06 Oct
A Foreign Perspective, News and Analyses
English Online International Newspapers
Nearly all of these are English-edition daily newspapers. These sites have interesting editorials and essays, and many have links to other good news sources. We try to limit this list to those sites which are regularly updated, reliable, with a high percentage of “up” time.
Recommended:
Irish Examiner>>
France 24>>
Spiegel>>
The Age>>
The Observer>>
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Greta Thunberg: A flashmob or a an eco messiah?
Vasily Amirjanov
Greta Thunberg, a school girl from Sweden, has made a plentitude of headlines lately after she accused world leaders of not addressing environmental problems of planet Earth. In 2018, the girl went to a picket to the building of the Swedish parliament demanding the entire international community should comply with the Paris Agreement on climate change. She threatened not to go to school on Fridays unless her requirements were met. Her initiative found support not only in Sweden, but also in other countries of Europe.
Soon afterwards, Greta embarked on her crusade to travel to environmental conferences, flash mobs and other events, at which she would appear as an “eco-messiah”. Needles to say that some adults have had a hand in her media image. They quickly arranged a yacht for the girl so that she could environmentally reach the United States of America.
Who are these people who nominate the schoolgirl for a Nobel Prize and provide media support for her? Greta Thunberg’s message to adolescents has hit the spot. Millions of teenagers all over the world paid attention to her as they were searching for answers to their adolescent questions.
Environmental protection is an extremely important problem indeed. There is hardly any country in the world that may boast of perfect ecology. European countries, including Scandinavian ones, are significantly ahead of others in terms of their attention to issues of environmental protection. Some others try to take their harmful productions outside their local ecosystems to third world countries. Nevertheless, the problem remains and returns with pollution or water, air, etc.
Greta Thunberg says that the powers-that-be stole her childhood from her, ruined her childhood dreams and deceived expectations of her generation. Her obsession with the subject may seem frightening at first. The girl’s parents seem to be concerned about their daughter as well as she is keeping her eye on them for the purpose of environmental protection.
Her speech at the 2019 UN climate action summit in New York was emotional and even hysterical. It was an act to attract public attention by any possible means. At the same time, the girl spoke of the problems that many adults are too lazy to deal with. One shall admit that it is activists like Greta who can make governments listen.
Not that long ago, Sergei Zverev, Russian stylist and hairdresser, who positions himself as a glamorous pop star, held a single picket on Red Square protesting against the construction of a plant for the production of drinking water on Lake Baikal. Zverev was arrested and fined. Interestingly, however, it was either Zverev’s picket or something else that made the project of the plant remain on paper.
Clearly, man overestimates his impact on nature. Global processes on the planet, such as global warming or global cooling, take place regardless of UN Security Council resolutions. At the same time, we all can do something to preserve wildlife and forests on the planet.
Barbaric deforestation, man-made fires that are delicately called “wildfires” – this is a real disaster that is far from being an aspect of Greta Thunberg’s teenage maximalism. In Russia, it is generally believed that extinguishing fires is economically unviable. Many of us – let’s face it – believe that the problems of the future generation are something that they, not us, will have to deal with. There will be no point in achieving economic growth if future generations have no clean air to breathe with.
Rising voices: young people fight for climate action – video
Cybele Malinowski, Charlie Ford and Amy Low
On 20 September, filmmakers Cybele Malinowski, Charlie Ford and Amy Low created a makeshift set at the global climate strike event held in Sydney, Australia. They interviewed 18 passionate young people from different backgrounds about why the event matters. The result is an intimate, raw and formidable series capturing the thoughts, fears and hopes of Australia’s next generation
Fake blood sprayed on Treasury in Extinction Rebellion protest – video
Extinction Rebellion activists have sprayed 1,800 litres of fake blood on the Treasury’s building in Westminster.
Protesters used an out-of-commission fire engine to drench the front of the building in red liquid and also erected a banner that read: ‘Stop funding climate death’
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Galveston police release mounted officers’ body-cam videos
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Officers arrested Donald Neely on suspicion of criminal trespass
A white Texas police officer can be heard twice on a body camera video saying leading a homeless black man by a rope down city streets while he and his partner are on horseback will look “bad”.
Two Galveston police officers arrested 43-year-old Donald Neely on 3 August, accusing him of criminal trespass. Galveston is about 50 miles south-east of Houston.
Images shared online of the two white officers leading Neely using a rope tied to his handcuffs sparked public outrage, leading to a Texas Rangers investigation and a Galveston county sheriff’s office review.
Protesters last month demanded that the officers’ body camera footage be released. On Wednesday, officials in Galveston released two videos, one from each body camera worn by officers Patrick Brosch and Amanda Smith.
In the footage from Brosch, he can be heard asking Smith if she should go get their truck so they will not have to make Neely walk. Smith says their sergeant would not approve of the officers separating.
Brosch can then be heard saying: “This is gonna look really bad.”
Just before the officers started leading Neely away, Brosch can again he heard saying: “This is gonna look so bad.”
An attorney for Neely did not immediately return a call seeking comment.
In the videos, the two officers can be heard asking Neely, who had prior arrests for criminal trespass, why he keeps sleeping in buildings. The officers seem mostly cordial as they lead Neely.
At one point, Neely, wearing a welding mask he had asked Brosch to place on his head, apparently has trouble seeing because of the mask. The mask was one of several personal belongings Neely had asked to bring with him.
“We’re walking. Let’s go. Stand next to me because I’m going to drag you if not. You have to stand next to me,” Smith tells Neely after Brosch takes off the welding mask.
As they continue, Brosch asks Smith if she wanted to go on a street with less traffic.
“Yeah, I want the less eyesight,” Smith says.
On the videos, cars can be seen driving by the two officers and Neely and people could be seen walking on the sidewalks. At one point, a group of people ask the officers for directions.
The two officers led Neely for several blocks until they reached a parking lot where their truck and horse trailer were located.
In Brosch’s video, Neely can be seen standing in the parking lot for more than 10 minutes until a third officer arrives and loads him into a vehicle.
Galveston’s police chief, Vernon Hale, who is black, said after the arrest the officers on horseback are trained to use such techniques in crowd control situations but the officers displayed “poor judgment in this instance”. He apologized and said the department has since changed its policy.
On its Facebook page on Wednesday, the Galveston police department said it had received the sheriff’s office report on the arrest. Hale will use the report to determine if any further action will be taken against the two officers.
World Politics
United States
‘Are you talking to me?’: furious Trump takes aim at journalist over Ukraine question – video
‘Are you talking to me?’ Donald Trump asked during an extraordinary exchange with Reuters’ White House correspondent Jeff Mason. Trump became angry after Mason asked Trump a question about Ukraine, to which Trump replied: ‘We have the president of Finland. Ask him a question’. Mason responded: ‘I have one for him. I just wanted to follow up on the one that I asked you.’ Trump’s outrage did not subside: ‘Did you hear me? … Ask this gentleman a question. Don’t be rude’
Pelosi and Schiff issue stern warning over Trump impeachment inquiry – video>>
Bernie Sanders had a heart attack, campaign says as senator leaves hospital>>
Trump-Ukraine scandal Second whistleblower comes forward>>
Trump says Ukraine and China should investigate the Bidens – video>>
Trump says Schiff should be forced to resign and looked at for ‘treason’ – video>>
‘It’s totally appropriate’: Pompeo jokes about political pressure at Greek press conference – video>>
Mike Pompeo says lawyers ‘harassed’ his team after he missed Ukraine subpoena deadline – video>>
