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Bad Guys

New York Police Department buys $7.5 million in military-grade 'protection' equipment


RT
Tue, 26 Jul 2016 10:37 UTC
NYPD thugs
© Rickey Rogers/Reuters
The shootings of police officers in Baton Rouge and Dallas have prompted the New York Police Department (NYPD) to buy $7.5 million worth of military-grade protection equipment for on-duty officers.

Police Commissioner William Bratton told a news conference on Monday that the NYPD has purchased 20,000 military helmets, 6,000 military heavy duty bullet-proof vests, trauma kits, and ballistic doors and windows for patrol cars, Reuters reported.

While NYPD special units are already equipped with military-grade gear and arms, patrol officers - who typically arrive first to shooting situations - are said to begin wearing the upgraded equipment in September.

The new bullet-proof vests are capable of protecting officers from the kind of weapon used in the Baton Rouge shooting, where three officers were shot dead, and the Dallas shooting that resulted in the deaths of five officers and seven wounded patrolmen.

"You name it, we're buying it," Bratton said, adding that "there's not a police department in America that is spending as much money, as much thought and interest on this issue of officer safety."

Comment: It's the people of New York City who need protection from the police:

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Eye 1

Strategy of tension: Police forces across US to adopt 'new tactics' in response to shootings

Darius Shahtahmasebi
Anti-Media
Tue, 26 Jul 2016 12:53 UTC
psycho cops
Following the recent events in the United States, which have resulted in armed civilians taking on police officers—namely in Dallas, Baton Rouge, and most recently in Kansas City, Kansas — police forces across the country are set to adjust their strategies and tactics.

An interesting detail to note is that on July 11, 2016 — following the first deadly attacks on police officers that occurred in Dallas — Reuters reported police were set to rethink their tactics in nearly half of America's 30 largest cities. They evidently didn't act swiftly enough (a number of deadly attacks followed shortly after). It's either that or the suggested police tactics were never going to address the root causes of the problem we are facing.

So what kind of changes can we expect to see?

The most prominent change to occur is the pairing up of police officers. However, some more drastic suggestions are also in the pipeline. For example, the Indianapolis police force has said it will consider the use of robots to "deliberately deliver lethal force." Denver's police union has called for officers to be able to wear riot gear for local protests, and to be armed with AR-15 assault rifles while on patrol at the Denver International Airport.

Comment: Further reading:

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Fire

Explosions and fire at ammunition factory in Azerbaijan kills 1, injures 19


RT
Tue, 26 Jul 2016 13:14 UTC
Azerbaijan munitions factory
© AzadliqRadiosu/YouTube
An explosion has hit an arms factory belonging to Azerbaijan's Department of Defense, followed by a huge fire. At least one fatality and numerous injuries have been reported.

At least one person died and 19 were injured in the incident, the head of the press office for the country's Health Ministry, Liya Bayramova said. According to the Azerbaijan Press Agency (APA), a local woman died of severe burns.

After an initial explosion, blasts continued to rock the factory, eyewitnesses said, according to RIA. The blaze engulfed a large area of the factory grounds.

Residents have been evacuated from the surrounding area, according to local media.

The blast took place in the city of Shirvan, in central Aezerbadjan. The factory is mainly tasked with ammunition production, Interfax reported.

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Bad Guys

Daesh claims responsibility for deadly hostage crisis at church in France


Sputnik
Tue, 26 Jul 2016 13:03 UTC
French police
© REUTERS/ Pascal Rossignol
The Daesh terrorist group has claimed responsibility for hostage taking in a church in France's Normandy which resulted in the death of an 86-year-old priest.

The Amaq news agency said that the attack was carried out by two Daesh militants in response to France's role in the US-led anti-terrorist coalition.

Earlier in the day, two armed men took five people hostage at the Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray church in the Seine-Maritime commune.

According to the France Info news outlet, both attackers were killed by police.

The BFMTV broadcaster later reported that the dead hostage was a priest.
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Pistol

Canadian woman arrested for shooting at Pokémon Go players with pellet gun


RT
Tue, 26 Jul 2016 12:40 UTC
Pokemon Go screenshot
© Toru Hanai / Reuters
A Canadian woman was driven so mad by the Pokémon Go crowd stalking her apartment building that she climbed onto the rooftop and shot at the players with a pellet gun. She was arrested soon after the incident.

Police charged the 29-year-old woman with weapon assault and possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose.

The woman, from the town of Newmarket - part of the Greater Toronto area - fired at least four shots into the crowd of Pokémon Go hunters near her apartment, which is located near one of many Pokestops around the city.

Fortunately, no one was hit or injured, according to police. The incident happened at around 10:30pm local time on Saturday.
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Cowboy Hat

'I don't want to use four-letter words': Russian FM slams reporter over DNC leak claims


RT
Tue, 26 Jul 2016 12:23 UTC
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (L) meets Russia's foreign minister Sergey Lavrov
© Jorge Silva / Reuters
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has blasted a reporter over her question on allegations that Russia was behind the DNC email leaks. Lavrov had a concise reply, stating: "I don't want to use four-letter words."

He was speaking ahead of talks at the ASEAN summit in Laos. US Secretary of State John Kerry, who was present at the time, also seemed to feel uncomfortable with the reporter's question.

Almost 20,000 emails and more than 8,000 attachments from the Democratic National Committee (DNC) were released by WikiLeaks on Friday.

Many of the emails showed that major DNC officials were as hostile to the Bernie Sanders' campaign as opponents were.
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Evil Rays

Gunman shoots doctor at Berlin hospital then kills himself


RT
Tue, 26 Jul 2016 12:04 UTC
policeman
© Stefanie Loos / Reuters
A doctor has been shot at a hospital in the German capital Berlin, according to police. The gunman later shot and killed himself.

The incident took place at a clinic at Charité University's Benjamin Franklin campus, located in the Steglitz district, in the city's southwest.

Berlin's police department has released a statement saying the doctor is critically injured and currently being treated in an intensive care unit.

The shooting took place at around 11:00 GMT. An anti-terrorist unit is at the scene, and the main building has been evacuated, according to the Bild newspaper.

Comment: This is the fifth attack in Germany this week! See also:Germany in tension: Four attacks in one week

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Handcuffs

Over 50 handcuffed at DNC as thousands protest Clinton's nomination in Philadelphia (VIDEO)


RT
Tue, 26 Jul 2016 09:11 UTC
Bern
© Patrick T. Fallon / AFPPeople march holding signs in support of former Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders during a protest outside the 2016 Democratic National Convention, July 25, 2016 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Dozens of protesters have been detained in Philadelphia as thousands rally against Hillary Clinton's official nomination. Protesters have also staged a sit-in to block delegates from entering the Wells Fargo Center, where the Democratic National Convention is being held.
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Heart - Black

US rape culture: 4 women raped by same man ignored by university officials and local police detectives

Lorraine Berry
Raw Story
Tue, 26 Jul 2016 11:42 UTC
woman covering face
© Shutterstock
Rape culture continues to flourish on American college campuses. In the most recent account, four women who reported that they had been raped by the same man were ignored by the Utah State University's Title IX office, and by the police detectives investigating the complaints in Logan, Utah.

Reporter Alex Stuckey of the Salt Lake Tribune conducted an in-depth investigation of a pattern of alleged rapes committed by an unnamed assailant. The first assault was reported in January of 2015; the fourth in December. The male student continued remained on campus until spring of 2016, when he graduated.

The four women did not know one another, and they all filed separate reports. Three of the women were Utah State students and reported the assaults to their school. Title IX, the federal statute passed in 1972 that mandates equal treatment of the sexes in education, requires that "schools must take action if there is a potential continuing threat to students."

In stories that echo the disturbing details recounted in Jon Krakauer's book, Missoula, which documented a spate of rapes in the Montana college town, police seemed more interested in helping preserve the reputation of the alleged rapist than in helping the women prosecute the man who had hurt them.


Comment: It's a disturbing trend in the US for authorities to protect rapists instead of the people they victimize: Rape Culture in America - How the system protects the rapists and fails the victims

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Bad Guys

Dozens dead as two car bombs go off near Mogadishu airport in Somalia


RT
Tue, 26 Jul 2016 11:36 UTC
mogadishu explosion
© Twitter/ Amichai Stein
At least 13 people dead after two suicide attacks in the area of Somalia's Mogadishu airport, media reports.

The blasts were in fact twin suicide car bombs tearing through checkpoints near Mogadishu International Airport, according to Harun Maruf, a local journalist.

Al-Shabaab, a radical Islamist group, has taken responsibility for the attacks, claiming to have killed over 12 people, Reuters reports.

According to Al Jazeera, the first explosion occurred near the entrance used by African Union forces, while the second blast hit a checkpoint manned by Somali government forces.
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