Thursday, June 30, 2022
Does Putin want to "crush" NATO? | Conflict Zone
As the NATO summit gets underway in Madrid, former Russian member of Parliament Ilya Ponomarev told DW’s Conflict Zone Vladimir Putin's war aims go way beyond Ukraine.
He argues it is NATO that's firmly in Putin’s sights. “He wants to crush NATO, that's his strategic goal,” said Ponomarev.
24 Hours With a Japanese Hermit in a Hidden Village
Spending 24 hours with a Japanese Hermit in a bear-infested village that can't be reached
How the Supreme Court has moved quickly toward the right
Post reporter Robert Barnes explains how the Supreme Court has moved quickly to the right and what that means for future rulings.
Russia withdraws from Snake Island: Moscow's forces abandon strategic Black Sea outpost
Russia on Thursday withdrew from Snake Island, a craggy speck of land in the Black Sea, handing Ukraine a symbolically potent political victory and depriving Moscow of a strategic outpost for its air defences and electronic warfare systems.
Jan 6 hearings: Trump film-maker now has 'two armed guards'
A British documentary maker who filmed Donald Trump and his family in the weeks following his 2020 election defeat told the BBC he has been accused of being a British or US spy, and now has two armed guards who follow him everywhere.
Alex Holder has been ordered to give evidence to an investigation in Georgia which is looking at whether Trump pressured state officials to influence the 2020 election in the state.
Six In The Morning Thursday 30 June 2022
Snake Island: Why Russia couldn't hold on to strategic Black Sea outcrop
By Yaroslav Lukov & Paul Kirby
BBC News
This tiny, rocky outcrop in the north-west of the Black Sea was seized by Russia on the first day of its invasion of Ukraine, and it has played an outsized role in the war ever since.
After more than four months of repeated Ukrainian bombardment, Russian forces have abandoned Snake or Zmiinyi Island, as it is known in Ukraine.
Russia says it has withdrawn its garrison as a "gesture of goodwill" to prove it was not obstructing grain exports, but Ukraine dismissed that claim, as Moscow continued to shell its grain stores.
Beijing hits out at Nato strategy for ‘malicious attack’ on China
Western military bloc says China poses ‘serious challenges’ to global stability
Vincent Ni China affairs correspondent
China has issued a strong rebuke at Nato, calling out what it said was “cold war thinking and ideological bias”, after the western military bloc said Beijing posed “serious challenges” to global stability.
Nato allies agreed for the first time to include challenges and threats posed by China into a strategy blueprint in its latest summit in Madrid this week. The alliance’s previous document, issued in 2010, made no mention of China.
In its new Strategic Concept, Nato said tackling “systemic challenges posed by the People’s Republic of China to Euro-Atlantic security” and the “deepening strategic partnership” between China and Russia would now be among its main priorities.
A 'NATO' for the Middle East?
Rumors of a new Middle Eastern military alliance are flying. They're significant because an "Arab NATO" may include Israel, signaling next steps in better ties between Israel and Arab neighbors. But are the rumors real?
Late last week, the king of Jordan made headlines when he told journalists that he would support a military alliance in the Middle East that was similar to NATO.
"I would be one of the first people that would endorse a Middle East NATO," King Abdullah II told US media outlet CNBC. "All of us are coming together and saying, 'How can we help each other?' … which is, I think, very unusual for the region."
Similar rumors about the creation of an "Arab NATO" also came from other quarters.
Lost in space: Astronauts struggle to regain bone density
Astronauts lose decades' worth of bone mass in space that many do not recover even after a year back on Earth, researchers said Thursday, warning that it could be a "big concern" for future missions to Mars.
Previous research has shown astronauts lose between one to two percent of bone density for every month spent in space, as the lack of gravity takes the pressure off their legs when it comes to standing and walking.
To find out how astronauts recover once their feet are back on the ground, a new study scanned the wrists and ankles of 17 astronauts before, during and after a stay on the International Space Station.
Ferdinand Marcos Jr sworn in as Philippines president
Marcos Jr takes Philippines top job, 36 years after his father, a former president, was toppled and forced into exile in the People Power Revolution.
Ferdinand Marcos Jr, the son and namesake of the Philippines’ late dictator, has been sworn in as the country’s new president.
Marcos Jr’s inauguration on Thursday marks a stunning political comeback for one of Asia’s most famous political dynasties, 36 years after the elder Marcos was toppled and forced into exile in a popular uprising.
Known as “Bongbong”, the 64-year-old Marcos Jr won a rare landslide victory in last month’s presidential election, helped by what critics have said was a years-long campaign to whitewash his family’s image.
Xi Jinping brought Hong Kong to heel. Now he's back in a city transformed
Updated 1237 GMT (2037 HKT) June 30, 2022
Chinese flags flutter above streets and red celebratory banners line the harbor front, as a beaming crowd of masked officials and school children wave and chant in unison inside Hong Kong's high-speed rail terminus, welcoming the arrival of Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
In his first trip outside mainland China since the start of the pandemic, Xi arrived in Hong Kong Thursday to mark the 25th anniversary of its return to Chinese rule on July 1 -- a highly symbolic event at a pivotal time for both the city, and Xi himself.
The former British colony is midway through the 50-year promise of "a high degree of autonomy," given by Beijing under a framework known as "one country, two systems." It is also swearing in its newly appointed leader, hardline former police officer John Lee.
Wednesday, June 29, 2022
What does Ms. Marvel mean to the Muslim community?
“It’s not really the brown girls from Jersey City who save the world.” Or is it? That’s the question Marvel Studios intends to answer with the debut of its latest superhero, Ms. Marvel, which aired on Disney’s streaming service this month.
The television show follows the adventures of Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani), a Pakistani-American teenager who develops incredible powers and finds herself pursued by supernatural bad guys, all while grappling with familial and religious obligations.
Life in Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine has changed
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine four months ago, getting information about life in the regions Russian forces have occupied has become increasingly difficult.
China’s Sinister Role in Roe vs. Wade
China is playing a sinister and unfair role in Roe vs. Wade, and is playing off of the division in the USA.
Bataclan: Verdicts handed down in 2015 Paris attacks trial
A French court in Paris has handed down a guilty verdict against the sole surviving perpetrator of the deadliest Islamist terror attacks in the history of France.
Six In The Morning Wednesday 29 June 2022
Ukraine war: US to ramp up military presence across Europe
The US will increase its military presence across Europe in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, President Joe Biden has announced.
A permanent army headquarters will be created in Poland, while new US warships will go to Spain, fighter jets to the UK and ground troops to Romania.
Mr Biden said the US was "stepping up" and proving that Nato was "needed now more than it has ever been".
The announcement came as alliance leaders met at a summit in Madrid.
Israel braces for fifth election in less than four years
Poll set for October after collapse of short-lived coalition that ousted Benjamin Netanyahu from office
Bethan McKernan in Jerusalem
Israel is set for its fifth election in less than four years after the approval of a bill to dissolve parliament, following the collapse of a short-lived coalition government that banded together to oust the longtime prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu from office.
Members of the Knesset voted unanimously on Tuesday in favour of the bill, with a deadline of midnight on Wednesday for it to be finalised as law.
The foreign minister, Yair Lapid, will take over as caretaker leader from the prime minister, Naftali Bennett, as per an existing power-sharing agreement, and elections are expected to be held at the end of October, after several major Jewish holidays.
British Homes for Ukraine host slams Priti Patel after visa denied for 11-year-old girl fleeing the war
The 11-year-old girl was forced to return to Ukraine after her visa was rejected by the Home Office
A British host who volunteered for the Homes for Ukraine scheme has hit out at Priti Patel for denying a visa to an 11-year-old girl fleeing the war.
The young Ukrainian girl, called Alisa Miroshyna, was meant to be travelling from Poland to the UK with her aunt and niece but she has had her visa denied because the government views her as an “unaccompanied minor”.
In a turn of events branded “appalling” by her British host Nick Anderson, young Alisa has been forced to travel back to Dnipro, Ukraine with her mother Kateryna, who is serving in the Ukrainian armed forces.
Turkey to seek extradition of 33 'terrorists' from Finland, Sweden
The request comes after the three countries signed a deal that clears the way for Sweden and Finland to become members of NATO.
Turkey said Wednesday it would seek to extradite 33 suspected "terrorists" from Sweden and Finland after reaching a deal with the two Nordic countries over their NATO membership bids.
Ankara had opposed the bids, accusing Helsinki and Stockholm of supporting Kurdish militants and other individuals it views as terror suspects. But it agreed to withdraw its opposition in return for written security guarantees.
In a three-way memorandum signed Tuesday, Sweden and Finland pledged not to support the militant Kurdish Workers' Party, or PKK, and its Syrian arm, the YPG, or the network of US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen. Turkey blames Gulen for a failed coup in 2016.
Alarm mounts over escalating Ethiopia-Sudan border tensions
Regional leaders voiced alarm Wednesday over escalating tensions between Ethiopia and Sudan in a disputed border area and appealed for dialogue to stem the crisis.
The calls by the African Union and another regional grouping followed claims by Khartoum that the Ethiopian army had executed seven Sudanese soldiers and a civilian during a clash in the volatile Al-Fashaqa area last week -- allegations denied by Addis Ababa.
Sudan announced Monday it would recall its ambassador to Addis Ababa over the incident in Al-Fashaqa, a fertile strip of land that has long been a source of friction between the two states.
Brutal killing caught on camera stokes religious tensions in India
Updated 1319 GMT (2119 HKT) June 29, 2022
Religious tensions are flaring in India following the killing of a Hindu man allegedly by two Muslim assailants as authorities attempt to stop video of the brutal attack from circulating online.
Officials in the western city of Udaipur, Rajasthan state, announced a curfew and blocked internet access after videos of the incident went viral on social media, triggering mass outrage across the country.
In one video, two men can be seen beginning to attack the victim. In another, two Muslim men appear to confess to the crime and claim to have "decapitated" the Hindu man. However, police in the state told CNN Wednesday the victim had deep cuts all over his body, including slashes on his neck, but that he had not been beheaded.
Tuesday, June 28, 2022
You will NEVER be Chinese!
There are many reasons that a foreigner will never be Chinese, and it is not limited to only the citizenship restrictions. It boils down to cultural and racial identity. In this episode we talk about why Winston and I have not received a Chinese Green Card, nor citizenship in China; despite having lived here for so long.
Ukraine war: CCTV shows civilians fleeing Russian missile strikes in Kremenchuk
CCTV footage from a pond in the Ukrainian city of Kremenchuk has captured civilians running for cover and falling to the ground as Russian missile strikes hit nearby, leaving at least 18 people dead.
The BBC has analysed the footage - and it appears one missile hit close to the eastern end of a shopping centre, while the other hit the northern end of a nearby factory.
Russia claims a strike on an arms storage facility detonated ammunition which set the nearby mall on fire.
Ukrainian officials have denied there was a weapons depot nearby.
Will the G7 be able to bankrupt Russia?
G-7 countires have agreed to placing price caps on Russian oil sold abroad. The plan is untested, but if it works, it could deal the final blow to Vladimir Putin's ability to finance the war in Ukraine.
Six In The Morning Tuesday 28 June 2022
Texas migrant deaths: Mexico blames poverty and US border crisis
By Angelica Casas in San Antonio, Sam Cabral & Bernd Debusmann Jr.
BBC News
"Poverty and desperation" led to the deaths of at least 50 migrants abandoned in a Texas lorry, Mexico's president has said.
Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador blamed trafficking and "a lack of control" at the border - the worst case of migrant deaths due to smuggling in the US.
Nearly two dozen Mexicans, seven Guatemalans and two Hondurans were among the dead.
Those found alive, including four children, were taken to hospital.
The survivors were "hot to the touch" and suffering from heat stroke and heat exhaustion.
Delhi police arrest Muslim journalist Mohammed Zubair over tweet from 2018
Journalists demand release of co-founder of Alt News after he was accused of insulting Hindus
Amrit Dhillon in Delhi
The co-founder of a factchecking website has been arrested by police in Delhi weeks after he highlighted derogatory comments made by a spokesperson for Narendra Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) about the prophet Muhammad.
Mohammed Zubair, who set up the Alt News website, flagged the remarks made during a television debate at the end of May on Twitter, bringing them attention they may not otherwise have had.
When Muslims became aware of the remarks from the BJP spokesperson, Nupur Sharma, they staged protests. The incident escalated into a diplomatic row with Arab countries voicing their anger.
Russia places sanctions against First Lady Jill Biden and daughter Ashley
The Bidens will no longer be allowed to travel to Russia
Moscow has announced that is placing sanctions on the wife and daughter of US President Joe Biden.
The decision to target the First Lady is part of a new package of restrictions announced by Russia on Tuesday against 25 American individuals.
The people on the list, including the Bidens, are banned from entering Russian territory on an indefinite basis, said Moscow’s foreign ministry.
Cuban boxing star Andy Cruz caught trying to escape island nation
Olympic and triple world boxing champion Andy Cruz was caught trying to escape Cuba, the island nation's boxing federation said on Tuesday, accusing the the fighter of "serious indiscipline".
The Cuban Boxing Federation (FCB) issued a statement on the website of Cuba's INDER sports institute saying it had been "informed that the athlete Andy Cruz Gomez took part in an attempt to illegally leave the country".
But the FCB gave no more details about the escape attempt nor Cruz's current whereabouts.
Cruz, who won gold at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, is considered by many experts to be the finest Cuban boxer of his generation.
Afghan survivor: If another quake doesn’t kill us, poverty might
More than 1,000 people have been killed and some 2,000 injured in Afghanistan’s worst earthquake in 20 years.
When a magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan last week, Naqib lost his home and nearly his whole family. His parents and four siblings now lie buried on a hilltop overlooking the remote district of Gayan in hard-hit Paktika province. The 11-year-old now only has one sister, Nesab, who is four.
The little girl is glued to his side, quietly listening as her brother recalls the June 22 disaster.
“I was buried under the rubble with Nesab. We were screaming. My uncle came and helped us out of the destroyed house. It was dark, but I saw that nobody else in my family was screaming. They were all dead.”
Oil producers usually tame soaring prices by turning on the taps. Here's why that may not work this time
By Nadeen Ebrahim, CNN
Oil-consuming nations wait with bated breath as the OPEC cartel meets once again this week to decide whether to pump more crude into the market to tame runaway prices.
After Russia's invasion of Ukraine, oil this year rose to a 14-year high. Prices have since eased slightly and Brent crude futures stood at around $113 a barrel as of Monday, but Western nations have been pressuring oil states to continue adding more oil to the market.
On Monday, French President Emmanuel Macron called on oil producers to ramp up output by "exceptional" volumes, the AFP news agency reported.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)