Six In The Morning Sunday 20 September 2020

 

How it all went wrong (again) in Europe as second wave grips continent

By Emma Reynolds, CNN

Updated 0946 GMT (1746 HKT) September 20, 2020

After successfully tamping down the first surge of infection and death, Europe is now in the middle of a second coronavirus wave as it moves into winter -- raising questions over what went so wrong.

Daily case numbers in the European Union and United Kingdom this week reached record highs of more than 45,000 on a 14-day notification rate, according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), and new restrictions are being imposed in places that were well into reopening. Leaders have raised fears over the pressure that hospitals could face in coming months and the looming prospect of new national lockdowns.

Hackers leak data on 1,000 Belarusian police officers

Security forces will not remain anonymous, anti-Lukashenko protesters say

Reuters

Sun 20 Sep 2020 13.27 BST

Anonymous hackers leaked the personal data of 1,000 Belarusian police officers in retaliation for a crackdown on street demonstrations against the veteran president, Alexander Lukashenko, as protesters geared up for another mass rally on Sunday.

“As the arrests continue, we will continue to publish data on a massive scale,” said a statement distributed by the opposition news channel Nexta Live on the messaging app Telegram. “No one will remain anonymous, even under a balaclava.”

Biggest protest in Thailand in years demands democratic, monarchy reforms

Openly challenging the monarchy of Thai King Maha Vajiralongkorn, thousands of protesters marched in Bangkok on Sunday to present demands that include a call for reforms to curb his powers.

Protesters have grown ever bolder during two months of demonstrations against Thailand's palace and military-dominated establishment, breaking a longstanding taboo on criticising the monarchy - which is illegal under lese majeste laws.

The Royal Palace was not immediately available for comment. The king, who spends much of his time in Europe, is not in Thailand now.

Europe's Refugee DisasterMerkel Losing Her Patience with Lack of EU Solidarity

The German government feels it has been left in the lurch by most of its EU partners on asylum policy. Even refugee hardliner Horst Seehofer, Germany's interior minister, has some choice words for Austria.

By Katrin Elger, Florian Gathmann, Martin Knobbe, Timo Lehmann, Veit Medick, Peter Müller, Lydia Rosenfelder, Christian Teevs und Wolf Wiedmann-Schmidt

Late in the afternoon on Tuesday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel made her way to the Reichstag, the seat of the German parliament, for a meeting of her conservative parliamentary group. It was an important meeting, given the unrest that had begun spreading in her party once it became clear that Germany would offer its assistance following the tragedy in the Moria refugee camp on the Greek island of Lesbos. The lawmakers from the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and its Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU), wanted an explanation from the chancellor.

'Anti-Palestinian racism': Appointment row at Toronto university

University of Toronto's law school allegedly blocks hiring of scholar due to her work on Israel's human rights abuses.

by Mersiha Gadzo

Students and teachers at the University of Toronto have called for the reinstatement of an international scholar's job offer after it was allegedly rescinded by management over her work on Israel's human rights abuses in the occupied Palestinian territories.

The university's law school has been accused of blocking the hiring of Valentina Azarova as director of the International Human Rights Program (IHRP) following pressure by a sitting federal judge, who is also a major donor to the faculty, according to emails seen by the Toronto Star newspaper.

Ahmaud Arbery's mother says fundraising efforts exploit her son's death

By Angela Barajas, CNN

Updated 0901 GMT (1701 HKT) September 20, 2020

It's been almost seven months since Ahmaud Arbery was gunned down while jogging in a residential community on the outskirts of Brunswick, Georgia.

The criminal investigation into his death stalled for nearly 10 weeks, but in June a Glynn County grand jury indicted three white men on malice and felony murder charges. They have pleaded not guilty.

 

The arrests and charges came after disturbing video of the shooting of Arbery, a 25-year-old Black man, emerged in May.