Society's ChildS


Handcuffs

Cop fired and charged with animal cruelty after leaving his dog in patrol car for 38 hours, killing it

K9 police dog
An Oklahoma sheriff's deputy has been fired and charged with animal cruelty after his K9 partner succumbed to crushing heat while confined in the deputy's patrol car for 38 hours.

Now-former Stephens County Sheriff's Deputy Matthew Peck left K9 Deputy Bak, his partner of four years, in the sweltering vehicle for over a day and a half, killing the animal.

According to the arrest affidavit, cited by local station KOCO, Bak died sometime between Wednesday night, August 3, and Friday morning, as outside temperatures climbed to 99 degrees. Court documents estimated this meant the patrol car's interior temperature could have exceeded 120 degrees — more than sufficient to kill the helpless animal, which had not been provided water or food.

A local veterinarian contacted by authorities and cited in court documents said that while the otherwise healthy eight-year-old Bak could have "easily survived through the night," once Thursday's temperatures began to rise, heating the interior to above 105 degrees, the dog would have no chance for survival. The vet surmised Bak had suffered heat stroke.

Airplane

Thawing relations: British Airways resuming flights to Iran for first time in four years

British Airways flights Tehran
© Stephen Hird / Reuters BA has become the second European airline to resume flights into Iran since Air France re-established routes in April 2016
The UK's flagship airline, British Airways (BA), is set to resume direct flights to Iran for the first time in four years after sanctions against the Islamic Republic were lifted earlier in 2016.

The British airline announced it will initially operate six return flights per week between London and Tehran, then progress to a daily service before the end of the year.

"The Iranians have been extremely helpful in setting up this important new route and have been as keen as we are for the service to start," a BA spokesman said.

"Tehran is an important destination for British Airways and we wanted to ensure that the service we offered met the highest standards our customers rightly expect of us from day one."


Attention

Turkey launches nuclear energy partnership with China

turkish chinese nuclear energy plant
The news follows last week's ratification by the Turkish parliament of the Sino-Turkish Agreement for Cooperation in Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy.

As some claim that Turkey is distancing itself from its Western energy-business partners after the failed coup attempt of July 15, the country appears to be increasing focus on its technological capabilities and access to clean energy, as a means of becoming energy independent.

Ankara has opted to cooperate with Beijing, ratifying an agreement which includes not only nuclear power plant construction on Turkish territory, but also joint nuclear power development with China and the US.

The Chinese State Nuclear Power Technology Corporation will implement technologies obtained in collaboration with US-based Westinghouse Electric company. The potential technological tripartite arrangement could result in significant regional and global political clout, according to the Asia Times.

Vader

Barbaric: Saudi man gets 2,000 lashes, 10 years in jail for proclaiming atheism in tweets

Riyadh view
© AP/Hassan Ammar
Saudi Arabia has sentenced a 28-year-old man to 10 years in prison and 2,000 lashes for tweeting that he is an atheist.

The nation's strict Sharia law defines atheism as "terrorism," and the man refused to take back his words, insisting that he has a right to express his lack of belief.

Saudi religious police who monitor social networks found over 600 tweets from the man, mocking the Koran and stating that teachings of the prophet Muhammad's lies stokes cultural hostility.

In addition to imprisonment and violent punishment, he was also fined 20,000 riyals (over $5,300).

Laws defining atheism as terrorism were introduced under King Abdullah in 2014, aimed at stopping political and religious dissent that could "harm public order."

Comment: It's high time that the Saudi "royal family" (and all of their hangers-on) got flogged in public. And fined. And imprisoned.


Sherlock

Pollsters struggling to figure out Trump's "silent majority" of supporters

Trump
Pollsters are debating whether Donald Trump's "silent majority" of voters exists, and are scrambling to make sure that their surveys reflect the opinions of voters who might not ordinarily be included in opinion polls.

Democratic and Republican pollsters alike are determined to get their predictions for the 2016 elections right in the wake of a series of high-profile missed calls.

Partisan claims of skewed results have also escalated, with Trump and his unconventional claim asserting that polls aren't capturing the Republican presidential nominee's true support.

Trump claims his campaign will turn out millions of new or irregular voters in November, some of whom will be voting for the first time.

Some pollsters acknowledge the race presents some new challenges.

"We know some people who are traditionally seen as unlikely voters are going to vote," said Nick Gourevitch, a partner at Global Strategy Group, which polls for Democratic candidates. "You need to take those people into account, and if you just lop those people off, you're going to miss something."

Cell Phone

Samsung investigates exploding Galaxy Note 7 phones in S Korea

samsung 7
SEOUL, South Korea — Samsung has delayed shipments of Galaxy Note 7 smartphones in South Korea for extra quality control testing after reports that batteries in some of the jumbo smartphones exploded while they were being charged.

Samsung said the delay affects only the South Korean market. Local reports that Samsung has stopped shipping the flagship phone are not true, according to company spokeswoman Sophia Kim.

Company officials did not reply to questions about how Samsung determined which phones are deemed safe and which require further testing.

The company said it is investigating the reports of phones catching fire and exploding. South Korea's Yonhap News said five or six explosions were reported by consumers. It cited pictures of severely damaged phones shared in local online communities, social media and YouTube. The photos and accounts could not immediately be verified.

V

Brazilian protests raging all across the country against Rousseff impeachment

brazil protests rousseff
© Paulo Whitaker / ReutersRiot police fire tear gas during a protest by supporters of Dilma Rousseff in Sao Paulo, Brazil August 31, 2016
Supporters of Dilma Rousseff staged mass protests following the impeachment of the country's first female president. As Michel Temer took charge of the country, pro-Rousseff rallies took place in at least ten states, with some resulting in violence.

The greatest act of civil disobedience took place in Sao Paulo, where protesters clashed with police on Avenida Paulista, in the downtown area; in Rio de Janeiro, where activists gathered in Cinelandia square; and in Brasilia, where activists rallied in the Praca dos Tres Poderes square.

The Pro-Dilma demonstrations and those against the effective president, Michel Temer, also took place in Santa Catarina, Rio Grande do Norte, Minas Gerais, Rio Grande do Sul, Ceara, Parana and Para.

The biggest standoff took place in Sao Paulo where for a third-day a coalition of leftist groups continued staging protests that end up in clashes with authorities and rival groups. Organized through the use of social media, the Brazil Popular Front and People Fearless movement managed to mobilize thousands for the rally.

Scuffles with police in Brazil's largest city took place as the pro-Rousseff rally was met with equal support by the pro President Michel Temer demonstration.

Handcuffs

Grand jury charges former cop with murder for killing unarmed man

James Burns
© ReutersFormer Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. police officer James Burns
A Fulton County grand jury has charged former Atlanta police officer James Burns with felony murder for the fatal shooting of Deravis Caine Rogers. He also faces charges for making a false statement, aggravated assault and violation of the oath of office.

On Wednesday, a grand jury decided that there was enough doubt about Burns' claim of self-defense in the killing of Rogers, 22, to indict him on felony murder and aggravated assault charges. The Atlanta Police Department did not stand behind Burns, firing him less than two weeks after the shooting.

On June 22, Burns responded to a call about a suspicious person from an off-duty officer working security at an Atlanta apartment complex. When he arrived, he blocked Rogers' car and fired a shot into it, hitting him in the head and killing him.

In Burns' version of events, he was responding to the call from an officer in danger and sped through traffic to the Monroe Place Apartments. He claims that when he arrived, Rogers' 2011 silver Ford Fusion was parked against traffic and the driver refused to stop. He then attempted to block Rogers' car and claims that Rogers tried to hit him, prompting Burns to open fire and kill Rogers.

Red Flag

Propaganda is working: Poll finds majority of Brits support a ban on burqas in public

burkini ban
© Stringer / Reuters
A majority of Britons support a ban on burqas being worn in public, while almost half say the burkini should be prohibited from the nation's beaches, a poll has found.

According to the YouGov survey, 46 percent of adults would support a ban on the burkini - swimwear which covers the whole body except for the hands, face and feet. Thirty percent thought it should remain legal.

The findings follow a controversial ban on the burkini in France, which has seen armed police forcing Muslim women to remove their full-body bathing suits.

Despite the country's highest administrative court overturning the ban on the Islamic swimwear on Friday, local mayors have vowed to defy the ruling.

The British government said last week it would not introduce its own ban on the swimsuit, saying it "sees no need" to dictate how people dress.

People 2

Study finds poor and marginalized were key demographic in Brexit vote to Leave

brexit
© Stefan Wermuth / Reuters
Low earners, voters living in "low-skilled" areas and those who feel they have been "pushed to the margins of society" were key to the success of the Brexit vote, a new study has revealed.

The Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) analysis highlights some of the stark divisions across income, skills and education in British society laid bare by the Brexit vote.

"This research revealed how the referendum was not simply about our relationship with the European Union, but also shed light on the deep divides that exist in our society," said researcher Professor Matthew Goodwin.

Voters were far more likely to vote to leave the European Union if they lived in "low-skilled" areas, the study found.