Society's Child

Russia builds dozens of airports while Berlin struggles to complete Brandenburg after 13 years of delays

RT
Sun, 16 Jun 2019 11:30 UTC

Terminal D of Sheremetyevo International Airport

Renowned German punctuality doesn't apply when it comes to the Berlin Brandenburg Airport. Its opening, originally scheduled for 2011, has been postponed several times and there are doubts it will finally open its doors in 2020.

The German capital has been waiting for a new international airport, to be named after the late politician Willy Brandt, since 2006, when the construction project was initially announced.

However, the grand opening was first pushed back to June 2012 over various problems, then delayed again and again almost every year. Now the cost of the ghost hub is believed to surpass €7 billion and counting, turning it into a costly embarrassment for Germany.

Last week, Germany's Federal Minister of Transport and Digital Infrastructure, Andreas Scheuer, fueled further doubts over the completion of the transport hub, now scheduled for October 2020. The official voiced his concerns over the opening of the airport, in a letter to the operator of the project, and demanded clarification of the "uncertainties," according to German media.

Meanwhile, in Russia, where the transport infrastructure is sometimes the subject of jokes even among its own citizens, they've managed to build, modernize and open dozens of terminals and airports. Here is the list of what has been developed in the country since the start of construction of the troubled Berlin Brandenburg. It's a long one.

Comment: Sanctions and other challenges from the Western 'thorns' haven't managed to slow Russia's commitment to its infrastructure:

Report: On 61st week of Great March of Return and Breaking Siege, Israeli forces wound 92 Palestinian civilians

PCHR
Sun, 16 Jun 2019 16:58 UTC

Casualties included 28 children, four paramedics, including one female paramedic PCHR

On Friday, 14 June 2019, in excessive use of force against peaceful protesters on the 61^st Friday of the Great March of Return and Breaking the Siege, Israeli forces wounded 92 Palestinian civilians, 28 of them were children and four were paramedics, including a female paramedic, in the eastern Gaza Strip. One of the wounded was a child, who was hit with a live bullet to the chest and sustained serious wound.

According to observations by PCHR's fieldworkers, the Israeli forces who stationed in prone positions and in military jeeps along the fence with Israel continued to use excessive force against the protesters by firing bullets and tear gas canisters at them. As a result, dozens of the protesters were hit with bullets and teargas canisters without posing any imminent threat or danger to the life of soldiers.

No hope of Assange getting fair trial amid 'industrial-grade demonization campaign' - Max Blumenthal

RT
Sun, 16 Jun 2019 16:20 UTC

The persecution of Julian Assange, aided and abetted by the silence of the US media, is a "warning shot" to journalists who are openly critical of the US national security state, journalist Max Blumenthal tells RT.

"I see no hope for him receiving a fair trial in a US court," Blumenthal says, pointing out that not only the US government but its media has mustered only a "muted response" to "one of the most disturbing assaults on journalism and the First Amendment in my lifetime."

Comment:

Entire cities in darkness after massive, first-of-its-kind blackout sweeps Argentina and Uruguay

RT
Sun, 16 Jun 2019 14:04 UTC

Argentina & Uruguay power blackout June 2109

Argentina suffered a “nationwide” blackout, which also affected neighboring Uruguay.

Entire cities descended into darkness as a massive, first-of-its-kind blackout swept across Argentina and Uruguay on Sunday morning. The unexplained calamity will take up to eight hours to fix, officials say.

Argentina suffered a "nationwide" blackout, which also affected neighboring Uruguay, Alejandra Martinez, a spokesperson for the Buenos Aires-based electricity supplier company Edesur, told local media. "Something like this has never happened before," she said.

Massive Hong Kong protests continue - leader apologizes to nation over extradition bill

RT
Sun, 16 Jun 2019 16:04 UTC

The chief executive of Hong Kong has apologized to the nation after thousands of residents rallied in a massive city protest despite the government's suspension of the proposed extradition bill.

The huge march went ahead as planned on Sunday afternoon, a day after Hong Kong's Chief Executive Carrie Lam made a stunning climedown by suspending the controversial bill indefinitely, just days after she vowed to see it through.

Hundreds of thousands of protesters gathered for one of the biggest demonstrations in decades to call for the bill to permanently scrapped, with fears that Lam could one day revive the proposal, and for the city's leader to resign.

Lam appeared to cave in to pressure from critics who said the bill would erode the city's autonomy from China. Later on Sunday, Lam apologized to the public with "utmost sincerity and humility" for causing "conflict and disputes."

Comment: On the previous protests:

Freed Russian journalist Golunov grateful to supporters but regrets ensuing wave of publicity

RT
Sun, 16 Jun 2019 13:07 UTC

Ivan Golunov, the investigative journalist detained by Moscow in a suspected set-up that triggered a wave of public discontent, has told RT that he's shocked his story has received so much attention. He said he didn't expect the massive outpouring of support at home and abroad. Speaking in an exclusive interview with RT, the journalist said he was grateful to his supporters.

Golunov, who specializes in investigating corruption among Moscow officials, was snatched from the street in central Moscow on Thursday last week and accused by the police of being a drug dealer. The police offered sketchy evidence to support their allegation, while the journalist claimed that he had been framed by corrupt officers.

The news resulted in several days of demonstrations in Moscow and other cities, and an unprecedented wave of pressure on the government. Journalists and public figures also demanded a thorough inquiry into the alleged abuse of power by the police. Three leading newspapers printed nearly identical front pages on Monday, running a joint statement in support of Golunov.

Comment: See also:

Yellow Vests protests continue for 31st straight weekend: Tear gas in Toulouse, Paris

RT
Sun, 16 Jun 2019 15:38 UTC

Police in Toulouse, France, deployed tear gas and charged demonstrators, as Yellow Vests protesters took to the streets for the 31st consecutive weekend. It comes as the Elysee Palace pushes for a controversial reform package.

Saturday saw crowds of protesters turn out all over France. The demonstrations in Toulouse were among the largest, with more than 1,000 showing up, and police responded by firing tear gas to disperse the activists. The crack of police weaponry could be heard as the streets filled with the choking gas.

Comment: Matters appear to have settled in to an endurance contest between French citizens and Macron's government. Who will blink first?

Glen Greenwald threatened with expulsion from Brazil following exposé of conspiracy against former President Lula de Silva

RT
Sat, 15 Jun 2019 08:34 UTC

After publishing a series of exposés revealing that Brazilian prosecutors conspired against former President Lula de Silva's election bid last year, the Intercept's Glenn Greenwald has been threatened with deportation from Brazil.

Parliamentarian and member of the ruling Social Liberal (PSL) party Carlos Jordy tweeted out the thinly-veiled threat on Thursday in a string of messages.

"You can not confront our institutions and authorities, committing crimes against national security and not imagine that [you] can be criminally punished and DEPORTED," the lawmaker said, adding "your case is already being investigated."

Comment: Now that Assange's arrest has set a precedent, politicians will be much more aggressive in punishing those who dare to bring their crimes to light. First they came for Assange.

More on 'Operation Car Wash' and Brazil's scandal plagued government:

Crimes in concrete: Modernist architecture 'a visual hell that scours the eyes'

Theodore Dalrymple
First Things
Sun, 16 Jun 2019 10:51 UTC

In a recent debate in Prospect magazine on the question of whether modern architecture has ruined British towns and cities, Professor James Stevens Curl, one of Britain's most distinguished architectural historians, wrote as his opening salvo:

Visitors to these islands who have eyes to see will observe that there is hardly a town or city that has not had its streets - and skyline - wrecked by insensitive, crude, post-1945 additions which ignore established geometries, urban grain, scale, materials, and emphases.

This is so self-evidently true that I find it hard to understand how anyone could deny it, but modern architects and hangers-on such as architectural journalists do deny it, like war criminals who, for obvious reasons, continue to deny their crimes in the face of overwhelming evidence.

Comment: See also:

Vodafone launches first 5G network in Spain in cooperation with Huawei

Mu Xuequan
Xinhua
Sun, 16 Jun 2019 22:32 UTC

In cooperation with Chinese telecom giant Huawei, Vodafone Espana on Saturday rolled out the first commercial 5G mobile services in Spain, making it one of the first European countries with the ultrafast mobile network in Europe.

According to Vodafone Espana, the 5G mobile network covers 15 major Spanish cities including Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia and Seville. Around half of the residents in these cities will able to enjoy the cutting-edge high-speed network service, which will be expanded in the future.

With 5G mobile phones, 5G customers in Spain will experience download speeds of up to 1Gbps at launch and up to 2Gbps by the end of the year, which means it could be 10 times faster than that of the 4G network, said Vodafone.

Comment: Despite sabotage attempts by the US it seems 5G is making headway into Europe, which is a win for international business relations, but a serious threat to the health of citizens:

Also check out SOTT radio's: Objective:Health #15 - The Dangers of 5G & WiFi - With Scott Ogrin of Scottie's Tech.Info

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Society's Child

Russia builds dozens of airports while Berlin struggles to complete Brandenburg after 13 years of delays

Report: On 61st week of Great March of Return and Breaking Siege, Israeli forces wound 92 Palestinian civilians

No hope of Assange getting fair trial amid 'industrial-grade demonization campaign' - Max Blumenthal

Entire cities in darkness after massive, first-of-its-kind blackout sweeps Argentina and Uruguay

Massive Hong Kong protests continue - leader apologizes to nation over extradition bill

Freed Russian journalist Golunov grateful to supporters but regrets ensuing wave of publicity

Yellow Vests protests continue for 31st straight weekend: Tear gas in Toulouse, Paris

Glen Greenwald threatened with expulsion from Brazil following exposé of conspiracy against former President Lula de Silva

Crimes in concrete: Modernist architecture 'a visual hell that scours the eyes'

Vodafone launches first 5G network in Spain in cooperation with Huawei

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