A quick note for London-based subscribers. I'll be speaking alongside some excellent people on a panel about how the world views the U.S. in the age of Trump next Tuesday 22 September. The event, which is in celebration of The Dial's new book "How We See It", is at the Frontline Club.
You can get tickets here.
Would be great to see some Proximities readers there!
Sudan
At least 87 people were killed when a gold mine collapsed in Sudan, local sources said, with others trapped under the rubble. Locals told Reuters that while miners had dug through the night trying to rescue their colleagues, their efforts were hampered by a lack of heavy equipment. The mine is located in West Kordofan state, an area controlled by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) group, which has been at war with Sudan’s military for more than three years. The RSF is widely reported to be backed by the United Arab Emirates, which has been accused of smuggling gold out of the country. Though Sudan is one of the world’s biggest gold producers, thousands of mines are small-scale or informal with lax safety standards. Collapses are a common occurrence.
More from Al Jazeera here.
Philippines
Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte today appeared for the first time in person at the International Criminal Court, where he faces charges of crimes against humanity related to the so-called war on drugs during his time in office. Dressed in a black suit and white shirt, Duterte did not speak during proceedings that mostly covered scheduling concerns ahead of the trial’s start in November, but he did smile and wave to supporters. Lawyers for the 81-year-old failed to have the case thrown out after arguing he could not take part on health grounds and that he had cognitive issues. Estimates of the number killed by police and hit squads under the anti-drug crackdown range from the more than 6,000 reported by the police force to up to 30,000 in tallies from rights groups.
More from AP here.
Turkey
Eight members of LGBTQ+ rights group 4Kaos GL have been jailed in Turkey as a crackdown on the community escalates, their lawyers said. Seven other activists with the organization, including a journalist, were released under judicial supervision. The arrests, which court documents said were over facilitating the publication of obscene material, are the latest incident in an operation against the LGBTQ+ community that the government has dubbed "My Family is Safe," claiming it is aimed at protecting children and family values. At least 54 others were jailed after raids across the country, and at least 126 people were arrested on Tuesday during protests against the operation in Ankara and Istanbul.
More from Reuters here.
Who supports Duterte?!
And it seems I've heard the "family values" "protect the children" stuff before, but where? 🤔 Glad the US can be a role model. 😑