The U.S. Bureau of Prisons has started photocopying inmate letters and other mail at some federal correctional facilities across the U.S. instead of delivering the original parcels, in an attempt to combat the smuggling of synthetic narcotics like K-2, officials told The Associated Press on Monday.

The program is being implemented at a “number of Bureau facilities impacted by the increased introduction of synthetic drugs,” the agency said in a statement to the AP. At those jails and prisons, Bureau of Prisons employees are currently copying incoming mail and then distributing the copies to inmates, the agency said.

Officials would not say how many staff members are being assigned to make photocopies or whether they are removing correction officers to perform the task. The initiative raises questions about whether the agency, which has been plagued by chronic staffing shortages and violence, is reassigning staff members to spend time making photocopies instead of watching inmates.

The Bureau of Prisons has faced increased scrutiny since billionaire financier Jeffrey Epstein was able to take his own life behind bars at a federal facility in New York in August. Across the board, the agency has been down 4,000 jobs since 2017. Staffing shortages are so severe that guards routinely work overtime shifts day after day, sometimes being forced to work mandatory overtime.

 In the wake of Epstein’s death, Attorney General William Barr removed the agency’s acting director and named Kathleen Hawk Sawyer, the prison agency’s director from 1992 until 2003, to replace him.

Officials did not provide details on the specific jails and prisons where the program is being implemented, but a person familiar with the matter told AP that one of the facilities is USP Canaan, a high-security penitentiary for male inmates in Pennsylvania. The person spoke on condition of anonymity in order to discuss jail operations.

Officials say wardens at each of the facilities have discretion under current policy to order the photocopying because they “may establish controls to protect staff, inmates, and the security, discipline, and good order of the institution.”

The agency is also exploring the possibility of using an off-site vendor to scan general correspondence and then send it as electronic files to kiosks in the correctional facilities where inmates would be able to view and print the letters.

The choice to have mail photocopied depends on the size and security level of the correctional facility, as well as the “degree of sophistication of the inmates confined, staff availability, and other variables,” the statement said.

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A senior Israeli official attended a maritime security conference in Bahrain on Monday in another sign of Gulf Arab nations and Israel transcending longtime enmities to focus on a perceived common threat from Iran.

Israel, which regards Sunni Muslim Gulf states as natural allies against Shi’ite Muslim Iran, has formal diplomatic relations with only two Arab states, neighboring Egypt and Jordan, established in 1979 and 1994 respectively.

The maritime workshop being held in Manama stems from a Middle East conference held in Warsaw in February that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the time called a “historical turning point” for an alliance against Tehran.

The United States is trying to build a global maritime coalition to secure vital trade channels following attacks on tankers in Gulf waters in May and June that Washington has blamed on Iran, a charge Tehran denies.

Tensions have risen since President Donald Trump last year withdrew the United States from a 2015 deal between world powers and Iran under which it agreed to curbs on its disputed nuclear program in return for the lifting of sanctions.

Washington has since reimposed a panoply of sanctions meant to strangle Iran’s vital oil exports, and Tehran in turn has scaled back on commitments under the deal to restrict its uranium enrichment program.

“Aviation and maritime security are at top of the policy agenda in the region,” Bahraini Foreign Minister Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed al-Khalifa told the opening of the Maritime and Aviation Security Working Group.

Israeli Foreign Ministry official Dana Benvenisti, head of its counter-terrorism department, attended the Manama gathering in a rare visit by an Israeli official to Bahrain.

In April a group of Israeli businessmen and government officials canceled a planned visit to an economic conference in Manama due to what organizers said were “security concerns”, following a social media campaign by Bahraini opponents of the visit.

In June, Bahrain hosted a “Peace to Prosperity” workshop meant to encourage investment in the Palestinian Territories as the first part of a broader White House political plan to end the long-running Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Last year Oman hosted Netanyahu on a surprise trip, the first time an Israeli leader had visited the sultanate in 22 years. An Israeli cabinet minister subsequently visited the United Arab Emirates.

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Sudanese activists are calling for mass protests in the capital, Khartoum, and elsewhere across the country to demand the disbanding of former President Omar al-Bashir’s National Congress Party.
 
The Sudanese Professionals’ Association, which spearheaded the uprising against Bashir’s rule, says Monday’s protests will also renew demands to step up an independent investigation into the deadly break-up of protests in June.
 
The SPA has called for the appointment of regional governors and the make-up of the legislative body, which was part of an August power-sharing agreement between the pro-democracy protesters and the country’s powerful military.
 
The transitional government has previously said it would postpone appointing the governors and the legislative body till achieving peace with the country’s rebel groups. It began talks with the rebels earlier this month.

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The Duke and the Duchess of Sussex said in a joint interview with ITV news filmed during their tour in Africa earlier this month and aired Sunday, that they would not let British tabloids destroy their life.

Prince Harry told ITV that most of what is published in the British tabloids is not true, adding “I will not be bullied into playing a game that killed my mum.” Harry said the memory of Princess Diana’s death was “still incredibly raw every single day and that is not me being paranoid…”

Prince Harry Walks Through Angola Mine Field, Echoing Diana

The southern African nation hopes to be land mine-free by 2025, a goal of scores of countries around the world

The former U.S. television star Meghan Markle said that while her friends were happy for her when she met Harry, her British friends warned her not to marry Harry “because the British tabloids will destroy your life.”

Speaking of how she can cope with such intense scrutiny, Meghan replied: “In all honesty I have said for a long time to H – that is what I call him – it’s not enough to just survive something, that’s not the point of life. You have got to thrive.”

Earlier this month the couple sued British tabloid The Mail on Sunday for invasion of privacy, claiming it illegally published a letter she wrote to her father.

At the time, Harry said the treatment of Meghan was reminiscent of the tabloid’s approach to his mother.

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Three U.S. soldiers were killed and three others injured in the state of Georgia Sunday in an accident involving the armored combat vehicle they were in, the military said in a statement.

The army provided no details on the nature of the accident, which is under investigation, except to say it occurred during an exercise at Fort Stewart, Georgia.

“Six soldiers were involved, with three pronounced deceased on site, and three more evacuated to Winn Army Community Hospital where they are being treated and evaluated for their injuries,” an army statement said.

Major General Tony Aguto, commander of the 3rd Infantry Division, called it a “heartbreaking day.”

The soldiers, who were in a Bradley Fighting Vehicle, were from the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team.

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Influential Iraqi Shi’ite leader Moqtada al-Sadr has given his supporters the green light to resume anti-government protests, after the movement was interrupted following a deadly crackdown.

Protests shook Iraq for six days from October 1, with young Iraqis denouncing corruption and demanding jobs and services before calling for the downfall of the government.

The protests — notable for their spontaneity — were violently suppressed, with official counts reporting 110 people killed and 6,000 wounded, most of them demonstrators.

Calls have been made on social media for fresh rallies on Friday, the anniversary of Prime Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi’s government taking office.

“It’s your right to participate in protests on October 25,” Sadr told his followers in a Facebook post on Saturday evening.

Protesters have opposed any appropriation of their leaderless movement and the firebrand cleric was restrained on Sunday in comparison to his previous exhortations for “million-man marches”.  

He qualified his support by adding: “Those who don’t want to take part in this revolution can choose another via the ballot box in internationally supervised elections and without the current politicians,” he said.

His statement echoed another he made during protests at the start of the month, in which he called on the government — of which his bloc is a part — to resign and hold early elections “under U.N. supervision”.

In his latest message, Sadr called on his supporters to protest peacefully.

“They expect you to be armed,” he said, alluding to authorities blaming “saboteurs” for infiltrating protests. “But I don’t think you will be.”

Sadr’s influence was on display Saturday during the Shi’ite Arbaeen pilgrimage to the holy city of Karbala, 100 kilometers (60 miles) south of Baghdad.

Thousands of his supporters heeded his call to dress in white shrouds and chanted, “Baghdad free, out with the corrupt!”

October 25 will also mark the deadline issued by Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, spiritual leader for Iraq’s Shi’ite majority, for the government to respond to protester demands.

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Tens of thousands of Lebanese protesters of all ages gathered Sunday in major cities and towns nationwide, with each hour bringing hundreds more people to the streets for the largest anti-government protests yet in four days of demonstrations.

Protesters danced and sang in the streets, some waving Lebanese flags and chanting “the people want to bring down the regime.” In the morning, young men and women carried blue bags and cleaned the streets of the capital, Beirut, picking up trash left behind by the previous night’s protests.

The spontaneous mass demonstrations are Lebanon’s largest in five years, spreading beyond Beirut. They are building on long-simmering anger at a ruling class that has divvied up power among themselves and amassed wealth for decades but has done little to fix a crumbling economy and dilapidated infrastructure.

The unrest erupted after the government proposed new taxes, part of stringent austerity measures amid a growing economic crisis. The protests have brought people from across the sectarian and religious lines that define the country.

“People cannot take it anymore,” said Nader Fares, a protester in central Beirut who said he’s unemployed. “There are no good schools, no electricity and no water.”

Politicians are now racing against time to put forward an economic rescue plan that they hope will help calm the public.

On Saturday night, a Lebanese Christian leader asked his four ministers in the Cabinet to resign. Samir Geagea, who heads the right-wing Lebanese Forces Party, said he no longer believes the current national unity government headed by Prime Minister Saad Hariri can steer the country out of the deepening economic crisis.

In a speech Friday night, Hariri had given his partners in the government a 72-hour ultimatum to come up with convincing solutions to the economic crisis. A day later, Hariri said he was meeting Cabinet ministers to “reach what serves the Lebanese.”

On Sunday, Hariri continued his meetings to finish suggestions to revive the country’s crumbling economy, which has been suffering from high unemployment, little growth and one of the highest debts ratios in the world standing at 150% of the gross domestic products.

Many of the protesters have already said they don’t trust the current government’s reforms, and are calling on the 30-member Cabinet to resign and be replaced by a smaller one made up of technocrats instead of members of political groups.

“I hope the government will resign and I think we are ready and the whole country is ready for something else at last,” said real estate agent Fabian Ziayde.

Since Saturday, the protests have been mostly peaceful with many protesters bringing their children with them to the gatherings.

But some demonstrators went on a rampage Friday night, smashing shop windows and bank exteriors in Beirut’s glitzy downtown. Security forces eventually responded by firing tear gas and water cannons. Dozens were arrested.

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Libya’s coast guard says it’s intercepted dozens of Europe-bound migrants off the country’s Mediterranean coast.

Spokesman Ayoub Gassim said Sunday the migrants were returned to shore and would be taken to a detention center in the capital, Tripoli.

Gassim said a rubber boat with 89 African migrants, including 16 women and two children, was stopped Saturday off Libya’s western town of Khoms, around 120 kilometers (75 miles) east of Tripoli.

Libya has emerged as a major transit point for migrants fleeing war and poverty to Europe. In recent years, the EU has partnered with Libya’s coast guard and other local groups to stem the dangerous sea crossings.

Rights groups, however, say those policies leave migrants at the mercy of armed groups or confined in squalid detention centers rife with abuses.

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Swiss voters elect their parliament this weekend, a challenge for the populist right that has been dominant until now and an opportunity for green parties as environmental concerns have swept up much of Europe this year. 

Political analyst Pascal Sciarini of the University of Geneva cited a “great unknown” in the vote: Will young Swiss who have poured into the streets to lament global warming also turn up at the ballot boxes? 

Voters are electing the 200-member National Council, parliament’s lower house, and the 46-member Council of States, the upper house, to four-year terms. Recent polls suggest two groups, the Greens and the Liberal Greens, stand to gain seats. 

Balloting ends at midday Sunday. Most voters in Switzerland cast their ballots by mail, avoiding a stop at polling stations. 

It’s an important electoral date for Switzerland, a rich country of 8.2 million where power-sharing and embedded checks and balances make for a stable political landscape, except when it’s occasionally shaken up by referendums. 

This year has been more dynamic than many: Students and others have marched on public offices repeatedly to echo concerns across Europe about climate change, and the first major women’s protest in Switzerland since 1991 drew tens of thousands to demand fairer pay, more equality and an end to sexual harassment and violence. Swiss media report a record number of women are standing for election this year. 

Environmental issues resonate here: A group called Glacier Monitoring Switzerland says the Alpine country has lost 15 percent of its glacier volume over the last decade, and warns that all Swiss glaciers could disappear by 2100 if warming continues. 

Immigration, EU

Worries about women’s rights and the environment are a far cry from the last election, when immigration and relations with the European Union were the main concerns and fanned gains for the populist, right-wing Swiss People’s Party that today holds the most seats in parliament. 

“There are two main stakes for this election: how significant will the predicted advance of the Greens be,” said Sciarini, “and how much will the [Swiss People’s Party] lose. That could signal losses for the right generally, and lead to more leftist policies.” 

The legislature picks the seven members of Switzerland’s executive branch: The Federal Council. The Swiss presidency rotates every year among those seven members, who make decisions by consensus — part of the Swiss “magic formula” of democracy that requires different political factions to cooperate, and govern from the middle ground. 

Greens don’t have any seats in the council now. The People’s Party, the Social Democrats, and center-right Liberal party each have two, and the Christian Democrats have one. But big electoral successes could boost the Greens’ argument that they would deserve one, too. 

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Zana Omar reports for VOA from Qamishli that the International Red Cross and the Red Crescent traveled to Ras al-Ayn to extract the wounded civilians from the hospital there that had been under siege from the Turkish incursion into the region — both before and after the cease-fire.

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Chile’s president declared a state of emergency in Santiago Friday night and gave the military responsibility for security after a day of violent protests over increases in the price of metro tickets.

“I have declared a state of emergency and, to that end, I have appointed Major General Javier Iturriaga del Campo as head of national defense, in accordance with the provisions of our state of emergency legislation,” President Sebastian Pinera said.

Throughout Friday, protestors clashed with riot police in several parts of the city and the subway system was shut after attacks on several stations.

Violent clashes escalated as night fell, and the ENEL power company building and a Banco Chile branch, both in the city center, were set on fire and several metro stations hit with Molotov cocktails.

The unrest started as a fare-dodging protest against the hike in metro ticket prices, which increased from 800 to 830 peso ($1.17) for peak hour travel, following a 20 peso rise in January.

Attacks on metro stations forced the closure of the entire subway system, which is the key form of public transport in the congested and polluted capital, carrying 3 million passengers a day.

“The entire network is closed due to riots and destruction that prevent the minimum security conditions for passengers and workers,” the metro operator said on Twitter, after attacks against nearly all the 164 stations where many gates and turnstiles were destroyed.

The Santiago Metro, at 140 kilometers (90 miles) the largest and most modern in South America, is expected to remain closed this weekend and could reopen gradually next week.

Closure of the metro forced many Santiago residents to walk home, sometimes long distances, resulting in scenes of chaos.

Protesters erected barricades in various parts of the city and clashed with police, who used water cannon and tear gas in the most violent street battle seen in the Chilean capital for a long time.

Pinera slammed the protesters as criminals. 

“This desire to break everything is not a protest, it’s criminal,” he said in a radio interview. 

On Thursday, 133 people had been arrested for causing damage to metro stations, estimated at up to 500 million pesos ($700,000).
 

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Seasonal rains are bringing relief from a toxic haze that had blanketed Malaysia and Singapore. The air pollution disrupted the lives of millions of people and concerns remain about whether the problem will keep happening. Dave Grunebaum has the story from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
 

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