Wednesday, November 30, 2016
Outcast: Adrift with Burma's Rohingya
Persecuted Rohingya Muslims fleeing Myanmar face a dangerous journey on their way to freedom in Thailand and Malaysia.
In 2012, Rakhine Buddhists tore through Rohingya Muslim communities in western Myanmar (formerly Burma), attacking anyone in their path.
It sparked a wave of sectarian violence that spread to other parts of the country, with little hindrance from the authorities. Tens of thousands of Rohingya were housed in primitive camps under government-armed guard, while others tried to flee overseas to Malaysia or Thailand.
But as this People & Power film shows, the refugees were soon being exploited and abused by human traffickers ,while aid agencies and governments failed to protect them.
Six In The Morning Wednesday November 30
CIA chief warns Trump: Scrapping Iran deal 'height of folly'
The director of the CIA has warned US President-elect Donald Trump that ending the Iran nuclear deal would be "disastrous" and "the height of folly".
In a BBC interview, John Brennan also advised the new president to be wary of Russia's promises, blaming Moscow for much of the suffering in Syria.
In his campaign, Mr Trump threatened to scrap the Iran deal and also hinted at working more closely with Russia.
Mr Brennan will step down in January after four years leading the CIA.
In the first interview by a CIA director with the British media, John Brennan outlined a number of areas where he said the new administration needed to act with "prudence and discipline" - these included the language used regarding terrorism, relations with Russia, the Iran nuclear deal and the way in which the CIA's own covert capabilities were employed.
s has been a favourite tactic of the right – and Donald Trump’s victory is its Political correctness: how the right invented a phantom enemy greatest triumph
For 25 years, invoking this vague and ever-shifting nemesis has been a favourite tactic of the right – and Donald Trump’s victory is its greatest triumph
by Moira Weigel
Wednesday 30 November 2016 06.00 GMT
Three weeks ago, around a quarter of the American population elected a demagogue with no prior experience in public service to the presidency. In the eyes of many of his supporters, this lack of preparation was not a liability, but a strength. Donald Trump had run as a candidate whose primary qualification was that he was not “a politician”. Depicting yourself as a “maverick” or an “outsider” crusading against a corrupt Washington establishment is the oldest trick in American politics – but Trump took things further. He broke countless unspoken rules regarding what public figures can or cannot do and say.
Every demagogue needs an enemy. Trump’s was the ruling elite, and his charge was that they were not only failing to solve the greatest problems facing Americans, they were trying to stop anyone from even talking about those problems. “The special interests, the arrogant media, and the political insiders, don’t want me to talk about the crime that is happening in our country,” Trump said in one late September speech. “They want me to just go along with the same failed policies that have caused so much needless suffering.”
Aleppo could witness one of the worst massacres since World War Two, France warns
The ‘smell of blood’ is everywhere, doctor in besieged rebel-held area says, as Assad’s forces step up brutal final campaign before change in US administration
Aleppo is experiencing a "descent into hell" amid warnings the city could witness one of the biggest massacres since the Second World War as President Assad's troops continue their brutal offensive on the city.
After four months of siege and a bombing campaign which has brought rebel-held east Aleppo to its knees, civilians are fleeing across the frontline in their thousands to escape President Bashar al-Assad’s attempts to crush the city’s rebels for good.
A sweeping advance by the Russian-backed Syrian army and allied militias has displaced thousands of people, the UN said on Tuesday, leaving residents unsure where to turn to for safety as the frontline fighting rapidly moves and rebels struggle to maintain control of key neighbourhoods. The true figure once those who have fled to government areas is included is likely to be much higher.
EU set to unveil common defense fund
The European Commission will propose a defense fund to member states to invest in new military projects, according to news reports. Europe's NATO members are expected to come under US pressure to up defense spending.
The European Commission is pressing member states to increase military spending by paying into a common defense fund, the "Süddeutsche Zeitung" has reported. Details of the joint investment fund are due to be presented mid-day Wednesday.
According to the newspaper, the fund would be used to invest in common projects, such as drone technology. In its report, the paper suggested that the plan comes amid increasing unease about European security in the wake of the victory of US President-elect Donald Trump.
The idea of a fund reportedly comes amid a wider rethink of European military spending. European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker had already announced in September that a European defense fund would be set up by the end of the year.
Why Zimbabwe's new currency is already causing problems
OBSERVERS
A new currency came into circulation in Zimbabwe on November 28, and it is already causing problems. Videos published on social media show petrol stations and shops refusing to accept the bond notes, as the new currency is called – even though its introduction was supposed to help kickstart the country’s ailing economy.
Zimbabwe hasn’t had a national currency since 2009, when the Zimbabwean dollar collapsed amidst hyperinflation at a rate of 231 million per cent. It was replaced by the South African rand and the US dollar.
The Zimbabwean government decided to inject the equivalent of 12 million US dollars in the form of bond notes into the economy. The first notes to come into circulation on Monday were two-dollar notes and one-dollar coins, although not everyone managed to use them to buy anything.
In Asia, students take part in 24-hour relay races to end modern slavery
The initiative seeks to raise awareness about human trafficking, as well as funds. Some say the races help them better understand the conditions of modern slavery.
KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA — Malaysian student Benjamin Tan was injured and so exhausted at one point of the race that he was just limping around the running track – but he knew he could not give up.
"I was so tired, my legs were killing me but I know I was running for a greater cause to help people who are enslaved and being trafficked around the world," said the 17-year-old.
Tan was among 2,500 high school students who on Nov. 20 completed 24 hours of relay races in a student-led campaign in Asia to end modern slavery and human trafficking.
Tuesday, November 29, 2016
How Do You Subvert Democratic Rule? Through The Courts
Several governments in Asia use the court and legal system to quash dissent and disenfranchise smaller political parties. This is particularly prevalent in Malaysia and Singapore where the ruling parties have used the courts and legal system to jail political opponents or financially ruin them through libel laws. All done in the name of elective representative government or just outright authoritarian rule under the guise of egalitarian rule. China has decided that using those methods against pro independence legislators in Hong Kong. It gives the veneer of following the rule of law while suppressing dissent.
Government to file lawsuit against Lau Siu-lai, who took 10 minutes to read her 77-word oath of allegiance
Government to file lawsuit against Lau Siu-lai, who took 10 minutes to read her 77-word oath of allegiance
The Hong Kong government will seek to ban a third member of the city’s parliament, expanding a campaign to remove pro-democracy advocates after two pro-independence legislators were barred from taking their seats.
The government will file a lawsuit against pro-democracy Lau Siu-lai this week or early next week, alleging she was not sincere when she took the oath of allegiance last month.
Japanese comedian parodies Trump in ramen skit
For the most part, Japan doesn’t really do political comedy. Linguistic and social norms combine to make sarcasm a hard thing to convey in Japanese, and so satirizing politicians and world leaders becomes such a difficult endeavor that most entertainers choose to mine other sources to elicit laughs.
But U.S. president-elect Donald Trump has caught the Japanese public’s imagination in a big way, with his unique flair for the dramatic in his speeches and public appearances. Trump has already inspired manga, masks, and makeovers in Japan, and now he’s inspired a parody by Japanese comedian Razor Ramon RG (also known as Makoto Izubuchi), in which the real estate-mogul-turned-politician is lampooned as relying on easy stereotypes and a pronounced fondness for the phrase “Get out [of] here!”
What You Need To Know Today
Should I Stay Or Should I Go?
If I go there will be trouble If I stay it will be double
Dictator Donnie Thinks You Should Either Spend A Year In Jail Or Lose Your U.S. Citizenship For
Burning An American Flag
Unfortunately for Dictator Donnie that's unconstitutional
Work For McDonald's In Malaysia
And get exploited
Protesting U.S. Forces In Okinawa
Five O will come for you
Rescuing hikers: how one park district is making the process easier
The Bainbridge park district in Washington State is installing rescue locators that are coded with GPS coordinates. The information can help emergency responders find injured people in less time.
The Veil
Why do some women decide to wear the veil, while others opt to keep their hair and faces uncovered?
In 2008, before the Arab Spring and the recent controversies in France and elsewhere, the debate about whether Muslim women should wear the veil was already beginning to grow.
Al Jazeera's Everywoman series travelled to Egypt to find out more about why some women choose to wear a veil, while others opt to keep their hair and faces uncovered.
The film reveals much about contrasting attitudes, about freedoms and choices, about perceptions of modesty and privacy and about the strong reactions that women get, whichever decision they make.
Six In The Morning Tuesday November 29
Plane carrying 81, including soccer team, involved in accident in Colombia
Updated 0851 GMT (1651 HKT) November 29, 2016
A plane carrying 72 passengers -- including members of a Brazilian soccer team -- and nine crew members was involved in an accident near Rionegro, Colombia, according to the country's civil aviation department.
The accident happened in an area called Cerro El Gordo near Medellin, the department said.
The plane declared an emergency between the municipalities of La Ceja and La Union, according to a statement from Colombian aviation officials.
There could be six possible survivors, the statement said.
Putin brings China's Great Firewall to Russia in cybersecurity pact
The Kremlin has joined forces with Chinese authorities to bring the internet and its users under greater state control
Russia has been working on incorporating elements of China’s Great Firewall into the “Red Web”, the country’s system of internet filtering and control, after unprecedented cyber collaboration between the countries.
A decision earlier this month to block the networking site LinkedIn in Russia is the most visible in a series of measures to bring the internet under greater state control.
Legislation was announced this month that gives the Kremlin primacy over cyberspace – the exchange points, domain names and cross-border fibre-optic cables that make up the architecture of the internet.
In the summer, a measure known as Yarovaya’s law was introduced, which requires Russia’s telecoms and internet providers to store users’ data for six months and metadata for three years.
Turkey poised to send 3,000 refugees to Greece every day, intelligence officials warn
Thousands of dinghies and motorboats are reported to have amassed along the Turkish coast
The Turkish government has a secret plan to allow 3,000 refugees to sail to Greece every day, intelligence officials have claimed.
Greek analysts claim thousands of dinghies and motorboats have massed along the Turkish coast as the refugee deal agreed between Ankara and Brussels looks set to unravel.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan threatened to open the borders if the EU continued to block talks on the country’s accession to the union.
Bangladeshi schools at risk of floods go mobile
OBSERVERS
On the flood-prone river islands of Bangladesh, everything is portable. The islands, known as “chars” (pronounced chors), are formed of silt and sand carried down from the Himalayas by the Brahmaputra river. Global warming is accelerating the melting of glaciers, increasing the annual floods. To survive in this ever-shifting landscape, residents of the islands have learned how to be mobile, building houses – and schools – that can be moved at a moment’s notice.
The chars are constantly eroding and re-forming; they have an average lifespan of just 12 years. The average char-dweller will move 25-30 times in his lifetime, either because of erosion, or floods which in bad years can kill hundreds of people and threaten thousands more by destroying the crops they depend on.
It’s mid-November, four months after this year’s floods subsided, and Jamila Begum is still teaching her students in a shed behind her home. The site where her school once stood is now a 5-metre high cliff of sand that drops down into the waters of the Brahmaputra, the world’s 10th-biggest river. Fortunately, Jamila was able to move her school as the river was rising.
Brazilian opposition seeks President Michel Temer's impeachment
Anthony Boadle
Brasilia: Leftist opponents of Brazilian President Michel Temer are seeking to have him investigated and impeached for his alleged role in pressuring a former minister to approve a property development.
It is the latest corruption scandal to add political uncertainty delaying the recovery of Latin America's largest economy from its worst recession since the 1930s.
Brazil's public prosecutor is already studying whether to investigate the charge by the former minister, Marcelo Calero, that Temer had sided with another Cabinet member who lobbied him to override historic preservation rules for a luxury apartment building in Salvador, Brazil's former colonial capital.Cuba after Fidel: Economic reform? Sí. Political reform? No.
PATTERNS OF THOUGHT The passing of Fidel Castro paves the way for Cuba to open its economy
more. But several factors keep Cuban political reform at bay.
Fidel Castro spent much of his final decade planning for the survival of his 1959 Communist revolution once its towering psychological and ideological pillar – himself – passed on.
With Mr. Castro’s death Friday, 11 million Cubans, some 2 million Cuban-Americans, and the rest of the world are about to see how good a job he did.
Virtually no one foresees abrupt change for the Caribbean island nation, either politically or economically. But with the economy in crisis and failing to produce employment for vast numbers of Cubans, many regional analysts expect a scenario under which economic reform accelerates even as the one-party political system remains untouched.
Monday, November 28, 2016
Korean President Park Geun-hye Has Announced She'll Turn Power Over To The National Assembly
South Korean President Park Geun-hye has issued a statement that her powers will be delegated to the National Assembly and has once again apologized for the ongoing scandal involving the influence of a close friend who reportedly held sway over policy decisions which is illegal as she isn't an elected member of government. President Park has faced massive demonstrations over the last five weeks and well as impeachment threats from the General Assembly which is controlled by the opposition. Among the allegations were that this person had access to national security information and reportedly written speeches.
The embattled South Korean president has said that she will allow the country's parliament to decide how long she stays in office and plan for a successor amid calls for her impeachment.
"I will leave to parliament everything about my future including shortening of my term," she said.
Al Jazeera's Harry Fawcett, reporting from Seoul, said that while Park had stopped short of resigning, her remarks effectively paved the way for her to be replaced.
"She has said would delegate the opinion of how long her term would last – a potential shortening of her term – to the national assembly. Then she would delegate her political authority to an incoming candidate," Fawcett said.
What You Need To Know Today
Great Barrier Reef suffered worst bleaching on record in 2016, report finds
Fukushima nuclear plant decommission, compensation costs to almost double
NATIONALLoyalists to ask Park to step down |
ARRESTS OF JOURNALISTS AT STANDING ROCK TEST THE BOUNDARIES OF THE FIRST AMENDMENT
November 27 2016
Why schools have become a battleground in Turkey
Turkey's education system has long been shaped by secular tradition. But July's coup attempt has given President Erdoğan new license to remold an institution he sees as central to his goal of further Islamizing Turkish society and the state.
Malaysia: Babies for Sale
101 East investigates the sinister world of baby selling in Malaysia, where infants are sold to the highest bidder.
"Boy, 3kg, $2000."
The online message, complete with photos of a tiny newborn, advertises an underground trade where babies are commodities worth thousands of dollars.
Malaysia is a hub for baby selling, with buyers able to choose their own baby based on gender, race and skin colour. Some babies are bought by couples desperate to start a family. Others are sold to traffickers and forced to become sex slaves or beggars.
Six In The Morning Monday November 28
Syria government forces split rebel-held Aleppo in two
Thousands of civilians flee as pro-government forces divide the rebel-held sector in a huge push to retake the city.
Syrian rebels have lost most of the northern neighbourhoods in besieged east Aleppo, a monitor said on Monday, as the army pushed an offensive to retake the whole of Syria's second city.
The army captured the Sakhour, Haydariya and Sheikh Khodr neighbourhoods on Monday, while Kurdish forces took the Sheikh Fares district from rebels, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
Kurdish forces in Aleppo are not officially allied with the Bashar al-Assad's government in Damascus, but the opposition regards them as cooperating with the government in a bid to recapture the city.
The Observer view on corruption, repression and violence threatening fragile democracies
Malaysia, Thailand and Burma are all suffering a backwards slide from the basic standards expected of modern-day representative democracies. While the reasons vary, the results are similar: growing public unrest, increased state repression, negative economic effects, weakened institutions and reputational damage.
Malaysia vividly exemplifies these phenomena. The former British colony has never been a faultless democracy. The United Malays National Organisation, representing the ethnic Malay majority, has held power since independence in 1957. The mostly non-Muslim, ethnic Chinese and Indian minorities, whose ancestors were shipped in by the British as cheap labour, have suffered historical discrimination, yet this furore has little to do with history, race or religion. It is about probity in government – which appears to be sorely lacking.
Cuban dissidents lie low after Castro's death
The Ladies in White, who have rallied almost every week since its founding in 2003, have called off this week's protest. Cuba is in nine days of mourning for its longtime leader Fidel Castro, who died Friday at age 90.
The Ladies in White movement said it had cancelled Sunday's protest "out of respect" for those who mourn Castro.
The decision came as the communist island readies several commemoration events to mark the former leader's passing last Friday.
The group, which was founded 13 years ago after Castro's regime imprisoned 75 political dissidents, said it didn't want to be accused of provoking opponents during such a sensitive period.
'Policies won't change'
Group leader Berta Soler told the Agence France-Presse news agency that they didn't expect much to change in Cuban politics in the near future, as Castro's brother Raul continues to lead the country. He took over when Fidel Castro fell ill in 2006.
S. Korea's Park refuses questioning by prosecutors: lawyer
South Korean President Park Geun-Hye will not answer questions from prosecutors over a snowballing influence-peddling scandal rocking, her lawyer said Monday.
Prosecutors describe Park and her secret confidante, Choi Soon-Sil, as co-culprits in the scandal. They are accused of coercing top Seoul firms to donate over $60 million to non-profit foundations which Choi then used for personal gain.
Choi was charged last week with coercion and abuse of power.
The scandal has sparked nationwide fury, with hundreds of thousands taking to the streets to call for Park's ousting.
A parliamentary vote to impeach her could take place as early as this week as a growing number of ruling party politicians back the opposition-led campaign to oust the presidentWhy India's prime minister wants a cashless society
Indian prime minister Narendra Modi defended his government's demonetization drive over the weekend, saying the move would protect the poor and middle class.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi defended his government's push to demonetize India this weekend, saying a cashless society would protect the vulnerable poor and middle class.
Speaking on Friday, the prime minister emphasized the need for demonetization at a time when the "common citizen of India has become a soldier against corruption and black money."
"Black money and corruption has looted the middle class and deprived the poor of their rights," he said, as reported by Asian News International. "I want to give the poor their rights. I am doing everything possible to ensure the middle class is not exploited and the poor get their dues."
Deported from Palestine: Why Israel fears journalists
Journalist Eoin Wilson reflects on Israel's policy of deporting foreign witnesses to the Israeli occupation.
Eoin Wilson
Last September, the United Nations Human Rights Council called for international action to curb what it described as "an Israeli campaign to evict international workers".
As Israel tightens its grip on Palestinians and their international supporters, a growing number of activists, researchers and journalists have been denied access by the Israeli authorities.
Among them is Eoin Wilson, an Irish-Scottish freelance journalist specialising in social movements and international solidarity activism. Earlier this month, he was refused entry and banned for 10 years. Here, he reflects on his ordeal at the hands of Israeli interrogators.
Sunday, November 27, 2016
Who uses chlorine in Syria?
The warring sides in Syria stand accused of attacking civilians with chlorine gas.
Video of a terrified young boy suffocating - and asking a medic if he was going to die - was shared on the internet a few days ago.
It's thought he inhaled chlorine gas in yet another barrel bomb attack on Aleppo.
Both government forces and opposition fighters are accused of dropping the bombs.
The attack highlights the continued use of chemical weapons, in contravention of an international ban.
But how are they obtained in Syria? And who's being held accountable for their indiscriminate use?
Six In The Morning Sunday November 27
Syria army captures rebel-held Hanano area in Aleppo
Government forces capture largest rebel-held district of Aleppo as rebels admit to a collapsing frontline.
The Syrian army said it had taken control of an important district in rebel-held eastern Aleppo on Saturday after fierce fighting, with rebels blaming intense air strikes and lack of hospitals for their collapsing frontline.
Government forces advanced with a ground and air assault on the edge of the besieged eastern half of the city into the Hanano housing area, a move designed to split the rebel-held east in two.
‘We want to live again’: Mosul’s defiant citizens refuse to leave home
As the Iraqi army advances street by street, the expected exodus is not happening
Martin Chulov Mosul
On a main road to central Mosul, just inside the city limits, crowds of people had gathered. Black-clad women stood next to children in vivid winter coats. Old men sat on benches in front of smudged white walls and a young boy on a donkey cart touted for passengers.
Business had been brisk in the past few weeks as people left the city for the safety of refugee camps 30 miles east. But not any more.
The few local people paying to ride were mostly heading back to their homes carrying food that they had just bought from a makeshift market, the first to spring up since this part of the city was retaken from Islamic State extremists by the Iraqi army.
Fidel Castro's Cuba failed economically – but he had little choice in the matter
Cuba had bought into the Soviet Union’s economic system, but like the European satellites, it could only stop its people from choosing the West’s economic system by forcing them to stay
Fidel Castro’s economic legacy will be one of failure – but not perhaps quite as catastrophic a failure as his many detractors would insist. The Cuba of the 1950s was not some sort of golden age, for though officially the country was as rich as Italy in terms of GDP per head, that wealth was unevenly distributed and some 40 per cent of the population did not have proper jobs. For the rich it might indeed have seemed a paradise, but for the majority public services such as health and education were poor or non-existent and life was extremely tough. That, after all, was why Castro’s revolution had such popular support.
When he took power in 1959, Fidel Castro chose, or was pushed, into conflict with its largest export market, the United States. The distant Soviet Union could buy Cuba’s principal export, sugar, at guaranteed prices. It could give other forms of economic and technical aid. But it also helped seduce the fledgling revolutionary leaders into imposing a command economy rather than a market-driven one.
Sugar-free products stop us getting slimmer
Many people believe that synthetic sweeteners will help them lose weight. But it turns out that one common substitute for sugar actually blocks the function of an enzyme that is essential for preventing obesity.
For some time, nutritionists have suspected that artificial sweetener - often used as a substitute for sugar in coffee or added as an essential ingredient in diet sodas - does not help people lose weight. However, scientists have struggled to understand why this is the case.
Now, researchers from the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) have found a lead. The results of their study on this subject was published in the journal "Applied Physiology, Nutrition and Metabolism".
Richard Hodin's team investigated a sweetener called aspartame (which has the EU ingredients code E951). Along with the salt aspartame-acesulfame (E962), it is among the most commonly used sweeteners in the world.
English speakers protest discrimination in Francophone Cameroon
OBSERVERS
Calm has returned to Bamenda, a city in a predominantly English-speaking region in the west of Cameroon, after two days of fierce protests resulting in at least one death.
The demonstrations began on November 21 after teachers started protesting against a local education system that they say is too French-oriented and doesn’t provide for English speakers. But it’s not just a quibble with education – a large number of English speakers say that they are treated like “second-class citizens” in the predominantly French-speaking country.
Trade unions Cameroon Teachers Trade Union and Teachers Association of Cameroon called for teachers to strike on Monday and Tuesday. Thousands of people lined the streets of Bamenda, the region’s main city and the founding place of the country’s opposition party. It is also one of the two main English-speaking regions in a country divided into 10 regions – a holdover from British colonial rule.
The demonstrations began on November 21 after teachers started protesting against a local education system that they say is too French-oriented and doesn’t provide for English speakers. But it’s not just a quibble with education – a large number of English speakers say that they are treated like “second-class citizens” in the predominantly French-speaking country.
Trade unions Cameroon Teachers Trade Union and Teachers Association of Cameroon called for teachers to strike on Monday and Tuesday. Thousands of people lined the streets of Bamenda, the region’s main city and the founding place of the country’s opposition party. It is also one of the two main English-speaking regions in a country divided into 10 regions – a holdover from British colonial rule.
Sex abuse: Football Association to investigate allegations
The Football Association has confirmed it is investigating allegations of sexual abuse in football.
Former footballers have come forward to say they were sexually abused as youth players.
Four police forces are investigating the the allegations and an NSPCC hotline has had more than 100 calls.
The FA said it was working closely with police, adding it "must ensure we do not do anything to interfere with or jeopardise the criminal process".
The FA has instructed independent leading counsel Kate Gallafent QC, who is an expert in child protection, to assist it with its review.
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