Jordan

FBI Arrests Key Member of International Child Sexploitation and Mutilation Cult in Arizona

Warning: Some readers will find the text on the screen immediately below graphic and disturbing. This is one of the most heinous stories Coriolanus has ever come across.

This is an example of what these sadists request from underaged victims. Basically “kids are targeting kids” in the most despicable and nefarious manner. (Photo provided)

The FBI arrested Baron Martin (20) of Tucson, AZ for producing child sexual abuse material and cyberstalking offenses carried out as part of his participation in online violent terror networks known as “764” and “CVLT”. The 20-year-old defendant described himself as the “king of extortion” and claimed to be the “catalyst for thousands of extortions.”

Members of “764” systematically target underage females, groom them, extort them, and force them to mutilate themselves or others and either film or photograph such activity, at times while streaming it online for other members of the network.

Cult members find child victims on platforms such as Roblox. (Photo: Getty Images)

Previously captured and sentenced miscreants of this horrific international child sexploitation and mutilation cult include:

Baby-faced Bradley Cadenhead was sentenced to life in prison after pleading guilty to nine counts of possessing and promoting child pornography. One video retrieved from Cadenhead’s computer showed one of his followers killing a victim’s hamster. (Supplied image)

In 2022, deranged-looking Kaleb Merritt (23) was sentenced to 350 years after he drove 20 hours to kidnap and rape a 12-year-old girl he had been abusing online. (Supplied image)

If convicted, Baron Martin faces 30 years in prison and up to ten additional years for cyberstalking. This deviant-sadist will be 60 years old when he is released from the tender mercies of Uncle Sam. Baron Martin will not have contributed one thin dime towards FICA and his Social Security retirement during his long federal incarceration.

Anyone with information regarding child sexual exploitation please call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit https://tips.fbi.gov/home.

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

This is one of the most horrendous criminal enterprises Coriolanus has ever come across. These are deranged youngsters predating upon vulnerable youngsters. You wonder what the mothers of these deviant torturers are thinking. Nefarious entities like 764 and CVLT make your humble author wish that he could unretire.

After conviction, throw away the key and weld the prison cell door shut forthwith.

Sources:

https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/arizona-man-associated-online-terror-network-arrested-production-child-sex-abuse-material

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/764

Archived link:

https://archive.is/PBslJ#selection-977.170-977.264

Israeli and Jordanian Intelligence Chiefs Coordinate on Syria

Major General Ahmad Husni, Director of the Jordanian General Intelligence Director (GID)

The director of the Israeli Shin Bet security agency and senior Israel Defense Forces (IDF) officers recently met with the director of the Jordanian general intelligence service, Ahmad Husni, and senior Jordanian military commanders.

On their agenda: A chemical weapons stockpile in Syria, the numerous different armed rebel groups, some of them once affiliated with Al-Qaeda, and the Golan Heights.

While the conference was going on, the IDF struck military sites across Syria and seized an area in the Golan Heights on the Syrian side of the border between the two countries. The Syrian mission to the UN says Israel’s capture of the territory is a violation of Syria’s sovereignty.

Jordanian intelligence (the GID) is one of the most important and professional intelligence agencies in the Middle East. GID has been instrumental in foiling several terrorist attacks both in Jordan and around the world.

Jerusalem is wise to heed any advice from the King of Jordan.

King Abdullah II of Jordan is a UK Sandhurst Military Academy graduate, pilot, and former Special Forces officer.

In 1997, so incensed was King Abdullah’s father, the late King Hussein, by a brazen Mossad poisoning assassination attempt on Palestinian resistance leader Khaled Mashaal in Amman, he called Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu to immediately demand the antidote. Hussein threatened that if Mashaal died, so would the identified Mossad agents who fled to the Israeli Embassy in Amman. After the admonishment, Netanyahu called a subordinate and uttered two words: “Do it.”

Israeli officials quickly provided the Jordanians with an antidote and medical advice as doctors in Amman fought to save Mashaal’s life.

Khaled Mashaal in Gaza City, 9 Dec 2012. He recovered from the amateurish fentanyl poisoning attack thanks to King Hussein. (AP Photo/Hatem Moussa)

The smartest thing Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has done in decades was to consult with the Hashemite Kingdom over the future of Syria. Jordan is a key mediator between Israel and the Syrian rebel groups, including the Sunni Islamist opposition group Hayʼat Tahrir ash-Sham (HTS) that led the revolution that toppled the Assad regime. Moreover, the GID has a history of penetrating Sunni jihadist groups like the HTS.

Nota Bene: Jordan’s military (100,000 active-duty personnel) is considered to be among the most professional in the region, and is seen as particularly well-trained, organized, and equipped. According to the Global Firepower Index (GFI), Jordan is ranked 80 in military firepower out of 145 countries.

At least 3,000 US troops operate in Jordan, which has a defense agreement with Washington that allows them “unimpeded access” to many Jordanian military facilities.

Sources:

Israel and Jordan held secret talks on Syria

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

https://gid.gov.jo/

https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/us-troop-numbers-jordan-surge-record-high-amid-gaza-war

https://www.globalfirepower.com/country-military-strength-detail.php?country_id=jordan

Begging royal mercy: How Israel recovered from the botched Mashaal hit, 25 years ago | The Times of Israel
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Intelligence_Department

Question: What Newspapers or Journals Do American CEOs and Oligarchs Read?

Answer: Barron’s, the Wall Street Journal, the Financial Times, Inc Magazine, Forbes, Entrepreneur, Platinum Business, Bloomberg Business Week, ad nauseum. Clever CEOs will read the Economist* and charge it to their company.

Do these above purveyors of news discuss human interest stories involving struggle, rent costs, suffering, illness, civil rights, health insurance costs, homelessness, or social justice?

For the most part, no.

The carefree 0.01% at the top of the American pyramid is divorced from the struggling 99.9% at the bottom of the pyramid. Oligarchs are coldly indifferent to the plight of the masses because they: a) have an innate sense of entitlement; b) are safely cocooned from the travails of the masses simply by what they read for news.

Then the insouciant and aloof elitists (top level) and their media proxies (second level) are shocked and outraged about the killing of one of their own and will deploy an army of centurions (third level) to find the perpetrator (bottom level) of such a dastardly deed. We are of course discussing the late CEO of United HealthCare Brian Thompson whose health insurance business policies callously placed profits over people. The mantra of “Deny, Defend, Depose” were allegedly found on the bullets that killed this 50-year old oligarch.

Such elitists live in palatial estates in Greenwich, CT, drive Lexus luxury cars, travel First Class to destinations like St. Tropez, and ensure their offspring receive the best private education possible, including legacy admissions to Yale or Harvard Universities.

Said a writer about American healthcare CEOs: “They Eat Off Your Family Member’s Grave.” Below CCTV captures such an image of a ghoul at a cemetery desecrating a grave.

(Undated screen capture: Fox 8 Cleveland)

Bon appetite, healthcare industry CEOs!

Said a writer pithily and accurately: “Only in America you can be driven into homelessness by someone like Brian Thompson, then legally murdered by someone like Daniel Penny (who recently strangled a man on the NYC subway), while the money that could have saved you is spent on murdering children in Gaza.”

Health Insurance CEO “Wanted” posters in NYC. Discourse and imagery like this has completely shocked these clueless and aloof elitists. (Screenshot: TikTok)

So CEOs, pray keep reading Barron’s, the Wall Street Journal, the Financial Times, Inc Magazine, Forbes, Entrepreneur, Platinum Business, or Bloomberg Business Week, and never mind learning about the lower levels of the pyramid that provide you and your families luxuriant lifestyles while sending your children to Princeton, Harvard, Yale, or Brown University.

*The Economist reports non-financial news (Bagehot, Lexington) as well as occasional human-interest stories and a dedicated weekly obituary.

Source:

Further | Deny, Defend, Depose: They Eat Off Your Family Member’s Grave | Opinion

Islamic State-Khorasan (ISIS-K) Kills Afghan Minister in Kabul Suicide Blast

Khalil Haqqani, the uncle of the Taliban’s acting interior minister, Sirajuddin Haqqani, is the first senior cabinet member to be killed in an explosion since the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in August 2021. (Photo: Social media)

Khalil Haqqani, the refugee minister in Afghanistan’s Taliban-led administration, was killed recently in an explosion in the capital, Kabul.

The blast occurred inside the ministry’s compound and killed two others. Islamic State Khorasan (ISIS-K) claimed responsibility for the attack. ISIS-K has been active in Afghanistan and regularly targets both Taliban regime officials and civilians.

One possible reason behind the attack is the rivalry between ISIS-K and the Taliban connected to the takeover of Afghanistan. This was a substantial blow to the Taliban because Khalil Haqqani was a key figure in maintaining relationships with foreign donors and was responsible for fundraising activities on behalf of the Taliban and the HQN.

The Haqqani Network (HQN) is a formidable Pashtun network based in eastern Afghanistan and northwest Pakistan which originated during the Russian invasion of Afghanistan (1978–92). The HQN participated with the Taliban in an insurgency after the US invasion of late 2001/early 2002. In 2012, the US Government designated the Haqqani Network (HQN) as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO). The HQN and Pakistan’s ISI have a close and nebulous cooperative relationship. The US designated Khalil Haqqani as a global terrorist on 9 Feb 2011 and had offered a $5 million reward for information leading to his capture.

Map: CIA

Although the ISIS-K suicide bomber was killed in the martyrdom attack, HQN will extract a steep price from other members of ISIS-K after locating them. Pakistan’s ISI will no doubt assist in locating ISIS-K cells on behalf of their ally. Beijing must also be concerned about the increasing instability in Afghanistan as they have just established a railway network into the impoverished but mineral-rich country. China’s firms are investing millions of dollars in the Afghan economy as part of Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative.  

Note the tiny sliver that connects Afghanistan to China is the high altitude Wakhan Corridor. This is not where the railway connects the two countries. Years ago, there was one unimproved road connecting Afghanistan (Badakhshan Province) to China (Xinjiang Province) and this has probably not changed over the years. Below is what the border crossing looked like years ago.

Sources:

Afghan Taliban Minister Killed In Kabul Blast

CIA

China Deepens Its Engagement With Taliban-Ruled Afghanistan – The Diplomat

Influential Afghan Taliban Minister Khalil Haqqani, 2 Others Killed In ISIS-K Suicide Bombing – News18

Bashir al-Assad Exiled to Russia Against His Will

Two tyrants in happier times. (Undated photo: Mikhail Klimentyev/Sputnik/Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

On his Facebook account, ousted Syrian despot Bashar Assad claimed he had no plans to leave the country after the fall of Damascus a week ago but the Russian military evacuated him after their base in western Syria came under attack. He left Damascus on the morning of 8 Dec, hours after insurgents stormed the capital. Assad said he left Damascus in coordination with Russian allies to the naval base in Latakia where he planned to keep fighting.

Russian military vehicle in Syria. (Undated photo)

The former Syrian dictator alleged that after the Russian base came under attack by drones, the Kremlin decided to evacuate him to Moscow on the night of 8 Dec.

Sidenote: A Syrian friend of mine informed me that Bashir al-Assad “didn’t even tell his brother Maher and just abandoned him.”

But did Bashir al-Assad really intend to abandon his brother? Undated photo of Maher al-Assad.

Russian Ilyushin-76 military cargo plane.

“I did not leave the country as part of a plan as it was reported earlier,” Assad said. “At no point during these events did I consider stepping down or seeking refuge nor was such proposal made by any individual or party,” Assad said in the English text of his statement. “The only course of action was to continue fighting against the terrorist onslaught.”

The London-trained oculist in mufti directing his generals. (Undated photo)

Russia had a sizeable military presence in Syria and their intelligence services were aware for months that Bashir al-Assad’s hold on power was untenable. Unsurprisingly, the Kremlin evacuated the Syrian despot. Putin’s envoys immediately began negotiating with the HTS rebels about the fate of the Russian naval and air bases in Tartus and Khmeimim.

According to the Financial Times, between 2018 and 2019, Assad sent about $250 million in cash to Russia, a period that coincided with when Syria became dependent on Moscow’s military support.

Nearly two tons of banknotes in $100 and €500 bills were flown from Syria into Moscow’s Vnukovo airport to be deposited at sanctioned Russian banks.

One wonders who the target audience of Bashir al-Assad’s English language Facebook post was intended for. Would it be the Alevi minority population that he once protected in Syria but has since abandoned? Possibly. Since the internet is choc-a-bloc with videos of Assad’s now exposed torture chambers, the London-trained ophthalmologist would be incredibly tone deaf if he was writing to the Syrian people or the West. With two tons of Bashir al-Assad’s US and British cash safely in the hands of the Putin-controlled Russian banking system, the former dictator of Syria and his usefulness to Vladimir Putin has now completely ended.

Asma al-Assad, the good-looking wife of the deposed dictator in an undated photo.

Since Bashir al-Assad and his communications are under complete surveillance by the GRU, his public Facebook post may have been an indirect signal to Tehran for intervention without angering Putin.

Sources:

Middle East latest: Assad says he had no plans to leave Syria but was evacuated by Russians | AP News

https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2024/12/16/assad-regime-airlifted-250m-from-syria-to-russia-ft-a87348

https://i.insider.com/560173489dd7cc1b008bc45b?width=889

Japan: Highest Rate of Erythema Infectiosum (“Apple Disease”) Since 1999

Tokyo’s 2024 population is now estimated at 37,115,000 inhabitants.

A significant increase in cases of “apple disease,” or erythema infectiosum, has been reported in Tokyo, marking the highest number of infections since 1999. 796 cases were reported in the week leading up to 1 Dec based on data from 264 medical facilities. This translates to an average of 3.02 cases per facility, surpassing previous records.

Photo courtesy of the CDC.

Parvovirus B19 infection is usually mild in people who are otherwise healthy. Common symptoms include “slapped cheek” rash in children and joint pains in adults. Complications can occur among people with underlying blood disorders or weakened immune system. Infection early during pregnancy can cause a slight increase in the risk of a miscarriage.

Nearby Saitama has also reported cases of “apple disease.” The recent rise in cases has prompted health officials to issue warnings, especially to expectant mothers, advising caution during this outbreak. The number of infections has exceeded warning levels for the first time since 2018, signaling a need for increased awareness and preventive measures in the community.

Sources:

Tokyo reports highest cases of erythema infectiosum, or “apple disease”, since 1999

About Parvovirus B19 | Parvovirus B19 and Fifth Disease | CDC

Canadian Parliamentarian on Donald Trump: “Idiotic” and “Juvenile”

3 Dec 2024 Truth Social post by Trump after referring to Canada as America’s 51st State.

After idiotically and needlessly threatening America’s greatest friend and neighbor, a NATO ally and NORAD partner with tariffs, President-elect Donald Trump then boorishly claimed Canada was America’s 51st State in front of PM Justin Trudeau who tactfully ignored the slight. President-elect Donald Trump then posted the above image on Truth Social. But what he imbecilically posted was the Matterhorn Mountain in the Swiss Alps. You can easily see it.

Photo of the Matterhorn in the Swiss Alps courtesy of photographylife.com.

Afterwards on Parliament Hill, a Canadian lawmaker referred to Trump as “idiotic” and “juvenile.” Canada which enjoys universal health care (which has been going through some problems recently) and suffered 289 firearms-related homicides in 2023 is doing fine without the US. In 2022 Americans suffered an appalling 48,000 gun-related deaths, like a warzone without the Taliban or al-Qaida. You wonder how Vladimir Putin, who wants to sow discord between the US and NATO, as well as the EU, transmitted his instructions to his protege to offend Ottawa.

Then-President Donald Trump idiotically points at a partial solar eclipse without eye protection from the balcony of the White House in 2017. Trump intends to permanently eliminate Daylight Savings Time (DST). (Photo: Nicholas Kamm / AFP / Getty Images)

America’s soon-to-be Chief Executive and Commander-in-Chief:

Sources:

‘He’s A Juvenile’: Canadian Lawmaker Slams Trump’s ‘Idiotic Behavior’ After Tariff Threats – Canada | Donald Trump News

Fast Facts: Firearm Injury and Death | Firearm Injury and Death Prevention | CDC

https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=3510006901

Cat and Golden Retriever Insist on Sledding Together

Author’s Note: Followers of the Watch have asked that I analyze the spate of drone sightings over the US which Coriolanus will address imminently.

Donald Trump Hosted German Neo-Nazis Election Day at Mar-a-Lago

Phillipp-Anders Rau (41), an AfD candidate for the Bundestag and alleged porn star posted this photo of himself with Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago on 5 Nov. (Photo: parau_afd/Instagram)

Donald Trump gathered Elon Musk, his supporters, family and friends at Mar-a-Lago on US election day last month to wait for the results to trickle in. With him that day was a small group of neo-Nazi Germans.

Rightwing Beat Ulrich Zirpel posted this on social media:

“We just shouted ‘Kämpft, kämpft, kämpft’ (‘fight, fight, fight’) with president Trump at Mar-a-Lago Club right before election night!”

“Peace in Germany and Europe will be decided with the election in the USA, Rau wrote in an Instagram caption from Florida on 5 Nov. “Patriots have to work together internationally.”

Proud German rightwing Trump enthusiasts. (Photo: parau_afd/Instagram)

“In the three state elections in eastern Germany in Sep 2024, the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) won more votes than ever before, even though the party adopted particularly extreme positions in those states and has been classified as right-wing extremist by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, Germany’s domestic intelligence agency”.

According to the latest ARD Deutschlandtrend survey, 84% of AfD voters agree with the statement: 

 “I don’t care that the AfD has been labeled partly right-wing extremist, as long as it addresses the right issues.”

Citizens of the world and Americans must be wondering who won the US Civil War and the Second World War?

Christopher “Hammer” Pohlhaus (C) leads a rally with neo-Nazi groups Blood Tribe, and Goyim Defense League on 2 Sep 2023, in Orlando, Florida. (Photo: Stephanie Keith / Getty Images)

(6 Jan 2021 Photo/JTA-Saul Loeb-AFP via Getty Images)

Sources:

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/dec/07/far-right-activists-from-germany-spent-us-election-day-at-trumps-mar-a-lago

https://www.dw.com/en/germans-divided-over-far-right-afd-ban/a-70465031

US House Intelligence Committee Interim Report on “Havana Syndrome”

“AHI: A Real Existential Threat to the IC Workforce”

BLUF: The House Intelligence Committee (HPSCI) suspects a foreign adversary is behind the Havana Syndrome. How far any executive branch investigations go under the new administration remains to be seen, but unlikely if the clues point to the Kremlin. Recently investigative journalists linked the Anomalous Health Incidents (AHI) to a Russian Directed Energy Weapon (DEW) unit numbered “29155” which CBS aired earlier this year.

Finding 1: The ICA on AHIs lacked analytic integrity and was highly
irregular, hindering the Subcommittee’s trust in the IC’s process and
conclusions.

Finding 2: The IC’s response to AHIs has likely impeded collection.

Finding 3: Congress’s oversight and investigation must continue with support
from the Trump Administration.

Opinion: Russian intelligence (GRU) covertly directed ultrasonic pulses at US personnel to harass, sicken, and degrade their capabilities. The US Embassy in Havana, had recently re-opened and these AHIs may have been launched to disrupt relations between the US and Cuba. Some CIA and FBI personnel said the Kremlin “crossed a line” by these AHIs, but the USG was unable to provide a conclusive “smoking gun.” No official reprisals were made against Russian intelligence personnel that the public is aware of.

Some US DEWs:

Link:

Click to access unclassified_ahi_report.pdf

Previous reports:

Click to access Updated_Assessment_of_Anomalous_Health_Incidents.pdf

https://www.state.gov/anomalous-health-incidents-and-the-health-incident-response-task-force/

https://theins.ru/en/politics/270425

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/5-year-havana-syndrome-investigation-finds-new-evidence-of-who-might-be-responsible-60-minutes/

Click to access IC_Targeting_and_Collection_Efforts_Point_Away_From_Adversary_Involvement_in_Anomalous_Health_Incidents.pdf

California BOLO Alert: Dangerous Convicted Murderer on Loose

Mug shot of Cesar M. Hernandez. (Source: California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation)

Cesar M. Hernandez (34) is 5 feet 5 inches tall and weighs approximately 161 pounds. He has brown eyes and black hair and was last seen wearing an orange top and orange pants. He was sentenced to 80 years to life.

Cesar M. Hernandez has been on the run since 10:45 on Monday morning (2 Dec) after escaping from a van that was taking him to the Kern County Courthouse. Authorities did not disclose whether Hernandez was handcuffed or manacled when he fled.

The fugitive has been described as “dangerous.” Members of the public are encouraged to send in any tips they have about his whereabouts but not to approach Hernandez.

Anyone who sees Hernandez or has knowledge of his whereabouts should immediately contact law enforcement, call 9-1-1, or contact Lt. Anthony Sotello, the Incident Commander at (661) 721-6300 extension 5506 or at OPEC@cdcr.ca.gov.

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

Cesar Hernandez may have an accomplice to take off his handcuffs or manacles, as well as provide him a change of clothes.

Source:

CDCR Seeking Incarcerated Person Who Escaped During Transport to Kern County Courthouse – News Releases

Whither Syria?

 Abu Mohammed al-Golani (42) who deposed Bashar al-Assad (second from right). (Photo: circa 2016, AP)

Muhammad Al-Golani’s success on the battlefield follows years of maneuvering among extremist organizations while eliminating competitors and former allies.

Along the way he moved to distance himself from al-Qaida, polishing his image and his extremist group’s de-facto “salvation government” in an attempt to win over international governments and the country’s religious and ethnic minorities.

Rebel commander Anas Salkhadi later appeared on state TV and sought to reassure Syria’s religious and ethnic minorities, saying: “Syria is for everyone, no exceptions. Syria is for Druze, Sunnis, Alawites, and all sects.”

Syrian President Bashar Assad has arrived in Moscow with his family and given asylum. Moscow had received guarantees from Syrian insurgents of the security of Russian military bases and diplomatic posts in Syria.

The US carried out a major round of airstrikes on Islamic State targets, warning the terror group against trying to regain strength in the country. The operation included dozens of airstrikes on over 75 targets involving ISIS operatives and camps using B-52 bombers, F-15 fighter jets and A-10 close-air support attack aircraft “to ensure that ISIS does not seek to take advantage of the current situation to reconstitute in central Syria”.  

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the IDF to seize the buffer zone that separates the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights from the rest of Syria.

Just as the Taliban suddenly swept into power in Afghanistan, so did these Sunni insurgents. Lebanese Hezbollah and Iran were unable to help the Syrian Army. Demoralized and unmotivated, the army quickly dissolved, just like Kabul’s military causing both corrupt regimes to collapse with their leaders fleeing. Israel quickly offered the olive branch of peace by seizing strategic territory in the Golan Heights and striking suspected chemical weapons sites and long-range rockets. The US pounded Islamic State (IS) guerillas not affiliated with the al-Golani’s bloc.

The key influencers in the new Syria will be Turkiye and Saudi Arabia, both countries that support foreign Sunni Muslim movements. Ankara also supports Arab and Turkmen proxies that target Kurdish militias in northern Syria where 900 US servicemen have been deployed to conduct anti-ISIS operations.

Jordan will have a central role with the new Syria. Amman has an excellent intelligence service and as a moderate Sunni government can act as an interlocutor between Damascus and her neighbors. But the Hashemite Kingdom is also concerned about the instability that a militant Salafist regime brings to the region. Secular Lebanon, home to several faiths, has similar concerns.

Iran and Russia are the biggest international losers with the ousting of the Assad Regime, but Moscow seems to have been able to secure its naval base in Tartus. Tehran lost an ally from the Shia Crescent. The same can be said of Lebanese Hezbollah which relied on their Shia-led neighbor for support. The other losers in this regime change may be Syria’s non-Sunni minorities which the Assad regime tolerated, such as the Christians, Yezidis, and Druze. And Bashir al-Assad was seen as the protector of the Alevi Shias in Syria who may face retribution at the hands of their new Sunni overlords.

An opposition fighter steps on a broken bust of the late Syrian President Hafez Assad in Damascus, Syria, 8 Dec 2024. The family’s 50-year rule finally ended. (Photo: AP / Hussein Malla)

Israel may have gained from the fall of Assad. But the new Sunni regime in Damascus may be more sympathetic and supportive of their fellow co-religionists, the Palestinians, who undergoing a genocide at the hands of the brutal Likud regime.    

Sources:

Who is Abu Mohammed al-Golani, the leader of Syria’s shock insurgency? | AP News

U.S. Central Command conducts dozens of airstrikes to eliminate ISIS camps in central Syria > U.S. Central Command > Press Release View

Pet Food Safety Recall: Blue Ridge Beef Puppy Mix Due to Salmonella Contamination

Blue Ridge Beef in Statesville, NC, is voluntarily recalling 9,600 lbs. of their 2 lb Puppy Mix due to a contamination of Salmonella.

The products were distributed between 6 and 23 Aug 2024 and packaged in clear plastic and sold primarily in retail stores located in Virginia, North Carolina, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New York.

Salmonella can affect animals eating the products and there is risk to humans from handling contaminated pet products, especially if they have not thoroughly washed their hands after having contact with the products or any surfaces exposed to these products.

Healthy people infected with Salmonella should monitor themselves for some or all of the following symptoms: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, abdominal cramping and fever. Rarely, Salmonella can result in more serious ailments, including arterial infections, endocarditis, arthritis, muscle pain, eye irritation, and urinary tract symptoms. Consumers exhibiting these signs after having contact with this product should contact their healthcare providers.

Pets with Salmonella infections may be lethargic and have diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, fever, and vomiting. Some pets will have only decreased appetite, fever, and abdominal pain. Infected but otherwise healthy pets can be carriers and infect other animals or humans. If your pet has consumed the recalled product and has these symptoms, please contact your veterinarian.

The problem was discovered when a customer’s litter of puppies became ill and reported the issue to VDACS.

Consumers who have purchased this product are urged to return to place of purchase or destroy the food in a way that children, pets, and wildlife cannot access. Do not sell or donate the recalled products. Do not feed the recalled product to pets or any other animals. Wash and sanitize pet food bowls, cups, and storage containers. Always ensure you wash and sanitize your hands after handling recalled food or any utensils that come in contact with recalled food. For more information contact blueridgebeefnc@yahoo.com or 704-873-2072

This recall is being made with the knowledge of the Food and Drug Administration.

Source:

Blue Ridge Beef Issues Voluntary Recall Blue Ridge Beef Puppy Mix Due to Salmonella Contamination | FDA

Amnesty International: Israel Committing Genocide Against Palestinians in Gaza

(Photo: ©Mahmoud Issa /Anadolu via Getty Images)

“Israel has carried out acts prohibited under the Genocide Convention, with the specific intent to destroy Palestinians in Gaza. These acts include killings, causing serious bodily or mental harm and deliberately inflicting on Palestinians in Gaza conditions of life calculated to bring about their physical destruction. Month after month, Israel has treated Palestinians in Gaza as a subhuman group unworthy of human rights and dignity, demonstrating its intent to physically destroy them. Our damning findings must serve as a wake-up call to the international community: this is genocide. It must stop now.”

The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) recently released similar findings, linked below.

The IDF killed at least 44,612 Palestinians and wounded 105,834 since 7 Oct 2023. On 15 Aug 2024 the IDF claimed more than 17,000 militants have been killed. Who are the remaining 27,612 deaths?

At this rate, nearly 48,000 Palestinians in Gaza will have been killed by air and drone strokes by year’s end. These figures exclude West Bank casualties.

Nearly 100,000 homes in Gaza were destroyed last year; obviously more since the dated report linked below.

The massive pager and walkie-talkie sabotage attack Israel perpetrated on Lebanon in Sep 2024 was considered an egregious violation of international war by the OHCHR. The attacks reportedly killed at least 32 people and maimed or injured 3,250, including 200 critically. Among the dead are a boy and a girl, as well as medical personnel. Around 500 people suffered severe eye injuries, including a diplomat. Others suffered grave injuries to their faces, hands, and bodies. This incident and the the ethnic cleansing of the West Bank fell outside the scope of this Amnesty International report.

Agriculture Minister Avi Dichter (Likud): “We’re rolling out Nakba 2023.” (Photo: Noam Moskowitz / Knesset spokesperson)

Avi Dichter is one of heck of a nice guy, isn’t he? If Mr. Dichter has dual Israeli and US citizenship, Donald Trump might ask him to join his administration. Remarkably, there are defenders, deniers, and apologists of this abominable genocide being perpetrated on Palestinians within the Democratic Party base. You may read their weak arguments and drivel in several liberal or democratic websites. Some parsed the wording of the Amnesty report in a feeble attempt to discredit it. And then these same polemicists wonder why the Democratic Party lost the anti-war vote and the election this past November.

Sources:

Amnesty concludes Israel is committing genocide in Gaza

https://www.ohchr.org/en/documents/thematic-reports/a79363-report-special-committee-investigate-israeli-practices-affecting

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/12/7/live-dozens-killed-as-israel-attacks-refugee-camp-nearby-hospital

https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2023-11-12/ty-article/israeli-security-cabinet-member-calls-north-gaza-evacuation-nakba-2023/0000018b-c2be-dea2-a9bf-d2be7b670000

https://www.ohchr.org/en/documents/thematic-reports/a79363-report-special-committee-investigate-israeli-practices-affecting

Exploding pagers and radios: A terrifying violation of international law, say UN experts | OHCHR


https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-67565872

US/Canada Product Recall: Anker Soundcore Lithium-Ion Battery Powered Bluetooth Speakers

33 incidents have been reported to the CPSC involving the lithium-ion batteries in the speakers overheating, some causing smoking and small fires, including one minor burn injury. 69,000 units were sold in the US, about 9,764 in Canada.

This recall involves the lithium-ion battery packs in Anker Soundcore Bluetooth Speakers sold exclusively on Amazon in 2023. Only lithium-ion battery packs in Anker Soundcore Bluetooth Speakers with models A3102016, A3302011 and A3302031 are included in this recall.

The recalled speakers can be identified by the unit’s “SN Code” which is visible on the underside of the Bluetooth Speakers. Consumers can type in the “SN Code” on Anker’s websites for these recalls https://us.soundcore.com/pages/a3102-recall and https://us.ankerwork.com/pages/a3302-recall to see if their product is recalled. Anker and Amazon have contacted all known purchasers. 

[b]Lithium-ion batteries can be dangerous. Watch below what happens to the poor dogs after chewing on a battery. Both dogs and a cat escaped the fire unharmed.[/b]

Source:

Anker Soundcore Lithium-Ion Battery Powered Bluetooth Speakers Recalled Due to Fire Hazard; Sold Exclusively on Amazon.com by Anker Innovations | CPSC.gov

Hawaii: Over 200 Cats Saved from Wildfire

Link: https://lanaicatsanctuary.org/

Israel Launches Massive Attack on Beirut Killing Lebanese Hezbollah Leader Hassan Nasrallah

Undated photo courtesy of the Washington Post. Several ministers in the Likud government agree with this young lady.

Israeli launched a massive strike on what it said was Iran-allied Hezbollah’s central headquarters in a Beirut suburb shortly after PM Benjamin Netanyahu warned the UN that actions against Lebanese Hezbollah would not stop. The IDF announced that the strike killed Lebanese Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, Ali Karki, and other commanders. At least four buildings were destroyed in the strikes, six people were killed, and more than 91 were injured. The intensified fighting has killed hundreds and tens of thousands more have been displaced.

Smoke rises from Israeli airstrikes in Beirut’s southern suburbs, Lebanon, 28 Sep 2024.

Earlier in the day, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken insisted that “the path to diplomacy” was still open in the Middle East despite Israel’s latest massive strike in Lebanon, but he insisted Israel and Hezbollah must both “stop firing.” This diplomatic effort has been rendered moot by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Elsewhere, Iran, Russia, and their allies condemned the strikes on Beirut as a “war crime.”

The attacks against Hezbollah began when many world leaders — including those from the Middle East — were in New York for the annual UN General Assembly gathering on 27 Sep. Before these airstrikes, pagers and walkie-talkies used by Lebanese Hezbollah operatives- and civilians– simultaneously exploded last week, killing 42 people and maiming hundreds.

Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati urged the global community to “stop” Israel from waging a “genocidal war” against Lebanon.

“This new Israeli aggression proves that the Israeli enemy doesn’t care about all the international efforts and calls for a cease-fire,” Mikati said.

Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said: “It is time to face the truth, and the truth is unless Netanyahu is stopped, unless this government is stopped, war will encompass all of us.”

We are probably too late.

Adjusting for inflation, US aid to Israel from 1951 to 2022 totaled $317.9 billion, making it the largest recipient of American foreign aid since World War II. Israel’s behavior is a poor return for the hardworking American taxpayer who does not enjoy universal health care like Israelis do.

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu will do anything to hold on to power and keep his nettlesome bribery and corruption trial in Jerusalem held in abeyance, at the cost of Arab lives which the IDF and Likud Cabinet consider disposable. Last year Agriculture Minister Avi Dichter said Israel was going to roll out “Nakba 2023” and Heritage Minister Amihal Eliyahu suggested deploying a nuclear weapon against the people in Gaza.

The constant drumbeat of amalgamating all Muslims as terrorists, all Palestinians as Hamas, all Lebanese as Hezbollah may work with the Western audience, but the rest of the world and the UN sees through the propaganda.

The death toll in the tiny Gaza Strip has surpassed 40,000. The Associated Press (AP) provided the following data:

Palestinians killed in Gaza: at least 40,005

People killed in Israel: about 1,200

Palestinians killed in the West Bank: 623

People killed in Lebanon: approximately 530

Civilians

Civilians killed in Gaza: 5,956 women; at least 10,627 children.

Civilians and foreigners killed in Israel: 860

Children killed in Israel: 53

Civilians killed since 7 Oct in Israel along its northern border: 24

Civilians killed in Lebanon: 97

Meanwhile, the belligerent Netanyahu regime has practically guaranteed denying his principal ally, Democratic US President Joe Biden, a small diplomatic victory before he leaves office. A ceasefire and deal to release the 100 or so remaining hostages held by armed Palestinian groups would have been a final achievement to Biden’s long political career and a boost for his successor VPOTUS Kamala Harris. But now Pres. Biden and the West must expect escalation and asymmetric warfare retaliation by Lebanese Hezbollah and the possibility of a wider war with Iran.

While Netanyahu doesn’t mind if he angers the UN, he should mind upsetting the Biden Administration. Biden felt Netanyahu had humiliated both Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Biden himself with his back-and-forth palaver about a cease-fire proposal with Hezbollah. Netanyahu at first told US officials he supported a pause in fighting with the Lebanon-based militant group, then roundly rejected the cease-fire proposal once it was made public and began this well-planned onslaught on Lebanese Hezbollah, regardless of how many innocent civilians are killed, injured, or maimed.

Netanyahu has made Pres. Biden and his cabinet look ineffectual right before the November presidential election. Democratic President Jimmy Carter also appeared ineffectual during the 1980 “Iranian hostage crisis” and he would go on to lose the election to Republican Ronald Reagan. Does Netanyahu want Donald Trump to win in November?

And thanks to “Crime Minister” Netanyahu, US military personnel in CENTCOM AOR are in harm’s way in the Middle East. US forces are scheduled to depart Iraq next year, but other Americans are based throughout the region. Shia Houthis may attack Western maritime targets in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden on behalf of the people who previously helped them during the Saudi-caused famine in Yemen.

The US military maintains an outsized basing presence for ground troops in the Middle East, which tempts policymakers to use force in a region increasingly marginal to US national security interests. The USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier group and an attack submarine have recently deployed to the region. Map: defensepriorities.org.

As posted previously on Coriolanus, the International Criminal Court (ICC) at the Hague has indicted Netanyahu (and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant) for war crimes, but their international arrest warrants have inexplicably not yet been issued. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the Hague has also rebuked the Israeli government for its military operations against the Palestinians.  

Psychological Theory: At the famous 4 July 1976 “Raid at Entebbe,” Israeli commandos rescued hostages whose plane was hijacked by Palestinian and German gunmen and flown to Uganda. The one Israeli military casualty was Yonatan Netanyahu, the brother of the current prime minister. Aleksandr Ilyich Ulyanov, the older brother of Vladimir Ilyich Lenin, was hanged in May 1887 for a failed assassination attempt of Czar Alexander III of Russia. After the deaths of their beloved siblings, Muslims (Palestinians, Iranians, Arabs) became anathematic to Benjamin Netanyahu, like the Romanovs became abominable to V.I. Lenin and hence the “no quarter given” policies of both leaders.

Yoni Netanyahu, in a photograph taken shortly before his death at Entebbe in 1976. Yoni was described as a “talented, sensitive man.” His death may have forever impacted his brother’s attitudes towards Palestinians or Iranians. (GPO, Wikimedia)

All official and news sources are linked below.

Sources:

Israel Targets Hezbollah Leader In Massive Beirut Attack (rferl.org)

Statement of ICC Prosecutor Karim A.A. Khan KC: Applications for arrest warrants in the situation in the State of Palestine | International Criminal Court (icc-cpi.int)

Legal Consequences arising from the Policies and Practices of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, in (icj-cij.org)

The ICJ and ICC put Israel on notice but cannot stop the war | Chatham House – International Affairs Think Tank

Israel right-wing ministers’ comments add fuel to Palestinian fears (nbcnews.com)

With Gaza’s death toll over 40,000, here’s the conflict by numbers | AP News

Biden told allies that Netanyahu doesn’t want to end fighting in Lebanon – POLITICO

Bases, logistics, and the problem of temptation in the Middle East – Defense Priorities

Yonatan Netanyahu – Wikipedia

Aleksandr Ulyanov – Wikipedia

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

Pennsylvania Brothers Plead Guilty to Felony Charges for Actions During 6 Jan Capitol Attack

Center: Matthew Valentin, circled in yellow, and Andrew Valentin circled in red. Clockwise from top right: Enlarged image depicting Matthew Valentin grabbing a police officer through a metal barrier; Matthew Valentin’s hand, circled in yellow, can be seen grabbing a police officer’s baton; body-worn police camera footage allegedly shows Matthew Valentin pepper spraying officers; Matthew and Andrew Valentin climbing the media tower on Capitol grounds (all images via Department of Justice court records.)

Matthew Valentin (31) of Stroudsburg, PA, pleaded guilty to two felony counts of assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers. His brother, Andrew Valentin (26), also of Stroudsburg, PA, pleaded guilty to two felony counts of assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers with a deadly or dangerous weapon.

The Honorable US District Judge Reggie B. Walton will sentence the two on 17 Jan 2025.

On 6 Jan, at approximately 2:29 PM, the brothers rushed a police line while rioters yelled, “push, push, push.” The two then pushed a metal barricade into a line of Capitol Police officers.

The officers retreated and formed a new protective line on the south side of the West Plaza. Matthew Valentin then approached the line and sprayed a chemical irritant towards the officers. The brothers then moved from the Lower West Terrace to the Upper West Terrace, arriving at approximately 2:50 p.m. At about 3:30 PM, the mob, including Matthew Valentin, rushed the line of officers. Matthew grabbed a police baton and attempted to tear the baton out of that officer’s hands.

At approximately 5:12 PM, Andrew Valentin threw a folding chair at the line of officers that were protecting the Upper West Terrace, striking one officer’s shield.

The FBI arrested the Valentin brothers on 11 and 12 Feb 2024 in Pennsylvania. 

In the 44 months since 6 Jan 2021, more than 1,504 suspects have been charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to attacking the US Capitol, including more than 560 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 young siblings threw their lives away over white supremacy and Donald Trump.

Sources:

District of Columbia | Pennsylvania Brothers Plead Guilty to Felony Charges for Actions During Jan. 6 Capitol Breach | United States Department of Justice

France: Banned Pesticides Found in Imported Foods

Signs reading “pesticides = cancer” and “pesticides = murder” are seen near entrance of the International Agriculture Fair at the Porte de Versailles exhibition center in Paris on 22 Feb 2024. AFP – LUDOVIC MARIN

According to Vert de rage (Green with Rage), produced by public French television, seven of 22  samples of fruits and vegetables purchased in large French supermarket chains contained pesticide residues banned in Europe.

A grapefruit from China contained two banned products: chlorpyrifos (recognized as neurotoxic, toxic for reproduction, and an endocrine disruptor, and propiconazole (recognized as toxic for reproduction). The EU banned chlorpyrifos in 2020, propiconazole since 2009.

Grapes from Peru contained residues of imidacloprid (part of the neonicotinoids family – known to be harmful to bees), and myclobutanil, a fungicide, which was banned in 2021. An orange from Tunisia contained malathion, a pesticide classified as “probably carcinogenic”, banned in the EU since 2008.

Analysis was conducted by the NGO network Pesticide Action Network Europe (PAN Europe) and the European Food Safety Authority.

Pesticides banned in Europe were more prevalent in products such as coffee, tea, spices, and some vegetables. Tahitian limes, passion fruit and plums are the most affected, while rice, zucchini and plantain bananas were also found to contain pesticides.

“Imported foods are twice as likely to contain pesticides banned by the EU as foods grown in the EU,” reported the EFSA.

In France, in 2022, the French public agency in charge of food safety Directorate General for Food (DGAL) issued 2,446 food recalls. 328 of them were linked to the presence of pesticides. Among them, 296 contained at least one banned pesticide or pesticide residue “exceeding the maximum limit authorized in food.”

In 2022, the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) reported that pesticide residues were the leading cause of food warnings. Among the products distributed in France, 104 out of 114 notifications concerned the presence of banned pesticides. In 2023, RASFF issued 292 notifications for products containing pesticides, of which 77 contained at least one banned pesticide or pesticide residue.

In three years, “26.46 percent of products distributed in France containing banned pesticides came from India”, making this country “the most frequent origin” for this type of problem.

Vert de rage also discussed pesticides that have been withdrawn from the European market, but which are still produced in France to be exported to countries where they remain authorized.

According to the Swiss NGO Public Eye, the top five destinations for French-made pesticides in 2023 were Brazil, followed by Ukraine, the US, Russia, and the UK.

Despite the ban on sales in France, there are concerns that the production of these pesticides is affecting drinking water, surface water, and groundwater in the towns where the factories are located.

Sources:

Banned pesticides found in imported foods in France, data shows (rfi.fr)

French food authority finds traces of banned pesticide in drinking water (rfi.fr)

US Charges Iranians with Hacking Attack on Trump Campaign

Montage courtesy of the FBI

The US Justice Department unsealed criminal charges accusing three members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) of hacking Donald Trump’s presidential campaign and trying to disrupt the 5 Nov election. The indictment is the latest effort by the Biden administration to counter foreign efforts to interfere in the presidential election between Trump, a Republican, and his Democratic rival Vice President Kamala Harris. The US Treasury Department also said it was imposing sanctions on seven members of the IRGC.

Photo: Carlo Allegri / Reuters

Meanwhile, Donald Trump, whose mental faculties have been called into question more and more by psychologists, threatened to criminally prosecute the Internet search engine Google for allegedly favoring Democratic opponent Kamala Harris in its search results if he wins in November,

Without providing evidence, Trump claimed in a post on his Truth Social site that Google is trying to interfere with the 2024 presidential election by purposely displaying only “bad stories” about him.

“It has been determined that Google has illegally used a system of only revealing and displaying bad stories about Donald J. Trump, some made up for this purpose while, at the same time, only revealing good stories about Comrade Kamala Harris,” he wrote in the post.

Recently the oldest man to seek the Presidency of the United States asked at a rally for the return of iconic TV legend Johnny Carson: “Where Is Johnny Carson? Bring back Johnny.”

The “King” of late-night comedy died in 2005.

The immortal Johnny Carson as the clairvoyant “Carnac the Magnificent”. “Hmm, I see an obese orange-haired alte cocker losing an election and calling for a mulligan.”  

Sources:

U.S. Charges Iranians With Hacking Attack On Trump Campaign (rferl.org)

United States Sanctions Iran-Backed Malicious Cyber Actors That Have Attempted to Influence U.S. Elections – United States Department of State

Joint ODNI, FBI, and CISA Statement

Trump threatens to criminally prosecute Google for displaying ‘bad stories’ about him – UPI.com

Donald Trump Wants Johnny Carson’s Late Night Return: Fallon Is Dying (variety.com)

French Polynesia: Chinese ICBM Landed ‘Not Far’ From Its Economic Zone

Screenshot of the WeChat channel of China’s Defense Ministry showing the launch of an ICBM that would land in the Pacific, 25 Sep 2024. © Screengrab WeChat via agencies

China’s Defense Ministry had announced the rare trial on Wednesday, saying that the missile was carrying a dummy warhead and “fell into expected sea areas”.

The launch sparked protests from countries in the region, with Japan saying it had not been given advance notice, and Taiwan expressing “solemn condemnation”.

Australia said it was seeking an explanation, while New Zealand called the launch “an unwelcome and concerning development”.

French Polynesian President Moetai Brotherson said “the missile fell not far from … the Marquesas Islands”, an archipelago that is part of its exclusive economic zone.

Hawaii seems to be in range of this Chinese ICBM. Map: Brittanica.com

“The Chinese authorities previously notified their French counterparts of this test,” the French High Commission said in a statement. The US also received “some advanced notification of this ICBM test”, describing this as “a step in the right direction” that would help prevent “misperception or miscalculation”.

China’s military on Thursday released imagery of the missile, showing the projectile soaring into the air in a plum of smoke from an undisclosed location.

The Chinese Defense Ministry described the test launch as a “routine arrangement in our annual training plan” than is “in line with international law and international practice and is not directed against any country or target”.

Analysts said the imagery suggested the launch could be of a Dongfeng-31 AG ICBM, unveiled during a military parade in 2017.

As previously reported here on Coriolanus, Beijing has been rooting out corruption in the People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force (PLARF) leadership. At least a dozen executives or officers have been recently purged. This launch, the first of its kind in four decades, is a readiness and capability test and may be a progress report that the anti-corruption measures are working and that the systems are copasetic.

Sources:

French Polynesia says Chinese missile landed ‘not far’ from its economic zone (rfi.fr)

The Shakeup in China’s Rocket Force Continues – The Diplomat

American Warzone: Twenty-Year Old Suspect Attacks California Courthouse, Five Injured

Nathaniel McGuire – Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office via AP

Santa Barbara resident Nathaniel James McGuire (20) was charged with maliciously damaging a building by means of explosive. McGuire allegedly lunged through the Santa Maria Courthouse doors and tossed an explosive at the local arraignment room. When McGuire entered the courthouse, he yelled “Liberty or death!”

After escaping he was quickly detained. McGuire allegedly yelled that the government had taken his guns and that everyone needed to fight, rise up, and rebel. In a recorded interview with investigators, McGuire said he arrived at the courthouse with the intention to kill deputies working the security desk inside the courthouse.

McGuire allegedly was going back to his car to get a shotgun, a lever action rifle, and Molotov cocktails and he planned on re-entering the courthouse to kill a judge. The suspect’s alleged motivation was his 28 July arrest for an alleged firearms violation. Deputies had seized a loaded, concealed, unregistered revolver that was in McGuire’s pants pocket.

If convicted on his federal charge, McGuire faces a minimum sentence of seven years in prison and a maximum penalty of 40 years in prison.

Ten Molotov cocktails, one bomb, and several weapons were recovered from his car outside Santa Maria Courthouse. EOD rendered the bomb safe. Image: US Attorney

If law-enforcement personnel hadn’t quickly detained McGuire after he hurled the explosive, there would have been a lot more victims and carnage. This 20-year-old man threw his life away over his gun craze.

In an average year, 3,299 people die by guns in California. With a rate of 8.2 deaths per 100,000 people, the Golden State has the 45th-highest rate of gun deaths in the US. Nationally, 44,341 people die by guns in an average year, a rate of 13.3 deaths per 100,000 people.

Sources:

Feds charge 20-year-old suspect in California courthouse attack that left 5 injured – ABC News (go.com)

EveryStat – EveryStat.org

Poll: Half Of Russians Wants Putin to Withdraw Troops from Ukraine

Women walk past a banner that depicts Russian President Vladimir Putin as Hitler and says ‘Killer’ and ‘Nuremberg for Putin’ in Wroclaw, Poland. Photo: SERGEI GAPON/AFP via Getty Images

Nearly half of the Russians surveyed this month support an immediate military withdrawal from Ukraine and negotiations for a peace deal. The independent poll, which found 49% want to end the invasion that began in Feb 2022, also revealed that only 32% were prepared to join the fight if ordered by the Defense Ministry, according to the Kyiv Independent. Another 29% reportedly said they weren’t willing to wage war against Ukraine.

But 53% said they supported ousting Ukrainian troops from the territory seized in Russia’s Kursk region since launching a cross-border incursion 6 Aug. And 29% said they favored another wave of conscription to boost Russia’s military.

The findings are based on a survey of 800 Russians over 18 by the ExtremeScan and Chronicles polling organizations, according to the Kyiv Independent, which cited a Russian-language report on the currenttime.tv website. The results were reportedly released to coincide with the two-year anniversary of Russia’s first call-up of draftees to fight in Ukraine.

The results reflect an increase of about ten percentage points in favor of ending the war since February, according to earlier polling by ExtremeScan and Chronicles. The companies were founded by Russian antiwar activists following the invasion of Ukraine. Russian polling outfits show more popular support for the war. In February, the Levada Center said 77% of those it surveyed backed the war, which the Kyiv Independent said at the time was consistent with the center’s previous findings.

Staggering casualties are being felt by the Russian people and relatives miss their loved ones. As previously posted here, mothers and children of soldiers sent to the war against Ukraine protested outside the Ministry of Defense recently demanding their fathers and husbands come home.

Source:

Half Of Russians Wants Putin To Withdraw Troops From Ukraine: Poll | IBTimes

Unwanted Shelter Dogs Pampered With Supermodel Treatment to Find Them Forever Homes

All Dogs Matter, a rescue shelter in London, England, organized a photoshoot to promote lonely canines for adoption. They featured some of their older, bigger, and less ‘photogenic’ pooches, as well as pairs of pups that need to be adopted together.

Whether in foster care or housed at the shelter, these poor dogs were treated to a day of extra attention in the countryside where they were pampered with ‘supermodel treatment’.

Photo shoot for All Dogs Matter – by Wex Photo Video via SWNS

Brian and Cody, a very sweet and bonded pair (10 months – one year old) are up for adoption or fostering at All Dogs Matter. Wex Photo Video / SWNS

Three-year-old brothers Rumi and Ryan are gentle spirited and regal; up for adoption at All Dogs Matter shelter-by Wex Photo Video/ SWNS

“Much like a dating profile, pictures tell a thousand words,” said a worker at the shelter.

“If these wonderful photos help even one pup find a home, we’ll consider it a job well done.”

Last year All Dogs Matter rescued 331 dogs and placed them with new owners.

Source:

Unwanted Shelter Dogs Get the Supermodel Treatment to Help Them Find New Forever Homes (LOOK) (goodnewsnetwork.org)

Three Israeli Border Guards Killed at West Bank-Jordan Border Crossing

Israeli security forces secure the entrance of the Allenby Bridge, between the West Bank and Jordan, after a Jordanian truck driver killed three Israeli border agents. (Photo: Debbie Hill)

Three Israeli border guards were shot dead by a Jordanian truck driver at the Allenby Crossing on the border between Jordan and the occupied West Bank, the Israeli Emergency Services said Sunday.

The IDF described the shooting as a terror attack and is investigating whether the truck was rigged with explosives. The truck driver was identified as Maher Dhiab Hussein al-Jazi (39). The gunman got out of the truck during an inspection at the terminal and opened fire at several of the workers.

Security guards returned fire at the terrorist, killing him. Two other crossings between Israel and Jordan — Rabin and Jordan River — were closed after the attack. Palestinians can only use the Allenby Bridge Crossing to enter Jordan from the West Bank, while Israelis generally use the Rabin and Jordan River crossings.

The three Israeli victims were settlers from Ma’ale Efraim, Na’ama, and Ariel. Two weeks ago, the IDF carried out raids, bulldozing highways, and launching airstrikes in multiple parts of the occupied West Bank.

Last week, the IDF shot and killed a 26-year-old Turkish-American female humanitarian who was protesting the dislocation of Palestinians from the West Bank.

Aysenur Ezgi Eygi in an undated photo via social media. She was shot in the head and the UN called for a complete investigation.

More than 670 West Bank Palestinians have been killed since the Gaza War began in Oct 2023, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. The IDF alleged most of the Palestinians were gunmen killed in exchanges of fire, rioters who clashed with troops, or terrorists carrying out attacks.

Jordan, which signed a peace deal with Israel in 1994, has been highly critical of Israel’s military operations in the West Bank and Gaza. And the UK recently restricted some military aid to Israel so that the weapons may not be used to perpetrate war crimes against Palestinians. See previous posting.  

Meanwhile, Israelis held massive demonstrations nationwide demanding a deal to return the remaining Jewish hostages, as protesters flooded the streets 11 months after the start of the war in Gaza.

One of the largest demonstrations was in Tel Aviv, where videos showed what appeared to be many thousands of protesters choking Begin Road. Family members of some of the estimated 101 remaining hostages implored Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to close a cease-fire deal to gain their release.

Thousands of people took to the streets of Tel Aviv, Israel, on Saturday demanding a cease-fire and calling for the release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza. Organizers claimed 400,000 demonstrators took part as the country marked 11 months since militants kidnapped hundreds of Israelis on 7 Oct 2023. Photo by Abir Sultan/EPA-EFE.

A recent editorial from Canada dubbed Israeli PM Bejamin Netanyahu “the curse of Israel.” Already indicted for war crimes at the International Criminal Court (ICC) at the Hague, a cessation of hostilities is not in Netanyahu’s best personal interest. He is playing for time with the Gaza War, using it to avoid his criminal bribery and corruption trials, as well as an inquiry into whether he could have prevented Hamas’ surprise attack last October. The longer everything is put off, the better it is for Netanyahu.

Sources:

https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2024/09/08/border-guards-killed-West-Bank-Jordan-crossing/6331725803551/

Netanyahu is Israel’s curse – The Hill Times

Trial of Benjamin Netanyahu – Wikipedia

Hundreds of thousands march across Israel to demand return of hostages – UPI.com

Filipino Pastor on FBI’s Most Wanted List Captured by 2,000 Police Officers

Influential pastor Apollo Quiboloy, the self-proclaimed “owner of the universe” and “appointed son of god” who was wanted in the US for child sex trafficking, was arrested in the Philippines on Sunday.

Over 2,000 police were deployed for more than two weeks to search a 74-acre compound in the southern city of Davao owned by his church – the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) – on suspicion that he was hiding there in a bunker.

Quiboloy’s followers had blocked the gate of the compound to prevent shield-carrying police from enforcing a court order to arrest him. Police also used helicopters to circle over a cathedral, a college, and a 75,000-seat stadium. The police reportedly recorded the warmth and heartbeat of a human body, deep in the earth, using thermal imaging and radar technology.

Apollo Quiboloy, a longtime friend of former Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte, was charged by the US Justice Department in 2021 with sex trafficking of girls and women between the ages of 12 and 25 to work as personal assistants, or “pastorals”, who were allegedly required to have sex with him.

He is also accused of bulk cash smuggling and a scheme that brought church members to the US using fraudulently obtained visas. They were then forced to solicit donations for a bogus charity, raising funds that were instead used to finance church operations and the lavish lifestyles of its leaders.

The evangelist preacher, who is followed by millions of people in the Philippines, has denied wrongdoing.

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

Sources:

Apollo Quiboloy: How Filipino Pastor On FBI’s Most Wanted List Was Arrested By 2,000 Cops (ndtv.com)

Wildfires Force Thousands to Evacuate as Heat Wave Scorches Western US

A wildfire east of Los Angeles exploded overnight — more than doubling in size — as strong winds and dry conditions keep it raging out of control. Evacuation orders are in place for some mountain communities and neighborhoods near Highland, California — east of San Bernardino.

Meanwhile, in Nevada, the Davis Fire has torched a reported dozen buildings south of Reno and knocked out power to thousands as crews struggle to establish any containment.

RELATED STORY | Yes, wildfires are actually becoming more intense and more common, study says

Triple-digit heat will keep baking the Western US until Tuesday, offering fire-friendly conditions and straining crews working on the ground. In the cities, meanwhile, the heat could force power outages. Controlled outages may be implemented to help prevent broader outages or any new fires. However, no power also means no air conditioning as temperatures soar.

Source:

Wildfires force thousands to evacuate as heat wave scorches Western US (scrippsnews.com)

Dozens of ‘High-Risk’ Viruses Discovered on Fur Farms in China

Two workers at the Jiaozuo leather factory in Henan province, China, in 2006. (Guang Niu / Getty Images)

An international team of scientists offers insights into where and how the next pandemic may be brewing. Researchers analyzed the organs of 461 animals from dozens of species raised on fur farms in China, one of Asia’s leading producers. All the animals had died for unknown reasons.

The results reveal the presence of more than 100 different viruses, many of them unknown. Among them are 39 that are defined as “high risk,” as they have the ability to jump between species and potentially to humans. The research describes several viruses from wild animals that have spread to domestic species, often raised in their thousands in overcrowded cages and without sanitary controls. Samples were collected between 2021 and 2024 in more than a dozen provinces, mainly the four major fur-producing provinces of Hebei, Shandong, Heilongjiang, and Liaoning, in the northeast of the country. The results were published 4 Sep in the journal Nature.

British virologist Edward Holmes theorized that the COVID-19 pandemic virus originated in bats and reached humans through other animal carriers sold in Chinese markets. “Breeding animals for fur is an obvious way in which a pandemic coronavirus, or flu virus, could emerge in humans,” Holmes said. Another researcher emphasized: “Our study shows that viruses have jumped from wild species to farm animals. Because humans are in close contact with these animals, there is also a risk of contagion, and in fact we see that some human viruses have been transmitted to animals.” Researchers have so far detected no cases of human-to-human infection.

Raccoon dogs, members of the fox family, are nocturnal carnivores that are bred by the millions on Chinese fur farms for their pelts. Another coronavirus that emerged in China in 2002 and killed nearly 800 people — severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) — was also detected in a Guangdong animal market in raccoon dogs. The new work points to this mammal, along with mink, guinea pigs, rabbits, and arctic foxes, as the major carriers of viruses classified as “high-risk” to humans.

Among the pathogens isolated are viruses from many families, including coronaviruses and influenza viruses. The most “worrying” of these, according to Holmes, may be the HKU5 coronavirus, which originated from the common bat and was found in mink that died of pneumonia. This pathogen is related to MERS, which has been detected in 27 countries and has killed nearly 900 people since 2012. The jump from bats to mink is “alarming” and requires monitoring.

The research is published just as the world is witnessing the worst avian flu epidemic ever recorded. A new, highly pathogenic H5N1 virus emerged in wild birds in 2021. It has since spread to domestic species, forcing the culling of hundreds of millions of birds, and infected wild and domestic mammals, including dairy cows in the US and mink on fur farms in Spain. It has already spread to humans and reached Antarctica, the most isolated and pristine continent on the planet. If H5N1 gains the ability to transmit efficiently between people, a new pandemic would ensue.

Source:

Dozens of ‘high-risk’ viruses discovered on fur farms in China | Science | EL PAÍS English (elpais.com)

Human Rights Group: Chechen Forces Coerce Gay Men into Military Service; Seven Sent to Frontlines in Ukraine

A serviceman listens to Ramzan Kadyrov, the leader of Russia’s Chechen Republic, as he addresses troops in Grozny, the regional capital of Chechnya, on 29 March 2022. Source: AP Photo

Security forces in Chechnya are forcibly sending detained homosexual men to Ukraine by blackmailing them into “volunteering” for the frontlines, according to a report from the human rights group NC SOS («СК СОС»). The human rights activists have reported at least seven such cases, with one of the men sent to the front already having been killed.

SK SOS reports that these forced conscription methods began before 21 Sep 2022, when Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a “partial mobilization” of the army. In early Sep 2022, six men in Chechnya were detained on suspicion of being homosexual. They were threatened with fabricated criminal charges and warned they would be sent to pre-trial detention, where their orientation would be revealed to fellow inmates.

The detainees were given the choice of paying a ransom or volunteering for the war in Ukraine. Three of the men were forced to become “volunteers,” as the ransom amount — 1.5 million rubles (over $17,000) — was unaffordable for their families. One of these men was reportedly killed in action. In 2023, several members of the LGBTQ+ community were arrested. The women among them were released to their families later that evening, while four men were forcibly sent to Ukraine. Their fate remains unknown.

Source:

Human rights group reports Chechen forces coercing detained gay men into military service, with at least seven sent to frontlines in Ukraine (theins.ru)

‘Very Dangerous’ British Prisoner Among Five to Escape High-Security Prison in Portugal

Top (L-R): Fernando Ferreira, Fabio Loureiro, Shergili Farjiani; Bottom: Mark Roscaleer, Rodolfo Lohrmann

Mark Cameron Roscaleer (39) had been serving a nine-year sentence for kidnapping and robbery at the Vale de Judeus Prison, 43 miles north of Lisbon. He and four others escaped the high-security prison Saturday morning.  According to the Portuguese prison service (DGRSP), the convicts received “external help” from accomplices who provided a ladder which “allowed the inmates to scale the wall.” With three accomplices outside the prison, the five prisoners fled the scene in a Mercedes and a Volvo.

Vale de Judeus Prison. The prison guards’ union has criticized a lack of staffing at the high-security prison, saying there were not enough guards to properly watch the perimeter wall

The four other escapees are:

Fernando Ferreira (61), Portuguese, serving 25 years for drug trafficking, theft, robbery, and kidnapping.

Fabio Loureiro (33), Portuguese, jailed for 25 years for extortion, theft, and money laundering.

Rodolf Lohrmann (59), Argentinian, sentenced to 18 years and 10 months for theft, robbery, and money laundering.

Shergili Farjiani (42), originally from Georgia, given a seven-year term for violent crimes theft and forgery.

Luis Neves, national director of the Judicial Police, said that with the exception of Shergili Farjiani, all the prisoners were “very dangerous” and their escape was “very well prepared”.

He also told a news conference on Sunday they have “already tried to escape from prison several times” and will do “anything to remain free”, direly warning:

“When I say everything, I mean everything, including the fact that human life may be at stake here.”

Source:

‘Very dangerous’ British prisoner among five to escape from high-security prison in Portugal | World News | Sky News

Thieves Snatched Phone in London; One Month Later It Was in China

In April, a thief on the back of an electric bike snatched Akara Etteh’s phone in central London, making him another victim of an estimated 78,000 “snatch thefts” in England and Wales.  

Mr. Etteh put his iPhone 13 into “lost” mode so the thieves couldn’t access its contents. He then turned on the Find My iPhone feature using his laptop. This allowed Akara to track his phone’s rough location as shown in the illustration above.

Stolen phones often end up in Shenzhen – where if devices can’t be unlocked and used again, they are disassembled for parts. The city is home to 17.6 million people and is an enormous hi-tech hub, sometimes referred to as China’s “Silicon Valley.”

One phone snatch victim, James O’Sullivan (44), says he lost more than £25,000 when thieves used his stolen device’s Apple Pay service. Another victim, Katie Ashworth, said her phone was snatched in a park along with her watch, and a debit card in the phone case. The phone contained the last photos of her mother while she was healthy.

Devastated by the loss of the photos, Ms. Ashworth says there was a lack of action from the constabulary.

“The police never even followed it up with me, despite my bank transactions showing exactly where the thieves went. The police just told me to check Facebook Marketplace and local second-hand shops like Cex.”

Source:

Thieves snatched his phone in London – he tracked it to China (bbc.com)

Baby Beavers Born in Urban London for First Time in Over 400 Years

The beavers constructed six dams and two lodges

At least two kits have appeared just eight months after the pioneering reintroduction of a beaver family to west London. The last time beavers had a presence in London was during the time of William Shakespeare.

The births of the kits mark the end of a more than 400-year absence of breeding beavers in urban London. At least two new kits born in the spring appear to be thriving, announced organizers of The Ealing Beaver Project.

In what is being called “a huge advancement in urban rewilding”, the successful reintroduction of beavers to London – and now the birth of the kits – is the fruit of a collaboration between multiple organisations and bodies.

The babies have been spotted venturing outside of their lodge in recent weeks at what is a publicly accessible site in Paradise Fields, a wetland in Greenford, west London. Beavers used to be permanent residents in the capital, before hunting, habitat destruction, and persecution led to the loss of the species throughout the UK. Their arrival shows that humans and wildlife can thrive side by side in urban environments, said Dr Sean McCormack, the license holder at the Ealing Beaver Project and chair of Ealing Wildlife Group.

“I had every confidence our beaver family would settle in at Paradise Fields, but to discover they’ve had new baby kits this spring is really the icing on the beaver cake,” he said. “These are not a wilderness species, they are an important animal we once lived alongside up and down the country and welcoming them back, even to our towns and cities, is the right thing to do. We may need to learn to live alongside them again, and sometimes manage their behaviour, but the ecosystem services they provide have been clearly demonstrated here already at the Ealing Beaver Project.”

Since their reintroduction, water quality has improved, flooding has reduced, and more insects and other wildlife have already been attracted to the site.

Source:

Ealing: First baby beavers born in urban London for 400 years (bbc.com)

Young Palestinian Man Killed as Israeli Settlers Torch Homes and Cars in West Bank Village

The Palestinian Authority health ministry said 23-year-old Rasheed Seda was killed and another Palestinian was critically wounded by the “settlers’ bullets.”

Dozens of extremist Israeli settlers, many of them masked, rampaged in the West Bank Palestinian village of Jit, setting fire to homes and vehicles. A Palestinian man was killed in the attack.

The settlers hurled stones and Molotov cocktails, torching at least four homes and six vehicles in the village, located just west of Nablus. More than 100 assailants were involved. Minutes after the “grave incident” was reported, troops and border police officers were dispatched to the scene. The IDF said the troops used riot dispersal means and fire rounds in the air while taking the Israelis out of the village.

Israeli authorities rarely arrest Jewish perpetrators in such attacks. Rights groups lament that convictions are even more unusual, and the vast majority of charges in such attacks are dropped.

While many members of the Israeli cabinet condemned the attack, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said the storming of Jit was “not connected in any way to the settlement enterprise or to settlers.”

According to the UN, more than 500 Palestinians have been murdered in the West Bank over the past several years. Recently, the US sanctioned four Israeli settlers for violence against Palestinians in the West Bank, but these measures were apparently not enough to deter this type of wanton rampaging, murder, and displacing Palestinians from their homes.

Sources:

Palestinian killed as settlers torch homes and cars in West Bank village | The Times of Israel

More than 500 Palestinians killed in occupied West Bank: UN rights chief | UN News

US sanctions Israeli settlers over West Bank violence (bbc.com)

Cardinals Superfan Known as Rally Runner Gets Ten Months in Prison for January 6 Attack on Capitol

Rally Runner, F.K.A., Daniel Donnelly, Jr. (44) of St. Louis, MO, was sentenced to ten months in prison, 24 months of supervised release, and ordered to pay $3,000 in fines and restitution by US District Judge Jia M. Cobb. Runner previously pleaded guilty to a felony charge of obstruction of law enforcement during a civil disorder on 22 March 2024.

Rally Runner attended the former President’s rally at the Ellipse on 6 Jan 2021. Runner then proceeded to the US Capitol building and then to the Lower West Terrace Tunnel, wearing a red “Keep America Great” hat, red jacket, and distinctive red face paint. The Tunnel was the site of some of the most violent attacks against US Capitol Police officers that day. Seditionists at the Tunnel battled police officers for hours as they attempted to storm the Capitol building. Police had retreated inside the Tunnel to protect an entrance to the Capitol building.

The defendant made his way to the threshold of the Tunnel’s entrance, facing off with police while holding a riot shield he had obtained earlier. USCP officers attempted to move the crowd out of the Tunnel. Runner is seen holding up the stolen riot shield to the USCP officers, forming a wall in connection with other shields held by other seditionists. After finally being forced out of the Tunnel, Runner triumphantly celebrated his conduct.

Tucker Carlson featured this flamboyant seditionist on a December 2021 segment of his now-canceled Fox News show. Carlson showed an image of Rally Runner outside the Capitol — wearing red face paint and red clothes — as the television host promoted conspiracy theories that uncharged “agent provocateurs” had infiltrated the mob.

Another member of America’s “Fedayeen Saddam” (FS), a white supremacist dead-ender, has been incarcerated and will most likely watch the November election from prison.

Source:

https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/pr/missouri-man-sentenced-felony-charge-actions-during-jan-6-capitol-breach

NYC Paid $120,000 to Settle Police Misconduct Allegations Against now-GOP Congressional Candidate Alison Esposito

In an episode straight out of the TV show American Horror Story (FX), a former NYPD officer twice-sued over wrongful arrests during her 25 glorious years with New York’s Finest, is a Republican candidate for Congress, a position that pays $174,000 per annum plus extraordinary benefits. Alison Esposito is the NYS GOP selection to run against West Point graduate Rep. Pat Ryan (D-NY, 18th CD). This the same Republican cabal that afflicted the world with infamous ex-Congressman George Santos (whose name anagrams into “Strange Goose”).

Two wrongful arrest lawsuits against Alison Esposito cost NYC taxpayers $120,000 in settlements. In 2005, three black women sued Officer Esposito for wrongful arrest and were awarded $95,000 in damages. In 2017, Esposito was sued again for entering into an apartment building where she “did unlawfully stop, assault, frisk, handcuff, detain, arrest and imprison” an infant named Rebecca Cuevas. The mother was ultimately given $25,000 in a settlement.

Furthermore, Esposito received eight complaints through the New York City Civilian Complaint Review Board, though none of those were substantiated. On 12 Aug, Politico reported that Esposito was reprimanded by her superiors in the NYPD after she left her service weapon and badge in an unlocked car which were stolen. We can only hope that nobody was killed with the missing firearm.

What an episode of American Horror Story.

Sources:

https://www.cityandstateny.com/politics/2024/08/nyc-paid-120000-settle-police-misconduct-allegations-against-now-gop-candidate-alison-esposito/398813/

https://patryan.house.gov/

Silk non-Dairy Milk Recalled in Canada Amid Listeria Outbreak: Three deaths

The death of a third person has been linked to almond, oat and other non-dairy milks recalled in Canada for potential listeria contamination.

Do not consume, use, sell, serve or distribute various recalled plant-based refrigerated beverages.

The Public Health Agency of Canada issued an alert on 17 July advising people to avoid drinking certain refrigerated non-dairy milk products produced by Danone Canada and sold in the country under the Silk brand and Walmart’s Great Value brand. Consuming plant-based drinks had been linked to two deaths and 12 cases of listeria infection.

A third death and eight more cases – 15 have been hospitalized and 20 cases have been linked to the outbreak. Thirteen of the cases were reported in Ontario, five in Quebec and one each in Alberta and Nova Scotia; people became sick between August 2023 and early July 2024.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency continues to investigate and said additional products may be recalled. “More recent illnesses may continue to be reported in the outbreak because there is a period between when a person becomes ill and when the illness is reported to public health officials.”

Sources:

Public Health Notice: Outbreak of Listeria infections linked to recalled plant-based refrigerated beverages – Canada.ca

Silk non-dairy milk recalled in Canada amid listeria outbreak: Deaths increased to three (msn.com)

Beijing Reports “Destroying Large Network” of Taiwanese Spies

The Chinese Ministry of State Security (MSS) announced they had “destroyed” a large network of Taiwanese spies in the mainland and uncovered more than 1,000 espionage cases in a vow to fight “separatism.”

“The cases involved espionage activities and leaking state secrets,” said the MSS. The ministry cited the case of Taiwanese citizen Yang Zhiyuan, who was arrested in August 2022 in Wenzhou, Zhejiang province, on suspicion of engaging in “separatist activities” and endangering China’s national security.

Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council reports that the MSS uses “vague and unclear laws” to detain people from Taiwan who do not conform with the political ideology of China’s ruling Communist Party.

In 2022 researcher Cheng Yu-chin, a former aide to Taiwan’s former President Tsai,  was imprisoned for seven years on espionage-related charges. Taiwanese activist Lee Ming-che was sentenced to five years prison for subversion before being released in 2022, while Taiwanese businessman Lee Meng-chu was jailed on espionage charges in Shenzhen in 2019 for taking photos of armed police officers.

Without further data, this political sweep by the MSS appears to be out of the movie Casablanca:

“Round up the usual suspects.”

Whether the MSS uncovered genuine deep penetration sources, double agents, sleeper cells, low level informants, or commercial spies remains to be seen.

Beijing has dialed up diplomatic and economic pressure on Taiwan since former president Tsai Ing-wen’s administration came to power in 2016. Tsai and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) refuse to acknowledge that Taiwan and the mainland belong to “One China.” President Lai Ching-te, who is also a DPP member, is viewed with suspicion by the CCP.

Sources:

China says it ‘destroyed large network’ of Taiwanese spies — Radio Free Asia (rfa.org)

Dual US-Russian Citizen Sentenced To 12 Years for Treason over $51 Donation to Ukrainian Charity

A Russian court in Yekaterinburg sentenced dual US-Russian citizen Ksenia Karelina to 12 years in prison after convicting her of treason for transferring $51 to a Ukrainian aid charity in early 2022. Karelina’s lawyer said his client admitted making the donation, but planned to appeal the verdict.

Karelina (33) moved to the US in 2015, married a US citizen, and received US citizenship in 2021. She was arrested in Yekaterinburg in January on suspicion of petty hooliganism.

On 7 February treason charges were filed against her after investigators learned that on the second day of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, she had transferred $51 to Razom, a Ukrainian aid group that helps civilians affected by the war. Prosecutors found evidence of the donation on her mobile phone.

This is the same judge who in July sentenced US journalist Evan Gershkovich to 16 years in prison on espionage charges.

According to rights groups, nearly 900 Russians have been convicted of treason, espionage, or cooperation with foreign governments since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Sources:

Dual U.S.-Russian Citizen Sentenced To 12 Years For Treason In Yekaterinburg (rferl.org)

LAPD Arrests Four Suspects in Slaying of ‘General Hospital’ Actor Johnny Wactor

Three 18-year-olds and a 22-year-old accomplice have been arrested in connection with the slaying of General Hospital actor Johnny Wactor in Los Angeles. The three teenagers were arrested on murder charges while the older man was taken into custody as an accessory, police said in a statement.

The teenage suspects are Robert Barceleau, Leonel Gutierrez, and Sergio Estrada. Frank Olano (22) was jailed on the accessory warrant.

Wactor (37) was shot on 25 May. Witnesses said the slaying happened after Wactor had finished a shift working as a bartender when he discovered three suspects were in the process of stealing his car’s catalytic converter. The actor was “shot without provocation” after which the suspects fled in a stolen 2018 black Infiniti Q50. Police sources told The Los Angeles Times they suspect the Florencia 13 street gang is involved in this crime.

In an average year, 3,089 people die by guns in California. With a rate of 7.7 deaths per 100,000 people, the Golden State has the 44th-highest rate of gun deaths in the US.

California Firearms Licenses in 2021: 406,360

An estimated 28.3% of adults in California have guns in their homes. The number of illegal firearms flooding the streets of California is unknown.

Sources:

LAPD arrests 4 in slaying of ‘General Hospital’ actor Johnny Wactor – UPI.com

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

Every-State-Fact-Sheet-2.0-042720-California.pdf (everytownresearch.org)

Florida Man Arrested for Threatening and Attacking Energy Facility

Source: Case number 6:24-cr-201 in the Middle District of Florida, Document 17. Supplement to motion for detention. Solar panels with cracked glass that Hnaihen damaged.

Hashem Younis Hashem Hnaihen (43) a Jordanian citizen residing in Orlando, FL is charged with four counts of threatening to use explosives and one count of destruction of an energy facility.

Beginning around June 2024, Hnaihen targeted and attacked businesses in the Orlando area for their perceived support for Israel. Wearing a mask, under the cover of night, Hnaihen smashed the glass front doors of businesses and left behind “Warning Letters.”

At the end of June, Hnaihen broke into a solar power generation facility in Wedgefield, FL, and spent hours systematically destroying solar panel arrays. He smashed panels, cut wires, and targeted critical electronic equipment. Hnaihen left behind two more copies of his threatening demand letter. Hnaihen is believed to have caused more than $700,000 in damage.

Hnaihen was arrested on 11 July, shortly after another “Warning Letter” threatening to “destroy or explode everything” was discovered at an industrial propane gas distribution depot in Orlando.

Hnaihen is charged with four counts of threatening to use explosives and one count of destruction of an energy facility. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison for each threat offense and a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for the destruction of an energy facility offense.

Frustration and anger at US foreign policy, and the fact that Jordan lies in-between Israel and Iran, no doubt motivated this Jordanian to commit sabotage. Any conflict between Israel and Iran could affect Jordan with collateral damage. Moreover, war increases the risk of political instability in the Hashemite Kingdom as an estimated three million displaced Palestinians have been living there for decades.  

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

Sources:

Office of Public Affairs | Man Arrested for Explosives Threats and Attack on Energy Facility | United States Department of Justice

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

Four US Flight Attendants Convicted of Smuggling Drug Money to Dominican Republic

Photo by Vinh Lu00e2m on Pexels.com

Four New York-based flight attendants admitted to smuggling drug money to the Caribbean island of the Dominican Republic.

Sarah Valerio Pujols (42), Charlie Hernandez (42), Emmanuel Torres (34), and Jarol Fabio (35) pleaded guilty to one count of operation of an unlicensed money transmission business.

“These four flight attendants abused their privileges as flight attendants to move money for drug traffickers,” SDNY US Attorney Damian Williams said.

Prosecutors say the flight attendants worked for different international airlines and had elevated TSA security clearance that allowed them to pass through a less-scrutinized security screening at airports. A cooperating witness operated a money laundering business that specialized in the movement of cash from New York City drug sales to the Dominican Republic.

The flight attendants were allegedly paid a fee to get the money past airport security and hand them off to a person in the Dominican Republic. The four suspects were caught through a series of orchestrated sting operations.

The four defendants face up to five years in prison when they are sentenced.

Sources:

https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/flight-attendants-charged-connection-smuggling-drug-money-dominican-republic

https://www.hngn.com/articles/262787/20240814/flight-attendants-smuggling-drug-money-dominican-republic.htm