Friday, June 30, 2017
The Constitution vs. Trump
How President Trump's opponents believe the US Constitution may prove the most effective barrier against his policies.
Like every American president before him, Donald Trump has sworn "to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States".
But his opponents say he's been doing almost the exact opposite since he came to power.
Their hope is that by making it clear (be it through legal challenge, protest or the ballot box) that President Trump is indifferent to the responsibilities of his office and routinely flouts the various amendments enshrined in the Bill of Rights, they can use the constitution against him and bring his term in the White House to an early close.
So what are their chances of success? With the various strands of the anti-Trump "resistance" beginning to consolidate, Bob Abeshouse has been finding out.
Six In The Morning Friday June 30
German lawmakers vote to legalize same-sex marriage; Merkel votes no
Updated 0817 GMT (1617 HKT) June 30, 2017
German lawmakers voted by a wide margin to legalize same-sex marriage Friday, a landmark decision which came just days after Chancellor Angela Merkel dropped her longstanding opposition to a free vote on the issue.
The bill gives homosexual couples in Germany the same rights as heterosexual couples, and will allow same-sex couples to marry and jointly adopt children. It passed by 393 votes to 226, with four abstentions.
The bill is likely to pass through the Bundesrat -- Germany's upper house -- next week. The Bundesrat has previously approved legalizing same-sex marriage.
'We've lost democracy': on the road with Turkey's justice marchers
Thousands are walking the 280 miles from Ankara to Istanbul to protest against a government crackdown on politicians, journalists and civil servants
Hıdır Aydur rested his blistered feet under the shade of a tree on the side of the highway that runs between Ankara and Istanbul. The 57-year-old, from Erzincan in Turkey’s north-east, who has diabetes, had been marching for 15 days. He is one of thousands journeying by foot from Turkey’s capital to its largest city, many carrying banners that say “adalet” or “justice”.
“We lost democracy in our country, and we want it back,” Aydur said, his shirt bearing the images of Nuriye Gülmen and Semih Özakça, two teachers who were jailed last month after more than 70 days on hunger strike over their arbitrarily dismissal in a government decree.
Tens of thousands of people have been dismissed or detained in a broad government crackdown in the aftermath of a coup attempt last July that left more than 250 people dead and 1,400 wounded. After declaring a state of emergency, the government’s purge went beyond the direct perpetrators of the coup to encompass a large swathe of civil society, the political opposition, academics, journalists and civil servants, squandering a rare moment of unity to solidify its hold on power.New York's Yemeni Muslims on Trump's unblocked travel ban: 'It's petrifying'
'I’m trying to disassociate from my Muslim faith in public, which is sad'
As Donald Trump's oft-promised travel ban finally comes into effect after a number of legal battles, members of communities in the US set to be hit by the ban fear what it will mean for the futures of both their families and themselves.
Portions of the ban, affecting six Muslim-majority nations – Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen – were passed by the Supreme Court this week and went into effect on Thursday evening local time. For those in the Bay Ridge area of Southern Brooklyn – home to one of the largest Yemeni communities in New York – many are bracing for a struggle.
It’s like a sauna in here! Hungarians get their kit off in Budapest metro
We’ve all been there: pressed up against someone’s sweaty armpit, windows steaming up as more people crowd onto the train… Metro trains during the summer can feel more like a sauna than public transport. Well, eight members of a Hungarian political party decided to treat the Budapest underground as exactly that — and took the metro dressed in towels, bathrobes, and flip-flops.
But there was a bit more behind their actions than just trying to cool down in the heat. The members of Párbeszéd Magyarországért (Dialogue for Hungary), a green, pro-European political party, were making a point about the lack of infrastructure needed to ventilate the Budapest metro. According to the activists, temperatures inside the metro sometimes hit more than 30 degrees Celsius, which can be dangerous for older people or pregnant women. On their cardboard signs, they’ve written slogans like, “The metro is not a sauna!”
NATIONAL / CRIME & LEGAL
Three former Tepco execs enter not guilty pleas over 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster
KYODO
Former top officials responsible for the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant pleaded not guilty Friday over the 2011 disaster that caused multiple meltdowns and forced at least 150,000 residents from their homes amid radiation fears.
Tsunehisa Katsumata, 77, who was the chairman of plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co., as well as two former vice presidents, entered the plea at the Tokyo District Court in the first criminal trial over the disaster.
“I apologize for causing the serious accident,” Katsumata said, but added, “It was impossible to predict.”
Hong Kong activists released after handover protest
Hong Kong police have released several activists detained for staging a protest ahead of the territory's handover anniversary.
The city is holding a series of lavish events to mark 20 years since it was handed back to China by Britain.
Chinese President Xi Jinping is in Hong Kong and inspected troops at a local garrison on Friday morning. He is expected to attend a banquet later.
Security is tight with large protests planned amid a tense political climate.
On Wednesday, pro-democracy activists including student leader Joshua Wong and legislator Nathan Law surrounded and climbed into a golden sculpture of a bauhinia flower, Hong Kong's emblem.
Thursday, June 29, 2017
How can cyberattacks be stopped?
Thousands of computers go down in yet another large-scale cyberattack targeting companies around the world.
Cyber security has become one of the most important aspect of life in the 21st century, which means keeping computer systems secure becomes paramount for governments and companies.
Now, a major cyberattack that began in Ukraine has crippled computer systems around the world.
It has shut down government agencies and impacted thousands of businesses from India to Denmark.
It is linked to the so-called WannaCry ransomware, a virus that holds data hostage until a payment is made.
No one knows who is behind this attack, yet but the United States says it is investigating.
Six In The Morning Wednesday June 29
Cardinal Pell: Vatican treasurer denies Australia sex offences
The Vatican treasurer, Cardinal George Pell, has vehemently denied any wrongdoing after being charged with sex offences in his native Australia.
He complained that he had been subjected to "relentless character assassination" during a two-year investigation into the "false" claims.
He said the Pope had granted him a leave of absence to fight the charges.
The charges relate to alleged "historical" incidents, police in the state of Victoria said.
The allegations were made by a number of people, said Police Deputy Commissioner Shane Patton.
Cardinal Pell, 76, who is based in the Vatican, is considered the third-ranking official in the Holy See.
Security lockdown in Hong Kong as Xi Jinping marks anniversary of handover
About 11,000 officers will be deployed during Chinese president’s visit as areas of the city are made off limits to the public
Swaths of Hong Kong have been placed under an unprecedented security lockdown as Chinese president Xi Jinping arrived in the city to mark 20 years since the UK handed the city back to China.
Mass protests are expected to greet Xi on the 1 July anniversary, an annual tradition amplified by his presence in the city. Prominent Hong Kong democracy activists, including Joshua Wong and lawmaker Nathan Law, were arrested after they staged a sit in the night before Xi’s arrival.
The UK handed Hong Kong back to China on 1 July, 1997, ending over 150 years of colonial rule. The city was allowed to remain autonomous from mainland China, and maintains separate laws, government and freedoms under a framework known as “one country, two systems”.I’m a paramedic, and this is what it’s like to respond to emergencies and attacks in London
Paramedics have worked tirelessly to save lives on the streets of London in recent weeks – so is it really justified to keep their retirement age at 65 when every other emergency service can retire at 60?
The last few weeks have seen some truly horrific events in England, culminating in the devastating fire in Grenfell Tower. Our emergency services have rightly been praised for the bravery and professionalism they have displayed under the most arduous of conditions while helping the public.
I myself was a serving frontline paramedic for over 36 years, spending most of that time working on and helping to develop the rapid response unit capability for London Ambulance Service.
Like my peers in the Fire Brigade and Police force, no day was the same. Most frequently, it was spent dealing with elderly fallers, heart attacks, strokes and road traffic collisions.
South Africans outraged by photos appearing to show strippers performing for prisoners
Photos showing what appeared to be female strippers performing in front of a group of inmates in a high-security prison in Johannesburg, South Africa, has stirred up outrage on social media in the past few days. In light of the scandal, the South African prison administration has threatened to suspend at least 13 prison guards.
The photos show at least two scantily-clad women, dressed in black leotards and tall leather boots, with men in what seem to be orange prison uniforms in the courtyard of a detention centre. Other prisoners watch the scene. In one photo, two women surround a prisoner, and seem to be undressing him. Many people shared the photos with the hashtag #PrisonStrippers, which was trending on South African Twitter on June 26, 2017. One popular Twitter account, The SA Crime Fighters, called the photos “an outrage and a slap in the face to victims of crime!”.
JUNE 29 2017 - 12:17PM
Indonesia imposes travel ban on Donald Trump's business partner Hary Tanoesoedibjo
Indonesian authorities have imposed a travel ban on tycoon and politician Hary Tanoesoedibjo, who is building resorts to be managed by Trump hotels, over an investigation into allegations he threatened a prosecutor via a text message.
Tanoesoedibjo has been given a 20-day overseas travel ban starting on June 22 based on a request by Indonesian police's criminal investigation unit Agung Sampurno, a spokesman at the immigration directorate said on Wednesday.
Soaring Olympic costs threaten future of Games, IOC warns
Tokyo (AFP) - The International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Wednesday praised Japanese organisers for slashing costs for the 2020 Tokyo Games, but warned that soaring Olympic budgets could see future bids dry up.
Tokyo 2020 coordination commission chairman John Coates noted that significant progress had been made since the IOC ordered local organisers to keep costs below $20 billion but added that more needed to be done.
"Apart from the fact you've got the budget down now to around $13 billion, the emphasis that you are continuing to work together to further reduce costs and optimise resources is not only important to you and taxpayers, but also very important to the IOC," he said at the start of a three-day visit to Tokyo.
Wednesday, June 28, 2017
Is peace in Northern Ireland in jeopardy?
UK leader is criticised over her billion-dollar deal with Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party.
British Prime Minister Theresa May needs the backing of 10 legislators from Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) after her own Conservative party failed to gain a majority in a general election earlier this month.
The deal will see the DUP support May's minority government on key votes including Brexit, the UK's exit from the European Union.
In exchange, the DUP will receive more than $1bn in extra funding for Northern Ireland.
But not all parties are happy and some have raised doubts about its impact on the Good Friday Agreement and the issues affecting the power-sharing assembly in Belfast.
Six In The Morning Wednesday June 28
Venezuela: police helicopter attacks supreme court with grenades
President says explosives failed to detonate in incident following months of increasing violence against his rule
A police helicopter launched grenades at Venezuela’s supreme court building on Tuesday evening following months of protests against the country’s president, Nicolás Maduro.
Maduro said “terrorists” had lobbed two grenades that failed to detonate, but some reports put the number higher. Local media suggested a former police intelligence officer had carried out the attack.
Videos circulated on social media showed a man piloting the helicopter while holding a banner that read “Liberty. Article 350”, in reference to the part of the Venezuelan constitution that allows citizens to declare themselves in civil disobedience in front of “any regime that runs counter to democratic guarantees or undermines human rights”.
Wave of new cyberattacks spreads, hitting multinationals
A Cadbury chocolate factory in Australia has become the latest victim of a global cyberattack targeting multinational companies. The virus, ransomware initially dubbed "Petya," first struck in Eastern Europe.
More multinational companies across the world have said they have been affected by a cyberattack that first struck in Russia and Ukraine.
Mondelez, a company that owns snack makers such as Oreos and Cadbury, reported power outages across its factories, including halting production at a Cadbury factory in Australia late Tuesday. A terminal operated by Danish shipping giant AP Moller-Maersk at Jawaharlal Nehru Port in Mumbai was also affected.
Ukraine's central bank said several domestic lenders - including the largest bank Oschadbank - had been hit on Tuesday morning, hindering operations and leading the regulator to warn other financial institutions to tighten security measures.
28 June 2017 - 10H00
Japan carrier forces wheelchair-bound man to crawl onto plane
A Japanese budget airline apologised Wednesday for forcing a wheelchair-bound man to crawl up a set of stairs to board his flight.
Hideto Kijima, 44, was returning last month to Osaka from a vacation in Amami, a small island off southern Japan, when an Vanilla Air employee told him that company safety rules banned anyone from carrying him up the stairs.
There was no lift at the small airport to move disabled passengers from the tarmac up to the jet's door.
Kijima, who is paralysed from the waist down, said in a blog he was forced to crawl up the stairs using only his arms.
The Asahi newspaper said the man pulled himself up some 17 steps.
Building North Korean infrastructure makes sense
Such projects will yield huge benefits for all North Korean citizens and reduce the cost of future reunification of the peninsular
JUNE 28, 2017 8:56 AM
Not gaining much space in the international news cycle were two articles in May regarding South Korea’s desire to help develop the infrastructure of North Korea.
Both discussed how doing so now would decrease the cost of reunification in the future.
The first article (paywall) looked at the North’s inadequate rail system, deficient electrical power network, and undeveloped natural resources. The second (paywall) focused on hydro resources, citing the need for flood and drought control as well as stabilizing water supplies to citizens.
These ideas make sense. In addition to reducing the expected astronomical costs of reunification, such projects would greatly improve the lives of ordinary North Korean citizens.
Sydney Opera House to come alive with indigenous art
A vibrant animation telling stories of indigenous Australia will be projected on to the Sydney Opera House every night at sunset.
The seven-minute show, beginning on Wednesday, will turn the works of five prominent indigenous artists into a permanent part of the city's skyline.
The show, Badu Gili, means "water light" in the language of the site's traditional owners, the Gadigal people.
Organisers say it celebrates time-honoured stories with contemporary art.
"It combines music and images to create a gateway to Australia's First Nations history and culture for the 8.2 million people who visit the opera house each year," said curator Rhoda Roberts.
England 2018 World Cup bid team broke Fifa rules, finds Garcia report
A discussion of vote "collusion" involving David Cameron, the then-Prime Minister, was also examined by the Garcia report
The England 2018 World Cup bid team was found to have "accommodated or at least attempted to satisfy the improper request" of Fifa executive committee members, including former Fifa vice-president Jack Warner, by the Garcia report.
Fifa's long-awaited report into the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bidding process was published by football's world governing body on Tuesday, and identified "conduct by England 2018 that may not have met the standards set out in the FCE (Fifa code of ethics) or the bid rules".
The report also examines a discussion of vote "collusion" between England and South Korea during a meeting at which Prince William and former Prime Minister David Cameron, both part of the England 2018's lobbying party, were present.
Tuesday, June 27, 2017
Can the Philippine army recapture Marawi?
Security forces in the Philippines are still struggling to take control of the southern city from ISIL-linked fighters.
The Philippine government has said it will be relentless in its fight against armed groups in the southern city of Marawi.
After an eight-hour truce put in place to allow people to celebrate the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, an air and ground offensive has resumed to push out hundreds of ISIL-linked fighters, who had taken control of the city last month.
Since the operation began, more than 350 people have been killed and at least 300,000 people have been forced to leave their homes.
Six In The Morning Tuesday June 27
US warns Syria over 'potential' plan for chemical attack
The US says it has identified "potential preparations" for another chemical attack in Syria, and issued a stark warning to the Syrian government.
The White House said the activities were similar to those made before a suspected chemical attack in April.
Dozens died in the attack which prompted President Trump to order a strike against a Syrian air base.
The US statement warned President Bashar al-Assad of "a heavy price" if another strike occurred.
It said "another chemical weapons attack by the Assad regime" was likely to result "in the mass murder of civilians".
World food supplies at risk as climate change threatens international trade, warn experts
Chatham House report 'chokepoints' in the supply of food, such as the Suez Canal, the US rail network and the Turkish Straits, could become 'epicentres of systemic disruption'
The world’s food supplies are in danger as climate change and the increasing reliance on global trade threaten to create shortages and sudden, dramatic increases in prices, according to a new report by the leading think tank Chatham House.
The report’s authors warned of a “growing risk … to human security” with the potential for “systemic disruption” and so-called Black Swan events – major unexpected changes.
They called for an international “emergency response mechanism” to be created to help deal with crises as they arise and an increase in emergency food stocks.
Hong Kongers look for an exit 20 years after handover to China
Updated 0025 GMT (0825 HKT) June 27, 2017
Terence Tam's dad fled to Hong Kong from China during the political chaos of the Cultural Revolution to make a better life for himself and his family.
Then a British colony, the city became home to a huge number of refugees fleeing Communism in the 1960s and 1970s.
Now 39, Tam says he's ready to make another escape, 20 years after the UK handed sovereignty over the city to China.
While Hong Kong is one of the most affluent cities in the world, he says it's now in the throes of its own political upheaval.
Whither Japan's Democracy
To some observers, protester Hiroji Yamashiro, 65, has become a symbol of modern Japan’s uneasy attitude towards dissent.
The retired civil servant, a long-standing campaigner against the US military presence in the southern prefecture of Okinawa, was detained for five months from October last year before he was released on bail in March.
Yamashiro admitted cutting a barbed wire fence, but pleaded not guilty to subsequent charges of injuring a defense official and obstructing relocation work by placing blocks in front of a gate.
According to his supporters, Yamashiro is a tireless peace advocate whose continued detention was disproportionate to his alleged behavior.
Colombia's coca growers left behind in FARC peace deal
Colombia is set to succeed in its fight against drug trafficking, following the FARC peace deal. But coca-growing farmers worry they will be left without any means of support. Mira Galanova reports.
Lucia is on edge every time she carries her crop of coca leaves to buyers in Colombia's Putumayo department. "I pray to God that nobody stops me. We don't mean any harm."
The police presence has grown since the left-wing FARC rebels left the dense jungle along the borders with Ecuador following the peace agreement with the government last November.
Lucia, who declined to give her real name, cultivates the raw material for cocaine. "The risk is great, but our needs are greater. If we don't do this, we would have to go stealing," she told DW.
Should cows get more respect than women? Indian women say 'No!'
Sujatro Ghosh
Indian photographer Sujatro Ghosh started a photo series on Instagram on June 11, featuring women photographed in different places in public around New Delhi. The one thing out of the ordinary? They’re all wearing a grotesquely huge rubber cow’s head.Cows are considered sacred animals in Hinduism, which is the primary religion across India. As a result, in some regions the slaughter of cows has been banned, and “cow vigilante” groups have sprung up, exacting revenge on suspected beef-traders. One famous case in 2015 was the Dadri mob lynching, when a Muslim man Mohammad Akhlaq was accused of eating cow meat by a crowd of local villagers. The mob beat him to death at his home, with his family watching. Earlier this year, the western state of Maharashtra banned cow slaughter and the selling and possession of beef – punishable by up to five years of prison.
Monday, June 26, 2017
Hong Kong: Aged and Abandoned
Hong Kong is one of the world's richest cities, so why are thousands of elderly residents collecting rubbish to survive?
Office workers rush past, oblivious to the army of grey-haired residents toiling in the shadows of Hong Kong's soaring skyscrapers.
Dragging trolleys laden with waste, they sell whatever they can collect for just a few dollars.
Hong Kong is home to 64 billionaires and has the highest number of Rolls-Royces per capita in the world.
But one in three elderly people lives in poverty - one of the highest senior poverty rates in the developed world.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)