Police in Brazil have arrested the vice president of the social media company Facebook in Latin America.
Diego Dzodan, an Argentine national, has repeatedly refused to comply with court orders to hand over data for use in a criminal investigation into drugs trafficking, police said.
His arrest relates to the messaging service WhatsApp, owned by Facebook.
In a statement, Facebook called Mr Dzodan’s arrest an “extreme and disproportionate measure”.
Mr Dzodan’s arrest was ordered by a judge in the north-eastern state of Sergipe.
He was held as he left his house in an exclusive area of Sao Paulo on Tuesday morning.
Judge Marcel Maia Montalvao had in two previous instances issued fines against Facebook for refusing to release WhatsApp data.
The information was needed as part “secrete judicial investigations involving organised crime and drug trafficking,” he said.
In a statement, Facebook said it was “disappointed with the extreme and disproportionate measure”.
“Facebook has always been and will be available to address any questions Brazilian authorities may have,” the company said.
In December a judge in Brazil suspended WhatsApp for 48 hours.
The Sao Paulo state judge said at the time that the company failed to comply with court orders to share information in a criminal case.
Sourced from – http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-35700733
Rick Ross has been indicted in the alleged pistol whipping incident with his groundskeeper last summer.
Last June, the Miami rapper was arrested on charges of assault, battery and kidnapping for an incident that took place at his Atlanta home and culminated with his groundskeeper allegedly getting pistol whipped.
According to TMZ, Ross claims Jonathan Zamudio, the groundskeeper, threw a party at the guest house of the Georgia estate with cocaine and drug paraphernalia involved. In response, the rapper’s lawyer, Steve Sadow, says he will make the case that Ross was “acting in self-defense and in defense of his property when he encountered trespassers.”
In a statement to REVOLT, Sadow, Ross’s lead defense counsel, said the following, “As soon as we became aware the prosecutor brought formal charges, we filed a preliminary motion for immunity from criminal prosecution, which ultimately would terminate the case if the Judge agrees with us.”
“Essentially what we will show at a pretrial hearing is Rick Ross acted in self-defense and in defense of his property when he encountered felonious trespassers inside his guest house. Of course, we continue to deny all of the allegations made by the so-called “victims.””
Ross’ indictment this week are for charges of kidnapping, aggravated assault, aggravated battery and possession of a firearm while committing a crime.
As of this writing, no trial date has been set in the case.
WASHINGTON — Facing hundreds of millions of dollars in lawsuits, the giant biotechnology companyMonsanto last year received a legislative gift from the House of Representatives, a one-paragraph addition to a sweeping chemical safety bill that could help shield it from legal liability for a toxic chemical only it made.
Monsanto insists it did not ask for the addition. House aides deny it is a gift at all. But the provision would benefitthe only manufacturer in the United States of now-banned polychlorinated biphenyls, chemicals known as PCBs, a mainstay of Monsanto sales for decades. The PCB provision is one of several sticking points that negotiators must finesse before Congress can pass a law to revamp the way thousands of chemicals are regulated in the United States.
“Call me a dreamer, but I wish for a Congress that would help cities with their homeless crises instead of protecting multinational corporations that poison our environment,” said Pete Holmes, the city attorney for Seattle, one of six cities suing Monsanto to help cover the costs of reducing PCB discharge from their sewers.
Democrats and Republicans—along with the chemical industry and even some environmentalists—agree that the pending legislation would be a major improvement over existing law.But from legal liability shields to state-based regulatory authority, the House and Senate versions have major differences to resolve. The remaining disputes revolve around the basics of pre-emption: Who gets to sue? Andwho gets to regulate the chemical industry?
A Monsanto spokeswoman said the company had received no special treatment from the House or the Senate.
“Monsanto does not consider either version of the bill, with respect to the effect on preemption, to be a ‘gift,’ ” the spokeswoman, Charla Lord, said.
Already, attorneys general and top environmental regulators from 15 states have written to leaders in Congress demanding changes.
“Our future work depends on striking the right balance to strengthen the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s abilities and funding, without limiting state powers in creating and enforcing needed protections,” said aletter, obtained by The New York Times, sent by the top environmental regulators in California, Connecticut, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New York, Oregon, Washington and West Virginia.
Some of the most vociferous objections relate to the so-called Monsanto Clause. The provision does not mention the company by name, but between the early 1930s and 1977, Monsanto manufactured almost all of the 1.25 billion pounds of PCBs sold in the United States.
The chemicals were initially admired for their ability to prevent fires and explosions in electrical transformers and other equipment. But as the use of PCBs skyrocketed nationwide in products as varied as paints, pesticides and even carbonless copy paper, evidence mounted that they were contaminating the environment and potentially causing health problemsincluding cancer and immune-system complications. The E.P.A. banned their production in 1979.
PCB litigation has surged in the last year as cities and school systems struggle to comply with directives from federal and state regulators to reduce PCB levels in sewer discharge and in caulk once used to construct schools. Separately, a group of individuals who received diagnoses of a form of cancer known as non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma sued Monsanto last year, claiming the company should pay damages.
The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, in a June reportaccompanying its version of the legislation, asserted that neither existing toxic chemical law nor any revisions pending in Congress should be seen as a way to “pre-empt, displace or supplant” the right to sue for damages in lawsuits like the ones filed against Monsanto.
The House also voted to preserve the right to sue if individuals or local governments believe they have been harmed by a chemical, regardless of future federal regulations of the substance. But a critical paragraph added to the House bill in late May made sure past regulatory requirements by the E.P.A. would continue to disqualify legal claims, and it specifically referred to the section of the 1976 toxic chemical law governing PCBs, giving Monsanto clearer authority in the future to ask judges to dismiss lawsuits filed against it.
Congressional aides involved in the drafting said the language was inserted at the request of Republican staff members at the House Energy and Commerce Committee. One Republican committee aide disputed any suggestion that this was a gift to Monsanto, but he said he was not allowed to discuss the issue on the record.
And Ms. Lord, the Monsanto spokeswoman, said the company did not ask for the change.
Kim Kardashian’s divorce from Kanye West is really happening – according to this week’s cover of In Touch Magazine. Divorce rumors have plagued Kim and Kanye for months, it’s obvious that their relationship is not what it used to be. And, it turns out Kim Kardashian is just an annoyed with her husband’s erratic and egotistical behavior as the rest of the world.
This week’s cover of In Touch Magazine features a fierce looking Kim – no seriously, she has the “I Mean Business” face, in another photo Kanye West appears to have packed a bag and is moving out.
The headline screams, “Kim Announces Divorce – Kanye Kicked Out!” In Touch’s front page goes on to tease all the details on a fight the couple had at 4:00 AM that ended it all, the divorce papers and custody battle, and Kim ordering Kanye to get help now for his erratic behavior.
What has been interesting about Kanye’s West’s latest downward spiral is that the rapper’s entire breakdown has been pristinely documented across the internet – we have screenshots of his insane Twitter rampages, and there is even the tape of Kanye screaming obscenities and making NO sense behind the scenes at Saturday Night Life.
Not to mention police reports from previous violent altercations in the past few years. Basically, Kanye doesn’t stand a chance at getting custody of North and Saint West. We’re not saying Kim is a good mom, but she is definitely a better looking parent on paper than Kanye West.
Kim and Kanye’s divorce really is a no brainer – we all saw this coming a mile away. There is no way Kim is going to stand by Kanye’s side while he commits career suicide. The reality TV queen is obviously trying to get out while she still can – before Kanye kills both of her careers.
What do you guys think? Will Kanye actually get help – or will Kim have no choice but to file for divorce? Is it wrong of her to abandon Kanye when he obviously needs help, or would you have left already if you were in Kim’s shoes? Let us know what you think in the comments below!
Actor and marijuana advocate Woody Harrelson was one of nearly 60 applicants to apply to open one of Hawaii’s first medical marijuana dispensaries.
Harrelson, 54, applied for a license in Honolulu County under his company, Simple Organic Living.
The Hawaii Department of Health posted the list of 66 applications on its website Friday. The state is now reviewing applications for dispensary permits, which they will award in April.
Video game entrepreneur Henk Rogers also applied for a license under his company, Blue Planet Foundation, which advocates for energy independence across the state. Rogers, 61, is famous for designing the video game “Tetris” more than 20 years ago, and lives in Hawaii in an entirely solar-powered home.
Among other applicants include Dirk Fukushima, producer of the local television show, “Hawaii Stars,” and former University of Hawaii Regent Charles Kawakami.
If selected, dispensary applicants must have $1 million cash before applying for a licenses, plus $100,000 for each dispensary location. All applicants must have been Hawaii residents for more than five years.
Under a law passed in 2015, the state will grant eight licenses for marijuana business owners across the islands. The law allows medical marijuana businesses to have two production centers and two retail dispensaries, for a total of 16 dispensaries statewide. Six are allowed on Oahu, four on Hawaii Island, four on Maui and two on Kauai.
Dispensaries are set to open in July.
Hawaii became the first to legalize medical marijuana through the legislative process 16 years ago. Lawmakers have introduced laws to legalize recreational marijuana; however they don’t think they’re likely to pass this year.
Sourced from – http://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/celebrity/woody-harrelson-applies-open-marijuana-dispensary-hawaii-n512641
