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  • Australian newspapers black out front pages to fight back against secrecy laws

    Australia’s major media organisations have come together to fight for increased press freedom and whistleblower protection.

    Australia’s major media organisations blacked out their newspaper front pages and websites on Monday in a coordinated push for legislative change to protect press freedom and force the government to increase transparency.

    According to the organisations – which include SBS, the ABC, Nine, News Corp Australia and The Guardian – a slew of laws introduced over the past 20 years have hindered the media’s capacity to act as the fourth estate and hold the government and other powerful figures to account. 

    The blackout coincides with a government inquiry into press freedom, which on Friday heard from media bosses and journalists who said national security and intelligence legislation was leaving reporters unable to do their jobs and whistleblowers afraid to come forward.

    The first-of-its-kind action was coordinated by Australia’s Right to Know coalition, of which SBS is a member, to draw attention to what it believes the future will look like if “laws continue to erode media freedom so that governments can cover up information from the public”.

    “For the first time ever, Australia’s leading media organisations have come together in this way to defend the growing threat to every Australian’s right to know about information that impacts their lives,” the coalition said.

    The topic of press freedom hit headlines in June when the Australian Federal Police raided the home of News Corp journalist Annika Smethurst and the ABC offices, in the latter case over a series of stories that included allegations of misconduct by Australian special forces abroad made possible by a whistleblower.

    It is still unclear whether the journalists at the centre of the raids will be charged.

    Following the raids, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the government was “absolutely committed to freedom of the press”, adding the government was not made aware of the investigations.

    But Paul Murphy, chief executive of the union for Australia’s journalists the Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance, said there had been a “tidal wave” of legislation over the past two decades that made it harder for journalists and whistleblowers to uncover the truth.

    A number of our journalist members have told me since the police raids earlier this year that they’ve lost sources, that they’ve lost stories because [sources] clearly see the nature of those raids as being government agencies sending a message,” he said.

    Compared to New Zealand, the US, the UK and Canada, Australia’s intelligence and national security laws are the “most oppressive”, Denis Muller from the University of Melbourne’s Centre for Advancing Journalism told SBS News.

    Australia also does not have any protections for free speech.

    The ABC’s managing director David Anderson also warned that Australia was at risk of becoming “the world’s most secretive democracy”.

    “No one is above the law but something in our democracy is not working as it should when we fail to protect people acting in the public interest,” he said.

     The ABC, which is entirely government-funded, is a member of Australia’s Right to Know coalition.As part of the new campaign, Australia’s Right to Know coalition – which was formed in 2007 – conducted research that found 87 per cent of people said they valued a transparent democracy but only 37 per cent believed they were currently living in one.

    Of the more than 1,000 people surveyed, 35 per cent said they believed the government was keeping them informed about the things they have a right to know.

    Without press freedom “the community are denied information which is in the public interest that they should have,” Dr Muller said.

    “All of the current whistle-blower cases are all about matters of great public interest. And if the community is denied information about them, then it’s going to be in a far less well-informed position to make decisions at election time.”sbs

     

  • Why going meat-free could damage your health

    It was just a few months ago that experts were declaring the end of meat. Earlier this year, consultancy firm AT Kearney predicted that by 2040, animal products will have become so socially and environmentally unacceptable that most “meat” eaten across the globe will come in the form of plant-based or lab-grown substitutes.

    But a major study released this week just might put the brakes on the rapidly accelerating plant-based trend. According to Oxford University research, published in the British Medical Journal, vegetarians and vegans have a 20 per cent higher risk of stroke than those who regularly tuck into a plate of bacon and sausages. The authors of the study, which tracked almost 50,000 Britons for 18 years, said this might be because veggies did not have enough cholesterol in their blood.

    The finding flies in the face of much conventional wisdom, which says that vegetarianism is a healthy alternative to a carnivorous lifestyle.

    But nutritionists say the increased risk of stroke is just one of the many health risks that any would-be vegetarian should be made aware of before they take the plunge.

    She says that those who cut out meat entirely don’t always understand the full health implications of their lifestyle choice: “I think people shouldn’t just embark on a vegan diet because it’s on trend, and they’re following some Instagram guru. They should delve deeper and understand that there are nutrient shortfalls.”

    Last week, nutritionist Emma Derbyshire told the BMJ that vegans may find themselves deficient in choline, a crucial nutrient for brain health commonly found in eggs, milk and beef that influences memory, mood and muscle control. With planning, the British Dietetic Association said, it was possible for vegans to reach requisite levels, but not everyone who avoids meat plans carefully enough.

    Such diets, Bond adds, are usually devoid of vitamin B12, which is found only in animal products. Without it, you run a greater risk of becoming fatigued and your immune system can be weakened, although she says “full-blown B12 deficiency is not very common in today’s society”. More concerning is getting enough vitamin D, the so-called “sunshine vitamin”, which is important for our bones, teeth and immune system, and can be difficult to include in your diet if you are vegetarian, and very difficult if you are vegan. “Vitamin D-rich foods are mainly oily fish, eggs and things like that,” Bond says. “There is some in mushrooms, but sadly [it is in] very few foods.”

    Bond thinks Britain is gradually moving towards a vegetarian way of life, pointing to Public Health England’s latest Eatwell Guide, which stressed the health benefits of plant-based foods; according to research published at the end of last year, one in eight Britons is now vegan or vegetarian, while a fifth of the population describes themselves as “flexitarian”.

    Ian Marber, a nutritionist, adds that vegetarians and vegans might miss out on some of their essential amino acids, a source of protein. A lack of protein can mean weight loss; skin, hair, and nail problems; and increased risk of bone fractures.

    Although it is usually vegans whose culinary choices make headlines, he thinks they are usually better prepared than vegetarians, with a steady supply of vitamin supplements lining their cupboards. “I find that vegans tend to be quite motivated and do it quite well – they are aware that they need omega-3 fats, for example. Vegetarianism tends not to be done with the same attention to detail.” Previously, his clutch of vegan clients “knew what they were doing”; now that meat-free numbers have swelled, he finds himself more frequently doling out advice on how to stay healthy and plant-based at the same time.

    Many newly signed-up vegans have also noted cognitive effects – known as “brain fog” – and there’s plenty of science to back that up, according to Sophie Medlin, a lecturer in nutrition and dietetics at King’s College London.

    “Anyone following a plant-based diet is likely to have suboptimal levels of vitamin B12 and an essential fatty acid called DHA [a type of omega-3],” she says. “These are vital for the health of our neurons or brain cells. When we are deficient, we suffer symptoms such as brain fog, short-term memory loss, changes in mood, difficulty sleeping, agitation, and anxiety.”

    “In the battle between meat eaters and non-meat eaters, everyone’s looking for one answer,” says Ian Marber. “If we can only declare that one’s better than the other. But it’s not better, it’s just different.”The Telegraph, London

  • Turkey’s finance minister appoints former jailed Halkbank director to head Istanbul stock exchange

    Finance and Treasury Minister Berat Albayrak on Monday announced that former Halkbank director Hakan Atilla was appointed as the director general of Borsa Istanbul, Turkey’s main stock exchange.

    “The resting period for Hakan Atilla, who was reunited with his family and country following an unjust conviction, is over. He will start his duty as Borsa Istanbul’s Director General,” pro-government newspaper Yeni Akit quoted Albayrak as saying.

    Atilla served 32 months in prison in the United States for helping Iran evade U.S. sanctions, and was released on July 19 this year.

    The trial of the former Halkbank executive made international headlines with allegations of involvement in the scheme by several senior officials in Turkey, including President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

    A Manhattan federal court indicted Halkbank, the second-largest state-owned bank in Turkey, with fraud, money laundering, and involvement in sanctions evasion, the U.S. Department of Justice announced on Tuesday.

    Atilla’s trial helped establish the bank’s connection, according to the statement.

    The indictment included references to President Erdoğan and Minister Albayrak, who is Erdoğan’s son-in-law.

    At the request of Iranian-Turkish businessman Reza Zarrab, “the then-Prime Minister of Turkey and his associates, including a relative of the then-Prime Minister who later held multiple Turkish cabinet positions, instructed Halkbank to resume the scheme,” it said.ahvalnews

  • UK Prime Minister tables motion for early general election after losing vote in parliament

    Defeating the government, 328 MPs have voted to take control of the parliamentary agenda in a bid to stop a no-deal Brexit, while 301 voted against.

    In response, Prime Minister Boris Johnson tabled a motion for early general elections.

    “I don’t want an election but if MPs vote tomorrow to stop negotiations and to compel another pointless delay to Brexit potentially for years then that will be the only way to resolve this,” Johnson said immediately after the vote.

    Johnson said he would on Tuesday take the first step towards asking lawmakers to approve an early election.

    The victory is the first hurdle for lawmakers who will on Wednesday seek to pass a law forcing Johnson to ask the EU to delay Brexit until January 31 unless he has a deal approved by parliament beforehand on the terms of the exit.

    A spokesman from Johnson’s office said the Tory MPs who voted in favour of the move to try and stop a no-deal Brexit will be expelled from the party. Prominent figures include Nicholas Soames, the grandson of Britain’s World War Two leader Winston Churchill, and two former finance ministers – Philip Hammond and Kenneth Clarke.

    Sir Oliver Letwin said the motion was being put forth because the government had not put forward any new proposals on Brexit; it had shut down parliament; it would consider a no-deal Brexit, and that no-deal would be a serious threat to the UK.

    Throughout the debate, Johnson’s opponents have argued that nothing can justify the risk of a ‘no-deal’ Brexit that would cut economic ties overnight with Britain’s biggest export market and inevitably bring huge economic disruption.

    Johnson cast the challenge as an attempt to force Britain to surrender to the EU just as he hopes to secure concessions on the terms of the divorce, helped by the threat to walk out without one. Ahead of the vote, he said would never accept another delay to Brexit beyond October 31.

    Johnson’s government will now seek to hold a vote on Wednesday to approve an early election, most likely to be held on October 14. An election would pit the avowed Brexiteer against Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.

    Yet it was unclear whether opposition parties would support such a move – which requires the support of two-thirds of the 650-seat House of Commons.

    After the vote, Corbyn told Johnson that he must get the Brexit delay bill that will be discussed on Wednesday passed before trying to call an election.

    Johnson lost his majority in parliament on Tuesday when Dr Phillip Lee, the MP from Bracknell, defected to the Lib Dems.euronews

  • Belgian-Turkish law student barred from leaving Turkey due to Facebook posts

    A 27-year-old Belgian-Turkish law student is being held in Turkey where she was reportedly arrested more than a month ago over a series of years-old Facebook posts about the Kurds, The Brussels Times reported.

    Dual national Gülsüm Çetinkaya was arrested while travelling with her Kurdish parents in Turkey in July, and her relatives worry that she may be held there longer.

    She was checked at the border with Bulgaria and immediately detained, her uncle, filmmaker Bülent Öztürk, told Het Nieuwsblad.

    Originally from Antwerp, Çetinkaya, who is studying law at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), was recently released from the Turkish prison where she was held, thousands of kilometers from her family’s village, Öztürk told the outlet. But she is still not allowed to leave the country.

    “She was in prison for 40 days,” her uncle said, adding that Çetinkaya had told him the cell she was kept in was “tiny” and unsanitary.

    Foreign affairs authorities in Belgium are reportedly looking into the situation, but the government cannot interfere if a dual national is held in their second country, according to media reports. (turkishminute.com)

  • First act of gov’t-appointed trustee in Van: hanging Erdoğan’s photo in mayor’s office

    Mehmet Emin Bilmez , the former governor of the eastern Turkish province of Van who was appointed on Monday as trustee for the Van Municipality after the city’s elected mayor was removed from office, hung a photo of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in the mayor’s office as his first act as trustee, Turkish media reports said. 

    In a controversial move on Monday, the Turkish Interior Ministry removed three elected mayors in Van, Mardin and Diyarbakır from the Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) claiming that they have links to the terrorist Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).

    In his first hours as trustee, Bilmez hung a photo of Erdoğan in the mayor’s office in the Van municipal building. A photo showing Bilmez hanging Erdoğan’s picture on the wall was shared by the Van Governor’s Office on social media.

    Bilmez said previously photos of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of modern Turkey, and Erdoğan were hung on the walls of the mayor’s office but that Erdoğan’s picture was later taken down.

    “We put it up again,” he said.

    Many have said the Erdoğan photo on the wall actually shows who was behind the anti-democratic decision to remove the democratically elected mayors from office.

    Erdoğan had warned before local elections on March 31 that his government would not hesitate to replace mayors from the HDP if they were deemed to be linked to the PKK. The HDP has experienced a wide-ranging crackdown since it won enough votes to enter parliament in 2015. Since then, the government has jailed hundreds of Kurdish politicians and seized about 100 municipalities in Turkey’s Southeast.

  • ‘I’m accountable to the Australian people’: Scott Morrison pushes back against Pacific leaders

    Funafuti, Tuvalu: Prime Minister Scott Morrison says he is accountable only to the Australian people after holding his ground against Pacific leaders who had joined forces to dial up the region’s efforts to phase out coal.

    Australia was left isolated as leaders bickered during a marathon summit meeting on Thursday night, as fears grow that China will seek to exploit diplomatic differences over how to respond to the effects of climate change on low-lying island nations.

    Mr Morrison stood his ground against the anti-coal push, while acknowledging climate change was the single biggest threat to the security of Pacific island nations.

    The Prime Minister went on a hard economic sell during the 12-hour meeting, telling leaders that getting young people into jobs with help from schemes such as the Pacific worker program was key to the region’s future prosperity.

    Mr Morrison did much of the negotiating with other leaders, sidestepping diplomats to ensure the final statement incorporated key concerns from Pacific countries while retaining Australia’s right to maintain its own economic interests.

    PM believes Australia is doing enough to reduce emissions

    Asked whether he would have to answer to the Pacific over his stance, Mr Morrison replied: “I am accountable to the Australia people – that’s who I’m accountable for.”

    Tuvalu Prime Minister Enele Sopoaga, the chairman of the forum, hinted there were major disagreements during the summit but said he was pleased to get a “negotiated outcome”.

    “Australia is an important partner in the forum family, likewise everyone else. We tried our best,” Mr Sopoaga said.

    “I think we can say we should have done more work for our people. We have to live with that.”

    Both Mr Morrison and the Trump administration have re-engaged with the region as China’s influence grows through billions of dollars worth of loans and infrastructure investments.

    Mr Morrison said the role of other state actors had not been mentioned at the leader retreat, with most discussions focusing on matters of urgency like illegal fishing and the fallout from nuclear testing over many decades.

    Samoan Prime Minister Tuilaepa Malielegaoi, one of the Pacific’s most influential leaders, said on Thursday that island nations would not line up with Australia and the United States against China, declaring “their enemies are not our enemies”.

    In addition to tweaking the forum’s final declaration, Australia also pushed back on attempts from smaller island states to include a strong statement urging the world to speed up its transition away from coal towards renewable energy.

    Australia also succeeded in its push to not have the term “climate change crisis” in the communique. Sourch: theage

  • Detention warrants issued for 18 in İzmir over Gülen ties

    Turkish prosecutors have issued detention warrants for 18 individuals in the western province of İzmir on allegations of being followers of the Gülen movement, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported.

    The Turkish government accuses the Gülen movement of masterminding a failed coup on July 15, 2016 and labels it a “terrorist organization,” although the movement strongly denies involvement in the coup attempt or any terrorist activity.

    The individuals facing detention warrants include active duty police officers as well as officers who were removed from their jobs by the government in the aftermath of the failed coup.

    Following the coup attempt, the Turkish government launched a massive crackdown on followers of the movement under the pretext of an anti-coup fight as a result of which more than 130,000 people were removed from state jobs while in excess of 30,000 others were jailed, and nearly 600,000 people have been investigated on allegations of terrorism.

  • 17 detained in Ankara during protests over removal of Kurdish mayors

    Police on Thursday detained 17 people who took part in a demonstration in Turkey’s capital city of Ankara in protest of a recent decision by the Turkish government to remove three elected Kurdish mayors from office, Turkish media reports said.

    In a controversial move on Monday, the Interior Ministry removed the mayors of Mardin, Van and Diyarbakır in southeastern Turkey, claiming they had links to the terrorist Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). The mayors were elected from the ranks of the Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) in the March 31 local elections.

    Police intervened during the demonstration and detained 17 protestors who had gathered in front of the HDP’s Mamak district office to speak out against the removal of the mayors.

    The detentions reportedly took place because the Ankara Governor’s Office has banned all demonstrations, marches and press statement releases in public venues.

    In the meantime, police in İzmir detained 26 lawyers and one journalist during a similar protest earlier on Thursday.

  • Turkish journalist detained on terrorism charges

    Ayşegül Tözeren, a columnist for the Evrensel daily and a poet, was detained by police early Tuesday on suspicion of terrorist links, according to Fatih Polat, the editor-in-chief of the daily.

    “I spoke with Ayşegül’s mother by phone. ‘There are many police officers at our home. They are taking Ayşegül into custody. They aren’t saying anything about it,’ she said,” Polat tweeted, adding that her lawyer would not be able to see Tözeren for at least 24 hours.

    Her lawyer was later told by officials that Tözeren was being investigated for alleged ties to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) terrorist group, which has been waging an insurgency in Turkey’s Southeast for decades.

    In a column on Tuesday Polat criticized the detention, saying that such investigations into journalists could be conducted without a police raid on their homes.

    In the aftermath of a 2016 coup attempt Turkey jailed over a thousand journalists on terrorism charges.

    Turkey was ranked 157th among 180 countries in the 2018 World Press Freedom Index released in April by Reporters Without Borders (RSF).