Six In The Morning Monday 12 Japan 2021

 

Revealed: the Facebook loophole that lets world leaders deceive and harass their citizens

Julia Carrie Wong in San Francisco

@juliacarriew

Mon 12 Apr 2021 09.00 BST

A Guardian investigation exposes the breadth of state-backed manipulation of the platform

Facebook has repeatedly allowed world leaders and politicians to use its platform to deceive the public or harass opponents despite being alerted to evidence of the wrongdoing.

The Guardian has seen extensive internal documentation showing how Facebook handled more than 30 cases across 25 countries of politically manipulative behavior that was proactively detected by company staff.

The investigation shows how Facebook has allowed major abuses of its platform in poor, small and non-western countries in order to prioritize addressing abuses that attract media attention or affect the US and other wealthy countries. The company acted quickly to address political manipulation affecting countries such as the US, Taiwan, South Korea and Poland, while moving slowly or not at all on cases in Afghanistan, Iraq, Mongolia, Mexico, and much of Latin America.

Paris shooting: Manhunt launched for gunman who killed one outside hospital

Attacker fled on motorbike, police source says

Zoe Tidman

A manhunt is underway in Paris after one person was shot dead and another injured outside a hospital.

Police said several shots were fired before the attacker fled the scene in an upscale district in the French capital.

A police source told Reuters the shooter escaped on a motorbike after killing one and injuring another person in front of the Henry Dunant hospital in western Paris.

Iran blames Israel for 'sabotage' at Natanz nuclear site

Tehran has described a power outage that crippled an important uranium enrichment facility as an act of "nuclear terrorism" and has vowed "revenge."

Iran's Foreign Ministry on Monday said Israel was responsible for a power failure at the Natanz nuclear complex south of Tehran on Sunday.

The facility lost power Sunday a day after Iran unveiled new advanced centrifuges capable of enriching uranium faster — violating commitments of the 2015 nuclear deal. 

Pakistani court grants bail to father of prominent activist

Muhammad Ismail, 66-year-old father of Gulalai Ismail, to be released after more than two months in jail.

By 

Asad Hashim

12 Apr 2021

 A Pakistani court has granted bail to Muhammad Ismail, the father of a prominent Pakistani rights activist, who was arrested earlier this year on “terrorism” charges that local and international rights groups have condemned as being part of a campaign of “harassment”.

The court in the northwestern city of Peshawar granted bail to Ismail on Monday, and he was expected to be released a day later, his daughter Gulalai Ismail told Al Jazeera.

“My father was incarcerated to silence me and to punish him for his dissent,” she said. “However, the authorities must realise that oppression and judicial harassment only strengthen the dissenting voices.”

Japan trails world in COVID vaccine rollout 2 months after its start

Japan's coronavirus inoculation campaign has been progressing slowly, with over 99 percent of the population yet to receive a shot about two months after its start, trailing many developed nations.

Japan, which currently completely depends on imports for its coronavirus vaccine supply, began inoculating about 36 million seniors aged 65 or older on Monday after beginning its campaign with health care workers on Feb 17. The elderly account for around 29 percent of Japan's population.

Out of Japan's 4.8 million healthcare workers, about 1.1 million -- equivalent to about 0.87 percent of the population -- had received at least one dose as of Friday, according to the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry.

Ukraine's President heads to the trenches as Russia masses its troops

EXCLUSIVE by Matthew Chance, CNN

Updated 1239 GMT (2039 HKT) April 12, 2021

Ankle-deep in thick black sludge, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky moves stealthily with his troops in single file through the warren of trenches and tunnels that form the tense front lines in the east of his country.

It feels more like the early 20th century than a modern conflict, with tired, nervous soldiers gripping their rifles around him as they reach open ground, scanning the area for movement across no-mans-land.

They know snipers, likely trained by Russians, say Ukrainian officials are looking for a chance to fire. More than 20 of their comrades have been gunned down already this year.