Monday, December 28, 2015

Turkey's weasel problem...

Though we head into 2016 without a direct war between the US and Russia, such a conflict still hovers over mankind. It’s hard to imagine Uncle Sam relinquishing his supremacy without a crazed fight. By abetting Turkey in shooting down that Russian plane, the US achieved one important objective, at least, and that’s scuttling the Russia, Turkey natural gas pipeline, the Blue Stream. Through its EU vassals, the US is now trying to block the expansion of Nord Stream, a pipeline that goes directly from Russia to Germany. The American-directed regime change in the Ukraine was also an attempt to interfere with Russia’s gas export. Energy is Russia’s economic lifeline and its political leverage. Rupture that advantage, and you cripple Russia, make it compliant to your wishes. It ain’t gonna happen.

Say, is there a bigger weasel in world politics than Recep Tayyip Erdogan? With him, a yes may be a no, and a warm hug is a prelude to a backstab. On September 23rd, Erdogan went to Moscow for the opening of the grand Cathedral Mosque of Moscow, partly built with Turkish money, and while there, he called Putin “dear brother.” Shaking the Russian leader’s hand, Erdogan also grabbed the man’s elbow, such was his affection for Putin. (I’m reminded of how Berlusconi used to lean all over Bush.) On November 24th, however, Erdogan gave the order to shoot down that Russian plane. Two Russians died. At first cockily claiming credit for this near trigger to World War III, Erdogan is now blaming it on Abidin Üna, his Air Force chief. What a weasel. With such men, though, words mean nothing. They can be contradicted from one moment to the next.

Erdogan, then, sounds like any recent US President. Shameless weasels all, they will arm, fund, train and do business with terrorists while pretending to fight terrorism. Triggering a horrible refugee crisis, they will pose as protectors of these poor wretches begging in Turkish cities or overwhelming Europe. There are already 2.3 million Syrians in Turkey, with 220,000 in Gaziantep, and at least 330,000 in Istanbul. Only 261,000 Syrians are in refugee camps, with the rest left to fend for themselves. Most are penniless, unable to speak Turkish and legally prevented from working. These miserable Syrians are only slightly better off than the stray dogs and cats you find all over Turkey. Full story...

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The children who swear they've lived a previous life...

When she was three years old, a friend’s daughter announced that her real name was Joseph.

At first, her parents thought this was comical, if also slightly puzzling.

But it became alarming as the girl, Sally, insisted she was a boy and that her parents, Anna and Richard, weren’t her real parents and their home city wasn’t her real home.

She was convinced that, as Joseph, she lived in a little house by the sea, with lots of brothers and sisters.

‘She seems so certain,’ Anna told me.

‘Initially, we thought she was playing a make-believe game.

But this isn’t imaginary — it’s almost as if she has memories of when she was a boy called Joseph. Full story...

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Iran's Rouhani says it's up to Muslims to correct Islam's image

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Sunday that Muslims must improve the image of their religion, which has been tarnished by the violence of hardline groups such as Islamic State,

"It is our greatest duty today to correct the image of Islam in world public opinion," Rouhani told a conference on Islamic unity in Tehran in a speech broadcast by state television.

His remarks were rare for a leader of Iran, which considers itself an authority in the Islamic world and often blames the "enemies" of the religion for problems in the Middle East.

"Did we ever think that, instead of enemies, an albeit small group from within the Islamic world using the language of Islam, would present it as the religion of killing, violence, whips, extortion and injustice?" Rouhani said.

Rouhani, a relative moderate, said Islamic principles opposed violence and the extremism of groups such as Islamic State stemmed from "narrow-mindedness and a lack of moderation".

Rouhani criticized Muslim countries for "being silent in the face of all the killing and bloodshed" in Syria, Iraq and Yemen - conflicts in which Iran plays a role.

Iran supports the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, has close ties with neighboring Iraq, and condemns the Islamic State group which fights both governments.

The Islamic Republic is also an ally of the Houthi movement which seized control of most of Yemen last year and has fought a military coalition led by Saudi Arabia for nine months. Source...

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Theresa May wants to see your internet history, so we thought it was only fair to ask for hers...

The Home Office has refused to make Theresa May’s internet browsing history public under freedom of information rules, arguing that a request to do so is “vexatious”.

The Independent requested the Home Secretary’s work browsing history for the last week of October under the Freedom of Information Act.

Under the new Investigatory Powers Bill announced by Ms May the internet browsing history of everyone in the UK will have to be stored for a year and police and security services will be able to access the list of visited websites without any warrant.

The Home Secretary described such information, which her department refused to release in relation to her, as “the modern equivalent of an itemised phone bill". Itemised phone bills have previously been released under the Freedom of Information Act. Full story...

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Sunday, December 27, 2015

Magic diner...

In 10 months, this cafe has fed 10,000 people with 20 tons of unwanted food

Are you aware that in the United States, nearly 40% of the food produced is tossed into the trash? As it makes its way to the landfill, 795 million people in the world wonder where their next meal will come from.

It’s ridiculous – as well as disheartening, which is why activists around the planet are doing their part to help reduce food waste and feed others with the discarded scraps.

This is exactly what Adam Smith, founder of The Real Junk Food Project, is doing in Armley, Leeds.

The social entrepreneur has created an empire of ‘social cafes’ through which to cook up stews, casseroles, soups and cakes with the unwanted products from supermarkets, independent grocers, and food banks. Full story...

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Zimbabwe woman divorces husband for snoring ... and no sex for ten years!!!

Weird divorce stories are nothing new,but this may be one of the strangest we have ever heard.

A Bulawayo woman studying for a Doctorate in Philosophy (PHd) filed for a decree of divorce against her husband of 29 years claiming she was allegedly fed up with his incessant and loud snoring which she said was like “a roaring tractor tilling on dry land.”

In her summons filed at Bulawayo High court,Nhlalwenhle Blessed Tshuma claimed that her husband William Tshuma was depriving her of sleep with his snoring which is so disruptive that she had never enjoyed a single peaceful night’s sleep.

She also stated that her husband ‘s s heavy snoring was disturbing her reading and that of her children as she is undergoing a PhD program.

In her submissions Nhlalwenhle said their marriage was also punctuated by a prolonged s.ex dry spell as they had not shared conjugal rights for over a period of 10 years. Full story...

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The man who exposed the lie of the war on drugs...

Roberto Saviano already lives under armed guard after writing about the Neapolitan mafia. Now he is determined to uncover capitalism’s complicity with the narco-lords of South America

Pablo Escobar was “the first to understand that it’s not the world of cocaine that must orbit around the markets, but the markets that must rotate around cocaine”.

Of course, Escobar didn’t put it that way: this heretical truth was posited by Roberto Saviano in his latest book Zero Zero Zero, the most important of the year and the most cogent ever written on how narco-traffic works. Here is a book that speaks what must be told at the end of another year of drug war spreading further and deeper, that tells what you will not learn from Narcos, Breaking Bad or the countless official reports.

The realisation that cocaine capitalism is central to our economic universe made Escobar the Copernicus of organised crime, argues Saviano, adding: “No business in the world is so dynamic, so restlessly innovative, so loyal to the pure free-market spirit as the global cocaine business.” It sounds simple, but it isn’t – it is revolutionary and, says Saviano, it explains the world.

Saviano – who lives in hiding under 24/7 guard, after death treats arising from Gomorrah, his book about the Neapolitan mafia – and I were due to discuss Zero Zero Zero at the Hay Arequipa book festival in Peru this month. But Saviano was unable to make it, because of difficulties in arranging his movements. For eight years, he has lived in undisclosed venues, with a permanent dispatch of seven carabinieri guards, rarely spending more than a few nights in the same bed. A video link to Peru proved too complicated, but what Saviano had to say was too important to let go, too pressing and radical to lose in the ether of the logistics. In the end we spoke by telephone last weekend. Full story...

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Italy to fine smokers €300 for tossing cigarettes...

Smokers beware: new 'green economy' laws approved by the Italian parliament on Tuesday will see those caught flicking their cigarette butts on the ground slapped with fines.

And it's not just smokers who are being targeted either. Those caught engaging in equally mindless but unfortunately no less common littering activities will also face fines.

Both inconsiderate chewers who spit their gum onto Italian streets and coffee drinkers who scrunch up their receipts and throw them on the floor will be fined between €30 and €150.

The legislation states that fines will hit people found throwing "small pieces of litter any place that isn't a bin: including the gutter, floor, and water".

The new initiative is part of a raft of new legislation comprising 79 separate clauses. The aim is to alleviate litter and pollution problems across the country, reduce Italy's dependency on fossil fuels and promote sustainable development.

 But it's not just citizens who need to make changes. Full story...

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Merry Christmas!!!

Living in: The world’s safest cities...

Leaving your wallet or laptop unguarded in a cafe may not be recommended for most, but residents in the world’s safest cities could likely do it without a second thought.

For many, feeling safe can be key to feeling at home. So to understand what it might be like to live in a super safe place, we sought out residents living in some of the most stable and secure cities in the world, as ranked by The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). The list considered factors such as personal safety, infrastructure stability, health stability and digital security technology. Locals weighed in on the best neighbourhoods to live in, what exactly makes them feel at ease – and why safe doesn’t have to equal boring.

(...)

This Southeast Asian city-state takes law enforcement seriously, resulting in a very secure environment. Rinita Vanjre Ravi, originally from Bangalore, and co-founder of dine-with-locals site BonAppetour, sees how much difference a well-funded police department can make. “In Singapore, the police force is well paid, which enables them to be concerned about the welfare of their people,” she said.

It also ensure laws are enforced. Vanjre Ravi finds that Singapore locals are really honest. “You can leave your bag at the table at any restaurant and go to the cashier to order food with the peace of mind that your bag will still be there,” she said. “Residents know that there is a high chance of being caught and punished.”

A stable political environment and a no-tolerance policy for religious or racist jokes also contributes to a harmonic city vibe. Full story...

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Gambling away dementia? Japan's seniors turn to chance to stay sharp...

It might be a long way from the glitz and glamor of Las Vegas or Macau, but old people's homes may quickly be becoming a new frontier for gaming in Japan.

In one senior day care center in Yokohama -- appropriately named after the aforementioned U.S. gambling mecca -- elderly people play mahjong and baccarat as the chimes and pings of slot machines and pachinko fill the room.

"We believe this casino stimulates the brain and helps to prevent or suppress the development of dementia," said Kaoru Mori, Chairman of Japan Elderly Care Service, which runs the "Las Vegas" center.

It's no secret that old people love to gamble. Grey hairs are a common sight everywhere from the casino floors of Vegas to the mahjong parlors of Hong Kong. Full story...

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Saturday, December 26, 2015

Czech leader calls migrant wave in Europe an 'organised invasion'

Czech President Milos Zeman, known for his anti-migrant comments, on Saturday called the current wave of refugees to Europe "an organised invasion", and that young men from Syria and Iraq should instead "take up arms" against the Islamic State (IS) group.

"I am profoundly convinced that we are facing an organised invasion and not a spontaneous movement of refugees," said Zeman in his Christmas message to the Czech Republic released Saturday.

He went on to say that compassion was "possible" for refugees who are old or sick and for children, but not for young men who in his view should be back home fighting against jihadists.

"A large majority of the illegal migrants are young men in good health, and single. I wonder why these men are not taking up arms to go fight for the freedom of their countries against the Islamic State," said Zeman, who was elected Czech president in early 2013.

He added that their fleeing their war-torn countries only serves to strengthen the IS group. Full story...

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Thursday, December 24, 2015

Watchdog names Clinton most corrupt politician of 2015...

As corrupt public officials go, Hillary Clinton is in a league of her own. That’s according to a Washington ethics watchdog that just named the Democratic presidential front-runner as the top ethics violator of 2015.

The nonpartisan Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust (FACT) placed Clinton at the top of its worst ethics violators of 2015 list after finding “overwhelming evidence” she abused her official position as secretary of state.

FACT is calling for various federal investigations into Clinton’s unethical behavior, much of which has been uncovered by the ongoing scandal surrounding her State Department emails.

“Those emails remained hidden from the public until earlier this year when it was discovered that Secretary Clinton conducted government business on her private email server and a judge ultimately ordered that she turn over and the State Department release the emails,” FACT noted in a statement.

FACT believes that some of those recently released communications raise questions about whether Clinton gave special State Department access to a private mining company with ties to her son-in-law.

The watchdog says Clinton has displayed similarly corrupt behavior on the campaign trail. Full story...

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Idaho woman fired for giving free lunch to hungry child...

A cafeteria worker at an Idaho middle school was fired for giving lunch to a 12-year-old student who said she was hungry and had no money for food. The worker said she tried to pay for the lunch, but the school rejected her attempt.

Dalene Bowden, a former employee of Irving Middle School in Pocatello, Idaho, said she was first placed on leave last week, then summarily fired, by the Pocatello/Chubbuck School District for the theft of school district property and inaccurate transactions in her duties as a food service worker, according to the Idaho State Journal.

Bowden, a three year worker with the school district, said that the student had told her she had no money for the $1.70 lunch. Bowden then asked her supervisor if she could purchase the meal for the girl. When the offer was denied, Bowden gave out the lunch for free. After being placed on termination leave on December 15, Bowden received a brief letter, signed by District 25 Director of Human Resources Susan Petit, informing her of her firing. Full story...

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Family columnist warns of 'electronic apocalypse' from online generation of electronics-addicted youth...

Are we living in an electronic apocalypse and not even recognizing it as we text our way down the street, not noticing the people around us? Are we acting like zombies with our minds buried in our screens? In public, everyone is moving along fast, but do we really exist anymore? Are we really alive and free, interacting face to face? Where has the listening ear gone? Is all connection lost?

On Tim Lott's Family column on The Guardian news site, these concerns come to life. High-tech phones and social media platforms have interconnected people over long distances, but humanity's growing obsession and intoxication with the digital world is actually breaking real life bonds, destroying precious eye to eye contact.

Researcher Tim Lott longs for the days of old, describing the ugly reality that 21st century humanity is beginning to create. He wrote, "The physical apparatus we use to process the world is being re-shaped, and if we don't preserve what we once had, our very sense of being will shift permanently and irreversibly. The content of our digital lives is no longer an appendage to life -- it is reaching a point where it is life, in the sense that the imagination can conceive of nothing else."

In researching the problem, he found some startling statistics. For one, the average teenager now manages 4,000 text messages a month. Five years ago, the Kaiser Family Foundation found that adolescents from 8 to 18 years of age were spending seven hours a day on handheld devices and phones. Tim also made a startling connection in his research. In a compilation of 72 studies, he found that the current online generation had 40 percent lower levels of empathy than previous generations. Full story...

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Anonymous claims cyberattacks on Turkey, declares cyber-war...

Hacking collective Anonymous has claimed responsibility for the week-long cyberattack on Turkey, which it accused of “supporting” the jihadist Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), and threatened additional attacks in case the alleged support continues.

‘Turkey is supporting Daesh [ISIL] by buying oil from them, and hospitalizing their fighters. We won’t accept that Erdoğan, the leader of Turkey, will help [ISIL] any longer,” the group has said.

Accusing Turkey of providing financial and logistic support to the militant group, Anonymous also threatened to launch more cyberattacks unless Turkey “stops supporting” the group.

“We will continue attacking your internet, your root DNS, your banks and take your government sites down,” it said. “After the root DNS, we will start to hit your airports, military assets and private state connections. We will destroy your critical banking infrastructure,” the group added.

The Anonymous attacks come only weeks after a similar accusation by Russian President Vladimir Putin, claiming Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s family was involved in illicit oil trade with ISIL. Full story...

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Wednesday, December 23, 2015

Walls of kindness: The viral trend keeping Iran's homeless warm...

Looking for something to restore your faith in humanity? This might just do the trick.

As Iran endures a cold winter, locals have devised an innovative scheme to help the homeless keep warm.

Spontaneous "walls of kindness," on which people can donate unwanted clothing, have popped up around the country.

The message is simple: "If you don't need it, leave it. If you need it, take it" -- next to several empty hooks and hangers.

According to government officials, there are 15,000 homeless people in Iran. Of these, one third are women. However, unofficial estimates put this figure much higher. Last year, Tehran municipality's Welfare Organization estimated that there are more than that number on the capital's streets alone. More + photos...

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Colombia legalizes medical marijuana...

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos signed a decree Tuesday legalizing and regulating medical marijuana, the latest softening of the country's hardline tactics in the war on drugs.

In a nationally televised address, Santos announced it would be fully legal to grow, process, import and export cannabis and its derivatives for medical and scientific use.

"This decree allows licenses to be granted for the possession of seeds, cannabis plants and marijuana," he said from the presidential palace.

"It places Colombia in the group of countries that are at the forefront... in the use of natural resources to fight disease."

He added that the measure "does not go against our international commitments on drug control."

Colombia's government has long been a close ally of the United States in fighting international drug trafficking, using its military and billions of dollars in US funding to try to shed its title as the world's largest cocaine producer. Full story...

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Apple warns UK surveillance bill would 'spark serious international conflicts'

Apple has formally opposed the UK's draft surveillance bill, which will force some companies operating in the UK to weaken or abandon encryption.

Much of the draft Investigatory Powers Bill (DRIPA), unveiled last month, rewrites and clarifies existing laws that explicitly allow the UK government to continue carrying out the surveillance operations in progress for the past decade, such as phone hacking and installing malware on target devices. But one key element of the law has proven controversial: forcing tech companies to "remove any encryption" when demanded by authorities.

The iPhone and iPad maker submitted an eight-page letter Monday, the last day in which the UK's parliamentary subcommittee was accepting outside written evidence, saying that the bill "threatens to hurt law-abiding citizens in its effort to combat the few bad actors who have a variety of ways to carry out their attacks."

"The creation of backdoors and intercept capabilities would weaken the protections built into Apple products and endanger all our customers. A key left under the doormat would not just be there for the good guys. The bad guys would find it too," the letter read. Full story...

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Tuesday, December 22, 2015

Homeless people seen sleeping, bathing at LaGuardia Airport...

As Mayor Bill de Blasio's announced a new program to address the homelessness crisis on Thursday, CBS New York found more people in desperate need of help.

Amidst the busy travel season, many people are rushing to LaGuardia Airport. But as CBS New York's Meg Baker reported exclusively, they may be surprised to see homeless people sleeping over a heating duct on a window ledge -- right next to a Christmas tree there.

At 2 a.m. one person was spotted asleep in a wheelchair with plastic bags full of belongings. People were also seen camped out in sleeping bags, and even bathing themselves in public restrooms.

They clean themselves and their clothes in full public view.

"I've been staying here for a while," one 68-year-old homeless man said. "Most everybody here is homeless."

The man said he has been staying at LaGuardia for years. He began talking to CBS New York's Baker near the baggage claim carousels in Terminal B. Full story...

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10 popular expat countries to stay away from...

Retiring to Costa Rica, making a killing in Hong Kong, hanging out with other anime nerds in Japan—the reasons for moving abroad are legion and frequently awesome. It’s estimated that 2.2 million to 6.8 million Americans are currently enjoying the expat lifestyle, and most of them probably wouldn’t have it any other way.

But living abroad isn’t all sunshine and lollipops and guilt-free sex with hot locals. Plenty of the world’s most popular expat destinations have a darker, hidden side to them. Have a bad experience in one of these countries, and your dream life abroad could turn into a screaming nightmare.

(...)

If you’re going to have a run-in with the law, pray it isn’t in Japan. Police have the right to hold you without charge for 23 days, and they’ll spend most of that time torturing you. Suspects have tables rammed into them, their feet stomped on, and threats bellowed into their ears. Sleep deprivation is common, and choosing to remain silent is taken as admission of guilt.

The only way to stop this onslaught is to sign a confession, and good luck retracting it later. Courts assume that a confession is an admission of guilt and will sentence you accordingly. People frequently go down for decades for crimes they clearly didn’t commit. It’s estimated that one-tenth of all Japanese prisoners are in jail due to false confessions, and the government has no interest in reopening their cases. Full story...

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Daesh: the ‘enemy’ the US created, armed, and funded

Out of nowhere, it seems, Daesh, also commonly referred to as ISIL or ISIS, spontaneously formed, a group that perverts aspects of Islam for its own violent ends, and threatens, we are told, all that the civilized world holds dear.

The “war on terror,” governments inform their citizens, has a new front. And that front is Daesh.

Let us not be too hasty. Things are not always what they appear. Daesh is well-financed, and that money must be coming from somewhere other than a ragtag band of malcontents. Daesh soldiers have advanced weaponry and sophisticated communications methods. They have tanks and Humvees. None of these can be obtained without significant funding. Though the source is quite illusive, there is some evidence that will lead to a trail.

First, we must look at Daesh’s origins, and even that is not easily discernable. Writing for The Guardian in August 2014, Ali Khedery suggests:

“Principally, Isis is the product of a genocide that continued unabated as the world stood back and watched. It is the illegitimate child born of pure hate and pure fear – the result of 200,000 murdered Syrians and of millions more displaced and divorced from their hopes and dreams. Isis’s rise is also a reminder of how Bashar al-Assad’s Machiavellian embrace of al-Qaida would come back to haunt him. Full story...

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Singapore men target of latest sex scam...

Singapore appears to be popular with online scammers.

In the past year, more than $500,000 was lost to online scammers, with one in five people here saying they were victims, according to a Norton Cybersecurity Insights Report.

Where are these cheats from?

In the past, they involved syndicates from Nigeria (they were also known as royalty cheats) and Spain (Spanish lottery cheats).

Now, the latest involves syndicates from the Philippines targeting social media users here.

For this scam, men here receive unsolicited offers of sex by female strangers on social media platforms such as Facebook. Full story...

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Sultan of Brunei bans Christmas 'because it could damage faith of Muslims'

The Sultan of Brunei has declared that anyone found illegally celebrating Christmas could face a five year jail sentence, according to reports.

The conservative Muslim country on the island of Borneo stated the punishment would apply to anyone found sending festive greetings – or wearing Santa hats.

Non-Muslims are allowed to celebrate Christmas – but they must do so only within their communities and first alert authorities.

At least 65 per cent of the 420,000-strong population of the oil-rich state are Muslims.

 The Ministry of Religious Affairs said in a statement: "These enforcement measures are ... intended to control the act of celebrating Christmas excessively and openly, which could damage the aqidah (beliefs) of the Muslim community." Full story...

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Malaysia launches first Sharia airline...

Malaysia’s first Sharia-compliant airline launched flights on Sunday, following the tenets of Islamic law that ban alcohol, allow only halal foodstuffs, and require women to cover their hair.

Rayani Air's first service, from the capital Kuala Lumpur to Langkawi, a popular holiday destination, followed rules the company will adopt on all flights, which will see prayers recited before take-off, a ban on in-flight alcohol, and Muslim air stewardesses obliged to wear the hijab, the Islamic headcarf.

Jaafar Zamhari, Rayani Air’s managing director, confirmed that alcohol would be banned on all flights and detailed the strict dress code.

"It is compulsory for our Muslim women cabin crew to wear hijab and for non-Muslims to wear a decent uniform”, Mr Zamhari said, according to local news outlet Astro Awani.

 "We also recite doa [prayers] before the departure of each flight, we have a 'no-alcohol' policy, and we provide food and beverages that are halal." Full story...

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Pirate Bay founder copies mp3 100 times per second to show ‘absurdity’ of record industry...

The Pirate Bay’s Peter Sunde is going to extreme lengths to highlight the “absurdity” of measuring the cost of piracy.

Sunde has made a device that produces 100 copies of an mp3 every second and calculates the theoretical losses to the record label.

Sunde was sentenced to one year in prison in 2010 for his role in The Pirate Bay, a website which allows the downloading and sharing of media, including television shows and music, for free. He was convicted of “assisting in copyright infringement” and ordered to pay damages of over $2.1 million to media companies including BGM, Universal and 20th Century Fox.

Sunde believes the damages brought against him are not accurate to the true cost. Sunde’s device, known as Kopimashin, creates 100 copies of Crazy by Gnarls Barkley every second. The device does not save or play the copy, but instead wipes them after their value is calculated. Full story...

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Monday, December 21, 2015

Fifa: Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini get eight-year bans...

Fifa president Sepp Blatter and Uefa boss Michel Platini have been suspended for eight years from all football-related activities following an ethics investigation.

They were found guilty of breaches surrounding a £1.3m ($2m) "disloyal payment" made to Platini in 2011.

The Fifa ethics committee found Blatter and Platini had demonstrated an "abusive execution" of their positions.

"I will fight for me and for Fifa," Blatter, 79, said at a news conference.

Platini said the decision was a "masquerade" intended to "dirty" his name.

Both men continue to deny wrongdoing and intend to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas).

 Swiss Blatter and 60-year-old Frenchman Platini have also been fined £33,700 ($50,000) and £54,000 ($80,000) respectively. Full story...

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The yoga guru turned company boss...

Baba Ramdev is arguably India's most famous yoga guru, well known for his TV exercise shows. But now he's using his brand to sell everything from shampoo to cereal, and detergent to instant noodles.

Patanjali, the company he founded, claims to have had sales of more than $300m (£200m) in the past year, and is one of India's fastest-growing consumer goods firms.

Dressed in saffron robes, long hair tied up in a loose knot, flowing beard, wooden slippers and a cloth bag slung over his shoulder, Baba Ramdev looks every bit like a traditional yoga guru.

For more than a decade he's demonstrated exercises in front of massive crowds, instructing them on how to breathe in and then exhale, impressing them with his knowledge of ancient yogic asanas (poses).

But as he shows me around his factory in the northern Indian city of Haridwar, he seems equally familiar with modern business and marketing concepts. Full story...

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A wedding bombed in Yemen...

It was an October night and the al-Sanabani family was readying to celebrate the wedding of three couples. It was around 9:30 p.m. when Muhammad Jamal Saleh Ghouba al-Sanabani arrived at his relative’s home, where the wedding was to be held, to take part in the celebration.

Then, Yemen’s war caught up with them.

“I heard whizzing for a moment, then came the explosion,” al-Sanabani, 33, told Human Rights Watch two weeks after a warplane bombed his relative’s home. “It was a huge explosion inside the yard. The sky turned red. I didn’t realize at that moment it was an airstrike and still now also can’t believe it – it’s like a nightmare that plays before my eyes.”

Instead of celebrating his cousin’s marriages, al-Sanabani spent the night trying to dig the wounded out of rubble, searching the wreckage in hopes of finding his mother and small daughter alive. Full story...

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Daughter-in-law attacked for kissing camel in Saudi Arabia...

A huge family dispute erupted in Saudi Arabia after a man’s wife kissed a camel.

The man’s mother accused her daughter-in-law of breaking religious and social traditions and pressured her son to divorce his wife.

The wife insisted that the kiss was innocent and spontaneous.

She also accused her mother-in-law of using the kiss as an excuse to attack her because she had not yet given birth to a baby.

She insisted to move back to her parents’ home while the situation and accusations intensified.

Despite attempts by his mother to instigate problems, the man refused to divorce his wife whom he believed did nothing wrong.

The wife agreed to return to her husband, but insisted they not live with his mother in the same house.

She said she looked forward to living a peaceful life with her husband. Source...

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India to make available all textbooks online, for free...

All CBSE books and learning material will be made available online for free as part of the Centre's good governance efforts, HRD Minister Smriti Irani said here today.

At a function organised at a Kendriya Vidyalaya in east Delhi, she also said that initiatives would be undertaken to ensure holistic nurturing and improve learning outcomes at these schools.

"We made NCERT books available online for free through e-books and mobile applications a month-and-a-half ago. We are similarly going to make CBSE books available online along with additional learning material and videos as part of our good governance efforts," Irani said at the inauguration of a new building of the school in Khichripur.

Responding to the call by Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia at the function that endeavours be made to ensure that children not only excel professionally but also become good human beings, Irani asked her ministry's officials to organise 'Baal Sabha' (Child Conventions). Full story...

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China names and shames five badly behaving tourists...

China’s tourism authority named and shamed another five tourists for bad behavior and says it is working with airlines on a possible flying ban.

Those added to the list of “uncivilized behavior” by tourists include two women and a man who brawled after one woman’s seat was bumped during boarding of a flight from Cambodia to the western city of Chengdu.

The three were forcibly removed from the plane under captain’s orders and the flight was delayed for one hour, the China National Tourism Administration said.

Another man was listed after he was arrested in Japan for assaulting a convenience store clerk whom he accused of disrespecting his wife. The last was a woman who attacked her tour guide with hot tea after learning the price of her son’s ticket to a western China scenic site was not included in the package. Full story...

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Nigerian Army killed thousands of Shia Muslims & burried them in mass graves...

Human Rights Commissions say that as many as 1,000 Shias might have been killed earlier this week in by Nigerian troops.

In its report, The Human rights commission report said that the army has dug mass graves and has been putting the dead bodies of the massacre committed over the weekend.

It based its claim on photographs and testimonies that prove the army has buried hundreds of bodies after attacking Shias in Zaria, Kaduna state, last week.

The NGO's chairman, Massoud Shadjareh exclaimed appallingly that the international community cannot sit back and do nothing anymore.

The African Union, United Nations and the Commonwealth were asked to suspend Nigerian membership and privileges and to demand the release of all those detained. Full story...

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Canadian regulator: 4.6 magnitude quake caused by fracking...

British Columbia's energy regulator has confirmed that a 4.6 magnitude earthquake in northeast British Columbia in August was caused by fracking and is likely to be the largest fracking-induced seismic event ever recorded.

The earthquake struck on August 17, 2015 about 110 kilometers northwest of Fort St. John in British Columbia. Its epicenter was close to a fracking site operated by Progress Energy Canada Ltd. Workers at the drill site reported their pick-up trucks shook and power poles swayed by the quake prompting the natural gas production company to temporarily halt operations.

British Columbia Oil and Gas Commission, which regulates the fracking industry, had launched an investigation into the cause of the quake. It released a report last week stating that the 4.6-magnitude earthquake was caused by fluid injection during hydraulic fracturing from an operator in the area. Full story...

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Sunday, December 20, 2015

El Salvador: 'I had a miscarriage. The judge accused me of murder'

Aung San Suu Kyi and the derogation of Human Rights in Myanmar...

(...)

All empires throughout history have ruled not only directly, but indirectly through various agents. Building up movements, leaders, and power blocs that are entirely dependent on foreign cash and political support, ensures enduring loyalty. In the days of the Roman Empire, the children of foreign leaders would be held hostage in Rome as an insurance policy for continued loyalty. These children would be educated, and more importantly, indoctrinated in all ways Roman, before being sent back home where they would bring that indoctrination with them.

Today, it is one’s fictional image and legacy that is held hostage, with disobedience met with uncharacteristically honest news coverage of unsavory realities that usually go unreported. Instead of a leader’s children being indoctrinated and sent back to plant the seeds of greater foreign influence, entire multi-million dollar education programs seek to train and send back by the hundreds “activists” and “youth leaders” to infect a targeted nation’s body politic.

Suu Kyi, her NLD, and their various allies across “civil society” are no different. Full story...

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