Thailand begins royal cremation for late King Bhumibol Adulyadej
Hundreds of thousands of Thais have lined the streets of Bangkok to pay their last respects to the late king.
A symbolic funeral urn was taken by chariot to the cremation site, in a procession marked by drums, flute music and an artillery salute, as the main part of a five-day funeral ceremony.
Many buildings are draped in yellow marigolds, while crowds of mourners are dressed in black as a mark of respect.
The revered king Bhumibol Adulyadej died in October 2016 aged 88.
The funeral officially started on Wednesday with a merit-making ceremony, a Buddhist rite, in the Grand Palace.
Kenya elections: polls open in rerun boycotted by opposition leader
Early turnout low for contested election that is almost guaranteed to result in another win for president Uhuru Kenyatta
Kenyans have begun voting in an election rerun that has polarised the country and is likely to be fiercely disputed in the absence of the opposition leader Raila Odinga, who is boycotting the poll.
In stark contrast to the first edition of the election, which was annulled last month by the supreme court, many polling stations in the capital and Odinga’s strongholds saw only a trickle of voters.
In the Kibera slum in Nairobi, police fired teargas at opposition supporters who tried to set up barricades in front of a polling station, prompting them to lob rocks at the officers. Similar scenes were repeated in the western towns of Migori, Siaya and Homa Bay.
German activist Peter Steudtner released from Turkish jail
German Peter Steudtner and seven other human rights activists were ordered to be released on bail after several months in jail. The group was arrested on contested terror charges as part of a government crackdown.
Eight human rights activists, including German citizen Peter Steudtner and Amnesty International's Turkey chief Idil Eser had tearful reunions with relative and supporters early on Thursday after they walked free on bail from prison in Istanbul. Steudtner had been detained since July 5, when he was arrested on controversial terror charges amidst a widespread crackdown on activists and the press in Turkey.
"I think we're all more than relieved. We feel really happy about what happened. To speak of me, I am really grateful and we are really grateful for everybody who supported us legally, diplomatically and for solidarity," said Steudtner.
Indian farmers bury themselves to protest loss of land
For more than three weeks now, scores of Indian farmers have spent their days neck-deep in the ground in Nindar village, outside Jaipur in Rajasthan state. They have half-buried themselves to protest the state government’s plans to take over 540 acres of land belonging mostly to farmers.
The land is slated for a massive housing project as part of the expansion of the city of Jaipur. But farmers have complained that they were not properly consulted and that the terms of the acquisition are unfair.
After a series of unsuccessful protests in the form of rallies, they launched this new type of protest on October 2. The semi-burials quickly got the attention of the national press, and the Jaipur Development Authority reached out to the protest leaders to negotiate. However, the negotiations have, so far, proved ineffective.
NSA CONCEALED RECORDS ON JFK ASSASSINATION FOR DECADES
THERE IS SOMETHING perverse about the fact that President Donald Trump, the exuberant and all-too-successful spinner of conspiracy theories, and deeply ignorant of American history besides, will oversee the release of the remaining classified files related to the assassination of his presidential predecessor, John F. Kennedy.
In 1992, Congress approved, and former President George H.W. Bush signed, the John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act. They were prodded by an Oliver Stone film on the killing released the year prior and the resulting flurry of public interest. The act mandated the disclosure of all assassination-related records no later than 25 years after its signing, by October 26, 2017 — this Thursday.
While federal agencies can contest the release of the documents on the grounds of “identifiable harm to the military defense, intelligence operations, law enforcement, or conduct of foreign relations” that “outweighs the public interest in disclosure,” according to the act, the chief executive gets the final say in all such cases. In other words, much of what we can still hope to learn about the JFK assassination hinges on Trump.
The life and death of the indie-rock heyday
Twenty years ago marked the beginning of the end of Peak Indie.
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Given the way audiences and tastes have shifted since, there will probably never again be a musical year as iconic — recognizable to everyone for a handful of undeniable reference points — as the Summer of Love (1967) or the year punk broke (1977). But to many enthusiasts of indie rock, 1997, two decades ago exactly, established a kind of high-water mark.
A web comic called Questionable Content — set in the hipsterville of Northampton, Massachusetts — captured the feeling unambiguously. Two still-young music lovers stand in a kitchen, Mercury Rev poster on the wall, recalling some of the great albums that dropped that year. “THAT’S why 1997 was the best year for music,” girlfriend says to boyfriend while she grabs what is probably a soy latte.
And it really is stunning to see what a single 12-month period produced: Sleater-Kinney’s Dig Me Out, Built to Spill’s Perfect From Now On, Pavement’s Brighten the Corners, Spiritualized’s Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space, and numerous others. To those who lived through the period, it seemed like it would last forever.
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