Six In The Morning

Hong Kong protesters promise to keep up occupation

Demonstrators say they will stay put as Monday deadline approaches, but offer to open access lanes

Tania Branigan in Hong Kong

The Guardian, Sunday 5 October 2014 09.20 BST

Pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong have vowed to keep up their occupation as a Monday deadline fast approaches, but are seeking compromise by offering to open access lanes.

The Hong Kong chief executive, Leung Chun-ying, announced on Saturday that protests had to be removed by Monday morning so that life could return to normal. He said officials and police would take “all necessary actions” to restore order.

In a Sunday lunchtime statement, the government said it was ready to offer a dialogue on constitutional reform with the Hong Kong Federation of Students – but only if demonstrators cleared the roads and lifted the blockade around government facilities in the downtown Admiralty area.

Muslims call for stricter hate crime laws to go with national security powers

Queensland Muslim groups want increased penalties for hate crimes linked to the introduction of national security legislation

 Gabrielle Chan theguardian.com, Sunday 5 October 2014 06.28 BST

The Queensland Muslim community has called for a lower threshold for arrest and increased penalties for people convicted of hate crimes that can be linked to the introduction of national security legislation.

A submission to a parliamentary committee endorsed by a large number of groups and individuals underlines how the current debate has inflamed racial and religious tension, with Muslims the main target.

As Australian Muslims celebrated the festival of Eid al-Adha over the weekend, community leaders gathered widespread support for the submission, which calls for increased penalties to offset the effects of the foreign fighters bill. It was signed by more than 650 people or organisations, including the Islamic Council of Queensland and the Council of Imams of Queensland.

Mexico’s train of death: Entry into the Land of the Free isn’t merely unlikely – it’s potentially lethal

 The photographer Nicola Okin Frioli tells Linda Sharkey about the journey faced by hundreds of thousands of undocumented Latin American immigrants

 LINDA SHARKEY   Sunday 05 October 2014

Battered, scarred, mutilated – all in pursuit of the American dream. The physical and psychological wounds suffered by the people on these pages might take different forms, but each was endured as part of a desperate bid to escape Central America in search of a better future.

Each year, hundreds of thousands of undocumented Latin Americans from Honduras, Ecuador, Guatemala and Nicaragua – some fleeing violence and economic hardship, others wishing to be reunited with family members – are confronted by the threat of corrupt authorities, dangerous gangs, kidnapping and sexual assault as they make a journey across Mexico to the United States border. Yet still they come, the majority to take their chances with “The Beast”.

Germany’s controversial Euro Hawk drone may take flight again

The German military’s controversial combat drone program may take the skies yet again, according to a media report. The much-maligned “Euro Hawk” was canceled last year after a string of setbacks.‘

  DW    

German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen is considering bringing the Euro Hawk program online once again, the Sunday edition of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper, the FAS, reported.

The defense ministry told the FAS it was necessary to “take the Euro Hawk drone out of the garage again” in order to test its reconnaissance system in high elevations of up to 20 kilometers (12.5 miles) and over a long period of time.

Former Defense Minister Thomas De Maiziere canceled the costly Euro Hawk drone last year when it became apparent the plane would not get flight clearance over Europe. A parliamentary investigation later revealed that concerns over this particular issue were put into writing by the air force as early as 1999.

Nobel Prize in literature: Have you heard of these front-runners?

The Nobel prize for literature has gone to well-known authors long lauded by critics, but just as frequently plucks unknown authors from obscurity.



By Malin Rising, Associated Press

STOCKHOLM – It’s soon time for the highbrow culture event of the year: the Nobel Prize in literature. But don’t worry if you are left scratching your head when the winner is announced.

While the Swedish Academy sometimes picks well-known authors long lauded by critics, just as frequently it surprises the world with unknowns plucked from obscurity. The secretive academy drops no hints on who they are considering but Permanent Secretary Peter Englund said this year’s long-list started with 210 nominees, including 36 first-timers.

The academy is expected to announce the winner this week, but has not yet confirmed the date.

Here’s North Korea’s version of the iPhone



  Ben Winsor, Business Insider

While the hottest gadget across much of the world is undoubtedly the iPhone 6, in North Korea the only smartphone you can get legally is the government-approved “Pyongyang Touch.”

The North Korean government first released the “Arirang” smartphone in 2013, which appeared to run a modified version of Google’s Android operating system. The updated Pyongyang Touch now comes in a range of colors and is reminiscent of the iPhone 3.