Sunday, October 31, 2021
Arrests and defamation: Bollywood in the dock in Modi’s India
Superstar Shah Rukh Khan is at the heart of the latest case of Indian authorities taking Bollywood to task.
Aryan Khan, the son of one of India’s biggest movie stars, Shah Rukh Khan, was charged with possessing and trafficking drugs. We take a look at the drug bust that tells a story of the conflict between the Indian authorities and Bollywood.
Abandoned refugees living on Libya's streets in appalling conditions
Libya is the main hub for migrants and refugees hoping to cross from Africa to Europe via the Mediterranean.
Thousands of migrants were detained in early October 2021 in a crackdown by the Libyan authorities.
But detention centres are dangerously overcrowded with migrants living in terrible conditions and during a recent mass breakout guards shot dead six people.
COP26 opens in Glasgow with G20 leaders fuzzy on climate goals
The United Nations Climate Change Conference has opened in Glasgow, Scotland. Known as COP26, the summit brings world leaders together to negotiate a way to avoid catastrophic climate change.
Six In The Morning Sunday 31 October 2021
Key Issues at Climate ConferenceHow the Worst Can (Maybe) Still Be Averted
The Glasgow climate summit could be the key to limiting the damage of climate change, but its success will depend on the host country’s ability to bring guest nations together – and on the willingness of China and the U.S. to overcome their deepening rivalry.
An Analysis by Susanne Götze
Britain’s Cambo oilfield is located around 600 kilometers from Glasgow. One kilometer beneath the waves, it holds approximately 800 million barrels of oil. If all of it is ultimately burned, this oil will emit as much CO2 as all of Spain does in one year.
And now, just a few days before the beginning of the World Climate Conference in Glasgow, British Prime Minister Boris Johnston is clearing the way for the oil in the Cambo field to be extracted.
What is COP? Key facts and terms at climate summit explained
The U.N. climate summit, known as COP26 this year, brings officials from almost 200 countries to Glasgow to haggle over the best measures to combat global warming
The U.N. climate summit, known as COP26 this year, brings officials from almost 200 countries to Glasgow to haggle over the best measures to combat global warming.
Here are some of the terms and key issues that will be discussed at the event, which is scheduled to run from Oct. 31 to Nov. 13:
COP
Short for Conference of the Parties to the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change.
Hindu-Muslim violence crosses border from Bangladesh to India
Footage shared on social media blamed for igniting violence between communities that left seven dead, buildings torched and many living in fear
Hannah Ellis-Petersen in Delhi and Redwan Ahmed in Cumilla
Sun 31 Oct 2021 06.00 GMT
It was early morning when Achintya Das, a 55-year-old teacher in the city of Cumilla in Bangladesh, was woken by the ringing of his mobile phone. On the other end of the line was a fearful, stricken voice. Come quickly, the local told him, something very grave had happened. A Qur’an had been found in the shrine they had recently erected for the upcoming Hindu festival of Durga Puja. The Islamic holy book had been placed on a statue of the Hindu god Hanuman.
Das, a Hindu who organised the festival in Cumilla, felt dread rise up in him at the news of the desecration of Muslim holy scripture in their shrine. “It didn’t even take me a second to understand the gravity of the situation. I rushed there immediately,” he said.
Taliban supreme leader makes first public appearance in Afghanistan
Taliban supreme leader Haibatullah Akhundzada addressed supporters in the southern city of Kandahar, officials announced Sunday, his first public appearance since taking control of the group in 2016.
Akhundzada has been the spiritual chief of the Islamist movement since 2016 but has remained a reclusive figure, even after the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan.
His low profile has fed speculation about his role in the new Taliban government, formed after the group took control of Kabul in mid-August -- and even rumours of his death.
Japan ruling bloc on course to keep lower house majority: exit polls
Japan's ruling coalition is on course to retain its majority in the House of Representatives following Sunday's general election, according to Kyodo News exit polls, as new Prime Minister Fumio Kishida seeks a public mandate for his COVID-19, economic and security policies.
Kishida's Liberal Democratic Party and its smaller partner Komeito appear to have won at least 233 of the 465 seats in the powerful lower chamber of parliament, defeating opposition parties that had sought to gain the support of voters dissatisfied with the government's coronavirus response and income disparities.
If so, the LDP would have lost many of the 276 seats it held prior to the election, but Kishida has said he will claim victory if the LDP-Komeito coalition retains a majority in the lower house.
Saturday, October 30, 2021
The EU climate deal
UN climate experts say our future is threatened by rising global temperatures. We are already experiencing more heat waves, forest fires and flooding. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) says it is crucial to take immediate action to reduce greenhouse gases.
How Africa is bearing the brunt of climate change
The world is experiencing some of its most extreme weather patterns on record, from floods and intense rains to heatwaves. And greenhouse gases from human activity, like burning fossil fuels and generating electricity, are contributing significantly to these hazards.
Six In The Morning Saturday 30 October 2021
G20: Climate and Covid top agenda as world leaders meet
Climate change and Covid are top of the agenda of leaders from the world's major economies meeting in Italy.
It is the first time the G20 leaders are meeting face-to-face since the start of the pandemic.
However, China's Xi Jinping and Russia's Vladimir Putin are not in Rome for the summit, choosing to appear via video link instead.
The talks come amid increasingly dire warnings for the future if urgent action is not taken to cut emissions.
Here to stay or gone in 30 years? Inside the fight over the future of the oil industry
Updated 0451 GMT (1251 HKT) October 30, 2021
The people who made their fortunes in the oil capital of Europe need a new plan.
For decades, Aberdeen, a port city on Scotland's northeast coast, has served as the commercial gateway to the North Sea, where powerful companies have navigated deep and dangerous waters to extract tens of billions of barrels of crude.
But the basin isn't what it used to be, even with oil back above $80 per barrel. Production has been on the decline since the turn of the century. Downturns caused by twin price shocks — one in 2015 and one triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic — are harrowing reminders of what happens when a boom turns bust.
Ethiopia: Tigrayan forces ‘seize strategic town in Amhara region’
TPLF fighters say they have captured Dessie, the furthest south they have reached since July
Reuters in Addis Ababa
Friday, October 29, 2021
Sri Lanka: ‘One Country, One Law’
Minorities criticise proposed legal reforms that Sri Lanka’s president says aim to heal divisions.
How Japan Keeps Clean
I find that most people who visit Japan comment on how clean it is. How does Japan Keep Clean?
Arnold Schwarzenegger calls leaders 'liars' over climate change
Actor and former governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger, has become a champion of clean air and renewable energy, and speaks powerfully about tackling climate issues.
Humanitarian crisis in Kenya: 2.4 million at risk of hunger
A humanitarian disaster is unfolding in Kenya where more than 20 counties are affected by a drought. One of the worst hit counties is Marsabit in Northern Kenya where it hasn’t rained for a full year now.
Six In The Morning Friday 29 October 2021
US vs. China: How the world's two biggest emitters stack up on climate
Updated 1208 GMT (2008 HKT) October 29, 2021
China and the United States are the world's two biggest greenhouse gas emitters, so any attempt to address the climate crisis will need to involve deep emissions cuts from these two powerhouse nations.
China's emissions are more than double those of the US, but historically, the US has emitted more than any other country in the world.
There are many factors to consider when judging a country's climate credentials, and as leaders gather in Glasgow, Scotland for COP26 from Sunday, the US' and China's plans will be in the spotlight. Capitol attack panel faces pivotal moment as Trump allies stonewall
Questions about Trump’s role in 6 January may go unanswered unless House investigators can secure a breakthrough to obtain documents and testimony
Hugo Lowell in Washington
The House select committee investigating the Capitol attack is confronting a pivotal moment as resistance from top Trump administration aides threatens to undermine their efforts to uncover the extent of the former president’s involvement in the 6 January insurrection.
The select committee remains in the evidence-gathering phase of the investigation that now encompasses at least five different lines of inquiry from whether Donald Trump abused the presidency to reinstall himself in office or coordinated with far-right rally organizers.
But unless House investigators can secure a breakthrough to obtain documents and testimony from Trump’s White House chief of staff, Mark Meadows, and others in the next few weeks, the most pressing questions about Trump’s role in 6 January may go unanswered, two sources said.
Living and working on Georgia's largest garbage dump
Environmentalists fear pollution from the Gonio landfill is seeping into the air, soil and waters of the Black Sea. But government plans to close it have left many waste pickers worrying about an uncertain future.
"Look at what we have done to our Earth," said Gocha Dumbadze, walking across the mountain of household and industrial rubbish known as the Gonio landfill. Seagulls screech overhead as a truck dumps bags of food scraps, cans, engine oil and broken glass. The stench of burning waste fills the air. A herd of cows chew on plastic bags.
The dump lies 10 kilometers (6 miles) from Batumi, Georgia's second-largest city, sometimes referred to as Las Vegas on the Black Sea for its casinos. What began in the mid-1960s under the Soviet occupation as an unofficial dumpsite has now grown to cover roughly 300,000 square meters (74 acres) and tower 12-15 meters (nearly 50 feet) into the air.
Six years on, is the Paris climate deal working?
Remember the cheers, the hugging, the tears? On December 12, 2015, after two weeks of gruelling talks, delegates from almost every country on the planet signed up to a landmark climate accord at the COP21 summit in the outskirts of Paris, sparking euphoric celebrations in the bleak conference hall where the deal was finally hammered out.
Bucking a depressing trend of failed climate talks, the Paris Agreement marked the first time rich and poor countries united in support of a legally binding treaty aimed at curbing global warming. More than 190 parties pledged to limit the planet’s heating to “well below” 2°C (3.6°Fahrenheit) compared with pre-industrial levels while aiming for an even more ambitious goal of 1.5°C (2.7°Fahrenheit).
Six years on, as negotiators gather for another “last chance” summit in Glasgow, the euphoria that greeted the Paris accord has largely faded. Under the deal hammered out in 2015, all signatories were given five years to submit their roadmaps to slash greenhouse gas emissions – officially known as their “Nationally Determined Contributions” (NDCs). But despite a 12-month extension due to the Covid-19 pandemic, most countries are still struggling to translate the promises of the COP21 into concrete measures.
Slavery is alive in Mali and continues to wreak havoc on lives
While slavery was abolished during colonial rule, local communities still place their descendants at society’s margins.
29 Oct 2021
It was supposed to be a joyful occasion. Young men and women gathered in a circle, displaying their dance moves as they celebrated Mali’s independence day in the country’s western region of Kayes.
But things took a dark turn when a group of people carrying thick wooden sticks and machetes appeared all of sudden.
The celebrating crowd – people from the so-called “slave” class – were brutally attacked and publicly humiliated by the descendants of slaveholder families who consider themselves “nobles”.
Stoke Mandeville: Roman sculptures HS2 find astounding, expert says
Archaeologists have uncovered an "astounding" set of Roman sculptures on the HS2 rail link route.
Two complete sculptures of what appear to be a man and a woman, plus the head of a child, were found at an abandoned medieval church in Buckinghamshire.
The discoveries at the old St Mary's Church in Stoke Mandeville have been sent for specialist analysis.
Dr Rachel Wood, lead archaeologist for HS2 contractor Fusion JV, said they were "really rare finds in the UK".
Thursday, October 28, 2021
Why is white supremacy growing in the United States?
President Biden promised to confront white supremacy but past notions on race persist – and flourish – among Americans.
ShotSpotter: What is gunshot detection technology and is it effective? - BBC Newsnight
More than 100 cities across the US are using ShotSpotter, a service which uses gunshot detection technology to alert the police when heard. But is it as accurate or reliable as the company claims?
China allegedly stops German campus book event
Alarm bells in Germany as book talks at two university campuses were cancelled – allegedly due to pressure from China. The online events were to mark the publication of a new biography: "Xi Jinping, the Most Powerful Man in the World," co-authored by two German journalists. But the publisher told local media that the talks were abruptly called off after Chinese interference, including from the consulate in Düsseldorf.
Australian universities have also fallen victim to pressure from the Chinese government to cancel events and prohibit student organizations from protesting against the abuses of the Chinese government.
'Freedom Day', but at what cost?
July 19 was Freedom Day in England. The day the country lifted almost all coronavirus restrictions - there were no more masks and no more social distancing. Other parts of the UK soon followed.
Six In The Morning Thursday 28 October 2021
The make-or-break climate summit: here’s what’s at stake at Cop26
Cop26 may involve dozens of world leaders, cost billions of pounds, generate reams of technical jargon and be billed as the last chance to prevent calamitous global heating, but at its simplest the climate conference in Glasgow is a debate about dialling up or dialling down risk.
Dialling up
1.1C
The world has already heated up by about 1.1C since the Industrial Revolution. Even at this level, delegates no longer need to read scientific studies to understand how 200 years of emissions, exhaust fumes and tree burning have destabilised the climate. All they have to do is look out the window or read recent local and global headlines. The host city, Glasgow, has just sweltered through its hottest summer on record. Globally, in the summer of 2021 there were record temperatures, fires and floods across the world, killing hundreds in the north-western Americas, choking swathes of Siberia, inundating cities in Germany and drowning subway commuters in China.
World is failing to make changes needed to avoid climate breakdown, report finds
Pace of emissions reductions must be increased significantly to keep global heating to 1.5C
Every corner of society is failing to take the “transformational change” needed to avert the most disastrous consequences of the climate crisis, with trends either too slow or in some cases even regressing, according to a major new global analysis.
Across 40 different areas spanning the power sector, heavy industry, agriculture, transportation, finance and technology, not one is changing quickly enough to avoid 1.5C in global heating beyond pre-industrial times, a critical target of the Paris climate agreement, according to the new Systems Change Lab report.
Women on death row: How being a ‘bad mother, bad wife and bad woman’ became a death warrant
Women are vastly outnumbered by men on death row across America. But experts say the small number who are sentenced to death usually break society’s expectations of a ‘good woman’, Rachel Sharp reports
Melissa Lucio was just six years old the first time she was molested by her mother’s live-in boyfriend.
At 16, she became a child bride, marrying an older man in what she said was a desperate effort “to escape” a childhood plagued by rape and physical violence.
Her dreams of a better life failed to become a reality, however, as she found herself again the victim of abuse – this time at the hands of her alcoholic husband.
COP26: Has demonizing Big Oil backfired?
Fossil fuels will be with us for decades, no matter what pledges are made at the UN climate summit in Glasgow. With banks and pension funds cutting investment, who will control oil, gas and coal supply in the future?
One of the world's largest pension funds has announced plans to dump some €15 billion ($17.5 billion) in fossil fuel holdings. The decision by ABP of the Netherlands comes ahead of the upcoming COP26 climate talks in Glasgow, Scotland, and is part of a strategy to invest in projects that are better for the planet.
The pension giant is the latest financial institution to pledge to divest from fossil fuels. Over the past decade, about 1,500 institutional investors overseeing a combined $39.2 trillion of assets have already committed to similar promises, according to a recent report by the environmental group Stand Earth.
Saudi-led coalition says killed 95 Yemen rebels near Marib
The Saudi-led coalition backing Yemen's government said Thursday it had killed 95 Huthi rebels in air strikes near the strategic city of Marib, as fighting pushes more people into displacement.
That would bring to around 2,000 the number of Huthis the coalition says it has killed around Marib in strikes it has reported almost daily since October 11.
The Iran-backed rebels rarely comment on losses, and AFP could not independently verify the toll.
A statement said the coalition carried out 22 operations targeting rebels in two districts near Marib that "killed 95 terrorists and damaged 11 military vehicles".
Sudan army sacks six envoys as coup condemnation grows
State media report ambassadors to the US, EU, China, Qatar, France and the head of mission to Geneva relieved of their posts.
Sudan’s ruling military has sacked six ambassadors and security forces have tightened their crackdown on pro-democracy protesters, even as international pressure against this week’s coup grows.
The decision, announced late on Wednesday on state media, included Sudan’s ambassadors to the United States, the European Union, China, Qatar, France and the head of the country’s mission to the Swiss city of Geneva, apparently over their rejection of the military takeover.
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