Six In The Morning Saturday 5 June 2021

 

An American teacher was jailed for child abuse in China in 2014. He still says he's innocent — if only anyone would listen.

By James Griffiths, CNN

David McMahon hated the design of his classroom.

Located on the ground floor of the Pudong campus of the Shanghai French School, its almost floor-to-ceiling windows made him feel like he was "teaching in aquarium," in the words of one of McMahon's colleagues. Passersby couldn't help but look in, and their attention would inevitably distract the kindergarteners inside.

But when, in 2013, he was accused of abusing several of his students, the windows suddenly seemed to McMahon and his defenders a saving grace -- proof the claims being made against him could not have happened. How could he have molested multiple children over the course of months, his lawyers planned to ask in court, in full view of anyone walking through a heavily-trafficked area of the campus?

Microsoft blocks Bing from showing image results for Tiananmen ‘tank man’

Company blames ‘human error’ after users in US, Germany, Singapore and France reported no results shown on the crackdown’s anniversary

Julia Carrie Wong and Reuters

@juliacarriew

Sat 5 Jun 2021 04.00 BST

Microsoft has blamed human error after its search engine, Bing, blocked image and video results for the phrase “tank man” – a reference to the iconic image of a lone protester facing down tanks during the 1989 protests in Tiananmen Square – on the 32nd anniversary of the military crackdown.

Users reported that no results were shown for the search query in countries including the US, Germany, Singapore, France and Switzerland, according to Reuters and Vice News.

References to the pro-democracy protest movement have long been censored in the People’s Republic of China (PRC), where the government maintains strict control over the internet, but the censorship by Bing extended to users outside China’s “great firewall”.

G7 leaders strike ‘historic agreement’ to force internet giants to pay more tax, Rishi Sunak announces

‘Minimum’ global corporation tax rate set at 15 per cent – and 20 per cent of profits to be reallocated to where sales take place

Rob Merrick

Deputy Political Editor

G7 leaders have struck a “historic agreement” to force internet giants to pay more tax, including in the UK, Rishi Sunak has announced.

The agreement will “make sure the right companies pay the right tax in the right places”, the chancellor pledged.

The breakthrough – the result of a major push by US president Joe Biden – follows years of largely futile attempts to end massive tax avoidance by major tech firms.

Are the Middle East's 'electronic armies' the most dangerous of all?

They're behind online hate campaigns to intimidate activists, journalists or dissidents. There is no doubt that in some cases, those campaigns have led to murder.

There are armies in the Middle East that do not have guns and whose "soldiers" work online only — but that doesn't mean they're not dangerous.

The term "electronic armies" is commonly used in the Middle East for such forces. "The concept is simple," as the internet freedom advocates from Access Now explain. "A group of people assume false identities in order to participate in internet forums and social media to send — or suppress — a specific message."

In Western countries, digital campaigners might spread political messaging or pressure for change, Mahmoud Ghazayel, a specialist in online disinformation based in Lebanon, told DW. "But in the Middle East, they can easily get someone killed. Unfortunately, we already have a lot of examples of this," he said.

Dozens of civilians killed in attack on northern Burkina Faso village

Armed assailants killed around 100 civilians in an overnight attack on a village in northern Burkina Faso, the government said on Saturday.

The attackers struck during the night on Friday, killing residents of the village of Solhan in Yagha province bordering Niger. They also burned homes and the market, the government said in a statement.

The government described the attackers as terrorists but no group claimed responsibility.

Attacks by jihadists linked to al Qaeda and the Islamic State group in West Africa's Sahel region have risen sharply since the start of the year, particularly in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, with civilians bearing the brunt.

Months at sea: Boat carrying Rohingya washes up in Indonesia

A total of 81 refugees on Idaman Island are staying in emergency tents and have been provided with food and water by locals as they await their fate.

 

By Aisyah Llewellyn

5 Jun 202

A boat carrying 81 Rohingya refugees has washed ashore at an uninhabited island in Indonesia after drifting for more than 100 days at sea, leading to a tense standoff with local authorities as to whether they will be allowed to enter the country or be driven back to sea.

The small wooden boat was discovered early morning on Friday in waters off Idaman Island off the coast of Aceh province, about two hours away from the town of Lhokseumawe, which is usually only used as a rest spot for fishermen in the area.