gaza

Tulsi Gabbard’s Nomination as ODNI National Security Risk

(Photo: Anna Moneymaker / Getty Images)

Tom Nichols at The Atlantic writes that Tulsi Gabbard is stunningly unqualified for almost any Cabinet post, especially for ODNI. She has no qualifications as an intelligence professional—literally none. (She is a reserve lieutenant colonel who previously served in the Hawaii Army National Guard, with assignments in medical, police, and civil-affairs-support positions. She has won some local elections and also represented Hawaii in Congress.) Gabbard has no significant experience directing or managing much of anything.

To make Tulsi Gabbard the DNI, however, is not merely handing a bouquet to a political gadfly. Her appointment would be a grave threat to US national security.

Gabbard ran for president as a Democrat in 2020, attempting to position herself as something like a peace candidate. But she’s no peacemaker: She’s been an apologist for both the Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad and Russia’s Vladimir Putin.

In 2017 Tulsi Gabbard, the first Hindu lawmaker in the US Congress, said she was unsure whether Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was a war criminal.

In early 2017, while still a member of Congress, Gabbard met with Assad, saying that peace in Syria was only possible if the international community would have a conversation with him. “Let the Syrian people themselves determine their future, not the United States, not some foreign country,” Gabbard said, after chatting with a man who had stopped the Syrian people from determining their own future by reportedly using chemical weapons on them. Two years later, she added that Assad was “not the enemy of the US, because Syria does not pose a direct threat to the US,” and that her critics were merely “warmongers.”

Gabbard’s shilling for Assad is a mystery, but she’s even more dedicated to carrying Putin’s water. Tom Rogan, a conservative writer and hardly a liberal handwringer, summed up her record succinctly in the Washington Examiner:

Gabbard has blamed NATO and the US for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, has repeated Russian propaganda claims that the US has set up secret bioweapons labs in that country, and has argued that the US not Russia is wholly responsible for Putin’s nuclear brinkmanship.

When she appeared on Sean Hannity’s show in 2022, even Hannity blanched at Gabbard floating off in a haze of Kremlin talking points and cheerleading for Russia.

A person with Gabbard’s views should not be allowed anywhere near the crown jewels of American intelligence. Gabbard hasn’t been central to Trump’s campaign and he owes her very little. For someone as grubbily transactional as Trump, it’s not an appointment that makes much sense. Perhaps Trump just likes the way she handles herself on television.

But Trump could also be engaging in a ploy to bring in someone else. He may suspect that Gabbard is unconfirmable by the US Senate. Once she’s turfed, he could then slide in an even more appalling nominee and claim that he has no choice but to use a recess appointment as a backstop. (Hard to imagine who might be worse as DNI than Gabbard, but remember that Trump has promised at various times to bring retired General Mike Flynn back into government. Flynn is a decorated veteran who was fired from Trump’s White House in a scandal about lying to the FBI; he is now a conspiracist who is fully on board with Trump’s desire for revenge on his enemies.

US-government employees with clearances are trained every year to spot “insider threats,” people who might for various reasons compromise classified information. Trump’s open and continuing affection for Putin and other dictators would be a matter of concern for any security organization. Gabbard’s behavior and her admiration for dictators are no less causes for worry—especially because she would be at the apex of the entire USIC.

This nomination should be one of the handful of Trump appointments where soon-to-be Majority Leader John Thune and his Republican colleagues draw a hard line and say no—at least if they still care at all about exercising the Senate’s constitutional duty of advice and consent.

Tulsi Gabbard (L), Cult leader Chris Butler (R)

Tulsi Gabbard’s erratic views may be the result of her membership in the Hawaii-based Science of Identity Foundation, founded by Chris Butler in the 1970s. Followers must practice vegetarianism and are not allowed to gamble, engage in any sexual contact outside marriage, or consume caffeine or intoxicants. Butler’s teachings included condemnation of homosexuality, hostility towards Islam, and skepticism of science. Both Tulsi Gabbard’s parents were associated with the Science of Identity Foundation which has been described as a “secretive Hindu cult.” Placing a cult member and Putin apologist to the acme of the USIC is tantamount to self-inflicted national sabotage of epic proportion.

Our gratitude to Tom Nichols at The Atlantic.

Sources:

Tulsi Gabbard’s Nomination Is a National-Security Risk – The Atlantic

Cult Education Institute :: Group Information Archives

Science of Identity Foundation – Wikipedia

Tulsi Gabbard’s ties to secretive cult may explain her perplexing political journey | The Independent

The FBI Needs Our Help Investigating Child Sex Exploitation Case

The FBI is searching for a white male known only as John Doe 49 for “critical information” in a child sexual exploitation investigation. The individual is described as 45 and 65 years old, bald, with a dark goatee.

John Doe 49 has at least at least five visual tattoos: the word “Dabby” on the right side of his chest, the numeral “197” followed by possible additional unknown text on his left bicep, and additional tattoos on his left and right forearms and right bicep.

Somebody, somewhere CONUS (or OCONUS) has seen John Doe 49 or his tattoos at work, in a supermarket, poolside, tattoo parlor, medical office, saloon, restaurant, park, train/subway, at the beach, massage parlor, or shopping mall.

Anyone with information about the man is urged to call the FBI’s toll-free tip line at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324), or to contact a Crimes Against Children Investigator at their local FBI office, or the nearest American Embassy or Consulate.

Members of the public can also submit anonymous tips about John Doe 49 online here.

John Doe 49

Canada Leads Large NATO Exercise Near Russia’s Border as NATO Prepares for Donald J. Trump

Cpl. Guillaume Lavoie and Cpl. Matthew Bowler from Quebec in a defensive trench position. Canadian and NATO soldiers train re-taking territory from enemy forces in the Resolute Warrior military exercise near Riga, Latvia. The Canadian-led exercise involved 13 NATO countries and over 3,500 soldiers, of which 2,200 were Canadian. (Photo: Corrinne Seminoff/CBC)

At the sprawling forested Ādaži military base, north east of Riga, Latvia, Capt. Harrison Burrows is one of more than 3,000 troops who has spent the past two weeks participating in a Canadian-led NATO military exercise designed to simulate an attack on the Baltic nation coming from beyond its nearly 300 km-long border with Russia. 

This is the first exercise held in Latvia since the military forces in the country were scaled up to a multinational brigade, also led by Canada, that is made up of soldiers and equipment from more than 13 nations. 

The 5 Nov election of Donald Trump could potentially create friction in the 32 member alliance, given his past warnings that the US will leave NATO nations to their own defences if they don’t spend more on defence.

In Feb 2024 on the campaign trail Trump even said he would encourage Russia to do “whatever” it wants to allies that don’t pay up. 

While at the time the White House called those comments “appalling and unhinged,” NATO’s Secretary General Mark Rutte, who previously served as the prime minister of the Netherlands and frequently met with Trump during his first term as president, describes Trump as someone who tries to invigorate the debate about defence spending. 

In 2023, the US spent more than $900 billion US on defense, which accounts for more than 65 per cent of NATO’s overall military spending. 

While NATO allies are expected to spend two per cent of their gross domestic product [GDP] on defence, a quarter of members don’t, including Canada, which is expected to spend under 1.4 per cent this year. 

While Rutte says all NATO members need to spend “considerably more” than two per cent on defence, he pointed to Canada’s leadership of the multinational brigade as evidence of its commitment to supporting the security priorities of the alliance. 

Most of the Canadian soldiers deployed to Latvia are on six-month rotations, and in January, for the first time, Sweden will be sending 600 troops as part of its first deployment as a new NATO member, having joined the alliance in March 2024. 

NATO and the EU have been preparing for the possibility of a Trump presidency and this military exercise is one of the publicly seen results. The intelligence apparatus of NATO countries is also ready for the Trump presidency and will carefully screen information they provide to the USIC.

Sources:

As Canada leads a beefed-up NATO force near Russia’s border, the alliance prepares for Trump | CBC News

Analysis

NATO’s two per cent spending target — where it came from, what it means

NATO at 75: Is Canada losing its grip on the world’s greatest military alliance? | CBC News

Israel Continues Murdering Lebanese Medical Personnel (AKZ-L)

Lebanese first responder Hussein Fakih, who heads the Lebanese Civil Defense rescue team in the southern town of Nabatiyeh, is seen recovering from injuries sustained in an Israeli airstrike. The IDF murdered eight members of his team in just one month. (Photo: 22 Oct 2024; CBS News/Agnes Reausays)

The UN’s World Health Organization (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has deplored the Israeli strike on a Lebanese civil defense center where “at least 12 paramedics were killed”, saying such attacks “are becoming the new normal”. Attacking medical personnel or infrastructure is a war crime according to the Geneva Convention.

Lebanon’s Ministry of Health said that IDF attacks killed 59 people and wounded another 182 across the country over the previous 24-hour reporting period.

The UN reports:

At least 100,000 people have been forced to leave northern Gaza, with UN colleagues on the ground reporting worsening conditions and Israel’s continuous denial of aid delivery requests as displacement and the death toll rises there and in Lebanon amid constant airstrikes.

Al-Jazeera correspondents in the Gaza Strip (AKZ-G) provided the following update:

-Israeli forces are demolishing residential neighborhoods in southern Gaza’s Rafah city adjacent to the Philadelphi Corridor, an area bordering Egypt.

-Israeli ground forces have demolished many residential buildings in northern Gaza’s Jabalia refugee camp.

-The air force has attacked a group of Palestinians in northern Gaza’s Beit Lahiya town, killing three civilians.

-Israeli artillery has bombed the as-Saftawi neighborhood in northern Gaza, causing significant damage to civil infrastructure.

-Many Palestinians are injured following a strike on a residential building in Gaza City’s Shujayea neighborhood.

-Naval warships have opened fire at the coast of central Gaza’s Nuseirat refugee camp.-

Displaced Palestinian children drawing artwork on their tents in Gaza. (Photo: Dawoud Abo Alkas/Anadolu)

The Immortal Bard would say to the craven PIFWC (Person Indicted for War Crimes) PM Benjamin Netanyahu, AKA the “curse of Israel”:

“Begone, thou wayward crook-pated horn-beast!”

Sources:

LIVE: WHO chief slams Israel’s killing of 12 paramedics in Lebanon strike | Israel attacks Lebanon News | Al Jazeera

Middle East crisis: Live updates for 15 November | UN News

American Warzone: Gunfire Strikes Southwest Plane on Tarmac of Dallas Airport

There were no injuries after a Southwest flight carrying passengers was struck by gunfire on the tarmac of Dallas Love Field Friday night.

Southwest Airlines Flight 2494 was preparing for departure to Indianapolis when “a bullet apparently struck the right side of the aircraft under the flight deck,” a Southwest spokesperson told CBS News in a statement.

The airline said no one was hurt. The aircraft returned to its gate after sustaining damage from a “security incident” and the passengers deplaned. The runway was also temporarily closed, but has since reopened.  

Dallas police confirmed the incident, saying that officers responded to reports of gunfire at 9:48 PM local time, arriving to find that the aircraft had been struck.  

No further details were provided on the circumstances of the incident or what was the potential source of the gunfire. It’s unclear how many people were aboard the jet at the time, or how much damage the aircraft sustained.

The Federal Aviation Administration said that the Boeing 737-800 “was reportedly struck by gunfire near the cockpit.”

Dallas police are leading the investigation. Luckily, no one was killed or wounded in this idiotic incident.

Earlier this week, gunfire amid ongoing gang violence struck three planes that were either landing or departing Haiti’s capital of Port-au-Prince. The shootings prompted the FAA to issue a 30-day ban on US airlines flying to Haiti. 

In 2021, Texas reported 1,006,555 firearms licenses and 45.7% of adults say they live in homes with guns.

In an average year, 4,122 people die and 7,726 are wounded by guns in Texas.

This equates to 11 people killed and 21 wounded every day in the Lone Star State.

Source:

Gunfire strikes Southwest plane on tarmac of Dallas airport, officials say – CBS News

1. Texas – Gun map: Ownership by state – statistics and rates

Gun-Violence-in-Texas-2024-05.pdf

Chemist Identifies Mystery ‘Blobs’ Washing Up in Newfoundland

The blobs were photographed on the southern shores of Newfoundland in Sept 2024 by a local resident. (Photo: David McGrath)

A chemist in Canada has identified “with a high degree of confidence” the strange blobs that started washing up on Newfoundland’s shores months ago. Globs of the white sticky substance, which have a spongy interior and range in size from a coin to a dinner plate, have been found for miles along Placentia Bay since at least September. Canada’s environmental agency began an investigation, but it has not released any conclusions.

Dr. Chris Kozak informs:

“I’m quite confident that the sample that I handled was PVA butylene rubber,” describing a mix of synthetic rubber and polyvinyl acetate, known as PVA. That polymer is the active ingredient in white glue — the kind of white glue you have at home is a very dilute, kid-friendly version of this stuff.”

A synthetic rubber and PVA mixture would in theory be safe to handle, but as plastic pollution it should be cleaned up. If the material has been tainted by a toxic pollutant like crude oil, however, it should be handled with caution.

The greater threat may be toward marine life, especially if more of the material sank to the ocean floor as they could be perceived by marine life as food, looking like squid, octopus, or jellyfish.

The origin of the substance, and how it wound up in the ocean, remains a mystery. The bay has a long history as a center for both fishing and industry, and is home to a shipyard and oil facilities. But the substance may also have crossed vast distances before washing ashore.

Oceanography, shipping and industrial data, weather events, satellite images, and research on synthetic rubber and the environment could all help determine the origin.

Source:

Chemist Identifies Mystery ‘Blobs’ Washing Up in Newfoundland – The New York Times

Pentagon Reports Over 20 Unexplained UFO Sightings in One Year

The Pentagon’s department tasked with investigating unidentified flying objects, officially referred to as unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP), revealed that over 20 reported sightings in the past year remain unexplained. According to the annual report from the Defense Department’s All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), these incidents warrant further investigation due to their unusual characteristics. See link below for official report.

Between 1 May 2023 and 1 Jun 2023, AARO received 757 reports of UAP sightings, 485 of which were newly reported during this period, with the remainder stemming from 2021 and 2022. Most sightings occurred in the skies, although 49 were observed in space. AARO director Jon Kosloski noted that 21 cases remain unresolved and have been identified as “true anomalies,” requiring additional analysis.

The report emphasized AARO’s collaboration with the intelligence community and scientific partners to better understand and assess these cases, particularly those exhibiting anomalous behaviors or characteristics. AARO also pledged to promptly inform Congress if any evidence of advanced foreign aerospace technologies emerges.

Despite the unusual nature of some sightings, Kosloski confirmed that AARO has not uncovered any verifiable evidence of extraterrestrial life, activities, or technology. The cases reviewed so far show no signs of breakthrough aerospace technologies, and the office resolved 118 sightings, attributing them to causes such as balloons, birds, and drones.

The report also highlighted challenges that have hindered AARO’s ability to resolve more cases, citing the lack of timely and actionable sensor data as a significant constraint. To address this, the office is working with military and technical partners to improve sensor capabilities, streamline information-sharing processes, and enhance UAP reporting systems.

The governments of Russia and China are much more opaque in disclosing unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP), although sightings occasionally appear on social media.

The undated photo below was taken over Buryatia, Russia.

Sources:

Massive UFO found above Buryatia, Russia, in latest sighting | Daily Star

www.dailystar.co.uk

AARO Home

Pentagon Reports Over 20 Unexplained UFO Sightings in a Year

Sweet-Toothed Bear Wanders into Tennessee Candy Store

Employees said the bear seemed to show a preference for Charleston Chews and Hershey’s Kisses.

Map courtesy of jeffbales.com

The Gatlinburg Police Department was summoned to the scene to help get the bruin out of the store.

No injuries to the poor bear or civilians were reported.

Former UK Labor Leader Jeremy Corbyn: Britain Complicit in Gaza Genocide

https://twitter.com/jeremycorbyn/status/1857043436467016092

“There is a very simple reason why the UK government refuses to acknowledge the genocide in Gaza. If they did, they would be admitting their own complicity in one of the greatest crimes of our time. End all arms sales to Israel, now.”

Truth be told, Coriolanus and media outlets are facing difficulties keeping up with the IDF and Likud atrocities in the Middle East.

The Israeli Death Forces (IDF) continue their horrific Nakba, amassing casualties in the three Arab Killing Zones (AKZ): Gaza, the West Bank, and Lebanon.

A wounded Palestinian boy is brought to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir el-Balah in central Gaza after an IDF attack on Thursday [Photo: Ashraf Amra / Anadolu]

In AKZ-L, five Lebanese paramedics were among six people murdered in an IDF strike on a civil defence center in the country’s southern Nabatieh area, while 12 rescue workers were reported killed in a second attack on a civil defence center near Baalbek city. At least 3,386 Lebanese people have been killed and 14,417 wounded in IDF attacks since Oct 2023.

In AKL-G, at least 24 Palestinians have been murdered and 112 maimed in the latest 24-hour reporting period. The UN reported that Israel is using starvation as a weapon again Palestinians in Gaza that is “consistent with genocide.”

Palestinian-American Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib has called on USSECSTATE Antony Blinken to resign after the US deadline for Israeli authorities to increase humanitarian aid to Gaza passed unfulfilled and without any consequences for Israel.

Since 7 Oct 2023, the IDF has killed at least 43,736 Palestinians and wounded 103,370.

Palestinian Nafin Abu Al-Jidyan informs the UN in Gaza that her son was stricken with polio. (Photo: UN News/Ziad Taleb)

In AKZ-W, the IDF stormed a family home in the occupied West Bank city of Qalqilya and assaulted one of its inhabitants. During the raid, Israeli troops smashed the family’s furniture while stealing gold jewelry. In Qalqilya’s Jaidi neighborhood, Israeli forces stormed a home and arrested a young man. The charges against him, other then being Palestinian, were not disclosed.

Allowing people to die by starvation, disease, or wounds, without proactively killing them, is called “NHI” (“No Humans Involved.”) Above, emaciated prisoners stand around in a Nazi Concentration camp at Evensee Austria in the Alps (7 May 1945, AP Photo, File)

Coriolanus estimates that by year’s end, the Likud IDF Nakba will have murdered approximately 50,000 Palestinians while maiming close to 150,000. At this rate the Israeli Death Forces would have crippled the health infrastructure of Lebanon. President-Elect Donald Trump’s pick to be ambassador to Israel, evangelical Mike Huckabee, calls the occupied West Bank territory “Judea and Samaria.” Expect more Palestinian murders and expulsions and the removal of fanatical settlers from US sanctions. Only a few were placed on the list as a token gesture by the Biden Administration.  

The Arab Holocaust will continue, regardless of which presidential administration occupies the White House. The only difference is that the Democratic Party paid lip-service to the world during the incessant IDF massacres. The earnest and hard-working SECSTATE and D/CIA failed to reach a ceasefire or release any of the hostages, thanks to Likudnik war-criminal Benjamin Netanyahu who welcomes the new Trump Administration that his Nakba helped to usher in.

Sources:

LIVE: Israel kills paramedics, rescuers in Lebanon; dozens die in Gaza | Israel attacks Lebanon News | Al Jazeera

Gaza: Israeli war tactics condemned as aid still blocked from reaching north | UN News

How Israel is using starvation as a weapon of war | TV Shows | Al Jazeera

Russia-Ukraine Update

On the offensive since at least midsummer, Russian forces have been grinding down Ukrainian troops across the 1,100-km front line: in the south near Vuhledar and Pokrovsk;  in the north near Chasiv Yar and Kupyansk; and in Kursk, the Russian region where Ukraine staged a surprise invasion in August.

The Trump presidential win has given impetus to Kiev and Moscow to discuss peace options so both militaries are trying to make as many territorial gains as possible in order to negotiate from a position of strength. The impact of the North Korean soldiers on the battlefield is not immediately clear.  A senior official at Ukraine’s national security agency reported that North Korean forces deployed to Russia’s Kursk have not yet been involved in attempts to dislodge Ukrainian troops from the region.

In Oct, Russia was reportedly losing up to an appalling 1,500 troops a day in combat, euphemistically called “meat attacks.”

Morale and desertion problems continue to plague the Kremlin

The Kremlin recently banned all potential draftees and conscripts from leaving Russia. These young conscripts pictured above can only hope that peace takes place soon because their battlefield chances of survival are nearly zero.

In southern Siberia, more than a dozen wounded Russian contract soldiers deserted a military unit when they were ordered back to the battlefield despite their wounds. The soldiers had signed contracts to fight in Ukraine in exchange for the termination of criminal prosecution for various offenses. Police managed to detain seven of those who fled, but the rest are still on the loose.

And in Kiev, Ukrainian President Volodomir Zelensky replaced the commander of the armed forces in yet another shake-up.

Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskiy (R), the new head of Ukraine’s armed forces conferring with Pres. Zelensky

Putin Quashes Any and All Dissent Anywhere

In London, the late Chef Alexei Zimin owned the Russian restaurant Zima and published a magazine with the same name. (Undated photo).

Russian celebrity chef and London restaurateur Aleksei Zimin (53), an outspoken critic of President Vladimir Putin, was recently found dead in Belgrade.

Aleksei Zimin had openly criticized Russia’s war in Ukraine and was in Belgrade to host an event and present his recent book, Anglomania, a personal look at the cultural history of Great Britain.


In his last Instagram post on 4 Nov, Zimin announced that he would prepare a special dinner in a club in Belgrade.

“There will be no new episodes due to the anti-war position of the host. Do I regret it? No, I regret that we ended up going to war. I don’t take part in the war, the war takes part in me,” he said on Instagram at the time.

Zimin had started several restaurants in Moscow and wrote or edited for Afisha, Komersant, and Vedomosti. He hosted a cooking show on Russian television channel NTV that was discontinued after he posted anti-war messages on social media following Putin’s invasion of Ukraine in Feb 2022.

The cause of Alexei Zimin’s death was unknown and Belgrade authorities were conducting an autopsy and toxicology tests.

Theater director Anastasia Berezhinskaya (43) pictured above was sentenced to eight years in prison over her posts and comments on the VKontakte social network in 2022, condemning Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine and making calls to “kill” and “eliminate” President Vladimir Putin.

She was found guilty of “justifying terrorism,” “distributing false information about the Russian military,” and “discrediting Russia’s armed forces.”

Berezhinskaya, who refused to testify during the trial, pleaded partially guilty.

When giving a final statement to the court, Berezhinskaya said:

“Your Honor, I do not have anything to say, anything to add. I will accept any decision of yours.”

After the judge handed down his ruling, Berezhinskaya was immediately arrested. Before and during the trial, she was under orders not to leave Moscow.

Berezhinskaya, who is the mother of children aged eight and ten years, has been diagnosed with a personality disorder, but the court ruled that she does not need hospitalization.

Alexei Zimin must have been on Putin’s “hit list” and he made it too easy for assassins to kill him in Belgrade by advertising his plans on social media. As for poor Anastasia Berezhinskaya, she stoically said little in her defense, accepting her dismal fate in a gulag.  

The war between Ukraine and Russia must inevitably end one way or another so both sides will hammer each other relentlessly until a ceasefire takes place. The future landscape may look like the DMZ between North and South Korea. Putin will continue to demand that Ukraine not join NATO or the EU, which Kiev will initially reject. But to save lives, an option for Ukraine may be to become a neutral country, like Austria (or Finland, before she recently joined NATO). Putin can not live forever and in a few years the Kremlin may be led by a less nationalistic, murderous leader.

Hardworking American taxpayers have provided Kiev with billions of dollars of military and economic aid (before and after Putin’s brutal invasion). But President-elect Donald Trump, a friend of Putin, will no doubt waste the costly resources and investment over the past several years to Ukraine’s eternal chagrin. Kiev will have to rely on other members of NATO and EU for support against Moscow in the future.  

Sources:

Wounded Russian Soldiers Flee Unit To Escape Return To Combat

Peace Talks Brewing, Russia And Ukraine Jockey For Advantage — On And Off Battlefield

News – RFE/RL

Russian Theater Director Gets 8 Years Over Anti-Putin Posts

News – RFE/RL

North Koreans in Russia in place but not in combat: Ukraine official – Radio Free Asia

French Overseas Territory Guadeloupe Declares Dengue Epidemic

The Caribbean archipelago of Guadeloupe has declared a dengue epidemic, with authorities noting the outbreak was being driven by a less common strain of the mosquito-borne disease.

Guadeloupe has been a French possession since 1635. The island of Saint Martin is shared with the Netherlands; its southern portion is named Sint Maarten. Approximately 450,000 inhabitants reside on the archipelago.

“Dengue fever has entered the epidemic phase” in Guadeloupe regional health authorities warned, just at the beginning of the tourist season and on the eve of the end-of-year festivities.

This strain of the dengue virus has not circulated much in the last 20 years leading to the possibility of “severe forms” with “a high number of cases to be expected if control and prevention actions are not implemented”.

The dengue 3 serotype (DENV-3) is one of four variants of the virus.

The health authorities said among 62 samples analysed between late September and mid-October, 97 percent were caused by DENV-3.

The average of 80 cases per week at this time of year has been far surpassed.

At the end of October, the agency estimated the weekly figure hit 540 – more than double the number seen in September.

Hospitals were reporting a similar spike, with around 40 emergency room visits per week for suspected dengue cases, compared with 25 in Sep 2024.

At least 22 human pathogens are associated with the tiger mosquito which flies by day and night. Mosquitos are the deadliest animal on earth today. Dragonflies are one of nature’s remedies for mosquitos. As larvae, dragonflies eat mosquito larvae; as adults, dragonflies eat adult mosquitos. (Photo: © Shutterstock _ InsectWorld)

Dengue, also known as “tropical flu”, can cause high fever, fatigue and body aches, although most people have no symptoms. Severe cases can trigger bleeding, internally or from the mouth and nose.

The virus is spread by the Aedes “tiger” mosquito that breeds in stagnant pools.

Guadeloupe authorities stressed the need “to combat mosquito vectors and breeding grounds for larvae that can develop in water reservoirs around or inside homes, which may have accumulated after recent rainfall”.

It also advised people to wear loose-fitting clothing to cover the skin, use insect repellent and mosquito netting over beds. 

The World Health Organization (WHO) said the number of reported dengue cases worldwide has approximately doubled each year since 2021, with over 12.3 million cases, including more than 7,900 deaths, reported in just the first eight months of 2024.

The WHO has linked the spike in the number of cases to global warming.

Sources:

DENGUE EPIDEMIC The mobilization of all is necessary! – Press releases and press kits – News- State services in Guadeloupe

Thailand: Ammonia Leak at Pattani Ice Plant Sickens 18

Local residents were evacuated and schools closed after an ammonia leak at an ice plant sickened 18 people in Muang district of this southern border province on Wednesday.

The leak happened at an ice-making factory in Tambon Taluboh.

Eighteen employees and rescue workers tried to contain the leak but were exposed to the gas and suffered dizziness, eye irritation, breathing difficulties, and vomiting. They were rushed to Pattani Hospital.


A firefighter sprays water near the loading dock of an ice-making factory to reduce the impact of an ammonia leak, in Muang district of Pattani on Wednesday. (Photo: Pattani Provincial PR Dept)

Local authorities then ordered more rescue workers, all fire engines and emergency vehicles in the district to the scene. Firefighters sprayed water to reduce the impact of the leak and neutralise the vapors, while others tried to reach the point where the leak originated.

Witnesses said the incident happened while employees were checking gas containers, and a metal object fell and struck and ruptured a big ammonia pipe.

Local officials asked people in the area to wear masks while they cordoned off the scene. Local schools and daycare centers were evacuated and closed as a precaution. for the safety of children.

“People within the five-km radius of the ice plant should wear layers of face masks or N95 masks,” the governor of the province advised.

There were about 20 ice plants that used ammonia in Pattani which suffered similar incidents in the past.

Also in Thailand, officials closed a school in Bangkok for 15 days after two students were diagnosed with Pertussis, also known as whooping cough.

The Ministry of Public Health is encouraging people, especially children and those in physical contact with them, to get vaccinated.

Pertussis, also known as whooping cough, is an infectious bacterial disease of the respiratory tract. It spreads easily through the air between people by coughing or sneezing.

Whooping cough mostly occurs in unvaccinated children and at places such as schools and nurseries.

The disease usually begins as a common cold and develops to a more serious stage of coughing violently, vomiting and creating a “whooping” sound when breathing. The symptoms can seriously affect high-risk groups, such as infants and pregnant women.

Sources:

Bangkok Post – Ammonia leak at Pattani ice plant sickens 18

Bangkok Post – Whooping cough vaccine urged for children

Elderly Pennsylvania Maniac Sentenced for Assaulting Law Enforcement During 6 Jan 2021 Attack on US Capitol

Terry Allen holding a metal bar that he threw at a police officer during the 6 Jan 2021 Capitol attack. Allen’s attorney claims the throwing of the pole was a reflex action after being pepper sprayed. (Photo: Government documents)

Terry L. Allen (65) of Spring Mills, PA, was sentenced by the Honorable US District Judge Amit P. Mehta to 24 months in prison, 24 months of supervised release, and ordered to pay $1,000 in restitution for his heinous, violent, and felonious conduct on 6 Jan 2021.

On 6 Jan 2021, Terry Allen repeatedly accosted, menaced, and assaulted police officers protecting the US Capitol. Officers sounded the alarm that a rioter was “using the flag as a spear.” This geriatric jerk was not dissuaded from violence even after USCP deployed chemical irritants at him. Allen threw his flagpole at a police officer, striking him. This court document did not specify the extent of injuries to the police officers

The FBI arrested Allen on 6 July 2023 in Pennsylvania.

A photo of Terry Allen and the reinforced gloves he wore during a trip to Washington DC on 14 Nov 2020 to join the Million MAGA March. (Photo: Government documents)

In the nearly four years since 6 Jan 2021, more than 1,561 suspects have been charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to attacking the US Capitol, including more than 590 seditionists charged with feloniously assaulting or impeding law enforcement. The FBI investigation remains ongoing.

Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.

65 is not a good age to get jammed up by the federal government, as this miscreant will soon find out. But the FBI is futilely “hoovering up” these racist American Fedayeen Saddam (FS) as the Trump Administration will no doubt pardon him and other MAGA cretins convicted and sentenced for attempting to overturn the 2020 election results at his behest. D/FBI Christopher Wray, (a Trump nominee) will most likely be asked to tender his resignation after Inauguration Day in 2025.

Sources:

District of Columbia | Pennsylvania Man Sentenced for Assaulting Law Enforcement with Weapon and Other Charges During Jan. 6 Capitol Breach | United States Department of Justice

North Korea’s Kim Jong-Un Pushes for Speeding Up Mass Production of Kamikaze Drones

Kim Jong-Un standing next to a North Korean Solid Fuel IRBM Drone (Undated photo: KCNA)

North Korean supremo Kim Jong-Un has called for accelerated mass production of exploding drones designed to crash into targets.

Kim said the development of the weapons in the country was going well, and stressed the need to go into “full-scale mass production” as soon as possible, according to state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

The outlet paraphrased Kim, saying that the drones were easy to make at a low cost for a range of military activities, and reported that Kim had acknowledged the importance of drones in modern warfare.

The news comes as the US, South Korea and Japan recently joined together for military exercises involving advanced fighter jets and a US aircraft in nearby international waters in a show of their strength against North Korea.

Last month, North Korea accused South Korea of sending drones into its capital of Pyongyang to drop anti-Korean propaganda leaflets, threatening to respond with force if the incident happened again.

South Korea’s military has not confirmed if the allegations were true or not.

The incident is one in a series that indicates escalating tensions between the neighbours as Kim flaunts his advancing nuclear and missile program, which includes weapons able to target South Korea as well as intercontinental ballistic missiles that could potentially reach the US.

North Korea has also sent around 12,000 troops into Russia’s Kursk region, according to US, South Korean, and Ukrainian intelligence.

Their involvement in Russia’s war in Ukraine, which is nearing its third year, comes North Korea ratified a landmark defense pact with Russia on Tuesday promising to provide each other with mutual military aid and assistance if attacked.

The pact has sparked fears in Seoul about what North Korea could be getting in return for its support to Russia, such as Russian technology Kim could use to further develop its nuclear arsenal.

South Korean officials have said that North Korea will be a key topic in a summit between POTUS Joe Biden and his South Korean and Japanese counterparts set to be held this week at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meetings in Peru.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine is nearly two years long which Kim Jong-Un observed through the media and his espionage network, where he noted the effectiveness of drones. The corpulent supreme leader, who has been building up strategic WMDs with the help of the Kremlin, also received first-hand accounts from his military contingent in Russia on drone warfare. Kim Jong-Un probably see another weapon system that he can produce and sell to Russia while adding to his already formidable arsenal. Meanwhile, the poor people of North Korea will continue to endure food insecurity under his selfish and maniacal rule.

North Korean supremo Kim Jong-Un enjoying a smoke and a laugh with an unidentified sycophant while his people starve. He already pocketed the $2,200 per month salary of each NK troop sent to die against Ukraine. (Undated Copyright AP Photo).

Regarding the US, the imminent APEC and G-20 Summits in South America will be POTUS Biden’s farewell tours to world leaders and allies. This past September he performed his swan song at the UNGA in NYC with the world asunder. Heaven only knows how he will re-assure his colleagues at these conferences that America can be relied upon as a trustworthy and reliable ally with white nationalist Donald Trump (and friend of Vladimir Putin) ready to take the reins in Washington.     

Sources:

North Korea’s Kim Jong-un pushes for speeding up mass production of exploding drones | Euronews

India: Delhi Air Pollution Blankets Capital in Dense Smog, Sparking Emergency Measures

Thick smog blanketed India’s capital Thursday as the annual ritual of choking on incredibly polluted winter air took hold of New Delhi yet again. Authorities ordered many students to stay home as the smog delayed more than 300 flights and prompted health warnings and a halt to all construction activity in the city.

The air quality rating in the densely packed city of roughly 33 million people first spiked on Wednesday to the highest “severe” category, under the WHO’s Air Quality Index ratings. With an AQI reading Thursday afternoon above 450, Delhi was contending with the worst air pollution in any city in the world.

Any reading over 150 on the AQI index — which measures the levels of five key pollutants harmful to human health in the air at any given time — is considered unhealthy. When the AQI rises to 301 or above, it’s considered an emergency, and harmful to all people.

Higher AQI levels pose serious health risks, particularly for children, the elderly and those with respiratory issues, who can all be affected at even lower levels.

A man feeds seagulls on the Yamuna River, engulfed in smog amid severe air pollution in New Delhi, India, 14 Nov 2024. Photo: Arun Sankar/AFP/Getty

Indian authorities have advised Delhi residents to limit their outdoor activities and, Thursday night, the Delhi government announced enhanced anti-pollution measures, banning all non-essential construction and demolition work, restricting the entry of buses and trucks to the city, and banning the use of diesel generators. Elementary school students were told to switch to remote learning for Friday.

Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport issued an advisory to air travelers Thursday, saying “low visibility procedures” had been enacted at the busy airport. Earlier, the IndiGo airline asked passengers to keep tabs on their flight status and leave for the airport early due to the low visibility on roads around the airport.

In addition to the hundreds of flights delayed Wednesday, at least ten flights were diverted from Delhi altogether.

Delhi’s air quality started worsening at the beginning of November, when fireworks lit up the skies for the Diwali Hindu religious festival. 

Source:

Delhi air pollution blankets India’s capital in dense smog, sparking emergency measures – CBS News

Diaper-Wearing Baby Kangaroo Captured in Florida

A four-month-old kangaroo wearing a diaper was captured after a brief time on the loose in Hernando County, FL. Photo courtesy of the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office/Facebook

A diaper-wearing kangaroo escaped near a Florida elementary school, sparking a search before being apprehended by sheriff’s deputies.

The Hernando County Sheriff’s Office issued an alert on social media Wednesday telling local residents that a baby kangaroo wearing a diaper and a blue harness was on the loose near J.D. Floyd Elementary School. The joey was located and captured in Plantation Estates.

Hernando County, Florida.

America Has Spoken: “The South Shall Rise Again!”

In 2020, the Biden/Harris ticket won 81,283,501 votes against 74,223,975 votes for Trump/Pence (51.3% to 46.8%). But in 2024, the Harris/Walz ticket won only 66.8 million votes while Trump/Walz won the popular election (and Electoral College) with 71.7 million votes.  Democratic votes disappeared between 2020 and 2024, a short span of four years.

In 1865, the Union Army defeated the Confederacy to eradicate slavery, abolishing the physical Mason-Dixon Border Line after the US Civil War. But the War Between the States did not eliminate the myth of white supremacy and the Mason-Dixon Line remained a constant nefarious meta-physical border ever since. POTUS Joe Biden won the battle against the neo-Confederacy in 2020, but his successor lost the war to them in 2024.

What happened to the Democratic Party turnout?

Many Democrats simply didn’t vote for Harris/Walz in 2024 compared to the 2020 Biden/Harris ticket, as the numbers reflect. And Democrat declines were acute in blue states:  900,000 votes in NY, 500,000 in NJ and Maryland, 300,000 in Massachusetts, and 180,000 in Virginia. Democrats either stayed home or voted for Jill Stein. Kamala Harris was down 10% in Red states and about 4% in swing states. The reasoning may have been the lack of democracy in the process when POTUS Joe Biden anointed Kamala Harris as the POTUS candidate (without a convention vote or primary process), simple personal dislike of the candidate, or the Biden Administration’s handling of the incessant murderous Israeli rampage against Palestinians.

VPOTUS Kamala Harris and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff botched the origin of Hanukkah in a social post in Dec 2023. The DNC did not allow Arab-Americans to have a voice at the 2024 convention in Chicago resulting in massive demonstrations outside.  79% of American Jews reportedly voted for Kamala Harris, but 45% of New York Jews voted for Donald Trump. On election night, a Jewish voter at Trump HQ in Florida told a PBS reporter that she voted for Trump because “he would be better for Israel.” Arab-Americans in Michigan punished the Biden Administration’s atrocious mishandling of the Israeli Nakba by either voting for Donald Trump or Jill Stein. Some may have simply stayed home in disgust.

Critically, the GOP also won over 46% of the Latino vote (despite Latinas turning out for Kamala Harris) and Trump won more black votes in 2024 than he did in 2020.

Other factors that led to this disaster for the Democrats (and the American people) included the appearance that the Democratic Party became the party of the status quo and the elite, supported by “intellectual snobs” and wealthy Hollywood celebrities. Liberal TV icons like Jimmy Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon, and Stephen Colbert were derided as “elitist snobs” by blue collar working-class Republicans.  To this point, Kamala Harris made a surprise appearance on Saturday Night Live (SNL), while Donald Trump appeared on the blue-collar racist Joe Rogan podcast (to a record number of viewers). While the Democratic Party raised millions of dollars, so did the GOP. Fueled by Elon Musk’s donations and supported by his social platform “X,” the Democratic Party had no counter to this.

The biggest issues for voters in 2024 turned out to be immigration and the economy. While high prices affected all Americans, the right-wing was successful in making migrants– the “others”– an important issue. This is similar to why right-wing political parties in Europe gained traction over the past few years: Xenophobia and post-COVID inflation.

Democratic strategists may have been misled by the full, raucous rallies attended by Kamala Harris supporters, observing the flat and unfilled rallies of Trump. While Democrats ridiculed Trump’s loathsome comments and infirmities, perhaps they should have focused on the evils of Project 2025 during this first Presidential election after Roe vs Wade was overturned by SCOTUS. Trump’s clownish and boorish behavior became the focus of the Democrats. Now the Democratic Party will conduct their autopsy of what went wrong. They will discover that shooing out Joe Biden because of his age and anointing Kamala Harris may have been a mistake. Kamala Harris had 107 days to campaign, she selected an excellent VPOTUS candidate, and she raised a record number in funds. Her “ground game” was touted as formidable.

But while Americans were ready for a female President in 2016 when Hilary Clinton won 65,844,954 votes (48.2%) to Trump’s 62,979,879 (46.1%), in 2024 Americans were not ready for a female president of color. Regrettably, Kamala Harris was not a transformative figure like former POTUS Barack Obama. Moreover, some critics within the Democratic Party also found her disingenuous and disconnected to life on Main Street, unlike the popular VPOTUS candidate Tim Walz.

What’s next for America and the World?

Hint: The Trump Administration won’t be like JFK’s fabled Camelot.

Americans will have to hold their noses for four years while the Trump Administration fills the cabinet and government with reactionary right-wing loyalists regardless of competence or experience who will implement the Taliban-like Project 2025.

Former D/DNI and Congressman John Ratcliffe staring dumbly above will be the new D/CIA. He is a Trump acolyte and spreads conspiracy theories about a “deep state” in the US.

TV Fox News host and military veteran Pete Hegseth (44) will oversee and lead the $842 billion budget DOD. He previously said that women should not serve in combat and now wants to purge the US military of “woke” personnel. This nomination is tantamount to a bat-boy being promoted to manage the World Series Champion Los Angeles Dodgers (Photo: wikimedia.org)

Donald Trump (L) mocks Marco Rubio (R) drinking water during his rebuttal to the 2013 State of the Union address. But Trump selected him to be US Secretary of State. As a Senator, Rubio did his utmost to undermine Obamacare (the ACA) and Rubio is happy send someone else’s American children to fight Iran on behalf of Israel.

Pro-Settler, ultra-Christian reactionary Mike Huckabee gesticulating above will be US Ambassador to Israel. Expect more Palestinian evictions and deaths in the West Bank over the next four years. (Photo: 18 Nov 2016, NYC courtesy of Spencer Platt / Getty Images)

The new D/Homeland Security nominee proudly wrote in her autobiography that she murdered a disobedient 14-month-old puppy, as well as a defenseless goat. Governor Kristi Noem was banned from indigenous reservations in her home state of South Dakota. This psychotic will gleefully carry out mass deportations to ensure America remains a white-majority population.  

Tulsi Gabbard, a practicing Hindu and former Democrat, as DNI will overlook Indian PM Narendra Modi’s homicidal plots against Sikhs and Muslims in India, the US, Canada, and other countries. Gabbard has never worked in the IC and she nefariously parrots the same talking points as the Kremlin.

Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz, previously under FBI investigation for having sex with under-aged girls, is Trump’s selection for US Attorney-General. Thanks to his father’s connections, he had previously escaped DWI convictions in Florida. A former senior Justice Department official said: “He is the least qualified person ever nominated for a position in the Department of Justice.”

Who else will the President-Elect choose for his Cabinet?

Americans should expect more Conservative Republican federal judge appointments, the possibility of two young reactionary SCOTUS judges replacing Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito, an increase in Christian advertising in the media, increased Christian proselytizing in the military academies, the potential of a massive deportation of migrants and refugees, a purge of enemies and progressives from government (including Special Counsel Jack Smith), and increased defense, space and telecommunications contracts for Elon Musk (with no oversight). Donald Trump’s USSS detail will remain a phalanx of white Praetorian Guards as we have witnessed over the past eight years.

The US averages 42,000 firearms-related deaths per annum. This will no doubt increase as the Trump Regime will reduce federal safeguards to gun and ammunition ownership. Public lands, like in Alaska or the American southwest, will be made available to commercial interests. The GOP will gut food safety, transportation, and environmental regulations for the sake of profits. Social safety nets like Medicaid, Medicare, Obamacare, the SNAP program, as well as social security, will be vulnerable to cuts. Trump will pardon 6 January insurrectionists duly processed by the Justice Dept.  

Internationally, war criminal Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu will have carte blanche to continue decimating and depopulating Palestinians. The US will reduce military and financial support for Ukraine in their fight for survival against Vladimir Putin, and the potential of military strikes against Iran increased (unless Putin somehow dissuades Trump from obeying Netanyahu).

Ambassadorships will be filled with loyal lickspittles of varying competencies, like Mike Huckabee noted above. America’s allies will share less critical intelligence with CIA, DIA, NSA, and the FBI out of concern the information will be leaked to the Kremlin or Jerusalem, and the Board of Governors of the Foreign Broadcast Information Service (FBIS) will be filled with Christian and ultra-nationalistic acolytes. With Russia no longer the international bogeyman for the GOP, hate-radio and Fox News will laser in on China, Iran, and Palestinian “terrorists,” while accusing Ukraine of corruption, nepotism, and unworthy of American taxpayer support. One mantra already heard is that the US govt sent more aid to Ukraine than to American citizens in Hawaii whose homes were destroyed by volcanic lava.  

The National Targeting Center (NTC) will discontinue tracking Russian oligarchs and the US DOJ OSI will stop investigating Russian war crimes perpetrated in Ukraine. President-elect Trump, enjoying his mandate, will abuse his AUMF powers (Authority to Use Military Force) under a GOP-controlled Congress. More Shia (and Sunni) Muslims will be killed globally.

These truly are dark times for Ukrainians, Palestinians, and Iranians, as Putin and Netanyahu will continue their Murder-Death-Kill campaign without respite. And in America, the Trump Regime portends poorly for the poor, non-Christians, women, and people of color.

In a troubling sign of things to come under the Trump Cabal, a white supremacist detective in Long Island, NY was charged with a hate crime after he called a phone service worker “nigger,” spewing a racist tirade: “We don’t want you or your kind in the neighborhood.”

John Murphy (40) allegedly erupted into a hateful rage after spotting a black cellular service subcontractor inside an SUV in his Manorville neighborhood. Murphy identified himself as a police officer, ignored the employee’s identification card, and damaged the victim’s SUV. The Rockville Centre Police Dept suspended the bigoted imbecile who was ordered to stay away from the victim. Nota Bene: This incident occurred just before election night.

Racist Rockville Centre detective John Murphy (Undated photo: Newsday)

The charges contained in the indictment are merely allegations and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. All factual recitations are derived from documents filed in court and statements made on the record in court.

President Joe Biden can still recover some bit of his legacy. He should consider resigning the Presidency on grounds of “health” before Inauguration Day in Jan 2025, thereby making Kamala Harris the first female POTUS (and one of color). As Donald Trump churlishly did not hand over power in person on Inauguration Day in Jan 2021 to snub Joe Biden, he can return the favor in spades. Even though Kamala Harris will be a temporary, unelected President, the history books will record her achievement forever. To their eternal chagrin, white supremacist Republicans will always have female, black Kamala Harris’ official portrait staring at them in the halls of power in every federal institution in America.

American schoolchildren rendering the Pledge of Allegiance circa mid-1930s. This is what white Americans voted for in 2024.  Heil Trump!

Sources:

Interactive: How key groups of Americans voted in 2024 | PBS News

How many Jews voted for Donald Trump? How many for Kamala Harris? – Jewish Telegraphic Agency

How Trump broke GOP losing streak in Dearborn with support of Arab-Americans | AP News

Home | FEC

FBI Arrests Alleged Leaker of US Intelligence Related to Israel’s Attack Plans Against Iran

(Undated photo of Asif W. Rahman courtesy of thenightly.com.au.)

The FBI arrested Asif William Rahman on 12 Nov in Cambodia. He is charged with allegedly leaking highly classified US intelligence about Israel’s plans to attack Iran. He is to appear before a federal magistrate in Guam. Court documents indicate that he was employed by the US government, reportedly the CIA. The New York Times said that Rahman was indicted on a charge related to the posting of the intelligence on Telegram in mid-Oct 2024. The documents posted included Israeli plans for moving munitions and IDF exercises involving air-to-surface missiles.

The charges contained in the indictment are merely allegations and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. All factual recitations are derived from documents filed in court and statements made on the record in court.

As previously predicted here on Coriolanus, a government employee frustrated with the unshakeable ionic bonds between the US and Israel leaked this information on social media. His motive was to either help Iran defend itself or deter Israel from conducting another homicidal attack on Tehran.

Sources:

us-national-security-leak_redacted.pdf

France: Prosecutor Seeks Prison and Election Ban for Right-Wing Politician Marine Le Pen

(Undated photo of the right-wing xenophobic fraud, Marine Le Pen: AFP)

The Paris prosecutor has asked for a prison sentence of five years and a five-year ban from political office for far-right leader Marine Le Pen in an illegal party funding case. Nicolas Barret asked for the ban to become effective immediately after the verdict, even if the defence team appeals, ruling Le Pen out of standing again for president in 2027.

She and more than 20 other senior party figures are accused of hiring assistants who worked on party business, rather than for the European Parliament which paid them.

Le Pen, who denies the charges, told reporters the requested sentence was an “outrage”, and accused the prosecution of trying to “ruin” her National Rally (RN) party.

“I think the prosecution’s wish is to deprive the French people of the ability to vote for whom they want,” she said after the hearing in the French capital, where she is on trial with 24 other defendants.

Le Pen was defeated by Emmanual Macron at the last presidential election in 2022 by 58.55% to 41.45% but RN is the biggest among the numerous parties in the National Assembly.

As well as the prison sentence and ban from political office, a fine of €300,000 (£249,000; $319,000) is being sought against the RN leader.

The proposed prison sentence is “convertible” and France’s AFP news agency says that Le Pen “would not necessarily go to prison”.

However, the ban on political office would take effect immediately and would not be delayed by the appeals process, as some had been expecting.

The prosecutor asked for the ban to apply to all 25 defendants.

The defendants plus the party itself, as a legal entity, are accused of syphoning EU parliamentary funds to pay the salaries of party workers.

According to the prosecution case, Le Pen presided over a system for several years in which RN staff members from Paris were “taken on” as EU parliamentary assistants in Brussels. These RN officials rarely set foot in the EU parliament and had no role there. The trial is due to continue until 27 November.

This should come as no surprise that a right-wing, racist fanatic hypocritically took advantage of a generous, socialist EU budget to enrich herself and her staff while spewing hate-messages about immigrants and “one world government,” and other agit-prop designed to sow discord in France, the EU, and NATO.   

Source:

Marine Le Pen: Prosecutor seeks jail and election ban in party funding case

Canada: First Avian Flu Case in British Columbia

Map courtesy of Worldatlas.org

A teenager in British Columbia Children’s Hospital is infected with a human case of avian influenza (also known as bird flu) caused by influenza A (H5N1) virus in Canada. The patient is in critical care in hospital. His symptoms included conjunctivitis, fever, and coughing.

The teenager had no farm exposure but had been exposed to dogs, cats and reptiles, and the infection source has not been identified

This is Canada’s first domestically acquired human case of H5N1 avian influenza.

Health officials in BC continue to undergo contract tracing and testing to determine if the virus spread further, but provincial health officers do not believe anyone else has been infected.

Human infection with avian influenza A (H5N1) is rare and usually occurs after close contact with infected birds, other infected animals or highly contaminated environments.

A colorized transmission electron micrograph of three H5N1 virus particles. Photo: CDC & NIAID via Flickr

Public Health Canada informs:

“This detection was picked up via hospital-based influenza surveillance, confirming that human influenza surveillance in British Columbia and Canada is effective at detecting avian influenza A(H5). We must continue to remain vigilant in our efforts to prevent the spread of avian influenza between animals and to humans.”

Sources:

Statement from the Public Health Agency of Canada: Update on Avian Influenza and Risk to Canadians – Canada.ca

Teenager in critical condition with Canada’s first human case of bird flu | Canada | The Guardian

Man Dead After Explosions Outside Brazil Supreme Court Ahead of G20 Summit

Police vehicles in front of the Brazilian Supreme Court after explosions in the Three Powers Square in Brasilia ahead of the G20 Summit. (Photo: Tom Molina/Reuters)

A man killed himself with a bomb outside Brazil’s supreme court after trying to enter the building, stirring security concerns before the country hosts global leaders from the Group of 20 major economies.

The blasts come five days before the G20 heads of state meet in Rio de Janeiro, followed by a state visit to the capital Brasília by Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The first of two explosions went off on Wednesday evening in a parking lot near the court building and a second blast came seconds later in front of the court, where the man’s body was found.

Federal District vice-governor Celina Leao said preliminary information suggested the man had killed himself with explosives after trying to enter the supreme court. She said he owned a nearby car in which another explosion blew open the trunk.

Leao said she hoped it was the crime of a “lone wolf,” but she could not be sure.

“We are considering it as a suicide because there was only one victim. But investigations will show if that was indeed the case.”

Police said they had not made a final identification of the dead man as they were confronting the risk of additional explosives on the body.

The explosions took place around the Plaza of the Three Powers, an iconic square in Brasília connecting the principal buildings of Brazil’s three branches of federal government.

It was the scene of riots on 8 January last year when supporters of former right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro ransacked the buildings to protest his electoral defeat.

Police deployed a bomb squad with an explosive disposal robot to the square in the heart of Brazilian capital to investigate the blasts. The supreme court justices had just ended a plenary session when the blasts happened and were quickly evacuated safely. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva had left the executive palace on Wednesday night shortly before the explosions.

This is a serious security matter for Brazil with world leaders convening there for the imminent G20 Summit. Luckily there were no casualties other than the alleged suicide bomber. Investigators must determine if this was a “lone actor” with psychiatric issues and what the motive was. People who commit suicide usually leave behind a note or reasoning for their actions. In this case, none were uncovered yet. Investigators must also learn where the individual obtained the explosives and how he learned to fashion them. Some terrorist groups have used involuntary suicide operatives, where the person is tasked with delivering an innocuous item. But unbeknownst to them, the courier was carrying a remote-controlled IED.  

Source:

Man dead after explosions outside Brazil supreme court ahead of G20 | Brazil | The Guardian

Iran: 70 Students Stricken with Food Poisoning

70 students of the Rajai Teacher Training University in Tehran were sickened with food poisoning and were taken to hospitals. The students were poisoned after eating dormitory dinner, which included tuna and potato puree.

Students began to feel ill early the next day and went to the university housing official for help.

On 30 Oct, Hamdan Industrial University reported that a number of students had been poisoned because of food served at the university. Videos and published reports also showed that students of Hamdan Industrial University staged a hunger strike on 2 Nov to protest food poisoning in support of their stricken colleagues.

Earlier this month, the Amir Kabir University student news bulletin reported that students of Zahra University in Tehran objected to the quality of food in the university restaurant. Students complained of expired foodstuffs and finding insects in their salads.

The Iranian government remains under US sanctions and their economic priorities are national security against Israel as well as assisting her few allies: Lebanese Shias, Saudi-embargoed Houthis, and Russia. Civil society and students seem to be the big losers of the “Guns versus Butter” argument in Iran.

Source:

Dozens of Iranian Students Poisoned After Eating Contaminated Food In Their University Residence | Iran International

Confluence of Major Events in Early November

Within the space of a few days, the US Presidential Election occurred, on 10 Nov Turks all over the world commemorated Kemal Ataturk Remembrance Day while US Marines celebrated their 249th birthday, and Veteran’s Day (Armistice Day) was observed throughout the Western world on 11 Nov.

Mustafa Kemal Ataturk is the George Washington and Abraham Lincoln of modern Turkiye. On 10 Nov (the 86th anniversary of his passing), 1,092,000 visitors paid their respect to Mustafa Pasha at the Anitkabir, his final resting place. This was the highest turnout ever recorded for 10 Nov. No matter what Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan does for Turkiye, he realizes he can never supplant Ataturk.

From Coriolanus to all of his USMC buddies and friends worldwide, Happy Belated 249th Birthday. May we all meet again under peaceful circumstances. Semper Fi!

A Sentinel from the 3d US Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard) guards the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery, VA. (Undated US Army photo by Elizabeth Fraser).

Over the past 76 years, only 731 Soldiers have earned full status as guards, earning the title of Sentinel and the right to wear a Guard, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier Identification Badge. The two newest Sentinels were awarded their badges this Veterans Day.

US Army Major General William Zana is one of those elite 731 Sentinels and he chose to retire after completing one final shift guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on 24 May 2024.

MG William Zana examines a ceremonial M14 rifle as he prepares to stand one final watch over the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery. (US Army photo, 31 May 2024 / SFC Jon Soucy)

Qualifying for duty as a Tomb Guard remains largely unchanged from the process MG Zana went through in 1989. The first cut-off is genetic — men must be between 5-foot-10 and 6–foot-4, while women must be 5-foot-8 and 6-foot-2. Volunteers must be in “superb physical condition” with an “unblemished military record.”

After an interview, Zana was given a two-week trial period, by the end of which he had to repeat back seven pages of Cemetery history verbatim.

MG Zana points to a photo from his assignment as a Tomb Sentinel (Jun 1989 to Sep 1991). (US Army photo by SGT Ethan Scofield).

For his first hour on duty, several of the guards joined him at the post. For the second hour, Zana stood alone.

“And that was some of the most profound time of my military career,” Zana said. “I look back, 37 years and you can do the math on the number of hours and minutes. But when you get down to [it], there’s just two hours. Then just this one hour. Tonight, you know the clock strikes, we change the guard. And I depart the cemetery as a retired soldier.”

A line MG Zana memorized in his original shift at the Tomb echoed in his mind.

Surrounded by well meaning crowds by day, alone in the thoughtful peace of night, this soldier will in honored glory rest under my eternal vigilance.

Sources:

Record-breaking visits to Anıtkabir on Atatürk Remembrance Day – Türkiye News

An Army general’s final ‘walk’ at the Tomb of the Unknowns

Two Tiny Rescue Kittens Have So Much Energy They Impress Family Dog

Kittens Cheeto and Frito with Kano (L); (Photo: Asa)

Cheeto and Frito, two ginger tabbies, were two weeks old when they came to Today Tomorrow Forever Animal Rescue for a chance at a better life.

A volunteer stepped up to provide round-the-clock feeding and plenty of TLC. After each meal, the kittens cuddled together and even cleaned each other’s faces. Thriving on bottle-feeding, they grew into plump, happy, and wiggly kittens.

After being adopted, the two kittens were delighted to find a canine companion named Kona who was impressed by their energy.

“They are non-stop purr machines. The only time they’re not purring is when they’re running around the room wreaking havoc.”

Our thanks to Today Tomorrow Forever Animal Rescue in southern California for rescuing these two tiny dynamos and sharing this heart-warming story.

Source:

Kittens Brought in at 2 Weeks Old for New Start, Now Have So Much Energy They Even Impress Family Dog – Love Meow

World Holds Breath as America Votes

Vice-President Kamala Harris has a ONE PERCENT (1%) edge in the popular vote and a 226 to 219 electoral college vote (ECV) lead over Donald Trump entering the final weekend before the US election. 270 ECVs are needed to win. But why is this race between a successful VPOTUS, former California State Attorney-General, and US Senator against a failed business and family man even this close?

Nothing, except Donald Trump is white.

So, why is this race so close?

White supremacist racist bigots, ignorance, and religious intolerance, fueled by right-wing hate radio and Fox News, supported and funded by oligarchs such as Elon Musk and Peter Thiel. Otherwise, a criminally-convicted wastrel who was sued for sexual assault and twice impeached as POTUS should be watching the election from home with less than 10% support of the American people. Trump has no logical economic policy for the hard-working American taxpayer other then touting the need for tariffs and being proud of avoiding paying income taxes (as well as military service), calling those Americans who do pay taxes and die for the US “suckers.”  

Donald Trump, a deeply dysfunctional man with catastrophic character flaws, is an avatar for white people who believe in the innate superiority of their race. This makes him a perfect reflection of his supporters (AKA MAGAts) who believe America is being usurped by minorities, Latinos, Chinese, Muslims, etc etc. White Americans are becoming a minority in the US and MAGA is code for Make America White Again.

Family members, like Mary Trump (L), a psychologist and niece to Donald Trump, know how nefarious he is and have been warning the American public about his deviancy, as well as his mental and cognitive decline.

MAGAts defile the US Capitol Rotunda on 6 Jan 2021 in Washington, DC. On 1 Nov, two lunatics were found guilty and one sentenced for their idiotic participation. In the nearly four years since then, more than 1,532 MAGAts have been charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to attacking the US Capitol, including more than 571 racists charged with feloniously assaulting or impeding law enforcement. The FBI investigation remains ongoing. Special Counsel Jack Smith is prosecuting this case against Donald Trump. (Photo: NBC News)

Former Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Republican Dan Coats suspects that Russian President Vladimir Putin is blackmailing Donald Trump.

The Kremlin is desperate for Trump to win in order to withdraw lifesaving US military and economic support for Ukraine. In the same vein, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu is eager for a Trump victory which will allow the Likud Party to continue its policy of ethnic cleansing of Palestinians without interference from Washington. America’s immediate neighbors do not want to see a Trump win. Canada and Mexico have elected progressive leaders to run their countries.

House Majority Leader famously rebuked then-POTUS Trump: “With you, Mr. President, all roads lead to Putin!”

Inexplicably, Donald Trump took hundreds of thousands of classified documents from the White House and stored them at his Mar-A-Lago Florida estate. Special Counsel Jack Smith is prosecuting this case as well.

Donald Trump makes no attempt whatsoever to hide his disdain for people of color. Years ago in NYC, the Trump Organization refused to lease apartments to people of color.

Military veterans, once stalwart supporters of the GOP, have begun to turn away from the Donald Trump/JD Vance ticket, and with good reason.

But some influential Republicans continue to support Trump, as well as hillbilly JD Vance.

For example, disgraced and convicted GOP ex-Congressman George Santos (L) supports VPOTUS candidate JD Vance (R). Like Trump, JD Vance is a reflection of his supporters.

The Republican Party, the NRA, and ALEC have turned America into one vast warzone. According to the CDC, in 2022, there were more than 48,000 firearm-related deaths in the US. These are wartime casualties without having to invade another country. By contrast, Canada (with a population of approximately 40 million people), recorded 297 victims of firearms-related homicides in 2021.

The Republican Party answer to this national crisis?

GOP VPOTUS JD Vance candidate offered his policy prescription for the plague of firearms violence victimizing innocent people by blithely dismissing school shootings in the US as “a fact of life.” Donald Trump nonchalantly said after a school shooting in Iowa: “We have to get over it.”

US Army medics treating a casualty. Democrats want universal health coverage for all Americans; Republicans want gun rights enshrined for white people. (Photo: defense.gov)

This ersatz AI-generated image above of wishful thinking circled the globe many times over. Trump wants to be POTUS again to avoid the litany of criminal and civil charges against him.

And no matter what happens on this fateful Tuesday or what chicanery Republican operatives try at the election polls and tabulating centers, Donald J. Trump has an appointment with the Honorable Judge Juan Mercan on 26 Nov to answer for his 34 NYS felony convictions for falsifying business records. Merchan is the first judge in history to preside over the criminal indictment and conviction of a US President, and the first judge to hold a President in criminal contempt of court. This is a handsome man and sharp jurist.

Special Counsel Jack Smith, who successfully prosecuted war criminals at the International Criminal Court (ICC) at the Hague, is not going away any time soon. This is a capable, uncompromising professional.

Americans and the world have suffered enough Trump-fatigue this past decade. Remarkably, the world’s oldest man to seek the Presidency, suffering from steep mental and cognitive decline, as well as what appears to be morbid obesity, said he would run again in 2028. Oof!

Sources:

Trump’s Intelligence Chief Suspects Putin Blackmailing Trump | Crooks and Liars

Read the newly released evidence in the Jan. 6 case against Trump | PBS News

Judge questioned how Trump didn’t notice classified docs in bedroom (nbcnews.com)

Canada: RCMP Dismantle ‘Largest, Most Sophisticated’ Drug Mega-Lab

Aerial view of the drug “mega-lab.” (Photo: RCMP)

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) seized 1,100 pounds of illegal narcotics, including the deadly opiate fentanyl, during a raid at a major drug megalab in British Columbia.

(Map: researchgate.net)

The raid took place in a rural area of southeastern British Columbia at what police referred to as “the largest and most sophisticated fentanyl and methamphetamine drug superlab in Canada.”

RCMP officers seized 119 pounds of fentanyl, 860 pounds of methamphetamine, 77 pounds of cocaine and 33 pounds of MDMA during the raid, much of it destined for international export. (Photo: RCMP)

“The combined fentanyl and precursors seized at this facility could have amounted to over 95,500,000 potentially lethal doses of fentanyl, which have been prevented from entering our communities, or exported abroad,” police said.

Authorities also recovered almost 90 firearms, “massive amounts” of drug precursor chemicals, ammunition, firearm silencers, high-capacity magazines, body armor, and $500,000 in cash during the operation, which was assisted by members of the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA). (Photo: RCMP)

Prior to the late-October raid, officials also seized an additional 683 pounds of methamphetamine associated with the super lab and destined for export.

This raid denied this transnational organized crime group an estimated $485 million dollars in profits.

Police arrested Gaganpreet Randhawa who faces six charges related to firearms and possession of a controlled substance.

Sources:

BC RCMP – Federal Investigators take down the largest, most sophisticated drug superlab in Canada (rcmp-grc.gc.ca)

Police dismantle ‘largest and most sophisticated’ drug superlab in Canada – UPI.com

Israel ‘Emptying Gaza Completely’

A year of war in Gaza has undermined international law and threatens to make the strip uninhabitable, according to the UN Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese. She is making the case at the UN that Israel’s Nakba offensive be classified a genocide.

Palestinians gather at the site of IDF strikes on houses and residential buildings in Beit Lahiya, in the northern Gaza Strip on 20 Oct 2024. (Photo: Reuters / Abdul Karim Farid)

More than 1.8 million Palestinians in Gaza are experiencing extremely critical levels of hunger, according to the UN. Seventy percent of crop fields and livelihoods have been destroyed during the Israeli military offensive, AKA Nakba 2024.

The war, which has claimed 42,000 lives in Gaza and left hundreds of thousands wounded, has also spread to the West Bank and Lebanon. Civilians as well as UN peacekeepers have been targeted by the IDF. At this rate of carnage, approximately 50,000 Palestinians will have been killed by year’s end.

“I used the word ‘catastrophe’ for the first time back in Oct 2023,” Francesca Albanese said, “when Israel had killed 8,000, 6,000 people in the first weeks of the conflict and destroyed entire neighborhoods, bakeries, churches, and targeted UN buildings and universities. This is not the way wars are conducted.”

Francesca Albanese, the UN’s special rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territories, says a regional ceasefire is urgent. (Photo: AP / Salvatore Di Nolfi)

The Special Rapporteur argues that Israel’s military actions form part of a systematic attempt to displace Palestinians that goes back decades – and which she calls a genocide.

“Israel occupies that land, according to the International Court of Justice, unlawfully,” Albanese said. 

Click to access n2427968.pdf

“So, Israel unlawfully occupies a territory, oppressing its people, who of course retaliate. Then they wage a war against them. It doesn’t work that way.”

Ms. Albanese warns that the trauma of 7 Oct 2023 has deepened Israeli animosity towards Palestinians and spurred calls for vengeance, providing the government with an opportunity to escalate its actions in the occupied territories with the goal of making them unhospitable.

“As we speak, Israel is running extermination raids neighborhood per neighborhood in the areas that were already forcibly evacuated, ethnically cleansed of nearly one million people in northern Gaza.”

“Only 400,000 people remained, who have been starved, abused and bombed. What the people in Gaza have gone through is really unspeakable, and now it is emptying the land completely.”

UN leaders have called for a ceasefire and denounced starvation, mass displacements, atrocities, war crimes and crimes against humanity. The IDF recently demolished an UNRWA office in Gaza and the Israeli Knesset approved a controversial bill to ban them from operating on Israeli territory. Albanese called for the UN to consider suspending Israel as a member state over Nakba 2024.

Meanwhile, anti-Likud protestors demonstrated in Tel Aviv at the Israeli Defense Ministry. Many criticized PM Benjamin Netanyahu, a man indicted by the ICC for war crimes.

Hundreds of demonstrators gathered in front of the Israeli Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv call for the release of hostages held captive since 7 Oct 2023. (Photo: 2 Nov 2024 / AFP)

Flag-waving demonstrators in the country’s commercial hub held placards with slogans including “Deal now,” “Stop the war” and “We won’t abandon them,” and beat drums and chanted “Why are they still in Gaza?”

“There have been countless opportunities to end this crisis, and each one was torpedoed by the government,” said demonstrator Zahiro Shahar Mor (52), a bank employee from Tel Aviv.

Critics have questioned why a truce has still not materialized now that Israel has achieved many of its war aims, including last month’s killing of Hamas’s leader Yahya Sinwar, who was supposedly an obstacle to reaching a truce. Yahya Sinwar was not afforded a day in an Israeli court to answer for his alleged crimes against the Israeli people and was killed extra-judicially (XJK) by the IDF.

Ifat Kalderon, a prominent antigovernment protester afraid for her cousin still held in Gaza, blamed Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving prime minister.

“Each hostage deal they start to talk about, Netanyahu sabotages. He always blamed Sinwar, but now there is no Sinwar. But every time he finds another reason,” the 50-year-old stylist said.

“It’s a bloody war, we need to stop it. Enough. So many soldiers are dying. And ordinary citizens,” she said, referring to civilians from both sides of the conflict paying with their lives.

The IDF held thousands of Palestinian detainees in security detention without hearing or trial prior to the 7 Oct 2023 attack to seize Israeli bargaining chips. The Mossad chief immediately advised Israeli PM Netanyahu to affect an immediate prisoner swap and one trade was concluded in Nov 2023. Afterwards, the Likud regime used the 7 Oct 2023 raid as a casus belli to de-populate the Gaza Strip. The odious son-in-law of ex-president Donald Trump, Jared Kushner, already slipped that the Gaza Strip has prime beachfront property for luxury resorts (as you read previously here on Coriolanus).    

Some at the rally — organized by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum campaign group — brought up the plight of Israel’s soldiers, who are exhausted more than a year into the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. Others hoped for international intervention, including from the US, which holds a presidential election Tuesday. The sane people of Israel must vote out the Likud Party. (Photo: AFP)

Sources:

UN rapporteur says Israel’s war in Gaza is ’emptying the land completely’ – International report (rfi.fr)

https://webtv.un.org/en/asset/k1l/k1lr8ngem8

Israel’s continued occupation of Palestinian territory ‘unlawful’: UN world court | UN News

Protesters demonstrate in Tel Aviv to demand end of war, return of hostages (voanews.com)

Bangladesh: Four Dengue Patients Die; 1,154 Hospitalized in Last 24 Hrs

Tiger mosquitoes spread diseases such as dengue fever, chikungunya and Zika virus which, until recently, were typically only present in parts of Africa, Asia, and the Americas.

Four dengue patients died and 1,154 patients were admitted to different hospitals during the last 24 hours.

“During the period, 397 dengue patients were hospitalized in Dhaka city while 757 patients were admitted to different hospitals outside the capital,” reported the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).

This year, the total number of cases rose to 60,574 and 290 deaths from dengue disease.

Last year, Bangladesh suffered 1,705 dengue-related deaths and a total of 321,179 dengue cases.

Mankind’s acme predator, the mosquito, continues to spread illness and death in SW Asia. The tiger mosquito (an invasive species) has also set up home in 13 countries in the EU, including France, Spain, and Greece, with experts linking their presence to a rise in dengue fever in Europe.

Climate change is creating favorable conditions for the tiger mosquito to spread, said the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). The recent catastrophic flooding in Spain may provide more breeding grounds for the tiger mosquito and other predators.

Sources:

Four dengue patients die, 1,154 hospitalized in last 24 hrs | News (bssnews.net)

Spread of tiger mosquito behind rise of dengue fever in Europe (bbc.com)

Ukraine Eager to Pre-Emptively Strike North Koreans in Russia; China Unhappy, but Silent

North Korean supremo Kim Jong-Un keeps the $2,000 monthly salary of each soldier and receives uranium and technology for his nuclear program from Russia. President Putin gets cannon fodder for “meat attacks” against Ukrainian defenders. How easily these two maniacs throw people’s lives away like trash. (Rebel Pepper / RFA)

The recent North Korean record-long ICBM test suggests Russia is aiding Pyongyang’s missile program. (Photo: Lee Jin-man / AP)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has spent months urging Western suppliers to allow Kiev to use their advanced weaponry to strike deeper inside Russia. This week he accused them of inaction in response to the 8,000 North Korean soldiers which the Kremlin “fully intends” to deploy in combat against Ukrainian troops. The Biden Administration, which announced a $425 million package of fresh security assistance to Ukraine under the presidential “drawdown authority,” its 69th tranche of defense equipment since late 2021, is concerned about escalation with Russia. The USSECDEF argued that deep strikes against Russia wouldn’t tip the balance of the war towards Kiev. So, the powerful HIMARS system can only be used defensively on Ukrainian territory.

The Ukrainian Armed Forces could benefit greatly by using Western-provided long-range mass casualty weapons to strike the North Korean troops “the firstest with the mostest.”  Such devastating attacks would both attrit and demoralize the unseasoned North Koreans before they even get a chance to see combat. The Ukrainian PSYOP program has been instructing North Korean soldiers how to safely surrender.  South Korean intelligence is reportedly assisting Kiev and Seoul may provide them mass-casualties in response.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met with President Xi Jinping in Beijing, 10 Jan 2019. Neither supremo looks happy and this is before Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine. (Photo: KCNA / via Reuters)

“Beijing is clearly uncomfortable with the news that North Korean soldiers have been deployed to Russia to assist Moscow’s war in Ukraine for a number of reasons,” said Patricia Kim, a fellow at the Brookings Institute in Washington.

Beijing sees a tightening Russia-North Korea alignment as reducing its own influence with those states, and worries that any military assistance Pyongyang gets from Moscow in return for deploying troops might make it more aggressive in Northeast Asia.

“China has no interest in the rise of a militarily strengthened and emboldened North Korea that might take greater risks and bring chaos to the region.”

A bolder Pyongyang would add to the troubles stoked by North Korea’s nuclear weapons and missile programs, which has been a main source of regional tension for decades. Pyongyang recently refused Beijing’s assistance after massive floods wreaked the northern portion of the Hermit Kingdom. Kim Jong-Un is reportedly unhappy with China’s crackdown on revenue-supplying North Koreans in China. North Korean escapees have re-iterated a common refrain in North Korea: “Japan is our enemy of 100 years, China is our enemy of 1,000 years.”

Sources:

Is China peeved – or pleased – by North Korean troops in Ukraine? – Radio Free Asia (rfa.org)

White House Says New Ukraine Aid On The Way, As Kyiv Braces For Fresh Attack (rferl.org)

Iceland: Preschool E. coli Outbreak Traced to Mixed Ground Beef

(Photo: Art Bicnick)

An E. coli outbreak at Mánagarður preschool in Reykjavík has been traced to mixed beef and lamb ground meat, which was insufficiently cooked. Eleven children were being monitored at Hringurinn children’s hospital.

According to a statement released on the website of the Icelandic Food and Veterinary Authority (MAST), the E. coli infection originated from mixed beef and lamb ground meat provided by Kjarnafæði, one of the largest food processing companies in Iceland.

The preparation of the meat during cooking was insufficient. This is the conclusion reached by an investigation conducted by Matís – a government-owned independent research company – and MAST. RÚV reported yesterday that the head cook of Mánagarður had tendered their resignation.

The MAST statement notes that the meat was not sold to the general public but was exclusively supplied to large kitchens, such as those in restaurants, cafeterias, and preschools. When suspicions regarding the meat were raised, MAST contacted Kjarnafæði, which promptly notified all clients who received meat from the same batch used at Mánagarður.

“The recall revealed that the buyers had already used it in their operations, though no reports of infection or illness have been noted among other consumers,” the statement reads.

Eleven children were being monitored at Hringurinn Children’s Hospital with four of them in serious condition in the ICU. One child recovered and was discharged.

The Reykjavík Health Inspectorate visited Mánagarður, taking numerous samples of foods used in meal preparation that day, including meat and vegetables. All food samples tested negative for E. coli, except for the ground meat.

Some children who typically do not eat meat also fell ill, though the transmission method remains unconfirmed in these cases. These children may have contracted the infection from other students who attended the preschool after becoming ill but before the facility was closed.

E. coli bacteria are part of the natural gut flora of humans and animals and can be introduced into water, meat, vegetables and other foods during their production. Different types of E. coli exist. Most types of E. coli are harmless, but Shigatoxin-producing E. coli (STEC) carry genes that register for toxins that can cause illness (virulence genes). However, their strains can be pathogenic. Hygiene and proper handling of meat and adequate cooking by users/consumers is therefore key to prevent infection with E. coli, including STEC from meat.

Sources:

Preschool E. coli Outbreak Traced to Mixed Ground Beef (icelandreview.com)

E. coli O145 confirmed in children and mixed minced meat | Food and Veterinary Authority (mast.is)

Four Raccoons Escape from Zoo in England

A zoo in England is asking members of the public to be on the lookout for four female raccoons that escaped from the facility Friday morning.

The Amazon World Zoo Park, near Sandown on the Isle of Wight, said the raccoons managed to escape their enclosure late Thursday night or Friday morning.

Referred to as the “Island” by residents, the Isle of Wight is the largest and second-most populous island in England and a designated UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. In 1970, Jimi Hendrix performed one of his last public concerts on the Isle of Wight, enjoyed by 600,000 to 700,000 spectators.

“If you have a sighting please do not approach them, they are not normally aggressive but will be scared,” the zoo advised on social media.

Officials asked nearly residents to check sheds and bonfire pits, as the animals “sleep during the day and become active at dusk.”

Rowena Welsh, a supervisor at the zoo, said a search has been launched for the masked fugitives.

“They are new here. Everyone is out searching and we have tracker dogs and drones looking for them,” she said.

Source:

Four raccoons escape from zoo in England – UPI.com

Coriolanus shall return to the stage in a few weeks after the election. In the meantime: “Good night, and good luck.”

The late, great CBS war correspondent Edward R. Murrow (25 Apr 1908 – 27 Apr 1965). Those of you unfamiliar with his life and career should read his biography or enjoy the 2005 movie “Good Night, and Good Luck.”

Murder-Death-Kill: IDF Warpath Continues With US Elections Days Away

The IDF and the Likud Party are doing the best they can, young lady, so please be patient. (Undated image)

Israeli strikes killed at least eight people, including six health workers in south Lebanon. The killing of the six Lebanese health workers and the wounding of four others in three separate strikes across south Lebanon brought the death toll of health workers to 178 over the last year, while 279 health workers have been injured. Beirut long accused Jerusalem of targeting its medical personnel and infrastructure, a violation of the Geneva Convention. The IDF also struck reported Hezbollah weapons depots and bases in Syria. In Gaza, at least 46 Palestinians were killed in IDF strikes across the enclave, primarily in the north, where one attack hit a hospital. The Israeli military accuses Palestinians of using the hospital for military purposes and said “dozens of terrorists” have been hiding there, which health officials denied.

An Israeli attack in the occupied West Bank killed three Palestinians. Since Oct 2023, Israeli forces have killed at least 763 Palestinians in Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT) to facilitate the seizure of lands and homes by fanatical Settlers. A few of these maniacs have been sanctioned by the Biden Administration as a token measure, as you read in previous posts.

Over the past 24 hours, Israel amassed at least 67 deaths in all three Arab Killing Zones (AKZ): AKZ-L, AKZ-G, AKZ-W. (Russian President Vladimir Putin has established a Ukrainian Killing Zone or UKZ, which is discussed later.)

Lebanese fighters counterattacked with projectiles, killing one Israeli farmer and four foreign workers. Their nationalities were not disclosed.

One of the IDF strikes in the Nuseirat camp in central Gaza killed at least 16 Palestinians, including a paramedic and two local journalists.

In AKZ-L, Israel issued an evacuation warning to residents of Baalbek for a second consecutive day. The IDF conducted heavy airstrikes targeting Hezbollah in and around the city famed for its Roman temples.

Displaced children, who fled Baalbek city and the nearby towns of Douris and Ain Bourday with their families amid the Israeli onslaught, listen to a story at a school being used as a shelter in Deir Al-Ahmar, east Lebanon, 31 Oct 2024.

Dozens of cars could be seen speeding out of the area after Thursday’s warning, with wafts of black smoke still visible emanating from the town of Douris, where an Israeli strike the previous day destroyed Hezbollah fuel stocks.

Lebanese Shia fighters aim to keep Israeli forces out of Khiyam to prevent the IDF from detonating homes and buildings, as has happened on a large scale in other border towns.

Israeli bulldozers damaged the office of UN aid agency UNRWA in the West Bank’s Nur Shams camp, according to Philippe Lazzarini, the agency’s chief.

The office “can no longer be used,” Lazzarini grimly posted on social media platform X.

An IDF bulldozer operates at the parameter of the Nur Shams refugee camp during the ongoing army operation, in the West Bank city of Tulkarem, 31 Oct 2024. This is what Lebanese Shias are trying to prevent the IDF from doing to their homes. An IDF bulldozer like this killed American peace activist Rachel Corrie in 2003.

The late Rachel Corrie (Undated photo: Wikipedia)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is demanding that Lebanese Hezbollah pull back to north of the Litani River, about 30 km from the Israeli frontier. In addition, Israel wants the Lebanese army to deploy along the border, an international intervention mechanism to enforce the truce, and the IDF to remain free to respond militarily in case of threats. And after abandoning their ancestral homes, where would these Lebanese Shias live?

(Map: worldatlas.com)

Lebanese Hezbollah did not exist before 1982. They organized as a resistance to the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon. Everyone in Lebanon, regardless of their faith, remembers the horrific 1982 Sabra and Shatila massacre. The aftermath led to the resignation of Israeli Defense Minister Ariel Sharon (but he was kept in the cabinet as a “minister without portfolio”). As people in the Middle East did not forget 1982, neither will they forget 2023-24.

Israel’s offensive against the Palestinians in Gaza has killed more than 43,100 people, with Israel claiming the death toll includes thousands of militants. Nakba 2024 has devastated much of the Gaza Strip, while the fighting and Israeli evacuation orders have displaced about 90% of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million people. At this rate of homicide, by year’s end the IDF will have killed close to 50,000 Palestinians while maiming 150,000. Coriolanus has not yet calculated the predicted death toll for of Lebanon.  

The Vietnam War destroyed the legacy of President Lyndon Baines Johnson (LBJ). How will history judge retiring, kind-hearted President Joe Biden? (Artwork: Mr. Dave Chappatte)

Sources:

Middle East fighting rages on several fronts, killing dozens (voanews.com)

Sabra and Shatila massacre – Wikipedia

Finnish Prosecutor Charges Russian Ultranationalist Leader with War Crimes

Russian radical nationalist and accused war criminal Voislav Torden AKA Yan Petrovsky. (Photo: Antifascist-europe,org)

The Finnish Prosecutor-General’s Office has charged Voislav Torden, AKA Yan Petrovsky, a Russian ultranationalist and former commander of the Rusich sabotage group, with war crimes committed in Ukraine in 2014.

Torden faces five counts stemming from his involvement with Rusich, which fought against Ukrainian forces in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

Torden and his group are linked to the deaths of 22 Ukrainian soldiers and the injury of four others. He is accused of war crimes and committing acts of cruelty against both injured and deceased enemy combatants.

Born Yan Petrovsky in 1987 in St. Petersburg, Torden relocated to Oslo in 2004 with his mother. He then regularly visited Russia, where he met former paratrooper and nationalist Aleksandr Milchakov. In 2014, they traveled to Ukraine’s Donbas region to support Russia-backed separatists in their fight against Ukrainian forces.

In Sep 2014, Rusich ambushed a column of the Ukrainian battalion Aidar near Shchastya, with Milchakov later boasting about photographing himself with the bodies of slain Ukrainian soldiers, while members of Rusich reportedly mutilated some of the remains.

In 2016, Torden was deported from Norway to Russia, where he changed his name from Yan Petrovsky to Voislav Torden. He entered Finland in 2023 as a family member of his wife, who received a study permit. Torden was detained on 20 Jul 2023, at Helsinki Airport while attempting to board a flight to Nice, France.

Following his arrest, Ukrainian authorities sought his extradition, but Finland’s Supreme Court denied the request, citing concerns over conditions in Ukrainian prisons and the potential for Torden to face humiliation in custody. Ukraine has charged him with war crimes from the 2014-15 conflict, and he was sanctioned by the US in 2022 for extreme cruelty during combat in the Kharkiv region.

The specifics of his activities in Ukraine during that time remain unclear.

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

Meanwhile, USSECSTATE Antony Blinken said that Russia has been suffering some 1,200 casualties a day in eastern Ukraine, more than at any other time during the war. 8,000 North Korean troops are ready for combat in what will most likely be “meat attacks” against Ukrainian defenders. Blinken stated that Russian President Vladimir Putin turning to North Korean troops “is a clear sign of weakness.”

President Volodimir Zelensky again asked NATO for permission to attack deep targets in Russia following a lethal drone attack on a residential building in Kharkiv.

Police officers stand next to the bodies of people found under the debris of an apartment building that was hit by a Russian air strike in Kharkiv on 31 Oct. Three were killed and scores wounded. Two boys, aged 11 and 15, were among the dead. Putin has turned Ukraine into a killing zone (UKZ), like Netanyahu’s AKZ in the Middle East. (Photo: Reuters)

Sources:

Finnish Prosecutor Charges Russian Ultranationalist Leader With War Crimes (rferl.org)

The Prosecutor’s Office of Finland has charged the leader of the neo-Nazi group “Rusich” Petrovsky with committing war crimes in Ukraine (currenttime.tv)

U.S. Says 8,000 North Korean Troops Ready For Combat In Kursk Region (rferl.org)

Thousands of Passenger Flight Signals Jammed Over Warzones in Ukraine, Middle East

The navigation systems of thousands of passenger aircraft are being disrupted every day as they fly close to conflict zones who warn that the blocking or spoofing technology could one day put lives at risk.

Over the past two years, electronic warfare technology has been deployed to disrupt drones or missiles that use global positioning system or other satellite navigation technology to home in on their targets.

However, the blocking or spoofing of GPS signals also affects commercial aircraft, explained Raphael Monstein, a research associate at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences in Switzerland.

“Spoofing is when an actor sends out malicious signals to all the receivers that are in the coverage area. And it tricks the receiver into believing that it is in a different position than it actually is. And particularly in aviation, that has quite some consequences, which can be quite negative.”

“It has a lot of side effects in the cockpit, and they can range from spurious warnings — obviously the loss of situational awareness because you’re not quite sure when your GPS indicates you’re somewhere else. You can have very different reactions of the aircraft, depending a bit on the aircraft type.”

Monstein and his team in Zurich track GPS interference of civilian aircraft in real time and publish it on an online map.

They have detected an increase in such incidents since the beginning of 2024.

“And they are mainly around conflict zones. One of them would be the Middle East. One would be the Black Sea and around Russia,” he said. “We talk about on an average day about 1,000 aircraft at least being affected by that. And that is a very big scale. That is novel. We haven’t seen that kind of [interference] anywhere in the world so far.”

The disruption isn’t only happening above war zones. In April, Finnair, Finland’s national carrier, suspended flights to Tartu in eastern Estonia near Russia after GPS disruptions prevented two aircraft from landing at the airport. Finnair resumed the flights in June after the airport installed navigation systems that do not rely on GPS. Experts say most airports have such alternative equipment already installed.

Finnair previously reported similar problems when flying close to the Finland-Russia border and the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad. The interference began in 2022, the year Finland applied to join NATO, after Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February of that year.

At the time, Estonia’s defense minister said it was a deliberate Russian tactic.

“We all understand that these hybrid attacks are still very acute. We have to be ready also for these.”

Russia denies seeking to disrupt GPS signals of commercial aircraft.

The Swiss-based researcher contends that back-up systems will help prevent catastrophes, such as the ground proximity warning system. GPS blocking and spoofing also affects navigation systems on the ground. Residents of Moscow have recently complained of malfunctioning smartphone applications, such as map, taxi-hailing or food delivery apps. Experts have linked the disruption to Russian attempts to defend against Ukrainian drone attacks.

Sources:

Thousands of passenger flight signals jammed over war zones in Ukraine, Middle East (voanews.com)

France: Former Intelligence Chief Faces Trial for Attempted Extortion

Bernard Bajolet, former head of France’s foreign intelligence service, is due to face trial for attempted extortion of a businessman who the spy agency claims owes it millions of euros linked to murky investments. © AFP / BERTRAND LANGLOIS

Bernard Bajolet allegedly instructed DGSE agents, which he led from 2013 to 2017, to pressure entrepreneur Alain Duménil, with whom the agency was engaged in a lengthy dispute.

Duménil claims he was detained at a Paris airport as he prepared to board a flight and threatened with harm to himself and his family unless he handed over 15 million euros, an account the DGSE contests.

Now a judge has ruled there is sufficient evidence to try Bajolet for complicity in attempted extortion over the 2016 incident. Bajolet has been ordered to appear in criminal court outside Paris, where he will face the charge of “arbitrary infringement of individual liberty as a holder of public authority.”

The case has provided a rare glimpse into the financial interests of the DGSE, which is entrusted with managing a war chest designed to secure the state in the event of a national emergency. 

Seeded by the reparations damages paid to France after World War I, the capital was kept separate from the agency’s operational budget and placed in investments that helped it grow substantially over the decades. But by the turn of the 21st century, with little external oversight to monitor them, the DGSE’s investments had turned risky and were losing it considerable sums, according to an investigation by Le Monde. 

Seeking to extricate itself from loss-making companies and recover its funds, the service entered into a deal to exchange shares with Duménil in the early 2000s. But the French-Swiss businessman – who has since been sanctioned for tax fraud and other wrongdoing – promptly transferred the remaining assets and liquidated their holding companies, leaving the DGSE with now worthless shares.

The DGSE pursued the case in the courts for over a decade, but failed to recoup a loss it estimates at some 15 million euros.

In March 2016, Duménil alleges, the DGSE resorted to shadier means.

According to statements to investigators seen by Le Monde, he claims he was stopped by border police at Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris and handed over to two plain-clothes DGSE agents.

“‘You robbed the government of 13 million, which today makes 15 million with interest’,” Duménil said one of the agents told him. “‘You have to give it back to us’… He was very threatening, talking about me ending up in a wheelchair or worse.” 

The businessman says the agents also showed him pictures of his family and friends: “They wanted to make me understand that they could also go after any of these people.” 

Multimillionaire Alain Duménil (undated photo)

Duménil was allowed to leave and subsequently filed a complaint, which has been dismissed several times but allowed to stand on appeal. While the identity of the DGSE agents remains classified, director Bajolet was indicted in late 2022 for allegedly ordering their actions. 

A career diplomat, he acknowledges approving the plan to intercept Duménil at the airport, but told investigators he did not give detailed instructions and hoped only to revive discussions between each side’s lawyers. The DGSE denies Duménil was ever detained or threatened. It has not commented on the latest developments in the case.

Bajolet’s trial, for which a date has not yet been set, threatens to bring the agency further scrutiny.

After the judge’s ruling on 23 Oct, Duménil’s lawyers said in a statement: “Beyond the trial of Bernard Bajolet, this will be the trial of the DGSE and the twisting of its work to private ends.”

To raise funds to fight the Vietminh insurgency, the intelligence services traded in opium during the French colonial occupation of Vietnam, as did the Viet Minh. Both sent their agents to peddle the opium in Thailand. French intelligence agencies also raised funds in Southeast Asia by manipulating the overvalued Vietnamese currency, the Piaster, on the black market. The French intelligence services have a mixed bag reputation during their history. They were accurate about an eventual Taliban victory in Afghanistan, but dead wrong about the Russian invasion of Ukraine. And as this incident exposes, there is little oversight of the DGSE.  

On 10 July 1985 in Auckland, NZ, the DGSE sank the Rainbow Warrior, a Greenpeace ship protesting nuclear testing in the Pacific Ocean.  A Portuguese photographer was killed.  30 years later Jean-Luc Kister, the DGSE frogman responsible for the explosion, apologized on French national TV.

Sources:

France’s former intelligence chief faces trial for attempted extortion (rfi.fr)

French Indochina: Opium Espionage and “Operation X” (akha.org)

Dirty Wars: French and American Piaster Profiteering in Indochina, 1945-75 ダーティー・ウォーズ　インドシナにおける仏米ピアストル暴利　1945-75年 – The Asia-Pacific Journal: Japan Focus (apjjf.org)

The French secret service and its ‘war chest’ caught in the nets of the justice system (lemonde.fr)

Italy: Botulism Sickens Eight; Kills One

Bar Necci, a typical bistro in Rome’s multicultural Pigneto neighborhood with working-class Roman roots.

After six patrons at an unspecified bar in the Pigneto district of Rome recently ate sandwiches contaminated with botulism, two other cases emerged. One woman died and her daughter has been hospitalized with serious symptoms after they had eaten frozen artichoke soup, purchased in a supermarket. The two women began to feel seriously unwell shortly after eating. For the older of the two, the poisoning would have been fulminant and she died shortly after admittance to the Sant’Eugenio hospital in Rome. Her daughter spent a week in intensive care. 

The public prosecutor’s office in Rome has opened an investigation. The prosecutor, Fabio Santoni, delegated the Nas carabinieri for the investigation. When the investigators went to the commercial establishment where the product was presumed to have been purchased, they realized that the batch had already been replaced. Investigators are trying to determine how the chain of preservation of the frozen foods led to the death of one person and the serious illness of the other. There is no information suggesting the six bar patrons who dined in the Pigneto bar died from the botulism.

According to the CDC, botulism is a rare but serious illness. It is caused by a toxin that attacks the body’s nerves and causes difficulty breathing, muscle paralysis, and even death. The toxin is made by Clostridium botulinum and related bacteria. There are five main kinds of botulism and all are medical emergencies. Improperly home-canned, preserved, or fermented foods can provide the right conditions for spores to grow and make botulinum toxin.

Sources:

Rome, botulinum in artichoke soup: a woman died – LaPresse

Colorado Animal Murderer Sentenced to Prison for Assaulting Law Enforcement During 6 Jan Attack on US Capitol

(Photo: FBI)

Patrick Montgomery (51) of Littleton, CO was sentenced to 37 months in prison and 36 months of supervised release by the Honorable US District Judge Randolph D. Moss for assaulting law enforcement personnel on 6 Jan 2021.

On the morning of 6 Jan 2021, Montgomery and co-defendants Brady Knowlton and Gary Wilson met at the Yours Truly hotel in Washington, DC and attended the “Stop the Steal” rally. After the protest, the three defendants made their way to the West Front of the US Capitol building, crossing over inside the restricted perimeter.

When they confronted a police line, Montgomery grabbed a law enforcement officer’s baton and attempted to wrestle it away from him. The officer held onto the baton and fell to the ground with Montgomery. The two then attempted to wrestle control of the baton from each other while Knowlton and Wilson watched nearby. During the scuffle, Montgomery kicked the police officer in the chest.

The three maniacs then made their way near the Senate Floor, where they confronted a USCP officer. Knowlton yelled at the officer: “This is not about us. This is bigger than me, it’s bigger than you. It’s about this – everyone’s right to self-government . . . We’re with you guys. You think these people in this building would fight for you?” Montgomery yelled: “You gotta stop doing your job sometime and start being American. You gotta quit doing your job and be an American!” Wilson yelled: “We came all the way from our job to do your job, and the freaking Senators’ job!”

After this confrontation, the defendants exited the Capitol building. The FBI arrested Montgomery on 17 Jan 2021 in Colorado.

Here Patrick Montgomery proudly poses with two other miscreants on 6 Jan 2021, presumably Brady Knowlton and Gary Wilson. Co-defendant Brady Knowlton is awaiting sentencing. Gary Wilson was previously sentenced to 30 days incarceration followed by 12 months supervised release for his heinous conduct on 6 Jan 2021.

In the nearly four years since 6 Jan 2021, more than 1,532 suspects have been charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to attacking the US Capitol, including more than 571 seditionists charged with feloniously assaulting or impeding law enforcement. The FBI investigation remains ongoing.

Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.

This abomination proudly murdered a defenseless mountain lion. Cretinous Patrick Montgomery told Colorado gaming officials that he had killed the animal during a March hunt, but a background check unearthed a 1996 conviction that barred the Capitol rioter from owning a firearm. (Undated photo: mediate.com; the-sun.com.)

Patrick Montgomery, Brady Knowlton, and Gary Wilson come from exactly what 2016 Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton hailed as a “basket of deplorables.” These “useful idiots,” white supremacist supporters of Donald Trump, heeded his imbecilic call and then threw away the shambles of their lives with these felony convictions.

For the odious animal-killing Patrick Montgomery, the state of Colorado hosts at least three federal prisons to house him for the next three years. The BOP guards should be issued clothespins for their nostrils.  

Sources:

District of Columbia | Colorado Man Sentenced to Prison for Assaulting Law Enforcement During the Jan. 6 Capitol Breach | United States Department of Justice

Capitol riot suspect, 48, under house arrest after shooting mountain lion in breach of ex-con’s gun ban | The US Sun (the-sun.com)

Unheard Frédéric Chopin Work Discovered

Frédéric Chopin (Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Last month, a German library unearthed a previously unknown Mozart composition. Now, a Manhattan museum curator has found what appears to be a long-lost composition by Frédéric Chopin, the first of its kind to be discovered in over half a century.

Curator Robinson McClellan, who is also a composer, found the piece while sorting through a collection of cultural memorabilia in the vault of the Morgan Library & Museum. It’s written on a scrap about the size of an index card, with Chopin’s name written. After a lot of testing and, presumably, many experts’ corroborations, they confirmed that it’s almost certainly a genuine Chopin composition. Before the Polish composer died in 1849 at age 39, he wrote only about 250 known works — much less than his more prolific contemporaries — so there’s some extra magic in coming across a previously unheard piece by him.

Curators are confident that the work is authentic. There are doodles on the page and an oddly-drawn bass clef, which correlate to other original Chopin findings, despite the music itself sounding a bit different than other works. Lang Lang recently recorded the waltz for the New York Times; he told the publication that while it’s “not the most complicated music by Chopin, it is one of the most authentic Chopin styles that you can imagine.”

You may listen to it here.

Sources:

A Previously Unheard Chopin Work Has Been Found (stereogum.co

A Post-Halloween Emeth

Arab Killing Zones (AKZ): IDF Strikes Kill 115 in North Gaza, 60 in Lebanon

Palestinian first responders remove a body from the rubble of a five-story residential building hit by an Israeli strike in Beit Lahia, in the northern Gaza Strip, on 29 Oct 2024. (Photo: AFP)

Palestinian health officials said an Israeli airstrike Tuesday hit a five-story residential building in northern Gaza, killing at least 115 people.

The Gaza Strip, Lebanon, and to a great extent the West Bank, is an “AKZ” or “Arab Killing Zone” for the Likud Party and the IDF. The Israeli term is “Nakba,” which is Arabic for “catastrophe.” Over the past 24 hours, the IDF liquidated 175 victims in the AKZ without trial,  judicial hearing, or concern for collateral damage and nearby innocent victims. Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch use the term “XJK,” short for “Extra-Judicial Killings.” The Likud Party definition of “co-existence” with Arabs is child-like in simplicity: “We exist, you do not.”

In the northern sector of the IDF AKZ, at least 60 people were liquidated in IDF attacks on Lebanon’s eastern Bekaa Valley. Two children were among those killed in strikes which targeted 12 areas in the Baalbek region. 58 Arabs were wounded and rescue efforts were under way. Baalbek governor Bachie Khodr called the attacks the “most violent” in the area since Israel began its “special military operation” against Hezbollah last month.

Map: BBC News.

Israel has carried out thousands of air strikes across the northern AKZ (Lebanon) over the past five weeks. Unverified video posted on social media showed damage to buildings and forests ablaze, as rescuers searched for the injured.

Hezbollah fighters resisted Israeli troops near Lebanon’s southern border and fired rockets at a naval base inside Israel near Haifa.

Cross-border hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah broke out after the armed Lebanese group started firing rockets in and around northern Israel in support of Palestinians on 8 Oct 2023, the day after its ally conducted a brazen raid to seize Israeli citizens in order to conduct a future prisoner swap. Over 2,000 Palestinians (may be more by other accounts) had been held in IDF security detention without hearing or trial according to Amnesty International.

Israel invaded the northern AKZ (Lebanon) in a dramatic escalation on 30 Sep to destroy Hezbollah weapons and infrastructure in “limited, localised, targeted raids.” But Israeli Likud PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s “special military operation” has internally displaced up to 1.3 million Lebanese people, killing 2,600 of them and wounding over 12,400 in the AKZ. Lebanon’s medical infrastructure is being destroyed by the IDF in what Beirut says is deliberate and a war crime under the Geneva Convention.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres criticized legislation passed by the Israeli parliament banning the main UN aid agency for the Palestinians, UNRWA. The law is set to go into effect in 90 days, which Guterres said “could have devastating consequences” for Palestinian refugees.

The Likud Party and the IDF do not want witnesses to ethnic cleansing nor do they want Palestinians to receive any humanitarian or medical assistance. We are witnessing the Gaza Strip become the most inhospitable place in the universe for human beings.  

In the north AKZ, the Lebanon-based group Hezbollah announced that Sheikh Naim Kassem is its new leader, following the killing of longtime leader Hassan Nasrallah in a Sep 2024 Israeli airstrike in Beirut.

The group’s Shura Council elected Kassem, announcing that these Shia Muslims would continue Nasrallah’s policies of resistance to Israel and support for Sunni Palestinians. Kassem served as Hezbollah’s deputy leader for more than three decades.

Israel’s Nakba against Gaza, the southern and western portion of the AKZ, has killed more than 43,000 Palestinians (half of them women and children). Israel alleges the death toll includes thousands of terrorists. At this rate, by year’s end approximately 50,000 Palestinians would have been eradicated while 150,000 will have been maimed. The Israeli Nakba campaign has devastated much of the Gaza Strip, while the fighting and Israeli evacuation orders have displaced around 90% of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million Arabs.

Rene Lichtman, a Jewish survivor of the Holocaust, said on 24 Jan 2024: “Israel is committing war crimes in Gaza. We’ve got to fight back.”

Holocaust survivor Rene Lichtman at a protest against Israel’s Nakba against Gaza. (WSWS© Photo: New York Post)

Monsieur Lichtman, these brave young Israeli teenagers below may have heard you.  

Israeli conscientious objectors. Approximately 63 high school students signed a public letter declaring that they will refuse to be drafted into the IDF to participate in the Nakba. One brave young man has already been imprisoned for refusing induction into the IDF. (Image by AFSC.org)

Meanwhile, International Criminal Court (ICC) war crimes prosecutor Karim Khan KC is patiently awaiting Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu and DM Yoav Gallant at the Hague for creating the horrendous AKZ in the Middle East called the Gaza Strip. (Photo: BBC)

Sources:

Lebanon says 60 killed in Israel strikes on Bekaa Valley in east (bbc.com)

Israeli strike kills at least 60 in northern Gaza, health officials say (voanews.com)

Israeli Teens Tell Netanyahu They Won’t Serve IDF (forward.com)

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

Israeli strikes in Gaza kill 115, most in apartment building in Beit Lahia in the north – UPI.com

Israel/OPT: Horrifying cases of torture and degrading treatment of Palestinian detainees amid spike in arbitrary arrests   – Amnesty International(7) Middle East Live Updates: Israel’s Parliament Passes Bill That Threatens UNRWA’s Work – The New York Times (nytimes.com)

Drones Attack ‘Spetsnaz University’ In Russia’s Chechnya

Fire atop the roof of a building on the campus of “Spetsnaz University” after drone attacks on 29 Oct. (Photo: RFE/RL)

For the first time since Moscow launched its full-scale of illegal invasion of Ukraine in Feb 2022, the territory of Russia’s North Caucasus region of Chechnya has been targeted by drone attacks. Chechnya’s Kremlin-backed authoritarian leader Ramzan Kadyrov wrote on Telegram on 29 Oct that drones had attacked the building of the so-called “Spetsnaz (Special Forces) University” named after President Vladimir Putin in the Chechen city of Gudermes, some 500 km from Ukraine’s borders and west of the capital, Grozhny.

(Map: worldatlas.com)

According to Kadyrov, there were no casualties and a fire atop the roof was extinguished. Kiev did not comment. The Chechen warlord had said thousands of men went through special training in the facility before joining Russian troops in Ukraine. 

Chechen personnel in Ukraine. Akhmat Special Forces have distinguishing trademark sideburns. Undated photo: east2westnews.com via www.ar15.com)

Russian air defenses were unable to neutralize this drone attack which made it completely through Chechen territory. This symbolic attack alerts the Chechens that the Ukrainians can reach out to them and that there is a price to pay for assisting Vladimir Putin.

Kremlin satrap Ramzan Kadyrov stands proudly in the center. (Undated photo: Yelena Afonina /TASS / Reuters)

Sources:

Drones Attack ‘Spetsnaz University’ In Russia’s Chechnya (rferl.org)

Ukrainian Imprisoned for Assassinating Ex-Commander of Russian Submarine

The late Stanislav Rzhitski fired drones at Ukrainian civilians. (RFE/RL file photo)

The Krasnodar regional court in Russia’s southwest has sentenced Serhiy Denysenko, a Ukrainian-Russian dual citizen, to 25 years in prison for killing the former commander of a Russian submarine implicated in the shelling of Ukrainian territories in 2022.

The court also ordered Denysenko to pay five million rubles ($51,350) to the father of Stanislav Rzhitsky as compensation in the shooting death.

The court pronounced the ruling on 29 Oct after finding Denysenko, who obtained Russian citizenship in March 2023, guilty of murder, illegal weapon possession, and high treason.

Denysenko was arrested on 11 July 2023, a day after Rzhitsky (42) was killed in the city of Krasnodar while jogging. The assailant fired several shots from a pistol with a silencer and struck Rzhitsky four times. Rzhitsky, who served at the time as a deputy head of the department for mobilization work in Krasnodar, died at the scene.

(Map: Britannica.com)

Russian prosecutors claimed that the Security Service of Ukraine was behind the attack. The chief of Ukraine’s Military Intelligence, Kyrylo Budanov, rejected the claim, saying the anti-war sentiments among Russian military may have triggered the assassination.

Rzhitsky used to command the Krasnodar submarine in the Russian Navy.

According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the Krasnodar is a diesel-electric submarine built for the Black Sea Fleet and designed “to fight surface ships and submarines, lay mines, and conduct reconnaissance.”

The Krasnodar is equipped with Kalibr cruise missiles, and Ukrainian authorities claimed that the vessel had participated in the shelling of the Ukrainian city of Vinnytsya in July 2022, firing its Kalibr cruise missiles from the Black Sea.

(Graphics: iswnews.com)

In addition, a person with the same name as Stanislav Rzhitski is in the database of a Ukrainian website that collects information on war crimes allegedly conducted by the Russian military.

The website claims that Rzhitski was the commander of the Alrosa submarine and was directly involved in the military invasion of Ukraine. Unclear is when Rzhitsky left the submarine fleet for the post of deputy head of the department for mobilization work in Krasnodar.

Serhiy Denysenko, a karate black belt, will suffer a brutal sentence in a Russian prison or gulag. Sensei Serhiy has a slight glimmer of hope, though. Since he was not executed, he may be exchanged in a future prisoner swap between Kiev and Moscow.   

Sources:

Ukrainian Jailed For Murdering Ex-Commander Of Russian Submarine (rferl.org)

Disgraced US Navy Reserve Officer Sentenced for Bribery Scheme Involving State Dept Special Immigrant Visas (SIV) Program

Heroic-looking Cmdr. Jeromy Pittmann, seen here as a lieutenant commander in Afghanistan in 2014. (Photo: Patrick Gordon / US Navy)

Disgraced US Navy Reserve Commander Jeromy Pittmann (53) of Pensacola, FL, was sentenced today to 30 months in prison for his role in a years-long bribery scheme involving Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs) for Afghan nationals.

He accepted bribe payments from Afghan nationals in exchange for drafting, submitting, and verifying fraudulent letters of recommendation for Afghan nationals who applied for SIVs with the US Department of State.

Pittmann signed over 20 letters in which he fraudulently represented that he personally knew and had supervised the Afghan national visa applicants while they worked as translators in support of the US military and NATO. Pittman testified in those letters that the applicants’ lives were in jeopardy because the Taliban considered them to be traitors. He also wrote that he believed the applicants did not pose any threat to the national security of the US. In fact, Pittmann had no knowledge of the applicants whatsoever. In exchange for the fraudulent letters, Pittmann received several thousands of dollars in bribes.

To avoid detection, Pittmann received the bribe money through an intermediary and created false invoices purporting to show that Pittmann was receiving the money for legitimate work unrelated to his military service.

The SIV system has come under scrutiny after an Afghan man living in Oklahoma was charged earlier this month with allegedly plotting a terror attack on Election Day on behalf of the Islamic State (IS) terror group.

Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi (27) worked for CIA as a security guard in Afghanistan before entering the US in 2021 on a SIV. Authorities assess that Tawhedi became radicalized after he arrived in the US.

Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi is seen making the “Tawhid” gesture in an undated photo. He is under arrest. (Photo: FBI)


This disgraced USNR field grade officer endangered US national security and threw his life and career away over sheer greed. As a US Navy Reserve Commander (O-5) on active-duty, Pittmann’s monthly base pay was between $6,725.70 to $11,426.70.

If any of Pittmann’s Afghan SIV applicants conduct an attack in the US, his sentence has the potential to be reviewed and increased. There is no public information available whether the US Navy is recalling him to active-duty for court-martial, reduction in grade and pay, or dishonorable discharge under the UCMJ.


Source:

https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/us-navy-reserve-officer-sentenced-bribery-scheme-involving-department-states-approval

US: Iowa Resident Dies of Rare Lassa Fever

The current risk of Lassa virus transmission in the US is “incredibly low,” Iowa’s medical director says. (Image: CS Goldsmith, P. Rollin, M. Bowen/CDC)

A resident of eastern Iowa who had recently traveled to West Africa died after catching Lassa fever. The virus, which is in the same viral hemorrhagic fever category as Ebola, is rarely seen in the US.

The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services announced the death Monday but did not release the person’s name and disclosed few details about them. Preliminary tests were presumptively positive for the virus and the CDC is working to confirm the diagnosis.

The department said the person was middle-aged and had traveled to West Africa, where it is believed they contracted the virus. The current risk of transmission in the US is “incredibly low,” according to Iowa State Medical Director Dr. Robert Kruse.

Each year, about 100,000 to 300,000 people become infected with Lassa fever in West Africa, where the disease is endemic, according to the Center for Infectious Disease Research & Policy at the University of Minnesota. Since 1969, there have been only eight known cases in the US, all of them travel-related.

It’s even rarer for someone to die from Lassa fever. The disease has an overall fatality rate of just 1%, according to the World Health Organization. In severe cases, the patient may have bleeding; difficulty breathing; pain in the chest, back and abdomen; and vomiting. Someone with milder symptoms may develop a slight fever, feel tired or have a headache. Most people who are infected with Lassa virus have no symptoms at all.

Lassa fever can spread between humans but not through casual contact. Typically, the virus spreads only when someone comes into contact with an infected person’s bodily fluids.

Lassa fever most commonly spreads through the multimammate rat in West Africa. People can get sick after touching objects contaminated with rat feces or urine, or after eating food that’s been contaminated. Some people also get sick after eating the rats themselves, according to the CDC.

Natal multimammate rat. (Photo: http://www.iNaturalist.org)

Prompt treatment is considered key for Lassa fever. Ribavirin, a broad-spectrum antiviral that works well against RNA viruses and is also used to treat hepatitis C, is the primary treatment.

The Iowa Department of Health is investigating and monitoring the situation in conjunction with the CDC and local public health partners. The agencies are trying to determine who may have had close contact with the patient, who had been treated in isolation at the University of Iowa Health Care Medical Center.

The CDC says the patient was not sick while traveling, so the risk to other airline passengers is extremely low.

Sources:

State and Hospital Officials Follow Federal Guidance After Lassa Fever Death | Health & Human Services (iowa.gov)

About Lassa Fever | Lassa Fever | CDC

Iowa resident dies of rare Lassa fever, officials say | CNN

Vladimir Putin Oversees Large-Scale Nuclear Response Drills as Tensions with NATO Run High

RS-24 Yars (MIRV-equipped, thermonuclear armed intercontinental ballistic missiles AKA SS-29s),  Each missile is thought to be able to carry up to four warheads.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has overseen an extensive nuclear exercise simulating a retaliatory strike involving missile launches, putting Russia’s nuclear capabilities front and centre as tensions with the West over Ukraine continue to escalate. 

Speaking via video with military leaders on Tuesday, Putin confirmed the drills are designed to simulate the actions of top officials in a nuclear response, involving launches of both ballistic and cruise missiles.

Defence Minister Andrei Belousov stated that the exercise aims to practice “strategic offensive forces launching a massive nuclear strike in response to a nuclear strike by the enemy”. 

The drills included the test-firing of a Yars intercontinental ballistic missile from the Plesetsk launch site, intercontinental ballistic missiles launched from submarines in the Barents Sea and the Sea of Okhotsk, and long-range cruise missiles deployed by Tu-95 strategic bombers. 

The Russian Ministry of Defense confirmed that all missiles successfully hit their targets.  

Putin, who has frequently highlighted Russia’s nuclear capabilities to discourage Western support for Ukraine, described Russia’s nuclear arsenal as a “reliable guarantor” of sovereignty and security. 

He reiterated Russia’s stance that nuclear weapons are a last resort, and announced ongoing modernization efforts for Russia’s nuclear forces to improve their precision, speed, and resistance to missile defenses. 

In recent months, Putin has also issued a stern warning that if Western arms donors permit Ukraine to strike deep into Russian territory with weapons they have supplied, they would be risking a direct war between his country and the NATO alliance.

He has also revised Russia’s nuclear doctrine, which now considers a conventional attack by a non-nuclear country allied with a nuclear power as grounds for a joint response, potentially including nuclear weapons. 

These exercises follow other recent drills with Belarus, a Russian ally hosting some of Moscow’s tactical nuclear arms.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is saber-rattling ahead of the US presidential election. These drills are a message that the Kremlin is serious about Western assistance to Ukraine. Nuclear delivery systems do undergo routine readiness drills, but the timing of this is political. After many years, the US relocated nuclear delivery systems closer to Europe after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Source:

Vladimir Putin oversees large-scale nuclear response drills as tensions with NATO run high | Euronews

Illinois Militant Pleads Guilty to Assaulting Law Enforcement During 6 Jan Attack on US Capitol

Joseph Bierbrodt

Joseph Bierbrodt (55) of Sheridan, IL pleaded guilty to obstruction of law enforcement during a civil disorder and assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers, both felony offenses, for his atrocious conduct on 6 Jan 2021. The Honorable US District Judge Christopher R. Cooper will sentence Joseph Bierbrodt on 3 Feb 2025.

Bierbrodt and his brother, William Bierbrodt, attended the “Stop the Steal” rally on 6 Jan 2021, in Washington, DC and then made their way toward the US Capitol building. The two eventually arrived at the Northwest Terrace and approached the Parliamentarian Door, which was locked to prevent rioters from further accessing the building. William Bierbrodt then used his cane to smash the door window and reach his hand inside, unlocking the door.

William Bierbrodt used his cane to break into the Capitol. (Photo: Roberto Schmidt / AFP via Getty Images)

With the door now open, Joseph Bierbrodt and other rioters entered the Capitol. Immediately upon entering the Capitol, Joseph Bierbrodt grabbed a USCP officer by the upper torso and pushed him into a wall.  He then spun the officer around and shoved the officer into the arms of another rioter. After the assault, Joseph Bierbrodt moved to a location in the Senate Wing, where he met a line of police officers restricting his access further into the building. Both brothers finally departed the US Capitol hours later.

Joseph Bierbrodt (L) and William Bierbrodt (R) at the US Capitol on 6 Jan 2021. Both brothers are military veterans. (Photo: FBI)

The FBI arrested both Joseph Bierbrodt and William Bierbrodt on 26 July 2023, in Sheridan, IL. William Bierbrodt is still on trial.

In the nearly four years since 6 Jan 2021, more than 1,532 suspects have been charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to attacking the US Capitol, including more than 571 seditionists charged with feloniously assaulting or impeding law enforcement. The FBI investigation remains ongoing.

Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.

These two whiteist neanderthals, US military veterans, heeded the idiotic call of Donald Trump that the US is being undermined by liberals and the minorities stole the 2020 election. After the cane-swinging imbecile is found guilty in court, both siblings would have thrown their lives away with these federal felony convictions over ignorance and hatred.

Source:

District of Columbia | Illinois Man Pleads Guilty to Assaulting Law Enforcement During Jan. 6 Capitol Breach | United States Department of Justice

Joseph Bierbrodt Statement of Facts.pdf (justice.gov)

French Brand Tops Mercury Contamination in Europe’s Tuna

Mercury contamination has been found in cans of tuna tested across Europe, with some samples containing four times the permitted level, two NGOs warned. The highest level was found in cans sold by French brand Petit Navire.

Bluefin tuna fished off Calabria, Italy. (According to the NGOs, tuna remains the most consumed fish in Europe. Photo: Reuters / Tony Gentile)

Tests carried out by NGOs Bloom and Foodwatch showed all 148 cans tested positive for mercury contamination. The samples were bought in France, Germany, England, Spain and Italy.

Mercury is “one of the ten substances of greatest concern in the world, like asbestos or arsenic,” said the organisations. Its derivative, methylmercury, is classified as a “possible carcinogen” by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).

More than half the tested cans contained mercury levels higher than those permitted for other fish species.

While mercury content in fish like pollack or cod must not exceed 0.3 mg/kg, the limit for tuna is set at 1 mg/kg.

The NGOs criticized this discrepancy and called for authorities to impose the lower 0.3 mg/kg limit on tuna – Europe’s most consumed fish.

“This metal is a powerful neurotoxicant and low doses consumed regularly are enough to cause serious disorders of the nervous system in children and attack the brain functioning of adults,” said the NGOs.

The highest concentration was found in French brand Petit Navire at 3.9 mg/kg. Spain’s Carrefour products followed with 2.5 mg/kg, while Italian brand As do Mar showed levels up to 1.5 mg/kg.

Bloom and Foodwatch demanded authorities stop the sale of tuna products exceeding 0.3 mg/kg of mercury. They also called for bans in nurseries, hospitals, maternity wards, retirement homes, and school canteens.

Source:

French brand tops mercury contamination in Europe’s tuna (rfi.fr)

https://www.iarc.who.int/

A Mutt Known as ‘Houdini’ for Ability to Elude Capture Finally Nabbed in New Orleans

(Photo: Brett Duke / The Times-Picayune / The New Orleans Advocate via AP)

Dubbed on social media as the “Houdini” of New Orleans’ Mid-City neighborhood, Scrim — a scruffy, mixed-breed dog that was on the lam for more than six months after escaping his yard — has finally been caught.

The 13-pound runaway was captured with the use of a tranquilizer dart. New Orleans news outlets report that he is missing a chunk out of his ear and has various abrasions. Also, X-rays revealed two projectiles — possibly small bullets or air rifle pellets — were lodged inside his little body.

Veterinarian Dr. Mary Miller told The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate she couldn’t be positive what type of weapon had been used, since she decided to leave the projectiles embedded in the dog’s flesh. “We’re probably not going to remove them,” Miller said, “because they’re not going to cause an issue.”

Despite his injuries, Miller said, Scrim’s condition “wasn’t awful.”

Michelle Cheramie, owner of the nonprofit Zeus Rescues in New Orleans, said she had rescued Scrim from a south Louisiana dog pound where he was in jeopardy of euthanasia. Scrim was eventually adopted by a family in Mid-City, but soon escaped.

He soon became the talk of the neighborhood, and a bit of a star on social media where people posted videos from cellphones and security cameras whenever he was spotted. He managed to elude traps and would-be captors with nets and tranquilizer guns.

Finally, Cheramie got a call that Scrim had been sighted. She grabbed her tranquilizer gun and a group of volunteers showed up at the scene.

“WE GOT HIM!!!!” Cheramie posted on social media.

Once he’s fully healthy, he will be adopted again. Tammy Murray, co-founder of the nonprofit New Orleans Animal Welfare Society, told the newspaper she plans to take him in.

Scrim being taken for walk at animal hospital in New Orleans, LA. (Photo: Brett Duke / The Times-Picayune / The New Orleans Advocate via AP)

Source:

Dog dubbed ‘Houdini’ finally captured in New Orleans | AP News

Gaza De-Population Campaign Continues

Palestinians waiting for bread 28 Oct 2024. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi said the Gaza Strip is on the brink of a famine. (Photo: Mohammed Salem / Reuters)

96 Palestinians were killed and 277 wounded in the Gaza Strip over the last 48 hours. At least 43,020 people have been killed and 101,110 wounded in Israeli military attacks on Gaza since 7 Oct 2023. At this rate of homicide, by year’s end the Likud Party and the IDF will have killed close to 50,000 Palestinians while maiming 150,000 in the Gaza Strip. The IDF detained approximately 100 Palestinians at Kamal Adwan Hospital. The people apprehended included fighters who attempted to escape during the evacuation of civilians, an army statement claimed. The IDF reported that weapons, funds and intelligence documents were found in the hospital and surrounding area. Israel’s forces “arrested and deported all the medical staff” at Kamal Adwan Hospital, except one unidentified individual.

IDF jets attacked the city of Tyre, Lebanon, killing at least seven people and wounding 17 others. Beirut accuses Jerusalem of intentionally trying to destroy its medical infrastructure. (Photo: Ahmad Kaddoura / Anadolu)

Hard working CIA Director William J. Burns was meeting in Qatar with his Israeli counterpart, David Barnea of the Mossad, to re-start negotiations for a cease-fire and a release of the hostages.  Mr. Barnea, who studied in the US years ago, had urged Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu to negotiate with Palestinian resistance leaders immediately in order to release the Israeli captives. At the time of the surprise attack on Israel (7 Oct 2023), at least 2,000 Palestinians were being held in security detention without hearing or trial. Other reports cited larger numbers of detentions and torture. In Nov 2023 the first prisoner swap between the Palestinian captors and the IDF concluded. Afterwards, Netanyahu opted for a permanent solution to the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. USSECSTATE Antony Blinken met with Israeli leaders at least 11 times for cease-fire negotiations, but this was all kabuki theater. According to some people close to Joe Biden, he felt betrayed by being pushed out in favor of VPOTUS Kamala Harris to take on GOP candidate Donald Trump. Then, Biden felt “humiliated” by Netanyahu who only played lip-service to him about a cease-fire before the all-important US presidential elections. Netanyahu, indicted as a war criminal by the Hague like his fellow war-monger Russian President Vladimir Putin, effectively tarnished Joe Biden’s legacy as he winds down his multi-decade career of American public service.  

Sources:

(4) Updates LIVE: Israel’s three-week siege of northern Gaza kills at least 1,000 (aljazeera.com)

U.S. and Israeli Spy Chiefs Meet for Gaza Cease-Fire Talks: Live Updates – The New York Times (nytimes.com)

Barnea takes over Mossad; Cohen: Mossad struck deep into Iran’s heart – Israel News – The Jerusalem Post (jpost.com)

Israel/OPT: Horrifying cases of torture and degrading treatment of Palestinian detainees amid spike in arbitrary arrests   – Amnesty International

Kim Jong-Un’s Close Aide in Russia Overseeing North Korean Troops

Kim Jong Un (C) inspecting a special operations training base of the Korean People’s Army while enjoying a smoke. General Kim Young Bok, Vice Chief of the Korean People’s Army General Staff, is second from right. (Undated photo: Rodong Sinmun·News1)

General Kim Young Bok, a close aide to leader Kim Jong Un, has arrived in Russia to oversee North Korean troops there helping Russia in its war against Ukraine.

The North Korean troops are mobilizing near the front lines in Ukraine. An estimated 12,000 North Korean troops, including 500 officers and three generals, were in Russia undergoing training.

Russian President Vladimir Putin declined to deny or confirm that North Korea had sent troops to help his army. The arrival of the North Koreans has raised fears in Ukraine, its Western allies and South Korea about what they see as a dangerous escalation of the Ukrainian war.

Ukraine’s military intelligence agency that Russia was transporting North Korean soldiers to the front lines in trucks with civilian license plates. Russian police stopped a Kamaz truck with civilian license plates on the Kursk-Voronezh highway which was reportedly loaded with North Korean military personnel, but the driver did not have documented combat orders.

South Korean NIS (FKA KCIA) reported that North Korean soldiers will receive $2,000 per month in pay, but the Ukrainian government-run news platform United24 said that that most likely this money would “remain with the state.”

Separately, The New York Times reported that the first North Korean troops had made the nearly 6,500 km (4,038 mile) journey to the Kursk region, with thousands more arriving daily.

Citing troop movement data from a senior Ukrainian military officer, the newspaper said that as many as 5,000 North Korean soldiers were expected to have arrived this week.

South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) released a satellite image by Airbus Defense and Space showing Russia’s Khabarovsk military facility, where the NIS said North Korean personnel are gatherung. (Photo: AFP)

As expected, (and posted here on Coriolanus) Ukraine initiated a PSYOP program to induce these North Korean soldiers to surrender.

“We appeal to the soldiers of the Korean People’s Army who were sent to support the Putin regime. Don’t die senselessly on foreign soil. Do not repeat the fate of hundreds of thousands of Russian soldiers who will never return home.”

(Ukrainian Defense Intelligence Directorate, or GUR, prepared this Korean-language message on its Telegram messaging channel).

“Surrender! Ukraine will provide you with shelter, food, and warmth,” it added, introducing its surrender hotline “I Want to Live.”

Ukraine promises food and shelter to North Korean soldiers if they surrender. The “I Want to Live” project released a video offering food and shelter to North Korean soldiers who surrender during the war in Ukraine. (RFA English)

There should be no surprises in this reporting that North Korean supremo Kim Jong-Un would send a trusted aide to overwatch the deployment of his cannon fodder and that Pyongyang would keep the soldier’s renumeration for fighting and dying against Ukraine. Kiev’s PSYOP program was to be expected as they have been inducing Russian soldiers to surrender since Putin’s brutal invasion began in Feb 2022. The next development to monitor is whether South Korea begins transferring potent mass casualty weapons and trainers to Ukraine in response.

Sources:

Kim Jong Un’s close aide in Russia overseeing North Korean troops: report – Radio Free Asia (rfa.org)

Ukraine urges North Korean soldiers to surrender, offering food, shelter – Radio Free Asia (rfa.org)

Russia pays North Korean soldiers about $2,000 a month: South’s spy agency – Radio Free Asia (rfa.org)

France: Why Are They Suddenly Deporting Kurdish Activists?

Demonstrators hold the Kurdistan flag during a rally in Paris in 2016 to protest against Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan after 11 HDP lawmakers were detained as part of a terror-related investigation. (Photo: Francois Mori / AP)

In March and April, France deported three Kurdish activists to Turkiye: Firaz Korkmaz (24), Mehmet Kopal (37), and Serhat Gultekin (28). All were suspected of having close ties to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which has been in conflict with the Turkish state for 40 years. France, along with its Western allies, considers the PKK a terrorist organisation. Approximately 150,000 Kurds reside in France.

The Kurdish Democratic Council of France (CDKF), an umbrella group of 27 Kurdish associations, has condemned the deportations and warned that more cases are under investigation.

In late April, eight Kurdish men were arrested, accused of extorting funds from the Kurdish community to support PKK activities, which is seen as financing terrorism.

French authorities also raided exiled Kurdish broadcasters Sterk TV and Medya Haber TV in Belgium at the request of the French judiciary. The CDKF says this level of action is unprecedented. Prior to April, no Kurdish activists had been handed over to Turkiye since 2019, when diplomatic relations between Paris and Ankara hit a low point.

The friction was partly due to France’s support for the Kurdish YPG, which was fighting the Islamic State in Syria, but is viewed by Turkiye as an extension of the PKK.

Since April, French authorities have revoked refugee status from 50 Kurdish militants and deported the three activists. The case of Serhat Gultekin has drawn particular concern.

A member of Turkiye’s pro-Kurdish HDP party, Gultekin had been reportedly tortured and persecuted in Turkiye before fleeing to France in 2017. He applied for political asylum and continued his activism in exile. In April 2023, Gultekin and ten others were found guilty of extortion and financing terrorism.

He was sentenced, but in a highly unusual move the anti-terrorist state prosecutor specifically warned of the dangers of sending him and the others back to Turkiye “in view of the danger they had faced” and “the risks that an expulsion would expose them to”.

The court agreed, but French authorities took a different view. On 12 April, the day before the judge was set to rule on Gultekin’s asylum claim, the Interior Ministry issued a deportation order.

“Plainclothes police officers put him in a truck, handcuffed him, tied him up and took him to the airport,” said Gultekin’s lawyer.

“In the truck, they told him: ‘Serhat, we’re going to send you to Turkiye. Whether you like it or not’.”

When Gultekin landed, members of Turkey’s MIT secret services were waiting. He is now serving a six year and three-month sentence in an Istanbul prison.

On 26 Sep, the Paris Administrative Court of Appeal declared Gultekin’s deportation “illegal”, stating it violated Article III of the European Charter of Human Rights, which prohibits torture.

The CDKF is also fighting to prevent the deportation of Idris Kaplan, another activist sentenced in absentia to life in Turkiye as an alleged PKK leader.

“You can’t hand your allies over to their enemies in the name of security or diplomatic agreements. That’s a basic moral principle,” argued CDKF spokesperson Agit Polat in Le Monde, pointing to Kaplan’s role in fighting the Islamic State armed group alongside French special forces in Iraq.

On 8 Oct a court suspended Kaplan’s expulsion order.

So why have French authorities taken a tougher stance on Kurdish activists? One theory is that economic interests are now outweighing human rights concerns. Ratings agency Moody’s recently downgraded France’s outlook from “stable” to “negative,” opening the door to a potential credit rating cut citing concerns over the country’s finances. The downgrade reflects “increasing risk that France’s government will be unlikely to implement measures that would prevent sustained wider-than-expected budget deficits and a deterioration in debt affordability,” said Moody’s Ratings. Moody’s affirmed France’s credit rating at Aa2, saying this was supported by its “large, wealthy, and diversified economy.”

Kostas Pikramenos, co-author of a book on Turkey’s MIT intelligence service, says Kurdish activists may be used as bargaining chips in intelligence negotiations. The expulsion of the three Kurds is most likely part of a “seduction operation by France to sign commercial contracts” with Turkiye, Pikramenos told Marianne news magazine, pointing to a $40bn order of 200 Airbus aircraft by Turkish Airlines (THY) in late 2023.

(Image: Airbus.com)

The CDKF believes France may be paying Turkiye for its intelligence cooperation. Ankara reportedly shared information on planned ISIS-K attacks during the 2024 Olympics, according to an anonymous French intelligence source. French President Emmanuel Macron publicly warned that ISIS-K had attempted several attacks on French soil in recent months.

Meanwhile, the French Office for the Protection of Refugees and Stateless Persons (Ofpra) emphasised that it “independently assesses” Interior Ministry requests to revoke refugee status. These decisions can be appealed in the National Asylum Court.

The CDKF has warned that five more Kurdish activists could face deportation in the coming months.

Sources:

What’s driving France’s sudden deportation of Kurdish activists? (rfi.fr)

Prosecutor seeks prison terms for alleged PKK members on trial in Paris

Turkey opens another ‘Kafkaesque’ trial against scholar exiled to France

Moody’s downgrades France to ‘negative’ credit outlook (rfi.fr)

Alaska and US Military History: The “Eskimo Scouts”

The USS Concord is a typical late 19th-century US gunboat (Photo: Edward Hart circa 1890).

The US Navy recently apologized for the 1882 shelling and burning down of Angoon, a Tlingit village of 420 people in Alaska (highlighted in red).

Years after this atrocity at Angoon by the USN, Uncle Sam would ask the Eskimo population to help defend Alaska from Imperial Japan. The indigenous men proudly formed and served in the “Alaska Territorial Guard” AKA the “Eskimo Scouts.” Note the age range of those who served: 12-80.


Note the resemblance between the Inuits of North America (above) and the Buryats of Siberia (below) from across the Bering Strait.

The Free Buryatia organization announced that around 150 Buryat soldiers who were serving in the Russian Army in occupied territories of Ukraine have resigned their positions and asked to be returned home. (Source and Photo: 150 Buryat Soldiers in Russian Army Resign kyivpost.com)

Canada’s military similarly employs indigenous tribes in their northern provinces called “the Canadian Rangers.” Above former Tory Canadian PM Stephen Harper is on the rifle range for a photo-op with these tundra experts.



Sources:



https://apnews.com/article/navy-1882-tlingit-village-alaska-bombing-apology-b7da179eb05bd30afa373f9fc093305e

US Army

Taiwan: 60 People Sickened from Suspected Food Poisoning

Taiwan has a population of 23,595,274 and GDP per capita is $47,800 (2019 est.) (Map and Data: CIA)

60 people have reported symptoms of food poisoning after buying boxed meals from an eatery in Kaohsiung. The health department said patients fell ill with symptoms of vomiting, diarrhea and fever after eating boxed meals purchased from a small storefront restaurant in the city’s Sanmin District the previous day.

46 patients sought medical attention, while 14 others were found via contact tracing. Seven of the 46 patients have been hospitalized, and one was treated in the emergency room.

29 students from Kaohsiung Medical University were among the customers who had bought lunch from the eatery and 20 of them had to seek medical attention.

Personnel from the Kaohsiung Department of Health collect food samples from a storefront restaurant in the city’s Sanmin District for testing in this undated photo. Photo courtesy of the Kaohsiung Department of Health.

City officials inspected the eatery and ordered its closure for seven days, citing several violations of food safety regulations. The violations included open trash bins, no records of fridge temperatures, and no records of employee health checks.

While no leftovers from the 410 boxed lunches sold were available for testing, health officials took samples of the food items in the eatery. Samples were also taken from the sick customers and the kitchen workers at the eatery and will be tested for pathogens.

The eatery will have to pass another inspection before it could be allowed to reopen. The source pathogen of the food poisoning is still being investigated.

Sources:

60 people fall ill from suspected food poisoning in Kaohsiung – Focus Taiwan

Florida Militant Arrested for Assaulting Law Enforcement and Other Charges During 6 Jan 2021 Attack Against US Capitol

Jeremy Michael Miller (Photo: FBI)

Jeremy Michael Miller (45) of Florida was arrested and charged by the FBI for felony and misdemeanor offenses of assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers and obstruction of law enforcement during a civil disorder.

Miller was identified in video footage on 6 Jan 2021 on the Lower West Plaza of the US Capitol grounds fighting with police along a line of metal bike rack barricades. Miller allegedly grabbed a bike rack and tried to pull it away from police. Police quickly reestablished their line and video footage show Miller allegedly linking arms with other rioters and using their backs to push into the barricades; however, the group was unable to break through the police line.

(Photo: FBI)

Rioters, including Miller, violently resisted police on the Upper West Terrace. The defendant allegedly pushed his body against a police riot shield, attempting to stop or push through a line of officers.

(Photo: Getty Images)


Video footage shows that this maniac then tried to pull a riot shield away from another police officer, grabbing with both hands in an attempt to wrest the shield away. After several failed attempts, Miller retreated back into the mob.

In the 45 months since 6 Jan 2021, more than 1,532 suspects have been charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to attacking the US Capitol, including more than 571 seditionists charged with feloniously assaulting or impeding law enforcement. The FBI investigation remains ongoing.

Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.

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

Jeremy Michael Miller represents one of America’s Fedayeen Saddam (FS), a white supremacist holding on to the last vestiges of white supremacy in the US. He heeded the idiotic call of Donald J. Trump that minorities stole the 2020 election and now will either plead guilty to a lesser count or be found guilty in a trial. Either way, this 45-year-old lunatic threw his life away over racism and ignorance.

Source:


https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/pr/florida-man-arrested-assaulting-law-enforcement-and-other-charges-during-jan-6-capitol-4

Sneaky Alabama Bear Steals Trash Can from Garage

World Condemns Israel’s Attack on Iran; Gaza Nakba Continues with 22 Palestinian Deaths; IDF Destroying Lebanese Healthcare System

The world condemned Israeli military strikes on twenty targets hitting Ilam, Khuzestan and Tehran, Iran, which killed at least soldiers. The Iranian army said the attacks resulted in “limited damage.”

Amongst the countries rebuking the pariah state: Qatar, Turkiye, Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Pakistan, UAE, Oman, Tunisia, and Malaysia. This international roll call of repudiation is incomplete. The US, Germany, France, Egypt, Russia, and UK generically condemned all violence in the Middle East without specifically criticizing the Likud Regime in Jerusalem.

A cloud of smoke erupts following an Israeli airstrike on Beirut’s southern suburbs on 19 Oct 2024. (Photo: AFP)

Meanwhile, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s rampage closer to home continued. In Lebanon, 41 people were killed and 133 wounded in Israeli attacks across the country and another medical center near Tyre was struck. A paramedic was killed and 12 wounded. Beirut says the IDF intentionally targets healthcare facilities and personnel. Since mid-Sep 2024, 164 paramedics have been killed and 275 injured. At least 55 hospitals have been attacked and approximately 58 healthcare facilities have been shuttered. Under the Geneva Convention, attacking medical personnel or hospitals is a war crime.

Gaza medical personnel report that at least 22 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks, 18 of them in northern Gaza. The UN fears “atrocity crimes” are being carried out in northern Gaza as Israel’s siege and “non-stop” bombing of the territory enters a fourth week.

In support of their Shia allies in Iran, Lebanese Hezbollah fired rocket salvoes on five residential areas in northern Israel, including the outskirts of Krayot near Haifa. There were no reports of Israeli casualties or damage.

The Presidential elections are days away and many Americans are unhappy with US support for the Pariah State. American taxpayers, who don’t have universal health coverage like Israelis, have sent Jerusalem $317.9 billion dollars in military and economic aid since 1951. They now watch the Likud Party and the IDF de-populate the Gaza Strip and the West Bank in what US Senator Bernie Sanders describes as “ethnic cleansing.”

(Undated image courtesy of Forward Magazine).

The Persians, which gave the world chess according to many historians, as well as the word “zigzag,” have been clever to avoid falling into Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s trap of causing American casualties in the Middle East. In mafia terms, Netanyahu has made it “personal” with Iran, Lebanese Hezbollah (LH), and Palestinians. Similarly, when then-President Donald Trump ordered the assassination of revered Iranian General Qasem Soleimani, the Republican commander-in-chief crossed a line and made it “personal” with Iran.  Coriolanus would find it hard to believe if Iran or LH targeted a US Democratic leader with kinetic action. Iran worked with Senator John Kerry on the JCPOA nuclear agreement, which Trump recklessly withdrew the US from. Cyber-penetrations or hacking against any US candidate is to be expected. But right-wing fanatics like Donald Trump, imbecilic John Bolton, and the odious Benjamin Netanyahu probably have lifetime lethal fatwas issued against them, much like traitors and defectors from Russia. President Vladimir Putin and his network of active and retired KGB agents assassinate these traitors years after their defection.  The allegations of Russian bounties on US personnel in Afghanistan and the health attacks on CIA, DIA, and State Dept officers via the “Havana syndrome” were taken personally by the USIC as these nefarious actions also “crossed a line.”     

Sources:

(3) Updates Live: Israel attacks Iran, two killed; Hezbollah targets Israeli bases (aljazeera.com)

How much aid does the US give to Israel? (usafacts.org)

The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) at a Glance | Arms Control Association

The FBI Needs Our Help

With the US Presidential election less than two weeks away, the FBI is requesting the help of the American public in identifying fugitive militants who attacked the US Capitol on 6 Jan 2021. Specifically, Coriolanus has learned the suspects pictured here may be of particular interest to the FBI. If you recognize any of these miscreants, whether from seeing them at a restaurant or bar, on an airline flight, on vacation somewhere, in an office building, elevator, a shooting range, in the supermarket, school campus, PTA meeting, in a shopping center, at a gas station, in a public park, in a subway car, anywhere, please contact the FBI at http://tips.fbi.gov or 1-800-225-5324. Even providing the FBI a state or general location would be a tremendous lead for them.

The FBI is seeking to identify this person below involved at the US Capitol on 6 Jan 2021. If this person looks familiar contact FBI at http://tips.fbi.gov or 1-800-225-5324.
(Reference # 70 AFO)

In the 45 months since 6 Jan 2021, more than 1,532 suspects have been charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to attacking the US Capitol, including more than 571 seditionists charged with feloniously assaulting or impeding law enforcement.

The FBI is also providing a reward for anyone with information regarding this suspect who placed a pipe bomb near the US Capitol on 5 Jan 2021.

Sources:

Capitol Violence Images — FBI

Elon Musk, US Defense Contractor, in Secret Communication with Russian President Vladimir Putin

Elon Musk, the world’s richest man and a linchpin of US space efforts, has been in regular contact with Russian President Vladimir Putin since late 2022. The discussions, confirmed by several current and former US, European, and Russian officials, touch on personal topics, business, and geopolitical tensions.

At one point, Putin asked the billionaire to avoid activating his Starlink satellite internet service over Taiwan as a favor to Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

Musk initially supported Ukraine’s military with Starlink but later restricted its use, aligning with Russia’s interests. Russian officials have pressured Musk on several fronts, including potential threats to his businesses, while Kremlin disinformation campaigns use Musk’s social platform X to influence US politics. Musk’s deep connections to US military projects, including SpaceX’s $1.8 billion classified contracts, raise national security alarms over his close ties to Putin. Elon Musk is now a key backer of Trump’s 2024 campaign and could hold a major role in a future Trump administration. His social platform ‘X’ is a virulent transmitter of neo-Nazi hate messages, fake news, and white supremacist ideologies, as this author wrote several months ago (please see link below).

Elon Musk has donated millions to GOP Political Action Committees (PACs).

One person aware of the conversations said the US government faces a dilemma because it is so dependent on the billionaire’s technologies. SpaceX launches vital national security satellites into orbit and is the company NASA relies on to transport astronauts to and from the International Space Station.

Like fellow white supremacist oligarch Donald Trump who is in secret communication with the Kremlin, we learn so is megalomaniac Elon Musk. Musk was also a guest of Israeli PM Benajamin Netanyahu during his address to the US Congress earlier this year. Any US defense contractor in secret communication with a foreign power would be investigated by our hard-working colleagues at the FBI. Yet somehow Elon Musk, gets a free pass.

Elon Musk, a South African, can potentially be denaturalized of his US citizenship under Chapter Two of the Immigration and Naturalization Act (INA) for fraud and misrepresentation. When applying for his American citizenship, Elon Musk misrepresented himself to immigration authorities, not disclosing his right-wing affiliations. Musk, who saw the narrow economic benefits for white people in apartheid-era South Africa, has a similar vision for the US.

US counterintelligence agents are busy enough with Russia, China, and Israel (whom CIA considers the top CI threat to them in the Middle East). Now US CI agents must monitor Elon Musk and his enormous technological empire within the US.

Sources:

Exclusive | Elon Musk’s Secret Conversations With Vladimir Putin, a WSJ Investigation – WSJ

Nazism, Bigotry, Disinformation Thriving Under Elon Musk’s X Platform (dailykos.com)

Chapter 2 – Overview of Fraud and Willful Misrepresentation | USCIS

Elon Musk spoke with Vladimir Putin directly, Pentagon official says | The Independent

Is Israel the CIA’s top counterintelligence threat in the Near East? | The Times of Israel

Vietnam: Food-borne Illnesses Sicken Scores Again

Vietnam has a population of 105,758,975 people; GDP per capita $13,700 (2023 est.) (Map and data: CIA)

46 workers at Shinsung Vina Company suffered from abdominal pain, vomiting, and fever. Suspecting food poisoning, authorities took samples from the patients. 25/25 samples (100%) were positive for Escherichia coli (E.coli); 1/25 samples were positive for Staphylococcus aureus (Staphylococcus aureus). The authorities could not identify what caused the food poisoning because the menu had many dishes. Most of the patients have since been discharged from the hospital.

On 20 Oct, the company held a party for more than 1,100 workers, the menu included steamed black tiger shrimp with coconut water, lemon calves, fried squid with butter, grilled chicken with honey, grilled lentils with vegetables. A few hours later, people began getting sick; a total of 91 people were hospitalized.

E.coli bacteria often appears in fresh produce, beef, fresh milk, juices, cheeses, raw fruits and vegetables… Symptoms of E. coli are usually nausea and vomiting, diarrhea with water or blood depending on the type of E. coli. Patients can start presenting symptoms three to four days after ingesting foods containing bacteria.

E. coli bacteria infect people of all ages, but young children and the elderly are prone to severe complications such as urea hemolysis syndrome. This damages red blood cells and can lead to kidney failure.

Image simulating E.coli bacterial cells. Photo: Napolilaw

On 24 Oct, 15 students of in Nguyen Ngoc Binh, Dai Loc district, suffered from abdominal pain, vomiting, and fatigue after eating yogurt.

The children were taken to the Northern Mountainous General Hospital of Quang Nam for emergency treatment. (Photo: Son Thuy)

Some of the patients have been discharged from the hospital. Two students remain hospitalized with intestinal inflammation. The exact cause of the illness has not been determined, but yogurt and other food samples were ordered collected for testing.

On 11 Oct, five students in Ho Chi Minh City suffered from acute gastroenteritis with abdominal pain after eating lunch at school.

Previously, 40 students Lao Cai College had digestive disorders, vomiting, headache, and was admitted to the emergency hospital after dinner at the school canteen. Their dinner menu is not clear. Test results later showed that the patients were infected with Salmonella bacteria in salted cucumbers, leaf rolls, fried chicken, and water spinach soup.

As previously posted here on Coriolanus, Vietnam has a problem with food safety which the World Health Organization (WHO) attempted to address years ago, apparently not successfully.  

Sources:

Bac Giang workers hospitalized due to E.coli bacteria and Staphylococcus aureus – VnExpress Health Newspaper

15 students suspected of poisoning after eating yogurt – VnExpress Health Newspaper

Food Safety in Viet Nam (who.int)

Gunmen Kill Ten Police in Attack in Southern Iran

(Undated photo of Iranian policemen courtesy of Meghdad Madadi / Tansim News Agency)

An attack on a police patrol in southeastern Iran has left ten officers dead, the Interior Ministry reported. The attack occurred in Gohar Kuh, in Sistan-Baluchistan Province, some 1,200 kms southeast of the capital, Tehran. No group has claimed responsibility so far. The Tasnim news agency, which is linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), reported an attack on “two police patrols returning to their police station.” Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni has ordered an investigation into the incident, the state-run IRNA news agency reported. Sistan-Baluchistan has been rocked by a spate of deadly attacks targeting security forces in recent months. Those previous attacks have been claimed by Jaish al-Adl, a Baluch separatist militant group that is believed to be operating out of neighboring Pakistan. 

Iran has a population of  88,386,937 people made up of Persians, Azeris, Kurds, Lurs, Balochs, Arabs, Turkmen, and Turkic tribes. GDP per capita: est. $16,200. (Map: researchgate.net; Data: CIA)

As posted here on Coriolanus, this area of Iran is a hotspot of ethnic animosity. This murderous ambush coincides with Israel’s arrack on Iran. This is most likely unrelated and there is no open-source reporting linking Israel with anti-Iranian Balochs. Notable, Israel does support a different anti-Iranian terrorist proxy called the Mojahedin-e-Khalq (MEK) which Jerusalem has employed to assassinate Iranian scientists.

Sources:

Gunmen Kill 10 Police In Attack In Southern Iran (rferl.org)

Israel teams with terror group to kill Iran’s nuclear scientists, U.S. officials tell NBC News

People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran – Wikipedia

Assassination of Iranian nuclear scientists – Wikipedia

Trifecta of Pre-US Election Lunacy

This is raw naked mental illness. (Photo of Rain Monroe from social media).

Now Rain Monroe is crowd-sourcing to raise $5,000 to remove this tattooed blight from her forehead.

The 21-year-old “content creator” from London says the “hate” is getting to her – and she needs thousands of dollars to remove it.

Rain Monroe with her sign raising money for the tattoo removal. (Picture: Jam Press)

In another sign of the apocalypse, 20 million viewers watched Joe Rogan interview Donald Trump on youtube.com. Trump and Rogan received more attention than the historically well-watched World Series Game One between the Yankees and the Dodgers, which brought in 15.2 million viewers. Game One was the most-watched World Series opener since 2017.

(Montage courtesy of heavy.com)

Blatherskite Donald Trump, whose mental and cognitive faculties have been observed to be in steep decline, discussed assassinations, UFOs, and conspiracy theories with this multi-million dollar paid podcaster who denies being racist. For those who may not know, Joe Rogan is the man who horrifically said on his national podcast that “walking into a movie theater in a predominantly Black neighborhood was like entering the Planet of the Apes.” Viral clips of Rogan historically using the “N” word also pollute the internet.

Years ago, Joe Rogan was the host of a TV show called Fear Factor where contestants had to pass three trials of fire to win a cash prize. Joe Rogan sadistically enjoyed watching contestants being forced to do disgusting things like putting insects in their mouths or lying in a bathtub full of snakes. (File photo)

The last incredible third of pre-election lunacy involves the pre-eminent Washington Post newspaper. Their editorial page has decided not to make a presidential endorsement for the first time in 36 years. The reason cited was to create “independent space” where the newspaper does not tell people for whom to vote. This is quite a breath-taking decision. By not endorsing VPOTUS Kamala Harris, they are giving twice-impeached Donald Trump, convicted on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in NYS, civilly liable for sexually abusing and libeling E. Jean Carroll, a man in secret communication with Russian President Vladimir Putin, a free pass and thereby endorsing Project 2025.

Hollywood film director Rob Reiner posted:

“The Washington Post editorial board is a disgrace. For the newspaper that exposed the Pentagon Papers and the Watergate scandal to not take a position and endorse a candidate in the most consequential Presidential election in 165 years is reprehensible.”

More than 700 current and former national security officials support VPOTUS Kamala Harris, but not the editorial staff of the Washington Post.

Whose side is the Washington Post on?

Former Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein said the decision to not endorse Kamala Harris Is “disappointing.” Here they are circa 1973 investigating the Watergate Hotel break-in that would topple the presidency of Republican Richard M. Nixon.  

Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman portray Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein in All the President’s Men (1976) made famous for the line “follow the money.” The film was based on their 1974 book and selected for preservation in the US National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.”

Sources:

https://whatsthejam.com/influencers-and-models/woman-with-trump-tattoo-on-forehead-now-fundraising-5000-for-removal/

Trevor Noah Slams Joe Rogan’s ‘Planet of the Apes’ Non-Apology – PRIMETIMER

Trump’s Rogan episode hits 20M views in 20 hours on YouTube (nypost.com)

Bring on the bugs, because ‘Fear Factor’ is back – Daily News

Jury finds Donald Trump sexually abused E. Jean Carroll in civil case | CNN Politics

More Than 700 Current and Former National Security Officials Back Harris – The New York Times (nytimes.com)

Bob Woodward, Carl Bernstein on Post Decision to Not Endorse President (hollywoodreporter.com)

Two US Truckers Adopt Cat (or Cat Adopts Two Truckers)

Lebanon: Free-Fire Zone for Right-Wing Likud Party and IDF; 13 Killed, 57 Wounded in Latest Attack

At least 13 people were killed and 57 wounded in an IDF strike near Rafik Hariri University Hospital in Beirut, just as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrives in Tel Aviv for the 11th time to uselessly meet with indicted war criminal Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu. The death toll could be higher.

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu and his ruling Likud party have turned Lebanon into a free-fire zone in their attempts at liquidating members of Lebanese Hezbollah. This blood-thirsty cabal has no regard for collateral damage whatsoever. The latest strike hit the Al Janah district of the capital where the main government-run Rafik Hariri University Hospital is located, Lebanon‘s Ministry of Public Health said in an update on X citing its Public Health Emergency Operations Center.

At least 13 people were killed and 57 wounded in this IDF strike near Rafik Hariri University Hospital in Beirut. (Photo: Wael Hamzeh EPA/EFE)

Rescue teams were continuing to comb through the rubble Tuesday morning in the hope of finding survivors from at least three destroyed medium-rise buildings as well as other buildings badly damaged in the strike in the neighborhood, one of Bierut’s poorest.

However, a second hospital was evacuated after the IDF alleged it housed a secret underground bunker used by Hezbollah to store cash, sparking panic that an airstrike could be imminent.

The Israeli army also hit the coastal city of Tyre with ten rounds of strikes after calling on residents of the al-Hawsh neighborhood to evacuate.

Hezbollah counter-attacked against Israeli territory firing around 80 “projectiles” across the border, causing no injuries or damage, only tripping loud air-raid sirens.

Lebanese Hezbollah confirmed that it was responsible for a failed attempt over the weekend to attack Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu‘s private residence in Caesarea with three explosive drones.

The announcement at a press briefing in Beirut came as Netanyahu sat down for talks with Blinken with Netanyahu’s office posting a photo on social media of the pair in the Israeli leader’s office in Jerusalem.

Blinken will earnestly try to kickstart negotiations for a cease-fire in Gaza to release the remaining hostages and pressure Israel to improve humanitarian aid access in Gaza after threatening to halt weapons shipments over the issue.

The State Department said in a statement that during his four-day trip, which will also take in other capitals in the region, Blinken would also be discussing the need to “reach a diplomatic resolution to the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah that fully implements UN Security Council Resolution 1701” and allowed civilians on both sides of the Blue Line to return to their homes.

“The Secretary will reaffirm the US commitment to work with partners across the region to de-escalate tensions and provide lasting stability,” the department said.

Since Israel’s invasion of Lebanon, 1.2 million people have been displaced, 2,412 people killed (including 127 children), and 11,267 people wounded. The next generation of anti-Israelis and antisemites have been well-incubated by the Likudniks.

Remarkably, Israel apologized for killing three Lebanese Army soldiers last weekend. The Lebanese Army is not a party to the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. The multi-faith manned Lebanese Army does not support Israel’s invasion of its country and refers to them as the “enemy.” Lebanon’s army receives US military and financial assistance (for example, in 2021 the US provided $236 million. This is a mere drop in the bucket relative to what Israel has received since 1950. See State Dept info on US aid to Lebanon below).

Secretary of State Antony Blinken, one of the most competent members of the Biden Administration and a man with a reputation for intellect and decency, must be holding his nose every time he meets with the odious Prime Minister of Israel. Benjamin Netanyahu has been indicted for war crimes by the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the State of Israel has been cited for war crimes at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), both august bodies located near each other at the Hague.

This man is patiently waiting for Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant. He is Karim Khan KC, the Chief Prosecutor at the International Criminal Court (ICC) at the Hague. Americans should be familiar with the ICC. Special Counsel Jack Smith completed his assignment at the ICC prosecuting war criminals before returning to the US to prosecute Donald Trump for his alleged crimes against the American people. (Photo: Office of the Prosecutor via BBC).

Sources:

At least 13 killed, 57 injured in Israeli airstrike near Beirut hospital as Blinken arrives in Israel – UPI.com

UN world court calls for prevention of genocidal acts in Gaza | UN News

Israel Apologizes After Strike Kills 3 Lebanese Soldiers – The New York Times (nytimes.com)

U.S. Security Cooperation With Lebanon – United States Department of State

Ukraine Military Intelligence: Russian Pilot Involved in Deadly Kremenchuk Strike ‘Eliminated’

The late Russian Air Force Colonel Dmitry Golenkov was an unindicted war criminal.

Ukraine’s Military Intelligence (HUR) announced on 21 Oct the “elimination” of Russian military pilot Dmitry Golenkov, a chief of staff in Russia’s 52nd heavy bomber aviation regiment who was involved in a deadly missile attack on a shopping center in Ukraine’s Kremenchuk in June 2022. The attack, carried out using Tu-22M3 bombers, resulted in 22 deaths and dozens of injuries among the nearly 1,000 civilians present at the Amstor shopping center at the time.

Rescuers working sift through rubble at the Amstor shopping center in Kremenchuk after it was hit by a Russian missile strike on 27 Jun 2022. Photo: State Emergency Service of Ukraine / AFP

HUR also linked Golenkov to the January 2023 missile attack on a residential building in the city of Dnipro, which killed 46 people, including six children. The intelligence agency reported that Golenkov’s body was found with head injuries, possibly inflicted with a hammer, emphasizing “fair retribution for every war crime.” Russia had claimed the June 2022 attack targeted military storage facilities near Kremenchuk, not the civilian center. 

Ukraine’s espionage capabilities are constantly improving. Rather than attempt an abduction and bring this killer to face justice in a war crimes trial in Kiev, Colonel Golenkov was rendered ineffective on Russian soil and his unknown assailants have disappeared.

Source:

Kyiv Says Russian Pilot Involved In Deadly Kremenchuk Strike ‘Eliminated’ (rferl.org)

Food Safety Alert: McDonald’s Quarter Pounder Hamburgers

McDonald’s Quarter Pounder hamburgers are making people sick, with most illnesses in Colorado and Nebraska. At least 49 illnesses have been reported across ten states, including one death of an older person. Ten people have been hospitalized, including a child who had hemolytic uremic syndrome, a serious complication that can develop from an E. coli infection.

CDC, FDA, USDA FSIS, and public health officials in multiple states are investigating an outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 infections. Most people in this outbreak are reporting eating the Quarter Pounder hamburger at McDonald’s before becoming sick. It is not yet known which specific food ingredient is contaminated.

McDonald’s is collaborating with investigation partners to determine what food ingredient in Quarter Pounders is making people sick. McDonald’s stopped using fresh slivered onions and quarter pound beef patties in several states while the investigation is ongoing to identify the ingredient causing illness.

McDonald’s recently opened a lawsuit against US beef suppliers for price-fixing and GOP hopeful Donald Trump completed a photo-op at a McDonald’s restaurant in Pennsylvania which was ridiculed at many levels. As a Republican strategist once said, “everything Trump touches, dies.”

Sources:

E. coli Outbreak Linked to McDonald’s Quarter Pounders | E. coli infection | CDC

McDonald’s sues major beef producers in US price-fixing lawsuit | Reuters

South Korea May Send Weapons to Ukraine to Counter North Korea’s Troop Deployments

South Korea is a top-ten weapons producer in the world. Pictured above is the K239 Chunmoo, a multiple launch rocket system (MLRS). (Photo: Hanwha Defense / Armaments Agency)

South Korea could send weapons to Ukraine as part of “phased measures” it vowed to take against North Korea and Russia over their deepening military cooperation, a senior presidential official said.

The comment came after South Korea’s deputy national security adviser Kim Tae-hyo told a news conference that the South Korean government demanded that Pyongyang immediately withdraw troops it sent to Russia to help in the war with Ukraine.

“If the illegal military cooperation between North Korea and Russia continues, [we] will not stand by but respond firmly in collaboration with the international community,” Kim said, warning of “phased measures” in response to the level of their military ties.

A senior presidential official told reporters that the measures could include sending weapons for defense and attack, but the official did not elaborate. 

South Korea’s spy agency said last week that the North had decided to send about 12,000 troops to help Russia with its war in Ukraine, and had already dispatched 1,500 soldiers to Vladivostok for training.

18 of them have already deserted their posts in Russia. (Photo: ukranews.com)

North Korea has denied the report, while Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed speculation of North Korean troops going to Ukraine as “fake news.”

South Korea has a long-standing policy of not supplying weapons to countries fighting wars and has maintained that stance with Ukraine, sending only humanitarian aid.

The official’s remarks came in response to the Ukrainian envoy’s comment that the North was planning to soon send “large-scale” regular troops to help Russia’s war efforts in Ukraine.

Russia said it would continue to strengthen ties with North Korea, while declining to confirm South Korea’s report. The US said it could not confirm the report, while North Korea’s state-run media outlets had remained silent at time of publication.

North Korea and Russia have moved closer over the past year or more amid widespread suspicion that North Korea has supplied conventional weapons to Russia for its war in Ukraine in return for military and economic assistance. Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

Russian President Vladimir Putin reportedly submitted a bill to the lower house of parliament on Monday to ratify a treaty to raise its relationship with North Korea to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. The change was agreed by Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on 19 Jun in Pyongyang after summit talks during the Russian president’s state visit.   

The new partnership includes a mutual defense assistance clause that would apply in the case of “aggression” against one of the signatories.

Both raging wars in the Middle East and Ukraine are escalating and Vladimir Putin miscalculated the South Korean response. His attempt at disguising the North Koreans as Siberian Buryats was seen through and the Ukrainians could benefit greatly from the effective mass casualty-causing South Korean weapons. The Russian invasion of Ukraine is paralleling the 1936-39 Spanish Civil War, with allies sending arms and personnel in a massive testing ground and battlefield meat-grinder. The North Korean “volunteers” will become cannon-fodder in “meat attacks” when they encounter tired, but combat-hardened and experienced Ukrainian soldiers like the Amazon pictured below and the dense intelligence web targeting them.

Anastasia Blyshchyk said she was initially rebuffed when she volunteered to fight. “I heard, ‘You’re a woman, you need to make babies, go home.’” Photo: Emile Ducke for The New York Times

While the Biden Administration cannot persuade Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong-Un, or the Iranian leadership to de-escalate, Pres. Biden can talk to his so-called “ally” to a achieve a ceasefire in the Middle East. And like Tehran, Moscow, and Pyongyang, the Likud regime is not cooperating with him either. And hands down the US is Israel’s greatest benefactor in the world. Prolonged hostilities defer Netanyahu’s bribery and corruption trial and enfeebles the Biden Administration. Democratic Party leaders are right to suspect that Netanyahu wants to continue hostilities in the Middle East, as well as a right-wing GOP victory this November. Right-wingers like Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu are birds of the same feather, like Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-Un.

Sources:

Seoul could send weapons to Ukraine to counter North Korea’s troop deployments — Radio Free Asia (rfa.org)

South Korea summons Russian envoy to urge it to stop North Korean Ukraine involvement

North Korea sending troops to aid Russia in Ukraine war: South’s spy agency

Russia forming North Korean battalion amid soldier shortage: reportOpinion | Ukrainian Women Fight for Their Own Liberation – The New York Times (nytimes.com)

American Warzone: Five Dead in Shooting at Home in Washington State; Teenager Arrested

Americans suffer wartime casualties every year because of the proliferation of firearms in the US. According to the CDC, in 2022 there were more than 48,000 firearm-related deaths in the US.

Law enforcement officials found five people killed in a shooting inside a home southeast of Seattle on Monday morning and took a teenager into custody.

Several people called 911 around 5AM to report a shooting in Fall City, WA.

(Google Maps)

Arriving deputies immediately took one teen into custody while another teenager who had been hurt was taken to a Seattle hospital. Both teens live at the house.

Deputies entering the home found the bodies of five people. Two were adults and three were described as young teenagers. No names have been released yet.

“Once bodies were discovered, clearly we understand that this is a hugely significant crime scene,” the King County Sheriff’s office said.

The shooting appears to involve members of a family, but authorities didn’t yet know how they were related. There was no ongoing threat to the community.

“I have no reason to think that there will be any additional arrests,” said the sheriff’s department.

The teen in custody was booked into King County’s juvenile detention facility and will be arraigned on Tuesday or Wednesday.

A neighbor told KING-TV that a couple and their five children lived in the home.

“I’m just in total shock, I keep bursting into tears,” Lynne Trowern, told the news outlet.

King County Councilmember Sarah Perry said the shooting involved a family of seven people.

Sheriff Patricia Cole-Tindall told KING-TV that she was “very sad, very disturbed” to learn about the shooting.

Guns are in the households of an estimated 42.1% of Washington state residents. In 2021, 165,534 firearms licenses were recorded in the state. In an average year, 887 people die and 1,245 are wounded by guns in Washington State. Gun violence costs Washington $1,559 per resident each year. Gun deaths and injuries cost Washington $11.9 billion each year, of which $171.7 million is paid by taxpayers.

Sources:

Teen in custody after 5 found dead in shooting at home in Washington state (voanews.com)

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

11. Washington – Gun map: Ownership by state – statistics and rates (cbsnews.com)

https://www.cdc.gov/firearm-violence/data-research/facts-stats/index.html

Leptospirosis Cases Rising in Philippines

Est. population 118,277,063; GDP per capita: $9,700 (2023 est.) Map and data: CIA

The Philippines continues to log more leptospirosis cases and deaths. From January to October, the Philippines Dept of Health recorded 5,835 cases, 16 per cent more than in the same period last year. Meanwhile, 509 deaths have been reported across the country.

“As we expect more rain to come, we must always be mindful of what to do especially if there is flooding. Avoid floodwaters as much as possible,” Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa said. Leptospirosis is a bacterial infection commonly spread through water contaminated with animal urine.

Humans become infected through direct contact with the urine of infected animals or with a urine-contaminated environment. Cases of leptospirosis can increase after floods when people may have to wade through contaminated water.

Without treatment, leptospirosis in people can lead to kidney damage, meningitis (inflammation of the membrane around the brain and spinal cord), liver failure, trouble breathing, and even death.

About one million cases in people occur around the world each year, with nearly 60,000 deaths. Leptospirosis has been reported throughout the US. Leptospirosis is treated with antibiotics, such as doxycycline or penicillin.

Residents wade across a flooded street with their belongings in Sangli in Western Maharashtra, India. They are vulnerable to a host of water-borne diseases. (Undated photo: PTI)

Leptospirosis and other water-borne diseases such as cholera and dysentery will continue afflicting people in flood-prone areas. The ubiquitous mosquito will also thrive in these wetlands, becoming vectors for Zika, Chikungunya, Dengue, and Malaria. Mankind needs pesticides to combat these pests, but at the same time we see that some pesticide residues can contaminate water supplies, as we have seen in Martinique and France.

Sources:

https://assamtribune.com/health-and-fitness/leptospirosis-cases-continue-to-rise-in-the-philippines-1555127?infinitescroll=1

About Leptospirosis | Leptospirosis | CDC

View from Europe: Donald Trump’s Unpredictable Actions Fuel Concern for his Mental and Cognitive Health

Copyright John Bazemore/Copyright 2024 The AP. All rights reserved.

With a few weeks to go before the presidential election, European writer Andrew Naughtie summarized concerns about Donald Trump mental and cognitive health.  

“In recent weeks, Trump has been behaving particularly oddly, rambling and slurring his words in increasingly long-winded speeches and at one point remaining on the stage after an event to spend half an hour silently dancing to a mournful playlist.

One particularly strange appearance lately saw him deliver a five-minute-plus monologue about the late golfer Arnold Palmer, in the course of which he alluded to other linksmen’s astonishment at the size of Palmer’s genitalia.”

Mr Naughtie further writes:

“Trump’s campaign has also declined to release his medical records and pulled him out of numerous public events and interviews, fueling speculation that he is “exhausted” and that they are trying to limit opportunities for him to give a particularly poor performance.

Meanwhile, Kamala Harris’s campaign is leaning hard into the idea that Trump is unfit to be president not just because of his previous conduct but because he is not psychologically up to the task.”

“It is clear: Donald Trump is increasingly unstable and unhinged,” Vice-President Kamala Harris said at a recent campaign stop. “And he is seeking unchecked power.”

In the 2016 presidential campaign, Democratic candidate Senator Hilary Clinton said:

“I will leave it for psychiatrists to explain [Trump’s] affection for tyrants.”

Mr Naughtie writes there was a great debate in the American psychiatric and psychological establishment over whether or not it was ethical for clinicians to diagnose Donald Trump with a personality disorder from afar without examining him in person.

He wrote that this argument dates back to the 1964 election when more than 1,000 psychiatrists told a survey that, in their professional opinion, then-Republican presidential candidate Barry Goldwater was unfit for office. This is called a “duty to warn.”

Mr. Naughtie concludes:

“Trump and his running mate, JD Vance, frequently deride Harris as intellectually subnormal, with Trump going so far as to deride her as “crazy” and “nuts”. While this may play well with their voters, there is so far no sign of any serious discussion about the state of Harris’s mental health.

The vice president has also released her medical records, which show her to be in excellent physical health besides minor myopia and seasonal allergies — and despite all the speculation about his physical and mental exhaustion, there is so far no indication that Trump will be releasing his.”

Many Americans are dumb-founded that this election could be even this close between a convicted felon who was twice impeached as President and a former California Attorney-General, US Senator, and current VPOTUS. The only explanation is that whites, the bulk of the Republican Party, have no choice but to support Donald Trump, an avatar of white supremacy or “whiteness,” regardless of the catastrophic social and economic policies outlined in Project 2025 or his tremendous panoptic character flaws. Both Trump and Vance perpetrate lies about Haitian refugees eating pets or spread lies about Kamala Harris or Ken Walz as a distraction. Discussing the Christian Talibanization of America embodied in Project 2025 may turn off enough white female Republican voters in battleground states who have already lost reproductive rights thanks to the reactionary US Supreme Court.

Source:

Donald Trump’s unpredictable actions fuel concern for his mental and cognitive health | Euronews

Georgia Man Arrested for Assaulting Law Enforcement with Weapon and Other Charges During 6 Jan 2021 Assault on US Capitol

Cylester Maxwell at the Stop the Steal rally on 6 Jan 2021. (Photo: FBI)

Cylester Maxwell (42) of Alpharetta, GA was arrested by the FBI and charged in a criminal complaint filed in the District of Columbia with felony offenses of assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers using a dangerous weapon and civil disorder during the 6 Jan 2021 assault on the US Capitol.

Maxwell was identified in open-source video footage on 6 Jan 2021, in Washington, DC marching with a crowd of rioters away from the “Stop the Steal” rally at the Ellipse and toward the Capitol building. By approximately 1:35 PM Maxwell made it onto restricted Capitol grounds positioned near the front of the crowd confronting a police line on the West Plaza near the Media Tower erected in front of the Inaugural Stage.

Maxwell, together with other members of the mob, shoved an eight feet tall and ten feet wide sign into the line of police like a battering ram. Several seconds later, after the sign was pushed into the officers, Maxwell let go of it and grabbed and pulled a barricade away from the police line.  

(Photo: FBI)

Maxwell pulled another bike rack barricade away from the police and successfully broke through the West Plaza police line. He then remained on or near the West Plaza for some time as rioters flooded the Capitol’s Lower and Upper West Terraces.

In the 45 months since 6 Jan 2021, more than 1,532 suspects have been charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to attacking the US Capitol, including more than 571 seditionists charged with feloniously assaulting or impeding law enforcement. The FBI investigation remains ongoing.

Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.

This brontosaurus heeded the call of idiotic call of Donald Trump, behaved violently at his behest, and now has thrown his life away listening to the ex-President, whose mental fitness is being questioned.

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

Sources:

District of Columbia | Georgia Man Arrested for Assaulting Law Enforcement with a Weapon and Other Charges During Jan. 6 Capitol Breach | United States Department of Justice

New Zealand Airport Sets Time Limit on Goodbyes and Hugs

The cuddle cap was imposed in Sep 2024 to “keep things moving smoothly” in the redesigned passenger drop-off area outside the airport, CEO Dan De Bono told the AP. It was the airport’s way of reminding people that the zone was for “quick farewells” only. (Photo: AP)

Emotional farewells are a common sight at airports, but travelers leaving the New Zealand city of Dunedin will have to be quick. A new three-minute time limit on goodbye hugs in the airport’s drop-off area is intended to prevent lingering cuddles from causing traffic jams.

“Max hug time three minutes,” warn signs outside the terminal, adding that those seeking “fonder farewells” should head to the airport’s parking lot instead.

(Map: ontheworldmap.com)

The signs had polarized social media users, De Bono said.

AP correspondent Charles de Ledesma reports on a ‘hug cap’ imposed at a New Zealand airport.

“We were accused of breaching basic human rights and how dare we limit how long someone can have a hug for,” he said, adding that others had welcomed the change.

The signs were meant as an alternative to those at other airports warning of wheel clamping or fines for drivers parked in drop-off areas. Some in Britain have imposed fees for all drop-offs — however brief.

Dunedin’s airport — a modest terminal serving a city of 135,000 people on New Zealand’s South Island — preferred a “quirky” approach, De Bono said.

Three minutes was “plenty of time to pull up, say farewell to your loved ones and move on,” he said. “The time limit is really a nicer way of saying, you know, get on with it.”

A 20-second hug is long enough to release the wellbeing-boosting hormones oxytocin and serotonin, De Bono said. Anything longer was “really awkward.”

But passengers need not worry unduly about enforcement. “We do not have hug police,” De Bono said.

Visitors might, however, be asked to move their lingering embraces to the parking lot, where they can cuddle free of charge for up to 15 minutes.

At age 57, Lynda Perry has become the oldest ‘new’ constable in the history of the Royal New Zealand Police College. Luckily, she won’t be enforcing any hug violations at the airport.

Source:

New Zealand airport wants you to hug goodbye faster | AP News

UN Official: “The Nightmare is Intensifying.” IDF Kills More Than 100 Palestinians in Gaza

Unqualified US support for Israel has made “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” completely impossible for the Palestinian people and totally rubbishes any concept of a “two-state solution.” Hard-working Secretary of State Antony Blinken will be wasting his time and US taxpayer funds in a kabuki dance when he meets with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu this week. The indicted Israeli war criminal has effectively tarnished President Biden’s legacy who is winding down his multi-decade career in US politics.   

In the past 24 hours 108 people had been killed and 40 injured in bombings across the territory, part of the IDF’s ferocious renewed assault in the Gaza Strip. “The nightmare in Gaza is intensifying. Horrifying scenes are unfolding in the northern strip amidst relentless Israeli strikes and an ever-worsening humanitarian crisis,” Tor Wennesland, said the UN special coordinator for the Middle East.

“Nowhere is safe in Gaza … We owe it to the families suffering in Gaza and Israel. The war must stop now,” he added.

The Likud pogrom against the Palestinians is certainly satisfying this young demonstrator’s desires. Undated photo courtesy of the Washington Post.

The daily death rate in Gaza higher than any other major 21st Century conflict, according to Oxfam, an international NGO. The right-wing Likud cabal is depopulating Palestinians much more efficiently than ultra-nationalist Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “special military operation” against the Ukrainians.   

An image from the Political Cartoon Gallery in central London Photograph: Political Cartoon Gallery via the Guardian.

IDF bombardment this past weekend in the town of Beit Lahiya flattened several houses and an apartment block, killing members of several families. Among the dead were two parents and their four children, and a woman, her son and daughter-in-law and their four children.

The internet and phone services have been down in parts of Gaza, complicating the rescue operation.

In a post on X, Mounir al-Bursh, the director general of the health ministry, said the flood of injured people from the strikes compounded “an already catastrophic situation for the healthcare system” in northern Gaza.

Unclear during this Israeli offensive is what opportunities are given Palestinian combatants to either surrender to the IDF or turn themselves over to the Israeli police for judicial process in a court of law.

The IDF have nominally held complete control of northern Gaza since January, but launched a new assault on the area two weeks ago to prevent any resistance groups from re-constituting.

Gaza’s civil defense service said it had recovered at least 500 bodies since the operation began on 6 Oct.

Sweeping evacuation orders for the estimated 400,000 people still living in the northern third of the territory, the blockage of aid and food deliveries and the targeting of civilian infrastructure such as hospitals have led rights groups to accuse Israel of the war crime of seeking to forcibly displace the remaining population.

Israel has denied it is systematically removing Palestinians from the area.

Several struggling hospitals have been unable to evacuate patients, and two people at the Indonesia hospital in Beit Lahiya died from a lack of oxygen after electricity and fuel shortages.

Top-secret US documents that allegedly reveal details about Israel’s plans to attack Iran had been leaked and published online.

The papers supposedly date from 15 and 16 Oct, and allege that Israel has fortified underground warplane bunkers at the Hatzerim airbase, where there are signs of preparation for arming plane-launched ballistic missiles. The blood-thirsty Likud regime can’t wait to attack Iran with an American imprimatur, regardless of collateral damage or escalating the conflict.  

An Israeli source told the Israeli daily Haaretz that the US had apologized to Israel for the leak and US House speaker Republican Mike Johnson said that an investigation into the incident had been launched. 100 US servicemembers deployed with the THAAD air-defense system are in harm’s way in Israel.

Israel and Hamas, however, have so far stuck to their irreconcilable demands. Internationally mediated talks aimed at a lasting truce in Gaza and the return of Israeli hostages kidnapped by Palestinian armed groups during the 7 Oct 2023 attack broke down in August. That raid to capture Israeli hostages in order to release the 7,000 Palestinians being held in IDF prisons in security detention without hearing gave the Likud regime the green light to activate Nabka 2023 to de-populate the Gaza Strip. Simultaneously, rabid Israeli settlers increased their rampages to seize Palestinian properties in the West Bank, killing over 700 Palestinians.  

An American intelligence officer or servicemember opposed to Israeli’s Nakba may have leaked the files out of anger. The other possibility is he or she may be attempting to thwart the IDF plan to pummel Iran which could escalate this conflict even further out of control than it already is. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has loyally worked hard for the Biden Administration, but Netanyahu has scotched all of his good faith attempts at reaching a ceasefire and releasing the remaining 100 hostages. Meanwhile, the bodies of Palestinians keep piling up.

Sources:

More than 100 people killed in latest Israeli bombings in Gaza, say medics | Israel-Gaza war | The Guardian

Daily death rate in Gaza higher than any other major 21st Century conflict – Oxfam | Oxfam International

“Beirut in Flames”: Israel Attacks Hezbollah-Linked Bank; Hundreds More Lebanese Made Homeless

Fire and smoke after an IDF airstrike at Dahieh in the southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, late 20 October 2024. More than 2,400 people have been killed and over 11,400 others have been injured in Lebanon since the start of Israel’s offensive. (Photo by Wael Hamzeh/EPA-EFE)

Israeli fighter jets struck dozens of targets in Beirut and other areas of southern Lebanon overnight, including branches of a bank accused of holding funds used by Hezbollah.

The military’s Arabic spokesman, Avichay Adraee, had earlier in the night issued several evacuation orders for buildings throughout southern Lebanon he said were in the vicinity of facilities belonging to the US-sanctioned Al-Qard Al-Hassan Association Bank.

“Get away from it immediately,” he said in a video statement.

Jeanine Hennis, the UN special coordinator for Lebanon, said that after the IDF issued its evacuations, said there was “widespread panic” in Beirut.

Israel FM Israel Katz said 15 buildings in Beirut were struck as the IDF carried out a wide-scale attack targeting Hezbollah’s financial infrastructure.

“Beirut in flames,” Israeli FM Katz proudly released in a statement.

The IDF attacked not only Beirut, but throughout southern Lebanon and deeper into the country. The UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) reported that an IDF bulldozer had deliberately demolished an observation tower and perimeter fence at its position in Marwahin in southern Lebanon. Lebanon’s army, which has remained on the sidelines during the Israel’s campaign, said three of its soldiers were killed by an IDF strike while travelling in an army vehicle in the south of the country.

As previously posted, the IDF does not care about collateral casualties nor does it want any witnesses to its actions, hence the three Lebanese Army soldiers were killed and the UNIFIL post bulldozed. The Likud government wants to make southern Lebanon inhospitable and kill as many Shia combatants as possible. Lebanon, already fractured by its multiple religions and a dilapidated economy, is powerless to protect its citizens, much less house the thousands of displaced people Israel is creating. With winter approaching, the government of Beirut will face much more challenges.

Source:

‘Beirut in flames’ as Israel attacks Hezbollah-linked bank – UPI.com

https://www.jpost.com/HttpHandlers/ShowImage.ashx?id=299259

Whooping Cough at Decade-High Level in US

This 2016 illustration based on electron microscope imagery depicts bordetella pertussis bacteria, which causes whooping cough (Image: CDC).

Whooping cough is at its highest level in a decade for this time of year, according to the CDC. 18,506 cases of whooping cough have been reported so far. That’s the most at this point in the year since 2014, when cases topped 21,800.

The increase is not unexpected — whooping cough peaks every three to five years, health experts said. And the numbers indicate a return to levels before the coronavirus pandemic, when whooping cough and other contagious illnesses plummeted.

Still, the tally has some state health officials concerned, including those in Wisconsin, where there have been about 1,000 cases so far this year, compared to a total of 51 last year.

Nationwide, CDC has reported that kindergarten vaccination rates dipped last year and vaccine exemptions are at an all-time high. 86% of kindergartners in Wisconsin received the whooping cough vaccine, compared to more than 92% nationally.

Whooping cough, also called pertussis, usually starts out like a cold, with a runny nose and other common symptoms, before turning into a prolonged cough. Treated with antibiotics, whooping cough used to be common until a vaccine was introduced in the 1950s, which is now part of routine childhood vaccinations (along with tetanus and diphtheria vaccines). The combo shot is recommended for adults every ten years.

“They used to call it the 100-day cough because it literally lasts for 100 days,” said Joyce Knestrick, a family nurse practitioner in Wheeling, West Virginia.

Whooping cough is usually seen mostly in infants and young children, who can develop serious complications. That’s why the vaccine is recommended during pregnancy, to pass along protection to the newborn, and for those who spend a lot of time with infants.

But public health workers say outbreaks this year are hitting older kids and teens. In Pennsylvania, most outbreaks have been in middle school, high school and college settings. Nearly all the cases in Douglas County, Nebraska, are schoolkids and teens.

It’s important to get tested and treated with antibiotics early, said Dr. Kris Bryant, who specializes in pediatric infectious diseases at Norton Children’s in Louisville, KY. People exposed to the bacteria can also take antibiotics to stop the spread.

“Pertussis is worth preventing,” Bryant said. “The good news is that we have safe and effective vaccines.”

Source:

Whooping cough is at a decade-high level in US (voanews.com)

About Whooping Cough Outbreaks | Whooping Cough | CDC

NGO: French Water Supply Contaminated with Untested Toxic Chemicals

The byproducts of pesticides can seep into soil, surface water and groundwater before making their way into drinking water supplies. (Photo: © AFP – MIGUEL MEDINA)

The NGO Générations Futures found that 56 pesticide byproducts known as metabolites – substances formed when chemicals break down – are not being monitored in groundwater or drinking water, despite likely exceeding legal safety limits.

Their analysis, based on research from French health and safety agency, found these metabolites probably contaminate groundwater above the legal limit of 0.1 micrograms per liter.

The substances can seep into soil, surface water and groundwater before making their way into drinking water supplies.

Twelve of the unmonitored metabolites pose particular risks – including trifluoroacetic acid (TFA), which was found at alarming levels in Paris.

“With our colleagues from the Pesticides Action Network Europe, we have taken samples of river water and tap water, and analysed for TFA … and we found it in many places, in very large quantities,” said François Veillerette, of Générations Futures.

“We found TFA at over two micrograms per liter [in the Seine] … and in tap water, about the same quantity. So, two micrograms per liter is 20 times the [legal limit of] 0.1 micrograms per liter,” he said.

The findings raise questions about whether some French regions face higher contamination risks than others.

The threat spans nationwide – water quality in at least one third of France is at risk from TFA contamination alone.

TFA comes from the breakdown of “forever chemicals” called PFAS, found in pesticides, non-stick coatings, and cosmetics.

The NGO warned French authorities cannot ignore TFA’s dangers, noting that German health officials suggest classifying it as toxic for reproduction. More worrying still is the uncertainty around long-term exposure to these substances in drinking water.

“What is really astonishing is that it is an ‘unknown’ … nobody knows [the potential effects] because there are no requisite studies on metabolites,” said Veillerette, warning that if research comes too late and “they’re everywhere, then there’s nothing we can do”.

While data on safe levels remains insufficient, the group cautions these chemicals accumulate over time and could create a dangerous “cocktail effect“.

With France’s water safety at stake, experts are warning this invisible but growing crisis demands urgent attention.

Pesticides have already despoiled French Martinique. This case is the result of competing interests in France: Farmers versus Environmentalists. The agrarian sector relies on pesticides to protect their harvests (e.g. grains, grapes, etc), ignoring the long-term impact of these chemicals in the water supply and the potential health hazards they may cause in the future.

Sources:

French water supply contaminated with untested toxic chemicals, NGO warns (rfi.fr)

man-spraying-herbicides – Beyond Pesticides Daily News Blog

Fethullah Gulen, Rival of Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Dies in Exile

The late Fethullah Gulen at his home in Saylorsburg, PA. This is the man disgraced retired US Army General Michael Flynn wanted to abduct and extradite to Turkiye. (Photo: Reuters)

US-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, once an ally of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan but later accused of masterminding a failed coup attempt in 2016, has died at the age of 83 of an unspecified ailment he was being treated for. Gulen had lived in exile in the US since 1999 and was stripped of his Turkish citizenship in 2017.

The 2016 coup attempt against Erdogan and the government was a turning point in the country. Some 250 people were killed when rogue soldiers hijacked warplanes, tanks, and other heavy military equipment as they tried to push the president out of power.

That event led Ankara to declare an all-out war on Gulen’s network — known as Hizmet, which means “service” in Turkish — saying he was responsible for the coup, charges that Gulen fiercely denied.

Ankara considers Hizmet to be a terrorist organization. It is an opaque but influential group mainly involved in educational activities and promoting civil society.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, in confirming Turkish intelligence reports saying Gulen had died, described Gulen as the leader of a “dark organization.”

Tens of thousands of dismissals and detentions followed the coup attempt in Turkiye, as well as increasingly tense relations between Ankara and any country where Gulen had connections — mostly through the network of his private schools.

Turkish soldiers accused of involvement in an attempted coup in 2016 arriving at court inside the Sincan Prison in Ankara in 2017. Photo: Adem Altan / AFP— Getty Images.

The campaign against Gulen spread into regional allies of Turkiye. Some Central Asian governments intensified a crackdown on institutions linked to the cleric that had started before the coup attempt.

In recent years, there have been reports of Turkish citizens accused of having links to Gulen being arrested and forcibly taken to Turkiye.

In one such incident, Turkish-Kyrgyz educator Orhan Inandi was abducted by Turkish agents in 2021 in Kyrgyzstan and brought to Turkey against his will in 2021. Inandi, who is a dual Kyrgyz-Turkish citizen, was handed 21 years in prison on a charge of “establishing of an armed terrorist group.”

Critics of Erdogan contend that he used the coup aftermath as an excuse to purge the government of thousands of secular Turks, Kurds, AK Party opposition members, and others unaffiliated with the coup or the Gulenists, sweeping them up as so-called “Enemies of the State.”

Opposition politicians Selahattin Demirtas and Figen Yüksekdağ had been arrested on terrorism charges. These two certainly look like members of Al-Qaida or ISIS. (Undated photo courtesy of Wikimedia.org)

Sources:

Fethullah Gulen, Rival Of Turkey’s Erdogan, Dies In Exile (rferl.org)

Purges in Turkey following the 2016 Turkish coup attempt – Wikipedia

Mike Flynn and the Insane Alleged Plot to Kidnap a Turkish Cleric (vice.com)

18 North Korean Soldiers in Russia Reportedly Deserted

North Korean supremo Kim Jong Un (Center-R) and Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) walk past children attend a welcoming ceremony at Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang, North Korea on 19 Jun 2024. (Photo: Vladimir Smirnov / POOL / AFP)

Russia recently assembled a “special Buryat battalion” made up of North Koreans. The number of personnel in the unit is estimated at up to 3,000, and likely to be involved in combat activities around the settlements of Sudzha and Kursk. 18 of these North Korean soldiers have deserted their positions, according to Ukrainska Pravda citing sources in Ukraine’s special services. The alleged escapes took place seven km from the border with Ukraine.

The reasons for the North Koreans’ desertion were unknown. Russian forces have begun looking for them while attempting to conceal this information from the High Command.

“Life for North Korean conscripts is brutal and harsh, even without a war, and the consequences for refusing to fight would be extremely dire,” said Pentagon spokesperson Pat Ryder earlier this year. North Korean troops would become “cannon fodder” if they joined Russian forces on “meat assaults” reported an analyst in Ukraine.

The South Korean government summoned the Russian Ambassador and demanded the North Korean soldiers be immediately withdrawn from Russia, saying this move violated UN resolutions and posed a threat to South Korea.  

The Korean People’s Army (KPA) is the fourth largest in the world in terms of personnel, with 1,280,000 active members and 600,000 in reserve. Only China, India, and the US have bigger standing armies. North Korea spent 36.32% of its entire gross domestic product on defense in 2023. North Korean society is heavily militarized and all citizens are required to serve — reportedly 10 years for men, and eight for women. North Korea can provide two material items to the Kremlin: cannon fodder for the front and ammunition and artillery shells from a vast arsenal dating back to the 1950s.

The reported introduction of 1,500 North Korean special forces may present a separate asset to the Kremlin. But these highly-trained soldiers are also inexperienced in combat and how they perform against experienced Ukrainian defenders remains to be seen.

Kim Jong-Un has no regard for the safety or welfare of his own people and will do everything he can stay in power, including starving his own people and executing his uncle.

Jang Song-thaek escorted into court handcuffed by uniformed guards: a special military tribunal found him guilty of treason in Dec 2013 and he was executed. Jang Song-thaek was once one of the DPRK’s most powerful men and uncle of Kim Jong-Un (Photo: Yonhap/AFP/Getty Images)

Sources:

Russia formed ”Buryat battalion” staffed by North Koreans, but 18 soldiers have already deserted – Ukrainska Pravda sources | Ukrainska Pravda

South Korea summons Russian envoy over North Korean troop deployment | South Korea | The Guardian

This is how North Korean troops could be used in Russia’s war in Ukraine (kyivindependent.com)

North Carolina Militant Sentenced for Assaulting Law Enforcement During 6 Jan Attack on US Capitol

Curtis Davis (R). Tonya Bishop (L) faces charges, including entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, plus charges of disorderly conduct and illegally demonstrating at the Capitol building. (Photo: FBI)

Curtis Davis (45) of Snow Hill, NC was sentenced to 24 months in prison, 36 months of supervised release, the first six months of which to be served on home detention, and ordered to pay $2,000 in restitution by the Honorable US District Judge Amit P. Mehta for violent actions on 6 Jan 2021.

At about 3:00 PM on 6 Jan 2021, Davis entered the US Capitol building where law enforcement officers were attempting to disperse a crowd of rioters. Inside the Rotunda, while pressed against a line of police officers, Davis forcibly attacked a Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officer and attempted to grab hold of the officer’s baton. Davis then punched an MPD officer in the face shield and refused law enforcement orders to leave the building. A short while later, Davis punched another MPD officer in the head and forcibly pulled away a riot shield from another. Davis then used the shield to press against the backs of a line of rioters in an attempt to resist the efforts of police.

After being expelled from the Rotunda, Davis returned with other rioters and again attempted to breach police lines. This maniac punched a riot shield held by an officer three times.

Later that night, Davis filmed a group of police officers with his cell phone camera before turning it around, filming his fist, and stating, “Them knuckles right there, from one of those m—f— faces at the Capitol.”

The FBI arrested Davis on 8 Dec 2023 in Snow Hill.

In the 45 months since 6 Jan 2021, more than 1,532 suspects have been charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to attacking the US Capitol, including more than 571 seditionists charged with feloniously assaulting or impeding law enforcement. The FBI investigation remains ongoing.

Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.

This violent lunatic represents America’s Fedayeen Saddam (FS), die-hard white supremacists clinging on to the last vestiges of white privilege in the US. Heeding the idiotic call of Donald J. Trump that the minorities stole the 2020 election, Curtis Davis threw his life away with this federal conviction.

Sources:

District of Columbia | North Carolina Man Sentenced for Assaulting Law Enforcement During the Jan. 6 Capitol Breach | United States Department of Justice

Stray Cat Approaches Kind Stranger, Soon Filling Home with Look-alike Kittens

When a volunteer from Be Their Voice Animal Rescue (BTV) in Atlanta, Georgia, went to pick up a cat, another friendly stray came around the corner and walked right up to her.

“She could tell that the cat was pregnant and very skinny,” Aimee, COO for BTV. With no home to call her own, the volunteer scooped her up and took her for her first vet visit.

After the vet, the sweet “house panther” named Jazz inspected her new room, pausing only to rub against the furniture. Finding everything to her liking, she weaved around her foster mom’s legs and purred her thanks.

Though quite underweight, Jazz was in good spirits and grateful for her endless supply of food. She took her time to feast and regain strength, making up for those hungry and weary days on the streets.

“She ended up finally delivering sometime in the middle of the night, and unfortunately, she didn’t know what she was doing.”

Jazz had comfortable nesting boxes to choose from but decided to have her eight kittens in the litter box.

Thankfully, her foster family quickly acted, cleaning the babies one by one and making sure they were all latching.

Over the next few weeks, the kittens grew by leaps and bounds, reaching many milestones, discovering their penchant for mischief-making, and romping around with boisterous energy. Now they are ready for new forever homes.

A happy and grateful Jazz made a lot of people happy.

We can thank the good people at Be Their Voice Animal Rescue in Georgia for their kindness, this story, and the photos.

More on the family and BTV (in GA) on Instagram @_catz4life_ and @fostercatsfordays.

Source:

https://www.lovemeow.com/stray-cat-home-void-kittens-2669446352.html

This little tigress is ready for a forever home.