Facebook draws flak for Sudanese child bride auction
Global Pulse

Facebook draws flak for Sudanese child bride auction

Tech giants Facebook, Amazon & Apple witness a slump in shares, and US President goes after military heroes.

   
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Tech giants Facebook, Amazon & Apple witness a slump in shares, and US President goes after military heroes.

Facebook under fire over child bride auction

Facebook has drawn massive flak for a “barbaric use of technology” after it allowed what was viewed as the auction of a child bride on its site, reports CNN.

The alleged auction was held on the social media platform for a 16-year-old girl in South Sudan which sought payment for her hand in marriage.

Facebook claimed to have taken down the post, but only after the girl got married.

Reportedly, in the auction, the girl’s father received 500 cows, three cars and $10,000 in exchange for his daughter.

According to child rights organisation Plan International, the girl was bid on by five men and most of them were South Sudanese government officials.
“That a girl could be sold for marriage on the world’s biggest social networking site in this day and age is beyond belief. This barbaric use of technology is reminiscent of latter-day slave markets”, Plan International’s country director in South Sudan, George Otim, said.

America won’t punish Saudi crown prince over Khashoggi killing, says Trump

US President Donald Trump said Tuesday he will not take any strong action against Saudi Arabia or its Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman over journalist Jamal Khashoggi’s killing, reports CNN.

In a statement titled, ‘America First!’, Trump said, “Our intelligence agencies continue to assess all information, but it could very well be that the Crown Prince had knowledge of this tragic event — maybe he did and maybe he didn’t!”

“We may never know all of the facts surrounding the murder of Mr. Jamal Khashoggi,” Trump said.

“In any case, our relationship is with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. They have been a great ally in our very important fight against Iran,” he added.

Trump’s statement once again pits him against his intelligence agencies and supports a regime that has admitted to killing a journalist.

Senate Foreign Relations chairman Bob Corker, a Tennessee Republican, said, “I never thought I’d see the day a White House would moonlight as a public relations firm for the crown prince of Saudi Arabia.”

Now, President Trump insults military heroes

US President Donald Trump heaps praise on the military but goes after its leaders and war heroes.

Taking a jibe at military veterans, the President has called the highly respected Admiral William McRaven as a “Hillary Clinton fan” and supporter of former President Barack Obama, CNN reports, quoting his interview with Fox News.

As a Navy SEAL commander, Adm. McRaven oversaw the operation against al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden in 2011.

Trump’s comment drew sharp criticism from former officials. Unlike other leaders, Trump has neglected to visit combat zones, passed up Veterans Day ceremonies but has repeatedly said he knows more about military issues than generals do.

“These unnecessary unforced errors, when you attack people like Adm. McRaven and (the late Sen. John) McCain, it shows a lack of respect that’s just baffling,” said Melissa Bryant, chief policy officer at the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America.