Uber has used a strategy of using cabbie violence against Uber drivers in several countries, including Portugal, as a way to promote the company’s image and win concessions from governments, an investigative report reveals.
The plan began to develop in 2015, when the strategists of the North American company realized that they could capitalize on acts of violence against Uber driversafter winning the sympathy of public opinion, reveals the investigation of Uber Files, conducted by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ, its abbreviation in English).
One of the examples provided by the ICIJ investigation, cited by The Washington Post, one of the “media partners” in that investigation, took place in Portugal in 2015, when taxi drivers committed “acts of violence” against Uber drivers. several times, as a result of which several people were injured and one of them was hospitalized.
According to The Washington Post, Rui Bento, who was Uber’s manager in Portugal in July 2015, is quoted in an “email” to colleagues saying the company is “considering” providing information about the attacks and injuries. local media at a time when ANTRAL, the largest association of taxi drivers in Portugal, was looking to counter Uber’s expansion strategy.
According to Rui Bento, in the messages, the idea behind spreading the word about taxi driver attacks on Uber drivers was as follows:create a direct link between the public statements of violence by the president of ANTRAL (Florencio Almeida) and these actionsto humiliate their public image.”
In response to Rui Bento’s post, Yuri Fernandez, public relations manager for Uber, suggested: explore Florencio Almeida’s past: “To see if we have anything ‘sexy’ for the media,” the documents cited by the investigation say.
The Washington Post reports that Bento and Fernandez did not respond to requests for comment on the case.
The controversy against Uber in Portugal and its lack of regulation escalated during the first half of 2015, culminating in late June with the confirmation of an injunction filed by the National Association of Carriers. Roads in cars (ANTRAL) with the Central Court of Lisbon on the suspension of the technology platform.
The actions of the Portuguese taxi drivers followed one another throughout the second quarter and gained momentum again in September and October, when demonstrations took place simultaneously in Lisbon, Porto and Faro.
At the time, Portugal was on the eve of legislative elections that led to a change of government.
The regulation on technological platforms for passenger transportation will come into force in 2018.
The ICIJ investigation presents similar cases in other countries, such as Switzerland, where a Geneva taxi driver’s violent attack on an Uber driver was analyzed as a potential benefit from the Berne government.
The investigation found that this Sunday, one of the company’s lobbyists, Kristian Samoylovich, was quoted in a message sent to a colleague in March of that year, where he admits that Uber may use violence against company drivers to its advantageafter an adviser to the European Commission wrote on the social network Facebook that the Uber in which he traveled was attacked by taxi drivers.
That week, four Uber drivers were attacked on the same night by taxi drivers in the Netherlands who were protesting the benefits enjoyed by the American company, prompting Nick van Leeuwen, the organization’s manager for that European region, to report the situation. then CEO Travis Kalanick.
With the approval of the company’s general management, Leuwen expressed his outrage at these incidents to the media in the Netherlands, reporting the incident to the media and issuing an internal report in which he stated:We must save this tale of violence“.
Since then, Uber has begun advising drivers to stand up to taxi driver violence, reminding them that this is the best way to protect the interests of the company they work for.
Travis Kalanick appears in several posts defending Uber drivers standing up to taxi drivers even at the risk of physical attack and advising to keep the “narrative of violence” alive.
A spokesman for the former CEO told a consortium of journalists that the claims were taken out of context and that Kalanick never wanted to put the lives of Uber drivers at risk, but current company executives are outraged by the practice.
In the months leading up to the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, the United States never ceased to publicly warn of the possibility of a large-scale Russian intervention—at one point, the Ukrainian government itself asked Washington “not to provoke a panic.” As the newspaper now shows Washington PostThe White House knew about the invasion plan months before Vladimir Putin’s order, but failed to convince NATO members that an attack was imminent.
An American daily describes a meeting in the Oval Office in October 2021 between President Joe Biden, his deputy Kamala Harris and several military and diplomatic advisers. This session was just one of several on Ukraine last fall, but it stood out for the details of the information presented to the US president. Jake Sullivan, a national security adviser who turned from skepticism to concern about Russia’s intentions, was in charge of organizing the meeting.
Present were Secretary of State Anthony Blinken; Defense, Lloyd Austin; Chief of Interarms Staff General Mark A. Milley; and the director of the National Security Agency and the CIA. In response to Sullivan’s request for an overview of Russia’s plans, they explained to Biden that “intelligence information about plans The prompt actions of Vladimir Putin, coupled with the incessant mobilizations along the border with Ukraine, showed that everything is ready for a massive assault.
With access to “many points of Russian political leadership and the military and espionage apparatus”, US intelligence agencies knew that Putin’s “impressively audacious” military plan called for the occupation of almost the entire country and could “immediately threaten eastern flank of NATO or even destroy the post-World War II security architecture in Europe.”
According to the information, the Russians would move in from the north, from both sides of Kyiv, and the offensive would begin in the winter: “having formed pincers around the capital, Russian troops planned to take Kyiv within three to four days” and “special forces would find and would delete President Volodymyr Zelessky, killing him if necessary” to establish a friendly government. At the same time, they would have entered from the east towards the Dnieper, and the troops in the Crimea would have occupied the southern coast. After a pause for regrouping, they were to move west, along a north-south line, from Moldavia to Belarus – in the West there will remain “the Ukrainian state, which, according to Putin’s calculations, is inhabited by irreconcilable neo-Nazi-Russophobes.”
The findings included troop and weapon dispositions, operational strategy, and Putin-led increases in funding for “military contingency operations” and “formation of forces in reserve,” even to the detriment of other needs such as pandemic response. It wasn’t an exercise. And if Biden and his administration didn’t think the world would be on the brink of a new war at the end vertex which brought the two presidents together on June 16, took effect a month later, when Putin published his rehearsal “On the historical unity of Russians and Ukrainians”. In late August, as a precautionary measure, Biden authorized the shipment of $60 million worth of defensive weapons to Ukraine.
After the October meeting, Biden’s biggest challenge was convincing allies at a time when “NATO was far from speaking with one voice on how to deal with Moscow” and “US credibility was weak” following the devastating occupation of Iraq and the chaos. from withdrawal from Afghanistan. Later that month, at the G20 summit in Rome, Biden warned his closest allies, France, Britain and Germany. A few weeks later, Secret Service director Avril Haynes called in several members of NATO.
According to Mail, the majority reacted with great skepticism, with the exception of the UK and the Baltic countries. The Germans and the French feared political manipulation after previous US mistakes. In practice, Angela Merkel leaving the German government and Emmanuel Macronin the French presidential election campaign in April did not want to believe that Putin could do something so “irrational”.
In the months that followed, the Americans engaged in discussions and meetings to persuade various European countries while strengthening their military presence in Europe. But in the days leading up to the invasion, many still can’t believe what’s coming, including the French president, who on February 20 celebrated receiving Putin’s approval to meet with Biden. A few hours later Putin recognized officially self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk republics, less than four days before break into to Ukraine.
Finland’s prime minister is back in the spotlight this week, again for reasons other than her leadership style. In a video posted on social media, Sanna Marin dances and sings with a group of friends. As a result, opposition party leaders are demanding that the 36-year-old government official undergo a drug test, and argue that such an attitude is not appropriate for a government official.
Sanna Marin was quick to respond to a stream of videos of her appearing with friends, including some Finnish celebrities, at a house party. Prime Minister the youngest in the world denies using any banned substances, ensuring that he only consumed alcohol and celebrated “unrestrainedly”.
Speaking to reporters this Thursday in Kuopio, Finland, where the party is organizing a summer conference, Marin assured that he knew about the filming, but admitted he was annoyed that the video was released without his knowledge. “I danced and sang and had parties, absolutely cool stuff. I have never been in a situation where I have seen or heard of others [usarem drogas]”, stated.
Prime Minister of Finland @MarinSanna hit the headlines after a video from her party was leaked today.
She has previously been criticized for attending too many music festivals and spending too much on parties instead of ruling.
Opposition leader Riikka Purra urged the prime minister to voluntarily undergo a drug test, accusing Sanna Marin of a “shadow of a doubt”. Other parties also did not shy away from criticizing both the head of government and the media for taking up time talking about parties instead of discussing more important issues – with entry of Russian citizens into this country.
But Sanna Marin continues to publicly defend herself: “I have a family life, I have a professional life, and I have free time that I spend with friends. Almost the same as many people my age.” In addition, he made it clear that he would not change his behavior. “I’m going to be exactly the same person I’ve been until now, and I hope that’s accepted,” he concluded.
The Prime Minister makes no secret of his love of parties and continues to make headlines. Recently, a photo of her at a music festival circulated on Twitter, where they commented on the governor’s outfit. In December 2021, Marin publicly apologized for visiting a bar in Helsinki after coming into contact with another minister who tested positive for Covid-19.
On social media, comments are divided between surprise and messages of support for Sanna Marin. “When I saw the video of Sanna Marin, I thought fakes are getting really good. It couldn’t be true. No sane prime minister would put himself in the position of being caught on video if it came out,” wrote one user. “If dancing is what keeps Sanna Marin entertained, then she should be free to do it, even if the most conservative people have trouble doing it.” protectsin opposition, another netizen.
When I first saw Sanna Marin’s video, I thought, “These deep fakes are getting really good. It can not be true. No sane prime minister would allow himself to be filmed like this if it leaked.” But it’s real. Voi, etta.
New Zealand police said the remains of two children were found in suitcases bought at an auction in Auckland, New Zealand’s largest city.
Inspector Tofilau Faamanuia Waaelua said that the bodies of the victims, aged between five and ten years, were probably hidden for several years in two suitcases of the same size.
“The nature of the discovery makes the investigation challenging, especially given the time that has elapsed between death and discovery,” Waaelua said.
The family found the bags after purchasing a trailer full of items sold in bulk from a warehouse, with an official stating that the family in question was unrelated to the death but “understandably distraught at the find.”
Police, who also called Interpol, are searching the trailer for other household items and personal items to identify the victims.
The warehouse and property where the bags were found were thoroughly inspected by a forensic team.
“We are doing our best to identify the victims” in order to bring to justice the perpetrator or perpetrators of the deaths of these children, Waaelua said.
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