North America
Asserting the situation had reached “a point of crisis”, United States President Donald Trump yesterday signed a proclamation directing the deployment of the National Guard to the US-Mexico border to fight illegal immigration and drug smuggling. “The lawlessness that continues at our southern border is fundamentally incompatible with the safety, security, and sovereignty of the American people,” Trump yesterday in a memo authorising the move, adding that his Administration had “no choice but to act”. Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said she had been working with governors of the southwest border states to develop agreements on where and how many Guardsmen will be deployed. Nasim Aghdam , the woman whom police say shot three people at YouTube’s headquarters on Wednesday before taking her own life, was prolific at producing videos and posting them online. Many of them have been described as bizarre, such as a clip in which she removes a revealing purple dress to expose fake breasts with the message, “Don’t Trust Your Eyes”. In others, Aghdam exercises, promotes animal rights and explains the vegan diet, often in elaborate costumes or while carrying a rabbit.
The videos have become central to the motive authorities have settled on for the shooting: Aghdam’s anger with the policies of YouTube — the world’s biggest online video website.
Aghdam, who was in her late 30s, posted the videos under the online name Nasime Sabz, and a website in that name decried YouTube’s policies, saying the company was trying to “suppress” content creators.
“Youtube filtered my channels to keep them from getting views!” one of the messages said. “There is no equal growth opportunity on YOUTUBE or any other video sharing site, your channel will grow if they want to!!!!!”
Nasim Aghdam (right) joined members of Peta in protesting against the killing of pigs in Military exercises.
People who post on YouTube can receive money from advertisements that accompany their videos, but the company “de-monetises” some channels for reasons including inappropriate material or having fewer than 1000 subscribers.
Aghdam also ran a Farsi-language public channel on the messaging app Telegram, which had 6000 followers. Telegram reportedly has some 40 million users in Iran. In one post she says, “Internet crackdown and filtering is increasing in the West”. Isis (Islamic State) militants have restated their loyalty to the group’s leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, in what is believed to be their first public pledge of allegiance to him since his “caliphate” in Syria and Iraq collapsed last year. The group continues to carry out bombings, ambushes and assassinations in both countries, as well as in Libya. Baghdadi’s whereabouts are unknown.