UK

Israel Attacks Shia Houthis in Yemen

Israel’s military attacked the Yemeni port city of Hodeida held by Shia Houthis while it intensified air strikes on Hezbollah strongholds in southern Beirut and elsewhere in Lebanon. IDF planes and rockets attacked Ras Issa and Hodeida areas of Yemen, targeting a power plant and seaport used to import oil and to allegedly receive Iranian food and weapons. The vast majority of humanitarian aid arrives through Hodeida’s deep-water port, although much of that has been disrupted since the Houthis seized the facility. Four people were killed, 49 wounded in the Israeli attack.

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

Yemen has endured a civil war since 2014, when Shia Houthi rebels seized the capital, Sanaa, prompting Saudi Crown Prince Muhamad Bin-Salman (MBS) to intervene in support of his fellow Sunnis on the Arabian Peninsula. After the Saudis and Sunni Yemenis were defeated and humiliated, MBS ordered a sea, air, and land blockade of the Houthis which led to a massive humanitarian disaster and man-made famine. When no other country assisted the starving Shia Houthis, Iran and Lebanese Hezbollah— Shia co-religionists— filled the vacuum. In gratitude, the Shia Houthis afterward became loyal proxies to Tehran and Lebanese Hezbollah. MBS effectively drove the starving Yemenis into the Shia Crescent, although Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi reportedly doesn’t see himself as subordinate to Iran’s supreme leader.

The Houthis have been targeting ships in the Persian Gulf and launching missiles toward Israel over the past year in support of Palestinian armed groups in the Gaza Strip. And we see Shia Houthis counter-attacking against Western or Israeli maritime targets in the Red Sea or Gulf of Aden almost immediately after the IDF attacks a Shia target in Lebanon, Syria, or Iran.

US national-security spokesman John Kirby earlier warned that all-out war would not help Israel safely return people to their homes in the north of the country near the Lebanese border, where many thousands have been evacuated.

Demonstrators hold pictures of Hassan Nasrallah, late leader of the Lebanese group Hezbollah, during a protest vigil in the southern Lebanese city of Sidon on 28 Sep. Photo: AFP

Lebanese people rank among the world’s angriest populations, according to a Gallup report on global emotions. Lebanese anger can be attributed to a number of events, as the country has been witnessing an exacerbating political and economic crisis since October 2019.

The country’s unprecedented economic meltdown and the government’s disastrous policies have thrusted two-thirds of the population into poverty. Rising unemployment and sharp increases in food, medicine, and everyday goods prices have also impacted on millions of lives, according to the UN.

Public services in Lebanon are also experiencing a major decline in efficiency. Homes and even offices experience long-lasting power cuts throughout the day, while hospitals continue to struggle with supply shortages. Netanyahu’s continued attacks on the dilapidated Lebanese infrastructure, people, and economy will only increase Lebanese anger, most likely towards Israel and possibly the US for not stopping Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu and providing the IDF with billions of dollars of military aid.

Sources:

Israel Extends Attacks To Huthis In Yemen As Fears Of All-Out War Rise (rferl.org)

Israel’s offensive against Yemen, Syria, Lebanon is ‘dangerous escalation’ supported by US: Hamas (aa.com.tr)

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

Famine in Yemen (2016–present) – Wikipedia

Lebanese, Iraqis among world’s angriest populations: report (newarab.com)

Austrian Far Right Party Scores Historic Win in National Vote

Since taking over at the helm of the Freedom Party (FPOe) in 2021, Herbert Kickl has rejuvenated the scandal-tainted party. Conservative Chancellor Karl Nehammer reiterated his refusal to work with Kickl, who has called himself the future “Volkskanzler”, the people’s chancellor, as Adolf Hitler was termed in the 1930s. © Alex HALADA / AFP

While the Freedom Party (FPOe) has been in government several times, this is the first time it has won a national vote. But even with the victory, it is not certain it will be able to form a government.

In line with far-right parties elsewhere in Europe, the FPOe has seen its popularity surge, fed by voter anger over migration, inflation, and Covid restrictions.

The FPOe won 29.1% of votes cast, against 26.3% for the conservative People’s Party (OeVP), according to projections based on more than 60 percent of the votes counted.

Kickl regularly attacks EU sanctions against Russia and espouses the far-right concept of “remigration”: expelling people of non-European ethnic backgrounds deemed to have failed to integrate.

Long a political force in Austria, the FPOe’s first government with the Conservatives in 2000 set off widespread protests and sanctions from Brussels.

“The FPOe mainly stirs up fears and never has anything constructive to contribute,” researcher Theres Friesacher told AFP, citing corruption scandals that have frequently engulfed the party.

The Kremlin has been supporting right-wing groups throughout Europe, including Austria. The far-right AfD party recently won a statewide election in Germany, stoking fears amongst non-white immigrants and refugees in Germany. And Western intelligence agencies are also concerned about Russian penetration of Austria’s intelligence services. A damaging espionage scandal recently rocked Vienna and exposed Russian spying operations across Europe. Any right-wing electoral gain in Europe is a plus for the Kremlin and a concern for immigrants.

Sources:

Austria far right scores historic win in national vote (rfi.fr)

An espionage scandal rocks Austria, laying bare alleged Russian spying operations across Europe | AP News

Spy scandal revives fears of Austrian exposure to Russia (bbc.com)

A Lithium Battery Fire Sent Toxic Gas Over Montreal

The smoke was so thick that it was nearly impossible to see what lay beyond the cloud as a lithium battery fire burned in the Port of Montreal. (Yannick Gadbois/Radio-Canada)

Residents, chemists, and firefighters are raising concerns about prevention and emergency preparedness after 15,000 kilograms of lithium batteries inside a shipping container caught fire at the Port of Montreal on Monday. The fire started at 2:40 PM. About two hours later, the city issued a precautionary lockdown notice through landlines to some nearby residents. A reminder alert was sent at 6:51 PM.


At 6:53 PM the Mercier—Hochelaga-Maisonneuve borough posted a warning on Facebook, and the comment section quickly filled with residents saying they were never notified or didn’t see the post until much later.

Meanwhile, about 100 people were evacuated from the area near the fire, but there was no mandatory evacuation order. Residents were free to leave or stay and were offered transportation to a safe location while awaiting confirmation that the fire posed no danger.

The Port of Montreal is Canada’s second largest and handled 35.3 million tons of cargo in 2023. The longshoreman’s union may order a strike this week if negotiations with corporate management fail.

But it wasn’t just the fire that worried experts. Lithium battery fires emit hazardous pollutants like hydrogen fluoride and small particles that can penetrate the lungs.

Montreal firefighters wore self-contained breathing apparatuses as they went out into the neighborhood, urging people to shelter in place or leave the area. Residents, on the other hand, had nothing covering their eyes, noses, and mouths.

Exposure to high levels of hydrogen fluoride can cause chemical burns, eye irritation and respiratory distress. Acute exposure can even lead to a risk of heart attack or stroke. Health risks depend on the length of exposure, pollutant concentrations, and individual vulnerability.

Residents living close to where the fire occurred, firefighters, and first responders were advised to monitor their health over the next week.

Source:

A lithium battery fire sent toxic gas over Montreal. Are we ready for such emergencies? | CBC News

Statistics (port-montreal.com)

Trinidad and Tobago: 1,500 Mosquito-Borne Dengue Cases, 19 Deaths

Dengue fever has killed 19 people and sickened 1,579 in Trinidad and Tobago.

Dengue Fever may be spread by the bite of an infected Aedes aegypti mosquito.  Symptoms appear within five to six days of being bitten, last for up to two weeks, and can include: Fever, headaches, (sometimes severe), pain behind eyes, muscle and joint pains, skin rash, nausea / vomiting, and diarrhea.

The Ministry of Health said anyone showing signs or symptoms of dengue fever should seek immediate medical treatment at their doctor or the nearest health facility.

The Ministry reminded citizens that the best means of reducing the incidence of mosquito borne diseases is through the elimination of the breeding sites of the Aedes species mosquito.

The public is urged to:

1.    Dispose of all unwanted articles, derelict vehicles or appliances in the yard or environs which can collect water and become mosquito breeding grounds.

2.    Cover water containers such as tanks, barrels, drums or buckets with a mosquito proof covering.

3.    Cut down and remove all bush or undergrowth that can harbour mosquitoes.

4.    Clean drains and guttering to allow for the free flow of water.

5.    Use mosquito nets and insect repellent, when appropriate as a means of personal protection.

Source:

Dengue cases cross 1,500, 19 deaths recorded | Loop Trinidad & Tobago (loopnews.com)

FOIA: F22 Raptor Shoots Down Strange Object Over Canadian Airspace in 2023, Image Finally Released

CTVNews.ca obtained an image of this unidentified object shot down by an F-22 Raptor over Canada’s Yukon territory in February 2023. (Department of National Defense via Access to Information Request. Senior Airman Meghan Hutton/USAF)

Canada’s CTV News obtained a report from their nation’s Department of National Defense on the 11 Feb 2023 Yukon incident, the contents of which include a brigadier general’s description of the unknown object as “cylindrical,” with a metallic top quarter and the rest of it white. It also mentions a package attached to the object by a 20-foot wire.

The report contains an unclassified image of the object, which CTV says “appears to be a photocopy of an email printout.”

Due to the poor resolution, it remains difficult to tell exactly what the object is. CTV noted that they’ve requested a higher resolution version. As you could see above, the object has circular shape containing a gap on the left side.

The Stealth F22 Raptor is the USAF’s leading platform for air-to-air missions against peer adversaries.  Whatever the object was over Canadian airspace, NORAD sent its premier aircraft to deal with it. The RCMP, FBI, US military, Public Safety Canada, and USCG conducted a massive search for the debris between Dawson City and Mayo, but eventually called it off on 17 Feb 2023 because of snowfall.

Sources:

Did a US F-22 shoot down a UFO? Photo of aerial object adds to mystery (militarytimes.com)

2023 Yukon high-altitude object – Wikipedia

Congress Uncovers Major US Secret Service Failures and Urges Changes

Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump is covered by USSS agents at a campaign rally, 13 July 2024, in Butler, PA. 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks was killed by a USSS counter-sniper. He was not known to the FBI. Evan Vucci / AP

Despite heightened partisan tensions heading into a consequential election, Congress has put aside its usual divisive rhetoric to investigate the dual Trump assassination attempts in a serious, bipartisan way. 

Among the more stunning failures identified by the US Senate report, which is based on 2,800 pages of documents and a dozen transcribed interviews with USSS personnel: 

A Pennsylvania State Police lieutenant involved in a planning meeting on site five days before the rally said the USSS couldn’t answer basic questions, including where the stage would be.

Counter-snipers were added to the security plan due to credible intelligence of a threat, relayed by Mr. Trump’s detail, but the USSS SAIC in charge of the rally was never notified of that threat.

The USSS and local law enforcement communicated on separate radio frequencies and their communications teams were operating out of separate locations more than 100 yards apart. That is an unusual departure from the norm of a single unified command center and hampered quick sharing of information. 

The USSS agent running a system for countering drones, which the shooter used to surveil the area, only had about three months of experience using that equipment. When technical problems arose, he had to call a toll-free 888 hotline, delaying deployment of the system.

In the aftermath, USSS Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned and at least five USSS agents were re-assigned or put on modified duty. The preliminary report is linked below.

Sources:

politico.com/f/?id=00000192-26b6-d338-a9da-7eb6556f0000

Trump assassination attempts: Secret Service failed on key fronts, Congress finds – CSMonitor.com

UK: Two Squirrel Travelers Force Train Cancellations

Photo: Great Western Railway

A morning train to Gatwick Airport was cancelled after two squirrels boarded and one refused to get off – forcing passengers to move away from the “frightened and erratic” animals to another carriage.

The rodent pair jumped on the Great Western Railway (GWR) service from Reading to Gatwick on Saturday and could have become scared after being trapped in the confined space, a spokesperson for the train operator said.

GWR explained that passengers made their way along the train after the rodents boarded the rear carriage, where the train manager locked them in.

A Network Rail member of staff unsuccessfully tried to shoo the animals off the train at Redhill, where the 08:54 BST service had to be terminated, GWR said.

The squirrel that refused to leave was returned to Reading in the train.

A GWR spokesperson said: “We can confirm that the 0854 Reading to Gatwick was terminated at Redhill after a couple of squirrels boarded the train at Gomshall without tickets, breaching railway byeclaws.

“We attempted to remove them at Redhill, but one refused to leave and was returned to Reading to bring an end to this nutty tail.”

In Dec 2023, a hedgehog was found hiding under a train seat on a service between Weybridge and London Waterloo.

The animal, named Hector, was taken in by a rail worker and his family.

Photo: South Western Railway

Sources:

Two squirrel travellers force Gatwick train cancellation (bbc.com)

Hedgehog found on train taken in by rail employee as sanctuary full (bbc.com)

Ukraine Strikes Moscow in Biggest Drone Attack to Date

A 46-year-old woman was killed and three people were injured. Ukraine asserted its right to strike Russian territory in response to Moscow’s ongoing attacks. (REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov)

Ukraine launched its biggest drone attack so far on the Russian capital, killing at least one woman and destroying dozens of homes. The Kremlin reported they destroyed at least 20 Ukrainian attack drones as they swarmed over the Moscow region and 124 more over eight other regions. Three of Moscow’s four airports were closed for more than six hours and almost 50 flights were diverted. Russia counter-attacked with 46 drones.

Meanwhile, in a rare joint trip, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was taking the train to Kiev with UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy, whose two-month-old Labor government has vowed to keep up Britain’s role as a key defender of Ukraine.

The pair, who boarded the train early Wednesday at the Polish border town of Przemysl, are expected to meet in Kiev with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who has kept pressing the West for weapons with more firepower and fewer restrictions.

US President Joe Biden, asked in Washington whether he would let Ukraine use longer-range weapons, said: “We’re working that out right now.”

Sources:

https://www.cnn.com/2023/04/03/politics/cnn-poll-trump-indictment/index.html

US, UK top diplomats head to Ukraine with eye on weapons (rfi.fr)Ukraine targets Moscow in biggest drone attack yet | Reuters

Israeli Man Pleads Guilty to Violating Export Restrictions Imposed on Russia



Gal Haimovich was arrested in southern Florida on 4 June 2023.

Gal Haimovich (49) of Israel, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit export control and smuggling violations in a scheme to illegally ship aircraft parts and avionics from US manufacturers and suppliers to Russia, including for the benefit of sanctioned Russian airline companies. Haimovich admitted to deceiving US companies about the true destination of the goods. The defendant and others attempted to conceal the scheme by submitting false information in export documents filed with the US government.

Haimovich owned an international freight forwarding company that facilitated the export of aircraft parts and avionics, including those with missile technology applications from the US to various third-party transhippers on behalf of Russian customers.

Russian Su-35 multi-purpose fighter jet (Wikimedia Commons)

As part of Haimovich’s plea agreement, he forfeits the sum of $2,024,435, as well as various aircraft parts and components. A sentencing hearing has been set for 22 Nov.

Sources:

Office of Public Affairs | Israeli Freight Forwarder Pleads Guilty to Violating Export Restrictions Imposed on Russia | United States Department of Justice

EU Weighs ‘Strong’ Response to Iranian Deliveries of Ballistic Missiles to Russia

The EU has joined the US, UK, France, and Germany in accusing Iran of supplying short-range ballistic missiles for Russia to wage its war in Ukraine.

The 27-country bloc has received “credible” evidence of the deliveries, which adds that the weapons are likely assisting Moscow in its “escalatory bombing campaign against Ukrainian civilians, cities and civilian infrastructure, further increasing civilian casualties and destruction.”

The EU’s reaction came hours after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, speaking alongside British Foreign Secretary David Lammy in London, promised fresh sanctions on Tehran for its procurement of the deadly weapons.

The foreign ministers of the UK, France, and Germany also issued a joint statement describing the move as an “escalation” by both Iran and Russia and a “direct threat to European security.”

Source:

EU weighs ‘strong’ response to Iranian deliveries of ballistic missiles to Russia | Euronews

13 Die of Mysterious Illness Following High Fever in Gujarat, India

350-bed government hospital in Gujarat. (Undated public domain imagery)

Thirteen people have died in Gujarat’s Kachchh district due to a mysterious disease days after the region suffered from heavy rainfall. The doctors have yet to diagnose the disease accurately.

The patients who died from the mysterious disease had symptoms including fever, cold, cough, and pneumonia. Young patients had reduced immunity following high fever and died of lung and liver damage. Elderly patients died just two days after getting a fever. The health department could not verify the type of fever and are investigating the situation.

“Primarily, the deaths appear to have been caused by pneumonia. It does not appear to be from contamination nor does it seem like a communicable disease,” Amit Arora, an official from Kachchh said.

“Samples are being collected for testing against dengue, malaria, H1N1 swine flu, and pneumonia. The family members of the affected are being provided updates, and 22 teams from the Health Department are keeping a close watch on this.”

Source:

Gujarat News 13 Die Of Mysterious Illness Following High Fever In Gujarat, Probe Underway (ndtv.com)

Explosion Reported at US Military Facility Near Baghdad Airport Ahead of Iranian President’s Visit

Satellite imagery of Baghdad International Airport (circa 2023)

Iraqi security officials said an explosion targeted a site used by the US military next to Baghdad airport late Tuesday, one day before an expected visit by Iran’s president. The expected visit by Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian to Baghdad Wednesday would be his first official trip abroad since taking office.

The explosion was heard at 11 PM in an area used by advisers to the US-led international coalition.Iraqi security forces were unable to determine the “type or causes of the explosion, and no party has claimed responsibility for it.” It added that the incident was under investigation and civilian air traffic continued as normal. There was no immediate information on damages or casualties.

Officials who were at the airport preparing for Pezeshkian’s visit heard “the sound of two strong strikes,” which apparently targeted a logistics support site for the coalition. Over the past 11 months, Iranian-backed Iraqi militias have periodically targeted bases housing US forces in Iraq in retaliation for Washington’s support of Israel in the war in Gaza.

One of those militias, Kataib Hezbollah, appeared to be trying to distance itself from Tuesday night’s strike. Jaafar al-Husseini, the group’s spokesperson, said the targeting of the airport was “carried out by suspicious hands and its aim is to disrupt the Iranian president’s visit to Baghdad.”

Sources:

Explosion reported at U.S. military facility near Baghdad airport ahead of Iranian president’s visit – Washington Times

Baghdad Diplomatic Support Center Or United States’ Air Base In Baghdad?! – Islamic World News (iswnews.com)

Rebel Army Captures Major Myanmar Navy Training Base

Map courtesy of http://www.globalsecurity.org

Insurgents in western Myanmar have captured an important military training base after a month of fighting, dealing what is likely to be a severe blow to the embattled military. The Arakan Army seized the Central Naval Diving and Salvage Depot in Rakhine state. The Rakhines are an ethnic minority insurgent force battling for self-determination. 

This facility was the last naval base held by junta forces in Thandwe township, and it was defended on a “huge-scale” by the junta’s air force and navy as well as more than 1,200 soldiers, including new graduates trained at the base.

“More than 400 junta soldiers were killed during our attack, and junta weapons, ammunition, and equipment were seized,” the AA reported.

“Losing such a base will affect training as well as fighting. The AA destroyed the navy and weakened the army, like cutting a man off at the waist,” an AA spokesman said. “The military is like a bird with one wing now.”

Arakan Army forces after capturing the junta’s Central Naval Diving and Salvage Depot in Rakhine state on 5 Sep 2024.

The loss of the base will not only damage the junta’s morale and reputation but also bring in more resources for the AA through the control of goods coming through a nearby port. The AA said it expected junta retaliation against civilians in the area. Human rights investigators say junta forces have been increasingly attacking civilian targets as they lose ground to insurgent forces in different parts of the country. The Myanmar military denies attacking civilians.

The Arakan Army, which launched a new offensive against the military in Nov 2023, controls nine townships in Rakhine state and one in neighboring Chin state, and is battling to take full control of three other townships. 

In February, the military rulers enacted a draft law to bolster troop shortages and has since trained around 9,000 recruits for front-line fighting. Myanmar’s junta has also begun forcibly recruiting male civilians up to age 65 – including even those who are disabled – to protect villages, towns, and cities against encroaching rebel militias. Since the 2021 coup, junta forces have lost 76 towns across the country to ethnic rebels and other armed opposition groups.

The move comes amid mounting battlefield losses since the junta’s 2021 coup d’etat as rebel groups and ethnic armies have gained the upper hand in Myanmar’s three-year civil war.

According to Human Rights Watch:

“Since the February 2021 military coup in Myanmar, the junta has driven the country further into a human rights and humanitarian catastrophe. At least 55 townships are under martial law. Faced with opposition from the general population and pro-democracy armed groups, the military has struggled to maintain control over the country. The junta’s widespread and systematic abuses against the population—including arbitrary arrests, torture, extrajudicial killings, and indiscriminate attacks on civilians—amount to crimes against humanity and war crimes.”

“More than 600,000 Rohingya in Myanmar continue to live under apartheid conditions, facing persecution and effective imprisonment from the junta authorities. Of this population, roughly 140,000 Rohingya have been confined to camps in central Rakhine State since 2012, denied the right to return to their homes.”

Sources:

Rebel army captures major Myanmar navy training base — Radio Free Asia (rfa.org)

Myanmar junta begins conscripting men up to age 65 to protect towns against rebels — Radio Free Asia (rfa.org)

World Report 2024: Myanmar | Human Rights Watch (hrw.org)

Homepage » Myanmar Peace Monitor (mmpeacemonitor.org)

https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/myanmar/navy-bases.htm

Lebanon Judge Orders Arrest of Ex-Central Bank Governor

Riad Salameh is accused of amassing a fortune during three decades in the job and faces numerous charges, including embezzlement, money laundering, and tax evasion in separate probes. He is probably the worst central bank governor in history. (Undated photo courtesy of AFP)

Last week Lebanese authorities arrested Riad Salameh (74), the former governor of Lebanon’s central bank, after he was questioned over the alleged embezzlement of more than $42 million. Lebanon’s financial prosecutor initiated legal proceedings against Salameh over allegations of “embezzling” public funds, as well as “illicit enrichment and money laundering”, and the case was referred to an investigating judge.

That investigating judge questioned Riad Salameh for two and a half hours and then issued an arrest warrant against him. The warrant ended Salameh’s provisional detention and placed him under formal arrest, indicating that the investigating judge’s suspicions against Salameh strengthened.

The judge’s move follows an 18-month investigation into allegations that Riad and his brother Raja embezzled $300m from the Banque du Liban between 2002 and 2015.

Salameh, who has French nationality, is widely viewed as a key culprit in Lebanon’s devastating economic crash which began in late 2019. The World Bank called the crash one of the worst in recent history, leaving more than 80% of the population living in poverty and struggling to afford food and medicine.

A handful of protesters gathered outside Beirut’s justice palace on Monday, some trying to attack a convoy of vehicles transporting Salameh as he arrived for an interrogation, hitting the windows and yelling “Riad Salameh is a thief!”

“No to your corruption, conspiracy, indifference, yes to justice,” one of the protest signs read.

After questioning, Salameh was returned to the jail where he had been detained. Last year, Germany and France issued arrest warrants for Salameh over accusations including money laundering and fraud, though German prosecutors later cancelled their warrant. He is currently under sanctions by Canada, the UK, and the US.

Salameh has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and defended his three-decade legacy, saying he is a “scapegoat” for Lebanon’s catastrophic economic collapse.

The central bank governor’s departure and arrest raises questions over how Lebanon’s political and economic elite enriched themselves at the expense of the public—even as their actions helped bring about an enormous economic crisis. (The National Interest).

Sources:

Lebanon Judge Orders Arrest Of Ex-central Bank Chief: Official (hngn.com)

https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/jy1687

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-64746658

How “Financial Engineering” Helped Push Lebanon’s Economy into Crisis | The National Interest

Bear Trying to Nap Loses Fight Against Pesky Hammock in Colorado

Source:

Watch: Large bear wrestles with hammock outside Colorado home (usatoday.com)

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)

Heads of CIA and MI6 Issue Joint Public Call for Ceasefire in Gaza

CIA Director William Burns (L) and MI6 Chief Richard Moore (R) said their agencies had “exploited our intelligence channels to push hard for restraint and de-escalation” in the Middle East.

In an opinion piece for the Financial Times (linked below), the two spymasters said a ceasefire in Israel’s Gaza war “could end the suffering and appalling loss of life of Palestinian civilians and bring home the hostages after 11 months of hellish confinement.”

Burns has been heavily involved in efforts to broker an end to the Israeli war, travelling to Egypt in August for high-level talks aimed at bringing about a captive release deal and at least a temporary halt to the conflict.Burns said ending the war would require “some hard choices and some political compromises” from both Israel and Hamas.

The US and the UK are both staunch allies of Israel, though London diverged from Washington by suspending some arms exports to Israel because of the risk they could be used to break international law.

Burns and Moore stressed the strength of the trans-Atlantic relationship in the face of “an unprecedented array of threats,” including an assertive Russia, an ever-more powerful China, and the constant threat from international terrorism.

Nota Bene: When the two heads of Western intelligence make a public joint appeal, we should heed their good counsel. CIA and MI6 have access to a mountain of classified information A-to-Z about all the players and activities in the region derived from signals intercepts, HUMINT sources, satellite imagery, low-level informants, defectors, diplomatic cables, and simple wiretaps. Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu and his Likud Cabinet should heed this joint communique.

Sources:

Bill Burns and Richard Moore: Intelligence partnership helps the US and UK stay ahead in an uncertain world (ft.com)

Heads of the CIA and MI6 issue joint call for a ceasefire in Gaza – War on Gaza – War on Gaza – Ahram Online

Organized Crime Increasingly Uses Commercial, Cargo Flights to Move Drugs, Arms, Gold

According to a report by risk intelligence company Osprey Flight Solutions (OFS), transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) have been increasingly using commercial and cargo flights in Latin America to move drugs, arms, and gold. OFS analyzed post-incident alerts between Feb 2021 to Feb 2024 on the seizure of illicit goods with connections to the US, Europe, and Africa.

For example, on 4 Jul Brazil’s Federal Police (PF) arrested a Chinese citizen attempting to board a flight bound for Hong Kong with 17 gold bars in coffee bags. Following his arrest, the PF found that the man was involved in another similar seizure on 8 May with a kg of gold. In 2023, Colombian antinarcotics found 1.5 tons of cocaine inside a shipment of 57 boxes containing vegetables and apples in a cargo aircraft bound for the US.

Data shows that alerts generated at Latin American airports, in warehouses, and aboard aircraft, increased by 147 percent between 2021 and 2023, with the highest numbers in Brazil, Mexico, and Colombia.

Brazil recorded the highest number of seizures: 1,737. The incidents mainly had to do with gold and drug trafficking. According to the PF regarding drug seizures (cocaine, marijuana, skunk, ecstasy, amphetamine, and methamphetamine) at Brazilian airports, the amount jumped from 4.4 tons in 2021 to 9.8 tons in 2023, an increase of more than 120 percent.

Although the increase in alerts coincides with the return to normality of international flights, following the removal of COVID-19 travel restrictions, the data reflects greater international drug flow and demand.

Thiago Moreira de Souza Rodrigues, a security researcher from Fluminense Federal University in Rio de Janeiro says that “Global air traffic has grown a lot in the last three decades. So, surveillance, whether by radiometry, physical surveillance, dogs, in short, specialized personnel, is very complicated, always done by samples. Even if some drug shipments are seized, the volume that passes through is much greater than what is seized in the surveillance networks. In air traffic, although it is smaller and more spread out, shipments are multiplied by the large number of air routes and flows. If you take airports like the world’s major hubs, there are thousands of flights a week.”

TCOs use many methods to smuggle drugs and other illicit goods via air routes. Common tactics include placing goods in hidden compartments built into legal shipments, setting up export companies to conceal illegal shipments, corrupting airport authorities, and using smugglers who transport the goods on their flights.

“Since the golden age when drug trafficking began as a transnational economy, in the late 1970s and early 1980s, commercial air travel has always been used, and basically for the same reason, the link between airport employees on the ground, the logistical maintenance of the airport itself, the airlines, in short, the yield is so high that many people take the risk,” InSight Crime said in a report.

Mexico registered 700 alerts during the period studied, highlighting the flow of synthetic drugs via domestic flights from Culicán and Querétaro to cities on the US-Mexico border, such as Tijuana and Ciudad Juárez. Colombia, which came in third place with 488 alerts, recorded cocaine as the most common substance trafficked via air cargo through Bogotá, San Andrés Island, and on to Belgium, France, the UK, and Australia. Alerts at Colombian airports increased by 275 percent between Feb 2021 to Feb 2024.

According to the United Nations Office on Drug and Crime (UNODC), only two percent of containers that travel around the world by air, sea, roads, and railways, are adequately inspected to detect contraband.

Sources:

Organized Crime Increasingly Uses Commercial, Cargo Flights to Move Drugs, Arms, Gold – Diálogo Américas (dialogo-americas.com)

United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (unodc.org)

InSight Crime – Investigation and Analysis of Organized Crime

Indonesia Arrests Seven Over Pope Francis ‘Terror Threats’

A security detail of approximately 4,000 personnel, including snipers, soldiers, police and his personal security team of Swiss Guards, protected the Pope before he departed for the rest of his trip in Papua New Guinea, East Timor, and Singapore. Roads around key sites were re-routed or closed.

Indonesia arrested seven people for making online “terror threats” against Pope Francis during his visit to the world’s most populous Muslim-majority country this week. The 87-year-old pontiff made Southeast Asia’s biggest economy the first stop of an arduous Asia-Pacific tour, delivering a message of religious unity to counter extremism and intolerance.

Indonesia’s elite counter-terrorism unit Densus 88 arrested the suspects in Jakarta, West Sumatra, and Bangka. They are accused of posting statements and images online that threatened bomb attacks on the pope’s public meetings in Jakarta.

The first Jesuit pontiff’s schedule had included visits to Southeast Asia’s biggest mosque, Jakarta’s cathedral, the presidential palace, and the national football stadium.

Fortunately, no serious terrorist plots were exposed. Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), an al-Qaida-linked terror group, was rendered ineffective years ago. Ji was responsible for the 2002 bombings on the resort island of Bali that killed 202 people, the deadliest attacks in the country’s history.

In Papua New Guinea, a country that has struggled with tribal conflicts throughout its history, Pope Francis made a heartfelt appeal for peace. Earlier this year, 26 people were killed in a gunfight in Enga Province, a region that has been plagued by violence between tribal groups.

Sources:

Indonesia Arrests Seven Over Pope Francis ‘Terror Threats’ (hngn.com)

Pope Francis to Papua New Guinea: Protect nature, end tribal violence, embrace diversity | Catholic News Agency

Jemaah Islamiyah – Wikipedia

Missouri Reports First Confirmed Case of Avian Flu in Human; US Total Now 14

Missouri reported its first confirmed human case of bird flu in a person who reported no exposure to animals. The case brings the national total to 14 so far this year. The latest case in Missouri was in an adult with underlying medical conditions. He was hospitalized on 22 Aug and has since recovered.

“The patient has reported no exposure to animals,” the Missouri health department said. The information is preliminary and would require further investigation by health authorities.

The case of bird flu, also known as H5, was initially detected through the state’s normal influenza surveillance testing program. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also confirmed it to be a human case of the H5 subtype of flu.

Source:

https://abcnews.go.com/Health/missouri-reports-first-human-case-bird-flu-in-state/story?id=113474247

Enlisted US Sailor Detained in Venezuela as Tensions Between the Two Countries Simmer

Undated photo of Venezuelan riot police detaining a protestor. Image: European Pressphoto Agency

An enlisted American sailor was detained by authorities in Venezuela and being held incommunicado. The sailor was “not authorized to travel, on official travel or approved leave” when he was detained. The State Department is working with the Venezuelan authorities to secure the sailor’s release.

The news of the sailor’s detention also comes just days after the Department of Justice announced the seizure of a private jet that was used by Venezuela’s leader, President Nicolás Maduro.

The sailor’s detention, which was first reported by CNN, seems to be the latest in a series of events that has showcased the growing tensions between the US and Venezuela. Those tensions have been building since Venezuela’s 28 July election between Maduro and Edmundo González, which officials from several countries say was stolen by Maduro.

The State Department has long warned US citizens not to travel to Venezuela, citing “a high risk of wrongful detention.”The travel warning also notes that Venezuela’s “security forces have detained US citizens for up to five years” and the US “is not generally notified of the detention of AMCITs in Venezuela or granted access to them.”

The unnamed sailor is just the latest in a string of service members to find themselves in the jail of a hostile nation after failing to heed travel warnings.

In May 2024, SSG Gordon Black was arrested in Russia and has been in prison there ever since. PVT Travis King drew international attention in July 2023 when he left a tour group and dashed across the Demilitarized Zone into North Korea, which detained him for about two months.

Source:

Enlisted US Sailor Detained in Venezuela as Tensions Between the 2 Countries Simmer | Military.com

US Egg Recall: Salmonella Outbreak Linked to Illnesses in Nine States

A salmonella outbreak linked to eggs sold in Michigan, Wisconsin and Illinois has resulted in 24 hospitalizations and 65 illnesses in nine states, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported.

The egg recall reported Friday applies to Milo’s Poultry Farms and Tony’s Fresh Market eggs including those labeled cage-free or organic.

Food recalls have reached a peak the US hasn’t approached since before the COVID-19 pandemic, an April report found. Recalled food products led to 1,100 sickened people and six dead in 2023, per the US Public Interest Research Group Education Fund.

People have been reported sick in California, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Utah, Virginia, and Wisconsin, where most cases have been reported.

Symptoms of salmonella — including diarrhea, fever and stomach cramps — typically begin six hours to six days following infection, and most of those infected recover without treatment within a week. Children younger than five years, adults 65 years and older, and people with weakened immune systems may experience more severe illnesses that require medical treatment or hospitalization.

Sources:

Egg recall: Salmonella outbreak linked to illnesses in 9 states (axios.com)

Despite Warnings, Sarajevo Police Use Controversial Chinese-Made Body Cameras

Sarajevo police officers from the traffic unit wear Hytera body cams at a press event for the launch of the pilot program on 1 July. D/CIA William Burns recently visited Sarajevo and presumably advised his Bosnian counterpart of the perils associated with Chinese technology.

Amid a growing push for transparency, Sarajevo police have chosen to use body cameras from a controversial Chinese company that is under scrutiny in Canada and the EU and blacklisted in the US over national security concerns.

Despite those warnings, which also include charges from the US Justice Department of industrial espionage, the Sarajevo Canton’s Interior Ministry decided to purchase 200 police body cams in 2023 from Hytera, a partially state-owned Chinese manufacturer, for a pilot program launched on 1 July.

This local-level episode comes amid an evolving conversation across Europe over the use of Chinese telecommunications equipment in government programs. While the US has been the strictest — banning surveillance cameras and other equipment made by Chinese giants like Huawei, ZTE, Dahua, and Hikvision — European governments like Britain, Germany, France, and the Baltic states are also updating their procurement systems amid growing probes into security risks caused by Chinese firms.

In Bosnia-Herzegovina and elsewhere across the Balkans, budget-conscious governments have increasingly turned to affordable Chinese equipment with little public debate about the potential security implications.

In the case of the 200,000-euro ($222,000) sale of the police body cams — small video cameras worn by an officer to record arrests and provide evidence from crime scenes — Sarajevo Canton Interior Minister Admir Katica has not said publicly that the equipment is made by Hytera or that the company has been blacklisted in the US and is under increased scrutiny.

Unidentified Chinese military computer installation. Source: “Chinese Hackers Persist in Attacking US Networks” by Bill Gertz, 2 Oct 2012. Chinese intelligence services, including the MSS, have the manpower and computers to conduct massive worldwide surveillance and hack Western networks.

Sources:

Sarajevo Police Use Controversial Chinese-Made Body Cams, Despite Warnings (rferl.org)

https://www.fcc.gov/supplychain/coveredlist

American Warzone: Junior Sailor Fatally Shot in San Diego; Multiple People Shot Near Lexington, KY

18-year-old sailor Albert Lee Soto died Saturday after being shot in San Diego, according to the US Navy and police. He was assigned to the destroyer Pinckney. Police received reports at 12:49 a.m. of shots fired in San Diego’s East Village neighborhood, and a responding officer found Soto suffering from at least one gunshot wound. After CPR was administered at the scene, Soto was transported to a local hospital and died from his wounds shortly after.

Soto was involved in an altercation with a group of men inside a nearby nightclub before the shooting, but detectives have not confirmed whether the two incidents involving the sailor are related. The suspects in Soto’s shooting are described as four Black males wearing dark clothing who were last seen running eastbound on F Street.

Individuals with pertinent information are urged to contact the San Diego Police Department Homicide Unit at (619) 531-2293 or Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477.

To the east, a manhunt is underway for 32-year-old Joseph A. Couch, suspected in shooting at least five people along Interstate 75 in a rural area south of Lexington, KY. All the victims are in stable condition. The Kentucky State Police urged people to stay indoors as the suspect is “armed and dangerous.”

Joseph A. Couch is “armed and dangerous.” (Imagery: NBC News)

State Firearms Data:

Kentucky: 108,833 firearms licenses reported; 54.6% of adults have firearms at home. In average year, 728 people die and 1,036 are wounded by guns in the Bluegrass State.

California: 406,360 firearms licenses reported; an estimated 28.3% of adults have guns in their homes. In an average year, 3,299 people die by guns in the Golden State.

EveryStat – EveryStat.org

Junior sailor fatally shot in San Diego (militarytimes.com)

Multiple people shot near Kentucky highway, ‘armed and dangerous’ person of interest ID’d (nbcnews.com)

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear says a shooting has occurred on Interstate 75 – Washington Times

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

British Four-Year-Old Heroine Uses Amazon Alexa to Save Mom During Epileptic Fit‌ ‌

Lyla Leathem with a trophy and certificate for helping her mother. (LEAH BIGGS VIA SWNS)

When her mother suffered an epileptic seizure on 25 Aug, quick-thinking Lyla Leathem ran upstairs and asked Alexa to call her great-grandmother after she was unable to unlock her mother’s phone. Lyla explained to her great-grandmother that her mother had “a big fit” in the night and bitten her tongue. Lyla’s great-grandmother then rushed over from her home and helped stay-at-home mother Leah Leathem. She was treated at her home and recovered.

Family members had previously shown Lyla how to use Alexa for phone calls as her mom often suffers from nocturnal seizures which can be “life-threatening.” But they had no idea the youngster had listened – until she was called into action.

Proud Leah Leathem with quick-thinking Lyla. (LEAH BIGGS VIA SWNS)

Sources:

4-Year-Old Hero Uses Amazon Alexa To Save Mom During Epileptic Fit‌ ‌ – MEA Magazine

IDF Kills US-Turkish Humanitarian in West Bank

Undated image of Aysenur Ezgi Eygi.

A 26-year-old Turkish-American activist, Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, was shot in the head and killed during an anti-settlement protest near Nablus, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. The IDF admitted to firing at the demonstrators and has not said if any other gunmen were present.

She was shot during a weekly demonstration against an Israeli settlement near the Palestinian village of Beita. Eyewitnesses and Palestinian officials said the Israeli military was responsible.

The IDF stated its forces “responded with fire toward a main instigator of violent activity who hurled rocks at the forces and posed a threat to them.” It said that it was “looking into reports that a foreign national was killed as a result of shots fired in the area.”

Protests at Beita are common. The Palestinian town is next to a ramshackle Israeli settler outpost known as Evyatar. The settlement was unauthorized by the Israeli state until it was legalized earlier this year. All Israeli settlements are considered illegal under international law.

Eygi was volunteering in the West Bank with the International Solidarity Movement (ISM), the same group as Rachel Corrie (23), a US citizen who was killed in 2003 while trying to block an Israeli bulldozer from razing Palestinian homes. (Getty Images)

In 2012, IDF Lt. Col. Shalom Eisner smashed the face of an unarmed activist named Andaers in the West Bank with his US-made M16 rifle. His expression looks like contempt. This protestor can consider himself lucky just to be alive.

Nearly 700 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank since October 2023, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Ramallah and the UN, who have called for a full investigation of Aysenur’s killing.

Sources:

Aysenur Eygi: US activist killed after Israeli military fires at protest in West Bank | CNN

Aysenur Ezgi Eygi: UN urges inquiry into killing of US-Turkish protester in West Bank (bbc.com)

Related article‘All the streets were destroyed:’ Palestinians count the cost as Israel pulls back from Jenin

Massachusetts Physician Sentenced Nine Months for Punching Police Officer During 6 Jan Attack

A medical doctor who punched a police officer during a mob’s attack on the US Capitol was sentenced to nine months of imprisonment followed by nine months of home confinement. Jacquelyn Starer (70) was inside the Capitol on 6 Jan 2021 when she struck the officer with a closed fist and shouted a profane insult.

Jacquelyn Starer told US District Judge Timothy Kelly that she isn’t proud of her actions that day, including her “regrettable encounter” with the officer. “I accept full responsibility for my actions that day, and I truly wish reason had prevailed over my emotions,” she said.

Starer also turned to apologize to the officer whom she assaulted. The officer, identified only by her initials in court filings, told the judge she feared for her life as she and other officers fought for hours to defend the Capitol from the mob of Donald Trump supporters. “Do you really take responsibility for your actions or are you just going to say: ‘It wasn’t my fault. Fight or flight’?” the officer asked Starer before she addressed the court.

Starer of Ashland, Massachusetts, pleaded guilty in April to eight counts, including a felony assault charge. Starer’s attorneys asked the judge to sentence her to home confinement instead of incarceration.

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

Sources:

District of Columbia | Massachusetts Woman Sentenced to Prison for Assaulting Law Enforcement and Other Actions During Jan. 6 Capitol Breach | United States Department of Justice

https://www.yahoo.com/news/physician-sentenced-9-months-prison-214655876.html

US Sees Increasing Risk of Sabotage of Key Undersea Cables by Secretive Russian Military Unit

The USIC has detected increased Russian military activity around key undersea cables and assesses Russia may now be more likely to carry out potential sabotage operations aimed at disabling a critical piece of the world’s communications infrastructure. Russia has been building up a dedicated military unit called the “General Staff Main Directorate for Deep Sea Research,” or GUGI.

“We are concerned about heightened Russian naval activity worldwide and that Russia’s decision calculus for damaging US and allied undersea critical infrastructure may be changing,” a US official told CNN. “Russia is continuing to develop naval capabilities for undersea sabotage mainly thru GUGI, a closely guarded unit that operates surface vessels, submarines, and naval drones.”

The US and NATO regularly tracks Russian ships that patrol close to critical maritime infrastructure and undersea cables often far from Russian shores.

Undersea cables form a critical backbone of internet and telecommunications traffic around the world. Most communications and internet traffic travels across a vast network of high-speed fiber-optic cables installed along the ocean floor. A coordinated attack could significantly disrupt private, government and military communications along such cables as well as industries that rely on such communications, including financial markets and energy suppliers. Undersea cables also carry vast amounts of electricity among several European countries.

Commanders aboard a NATO patrol vessel in April 2023 told CNN they had witnessed an increase of military surveillance over undersea cables in the Baltic Sea and the waters around Northern Europe.

Last year, a joint investigation by the public broadcasters of Sweden, Denmark, Norway, and Finland found that Russia has a fleet of suspected spy ships operating in northern European waters for potential sabotage of both undersea cables and wind farms. Using data analysis, intercepted radio communications, and intelligence sources, the broadcasters tracked over several years some fifty ships operating in the area, using underwater surveillance to map sites for potential attacks.

Taiwanese and US intelligence have observed similar activity by the Chinese Navy in waters around Taiwan. “The activity looks like targeted harassment by Beijing – or an exercise in preparation for cutting off the whole of Taiwan,” Elisabeth Braw wrote in Foreign Policy magazine in February 2023.

Russia’s covert naval program has not been disrupted by its ongoing war against Ukraine, continuing to fund GUGI even while waging war in Ukraine. Sabotage of US or allied undersea infrastructure would be a significant escalation in Russian aggression outside of Ukraine.

Sources:

Exclusive: US sees increasing risk of Russian ‘sabotage’ of key undersea cables by secretive military unit (yahoo.com)

To Secure Undersea Cables, Take Lessons from the British Empire’s All-Red Line | Proceedings – July 2024 Vol. 150/7/1,457 (usni.org)

Pakistani Accused of Plotting to Kill Jews in NYC on Behalf of Islamic State

The lone unarmed suspect was arrested by an army of police officers Wednesday in the town of Ormstown, Quebec, 60 km south of Montreal. Muhammad Shahzeb Khan is described as a Pakistani citizen residing in Toronto.

A Pakistani citizen living in Canada has been charged with planning an attack in NYC in support of the Islamic State group. Muhammad Shahzeb Khan AKA Shahzeb Jadoon (20) is accused of plotting a mass shooting at a Jewish center around 7 Oct 2024, the first anniversary of the Gaza War. Attorney General Merrick Garland said Khan aimed to kill “as many Jewish people as possible” in the name of Islamic State. Khan attempted to travel from Canada to the US but was arrested on 4 Sep before reaching the border. He had told two undercover law enforcement officers of his plans to create “a real offline cell” of Islamic State supporters to carry out an attack.

The suspect, who was unarmed when arrested in Canada, requested the undercover officers to acquire AR-style rifles, ammunition, and other equipment for the NYC attack, including hunting knives in order to slit throats.

There is no information regarding Muhammad Shahzeb Khan’s mental faculties or whether he has any military or firearms training in order to carry out this extraordinary mega-attack with accomplices whom he has never personally met.

A complaint 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 | Pakistani National Charged for Plotting Terrorist Attack in New York City in Support of ISIS | United States Department of Justice

Pakistani Accused Of Plotting To Kill Jews In New York On Behalf Of Islamic State (rferl.org)

Locals Accuse Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump of ‘Taking What is Ours’ for Billion Dollar Resort Project in Albania

Jared Kushner, son-in-law of former U.S. President Donald Trump, Ivanka Trump and Tiffany Trump, daughters of former US President Donald Trump, look on during the fourth day of the Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum on 18 July 2024 in Milwaukee, WI. The land they plan on developing in Albania is subject to several disputes. (Getty Images)

Local residents in Albania are accusing Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump of attempting to take land away from them for two luxury resort projects.

The daughter and son-in-law of former President Donald Trump are looking to invest almost $1bn in the area. Kushner previously announced his plans to build a hotel and a number of beach villas on a part of land that has been farmed by an Albanian family for generations but which was seized from them after the end of the Communist regime in 1991, according to The New York Times.

“They are trying to take from us what is ours,” Bledar Alexandros Konomi told the paper. Konomi used to help take care of cattle on the part of the mainland where Kushner now wants to build a hotel. His claim to the land is supported by court records. Kushner is also seeking exclusive development rights on the small island of Sazan, where the Soviet Union stored military supplies during the Cold War.

2024 CIA World Factbook

A second bid to develop the island was submitted by Albanian-American developer Evi Kokalari-Angelakis. When her proposal to the Albanian government was disregarded, she insinuated the regime wants to ingratiate themselves with the former president in the event he returns to the White House in January.

Opposition party member in the Albanian parliament Agron Shehaj said the process of choosing a developer had lacked transparency, which “makes it look like this is a private deal that is in the political interest of the prime minister of Albania.”

Prime Minister Edi Rama and Kushner both rejected the notion that the former president had anything to do with the development process.

“The fact that such a renowned American entrepreneur shows his interest on investing in Albania makes us very proud and happy,” said a spokesperson for the prime minister. “It shows on another level to the US and the world that there is a new rising star in the beautiful Mediterranean world of tourism named Albania.”

“We have this 1,400-acre island in the Mediterranean and we’re bringing in the best architects and the best brands,” Ivanka Trump said on the Lex Fridman Podcast earlier this summer.

The projects on the Albanian coastline are not connected to the Trump Organization, which is partly owned by Trump, and it will not be linked to the Trump name.

Jared Kushner established an investment company called Affinity Partners, which is supported mostly by funds coming from the Saudi Arabian government. Over the years, Saudi NGOs built 200 mosques in Albania and King Fahd of Saudi Arabia donated one million copies of an Albanian-language version of the Quran.

A University of Cincinnati professor of statistics said it’s “very obvious that a big corruption scheme is going on.”

On the mainland, villagers in Zvernec, near the site where one of the projects is planned, have notified Kushner that they claim to own the land, which is subject to several disputes.

Source:

Locals accuse Jared and Ivanka Trump of ‘taking what is ours’ for billion-dollar resort project in Albania | The Independent (the-independent.com)

US-Iraq Deal Would See Hundreds of Soldiers Withdraw by Sep 2025

The US and Iraq have reached an understanding on plans for the withdrawal of U.S.-led coalition forces from Iraq. Hundreds of troops would leave by September 2025, with the remainder departing by the end of 2026. The US and Iraq are also seeking to establish a new advisory relationship that could see some US forces remain in Iraq after the drawdown. The US has approximately 2,500 troops in Iraq and 900 in neighboring Syria as part of the coalition formed in 2014 to combat Islamic State as it rampaged through the two countries. The group once held roughly a third of Iraq and Syria but was territorially defeated in Iraq at the end of 2017 and in Syria in 2019. Iraq had demonstrated its ability to handle any remaining threat.

The agreement follows more than six months of talks between Baghdad and Washington, initiated by Iraqi PM Mohammed Shia al-Sudani in January amid attacks by Iran-backed Iraqi armed groups on US forces stationed at Iraqi bases. The rocket and drone attacks have killed three American troops and wounded dozens more, resulting in several rounds of deadly US retaliation that threatened government efforts to stabilize Iraq after decades of conflict.

Under the plan, all coalition forces would leave the Ain al-Asad airbase in western Anbar province and significantly reduce their presence in Baghdad by September 2025. US and other coalition troops are expected to remain in Irbil, in the semi-autonomous northern Kurdistan region, for approximately one additional year, until around the end of 2026, to facilitate ongoing operations against Islamic State in Syria.

In other news, Switzerland reopened its embassy in Baghdad, 33 years after closing its previous representation due to the 1991 Gulf War. By reopening the embassy, the Swiss Federal Council aims to strengthen bilateral relations with the populous country and deepen cooperation in economic, security, and migration matters

Sources:

US-Iraq deal would see hundreds of troops withdraw in first year, sources say (voanews.com)

Swiss embassy in Baghdad reopens (admin.ch)

12 Students Hospitalized, One Dead from Unidentified Cause in Northern Vietnam

Two hospitals have been tasked with uncovering the cause of the death of a student from Thai Nguyen Industrial College in northern Vietnam and the hospitalization of 12 others.

All 13 victims had developed fevers, headaches, stomach aches, and nausea, with the cause still unknown. The deceased student was diagnosed with multi-organ failure, acute heart failure, myocarditis, and hepatitis B. One student is in a critical condition and on a ventilator. The ten remaining students are in stable condition.

The two hospitals were ordered to identify appropriate treatments for the patients and control the infection, if any, to minimize the number of people likely to catch the disease.

Source:

12 students hospitalized, 1 dead from unidentified cause in northern Vietnam | Tuoi Tre News

Lioness Rescued in Ukraine from a Tiny Cage Tentatively Walks on Grass for First Time

A UK animal rescue charity evacuated two lionesses from Ukraine and one has just been filmed taking her first steps on grass. Yuna the lioness had never felt grass beneath her paws, having been raised in captivity in a small concrete enclosure. She had been traumatized long before the Russian invasion.

In concert with the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), the Big Cat Sanctuary in Kent, England, organized the retrieval and air transport of the lionesses out of Ukraine in a 30-hour operation.

Yuna safely arrived at a 32-acre facility in Kent, and another lioness was delivered to a similar sanctuary in Belgium. Fundraising and preparations are underway to rescue another three lionesses from Kyiv.

Source:

The Good News Network and YouTube

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Burevestnik being launched (undated image).

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

Source:

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


Spy’s Confession Sheds Light on Russian Espionage in Georgia

Vsevolod Osipov (recent image)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Source:

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

Britain Suspends Some Arms Exports to Israel

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Source:

Britain suspends some arms exports to Israel – UPI.com

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sources:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sources:

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

Hood event – Wikipedia

US detains Turkish troops in Iraq | News | Al Jazeera

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

Donald Trump’s Cognitive Decline Becoming More Apparent

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sources:

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

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

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

New Zealand Spy Report Calls Out China for Interference

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

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

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

Sources:

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

New Zealand Spy Report Calls Out China For Interference | IBTimes

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

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

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

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

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

Source:

The Good News Network