Autostrade executives guilty of manslaughter in 2013 motorway accident, CEO acquitted

Three managers at Autostrade per l'Italia, and three former managers, were found guilty of manslaughter on Friday over the deaths of 40 people in a 2013 accident on one of the company's motorways, while CEO Giovanni Castellucci was acquitted.

The guilty verdicts by an Italian judge could open the door to potential damages suits against Autostrade, which is also under investigation after a bridge it operated collapsed in the Italian city of Genoa last August, killing 43 people.

The acquittal of Castellucci rekindled criticism against Autostrade, the motorways arm of Benetton-controlled infrastructure group Atlantia (ATL.MI), from the Italian government. Deputy Prime Minister Luigi Di Maio, in a post on his Facebook page, called the verdict on Castellucci, who is also CEO of Atlantia, "incomprehensible" and reiterated that the government wants to withdraw Autostrade's motorway concessions in Italy.

https://reuters.com/article/amp/idUSKCN1P5198?

Democrats ban LGBT employment discrimination in the House of Representatives

The newly-elected Democrat majority in the U.S. House of Representatives wasted no time in adopting rule changes that ban employment discrimination against LGBT people in the lower chamber and requires House members to take ethics training.

Among other things, the Equality Act would amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to sexual orientation and gender identity among the social categories that are protected from discrimination under the law.

The bill defines “sex” to include things like sex stereotypes, sexual orientation, pregnancy, childbirth, and gender identity.

The bill also expands the definition of public accommodation. Under the law, the Department of Justice could bring a civil action on the basis of things like being denied equal used of a public facility (like a bathroom or locker room) owned and operated by the state. However, public schools and colleges seem to be exempt from that part of the bill.

https://www.christianpost.com/news/democrats-ban-lgbt-employment-discrimination-in-the-house-of-representatives.html

whoop em again

NYPD commissioner defends cops in baton beatdown video

The NYPD’s top cop stood by the officers filmed clubbing two Washington Heights men, demanding on Friday that the Manhattan district attorney get tough with the suspects — and takes further action against them.

O’Neill said that the two officers were doing “what they were supposed to do” when they stopped Sydney Williams and Aaron Grissom on Tuesday inside 168th Street station near Broadway in Upper Manhattan.

“That day, they were approached and were told that there were people on the stairways harassing passengers,” O’Neill said. “The two police officers went and they told them that they couldn’t be there and it started. One of the cops made a decision to arrest Mr. Grissom and Mr. Williams, and Mr. Grissom decided he was gonna punch a cop.”

“You can’t punch a cop. You can’t fight a cop. You can’t resist arrest,” he added. “You have to respect police.”

https://nypost.com/2019/01/11/nypd-commissioner-defends-cops-in-baton-beatdown-video/amp/?