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23 May 2011 20:13

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World: Strauss-Kahn case may change France’s lassiez-faire views on sex

  • 1980 the year rape was formally outlawed in France — which is fairly late by historic standards
  • 75k number of rapes per year, according to France’s own government studies
  • 10% share of victims that file complaints each year, according to French women’s groups source
  • » The catalyst for changing perceptions? French society has long considered sexual matters private, but the Dominique Strauss-Kahn case — taking place in a society with a more stringent view on women’s’ rights — could help change that. While French legislation slowly turns the screws in favor of protecting victims of harassment and sexual abuse, the trial of a very powerful figure could have a lasting cultural effect, according to Claude Katz, a French attorney who focuses on sexual harassment cases. “It will empower victims of sexual abuse in France because if a maid can speak against a powerful man, others will have a stronger voice,” he explains.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

23 May 2011 14:27

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World: Captured Gaddafi soldier claims campaign of rape in Misrata

  • …we shot every one of them in the leg. … Then the officers took the girls upstairs, and we were told to go on the roof [to keep guard] until the officers had finished the rape and then we were told to rape the girls too.
  • A 17-year-old member of Muammar Gaddafi’s forces, currently in opposition custody • Describing what he saw as a soldier. Andrew Harding of the BBC News, who wrote this article, makes the point that he isn’t positive whether the young man was telling the truth, considering the vested interest opposition forces might have in coercing him to portray his former colleagues in the worst possible light. That said, his remarks about what’s been happening in Misrata (through an interpreter) are harrowing. He describes being instructed to rape women, on threat of being beaten if they refused. He admits to committing a rape himself, and claims to have received about $8 reward for it. It’s a gruesome read, but worthy of being informed about. These are hardly the first reports of rape to come out of Libya in the midst of its civil war, but this new suggestion takes the brutality to new, horrible levels. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

23 May 2011 11:02

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World: Taliban reportedly attacked Pakistan naval base in retaliation

  • This attack shows that the Taliban have sympathizers and insiders in the security establishment. It also shows that they have become more powerful and sophisticated in their planning and attacks.
  • Islamabad-based security analyst Talat Masood • Putting into perspective the Taliban’s attack on a Pakistani naval base — a siege that lasted nearly 16 hours before Pakistani commandos were able to fend the insurgents off. The attack, reportedly in retaliation for the killing of Osama bin Laden. In fact, they laid it out as such: “Fifteen of our fighters entered the naval air base and we don’t expect them to return,” said Pakistani Taliban spokesperson Ehsanullah Ehsan. “They are there to kill. Our issue with Pakistan is its secular policies and friendship with America.” source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

22 May 2011 12:15

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Culture, World: Here’s a picture of Vladimir Putin doing manly things

Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

21 May 2011 18:29

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World: Apple, Foxconn pick up pieces after iPad factory explosion

  • We are deeply saddened by the tragedy at Foxconn’s plant in Chengdu, and our hearts go out to the victims and their families. We are working closely with Foxconn to understand what caused this terrible event.
  • A statement from Apple • Expressing remorse for yesterday’s explosion at a Foxconn factory in China. The explosion, which took place in Chengdu, China, killed at least two and injured 16. The factory, which produces iPads, suspended production after the accident, according to Foxconn. “The safety of our employees is our highest priority and we will do whatever is required to determine and address the cause of this tragic accident,” they wrote in a statement to The Wall Street Journal’s All Things D. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

21 May 2011 17:54

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World: Yemen: Is the evasive Saleh transition deal about to happen?

Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

19 May 2011 23:47

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Biz, World: TEPCO’s fiscal year could be one of Japan’s worst ever

  • ¥1.5 trillion yearly loss possible thanks to Fukushima source
  • » That’s $18 billion dollars, guys: While many parts of Japan struggle to recover from March’s earthquake, TEPCO’s financial loss — part of the reason the company’s president, Masataka Shimizum, likely plans to step down —would be downright dramatic. When it announces earnings today, the loss could be absolutely insane. But it wouldn’t be a record. That dubious honor goes to Mizuho Financial Group, which lost ¥2.38 trillion ($20.3 billion) in a single fiscal year back in 2003. Meanwhile, TEPCO struggles with power outages, a nuclear meltdown, and huge radiation-related claims that could top ¥11 trillion ($134 billion). These factors combined — which won’t be one-time payments — may force Japan to take the power company over.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

19 May 2011 20:17

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World: Middle East tepid about Obama’s Arab Spring speech

  • Obama really had an opportunity to reshape and reframe the debate and … he gave it away. This speech was an opportunity to say to Arabs, ‘We as Americans made mistakes, we did not support democratic aspirations as much as we should have, but we’re going to do better.’ Obama didn’t say that.
  • Brookings Doha Center Director of Research Shadi Hamid • Approaching Obama’s Middle East speech today from an outside-looking-in angle. The problem he and others in the Middle East see? It didn’t offer a clear strong apology for American screw-ups nor a good reason for the cynical to give up their cynicism. Obama’s 2009 speech on the Middle East received a much different response, but many in the region feel that the president broke promises and acted too slow on the Arab Spring protests. We understand where they’re coming from, and agree … but unfortunately, the push Obama made for an Israel/Palestine split based upon the 1967 lines is as bold as the president will probably get, considering how divisive the issue remains among Americans. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

19 May 2011 18:32

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World: The scene of the tsunami at Fukushima Daiichi

  • TEPCO has released several photos of the catastrophic tsunami of March 11th, as it struck the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant. They are perhaps somewhat instructive, as they highlight the intense level of natural abuse the plant took that led to this ongoing crisis. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

19 May 2011 13:41

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World: Bin Laden: Technology replaces the need for cash rewards

  • $25 million reward for Bin Laden’s capture; no one’s getting it source
  • » Not unless they pay it out to a computer, anyway. U.S. officials are saying that no one directly gave the U.S. information that lead to Osama bin Laden’s capture, but instead attribute it to technology. They tracked Bin Laden’s most trusted courier through his cell phone, they found his compound by using stealth drones, and they’ll be keeping their money, thank you very much. If computers had feelings, they’d be devastated.
Posted by Justin Jones • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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