[TK News] "We have mass incarceration for the poor, and it’s totally hands-off for the rich, and that’s pretty hard to stomach." Justice Jed Rakoff on his new book, and his famous challenge to the system.
On November 27, 2011, a federal judge named Jed Rakoff threw out a $285 million regulatory settlement between Citigroup and the Securities and Exchange Commission, blasting it as "neither fair, nor reasonable, nor adequate, nor in the public interest." The S.E.C. and Citigroup were stunned. Expecting to see their malodorous deal wrapped up, the parties were instead directed "to be ready to try this case" the following summer.
Try a case? Was the judge kidding? A pattern had long ago been established in which mega-companies like Citigroup that were implicated in serious offenses would be let off with slaps on the wrist, by soft-touch regulators who expected judges to play ball. These officials in many cases were private sector hotshots doing temporary tours as regulators, denizens of the revolving door biding time before parachuting back into lucrative corporate defense jobs. A judge who refused to sign the settlements such folks engineered was derailing everyone’s gravy train.
Citigroup had replicated a scheme employed by numerous big banks of the era, helping construct a "born to lose" portfolio of rotten mortgage securities to be unloaded on customer-dupes, who were unaware the bank intended to bet against them. A similar case involving a Goldman, Sachs deal called "Abacus" had concluded the previous year with a hefty fine, but, infamously, no admission of wrongdoing.
In the Citigroup version, the bank earned $160 million in profits, customers lost $700 million, and the S.E.C. wanted to impose a $285 million fine. As noted by papers like the Washington Post at the time, the S.E.C.’s logic was to ask the bank to return the money ($160 million plus interest equaled $190 million) and pay a $95 million civil penalty on top.
Citigroup that quarter alone earned $3.8 billion in profits, which meant the S.E.C. proposed to charge the bank — which had been functionally bankrupt in 2008 and was booming again thanks to a massive public bailout, engineered in part by former Citi officials by the way — a fee of 2.5% of its quarterly profits. In a country where an ordinary schlub could get multiple years in prison for something like third-degree attempted theft of a car, seeking no individual penalties and asking shareholders to forego a tiny fraction of earnings as restitution for stealing $160 million was a joke.
The fine was "pocket change to any entity as large as Citigroup," noted Rakoff, in a blistering 15-page opinion. Objecting to the practice of allowing corporate crooks to walk away without admission of wrongdoing, he noted that Citigroup had already begun asserting its right to deny the allegations, both in litigation and to the media. This, he said, left the public despairing "of ever knowing the truth in a matter of obvious public importance."
#1
Unless you believe the government is your friend, (today) this is actually your friend. If it is properly secured, you know what it is doing and you can add or withdraw from it in total privacy.
On April 22 Gensler announced that he had appointed Alex Young K. Oh to be his top Wall Street crime fighter. Reuters (and numerous other media outlets) spun the announcement like this:
“The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission today named former federal prosecutor Alex Oh as its new head of enforcement, the first woman of color to lead the division, which plays a crucial role in policing U.S. financial markets."
Alex Young K. Oh was a former federal prosecutor, but one of numerous assistant U.S. Attorneys working in the Southern District of New York more than two decades ago. What Oh has been doing for the past two decades is working as an attorney for Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, the law firm that major Wall Street banks repeatedly choose to fight their serial fraud charges.
[911] Shantee Orr, one of eight former NFL players who, along with an athletic trainer, are charged with taking part in a $632,000 scheme to defraud an NFL player trust fund by submitting false claims for medical benefits, has pleaded guilty, Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg announced Wednesday.
The scheme was investigated by the fraud unit of the Texas Department of Insurance in cooperation with the Harris County District Attorney’s Office.
"When former players cheat the system, they are stealing from their former teammates," Ogg said. "We thank the Texas Department of Insurance for their partnership in uncovering this scam."
Orr, 40, a former linebacker who played with the Houston Texans from 2003-07, pleaded guilty Wednesday to the third-degree felony charge of securing the execution of a document, namely checks, by deception. He received $129,194. Of that total, he has repaid $97,929 in restitution to the NFL trust account and received five years’ probation.
In the scheme, the remaining $31,265 Orr received went to Louis Ray, an athletic trainer and owner of Rehab Express, a Galleria-area rehabilitation facility. Ray faces first-degree felony charges, accused of creating fraudulent invoices claiming to perform treatments on the players from March 7, 2016, to November 2018.
[NYPOST] Seventeen alleged gang members responsible for a spate of shootings, including four murders, were charged in an 118-count indictment in Brooklyn on Tuesday, officials announced.
The defendants, 14 of whom are teenagers, are accused of hunting down rival gang members and committing a series of armed assaults, killing four people and wounding 10 in the process, the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office said.
There are 14 teenagers among the the slew of defendants.
"One of the most disturbing aspects of this case is the age of the defendants in this indictment. Some of them were as young as 14 or 15 years old" when the crimes were committed, said Brooklyn DA Eric Gonzalez at a news conference.
"That is heartbreaking, that some of our youngest residents in our county are involved in this gang and gun violence ... it’s devastating and it’s truly destructive.
The alleged babyfaced killers are members of the YPF gang — an alliance of three street gangs in Brownsville, East New York and Fort Greene that banded together to increase their power as they waged a war against their enemies, prosecutors said.
Videos obtained throughout the investigation allegedly show the teens flaunting their guns in a series of social media posts, including one that depicts a defendant shoving a gun inside a puppy’s mouth as he holds the dog by its scruff.
"These videos really show, and they were all uncovered during the course of the investigation, how deeply ingrained the problem is, how this gang and gun culture has obsessed these young men. They wave these guns around. They show them off. They brag about them. These guns are in a way something that they think makes them men," Gonzalez told news hounds.
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[NYPOST] An accused Las Vegas murderer nabbed with a severed head in the back of a truck he’d stolen just happened to swipe the wrong vehicle, his lawyer claimed.Eric Holland, 57, allegedly stole a gold Chevrolet Avalanche — not realizing that body parts inside coolers were stashed inside when cops pulled him over on Dec. 23, defense attorney David Westbrook said in court, according to KVVU-TV.
Police said Holland was initially spotted in a stolen Toyota Tundra, but dodged cops by ducking into a local parking lot and driving out in the Chevy, which had also been stolen, according to the outlet.
Vegas cops made the grisly discovery after pulling over the Chevy and busting Holland.
He now faces murder charges in the case, with the victim identified as Richard Miller, who died from multiple gunshot wounds, according to the local coroner.
Holland was allegedly "an acquaintance" of Miller, KVVU said in a report. What a coincidence!
But Westbrook said his client is the actual victim — of dumb luck.
He argued that Holland would not have gotten into the Chevy while cops were after him if he knew what was in the bed of the truck.
"In order to believe he had knowledge of what was in the vehicle, you would have to believe he intentionally led police to the body," he said. "Why would he do that?"
Judge Harmony Letizia didn’t buy it and ordered Holland held without bail until his next court appearance on Jan. 27.
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[10 News]"He punched me in my p*nis! They wouldn't do this if I was a man!"
Reigning "Jeopardy!" champion Amy Schneider was robbed at gunpoint over New Year's weekend in Oakland, California. Walking around Oakland late at night. Old habits really are difficult to break.
Schneider tweeted about the robbery to her 52,000 followers, saying she was shaken up but otherwise OK.
"Hi all! So, first off: I'm fine," Schneider said in a post. "But I got robbed yesterday, lost my ID, credit cards, and phone. I then couldn't really sleep last night, and have been dragging myself around all day trying to replace everything."
The Oakland resident said the robbers made off with her ID, credit cards, and phone and she couldn't sleep Sunday night.
Oakland police said in a statement they were still investigating the armed robbery that occurred Sunday afternoon and had not yet made any arrests.
The police department did not immediately respond to phone or email messages.
Schneider, the first transgender contestant to qualify for the show's Tournament of Champions, won again on Tuesday, bringing her impressive winning streak to 25 consecutive victories.
Thus far, Schenider has amassed $897,600 in winnings, the Associated Press reported.
Posted by: Too Old To Work ||
01/06/2022 8:04 Comments ||
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#8
^ candidate for Snark-of-the-Day right there. Why do these hilarious posts always happen when I'm drinking coffee? Oh Well..I needed to clean the monitor anyway..
[An Nahar] A sergeant in the Paraguayan presidential guard died after he was gored by a deer roaming the grounds of the presidential palace, a military front man said on Tuesday.Victor Isasi "died from a perforation in the thorax" after he was attacked by the deer at dawn, said Colonel Victor Urdapilleta.
The chital, a native of the Indian subcontinent, is among several animals kept in the 10 hectare gardens of President Mario Abdo Benitez's official residence near the capital Asuncion.
The grounds mostly host native species such as rheas, macaws and an mborevi (a South American tapir), said Urdapilleta.
"On the security camera you can see (the sergeant) enter the sector where these animals are and he makes a movement (lifts a hand) that provokes the deer's reaction," said Urdapilleta.
The soldier was on a routine patrol.
Urdapilleta said the next of kin would be compensated.
Frederic Bauer, director of wildlife at the environment ministry, said the chital was part of a litter reared on a government ranch in Paraguay.
He admitted that "it is not appropriate to have exotic animals in captivity but there is no regulation."
Urdapilleta also said the officials responsible for the presidential grounds had consulted with the environment ministry before incorporating chitals in the gardens.
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#1
Urdapilleta said the next of kin would be compensated.
[FoxNews] According to Ready.gov, a good emergency supplies kit should have three days worth of water and food per person (one gallon per person, per day). The kit should also include items like a battery-powered or hand-crank radio, flashlight, first aid kit, extra batteries and backup cell phone chargers.
These kits should also include items like can openers, maps, basic tools, garbage bags and duct tape.
The Red Cross also recommends making sure that it has a seven-day supply of necessary medications and copies of important personal documents.
If possible, it’s also a good idea to include some cash, as power outages may make paying with credit or debit cards impossible.
Of course, people expecting to travel in cold weather should also pack emergency blankets, hats, gloves, warm socks and a change of clothes.
It’s also important to ensure that any vehicles are ready to travel. Ahead of bad weather, the state of Michigan advises that drivers double-check fluid levels for power steering, brakes, windshield washer and oil. It may also be necessary to add windshield washer fluid that has an anti-freeze agent in it.
Depending on the size, cars can also be stocked with emergency shovels, ice scrapers and even cat litter (which can be used to give tires traction on icy or snowy roads).
If you do get stuck, it’s important not to leave your engine running for heat. If the tail pipe gets blocked and/or you get plowed in, the exhaust can suffocate the vehicle’s inhabitants. If it’s safe to leave the vehicle, check with nearby drivers. Other vehicles, such as 18-wheelers, may have supplies.
#2
Something funny today about a Jeopardy! joke getting taken.
This advice is asking a lot for owners of city carts...you know, the people who have been laughing at the price of gas expenses for those who have normal size vehicles, and especially larger vehicles such as 18 wheelers. Oh, and they love it when you climb on their rig and start knocking the windows. Even better, go ahead and just open their door as if they were some mobile quick-e shop.
Shoot, a Focus is a large city cart, and you can barely fit a passenger and two cases of beer in the cabin.
And if you or a passenger can't get to it without going out of the vehicle, just assume you don't have it. Keep you seat belt on as much as possible in case of a game of shuffleboard.
[WGRZ] Some passengers were enduring one of the worst trips ever Tuesday as winter weather continued to wreak havoc not only with road travel but also Amtrak trains, where stranded passengers said they were dealing with overflowing toilets and a lack of food.
Amtrak's Crescent, which left New Orleans on Sunday on its way to New York, got stuck north of Lynchburg, Virginia, on Monday morning, returned to Lynchburg and remained there until finally heading northbound again late Tuesday afternoon. Officials said downed trees had been blocking the tracks.
Earlier Tuesday, passenger Sean Thornton said in a phone interview that the railroad was providing food, but toilets were overflowing and passengers were furious. The Richmond, Virginia, resident was in a sleeping car with a private toilet, but he said coach passengers were suffering "a wretched, wretched experience" with cars reeking of overflowing toilets.
"I get it that there are weather conditions," said Thornton, who was traveling from Atlanta to Charlottesville, Virginia. "The real failure here was communication and management involvement."
Amtrak spokesperson Kimberly Woods wrote in an email that the train would go on to New York, where it was supposed to arrive on Monday, once the tracks were clear.
Thornton said that the train crew offered no information after the train parked north of Lynchburg for hours Monday without cell service, until finally backing up to the city around midnight, with no word on what came next. He said the train ran out of food Monday and that passengers weren't offered anything to eat until McDonald's was brought to the train around midmorning Tuesday.
Thornton also said a member of the train crew yelled at passengers over the public address system on Monday to stop complaining to them, instead telling them to call Amtrak's 1-800 number.
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[An Nahar] Ecuador on Tuesday warned would-be wild animal eaters of possible prison time and Colombia launched an investigation after a competitive cooking TV show featured shark, alligator and capybara as ingredients.
In the offending episode, contestants of MasterChef Ecuador cooked up tollo, a small shark, as well as a type of wild deer and a capybara, a large rodent that can weigh up to 80 kilograms (175 lbs). "Fry up some Nutria instead"
The National Animal Movement of Ecuador warned that the use of such ingredients on TV would "normalize the consumption of protected animals, whose ownership contributes to the trafficking of wild animals and the destruction of ecosystems."
Neither the channel nor the producers of the program responded to the charges leveled against them, though the show's chef and judge, Carolina Sanchez, claimed the meat was "from a farm."
In response to the program, which was filmed in Colombia, Ecuador's environment ministry said it "rejects the promotion and dissemination of graphic or audiovisual content that encourages the purchase and consumption of wild species or their constituent elements."
It also warned that crimes against wild flora and fauna can be punished with prison sentences of up to three years.
In Colombia, Environment Minister Carlos Eduardo Correa announced an investigation.
He said authorities "are verifying information circulating on social networks about the use of wildlife by-products in television programs.
"Trafficking and marketing of wildlife is a crime in Colombia," he wrote on Twitter.
MasterChef Ecuador, which is in its third season, is recorded in Colombia and broadcast on the privately owned national channel Teleamazonas.
Posted by: Fred ||
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#1
But capybara tastes good. Pangolin tastes good.
Pangolin may taste like pumpkin pie but I'd never know 'cuz I'd never eat the filthy M-fr.
Mexico’s military is allegedly working to cover up its loss of weapons purchased from other countries.Mexico’s Army (SEDENA) is losing approximately 30 percent of weapons purchased from the U.S., a report from Mexican journalist Carlos Loret De Mola revealed. The report comes as Mexico’s federal government litigates against firearm manufacturers in a U.S. court, blaming them for the raging cartel violence.
Those missing weapons are showing up in scene of the crimes. Mexico’s military has also allegedly misplaced weapons bought from Germany, Australia, Italia, Romania, Spain, and Belgium.
In Mexico, the Army is the only entity that can purchase weapons from other countries. Further, all weapons bought by federal, state, and local law enforcement, as well as private citizens, are sold by SEDENA. Loret De Mola reports that a national center called CENAPI within the Attorney General’s Office keeps track of weapons found in scene of the crimes or seized from criminal organizations — but because of the lawsuit, they are suppressing information about Mexican Army guns in the hands of cartels. The CENAPI even denied requests for information about those weapons as a way to protect the military as being partly responsible in Mexico’s illicit gun trade.
The new allegations come at a time when Mexico’s military is plagued by scandals. State authorities in Oaxaca arrested a former general who was a candidate for secretary of defense on extortion charges in December.
Also in December, Canadian authorities arrested General Eduardo Leon Trauwitz on an extradition warrant from Mexico over his alleged role in the widespread theft of fuel, CBC reported.
In October 2020, U.S. authorities arrested former Mexican Secretary of Defense Salvador Cienfuegos on drug trafficking charges. Mexico’s government was able to secure his release claiming they would investigate and prosecute, but ultimately dismissed the case.
[EADaily] Coordination of protests in Kazakhstan comes from Ukraine. This follows from the appeal published by the fugitive Kazakh oligarch Mukhtar Ablyazov.
Today, January 5, a Kazakh opposition leader with a corruption-criminal train Mukhtar Ablyazov published an appeal to the participants in the riots on Facebook.
"We call for coordinating actions to protest and change Nazarbayev’s regime. We gather near the akimats. If we gather tens, hundreds of thousands of people, then the police will go over to the side of the people!" says the agitation.
However, users noticed that the phone numbers, which Ablyazov suggests to contact, have the international code of Ukraine - +380, and 50 and 99 - the codes of the Ukrainian "Vodafon".
Here are just a few comments from Ablyazov's subscribers:
"The numbers of 'Vatsap' are Ukrainian. It is clear where the wind is blowing from."
"It would seem, what does the Ukrainian phone numbers have to do with it."
"We, Ukrainians, also demanded lower tariffs. Tariffs have only been growing over the years. Be careful, Kazakh brothers, watch your hands carefully!"
"Now, dear comrades, you can tell me that the protests in Kazakhstan - 'you don't understand, this is different!' Come on, tell me and the whole world how the authorities have bothered you and that these are purely intra-Kazakh showdowns," notes the TG channel of the Ukrainian social activist Tatiana Montyan.
Earlier, EADaily reported that the key Telegram channel coordinating the unrest in Kazakhstan was NEXTA, which is under the external control of the Polish special services and was previously used to coordinate the insurgency in Belarus.
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
01/06/2022 6:30 Comments ||
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#3
Wait -- is it from the Ukraine or Poland? Or is it blamed on everyone until an accusation sticks and Putin can roll the tanks?
Posted by: Rob Crawford ||
01/06/2022 7:08 Comments ||
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#4
Actually looks like a split between Tokayev (current president) and Nazarbayev (former president). Security forces didn’t pick a side until the 5th. Simultaneous attacks on 3 airfields, the former presidential palace and admin centers aren’t commonly conducted spontaneously by disorganized rioters. If there were simultaneous attacks on ATL, LAX and MSP airports plus Camp David and New York City Hall it would be prudent to presume there was some coordination. Especially if the attacks incorporated full auto small arms and grenades. Hard to believe I know but occasionally the MSM doesn’t provide an accurate presentation of current events
#7
If Hunter's paintaings go for $500,000 a (Corn)pop, then surely Hunter should be paid at least $50 million* for an expedition back to his old stomping grounds on behalf of dear ol' Nazarbayev, no?
#8
PervOTUS should dispatch son Hunter Crackpipeshev to fly to Almaty and round up the private army of his bandit pal Kenes Rakishev, the Kazakh oligarch crony of Nursultan Nazarbayev
Wagner arrived in Kazakhstan about the same time as the Russian airborne did.
#11
Today, January 5, a Kazakh opposition leader with a corruption-criminal train Mukhtar Ablyazov published an appeal to the participants in the riots on Facebook.
Bet old Zuckerfart was happy to carry this crap, especially after he canceled Marjorie Taylor Green.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
01/06/2022 12:43 Comments ||
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#12
We Are Ruled By Corrupt Morons who for 30 years have viewed the former USSR countries as their personal piñata to be whacked for fun and profit.
The process is simple:
1. Swampy UniParty pols, consultants, lobbyists darken the skies over (Kyiv)(Bucharest)(Almaty)(Sofia) (other ex-Warsaw Pact capital)
2. Swampies promise local elites NATO membership, US aid
3. Elites introduce Swampies to local Oligarchs i.e. to their relatives and siloviki-cronies
4. Elites take in millions through
... Hunter-style board seats and sweetheart investments
... Manafort, Morris et al campaign consulting fees
... "BlueStar"-style lobbying efforts on Capitol Hill to get useless tiny E Euro backwaters admitted to NATO
... investment banking fees for revolving door Swampy-bankers
5. Encourage Swampy invite-and-invade-the-world GOPpers to whip up US support for / intervention into the latest Daisy Chain Revolution in Whatdafukistan
6. Rinse, repeat. So many little ex-Warsaw Pact countries to loot.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[KavkazUzel] The crews of about 15 ships and boats of the Caspian Flotilla are practicing their combat readiness skills, the military said today.
As the "Caucasian Knot" wrote in August 2018, the Ministry of Defense announced the redeployment of the Caspian flotilla from Astrakhan to Kaspiysk . It was decided to build a full-fledged naval base there and create about 5,000 jobs. By April 2021, about 500 families of seamen of the Caspian Flotilla received service apartments in Dagestan. Kaspiysk is on the western shore of the Caspian Sea and has been used in the past as a staging point for naval infantry operations in Dagestan and in Chechnya. The naval infantry reaction forces were deployed in Kaspiysk during the latter stages of the 2nd Chechen War.
A special naval exercise took place in Dagestan, at the base of surface ships of the Caspian Flotilla, the press service of the Southern Military District said today.
"With the receipt of the 'Battle Alert' signal, the crews of the ships worked out actions to prepare the ship for battle and cruise, at combat posts and command posts of the ships, weapons, technical and energy resources were transferred to readiness for immediate use," the message posted on the website of the Ministry of Defense says.
During the exercise, the crews were transferred to round-the-clock combat duty. In total, more than 200 servicemen took part in the exercise. About 15 surface ships and boats were involved, the publication notes.
Recall that at the end of December 2021, about 2,000 marines of the Caspian Flotilla worked out their combat shooting, reconnaissance and camouflage skills at the Adanak training ground in Dagestan.
On December 8, 2021, the Ministry of Defense reported that the crews of about 20 ships of the Caspian Flotilla are practicing the skills of preparing for battle, defense, as well as radiation, chemical and biological protection.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[REGNUM] The number of people injured in a mass car accident on the 217th kilometer of the M-4 "Don" highway in the Tula region, which occurred on January 5, increased to 17 people. This was reported by the Russian Emergencies Ministry.
In total, 60 vehicles were involved in the accident, including nine trucks, 48 cars and three passenger buses.
“17 people were injured, five of them were children,” TASS cites the data of the Ministry of Emergencies.
The reason for the massive accidents in the Ministry of Emergency Situations was called weather conditions - heavy snowfall and blizzard.
As reported earlier by IA REGNUM , only on January 5 on the Don highway in the Tula region there were several massive car accidents involving a total of almost 120 cars.
Warming and blizzard expected in Saratov
[REGNUM] Heavy snow, sleet and snow is expected in Saratov next night. The city administration warns about this with reference to weather forecasters.
Fog is also predicted with a visibility of 500 meters or less, ice may be on the roads, in the daytime gusts of wind can reach 13-15 m/s.
The air temperature will rise sharply to positive values. At night it is expected to -11 deg. to - 13 deg. C, in the afternoon the thermometer will rise to - 1 deg. to + 1 deg. C.
As reported by IA REGNUM , the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Tatarstan warned on the eve of a sharp cold snap, it is expected to reach -30 deg. C. Fog with visibility of 500 meters or less is also predicted.
Heavy sleet, ice and wind are expected in the Kaluga region
[REGNUM] Heavy sleet, ice on the roads, increased north-west wind of 12-17 m/s, sleet deposition on wires and trees are predicted in the Kaluga region on January 5, a REGNUM correspondent reports citing information from the Kaluga Center for Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring.
In order to promptly respond to the evolving situation in the region, the interaction of the dispatching services has been organized. The forces and means of the Main Directorate of the EMERCOM of Russia in the Kaluga Region have been put on high alert. Specialized equipment has been prepared.
In case of deterioration of the situation, the airmobile group of the Main Directorate (60 people, 15 pieces of equipment) will be involved. On especially dangerous sections of federal highways (M-3, R-132, R-92, A-130), the situation is monitored.
[ColonelCassad] 2022 decided to start without overclocking, but immediately like this.
In the evening, Tokayev appealed for help to the CSTO, using the actually available option, spelled out in the agreements of the bloc members. He referred to the terrorist threat, the massive seizure of infrastructure facilities, as well as the battle going on near Alma-Ata between Kazakh paratroopers and militants.
A little later, in social networks, against the background of the silence of official resources, there were reports that the CSTO would use the necessary mechanisms and help to restore order.
Pashinyan on his Facebook page (the CSTO informs about its plans on a resource controlled by the secret services of a hostile military-political bloc. The triumph of postmodernism) announced that the decision to send troops was made with the consent of the members of the CSTO Council.
I draw your attention to the fact that the introduction of troops is motivated by outside interference. Hello to fans of the thesis that "it is all by itself."
If the entry of troops takes place, then I do not think that the CSTO troops will be engaged in the fight against riots. The main task is to take control of key roads, infrastructure facilities, enterprises, the same Baikonur, etc. Having freed the forces of the Kazakh security forces to work on the hotbeds of the ongoing riot and, in particular, to eliminate the trash that is now going on in Almaty.
Checkpoints are set up on the roads with cars inspecting for weapons and loot. If necessary, support is provided to the Kazakh military in the event of clashes with armed gangs. Strengthened exchange of information through the special services, provision of additional information resources (including personnel).
In general, a supporting and stabilizing role. Cities from marauders and pogromists, who are now well armed with weapons captured in abandoned guns, should be cleaned out by the Kazakhs themselves, if they are still at all capable of doing this.
In fact, if nothing changes, this will be the first full-fledged CSTO operation.
CSTO Council to send collective peacekeeping forces to Kazakhstan
[REGNUM] The CSTO Council decided to send the collective peacekeeping forces of the CSTO to Kazakhstan. The corresponding statement was published on January 6 by the Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan on his Facebook.
The decision was made by the CSTO Council in connection with the appeal of the President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Zhomart Tokayev and in connection with the threat to national security and the sovereignty of the Republic caused, among other things, by outside interference.
When making a decision, the CSTO Council was guided by Article 4 of the Collective Security Treaty.
The contingent of the CSTO peacekeeping forces is being brought into Kazakhstan for a limited period of time in order to stabilize and normalize the situation in the country.
Earlier, REGNUM news agency reported that Armenian Prime Minister Pashinyan began consultations with the leaders of the CSTO in connection with the situation in Kazakhstan.
[PUBLISH.TWITTER]
Protests around #Kazakhstan have killed eight security personnel and injured 317, a news agency says, as President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev failed to quell public outrage over the influence of his powerful predecessor.https://t.co/pxKiKmBthP
Nationwide state of emergency declared in Kazakhstan
[RT] Kazakhstan’s authorities have imposed a state of emergency across the country in an attempt to get a grip on a deteriorating security situation, after widespread demonstrations were sparked by a gas price hike.
President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev reached for the sweeping measures late on Wednesday, hours after saying he intended to act "as tough as possible" against the violence.
The state of emergency vastly expands the powers of the country’s police and military, as well as allowing the handing down of heavy penalties, including lengthy prison terms, on those caught breaking the law while it is in place.
Overnight, emergency powers were declared in certain parts of the country, including the nation’s most populous city, Almaty. The former capital has been gripped by violent mostly peaceful unrest throughout the day, with protesters overrunning multiple government buildings, including the old presidential palace, and torching them.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. Russian Foreign Ministry urges Russian citizens in Kazakhstan to stay in houses and hotels
[REGNUM] In connection with the introduction of a state of emergency and a curfew on the territory of Kazakhstan, the Russian Foreign Ministry urged citizens of the Russian Federation not to leave their homes and hotels. This was reported on January 6 by the Department of the Situation and Crisis Center of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation.
Citizens of Russia are advised to take precautions, avoid crowds of people, take refuge in dwellings, having made a preliminary supply of food.
Russian citizens in Kazakhstan are advised to follow the reports of the nearest diplomatic mission of the Russian Federation, the Foreign Ministry said.
In the city, automatic fires are heard. According to eyewitnesses, the shooting is taking place in different parts of the city. The death toll is reported.
It is worth recalling that the security forces are currently trying to clean the streets of protesters, who are mostly looting and robbing shops.
Despite the curfew imposed by the country's President Kassym-Zhomart Tokayev, it is not observed by anyone.
Also reported about casualties among the military personnel who took control of the airport of Almaty.
#1
Military Informant on Vkontakte reports that elements (presumably a regiment) of the Russian 76th Guards Airborne Division (Pskov) and a similar Belarusian airborne unit has arrived in Alma Ata.
I forget where, but I read where the Russian 56th Guards Airborne Brigade arrived a few hours earlier.
Also, the Russian 77th Separate Naval Infantry Brigade, -- part of the Caspian Sea Flotilla -- recently on emergency exercises, is available.
Fleet naval infantry units are the fleet/flotilla commander's personal guard, and as such can only be committed as part of the fleet mission; i.e. No one can make the Caspian Sea Flotilla commander use his forces against his will.
While it is unlikely any part of the 77th NIB will be deployed to Kazakhstan, it is likely special forces and their naval components will be monitoring Kazakhstan's long eastern shore with the Caspian Sea.
#2
Military Informant also reports a battle between Kazakhstan security forces an protesters during an attempt to storm the police building in Alma Ata has resulted in "dozens" being liquidated.
Addendum to the first comment:
Elements of the Russian 45th Guards Spetsnaz Brigade are being sent to Kazakhstan, according to Military Informant on VKontakte.
#Australia and #Japan are set to sign a treaty to beef up defense and security cooperation at a virtual summit, in the latest move to strengthen ties amid #China’s rising military power and economic clout in the Indo-Pacific region.https://t.co/G7P6wn1DZ0
[Investors] Minutes from the Federal Reserve's Dec. 14-15 policy meeting signaled an apparent consensus that $4.5 trillion in Covid-era asset purchases unwind at a rate of more than $50 billion per month. The Fed minutes revelation deepened stock market losses. The Dow Jones, S&P 500 and Nasdaq dived as Treasury yields rose and rate-hike odds increased...
Powell indicated policymakers could make a decision in upcoming meetings. While no details were offered, he did offer stock market investors some comforting words. When it comes to the balance sheet, it's "best to take a careful, methodical approach," Powell said, adding that "Markets can be sensitive" about it.
The last time the Fed shrank its balance sheet amid interest-rate hikes, the stock market had a bear-market scare in late 2018. That forced the Fed to call it off and resume balance sheet growth in 2019.
[JustTheNews] ADP released December’s private sector payroll report Wednesday showing that private sector employment rose by 807,000 jobs from November to December, well above experts’ predictions.
Meanwhile, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Tuesday that there are 10.6 million job openings in the U.S. as the “quits rate” rose to 3%.
These quits came amid a rise in federal benefit programs such as the monthly child tax credit, which expired last month.
“Total separations includes quits, layoffs and discharges, and other separations,” BLS said. “Quits are generally voluntary separations initiated by the employee. Therefore, the quits rate can serve as a measure of workers’ willingness or ability to leave jobs. Layoffs and discharges are involuntary separations initiated by the employer. Other separations include separations due to retirement, death, disability, and transfers to other locations of the same firm.”
The Biden administration has touted the job growth as the economy rebounding from the downturn in the wake of nationwide COVID-19 lockdowns, but that recovery has been troubled by other economic indicators such as increased inflation and the elevated quit rates.
“The number of quits increased in November to a series high 4.5 million (+370,000)," BLS said. "The quits rate increased to 3.0 percent, matching the series high in September. Quits increased in several industries with the largest increases in accommodation and food services (+159,000); health care and social assistance (+52,000); and transportation, warehousing, and utilities (+33,000). The number of quits increased in the Northeast, South, and Midwest regions.”
According to the ADP report, small businesses with fewer than 50 employees created 204,000 jobs in December while companies with 50-499 workers created 214,000 jobs. Large companies with 500 or more employees added 389,000 jobs.
The report comes ahead of the monthly federal jobs report expected Friday.
"December's job market strengthened as the fallout from the Delta variant faded and Omicron's impact had yet to be seen," said Nela Richardson, chief economist at ADP. "Job gains were broad-based, as goods producers added the strongest reading of the year, while service providers dominated growth. December's job growth brought the fourth quarter average to 625,000, surpassing the 514,000 average for the year. While job gains eclipsed 6 million in 2021, private sector payrolls are still nearly 4 million jobs short of pre-COVID-19 levels."
ADP, which has 460,000 U.S. clients with nearly 26 million workers in the U.S, worked with Moody Analytics on the report.
“The report, which is derived from ADP's actual data of those who are on a company's payroll, measures the change in total nonfarm private employment each month on a seasonally-adjusted basis,” the group said.
frequently the ADP report varies from the BLS report
Posted by: Lord Garth ||
01/06/2022 11:22 Comments ||
Top||
#3
In today's USSA, anyone with school-age kids at home has his or her hands full dealing with the disaster created by the Covidians' retarded lockdowns and school closings. This generation of schoolchildren is being crushed, right in front of our eyes, by this insanity. No parent can go off to work blithely, knowing that the kids are suffering this way.
Police in #India say they have arrested three people involved in an online app that shared pictures of #Muslim women for a virtual “auction” in an apparent case of communal harassment.https://t.co/NEv7SlnPz5
Indian police said on Wednesday they had arrested three people involved in an online app that shared pictures of Moslem women for a virtual "auction" in an apparent case of communal harassment.
Pictures of dozens of women had been used without their consent and doctored to create an open source app called ’Bulli Bai’ - a derogatory term to describe Moslem women - on the GitHub platform before it was taken down.
Police in the western city of Mumbai, which is investigating the case, said they had arrested three people, two 21-year-old men and an 18-year-old woman.
"We are investigating whether this was a part of a larger conspiracy," Mumbai’s Police Commissioner Hemant Nagrale told news hounds.
Among those targeted were several Indian Moslem journalists, including Ismat Ara who filed and then shared on social media a police complaint that said the app was "clearly aimed at insulting Moslem women."
Moslems make up around 14 percent of India’s 1.3 billion population, and sections of the minority community have been at odds with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government and its Hindu right-wing supporters, including over a controversial 2019 citizenship law that triggered large-scale protests.
Media watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) described the app as "absolutely chilling" and urged Indian authorities to take action.
"To do nothing would be to condone an extremely violent mostly peaceful form of harassment, a form of intimidation that discriminates against an entire sector of the journalistic community and exposes those targeted to potential physical attacks," RSF’s Daniel Bastard said.
The GitHub platform shut down a similar app last year that had used pictures of Indian Moslem women.
Mumbai Police has arrested one more student in 'Bulli Bai' app case. The accused has been identified as Mayank Agarwal. He was nabbed from the northern state in the early hours of Wednesday.
The cyber cell of Mumbai police had earlier arrested Shweta Singh (19), alleged to be the main culprit, from Uttarakhand, and engineering student Vishal Kumar Jha (21) from Bengaluru in connection with the case.
#2
What is most illuminating is that a lead reporter from the Reporters Sans Frontieres has chosen to retain the name Bastard.
As for the storm in the teacup, mehh. It's tit for tat. The moslems have these whatsapp groups and online pages listing all neighborhood non-moslem girls as some sort of harassment targets. There's even forums and darknet groups for upskirts, rapes, molestation, bullying, what have you. So someone went and did it to them.
#5
^ Thanks, TW. Yeah... that at least makes it more interesting than some dropout unemployeds taking it out on moslems. If the 'sleuths' are smart they'll find a way to pin this on the enemy himself.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
[TK News] "We have mass incarceration for the poor, and it’s totally hands-off for the rich, and that’s pretty hard to stomach." Justice Jed Rakoff on his new book, and his famous challenge to the system.
[NYPOST] Seventeen alleged gang members responsible for a spate of shootings, including four murders, were charged in an 118-count indictment in Brooklyn on Tuesday, officials announced.
[10 News]
[WGRZ] Some passengers were enduring one of the worst trips ever Tuesday as winter weather continued to wreak havoc not only with road travel but also Amtrak trains, where stranded passengers said they were dealing with overflowing toilets and a lack of food.
[An Nahar] Ecuador on Tuesday warned would-be wild animal eaters of possible prison time and Colombia launched an investigation after a competitive cooking TV show featured shark, alligator and capybara as ingredients. 
Mexico’s military is allegedly working to cover up its loss of weapons purchased from other countries.Mexico’s Army (SEDENA) is losing approximately 30 percent of weapons purchased from the U.S., a report from Mexican journalist Carlos Loret De Mola revealed. The report comes as Mexico’s federal government litigates against firearm manufacturers in a U.S. court, blaming them for the raging cartel violence.
