In Other News

[Bereta_Eder]

Also it raises the hair on my arm (and there are a lot) that americans so easily confound palestinians with hamas.


sloww said palestinians don;t want isreal to exist


wow


anyway there is one chance at peace that everyone wants to boycott


but wow if sloww said what he said in europe he would be a n extreme right winger

[SlowwHand]

I'll have that opinion no matter where I am.

[Broken_Erika]

Banana giant held liable for funding paramilitaries

A court in the United States has found multinational fruit company Chiquita Brands International liable for financing a Colombian paramilitary group.

The group, the United Self-Defence Forces of Colombia (AUC), was designated by the US as a terrorist organisation at the time.

Following a civil case brought by eight Colombian families whose relatives were killed by the AUC, Chiquita has been ordered to pay $38.3m (£30m) in damages to the families.

Chiquita said in a statement that it intended to appeal against the jury's verdict, arguing that there was "no legal basis for the claims".

The jury in the case, which was heard in a federal court in South Florida, found Chiquita responsible for the wrongful deaths of eight men killed by the AUC.
The AUC engaged in widespread human rights abuses in Colombia, including murdering people it suspected of links with left-wing rebels.
The victims ranged from trade unionists to banana workers.
The case was brought by the families after Chiquita pleaded guilty in 2007 to making payments to the AUC.
During the 2007 trial, it was revealed that Chiquita had made payments amounting to more than $1.7m to the AUC in the six years from 1997 to 2004.
The banana giant said that it began making the payments after the leader of the AUC at the time, Carlos Castaño, implied that staff and property belonging to Chiquita's subsidiary in Colombia could be harmed if the money was not forthcoming.
Lawyers for Chiquita argued that the company had no choice but to pay the AUC to protect its Colombian employees from violence.
But the plaintiffs argued that the company formed "an unholy alliance with the AUC" at a time when Chiquita was expanding its presence in regions controlled by the AUC.
The regular payments continued even after the AUC was designated by the US as a foreign terrorist organisation in 2001.

While the AUC claimed to have been created to defend landowners from attacks and extortion attempts by left-wing rebels, the paramilitary group more often acted as a death squad for drug traffickers.
At its height, it had an estimated 30,000 members who engaged in intimidation, drug trafficking, extortion, forced displacement and killings.
It also launched brutal attacks on villagers they suspected of supporting left-wing rebels.
The group demobilised in 2006 after reaching a peace deal with the government, but some of its members went on to form new splinter groups which continue to be active.

The class-action lawsuit against Chiquita which ended on Monday focussed on nine cases, which were chosen out of hundreds of claims against the banana company.
The jury found that the AUC was responsible for eight of the nine murders examined as part of the lawsuit.
The jury also ruled that Chiquita had knowingly provided substantial assistance to the AUC, to a degree sufficient to create a foreseeable risk of harm.
Chiquita said in a statement released after the verdict that the situation in Colombia was "tragic for so many, including those directly affected by the violence there, and our thoughts remain with them and their families".
"However, that does not change our belief that there is no legal basis for these claims," it added.
The company said it remained confident that its legal position would ultimately prevail.
Agnieszka Fryszman, one of the leading lawyers for the plaintiffs, meanwhile praised the families she represented, saying that they had "risked their lives to come forward to hold Chiquita to account, putting their faith in the United States justice system".
She added that "the verdict does not bring back the husbands and sons who were killed, but it sets the record straight and places accountability for funding terrorism where it belongs: at Chiquita's doorstep".
Another lawyer for the Colombian families, Leslie Kroeger, said that “after a long 17 years against a well-funded defence, justice was finally served”.
A second case against Chiquita brought by another group of plaintiffs is due to start on 15 July.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c6pprpd3x96o

[WigIaf]

if anyone is saving amps on a apollo mission, banana terrorists are probably super expendable

[Uncle Sparky]

[Dinner]

Sadly, terrorists groups often demand protection money or they will kill workers and burn farms. Cartels and terrorist groups love protection racket skeems.

[BlackCat]

BeBMan, I'm worried for you

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cek9mr43x1xo

[BeBMan]

I'm wondering how this would affect spamsharks

[Uncle Sparky]

China, South Korea, India, Italy, and Kazakhstan have all won medals in the shooting events in Paris.
Nothing for the US.
Trump should make a speech about this. It would be funny.

[Uncle Sparky]

Guatemala, Great Britain, Serbia, Sweden, Turkiye, Ukraine, Australia, Coatia, Switzerland have also won medals in the shooting events at the Paris Olympics.
Still nothing for the USA.

[BlackCat]

This is kind of interesting for curious people, Oerdin may even be factually interested

[Dinner]

This is kind of interesting for curious people, Oerdin may even be factually interested

That is an interesting video and I actually like the geologic battery theory though I confess when I started watching that video I thought the answer would be chemotrophic bacteria.

[Ming]

Pennsylvania game machine 'displays' living 'prize' along with stuffed animals for kids

Employees at a miniature course in Duncansville, Pennsylvania, were met with an unusual sight after they noticed that a "prize" was moving inside a claw machine at the Meadows Family Fun Mini Golf venue.
Animal officials were called to the scene when the mini golf course workers found not a "stuffed" animal, but a living one.

Officials at the Pennsylvania Game Commission shared the discovery on Instagram, posting photos of a woodland creature.
The officials shared images of a groundhog hiding in between the stuffed prizes inside the machine.

State Game Warden (SGW) Salvadore Zaffuto was sent to investigate and help remove the stuck groundhog, according to the post.
A groundhog can weigh as much as 11 pounds, according to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Services.
Groundhogs live near rocky outcrops from valley bottoms to alpine tundra, but they avoid dense forest.
The lowland animals are surprisingly quick — and are good tree climbers.
"Upon approach of the machine (to investigate, not play), SGW Zaffuto saw the stuffed animals move and the groundhog [then] popped its head out amongst [the] prizes," said the post.
Officials called the vending machine company to unlock the machine and safely remove the woodchuck back into its habitat unharmed.

Officials joked that "next time," they hoped "the groundhog [would] just play the game with tokens, and not try to cheat to win the prize."

The groundhog, found in a claw machine at a Pennsylvania miniature golf course, was rescued safely and released back into the wild. (Pennsylvania Game Commission)

[N35t0r]

Good luck to whoever rescued it waking up tomorrow instead of today again!

[Ming]

Beware of the klepto kitty! Town terrorised by cat who 'steals' clothes from other people's houses and then takes them home to her mortified owner

A sneaky cat burglar has been tormenting a town by stealing dozens of clothes from unsuspecting homeowners.

Taboo, a 12-year-old black and white moggie, has nicked gloves, socks, underpants and shoes from properties across Otley, West Yorkshire.

Her owner, Sandra Danskin, 62, has now been forced to share regular pictures of the items on social media so residents can collect them.

But the carer, who works night shifts, said mischievous Taboo is rarely caught and has become a 'master' of her criminal trade.

She said: 'Whenever I come home from my shift there are all sorts of things waiting for me, either dragged in through the cat flap or left on the drive.


Taboo, a 12-year-old black and white moggie, has nicked gloves, socks, underpants and shoes from properties across Otley, West Yorkshire

'This morning I had four pairs of socks and a pair of underpants. She loves bringing back items of clothing like that, but also we've had a mop head and kitchen rolls.

'We even had half a dozen eggs once, still in their box, but all broken.

'We think she must have taken them off someone's doorstep when the milkman dropped them off.

'Somebody joked to me that I should train her to go and visit the nearest Rolex watch shop.'

Sandra believes that the feline steals clothes from people's washing lines or sneaks into their houses if doors are left open.

So far, she has only been caught once when a neighbour spotted her trying to take a T-shirt from his clothes dryer in the kitchen.

She also said the moggie is quite fastidious and brings back a 'full set' of anything she managed to find.

Sandra said: 'If she brings back a sock she will always go back and get the matching one so there's a pair.


A collection of clothing that Taboo has taken from people's homes across Otley in West Yorkshire

'I have a box full of stuff she's brought for me and every now and then I go on Facebook and post a photo of it all so people can claim it.'

Sandra said Taboo was originally a house cat and belonged to her daughter, Gemma.

She had honed her craft by taking items out of the clothes dryer and putting them upstairs.

Eventually, Gemma could not bear Taboo's antics any longer, and she went to live with Sandra and her three other cats.


Sandra believes that Taboo steals clothes from people's washing lines or sneaks into their houses if doors are left open

Now the moggie loves to let her current owner know when she's pulled off a successful theft by emitting a signature howl.

Sandra said: 'Whenever she gets something she sits outside and makes this high-pitched whining noise to let me know.

'I've tried talking to her about it but she doesn't change her ways. Underwear, socks, shoes… she just keeps bringing them.

'I can't tell you how many pairs of gardening gloves she's brought me. She also has a bit of a strange taste for pieces of wet cardboard.

'I've never heard of a cat doing anything like this before, and she shows no signs of stopping.'

[Ming]

Nationwide shares most unusual pet insurance claims of the year
By Ben Hooper



Insurance company Nationwide announced the finalists for this year's Hambone Award, which celebrates the most unusual pet insurance claims of the year. Photo by Ben Hooper/UPI




Aug. 20 (UPI) -- Insurance company Nationwide announced the finalists for this year's Hambone Award, which celebrates the most unusual pet insurance claims of the year.


The Hambone Award, named in honor of a dog who ate an entire holiday ham while stuck in a refrigerator, aims "to shed light on the everyday and sometimes bizarre incidents that can befall our beloved pets."


This year's finalists include Archie, a New Jersey dog who injured his paws when he broke through a vintage plate glass door while trying to alert his family of the mail carrier's arrival, and Bear, a Pennsylvania corgi who bit into a bottle of nail adhesive and effectively glued his mouth shut.

A New Jersey parrot named Clover also made the list after a growth spurt caused toenails on her feet to hook together.


A Florida dog named Irma suffered from gastrointestinal issues that turned out to have been the result of eating metal wire pieces believed to be from a barbecue brush, and a Virginia dog named Gordon swallowed two large rocks from her owner's garden.


Rounding out the finalists is Lambeau, a North Carolina dog who ate more than 250 jigsaw puzzle pieces.


All of the pets nominated for the award have made full recoveries. Members of the public can vote for the favorite of the finalists through Thursday, with the winner set to be announced Aug. 27.


"Every year, the Hambone Award celebrates the recoveries of our pet nominees, made possible by the dedication of their pet parents and the expertise of their veterinary healthcare teams," Jules Benson, vice president of pet health and chief veterinary officer for Nationwide, said in a news release. "We applaud both and continue to focus on supporting them as they provide pets with the care they need."

[BeBMan]

https://www.bbc.com/news/videos/cn87608w389o