(11:38 AM EST) As the deathtoll continues to rise in Egypt on Wednesday and graphic images of those killed surfaced on social media, a presidential edict from the military-backed government announced a month-long State of Emergency was nowbeing imposed across the country.
According to reports of the declaration, the military-appointed Interim president Adly Mansour, has “tasked the armed forces, in cooperation with the police, to take all necessary measures to maintain security and order and to protect public and private property and the lives of citizens.”
CNN International interviewed a doctor who says army soldiers raided the field hospital where the dead and dying had been brought and forced all medical personel to leave at gunpoint, leaving the wounded behind.
Journalists and witness were reporting scenes of chaos and carnage in and around the Rabaa camp, where most of the violence was concentrated. The Guardian’s Patrick Kingsley sent this ominous tweet:
Twitter reports, including photos, from correspondents and witnesses on the ground in Cairo continued to provide the most up-to-date coverage of events. [Warning: graphic images contained in twitter stream]:
Tweets from @jonqueally/from-cairo
Reporting on the response to the “state-of-emergency” edict, Kingsley reports from Cairo:
Al-Jazeera reports:
Mohamed ElBaradei, part of the leftist coalition that once backed the coup against Morsi and was appointed to serve as Vice President of the interim government, has now resigned from the post in protest of today’s violent crackdown and the imposition of the ‘state of emergency.’
SCROLL TO CONTINUE WITH CONTENT
According to Reuters:
Reporters on the ground in Cairo describe “pools of blood,” “near constant gunfire” and being targeted themselves by Egyptian security forces as violence gripped the city on Wednesday.
The number reported dead is fluctuating from “scores” to “hundreds” after the Egyptian military and security forces followed through with their threats to clear protest encampments set up by supporters of the ousted President Mohamed Morsi.
Attacking the sit-in camps with bulldozers, tear gas, and live fire, security forces were reported to have shot unarmed protesters as they tried to escape behind barricades or flee.
Agence France Presse and Reuters put the number at over forty people killed, but the Independent quotes members of the Muslim Brotherhood, the target of the violence, at several hundred with thousands wounded.
At least one field hospital near the Rabaa protest camp had been turned into a morgue, as the Independent’s correspondent Alastair Beach documents in this tweet [warning: graphic image].
Tens of thousands poured into Berlin’s streets over the weekend to protest broad surveillance by the the NSA and other intelligence agencies, under the banner of ‘Freedom Rather Than Fear,’ as new revelations of the broad scope of secret spying continue to set off outrage across the world.
Organizers from opposition Green, The Left, and Pirates parties say 20,000 people joined in the rally that featured signs and banners reading “Stop spying on us” and “Thanks to PRISM (the US government’s vast data collection program) the government finally knows what the people want.”
Protesters demanded action from Chancellor Angela Merkel’s administration, which is both complicit in, and heavily targeted by, NSA spying.
“Intelligence agencies like the NSA shamelessly spy on telephone conversations and Internet connections worldwide (and) our government, one of whose key roles is the protection from harm, sends off soothing explanations,” speaker Kai-Uwe Steffens told AFP reporters.
SCROLL TO CONTINUE WITH CONTENT
The protests followed last Thursday’s revelations, based on documents revealed by whistleblower Edward Snowden, that US and UK intelligence agencies have defeated encryption codes that protect a wide range of online communications, including email correspondence and online banking. They also came on the heels of last Sunday’s revelations that the NSA spied on the private communication of Brazilian and Mexican presidents.
In an ongoing scandal that never ceases to surprise, two new reports—presented on Sunday and based on documents provided by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden—show that the NSA has spied on major companies and hacked into personal smart phones.
Protesters marching in Berlin (via Flickr/phopectiveberlin):
_____________________________________
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License
Tetsuya Naito has said he will face Kota Ibushi on January 4 and Jay White on January 5, defending both of his titles on both nights of Wrestle Kingdom 15.
In a translated interview that took place during a Wrestle Kingdom 15 press conference Sunday morning, Naito said that he would wrestle Jay White on January 5. However, he will also wrestle an opponent of his choosing on 1/4, Ibushi. Naito explained that since Ibushi had won the G1 Climax tournament, he deserved a championship match. He mentioned that Ibushi had won the G1 Climax back to back, something he did not do, and Naito wanted revenge.
He told NJPW to consider his idea, even suggesting the idea that he may boycott both nights of Wrestle Kingdom if he didn’t get the matches.
Ibushi lost the briefcase to Jay White during Saturday morning’s Power Struggle event. White later came out after Naito had successfully defended the title against EVIL and said he would face Naito on 1/5. Kota Ibushi came out, which then caused White to back away.
Some Democrats are pushing candidates for the Democratic National Committee (DNC) chairmanship to consider teaming up to split duties atop the national party.
In an email to DNC members on Monday, Raymond Buckley, New Hampshire party chairman, announced that he is considering a run for DNC chair.
Click Here: crusaders rugby jerseysADVERTISEMENT In that letter, Buckley said he had received encouragement from some to “consider partnering with one of the other candidates,” an arrangement that was last in place in 1995, when Bill ClintonWilliam (Bill) Jefferson ClintonWill the ‘law and order’ president pardon Roger Stone? Five ways America would take a hard left under Joe Biden The sad spectacle of Trump’s enablers MORE was president.
Under that setup, one candidate would be the “face” of the party, “deeply involved in messaging and representing the party across the country” as the primary spokesperson, Buckley said in his letter.
The other would be the “nuts and bolts” chairperson, responsible for “running the day to day operations of the party, provide support for state parties and rebuilding our grassroots nationwide.”
“Both Chairs would work as a team, participate in fundraising and oversee the general operation of the party,” Buckley wrote. “It would take two individuals with the ability to work in the model of team leadership.”
Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) is the early front-runner to be the next party chairman, already securing scores of endorsements from lawmakers on Capitol Hill. Former Chairman Howard Dean has also entered the race, along with Jaime Harrison, the South Carolina party chairman.
Many Democrats would like to see a full-time chairperson, believing that the party’s massive rebuilding project deserves the full attention of whoever becomes the next leader.
In the mid-’90s under Clinton, former Sen. Chris Dodd (Conn.) acted as party spokesman, while Donald Fowler, the former party chairman from South Carolina, ran the operations.
“The jobs of the Chair as set out are pretty huge,” DNC member Glen Maxey told The Hill. “Five people can’t possibly do everything expected of a national chair. So, yes, I think having co-chairs might be a great solution. It’s well worth the conversation.”
More than 400 DNC members will vote on the next chairperson at the party’s winter meeting in Atlanta beginning on Feb. 23.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is still in contention for two positions in President-elect Donald TrumpDonald John TrumpSenate advances public lands bill in late-night vote Warren, Democrats urge Trump to back down from veto threat over changing Confederate-named bases Esper orders ‘After Action Review’ of National Guard’s role in protests MORE’s Cabinet, sources told NJ Advance Media.
ADVERTISEMENT
Those sources said Christie is being considered for Energy secretary or Department of Homeland Security secretary.
“The one person who really values what Chris has done, and how loyal he’s been, is Donald Trump,” one source told the news outlet, which added that a spokesman for the governor’s office declined to comment Wednesday night.
Trump shook up his transition after the election, ousting those with close ties to Christie.
The New Jersey governor was demoted after Trump’s win and Vice President-elect Mike PenceMichael (Mike) Richard PencePence posts, deletes photo of Trump campaign staff without face masks, not social distancing Pence threatens to deploy military if Pennsylvania governor doesn’t quell looting Pence on Floyd: ‘No tolerance for racism’ in US MORE took over the transition team.
Former Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.) departed the transition team earlier this month in what an NBC source described as a “Stalinesque purge of people close” to Christie.
Rogers’s ouster highlighted the demotion of Christie, whose loyalty had been questioned, multiple sources told NBC, especially when the governor didn’t defend Trump at several points during the campaign.
It also put a spotlight on the amount of control Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, has on the incoming administration. Kushner and Christie were reportedly feuding and those same sources told the network Kushner harbors a grudge against the governor for prosecuting his father in 2004.
NJPW has announced matches for both the Super J-Cup and Best of the Super Junior tournaments.
For BOSJ, the tour will open on November 15 with a Hiromu Takahashi vs. Taiji Ishimori main event. It will run through December 6, which will be headlined by SHO taking on Taiji Ishimori. The top two point scorers will then meet on December 11 in the finals.
The Super J-Cup will take place the following day, on December 12 in the United States. A special tag team match will take place, with Karl Fredericks and Ren Narita teaming up to take on KENTA and Hikuleo of the Bullet Club. The first round bracket will include Clark Connors vs. Chris Bey, ACH vs. TJP, Rey Horus vs. Blake Christian, and El Phantasmo vs. Lio Rush.
Here are the full list of matches for both the BOSJ tournament and the Super J-Cup:
BOSJ 27 lineups —
November 15
Hiromu Takahashi vs. Taiji Ishimori
Master Wato vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru
Ryusuke Taguchi vs. El Desperado
SHO vs. BUSHI
Robbie Eagles vs. DOUKI
November 18
Hiromu Takahashi vs. El Desperado
Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Taiji Ishimori
Master Wato vs. Robbie Eagles
SHO vs. DOUKI
BUSHI vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru
November 20
El Desperado vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru
Hiromu Takahashi vs. BUSHI
Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Master Wato
SHO vs. Robbie Eagles
Taiji Ishimori vs. DOUKI
November 23
Taiji Ishimori vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru
Ryusuke Taguchi vs. SHO
Master Wato vs. El Desperado
Robbie Eagles vs. BUSHI
Hiromu Takahashi vs. DOUKI
November 25
Robbie Eagles vs. Taiji Ishimori
Master Wato vs. DOUKI
Ryusuke Taguchi vs. BUSHI
SHO vs. El Desperado
Hiromu Takahashi vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru
November 29
Robbie Eagles vs. Hiromu Takahashi
Master Wato vs. SHO
Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru
BUSHI vs. Taiji Ishimori
El Desperado vs. DOUKI
December 2
Taiji Ishimori vs. El Desperado
SHO vs. Hiromu Takahashi
Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Robbie Eagles
Master Wato vs. BUSHI
Yoshinobu Kanemaru vs. DOUKI
December 5
Master Wato vs. Taiji Ishimori
Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Hiromu Takahashi
SHO vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru
Robbie Eagles vs. El Desperado
BUSHI vs. DOUKI
December 6
SHO vs. Taiji Ishimori
Master Wato vs. Hiromu Takahashi
Ryusuke Taguchi vs. DOUKI
Robbie Eagles vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru
BUSHI vs. El Desperado
December 11
Top two point scorers meet in the finals
Super J-Cup December 12 —
Karl Fredericks & Ren Narita vs. KENTA & Hikuleo
Super J-Cup first round
Clark Connors vs. Chris Bey
ACH vs. TJP
Rey Horus vs. Blake Christian
El Phantasmo vs. Lio Rush
Waste-water from a hydraulic fracturing site in Pennsylvania that is treated and released into local streams has caused high levels of toxic contamination, including elevated levels of radioactive materials, a report released Wednesday exposes.
“We were surprised by the magnitude of radioactivity” downstream from the plant, said co-author Avner Vengosh, geochemistry professor at Duke’s Nicholas School of the Environment. “It’s unusual to find this level,” he told USA Today, adding that other sites should be investigated.
The Guardian reports:
SCROLL TO CONTINUE WITH CONTENT
The report, published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology by a group of Duke University researchers, states that fracking waste water disposal methods pose a great threat to human and environmental health, particularly gas companies that send waste to treatment sites that are currently allowed to release treated water into local streams.
Shale gas production, i.e. fracking, is currently exempt from certain rules within laws such as the Clean Water Act and the Safe Water Drinking Act due to the “Halliburton loophole” pushed through by former Vice-President/former Halliburton CEO Dick Cheney. Frackers are allowed to monitor their own waste production and largely avoid any regulated restrictions.
According to the researchers, radium levels in the Pennsylvania stream sediments where waste-water was discharged were about “200 times greater than upstream and background sediments and above radioactive waste disposal threshold regulations, posing potential environmental risks of radium bio-accumulation in localized areas of shale gas waste-water disposal.”
“Each day, oil and gas producers generate 2 billion gallons of waste-water,” said co-author Robert B. Jackson, Duke professor of environmental science, Tuesday. “They produce more waste-water than hydrocarbons. That’s the broader implication of this study. We have to do something with this waste-water.”
“The use of fossil fuels has a direct climate connection,” he said. “Hundreds of billions of gallons of waste-water is a consequence of our reliance — our addiction — to fossil fuels. That’s another price we pay for needing so much oil and gas.”
_______________________
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License
Green Party nominee Jill Stein says her effort to force presidential election recounts in three states is not for personal benefit.
“This is not about advancing one candidate or hurting another candidate,” she told host Thomas Roberts on MSNBC Monday.
ADVERTISEMENT
“This is also not about advancing my own career,” Stein added. “My campaign is not going to win here, although we might get a more accurate recount of Green votes.
“It’s about the American people who emerged from this election not as happy campers. Eighty percent of Americans, according to a New York Times poll, were disgusted by the conduct of the election.”
Stein also disputed critics who say she is wasting money or personally profiting off fundraising for recount efforts.
“We’re very clear about what is being funded,” she said. “You can actually see the whole budget for it on our fundraising page.
“Voters have voted with their pocketbooks here. An average $45 donation, almost 140,000 donors, have stood up and said, ‘We deserve an election system we have confidence in.’”
Stein added her recount pushes in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin are about preserving the integrity of the presidential election nationwide.
“This is an election where there has been hacking and allegation of tampering all over the place. The nature of hacking is, you don’t see it if you don’t look. Hear no evil, see no evil and there is no evil.”
The Wisconsin Elections Commission announced last Friday it would undertake a recount following two separate requests from Stein and Reform Party nominee Rocky De La Fuente.
An attorney for Democratic presidential nominee Hillary ClintonHillary Diane Rodham ClintonWhite House accuses Biden of pushing ‘conspiracy theories’ with Trump election claim Biden courts younger voters — who have been a weakness Trayvon Martin’s mother Sybrina Fulton qualifies to run for county commissioner in Florida MORE’s campaign said they would participate in any recounts even though they doubt it will have an effect.
Stein filed for a recount in Pennsylvania Monday and is pushing for a similar outcome in Michigan before a Wednesday deadline.
President-elect Donald TrumpDonald John TrumpSenate advances public lands bill in late-night vote Warren, Democrats urge Trump to back down from veto threat over changing Confederate-named bases Esper orders ‘After Action Review’ of National Guard’s role in protests MORE on Sunday blasted the recount movement, saying “nothing would change” after a waste of money and time.
Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite was the go-home show for Saturday’s Full Gear PPV.
In the main event, TNT Champion Cody Rhodes and The Gunn Club defeated John Silver, Colt Cabana, and Preston “10” Vance as Darby Allin looked on from the upper deck of the arena. Rhodes cut a promo on Allin after the match as they will face off for the the title Saturday.
Earlier in the show, AEW World Champion Jon Moxley and title challenger Eddie Kingston had an intense promo segment before their “I Quit” match Saturday.
In an impromptu match made when Scorpio Sky vs. Shawn Spears was removed from the show, The Young Bucks defeated Private Party. After the match, Tag Team Champions FTR ran in and nearly Pillmanized Matt Jackson’s ankle again before Kenny Omega and Hangman Page, who will be opponents on Saturday, ran in for the save.
In the show’s opener, MJF and Wardlow defeated Sammy Guevara and Ortiz. MJF attacked Chris Jericho at the commentary desk after the match. If MJF beats Jericho on Saturday, he will join The Inner Circle.
For more of what you missed, including a Nyla Rose/Hikaru Shida pull-apart and several other brawls, scroll down.
More coverage from last night —
NXT Women’s Champion Io Shirai issues challenge to Rhea Ripley
Two title matches announced for next week’s WWE NXT
Cody Rhodes says he is able to use full name again
Penta El Zero Miedo vs. Rey Fenix 2 announced for next AEW Dynamite
VIDEO: Speak Now Pro Wrestling with Denise Salcedo
AEW Dynamite live results: Full Gear go-home show
WWE NXT live results: Halloween Havoc fallout
AEW Dynamite video highlights —
MJF & Wardlow vs. Sammy Guevara & Ortiz
Kenny Omega talks with Tony Schiavone
Miro vs. Trent
Hangman Page talks with Jim Ross
FTR vs. Young Bucks Full Gear preview
Team Taz will be at Full Gear
Young Bucks vs. Private Party
Jon Moxley and Eddie Kingston go face-to-face
PAC breaks his silence
Nyla Rose vs. Red Velvet; Rose and Hikaru Shida come to blows
Kenny Omega vs. Hangman Page Full Gear preview
Cody Rhodes & The Gunn Club vs. The Dark Order; Rhodes talks to Darby Allin
A group fighting for disclosure over the millions being poured into the campaign to defeat Washington’s GMO labeling initiative lost their legal challenge on Friday. Instead, the group got slapped with a $10,000 fine.
The fight centers around the state’s I-522, which would require genetically modified food and seeds to be labeled as such.
In their legal challenge against the No on 522 Campaign and the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) submitted in September, the newly formed, pro-GMO labeling group Moms for Labeling state that the No Campaign “illegally conceals the identity of the campaign’s donors” and that donations to the campaign are “laundered through the Grocery Manufacturers Association,” and, as such, the GMA, whose members include Nestlé, Welch’s and Del Monte, is acting illegally as a political committee.
The GMA made a $5 million contribution to the No Campaign at the end of September, bringing its total to the campaign to over $7.2 million. So far, the No Campaign has raised over $17 million, with other big donations coming from some of the same groups that successfully fought California’s GMO-labeling initiative last year. In comparison, the Yes on 522 Campaign has raised just under $4.7 million so far.
On Friday, a judge dismissed Moms for Labeling’s lawsuit.
SCROLL TO CONTINUE WITH CONTENT
Joel Connelly reported in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer that Thurston County
In addition to having their lawsuit dismissed by the judge, the GMA and No on 522 Campaign scored a victory from a counter-attack they had launched when Wickham issued Moms for Labeling a fine of $10,000 plus attorneys’ fees. The groups had used a state law, the Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation or SLAPP, which, as the Bellingham Herald explained, “was designed to protect parties against lawsuits that are harassing, intimidating and chill the speech of defendants.”
The No on 522 Campaign called the legal challenge a “frivolous and baseless lawsuit brought for no other reason than to try to generate media headlines in the heat of a political campaign,” and said it was “legal harassment, pure and simple.”
“I think it is outrageous that we are being accused of harassing big out of state corporations when really what we are trying to do as Moms for Labeling is, one, find out what is in the food we are putting on the table for our families, and two, (learn) who is paying for this campaign. It’s as simple as that,” the Olympian reported Pam Johnson, a member of Moms for Labeling, as saying after the ruling. “As the decision makers we have a right to know specifically who is behind this campaign,” she added.
_______________________
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License