US judge sides with migrants in case against Border Patrol


PHOENIX (AP) — A U.S. judge in Arizona sided Wednesday with migrants who have long-complained about inhumane and unsanitary conditions in some U.S. Border Patrol facilities in the state.

The ruling came weeks after the conclusion of a seven-day trial in which attorneys for migrants who sued in 2015 argued that the agency holds immigrants in extremely cold, overcrowded, unsanitary and inhumane conditions.

The order makes permanent a preliminary injunction that U.S. District Court Judge David C. Bury issued in 2016 requiring the Tucson Sector to provide clean mats and thin blankets to migrants held for longer than 12 hours and to allow them to clean themselves.


It also bars the agency from holding migrants more than 48 hours if they’ve been fully processed, which is common when other agencies involved in taking the migrants, such as Immigration and Customs Enforcement, don’t have the capacity to pick them up in a reasonable amount of time.

Bury is also banning the use of bathrooms for sleeping, which came to light during the trial this year, when video was shown of a man trying to reach a bathroom but failing to because migrants were sleeping in them.

“Today’s decision is a tremendous victory for communities everywhere fighting courageously to uphold human dignity and the rights enshrined in our Constitution,” Alvaro M. Huerta, staff attorney at the National Immigration Law Center, said in a statement.

The center was one of the advocacy groups that brought the case forward. The other plaintiffs were the American Immigration Council, the American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona and the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area.

Their case was argued in court by attorneys for the law firm Morrison & Foerster.

“We are enthused that our justice system has intervened in a meaningful way to institute much needed change and hold CBP accountable,” Huerta said.

Customs and Border Protection didn’t respond to a request for comment.

Although the lawsuit predates last year’s surge in immigrant arrivals, it illustrates some of the challenges posed when migrants are detained, especially if they are children.

In his order Wednesday, Bury wrote that the Border Patrol and its parent agencies, or the defendants in the case, “administer a detention system that deprives detainees, who are held in CBP stations, Tucson Sector, longer than 48 hours, of conditions of confinement that meet basic human needs.”

Bury has been critical of the agency, saying it has done little to remedy issues, especially around overcrowding and migrants’ inability to sleep.

“Nobody has done anything. Is that why a court has to jump in?” Bury asked during the last day of trial on Jan. 22. “It just seems like the lack of a response to these numbers just calls for a court order.”

Government attorneys said in their closing arguments last monththat plaintiffs didn’t prove the agency violated any constitutional rights. It says many things are out of the agency’s control, such as whether other agencies involved in taking migrants have capacity.

Its facilities were built of short-term stays, for adults. Holding cells are in odd shapes, reducing the number of sleeping mats that can comfortably fit on the ground. On nights when agents arrest large groups of people, or when other agencies involved in immigration don’t have the capacity to pick them up, cells become extremely overcrowded.

A video displayed on the opening day of the trial showed a man walking over body after body as he tried to make his way to the bathroom. Once there, he realized all stalls had people sleeping in them.

Migrants have long decried conditions in Border Patrol facilities, now infamously known as hieleras, or iceboxes. And although the Tucson Sector hasn’t experienced the massive number of immigrants that other parts of the Southwest border has, the number of hours that migrants spend in custody there has continued to grow.

About 12,000 people were in custody for more than 72 hours in the Tucson Sector last year, or about 20%. The average time in custody was nearly 54 hours.

1 of 2

FILE - This September, 2015, file image made from U.S. Border Patrol surveillance video shows a child crawling on the concrete floor near the bathroom area of a holding cell, and a woman and children wrapped in Mylar sheets at a U.S. Customs and Border Protection station in Douglas, Ariz. A U.S. judge in Arizona has issued a permanent order requiring the Border Patrol to provide clean mats and thin blankets to migrants within 12 hours of arriving at a facility. The order issued on Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2020, applies to eight Border Patrol stations in Arizona following a lawsuit that claims the agency holds migrants in overcrowded, unsafe and inhumane conditions. (U.S. Border Patrol via AP, File)

2 of 2

FILE - In this Aug. 9, 2012, file photo, suspected illegal immigrants are transferred out of the holding area after being processed at the Tucson Sector of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection headquarters in Tucson, Ariz. A U.S. judge in Arizona has issued a permanent order requiring the Border Patrol to provide clean mats and thin blankets to migrants within 12 hours of arriving at a facility. The order issued on Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2020, applies to eight Border Patrol stations in Arizona following a lawsuit that claims the agency holds migrants in overcrowded, unsafe and inhumane conditions. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File)

Trump ousts top defense official who certified Ukraine aid
By LOLITA C. BALDOR February 19, 2020

1 of 3
FILE - In this Feb. 2, 2018, file photo, Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, John Rood, speaks during a news conference on the 2018 Nuclear Posture Review, at the Pentagon. John Rood, the Pentagon's top policy official who had certified last year that the Defense Department had seen enough anti-corruption progress in Ukraine to justify releasing congressionally authorized aid, has resigned at President Donald Trump's request. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has ousted the Pentagon’s top policy official who had certified last year that Ukraine had made enough anti-corruption progress to justify the Trump administration’s release of congressionally authorized aid to Kyiv in its conflict against Russian-backed separatists.

John Rood resigned Wednesday, saying he was leaving at Trump’s request.

The Trump administration’s delay in releasing the aid to Ukraine was central to the president’s impeachment by the House on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. The Senate voted to acquit the president. But in the wake of the Senate trial, an emboldened Trump has gone after officials he has perceived as being disloyal.


Rood is the latest official to be purged. His forced resignation comes as Democrats on the Hill express concerns that Trump is on a vendetta in the wake of his acquittal. Just days after the Senate vote, the White House reassigned an Army officer, Lt. Col. Alex Vindman, a key witness in the impeachment inquiry, from the National Security Council, and pushed his twin brother, an NSC lawyer, out with him. Gordon Sondland, Trump’s ambassador to the European Union who also was a key witness before House investigators, was recalled from his post.

Trump tweeted Wednesday that he wanted to “thank John Rood for his service to our Country, and wish him well in his future endeavors!”

Rood, in his letter to Trump, did not mention Ukraine. ``It’s my understanding from Secretary (Mark) Esper that you requested my resignation,” Rood said. Rood said he will step down as of Feb. 28.

Rood wrote in a May 23 letter to Congress that the Pentagon had made a thorough assessment of Ukraine’s anti-corruption actions and other reforms. And he said that, “I have certified that the government of Ukraine has taken substantial actions to make defense institutional reforms for the purpose of decreasing corruption” and making other improvements.”

Rood wrote that his certification, legally required before the aid could be released, was based on insights gained in “persistent U.S. engagement” with Ukraine, including meetings between the U.S. defense secretary and his Ukrainian counterpart.

Asked about Rood’s resignation, chief Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman declined to speculate on the reason for Trump’s decision.

“The president has the opportunity and the ability to have the team that he wants to have in policy positions,” Hoffman said at news conference. He said Rood’s resignation letter spoke for itself.

Rood last year told reporters that, “In the weeks after signing the certification I did become aware that the aid had been held. I never received a very clear explanation other than there were concerns about corruption in Ukraine.” He also spoke in favor of releasing the aid, suggesting that withholding it would hurt America’s defense priorities.

Pentagon press secretary Alyssa Farah said James Anderson, who is currently serving as the deputy for policy, will take over the job until a permanent replacement is appointed by the President and confirmed.

Esper said Rood played “a critical role″ on issues such as nuclear deterrence, NATO, missile defense and the National Defense Strategy.

Rood has served as undersecretary for policy since January 2018, but also had worked in various government agencies including the State Department, the CIA and the NSC for more than 20 years. He held senior policy jobs mainly during Republican administrations and also served as a senior policy adviser to Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz.

Rood also was a senior vice president at Lockheed Martin International.

Butchers call out ‘appalling’ conditions at Benin’s main slaughterhouse
People across Benin have been shocked and horrified by photos of the largest slaughterhouse in Cotonou that were posted online in early February, including images showing butchers using dirty water to wash the animals before slaughter. Our Observers spoke out about the high level of dysfunction that has led to such unsanitary conditions at the facility.

The shocking photos of the Cotonou slaughterhouse show pigs being washed with filthy water and rotting animal intestines and excrement near a water tank. The images were first posted on Facebook on February 2 by the France-based NGO Bénin Diaspora Assistance.

"It’s a serious public health problem”

The France 24 Observers team spoke with Médard Koudébi, the president of the NGO, which is based in France. Koudébi explained how the NGO received complaints from butchers and sent collaborators on the ground to go and investigate the slaughterhouse.
The butchers who work in the Cotonou slaughterhouse are forced to work in extremely unsanitary conditions.

The butchers use water from a borehole that isn’t drinkable. The dirty water that they’ve used then flows into the yard because all of the drains are blocked. This polluted water then seeps into the ground and is again extracted when the butchers draw water from the borehole to wash the meat.

For a period lasting several months, the slaughterhouse didn’t even have any electricity.They hadn’t paid their bills so the national energy company came and cut off the power. That meant that the cold room used to conserve meat wasn’t working.

This is a serious public health problem. It was the butchers who work at the slaughterhouse who sounded the alarm, which meant we could then investigate the high level of dysfunction at the facility and denounce it.

“The smells are disgusting and suffocating”

Huge amounts of pork and beef are processed every day at the slaughterhouse, which is located in Akpakpa, the largest neighbourhood in Cotonou. That meat is then sold at the main markets in the city. The slaughterhouse is a public entity and is funded by fees paid by the butchers who go there to slaughter their animals.

Our team interviewed one of the butchers who uses the facility. He requested to remain anonymous but spoke out about the poor management.

There are serious problems with hygiene in the slaughterhouse. We became ill from all of the nauseating and overpowering smells. Since late November, there hasn’t been water or electricity at the facility so we have to use water from a borehole, which isn’t drinkable.

Our meat went bad because management kept shutting down the cold room that is meant to preserve it. They said that they wanted to save money. They once shut it between 9am and 4am the next morning. We lost a lot. It’s terrible management because we pay at least 13,000 CFA francs [20 euros] for each cow that we slaughter there and 500 CFA francs CFA [75 euro cents] for each sheep.

Government claims that the facility respects sanitation norms

In response to the photos, Yao Akpo, the director of livestock farming at the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fishing, published a statement on the government’s website on February 11 claiming that the facility was respecting sanitation norms. He also told consumers that they could keep buying and eating meat without fear.

The statement also highlighted the fact that there are two slaughterhouses located on the site in question. The newer establishment opened its doors in 2018.
The new slaughterhouse has the equipment necessary to manage the polluted water that is a concern to the population. The water treatment plant on site also treats polluted water before it flows into public pipes.

Another system was put in place to carry both solid waste and polluted water from the old slaughterhouse to the water treatment plant in the new slaughterhouse before it flows into public pipes. The slaughterhouse has a dirty section and a clean section. The images that circulated online were taken in the dirty section.
However, our Observers say that quite a few butchers still have to use the “dirty” part of the facility. They told our team that the newly renovated part of the slaughterhouse is only used for slaughtering cows.

The evening before the statement was released, the director of the slaughterhouse, Mohamed Sossouhounto, was fired. In an article published on the website Banouto, he confirmed that they had decided to cut power between midday and 4am to cut costs.

Article written by Hermann Boko.

Margaret Atwood: ‘The people who suppress women also pretend there is no climate crisis’
 

ENCORE! © FRANCE 24 By:Janira GOMEZ

Multi award-winning Canadian author Margaret Atwood is often cited as one of the most powerful and prophetic voices writing today. She’s the creator of contemporary literature's most chilling dystopia: Gilead in "The Handmaid's Tale". The feminist icon won last year’s Booker Prize for "The Testaments", alongside Bernardine Evaristo's "Girl, Woman, Other". Atwood sat down with FRANCE 24's Janira Gomez at the Hay Festival Cartagena in Colombia.

CREAK
Vatican archives of 'Hitler's Pope' Pius XII to open, sparking intense interest from historians

PHOTO: Pope Pius XII appears during his inspection tour of Rome,

 Italy, after the August 1942 American air raid during World War II. (AP)

More than 150 historians and researchers have signed up to access the Vatican archives of Pope Pius XII, which are poised to be unsealed, potentially uncovering new details about his record during the Holocaust.

Key points:
The Vatican has welcomed researchers from across the globe to access the archive

Some have accused Pius of not doing enough to stop the atrocities of Nazi Germany

Jewish groups have welcomed the opening, saying it will strengthen interfaith relations


Cardinal Jose Tolentino Calaca de Mendonca, the Vatican's chief librarian, told reporters that all researchers — regardless of nationality, faith and ideology — were welcome to request permission to use the Vatican's Apostolic Library, which will open the archive on March 2.

"The church has no reason to fear history," he told reporters.

Some Jewish groups and historians have said Pius, who was Pope from 1939-1958, stayed silent during the Holocaust and did not do enough to save lives.

His defenders at the Vatican and beyond say he used quiet diplomacy and encouraged convents and other religious institutes to hide Jews.

The World War II-era Pope has inspired several books, including John Cornell's 1999 bestseller Hitler's Pope.

PHOTO: The Vatican has welcomed researchers of all faiths to investigate Pope Pius XII's archives. (AP)

Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI, a great defender of Pius, accelerated the process to open the archives ahead of schedule so that researchers could have their say.

One of the historians who plans to be here for opening day is David Kertzer of Brown University, author of several books about Pius' predecessors and their relations with Jews.

One about Pius XI, "The Pope and Mussolini," won the Pulitzer Prize for biography in 2015.

In an email, Mr Kertzer said the imminent opening of the Pius XII archives, and the light it will shed on the role played by the Pope during the war, had "generated tremendous excitement in the scholarly world, and beyond".

"Much of historical importance will also become clearer for the postwar years, when the Pope, among other challenges, worried that the Communist Party would come to power in Italy and played a crucial behind-the-scenes role in blocking it," he said.

Officials warned that the process of studying the millions of pages of documents from six different archives will be measured in years, not days, weeks or months, and will require patience.

"It is unthinkable for a researcher to come to the archives and either look for an easy scoop in a short time or write a book in just one year," stressed Monsignor Sergio Pagano, the prefect of the archive. "We will need several years."

The documentation includes the archives from the Pius secretariat of state — the main organ of church governance, which includes the Vatican's foreign relations with other countries — as well as those of the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, or CDF, and the Vatican office responsible for mission territories.

The CDF documents, for example, include case files of priests disciplined for pro-Nazi political activity, said Monsignor Alejandro Cifres Gimenez, archivist at the doctrine office.

The mission archives, meanwhile, shed light on the ordinary life of the church outside the main centres of Catholicism in Europe and North America, such as the effects of the war in Japan, said the archivist for the mission office, Monsignor Luis Manuel Cuna Ramos.

In addition, one document he recalled was the first letter Mother Teresa wrote to Pius on March 1, 1950, asking for his approval of her new religious order in India, he said.

Jewish groups and historians have argued for years that the Vatican had no business moving forward with Pius' beatification cause until the Vatican's full wartime archives were opened. They have also asked that any beatification be put off until the generation of Holocaust survivors have died.
 

PHOTO: Pope Francis announced the archive would be ready on March 2. (AP: Andrew Medichini)

The American Jewish Committee, which voiced such appeals, welcomed the opening.

"We trust that the independent scholarly review of these archival materials will provide greater clarity as to what positions and steps were taken during this period by the Holy See, and help resolve the persistent debates and controversy in this regard", said Rabbi David Rosen, in charge of the group's interreligious affairs.

He said the "necessary transparency" would also enhance already strong Catholic-Jewish relations.

Benedict moved Pius one step closer to possible sainthood in December 2009, when he confirmed that Pius lived a life of "heroic" Christian virtue. All that is needed now is for the Vatican to determine a "miracle" occurred.

Pope Francis said in 2014 that the miracle had not been identified, suggesting that the process would remain on hold, at least for now.
‘Church has no reason to fear history’: Vatican to open wartime archives of Pius XI
Issued on: 20/02/2020

Mist covers the dome of St. Peter's Basilica (rear) in the Vatican on February 19, 2020. The Vatican archives of Pope Pius XII will open on March 2. © Filippo Monteforte, AFP
Text by:NEWS WIRES

More than 150 historians and researchers have signed up to access the soon-to-open Vatican archives of Pope Pius XII, evidence of the intense scholarly interest into the World War II-era pope and his record during the Holocaust, officials said Thursday.
ADVERTISING


Cardinal José Tolentino Calaça de Mendonça, the Vatican’s chief librarian, told reporters that all researchers — regardless of nationality, faith and ideology — were welcome to request permission to use the Vatican’s Apostolic Library, which will open the archive on March 2.

“The church has no reason to fear history,” he told reporters.

Some Jewish groups and historians have said Pius, who was pope from 1939-1958, stayed silent during the Holocaust and didn’t do enough to save lives. His defenders at the Vatican and beyond say he used quiet diplomacy and encouraged convents and other religious institutes to hide Jews.

Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI, a great defender of Pius, accelerated the process to open the archives ahead of schedule so that researchers could have their say. Pope Francis announced the archive would be ready March 2.

‘Tremendous excitement’

One of the historians who plans to be here for the opening is David Kertzer of Brown University, author of several books about Pius' predecessors and their relations with Jews. One about Pius XI, “The Pope and Mussolini,” won the Pulitzer Prize for biography in 2015.

In an email, Kertzer said the imminent opening of the Pius XII archives, and the light it will shed on the role played by the pope during the war, had “generated tremendous excitement in the scholarly world, and beyond.”

“Much of historical importance will also become clearer for the postwar years, when the pope, among other challenges, worried that the Communist Party would come to power in Italy and played a crucial behind-the-scenes role in blocking it,” he said.

Calaça de Mendonça warned that the process of studying the millions of pages of documents from six different archives will be measured in years, not days, weeks or months, and will require patience.

No “scoops” are expected in the near term, stressed Monsignor Sergio Pagano, the prefect of the archive.

The documentation includes the archives from the Pius secretariat of state — the main organ of church governance, which includes the Vatican’s foreign relations with other countries — as well as those of the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and the Vatican office responsible for mission territories.

Jewish organisation welcomes opening

Jewish groups and historians have argued for years that the Vatican had no business moving forward with Pius' beatification cause until the Vatican's full archives were opened. They have also asked that any beatification be put off until the generation of Holocaust survivors have died.

The American Jewish Committee, which has expressed such appeals, welcomed the opening.

“We trust that the independent scholarly review of these archival materials will provide greater clarity as to what positions and steps were taken during this period by the Holy See, and help resolve the persistent debates and controversy in this regard”, said Rabbi David Rosen, in charge of the group's interreligious affairs.

He said the “necessary transparency” would also enhance already strong Catholic-Jewish relations.

Benedict moved Pius one step closer to possible sainthood in December 2009, when he confirmed that Pius lived a life of "heroic" Christian virtue. All that is needed now is for the Vatican to determine a "miracle" occurred.

Pope Francis said in 2014 that the miracle hadn’t been identified, suggesting that the process would remain on hold, at least for now.

(AP)

RELATED STORY: Pope Francis upholds celibacy by refusing to allow married men to become priests

RELATED STORY: 'A palace for the poor': Vatican palace turned into homeless shelter on Pope Francis' orders

RELATED STORY: Brazil minister fired for paraphrasing Nazi propaganda chief Goebbels in speech set to Hitler's favourite music

FETISHISM

Saint Therese's relics tour  

She was described as the "Little Jesus Flower" for her small acts of kindness and love, and Australian Catholics are lining-up to pay homage to the relics of France's Saint Therese of Lisieux.

AFP: EU leaders condemn Syrian regime attacks in Idlib

Source: Focus Information Agency Brussels. The EU's 27 leaders on Friday condemned Syrian government attacks on the city of Idlib, the country's last rebel enclave, warning of humanitarian disaster, AFP reports.

"The renewed military offensive in Idlib by the Syrian regime and its backers, causing enormous human suffering, is unacceptable," said the EU council, which represents the EU's 27 member states.

"The EU urges all parties to the conflict to fully respect their obligations under international humanitarian law and international human rights law and to allow unimpeded and direct humanitarian access to all those in need," the statement added.

The warning came during an EU summit devoted to drawing up an EU budget.



Syrian government forces seize more villages in northwest

Issued on: 16/02/2020


Beirut (AFP)

Syrian regime forces on Sunday seized a dozen villages and small towns as they pressed an offensive in the country's northwest against the last major rebel bastion, a war monitor said.

Backed by Russian air strikes, government forces have kept up the assault on the Idlib region and areas of neighbouring Aleppo and Latakia provinces since December.

On Sunday, they captured 13 villages and small towns north and northwest of the city of Aleppo, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

Syria's state run agency SANA said army units were pushing on with their advance around Aleppo.

Regime forces have for weeks been making gains in northwestern Syria and chipping away at territory held by jihadists and allied rebels, focusing their latest operations on the west of Aleppo province.

The drive aims to bolster security in Syria's second city Aleppo, which President Bashar al-Assad's government retook completely from insurgents at the end of 2016 but which is still targeted by rocket fire.

Last week, regime forces seized control of the strategic M5 highway which connects the capital Damascus to Aleppo, the country's former economic hub, and is economically vital for the government.

According to the Observatory, Assad's forces are trying to consolidate a "security belt" around the M5 and on Friday they seized a key base lost to the rebels in 2012 just west of Aleppo.

The Russian-backed offensive has triggered the largest wave of displacement in Syria's nine-year conflict, with 800,000 people fleeing since December, according to the United Nations.

More than 380,000 people have been killed in Syria since the conflict broke out nearly nine years ago with a brutal crackdown on anti-government protests.

ROCK N ROLL HISTORY

Peter Green still part of Fleetwood Mac's fibre, five decades after walking away from fame

By Mark Bannerman

PHOTO: Peter Green announced he wanted to give all his 

money away and that all his band mates should do the same. 

(Wikimedia Commons: W.W.Thaler — H. Weber, Hildesheim)

As the 60s folded and the 70s dawned, the members of the English band Fleetwood Mac knew they had a big problem.

Their singer and lead guitarist Peter Green announced he wanted to give all his money away and that they all should do the same.

It got worse. He told them he wasn't so sure about the idea of being a rock star and he wanted out of the band.

To say the group was stunned would be an understatement.


"I don't remember trying to talk him out of it. I just remember going … Oh, shit!" bass player John McVie recalls.
Green wasn't just a great guitarist

He had good reason to be concerned. Green was no ordinary musician. In 1966, he had been called on to replace Eric Clapton in John Mayall's Bluesbreakers.

When he arrived for the first recording session, producer Mike Vernon asked Mayall, "Who the hell is this?"

PHOTO: Green wasn't just a great guitarist. 

He was a great band leader and could write. (YouTube)

Mayall replied cryptically: "Oh, he's Eric's replacement."

When he went on to say the new guitarist was just as good as the man they called "God", Vernon laughed. The laughter stopped a few minutes later when Green started playing.

Green wasn't just a great guitarist. He was a great band leader and could write. Having poached Mick Fleetwood and John McVie from Mayall's band, he formed a new group called Fleetwood Mac.

Leading from the front, he encouraged creativity in his bandmates, making them better musicians and big money earners in the US.

Establishing a reputation for their mastery of the blues, Green broadened the group's musical style, penning original hits including Albatross, Black Magic Woman and Oh Well.

The songs took Fleetwood Mac to the top of the charts, regularly outselling the Beatles.

YOUTUBE: Green broadened the group's musical style, penning original hits including Albatross, Black Magic Woman and Oh Well.

The man the music world can't forget

Now, however, things were falling apart in a big way. Green's final contribution to the band would be a song called The Green Manalishi, detailing his struggle with fame and the voices he was hearing in his head.

Within six months, Peter Green would succumb to mental illness, leave the band and for several decades, virtually disappear from public life.

(NOT UNLIKE THE FOUNDER AND LEADER OF PINK FLOYD)

YOUTUBE: Green Manalishi detailed his struggles with fame and the voices he was hearing in his head.



Fleetwood Mac, of course, would continue, becoming one of rock's biggest-selling and longest-running bands.

But Green wasn't forgotten. Despite his illness and his obsession with privacy, the music world has never stopped talking about him.

Now, five decades after walking away from fame and riches, a who's who of rock musicians — including members of Fleetwood Mac from different eras, David Gilmour from Pink Floyd and John Mayall — will gather at the London Palladium to pay tribute to the man who BB King described as having "the sweetest tone [of any guitar player] I ever heard".

The big question is, will the man himself make an appearance and might he be coaxed into playing guitar?

PHOTO: A who's who of rock musicians — including members

 of Fleetwood Mac from different eras — will gather at the

 London Palladium to pay tribute to Green. (Danny Clinch )

Some think it's unlikely, but whatever happens, the concert will rekindle old questions about the nature of his precipitous fall.

It will also allow fans young and old to recall what an extraordinary talent Peter Green really was.
Setting the template for a new form of rock

Born in 1946, Peter Allen Greenbaum seemed like many other kids growing up in the suburbs of London. All that changed, though, when he picked up a guitar.

Like many other young musicians, he played in a succession of little-known bands. His big breakthrough came when he joined the Bluesbreakers.

Replacing Clapton was no small task, but Green did it with ease.
 

PHOTO: Peter Green said he wasn't so sure about
 the idea of being a rock star and wanted out of the band. (YouTube)

The key to his playing was impeccable technique and an ability to sustain a note. He once told a friend his intention was "to express as much as he could in his music, playing as few notes as possible".

He also had a unique guitar sound. In part, it came as the result of a fateful error. Replacing the pick-ups on his Gibson Les Paul, the technician installed them so they were out of phase. It gave the guitar a tone unlike any other.

But technique and tone were just part of his gifts. He was also a composer. On the first album with Mayall, he stunned the band with a song called The Supernatural.

Taking the blues as his launching pad, Green created something else, otherworldly.

Here, well before Pink Floyd and Santana became famous, Green had set the template for a new form of guitar rock that defied categorisation.
'I believe they were some sort of cult'

But if Peter Green's talent will be celebrated at this month's concert, there will also once again be questions about his descent into illness.

What part did drugs play in his downfall? And what role did a shadowy group of people the guitarist met in Germany, who fed him a powerful and destructive form of LSD, play?

As band members tell it, Green had always been keen to experiment with drugs. By late 1969, they also knew their leader had begun to question fame and fortune.

PHOTO: Both Green and guitarist Danny Kirwan (pictured) 

were fed a very potent form of LSD in Germany. (Wikimedia Commons)

They had watched while he began wearing robes and crosses on stage, all the while talking about giving his money to the poor.

Nothing, though, prepared them for what happened when they landed in the city of Munich in Germany in early 1970.

Arriving at the airport, Peter was met by a group of people, including a beautiful and mysterious young woman, who whisked him and guitarist Danny Kirwan away to a large house in the country.

Road manager Dennis Keane now believes Green had been targeted because of his wealth and fame.


"I believe they were some sort of cult. That's what they do, they get you and strip you of your identity and the money helps them to become more powerful," he said.

With the rest of the band in tow, Keane arrived at the house to find both Green and Kirwan had been fed a very potent form of LSD.

YOUTUBE: Leading from the front, Green encouraged creativity in his bandmates, making them better musicians and big money earners in the US.

Dennis Keane would later recall the scene as utterly weird. When they finally found Peter, he seemed to have lost touch with reality, playing his guitar in the most bizarre way.

The road manager's response was to call security from the hotel they'd booked into, to help him extricate the two musicians.
The nail in the coffin

Extricate them they did. But in truth, the real nightmare was just beginning, according to manager Clifford Adams.

"Peter Green and Danny Kirwan both went together to that house in Munich, both of them took acid," he said.

Fleetwood Mac has always been a strange band
If their songs weren't so strong,

 endurance may be Fleetwood Mac's greatest legacy,

 writes Dan Condon.


"Both of them, as of that day became seriously mentally ill … I think it's too much of a coincidence."

To this day, Green says the music he played that night was some of the best he ever made. Others saw it very differently.

Either way, according to Mick Fleetwood, that night was the "nail in the coffin" of Peter and the band. It was also the moment when the master guitarist began his long journey through the hell of full-blown schizophrenia.

The decision to hold a concert to pay tribute to the talent and work of Peter Green is timely.

Reports suggest Green is living comfortably, cared for by his family, and still enjoys playing the guitar.

What he doesn't like is publicity.
'The reason there is a Fleetwood Mac is because of him'

Mick Fleetwood — a key organiser of this month's musical gathering — says the concert is "a celebration of the early blues days, where it all began. Peter was my greatest mentor".

It would be easy to believe that the gathering might simply recall an almost-forgotten period that has nothing to do with later Fleetwood Mac achievements.

PHOTO: Mick Fleetwood believes that night in 

Germany was the "nail in the coffin" of Peter and

 the band. (ABC News)

Fleetwood disagrees, pointing out it was the lessons of band leadership that Peter Green gave him that allowed him to guide the Mac through five decades of success.

"Peter could have been a stereotypical superstar guitar player but he wasn't, he named the band after the drummer and the bass player for Christ's sake!" he says.

"He was always willing to give space and freedom to other band members … the reason there is a Fleetwood Mac at all is because of him."

It's quite a tribute and Peter Green deserves every bit of it.

Media raids on ABC and Newscorp journalist Annika Smethurst could have been better handled, AFP admits
By Michael Inman and Tom Lowrey

Updated Tue at 7:15pm

PHOTO: AFP Commissioner Reece Kershaw called for a review in the wake of the raids. (ABC News: Tamara Penniket)

RELATED STORY: 'Bad day for Australian journalism': ABC loses court case over Afghan Files raids
RELATED STORY: What do the AFP raids mean for journalists and their sources?

Australia's top cop admits the Australian Federal Police (AFP) could have better handled media raids on the ABC and the home of a Newscorp journalist, but threw his support behind investigators, saying they were simply abiding by their oath to uphold the law.

Key points:
A review of the AFP's handling of media raids found community confidence in the force was "negatively impacted"
Commissioner Reece Kershaw says the AFP's communication "could have been better"
Separate investigations of the ABC and Newscorp's Annika Smethurst, as a result of the raids, are still active

n June last year, AFP officers searched ABC computer systems for files linked to a series of 2017 reports known as The Afghan Files.

The reports covered allegations of unlawful killings by Australian soldiers in Afghanistan.

The raid on the ABC's Sydney headquarters happened just a day after a raid on the home of Newscorp journalist Annika Smethurst, linked to leaked classified information she had used in stories more than a year earlier.

The Afghan Files  

The ABC's Afghan Files stories in 2017 gave an unprecedented insight into the operations of Australia's elite special forces, detailing incidents of troops killing unarmed men and children and concerns about a "warrior culture" among soldiers.

Both investigations are still active and the AFP provided no suggestion they would be dropped.

But Commissioner Reece Kershaw — who replaced predecessor Andrew Colvin a month after the raids — commissioned a report on how similar "sensitive" investigations should be handled in the future.

The review, by former Australian Crime Commission head John Lawler, was released late last week and found community confidence in the AFP had suffered as a result of its investigations of how national security information had found its way into the media.

Speaking publicly for the first time since both the report's release and this week's Federal Court ruling against the ABC, Commissioner Kershaw acknowledged the AFP could manage delicate investigations better.

'Our communication could have been better'

The Commissioner said the review took a much broader approach than the two investigations of the ABC and Smethurst, but admitted they were a "trigger point".

He said, with hindsight, the AFP's handling was not perfect, as images of officers raiding a journalist's home and at the front doors of the ABC were broadcast across the country.

PHOTO: AFP officers sit with ABC lawyers and IT specialists during the raid. 

(ABC News: Brendan Esposito )

"We may have been able to improve some of our communication and expectations of what is going to occur," he said.

"I always think that's probably an area we can improve in. And I have acknowledged that perhaps some of our communication could have been better in those matters.


"I think, as police, we're always wanting to improve, and I don't think there's anything wrong with that."
Opportunity for reform

The Lawler review provided 24 options for change, including formalising a definition of what constituted a "sensitive investigation", communicating directly with media outlets under investigation, changing the language of the status of investigations and establishing an escalation framework when a sensitive investigation was declared.

The Commissioner adopted all of the recommendations in principle and an AFP team is reviewing them.

PHOTO: The Lawler Review provided 24 recommendations for change within the AFP, all of which have been adopted in-principle by Commissioner Kershaw. (ABC News: Tamara Penniket)

"It's a great opportunity for change and reform in those areas," Commissioner Kershaw said.

"We're setting up a new senior executive board that looks at those sensitive matters so that we, as an executive, have full coverage of the sensitive investigations and whether or not they've got enough resources, or the timelines are met … and so on.

"So it's a broader definition. It sort of recognises the complex work and the complex environment we're now operating in."
Cases still remain in a state of limbo


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VIDEO: The Australian Federal Police entering the ABC headquarters in Ultimo (Photo - ABC News: Taryn Southcombe) (ABC News)


The AFP had a win on Monday, when the Federal Court threw out the ABC's case over the raid on its Ultimo headquarters, finding the police warrants used were legal.

Despite this, the Lawler review noted that "community and stakeholder confidence in the AFP [had] been negatively impacted as a result".

And Commissioner Kershaw was not gloating about the court's decision.

"I wouldn't say it's pleasing. I'd say it's an outcome," he said.

"But we know that, often, matters can be appealed, so it's not over until it's over."

Despite the Federal Court decision, both the ABC's case and the case against Smethurst remain in a state of limbo — unable to progress due to ongoing court action.

Federal Attorney-General Christian Porter says he wants them both finished.

"I am very frustrated about the time that it's taking to resolve this matter, as are other senior ministers. That is a frustration that has been voiced," he said.
Journalists are not above the law: Attorney-General

Some, including ABC managing director, David Anderson, are calling for explicit protections for journalists and whistleblowers.

Mr Porter said protections for journalists might be worthwhile, but journalists were not above having their homes searched.

I live-tweeted the raids on the ABC — and it was a first for the AFP
John Lyons spent nine hours in a room with six AFP officers — who were unfailingly polite and respectful — but who were doing something he believed attacked the very essence of journalism.

"If what is being suggested is that the law be changed so that is no longer in the future legally possible to execute a warrant on a third party's house, even if that third party is a journalist, even if the warrant pertains to the retrieval of information on a very, very serious criminal matter, then I'm not sure that I accept that that is the starting point for law reform in this area," he said.

Last year, Mr Porter directed Commonwealth prosecutors to get his office's consent before prosecuting a working journalist.

The Lawler review suggested the AFP adopt the same protocol, seeking the Attorney-General's advice before proceeding with an investigation involving a journalist.

It found the idea had merit, but came with a range of legal complexities.

Commissioner Kershaw said he supported the idea in principle, but "it's the how-to bit that is probably the more difficult component".
AFP not politicised, Commissioner says

In the wake of this week's Federal Court decision, ABC head of investigative journalism John Lyons contrasted the probe into the ABC with the now-abandoned investigation into Energy Minister Angus Taylor.

"After 18 months, we still have two journalists that face possible criminal charges," Mr Lyons said.

"I contrast this to Angus Taylor and what the AFP's treatment of him was — that case was over within weeks."

Earlier this month, the AFP decided to not pursue an investigation into Mr Taylor and his office, after the Minister used an allegedly forged document in a political attack against Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore.

But Commissioner Kershaw dismissed the comparison, saying the AFP was independent and the force had not been politicised.

"Minister Taylor's referral, from my information, was not relating to national security, [while] those other two matters are relating to national security," he said.

"I think there's a big difference between comparing those matters.


"As police … we follow the evidence and we gather evidence. I'm able to operate independently, as my officers are, and we haven't had any sort of political interference.

"We want to make sure that we focus on crimes, which is what we're here to do, enforce the law. And that's the lane that we need to stay in."

AFP warrants used to raid ABC valid, Federal Court rules
By Jamie McKinnellUpdated Mon at 6:23am

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VIDEO: Ruling 'should send a chill down all our citizens' spine' says ABC News boss (ABC News)
RELATED STORY: AFP wanted fingerprints of journalists behind ABC special forces investigation
RELATED STORY: Police leave ABC headquarters with files after hours-long raid over special forces stories
RELATED STORY: What do the AFP raids mean for journalists and their sources?
RELATED STORY: I live-tweeted the raids on the ABC — and it was a first for the AFP

A case over the validity of police warrants used to raid the ABC's Ultimo headquarters last year has been dismissed by the Federal Court of Australia.

Key points:
The story at the centre of the raid was based on leaked Defence documents
ABC Managing Director David Anderson said the raid was "attempt to intimidate journalists"
The ABC was ordered to pay the costs of other parties

In June, Australian Federal Police (AFP) officers searched ABC computer systems for files linked to a series of 2017 reports known as "The Afghan Files".

The reports covered allegations of unlawful killings by Australian soldiers in Afghanistan.

The ABC launched a challenge to the validity of the warrant, arguing it was "legally unreasonable" and included search terms which failed to create any meaningful limitation on the scope.

Federal Court Justice Wendy Abraham on Monday morning dismissed the case and ordered the ABC to pay the costs of the other parties.

The Afghan Files, by investigative journalists Dan Oakes and Sam Clark, were based on leaked Defence documents.

A whistleblower involved in the stories has, separately, faced legal proceedings.

In a statement, the ABC's managing director, David Anderson, said the raid was "an attempt to intimidate journalists for doing their jobs".

"This is at odds with our expectation that we live in an open and transparent society," he said.

"We are not saying journalists should be above the law, we're saying the public's right to know should be a factor that is taken into account — and legitimate journalism should not be criminalised."

PHOTO: ABC Managing Director David Anderson said the accuracy of the reports had never been challenged. (ABC News: Taryn Southcombe)

The AFP case argued the terms of the warrant clearly indicated its investigation was focused on alleged offences concerning the provision and receipt of the leaked documents.

In a 117-page judgment, Justice Wendy Abraham ruled the warrant's three conditions, when read in the context of the warrant as a whole, provided "sufficient particularity in the offence descriptions".

"The applicant's primary submission is based on a consideration of words and phrases in the conditions in isolation, devoid of their context," she wrote in the judgment.

"It is of no assistance to consider the breadth of individual words and phrases in the warrant in isolation, as material must satisfy all three conditions before it can be seized pursuant to the warrant."

VIDEO: John Lyons was disappointed with the ruling (ABC News)

The ABC argued the case on several grounds, but named the registrar who issued the warrant as the first respondent.

It argued the decision to approve the warrant was not authorised under the Crimes Act, having regard to the implied freedom of political communication.

Further, the ABC argued the warrant itself was too broad and included terms which failed to provide any meaningful limitation on its scope.

The ABC sought a declaration that the warrant was invalid.

In a statement, the AFP said it "respects the decision of the Federal Court".

"As the investigation remains ongoing it is not appropriate to comment further."

In October, ABC solicitor Michael Rippon told the court the warrant's terms included very general words such as "secret".

The court heard the AFP's executing officer told Mr Rippon, in the lead up to the raids, that he wanted them carried out in a fashion "amenable" to all parties.

Mr Rippon also recalled words to the effect of "we don't want any sensationalist headlines like AFP raids the ABC".

The material seized included 124 files on two USB sticks, some which were duplicates.

The AFP has previously given the court an undertaking that the material will remain sealed until the legal proceedings have been resolved.

The ABC had also sought an immediate injunction to return the seized material and prevent any part from accessing or copying it.

I live-tweeted the raids on the ABC — and it was a first for the AFP
John Lyons spent nine hours in a room with six AFP officers — who were unfailingly polite and respectful — but who were doing something he believed attacked the very essence of journalism.

ABC head of investigative journalism John Lyons said the decision was disappointing.

"It is a bad day for Australian journalism," he said.

"After 18 months, we still have two journalists that face possible criminal charges.

"I contrast this to Angus Taylor and what the AFP's treatment of him was, that case was over within weeks."

ABC news director Gaven Morris described the ruling as "a blow to the way Australians have access to information in their society and their democracy".

"Urgent law reform is clearly required and all the way through this process, it's clear that the way that journalists go about doing their role, the way public interest journalism is able to be undertaken in this country is a mess."

AFP Fact Check Busting coronavirus myths

AFP Fact Check
 Busting coronavirus myths

SEVENTY ONE MYTHS BUSTED AND COUNTING

  (UPDATED REGULARLY)

  
A man wearing a protective facemask walks in a shopping mall in Shanghai on February 7, 2020. (AFP / Noel Celis)

Busting coronavirus myths

Published on Wednesday 19 February 2020 At 03:45Updated on Thursday 20 February 2020 At 01:47

Rumors, myths and misinformation about the novel coronavirus have spread as quickly as the virus itself. AFP Factcheck has been debunking disinformation as it emerges along with new cases across the world.

Here is a list of our 71 fact-checks in English so far, starting with the most recent:(Updated 20 February 2020)

71. This video has circulated online since at least March 2019 – months before the novel coronavirus outbreak


A video of a rainbow forming in the wake of a truck spraying moisture over a street has been viewed tens of thousands of times on Twitter and YouTube alongside a claim that the footage shows a truck disinfecting a street in China in an effort to contain the novel coronavirus. This claim is false; the video, which shows a truck spraying in China's Sichuan province for dust control purposes, has circulated online since at least March 2019, months before the viral outbreak.
20 February 2020

Continue reading here.

70. This video was filmed before the novel coronavirus outbreak


A video shared hundreds of times on social media purports to show people running from a Chinese man who collapsed in Mauritania. The claim is false; the footage was shared online months before the start of the novel coronavirus epidemic.
20 February 2020

Continue reading here.

69. Sri Lankan health experts stress there is no evidence that cannabis boosts immunity against the novel coronavirus

(FILES) In this file photo taken on January 01, 2018 Marijuana plants grow under artificial light at the Green Pearl Organics dispensary on the first day of legal recreational marijuana sales in California, at the Green Pearl Organics marijuana dispensary in Desert Hot Springs, California. (AFP / Robyn Beck)

A YouTube video of a doctor discussing the health benefits of cannabis has been viewed thousands of times among Sri Lankan Facebook users alongside a claim that cannabis can boost a person's immunity to the novel coronavirus. The claim is misleading; medical experts have emphasised there is no evidence to suggest that cannabis improves immunity against the virus and have urged the public to follow official government health guidelines.
20 February 2020

Kashmir journalist wins AFP's Kate Webb Prize

#FREEKASHMIR

#KASHMIR IS #INDIA'S #GAZA

Issued on: 20/02/2020


Hong Kong (AFP)

Freelance reporter Ahmer Khan was named the winner of the 2019 Agence France-Presse Kate Webb Prize on Thursday for his coverage on the ground in India-controlled Kashmir during Delhi's lockdown of the region.

The award, named after one of AFP's finest correspondents, recognises journalism by locally hired reporters in Asia operating in risky or difficult conditions.

Khan, 27, was honoured for a series of video and written reports that vividly illustrated the impact on locals in the Muslim-majority area following India's decision to strip Kashmir of its semi-autonomous status in August.

The country's Hindu-nationalist government imposed restrictions on movement and a communications blackout, virtually cutting the Himalayan region off from the outside world.

India insisted the move was aimed at bringing prosperity and peace to a region where tens of thousands of people have died in a decades-old separatist rebellion that India blames on arch rival Pakistan.

Despite curfews and a heavy security presence, Khan took to the streets with his camera to document the tensions, concerns and frustrations among the residents of Srinagar and other cities in Kashmir.

Unable to skirt the communications shutdown, he flew in and out of Delhi to file his stories.

"Reporting from Kashmir at this time has been extremely challenging for everyone, including the established foreign media," said AFP's Asia-Pacific regional director Philippe Massonnet.

"For an independent, local journalist those challenges have been far greater, and it is to Ahmer's enormous credit that he managed to provide accurate, high-quality journalism when it was so sorely needed."

Khan said on learning of his win: "This is a real honour, and a huge motivation to carry on my work with enthusiasm and determination."

"I want to dedicate this award to the courageous and resilient journalists from Kashmir who have been reporting in extremely difficult conditions for the past six months. This is a collective award."

The Kate Webb Prize, with a 3,000 euro ($3,400) purse, honours journalists working in perilous or difficult conditions in Asia, and is named after a crusading AFP reporter who died in 2007 at the age of 64, after a career covering the world's troublespots.

The award, which in 2018 went to reporter Asad Hashim for his coverage of the plight of ethnic Pashtuns and blasphemy issues in his native Pakistan, is administered by AFP and the Webb family.

The prize will be formally presented at a ceremony in Hong Kong later this year.