Society's ChildS


Light Saber

Snowden rips into MSM & US politicians for hypocrisy in 'supporting whistleblowers'


RT
Thu, 03 Oct 2019 17:25 UTC
snowden
© Global Look Press / DPA / Sebastian WillnowEdward Snowden
Surveillance whistleblower Edward Snowden took a shot at US politicians, and the media outlets covering them, for failing to consistently support those who come forward with claims of official corruption or wrongdoing.

The famed ex-National Security Agency analyst sent out the criticism in a tweet on Wednesday, arguing that a deluge of recent statements from lawmakers on the virtues of whistleblowing rang hollow in the face of their poor records on the issue. He singled out the ongoing legal case of analyst-turned-leaker Daniel Hale.

"Unbelievable that in a moment where politicians are making daily media statements about 'supporting whistleblowers,' the media is not pressing them on the case of Daniel Hale, who is being prosecuted RIGHT NOW for blowing the whistle on enormously controversial drone programs," Snowden said.

Comment: Snowden, whatever you may think of him, is 100% correct here. The war against whistleblowers runs through the whole of the U.S. government's bureaucracy.

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Pistol

'Lawful and reasonable': Hong Kong police defend cop who shot live rounds at teenage protesters


RT
Thu, 03 Oct 2019 14:57 UTC
hong kong riot
© Reuters / Jorge SilvaRiot police clash with anti-government protesters during a demonstration in Sha Tin district of Hong Kong.
The actions of an officer who shot live rounds at a teenage protester were "lawful and reasonable," the Hong Kong deputy police commissioner said, adding that there was a threat to the lives of officers.

Tuesday saw one of the most violent clashes since the Hong Kong protests erupted in mid-June over the extradition bill with mainland China. It was also the first time that the law enforcers employed live fire against the rioting crowds, often equipped with Molotov cocktails and other self-made arms. An 18-year-old student was shot in the chest from close range and now remains in hospital in a stable condition.

The officer, who pulled the trigger, did so "in line with our guidelines and international standards," Deputy Police Commissioner Ping-keung Tang insisted during a press-conference.
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Quenelle - Golden

Police and protesters clash in Iraq, as rallies against corruption & unemployment spread nationwide


RT
Wed, 02 Oct 2019 21:51 UTC
Demonstrators disperse as Iraqi police fire tear gas cannisters in Baghdad
© Reuters / Khalid al-MousilyDemonstrators disperse as Iraqi police fire tear gas cannisters in Baghdad
Seven people have been killed and over 200 injured, as Iraqi security forces crack down on protests. Demonstrators angry over corruption and unemployment put a government building on fire in one of the cities.

Iraqi counter-terrorism troops opened fire on protesters with live ammunition and tear gas outside Baghdad airport on Wednesday, according to a Reuters report. The crowd had apparently been trying to storm the airport, prompting the heavy-handed response.

Elsewhere in the country, seven people have been killed and more than 200 injured in clashes with security forces this week.

Gunfights broke out in Nassiriya and across the country's impoverished south as demonstrators torched government buildings and demanded an end to Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi's year-old government. Angry at Iraq's soaring youth unemployment and accusing Mahdi of corruption, mobs of protesters have picketed state buildings in several cities, and blocked roads with burning tire barricades.

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Cow

Dutch farmers stage tractor protest as politicians label them climate change problem


RT
Tue, 01 Oct 2019 20:41 UTC
TRACTOR NETHERLANDS PROTEST
© AFP / ANP / Vincent Jannink
Dutch farmers blocked hundreds of miles of major roads with their tractors to protest what they say are attempts to scapegoat their industry and paint them as a "problem" that needs fixing in discussions over climate change.

Up to 10,000 farmers took to the highways in their tractors on Monday to slowly make their way to The Hague causing 620 miles (998km) of traffic jams and the worst morning commute in the country's history.

Some farmers managed to avoid the traffic by driving along the North Sea beaches to reach the city.

Comment: Just two years ago the Netherlands was praised for its innovative farming methods and its agricultural sector has the lowest environmental impact in the world. It appears as though the farmers are fed up with being demonized and approximately 80-90% of the population agrees, one protestor stating:
"They are hardworking people who are portrayed as criminals. They earn their money in an honest way with one of the most basic economic activities there is: the production of our food. Instead of being valued, they are often told that they are stupid, money-hungry and willful polluters."

See also:

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Black Magic

Federal grand jury indicts Ed Buck in 2 overdose deaths at his West Hollywood home


KTLA5
Wed, 02 Oct 2019 15:27 UTC
ed buck
© Al Seib / Los Angeles TimesEd Buck appears in Los Angeles County court on Sept. 19, 2019.
Wealthy California political donor Ed Buck was indicted Wednesday by a federal grand jury for two overdose deaths in his West Hollywood apartment and charges he provided methamphetamine to three other men, one of whom survived two overdoses.

The indictment returned in U.S. District Court charged Buck with distributing meth resulting in the deaths of Timothy Dean in January and Gemmel Moore in 2017. Buck had previously been charged in Moore's death after his arrest last month.

Buck, 65, who is white and has given hundreds of thousands of dollars to Democratic causes, preyed on vulnerable men, most of them black, some of them homeless and addicted to drugs, and pressured them to let him inject them with drugs as part of a sexual ritual, prosecutors said.

Comment:

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Syringe

'Jaw-dropping' double-standards: Russian world champ Lasitskene hits out after US star Coleman allowed to compete even after missed doping tests


RT
Wed, 02 Oct 2019 12:51 UTC
Maria Lasitskene and Christian Coleman
Maria Lasitskene Global Look Press / Petr Sznapka | Christian Coleman Global Look Press / Anke Waelischmiller
Russian world champion high jumper Maria Lasitskene has hit out at athletics chiefs over the decision to drop doping charges against US sprinter Christian Coleman, who missed three tests in a row.

The 26-year-old Russian, who won her third consecutive world title on Monday, was forced to compete under neutral status after the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) decided to extend the disqualification of the Russian Athletics Federation (RUSAF).

Russian competitors have been performing without national symbols for over four years, after the IAAF imposed a ban on the Russian athletics body over alleged doping violations.

Lasitskene, who received her gold medal at the ongoing World Champions in Doha without the backdrop of a flag or national anthem, was outraged with what she sees as double-standards over US 100m star Coleman.


Comment: Rightfully so as there is a clear political bias against Russia infecting the sports world regulating bodies these days.

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Cardboard Box

Vatican police raid top offices in financial investigation of major irregularities

Philip Pullella
Reuters
Tue, 01 Oct 2019 10:34 UTC
Vatican city
© REUTERS/Remo CasilliFILE PHOTO: A general view of the Mass for the World Day of Migrants and Refugees, led by Pope Francis at the Vatican, September 29, 2019.
Vatican police raided the offices of the Holy See's Secretariat of State and its Financial Information Authority, or AIF, on Tuesday and took away documents and electronic devices as part of an investigation of suspected financial irregularities, a Vatican statement said.

It was believed to be the first time the two departments were searched for evidence involving alleged financial crimes.

The Secretariat of State, the most powerful department in the Vatican, is the nerve center of its bureaucracy and diplomacy and the administrative heart of the worldwide Catholic Church.

The AIF, headed by Swiss lawyer Rene Bruelhart, is the financial controller, with authority over all Vatican departments.

The Vatican statement gave no details except to say that the operation was a follow-up to complaints filed in the summer by the Vatican bank and the Office of the Auditor General and were related to "financial operations carried out over the course of time".
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Bizarro Earth

Baghdad: Clashes between protesters and police erupt - water cannons, tear gas and gunshots, several people injured


RT
Wed, 02 Oct 2019 19:56 UTC
protests iraq green zone baghdad
© Reuters/Khalid al-MousilyIraqi Security forces use water cannons to disperse protesters at Tahrir Square in Baghdad, Iraq on October 1, 2019.
Several thousand Iraqis were protesting against unemployment and corruption in Baghdad. The rally turned chaotic as demonstrators tried to enter the government quarter, triggering a police response.

Around 3,000 people gathered in the center of the Iraqi capital on Tuesday, demanding improvement in the economic situation, and protesting widespread youth unemployment and alleged high-profile corruption cases.

The demonstrators tried to enter the 'Green Zone' - a fortified quarter with restricted access, which houses government buildings and foreign embassies. Police responded with force to disperse the crowds.
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Sheriff

All Florida law enforcement and elected officials are now expected to cooperate with ICE

Monique O. Madan & Daniel Rivero
The Miami Herald
Mon, 30 Sep 2019 19:01 UTC
Philip Stoddard mayor South Miami
© Giorgio Viera For the Miami HeraldPhilip Stoddard, mayor of the City of South Miami, speaks at a press conference outside the Wilkie D. Ferguson U.S. Courthouse in Miami on Thursday, Sept. 26, 2019, before a court hearing where South Miami and immigrant rights groups seek an injunction over what they call an unconstitutional immigration law.
Advocates ask federal judges to block law that banned so-called 'sanctuary cities' in Florida

A federal judge has temporarily blocked a portion of a controversial Florida law that called on local police to cross state lines to assist federal immigration officials but left in place a provision where the officers would have to hold undocumented immigrants until the feds pick them up.

In an order issued on Monday — one day before enforcement of the new law is slated to take effect — Miami U.S. District Judge Beth Bloom shot down a small piece of the state law requiring Florida police officers to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement agencies, like U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The Florida law — SB 168 — will continue to forbid sanctuary cities.

Bloom ruled that local police cannot transport undocumented immigrants across state lines at the request of the feds, saying it is strictly the job of the federal government. Her ruling can be appealed.
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Cell Phone

Judges overturn ruling: Now 4M UK iPhone users can sue Google

Ed Targett
CBR
Wed, 02 Oct 2019 00:00 UTC
Google
Decision "confirms a number of important legal principles under Data Protection law"

Consumer champion Richard Lloyd has been given the green light by the UK Court of Appeal to sue Google on behalf of four million iPhone users, for allegedly "secretly tracking their internet activity for commercial purposes".

Justices at the court, the UK's second-highest, unanimously overturned the October 2018 judgment of Justice Warby which had refused Lloyd — represented by law firm Mishcon de Reya - permission to proceed with the collective action.

The law firm described the decision as "ground breaking" for establishing a new procedural framework for mass data breach claims.

Comment: See also:

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