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These "gangs" are increasingly politicised and some of Canada's leading military planners are warning that a full-blown uprising is gathering.
The groups operate in what the military calls "ungoverned spaces" that are increasingly difficult to police.
They are also sophisticated, operating under the "Robin Hood" principle of robbing from the rich and giving to the poor, say military planners.
When combined with their tangible grievances, "you have the root causes which can be the fuel for an insurgency. It's entirely feasible," said Bland.
In 2007, a draft edition of Canada's army counterinsurgency field manual highlighted the Mohawk Warrior Society as a case study insurgency.
But after the excerpt was made public by media reports, Gordon O'Connor, the then defence minister, issued a statement saying that the reference would be removed from the final draft, which was released in 2008.
"The withdrawal of the topic out of the counterinsurgency manual was typical of the reaction by government for fear of upsetting the precarious status quo of relations in the country right now," said Bland.
"It is an example of a trend in Canadian political leadership.
"There is a great reluctance to name, point to, suggest that we have an internal security problem in Canada based in either the aboriginal communities or in what the Royal Canadian Mounted Police call the aboriginal based criminal organisations.
"One of the difficulties of discussing the issue and more seriously acting against it," said Bland, "is that by acting against an individual native protest or activity, you might incite the entire community across the country".
Political leaders "fear baiting what they don't want to happen, so you see them backing off all the time".
Indeed, the threat of blockades by more than 40 First Nations communities this week forced the provincial government in Ontario to back down on a plan to enforce a new harmonised sales tax on native communities, in contravention of longstanding treaty agreements.
The message has been received, said Brant. "We've shown that, unified, we are capable of not just disruption, not just protest, but a willingness to use the economy as a tool in the arsenal to fight."
"The government ran its infrastructure through our land because no one else wanted it to run through theirs," said Brant.
"Now it serves as an incredibly power[ful] tool of influence that allows us now as a society to engage government in a dialogue, a relationship based on us having power."
In 2007, Chief Terrance Nelson of Manitoba's Roseau River Anishinabe First Nation made headlines when he told a television reporter that "there are only two ways of dealing with the white man ... either you pick up the gun or you stand between him and his money".
There is no shortage of examples of either tactic of native resistance in recent Canadian history.
In 1990, an historic armed standoff between Mohawks and the Canadian army near Oka, Quebec lasted more than two months when the provincial government tried to convert a native burial ground into a golf course.
Five years later, in 1995, the Canadian government used helicopters, armoured personnel carriers, improvised explosives and more than 77,000 rounds of ammunition during a three-month standoff over land title at Gustafsen Lake, in British Columbia.
Speaking at a senate hearing in May, Canada's top general in Afghanistan suggested that the country's counterinsurgency war in Kandahar and its "whole of government" strategy has helped prepare Canadian forces and its civilian partners for such eventualities.
"If Canada were having an issue of insurgency," said Brigadier-General Jonathan Vance, "there would be a multi-discipline, multi-department operation with the government managing and directing carefully what its military and police forces would do".
"We experienced a little of that ... with the events at Oka." But now, said Vance, "the government is engaged".
Bland agreed, saying that the counterinsurgency experience fighting the Taliban in Kandahar is "completely relevant to what might happen here, and to what happened at Oka".
That posture, Brant said, is a "grave mistake".
"Since Oka, we've evolved from being reactionary to instances that occur to having a strategy. We've become communities that have embraced the injustices of the past and combined them with the indignities of the present. We have been able to inspire all elements in our communities," said Brant.
"We've created a unity that they don't have the military or policing capabilities to confront."
Regardless of the flak it has received from critics, influencer marketing in India is exploding. A report by Greenroom, an agency specializing in digital marketing and artiste management, clearly states that influencer marketing is set to grow in 2019. A survey conducted by the agency asked more than 100 professional m...
Lakshmi Balasubramanian, director, Greenroom, says that the growth in influencer marketing can be gauged from the fact that when Greenroom was launched in 2015, there were about five to six agencies. “Now there are at least 50," she says. There has been super rapid growth in this industry in the last two years, she poi...
Shudeep Majumdar, co-founder, Zefmo Media Pvt. Ltd, an influencer marketing company, firmly believes that while influencer marketing has received its share of flak, it has proven itself to be an incredibly effective way for brands to market their products to a vast audience of potential consumers. “The rise in spend on...
Even when brands select the right influencers, they should study the demographics of the followers and look beyond age and income groups. An influencer’s worth is not defined just by the sheer number of followers, but by the quality of engagement he\she has on the social handles. According to What Click’s Vengalil, inf...
Experts feel that lack of creative freedom to influencers often leads to ineffective influencer marketing campaigns. “Not allowing influencers to integrate brands seamlessly in their own authentic way and presenting a scripted content makes it look like blatant advertising," says Majumdar, who expects both influencers ...
Last, influencer marketing may need to go more regional and rural. With more consumers entering the digital space from rural India, it is imperative brands start using influencers to reach that segment as well. “The strategy and approach needs to change while doing that. It will no longer be one master creative being d...
Shuchi Bansal is Mint’s media, marketing and advertising editor. Ordinary Post will look at pressing issues related to all three. Or just fun stuff.
Raed Salah tells Al Jazeera Netanyahu is to blame for escalating violence against Palestinians and storming of al-Aqsa.
On Tuesday, Sheikh Raed Salah, leader of the northern branch of the Islamic Movement in Israel, appeared in a Jerusalem court after being accused of incitment of violence. The court adjourned the ruling until October 27.
However, Sheikh Salah, who is well-known in Israel and Palestine as well as in the Arab world for his defense of Islamic holy sites in Jerusalem, told Al Jazeera that the charges were "politically motivated" and were part of the political witch-hunt designed to silence him.
A native of the northern Palestinian city of Umm al Fahem, 57-year-old Salah has been elected mayor three times.
He is also known for resisting the Israeli government's policies on Jerusalem and its discriminatory practices against its Palestinian citizens.
Al Jazeera: When and why was the Islamic Movement founded and where does it get its funding?
Sheikh Raed Salah: The Islamic Movement was founded in the 1970s in the village of Kufr Qasem by Sheikh Abdullah Nimer Darwish.
The movement has several objectives and mandates that revolve around serving our communities socially, politically and spiritually.
This government has reached the point of committing and encouraging an outright murder of our people in broad day light in the West Bank and Jerusalem and against Palestinians who are citizens of Israel.
We preach and teach Islamic values as well as focus on strengthening the social fabric of our communities through establishing social institutions and public events and festivals.
We also work on the political empowerment of our communities throughout the state and in the occupied Palestinian territories.
This comes through civil rights advocacy and other forms of social activism. Some of our activities focus on defending al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem and other Islamic holy sites throughout the country and the occupied Palestinian territories.
As for our funding, we are a self-sustained organisation. We have membership dues that fund the majority of our activities. We are also part of the "Zakat" (Islamic mandatory charitable tax) committees that also help fund our activities.
Al Jazeera: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused the movement of "inciting violence". How would you respond to such charges and is this part of a long history of Israeli crackdown on the movement?
Salah: Anyone who looks at the reality today in Jerusalem and everywhere in Israel and Palestine will see a totally different picture. The Israeli governments - especially this government - have become a factory of violence and racist incitement against us.
We are the victims of Israeli violence and its political witch-hunt.
Al Jazeera: What has triggered this latest round of violence and can you elaborate a little here on what exactly is going on at al-Aqsa mosque compound in terms of spacial and temporal divisions?
Salah: What triggered the latest round of violence is the Israeli government's aggression against Jerusalem and al-Aqsa Mosque in addition to its aggression against Gaza which has been increasing day after day.
The Israeli forces' daily attacks on al-Aqsa, and its mass arrests and punishment of Palestinian civilians, who are trying to protect it, have contributed to the spiral of violence today.
Netanyahu bears full responsibility for the situation we are in today.
Al Jazeera: Who are the extremist Jewish groups that have been storming al-Aqsa? Do they call for the destruction of the mosque? How do you see this ending?
Salah: First, let me explain something here. Although there are many extremist Jewish organisations out there that are trying to destroy our holy places in Jerusalem, in reality these organisations are only part of the larger Israeli government designs.
It is the Israeli government that put forward the policies and schemes to divide and eventually destroy al-Aqsa Mosque, then uses Jewish extremist hate groups to execute its policies.
This is very clear to us. Take for example a case of 10-20 extremist Jewish individuals trying to attack al-Aqsa Mosque while falsely claiming that they want to build their fictitious temple there.
The Israeli government will typically allocate at least 400 heavily armed soldiers for their protection to enable them to wreak havoc inside it. This is all too obvious.
Al Jazeera: What is the movement's plan of action for the coming period?
Salah: Our plans are the same as before. We will continue to defend al-Aqsa Mosque through our presence there, and by continuing to pray there.
We also encourage Palestinians everywhere to worship in it and visit it. Our work is lawful and peaceful because we are only exercising our right to worship freely in our own holy places.
This entails a commitment to defend the Mosque and all of our holy places against the daily Israeli instigations and attacks against it.
Waterford Sydney 18-In. Decorative Pillow. This Sydney decorative pillow is a woven jacquard pattern mimicking the comforter pattern, with a fancy looped crochet trim border. Spruce up your bedding collection with this exquisite accent piece.
This Sydney decorative pillow is a woven jacquard pattern mimicking the comforter pattern, with a fancy looped crochet trim border.
This dimensional embroidered and appliqued botanical pillow gives an unexpected pop of fashion, in ivory and taupe.
This classic Sydney decorative pillow is a solid tufted pillow in taupe with a complementary ivory flange and an opulent metallic braided cord.
An ivory silk-like pillow with rich tonal embroidery offers an elegant accent to the bed.
The end of the war could integrate Colombia more fully into Latin America.
There’s still a lot to work out—on land, disarmament, refugees, paramilitary power—and many things can go wrong, but it seems Colombia’s decades-long civil war is ending. The Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) have announced that they “have successfully reached an agreement for a...
The Nation has covered Colombia well over the many decades of the war. Last October, Winifred Tate and I discussed what was at stake—especially around land, paramilitary power, and internal refugees, of which Colombia has millions—in the peace talks, and what obstacles might sideline them. Here, I discussed a story not...
If you search for Colombia on The Nation’s website, you will see how key the country has been in regional politics. Returned stories come back on Cuba, Iran/Contra, Panama, Israel, immigration, drugs, Central America, death squads, Iraq, private security forces, and so on, giving an indication of the key role Colombia,...
The peace process has reached a point of no return. Peace is a victory for all of Colombia, but also a victory for Our America. The short history of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States has led to the proclamation of this region as a Zone of Peace.… The achievement of peace in Colombia represents a hope...
Quoting José Martí, Castro ended his remarks by insisting that “homeland is humanity” (a good sentiment to keep in mind, considering events on the other side of the Atlantic).
It’s hard to overestimate the degree to which fans have been anticipating the arrival in theaters of the new Christopher Nolan-Christian Bale Batman movie, “The Dark Knight Rises.” Tickets to some of the first showings, at midnight on Thursday evening, sold out more than six months in advance. Seats for opening night a...
The Hollywood Reporter predicts that this weekend “The Dark Knight Rises” will net the highest-ever domestic debut for sales for a 2-D film—a title currently held by its predecessor, “The Dark Knight.” The forecast is based on phenomenally strong advance sales, with $25 million worth of tickets selling before the movie...
While some “Dark Knight Rises” showings went on sale months ago, most theaters made tickets available only in recent weeks. According to the Detroit News, the midnight showing at the IMAX Theatre at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn sold out in just 27 minutes after tickets went on sale on June 11. “It usually takes se...
Another showing, at the ungodly hour of 3:15 a.m., is already half sold out at the IMAX location. When the movie’s over, viewers should be able to leave theaters just in time for breakfast. Overall, the movie house had sold 4,200 advance tickets to the film, more than double it has ever sold.
The excitement over the “Dark Knight” has inspired quite a black market as well. Tickets for midnight showings in New York City have been listed at Craigslist for $100 a pop for months, and SmartMoney reports that sellers in locations ranging from Los Angeles to Council Bluffs, Iowa, are asking $125 to $150 per ticket....
For the record, the retail price for a ticket should be under $20, even for an IMAX showing.
Fifty-three years ago, at a nuclear silo outside Vale, South Dakota, there was an explosion, the force of which blew the cap off a nuclear missile, sending its warhead falling 75 feet down the shaft of the 80-foot silo. What happened next could’ve been disaster, which was averted, but kept in secrecy for decades. Now, ...
The reporter is Seth Tupper at the Rapid City Journal. Tupper FOIA’d records relating to the incident, which previously had only been disclosed in seven sentences in a government report. Tupper also spoke to an airman on the scene.
According to Tupper’s reporting, the trouble started on December 5, 1964 when an airman who had been sent to perform maintenance on the missile removed a fuse with a screwdriver.
According to the Air Force report on the accident, one of the airmen removed a fuse as part of a check on a security alarm control box. The report says the airman was “lacking a fuse puller,” so he used a screwdriver to pry the fuse from its clip.
When the fuse was re-inserted, the report says, it was supposed to click. The sound of a click indicated good contact with the holder. But there was no click, so the airman repeated the procedure. Still not certain he heard a click, he pulled the fuse out a third time and pushed it back into the holder again.
When one of the retrorockets fired inside the missile in the Lima-02 silo, pressure built up in the space where the retrorockets were housed, and the cone of the missile — which was about 5 feet tall, nearly 3 feet in diameter at its base, and about 750 pounds in weight — burst off and fell down in the few feet of spac...
The cone hit the wall of the silo, bounced back toward the missile and grazed it in two spots along the second fuel stage, hit two of the three suspension cables that supported the missile, and finally crashed to the concrete floor of the silo and came to rest on its side. Luckily, the cone did not do enough damage to ...
Neither of the airmen immediately knew what had happened. The bureaucratically written accident report says they “expeditiously evacuated” after hearing the explosion, as the silo filled with gray smoke.
What happened next? A salvage operation involving Bob Hicks, now 73-years-old and living in Texas. By the time Hicks got to the scene, he told the Rapid City Journal, there was a lot of guys standing around with no clear idea about what to do.
You can—and should—read the whole story here.
The foster carers of the Iraqi teenager who carried out the Parsons Green tube bombing in September 2017 are suing their local council for negligence because they were not told that Islamic State had “trained him to kill”.
Surrey county council told Penny and Ron Jones, who have fostered 269 children over 47 years and received MBEs for their service in 2010, that Ahmed Hassan was “merely … a troubled young person”.
Hassan, who claims to be 19, was sentenced last year at the Old Bailey to a minimum of 34 years for the attack, which injured 51 passengers on a District line train. He came to the UK illegally in 2015, and was placed with the Joneses in 2016.
He told officials he had trained with Isis, but the council did not pass the information on to the couple, who have not been asked to foster any more children since.
The couple say the council was negligent in not telling them the full story about Hassan’s past.
Penny Jones, said: “We want to make sure that no other foster carers are ever treated like we have been. They told me that he had tried to kill himself and would only be released if he was fostered into a stable home so we took him in.
Hassan assembled the bomb on the kitchen table of the couple’s Surrey home while theuy were away on holiday.
Contact this reporter at steven.perlberg@buzzfeed.com.
Staffers are asking that New York Media management voluntarily recognize an editorial union.
Bloomberg told Radio Iowa that he may sell his company or end political coverage if he runs in 2020.
The Climate Is Changing. How Often Climate Is Covered On TV Networks? Not So Much.

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