Canadian PM Justin Trudeau Weakened After Main Ally Unexpectedly Pulls Support

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (L), Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre (C), and NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh (R) (Undated photos: The Hill Times / Andrew Meade)

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau suffered an unexpected blow when the small party helping keep his minority Liberal government in power withdrew its automatic support, forcing him to attempt new alliances to govern. New Democratic Party leader Jagmeet Singh said he was “ripping up” a deal struck between the two men in 2022.

The move leaves Trudeau reliant on support from other opposition lawmakers to survive confidence votes in the lower chamber of parliament at a time when polls show he will lose badly if an election were held now. An election must be held by the end of October 2025 under Canadian law.

Under the 2022 deal, the NDP agreed to keep Trudeau in power until mid-2025 in return for more social spending. Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre reiterated his call for an early election to break up what he called a Liberal-NDP coalition driving up prices for Canadians.

The House of Commons resumes work on 16 Sep, after which the Conservatives will have the ability to propose a vote of confidence. Trudeau’s Liberals could still survive if the NDP abstained on such a vote. The NDP stated they would decide on an issue-by-issue basis whether to support the Liberals on confidence votes, suggesting it may continue to prop up Trudeau if his fate hung in the balance.

A key moment for Trudeau’s government will be its budget update later this year, which, if voted down by legislators would trigger a new election. Trudeau (52) first took office in November 2015 but has over the last two years struggled to fend off attacks from the opposition center-right Conservatives, who blame him for high inflation and a housing crisis.

With the NDP’s support, his government has pushed through social programs designed to address the cost of living. But the NDP’s Singh had expressed growing frustration with Trudeau in recent months, especially over what he said was the Liberals’ failure to deal with high prices at grocery stores.

Nota Bene: Germany, another NATO country, will also hold federal elections in October 2025.

Source:

Canadian PM Trudeau weakened after main ally unexpectedly pulls support | Reuters

US Accuses Russia of Attempting to Influence 2024 Election Through Kremlin-Backed News Outlets

The Kremlin has been using media outlets and online platforms designed to trick Americans into unwittingly consuming Russian propaganda. RT, formerly Russia Today, is seen as a key part of the Kremlin’s propaganda efforts.

Russian nationals Kostiantyn Kalashnikov (31) also known as Kostya, and Elena Afanasyeva (27) also known as Lena, were indicted with conspiracy to violate the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) and conspiracy to commit money laundering. The two employees of RT were charged in a $10 million scheme “to create and distribute content to US audiences with hidden Russian government messaging.”

The Justice Department announced seized 32 Internet domains. The tactics include using RT to advance anti-US messages and content and promote networks of fake websites and social media accounts that amplify the claims. Typically, these networks seize on polarizing political topics such as immigration and crime. Americans who view the content may have no idea that it either originated or was amplified by the Kremlin.

In conjunction with the domain seizures, the US Treasury Department announced the designation of ten individuals and two entities for sanctions, including Margarita Simonyan and Elizaveta Brodskaia from RT.

The State Department announced steps to impose visa restrictions on people who act on behalf of Kremlin-supported media organizations, use those organizations as cover for covert activities, and are complicit in engaging in covert influence. They are also offering a reward of up to $10 million relating to an organization known as RaHDit (Russian Angry Hackers Did It). The group engaged in election influence in other countries and is a threat to the 2024 US election, particularly through cyber-enabled influence operations.

If convicted, Kalashnikov and Afanasyeva face up to 25 years in prison. Both remain at large.

As noted in a previous Coriolanus post, FBI agents recently searched the Virginia home of Russian-American political commentator Dmitri Simes. His name was mentioned more than 100 times in a 2019 investigation by US Special Counsel Robert Mueller entitled Report On The Investigation Into Russian Interference In The 2016 Presidential Election.

According to NBC News, GOP VPOTUS candidate JD Vance’s campaign talking points about Russia and Ukraine mirror those of RT, as seen in the indictment linked below.

An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Sources:

Office of Public Affairs | Two RT Employees Indicted for Covertly Funding and Directing U.S. Company that Published Thousands of Videos in Furtherance of Russian Interests | United States Department of Justice

dl (justice.gov)

Office of Public Affairs | Justice Department Disrupts Covert Russian Government-Sponsored Foreign Malign Influence Operation Targeting Audiences in the United States and Elsewhere | United States Department of Justice

dl (justice.gov)

J.D. Vance talking points ‘mirror’ Russian propaganda in DOJ indictment: ex-FBI agent – Raw Story

North Korea Orders All Students Abroad to Return Home for Ideological Education

North Korean Supremo Kim Jong Un (C) meets with Korean students during a visit to Far Eastern Federal University in Vladivostok, Primorsky region, Russia on 17 Sep 2023.

Pyongyang has ordered all its students abroad to return home for ideological training – to reverse the outside influence the students have been exposed to while overseas, according to a North Korean escapee.

The number of North Korean students studying in China and Russia are probably several hundred, according to South Korean media outlet KBS. Many were there since before the Covid-19 pandemic hit in 2020.

Apparently,officials in Pyongyang are concerned that because the students have been out of the country for so long, they may have been influenced by the outside world and now accustomed to living in situations where their government is not in complete control of their lives.

It had been common practice for students to be ordered to periodically return in small numbers for loyalty classes, but these did not occur during the pandemic, so Pyongyang now wants to send them all for intensive ideological inspections en masse, according to South Korean media.

An analyst predicted that the student recall order could lead to more escape attempts. Recently, China arrested 15 North Koreans (13 women and two children) at the Laotian border after they trekked 1,500 miles to a river crossing, just minutes within freedom. Those unfortunate refugees will likely be repatriated – a fate that awaits nearly all North Korean escapees in Chinese police custody – and will likely be severely punished for fleeing.

Inexplicably, Kim Jong-Un’s official biography does not reflect his date and place of birth nor his elite private education in Switzerland.

Undated photos of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un taken when he was a child. (Yonhap News).

Sources:

North Korea orders all students abroad to return home for ideological education — Radio Free Asia (rfa.org)

New Official Biography of North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un Hides His Date and Place of Birth — Radio Free Asia (rfa.org)

https://www.rfa.org/english/news/korea/china-laos-north-escapee-defector-south-repatriation-arrest-08272024185901.html

American Warzone: Four Killed, Nine Wounded in Georgia School Shooting; 14-Year-Old Student Arrested

Parents arrive to pick up their children after the shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, GA. (Christian Monterrosa/AFP via Getty Images)

Two teachers and two students were killed in a shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, GA, on Wednesday morning, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI). Another nine victims were taken to hospitals with wounds. The 14-year-old suspect, a student at Apalachee High School, was captured alive.

In an average year in Georgia, 1,927 people die and 5,029 are wounded by firearms. The Peachtree State has the 8th-highest rate of gun violence in the US. Gun deaths and injuries cost Georgia $23.9 billion each year, of which $597.8 million is paid by taxpayers.

Americans can thank the Republican Party, the NRA, and the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) for this never-ending carnage that inflicts wartime-level casualties on its own people, including innocent defenseless children.

Sources:

4 dead in shooting at Georgia high school, 14-year-old suspect in custody: Officials – ABC News (go.com)

Gun-Violence-in-Georgia-2024-05.pdf (everystat.org)

Untangling the Gun Lobby’s Web of Self-Defense and Human Rights

Taiwan Cracks Down on Chinese Corporate Espionage: 135 Investigators Raid 30 Locations

In a decisive move to protect its high-tech industry, Taiwan’s Ministry of Justice’s Investigation Bureau (MJIB) has initiated a comprehensive investigation into alleged corporate espionage by mainland Chinese companies. Over 135 investigators conducted searches at 30 locations across Taiwan between 19 and 30 Aug, targeting eight Chinese companies suspected of corporate espionage and other illegal activities.

The companies include iCommsemi (Shenzhen), Shanghai New Vision Microelectronics Co., Ltd., Nanjing Aviacomm Semiconductor Co., Ltd., Emotibot (Shanghai), Tongfang Co., Ltd., Chengdu Analog Circuit Technology Inc. (Actt), NAURA Technology Group Co., Ltd., and Hestia Power (Shanghai). These firms, many of which receive state funding from China, are involved in key sectors such as microelectronics, semiconductors, and artificial intelligence — areas where Taiwan holds a competitive edge.

As Taiwan continues to navigate its complex relationship with Beijing, protecting its high-tech industry from corporate espionage will remain a critical priority, shaping the future of cross-strait relations and the global technology landscape.

Sources:

Taiwan Cracks Down on Chinese Corporate Espionage: 135 Investigators Raid 30 Locations (msn.com)

https://www.mjib.gov.tw/news/index/28

US Army Officer Dies in Poland; Cause Under Investigation

A change of command ceremony at Camp Kosciuszko in Poznan, Poland, 28 June 2024. (Devin Klecan / US Army)

A US Army officer died in Poland, the Defense Department announced Wednesday. LTC Joshua Camara (45) was stationed at Camp Kosciuszko in Poznan and assigned to the V Corps forward headquarters when he died on 3 Sep. The cause of death is still under investigation.

Local officials have ruled out murder and are investigating an “unintentional manslaughter,” adding that the results of an autopsy are expected early next week.

Polish news network TVP reported that the body of an American officer had been found inside an apartment in Poznan, not far from where the V Corps is based.

Camara, a public affairs officer, served in V Corps since June 2024 and was awarded the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal and Meritorious Service Medal among other awards.

West of Warsaw, Camp Kosciuszko is the first permanent US military base in Poland, which also hosts US Army Garrison Poland in Poznan.

Map: 2024 CIA World Factbook

Source:

US Army officer dies in Poland | Stars and Stripes

Russia: Two Alleged Pro-Ukraine Mercenaries Detained In Venezuela

Colombian veteran serving in Ukrainian military. (Undated image courtesy of the Yeshiva World).

Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) reported that authorities in Venezuela had arrested two Colombian citizens believed to have served as mercenaries with the Ukrainian armed forces. The two men were reportedly heading back to Colombia with a stopover in Caracas. Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Moscow has actively sought to detain foreign mercenaries around the world. Alleged mercenaries have been detained in Cuba, India, Syria, and other countries.

Colombia’s military has been fighting drug-trafficking cartels and rebel groups for decades, making its soldiers some of the world’s most experienced. These military veterans, in need of money, adventure, camaraderie, or a combination of all three, have been serving in Ukraine as well-paid mercenaries.

Corporals in the Colombian military receive a basic salary of approximately $400 a month, while experienced drill sergeants can earn up to $900. Colombia’s monthly minimum wage is currently $330.

In Ukraine any member of the armed forces, regardless of citizenship, is entitled to a monthly salary of up to $3,300, depending on their rank and type of service. They are also entitled to up to $28,660 if they are injured, depending on the severity of the wounds. If they are killed in action, their families are due $400,000 compensation.

In early 2022, Kiev reported that 20,000 people from 52 countries were in Ukraine, but won’t disclose military strength numbers or dispositions.

Colombian veterans in the Ukrainian armed forces pose near their Humvee on the front line near Lyman, Donetsk region, Ukraine, Monday, 29 Jan 2024. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

The mistake these two unfortunate Colombians made was flying home through Venezuela as Caracas is a staunch ally of the Kremlin.

Sources:

Russia Says Alleged Pro-Ukraine Mercenaries Detained In Venezuela (rferl.org)

Ukraine Is Hiring Professional Mercenaries From Colombia To Fight Russia – The Yeshiva World

Russia in the Western Hemisphere: Assessing Putin’s Malign Influence in Latin America and the Caribbean (csis.org)Russia to boost Venezuela ties amid US pressure (bbc.com)

British Cat Steals Neighbors’ Clothes for Her Owner

Taboo the cat (L) and a selection of her stolen goods (R). Photos: Sandra Danskin

Taboo’s pet parent, Sandra Danskin, said that the 12-year-old cat regularly nicks the laundry and gardening gear left out by the nearby residents of Otley in West Yorkshire, England.

Danskin has to post Taboo’s hauls on social media to reunite the numerous items the pet steals each week with their rightful owners. The feline has a fondness for nabbing gloves, shoes, and socks, specifically, but is open to pinching a variety of items.

“This morning, I had four pairs of socks and a pair of underpants. She loves bringing back items of clothing like that, but also, we’ve had mop heads and kitchen rolls,” Danskin said, adding that she usually finds the stolen goods on the driveway or inside the house by the cat flap when she returns home from her night shifts at work.

Taboo rarely gets caught, including by Danskin. The pet parent says she is unsure where Taboo gets all her steals from but suspects the cat grabs the items off laundry lines. She also knows the feline sneaks into houses when doors are left open because the one person who caught Taboo stealing found the cat taking a shirt from the clothing dryer in their kitchen. Another odd aspect of Taboo’s kleptomania includes the cat’s commitment to sets. Danskin said if Taboo finds a matching pair of socks, she will always bring both items home, carrying one sock at a time.

Taboo also likes to snag pieces of wet cardboard and once even brought back a carton of eggs, though all of the eggs broke by the time Taboo dragged the prize home. Danksin added that she always knows when Taboo brings a stolen gift home for her because the feline lets out a “high-pitched whining noise” whenever she has a stolen item to present.

Source:

Real-Deal Cat Burglar Is a Feline Who Loves Stealing the Neighbors’ Clothes for Her Owner (yahoo.com)

At Least 51 Killed, 219 injured in Russian Missile Strike in Central Ukraine

An Iskander-M short-range ballistic missile launcher. Russian forces have been firing such missiles from mobile launchers across the border into Ukraine. (Credit: Maxim Shipenkov/EPA, via Shutterstock)

At least 51 people were killed and 219 were injured on 3 Sep in one of Russia’s deadliest attacks in a single strike since its all-out invasion of Ukraine. Two missiles struck a building of the Military Communications Institute in a morning attack on the city of Poltava in central Ukraine.

The victims didn’t have time to evacuate to a bomb shelter after hearing the air-raid alert. 15 people may still be under the rubble as search teams were continuing to work at the scene.

The Prosecutor-General’s Office announced that it launched an inquiry after President Zelensky ordered a “full and prompt investigation” into what happened.

The attack is believed to be the deadliest single strike since May 2022 when 87 soldiers were killed at a military training center in the northern Cherniv region. Ukraine’s defense readiness came under scrutiny after the strike on Poltava, and some observers questioned why a large number of people were left vulnerable to a single attack.

Vladislav Seleznev, a Ukrainian military analyst and former spokesman for the General Staff of the Ukrainian military, said Ukraine can blame the Kremlin for the strike on Poltava, but there must also be a clear understanding of Kiev’s responsibility.

President Zelensky had previously requested 25 Patriot air defense systems to fully defend its airspace and protect the entire country from Russian missile attacks.

Sources:

https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-strikes-poltava/33105117.html

https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-zelenskyy-27ea21c05a2fc336ac4fdbbce31b77bc

Former Aide to New York Governors Charged with Acting as Agent of Chinese Government

Undated image of Linda Sun.

A former aide to New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and former Gov. Andrew Cuomo was charged with acting as an agent for the Chinese government.

Linda Sun, a former deputy chief of staff to Hochul and a Cuomo aide, was charged with violating and conspiring to violate the Foreign Agents Registrations Act, visa fraud, alien smuggling, and money laundering, according to an unsealed copy of the indictment.

Her husband and co-defendant, Chris Hu, was also charged with conspiracy to launder money and commit bank fraud as well as misusing means of identification.

Sun acted as “an undisclosed agent of the Chinese government while her husband, Hu, facilitated the transfer of millions of dollars in kickbacks for personal gain.”

Prosecutors allege Sun blocked Taiwanese diplomacy and ensured then-Governor Andrew Cuomo praised China for help during the Covid-19 emergency. The defendants used shell companies, iCloud accounts and WeChat messages – with everything in Mandarin – in their alleged crimes.

Sun and Hu were arrested at their palatial Long Island residence and both pleaded not guilty to all charges in federal court Tuesday afternoon. Sun’s bond is set at $1.5 million and her husband’s is set at $500,000. Both will have their travel limited to NYC, Long Island, Maine, and New Hampshire.

Former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is scheduled to testify at a Congressional hearing on 10 Sep regarding his response to the Covid-19 response.

An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Sources:

Office of Public Affairs | Former High-Ranking New York State Government Employee Charged with Acting as an Undisclosed Agent of the People’s Republic of China and the Chinese Communist Party | United States Department of Justice

BREAKING: Former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo to Testify at Public Hearing on September 10 – United States House Committee on Oversight and Accountability

American Warzone: Man Kills Four People on Train Near Chicago

Rhanni S. Davis (30) of Chicago was charged with four counts of first-degree murder after he allegedly killed four people on a Chicago Transit Authority train in Forest Park, Illinois, early Monday.

The Forest Park Police Department received a 911 call about three people shot on a westbound train at the CTA Blue Line station in Forest Park, just west of Chicago, around 5:30 a.m. local time.

Authorities cleared the station, finding four victims. Three were pronounced dead at the scene and the fourth died later in a hospital.

Law-enforcement agencies used video surveillance to help identify the alleged murderer. The suspect was taken into custody and a firearm was recovered. The shooting appears to have been an isolated incident with no immediate additional threat to the community.

In an average year in Illinois, 1,657 people die and 4,994 are wounded by guns.

With a rate of 13.2 deaths per 100,000 people, the Land of Lincoln has the 35th-highest rate of gun deaths in the US.

Sources:

Man charged in fatal shooting of 4 people on train near Chicago – ABC News

Gun-Violence-in-Illinois-2024-05.pdf (everystat.org)

US Justice Dept Indicts Hamas with One Hand; US State Dept Negotiates with Hamas with Other

Demonstrators in Tel Aviv, Israel, hold placards showing support for hostages who were kidnapped during the 7 Oct 2023 attack.

The Justice Department announced criminal charges against Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and other senior militants in connection with the 7 Oct 2023 rampage in Israel, marking the first effort by US law enforcement to formally call out the masterminds of the attack.

The seven-count criminal complaint filed in federal court in NYC includes charges of conspiracy to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization, conspiracy to murder US nationals, and conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction, resulting in death. It also accuses Iran and Lebanon’s Hezbollah of providing financial support and weapons, including rockets, that were used in the attack.

The charges come as the White House says it is developing a new cease-fire and hostage deal proposal with its Egyptian and Qatari counterparts to try to bring about an agreement between Israel and Hamas to end the nearly 11-month war in Gaza. A US official, who was not authorized to talk publicly about the case and spoke on condition of anonymity, said there was no reason to believe the charges would affect the ongoing negotiations.

A State Department spokesman said that reaching a cease-fire and release of the 100 or so remaining hostages “will require both sides to show flexibility. It will require that both sides look for reasons to get to yes rather than reasons to say no.”

The full unsealed complaint is linked below.

A criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

The fabled Pushmi-Pullyu from the Dr. Dolittle canon.

Sources:

Office of Public Affairs | Justice Department Announces Terrorism Charges Against Senior Leaders of Hamas | United States Department of Justice

dl (justice.gov)

US charges Hamas leader, other militants in Oct. 7 attack on Israel (voanews.com)

US issues new call for Israel, Hamas to reach cease-fire pact (voanews.com)

Canada Turning Away More Foreigners Amid Rise in Anti-Immigration Sentiment

At a 2020 rally, protesters called on the federal government to grant permanent status to all refugees across Canada on humanitarian and compassionate grounds. (Michael Charles Cole/CBC)

Canada is taking steps, both official and unofficial, to curb the number of people coming to the country, highlighting the way in which immigration has become a political flashpoint ahead of a federal election.

The ratio of refused visitor visa applications to approved ones was higher in recent months than at any point since the height of the Covid pandemic. Immigration officials rejected more applications than they approved in January, February, May, and June 2024. At the same time, the number of approved study and work permits dropped. And in July, Canada refused entry to nearly 6,000 foreign travelers, including students, workers and tourists – the most since at least January 2019.

Recent polling has shown a sharp change in how Canadians perceive of immigration, amid a mounting cost of living crisis. One immigration lawyer in Nova Scotia said his firm has seen an increase in rejections – and mounting hostility towards the firm’s clients. The sudden growth of the Canadian population stressed the affordable housing and medical care infrastructure.

The immigration minister said he would reassess the number of people applying for permanent residency. PM Justin Trudeau added his government would scale back the controversial temporary foreign workers following a surge in applications. The program was recently condemned by a UN special rapporteur for being a “breeding ground for contemporary forms of slavery”.

The prime minister also mentioned reducing the number of permanent residents Canada accepts each year, dramatically upending years of increased immigration levels under his tenure. In late 2023, the federal government said it would freeze permanent resident targets over the next three years to ensure inflows were “sustainable”. Ottawa intends to bring in 485,000 permanent residents in 2024, but only 500,000 in both 2025 and 2026.

Sources:

Canada turning away more foreigners amid rise in anti-immigration sentiment | Canada | The Guardian

UN envoy calls Canada’s use of migrant workers ‘breeding ground for slavery’

Russia Orders French Researcher Accused of Spying Held for Six More Months

French researcher Laurent Vinatier during a court hearing in Moscow, Russia, on 31 July 2024. © Yulia Morozova/Reuters

A court in Moscow on Tuesday ordered a French researcher to remain in jail until at least February 2025, on the first day of his trial for unlawfully collecting sensitive data. Laurent Vinatier was arrested in June for gathering information on Russia’s military without being registered as a “foreign agent”.

The 48-year-old French national has been charged with collecting information on Russia’s “military and military-technical activities” and he faces up to five years in prison if convicted. After he was first arrested, he admitted to the charge of not having registered as a foreign agent, saying he did not know that he was legally required to do so. Vinatier has been held in pre-trial detention since June, despite several requests to be placed under house arrest.

Vinatier is a specialist on the former Soviet Union and worked with the Swiss NGO Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue (HD), which helps to mediate conflicts outside of standard diplomatic channels. He was reportedly working on mediation efforts in the conflict between Ukraine and Russia.

His detention has increased tensions between Moscow and Paris, already strained since the beginning of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and France’s subsequent support of Kiev. Arrests on charges of spying and collecting sensitive data have become increasingly frequent in Russia since the start of the war.

After the biggest post-Cold War prisoner exchange between Russia and the West in early August, which did not include Vinatier, France called on Moscow to free all people “arbitrarily detained in Russia.”

Source:

Russia orders French researcher accused of spying held for six more months (rfi.fr)

Indigenous Mothers Fight to Search Former CIA Experiment Site in Montreal, Quebec

Anthropologist Philippe Blouin poses with Mohawk mothers Kahentinetha and Kwetiio at the Allen Memorial Institute in Montreal. (Image: Alexis Aubin/AFP)

Between 1957 and 1964 (though possibly beginning as early as 1948), psychiatric experiments were conducted at the Allan Memorial Institute in Montreal, a psychiatric teaching hospital affiliated with McGill University. Scottish-American psychiatrist Dr. Donald Ewen Cameron led and conducted these experiments which exposed patients to electroshocks, hallucinogenic drugs, and sensory deprivation. The program is widely believed to have been partly funded by the US CIA as part of their top-secret MKULTRA program, as well as the Canadian government.

Today, a group of Indigenous women are trying to stop the bulldozers at a former Montreal hospital which they believe could hold the truth about children still missing from that grisly half-century-old CIA experiment. They have spent the last two years trying to delay the construction project by McGill University and the Quebec government.

The mothers are relying on archives and testimonies that suggest the site contains unmarked graves of children formerly interned at the Royal Victoria Hospital and Allan Memorial Institute, a neighboring psychiatric hospital.

In the fall of 2022, these activists obtained an injunction to suspend work on a new university campus and research center at the site — a project worth Can$870 million (US$643 million).

In recent years, Canada has opened its eyes to past atrocities. Generations of Indigenous children were sent to residential schools where they were stripped of their language, culture, and identities in what a 2015 truth and reconciliation report said amounted to “cultural genocide.”

Between 1831 and 1996, some 150,000 Indigenous children were taken from their homes and placed in 139 such schools. Several thousand never returned to their communities.

In May 2021, the discovery of unmarked graves of 215 children at the Kamloops Indian Residential School in British Columbia started a national reflection on this dark chapter of Canadian history, while sparking searches for more graves across Canada.

“It was not only residential schools, it involved hospitals, sanatoriums, churches, and orphanages too,” said Kwetiio (pictured above).

Last summer, sniffer dogs and specialized probes were brought in to search the hospital’s expansive and dilapidated buildings. They managed to identify three areas of interest for excavations. But, according to McGill and the government’s Societe Quebecoise des Infrastructure (SQI), “no human remains have been discovered.”

The Indigenous activists were not satisfied with the search and want another investigation conducted by a party unaffiliated with the government or the university.

Sources:

Montreal MKULTRA Experiments | The Canadian Encyclopedia

Indigenous mothers fight to search CIA experiment site in Montreal – Raw Story

‘The American People Deserve to Know’: Dems Demand Answers from Trump on $10M Egypt Donation

Donald Trump with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah-el-Sisi on 23 Sep 2019.

On top of his stumbling campaign, Neanderthalic VP running mate JD Vance, imminent due dates for criminal and civil liabilities, and hideous, incoherent speeches, ex-President Donald Trump has another headache to deal with. On 2 Aug, Washington Post journalists Carol Leonnig and Aaron C. David reported that Egyptian President Abdel Fatah El-Sisi “sought to give” Donald Trump “$10 million to boost his 2016 presidential campaign.” The journalists also noted that in January 2017 — five days before Trump was sworn in as president — almost $10 million was withdrawn from a bank in Cairo.

A month after that article was published, Leonnig and David report that the top Democrats on the House Oversight Committee — Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) and Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA) — have sent a letter asking Trump “if he ever illegally received money from the government of Egypt, and whether money from Cairo played a role in a $10 million infusion into his 2016 run for president.”

“As members of the House minority,” Leonnig and David explain, “Raskin and Garcia do not have the power to subpoena documents or witnesses, and Trump is under no obligation to respond to their inquiries. But the Democrats said the public deserves answers now that Trump is running for president again.”

Should Donald Trump elect to answer the inquiry (the entire six-page letter is linked below), his legal team would advise him to answer truthfully. Making false statements (18 U.S.C. § 1001) in “any matter within the jurisdiction” of the federal government of the US, is punishable up to five imprisonment as well as a fine. This law generally prohibits knowingly and willfully making false or fraudulent statements, or concealing information, even by merely denying guilt when asked by a federal agent. One of the charges George Santos pleaded guilty to was making false statements to the House of Representatives.

Sources:

Copy of the official six-page letter to ex-President Donald Trump: 2024-09-03.JBR to DJTrump re. Egypt.pdf (house.gov)

‘The American people deserve to know’: Dems demand answers from Trump on $10M Egypt donation – Alternet.org

What Are the Penalties for Lying to Congress? – FindLaw

https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/former-congressman-george-santos-pleads-guilty-fraud-and-identity-theft

Norway’s Forests Have More Than Tripled in One Hundred Years

Norwegian forest development since 1919. Forest volume has more than tripled (dark blue); logging has long been fairly steady (yellow); forest growth (red) has decreased in recent years. (2024 Data and graphic: Landskogtakseringen/NIBIO).

In good news for the world, Norway has tripled its forest volume over the past 100 years to one billion cubic meters of forest; ten percent grew in the last ten years alone. These forests valuably convert the world’s carbon dioxide to oxygen. In 2023, approximately 18 million tons of CO₂ (and greenhouse gasses) were absorbed by Norwegian forests.

Several factors account for this phenomenal growth. In the 1960s, schoolchildren planted almost 100 million spruce trees in Norway. Another factor has been higher temperatures and longer summers, as well as increased amount of CO₂ in the atmosphere.

Jane Goodall believes that planting one trillion trees before 2030 can reverse global climate change. See how this can be accomplished here: A platform for the trillion trees community. | 1t.org.

Sources:

Statistics Norway: “Standing forest volume has passed 1 billion cubic meters”, 30 Aug 2024

NIBIO: “Major changes in The development trend for Norwegian spruce forests”, 6 Feb 2024

Energy and climate: “What is it that is happening to our forest?”, 21 May 2024

Why We Believe Planting 1 Trillion Trees Can Save the Planet | TIME

Our forest has more than tripled in a hundred years (forskning.no)

US Researchers Locate Probable Launch Site of Russia’s New Nuclear-Powered Missile

A satellite image shows what is believed to be a deployment site for a Russian nuclear-powered cruise missile, including 5 nuclear warhead storage bunkers (right) and bermed launch positions (lower left), in Vologda, Russia, in this handout image obtained by Reuters on 27 Aug 2024. Planet Labs PBC/Handout via REUTERS.

Two US researchers say they have identified the probable deployment site in Russia of a new nuclear-powered, nuclear-armed cruise missile touted by President Vladimir Putin as “invincible.” Using commercial satellite imagery, the analysts identified a construction project abutting a nuclear warhead storage facility known by two names – Vologda-20 and Chebsara – as the new missile’s potential deployment site. The facility is 295 miles (475 km) north of Moscow.

Dubbed the SSC-X-9 Skyfall by NATO, Russian President Vladimir Putin brags the 9M370 Burevestnik has an almost unlimited range and can evade US missile defenses. But some Western experts dispute his claims and the Burevestnik’s strategic value, saying it will not add capabilities that Moscow does not already have and risks a radiation-spewing mishap.

Russia’s state nuclear agency Rosatom said five staff members died during the testing of a rocket on 8 Aug. Putin presented their widows with top state awards, saying the weapon they were developing was without equal in the world, without naming the Burevestnik.

The nuclear-powered engine threatens to disgorge radiation along its flight path and its deployment risks an accident that could contaminate the surrounding region, a former US nuclear weapons scientist reported.

“The Skyfall is a uniquely stupid weapon system, a flying Chernobyl that poses more threat to Russia than it does to other countries,” reported Thomas Countryman, a former top State Department official with the Arms Control Association, referring to the 1986 nuclear plant disaster.

Burevestnik being launched (undated image).

Meanwhile, Kiev fended off a massive Russian drone attack while President Putin made an official visit to Mongolia without being detained for his ICC arrest warrant.

Source:

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/us-researchers-find-probable-launch-site-russias-new-nuclear-powered-missile-2024-09-02/

Spy’s Confession Sheds Light on Russian Espionage in Georgia

Vsevolod Osipov (recent image)

Last month, Vsevolod Osipov was unmasked as an informant for Russia’s security services. He had been sent to Tbilisi to monitor the many Russian dissidents who have flooded the Georgian capital recently. But, he says his new notoriety hasn’t much affected his life here, and done little to scare away patrons – primarily Russians themselves – at the busy wine bar in central Tbilisi where he works as a sommelier.

“An occasional customer who recognizes me from the news stories may come up and ask questions, but beyond that I don’t get much attention,” Osipov reflected.

The young spy’s confession, which was then re-reported in several other media, would seem to be big news in Georgia, where concern about the large influx of Russians is keen. But it’s barely made a ripple.

“I thought that the Georgian police would show up to question me, but nobody seemed to care, except maybe an occasional reporter,” Osipov said with a smile and a faint note of disappointment.

Osipov said he knows at least two more individuals who came clean via social media about traveling to Georgia to spy, and thinks he has spotted a few others. “You are not given identities of other agents, but if you look close enough you can guess who they are.”

“Before coming here in October, I had a pre-departure briefing in Moscow, where they told me to go cafés and restaurants in Tbilisi frequented by the Russians,” Osipov recalled. “I wasn’t supposed to ask any questions or go out of my way to meet people, just observe and keep my thoughts to myself. Then, once a week, I was supposed to report to my coordinator what the general scene was like and if I had picked up on anything important.”

Being a bit of an amateur himself – he was only recruited last year – Osipov was also identifiable to a keen eye. Well before he went public, one heavily inebriated young Russian came up to him in a bar and said in a drunken slur that he knows who he really is.

Osipov was a law student and an activist with the small Libertarian Party of Russia (LPR) when he got arrested last year for participating in a demonstration in Moscow in support of jailed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny. Threatened with imprisonment, he was intimidated into serving as a mole in the LPR and another opposition group, adding that that is how many young people get caught in the FSB net.

After Osipov performed his first, trial assignment to his handlers’ satisfaction, he was awarded with a bigger assignment: go to Georgia. “They gave me 214,000 rubles [about $3,550] to spend for a month and a half. I was supposed to go back to Moscow in December as, I guess, they were still testing me.”

Osipov was tasked with spying on two people in particular: self-exiled chairman of the LPR, Yaroslav Konvey, and Anton Mikhalchuk, a manager with the opposition group Free Russia Foundation. Upon his arrival, Osipov says he went directly to the two and told them outright that he was recruited by the FSB. He says he was trying to warn the LPR leadership all along, but failed to arrange a tête-à-tête with them until he arrived in Georgia.

Osipov offered to send false info back to his superiors to throw the FSB off the track, but the two exiles appeared to be mistrustful and spread the word among their colleagues about an informant in their midst. Word soon reached Osipov’s girlfriend, who runs a tiny bar in Tbilisi. She asked Vsevolod directly if he was working for the FSB. “I said yes, as I realized that she must’ve heard about it from the people I trusted,” he admitted.

Osipov continued reporting back to Moscow and convinced his handlers to extend his stay in Georgia. “I loved the city and had a good life here, so I did my best to stay as long as I could and have the FSB pay for it.” Even his handlers appeared curious about vacation options in Georgia: on top of his main job, the intelligence officers asked him to collect information on nice bars and landmarks worth checking out.

Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the handlers did not need much convincing to extend Osipov’s stay further.

“With so many people coming, they needed more eyes on the ground,” Osipov said.

Infuriated by the war, Vsevolod stopped responding to his handlers in March. In June, he spoke to media outlet Meduza, which fact-checked his claims, found his handlers and published their identities, and also spoke to the activists that Osipov was supposed to follow. Meduza also published screenshots of Osipov’s chats with his FSB bosses.

The story raised questions among some Russians in Georgia. Some were surprised by Osipov’s choice to try to pull one over on Russia’s formidable security service, though others put it down to his young age. Osipov admitted that he is indeed worried about the potential of FSB revenge, especially given that his mother remains back in Moscow; but he’s not so concerned about himself.

“I don’t think I’m that important for them to come chasing me here,” he said. “And I can always move to the next place.”

Source:

Spy’s Confession Sheds Light on Russian Espionage in Georgia – The Moscow Times

Britain Suspends Some Arms Exports to Israel

Palestinians look at an unexploded Israeli shell that landed on the main road outside the town of Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip. Photo credit: Reuters.

Britain announced it was suspending the export of some military equipment to Israel as London increases its public criticism of an ally and its methods of war that have killed tens of thousands of Palestinians.

Israel’s behavior has attracted increasing criticism, including from allies, such as the US, as the death toll has continuously climbed and much of Gaza has been razed.

Britain announced it was suspending, with immediate effect, some 30 of roughly 350 licenses for the export of military goods to Israel following an assessment the government of Prime Minister Keir Starmer showed that there is “clear risk” that Israel could use them in violation of international law. Items affected include military aircraft, helicopter and drone components, as well as items for ground targeting. Trainer aircraft and naval equipment remain permissible for export.

A British policy paper noted that Israel has not fulfilled its duty as the occupying force of Gaza to ensure the enclave’s some two million people receive essential humanitarian supplies. The study indicates that while Israel does not accept it is the occupying power, it does accept the obligation to allow free passage of humanitarian relief by third parties, including the UN. Amnesty International — which is among critics who accuse Israel of potentially committing genocide in Gaza — turned its criticism towards Britain for not going further with its sanctions.

British government statistics show its military exports to Israel have been declining. London had some $55 million worth of licensed arms deals with Israel in 2022, compared to 23.8 million last year.

The US has also withheld some shipments of bombs to Israel, but still allows most of them to be exported.

The International Court of Justice has ordered the Middle Eastern country to take immediate steps to end atrocities in Gaza and the International Criminal Court (ICC) indicted Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu of war crimes. Inexplicably, an arrest warrant has yet to be issued for him, unlike Russian President Vladimir Putin who can be arrested by any country that is a signatory to the ICC.

More than 40,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank have been killed during the war, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health and Lancet.

Source:

Britain suspends some arms exports to Israel – UPI.com

American Warzone: Five People Shot at New York’s West Indian American Day Parade

Police move revelers from the street after a shooting on Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn, during the West Indian Day Parade, 2 Sep 2024.

Five people were shot Monday at New York City’s West Indian American Day Parade. This was the latest incident of violence to mar one of the world’s largest annual celebrations of Caribbean culture.

A gunman targeting a specific group of people opened fire along the parade route in Brooklyn around 2:35PM. The parade had kicked off hours earlier, with thousands of revelers dancing and marching down Eastern Parkway, a main Brooklyn thoroughfare. The parade was expected to continue into the night.

Two people were critically wounded and three were expected to survive their wounds. The gunman fled. US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer was marching in the parade at the time and completed the route. Police cordoned off an area adjacent to the parade route, where they placed crime scene markers. The parade continued flowing past as officers were seen bagging items.

In 2016, two people were killed and several others were wounded near the parade route. The year before, Carey Gabay, an aide to then-Governor Andrew Cuomo, was shot in the head during pre-parade festivities. He died nine days later.

In an average year, 44,341 people die and 96,935 are wounded by guns in the US, costing the country $557.2 billion each year.

Sources:

5 people shot at New York’s West Indian American Day Parade (voanews.com)

Gun-Violence-in-the-United-States-2024-05.pdf (everystat.org)

Nationalist Mob Chanting ‘Yankee Go Home’ Assaults Two US Marines in Izmir, Turkiye

Two off-duty US Marines are safe after they were assaulted in Turkiye on Monday. @genclikbirligi via X

Two US Marines were assaulted by a group of young nationalists in Turkiye with one attacker placing a bag over the head of one servicemember.

The dramatic incident in the western port city of Izmir was captured on video, showing the moment two Marines were surrounded by a group of 15 people in a commercial area who were chanting “Yankee go home.” The gang then restrained one Marine before one of them places a bag over his head. Moments later, another man can be seen charging the group. None of the service members are in uniform.

Other Marines intervened and no one was reported injured. The service members later returned to their ship, the USS Wasp. Local authorities later identified the group as members of the Turkish Youth Union, or TGB, which is affiliated with the Patriotic Party — a small, nationalist political party without parliament seats. 15 alleged attackers were detained by local security forces.

An account on X purporting to represent the TGB said on Monday: “WE PUT SACKS ON THE US SOLDIERS SERVING ON THE LARGEST ATTACK SHIP OF THE USA, USS WASP! US soldiers, who carry the blood of our soldiers and thousands of Palestinians on their hands, cannot dirty our country. Every time you step into these lands, we will welcome you as you deserve!”

The reason why these Turkish nationalists placed a sack over one of the Marines stems from the 2003 “hood event.” On 4 July 2003, a detachment of Turkish soldiers operating in Iraqi Kurdistan were captured by US forces, hooded, then led away for interrogation. Afterwards, US forces raided a Turkish Special Forces safehouse in Sulaymaniyah and seized 15 kgs (33 lb) of explosives in addition to sniper rifles, grenades, and maps of Kirkuk with circles drawn around positions near the local governor’s building. Ankara lodged a diplomatic protest with Washington and the Turkish soldiers were eventually released after spending 60 hours in US custody.

The sight of seeing Turkish military personnel arrested, humiliated, and hooded by their American ally infuriated the Turkish public and wounded their national pride. The Turkish people have never forgotten that insult from 21 years ago.

Sources:

Two U.S. Marines assaulted by nationalist mob in Turkey (nbcnews.com)

Hood event – Wikipedia

US detains Turkish troops in Iraq | News | Al Jazeera

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3067319.stm

Donald Trump’s Cognitive Decline Becoming More Apparent

Ex-President Donald J. Trump delivers a speech during the “Make America Great Again” rally held at the Mohegan Sun Arena. (Brandon Stivers / Shutterstock.com)

Political analysts and mental health experts are becoming more and more alarmed by the 45^th President’s latest bizarre and incoherent speeches.

Written verbatim below is what Donald Trump said at a rally in Potterville, MI. This is painful to read and must have been torturous to hear:

“She destroyed the city of San Francisco, it’s — and I own a big building there — it’s no — I shouldn’t talk about this but that’s OK I don’t give a damn because this is what I’m doing. I should say it’s the finest city in the world — sell and get the hell out of there, right? But I can’t do that. I don’t care, you know? I lost billions of dollars, billions of dollars. You know, somebody said, ‘What do you think you lost?’ I said, ‘Probably two, three billion. That’s OK, I don’t care.’ They say, ‘You think you’d do it again?’ And that’s the least of it. Nobody. They always say, I don’t know if you know. Lincoln was horribly treated. Uh, Jefferson was pretty horribly. Andrew Jackson they say was the worst of all, that he was treated worse than any other president. I said, ‘Do that study again, because I think there’s nobody close to Trump.’ I even got shot! And who the hell knows where that came from, right?”

As Donald Trump’s mental faculties continue to decline, so are GOP campaign coffers. Republicans are “starting to panic” because of a large fundraising gap they see emerging with their Democratic rivals and time is running short to close any distance with the election a little more than two months away.

Adding to Donald Trump’s miseries, a former advisor recently issued a humiliating message on ‘X’:

“Former Trump staffer and friend Anthony Scaramucci says Melania “hates” Trump and wants Kamala Harris to win.”

https://twitter.com/MikeSington/status/1830209424566395336/photo/1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1830209424566395336%7Ctwgr%5Ee50bd64db012f21b0a16035e4fc38c70b5f06f89%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.democraticunderground.com%2F100219408110

Moreover, an “October Surprise” awaits the the oldest candidate to ever run for the White House. An unflattering film about a young Donald Trump called ‘The Apprentice’ opens on 11 Oct in US and Canadian theaters (one month before the election). “The Apprentice” chronicles Trump’s rise to power in NY real estate under the tutelage of notorious defense attorney Roy Cohn (played by Jeremy Strong). Late in the movie, Trump is depicted raping his wife, Ivana Trump (played by Maria Bakalova ). In Ivana Trump’s 1990 divorce deposition, she stated that Trump raped her. Trump denied the allegation and Ivana Trump later said she didn’t mean it literally, but rather that she had felt violated.

Sources:

GOP ‘starting to panic’ as Democrats build massive fundraising lead: report – Raw Story

‘Genuinely chilling’: Analyst sounds alarm over Trump’s latest bizarre speeches – Raw Story

Trump film ‘The Apprentice’ finds distributor and will open before the election | AP News

New Zealand Spy Report Calls Out China for Interference

New Zealand’s spy service branded China a “complex intelligence concern,” warning the Pacific nation was vulnerable to foreign interference. In an annual threat report, the New Zealand Security Intelligence Service (NZSIS) reported that several countries were undertaking “malicious activity” on its shores, but called out China’s attempts as “complex and deceptive.”

In particular, Beijing was accused of using front organizations to connect with local groups to replace authentic and diverse community views with those approved by the ruling party. In one example, a Chinese-language community news outlet parroted Beijing’s talking points.

In March, Wellington publicly said a Chinese state-sponsored group was behind a 2021 malicious cyber attack that infiltrated sensitive government computer systems. China dismissed allegations of hacking and accused New Zealand critics of being puppets of Washington.

Sources:

New-Zealands-Security-Threat-Environment-2024.pdf (nzsis.govt.nz)

New Zealand Spy Report Calls Out China For Interference | IBTimes

True Story of Penguin’s Annual Return to See Man Who Saved it From Oil Spill

Years ago, João Pereira de Souza discovered a Megallanic penguin covered in oil from a recent spill on Proveta Beach in Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil.

Taking the penguin home, João found the bird exhausted and depleted after swimming through the oil spill. He nursed the penguin back to health, with plenty of soapy scrubbing and fish treats, naming it ‘Dindim’ after the toddler-speak of his son trying to say the Portuguese word for penguin (pinguim).

After Dindim recovered, João released him on an island near Proveta Beach and went home. But Dindim had followed him back and remained on his lawn waiting to be let inside. Dindim finally left of his own accord in Feb 2012. But for eight consecutive years, the penguin would leave every February and faithfully return to João Pereira de Souza in June.

My Penguin Friend recounts this story and premiered this month to mostly positive reviews, including an 87% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Source:

The Good News Network

CENTCOM: US, Iraqi Security Forces Kill 15 ISIS Operatives; In Yemen, Two Shia Houthi Drones Destroyed

A UH-60 Black Hawk flies during a 2022 mission targeting ISIS. (MAJ Karl R. Cain II/ US Army)

CENTCOM forces and Iraqi Security Forces conducted a partnered raid in Western Iraq in the early hours of 29 Aug, resulting in the death of 15 ISIS operatives. Seven US casualties were reported. The ISIS element was armed with numerous weapons, grenades, and explosive “suicide” belts. There is no indication of civilian casualties or if any prisoners were taken for interrogation or prosecution. Iraqi Security Forces continue to further exploit the locations raided. CENTCOM also reported in the past 24 hours they destroyed two Iranian-backed Houthi uncrewed aerial vehicles in a Houthi-controlled area of Yemen.

The Houthis are a Shia Muslim minority in Yemen, seen as heretical by the majority Sunnis Muslims on the Saudi Peninsula. After the Yemen government collapsed earlier this century, Saudi Arabia, led by the king and Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman (MBS), supported the Yemeni Sunnis in the ensuing civil war. After the Yemeni Shias defeated and humiliated the Saudi Army in 2015, MBS instituted a Saudi air and naval blockade of Houthi-controlled territory in Yemen. This created an appalling humanitarian disaster of starvation and disease. The UN estimates 130,000 deaths from lack of food, health services, and infrastructure as of December 2020.

Hashem Mahmoud Atin, a 10-month-old displaced child suffering from acute malnutrition and who is unable to reach a hospital for treatment, is held by his mother at a refugee camp in Yemen. (2020 image: Sky News).

The famine and blockade propelled the beleaguered Shia Yemenis into the arms of Iran and Lebanese Hezbollah, their fellow Shia co-religionists. This is why we see Houthi drone counterattacks against Western maritime targets in the Red Sea or the Gulf of Aden after Israel conducts an Extra-Judicial Killing (XJK) in Lebanon, Syria, or sovereign Iranian territory (via drone, missile, jet, or assassin). The Shia Houthis are simply supporting the two groups that are helping them to survive. This humanitarian catastrophe in Yemen can be laid squarely at the feet of the notorious MBS, who allegedly had a dissident journalist named Jamal Khashoggi literally butchered and dismembered in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on 2 Oct 2018.

Sources:

CENTCOM Forces and Iraqi Security Forces conduct partnered raid in Western Iraq > U.S. Central Command > Press Release View

15 ISIS militants killed, 7 US troops injured during Iraq raid (airforcetimes.com)

Yemen in ‘a desperate situation’ as famine looms and hundreds of thousands face starvation | World News | Sky News

The Houthis: Who They Are and Why Conflict Exists (brookings.edu)

Famine in Yemen (2016–present) – Wikipedia

Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi – Wikipedia

Hundreds of Taiwanese Disappear in China Like a Black Hole Over Past Ten Years

Victims of enforced disappearance in China (L to R) rights attorney Gao Zhisheng, retired university professor Sun Wenguang, 2022 bridge banner protester Peng Lifa, and the 11th Panchen Lama.

More than 800 nationals of democratic Taiwan have “disappeared” over the past ten years in China, which has long used forced disappearances to silence and control its own dissidents and rights activists, rights groups. Figures compiled by the Taiwan Association for Human Rights and several other non-government groups showed that 857 Taiwan nationals have been “forcibly disappeared or arbitrarily arrested” in China.

The victims include publisher Li Yanhe (pen name Fu Cha), detained in Shanghai since April 2023, democracy activist Lee Ming-cheh, who served a five-year jail term in Hunan province for “attempting to subvert state power,” and businessman Lee Meng-Chu, jailed for nearly two years for “espionage” after he snapped photos of People’s Armed Police personnel during the 2019 Hong Kong protests.

Meanwhile, Taiwanese lawmaker Hung Shen-han warned that it’s not only Taiwanese who are at risk of arbitrary arrest and “disappearance” in China. “Chinese citizens themselves face the same problem.”

Geng He, the US-based wife of human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng said it has been seven years since he “disappeared” on 13 Aug 2017.

Disappeared Chinese rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng in an undated photo. (Weiquanwang)

Chinese authorities have also forcibly disappeared Uyghurs and Tibetans in the far-western part of mainland China. An estimated 1.8 million Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims have been detained in Xinjiang under flimsy pretexts during mass incarcerations that began more than seven years ago in an effort by Chinese authorities in a massive Sinicization project.

Former Xinjiang University President Tashpolat Teyip, who himself vanished in 2017 amid rumors he had run afoul of China’s increasingly hardline policies in Xinjiang has had no news about his brother, Nury, who also fell victim to an enforced disappearance. Teyip, who now lives in the US state of Virginia, said he has lost faith in the UN and international human rights organizations which did little to help except release a statement.

The Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy highlighted a “disturbing trend” of underreporting of the number of Tibetans who are victims of enforced disappearances as China cracks down more heavily with restrictions and heightened surveillance in Tibet. The rights group has documented more than 63 known cases of Tibetans subjected to enforced disappearance in Tibet over the past four years, but said the underreporting likely had to do with fear of reprisals.

In February 2024, Tibetan performer Gyegjom Dorjee (pictured below), who sang publicly about the exiled Dalai Lama’s return to Tibet and blasted Chinese leaders as “false,” was arrested in China’s Sichuan province.

In March, Chinese police arrested Pema, a Tibetan monk from Kirti Monastery, for staging a solo protest while holding a portrait of the Dalai Lama. And on May 28, the Chinese authorities arrested Rabgang Tenzin who hoisted the Tibetan national flag in Tibet’s Chamdo prefecture as part of a consecration ceremony.

The U.S. Congressional Executive Commission on China and the Tibetan government in exile urged Beijing to reveal the whereabouts of one of the highest Tibetan Buddhist leaders, the 11th Panchen Lama, or Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, as one of the “most prominent enforced disappearance cases.” He was abducted by Chinese authorities in May 1995, just days after the Dalai Lama recognized the then six-year-old as the 11th reincarnation of the Panchen Lama, the second-highest spiritual leader in the largest sect of Tibetan Buddhism.

Source:

Hundreds of Taiwanese ‘disappear’ in China over past 10 years — Radio Free Asia (rfa.org)

Since Its War in Ukraine, Russia Relies More on “Bargain Basement” Spies

Pablo Gonzalez (second from left in back), a freelance journalist from Spain, listens to Russian President Vladimir Putin addressing him and other “swapped” Russian prisoners upon their arrival in Moscow on 1 Aug 2024. (Imagery: Radio Free Europe)

After Russia lost many of its valuable spy assets when dozens of diplomats were expelled from Western countries after the invasion of Ukraine, non-diplomatic civilian agents have now become essential. 90% of operations now carried out by these shadowy figures.

Many manage to avoid detection by working in innocuous jobs that allow them access to events and people of interest to Moscow. One purpose of these low-level spies is to exert influence on the Western world by infiltrating radical protest groups or opposition organizations.

A recent prisoner swap with Moscow included supposed art dealers and a Spanish-Russian freelance reporter Pablo Gonzalez, also known as Pavel Rubtsov.

On the surface, Pablo Gonzalez worked as a reporter for media outlets that included Deutsche Welle (DW) and the Voice of America (VOA), specializing in Eastern Europe and the Caucasus. But in reality, according to the head of the British MI6 secret service, Gonzalez was gathering information on Russian opposition groups and trying to destabilize Ukraine in the run up to Moscow’s full-scale invasion. Polish authorities detained Gonzalez in February 2022. Until 1 August, he was held in a high-security jail on charges of spying for Russia — allegations he had denied.

Media watchdogs condemned the conditions in which Poland held Gonzalez, but video footage of him being welcomed by Putin after the swap appeared to confirm his primary role was spy craft, not journalism.

Marc Marginedas, a correspondent for Spanish newspaper El Periodico, said despite the expulsions of Russian diplomats after the Ukraine invasion, the Russian intelligence service is like a small army. Staff in Russian embassies and state-run media organizations are probably forced to work in some kind of intelligence capacity. Marginedas agreed that “illegals” or “bargain basement” agents are now a mainstay of Moscow’s spying operation.

“Russia has invested heavily in ‘illegal’ agents who do not enjoy diplomatic protection,” he said. “Putin, by receiving those people with pomp at [Moscow’s] airport and promising them jobs and medals, was sending out the message to the future spies that the Russian state will not abandon its spies.”

Sources:

‘Renaissance of illegals’: Since its war in Ukraine, Russia is relying more on bargain basement spies (voanews.com)

Putin’s welcome ends speculation around true identity of Pablo Gonzalez

South Africans Flocking to Visiting Chinese Hospital Ship for Free Medical Care

The Peace Ark has a capacity to treat 700 patients each day and the service forms part of a joint exercise between the South African and Chinese armies. (Image: BBC)

As reported above, while undesirables are disappearing in China, Beijing is fostering goodwill in Africa with the Peace Ark, a 300-bed hospital that is docked in Capetown, South Africa. The military medical staff on board are providing free health care to needy South Africans.

Since the Peace Ark arrived last week, more than 2,000 South Africans have been treated on board – ranging from maternity check-ups and cataract surgeries to cupping therapy. Approximately 60 surgeries have been carried out so far, a tiny dent in the province’s waiting list of 80,000 patients.

The floating hospital leaves Cape Town for Angola before moving on to several other countries. The Peace Ark already visited the Seychelles, Tanzania, Madagascar, and Mozambique on this 10th excursion since being commissioned in 2008.

China enjoys a strong political partnership with South Africa, and this is Beijing’s latest show of soft power and a further step in China’s efforts to increase its influence on the African continent.

The 300-bed Peace Ark has a crew of 100, 20 intensive care beds, operating theatres, clinical departments, and a rescue helicopter.

Source:

Peace Ark: South Africans flock to Chinese hospital ship in Cape Town (bbc.com)

West Nile Virus Kills Two in New Jersey as US Death Toll Reaches Five; EEE Threatens New England

Two people have died in New Jersey after contracting West Nile virus — marking the fourth and fifth deaths in the US this year from the mosquito-borne disease. Little is known about the victims, beyond that they’ve been identified as “older adults.”

The deaths come on the heels of two virus-related fatalities in Wisconsin and one in Illinois. There have been a total of eight West Nile cases in New Jersey this year, leading to seven hospitalizations for encephalitis or meningitis. In 2023, 14 cases were reported in New Jersey and one death. NYC has reported six cases of West Nile and a total of 20 cases have been reported throughout NYS.

To the north as reported in a previous post, New England health authorities have been dealing with mosquitos carrying eastern equine encephalitis (EEE). Vermont’s health department is urging residents of several towns, including one bordering Quebec, to stay indoors from dusk to dawn to prevent the spread of a mosquito-borne illness.

Sources:

Department of Health | News | State Officials Urge Residents to Take Precautions Against Mosquito-Borne Illnesses (nj.gov)

West Nile kills 2 in NJ — 5 total dead across US (nypost.com)

Quebec towns near U.S. border alerted as Vermont faces mosquito-borne illness threat | CBC News

Jews and Arabs Hoped to Fill One Truck with Aid for Gaza Civilians. They filled 300.

Haviva Ner-David (R) with other Standing Together volunteers collecting humanitarian aid for civilians in Gaza at Umm al-Fahem, a mostly Arab Israeli city in the Haifa district, 11 Aug 2024. (Photo: Faisel Mahagneh)

Standing Together, a joint Jewish-Arab Israeli national activist movement working for peace, equality and justice, had a plan to hire one big truck to go from one Arab town to another across Israel collecting donations of supplies. These would then be transported across the border and distributed to Gazan civilians through an international organization.

But already at the first site in northern Arab city of Sakhnin, it became clear more than one truck would be needed and volunteers filled three trucks. At Umm El Fahem, these volunteers collected 29 trucks full of aid. Donations included tuna fish, baby formula, bags of legumes and flour, as well as packages of diapers and menstrual pads. By the end of the humanitarian aid drive, which was extended a few extra days to include a couple more sites, Standing Together filled 300 trucks with supplies.

Before the war, back in January 2023, Standing Together organized the first mass demonstration against the government in Tel Aviv, drawing thousands of Arabs and Jews.

Humanitarian aid collected for civilians in Gaza at a warehouse in Umm al-Fahem, Israel, Aug. 11, 2024. (Jacob Ner-David)

Source:

Jews and Arabs hoped to fill a truck with aid for Gaza civilians. We ended up filling 300. – Jewish Telegraphic Agency (jta.org)

American Warzone: NFL Rookie Wounded During Robbery Attempt in San Francisco

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Ricky Pearsall during NFL football training camp in Santa Clara, Calif., Wednesday, 31 July 2024. Photo by: Jeff Chiu/AP

America’s two favorite pastimes, firearms and football, collided this weekend when 49ers wide receiver Ricky Pearsall (23) was shot Saturday during an attempted robbery in central San Francisco. Police said that Pearsall was injured while being robbed and so was the suspect. Both were taken to the hospital and Pearsall’s condition was reported as “good” by his teammate Deebo Samuel (posted on X).

In an average year, 3,299 people die and 9,787 are wounded by guns in California. The Golden State has the 32nd-highest rate of gun violence in the US. Per CBS News, California firearms licenses in 2021 numbered 406,360 and an estimated 28.3% of adults in California have guns in their homes. The number of illegal firearms in California is unknown.

Sources:

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Ricky Pearsall shot during attempted robbery (scrippsnews.com)

Gun-Violence-in-California-2024-05.pdf (everystat.org)

4. California – Gun map: Ownership by state – statistics and rates (cbsnews.com)

Baby Rhino’s First Video: Southern White Calf Born in Melbourne Zoo

The new rhino calf will be named by public vote in the coming weeks. His mother, Kipenzi, means “precious one” in Swahili. Imagery: Werribee Open Range Zoo

Kipenzi is an 11-year-old southern white rhino, one of the most numerous rhino subspecies. Her calf was born on 18 Aug, and unlike her first baby which she tragically rejected years ago, she has been an attentive mother this time around.

Sheltered from public view as the two bond, visitors will soon be able to see the new boy stomping about his enclosure. Dr. Mark Pilgrim, the zoo’s director, said that Kipenzi was “doing her best to shepherd it and keep it close to her, and making sure that it’s not wandering off too far. So she’s just doing the perfect thing we expect a mother rhino to do.”

Kipenzi herself was born at Werribee Zoo in 2013 to resident rhino Sisi, who also presented a danger to her calf as she would not let Kipenzi out of her sight, even just to walk alongside her to nurse.

Source:

Baby Rhino’s First Video: Adorable Footage of Southern White Calf Born in Aussie Zoo (goodnewsnetwork.org)

Russia Bombs Civilian Target in Kharkiv, Killing Six, As Zelenskiy Begs West to Lift Weapons Restrictions

Paramedics carry a victim rescued from an apartment building after a Russian air strike in Kharkiv on 30 Aug.

Ukraine needs “strong decisions” from its partners to stop the terror that Russia is perpetrating in Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on 30 August after a Russian air strike on Kharkiv hit a high-rise residential building and playground, killing six people. One of the victims killed was a 14-year-old girl and the overall number of injured was 47.

“This strike was a Russian guided aerial bomb. A blow that would not have happened if our defense forces had the ability to destroy Russian military aircraft where they are based. We need strong solutions from our partners to stop this terror,” Zelenskiy said on Telegram. He also again emphasized that agreements Ukraine has made with its partners on providing air-defense systems must be fulfilled.

Meanwhile Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has an active international arrest warrant issued against him by the International Criminal Court in the Hague, will be blithely visiting Mongolia on 3 Sep. The trip will be Putin’s first to a country that is a member of the ICC since the arrest warrant was issued in March 2023. Putin will travel to Mongolia at the invitation of President Ukhnaa Khurelsukh to participate in ceremonies marking the 85th anniversary of the joint victory of the Soviet and Mongolian armies over Japan on the Khalkhin Gol River, a Kremlin statement said.

Sources:

Russia Bombs High-Rise In Kharkiv, Killing 6, As Zelenskiy Begs West To Lift Weapons Restrictions (rferl.org)

‘No Worries’ About Putin’s Visit To Mongolia, Kremlin Says, Despite ICC Warrant For His Arrest (rferl.org)

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Orders Suspension of X After Elon Musk Misses Legal Deadline

With supreme oligarchic arrogance, Elon Musk threatened to reactivate X accounts and shared a manipulated image showing Brazilian Supreme Justice Alexandre de Moraes behind the bars of a prison cell, threatening that one day “this picture of you in prison will be real.”

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes ordered the suspension of the social media platform X across the country after it missed a deadline to name a local legal representative. The decision was handed down two days after Moraes ordered X and its owner Elon Musk to appoint a Brazilian representative within 24 hours or face suspension until one is named.

According to Brazilian law, social media platforms must have someone available in their country to receive takedown notice information in alleged cases of misinformation. X has not had someone in this position since it closed its offices in Brazil, alleging that Moraes had asked it to censor political opponents in violation of “Brazilian, Argentinian, American and international law.”

Justice de Moraes also ordered Apple and Google to take steps preventing the downloading of the X application from their app stores in Brazil and instituted a a fine of nearly $9,000 for any person or company in Brazil that uses X.

In his ruling, Moraes blasted what he called X’s lack of moderation policies, citing an “imminent danger” of extremist groups using the platform to disseminate “Nazi, racist, fascist, hateful and anti-democratic” messages leading up to this year’s municipal elections.”

Moraes had previously ordered all X accounts blamed for spreading disinformation, many of them supporters of former conservative president Jair Bolsonaro, must be blocked while they investigate the charges. The Brazilian Supreme Court also froze the bank accounts of Musk’s space satellite service Starlink in the country.

Authorities in the UK and Australia have previously expressed their distaste for Elon Musk for harboring extremist right-wing communicators and spreaders of malicious disinformation on X. Whether the UK or Australia take action against Elon Musk, like a French investigating magistrate took action against Telegram CEO Pavel Durov or Justice de Moraes did here, remains to be seen.

Too bad the US does not have a Supreme Court like Brazil.

Sources:

Brazilian supreme court justice orders suspension of X across country – UPI.com

Elon Musk confirms Brazil X office closure

American Police Brutality Continues: Former MPD Sergeant Sentenced Five Years for Fatally Shooting D.C. Motorist

27-year-old An’Twan Gilmore in 2021. LaShunna Gilmore, the cousin of Mr. Gilmore, had a message for Enis Jevric: “I hope that you learn to be a better person.” (Public domain image)

Enis Jevric (42), a former Sergeant with the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), was sentenced in federal court to 60 months in prison and five years supervise release for the August 2021 shooting death of 27-year-old An’Twan Gilmore. Jevric pleaded guilty on 23 Feb 2024 to violating Mr. Gilmore’s constitutional rights by using deadly excessive force. Jevric also pleaded guilty to a charge of involuntary manslaughter under D.C. law.

Shortly before 3AM on 25 Aug 2021, Jevric and 17 other MPD officers responded to a report of a man asleep in the driver’s seat of a vehicle stopped at an intersection. Officers approached the car and noticed that the sleeping driver had a handgun in his waistband. After officers had been on scene for about ten minutes and had cleared the avenues of civilian pedestrian and vehicle traffic, Jevric approached the car and directed another officer to knock on its windows to rouse Mr. Gilmore. When Mr. Gilmore awoke, the car moved forward several feet, stopped briefly, and then moved forward again. As it did so, Jevric fired his MPD-issued firearm at the car four times. The car then rolled farther and Jevric fired at it six more times. Three of Jevric’s shots struck Mr. Gilmore, who died a short time later from his wounds. No other officer fired at Mr. Gilmore. When officers pulled the bleeding, unresponsive, and unconscious Gilmore out of the car after it came to a rest, Gilmore’s firearm was in the same spot it had been observed, tucked into his waistband, underneath his buckled seatbelt.

As part of his guilty plea, Jevric admitted that his conduct constituted unconstitutional, unreasonable force, and that he acted willfully, in reckless disregard of Mr. Gilmore’s Fourth Amendment right to be free from excessive force by police. He also admitted that his conduct created an extreme risk of death to Mr. Gilmore and was a gross deviation from a reasonable standard of care.

Remarkable that 17 police officers initially responded to a stopped vehicle incident, followed up by a senior officer who would recklessly fire a total of ten rounds at the victim and the car.

Sources:

District of Columbia | Former MPD Sergeant Sentenced to 60 Months in Prison for Fatally Shooting a D.C. Motorist | United States Department of Justice

Family of man killed by DC Police speaks out | wltx.com

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun_laws_in_the_District_of_Columbia

Trump Re-Election Campaign: “A Real $hitshow”

The wheels of Donald Trump’s campaign clown car are falling off.

As former Bush advisor David Frum wrote about Donald Trump after the July RNC Convention: “This crew is totally beatable.” With approximately two months to go until the Presidential election, the Trump Campaign is thrashing about like an angry, wounded acid-blooded xenomorph from the iconic movie Alien. A blogger recently noted the GOP has become a “real $hitshow.”

The latest misstep following the cheap publicity stunt at America’s most revered cemetery came from Trump who recently said he believes the six-week abortion ban in his home state of Florida was “too short.” Republicans in the swing state just north of there were quick to angrily respond.

“This is completely and utterly grotesque and indefensible,” said Cole Muzio, head of the Georgia anti-abortion group Frontline Policy Council. Georgia conservative pundit Erick Erickson piled on: “If Donald Trump loses, today is the day he lost. The committed pro-life community could turn a blind eye, in part, to national abortion issues. But for Trump to weigh in on Florida as he did will be a bridge too far for too many.”

This week Megachurch leader and MAGA acolyte Robert Morris, who has served as religious adviser to Trump, confessed to “inappropriate sexual behavior” after a woman accused him of molesting her starting when she was 12. The disgraced, hypocritical sky-pilot resigned this week from the Gateway Church in the Dallas TX area and whether the victim is seeking criminal or civil remedies is not yet known.

Meanwhile, Walmart’s is marketing a Trump campaign hat with a glaring typo: “Take American Back.”

But there are more calamities. Recently a so-called “Never Walz” group bought a booth at the Minnesota State Fair in order to hand out their propaganda. But these MAGA supporters neglected to buy the “Never Walz” domain name. Pray take a peek inside: https://www.neverwalz.com/

Super-icons ABBA demanded that the Trump campaign stop using their music at rallies. Abba’s request came the same day that White Stripes guitarist and singer jack White blasted Trump’s people for using his songs, too, calling the campaign “fascists.” Foo Fighters, Céline Dion, Beyoncé, Johnny Marr of the Smiths, the estate of the late singer Sinéad O’Connor and the family of the late soul singer Isaac Hayes have all previously asked Trump to stop playing their songs. Hayes’ family even filed a lawsuit against Trump.

Meanwhile, justice is slowly but surely closing in on Donald Trump. Special Counsel Jack Smith’s carefully crafted re-indictment should concern Trump’s legal team. And the 45^th President lost a massive civil liability case in NYS at the hands of AG Letitia James. Thanks to Johnny Palmadessa, here is the Live Trump Debt Counter:

Donald Trump’s Debt: Live Counter (trumpdebtcounter.com)

Despite these Trumpian disasters, Team Kamala must continue what they are doing and not take the foot off the pedal. In football parlance, the Democrats must “run up the score” with overkill touchdowns to counter potential Republican voter suppression efforts in states like Texas, Arizona, Ohio, Florida, Georgia, and others.

Sources:

‘Today’s the day he lost’: Georgia Republicans furious at Trump’s latest comments – Raw Story

ABBA, other music icons, demand Trump stop campaigning with their music – UPI.com

MAGA pastor Robert Morris’ sexual abuse scandal underscores the right’s LGBTQ hypocrisy (msnbc.com)

This Crew Is Totally Beatable – The Atlantic

https://www.cnn.com/2021/10/04/politics/voting-laws-restrictive-map-october/index.html

On 30 August 1983: Guion Bluford Becomes First Black American in Space

File Photo Courtesy of NASA.

In 1983, Guion Bluford became the first Black American astronaut in space aboard the Challenger as part of the STS-8 mission. Bluford participated in four Space Shuttle missions, his final in 1992.

Astronaut candidates Ron McNair, Bluford, and Fred Gregory wearing Apollo spacesuits, May 1978.

Bluford was inducted into the International Space Hall of Fame in 1997, the United States Astronaut Hall of Fame in 2010,^[14] and the National Aviation Hall of Fame in 2019. In 2020, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine awarded Colonel Bluford the Ohio Distinguished Service Medal: Ohio’s highest non-combat decoration for service.

Sources:

Guion Bluford – Wikipedia

On This Day, Aug. 30: Guion Bluford becomes 1st Black American in space – UPI.com

Germany: Far-Right AfD Party Eyeing Potential First Win in Eastern German State Elections

German authorities identified over 32,200 right-wing extremists in 2019. Much of the rise has to do with authorities counting groups affiliated with the far-right AfD for the first time. (Source: DW.com)

The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) is predicted to come first in at least one of two state elections in Thuringia and Saxony on Sunday, putting pressure on Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s federal coalition over the economy, immigration, and support for Ukraine. Germany holds federal elections October 2025.

The 11-year-old AfD, which has greater support in the formerly communist-run east, will be unlikely to be able to form a state government even if it does win, as it is polling short of a majority and other parties refuse to collaborate with it. But it will be the first time a far-right party has the most seats in a German state parliament since World War Two and its strength will complicate coalition building and could allow it to block constitutional changes and appointments of some judges.

The AfD is led in Thuringia by Bjoern Hoecke, a man that some in the party considered so extremist they tried to expel him. The former history teacher has called Berlin’s memorial to Nazi Germany’s Holocaust of Europe’s Jews a “monument of shame” and was convicted earlier this year for using a Nazi slogan at a party rally.

Business leaders have warned of the threat of far-right extremism to Europe’s largest economy, saying it could make it harder to attract skilled labor and investment. German politicians say populist rhetoric has fueled physical attacks against moderate or progressive politicians.

Any right-wing electoral win in the West is a win for the Kremlin. As in France and elsewhere, the rise of anti-establishment parties in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the ensuing cost-of-living crisis are complicating coalition-building and governability. Any win for the AfD, big or small, will stoke xenophobic hatred for immigrants and minorities as seen in the UK this summer.

Map: 2024 CIA World Factbook.

Source:

Far-right AfD on track for its first win in eastern German state vote | Reuters

Florida Man Sentenced to Prison for Felonious Actions During 6 Jan Capitol Attack

Richard Cook (38) of Boca Raton, FL, was sentenced to 18 months in prison, 36 months of supervised release, and ordered to pay $2,000 in restitution. He was convicted on 10 May 2024 of felony and misdemeanor offenses related to his conduct during the 6 Jan 2021 breach of the US Capitol.

Cook joined a mob that relentlessly attacked USCP officers in one of the most violent areas of the Capitol riot – the Lower West Terrace Tunnel. The defendant entered the Tunnel on two occasions to join a collective push against police officers as the seditionists tried to gain access to the Capitol building. While Richard Cook joined in collective pushes, one USCP officer screamed in pain as the weight of the rioters’ pushes pinned him between a shield and a door. The FBI arrested Cook on 9 March 2023 in Florida.

USCP officers might be upset with this fairly light sentence as there has been an unevenness across the US judiciary towards the punishments of these insurrection defendants. Part of the problem lies in what charges were initially specified against the suspects, what the Justice Dept could prove in court, and plea agreements. Also, some defendants may have cooperated against fellow conspirators, reducing their sentence.

In the 43 months since 6 Jan 2021, more than 1,488 seditionists have been charged in nearly all 50 states for attacking the US Capitol, including nearly 550 suspects charged with feloniously assaulting or impeding law enforcement personnel. The FBI investigation remains ongoing.

Source:

District of Columbia | Florida Man Sentenced to Prison on Felony and Misdemeanor Charges for Actions During Jan. 6 Capitol Breach | United States Department of Justice

https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-capitol-riot-obstruction-2cdba47baa5cea8177d651de751760a6

CIA: Plot to Attack Taylor Swift’s Vienna Concerts Intended to Kill Thousands

Undated image of Taylor Swift.

The suspects in the foiled plot to attack Taylor Swift concerts in Vienna earlier this month sought to kill “tens of thousands” of fans before the CIA discovered intelligence that disrupted the planning and led to arrests. The CIA notified Austrian authorities of the plot, which allegedly included links to the Islamic State (IS).

A 19-year-old Austrian man, inspired by the Islamic State, allegedly planned to attack outside the stadium, where over 30,000 fans were expected to gather, with knives or homemade explosives. Another 65,000 fans were likely to be inside the venue. Investigators discovered chemical substances and technical devices during a raid of the suspect’s home. The intelligence and subsequent arrests ultimately led to the cancellation of three sold-out Eras Tour shows. Three suspects are in custody whose names have not been released because of Austrian privacy rules.

CIA Deputy Director David Cohen publicly addressed the failed plot during the annual Intelligence and National Security Summit this week in Maryland.

The Vienna plot drew comparisons to a 2017 attack by a suicide bomber at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, England, that killed 22 people. The bomb detonated at the end of Grande’s concert as thousands of young fans were leaving, becoming the deadliest extremist attack in the UK in recent years.

Source:

Plot to attack Taylor Swift’s Vienna shows was intended to kill thousands, CIA official says (voanews.com)

Reports: F-16 Crashed in Ukraine

Ukrainian Air Force F-16 fighter jets fly in an undisclosed location over Ukraine. A single Lockheed Martin F-16 fighter jet costs approximately $63 million, while the cost of training a basic qualified F-16 fighter pilot could be as high as $5.6 million.

A Ukrainian F-16 fighter jet was reportedly destroyed in a crash on 26 Aug, according to a US official quoted by The Wall Street Journal. The incident occurred during a massive Russian missile barrage across the country. But initial reports indicate the jet wasn’t shot down by enemy fire, but the jet likely went down as a result of pilot error. The Ukrainian Air Force wouldn’t confirm the crash or the status of the pilot. The crash occurred just weeks after the first F-16s arrived in Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said F-16s were recently used for the first time in combat to shoot down Russian missiles.

Meanwhile, Ukraine used domestically-manufactured drones to strike both deep and near Russian targets. A strategic oil facility 900 miles inside Russia was struck, as well as field artillery infrastructure 35 miles from the Ukrainian border. The Ukrainian military is conducting damage assessments.

Sources:

Reports: F-16 Crashed In Ukraine Earlier This Week (rferl.org)

Top 10 most expensive fighter jets in 2024 (aerotime.aero)

Ukraine launches drone strikes targeting Russia’s strategic oil infrastructure – UPI.com

Six More Deaths Reported in Multistate Listeria Outbreak Linked to Boar’s Head Deli Meat

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported six additional deaths in connection with a multistate listeria outbreak traced to Boar’s Head deli meat. This brings the total number of fatalities to nine, with over a dozen others sickened.

Since the outbreak began, 57 people have been hospitalized across 18 states, making it the largest listeriosis outbreak since 2011, when more than 30 people died from contaminated cantaloupe. On 25 July, Boar’s Head issued a recall of its Strassburger Brand Liverwurst, produced at its Jarratt, VA facility, after concerns arose about contamination with the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes. The recall was later expanded to include seven million pounds of meat—every item produced at the facility.

The deaths have been reported in Florida, Tennessee, New Mexico, South Carolina, Illinois, New Jersey, and Virginia. The affected victims range in age from 32 to 94, with a median age of 77.

Listeria is a hardy germ that can remain on surfaces, like meat slicers, and foods, even at refrigerated temperatures. It can also take up to 10 weeks for some people to have symptoms of listeriosis. Do not eat recalled deli meats. Some of the products have sell by dates into October 2024.

Source:

Listeria Outbreak Linked to Meats Sliced at Delis | Listeria Infection | CDC

Russian Agitprop Stoking Right-Wing Canadians; South Asians and Sikhs Targeted with Anti-Immigrant Hate

These proud and somber Sikhs represent several branches of the Canadian Armed Forces, including the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP); one of them seems to be entitled to wear the kilt. (Undated public domain imagery taken at a memorial service).

Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly announced new sanctions against Russia as a counter to the Kremlin’s disinformation activities aimed at Canada.

Ukraine and the West have long been a target of the Kremlin’s disinformation campaigns. Since the annexation of Crimea in 2014, Russia has used a variety of information warfare tactics to destabilize the Ukrainian government and undermine the legitimacy of democratic governments around the world.

Canada’s Communications Security Establishment (CSE) has raised concerns about Russian online state-sponsored disinformation campaigns aimed at distorting Canada’s effort to help Ukraine defend itself. The most prevalent claim was “Ukrainian nationalism is a neo-Nazi movement,” a false narrative that has long been debunked by numerous fact-checkers. The Kremlin also actively spread the unsubstantiated claim that chemical and biological weapons are being covertly developed in Ukraine.

These Kremlin agitprop tactics are also incubating hatred towards South Asian and Sikh communities. Far-right Canadian influencers like Jeremy Mackenzie or Tommy Robinson have ramped up attacks against Canadians of South Asian origin – particularly Sikhs – telling them to “go back to their country,” while blaming immigrants for societal ills, like unemployment or lack of affordable housing. The Canadian Anti-Hate Network reports there has been a visible increase in content targeting of South Asians in Canada.

A hate crime was reported to police in Peterborough, Ontario on 26 July 26 after a Sikh man alleged he was spat on and “had his turban knocked off and stepped on.” Other incidents were recently outlined by the World Sikh Organization (WSO) in a press release, including another victim who was allegedly attacked had his turban removed and stolen in Scarborough, Ontario, and another man in Sudbury, Ontario, who was attacked and threatened to be run over for wearing a kirpan, a Sikh article of faith.

The WSO stated they are “deeply troubled by recent hate attacks on Sikhs” and an “alarming rise in online harassment of Sikhs across Canada” in recent months.

White supremacist group Diagolon, led by Jeremy Mackenzie, shared a post calling for “first world countries…to quarantine India,” otherwise Indians will “colonize every first world country” and called for the “deportation of all Indians.”

“They have to go back” is a phrase which advocates for the deportation of Indian immigrants en masse from Canada, is reminiscent of a trend gaining popularity in Europe called “remigration,” which argues for ethnically cleansing the continent of non-Europeans through forced deportations.

Growing anti-immigrant sentiments and racism took a violent turn in the UK this summer with rioters carrying out mayhem and attacks targeting immigrants and asylum seekers after far-right figures in the UK spread false information about the race of a suspect in an attack in northern England.

Sources:

Russian propaganda is making inroads with right-wing Canadians (theconversation.com)

Canada’s Far-Right is Targeting South Asian and Sikh Canadians to Incite Anti-Immigrant Hate (pressprogress.ca)

‘She Can Go to Hell!’ JD Vance Lashes Out at Kamala Harris Amid Trump Arlington Cemetery Scandal

The Trump campaign continues to stumble from one pratfall to another. Sen. JD Vance (R-OH), who publicly bragged that he yelled at his seven-year-old son to “Shut the hell up about Pokemon!” has now viciously lashed out at Vice President Kamala Harris during a Wednesday rally speech in response to media scrutiny over the Trump campaign’s possibly unlawful photo event at Arlington National Cemetery. This scandal may also damage House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) who allegedly intervened to allow Trump to attend the private Gold Star family commemoration.

In particular, JD Vance sought to blame Kamala Harris for the deaths of soldiers during the 2021 US withdrawal from Afghanistan. This comes after Vance, himself a Marine veteran who served as a military correspondent, already tried to deflect to that topic, and accidentally mixed up “Abbey Gate”, the location where a suicide bomber killed US personnel at Kabul Airport, with “Abbey Road”, a London street popularized by the Beatles half a century ago.

“The other thing our veterans care a lot more about is that three years ago, 13 brave, innocent Americans died, and they died because Kamala Harris refused to do her job, and there hasn’t been a single investigation, or a single firing,” the junior Senator from Ohio said.

“Look, sometimes mistakes happen, that’s just the nature of government, the nature of military service. But to have those 13 Americans lose their lives, and not fire a single person is disgraceful. Kamala Harris is disgraceful. You want to tell a story about those 13 Americans who lost their lives, it’s that Kamala Harris is so asleep at the wheel that she won’t even do an investigation into what happened, and she wants to yell at Donald Trump because he showed up? She can go to hell!” Vance ranted.

Sadly for Senator JD Vance, a Yale Law School graduate, a DoD investigation into the attack was completed under the Biden Administration while Kamala Harris was Vice-President. See link below.

This crass and baseless innuendo comes after Vance had an awkward month on the campaign trail, ranging from an ill-advised bakery photo-op to the emergence of more comments he made attacking childless women.

Watch the video below or at the link here.

.@JDVance: "Kamala Harris is so asleep at the wheel that she won't even do an investigation into what happened and she wants to give Donald Trump because he showed up, she can go to hell!" pic.twitter.com/hoUO0DRhQm
— CSPAN (@cspan) August 28, 2024

The Trump Campaign strategy of demonizing and smearing their opponents with slander may appeal to their hardcore base, but will not convince critical undecided voters this November. Women have already been turned off by JD Vance’s misogynist hillbilly rhetoric.

All the Republicans seem to offer the American voter is hate and vitriol. The GOP campaign seems to have no platform to help hard-working Americans improve their lives. Neither ex-President Trump nor JD Vance seem willing to discuss the Heritage Foundation brainchild, Project 2025, a plan the Washington Post described will “infuse Christian nationalism into every facet of government policy;” put another way, a Christian Talibanization of America. After the radically-right SCOTUS overturned Roe v. Wade, why would Americans want more such extremist measures foisted upon them?

Sources:

‘She can go to hell!’ J.D. Vance lashes out at Kamala Harris amid Arlington Cemetery furor – Raw Story

Watch: J.D. Vance flubs name of location where U.S. soldiers died in Afghanistan – Raw Story

Arlington tried preventing Trump from attending ceremony: Report (americanmilitarynews.com)

Project 2025 – Wikipedia

https://www.defense.gov/News/News-Stories/Article/Article/3741245/kabul-airport-attack-review-reaffirms-initial-findings-identifies-attacker/

FAA Grounds SpaceX Falcon 9 After First-Stage Booster Incident

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket returns to Landing Zone 1 after launching the Northrop Grumman Cygnus spacecraft for NASA at the Kennedy Space Center, FL, on Sunday, August 4, 2024. The FAA grounded the Falcon 9 rockets after a stage 1 booster crashed into a barge while returning to Earth. Photo by Joe Marino/UPI | License Photo

The Federal Aviation Administration FAA grounded SpaceX’s workhorse Falcon 9 rockets as it investigates why one of its first-stage boosters crashed onto a landing barge in the Atlantic Ocean, bringing a screeching halt to the company’s robust launch schedule.

The return of the first-stage booster safely to Earth went awry Wednesday morning after separating from the second stage. A second SpaceX flight scheduled to liftoff from California was paused after the incident. So was the expected launching of the all-civilian Polaris Dawn. The delay postponed what was expected to be the first civilian spacewalk.

No one was hurt in the incident and the second stage of the Falcon 9 rocket delivered the satellites into orbit as expected. According to the FAA, SpaceX could be cleared to fly again with an ongoing investigation under certain conditions.

Sources:

FAA grounds SpaceX after Falcon 9 booster topples on landing : NPR

https://www.fly.faa.gov/adv/advAdvisoryForm.jsp

Orange Lobster Returned to Sea After Arrival at Long Island, NY Store

An ultra-rare orange lobster that arrived in a shipment at a store on New York’s Long Island was released back into the Long Island Sound. Photo courtesy of Humane Long Island/Facebook

FTA: An extremely rare orange lobster that arrived in a shipment at a New York store was released back into the wild by an animal advocacy group.

Humane Long Island said on social media that workers at Southampton Stop & Shop found the orange lobster among the standard brown lobsters that arrived in a recent shipment. The store offered the crustacean to the Long Island Aquarium, but the facility declined.

The Southampton Animal Shelter Foundation learned about Pinky’s situation and contacted Humane Long Island, which reached out to management at Stop & Shop. The lobster, now named Clementine, underwent rehabilitation under the supervision of a veterinarian before being released back into the Long Island Sound.

Orange coloration is believed to occur in only one out of every 30 million lobsters. Peaches, an orange lobster being studied by researchers at the University of New England, recently hatched a clutch of 100 eggs, and some of the babies share their mother’s unusual pigment.

Source:

https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2024/08/29/orange-lobster-Humane-Long-Island/3841724963291/

Israel Rejects UN Ceasefire to Allow Polio Vaccinations in Gaza

Palestinians displaced by the Israeli air and ground offensive on the Gaza Strip walk through a dark streak of sewage flowing into the streets of the southern town of Khan Younis on 4 July 2024. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

Julian Borger at The Guardian reports that the first verified case of type 2 poliovirus in 25 years in Gaza, in a baby, has resulted in the paralysis of the infant. This child will be the first of many if the UN is not allowed to administer vaccines to 650,000 children in the Strip, which will definitely require a ceasefire. Israeli authorities are allowing refrigerated units into the Gaza Strip through the Kerem Shalom border crossing, but are refusing a cease-fire. Without a ceasefire, families will not line up their children to receive the oral vaccine. Some 95% of the infants in Gaza need to have the vaccine administered to prevent an outbreak, and they need two doses. But aid workers cannot safely move around to make arrangements for administering the doses.

Aid organizations want to use Deir al-Balah to store and distribute the vaccines, but the IDF has evacuated and invaded the area, risking destroying the remaining medical infrastructure there. Some 250,000 Palestinians have been expelled from their shelters since the beginning of August. Allowing refrigerated units in without a necessary cease-fire is tantamount to someone mailing in a bill but neglecting to sign the check and put a stamp on the envelope.

There is no cure for polio once it is contracted and victims will either be paralyzed or die. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s war on the Gaza population has killed more than 15,000 children.

“Gaza Polio,” by Juan Cole, Digital, Dream / Dreamland v. 3 / Clip2Comic, 2024

Meanwhile, hundreds of Israeli troops backed by helicopters, drones, and armored personnel carriers raided Jenin and Tulkarm and other areas in the occupied West Bank. But they were there not to arrest rabid Israeli settlers who have killed over 500 West Bank Palestinians over the past two years, but other Palestinians, killing at least ten of them.

Sources:

Israel Rejects UN Ceasefire to Allow Polio Vaccinations in Gaza – Truthdig

At least 10 Palestinians killed in major Israeli raids across West Bank | Reuters

Belarus Ramps Up ‘Military-Patriotic’ Camps for Orphans and Other Vulnerable Children

An officer of Belarus’s Interior Ministry teaches a child to fire an automatic weapons in March 2020.

Following the unprecedented pro-democracy demonstrations that broke out after Belarus’s disputed 2020 presidential election, the Aleksandr Lukashenko regime undertook a ruthless crackdown on dissent that included jailing activists, shutting down independent media, and generally dismantling civil society.

And among those left most completely isolated were the country’s thousands of orphans and children whose parents have been deprived of custody. Following Vladimir Putin’s lead of indoctrinating Ukrainian children, Aleksandr Lukashenko is doing the same for orphans and parentless children in Belarus.

Orphans from state and Belarusian Orthodox Church institutions have been sent to camps at military installations, instructed in military drills and weaponry, trained by mercenaries from Russia’s notorious Wagner Group, and assigned to write letters of encouragement to Russian soldiers occupying parts of Ukraine. The state’s “patriotic” education efforts are jointly coordinated by the Education, Defense, Interior, and Emergencies ministries. Although such camps for vulnerable children have been run since at least 2007, the war in Ukraine and Belarus’s growing authoritarianism have made the effort a government priority.

Disadvantaged teens participating in a Belarusian militarized camp in July 2010.

The number of camps for orphans and other socially disadvantaged children hosted by military units has increased steadily since 2020. In 2021-22, there were about 480 of them, state media reported, and in 2023, 583 such camps were organized with the participation of “nearly 6,000 children.”

For 2024, the government planned to host 14,000 children in camps conducted by veterans, mercenaries, and active-duty personnel, some with programs titled “Kindness and Courage.”

Wagner mercenary fighters instruct children at a “military-patriotic” club near Minsk in 2023 in this screen grab from a video posted by state TV commentator Ksenia Lebedeva “This is not Mary Poppins, you know,” Lebedeva wrote. “Our children are choosing the right toys and the right teachers.”

The Emergencies Ministry University runs a high school for orphans, disadvantaged children, and children from troubled families. This year, 93 percent of the school’s graduates planned to study at military-technical institutes. The Moscow-affiliated Belarusian Orthodox Church was operating about 20 military-patriotic clubs around the country. In May, the Education Ministry authorized Orthodox monasteries to open shelters for vulnerable children.

At a session of the UN Human Rights Council in March 2023, the International Fellowship of Reconciliation (IFOR) expressed alarm at “Belarusian military training programs of children,” saying that more than 18,000 children “as young as 6” had passed through the training — which included the use of firearms — in 2022.

All of these innocent children are being indoctrinated to be loyal to the state and Aleksandr Lukashenko.

Source:

Belarus Ramps Up ‘Military-Patriotic’ Camps For Orphans And Other Vulnerable Children (rferl.org)

Kentucky Man Sentenced to Five Years in Prison for Attacking US Capitol on 6 Jan 2021

Dan Edwin Wilson (48) of Louisville, KY, was sentenced to five years in prison, 36 months of supervised release, and $2,000 restitution for attacking the US Capitol on 6 Jan 2021.

In late 2020, Wilson began planning to obstruct and interfere with the joint session of Congress at the Capitol during the 6 Jan 2021 certification of the Electoral College vote. On 22 Dec 2020, Wilson—who in an encrypted messaging application went by the moniker “Live Wire”—responded to a discussion regarding traveling to Washington, D.C. for 6 Jan 2021, by writing, “Ooh Rah. Curb stomp crew all in!!!”

Later that same day, Wilson wrote, “We are willing to work and coordinate with others, but I am a gray ghost ranger,” referring to Wilson’s affiliation with a particular militia. Wilson also discussed bringing firearms to Washington, D.C. for 6 Jan 2021, but he ultimately wrote, on 24 Dec 2020, “In my opinion I don’t think it’s time to gun up for the sixth we have to play this out but if they seat Biden on the 20th all bets are off it’s gonna happen even if Trump wins we have to get this government under control it’s been crossing my mind if we go to a Civil War do we try to take Washington DC first or do we try to take state capitals first.” On 27 Dec 2020, Wilson wrote, “I am ready to lay my life on the line. It is time for good men to do bad things.”

Should Democrat Kamala Harris win the election this November, this dangerous maniac and militia member will be incarcerated during her entire first term. Every day Dan Edwin Wilson will see portraits of President Harris hanging proudly on the walls of his US Bureau of Prisons (BOP) facility.

Source:

District of Columbia | Kentucky Man Sentenced to Five Years in Prison on Felony Conspiracy Charge for Actions During Jan. 6 Capitol Breach | United States Department of Justice

Hungarian National Arrested on Charges of Conspiring to Export 200 US Military-Grade Radios to Russia

Masked Russian soldier employing tactical radio. Undated imagery.

US authorities detained a Hungarian man on suspicion of engaging in illegal export activities to Russia. Bence Horváth (46), a resident of Spain, was detained at San Francisco International Airport on 23 Aug as he entered the US. Horvath and his accomplices allegedly violated the 2018 Export Control Reform Act. The Justice Department alleged Horváth operated as part of an international intermediary and procurement network with direct contractual relations with Russian government institutions. He and others operating in Spain, Serbia, Hungary, Latvia, and other unnamed countries are suspected of procuring American technology and smuggling it to Russia.

Bence Horvath faces up to 20 years in prison and a maximum fine of $1 million for violating the Export Control Reform Act.

A complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Source:

Office of Public Affairs | Hungarian National Arrested on Charges of Conspiring to Export U.S. Military-Grade Radios to Russian Government End Users | United States Department of Justice

Trump Campaign Staff Accused of Verbally Abusing Arlington National Cemetery Official

President Trump at the Conservative Political Action Conference annual meeting at National Harbor on 2 March 2019. (Yuri Gripas/Reuters)

Members of Donald Trump’s campaign staff were reportedly involved in an altercation with an Arlington National Cemetery official during a wreath-laying ceremony that has been criticized as a cheap, tawdry campaign stunt.

Allegedly two members of his staff verbally assaulted and pushed a cemetery official who tried to prevent Trump staffers from taking video and photos in a section where recent US casualties are buried. Only cemetery staff are authorized to conduct photography in the area known as Section 60. Trump was at Arlington to mark the third anniversary of an attack on US forces in Afghanistan during the chaotic withdrawal from the country.

GOP candidate Trump has repeatedly tried to blame Vice President Kamala Harris for the 26 August 2021 suicide bombing at Hamid Karzai International Airport that killed 13 American service members.

Per Arlington National Cemetery:

“Federal law prohibits political campaign or election-related activities within Army National Military Cemeteries, to include photographers, content creators or any other persons attending for purposes, or in direct support of a partisan political candidate’s campaign. Arlington National Cemetery reinforced and widely shared this law and its prohibitions with all participants.”

After this incredibly egregious misstep, the ex-President then followed that up by resharing a vulgar post on his social media site Truth Social suggesting Vice President Kamala Harris used sexual favors to advance her career. A CNN anchorwoman described Trump as “divorced from reality” and Kamala Harris simply said “Donald Trump was out of his mind.”

As the Trump Campaign disintegrates and continues to alienate women, another damaging video of GOP VPOTUS candidate JD Vance has emerged of Vance attacking childless women, this one from during his run for the Senate seat he now occupies.

In the video clip shown on national TV, the Yale Law School graduate launched a broadside at teachers who don’t have children of their own, telling a crowd he thinks they are “trying to brainwash the minds of our children.”

JD Vance singled out Randi Weingarten, the head of the American Federation of Teachers, and smeared her by exclaiming, “If she wants to brainwash and destroy the mind of children, she should have some of her own and leave ours the hell alone.”

One opinion maker described the Trump Campaign vetting process as “simply insane” and rumors are floating that Trump regrets picking JD Vance as his VPOTUS running mate.

The NYT reported that Team Kamala had a 3% national polling average lead over Trump as of 28 Aug. This is absolutely breathtaking that the 2024 US Presidential election could even be close between Donald Trump and JD Vance versus Kamala Harris and Tim Walz.

Sources:

Trump Campaign Staff Accused Of Verbally Abusing Arlington National Cemetery Official | IBTimes

https://www.rawstory.com/donald-trump-2669093418/

‘This is simply insane’: Questions raised about vetting of J.D. Vance amid new blow-up – Raw Story

https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/schumer-trump-regrets-weird-vance-1235069638/

Telegram CEO Pavel Durov Indicted on All Charges and Banned from Leaving France

Copyright Tatan Syuflana/AP

French authorities charged Telegram CEO Pavel Durov with allowing alleged criminal activity on his messaging app. He was released after four days of questioning and barred from leaving France pending further investigation. In addition to Russia and France, Durov is also a citizen of the United Arab Emirates, and the island nation of St. Kitts and Nevis.

The co-founder of the messaging app was detained on Saturday at Le Bourget airport outside Paris as part of a sweeping judicial inquiry.

Allegations against the Russia-born Durov, who is also a French citizen, include that his platform is being used for child sexual abuse material and drug trafficking, and that Telegram refused to share information or documents with investigators when required by law.

The first preliminary charge against him was for “’complicity in managing an online platform to allow illicit transactions by an organized group,” a crime that can lead to sentences of up to 10 years in prison and a €500,000 fine. Durov’s arrest in France has caused outrage in Russia, calling it politically motivated and proof of the West’s double standard on freedom of speech. The outcry has raised eyebrows among Kremlin critics because in 2018, Russian authorities themselves tried to block the Telegram app but failed, withdrawing the ban in 2020.

French President Emmanuel Macron said that Durov’s arrest wasn’t a political move but part of an independent investigation. In a statement posted on its platform after Durov’s arrest, Telegram said it abides by EU laws, and its moderation is “within industry standards and constantly improving”.

A legal move like this probably caught the attention of ‘X’ CEO Elon Musk, who has angered government officials in the UK, Australia, and Brazil for allowing right-wing hate messages or disinformation to flourish on his ‘X’ social platform.

Sources:

Telegram CEO Pavel Durov indicted on all charges and banned from leaving France | Euronews

Pavel Durov’s arrest could expose how the Kremlin used Telegram to its advantage, expert says

FBI: Trump Gunman’s Motive Still Mystery

The FBI reported that the 20-year-old Thomas Crooks acted alone, that there is no sign of foreign involvement, and a motive for the assassination attempt remains unknown. The assault rifle used in the shooting was purchased legally and Thomas Crooks was not known to the FBI when he attempted to shoot the former president at a rally in Butler, PA, on 13 July. His attack grazed Trump’s ear, killed one man, and seriously injured two others.

Crooks began searching online for Trump campaign events in September 2023. He searched for events for both Trump and President Joe Biden, who was still the Democratic nominee at the time of the shooting. He also looked for the location of both the Republican and Democratic national conventions. Thomas Crooks apparently had a “mixture of ideologies,” according to the FBI.

Please see FBI evidence gallery at bottom.

Unfortunately for the FBI, they can not interrogate a corpse, hence the importance of capturing and keeping a suspect alive. By training, the USSS (permanently) neutralized the immediate threat to the ex-POTUS; but now investigators must piece together or speculate the reasons for the attempted assassination.

Imagine what the US Intelligence Community (USIC) or law-enforcement agencies could have been learned if Lee Harvey Oswald wasn’t killed by Jack Ruby in Nov 1963, if sex offender Jeffrey Epstein was prevented from committing suicide while under federal custody in Aug 2019, or if Osama Bin Laden was taken alive by Seal Team Six in May 2011?

Sources:

Update on the FBI Investigation of the Attempted Assassination of Former President Donald Trump — FBI

A photo of the AR-15-style rifle used by Thomas Crooks.

A backpack and the rifle carried by Thomas Crooks.

HVAC unit on the side of the building which Thomas Crooks used to climb onto the roof where he shot at the ex-President.

Two explosive devices in Thomas Crooks’s car. The FBI stated the receiver on the devices for remote detonation was in the ‘off’ position and that they ‘had several problems in the way they were constructed.’

Iran’s Khamenei Opens Door to Talks with US Over Tehran’s Nuclear Program

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei attends a meeting with members of President Masoud Pezeshkian’s administration, in Tehran, Iran, 27 Aug 2024. (Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader via AP)

Iran’s supreme leader opened the door Tuesday to renewed negotiations with the US over his country’s rapidly advancing nuclear program, telling its civilian government there was “no harm” in engaging with its “enemy.”

Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir once said: “You don’t make peace with your friends.” Any opportunities for negotiation over nuclear proliferation should be vigorously pursued.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s remarks mirror those around the time of Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, which saw Tehran’s nuclear program greatly curtailed in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions.

“This does not mean that we cannot interact with the same enemy in certain situations,” Khamenei said. There have been indirect talks between Iran and the US in recent years mediated by Oman and Qatar. Khamenei, who has the final say on all state matters, also warned Pezeshkian’s Cabinet, “Do not trust the enemy.”

Iran is a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), unlike Israel.

In other developments, Iran’s pro-reform President Masud Pezeshkian has appointed lawmaker Abdolkarim Hosseinzadeh as his deputy for rural development and underprivileged areas, making him the first-ever Sunni cabinet member since 1979. While this is a sign of progress in theocratic Iran, the next two incidents are not. A 31-year-old woman named Arezou Badri was partially paralyzed after police opened fire on her vehicle as she was driving with her sister in northern Iran’s Mazandaran province on 22 July. Human rights activists cited sources saying police shot Badri because her car was under a confiscation order for her refusal to wear a hijab in the vehicle.

And in central Iran, an unidentified man was publicly hanged for killing a lawyer. The 20-year-old man was convicted of fatally shooting the victim with a hunting rifle in front of his wife and son in August 2021. This was the first public hanging of the year in Iran which typically carries out executions inside prisons. In 2022, Iran publicly hanged a man convicted of fatally stabbing two members of a paramilitary force during violence connected with nationwide protests challenging the country’s theocracy. Iran executes more people annually than any other nation except for China, according to human rights groups including Amnesty International.

American critics of Iran should not throw stones. The US has a rich history of police brutality, as you may have read on this site or elsewhere, and capital punishment is still legal in 27 states. 21 states executed one or more inmates in the last 10 years.

Sources:

Iran’s Khamenei opens door to talks with US over Tehran’s nuclear program (voanews.com)

Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) | IAEA

President Appoints Iran’s First-Ever Sunni Cabinet Member (rferl.org)

US voices ‘deep concern’ after reports Iranian police shot woman for breaking hijab law (voanews.com)

Iran publicly hangs man convicted of murder (voanews.com)

Criminal Gang Suspected in Brazil Sugarcane Fires

A firefighter tries to extinguish flames in a sugarcane plantation near Dumon city, Brazil, 24 Aug 2024

On top of the world’s dwindling forests adding to global climate change, a criminal gang is suspected in setting fire to sugarcane fields in Sao Paulo state. The fires that started last week spread rapidly through parched fields during the weekend, at the peak of the country’s dry season, and destroyed thousands of hectares of sugarcane plantations, sending up clouds of smoke that cloaked nearby cities. More than 2,100 fires blazed in sugarcane fields, resulting in the burning of 59,000 hectares (146,000 acres) of sugarcane areas and crop regrowth areas. Sao Paulo accounts for about half of Brazil’s sugarcane planting.

The government suspects that one of Brazil’s largest crime gangs, Primeiro Comando da Capital — commonly known as PCC — was behind the fires, seeking to retaliate against measures to combat the criminal trade in adulterated fuels. Organized crime has bought bankrupt fuel plants and hundreds of gas stations and the arson could be a way of retaliating against government actions combating organized crime. PCC was set up in 1993 by inmates at a maximum-security prison in Sao Paulo and moved from drug trafficking to become Brazil’s most powerful and feared criminal gang.

Source:

Crime gang suspected in Brazil sugarcane fires, official says (voanews.com)

First Human Case of EEE in Massachusetts Since 2020 Prompts Warnings

To protect residents from EEE, new curfews on outdoor activities are being implemented or recommended across the Pilgrim State.

Massachusetts officials announced the first confirmed human case of Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) in the state since 2020. Four Massachusetts towns are at “critical” risk of Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) after an 80-year-old man tested positive for the dangerous mosquito-borne illness, the state Department of Public Health (DPH) recently announced. Officials did not release specific details about where or how the man was exposed to the virus or his current condition. The virus causes severe illness and has a 30 percent fatality rate. Twelve Massachusetts residents contracted EEE in 2019, six of whom died. One out of the five people who contracted the virus in 2020 also died. The mosquitoes most likely to spread EEE are most active during the dusk to dawn hours.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), EEE symptoms include fever, headache, vomiting, diarrhea, seizures, behavioral changes, and drowsiness. Many people who survive the illness suffer from ongoing neurological problems. There are no vaccines to prevent EEE or medicines to treat it.

The CDC also warns of a COVID-19 surge after finding samples of a variant in the wastewater of 20 states.

Sources:

First human case of EEE in Mass. since 2020 prompts warnings – and in one town, a curfew (boston.com)

Covid variant surge: Latest CDC guidelines on isolation and symptoms as cases rise (nbcnews.com)

Summer Food Safety: Five Recalled Products to Check for in Pantry and Fridge

More than 60 ice cream products were recalled due to a potential listeria contamination, according to the FDA.

Several household food items have recently been recalled by companies this summer and you may want to check your pantries, fridges, freezers and cabinets to be sure they’re not holding onto something with the potential for foodborne illness.

This summer, ice cream, tahini, fresh sliced deli meat, and black pepper have all been on recall lists. Below are five notable recalls over the last three months.

1. Boar’s Head deli meats

Boar’s Head first recalled its liverwurst along with several styles of ham, bacon and bologna on 26 July due to listeria. Then, on 30 July, the company expanded the recall to include even more of its meat products, including poultry, hot dogs, sausages, and other prepacked meats.

A full list of recalled Boar’s Head products is available here.

The products had sell by dates through October 2024. Unlike the other recalls on this list, Boar’s Head products were actually linked to an outbreak of listeria with 43 sick people identified in 13 states — all were hospitalized and three died.

Consumers who purchased products are urged not to consume them and to dispose of them promptly or return them to retailers. They are also advised to clean refrigerators thoroughly so other foods do not become contaminated.

2. Totally Cool, Inc. ice cream products

Totally Cool, Inc., a Maryland-based manufacturer, recalled more than 60 brands of ice cream products on 24 June for potential listeria contamination. Brands included Hershey’s Ice Cream, Jeni’s Ice Cream, Chipwich, Yelloh! and more.

A full list of products can be found here.

Recalled ice cream products had use-by dates extending all the way into 2026. While no illnesses had been reported at the time of the recall, listeria has the potential to cause severe and potentially fatal

3. Snapchill LLC canned coffee

Snapchill LLC., a Wisconsin-based manufacturer, recalled more than 90 canned coffee products on 17 June because the company’s processes could have led to growth of deadly botulinum toxin.

A full list of recalled brands can be found here.

Cans ranged in size from 7 to 12 ounces. No illnesses have been reported but botulism is a potentially fatal form of food poisoning.

4. Al’Fez natural tahini

AB World Foods US, Inc., an Illinois-based manufacturer, recalled its 5.6 ounce glass jars of Al’Fez Natural Tahini on 12 July due to potential salmonella contamination.

No illnesses have been reported, but salmonella, like listeria and botulism, can be deadly, especially for children the elderly and those with weakened immune systems.

The recalled Al’Fez Natural Tahini was sold in jars with specific lot numbers and best-before dates. Recalled products include lots: 3031, 3080, 3270 and 3297 with corresponding best-before dates of 2024 JL 31, 2024 SE 09, 2025 MR 27 and 2025 AL 04.

5. Baraka brand ground black pepper

UBC Food Distributors, a Michigan-based manufacturer, recalled Baraka branded black pepper on 3 June due to potential salmonella contamination.

The recalled pepper has an expiration date of Jan 2026 and comes in a 7-ounce clear plastic package. No illnesses have been reported at this time.

Sources:

Summer food recall recap: 5 recalled products to check for in your pantry and fridge (msn.com)

Alabama Man Pleads Guilty to Detonating an Explosive Device Outside of Alabama Attorney General’s Office

Kyle Benjamin Douglas Calvert in a photo posted to social media (L) and in downtown Montgomery, AL. (Image: US District Court for the Middle District of Alabama).

Sadly, political violence in the US is becoming standard, almost routine, as this case demonstrates. Kyle Benjamin Douglas Calvert (26) of Irondale, Alabama, pleaded guilty in federal court to the malicious use of an explosive device.

Calvert detonated an explosive device during the early morning hours of 24 Feb 2024 outside of the Alabama Attorney General’s Office in downtown Montgomery. No injuries were reported. Calvert admitted during the plea hearing to manufacturing the device himself, using items such as nails and screws to act as shrapnel along with accelerants to cause an explosion. Prior to planting the device, Calvert placed stickers on various state buildings depicting different graphics and advocating for various political ideologies. Some stickers included the phrase “Support your local antifa.” As reflected in the plea agreement, Calvert claims he has no affiliation with antifa. After placing the explosive device near the Attorney General’s Office, Calvert lit its fuse and fled the scene. Law enforcement arrested Calvert on 10 April.

A sentencing hearing will be scheduled for Calvert at a later date who faces a minimum penalty of five years and a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. This young man, who tried to implicate the antifa movement with this dangerous explosive, threw his life away over hatred.

Office of Public Affairs | Alabama Man Pleads Guilty to Detonating an Explosive Device Outside of the Alabama Attorney General’s Office | United States Department of Justice

Republicans Angry with Special Counsel Jack Smith’s Trump Re-Indictment

Undated photo of Special Counsel Jack Smith.

Special Counsel Jack Smith is “grasping at straws” once again, GOP House Speaker Mike Johnson said about a superseding indictment unveiled Tuesday against former President Donald Trump.

Special counsel Jack Smith’s team earned praise Tuesday from multiple experts — including Trump’s former lawyer — over his slimmed-down indictment accusing Trump of plotting to overturn the 2020 election. The new indictment removed some allegations following a summer Supreme Court ruling that found former presidents enjoy broad immunity for official acts in office. The precise wording of the superseding indictment makes it clear that Trump’s acts were personal, rather than official acts. Trump’s former attorney called it a “forceful document.”

Trump blasted the re-indictment as a “resurrection” of a “witch hunt” and his allies have also come to his defense. That includes Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and the House Speaker who called the MAGA leader “the most persecuted politician in the history of our country.”

“Today, after getting two of his cases thrown out by the courts, Jack Smith is grasping at straws once again,” Johnson wrote Tuesday night on X. “Just 70 days before the election, Smith has brought yet another bogus indictment. Americans are sick of this corruption and shameless lawfare.”

And Americans are sick at the lack of justice over the past several years towards a twice-impeached, civilly-liable sexual predator who was criminally convicted of 34 counts of falsifying business records, paying hush money to silence a woman he slept with behind his wife’s back, and inspired a lunatic attack on the US Capitol on 6 January 2021.

Yes Mr. Speaker, Americans, and most of the international community, are sick of this felon who blithely aspires to lead the most powerful country in the world.

Sources:

https://www.justice.gov/sco-smith

‘Grasping at straws once again’: House speaker blasts Jack Smith over Trump re-indictment – Raw Story

North Korean Supremo Kim Jong Un Shocks Listeners by Using South Korean Terms in Speech

Kim Jong Un addresses flood victims from his luxury train during a visit to Uiju County, North Pyongan Province, North Korea, 9 Aug 2024. One of the train cars transformed into a stage and the residents observed how their leader gets comfortably and securely around. (KCNA via Reuters)

Kim Jong Un recently shocked North Korean flood victims when he addressed them in a speech that contained words and phrases commonly used by South Koreans – terms that would get ordinary citizens sent to work in coal mines or prison camps.

Authorities regularly punish users of South Korean lingo because it suggests that they learned to speak that way from watching illegal South Korean movies and TV shows – considered “anti-socialist” and a bad capitalist influence – that have been smuggled into the country.

But these draconian laws apparently do not apply to Kim Jong Un. Earlier this month, he called flood victims fellow “citizens” instead of “comrades.” The young dictator also referred to older flood victims as “elders” rather than “seniors” or “respected grandparents,” and abbreviated “television” to the more American-sounding “TV” as is common in the South, rather than “terebi,” which is more common in the North. Kin Jong-Un also told the flood victims that they were “navigating rough terrain” rather than the more Northern expression of being in a “difficult and tiring situation.”

In the speech, Kim also used more Southern sounding terms for “medical patient,” referred to drinks as “beverages,” rather than the more Northern term which refers to all drinks simply as “water.”

His use of these terms suggests that Kim Jong-Un might be secretly watching the banned South Korean movies and TV shows or he’s learning those words from people in his entourage. Several US-based experts are perplexed given that North Korea has been so adamantly punishing people for doing the same.

Sources:

Kim Jong Un shocks listeners by using South Korean terms in speech — Radio Free Asia (rfa.org)

North Korea sentences 20 young athletes for ‘speaking like South Koreans’

In North Korea, speaking in Southern accent gets you sent to the coal mines

Talking like ‘capitalist’ South Koreans can lead to prison or death in North Korea

State media shows North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un leading flood rescue

US Sanctions Hundreds to Cripple Kremlin’s Military Production

Shahed-136 drones (AKA Geran-2), is an Iranian-designed loitering munition. Image Credit: Screenshot.

The US sanctioned nearly 400 individuals and entities to disrupt Russia’s international supply chains, metal procurement, and financial services that support its war effort in Ukraine. The move builds on sanctions already imposed on Russia in response to its full-scale war in Ukraine and were aimed at distinct networks, individuals, and entities whose products and services enable Russia to sustain the war and evade sanctions.

The list includes numerous transnational networks that procure ammunition and military materiel, entities that facilitate Russian oligarchal sanctions evasions, gold launderers, and procurers of sensitive and critical items such as advanced machinery tools and electronic components.

The sweeping action targets networks, individuals, and entities across 16 jurisdictions, including in China, Switzerland, Turkey, and the UAE. The measures against companies in China alone are aimed at 190 targets. Also targeted are entities and individuals involved in Russia’s future energy, metals, and mining production, subsidiaries of Russia’s state atomic energy corporation Rosatom and “malign actors involved in the attempted, forcible ‘re-education’ of Ukraine’s children.”

The US government also added 123 entities to the Commerce Department Entity List that forces suppliers to obtain licenses before shipping to targeted companies (63 Russian, 42 Chinese, 18 other). The US is attempting to impede the production of Russian Shahed-136 drones used against Ukraine.

This move comes from Washington comes just as Kiev recently launched its largest drone attack on Moscow, its intelligence services hacked Russian TV (embarrassing Vladimir Putin), and the Ukrainians celebrated their Independence Day (24 August 1991).

Sources:

U.S. Sanctions Hundreds Of Targets In Effort To Cripple Kremlin’s Military Production (rferl.org)

Sanctions List Search (treas.gov)

https://www.bis.gov/entity-list

IDF Kills Dozens in Airstrikes as Ceasefire Talks Inch Forward

Palestinians walk next to sewage in the streets of Khan Younis, Gaza, 4 July 2024. Health authorities and aid agencies are racing to prevent an outbreak of polio in the Gaza Strip after the virus was detected in the territory’s wastewater. The UN confirmed the first cases of polio in the Gaza Strip in 25 years. (Photo: Jehad Alshrafi / AP)

At least three dozen Palestinians were killed in multiple Israeli strikes in the southern Gaza Strip, even as preparations moved ahead for high-level cease-fire talks in Egypt. Among the dead were 11 members of the same family, including two children, when an Israeli airstrike hit their home in the city of Khan Younis. Nasser Hospital received a total of 33 dead who were killed in three separate strikes in and around Khan Younis. The city’s Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital said it received three bodies.

Seventeen others were killed when a strike hit a road south of Khan Younis, including the passengers on a tuk-tuk and passers-by. Another strike hit a tuk-tuk east of Khan Younis, killing at least five people. Palestinian first responders also recovered the bodies of 10 people from a residential block west of Khan Younis. The circumstances of their deaths were not immediately clear and this area was repeatedly bombed by the Israeli military over the past week. An Associated Press journalist at the hospital counted the bodies and filmed the funeral service in the hospital’s courtyard.

President Biden called Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu to stress the urgency of reaching a cease-fire and hostage release deal. Israel’s retaliatory offensive since October 2023 has killed more than 40,000 Palestinians and caused widespread destruction, forcing 2.3 million Gazans to flee their homes. The New York Times reported the IDF onslaught against Gaza has created an estimated 19,000 Palestinian orphans, several with amputated limbs (see previous post by Coriolanus).

The American taxpayer has given Israel more than $260 billion in combined military and economic aid since World War II, plus about $10 billion more in contributions for missile defense systems like the Iron Dome. Meanwhile, Israeli cabinet members have publicly called for a “nabka” and you wonder how much Palestinian population reduction will eventually satisfy them.

Sources:

Dozens killed in strikes in Gaza as preparations for cease-fire talks move forward (voanews.com)

‘We’re Rolling Out Nakba 2023,’ Israeli Minister Says on Northern Gaza Strip Evacuation – Israel News – Haaretz.com

Israeli Minister Admits Military Is Carrying Out ‘Nakba’ Against Gaza’s Palestinians (msn.com)

Why Israel’s leaders call for ‘Second Nakba’ | Middle East Eye

How Much Aid Does the U.S. Give to Israel? | Best Countries | U.S. News (usnews.com)

Maryland Police Officer Justin Lee Guilty of Attacking US Capitol on 6 Jan 2021

A Rockville, MD man was convicted today of forcibly obstructing law enforcement and other charges for attacking the US Capitol on 6 Jan 2021. Justin Lee (25) was found guilty of two felony offenses, including assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers and civil disorder. In addition to the felonies, Lee is guilty of misdemeanor offenses of entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, and disorderly conduct in a Capitol building.

Lee was present at the “Tunnel”, the site of the heaviest close-quarters-combat between seditionists and USCP officers, where amongst other actions, the defendant deployed a smoke grenade. After the 6 January attack, Justin Lee astonishingly joined the Montgomery County Police Department where he was subsequently involved in a shooting incident which was being investigated by authorities. Justin Lee will be sentenced on 22 Nov 2024.

In the 43 months since 6 Jan 2021, more than 1,488 individuals have been charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to attacking the US Capitol, including nearly 550 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement, a felony. The FBI investigation remains ongoing.

Sources:

District of Columbia | Maryland Man Convicted of Forcibly Obstructing Law Enforcement and Other Charges During Jan. 6 Capitol Breach | United States Department of Justice

Montgomery Co. officer charged with assaulting police on Jan. 6 | fox43.com

Florida Man Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Act as Agent of PRC Government

Ping Li (59) of Wesley Chapel, FL pleaded guilty to conspiring to act as an agent of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) without notification to the Attorney General. The former Verizon employee spied for the PRC’s Ministry of State Security (MSS) for twelve years as a “cooperative contact.”

LI, a US citizen, admitted that he provided the MSS information concerning Chinese dissidents and pro-democracy advocates, members of the Falun Gong religious movement, and US-based non-governmental organizations. Li also provided the MSS with information he obtained from his employers. The defendant used a variety of anonymous online accounts for the purpose of communicating with the MSS, traveling to China to meet with his handlers as well.

If convicted, Li faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison.

Sources:

Office of Public Affairs | Florida Telecommunications and Information Technology Worker Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Act as Agent of PRC Government | United States Department of Justice

https://www.pcmag.com/news/former-verizon-employee-accused-of-spying-for-china

Cat Ran Away 11 Years Ago; Found by Microchip

The cat looks a bit scrawny, but quite happy indeed. Image: Charleston County Animal Control and AP

After Sam Sam the Kittycat Man disappeared 11 years ago, Jennifer Ravenel couldn’t hold another cat in her lap. Her heart never could overcome the loss of that feral kitten she had rescued from the crook of a tree on her South Carolina farm. But Sam is now back in Ravenel’s lap, thanks to her decision to have a microchip put in him.

Charleston County Animal Control found Sam this month, skinny and feeding off scraps from a feral colony less than a mile from Ravenel’s home. His microchip was scanned, and Ravenel got a nearly unbelievable phone call. Once everyone was sure Sam was OK, Ravenel got to hold her lap kitty again. She squeezed him, telling him that he was her boy and remarking how skinny he was.

“I haven’t held a cat since he left — 11 years — because it broke my heart. To feel his little heartbeat in there, oh, gosh, it’s the craziest thing that has ever happened to me,” Ravenel said in a video provided by the Animal Society.

Source:

Sam Sam the Kittycat Man ran away. He was found close by — 11 years later | AP News

CIA Director Makes Stop in Kosovo as Part of Unannounced Visit to Balkan Region

CIA Director William Burns enters the building of the Kosovar presidency on 22 August.

CIA Director William Burns arrived in Kosovo after stops earlier this week in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Serbia on an unannounced trip amid concerns about US relations with Kosovo and Russian influence in the Balkans.

Burns traveled from Sarajevo to Belgrade, Bulgaria, and North Macedonia before arriving in Kosovo. According to the flight-tracking website Flightradar24, a US military plane believed to be used to fly the CIA chief made stops in those countries. On 22 August, the aircraft was seen parked at the VIP gate at Pristina’s international airport.

D/CIA Burns’ visit to Kosovo follows concerns about the partnership between the US and Kosovo, especially regarding the government’s handling of issues related to the country’s Serb minority.

Since 2001, the US has provided Kosovo with $97,830,378 in foreign assistance.

Sources:

CIA Chief Makes Stop In Kosovo As Part Of Unannounced Visit To Balkan Region (rferl.org)

U.S. Foreign Assistance by Country

Mass Bomb Threat E-Mailed to Dozens of Jewish Institutions Across Canada

Canada’s oldest synagogue Temple Emmanu-el, c1900 (Photo: Courtesy of Congregation Emanu-El, Victoria, BC)

Multiple synagogues, Jewish community centers, and hospitals in Toronto, Montreal, and Ottawa were targeted with an emailed bomb threat early Wednesday morning. In response to the threat, Toronto Police evacuated buildings near an intersection in a heavily Jewish neighborhood.

A Jewish organization reported the threat was not credible, though it is still being investigated by Toronto, Montreal, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). This incident comes just a few months after shots were fired at a Chabad-Lubavitch girls’ school in Toronto. Soon afterward, a synagogue in Vancouver was attacked. In November, shots were fired at two Orthodox Jewish day schools in Montreal. No injuries were reported in any of the attacks.

A representative from the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs stated “all indications point to these threats being nuisance emails designed to disrupt lives. There is no imminent threat.”

Likud Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, a man indicted as a war criminal by the International Criminal Court (ICC), and his policies towards the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip is stoking antisemitism worldwide. Nearly 40,000 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed since October 2023. The US Anti-Defamation League (ADL) reported that 190 of the 312 antisemitic incidents from 7 Oct 2023 to 23 Oct 2023 were directly linked to the war in Israel and Gaza.

Sources:

Mass bomb threat sent to dozens of Jewish institutions across Canada – Jewish Telegraphic Agency (jta.org)

How the Gaza crisis is stoking antisemitism across the U.S. (nbcnews.com)

ICC statement on arrest warrants of Israeli and Hamas leaders (bbc.com)

Counting the dead in Gaza: difficult but essential – The Lancet

More Americans Unwilling to Die for Other Countries

**“It is time to end the forever war,” President Biden said in 2021, when he ordered the withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan.**

A July poll shows that a majority of the American public does not support sending US soldiers to defend Taiwan or Ukraine, suggesting that Americans appear to be warming to restraint and non-interventionism in international affairs.

Another poll found that a majority of Americans (56%) do not believe that the US should pick a side in Israel’s war on Gaza. Another recent survey found that just 4 in 10 support the US sending soldiers to defend Israel if attacked by its neighbors.

Notably, the US recently deployed two aircraft carrier groups and a nuclear-powered submarine armed with 154 Tomahawk missiles to the Middle East. Israel is expecting an Iranian counterattack for its continuous airstrikes on Shia targets in Lebanon and Syria, as well as the 31 July assassination of Palestinian resistance leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran.

After the 11 Sep attacks against the US in 2001, the media helped to normalize the idea of deposing Saddam Hussein. By January 2002, 73% of the American public supported the use of force in Iraq, believing the Bush administration falsehoods about WMDs in Saddam’s hands. After years of hindsight, only 32% of Americans considered the Iraq War the right thing to do according to a 2024 survey.

Sources:

More Americans Unwilling to Die for Other Countries – Truthdig

https://www.yenisafak.com/en/news/2-us-carrier-strike-groups-in-middle-east-send-very-powerful-deterrence-message-to-iran-pentagon-3689711

American Drug Firms Accused of Unethical Clinical Trials in Uyghur Region of China

Since 2017, the Chinese government has been operating a vast detention and “sinicization” program, focused on eliminating Uyghur life and culture.

American pharmaceutical companies are carrying out drug trials in China’s far-western Xinjiang region, where the US says a genocide of the Uyghur population is taking place. In a letter to the Federal Drug Administration (FDA), the two top lawmakers on the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party requested an explanation of the practice, which they said is recorded in “hundreds” of entries on the FDA website “clinicaltrials.gov.”

In the letter, Rep. John Moolenaar (R-MI) and Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) questioned “the ethics of conducting these trials in Xinjiang,” where they said Chinese officials “force ethnic minorities … to participate in gruesome medical procedures, which likely overlap with FDA-approved research.”

Given that China does not allow independent evaluators to examine facilities in Xinjiang for rights violations, there was reason to query if Uyghurs were being forced to undergo medical testing. The involvement of China’s People’s Liberation Army, they added, also raised “serious concerns” that the intellectual property of U.S.-based companies had been compromised and “co-opted” by Chinese firms.

Even precious metals have not been untouched, with a report last year accusing US brands of links to gold being mined through slavery.

In 2021, the US government declared that a genocide was taking place against the mostly Muslim Uyghur minority in China, after years of mounting evidence about mass internment camps, torture, forced labor and forced sterilization taking place in Xinjiang.

Sources:

American drug firms accused of clinical trials in Uyghur region — Radio Free Asia (rfa.org)

Home | ClinicalTrials.gov

https://www.glanlaw.org/copy-of-uyghur-forced-labour

INTERVIEW: ‘There’s exposure across Wall Street’

Report: US brands linked to Uyghur-mined gold

US imported cars tied to Uyghur slave labor, Senate report says

Vladimir Putin Humiliated as Hackers Take Over Russian State TV

Getty/X

Hackers from Ukraine’s military intelligence agency (HUR) broke into servers of several Russian television channels and broadcasted “objective videos about the war in Ukraine.” HUR‘s footage was displayed three times on prime-time TV channels: Pervouralsk TV, Eurasia 360, Eurasia Pervyi Kanal, and others.

The targeted channels further reportedly included Lugansk 24, Pervyi Respublikanskyi, SpB, Oplot, TV-3, and Pervyi Rosiyskyi. Some of the channels belong to Russian oligarch Andrey Komarov. The nine channels had to suspend their broadcasting as a result of the hack.

The TV company Pervouralsk issued an apology on the VKontakte social network, saying that unspecified “attackers gained access to the live broadcast and launched unauthorized video materials that contradict the TV channel’s policy.”

This comes on the heels of Ukraine’s successful offensive into Russia and the largest drone attack against Moscow to date.

Source:

Ukrainian hackers show war footage on Russian TV, source says (kyivindependent.com)

Haiti: Suspect in Killings of US Missionary Couple and Nonprofit Director Arrested

A funeral procession for mission director Judes Montis, killed by gangs alongside two of his US missionary members, makes its way to the cemetery in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, 28 May 2024. (Imagery: Odelyn Joseph / AP)

Police in Haiti have arrested a suspect in the fatal shooting of a US missionary couple and a Haitian man who headed a nonprofit organization in May. The 23 May murders of missionaries Davy Lloyd and his wife, Natalie Lloyd, and Jude Montis, the country’s director for Missions in Haiti Inc., was blamed on gangs rampaging across Haiti’s capital and beyond.

A video posted on social media late Wednesday by Haiti’s National Police shows a 52-year-old man in handcuffs, accused of being involved in the killings of the Lloyds and Montis. Police allege the suspect’s phone was used to make calls after the killings, but the man rejected that accusation.

The young couple — Davy was 23 and Natalie just 21 — were supposed to celebrate their two-year wedding anniversary in June.

From January to May, more than 3,200 killings were reported across Haiti, with gang violence leaving more than half a million people homeless. In February, gangs launched coordinated attacks on key government infrastructure, raided police stations and opened fire at the main international airport, forcing it to shut down for nearly three months. Gunmen also stormed into Haiti’s two biggest prisons, freeing thousands of inmates.

A U.N.-backed police force from Kenya arrived in June to lead a multinational mission, nearly two years after Haiti’s government requested urgent deployment of a foreign force.

Source:

Suspect in killings of U.S. missionary couple and nonprofit chief arrested in Haiti – CBS News

Deadly Floods Leave Millions Stranded in Bangladesh

The Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre (FFWC) reports with the rains continuing, water levels could rise further, raising concerns about additional flooding and displacement. [Munir Uz Zaman/AFP]

At least 13 people have been killed and 4.5 million affected by floods triggered by heavy rains in eastern Bangladesh. Water-borne diseases such as diarrhea, dysentery, fever, skin infections, and other waterborne diseases are increasing amongst the displaced. An estimated 100,000 Bangladeshis already suffer from cholera which will no doubt increase with these floods.

Floods triggered by torrential rains have swamped swaths of low-lying Bangladesh and rescuers are scrambling to evacuate flooded communities. Nearly 190,000 people were taken to emergency relief shelters and 11 of the country’s 64 districts were affected by the flooding.

The South Asian nation of 170 million people, crisscrossed by hundreds of rivers, has seen frequent floods in recent decades and is among the countries most vulnerable to disasters and climate change.

Sources:

https://www.aljazeera.com/gallery/2024/8/23/deadly-floods-leave-millions-stranded-in-bangladesh

https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/health-concerns-emerge-bangladesh-flood-waters-recede-2022-06-23/

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-023-33576-3

Coriolanus

Informed analysis on global affairs and intelligence matters

Author: Coriolanus

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