Tuesday, July 27, 2021

Six In The Morning 27 July 2021

 

Capitol riot committee holds first hearing

By Meg Wagner, Melissa Macaya, Melissa Mahtani, Mike Hayes and Maureen Chowdhury, CNN

US Capitol police officer Harry Dunn said that he confronted rioters who had breached the building. "I told them to just leave the Capitol and in response they yelled, no, man, this is our house," he said.

Dunn said the rioters told him, "President Trump invited us here. We're here to stop the steal. Joe Biden is not the president. Nobody voted for Joe Biden." 

Dunn said that as a law enforcement officer he tries to keep politics out of his job, but in the heat of the moment, he responded: "I voted for Joe Biden. Does my vote not count? Am I nobody?"



Press groups raise alarm over threats to foreign media in China


Reporters from international outlets have suffered worsening intimidation while covering Henan floods


 in Taipei

Press groups have expressed alarm at the worsening intimidation of foreign media in China, often driven by government officials and organisations.

As recovery and rescue efforts continue in Henan province after last week’s deadly floods, groups including Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of China (FCCC) have condemned recent harassment and threats towards journalists covering the disaster.

Reporters from international outlets – including the BBC, Los Angeles Times, Deutsche Welle, Al Jazeera, CNN, Agence France-Presse and Associated Press – have been harassed or threatened over their coverage. Some have been physically confronted by angry crowds, while others, including Chinese employees of foreign media outlets as well as local Chinese journalists, have been doxed – when personal information is maliciously spread online – abused, and threatened with violence or death online.


Haiti presidential security chief arrested over assassination

Presidential security chief Jean Laguel Civil is suspected of being involved in the killing of Haitian President Jovenel Moise. A warrant was also issued for a top judge who was fired by Moise.

Haitian police said they had arrested presidential security chief Jean Laguel Civil as part of an ongoing investigation into President Jovenel Moise's July 7 assassination.

Moise was killed at his home in the middle of the night by armed commandos who bypassed the president's guards without any shots fired. His wife, Martine, was seriously injured.


Deadly explosion at industrial park in German city of Leverkusen

One person is dead and four are missing after an explosion rocked an industrial park in the western German city of Leverkusen on Tuesday, sending dark plumes of smoke into the sky.

A fire at the Chempark site, which includes chemicals companies Bayer and Lanxess, had been extinguished after an explosion at 9.40 a.m. local time (0740 GMT), park operator Currenta said.

“We are deeply shaken by the tragic death of one colleague,” Chempark chief Lars Friedrich said in a series of tweets, adding that four more people were missing.


Tokyo reports record 2,848 new coronavirus cases; nationwide tally 7,629


The Tokyo metropolitan government on Tuesday reported 2,848 new coronavirus cases, up 1,419 from Monday. It was the highest number since 2,520 cases were reported on Jan 7.

The average for Tokyo over the past seven days stands at 1,762.6.

People in their 20s (951 cases), their 30s (610) and their 40s (466) accounted for the highest numbers, while 372 cases were aged under 19.

Taliban claims to favour ‘settlement’. Can it be trusted?

The armed group says it wants a ‘political settlement’, but its fighters continue to press ahead with military campaigns on the ground.



The Taliban leadership has reiterated that they want a “political settlement” to the Afghan conflict, but the swift military gains made by the group has alarmed experts and residents, who say they intend to capture power militarily.

Earlier this week, a top US military general issued a stern warning about the trajectory of the Afghan war a month before the complete withdrawal of international forces from Afghanistan.


Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Mark Milley said on Wednesday the Taliban has “strategic momentum”. He did not rule out a complete Taliban takeover.









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