毎日動画：沖縄：辺野古埋め立て着工 http://mainichi.jp/movie/movie.html?id=905336083002 … 米軍普天間飛行場（沖縄県宜野湾市）の移設問題を巡る対立が激化する中、政府は２９日、名護市辺野古沿岸部の埋め立 てに向けた本体工事に着手しました。（賢）
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China warns US against ‘minor’ incidents that could ‘spark war’
China warns US against ‘minor’ incidents that could ‘spark war’
China has issued its strongest warning yet to the US over an incident during which a US destroyer sailed within territorial waters of China’s man-made islands in the South China Sea, claiming that US faces running the risk of “a minor incident that sparks war.”
On Tuesday, the Aegis destroyer USS Lassen entered within 12 nautical miles of Subi Reef, an undersea cliff in the South China Sea, which Beijing turned into an artificial island. The destroyer was reportedly traveling with a Navy surveillance airplane near the contested Spratly Islands. China views the man-made creation as part of its territory and claims territorial sovereignty over the waters surrounding it.
Addressing the issue of US intrusion on Thursday in a video teleconference, Admiral Wu Shengli warned the chief of US naval operations Admiral John Richardson to refrain from further “provocative acts”.
“If the United States continues with these kinds of dangerous, provocative acts, there could well be a seriously pressing situation between frontline forces from both sides on the sea and in the air, or even a minor incident that sparks war,” Wu said, according to a Chinese naval statement.
“(I) hope the US side cherishes the good situation between the Chinese and US navies that has not come easily and avoids these kinds of incidents from happening again,” Wu added.
Commenting on the bilateral exchange during the teleconference, an American official told Reuters that both sides agreed to avoid clashes. The US and Chinese navies also decided to maintain dialogue and follow protocols stipulated under the Code for Unplanned Encounters at Sea (CUES).
“They agreed that it’s very important that both sides continue to use the protocols under the CUES agreement when they’re operating close to keep the chances for misunderstanding and any kind of provocation from occurring,” said the official.
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
Japanese police drag away elderly protesters as work starts on controversial US airbase (VIDEO)
Japanese police drag away elderly protesters as work starts on controversial US airbase (VIDEO)
Protests have erupted in Okinawa after the Japanese government resumed work on a controversial US airbase, even though construction had been blocked by the local governor. Police dragged away elderly demonstrators while they shouted “What are you doing?”
Around 300 mostly elderly protesters gathered on Thursday to block the main gate at Camp Schwab in the city of Nago. However, local police ruthlessly dealt with the demonstrators, the Asahi Shimbun reports.
One elderly woman with a cane yelled “Put me down!” as she was hauled off, as cited by Reuters.
“What are you doing?” another white-haired woman shouted at police. “Aren’t you supposed to be protecting citizens?”
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
Germany to investigate Google, Facebook data transfers to US
Germany to investigate Google, Facebook data transfers to US
Data protection authorities in Germany have announced that they will review the legality of internet giants’ data transfers from the EU to the US, after the European Court of Justice ruled that Europeans’ data isn’t safe from intelligence services on US-based servers.
The Hamburg Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information, Johannes Caspar announced that his office will investigate the Germany-based subsidiaries of companies like Google and Facebook for potentially illegal data transfers.
“Anyone who wants to remain untouched by the legal and political implications of the judgment, should in the future consider storing personal data only on servers within the European Union,” Casper told Der Spiegel.
Germany to investigate Google, Facebook over data transfers http://roots.ly/AQZqYQ #tech
German police deploy water cannon as far-right, antifascists rally in Cologne
German police deploy water cannon as far-right, antifascists rally in Cologne
Thousands rallied in Cologne on Sunday as supporters of the ‘Hooligans against Salafists’ far-right group and their left-wing opponents took to the streets. Police had to deploy a water cannon in an attempt to control the counter-protest.
Law enforcers had earlier sought to ban Sunday’s demonstration by the far-rights. However, a Cologne court dismissed the motion and said the protesters would have the right to gather at a fixed location, but they would not be allowed to march through the city’s streets.
Hundreds of anti-fascist demonstrators were also expected to confront the radicals. Heavy security presence was to make sure the two crowds would not go head-to-head.
Eventually, scuffles broke out between police and left-wingers and a water cannon was deployed in an attempt to push back the crowd, authorities said.
The far-right rally was organized by the ‘Hooligans against Salafists’ group. The organization, which is also known as HOGESA, is made up of self-styled football hooligans, right-wingers and neo-Nazis.
Media estimates put the number of those attending the HOGESA protest at around 600 people.
A similar demonstration took place in Cologne last year and ended in violent clashes between protesters and the police. Dozens, both protesters and police among them, were injured in the violence.
READ MORE: ‘Hooligans against Salafists’: Violence erupts at huge far-right rally in Cologne
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Australia to allow Facebook photos to be used in national surveillance database – report
Australia to allow Facebook photos to be used in national surveillance database – report
Photos from social media websites like Facebook could be used in an Australian counter-terrorism database. Critics are concerned about the system’s lack of “transparency,” but the new legislation can come into effect without being passed by parliament.
Senior officials from the attorney general’s office confirmed late on Tuesday that photos from social media could be used in the system, which is known as “the capability,” the Guardian reports.
#Snowden says Australia watching its citizens ‘all the time,’ slams new metadata laws http://on.rt.com/s4ick1
The Australian Justice Minister, Michael Keenan, announced last month that the government would be spending US$13.3 million to develop a database (The National Facial Biometric Matching Capability), which would store still images that law enforcement officers could use to track terrorists.
It had been believed that the images would come from official documents such as drivers’ licenses, passport photographs or images taken from security cameras. The government claims that the technology is necessary as a human face is unique, just like a person’s fingerprints.
the #capability is being rolled out with no input from the public – we might want to change that #estimates
“It keeps Australians safe by protecting their identity and it allows our law enforcement authorities to accurately and efficiently identify someone who might take their interest,” Keenan said in September, as cited by ABC.
However, it is now apparent that the database will be able to lift photographs from social networks, such as Facebook and Instagram.
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
5.5 earthquake shakes Japan’s Fukushima & Miyagi regions
5.5 earthquake shakes Japan’s Fukushima & Miyagi regions
A 5.5-magnitude earthquake has hit near the Fukushima prefecture in Japan, with residents of some 10 other prefectures feeling the tremor.
The quake occurred off the northeast coast of Japan. No tsunami warning has been issued.
The epicenter was near the Fukushima coastline, at a depth of 30 kilometers.
People in affected areas of Japan took to Twitter to say they felt the tremor.
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
Moscow doubles down on Washington
Moscow doubles down on Washington
History may eventually decide the ‘New World Order’ started on September 28, when Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Barack Obama had a 90-minute face off at the UN in New York.
Irrespective of spin – “productive” according to the White House, “tense”according to a source close to the Kremlin – facts on the ground accumulated almost immediately.
Putin did press Obama for the US to join Russia in a real grand coalition bent on smashing ISIS/ISIL/Daesh. The Obama administration, once again, relented. I detailed here what happened next: an earth-shattering game-changer in the ‘New Great Game’ in Eurasia, straight out of the Caspian Sea, that caught the acronym fest of US intelligence – not to mention the Pentagon – completely off-guard.
So this was Putin’s first message to Washington, and the Pentagon/NATO combo in particular; your fancy ideas of stationing tactical nuclear weapons or expanding missile defense to Eastern Europe, or even Asia-Pacific, are just a mirage. Our cruise missiles are capable of wreaking real effective havoc; and soon, as this piece argues, there will be more hypersonic, high-precision long-range missiles added to the mix.
Old habits don’t die hard – they remain in a coma forever. The Pentagon’s response to the facts launched from the Caspian Sea was to conduct an airdrop of light weapons to “a select group of vetted leaders and their units,” as in those famously non-existent Syrian “moderate rebels.” The weapons will inevitably be captured by assorted Salafi-jihadi goon outfits in no time.
Then the British government was forced to deny a Murdoch-controlled Sunday Times “report” that British Tornadoes in Syria are now armed with air-to-air missiles to counter potential Russian aerial “attacks.”
READ MORE: UK MoD denies tabloid reports RAF ‘ready to shoot down’ Russian planes over Iraq
And to top it off, the proverbial “military experts” infesting US corporate media started spinning that we are only 30 seconds from World War III.
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
Disaster waiting to happen’: ‘Dustbin ship’ with 25 tons of nuclear waste heading to Australia
Disaster waiting to happen’: ‘Dustbin ship’ with 25 tons of nuclear waste heading to Australia
A ship carrying 25 tons of nuclear waste has departed from France bound for Australia, despite environmentalists sounding the alarm. The critics say the ‘dustbin ship’ is not fit to carry hazardous cargo.
The BBC Shanghai departed this week from the port of Cherbourg in northern France with a load of nuclear waste. It originated at the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) and had been shipped in the 1990s and early 2000s to France for reprocessing. Now the plant in Beaumont-Hague near Cherbourg is sending it back to Australia’s Port Kembla, south of Sydney, to be eventually stored at the Lucas Heights nuclear facility, on the outskirts of the Australia’s largest city.
But some environmentalists and legislators believe the vessel should not be used to handle the hazardous cargo at all and objected to its selection by the French nuclear firm Areva. They believe the 14-year-old ship with the waste on board would be a sort of floating Fukushima – unable to withstand a serious emergency.
“Areva, almost bankrupt, are using a dustbin ship to carry waste, without any serious inspection!” Denis Baupin, a senior lawmaker with the French Green Party, tweeted.
Ukrainian nuclear waste stored in open air 200km from warzone http://on.rt.com/s9aab6
“It’s outrageous that the BBC Shanghai is heading towards Australia and it is not outfitted to safely carry nuclear waste,”said Emma Gibson, head of program for Greenpeace Australia Pacific.
“What we have is a vessel that will be ill-equipped to deal with any sort of accident involving the nuclear waste. It’s an environmental disaster waiting to happen.”
She added that the vessel owned by German firm BBC Chartering was “blacklisted by the United States because of its safety record.”
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
US refuses to receive PM Medvedev’s delegation to coordinate anti-terrorist actions in Syria
US refuses to receive PM Medvedev’s delegation to coordinate anti-terrorist actions in Syria
Washington has refused to receive a Russian military delegation, headed by Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, to discuss coordinated action on the fight against terrorism in Syria, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said.
“We have proposed to Americans what President Vladimir Putin informed the public about yesterday, namely, to send a delegation of military experts to Moscow to agree on a whole number of joint steps, afterwards we would be ready to send a high delegation led by Prime Minister Medvedev to Washington,” Lavrov told the Russian Parliament on Thursday.
“Today we were told that they will not be able to send a delegation to Moscow. At the same time, they are unable to receive our delegation in Washington,” he added.
READ MORE: Lavrov: Unclear what exactly US is doing in Syria & why results so insignificant
The top Russian diplomat also said that when Moscow invited partners to join Baghdad-based anti-terrorism center it got unconstructive response.
READ MORE: ‘We are seeking bigger role for Russia than Americans’ – Iraq defense committee chairman
“We invited our other partners to take part in activities of the information center so that everyone could see the full picture, so that everyone is on the same page to avoid any misunderstanding. The response was unconstructive. They said why in Iraq? It is not safe there. We explained that according to our estimates, this center can operate in quite favorable conditions. But if there is a wish to coordinate actions in some other place, we are ready for this,” Lavrov said.
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
Several shells explode outside Russian embassy in Damascus during pro-Russia rally
Several shells explode outside Russian embassy in Damascus during pro-Russia rally
Several shells have exploded outside the Russian embassy in Damascus during a pro-Russia rally. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that the shelling of the embassy is an act of terror.
It was intended to scare supporters of the fight against terrorists, Lavrov added.
Local journalist Alaa Ebrahim, reporting from the scene in Damascus, told RT hundreds of people gathered in front of the embassy on Tuesday, thanking the Russian Air Force for its support of the Syrian Army in its battle against terrorism across the country. According to Ibrahim, about half an hour after the rally started, one of the shells fell about 200 meters from the location of the peaceful demonstration. Luckily, no one was injured.
Alaa Ibrahim said that the participants of the rally, members of the students’ union as well as political parties’ representatives, had been waving Russian flags and were carrying banners saying “We Support Unity between Russia and Syria.” Some chanted slogans in support of the strikes launched by the Russian air force, others held up photographs of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“The first shell fell at around 10am, some 200 meters from the participants. Police immediately told people to disperse. About 6 minutes later, the other shell hit. Police again tried to force people to disperse for fear those may turn to be just initial shots, and if the new shells are be launched, all of these people would die. People dispersed by about 11am. Most began to disperse immediately after the first shell exploded,” Ibrahim said.
An embassy employee told RIA Novosti news agency that there were no injured among the staff.
“Two shells landed on the territory of the embassy this morning,” First Secretary of the Russian Embassy in Damascus Eldar Kurbanov confirmed in an interview with TASS, adding that there have been no casualty reports.
UK MoD denies tabloid reports RAF ‘ready to shoot down’ Russian planes over Iraq
UK MoD denies tabloid reports RAF ‘ready to shoot down’ Russian planes over Iraq
© Daily Star / The Sunday Times
UK media allegations that RAF pilots in Iraq had been authorized to shoot down Russian fighters in case of imminent threat have prompted a response from Moscow. Britain’s military says there is “no truth” in the reports.
The initial report was published by The Daily Star and The Sunday Times. It claimed that an “unidentified source” in the British military told the media that Royal Air Force’s Tornado GR4 involved in Operation Shader in Iraq against Islamic State from now on are going to be armed with ASRAAM (AIM-132) short range air-to-air heat-seeking missiles to be prepared to “to shoot down Vladimir Putin’s jets,” The Sunday Times reports.
So far, the RAF jets took off armed with “500lb satellite-guided bombs only,” but as the source in British Defense Ministry put it, “in the last week the situation has changed. We need to respond accordingly.”
British pilots have been allegedly instructed to avoid contact with Russian aircraft.
“The first thing a British pilot will do is to try to avoid a situation where an air-to-air attack is likely to occur — you avoid an area if there is Russian activity,” an unnamed source from the UK’s Permanent Joint Headquarters (PJHQ) told the Sunday Times. “But if a pilot is fired on or believes he is about to be fired on, he can defend himself. We now have a situation where a single pilot, irrespective of nationality, can have a strategic impact on future events.”
“No one knows what the Russians will do next. We don’t know how they will respond if they come into contact with a Western jet,” the source said.
#StopTTIP: Tens of thousands protest trade deal with US in Berlin
#StopTTIP: Tens of thousands protest trade deal with US in Berlin
Protesters from a range of political groups have gathered in central Berlin for a protest against TTIP, a trade deal between the US and the European Union, which critics believe would benefit big corporations and hurt average Europeans.
Trade unions, environmental groups, charities and opposition parties are among the organizers of the rally, which was scheduled to go from the main railway station in central Berlin to the national parliament.
Some 24,000 signed up for the demonstration beforehand, but organizers said they hope for at least 50,000 people to show up. Berlin police say they expect up to 100,000 protesters to walk the city streets Saturday.
Hawking: Greedy capitalists may pocket wealth as robots replace human workers
Hawking: Greedy capitalists may pocket wealth as robots replace human workers
Renowned physicist Stephen Hawking’s latest Apocalyptic prediction involves neither colonizing aliens nor malicious artificial intelligence – just plain old human greed.
The scientist was commenting on so-called technological unemployment, a trend of automatization taking over the jobs that previously required humans. According to some estimates, in a matter of decades robots may become better and cheaper than humans in most tasks and make most of the human workforce unemployable.
Hawkins believes that in such a scenario we should expect not prosperity but drastic economic inequality in the future.
“If machines produce everything we need, the outcome will depend on how things are distributed,” he said in a Reddit Ask Me Anything session Thursday.
“Everyone can enjoy a life of luxurious leisure if the machine-produced wealth is shared, or most people can end up miserably poor if the machine-owners successfully lobby against wealth redistribution. So far, the trend seems to be toward the second option, with technology driving ever-increasing inequality.”
Hawkins’ previous predictions of emerging threats dealt with automatic weapons controlled by artificial intelligence (AI) and the potential dangers of actively searching for alien life.
READ MORE: US & Israel inequality champions of developed world – OECD
Economic inequality is a problem growing worse in developed countries. According to the OECD, the situation is worse than 30 years now, with the US and Israel performing worst.
Saudi clerics call for jihad against Russia in Syria – to back ISIS?
Saudi clerics call for jihad against Russia in Syria – to back ISIS?
Dozens of Saudi Arabian clerics not officially affiliated with Riyadh have urged Muslims to support the fight of “holy warriors” against Syria’s government and its Iranian and Russian allies. The clerics are outraged by Russia’s bombing of Islamic State.
Fifty-five Saudi Arabian ‘opposition’ clerics and academicians, including some prominent Islamists, have signed a joint online statement urging “true Muslims” to “give all moral, material, political and military” support to the fight against Syrian President Bashar Assad’s army as well as Iranian and Russian forces.
The statement follows the commencement of daily Russian air raids in Syria targeting Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) terrorists. Contrary to Riyadh’s public anti-ISIS stance, the clerics’ call appears to be portraying the militants as “defenders”of faith.
“The holy warriors of Syria are defending the whole Islamic nation. Trust them and support them … because if they are defeated, God forbid, it will be the turn of one Sunni country after another,” the call reads, as cited by Reuters.
READ MORE: ISIS in Syria using mosques as shelters, civilians as shields – Russian Defense Ministry
The group brands the Russian involvement as “an orthodox crusade” and calls on anti-Assad fighters to “unify their front”and stay in Syria. It also uses sectarian terms for Iran and the Shi’ite Alawite sect to which Assad belongs.
“The Western-Russian coalition with the Safavids [Iran] and the Nusairis [Alawites] are making a real war against the Sunni people and their countries,” the text says.
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
Bushfires rage in Australia as ‘Godzilla El Nino’ takes affect
Bushfires rage in Australia as ‘Godzilla El Nino’ takes affect
Over 100 bushfires are blazing in the state of Victoria, Australia, with over 200 homes at risk. Unusually high temperatures and strong winds have fueled the fires, which are threatening areas about 80 kilometers northwest of Melbourne.
Firefighters are struggling to put out the blazes, with changing wind directions making their task even more difficult. Aerial water bombers have also been called in to provide assistance, as gusts of wind have reached over 100 kilometers an hour.
Smoke blowing over @edgarsmission#Lancefield#VicFires@CFA_Updates
The Country Fire Authority (CFA) says that over 100 fires are raging north of Melbourne, while local politicians have been urging locals to take precautions.
“The 15/16 fire season is here now. It is absolutely on us and we need to understand that this is going to be a long, hot, dry, and dangerous summer and people need to be very clear and get your fire plan in order,” Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews told ABC News.
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