Sunday, September 30, 2018
British tabloids on Brexit: Eurosceptics or Eurohaters?
As Brexit talks drag on, UK right-wing media ratchet up negative coverage. Plus, Mahathir and Malaysia's media revamp.
British tabloids on Brexit
Britain is more than two years into the painful process of negotiating its departure from the European Union.
When the EU's Justice Commissioner Vera Jourova said this past week that the news media can "sow divisions, spread disinformation and encourage exclusion" she said that the Brexit debate is the "best example".
The day after the EU rejected Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit proposal, The Sun's front page proved this point and was another reminder of the role the British tabloids played in the 2016 referendum that landed Britain where it is today.
Six In The Morning Sunday September 30
Indonesia tsunami: Rescuers dig through rubble for survivors
Rescuers have been digging by hand in the frantic search for survivors in the Indonesian city of Palu, which is reeling from an earthquake and tsunami.
At least 408 people have been killed but there are fears the death toll could rise significantly as workers reach areas closer to the epicentre.
Search efforts are being hampered by blocked roads and a collapsed bridge.
The Red Cross estimates that more than 1.6 million people have been affected by the earthquake and tsunami.
Zimbabwe’s new artistic freedoms are tested by film on Matabeleland violence
Documentary on 1980s massacres screened as director faces threats
A film about the massacre of tens of thousands of civilians in Zimbabwemore than 30 years ago was screened on Saturday in Bulawayo, despite a campaign of pressure and intimidation aimed at its director by police and intelligence agents.
Observers have described the release of the documentary as a litmus test for President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who took power in the former British colony when Robert Mugabe was ousted after 37 years in power in a military takeover last year.
Made by local the Zimbabwean activist and journalist Zenzele Ndebele, the film investigates the killings of as many as 20,000 civilians in the south of Zimbabwe by the army in the early 1980s. It was shown for the first time at an arts festival in Bulawayo, the southern city close to where some of the worst atrocities took place.
Terror cell busts in Denmark and Holland spark fears of homegrown attackers with Isis links
‘The conflict in Syria has built momentum for the global jihadi movement. Even if we are able to defeat them in Syria they have built a worldwide movement’
The man known only by the initials FA had reportedly never been to Syria or Iraq. He was a mild-mannered lecturer, speaking to a few of his students at the Copenhagen business academy where he worked on Wednesday morning. That’s when five Danish police officers and counter-terrorism personnel stormed in, grabbed him and hauled him away.
He and another man, known by the initials CS and arrested at a bicycle repair shop where he was working, were charged on Thursday morning with “participating in attempts at terrorism”. Among the accusations were those of trying to send cash and drones from Denmark to Isis.
Security experts have long worried the 5,000 or so suspected Europeans who fought for Isis in Syria or Iraq would attempt to return home after losing territory there.
Armageddon PostponedSyria's Idlib Province Gets New Lease on Life
The looming military offensive on the Idlib province in Syria has been called off for now. People there are yearning to return to normal life and rapidly planning for the future. But how long with the peace last?
Two weeks before the sudden cease-fire, Abdul Aziz Ajini's neighbors thought he had gone crazy. While others in the village of Kurin, located in Idlib province, trembled with fear ahead of the major offensive on the immediate horizon, Ajini, a former professor of English literature at a local college, began to rebuild his home, which had been bombed to rubble years ago.
As the people of Idlib were trying to sell their homes, property and furniture to raise money for their escape -- even though no one was buying, and nobody even knew where they could flee to -- Ajini was busy collecting cement and bricks and hiring an engineer. Even the engineer pulled him aside and asked: "Tell me, Aziz, are you really sure this is a good idea -- now, of all times?"
Egypt convicts activist who denounced sexual harassment
An Egyptian court has sentenced an activist to two years in jail over a video she posted on social media criticising the government for failing to protect women against sexual harassment and over poor living conditions, her lawyer said.
Amal Fathy, a member of the now banned April 6 youth movement which played a role in 2011 protests that forced President Hosni Mubarak from office, was also fined 10,000 Egyptian pounds ($562), her lawyer Tarek Abuel Nasr and state news agency MENA said.
She was charged with spreading false news that threatened national security and disseminating a video that violated public decency. She also faces other charges including joining an illegal group.
‘They was killing black people
In Tulsa, one of the worst episodes of racial violence in U.S. history still haunts the city with unresolved questions, even as ‘Black Wall Street’ gentrifies
The black city council member driving a black SUV came to a dead stop along a gravel road.
Vanessa Hall-Harper pointed to a grassy knoll in the potter’s field section of Oaklawn Cemetery. “This is where the mass graves are,” Hall-Harper declared.
She and others think bodies were dumped here after one of the worst episodes of racial violence in U.S. history: the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre.
For decades, few talked about what happened in this city when a white mob descended on Greenwood Avenue, a black business district so prosperous it was dubbed “the Negro Wall Street” by Booker T. Washington.
Saturday, September 29, 2018
Millions of single Chinese men desperately seeking a wife
In China, the one-child policy has wreaked havoc. By encouraging the birth of boys rather than girls, an imbalance of the sexes has emerged. China now counts far more men than women. Millions of these men, now of marriageable age, are desperately seeking a wife - and they will do anything to try to find one, even if it means buying one abroad or even kidnapping a woman. Marjolaine Grappe and Christophe Barreyre tell us more in this documentary.
The Chinese call them "Guang gun", "dead branches" which will never bear fruit. In short, men condemned to a life without a wife, without children, and without the hope of one day starting a family. In China, there are already millions of these bachelors in search of a soulmate and their ranks are swelling. Ten years ago, there was talk of the "curse of being born a girl". As a result of the one-child policy – in force until 2015 - millions of little girls were killed before they were born or just afterwards. Sometimes they were abandoned shortly after their birth. Most families preferred to give birth to a boy, so that he could carry on the family line.
Six In The Morning Saturday September 29
Brett Kavanaugh: Trump's Supreme Court pick faces FBI inquiry
President Donald Trump has ordered an FBI investigation into sexual misconduct allegations against his nominee for the US Supreme Court.
A Senate committee earlier voted to approve Brett Kavanaugh's nomination to the top US court.
But a Republican member only backed the move on the understanding that such an inquiry would occur.
As a result, a full Senate vote on Judge Kavanaugh's confirmation has been delayed for up to a week.
Judge Kavanaugh, an appeal court judge, denies allegations from at least three women.
'Many bodies' found after tsunami hits paradise island in Indonesia
Many bodies were found on Saturday along the shoreline of the Indonesian city of Palu on Sulawesi island which was hit by a major earthquake and tsunami, as the death toll rose to 48 people and hundreds unaccounted for, authorities said.
Strong aftershocks continued to rock the coastal city on Saturday morning after waves up to three metres (9.8 feet) high swept through the scenic tourist town, triggered by a 7.5 magnitude earthquake on land.
“Many bodies were found along the shoreline because of the tsunami, but the numbers are still unknown,” said Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, spokesman of Indonesia’s disaster mitigation agency BNPB said in news briefing in Jakarta.
US groups raise millions to support rightwing UK thinktanks
Anonymous donors have given $5.6m since 2008 to groups linked to four thinktanksRob Evans, Felicity Lawrence and David Pegg
Millions of dollars has been raised from anonymous US donors to support British rightwing thinktanks that are among the most prominent in the Brexit debate.
American donors are giving money to US fundraising bodies that pass the donations to four thinktanks in Britain. A Guardian analysis has established that $5.6m (£4.3m) has been donated to these US entities since 2008.
The Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA), the Adam Smith Institute, Policy Exchange and the Legatum Institute have all received financial support from US backers via this route.
India’s Supreme Court strikes down ban on ‘menstruating’ women entering one of Hinduism’s holiest sites
'Religion cannot be the cover to deny women the right to worship'
Adam WithnallDelhi
India’s Supreme Court has ruled that religious freedoms cannot be invoked as a “cover” for sexist policies, ordering a historic temple to lift its ban on women “of menstruating age”.
The Sabarimala temple, one of the holiest sites in Hinduism, attracts tens of millions of pilgrims every year but has barred women between the ages of 10 and 50 from entering.
Religious authorities argued the rule was a fundamental part of their belief system, in recognition of the fact that the temple’s presiding deity, Lord Ayyappa, is celibate. Some leaders suggested menstruating women were impure.
Brazil's Jair Bolsonaro says he'll accept election result — provided he wins
Brazilian firebrand Jair Bolsonaro has suggested the left's only chance of winning next month's election is through fraud. His running mate called on the army to launch a coup if the judiciary isn't purged of corruption.
Jair Bolsonaro, Brazil's firebrand right-wing presidential candidate, said on Friday that he would not accept the outcome of next month's election if he loses, as polls suggest he will.
"From what I see in the streets, I won't accept any result that is not my election," the populist politician told Brazilian broadcaster TV Band.
Bolsonaro, a retired army captain, has led an ill-tempered campaign in what has been Brazil's most polarizing election since the country's return to democracy in 1985. He has previously said he doesn't trust Brazil's top electoral court and accused the rival left-wing Workers' Party of resorting to fraud as its plan B in the upcoming vote.
HURRICANE FLORENCE RELEASED TONS OF COAL ASH IN NORTH CAROLINA. NOW THE COAL INDUSTRY WANTS LESS REGULATION.
EVEN AS COAL ash storage basins are leaking massive amounts of pollution in the wake of Hurricane Florence, the coal industry is working on a novel legal strategy to stop the federal regulation of this toxic byproduct of coal combustion. The very same week that coal ash turned some river water in North Carolina into gray pudding and the pollution amassed to the point that it could be seen from space, coal companies have been successfully limiting their liability for this contamination under the Clean Water Act.
The coal industry was already enjoying a banner year under the Trump administration — one capped by the rollback of a 2015 Environmental Protection Agency rule that had set basic limitations on the disposal of coal ash. The waste contains carcinogens and neurotoxins, including arsenic, boron, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, lead, lithium, and mercury, and is often stored in unlined pits.
Friday, September 28, 2018
China and the Pope: A fresh start?
After decades of hostility, can two of the world's most opaque organisations start anew or is this path doomed to fail?
Six In The Morning Friday September 28
Brett Kavanaugh: Republicans push for US Supreme Court vote
Republicans are pushing to vote on President Donald Trump's nominee for the US Supreme Court on Friday, after hearing dramatic testimony from him and a woman accusing him of sexual assault.
Brett Kavanaugh, at times emotional and angry, denied assaulting Christine Blasey Ford when they were teenagers.
Dr Ford, close to tears, described the incident in detail saying it had "drastically" affected her life.
Mr Trump has urged the Senate - where Republicans have a majority - to vote.
This is expected next week, although the outcome is far from certain with a number of senators on both sides undecided.
Duterte confesses: 'My only sin is the extrajudicial killings'
Philippines president’s admission in speech could add weight to international criminal court inquiry
President Rodrigo Duterte has admitted for the first time to authorising extrajudicial killings as part of his war on drugs in the Philippines.
Duterte made the admission during a speech at the presidential palace on Thursday, where he directly challenged anyone who criticised how he ran the country. “I told the military, what is my fault? Did I steal even one peso?” said Duterte. “My only sin is the extrajudicial killings.”
Duterte has previously addressed the existence of extra-judicial killings but has always denied they were state-sponsored. This direct acknowledgment of his role in the deaths could give further weight to the ongoing preliminary investigation by the international criminal court (ICC) into the thousands of extrajudicial killings carried out as part of Duterte’s “war on drugs”.
Tara Fares death: Iraqi model and Instagram star shot dead in Baghdad
'Tara’s death screams discrimination, lack of freedom and rights'
Tara Fares, a prominent former beauty queen with nearly three million followers on Instagram, was killed after gunmen opened fire on her on Thursday in the city's Kam Sara neighbourhood.
The Iraqi Ministry of the Interior announced it had opened an investigation into the model's death, according to Kurdistan 24.
Ms Fares' body was taken to Baghdad's Sheik Zaid hospital at 5:45 am local time. Doctors told local media she had died after suffering three bullet wounds.
The 22-year-old lived in Erbil, the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan, but regularly visited Baghdad.
Yemen is undeniably the world's worst humanitarian crisis: WFP
Chief of UN's food agency raises alert over Yemen's hunger crisis at the UN General Assembly as famine fears loom.
by Ruairi Casey
The World Food Programme (WFP) has said there "very well could be" famine in remote areas of Yemen where the UN's food agency does not have access, painting a bleak picture of the hunger crisis gripping the country.
"Yemen is a disaster and I don't see any light at the end of the tunnel right now," WFP's Executive Director David Beasley told reporters at a closed briefing during the UN General Assembly in New York City on Thursday.
THE WOMEN WERE slapped and shoved down a dusty road. They were blindfolded and forced to the ground. Then they, and two young children, were gunned down — 22 shots from assault rifles fired at close range — by men in military uniforms.
In July, The Intercept was the first media outlet to publish the complete, unedited footage of this murder of four civilians by members of the Cameroonian armed forces — a key U.S. military ally in the region — drawing on extensive investigative work by experts at Amnesty International. The government of Cameroon quickly dismissed reports that its soldiers were involved in the atrocity, calling it “fake news.”
National
Japan to continue to push resumption of commercial whaling
By Mari Yamaguchi
A senior Japanese whaling negotiator said Thursday that Tokyo will continue to push for a resumption of commercial whaling despite the recent defeat of its proposal by the International Whaling Commission.
Fisheries negotiator Hideki Moronuki said the IWC should represent both conservation interests and backers of sustainable use of resources, and not act as if it were an anti-whaling group.
IWC imposed a ban on commercial whaling in the 1980s because of dwindling stocks. Japan has instead conducted what it calls research whaling, and says stocks have recovered enough that commercial hunts should resume. Its proposal to do so was defeated at an IWC meeting in Brazil on Sept 14.
Thursday, September 27, 2018
Why America needs automatic voter registration
Americans are notoriously bad at voting, but it’s not because they’re unpatriotic or lazy. It’s because most states make it really difficult to even register to vote. It’s time for the US to join other advanced democracies and implement automatic voter registration. It will make the voting system more accurate and more secure, plus it could give nearly 50 million eligible Americans a chance to decide how their country is run.
Six In The Morning Thursday September 27
A day that will resonate in history
Updated 0548 GMT (1348 HKT) September 27, 2018
It could be one of those Washington days that define a political era.
When Supreme Court pick Brett Kavanaugh and his original accuser Christine Blasey Ford deliver dueling testimony on Thursday, they will conjure drama of an intensity unusual even in the Trump administration.
Take it from the commander in chief himself, who said of a day steeped in political, legal and judicial consequences: "I think it's going to be a very, very, important day in the history of our country," President Donald Trump said in New York on Wednesday evening.
Indonesian government to hold weekly 'fake news' briefings
Initiative aims to stop the spread of disinformation in the social media-obsessed country
Indonesia’s communications ministry has announced plans to hold weekly briefings on fake news, in an effort to educate the public about the spread of disinformation in the world’s third-largest democracy.
Communications minister Rudiantara said the initiative was designed to help the Indonesian public “sort through the news” in the lead up to what is widely expected to be a heated presidential election scheduled for next April.
The initiative would be kicked off as soon as possible, said the minister, and fake news stories – known locally as “hoax” news or “black campaigns” – would be accompanied by factual explanations.
Is the fascinating West Bank home of Munib Musri a shrine – or a gift to a Palestinian state that may never exist?
Musri has himself turned down the presidency of Palestine, although he has been both a Palestinian and Jordanian minister. So what does he believe the future of the Arab world looks like now?
Robert FiskNablus
Munib Musri says that his neo-Renaissance villa and its wealth of carpets, baroque wall coverings, paintings and antiquities is to be a gift to the people of Palestine. He calls it beit filastin – the House of Palestine – and in the basement is a hall to commemorate the suffering and resistance of the Palestinian people.
There is a wall-painting in this cavernous room which portrays a middle-aged man in a keffiyeh leading refugee children out of “Palestine” in 1948. He has a white beard with a brown jacket over a robe and his eyes are staring and appalled. It is a portrait of Musri himself.
Cameroon rail operator Camrail convicted over deadly 2016 train crash
Cameroonian rail operator Camrail and eleven other defendants were found guilty of involuntary manslaughter on Wednesday in connection with a train derailment that killed 79 people and wounded over 600 in October 2016.
The packed train operated by Camrail, a unit of French industrial group Bollore, came off the tracks in the town of Eseka en route from the capital Yaounde to the central African country’s port city of Douala .
Eseka district judge Marcel Ndigui Ndigui ruled that Camrail and 11 of the 14 individual defendants were guilty of “dangerous activities and involuntary manslaughter”.
Ayotzinapa 43 four years on: Renewed hope for finding truth
Four years after 43 students went missing, Mexico's President-elect Lopez Obrador promises renewed investigation.
Mexico's President-elect Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has promised to reopen the case of the 43 missing students from a rural teacher's college in Ayotzinapa, who disappeared after the police intercepted them on their way to a protest four years ago.
The case has drawn widespread, symbolising how the state of corruption and impunity that has become the norm in the country.
The government of outgoing President Enrique Pena Nieto effectively closed the case a few months after the incident, claiming they had obtained confessions from local drug gang members who said they burned all 43 bodies in a dumpster after being instructed by the police to murder the students.
ABC boss quits over Australian political interference claims
Australia's national broadcaster is facing a leadership crisis following allegations of political interference.
Justin Milne resigned as chair of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) on Thursday, amid allegations he tried to fire journalists who were "hated" by the Australian government.
Mr Milne has denied the reports, saying he was leaving to relieve pressure around the public broadcaster.
The government has also denied pressuring the broadcaster over staff.
Managing director Michelle Guthrie was fired by the ABC board on Monday.
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