Friday, September 30, 2022
Architecture: Insights into a male-dominated industry
Architecture has long been considered a male domain. But that is changing, as female architects like Zaha Hadid and Eileen Gray receive international recognition for their groundbreaking designs.
What Russia’s annexation means for the war
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday formally announced that Moscow will annex four occupied regions of Ukraine, in an act condemned by the global community and in violation of international law. Speaking at an event at the Kremlin, Putin announced the incorporation of the four Russian-occupied regions — Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia. Putin described them as "four new regions" of Russia.
Six In The Morning Friday 30 September 2022
Putin declares four areas of Ukraine as Russian in illegal annexation
Summary
- President Putin has announced the illegal seizure of four areas of Ukraine - saying they are now Russian territory
- In an angry speech decrying the West, he claimed people living in the regions had made their choice - but "referendums" held there have been labelled shams
- The territory being seized is in Russian-held Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions
- Ukraine has responded by asking Nato to speed up giving it membership of the US-led defence alliance
- In his response, President Zelensky vowed to oust the Russians from all of Ukraine
More now from President Zelensky, who's been speaking following an urgent meeting of Ukraine’s Security and Defence Council.
On Ukraine's fast-track application for Nato membership, the Ukrainian president says Finland and Sweden started [the procedure of] joining the alliance without taking part in the formal membership plan - and so it's fair for Ukraine to do the same, he says.
Appearing to refer to Vladimir Putin's earlier call for negotiations to resume between Ukraine and Russia, Zelensky says it was "our country that had always" tried to co-exist "on equal, honest, dignified and fair
Lawyers raise fears of Iranian repeat of violent 2019 protest crackdown
Tribunal says repression three years ago was crime against humanity, as death toll rises in new protests
Patrick Wintour Diplomatic editor
Fears that the Iranian regime may attempt a bloody repression of the kind that led to as many 1,500 deaths after protests in 2019 have been raised by a group of eminent British lawyers asked to investigate what happened three years ago.
The lawyers, led by Wayne Jordash KC, said their examination of 300 pages of evidence of what happened during the November 2019 protests over a sudden oil price increase showed “the Iranian government’s willingness time and time again to violate human rights to suppress legitimate grievances”.
The number of people identified as killed in the current protests has risen above 50. Amnesty International said it had seen documents dated 21 September instructing security forces “to severely confront the troublemakers and anti-revolutionaries”.
Burkina Faso: Gunfire heard near presidential palace
Burkina Faso's military leader accused some army units of creating a "confused situation," after heavy gunfire was heard in the capital, Ouagadougou. A military coup in January left the West African nation in turmoil.
Heavy gunfire was heard around Burkina Faso's capital, Ouagadougou, early on Friday morning, sparking fears of a mutiny nine months after a coup d'etat overthrew the country's president.
Shots and a large blast were also heard around the presidential palace and the headquarters of its military junta.
Troops were stationed on the main crossroads of the city, especially in the Ouaga 2000 neighborhood, which is home to the presidential and junta offices.
Exiled for decades, Iranian Kurds in Iraq come under fresh fire
When Iranian strikes came crashing on northern Iraq's Kurdistan region, nurse Rezane Hassan rushed to the scene to help the victims, never imagining that her own fiance would be one of them.
"We left in an ambulance towards the affected sites," said the 22-year-old nurse, who works at a hospital in a refugee neighbourhood of the Iraqi city of Koysinjaq, where Iranian Kurds have lived for decades.
"We evacuated women and children to get them away from the bombed areas."
Amid war, Europeans support a more ‘geopolitical European Union’
The latest Transatlantic Trends survey finds that Europeans consider the EU equally important to NATO for safety.
A new survey of public opinion in European and North American countries shows faith in Europe’s geopolitical importance growing, as confidence in the United States’s long-term influence falters against a backdrop of the war in Ukraine.
While two-thirds of respondents in this year’s Transatlantic Trends survey see the US as the most influential actor in global affairs today, little more than a third see it as holding that position in five years time.
How a debate over textbooks closed 150 schools in East Jerusalem
On September 19, some 150 schools in East Jerusalem went on strike, keeping tens of thousands of students out of the classroom, to protest the introduction of Israeli textbooks.
The strike in East Jerusalem – an area populated mostly by Palestinians – is the latest flashpoint in a long-running aspect of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict: what and how children who live in Jerusalem should learn about the conflict in their textbooks.
Palestinian parents and activists say Israel is trying to erase their identity by pushing an Israeli narrative. Israeli authorities and activists allege many Palestinian textbooks incite hatred towards Jews and glorify violence.
Thursday, September 29, 2022
What’s triggered the latest tension between Greece and Turkey?
Ankara accuses Athens of breaching an agreement on the Agean sea.
In the latest escalation, Ankara has accused Athens of deploying US armoured vehicles on two Aegean islands close to Turkey’s coast.
How My Okinawa Trip Went HORRIBLY Wrong | 48 Hours in Japan's Paradise
Ishigaki island is Japan's ultimate tropical paradise. In the final episode of Journey Across Japan: Escape to paradise, we explore it by land, sea and air in numerous hellish ways.
What does the Nord Stream pipeline gas leak mean for the environment?
Major leaks on the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines releasing huge amounts of gas into the surrounding Baltic Sea and atmosphere were reported on Monday.
Japanese police hold protesters back outside Shinzo Abe's state funeral
Footage on social media shows hundreds of people protesting in Tokyo outside the state funeral of Shinzo Abe, a former prime minister of Japan who was shot dead during a campaign speech three months ago.
Investigators believed the attacker bore a grudge against Abe, and some have questioned the level of security around the high-profile figure. As a result, tens of thousands of police officers have been deployed to the funeral, which was attended by the UK foreign secretary, James Cleverly, and the US vice-president, Kamala Harris
Ron's house: Minotaur head and lion discovered in rented Birkenhead flat
Ron Gittins lived in Birkenhead on the Wirral Peninsula in England. A curious and colourful character, he was both well-known but also a total mystery to friends, neighbours and even family.
It was only after he died in 2019, and relatives were asked to clear his rented home that the weird, wonderful private world he had made for himself was uncovered.
Now, supporters of Ron’s Place, including singer Jarvis Cocker, are trying to raise money to buy his old flat and turn it into a space for artists.
Six In The Morning Thursday 29 September 2022
Putin to host ceremony annexing occupied Ukrainian territories on Friday, Kremlin says
Russia will on Friday begin formally annexing up to 18% of Ukrainian territory, with President Vladimir Putin expected to host a ceremony in the Kremlin to declare four occupied Ukrainian territories part of Russia.
The ceremony would take place on Friday at 15:00 local time (08:00 ET) in the Kremlin’s St. George’s Hall, Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. Putin will deliver a speech and meet with Russian-backed leaders of the four occupied regions on the sidelines of the ceremony, he added.
Next week, Russia’s two houses of parliament – the State Duma and Federation Council – will consider the annexation.
Narendra Modi’s BJP bans Indian Islamic group for ‘terrorist’ links
Popular Front of India, which says it fights for rights of minorities, victim of ‘political vendetta’ by Hindu nationalist government
An Islamic organisation that says it fights discrimination against minorities in India has disbanded after the government declared it and its affiliates unlawful, accusing them of involvement in terrorism.
The government of Narendra Modi’s Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) accused the Popular Front of India (PFI) group of having been involved in “terrorism” and “anti-national activities”.
The ban, under a strict anti-terrorism law, came amid a crackdown in which 300 PFI leaders and activists have been arrested.
Zimbabwe: Activist Tsitsi Dangarembga found guilty
The 2021 Peace Prize of the German Book Trade was among scores of people arrested during anti-government protests in 2020. Dangarembga has been given a suspended prison sentence.
Zimbabwean author and activist Tsitsi Dangarembga on Thursday was found guilty on charges of inciting violence.
Her husband Olaf Koschke confirmed the ruling to the German press agency DPA.
The author was handed a six-month suspended prison sentence as well as a $120 (€123) fine.
The author, activist and playwright was among a number of people arrested in July 2020 for joining demonstrations against government corruption.
Political violence casts a shadow over Brazil’s general election
Upcoming elections in Brazil are the most polarised in recent history and also the most radicalised – across the country, the electoral campaign has been marked by physical attacks, death threats and even murder. It is a source of growing concern as the October 2 vote draws closer, with more than 67 percent of the population saying they fear becoming a victim of violence for their political choices, according to a recent survey by the Datafolha polling firm.
“I’m going to send someone to kill you, I know where you live.”
Chico Alencar, a congressional candidate for the left-wing Socialism and Liberty Party (PSOL), received this terse Instagram threat a week ago. The author of the threat, a supporter of President Jair Bolsonaro, compared communism – which Bolsonaro partisans believe to be a grave threat to Brazil – to Nazism.
‘Putin Is a Fool’: Intercepted Calls Reveal Russian Army in Disarray
In phone calls to friends and relatives at home, Russian soldiers gave damning insider accounts of battlefield failures and civilian executions, excoriating their leaders just weeks into the campaign to take Kyiv.
By Yousur Al-Hlou, Masha Froliak and Evan Hill. Produced by Rumsey Taylor and Matt Ruby. Translations by Aleksandra Koroleva and Oksana Nesterenko.
The Ukrainian capital was supposed to fall in a matter of days.
But plagued by tactical errors and fierce Ukrainian resistance, President Vladimir V. Putin’s destructive advance quickly stalled, and his forces became bogged down for most of March on the city’s outskirts.
From trenches, dugouts and in occupied homes in the area around Bucha, a western suburb of Kyiv, Russian soldiers disobeyed orders by making unauthorized calls from their cellphones to their wives, girlfriends, friends and parents hundreds of miles from the front line.
Flurry of N Korea missiles for Kamala Harris visit
By Jean Mackenzie in Seoul and Frances Mao in Singapore
BBC News
BBC News
North Korea carried out another banned missile test, just hours after a visit by US Vice-President Kamala Harris, South Korea's military says.
Two short-range ballistic missiles were fired into the sea off the North's east coast, it said, in the third such breach of UN sanctions this week.
It follows a visit by Ms Harris to the demilitarised zone dividing the Koreas.
This has been a record year for missile tests in North Korea and the latest launches are timed to send a message.
Wednesday, September 28, 2022
Flying into Hurricane Ian: 'The roughest flight ever'
A team from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration flew into Hurricane Ian on Tuesday as the storm approached Florida. It was a very bumpy ride.
War in Ukraine: Veteran Russian diplomat reveals Kremlin's plan | Conflict Zone
Boris Bondarev was until May of 2022 a Russian diplomat working in the foreign ministry and posted to Moscow’s mission to the United Nations activities in Geneva.
Six In The Morning Wednesday 28 September 2022
Life-threatening hurricane bears down on Florida
Anxiety builds as Tampa Bay braces for Ian
Alexandra Ostasiewicz
BBC News, Florida
In the Tampa Bay area, locals are no strangers to hurricane warnings, but even the most seasoned are taking this storm seriously.
The energy in the city changed overnight as residents woke to pounding rain and choppy water in the normally tranquil bay.
As the day wears on and the wind gusts intensify, the anxiety is increasing.
Roads are empty of vehicles, but starting to fill up with water and debris blown from palm trees.
Shops are all shuttered except for some petrol stations, but even those are all out of fuel.
Iran footballers show solidarity with protests over Mahsa Amini’s death
Iran’s players covered up their national symbols by wearing jackets before the friendly with Senegal on Tuesday evening, showing solidarity with protests against the repression of women in their home country.
The past 11 days have seen significant unrest in Iran after the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, who had been arrested on 13 September for refusing to wear a hijab. There have been widespread protests and before their match in Maria Enzersdorf, a town just outside Vienna, the national team made their anger visible.
French Senate report denounces sexual abuse in porn industry
A French Senate delegation says sexual and physical abuse in France’s porn industry is “systemic” and lawmakers should better regulate the production of violent videos
Sexual and physical abuse in France's porn industry is “systemic” and lawmakers should better regulate the production of videos and protect children who are “heavily exposed” to the content, according to a French Senate report released Wednesday.
The report, titled “Hell Behind the Scenes,” was the first prepared for the French parliament to focus on the porn industry, which the authors described as “predatory.”
During six months of research, the Senate’s delegation for women’s rights and gender equality heard from over 50 people, including some involved in the industry, women’s rights activists and victims.
German prosecutors raid far-right AfD's headquarters
The national AfD headquarters in Berlin has been searched by investigators, according to the far-right party. Prosecutors are probing former AfD head Jörg Meuthen for false accountability statements, media report.
The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) says public prosecutors "copied complete hard disks, mailboxes and file folders'' during a raid on the party's national headquarters in Berlin on Wednesday.
"Since this morning, the Berlin public prosecutor's office has been conducting a house search in the premises of the federal headquarters of Alternative for Germany, without any prior inquiry having been directed to the AfD regarding the facts to be clarified,'' the party said in a statement.
The AfD, which has 79 of 736 seats in the Bundestag, began life as a party critical of eurozone policies but has since moved further right and is now known for its vehement anti-immigration and nationalist stance.
Iran conducts deadly strikes in Iraq’s Kurdish region as anti-veil protests mount
Iranian strikes on Wednesday targeting the bases of a Kurdish opposition group in northern Iraq that had condemned the crackdown on Iranian protesters killed at least nine people and wounded 32 others, according to Iraqi Kurdistan officials.
The strikes came as demonstrations continued to engulf Iran after the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian Kurdish woman who was detained by the Iranian morality police.
Iran’s attacks targeted Koya, some 65 kilometers (35 miles) east of Irbil, said Soran Nuri, a member of the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan. The group, known by the acronym KDPI, is a leftist armed opposition force banned in Iran.
Taliban sign deal for Russian oil products, gas and wheat
By Mohammad Yunus Yawar and Charlotte Greenfield
The Taliban have signed a provisional deal with Russia to supply gasoline, diesel, gas and wheat to Afghanistan, Acting Afghan Commerce and Industry Minister Haji Nooruddin Azizi told Reuters.
Azizi said his ministry was working to diversify its trading partners and that Russia had offered the Taliban administration a discount to average global commodity prices.
The move, the first known major international economic deal struck by the Taliban since they returned to power more than a year ago, could help to ease the Islamist movement's isolation that has effectively cut it off from the global banking system.
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