Now, provinces have started to backtrack after the EU said it would freeze funds.
But has anything really changed for LGBT people in those areas?
Friday, April 15, 2022
LGBT in Poland: I Still Can't Be Myself - BBC News
Nov 24, 2021 • Large parts of Poland were labelled "LGBT-free zones", where regional governments, as well as smaller councils, declared they were against LGBT ideology or ideologies that “undermine” the family.
Now, provinces have started to backtrack after the EU said it would freeze funds.
But has anything really changed for LGBT people in those areas?
Now, provinces have started to backtrack after the EU said it would freeze funds.
But has anything really changed for LGBT people in those areas?
Poland Election: The Fight for LGBT Rights - BBC News | 2020
Jul 9, 2020 • Polish President Andrzej Duda, who is seeking re-election on Sunday, is accused of running on an anti-LGBT platform and says he plans to ban same-sex couples from adopting.
Before the coronavirus lockdown, Ben Hunte, the BBC’s LGBT correspondent, went to Poland to visit its so-called ‘LGBT-free’ zones, and discovered what life is like for gay people living there.
Filmed by: Sean Allsop, Patrick Clahane
Edited by: Tobias Chapple
Before the coronavirus lockdown, Ben Hunte, the BBC’s LGBT correspondent, went to Poland to visit its so-called ‘LGBT-free’ zones, and discovered what life is like for gay people living there.
Filmed by: Sean Allsop, Patrick Clahane
Edited by: Tobias Chapple
Thursday, April 14, 2022
Khatia Buniatishvili: Tchaikovsky - Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat Minor, Op. 23 | Klaus Makela & Orchestre de Paris
Hunger in Brazil I ARTE.tv Documentary
Apr 14, 2022 • Almost 60% of the Brazilian population is now food insecure and around 20 million Brazilians suffer from hunger... This is Twice as many as in 2018. A situation further aggravated by the COVID-19 epidemic that has caused more than 600 000 deaths and ruined the economy.
Hunger in Brazil I ARTE.tv Documentary
Available until the 08/02/2025
Hunger in Brazil I ARTE.tv Documentary
Available until the 08/02/2025
No Safe Haven for Russian SuperYachts in Dubai | SY News
A Splendiferous “First Kiss” in Tel Aviv
I don’t believe that first kisses come much better than this!
Because this ‘kissathon’ has been age-restricted by YouTube, it is available for viewing only on YouTube itself; so, click here for your treat!
“First Kiss” is an 84-minute long kissing video between the artists Idan Bitton and Alfredo Ferran Calle. While the camera is still, the kiss is in motion, provoking the viewer to stay and watch.
Idan and Alfredo do not interact with the viewer, but offer a peek into their intimate moments of commitment. This long-lasting, present and unapologetic kiss defines our current gay rights momentum: We are here, we love each other, and this is what it looks like.
By Idan Bitton (idanbitton.com)
Performed by Idan Bitton & Alfredo Ferran Calle
Video by Runn Shayo
More of Idan's work: www.idanbitton.com
www.facebook.com/idanbittonstudio
Elegant Wedding Guests; Stylish Gay Couple
Ricky Martin shares heartfelt tribute to husband in rare post »
This Is the Best Place for Gay Men to Get Married | Gay Documentary' | Gay Men in the Promised Land'
Russia Warns of Nuclear Weapons in Baltic if Sweden and Finland Join Nato
THE GUARDIAN: ‘No more talk of any nuclear-free status for the Baltic,’ senior member of security council says
‘The balance must be restored’ in the Baltic, says Dmitry Medvedev (right), pictured with Vladimir Putin in 2020. Photograph: Yuri Kochetkov/EPA
Moscow has said it will be forced to strengthen its defences in the Baltic if Finland and Sweden join Nato, including by deploying nuclear weapons, as the war against Ukraine entered its seventh week and the country braced for a major attack in the east.
The Russian former president Dmitry Medvedev, a senior member of Russia’s security council, said on Thursday that all its forces in the region would be bolstered if the two Nordic countries joined the US-led alliance.
Finland and Sweden are deliberating over whether to abandon decades of military non-alignment and join Nato, with the two Nordic countries’ leaders saying Russia’s onslaught on Ukraine had changed Europe’s “whole security landscape”.
Their accession to the alliance would more than double Russia’s land border with Nato members, Medvedev said. “Naturally, we will have to reinforce these borders” by bolstering ground, air and naval defences in the region, he said. » | Jon Henley, Europe correspondent | Thursday, April 14, 2022
Moscow has said it will be forced to strengthen its defences in the Baltic if Finland and Sweden join Nato, including by deploying nuclear weapons, as the war against Ukraine entered its seventh week and the country braced for a major attack in the east.
The Russian former president Dmitry Medvedev, a senior member of Russia’s security council, said on Thursday that all its forces in the region would be bolstered if the two Nordic countries joined the US-led alliance.
Finland and Sweden are deliberating over whether to abandon decades of military non-alignment and join Nato, with the two Nordic countries’ leaders saying Russia’s onslaught on Ukraine had changed Europe’s “whole security landscape”.
Their accession to the alliance would more than double Russia’s land border with Nato members, Medvedev said. “Naturally, we will have to reinforce these borders” by bolstering ground, air and naval defences in the region, he said. » | Jon Henley, Europe correspondent | Thursday, April 14, 2022
Inside Israel's Closed Off Ultra-Orthodox Communities | Foreign Correspondent
Apr 14, 2022 • In the modern State of Israel, the ultra-Orthodox – or Haredi – communities live a world apart.
Rejecting the secular, they live according to ancient religious principles. Many Haredi men spend their days in religious schools studying the Jewish bible.
“People here focus on the essentials: on the Torah. Material things are irrelevant here,” says Yossef, a member of a Haredi community on the edge of Tel Aviv.
“On Shabbat, cars stand still, everyone observes Shabbat. The women show restraint outdoors.”
Yossef’s wife, Esther, supports her husband.
“Man was created to study day and night. As a woman, I support that and benefit from it as well.”
The Israeli government subsidises this lifestyle, exempting community members from compulsory military service.
It has lead to resentment among secular Jews, tensions which have deepened during COVID.
“This is a state within a state,” says one Israeli MP. “Many Haredi movements want to integrate into Israeli society…the only problem is that some Haredi leaders strongly hinder this integration.”
Presented by Eric Campbell, this Arte documentary explores how pressures from outside are forcing many Haredim to integrate more with the modern world.
Moshe is one who’s pushing the boundaries. He’s set up a tech company which adheres to religious rules, including providing separate workspaces for men and women.
“In the business world, the sexes share a space and many Haredim don't deal well with that. So, we founded this place, so the Haredim feel comfortable in the high-tech world.”
Chira dreams of becoming a professional singer, but as a Haredi woman she’s not allowed to perform for men. She’s decided she wants to be a performer, but only for other women.
“I will never be able to sing on a stage where everyone can see me. But a new female audience is emerging. They organise parties, celebrations for young girls, festivals for women.”
Moshe feels his community’s traditions can help drive innovation.
“Some think if you preserve tradition, you stay stuck in the past, but the future is innovation… The talent for innovation comes precisely from reflection…This legacy enables us to look forward and invent new things.”
This is a fascinating and rare insight into a normally-closed world on the cusp of change.
About Foreign Correspondent:
Foreign Correspondent is the prime-time international public affairs program on Australia's national broadcaster, ABC-TV. We produce half-hour duration in-depth reports for broadcast across the ABC's television channels and digital platforms. Since 1992, our teams have journeyed to more than 170 countries to report on war, natural calamity and social and political upheaval – through the eyes of the people at the heart of it all.
Rejecting the secular, they live according to ancient religious principles. Many Haredi men spend their days in religious schools studying the Jewish bible.
“People here focus on the essentials: on the Torah. Material things are irrelevant here,” says Yossef, a member of a Haredi community on the edge of Tel Aviv.
“On Shabbat, cars stand still, everyone observes Shabbat. The women show restraint outdoors.”
Yossef’s wife, Esther, supports her husband.
“Man was created to study day and night. As a woman, I support that and benefit from it as well.”
The Israeli government subsidises this lifestyle, exempting community members from compulsory military service.
It has lead to resentment among secular Jews, tensions which have deepened during COVID.
“This is a state within a state,” says one Israeli MP. “Many Haredi movements want to integrate into Israeli society…the only problem is that some Haredi leaders strongly hinder this integration.”
Presented by Eric Campbell, this Arte documentary explores how pressures from outside are forcing many Haredim to integrate more with the modern world.
Moshe is one who’s pushing the boundaries. He’s set up a tech company which adheres to religious rules, including providing separate workspaces for men and women.
“In the business world, the sexes share a space and many Haredim don't deal well with that. So, we founded this place, so the Haredim feel comfortable in the high-tech world.”
Chira dreams of becoming a professional singer, but as a Haredi woman she’s not allowed to perform for men. She’s decided she wants to be a performer, but only for other women.
“I will never be able to sing on a stage where everyone can see me. But a new female audience is emerging. They organise parties, celebrations for young girls, festivals for women.”
Moshe feels his community’s traditions can help drive innovation.
“Some think if you preserve tradition, you stay stuck in the past, but the future is innovation… The talent for innovation comes precisely from reflection…This legacy enables us to look forward and invent new things.”
This is a fascinating and rare insight into a normally-closed world on the cusp of change.
About Foreign Correspondent:
Foreign Correspondent is the prime-time international public affairs program on Australia's national broadcaster, ABC-TV. We produce half-hour duration in-depth reports for broadcast across the ABC's television channels and digital platforms. Since 1992, our teams have journeyed to more than 170 countries to report on war, natural calamity and social and political upheaval – through the eyes of the people at the heart of it all.
'Is This All a Troll?': Elon Musk Offers to Buy Twitter
Apr 14, 2022 • Elon Musk has made an offer to buy Twitter (TWTR) and take it private, saying he believes it needs to be "transformed."
According to an SEC filing, Musk has offered to acquire all the shares in Twitter he does not own for $54.20 per share, valuing the company at $43.4 billion. That represents a 38% premium over the closing price on April 1, the last trading day before Musk disclosed that he had become Twitter's biggest shareholder, and an 18% premium over its closing price April 13, 2022.
Related.
According to an SEC filing, Musk has offered to acquire all the shares in Twitter he does not own for $54.20 per share, valuing the company at $43.4 billion. That represents a 38% premium over the closing price on April 1, the last trading day before Musk disclosed that he had become Twitter's biggest shareholder, and an 18% premium over its closing price April 13, 2022.
Related.
A New Crusade: Poland's Embrace of Catholicism and Anti-LGBT Ideology | Foreign Correspondent
Apr 28, 2020 • When Poland’s Archbishop of Krakow talks about fighting a plague, he’s not talking about the new coronavirus. He’s talking about gay rights.
“A certain ideology is a threat to our hearts and minds…so we need to defend ourselves just like against any other plague”, says Archbishop Jedraszewski.
In the 1980s Poland played a central part in liberating the world from communism. Now there’s a push to wind back many of those hard-won freedoms.
The Catholic church and the Polish government are forming a holy alliance, joining forces to denounce Western-style liberalism as the new enemy.
“From the very beginning the history of the Polish state and Polish nation were connected with the history of Christianity”, says Archbishop Jedraszewski. “Christianity, nation and state were so tightly connected, they were almost inseparable.”
In today’s Poland, the church is supporting government moves to discriminate against gay people, wind back sex education and outlaw abortion.
But feminists, gays and liberals are fighting back.
Foreign Correspondent’s Eric Campbell reports on a deeply divided nation in the throes of a culture war.
He meets the Archbishop of Krakow who likens gay activists to the much-reviled Soviets who occupied Poland after the Second World War.
“This time it is not a red but a rainbow plague”, says Archbishop Jedraszewski. Regional governments across Poland have declared about a third of the country ‘an LGBT free zone’.
Eric interviews critics of the current government, including Lech Walesa, the father of Polish democracy, who warns “our Constitution is being broken, the separation of powers has been violated and we have to do something about it.”
He meets a gay mayor in a small town who says the rhetoric from church and state is leading to an “increase in hatred spreading against homosexual people.” And he films at a far-right rally in Warsaw where Catholic extremists are co-opting the church in their bid to push their nationalist agenda and vision of Poland as a new theocracy.
While many Poles believe a religious revival will lead their country to the light, others fear it is opening the gates to something darker.
“A certain ideology is a threat to our hearts and minds…so we need to defend ourselves just like against any other plague”, says Archbishop Jedraszewski.
In the 1980s Poland played a central part in liberating the world from communism. Now there’s a push to wind back many of those hard-won freedoms.
The Catholic church and the Polish government are forming a holy alliance, joining forces to denounce Western-style liberalism as the new enemy.
“From the very beginning the history of the Polish state and Polish nation were connected with the history of Christianity”, says Archbishop Jedraszewski. “Christianity, nation and state were so tightly connected, they were almost inseparable.”
In today’s Poland, the church is supporting government moves to discriminate against gay people, wind back sex education and outlaw abortion.
But feminists, gays and liberals are fighting back.
Foreign Correspondent’s Eric Campbell reports on a deeply divided nation in the throes of a culture war.
He meets the Archbishop of Krakow who likens gay activists to the much-reviled Soviets who occupied Poland after the Second World War.
“This time it is not a red but a rainbow plague”, says Archbishop Jedraszewski. Regional governments across Poland have declared about a third of the country ‘an LGBT free zone’.
Eric interviews critics of the current government, including Lech Walesa, the father of Polish democracy, who warns “our Constitution is being broken, the separation of powers has been violated and we have to do something about it.”
He meets a gay mayor in a small town who says the rhetoric from church and state is leading to an “increase in hatred spreading against homosexual people.” And he films at a far-right rally in Warsaw where Catholic extremists are co-opting the church in their bid to push their nationalist agenda and vision of Poland as a new theocracy.
While many Poles believe a religious revival will lead their country to the light, others fear it is opening the gates to something darker.
Inside Poland's 'LGBT-Free' Zones | Insider Docs
Queen Expected to Miss Easter Sunday Service
THE GUARDIAN: News follows announcement last week that monarch, 95, would not attend Thursday’s Maundy church service
The Queen is understood to be in good health but has some mobility problems. Photograph: Ian Kington/AFP/Getty Images
The Queen will not attend the Easter Sunday service in Windsor after pulling out of several events in recent months because of mobility problems.
Buckingham Palace said the Queen, who has experienced health problems recently, was not expected to attend the event on Sunday, although it is not known why.
Last week Buckingham Palace announced that the monarch, 95, would also not be attending the Maundy Thursday service at St George’s Chapel in Windsor. For the first time she will be represented by the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall at what is considered an important fixture in the royal calendar. » | Rachel Hall | Thursday, April 14, 2022
The Queen will not attend the Easter Sunday service in Windsor after pulling out of several events in recent months because of mobility problems.
Buckingham Palace said the Queen, who has experienced health problems recently, was not expected to attend the event on Sunday, although it is not known why.
Last week Buckingham Palace announced that the monarch, 95, would also not be attending the Maundy Thursday service at St George’s Chapel in Windsor. For the first time she will be represented by the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall at what is considered an important fixture in the royal calendar. » | Rachel Hall | Thursday, April 14, 2022
Lewis Lapham: Can America Survive the Rule of a “Stupified Plutocracy”?
Oct 24, 2018 • When author and journalist Lewis Lapham, founder of Lapham’s Quarterly and former editor of Harper’s, turned his shrewd gaze on the go-go ‘80s in “Money and Class in America,” he never imagined the era’s avatar of greed would one day become President Donald Trump.
Three decades later, Lapham shares his views on the decades-long deterioration of democracy in an interview with INET’s Lynn Parramore. An expanded and revised edition of his book is now available with a new foreward by Thomas Frank from OR Books.
Three decades later, Lapham shares his views on the decades-long deterioration of democracy in an interview with INET’s Lynn Parramore. An expanded and revised edition of his book is now available with a new foreward by Thomas Frank from OR Books.
Elon Musk Offers to Buy Twitter for $54.20 a Share.
THE NEW YORK TIMES: Elon Musk has offered to buy Twitter for $54.20 a share, just weeks after he became the social media company’s largest shareholder.
Mr. Musk said this was a “best and final offer,” representing a 54 percent premium over the day before he began investing in the company in late January, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing. It would value the company at about $43 billion.
If the offer is not accepted, Mr. Musk said he would “need to reconsider my position as a shareholder,” according to a letter sent to Bret Taylor, Twitter’s chair, on April 13 and enclosed in the filing. “Twitter has extraordinary potential. I will unlock it.”
Twitter shares were 11 percent higher in premarket trading. On Wednesday, the closing price was $45.85. » | Eshe Nelson | Thursday, April 14, 2022
New Discoveries about Trump's Tenure | The Mehdi Hasan Show
Apr 13, 2022 • Because of all that happened, there's probably a lot you've forgotten about Donald Trump and his bumbling brand of authoritarianism. How does one remember it all, much less make sense of it?
Welcome to the world of presidential historian Julian Zelizer, who's authored or edited 22 books, including one all about the Trump presidency. He joins Mehdi to discuss his recent work — and the discoveries that he and his colleagues unearthed while writing it.
Welcome to the world of presidential historian Julian Zelizer, who's authored or edited 22 books, including one all about the Trump presidency. He joins Mehdi to discuss his recent work — and the discoveries that he and his colleagues unearthed while writing it.
War in Ukraine: The Economist Interviews Tony Blair | The Economist
Inside Zelensky's War Room: "The Most Extraordinary Interview I've Ever Done" | Amanpour & Co
Wednesday, April 13, 2022
Abramovich Hit by Multibillion-pound Crackdown on Assets in Jersey and France
THE GUARDIAN: More than £5.4bn of Chelsea FC owner’s assets frozen in Jersey and 12 luxury French properties seized
The Chelsea FC owner was subjected to UK sanctions on 10 March after ministers accused him of having ‘clear connections’ to Putin’s regime. Photograph: Paul Gilham/Getty Images
Roman Abramovich has had more than £5.4bn of his assets frozen in Jersey and 12 luxury properties – including a near-£100m villa on the Riviera that was once the holiday home of King Edward VIII – seized by the French government.
The Royal Court of Jersey announced on Wednesday that it had imposed a formal freezing order on “assets understood to be valued in excess of US$7bn, which are suspected to be connected to Mr Abramovich and which are either located in Jersey or owned by Jersey incorporated entities”.
The Russian oligarch and Chelsea FC owner was also hit by another crackdown in France on the assets of individuals affected by sanctions. The economy and finance ministry announced on Wednesday that it had seized 33 properties owned by oligarchs who had been hit by sanctions, including a dozen belonging to Abramovich.
“They include homes, superyachts and helicopters, and add up to well over €25bn,” a French finance ministry source said. “There are 33 properties that have been frozen, including a dozen belonging to Roman Abramovich.”
Among the properties seized is Abramovich’s Château de la Croë villa in Cap d’Antibes, which has eight bedrooms, a 15-metre rooftop pool, gym and cinema. The villa, which was built in 1926, is set in 12 acres of manicured lawns overlooking the Mediterranean. High-end estate agents estimate the property is now worth £90m-£100m. » | Rupert Neate, Wealth correspondent and Pjotr Sauer | Wednesday, April 13, 2022
Roman Abramovich has had more than £5.4bn of his assets frozen in Jersey and 12 luxury properties – including a near-£100m villa on the Riviera that was once the holiday home of King Edward VIII – seized by the French government.
The Royal Court of Jersey announced on Wednesday that it had imposed a formal freezing order on “assets understood to be valued in excess of US$7bn, which are suspected to be connected to Mr Abramovich and which are either located in Jersey or owned by Jersey incorporated entities”.
The Russian oligarch and Chelsea FC owner was also hit by another crackdown in France on the assets of individuals affected by sanctions. The economy and finance ministry announced on Wednesday that it had seized 33 properties owned by oligarchs who had been hit by sanctions, including a dozen belonging to Abramovich.
“They include homes, superyachts and helicopters, and add up to well over €25bn,” a French finance ministry source said. “There are 33 properties that have been frozen, including a dozen belonging to Roman Abramovich.”
Among the properties seized is Abramovich’s Château de la Croë villa in Cap d’Antibes, which has eight bedrooms, a 15-metre rooftop pool, gym and cinema. The villa, which was built in 1926, is set in 12 acres of manicured lawns overlooking the Mediterranean. High-end estate agents estimate the property is now worth £90m-£100m. » | Rupert Neate, Wealth correspondent and Pjotr Sauer | Wednesday, April 13, 2022
World Leader Describes Putin's Mindset during Meeting Yesterday
Eine Geschichte des Antisemitismus (3/4) | Doku HD | ARTE
Apr 13, 2022 • 1791 - 1945, dritte Folge: Freiheit, Gleichheit, Brüderlichkeit? Die Französische Revolution ließ die europäischen Juden auf ein Ende der Diskriminierung hoffen. Doch bald schon brachten politische Bewegungen und pseudowissenschaftliche Strömungen neue Formen des Judenhasses hervor – unter einem neuen Begriff: Antisemitismus.
Im 19. Jahrhundert tauchten neue, politisch und rassistisch motivierte Formen des Hasses auf Menschen jüdischen Glaubens auf. Ein neuer Begriff wurde dafür geprägt: Antisemitismus. Vorgebliche Kritik am aufstrebenden Kapitalismus des industriellen Zeitalters, die auf falscher Personalisierung und der Leugnung komplexer ökonomischer Zusammenhänge beruhte, wurde zum Kern des modernen Antisemitismus. Das sogenannte Weltjudentum war geboren und wurde gerne auch in Karikaturen angesehener großer europäischer Tageszeitungen dargestellt. Die sogenannte Dreyfus-Affäre (1894), als der aus dem Elsass stammende Offizier Alfred Dreyfus als Spion für das Deutsche Reich beschuldigt und zur Verbannung auf die Teufelsinsel verurteilt wurde, beförderte die Karikatur in ein neues Zeitalter und verlagerte den Kampf gegen den Antisemitismus in die Politik. Dieser Kampf nahm eine neue Dimension an, als mitten in Paris auf dem Boulevard Saint-Michel der ukrainische General Symon Petljura von dem jüdischen Anarchisten Schlomo Schwartzbard erschossen wurde. Während des Ukrainischen Unabhängigkeitskrieges war es zu Judenpogromen gekommen, der Attentäter machte Petljura dafür verantwortlich.
Autor und Regisseur Jonathan Hayoun ist M.A. in Politischer Kommunikation, jüdischen Wissenschaften und audiovisueller Produktion. Er war Präsident der UEJF (Union des Etudiants Juifs de France) und Regisseur des ARTE-Dokumentarfilms „Rettet Auschwitz!“ (2017).
Dokureihe, Regie: Jonathan Hayoun und Judith Cohen Solal (F 2022, 52 Min)
Video auf YouTube verfügbar bis 11/06/2022
Teil 1 & Teil 2
Im 19. Jahrhundert tauchten neue, politisch und rassistisch motivierte Formen des Hasses auf Menschen jüdischen Glaubens auf. Ein neuer Begriff wurde dafür geprägt: Antisemitismus. Vorgebliche Kritik am aufstrebenden Kapitalismus des industriellen Zeitalters, die auf falscher Personalisierung und der Leugnung komplexer ökonomischer Zusammenhänge beruhte, wurde zum Kern des modernen Antisemitismus. Das sogenannte Weltjudentum war geboren und wurde gerne auch in Karikaturen angesehener großer europäischer Tageszeitungen dargestellt. Die sogenannte Dreyfus-Affäre (1894), als der aus dem Elsass stammende Offizier Alfred Dreyfus als Spion für das Deutsche Reich beschuldigt und zur Verbannung auf die Teufelsinsel verurteilt wurde, beförderte die Karikatur in ein neues Zeitalter und verlagerte den Kampf gegen den Antisemitismus in die Politik. Dieser Kampf nahm eine neue Dimension an, als mitten in Paris auf dem Boulevard Saint-Michel der ukrainische General Symon Petljura von dem jüdischen Anarchisten Schlomo Schwartzbard erschossen wurde. Während des Ukrainischen Unabhängigkeitskrieges war es zu Judenpogromen gekommen, der Attentäter machte Petljura dafür verantwortlich.
Autor und Regisseur Jonathan Hayoun ist M.A. in Politischer Kommunikation, jüdischen Wissenschaften und audiovisueller Produktion. Er war Präsident der UEJF (Union des Etudiants Juifs de France) und Regisseur des ARTE-Dokumentarfilms „Rettet Auschwitz!“ (2017).
Dokureihe, Regie: Jonathan Hayoun und Judith Cohen Solal (F 2022, 52 Min)
Video auf YouTube verfügbar bis 11/06/2022
Teil 1 & Teil 2
MPs to Question Chair of Appointments Panel over Evgeny Lebedev Peerage
THE GUARDIAN: Committee summons Paul Bew to give evidence on No 10’s role in Standard owner’s elevation to Lords
Evgeny Lebedev and his father have owned the Evening Standard since 2009. Photograph: Neil Hall/Reuters
The chair of the commission that advised on the appointment of the Evening Standard owner Evgeny Lebedev to the House of Lords has been summoned to give evidence to MPs when parliament returns next week.
Paul Bew, an Irish historian, will appear before parliament’s public administration committee on Wednesday to answer what its chair described as “very serious questions” about Downing’s Street’s role in the appointment.
“We will be holding an evidence session on the role of the House of Lords appointments commission with Lord Bew,” the committee’s Conservative chair, William Wragg, said in a letter to the Labour deputy leader, Angela Rayner. He said members would raise some of the issues regarding Lebedev’s elevation in the session.
Controversy has surrounded Lebedev’s peerage after it emerged that the commission expressed concerns about his elevation to the Lords and asked Downing Street to reconsider in March 2020, after advice from Britain’s spy agencies. The appointment went through only after it was resubmitted amid pressure from Downing Street. » | Dan Sabbagh | Wednesday, April 13, 2022
The chair of the commission that advised on the appointment of the Evening Standard owner Evgeny Lebedev to the House of Lords has been summoned to give evidence to MPs when parliament returns next week.
Paul Bew, an Irish historian, will appear before parliament’s public administration committee on Wednesday to answer what its chair described as “very serious questions” about Downing’s Street’s role in the appointment.
“We will be holding an evidence session on the role of the House of Lords appointments commission with Lord Bew,” the committee’s Conservative chair, William Wragg, said in a letter to the Labour deputy leader, Angela Rayner. He said members would raise some of the issues regarding Lebedev’s elevation in the session.
Controversy has surrounded Lebedev’s peerage after it emerged that the commission expressed concerns about his elevation to the Lords and asked Downing Street to reconsider in March 2020, after advice from Britain’s spy agencies. The appointment went through only after it was resubmitted amid pressure from Downing Street. » | Dan Sabbagh | Wednesday, April 13, 2022
Im Amt nicht mehr tragbar
FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG: Der britische Premierminister muss Bußgeld zahlen, weil er wissentlich und willentlich gegen Corona-Auflagen verstoßen hat. Spätestens jetzt müsste die Konservative Partei erkennen, dass „Boris“ nicht mehr tragbar ist.
Es sind schon Menschen wegen weniger zurückgetreten. Aber die Erfahrung lehrt leider, dass der britische Premierminister an sich andere Maßstäbe anlegt als an Normalsterbliche. Boris Johnson muss, wie sein Schatzkanzler Rishi Sunak, Bußgeld bezahlen. Beide haben durch die Teilnahme an Feiern im Regierungssitz gegen Corona-Auflagen verstoßen. Das hat die Polizei festgestellt und entsprechende Strafbefehle erwirkt. » | Ein Kommentar von Peter Sturm | Dienstag, 12. April 2022
Lie, deny and move on – how much longer will the Johnson mantra plague British politics?: Partygate, bullying ministers, groping MPs and insider lobbying: the Tories have polluted our entire system of government »
Ukrainian First Lady: "Don't Get Used to Our Grief" | Amanpour and Company
Aleksandr Dugin: The Far-right Theorist behind Putin's Plan
Steinmeier's Visit to Kyiv 'Not Wanted' | DW News
Apr 13, 2022 • German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Tuesday said a proposed trip to Kyiv had been rejected by the Ukrainian leadership.
Steinmeier had been planning to make a joint visit to Ukraine with Polish President Andrzej Duda and their Estonian, Lithuanian and Latvian counterparts "a strong signal of joint European solidarity with Ukraine."
But "that apparently wasn't wanted in Kyiv" Steinmeier said while visiting the Polish capital Warsaw.
Ukraine has previously been highly critical of the German president over his connections with Russia and the leading role he played as former foreign minister in improving relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Ukrainekrieg: Selenskyj will Steinmeier nicht empfangen »
Steinmeier had been planning to make a joint visit to Ukraine with Polish President Andrzej Duda and their Estonian, Lithuanian and Latvian counterparts "a strong signal of joint European solidarity with Ukraine."
But "that apparently wasn't wanted in Kyiv" Steinmeier said while visiting the Polish capital Warsaw.
Ukraine has previously been highly critical of the German president over his connections with Russia and the leading role he played as former foreign minister in improving relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Ukrainekrieg: Selenskyj will Steinmeier nicht empfangen »
NATO-Erweiterung: Russland verlegt schwere Waffen an die finnische Grenze | WELT Analyse
Tuesday, April 12, 2022
Cigarette. Inhalation. Contemplation.
Ich liebe dich mehr als Worte sagen können.
Disney Heir Comes Out Publicly as Transgender, Condemns Anti-LGBTQ Bills
NBC NEWS: Charlee Corra, a high school science teacher, regrets not having done more to advocate against Florida’s bill limiting LGBTQ classroom discussion.
Charlee Corra, a member of the Disney family, came out publicly as transgender and condemned anti-LGBTQ bills in a recent interview.
Corra, who uses "he" and "they" pronouns, announced that their family would match up to $250,000 in donations to the Human Rights Campaign, the nation's largest LGBTQ advocacy group, during the organization's annual gala in Los Angeles last month.
Roy P. Disney, Corra's stepfather and the grandson of Roy O. Disney, a co-founder of The Walt Disney Company, upped that amount to $500,000 last week.
“Equality matters deeply to us,” Disney said in a statement, according to the Los Angeles Times, “especially because our child, Charlee, is transgender and a proud member of the LGBTQ+ community.”
Disney also said the family was "heartbroken" when Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the Parental Rights in Education Act, which critics have dubbed the "Don't Say Gay or Trans" bill because it prohibits classroom instruction of sexual orientation or gender identity with students in grades K-3 or in a way deemed developmentally or age inappropriate.
Corra, a high school biology and environmental science teacher, told the L.A. Times that the HRC gala was sort of a public coming out for them, since they had come out privately as trans four years ago. » | Jo Yurcaba | Monday, April 11, 2022
Jerry Springer Says Trump Is Actually Worse Than the Trashy Guests on His Show
Eine Geschichte des Antisemitismus (2/4) | Doku HD | ARTE
Apr 12, 2022 • 1144 – 1791: Von der ersten "Judennase" in der christlichen Malerei bis zur Vertreibung der Juden aus den großen Königreichen Europas, vom Stereotyp des "reichen Wucherers" bis zum "Antijudaismus ohne Juden": In fünf Jahrhunderten erreicht die schleichende Entmenschlichung der Juden auf drei Kontinenten eine neue Dimension.
Auf welchem Bild tauchte zum ersten Mal in der Malerei des Mittelalters eine auffallende Nase auf, mit der Menschen jüdischen Glaubens hinfort dargestellt werden sollten? Wie überschritt diese Stigmatisierung die Grenzen der Ikonographie, um zum ersten diskriminierenden Erkennungsmerkmal der Geschichte zu werden? Woher kommt das Klischee vom „reichen, wuchertreibenden Juden“? Wie wurde der Hass auf Juden zum politischen Werkzeug für ihre Vertreibung aus einem Großteil Europas?
In den von ihrer jüdischen Bevölkerung verlassenen Königreichen entwickelte sich ein neues, paradoxes Phänomen: ein Antijudaismus ohne Juden – obwohl schon lange keine Juden mehr in einer Region leben, blüht der Antijudaismus. Im Spanien der Inquisition kommt es zur Unterdrückung der Marranen, also jener Juden, die gewaltsam zur Konversion zum Christentum gezwungen worden waren. Im Osten Europas fanden Juden zunächst Zuflucht. Doch dann wurden antijüdische Bilder immer beliebter, und die Ritualmordlegenden erblühten in Polen. Die Episode kommt zum Abschluss mit der Französischen Revolution 1789, die für immer das Schicksal der Juden auf der Welt verändern wird.
Autor und Regisseur Jonathan Hayoun ist M.A. in Politischer Kommunikation, jüdischen Wissenschaften und audiovisueller Produktion. Er war Präsident der UEJF (Union des Etudiants Juifs de France) und Regisseur des ARTE-Dokumentarfilms „Rettet Auschwitz!“ (2017).
Dokureihe, Regie: Jonathan Hayoun und Judith Cohen Solal (F 2022, 52 Min)
Video auf YouTube verfügbar bis 11/06/2022
Teil 1.
Auf welchem Bild tauchte zum ersten Mal in der Malerei des Mittelalters eine auffallende Nase auf, mit der Menschen jüdischen Glaubens hinfort dargestellt werden sollten? Wie überschritt diese Stigmatisierung die Grenzen der Ikonographie, um zum ersten diskriminierenden Erkennungsmerkmal der Geschichte zu werden? Woher kommt das Klischee vom „reichen, wuchertreibenden Juden“? Wie wurde der Hass auf Juden zum politischen Werkzeug für ihre Vertreibung aus einem Großteil Europas?
In den von ihrer jüdischen Bevölkerung verlassenen Königreichen entwickelte sich ein neues, paradoxes Phänomen: ein Antijudaismus ohne Juden – obwohl schon lange keine Juden mehr in einer Region leben, blüht der Antijudaismus. Im Spanien der Inquisition kommt es zur Unterdrückung der Marranen, also jener Juden, die gewaltsam zur Konversion zum Christentum gezwungen worden waren. Im Osten Europas fanden Juden zunächst Zuflucht. Doch dann wurden antijüdische Bilder immer beliebter, und die Ritualmordlegenden erblühten in Polen. Die Episode kommt zum Abschluss mit der Französischen Revolution 1789, die für immer das Schicksal der Juden auf der Welt verändern wird.
Autor und Regisseur Jonathan Hayoun ist M.A. in Politischer Kommunikation, jüdischen Wissenschaften und audiovisueller Produktion. Er war Präsident der UEJF (Union des Etudiants Juifs de France) und Regisseur des ARTE-Dokumentarfilms „Rettet Auschwitz!“ (2017).
Dokureihe, Regie: Jonathan Hayoun und Judith Cohen Solal (F 2022, 52 Min)
Video auf YouTube verfügbar bis 11/06/2022
Teil 1.
Coming Out Colton | Official Trailer | Netflix
Saudis Give Billions to Jared Kushner; Turkey Suspends Trial of Saudis Accused of Killing Khashoggi
Eine Geschichte des Antisemitismus (1/4) | Doku HD | ARTE
Apr 12, 2022 • Die Jahre 38 bis 1144: Wo nahm der Antisemitismus seinen Anfang, und wie hat er sich weiterentwickelt? Die erste Folge der Dokureihe untersucht die Wurzeln des Phänomens: von der ersten Welle antijüdischer Gewalt im antiken Alexandria über das goldene Zeitalter von al-Andalus und das Massaker von Granada bis hin zu den Kreuzzügen.
Wo nahm der Antisemitismus seinen Anfang? Warum konnte er sich weiterverbreiten? Warum entstand die erste große Welle antijüdischer Gewalt ausgerechnet im antiken Alexandria, als die Römer die Macht übernahmen? Wie setzte sich der Antijudaismus in den christlichen und in den muslimischen Zivilisationen fest? Wie konnte Granada nach einem 300-jährigen Goldenen Zeitalter auf der Iberischen Halbinsel zum Schauplatz eines Massakers werden, dem ersten Pogrom auf europäischem Boden? Warum kam es während der Kreuzzüge zu organisierten Judenpogromen? Der Gang durch das erste Jahrtausend erzählt nicht nur von den Anfängen des Antisemitismus, sondern auch vom beginnenden Kampf gegen diese Anfeindungen, vom Schutz der Juden durch die Karolinger, von der Unterstützung durch die maurischen Könige in Spanien bis zum Aufruf des Abts Bernhard von Clairvaux (1090-1153), der blutigen Judenverfolgung während der Kreuzzüge ein Ende zu bereiten.
Autor und Regisseur Jonathan Hayoun ist M.A. in Politischer Kommunikation, jüdischen Wissenschaften und audiovisueller Produktion. Er war Präsident der UEJF (Union des Etudiants Juifs de France) und Regisseur des ARTE-Dokumentarfilms „Rettet Auschwitz!“ (2017).
Dokureihe, Regie: Jonathan Hayoun und Judith Cohen Solal (F 2022, 52 Min)
Video auf YouTube verfügbar bis 11/06/2022
Wo nahm der Antisemitismus seinen Anfang? Warum konnte er sich weiterverbreiten? Warum entstand die erste große Welle antijüdischer Gewalt ausgerechnet im antiken Alexandria, als die Römer die Macht übernahmen? Wie setzte sich der Antijudaismus in den christlichen und in den muslimischen Zivilisationen fest? Wie konnte Granada nach einem 300-jährigen Goldenen Zeitalter auf der Iberischen Halbinsel zum Schauplatz eines Massakers werden, dem ersten Pogrom auf europäischem Boden? Warum kam es während der Kreuzzüge zu organisierten Judenpogromen? Der Gang durch das erste Jahrtausend erzählt nicht nur von den Anfängen des Antisemitismus, sondern auch vom beginnenden Kampf gegen diese Anfeindungen, vom Schutz der Juden durch die Karolinger, von der Unterstützung durch die maurischen Könige in Spanien bis zum Aufruf des Abts Bernhard von Clairvaux (1090-1153), der blutigen Judenverfolgung während der Kreuzzüge ein Ende zu bereiten.
Autor und Regisseur Jonathan Hayoun ist M.A. in Politischer Kommunikation, jüdischen Wissenschaften und audiovisueller Produktion. Er war Präsident der UEJF (Union des Etudiants Juifs de France) und Regisseur des ARTE-Dokumentarfilms „Rettet Auschwitz!“ (2017).
Dokureihe, Regie: Jonathan Hayoun und Judith Cohen Solal (F 2022, 52 Min)
Video auf YouTube verfügbar bis 11/06/2022
What Neo-Nazis Have Inherited from Original Nazism | DW Documentary
Sep 21, 2019 • What resemblance do today’s ethnonationalistic ideologies bear to those which surged during the rise of the Nazis in the Weimar-era? Quite a lot, this documentary shows. Germany’s far-right neo-nazi scene is now bigger than at any time since National Socialism.
History may not repeat itself, but one can still learn from it. The years of the Weimar Republic were scarred by post-war trauma, political extremism, street fighting, hyper-inflation and widespread poverty. But they also saw economic boom, the establishment of a liberal democratic order and a parliamentary party system. Nobody could really imagine that the Nazis would brush aside the achievements of this young democracy just a few years later. But there were signs, warnings even that all was not well.
So how does that resonate today? How do today’s right-wing populist movements and parties achieve their political aims? Which slogans, images and stereotypes played a role then, and which ones are playing a role now?
The film also looks beyond Germany’s borders. How has Europe changed in the last few years and how have far-right movements been able to gain such influence? In the interwar period, democracies across the continent collapsed one after the other like a house of cards. What about today? Riding on the coat-tails of the political party the Alternative for Germany (AfD) the far-right has become a factor in both national and state parliaments, united by nationalist and often racist ideologies directly linked to those of the 1930s. At that time, global economic crisis and mass unemployment drove people straight into the fascists’ arms. So what will happen if crisis strikes now? Are our democracies and their achievements today any more stable than they were in the years before the Second World War?
History may not repeat itself, but one can still learn from it. The years of the Weimar Republic were scarred by post-war trauma, political extremism, street fighting, hyper-inflation and widespread poverty. But they also saw economic boom, the establishment of a liberal democratic order and a parliamentary party system. Nobody could really imagine that the Nazis would brush aside the achievements of this young democracy just a few years later. But there were signs, warnings even that all was not well.
So how does that resonate today? How do today’s right-wing populist movements and parties achieve their political aims? Which slogans, images and stereotypes played a role then, and which ones are playing a role now?
The film also looks beyond Germany’s borders. How has Europe changed in the last few years and how have far-right movements been able to gain such influence? In the interwar period, democracies across the continent collapsed one after the other like a house of cards. What about today? Riding on the coat-tails of the political party the Alternative for Germany (AfD) the far-right has become a factor in both national and state parliaments, united by nationalist and often racist ideologies directly linked to those of the 1930s. At that time, global economic crisis and mass unemployment drove people straight into the fascists’ arms. So what will happen if crisis strikes now? Are our democracies and their achievements today any more stable than they were in the years before the Second World War?
Loved and Loathed: Raising a Gay Child in the Former Soviet Union
Read the full story here.
Vladimir Putin Is Now Purging His Own over War Failures
Zelensky Says Ukraine Takes ‘as Seriously as Possible’ an Apparent Threat of Russian Chemical Weapon Use.
THE NEW YORK TIMES: President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine in his latest address seized on an apparent Russian threat to use chemical weapons against the remaining defenders of Mariupol, as they prepare for what he called a “new stage of terror against Ukraine.”
Mr. Zelensky’s comments came after Eduard Basurin, a spokesman for the Kremlin-backed, separatist Donetsk People’s Republic, said on Russian television that Russia should bring in “chemical forces” to use in Mariupol, the besieged southern city. He said the remaining Ukrainian forces in Mariupol were dug in at a steel plant and that Russia should encircle it and “smoke out the moles.”
Referring to those remarks, Mr. Zelensky said in his latest video address, “We take this as seriously as possible.” The video was posted online Monday in the United States, and shortly after midnight on Tuesday in Ukraine. » | Jesus Jiménez | Monday, April 11, 2022
Mr. Zelensky’s comments came after Eduard Basurin, a spokesman for the Kremlin-backed, separatist Donetsk People’s Republic, said on Russian television that Russia should bring in “chemical forces” to use in Mariupol, the besieged southern city. He said the remaining Ukrainian forces in Mariupol were dug in at a steel plant and that Russia should encircle it and “smoke out the moles.”
Referring to those remarks, Mr. Zelensky said in his latest video address, “We take this as seriously as possible.” The video was posted online Monday in the United States, and shortly after midnight on Tuesday in Ukraine. » | Jesus Jiménez | Monday, April 11, 2022
The Putin Files: Vladimir Kara-Murza
Kremlin Critic Kara-Murza Reportedly Arrested In Russia
Prominenter Putin-Kritiker in Moskau festgenommen: In Moskau ist der prominente Putin-Kritiker Kara-Mursa festgenommen worden. Der amerikanische Außenminister Blinken forderte seine unverzügliche Freilassung. »
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