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EU refugee relocation plan: Softer stance emerges on eve of emergency meeting


Middle East Online
Mon, 21 Sep 2015 00:00 UTC
refugee trains
© www.politicoscope.comHeaded your way, or not...a Hungarian dilemma.
Watered down plan to relocate 120,000 refugees drops binding quotas and leaves Hungary out of scheme.

EU ministers are considering a watered down plan to relocate 120,000 refugees throughout the bloc, which drops binding quotas and leaves Hungary out of the scheme, sources said Monday.

The softer stance emerged on the eve of a new emergency meeting in Brussels of the 28 EU interior ministers, who last week failed to agree on a European Commission plan for compulsory quotas for refugees fleeing war in Syria, Afghanistan and elsewhere.

"Whether voluntary or mandatory, that is an artificial debate," a source from Luxembourg, which holds the rotating EU presidency, told reporters, despite Commission officials insisting that they still want compulsory quotas.

Another Luxembourg source said the word "mandatory" will not appear in the draft document that will go before the ministers when they meet Tuesday afternoon to discuss how many refugees each country will take.

Hopes of a unanimous deal last week collapsed in the face of opposition from Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Romania, officials said.

With populist parties exploiting anti-immigrant sentiment, many eastern countries argued that a Europe-wide relocation plan made little sense for refugees who preferred to settle in wealthier northern European nations.

Comment: The EU has a lot to sort out, the privilege of participation. Whether active or passive - humanitarianism must speak louder.

See also: Germany's solution to cut funds to put 'pressure' on EU states that reject refugee quotas

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Eye 2

Boyfriend of murdered 'Baby Doe's' mother held without bail; mom's bail set at $1M

Eliott C. McLaughlin
CNN
Mon, 21 Sep 2015 13:32 UTC
baby doe Boston Bella bond
Bella Bond, age 3
  • Attorney for mom's boyfriend says, "He did not have anything to do with her death"
  • Girl's dad blames state for death, says track mark leads him to believe mom was drugged
  • Mom's boyfriend held without bail; mother's bail set at $1 million, judge rules
Little Bella Bond was allegedly killed by her mother's boyfriend because he thought she was possessed and "it was her time to die," a prosecutor told a judge at a Monday bail hearing.


Bella's mother, Rachelle Bond, wearing a zippered hoodie, and the boyfriend, Michael McCarthy, wearing a buttoned dress shirt, appeared in a Boston court for the proceeding. They watched from behind a glass partition as a judge granted a prosecutor's request that McCarthy be held without bail. The judge also set bail for Bond at $1 million "to ensure her appearance."

They both pleaded not guilty, and McCarthy's attorney maintains his client didn't know Bella was dead until police told him Friday.

Bella's biological father, Joe Amoroso, who never met his daughter in person, sat on the front row, appearing to compose himself, tensing his jaw and pursing his lips at times. His face became flush as details of the case were relayed to the judge.

Amoroso told reporters he knew Bond didn't kill their daughter and said a track mark on Bond's neck leads him to believe she was sedated against her will because he doesn't see how she could have injected herself.

"I was with her for quite some time and I know more about Rachelle than a lot of people do," he said.
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Arrow Down

Report reveals rampant abuse by US border patrol agents towards migrants being deported to Mexico


RT
Tue, 22 Sep 2015 04:34 UTC
mexican immigrant, deportation
© Alexandre Meneghini / Reuters
A new report reveals rampant abuse by US Customs and Border Patrol agents towards migrants being deported to Mexico. One in three men and women said they were subjected to some type of abuse, whether verbal or physical, and often robbed.

The report, which was based on first-hand accounts, found that 38.4 percent of Mexican migrants reported abuse, most often verbal, and that two-thirds of migrants had been separated from their immediate family on being deported.

The report argues that the percentage could be even higher, because abuse "can deter [people] from making complaints."

Comment: The behavior of these agents is representative of the country's lack of concern for the plight of those who are risking everything to find a decent life, fleeing from the ruinous conditions in their countries which have been largely a fault U.S. policies. Cozy and warm in their own homes, and largely clueless about the real causes of mass migration, many would prefer to turn their backs on the problem by sending these people back to these horrific situations than open their eyes to the truth.

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Megaphone

9-11 dispatcher involved in shooting of 12-yr-old Tamir Rice resigns


RT
Mon, 21 Sep 2015 18:53 UTC
Image
© Aaron Josefczyk/Reuters
A police dispatcher who sent cops to a playground where a 12-year-old boy was later fatally shot by police has resigned. The dispatcher failed to tell the officers that the 911 caller who reported the boy thought, correctly, that he was holding a toy gun.

On November 22, 2014, police responded to a 911 call concerning Tamir Rice, who was sitting on a swing at the Cudell Recreation Center while holding a BB gun that officers said appeared to look like a real handgun. Two police officers, 26-year-old Timothy Loehmann and 46-year-old Frank Garmback, had responded to a distress call about a "male sitting on a swing and pointing a gun at people" in a city park.

The 911 caller had told dispatcher Beth Mandl that the gun was "probably fake, but you know what, it's scaring" me. Yet that message was not relayed to the responding officers.

Upon arrival at the scene, Officer Loehmann almost immediately fired two shots, one fatally wounding the 12-year-old boy, who was black. The child died in a hospital a day later. Police allege that Loehmann shot the kid after his orders were ignored and as Rice reached for his weapon - a BB gun.

Mandl offered a letter of resignation in July after being off the job without official leave since early April, according to police records reported by WKYC.

"I have enjoyed working here and I will miss you all," the letter said, according to Cleveland.com.

Comment: Video shows Cleveland cop shot Tamir Rice seconds after encountering him

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MIB

TSA dogged by thefts, groping and sexual assault by screeners


RT
Mon, 21 Sep 2015 21:46 UTC
Image
© Kevork Djansezian/Reuters
A TSA screener has been fired after security camera footage showed him stealing $61 in cash from a traveler's wallet at New York's JFK International Airport. Recent complaints against the agency have included theft, sexual assault and fraudulent fondling.

Passing through the airport on Saturday evening, a 26-year-old Bronx man went through the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoint at JFK, and placed his wallet in a plastic bin along with his other possessions. After passing through security, he noticed some of his cash was missing and complained to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the regional agency administering the airport.

Security footage showed a Transportation Security Administration screener opening the wallet and pocketing the cash, Port Authority spokesman Joe Pentangelo told reporters. The sticky-fingered agent was arrested Saturday night and charged with petit larceny and criminal possession of stolen property. Local media have identified the suspect as a 37-year-old Queens resident named Joe Bangay (also spelled Bengay).

TSA spokesman Mike England told reporters over the weekend that the agent would be fired on Monday.

This is the second TSA screener at JFK to be caught on camera absconding with passenger property. On August 26, security footage captured a female agent taking a $7,000 diamond watch from one of the screening bins and walking away. Margo Grant-Louree of Brooklyn was fired from the agency and charged with grand larceny and official misconduct.

Comment: The TSA is just another growing arm of the police state.

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Books

Association of American Universities: Almost a quarter of women raped or sexually assaulted in college


RT
Tue, 22 Sep 2015 00:01 UTC
Image
© Jay Paul/AFPUniversity of Virginia campus
Nearly one in four female undergraduates has experienced some type of sexual assault - meaning they were penetrated or touched in a sexual way without their consent - according to a new study. Freshman women are most likely to be victims.

Just over 23 percent of female undergraduate students reported that they had been sexually assaulted since enrolling in college, of which 10.8 percent said they have been raped, meaning they experienced penetration. The poll, which surveyed students at 27 nationally known universities, was conducted for the Association of American Universities (AAU) by Westat, a statistical research corporation.

Overall, 11.7 percent of students surveyed reported having experienced nonconsensual penetration or sexual touching by force or incapacitation since beginning college. Rates of sexual assault and misconduct were highest among undergraduate females and those identifying as TGQN (Transgender, Genderqueer or non-conforming, Questioning, Not Listed), AAU found. The risk of the most serious types of sexual assault declined during the college years, with 16.9 percent of female freshmen reporting being assaulted, as opposed to 11.1 percent of seniors.
Image
© Association of American Universities
"Students who are relatively new to school may experience higher risk because they are not as familiar with situations that may lead to an incident of sexual assault or misconduct," AAU noted in its findings.

Education Secretary Arne Duncan told the Washington Post last week that the number of students who experience sexual assault on campus has been "unacceptably high" for decades.

Comment: See also:

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Airplane

Plane makes emergency landing at Dallas Airport, after cabin fills with smoke


nbcdfw.com
Sun, 20 Sep 2015 11:42 UTC
Image
© American Airlines GroupAn American Eagle Bombardier CRJ-900. (File photo)
A smoky cabin forced an American Airlines jet to make an emergency landing on approach to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport Sunday afternoon, according to an airline spokeswoman.

American Airlines Flight 5775, operated by MESA Airlines, was scheduled to arrive at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport from Des Moines International Airport, according to Victoria Lupica, American Airlines spokeswoman.

The crew of the CRJ-900 reported an issue with a smoky cabin upon their approach into D/FW Airport, Lupica said. The aircraft landed and deplaned safely on a taxiway.

All 76 passengers and four crew were bused to the terminal building. No injuries were reported.

The aircraft was taken out of service and was being attended to by maintenance, Lupica said.

Comment: For other similar events reported this year see also: SOTT Exclusive: What's going down? The latest batch of aircraft crashes, accidents, glitches and mishaps

Sott Exclusive: Mayhem and Maydays in May skies: Aircraft crashes, accidents, glitches, mishaps and near misses

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Fire

Huge explosion ripped through residential building in Chengdu, China

Qin Xie
Daily Mail, UK
Mon, 21 Sep 2015 13:03 UTC
Blaze at residential building in Chengdu, China
© People's Daily OnlinePowerful explosion ripped through a residential building in Chengdu, China, before setting the homes ablaze
A powerful explosion ripped through a residential building in Chengdu, south-western China, before setting the homes inside ablaze.

Police are currently still investigating the explosion on September 20, but gas leak is the suspected cause, reported People's Daily Online.

Six people, including pedestrians, were injured during the explosion but no deaths have been reported.

Around 1.40pm, a loud explosion rippled through the city centre residential area.

Large areas of Jiefang Road First Section, where the building was located, was covered in shattered glass.

Shortly after, the building became engulfed in flames.

Hu Jianhua, a resident who lives in the apartments around 100 feet across the road, reported that she initially thought the explosion was an earthquake.

She said: 'I was taking a siesta when a loud bang made me jump out of the bed.'

Video footage, captured by a passing pedestrian after the explosion, showed heavy smoke bellowing from the windows of the fourth and fifth floor.

Enormous flames licked the floors above where there were still people trapped.

Comment: Last month a "thunderous explosion" rocked a high rise building in Los Angeles. While the cause of this latest explosion in China is being investigated, and a typical 'gas leak' is suspected, consider these incidents:

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Arrow Up

A step closer to the end? Syria war prompts pull from doomsday seed vault


Sputnik News
Tue, 22 Sep 2015 00:45 UTC
Svalbard Global Seed Vault
© Associated Press Photo/John McConnicoSnow blows off the Svalbard Global Seed Vault before being inaugurated at sunrise.
A seed storage vault built into the side of an Arctic mountain to protect global food supplies in case of global cataclysm is being tapped by researchers in the Middle East who say the Syrian war has devastated their crops.

The Svalbard Global Seed Vault, built in 2008 by the Norwegian government as the world's largest secure seed storage, is intended to protect thousands of varieties of essential food crops against things like nuclear disaster, disease and climate change.

Now, the devastation brought on by the war in Syria, which has raged on for four years and claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of people, has prompted researchers to request some of the samples they gave to the vault, as their collection of crops in Aleppo was destroyed in the fighting.

Among the samples requested by the International Center for Agricultural Research in Dry Areas (ICARDA) crops resistant to drought that could help scientists develop and secure food supplies in the face of climate change in dry areas worldwide.

Protecting the world's biodiversity in this manner is precisely the purpose of the Svalbard Global Seed Vault," said Brian Lainoff, spokesman for the Crop Trust, which runs the underground store, located on a Norwegian island 1,300 km (800 miles) from the North Pole.
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Handcuffs

America: Enter the biggest prison system in history


Telesur TV
Fri, 18 Sep 2015 13:37 UTC
Image
The Empire holds by far the most prisoners than any other country on earth, in both absolute numbers and per capita. Abby Martin explores the dark reality of conditions in America's prisons, who is warehoused in them, and how things got this way. Featuring interviews with Eddie Conway, former political prisoner unjustly incarcerated for 44 years, and Eugene Puryear, author of "Shackled and Chained, Mass Incarceration in Capitalist America."

Comment: The United States, "freest country in the world", has more citizens incarcerated than any other nation on earth. Many who are in prison are there for non-violent crimes such as drug possession or just not being able to pay for traffic fines. It's a war on the poor which means free slave labor for the greed-driven corporate masters. So much for the land of the free.

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