Turkey's Izmir Hit with Magnitude 7.0 Earthquake | DW News

Turkey has been struck by a powerful earthquake off its Aegean coast, causing buildings to collapse in the coastal city of Izmir. The quake's epicenter was north of the Greek island of Samos, with the US Geological Survey putting it at a magnitude of 7.0. Tremors were felt as far away as Athens and Istanbul. In Izmir, social media footage showed a collapsed building. There are no immediate reports of casualties.


Earthquake Rattles Western Turkey and Greece, Killing at Least 4 »

Democracy Now! Top US & World Headlines — October 30, 2020

France Knife Attack: Country in a Fierce Debate over Role of Islam

The attack in Nice comes as France grapples with the question of what role Islam should have in a traditionally secular society. The country has the largest Muslim community in Europe - but earlier this month some were made to feel unwelcome when President Emmanuel Macron declared a fight against what he called "Islamist separatism". Al Jazeera's Bernard Smith reports.

French President Macron Vows Defiance after 'Islamist' Attack in Nice | DW News

Police in France have arrested a second suspect in connection with the knife attack at the basilica in Nice that left three people dead. It was the third Islamist attack in France in two months. President Emmanuel Macron is holding an emergency cabinet meeting today and the terror alert level is now at its maximum.

Protests Erupt in Philadelphia after Police Fatally Shoot Black Man | DW News

The US city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, has seen a second night of protest after the killing of a Black man by police on Monday. 27-year-old Walter Wallace Junior was shot by police after they said he refused to drop a knife. Wallace's family say they had called for an ambulance, not police, to get help with what they called a mental health crisis.

Three Killed in Knife Attack in French City of Nice

Three people have been killed in a knife attack at a church in the southern French city of Nice. Several others have been injured. The attacker was wounded by police and is in custody in hospital. Al Jazeera's Bernard Smith reports.

Drei Tote und mehrere Verletzte bei Messerattacke in Nizza

FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG: Bei einer Messerattacke in Nizza hat es drei Tote und mehrere Verletzte gegeben. Eine Frau wurde enthauptet. Frankreich ruft die höchste Terrorwarnstufe aus.

Ein neuer schwerer Terroranschlag hat Frankreich getroffen. Ein Mann ist am Donnerstagvormittag kurz vor neun Uhr in die Kirche Notre-Dame de l’Assomption im Zentrum von Nizza eingedrungen und hat mehrere Menschen mit einem Messer angegriffen, wie die Polizei mitteilte. Zwei Frauen und ein Mann starben, mehrere wurde verletzt. Eine der Frauen wurde enthauptet. Der Attentäter, der mehrfach „Allahu Akbar“ (Allah ist groß) rief, wurde beim Einsatz der Sicherheitskräfte durch Schüsse schwer verletzt und in ein Krankenhaus gebracht.

Nach französischen Medienberichten wurden zudem in Avignon am Vormittag ein mit einem Messer bewaffneter Mann von der Polizei erschossen. Die Hintergründe der Tat sind noch unklar.

Die Anti-Terror-Staatsanwaltschaft übernahm am Donnerstagvormittag die Ermittlungen zum Fall in Nizza. Dabei gehe es unter anderem um den Vorwurf des Mords in Verbindung mit einem terroristischen Vorhaben, bestätigte die Staatsanwaltschaft der Deutschen Presse-Agentur. Frankreich rief die höchste Terror-Warnstufe aus. Sie gilt landesweit, wie Regierungschef Jean Castex am Donnerstag in Paris mitteilte. Castex verurteilte die „ebenso feige wie barbarische Tat, die das ganze Land in Trauer versetzt“. » | Quelle: FAZ.NET | Donnerstag, 29. Oktober 2020

Deadly Knife Attack in Nice Is Terrorism, French Officials Say

THE NEW YORK TIMES: The assault at a church in the south of France left at least three people dead. Local officials said it bore similarities to the killing of a schoolteacher that has shaken the country.

PARIS — Less than two weeks after the beheading of a French schoolteacher, an assailant carrying a knife entered the towering neo-Gothic basilica in the southern city of Nice early Thursday and killed three people, further inflaming tensions in a country already on edge and leading the authorities to increase the terrorism threat level.

Officials in Nice described the attack as Islamist terrorism, and it was quickly followed by two similar events — including a knife-wielding assailant outside a French Consulate in Saudi Arabia — though it was not immediately clear whether the events were coordinated.

The mayor of Nice, Christian Estrosi, told reporters on Thursday that a suspect, who has not been identified, was arrested after being shot and wounded by the police. The suspect “kept repeating Allahu akbar in front of us even though he was sedated,” Mr. Estrosi said, adding this left “no doubt” about the motivation behind the attack. » | Constant Méheut and Aurelien Breeden | Thursday, October 29, 2020

France on Urgent Alert Following Nice 'Terror' Attack

A man wielding a knife on Thursday killed three people in an attack at the Basilica of Notre-Dame de Nice in southern France. A suspect has been arrested in the attack, which Nice’s mayor has described as an act of terrorism.

Two People Are Beheaded and Several Others Wounded in Terrorist Knife Rampage at a Church in Nice before Attacker Is Shot and Arrested

MAIL ONLINE: Three killed - two of them beheaded - and several more stabbed in a terror attack at a cathedral in Nice / Attack began around 9am before police swarmed the area, where they shot and arrested the attacker / Mass had just begun inside cathedral - largest Roman Catholic church in France - when attack started / Comes fortnight after teacher was beheaded near Paris; a month after stabbings near Charlie Hebdo offices

At least three people have been killed - two of them beheaded - and several others stabbed in a terrorist knife attack at a cathedral in Nice.

The attack began around 9am, according to local reports, before police swarmed the area where they shot and arrested the attacker.

The city's mayor, Christian Estrosi, tweeted: 'I am on site with the [police] who arrested the perpetrator of the attack.

'I confirm that everything suggests a terrorist attack in the Basilica of Notre-Dame de Nice.' » | Chris Pleasance for Mail Online and Peter Allen in Paris for Mail Online | Thursday, October 29, 2020

President Donald Trump: The 60 Minutes – 2020 Election Interview

In an interview that's made headlines this week, Lesley Stahl presses President Trump on once-again rising coronavirus cases and what his priorities would be if re-elected. Stahl also speaks with Mr. Trump's running mate, Vice President Mike Pence.

Streit um Mohammed-Karikaturen: Erdogan spricht von Kreuzzügen des Westens

TAGES ANZEIGER: Der türkische Präsident wirft bestimmten Staaten vor, den Islam zu attackieren. Vor allem Frankreichs Regierung ist ihm ein Dorn im Auge.

Im Streit mit Frankreich über Mohammed-Karikaturen und Meinungsfreiheit wirft der türkische Präsident Recep Tayyip Erdogan bestimmten Ländern eine «Neuauflage der Kreuzzüge» vor. Diese würden von westlichen Staaten geplant, die den Islam attackierten, sagte Erdogan am Mittwoch in einer Rede vor Abgeordneten seiner Partei AKP. Sich gegen Angriffe auf den Propheten Mohammed zu stemmen, sei «eine Frage der Ehre». » | REUTERS/SDA/fal | Mittwoch, 28. Oktober 2020

Von der Leyen: „Dieses Weihnachten wird sehr anders“

EU-Kommissionspräsidentin Ursula von der Leyen stimmt die Bürger der Gemeinschaft angesichts der Corona-Pandemie auf ein „sehr anderes Weihnachten“ ein. Europa stecke mitten in der zweiten Corona-Welle und der Ausgang der Krise hänge von jedem einzelnen ab, sagte von der Leyen. © AFP, AP

Keilar Calls Out Trump's 'Tone- deaf' Plea to Suburban Women

President Donald Trump offered his latest appeal to suburban women, promising to get their husbands "back to work" if he's reelected. CNN's Brianna Keilar calls out Trump's history of sexist and outdated comments.

The US Electoral System Is a Shambles. They Could Learn a Lot from Australia

THE GUARDIAN: Systemic voter suppression and rules still being set for an election within days – this is American exceptionalism

On Monday night the US supreme court voted five to three against allowing more days for counting absentee ballots in Wisconsin. Given difficulties in the postal service, Democrats wanted to see ballots that are cast before close of voting on 3 November received and counted for another six days. This decision, only a week before election day, follows a supreme court decision on 19 October, by four votes to four, to decline a bid by state Republican legislators to stop the count in Pennsylvania extending three days. But following Monday’s confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett, this could be revisited.

Astonishingly, the US is still settling rules for an election due within days. And a national election is being conducted with a patchwork of state laws and regulations. Further, elected state officials – Republican or Democrat office holders – are making decisions about who goes on the roll, how many voting machines go where and how long postal votes will be counted.

And all subject to appeal to an acutely partisan court.

This is American exceptionalism. It confirms the proposition that the US is simply not a democracy, not in the sense western Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Canada are democracies. The point is already made by the electoral college, which in two of the past five presidential elections transmuted Democratic majorities – half a million for Al Gore, 3m for Hillary Clinton – into Republican wins. » | Bob Carr | Thursday, October 29, 2020

Coronavirus: Macron Declares Second National Lockdown in France

BBC: French President Emmanuel Macron has announced a second national lockdown for at least until the end of November.

Mr Macron said that under the new measures, starting on Friday, people would only be allowed to leave home for essential work or medical reasons.

Non-essential businesses, such as restaurants and bars, will close, but schools and factories will remain open.

Covid daily deaths in France are at the highest level since April. On Tuesday, 33,000 new cases were confirmed.

Mr Macron said the country risked being "overwhelmed by a second wave that no doubt will be harder than the first". » | Wednesday, October 28, 2020

German Chancellor Angela Merkel's Address | Harvard Commencement 2019

German Chancellor Angela Merkel's address at the annual meeting of the Harvard Alumni Association at the 368th Harvard Commencement on May 30, 2019.

Erdogan-Karikatur: Türkischer Präsident tobt über Charlie Hebdo

Im Streit zwischen der Türkei und Frankreich um Meinungsfreiheit und den Islam streut „Charlie Hebdo“ Salz in die Wunden: Das französische Satireblatt druckt auf der Titelseite eine Karikatur von Recep Tayyip Erdogan ab. Der türkische Präsident schäumt. © AFP, DPA

Erdogans Boykottaufruf findet Rückhalt in Muslimischer Welt | DW Nachrichten

Weltweit empören sich Muslime über die islamkritischen Äußerungen von Frankreichs Präsident Emmanuel Macron. An die Spitze der Proteste gegen Frankreich hat sich der türkische Präsident Tayyip Recep Erdogan gestellt. Er fordert den Boykott französischer Produkte und griff Macron mit persönlichen Beleidigungen an.

Muslim Countries Denounce French Response to Killing of Teacher, Urge Boycott

THE NEW YORK TIMES: While the government’s moves against extremism have public support, they have opened France to criticism that its relationship with its Muslim citizens has taken an ugly turn.

BRUSSELS — Since a young Muslim beheaded a French schoolteacher who had shown caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad in a class, France has conducted dozens of raids against suspected Islamic extremists, closed a major mosque and shut down some Muslim aid groups.

In France, a nation still traumatized by some 36 Islamic State-inspired terrorist attacks in the last eight years, including two that together killed more than 200 people, those broad measures have found widespread support. President Emmanuel Macron, a fierce defender of French secularism and the right to free speech, went as far as to suggest that Islam was in need of an Enlightenment, and his interior minister spoke of a “civil war.”

In the Muslim world, these actions, and the tone coming from top French officials, have opened France to criticism that the nation’s complicated, post-colonial relationship with its six million Muslim citizens has taken an ugly turn. Leading the condemnation has been President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, who called Mr. Macron mentally damaged in a speech over the weekend. “Macron needs mental treatment,” he said. “What is the problem of this person Macron with Muslims and Islam?” » | Steven Erlanger | Published Oct. 27, 2020; Updated Oct. 28, 2020