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Banana giant Chiquita is aggressively lobbying against a 9/11 victims bill that would make it easier to sue financial backers of terrorist groups.
Its concern? This legislation could force the Cincinnati-based multinational fruit corporation to pay up for its financial backing of a right-wing paramilitary organization in Colombia that is widely recognized as a “terrorist” organization, including by the United States government, for massacring civilians, committing torture and other atrocities.
Journalist Tim Mak revealed Tuesday in the Daily Beast that Chiquita has spent over $780,000 in the past year and a half to oppose the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act, which is sponsored by families of 9/11 victims and aimed at expanding the legal liability of financial backers for terrorist acts.
The legislation, which is currently stalled, would have implications beyond the 9/11 attacks if passed.
Chiquita in 2007 pleaded guilty to paying at least $1.7 million dollars to the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia between 1997 and 2004. The company reached a plea deal with the U.S. Department of Justice, claiming that the payments had been extorted. It was forced pay $25 million dollars to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Meanwhile, victims of the terrorism Chiquita funded have not seen a penny from the corporation.
In a statement sent to the Daily Beast, the company said its “sole interest” in lobbying against the 9/11 victims bill “is to ensure that the legislation does not inadvertently promote litigation against individuals and companies who, like Chiquita, were victims of extortion by terrorist groups.”
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However, internal documents later released strongly indicate that Chiquita’s claims of extortion are false and that the company hired paramilitaries.
“The evidence doesn’t bear out claims of extortion,” Charity Ryerson of School of the Americas Watch told Common Dreams. “Imagine there was extortion. Chiquita could have simply left the country rather than fund paramilitaries it knew were killing thousands of people in Colombia. But the absurdity of their claims of extortion is most apparent in the Colombian countryside. The family members of the victims of the Chiquita-funded block of the AUC say that Chiquita’s extortion claims are outrageous in light of Chiquita’s open collaboration with paramilitaries at the time.”
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Thousands of victims of Chiquita are currently suing the company for its role in backing paramilitaries.
Critics charge that culpability in acts of terror extends beyond Chiquita to include Colombia’s police, military, and government, given their histories of collusion with terrorist paramilitary organizations to massacre, torture and disappearance of civilians.
The U.S. also has a hand in these atrocities, as a major financial backer and trainer of the Colombian military throughout these atrocities. “The U.S. government over the years has done much to protect its own corporate interests, including training Colombian military leaders who worked with paramilitaries,” said Ryerson, saying that Chiquita is a “poster child for impunity.”
She added, “The fact that Chiquita has now aligned itself so brazenly with terrorists is a wake-up call.”
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Germany announced Thursday it is canceling its contract with Verizon Communications over concerns about the role of U.S. telecom corporations in National Security Agency spying.
“The links revealed between foreign intelligence agencies and firms after the N.S.A. affair show that the German government needs a high level of security for its essential networks,” declared Germany’s Interior Ministry in a statement released Thursday.
The Ministry said it is engaging in a communications overhaul to strengthen privacy protections as part of the process of severing ties with Verizon.
The announcement follows revelations, made possible by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden, that Germany is a prime target of NSA spying. This includes surveillance of German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s mobile phone communications, as well as a vast network of centers that secretly collect information across the country.
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Yet, many have accused Germany of being complicit in NSA spying, in addition to being targeted by it.
The German government has refused to grant Snowden political asylum, despite his contribution to the public record about U.S. spying on Germany.
Verizon, which has provided services to many of Germany’s governmental agencies since, will be replaced by Deutsche Telekom, which was formerly run by the German state.
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A new report reveals that the the U.S. health care system is the most expensive in the world yet delivers the worst care among 11 industrialized nations, in what critics charge is further proof that the private insurance model is broken.
“The only solution is to move away from the private insurance model that keeps costs up and real care down,” Drew Joy, member of the Southern Maine Workers Center, told Common Dreams. “What we need is a publicly and equitably funded universal health care system, and in order to get it we must organize for our human rights.”
Released on Monday by the Commonwealth Fund, the report examines Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States, looking at patient and physician surveys as well as data from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development and the World Health Organization.
The U.S.’s dismal rating is not new. The country has come in dead last every year this survey has been produced—in 2004, 2006, 2007, and 2010—with lack of access to health care, failures in equitability, and inefficiencies cited as key reasons for its latest low-ranking. In the report, the U.S. scores last in “mortality amenable to medical care, infant mortality, and healthy life expectancy at age 60.”
Low-income people in the U.S., the report notes, are “much more likely than their counterparts in other countries to report not visiting a physician when sick; not getting a recommended test, treatment, or follow-up care; or not filling a prescription or skipping doses when needed because of costs.”
One of the key reasons for this is due to a U.S. private health insurance system that saddles people with high out-of-pocket expenses and “unstable coverage” that is rarely portable and often based on employment status.
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“People don’t deserve health care in relation to how much money they have. They deserve health care because they are human beings.”
“In the U.S., if you lose your job you lose insurance. If your income changes you lose eligibility. People can quickly change from being insured to uninsured,” said David Squires, a co-author of the report, in an interview with Common Dreams. “There is also the issue of coverage that isn’t sufficient to cover the cost of care. We talk about the under-insured—people who have health insurance but it is not enough.”
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Evidence of the insurance shortfall is buttressed by U.S. Census Bureau data, which found that as of 2012, 48 million people in the United States were without health insurance, and people of color were less likely to be insured than their white counterparts.
The report’s authors express hope that the Affordable Care Act, by expanding insurance coverage, will help lift health care outcomes in the United States.
Yet, critics charge that the ACA does not go far enough, leaving those who qualify in the clutches of the private insurance system responsible for the poor state of health care. Meanwhile, poor and working class people in the 25 states that have rejected Medicaid expansion are left out in the cold, as well as undocumented people, who are explicitly excluded from benefiting from state Medicaid expansions or new insurance marketplaces under the ACA.
“We need to be clear about the difference between health care and health insurance,” said Elizabeth Capone-Henriquez, member of the Southern Maine Workers Center, who is a parent of young children, and a Medicaid recipient. “People don’t deserve health care in relation to how much money they have. They deserve health care because they are human beings.”
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The Bahraini government spied on some of the country’s most prominent lawyers, politicians, journalists, and activists during the Arab Spring revolutionary movement, new documents show.
Netzpolitik.org reports that using the malicious FinFisher spyware provided by Gamma International, a German-UK surveillance company, the Bahraini government hacked into 77 computers belonging to opposition leaders, imprisoned politicians, journalists, human rights lawyers, and activists who took part in the civil uprising for political freedom that began in 2011. A hacker posting on Twitter and Reddit allegedly broke into Gamma’s internal network and downloaded 40GB of data that may show proof of the company’s collusion with the Bahraini government.
Gamma had previously stated that its software was used to target criminals and terrorists and that the company had not done business with Bahrain. Gamma’s software was found two years ago to have been used by many oppressive regimes in the Middle East, including Syria and Bahrain, but the company stated at the time that governmental authorities must have stolen a copy of their product. Meanwhile, the Bahraini government has regularly denied that it spies on political activists.
According to Bahrain Watch, the data shows that Gamma likely lied about its associations with the government and its own policies. Messages between users who appear to be Bahraini officials and FinFisher customer service staff conflict with the company’s official claim that it sells spyware “exclusively to government law enforcement and intelligence agencies.”
“This latest revelation provides strong evidence that not only has Gamma been misleading in its claim of not supplying the Bahraini government, but it did so possessing evidence that its software was being used primarily to target political dissidents, lawyers and journalists,” said Bahrain Watch’s Bill Marczak.
One message from the chat logs reads, “[W]e cant stay bugging and infecting the target every time since it is very sensitive. and we don’t want the target to reach to know that someone is infecting his PC or spying on him.”
Another says, “After infecting a targets the targets works for few days only than he never comes online and we have to infect him agin, we notice that he is useing the same comuter and same IP address.”
Bahrain Watch identified some of the targets:
Also targeted were several UK activists, such as Qassim Al Hashemi and photographer Moosa Abdali, as well as Iranian media outlet Fars News Agency, which is based in London.
Export laws on surveillance technology are murky. According to Privacy International, most spyware is not subject to export control in the UK. When Gamma was discovered to have sold FinFisher to Syrian president Bashar al-Assad’s security services during the Egyptian revolution, the company could not be held accountable for selling its software to an oppressive government.
However, software that contains cryptographic technology — which FinFisher does — does require governmental approval for export. If Gamma sold its software to Bahrain without approval, it may have violated the export laws through a minor loophole.
Eric King, deputy director of Privacy International, told The Intercept that spyware companies like Gamma “have been allowed to operate with impunity, selling intrusive surveillance equipment to states where there is no public scrutiny of surveillance or clear laws regulating its use.”
The document leak comes as the UK debates establishing a massive “emergency surveillance” bill that would enable the government to spy on its own citizens. UN human rights chief Navi Pillay also recently released a report on internet privacy that called government surveillance “a dangerous habit rather than an exceptional measure.”
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Tottenham defender Eric Dier will miss England’s Nations League clash with Denmark through injury.
The 26-year-old helped the Three Lions to a 2-1 victory against Belgium on Sunday but has reportedly sustained a slight hamstring complaint.
Tottenham defender Dier will not be able to feature against Denmark after being left off England’s 23-man squad for Wednesday’s Group A2 match at Wembley.
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Harry Winks, Michael Keane, Harvey Barnes and Tammy Abraham have also been left off the squad list published by UEFA.
The latter was delayed in meeting up with Gareth Southgate’s side after footage emerged of him at a party flouting the government’s ‘rule of six’ regulations along with fellow England players Ben Chilwell and Jadon Sancho.
Injury led to Chilwell’s withdrawal from the squad on Tuesday, when Kieran Trippier also left the camp to deal with a Football Association hearing for alleged betting breaches.
A report has dismissed claims that Bruno Fernandes had an argument with Man Utd boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at half-time in their 6-1 loss to Tottenham.
The Daily Mirror claimed on Saturday that they had a ‘furious half-time bust-up’ with Fernandes screaming “We are supposed to be Manchester United!” in the dressing room.
A source told the newspaper: “You couldn’t help but hear him.
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“He was clearly in a rage after having a face like thunder when he raced down the tunnel.
“He laid into team-mates, accusing them of not upholding the proud name of Manchester United. He kept yelling, ‘We are supposed to be Manchester United. This shouldn’t be happening’.
“It was clear that the manager also came under fire because he was going on about the wrong tactics.
“There were other raised voices, but his was the one which seemed to carry the main force.”
However, a Man Utd official denied the report of any row against Spurs, he said: “There was no row. Players often express their views.”
And now Sport Witness has spoken to people close to the Portuguese playmaker and they have said that the report is ‘lies’.
The report added that there has been ‘no conflict between the player and his coach’.
Borussia Dortmund will reject any attempts from Man Utd to take Jadon Sancho to Old Trafford in January, according to reports.
Sancho had long been considered United’s primary transfer target heading into this most recent window, with Dortmund not averse to negotiating the winger’s departure.
The Germans outlined their demands – £108m (€120m) and a deadline of August 10 – but ‘deluded’ Man United ignored them and instead struck deals for two teenage right wingers in their problem position.
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It has since been claimed that Sancho felt ‘undervalued’ by United’s low-balling offer but now there have been fresh reports linking Sancho with Man Utd.
ESPN said last week that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer still sees Sancho and Erling Haaland as his main targets moving forward.
The Man Utd boss is understood to consider the Dortmund duo as integral parts of his long-term vision at Old Trafford, while other reports have suggested the Red Devils will try again in the January transfer window.
However, German publication Bild (via Sport Witness) claims that the latest rumours of Man Utd interest in a January move are ‘without any concrete background’.
Dortmund have a ‘Corona hole’ in their finances with the club losing huge amounts of money due to the pandemic – but, despite that, the Bundesliga outfit aren’t prepared to lose Sancho part-way through the season.
The German side believe that Sancho is ‘on the way’ to becoming one of the world’s biggest stars and would even refuse a €120m offer from Man Utd in January.
Crystal Palace are on the verge of signing former Liverpool right back Nathaniel Clyne, according to a report.
Clyne is a free agent after being released by the Reds during the summer.
He’s since been training with the Palace first team to keep up his fitness and in search of a new contract.
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According to The Athletic, Roy Hodgson’s side are now on the verge of signing the Englishman.
The 29-year-old will reportedly sign a deal lasting until January, which is when the club will re-assess the player and consider an extension.
Clyne is being brought in to improve Hodgson’s squad depth. The Eagles already have Joel Ward and Martin Kelly who can play there, but the potential new signing will provide extra cover.
Clyne will also bring a host of international and European experience to the squad. He has been capped 14 times by England and has played in both the Champions League and Europa League during his time at Anfield.
Clyne signed for the Reds from Southampton for £12.5 million in July 2015. As he had come through the Palace academy and they had a sell-on fee, the Eagles received £2.5 million from the transfer.
Clyne went on to play 103 times for Liverpool. However, he fell down the pecking order in recent seasons as a result of the arrival of Trent Alexander-Arnold from the academy.
The right back was loaned out to Bournemouth during the 2018/19 campaign, where he made 15 appearances in total.
Palace look set to make him their fourth signing of the window. They’ve already brought in Michy Batshuayi on loan from Chelsea and Nathan Ferguson on a free from West Brom. Their most impressive signing is the £20 million acquisition of Eberechi Eze from QPR.
Eze is an exciting young talent who could finally prove his talent in the top flight this campaign.
In comments made to the Guardian newspaper on Friday, former U.S. Secretary of State and likely presidential candidate Hillary Clinton said NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden should return home and face charges levied against him by the U.S. government.
“If he wishes to return knowing he would be held accountable and also able to present a defense, that is his decision to make,” Clinton told the newspaper during an interview conducted over video stream.
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Snowden, whose disclosures have led to global uproar surrounding U.S. government surveillance on the world’s population, remains in Russia where has received asylum status. Both his lawyers and the former intelligence contractor himself have said that because he has been charged under the Espionage Act he would be denied protections afforded whistleblowers which would prevent him from arguing that his decision to leak the classified information was made in the name of the public interest.
According to the Guardian:
As independent journalist and commentator Kevin Gosztola remarked, Clinton’s response indicated the Democrat Party’s most likely next presidential candidate “appears to know nothing about whistleblower cases or leak prosecutions.”
In a pair of tweets, journalist Glenn Greenwald, a key journalist when it come to reporting on the revelations contained in the Snowden documents, made his feelings known about Clinton’s remarks:
And poet and writer Djelloul Marbrook, responding on Twitter, also took issue with Clinton’s comments, saying:
Ben Wizner, an ACLU attorny who represents Mr. Snowden, said: “The laws would not provide him any opportunity to say that the information never should have been withheld from the public in the first place.
“And the fact that the disclosures have led to the highest journalism rewards, have led to historic reforms in the US and around the world – all of that would be irrelevant in a prosecution under the espionage laws in the United States.”
In an interview with NBC News’ Brian Williams that aired in May, Snowden himself said that he would gladly return to the United States but not simply to walk into a prison cell.
“I’m not going to give myself a parade,” Snowden said of his possible return. “But neither am I going to walk into a jail cell — to serve as a bad example for other people in government who see something happening, some violation of the Constitution and think they need to say something about it.”
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‘Rolling coal,’ the anti-environmentalist trend of customizing a truck to make it emit more toxic exhaust, has now been declared illegal by an official with the Environmental Protection Agency.
Bucking calls for cars to be more fuel efficient and even powered by alternative energy sources, some truck owners in recent years have been turning up the injection pump on their diesel engines so huge plumes of black smoke are emitted every time the engine is revved—often in the direction of bystanders, bikers, or hybrid vehicles.
When asked recently about the agency’s stance on the vehicles, EPA press secretary Liz Purchia told TPM: “the short answer is this is illegal.”
Purchia cited text from the EPA’s air enforcement page which read, in part: “It is a violation of the [Clean Air Act] to manufacture, sell, or install a part for a motor vehicle that bypasses, defeats, or renders inoperative any emission control device.”
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And further: “The CAA prohibits anyone from tampering with an emission control device on a motor vehicle by removing it or making it inoperable prior to or after the sale or delivery to the buyer.”
The practice of rolling coal gained widespread attention last month after the news site Vocativ published a story on the subject. In the piece, reporter Elizabeth Kulze noted that “an entire subculture has emerged on the Internet surrounding this soot-spewing pastime,” with 16,000 collective followers on related Facebook pages and over 150,000 posts on Tumblr blogs and Instagram.
Many of the proud polluters also post videos of their coal rolling in action. Below is a compilation of a number of YouTube uploads:
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