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Wed, 27 Oct 2021
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Life Preserver

Iranian cargo ship sinks in Iraqi territorial waters, casualties reported

Iranian vessel Behbahan sinks
© Reza Khaasteh/twitter
Iranian vessel Behbahan sinks in the Iraqi waters
The incident comes amid ongoing tensions between Washington and Tehran in the Persian Gulf region, which began last year with mysterious sabotage attacks against several oil tankers off the Emirati coast.

Iranian cargo ship the Behbahan has sunk in Iraq's territorial waters, Maritime Safety and Port Protection Organization director Nader Pasandeh confirmed Friday.

One crew member of the ship is said to have died in the incident, with two others missing, and four people rescued, the official said, as cited by Iran's Islamic Republic News Agency. The two missing persons include one Iranian and one Indian national.
According to Pasandeh, the 48-meter-long ship, loaded up with construction materials and ceramics, was headed for the Iraqi port city of Umm Qasr from the southwestern Iranian port of Khorramshahr. The ship, which had a displacement of 850 tonnes, is said to have sunk while traveling through the Khor Abdullah canal between Iraq and Kuwait.

Bizarro Earth

"Beyond reform": Minneapolis City Council considers disbanding its police

Minneapolis
© Jeff Wheeler, Star Tribune
"Several of us on the council are working on finding out what it would take to disband the Minneapolis Police Department and start fresh with a community-oriented, nonviolent public safety and outreach capacity." - Minneapolis City Council Member Steve Fletcher
If you've been tuned into the Minneapolis public safety scene, you know that for years, Reclaim the Block and other grassroots community groups have been asking the city to do one thing: stop investing in policing.

Budget meeting after budget meeting, they'd turn out with their petitions and signs, demanding the city put less money into its police department and more money into programs that stop crimes from happening in the first place - affordable housing, addiction counseling, violence prevention programs.

The council's been listening.

Comment: While it's clear something must be done, it would make more sense to actually hold those cops who are criminals to account - that's what the law is there for - and to rout out corruption within the police force.

RT collates some tweets about the issue:








NPC

'It's Ruptly, I'm not tweeting it': Yahoo WH correspondent ridiculed for not sharing LIVESTREAM from protest because it's RUSSIAN

screenshot

A screenshot from the Ruptly's live stream (top) A screenshot from the Twitter account Hunter Walker @hunterw (bottom)
A Yahoo journalist refused to share a livestream from a Washington protest with his followers simply because it was from RT's Ruptly video agency. When ridiculed over it, he implied that the criticism was paid for with rubles.

Hunter Walker, Yahoo's White House correspondent, was looking for live coverage from the Washington protests on Thursday, so he asked his followers if there was a livestream. One was quickly suggested, but the journalist found it problematic.

"It's Ruptly so I am not tweeting it," he said. "Be careful with what you Tweet. Ruptly is state owned Russian media."

Biohazard

Major fuel spill in Russia's far north becomes federal-level emergency

Norilsk
© Nornickel press service
Aerial view of the TETs-3 power plant in Norilsk after a fuel spill.
A major fuel spill at a power plant in Norilsk, Russia has seriously damaged the fragile environment in the extreme north. The plant's owner received a dressing down from President Putin, who was angered by its slow response.

The spill happened at a power plant located some 10km west of Norilsk, a big city in the far northern part of Western Siberia. Last Friday a storage tank was damaged, and an estimated 20,000 tons of diesel fuel escaped into the environment, contaminating the ground, two small rivers and a local lake.

A small fire followed the spill after a vehicle drove into it and ignited the fuel, but luckily the flames were quickly extinguished. The work of the 440 MW power plant was not affected by the spill. It is powered by natural gas and only kept the diesel on site as a backup.

Comment: But get this: Putin didn't once declare a 'state of emergency' throughout the 'Covid-19 Plandemic'!


Pistol

1 officer stabbed in neck, 2 others shot in Brooklyn; all expected to survive

nypd
© Reuters / Brendan Mcdermid
The NYPD said an officer was stabbed in the neck and two others were shot late Wednesday night in Brooklyn.

All three are expected to survive. The suspect is in critical condition.

The FBI released a statement, reading in part, "We respond as if one of our own was attacked, and we will use every federal statute available to hold the perpetrator accountable."


NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea said two officers were assigned to prevent looting at the corner of Church and Flatbush avenues in the Flatbush neighborhood.

Around 11:45 p.m., a 20-year-old man allegedly walked up to the officers, took out a knife, and stabbed one of them in the left side of the neck.

Police said the suspect then stole a gun from the officers.

Comment: Some footage of the police response in the aftermath of the attack:






Attention

Time to relocate! Minneapolis City Council members pledge to 'dismantle' police department

minneapolis police riot george floyd
© REUTERS
Minneapolis police at a protest against the death of George Floyd on May 30, 2020.
Members of the Minneapolis City Council pledged to "dismantle" the city's police department in the wake of worldwide protests over the killing of George Floyd.

Council President Lisa Bender joined several other members in promises to drastically change how public safety is upheld in the city.

"We are going to dismantle the Minneapolis Police Department and replace it with a transformative new model of public safety," Bender tweeted.

Comment: It seems western civilization has reached peak idiocy. When the city that just erupted in violent riots and looting, which sparked similar riots across the country and even other parts of the world, decides the best response to that is to dismantle the police department you know that the leaders have clearly lost their minds. Anyone living in Minneapolis would be best advised to put their home up for sale now.

See also:


Attention

Your lying eyes: Governor Cuomo denies NYPD brutalized peaceful protesters despite mountain of video evidence

NYPD protester violence
© REUTERS/Brendan Mcdermid
A protester is detained by NYPD officers during a protest against the death in Minneapolis police custody of George Floyd, in the Brooklyn borough of New York City, U.S., June 3, 2020.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo denied accusations that New York City police officers have used batons against people peacefully protesting against the death of George Floyd, even though multiple videos show them doing so.

During a press briefing on Thursday, Cuomo called the allegations "incendiary rhetoric," asking the reporter who brought them up: "Do you think there's any sensible police officer who believes their job is bludgeoning a peaceful person with a baton?"

"It's not a fact! It's not even an opinion! That is a hyper-partisan rhetorical attack!" he continued, adding that NYPD officers "don't do that."

While the governor doubled down on the denials of police brutality, several videos circulating on social media, some going viral, suggest otherwise. For example, a video captured by filmmaker Josh Fox on Wednesday of motorists "witnessing NYPD beat up folks" received millions of views.

Comment: NYPD gets its training and its attitude from that leading light of police brutality, Israel.

Look familiar?
knee on neck Israel
© Reuters
Israeli police officers detain a Palestinian protestor during scuffles outside the compound housing al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem's Old City March 12, 2019.



Footprints

UK police planning their own contact tracing system over concerns about government's version

contact tracing app

A specially created app can trace people's movements
Police forces are planning their own contact tracing system over concerns the government's test and trace scheme could place officers in danger, Sky News has learned.

Under the plans, police officers who test positive for COVID-19 would not give their contacts to NHS contact tracers, but would instead inform their police force who would take over contact tracing to identify anyone at risk of catching the virus.

The plans, which are being developed by national police organisations, could see police forces take over all contact tracing for police officers and staff, according to a source close to the matter.

Book 2

Amazon backs down after many, including Elon Musk, slam it for censorship of book questioning Covid-19 threat

Amazon bookstore
© REUTERS/Brendan McDermid
People walk past an Amazon Books retail store in New York City
Publishing and e-commerce giant Amazon is facing a wave of criticism for refusing to publish a book questioning whether the media and medical experts made the threat of Covid-19 seem much bigger than it is, before backing down.

"Your book does not comply with our guidelines," Amazon informed author Alex Berenson on Thursday about his submitted work 'Unreported Truths about Covid-19 and Lockdowns Part 1: Introduction and Death Counts and Estimates'.

The company, which accounts for about 50 percent of the print book market and 75 percent of the ebook business, told Berenson it would not offer his book for sale. This ignited a firestorm on social media, where Amazon was blasted by SpaceX founder Elon Musk as a "monopoly" that needs to be "broken up."

Comment: More from Alex Berenson can be found here:


Star of David

Israeli forces trained Minneapolis cops in brutal 'restraint techniques' at US conference

police rioters minneapolis
© John Minchillo / AP
A police officer points a hand cannon at protesters who have been detained pending arrest on South Washington Street, May 31, 2020, in Minneapolis.
Officers from the U.S. police force responsible for the killing of George Floyd received training in restraint techniques and anti-terror tactics from Israeli law enforcement officers. Floyd's death in custody on Memorial Day, the latest in a succession of police killings of African Americans, has sparked continuing protests in U.S. cities.

At least 100 Minnesota police officers attended a 2012 conference hosted by Israel's Chicago consulate, the second time such an event had been held. There, they learned the violent techniques used by Israeli forces as they terrorize the occupied Palestinian territories under the guise of security operations. The so-called counterterrorism training conference in Minneapolis was jointly hosted by the FBI.

Israeli deputy consul Shahar Arieli claimed that the half-day session brought "top-notch professionals from the Israeli police" to share knowledge with their U.S. counterparts. It is unclear whether any of the officers involved in the incident in which Floyd was killed attended the conference.

Comment: Global Research provides more background:
[...} the tragic murder of George Floyd has the hallmark of an Israeli-trained tactic put to use to restrain suspects. Many U.S. states, cities and towns allow their police departments to be trained by the Israeli police, Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) and by Israel's internal security service's known as Shin Bet who for decades has oppressed the Palestinians with brutal policing tactics. The Israeli's are experts in abuse and torture of the Palestinians which dates back to 1948, so now they train US police forces who use the same tactics to subdue protesters or to violently arrest people for some reason or another. An article by the Jewish Voice For Peace in 2018 titled 'Deadly Exchange Report Reveals Extent of Massive Training Programs Between U.S. Law Enforcement and Israeli Police, Military and the Shin Bet' begins its analysis with who is involved with Israeli training methods:
From the acting Deputy Director of ICE to the current Chief of Police in Washington DC, from San Diego to Chicago to Atlanta, since 2002 thousands of American law enforcement officials have trained in Israel with Israeli police, military and the Shin Bet. And thousands more have participated in security conferences and workshops with Israeli military, law enforcement and security officials held in the U.S. But despite their branding as top-tier counter-terrorism experts, Israeli police and security agents regularly violate civil rights, and implement racist and deadly policies
[...]

According to the report produced by Researching the American-Israeli Alliance (RAIA) in partnership with Jewish Voice for Peace titled 'Deadly Exchange: The Dangerous Consequences of American Law Enforcement Trainings in Israel' says that the Israeli military, police and those in intelligence agencies train US police forces under Israel's counter-terrorism methods which also involves racial profiling...

[...]

The report said that "Months after 9/11, American law enforcement representatives attended their first official training expedition to Israel to exchange "best practices," knowledge, and expertise in counter-terrorism." Members from the FBI, CIA, chiefs and deputy chiefs from police departments across the US including California, New York, Texas, Maryland, Florida and others who were "schooled in Israeli military approaches to intelligence gathering, border security, checkpoints, and coordination with the media." The report said that the "US law enforcement exchange programs with Israel have become standard, with hundreds of American law enforcement officials from across the country going to Israel for trainings, and thousands more participating in security conferences and workshops with Israeli personnel in the United States." Allowing Israel's tactics to be used on US citizens has been normalized establishing even closer ties between both countries:
These exchange programs with Israel facilitate the sharing of practices and technologies between US law enforcement and the Israeli military, police and intelligence agencies; Instill militarized logics of security into the civilian sphere, normalizing practices of mass surveillance, criminalization, and the violent repression of communities and movements the government defines as threatening; and deepen ties between US and Israeli officials to shore up support for a shared security model that justifies flagrant human and civil rights violations
This a reminder to the world that the police tactics used on George Floyd that got him killed was established in Israel, a Zionist state that uses the same tactics to oppress the Palestinians on a daily level is now commonly being used by US police forces.
And from TRT World:
Both Amnesty and the US State Department have cited incidences of Israeli security officials engaging in brutality against Palestinians.

The rights group said: "Baltimore and other police departments should find partners that will train on de-escalation techniques, how to handle mentally challenged or ill citizens, on the constitutional rights of citizens concerning filming and how to appropriately respond to those using non-violent protest to express their opinions. Israel is not such a partner."

Palestinian activist Huda Ammori of the Apartheid off Campus group told TRT World that such links between "militarised" US police forces and the Israeli security establishment emphasised the need for unity between African-Americans and Palestinians.

"We're seeing the oppressors united with their training, their same techniques. Between the Black Lives Matter community and the Palestinian community, and other communities across the world, we need to unite to fight against these systems." Ammori said.

"It's the same systems of oppression that are affecting all of these communities...we must fight back together."