Six In The Morning Thursday September 22

Charlotte shooting: State of emergency amid protests

The North Carolina governor has declared a state of emergency in the city of Charlotte, as unrest continues over the police killing of a black man.

Violence erupted for a second night after Keith Lamont Scott was shot dead by a black officer on Tuesday.

One protester is in a critical condition after a "civilian on civilian" shooting, the city said.

Mr Scott was the third black man killed by police in a week. Such shootings have sparked huge protests recently.

Riot police in Charlotte used tear gas as they faced hundreds of protesters. The local police department said four officers were injured.

Earlier North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory said he had "initiated efforts" to deploy the national guard and highway patrol to help deal with the protests.

Calls to abolish death penalty grow louder in Japan

Country’s legal community will declare its opposition to capital punishment amid concern over miscarriages of justice

Justin McCurry in Tokyo

Japan is expected to come under unprecedented domestic pressure over its use of the death penalty when, for the first time, the country’s legal community calls for its abolition next month.

The Japan Federation of Bar Associations, whose membership includes 37,000 lawyers and hundreds of other legal professionals, said it would declare its opposition to capital punishment at a meeting in early October due to growing concern over miscarriages of justice.

The declaration will put the federation at odds with the prime minister, Shinzo Abe, whose administration has executed 16 people since it took office in late 2012.

Calais Jungle volunteers accused of 'sexually exploiting' camp's refugees

Exclusive: The allegations have caused anger and division among charity workers at the camp

May Bulman

Volunteers in the Calais Jungle have been accused of sexually exploiting refugees and even child migrants.

The Independent has discovered a serious row has broken out among some unpaid charity workers at the camp in northern France, with some believing forging sexual relationships with adult refugees is natural in such circumstances, while others say it breaches all usual codes of conduct.

One man who raised the alarm was later subjected to a barrage of online abuse.

Opinion: Ceasefire made no difference to Syria’s starving civilians

Syrians have had to learn a bitter lesson in recent days: They’re starving, whether there’s a ceasefire in place or not, says Jürgen Stryjak.

As far as we can tell, hardly anyone in Syria expected the latest ceasefire to be a lasting one. Hardly anyone dared imagine that it marked the start of a solution to this bloody conflict. Despite this, most people yearned for the ceasefire, celebrating it on the streets and in cafes. Whenever anyone asked them about the cessation of hostilities, the most common reply was "Alhamdulillah," which means "Thank God!"

One of the most tragic consequences of this now failed ceasefire is that many people in Syria were forced to learn a bitter lesson: that there's little to gain from a ceasefire. Especially if you're among the people in those areas that are being occupied and starved - mainly by Bashar al-Assad's soldiers and his allies.

Venezuela's election authority rules out 2016 recall vote for Maduro

Venezuela's electoral authority on Wednesday ruled out a recall referendum against President Nicolas Maduro this year, all but dashing opposition hopes to oust him at the ballot box.

The National Electoral Council declared in a statement after meeting with the opposition and the government that "the event could be held in the middle of the first quarter of 2017."

The council also set the rules for the next step in the process, deciding that four million petition signatures, which represent 20 percent of voters, must be gathered over three days between October 26-28.

The opposition Democratic Unity Roundtable (MUD) had hoped to hold the referendum before January 10 because it would trigger new elections if Maduro lost by then.

Dating the 'wrong man' can mean death in India

• Amrit Dhillon

Dating for a young Indian woman is like Russian Roulette. If they show an interest in the "wrong man", stalking, abuse, violence and death may be in store.

The "wrong man" can turn out to be someone like Surender Singh, 34, who on Tuesday stabbed Karuna Kumar, a school teacher, more than 20 times in a busy street in north Delhi – people passing by did nothing – having stalked her relentlessly for more than a year.

Kumar, 28, had repeatedly told him to leave her alone, but he refused to listen. Everywhere she turned as she went to work, shopping, or to meet friends, she would see him standing in the shadows at street corners.