Exile In New Caledonia

The untold story of Algerians deported by France to the Pacific island in the 1870s and their descendants today.

Almost 150 years ago, after troops led by Sheikhs Al Mokrani and Al Haddad failed in their year-long resistence to French colonial rule in Algeria, France sent hundreds of Algerians to what was then a penal colony – the island of New Caledonia.

More than an estimated 2,000 Algerians who were considered "rebels" by the French were deported to the Pacific island in the last quarter of the 19th century. Journeying by sea – some dying after refusing to eat pork when their dates ran out – they were imprisoned in jails in New Caledonia.

Late Night Music From Japan: Van Halen Jump; Runnin' With The Devil

Donald Trump Can't Revoke Birthright Citizenship

Donald Trump who's as dumb  as a rock along with being an obvious racist and white nationalist.  All this is part of his efforts to increase voter turnout among his most fervent supporters.  As I said Donald Trump is just plain stupid.   Because birthright citizenship is enshrined in the U.S. Constitution through the 14th amendment.  To repeal an amendment would require a 2/3 majority vote in the House and Senate. Followed by 38 states legislatures voting for repeal.  That's not going to happen.

   

President Donald Trump vowed to the right of citizenship to children born in the United States to non-citizens and illegal immigrants in his latest bid to dramatically reshape immigration policies just days before the midterm elections.

Trump would target the citizenship right through an executive order, he told news website Axios in an interview published on Tuesday, a move that would prompt a legal fight.

The right of U.S. citizenship is granted to U.S.-born children under the 14th Amendment of the Constitution, which cannot be changed by the president.

The text of the 14th Amendment reads: “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside.” Current Supreme Court precedent shows that the children of noncitizens born in the United States are citizens.

Six In The Morning Wednesday October 31

Asia Bibi: Pakistan court overturns blasphemy death sentence

Christian woman to be freed after being sentenced in 2010, accused of insulting the prophet Muhammad

Memphis Barker in Islamabad

Wed 31 Oct 2018 07.25 GMT

Pakistan’s supreme court has struck down the death sentence for blasphemy handed down to Christian woman Asia Bibi, in a long-delayed, landmark decision that has seen the judiciary praised for its bravery in the face of threats of violence and protest from the country’s Islamist groups.

The court, in a three-member bench led by chief justice Saqib Nisar, released the verdict on Wednesday morning in Islamabad, three weeks after they had reached a decision. The delay followed threats by blasphemy campaigners to hold large protests and kill the judges if they did not uphold the death sentence.

“Her conviction is set aside and she is to be relieved forthwith if not required in other charges,” said Nisar, reading out the judgment.

Migrant caravan: Second group of migrants arrive in Mexico as Pentagon prepares to deploy thousands of troops

Critics say president is stoking fears about the caravan for political reasons ahead of midterm elections

Andrew BuncombeWashington DC @AndrewBuncombe

Around 4,000 migrants from Central America are walking and hitchhiking northwards through Mexico, and Donald Trump has dispatched 5,000 troops southwards to help secure the US border amid what has has termed "an emergency".

In addition to this original group, more than 1,000 migrants in a second caravan that forced its way across the river from Guatemala have begun arriving in the southern Mexico city of Tapachula.

That is the latest, strange status quo in the saga of the migrant caravan, which set off 10,000-strong from Honduras two weeks ago. On the way, the caravan has been joined by people from El Salvador and Guatemala, seeking to enter the US and sure a better life. At the same time, thousands have dropped out because of the heat and exhaustion, and being offered transport home by the Mexican government.

How can Gaza's contaminated water catastrophe be solved?

Barely three percent of Gaza's drinking water wells is fit for human consumption, and the crisis is claiming lives.

by Sandy Tolan

When it comes to survival in Gaza, safe, clean drinking water is not at the top of Mousa Hillah's list of priorities. 

Since the 2014 war, Hillah, known to neighbours and family as Abu Ali, has had far bigger worries, which are etched deeply into the exhausted face of the 48-year-old grandfather.

Dodging shell fire from Israeli tanks, he fled with his family from the destruction of his Shuja'iyya neighbourhood, flattened by Israel in an attack so devastating - 7,000 shells in barely an hour - that it astonished even US military officials. ("Holy bejeezus!" one retired general exclaimed.)

A chapter closes: last Hong Kong bookshop selling titles banned in China shuts

Rumours the People’s Bookshop shut its doors after pressure from the government, which is aligned with Beijing

Carlotta Dotto in Hong Kong

Wed 31 Oct 2018 02.28 GMT

The last bookshop in Hong Kong selling titles banned by the Communist Party on the mainland has closed, marking the last chapter of the city’s historic independent publishing scene.

Human rights activists and publishers have raised grave concerns over the closure of the People’s Bookstore, a tiny shop in Hong Kong’s Causeway Bay district, known to be the last source of literary contraband in the city, in the latest example of China’s tightening pressure over the city.

The Guardian spoke to locals familiar with the matter who believe bookseller Paul Tang closed the shop under pressure from the government. A frequent visitor of the shop, who preferred to remain anonymous, said the city “was once the place where mainland readers came looking for the truth. But today, you’re afraid to even mention these forbidden topics.”

Trump’s Birthright Citizenship Proposal Is at Odds With Legal Consensus

By Adam Liptak

The words of the 14th Amendment are plain, and the scholarly and judicial consensus about what they mean is nearly uniform: Children born in the United States automatically become citizens of the United States.

In an interview released Tuesday, President Trump proposed a different reading of the amendment, one he said denies birthright citizenship to the children of undocumented immigrants. Mr. Trump said he was preparing to issue an executive order to that end.

The statement sounded more like a political stunt than a reasoned legal argument, and its timing, coming a week before the midterm elections, was suspect. Nor was it clear what the executive order would say, or how it could change the meaning of the Constitution.

Veterans slam Trump for border 'stunt'

By Zachary Cohen, Nicole Gaouette and Ryan Browne, CNN

Updated 0144 GMT (0944 HKT) October 31, 2018

With his decision to deploy more than 5,000 troops to the US-Mexico border, President Donald Trump has ordered more military personnel to the US southwest than he has serving in some of the world's most contentious combat zones.

Senior military officers have defended the deployment on national security grounds but the mission -- dubbed Operation Faithful Patriot -- raises a slew of questions, with many veterans condemning it as a political stunt by a President eager to fire up his political base just days away from the midterm elections.

"Donald Trump thinks unarmed people who are fleeing horrors and are still 1,000 miles away are a national security threat a week before election day?" said Will Fischer, a former Marine who now works for the VoteVets, a progressive veteran's organization.

DW News

Late Night Music From Japan: Elton John I've Seen That Movie Too; Dirty Little Girl

Richard Graham: Why gaming addiction is on the rise

Psychiatrist Dr Richard Graham discusses why gaming is so addictive and how it can be treated.

The design of online games has reached a new level of sophistication, appealing to millions of people.

There are more than 2.3 billion active gamers in the world this year, of which almost half spend money on games. A recent report by the international games market research company Newzoo estimates that the global games market will reach $137.9bn in 2018, with digital revenues accounting for 91 percent.

As the gaming phenomenon grows, the World Health Organization (WHO) has identified a new disease - gaming disorder. The WHO defines the disorder as "a pattern of gaming behaviour with increasing priority given to gaming over other activities ... and continuation or escalation of gaming despite the occurrence of negative consequences.

Six In The Morning Tuesday October 30

Humanity has wiped out 60% of animals since 1970, major report finds

The huge loss is a tragedy in itself but also threatens the survival of civilisation, say the world’s leading scientists

Damian Carrington

 @dpcarrington

Humanity has wiped out 60% of mammals, birds, fish and reptiles since 1970, leading the world’s foremost experts to warn that the annihilation of wildlife is now an emergency that threatens civilisation.

The new estimate of the massacre of wildlife is made in a major report produced by WWF and involving 59 scientists from across the globe. It finds that the vast and growing consumption of food and resources by the global population is destroying the web of life, billions of years in the making, upon which human society ultimately depends for clean air, water and everything else.

“We are sleepwalking towards the edge of a cliff” said Mike Barrett, executive director of science and conservation at WWF. “If there was a 60% decline in the human population, that would be equivalent to emptying North America, South America, Africa, Europe, China and Oceania. That is the scale of what we have done.”

Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooting: Iranian immigrant raises more than $650,00 for Jewish victims

The new fundraising goal for the GoFundMe campaign is $1m

Sarah HarvardNew York

Shay Khatiri first heard about the mass shooting at Tree of Life Synagogue from a friend. Mr Khatiri, who had been crashing on his Jewish friend’s couch for several months, woke up to see his friend visibly shaken from the tragic news and wanted to do something.

The 29-year-old initially thought about making a small donation. But he wanted to see if he could make more of an impact. So, he decided to set up a GoFundMe page with a goal of $50,000 for the mass shooting victims and their families. 

“I thought about [making] a small donation, and then I thought it’d be better if I start this campaign,” Mr Khatiri told The Independent. “If it didn’t, and worse came to worst, [the crowdfunding page] would be a few hundred dollars, and it would be better than nothing.”

Divers scour Java Sea in Indonesia crash recovery mission

Indonesian search teams Tuesday recovered more remains at the site of a crashed Lion Air jet that plunged into the sea with 189 people aboard, as a report said it had suffered an instrument malfunction the day before.

The Boeing-737 MAX, which went into service just months ago, crashed into the Java Sea moments after it had asked to return to Jakarta on Monday.

Flight JT 610 sped up as it suddenly lost altitude and then vanished from radar 13 minutes after take-off, with authorities saying witnesses saw the jet plunge into the water.

Dozens of divers are taking part in the recovery effort.

Venice overwhelmed by worst floods in at least 10 years

By Colin Simpson, CNN

Updated 0625 GMT (1425 HKT) October 30, 2018

Much of the Italian lagoon city of Venice was engulfed with water after high tides and strong winds caused the most severe flooding for at least a decade.

The city, famous for its canals and gondolas and beautiful palaces and churches, is frequently overwhelmed by water in the period from October to December, but Monday's flooding was particularly heavy.

The water rose 160 centimeters (5 feet 3 inches) above sea level at high tide, meaning that at least 77% of the city was under water. If the tide levels are verified, the reading will be the highest since December 1979. The highest ever recorded was 194 cm in November 1966.

Khashoggi's fiancee speaks about 'death squad' killing

Hatice Cengiz tells Saudi leaders to return her fiance's remains, warns Trump not to 'pave the way for a cover-up'.

by Gavin O'Toole

The fiancee of murdered Saudi Arabian journalist Jamal Khashoggi has demanded that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman reveal the whereabouts of his body.

In an emotional plea, Hatice Cengiz told an audience in London: "I believe that the Saudi regime knows where his body is: they should answer my demand, for this is not only the demand of a fiancee but a human and Islamic demand."

In a moving tribute to Khashoggi - who was killed at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2 - Cengiz called on the international community to ensure there is no cover-up of his murder.

S Korean Supreme Court orders Nippon Steel to compensate wartime forced laborers

By Hyonhee Shin

South Korea's top court ruled on Tuesday Japan's Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corp should compensate four South Koreans for their forced labour during World War II, a decision that could freeze ties between the uneasy neighbors.

Nippon Steel said the verdict was "deeply regrettable" and that it would review it before taking any next steps. Japan's Foreign Ministry said it would summon the South Korean ambassador.

In a landmark ruling, South Korea's Supreme Court upheld a 2013 order for the company to pay 100 million won ($87,700) to each of the four steel workers who initiated the suit in 2005, seeking compensation and unpaid wages.

Late Night Music From Japan: Violent Femmes Blister In The Sun; The Dead Milkmen Punk Rock Girl

China's Prison Orphans

What happens to children in China when their parents go to prison?

They are the children of criminals.

Their parents are in Chinese prisons, some serving life sentences for horrific crimes. With no one to care for them and nowhere to go, Sun Village, a shelter in Beijing, takes them in.

Run by a former prison officer, Sun Village is helping raise China's most vulnerable young people - teaching them to cook and clean, and helping them deal with their trauma.

Six In The Morning Monday October 29

Brazil election 2018: far-right candidate Jair Bolsonaro wins presidential vote – live

Electoral authorities have confirmed Bolsonaro will become president after winning 55.7% of the vote in Sunday’s second-round poll

• Full story: ‘The extreme right has conquered Brazil’ – Bolsonaro wins presidency

Jair Bolsonaro has had a call from Donald Trump congratulating him on his victory.

Trump is yet to tweet congratulations to Bolsonaro, but the Brazilian president-elect wrote on Twitter: “We just received a call from the President of the United States, @realDonaldTrumpcongratulating us on this historic election!” We express the desire to bring these two great nations closer together and to advance on the path of freedom and prosperity!”

Khashoggi murder: Saudi Arabia's attorney general to arrive in Turkey for talks over journalist’s death

Saud al-Mojeb's visit comes after kingdom's foreign minister called global reaction to the killing has been 'hysterical'

Saudi Arabia’s most senior prosecutor is to hold talks with Turkish investigators looking into the murder of Jamal Khashoggi as the crisis caused by the journalist’s death continues to engulf the kingdom.

Saud al-Mojeb, the country’s attorney general, will land in Istanbul where it is thought he will be asked to hand over the 18 Saudi suspects currently being held in his homeland in connection with the killing.

Mr Khashoggi – a Washington Post columnist who was critical of the current Saudi leadership – was murdered while visiting the country’s embassy in Istanbulon 2 October. He was living in self-imposed exile in the US at the time.

Military parade in Prague honors century since birth of Czechoslovakia

Despite heavy rain, thousands of Czech and Slovak troops marched through Prague in the city's biggest military parade in decades. The event celebrates a century since the founding of now long-dissolved Czechoslovakia.

Over 4,000 soldiers took part in the biggest military parade since the end of the Cold War in Prague, marking the founding of Czechoslovakia in October 1918.

Sunday's parade involved tanks, armored vehicles, and artillery, with crowds braving heavy rain to watch the day's events alongside top officials from Slovakia and the Czech Republic. There was also a fly-by of JAS 39 Gripen fighter jets.

Leicester City Football Club confirms owner's death in helicopter crash

By Tom McGowan, Euan McKirdy and Jaide Timm-Garcia, CNN

Updated 0112 GMT (0912 HKT) October 29, 2018

The beloved owner of Leicester City Football Club died in a helicopter crash on Saturday near the club's stadium in Leicester, England, the club said Sunday.

Thai billionaire Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, 60, was one of five people on board the aircraft when it burst into flames after crashing in a parking lot next to King Power Stadium, the club said. No one on board survived.

"It is with the deepest regret and a collective broken heart that we confirm our chairman, Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, was among those to have tragically lost their lives on Saturday evening when a helicopter carrying him and four other people crashed outside King Power Stadium."

Pittsburgh shooting: Survivors relive synagogue ordeal

Survivors of the deadly gun attack on a Pittsburgh synagogue have recalled how they took refuge and hid in storage rooms to avoid the roaming attacker.

One congregation leader said their training in active-shooter situations had helped save lives.

When the suspect was detained after a shootout, he reportedly told Swat officers he wanted "all Jews to die".

The 11 victims were named on Sunday and included a husband and wife, and a woman aged 97.

Another six people were injured, including four policemen.

Shibuya braces for more Halloween chaos after wild weekend

By Yuka Nakao

Police in Shibuya are stepping up their presence for Halloween for the next three nights after a wild weekend. On Sunday, police said five people had been arrested on charges of groping, camera voyeurism, fighting and destruction of property during Saturday night revelry.

Also, at around 1 a.m. Sunday, a small truck was overturned and two men jumped up on it. The occupants got out uninjured.

Many stores and restaurants complained that people were just hanging around in front of their entrances, making it difficult for customers to enter and leave.

DW News

Late Night Music From Japan: Bow Wow Wow I Want Candy; The Plimsouls A Million Miles Away

Jair Bolsonaro: A wrecking ball for Brazil's media?

A look at hate speech and misinformation ahead of Brazil's election runoff. Plus, Jeremy Corbyn and the UK media.

Jair Bolsonaro and the future of Brazil's media?

The second and final round of Brazil's presidential elections take place on Sunday, October 28 and a Jair Bolsonaro victory seems all but sealed. Bolsonaro has a far-right agenda, a penchant for rhetoric that's misogynistic, racist and threatening, and a campaign that's been powered by WhatsApp.

Bolsonaro is not a fan of the mainstream media.

Last weekend, he hurled accusations of 'fake news' at a newspaper that alleged corporate spending on misinformation campaigns in Bolsonaro's favour. But he's got some news outlets on his side, too - most notably Record TV, a network owned by a billionaire evangelical bishop.

If the media activity in the lead up to this election is anything to go by, a Bolsonaro victory could spell trouble for the country's media.

Six In The Morning Sunday October 28

Pittsburgh shooting: Multiple casualties at Squirrel Hill synagogue

Eleven people have been killed, officials say, in a gun attack on a synagogue in the US city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

The gunman, who opened fire as the Tree of Life synagogue held a service, was later taken into custody.

President Donald Trump said "a lot of people" had been killed and injured in a "wicked act of mass murder".

The suspect, who has been officially identified as Robert Bowers, 46, was injured and is receiving treatment.

Two other people are in hospital in a critical condition, police said.

Indians in the trenches: voices of forgotten army are finally to be heard

1.5 million fought with the British and 34,000 died. Now their sacrifice in the face of prejudice is being recognised

Harriet Sherwood

 @harrietsherwood

They were the forgotten voices of the first world war: 1.5 million men, mostly illiterate villagers from northern India, fighting under the command of colonial masters who repaid their bravery and sacrifices with brutality and prejudice.

More Indians fought with the British from 1914 to 1918 than the combined total of Australian, New Zealand, Canadian and South African troops. Some 34,000 Indian soldiers were killed on battlefields in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. But the part they played in the war has been largely whitewashed from history.

Now, just before the 11 November armistice centenary, the last testimonies of the British Empire’s first world war Indian servicemen – 1,000 pages of veteran interview transcripts – have been offered to the British Library.

Sahle-Work Zewde, the diplomat who's become Ethiopia's first female president

Career diplomat Sahle-Work Zewde has been appointed Ethiopia’s first female president. On the brink of retirement, she did not seem destined for a political career.

Ethiopian parliamentarians unanimously appointed Sahle-Work Zewde as president on Thursday 25 October after the surprise resignation of Mulatu Teshome, who had held the post since 2013. This may have been a case of lucky timing. The appointment of a joint government composed of an equal number of men and women may have set the tone.

Many had presumed Sahle-Work was close to retirement after a busy career as a diplomat. But it was not broadly known that immediately before becoming president, Sahle-Work had been the UN representative for the African Union.

Thousands protest in Rome over city's 'degradation' under populist mayor

By Livia Borghese and Barbie Latza Nadeau, CNN

Thousands of people staged a sit-in overlooking Rome's ancient forum Saturday to protest what they call the city's degradation under the populist Five Star Movement.

Organizers estimated 22,000 people attended the peaceful protest. Police have not confirmed an official number.

The idea for Saturday's demonstration was sparked when a city bus caught fire last May, said Emma Amiconi, one of six organizers of "Roma Dice Basta," or Rome Says Enough. "Citizens are exasperated with daily life," she told CNN.

Okinawa sees chances for economic independence without U.S. bases

By Keita Nakamura

Okinawa hosts nearly three quarters of the U.S. military bases in Japan and those who oppose calls to reduce this burden have often said the island prefecture is dependent on the bases for its economy.

However, some experts now say there are increasing opportunities for prosperity in Okinawa even without the economic benefits of hosting the bases -- which include land rent incomes and consumption by servicemen -- given recent examples of commercially successful use of land returned to Japan by U.S. forces.

"Okinawa's economy is no longer dependent on the U.S. bases," Yasuo Kurima, a professor emeritus at Okinawa International University, said. But he also noted that it is uncertain whether such examples would increase when more land is restituted.

Here Is a List of Far-Right Attackers Trump Inspired. Cesar Sayoc Wasn’t the First — and Won’t Be the Last.

Mehdi Hasan

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP is a threat to national security.

He preaches hate. He incites violence. He inspires attacks.

We knew this before Friday’s arrest of Cesar Sayoc, who has been chargedwith a number of crimes in connection with more than a dozen pipe bombs sent to the nation’s most prominent Democrats, among others. As my colleague Trevor Aaronson has written, Sayoc is “a fervent Trump supporter.” Check out his van; his posts on social media; the testimony of his colleagues.

I have no doubt that Trump helped radicalize Sayoc. Yet Trump apologistsare keen to distance their hero from this particular villain. So too, of course, is the president himself. “We have seen an effort by the media in recent hours to use the sinister actions of one individual to score political points against me,” Trump said at a campaign rally on Friday evening.