Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
cbabe
cbabe's Journal
cbabe's Journal
May 5, 2024
Israel orders Al Jazeera to close its local operation and seizes some of its equipment
Story by TIA GOLDENBERG and JON GAMBRELL, Associated Press
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israel ordered the local offices of Qatar's Al Jazeera satellite news network to close Sunday, escalating a long-running feud between the broadcaster and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's hard-line government as Doha-mediated cease-fire negotiations with Hamas hang in the balance.
The extraordinary order, which includes confiscating broadcast equipment, preventing the broadcast of the channel’s reports and blocking its websites, is believed to be the first time Israel has ever shuttered a foreign news outlet.
Al Jazeera went off Israel’s main cable and satellite providers in the hours after the order. However, its website and multiple online streaming links still operated Sunday.
…more…
Israel orders Al Jazeera to close its local operation and seizes some of its equipment
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/netanyahu-s-cabinet-votes-to-close-al-jazeera-offices-in-israel-following-rising-tensions/ar-BB1lQJx3Israel orders Al Jazeera to close its local operation and seizes some of its equipment
Story by TIA GOLDENBERG and JON GAMBRELL, Associated Press
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israel ordered the local offices of Qatar's Al Jazeera satellite news network to close Sunday, escalating a long-running feud between the broadcaster and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's hard-line government as Doha-mediated cease-fire negotiations with Hamas hang in the balance.
The extraordinary order, which includes confiscating broadcast equipment, preventing the broadcast of the channel’s reports and blocking its websites, is believed to be the first time Israel has ever shuttered a foreign news outlet.
Al Jazeera went off Israel’s main cable and satellite providers in the hours after the order. However, its website and multiple online streaming links still operated Sunday.
…more…
April 29, 2024
Nuchatlaht granted partial land title on Nootka Island
Court decision means nation will reap economic benefits from 11.33 sq. km of land on Nootka Island
Akshay Kulkarni · CBC News · Posted: Apr 22, 2024 6:53 PM PDT | Last Updated: April 23
The Nuchatlaht First Nation won a partial victory in B.C. Supreme Court last week in a long-standing dispute with the provincial government over its land claims over Nootka Island.
The victory means the nation now has Aboriginal title over 11.33 square kilometres of land located off the west coast of Vancouver Island, which represents around five per cent of the land claimed by the nation.
It is only the second time B.C. courts have granted a First Nation Aboriginal title, meaning the Nuchatlaht will have full economic benefit of the land.
…
A statement from the Nuchatlaht First Nation says the land is estimated to be worth up to $300 million.
… more…
…
BC/Vancouver Island: Nuchatlaht granted partial land title on Nootka Island
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/nuchatlaht-first-nation-aboriginal-land-title-1.7181723Nuchatlaht granted partial land title on Nootka Island
Court decision means nation will reap economic benefits from 11.33 sq. km of land on Nootka Island
Akshay Kulkarni · CBC News · Posted: Apr 22, 2024 6:53 PM PDT | Last Updated: April 23
The Nuchatlaht First Nation won a partial victory in B.C. Supreme Court last week in a long-standing dispute with the provincial government over its land claims over Nootka Island.
The victory means the nation now has Aboriginal title over 11.33 square kilometres of land located off the west coast of Vancouver Island, which represents around five per cent of the land claimed by the nation.
It is only the second time B.C. courts have granted a First Nation Aboriginal title, meaning the Nuchatlaht will have full economic benefit of the land.
…
A statement from the Nuchatlaht First Nation says the land is estimated to be worth up to $300 million.
… more…
…
April 24, 2024
UK's plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda
Plans for the UK to send some asylum seekers to Rwanda have been passed by Parliament.
The Rwanda bill was introduced to allow the scheme to go ahead after the Supreme Court ruled it was unlawful.
…
They would have their asylum claims processed there, rather in than the UK. If successful, they could be granted refugee status and allowed to stay in the landlocked east-central African country.
If not, they could apply to settle in Rwanda on other grounds, or seek asylum in another "safe third country". No asylum seeker would be able to apply to return to the UK.
…
After the Supreme Court ruled that the scheme was unlawful, the government introduced a bill to make clear in UK law that Rwanda is a safe country. The legislation - which was finally approved on 22 April after intense political wrangling - orders the courts to ignore key sections of the Human Rights Act.
It also compels the courts to disregard other British laws or international rules - such as the international Refugee Convention - which would block deportations to Rwanda.
…more… high cost of ‘resettlement’ vs supporting in the uk… Rwanda not safe: lack of civil rights and violence against protesters…
(Stone cold racist.)
UK's plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda
https://www.bbc.com/news/explainers-61782866UK's plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda
Plans for the UK to send some asylum seekers to Rwanda have been passed by Parliament.
The Rwanda bill was introduced to allow the scheme to go ahead after the Supreme Court ruled it was unlawful.
…
They would have their asylum claims processed there, rather in than the UK. If successful, they could be granted refugee status and allowed to stay in the landlocked east-central African country.
If not, they could apply to settle in Rwanda on other grounds, or seek asylum in another "safe third country". No asylum seeker would be able to apply to return to the UK.
…
After the Supreme Court ruled that the scheme was unlawful, the government introduced a bill to make clear in UK law that Rwanda is a safe country. The legislation - which was finally approved on 22 April after intense political wrangling - orders the courts to ignore key sections of the Human Rights Act.
It also compels the courts to disregard other British laws or international rules - such as the international Refugee Convention - which would block deportations to Rwanda.
…more… high cost of ‘resettlement’ vs supporting in the uk… Rwanda not safe: lack of civil rights and violence against protesters…
(Stone cold racist.)
April 23, 2024
Reporting in India ‘too difficult’ under Modi, says departing Australian journalist
Kate Lyons
Tue 23 Apr 2024 02.33 EDT
The south-Asia correspondent for Australia’s national broadcaster, Avani Dias, has been forced out of India after her reporting fell foul of the Indian government, in a sign of the increasing pressure on journalists in the country under Narendra Modi.
Dias, who has been based in Delhi for the ABC since January 2022, said she felt the government had made it “too difficult” for her to continue to do her job, claiming it blocked her from accessing events, issued takedown notices to YouTube for her news stories, and then refused her a standard visa renewal.
Dias was told by the Indian government that her visa, which was due for renewal, would be blocked, she says in the final episode of her podcast, Looking for Modi. The decision came after the Indian government issued a takedown notice to YouTube for an episode of Foreign Correspondent, the ABC’s flagship international news program, that she reported.
The episode covered the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Sikh separatist, in Canada last year. Canada accused the Indian government of being involved in his murder, straining relations between the two nations.
…more…
Reporting in India 'too difficult' under Modi, says departing Australian journalist
https://www.theguardian.com/media/2024/apr/23/abc-south-asia-correspondent-avani-dias-narendra-modi-governmentReporting in India ‘too difficult’ under Modi, says departing Australian journalist
Kate Lyons
Tue 23 Apr 2024 02.33 EDT
The south-Asia correspondent for Australia’s national broadcaster, Avani Dias, has been forced out of India after her reporting fell foul of the Indian government, in a sign of the increasing pressure on journalists in the country under Narendra Modi.
Dias, who has been based in Delhi for the ABC since January 2022, said she felt the government had made it “too difficult” for her to continue to do her job, claiming it blocked her from accessing events, issued takedown notices to YouTube for her news stories, and then refused her a standard visa renewal.
Dias was told by the Indian government that her visa, which was due for renewal, would be blocked, she says in the final episode of her podcast, Looking for Modi. The decision came after the Indian government issued a takedown notice to YouTube for an episode of Foreign Correspondent, the ABC’s flagship international news program, that she reported.
The episode covered the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Sikh separatist, in Canada last year. Canada accused the Indian government of being involved in his murder, straining relations between the two nations.
…more…
April 23, 2024
NEWS | CULTURE & MEDIA
Israel Tied With Iran Among Top Jailers of Journalists in 2023, Report Finds
The Committee to Protect Journalists says 2023 saw the highest number of arrests of Palestinian journalists since 1992
By Zane McNeill , TRUTHOUT
Published April 22, 2024
A recent report from the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) found that Israel tied with Iran as one of the world’s leaders in jailing journalists for 2023.
“Israel has appeared several times on CPJ’s annual census, but this is the highest number of arrests of Palestinian journalists since CPJ began documenting arrests in 1992 and the first time Israel has ranked among the top six offenders,” the report says.
For the first time, Israel has joined the rank of China, Myanmar, Belarus, Russia Vietnam, and Iran as the leading countries jailing journalists. According to CPJ, Israel has detained more than 20 journalists since October 7. Relatives of the detained journalists told CPJ that many were allegedly imprisoned due to their activity on social media platforms.
…more…
Israel ties with Iran in jailing journalists
https://truthout.org/articles/israel-leads-countries-in-jailing-reporters-since-start-of-genocide-in-palestine/NEWS | CULTURE & MEDIA
Israel Tied With Iran Among Top Jailers of Journalists in 2023, Report Finds
The Committee to Protect Journalists says 2023 saw the highest number of arrests of Palestinian journalists since 1992
By Zane McNeill , TRUTHOUT
Published April 22, 2024
A recent report from the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) found that Israel tied with Iran as one of the world’s leaders in jailing journalists for 2023.
“Israel has appeared several times on CPJ’s annual census, but this is the highest number of arrests of Palestinian journalists since CPJ began documenting arrests in 1992 and the first time Israel has ranked among the top six offenders,” the report says.
For the first time, Israel has joined the rank of China, Myanmar, Belarus, Russia Vietnam, and Iran as the leading countries jailing journalists. According to CPJ, Israel has detained more than 20 journalists since October 7. Relatives of the detained journalists told CPJ that many were allegedly imprisoned due to their activity on social media platforms.
…more…
April 23, 2024
Sanders Pushes Amendment to 'Cut Billions in Offensive Military Funding to Israel'
"Enough is enough," said Sen. Bernie Sanders. "We cannot continue to fund this horrific war."
JAKE JOHNSON
Apr 23, 2024
U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders said Monday that he would put forth an amendment to remove offensive military funding for Israel from a House-passed aid package that the Senate is set to consider this week.
The amendment would "cut billions in offensive military funding to Israel from the proposed national security supplemental package," Sanders (I-Vt.) said in a statement. The package, approved by the Republican-controlled House over the weekend, includes $17 billion in unconditional military assistance to the Israeli government, which stands accused on the world stage of perpetrating genocide in Gaza.
The senator said he would also offer an amendment to "protect essential humanitarian operations" in the Gaza Strip, where millions of people are facing the possibility of starvation due to Israel's suffocating and illegal blockade. At least 28 children under the age of 12 have starved to death in Gaza in recent weeks. Sanders' amendment would restore U.S. funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), the most important aid agency working in Gaza.
An independent report released Monday found that Israel has not provided any evidence to support its claim that a significant number of UNRWA employees are members of terrorist organizations. The U.S. suspended its UNRWA aid in late January in response to Israel's unsubstantiated allegations against the agency's workers, and the House-passed Israel legislation would prohibit funding for the organization.
…more…
Sanders: restore UNRWA funding/cut Israel military funding
https://www.commondreams.org/news/sanders-military-funding-israelSanders Pushes Amendment to 'Cut Billions in Offensive Military Funding to Israel'
"Enough is enough," said Sen. Bernie Sanders. "We cannot continue to fund this horrific war."
JAKE JOHNSON
Apr 23, 2024
U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders said Monday that he would put forth an amendment to remove offensive military funding for Israel from a House-passed aid package that the Senate is set to consider this week.
The amendment would "cut billions in offensive military funding to Israel from the proposed national security supplemental package," Sanders (I-Vt.) said in a statement. The package, approved by the Republican-controlled House over the weekend, includes $17 billion in unconditional military assistance to the Israeli government, which stands accused on the world stage of perpetrating genocide in Gaza.
The senator said he would also offer an amendment to "protect essential humanitarian operations" in the Gaza Strip, where millions of people are facing the possibility of starvation due to Israel's suffocating and illegal blockade. At least 28 children under the age of 12 have starved to death in Gaza in recent weeks. Sanders' amendment would restore U.S. funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), the most important aid agency working in Gaza.
An independent report released Monday found that Israel has not provided any evidence to support its claim that a significant number of UNRWA employees are members of terrorist organizations. The U.S. suspended its UNRWA aid in late January in response to Israel's unsubstantiated allegations against the agency's workers, and the House-passed Israel legislation would prohibit funding for the organization.
…more…
April 21, 2024
What Everyone Should Know
CDC recommends that people get MMR vaccine to protect against measles, mumps, and rubella. Children should get two doses of MMR vaccine, starting with the first dose at 12 to 15 months of age, and the second dose at 4 through 6 years of age. Teens and adults should also be up to date on their MMR vaccination.
Two MMR vaccines are available for use in the United States, M-M-R II and PRIORIX. M-M-R II and PRIORIX are fully interchangeable for all indications for which MMR vaccination is recommended. Children may also get MMRV vaccine, which protects against measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella (chickenpox). This vaccine is only licensed for use in children who are 12 months through 12 years of age.
Who Should Get MMR Vaccine?
…
Adults
Adults who do not have presumptive evidence of immunity should get at least one dose of MMR vaccine.
Certain adults may need 2 doses. Adults who are going to be in a setting that poses a high risk for measles or mumps transmission should make sure they have had two doses separated by at least 28 days. These adults include
students at post-high school education institutions
healthcare personnel
international travelers
…more…
(Measles outbreak traveling around. Check with your doc. Better safe.)
https://mynorthwest.com/3958083/international-students-remain-in-quarantine-in-king-county-hotel-after-measles-exposure/
International students remain in quarantine in King County hotel after measles exposure
Apr 20, 2024, 1:16 PM
Measles outbreak/vaccines: What Everyone Should Know
https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd/mmr/public/index.htmlWhat Everyone Should Know
CDC recommends that people get MMR vaccine to protect against measles, mumps, and rubella. Children should get two doses of MMR vaccine, starting with the first dose at 12 to 15 months of age, and the second dose at 4 through 6 years of age. Teens and adults should also be up to date on their MMR vaccination.
Two MMR vaccines are available for use in the United States, M-M-R II and PRIORIX. M-M-R II and PRIORIX are fully interchangeable for all indications for which MMR vaccination is recommended. Children may also get MMRV vaccine, which protects against measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella (chickenpox). This vaccine is only licensed for use in children who are 12 months through 12 years of age.
Who Should Get MMR Vaccine?
…
Adults
Adults who do not have presumptive evidence of immunity should get at least one dose of MMR vaccine.
Certain adults may need 2 doses. Adults who are going to be in a setting that poses a high risk for measles or mumps transmission should make sure they have had two doses separated by at least 28 days. These adults include
students at post-high school education institutions
healthcare personnel
international travelers
…more…
(Measles outbreak traveling around. Check with your doc. Better safe.)
https://mynorthwest.com/3958083/international-students-remain-in-quarantine-in-king-county-hotel-after-measles-exposure/
International students remain in quarantine in King County hotel after measles exposure
Apr 20, 2024, 1:16 PM
April 21, 2024
Why Amazon's Just Walk Out Technology Failed
A Change of Mind Has a High Price in Surveillance Shopping Models
CHARLES MUDEDE
Earlier this month, Business Insider reported that Amazon's Just Walk Out technology was not run by robots, but by the eyes of "1,000 workers in India who review what you pick up, set down, and walk out of its stores with." And so what looked like a new trick was in fact old hat. The work of American cashiers and attendants (a high-income society) had simply been, like service-related jobs, offshored to India (a low-income society). And this transference of services from one economic zone to another is only about one thing: wage arbitrage.
The Seattle-based heterodox economist Alan Harvey put it this way in his excellent little book Demand Side Economics: Demand Side Minds.
Explicit in the new globalization is the free flow of capital and the opening and integration of markets. And while "trade" denotes an exchange, the current phenomenon is one of arbitrage of labor, regulation, currencies and financial instruments. Arbitrage is taking advantage of the price differences between two or more markets.
Amazon recently admitted that it does use humans in this technology, but only to train AI. In the near future, the tech corporation promises, humans will be completely replaced by robots. Nevertheless, Amazon is removing the Just Walk Out technology from its Amazon Fresh stores and replacing it with the Dash Cart, which is, in essence, a modification of the self-checkout kiosks found in most grocery stores. (Self-checkout, like the Dash Cart, transfers the paid labor of a cashier to the unpaid labor of a shopper—an extreme form of wage arbitrage.)
Nevertheless, the human-to-AI story does not add up. The problem, as explained to me by an Amazon Web Services (AWS) worker, who, of course, cannot be named, is Just Walk Out demands too many high-end cameras, relentless processing, and the constant movement of a vast amount of information. Therefore the system only works in places that have access to fast internet, which is not cheap.
…more… cost of labor vs cost of ai … high cost when shopper changes their mind and puts the item back … cameras… low wage offshore workers watching cameras…
Why Amazon's Just Walk Out Technology Failed
https://www.thestranger.com/tech/2024/04/19/79474488/why-amazons-just-walk-out-technology-failed/commentsWhy Amazon's Just Walk Out Technology Failed
A Change of Mind Has a High Price in Surveillance Shopping Models
CHARLES MUDEDE
Earlier this month, Business Insider reported that Amazon's Just Walk Out technology was not run by robots, but by the eyes of "1,000 workers in India who review what you pick up, set down, and walk out of its stores with." And so what looked like a new trick was in fact old hat. The work of American cashiers and attendants (a high-income society) had simply been, like service-related jobs, offshored to India (a low-income society). And this transference of services from one economic zone to another is only about one thing: wage arbitrage.
The Seattle-based heterodox economist Alan Harvey put it this way in his excellent little book Demand Side Economics: Demand Side Minds.
Explicit in the new globalization is the free flow of capital and the opening and integration of markets. And while "trade" denotes an exchange, the current phenomenon is one of arbitrage of labor, regulation, currencies and financial instruments. Arbitrage is taking advantage of the price differences between two or more markets.
Amazon recently admitted that it does use humans in this technology, but only to train AI. In the near future, the tech corporation promises, humans will be completely replaced by robots. Nevertheless, Amazon is removing the Just Walk Out technology from its Amazon Fresh stores and replacing it with the Dash Cart, which is, in essence, a modification of the self-checkout kiosks found in most grocery stores. (Self-checkout, like the Dash Cart, transfers the paid labor of a cashier to the unpaid labor of a shopper—an extreme form of wage arbitrage.)
Nevertheless, the human-to-AI story does not add up. The problem, as explained to me by an Amazon Web Services (AWS) worker, who, of course, cannot be named, is Just Walk Out demands too many high-end cameras, relentless processing, and the constant movement of a vast amount of information. Therefore the system only works in places that have access to fast internet, which is not cheap.
…more… cost of labor vs cost of ai … high cost when shopper changes their mind and puts the item back … cameras… low wage offshore workers watching cameras…
Profile Information
Member since: Wed Jun 2, 2021, 01:24 PMNumber of posts: 3,551