Thursday, October 31, 2024
About 8,000 North Korean soldiers at Ukraine border, says US
Antony Blinken warns that Russia is preparing to deploy the troops into combat ‘in the coming days’
About 8,000 North Korean soldiers at Ukraine border, says US
Antony Blinken warns that Russia is preparing to deploy the troops into combat ‘in the coming days’
About 8,000 North Korean soldiers are stationed in Russia on the border with Ukraine, the US secretary of state has said, warning that Moscow is preparing to deploy those troops into combat “in the coming days”.
Antony Blinken said the US believed that North Korea had sent 10,000 troops to Russia in total, deploying them first to training bases in the far east before sending the vast majority to the Kursk region on the border with Ukraine.
Blinken told a press conference that the North Korean troops had received Russian training in “artillery, UAVs [unmanned aerial vehicles], basic infantry operations, including trench clearing, indicating that they fully intend to use these forces in frontline operations”.
Its this kind of escalation that could lead to a wider war not only in Europe, but on the Korean peninsula. Think what will happen when the first North Korean soldiers are killed in Ukraine. Will Kim-Jong un respond with bombastic rhetoric or will he order a military response with an attack on South Korean and US forces. As for Europe, there will be foreign troops fighting there for the first time since the Second World. If those Korean troops accidentally cross into a NATO and country engage their forces that would be cause for real alarm.
With tensions this high any mistake could be catastrophic leading to unintended consequences.
Six In The Morning Thursday 31 October 2024
Locals describe 'nightmare' scenes after more than 100 killed in Spain floods
Authorities say 158 killed
We have received an update on the number of people killed by severe flooding in Spain.
Authorities in Valencia now say that at least 155 people in the region have died.
With two more deaths in Castilla-La Mancha and one in Andalusia, that brings the number of deaths so far to 158.
Summary
Residents of Valencia have described "nightmare" scenes after flash floods hit parts of Spain on Wednesday - ultimately killing more than 100 people
Spanish news agency Efe is reporting that 140 people are now known to have died, which the BBC is working to verify
"We all know someone who has died," one man tells our reporter; another says he saw a young man being swept away by floodwater
Almost two dozen countries at high risk of acute hunger, UN report reveals
Sudan, South Sudan, Mali, Palestine and Haiti rated at level of highest concern in latest six-monthly analysis
Carlos Mureithi East Africa correspondent
Thu 31 Oct 2024 14.40 GMT
Acute food insecurity is expected to worsen in war-stricken Sudan and nearly two dozen other countries and territories in the next six months, largely as a result of conflict and violence, an analysis by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization and World Food Programme has found.
The latest edition of the twice-yearly Hunger Hotspots report, published on Thursday, provides early warnings on food crises and situations around the world where food insecurity is likely to worsen, with a focus on the most severe and deteriorating situations of acute hunger.
Germany orders shutdown of all Iranian consulates
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock says all three of Iran's consulates in the country are to close. Berlin will also seek EU-wide sanctions.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock on Thursday announced that three Iranian consulates are to be closed in Germany in response to the execution of German-Iranian dual national Jamshid Sharmahd.
The consulates are in Frankfurt, Hamburg and Munich.
German-Iranian relations 'at all-time low'
"We have repeatedly and unequivocally made it clear to Tehran that the execution of a German citizen will have serious consequences," Baerbock said, announcing the closures.
Baerbock also said Germany would seek EU-wide sanctions against those involved in Sharmahd's execution. The minister said this included the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.
In Shanghai, Halloween sends shivers down China's spine
Chinese authorities are seeking to limit Halloween celebrations in Shanghai, fearing that the festivities could serve as a platform for political dissent. For the regime, the October 31 holiday, imported from the United States, could become a means of criticising those in power through the choice of costumes with a political connotation.
The Chinese government seems to be spooked by Halloween in Shanghai. A group of people dressed up for a pre-Halloween party in the city were detained by police, Reuters reported on October 25. Then, over the weekend, the police were deployed in one of Shanghai's downtown districts to curb the festivities of other fans of Halloween.
One 22-year-old student who was detained by the police told the Financial Times: “We had hats and cat ears, and they’re like ‘you can’t do that this year, unless you’re going to Disneyland’ or something.”
The student, who did not give his name, said the police took him to an administrative building where he joined a long queue of others wearing costumes.
"Stop this aggression": Director of besieged hospital calls for intervention in Gaza war
From CNN’s Abeer Salman and Eyad Kourdi
The only operational hospital in besieged northern Gaza was hit by multiple Israeli attacks on Wednesday night, a medical official said on Thursday, as he reiterated his appeal to the international community to act to stop the bombardment.
Hussam Abu Safiya, director of the Kamal Adwan Hospital, is just one of two pediatricians who remain on the medical staff at the facility, which serves 100,000 people and where a constant flow of the wounded continues to arrive.
Abu Safiya has repeatedly described the dire conditions at the hospital in recent days following a weekslong Israeli siege of northern Gaza. On Thursday, he told CNN by phone that the bombing of the hospital’s third floor the night before had caused a fire that destroyed essential medical supplies provided by the World Health Organization just five days earlier.
‘January 6th is going to be pretty fun’: How MAGA activists are preparing to undermine the election if Trump loses
Before Election Day has even arrived, the “Stop the Steal” movement has reemerged in force, with some of the same activists who tried to overturn former President Donald Trump’s 2020 loss outlining a step-by-step guide to undermine the results if he falls short again.
For months, those activists – who have been priming Trump supporters to believe the only way the former president can lose in 2024 is through fraud – have laid out proposals to thwart a potential Kamala Harris victory. Their plans include challenging results in court, pressuring lawmakers to block election certification, and encouraging protests – culminating on January 6, 2025, the day Congress will once again certify the results.
Wednesday, October 30, 2024
Six In The Morning Wednesday 30 October 2024
Politics and starvation: Gaza learns of Israel’s decision to ban UNRWA
Refugees and the displaced are grappling with the Israeli decision to cut an essential lifeline.
Until this morning, 38-year-old Hussam Abu Ghaban had not heard of the Israeli Knesset’s decision to ban the UN agency responsible for his family’s welfare.
Now, with the Israeli Knesset passing two bills banning the agency from Israel and choking off its ability to work in Gaza, the family does not know what to do.
Someone in the nearby camp operated by the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) had mentioned it, but Abu Ghaban had not known about what turned out to be an overwhelming Knesset vote in favour of the ban despite international outrage.
Nobel and Pulitzer winners denounce ‘dangerous’ Israel cultural boycott
More than 1,000 well-known figures sign open letter in response to authors pledging to boycott Israeli cultural institutions over Gaza
Nadia Khomami Arts and culture correspondent
Wed 30 Oct 2024 15.00 GMT
More than 1,000 figures from the literary and entertainment industry – including several Nobel laureates, Pulitzer prize, and Booker prize winners – have signed an open letter against “illiberal and dangerous” cultural boycotts.
The letter was released by the non-profit body Creative Community For Peace [CCFP], which campaigns against cultural boycotts of Israel, after more than 1,000 book industry figures pledged to boycott Israeli cultural institutions that “are complicit or have remained silent observers of the overwhelming oppression of Palestinians”.
Top Modi minister ordered attacks on Sikh separatists in Canada, official says
Deputy foreign minister David Morrison confirms home minister Amit Shah as ‘senior official in India who authorised attacks on Sikh separatists’ in Canada
Wednesday 30 October 2024 11:25 GMT
India’s home minister Amit Shah sanctioned a wave a violence targeting Sikh separatists across Canada, a senior official in the North American country said.
Mr Shah, prime minister Narendra Modi’s chief lieutenant, was identified by Canadian security agencies as the “senior official in India” who “authorised the intelligence-gathering missions and attacks on Sikh separatists” in the country, The Washington Post reported earlier this month based on information supplied by a Canadian source.
Spain floods: Valencia death toll mounts as EU offers help
Dozens have been killed in flash flooding in Spain, with the Valencia region particularly hard-hit. The number is expected to rise further, as rescuers scramble to reach stranded survivors.
'The Cold Drop' — A seasonal event
Wednesday's extreme rainfall appears to have been a particularly strong manifestation of a phenomenon common in the Mediterranean, especially in Spain.
Known "La Gota Fria" (The Cold Drop) it involves the formation of isolated, cold air pockets at high altitudes coming from the north. These clash with warmer, humid air over the sea and coast — the mix of cold and moisture causing sudden precipitation.
Chad urges international community to boost support after Boko Haram attack
After Chadian president Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno on Monday sent security forces in pursuit of the Boko Haram jihadists behind Sunday's attack that killed 40 Chadian soldiers, the landlocked country's government appealed for the international community to "intensify" its support for counter-terrorism measures in the Sahel region.
Chad on Tuesday urged the international community to step up support for counter-terrorism efforts in the Sahel, after Boko Haram jihadists killed around 40 Chadian troops in a surprise attack.
The jihadist group late on Sunday targeted a military garrison in the Lake Chad region, an area plagued by various armed groups, in an offensive that killed some 40 "brave Chadian soldiers", the government said in a statement published by spokesman Abderaman Koulamallah on Tuesday.
How X users can earn thousands from US election misinformation and AI images
Marianna Spring
Social media investigations correspondent
Some users on X who spend their days sharing content that includes election misinformation, AI-generated images and unfounded conspiracy theories say they are being paid "thousands of dollars" by the social media site.
The BBC identified networks of dozens of accounts that re-share each other's content multiple times a day - including a mix of true, unfounded, false and faked material - to boost their reach, and therefore, revenue on the site.
Several say earnings from their own and other accounts range from a couple of hundred to thousands of dollars.
Tuesday, October 29, 2024
Six In The Morning Tuesday 29 October 2024
'How will we survive?' Fears in Gaza over food aid after Israel moves to ban Unrwa
Unrwa staff in Jerusalem fear 'serious operational impacts'
Fergal Keane
Reporting from the Unrwa offices in Jerusalem
At the Unrwa headquarters in Jerusalem, staff were still absorbing the news of the Knesset vote.
Spokesman Jonathan Fowler describes it as “outrageous” and rejected Israel’s assertion that the organisation was colluding with Hamas.
“We said that the prospect of this vote was outrageous. The fact that the vote has happened is equally outrageous. It creates an incredibly dangerous precedent, not just for this region, but potentially with international implications in other places.”
CNN apologises for pager comment by conservative panellist to Mehdi Hasan
Ryan James Girdusky removed from NewsNight show after telling fellow guest ‘I hope your beeper doesn’t go off’
Guardian staff
Tue 29 Oct 2024 10.40 GMT
CNN apologises for pager comment by conservative panellist to Mehdi Hasan
Ryan James Girdusky removed from NewsNight show after telling fellow guest ‘I hope your beeper doesn’t go off’
CNN has apologised to its viewers after a panellist on its NewsNight programme made derogatory remarks implying that a fellow guest on the show, the broadcaster Mehdi Hasan, was a terrorist.
Ryan James Girdusky, a conservative commentator, told Hasan, a Guardian US columnist and former host on MSNBC, who is Muslim, that he hoped his “beeper doesn’t go off”, in an apparent reference to Israel’s targeting of Hezbollah fighters in Lebanon with exploding pagers last month. The wave of coordinated explosions killed 12 and injured thousands.
Germany summons Iran's envoy over Jamshid Sharmahd execution
Berlin said it condemns the execution of the German-Iranian software developer "in the strongest possible terms." The German ambassador to Iran has also been recalled.
Germany's Foreign Office on Tuesday denounced the "murder" of German-Iranian dual national Jamshid Sharmahd, recalling Berlin's envoy to Tehran and summoning the Iranian ambassador to Germany.
Ambassador Markus Potzel also appeared before Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi to protest Sharmahd being put to death "in the strongest possible terms."
North Korean troops deployed to eastern Russia for training, US says
North Korea has sent 10,000 troops to Russia for training, the White House said Monday, as Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky warned Pyongyang may soon have as many as 12,000 soldiers on Russian soil.
North Korea has sent some 10,000 troops to train in Russia, Washington said Monday, tripling its previous estimate and prompting NATO and EU warnings of a dangerous expansion of the Ukraine war.
Pyongyang -- with whom Moscow signed a mutual defense pact -- is already widely believed to be arming Russia for its invasion, but troops on the ground would mark an escalation in the conflict.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky warned North Korea could "soon" have as many as 12,000 soldiers on Russian soil, while US President Joe Biden slammed the deployment as "very dangerous."
30 plaintiffs in Japan sue Facebook owner Meta over fake ads
Facebook and Instagram owner Meta Platforms Inc faced fresh lawsuits in Japan on Tuesday over advertisements that fraudulently solicited investments with fake celebrity endorsements, with 30 plaintiffs seeking a total of 435 million yen in damages.
The U.S. technology giant and its Japanese arm failed to do enough to prevent the scams, according to the plaintiffs' complaint. The damages suits were filed with district courts in Osaka, Kobe, Yokohama, Chiba and Saitama.
Among the names of people used in the adverts are Japanese entrepreneur Yusaku Maezawa, the founder of online fashion retailer Zozo Inc. who traveled to the International Space Station aboard a Russian spacecraft in 2021.
Conflict condemns Sudan to huge displacement, rampant sexual violence: UN
International Organization for Migration counts over 14 million forced from their homes with hunger, disease and sexual violence rampant.
War in Sudan has displaced more than 14 million people and sexual violence is being seen on a “staggering” scale, United Nations agencies report.
The civil conflict has created the world’s largest displacement crisis this year, the UN’s International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Tuesday. Meanwhile, the UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for Sudan said in a new report that paramilitaries are preying on the female population.
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