North Korea nuclear test: Hydrogen bomb 'missile-ready'
North Korea says it has successfully tested a nuclear weapon that could be loaded onto a long-range missile.
The secretive communist state said its sixth nuclear test was a "perfect success", hours after seismologists had detected an earth tremor.
Pyongyang said it had tested a hydrogen bomb - a device many times more powerful than an atomic bomb.
Analysts say the claims should be treated with caution, but its nuclear capability is clearly advancing.
North Korea last carried out a nuclear test in September 2016. It has defied UN sanctions and international pressure to develop nuclear weapons and to test missiles which could potentially reach the mainland US.
Thousands of Rohingya flee Myanmar amid tales of ethnic cleansing
Huge influx of refugees expected to arrive in Bangladesh in coming days, with accusations of genocide in Rakhine state
Jacob Judah on the Myanmar border
Gunfire and explosions crackle in the hills. Plumes of smoke from burning villages streak the monsoon-grey sky. Refugees fleeing for their lives are pouring into Bangladesh over the Myanmar border as the conflict between Myanmar security forces and Rohingya militias escalates and risks spiralling into a humanitarian disaster.
The refugees say their villages are being raided and burned. They tell stories of the indiscriminate killing of civilians at the hands of security forces and Buddhist nationalists. Since 25 August, more than 18,500 Rohingya, a largely Muslim ethnic group, have fled into Bangladesh from Rakhine state. However, UN sources say they believe the true figure is closer to 28,000. And Bangladeshi aid workers claimed on Saturday that 70,000 – almost 10% of the Rohingya population – had crossed in less than 24 hours. “This is a new dimension,” said Adil Sakhawat, a journalist with the Dhaka Tribune.
Dozens of rickety shelters dot the fields surrounding the town of Gundum, where Rohingya refugees first started arriving last week. Goats and chickens that were brought across by the refugees dart between the muddy feet of old women and small children soaked by the monsoon rains.
Donald Trump's 'crooked' and 'fake' media slurs crumble as reporters excel chronicling Hurricane Harvey
Most reporters are plenty tough enough to see the Trump attacks for what they are, reflections of his own insecurity and candy-bombs for his slowly eroding voter base. But thick skins aren’t what make reporters great. We need a thin skin too, to grasp, feel and properly describe all that is good and terrible in the world
Even as the American news media committed serial heroics delivering the best possible reporting of Hurricane Harvey in dire conditions last week, one Trump found time to impugn it. That was Eric predicting on Twitter that among news outlets only Fox would bother to report on Thursday that his father had just donated $1m of his own money to the relief effort.
“So proud!!! Let’s see if @CNN or the #MSM acknowledges this incredible generosity. My guess: they won’t...” Eric Trump tweeted with a link to a Fox News story, referring not just to CNN, his father’s least favourite 24-hour cable channel, but also to the so-called “mainstream media” in general.
The President’s second son, however, was as sloppy as the coverage of Harvey has been exemplary. And he was called out for it. He posted his tweet precisely three hours after CNN had also used Twitter to highlight its reporting precisely of his father’s gesture.
Freedom of the Press and Expression in TurkeyWe Must Remain Defiant
For 200 days now, Turkish-German journalist Deniz Yücel has been held in jail in Turkey. But the madness won't become routine just because time has passed.
An Editorial By Barbara Hans
In some quarters, people tend to exaggerate when they speak of the importance of journalism. It is true, though, that journalism is necessary in a pluralistic society. The fourth estate exposes abuses, condemns undesirable developments, highlights different perspectives and reveals possible ways forward. Articles, editorials and analysis pieces invite us to inform ourselves, but they also present us with new perspectives. Perspectives we agree with, but also those we don't; perspectives that may anger us and that we find incorrect. Even perspectives that we might find objectionable.
A spirit of defiance is inherent to democracy. This defiance is its strength. People can say, "yeah, so what!" when they don't like the opinions and views of others. Democracy is powerful enough to withstand these differences of opinion. Moreover, it demands them. Elections are no less than the manifestation of the fact that there are differences of opinion over what is right and what is wrong. The limits are defined by laws that are executed by independent courts. Democracy ensures peace by promoting tolerance - through freedom of expression and the free press.
Ban on plastic bags could stop “flying toilets” in Kenya’s slums
A new law banning the sale and use of plastic bags came into effect in Kenya on August 28. But the ban, which has been praised by environmental activists, could make life difficult for people living in slums where plastic bags are used as toilets. People use the bags, known locally as “flying toilets”, because they either don’t have access to latrines, or can't afford to pay for public toilets.
The government hopes that the law will reduce pollution and damage to wildlife and ecosystems, and had asked supermarkets that provide plastic bags to hand in all of their remaining stock before the law came into effect.
The punishment for flouting the new law can be imprisonment for up to two years, or a fine of up to four million Kenya shillings [32,000 euros].
Kenya is by no means the first country to introduce a ban on plastic bags, with other countries such as Morocco, China, and Germany either imposing a charge on them, partially banning them, or banning them outright.
Pakistan trumps new US strategy for Afghanistan
While US President Donald Trump called on Pakistan to end its support for known terror groups, his man in Islamabad delivered a softer cooperative message on how best to solve the Afghan imbroglio
The United States and Pakistan have begun the delicate act of reconciliation after the sudden spurt of acrimony ten days ago following President Donald Trump’s ‘shock-and-awe’ speech of August 21 regarding his proposed way forward in Afghanistan.
In that speech, Trump threatened Pakistan with dire consequences unless it acted “immediately” to terminate its dalliance with known terrorist groups. Islamabad responded by cancelling the planned visit of US Assistant Secretary of State for South Asian Affairs, Alice Wells.
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