Video Report - Elizabeth Warren's EPIC SMACK DOWN Of Republican Tax Heist

Video Report - GOP Tax Bill Set To Make Rich Richer At Everyone Else's Expense | Rachel Maddow | MSNBC

Video Report - Here's how will the GOP tax bill will affect you

Video Report - Wolf with Blitzer 12/20/17| Sanders: GOP tax bill is a victory for billionaires like Trump

Video Report - Bernie Sanders Explains What #Republicans Should Be Focused On

#Afghanistan - Da Zamong Zeba Watan

مطالعه پاکستان کې پښتانه غدار او جاهل بللو پرضد مقدمه

د وکیلانو یوې ډلې په پېښور های کورټ کې د پنجاب کالجونو ډلې او عظیم چاپخانې (ګروپ آف کالجز او عظيم پبليکېشنز) پرضد کېس کړی دی.

وکیلانو په خپله دعوه کې کښلي چې د يادو کالجونو د مطالعه پاکستان په درسي کتاب کې پښتون قام ته ناوړه او سپک نومونه اخېستل شوي دي.

پېښور های کورټ د نهې په ورځيادو ادارو ته د سپیناوي کولو یادګېرنه (نوټس) استولې ده.

د دغه وکيلانو په وينا د ياد ادارې د څوارلسم جماعت د مطالعه پاکستان د کتاب په ۴۷ صفحه د پښتنو لپاره د جاهل او غدار ټکي کارول شوي دي.

ايډوکيټ ابرابر حسين مشال ريډېو ته وويل چې د يو قام پرضد د داسې سپکو نسبتونو کارول د ایين او قانون هم خلاف ورزي ده.

"زموږ بينادي هدف دا دی چې راروان نسل ته ناسمه مالومات ور نه کړل شي، او يا د اسې پيغام ولاړ نه شي چې ګواکې پښتون قام جاهل او غدار دی او دا دواړه توري پنجاب ګروپ آف کالجز کارولې دي. پاکستان زموږ د ټولو وطن دی او موږ نه غواړو چې څه خاص خلک دې د قامونو ترمينځ دېوالونه ودروي. داسې کول جرم دی. "

له وکيلانو سره دمطالعه پاکستان دغه کتاب هم پروت وو. په ياد کتاب کې د ۱۹ مې پېړۍ د سيد احمد بريلوياو د سيکانو ترمينځ د جنګ ذکر شوی دی او بيا ېې پکې د سيد احمد برېلوي د لښکر د ماتې خوړلو لاملونه ذکر کړي دي.

پښتانه له واکمنۍ تر څوکیدارۍ

کتاب کې راغلي چې په دغه لاملونو کې يو لامل د پښتنو غدار قام وو، او دا چې د سيد احمد پرضد پروپېګنډو باندې جاهل پښتون قام باور وکړو او د هغه تحريک ته زيان ورسولو.

ايډوکيټ اظهر يوسف خان وايي چې د پنجاب په عدالت کې به هم د يادو ادارو پرضد د تاوان دعوا کوي.

"موړ غواړو چې دغه کتاب بند کړل شي او يادې ادارې له ټول پښتون قامه بخښنه وغواړي. موږ ډېر زر د پنجاب په عدالت کې هم د دوی پرضد درخواست جمع کوو ځکه چې دا کار په پنجاب کې شوی دی. "

له دې وړاندې د خيبر پښتونخوا د سکولونو د نهم جماعت انګرېزې په کتاب کې د پښتون قام اتل کالو خان بابا ته د ډاکو او غل نسبتونه کارول شوي ول چې پرضد ېې سخت غبرګونونه راپاره شول او احتجاجي مظاهرې هم شوې وې.

#Pakistan - Why is there no mention of the Deobandi identity of the ISIS terrorists who perpetrated church massacre in Quetta

Last month as the spineless and complicit PML N government fomented the thug and abuse rally of Khadim Rizvi, PML N’s blind supporters all remembered the Barelvi identity of Khadim. Pakistan’s civil society is quick to call out any stupid bigotry from Aamir Liaquat and applaud his censure ship by an obscurantist judge.

Where is their proportional outrage and identification of the Deobandi sect – whose Takfiri terrorists have killed over 70,000 Pakistanis – including Pakistani Christians in Quetta yesterday!

When Raza Rumi, Sherry Rahman, Nasir Jamal and Marvi Sirmed are promoting a Deobandi hatemonger #TahirAshrafi, Pakistan’s commercial liberals either go mute or backtrack. When Deobandi terrorists perpetrate their latest atrocity – like yesterday, their identification is wiped out by the media, civil society and commercial liberals. As are their links and patronage by Nawaz Sharif and Saudi Arabia.

To reiterate, those who are selective, sectarian and dishonest and obscure the Deobandi identity of terrorists and who create excuses for #DeobandiTerrorism are also complicit in yesterday’s atrocity against Christians.

Watch out when

1. Khadim Rizvi is conflated with all Sunnis (Barelvis)

2. When the massacre of Shias, Sunnis, Hindus and Christians – ALL by Takfeeri Deobandis- is justified as a)Saudi vs Iran/Sunni vs Shia “proxy war”, b) Street Riot ala NFP style c) Reaction to Jhangvi feudals by General Zia ul Haq/Saudi Arabia/CIA backed Deobandi Marxists d) Response to annual Milad and Ashura commemoration

3) When Aamir Liaquat is selectively condemned but Mufti Naeem, Ahmed Ludhyanvi, Tahir Ashrafi, Fazlur Rahman, Hamid Mir, Saleem Safi etc are spared for their Deobandi sectarianism.

4) When Khadim Rizvi and Mumtaz Hussain’s (aka Mumtaz Qadri) association with Sunni Barelvis is clearly and excessively spelled out but the Taliban/ISIS/Sipah Sahaba/JeM association with Deobandis is always omitted.

Pakistan - Bloodshed at Christmas festivities

By Kaleem Dean

Finding refuge in blaming others offers no excuse rather it diminishes the claim of strong security.

Time and again minorities face tragic atrocities of terrorism, last year during Christmas season, a suicide bombing plot was thwarted by the law enforcement agencies when a Pakistani medical student, Naureen Leghari ambitiously presented herself for the fulfilment of Caliphate’s mission and planned an attack on a Church along with her newlywed husband Ali Tariq who was killed during the military raid while she was captured alive.

During ISPR briefing, she uncovered the plan to attack a Church on Christmas day. Although she confessed her allegiance with the terror group of the Middle East she was never prosecuted by the country’s institutions. Knowing the previous terrorist attacks, since the start of December 2017, Christian minority was worried about the security of Churches. The government was aware of the last year’s incident as well as the increasing extremism and it was necessary to provide with the extra security during the month of December.

According to the Christian tradition, the advent season starts with the first Sunday of December; therefore, Christians start their religious festivities with the beginning of the Advent season. In Quetta Church attack, 9 people lost their lives and almost four dozen received injuries, many of them were critically injured. Apparently, terrorists were not obstructed unless they entered the Church premises where they started manoeuvring their killing of ‘infidels’ operation. Though the police and other agencies responded till they overlapped the area, one suicide bomber had blown himself starting his voyage to heaven while one was shot dead at the gate.

This incident is the sequence of previous terrorist attacks in the country but how long the country’s institutions will continue with the conventional strategy of condemnations, condolences and official announcements of compensations thus leaving the lives of innocent citizens at the hands of so-called Jihadists.

After the number of attacks against Christians, neither the government nor leading religious leaders have worked closely to establish the Quran’s narrative of treatment to Ahl-e-Kitab though the early Islamic history treats Christians as ‘dhimmis’ especially Quranic Sura’s of Mecca’s period safeguarded Jews and Christians rights in the Islamic society. Over a thousand years of co-existence with Muslim, Christians, and Jews were treated as second-class citizens but they all lived peacefully. But the 18th century modernism created more space for Christians and Jews in the Islamic society, however, this could not last, longer when Islamic revivalists of 20th century adopted the strictest model of Islam based on Quranic Surahs revealed after Hijra where Christians and Jews were opposing the Prophet, and resisting the spread of Islam.

We need to arrange better internal security and stop blaming our failures on others. If terrorism continues then we must accept our collective failure

However, in this ultra-modern 21st Century, the majority of the Islamic world believes in globalisation and co-existence of communities from all religions. However, still small factions of faith are bringing the concept of ‘Al Wala’ Wal Bara’ into action and promoting aggressively that love for the sake of Allah and hate for the sake of Allah, therefore, attacks like Quetta Church are happening in Pakistan and the Middle East where Christians are facing extinction. Because of the religious illiteracy, there are millions in the country who are the silent supporters of this religious conception of hate, therefore in every terror plan, aided and abettors facilitate Jihadists.

No doubt, the external foreign intervention cannot be ruled out but the bigger issue is to challenge to all those ‘hosts’ who accommodate, feed and facilitate terrorists. The blame game is the easiest phenomenon to hide the harsh realities; the failure of the National Action Plan seems part of a plan as among authorities there could be sympathizers too who opposed the implementation of the National Action Plan. The social pockets of partisans are the lifelines of extremism in Pakistan. Even after the Zarb-e-Azab and Radd-ul-Fasaad missions, extremism could not be controlled.

Apparently, it looks, that cavities in the geographical borders are never caulked with the honesty of purpose. The porous geographical history always allowed creepers to come and execute their perilous plans killing innocent citizens of the State. Minorities in Pakistan are always a soft target for terrorists and with regular but short intervals they remind them their helplessness and in the result of terrorism, many times even before the end of their period of convalescence, a new attack occurs that not only revives the old wounds but lead minorities into the deeper sense of fear. Especially during Christmas and Easter Church services, Christian minorities are targeted. There is no doubt that minorities are the second-grade citizens of the State but still, the constitution of Pakistan protects the rights of all citizens irrespective of their religious allegiance.

The attack in Balochistan Church could be defined as part of the plan orchestrated by foreign hands, but attacks on Christians occurred in all parts of the country but behind every incident presented the ‘hidden hand’ justification.

Arranging internal security is more important than to blame others and if still, terrorism continues then we must accept our collective failure that in spite of security vigilance attackers achieve their goals. Finding refuge in blaming others offers no excuse rather it diminishes the claim of strong security forces.

For the last many decades, minorities in the country are demanding equal rights in the country including their right to elect their own representatives but governments turn deaf ear to their genuine demands. Therefore, constitutionally discriminated minorities are demoralized more when attacks like Quetta prove how helpless are these marginalised sections of the society. Along with other 2.4 billion Christians around the world, Pakistani Christians are anticipating 25th December, the Christmas Day. But after this attack, their vulnerability has been exposed. Christians in Pakistan and around the world were expecting some action from the ‘selected minorities’ members but as usual they observed their complete silence.

Asiya Nasir, one of the JUI backed Christian members tendered an adjournment motion but only with the motif of securing compensation and in many cases compensation is announced by the government without any recommendation or reference through the parliament. The success of the social destiny lies in the political strength which can be achieved through the political will by the ballot power to elect their proportionate membership in the legislative assemblies. In the given circumstances, three percent minorities in Pakistan are at the verge of elimination, if not from their exodus from the country, surely with Jihadists bombings.

Stop Killing The Christians Of Pakistan

By Akbar Ahmed

British Pakistani Christian Association

It is perhaps one of the great ironies of Pakistan that the founder of the nation spent his first and final Christmas in a church with the Christian community to express his support for the minorities.

Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the Quaid-i-Azam, was committed to ensuring that the minorities of Pakistan were fully included as citizens and treated as equals. In a speech he gave in August 1947 to the Constituent Assembly, the Quaid famously remarked, “You are free; you are free to go to your temples, you are free to go to your mosques or to any other place of worship in this State of Pakistan ... You may belong to any religion or caste or creed ― that has nothing to do with the business of the State.”

It is ironic then that on Sunday, Dec. 17, just over a week prior to Christmas, the day when Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ and the same day Pakistanis celebrate the birth of the Quaid, two suicide bombers attacked a crowded church in Quetta, killing nine and injuring at least 55.

I have found this attack to be particularly shocking, as I served as commissioner in Quetta in the late 1980s and was thus in charge of law and order in the division. My role then was to protect citizens of all faiths. The idea of a church or any member of a minority community being attacked so blatantly is shocking to me and breaks my heart. As the Quaid expressed, it is the duty of every Pakistani to safeguard all citizens, but especially the vulnerable, like the minorities. I am sorry to see this vision being decimated before our very eyes.

Pakistanis must stop killing Christians. Pakistan as a country claims to honor the message of the Quaid and revere his founding of the nation. Yet Pakistani Christians keep being brutally attacked. In March 2015, twin bombings at two churches in Lahore killed at least 15. Last year, a bombing in a crowded Lahore park on Easter Sunday killed 75. The Quetta attack is a new low though for Pakistan. Could there be a worse insult to the legacy of the Quaid than that of a church bombing in the heart of Advent, one week before the treasured Christmas holiday and his very own birthday?

What is encouraging is that this time around, in a shift in the national tone, many prominent Pakistani leaders roundly and swiftly condemned what happened in Quetta. To cite some examples from the many at hand:

Councillor Dr James Shera MBE, S.Pk, the former Mayor of Rugby, England, and a prominent Pakistani Christian, stated in response, “I am deeply saddened and shocked to hear of the suicide attack in Quetta Methodist church with nine killed and over 50 injured. My deepest sympathies for the families of the injured and whose loved ones lost their lives. May God bless the souls of the innocent people who gave their lives. I wholeheartedly praise the security services for their brave act which stopped harm to many more people who were inside the church. Pakistan is going through various challenges and trials and tribulations where the enemy of state is determined to divide us under the name of religion or ethnic background. We must fight together against this evil and not let them succeed to dent the good name of our country and its people. I appeal to all Pakistanis from ordinary to good and great to unite together and resurrect the Quaid’s Pakistan which is based on equality, justice and freedom for all faiths to practice their faith without fear. We must bring a radical reform and not allow extremism in any shape or form to flourish and weaken Pakistan. God save Pakistan.”

The Pakistan High Commissioner to the UK and Ireland, Syed Ibne Abbas, wrote to James Shera in the aftermath of the attack expressing his condolences to the community: “James Sahib, Terror attack on a congregation at a Church in Quetta is truly appalling. This cowardly act, especially during the Festive season, is heartbreaking. This is our collective loss. Our heart goes out to the families of victims. These beasts who target places of worship are against humanity.”

Dr. Amineh Hoti, who works tirelessly within Pakistan and beyond to build bridges between the faith communities, heartily condemned the attacks: “This mean act of killing people intentionally during Christmas is a heinous act against humanity, against the Abrahamic faiths, and against what the flag of Pakistan stands for. During these cold winter nights when the poor and wounded do not have enough, we need to reach out, heal and pray. May God give human beings the sense and wisdom to love, empathize and reach out to all human beings regardless of their religious and ethnic differences. Amin.”

International voices committed to promoting dialogue among faiths and cultures are also reacting strongly to these heinous attacks. Patrick Burnett, a young Catholic American working to build bridges between faith communities in the US and abroad, anguished in response to the church bombing: “It breaks my heart that on the third Sunday of Advent, when we in the Christian faith are preparing to celebrate Christmas, a season of both great joy and deep reflection, dozens of innocent Pakistani Christians are killed and injured just for celebrating their faith. The Quaid would be deeply angered and heartbroken to witness this fundamental challenge to his expansive and inclusive vision for Pakistan. Building bridges of understanding and compassion between our faith communities could not be more important and urgent than in this global crisis of pluralism.”

On a note which inspires hope for the nation, in response to the attack in Quetta, the Regional Police Officer in Gujranwala, Ashfaq A. Khan, visited a number of the city’s churches to ensure their security infrastructure and procedures were properly in place before the Christmas holiday. He also instructed all his police officers to ensure the full protection of the Christian community during their Christmas celebrations. And alongside the deputy commissioners, Mr. Khan broke bread and shared cake in the churches with the Christian community to ensure the strengthening of ties between the community and the administration.

If more Pakistanis work to follow the examples set by the Quaid, as reflected by the administration in Gujranwala, I am confident we can defeat the scourge that was on full display in Quetta this past weekend. We must all make a concerted effort to heal these wounds and close the gaps between our faiths, before more innocent lives are lost and before the vision of Pakistan is lost. We have two choices in Pakistan ― support and protect the minorities in the spirit of the Quaid or watch the nation disintegrate before our very eyes. It gives me hope that so many Pakistanis are responding so passionately and swiftly to the Quaid’s vision.

On Hafiz Saeed, US Warning For Pakistan: "Hope They Will Do The Right Thing"

"Hafiz Saeed, who was released by Pakistan from house arrest last November resulting in angry reaction from the US, was the "mastermind" of the Mumbai terrorist attacks and is leader of Lashkar-e-Taiba," US State Department Spokesperson Heather Nauert said. The US has concerns about terror group Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed running for office in Pakistan in 2018, a senior Trump Administration official has said.

The Jamaat-ud-Dawa or JuD head and Lashkar-e-Taiba founder had earlier confirmed that his organisation JuD will contest the 2018 general elections in Pakistan under the banner of the Milli Muslim League, which is yet to be registered with Pakistan's Election Commission.

"Hafiz Saeed, who was released by Pakistan from house arrest last November resulting in angry reaction from the US, was the "mastermind" of the Mumbai terrorist attacks and is leader of Lashkar-e-Taiba," US State Department Spokesperson Heather Nauert said.

"It's a group that the US government considers to be a terror organisation. We have many conversations with the government of Pakistan. One of the things that happened recently was that this guy was held on house arrest. Pakistan released him from house arrest, and now there's word that he may be running for some sort of office," she said reporters in Washington.

Hafiz Saeed, who has a $10 million American bounty on his head for terror activities, was freed by Pakistan on November 24. He is a United Nations and US designated terrorist.

"I want to remind folks, we have a $10 million Reward for Justice programme that would reward for information that would bring him to justice. So I want to make that clear, so that everybody knows -- USD 10 million, out for this guy. And we would certainly have concerns about him running for office," Ms Nauert said.

The United States had also strongly condemned the release of the Lashkar-e-Taiba leader from house arrest and had called for his immediate re-arrest and prosecution. However, top Pakistani diplomats based in the US have claimed that there is no evidence against Hafiz Saeed.

"I can tell you his organisation that was responsible for those attacks is considered a foreign terror organisation. It's considered a foreign terror organisation by the US government for a reason, and for a good reason," Ms Nauert said.

"I would imagine that, if we had any intelligence, and that's not an area that I can discuss anyway, but we would certainly share it with the Pakistanis on that front. I hope they'll do the right thing," Ms Nauert said.

"I hope that they will do the right thing and remind folks across Pakistan, we have a $10 million reward for this guy," the spokesperson said.

The banned Jamaat-ud-Dawa terror group is the front organisation for the Lashkar-e-Taiba which carried out the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks in which 166 people were killed.

Video - Qamar Zaman Kaira Speech At PPP Jalsa 19 December 2017 @MediaCellPPP

PPP does not wish for alliance with PTI: Kaira

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Qamar Zaman Kaira on Wednesday said that the party does not wish to ally with Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf.

Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) chief Tahirul Qadri had earlier claimed that he can have Asif Ali Zardari and Imran Khan seated on either side, whenever he wished to do so.

Speaking to media in Lahore, the PPP leader said the party would join Qadri’s peaceful protest if invited. He added that it is Qadri’s right to start a movement.

Criticising deposed prime minister Nawaz Sharif, Kaira said the former premier was using unpleasant language towards the judiciary and he fears such language may be used more commonly in the future.

PPP’s senior leader in Punjab also said that the democratic system in the country does not suit Nawaz and instead of supporting the system, the former premier is moving towards a clash o institutions.

Kaira also praised the visit of Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa to the Senate and added that his helped in dispelling wrong perceptions.

The statement by Qadri had come days after PTI and PPP chiefs held separate meetings with him in Lahore, and extended their support to him following the release of the Model Town inquiry report.

“I would have Zardari and Imran seated on either side, whenever I wished so,” Qadri had told the participants of a lawyers’ convention organised by Awami Tehreek.

#Sindhprovince - #PPP - Bilawal tweets about free ‘cyberknife surgery cancer treatment’ at JPMC

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has said that Sindh province continues in quest to bring free health care to all.

Bilawal said this while sharing about Pakistan’s 1st and only ‘cyberknife surgery cancer treatment’ at Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) Karachi.

PPP chairman said, “Expensive procedure is being offered absolutely free to all at Pakistan’s 1st & only cyberknife surgery cancer treatment centre at JPMC.”

He said, “If you know someone suffering from cancer please see if you can take advantage of this. Pakistan’s 1st and only cyberknife surgery cancer treatment. Expensive procedure offered absolutely FREE to all. Sindh continues in quest to bring free health care to all.”

http://www.thesindhtimes.com/health-and-fitness/bilawal-tweets-free-cyberknife-surgery-cancer-treatment-jpmc/

Bilawal vows to complete the mission of his martyred mother Benazir Bhutto

Pakistan Peoples Party chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has said he has taken up the struggle to complete the mission of his martyred mother former prime minister Shaheed Benazir Bhutto.

He was addressing party workers and supporters in different parts of the province, including Udero Lal in Matiari and Sharafi Goth in Malir, through hologramtechnology on Monday 18, December.

He urged the people to extend full support to him for completion of his mother’s goals.

Bilawal recalled that Shaheed Benazir Bhutto returned to the country despite several threats to her life, faced the dictatorship of Gen Musharraf and sacrificed her life for the rights of the people.

Raising the slogan of “Ya Allah, Ya Rasool, Benazir Beqasoor”, the PPP chairman said his mother was killed so that she could not pursue her dreams which were to provide justice to the people.

“I have now taken up the mission of my mother and will not rest until I achieve her goals,” he said.

He said they had been moving forward since her death, turning their grief into strength.

On Dec 27, PPP workers from all over the country will gather at Garhi Khuda Bux to pay their homage to Shaheed Bibi, he added.

He also pointed out that “Mohtarma was quite aware of the fact that she was striving for the rights of the oppressed people who suffered poverty and exploitation”.

Music Video - Timmy T - One More Try

Music Video - Michael Jackson - Black Or White

Video Report - Russian Army Celebrates Day of Strategic Missile Forces

India cozies up to Taiwan in foolish move

By Deng Xiaoci





Strengthened ties between the two a threat to Sino-Indian relations.

India and Taiwan island signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on December 14 to promote mutual industrial cooperation, an alarming move that could sabotage the recent smoothing of Sino-Indian relations, said Chinese experts on Tuesday.

According to a statement in Chinese on Taiwan's "ministry of foreign affairs" website on Monday, Taipei Economic Cultural Center in Delhi representative Chung-Kwang Tien and Director General of the India-Taipei Association Sridharan Madhusudhanan signed the MoU to deepen two-way exchanges and cooperation between India and Taiwan.

In Chinese, the statement refers that the trade agreement is signed between "two nations." Nevertheless, Global Times reporters found that the English version of the statement has not yet been displayed on their website.

"It is a classic move of Tsai Ing-wen and the 'ruling' Democratic Progressive Party, as they constantly tout their dangerous political agenda of 'Taiwan-independence' and are afraid of being exposed and challenged in a bigger context outside the island," Hu Shiqing, a researcher at the Taiwan Studies Institute of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times.

Since Tsai pushed forward the New Southbound Policy in May 2016, five cooperative documents have been signed between the two sides, serving as evidence of the strengthened relations and the potentiality of deepening cooperation in all fields, the statement said.

India is Taiwan's 18th largest trading partner, and the total volume of two-way trade exceeded $4.7 billion in the first nine months of 2017, a 40 percent year-on-year increase, according to the statement.

India is using the Taiwan question as a bargaining chip in exchange for China's support and concession on its own territorial disputes. It is also possible that India is staying close with Taiwan to serve as a friendly signal toward the US, which just released a new national security strategy branding China as a "rival power," Wang Dehua, head of the Institute for South and Central Asian Studies at the Shanghai Municipal Center for International Studies, told the Global Times.

The move is again testing Sino-Indian ties, and is harmful to both sides in the long run. It also came shortly after the Russia-India-China foreign ministerial meeting was held in the Indian capital on December 11, which was believed to have smoothed over Sino-Indian relations after the Doklam standoff between the two sides, Wang said.

Qian Feng, a researcher of the Chinese Association for South Asian Studies told the Global Times that as Taiwan has made efforts to strengthen ties with New Delhi over the past years, the South Asian power should be smart and cautious in order to avoid challenging China's bottom line and one-China policy. China does not take such situations related to its core interests lightly, Qian said.

Big Brother is watching? New Facebook facial recognition spots you even if you’re not tagged

The world’s largest social network has just rolled out a new feature of its facial recognition technology that will notify users when someone has uploaded a photo of them even if they haven’t been tagged in it on Facebook. The new feature sprang into action Tuesday. Facebook says it will “help people better manage their identity” on the platform “using face recognition.” Though not all of the network’s over 2 billion users will be able to avail of the new feature as those in the European Union and Canada are excluded due to privacy laws which prohibit Facebook's use of facial recognition.

Under EU law, personal data can only be gathered legally under strict conditions, for a legitimate purpose. Furthermore, “persons or organisations which collect and manage your personal information must protect it from misuse and must respect certain rights of the data owners which are guaranteed by EU law.”

Once Facebook identifies an image it thinks your face is in, it will send a notification to a new Photo Review feature, much like the Timeline Review feature when someone tags you in a post.

Within the review section, users can then choose to tag themselves, send a message to the person who uploaded the photo, report the image for breaking the site’s rules or let Facebook know if the photo isn’t of them.

“These new features help you find photos that you’re not tagged in and help you detect when others might be attempting to use your image as their profile picture,” Joaquin Quinonero Candela, Facebook’s Director of Applied Machine Learning wrote.

Users can opt out of this new feature as Candela explains: “If your tag suggestions setting is currently set to “none,” then your default face recognition setting will be set to “off” and will remain that way until you decide to change it.” However if it is not, the user will have to opt-out.

This all sounds rosy, with Facebook just being the nice guy and allowing you better control over content about you but posted by others, but of course, it benefits the company too. More notifications equals more activity which in turn results in more ad impressions, the same can be said in relation to tagging.


https://www.rt.com/news/413679-facebook-facial-recognition-tagging/

As #Yemeni children starve, Britons must speak out: ‘Not in our name’

Owen Jones

Our continued silence gives carte blanche for our government to maintain its sordid support for the Saudi’s onslaught against civilians and human rights.

It is perhaps the world’s most expensive home: a French mansion featuring marble statues and “a 57-acre landscape park” worth more than $300m, snapped up by the heir to the Saudi throne. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is on quite the shopping spree: a $500m yacht here, a $450m Leonardo da Vinci painting here. As this despot showers himself in decadent luxury, the children of Yemen are starving as Saudi bombs – many supplied courtesy of the British government – destroy the country.

It is one of the greatest crimes on earth, so it is welcome that, today, 350 high-profile figures – Nobel peace prize laureates and celebrities among them – have signed a letter demanding the leaders of France, the US and the UK stop “stoking the flames of war”. The barbarous Saudi regime is being armed and supported by the west as it pummels Yemen.

Our governments all share responsibility for the 60,000 who have died in the 1,000-day war, the 17.8 million without access to enough food, and the 22 million in need of humanitarian aid and protection. It is estimated that nearly a third of the Saudi-led air strikes have targeted non-military sites: farms, market places, food storage sites among them. In one recent Saudi airstrike, a dozen women were reported dead after returning home from a wedding procession. These are crimes that receive little coverage – but don’t turn away, because they are being committed in our name.

The Tory government has offered a derisory £50m extra in aid for food and fuel supplies: like setting fire to a neighbour’s house, then slipping a tenner through the charred letterbox. Even Samantha Power – Barack Obama’s former ambassador to the UN – has admitted that the US is “wrong (as were we in last admin) to keep supporting Saudi-led coalition as it kills civilians w/ impunity & blocks medicine/food/fuel supplies in face of looming famine.” It is a little late now to admit guilt, and Obama should be troubled by the horror he helped to unleash. But this confession certainly underlines what a catastrophe the western-backed Saudi war represents.

Having written about the nightmare of Yemen, and visited a refugee camp across the water in Djibouti, it is deeply dispiriting how ignored it remains. Our continued silence gives carte blanche for our government to maintain its sordid support for the Saudis’ onslaught against civilians and human rights. The children will continue to silently starve, the civilians to silently perish under British-supplied bombs. It is surely time for us all to speak out about what is done in our name.

Video Report - British aid for Syria being funneled to extremists

Dec 4, 2017

#Yemen: 1,000 days of war

By Karl Schembri

Thousands of public service employees across Yemen have not been paid their salaries for more than a year and a half.

One thousand days of war in Yemen: thousands killed, tens of thousands wounded, and millions pushed towards famine.

The humanitarian crisis in Yemen is entirely man-made, the result of three years of brutal violence and insidious tactics that continue to deprive millions of people of basic supplies and services.

A staggering 1.2 million civil servants haven't received their salaries in more than a year, leaving health, education, and sanitation services without the people and resources needed to keep them running. Public infrastructure has been damaged and homes destroyed, forcing more than three million to flee their homes, most with only what they can carry. People living in congested conditions have too little access to money, food, water and medicine.

Prices are up but purchasing power is down, forcing people to make difficult choices with the few resources they have - water or transport to hospital? Medicine or food?

Wednesday marks 1,000 days since the military coalition led by Saudi Arabia began bombing rebel forces who seized the capital, Sanaa, and other territory during a lightning-quick offensive. 

Today, the Saudi-led coalition's ongoing blockade on commercial fuel is choking a struggling population, and obstructions from the Houthi rebel authorities within Yemen prevent what there is from reaching people.

As a result, water pumps are switched off, hospital generators stop running, the cost of transport is out of reach and 22.2 million people in Yemen now depend on humanitarian aid.

About 16 million people cannot access safe water or healthcare, 4.5 million children are at risk of losing access to education, 8.4 million Yemenis are close to starvation.

The following photo story collected from Yemen by the Norwegian Refugee Council sheds light on the devastating impact of the last 1,000 days on ordinary Yemenis.

A man points at his house destroyed by air strikes in Sanaa. Destruction in the Yemeni capital is everywhere: houses, health centres, wedding halls, and even children's playgrounds have been targeted by the raids. KARL SCHEMBRI/NRC/AL JAZEERA

A man walks by civilian houses destroyed in Sanaa. KARL SCHEMBRI/NRC/AL JAZEERA

Ali Mothana Ali, 50, from al-Dhalea, was seriously wounded when his house was hit. "The air strike that hit my house, it caught me just outside my home. Shrapnel from the explosion hit me. I sustained facial injuries, splinters had to be extracted from my pelvis, and metal sliced off part of my leg. I survived because neighbours rushed me to a nearby village for treatment. With my injuries, I am disabled. I cannot work to feed my children. I am the only bread winner for my family, my oldest son is 10 years old." NUHA MOHAMMED/NRC/AL JAZEERA

Fighting has also been fierce outside of Sanaa, displacing up to three million Yemenis across the country. Molok, from Saada, had to flee with her children and grandchildren together with 460 families when their neighbourhood was bombed more than two years ago. She has been living in an informal settlement in Houth ever since. ALVHILD STROMME/NRC/AL JAZEERA

Only a photograph and a lot of rubble is what remains of Omar's former home in Taiz. "It took me 10 years to build this house, stone by stone, to make sure my children have a roof over their heads. It was gone in a blink." In late 2015, armed groups ordered him to leave; his village had become a battleground. Omar and his family fled the house just days before it was leveled by air strikes. NUHA MOHAMMED /NRC/AL JAZEERA

Mahmoud Zeid and his wife Sabah speak of the day they fled their home in July 2015, following an air strike close to their neighbourhood in Jabal al-Nugm. Mahmoud used to work as a tailor, but since the war and blockade started he no longer has a job. Sabah suffers from kidney failure. They have six children. NRC provides them with food aid in a project funded by the UN's World Food Programme. Mahmoud said: "We have to survive. There is no food, no spending money like there used to be. We get a plate or two of food and get on with it. Even then we don't even have cooking gas." KARL SCHEMBRI/NRC/AL JAZEERA

Wedad is a single mother with four children from Amran. She says the dramatic hunger and poverty she's been pushed into makes her prefer to die. "I pray God, please let us die or solve this, or let us die silently - that people would wake up in the morning and find us dead. It cannot be worse than what we have been through already. We felt the hunger, we felt the cold, we have been through everything." NUHA MOHAMMED/NRC/AL JAZEERA

Amani, 12, from Taiz lost her father and has been displaced ever since. "The clashes got intense and we were the last family to escape from the village. We fled to a safer place and knew our father was a little way behind us when a shell hit and killed him. He died on the spot but we did not know. We kept calling his phone but got no answer and only later we heard he was dead. Everything is bad about fleeing your home: here there is no water, no firewood, we have nothing. Back home we had everything. I used to go to school, but now I cannot. I am afraid of the war; the scariest thing is hearing the bombs, the shotguns and the shells. We were terrified. We were hiding in our room and fearing death." NUHA MOHAMMED/NRC/AL JAZEERA

Ahlam, 4, has spent two years in an informal settlement outside Houth in northern Yemen, living in extremely dire conditions. Her family fled from Saada in 2015 after their neighbourhood came under attack. ALVHILD STROMME/NRC/AL JAZEERA

In this settlement outside Houth, Obaid, 9, (left) and his friend Modrek collect empty plastic bottles to sell for recycling. "If we collect one full, large bag, we get 150 Yemeni rials [US$0.60]," said Obaid. "I used to go to school. I like studying. But there is no school here." As the war continues, millions of children in Yemen, a country where only 60 percent of the population could read and write before the war, are deprived of an education. NUHA MOHAMMED/NRC/AL JAZEERA

The crisis in Yemen is brutal on children, many of whom are dying of starvation and acute malnutrition. Amani is a five-month-old baby weighing only 2kg. Here she is in the malnutrition section of al-Sabeen Hospital in Sanaa. "Our neighbours gave us money to take Amani to the hospital," her mother Fatima said. "I’m so worried that once we're out of here we won't find enough food for my baby." NUHA MOHAMMED/NRC/AL JAZEERA

Mohammed's family travelled by road for close to 15 hours through several checkpoints to reach al-Sabeen Hospital with their malnourished child. "We had no choice, there are no functioning facilities in our area now," his father Waheeb said. "There is nothing." At two years of age, Mohammed weighs 5.9kg and cannot sit unassisted. NUHA MOHAMMED/NRC/AL JAZEERA

One-year-old Fatima weighs 4.2kg. She was brought to al-Sabeen Hospital by her mother when she became unwell and developed a fever and has since been receiving care for acute malnutrition. Fatima is one of four children but failing to thrive like her older siblings. A collapsing economy and impediments to the movement of humanitarian supplies have left millions of Yemenis in urgent need of life-saving aid and protection. NUHA MOHAMMED/NRC/AL JAZEERA

Yemenis queue at a food voucher distribution point in Sanaa. The Norwegian Refugee Council is helping some of the hardest-hit families with food vouchers and other assistance. A staggering 8.4 million Yemenis are now close to starvation after 1,000 days of war and a blockade of food, fuel and medicine. KARL SCHEMBRI/NRC/AL JAZEERA

Dr Zikra Abdullah Saif works at al-Sabeen Hospital in Sanaa. "Our tragedy now is that we cannot do our job the way we should, while we are struggling for our basic food. If the war continues and we keep being unpaid, we will have to flee to the villages. We will bring water from the well, plant, and live a simple way of life. We'll have to flee from the cities and live like people did in primitive times."