleged Covid rule-breaking parties in Downing Street.

The Kremlin said on Wednesday it would provide details if and when Putin spoke to Johnson by phone, and Putin was ready to talk to anyone, including the “utterly confused”. » | Patrick Wintour, Diplomatic editor | Wednesday, February 2, 2022

Ukraine crisis a test that Britain – and Johnson – dare not fail: Analysis: Diplomatic network hoping to show UK is not turning into a global irrelevance »

Liban: le pays du Cèdre brûle ses bois pour se chauffer

Une femme ramasse du bois de chauffage et le stocke devant sa maison, dans le gouvernorat d’Akkar, au Liban, le 8 décembre 2021. Xinhua/ABACA
LE FIGARO : RÉCIT - Le ministre de l’Agriculture a récemment déploré un «véritable crime environnemental».

Il n’y a pas de route pour monter au sommet du Chambouk, une forêt domaniale, à quelque 2400 mètres d’altitude. Personne ne vit ici, sauf quelques bergers et leurs brebis. Aux confins de l’Akkar, dans le nord du Liban, près de la frontière syrienne, on grimpe d’un rocher à l’autre, pour rejoindre les bosquets de vieux cèdres et de genévriers. Réservoir de biodiversité incomparable, ces forêts anciennes seraient un petit coin de paradis si le staccato des tronçonneuses ne venait rappeler la triste réalité: en montagne, une majorité des habitants délaisse le poêle à mazout, combustible désormais trop cher, pour se tourner vers le chauffage au bois. Avec le risque que la déforestation n’atteigne un point de non-retour. » | Par Muriel Rozelier | lundi 1 février 2022

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Luxemburgs Regierungschef zieht nach Plagiatsvorwürfen Diplomarbeit zurück

Der luxemburgische Ministerpräsident Xavier Bettel hat seine Diplomarbeit wegen Plagiatsvorwürfen zurückgezogen. | Bild: GETTY
XAVIER BETTEL
FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG: Laut Berichten sollen bis zu drei Viertel der Diplomarbeit des Juristen aus nicht zitierten Quellen stammen. Die Universität Lothringen hatte Bettel nach einer internen Untersuchung aufgefordert, seine Abschlussarbeit schnellstmöglich zu überarbeiten.

Der luxemburgische Ministerpräsident Xavier Bettel hat seine Diplomarbeit wegen Plagiatsvorwürfen zurückgezogen. Er habe die Universität Lothringen in Frankreich gebeten, seinen 1999 erworbenen Diplomabschluss zu annullieren, sagte Bettel am Dienstag. Damit wolle er „einen Vertrauensverlust in die akademische Arbeit vermeiden“. » | Quelle: AFP | Dienstag, 2. Februar 2022

Anti-conversion Laws Stoke Violence in India | DW News

Feb 2, 2022 • There has been an increase in the number of attacks on churches and Christian gatherings in India in recent years. These are often sparked by allegations of forced conversions of Hindus to Christianity. Several states have now enacted strict anti-conversion laws. Critics say these laws are often abused by right-wing groups to harass Christians and attack their churches.

Narendra Modi has traces of god in him, says BJP minister as personality cult grows »

In Clash With U.S. Over Ukraine, Putin Has a Lifeline From China

THE NEW YORK TIMES: President Biden could find his plans to punish Russia undermined by Xi Jinping, a longtime ally of Mr. Putin. But China moves cautiously during crises.

China’s leader, Xi Jinping, left, with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir V. Putin, in Moscow in 2019. The two will meet Friday before the start of the Olympics in Beijing. | Pool photo by Alexander Zemlianichenko
BEIJING — As the United States moves to exert maximal pressure on Russia over fears of a Ukraine invasion, the Russian leader, Vladimir V. Putin, has found relief from his most powerful partner on the global stage, China.

China has expressed support for Mr. Putin’s grievances against the United States and NATO, joined Russia to try to block action on Ukraine at the United Nations Security Council, and brushed aside American warnings that an invasion would create “global security and economic risks” that could consume China, too.

On Friday, Mr. Putin will meet in Beijing with China’s leader, Xi Jinping, ahead of the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics that President Biden and other leaders have pointedly vowed to boycott.

Although details of any potential agreements between the two countries have not been disclosed, the meeting itself — Mr. Xi’s first in person with a world leader in nearly two years — is expected to be yet another public display of geopolitical amity between the two powers.

A Chinese promise of economic and political support for Mr. Putin could undermine Mr. Biden’s strategy to ostracize the Russian leader for his military buildup on Ukraine’s borders. It could also punctuate a tectonic shift in the rivalry between the United States and China that could reverberate from Europe to the Pacific. » | Steven Lee Myers and Edward Wong | Wednesday, February 2, 2022

Ex-minister Tobias Ellwood to Submit Letter of No Confidence in PM

THE GUARDIAN: MP urges Boris Johnson to call vote of confidence himself rather than waiting for 54 letters to be submitted to 1922 Committee

Tobias Ellwood: ‘This is just horrible for all MPs to continuously have to defend this to the British public.’ Photograph: Mark Thomas/Rex/Shutterstock
The senior Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood has revealed he is to submit a letter of no confidence in Boris Johnson, as more Tories broke cover to criticise the prime minister after the Sue Gray report into the Downing Street lockdown parties.

Ellwood, who is chair of the defence committee and a former Foreign Office minister, is the fifth MP to publicly declare intentions to submit a letter after the Scottish Tory leader, Douglas Ross, and the backbenchers Andrew Bridgen, Sir Roger Gale, and Peter Aldous. At least 54 letters would be required to trigger a vote among Tory MPs on Johnson’s future.

Others who have called on Johnson to resign include the former cabinet ministers Andrew Mitchell and David Davis, as well as committee chairs Caroline Nokes and William Wragg. A 2019 intake MP, Elliot Colburn, has also hinted he had submitted a letter by telling constituents that his “patience had snapped” and suggesting the prime minister should consider his position.

The former prime minister Theresa May, Aaron Bell from the 2019 intake and veteran backbencher Gary Streeter have also been publicly critical of Johnson, while the centrist Tory MP Tom Tugendhat has declared he would run to replace him in any leadership contest. » | Jamie Grierson and Rowena Mason | Wednesday, February 2, 2022

George Michael : One More Try | Official Video

Views on YouTube: 139,235,699

Mario Lanza : Come Prima

Taken from the movie "For The First Time" (1959)

This Is What Mature Gay Love Looks Like.

So sieht reife schwule Liebe aus. / Voici à quoi ressemble l'amour gay mature.
Many thanks to this unnamed Pinterest contributor for this expressive photo.

The Guardian View on the Le Pen Family Firm: Reaching the End of the Line?

THE GUARDIAN – EDITORIAL: High-profile defections and the challenge of Éric Zemmour could leave Marine Le Pen with nowhere to go

‘During the current election campaign, Ms Le Pen has focused on blue-collar issues and economic nationalism.’ Photograph: Chesnot/Getty Images
Is the longest-running political dynasty on Europe’s far right finally running out of road? After her defeat by Emmanuel Macron in the presidential run-off of 2017, Marine Le Pen decided to double down on attempts to detoxify the Front National (FN) movement founded by her father, Jean-Marie, in 1972. The party’s name was changed to the more innocuous-sounding Rassemblement National (National Rally) and its hostility to the European Union and the euro was toned down. During the current election campaign, Ms Le Pen has focused on blue-collar issues and economic nationalism. Having tempered the xenophobic rhetoric and culture-warrior persona, last month she said that she had “definitively broken with provocations” that were “the sins of our political family”.

It is generally accepted that this strategy – and this election campaign – represent Ms Le Pen’s last throw of the dice. So far, her numbers are not coming up. In a disastrous beginning to the year, she has endured a number of high-profile defections to the camp of her more extreme rival on the far right, Éric Zemmour. Most damagingly of all, her charismatic niece Marion Maréchal, a former FN MP, last week signalled both her sympathy for Mr Zemmour’s old-school approach and her desire to return to the political stage after a five-year break. Ms Maréchal is far more socially conservative than her aunt, whom she has reportedly not spoken to for some time. In an extraordinary television interview, Ms Le Pen seemed on the point of tears as she described her intervention as “brutal” and “violent”. » | Editorial | Tuesday, February 1, 2022