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Humiliating defeat: Merkel urged to get tough on immigration


Sputnik
Mon, 05 Sep 2016 19:40 UTC
German Chancellor Angela Merkel is staring into the political abyss after her party's shocking defeat at the polls in her home state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, bringing demands for her to toughen her liberal stance on immigration.

Merkel's CDU party was beaten into third place with 19 percent, overtaken by the populist right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. AfD won 20.8 percent of the vote, coming second to the SPD, which won 30.6 percent of the vote, and — although reduced — allowed it to maintain control of the state in coalition with the CDU.

Angela Merkel
© REUTERS/ WOLFGANG RATTAYFrauke Petry, chairwoman of the anti-immigration party Alternative for Germany (AfD), and AfD leader Joerg Meuthen sing at the end of the second day of the AfD congress in Stuttgart, Germany, May 1, 2016.
The defeat immediately brought calls for her to get tough on immigration, which has become the number one political issue, causing many Germans to move their support to nationalist parties, such as the AfD.

Comment: See also: Merkel CDU party beaten into third place by anti-migrant AfD in local election

Update: Merkel's CDU party set to lose seats in Berlin state vote - Exit poll
Germany's center-left Social Democrats (SPD) are leading in the election to the Berlin state parliament with 23 percent, while Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) is in for a big loss, an early exit poll showed Sunday.

The poll, conducted by Infratest dimap for national broadcaster ARD, predicted that support for Merkel's party dropped to 18 percent from 23.3 percent five years ago.

The third place is expected to go to either the far-left Linke (Left) party or the Greens who are both tied at 16.5 percent. The anti-migrant Alteranative fuer Deutschland (AfD) is projected to come fourth with 11.5 percent.

The turnout reached 53.1 percent as of 4 p.m. local time (14:00 GMT), exceeding by 7.1 percent the attendance registered during the previous state election five years ago, according to the electoral committee.

On Sunday, Berliners were electing 149 members to the state parliament. The election comes just two weeks after the AfD pushed the Christian Democrats into third place in the northeastern state of Mecklenburg-West Pomerania.


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Heart

Local Illinois businessman spends $15K posting bail for people accused of minor offenses

John Vibes
The Free Thought Project
Sat, 17 Sep 2016 00:00 UTC
willie wilson
This week, local businessman Willie Wilson is going to the Cook County Jail with $15,000 to bail out inmates with misdemeanor charges.

"I'm not doing this for political reasons. These are people who are in jail because they can't come up with $100 or $200 in bail bond money. These aren't serious criminals — it's folks who got caught with a small bag of marijuana or who were hungry and stole some food from the store," Wilson said.

Surprisingly, Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart is actually supporting Wilson's plan.

Working with Wilson, the Sheriff has provided him with a list of the inmates who have the best chance of success on the outside.

"If I let you sit there you don't have a chance to get a good education, get a job, or start your life over," Wilson said.

Comment: The number of people incarcerated in the U.S. has soared in the past few decades and many are there because they have not been convicted of a crime but are too poor to post bail while their cases are processed. The overwhelming majority are in for nonviolent infractions, such as traffic, property, drug or public order infractions because keeping the jails full is profitable - jails and prisons provide many jobs to local, state and federal officials.

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Info

Estimated 10,000 refugees will die this year - IOM analyst


RT
Sun, 18 Sep 2016 10:59 UTC
Refugees
© Charles Platiau / Reuters
Migrant deaths are due to set a new record this year, with 10,000 deaths projected, according to forecasts by the International Organization for Migration. This comes amid realizations that a concerted global response to the issue is required.

The statistics are likely to cast a dark shadow over the two upcoming summits in New York this week. On Monday, the UN General Assembly will discuss the ongoing refugee crisis caused by worldwide fighting. On Tuesday, US President Barack Obama will invite world leaders to discuss raising the bar on refugee spending and rolling out new policies.

Fighting and various crises displaced some 65 million people in 2015. Of those, 21.3 million were forced to flee their countries, making them international refugees.
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Cell Phone

FAA officially bans 'exploding' Samsung phones on flights


RT
Sun, 18 Sep 2016 12:56 UTC
Samsung Galaxy Note7
© Jung Yeon-JE / AFP
The US Federal Aviation Administration has issued new guidance against the recalled Samsung's flagship Galaxy Note 7 smartphone: The agency officially considers the device unsafe to be turned on during flights - even packed in checked-in luggage.

"Following a Consumer Product Safety Commission recall of the Samsung Galaxy Note 7, the FAA is issuing general guidance to airlines about the rules for carrying recalled or defective lithium devices on board aircraft as cargo or in carry-on luggage,"the FAA said in a statement.

It also stressed that "passengers may not turn on or charge the devices when they carry them on board a plane," adding that "passengers must also protect the devices from accidental activation, including disabling any features that may turn on the device, such as alarm clocks."
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Pirates

Cops raid pot farms for profit - ignoring sex trafficking and slavery

Justin Gardner
Free Thought Project
Fri, 16 Sep 2016 16:19 UTC
pot sex trafficking
Here at The Free Thought Project, we have documented numerous examples of how government's war on drugs ruins the lives of innocent people and fuels the phenomenon called "policing for profit."

In an investigative report by Shoshana Walter published at Reveal, we see the saddening, infuriating way in which these two products of the drug war come together in the Emerald Triangle, three counties in northern California that represent the largest cannabis-producing region in the U.S.

The good old days of the 60s - where hippies came to escape society and grow cannabis for a west coast population steeped in peace, love and mind expansion - have taken a turn for the worse.
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Boat

At least 12 dead as Thai boat capsizes, dozens missing


RT
Sun, 18 Sep 2016 00:00 UTC
Thai Tourist boat
© Christine MaguireTourist boat in Thailand
At least 12 people have died and many are missing after a boat capsized in Thailand's Ayutthaya province on Sunday.

The incident took place in the Chao Phraya River near the Wat Sanam Chai temple.

Seven women, four men and one child were among the dead, and at least 37 passengers were injured. Rescue workers continue to search for survivors, Reuters reports.
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Gear

At it again: First 'napalm girl', now Rosa Parks — Facebook censors iconic civil rights photo

Jay Syrmopoulos
The Free Thought Project
Fri, 16 Sep 2016 00:00 UTC
facebook rosa parks censorship
Fresh off the recent controversy surrounding its censoring of the iconic Vietnam-era "Napalm Girl" photo, Facebook finds itself in the midst of another censorship controversy surrounding yet another iconic photograph — this time of civil rights pioneer Rosa Parks.

The historic picture of Rosa Parks being booked into jail in 1955, after being arrested for her refusal to give up her seat on the bus, was deemed by the social media giant as violating the Facebook Community Standards.

The iconic photos had been posted by an individual in response to a Facebook post by the Van Zandt County Sheriff's Department announcing a recent raid on a cannabis growing operation.

Comment:

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Bullseye

Opioid use decreases in US states that legalize medical marijuana to treat pain


RT
Sun, 18 Sep 2016 13:53 UTC
Marijuana study
© Issei Kato / Reuters
New research shows a decline in the use of opioid painkillers in US states that allow people to treat pain with medical marijuana, affirming the fears of Big Pharma who have been vigorously seeking to frustrate efforts to legalize the herb.

Columbia University researchers examined data from 1999 to 2013 and found an association between a state legalizing medical marijuana and a reduction in testing positive for opioids after dying in a car accident, particularly among drivers aged 21 to 40.

The study, published in the American Journal of Public Health, examined data of 69000 traffic fatalities in 18 states and analyzed the cases in which the presence of opioids was detected.
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USA

Native American students punished academically for not saying the Pledge

Justin Gardner
Free Thought Project
Sun, 18 Sep 2016 15:19 UTC
Student Leilani Thomas
Student Leilani Thomas
Over the past couple of weeks, Colin Kaepernick's refusal to stand for the national anthem - and the solidarity shown by other players who followed suit - has brought the most fervent and irrational flag worshipers to a frenzy.

This misplaced rage is not only the province of football fans steeped in Miller Lite and Cheetos, but also some of those whose job is to educate the children.

A teacher at a Lake County public school district actually lowered the grades of two students who did not recite the Pledge of Allegiance. Their participation grades were lowered from five to three for not standing and chanting the words.
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Attention

Suspect killed after injuring at least 6 in mass stabbing at Minnesota mall [Update]


RT
Sun, 18 Sep 2016 12:13 UTC
shopping mall in St. Cloud, Minnesota
© StormChasingVideo / YouTube
At least six people have been rushed to the emergency room after an armed suspect went on a stabbing spree at a shopping mall in St. Cloud, Minnesota. The attacker was neutralized and is now deceased, according to police.

The suspect, who is yet to be named, was apprehended at a Macy's store in the Crossroads Mall after stabbing multiple people, a local ABC news affiliate reports.

Meanwhile, St. Cloud Police Sgt. Jason Burke told the St. Cloud Times that there are multiple victims and police believe the suspect to be dead. Reports suggested that at least 6 people were transported to hospital with injuries.

Comment: Update: ISIS claims responsibility for Minnesota mall stabbings
Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) has claimed the man who stabbed eight people in a Minnesota shopping mall on Saturday as one of its "soldiers," without specifying if the still-unidentified suspect, who was shot dead, was in direct contact with the Islamist group.

"The executor of the stabbing attacks in Minnesota yesterday was a soldier of the Islamic State and carried out the operation in response to calls to target the citizens of countries belonging to the crusader coalition," said a statement published by Amaq, a news agency associated with the group.

A man dressed in a private security guard uniform stabbed eight people in the Crossroads Center Mall in St. Cloud, a city 100km northwest of Minneapolis-St. Paul. He was then killed by an off-duty policeman from another jurisdiction. None of the victims sustained life-threatening wounds, and all but one have been discharged from the hospital.

Eyewitnesses reported that the man asked at least one person if they were a Muslim during the rampage, while others said that his words referenced Allah.


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