Society's ChildS


Light Saber

Welcome home: Ahed Tamimi and her mother Nariman receive hero's welcome upon release from prison

Ahed Tamimi
When they left prison on Sunday Ahed Tamimi and her mother Nariman received a hard-earned he'ros' welcome from Palestinians and others opposed to Israel's occupation and colonization of Palestinian lands seized in 1948 and enlarged by the Israeli army in 1967.

Ahed was 16 years old last December when an Israeli soldier shot her cousin in the face. The next day Israeli soldiers menacingly showed up at her house in the West Bank village of Nabi Saleh. What would you do?

Ahed slapped one of the armed-to-the-teeth soldiers. While some Israeli politicians said she should be put away for life and others demanded a sentence of at least ten years, the Israeli occupiers sentenced her to eight months for the slap seen around the world. She spent her 17th birthday in prison. Her mother Nariman filmed the incident and was thrown in jail too, this time for incitement. (It was not the activist Nariman's first time in an Israeli prison.)

The Israeli authorities are so worried about the symbol for resistance that Ahed has become internationally that on Saturday, a day before her release, they arrested two Italian artists who had painted a large portrait of her on the separation wall near Bethlehem.

Most Americans - except for the relatively few who have spent more than a few days in Israeli-occupied territories - find it hard to understand why Palestinians like Nariman and Ahed "persist." Most people in the U.S. are blissfully unaware of the history of Palestine and of the continuing injustices inflicted on its people today. The explanation for this lies largely in the way the U.S. mass media reports the story, almost entirely from the Israelis' point of view.

Comment: See also:


Gold Seal

An appreciation: Russia handled the 2018 FIFA World Cup brilliantly

FIFA World Cup 2018
When the month-long football World Cup tournament in Russia ended on Sunday, 15 July, it was entirely overshadowed in the news and global commentary by coverage of preparations for the summit meeting of Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin in Helsinki the next day. In turn, the summit was immediately followed by a firestorm of criticism of Trump that precluded any further thoughts being given to the World Cup in US and Western media.

However, in Russia the FIFA tournament most decidedly has not disappeared from ongoing news cycles in the two weeks that have passed since the closing ceremony. On several occasions Vladimir Putin has used public appearances to draw a line under the month of football matches, to congratulate all those who participated in making the World Cup what FIFA President Gianni Infantino declared to have been "the best World Cup ever." The culmination was a televised reception in the Kremlin a couple of days ago to which the national team players, their wives and trainers were invited. The most valuable defense players and strikers in the matches were especially honored, and the head trainer Stanislav Cherchesov was warmly praised by Putin for his leadership qualities as well as excellent tactical guidance in the matches.

Attention

Violent man wreaks havoc at UK playground leaving 8 injured

lego toys
© Nicholas Kamm / AFP
At least eight people, including children and adults, were injured in a "major incident" at a Bradford playground for kids aged 0-12. Reports say a man broke into the facility and wreaked havoc there.

The Alphabet Zoo in Bradford shut down following the incident and a police cordon was placed there, the management said on Facebook, calling it a "major incident." They added that this happened at the "busiest month" of the year, apologizing for inconvenience.

Reports then emerged in the media suggesting a violent man caused mayhem at the center after climbing over the double security doors.

Handcuffs

Cops bust sleazy swingers party in Belarus

swinger party
© МВД Республики Беларусь / YouTube
A swingers party in Belarus was crashed by the most unwelcome of guests, as police officers swooped in to shut down the illegal orgy at a cottage near the capital, Minsk.

The sleazy party was in full swing on Saturday night when special forces raided the event and arrested more than 50 people. Extraordinary video footage from the scene shows sweating, semi-naked "customers" covering their faces as police officers round them up for arrest. An improvised bar with all sorts of liquor available is also seen in the video.

The age of the attendees ranged from 20 to 45, the Belarus Interior Ministry said in a statement, calling the house an "underground brothel." The clientele included everyone from couples and students to prostitutes, and officers cuffed 34 men and 18 women in total.

Attention

Protests erupt after Minneapolis officers who killed Thurman Blevins are not charged

Thurman Blevins
© Minneapolis PD / YouTubePolice bodycam footage of the chase that resulted in the death of Thurman Blevins.
Activists are protesting the decision not to charge two Minneapolis, Minnesota police officers who shot and killed Thurman Blevins. Authorities said the African-American man was armed and dangerous, but protesters disagree.

Protests interrupted the press conference of Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman on Monday, before he could announce that he would not be charging Officers Ryan Kelly and Justin Schmidt.

"These cases tear apart our community. No one wins today: A young man is dead, our officers face increasing criticism and scrutiny, and the community is devastated," Freeman said.

Blevins's relatives insist he was not a threat to either the officers or the community.

"He didn't deserve to die," his cousin Sydnee Brown told the Minneapolis Star Tribune. "He wasn't a threat when [the officers] approached him. They didn't view him as a human being."

Comment: See also: Police releases video of Thurman Blevins shooting in Minneapolis that sparked mass protests (warning: graphic)


Brick Wall

Turkey moving away from US and towards BRICS

putin erdogan
© Umit Bektas / Reuters
This year's BRICS Summit was a big show. No question. The main event was provided by Turkish President cum Dictator Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Erdogan wants to a a "T" to the acronym, making them the BRICTS.

Erdogan also made it very clear Turkey's shift away from the West will proceed faster if the bullying and marginalization continue. For months now, Turkey has struggled with a crashing Lira and sovereign bond market.

The poster child for the unfolding sovereign debt crisis.

The Trump Administration knows that Turkey is slipping from its grasp. Do you ever wonder why certain countries' currencies get trashed when others with worse balance sheets or balance of trade don't?

You should. Because asking that simple question will lead you to asking "Why X? Why Now?"

Comment: The time has come for Turkey to pick a side and it seems fairly obvious with whom its future lies:


TV

Propaganda alert! PBS series "Inside Putin's Russia" full of half-truths and outright falsehoods

PBS News hour russia
© PBS NewsHour
The US government supported Public Broadcasting System (PBS) recently ran a five part series dubbed "Inside Putin's Russia". With a different theme each night, it purports to give a realistic look at Russia today. The image conveyed is of a Russia that is undemocratic with widespread state repression, violence and propaganda. Following are significant distortions and falsehoods in the five part documentary.

Episode 1: "How Putin Redefined what it means to be Russian"

In this episode, the documentary:
  • Claims that Russian identity is based on "projection of power". In reality, "projection of power" characterizes the US much more than Russia. For the past two centuries the United States has expanded across the continent and globe. The last century is documented in the book Overthrow: American's Century of Regime Change from Hawaii to Iraq. The US currently has nearly 800 foreign military bases in over 70 countries. In contrast, Russia has military bases in only two countries beyond the former Soviet Union: Syria and Vietnam.
  • Ignores crucial information about events in Ukraine. Russian involvement in eastern Ukraine and Crimea are presented as examples of "projection of power". However, basic facts are omitted from the documentary. There is no mention of the violent February 2014 coup in Kiev nor the involvement of neoconservatives such as Sen McCain and US Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland. In a December 2013 speech, Nuland outlined her intense involvement in Ukraine including US "requirements" that Ukraine choose a "European future" since the US had "invested $5 billion to assist". Days before the coup in February 2014 Nuland was captured on audio planning the composition of the coup leadership.

USA

Sacha Baron Cohen dupes Roy Moore in 'pedophile detector' prank

Roy Moore and Cohen
© Jonathan Bachman/Reuters (L)/ Wolfgang Rattay/Reuters (R)Senate nominee Roy Moore and Cohen as his character Admiral General Aladeen
Hoping for an easy interview on Alabama's 'strong connection' with Israel, the Donald Trump-endorsed-but-failed Senate nominee Roy Moore was the latest dupee of comedian Sacha Baron Cohen, falling foul of a 'pedophile detector.'

Former Alabama Chief Justice Moore was unwittingly filmed as part of Cohen's new show, 'Who is America?' Moore's 2017 bid for the Senate was hampered after a slew of sexual misconduct allegations were made against him, the youngest alleged victim being 14 at the time of the incident.

Moore, who has continued to be plagued by the allegations in the media, faced questions from his "Israeli interviewer" - none other than actor Sacha Baron Cohen, widely known for his characters 'Borat' and 'Ali G.'

Posing as "terror expert" Colonel Erran Morad, Cohen asked Moore why there was such a "strong connection" between Alabama and Israel. The right-wing politician responded by lauding the state's values of freedom and liberty.

Arrow Up

Judges give go-ahead for Trump supporters to bring lawsuit against San Jose police

Judge Gavel
© Getty Images
A group of California supporters of President Trump scored a victory on Friday when a panel of judges agreed to allow their lawsuit against the San Jose Police Department to proceed.

Three judges from the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals found that Juan Hernandez has grounds for a lawsuit against the San Jose police following a 2016 rally, CBS San Francisco reported.

The suit was brought forth by 19 Trump supporters who claim that after they left a rally officers led them into the middle of a crowd of angry counterprotesters, The Associated Press reported.
"San Jose PD lead us right into the protesters," Hernandez told CBS San Francisco. "Someone needs to be held accountable for what happened. So it's awesome - a huge step - to know that they will be held accountable for the lack of planning and the stand-down order that they received."
Police reportedly stood by for 90 minutes before they intervened to break up the fights and make arrests.

The panel of judges agreed and rejected the city's motion to dismiss the case.

The judges wrote that the officers acted with "deliberate indifference to the danger" by "shepherding" the Trump supporters near the counterprotesters.

Comment: See also:
Protecting and serving: Police stand by and watch during Trump rally violence


Attention

Tajikistan: Car-ramming incident that killed 4 foreign cyclists condemned as a terror attack

car ramming
© Ozodivideo / YouTube
A terrorist attack is being considered as a possible motive behind the deadly ramming of foreign cyclists in Tajikistan, police have said. A gruesome video of Sunday's incident appears to confirm it was intentional.

"We are looking into all versions - accident, robbery... including a terrorist act," Tajik Interior Minister Ramazon Rakhimzoda said during a briefing on the investigation of the incident, in which two Americans, a Dutch man and a Swiss citizen were killed.

"Although the investigation into the incident is still going on, there is proof that it was a deliberate attack," the Information Officer at US Embassy in Dushanbe, Jeff Ridenour, told Asia-Plus.

"We condemn this severe act and we realize that the assailants do not represent the hospitable people of Tajikistan," Ridenour added.

A video from the scene of the ramming, a rural area 90 kilometers southeast of Dushanbe, released by Radio Liberty, showed a black sedan making a U-turn seemingly after already hitting a group of cyclists and running them over once again.

Comment: Tajikistan originally blamed the IRPT for the attack, though they offered no proof:
The Tajik government has accused the banned Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan (IRPT) of being behind an attack that killed four foreign cyclists, prompting a swift denial from the group.

The IRPT leadership called the allegation "baseless and irrational" in a statement on July 31, and the Islamic State (IS) group stepped up its claim of responsibility by releasing a video of what it said were the attackers pledging allegiance to the extremist organization.

A Central Asia analyst said that the assault, which killed two Americans, a Dutchman, and a Swiss citizen, appeared to have been "the first attack by IS in Tajikistan."

The deadly attack on a group of foreign cyclists on a remote mountain road on July 29 drew attention to Tajikistan, the poorest of the five former Soviet republics in Central Asia.

The Interior Ministry said in a July 31 statement that the attackers were led by an "active member" of the IRPT, citing what it claimed was the confession of a detained suspect.

The ministry identified the alleged leader as Hussein Abdusamadov, 33, and said that he "underwent training in Iran." It said the attackers planned to flee to Afghanistan.

Tajik authorities offered no immediate proof of the claims, which appeared to contradict a claim of responsibility issued by IS a day earlier.