Society's ChildS


Quenelle

Fed up with abuse? May Day rallies across EU & Turkey erupt in violence

May Day rallies protests Germany Italy France Turkey
© Hannibal Hanschke / ReutersGerman police use pepper spray against right-wing protestors during a demonstration in the town of Plauen, Germany, May 1, 2016
Thousands have taken to the streets globally to mark International Workers' Day. In several European countries demonstrations which began in a generally peaceful way turned violent and tear gas and water cannon were both deployed.

Labor Day protests in Turkey resulted in at least one death, with one man being killed in an incident in Istanbul. He was run over by a police water cannon vehicle, as the riot police presence was huge on the streets of Turkey's largest city. Some 25,000 officers were on duty, AFP reported, with central Taksim Square having been cordoned off. To prevent people from joining the protests' hotspot, police fired tear gas and water cannon. Over 200 people were detained, the agency reported citing the Istanbul governor's office. Dozens of Molotov cocktails, hand grenades and fireworks were reportedly seized from protesters.

Comment: Further reading:


Attention

German Justice Minister flees in armored Mercedes after angry protesters boo him offstage

Heiko Maas protest
© DPA
Heiko Maas, the German Minister of Justice, was unable to finish his Labor Day celebration speech on the 1st of May as he was loudly booed and chased off the stage by the German people. The people repeatedly shouted "traitor", "leftist rat", "get out!", "we are the people" and "Maas must go!", eventually getting him to cancel his speech and flee to his armored Mercedes escorted by his armed bodyguards.

Maas is considered one of the biggest proponents of expanding censorship laws, demanding persecution, fines and jail-time for everybody posting "hate speech" on social media. Recently his party suffered a devastating loss in polls across the country, losing to the Alternative for Germany (AfD) by a landslide in the last state election of Saxony, where he held his speech.

In his speech he claimed that "the people shouting 'traitor' don't even know what's happening to them." Many of the same people would disagree. According to vidmax "the German people are confused and angry about why they're told that they have to be frugal and avoid having children because of the immense cost while simultaneously working their fingers to the bones to fund a foreign invasion."

X

Free Syrian Army rejects truce, embraces terrorism

free syrian army
© AP Photo/ Rodrigo Abd
The Free Syrian Army (FSA) rejects the idea of the ceasefire in only specific areas of Syria and supports comprehensive agreement on the truce, members of the group said in a joint statement Sunday.

Russia and the United States brokered the regime of silence that is implemented in the Damascus' suburbs for 24 hours and in the northern Latakia province for 72 hours from midnight of April 30. The ceasefire in the Damascus' suburbs was since extended for another 24 hours, till the end of May 1.

"The ceasefire which we have agreed upon, is first of all a comprehensive agreement, which includes the whole territory of Syria, with the exception of the territory under the control of the IS [banned in Russia]. And we will never in any case accept the principle of divisibility or regional truces," the statement said.


Comment: Translation: "We will only accept a ceasefire that includes al-Nusra, our brothers in arms. As soon as the Syrian Army stops killing our terrorists, we will be free to moderately occupy territory under FSA/al-Qaeda rule, and moderately terrorize the local populations."


Comment: There are no 'moderate rebels' in Syria. The real moderate opposition either got on board with supporting the Syrian Army and State against the armed jihadis as early as 2011, or signed on to the recent truces. Moderate oppositions do not go to war with civilians and soldiers. For a remedy to the constant barrage of lies about Syria, see our interview with Tim Anderson on Behind the Headlines: Interview with Tim Anderson: The truth about the Dirty War on Syria.


Red Flag

Clean water crisis threatens the United States

water crisis
© getty images
The United States is on the verge of a national crisis that could mean the end of clean, cheap water.

Hundreds of cities and towns are at risk of sudden and severe shortages, either because available water is not safe to drink or because there simply isn't enough of it.

The situation has grown so dire the U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence now ranks water scarcity as a major threat to national security alongside terrorism.

The problem is being felt most acutely in the West, where drought conditions and increased water use have helped turn lush agricultural areas to dust.

Comment: The following article was published back in 2010! 10 Reasons Our Fresh Water Supply is in Deep Trouble. Over the last 6 years the situation has only gotten worse:


Pistol

Stupid selfies!: Indian teen shoots himself in head taking selfie with gun

Selfie
© AFP Photo/Indranil MukherjeeIn January 2016, police in the western city of Mumbai moved to crack down on dangerous selfies after a man drowned trying to save a girl who fell into the sea while snapping one
An Indian teenager accidently shot himself in the head with his father's gun while trying to take a "selfie" photograph, police said Sunday, the latest in a series of such accidents.

The 15-year-old is being treated in hospital at Pathankot in Punjab state and is expected to survive, said the city's deputy police superintendent, Manoj Kumar.

The accident happened on Friday evening when the schoolboy was playing at home with the licensed revolver which is normally kept in a wardrobe, Kumar told AFP.

Arrow Up

Serbs protest election results, call for recount

serbia protest
© Alexa Stankovic / AFPProtestors wave Serbian flags in front of the Electoral Commission in downtown Belgrade on April 30, 2016 during a protest organised by Serbian main opposition parties against alleged electoral "fraud" at last weekend polls.
Hundreds of opposition protesters have blocked the main streets in the Serbian capital of Belgrade, accusing the government of fraud in the last week's parliamentary elections and demanding a recount and the resignation of the electoral commission.

Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucić, who aims at taking Serbia into the European Union, secured 48.24 percent of the vote in Sunday's elections, which is a minor variation on his 2014 performance. However, the number of parliamentary seats which his Progressive Party received this year has decreased since more parties managed to cross the five percent threshold.

The Democratic Party of Serbia and ultra-nationalist alliance Dveri (DSS/Dveri) failed to get the number of votes needed for parliamentary representation after a recount of about two percent of votes.

Comment: The Serbs have an opportunity, if they organize. Further reading:
The Balkan anti-unipolar movement: How to use color revolution technology against its architects

As for the Serbs, they've been lulled into a state of complacency by Vucic's lies and the pro-government talking points of the unipolar-controlled mass media, but once they finally awake, there's no doubt that they'll spring into action just as passionately as the Macedonians have and finally take the firm stand against NATO that the rest of the world knows they're more than capable of mustering.



Apple Red

Iran to replace all Turkish food imports to Russia

spices
On Thursday 28 April, Russia reported that it had received reassurances from Iran over the country's ability to replace Turkey in terms of food imports.

"Iran solemnly promises: we'll replace the whole of Turkey in the deliveries of perishable goods to Russia," said Russia's Federal Customs Service Chief Andrei Belyaninov.

Belyaninov suggested that this will be part of a new arrangement between Iran and Russia that would in a later stage entail the opening of a green corridor between the two countries.

Comment: Russia to ban agricultural imports from Turkey


Pirates

Punjab, Pakistan: Poisoned sweets death toll climbs to 33

poisoned sweets
© AFP Photo/Arif AliPolice investigator Haji Mohammad Akhtar told AFP that two sweet shop owners and one worker who were arrested after the incident in Punjab province would be brought before a court on Monday
Some 33 people including five children have now died in central Pakistan after eating sweets accidentally tainted with insecticide, officials said Sunday.

The mass poisoning occurred in the Karor Lal Esan area of Punjab province last month.

"The death toll from poisonous sweets has risen to 33 and 13 other victims are still in hospital," district police chief Muhammad Ali Zia told AFP.

Local resident Umar Hayat bought the baked confectionery on April 17 to distribute among friends and family to celebrate the birth of his grandson.

But their jubilation was short-lived when ten people died on the same day.

Camcorder

Dashcam video reveals New Jersey cop brake-checking a motorist

clifton plice
© youtube/Omar B
A New Jersey cop was caught on the private dashcam of a citizen conducting a dangerous and unethical practice of 'brake checking' to extract revenue from citizens.

In the video, which was posted to YouTube, a man is doing nothing wrong as he's driving down the road behind a police officer. All of the sudden, the officer slams on his brakes in an apparent attempt to cause an accident. Had the driver not been paying attention, he would have hit the officer, who was unlawfully obstructing the flow of traffic.

Instead of apologizing to the driver for nearly causing an accident, this power tripping cop began to harass and extort him.

The New Jersey police department would not give up the name of the officer. However, public records identify him as Juan Velez, who has been working with the Clifton Police Department since 2005 and makes a whopping annual salary of $119,558.

Comment: This officer should be given a citation for reckless driving and fired for being a jerk.


Attention

Washington, D.C.: Train derails and leaks sodium hydroxide

train derailment
© NBC4
A CSX freight train derailed near the Rhode Island Avenue Metro station Sunday morning, leaving several cars overturned and a hazardous leak coming from at least one car, according to city officials.

Upwards of 10 cars derailed from a train bound for Hamlet, North Carolina, from Cumberland, Maryland, about 6:40 a.m.

The leak of sodium hydroxide, described as coming from one full tank car, was finally "plugged," and emergency responders, including hazmat crews, had moved on to the clean-up phase, officials said during a 10:45 a.m. press conference.

"CSX operations and hazardous materials personnel are working with first responders on the derailment this morning in Washington D.C." CSX said in a statement. "The safety of the community, first responders and CSX's employees is our highest priority."