Society's ChildS


Quenelle

Poll shows quarter of Russians put state interests above personal rights


RT
Mon, 03 Apr 2017 20:25 UTC
People
© Kirill Kallinikov / Sputnik
Almost a quarter of all Russians would allow citizens' rights to be infringed if this served the interests of the nation, a recent poll has found, although about a half believe that individuals should defend their rights.

According to the latest public opinion poll by the independent research center Levada, 24 percent of Russians agree that in certain circumstances they would tolerate violations of their rights for the sake of national interests. Of those, 10 percent said that state interests were so important that they could be clearly placed above individual rights.

Eleven percent of Russians think that the state is now in a difficult position and citizens must assist, even if this meant some sort of sacrifice for them.

Four percent said that they owe everything they have to the state, and feel they do not have the right to demand more.

At the same time, 47 percent of those polled said that individuals should defend their personal rights, even if by doing this they damaged the interests of the state. Thirteen percent of respondents said that the rights of the individual should always prevail over the interests of the state.
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Handcuffs

Belarus KGB detains Ukrainian agent Denis Ivashin, plotting Maidan

Grigor Yurchenko/ Translated by J. Arnoldski
Fort Russ News
Mon, 03 Apr 2017 19:51 UTC
Ivashin arrested in Minsk on March 25th
Ivashin arrested in Minsk on March 25th
On Saturday, March 25th, during the attempt to hold so-called Freedom Day in Belarus, opposition activist Denis Ivashin from Grodno was arrested. Ivashin's arrest speaks to the possible involvement of Ukrainian special operations forces in the organizing of unauthorized demonstrations in Belarus.

Denis Ivashin gained fame among radical opposition circles in Belarus after participating in the mass riots in Kiev in early 2014. Then he came to the attention of Ukrainian intelligence. Ivashin is closely linked to information-psychological operations forces that are part of the Armed Forces of Ukraine's Special Operations Forces. He is also the editor of the Belarusian propaganda site, InformNapalm, which belongs to Ukraine's 72nd Informational-Psychological Special Operations Center.

The arrest of Ivashin in Minsk was first reported by this site's editor in chief, a cadre officer of the 72nd center, who hides under the pseudonym Roman Burko. A little later, the incident was reported in the InformNapalm Ukraine group. Interestingly enough, on March 25th in Grodno, a Freedom Day action authorized by authorities took place and was attended by around 150 people. Ivashin, however, had apparently been ordered to take part in events in Minsk.

Maidan protesters clash with the police
On his Facebook page, Ivashin posted that on March 23rd he was invited to the police station to discuss his participation in Freedom Day in Grodno, but he refused to appear without an official summons. In addition, he actively advised others on how to avoid being arrested or fined during the riots as well as how to communicate without fear of monitoring by Belarusian intelligence via the application FireChat.
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Chalkboard

Russian Orthodox Church urges change to Chechen ruling permiting hijab in schools


RT
Mon, 03 Apr 2017 15:03 UTC
Russian Orthodox Church
© Sputnik
The head of the Moscow Patriarchate's legal service has said a recent decision to allow Muslim headwear in Chechen schools should be reversed as it violates federal principles on the secular nature of state-run schools.

"Giving to schoolchildren such a right in the Chechen Republic is a violation of the secular principle of education in state-run schools and in this part the amendment must be corrected," Hegumenia (Abbess) Ksenia (Cherniga) was quoted as saying by Interfax.

The comment came just days after the parliament of the Chechen Republic passed a bill ordering all educational establishments to consider it students' right to wear clothes or symbols required by their religion or national traditions, provided this does not contradict federal laws and does not harm the children's health.

The bill means that the female Muslim hijab headscarf will be permitted in local schools. The Chechen capital, Grozny, introduced school uniforms with obligatory red headscarves for girls about a year ago.

Comment: See also: Czech court dismissed hijab discrimination lawsuit

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Stormtrooper

'Anti-fascist' protesters storm pro-Trump rally with violence, smoke bombs


RT
Mon, 03 Apr 2017 15:43 UTC
trump rally protest
© Ruptly
A pro-Trump rally in Washington State resulted in multiple arrests after anti-fascist protesters stormed the event, with some throwing smoke bombs into the crowd.

The 'Rally for Trump and Freedom' event at Esther Short Park in Vancouver, Washington, was open to local Trump supporters and Republican representatives, according to KATU news.

Despite the organizers' wishes, the event was also attended by anti-Trump demonstrators, many of whom referred to themselves as anti-fascist, or Antifa, protesters.

Some of the protesters were dressed in all black and wearing masks to cover their faces. Many shouted slogans including "Black Lives Matter!" and "No Trump, No KKK, No Fascist USA!"


Comment: Seems these 'anti-fascist' protesters have little understanding of what fascism really is, which of course is ironic because they're embodying it in spirit.

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Family

Capital lacks "affordable" solutions: Homeless families are being forced out of London as temporary housing costs soar


RT
Mon, 03 Apr 2017 11:32 UTC
Homeless in London
© Peter Macdiarmid / Getty Images
Homeless families in London are being given temporary accommodation outside the capital because the spiraling cost of rent is draining council funds, new figures show.

According to London Councils (LC), the number of placements outside the capital rose from 113 between April and June 2012 to 551 between December and April 2016.

Authorities say they are forced to drag families far outside London because of the rising cost of temporary accommodation, which has doubled in the past five years.

The total spending of boroughs on per-night accommodation jumped from £90 million ($112 million) in 2011 to £203 million in 2015.

According to Katie Webb, head of policy at housing charity Shelter, one of the key causes of family relocation outside London is councils struggling to find cooperative landlords who will secure long-term licenses for temporary accommodation.
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Bullseye

'We know where you live': Jewish center in Umea, Sweden closed after Nazi threats


RT
Mon, 03 Apr 2017 08:55 UTC
Swedish Jewish center
© Hannah McKay / Reuters
A Jewish center in Sweden has been closed after Nazi threats, local media reports, adding that the building of the center was painted with the phrase "we know where you live" and has been vandalized with swastikas.

The incident took place in the city of Umea, northeastern Sweden, with some 120,000 residents. On Sunday, the local Jewish Association decided to close its premises and halt all activities "because of the vulnerability and strong threats," spokesperson Carinne Sjoberg told SVT broadcaster.

Aside from the swastikas and menacing phrase on the building, the association also received emails with threats, she said.

"Too many things have happened lately which mean that Jewish parents don't feel safe having their kids at the schools. Our children shouldn't live in a world where they have to be ashamed for what they are, but it's not possible to operate if people are scared," she said.
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Robot

Swedish employees getting injected with microchips

James Brooks
SF Gate
Mon, 03 Apr 2017 07:07 UTC
Microchip
© James Brooks/APSelf-described “body hacker” Jowan Osterlund from Biohax Sweden, holds a small microchip implant, similar to those implanted into workers at Epicenter
The syringe slides in between the thumb and index finger. Then, with a click, a microchip is injected in the employee's hand. Another "cyborg" is created.

What could pass for a dystopian vision of the workplace is almost routine at the Swedish startup hub Epicenter. The company offers to implant its workers and startup members with microchips the size of grains of rice that function as swipe cards: to open doors, operate printers, or buy smoothies with a wave of the hand.

The injections have become so popular that workers at Epicenter hold parties for those willing to get implanted.

"The biggest benefit I think is convenience," said Patrick Mesterton, co-founder and CEO of Epicenter. As a demonstration, he unlocks a door by merely waving near it. "It basically replaces a lot of things you have, other communication devices, whether it be credit cards or keys."

The technology in itself is not new. Such chips are used as virtual collar plates for pets. Companies use them to track deliveries. It's just never been used to tag employees on a broad scale before. Epicenter and a handful of other companies are the first to make chip implants broadly available.

Comment: See also: Because key cards are so inconvenient, Belgian employees get microchipped

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Newspaper

"Adios!": Mexican newspaper closes after 27 years over lack of journalist safety


RT
Mon, 03 Apr 2017 10:27 UTC
Journalist safety
© ReutersJournalists and activist protest against the murder of the Mexican journalist Miroslava Breach.
A regional newspaper in northern Mexico has announced it will shut down for security and economic reasons, shortly after one of its journalists was gunned down. The editor said he was not willing to have people pay for reporting with their lives.

The Norte de Ciudad Juarez newspaper announced that its Sunday issue would be its last, after more than 27 years in print. Editor Oscar Cantu Murguia informed readers of his decision in an editorial titled "Adios!", published on the front page and on Norte's website.

"Everything in life has a beginning and an end, and a price to pay, and if the price is life, I am not prepared for any more of my collaborators to pay it, nor am I prepared to pay it either," he wrote.

Cantu cited the death of journalist Miroslava Breach Velducea last month as the tipping point for the newspaper. She was shot dead in the city of Chihuahua, which is located in the eponymous state on the US border. Juarez is the largest city of the state.
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Attention

Nothing will stop the flow of refugees crossing the Mediterranean to flee poverty - rescue NGO


RT
Mon, 03 Apr 2017 10:46 UTC
Refugees
© Sea-Watch / Facebook
The current EU policy of stemming the flow of refugees by cooperating with the Libyan military is profoundly wrong as migrants will cross the Mediterranean "either way" simply to escape dire plight in their home countries, a German rescue NGO said.

Frank Doerner, one of the chief managers at Sea Watch, a Berlin-based humanitarian NGO operating in the Mediterranean Sea, told Die Welt his organization expects the number of refugees dying at sea to skyrocket in 2017, saying "this year will be no good year."

"Many believe that people [migrants] weigh up rationally whether or not to attempt the journey [to the EU]," Doerner said of the reasons encouraging refugees to take dangerous journeys across the Mediterranean.

"People ask themselves - everything is better than where I come from, and if I'm going to die on my way, so let it be."

"They will come either way," he added.

Doerner then lashed out at mounting allegations that humanitarian NGOs are working with traffickers or encourage illegal immigration from the Middle East and Africa.

Comment: See also: Close to 150 refugees feared dead from capsized boat in Mediterranean

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Arrow Down

Delhi man charged with holding captive and raping foreign woman for over 6 months


RT
Mon, 03 Apr 2017 14:07 UTC
Indian police officers
© Adnan Abidi / ReutersIndian police officers
A Delhi man has been detained by police for allegedly luring a 22-year-old woman to India from Uzbekistan, before holding her captive and raping her for six months, local media report.

The man, known only as Sonu alias Sumit, was charged with rape and "immoral trafficking" on Sunday, The Times of India reports.

Sonu allegedly met the woman online and while posing as a senior IT executive, offered her a job in India. After meeting her at the airport, he drove her to a house in the Mehrauli neighborhood of Delhi.

"Sonu took her passport and money, claiming that he needed to keep them as a security deposit. He then moved in with the woman and raped her for nearly half a year," a police officer told the Hindustan Times.

Sonu also reportedly forced her into prostitution and threatened her if she tried to leave the house. Eventually, the woman got in touch with a lawyer and filed a complaint with the police on Friday. Sonu was arrested after a medical examination of the woman confirmed the rape. Police are now investigating if he was part of a larger human trafficking ring.
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