Lebanese soldiers gather outside a damaged mobile shop in Sidon after what is believed to be the result of a walkie-talkie exploding inside it (18 Sep 2024).

At least 20 people were killed and 450 were injured Wednesday in a new round of explosions in Lebanon, with the latest blasts from remotely detonated walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah militants.

One of the blasts occurred near one of the funerals organized by Iran-backed Hezbollah for three Hezbollah members and a child, who were among the 12 killed on Tuesday when thousands of pagers used by the group exploded across the country, wounding nearly 3,000 people.

Iran’s ambassador to Lebanon, Mojtaba Amani, was among those wounded by an exploding pager, reportedly losing an eye.

Iran’s envoy to the UN said in a letter that Tehran is considering its options.

Iran “reserves its rights under international law to take required measures deemed necessary to respond,” the letter said.

Dr. Tania Baban, a physician in Lebanon working for the US-based medical charity MedGlobal, said her group performed more than 460 surgeries related to the pager blasts on Tuesday, including finger and hand amputations. She said people carrying the pagers heard them beep, supposedly with messages from Hezbollah leaders, and were reading the messages when the devices exploded. Because they held them close to their faces to read, they sustained hand, eye, neck and facial injuries, while others suffered abdominal and other injuries if they still had the pagers attached to their waistlines.

Relatives mourn Fatima Abdallah, a 10-year-old girl killed after hundreds of paging devices exploded in a deadly wave across Lebanon, during her funeral in the village of Saraain in the Bekaa valley on 18 Sep 2024.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell called the situation “extremely worrying,” and said he discussed it in a call with Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib.

“Even if the attacks seem to have been targeted, they had heavy, indiscriminate collateral damages among civilians, including children among the victims,” Borrell said.

A man holds a walkie-talkie device after he removed the battery, in Beirut’s southern suburbs on 18 Sep 2024.

People react around a car after a reported explosion occurred during the funeral of those killed when hundreds of paging devices exploded across Lebanon the previous day, in Beirut’s southern suburbs, 18 Sep 2024.

This massive pre-emptive sabotage will degrade Hezbollah’s ability to counterattack when the IDF invades or strikes Lebanon again. But these two waves of terrorism indiscriminately maimed, wounded, and killed innocent Lebanese civilians, as well as suspected Hezbollah members. These attacks also taxed Lebanon’s already debilitated economy and health care system.

In a recent editorial, the Canadian newspaper The Hill Times called PM Benjamin Netanyahu “the curse of Israel.” Netanyahu was already indicted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Hague for war crimes against the Palestinian people and the UN General Assembly recently called for Israel to withdraw from occupied Palestinian territory (see article below).

The “Crime Minister,” as his critics call him, is doing everything possible to provoke Iran and Lebanese Hezbollah into a wider conflict. That would again postpone Netanyahu’s nettlesome on-going bribery and corruption trial in Jerusalem. In the meantime, the Biden Administration is doing everything possible to reach an agreement to free the remaining 100 or so Israeli and American hostages during this presidential election year. But the Likud regime seems to be at cross-purposes with the Biden Administration which is simultaneously supporting Ukraine against the other indicted international war criminal, Vladimir Putin.  

Sources:

20 killed, 450 injured in Lebanon walkie-talkie explosions targeting Hezbollah (voanews.com)

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

| International Criminal Court (icc-cpi.int)

Netanyahu is Israel’s curse – The Hill Times

UN General Assembly Demands Israel End ‘Unlawful Presence’ in Occupied Palestinian Territory

Result of the 18 Sep UNGA vote on a draft resolution on the ICJ advisory opinion on the legal consequences arising from Israel’s policies and practices in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. The US voted against. Among the abstentions were Canada, Australia, Italy, Germany, the UK, and Ukraine. UN Photo/Evan Schneider

The United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday voted overwhelmingly to adopt a resolution that demands that Israel “brings to an end without delay its unlawful presence” in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

With a recorded vote of 124 nations in favor, 14 against, and 43 abstentions, the resolution calls for Israel to comply with international law and withdraw its military forces, immediately cease all new settlement activity, evacuate all settlers from occupied land, and dismantle parts of the separation wall it constructed inside the occupied West Bank.

The General Assembly further demanded that Israel return land and other “immovable property”, as well as all assets seized since the occupation began in 1967, and all cultural property and assets taken from Palestinians and Palestinian institutions.

The resolution also demands Israel allow all Palestinians displaced during the occupation to return to their place of origin and make reparation for the damage caused by its occupation.

The resolution stems from the advisory opinion issued by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in July, in which the Court declared that Israel’s continued presence in the Territory “is unlawful”, and that “all States are under an obligation not to recognize” the decades-long occupation.

Sources:

UN General Assembly demands Israel end ‘unlawful presence’ in Occupied Palestinian Territory | UN Newsn2426648.pdf (un.org)

Justice Department Disrupts Worldwide Botnet Used by Chinese State-Sponsored Hackers

The Justice Department disrupted a botnet consisting of more than 200,000 consumer devices in the US and worldwide. The botnet devices were infected by People’s Republic of China (PRC) state-sponsored hackers working for Integrity Technology Group, a company based in Beijing, and known to the private sector as “Flax Typhoon.”

The FBI investigation revealed that a publicly-traded, China-based company is openly selling its customers the ability to hack into and control thousands of consumer devices worldwide.

The botnet malware infected numerous types of consumer devices, including small-office/home-office (SOHO) routers, internet protocol (IP) cameras, digital video recorders (DVRs), and network-attached storage (NAS) devices. The malware connected these thousands of infected devices into a botnet, controlled by Integrity Technology Group, which was used to conduct malicious cyber activity disguised as routine internet traffic from the infected consumer devices. The court-authorized operation took control of the hackers’ computer infrastructure and, among other steps, sent disabling commands through that infrastructure to the malware on the infected devices

An attempt to interfere with the FBI’s remediation efforts through a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack was ultimately unsuccessful in preventing the FBI’s disruption of the botnet.

The FBI continues to investigate Integrity Technology Group’s and Flax Typhoon’s computer intrusion activities. These efforts would not have been successful without the collaboration of partners, including French authorities, and Lumen Technologies’ threat intelligence group, Black Lotus Labs, which first identified and described this botnet, which it named Raptor Train, in July 2023.

If you believe you have a compromised computer or device, please visit the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) or report online to CISA. You may also contact your local FBI field office directly.

Sources:

redacted_24-mj-1484_signed_search_and_seizure_warrant_for_disclosure.pdf (justice.gov)

Office of Public Affairs | Court-Authorized Operation Disrupts Worldwide Botnet Used by People’s Republic of China State-Sponsored Hackers | United States Department of Justice

‘Everything Is Fine and There Are 92 Days Left’: Twin Russian Conscripts Killed Near Belgoro

Twenty-year-old Konstantin (R) and Dmitry Reshka (L) were conscripted in Nov 2023, but the twin brothers had no intention of serving for longer than the required year.

In August, Russian conscripts Konstantin and Dmitry Reshka — 20-year-old twin brothers — died on the border with Ukraine near Belgorod. In their native village of Karpovka in the Siberian Omsk region, friends and family are raising money for their funeral.

Their relatives still do not know the exact date of their death and have not been allowed to identify them. They were informed about the brothers’ deaths in early September, before the plane with their bodies arrived at the military unit in the Omsk region.

The unit commander, who had previously promised to take them “to a safe place,” has stopped responding to the twins’ mother’s messages.

In the Siberian village of 1,000 residents, Kostya and Dima Reshek were known in every yard. Their older sister, Yulia, recalls that they managed to make friends in a matter of minutes wherever they went. Neighbors confirm her words.

“Always respectful, greeted others when they met, and whoever asked, they helped everyone. No one in the whole village will say a bad word about them,” neighbor Mikhail Shananin said. “From an early age, they learned the harsh village life. From an early age, they became independent and earned money.”

“The guys were very calm by nature. And friendly, always together. Very hard-working, reliable. They helped everyone who asked them for help. Very responsible. Hobbies, like all young people — music, phones. They worked at the grapeseed plant and were going to return there after the army,” Olga Khristich said.

The Reshka brothers’ platoon (undated photo)

See article below on Vladimir Putin’s attempts at eliminating draft dodging while he sends more Russian youths into a meat-grinder.  

Source:

‘Everything Is Fine And There Are 92 Days Left’: Twin Russian Conscripts Killed Near Belgorod (rferl.org)

Los Angeles County Investigating Dengue Fever Cases

Photo courtesy of the CDC

Los Angeles County health officials are investigating a cluster of locally acquired dengue fever cases in the city of Baldwin Park. They urge all residents to use EPA-registered insect repellent, eliminate standing water around homes and ensure window and door screens are in good condition.

Dengue is a virus that is spread to people via misquotes and is common in tropical and subtropical parts of the world. According to health officials, it can cause flu-like symptoms with severe cases potentially causing shock, severe bleeding and severe organ impairment requiring immediate medical attention.

Federal health officials with the US Center for Disease Control and Prevent issued a health advisory in late June notifying healthcare providers and public health authorities of an increased risk of dengue virus this year. Global incidence of the disease is soaring. There have been higher-than-normal case numbers reported this year worldwide, while countries in the Americas reported a record-breaking number of dengue cases during the first half of the year at 9.3 million cases, more than double the number throughout all of 2023.

According to the CDC, there have been 3,277 locally acquired dengue cases this year in the US, but the vast majority were detected in Puerto Rico, where public health authorities declared an outbreak in March. Aside from California, only Florida has detected cases on the mainland. The CDC said the Sunshine State had 27 dengue patients this year.

There were 1,462 locally acquired cases for all of last year: two in California, one in Texas, 189 in Florida and the majority in Puerto Rico.

Sources:

Public Health Investigating Unprecedented Cluster of Locally Acquired Dengue Cases (govdelivery.com)

Los Angeles County investigating new locally acquired dengue fever cases – UPI.com

Russia Test-Launches Military Summons Website

A man outside military enlistment office in Moscow. Photo: Alexander Avilov / Moskva News Agency

Russia has begun testing a website for its new digital military draft system, which could prevent men from leaving the country ahead of a planned call-up later this fall.

Last year, President Vladimir Putin signed a law prohibiting draftees from leaving the country once they receive electronic call-up papers. Under the new system, a draft notice is considered received as soon as it appears on the website, and individuals are responsible for checking their own names on the dedicated online portal.

The introduction of the new system was widely seen as an attempt to crack down on draft dodging, as previous call-up papers had to be delivered in person and were therefore easily ignored. The new website was initially scheduled for launch in three regions on Sunday, but the rollout was delayed without explanation.

The independent broadcaster TV Rain reported that the website was now live. According to information provided on the website, the system is currently being tested in the Ryazan and Sakhalin regions, as well as the republic of Mari El.

The website also notes that “citizens subject to military service are prohibited from leaving Russia from the date on which the summons is placed in the registry.”

Additionally, men of military age who fail to report for service within 20 days after receiving a summons online will face restrictions, including bans on driving, applying for loans, and registering a business.

The military draft website is scheduled for a nationwide launch on 1 Nov, according to a decree issued by the Russian government earlier this year. Putin ordered the creation of a unified military draft database in 2022 following the “partial” mobilization of some 300,000 reservists that exposed inefficiencies in military recruitment and led to a large-scale exodus of Russians.

The Kremlin maintains it does not plan another mobilization drive. However, amid a manpower shortage in Ukraine, Putin expanded the age range for compulsory military service to 18-30 starting this year.

Source:

Russia Test-Launches Military Summons Website – The Moscow Times

American Warzone: Three Family Members Found Shot to Death in Vermont Home

A man, his wife and her 13-year-old son were found shot to death at their Vermont home. Authorities are looking for a suspect.

Officers responded to a report of a “suspicious person.” The investigation led them to a home in the town of Pawlet, where they found the three victims dead.

State police identified the victims as Brian Crossman Sr., (46), who was a Pawlet government official; his wife, Erica Crossman (41); and her son Colin Taft (13).Brian Crossman was shot in the head and torso, Erica Crossman was shot in the head, and her son had multiple gunshot wounds.

No one is in custody in connection with the homicides. Pawlet, a town of about 1,400 people, is located in western Vermont on the New York state line.

In an average year, 78 people die by guns in Vermont. In 2021, Vermont recorded 9,451 firearms licenses and an estimated 50.5% of Vermont adults have guns in their homes.

In the US, 44,341 people die by guns in an average year, a rate of 13.3 deaths per 100,000 people.

Sources:

Family members found shot to death at their Vermont home in triple homicide: Police – ABC News (go.com)

EveryStat – EveryStat.org

48. Vermont – Gun map: Ownership by state – statistics and rates (cbsnews.com)

Canada To Further Cut International Student, Foreign Worker Permits

Canada announced it was slashing international student permits next year, and tightening foreign worker rules to further bring down the number of temporary residents in the country.

The move comes after several recent rounds of restrictions aimed at taming record immigration levels that pushed Canada’s population past 41 million earlier this year.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government has pointed to the high immigration as straining the country’s housing sector, jobs market, and social services.

“It is a privilege to come to Canada. It is not a right,” Immigration Minister Marc Miller told a news conference.

In 2025, Ottawa plans to issue 437,000 study permits to international students, down from 485,000 this year and more than 500,000 in 2023.

It is also putting new limits on work permits for spouses of some international students and foreign workers. And it will be stepping up checks before issuing travel visas to stem a spike in fraudulent or rejected asylum claims. Ottawa has already said it would reduce the number of temporary residents to five percent of the population, down from 6.8 percent in April.

Demographically, Canada will need young people in the future as it faces an aging issue. Increasing life expectancy coupled with slower population growth means seniors will comprise a greater share of Canada’s population. The share of the population over 65 is projected to grow from about 18 per cent to nearly 26 per cent over the next five decades or so. The proportion of working age Canadians will also decline as the boomers retire. As reported in a previous post, Canadians are also emigrating to the US in larger numbers.

Canada will likely experience a declining labor force participation rate in the coming decades. Combined with slower growth of the working-age population, this means a slower growing labor force, hurting economic growth.

This move may be a short-term solution with federal elections scheduled for October 2025 and the potential that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau may face a no-confidence vote in Parliament.

Sources:

Canada To Further Cut International Student, Foreign Worker Permits | IBTimes

Our aging population—a serious problem for Canada | Fraser Institute

Rare Canada Lynx Captured on Video in Vermont

A Canada lynx was spotted in Vermont for the first time since 2018 in a video recorded on 17 Aug in Rutland County.

“Canada lynx are endangered in Vermont and threatened nationally,” Brehan Furfey, wildlife biologist and furbearer project leader with Vermont Fish and Wildlife, said in a statement. “That makes any verifiable lynx sighting in our state important. This newest sighting is especially exciting because the cat was spotted in Rutland County, far south of most confirmed lynx reports in Vermont.”

Rutland County, where the lynx was captured on video, is not a suitable habitat for large snowshoe hare, or by extension, lynx. Rutland County does have, however, plenty of well-connected wild landscapes that allow wildlife to move between different habitats.

Furfey suspects the lynx was a male moving through the region looking to establish its own territory, a behavior called “dispersing.” Dispersing lynx can cover a lot of ground quickly and it’s possible the lynx is no longer in Vermont, according to Vermont Fish and Wildlife.

Source:

https://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/story/news/2024/08/23/canada-lynx-seen-rutland-county-vermont-endangered-large-cat/74903474007/