Six In The Morning Thursday 5 May 2022

 

Russians steal vast amounts of Ukrainian grain and equipment, threatening this year's harvest

By Tim Lister and Sanyo Fylyppov, CNN

Updated 1538 GMT (2338 HKT) May 5, 2022

Russian forces are stealing farm equipment and thousands of tons of grain from Ukrainian farmers in areas they have occupied, as well as targeting food storage sites with artillery, multiple sources have told CNN.

The phenomenon has accelerated in recent weeks as Russian units have tightened their grip on parts of the rich agricultural regions of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia in southern Ukraine, the sources said. Sowing operations in many areas have since been disrupted or abandoned.

The actions of the Russian forces may threaten the harvest this year in one of the world's most important grain-producing countries. The volumes involved are said to be huge.

Xinjiang cotton found in Adidas, Puma and Hugo Boss tops, researchers say

Traces in shirts and T-shirts appear to contradict German firms’ promises to revise supply chains

Philip Oltermann in Berlin

@philipoltermann

Researchers say they have found traces of Xinjiang cotton in shirts and T-shirts made by Adidas, Puma and Hugo Boss, appearing to contradict the German clothing companies’ promises to revise their supply chains after allegations of widespread forced labour in the Chinese region.

Recent reports have suggested more than half a million people from minority ethnic groups such as the Uyghurs have been coerced into picking cotton in Xinjiang, which provides more than 80% of China’s and a fifth of the global production of cotton.

The US banned cotton imports from the autonomous region in north-west China last year, a move also debated in the European parliament but not enacted by the European Commission. Nonetheless, several large western clothes brands and fashion brands vowed to no longer use Xinjiang cotton in the light of the revelations.

Coronavirus: Shanghai residents evade censors to expose life during lockdown

People in China's business capital are flooding social media with content documenting the widespread backlash towards the city's strict lockdown. Censors have been unable to keep up.

Under China's strict "zero-COVID" policy, most of Shanghai's population of 26 million remains under a strict lockdown, with people depending on government deliveries of food and supplies.

As residents express their discontent with the government, more and more images and videos of Shanghai's lockdown, depicting the frustration of people who have been confined to their homes for weeks, are making it past the censors.

Families have been separated after testing positive for COVID, and essential medical treatment has been delayed. On Tuesday, around 20% of the city's residents outside of the strict quarantine zones were permitted to leave their homes for a brief period.  

Israeli police, Palestinians clash anew at Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque compound

Clashes erupted between Israelis and Palestinians at Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa mosque compound on Thursday, after a 10-day cooling of tensions at the holy site, Israeli police said.

The police said they had repelled “dozens of rioters” who had been “throwing stones and other objects” at the security forces.

An AFP correspondent said there was a heavy police presence in front of the mosque as groups of Jewish worshippers returned to the site for the first time this month.

California declares unprecedented water restrictions amid drought

Residents have been warned to scale down their water usage this summer, as critical shortages loom.

By Hilary Beaumont

Published On 5 May 20225 May 2022

Amid a once-in-a-millennium prolonged drought fuelled by the climate crisis, one of the largest water distribution agencies in the United States is warning six million California residents to cut back their water usage this summer, or risk dire shortages.

The scale of the restrictions is unprecedented in the history of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, which serves 20 million people and has been in operation for nearly a century.

Adel Hagekhalil, the district’s general manager, has asked residents to limit outdoor watering to one day a week so there will be enough water for drinking, cooking and flushing toilets months from now.

Nearly 80% of Japanese think Okinawa's U.S. base-hosting burden unfair

Nearly 80 percent of people in Japan think the burden on Okinawa in hosting the bulk of U.S. forces in the country is not fair compared with other prefectures, according to the results of a Kyodo News survey.

The nationwide mail survey, conducted ahead of the 50th anniversary of Okinawa's reversion to Japanese administration on May 15, found that 58 percent of respondents supported transferring some of the U.S. military facilities outside of the southern prefecture.

But 69 percent opposed relocating the bases to areas where they live, although 79 percent believe the burden on Okinawa was unequally large.