Society's ChildS


Bomb

Manchester attack: Blowback for UK's support of terrorism in Libya, Syria and beyond


Moon of Alabama
Wed, 24 May 2017 13:44 UTC
belhaj lifg
Libyan Islamic Fighting Group, brought to you by the U.S. and UK.
When I first learned of yesterday's terror incident in Manchester, UK I snarked:
Moon of Alabama‏ @MoonofA

So another heroic "Syrian rebel" - which the British government avidly supports - blew himself up. But why in #Manchester?

6:26 AM - 23 May 2017
Several people attacked me over that tweet.

How would I know it was a "Syrian rebel" who blew himself up in the Manchester Arena?

Well, how would you know that any of the takfiri "Syrian rebels" the UK, the U.S. and their Gulf proxies support in Syria are from Syria? Many are definitely not.

Comment: "The UK deep state did it." "Muslim terrorists did it." Simpler solution this soon after the attack: It doesn't really matter which is more accurate. Both the UK deep state and the Muslim terrorists share similar goals. One is just more vocal and explicit about them. Whichever turns out to be the case, both groups benefit. And both will use the attack and its fallout for their own purposes, which - while not identical - share plenty of areas of overlap.

See also: Crowds flee Ariana Grande concert in Manchester following reports of explosion; at least 22 killed and 59 injured - UPDATES

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Fire

Plane engine fire prompts passenger evacuations at Newark airport


RT
Wed, 24 May 2017 13:05 UTC
flight times
© Lucas Jackson / Reuters
Newark's Liberty International Airport was temporarily closed after an engine caught fire and passengers were evacuated. Five minor injuries were reported.

United Airlines Flight 1579 was taxiing down the runway Tuesday night when the tower notified the crew that one of their engines was on fire, according to a statement from United Airlines spokesman Jonathan Guerin, WPIX reported.

"The crew immediately deployed the slides and evacuated the aircraft. At this time we have a report of only one minor injury. Customers are being transported back to the terminal. We are working to get our customers to San Francisco as soon as possible," Guerin said.
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Pirates

Philippine church says gunmen take priest, churchgoers hostage in Marawi city, vow to kill captives


RT
Wed, 24 May 2017 10:04 UTC
Government troops guard a checkpoint in town of Pantar in Lanao del Norte after residents began evacuating their hometown of Marawi in the southern Philippines, May 24, 2017
© Romeo Ranoco / ReutersGovernment troops guard a checkpoint in town of Pantar in Lanao del Norte after residents began evacuating their hometown of Marawi in the southern Philippines, May 24, 2017
Gunmen have taken a priest and several parishioners at a cathedral hostage, a Philippine Roman Catholic church said, adding that the militants have vowed to kill the captives "if government forces unleashed against them are not recalled."

The hostages were taken from a cathedral in Marawi city on the island of Mindanao in the Philippines, Archbishop Socrates Villegas, president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines, said on Wednesday.

"Father Chito Suganob and others were in the Cathedral of Our Lady Help of Christians when members of the Maute fighting group forced their way into the Cathedral, taking with them Father Chito and others as hostages," a statement on the official website of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines said.

Maute is an Islamist group that has pledged allegiance to Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL).


Comment: See also: Duterte declares martial law on Philippines island amid ISIS-linked attacks

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Airplane

China and Russia take on aviation giants Boeing and Airbus in launch of joint venture to build wide-body commercial jet

Brenda Goh
Reuters
Tue, 23 May 2017 11:14 UTC
russia china wide-body commercial jet
© Reuters
A model of a jet is pictured at the launching ceremony of China-Russia Commercial Aircraft International Corporation Limited (CRAIC), a joint venture between Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC) and Russia's United Aircraft Corp (UAC), in Shanghai, China May 22, 2017.
China and Russia on Monday completed the formal registration of a joint venture to build a wide-body jet, kick-starting full-scale development of a program aimed at competing with market leaders Boeing Co (BA.N) and Airbus SE (AIR.PA).

State plane makers Commercial Aircraft Corp of China Ltd (COMAC) [CMAFC.UL] and Russia's United Aircraft Corp (UAC) said at a ceremony in Shanghai the venture would aim to build a "competitive long range wide-body commercial aircraft".

The announcement comes just weeks after COMAC successfully completed the maiden flight of its C919, China's first home-grown narrow-body passenger jet.

COMAC President Jin Zhuanglong said the two firms had decided to hold the establishment ceremony after the C919's flight.
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Video

Oliver Stone goes face to face with Putin: "You'll see a different point of view" — deadline disruptors

Mike Fleming Jr.
Deadline
Mon, 22 May 2017 21:53 UTC
Oliver Stone
© Chris Chapman
Last year, three-time Oscar winner Oliver Stone made his 20th directorial outing with Snowden—a look at the life of former NSA consultant and whistleblower Edward Snowden. The film took Stone on numerous trips to Russia, where Snowden has lived in exile since 2013, which then led to a series of interviews with Russian leader Vladimir Putin. The format is something Stone has used to great effect before in his documentaries about controversial politicians such as Fidel Castro and Hugo Chávez.

Comment: Oliver Stone eyes Putin documentary to show 'a different point of view' to Americans

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Cut

American Society of Plastic Surgeons report 20% rise in gender confirmation surgeries from 2015 to 2016

Mary Bowerman
USA TODAY
Mon, 22 May 2017 21:06 UTC
surgery
© Christopher Furlong, Getty Images
Gender confirmation surgeries are on the rise in the United States, according to newly released data from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

There has been an almost 20% increase in gender confirmation surgeries from 2015 to 2016, with more than 2,300 gender confirmation surgeries being performed in 2016, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, which has been tracking national statistics on gender confirmation surgeries.

Loren Schechter, MD, a board-certified plastic surgeon in Chicago, said in a statement that over the past few years plastic surgeons have seen an increase in patients seeking surgical treatment for gender dysphoria.

Schechter said gender confirmation surgery covers everything from facial surgery to breast or chest surgery and genital surgery.

"There is no one-size-fits-all treatment, and no one discipline can meet all the needs of an individual," Schechter said in a statement. "For example, plastic surgeons work with doctors who specialize in hormone therapy, urology and with mental health professionals who help patients through the emotional aspects of their transition."
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No Entry

'We don't want war with Russia': NATO exit is gaining force among citizens of Slovakia

RI Staff
Russia Insider
Tue, 23 May 2017 00:00 UTC
Nato slovakai
So far 150,000 Slovaks have signed a petition calling for a referendum on Slovakia's withdrawal from NATO. 350,000 signatures are needed to trigger a referendum in the country of 5.5 million people.

Signatures are being gathered by the right-wing eurosceptic party Kotleba - People's Party Our Slovakia. The petition was launched in July 2016, meaning it has been gathering about 15,000 signatures per month on average. At this pace there will be enough signatures to trigger a referendum sometime next year.

The country has been a scene of repeated small-scale protests against NATO in general, and in particular against NATO bases on Slovak soil.
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Light Saber

Alabama lawmakers pass bill to protect Confederate monuments from removal


RT
Tue, 23 May 2017 19:36 UTC
Confederate monuments
© Richard Ellis / Global Look Press
Lawmakers in Alabama have passed a bill which, if signed into law, would protect any historical monuments in the state, including those honoring members of the Confederacy, from removal. It comes as other Southern states are removing Confederate symbols.

The Monument Preservation Act, bill SB60, would prohibit cities and counties from relocation, alternation, renaming or other disturbance of "architecturally significant" buildings, memorials, memorial streets or monuments on public property for 40 or more years, according to AP.

Senator Gerald Allen, a Republican sponsor of the bill, blasted what he perceived as a "wave of political correctness" assailing monuments dedicated to people who he says, despite having flaws, were important to history.

Comment: See also: Protestors face off at demonstration in New Orleans over planned removal of Confederate monuments

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Attention

Dakota Access pipeline plagued with 2 more leaks, valve failures


RT
Tue, 23 May 2017 10:48 UTC
DAPL lay pipe
© cbsnews.com
Not yet fully operational, the controversial Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) has leaked more than 100 gallons of oil in North Dakota in two separate incidents. Two barrels, or 84 gallons, spilled due to a leaky flange at a pipeline terminal in Watford City on March 3, according to the North Dakota Health Department. A flange is a section connecting two sections of pipeline.

The department's incident report said the oil flow was immediately cut off and the spill was contained on the site. Contaminated snow and oils was removed and no people, wildlife or waterways were affected. In a separate incident, a leak of half a barrel, or 20 gallons of oil, occurred on March 5 in rural Mercer County, according to data from the federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration. Contaminated soil was removed and no people, wildlife or water ways were affected.

The online report says an above-ground valve failed due to a manufacturing defect causing the leak and upstream and downstream valves were closed to isolate the leak. Later, all other such valves on the line were inspected and were found to be working well.

The Dakota Access pipeline, a construction project estimated at $3.8 billion, will move North Dakota oil 1,200 miles (1,930 kilometers) through South Dakota and Iowa to a distribution point in Illinois. DAPL's operators, Energy Transfer Partners, plans to begin commercial operations June 1.


Comment: There are numerous ways an oil pipeline may leak, including faulty welding points, equipment failure and pipe connections. The Alaskan pipeline's history was riddled with massive spills, controversy, legalities, suspicious deaths and congressional investigations. The Tribe should be concerned, but so far, these leaks are relatively insignificant.

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Video

Algerian tycoon revs up for burkini party at Cannes Film Fest, sends one to Le Pen, Morano


RT
Tue, 23 May 2017 10:57 UTC
burkini at the beach
© Tim Wimborne/ReutersWorking on that tan.
An Algerian millionaire dubbed 'Zorro of the niqab' is planning to throw a burkini beach party during the Cannes Film Festival. The tycoon claims to have sent right-wing Marine Le Pen the Muslim swimwear in French tricolor.

Rachid Nekkaz, an Algerian businessman and political activist, has resumed his pro-burkini campaign as summer approaches. This time, he has chosen the French Riviera city of Cannes for his "burkini-style party." The event on May 26 will coincide with the Cannes Film Festival, which is held in the resort city. The burkini is full-body swimwear used by some Muslim women, especially in public.

The party is scheduled to last for two hours - from 2-4pm local time. "A duration of a film," Nekkaz told Nice Matin newspaper. "This is a way of celebrating a decision of [France's] State Council from August 26, 2016, which allows any woman to wear a burkini," he said, adding "Cannes was the first [city] to forbid it."

Cannes banned burkinis back in August of 2016, and the majority of French resorts soon followed suit. The ban divided French society, with some praising the restrictions, while others worried it would provoke more tension with Muslims.

Comment: Big deal.

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