THE NEW YORK TIMES: Estados Unidos cortó el suministro de combustible a Cuba, sumiendo a la ya empobrecida isla en una aguda crisis energética.
Los cubanos no son ajenos a las penurias, tras más de seis décadas de régimen comunista y hostilidad y embargo estadounidenses.
Pero la isla no había sufrido nada parecido a lo que está padeciendo ahora. Este año, el gobierno de Donald Trump cortó el principal suministro de petróleo de Cuba, procedente de Venezuela, tras decapitar al régimen de Caracas, aliado de La Habana. Cualquier medida para conservar la energía solo pospuso lo inevitable: las reservas de petróleo de Cuba se han agotado, según dijo el gobierno esta semana.
La escasez de combustible y el desmoronamiento de las infraestructuras han provocado apagones cada vez más prolongados; mucha gente solo tiene electricidad una o dos horas al día. Eso ha generado pequeñas protestas, incluidas algunas en las que la gente ha encendido hogueras en las calles.
Cuba se está deslizando hacia un estado preindustrial de ciudades y pueblos oscurecidos, donde la gente depende de las llamas y del músculo para sustituir el combustible ausente y la maquinaria que permanece inactiva.
Sin un suministro fiable de electricidad y gas, mucha gente ha vuelto a recoger leña y carbón para hacer hogueras al aire libre. » | Por The New York Times | viernes 15 de mayo de 2026
Read in English.
Saturday, May 16, 2026
Rival Protests Take Place in London, With a Major Security Effort
THE NEW YORK TIMES: The police have deployed thousands of officers, partly to keep far-right and pro-Palestinian marchers apart. The events drew tens of thousands to London.
Screenshot taken from this NYT article. | Supporters of the British far-right activist Tommy Robinson, left, and antiracism activists and pro-Palestinian marchers, right, in London on Saturday. | Justin Tallis/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images; Thomas Krych/Associated Press
The streets of the British capital hosted an ideological split-screen on Saturday as separate, far-right and pro-Palestinian demonstrators competed for attention in dueling protests.
Marching through central London, tens of thousands of far-right protesters wearing “Make Britain Great Again” hats and draped in Union flags demanded support for white culture and an end to migration.
Along another route, similar numbers of pro-Palestinian and anti-fascism demonstrators decried racism as they carried signs and banners calling for freedom for Palestinians in Gaza and an end to the genocide they said was taking place there.
The groups largely stayed separate, with few reports of arrests or violence, after what London police said was an “unprecedented” security operation designed to keep the protests from descending into a riot. » | Michael D. Shear and Megan Specia | Reporting from London | Saturday, May 16, 2026
The streets of the British capital hosted an ideological split-screen on Saturday as separate, far-right and pro-Palestinian demonstrators competed for attention in dueling protests.
Marching through central London, tens of thousands of far-right protesters wearing “Make Britain Great Again” hats and draped in Union flags demanded support for white culture and an end to migration.
Along another route, similar numbers of pro-Palestinian and anti-fascism demonstrators decried racism as they carried signs and banners calling for freedom for Palestinians in Gaza and an end to the genocide they said was taking place there.
The groups largely stayed separate, with few reports of arrests or violence, after what London police said was an “unprecedented” security operation designed to keep the protests from descending into a riot. » | Michael D. Shear and Megan Specia | Reporting from London | Saturday, May 16, 2026
Italie : ce que l’on sait de l’attaque à la voiture bélier qui a fait huit blessés à Modène
LE FIGARO : Le conducteur, âgé d’une trentaine d’années, aurait « visé le trottoir », selon les premiers témoignages. La première ministre italienne, Giorgia Meloni, dénonce un « fait extrêmement grave ».
Attaque à la voiture bélier à Modène. Un conducteur a renversé de nombreux piétons samedi 16 mai, dans le centre de cette ville du nord de l'Italie, faisant huit blessés dont quatre graves, a indiqué le maire de la ville à des médias.
Selon les premiers témoignages, le conducteur d'une trentaine d'années « a visé le trottoir, heurtant aussi un vélo, puis s'est écrasé en percutant de plein fouet une femme, la plus gravement atteinte, avec les jambes écrasées », a indiqué le maire Massimo Mezzetti à l'agence ANSA et aux journaux locaux. La Citroën grise a fini sa course dans la vitrine. « On l’a vu avec une arme à la main mais il n’a réussi à poignarder personne. Il semble qu’il ait tenté de frapper quelqu’un », a poursuivi le maire. » | Par Le Figaro avec AFP | samedi 16 mai 2026
Attaque à la voiture bélier à Modène. Un conducteur a renversé de nombreux piétons samedi 16 mai, dans le centre de cette ville du nord de l'Italie, faisant huit blessés dont quatre graves, a indiqué le maire de la ville à des médias.
Selon les premiers témoignages, le conducteur d'une trentaine d'années « a visé le trottoir, heurtant aussi un vélo, puis s'est écrasé en percutant de plein fouet une femme, la plus gravement atteinte, avec les jambes écrasées », a indiqué le maire Massimo Mezzetti à l'agence ANSA et aux journaux locaux. La Citroën grise a fini sa course dans la vitrine. « On l’a vu avec une arme à la main mais il n’a réussi à poignarder personne. Il semble qu’il ait tenté de frapper quelqu’un », a poursuivi le maire. » | Par Le Figaro avec AFP | samedi 16 mai 2026
Streeting: We Should Rejoin the EU
THE TELEGRAPH: Wes Streeting has called for the UK to rejoin the European Union, saying that “Britain’s future lies with Europe”.
The former health secretary said that leaving the EU was a “catastrophic mistake” as he confirmed he will run to replace Sir Keir Starmer at the next Labour leadership election.
Speaking on Saturday at a conference organised by the Labour pressure group Progress, Mr Streeting said: “In 2026, the British people increasingly see that in a dangerous world, we must club together, both to rebuild our economy and trade, and improve our defence against the shared threats from Russian aggression and America First.
“The biggest economic opportunity we have is on our doorstep. We need a new Special Relationship with the EU, because Britain’s future lies with Europe – and one day back in the European Union.”
Mr Streeting’s remarks on the EU signal his first policy position since quitting Cabinet, as he launches a bid to become the next Prime Minister. » | Dominic Penna Senior Political Correspondent. Sabrina Miller Whitehall Correspondent. Camilla Turner Sunday Political Editor | Saturday, May 16, 2026
At last! A politician with the courage to say what needed to be said! We ARE Europeans and our place is right in the heart of Europe. It's our undeniable and inevitable destiny. — © Mark Alexander
ADDENDUM:
I was never a fan of Wes Streeting. Especially as the Health Secretary. But now he comes out with the need for the UK to rejoin the EU, showing his determination to take us back into the Union, he has shown that he is wiser than his youthful appearance would imply. Go for it, Wes! It’s what the young and forward-thinking people of this nation want. Ignore the pleadings of the fossils! — © Mark Alexander
China dämpft Erwartungen: Peking nennt Ergebnisse von Trump-Besuch „vorläufig“
BERLINER ZEITUNG: Nach dem Staatsbesuch von US-Präsident Trump relativiert Peking die Ergebnisse: Die Vereinbarungen zu Zöllen, Agrarprodukten und Flugzeugkäufen seien bislang nur „vorläufig“.
Nach dem Staatsbesuch von US-Präsident Donald Trump in Peking hat Chinas Handelsministerium die getroffenen Vereinbarungen zu Zöllen, Agrarprodukten und Flugzeugkäufen als „vorläufig“ eingestuft. Details zu Mengen, Werten oder Zeitplänen nannte die Behörde nicht.
In einer am Samstag auf der Internetseite des Ministeriums veröffentlichten Mitteilung hieß es, beide Seiten hätten vereinbart, ein Investitions- und ein Handelsgremium einzurichten. Diese sollten über wechselseitige, produktspezifische Zollsenkungen sowie weitergehende Kürzungen für nicht näher bezeichnete Waren einschließlich Agrarprodukten verhandeln. Die Gespräche über Einzelheiten dauerten an, die Abkommen sollten „so bald wie möglich“ finalisiert werden, teilte das Ministerium mit. » | Sophie Barkey | Samstag, 16. Mai 2026
Nach dem Staatsbesuch von US-Präsident Donald Trump in Peking hat Chinas Handelsministerium die getroffenen Vereinbarungen zu Zöllen, Agrarprodukten und Flugzeugkäufen als „vorläufig“ eingestuft. Details zu Mengen, Werten oder Zeitplänen nannte die Behörde nicht.
In einer am Samstag auf der Internetseite des Ministeriums veröffentlichten Mitteilung hieß es, beide Seiten hätten vereinbart, ein Investitions- und ein Handelsgremium einzurichten. Diese sollten über wechselseitige, produktspezifische Zollsenkungen sowie weitergehende Kürzungen für nicht näher bezeichnete Waren einschließlich Agrarprodukten verhandeln. Die Gespräche über Einzelheiten dauerten an, die Abkommen sollten „so bald wie möglich“ finalisiert werden, teilte das Ministerium mit. » | Sophie Barkey | Samstag, 16. Mai 2026
Visite de Trump en Chine : la délégation américaine a jeté tous les objets chinois avant de remonter dans l’avion
LE FIGARO : « Rien de Chine n’est autorisé à bord » d’Air Force One pour raisons de sécurité, a indiqué une journaliste américaine qui suivait la délégation.
Les cadeaux chinois n’auront pas passé les portes de l’avion. Selon une journaliste américaine envoyée par le New York Post en Chine pour y couvrir la visite de Donald Trump, la délégation américaine a jeté l’ensemble des objets offerts par la Chine « dans un panier » juste avant d’embarquer dans l’avion et de quitter le pays, ce vendredi 16 mai.
« Le personnel américain a pris tout ce que les officiels chinois ont distribué - accréditations, téléphones jetables du personnel de la Maison-Blanche, badges pour la délégation - les a collectés avant que nous montions à bord de l’AF1 et les a jetés dans un panier au bas des escaliers », a ainsi indiqué la correspondante à la Maison-Blanche Emily Goodin dans une publication postée sur X, qui a fait le tour de la toile. « Rien de Chine n’est autorisé à bord de l’avion », a poursuivi la reporter. » | Par Jeanne Durieux | samedi 16 mai 2026
Les cadeaux chinois n’auront pas passé les portes de l’avion. Selon une journaliste américaine envoyée par le New York Post en Chine pour y couvrir la visite de Donald Trump, la délégation américaine a jeté l’ensemble des objets offerts par la Chine « dans un panier » juste avant d’embarquer dans l’avion et de quitter le pays, ce vendredi 16 mai.
« Le personnel américain a pris tout ce que les officiels chinois ont distribué - accréditations, téléphones jetables du personnel de la Maison-Blanche, badges pour la délégation - les a collectés avant que nous montions à bord de l’AF1 et les a jetés dans un panier au bas des escaliers », a ainsi indiqué la correspondante à la Maison-Blanche Emily Goodin dans une publication postée sur X, qui a fait le tour de la toile. « Rien de Chine n’est autorisé à bord de l’avion », a poursuivi la reporter. » | Par Jeanne Durieux | samedi 16 mai 2026
Waleed Asadi: Levantine Chicken & Potatoes — Jaj w Batata | جَاج و بْطَاطَا
Click herehere for the full recipe.
Waleed’s very own selection of spices can be found here. Don’t forget to use the code ZAWI10 for 10% off your first order.
Waleed’s favourite Lebanese olive oil, Les Cousines, can be found here. Don’t forget to use Waleed’s very own special introductory code for 15% off your first order.
In standard Arabic, the recipe is called Djaj w batata (دجاج وبطاطا). The name given to the dish above is how it is written and said in dialect, omitting the ‘d’. In other words, it is a shortened form of the Arabic word for chicken. Hence it is written as shown in the title above.
"Lebensunwert" - Paul Brune. NS-Psychiatrie und ihre Folgen | Dokumentarfilm
May 14, 2026 | In drei Wochen werden auf dem YouTube Kanal „Westfalen im Film“ drei Dokumentarfilme aus den frühen 2000er Jahren erstmals online veröffentlicht. Sie erzählen die Lebensgeschichten verschiedener Zeitzeug:innen unter der NS-Diktatur.
Der erste der drei Filme „Lebens(un)wert“ beschäftigt sich mit dem Schicksal von Paul Brune, der Opfer der nationalsozialistischen Psychiatrieverbrechen war. Denn mit dem Ende des zweiten Weltkriegs endete zwar das „Euthanasie“-Mordprogramm, nicht aber das Leid und die Misshandlungen menschenunwürdiger Unterbringungsbedingungen und „Behandlungsmethoden“. Paul Brune litt bis an sein Lebensende an den Folgen dieser NS-Verbrechen. Anhand seiner tragischen Erfahrungen beleuchtet der Dokumentarfilm die NS-Psychiatrieverbrechen und ihre Kontinuitäten über das Jahr 1945 hinaus.
WARNUNG: Dieser Dokumentarfilm ist für empfindliche Menschen gar nicht geeignet. — Mark
Der erste der drei Filme „Lebens(un)wert“ beschäftigt sich mit dem Schicksal von Paul Brune, der Opfer der nationalsozialistischen Psychiatrieverbrechen war. Denn mit dem Ende des zweiten Weltkriegs endete zwar das „Euthanasie“-Mordprogramm, nicht aber das Leid und die Misshandlungen menschenunwürdiger Unterbringungsbedingungen und „Behandlungsmethoden“. Paul Brune litt bis an sein Lebensende an den Folgen dieser NS-Verbrechen. Anhand seiner tragischen Erfahrungen beleuchtet der Dokumentarfilm die NS-Psychiatrieverbrechen und ihre Kontinuitäten über das Jahr 1945 hinaus.
WARNUNG: Dieser Dokumentarfilm ist für empfindliche Menschen gar nicht geeignet. — Mark
Rob Groves: The Crypto Billions behind Farage & Reform UK
Michael Lambert: Starmer Going? - Will Andy Burnham Start to Reverse Brexit
May 16, 2026 | Since Brexit, Britain has had six prime ministers and is about to have a seventh — and not one of them has fixed the economy. Not one.
The ‘SS British Economy’ continues to sink, and changing the captain won't save the ship.
In this video I explain why: The UK economy is falling behind the economy of every major European nation.
The ‘SS British Economy’ continues to sink, and changing the captain won't save the ship.
In this video I explain why: The UK economy is falling behind the economy of every major European nation.
On the Plight of the Longsuffering Palestinians
MARK ALEXANDER: One can but weep! How much more, and how much longer, must these poor, downtrodden people suffer?
Ironically, it was watching black and white documentaries on the Holocaust on BBC TV as a little boy in the 1950s that awakened my interest in, and later, love for, the German language! I wanted to understand how a people could commit such atrocities and such heinous crimes against their fellow man, against innocent, helpless and unsuspecting people?
Naturally, and unsurprisingly, my sympathies from that time forward were always with the downtrodden Jews. It goes without saying that I have loathed anti-Semitism ever since.
It took years for me to master German. It’s a very beautiful language, but with very complicated grammar, especially until the rules of the language all fall into place. But when I did master it, I found a people just like my own, the British. They had all the strong points and weaknesses that every other people have. I found a people capable of loving and hating, no different from my own compatriots. A people with all the same needs and aspirations as my own people.
I grew to love the German language, and by extension, the German people. In fact, I love all things German. The bottom line is this: Germans in the Third Reich were programmed to commit evil acts, led by a man who was without normal human feelings, without morals, and with an evil and wicked nature. This could happen to a people from any culture.
I never thought that all these years later, I would again have to watch documentaries and news footage about suffering of yet another people—this time the Palestinians—this time in colour, but this time committed by the very people I had watched on television being persecuted by the Nazis! One would have thought that having suffered persecution they would have known better.
There are common threads, though. Germany was led in the 1930s and 1940s by a megalomaniacal madman, who understood no limits and who understood no barriers to the fulfilment of his warped and twisted dreams. Now, Israel is led by such a ruthless person. The average Jew will surely be horrified by what is going on in Netanyahu’s Israel. Netanyahu has turned the dream of a homeland for the once suffering Jews into a nightmare for the longsuffering Palestinians. Surely, in the name of compassion and civility and decency, this persecution must STOP.
It defies comprehension that a once persecuted people could themselves persecute another people in this manner, bereft as it is of all mercy and compassion. One would have imagined that if any people would have mercy and compassion for the downtrodden, Jewry would.
It is high time that the civilized world put a STOP to the suffering of Palestinians, the majority of whom are fine people just wanting to live a normal, peaceful existence. Just like you and me.
All Rights Reserved
© Mark Alexander
Ironically, it was watching black and white documentaries on the Holocaust on BBC TV as a little boy in the 1950s that awakened my interest in, and later, love for, the German language! I wanted to understand how a people could commit such atrocities and such heinous crimes against their fellow man, against innocent, helpless and unsuspecting people?
Naturally, and unsurprisingly, my sympathies from that time forward were always with the downtrodden Jews. It goes without saying that I have loathed anti-Semitism ever since.
It took years for me to master German. It’s a very beautiful language, but with very complicated grammar, especially until the rules of the language all fall into place. But when I did master it, I found a people just like my own, the British. They had all the strong points and weaknesses that every other people have. I found a people capable of loving and hating, no different from my own compatriots. A people with all the same needs and aspirations as my own people.
I grew to love the German language, and by extension, the German people. In fact, I love all things German. The bottom line is this: Germans in the Third Reich were programmed to commit evil acts, led by a man who was without normal human feelings, without morals, and with an evil and wicked nature. This could happen to a people from any culture.
I never thought that all these years later, I would again have to watch documentaries and news footage about suffering of yet another people—this time the Palestinians—this time in colour, but this time committed by the very people I had watched on television being persecuted by the Nazis! One would have thought that having suffered persecution they would have known better.
There are common threads, though. Germany was led in the 1930s and 1940s by a megalomaniacal madman, who understood no limits and who understood no barriers to the fulfilment of his warped and twisted dreams. Now, Israel is led by such a ruthless person. The average Jew will surely be horrified by what is going on in Netanyahu’s Israel. Netanyahu has turned the dream of a homeland for the once suffering Jews into a nightmare for the longsuffering Palestinians. Surely, in the name of compassion and civility and decency, this persecution must STOP.
It defies comprehension that a once persecuted people could themselves persecute another people in this manner, bereft as it is of all mercy and compassion. One would have imagined that if any people would have mercy and compassion for the downtrodden, Jewry would.
It is high time that the civilized world put a STOP to the suffering of Palestinians, the majority of whom are fine people just wanting to live a normal, peaceful existence. Just like you and me.
All Rights Reserved
© Mark Alexander
Palestinians Forced to Demolish Own Homes to Make Way for Israeli Theme Park
THE GUARDIAN: Residents of al-Bustan district told to make way for Kings Garden, with knocking down own houses cheaper option
At the bottom of a steep and densely populated valley just below Jerusalem’s old city walls, the earth has been shaken in recent weeks by jackhammers and bulldozers.
These have been the sounds of Jerusalem for decades as the Israeli state has relentlessly sought to stamp a uniformly Jewish identity on to the occupied east of the city, while erasing its Palestinian character.
Typically it is workers for the state and municipality at the wheel of the bulldozers, but in the al-Bustan neighbourhood, in the shadow of the 11th-century al-Aqsa mosque, the clamour is from a more recent development.
It is the sound of Palestinians demolishing their own family homes.
“This is something really hard. This is something bitter,” Jalal al-Tawil said as he watched a tractor he had hired, with a front loader at the front and jackhammer at the back, rip apart the last remnants of the house his father had built, which in turn had been on the site of his grandparents’ home. » | Julian Borger, Quique Kierszenbaum and Sufian Taha in Jerusalem | Saturday, May 16, 2026
One can but weep! How much more, and how much longer, must these poor, downtrodden people suffer?
Ironically, it was watching black and white documentaries on the Holocaust on BBC TV as a little boy in the 1950s that awakened my interest in, and later, love for, the German language! I wanted to understand how a people could commit such atrocities and such heinous crimes against their fellow man, against innocent, helpless and unsuspecting people?
Naturally, and unsurprisingly, my sympathies from that time forward were always with the downtrodden Jews. It goes without saying that I have loathed anti-Semitism ever since.
It took years for me to master German. It’s a very beautiful language, but with very complicated grammar, especially until the rules of the language all fall into place. But when I did master it, I found a people just like my own, the British. They had all the strong points and weaknesses that every other people have. I found a people capable of loving and hating, no different from my own compatriots. A people with all the same needs and aspirations as my own people.
I grew to love the German language, and by extension, the German people. In fact, I love all things German. The bottom line is this: Germans in the Third Reich were programmed to commit evil acts, led by a man who was without normal human feelings, without morals, and with an evil and wicked nature. This could happen to a people from any culture.
I never thought that all these years later, I would again have to watch documentaries and news footage about suffering of yet another people—this time the Palestinians—this time in colour, but this time committed by the very people I had watched on television being persecuted by the Nazis! One would have thought that having suffered persecution they would have known better.
There are common threads, though. Germany was led in the 1930s and 1940s by a megalomaniacal madman, who understood no limits and who understood no barriers to the fulfilment of his warped and twisted dreams. Now, Israel is led by such a ruthless person. The average Jew will surely be horrified by what is going on in Netanyahu’s Israel. Netanyahu has turned the dream of a homeland for the once suffering Jews into a nightmare for the longsuffering Palestinians. Surely, in the name of compassion and civility and decency, this persecution must STOP.
It defies comprehension that a once persecuted people could themselves persecute another people in this manner, bereft as it is of all mercy and compassion. One would have imagined that if any people would have mercy and compassion for the downtrodden, Jewry would.
It is high time that the civilized world put a STOP to the suffering of Palestinians, the majority of whom are fine people just wanting to live a normal, peaceful existence. Just like you and me. — © Mark Alexander
”Donald Trump Kisses Up & Down President Xi’s Ass!”
Trump talks such BS! — © Mark Alexander
Wie steht es um LGBTQ+-Rechte in Europa? | ARTE Europa - Die Woche
Affichant sa force, Xi tient en respect l’Amérique de Trump et promeut la stabilité
LE FIGARO : RÉCIT - Le président américain a qualifié d’« incroyable » sa visite en Chine. Mais le bilan de son voyage reste maigre. Les démonstrations d’amitié entre les deux pays n’ont pas masqué leur rivalité stratégique, esquisse de l’émergence d’un monde bipolaire.
Surnommée « the Beast », la limousine blindée de Donald Trump s’est engouffrée entre les colonnes ocre du portail traditionnel protégeant le saint des saints de la Chine communiste, vendredi. Le président Xi Jinping a offert le thé à son homologue américain à Zhongnanhai, la résidence barricadée des dirigeants du Parti à Pékin, en point d’orgue d’une visite affichant une bonne entente de façade entre les deux premières puissances mondiales.
Des lieux familiers pour ce « prince rouge », élevé à quelques encablures de la Cité interdite à l’ère maoïste, et qui a tenu en respect le magnat de l’immobilier new-yorkais pendant cette visite de deux jours, placée sous la bannière de la stabilité, en s’affichant sur un pied d’égalité. « Nous devons être des partenaires et non des rivaux », a ainsi lancé Xi, qui a déployé un faste impérial pour son hôte, de la place Tiananmen au Temple du ciel, hauts lieux de la capitale chinoise. Et lui a offert un brownie au chocolat après des raviolis à la vapeur pour conclure leur ultime déjeuner de travail avant l’envol d’Air Force One. » | Par Sébastien Falletti, correspondant en Asie | vendredi 15 mai 2026
Réservé aux abonnés
Surnommée « the Beast », la limousine blindée de Donald Trump s’est engouffrée entre les colonnes ocre du portail traditionnel protégeant le saint des saints de la Chine communiste, vendredi. Le président Xi Jinping a offert le thé à son homologue américain à Zhongnanhai, la résidence barricadée des dirigeants du Parti à Pékin, en point d’orgue d’une visite affichant une bonne entente de façade entre les deux premières puissances mondiales.
Des lieux familiers pour ce « prince rouge », élevé à quelques encablures de la Cité interdite à l’ère maoïste, et qui a tenu en respect le magnat de l’immobilier new-yorkais pendant cette visite de deux jours, placée sous la bannière de la stabilité, en s’affichant sur un pied d’égalité. « Nous devons être des partenaires et non des rivaux », a ainsi lancé Xi, qui a déployé un faste impérial pour son hôte, de la place Tiananmen au Temple du ciel, hauts lieux de la capitale chinoise. Et lui a offert un brownie au chocolat après des raviolis à la vapeur pour conclure leur ultime déjeuner de travail avant l’envol d’Air Force One. » | Par Sébastien Falletti, correspondant en Asie | vendredi 15 mai 2026
Réservé aux abonnés
Friday, May 15, 2026
American Greatness Is a Lie We’ve Been Told Since Birth - Nationalist Propaganda!
May 15, 2026 | My trip to Europe made something painfully clear: America is not the “greatest country on Earth.”
That phrase is not patriotism — it’s nationalism. It’s a lie we are taught through flags, bald eagles, patriotic songs, military worship, gun culture, and the constant demand that we treat America like it is above criticism.
But loving your country does not mean worshipping it. Patriotism means wanting your country to be better. Nationalism means pretending it already is. When you look at what America actually leads the world in, the truth is ugly: gun violence, mass incarceration, military spending, and white supremacy.
Meanwhile, many European countries have universal healthcare, minimal gun violence, affordable or free college, stronger worker protections, and a better quality of life.
America has convinced people that freedom means struggling to afford healthcare, working yourself to death, fearing gun violence, and calling it liberty.
We traded quality of life for capitalism — and then called it greatness.
This video is not anti-American. It is anti-lie. If we actually love this country, we need to stop worshipping symbols and start fighting for the people.
That phrase is not patriotism — it’s nationalism. It’s a lie we are taught through flags, bald eagles, patriotic songs, military worship, gun culture, and the constant demand that we treat America like it is above criticism.
But loving your country does not mean worshipping it. Patriotism means wanting your country to be better. Nationalism means pretending it already is. When you look at what America actually leads the world in, the truth is ugly: gun violence, mass incarceration, military spending, and white supremacy.
Meanwhile, many European countries have universal healthcare, minimal gun violence, affordable or free college, stronger worker protections, and a better quality of life.
America has convinced people that freedom means struggling to afford healthcare, working yourself to death, fearing gun violence, and calling it liberty.
We traded quality of life for capitalism — and then called it greatness.
This video is not anti-American. It is anti-lie. If we actually love this country, we need to stop worshipping symbols and start fighting for the people.
Jesse Dollemore: Trump Sets Up Taxpayer Slush Fund to Pay for Private Insurrectionist Army
Why Americans didn’t do the right thing and put that despicable man in the slammer when they had the chance to do so is totally beyond my comprehension! The felon is ruining a once admired nation. — © Mark Alexander
Democracy Now! Nakba Day: Muhammad Shehada on Israel's Ethnic Cleansing in Gaza & Ongoing Palestinian Resilience
Democracy Now! can be supported here.
MESSAGE to MY VISTORS and to the HACKER’S MUMMY
MARK ALEXANDER: Someone is F*****G ABOUT with this, my blog. I take great pride in the aesthetics of this labour of love. And before posting anything, I try to ensure everything is in order.
However, in the past week or so, I have had some blog posts altered by someone unknown to me: a hacker. Even in the last hour or so, whilst I was eating my supper, someone has been fiddling with the HTML of the posts, causing script to be published as italics, where no italics are wanted. God only knows what is motivating this demented soul!
I have some advice for the hacker’s mummy: For heaven’s sake, give the child a rattle to comfort him! And a dummy, too. Maybe a little honey dabbed on the nipple, or teat, of the dummy would be a good idea as well. It would help to sweeten him up! And hopefully, he might then refrain from bothering me.
Mark
However, in the past week or so, I have had some blog posts altered by someone unknown to me: a hacker. Even in the last hour or so, whilst I was eating my supper, someone has been fiddling with the HTML of the posts, causing script to be published as italics, where no italics are wanted. God only knows what is motivating this demented soul!
I have some advice for the hacker’s mummy: For heaven’s sake, give the child a rattle to comfort him! And a dummy, too. Maybe a little honey dabbed on the nipple, or teat, of the dummy would be a good idea as well. It would help to sweeten him up! And hopefully, he might then refrain from bothering me.
Mark
STOP the WAR on SMOKING!
MARK ALEXANDER: All these stupid ideas come here from America! The home of most bad ideas and all clownery!
We Europeans follow those Americans like lemmings! Whatever stupid idea those clowns come up with, whatever the new trend is, we must follow! Stop this NONSENSE! AT ONCE!
We can all see just how stupid Americans can be. We now have proof aplenty! Need I say more?
This anti-smoking movement has gained a seemingly unstoppable momentum out of the self-righteousness of the exceedingly intolerant. It has lost all sense of reason and rationality. And politicians who are motivated and governed by having wet dreams about being liked, take the anti-smoking message, and run with it, hoping to become even more popular.
Were longevity and good health the goal, there would be plenty of things to be banned: alcohol, excessive sugar consumption, tattoos, and drug-taking. And plenty more things besides. But people who indulge in these things are allowed to live in peace. Politicians do not molest them with ever more restrictive laws!
As a person who has survived a few near-death experiences—I have kissed the angel of death on more occasions than I would care to recall—I view life differently from these lemmings. None of those near-death experiences, by the way, have been related to my one-time, very pleasurable, daily smoking habit. (I have been a non-smoker for more than four years now.)
All pleasures in these Puritanical days have either been banned or are in the process of being banned. All pleasures not yet banned soon will be. All pleasures have already been made too expensive to be enjoyed by anyone other than the superrich. All is possible for those people, of course.
And then come the proscriptions on smoking anywhere other than perhaps one’s own home.
Incompetent politicians have listened to the intolerant amongst us and have OUTLAWED the pleasure. Those clowns prefer the people to take drugs like cannabis, cocaine, ketamine, and whatever the hell else those people take. Because those substances are usually enjoyed in secrecy, and anyway, the people who take those substances are not compliant like the struggling middle classes.
Furthermore, without having any acceptable evidence, politicians have encouraged people to vape instead, So they have endangered the lives of children with those ridiculous, exotic, and enticing flavours. I would wager that vaping, in the long run, will be shown to be far more damaging to health than smoking ever was! And for reasons I can enumerate on another occasion. In my opinion, politicians have been IRRESPONSIBLE to encourage the habit as a healthier option, as a smoking substitute — a habit they cannot possibly know enough about to evaluate. People haven’t been vaping long enough for them to know a great deal about its long-term deleterious effects on health. So, we have yet to reap the consequences of politicians’ bad decisions.
It is high time that the people be liberated; it is high time for them to be unchained. If the worst that a person does in this life is enjoy a smoke twixt birth and death, then it can be said that that person really has lived a pretty clean life.
All Rights Reserved
© Mark Alexander
Steve Schmidt: The Real Cost of Trump’s Political Machine
Trump Looked ‘Nothing Like the Man We Know’ in Beijing
Michael Bublé : Haven't Met You Yet | Official Music Video
Blocus naval, pannes de courant... À Cuba, Donald Trump accroît la pression sur le régime castriste
LE FIGARO : RÉCIT - Le directeur de la CIA a exceptionnellement fait le voyage de La Havane pour pousser les autorités cubaines à des réformes « radicales ».
Les Havanais ont aperçu, stupéfaits, un avion aux couleurs de l’US Air Force se poser jeudi sur les pistes de l’aéroport José-Marti de la capitale. L’événement, exceptionnel, a d’abord suscité l’inquiétude des Cubains. À bord, en provenance de la base d’Andrews, dans le Maryland, le directeur de la CIA, John Ratcliffe, accompagné d’une importante délégation de hauts fonctionnaires américains. Officiellement, les émissaires des deux pays ennemis ont évoqué des thèmes de coopération bilatérale, qu’il s’agisse de la lutte contre le trafic de drogue, de l’immigration irrégulière ou du terrorisme.
Puis, dans un bref communiqué, le Parti communiste cubain a précisé que « les échanges avec la délégation américaine ont clairement démontré que Cuba ne constitue pas une menace pour la sécurité nationale des États-Unis et qu’il n’existe aucune raison légitime de l’inscrire sur la liste des pays soutenant prétendument le terrorisme ». Une réponse à Donald Trump qui ne cesse de clamer, depuis un décret présidentiel de janvier dernier, que Cuba est une menace pour la sécurité nationale de son pays. » | Par Hector Lemieux | vendredi 15 mai 2026
Réservé aux abonnés
Les Havanais ont aperçu, stupéfaits, un avion aux couleurs de l’US Air Force se poser jeudi sur les pistes de l’aéroport José-Marti de la capitale. L’événement, exceptionnel, a d’abord suscité l’inquiétude des Cubains. À bord, en provenance de la base d’Andrews, dans le Maryland, le directeur de la CIA, John Ratcliffe, accompagné d’une importante délégation de hauts fonctionnaires américains. Officiellement, les émissaires des deux pays ennemis ont évoqué des thèmes de coopération bilatérale, qu’il s’agisse de la lutte contre le trafic de drogue, de l’immigration irrégulière ou du terrorisme.
Puis, dans un bref communiqué, le Parti communiste cubain a précisé que « les échanges avec la délégation américaine ont clairement démontré que Cuba ne constitue pas une menace pour la sécurité nationale des États-Unis et qu’il n’existe aucune raison légitime de l’inscrire sur la liste des pays soutenant prétendument le terrorisme ». Une réponse à Donald Trump qui ne cesse de clamer, depuis un décret présidentiel de janvier dernier, que Cuba est une menace pour la sécurité nationale de son pays. » | Par Hector Lemieux | vendredi 15 mai 2026
Réservé aux abonnés
Großbritannien: Starmer unter Druck – Britisches Pfund fällt
BERLINER ZEITUNG: Hohe Energiepreise und innenpolitische Unsicherheiten belasten die britische Wirtschaft. Die Währung Pfund Sterling fällt.
Britische Staatsanleihen, Aktien und das Pfund Sterling sind am Freitag gefallen, wie die Nachrichtenagentur Reuters berichtet. Innenpolitische Unsicherheit und Sorgen um einen Inflationsschock infolge des Iran-Kriegs trugen dem Bericht zufolge dazu bei.
Das Pfund fiel laut Reuters auf ein Fünf-Wochen-Tief und verlor in dieser Woche fast zwei Prozent gegenüber dem US-Dollar. Damit steuert die britische Währung dem Bericht zufolge auf den größten Wochenverlust seit November 2024 zu. Zuletzt fiel der Kurs demnach um 0,3 Prozent auf 1,3364 US-Dollar, nachdem er zuvor mit 1,3335 US-Dollar den niedrigsten Stand seit über fünf Wochen erreicht hatte. » | Anika Schlünz | Freitag, 15. Mai 2026
Britische Staatsanleihen, Aktien und das Pfund Sterling sind am Freitag gefallen, wie die Nachrichtenagentur Reuters berichtet. Innenpolitische Unsicherheit und Sorgen um einen Inflationsschock infolge des Iran-Kriegs trugen dem Bericht zufolge dazu bei.
Das Pfund fiel laut Reuters auf ein Fünf-Wochen-Tief und verlor in dieser Woche fast zwei Prozent gegenüber dem US-Dollar. Damit steuert die britische Währung dem Bericht zufolge auf den größten Wochenverlust seit November 2024 zu. Zuletzt fiel der Kurs demnach um 0,3 Prozent auf 1,3364 US-Dollar, nachdem er zuvor mit 1,3335 US-Dollar den niedrigsten Stand seit über fünf Wochen erreicht hatte. » | Anika Schlünz | Freitag, 15. Mai 2026
Donald Trump met en garde Taïwan contre toute proclamation d’indépendance
LE FIGARO : Le président américain a également déclaré vendredi avoir évoqué la question sensible de Taïwan avec son homologue chinois Xi Jinping lors de sa visite d’État en Chine, sans toutefois prendre d’engagement « dans un sens ou dans un autre ».
Donald Trump a mis en garde Taïwan contre toute proclamation d’indépendance, dans un entretien télévisé enregistré peu avant son départ de Pékin, où le président chinois Xi Jinping lui a tenu des propos particulièrement fermes à propos de l’île. » | Par Le Figaro avec AFP | vendredi 15 mai 2026
Donald Trump a mis en garde Taïwan contre toute proclamation d’indépendance, dans un entretien télévisé enregistré peu avant son départ de Pékin, où le président chinois Xi Jinping lui a tenu des propos particulièrement fermes à propos de l’île. » | Par Le Figaro avec AFP | vendredi 15 mai 2026
Waleed Asadi: Levantine Tray-baked Kufta — Kufta B'Siniyeh | كفتة بالصينية
Mar 11, 2026 | Kufta B'Siniyeh literally translates to "kufta in a tray." Siniyeh is the Arabic word for tray, and the "B" is short hand for "bil" which means "in". So literally ‘kufta in a tray’.
This is what a majority of people like me grew up with. Some sort of oven-baked kufta with potatoes, tomatoes, and. Sometimes, onions. It's the most basic way you can prepare kufta. So, for that reason, I think it's also a very, very easy way to step into the world of our cuisine.
It's really quite simple to do, so I hope you will give it a try.
Click here for the full recipe.
Waleed’s very own selection of spices can be found here. Don’t forget to use the code ZAWI10 for 10% off your first order.
Waleed’s favourite Lebanese olive oil, Les Cousines, can be found here. Don’t forget to use Waleed’s very own special introductory code for 15% off your first order.
This is what a majority of people like me grew up with. Some sort of oven-baked kufta with potatoes, tomatoes, and. Sometimes, onions. It's the most basic way you can prepare kufta. So, for that reason, I think it's also a very, very easy way to step into the world of our cuisine.
It's really quite simple to do, so I hope you will give it a try.
Click here for the full recipe.
Waleed’s very own selection of spices can be found here. Don’t forget to use the code ZAWI10 for 10% off your first order.
Waleed’s favourite Lebanese olive oil, Les Cousines, can be found here. Don’t forget to use Waleed’s very own special introductory code for 15% off your first order.
Leader of Reform U.K. Says £5 Million Gift Was ‘Reward’ for Brexit
THE NEW YORK TIMES: Nigel Farage, the leader of the populist right-wing party, had previously said the money was for personal security.
Screenshot taken from this NYT article. | Nigel Farage during a campaign event in London in April. | Henry Nicholls/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
Since news surfaced that Nigel Farage received a gift of 5 million pounds from a cryptocurrency billionaire, the leader of Britain’s populist right-wing Reform U.K. party has argued that the money was for his personal security.
On Thursday he offered another explanation, saying that it was “a reward for campaigning for Brexit.”
His comments, made in a video interview with the British outlet The Sun, came as the British Parliament’s standards watchdog confirmed that Mr. Farage was under investigation for not declaring receipt of the £5 million (about $6.7 million), which came from Christopher Harborne, a Briton who lives in Thailand.
Mr. Farage argues that the gift was unconditional, was made before he won a seat in the general election in 2024, and that there was no requirement to declare it. » | Stephen Castle | Reporting from London | Thursday, May 14, 2026
Since news surfaced that Nigel Farage received a gift of 5 million pounds from a cryptocurrency billionaire, the leader of Britain’s populist right-wing Reform U.K. party has argued that the money was for his personal security.
On Thursday he offered another explanation, saying that it was “a reward for campaigning for Brexit.”
His comments, made in a video interview with the British outlet The Sun, came as the British Parliament’s standards watchdog confirmed that Mr. Farage was under investigation for not declaring receipt of the £5 million (about $6.7 million), which came from Christopher Harborne, a Briton who lives in Thailand.
Mr. Farage argues that the gift was unconditional, was made before he won a seat in the general election in 2024, and that there was no requirement to declare it. » | Stephen Castle | Reporting from London | Thursday, May 14, 2026
Trump Worships Xi Jinping in Embarrassing China State Visit.
ANTHONY DAVIS can be supported on Patreon here.
États-Unis : le Texas procède à sa 600e exécution depuis 1982
LE FIGARO : Edward Lee Busby Jr. a été déclaré mort après une injection létale pour le meurtre, en 2004, de Laura Lee Crane, une professeure d’université à la retraite âgée de 77 ans.
L'État américain du Texas vient de réaliser sa 600e exécution depuis 1982, malgré l'appel des avocats du condamné à révoquer la décision en raison de son handicap intellectuel. Edward Lee Busby Jr. a été déclaré mort après une injection létale pour le meurtre, en 2004, de Laura Lee Crane, une professeure d'université à la retraite âgée de 77 ans. » | Par Le Figaro avec AFP | vendredi 15 mai 2026
L'État américain du Texas vient de réaliser sa 600e exécution depuis 1982, malgré l'appel des avocats du condamné à révoquer la décision en raison de son handicap intellectuel. Edward Lee Busby Jr. a été déclaré mort après une injection létale pour le meurtre, en 2004, de Laura Lee Crane, une professeure d'université à la retraite âgée de 77 ans. » | Par Le Figaro avec AFP | vendredi 15 mai 2026
Trump Hits Back after Xi Claims US Is ‘Declining Nation’
THE TELEGRAPH: Donald Trump has pushed back on claims made by Xi Jinping that America is a “declining nation”.
The US president accepted that “tremendous damage” had been done to the US in recent years but blamed his predecessor Joe Biden.
“When President Xi very elegantly referred to the United States as perhaps being a declining nation, he was referring to the tremendous damage we suffered during the four years of Sleepy Joe Biden and the Biden Administration, and on that score, he was 100% correct,” Mr Trump wrote on Truth Social ahead of the second day of talks. » | Emily Blumenthal. Connor Stringer Chief Washington Correspondent, Beijing. Allegra Mendelson Asia Correspondent, Taipei. Robert White | Friday, May 15, 2026
Xi Jinping is right, of course. A blind man could see that the US is in steep decline. The country shows all the signs of an empire in decline. It is rotting from within.
Trump is wrong, and very unfair to blame “Sleepy Joe” for the rot. The rot started for America long before Biden’s presidency. Fact is, America has never been the same since 9/11. That attack did more to damage America and its trajectory than is easy to describe in a few words. And when it comes to apportioning blame, Trump himself must share the lion’s share of the blame in recent years. His corrupt and ludicrous presidency has brought America’s decline forward. It has also brought it into sharp focus. — © Mark Alexander
The US president accepted that “tremendous damage” had been done to the US in recent years but blamed his predecessor Joe Biden.
“When President Xi very elegantly referred to the United States as perhaps being a declining nation, he was referring to the tremendous damage we suffered during the four years of Sleepy Joe Biden and the Biden Administration, and on that score, he was 100% correct,” Mr Trump wrote on Truth Social ahead of the second day of talks. » | Emily Blumenthal. Connor Stringer Chief Washington Correspondent, Beijing. Allegra Mendelson Asia Correspondent, Taipei. Robert White | Friday, May 15, 2026
Xi Jinping is right, of course. A blind man could see that the US is in steep decline. The country shows all the signs of an empire in decline. It is rotting from within.
Trump is wrong, and very unfair to blame “Sleepy Joe” for the rot. The rot started for America long before Biden’s presidency. Fact is, America has never been the same since 9/11. That attack did more to damage America and its trajectory than is easy to describe in a few words. And when it comes to apportioning blame, Trump himself must share the lion’s share of the blame in recent years. His corrupt and ludicrous presidency has brought America’s decline forward. It has also brought it into sharp focus. — © Mark Alexander
Russia: New Restrictions on Reporting Drone Attacks, New Rules for Expelling Foreigners
La neige en France, un 14 mai : les images surprenantes de flocons en plein printemps
LE FIGARO : VIDÉO - Des chutes de neige parfois spectaculaires ont été observées ce jeudi 14 mai dans plusieurs massifs français, en pleine période de l’Ascension.
C’est à s’y méprendre. Un temps de mars à quinze jours de l’été météorologique (le 1er juin). Des paysages d’hiver ont été observés sur les reliefs français ce jeudi 14 mai. Météo France a même placé en vigilance jaune neige-verglas cinq départements ce jour. Les Alpes, les Vosges, le Massif central et les Pyrénées ont été concernés par ce retour inattendu des conditions hivernales. » | Par Juliette Picard | vendredi 15 mai 2026
C’est à s’y méprendre. Un temps de mars à quinze jours de l’été météorologique (le 1er juin). Des paysages d’hiver ont été observés sur les reliefs français ce jeudi 14 mai. Météo France a même placé en vigilance jaune neige-verglas cinq départements ce jour. Les Alpes, les Vosges, le Massif central et les Pyrénées ont été concernés par ce retour inattendu des conditions hivernales. » | Par Juliette Picard | vendredi 15 mai 2026
Death in Venice by Luchino Visconti - Mahler Symphony No 5 | Reupload
Oct 26, 2023 | Death in Venice (Italian: Morte a Venezia) is a 1971 historical drama film directed and produced by Italian filmmaker Luchino Visconti, adapted by Visconti and Nicola Badalucco from the 1912 novella of the same name by German author Thomas Mann.
It stars Dirk Bogarde as Gustav von Aschenbach and Björn Andrésen as Tadzio, with supporting roles played by Mark Burns, Marisa Berenson and Silvana Mangano.
It was filmed in Technicolor by Pasqualino De Santis, with a soundtrack featuring classical composers such as Gustav Mahler, Ludwig van Beethoven and Modest Mussorgsky.
It stars Dirk Bogarde as Gustav von Aschenbach and Björn Andrésen as Tadzio, with supporting roles played by Mark Burns, Marisa Berenson and Silvana Mangano.
It was filmed in Technicolor by Pasqualino De Santis, with a soundtrack featuring classical composers such as Gustav Mahler, Ludwig van Beethoven and Modest Mussorgsky.
Thursday, May 14, 2026
Steve Schmidt: Donald Trump Doesn’t Care about You
Trump Was Flattering, Xi Was Resolute. The Difference Spoke Volumes.
THE NEW YORK TIMES: In contrast to his rhetoric about China at home, President Trump spoke in conciliatory terms with Xi Jinping, the Chinese leader.
For President Trump, the first day of his visit to Beijing was all about the personal relationship between him and Xi Jinping, the Chinese leader.
“You’re a great leader,” he told his host, whom he has often said he admires for his “powerful” control over a nation of 1.4 billion people. “I say it to everybody.”
Mr. Xi, unsurprisingly, spent little time on flattery. Once the 21-gun salute and precision-marching by units of the People’s Liberation Army were finished, the disciplined Chinese leader plunged right away into setting boundaries for the two country’s relations. The red line was Taiwan, he said, making it abundantly clear that Mr. Trump’s effort at rapprochement could crash on takeoff if he interferes with China’s long-term effort to take control of the self-governing island.
“The U.S. must handle the Taiwan issue with utmost caution,” he said according to a readout from Xinhua, China’s official news agency. The warning came just minutes into his public remarks in the Great Hall of the People, the center of power for the People’s Republic starting just a decade into Mao’s revolution. For Mr. Xi, it was all about setting boundaries, from the start.
The moment seemed to capture the new equilibrium between the two adversaries. Mr. Xi arrived highly scripted, leaving no doubt that for all of China’s problems — deflation, depopulation, the bursting of the real estate bubble — the moment when China acts as a peer superpower had arrived. » | David E. Sanger | David E. Sanger has covered five American presidents and their encounters with China, a subject of his latest book. He reported from Beijing. | Thursday, May 14, 2026
For President Trump, the first day of his visit to Beijing was all about the personal relationship between him and Xi Jinping, the Chinese leader.
“You’re a great leader,” he told his host, whom he has often said he admires for his “powerful” control over a nation of 1.4 billion people. “I say it to everybody.”
Mr. Xi, unsurprisingly, spent little time on flattery. Once the 21-gun salute and precision-marching by units of the People’s Liberation Army were finished, the disciplined Chinese leader plunged right away into setting boundaries for the two country’s relations. The red line was Taiwan, he said, making it abundantly clear that Mr. Trump’s effort at rapprochement could crash on takeoff if he interferes with China’s long-term effort to take control of the self-governing island.
“The U.S. must handle the Taiwan issue with utmost caution,” he said according to a readout from Xinhua, China’s official news agency. The warning came just minutes into his public remarks in the Great Hall of the People, the center of power for the People’s Republic starting just a decade into Mao’s revolution. For Mr. Xi, it was all about setting boundaries, from the start.
The moment seemed to capture the new equilibrium between the two adversaries. Mr. Xi arrived highly scripted, leaving no doubt that for all of China’s problems — deflation, depopulation, the bursting of the real estate bubble — the moment when China acts as a peer superpower had arrived. » | David E. Sanger | David E. Sanger has covered five American presidents and their encounters with China, a subject of his latest book. He reported from Beijing. | Thursday, May 14, 2026
Los países del Golfo detienen a ‘traidores’ chiíes en medio de la guerra con Irán
THE NEW YORK TIMES: Decenas de ciudadanos del golfo Pérsico han sido acusados de pertenecer a células terroristas vinculadas a Irán mientras la guerra acelera un giro hacia un autoritarismo más profundo en la región.
En Kuwait, las autoridades detuvieron a seis personas que, según dijeron, conspiraban para asesinar a los dirigentes del país. En los Emiratos Árabes Unidos, las autoridades acusaron a 27 hombres de pertenecer a una organización terrorista secreta. Y en Baréin, el gobierno ha despojado a decenas de personas de su ciudadanía.
Las acusaciones pueden ser diferentes, y en muchos casos vagas, pero todos estos hombres tienen algo en común: son chiíes, miembros de una de las dos ramas principales del islam, según sus gobiernos y los activistas de derechos humanos.
Tras el inicio de la guerra entre Estados Unidos e Israel contra Irán el 28 de febrero, este país tomó represalias lanzando miles de ataques contra los Estados del golfo Pérsico que albergan bases militares estadounidenses. Desde entonces, algunos de esos países han detenido a decenas de ciudadanos chiíes, tildándolos de traidores leales a Irán, país de liderazgo chiita.
Estudiosos y activistas de derechos humanos afirman que se ha producido un aumento de la retórica nacionalista en la región que tiene ecos de épocas pasadas en las que el sectarismo estaba más extendido. También subraya las formas en que la guerra ha acelerado un cambio hacia un autoritarismo más profundo en varias de las monarquías de la zona. » | Por Vivian Nereim | Reportando desde Riad, Arabia Saudita | jueves 14 de mayo de 2026
Read in English.
En Kuwait, las autoridades detuvieron a seis personas que, según dijeron, conspiraban para asesinar a los dirigentes del país. En los Emiratos Árabes Unidos, las autoridades acusaron a 27 hombres de pertenecer a una organización terrorista secreta. Y en Baréin, el gobierno ha despojado a decenas de personas de su ciudadanía.
Las acusaciones pueden ser diferentes, y en muchos casos vagas, pero todos estos hombres tienen algo en común: son chiíes, miembros de una de las dos ramas principales del islam, según sus gobiernos y los activistas de derechos humanos.
Tras el inicio de la guerra entre Estados Unidos e Israel contra Irán el 28 de febrero, este país tomó represalias lanzando miles de ataques contra los Estados del golfo Pérsico que albergan bases militares estadounidenses. Desde entonces, algunos de esos países han detenido a decenas de ciudadanos chiíes, tildándolos de traidores leales a Irán, país de liderazgo chiita.
Estudiosos y activistas de derechos humanos afirman que se ha producido un aumento de la retórica nacionalista en la región que tiene ecos de épocas pasadas en las que el sectarismo estaba más extendido. También subraya las formas en que la guerra ha acelerado un cambio hacia un autoritarismo más profundo en varias de las monarquías de la zona. » | Por Vivian Nereim | Reportando desde Riad, Arabia Saudita | jueves 14 de mayo de 2026
Read in English.
Dänische Königin Margrethe II. im Krankenhaus
FRANFURTER ALLGEMEINE: Dänemark in Sorge: Noch vor wenigen Wochen feierte sie Geburtstag, nun muss Altkönigin Margrethe II. ins Krankenhaus. Sie ist laut dem Königshaus zwar müde, aber dennoch „bei guter Laune“.
Sorge um Dänemarks Altkönigin: Die dänische Königin Margrethe II. ist mit Herzproblemen ins Krankenhaus eingeliefert worden. Das gab das Königshaus in einer Mitteilung bekannt.
Den Angaben nach handelt es sich bei den gesundheitlichen Problemen um einen „Herzkrampf“. Der Nachrichtenagentur Ritzau zufolge ist damit die sogenannte Angina pectoris gemeint, die sich bei Betroffenen etwa mit Schmerzen in der Brust bemerkbar macht und häufig auf Verkalkungen in den Herzkranzgefäßen zurückzuführen ist. » | Quelle: dpa | Donnerstag, 14. Mai 2026
Sorge um Dänemarks Altkönigin: Die dänische Königin Margrethe II. ist mit Herzproblemen ins Krankenhaus eingeliefert worden. Das gab das Königshaus in einer Mitteilung bekannt.
Den Angaben nach handelt es sich bei den gesundheitlichen Problemen um einen „Herzkrampf“. Der Nachrichtenagentur Ritzau zufolge ist damit die sogenannte Angina pectoris gemeint, die sich bei Betroffenen etwa mit Schmerzen in der Brust bemerkbar macht und häufig auf Verkalkungen in den Herzkranzgefäßen zurückzuführen ist. » | Quelle: dpa | Donnerstag, 14. Mai 2026
Labour vs the People | Why Burnham, Streeting or Miliband Will Be a Disaster | Spiked Podcast
1944: Ohne Strafe, ohne Reue — So lebten diese NS-Verbrecher vor dem Kriegsende
May 14, 2026 | 1944 – das Jahr, in dem das NS-Vernichtungssystem seinen grausamsten Höhepunkt erreichte. Über 430.000 ungarische Juden deportiert, Gaskammern rund um die Uhr in Betrieb – und die Männer dahinter? Sie frühstückten, schrieben Berichte, planten ihre Karrieren. Mengele, Barbie, Eichmann, Stangl, Rauff: Wer waren diese Männer wirklich – und wie konnten sie jahrzehntelang frei leben?
In diesem Video rekonstruieren wir ihren Alltag im Jahr 1944 – und verfolgen, was danach geschah: Flucht, Verstecke, Prozesse und Straflosigkeit. Einer hingerichtet, zwei frei gestorben, das Recht jahrzehntelang blockiert. Wie funktioniert ein System des Völkermords – und warum versagte die Justiz so oft?
In diesem Video rekonstruieren wir ihren Alltag im Jahr 1944 – und verfolgen, was danach geschah: Flucht, Verstecke, Prozesse und Straflosigkeit. Einer hingerichtet, zwei frei gestorben, das Recht jahrzehntelang blockiert. Wie funktioniert ein System des Völkermords – und warum versagte die Justiz so oft?
En position de force face à Donald Trump, Xi Jinping agite la menace d’un « conflit » à Taïwan
LE FIGARO : RÉCIT - Le président américain a salué une rencontre « extrêmement positive » sur le front économique, mais a esquivé le dossier taïwanais lors de la première journée de sa visite en Chine.
Sous les lambris dorés du Grand Hall du peuple, Xi Jinping s’est offert un détour par l’Antiquité grecque face à un Donald Trump subjugué par le faste impérial de sa visite en Chine. Sourire matois, le président chinois a mis solennellement en garde contre le « piège de Thucydide » qui pourrait se refermer sur les deux premières puissances mondiales, agitant la menace voilée d’un conflit dans le détroit de Taïwan, jeudi, à l’occasion de la première visite d’un président américain à Pékin depuis près d’une décennie.
Une référence à l’historien athénien de la guerre du Péloponnèse en guise d’avertissement à l’auteur de L’Art du deal, sommé de s’accommoder de la montée en puissance planétaire du géant asiatique, sous peine d’une périlleuse confrontation. » | Par Sébastien Falletti correspondant en Asie | jeudi 14 mai 2026
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Sous les lambris dorés du Grand Hall du peuple, Xi Jinping s’est offert un détour par l’Antiquité grecque face à un Donald Trump subjugué par le faste impérial de sa visite en Chine. Sourire matois, le président chinois a mis solennellement en garde contre le « piège de Thucydide » qui pourrait se refermer sur les deux premières puissances mondiales, agitant la menace voilée d’un conflit dans le détroit de Taïwan, jeudi, à l’occasion de la première visite d’un président américain à Pékin depuis près d’une décennie.
Une référence à l’historien athénien de la guerre du Péloponnèse en guise d’avertissement à l’auteur de L’Art du deal, sommé de s’accommoder de la montée en puissance planétaire du géant asiatique, sous peine d’une périlleuse confrontation. » | Par Sébastien Falletti correspondant en Asie | jeudi 14 mai 2026
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Xi Warns Trump of Potential "Conflict" over Taiwan in Beijing Summit on Iran, Trade, Tech & More
May 14, 2026 | U.S. President Donald Trump is in Beijing for a highly anticipated summit with his Chinese counterpart President Xi Jinping. It is the first U.S. state visit to China since 2017, during Trump's first administration. Trade, the Iran war, artificial intelligence and the fate of Taiwan are some of the issues being discussed, although it's not clear if any new agreements are likely. Trump traveled to China with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, along with a delegation of top U.S. executives including Apple CEO Tim Cook, Elon Musk of Tesla and Jensen Huang of Nvidia.
The summit comes after years of rising hostility between the two superpowers, but leaders recognize the importance of improving the bilateral relationship, says Zhao Hai, director of international political studies at the Institute of World Economics and Politics in Beijing. "This is a very critical historical moment [at] a crossroad, and both sides now are working together to establish a stable relationship that will have a global ramification," he says.
We also speak with Jake Werner, a historian of modern China and director of the East Asia Program at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft. He says the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran and the resulting economic chaos have strengthened China's position.
"China has ties to all the countries in the region. It has acted in the past to help broker the normalization of relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran," says Werner. "So it has some experience in this realm, sort of acting as a broker towards peace."
Democracy Now! can be supported here.
The summit comes after years of rising hostility between the two superpowers, but leaders recognize the importance of improving the bilateral relationship, says Zhao Hai, director of international political studies at the Institute of World Economics and Politics in Beijing. "This is a very critical historical moment [at] a crossroad, and both sides now are working together to establish a stable relationship that will have a global ramification," he says.
We also speak with Jake Werner, a historian of modern China and director of the East Asia Program at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft. He says the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran and the resulting economic chaos have strengthened China's position.
"China has ties to all the countries in the region. It has acted in the past to help broker the normalization of relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran," says Werner. "So it has some experience in this realm, sort of acting as a broker towards peace."
Democracy Now! can be supported here.
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