Society's Child
© Lucy Nicholson / Reuters
The EC confirmed media reports on Tuesday that they carried out an "unannounced inspection" of the company over concerns that they may have violated EU antitrust rules that prohibit cartels. The investigation is looking into companies active in the distribution of media rights linked to sports events in several member states, the EC confirmed.
Investigators gained access to the company's offices in Hammersmith, west London, which is home to the Fox Network TV channel business, and they seized a number of documents and computer records, according to The Daily Telegraph. The Fox Networks Group said they are fully cooperating with the inspection.
© Amr Dalsh / Reuters
Saud al-Faisal
Saud al-Faisal
Prince Saud al-Faisal, who served as Saudi Arabia's foreign minister for 40 years until his death, was a regular visitor to the French capital, where he stayed in the lap of luxury.
Now SARL Atyla, a company producing pornographic films, is suing SCI 25 Avenue Bugeaud, a firm managed by al-Faisal's daughter, Lana. The company wants to be reimbursed for services allegedly rendered for the prince.
The Facebook CEO must've been shaken up after being grilled by Sen. Richard Blumenthal and Sen. Ted Cruz yesterday just before taking the first of several breaks during yesterday's Odyssey-like Senate hearing, because he left a copy of his hearing notes on the table in plain view of press photographers, who were quick to "document" them.
While photographers only managed to photograph the top pages of Zuckerberg's lengthy memo, they provided insight into how Zuckerberg would've handled questions about whether Facebook should be broken up - which he was never asked, though Sen. Lindsey Graham came closest by asking Zuck if he felt Facebook had monopolistic power (Zuckerberg elicited chuckles by claiming "it doesn't feel that way to me" in response).
© Daniel LEAL-OLIVAS / AFP
A laptop showing the Facebook logo is held alongside a Cambridge Analytica sign at the entrance to the building housing the offices of Cambridge Analytica, in central London .
A laptop showing the Facebook logo is held alongside a Cambridge Analytica sign at the entrance to the building housing the offices of Cambridge Analytica, in central London .
The data mining firm, which worked for President Donald Trump's campaign in 2016, pitched its "unique" data and "psychological profiling" abilities, which could be used to micro-target voters on Facebook, according to a Channel 4 News report.
According to the documents seen by Channel 4, Cambridge Analytica told prospective clients that its data had been successfully used by the North Carolina Republican Party, the conservative For America advocacy group and a number of Republican campaigns in Arkansas, North Carolina and New Hampshire, which were funded by the John Bolton Super PAC.
Comment: The truly crazy thing about all this is that it's actually coming as a surprise to people. It should be obvious by now that this type of data analysis is done constantly and is used to sell you everything from laundry soap to political candidates. The only thing mildly remarkable about the current 'scandal' is that Cambridge Analytica may have been using data they weren't supposed to use. And no one would be freaking out about this if it was used by the Hillary campaign.
See also:
- There was no congressional hearing when Obama harvested 190 million Facebook users data to win in 2012
- Delusional Zuckerberg: Facebook is in 'arms race' with Russia
- FTC officials say Facebook could face record fines for mishandling private data
- Damage control? Facebook kicks out Canadian political consulting firm entangled in Cambridge Analytica scandal
- The Spin War: Cambridge Analytica and Privatized Military Propaganda
- Cambridge Analytica is formally accused of violating US election laws
- Zuckerberg declines appearing before British inquiry over Cambridge Analytica (who can blame him?)
© Susannah Bryan/Sun Sentinel via Getty Images,
Synthetic marijuana, sold in colorful packages with names like Cloud Nine, Maui Wowie and Mr. Nice Guy.
Synthetic marijuana, sold in colorful packages with names like Cloud Nine, Maui Wowie and Mr. Nice Guy.
There are now 107 people in central Illinois and the Chicago area who experienced severe bleeding after using the synthetic pot, often called spice, K2 or fake weed, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health.
"Each day we've seen the number of cases rise," said director of the IDPH Nirav D. Shah, M.D., J.D. "Synthetic cannabinoids are unsafe. They are not regulated and people don't know what chemicals may be in them, like rat poison. While efforts are underway to get the contaminated drugs out of circulation, it's possible they could re-emerge. We urge people not to use synthetic cannabinoids now or ever."
The incident began on March 8 and was captured on another officer's body camera. It shows Gloucester Township police officer John Flinn repeatedly punching and attempting to choke a small 13-year-old girl as he places her in handcuffs.
According to prosecutors the attack was entirely unprovoked as the girl was complying with the officer, yet he began attacking her anyway. Camden County prosecutors said the juvenile followed police instructions and allowed Flinn to handcuff her, but the crazed cop "struck her twice on the side of the face, causing her to cry out in pain."
Police originally said they were responding to a disturbance call in the Camdem County township. However, no more details on why they contacted the 13-year-old girl have been released.
© Thomas White / Reuters
"Sick and tired of activists and rebels using corpses of dead children to stage emotive scenes for Western consumption. Then they wonder why some serious journos are questioning part of the narrative," BBC Foreign News Producer Riam Dalati wrote on Twitter. He later deleted that tweet, but not before others in the Twittersphere managed to grab a screenshot of it.
Comment:
- Russian envoy to UN says Al-Nusra terrorists used chlorine chemicals in Eastern Ghouta while US ambassador to UN threatens that US will attack Syrian army
- Deputy FM Mekdad: Islamists plan to stage false flag chemical attack in E. Ghouta
- Syria War: Lies the mainstream media tells about Eastern Ghouta
- Civilians cheer as Syria liberates 70% of Eastern Ghouta from terrorists
Il-76 transporter was carrying soldiers and their families when it crashed soon after takeoff
A military plane carrying soldiers and their families has crashed soon after takeoff in northern Algeria, killing 257 people in what appears to be the worst plane crash in the north African country's history.
The defence ministry said 247 passengers, made up of Algerian soldiers and their relatives, died along with 10 crew members when the plane crashed into a field on Wednesday, next to an airbase in the town of Boufarik, 20 miles (30km) from the capital, Algiers.
The cause of the crash was unclear and an investigation had been launched, the ministry said. The head of the Algerian army, the vice-minister of defence, and military chief of staff visited the crash site to inspect the wreckage.
© AP
Rescue workers attend the scene of the crash.
Rescue workers attend the scene of the crash.
The defence ministry said 247 passengers, made up of Algerian soldiers and their relatives, died along with 10 crew members when the plane crashed into a field on Wednesday, next to an airbase in the town of Boufarik, 20 miles (30km) from the capital, Algiers.
The cause of the crash was unclear and an investigation had been launched, the ministry said. The head of the Algerian army, the vice-minister of defence, and military chief of staff visited the crash site to inspect the wreckage.
Al-Ahd news website reported that the army has discovered a location in the small town of Saqba in Eastern Ghouta that was used by the White Helmets to shoot and produce videos that depict the army as a savage force that kills civilians mercilessly.
It further said that the army men found a series of cameras and film-production equipment at the site.
Comment: These White Helmet characters really need to do some work on their use of props. We get it. They've won an Oscar and now they think they're all that and a bag of potato chips. But how are they going to keep pulling the wool over everyone's eyes when they continue making clumsy mistakes like not wearing the appropriate costumes!?