Society's ChildS


Megaphone

4 dead in South Africa as protests erupt over surging price of electricity & rolling blackouts

south africa protests 2022
© Guillem Sartorio/AFPPeople gather outside the Tembisa Customer Care Centre after protesters set it on fire after a night of riots caused by angry community members demanding better service delivery in Tembisa on August 1, 2022
At least four people have died during protests over the cost of electricity in a South African township, police officials have said.

On Monday, residents angry at the high cost of basic services barricaded roads with burning tyres and set ablaze a municipal building in Thembisa township, northeast of the financial hub, Johannesburg.

Authorities said two people were killed in alleged police shootings after the protests broke out in the morning.

"It's alleged they have been shot," local municipal police spokeswoman Kelebogile Thepa told AFP.

Comment: Footage of the protests from Twitter:



See also: Farmer protests spread across the globe


Stock Down

16,000 small UK business go bust unable to pay back lockdown loans, 60,000 in default

Rishi Sunak
The extraordinary sum has led critics to turn on the former chancellor Rishi Sunak, 42, who has built his pitch to be prime minister on being fiscally responsible
Thousands of businesses that received Rishi Sunak's Covid loans have gone bust without paying the money back... leaving taxpayers with a £500million bill

More than 16,000 businesses that received bounce-back Covid loans have gone bust without paying the money back.

The mass insolvencies may have cost the taxpayer as much as £500million, a figure which will grow as more firms collapse.

The scheme was targeted by criminals because companies could self-certify to claim the cash. Dozens of individuals have been arrested, while more than 150 directors have been barred from running companies.

Last week the business department revealed that firms collectively owing £3.2billion had fallen into arrears, while 61,475 loans were in default, potentially costing the taxpayer £1.9billion. Official estimates showed that as much as £17billion of the £47billion loaned under the scheme will not be repaid.

Sheriff

Over 200 American law enforcement officers shot in 2022—14 percent increase from 2021

police cop mask american flag
For America's law enforcement, the threat of being injured or killed while on the job is all too real, with hundreds of officers being shot each year.

A new report from the National Fraternal Order of Police has revealed that as of July 31, 210 officers have been shot in the line of duty, with thirty-nine such attacks resulting in death.

According to the National Fraternal Order of Police, 2022 numbers are up 14 percent from last year, and 12 percent from 2020.

Post-It Note

Afghans cast doubt on Kabul killing of al-Qaida chief Ayman Al-Zawahiri

Ayman Al-Zawahiri
Many Afghans expressed shock or doubt Tuesday that Al-Qaeda's chief had been killed in Kabul by a US drone strike, saying they couldn't believe Ayman Al-Zawahiri had been hiding in their midst.

"It's just propaganda," Fahim Shah, 66, a resident of the Afghan capital, told AFP.

Late Monday, US President Joe Biden announced Zawahiri's assassination, saying "justice has been delivered" to the Egyptian with a $25 million bounty on his head.

Comment:
ayman al-Zawahiri



Snakes in Suits

US corporations own around 30% of Ukrainian arable land

arable ukraine
The destruction and plunder of Ukraine have been old news for quite some time now, unfortunately. However, the media and the public have only scratched the surface of the sheer scale of this process. With the territory of modern-day Ukraine being the breadbasket of Europe (and beyond) for millennia, the country has been the target of various agricultural corporations, particularly those originating in the political West. In recent years, especially after the Neo-Nazi coup in 2014, foreign corporations acquired Ukrainian fields, depriving the country of any control over its food exports and even domestic food supply.

Corporations such as "Cargill", "DuPont" and "Monsanto" (which is formally a German-Australian company, but essentially an American one) are among the most prominent owners of Ukrainian arable land. In addition, corporations like "Vanguard", "Blackrock" and "Blackstone" are among the largest shareholders in the aforementioned agricultural giants, owning trillions in assets. For instance, "Blackrock" is a fund that manages assets worth over $10 trillion, with "Vanguard" controlling at least six and "Blackstone" managing up to $1 trillion. Together, the three massive US multinational corporations ("Cargill", "DuPont" and "Monsanto") own over 17 million hectares of Ukraine's arable land.

In comparison, the whole of Italy has 16.7 million hectares of agricultural land. In short, the three American corporations own more usable agricultural land in Ukraine than what the whole country of Italy has. The entire area of Ukraine is approximately 600,000 square km. Out of that land area, 170,000 square km have been acquired by foreign corporations, the vast majority Western, particularly those based in or financed by the US. Since the new law on the sale of agricultural land passed by the Kiev regime entered into full force approximately one year ago, to this day, the three large multinational consortia financed with US capital have acquired well over a quarter of Ukrainian arable land. A report by the Australian National Review states that the three US corporations managed to acquire 17 out of the 62 million hectares of agricultural land in less than a year. This made it possible for them to control 28% of the total arable land in Ukraine.

Clipboard

No one cares much about Covid or Ukraine: Abortion moves up on "Most Important Problem" list

abortion protester
When Americans are asked to name the most important problem facing the U.S., 8% of the resulting mentions focus on abortion. While not high on an absolute basis, this is the highest such percentage since Gallup began tracking mentions of abortion in 1984. Additionally, another 6% of Americans name a related issue -- problems with the nation's judicial system and courts.

Abortion ranks behind three other issues on the "most important" list in Gallup's July 5-26 update. Inflation (17%) and dysfunctional government or bad leadership (17%) top the list, with another 12% of Americans making general complaints about the economy. In addition to specific mentions of inflation, 5% of respondents mention fuel and gas prices.

Comment: And no one is talking about Monkeypox, despite it being declared a state of emergency in 3 states. Abortion is just too damn difficult to unseat!

See also:


Health

California governor declares monkeypox state of emergency

gavin newsom
© APNewsom has taken the next step in fighting his state's monkeypox outbreak.
California's governor on Monday declared a state of emergency to speed efforts to combat the monkeypox outbreak, becoming the second state in three days to take the step.

Gov. Gavin Newsom said the declaration will help California coordinate a government-wide response, seek more vaccines and lead outreach and education efforts on where people can get treatment and vaccination.

"We'll continue to work with the federal government to secure more vaccines, raise awareness about reducing risk, and stand with the LGBTQ community fighting stigmatization," Newsom said in a statement announcing his declaration.

Comment: See also:


Syringe

"The Repeal" shows how the Amish, in one county, fought to save ALL New Yorkers from what's happening now

Amish
© Journeyman TV (Screen Copy)
This global drive to "vaccinate" the human race did not come out of nowhere, but was preceded, over decades, by "public health" campaigns that variously readied people for it, by expertly convincing them that their lives, and their children's lives, depended utterly on their obeying, without question, the dictates of "public health," however needless and/or risky they may be.

That preparatory process has been underway for quite some time; but it accelerated in the Eighties, when the vaccination schedule for our children started growing radically (some might say metastasizing) into the relentless poisonous assault it is today. That push increasingly entailed the demonization of all those who wouldn't go along, whether on medical grounds or for religious reasons, all such heretics now fiercely vilified as "anti-vaxxers."

NPC

Musician Sting warns of threats to democracy during Warsaw concert

Sting
Sting performs on the main stage during the 45th edition of the Paleo Festival, in Nyon, Switzerland, 20 July 2022. The Paleo is the largest open-air music festival in the western part of Switzerland with 230,000 spectators in six days, and takes place from 19-24 July. Paleo Festival 2022, Nyon, Switzerland - 20 Jul 2022
Sting shared an urgent political message during a concert in Warsaw, Poland on Saturday.

The singer stopped his show to appeal to the crowd regarding the war in Ukraine and the growing threats to democracy.

Calling the country's invasion at the hands of Russian forces "an absurdity based upon a lie," the statement was expressed through Polish actor Maciej Stuhr, who Sting invited on stage to act as a translator, as reported by the Associated Press.

Comment:




Pirates

"I have a chance to kill some Russians." Interviews with foreign volunteers in Ukraine

drone ukraine foreign fighters mercenaries
Foreign volunteers test a drone in Zaporizhia, Ukraine
On February 27, Ukrainian President Zelensky announced the formation of the International Legion of Defense of Ukraine and invited foreign nationals to come to Ukraine and join the fight against Russia. Foreign nationals, many with no prior military experience or training, heeded Zelensky's call and poured into Ukraine. Months of reports of heavy casualties among the undertrained and often underarmed International Legion volunteers followed.

On July 1, the International Legion issued a statement on their social media accounts:
"Going forward, media enquires and requests for interviews regarding the Legion and with legionnaires must go through the Legion's Communications Director, "Mockingjay" on Signal or Telegram only. We also remind all journalists that interviews and any communication with legionnaires are only legitimate if they are approved by the Legion's press office, and that legionnaires are under strict orders not to talk to the press."
The true number of foreign volunteers fighting in Ukraine is unknown. In March, the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs claimed more than 20,000 came from 52 countries, but many of the volunteers who came have already left. The total number of volunteer groups, both officially registered with the Ukrainian Armed Forces and operating unofficially, is also unknown.