Daily Archives: July 18, 2017

NS senator backs Khadr settlement – TheChronicleHerald.ca

Posted: July 18, 2017 at 4:40 am

One of Nova Scotias new senators is throwing her support behind the Liberal governments controversial $10.5 million payout and apology to former child soldier Omar Khadr.

Independent senator Wanda Thomas Bernard released a joint statement with Ontario senator Kim Pate on Monday in the form of an open letter to Justin Trudeau.

In the letter, Pate and Bernard said Canada owes Khadr much more than an apology,

We commend you for challenging the use of the label terrorist to excuse the inexcusable: the unlawful detention and torture of a Canadian teen, as well as the complicity and the condonation of the torture and imprisonment, the statement said.

After far too many years, we are pleased to see our government finally acknowledge what the Supreme Court of Canada recognized in 2010, when it found Canada complicit in the unconstitutional violations of Mr. Khadrs rights in Guantanamo Bay.

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Khadr, now 30, is a Canadian citizen who was imprisoned at Guantanamo Bay from age 16 to 26. In 2002 at age 15, he was captured by American soldiers in Afghanistan after a firefight left him severely injured, and later sent to Guantanamo Bay where he was accused of throwing a grenade that killed an American. Khadr pled guilty to the accusation but later said it was only because he believed that would help him get transferred out of Guantanamo. In 2013 he filed a $20 million civil suit against the Canadian government, and was released on bail in 2015.

In the statement, Bernard and Pate said they echoed the views of former senator and child solider advocate Romo Dallaire when he said, it is not Omar who was the threat, but those who recruit young girls and boys to fight their wars for them who are the greatest threat.

The decision by the Liberal government to settle out of court, offering a payout and apologize to Khadr rather than continue to fight the legal case, has been met with criticism from the general public.

But Pate and Bernard, a well known anti-oppression and social justice advocate in Nova Scotia, called the decision a step towards a more just society.

We reiterate our willingness to assist the government in any way we can as it carries out its constitutional duty to uphold the human rights of Mr. Khadr and of all Canadians, their release said,

Both Pate and Bernard are both unaffiliated Senators appointed in the last year under the Liberal government's new arms-length application process. Bernard, a Dalhousie social work professor, was officially sworn in to the Senate in November.

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Liu Xiaobo: A voice of conscience who fought oppression for decades – Hong Kong Free Press

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byHermann Aubi, Aston University

Only a few weeks after being diagnosed with a late-stage liver cancer in late May 2017, the world learned that Chinas most prominent dissident, Liu Xiaobo, died at 61 in a hospital in the north-east region of China, where he was born. As the poetess Tang Danhong wrote, he departed as an innocent prisoner into the eternal light (). What a tragedy for a man who fought most of his life for freedom to live out his last days in a hospital bed under lock and key.

Liu Xiaobo, 1955-2017. Photo: EPA/Liu Xia handout.

While I never had the chance to meet Liu in person, I feel like Ive lost someone very close to me, as if his death has torn away a part of myself. While he was behind bars in Jinzhou prison, I was trying my best to better understand what his human rights struggle was all about and to imagine his thoughts on what happened in China and around the world during the last eight years he spent in prison.

More recently, as I was anticipating his release in June 2020, aged 64, I even indulged in imagining his surprise at seeing a young Frenchman coming from nowhere brandishing a newly written book about him. There was so much I wanted to discuss with him, and I regret that I will never have the chance.

Words can hardly express the emotion and disgust I feel at this cruelty and injustice. I remain lucky to have known Liu through his writings and his friends I will struggle to come to terms with his departure, but I take comfort in imagining how many people are now mourning his loss around the world.

Living in truth

As a student who fell in love with China in the early 2000s and devoured hundreds of books and articles on China to quench my curiosity and satiate the hunger of my ignorance, reading Lius critical analyses of Chinese politics and society was hugely enlightening. His works compelled me to question my assumptions and unlearn many of the false narratives that I took for granted about Chinese culture and history.

It was thanks to him that I so enjoyed learning the Chinese language unlike the heavy, wooden register of Chinese officialdom, the language Liu used felt natural and his arguments more intuitive, especially when it came to our shared human condition and aspiration for universal values.

A pro-democracy protester holds a picture of Liu Xiaobo and Liu Xia. Photo: EPA/Ym Yik

The moral maturity and dignity of his work also made me more aware of how we ought to live and act in everyday life, of the importance of listening to our conscience and rejecting lies. In particular, Liu highlighted the need to unlearn the enemy mentality () that the Chinese party-state relentlessly instils with its constant propaganda about hostile forces trying to split China or spread chaos a false worldview meant to justify the regimes oppression.

In talking to Lius friends, I also learned about his integrity and authenticity as a person and about all the solidarity initiatives that he organised to call for the release of persecuted fellow citizens despite the risks of retaliation from Chinas unpredictable party-state.

Liu Xiaobo in 2008. Photo: FactWire screenshot.

At his trial in December 2009, Liu reaffirmed with calm and eloquence what he stood for 20 years earlier during the democracy protests at Tiananmen Square: I have no enemy, no hatred (). And yet, the regime went on treating him like a top enemy of the state, sentencing him on a trumped-up charge to 11 years in prison and ruthlessly detaining his wife, Liu Xia, while also sentencing her brother, Liu Hui, to 11 years in prison on another trumped-up charge.

Not giving in

For three decades, Liu persistently fought for a freer China, throwing himself into a human rights struggle in which he and Liu Xia suffer and sacrifice their freedom for the freedom of others. Viewed from afar, it may be hard to comprehend how a frail human being like Liu who only used his pen to write articles and collect signatures for open letters could attract so much cruelty from the Chinese regime a regime on which the West now depends to lead the fight against global warming and promote global free trade.

The spectacle of Lius last days are testament to the cruelty of the Chinese regime. But although grief and anger at Lius fate might make us hate that government, I hope we will never forget his message about the importance of not giving in to hatred. An enemy mentality poisons hearts and minds. This is a universal message one that very much applies in a Western world increasingly blighted by xenophobia.

Photo: HKFP/Catherine Lai.

The world has lost a precious mind, but we can still ensure through our words and actions that his enduring spirit of freedom wont die with him. Considering how much effort the Chinese regime still puts into erasing his legacy and silencing his wife, its now time to take urgent action to make sure that his wife and her brother can finally move around freely.

Photo: HKFP/Catherine Lai.

Now more than ever, the international community must shout their indignation against the Orwellian brutality of Xi Jinpings government. It must show its full support with all Chinas innocent prisoners of conscience and their families and try to make sure they will one day be free to love and support each other without being driven into exile by fear and suffering.

This would be the most concrete way of ensuring that however cruel his final years, Lius efforts to build Chinas democratic future were not in vain.

Hermann Aubiis a Lecturer in Sociology and Policy atAston University.This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original.

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Ex-Tech Exec To Be Sentenced To Jail For Gambling $424K Of … – SFGate

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Photo: JOHN DAVENPORT, SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS

Narsimha Raju Sagiraju, 28, spent about $424,000 on blackjack trips to Las Vegas, Monte Carlo and Dubai that he had told his former Cupertino High School classmates he would invest.

Narsimha Raju Sagiraju, 28, spent about $424,000 on blackjack trips to Las Vegas, Monte Carlo and Dubai that he had told his former Cupertino High School classmates he would invest.

Ex-Tech Exec To Be Sentenced To Jail For Gambling $424K Of Friends' Investments

CUPERTINO (BCN)

A former tech executive is set to be sentenced to county jail this afternoon for defrauding his business partner and high school friends out of more than $400,000, according to the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office.

Narsimha Raju Sagiraju, 28, spent about $424,000 on blackjack trips to Las Vegas, Monte Carlo and Dubai that he had told his former Cupertino High School classmates he would invest.

Sagiraju pleaded no contest to three felony counts of securities fraud and three felony counts of grand theft, Deputy District Attorney Erica Engin said.

The former software startup director also admitted to excessive taking and white-collar crime enhancements.

Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Shelyna Brown is set to decide at 1:30 p.m. today whether to sentence Sagiraju to three or five years in jail for his crimes.

"The defendant stole millions of dollars from people who trusted him so that he could live the lavish lifestyle of a Silicon Valley venture capitalist," Engin said in a statement.

"His crimes have caused his victims to lose substantial amounts of money and trust," Engin said.

While a startup executive in 2012, Sagiraju solicited several former classmates to invest in Genwi, a commercial construction project, and pre-IPO shares of stock in Pinterest and Facebook, prosecutors said.

Three victims sued Sagiraju in civil court the following year, after he had gambled the money away, and he said he would repay them with interest.

In November 2014, one victim reported the fraud to the district attorney's office.

When Sagiraju was arrested upon his arrival in Las Vegas in February 2016, he had $155,000 in casino chips, prosecutors said.

At the time of his arrest in Las Vegas, Sagiraju was working for a new venture capital fund and a real estate investment company.

A few months later, Sagiraju's business partner at the two companies contacted the district attorney's office to report that the defendant had embezzled almost $2 million in the 10 months leading up to his arrest.

Prosecutors used the white-collar crime "Freeze and Seize" law to take custody of the casino chips and $121,000 in two of Sagiraju's casino accounts in Las Vegas.

Brown is set to decide how to distribute that money to the victims at a restitution hearing, prosecutors said.

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Gamblers bullish on OJ Simpson getting parole – USA TODAY

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If the hearing goes as expected, Simpson would be eligible to leave prison on Oct. 1. USA TODAY Sports

In this Dec. 5, 2008 pool file photo, O.J. Simpson appears during his sentencing hearing at the Clark County Regional Justice Center in Las Vegas. Simpson, the former football star, TV pitchman and now Nevada prison inmate, will have a lot going for him when he appears before state parole board members Thursday, July 20, 2017 seeking his release after more than eight years for an ill-fated bid to retrieve sports memorabilia.(Photo: Isaac Brekken, AP)

O.J. Simpson isnt the only one optimistic about his chances of getting parole Thursday in Nevada. So is Bovada, an online gambling site taking wagers on Simpsons fate.

Most gamblers are betting on the prospect of Simpson being granted parole and theyre having to pay a higher price for it, said Kevin Bradley, Bovada.lv SportsBook Manager.

Gamblers betting on Simpson being granted parole must wager $270 to win $100 and gamblers betting on his being denied parole would win $180 on a $100 bet.

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The Juice to be let loose? O.J. Simpson faces parole hearing this week in Nevada

Why O.J. Simpson is expected to be paroled at July 20 hearing

About 70 percent of the gamblers are betting on parole for the former football star who has spent almost nine years in a Nevada prison for his part in a 2007 holdup at a Las Vegas hotel. Simpson is optimistic about his chances, his close friend Tom Scotto told USA TODAY Sports.

Money wagered with Bovada on Simpsons fate is equal to the amount typically bet on a Major League Baseball game, according to Bradley, who declined to provide specific figures. The Simpson parole bet was first offered June 22.

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State College area could end up with gambling casino, senator says – WJAC Johnstown

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As state lawmakers continue to debate how to raise new revenue for the state budget, expanding gambling in the state of Pennsylvania is a hot topic. (MGN)

STATE COLLEGE -- As state lawmakers continue to debate how to raise new revenue for the state budget, expanding gambling in the state of Pennsylvania is a hot topic.

Thats fueling more talk of a new gambling casino in the State College area.

Some dont like the idea, thinking it could ruin the small-town feel.

In Harrisburg, talk of more casinos wasnt always a priority.

Quite frankly 15 years ago, I wouldnt of been in favor of it, state Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman said.

Corman will have a huge say on the fate of gaming legislation that would expand gambling throughout Pennsylvania. He concedes it could mean a new casino in Centre County.

The gaming bill includes the possibility of 10 new casinos in the state and State College has been mentioned as a potential site.

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Letter: Springfield Park Board should reject video gambling at Sliders stadium – The State Journal-Register

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A baseball game is a great summer pastime and fun for the whole family. Thats why the Springfield Park Board should reject video gambling at the Sliders stadium.

Springfield has the most video gambling machines in the state. Area residents have lost over $103 million in the 592 video gambling machines operating in Springfield establishments. There are more than enough opportunities for people to gamble in Springfield.

A child was left outside a video gambling parlor in northern Illinois, with some toys and a bag of chips while his father went inside to gamble. Will this happen at the Sliders stadium if the park board approves video gambling machines?

Robin Roberts Stadium and Lanphier High School share a parking lot. Underage gambling is also a concern. The Illinois Gaming Board recently fined seven video gambling establishments for allowing underage gambling and drinking.

Will the Springfield Jr. Blues hockey team ask for park board approval for video gambling at the Nelson Center?

An armed robbery at a local video gambling parlor on July 12 is Crime Stoppers crime of the week, according to The State Journal-Register. Keep Springfield parks safe for families. The Springfield Park Board will meet at 5:30 p.m. July 20 at Bunn Park. Contact members at http://www.springfieldparks.org to voice your concerns.

Anita Bedell

Executive Director of theIllinois Church Action on Alcohol & Addiction Problems

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Malta Gaming Authority proposes major gambling reforms – GamingTodaySlotsToday

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July 17, 2017 9:54 AM by Robert Mann

The island nation of Malta, already the gaming-friendly home base to numerous worldwide gambling companies may soon improve on that status.

Thats because the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) has proposed major reforms to the legal framework surrounding the island countrys gambling industry, with the goal of decreasing unnecessary regulatory burdens.

Leadership at the MGA say its licensing process is too complex is counterintuitive to properly regulating gambling operators.

Malta, situated in the Mediterranean Sea south of Sicily, serves as a popular remote-gaming licensing jurisdiction because of the countrys low tax rate and inclusion in the European Union (EU). A gaming license in Malta allows online casino companies to operate across the 28-member EU.

The MGA, in a recently issued report, suggests that the country should replace its existing laws in favor of a new regulatory framework that would simplify licensing.

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What is euthanasia and assisted suicide law in the UK and why do campaigners want to change it? – The Sun

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What is euthanasia and assisted suicide law in the UK and why do campaigners want to change it?
The Sun
THE debate around euthanasia and assisted dying in the UK is a controversial and complicated one with some saying choosing when to die is to die with dignity, while others claim it undermines the value of human life. So what is euthanasia and assisted ...

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Who is Claire King? Coronation Street and Emmerdale star sacked from Smart Energy role after ‘euthanasia’ comments – The Sun

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Claire recently shocked fans when she admitted she would consider euthanasia when she gets older

CORONATION Street star Claire King hit headlines recently when she admitted she would consider euthanasia when she got older.

However, her comments led to her being dropped as a spokesperson for Smart Energy and shell appear on Loose Women on Tuesday, July 18 to discuss the topic.

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Claire, 54, hit headlines after admitting she would consider euthanasia after being diagnosed with a degenerative disease.

The actress is divorced with no children and worries about becoming a burden on people when shes older.

Claire suffers fromrheumatoid arthritis, which is an autoimmune disease where the bodys own immune system attacks the bodys joints.

As a result of her condition, she has had the joints in her fingers removed and replaced with plates.

Speaking to the Sunday Mirror, she said: I do worry about when Im older and becoming a burden on people around me.

I can understand why people choose assisted dying and its getting to the point where I would consider it myself.

Most of my family will be gone. Its not a selfish thing. Its a decision at a certain age, when youre becoming a burden to others.

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The Sun exclusively revealed Claire was sacked from her role as Smart Energy spokesperson and may even lose her fee after she claimed she would consider assisted suicide.

Sources close to the company have said that her comments which were given during a promotional interview for the company upset bosses, leading to her being given the boot.

A source said: They couldnt believe her comments and definitely dont want to be associated with any of that.

This could even lead to her losing her fee entirely.

A spokesperson for Smart Energy GB declined to comment.

ITV

Claire who plays Erica Holroyd is leaving Corrie this summer after three years, but the role is expected to be kept open for her to return in the future.

She said: Its been a dream come true to tread those famous cobbles. I was only meant to stay for six weeks initially, so for Erica to be so popular that she stayed for three years and even worked in The Rovers was a real compliment to me as an actress.

Ive had such a great time with the cast and crew, so its fabulous that they have left the door open for Erica to return in the future.

Who knows what adventures shell be getting up to away from the Street? Shes certainly not boring.

As for me, Im ready for another challenge. Im not leaving the screens anytime soon, so watch this space.

Corrie boss Kate Oates revealed her exit will involve an affair with Kevin Webster.

Kevin is in a serious relationship with Anna Windass, while Erica has been involved with Dev Alahan for over a year.

ITV

Claire was originally known for her role as Kim Tate in Emmerdale until she left the soap after 10 years in 1999.

She was then cast in Bad Girls in 2000 and played Karen Betts until she left in 2004.

In 2006, she took part inthe fourth series of Strictly Come Dancing finishing in sixth place.

King also appeared on the 14th series of Celebrity Big Brother in August 2014 but left the show on Day 16 due to illness.

The Sun also revealed that Claire has signed up for the next series of In Therapy.

The new series of the Channel 5 show will see a string of famous faces undergoing therapy as they give viewers an unprecedented insight into some of their deepest and darkest emotions.

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Justice system must change – News24

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SOUTH Africa is renowned globally for violent crime and rape. Law enforcement in South Africa has a monumental job.

The Free Market Foundation (FMF) continues to advocate for radical transformation of the criminal justice system to ensure law, order, peace and security in South Africa, and the transition from the apartheid-era authoritarian behemoth into a system that serves to protect the people and holds the government to account.

Decriminalising victimless crimes, removing incentives for corruption within discretionary powers and keeping the judiciary independent is a good start.

The FMF calls on the government to abolish victimless crimes, which include prostitution, some traffic offences, using drugs and contravening exchange regulations. Victimless crimes are those acts or omissions criminalised by the government despite there being no complainant. These are distinguished from victimisation crimes where an individuals rights have been criminally violated. Most victimisation crimes exist without having to be declared in an act or regulation to be unlawful, such as assault, theft, rape, kidnapping and murder.

Pursuing victimless crimes prevents the police from fighting real criminals. Police resources are under pressure. One way to alleviate this is to stop wasting time and resources pursuing value-subjective crimes where no individual rights have been violated and allow the police to focus on real crimes against people and property. The practical case is obvious police resources targeted efficiently but there is also a philosophical argument. Our liberal democratic society places a high value on individual liberty. The decriminalisation of victimless crimes would mean legalising the actions of a substantial number of ordinary, well-intentioned citizens who aspire only to get on with life without violating the rights of those around them but who, often without intention, fall foul of the law.

The sheer number of traffic regulations, which are often arbitrary and sometimes unknown to motorists, turn practically all citizens into criminals. Citizens seeking help with drug abuse are deemed criminals. Outlawing prostitution the act of engaging in voluntary conduct for money turns many people, mainly women, into criminals and the recent resolution by the South African Law Reform Commission to keep prostitution a crime is mistaken.

Corruption is a major crime in SA. Yet the major cause of corruption is the increasing use of discretionary powers by officials, which presents those who hold it with irresistible incentives. Wherever government has the discretion to grant or withhold contracts, licences, protection, subsidies and other privileges, there is real or suspected corruption.

The only way to get money out of politics is to get politics out of money first, and ensure officials are bound by strict and clear criteria in exercising their powers.

A critical step towards a modern and independent legal system is to stop the ill-conceived idea of only appointing judges with a progressive or social-minded approach. This is dangerous and contrary to the rule of law. An independent judiciary is fundamental to a well-functioning democracy.

Politicising the judiciary will make the corruption problem worse and the decision by the ruling party to consider making a progressive mind-set of social activism part of the criteria for appointing judges to the bench is a dangerous move. In this case, progressive means the judiciary must favour government action in economic and social affairs rather than emphasise individual rights.

FMF legal researcher Martin van Staden said: Judges should follow the letter of the Constitution and not the ideological preferences of whomever controls government. Constitutional democracy places less emphasis on which political party governs at any particular time and more on the values in the Constitution.

South African judges are renowned for their eminence, impartiality and respect for the law. If value-subjective appointment criteria such as social activism are applied to the judiciary, the outcome is unpredictable and stands to delegitimise the courts. Politicising the judiciary will take our courts out of the dispute-resolving business and make it a third house of Parliament.

24.com encourages commentary submitted via MyNews24. Contributions of 200 words or more will be considered for publication.

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