Six In The Morning Sunday 13 February 2022

 

The West is a player in the Ukraine information war. Unlike Russia, it has to convince the public

By Tara John, CNN

Updated 0913 GMT (1713 HKT) February 13, 2022

Corpses strewn through wrecked buildings in the aftermath of an apparently deadly explosion. Distraught mourners, grieving for lost loved ones. And amid the smoldering ruins, evidence of Western military equipment.

In a world all too familiar with graphic images of one disaster after another, it's easy to imagine the grim footage.

And the United States says that's exactly what this is: make-believe violence. It says Russia is plotting to stage a fake attack, and shoot a gory propaganda video of it, as a pretext for an invasion of Ukraine. The clip would frame the Ukrainian military -- and by extension, their NATO allies -- for an attack on Russian-speaking people.

The rap star of Karachi: ‘My veil cannot take away the talent I have’

Eva B, who was brought up in a notorious slum, has become Pakistan’s latest music sensation

Shah Meer Baloch in Lyari

Sun 13 Feb 2022 15.01 GMT

Her phone has been buzzing with non-stop messages and calls. Eva B, once a little-known rapper from the Karachi urban-slum settlement of Lyari, has become Pakistan’s newest music sensation, racking up millions of views on YouTube.

She is not just the first female rapper from Pakistan, she is the first veil-wearing female rapper from Pakistan’s Baloch minority. She says her brother had told her if she wanted to rap she had to wear a veil, but that it is now a part of her identity and personality as a musician.

“I don’t feel comfortable or can’t perform well if I don’t wear it. The veil just covers my face; it cannot cover or take away the talent I have.”

‘So much chaos’: Britons scramble to leave Ukraine as Russian invasion looms

Paperwork leaves some Brits stuck in Kiev after UK government urges them to leave

Zoe Tidman

Britons have expressed fear over possible chaos at the border while trying to get their documents in check as they scramble to leave Ukraine amid warnings that a Russian invasion could be imminent.

British nationals in the country are being used to “leave now while commercial means are still available”.

While some have vowed to stay, others are now trying to work out how to get to the UK as quickly as possible.

Ben Garratt and his wife Alice, who live in north London, have been in Ukraine since December. Their baby was born in the country under its “very different surrogacy laws”, which allow for a swifter IVF and surrogacy process.

"Just Embarrassing"Gerhard Schröder Casts a Dark Shadow over Berlin's Foreign Policy

In the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, Germany is cutting a rather ambivalent figure. Former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder is one major reason why. Can the Social Democrats and the country find its way out from under his shadow?

By Florian Gathmann, Annette Großbongardt, Kevin Hagen, Christoph Hickmann, Marc Hujer, Philipp Kollenbroich, Gunther Latsch, Veit Medick, Ansgar Siemens und Christian Teevs

Gerhard Schröder lives with his wife in a rather inconspicuous prewar building in the Zoo Quarter of Hannover. The apartment is plenty big for two, at 95 square meters (1,020 square feet), but it’s hardly a palace.

It would be nice to speak with the former German chancellor and hear what he has to say about all the excitement surrounding him. To hear his thoughts on the controversy that erupted over his comment that Ukraine should finally stop with all the "saber rattling." And on the widespread disgust with the work he does for Russian companies at a time when his friend, Russian President Vladimir Putin, is posing such a threat to Europe. Does he recognize the problem? Does he care?

Palestinian prisoners protest Israeli ‘collective punishment’

Prisoners refusing to step out for yard time after Israeli authorities instituted collective punitive policies.

By Zena Al Tahhan

Published On 13 Feb 202213 Feb 2022

 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli detention have taken a series of actions against recent restrictions imposed on them by authorities, prisoner rights groups said, adding that Israeli measures amounted to collective punishment.

All prisoners are refusing to step out of their cells for their allocated yard time since Israeli prison authorities on February 5 decreased the time and number of prisoners allowed outside at once, in violation of previous agreements between detainees and the jail administration, the Palestinian Prisoners Society (PPS) monitoring group said in a statement on Thursday.

U.S., Japan, South Korea meet in Hawaii to discuss North Korea

By AUDREY McAVOY

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met his Japanese and South Korean counterparts Saturday in Hawaii to discuss the threat posed by nuclear-armed North Korea after Pyongyang began the year with a series of missile tests.

Blinken said at a news conference after the meeting that North Korea was "in a phase of provocation" and the three countries condemned the recent missile launches.

"We are absolutely united in our approach, in our determination," Blinken said after his talks with Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi and South Korean Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong.

He said the countries were "very closely consulting" on further steps they may take in response to North Korea, but didn't offer specifics.