Philippine militants accused of beheading tourists surrender


JIM GOMEZ
Fri, June 17, 2022

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Two long-wanted Abu Sayyaf militant commanders accused of beheading two kidnapped Canadian tourists and a German in the southern Philippines have surrendered to authorities, officials said Friday.

Almujer Yadah and Bensito Quitino gave themselves up to military officials in Jolo town in southern Sulu province and surrendered their assault rifles, Sulu military commander Maj. Gen. Ignatius Patrimonio and other security officials said. The officials did not provide details of how and when the surrenders were arranged.

The two were briefly presented in a news conference in an army camp in Jolo and later turned over to police.

Sulu provincial police chief Col. Jaime Mojica said they will face multiple murder and other criminal charges, including violation of the country’s anti-terrorism law. The militants are accused of beheading the hostages after failing to obtain large ransoms they had demanded.

They also were involved in other ransom kidnappings and bomb attacks, Mojica said.

Canadian tourists Robert Hall and John Ridsdel were abducted by Abu Sayyaf gunmen from a marina on southern Samal island along with a Norwegian and a Filipino in September 2015 and taken to jungle camps in Sulu.

Hall and Ridsdel were beheaded by the militants months later after the deadline for payment of the ransoms passed. Videos released by the militants showed the victims being brutally killed in front of an Islamic State group-style black flag. The Norwegian and Filipino hostages were eventually freed.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said at the time that he was horrified by the killings and affirmed Canada’s refusal to “pay ransoms for hostages to terrorist groups, as doing so would endanger the lives of more Canadians.” He said Canada was working with the Philippine government “to pursue those responsible for these heinous acts and bring them to justice, however long it takes.”

Other key suspects in the kidnappings and killings of Hall and Ridsdel were killed earlier in clashes with Philippine forces.

Mojica said the two militants were also involved in the 2017 beheading in Sulu of German hostage Jurgen Gustav Kantner. Abu Sayyaf gunmen seized Kantner at gunpoint and killed a woman sailing with him off neighboring Malaysia’s Sabah state. Villagers later found a dead woman on a yacht with a German flag off Sulu’s Laparan Island.

The United States and the Philippines have labeled the Abu Sayyaf a terrorist organization for kidnappings, beheadings and bombings. The small but brutal group emerged in the early 1990s as an extremist offshoot of a decades-long Muslim separatist rebellion in the southern Philippines, the homeland of minority Muslims in the largely Roman Catholic nation.

The Abu Sayyaf has been weakened considerably by decades of military offensives, surrenders and infighting, and is currently estimated by the military to have less than 200 armed fighters, but remains a national security threat.

Two students sue shipping giant Maersk, alleging sexual assault and harassment


By Blake Ellis and Melanie Hicken, CNN
Wed June 15, 2022


Shipping giant Maersk is the subject of two new lawsuits, filed by students from the US Merchant Marine Academy who say they were victims of sexual misconduct on one of the company's ships

(CNN)An 18-year-old US Merchant Marine Academy student who was repeatedly harassed and groped by older, male crew members during a training program aboard a commercial ship was so terrified of being sexually assaulted that she slept in a locked bathroom, clutching a knife for protection, a lawsuit filed Wednesday alleges.

Using the moniker Midshipman-Y, the young woman's account represents the latest blow to the federal academy, which has struggled to protect students from sexual abuse both on campus and at sea, and hold offenders accountable. Last year, the academy briefly shut down its mandatory "Sea Year" training program following the published report of another student who said she was raped by a senior crew member at sea in the summer of 2019, when she was 19 years old.

Both students had been placed on the same Maersk ship during their respective Sea Years, two years apart. Now, just days before the end of the school year, they are suing Maersk in separate lawsuits filed this week, alleging the shipping giant did not have safeguards in place to protect them and that it fostered a culture where sexual assault and harassment weren't taken seriously.

"It is common sense that putting a 19-year-old girl on a ship full of older men, where many of the men have unfettered access to her stateroom via master keys, and where the men routinely get heavily intoxicated, could foreseeably lead to a teenaged girl being sexually assaulted," attorneys wrote in one of the lawsuits.

Maersk Line, Limited said in a statement that it is reviewing the lawsuits but does not comment on pending litigation. The company noted, however, that it has "zero tolerance for assault, harassment or any form of discrimination on our vessels or in our company."

"We take all allegations of assault or harassment very seriously, and we remain committed to ensuring that the shipboard environment is safe, supportive and welcoming to all," the company said in the statement.

According to the lawsuit filed by Midshipman-Y, the now 19 year old was assigned to undergo training aboard the Maersk ship, the Alliance Fairfax, last summer. Upon boarding, she alleges she was warned by a fellow female student leaving the vessel about "creepy guys" onboard and to "be careful." The departing student said she should avoid wearing a bathing suit or shorts so as to not attract any attention. But from the moment she stepped on board, Midshipman-Y said she became the subject of sexual comments and jokes from a number of crew members. An electrician and senior crew member also began making unwanted sexual advances, allegedly telling her he wanted to have a sexual relationship with her and repeatedly groping her.

"You're the only girl. We should pull your pants down, lay you on the table, and let everyone slap your ass," he allegedly said to her one day while she was playing a card game with two other cadets. While high ranking officers overheard the exchange, no one confronted the electrician or reported him, the lawsuit alleges. "Not only did the senior officials on the Alliance Fairfax not enforce the anti-[sexual assault and sexual harassment] policies, but they were among the offenders," it states.

Culture of fear at Merchant Marine Academy silences students who say they were sexually harassed and assaulted

As detailed in her lawsuit, Midshipman-Y said she didn't feel safe in her room, since other crew members had master keys that could open any room on the ship. So she slept on the floor of her locked bathroom and held a pocket knife in case the electrician tried to find her. She tried seeking help from the one other female on the ship, but that woman only shared her own stories of harassment. For weeks, she was unable to reach anyone off of the ship because of limited Wi-Fi and an unreliable satellite texting device given to her by the academy, according to the suit.

Around 45 days into the journey, she reached a port where she was finally able to call her mother — who encouraged her to get off the ship. Even though she knew that cutting her time at sea short could mean she wouldn't be able to graduate, the lawsuit states, Midshipman-Y requested an "emergency evacuation" anyway, the lawsuit states.

'It's just going to keep happening'

The second lawsuit came from the student who had published her explosive allegations of being raped at sea under the pseudonym of Midshipman-X. On Tuesday, she identified herself in court records by her real name: Hope Hicks.

Hicks, in an interview with CNN, said that hearing Midshipman-Y's story of harassment on the same ship where she was allegedly assaulted two years earlier shows just how bad the situation is.

Hope Hicks, a student at the US Merchant Marine Academy, wrote an anonymous account under the pseudonym "Midshipman-X" alleging that she was raped at sea. Now she and another student are suing Maersk for negligence.

"That just goes to show even if there is a change of people there isn't a change of culture. Until it changes it's just going to keep happening," Hicks said, adding that she hopes her lawsuit will give other victims the courage to come forward so that Maersk and other shipping companies will be forced to create safe working environments for female crew members, who are significantly outnumbered in the industry.

When Hicks came forward with her rape allegation in a blog post last fall, it sparked the attention of lawmakers and prompted Maersk to suspend and later fire five crew members. The company, however, said it was "unable to make any findings with respect to the rape allegation" because certain employees refused to cooperate with the investigation. The Coast Guard investigated the alleged rape as well and referred the case to the Department of Justice, but prosecutors declined to comment on whether charges would be filed, citing the ongoing investigation. The Maritime Administration, which oversees the academy, temporarily halted Sea Year in November and later rolled out a series of reforms aimed at better protecting students from sexual harassment and assault.

In Hicks' lawsuit, her attorneys allege that the Maersk "took insufficient measures to protect the teenaged cadets under its charge." The only female on the Alliance Fairfax, Hicks alleged she was ordered to log in under the names of other crew members to complete the sexual assault and harassment training that was federally mandated in order to have cadets on board. Hicks said members of the crew often looked on as she was sexually harassed by her supervisor on the ship and did nothing to intervene.

Then one night, her superiors demanded that she leave her room and forced her to take repeated shots of liquor, despite Maersk's "zero tolerance" policy for drugs and alcohol, her lawsuit states. She woke up the next morning to find blood on her sheets and bruises on her body. She said she knew immediately that she had been raped, but she was too scared — both of the retaliation she could face and academic consequences — to report what happened.

"If it's the commanding officers who are assaulting you and harassing you, who are you going to report to?" she told CNN. "Those are the people you are supposed to trust. I did not feel like the school could protect me. I did not feel like the school would believe me. I certainly did not feel like anyone on my ship would believe me."

CNN reported earlier this year how school policies created significant barriers to the reporting and investigation of alleged assaults. The Maritime Administration declined to comment on the lawsuits but previously acknowledged that more needs to be done to remove barriers that prevent students from speaking up.

Power in numbers

Both Hicks and Midshipman-Y were severely traumatized by what happened to them at sea, their lawsuits state.

Shortly after returning to campus, Midshipman-Y says she became extremely sick from her anxiety — ultimately passing out in the dining hall from a panic attack and being transported to the emergency room via ambulance. A good student before her time on the Alliance, according to the complaint, she struggled to focus on her studies and failed three classes before she was sent a notice of disenrollment from the academy, which would require paying back tens of thousands of dollars in tuition or enlisting in the military.

She appealed the academy's decision and was given a "compassionate setback" to the class of 2025 and is currently living at home with her family attempting to heal from the trauma she experienced, her lawsuit states.

Lawmakers push for more reforms to prevent sexual assault at sea

The young woman, who was working to become a fighter pilot in the military, is not sure if she will ever feel emotionally ready to return to campus — or to sea to complete the training hours needed to graduate, her attorneys said.

Hicks, meanwhile, said she suffered from both depression and panic attacks — sometimes succumbing to bouts of uncontrollable tears. She celebrated her 22nd birthday Tuesday and will graduate from the academy this weekend. Her rape, she said, destroyed the interest she had in pursuing a career as a Merchant Marine engineer.

 Instead, she said, she is set to join the Navy after graduation as a commissioned officer.
Hicks said she suffered some pushback from fellow students who figured out she was the anonymous student who had come forward and worried their Sea Year studies would be affected. But, she added, she was overwhelmed by the support she received from many other students on campus and is determined to do everything she can to seek justice for what happened to her and others.

"The system makes it very hard for victims to come forward. I want to make others feel like it is safe to come forward with their own stories," she said. "I am going to keep fighting for this cause until there is actual change. There is power in numbers; the more people who come forward the better."

JUST LIKE THE CULTURAL REVOLUTION
China is encouraging college graduates to work in the countryside

By Laura He, CNN Business
Mon June 13, 2022


Hong Kong (CNN Business)China is urging college graduates to seek jobs in the countryside as youth unemployment in urban areas soars to the highest level in history.

Local governments should attract college graduates to work as village officials, according to a joint statement issued last week by the ministries of education, finance, civil affairs, and human resources and social security.

The government will offer tax incentives and loans to college graduates who start businesses to serve the rural community, the statement added. Similar benefits will be offered to existing small businesses in villages that hire college graduates, including in fields such as housekeeping and elderly care.

Typically, college graduates in China prefer to work for well-paying companies in major cities, and there is a significant income gap between rural and urban areas. But this is not the first time in recent years that the government has urged them to seek employment in the nation's vast but less developed countryside.


Students look for job during a campus job fair in Xining, northwest China's Qinghai Province, March 24, 2022.

In July 2020, when the initial coronavirus outbreak hit the Chinese economy, authorities encouraged college graduates to move to rural areas, rather than clustering in cities and fighting for limited job opportunities.

These appeals have reminded many on Chinese social media of a government initiative in the tumultuous days of the founder of Communist China, Mao Zedong. Known as the "Up to the Mountains and Down to the Countryside Movement," the original policy was launched by Communist leaders in the 1960s, ostensibly to move privileged urban youth to far-flung corners to learn about farming and politics from poverty-stricken peasants. The result: China's "lost generation" who squandered their best years in the countryside.

Chinese college graduates are facing the toughest graduation season as a record 10.76 million are set to finish college in the next two months.

Aerial photo shows a job fair held in Zigui, central China's Hubei Province, Feb. 8, 2022.

The world's second largest economy has slowed significantly in the first half of this year, meaning there are fewer urban jobs available. Small businesses — a major source of jobs — have been hammered by China's sweeping Covid lockdowns.

China's huge tech sector is also staring at a severe jobs crisis. The once-freewheeling industry was long the main source of well-paid employment in China, but major companies have reportedly been downsizing at a scale not seen before to cope with President Xi Jinping's regulatory offensive on private enterprise.

The urban unemployment rate for the 16-24 aged soared to a historic 18.2% in May, according to most recent government statistics. The figure did not factor in new college graduates for this year.
China only surveys employment in urban areas.

College entrance exams 'insanely' difficult

As the employment situation deteriorates, getting into a college is becoming even harder in China.
A record number of 11.93 million students took the country's grueling college entrance examination last week. These students are competing to get in to the country's top universities, often under enormous pressure from their parents and families.

This year, students have taken to social media to complain about how exceptionally difficult the exam was, and related topics have been trending on Weibo since the weekend.

According to social media posts, many students burst into tears while taking the maths test, and some complained that questions in the Chinese literature test were so "insanely" difficult that even authors of those classical books wouldn't be able to understand them.

Responding to the online controversy, the education ministry said in a state media interview that the difficulty of the mathematics exam is to "play the role of selection" and better serve the government's goal of building a quality eduction system.

Agnipath: One dead as trains set on fire across India amid protests against army reforms

Shweta Sharma

Fri, June 17, 2022

A protester died and several others were injured after police in India’s southern Telangana state allegedly opened fire on them as the country continued to witness anger over recent reforms announced in the recruitment process of the Indian armed forces.

Large scale nationwide protests continued to take place across India for the third consecutive day, leading to violence and trains being set on fire after protesters crowded railway stations.

Large crowds have taken over railway stations and blocked roads and highways in major Indian states, including Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Haryana, Rajasthan and national capital Delhi, demanding the government to reinstate the earlier recruitment process.

A train on a railway platform in Uttar Pradesh’s Ballia was set ablaze by a protesting crowd, causing damage to several coaches before police resorted to using force to disperse the crowd.

The situation escalated in Secunderabad when a violent mob ransacked railway platforms, vandalised computers and electronics, destroyed CCTV cameras, lights and set fire to 4-5 train engines and 2-3 coaches.

Smoke billows out from a passenger train coach after it was set on fire by protestors during a protest against the ‘Agnipath’ reforms for recruiting personnel for armed forces in Secunderabad city on 17 June (Reuters)

Police fired at least 10 rounds to control the situation, leaving at least 15 people injured. One of the protesters, identified as Damodar Kumar, succumbed to his injuries, reported the Indian Express.

Eight other injured protesters are receiving treatment at Gandhi Hospital while two remain at the railway hospital.

In the eastern state of Bihar, which is the worst hit by protests, at least two coaches in two different trains were set on fire in the Lakhisarai and Samastipur stations.

A mob outside the house of Bihar’s deputy chief minister Renu Devi attacked her residence and caused damage to property.

“Such type of violence is very dangerous for the society. The protesters should remember that this is a loss for the society,” Ms Devi, who was not at home at the time of the attack, told news channel NDTV.

Section 144, a prohibitory order used often by the government to ban gatherings of more than four people, was imposed in Haryana’s Gurugram, 20km away from the national capital, after a large number of people clashed with police.

On Friday, more than 200 train services were impacted, including 35 trains services cancelled and 13 terminated across the country, according to the Indian railways.

The ongoing demonstrations have forced the government to allow an exemption in the age limit just for this year by increasing the upper limit to 23 years from the existing 21.

A police vehicle burns after it was set on fire by the protestors during a protest against ‘Agnipath’ in Patna city (Reuters)

Protesters, however, said they want the scheme to be rolled back as it would potentially leave them unemployed.

Defence minister Rajnath Singh, who unveiled the scheme on Tuesday, said the one-time waiver on the age relaxation “indicates that the Government cares for our youth”.

Under the new plan, referred to as the “Agnipath” programme, translates literally to “path of fire”.

Around 45,000-50,000 soldiers will be recruited annually among candidates aged between 17.5 years and 23 years.

Of the total annual recruits, only 25 per cent will be allowed to continue for another 15 years under a permanent commission, while others will be let off with skill certificates and bridge courses.

The contentious scheme has been harshly criticised by army veterans and aspirants for deploying a “hire and fire” culture into the armed forces as they say recruits will end up unemployed after a four-year stint.

The programme was announced despite existing anger as recruitments have been stalled for around two years due to the Covid pandemic, causing frustration among millions of aspirants fearing they might exceed the existing age limit.

The new scheme has not only shortened employment tenures to four years from the existing 17 for the lowest ranks, but has also made 75 per cent recruits ineligible for government pension.

Mr Singh claimed the scheme is needed to make the Indian armed forces battle ready and more youthful, by reducing the average age of personnel over time.

“Agnipath… is a truly transformative reform which will enhance the combat potential of the armed forces, with a younger profile and technologically adept soldiers,” he said.

Backlash grows to India’s plan to introduce US-style ‘tours of duty’ for military service

Shweta Sharma

Thu, June 16, 2022

Violent protests broke out in major Indian cities on Thursday, two days after the government announced a major overhaul to the recruitment process in the Indian armed forces.

Hundreds of young aspirants set train coaches on fire, blocked railway tracks and roads, and clashed with security forces as they raised slogans against the new US army-style short-term recruitment plan that they say will leave them unemployed.

The government of India on Tuesday unveiled the “Agnipath” or “Path of Fire” programme, which will induct aspirants for a short-term four-year contract into three services – navy, airforce and army. On completion of this programme, only 25 per cent will be retained and the others will be released.

Touted by defence minister Rajnath Singh as “major defence policy reform” to make the Indian armed forces more “battle-ready” and youthful, the move is aimed at cutting down ballooning pensions and salaries, which has been a long-pending issue for one of the world’s largest forces.

Demanding the rollback of the plan, a huge number of people hit the streets in the state of Bihar, Rajasthan, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh and raised slogans such as “down with the Indian government” and “give us jobs or kill us”.

Police resorted to baton charging and fired teargas to control the angry crowd.

However, several coaches of a train were set fire in Chhapra in Saran district of Bihar as protests intensified.

“The protesters set fire to a train bogie [coach] in one place,” said Sanjay Singh, additional director general of police in the eastern state of Bihar, adding that roads and railway tracks were obstructed in dozens of places.

Around 22 trains of East Central Railway in Bihar were cancelled and 29 others were affected due to demonstrations.

Under the new plan, around 45,000 to 50,000 soldiers will be recruited annually for candidates aged between 17.5 years and 21 years. Of the total annual recruits, only 25 per cent will be allowed to continue for another 15 years under permanent commission, while others will be let off with skill certificates and bridge courses.

The employment duration has been significantly reduced from up to 17 years for the lowest ranks.

Successful candidates will be given Rs 30,000 (£316) each month and other benefits during the four-year period. The short-term servicemen would get Rs 1,171,000 (£12,372) at the end of their contract.

The four-year-stint has effectively made 75 per cent of recruits ineligible for pension, which was one of the main benefits of joining the armed forces for hundreds of thousands of aspirants as it provided social security to those coming from marginalised backgrounds in absence of resources to get degrees for other career options.

The Indian army – one of the world’s biggest with 1.4 million personnel – was one of the main employers in the country. But frustration was already building up as the recruitment process had been frozen for the past two years due to the coronavirus pandemic and aspirants were worried about passing the age limit.

“Where will we go after working for only four years? We will be homeless after four years of service. So we have jammed the roads; the country’s leaders will now get to know that people are aware,” a protestor in Jehanabad, Bihar told Indian news agency ANI.

The new scheme has also triggered a debate among politicians and army veterans, many of whom say that lack of job security can lead to low motivation levels. Additionally, it poses the risk of having thousands of young unemployed youth with arms training in society, potentially causing a law-and-order fallout.

Major General GG Dwivedi in a column in The Indian Express dubbed the Tour of Duty model “tourist soldiering”, and said it is in vogue in the US and the west, where they have “peaceful neighbourhoods with settled borders”.

Protesters blocked roads and highways in Indian state of Bihar (ANI via Reuters)

But the scheme is “flawed and merits a holistic review” as India faces the stark reality of a two-front threat on borders with hostile neighbours Pakistan and China, he said.

Retired Lieutenant General Zameer Uddin Shah said it is a “retrograde step” and “the most detrimental measure inflicted on armed forces”.

“With a year spent on training and six months on pre-release formalities, the soldier will get only 2.5 years to serve, which is inadequate to inculcate regimental ethos, affiliation, and discipline,” the veteran said.

Retired major general GD Bakshi said he was “flabbergasted” by the scheme.

“I thought initially it was a trial being done on a pilot basis. This is an across the board change to convert Indian armed forces to a short tenure quasi-conscript force like the Chinese. For God’s sake, please don’t do it,” he said in a tweet.

“Let’s not destroy our institutions in a time of great threats from China & Pak. Armed forces have performed well. Just for saving money let us not destroy what we have.”

Nupur Sharma protests: The police brutality video that shocked India

Rajini Vaidyanathan and Dilnawaz Pasha - BBC News
Fri, June 17, 2022, 

The BBC has identified some of the men from the video and spoken to their families

A video showing Indian police beating a group of Muslims in custody has been viewed by millions after it was shared by an elected member of the ruling BJP party who praised their brutal actions as a "gift" to the men.

No action has been taken against the officers involved. The families of those who were attacked say their loved ones are innocent and should be freed.

"This is my brother, they are beating him a lot, he's screaming so much."

Zeba breaks down in tears, hands shaking, as she holds her mobile phone to watch a harrowing video of her younger sibling Saif.

"I can't even look at this, he's being hit so badly," she says, as she's comforted by relatives at her home in the north Indian city of Saharanpur.

The distressing footage shows two Indian policemen taking aim at a group of Muslim men in custody, including Zeba's brother.

Zeba (centre) is unable to hold back tears after watching her brother being thrashed by policemen

The officers can be seen thrashing the men with rods which they swing like baseball bats. The sound of the thwack as each blow lands is punctuated by screams.

"It hurts, it hurts…NO!" some of the group yell as they cower in fear, backs against the wall.

As the pounding continues, a man in a green t-shirt folds his hands in prayer. Saif can be seen in a white tunic raising his arms in the air as if to surrender.

Saif, 24, was one of dozens of Muslim men who were rounded up and detained by police last week.

Thousands demonstrated at the town's mosque after Friday prayers, joining nationwide protests over inflammatory remarks about the Prophet Mohammed made by Nupur Sharma, a national spokesperson for the ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The party later suspended her amid an outcry from Muslim nations, and said it opposed insulting any religion.

India home demolitions: 'You broke a family'

Madhya Pradesh: Why an Indian state is demolishing Muslim homes

The protests in Saharanpur were largely peaceful, with crowds marching from the mosque past shops in the city.

As tensions rose, some stores owned by members of India's Hindu majority were attacked, and two businessmen sustained minor injuries. Officers used batons to disperse some of the crowds.

Police documents accuse Saif and 30 others of being involved in rioting, instigating violence, voluntarily causing hurt to deter a public servant and endangering life, among other charges.

The family, which ekes out a modest living selling cardboard, says Saif wasn't even at the protests and is innocent.

Saif, 24, was one of dozens of Muslim men who were rounded up and detained by police

They say he left home at around 5pm local time on Friday, to book a bus ticket for a friend, when he was arrested by officers and taken to Kothwali police station, in Saharanpur.

When Zeba visited him there she said she saw bruises on her brother's body: "He was blue from all the beating, he couldn't even sit."

The video, which clearly shows police brutality, went viral after it was shared by an elected official from the BJP, Shalabh Tripathi, who posted it with the caption, "a return gift for the rebels".

Mr Tripathi is a former media adviser to one of India's most powerful politicians, Yogi Adityanath, the chief minister of the state of Uttar Pradesh, where this incident happened.

There has been no condemnation of the footage from party officials, or anyone in the BJP government.

Human rights groups say there's been a growing climate of intolerance in India since the BJP swept to power in 2014, with a rise in hate speech and attacks targeting the country's Muslim minority.

The BBC has gathered testimony from half a dozen Muslim families who say their relatives were beaten in police custody at Kothwali police station in Saharanpur, after they were detained on Friday.

The relatives have also identified them in videos, which show police using violence. In other footage the men can be seen being led into a van before being taken to another location - in these images the sign for the Kothwali police station is clearly identifiable.

A screenshot of a video shows Saif (in white) in front of the police station in Saharanpur

The police report also cites the station. Despite this, earlier in the week local police denied the incident had happened there.

"No such incidents have happened in Saharanpur, there are two to three videos circulating on social media. If you watch one video on slow motion - you will see the name of some other district in the video," Akash Tomar, a senior police officer, told the BBC.

Mr Tomar has since said he is working to verify the authenticity of the video, and will take action if required.

Other relatives of men seen in the video say their loved ones were detained as they went to visit the station for more information.

Fahmida's son Subhan, who's 19, went to find out what had happened to his friend Asif who'd been arrested, when he was also taken in and beaten.

Dressed in pale yellow, Subhan can be seen dropping to the ground as a policeman strikes a baton in his direction. The family say Subhan didn't even go to the main mosque on Friday, let alone take part in the protests there.

"My son was beaten mercilessly," Fahmida cried.

Officials say they've arrested 84 people they accuse of violence in Friday's protests.

Beaten and humiliated by Hindu mobs for being a Muslim in India

Superintendent Kumar told the BBC that only criminals were arrested. "When we arrest someone we first show their footage of participating in a violent protest and then only we make arrests," he said, his statement at odds with accounts we've heard from families of some of the arrested.

Across town from the police station, the force of the law has been displayed in other ways - bulldozers have destroyed parts of the homes of two Muslim men officials accuse of instigating violence.

The Kothwali area police station where the arrested men were brought

Millions of Indians live in makeshift homes without proper planning permissions, but using this as a means of punishment has become a more common tactic deployed by the BJP.

The orders to demolish illegally constructed properties belonging to those accused in recent protests have been endorsed at the highest level.

Uttar Pradesh's Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath tweeted that bulldozer action would continue against alleged lawbreakers.

And, in a tacit reference to Muslims who worship on Fridays, his media adviser Mrityunjay Kumar tweeted a photo of a bulldozer with the caption "After Friday, there is a Saturday."

Last Saturday afternoon, a digger arrived at Muskaan's house and started to demolish the front gate.


Police showed up at the rented property with a photo of her brother asking if he lived there. The 17-year-old had been taken into custody the day before.

"My father confirmed that that was his son, and asked if something had happened," Muskaan said. "They didn't reply, they just suddenly started using the bulldozer."

Officials accuse the teenager of encouraging violence on Friday. An official showed the BBC a video they say shows him instigating the crowd.

In it he can be seen making a speech to those gathered: "The Muslims of this country are sleeping. History is a witness to the fact that whenever a Muslim has risen, he has risen with wrath," he says.

Muskaan denies all the allegations against her brother: "He is not the one to cause destruction, he is not this kind of a boy to break things… All of this is a lie."

Officials told the BBC that the families of those arrested were given notice that their homes were illegally constructed without proper approvals.

"When we investigated we found that his family is living in an unauthorised house of a relative," Rajesh Kumar, a senior police official, told the BBC, justifying their actions.

"The municipal team visited the homes under tight police security and action was taken," Mr Kumar told the BBC, as he warned the homes of more people who've been arrested could be bulldozed.

"The bulldozer will roll if anything illegal comes against those who are arrested and sent to jail," he added.

The partly demolished house of Muskaan and her 17-year-old brother

The bulldozer action was all done according to the law and "as per procedure…nothing is done against the law", Navneet Sehgal, an adviser to Mr Adityanath, told the BBC.

A group of India's top legal experts, including former judges and pre-eminent lawyers, have petitioned the country's Supreme Court over these latest instances of police beatings and the unwarranted use of bulldozers.

Their letter accuses Mr Aditynath of emboldening the police to "brutally and unlawfully torture protesters", and says these latest actions are "shaking the conscience of the nation".

"Such a brutal clampdown by a ruling administration is an unacceptable subversion of the rule of law and a violation of the rights of citizens, and makes a mockery of the Constitution and fundamental rights guaranteed by the state."

Rights group Amnesty international has also accused India's government of suppressing any form of dissent: "The government of India is selectively and viciously cracking down on Muslims who dare to speak up and peacefully express their dissent against the discrimination faced by them.

Munni Begun is worried for her son and husband who she says were beaten by police

"Cracking down on protesters with excessive use of force, arbitrary detention and punitive house demolitions by Indian authorities is in complete violation of India's commitments under international human rights law and standards," Aakar Patel, chair of Amnesty International India Board, wrote in a statement.

Back in Saharanpur, Munni Begum is also in distress, as she waits on news of her son and husband, who she says were also beaten by police.

She's unsure when they'll return, and whether they'll even have a home to come back to.

"My innocent son and husband are in jail, I am alone with my daughters in this newly-built home.

"I fear what will happen to us if they bulldoze it. I can't sleep at night."

California bill would make gunowners buy liability insurance

California would be the first state to require gun owners to buy liability insurance 


San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo stops to view a makeshift memorial for the rail yard shooting victims in front of City Hall in San Jose, Calif., on May 27, 2021. State Sen. Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley, introduced legislation, Thursday, June 16, 2022, that would require gun owners to carry liability insurance for negligent or accidental use of the firearms. Skinner said that she wants to follow the example of the Silicon Valley city of San Jose, which this year became the first U.S. city with such a requirement.

(AP Photo/Haven Daley, File)

DON THOMPSON
Thu, June 16, 2022, 

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California would be the first state to require gun owners to buy liability insurance to cover the negligent or accidental use of their firearms, if lawmakers approve a measure announced Thursday.

“Guns kill more people than cars. Yet gun owners are not required to carry liability insurance like car owners must,” Democratic state Sen. Nancy Skinner said in a statement.

She said the costs of gun violence shouldn't be borne by taxpayers, survivors, families, employers and communities: "It’s time for gun owners to shoulder their fair share.”

The state of New York is considering a similar requirement in the wake of numerous recent mass shootings and a rise in gun violence.

In January, the Silicon Valley city of San Jose approved what’s believed to be the first such insurance requirement in the United States.

No insurance company will cover the misuse of a firearm, predicted Sam Paredes, executive director of Gun Owners of California.

He said such requirements are an illegal infringement on gun owners' constitutional rights.

“We don’t believe you can put precursors on the exercising of a constitutional right," Paredes said. "By requiring somebody to get insurance in order to exercise their right to keep and bear arms, that ceases to make it a right.”

Skinner is amending an existing bill on another topic to allow gun owners to be held civilly liable if their firearms are used to cause property damage, injury or death.

The bill would also require gun owners to have insurance that covers loses or damages from the negligent or accidental use of their firearm. And they would have to keep proof of insurance with their firearm and show it to police if they are stopped for some reason.

Paredes had similar objections to a second bill that also would affect gun owners' costs, this one by imposing an excise tax on firearms and ammunition.

The bill would impose an excise tax equal to 10% of the sales price of a handgun and 11% of the sales price of a long gun, ammunition or parts to build firearms.

Democratic Assemblyman Marc Levine estimated his bill would bring in more than $118 million annually that would go toward gun violence prevention programs.

Because it would impose a tax, Levine's bill would require approval by two-thirds majorities in the Legislature. His similar measure last year fell four votes short of the 54 it needed in the 80-member Assembly.

The bills are among numerous firearms measures being considered by California lawmakers this year, including one that would make it easier to sue gun-makers and another that would allow private citizens to sue those who traffic in illegal weapons.

You think $5 gas is bad?

Check out the most expensive gas prices in these European countries

Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto — Getty ImagesChris Morris

Fri, June 17, 2022,

Gas prices are an ongoing source of concern, frustration, and debate in the U.S., after topping $5 per gallon for the first time in the past week. But it’s hardly the only country facing a fuel crisis.

AAA reports the national average of a gallon of regular unleaded stands at $5 as of Friday morning, a slight decrease from earlier in the week as demand at the pump has started to wane. In California, residents are paying an average of $6.42.

But for people in Hong Kong, $5 or $6 per gallon would be a tremendous relief.

The price per gallon in U.S. dollars in that country currently stands at $11.35, according to globalpetrolprices.com, which tracks average prices around the world. Hong Kong holds the dubious honor of having the world’s most expensive gas at the moment.

The fact that consumers in other countries are paying even more doesn’t erase the financial pain Americans feel as they attempt to balance their budgets, of course. But it can help put things in perspective and show that the situation could certainly be worse. Here’s how prices stand, as of June 13. (All prices are in U.S. dollars for a gallon of gas.)

Hong Kong: $11.35
Norway: $10.22
Denmark: $10.04
Finland: $10.08
Greece: $9.49
Netherlands: $9.33
United Kingdom: $8.39
Spain: $8.35
France: $8.27
Italy: $8.01
Israel: $7.94
Germany: $7.65

Curious who else is in the $5 range? Australia, Chile, India, and Fiji are all in roughly the same place as the U.S. when it comes to gas prices.

Of course, some countries have it better—a lot better. You might think Saudi Arabia has the cheapest gas, but it stands at $2.35 per gallon there, well above other countries in the region. Here’s who has the cheapest gas on the planet.

Venezuela - $0.08
Libya: $0.12
Iran: $0.20
Syria: $1.08
Algeria: $1.19
Kuwait: $1.29

IN EDMONTON A GALLON IS $7 

WE PAY BY THE LITRE (A QUART) $1.85

AND WE HAVE REFINERIES HERE

Pilot Crunch Hits Cathay Pacific As Pilots Resign In Large Numbers

Vandana Singh

Fri, June 17, 2022, 

• Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd (OTC: CPCAY) is facing a continuously high rate of pilot resignations.

• Bloomberg reported that the airline says it may improve allowances and benefits to lure the crew who took deep pay cuts to the carrier during the COVID-19 crisis.

• "We still have resignation rates at much higher levels than we've historically had," Chief Operations and Service Delivery Officer Greg Hughes said at a town hall meeting for Cathay staff watched online by Bloomberg News.

• "It would also be an incorrect statement for me to make that COS18 is not one of the reasons."

• COS18 referred to contracts introduced in 2018 for new employees and expanded to all existing crew in October 2020, cutting pilots' pay by about 40% and reducing housing and retirement benefits.

• Cathay's workforce was reduced to almost 40% during the pandemic.

• In November, there was an increase in resignations after about 150 Cathay staff and their families were sent to a government-run COVID isolation camp when three crew members became infected while overseas.

• As per the Bloomberg report, Cathay plans to hire 4,000 people by the end of next year, including 700 pilots, Tang said.

• The airline plans to recruit and train 800 new junior pilots by 2025.

• Airlines globally are seeing staffing crunches, with travel catching up as the pandemic restrictions are lifted in most places.

• Photo via Wikimedia Commons

Thailand is fighting to save a lone tree on a small, uninhabited island from overtourism



Rebecca Moon
Thu, June 16, 2022

Officials are fighting to save a lone tree on an uninhabited island in Thailand that has been severely damaged by a surge of tourists climbing the tree for selfies.

Located on the Koh Khai Hua Roh islet in Trat province, Thailand, the taban tree (Xylocarpus rumphii) was discovered to have been severely damaged upon inspection on Tuesday. Local authorities reported that several branches had broken off the tree and a large root showed signs of having been repeatedly trampled on.

The director of maintenance at the Koh Mak Tambon Administrative Organization, Lertrob Saithongpu, explained that the tree trunk bent much more than before the location became a popular tourist attraction, reported The Nation.

After a tourist’s Facebook post compared the tree to an island in a popular Thai comic book called “Khai Hua Roh,” the tree began suffering from overtourism despite the location’s limit of five visitors at a time.

Local administrations are now working to protect the tree by implementing a restricted number of visitors to the island as well as limiting entry to certain seasons of the year. A conservation campaign will also be launched to raise awareness among tourists.

Featured Image via Tourism Authority of Thailand

VW U.S. chief warns of industry challenges with EV battery shift


FILE PHOTO: Volkswagen's ID Buzz is pictured in a production line in Hanover

Thu, June 16, 2022, 
By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Volkswagen AG's top U.S. executive said on Thursday the United States faces major challenges in ramping up battery production to facilitate a shift to electric vehicles including attracting skilled workers, mining for key metals and supply chain issues.

Scott Keogh, chief executive of Volkswagen Group of America, told an Automotive News forum in Washington that the move to EVs is the single biggest "industrial transformation in America."

Automakers and battery companies are committing tens of billions of dollars to building new battery plants and EV assembly plants throughout North America as they scale up electric vehicle production. This move, focusing on vehicles powered by advanced new batteries rather than gasoline, requires the United States to overcome a series of challenges, Keogh said.


These challenges include attracting enough skilled workers, dramatically boosting and facilitating U.S. mining for critical minerals to produce the lithium batteries for EVs, supply chain issues and more broadly addressing healthcare, education and infrastructure, Keogh said.

Keogh told Reuters on the sidelines of the forum that potentially hundreds of thousands of people could be employed by 2030 in U.S. battery industry production.

"It comes down to labor, it comes down to the infrastructure, it comes down to the investment," Keogh said.

President Joe Biden has set a goal of 50% of new-vehicle sales being electric or plug-in electric by 2030, but has not endorsed phasing out gasoline-powered vehicle sales by any specific date.

Keogh estimated that the United States is making 150,000-200,000 batteries a year and that seven years from now "we need to be making 8.5 million batteries" annually.

"This is a scale of investment that honestly is going to make the industrial revolution look like a cake walk. It's massive," Keogh said.

Keogh also said the United States needs to do more to boost manufacturing capacity. The U.S. manufacturing sector has fallen from than 17 million jobs in 2000 to 12.8 million today, which has rebounded to about pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels.

"We need to build a collective ecosystem turning America into a manufacturing society again. I think America has become a service economy," Keogh said. "The challenge of getting somebody who's been working at a Starbucks taking 20-minute breaks, smoking a cigarette out back and is now jumping into a factory ... is a whole new world."

Keogh said long shifts for factory workers are much different.

"This is brutal, difficult, challenging work," Keogh said.