Six In The Morning Sunday 29 May 2022

Ukraine war: BBC interview with Russian ambassador to the UK

 

Russia’s ambassador in Britain was asked to explain CCTV footage of Moscow’s soldiers committing alleged war crimes in Ukraine. In a tense exchange with the BBC's Clive Myrie, Andrei Kelin said such allegations were a "fabrication".

Tensions high in Jerusalem before rightwing Israeli flag parade

3,000 police deployed amid fears contested annual march could spark fresh violence

Bethan McKernan in Jerusalem

Jerusalem is on edge in advance of a rightwing Israeli parade that will pass through Muslim parts of the Old City, after violence during the same event last year helped spark an 11-day-war between Israel and Hamas, the Palestinian militant group in the Gaza Strip.

The annual flag march, in which thousands of religious nationalists enter the highly symbolic Damascus Gate and walk through the Muslim Quarter waving Israeli flags, takes place at sunset on what Israel calls Jerusalem Day, the celebration of its capture of East Jerusalem in the 1967 war.

It is often accompanied by racist chants and violence and viewed as deeply provocative by the Palestinians. This year the flag march comes at a particularly tense time: in the last two months Israel has suffered its worst wave of terrorist attacks in years, which have killed 19 people, while retaliatory Israel Defence Forces (IDF) raids in occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank have left about 35 Palestinians dead, including the Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Aqleh.

The Oppression of Uyghurs in ChinaVW Under Fire for Ongoing Operations in Xinjiang

Volkswagen continues to operate a factory in the heart of Xinjiang, despite massive criticism from human rights activists. The factory is largely meaningless from a business perspective. Is the company trying to prove its loyalty to the Chinese government?

By Christoph Giesen, Simon Hage und Frederik Obermaier

The Communist Party has divided the city into precise quadrants, just like a chessboard. Across the city of Ürümqi, signs with numbers are posted on lampposts and fences. The cross street just behind the factory gate lies in Sector 65,793, while the east side is part of Sector 65,605.

The numbering system helps state authorities to intervene immediately if necessary. A single call suffices: Within a minute, officers from surrounding police stations will turn up in their vans, brandishing assault rifles. And this despite the fact that there really isn’t much to protect in this corner of this city of 4 million in western China, the capital of the Xinjiang region. Except for a single automobile factory. But that factory appears to be so important to the People’s Armed Police that they maintain a barracks virtually right next door.

Francia Marquez, the Afro-Colombian rights activist campaigning for vice president of Colombia

For the first time in Colombia's history, the left, led by former Bogota mayor Gustavo Petro, could win the presidential election set to begin Sunday. If it prevails, Afro-Colombian environmental and human rights activist Francia Marquez would become vice president. A victory would mark a turning point for a country that has been plagued by social inequalities and historically governed by conservatives.   

In recent weeks, Marquez has consistently appeared in public wearing brightly coloured traditional Afro-Colombian outfits. As a vice-presidential candidate in the presidential election, she always chants the same message: "It's time to move from resistance to power!" 

Japan's Ukraine refugee policy criticized for putting politics over human rights

Japan has quickly opened its borders to Ukrainian refugees, but the country has a long history of denying entry to people seeking safety from conflicts. Human rights activists hope that will now change.

The Japanese government has been quick to publicize its acceptance of more than 1,000 refugees from war-torn Ukraine.

But critics point out that Japanese immigration authorities have been far less willing to open the nation's doors to people fleeing violence and persecution in developing states much closer to Japan.  

Human rights groups say those double standards need to end and that Japan needs to live up to its international obligations on extending assistance to refugees from other war zones. 

Liverpool requests formal investigation into ugly scenes around Champions League final

By Ben Church, CNN

Updated 1315 GMT (2115 HKT) May 29, 2022

Liverpool Football Club has requested a formal investigation into the ugly scenes that marred the Champions League final in Paris on Saturday.

The game, which Real Madrid won 1-0, was delayed by over 35 minutes after Liverpool fans struggled to enter the stadium despite many arriving hours before kickoff.

Tear gas was used by French police as supporters were held in tightly packed areas around the Stade de France, causing safety fears to spread among those who were there.