Thursday, November 30, 2017
Why cities are full of uncomfortable benches
When designing urban spaces, city planners have many competing interests to balance. After all, cities are some of the most diverse places on the planet. They need to be built for a variety of needs. In recent years, these competing interests have surfaced conflict over an unlikely interest: purposefully uncomfortable benches. Enter the New York City MTA. They’ve installed 'leaning bars’ to supplement traditional benches & save platform space. But designs like this carry an often invisible cost: they rob citizens of hospitable public space. And the people who experience this cost most directly are those experiencing homelessness.
Six In The Morning Thursday November 30
Trump hits out at UK PM Theresa May after far-right video tweets
Donald Trump has told Prime Minister Theresa May to focus on "terrorism" in the UK after she criticised his sharing of far-right videos.
"Don't focus on me, focus on the destructive Radical Islamic Terrorism that is taking place within the United Kingdom," Mr Trump tweeted.
The US president had earlier retweeted three inflammatory videos posted online by a British far-right group.
Mrs May's spokesman said it was "wrong for the president to have done this".
The US and the UK are close allies and often described as having a "special relationship". Theresa May was the first foreign leader to visit the Trump White House.
Blackwater founder pitches plan to quell Libya migrant crisis with private police
The military contractor and Trump ally Erik Prince, who has faced scrutiny for his human rights record, has a ‘humane’ proposal to try to stop the flow of migrants
Erik Prince, the founder of the private military contractor Blackwater, is pushing a plan to intervene in the migrant crisis in Libya with a proposal involving a privately-trained police force that would mirror his company’s work in Afghanistan.
The proposal, he said, would be a more humanitarian option for the European Union compared to the chaos that is now gripping the oil-rich nation, given widespread reports of grave human rights abuses by militia groups against migrants.
Prince, who is close to the Trump administration and is mulling a run for Senate in Wyoming, said it would be relatively easy for his company, Frontier Services Group, to stop, detain, house and “repatriate” hundreds of thousands of African migrants who are seeking a path to Europe through Libya.
Donald Trump's embrace of Britain First fully exposes just how racist his agenda truly is
This is the same Trump whose first instinct in the aftermath of Charlottesville in August was to suggest that both those participating in a white supremacist rally in the city and those gathered there to protest against it were equally to blame for the violence that ensued
The charitable way of looking at Donald Trump retweeting three anti-Muslim videos originally posted by the deputy leader of Britain First is to suggest he is simply ignorant of what that group stands for. It would also be a cop-out, because in fact his motivations were surely more sinister.
Let’s begin with the first, most obvious question. What was going on in Trump’s head that he thought recycling hate-mongering clips originally posted by Jayda Fransen was more important than discussing, say, the fast-approaching tax-cutting vote in the US Senate or the threat posed by North Korea’s new intercontinental missile able potentially to reach the Eastern Seaboard?
Migrant slaves in Libya (2/2): 'I escaped, I took this crazy risk'
Ousmane K.
There was a wave of international horror and condemnation after the American media CNN published a video on November 14, 2017, showing a slave auction in Libya. Our Observer is a Guinean man who has now returned to Conakry. He describes his own hellish experience at the hands of traffickers in 2016.After CNN’s report was published, the FRANCE 24 Observers team received a number of messages from people saying that they had been victims of human trafficking. The Observer we spoke to for this article gave us a detailed, coherent, well-documented account of his experience, and we were able to corroborate what he said with the accounts of other people along the same route.
"Migrants who were travelling the other way asked us why we were turning back. We told them and they cried"
German broadcasters drop Roger Waters over BDS stance
A series of concerts by ex-Pink Floyd frontman Roger Waters has been dropped by German broadcasters over his support of the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement.
Berlin-Brandenburg Broadcasting (RBB) and several other affiliates of the Consortium of Public Broadcasters in Germany (ARD) announced they would not carry the performances, scheduled to take place in June next year.
A spokesperson for RBB said the broadcaster was sending a message against Waters' call to boycott other artists who perform in Israel.
Bali’s fiery volcano could end up temporarily cooling the entire planet
But we don’t yet know by how much.
Updated by
On the Indonesian island of Bali, a volcano called Mount Agung is spewing ash 5.5 miles into the sky, causing flight cancellations and trapping thousands of tourists and locals on the island, even as the potential for a bigger eruption looms.
Authorities have closed Bali’s international airport for three days due to fear of ash damage to aircraft engines, but plan to reopen it briefly to get people off the island. More than 100,000 people near the volcano were told to evacuate as explosions were heardmore than 7 miles away.
Wednesday, November 29, 2017
Building a border at 4,600 meters
The Disappeared of Syria
A look at the invisible weapon of Bashar al-Assad's regime: the kidnapping and torture of tens of thousands of Syrians.
When Syrians first protested in the Spring of 2011, their only weapons were banners and songs and a deep desire for freedom. Syria has been ruled by a strong, strict and often merciless regime, handed down from father to son since 1970.
"We, the old guard, couldn't believe it. Protests like that? In the state of Hafez al-Assad? In Syria? For the old guard, it was impossible. Forty-five years of rule had brainwashed us. When the revolution began, our orders were to shoot," says Munir al-Hariri, a former member of the Syrian intelligence service.
Six In The Morning Wednesday November 29
North Korea missile launch: regime says new rocket can hit anywhere in US
Pyongyang has conducted its first ballistic test launch in two months, reigniting tensions in the region
North Korea has claimed that the rocket it test-fired on Wednesday morning is a new type of intercontinental ballistic missile that can strike anywhere on the United States mainland, as it declared itself a “complete” nuclear state.
In a special announcement broadcast on state TV, the regime said it had successfully tested a Hwasong-15, which appears to be an advanced version of ICBMs it launched in July.
A government statement, read out by the TV presenter Ri Chun-hee, quoted the country’s leader, Kim Jong-un, as saying: “Now we have finally realised the great historic cause of completing the state nuclear force, the cause of building a rocket power.”
Germany: Altena locals shocked by pro-refugee mayor's stabbing
Altena has been rocked by the recent knife attack on its pro-migrant mayor. Despite widespread shock over the stabbing in the sleepy German town, some residents said discontent had been growing for some time.
Less than 24 hours after Altena Mayor Andreas Hollstein was attacked by a man with a knife at a neighborhood kebab shop, he returned to the scene of the crime on Tuesday — to thank the men who helped save his life.
Carrying a bouquet of bright flowers and with a long, white bandage covering up the 15-centimeter (5.9-inch) knife wound on his neck, Hollstein strode into City Döner-Pizza, warmly embracing the shop's owner, Demir Abdullah, who along with his son helped tackle the assailant.
"I am certain that if I hadn't received help, I wouldn't be here," Hollstein said during a press conference earlier in the day.
Migrant workers in China left homeless after crackdown on unsafe buildings
Lu Haitao
Nineteen people – mostly migrant workers from rural parts of China – died when a fire broke out in an apartment building in a Beijing suburb on November 18. After the tragedy, Beijing authorities launched a mass operation to demolish dangerous buildings in the city. This sent many migrant workers – many of whom live in buildings that don't meet safety regulations – scrambling to pack up and leave before their homes were bulldozed.The deadly fire took place in Daxing – a suburb located to the south of Beijing – that is home to many labourers from rural China who came to the city to work. Most live in poor conditions.
In total, 19 people died and eight were hospitalised after the fire. Most of the victims were migrant workers.
Local media reported that the building fell short of safety standards, with residents crammed together in tiny apartments. Firefighters concluded that the fire probably started in the basement, where a giant freezer was being built.
Olympic Doping Diaries:
Chemist’s Notes Bolster
Case Against Russia
The International Olympic Committee’s decisionnext week on how to punish Russia will be informed
by diaries seen exclusively by The New York Times.
By
The chemist has kept a diary most of his life. His daily habit is to record where he went, whom he talked to and what he ate. At the top of each entry, he scrawls his blood pressure.
Two of his hardback journals, each embossed with the calendar year and filled with handwritten notes from a Waterman pen, are now among the critical pieces of evidence that could result in Russia being absent from the next Olympic Games.
Documents reveal how ISIL ran areas under its control
by Ali Younes
Documents from ISIL-held areas in Iraq have shed light on the armed group's tough rules of internal governance and the fate awaiting fighters who violated its code of conducts and laws.
Obtained by Al Jazeera, the files also provide further evidence about the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant's structure and level of organisation.
The documents were seized from al-Baaj district west of Mosul, Iraq's second-biggest city, following its capture by Iraqi forces in June.
Japanese sumo star Harumafuji retires after 'violent assault'
Sumo grand champion Harumafuji has said he will retire from the sport, in a scandal that has rocked Japan's highly ceremonial sport.
Harumafuji is being investigated for an alleged assault on a junior wrestler.
He said he "apologised from [his] heart" to his fans, the governing sports body and his wife "for causing such trouble".
Japan's sumo world has been hit by scandals involving violence, mafia links and match fixing in recent years.
The Mongolian wrestler started his career in Japan at the age of 16 and was promoted to grand champion or yokozuna - sumo's highest rank - in 2012.
Tuesday, November 28, 2017
Migrants for sale: Slave trade in Libya (video)
African refugees have long used Libya as gateway to Europe, but many are now facing abuse, exploitation and trafficking.
Libya's UN-backed government says it is investigating allegations that hundreds of African refugees and migrants passing through Libya are being bought and sold in modern-day slave markets.
According to reports, the trade works by preying on the tens of thousands of vulnerable people who risk everything to get to Libya's coast and then across the Mediterranean into Europe - a route that's been described as the deadliest route on earth.
Libya is the main gateway for people attempting to reach Europe by sea, with more than 150,000 people making the crossing in each of the past three years.
Six In The Morning Tuesday NOvember 28
Amnesty seeks criminal inquiry into Shell over alleged complicity in murder and torture in Nigeria
Rights group publishes full evidence review, including statements alleging Shell managed undercover police unit in 1990s after its operations ended in Ogoniland
Amnesty International is calling for a criminal investigation into the oil giant Shell regarding allegations it was complicit in human rights abuses carried out by the Nigerian military.
A review of thousands of internal company documents and witness statements published on Tuesday points to the Anglo-Dutch organisation’s alleged involvement in the brutal campaign to silence protesters in the oil-producing Ogoniland region in the 1990s
Amnesty is urging the UK, Nigeria and the Netherlands to consider a criminal case against Shell in light of evidence it claims amounts to “complicity in murder, rape and torture” – allegations Shell strongly denies.
Myanmar: Pope Francis to meet Aung San Suu Kyi amid Rohingya crisis
Pope Francis is heading for highly-anticipated talks with Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi amid international censure over a crackdown on Rohingya Muslims. At an interfaith meeting, Francis urged "unity in diversity."
On the second day of his Myanmar tour, Pope Francis is traveling to the capital Naypyitaw for keenly-awaited talks with the nation's leader Aung San Suu Kyi. A former Nobel Peace Prize winner, Suu Kyi has been ostracized by the global human rights community over her reaction to the Rohingya crisis.
Although Myanmar is predominantly Buddhist, it has small Christian, Hindu and Muslim populations — most notably the minority Rohingya Muslims, who have been driven out in huge numbers from the country in recent weeks due to a highly-criticized military crackdown.
A hard-line group of Buddhist monks has warned there would be "a response" if the pope spoke openly about the Rohingya.
Syria peace talks restart but Assad regime might be absent
The United Nations reopens its Syria peace talks on Tuesday but the Damascus government's last minute announcement that it may not come to Geneva delivered a blow to the already faltering negotiations.
The eighth round of talks were seen as a chance for the UN to revitalise its push to end the six-year war, which has killed more than 340,000 people and left Syria in ruin.
UN envoy Staffan de Mistura has stressed the urgent need for progress towards a political solution and had been bolstered by the fractured opposition's decision to form a unified negotiation team for the first time.
But on the eve of the talks reopening, de Mistura told the Security Council that President Bashar al-Assad's government had not yet committed to show up.
At a Navajo veterans' event, Trump makes 'Pocahontas' crack
Updated 0548 GMT (1348 HKT) November 28, 2017
President Donald Trump, during an event at the White House honoring Navajo code talkers Monday, referenced his nickname for Sen. Elizabeth Warren, "Pocahontas," a label he has long used about the Massachusetts Democrat.
"I just want to thank you because you are very, very special people. You were here long before any of us were here," Trump said. "Although, we have a representative in Congress who has been here a long time ... longer than you -- they call her Pocahontas!"
He then turned to one of the code talkers behind him, put his left hand on the man's shoulder and said: "But you know what, I like you. You are special people."
Ayman Nour: Sisi has made Egypt 'a swamp of tyranny'
by Mohamed Hashem
One of Egypt's leading opposition figures has told Al Jazeera that the country is ruled by an "oppressive military regime", which has killed off any chance of political pluralism.
Former presidential candidate and leader of the Ghad al-Thawra (Tomorrow's Revolution) party, Ayman Nour, said Egypt's President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi was presiding over a failing government that was harming Egyptian citizens and the wider region.
Nour stood against former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in 2005, was jailed shortly after, and was an outspoken opponent of Mubarak's rule until the president was deposed during the 2011 Egyptian Revolution.
China jails Taiwan activist Lee Ming-che for 'subversion'
A Chinese court has sentenced a Taiwanese activist to five years in jail for "subverting state power".
Lee Ming-che went on trial in September for attempting to promote multi-party democracy in group messaging chats.
His case has gripped Taiwan, which has called for Mr Lee's safe return, and has further strained the island's relations with China.
Taiwan's presidential office has criticised the sentence, saying: "We cannot accept this."
The case first caused a stir in March when the democracy and human rights activist mysteriously disappeared while travelling in mainland China.
Monday, November 27, 2017
The robot-proof job men aren't taking
It’s easy to imagine that the jobs of the future, if they even exist, will all revolve around technology. But it turns out, the jobs that are least likely to succumb to automation are those that involve building human relationships. The healthcare field is a prime example— nurses, physician assistants, and physical therapists have higher-than-average salaries and major expected job growth. These fields share something else in common— they’re dominated by women. Despite the erosion of traditionally “masculine” fields like manufacturing, men just aren’t taking these high-paying, in-demand healthcare jobs in the numbers you’d expect. For decades, nursing in particular has been considered “women’s work,” in part because it’s assumed that women, more so than men, have a kind of innate capacity for caring and empathy. But men in nursing say this mindset is holding us back. For them, caring and empathy are stills that can be developed, not traits someone is worth with or without based on their gender.
China's Cyber Celebs
We go behind the screens with China's online stars and the nation's love affair with online streaming sites.
There's a new galaxy of superstars in China - riding the wave of the online live-streaming craze. It's a multibillion-dollar business.
Hundreds of millions of viewers tune in for hours each day, to be entertained and to also shower their favourite online hosts with virtual tokens and gifts. But with great popularity comes great control.
The government has introduced new laws to regulate online behaviour. This year, censors shut down three major internet platforms and thousands of live streamer accounts.
Six In The Morning Monday November 27
Mount Agung: Bali volcano alert raised to highest level
Around 100,000 people near Bali's Mount Agung have been ordered to evacuate as officials fear a major eruption.
Indonesian authorities have raised the state of alert to its highest level, and expanded the exclusion zone around the rumbling volcano.
The island's airport has now closed, leaving thousands stranded in the tourist hotspot.
Authorities say dark smoke and ash have been billowing up to 3,400m (11,150ft) above the mountain's summit.
Officials have warned residents to stay away from rock and debris flows known as lahars, which have been spotted flowing down from the mountain.
North Korea fortifies part of border where defector escaped
Soldiers dig a deep trench and erect gates on a bridge used by the defector in his daring escape from the regime
North Korea has fortified its border with the South at what appears to be the location where one of its soldiers made a dramatic bid for freedom earlier this month.
A photograph posted on Twitter by the acting US ambassador to South Korea, Marc Knapper, showed a small group of civilian workers, watched by North Korean soldiers, digging a deep trench at the point the defector abandoned his vehicle and ran across the demarcation line separating the two countries on 13 November.
Security camera footage released by the UN command last week shows the soldier, who is known only by his surname Oh, get out of the vehicle after getting it stuck in a shallow ditch.
How Grace Mugabe seized farmers' land for opulent 'Graceland' mansion while they slept hungry under trees
'Gucci Grace' exploited her position as Zimbabwe's First Lady
Mazowe was a very attractive place to work and live and that was the reason Grace Mugabe was determined to get her hands on it.
Robert Mugabe’s wife normally got what she wanted: here, a lush and picturesque vista, rolling hills, rich and fertile soil watered by a deep dam, the greenery pitted with seams of gold being mined, all within striking distance of the markets of the capital Harare.
Zimbabwe’s First Lady focused on turning this piece of Mashonaland into her very own domain. Pope faces tightrope act in Myanmar amid Rohingya crisis
Pope Francis has arrived in Myanmar as the country grapples with the Rohingya crisis. While some stress the pontiff should refrain from using the contentious term "Rohingya," others disagree vehemently.
Pope Francis' trip to Myanmar and Bangladesh on Monday comes as the region confronts turbulent times, not least because of the festering Rohingya crisis. The violence and consequent displacement facing Rohingya Muslims based in Myanmar's western state of Rakhine have come under close scrutiny worldwide.
In August this year, violence flared up once again after the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) raided several police posts and killed 12 people, according to government figures. The ARSA claims it is acting to secure the rights of the Rohingya.
India: Amnesty for first-time stone-throwers in Kashmir
by Rifat Fareed
The Indian government has offered amnesty to first-time stone-throwers in Indian-administered Kashmir, a move legal experts dismissed as meaningless, as most of the accused were "framed" in multiple cases.
Lawyers of the pro-independence protesters in Kashmir say it will provide little relief to those who are facing jail for mostly minor offences committed in a period that started after the first wave of unrest spread in 2008.
"This announcement of amnesty is a drama," Shafaqat Hussain, a lawyer who has been fighting human rights cases in Kashmir for two decades, told Al Jazeera.
How Delhi became the most polluted city on Earth
Breathing in the Indian capital this month was like smoking 50 cigarettes a day.
Updated by
Delhi has earned the unenviable distinction of becoming the most polluted city on Earth this month, as air quality has reached epically bad proportions.
On November 8, pollution surged so high that some monitoring stations reported an Air Quality Index of 999, way above the upper limit of the worst category, Hazardous. (An extra-sensitive air quality instrument at the US embassy got a reading of 1,010, as you can see in the chart below.)
United Airlines canceled its flights to India’s capital because of poor air quality. Visibility was so bad that cars crashed in pileups on highways and trains had to be delayed and canceled.
Sunday, November 26, 2017
The latest revelation that ties the Trump campaign to Russia
US intelligence agencies have confirmed that emails from the Democratic National Committee and from Clinton campaign chair John Podesta were stolen by Russian hackers. And now in the latest string of indictments and guilty pleas announced by the Justice Department, the evidence suggests at least one Trump adviser knew of the theft in advance, and lied about it. The revelations come from George Papadopoulos, a foreign policy advisor to the Trump campaign, who met with Russian sources who told him of Clinton's stolen emails, several months before they were released. His guilty plea upends our timeline of what the Trump campaign knew about the Russian hacks, and when they knew it.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)