Aug 18 2023
Late Night Music:Dire Straits – Sultans Of Swing
Aug 17 2023
Six In The Morning Thursday 17 August 2023
Most of West Africa ready to join standby force in Niger: ECOWAS
ECOWAS commissioner says all member states will join the force except those under military rule and Cape Verde.
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has said most of its member states are ready to participate in a standby force that could intervene in Niger following a coup there late last month.
Defence chiefs from the 15-member regional bloc met in Accra on Thursday as part of the latest efforts to overturn the removal of Mohamed Bazoum, Niger’s president who was deposed in a July 26 coup.
All member states except those under military rule and Cape Verde are ready to participate in the standby force, ECOWAS commissioner Abdel-Fatau Musah said on Thursday.
Sweden raises terrorist threat level after Qur’an burnings
Threat raised to second-highest level as prime minister says country has thwarted planned attacks
Sweden has raised its terrorist threat level to the second-highest number possible, as the prime minister warned the country had thwarted planned attacks.
The move comes amid heightened security fears following a string of Qur’an burnings that have caused outrage around the world.
Raising the threat level from three, meaning “heightened threat”, to four, “high threat”, on the five-point scale, the Swedish security service (Säpo) said that in recent months Sweden had shifted from a “legitimate” to a “prioritised” target for acts of terror.
It is the first time since 2016 that the country has changed its threat level to four.
Pakistan troops quell riots amid claims of Quran desecration
Pakistan has deployed paramilitary troops to restore order in Jaranwala, in eastern Punjab, after a rampaging mob set alight several churches and ransacked homes over claims that two men desecrated the Quran.
Troops cordoned off the predominantly Christian area blocking all entry and exit points with barbed wire.
More than 120 people suspected of being involved in the rioting had been arrested and the situation was under control, Rizwan Khan, the regional police chief, said.
Schools and offices have been closed, and local authorities have banned rallies for a week.
Russia opens criminal probe into leader of independent election watchdog
The Russian authorities have opened a criminal investigation into one of the leaders of a prominent independent election monitoring group, his lawyer said Thursday.
The case against Grigory Melkonyants, co-chair of Russia‘s leading election watchdog Golos, is the latest step in the months-long crackdown on Kremlin critics and rights activists that the government ratcheted up after sending troops into Ukraine.
Melkonyants’ lawyer Mikhail Biryukov told The Associated Press that his client is facing charges of “organizing activities” of an “undesirable” group, a criminal offense punishable by up to six years in prison.
Golos has not been labeled “undesirable” — a label that under a 2015 law makes involvement with such organizations a criminal offense. But it was once a member of the European Network of Election Monitoring Organizations, a group that was declared “undesirable” in Russia in 2021.
Purported names, photos and addresses of Fulton County grand jurors circulate on far-right internet
Names, photographs, social media profiles and even the home addresses purportedly belonging to members of the Fulton County grand jury that this week voted to indict former President Donald Trump and 18 co-defendants are circulating on social media – with experts saying that some anonymous users are calling for violence against them.
CNN cannot independently verify if the photographs, social media accounts and the homes addresses being posted actually belong to the grand jurors.
However, the names being circulated on these sites appear to match the names of at least 13 of the 26 grand jurors that served on the panel in Fulton County. It’s unclear if those names are the actual grand jurors or just people with the same name. Some addresses appear to be wrong.
Canada wildfire: Race to evacuate city as blaze approaches
One of the largest cities in Canada’s far north is being evacuated amid warnings that a wildfire could reach it by the weekend.
The 20,000 residents of Yellowknife, the capital of the Northwest Territories, have been given until noon Friday (18:00 GMT) to leave.
As of late Wednesday, the fire was within 16km (10 miles) of the city.
Another fire is threatening the community of Hay River.
One evacuee told the CBC her car began melting as she and her family drove through embers while fleeing the town.
The Northwest Territories declared a state of emergency late on Tuesday as it battles nearly 240 wildfires.
Aug 16 2023
Six In The Morning Wednesday 16 August 2023
Ukrainian prisoners of war say they were tortured at Russian prison
Former Ukrainian captives say they were subjected to torture, including frequent beatings and electric shocks, while in custody at a detention facility in south-western Russia, in what would be serious violations of international humanitarian law.
In interviews with the BBC, a dozen ex-detainees released in prisoner exchanges alleged physical and psychological abuse by Russian officers and guards at the Pre-Trial Detention Facility Number Two, in the city of Taganrog.
The testimonies, gathered during a weeks-long investigation, describe a consistent pattern of extreme violence and ill-treatment at the facility, one of the locations where Ukrainian prisoners of war have been held in Russia.
Niger coup backers call for mass mobilisation amid military threat from regional bloc
As Ecowas chiefs prepare to meet to discuss possible action against junta, civic group says ‘we need to be ready’
Supporters of the Nigerien junta are calling for the mass mobilisation of citizens against the threat of military action by a west African regional bloc that is calling for the restoration of the country’s deposed president, Mohamed Bazoum.
With a delayed meeting of military chiefs of staff of the Ecowas bloc scheduled to take place later this week, regional tensions over the July coup against Bazoum appeared to be deepening, despite the junta’s efforts to suggest they were open to talks.
Following the expiry of an Ecowas ultimatum after the coup against Bazoum, led by members of his presidential guard, the group activated a “standby force” to restore democracy in Niger but has yet to deploy it.
Pakistan: Mob attacks churches over alleged blasphemy
A crowd has attacked a Christian district in eastern Pakistan, vandalizing churches and setting fire to scores of houses. The mob accused two members of the community of desecrating the Quran.
A rampaging mob set alight several churches and scores of homes on Wednesday in a predominantly Christian area of the Pakistani city of Faisalabad.
Officials said the attack, in Jaranwala town, was triggered by a group of Muslim religious extremists who accused a local Christian family of desecrating the Quran.
What we know so far
Christian leader Akmal Bhatti said the crowd set fire to at least five churches and looted valuables from abandoned houses after clerics made announcements in mosques to incite them.
Hundreds of people armed with sticks and rocks stormed churches belonging to various denominations.
Provincial police chief Usman Anwar told the online media outlet Dawn that officers cordoned off the area as police tried to negotiate with the crowd. Police also said they were registering cases against those who desecrated the Quran.
Thousands of Haitians flee gang violence in Port-au-Prince district
Crammed into cars, on motorcycles or on foot, thousands of residents on Tuesday fled a gang-ridden district of the Haitian capital, an AFP reporter observed.
“We’re living in an extremely difficult situation,” said Elie Derisca, a resident of the Carrefour-Feuilles district in southern Port-au-Prince.
“I don’t even know where to go. I had to flee my house,” he told AFP.
At least 3,120 people have fled the district, according to an estimate by the Haitian Civil Protection Department and officials say more are likely to follow.
The neighborhood is regularly attacked by a gang led by Renel Destina, known by his alias Ti Lapli, who is wanted by US authorities for kidnapping American citizens.
VOX POPULI: Typhoon No. 7 blows out to sea after ruining Bon holiday
Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a daily column that runs on Page 1 of The Asahi Shimbun.
August 16, 2023 at 13:21 JST
The Kii Mountains are known for their precipitous slopes. But in the village of Totsukawa in Nara Prefecture, at the center of the range, the valley was much deeper in the past.
Back then, a joke went that if you dropped a stone from a winding trail along the mountainside, you could smoke a whole cigarette before you heard it splash into the river way below.
But the terrain was completely transformed in August 1889, when a typhoon caused massive landslides that filled the valleys and washed away homes, creating multiple landslide dams.
“Almost an entire village was washed away, together with its natural features,” wrote author Ryotaro Shiba (1923-1996) in “Kaido wo Yuku,” a multivolume series of essays about his travels in Japan and abroad.
Jakarta is the world’s most polluted city. And Indonesia’s leader may have the cough to prove it
Indonesia’s capital Jakarta is the world’s most polluted city, according to a new study, and the country’s president may have the cough to prove it.
Ministers in the Southeast Asian country confirmed this week that President Joko Widodo had been battling a cough for weeks and suggested it could be related to worsening air pollution in the city of 10 million.
The news came just days after the Swiss company IQAir released data showing that Jakarta’s air quality had deteriorated in recent weeks to become the worst in the world.
Aug 15 2023
Six In The Morning Tuesday 15 August 2023
Three Bulgarians suspected of spying for Russia charged in UK
Trio detained in February after counter-terrorism investigation are accused of working for Moscow’s security services, BBC reports
Three Bulgarian nationals suspected of spying for Russia while living in the UK have been arrested and charged, police have said.
The defendants were among five people detained in February after a long-running counter-terrorism investigation. Three of those were then charged with possession of false identity documents with improper intention, according to the Metropolitan police, which is responsible for espionage cases.
The BBC reported that they are accused of working for Russia’s security services, as part of what appears to be an undercover cell. They reportedly held passports and identity cards from Bulgaria, France, Italy, Spain, Croatia, Slovenia, Greece and the Czech Republic.
Pakistan’s outgoing PM denies vendetta against Imran Khan
Exclusive: Shehbaz Sharif accuses jailed predecessor of ‘shabby treatment’ of political rivals in final interview as leader
Pakistan’s prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, has denied pursuing a personal vendetta against Imran Khan, his political rival and immediate predecessor, who was jailed and barred from politics on corruption charges this month.
Speaking to the Guardian in his last interview before handing over to a caretaker leader, Sharif said “victimisation is not in [his] dictionary” and accused Khan of “shabby treatment of opposition leaders and putting them behind bars” when he was in power from 2018 to April last year.
Sharif, who spent seven months in prison after being jailed in 2020, said there was no “question of any crackdown and personal vendetta”.
Afghanistan: 2 years of Taliban rule ‘worse than feared’
As global interest in the war-torn country diminishes, many Afghans feel abandoned. In the two years since the Taliban retook control they have imposed draconian restrictions on society, especially women and girls.
“To be honest, I feel like I’m living a nightmare. It’s hard to comprehend what we’ve been through in the last two years,” Maryam Marof Arwin, 29, told DW over the phone.
Arwin, who lives in Kabul, founded an NGO called Afghanistan Women and Children Strengthen Welfare Organization, but it was seized by the Taliban two years ago — on August 15, 2021 — as they captured the Afghan capital and ousted the government of then-President Ashraf Ghani.
As US and NATO forces withdrew from the conflict-ravaged country following two decades of war, fighters from the Islamic fundamentalist group made lightning advances, conquering the entire nation in a matter of weeks.
Despite initial promises to respect women’s rights under Sharia, or Islamic law, the Taliban have since imposed draconian restrictions on women and girls. Most of them are barred from participating in public life, educational institutions and the labor market.
‘Fed up with airports’: Long-distance trains take on air travel in Europe
New long-distance train connections are providing an alternative to air travel between European countries, and demand for this environmentally friendly mode of transport is soaring. But there is still plenty of room for improvement on the track
The Paris-Vienna night train has sold 70 percent of all available tickets since it launched in December 2021 – practically a full house for each of its three weekly return runs.
The Nightjet service, run by Austrian national provider OBB, pulls out from Paris’ Gare de l’Est at 7:30pm and arrives in the Austrian capital Vienna at 10am the following morning, with the cheapest tickets starting at just €29.90.
It is one of many new lines that have opened across Europe reconnecting major cities with direct train routes – and more are on the horizon.
Italian provider TrenItalia hopes to launch a direct Paris-Madrid line by the end of 2024, following what it describes as the “incredible” success of its lines connecting Paris, Lyon, Turin and Milan that were launched in 2021.
Like Nigel Farage, British Muslims say they are being ‘de-banked’
Often without providing clear reasons, major high-street banks appear to be disproportionately closing the accounts of British Muslims, members of the minority group and experts say.
Two months ago, the Cordoba Foundation, a British think tank, was organising a forum in central London about political tensions in Tunisia.
But when trying to settle invoices, its efforts to pay for the event failed.
“Multiple attempts to pay the venue provider and suppliers kept declining while payments from donors into our NatWest account kept being rejected,” said Anas Altikriti, head of the group.
“All of a sudden, we realised our business accounts had been shut. There was no notice or explanation whatsoever.”
Poland holds biggest military parade in decades, as its clout in Europe grows
Poland is holding its largest military parade in decades on Tuesday, in a flex of defensive muscle that comes as tensions rise on the border between the NATO nation and key Russian ally Belarus.
Poland’s Defense Ministry said the celebration of Polish Army Day on Tuesday would be marked by a showcase that includes 200 units of Polish and foreign military equipment, 92 aircraft and 2,000 service members.
The parade includes some of the latest technology Poland has in its arsenal, including US-made M1A1 Abrams tanks, South Korean K2 tanks and K9 self-propelled howitzers, HIMARS rocket launchers, Krab self-propelled howitzers, as well as US-made Patriot missile batteries systems, which are part of the Polish “WISŁA” air defense system.
Poland has emerged as one of Europe’s leading military powers in recent years after pouring billions into new equipment following Russia’s decision to annex the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea in 2014. Warsaw’s diplomatic clout has also grown in the wake of the instrumental role it has played in supporting Ukraine since Moscow’s full-scale invasion.
Aug 14 2023
Six In The Morning Monday 14 August 2023
When a ‘fire hurricane’ hit, Maui’s warning sirens never sounded
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Published
Reporting from Maui, Hawaii
Lahaina, once Hawaii’s royal capital, is now a crematorium.
“We pick up remains and they fall apart,” said Maui County police chief John Pelletier on Saturday, four days after a massive wildfire tore downhill through dry brush and grass and engulfed the island’s western edge.
Close to 100 deaths have been confirmed, making the Lahaina wildfires the deadliest in the US in more than a century.
But just 3% of Lahaina’s charred ruins have been searched so far, stoking fears that the death toll will continue its sharp climb.
“None of us really know the size of it yet,” chief Pelletier warned, growing visibly emotional.
Dozens of survivors shared their stories of escape and loss with the BBC, helping to piece together a more complete picture of the tragedy that unfolded on Tuesday, when fires moving at a mile per minute consumed the town.
Niger junta says it will prosecute deposed president for ‘high treason’
Mohamed Bazoum – ousted by military last month – could face death penalty if found guilty
Niger’s military junta has said it will prosecute the deposed president, Mohamed Bazoum, for “high treason” and undermining state security, as concerns were raised about the detention conditions and health of Bazoum and his family.
The statement on Bazoum’s prosecution came hours after the junta indicated to religious mediators that they were open to a diplomatic resolution to the crisis that followed July’s coup. Bazoum could face the death penalty if convicted.
A spokesperson said on state television that the regime had gathered evidence to prosecute the ousted president and his accomplices, apparently referring to messages that Bazoum has communicated with foreign countries during his house arrest.
Iran arrests 8 ‘foreigners’ after fatal shooting at Shiite shrine
Iranian security forces have arrested eight foreign suspects after detaining a gunman in the killing of one person at a Shiite Muslim shrine, authorities said on Monday.
The attack on the Shah Cheragh mausoleum in Shiraz, capital of Fars province in Iran’s south, came less than a year after a mass shooting at the same site later claimed by the Islamic State (IS) group.
“Eight people suspected of links with the terrorist attack… have been arrested,” according to the judiciary’s Mizan Online website, quoting Fars province chief justice Kazem Mousavi.
“All the people arrested are foreigners,” Mousavi said, without elaborating.
The main suspect was arrested on Sunday night shortly after the attack, and Mizan identified him as Rahmatollah Nowruzof from Tajikistan.
Poland detains Russians spreading Wagner Group propaganda
Poland has recently warned of possible provocations coming from the mercenary group currently based in neighbouring Belarus.
Polish Interior Minister Mariusz Kaminski on Monday said police and the country’s Internal Security Agency had detained two people suspected of spying and other charges.
Poland has recently complained of possible provocations from the Wagner Group, currently based in neighboring Belarus.
What do we know about the arrests?
The men were spreading material from the Russian mercenary Wagner Group in Poland’s two largest cities, the minister said.
“The Internal Security Agency identified and detained two Russians who distributed propaganda materials of the Wagner Group in Krakow and Warsaw,” Kaminski wrote on messaging platform X, formerly known as Twitter.
Who is Monu Manesar, Indian vigilante accused of inciting Haryana violence?
A video released by Manesar two days before the deadly communal riots in Nuh is believed to be the trigger, but he is yet to be arrested.
In February this year, two Muslim men were abducted and allegedly burned alive in their car by a group of cow vigilantes in India’s northern state of Haryana.
As the charred skeletons of the two men – Nasir Hussain, 28, and Junaid Khan, 35 – were discovered inside an SUV in the state’s Bhiwani district, the main accused, 28-year-old Mohit Yadav, became a poster boy of cow vigilantism in India and a subject of extensive public scrutiny.
Haryana is governed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which has been accused of patronising Yadav, better known as Monu Manesar, and preventing his arrest in numerous such cases of cow-related attacks and even killings.
Argentinian far-right outsider Javier Milei posts shock win in primary election
Argentina’s voters punished the country’s two main political forces in a primary election on Sunday, pushing a rock-singing libertarian outsider candidate into first place in a huge shake-up in the race towards presidential elections in October.
With some 90% of ballots counted, far-right libertarian economist Javier Milei had 30.5% of the vote, far higher than predicted, with the main conservative opposition bloc behind on 28% and the ruling Peronist coalition in third place on 27%.
The result is a stinging rebuke to the center-left Peronist coalition and the main Together for Change conservative opposition bloc with inflation at 116% and a cost-of-living crisis leaving four in 10 people in poverty.
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