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Afghan civilians outraged by NATO airstrikes want revenge

Afghan security forces inspect US airstrike damage
© AP
In the wake of a NATO airstrike in the Kunduz area of Afghanistan on Thursday, in which 30 civilians and two American soldiers were killed, a mood of anger prevails among residents.

Hundreds of mourners gathered on Friday to bury victims of the airstrike, among which were many small children. Local officials claim the deaths were caused by NATO airstrikes.

Taliban fighters last month seized the village of Buz Kandahari, three miles from the center of Kunduz. Airstrikes followed a military operation carried out by American troops with Afghan partners, to clear a Taliban militant position in the village. During the operation, the troops were surrounded by Talibans and air support was called, which hit the village, killing many civilians.

"As part of an Afghan operation, friendly forces received direct fire and airstrikes were conducted to defend themselves," said Brigadier General Charles Cleveland, of the NATO-led Resolute Support mission, according to Reuters.

Biohazard

'Worst smog in 17 years' closes schools in New Delhi

New Delhi smog
© Dominique Faget / AFP
Numerous schools in New Delhi have been closed due to the worst toxic smog in 17 years, according to environmentalists. People shared photos on social media showing the Indian capital covered in thick smog, complaining of sneezing and eye irritation.

"All municipal schools under the three corporations will be closed... due to the heavy smog and pollution. The order for closure is only for a day as of now. As per the situation, we may decide to close them later as well," Subhash Arya, a leader of South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC), said, as cited by the Times of India.

"The decision was taken... in the wake of severe pollution Delhi is reeling under," he said.

Evil Rays

Two men on mission from God planned to blow up HAARP facility to release souls of the dead trapped in the machine

HAARP
Two soul searching criminals from the state of Georgia claim God told them to break into an Alaskan research facility and blow up a machine that contained the spirits of the dead, according to police.

The men were arrested before they could embark on their supernatural quest, however. Officials say they were found in possession of an arsenal of weapons that "looked like something out of a movie; one where a small army was headed to war."

Speaking to Alaska Dispatch News, Coffee County detective Michael Vickers said Michael Mancil, 30, and James Dryden Jr., 22, told police "that God told them to go and blow this machine up that kept souls, so souls could be released."

The men were planning to travel to the aurora research facility known as HAARP in Gakona, Alaska, which is owned by the University of Alaska Fairbanks. The ionospheric research program was once owned by the US Air Force and has a history of setting off conspiracy theorists with tales of weather and mind control.

Comment: Maybe they're not so crazy?


Fire

Massive wrecking yard fire releases toxic smoke, causes traffic chaos and evacuations in Sydney (VIDEO)

smoke from Sydney fire
© Vas1984 / YouTube
A major blaze has broken out at the car wrecking yard in Revesby, Sydney, some 22 kilometers southwest of the city center, forcing evacuation of nearby area as rapidly spreading plumes of toxic smoke caused traffic chaos.

Worrying reports on a possible gas explosion have been coming in.

Sophie Walsh, from Seven News Sydney, reported that a "10 meter high/wide fireball" is expected, citing firefighters.

Bomb

Update: 8 dead, 100+ injured as blast hits near police HQ in Turkey's Diyarbakir

Smoke rises from an explosion in a central district of Diyarbakir, the largest city in Turkey's mainly Kurdish southeast, in this still image taken from video November 4, 2016
© Reuters TV / Reuters
Smoke rises from an explosion in a central district of Diyarbakir, the largest city in Turkey's mainly Kurdish southeast, in this still image taken from video November 4, 2016
At least 8 people have been killed and over 100 injured in a powerful explosion that rocked the city of Diyarbakir in southeast Turkey, which is home to a predominantly Kurdish population, Hurriyet newspaper reported, citing Turkey's prime minister.

The death toll was announced by Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim. Those killed include two police officers, five civilians, and one person suspected of being a member of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), he said.

Comment: See also: Deadly blast rocks Turkish police HQ in Kurdish region, string of other attacks also reported

Update: ISIS claims responsibility for Diyarbakir bombing as Turkish govt blames Kurds
People walk past a damaged car after a blast in the Kurdish-dominated southeastern city of Diyarbakir, Turkey, November 4, 2016
© Sertac Kayar / Reuters
People walk past a damaged car after a blast in the Kurdish-dominated southeastern city of Diyarbakir, Turkey, November 4, 2016
Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS, ISIL) has claimed responsibility for a car bomb blast in the southeastern Turkish city of Diyarbakir that killed at least 9 people and injured over 100, Reuters reports. It comes after Ankara attributed the attack to Kurdish militant group PKK.

The agency cited the terrorist group's Amaq news agency claiming IS carried out the Friday morning attack, which targeted a riot police building in one of the largest cities in southeast Turkey.
...
In the aftermath of the explosion, the Diyarbakir governor issued a statement, claiming that the military wing of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) was behind the attack. Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim also attributed the attack to the PKK, saying that one of the deceased was a suspected member of the outlawed group. Ankara has accused HDP of having links to the PKK.

The EU has condemned the bombing, laying the blame on the PKK, with EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini issuing a statement in which she reiterated that "the EU considers the PKK to be a terrorist organization," while expressing condolences to the victims.

Washington has echoed the statement, urging the PKK "to cease its senseless, brutal attacks," with US State Department spokesman John Kirby calling the blast an "indefensible bombing."At the same time, he also accused the Turkish government of "undermining confidence in Turkey's democracy and economic prosperity," with its policy of Internet shutdowns. Earlier, Kirby also said that the Washington is "deeply concerned" with the Turkish government's crackdown on the opposition.



Fire

Fire & thick smoke engulf roof of Austrian parliament building in Vienna (PHOTOS, VIDEO)

Blaze
© diegorainer / Instagram
A fire churning out huge plumes of smoke broke out in Austria's parliament building this morning. Though dozens Vienna fire brigades managed to extinguish the blaze, the extent of the damage to the frequently-visited historical landmark is yet unknown.

The fire broke out on the roof of the building on Friday at around 6:30 am local time. Some 70 firefighters and 17 vehicles arrived at the scene on short notice to extinguish the flames, Kurier reported.

The fire was extinguished within an hour, according to Gerald Schimpf, a spokesman for the Vienna fire brigade.

Attention

'Virtual sex slave': Ex-prisoner alleges rape by prison counselor, abuses from staff

Prison
© Lou Dematteis / Reuters
An ex-prisoner's lawsuit states he was coerced into having sex with his counselor, while another counselor acted as a lookout. As a result, Steven Moerman of Grand Rapids is suing Michigan's governor, its Department of Corrections and other officials.

In September, Moerman filed a lawsuit alleging that the prison should have been aware of his being forced into the role of sexual liaison for prison counselor Susan Lee Clingerman. The lawsuit names Governor Rick Snyder (R), along with various current and former officials, and claims that Moerman was forced to be Clingerman's "virtual sex slave," the Detroit Free Press reported.

According to the lawsuit, Moerman was receiving treatment for an unnamed mental illness while serving time for a drug conviction at Parnall Correctional Facility in 2014. Moerman claims that he was forced to provide Clingerman "sexual gratification at her whim."

Their relationship, consensual or not, would be a felony for Clingerman, as the power imbalance between prisoners and employees is so stark that it means prisoners are technically unable to consent, according to the Prison Rape Elimination Act.

Comment: See also:


People 2

More U.S. middle school students dying of suicide than car crashes

teen suicide
The suicide rate among U.S. middle school students doubled from 2007 to 2014, surpassing for the first time the incidence of youngsters aged 10 to 14 who died in car crashes, a federal report released on Thursday said.

The steady seven-year rise in middle school suicides, from an annual rate of 0.9 to 2.1 per 100,000, came as traffic deaths among the same age group declined to 1.9 per 100,000, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.

The motor vehicle mortality rate reported for 2014, the latest year for which such data was available, marked a 60 percent decline from 1999, when the government began tracking such figures.

People

Russia sends complaint to UK over mannequin protest outside its London embassy, Russian protesters respond at UK embassy in Moscow

mannequin protest outside Russia London embassy
© rusemb.org.uk
Russia's embassy in London has sent a letter to the UK Foreign Office to complain about demonstrators who dumped around 800 mannequin limbs outside the building in protest of Russia's actions in Syria.

It is reported that the protesters were members of Syria Campaign and Syria Solidarity, UK groups that say the mannequins are symbolic of Russia's campaign in Syria.

Russia's embassy said staff and visitors couldn't enter the building, while police stood by indifferently.

Comment: And now Russian protesters showed up at UK's embassy in Moscow: Activists rally outside British Embassy in Moscow to support Russia's diplomats
Hundreds of people came to the UK embassy in Moscow to show their discontent with the behavior of the British authorities during the "mannequin protest" outside Russia's diplomatic mission in London and to show solidarity with Russian diplomats.

About 500 joined the rally outside the British Embassy on Friday evening, as reported by TASS. The demonstrators were standing outside the embassy and holding placards and banners in Russian and English that read "Down with double standards!" "Our diplomats have immunity," "The UK must stop!" and "England is war!"

They were also chanting the slogans "Hands off our diplomats!" and "Great Britain is war!" The protesters erected shield in front of the embassy that depicted the military campaigns, in which the UK took part over the recent decades, including the 2003 Iraq war, war in Afghanistan, operation in Libya and the war in Yugoslavia.

The demonstrators poured red paint over the shield symbolizing blood of civilians spilled by the British troops in these military campaigns. "We are embarrassed" by the actions of the British activists, one of the protesters told Russian TV channel Rossiya 24.

"We came here to say, 'No,' because what the British people are doing is at least shameful and unjust... they are violating all diplomatic norms," another protester said.

"A country that ... wages wars ... and orchestrates regime changes has no right to dictate any ...standards," one Russian activist that took part in the protest said, adding that the protest outside the Russian Embassy in London was held "by the order of the British government" and "is a political put-up job."

Some people, who fled Syria because of the war, also joined the protest in Moscow. A young Syrian woman from Aleppo told Rossiya 24 that she "does not understand the UK's position" as Russia is helping to fight terrorism in Syria.

The protest lasted for about half an hour and ended without any incidents, although police officers were deployed to the embassy to provide security for the diplomatic mission, Russian media reported, citing police sources.



Pistol

Bronx robbery shootout: NYPD officer and shooter both dead, second officer wounded

police shooting
© Brendan McDermid / Reuters
Two New York Police Department officers have been shot in the Bronx and transported to the hospital. One of the officers has died, according to multiple reports. The perpetrator was shot and killed by other officers.

The officers were taken to the hospital in a police cruiser, and a request for blood to be available was made, according to scanner traffic.

The incident took place in New York City's 43rd Precinct, just south of the Bronx Zoo, near the intersection of the Bronx River Parkway and the Cross Bronx Expressway.

The situation is "currently developing," an NYPD spokesperson told the New York City Patch, adding that he did not have any other information.