Friday, December 31, 2021
What's the environmental impact of the COVID-19 crisis?
Carbon dioxide emissions are expected to return to pre-pandemic highs this year. They fell significantly in 2020 during the great lockdown.
Six In The Morning Friday 31 December 2021
WHO chief: 2022 can mark the end of the pandemic
The head of the World Health Organization has struck a hopeful note about beating the pandemic in 2022 in a New Year's Eve message, saying the world had the "tools to end this calamity" even as daily new Covid cases worldwide reached new records.
But the optimistic post from WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, which he shared on LinkedIn Thursday, came with a warning: The longer inequity continues, the longer the pandemic will persist.
Two years in, the tools available to fight Covid-19 remain unevenly distributed around the world. In Africa, three in four health care workers remain unvaccinated, while people in Europe and the United States are receiving third booster doses. That gap has made the chances of new variants emerging more li
Sanction-hit Huawei says revenues down 29% this year
Effects of the US-China trade war felt by the telecom were ‘in line with our forecasts, says chairman Guo Ping
Agence France-Presse
Fri 31 Dec 2021 06.10 GMT
Chinese telecom giant Huawei said on Friday its annual revenue had fallen by nearly a third from the previous year, as it continued to be weighed down by US sanctions that have hit its smartphone sales.
Huawei has been caught in the crossfire of a US-China trade and technology rivalry after the administration of former president Donald Trump moved to cripple the company over concerns it could pose a cybersecurity and espionage threat.
The firm’s revenue for this year fell by 29% year-on-year to 634 billion yuan ($99.5 billion), said rotating chairman Guo Ping in an annual new year message.
One year on, what's next for Brexit?
A year after Britain's new trade pact with the EU was sealed, UK exports to the bloc have plunged. With unfinished business around fisheries, Northern Ireland and financial services, what's next for Brexit?
Food shortages, foreign workers leaving and gas stations running empty. Britain certainly had its fair share of setbacks since the Brexit transition period — meant to smooth the UK's departure from the European Union — came to an end a year ago.
A supply chain crisis, exacerbated by a shortage of truck drivers and other workers from EU countries, caused empty supermarket shelves, long lines for fuel for several weeks in September, and even the slaughter and disposal of thousands of pigs.
The Capitol riot, the Taliban's return and a submarine dispute: 10 top news stories in 2021
The 2021 news cycle was, just like in 2020, dominated by the Covid-19 pandemic. But there were other major events around the world that hit headlines, from the US Capitol insurrection to the civil war in Ethiopia and the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan. FRANCE 24 takes a look back at 10 of the biggest news stories over the last 12 months.
Trump supporters storm the US Capitol
The year kicked off with a bang when hundreds of people stormed the US Capitol, the seat of American democracy, on January 6. Joe Biden had won the presidential election two months earlier but his predecessor, Donald Trump, refused to acknowledge the result, alleging that the vote had been rigged and the election “stolen”.
SHE HELPED EXPOSE SECRET UAE-RUN PRISONS IN YEMEN — AND PAID A STEEP PRICE
Huda Al-Sarari was forced into exile after her work documenting human rights abuses by U.S.-backed Emirati forces garnered global attention.
YEMENI ATTORNEY Huda Al-Sarari had been representing women in domestic abuse and gender-based violence cases for years, when around 2015 she began fielding a different cry for help.
As a civil conflict in Yemen turned to a proxy war between regional powers, women would call Al-Sarari in the middle of the night to tell her that their homes had just been raided and their husbands, brothers, and sons taken away by force. Others would reach out to her after having spent days searching for their loved ones at prisons and police stations, and pleading with officials who told them they had no involvement in the men’s detention or knowledge of their whereabouts.
“These families were saying, ‘Help us, our sons were kidnapped,’” Al-Sarari told The Intercept in an interview. “I couldn’t hear about these violations and crimes and do nothing.”
‘I hear shelling’: Fear grips Ukrainian villages near Russia
As the crisis continues, residents are losing hope in areas near the contact line between Russia-backed separatists and Ukrainian forces.
“I do not want to live any more,” says Olga, a Ukrainian “babushka” (grandmother), as she prepares to celebrate her 89th birthday
“I will turn 89 on January 2, but I would prefer to be dead,” she told Al Jazeera, with a traditional headscarf wrapped over her head.
Olga lives on the front line in eastern Ukraine, in the town of Marinka, near the Russian border.
This is government-controlled territory, close to the so-called “contact line”, which divides it from the separatist regions of Donetsk and Luhansk.
Thursday, December 30, 2021
Frank Lloyd Wright: America's Greatest Architect? | The Man Who Built America
Documentary in which architect Jonathan Adams travels America exploring the work of Frank Lloyd Wright, possibly America's greatest ever architect.
What will China do in 2022?
China’s Xi Jinping seems likely to have his third term in office ratified by the Communist Party Congress in 2022. What could that mean for China, and for the rest of the world?
Former president of Afghanistan Ashraf Ghani gives first interview since leaving Kabul
The former Afghan president Ashraf Ghani gave his first interview since fleeing Kabul when it fell to the Taliban in August. Ghani told the BBC he was pressured into fleeing Kabul by helicopter by his 'terrified' national security adviser and the commander of the collapsing presidential security detail.
'They said the PPS [presidential protection service] has collapsed, [and] if I take a stand they will all be killed,' Ghani said. 'He did not give me more than two minutes'
Vaccine hesitant Germans emigrate
With every wave of COVID-19 illnesses in Germany comes a new backlash from those strongly opposed to the health-measures taken in response -- Including vaccination. Protests and refusal to wear a mask in public-places are the actions they most commonly take. Some, however, have gone to more extreme measures.
Six In The Morning Thursday 30 December 2021
Didn't the Korean War end in 1953? The short answer is no
Updated 0728 GMT (1528 HKT) December 30, 2021
Is the Korean War about to come to an end?
Some people might answer: "Didn't that happen in 1953?"
Others may know that it was only an armistice that brought hostilities to a halt in 1953 -- but there's never been a treaty to end the conflict between North Korea (and its chief ally China) and South Korea and its allies, most notably the United States.
With the top South Korean diplomat on Wednesday saying Seoul and Washington have "effectively" agreed on a draft agreement to end the war, here's a primer on what that means.
Ashraf Ghani blames international allies over Afghanistan’s fall to Taliban
In first interview since fleeing Kabul in August, former president says US ‘erased’ Afghans in years of peace talks with militants
The former Afghan president Ashraf Ghani has broken his silence with his first interview since fleeing Kabul four months ago, in effect blaming the international community and in particular the Americans for the fall of the republic.
Ghani told the BBC he was rushed into fleeing Kabul on a helicopter by his “terrified” national security adviser, Hamdullah Mohib, and the commander of the collapsing presidential security detail.
“They said the PPS [presidential protection service] has collapsed, [and] if I take a stand they will all be killed,” Ghani said. “He [Mohib] did not give me more than two minutes.”
Despite outrage, Spaniards prepare to wear blackface for annual Three Kings parade
Painting King Balthasar is a practice that cannot be justified in a country like Spain’
As most households across the world begin the glum task of wrapping up the Christmas season, Spaniards are readying themselves for what they consider the most magical night of the year: the arrival of the Three Kings with bundles of gifts and sweets.
On the night of the 5th of January families gather on the city streets to watch the passing of kings Melchior, Caspar and Balthasar and their entourage of marching bands, light shows, camels, and horses in a grand parade.
The parade tradition, which dates to the late 1800s and is rooted in the kings’ visit to the infant Jesus, is a joyous occasion usually followed by feasts and the unwrapping of gifts either at midnight or on the morning after.
Follow the money: How to bring IS extremists to justice
Financing terror, chemical weapons, forensics and digital archives: The ex-German prosecutor now heading the UN's special team on crimes of the so-called "Islamic State" explains where the search for justice will focus.
Who profited from the rise of the extremist group known as the "Islamic State" in Iraq and where are they today? This is just one of the questions that former German federal prosecutor Christian Ritscher hopes to answer over the course of the next year.
In September 2021, Ritscher was appointed to head UNITAD, the United Nations Investigative Team to Promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by Da'esh (the Arabic name for the "Islamic State" group).
Hopes and fears of 'Israelisation' in occupied Golan
Bulldozers in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights are clearing the ground for middle-class neighbourhoods, part of a plan to dramatically expand Jewish settlements on land still home to thousands of Syrians.
Israel's government on Sunday approved a one-billion-shekel ($320-million) five-year plan to double the Jewish settler population of the Golan Heights, a strategic area that Israel seized from Syria in the 1967 Six-Day War.
Under the plan, more than 10,000 new homes are to be built -- a third of them earmarked for the Jewish settlement of Katsrin.
"In 20 to 30 years, Katsrin will grow from a population of 9,000 to a population of 50,000 to 60,000," said its mayor, Dimi Apartzev.
US Muslims call for action as ‘spying’ incidents shake community
Council on American-Islamic Relations says it uncovered a ‘mole’ within its organisation and a ‘spy’ at a US mosque.
First, the major Muslim-American advocacy group reported that a “mole” had infiltrated the leadership of one of its state branches. Then, only days later, the organisation said a “spy” at a US mosque had passed information on to an “anti-Muslim” group.
The two incidents, revealed earlier this month by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), have shaken Muslim advocates in the United States and renewed longstanding concerns about spying on the community.
“Community members were shocked and saddened to learn about this specific situation, but a lot of people were also not surprised that an anti-Muslim hate group was targeting CAIR and spying this way,” said Whitney Siddiqi, community affairs director at CAIR-Ohio.
Wednesday, December 29, 2021
Germany’s super-rich post-corona
Germany has around 1.5 million millionaires. A number that’s increasing day by day. Along with demands that they should pay more tax. What do the rich think of that? The responses couldn’t be more varied.
Omicron-Update: Soaring COVID-19 infections around the world
The Omicron variant is causing skyrocketing rates of COVID-19 infections in countries around the world. The Director-General of the World Health Organization says he is extremely worried about the massive spike in cases driven by the simultaneous spread of Delta and Omicron.
Hong Kong media outlet Stand News to close after police raid
The most prominent pro-democracy media outlet still operating in Hong Kong, Stand News, said it will shut down after police raided its offices, froze its assets and arrested senior journalists and former board members including pop star Denise Ho.
Authorities deployed an anti-sedition law in their crackdown that was drawn up under British colonial rule and had not been used for decades. A senior police officer accused the online site of “inciting hatred” against the Hong Kong government in news articles and interviews.
Activists warned this approach could be used to criminalise almost any critical reporting on the Hong Kong government, and the UN and media watchdogs CPJ and RSF condemned the crackdown as an attack on press freedom.
In 1997 after years of negotiation between China and Great Briton Hong Kong was handed back after more than 100 years as a British colony. The terms negotiated allowed for a free press and speech, universal suffrage and to be free of interference from the mainland for 50 years. As Xi Jinping consolidated his power after becoming premier the political atmosphere began to change in Hong Kong. One of the most alarming changes was the kidnaping of several book store owners whose shops sold works critical of Xi Jinping and the CCP. These men would turn up months later on CCTV confessing to crimes that weren't crimes in Hong Kong. It was the start of a campaign of intimidation that has only escalated since 2019 and the pro democracy protests that took place in the city over the now imposed national security law.
Six In The Morning Wednesday 29 December 2021
The latest on coronavirus pandemic and Omicron variant
By Rhea Mogul, Adam Renton, Tara John and Ed Upright, CNN
What we're covering
- The US reported a record seven-day average of new Covid-19 cases on Tuesday, according to Johns Hopkins University data, as a rapid acceleration of infections continues in the country.
- Several European countries — including France, the UK, Italy and Portugal — are also seeing a large increase in cases, with several setting new pandemic records.
- Meanwhile, Mexico said it will allow cruise ships with Covid-19 positive passengers to disembark in the country and will provide medical assistance to those who need it.
Hong Kong media outlet Stand News to close after police raid
Reports say editors, board members and pop singer were held in early morning sweep as 200 officers raid office
Rhoda Kwan in Taipei and agencies
At a vast landfill on the outskirts of the Syrian city of Raqqa, once the Islamic State group's capital, men, women and young children scour the rubbish for scrap metal or anything else they can sell on. They are just some of the millions of Syrians displaced by a decade of conflict that has left around nine in 10 of the population living in poverty.
Guatemalans still seek justice, 25 years after civil war’s end
Survivors decry new amnesty bill that would free perpetrators of crimes against humanity during 1960-1996 civil war.
Julia Poyon was three years old when Guatemalan soldiers broke down the door to her family’s home and took her father away. Now decades later, Poyon says her only hazy memory of him is from a joyful night before his 1981 abduction.
“We went to church one night and I remember he carried me on his shoulders,” Poyon told Al Jazeera. “I remember he was wearing a hat. I can’t remember his face.”
Tuesday, December 28, 2021
What is fuelling intolerance in India?
India’s government is under pressure to curb growing hate speech and attacks against religious minorities.
Afghanistan: Inside the Taliban's Emirate
It's been four months since the #Taliban swept to power in #Afghanistan, something they did faster than anyone anticipated. Since August, they have had to make a rapid transition to running the day-to-day business of a struggling state.
Akihabara to Shinjuku | Walking Across Central Tokyo
How big is central Tokyo? Smaller than you may think! We can walk from one side to another in 90 minutes!
Omicron makes the job of healthcare workers even more demanding
Nurses are on the front line in the battle against the pandemic. The new omicron variant is a much more infectious form of coronavirus and it's making the job of health care workers even more demanding. And they are at risk of infection every day.
Afghanistan: Children in Kabul working for a piece of bread (video)
More and more children are having to work to help support their families, amidst an economic collapse in Afghanistan.
Even before the Taliban takeover, hundreds of thousands of Afghan children were forced to earn a living because of widespread poverty.
However, since the group came to power, international funding has been largely cut off. Sanctions have also been imposed and, as a result, unemployment is rising.
Six In The Morning Tuesday 28 December 2021
Myanmar massacre: two Save the Children staff among dead
Charity says the two men, both new fathers, were killed in massacre of more than 30 people blamed on junta troops
Agence France-Presse in Yangon
Save the Children has confirmed that two of its staff were killed in a Christmas Eve massacre blamed on junta troops that left the charred remains of dozens of people on a highway in eastern Myanmar.
Anti-junta fighters said they found more than 30 bodies, including women and children, on a highway in Kayah state where pro-democracy rebels have been fighting the military.
Save the Children later said two of its staff members had been caught up in the incident and were missing.
Russian court orders closure of top human rights group Memorial
Russia has targeted journalists, media outlets and rights groups under its controversial ‘foreign agent’ law
Russia’s Supreme Court has ruled that the country’s oldest and best-known human rights group, Memorial, must be shut down for breaking a controversial “foreign agent” law – capping a year of crackdowns on Kremlin critics unseen since the Soviet days.
The shuttering of the group closes a year in which the top Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny was jailed, his political movement banned and many of his allies forced to flee the country.
Moscow says it is simply enforcing laws to thwart extremism and shield the country from foreign influence.
The risk of dementia in football: A ticking time bomb?
For a long time, links to dementia were widely ignored in professional football. This has now started to change, at least in the English game, where the issue is addressed much more than in Germany.
'Is there a time bomb ticking in my head?' It's certainly not just Andreas Luthe, goalkeeper for Bundesliga side Union Berlin, who is asking himself this question.
"[Scientific findings that] there is a higher risk of dementia if you have a lot of concussions to the head — whether from a header or a collision — don't leave me cold, because I've been playing football all my life," the 34-year-old said in an interview with DW. "And who can tell me that I won't have disadvantages in 30 or 40 years?"
Luthe has already been involved in high impact clashes with his head twice this year. The first time, he suffered a concussion and was taken off the pitch; the second time, he continued playing after an eight-minute stoppage.
A fourth shot of Covid vaccine? Israel tests second booster
Somalia’s allies fear instability as political crisis deepens
Intensifying row between president and prime minister sparks concerns as the country struggles to hold long-delayed elections.
Somalia’s allies and international observers have expressed alarm over the escalating power struggle between the country’s president and prime minister, as heavily armed factions patrolled parts of the capital, Mogadishu.
Soldiers loyal to Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble on Tuesday took up positions near the presidential palace, reports citing witnesses said, while others paraded the streets.
“They are not far away from the main security checkpoints of the presidential palace, they are armed with heavy machine guns and RPGs [rocket-propelled grenades]”, Saido Mumin, a Mogadishu resident, told the AFP news agency.
Temple bells part of scrap metal used to fuel Japan’s war effort
THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
December 28, 2021 at 07:00 JST
In 1941, when the Japanese government was salvaging metal from wherever it could for the looming Pacific War, the nation’s largest Buddhist group readily handed over its temple bells for the slaughter to come.
The response from the Hongwanji school of the True Pure Land sect to the metal collection order promulgated that August resulted in nearly 90 percent of its facilities donating often centuries-old artifacts to be melted down for weapons, ammunition and so forth.
This little-known episode would probably have remained just that were it not for the fact that the Hongwanji school last year asked its branches nationwide how they responded to the imperial ordinance that amounted to a rallying call to arms.
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