US-Russia Alaska Summit Perfect Kabuki Theater

The recent Alaska Summit between the oligarchic leaders of the US and Russia went perfectly well for Vladimir Putin and terrible for Donald Trump (AKA Dummkopf Trumpf). This summit lasted three hours and no peace deal was made. This meeting was just an excuse to let the former KGB officer finally give his instructions directly to Trumpf in person. For Vladimir Putin, he flagrantly flaunted the ICC international arrest warrant against him by traveling to the US and his team presented their demands from the Trumpf junta to lift economic sanctions against Russia. Putin came home victorious from this tete-a-tete.

The entire year of Trumpf sending special envoys to Moscow was all kabuki theater to buy time for Russia in its brutal campaign against Ukraine. And for Trumpf, the summit was a disaster because it exposed other issues that Followers of the Watch were already aware of, namely that Trumpf is a Kremlin asset.

Dummkopf Trumpf Too Unhealthy and Feeble for US Presidency

The US President (79) was unable to walk a straight line along the red carpet, while his counterpart strode confidently towards his asset. When they shook hands, Trumpf immediately placed his hand below Putin’s, a clear sign of submission to a superior.

Dotard Trumpf Without Makeup and Hairpiece

Dummkopf Trumpf is terrified that he may suffer from dementia that afflicted his father before he died.

Trumpf’s inability to walk a straight line may be a sign of ataxia and his forward-leaning posture and body tics are serious signs of poor health. The geriatric oligarch is also suffering from chronic venous insufficiency which causes his ankles to swell up.

Yet somehow, this decrepit dotard amazingly won his sixth senior golf championship of the season a few weeks ago,

Sources:

https://www.alternet.org/2020/10/why-one-expert-says-trumps-forward-leaning-posture-and-body-tics-are-cause-for-serious-concern

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/4-things-to-know-about-trumps-diagnosis-of-chronic-venous-insufficiency

https://golfweek.usatoday.com/story/sports/2025/08/05/donald-trump-golf-tournament-championship/85516763007/

VPOTUS JD Vance and First Lady Usha Vance

What are these two thinking about?

Trumpf’s swollen ankles further immobilize the geriatric suffering from morbid obesity. In 2024 Republicans blasted “Sleepy Joe” Biden as too old to run for President.

Poor OPSEC Continues Under Amateur Trumpf Junta

Papers with US State Department markings, found Friday morning in the business center of an Alaskan hotel, revealed previously undisclosed and potentially sensitive details about the 15 Aug meetings between Dummkopf Trumpf and ICC-indicted war criminal Vladimir V. Putin in Anchorage.

Eight pages, that appear to have been produced by US staff and left behind accidentally, shared precise locations and meeting times of the summit and phone numbers of US government employees.

At around 9 a.m. on Friday, three guests at Hotel Captain Cook, a four-star hotel located 20 minutes from the Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage where leaders from the U.S. and Russia convened, found the documents left behind in one of the hotel’s public printers.

Jon Michaels, a professor of law at UCLA who lectures about national security, said that the documents found in the printer of the Alaskan hotel reveal a lapse in professional judgment in preparation for a high-stakes meeting.

“It strikes me as further evidence of the sloppiness and the incompetence of the administration,” said Michaels. “You just don’t leave things in printers. It’s that simple.”

The printed papers are the latest example of a series of security breaches by officials of the Trump administration. Earlier this week, members of a law enforcement group chat that included members of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) added a random person to a conversation about an ongoing search for a convicted attempted murderer. In March, US national security leaders accidentally included a journalist in a group chat about impending military strikes in Yemen.

Source:

https://www.npr.org/2025/08/16/nx-s1-5504196/trump-putin-summit-documents-left-behind

Israeli Chief of Cyber Security Arrested for Soliciting Sex with Child Released by Las Vegas Police

Alleged pedophile Tom Alexandrovich (Undated photo from social media)

A top cybersecurity official for the Israeli government was arrested in Nevada during an undercover operation targeting child sex predators. Tom Alexandrovich (38) was apprehended and faced felony charges of “Luring a Child with Computer for Sex Act.” Tom Alexandrovich is the Executive Director of the Israel Cyber Directorate, a government agency that operates under the office of PM Benjamin Netanyahu. Alexandrovich was in Las Vegas to attend this year’s “Black Hat Briefings,” an annual gathering of cybersecurity professionals. The pedophile posted a photo of himself at the conference on LinkedIn before the account was deleted. Netanyahu’s office issued a statement and denied that the employee in question was arrested at all: “A state employee who traveled to the US for professional matters was questioned by American authorities during his stay. The employee, who does not hold a diplomatic visa, was not arrested and returned to Israel as scheduled.”

Endnote: An Israeli news outlet exposed an IDF unit created to falsely link innocent journalists to resistance cells in Gaza, legitimizing their assassinations. Link: https://www.972mag.com/israel-gaza-journalists-hamas-hasbara/

Sources:

https://www.lvmpd.com/Home/Components/News/News/2182/263

https://www.mediaite.com/crime/israeli-official-arrested-in-nevada-child-sex-operation-is-released-and-back-in-israel/

US State Department Halts Humanitarian Visas for Palestinian Children from Gaza Crippled and Maimed by Israeli Forces

An injured Gazan teenager arrives at Washington Dulles International Airport on 9 Aug as part of a humanitarian evacuation by Heal Palestine (Photo: Mehmet Eser / Zuma Press / Shutterstock)

One day after notorious Islamophobe Laura Loomer posted videos on social media of children from Gaza arriving in the US for medical treatment and questioning how they got visas, the State Department said it was halting all visitor visas for people from Gaza pending a review. The vastly underqualified USSECSTATE Marco Rubio, a vapid empty suit, said the action came after “outreach from multiple congressional offices asking questions about it.” Loomer called the medical treatment of crippled and maimed children from Gaza a “national security threat.” She asked who signed off on the visas and demanded the person be fired. Loomer tagged Rubio, Dummkopf Trumpf, JD Vance, GOP Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, and Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Sources:

Trump administration halts visas for people from Gaza

Palestinians in Gaza Strip Getting Sick Drinking Filthy Water

Link:

https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/aug/15/heat-thirst-driving-families-gaza-drink-water-makes-sick/

Since 7 Oct 2023, the IDF’s Nakba has created an army of Palestinian orphans and amputees in the Gaza Strip. Islamophobe Laura Loomer’s visceral hatred of Palestinians and Muslims is unlimited. She is completely devoid of compassion and the perfect vanguard for AIPAC; a lying, smearing, and distorting vicious harridan who Karma will one day attend to, like ICC-indicted war criminal Benjamin Netanyahu.

Endnote: The comically inept and amateurish Marco Rubio recently initiated a “Meritorious Service Increase” (MSI) program at the State Department offering monetary bonuses to diplomats who demonstrate fidelity to him. Link: https://www.kenklippenstein.com/p/exclusive-rubio-offers-ass-kissing

“Hear ye! Hear ye! Know all men by these presents– Greeting! Forthwith Laura Loomer’s membership in the human race is hereby forever revoked. Bear ye well these facts in mind and through your efforts help spread the glad tidings!”

Watch the US Police State in Brutal Action; Foreigners Should Avoid America At All Costs

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem announces that 1.6 million illegal immigrants left the US. Link: https://www.dhs.gov/news/2025/08/14/secretary-noem-announces-16-million-illegal-aliens-have-left-us

This comes from the heartless harridan who admitted to killing her own puppy for disobedience and living rent-free in the home of the US Coast Guard Commandant who was evicted with three hours notice. Meanwhile the Trumpf junta prepares to move homeless people out of Washington DC and “fight lawlessness” with armed Army National Guardsmen.

Links:

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/trump-administration-evicts-former-coast-guard-linda-fagan-3-hours-rcna190820

https://meidasnews.com/news/kristi-noem-living-rent-free-in-coast-guard-commandants-home

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/west-virginia-to-deploy-hundreds-of-national-guard-troops-to-d-c/

1) California man who was believed to have been running from a raid by ICE agents died after being hit by a car on a freeway. Police had been called after there were reports of activity by ICE agents at a Home Depot. During the raid, one man ran from the parking lot of the hardware store, a place where day laborers commonly gather looking for casual work, and onto a busy freeway during rush hour. The 40-year-old unidentified man was taken to a hospital where the man died from his injuries a few hours later. Link: https://www.ctvnews.ca/world/article/man-dies-fleeing-ice-raid-in-california-officials/

2) A Nicaraguan man escaped an ICE team surrounding his car in California. Roberto Reyes ran back to his home and barricaded himself in with his family. Watch the Brownshirt kick at his door and then taunt the poor guy by jangling his house and truck keys in front of a Ring camera. Link: https://www.cnn.com/2025/08/07/us/video/nicaraguan-migrant-ice-escape-home-barricade-vrtc

3) ICE thugs deploy taser against helpless deliveryman in Washington DC: Link: Tasered DC Victim.

4) ICE goons detains seven-year-old NYC girl and sends her and mother to Texas gulag; brother to NJ concentration camp. Link: Seven Year Old NYC Victim.

5) ICE Brownshirts open fire on family in truck in San Bernardino: Link: Attempted Murder in California.

Assistant US Attorney in Washington DC Arrested for Throwing Subway Sandwich at Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Officer

Sean Charles Dunn throwing his sandwich at a fascist police officer. (Photo: Social media)

On 10 Aug at 2306 hours on a Washington DC street in the NW, Department of Justice trial attorney Sean Charles Dunn allegedly pointed his finger at a CBP agent on duty and began shouting at him: “F*** you! You f***ing fascists! Why are you here? I don’t want you in my city!” The defendant then threw his Subway sandwich at the CBP agent which struck him on the chest. The trial attorney attempted to flee on foot but was apprehended. While being processed, Dunn confessed: “I did it. I threw a sandwich.” Dunn was charged with violation of 18 U.S.C. 111(a)(1) (Assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers and employees of the US) and was then immediately fired by USAG Pam Bondi.

There is no information about the injuries sustained by the tactically armored, heavily-armed CBP agent after the Subway sandwich hit his Kevlar chest protector. There is also no information as to what kind of sandwich the defendant was enjoying before hurling it at the praetorian. 18 U.S.C. 111(a)(1) was the same statute applied to many of the dangerous white supremacist seditionists who stormed the US Capitol on 6 Jan 2021. 

Source: https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/71101293/1/1/united-states-v-dunn/

A criminal complaint is merely an accusation. Mr. Dunn is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. And in that court of law, Mr. Dunn will be immediately recognized by many of the court personnel, including the presiding judge.

“Your Honor, look at the dangerous weapon the defendant hurled at the CBP officer!”

This farcical prosecution in Washington DC is similar to this incident earlier this year.

Emily Gabriella Sommer (32) was arrested in connection with an 8 May incident during which she allegedly spit on former US Attorney Edward R. Martin Jr. Sommer is charged with one count of assaulting, resisting, or impeding a government official. On 8 May then-Interim US Attorney Martin was conducting an on-camera interview on the street in front of his office. During the interview Sommer approached Martin and stated words to the effect of, “Who in the f– are you?” Martin turned to face Sommer. Sommer then said, “Are you Ed Martin? You are. Ed Martin.” Sommer lunged at Martin and spit on his shoulder. Sommer then walked away and yelled, “You are a disgusting man. F— you, Ed Martin. My name is Emily Gabriella Sommer, and you are served.” US Marshals located Sommer and placed her under arrest on 22 May.

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

USMS criminal complaint: Link One 

Edward R. Martin Jr is a supporter of the insurgents who attacked the Nation’s capitol on 6 Jan 2021 and is himself under investigation by the DC Bar: Link Two

The situation will only get worse in the US as the Trumpf junta removed the age requirements to join ICE, an organization that is now more powerful than the FBI because of its size and its power to detain individuals without an arrest warrant, something FBI agents cannot do. The US co-hosts the 2026 FIFA tournament with Canada and Mexico, as well as the 2028 Summer Olympiad in Los Angeles. Coriolanus would be thunderstruck if foreigners visited the US for these spectacles under the fascist Trump junta.

Link: https://www.dhs.gov/news/2025/08/06/secretary-noem-unveils-no-age-limit-patriotic-americans-join-ice-law-enforcement

Who Foisted America Onto The Wrong Side of History?

The 21st-century Axis of Evil

Russian Armored Vehicle Hoisted US Flag During Attack

Promising “absured levels of manliness,” the Russian Orthodox Church has been growing in the US. Father Moses McPherson’s congregation has tripled in size in 18 months, and he has a big following online. As you read previously here on Coriolanus, the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR), is a nefarious intelligence extension of the Kremlin and an influence-peddling agency, spreading agitprop in the West. (Photo: BBC)

Links: BBC.com; .US ROCOR Parishes List; https://www.global-influence-ops.com/gior-analysis-the-russian-orthodox-church-putin-weaponizes-religion/

IDF Soldiers in Gaza Seen Wearing US Flags on Uniforms

AIPAC Democrats and the abominable ICC-indicted war criminal Vladimir Putin:

AIPAC Democrats and the equally abhorrent ICC-indicted war criminal Benjamin Netanyahu:

The Big Loser in the US: The hardworking non-Islamophobic peace-loving American taxpayer.

Several Associates of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell Died Under Mysterious Circumstances

Followers of the Watch, even a broke clock is correct twice a day. The National Enquirer, a conspiracy peddling tabloid that was both friend and foe of Dummkopf Trumpf, collated the names of nearly two dozen associates of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell who have died in the past six years. Take this with a grain of salt, but remember, where there is smoke, there is fire. The entire article is linked below.

FTA:

Jeffrey Epstein’s mysterious death occurred six years ago this month — but the National Enquirer has discovered 22 people in the sketchy billionaire’s orbit have also died under murky circumstances, fueling fears of a cover-up by powerful figures seeking to erase potential witnesses.

From the predator’s alleged victims to house managers, lawyers, accountants, investigative journalists, and pimps, the list of unexplained fatalities traces a dark money trail that leads straight to Epstein’s inner circle.

“There were a lot of people entrapped and entangled through Epstein’s web, and many of those people are gone now — dead,” private investigator Ed Opperman tells the Enquirer. “They are all connected through a money trail.”

The late oligarch Steven Hoffenberg. (Photo: Getty Images)

Financier Steven Hoffenberg allegedly confessed in a final account before his death to that Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, the convicted pedophile’s now-imprisoned recruiting madam, were “taping” honey-trap videos of sleazy VIPs with underage girls for a cabal of deep-state blackmailing power brokers.

“This puts a lot of high-powered people in very dangerous situations,” says the gumshoe and podcaster, who was once approached to “dig up dirt” on an Epstein victim and Hoffenberg.

Hoffenberg, the former Towers Financial CEO and Epstein associate — who died in 2022 at 77 after serving 18 years for a $475 million Ponzi scheme — cooperated with the FBI and spoke out about his former protégé’s alleged connections to Israel’s national intelligence agency Mossad.”

The sex trafficking blackmailer is now in a less restrictive federal prison in Texas outside Austin that has a work-release program. The Mexican border is a few hour drive from this facility. Your humble author assesses one of two fates for the notorious Ghislaine Maxwell.

Or

Source:

https://nationalenquirer.com/more-than-two-dozen-people-linked-to-jeffrey-epstein-have-died-under-mysterious-circumstances/

Dangerous Pathogens, Parasites, and Poisons Assailing America

Global warming is fostering the spread of dangerous pathogens in North America. For now they won’t overtake these three leading causes of mortality in the US.

Missouri Man Afflicted with Rare Brain-Eating Amoeba

Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (MSHSS) informs that a resident has been infected with Naegleria fowleri. Naegleria fowleri is a microscopic single-celled free-living ameba that can cause a rare life-threatening infection of the brain called primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM). The patient is in an ICU. The ameba is commonly found in warm freshwater such as lakes, rivers, and ponds; however, PAM is extremely rare. Since 1962, only 154 known cases have been identified in the US. The only other case identified among a Missouri resident occurred in 1987, and currently, no additional suspected cases of PAM are being investigated in Missouri. The source of the patient’s exposure is being investigated by public health officials. Local and out-of-state activity are being considered. Recreational water users should assume that Naegleria fowleri is present in warm freshwater across the US; however, infection remains rare.

Although a rare occurrence, people become infected by Naegleria fowleri when water containing the ameba enters the body through the nose from freshwater sources. The Naegleria fowleri ameba then travels up the nose to the brain where it destroys the brain tissue. This infection cannot be spread from one person to another, and it cannot be contracted by swallowing contaminated water. A 12-year-old boy in South Carolina died of PAM earlier this summer.

Earlier this year the Florida Department of Health (“D’Oh!) reported 17 cases (five deaths) of flesh-eating bacteria infections (which enters the body through open cuts or wounds, unlike the brain-eating ameba which enters through the mouth or nostrils).

To cool off during heat waves, people enjoy pools, lakes, beaches, and rivers, not knowing that there is an increase of bacteria or other pathogens thriving in the water. Good thing summer is coming to an end soon.

Links:

https://health.mo.gov/news/newsitem/uuid/ea19a071-5c03-495c-9b62-69db69078d4e/missouri-dhss-confirms-case-of-rare-brain-infection

https://www.qcnews.com/news/u-s/south-carolina/family-of-sc-teen-who-died-from-brain-eating-amoeba-at-lake-say-he-didnt-give-up/

https://www.floridahealth.gov/diseases-and-conditions/vibrio-infections/vibrio-vulnificus/index.html

Wyoming: Potential Rabies Exposure from Hundreds from Bats

A small colony of big-eared bats, one of the 18 species found in Wyoming. (Photo: National Park Service)

Health officials are working to alert hundreds of people in 38 states and seven countries who may have been exposed to rabies in bat-infested cabins in Wyoming’s Grand Teton National Park over the past few months. None of the bats found in some of the eight linked cabins at Jackson Lake Lodge had tested positive for rabies. The other bats weren’t killed but were shooed out through cabin doors and windows.

Health officials deemed it better safe than sorry to alert everybody that they might have been exposed by being bitten or scratched. When people are sleeping, a bat bite or scratch can go unseen and unnoticed. Bats are an inadvertent but frequent vector of the rabies virus and other pathogens. Once symptoms occur, muscle aches, vomiting, or itching, rabies is almost always fatal in humans. The cash-strapped CDC is contacting the foreign visitors.

Last year a child in Ontario, Canada died from rabies after being exposed to a bat in their bedroom. The family woke up with a bat in their bedroom, but the parents did not see signs of a bite or scratches on their child and did not get a rabies vaccine. This death was the first domestically-acquired case of human rabies in Ontario since 1967.

Bats are misunderstood creatures that are vital to our eco-system and shouldn’t be harmed. One of their natural predators is the owl.

Links:

https://winnipegsun.com/pmn/hundreds-may-have-been-exposed-to-rabies-at-bat-infested-cabins-at-grand-teton-national-park

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvgxjnldqvdo

https://www.fws.gov/story/bats-are-one-most-important-misunderstood-animals

California: Wild Pigs With ‘Neon Blue’ Insides Trigger Health Warnings

A wild pig with blue innards discovered in 2015. (GlendilTEK/imgur)

Wild pigs in the Monterey County area were exposed to pesticide bait containing the anticoagulant rodenticide diphacinone, according to findings by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s (CDFW) Wildlife Health Lab (WHL) and the California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory in Davis.

Novelist John Steinbeck hailed from Monterey County, CA.

In March, a wildlife trapper reported multiple observations of blue muscle or fat found in wild pigs. The blue tissue can be a sign of rodenticide bait ingestion. CDFW’s WHL investigated, finding the anticoagulant rodenticide diphacinone in the stomach and liver contents of one of the wild pigs that was recovered with blue tissues.

Wildlife can be inadvertently exposed to rodenticides either by eating rodenticide bait or by eating other animals that have ingested rodenticides. Rodenticide baits often contain dye to identify them as a poison. Blue-colored muscle or fat may be a sign that game meat has been contaminated by rodenticides, although this blue discoloration may not always be present. CDFW urges hunters to always use caution when harvesting game animals and be aware of potential risks.

Blue rodenticide bait. (Photo: CDFW)

Source:

https://wildlife.ca.gov/News/Archive/poison-detection-in-wild-pigs-brings-attention-to-pesticide-exposure-in-hunter-harvested-wildlife

Disfiguring Viruses Infecting Squirrels, Rabbits

Grey squirrel mottled with hairless tumors.

Grotesque squirrels covered in oozing sores have been spotted invading backyards in the US and Canada. Hairless tumors develop from their heads and eyes to their legs, feet, and genitals. First thought to be squirrel pox, the illness is more likely to be squirrel fibromatosis. Homeowners who put bird feeders in their yards may be unintentionally causing the virus to spread to more squirrels throughout North America.

Eastern Cottontail rabbit beginning to grow black tentacles out of its head. (Photo: Getty Images)

A bizarre virus is turning ordinary rabbits in the US into grotesque, horned creatures with black, tentacle-like growths sprouting from their faces. The mutated rabbits have been spotted multiple times in Fort Collins, CO and are infected by the cottontail papilloma virus (CRPV). Also known as Shope papilloma virus, this pathogen causes tumors to grow on or near the animal’s head. CRPV is spread by mosquitoes.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) has urged anyone who sees infected rabbits to stay away and not touch them. CPW does not believe the virus can leap to other species, such as humans or pets, but is still urging the public to avoid the rabbits and not attempt to help them.

Rabbit’s head fully covered with the black tentacles (Photo: Reddit)

These poor creatures represent the “canary in the coalmine” for the rest of us.

Sources:

Terrifying ‘zombie squirrels’ with oozing flesh pods on their bodies invade US backyards | Daily Mail Online

https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/colorado-rabbits-develop-tentacle-growths-144616885.html

Las Vegas: Mosquito Infestation Causing Alarm

Mosquitoes typically prefer more tropical, humid conditions, but these biting machines have exploded in number throughout the Las Vegas Valley in recent years because of a host of changes. A mix of urban development, climate change, insecticide resistance and genetic adaptations are creating a more hospitable environment for the insects in southern Nevada.

Las Vegas is hardly alone in its battle against the pesky insects. Warmer temperatures and shifting weather patterns are expanding the geographic range in which mosquitoes live and breed. In many ways, what’s happening here is playing out across the desert Southwest and beyond.

The mosquitoes have brought with them not only the nuisance of bug bites, but also the major threat of mosquito-borne diseases such as dengue fever and West Nile virus to Las Vegas and the rest of Clark County.

The species that have taken hold in Clark County include Culex mosquitoes, which can carry West Nile virus, and Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, the primary spreaders of dengue. What’s more, Messenger and her colleagues at UNLV have found that mosquitoes in Las Vegas are becoming resistant to insecticides, a major public health risk in a city built on tourism.

“It is a little bit of a ticking time bomb,” Messenger said.

She has for some time been concerned about how vulnerable Las Vegas is to mosquito-borne diseases. In particular, dengue has been surging in North America and South America, with more than 13 million cases recorded across the continents in 2024, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“In Vegas, we have more than 48 million visitors coming through our doors every year from all over the planet,” Messenger said. “It just takes a couple of mosquito bites to start local transmission.”

Last year, there were 26 reported cases of West Nile virus in humans in Las Vegas, trailing the city’s largest outbreak of 43 cases in 2019. Yet, in 2024, scientists still found a record number of mosquitoes that tested positive for the virus in and around the city, which suggests the risk of exposure was concerning.

Mosquitos are mankind’s acme predator, killing between 725,000 and 1,000,000 people a year. Dragonflies and spiders are the natural enemies of the mosquito and should be left alone. Nevertheless, between Dummkopf Trumpf’s idiotic tariffs and obnoxious behavior, international tourism has been collapsing in Las Vegas. This mosquito plague could be just another nail in the coffin for Sin City.

Texas Prepares for Massive Invasion of Screwworm Fly

A helpless victim of the screwworm fly larvae.

ArsTechnica reports:

Texas is gearing up for war as a savage, flesh-eating fly appears poised for a US invasion and is expanding its range of victims.

On Friday, the Texas Department of Agriculture announced the debut of TDA Swormlure, a synthetic bait designed to attract the flies with a scent that mimics open flesh wounds, which are critical to the lifecycle of the fly, called the New World Screwworm. The parasite exploits any open wound or orifice on a wide range of warm-blooded animals to feed its ravenous spawn. Female flies lay hundreds of eggs in even the tiniest abrasion. From there, screw-shaped larvae—which give the flies their name—emerge to literally twist and bore into their victim, eating them alive and causing a putrid, life-threatening lesion.

Tip of a screwworm larvae (Photo: CSIRO)

The new lure for the flies is just one of several defense efforts in Texas, which stands to suffer heavy livestock losses from an invasion. Screwworms are a ferocious foe to many animals, but are particularly devastating to farm animals.

“When it comes to safeguarding Texas’ $15 billion cattle industry, we need to focus on action rather than words. That’s why I instructed my Biosecurity team to develop an effective screwworm lure,” Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller said.

But cattle industry losses aren’t the only grave risk from the vicious parasites. In Colombia, endemic screwworms have apparently grown bolder in their taste for flesh. This week, biologists and researchers reported in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases that the worms caused life-threatening infections in two wild mountain tapirs, an endangered species that lives in a protected area of the Central Andes. While there had been anecdotal reports of screwworm infestations in mountain tapirs, they were not previously considered a threat to the herbivorous mammals. The authors noted that it’s unclear why the fly has suddenly emerged in mountain tapirs, which resemble wild pigs with trunks, but climate change and livestock movements could be causing the flies to expand their appetites.

Tuberculosis Spreading in Trumpf Junta’s ICE Gulags

Overcrowding at the US border patrol station in McAllen, TX, on 10 June. The team who visited the center in Clint found children did not have adequate access to drinking water or food. Photo: Handout / Getty Images

The World Health Organization says tuberculosis kills 1.5 million people each year, even though it’s both preventable and curable.

ICE detainees have tested positive for tuberculosis at the Anchorage Correctional Complex in Alaska and Adelanto ICE Processing Center in California. One immigrant died days after a diagnosis of the disease in the Eloy Detention Center in Arizona, an ICE death notice shows. Detainees may have been exposed at the Denver Contract Detention Facility in Aurora, according to a lawsuit. And in Washington state, several possible cases of tuberculosis in the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma were reported this month to state authorities, and one man was hospitalized for it.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials have previously downplayed the presence of tuberculosis, including responding to questions about the cases in Tacoma by saying, “This false claim needs to stop.”

The cruelty of the Trumpf junta and their kapos is simply bottomless. These ICE gulags are nothing but concentration camps for vulnerable migrants. No doubt UN, ICRC (Red Cross), or ICC investigators would gather evidence of crimes against humanity being perpetrated by America’s Sturmabteilung if they were permitted access to these crammed torture chambers. Other diseases will probably spread amongst the prisoners too. Their deaths will be attributed as “NIH”: No Humans Involved.

Source: https://prospect.org/health/2025-08-18-tuberculosis-spawning-in-crowded-dirty-ice-detention-centers/

Can Dotard Trumpf and His Amateur Junta of Mountebanks, Quacks, Frauds, and Sycophants Deal With All of These Pathogenic Problems Plaguing the US?

Copyright John Bazemore / Copyright 2024 The AP. All rights reserved.

Sources:

Las Vegas’ growing mosquito problem is ‘a ticking time bomb’

www.gavi.org

pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

www.cnn.com

www.nature.com

www.worldmosquitoprogram.org

https://arstechnica.com/health/2025/08/texas-prepares-for-war-as-invasion-of-flesh-eating-flies-appears-imminent/

World Ablaze: Infernos Raging in Canada, Europe

Map: FIRMS/USFS/NASA

Canada is going through its second-worst burn on record and the blazes are occurring not in the west, but in the bone-dry prairie provinces and the Atlantic region. Tens of thousands of people have been evacuated from their homes due to the wildfires. Saskatchewan and Manitoba have been the worst hit, covering more than 60% of the area burned in Canada. The fires have seized strained resources in Atlantic Canada, where officials in Newfoundland and Labrador are struggling to battle out-of-control blazes.

Firefighters in Spain, Portugal, Greece, and Turkiye continue to battle wildfires that have raged on for weeks. Hot and dry conditions are expected to persist, challenging efforts to contain the blazes. Bulgaria, Montenegro, and Albania have requested help from the EU’s firefighting force to deal with forest fires. The force has already been activated as many times this year as the entirety of last year’s fire season. In April 2025, Israel suffered its largest wildfire ever.

Europe has been warming twice as fast as the global average since the 1980s, according to the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service. The EU monitoring agency says that 2024 was the hottest year on record both globally and in Europe, which experienced its second-highest number of “heat stress” days. Sea temperatures are also rising globally, particularly in the Mediterranean Sea, debilitating marine life and impacting livelihoods. Moreover, warmer ocean waters increase the potency of hurricanes, cyclones, and typhoons.

Global Climate Change Deniers Should be Penalized for Their Willful Ignorance

Sources:

Canada Ablaze 

European Inferno

Naughty Kitten Steals Patient Golden Retriever’s Toy

Pagers Rigged with Explosives Kill Nine, Wounds 2,800 in Lebanon; Israel Blamed

A victim is carried on a stretcher outside American University of Beirut Medical Center as people, including Hezbollah fighters and medics, were wounded and killed when pagers exploded across Lebanon on 17 Sep 2024.

At least nine people were killed and more than 2,800 others wounded, overwhelming Lebanon’s hospitals, when pagers used by Hezbollah members exploded Tuesday. No one has claimed responsibility for this terrorist attack, but the people of Lebanon are blaming Israel. Many of the injuries were described as gruesome and some victims lost their eyes.

Lebanese press reports said the pagers were relatively new and were part of an order of 5,000 given to Hezbollah operatives in the past few months. They had been using pagers to communicate as Israeli intelligence is able to track and record cellphones.

Hsu Ching-Kuang, founder of Taiwan-based manufacturer Gold Apollo, told reporters Wednesday his company did not manufacture the pagers, but rather authorized its brand to be used on devices produced and sold by a company called BAC in Budapest. Two or three ounces of explosives were secreted into each device which exploded simultaneously across Lebanon at approximately 3:30PM.

Iran state media reported the country’s ambassador to Lebanon, Mojtaba Amani, was among those wounded by an exploding pager. Lebanon’s Hezbollah issued a statement Tuesday blaming the blasts on Israel, which has not officially commented. At least two Hezbollah members were reported dead as well as a child.

The Lebanese government condemned the attack as “criminal Israeli aggression.” Beirut is a recipient of US military assistance and its security services may request forensic assistance from Washington to determine the culprits of this attack. Lebanon also enjoys close economic and political ties with France whom they can also ask for investigative help.

If Israeli intelligence was responsible, this was a monumental counterintelligence and political blow against Lebanese Hezbollah, which also served to demonstrate Israel’s espionage capabilities. And this was also an innovative method of conducting Extra-Judicial Killings (XJK) across international borders which Israeli can deny perpetrating. If ISIS, al-Qaida, the FARC, or the IRA conducted this attack, the world would condemn it as terrorism.

Lebanese Hezbollah said it would continue its fight against Israel in support of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and that Israel should await “harsh punishment.”

US forces in Iraq should be prepared for reprisal attacks from Iran’s Shia proxies. Western commercial ships in the Red Sea or Gulf of Aden may see attacks from the Shia Houthis, who have become allies with Tehran and Lebanese Hezbollah. After the Sunni Saudi blockade created a catastrophic famine for Shia Yemenis, the Houthis accepted Iran’s aid and have since become proxies for Tehran.

Sources:

Pagers rigged with explosives kill 9, wound 2,800 in Lebanon (voanews.com)

BBC NEWS | Middle East | French nearly fired at Israelis

Russia Claims to Kill ‘Ukrainian Agent’ Plotting Assassination of Defense Executive

Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) said that its agents killed a suspected Ukrainian military intelligence officer allegedly plotting to assassinate a Russian defense industry executive.

The FSB identified the man as a Russian citizen born in 1984, accusing him of illegal trafficking explosives and claiming he was working on behalf of Ukraine’s HUR military intelligence agency.

According to Russian law enforcement authorities, the man was instructed by “his handlers” to create an improvised explosive device (IED), which was to be used as a car bomb targeting a defense executive in the Sverdlovsk region, a major hub for Russian defense manufacturing.

FSB agents reportedly killed the man during a gunfight as he attempted to place the IED in a cache. “While being apprehended, he offered armed resistance and was neutralized by return fire,” the FSB said in a statement.

Footage released by state news agencies showed the body of a man in a wooded area holding a handgun, along with images of what the FSB claimed were the explosive device components found in a garage.

The FSB did not identify the alleged target of the assassination plot, describing him only as a “senior employee of a defense company.”

There was no immediate response from Kiev about Russia’s allegations.

IEDs have killed high-value target (HVT) Russians during the war. The daughter of ultra-nationalist Putin-ally Alexander Dugin was killed in a bomb attack in August 2022 and in May 2023, pro-war blogger Zakhar Prilepin was seriously injured in an attack.

Sources:

Russia Claims to Kill ‘Ukrainian Agent’ Plotting Assassination of Defense Executive

Russian military intelligence officer injured in Moscow car bomb attack, Kommersant says | Reuters

Car bomb attack’ investigated in Moscow – amid conflicting reports military officer was target | World News | Sky News

Impeachment Proceedings Against France’s Macron Pass First Hurdle

The pomp and spectacle of the Paris Olympiad are over as reality returns for President Macron in this undated image. (AP – Thomas Padilla)

The hard-left France Unbowed (LFI) has accused President Macron of denying democracy in refusing to name a prime minister from one of their ranks. The procedure to impeach him got over the first hurdle on Tuesday but it’s highly unlikely the president will fall. LFI has accused Macron of carrying out an “anti-democratic coup” after he ruled out choosing its pick for prime minister, naming veteran conservative politician Michel Barnier instead.

petition, signed by more than 300,000 people, refers to Macron’s “unprecedented authoritarian drift … in the system of representative democracy.”

Impeachment proceedings have never gone this far before. Ten years ago, a proposal tabled by the right against then Socialist president François Hollande didn’t get beyond the committee stage.However, there is little chance of Macron being forced to step down. Under Article 68 of the Constitution, the motion now has to be examined by the assembly’s Law Committee, before being put to a wider vote by MPs. The text must be approved by two-thirds of MPs – 385 out of 577.

Mathematically that’s highly unlikely as Macron can count on his centrist Ensemble (Together) coalition and the mainstream right Republicans to vote against.

Outgoing prime minister Gabriel Attal has described the motion as “a declaration of war on our institutions.” The far-right National Rally (RN) and its allies – with 143 MPs – will not vote in favour either. RN leader Marine Le Pen has termed the motion a “sinister comedy” and accused the left of spreading “disorder and chaos.” The Socialists have also announced they will not vote to impeach Macron.

Should it pass the MP hurdle, it will then go to the Senate, where Ensemble and the Republicans hold a majority.

Tuesday’s vote is, however, a strong symbolic victory for the leftist alliance.

“It’s an opportunity to put Emmanuel Macron’s early departure on the public agenda,” said LFI MP Clemence Guetté, while fellow MP Antoine Léaument hailed a “parliamentary riposte”.

The New Popular Front (NFP) has called for nationwide demonstrations on Saturday “to depose Macron”.

Source:

Impeachment proceedings against France’s Macron pass first hurdle (rfi.fr)

Canada: Justin Trudeau Under Pressure as Liberal Party Loses Montreal By-Election

Louis-Philippe Sauvé celebrated with his Bloc Québécois supporters after his win in LaSalle-Émard-Verdun. Photograph: Canadian Press/REX/Shutterstock

Canada’s ruling Liberal party has lost a once-safe seat in Montreal, a result that is likely to put more pressure on the prime minister, Justin Trudeau, to quit.

Elections Canada said that with 100% of the votes counted in the parliamentary constituency of LaSalle-Émard-Verdun, the separatist Bloc Québécois candidate, Louis-Philippe Sauvé, had beaten the Liberal candidate, Laura Palestini, by a whisker: 28% to 27.2%. The New Democratic party (NDP) candidate received 26.1%.

The election, which was held to replace a Liberal legislator who resigned, will put more focus on the political future of Trudeau, who has become increasingly unpopular after almost nine years in office.

Trudeau insists he will lead the party into an election that must be held by the end of October 2025, but some Liberal legislators have broken ranks to call for change at the top.

Alexandra Mendès, a Liberal MP who represents a Québec constituency, said last week that many of her constituents wanted Trudeau to go.

In the 2021 general election, the Liberal party won the Montreal seat with 43% of the vote, ahead of the Bloc Québécois on 22% and the NDP on 19%.

Polls now suggest that the Liberals will lose badly in the next federal election to the right-of-centre Conservatives, led by Pierre Poilievre. A Leger poll last week put public support for the Conservatives at 45%, a level rarely seen nationally in Canada, with the Liberals in second place at 25%.

Trudeau’s popularity has sagged as voters struggle with a surge in the cost of living and a housing crisis.

Poilievre has promised to do away with a federal carbon tax that he claims is making life unaffordable and last week vowed to cap immigration limits until more homes could be built.

Liberals concede the polls look grim but say they will redouble efforts to portray Poilievre as a supporter of the “Make America Great Again” movement led by the former US president Donald Trump.

Poilievre, an acerbic career politician who often insults his opponents, also says he would defund the CBC, Canada’s national public broadcaster. In April he was ejected from the House of Commons after he called Trudeau “a wacko”.

Source:

Justin Trudeau under pressure as his party loses Montreal election | Canada | The Guardian

Portugal Wildfire Deaths Rise to Seven After Firefighters Trapped in Blaze

A woman next to her home in Covelo, Gondomar, northern Portugal. Photograph: José Coelho/EPA

Seven people have been killed and more than 50 injured in wildfires ravaging central and northern Portugal after three firefighters died when their vehicle was trapped in flames.

Portugal’s civil protection service said 54 wildfires were burning nationwide, mainly in the north, with 5,300 firefighters mobilised. France, Greece, Italy, and Spain sent eight water-bombing planes through the EU’s mutual assistance mechanism.

More than 1,000 firefighters battled to control four separate blazes near the towns of Nelas and Aveiro, south of Porto, with TV footage showing residents frantically pouring buckets of water on rapidly advancing flames. In Aveiro alone, the blazes have consumed more than 10,000 hectares (24,710 acres) of forest and scrubland in the last two days, roughly the same area that has been burnt by fires so far this year across the country.

The national civil protection commander said the three firefighters – two women and a man – had been killed near Nelas. Four people, including a man retrieving tools from his shed, were reported dead.

Three firefighters died in Nelas, southeast of Porto, on Tuesday. Photograph: Pedro Nunes/Reuters

The fires forced the closure of two railway lines and several motorways, including part of the main road between Lisbon and Porto and could consume a further 20,000 hectares.

The weather conditions on Monday brought the highest risk of fire in northern Portugal since 2001, experts said. After a wet start to the year Portugal and Spain have recorded fewer wildfires than last year, but temperatures were above 30C across Portugal over the weekend amid exceptionally low humidity and strong winds, which have fanned the flames.

The government increased fire-prevention funding ten-fold and doubled its firefighting budget after deadly blazes in 2017 claimed 64 lives.

Scientists have said human-caused climate breakdown is supercharging extreme weather across the world, driving more frequent and more deadly disasters, from floods – as seen this week in central Europe – to heatwaves, droughts and wildfires.

Human-caused climate breakdown is making heatwaves more likely and more intense, such as the extreme heatwave in western Canada and the US in 2021.

Source:

Portugal wildfire deaths rise to seven after firefighters trapped in blaze | Portugal | The Guardian

UK MoD: Russia Suffered Over 610,000 Casualties in Ukraine

(Undated photo: Vladimir Smirnov / TASS)

Russia has likely suffered over 610,000 causalities, killed or wounded, since the beginning of its full-scale invasion, according to the UK Defence Ministry’s latest intelligence update.

Russian officials said that in 2023, the defence ministry was recruiting at a rate of 1,600 daily. However, publicly cited figures this year put the rate at around 1,000 daily.

The Washington Post, meanwhile, claims that the total number of Ukrainian and Russian servicemen killed or wounded since the start of Russian aggression has reached one million.

The WSJ, citing confidential data dating back to earlier this year from sources familiar with the matter, wrote that “the number of Ukrainian soldiers killed stands at 80,000 and the number of wounded at 400,000.”

“Western intelligence estimates of Russian casualties vary, with some putting the number of dead as high as nearly 200,000 and wounded at around 400,000,” the newspaper reported.

The Financial Times, citing a senior Ukrainian military intelligence official, reports that Russian forces have committed 38,000 personnel to fight in Kursk region, including assault brigades redeployed from southern Ukraine.

Russian forces recently recaptured territory in the Ukrainian salient, advancing northern Obukhovka, southeast of Korenevo.

Ukrainian and Russian forces continued to advance in Glushkovsky district amid continued fighting in the area.

Russian troops march during the Victory Day military parade in Red Square in Moscow, 9 May 2024.  Photo: Evgenia Novozhenina/Reuters. President Putin recently ordered to boost the size of the army by 180,000 troops to 1.5 million

Source:

Russia has likely suffered over 610,000 causalities in Ukraine, says UK MoD | Euronews

Washington State Man Sentenced on Felony and Misdemeanor Charges for Actions During 6 Jan Capitol Attack

Benjamin John Silva (37) of Yacolt, WA, was sentenced to four months in prison, 24 months of supervised release to include four months of home incarceration, and ordered to pay $2,000 in restitution.

Silva pleaded guilty to a felony charge of obstruction of law enforcement during a civil disorder on 5 Apr 2024.

Silva was identified on 6 Jan 2021, at approximately 2:49 p.m., near an entrance to the Capitol building on the Lower West Terrace, often referred to as the Tunnel. Some of the most violent attacks against law enforcement on January 6th occurred at the Tunnel. Inside the Tunnel, Silva made his way to the front of a crowd of rioters confronting an established police line.

During the melee, Silva distracted a police officer while a seditionist behind him sprayed the line of officers with a chemical irritant. When police lines held, some attackers began leaving the Tunnel. But Silva fought to stay in and to pressed forward in a concerted effort with other rioters doing the same. Defeated, Silva made his way out of the Tunnel at about 3:07 PM but remained in the area outside the Tunnel for several minutes afterward.

The FBI arrested Silva on 25 July 2023, in Oregon.

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.

US Military Aid Packages to Ukraine Shrink Amid Concerns Over Pentagon Stockpiles

Photo: USAF

US military aid packages for Ukraine have been smaller in recent months, as the stockpiles of weapons and equipment that the Pentagon is willing to send Kiev from its own inventory have dwindled. The shift comes amid concerns about US military readiness being impacted as US arms manufacturers play catchup to the huge demand created by the war against Russia.

The shortage means the Biden administration still has $6 billion in funds available to arm and equip Ukraine, but the Pentagon lacks the inventory it is willing to deliver.

The US is ramping up production of key items, such as 155 mm ammunition and Patriot missile systems, both to supply Ukraine and to refill US inventories. But it is a yearslong process that won’t quickly meet the surging demand.

Before the war in Ukraine, the US produced approximately 15,000 155 mm artillery shells each month. With new factories and production lines opening, the US is now producing 40,000 shells a month. But it will still take more than a year for the Pentagon to hit its goal of 100,000 shells each month.

Ukraine is feeling the impact of the inventory shortages, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky. During a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group in Germany this month, Zelensky told the US and other allies that deliveries of promised air defense systems were moving too slowly and warned of a “significant” shortfall in vital aid.

The US is still trying to announce a new aid package roughly every two weeks which Ukraine is “supportive of because they believe getting new packages every two weeks is a morale boost.”

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has vowed to continue providing military support to Ukraine and announced a new $250 million aid package at the meeting in Germany this month. Austin acknowledged that the US is working to ramp up production and “speed up deliveries” to Ukraine.

“Time is of the essence, especially with winter on its way,” Austin said. “And we must all step up our support — and quickly.”

The US is simultaneously sending military aid to Israel. And as noted in a previous post, North Korea and Iran are assisting Russia with their supply shortfalls during this 2 ½ year war.

Source:

US military aid packages to Ukraine shrink amid concerns over Pentagon stockpiles | CNN Politics

The Lancet: Superbug Crisis Could Get Worse, Killing Nearly 40 Million People by 2050

This illustration of a bacteriophage shows its tripod-like form that mimics a tiny robot. These microscopic creatures have saved the lives of patients dying from superbug infections and are being used in clinical trials as a potential solution to the growing problem of antibiotic resistance. In the US alone, more than 2.8 million antimicrobial-resistant infections occur each year. SCIEPRO/Science Photo Library/Getty Images

Cumulatively, from 2025 to 2050, the world could see more than 39 million deaths that are directly attributable to antimicrobial resistance or AMR, according to the Lancet.

Antimicrobial resistance happens when pathogens like bacteria and fungi develop the ability to evade the medications used to kill them.

The World Health Organization has called AMR “one of the top global public health and development threats,” driven by the misuse and overuse of antimicrobial medications in humans, animals and plants, which can help pathogens develop a resistance to them.

The new study reveals that when it comes to the prevalence of AMR and its effects, “we expect it to get worse,” said lead author Dr. Chris Murray, director of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington.

“We need appropriate attention on new antibiotics and antibiotic stewardship so that we can address what is really quite a large problem,” he said.

Sources:

Global burden of bacterial antimicrobial resistance 1990–2021: a systematic analysis with forecasts to 2050 – The Lancet

Nearly 40 million people could die from antibiotic-resistant superbug infections by 2050, new study estimates | CNN

Birth of Spectacled Bear Brings Joy to Farming Community in Peru

A spectacled bear was born in a rescue center built by a Peruvian farming community that has protected these animals for more than two decades.

The bear cub, which does not yet have a name, was discovered after park rangers in the community of Santa Catalina de Chongoyape, in northern Peru, noticed that a female bear named Lola did not leave.

Born in mid July, the little bear is the second birth after a female was born six years ago in a fenced area of several hectares where food and care are provided to ailing bears.

The farming community manages an ecological reserve where spectacled bears (Tremarctos ornatus) and other animals such as the white-winged guan (Penelope albipennis) are not hunted and can find a safe habitat for their lives in its carob trees and other types of flora.

The spectacled bear is a vulnerable species, according to the Red List of Threatened Species released by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. They are the only bear species in South America with potentially as few as 2,500 mature individuals remaining.

Source:

The birth of a spectacled bear brings joy to a farming community in Peru | AP News

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)