Monday, September 16, 2024

Six In The Morning Monday 16 September 2024

 

Political violence becomes America's new norm - but is still shocking

Anthony Zurcher
North America correspondent

After decades without political violence directed at a presidential candidate from one of the major parties, the US has now experienced this twice in the space of two months - with former president Donald Trump the target on both occasions.

In mid-July, he narrowly avoided being shot in the head by a gunman at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. The 20-year-old attacker was shot dead by a sniper.

Two months later, on Sunday afternoon, during a round of golf, he was the apparent target of another would-be assassin, according to the FBI, with a suspect now in custody.



Amnesty calls for release of peaceful protesters in Angola

Health of three of four detained a year ago has deteriorated sharply after medical care withheld, charity says

 Southern Africa correspondent
Mon 16 Sep 2024 13.41 BST

Amnesty International has urged authorities in Angola to free four activists who were detained a year ago for planning a peaceful protest, and an influencer who criticised the president in a TikTok video.

The four activists were arrested in September last year before a protest against restrictions on motorcycle taxi drivers. They were sentenced to two years and five months in prison for “disobedience and resisting orders”. The health of three of the four activists has deteriorated sharply in prison, Amnesty said.

Germany's expanded border controls come into force

Germany has temporarily reintroduced controls on its western and northern borders as part of efforts to combat irregular migration and cross-border crime.

Germany's Interior Ministry rejects notion of racial profiling

Germany's Interior Ministry has rejected the idea that police are resorting to racial profiling in the expanded controls at the German borders — specifically checking people because of a perceived foreign appearance.

A ministry spokeswoman stressed on Monday in Berlin that "a racially motivated implementation of police measures would be completely unacceptable and also illegal."

Two years after the death of Mahsa Amini, a ‘quiet revolution’ is still under way in Iran

The scale of the protest movement that erupted after the 2022 death of Mahsa Amini and the brutal repression of those demonstrations have left an indelible mark on Iranian society. More and more women are flouting the veil requirement when out in public in what one NGO has described as a "quiet revolution" while men's behavior and awareness have also seen a shift in the years since.

September 16 marks two years since a 22-year-old Kurdish-Iranian woman died after being detained by Iran’s morality police for wearing what they called an "ill-fitting" veil, sparking one of the largest waves of protests in the history of the Islamic Republic.

In the days following Mahsa Amini’s death, tens of thousands of Iranians took to the streets to express their anger, chanting, "Woman, life, freedom." These demonstrations, which lasted for several months, were violently suppressed by the Iranian authorities. But two years later, the legacy of the protests remains tangible; tongues have loosened, and more first-hand accounts have begun to surface.

Philippines vows continued presence after South China Sea reef pullout

By Jesse Johnson
STAFF WRITER

The Philippines said Monday it would “continuously deploy” coast guard vessels to the contested waters of Sabina Shoal in the South China Sea, denying it has given up on the reef a day after it withdrew a ship that had been stationed there amid a five-month standoff with China.

“The Philippine Coast Guard, together with the armed forces of the Philippines, will never abandon our sovereign rights over these waters. We are still going to sustain our presence,” Philippine Coast Guard spokesman Commodore Jay Tarriela told a livestreamed news conference.

Ten maps to understand the occupied West Bank

Since 1967, Israel has occupied the West Bank. Here are 10 maps showing how military control affects Palestinian lives.

As Israel’s war on Gaza, which has killed more than 41,000 people, nears one year, assaults in the occupied West Bank continue, with at least 703 people killed by Israeli forces since October 7.

Despite Gaza and the West Bank being just 33km (21 miles) apart at their closest points, Israeli restrictions have long prevented travel and interaction between the two Palestinian territories, even before the recent conflict.




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