35 people were massacred over the weekend in Myanmar. Their bodies were then burned by the Army Junta's troops. The victims included 'women, children & elders'. Their killings have sparked global condemnation. Palki Sharma gets you a report.

Gravitas: 35 people massacred in Myanmar

A high-ranking United Nation’s official says he is “horrified” by reports that at least 35 civilians have been killed and their bodies burned in eastern Myanmar, demanding the government to launch a probe.

UN horrified by massacre of 35 civilians in Myanmar

The&nbsp;main&nbsp;suspect&nbsp;in the trial over the November 2015&nbsp;attacks&nbsp;in&nbsp;Paris&nbsp;claimed Thursday&nbsp;three&nbsp;co accused&nbsp;knew&nbsp;nothing&nbsp;about&nbsp;the&nbsp;plot, in his latest unscheduled intervention to disrupt proceedings.

"They helped me but they&nbsp;knew&nbsp;nothing&nbsp;at all"&nbsp;about&nbsp;the&nbsp;attacks&nbsp;plot, said Salah Abdeslam, the sole survivor of the group of assailants who killed 130 people.&nbsp;

"They are in prison but did&nbsp;nothing," he added before his microphone was cut by the presiding judge Jean-Louis Peries who then suspended the hearing.

It was the second such intervention by Abdeslam, who on the first day of the landmark trial on Wednesday had launched into a diatribe&nbsp;about&nbsp;how he and his&nbsp;co-accused&nbsp;were being treated "like dogs" in prison.

On this occasion, he had intervened while the court was considering the admissability of the complaints brought by certain plaintiffs in the case.

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"The victims from Syria and Iraq -- will they be able to speak?" asked Abdeslam, his dark hair combed back, wearing a white sweater with coloured strips.&nbsp;

"In principle, we should be presumed innocent before being judged... even if I do not endorse your justice," he said.&nbsp;

"Let's leave this discussion, Mr. Abdeslam", replied the judge. "Sir don't be selfish. There are other people who want to hear me," Abdeslam retorted.

Abdeslam's outbursts in court have sharply contrasted with his refusal over the last year to give any statements to investigators, always remaining silent.

Peries commented: "You have had five years to comment, you did not wish to make statements as is your right. I understood now that you wanted to speak, and that's fine but now is not the time."

The trial, which is expected to last nine months, is the biggest in France's modern legal history and sees 20 defendants, including Abdeslam, facing sentences of up to life in prison. Six of the suspects are being tried in absentia.

The main suspect in the trial over the November 2015 attacks in Paris claimed Thursday three co accused knew nothing about the plot, in his latest unscheduled intervention to disrupt proceedings.

The main suspect in the trial over the November 2015 attacks in Paris claimed Thursday three co accused knew nothing about the plot, in his latest unscheduled intervention to disrupt proceedings. "They helped me but they knew nothing at all" about the attacks plot, said Salah Abdeslam, the sole survivor of the group of assailants who killed 130 people. "They are in prison but did nothing," he added before his microphone was cut by the presiding judge Jean-Louis Peries who then suspended the hearing. It was the second such intervention by Abdeslam, who on the first day of the landmark trial on Wednesday had launched into a diatribe about how he and his co-accused were being treated "like dogs" in prison. On this occasion, he had intervened while the court was considering the admissability of the complaints brought by certain plaintiffs in the case. Also read | UK to send warships to Pacific on extended deployment "The victims from Syria and Iraq -- will they be able to speak?" asked Abdeslam, his dark hair combed back, wearing a white sweater with coloured strips. "In principle, we should be presumed innocent before being judged... even if I do not endorse your justice," he said. "Let's leave this discussion, Mr. Abdeslam", replied the judge. "Sir don't be selfish. There are other people who want to hear me," Abdeslam retorted. Abdeslam's outbursts in court have sharply contrasted with his refusal over the last year to give any statements to investigators, always remaining silent. Peries commented: "You have had five years to comment, you did not wish to make statements as is your right. I understood now that you wanted to speak, and that's fine but now is not the time." The trial, which is expected to last nine months, is the biggest in France's modern legal history and sees 20 defendants, including Abdeslam, facing sentences of up to life in prison. Six of the suspects are being tried in absentia.

Main Paris attacks suspect claims three co-accused 'knew nothing' about plot

Norway on Thursday marks the 10th anniversary of the worst massacre in its modern history, as church bells toll for the 77 people murdered by neo-Nazi Anders Behring Breivik.

The Scandinavian nation had been mostly spared from extremist violence until July 22, 2011, when Breivik set off a bomb in Oslo that killed eight people before going on a shooting spree at a summer camp for left-wing youths on the island of Utoya. &nbsp;

"I was 16 years old and I couldn't decide which funerals to go to because there were so many," said Astrid Eide Hoem, a survivor who has since become head of the Labour Party's youth league (AUF), which organised the camp.

"I had never lost anyone close to me before, but also now, being in my mid-20s, I think about what would have become of them, the job they might have had, the children..."

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A morning memorial ceremony at the government headquarters, church masses and another ceremony on Utoya in the afternoon, will mark the anniversary. At noon (1000 GMT), church bells nationwide will ring.

Shortly after the attacks, the then-Labour Party prime minister and current NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg promised to respond with "more democracy" and "more humanity".

'Driving force'

But 10 years on, many of the survivors of Utoya feel that Norway still has not truly faced up to the ideology that drove Breivik.&nbsp;

"The far-right ideas that inspired the attack are still a driving force for right-wing extremists at home and abroad," the Norwegian intelligence service (PST) warned this week.

Breivik's actions had inspired several violent attacks over the past decade, the PST said, including those targeting mosques in New Zealand's&nbsp;Christchurch and Oslo.

On Tuesday, vandals scrawled "Breivik was right" on a memorial for Benjamin Hermansen, who was killed by neo-Nazis in 2001 in what was billed as Norway's "first racist crime".

Prime Minister Erna Solberg said she grew "sad and angry" when she heard of the vandalism.

In 2012, Breivik, then 42, was sentenced to 21 years in prison. His sentence can be extended indefinitely and the extremist will likely spend the rest of his life behind bars.&nbsp;

A year earlier, Breivik had disguised himself as a police officer and planted the car bomb that shattered the government headquarters in Oslo and killed eight people.

He then made his way to Utoya, where he hunted down his 69 other victims, most of them teenagers.

For many of the survivors, the psychological trauma remains an open wound.&nbsp;

A third were still suffering last year from major disorders, including post-traumatic stress, anxiety, depression and headaches, a recent paper by the Norwegian Centre for Violence and Traumatic Stress Studies found.&nbsp;

"When you've been through something like this, you don't go back to being the person you were," Eide Hoem said.

"I have trouble sleeping, I'm afraid, and I think I'll have to live with this all my life," she added.&nbsp;

Elin L'Estrange, another survivor, told AFP: "If someone today tells me that they want me dead, I take it very seriously."&nbsp;

Norway on Thursday marks the 10th anniversary of the worst massacre in its modern history, as church bells toll for the 77 people murdered by neo-Nazi Anders Behring Breivik.

Norway on Thursday marks the 10th anniversary of the worst massacre in its modern history, as church bells toll for the 77 people murdered by neo-Nazi Anders Behring Breivik. The Scandinavian nation had been mostly spared from extremist violence until July 22, 2011, when Breivik set off a bomb in Oslo that killed eight people before going on a shooting spree at a summer camp for left-wing youths on the island of Utoya. "I was 16 years old and I couldn't decide which funerals to go to because there were so many," said Astrid Eide Hoem, a survivor who has since become head of the Labour Party's youth league (AUF), which organised the camp. "I had never lost anyone close to me before, but also now, being in my mid-20s, I think about what would have become of them, the job they might have had, the children..." Also read | Colombia is home to 20% of all butterfly species in the world, study finds A morning memorial ceremony at the government headquarters, church masses and another ceremony on Utoya in the afternoon, will mark the anniversary. At noon (1000 GMT), church bells nationwide will ring. Shortly after the attacks, the then-Labour Party prime minister and current NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg promised to respond with "more democracy" and "more humanity". 'Driving force' But 10 years on, many of the survivors of Utoya feel that Norway still has not truly faced up to the ideology that drove Breivik. "The far-right ideas that inspired the attack are still a driving force for right-wing extremists at home and abroad," the Norwegian intelligence service (PST) warned this week. Breivik's actions had inspired several violent attacks over the past decade, the PST said, including those targeting mosques in New Zealand's Christchurch and Oslo. On Tuesday, vandals scrawled "Breivik was right" on a memorial for Benjamin Hermansen, who was killed by neo-Nazis in 2001 in what was billed as Norway's "first racist crime". Prime Minister Erna Solberg said she grew "sad and angry" when she heard of the vandalism. In 2012, Breivik, then 42, was sentenced to 21 years in prison. His sentence can be extended indefinitely and the extremist will likely spend the rest of his life behind bars. A year earlier, Breivik had disguised himself as a police officer and planted the car bomb that shattered the government headquarters in Oslo and killed eight people. He then made his way to Utoya, where he hunted down his 69 other victims, most of them teenagers. For many of the survivors, the psychological trauma remains an open wound. A third were still suffering last year from major disorders, including post-traumatic stress, anxiety, depression and headaches, a recent paper by the Norwegian Centre for Violence and Traumatic Stress Studies found. "When you've been through something like this, you don't go back to being the person you were," Eide Hoem said. "I have trouble sleeping, I'm afraid, and I think I'll have to live with this all my life," she added. Elin L'Estrange, another survivor, told AFP: "If someone today tells me that they want me dead, I take it very seriously."

Norway marks 10 years since massacre by neo-Nazi

A prominent ethnic rebel group in&nbsp;Myanmar&nbsp;suspended one of its key leaders this week, a spokesman said Saturday, as it investigates an alleged massacre of civilians on its territory.

Myanmar&nbsp;has been in turmoil since a February coup ousted Aung San Suu Kyi's elected government, sparking huge protests among civilians and renewing clashes between the military and ethnic rebel armies in its border regions.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/myanmars-suu-kyi-back-in-junta-court-on-sedition-charges-393182">Myanmar's Suu Kyi back in junta court on sedition charges</a>

The Karen National Union (KNU),&nbsp;one of&nbsp;Myanmar's largest rebel groups in its east, which has tussled with the military for decades,&nbsp;has been locked in renewed conflict with the army since the coup.

In May, state-run media accused fighters from one of the group's armed wings, the Karen National Defence Organisation (KNDO), of a May 31 massacre of 25 construction workers,&nbsp;an allegation the KNU had said it would investigate.

Spokesman Padoh Saw Taw Nee confirmed Saturday that the KNDO's head, General Ner Dah Bo Mya, and his subordinate Lieutenant Saw Ba Wah have been "suspended temporarily".&nbsp;

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"According to the Geneva Conventions, even if they are our enemies, we just arrest them, you cannot kill like that," he said.

"We stand firmly on our commitment to the Geneva Conventions and the international community, and we have to deal with this carefully."

The decision, made on Monday by KNU leaders, will inject more discord within the rebel group, whose political divisions over the handling of the junta have spilled out in recent months to the public.&nbsp;

Padoh Saw Taw Nee defended the suspension as "part of our procedures".

'We cannot mingle with the devil'

But General Ner Dah Bo Mya blasted the decision, saying that the KNU's political leaders had refused to hear the KNDO's side.&nbsp;

He alleged that Burmese soldiers had ambushed his troops with mortar artillery as they were arresting military intelligence personnel.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/myanmar-rejects-un-resolution-urging-arms-embargo-392640">Myanmar rejects UN resolution urging arms embargo</a>

"During the armed conflict, the soldiers didn’t take care," he told AFP, adding that he did not want to cooperate with the investigation because "they didn't talk to me".

"Our grand leader and politicians should side with us instead of working with the enemies," he said.&nbsp;

"We cannot mingle with the devil."

Myanmar's border regions are a patchwork of territories and alliances held by more than two dozen rebel groups, most of whom have fought with the military for more autonomy and resources.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/myanmar-junta-and-villagers-trade-accusations-after-houses-razed-392008">Myanmar junta and villagers trade accusations after houses razed</a>

Since the coup the KNU has clashed sporadically with the&nbsp;Myanmar&nbsp;military along the Thai border.&nbsp;

In March its fighters seized a military post and the army retaliated with air raids, the first in more than 20 years in Karen state.

The group has also condemned the military for the power grab, and provided shelter to dissidents working to oust the State Administration Council, as the junta has dubbed itself.&nbsp;

Nearly 890 people have been killed by the junta's security forces since February 1, according to a local monitoring group.

A prominent ethnic rebel group in Myanmar suspended one of its key leaders this week, a spokesman said Saturday, as it investigates an alleged massacre of civilians on its territory.

A prominent ethnic rebel group in Myanmar suspended one of its key leaders this week, a spokesman said Saturday, as it investigates an alleged massacre of civilians on its territory. Myanmar has been in turmoil since a February coup ousted Aung San Suu Kyi's elected government, sparking huge protests among civilians and renewing clashes between the military and ethnic rebel armies in its border regions. Also read | Myanmar's Suu Kyi back in junta court on sedition charges The Karen National Union (KNU), one of Myanmar's largest rebel groups in its east, which has tussled with the military for decades, has been locked in renewed conflict with the army since the coup. In May, state-run media accused fighters from one of the group's armed wings, the Karen National Defence Organisation (KNDO), of a May 31 massacre of 25 construction workers, an allegation the KNU had said it would investigate. Spokesman Padoh Saw Taw Nee confirmed Saturday that the KNDO's head, General Ner Dah Bo Mya, and his subordinate Lieutenant Saw Ba Wah have been "suspended temporarily". Also read | 25 killed in Myanmar clashes between army and anti-junta fighters "According to the Geneva Conventions, even if they are our enemies, we just arrest them, you cannot kill like that," he said. "We stand firmly on our commitment to the Geneva Conventions and the international community, and we have to deal with this carefully." The decision, made on Monday by KNU leaders, will inject more discord within the rebel group, whose political divisions over the handling of the junta have spilled out in recent months to the public. Padoh Saw Taw Nee defended the suspension as "part of our procedures". 'We cannot mingle with the devil' But General Ner Dah Bo Mya blasted the decision, saying that the KNU's political leaders had refused to hear the KNDO's side. He alleged that Burmese soldiers had ambushed his troops with mortar artillery as they were arresting military intelligence personnel. Also read | Myanmar rejects UN resolution urging arms embargo "During the armed conflict, the soldiers didn’t take care," he told AFP, adding that he did not want to cooperate with the investigation because "they didn't talk to me". "Our grand leader and politicians should side with us instead of working with the enemies," he said. "We cannot mingle with the devil." Myanmar's border regions are a patchwork of territories and alliances held by more than two dozen rebel groups, most of whom have fought with the military for more autonomy and resources. Also read | Myanmar junta and villagers trade accusations after houses razed Since the coup the KNU has clashed sporadically with the Myanmar military along the Thai border. In March its fighters seized a military post and the army retaliated with air raids, the first in more than 20 years in Karen state. The group has also condemned the military for the power grab, and provided shelter to dissidents working to oust the State Administration Council, as the junta has dubbed itself. Nearly 890 people have been killed by the junta's security forces since February 1, according to a local monitoring group.

Myanmar rebel group suspends key leader in massacre investigation

A century after a white mob destroyed a vibrant African American community in Tulsa, Oklahoma, torching hundreds of homes and indiscriminately shooting people in the streets, President Joe Biden told a crowd of survivors and their families that the story of the massacre “will be known in full view.”

It was the first time a president visited the area to address what had happened in Greenwood, a prosperous African American community, which was one of the worst outbreaks of racist violence in the United States but was largely ignored in history books.

“For much too long, the history of what took place here was told in silence,” Biden said. “While darkness can hide much, it erases nothing.”

Biden, who has made racial equity and justice central themes of his presidency, was in Tulsa to shed light on a painful part of the country’s history. He recalled in detail the horror that occurred from May 31 to June 1, 1921, when angry white people descended on Greenwood, killing as many as 300 people and destroying more than 1,250 homes.

“My fellow Americans, this was not a riot,” Biden said, as people in the crowd rose to their feet. “This was a massacre.”

A man was strapped to a truck and dragged through the street, the president said. The bodies of a murdered family were draped over a fence outside their home. An older couple was shot while praying.

“We do ourselves no favors by pretending none of this ever happened,” Biden told the crowd. “We should know the good, the bad, everything. That’s what great nations do: They come to terms with their dark sides.”

The president’s visit was also intended to highlight steps his administration is taking to close the wealth gap between Black and white people in the United States, even as activists criticized him for not doing enough to correct historical wrongs and put the disadvantaged on equal footing.

Administration officials on Monday detailed efforts to direct more federal spending to small and minority-owned businesses, fair housing enhancements and programs intended to repair the damage to neighborhoods divided by transportation projects.

Missing from the rollout, though, was a plan to cancel student debt — which disproportionately affects Black students — or to address the issue of reparations, federal repayments that relatives of Tulsa victims say could restore what was erased. White House officials have said that the president supports a study of the issue, as he does with the broader issue of reparations for Black Americans.

The NAACP and other civil rights groups have criticized the Biden administration for not taking the step to cancel student loans, saying it is one of the biggest obstacles holding back Black people from sharing in the wealth of other Americans.

“Student loan debt continues to suppress the economic prosperity of Black Americans across the nation,” Derrick Johnson, the NAACP president, said in a statement. “You cannot begin to address the racial wealth gap without addressing the student loan debt crisis.”

On the way to Tulsa, Karine Jean-Pierre, the White House principal deputy press secretary, told reporters aboard Air Force One that the administration had provided billions in funding to Black colleges as part of its $1.7 trillion coronavirus plan. But she did not answer questions about alleviating the financial stress of those who currently have student debt.

In a briefing for reporters Monday night, administration officials insisted that the other steps would help Black people around the country, particularly hard-hit communities like Greenwood.

Biden’s visit to Tulsa was a somber one. Before he delivered remarks, he met privately with survivors of the massacre, each between the ages of 101 and 107, whom he mentioned throughout his speech.

The violence started after the arrest of Dick Rowland, 19, a Black shoe shiner who was accused of assault against Sarah Page, 17, a white elevator operator. Accounts vary about what happened, but a common theory suggests Rowland tripped and grabbed onto the arm of Page while trying to catch his fall. She screamed, and he ran away, according to the commission report.

As Biden toured the Greenwood Cultural Center, he was told that within 24 hours of that encounter, the white mob that formed after Rowland’s arrest destroyed much of Greenwood. The case was later dismissed.

“The attack on Black families and Black wealth in Greenwood persisted across generations,” Biden said Sunday in a proclamation honoring the anniversary of the Tulsa massacre. “The federal government must reckon with and acknowledge the role that it has played in stripping wealth and opportunity from Black communities.”

The president’s trip came as the country struggles to confront police brutality toward people of color a year after the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer galvanized Black Lives Matter protesters nationwide.

But the political response to recent killings remains uncertain. Biden had vowed to secure passage of the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act by May 25, the anniversary of Floyd’s death. The bill would ban the police’s use of chokeholds, impose restrictions on deadly force and make it easier to prosecute officers for wrongdoing. The administration missed that deadline, but lawmakers in both parties have expressed optimism that they would be able to reach a compromise on the legislation in the coming weeks.

Officials said that Biden’s visit Tuesday was intended to signal a new emphasis on racial equity and justice for Black Americans. Biden also said that he had directed Vice President Kamala Harris to lead Democrats in a sweeping legislative effort to protect voting rights, an issue that is critical to his legacy but faces increasingly daunting odds in the Senate.

“To signify the importance of our efforts, today I’m asking Vice President Harris to help these efforts and lead them, among her many other responsibilities,” Biden said Tuesday. “With her leadership and your support, we’re going to overcome again, I promise you, but it’s going to take a hell of a lot of work.”

Despite investigations, no one was ever convicted of crimes related to the Tulsa massacre. Biden has promised that his Justice Department will be more active in helping to root out bias and bigotry in American police departments. The Justice Department has already begun “pattern or practice” investigations in Louisville, Kentucky, and Minneapolis, which are intended to examine excessive force, biased policing and other misconduct by officers.

The Rev. Al Sharpton, who has observed Biden’s evolution for decades, attended his speech in Tulsa. He graded the president’s performance on civil rights in an interview this spring.

“I think that he has gone from probably a 65 to somewhere in the early 80s,” Sharpton said. “I think that we all haven’t gotten to the finals yet. He may go higher than that.”

A century after a white mob destroyed a vibrant African American community in Tulsa, Oklahoma, torching hundreds of homes and indiscriminately shooting people in the streets, President Joe Biden told a crowd of survivors and their families that the story of the massacre “will be known in full view.

A century after a white mob destroyed a vibrant African American community in Tulsa, Oklahoma, torching hundreds of homes and indiscriminately shooting people in the streets, President Joe Biden told a crowd of survivors and their families that the story of the massacre “will be known in full view.” It was the first time a president visited the area to address what had happened in Greenwood, a prosperous African American community, which was one of the worst outbreaks of racist violence in the United States but was largely ignored in history books. “For much too long, the history of what took place here was told in silence,” Biden said. “While darkness can hide much, it erases nothing.” Biden, who has made racial equity and justice central themes of his presidency, was in Tulsa to shed light on a painful part of the country’s history. He recalled in detail the horror that occurred from May 31 to June 1, 1921, when angry white people descended on Greenwood, killing as many as 300 people and destroying more than 1,250 homes. “My fellow Americans, this was not a riot,” Biden said, as people in the crowd rose to their feet. “This was a massacre.” A man was strapped to a truck and dragged through the street, the president said. The bodies of a murdered family were draped over a fence outside their home. An older couple was shot while praying. “We do ourselves no favors by pretending none of this ever happened,” Biden told the crowd. “We should know the good, the bad, everything. That’s what great nations do: They come to terms with their dark sides.” The president’s visit was also intended to highlight steps his administration is taking to close the wealth gap between Black and white people in the United States, even as activists criticized him for not doing enough to correct historical wrongs and put the disadvantaged on equal footing. Administration officials on Monday detailed efforts to direct more federal spending to small and minority-owned businesses, fair housing enhancements and programs intended to repair the damage to neighborhoods divided by transportation projects. Missing from the rollout, though, was a plan to cancel student debt — which disproportionately affects Black students — or to address the issue of reparations, federal repayments that relatives of Tulsa victims say could restore what was erased. White House officials have said that the president supports a study of the issue, as he does with the broader issue of reparations for Black Americans. The NAACP and other civil rights groups have criticized the Biden administration for not taking the step to cancel student loans, saying it is one of the biggest obstacles holding back Black people from sharing in the wealth of other Americans. “Student loan debt continues to suppress the economic prosperity of Black Americans across the nation,” Derrick Johnson, the NAACP president, said in a statement. “You cannot begin to address the racial wealth gap without addressing the student loan debt crisis.” On the way to Tulsa, Karine Jean-Pierre, the White House principal deputy press secretary, told reporters aboard Air Force One that the administration had provided billions in funding to Black colleges as part of its $1.7 trillion coronavirus plan. But she did not answer questions about alleviating the financial stress of those who currently have student debt. In a briefing for reporters Monday night, administration officials insisted that the other steps would help Black people around the country, particularly hard-hit communities like Greenwood. Biden’s visit to Tulsa was a somber one. Before he delivered remarks, he met privately with survivors of the massacre, each between the ages of 101 and 107, whom he mentioned throughout his speech. The violence started after the arrest of Dick Rowland, 19, a Black shoe shiner who was accused of assault against Sarah Page, 17, a white elevator operator. Accounts vary about what happened, but a common theory suggests Rowland tripped and grabbed onto the arm of Page while trying to catch his fall. She screamed, and he ran away, according to the commission report. As Biden toured the Greenwood Cultural Center, he was told that within 24 hours of that encounter, the white mob that formed after Rowland’s arrest destroyed much of Greenwood. The case was later dismissed. “The attack on Black families and Black wealth in Greenwood persisted across generations,” Biden said Sunday in a proclamation honoring the anniversary of the Tulsa massacre. “The federal government must reckon with and acknowledge the role that it has played in stripping wealth and opportunity from Black communities.” The president’s trip came as the country struggles to confront police brutality toward people of color a year after the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer galvanized Black Lives Matter protesters nationwide. But the political response to recent killings remains uncertain. Biden had vowed to secure passage of the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act by May 25, the anniversary of Floyd’s death. The bill would ban the police’s use of chokeholds, impose restrictions on deadly force and make it easier to prosecute officers for wrongdoing. The administration missed that deadline, but lawmakers in both parties have expressed optimism that they would be able to reach a compromise on the legislation in the coming weeks. Officials said that Biden’s visit Tuesday was intended to signal a new emphasis on racial equity and justice for Black Americans. Biden also said that he had directed Vice President Kamala Harris to lead Democrats in a sweeping legislative effort to protect voting rights, an issue that is critical to his legacy but faces increasingly daunting odds in the Senate. “To signify the importance of our efforts, today I’m asking Vice President Harris to help these efforts and lead them, among her many other responsibilities,” Biden said Tuesday. “With her leadership and your support, we’re going to overcome again, I promise you, but it’s going to take a hell of a lot of work.” Despite investigations, no one was ever convicted of crimes related to the Tulsa massacre. Biden has promised that his Justice Department will be more active in helping to root out bias and bigotry in American police departments. The Justice Department has already begun “pattern or practice” investigations in Louisville, Kentucky, and Minneapolis, which are intended to examine excessive force, biased policing and other misconduct by officers. The Rev. Al Sharpton, who has observed Biden’s evolution for decades, attended his speech in Tulsa. He graded the president’s performance on civil rights in an interview this spring. “I think that he has gone from probably a 65 to somewhere in the early 80s,” Sharpton said. “I think that we all haven’t gotten to the finals yet. He may go higher than that.”

In Tulsa, US President Biden tells of a massacre’s horrors

At the foot of modern buildings on an anonymous street, a few discreet metal plaques catch the eye.&nbsp;

"Grier shoemaker," "Earl real estate", riveted to the ground, they bear the names of Black-owned businesses that once stood there before being destroyed during one of the worst racial massacres in the United States, in 1921.&nbsp;

A rare vestige of a neighborhood so prosperous it was called Black Wall Street, the plaques prove that the history of Greenwood, a historically Black neighborhood of Tulsa, Oklahoma, is understood not by the monuments that currently stand, but the ones that are no longer there.&nbsp;

On the eve of a visit from President Joe Biden, popular with African-American voters, who will attend Tuesday's commemorations of the 100th anniversary of the massacre, and after a year marked by the Black Lives Matter movement, the killings resonate with current events more than ever.&nbsp;

"They came over and destroyed Greenwood and burned everything down," Bobby Eaton, 86, a neighborhood resident and former civil rights activist, told AFP.&nbsp;

A century ago, in the southern US town, the arrest of a young Black man accused of assaulting a white woman sparked one of the worst outpourings of racial violence ever seen in the country.&nbsp;

On May 31, 1921, after the arrest of Dick Rowland, hundreds of furious white people gathered outside the Tulsa courthouse, signalling to Black residents that a lynching, a common practice at the time and until as recently as the 1960s, was imminent.&nbsp;

A group of African-American World War I veterans, some of them armed, mobilised in an attempt to protect Rowland.&nbsp;

Tensions spiked and shots were fired. Fewer in number, the African-American residents retreated to Greenwood, known at the time for its economic prosperity and many businesses.&nbsp;

The next day, at dawn, white men looted and burned the buildings, chasing down and beating Black people living there. All day long, they ransacked Black Wall Street -- police not only did not intervene but joined in the destruction -- until nothing was left but ruins and ashes, killing up to 300 people in the process. The destruction left some 10,000 people homeless.&nbsp;

With a blue cap on his head and a T-shirt commemorating the massacre's centennial pulled over his shirt, Eaton feels marked by this event that he never saw but heard so much about as a child in his father's barber shop.&nbsp;

"I learned a lot about the riots as a very young person, that has never left my memory," he said.&nbsp;

In his opinion, as with many others in the neighborhood, it was the African-American prosperity that sparked the destruction. "That caused a great amount of jealousy, and it's still doing so.&nbsp;

"That mentality that destroyed Greenwood to begin with, to a great extent still exists right here in Tulsa," Eaton said.&nbsp;

Even 100 years after the massacre, racial tensions remain high.&nbsp;

In the Black Wall Street Liquid Lounge, a coffee shop named, like many businesses in Greenwood, in homage to the neighborhood's golden age, Kode Ransom, a 32-year-old African-American man, sports long dreadlocks and a big smile as he greets customers.&nbsp;

A happy co-manager of the business, he has one regret: not owning the walls around him.&nbsp;

"People hear 'Black Wall Street,' they think that it's completely controlled by Black people. It's actually not," he said.&nbsp;

Ransom estimates that about 20 African-American-owned businesses exist in Greenwood, and they all pay rent.&nbsp;

"We don't own the land," he said.&nbsp;

An urban planning policy, called urban renewal, carried out by the Tulsa city council since the 1960s, has had the effect of driving out African-American owners whose houses or businesses, deemed dilapidated, were demolished to make way for new buildings.&nbsp;

The construction of a seven-lane highway through the middle of the main street finished disfiguring the neighborhood.&nbsp;

"At the time when Greenwood was Greenwood, you had 40 blocks, and now it's all being condensed down to half of a street... and even on that half of a street it's still not really just Black Wall Street," said Ransom, sighing.&nbsp;

A few meters from the cafe, in the Greenwood Art Gallery, manager Queen Alexander, 31, arranges the exhibited paintings, which celebrate African-American culture.&nbsp;

She also pays rent -- and it's about to go up by 30 per cent. The opening of a large museum dedicated to the neighborhood's history, the Greenwood Rising History Center, which will officially open on Wednesday, has caused rent for the surrounding businesses to increase.&nbsp;

One of her acquaintances, who had run a beauty salon in Greenwood for more than 40 years, was evicted. "She couldn't afford the rent," said Alexander.&nbsp;

Outside the bay windows of her gallery, Alexander observes the gentrification at work.&nbsp;

"You do see now white people walking their dogs, and riding their bikes, in neighborhoods that you would never have seen them before," she said, noting the opening of a baseball field, a Starbucks and "a college that I probably couldn't afford.&nbsp;

For her, Greenwood without its African-American owners and historic buildings is no longer really Black Wall Street but "Greenwood district with some Black business leases."&nbsp;

And "if we all get evicted tomorrow, this is white Wall Street."&nbsp;

At the foot of modern buildings on an anonymous street, a few discreet metal plaques catch the eye. "Grier shoemaker," "Earl real estate", riveted to the ground, they bear the names of Black-owned businesses that once stood there before being destroyed during one of the worst racial massacres in the United States, in 1921.

At the foot of modern buildings on an anonymous street, a few discreet metal plaques catch the eye. "Grier shoemaker," "Earl real estate", riveted to the ground, they bear the names of Black-owned businesses that once stood there before being destroyed during one of the worst racial massacres in the United States, in 1921. A rare vestige of a neighborhood so prosperous it was called Black Wall Street, the plaques prove that the history of Greenwood, a historically Black neighborhood of Tulsa, Oklahoma, is understood not by the monuments that currently stand, but the ones that are no longer there. On the eve of a visit from President Joe Biden, popular with African-American voters, who will attend Tuesday's commemorations of the 100th anniversary of the massacre, and after a year marked by the Black Lives Matter movement, the killings resonate with current events more than ever. "They came over and destroyed Greenwood and burned everything down," Bobby Eaton, 86, a neighborhood resident and former civil rights activist, told AFP. A century ago, in the southern US town, the arrest of a young Black man accused of assaulting a white woman sparked one of the worst outpourings of racial violence ever seen in the country. On May 31, 1921, after the arrest of Dick Rowland, hundreds of furious white people gathered outside the Tulsa courthouse, signalling to Black residents that a lynching, a common practice at the time and until as recently as the 1960s, was imminent. A group of African-American World War I veterans, some of them armed, mobilised in an attempt to protect Rowland. Tensions spiked and shots were fired. Fewer in number, the African-American residents retreated to Greenwood, known at the time for its economic prosperity and many businesses. The next day, at dawn, white men looted and burned the buildings, chasing down and beating Black people living there. All day long, they ransacked Black Wall Street -- police not only did not intervene but joined in the destruction -- until nothing was left but ruins and ashes, killing up to 300 people in the process. The destruction left some 10,000 people homeless. With a blue cap on his head and a T-shirt commemorating the massacre's centennial pulled over his shirt, Eaton feels marked by this event that he never saw but heard so much about as a child in his father's barber shop. "I learned a lot about the riots as a very young person, that has never left my memory," he said. In his opinion, as with many others in the neighborhood, it was the African-American prosperity that sparked the destruction. "That caused a great amount of jealousy, and it's still doing so. "That mentality that destroyed Greenwood to begin with, to a great extent still exists right here in Tulsa," Eaton said. Even 100 years after the massacre, racial tensions remain high. In the Black Wall Street Liquid Lounge, a coffee shop named, like many businesses in Greenwood, in homage to the neighborhood's golden age, Kode Ransom, a 32-year-old African-American man, sports long dreadlocks and a big smile as he greets customers. A happy co-manager of the business, he has one regret: not owning the walls around him. "People hear 'Black Wall Street,' they think that it's completely controlled by Black people. It's actually not," he said. Ransom estimates that about 20 African-American-owned businesses exist in Greenwood, and they all pay rent. "We don't own the land," he said. An urban planning policy, called urban renewal, carried out by the Tulsa city council since the 1960s, has had the effect of driving out African-American owners whose houses or businesses, deemed dilapidated, were demolished to make way for new buildings. The construction of a seven-lane highway through the middle of the main street finished disfiguring the neighborhood. "At the time when Greenwood was Greenwood, you had 40 blocks, and now it's all being condensed down to half of a street... and even on that half of a street it's still not really just Black Wall Street," said Ransom, sighing. A few meters from the cafe, in the Greenwood Art Gallery, manager Queen Alexander, 31, arranges the exhibited paintings, which celebrate African-American culture. She also pays rent -- and it's about to go up by 30 per cent. The opening of a large museum dedicated to the neighborhood's history, the Greenwood Rising History Center, which will officially open on Wednesday, has caused rent for the surrounding businesses to increase. One of her acquaintances, who had run a beauty salon in Greenwood for more than 40 years, was evicted. "She couldn't afford the rent," said Alexander. Outside the bay windows of her gallery, Alexander observes the gentrification at work. "You do see now white people walking their dogs, and riding their bikes, in neighborhoods that you would never have seen them before," she said, noting the opening of a baseball field, a Starbucks and "a college that I probably couldn't afford. For her, Greenwood without its African-American owners and historic buildings is no longer really Black Wall Street but "Greenwood district with some Black business leases." And "if we all get evicted tomorrow, this is white Wall Street."

100 years after Tulsa race massacre, African Americans still feel outcast 

US President Joe Biden is preparing to recognise the killing of 1.5 million Armenians by Ottoman Empire in World War I era as genocide, as per reports in US media. This move is sure to create tension between the US and its NATO ally Turkey.

Turkey vehemently rejects such a designation but it has already been adopted by dozens of other countries including France and Russia.

It is expected that Biden will announce the designation on Saturday, as per New York Times and Wall Street Journal. Saturday also marks 106th anniversary of the mass killings that began in 1915, when the Ottoman Empire was battling Tsarist Russia during World War I in the region that is now Armenia.

The move would make Biden the first US president to explicitly call the killings a genocide, and although the historic designation would carry no legal consequences it would infuriate Ankara, which insists there was no genocide and that both sides committed atrocities during the war.

The reports came after more than 100 members of Congress, led by Adam Schiff, the Democratic chair of the House Intelligence Committee, wrote to the president urging him to make good on a campaign promise to recognize the genocide.

The US Congress formally recognized the killings as genocide in December 2019 in a symbolic vote. 
"For decades, while leaders around the world recognize the first genocide of the 20th century, the president of the United States has remained silent," the letter said.

"Mr President, as you said last year in your April 24 statement, 'Silence is complicity.' The shameful silence of the United States government on the historic fact of the Armenian Genocide has gone on for too long, and it must end," the letter said.

After the Dutch parliament passed a motion in February urging the government to recognize the genocide, Turkey said the move was "aimed at rewriting history based on political motives."&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

US President Joe Biden is preparing to recognise the killing of 1.5 million Armenians by Ottoman Empire in World War I era as genocide, as per reports in US media.

US President Joe Biden is preparing to recognise the killing of 1.5 million Armenians by Ottoman Empire in World War I era as genocide, as per reports in US media. This move is sure to create tension between the US and its NATO ally Turkey. Turkey vehemently rejects such a designation but it has already been adopted by dozens of other countries including France and Russia. It is expected that Biden will announce the designation on Saturday, as per New York Times and Wall Street Journal. Saturday also marks 106th anniversary of the mass killings that began in 1915, when the Ottoman Empire was battling Tsarist Russia during World War I in the region that is now Armenia. The move would make Biden the first US president to explicitly call the killings a genocide, and although the historic designation would carry no legal consequences it would infuriate Ankara, which insists there was no genocide and that both sides committed atrocities during the war. The reports came after more than 100 members of Congress, led by Adam Schiff, the Democratic chair of the House Intelligence Committee, wrote to the president urging him to make good on a campaign promise to recognize the genocide. The US Congress formally recognized the killings as genocide in December 2019 in a symbolic vote. "For decades, while leaders around the world recognize the first genocide of the 20th century, the president of the United States has remained silent," the letter said. "Mr President, as you said last year in your April 24 statement, 'Silence is complicity.' The shameful silence of the United States government on the historic fact of the Armenian Genocide has gone on for too long, and it must end," the letter said. After the Dutch parliament passed a motion in February urging the government to recognize the genocide, Turkey said the move was "aimed at rewriting history based on political motives." (With inputs from agencies)

Biden to recognise WW-I massacre of Armenians as genocide: Reports

Former South Korean dictator Chun Doo-hwan was found guilty of defaming a dead priest on Monday, in connection with a pro-democracy uprising his troops crushed 40 years ago.

The 89-year-old dozed off as the verdict was read out in Gwangju, where the 1980 demonstrations ended in a bloodbath, but he was spared a return to prison.&nbsp;

The official toll for the dead or missing is around 200 people, but activists say it may have been three times as high, and Chun is known as the "Butcher of Gwangju".

He still denies any direct involvement in the suppression of the uprising, and in a 2017 memoir denounced a priest who had repeatedly testified that helicopter gunships had opened fire on civilians, as "Satan in a mask".

Under South Korean libel law defamation can be a criminal offence as well as a civil matter, relatives can file such complaints on behalf of dead people, and truth is not necessarily a defence.

The priest's family lodged a criminal libel complaint against Chun and prosecutors took him to trial.

"Chun was aware of the helicopter shots fired," the court said, adding Chun alone bore the "main responsibility" for the casualties.

It gave him an eight-month suspended sentence, well short of the 18-month custodial term sought by prosecutors, with Yonhap news agency quoting the judge as calling on him to "sincerely atone" for his deeds.

Wearing a facemask and a black hat, Chun -- who was not held in custody during the trial -- did not speak to reporters as he left.

Chun governed South Korea with an iron fist during the 1980s. He oversaw the country's economic rise and won the right to host the 1988 Summer Olympics, but also brutally repressed opponents until mass demonstrations forced him to accept democracy.&nbsp;

He was the country's first president to hand over power peacefully, but remains among its most reviled figures.

In 1996, he was convicted of treason and condemned to death, in part over what happened at Gwangju, but his execution was commuted on appeal and he was released following a presidential pardon.

All four of South Korea's living ex-presidents are either currently in prison or have previously served jail terms.

Former South Korean dictator Chun Doo-hwan was found guilty of defaming a dead priest on Monday, in connection with a pro-democracy uprising his troops crushed 40 years ago.

Former South Korean dictator Chun Doo-hwan was found guilty of defaming a dead priest on Monday, in connection with a pro-democracy uprising his troops crushed 40 years ago. The 89-year-old dozed off as the verdict was read out in Gwangju, where the 1980 demonstrations ended in a bloodbath, but he was spared a return to prison. The official toll for the dead or missing is around 200 people, but activists say it may have been three times as high, and Chun is known as the "Butcher of Gwangju". He still denies any direct involvement in the suppression of the uprising, and in a 2017 memoir denounced a priest who had repeatedly testified that helicopter gunships had opened fire on civilians, as "Satan in a mask". Under South Korean libel law defamation can be a criminal offence as well as a civil matter, relatives can file such complaints on behalf of dead people, and truth is not necessarily a defence. The priest's family lodged a criminal libel complaint against Chun and prosecutors took him to trial. "Chun was aware of the helicopter shots fired," the court said, adding Chun alone bore the "main responsibility" for the casualties. It gave him an eight-month suspended sentence, well short of the 18-month custodial term sought by prosecutors, with Yonhap news agency quoting the judge as calling on him to "sincerely atone" for his deeds. Wearing a facemask and a black hat, Chun -- who was not held in custody during the trial -- did not speak to reporters as he left. Chun governed South Korea with an iron fist during the 1980s. He oversaw the country's economic rise and won the right to host the 1988 Summer Olympics, but also brutally repressed opponents until mass demonstrations forced him to accept democracy. He was the country's first president to hand over power peacefully, but remains among its most reviled figures. In 1996, he was convicted of treason and condemned to death, in part over what happened at Gwangju, but his execution was commuted on appeal and he was released following a presidential pardon. All four of South Korea's living ex-presidents are either currently in prison or have previously served jail terms.

Former South Korean dictator Chun guilty of defamation over massacre

On 5 June 1989, the world woke up to the images of the massacre in Tiananmen. What action did the world's democracies take? What was India's stance under the Rajiv Gandhi government? WION's Palki Sharma gets you a report.

Gravitas: Tiananmen Massacre | How the world responded 31 years back

The Tiananmen Square massacre is something China wants the world to forget. It was an event that killed any hopes of democracy in China. WION's Palki Sharma tells you how the ghost of Tiananmen still haunts Beijing.

Gravitas: 31 years since Tiananmen Massacre | What has changed in China?

On June 4, 1989, China sent tanks and military to Tiananmen Square. A pro-democracy movement was massacred under the cover of night. 31 years on, China has not released a death toll. WION's Palki Sharma gets you a report on the night that changed China forever.

Gravitas: Remembering the Tiananmen Square Massacre

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Communist governments were folding one after another. When the Soviet Union collapsed, China was hit the hardest. WION's Palki Sharma tells you why the global shift towards democracy was nightmarish for Beijing.

Gravitas: Tiananmen Massacre | Geopolitical changes that rattled China

Two things scare China, the ghost of Tiananmen Square, and more importantly- meeting the same fate as the Soviet Union. Because despite years of rapid changes, the chorus for democracy is echoing in China once again. WION's Palki Sharma gets you the story.

Gravitas: Tiananmen Massacre | What China fears the most

31 years ago young protestors in China had gathered in Tiananmen Square in Beijing and were demanding freedom and individual rights like those granted to people in the west. The Chinese government chose to send troops and tanks to crush the protestors and that came to be known as the 'Tiananmen Massacre'.

31 years since Tiananmen Square massacre | 1989 | China

A judge in the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/child-killed-as-earthquake-strikes-southern-philippines-268381">Philippines</a> prepared to deliver a verdict on Thursday on the&nbsp;massacre&nbsp;a decade ago of 58 people, among them 32 journalists, in one of the country's most high-profile cases and its worst single instance of election violence.

Three generations of a&nbsp;political&nbsp;clan accused of masterminding the&nbsp;2009&nbsp;killings are among 101 defendants awaiting judgement, in a case seen as a crucial test of impunity in country where provincial power is often decided by corruption, intimidation and violence.

Seven members of the influential Ampatuan family are accused of conspiring to ambush the convoy of a rival clan as it travelled to register its candidate for a gubernatorial election in the southern province of <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/two-explosions-rock-southern-philippines-ahead-of-election-218374">Maguindanao</a>, an attack that spiralled into a bloodbath.

Among the casualties were the wife and relatives of the rival candidate, lawyers and 32 media workers, who were executed beside a rural road in a volley of gunfire, before being buried with their vehicles in a huge pit dug by an excavator.

It was one of the world's single, biggest attacks on journalists. The defendants deny charges of multiple counts of murder and face up to 30 years in jail for each one.

There were 357 witnesses and 197 suspects, 80 of those still at large, including 12 Ampatuans. The family patriarch, Andal Ampatuan, died in prison of a heart attack in 2015.

Five other Ampatuan family members and 54 police are also on trial and lawyers for the families said a guilty verdict would be crucial for&nbsp;Philippine&nbsp;democracy.

"We are rooting for a conviction no more, no less," Nena Santos, a private prosecutor in the case, told reporters.

"This is very important because if no conviction here it would mean the impunity continues, press freedom is dead and the democratic process is at stake."

The judge and lawyers were in discussions about how much of the verdict to read out from its more than 700 pages.

The attack, known as the "Maguindanao&nbsp;Massacre", was chilling even by&nbsp;Philippine&nbsp;standards, where&nbsp;political&nbsp;assassinations are commonplace in elections for mayors, governors and even congress. Several witnesses in the case have been killed.

Muslim-dominated parts of the southern&nbsp;Philippines are notoriously violent, prone to lawlessness, <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/philippine-troops-pound-islamists-as-death-toll-passes-300-16944">separatist unrest</a> and the&nbsp;rule&nbsp;of warlords aided by an abundance of arms.

Human Rights Watch said that regardless of the verdict, suspects on the run must be caught.

"The families of Maguindanao victims and witnesses will be at risk so long as suspects remain free," said Phil Robertson, the group's deputy Asia director.

A judge in the Philippines prepared to deliver a verdict on Thursday on the massacre a decade ago of 58 people, among them 32 journalists, in one of the country's most high-profile cases and its worst single instance of election violence.

A judge in the Philippines prepared to deliver a verdict on Thursday on the massacre a decade ago of 58 people, among them 32 journalists, in one of the country's most high-profile cases and its worst single instance of election violence. Three generations of a political clan accused of masterminding the 2009 killings are among 101 defendants awaiting judgement, in a case seen as a crucial test of impunity in country where provincial power is often decided by corruption, intimidation and violence. Seven members of the influential Ampatuan family are accused of conspiring to ambush the convoy of a rival clan as it travelled to register its candidate for a gubernatorial election in the southern province of Maguindanao, an attack that spiralled into a bloodbath. Among the casualties were the wife and relatives of the rival candidate, lawyers and 32 media workers, who were executed beside a rural road in a volley of gunfire, before being buried with their vehicles in a huge pit dug by an excavator. It was one of the world's single, biggest attacks on journalists. The defendants deny charges of multiple counts of murder and face up to 30 years in jail for each one. There were 357 witnesses and 197 suspects, 80 of those still at large, including 12 Ampatuans. The family patriarch, Andal Ampatuan, died in prison of a heart attack in 2015. Five other Ampatuan family members and 54 police are also on trial and lawyers for the families said a guilty verdict would be crucial for Philippine democracy. "We are rooting for a conviction no more, no less," Nena Santos, a private prosecutor in the case, told reporters. "This is very important because if no conviction here it would mean the impunity continues, press freedom is dead and the democratic process is at stake." The judge and lawyers were in discussions about how much of the verdict to read out from its more than 700 pages. The attack, known as the "Maguindanao Massacre", was chilling even by Philippine standards, where political assassinations are commonplace in elections for mayors, governors and even congress. Several witnesses in the case have been killed. Muslim-dominated parts of the southern Philippines are notoriously violent, prone to lawlessness, separatist unrest and the rule of warlords aided by an abundance of arms. Human Rights Watch said that regardless of the verdict, suspects on the run must be caught. "The families of Maguindanao victims and witnesses will be at risk so long as suspects remain free," said Phil Robertson, the group's deputy Asia director.

Philippine court to rule on 2009 political massacre

The United Nations&nbsp;High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNCHR)&nbsp;urged Guinea on Saturday to "speed up" the trial for those responsible for a massacre on more than 150 opposition supporters exactly 10 years ago.

More than 100 women were also raped by troops during a massive opposition protest in a stadium in the capital Conakry on September 28, 2009, against then junta chief Moussa Dadis Camara whose security forces opened fire on the crowd.

"Impunity has prevailed for too long in Guinea and is preventing victims’ scars from healing," the U.N.'s Michelle Bachelet said in a statement.

"Sustainable peace and reconciliation will not be achieved until justice and accountability is upheld," she added.

Guinean judges completed the investigation into the massacre in 2017 but a trial date has still not been set.

On Friday, Guinea Prime Minister Ibrahima Kassory Fofana said the government was "determined" to organise a trial of the alleged perpetrators of the killings "to deliver justice to the victims".&nbsp;

A U.N. Commission of Inquiry established in 2009 concluded that there was a "strong presumption that crimes against humanity were committed".

The U.N. said 156 people were killed, at least 109 girls and women were victims of sexual violence, corpses were buried in mass graves, demonstrators were tortured and authorities "modified" crime scenes.

Bachelet said despite the investigation recommending Guinean authorities prosecute those responsible and compensate victims almost a decade ago, there had been "little tangible progress so far".&nbsp;

"It is particularly worrying that a number of high-ranking indicted officials are still serving and have not yet been brought to justice," she said, urging the authorities to "speed up the organisation of the trial".

Camara, a former army officer, seized power in 2008 after the death of Guinea's longtime dictator Lansana Conte.

After surviving an assassination attempt in 2009, Camara fled the to exile in Burkina Faso, where he was indicted in July 2015 by Guinean magistrates for his alleged involvement in the massacre.

President Alpha Conde became Guinea's first democratically elected president in 2010, taking over a nation run by a succession of strongmen following independence from France.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNCHR) urged Guinea on Saturday to "speed up" the trial for those responsible for a massacre on more than 150 opposition supporters exactly 10 years ago.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNCHR) urged Guinea on Saturday to "speed up" the trial for those responsible for a massacre on more than 150 opposition supporters exactly 10 years ago. More than 100 women were also raped by troops during a massive opposition protest in a stadium in the capital Conakry on September 28, 2009, against then junta chief Moussa Dadis Camara whose security forces opened fire on the crowd. "Impunity has prevailed for too long in Guinea and is preventing victims’ scars from healing," the U.N.'s Michelle Bachelet said in a statement. "Sustainable peace and reconciliation will not be achieved until justice and accountability is upheld," she added. Guinean judges completed the investigation into the massacre in 2017 but a trial date has still not been set. On Friday, Guinea Prime Minister Ibrahima Kassory Fofana said the government was "determined" to organise a trial of the alleged perpetrators of the killings "to deliver justice to the victims". A U.N. Commission of Inquiry established in 2009 concluded that there was a "strong presumption that crimes against humanity were committed". The U.N. said 156 people were killed, at least 109 girls and women were victims of sexual violence, corpses were buried in mass graves, demonstrators were tortured and authorities "modified" crime scenes. Bachelet said despite the investigation recommending Guinean authorities prosecute those responsible and compensate victims almost a decade ago, there had been "little tangible progress so far". "It is particularly worrying that a number of high-ranking indicted officials are still serving and have not yet been brought to justice," she said, urging the authorities to "speed up the organisation of the trial". Camara, a former army officer, seized power in 2008 after the death of Guinea's longtime dictator Lansana Conte. After surviving an assassination attempt in 2009, Camara fled the to exile in Burkina Faso, where he was indicted in July 2015 by Guinean magistrates for his alleged involvement in the massacre. President Alpha Conde became Guinea's first democratically elected president in 2010, taking over a nation run by a succession of strongmen following independence from France.

After 10 years, U.N. urges justice for Guinea stadium massacre

Gilroy Garlic Festival in California was wrapping up and that was the last day of the festival when the mass shooting took place. On the final day, the venue was full of people. 3 are dead and 15 have been injured in this massacre. A suspect has been detained.

Gilroy Garlic Festival Shooting: Shooter identified as a teen named Santini William Legan

The leader of the Central African Republic proclaimed three days of mourning starting Thursday for more than 50 people killed this week in a massacre attributed to an armed group called 3R.

The public display of sorrow was to honour the victims of the killings that took place Tuesday in villages near the northwestern town of Paoua, close to the border with Chad, as well as the murder of a 77-year-old French-Spanish nun in the southwest of the country whose beheaded body was found Monday, according to the decree by President Faustin-Archange Touadera.

The slaughter near Paoua was the biggest single loss of life since the government and 14 militias signed a deal in February aimed at restoring peace to one of Africa's most troubled countries.

The UN peacekeeping mission in the Central African Republic, MINUSCA, revised up its death toll from the northwest massacre to more than 50, from a previous count of more than 30.

According to one UN source, the 3R group -- which gets its initials from "Return, Reclamation and Reconciliation" and claims to represent the Fulani, one of the country's many ethnic groups -- hosted a meeting with the villagers and then gunned them down indiscriminately.

MINUSCA and the country's authorities on Wednesday gave the 3R group until the end of the week to hand over the suspected perpetrators of the massacre.

In a statement on Thursday, <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/world-not-on-track-with-climate-change-un-chief-antonio-guterres-218068">UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres</a> condemned "the attacks against villages in the western Central African Republic".

Guterres noted that the attacks "were attributed to 3R", which is a "signatory to the peace agreement signed on 6 February in Bangui".

"He urges all the signatory armed groups to immediately cease all violence in line with their commitments in the peace agreement," the statement said.

The leader of the Central African Republic proclaimed three days of mourning starting Thursday for more than 50 people killed this week in a massacre attributed to an armed group called 3R.

The leader of the Central African Republic proclaimed three days of mourning starting Thursday for more than 50 people killed this week in a massacre attributed to an armed group called 3R. The public display of sorrow was to honour the victims of the killings that took place Tuesday in villages near the northwestern town of Paoua, close to the border with Chad, as well as the murder of a 77-year-old French-Spanish nun in the southwest of the country whose beheaded body was found Monday, according to the decree by President Faustin-Archange Touadera. The slaughter near Paoua was the biggest single loss of life since the government and 14 militias signed a deal in February aimed at restoring peace to one of Africa's most troubled countries. The UN peacekeeping mission in the Central African Republic, MINUSCA, revised up its death toll from the northwest massacre to more than 50, from a previous count of more than 30. According to one UN source, the 3R group -- which gets its initials from "Return, Reclamation and Reconciliation" and claims to represent the Fulani, one of the country's many ethnic groups -- hosted a meeting with the villagers and then gunned them down indiscriminately. MINUSCA and the country's authorities on Wednesday gave the 3R group until the end of the week to hand over the suspected perpetrators of the massacre. In a statement on Thursday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned "the attacks against villages in the western Central African Republic". Guterres noted that the attacks "were attributed to 3R", which is a "signatory to the peace agreement signed on 6 February in Bangui". "He urges all the signatory armed groups to immediately cease all violence in line with their commitments in the peace agreement," the statement said.

Central Africa holds three days' mourning over massacre

Brazilian authorities say there has been a “massacre” in the country’s northern Para state without releasing any details, while Brazilian news media say gunmen attacked a bar in Belem City and killed 11 people.

The shooting took place in the city of Belem, the public safety department of northern Para state said.

There was no immediate word on the motive of the shooting.

The attackers fled but the news website G1 quoted police as saying one was wounded and is in police custody.

The fatalities are six women and five men, media reports.

Seven men carried out the shooting after arriving on a motorcycle and in three cars, said G1. They fled after the attack.

The bar where the shooting took place is in a neighbourhood which got police reinforcements in March to fight crime.

(With inputs from AFP)

Brazilian authorities say there has been a “massacre” in the country’s northern Para state without releasing any details, while Brazilian news media say gunmen attacked a bar in Belem City and killed 11 people.

Brazilian authorities say there has been a “massacre” in the country’s northern Para state without releasing any details, while Brazilian news media say gunmen attacked a bar in Belem City and killed 11 people. The shooting took place in the city of Belem, the public safety department of northern Para state said. There was no immediate word on the motive of the shooting. The attackers fled but the news website G1 quoted police as saying one was wounded and is in police custody. The fatalities are six women and five men, media reports. Seven men carried out the shooting after arriving on a motorcycle and in three cars, said G1. They fled after the attack. The bar where the shooting took place is in a neighbourhood which got police reinforcements in March to fight crime. (With inputs from AFP)

Brazil bar shooting: 11 killed in ‘massacre’ after gunman fires in Belem City

The Amarinder Singh-led Punjab government will build a memorial on the occasion of the centenary commemoration of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre in Amritsar with soil from all 13,000 villages of the state.

As per an official note issued by the Chief Minister's office, the Rural Development and Panchayats have been designated as the nodal department to coordinate with the Panchayats of all villages across the state for this cause.

The Chief Minister has also asked Amritsar Deputy Commissioner to identify a strategic spot in the city where the memorial could be erected with soil brought from these villages.

He also directed the Cultural Affairs and Tourism Department to engage with the Arts and Cultural Heritage Trust, which had created the Partition Museum at Town Hall, Amritsar, to conceptualise and plan the memorial.

"The Chief Minister has asked the Principal Secretary Cultural Affairs to coordinate with all the concerned departments to ensure a grand function at Amritsar on April 13, 2019. Captain Amarinder also asked the ACS Home to make elaborate security arrangements to ensure hassle-free access to the people for paying respects to the martyrs at the Jallianwala Bagh Memorial. At the same time, he said, the devotees visiting Sri Darbar Sahib should not be put to any sort of inconvenience caused during the centenary commemorations," the note read.

In addition to erecting the memorial, Amarinder suggested that the Department of School Education should include a chapter in its curriculum on the Jallianwala Bagh carnage to "imbibe the spirit of patriotism and nationalism amongst the students."

He also asked the ACS Higher Education and Secretary School Education to organise seminars, symposiums, declamation contests and panel discussions on the various aspects of the tragedy.

Responding to the suggestion, ACS Higher Education SK Sandhu informed that national seminars, along with symposiums on the theme of Jallianwala Bagh would be organised, in addition to printing and distribution of pamphlets and folders and staging of Nukkad Nataks.

Apprising the Chief Minister about the decisions taken by the State Level Implementation Committee, Tourism and Cultural Affairs Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu said that with a special focus on the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, the Art and Culture Heritage Trust would organise a Heritage Walk in the old Amritsar town, in addition to an exhibition depicting some known and unknown facts about the massacre.

Apart from these, an exhibition would also be held in 10 cities of the state to highlight the saga of the Indian freedom struggle.

The Jallianwala Bagh massacre took place on 13 April 1919 when troops of the British Indian Army under the command of Colonel Reginald Dyer fired machine guns into a crowd of unarmed protesters, along with Baishakhi pilgrims, who had gathered in Jallianwala Bagh, Amritsar, Punjab.

The British government had released figures stating 379 dead and 1,200 wounded.

The Amarinder Singh-led Punjab government will build a memorial on the occasion of the centenary commemoration of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre in Amritsar with soil from all 13,000 villages of the state.

The Amarinder Singh-led Punjab government will build a memorial on the occasion of the centenary commemoration of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre in Amritsar with soil from all 13,000 villages of the state. As per an official note issued by the Chief Minister's office, the Rural Development and Panchayats have been designated as the nodal department to coordinate with the Panchayats of all villages across the state for this cause. The Chief Minister has also asked Amritsar Deputy Commissioner to identify a strategic spot in the city where the memorial could be erected with soil brought from these villages. He also directed the Cultural Affairs and Tourism Department to engage with the Arts and Cultural Heritage Trust, which had created the Partition Museum at Town Hall, Amritsar, to conceptualise and plan the memorial. "The Chief Minister has asked the Principal Secretary Cultural Affairs to coordinate with all the concerned departments to ensure a grand function at Amritsar on April 13, 2019. Captain Amarinder also asked the ACS Home to make elaborate security arrangements to ensure hassle-free access to the people for paying respects to the martyrs at the Jallianwala Bagh Memorial. At the same time, he said, the devotees visiting Sri Darbar Sahib should not be put to any sort of inconvenience caused during the centenary commemorations," the note read. In addition to erecting the memorial, Amarinder suggested that the Department of School Education should include a chapter in its curriculum on the Jallianwala Bagh carnage to "imbibe the spirit of patriotism and nationalism amongst the students." He also asked the ACS Higher Education and Secretary School Education to organise seminars, symposiums, declamation contests and panel discussions on the various aspects of the tragedy. Responding to the suggestion, ACS Higher Education SK Sandhu informed that national seminars, along with symposiums on the theme of Jallianwala Bagh would be organised, in addition to printing and distribution of pamphlets and folders and staging of Nukkad Nataks. Apprising the Chief Minister about the decisions taken by the State Level Implementation Committee, Tourism and Cultural Affairs Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu said that with a special focus on the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, the Art and Culture Heritage Trust would organise a Heritage Walk in the old Amritsar town, in addition to an exhibition depicting some known and unknown facts about the massacre. Apart from these, an exhibition would also be held in 10 cities of the state to highlight the saga of the Indian freedom struggle. The Jallianwala Bagh massacre took place on 13 April 1919 when troops of the British Indian Army under the command of Colonel Reginald Dyer fired machine guns into a crowd of unarmed protesters, along with Baishakhi pilgrims, who had gathered in Jallianwala Bagh, Amritsar, Punjab. The British government had released figures stating 379 dead and 1,200 wounded.

Punjab government to build Jallianwala Bagh massacre memorial with soil from 13,000 villages

Myanmar army chief Min Aung Hlaing has told military personnel in the country that they must obey the law, citing as an example the sentencing of seven soldiers for a massacre of Rohingya Muslim men that was the subject of a Reuters investigation.

In a speech at a military school in the country's north, Min Aung Hlaing told soldiers they "must abide by the military codes of conduct and international laws and conventions", according to a translation posted on his official Facebook page on Thursday.

"No one is above the law. Actions will be taken if someone breaks the law. The problems in Inn Din village ... were solved in line with the Geneva Convention and legal action was taken against military officers and other ranks who failed to respect the law," said Min Aung Hlaing, in his first direct comment on the killings.

Seven soldiers were sentenced to 10 years in prison with hard labour this month for taking part in the massacre of 10 Rohingya men in the village of Inn Din, in northwestern Rakhine state, last September.

The massacre was being investigated by two Reuters journalists - Wa Lone, 32, and Kyaw Soe Oo, 28 - who were arrested in December and remain in custody accused of violating the country's Official Secrets Act.

The authorities told Reuters in February the military opened an internal investigation into the killings independently and that it was unrelated to the Reuters reporters, who they said were accused of obtaining unrelated secret government papers.

The Rohingya men were buried in a mass grave in early September after being hacked to death or shot by Buddhist civilian neighbours and soldiers. Reuters published its story on the murders in February.

The killings were part of a larger army crackdown on the Rohingya, beset by allegations of murder, rape, arson and looting, unleashed in response to Rohingya militant attacks on security forces in late August.&nbsp

Nearly 700,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled Myanmar as a result, according to United Nations agencies. The UN&nbspand the United States described it as ethnic cleansing - an accusation that Myanmar denies.

Min Aung Hlaing, one of the most powerful people in a country where the constitution requires the civilian government of Aung San Suu Kyi to share power with the military, reiterated in his speech the army's position that the Rakhine operation was a legitimate counteroffensive against "Bengali terrorists".

Seven soldiers were sentenced to 10 years in prison with hard labour this month for taking part in the massacre of 10 Rohingya men in the village of Inn Din

Myanmar army chief Min Aung Hlaing has told military personnel in the country that they must obey the law, citing as an example the sentencing of seven soldiers for a massacre of Rohingya Muslim men that was the subject of a Reuters investigation. In a speech at a military school in the country's north, Min Aung Hlaing told soldiers they "must abide by the military codes of conduct and international laws and conventions", according to a translation posted on his official Facebook page on Thursday. "No one is above the law. Actions will be taken if someone breaks the law. The problems in Inn Din village ... were solved in line with the Geneva Convention and legal action was taken against military officers and other ranks who failed to respect the law," said Min Aung Hlaing, in his first direct comment on the killings. Seven soldiers were sentenced to 10 years in prison with hard labour this month for taking part in the massacre of 10 Rohingya men in the village of Inn Din, in northwestern Rakhine state, last September. The massacre was being investigated by two Reuters journalists - Wa Lone, 32, and Kyaw Soe Oo, 28 - who were arrested in December and remain in custody accused of violating the country's Official Secrets Act. The authorities told Reuters in February the military opened an internal investigation into the killings independently and that it was unrelated to the Reuters reporters, who they said were accused of obtaining unrelated secret government papers. The Rohingya men were buried in a mass grave in early September after being hacked to death or shot by Buddhist civilian neighbours and soldiers. Reuters published its story on the murders in February. The killings were part of a larger army crackdown on the Rohingya, beset by allegations of murder, rape, arson and looting, unleashed in response to Rohingya militant attacks on security forces in late August. Nearly 700,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled Myanmar as a result, according to United Nations agencies. The UN&nbspand the United States described it as ethnic cleansing - an accusation that Myanmar denies. Min Aung Hlaing, one of the most powerful people in a country where the constitution requires the civilian government of Aung San Suu Kyi to share power with the military, reiterated in his speech the army's position that the Rakhine operation was a legitimate counteroffensive against "Bengali terrorists".

Citing Rohingya massacre, Myanmar army chief urges soldiers to obey law

US President Donald Trump on Friday visited a Florida hospital to offer comfort to those wounded in a mass school shooting after the FBI admitted it mishandled a tip about the troubled teen behind the massacre that left 17 dead.

The arrival of Trump and his wife Melania came at the end of a difficult day for the families of those killed in Wednesday&#39;s rampage at a high school in Parkland, Florida, who learned that the carnage could perhaps have been averted.

The FBI, the top US law enforcement agency, admitted it had received a chilling warning in January from a tipster who said the 19-year-old gunman, Nikolas Cruz, could be planning a mass shooting, but that agents failed to follow up.

At Broward Health North Hospital, where Trump met with survivors of the shooting, the president thanked the doctors, nurses and first responders for their &quot;incredible&quot; work, and described the carnage as &quot;very sad.&quot;&nbsp;

He and his wife were also expected to visit the Broward County sheriff&#39;s office &quot;to meet with the law enforcement officials whose bravery helped save lives,&quot; a White House official said.

The president&#39;s visit to Parkland -- an area about 50 miles (80 kilometers) north of Miami -- came amid growing anger among parents and students in the south Florida city over America&#39;s seeming unwillingness to toughen gun control laws.

&quot;My princess wasn&#39;t safe in that school,&quot; said Andrew Pollack, speaking at the funeral of his 18-year-old daughter Meadow. &quot;Please pray that this horrific tragedy never happens to another family.&quot;

Lori Alhadeff, whose 14-year-old daughter Alyssa was killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, made an emotional appeal to Trump on camera with tears rolling down her face.

&quot;We need action! Action! Action!&quot; Alhadeff urged in an interview with CNN, addressing Trump as the father of an 11-year-old son of his own.

&quot;Let&#39;s protect Barron, and let&#39;s also protect all these other kids here in Parkland, in Florida, and everyone everywhere else,&quot; she said.

Admitting error &#39;isn&#39;t going to cut it

The FBI made a stunning admission earlier in the day, saying a &quot;person close to Nikolas Cruz&quot; made a call to the agency&#39;s public tipline on January 5 to &quot;report concerns about him.&quot;

&quot;The caller provided information about Cruz&#39;s gun ownership, desire to kill people, erratic behavior, and disturbing social media posts, as well as the potential of him conducting a school shooting,&quot; the FBI said in a statement.

The information from the caller &quot;should have been assessed as a potential threat to life&quot; and forwarded to the agency&#39;s Miami field office, it said.

Instead, &quot;no further investigation was conducted.&quot;

&quot;We have spoken with victims and families, and deeply regret the additional pain this causes all those affected by this horrific tragedy,&quot; said Federal Bureau of Investigation director Christopher Wray, who took up his post in August.

Wray said he was &quot;committed to getting to the bottom of what happened,&quot; and Attorney General Jeff Sessions ordered an immediate review to ensure &quot;effective response to indications of potential violence.&quot;

But Florida Governor Rick Scott nevertheless called for the FBI chief to step down, saying the failure to act was &quot;unacceptable.&quot;

&quot;Seventeen innocent people are dead and acknowledging a mistake isn&#39;t going to cut it,&quot; Scott said.

The January warning to the FBI was not the first it had received about Cruz, who used an AR-15-style semi-automatic rifle that he legally purchased a year ago to spray classrooms with bullets.

In September, the FBI was alerted to a message posted on YouTube, in which a user named Nikolas Cruz vowed: &quot;I&#39;m going to be a professional school shooter.&quot;

The FBI said it had looked into it at the time but was unable to identify the person who made the post.

Illogical

Trump&#39;s visit to the Parkland area -- not far from his Mar-a-Lago resort, where he was spending the long President&#39;s Day weekend -- was not announced in advance, perhaps because he risked being greeted with angry demands for action on laws that allowed Cruz to amass an arsenal.

&quot;It&#39;s illogical that the law says a minor can&#39;t have a drink, but can buy a gun,&quot; said 47-year-old Mavy Rubiano, whose child survived the shooting.

In Washington, the political response so far makes it clear that the powerful pro-gun National Rifle Association -- which spent $30 million to support Trump&#39;s election in 2016 -- remains formidable.&nbsp;

On Thursday, Trump&#39;s nationally televised address made no mention of guns, or of previous mass shootings.

The president focused instead on offering sympathy to the families of the victims and the need to provide better mental health care.

Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan said it was not a time for arguing over gun control, while Republican Florida Senator Marco Rubio said new gun laws alone would not stop shootings.&nbsp;

As with previous mass shootings, the focus of gun control advocates was the easy availability of the AR-15, a civilian version of the US military&#39;s M16.&nbsp;

Millions have been sold around the United States, and AR-15-style rifles were used in the mass shootings in Las Vegas, Sutherland Springs, Texas and Newtown, Connecticut.

The disclosure sparked angry disbelief from members of the Miami suburb of Parkland still reeling from Wednesday's massacre and led Florida's governor to call for the FBI chief to resign

US President Donald Trump on Friday visited a Florida hospital to offer comfort to those wounded in a mass school shooting after the FBI admitted it mishandled a tip about the troubled teen behind the massacre that left 17 dead. The arrival of Trump and his wife Melania came at the end of a difficult day for the families of those killed in Wednesday's rampage at a high school in Parkland, Florida, who learned that the carnage could perhaps have been averted. The FBI, the top US law enforcement agency, admitted it had received a chilling warning in January from a tipster who said the 19-year-old gunman, Nikolas Cruz, could be planning a mass shooting, but that agents failed to follow up. At Broward Health North Hospital, where Trump met with survivors of the shooting, the president thanked the doctors, nurses and first responders for their "incredible" work, and described the carnage as "very sad." He and his wife were also expected to visit the Broward County sheriff's office "to meet with the law enforcement officials whose bravery helped save lives," a White House official said. The president's visit to Parkland -- an area about 50 miles (80 kilometers) north of Miami -- came amid growing anger among parents and students in the south Florida city over America's seeming unwillingness to toughen gun control laws. "My princess wasn't safe in that school," said Andrew Pollack, speaking at the funeral of his 18-year-old daughter Meadow. "Please pray that this horrific tragedy never happens to another family." Lori Alhadeff, whose 14-year-old daughter Alyssa was killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, made an emotional appeal to Trump on camera with tears rolling down her face. "We need action! Action! Action!" Alhadeff urged in an interview with CNN, addressing Trump as the father of an 11-year-old son of his own. "Let's protect Barron, and let's also protect all these other kids here in Parkland, in Florida, and everyone everywhere else," she said. Admitting error 'isn't going to cut it The FBI made a stunning admission earlier in the day, saying a "person close to Nikolas Cruz" made a call to the agency's public tipline on January 5 to "report concerns about him." "The caller provided information about Cruz's gun ownership, desire to kill people, erratic behavior, and disturbing social media posts, as well as the potential of him conducting a school shooting," the FBI said in a statement. The information from the caller "should have been assessed as a potential threat to life" and forwarded to the agency's Miami field office, it said. Instead, "no further investigation was conducted." "We have spoken with victims and families, and deeply regret the additional pain this causes all those affected by this horrific tragedy," said Federal Bureau of Investigation director Christopher Wray, who took up his post in August. Wray said he was "committed to getting to the bottom of what happened," and Attorney General Jeff Sessions ordered an immediate review to ensure "effective response to indications of potential violence." But Florida Governor Rick Scott nevertheless called for the FBI chief to step down, saying the failure to act was "unacceptable." "Seventeen innocent people are dead and acknowledging a mistake isn't going to cut it," Scott said. The January warning to the FBI was not the first it had received about Cruz, who used an AR-15-style semi-automatic rifle that he legally purchased a year ago to spray classrooms with bullets. In September, the FBI was alerted to a message posted on YouTube, in which a user named Nikolas Cruz vowed: "I'm going to be a professional school shooter." The FBI said it had looked into it at the time but was unable to identify the person who made the post. Illogical Trump's visit to the Parkland area -- not far from his Mar-a-Lago resort, where he was spending the long President's Day weekend -- was not announced in advance, perhaps because he risked being greeted with angry demands for action on laws that allowed Cruz to amass an arsenal. "It's illogical that the law says a minor can't have a drink, but can buy a gun," said 47-year-old Mavy Rubiano, whose child survived the shooting. In Washington, the political response so far makes it clear that the powerful pro-gun National Rifle Association -- which spent $30 million to support Trump's election in 2016 -- remains formidable. On Thursday, Trump's nationally televised address made no mention of guns, or of previous mass shootings. The president focused instead on offering sympathy to the families of the victims and the need to provide better mental health care. Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan said it was not a time for arguing over gun control, while Republican Florida Senator Marco Rubio said new gun laws alone would not stop shootings. As with previous mass shootings, the focus of gun control advocates was the easy availability of the AR-15, a civilian version of the US military's M16. Millions have been sold around the United States, and AR-15-style rifles were used in the mass shootings in Las Vegas, Sutherland Springs, Texas and Newtown, Connecticut.

Trump visits Florida shooting survivors, FBI admits it missed tip

On December 6, 1989, a 25-year-old man entered a classroom in Montreal, Canada. He blamed feminism for ruining his life. Next, he physically separated the women from the men, then shot all the women. He shot 24 in total that day, killing 14. (Four men were injured in the crossfire, too.)

Since 1991, Canada has marked the day of the l&#39;&Eacute;cole Polytechnique de Montr&eacute;al massacre each year. Hopefully, men reflect about what it really means. (Women already know.)

It&rsquo;s easy to condemn violence against women when it&rsquo;s in the form of an outright massacre and the motive, in case there was any doubt, is stated explicitly.

Very few attacks against women make headlines or become national days of commemoration. Women often live through this stuff quietly, privately, day to day.

What do they live? It&rsquo;s hard for men to know. Imagination is a bad substitute for lived experience, and statistics here are by definition incomplete since many attacks are unreported. But for my purposes, stats are unnecessary.

While certainty is impossible, consider: every man knows a woman who has been violated by a man. You might not know who they are, but you know them. An attack may haunt a woman&rsquo;s life without her closest people even knowing it ever happened. Women around you are affected, whether you know it or not.

I know at least several female rape victims, both here in India and back in my native Canada. &nbsp;It&rsquo;s heartbreaking. Thankfully, I&rsquo;ve never had a single male buddy tell me a woman violated him. It happens, and when it does it&rsquo;s no less major, but men do not spend life worrying about being safe from women.

While I personally don&rsquo;t know any male victims, I do know a man from high school who was arrested this year for murdering and torturing his girlfriend. He was 18 when I was 14, but was nice to me and made everyone around him laugh. It should come as a surprise to learn someone you know was raped or is a sadistic killer.

This is anecdotal, and the example is extreme. It&#39;s not a jumping off point for extrapolation, but I didn&#39;t cherry pick it either. It just happens to be my experience. While violence against women is far more common than the reverse, I don&rsquo;t mean to reduce women&rsquo;s lives to a constant attempt to evade horror at the hands of a man. Often we get along great!

Determining what percentage of men is dangerous is relevant to people more interested in defending Male Honour than female lives. Precaution is prudent, whatever the percentage. If a woman is at a party and only two of ten guys there are creeps, both things are true: most men are safe, but she is still in danger. Her safety, not a man&rsquo;s perception of his gender&rsquo;s worth, is what matters.

I suspect that many men vastly underestimate the threats women face. It can happen innocently enough. Why would a man, who has spent every day of life as a man, know how scary life can be as a woman? More women are bravely speaking out against this in public. It&rsquo;s an important conversation. That, men aren&rsquo;t listening enough is regrettable but profoundly unsurprising. It&rsquo;s probably not from indifference or cruelty, just many things are vying for their attention and people select what to engage in based on what&rsquo;s most pleasant, not most important.

Maybe some men are reluctant to believe women potentially face such terrible and prevalent threats because they feel implicated in it&mdash;guilt by gender association, no matter how blameless they are. People usually think favorably about their own. Country, gender, race, religion -- whatever. Believing women exaggerate is more comfortable than believing how dangerous your fellow men can be.

This reflection may sound like I&rsquo;m bashing men. I&rsquo;m not! I&rsquo;m friends with many dudes! I&rsquo;m only trying to shine a light on what some do to women. This conversation sometimes feels like it needs to be entered into on a declared side, Team Man or Team Woman. No!

I&rsquo;ve written nothing radical here. Just be decent, and trust women when they talk about creepy or violent men. This topic is difficult and women need support now. It&rsquo;s a hard time for many. Female Ghostbusters was a victory, then they got President Pussy Grabber.

So on this occasion that calls for remembrance and action on violence against women, men from Canada, India and everywhere should do what they can to consider how different life as a female can be, then treat women accordingly.

(WION)

If more men knew how violent their kind can be to women, women would be and feel much safer, writes WION's Jeff Halperin

On December 6, 1989, a 25-year-old man entered a classroom in Montreal, Canada. He blamed feminism for ruining his life. Next, he physically separated the women from the men, then shot all the women. He shot 24 in total that day, killing 14. (Four men were injured in the crossfire, too.) Since 1991, Canada has marked the day of the l'École Polytechnique de Montréal massacre each year. Hopefully, men reflect about what it really means. (Women already know.) It’s easy to condemn violence against women when it’s in the form of an outright massacre and the motive, in case there was any doubt, is stated explicitly. Very few attacks against women make headlines or become national days of commemoration. Women often live through this stuff quietly, privately, day to day. What do they live? It’s hard for men to know. Imagination is a bad substitute for lived experience, and statistics here are by definition incomplete since many attacks are unreported. But for my purposes, stats are unnecessary. While certainty is impossible, consider: every man knows a woman who has been violated by a man. You might not know who they are, but you know them. An attack may haunt a woman’s life without her closest people even knowing it ever happened. Women around you are affected, whether you know it or not. I know at least several female rape victims, both here in India and back in my native Canada. It’s heartbreaking. Thankfully, I’ve never had a single male buddy tell me a woman violated him. It happens, and when it does it’s no less major, but men do not spend life worrying about being safe from women. While I personally don’t know any male victims, I do know a man from high school who was arrested this year for murdering and torturing his girlfriend. He was 18 when I was 14, but was nice to me and made everyone around him laugh. It should come as a surprise to learn someone you know was raped or is a sadistic killer. This is anecdotal, and the example is extreme. It's not a jumping off point for extrapolation, but I didn't cherry pick it either. It just happens to be my experience. While violence against women is far more common than the reverse, I don’t mean to reduce women’s lives to a constant attempt to evade horror at the hands of a man. Often we get along great! Determining what percentage of men is dangerous is relevant to people more interested in defending Male Honour than female lives. Precaution is prudent, whatever the percentage. If a woman is at a party and only two of ten guys there are creeps, both things are true: most men are safe, but she is still in danger. Her safety, not a man’s perception of his gender’s worth, is what matters. I suspect that many men vastly underestimate the threats women face. It can happen innocently enough. Why would a man, who has spent every day of life as a man, know how scary life can be as a woman? More women are bravely speaking out against this in public. It’s an important conversation. That, men aren’t listening enough is regrettable but profoundly unsurprising. It’s probably not from indifference or cruelty, just many things are vying for their attention and people select what to engage in based on what’s most pleasant, not most important. Maybe some men are reluctant to believe women potentially face such terrible and prevalent threats because they feel implicated in it—guilt by gender association, no matter how blameless they are. People usually think favorably about their own. Country, gender, race, religion -- whatever. Believing women exaggerate is more comfortable than believing how dangerous your fellow men can be. This reflection may sound like I’m bashing men. I’m not! I’m friends with many dudes! I’m only trying to shine a light on what some do to women. This conversation sometimes feels like it needs to be entered into on a declared side, Team Man or Team Woman. No! I’ve written nothing radical here. Just be decent, and trust women when they talk about creepy or violent men. This topic is difficult and women need support now. It’s a hard time for many. Female Ghostbusters was a victory, then they got President Pussy Grabber. So on this occasion that calls for remembrance and action on violence against women, men from Canada, India and everywhere should do what they can to consider how different life as a female can be, then treat women accordingly. (WION)

Every man knows a woman who has been violated by a man

At least 42 civilians have been killed in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, a local official said Sunday, in what the government described as a massacre in revenge for military operations in the area. 
 
Three days of national mourning have been declared following Saturday night&#39;s mass killing, the latest in a series of massacres that have left more than 600 people dead in and around the troubled town of Beni since 2014. 
 
Speaking to a local radio station, Beni mayor Edmond Masumbuko said 42 people had been killed. The government had earlier put the death toll at 36. 
 
Army spokesman Mak Hazukay said the attack was carried out by the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a partly Islamist armed group of Ugandan origin. 
 
The group has been present in DR Congo for more than two decades and is accused of copious human rights abuses. 
 
Hazukay said the ADF rebels had &quot;bypassed&quot; army positions &quot;to come and massacre the population in revenge&quot; for military operations in the area. 
 
The victims were found in Rwangoma, a neighbourhood on the outskirts of Beni, according to government spokesman Lambert Mende. 
 
Mende said the government has previously sought to &quot;alert the world to the jihadist threat&quot; in DR Congo, adding: &quot;In our country, the armed forces of the DRC are alone in the face of the indifference of the international community&quot;. 
 
- &#39;Slaughtered like goats&#39; - 
 
Around a hundred angry residents gathered in Beni to protest against the mass killing, carrying the body of one of the victims and shouting slogans against President Joseph Kabila, witnesses said. 
 
Local human rights activist Jackson Kasereka said residents in north Beni were burning tyres in the streets. 
 
&quot;The police have just taken the body off us but we will continue to protest. It&#39;s not normal that they slaughter us like goats,&quot; said motorcycle taxi driver Georges Kamate. 
 
&quot;Our government is incapable of keeping us safe!&quot; shouted another protester. 
 
The killings came three days after Kabila visited the region, promising to do everything in his power to bring peace and security. 
 
&quot;It&#39;s worrying because the president of the republic came here and then we were massacred,&quot; said Gilbert Kambale, a local civil society leader. 
 
&quot;There is a blatant lack of security, (the authorities) are not capable of keeping the population safe. That is why these people have come into the street,&quot; he said. 
 
Government spokesman Lambert Mende announced three days of national mourning would begin from Monday. 
 
&quot;Flags will be lowered to half-mast across the country and media scheduling will be adjusted to the situation,&quot; he said. 
 
- String of massacres - 
 
Beni lies on the edge of the vast Virunga national park, used as a hideout for some of the dozens of militant groups active in North Kivu. 
 
The area has been badly hit by violence over the past two years, suffering a series of massacres which the Congolese government and the UN&#39;s mission in DR Congo, MONUSCO, have blamed on the ADF. 
 
But in March, that allegation was recently questioned in a report published by the Congo Research Group at New York University, which looked into the massacres around Beni, and claimed that soldiers from the regular army had also participated in the killings. 
 
The government rejected the claims and said the ADF was &quot;definitely&quot; responsible for the massacres. 
 
The ADF, opposed to Uganda&#39;s President Yoweri Museveni, is thought to be deeply embroiled in criminal networks funded by kidnappings, smuggling and logging. 
 
&quot;MONUSCO condemns this barbaric act against the civilian population, and reaffirms its support to the armed forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Congolese National Police to protect the civilian population in Beni,&quot; the UN force&#39;s leader Maman Sidikou said in a statement. 
 
Despite efforts by the international community and the Congolese authorities, the region has remained mired in violence since the end of the second Congolese war (1998-2003). 
 
On August 8, 11 Congolese soldiers and a UN peacekeeper were wounded in the Beni area during a confrontation with ADF forces, MONUSCO said. 
 
(AFP)

The government described the massacre as a revenge for military operations in the area

At least 42 civilians have been killed in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, a local official said Sunday, in what the government described as a massacre in revenge for military operations in the area. Three days of national mourning have been declared following Saturday night's mass killing, the latest in a series of massacres that have left more than 600 people dead in and around the troubled town of Beni since 2014. Speaking to a local radio station, Beni mayor Edmond Masumbuko said 42 people had been killed. The government had earlier put the death toll at 36. Army spokesman Mak Hazukay said the attack was carried out by the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a partly Islamist armed group of Ugandan origin. The group has been present in DR Congo for more than two decades and is accused of copious human rights abuses. Hazukay said the ADF rebels had "bypassed" army positions "to come and massacre the population in revenge" for military operations in the area. The victims were found in Rwangoma, a neighbourhood on the outskirts of Beni, according to government spokesman Lambert Mende. Mende said the government has previously sought to "alert the world to the jihadist threat" in DR Congo, adding: "In our country, the armed forces of the DRC are alone in the face of the indifference of the international community". - 'Slaughtered like goats' - Around a hundred angry residents gathered in Beni to protest against the mass killing, carrying the body of one of the victims and shouting slogans against President Joseph Kabila, witnesses said. Local human rights activist Jackson Kasereka said residents in north Beni were burning tyres in the streets. "The police have just taken the body off us but we will continue to protest. It's not normal that they slaughter us like goats," said motorcycle taxi driver Georges Kamate. "Our government is incapable of keeping us safe!" shouted another protester. The killings came three days after Kabila visited the region, promising to do everything in his power to bring peace and security. "It's worrying because the president of the republic came here and then we were massacred," said Gilbert Kambale, a local civil society leader. "There is a blatant lack of security, (the authorities) are not capable of keeping the population safe. That is why these people have come into the street," he said. Government spokesman Lambert Mende announced three days of national mourning would begin from Monday. "Flags will be lowered to half-mast across the country and media scheduling will be adjusted to the situation," he said. - String of massacres - Beni lies on the edge of the vast Virunga national park, used as a hideout for some of the dozens of militant groups active in North Kivu. The area has been badly hit by violence over the past two years, suffering a series of massacres which the Congolese government and the UN's mission in DR Congo, MONUSCO, have blamed on the ADF. But in March, that allegation was recently questioned in a report published by the Congo Research Group at New York University, which looked into the massacres around Beni, and claimed that soldiers from the regular army had also participated in the killings. The government rejected the claims and said the ADF was "definitely" responsible for the massacres. The ADF, opposed to Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni, is thought to be deeply embroiled in criminal networks funded by kidnappings, smuggling and logging. "MONUSCO condemns this barbaric act against the civilian population, and reaffirms its support to the armed forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Congolese National Police to protect the civilian population in Beni," the UN force's leader Maman Sidikou said in a statement. Despite efforts by the international community and the Congolese authorities, the region has remained mired in violence since the end of the second Congolese war (1998-2003). On August 8, 11 Congolese soldiers and a UN peacekeeper were wounded in the Beni area during a confrontation with ADF forces, MONUSCO said. (AFP)

42 killed in Congo massacre

Yang&nbsp;Jianli&nbsp;is a Harvard fellow and president of the Washington-based&nbsp;Initiatives for China.&nbsp;Yang, who is a Chinese citizen with permanent resident status in the United States, was part of the 1989 pro-democracy Tiananmen Square protests. The protests were student-led, but had massive support from citizens. The protesters occupied Tiananmen Square in the heart of Beijing for seven weeks until the government ordered a military crackdown on June 4.&nbsp;Martial law had been imposed earlier. Tanks and soldiers armed with assault rifles marched on the protesters. When the protesters tried to stop their advance, the soldiers opened fire. Estimates vary, but between hundreds and thousands of people were killed in what came to be known as the Tiananmen Square massacre.&nbsp;Yang tells&nbsp;Ramesh Ramachandran&nbsp;that a repeat of 1989&nbsp;is probable should public disenchantment with the Chinese government&#39;s policies grow.&nbsp;Edited excerpts from an interview:&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 
((use photo of Tiananmen Square massacre victims here; Getty has good photos))&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

What is your take on contemporary India&ndash;China relations? Does India&#39;s China policy satisfy you?&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

I can&#39;t say I am very happy with it, but I understand the concerns of the Indian government about its territorial dispute with China&nbsp;and the threat of terrorism from Pakistan, which has a good relationship with China. India is a large democracy and a&nbsp;neighbour&nbsp;of China. I wish and hope that India will take a more proactive role in propagating the ideas of universal values such as democracy to China and also be more forthcoming in supporting us when it comes to visas.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

What is your position on Tibet?&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Historically and contemporarily the situation in Tibet is very complex. Three principles guide us to work with Tibet:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

* First, respect for the Tibetans&#39; right to self-determination and that the future of Tibet should be decided by the Tibetans themselves.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

* Second, we should be united to change China.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

* Third, we should achieve our goal with non-violence.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

The Arab Spring happened in 2011. Similarly, we have seen people&#39;s movements in Hong Kong (the Umbrella Movement) and Taiwan (the Sunflower Student Movement) in 2014. You&nbsp;participated in the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989. Do you think a Chinese Spring is probable?&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

It is, of course, probable. Ever since the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 and the collapse of the erstwhile USSR, it has never been far from the Chinese leaders&#39; minds. They have learnt from the experiences of dictators, be they Right wing or Left wing, to prevent people from coming together, to control society. With such high degree of control in China, people may not be able to do much, but I don&#39;t think they will continue this way for very long. Social unrest, people&#39;s resentment against the government, sickening pollution, glaring corruption, public disgust with information control, blatantly unjust detentions... all these things I think will get people to try to do something, to demand change. Eventually I don&#39;t think the Chinese government will be able to control such a society forever.&nbsp;So&nbsp;(a repeat of)&nbsp;1989 is very possible.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Did the Tiananmen Square massacre of 1989 add to your disillusionment with the government of the day?&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

I was already disenchanted with the regime and the Communist party before the students&#39; movement broke out in the spring of 1989.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

&lt;iframe width=&quot;560&quot; height=&quot;315&quot; src=&quot;https://www.youtube.com/embed/0lGyZpbA_tY&quot; frameborder=&quot;0&quot; allowfullscreen&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;

How do you view the intersection of the foreign policies of India and the US vis-a-vis China?&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

The Indian government is leaning towards the US more than before. It is a good sign. The US is reflecting on its decades-old China policy. China might be the second largest economy in the world, but in terms of democracy it remains at the bottom. The US thought trade with China will bring about prosperity and democracy, but it did not happen. What went wrong? Decades of economic prosperity saw the Chinese middle class join the ruling elite class, but the economic and political elites are beginning to turn their back on President Xi Jinping. I think in five or 10 years China must have some big opportunity to change and I really hope that India, the US, and other democracies will not lose the opportunity to help the Chinese people to change China. When China becomes democratic, its government will become more responsible, more predictable. Therefore in terms of security a lot of countries such as India, the US, Japan, and the Philippines will become better off for sure.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

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<h5>?Social unrest, people&#39;s resentment against the government, sickening pollution, glaring corruption, public disgust with information control, blatantly unjust detentions... all these things I think will get people to try to do something, to demand change. Eventually I don&#39;t think the Chinese Government will be able to control such a society for ever, not for a long time. So 1989 is very possible.</h5>
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How are contemporary domestic politics affecting the power dynamic in China?&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

A personality cult around President Xi has met with strong resistance within the party. His days will not be so easy. Four factors need to be present at the same time for real change in China:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

* A&nbsp;general dissatisfaction with the government&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

* A&nbsp;viable democratic opposition&nbsp;which is not yet there&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

* A&nbsp;power struggle or cracks within the leadership (cracks will not be meaningful until some factions have different political views from others),&nbsp;and&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

* International recognition and support for the movement for change when it happens&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

We had almost achieved a revolution in 1989,&nbsp;but the international community did not&nbsp;recognise&nbsp;or intervene or give support to it.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

How do you see the US-China relationship evolving under the next US President?&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Republican or Democrat, the US can be expected to have a different foreign policy towards China. Whoever wins, the US will take a stronger position on security, trade and human rights.&nbsp;Compartmentalisation&nbsp;of policies did not work in the interest of the US. There is a need for an integrated approach.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

In April&nbsp;you&nbsp;organised&nbsp;the&nbsp;InterEthnic&nbsp;InterFaith&nbsp;Leadership Conference at&nbsp;McLeodganj,&nbsp;India &ndash; the home of the Dalai Lama&nbsp;--&nbsp;to which members of China&#39;s ethnic and religious minorities were invited. A few days before the conference, the visas of a few participants&nbsp;whom China sees as separatists&nbsp;were revoked. It is thought India cancelled the visas under Chinese pressure.&nbsp;How do you view India&#39;s refusal or cancellation of visas to people like&nbsp;Dolkun&nbsp;Isa, chairman of the executive committee of the World Uyghur Congress?&nbsp;

I am disappointed, but I understand that India is trying to find a balance between Chinese pressure and hosting the conference. One can&#39;t overlook the fact that India allowed the conference to be held without any incident. The criticism that the Modi government is weak is not fair. Policy-makers and the Modi government understand that advancing human rights and democracy in China is in the national interest of India.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

China calls&nbsp;Dolkun&nbsp;Isa a terrorist.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Dolkun&nbsp;Isa is a peaceful person. He is not a terrorist. He is a citizen of Germany, which is a strong democracy. He travels freely to many countries, including the US. Any country can send a list (of persons it designates as terrorists) to Interpol but it does not mean that every country should accept it. India reacted to pressure from China which is understandable,&nbsp;but perhaps it overreacted. However, in the end, India allowed us to hold the conference which is very positive. We don&#39;t accept violence in any form. Some Uyghurs may have engaged in some kind of violent attacks, but those Uyghurs we work with are peaceful. We try to engage with some young people who have not abandoned violence. For example, some student leaders from Hong Kong were invited to the conference and spoken to about the principles of non-violence.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

&nbsp;

1989 may repeat if disenchantment with government policies grows in China, feels?Yang Jianli, president of Initiatives for China. Yang was a part of the pro-democracy protests and now lives in the US. He spoke to Ramesh Ramachandran.

Yang Jianli is a Harvard fellow and president of the Washington-based Initiatives for China. Yang, who is a Chinese citizen with permanent resident status in the United States, was part of the 1989 pro-democracy Tiananmen Square protests. The protests were student-led, but had massive support from citizens. The protesters occupied Tiananmen Square in the heart of Beijing for seven weeks until the government ordered a military crackdown on June 4. Martial law had been imposed earlier. Tanks and soldiers armed with assault rifles marched on the protesters. When the protesters tried to stop their advance, the soldiers opened fire. Estimates vary, but between hundreds and thousands of people were killed in what came to be known as the Tiananmen Square massacre. Yang tells Ramesh Ramachandran that a repeat of 1989 is probable should public disenchantment with the Chinese government's policies grow. Edited excerpts from an interview: ((use photo of Tiananmen Square massacre victims here; Getty has good photos)) What is your take on contemporary India–China relations? Does India's China policy satisfy you? I can't say I am very happy with it, but I understand the concerns of the Indian government about its territorial dispute with China and the threat of terrorism from Pakistan, which has a good relationship with China. India is a large democracy and a neighbour of China. I wish and hope that India will take a more proactive role in propagating the ideas of universal values such as democracy to China and also be more forthcoming in supporting us when it comes to visas. What is your position on Tibet? Historically and contemporarily the situation in Tibet is very complex. Three principles guide us to work with Tibet: * First, respect for the Tibetans' right to self-determination and that the future of Tibet should be decided by the Tibetans themselves. * Second, we should be united to change China. * Third, we should achieve our goal with non-violence. The Arab Spring happened in 2011. Similarly, we have seen people's movements in Hong Kong (the Umbrella Movement) and Taiwan (the Sunflower Student Movement) in 2014. You participated in the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989. Do you think a Chinese Spring is probable? It is, of course, probable. Ever since the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 and the collapse of the erstwhile USSR, it has never been far from the Chinese leaders' minds. They have learnt from the experiences of dictators, be they Right wing or Left wing, to prevent people from coming together, to control society. With such high degree of control in China, people may not be able to do much, but I don't think they will continue this way for very long. Social unrest, people's resentment against the government, sickening pollution, glaring corruption, public disgust with information control, blatantly unjust detentions... all these things I think will get people to try to do something, to demand change. Eventually I don't think the Chinese government will be able to control such a society forever. So (a repeat of) 1989 is very possible. Did the Tiananmen Square massacre of 1989 add to your disillusionment with the government of the day? I was already disenchanted with the regime and the Communist party before the students' movement broke out in the spring of 1989. <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0lGyZpbA_tY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> How do you view the intersection of the foreign policies of India and the US vis-a-vis China? The Indian government is leaning towards the US more than before. It is a good sign. The US is reflecting on its decades-old China policy. China might be the second largest economy in the world, but in terms of democracy it remains at the bottom. The US thought trade with China will bring about prosperity and democracy, but it did not happen. What went wrong? Decades of economic prosperity saw the Chinese middle class join the ruling elite class, but the economic and political elites are beginning to turn their back on President Xi Jinping. I think in five or 10 years China must have some big opportunity to change and I really hope that India, the US, and other democracies will not lose the opportunity to help the Chinese people to change China. When China becomes democratic, its government will become more responsible, more predictable. Therefore in terms of security a lot of countries such as India, the US, Japan, and the Philippines will become better off for sure. ?Social unrest, people's resentment against the government, sickening pollution, glaring corruption, public disgust with information control, blatantly unjust detentions... all these things I think will get people to try to do something, to demand change. Eventually I don't think the Chinese Government will be able to control such a society for ever, not for a long time. So 1989 is very possible. How are contemporary domestic politics affecting the power dynamic in China? A personality cult around President Xi has met with strong resistance within the party. His days will not be so easy. Four factors need to be present at the same time for real change in China: * A general dissatisfaction with the government * A viable democratic opposition which is not yet there * A power struggle or cracks within the leadership (cracks will not be meaningful until some factions have different political views from others), and * International recognition and support for the movement for change when it happens We had almost achieved a revolution in 1989, but the international community did not recognise or intervene or give support to it. How do you see the US-China relationship evolving under the next US President? Republican or Democrat, the US can be expected to have a different foreign policy towards China. Whoever wins, the US will take a stronger position on security, trade and human rights. Compartmentalisation of policies did not work in the interest of the US. There is a need for an integrated approach. In April you organised the InterEthnic InterFaith Leadership Conference at McLeodganj, India – the home of the Dalai Lama -- to which members of China's ethnic and religious minorities were invited. A few days before the conference, the visas of a few participants whom China sees as separatists were revoked. It is thought India cancelled the visas under Chinese pressure. How do you view India's refusal or cancellation of visas to people like Dolkun Isa, chairman of the executive committee of the World Uyghur Congress? I am disappointed, but I understand that India is trying to find a balance between Chinese pressure and hosting the conference. One can't overlook the fact that India allowed the conference to be held without any incident. The criticism that the Modi government is weak is not fair. Policy-makers and the Modi government understand that advancing human rights and democracy in China is in the national interest of India. China calls Dolkun Isa a terrorist. Dolkun Isa is a peaceful person. He is not a terrorist. He is a citizen of Germany, which is a strong democracy. He travels freely to many countries, including the US. Any country can send a list (of persons it designates as terrorists) to Interpol but it does not mean that every country should accept it. India reacted to pressure from China which is understandable, but perhaps it overreacted. However, in the end, India allowed us to hold the conference which is very positive. We don't accept violence in any form. Some Uyghurs may have engaged in some kind of violent attacks, but those Uyghurs we work with are peaceful. We try to engage with some young people who have not abandoned violence. For example, some student leaders from Hong Kong were invited to the conference and spoken to about the principles of non-violence.

Tiananmen Square-like protests may repeat if things don?t change, says Chinese dissident Yang Jianli

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