Merkel wirbt in Neujahrsansprache für mehr Zusammenhalt

Die Bundeskanzlerin sagte, 2018 sei ein überaus schwieriges politisches Jahr gewesen. Die Herausforderungen unserer Zeit könnten nur durch Zusammenarbeit über Grenzen hinweg gemeistert werden.

Theresa May’s New Year Message: Back Brexit Deal

The prime minister uses her new year message to urge MPs to allow the UK to 'turn a corner' by voting for her Brexit deal. In the video, released late on New Year’s Eve, Theresa May says that after the divisiveness of the EU referendum and its aftermath, she wants 2019 to be 'the year we put our differences aside and move forward together' In 2019 the UK will start a new chapter, says Theresa May

tagesschau 20:00 Uhr, 31.12.2018

Themen der Sendung: Bundeskanzlerin Merkel wirbt in Neujahrsansprache für mehr Solidarität, Tote und Verletzte nach Gasexplosion in russischer Stadt Magnitogorsk, Kulturhaupstädte des Jahres 2019, Vorbereitungen für Silvester in Berlin, Das Wetter

Asia and Australia Usher in New Year with Huge Firework Displays

Hong Kong welcomed the new year with a pyrotechnics show over Victoria Harbour, while Taiwan's capital held a firework display around the Taipei 101 skyscraper. In South Korea, a traditional bell-tolling ceremony was held near City Hall in Seoul, and North Koreans watched fireworks and a music performance in Pyongyang. Sydney Harbour in Australia held its biggest ever show. In New Zealand, colourful fireworks burst from the top of the Auckland Sky Tower

President Trump Approval At Record Low As Country Blames Him For Shutdown | The Last Word | MSNBC

Polls say Pres. Trump is to blame for the shutdown as his approval matches an all-time low. Jason Johnson, Mara Gay and Jennifer Rubin join Ari Melber to discuss the prospects for Trump as he digs in on his unpopular shutdown.

What Is Trump's Strategy for Syria and the Region? l Inside Story

For the first time since he became president two years ago, Donald Trump visited American troops in a conflict zone - Iraq. His surprise three-hour stop was at an air base west of Baghdad the day after Christmas. He didn't meet any of the Iraqi leadership but invited Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi to the White House in the New Year.

Trump used the opportunity to defend the withdrawal of troops from Syria saying it was made possible by the defeat of ISIL. But critics have condemned what they see as the president's increasingly isolationist foreign policy saying it will give ISIL a chance to re-group.

Trump says the work of US forces is complete, and regional forces will ensure ISIL remains dismantled. It's reported Trump also wants to reduce the number of US troops in Afghanistan from 14,000 to 7,000.

What is Trump's strategy for the region and what message is he trying to send?

Presenter: Mohammed Jamjoom | Guests: Ali Al-Nashmi, Political Analyst; Peter Galbraith, Former U.S. Ambassador; Afzal Ashraf, University of Nottingham

Why I Am Not a Christian by Bertrand Russell

Bertrand Russell first delivered this lecture on March 6, 1927 to the National Secular Society, South London Branch, at Battersea Town Hall.

Saudi King Salman Announces Government Reshuffle | Al Jazeera English

Saudi Arabia's King Salman has announced a major reshuffle of his cabinet. Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir has been replaced and a new political and security council has been formed. Marwan Kabalan, head of policy analysis at the Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies, talks to Al Jazeera about what could be behind the shuffle.

The Real Jesus Christ | Biblical Documentary | Timeline

After the death of Jesus, his followers split into two factions. They held radically different views about their leader – his identity, his message and his vision of the future. One of those factions flourished under the guiding genius of St Paul – and eventually wrote its version of the story in the Gospels of the New Testament. The other faction withered and died away, leaving behind no written records. But what if the losers in this power struggle had written their version of the story? The Real Jesus Christ reconstructs that lost biography of Jesus: an alternative version of his life as it would have been told by those who lost the battle for the succession, but who knew him better than anyone else – his closest followers and his family.

Pope Francis Uses Christmas Homily to Decry Modern Consumerism

THE GUARDIAN: Pontiff told pilgrims in the Vatican City that mankind has become ‘greedy and voracious’
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Pope Francis has assailed the “insatiable greed” of today’s consumerism, calling on people in his Christmas homily to make “sharing and giving” more a part of their lives.

“Mankind became greedy and voracious,” the leader of the world’s 1.3bn Catholics said in an address to thousands of followers in St Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican City.

“In our day, for many people, life’s meaning is found in possessing, in having an excess of material objects.”

“An insatiable greed marks all human history, even today, when, paradoxically, a few dine luxuriantly while all too many go without the daily bread needed to survive.” » | Agencies | Monday, December 24, 2018

Einsamkeit - wenn keiner da ist | Nachtcafé

Die Adventszeit ist für viele nicht nur die Zeit der Besinnlichkeit, sondern vor allem die Angst vor dem, was unausweichlich kommen wird: Weihnachten alleine! Auch wenn es das Fest der Liebe, der Familie und der Geborgenheit ist: Millionen Deutsche verbringen diese emotional besonders aufgeladenen Feiertage einsam und alleine zu Hause. Während an Heilig Abend aus der Nachbarswohnung glückliches Kinderlachen, fröhliche Lieder und Familientrubel zu hören sind, läuft in den eigenen vier Wänden der Fernseher als Dauerberieselung, um dem unerträglichen Alleinsein etwas entgegenzusetzen..

Markets Stage One of Worst Christmas Eves Ever, Closing Down More Than 600 Points as Trump Blames Fed for Stock Losses in a Tweet

THE WASHINGTON POST: The Dow Jones industrial average followed its worst week in a decade with a 653-point drop Monday, and President Trump once again took to Twitter to interject himself into financial markets.

As blue chips sank even deeper into the red after weeks of chaos, Trump tried to assign sole blame for the sell-off to the Federal Reserve, likening the central bank to a golfer who “can’t putt.”

“The only problem our economy has is the Fed,” the president said in a tweet. “They don’t have a feel for the Market, they don’t understand necessary Trade Wars or Strong Dollars or even Democrat Shutdowns over Borders. The Fed is like a powerful golfer who can’t score because he has no touch — he can’t putt! » | Thomas Heath & Philip Rucker | Monday, December 24, 2018

Clapper Blasts Trump's 'Appalling Arrogance' on ISIS

Former Director of National Security James Clapper says ISIS has not been defeated and blasts President Donald Trump's previous claims that he knows more about ISIS than the generals do.

The Real Problem Is the US-Saudi Relationship, Not Just Crown Prince MBS

Peace activist Medea Benjamin of CODEPINK says US support for the Saudi monarchy must be fundamentally challenged. Some American officials want a cosmetic change, simply replacing Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, but the problem runs much deeper.

Can the US Be a Dependable Ally? l Inside Story

Retired general James Mattis was seen as a measure of calm and stability in a White House swirling with chaos and unpredictability. Now, he's resigned as US Secretary of Defense, after disagreements on foreign policy with the president.

His departure comes as Donald Trump ordered a withdrawal of US forces from Syria and suggestions he'll pull thousands out of Afghanistan too.

In his resignation letter, Mattis said he believes in treating allies with respect. Trump’s announcement certainly took the US's friends by surprise and left many wondering if the US is a dependable ally.

So with Mattis gone, who will now try and control an unpredictable president?

Presenter: Imran Khan | Guests: David DesRoches, Professor of Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies at the National Defense University and Former Director of NATO Operations at the Pentagon; Habib Wardak, Founding Member of Transparency Afghanistan and National Security Analyst; Andreas Krieg, Assistant Professor at the Defence Studies Dept., King's College London and Specialist on Jihadist Groups in the Middle East.

Jim Mattis Resigns as White House Unravels from Within | Morning Joe | MSNBC

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis announced his resignation Thursday afternoon, sending President Donald Trump a letter that implicitly criticized the president's military judgment. The Morning Joe panel discusses Mattis' resignation and the other major news of the week.

Clapper: Americans Are Less Safe with Mattis' Exit

Former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper says Americans are less safe after Secretary of Defense James Mattis announced he is stepping down.

Don Lemon: If You Are Worried, You Should Be

CNN's Don Lemon reacts to the announcement that Secretary of Defense James Mattis is stepping down from his role.

Tucker Carlson Begs Advertisers To Stay, Declaring “I Like Immigrants!”

Tucker Carlson went on an angry tirade on Friday evening about immigrants, saying that they make American “poorer, dirtier, and more divided.” This incredibly racist statement has caused advertisers to flee his program, but now he’s begging them to stay by proclaiming that he actually loves immigrants and that he believes the caravan travelers all have good intentions. This is too little, too late, as Ring of Fire’s Farron Cousins explains.

The Rogue Crown Prince & the Dangerous US-Saudi-Israel Alliance

Col. Lawrence Wilkerson and Paul Jay discuss the US Senate resolution condemning Mohamed Bin Salman for the killing of Jamal Khashoggi; there is concern amongst the neocons of both major parties that MBS is undermining the strategy to weaken Iran