ukraine

Gaza De-Population Campaign Continues

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

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

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

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

Sources:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sources:

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

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

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

France: Why Are They Suddenly Deporting Kurdish Activists?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

(Image: Airbus.com)

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

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

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

Sources:

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

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

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

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

Alaska and US Military History: The “Eskimo Scouts”

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

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

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


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

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

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



Sources:



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

US Army

Taiwan: 60 People Sickened from Suspected Food Poisoning

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sources:

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

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

Jeremy Michael Miller (Photo: FBI)

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

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

(Photo: FBI)

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

(Photo: Getty Images)


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

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

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

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

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

Source:


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

Sneaky Alabama Bear Steals Trash Can from Garage

Terrorists Kill Five, Wound 22 at Turkish Aerospace Company Near Ankara

At least five people have been killed and 22 others wounded in an attack on the headquarters of Turkiye’s aerospace and defence company, Turkish Aerospace Industries (TUSAS), near the capital Ankara.

“Two terrorists were neutralised” in the incident at the headquarters of the state-run firm, Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya posted on X.

“Sadly, we have 5 martyrs and 22 wounded in the attack. Three of the injured were already discharged from hospital, 19 of them under treatment,” he said.

In orderly fashion, ambulances line up at the entrance of the headquarters of Turkey’s aviation company, TUSAS [Photo: Reuters]

Footage from the scene broadcast by local media just after the attack, which took place at 3:30PM local time (12:30 GMT), showed huge clouds of smoke and a large fire raging at the site in Kahramankazan, a small town some 40 kilometres (25 miles) north of Ankara.

Security camera images from the attacks showed a man in plainclothes carrying a backpack and holding an assault rifle. The images also appeared to show a woman carrying a weapon.

15,000 people work at the TUSAS campus in Kahramankazan.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, but the justice minister said an investigation had been opened and said it was “probably linked” to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which has waged a decades-long rebellion against the government.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who was holding talks in Russia with Vladimir Putin at the time of the attack, condemned what he said was a “heinous terrorist attack”. Putin offered Erdogan his “condolences in connection with the terror attack” at the start of their meeting in the Russian city of Kazan on the sidelines of the BRICS summit of major emerging market nations that groups Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.

Earlier this week, the leader of the far-right Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), which belongs to Erdogan’s ruling coalition, invited jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan to address parliament to announce his movement’s dissolution.

Turkish opposition leader Ozgur Ozel of the Republican People’s Party (CHP) released a statement condemning the attack and saying he “condemns terrorism, no matter who or where it comes from”.

The main pro-Kurdish DEM party also condemned the attack, saying it was “noteworthy that the attack took place just as Turkish society was talking about a solution and the possibility of dialogue” with the PKK.

The attack occurred as a major trade fair for the defence and aerospace industries was taking place in Istanbul, which was visited this week by Ukraine’s top diplomat.

Turkey’s defense sector, which is widely known for its Bayraktar drones, accounts for nearly 80 percent of the nation’s export revenues with revenues expected to top $10.2bn in 2023. Ukraine is a main recipient of these drones. TUSAS is one of those important defense and aviation companies, producing KAAN, the country’s first national combat aircraft, among other projects.

The TAI Kaan is a stealth, twin-engine, all-weather air superiority fighter, pictured here on its inaugural flight on 21 Feb 2014 (Photo: AA)

In response to this attack, Turkey’s Air Force struck Kurdish targets in Iraq and Syria in apparent retaliation. The Ministry of National Defence reported 47 targets were “destroyed” in the aerial offensive without providing details on the locations that were hit, adding that “all kinds of precautions” were taken to prevent civilian harm.

The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said that Turkish air attacks in northern and eastern Syria killed 12 civilians, including two children, and wounded 25 people.

There was no immediate statement from the PKK and no group has claimed responsibility for the attack on TUSAS.

Unclear is whether this was a suicide attack on TUSAS or if the terrorists had an escape plan. This murderous attack was well-prepared and timed to both embarrass Turkish President Erdogan while he is visiting Russian President Vladimir Putin and as PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan was invited to address the Turkish Parliament to establish a dialogue between Ankara and the Kurdish minority. These homicidal maniacs accomplished little other than killing unarmed civilians and causing irreparable emotional harm to the families of the victims. But the attack may help maintain a wedge between Ankara and its Kurdish minority if these perpetrators were indeed linked with the PKK.

Sources:

At least five killed in attack on aerospace firm near Turkey’s Ankara | News | Al Jazeera

Turkey strikes Iraq, Syria after attack on defence company near Ankara | Military News | Al Jazeera

Ukraine’s Prosecutor-General Resigns Amid Draft-Dodging Scandal

Ukrainian Prosecutor-General Andriy Kostin (Undated image: RadioSvoboda.org / RFE/RL).

Ukrainian Prosecutor-General Andriy Kostin has resigned amid investigations that found dozens of government officials had dodged military service by claiming disability benefits.

Kostin announced his resignation on 22 Oct on Telegram after a meeting of Ukraine’s National Security Council attended by President Volodymyr Zelensky, who said Kostin “should take political responsibility” for corruption and loopholes being used to get draft deferrals.

“The problem is not just that officials use their connections to get disabled status. It is also the fact that people who are really disabled, especially in combat, often do not get the appropriate status and fair payment,” Zelensky said.

Earlier this month, investigators found that a number of public prosecutors in the western Khmelnytskiy region had falsely obtained disability permits and were receiving special benefits. Investigations into the issue are ongoing in other parts of Ukraine.

Kostin’s resignation still needs parliamentary approval, but that is expected to move through the legislature with little resistance, as Zelensky’s party holds a majority of the seats.

“I consider the position of President Zelensky to be absolutely correct…. I [also] think it is correct to announce my resignation as prosecutor-general,” Kostin said.

Soon after Kostin’s resignation, Prime Minister Denis Shmyhal announced the dismissal of several other senior officials, the management of the central commission overseeing fitness for service, and officials in the Health Ministry who coordinate the activities of local commissions.

In a sign of the precarious situation Ukraine faces as it tries to hold off Russia’s massive troop advantage, military recruiters in recent weeks have shown up at conspicuous events like concerts and weddings looking for men who had not registered for service under a long-debated and highly controversial military mobilization law that was adopted last spring.

Mobilization is a sensitive issue in Ukraine, whose troop numbers have been depleted after more than 2 1/2 years of fighting Russia’s invasion. In this video, a military-age male in Ukraine is dragged off the street.

Zelensky has acknowledged several times the “very, very difficult” situation the military is facing, while he also tries to keep the country unified during the war, which has had drastically differing impacts on various population groups, with its burden falling most heavily on Ukrainians from the south and east of the country.

Highlighting the growing unrest over the issue of mobilization, protesters in August tried to force their way into a military recruitment center in Ukraine to demand the release of four young men who they claimed were illegally detained amid the country’s increased mobilization efforts. Days earlier, Zelensky endorsed bills extending martial law and a general military mobilization for 90 days, the 11th time he had done so since Russia invaded.

Press ganging is not a new phenomenon. 1780 caricature of a press gang by an unknown artist courtesy of Wikimedia.org.

President Zelensky is doing the best he can leading Ukraine in its defense against Russia, but he cannot magically increase his population pool to match Russia’s, which is also facing manpower shortages. Zelensky and Putin are not alone when it comes to conscription problems. 50,000 to 125,000 young Americans fled to Canada to avoid being drafted for Vietnam. During the First World War, while 24 million American men registered for the draft, as many as 3.5 million failed to do so, thereby successfully evading induction.

Notably, two American icons avoided getting killed in war. Heavyweight boxing contender Jack Dempsey was somehow exempt from fighting the Kaiser in the First World War. He would become heavyweight champion after the war ended. Physically fit 1-A John Wayne was somehow not mustered into service during the Second World War, although he reportedly tried to enlist at age 34. The “Duke” would win an Oscar in 1969 for his portrayal of Rooster Cogburn in True Grit.

Heavyweight champion Jess Willard (L) suspected that draft-dodging Jack Dempsey (R) wore “loaded gloves” when he lost the title to him on 4 July 1919. Dempsey floored Willard seven times in the first round. Dempsey would go on win the bout to became heavyweight champion. Jack Dempsey and Babe Ruth became popular athletic celebrities in the “Roaring 20s.” (Image: boxrec.com)

Like a sky-pilot who never goes into battle himself, handsome rigged John Wayne inspired and motivated thousands of patriotic Americans to fight and die in WWII, Korea, and Vietnam. John Wayne toured US military bases with the USO in the Pacific Theater of Operations, but he completely evaded military service. Above is a four-for-one sale of those inspirational movies.

Sources:

Ukraine’s Prosecutor-General Resigns Amid Draft-Dodging Scandal (rferl.org)

Amid Corruption Scandals And Mounting Problems, Ukraine Vows To Shake Up The Military Enlistment System. It’s A Tough Task. (rferl.org)

Men Dragged Off The Street As Ukraine Tries To Tackle Manpower Crisis At The Front (rferl.org)

Draft Resistance and Evasion | Encyclopedia.com

Why John Wayne Was Labeled a ‘Draft Dodger’ During World War II | Military.com

GLOVES LOADED? DEMPSEY SAYS NO; Willard Supports Charges Made by Kearns – The New York Times (nytimes.com)

America’s First Line of Defense, the FBI, has been busy with Donald Trump’s “useful idiots,” white supremacist nitwits. Two cases follow.

NY Proud Boy Found Guilty of Felony and Misdemeanor Charges for Actions During 6 Jan 2021 Attack on US Capitol

William Joseph Pepe is on the right. Note this maniac was carrying a walkie-talkie on 6 Jan. (Photo: FBI)

William Joseph Pepe (35), of White Plains, NY was found guilty of felony and misdemeanor charges related to his egregious conduct during the 6 Jan 2021 attack on the US Capitol.

Aware that USDJ Timothy J. Kelly is a Republican and Donald Trump appointee, Pepe (probably upon advice of defense counsel) opted for a bench trial. He was convicted nevertheless and will be sentenced on 11 Mar 2025.

On 6 Jan 2021, Pepe met an army of approximately one hundred Proud Boys members in Washington, DC near the Washington Monument at approximately 10:00 AM. Shortly after, the rabble marched toward the US Capitol building with Pepe as vanguard against police lines. At the Peace Circle, the mob violently disassembled and trampled the metal bike rack barriers blocking entry into Capitol grounds.

After the police retreated and reformed, Pepe encouraged the rioters, yelling into a camera “Let’s go! This is what we came for, yeah!”

Officers deployed pepper spray and other crowd control measures. Pepe posted a selfie-style video in which he declared:

“Yo, the cops pepper sprayed me and Hooks. Me and Hooks got f—ing maced. Storming that Capitol, baby!”

Pepe made his way into the Capitol through the Senate Wing Door where he recorded and sent a video to fellow Proud Boys, stating “We did it.” (Photo: FBI)

The FBI arrested Pepe on 22 Jan 2021, in White Plains, NY.

With this felony conviction, this 35-year-old Proud Boy threw his life and career away with the MTA in NY.


Former NJ Governor Chris Christie doppleganger Republican USDJ Timothy J. Kelly will sentence his fellow Republican on 11 Mar 2025. (Public domain image courtesy of Wikimedia.org)

Sources:

https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/pr/new-york-proud-boy-found-guilty-felony-and-misdemeanor-charges-actions-during-jan-6

https://www.yahoo.com/news/did-ex-mta-worker-convicted-203836477.html

Texas Couple Sentenced to Prison for Assaulting Law Enforcement and Other Charges During 6 Jan 2021 Attack on US Capitol

Mark Middleton (55) and Jalise Middleton (54). Note how joyful they look on 6 Jan 2021. (Photo: FBI)

Mark Middleton (55) and Jalise Middleton (54) both of Forestburg, TX were sentenced to 30 and 20 months in prison, respectively, by the Honorable USDJ Randolph D. Moss for their heinous and violent conduct on 6 Jan 2021.

Mark Middleton was additionally sentenced to 36 months’ supervised release, and a $2,000 fine. Jalise Middleton was additionally sentenced to 30 months’ supervised release, and a $2,000 fine.

After the “Stop the Steal” rally, Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officers responded to the West Front of the US Capitol building to assist USCP officers against an army of amassed rioters.

Mark Middleton called the officers “traitors” and then pushed against the barricades and the police line. Officers are heard on body-worn camera footage repeatedly ordering Mark Middleton and others to “Get back!” In response, Mark Middleton is heard yelling “f— you!” as he continued to push against the police barricades. Mark Middleton resisted MPD officers, grabbed onto an MPD officer’s left arm, and pulled the officer forward over the barricades and towards the mob.

Jalise Middleton repeatedly grabbed and struck the same officer over the barricade with her hand, striking him in the face, chest, and arms. Another officer stepped in to assist, and Jalise Middleton struck that officer as well. Mark Middleton then used his flagpole to strike the second officer in the head. This lunatic couple continued to grapple with and strike at the officers. The Middletons attempted to pull the first officer into the mob, as rioters jabbed, slashed, and swung flag poles at officers. The injuries sustained by those police officers were not revealed in this press release.

(Photo: FBI)

The Middletons only broke off their vicious assault after they were sprayed in the face with chemical irritants, forcing them to retreat. Both miscreants later posted social media messages touting their key role in helping to breach the barricades by fighting officers and that they had only stopped because they were pepper sprayed.

Mark and Jalise Middleton were arrested on 21 Apr 2021 in Forestburg, TX.

Mark and Jalise Middleton. This middle-aged couple do not appear as happy in these mugshots from Collin County Texas Jail as they do in the photo of them on 6 Jan at the top.

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

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

Middle age is not a good time to get jammed up by the federal system. These two white supremacist imbeciles threw their lives away with these felony convictions and incarcerations, heeding the idiotic call of Donald Trump. The Lone Star State hosts 17 federal correctional facilities (FCIs) of varying security levels. Two of these prisons will be the Middleton home for the next few years.

Sources:

https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/pr/texas-couple-sentenced-prison-assaulting-law-enforcement-and-other-charges-during-jan-6

First Presumed Human Infections of Avian Flu Under Investigation in Washington State

(Map: beautifulwashington.com)

Four agricultural workers tested presumptively positive for avian influenza after working with infected poultry at a commercial egg farm in Franklin County. The individuals experienced mild symptoms and have been provided with antiviral medication. Testing of additional individuals on the farm is currently pending and the number of cases under investigation may change.

(Image courtesy: hightoppoultry.com)

These are the first presumed human cases of H5 virus under investigation in Washington state. The cases took place at a farm that was the site of an avian influenza outbreak in chickens. About 800,000 birds were euthanized after test results by the Washington State Department of Agriculture on 15 Oct showed that they were infected with avian influenza.

Any employees or contractors who may have worked on a poultry farm in Benton or Franklin counties since 7 Oct should contact BFHD at 509-460-4550 if they have symptoms such as red eyes or respiratory infections.

Washington is the sixth state to identify a human infection of H5N1. H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) has caused ongoing multistate outbreaks in poultry, dairy cattle, and wildlife.

Avian influenza is a disease caused by avian influenza Type A viruses that naturally occur in wild aquatic birds throughout the world. H5N1 viruses can also infect other species of birds, and occasionally mammals, and can cause significant mortality in poultry species, such as chickens, turkeys, pheasants, quail, ducks, geese, or guinea fowl.

On rare occasions, avian influenza viruses infect people and make them sick. Most instances of people becoming infected with avian influenza have happened after prolonged, close contact with animals infected with avian influenza or environments contaminated with avian influenza.

The CDC currently considers the risk to the general public from this H5N1 avian influenza to be low; however, people with job-related or recreational exposures to infected birds, cattle, or other potentially impacted domestic or wild animals are at higher risk and should take precautions, including wearing personal protective equipment.

DOH reminds the community to never handle or allow pets near dead birds. For more information on safety precautions, visit https://doh.wa.gov/avian-influenza.

Sources:

First presumed human infections of avian influenza under investigation in Washington state | Washington State Department of Health

Bird Flu | Bird Flu | CDC

Gang Members Drown Off Haitian Coast While Re-Supplying Ammunition for Attack

(Map courtesy of https://www.viamichelin.fr)

Approximately 50 suspected gang members have died this week after attacking a coastal town in Haiti, including at least a dozen who drowned after their boat capsized.

While the majority were killed by police, a group of gunmen drowned after their boat hit the reef as they ferried ammunition to gangs attacking the town of Arcahaie, reported Haiti’s Civil Protection Agency.

The attack began on Monday with gunmen burning homes and cars in the town located just northwest of the capital of Port-au-Prince. When the gangs ran out of ammunition, they hid in nearby areas and were ferreted out by residents and police.

The attack is still ongoing and the Civil Protection Agency warned that officers on the scene urgently need reinforcements from soldiers and special police units.

The attack is blamed on a gang coalition called Viv Ansanm, which also has targeted communities in Port-au-Prince recently.

Undated photo of Viv Ansanm gang members. Note the “leader” in the center is unmasked.

The spike in gang violence comes just months after a UN-backed mission led by Kenyan police began with the aim of quelling a surge in violence from gangs, who control more than 80% of Port-au-Prince. More than 700,000 people have been left homeless, thousands have been killed, and the country’s main airport was forced to close for nearly three months earlier this year because of the violence.

The US government and top Haitian officials have warned that the Kenyan-led mission lacks personnel and funding and have asked that it be replaced with a UN-peacekeeping mission.

Haiti, a failed state, is the Somalia of the Caribbean. Violence, rape, murder, and chaos have been plaguing the Haitian people for years now. Malnutrition and cholera are also spreading amongst the population. If Haitians aren’t being murdered by gang members, they are drowning in boats trying to escape. Haiti’s neighbor, the Dominican Republic, has been cracking down on Haitian refugees who made it to safety across the border. This failed state needs a massive military intervention and financial assistance beyond a small but robust police contingency. But with US attention and resources focused on helping Ukraine and Israel, other nations must fill the void.

Haitians wait to cross the border into the Dominican Republic in Dajabon, Dominican Republic, Friday, 19 Nov 2021. Santo Domingo “profusely rejected” the denunciation of its migratory crackdowns on Haitian migrants by a growing number of countries and human rights agencies. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix, File)

Sources:

At least a dozen gang members drown near Haiti while ferrying ammunition: Official – ABC News (go.com)

“VIV ANSANM” amplifies the misery of the poorest in Haiti (vantbefinfo.com)

Deadly Violence in Haiti at Record High, Some Worst Scenarios Now Realities, Special Representative Tells Security Council, Urging Deployment of Support Mission | Meetings Coverage and Press Releases

Haiti’s health system pushed to breaking point: UNICEF | UN News

Dominican Republic rejects criticism of Haitian deportations | AP News

Five countries pledge personnel for Haiti security mission, UN says | Reuters

Australia: Pet Owners Warned About Tick Boom on East Coast After Last Year’s Hot, Wet Summer

Note the red area on the east coast is where lies the threat of the paralysis tick. (Illustration courtesy of the Karl McManus Foundation.)

Global warming has not only been a boon to mosquitos, but also to disease vector ticks. Pet owners in Australia have been warned about a tick boom unfolding along their east coast, with some experts predicting an unusually bad season for our furry friends.

Veterinary scientist and parasitologist Peter Irwin, an emeritus professor at Murdoch University, said the severity of a tick season was largely determined by the preceding weather, and last summer had been very hot and wet along the east coast”.

“That implies the tick season this year will be bad, and indeed it seems to be panning out that way,” he said.

Paralysis ticks – found along a narrow strip of coastline stretching from north Queensland to Lakes Entrance in Victoria – were responsible for 95% of tick bites in humans, and were potentially lethal to cats, dogs, and other animals.

Factors influencing tick seasons were complex. Temperature and humidity played a key role, as well as the abundance of host animals like kangaroos and bandicoots. “You also have human factors as well – how often are people moving in and out of tick habitat?” he said.

If people or their pets were bitten, it was important to remain calm and not to try to pull the tick off. “You should always freeze it, not squeeze it” using tick-freezing spray from a pharmacist.

On a recent trip to Culburra Beach on the south coast of NSW, Eleanor removed 39 live ticks from her four-year-old Finnish lapphund, Beans.

Beans, a Finnish lapphund, had no fewer than 39 ticks removed while on a holiday at Culburra Beach on the New South Wales coast, her owner said. (Photo: The Guardian)

She was aware it was tick season but “had no idea it would be like this”, she said. Beans was “crawling with parasites”.

“The number of ticks we found on her was nightmarish,” she said. “We spent every evening when the kids went to bed pulling ticks out of her fur.”

Irwin said adult paralysis ticks, mainly active between August and December, were a serious concern for pet owners and veterinarians.

Australian paralysis tick (Ixodes holocyclus). Photo: Peter Rowland

“Cats and dogs, untreated, will die of tick paralysis. Even treating them is not always successful,” he said. Luckily the disease was largely preventable, with effective collars, tablets, and treatments.

Prof Ala Tabor, an animal health specialist with the Queensland alliance for agriculture and food innovation at the University of Queensland, said the larger an animal was the more likely it would be able to survive paralysis tick toxins.

This season the university lost a cow to paralysis ticks, Tabor said.

Tabor was developing a paralysis tick vaccine for cats and dogs that was being licensed to an Australian company.

Once a vaccine was available, an annual dose would probably be cheaper and easier for pet owners and could provide a solution for animals that had adverse reactions to chemicals in common treatments.

Sources:

Dog owners warned about boom in ticks on Australia’s east coast after last year’s hot, wet summer | Environment | The Guardian

Fact File: Australian paralysis tick (Ixodes holocyclus) – Australian Geographic

Who We Are – Karl McManus Foundation

Tick Check | NexGard® Range

Japan Scrambles Jets to Intercept Chinese Bomber and Spy Plane

ADIZ over Japan (blue), South Korea (green), China (pink), and Taiwan/ROC (Orange). (Map: Wikimedia)

Japan recently scrambled fighter jets as China sent a bomber and a spy plane over waters near the Japanese southwestern islands for a long-distance mission from the Chinese mainland.

The Joint Staff Office (JSO) under the Defense Ministry of Japan reported the Chinese military aircraft’s movement within its air defense identification zone. The H-6 bomber and the Y-9 spy plane were spotted flying from mainland China and heading into the Miyako Strait. 

Japan, the US, Taiwan, and South Korea have set up air defense identification zones (ADIZ) around the countries in the interest of national security. The zone begins where sovereign airspace ends and is within the international airspace.

The Miyako Strait lies between the Japanese islands of Miyako and Okinawa, part of the so-called first island chain. This US defense concept extends from Japan to Taiwan and the Philippines to the south, attempting to contain China in the Western Pacific Ocean.

According to a Chinese military observer, the bomber was a H-6J, which the Pentagon described as a maritime strike bomber and a naval variant of the H-6K operated by the Chinese air force.

In this photo provided by the Defense Ministry of Japan, a Chinese H-6 bomber transits the Miyako Strait on 20 Oct inside the Japanese ADIZ.

The new and larger advanced H-6J has six pylons for carrying weapons instead of four, capable of firing supersonic antiship cruise missiles. The bomber is equipped with advanced avionics and upgraded engines, the Pentagon said in a report released in October last year.

Long-range bombers are part of the Chinese military’s anti-access/area denial capabilities. These aim to prevent the American military forces—especially the navy and its aircraft carriers—from approaching the first island chain during a potential conflict with Taiwan.

China held a large-scale military exercise around Taiwan last week, a self-ruled island that has been viewed by Beijing as part of its territory. During the exercise, Chinese warships and combat aircraft have engaged in drills focusing on blockades on key ports and areas.

This was not the first time the Chinese sent the same types of bombers and spy planes over waters near the southwestern islands of Japan, where they had conducted a similar mission on 12 Mar.

Chinese Y-9 spy plane transits the Miyako Strait on 20 Oct. (Photo: JSO)

Japan’s Joint Staff Office on Thursday reported that from 1 Apr to 30 Sep, its air force scrambled fighter jets 358 times in response to foreign military aircraft approaching the country, showing a decrease from the same period last year, which occurred 424 times.

Among the Japanese scrambles, 241 of them were against the Chinese military aircraft, which is fewer than last year’s 304 times. However, the number of scrambles against the Russian military aircraft was 115 times, which is an increase from last year’s 110 times.

On 12 Sep, a pair of Russian Tu-142 maritime reconnaissance and antisubmarine warfare aircraft flew on an anticlockwise flight around Japan.

This week the World Uyghur Congress is taking place in Sarajevo, Bosnia, and the BRICS summit convened in Kazan, Russia. China is flexing its growing muscles while probing and testing the new Japanese Prime Minister. Japan should expect more of these near-intrusions from China as Beijing has eyes on maritime waters, economic fisheries, that they claim is theirs.  Last year, Chinese and Russian aircraft violated the South Korean ADIZ, forcing the ROK AF to scramble. Seoul could expect more near-intrusions now that they have warned Moscow that using North Korean troops might lead to massive weapons transfers to Ukraine.

Source:

US Ally Scrambles Jets To Intercept Chinese Bomber and Spy Plane – Newsweek

Chinese, Russian military aircraft enter KADIZ, South Korea scrambles fighter jets (joins.com)

Family on Road Trip Hear Cry for Help — Then Realize it’s Coming from Engine

The “cat distribution system” works in mysterious ways. On a road trip, the Wolford family reached its destination and heard a strange cry coming from within the car. They quickly exited the vehicle and popped the hood. To their sheer astonishment, a pair of wide, innocent eyes and a tiny, fluffy face met their gaze from underneath the engine.

Wedged snugly in the engine of their car was a tiny kitten. It appeared as though this little feline friend had been their silent passenger for the entire duration of their journey. The Wolford family couldn’t believe their eyes.

Mary Wolford recounted the moment, saying, “Everyone was shocked that he was alive. He rode probably 20 or 30 miles in there.”

With great care and gentleness, they managed to free the kitten from their car, yet their relief was short-lived. As soon as he was in their arms, he executed a daring escape, leaping out and darting away.

The kitten, who they named Racoon, hid another car, but was safely extracted and cleaned up.

Eventually, the family dogs, including a large Great Dane, welcomed Racoon into their midst.

Raccoon’s journey had taken a remarkable turn. When he had initially climbed into this caring family’s car engine, he was in search of a temporary refuge. Little did he know that he was about to find a loving forever home.

Source:

Family on a Road Trip Hear Cry For Help — Then Realize it’s Coming From the Engine – We Love Cats and Kittens

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sources:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rescuers working sift through rubble at the Amstor shopping center in Kremenchuk after it was hit by a Russian missile strike on 27 Jun 2022. Photo: State Emergency Service of Ukraine / AFP

HUR also linked Golenkov to the January 2023 missile attack on a residential building in the city of Dnipro, which killed 46 people, including six children. The intelligence agency reported that Golenkov’s body was found with head injuries, possibly inflicted with a hammer, emphasizing “fair retribution for every war crime.” Russia had claimed the June 2022 attack targeted military storage facilities near Kremenchuk, not the civilian center. 

Ukraine’s espionage capabilities are constantly improving. Rather than attempt an abduction and bring this killer to face justice in a war crimes trial in Kiev, Colonel Golenkov was rendered ineffective on Russian soil and his unknown assailants have disappeared.

Source:

Kyiv Says Russian Pilot Involved In Deadly Kremenchuk Strike ‘Eliminated’ (rferl.org)

Food Safety Alert: McDonald’s Quarter Pounder Hamburgers

McDonald’s Quarter Pounder hamburgers are making people sick, with most illnesses in Colorado and Nebraska. At least 49 illnesses have been reported across ten states, including one death of an older person. Ten people have been hospitalized, including a child who had hemolytic uremic syndrome, a serious complication that can develop from an E. coli infection.

CDC, FDA, USDA FSIS, and public health officials in multiple states are investigating an outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 infections. Most people in this outbreak are reporting eating the Quarter Pounder hamburger at McDonald’s before becoming sick. It is not yet known which specific food ingredient is contaminated.

McDonald’s is collaborating with investigation partners to determine what food ingredient in Quarter Pounders is making people sick. McDonald’s stopped using fresh slivered onions and quarter pound beef patties in several states while the investigation is ongoing to identify the ingredient causing illness.

McDonald’s recently opened a lawsuit against US beef suppliers for price-fixing and GOP hopeful Donald Trump completed a photo-op at a McDonald’s restaurant in Pennsylvania which was ridiculed at many levels. As a Republican strategist once said, “everything Trump touches, dies.”

Sources:

E. coli Outbreak Linked to McDonald’s Quarter Pounders | E. coli infection | CDC

McDonald’s sues major beef producers in US price-fixing lawsuit | Reuters

South Korea May Send Weapons to Ukraine to Counter North Korea’s Troop Deployments

South Korea is a top-ten weapons producer in the world. Pictured above is the K239 Chunmoo, a multiple launch rocket system (MLRS). (Photo: Hanwha Defense / Armaments Agency)

South Korea could send weapons to Ukraine as part of “phased measures” it vowed to take against North Korea and Russia over their deepening military cooperation, a senior presidential official said.

The comment came after South Korea’s deputy national security adviser Kim Tae-hyo told a news conference that the South Korean government demanded that Pyongyang immediately withdraw troops it sent to Russia to help in the war with Ukraine.

“If the illegal military cooperation between North Korea and Russia continues, [we] will not stand by but respond firmly in collaboration with the international community,” Kim said, warning of “phased measures” in response to the level of their military ties.

A senior presidential official told reporters that the measures could include sending weapons for defense and attack, but the official did not elaborate. 

South Korea’s spy agency said last week that the North had decided to send about 12,000 troops to help Russia with its war in Ukraine, and had already dispatched 1,500 soldiers to Vladivostok for training.

18 of them have already deserted their posts in Russia. (Photo: ukranews.com)

North Korea has denied the report, while Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed speculation of North Korean troops going to Ukraine as “fake news.”

South Korea has a long-standing policy of not supplying weapons to countries fighting wars and has maintained that stance with Ukraine, sending only humanitarian aid.

The official’s remarks came in response to the Ukrainian envoy’s comment that the North was planning to soon send “large-scale” regular troops to help Russia’s war efforts in Ukraine.

Russia said it would continue to strengthen ties with North Korea, while declining to confirm South Korea’s report. The US said it could not confirm the report, while North Korea’s state-run media outlets had remained silent at time of publication.

North Korea and Russia have moved closer over the past year or more amid widespread suspicion that North Korea has supplied conventional weapons to Russia for its war in Ukraine in return for military and economic assistance. Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

Russian President Vladimir Putin reportedly submitted a bill to the lower house of parliament on Monday to ratify a treaty to raise its relationship with North Korea to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. The change was agreed by Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on 19 Jun in Pyongyang after summit talks during the Russian president’s state visit.   

The new partnership includes a mutual defense assistance clause that would apply in the case of “aggression” against one of the signatories.

Both raging wars in the Middle East and Ukraine are escalating and Vladimir Putin miscalculated the South Korean response. His attempt at disguising the North Koreans as Siberian Buryats was seen through and the Ukrainians could benefit greatly from the effective mass casualty-causing South Korean weapons. The Russian invasion of Ukraine is paralleling the 1936-39 Spanish Civil War, with allies sending arms and personnel in a massive testing ground and battlefield meat-grinder. The North Korean “volunteers” will become cannon-fodder in “meat attacks” when they encounter tired, but combat-hardened and experienced Ukrainian soldiers like the Amazon pictured below and the dense intelligence web targeting them.

Anastasia Blyshchyk said she was initially rebuffed when she volunteered to fight. “I heard, ‘You’re a woman, you need to make babies, go home.’” Photo: Emile Ducke for The New York Times

While the Biden Administration cannot persuade Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong-Un, or the Iranian leadership to de-escalate, Pres. Biden can talk to his so-called “ally” to a achieve a ceasefire in the Middle East. And like Tehran, Moscow, and Pyongyang, the Likud regime is not cooperating with him either. And hands down the US is Israel’s greatest benefactor in the world. Prolonged hostilities defer Netanyahu’s bribery and corruption trial and enfeebles the Biden Administration. Democratic Party leaders are right to suspect that Netanyahu wants to continue hostilities in the Middle East, as well as a right-wing GOP victory this November. Right-wingers like Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu are birds of the same feather, like Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-Un.

Sources:

Seoul could send weapons to Ukraine to counter North Korea’s troop deployments — Radio Free Asia (rfa.org)

South Korea summons Russian envoy to urge it to stop North Korean Ukraine involvement

North Korea sending troops to aid Russia in Ukraine war: South’s spy agency

Russia forming North Korean battalion amid soldier shortage: reportOpinion | Ukrainian Women Fight for Their Own Liberation – The New York Times (nytimes.com)

American Warzone: Five Dead in Shooting at Home in Washington State; Teenager Arrested

Americans suffer wartime casualties every year because of the proliferation of firearms in the US. According to the CDC, in 2022 there were more than 48,000 firearm-related deaths in the US.

Law enforcement officials found five people killed in a shooting inside a home southeast of Seattle on Monday morning and took a teenager into custody.

Several people called 911 around 5AM to report a shooting in Fall City, WA.

(Google Maps)

Arriving deputies immediately took one teen into custody while another teenager who had been hurt was taken to a Seattle hospital. Both teens live at the house.

Deputies entering the home found the bodies of five people. Two were adults and three were described as young teenagers. No names have been released yet.

“Once bodies were discovered, clearly we understand that this is a hugely significant crime scene,” the King County Sheriff’s office said.

The shooting appears to involve members of a family, but authorities didn’t yet know how they were related. There was no ongoing threat to the community.

“I have no reason to think that there will be any additional arrests,” said the sheriff’s department.

The teen in custody was booked into King County’s juvenile detention facility and will be arraigned on Tuesday or Wednesday.

A neighbor told KING-TV that a couple and their five children lived in the home.

“I’m just in total shock, I keep bursting into tears,” Lynne Trowern, told the news outlet.

King County Councilmember Sarah Perry said the shooting involved a family of seven people.

Sheriff Patricia Cole-Tindall told KING-TV that she was “very sad, very disturbed” to learn about the shooting.

Guns are in the households of an estimated 42.1% of Washington state residents. In 2021, 165,534 firearms licenses were recorded in the state. In an average year, 887 people die and 1,245 are wounded by guns in Washington State. Gun violence costs Washington $1,559 per resident each year. Gun deaths and injuries cost Washington $11.9 billion each year, of which $171.7 million is paid by taxpayers.

Sources:

Teen in custody after 5 found dead in shooting at home in Washington state (voanews.com)

Gun-Violence-in-Washington-2024-05.pdf (everystat.org)

11. Washington – Gun map: Ownership by state – statistics and rates (cbsnews.com)

https://www.cdc.gov/firearm-violence/data-research/facts-stats/index.html

Leptospirosis Cases Rising in Philippines

Est. population 118,277,063; GDP per capita: $9,700 (2023 est.) Map and data: CIA

The Philippines continues to log more leptospirosis cases and deaths. From January to October, the Philippines Dept of Health recorded 5,835 cases, 16 per cent more than in the same period last year. Meanwhile, 509 deaths have been reported across the country.

“As we expect more rain to come, we must always be mindful of what to do especially if there is flooding. Avoid floodwaters as much as possible,” Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa said. Leptospirosis is a bacterial infection commonly spread through water contaminated with animal urine.

Humans become infected through direct contact with the urine of infected animals or with a urine-contaminated environment. Cases of leptospirosis can increase after floods when people may have to wade through contaminated water.

Without treatment, leptospirosis in people can lead to kidney damage, meningitis (inflammation of the membrane around the brain and spinal cord), liver failure, trouble breathing, and even death.

About one million cases in people occur around the world each year, with nearly 60,000 deaths. Leptospirosis has been reported throughout the US. Leptospirosis is treated with antibiotics, such as doxycycline or penicillin.

Residents wade across a flooded street with their belongings in Sangli in Western Maharashtra, India. They are vulnerable to a host of water-borne diseases. (Undated photo: PTI)

Leptospirosis and other water-borne diseases such as cholera and dysentery will continue afflicting people in flood-prone areas. The ubiquitous mosquito will also thrive in these wetlands, becoming vectors for Zika, Chikungunya, Dengue, and Malaria. Mankind needs pesticides to combat these pests, but at the same time we see that some pesticide residues can contaminate water supplies, as we have seen in Martinique and France.

Sources:

https://assamtribune.com/health-and-fitness/leptospirosis-cases-continue-to-rise-in-the-philippines-1555127?infinitescroll=1

About Leptospirosis | Leptospirosis | CDC

View from Europe: Donald Trump’s Unpredictable Actions Fuel Concern for his Mental and Cognitive Health

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

With a few weeks to go before the presidential election, European writer Andrew Naughtie summarized concerns about Donald Trump mental and cognitive health.  

“In recent weeks, Trump has been behaving particularly oddly, rambling and slurring his words in increasingly long-winded speeches and at one point remaining on the stage after an event to spend half an hour silently dancing to a mournful playlist.

One particularly strange appearance lately saw him deliver a five-minute-plus monologue about the late golfer Arnold Palmer, in the course of which he alluded to other linksmen’s astonishment at the size of Palmer’s genitalia.”

Mr Naughtie further writes:

“Trump’s campaign has also declined to release his medical records and pulled him out of numerous public events and interviews, fueling speculation that he is “exhausted” and that they are trying to limit opportunities for him to give a particularly poor performance.

Meanwhile, Kamala Harris’s campaign is leaning hard into the idea that Trump is unfit to be president not just because of his previous conduct but because he is not psychologically up to the task.”

“It is clear: Donald Trump is increasingly unstable and unhinged,” Vice-President Kamala Harris said at a recent campaign stop. “And he is seeking unchecked power.”

In the 2016 presidential campaign, Democratic candidate Senator Hilary Clinton said:

“I will leave it for psychiatrists to explain [Trump’s] affection for tyrants.”

Mr Naughtie writes there was a great debate in the American psychiatric and psychological establishment over whether or not it was ethical for clinicians to diagnose Donald Trump with a personality disorder from afar without examining him in person.

He wrote that this argument dates back to the 1964 election when more than 1,000 psychiatrists told a survey that, in their professional opinion, then-Republican presidential candidate Barry Goldwater was unfit for office. This is called a “duty to warn.”

Mr. Naughtie concludes:

“Trump and his running mate, JD Vance, frequently deride Harris as intellectually subnormal, with Trump going so far as to deride her as “crazy” and “nuts”. While this may play well with their voters, there is so far no sign of any serious discussion about the state of Harris’s mental health.

The vice president has also released her medical records, which show her to be in excellent physical health besides minor myopia and seasonal allergies — and despite all the speculation about his physical and mental exhaustion, there is so far no indication that Trump will be releasing his.”

Many Americans are dumb-founded that this election could be even this close between a convicted felon who was twice impeached as President and a former California Attorney-General, US Senator, and current VPOTUS. The only explanation is that whites, the bulk of the Republican Party, have no choice but to support Donald Trump, an avatar of white supremacy or “whiteness,” regardless of the catastrophic social and economic policies outlined in Project 2025 or his tremendous panoptic character flaws. Both Trump and Vance perpetrate lies about Haitian refugees eating pets or spread lies about Kamala Harris or Ken Walz as a distraction. Discussing the Christian Talibanization of America embodied in Project 2025 may turn off enough white female Republican voters in battleground states who have already lost reproductive rights thanks to the reactionary US Supreme Court.

Source:

Donald Trump’s unpredictable actions fuel concern for his mental and cognitive health | Euronews

Georgia Man Arrested for Assaulting Law Enforcement with Weapon and Other Charges During 6 Jan 2021 Assault on US Capitol

Cylester Maxwell at the Stop the Steal rally on 6 Jan 2021. (Photo: FBI)

Cylester Maxwell (42) of Alpharetta, GA was arrested by the FBI and charged in a criminal complaint filed in the District of Columbia with felony offenses of assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers using a dangerous weapon and civil disorder during the 6 Jan 2021 assault on the US Capitol.

Maxwell was identified in open-source video footage on 6 Jan 2021, in Washington, DC marching with a crowd of rioters away from the “Stop the Steal” rally at the Ellipse and toward the Capitol building. By approximately 1:35 PM Maxwell made it onto restricted Capitol grounds positioned near the front of the crowd confronting a police line on the West Plaza near the Media Tower erected in front of the Inaugural Stage.

Maxwell, together with other members of the mob, shoved an eight feet tall and ten feet wide sign into the line of police like a battering ram. Several seconds later, after the sign was pushed into the officers, Maxwell let go of it and grabbed and pulled a barricade away from the police line.  

(Photo: FBI)

Maxwell pulled another bike rack barricade away from the police and successfully broke through the West Plaza police line. He then remained on or near the West Plaza for some time as rioters flooded the Capitol’s Lower and Upper West Terraces.

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

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

This brontosaurus heeded the call of idiotic call of Donald Trump, behaved violently at his behest, and now has thrown his life away listening to the ex-President, whose mental fitness is being questioned.

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

Sources:

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

New Zealand Airport Sets Time Limit on Goodbyes and Hugs

The cuddle cap was imposed in Sep 2024 to “keep things moving smoothly” in the redesigned passenger drop-off area outside the airport, CEO Dan De Bono told the AP. It was the airport’s way of reminding people that the zone was for “quick farewells” only. (Photo: AP)

Emotional farewells are a common sight at airports, but travelers leaving the New Zealand city of Dunedin will have to be quick. A new three-minute time limit on goodbye hugs in the airport’s drop-off area is intended to prevent lingering cuddles from causing traffic jams.

“Max hug time three minutes,” warn signs outside the terminal, adding that those seeking “fonder farewells” should head to the airport’s parking lot instead.

(Map: ontheworldmap.com)

The signs had polarized social media users, De Bono said.

AP correspondent Charles de Ledesma reports on a ‘hug cap’ imposed at a New Zealand airport.

“We were accused of breaching basic human rights and how dare we limit how long someone can have a hug for,” he said, adding that others had welcomed the change.

The signs were meant as an alternative to those at other airports warning of wheel clamping or fines for drivers parked in drop-off areas. Some in Britain have imposed fees for all drop-offs — however brief.

Dunedin’s airport — a modest terminal serving a city of 135,000 people on New Zealand’s South Island — preferred a “quirky” approach, De Bono said.

Three minutes was “plenty of time to pull up, say farewell to your loved ones and move on,” he said. “The time limit is really a nicer way of saying, you know, get on with it.”

A 20-second hug is long enough to release the wellbeing-boosting hormones oxytocin and serotonin, De Bono said. Anything longer was “really awkward.”

But passengers need not worry unduly about enforcement. “We do not have hug police,” De Bono said.

Visitors might, however, be asked to move their lingering embraces to the parking lot, where they can cuddle free of charge for up to 15 minutes.

At age 57, Lynda Perry has become the oldest ‘new’ constable in the history of the Royal New Zealand Police College. Luckily, she won’t be enforcing any hug violations at the airport.

Source:

New Zealand airport wants you to hug goodbye faster | AP News

UN Official: “The Nightmare is Intensifying.” IDF Kills More Than 100 Palestinians in Gaza

Unqualified US support for Israel has made “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” completely impossible for the Palestinian people and totally rubbishes any concept of a “two-state solution.” Hard-working Secretary of State Antony Blinken will be wasting his time and US taxpayer funds in a kabuki dance when he meets with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu this week. The indicted Israeli war criminal has effectively tarnished President Biden’s legacy who is winding down his multi-decade career in US politics.   

In the past 24 hours 108 people had been killed and 40 injured in bombings across the territory, part of the IDF’s ferocious renewed assault in the Gaza Strip. “The nightmare in Gaza is intensifying. Horrifying scenes are unfolding in the northern strip amidst relentless Israeli strikes and an ever-worsening humanitarian crisis,” Tor Wennesland, said the UN special coordinator for the Middle East.

“Nowhere is safe in Gaza … We owe it to the families suffering in Gaza and Israel. The war must stop now,” he added.

The Likud pogrom against the Palestinians is certainly satisfying this young demonstrator’s desires. Undated photo courtesy of the Washington Post.

The daily death rate in Gaza higher than any other major 21st Century conflict, according to Oxfam, an international NGO. The right-wing Likud cabal is depopulating Palestinians much more efficiently than ultra-nationalist Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “special military operation” against the Ukrainians.   

An image from the Political Cartoon Gallery in central London Photograph: Political Cartoon Gallery via the Guardian.

IDF bombardment this past weekend in the town of Beit Lahiya flattened several houses and an apartment block, killing members of several families. Among the dead were two parents and their four children, and a woman, her son and daughter-in-law and their four children.

The internet and phone services have been down in parts of Gaza, complicating the rescue operation.

In a post on X, Mounir al-Bursh, the director general of the health ministry, said the flood of injured people from the strikes compounded “an already catastrophic situation for the healthcare system” in northern Gaza.

Unclear during this Israeli offensive is what opportunities are given Palestinian combatants to either surrender to the IDF or turn themselves over to the Israeli police for judicial process in a court of law.

The IDF have nominally held complete control of northern Gaza since January, but launched a new assault on the area two weeks ago to prevent any resistance groups from re-constituting.

Gaza’s civil defense service said it had recovered at least 500 bodies since the operation began on 6 Oct.

Sweeping evacuation orders for the estimated 400,000 people still living in the northern third of the territory, the blockage of aid and food deliveries and the targeting of civilian infrastructure such as hospitals have led rights groups to accuse Israel of the war crime of seeking to forcibly displace the remaining population.

Israel has denied it is systematically removing Palestinians from the area.

Several struggling hospitals have been unable to evacuate patients, and two people at the Indonesia hospital in Beit Lahiya died from a lack of oxygen after electricity and fuel shortages.

Top-secret US documents that allegedly reveal details about Israel’s plans to attack Iran had been leaked and published online.

The papers supposedly date from 15 and 16 Oct, and allege that Israel has fortified underground warplane bunkers at the Hatzerim airbase, where there are signs of preparation for arming plane-launched ballistic missiles. The blood-thirsty Likud regime can’t wait to attack Iran with an American imprimatur, regardless of collateral damage or escalating the conflict.  

An Israeli source told the Israeli daily Haaretz that the US had apologized to Israel for the leak and US House speaker Republican Mike Johnson said that an investigation into the incident had been launched. 100 US servicemembers deployed with the THAAD air-defense system are in harm’s way in Israel.

Israel and Hamas, however, have so far stuck to their irreconcilable demands. Internationally mediated talks aimed at a lasting truce in Gaza and the return of Israeli hostages kidnapped by Palestinian armed groups during the 7 Oct 2023 attack broke down in August. That raid to capture Israeli hostages in order to release the 7,000 Palestinians being held in IDF prisons in security detention without hearing gave the Likud regime the green light to activate Nabka 2023 to de-populate the Gaza Strip. Simultaneously, rabid Israeli settlers increased their rampages to seize Palestinian properties in the West Bank, killing over 700 Palestinians.  

An American intelligence officer or servicemember opposed to Israeli’s Nakba may have leaked the files out of anger. The other possibility is he or she may be attempting to thwart the IDF plan to pummel Iran which could escalate this conflict even further out of control than it already is. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has loyally worked hard for the Biden Administration, but Netanyahu has scotched all of his good faith attempts at reaching a ceasefire and releasing the remaining 100 hostages. Meanwhile, the bodies of Palestinians keep piling up.

Sources:

More than 100 people killed in latest Israeli bombings in Gaza, say medics | Israel-Gaza war | The Guardian

Daily death rate in Gaza higher than any other major 21st Century conflict – Oxfam | Oxfam International

“Beirut in Flames”: Israel Attacks Hezbollah-Linked Bank; Hundreds More Lebanese Made Homeless

Fire and smoke after an IDF airstrike at Dahieh in the southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, late 20 October 2024. More than 2,400 people have been killed and over 11,400 others have been injured in Lebanon since the start of Israel’s offensive. (Photo by Wael Hamzeh/EPA-EFE)

Israeli fighter jets struck dozens of targets in Beirut and other areas of southern Lebanon overnight, including branches of a bank accused of holding funds used by Hezbollah.

The military’s Arabic spokesman, Avichay Adraee, had earlier in the night issued several evacuation orders for buildings throughout southern Lebanon he said were in the vicinity of facilities belonging to the US-sanctioned Al-Qard Al-Hassan Association Bank.

“Get away from it immediately,” he said in a video statement.

Jeanine Hennis, the UN special coordinator for Lebanon, said that after the IDF issued its evacuations, said there was “widespread panic” in Beirut.

Israel FM Israel Katz said 15 buildings in Beirut were struck as the IDF carried out a wide-scale attack targeting Hezbollah’s financial infrastructure.

“Beirut in flames,” Israeli FM Katz proudly released in a statement.

The IDF attacked not only Beirut, but throughout southern Lebanon and deeper into the country. The UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) reported that an IDF bulldozer had deliberately demolished an observation tower and perimeter fence at its position in Marwahin in southern Lebanon. Lebanon’s army, which has remained on the sidelines during the Israel’s campaign, said three of its soldiers were killed by an IDF strike while travelling in an army vehicle in the south of the country.

As previously posted, the IDF does not care about collateral casualties nor does it want any witnesses to its actions, hence the three Lebanese Army soldiers were killed and the UNIFIL post bulldozed. The Likud government wants to make southern Lebanon inhospitable and kill as many Shia combatants as possible. Lebanon, already fractured by its multiple religions and a dilapidated economy, is powerless to protect its citizens, much less house the thousands of displaced people Israel is creating. With winter approaching, the government of Beirut will face much more challenges.

Source:

‘Beirut in flames’ as Israel attacks Hezbollah-linked bank – UPI.com

https://www.jpost.com/HttpHandlers/ShowImage.ashx?id=299259

Whooping Cough at Decade-High Level in US

This 2016 illustration based on electron microscope imagery depicts bordetella pertussis bacteria, which causes whooping cough (Image: CDC).

Whooping cough is at its highest level in a decade for this time of year, according to the CDC. 18,506 cases of whooping cough have been reported so far. That’s the most at this point in the year since 2014, when cases topped 21,800.

The increase is not unexpected — whooping cough peaks every three to five years, health experts said. And the numbers indicate a return to levels before the coronavirus pandemic, when whooping cough and other contagious illnesses plummeted.

Still, the tally has some state health officials concerned, including those in Wisconsin, where there have been about 1,000 cases so far this year, compared to a total of 51 last year.

Nationwide, CDC has reported that kindergarten vaccination rates dipped last year and vaccine exemptions are at an all-time high. 86% of kindergartners in Wisconsin received the whooping cough vaccine, compared to more than 92% nationally.

Whooping cough, also called pertussis, usually starts out like a cold, with a runny nose and other common symptoms, before turning into a prolonged cough. Treated with antibiotics, whooping cough used to be common until a vaccine was introduced in the 1950s, which is now part of routine childhood vaccinations (along with tetanus and diphtheria vaccines). The combo shot is recommended for adults every ten years.

“They used to call it the 100-day cough because it literally lasts for 100 days,” said Joyce Knestrick, a family nurse practitioner in Wheeling, West Virginia.

Whooping cough is usually seen mostly in infants and young children, who can develop serious complications. That’s why the vaccine is recommended during pregnancy, to pass along protection to the newborn, and for those who spend a lot of time with infants.

But public health workers say outbreaks this year are hitting older kids and teens. In Pennsylvania, most outbreaks have been in middle school, high school and college settings. Nearly all the cases in Douglas County, Nebraska, are schoolkids and teens.

It’s important to get tested and treated with antibiotics early, said Dr. Kris Bryant, who specializes in pediatric infectious diseases at Norton Children’s in Louisville, KY. People exposed to the bacteria can also take antibiotics to stop the spread.

“Pertussis is worth preventing,” Bryant said. “The good news is that we have safe and effective vaccines.”

Source:

Whooping cough is at a decade-high level in US (voanews.com)

About Whooping Cough Outbreaks | Whooping Cough | CDC

NGO: French Water Supply Contaminated with Untested Toxic Chemicals

The byproducts of pesticides can seep into soil, surface water and groundwater before making their way into drinking water supplies. (Photo: © AFP – MIGUEL MEDINA)

The NGO Générations Futures found that 56 pesticide byproducts known as metabolites – substances formed when chemicals break down – are not being monitored in groundwater or drinking water, despite likely exceeding legal safety limits.

Their analysis, based on research from French health and safety agency, found these metabolites probably contaminate groundwater above the legal limit of 0.1 micrograms per liter.

The substances can seep into soil, surface water and groundwater before making their way into drinking water supplies.

Twelve of the unmonitored metabolites pose particular risks – including trifluoroacetic acid (TFA), which was found at alarming levels in Paris.

“With our colleagues from the Pesticides Action Network Europe, we have taken samples of river water and tap water, and analysed for TFA … and we found it in many places, in very large quantities,” said François Veillerette, of Générations Futures.

“We found TFA at over two micrograms per liter [in the Seine] … and in tap water, about the same quantity. So, two micrograms per liter is 20 times the [legal limit of] 0.1 micrograms per liter,” he said.

The findings raise questions about whether some French regions face higher contamination risks than others.

The threat spans nationwide – water quality in at least one third of France is at risk from TFA contamination alone.

TFA comes from the breakdown of “forever chemicals” called PFAS, found in pesticides, non-stick coatings, and cosmetics.

The NGO warned French authorities cannot ignore TFA’s dangers, noting that German health officials suggest classifying it as toxic for reproduction. More worrying still is the uncertainty around long-term exposure to these substances in drinking water.

“What is really astonishing is that it is an ‘unknown’ … nobody knows [the potential effects] because there are no requisite studies on metabolites,” said Veillerette, warning that if research comes too late and “they’re everywhere, then there’s nothing we can do”.

While data on safe levels remains insufficient, the group cautions these chemicals accumulate over time and could create a dangerous “cocktail effect“.

With France’s water safety at stake, experts are warning this invisible but growing crisis demands urgent attention.

Pesticides have already despoiled French Martinique. This case is the result of competing interests in France: Farmers versus Environmentalists. The agrarian sector relies on pesticides to protect their harvests (e.g. grains, grapes, etc), ignoring the long-term impact of these chemicals in the water supply and the potential health hazards they may cause in the future.

Sources:

French water supply contaminated with untested toxic chemicals, NGO warns (rfi.fr)

man-spraying-herbicides – Beyond Pesticides Daily News Blog

Fethullah Gulen, Rival of Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Dies in Exile

The late Fethullah Gulen at his home in Saylorsburg, PA. This is the man disgraced retired US Army General Michael Flynn wanted to abduct and extradite to Turkiye. (Photo: Reuters)

US-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, once an ally of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan but later accused of masterminding a failed coup attempt in 2016, has died at the age of 83 of an unspecified ailment he was being treated for. Gulen had lived in exile in the US since 1999 and was stripped of his Turkish citizenship in 2017.

The 2016 coup attempt against Erdogan and the government was a turning point in the country. Some 250 people were killed when rogue soldiers hijacked warplanes, tanks, and other heavy military equipment as they tried to push the president out of power.

That event led Ankara to declare an all-out war on Gulen’s network — known as Hizmet, which means “service” in Turkish — saying he was responsible for the coup, charges that Gulen fiercely denied.

Ankara considers Hizmet to be a terrorist organization. It is an opaque but influential group mainly involved in educational activities and promoting civil society.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, in confirming Turkish intelligence reports saying Gulen had died, described Gulen as the leader of a “dark organization.”

Tens of thousands of dismissals and detentions followed the coup attempt in Turkiye, as well as increasingly tense relations between Ankara and any country where Gulen had connections — mostly through the network of his private schools.

Turkish soldiers accused of involvement in an attempted coup in 2016 arriving at court inside the Sincan Prison in Ankara in 2017. Photo: Adem Altan / AFP— Getty Images.

The campaign against Gulen spread into regional allies of Turkiye. Some Central Asian governments intensified a crackdown on institutions linked to the cleric that had started before the coup attempt.

In recent years, there have been reports of Turkish citizens accused of having links to Gulen being arrested and forcibly taken to Turkiye.

In one such incident, Turkish-Kyrgyz educator Orhan Inandi was abducted by Turkish agents in 2021 in Kyrgyzstan and brought to Turkey against his will in 2021. Inandi, who is a dual Kyrgyz-Turkish citizen, was handed 21 years in prison on a charge of “establishing of an armed terrorist group.”

Critics of Erdogan contend that he used the coup aftermath as an excuse to purge the government of thousands of secular Turks, Kurds, AK Party opposition members, and others unaffiliated with the coup or the Gulenists, sweeping them up as so-called “Enemies of the State.”

Opposition politicians Selahattin Demirtas and Figen Yüksekdağ had been arrested on terrorism charges. These two certainly look like members of Al-Qaida or ISIS. (Undated photo courtesy of Wikimedia.org)

Sources:

Fethullah Gulen, Rival Of Turkey’s Erdogan, Dies In Exile (rferl.org)

Purges in Turkey following the 2016 Turkish coup attempt – Wikipedia

Mike Flynn and the Insane Alleged Plot to Kidnap a Turkish Cleric (vice.com)

18 North Korean Soldiers in Russia Reportedly Deserted

North Korean supremo Kim Jong Un (Center-R) and Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) walk past children attend a welcoming ceremony at Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang, North Korea on 19 Jun 2024. (Photo: Vladimir Smirnov / POOL / AFP)

Russia recently assembled a “special Buryat battalion” made up of North Koreans. The number of personnel in the unit is estimated at up to 3,000, and likely to be involved in combat activities around the settlements of Sudzha and Kursk. 18 of these North Korean soldiers have deserted their positions, according to Ukrainska Pravda citing sources in Ukraine’s special services. The alleged escapes took place seven km from the border with Ukraine.

The reasons for the North Koreans’ desertion were unknown. Russian forces have begun looking for them while attempting to conceal this information from the High Command.

“Life for North Korean conscripts is brutal and harsh, even without a war, and the consequences for refusing to fight would be extremely dire,” said Pentagon spokesperson Pat Ryder earlier this year. North Korean troops would become “cannon fodder” if they joined Russian forces on “meat assaults” reported an analyst in Ukraine.

The South Korean government summoned the Russian Ambassador and demanded the North Korean soldiers be immediately withdrawn from Russia, saying this move violated UN resolutions and posed a threat to South Korea.  

The Korean People’s Army (KPA) is the fourth largest in the world in terms of personnel, with 1,280,000 active members and 600,000 in reserve. Only China, India, and the US have bigger standing armies. North Korea spent 36.32% of its entire gross domestic product on defense in 2023. North Korean society is heavily militarized and all citizens are required to serve — reportedly 10 years for men, and eight for women. North Korea can provide two material items to the Kremlin: cannon fodder for the front and ammunition and artillery shells from a vast arsenal dating back to the 1950s.

The reported introduction of 1,500 North Korean special forces may present a separate asset to the Kremlin. But these highly-trained soldiers are also inexperienced in combat and how they perform against experienced Ukrainian defenders remains to be seen.

Kim Jong-Un has no regard for the safety or welfare of his own people and will do everything he can stay in power, including starving his own people and executing his uncle.

Jang Song-thaek escorted into court handcuffed by uniformed guards: a special military tribunal found him guilty of treason in Dec 2013 and he was executed. Jang Song-thaek was once one of the DPRK’s most powerful men and uncle of Kim Jong-Un (Photo: Yonhap/AFP/Getty Images)

Sources:

Russia formed ”Buryat battalion” staffed by North Koreans, but 18 soldiers have already deserted – Ukrainska Pravda sources | Ukrainska Pravda

South Korea summons Russian envoy over North Korean troop deployment | South Korea | The Guardian

This is how North Korean troops could be used in Russia’s war in Ukraine (kyivindependent.com)

North Carolina Militant Sentenced for Assaulting Law Enforcement During 6 Jan Attack on US Capitol

Curtis Davis (R). Tonya Bishop (L) faces charges, including entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, plus charges of disorderly conduct and illegally demonstrating at the Capitol building. (Photo: FBI)

Curtis Davis (45) of Snow Hill, NC was sentenced to 24 months in prison, 36 months of supervised release, the first six months of which to be served on home detention, and ordered to pay $2,000 in restitution by the Honorable US District Judge Amit P. Mehta for violent actions on 6 Jan 2021.

At about 3:00 PM on 6 Jan 2021, Davis entered the US Capitol building where law enforcement officers were attempting to disperse a crowd of rioters. Inside the Rotunda, while pressed against a line of police officers, Davis forcibly attacked a Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officer and attempted to grab hold of the officer’s baton. Davis then punched an MPD officer in the face shield and refused law enforcement orders to leave the building. A short while later, Davis punched another MPD officer in the head and forcibly pulled away a riot shield from another. Davis then used the shield to press against the backs of a line of rioters in an attempt to resist the efforts of police.

After being expelled from the Rotunda, Davis returned with other rioters and again attempted to breach police lines. This maniac punched a riot shield held by an officer three times.

Later that night, Davis filmed a group of police officers with his cell phone camera before turning it around, filming his fist, and stating, “Them knuckles right there, from one of those m—f— faces at the Capitol.”

The FBI arrested Davis on 8 Dec 2023 in Snow Hill.

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

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

This violent lunatic represents America’s Fedayeen Saddam (FS), die-hard white supremacists clinging on to the last vestiges of white privilege in the US. Heeding the idiotic call of Donald J. Trump that the minorities stole the 2020 election, Curtis Davis threw his life away with this federal conviction.

Sources:

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

Stray Cat Approaches Kind Stranger, Soon Filling Home with Look-alike Kittens

When a volunteer from Be Their Voice Animal Rescue (BTV) in Atlanta, Georgia, went to pick up a cat, another friendly stray came around the corner and walked right up to her.

“She could tell that the cat was pregnant and very skinny,” Aimee, COO for BTV. With no home to call her own, the volunteer scooped her up and took her for her first vet visit.

After the vet, the sweet “house panther” named Jazz inspected her new room, pausing only to rub against the furniture. Finding everything to her liking, she weaved around her foster mom’s legs and purred her thanks.

Though quite underweight, Jazz was in good spirits and grateful for her endless supply of food. She took her time to feast and regain strength, making up for those hungry and weary days on the streets.

“She ended up finally delivering sometime in the middle of the night, and unfortunately, she didn’t know what she was doing.”

Jazz had comfortable nesting boxes to choose from but decided to have her eight kittens in the litter box.

Thankfully, her foster family quickly acted, cleaning the babies one by one and making sure they were all latching.

Over the next few weeks, the kittens grew by leaps and bounds, reaching many milestones, discovering their penchant for mischief-making, and romping around with boisterous energy. Now they are ready for new forever homes.

A happy and grateful Jazz made a lot of people happy.

We can thank the good people at Be Their Voice Animal Rescue in Georgia for their kindness, this story, and the photos.

More on the family and BTV (in GA) on Instagram @_catz4life_ and @fostercatsfordays.

Source:

https://www.lovemeow.com/stray-cat-home-void-kittens-2669446352.html

This little tigress is ready for a forever home.

Gaza/Lebanon Nakba Continues: IDF Attacks Kill at Least 50 People

In Gaza, at least  50 people were killed in several IDF strikes, including children, according to hospital officials and AP reporters.

After armed Palestinian groups conducted a raid on Israel on 7 Oct 2023 that killed 1,200 people and led to the capture of about 250 hostages, Israel’s Nakba in Gaza has killed more than 42,400 Palestinians, with more than half of them women and children. The reprisal rate is close to 40:1.

Israeli strikes hit the upper floors of the Indonesian Hospital in Beit Lahiya, and forces opened fire at the hospital’s building and its courtyard, causing panic among patients and medical staff. At the Awda hospital in Jabaliya, strikes hit the building’s top floors, injuring several staff members.

In central Gaza, at least ten people were killed, including two children, when a house was hit in the town of Zawayda. Another strike killed 11 people, all from the same family, in the Maghazi refugee camp, according to the al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah, where they were taken. Two Associated Press journalists counted the bodies at the hospitals. Attacking medical staff or facilities is a war crime.

The war has destroyed vast swaths of Gaza, displaced about 90% of its population of 2.3 million people, and left them struggling to find food, water, medicine, and fuel. The UN has warned of an imminent famine for the people of Gaza.

In the West Bank, the UN reports that between 8-14 Oct, Israeli forces killed nine Palestinians, including a child, and injured 104 people, including nine children.

“Israeli forces accused most of those fatalities of being involved in attacking Israelis,” a UN official said.

“Yesterday, a Palestinian woman was reportedly killed while she was harvesting olives in Jenin. That follows 32 attacks by Israeli settlers this month on Palestinians engaged in the olive harvest. Hundreds of olive trees and saplings have been vandalized, sawed off or stolen. The olive harvest is an economic lifeline for tens of thousands of Palestinian families.”

Meanwhile, James Elder, a UNICEF spokesperson who recently returned from another mission to Gaza, called the Palestinian enclave “the real-world embodiment of hell on Earth for its one million children. And it is getting worse, day by day, as we see the horrific impact of the daily airstrikes and military operations on Palestinian children.”

In Dec 2023, UNICEF stated: “The Gaza Strip is the most dangerous place in the world to be a child.”

Meanwhile, families of hostages still held in Gaza demanded the Israeli government restart negotiations to bring home their loved ones. There are about 100 hostages remaining in Gaza, at least 30 of whom Israel says are dead.

In Lebanon, an Israeli airstrike hit a vehicle on a main highway north of Beirut, killing two people.

According to Lebanese authorities, more than 2,300 people have been killed and over 11,000 injured since hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah began in Oct 2023, while more than 1.2 million people have been displaced.

UNIFIL Peacekeepers near the southern Lebanese town of Marwahin, 12 Oct 2023. 48 countries contribute Soldiers to this mission, including Finland, China, Turkiye, France, Italy, Ireland, Malaysia, and Spain. Approximately 800 Peacekeepers are women.

A UN official accused the IDF of repeatedly targeting UN peacekeepers along the blue line, the provisional border between Israel and Lebanon.

“We have been targeted several times and deliberately attacked once inside the borders in Naqoura, injuring two peacekeepers,” said Andrea Tenenti, spokesperson for UNIFIL in Geneva.

“The Israelis hit the communication system very close to the bunkers where peacekeepers were sheltering. And there was an instance when IDF troops entered a UNIFIL position and remained there for 45 minutes. So, all these elements are clear, and we have been very vocal that these are deliberate attacks against the mission.”

Israel has rejected accusations that it is going after the peacekeepers, but acknowledged injuring two UNIFIL peacekeepers on 11 Oct when forces fired on what an IDF statement on X called “an immediate threat.” The IDF has stated that Hezbollah militants in Lebanon deliberately operate near UNIFIL posts and bases, “thereby endangering UNIFIL personnel.”

Demands by Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu for the UN mission to move its positions away from the blue line were ignored by the UN.

Tenenti said that incursions into Lebanese territory by the IDF in the proximity of the blue line in both UNIFIL sectors, east and west, “constitute a violation of Lebanese sovereignty, and also a violation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701.”

Security forces near Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s house in Caesarea, Israel, 19 Oct 2024. Neither he nor his wife were home and there were no casualties when a drone crashed nearby.

Israeli forces do not want witnesses to their offensive in Lebanon (or in the Gaza Strip or the West Bank for that matter). After the IDF attacked the USS Liberty spy ship on 8 Jun 1967 during the Six-Day War, James Bamford, an NSA historian, wrote that the USS Liberty SIGINT personnel intercepted IDF communications about Israeli soldiers massacring unarmed Egyptian POWs. To eliminate damaging evidence of war crimes the naval eavesdropping platform might be gathering, the Israeli High Command allegedly ordered an airstrike on the USN ship, killing 34 Americans and wounding 173.

Of a crew of 294 officers and men (including three civilians), the ship suffered 34 KIA and 173 WIA. The ship itself, a $40,000,000 state-of-the-art signals intelligence (SIGINT) platform, was so badly damaged that it never sailed on an operational mission again and was sold in 1970 for $101,666.66 as scrap.

Sources:

Strike launched toward Israeli prime minister’s house; Gaza strikes kill at least 21 (voanews.com)

USS Liberty incident – Wikipedia

USS Liberty Veterans Association |

Israel denies UN accusations that it’s targeting peacekeepers in Lebanon (voanews.com)

Infographics | UNIFIL (unmissions.org)

Drone targets Israeli prime minister’s house as strikes in Gaza kill 50 (scrippsnews.com)

Russia, Ukraine Conduct Prisoner Swap, Exchange Fallen Soldiers

Ukrainian prisoners of war seen following a prisoner swap at an undisclosed location in Ukraine, on 18 Oct 2024 (AFP Photo/Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout)

Russia and Ukraine swapped 190 prisoners of war on 18 Oct under an agreement completed with the help of the United Arab Emirates who mediated the exchange.

95 returning Russian servicemen were undergoing medical checks in Belarus. There was no immediate word of the exchange from Ukrainian authorities.

Russia and Ukraine also exchanged the bodies of fallen servicemen. 501 servicemen returned to Ukraine and 89 to Russia.

The bodies will be taken to Ukrainian morgues for identification, after which they will be handed over to relatives for burial.

The Russian Defense Ministry has not yet commented on the exchange of bodies, which the two sides have regularly done since 2022. The International Committee of the Red Cross acts as an intermediary in the exchanges.

In the meantime, South Korean intelligence confirmed Ukrainian President Zelensky’s accusation  on TV that North Korea is sending troops to fight Ukraine. NIS (once called KCIA) reported Pyongyang began moving special forces to Russia earlier this month to help support the Kremlin in its war against Ukraine. One report indicated 1,500 special forces were en route to Russia and a total of 10,000 troops would be ready to fight in Nov.

Satellite images released by South Korea’s intelligence services show North Korean special forces troops boarding Russian ships and being transported to the mainland. (Via UK Latest News.)

Large Russian transport planes (AN-124s) have been observed frequently sortieing between Vladivostok and Pyongyang. North Korean soldiers were provided with Russian uniforms and Russian-made weapons, as well as fake identification cards of residents of the Siberian region of Yakutiya Buratiya (Attachment 5) who have a similar appearance to North Koreans. They are being disguised as Russian soldiers in order to conceal their participation in the war.

NIS assessed that North Korea has provided more than 13,000 containers of artillery, missiles, anti-tank rockets, and other lethal aid to Russia on more than 70 occasions since Aug 2023.

The Ukrainian military should make targeting these North Koreans with HIMARs or other catastrophic weapons a priority to immediately demoralize them. These DPRK soldiers may be well-trained and disciplined, but Coriolanus can not uncover the last time these commandos were involved in a real shooting war since 1953.  Some commandos have conducted pin-prick raids against the South Korea coast, but nothing large-scale like this conflict. Seoul can be of assistance to Kiev by providing linguists and messages in order to begin a PSYOP campaign directed at these North Koreans. The old terminology was “leaflets and loudspeakers” to induce surrenders or get them to question why they are so far away from their families.

Serhii Hnezdilov, a Ukrainian soldier and activist, at a court hearing in Kiev this month after his arrest on a charge of desertion.  He wanted to draw attention to the need to discharge worn-out soldiers and replace them with fresh conscripts. (Photo: Stanislav Yurchenko / Reuters)   

The Ukrainian population is beginning to fatigue from the stresses of this 21-month long war while these fresh North Korean soldiers bolster the Russian army. As posted here on Coriolanus, the Ukrainian military is seeking out military-age males who have not registered for conscription or served at the front. Appeals to the Ukrainian diaspora to return home to fight have failed. Reports of Ukrainian military desertions are increasing and they seem not to stem from cowardice or lack of patriotism, but sheer exhaustion. Serhii Hnezdilov, pictured above, is protesting the never-ending combat tours.

Sources:

Russia, Ukraine Conduct Prisoner Swap, Exchange Of Bodies (rferl.org)

A Soldier Chose a Radical Way to Publicize Troop Fatigue: He Deserted – The New York Times (nytimes.com)

UAE resets a decade of muscular foreign policy (ft.com)

Press Release Details | News | NIS National Intelligence Service

Zelenskyy says 10,000 North Koreans could join Russian forces in Ukraine as he pushes ‘victory plan’ | AP News

US/Canada/Mexico: 16 Defendants Charged in Cocaine Smuggling Network; Four Murders

Ryan James Wedding (43) a Canadian citizen residing in Mexico and Andrew Clark (34) a Canadian citizen also residing in Mexico, were charged with running a continuing criminal enterprise, murder, and conspiring to possess, distribute, and export cocaine. Clark was arrested 8 Oct by Mexican law enforcement and is detained. Wedding is a fugitive.

Wedding, whose aliases include “El Jefe,” “Giant,” and “Public Enemy,” and who competed for Canada in the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, UT, is head of the Wedding Drug Trafficking Organization (WDTO).  Wedding and Clark allegedly directed the 20 Nov 2023, murders of two members of a family in Ontario, Canada, in retaliation for a stolen drug shipment that passed through Southern California. They ordered the murder of another victim on 18 May 2024, over a drug debt

Cocaine shipments were transported from Mexico to the Los Angeles area, stored in stash houses, then delivered to Canada using long-haul semi-trucks. 

The FBI is offering a reward of up to $50,000 for any information leading to his arrest.

Law enforcement seized more than one ton of cocaine, three firearms, dozens of rounds of ammunition, $255,400 in US currency, and more than $3.2 million in cryptocurrency.

An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty in court.

If convicted, Wedding, Clark, and Cunningham would face a mandatory minimum penalty of life in federal prison on the murder and attempted murder charges. The continuing criminal enterprise charges also carry a mandatory minimum penalty of life in federal prison. The drug trafficking charges carry mandatory minimum penalties between 10 and 15 years in prison. 

Olympian Ryan James Wedding competing in happier times. (Undated photo . Getty Images)

This is only a matter of time before Wedding is either caught by law-enforcement or disposed of by other nefarious elements south of the border. Wedding is no longer of any utility and now presents a threat to lucrative criminal operations with the spotlight shining on him as a fugitive with a reward for his capture.   

Sources:

Central District of California | 16 Defendants Charged in Superseding Indictment Alleging Bulk Shipments of Cocaine to Canada, Four Murders | United States Department of Justice

Canadian former Olympic snowboarder wanted in double homicide: DOJ | CTV News

France: Local Transmissions of Dengue Fever Reach Record High

The tiger mosquito bites throughout the day and carries dengue fever, chikungunya, and Zika. (Photo:  © AP – James Gathany)

Since the beginning of May, the onset of tiger mosquito activity, 80 people have contracted the tropical disease without travelling to endemic regions.

This marks a new record, surpassing the 65 locally transmitted cases reported in 2022 and 45 in 2023. 

It follows a recent report from the National Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health Safety (Anses) that suggests the risk of an epidemic of dengue, chikungunya or Zika – all diseases transmitted by tiger mosquitoes – is high.

On a scale of 0 to 9, the agency rated the likelihood of such an outbreak occurring in mainland France within the next five years at 6 to 7.

Map: Welt-Atlas.de

Currently, dengue cases are localised mainly in the south-eastern Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region, which has reported 58 infections this year alone. The main factors contributing to potential outbreaks are warm temperatures – between 25 and 30 degrees Celsius – and the importation of viruses from areas experiencing epidemics.

Since the beginning of the year, Santé Publique France has recorded 3,938 imported dengue cases, alongside 22 cases of chikungunya and five of Zika – 1.5 times the number reported in 2023. 

A significant majority of these cases – 68 percent – involved travelers returning from the French Caribbean territories of Guadeloupe and Martinique, in the grip of extensive outbreaks for over a year.

The tiger mosquito first arrived in mainland France in 2004, establishing a foothold in the southern town of Menton before spreading across the entire country. Once an area is colonised by mosquitoes, eradication becomes a daunting challenge. Residents are urged to eliminate standing water and other mosquito breeding sites in their surroundings.

The World Health Organization (WHO) warns that the spread of dengue and other mosquito-borne diseases in recent years is “an alarming trend that demands a coordinated response across sectors and across borders”.

The UN health agency said the number of dengue cases reported globally has approximately doubled each year since 2021, with over 12.3 million cases, including more than 7,900 deaths, reported in the first eight months of 2024 alone.

An estimated four billion people worldwide are currently at risk of contracting dengue, chikungunya, or Zika, according to the WHO, with that number estimated to swell to five billion by 2050.

Dengue symptoms include high fever, often accompanied by headaches, nausea and vomiting, lasting two to three weeks.

Global warming has been a benefit to man’s apex predator, the mosquito. Longer summers and warmer temperatures help expand their spread, as well as their feeding/mating times.  

Sources:

Local transmissions of dengue fever reach record high in France (rfi.fr)

Chikungunya, dengue et zika – Données de la surveillance renforcée en France hexagonale 2024 (santepubliquefrance.fr)

What are the risks and impacts of diseases transmitted by the tiger mosquito? | Anses – Agence nationale de sécurité sanitaire de l’alimentation, de l’environnement et du travail

Paris wards off tiger mosquito scourge ahead of Olympics

Dengue and severe dengue (who.int)

Tel Aviv Man Arrested for Allegedly Spying for Iran; Planned Assassination of Israeli Scientist

Vladimir Varkhovsky (Photo: Regtechtimes)

Israeli authorities have arrested a Tel Aviv resident on suspicion of carrying out missions for Iranian intelligence, including graffiti, distributing flyers, and gathering information on Israeli targets.

Vladimir Varkhovsky allegedly agreed to assassinate an Israeli scientist for $100,000 and had obtained a weapon for the task. The Shin Bet said communication with his handlers was in English.

Varkhovsky communicated with an Iranian agent via the Telegram messaging app and carried out several tasks for the agent between Aug and Sep 2024. These included spraying anti-Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu graffiti around Tel Aviv, placing plastic containers with tracking devices near Segula Cemetery in Petah Tikva and filming protests in Tel Aviv in an attempt to connect with another demonstrator.

Varkhovsky was reportedly instructed to retrieve a pistol intended for the assassination of the Israeli scientist. The foreign agent promised him $100,000 and assistance in fleeing to Russia after the murder. Varkhovsky collected the gun and matching magazine at a pre-arranged location as part of the plot. He received payment for his activities in digital currency.

The intelligence network that led to Varkhovsky’s arrest was uncovered through a joint investigation by the Shin Bet and the Israeli police’s serious crime Lahav 433 unit, often dubbed “the Israeli FBI.” (Photo: Regtechtimes)

The Shin Bet and police warned that Iranian intelligence has used social media platforms to recruit unsuspecting Israelis for various tasks. “While some assignments may initially seem harmless, they pose a genuine threat to national security. Many Israelis who received suspicious outreach did not respond and alert the authorities,” the statement added.

Superintendent Maor Goren, head of the security division at Lahav 433, added: “This case is part of a series of serious investigations where Israeli citizens were recruited by foreign agents. However, this case stands out due to its severity and boldness: the defendant had already armed himself with a pistol, magazine and bullets, after agreeing to carry out the murder of a scientist for $100,000 and planning to flee the country with the foreign agent’s help to Russia immediately after the attack.”

The indictment follows a similar case just days earlier, in which a couple from the nearby city of Ramat Gan was charged with contacting an Iranian agent and agreeing to assassinate Israeli officials.

Vladislav Victorsson (30) and his partner Anna Bernstein (18) are accused of working under the direction of an Iranian agent to carry out various criminal activities. (Photo: Yuval Chen)

The alleged plot against an Israeli scientist is most likely a response to the murder of nuclear physicists in Iran. Between 2010 and 2020, five Iranian nuclear scientists (Masoud Ali-Mohammadi, Majid Shahriari, Darioush Rezaeinejad, Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan, and Mohsen Fakhrizadeh) were killed in foreign-linked assassinations.

Sources:

Tel Aviv man arrested for allegedly spying for Iran, planned assassination of Israeli (ynetnews.com)

Israeli couple indicted in Iranian plot to assassinate Israeli officials (ynetnews.com)

Assassination of Iranian nuclear scientists – Wikipedia

Main Zoo in North Macedonian Capital Shut Down After Avian Flu Case Detected

Map: CIA

The main zoo in North Macedonia’s capital Skopje was closed Saturday after authorities confirmed the presence of a highly pathogenic strain of bird flu.

According to a press statement, the flu was detected in a goose that died in a pond.

“Laboratory results confirmed a case of the presence of a pathogenic strain of the Avian influenza H5N1 virus,” the statement said.

Authorities immediately put down dozens of ducks, geese, chickens and one jackdaw, which inhabited the same pond.

The zoo will be closed for at least three weeks. During that period, authorities will disinfect the place, inspect other animals and apply other biosecurity measures aimed to prevent the spread of the disease.

The last cases of bird flu in North Macedonia, all in wild birds, were detected in 2022.

You can see more fauna in the Skopje Zoo here: ZOO Skopje photo gallery – Quest Macedonia (Photo: Aleksandar Ristevski)

The virus can cause heavy losses in the poultry industry and lead to restrictions on the import and export of live birds and poultry products. Highly pathogenic strains of avian flu can also be transmitted to humans.

Founded in 1926, Skopje’s zoo is one of the most visited places in the capital, with hundreds of thousands of visitors each year, not only from the country but also from across the Western Balkans.

In the past, the zoo had been the target of much criticism over the animals’ living conditions. Starting in 2008, authorities poured large sums of money into improvements, working with the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA) to bring the zoo up to modern standards.

Sources:

Main zoo in North Macedonian capital shut down after avian flu case detected – ABC News (go.com)

ZOO Skopje photo gallery – Quest Macedonia

US/Canada: Frozen Waffles Sold at Walmart, Target Recalled Over Listeria Risk

This is a voluntary recall of the product. (Photo: Treehouse Foods)

Hundreds of varieties of frozen waffles sold under brands like Kodiak Cakes, Simple Truth, Walmart’s Great Value and Target’s Good & Gather have been recalled because of a possible listeria contamination.

Manufacturer TreeHouse Foods voluntarily announced the recall on Friday after the contamination was discovered during routine testing.

There have been no confirmed reports of illness linked to the recalled products to date, the company said.

The recalled frozen waffles were distributed throughout the US and Canada and packed in various formats.

Listeria infections typically cause fever, muscle aches and tiredness and may cause stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance and convulsions. Symptoms can occur quickly or to up to ten weeks after eating contaminated food, according to the Center for Disease Prevention and Control.

The infections are especially dangerous for older people, those with weakened immune systems or who are pregnant.

Consumers who have purchased any of the products listed in the recall should dispose of them or return the product to the place of purchase for credit. Further questions can be directed to the company at (800) 596-2903.

Sources:

TreeHouse Foods, Inc. – TreeHouse Foods Announces Voluntary Recall of Certain Waffle Products Due to the Potential for Listeria monocytogenes Contamination

Frozen waffles sold at retailers like Walmart, Target recalled for listeria risk (scrippsnews.com)

American Warzone: Mass Shooting After Mississippi High School Homecoming; 3 KIA; 8 WIA

Whether people in the US want to admit it or not, Americans suffer from wartime casualties every day without having to go to war with another country. This is why Coriolanus uses these brutal, military terms. According to the CDC, in 2022 there were more than 48,000 firearm-related deaths in the US. The US military suffered 58,281 KIA in Vietnam. In this photo, US Army medics are providing aid to a casualty. (Image: US Department of Defense)

Three people were killed and at least eight more were wounded during a shooting in Mississippi early Saturday morning.

The shooting happened just after 12:30 CDT during a trail ride in Holmes County, approximately five miles from the city of Lexington, Miss.

(Map: thedirectory.org)

Police are still searching for suspects, with agents from the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation assisting local authorities.

Officials say a group of people were riding together following a homecoming event at a local high school when a confrontation broke out, leading to the mass shooting.

Police identified two men from Durant, MS and a woman from Kosciusko in neighboring Attala County, as those who were killed.

The remaining victims were taken to hospitals in Jackson, MS, including by air ambulance, with varying degrees of injuries.

The incident took place following a homecoming event and football game at Holmes County Central High School.

In an average year, 804 people are murdered and 2,101 are wounded by guns in Mississippi. The Magnolia State has the 2nd-highest rate of gun violence in the US.

Mississippi has the 2nd-highest societal cost of gun violence in the US at $3,323 per resident each year. Gun deaths and injuries cost Mississippi $9.9 billion each year, of which $307.2 million is paid by taxpayers.

Sources:


https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2024/10/19/mississippi-high-school-shooting-homecoming/4021729354393/

https://www.cdc.gov/firearm-violence/data-research/facts-stats/index.html

EveryStat – EveryStat.org

Massachusetts Governor Grants Reprieve to Beaver

Nibi was found on the side of a road when she was just a baby. Efforts to familiarize her with other beavers were not successful and she preferred to be near humans, according to Newhouse Wildlife Rescue who provided this photo.

The question of whether a two-year-old beaver named Nibi can stay with the rescuers she has known since she was a baby or must be released into the wild was resolved when the Massachusetts governor stepped in to protect Nibi.

The state issued a permit to Newhouse Wildlife Rescue for Nibi to remain at the rehabilitation facility and serve as an educational animal.

“Nibi has captured the hearts of many of our residents, mine included,” Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey said Thursday. “We’re excited to share that we have issued a permit for Nibi to remain in Newhouse’s care, continuing to educate the public about this important species.”

Nibi’s fate had made it all the way to the state courts before Healey stepped in.

A judge on Tuesday had said that Nibi would be allowed to stay in her home at the rescue center in Chelmsford, located northwest of Boston. A hearing had been set in a case filed by the rescuers against MassWildlife, the state’s division of fisheries and wildlife, to stop the release.

Nibi’s rescuers at Newhouse Wildlife Rescue said on their Facebook page that they were “beyond grateful” for Healey’s decision.

Nibi has been a hit on the rescue group’s social media since she was a baby, and posts about her impending release garnered thousands of comments.

An online petition to save Nibi from being released into the wild has received over 25,000 signatures, lawmakers have weighed in, and earlier this week Healey pledged to make sure Nibi is protected.

“We all care about what is best for the beaver known as Nibi and all wild animals throughout our state,” Mark Tisa, director of MassWildlife, said. “We share the public’s passion for wildlife and invite everyone to learn more about beavers and their important place in our environment.”

Jane Newhouse, the rescue group’s founder and president, has said that after Nibi was found on the side of the road, they tried to reunite her with nearby beavers who could have been her parents but were unsuccessful. After that, attempts to get her to bond with other beavers also didn’t work.

“It’s very difficult to consider releasing her when she only seems to like people and seems to have no interest in being wild or bonding with any of her own species,” she said.

Nibi has a large enclosure with a pool at the rescue operation, and will also wander in its yard and rehabilitation space, Newhouse said. “She pretty much has full run of the place. Everybody on my team is in love with her,” she said.

Newhouse said she had asked MassWildlife if she could get a permit for Nibi to become an educational beaver, allowing her to take the beaver to schools, libraries and town halls. Newhouse said she feared a release would mean certain death for her beloved “diva” beaver, who doesn’t know how to live in the wild.

“It doesn’t give her much time… to figure out how to build a lodge for the first time, how to build dams for the first time, how to store all of her food before winter sets in,” she said.

Newhouse said that beavers usually leave their parents between the ages of 2 and 3, so it’s possible that over the next year Nibi will show more interest in wanting to be in the wild. But unless that happens, she wants to keep her safe.

Beavers are common and abundant throughout Massachusetts. A keystone species, beavers play an important role in fostering biodiversity of ecosystems, according to state officials. By damming rivers and streams, and forming shallow ponds, beavers are vital for creating healthy wetlands that support a tremendous diversity of plants, bugs, and wildlife, and store floodwaters during storms.

They are also North America’s largest native rodents, weighing between 35 and 80 pounds and reaching 2–3 feet in length as adults. Adult beavers have very few predators and can live for 20 years or more.

In almost all cases, it’s best to leave wildlife alone, officials said, so they don’t come to rely on humans for food and shelter.

Sources:

Nibi the ‘diva’ beaver to stay at rescue center, Massachusetts governor decides | AP News

download (mass.gov)

Undated photo of Nibi, courtesy of Jane Newhouse, Newhouse Wildlife Rescue

After Killing Palestinian Resistance Leader, IDF Continues Special Military Operation in Gaza

Palestinian children line up for food in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, 17 Oct 2024. A UN-backed assessment has found some 345,000 Gazans face “catastrophic” levels of hunger this winter.

Israel conducted raids on Gaza on Friday, pressing its yearlong war to crush the Palestinians after killing resistance leader Yahya Sinwar. Like Osama bin-Laden who should have faced justice in the Southern District of New York (SDNY) for the 9/11 attacks on the US, Sinwar too was killed without judicial process.  

According to Gaza’s civil defense agency, rescuers recovered the bodies of three Palestinian children from the rubble of their home in the north of the territory after it was hit at dawn. The IDF is pressing its operation in Jabalia, where air and drone strikes killed at least 14 people on Thursday.

With the civilian toll in Gaza mounting, Israel has faced criticism over its conduct of the war, including from the US. Israel’s Nakba campaign and free the hostages seized by Palestinian fighters has killed 42,438 people in Gaza, the majority civilians, women, and children. Several more nations have cut diplomatic ties with Jerusalem and an American journalist suggested Israel be expelled from the UN because of its brutal pogrom against the Palestinians and for declaring UNGA Secretary-General António Manuel de Oliveira Guterres persona non grata.

These Israelis joyously celebrate the news of the death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar at a southern kibbutz, 17 Oct 2024. Note the elation on the faces of the celebrants, unaware of twice-GOP Presidential candidate Thomas E. Dewey’s famous words, “You can’t shoot an idea with a gun,” as if the IDF killing of one man erases Palestinian nationalism. Urbane Israelis in Ramat Aviv or Haifa wonder how much taxes these kibbutzers pay or whether they ever served in the IDF like them (Photo: AP)

Sources:

Israel conducts raids on Gaza after killing Hamas chief Sinwar (voanews.com)

Moldovan Police Arrest ‘Provocateurs’ Trained in Russia, Balkans

Moldova has a population of 3,599,528 people comprised of these ethnic groups: Moldovan 75.1%, Romanian 7%, Ukrainian 6.6%, Gagauz 4.6%, Russian 4.1%, Bulgarian 1.9%, other 0.8% (2014 est.), GDP per capita: $15,700 (2023 est.) Map and information: CIA.

Moldovan authorities exposed a network of more than 100 people trained in Russia and the Balkans to provoke post-election unrest. Four suspects were arrested and placed in pretrial custody for 30 days following extensive searches by police and Moldova’s Intelligence and Security Service (SIS).

Pro-Western President Maia Sandu is running for a second term on 20 Oct in an election that takes place simultaneously with a referendum to decide whether Moldovans want their impoverished country of 2.5 million people to pursue integration into the EU.

The pro-Kremlin network was financed by Russia-friendly fugitive oligarch Ilan Shor, who is wanted in Moldova for his involvement in the theft of some $1 billion from the impoverished ex-Soviet republic’s banking system about a decade ago.

Authorities released hidden-camera videos purporting to depict training sessions in Russia, Serbia, and Bosnia-Herzegovina. In one video, young people standing on a stage in what appears to be a training hall mock a protest and chant slogans such as “Our language is Russian,” “No dual citizenship,” and “We don’t want to be in Europe.” Another video purportedly shows a training camp said to be in the Balkans where young men are appear to be learning how to make explosives and pilot drones.

The investigators said the approximately 100 young people who took part in the alleged training were around 20 years old. They started traveling to Russia in June and some of them underwent additional training at camps in Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina belonging to Russian mercenary groups Ferma and Wagner. Among the coordinators of the action is Konstantin Potyomkin, who has ties with the notorious Wagner group. SIS chief Alexandru Musteata said Moldovan authorities “have the situation under control,” and the degree of risk regarding possible destabilization is now “low.”

Under Sandu’s government, Moldova secured EU candidate status in 2022 and opened accession talks with the bloc earlier this year after siding with Ukraine following Russia’s unprovoked invasion, in a radical U-turn toward the West and away from Moscow’s decades-long influence.

The two polls are seen as crucial for the future of the former Soviet republic and come amid a hybrid campaign of disinformation employed by Russia to scare Moldovans away from the EU and keep them in Moscow’s orbit.

Moldovan and several Western governments have warned that Russia and Shor plan to organize mass unrest if the elections and the referendum will have results contrary to the Kremlin’s liking. Russia’s eventual goal is to bring in a pro-Moscow government in Chisinau, which seems to be thwarted for now.

Sources:

Moldovan Police Arrest ‘Provocateurs’ Trained In Russia, Balkans (rferl.org)

Russia Pressures Central Asian Prisoners to Fight in Ukraine as ‘Expendable Force’

The Sakharovo migration center in Moscow (Photo: AP)

A 24-year-old migrant worker from Kyrgyzstan, Eleman enlisted in the military at a Russian prison in 2023 with the promise of parole, big money, and Russian citizenship in return for six months of combat in Ukraine. In jail for drug trafficking, he was sent to the front line after just a few days of training.

Eleman was forced to remain on the battlefield even after his contract had ended despite being wounded. His father said:


“If you’re alive and can shoot, it’s enough for them to send you to the combat zone.”


Eleman was finally discharged from the military earlier this year after he sustained even more severe injuries that left him disabled.  Eleman is one of thousands of inmates in Russia who were recruited to fight in Ukraine as Moscow struggles to replenish its depleting forces while trying to avoid another unpopular mobilization.

Russia’s Defense Ministry began enlisting inmates in early 2023, taking over from the notorious Wagner mercenary group that started the prisoner-recruitment scheme in July 2022 — five months after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Wagner had enlisted nearly 50,000 prisoners — 20 percent of whom were killed in Ukraine — as of May 2023, according to the group’s founder, Evgeniy Prigozhin. Prigozhin fell out of favor with the Kremlin before dying in a suspicious plane crash in Aug 2023.

The Defense Ministry has expanded the practice of recruiting inmates to the extent that dozens of penal colonies in Russia were emptied and closed. Pretrial-detention facilities and immigration-detention centers — which hold hundreds of migrant workers mainly from Central Asian countries have become recruitment hubs. Russian officials have made prison conditions unbearably harsh and inhumane in an effort to pressure inmates into joining the military.

“They keep you in a cold cell, you sleep on the floor with just a pillow underneath you holding plastic bottles filled with hot water to keep warm,” is how one Kyrgyz inmate described his bleak life in a prison in central Russia.

The father of another Kyrgyz inmate incarcerated in the Sverdlovsk region said his son told him that prisoners “had to drink their own urine after being kept in isolation for days without food or water.”

Once recruited into the military, the convicts are treated as an expendable force, with little consideration for their lives and are often thrown onto the front line with just a few days of military training.

Kyrgyzstan says some 1,500 Kyrgyz nationals are serving time in Russian prisons, most of them accused of drug trafficking. The number of Tajik inmates and detainees in Russia was estimated at about 10,000 before the Ukraine invasion. The exact number of Central Asian prisoners in Russia is unknown. Nor is it clear how many Central Asian inmates were recruited to war from Russian prisons.


Kyrgyzstan has repatriated about 100 of its nationals from Russian prisons to serve the remainder of their sentences in Kyrgyzstan. About 500 other such requests by Bishkek have been rejected by Russian authorities.

This cynical Kremlin strategy provides the Russian military with cannon-fodder for the front line against Ukraine while simultaneously depopulating itself of minorities (non-Slavic Muslims). Over a century ago, rumors spread that an abnormally high amount of the Czar’s casualties in the Russo-Japanese War (1904-05) also came from minority groups, particularly at Port Arthur. But this is strictly anecdotal. And note North Korea sent troops to fight against Russia. ROK CIA (NIS) reported that 1,500 SOF personnel are being readied for combat in an unspecified location in Russia.     

Source:

Russia Pressures Central Asian Prisoners To Fight In Ukraine As ‘Expendable Force’ (rferl.org)

US Treasury Sanctions Chinese Drone Makers

The Garpiya has been deployed by Russia in its brutal war against Ukraine, destroying critical infrastructure and causing mass casualties.

The US imposed sanctions on two Chinese companies and an affiliated Russian company involved in making and shipping drones that Russia has used in its full-scale war in Ukraine.

The two Chinese companies designated by the US Treasury Department are Xiamen Limbach Aircraft Engine Company, and the Redlepus Vector Industry Shenzhen.

Xiamen Limbach Aircraft Engine Company makes an engine that powers Russia’s Garpiya series long-range unmanned aerial vehicles. Redlepus Vector Industry Shenzhen is involved in shipping the attack drones.

A Russian national and company affiliated with the two Chinese companies were also designated in the sanctions: Artem Yamshchikov and TSK Vektor.

These are the first US sanctions imposed on Chinese entities that produce complete weapons systems in partnership with Russian firms. Previously imposed sanctions on Chinese entities have targeted those that provided components critical to Russia’s military-industrial base.

The drone was designed and developed by China-based experts and is produced at factories within China in collaboration with Russian defense firms before they are transferred to Russia for use against Ukraine, according to the department.

The sanctions freeze any assets held by the individuals and companies in US jurisdiction and bar US persons from conducting business with them.

Sources:

Treasury Targets Actors Involved in Drone Production for Russia’s War Against Ukraine | U.S. Department of the Treasury

Chinese Drone Companies Targeted By Latest U.S. Sanctions (rferl.org)

Justice Department Announces Charges Against Indian Government Employee in Connection with Foiled Plot to Assassinate US Citizen in NYC

Vikash Yadav from the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) allegedly orchestrated a failed bid to kill him. RAW is the Indian government’s equivalent of CIA. Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.

The Justice Department filed charges against Vikash Yadav (39) in connection to a foiled assassination plot of a US citizen in NYC. Yadav’s alleged co-conspirator, Nikhil Gupta (53) was previously charged and extradited to the US; Yadav remains at large.

Gurpatwant Singh Pannun (above) is a Sikh dissident in NYC. He is reportedly a citizen of Canada as well.

Gurpatwant Singh Pannun is a vocal critic of the Indian government and leads a US-based organization that advocates for the secession of Punjab, a state in northern India that is home to a large population of Sikhs, an ethnoreligious minority group in India. The victim has publicly called for some or all of Punjab to secede from India and establish a Sikh sovereign state called Khalistan, and the Indian government has banned the victim and his separatist organization from India.

Vikash Yadav is a citizen and resident of India, and he directed the plot to assassinate the victim from India. His accomplice Gupta recruited a hit-man, who was in reality a confidential source (CS) of the DEA. Gupta specifically instructed his assassin not to commit the murder around the time of the Indian Prime Minister’s official state visit to the US on or about 20 Jun 2023. On or about 18 June 2023, approximately two days before the Indian PM Narendra Modi’s state visit to the US, masked gunmen murdered Hardeep Singh Nijjar outside a Sikh temple in British Columbia, Canada. Nijjar was an associate of the victim, and, like the victim, was a leader of the Sikh separatist movement and an outspoken critic of the Indian government.

Yadav and Gupta of India have been charged with several felonies and face possibly up to 40 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the US Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

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

The Canadian government recently expelled several Indian diplomats in connection with the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar. The Sikhs are an integral part of Canadian society and they were outraged by this brazen assassination. For several years, the right-wing government of Narendra Modi has been making life difficult for non-Hindus in India, as well as abroad. The US must tread carefully as India is seen as an ally against a growing Chinese military. Washington also doesn’t want Delhi to increase its support or trade with Russia.

Sources:

Office of Public Affairs | Justice Department Announces Charges Against Indian Government Employee in Connection with Foiled Plot to Assassinate U.S. Citizen in New York City | United States Department of Justice

dl (justice.gov)

RAW officer Vikram Yadav ‘hired hit team’ to kill Pannun: Washington Post – Hindustan Times

Statement by the Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs on the RCMP’s findings regarding criminal activity in Canada with connections to agents of the Government of India – Canada.ca

Texas Fanatic Sentenced to Prison for Assaulting Law Enforcement During 6 Jan Attack on US Capitol

This lunatic shouted “Fuck you” at police officers all day and impeded the progress of a medical team that was trying to aid a rioter that was shot. (Photo: FBI)

Dana Jean Bell (66) of Princeton, TX was sentenced to 17 months in prison, 36 months of supervised release, and ordered to pay $2,000 in restitution by US District Judge Timothy J. Kelly for her atrocious and felonious conduct on 6 Jan 2021. Her actions led to the eventual suicide of a police officer.

When the Trump-supporting mob began assaulting officers with pepper spray and ripping at least one police riot shield out of an officer’s hands, Bell made her way to the front of the rabble.  As the rioters inside the building forced the East Rotunda doors open, Bell reached out and grabbed the doors from the outside, disregarding that a USCP officer was pinned behind the doors.

After a rioter was shot in the Capitol, Bell refused orders to clear the way for a medical team, shouting “Don’t fuckin’ touch me!”  She told multiple officers to “get a real job” and that “no one support y’all, nobody!” This included Officer Jeffrey Smith, who tragically took his own life following severe personal injuries sustained in the line of duty on 6 Jan. As she was forced down the hallway, Bell also shoved her elbow multiple times into one officer’s chest.

When Bell finally exited the Capitol, she also assaulted two journalists. The FBI arrested the maniac on 7 Dec 2023 in Texas.

(Photos: FBI)

Erin Smith, whose husband Jeff Smith suffered a traumatic brain injury and a fracture while repelling the rioters, spoke at the sentencing hearing.

“Because of Dana Bell, (my husband) didn’t get the chance to keep serving as a police officer,” Smith said. “At 35, instead of becoming a mother, I became a widow.”

The presiding judge, a Republican and Donald Trump appointee, sentenced this maniac too lightly despite all the evidence he was presented. Although this was Dana Bell’s first offense, the US Sentencing Guidelines probably allows for upward departure in cases like this where significant harm arose subsequent to the instant offense. Here, a man received TBI and then committed suicide.

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

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

Sources:

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

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/erin-smith-january-6-widow-jeff-smith-testifies-sentencing-dana-bell/

Flesh-Eating Bacteria Infections Increase in Florida After Hurricanes Helene, Milton

Flesh-eating bacteria cases (necrotizing fasciitis) have surged in the last few weeks since Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton swept through, according to data from the Florida Department of Health (FDOH). Vibrio vulnificus, a naturally occurring but potentially fatal bacterial infection, thrives in warm floodwaters when hurricanes and tropical storms push brackish water along the coast and into rivers and canals, filling them and low-lying areas with rainwater, pollutants, sewage, and debris.

In southwest Florida, four new cases in Lee County and one in Collier County have been reported — an “unusual increase” due to the recent hurricanes. In 2022, Lee and Collier counties also experienced a spike in cases due to the impacts of Hurricane Ian. There have been 37 cases and four deaths reported statewide since mid-Sep 2024, with 13 cases and one death in Pinellas County. The 2024 total of Vibrio vulnificus in Florida is 70 confirmed cases and 11 deaths. In 2023, there were 46 cases all year, and 11 deaths.

If Vibrio vulnificus bacteria infects a person, such as by floodwaters coming in contact with a cut or other open wound, it can cause the skin and soft tissue around the wound to quickly break down. Treatment may require limb amputation to stop the rapid flesh deterioration, and the infection can be fatal.

Nationwide, vibriosis from Vibrio vulnificus and other Vibrio bacteria causes an estimated 80,000 illnesses and 100 deaths every year, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). About 52,000 of these illnesses are believed to come from eating contaminated food, but the bacteria are also often found in flood waters, something Florida has seen a lot of lately.

Sources:

Vibrio vulnificus | Florida Department of Health (floridahealth.gov)

About Necrotizing Fasciitis | Group A Strep | CDC

Christopher Columbus Wasn’t a Christian from Italy, But Instead A Sephardic Jew From Spain, New Study Alleges

Posthumous painting completed circa 1519

In 1492, Christopher Columbus embarked on a voyage that would change the course of history. While his disputed discovery of the New World is well-known, the mysteries surrounding both his final resting place and his origins have puzzled historians for centuries.

After his death in 1506, Columbus’ remains were reburied several times across different countries over the course of hundreds of years, sparking debates over whether his declared final resting place at Seville Cathedral in Spain was actually legitimate.

Now, thanks to groundbreaking DNA research, the question of his burial site has reportedly been solved. Furthermore, surprising details about his origins have come to light, with scientists claiming that he was born in Spain, not Italy, and that he was of Sephardic Jewish descent.

An illustration of Christopher Columbus’ death on 20 May 1506.

At 54 years old, famous explorer Christopher Columbus passed away in Valladolid, Spain in 1506. In the 14 years leading up to his death, Columbus had suffered from bouts of gout and arthritis. His health continued to deteriorate, and he was often bedridden for months at a time.

Upon his death, Columbus was buried at the Chapel of Wonders at the Convent of St. Francis in Valladolid. Then, he was moved at the request of his son to the monastery of La Cartuja in Seville. Then, in 1536, both Columbus’ remains and those of his son were moved to a church in Colonial Santo Domingo, now the Dominican Republic. In his will, Columbus requested to be buried there.

However, when France took control of the island in 1793, Columbus’ remains were interred in Havana, Cuba. They remained there until Spain’s defeat in the Spanish-American War and the relinquishing of Cuba in 1898. From there, Columbus’ remains were moved to the Seville Cathedral.

Christopher Columbus’ tomb at the Seville Cathedral. (Image: Wikimedia Commons)

Evidently, the frequent shuffling of Christopher Columbus’ remains raised concerns among historians. An initial observation of the remains at Seville Cathedral revealed discrepancies with known information about Columbus’ age at death and general stature. Additionally, Dominican Republic authorities claimed that Columbus’ remains never left the island.

For years, people questioned whether Seville Cathedral really held the remains of Christopher Columbus, prompting Spanish scientists to tackle the mystery for themselves.

Beginning with the collection of DNA from the remains in the Seville Cathedral in 2003, scientists have just now received the answers they were looking for.

RTVE: Samples of Christopher Columbus’ bones that were tested by scientists.

In 2003, historians Marcial Castro and José Antonio Lorente opened the tomb of Columbus at Seville Cathedral and collected DNA evidence from bone fragments.

The DNA sample was then compared to the DNA of Columbus’ son Hernando, who is also buried at the cathedral. At the time, the results came back as a match, but there was still a large margin of error. Technology at the time simply could not confirm conclusively that the remains belonged to Christopher Columbus.

Then, in 2020, Spanish broadcaster RTVE began production of a documentary to not only discover the true location of Columbus’ burial site but also shed light on his mysterious origins. Led by Lorente, an expert forensic scientist, the documentary crew explored these historical mysteries.

The investigation involved comparing the 2003 DNA sample to remains from many of Columbus’ reported relatives. To increase the validity of the DNA testing, the research team had separate laboratories from Spain, the US, Mexico, and Italy test the items and come to their own conclusions.

“The process was carried out independently, with no communication between the clinics, ensuring the objectivity of the data,” Lorente told El País.

Ultimately, the labs confirmed that the remains at Seville Cathedral were indeed those of Christopher Columbus.

“Today it has been possible to verify it with new technologies, so that the previous partial theory that the remains of Seville belong to Christopher Columbus has been definitively confirmed,” Lorente told Reuters.

“The process was carried out independently, with no communication between the clinics, ensuring the objectivity of the data,” Lorente told El País.

Ultimately, the labs confirmed that the remains at Seville Cathedral were indeed those of Christopher Columbus.

“Today it has been possible to verify it with new technologies, so that the previous partial theory that the remains of Seville belong to Christopher Columbus has been definitively confirmed,” Lorente told Reuters.

Christopher Columbus Painting

The 1856 painting Inspiration of Christopher Columbus. (Wikimedia Commons)

As for Christopher Columbus’ true origins, the investigation revealed that Columbus was a Sephardic Jew from Western Europe, likely Spain.

“We have DNA from Christopher Columbus, very partial, but sufficient. We have DNA from Hernando Colón, his son,” Lorente said in the documentary. “And both in the Y chromosome (male) and in the mitochondrial DNA (transmitted by the mother) of Hernando there are traits compatible with Jewish origin.”

However, some scientists have begun to cast doubt on these claims, with further debate likely to come when the new results are soon published in a peer-reviewed journal.

If the DNA testing confirms that Christopher Columbus was indeed a Sephardic Jew and not an Italian Catholic, what new name will the US-based Catholic Knights of Columbus choose?

Source:

Where Was Christopher Columbus Born? New Study Says Spain (allthatsinteresting.com)

Unending Nakba: 61 Palestinians in Gaza Killed, Ten from Same Family; Ten Lebanese Killed; IDF Attacks UNIFIL Peacekeepers

Hunting for Hamas, no matter the collateral damage (Tjeerd Royaards, 9 Nov 2023)

Israeli attacks killed at least 61 people across Gaza on Tuesday, including 10 members of the Abu Taamiya family in the south of the territory. At least ten people have been killed in Israeli bombings of homes and a healthcare center in Qana, a Lebanese village that suffered Israeli massacres in 1996 and 2006.

Residents trapped in the Jabalia refugee camp face continued “carnage” with Israeli forces carrying out “systematic destruction” as the siege of northern Gaza enters a twelfth day.

The IDF attacked the al-Aqsa Hospital compound in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza, in the early hours of Monday, igniting a fire that burned makeshift shelters for displaced people. At least four people were killed and dozens injured, mostly women and children.

One mother called it “one of the worst scenes we’ve witnessed”, while an injured girl said she heard screaming as people tore down their tent to get them out. A man said he had “broken down” as he was “unable to do anything” to help those who burned to death.

Warning: People may find this video, corroborated by the BBC, disturbing:

https://twitter.com/i/status/1845689850369835255

In Lebanon, at least ten people have been killed in Israeli bombings of homes and a healthcare center in Qana, a village that suffered Israeli massacres in 1996 and 2006. Multiple Israeli strikes targeted Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley, taking a hospital in the city of Baalbek out of service. The strikes came as Netanyahu vowed ruthless reprisals after Hezbollah counter-attacked with a drone that killed four IDF troops on 13 Oct. Israel’s sophisticated air defenses have usually shot down Hezbollah’s rockets without problems.

Netanyahu said that Israel would continue to strike the group “without mercy, everywhere in Lebanon — including Beirut.”

Following the Hezbollah counterattack, IDF reprisals killed 41 people and injured 124 in Lebanon on 14 Oct. More than half of the victims were killed in the northern village of Aito, which lies outside Hezbollah’s traditional strongholds. The UN’s human rights office in Geneva called for an independent investigation after receiving credible reports that a dozen women and children were among the dead.

The Israeli war machine also attacked UNIFIL when two Merkava tanks destroyed the main gate and forced entry into a UN peacekeeping position.

“The IDF requested multiple times that the base turn out its lights,” UNIFIL said in a statement.

The tanks left about 45 minutes later after the Mission protested through its liaison mechanism, saying that IDF presence was putting peacekeepers in danger.

UN personnel suffered effects from smoke after several rounds were fired in its vicinity.

“Despite putting on protective masks, fifteen peacekeepers suffered effects, including skin irritation and gastrointestinal reactions, after the smoke entered the camp,” UNIFIL reported. 50 nations contribute Soldiers to UNIFIL, including Ireland, France, Turkiye, China, Italy, Armenia, and Finland.

Netanyahu’s office said in a statement on 15 Oct that he will take into account the position of the US — Israel’s main ally — but will have his country’s own “national interests” as a top priority as it ponders a response to a massive Iranian counterattack earlier this month.

“We listen to the opinions of the United States, but we will make our final decisions based on our national interest,” his office said in a statement.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin warned Israel that it must increase the amount of humanitarian aid it is allowing into Gaza within the next 30 days or it could risk losing access to US weapons funding. The warning came in a letter to their Israeli counterparts dated 13 Oct that restates US policy toward humanitarian aid and arms transfers. The US election takes place in less than 30 days.

Adam Zyglis / Cagle Cartoons

Fears of an all-out regional war grew as signs indicated Israel could be preparing to launch a direct strike on Iran in retaliation for Tehran’s counterattack on 1 Oct. POTUS Joe Biden has warned Netanyahu against striking Iran’s nuclear or oil facilities to avoid a further escalation of the conflict.

On 13 Oct, Biden announced that he had ordered the Pentagon to send a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery and troops to Israel as part of US efforts to defend its ally, putting American service-members into harm’s way on behalf of Israel.

Just as the 9/11 attacks on the US gave Republicans a pretext to invade Afghanistan and Iraq, the 7 Oct 2023 attacks gave Israeli “Crime Minister” Benjamin Netanyahu and the Likudniks a casus belli to depopulate the Gaza Strip, appropriate Palestinian homes in the West Bank, attack Lebanese Hezbollah (an organization which first formed as resistance to the 1982 Israeli invasion), attack Iran, Yemen, and Syria, regardless of collateral damage to Arab civilians. The American taxpayer has made Israel a rich, militarily powerful country, having provided them $317.9 billion since 1951, making it the largest recipient of US foreign aid since World War II.

The American taxpayer is watching the “Beast of Bethlehem,” rabid and unleashed, wreak havoc in the Middle East with the US election weeks away and the Biden Administration appearing enfeebled. Worse, Netanyahu’s special military operation is tarnishing forever Pres. Biden’s legacy before his very eyes, (Illustration: Osama Hajjaj, 2 Nov 2022)

Sources:

Israel Launches Fresh Strikes On Lebanon After Netanyahu Warning (rferl.org)

(4) Updates Live: Israel kills 10 in Lebanon’s Qana; endless ‘carnage’ in northern Gaza (aljazeera.com)

Lebanon: IDF tanks force entry into UN peacekeeping position, UNIFIL reports | UN News

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

UNIFIL Troop-Contributing Countries | UNIFIL (unmissions.org)

To Boost Ukraine’s Army, Feared Patrols Hunt for Potential Conscripts

Officials looking for men stalk nightclubs, concerts, and subway stations but some accuse the patrols of dubious measures.

A patrol inside a subway station in Kiev checks the conscription status of men of fighting age [Image: Al Jazeera]

A stone’s throw from advancing Russian troops, Volodymyr refuses to leave his eastern Ukrainian town.

The daily Russian pummelling has killed some of his neighbors and destroyed buildings around his house, but the 34-year-old does not want to move to a safer area because he would be forcibly conscripted.

“I’ll be herded back home but with a gun in my hands,” he told Al Jazeera as fighting raged just six miles away.

He has no qualms about what Ukrainian generals might call unpatriotic behaviour. “Way too many guys” he knows have been killed, wounded, or incapacitated since 2014 when Russia-backed separatists sparked a conflict in eastern Ukraine that killed more than 13,000 people, about a quarter of them civilians, and displaced millions.

A local resident rides a bike near a recruitment advert for the Ukrainian army, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in the village of Hrushivka, in Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk region [File: Alina Smutko/Reuters]

Casualties soared after Russia’s full-scale invasion began in 2022.

Russian army chiefs have no misgivings about the loss of tens of thousands of their servicemen for each Ukrainian town they take, mostly in the Donetsk region, where Volodymyr lives.

But he accused Ukraine’s top brass and front-line officers of adopting a somewhat similar approach.

“The commanders care about their bosses’ opinion, not about the men serving under them,” he said, citing conversations with his enlisted friends.

He and other men interviewed for this story asked for their last names and personal details to be withheld because they fear reprisals.

About 1.3 million Ukrainians serve in the military and at least 80,000 soldiers of eligible age (25 to 60) have died since 2022, according to Western estimates.

President Volodymyr Zelensky’s government does not divulge the official death toll. He has said the army needs to enlist 500,000 out of about 3.7 million men of fighting age who are eligible for service.

These days, many potential recruits all over Ukraine think twice before leaving their homes. If they do, they look over their shoulder for “man-hunting” patrols.

Each patrol consists of police and conscription officers, groups of four to six officials that comb public areas such as subway stations, bus stops, shopping malls, city and town centers. They have also operated at rock concerts, nightclubs, and pricey restaurants.

Al Jazeera has witnessed the work of several such patrols. Each time, the officers refused to comment and be photographed. They approach any man in sight to check his ID and conscription document, a printout or a scan in a mobile phone that has a QR code.

The code gives access to the man’s “conscription status” in a central database.

That status had to be updated by mid-July when a conscription law took effect after months of deliberations and thousands of amendments. Every potential conscript had to provide details on his address, contacts, health, prior military service, and ability to handle weaponry, military equipment, and vehicles.

At the time, hours-long lines formed in front of conscription offices where staff were often interrupted by air raid sirens and blackouts caused by Russian strikes on energy infrastructure.

In May, the government launched Reserv+, an app allowing Ukrainians to update their conscription status from their mobile phones. Those who did not now face punishment – their driving licences could be revoked or bank accounts frozen. If potential conscripts live abroad, consular services could be denied.

Vitaly (23) studies engineering at a German university and was denied services at a Ukrainian consulate. He was told to ignore the app and return to Kiev to “personally” update his status.

“Of course, he didn’t because they wouldn’t let him go back” to Germany, his mother said.

“That’s how Ukraine lost one more national” because her son now plans to apply for German citizenship after graduation, she said.

Back in Ukraine, the patrols are feared by some.

“They round people up randomly, pack them into minibuses,” Boris (31) from the northeastern city of Kharkiv said. He said the patrols are able to detain men without checking their papers.

“Five or six [officers] twist one’s arms and, oops, tomorrow you’re at the Desna boot [camp]” in the northern region of Chernihiv.

Boris could be immune to conscription if he becomes a legal caregiver for his disabled father, who had a heart attack this year. But he is afraid to even set foot in a conscription office with the paperwork.

“People walk in there and end up in Desna a day later,” he said, referring to the camp Russian forces struck in May 2022 with two missiles, killing at least 87 conscripts.

In late August, an official on patrol detained Andriy (27) as he was entering a subway station in Kiev.

A doctoral student who cannot be drafted, Andriy showed his QR-coded card. But he was forcibly taken to the nearest conscription office, where officers told him he would be on his way to a boot camp “within an hour.”

“They pressured me skillfully,” he said. “It’s an assembly line of coercion.”

But then a medical doctor refused to sign Andriy off because of myopia and astigmatism, and he was let go to get “additional paperwork. It was a miracle,” he said.

There have also been multiple reports of violence towards potential conscripts.

In late May, Serhiy Kovalchuk (32) was beaten in a conscription office in the central city of Zhitomir and died in hospital six days later. Officials said Kovalchuk suffered a head trauma during an epileptic fit after several days of heavy drinking.

Frequent violent detentions and the denial of access to the lawyers of potential conscripts constitute human rights abuses, according to Roman Likhachyov, a lawyer and member of the Center for Support for Veterans and Their Families, a group in Kyiv.

However, the use of violence is two-pronged as both conscription officers and potential conscripts resort to it, he said.

“Each case has to be considered differently,” he told Al Jazeera.

Meanwhile, the conscription crisis is mirrored by the skyrocketing number of desertions. More than 100,000 servicemen deserted since 2022, Likhachyov said, often in groups of 20 to 30 people.

Draft dodging breeds graft in Ukraine, a country that has been notorious for corruption.

Bribes vary, several men told Al Jazeera. In some cases, $400 can be paid to a patrol team on the spot to let a man go. In others, thousands of dollars can buy permission to flee the country or purchase a “white ticket,” a document that makes one immune to the draft.

In Aug 2023, Zelensky fired every regional head of conscription offices throughout Ukraine. Dozens of lower-ranking officers were sacked and arrested for bribery.

Zelensky’s government has also tried to persuade Western nations that accepted hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian refugees to deport each man of fighting age, but their governments refused.

Efforts to attract ethnic Ukrainians from the multimillion members of the diaspora scattered from Poland to Canada also failed.

The government’s enlistment campaign was “wrongly” outsourced to the army, according to Lieutenant General Ihor Romanenko, a former deputy head of the General Staff of the armed forces.

He believes the government should have started an awareness campaign to “explain, convince, engage the recruits”, but said that ultimately, “there are big problems to be solved”.

Potential conscripts should “realize that if there’s no one to defend [Ukraine], it will end badly for us all”, he told Al Jazeera.

Draft evasion and avoidance are not a new phenomenon. Long wars of attrition require manpower. Thousands of Americans fled to Mexico to avoid conscription during the First World War. Boxing champion Jack Dempsey fenagled his way out of the draft during the First World War and bank robber-to-be John Dillinger reportedly hacked off his own toe, making him 4-F and ineligible to fight the Kaiser. During the Vietnam War, Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT), the son of Gov. George Romney (R-MI), used a religious angle to avoid being drafted, and former President and avid golfer Donald Trump was able to secure a medical waiver from a local physician claiming he had “bone spurs.” Thousands of other young educated Americans fled to Canada, increasing the populations of Ontario and other provinces, probably for the better.

On 28 Apr 1967, the greatest boxer of all time refused induction into the US Army on principle and was stripped of his heavyweight championship title. The Immortal Muhammad Ali quipped: “I ain’t got no quarrel with them Viet Cong.”

During the First World War, Australian mothers and wives didn’t want to see their sons and husbands fighting and dying in a faraway European war.

Sources:

To boost Ukraine’s army, feared patrols hunt for potential conscripts | Russia-Ukraine war News | Al Jazeera

Muhammad Ali refuses Army induction | April 28, 1967 | HISTORY

Powerful Indian Gang Reportedly Involved in Killing Canadian Sikh Dissident

Lawrence Bishnoi has been in prison since 2015, now held far from his native Punjab state in Gujarat. (Photo: Getty Images)

The Canadian RCMP recently alleged at a press conference that agents of the Indian government were using “organised crime groups like the Bishnoi group” to target leaders of the pro-Khalistan movement, which calls for a separate Sikh homeland in India.

This was hours after both countries expelled top diplomats as tensions escalated over last year’s assassination of a Sikh separatist on Canadian soil. Delhi dismissed the allegations as “preposterous”, accusing PM Justin Trudeau of catering to Canada’s sizeable Sikh community for political gain.

The Canadian police were referring to Lawrence Bishnoi (31), an infamous gangster from India.

Indian police say his gang is allegedly linked to the killing of a prominent politician in Mumbai. Three suspects are in custody. An alleged aide of Bishnoi has posted on social media that the gang is behind the murder. Once among India’s most wanted, Bishnoi has been in prison since 2015, held far from his native Punjab state in Gujarat.

Bishnoi is the prime suspect in the sensational murder of Sidhu Moose Wala, the popular Punjabi singer gunned down near his village in Oct 2022.

In 2018, Bishnoi gained notoriety for threatening Bollywood star Salman Khan, accusing him of allegedly poaching two blackbuck antelopes – a revered species for Rajasthan’s Bishnoi community to which Lawrence belongs.

When Bishnoi appeared in court, he openly told the waiting media: “Salman Khan will be killed here, in Jodhpur… Then he will come to know about our real identity.” Incidentally, the murdered politician was a close friend of the Bollywood star.

Federal investigators estimate Bishnoi continues to control a gang with 700 members across Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Delhi, involved in extorting celebrities, smuggling drugs and weapons and carrying out targeted assassinations. His partner Goldy Brar leads the gang remotely from Canada. Bishnoi faces a medley of charges in more than 30 cases, with 19 currently being tried in court.

“He runs his gang seamlessly from prison without needing to co-ordinate everything,” says a senior officer in Punjab’s anti-gangster task force. “Unlike other gangsters confined to a region, he thinks big.”

Punjab, Bishnoi’s home state, is overrun with gangs that fuel drugs and weapon smuggling, extortion and the local film and music industry. A cash-driven economy, bolstered by drugs, real estate, and illegal liquor sales, has fueled this rise, creating an ecosystem that blends crime with Punjabi pop culture, many say.

Punjab’s gangsters don’t enter the underworld for wealth alone – they crave notoriety, a deep-seated desire to “be somebody,” according to a senior police officer.

This twisted pursuit of fame finds roots in feudal, patriarchal culture. Social media amplifies it, with many gangsters showcasing their lives online. They flaunt their lifestyles on social media, where crime is often seen as a path to quick money and glamour. This has lured retired sportsmen and young recruits across Punjab to the dark side.

Police reported dismantling more than 500 gangs and arresting more than 1,400 gangsters since mid-2021. In clashes with the police, 16 gangsters had been killed and over 80 wounded, while three officers lost their lives and 26 more were injured. According to police, Bishnoi has been convicted in four cases, though none yet for serious crimes like murder.

With his neatly trimmed beard, the hoodie pulled over watchful eyes, Bishnoi often wears the casual look of a young man. When the stakes are high, he demonstrates a shrewdness in managing his image. During one court appearance, he wore a T-shirt emblazoned with the image of Bhagat Singh, the revered Indian revolutionary.

In a widely circulated video, reportedly recorded in prison, the bearded gangster declares, “There is a desire for revolution in our hearts. Let’s see how much strength the enemy has.” The exact meaning of his words remains ambiguous.

Bishnoi’s rise is unlike any other. “Despite being in prison, he appears to be running his gang. Who provides him logistics or media access? Such control would be impossible without powerful allies,” says a senior police official.

In two cases no doubt connected to this diplomatic feud, an Air India flight bound for Chicago made an emergency landing in Canada after a bomb threat. This abrupt landing comes a day after flight from Mumbai to New York was diverted to Delhi after a false bomb threat. Threats to Air India flights from Canada are likely to revive memories of the 1985 Air India bombing, which was orchestrated by Sikh extremists. Three hundred and twenty-nine people died when Air India flight 182 from Montreal exploded off the coast of Ireland. 

Bishnoi is the prime suspect in the Oct 2022 murder of Sidhu Moose Wala, a popular Punjabi singer. (Photo: Getty Images)

As previously written here on Coriolanus, the nexus between organized crime and espionage is not new. In the 1960s, rumors flew that CIA attempted to use American mobsters to overthrow the Fidel Castro regime in Cuba. The scourge of the Viet Cong was Saigon’s criminal underworld. Iran has been hiring contract killers from the Hell’s Angels to liquidate dissidents. Dawood Ibrahim and his notorious D-Company crime syndicate have been linked to the Pakistani ISI. Russia itself is considered a modern crime syndicate rather than a nation. The Canadian government should expect other reprisals, such as cyber-attacks from nefarious actors emanating from India or the Indian diaspora.

Sources:

Air India plane makes emergency landing in Canada after bomb threat | Canada | The Guardian

Lawrence Bishnoi: The Indian gangster pulling strings from jail (bbc.com)

Russia Releases Man Jailed After His Daughter Drew Anti-War Picture

Aleksei Moskalyov described his punitive cell as a “torture chamber” and said the 2-meter by 1-meter cell was rat-infested and so cold “it was impossible to sit on a metal bench inside.” (AP file photo)

A Russian man sentenced to prison on a charge of discrediting Russia’s armed forces after an anti-war drawing by his teenage daughter drew attention to him was released on 15 Oct, saying conditions inside the institution were horrible and that he fears he may not be free for long.

Aleksei Moskalyov was embraced by his daughter, Masha, as he left the IK-6 prison in the Tula region after serving 19 months in detention in a case that attracted global attention. Masha was placed in the custody of her estranged mother during her father’s imprisonment.

Moskalyov told reporters upon his release that security officers questioned people from his unit in the penal colony, raising fears the authorities were preparing new charges against him.

Moskalyov was sentenced to two years in prison, following his outspoken online posts against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which came to light after his daughter’s drawing was reported to authorities.

Her drawing, made in April 2022, depicted a Ukrainian woman shielding a child from Russian missiles, with inscriptions such as “Glory to Ukraine!” and “No to war!”

The artwork prompted school authorities to file a police report, leading to the investigation of Moskalyov’s social media activity.

Initially fined 32,000 rubles ($335) under an administrative charge of “discrediting” the Russian Army, Moskalyov later faced criminal charges for additional posts on social media.

He was convicted in Mar 2023 and sentenced to two years in prison, though his term was eventually reduced to one year and ten months. During his trial, Moskalyov fled house arrest but was later apprehended in Belarus and returned to Russia.

Moskalyov said he had been placed in punitive solitary confinement several times for what his lawyers described as minor “violations” such as “failure to get up quickly” or “not having his hands behind his back.”

He described the punitive cell as a “torture chamber” and said the 2-meter by 1-meter cell was rat-infested and so cold “it was impossible to sit on a metal bench inside.”

Sources:

Russia Releases Man Jailed After His Daughter Drew Anti-War Picture (rferl.org)

Mysterious Gooey Blobs Washed Up on Canada Beaches Baffle Experts

Hundreds of mysterious white blobs have been washing up on beaches across Newfoundland for over a month, sparking an investigation by Canadian authorities. (Photograph: Facebook/Philip Grace)

They are slimy on the outside, firm and spongy on the inside and surprisingly combustible. And in recent months, they have been washing up on the shores of Newfoundland.

A man named Philip Grace uploaded an image of a pale, gooey mass, which he compared to the dough used to make toutons, a Newfoundland fried delicacy.

Grace’s post about the blobs, which he said ranged in size from “dinner plate right down to a toonie [the Canadian two-dollar coin]”, prompted a frenzy of possible explanations – paraffin wax, sea sponges, mold, and ambergris – none of which withstood closer scrutiny.

Map: Brittanica.com

“They looked just like a pancake before you flip it over, when it has those dimpled little bubbles. I poked a couple with a stick and they were spongy and firm inside,” a beachcomber said. “I’ve lived here for 67 years and I’ve never seen anything like this, never.”

“They sent the Coast Guard over and I asked them how bad it was. They told me they had 46km [28 miles] of coastline littered with this stuff and had no idea what it was. Is it toxic? It is safe for people to touch?” asked the beachcomber. The gooey shapes aren’t the first blobs to excite locals.

In 2001, residents discovered the Fortune Bay “Blobster” sea monster that had washed ashore – a ragged and oozing white mass. Months later, however, researchers at Memorial University of Newfoundland concluded it was part of a decomposing sperm whale corpse (see below).

Source: Fortune Bay Sea Monster (mun.ca)

These new blobs don’t appear to be linked to whales, despite commenters in the Beachcombers group suggesting they could be “whale boogers”, “whale sperm” or “whale vomit” – all of which have been ruled out.

Someone speculated that the substance could be discharge from ships travelling to and from the Come By Chance refinery, 80km north of Patrick’s Cove.

Federal scientists have also been on the case but have produced few leads. They ruled out a petroleum hydrocarbon, a petroleum lubricant, or a biofuel, and a full battery of tests could take months.

Source:

Mysterious gooey blobs washed up on Canada beaches baffle experts | Environment | The Guardian

Evanston Chicago YWCA Closes After Legionnaires’ Disease Detected in Water System

(Map: federalcos.com)

Doors to the YWCA, 1215 Church Ave., were locked Friday afternoon and a sign informed people that all aquatics programming was canceled. An employee confirmed the building was closed to the public but didn’t give more details.

“HHS has been working with the Illinois Department of Public Health and the YWCA administrators regarding this matter by providing education, protocols, and measures to rectify this situation,” the Evanston Department of Health and Human Services said in a statement.

Legionnaire’s disease isn’t contagious from person to person and can be treated with antibiotics.

Legionnaire’s disease is a serious type of pneumonia. Laboratory tests confirmed the presence of Legionella bacteria, which causes Legionnaire’s disease, in some of the YWCA’s water systems.

Symptoms of Legionnaire’s disease include headaches, cough, fever, muscle aches, and shortness of breath, according to the CDC. The disease spreads through water systems like shower heads, sink faucets, and hot tubs.

Anyone who has been to the Evanston YWCA and suspects they were exposed should consult a physician.

The first reported case of Legionnaire’s Disease was in 1976, when 49 American Legion members at a convention became sick and 33 other persons associated with the hotel also became sick. Of these 182 cases, 29 persons died.

Sources:

Evanston YWCA closes after Legionnaires’ disease cases connected to water system – NBC Chicago

https://dph.illinois.gov/recent-news.html

THE PHILADELPHIA KILLER | TIME

Police Break Up French-Italian Wine Fraud Ring

(Getty Images – Hongjie Han)

Buyers of the ersatz wines thought they were purchasing rare bottles valued at up to 15,000 Euros each. 

The labels, which the criminals had especially printed, falsely claimed that the bottles contained fine wines from France. A French national has been charged with organized fraud and money laundering.

The suspected head of the gang, a Russian, was to be brought before a judge with a view to charging him as well.

The Russian (40) had previously been convicted on similar charges but under a different name.

He was apprehended at Milan’s Malpensa airport during a transaction involving a printer who was in charge of producing fake labels.

French prosecutors said the arrests were the result of close cooperation with Italian authorities, notably the Turin and Milan anti-counterfeit police units.

Several police raids were carried out in the regions of Turin, Milan, and Paris, and six European arrest warrants were issued. Fake merchandise with a sale value of two million euros were seized, as well as computers, bottle components, and telephones.

Source:

Police break up French-Italian wine fraud ring (rfi.fr)

Bear Visits University of Montana Campus, Follows Student

A bear wandered onto the University of Montana campus and followed a student for a short time Tuesday morning. Missoula is west of the state capital, Helena. (Photo by Pixabay.com)

Police at the University of Montana in Missoula issued an alert Tuesday morning to warn students and faculty of a bear wandering the campus.

The University of Montana Police Department’s alert, sent at 5:09 AM, revealed the bear was first spotted near a bike rack outside Craig Hall.

Police said the bear had followed a student for a short time, but did not act aggressively during the encounter.

Officers located the bear near the Elrod, Craig, Duniway Courtyard and asked all students, faculty and members of the public to steer clear of the area until the bear can be removed from campus.

Anyone who sees a bear on campus is asked to contact UMPD at (406)243-4000 or call 9-1-1.

Source:

Bear visits University of Montana campus, follows student – UPI.com

Israeli Special Military Operation Continues: 18 Slaughtered in IDF Airstrike on Apartment Building in Christian-Majority Region of Lebanon

A Lebanese army soldier inspects a site damaged by an Israeli airstrike in the Christian-majority region of Aito in north Lebanon, 27 km from Tripoli. 14 Oct 2024, (Photo: Reuters).

At least 18 people were killed Monday in an Israeli airstrike on an apartment building in northern Lebanon far from Hezbollah fighter strongholds in the south and east of the country.

Hours earlier, an Israeli airstrike on a hospital courtyard in the Gaza Strip killed at least four people and triggered a fire that swept through a tent camp for people displaced by the war, leaving more than two dozen with severe burns.

Palestinians survey the damage at the site of an Israeli strike on tents sheltering displaced people at Al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital in Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip, 14 Oct 2024. (Photo: Reuters)

A total of 61 people were wounded in Sunday’s IDF attack. Later, an IDF attack in southern Gaza killed 15 people overnight, including six children and two women. Israel’s offensive in Gaza has killed more than 42,000 Palestinians, with more than half of them women and children.

Israel, without providing evidence, said Monday’s strike at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in the central city of Deir al-Balah in Gaza targeted militants hiding out among civilians. In recent months, Israel has repeatedly struck crowded shelters and tent camps, alleging that Hamas fighters were using them as staging grounds for attacks.

The hospital was already struggling to treat a large number of wounded from an earlier Israeli strike on a school-turned-shelter that killed at least 20 people when the early morning airstrike hit, and fire engulfed many of the tents.

Several secondary explosions could be heard after the initial strike, but it was not immediately clear if they were caused by weapons or fuel tanks. Israel has ordered the entire remaining population of the northern third of the territory along the Mediterranean Sea, estimated at around 400,000 people, to evacuate to the south. Israel has not allowed any food to enter the north since the start of October.

Hundreds of thousands of people from the north heeded Israeli evacuation orders at the start of the war and have not been allowed to return.

The latest strikes came a day after a Hezbollah drone attack on an army base in northern Israel killed four soldiers — all of them 19 years old — and severely wounded seven others in a counterattack after Israel launched its special military operation against Lebanon nearly two weeks ago.

In a phone call with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, a man indicted for war crimes by the International Criminal Court (ICC) at the Hague, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin expressed his condolences for Sunday’s attack that killed four IDF soldiers. There is no information whether the SECDEF called his counterpart in Lebanon to express his condolences that two Lebanese Army soldiers were killed by the IDF last week.

Austin also “raised concern for the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza and stressed that steps must be taken soon to address it,” Pentagon press secretary MG Pat Ryder said in the statement.

The World Health Organization (WHO) reached two hospitals in northern Gaza to deliver aid needed to keep the hospitals functioning.

The WHO reported that deliveries were made “amid ongoing hostilities” and that WHO and Palestine Red Crescent Society drivers “were subjected to humiliating security screening and temporary detention at a checkpoint — which is unacceptable.”

The US, Israel’s chief arms supplier, announced it is sending an advanced missile defense system to Israel and about 100 American troops to operate it.

The Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system, or THAAD, is a ground-based interceptor designed to defend against ballistic missiles. Its deployment comes after Iran launched a counterattack of 180 ballistic missiles at Israel on 1 Oct after an Israeli attack on Beirut killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. Likud PM Benjamin Netanyahu is planning reprisals on Iran.

The THAAD system is used to shoot down ballistic missiles and is not used to conduct offensive operations. When asked about the missile deployment decision Sunday, US President Joe Biden said only that he had ordered the Pentagon to deploy the system “to defend Israel.” He declined to answer follow-up questions.

For eight years, analysts, investigators, politicians, pundits, and the American electorate have been wondering what hold Russian President Vladimir Putin has on Republican ex-President Donald Trump. Please see article below. In Oct 2019, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi famously pointed her finger and chided then-POTUS Donald Trump:

“With you, Mr. President, all roads lead to Putin.”

Now people in the US and worldwide are wondering what kind of hold must Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu have on Democratic US President Joe Biden to give Netanyahu, an indicted war criminal, such carte blanche in the Middle East? Netanyahu is doing everything he can to widen and protract the war in the Middle East, which is contrary to the interests of US national security, the American taxpayer, and the Democratic Party.

Moreover, this brutal campaign only hurts Biden’s reputation and legacy as he winds down his Presidency and hands the torch over to VPOTUS Kamala Harris. The enormous military, financial, and intelligence assistance the Biden Administration has given to Ukraine will NOT offset the black mark of allowing Benjamin Netanyahu to conduct this horrific Nakba 2024 against the Palestinians, the Lebanese, the Syrians, Yemenis, and Iranians. For POTUS Joe Biden, the pejorative “Genocide Joe” is going to stick to him forever, much like the late POTUS Lyndon B. Johnson was forever linked to “baby-killing” in Vietnam. In 2015, Professor Julian Zelizer wrote that LBJ “wrecked his presidency” in Vietnam, much like Joe Biden is doing now in the Middle East.

Above is an unidentified woman in My Lai, Vietnam, the scene of a war crime perpetrated by the US Army on 16 Mar 1968. At least 347 and up to 504 civilians, almost all women, children, and elderly men, were murdered. On 31 Mar 1968, two weeks after the My Lai Massacre, LBJ announced on national TV that he would not seek his party’s nomination for re-election. In 2024, POTUS Biden announced he would not seek his party’s nomination. Both Democratic POTUS became one-term presidents.

A Palestinian mother wails after her four sons were killed by Israeli naval shelling near Gaza City as they played football on a beach. This attack happened TEN YEARS AGO in July 2014.  

Pres. Biden is scheduled to visit Germany on 18 Oct after a previously planned trip was canceled due to Hurricane Milton. While the people of Israel or Ukraine may throw laurels and flowers at Pres. Biden’s feet, the people in the Middle East might throw their shoes at him or even worse.

On 13 May 1958 during a goodwill tour of South America, Republican VPOTUS Richard Nixon’s motorcade was attacked by angry people in Caracas, Venezuela, after the US granted asylum to deposed former dictator Marcos Pérez Jiménez. This is described as “most violent attack ever perpetrated on a high American official while on foreign soil.” While some aides were hurt, Nixon finally made it unharmed to the US Embassy in Caracas. Twenty-one years later, angry students would storm the US Embassy in Tehran, Iran, after the US granted asylum to the deposed dictatorial Shah of Iran.

Even though the VPOTUS vehicle was equipped with shatter-proof glass, it was barely able to withstand the pummeling it received from the furious mob.

Sources:

18 killed in Israeli airstrike on northern Lebanon apartment building (voanews.com)

How LBJ wrecked his presidency in Vietnam | CNN

Attack on Richard Nixon’s motorcade – Wikipedia

Middle East latest: Israeli strikes on southern Gaza kill at least 15 people overnight – ABC News (go.com)

Ukraine: North Korea Sending Soldiers, Weapons to Russia

Cartoon: Rebel Pepper

During his nightly address to the nation, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that North Korea is effectively involved in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. He provided no further details other than: “This is no longer just about transferring weapons. It is actually about transferring people from North Korea to the occupying military forces.”

He provided no further details in his nightly address on October 14. Zelensky claimed on October 13 that North Korea has sent soldiers and weapons to Russia to support the war in a sign of the increasing alliance between the Kremlin and Pyongyang.

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) recently reported that several thousand North Korean troops had arrived in Russia and were being prepared for deployment in Ukraine. North Korea has already been providing Moscow with weapons, ammunition, artillery shells, and short-range missiles.

In frontline news, Ukraine recently procured and supplied one million drones to the front where five people were killed and eight wounded by Russian shelling.

Russia forces captured the town of Mykhaylivka, at the gates of the town of Selydove, and south of Pokrovsk, where its troops have been advancing for weeks. Moscow has been trying to capture Pokrovsk, a mining city that was home to around 60,000 people.

Russia evacuated some 30,415 people, including nearly 8,000 children, from areas bordering Ukraine due to shelling and attacks. They were placed in nearly 1,000 temporary accommodations across Russia.

Last week, the GUR (Ukrainian Military Intelligence) reported that six North Korean officers were KIA by a strike in Donetsk. The Ukrainian military should begin a PSYOP program with leaflets and loudspeakers, advising North Korean soldiers how to defect or surrender, just as South Korea does at the DMZ. There should be fluent Korean linguists in Ukraine and if not, the ROK embassy in Kiev would surely assist.  Kim Jong-Un and Vladimir Putin are in desperate situations: one regime needs cannon fodder and ammunition for its war of attrition, the other regime needs food, uranium, and economic support. And for Kim Jong-Un, this military adventure allows him to analyze how effective his inexperienced ground forces would perform in combat since the DPRK hasn’t been at war since 1953.

Source:

Zelenskiy Claims North Korea Sending Soldiers, Weapons To Russia (rferl.org)

Canada Expels Indian Diplomats, Accusing Them of Intimidation and Extortion Campaign

Sikh protesting the killing of Shaheed Hardeep Ninjar in British Columbia, in Sep 2023. (Photo: Carlos Osorio / Reuters)

The Canadian police accused the Indian government of orchestrating homicides and extortion in Canada to intimidate and silence Sikh separatists and dissidents. Canada expelled India’s top diplomat and five others, saying they were part of a vast criminal network.


The bitter dispute began last year with an assassination of a Sikh activist, Hardeep Singh Nijjar. The government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said at the time that his killing had been orchestrated by the Indian government.

India, in return, expelled Canadian diplomats.

The Sikh community is an integral part of Canada. The current head of the NDP is Jagmeet Singh, a Sikh, as was the former Minister of National Defense, Harjit Sajjan. Unfortunately, Ottawa must act unilaterally against New Delhi, as Washington is working hard to strengthen its relationship with India to counter Beijing.

Canada’s first turbaned RCMP officer, Sergeant Baltej Singh Dhillon, British Columbia Provincial Intelligence Center, at the 2010 Sikh Remembrance Day Ceremony.

Millions of Canadians tune in regularly to watch Harnarayan Singh, co-host of Hockey Night in Canada.

Sources:

Canada Expels Indian Diplomats, Claiming They Were Part of a Criminal Network – The New York Times (nytimes.com)

Statement by the Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs on the RCMP’s findings regarding criminal activity in Canada with connections to agents of the Government of India – Canada.ca

Three Insurrectionists Face Justice for Attacking US Capitol on 6 Jan 2021

“I’m dressing in all black,” Norwood wrote under the name “Robbie” on 5 Jan,  in text messages. “I’ll look just like ANTIFA. I’ll get away with anything.” (Photo: FBI)

William Robert Norwood III (41) of Greer, SC, pleaded guilty to a felony offense for his conduct during the 6 Jan 2021 attack on the US Capitol. The Honorable US District Judge Carl J. Nichols will sentence Norwood on 21 Feb 2025.

Norwood drove from South Carolina to Washington D.C. to attend then-President Trump’s speech on 6 Jan 2021. After the rally, Norwood entered the US Capitol building and eventually made his way to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office. While befouling her office, Norwood recorded a video of himself:

 “Well we in this b— now. What now? This is our house,” “Where you at Nancy?”

Norwood also assisted other rioters to invade the Capitol building by opening doors. After order was restored, the defendant stole a USCP helmet and plate carrier (for an armored vest).

The FBI arrested Norwood on 25 Feb 2021 in South Carolina.

Ryan Wilson (41). (Photo: FBI)

Ryan Wilson (41) of Athena, OR, was found guilty of a medley of felonies and misdemeanors for his conduct during the 6 Jan 2021 attempt at interfering with the peaceful transition of power on Capitol Hill. Wilson was convicted following a bench trial before the Honorable US District Judge Trevor N. McFadden who will sentence Wilson on 16 Jan 2025.

Wilson and his father traveled from Oregon to Washington, DC and attended the “Stop the Steal” rally on 6 Jan 2021. He joined the mob and assaulted USCP officers at the Tunnel, the site of some of the most violent attacks against law enforcement that day. Before the melee, Wilson put on a black balaclava which covered his face. Wilson grabbed a pipe from a fellow rioter and rammed it towards the police repeatedly and forcefully. This miscreant used the pipe to attack the heads and faces of police officers who deployed OC spray, which hit Wilson. He then threw the pipe toward the police line, turned around, and exited the Tunnel.

The FBI arrested Wilson on 7 Sep 2023. 

Henry Phillip “Hank” Muntze (Image: FBI)

Henry Phillip “Hank” Muntzer (55) of Dillon, MT, above, was sentenced to 24 months in prison, 12 months of supervised release, and ordered to pay $2,000 in restitution by the Honorable US District Judge Jia M. Cobb for his role in the 6 Jan 2021 attack on the US Capitol.

Muntzer traveled from Montana to Washington, DC, to attend the Donald Trump’s “Stop the Steal” rally at the Ellipse on 6 Jan 2021. Muntzer joined the mob which breached the restricted Capitol grounds. Muntzer recorded multiple videos commenting he had passed “through all the tear gas” to “tak[e] the Capitol by storm.” Inside, Muntzer joined other rioters in a collective effort to push back a line of USCP officers, causing at least one police officer to fall down the stairs. Muntzer continued to resist police efforts to clear the Rotunda and was one of the very last rioters in the area. The FBI arrested Muntzer on 18 Jan 2021.

In this undated photo from the Montana Standard, Muntzer is seen loudly joking with a local police officer about his felonious conduct on 6 Jan 2021.

GOP Presidential candidate Donald Trump is counting on members from a large “bag of deplorables” like these three lunatics to help him win November’s election, just weeks away. These three white supremacists represent America’s Fedayeen Saddam (FS), die-hard racists clinging on to the last vestiges of white supremacy in the US. Heeding the idiotic call of Trump, these three imbeciles threw their lives away with these felony convictions.    

Sources:

District of Columbia | South Carolina Man Pleads Guilty to Felony Civil Disorder During Jan. 6 Capitol Breach | United States Department of Justice

http://cdn.cnn.com/cnn/2021/images/03/02/1-1.pdf

District of Columbia | Oregon Man Found Guilty of Assaulting Law Enforcement with a Weapon and Other Charges During Jan. 6 Capitol Breach | United States Department of Justice

District of Columbia | Montana Man Sentenced to Prison on Felony and Misdemeanor Charges for Actions During Jan. 6 Capitol Breach | United States Department of Justice

Ex-CIA Director: Vladimir Putin Cultivated Donald Trump as ‘Source’

Then-President Donald Trump attends a meeting with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin during the G20 summit in Osaka, Japan, on 28 Jun 2019. Former D/CIA Leon Panetta said Putin views Trump as a “source.” Regular readers of Coriolanus are aware that Vladimir Putin speaks English, as well as German. (Photo: Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)

Former CIA director Leon Panetta said that Russian President Vladimir Putin views former President Donald Trump as a “source” that he can use to his benefit.

Appearing on the One Decision podcast, Panetta discussed allegations in journalist Bob Woodward’s new book War that Trump and Putin had as many as seven private phone calls since early 2021, after Trump left office.

Panetta said that it would be “very unusual” for the Russian president to be engaged in communication with a former POTUS.

He added that Putin “knows how to work a source, and he’s got a source that is very near the top in this country, he, himself is going to engage that source.”

“That really is what the bottom line is — is that Trump has turned into a source for Putin, and somebody who can help him manipulate what he wants to get done,” Panetta said.

Panetta, who was D/CIA between 2009 and 2011, said that it would be concerning if the pair remained in private communication.

“The mere fact that a former president of the US is having regular conversation with our primary adversary raises real questions about where is his basic loyalty. Is it really to the United States of America? Or is it to Donald Trump?” he said.

Speaking on the podcast, Panetta described watching Trump publicly side with Russia over the FBI regarding election interference claims during a meeting with Putin in 2018.

Panetta said that in that moment Trump “basically said he trusted Russian intelligence more than he trusted United States intelligence.” He said this led him to believe that Trump was a “very dangerous person.”

Trump has continued to compliment the Russian president, publicly praising him as “smart,” even after the Russian leader’s invasion of Ukraine.

Donald Trump and disgraced retired US Army General Michael Flynn are the two greatest threats to US national security.

Sources:

Vladimir Putin Cultivated Donald Trump as ‘Source’: Ex-CIA Director – Newsweek

Kenya: Mpox (FKA Monkeypox) Cases Reach Ten

The ten cases are distributed across nine counties with Nakuru recording two cases, Taita Taveta one case, Busia (one), Nairobi (one), Mombasa (one), Makueni (one), Kajiado (one), Bungoma (one) and Kericho (one). No deaths have been registered among the confirmed cases. Authorities continue to screen travelers at all Points of Entry (POEs). In the last 24 hours, 117,377 travelers were screened, bringing the total number of travelers screened at 26 POEs to 1,146,353.

Kenya has a population of 58,246,378; GDP per person is $5,700 (2023 est.). Kenya recently deployed ~400 police officers to Haiti to help restore law and order and combat the armed gangs which have caused violent anarchy in the country.  

Authorities called on Kenyans to mitigate the spread of Mpox by avoiding close physical contact with individuals infected with or showing symptoms of Mpox, limiting the number of sexual partners to reduce the risk of exposure, and washing hands regularly with soap and water or alcohol-based hand sanitizer.

Mpox, previously known as monkeypox, is a viral illness. There are vaccines for mpox, which should be considered along with other public health interventions. Common symptoms of mpox are a skin rash or mucosal lesions which can last two- to four weeks accompanied by fever, headache, muscle aches, back pain, low energy, and swollen lymph nodes. 

In May 2022, an outbreak of mpox appeared suddenly and rapidly spread across Europe, the Americas and then all six WHO regions. The global outbreak has affected primarily (but not only) gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men and has spread person-to-person through sexual networks. More information on the global outbreak is available here, including information on community responses to control the outbreak.

Sources:

MoH confirms one more Mpox case in Kericho (the-star.co.ke)

CIA

Mpox (who.int)

The Cats of Delhi: A Quiet Revolution On the Streets

Cat sitting in front of an artist, New Delhi (Photo: Andrew Marttila)

According to experts, cats have long been relegated to a mythos of bad luck in India. “The superstition against a cat crossing your path is real here,” explained a social researcher with a focus on animal ethics. “Young people are challenging these notions. What you must understand is the emphasis on staying with family—family is the social structure that binds Indian society. But as people are moving out to urban spaces for better opportunities, they are wanting a companion, and bringing in cats. This is a first-generation concept in India.”

While cats may not be commonly seen as pets, many people do show consideration for their feline neighbors, especially in Delhi’s marketplaces. The threat of street dogs kept cats moving from rooftop to rooftop, but canine sterilization efforts have started to stabilize the dog population, and cats are emerging more and more at street level.

Feline jumping a fence. (Photo: Andrew Marttila)

Orange cat in New Delhi. This one looks like a mini-tiger roaring. (Photo: Andrew Marttila)

Cats of the World (Andrew Marttila/Penguin Random House)

Source:

The cats of Delhi: A quiet revolution above the streets | Salon.com

Benjamin Netanyahu Continues “Special Military Operation”: IDF Pounds Beirut and Gaza; Scores Killed, +100 Wounded

“Pure self-defense, Goliath!” Illustration: Harm Bengen 15 May 2018

At least 22 people were killed and 117 others injured in Israeli strikes on Beirut. Two residential buildings were struck, one completely collapsed.

“There should be no kind of military action in Lebanon that looks anything like Gaza and leaves a result anything like Gaza,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told journalists on 9 Oct.

The US warned Israel on 9 Oct against launching a military action in Lebanon like the one it has conducted in Gaza and the need for a diplomatic arrangement for the return of both Lebanese and Israeli civilians to their homes on both sides of the border. But those words didn’t deter the IDF.

An IDF strike hit UNIFIL HQ in southern Lebanon, prompting Italy to summon the Israeli ambassador. An Israeli tank fired on an observation tower and wounded two peacekeepers. The nationality of the injured peacekeepers was not released. UNIFIL said in a statement that Israeli forces also fired on a nearby bunker where peacekeepers were sheltering, damaging vehicles and a communication system.

Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto told a press conference that “hostile acts committed and repeated by Israeli forces against the base…could constitute war crimes.” Crosetto added that Italy has asked for an official explanation “because it was not a mistake.”

The French Foreign Ministry said that while no French solider was injured in the incident, it also demanded an explanation.

Palestinians react outside the al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital after the IDF attacked a school housing displaced people in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip on 10 Oct. (Photo: AFP)

An IDF strike on a school in the Gaza Strip killed at least 27 people. Israel’s bombardment of central and northern Gaza in recent days has killed dozens of people and trapped thousands in their homes. The director of the only major hospital in the northern Gaza Strip now offering specialized care for children has described a “catastrophic situation” as Israeli forces launched new ground assaults and airstrikes in the north and center of the territory.

An injured woman is carried in Jabaliya after Israel issued an evacuation order. (Photo: Omar Al-Qattaa/AFP/Getty Images)

History is going to judge Benjamin Netanyahu as the worst Prime Minister of Israel. Called the “Crime Minister” by his critics at home, Netanyahu has been indicted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes. He acts and behaves as if an international arrest warrant will never be issued for him. The ICC indicted Russian President Vladimir and an active warrant was issued for him. What is delaying the issuance of Netanyahu’s arrest warrant? And how does Netanyahu keep flouting Israel’s number one financial and military supporter, the US, as well as the UN and the international community?

Sources:

Israeli Strikes On Beirut, Gaza School Kill Dozens As Israel Steps Up Campaign Against ‘Terrorists’ (rferl.org)

UNIFIL statement (10 October) | UNIFIL (unmissions.org)

‘Catastrophic situation’ at children’s hospital as Israel renews Gaza attacks | Gaza | The Guardian

Ukrainian Journalist Viktoria Roshchyna Dies in Russian Captivity

Victoria Roshchyna, a freelance journalist who had previously worked with RFE/RL and other prominent Ukrainian media outlets, had been missing since early Aug 2023. (Undated photo: RFE/RL)

Ukrainian journalist Viktoria Roshchyna, who had gone missing in Russian-occupied territories, has been confirmed dead while in Russian captivity, Ukrainian authorities reported .

Roshchyna, a freelance journalist who had previously worked with RFE/RL and other prominent Ukrainian media outlets, had been missing since early Aug 2023.

She had traveled from Ukraine to Poland on 27 July 2023 before heading toward the Russian-occupied territories in eastern Ukraine, according to her father, Volodymyr Roshchyn. Her last known communication was on 3 Aug 2023.

Ukrainian Military Intelligence (GUR) confirmed that Roshchyna had been slated for a prisoner exchange and are now trying to determine what transpired.

Roshchyna’s case highlights the dangers faced by journalists reporting in war zones. According to Reporters Without Borders (RSF), more than 100 Ukrainian and foreign journalists have been directly impacted by the Feb 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Several Ukrainian journalists remain detained or missing in Ukraine’s Russian-occupied territories, with Roshchyna’s death underscoring the ongoing risks faced by members of the press in conflict zones.

Source:

Ukrainian Journalist Viktoria Roshchyna Dies In Russian Captivity (rferl.org)

Three MAGA Militants Convicted of Attacking US Capitol on 6 Jan 2021

US President Donald Trumps supporter’s gather outside the US Capitol building on 6 Jan 2021. (Photo: Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

Michael St. Pierre (46) of Swansea, MA, was found guilty on 9 Oct 2024 of felony and misdemeanor offenses for his deplorable actions on 6 Jan 2021. During the attack on USCP officers, St. Pierre incited the mob through his megaphone: “Come on everybody, let’s go everybody, we got to get everybody tight. We got to get tight! Let’s go guys! We are going to storm this bitch!” 

St. Pierre (below) threw a metal flagpole top at a glass window while officers were directly behind it.

The FBI arrested this lunatic on 27 Jul 2023, in Fall River, MA.

The Honorable US District Court Judge Jia M. Cobb will sentence St. Pierre on 14 Mar 2025.

Jerry Daniel Braun (70) of South El Monte, CA pleaded guilty to six felonies for his incredibly violent conduct during the 6 Jan 2021 attack on the US Capitol. This elderly maniac travelled from California to Wash DC heeding then-Pres. Donald’s Trump’s words that the 2020 election was stolen. At the melee, Braun picked up an eight-foot-long wooden 2×4 beam and assaulted several victims with it, yelling:

“F— you, traitor!” and “F— traitor. Traitor!” “We pay your f— pay!”

The FBI arrested this maniac on 12 Apr 2022 in California.

The Honorable US District Judge Timothy J. Kelly will sentence Braun on 27 Jan 2025.

Lewis Wayne Snoots (59) of Louisa, VA, pictured above, pleaded guilty to a single felony offense of assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers for his egregious conduct on 6 Jan 2021.

Snoots, wearing a gas mask at times, participated in some of the most violent actions on 6 Jan. He also hindered a USCP officer from defending himself, causing that officer to sustain significant injuries, including pain from repeated taser shocks, leaving him with burn marks and a loss of consciousness. Following the attack, the officer experienced ongoing physical and cognitive challenges, including neck pain, memory difficulties, and PTSD. You can see the expression on the officer’s face in the above imagery.

The FBI arrested Snoots on 5 Sep 2023. 

The Honorable US District Judge Dabney L. Friedrich will sentence this imbecile on 17 Jan 2025.

These three men threw their lives away by listening to the idiotic message of Donald J. Trump. Braun is 70 years old and in his golden years– not a good time to get jammed up by the Feds.

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

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

Sources:

District of Columbia | Massachusetts Man Convicted of Felony and Misdemeanor Charges for Actions During Jan. 6 Capitol Breach | United States Department of Justice

District of Columbia | California Man Pleads Guilty to Assaulting Law Enforcement with a Weapon and Other Charges During Jan. 6 Capitol Breach | United States Department of Justice

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

Two Dead, Dozens Sickened Following Chemical Leak at Texas Plant

The Texas city of Deer Park was under a shelter-in-place order following a chemical leak at a PEMEX plant. Image courtesy of Harris County Sheriff’s Office/Facebook

Two people are dead and more than two dozen others received medical treatment following a chemical leak at a PEMEX facility in the Houston suburb of Deer Park. Shelter-in-place orders had forced thousands to stay indoors.

PEMEX, a Mexican state-owned petroleum company, said in a statement that the gas leak was reported at one of its Deer Park refinery processing units, located at 5900 Highway 225, at about 4:40 PM local time.

The City of Deer Park announced the updated death toll in a statement late Thursday, adding that 35 employees were triaged at the scene. Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez had earlier said one person was dead and five were injured, including one person who was airlifted from the scene by a Life Flight helicopter.

Authorities identified the agent as hydrogen sulfide, a flammable, highly toxic gas.

Texas State Highway 225 was closed in both directions near Beltway 8 because of the emergency.

PEMEX said emergency protocols were activated following the leak and notifications were sent out to local authorities.

Source:

Two dead, dozens attended to following chemical leak at Texas plant – UPI.com

Children Joining World of Espionage and Sabotage Against Russia

Civilians, most of the time adults, have historically participated in sabotage behind enemy lines. (Image courtesy: forces.net)

The Russian Duma recently introduced new, longer prison terms of up to six years for those using the internet to lure children into “criminal and antisocial activity.”

The reason for the new legislation is the war in Ukraine, as was made clear by the head of the Duma committee on security, Vasily Piskarev: “There have been cases of children, even elementary school students, being involved in sabotage. And very often communication with the child is carried out via the internet,” he said. 

Russian children have routinely been caught attempting acts of sabotage since the all-out invasion of Ukraine in 2022. In the first nine months of this year, the Russian financial intelligence agency Rosfinmonitoring added 93 minors to the list of terrorists and extremists — an all-time record. 

One of the youngest was 14-year-old Yegor Lauskis, who was convicted to two years in a penal colony for setting fire to a rail relay box last year. The damage amounted to less than $10.  

According to the Russian investigation, the teenager, who along with his friend was recruited by the Ukrainians via Telegram, threw a bottle of inflammable liquid at the rail box, videotaped the act, and sent the video to their Ukrainian handlers.

In Sep 2023, the FSB arrested two 16-year-olds for setting fire to a helicopter at a military airbase in Omsk, Western Siberia. They admitted they had been offered $20,000 by an unknown man who contacted them on Telegram and provided instructions. Two weeks previously, two other boys, 13 and 14, set fire to another helicopter at a helipad in Siberia. The fire not only destroyed the aircraft but also seriously burned their faces and hands. They were caught and taken to hospital.

The FSB responded with more repression, treating children much as they do hardened criminals: the names of the minors were put next to real terrorists on the Rosfinmonitoring, alongside extremists accused of a mass shooting at a concert venue in Moscow in March that left 145 people dead. 

Using children in warfare is not a new phenomenon. Warlords in Africa have employed child soldiers for decades. As posted here on Coriolanus, Belarus and Russia are indoctrinating young Ukrainian orphans to become loyal Russian soldiers. Using children for sabotage or vandalism is therefore a logical, if not moral, extension, especially if those Russian youngsters are disaffected by the invasion of Ukraine and wish to act out against the Kremlin.

(Image courtesy of sutori.com.)

Source:

 Gloves Come Off as Children Join Europe’s Spy Wars – CEPA

Air France Says Jet Flew Over Iraq During Iranian Counterattack on Israel

(Image courtesy travelercar.com)

Air France is investigating how a jet on a Paris-Dubai flight went over Iraq as Iranian missiles taking part in a counterattack on Israel went through the same airspace.

Iran launched a barrage of missiles toward Israeli territory on 1 Oct in response to Israel attacking Lebanon on 27 Sep. The missiles had to cross Iraq to reach Israel.

(Image courtesy of flightsfrom.com)

Air France flight AF662 crossed Iraqi territory at the start of the counterattack, just before Air France ordered its planes to stop flying over Iraq and local authorities closed Iraqi airspace.

The pilots saw the missiles in the night sky from their cockpit and Iraqi air traffic controllers wished them “good luck.”

“On 1 Oct, information identified an upcoming ballistic missile attack on Israel by Iran. Consequently, and without waiting for instructions from the Iraqi authorities, Air France decided to suspend flights over the country’s airspace by its aircraft as of 1700 GMT,” Air France said in a statement.

Flight AF662 “was flying over the south of Iraq when the Iranian counterattack began, at around 1645 GMT. It left the country’s airspace shortly before 1700 GMT. Iraqi airspace was not officially closed by the local authorities until 1756 GMT.”

The statement said Air France flights “already avoided Israeli, Lebanese, and Iranian airspace” due to the international tensions and that “overflight of Iraqi airspace was limited to a specific corridor used by all airlines”.

A company spokesperson said that “an internal investigation has been opened into this incident.”

The airline did not comment on whether the pilots had seen the missiles. Ballistic missiles fly at an altitude generally higher to that of commercial airliners.

This was a potential catastrophe that luckily didn’t occur. Several years ago, Malaysian Airlines Flight 17 was shot down over the Ukrainian-Russian warzone on 17 July 2014. All 283 passengers and 15 crew were killed.

Graphic courtesy of the UK Daily Mail. A Dutch court found three men guilty of shooting down MH17; two Russians and one Ukrainian.

Sources:

Air France Says Jet Flew Over Iraq During Iran Attack On Israel | IBTimes

MH17: Three guilty as court finds Russia-controlled group downed airliner (bbc.com)

Leishmaniasis Cases Growing in Mexico (Sand Flies)

Sand flies carry the protozoan parasites that spread leishmaniasis. It was thought to be a disease of tropical climates, but leishmaniasis-causing parasites have now been found living and circulating in the US. Photo: Science Photo Library via Science Source

According to local media, most of the affected people were mainly workers and engineers who worked on the construction of the Mayan Train in Quintana Roo State, Mexico.

Cancun and Cozumel are in northern Quintana Roo State. Map courtesy: Britannica.com



According to the federal health ministry in 2023, 1136 cases of cutaneous leishmaniasis were registered, double the number five years ago of 592.

Jungle deforestation, tourist activities, and population movement, is exposing more humans to the fly. Official epidemiology data reveal that throughout 2023 in Quintana Roo, there were 799 cases of leishmaniasis, in 2022 500, and in 2021 there were only 15.

Leishmaniasis is a disease that the World Health Organization (WHO) classifies within the group of “neglected tropical diseases,” that is, those abandoned by the health agenda and generally unfunded for research. The origins of “gum disease” date back to pre-Hispanic times and it is not exclusive to humans, since it also occurs in dogs, cats, armadillos, or rodents.

The fly that transmits leishmaniasis does not sting, unlike the mosquito, but rather bites, and when it does, it deposits the parasites, which are called leishmania, on the skin.

Health authorities have urged the population that carries out activities in jungle areas to apply insect repellent at least every two hours, protect themselves with clothing that covers extremities and the head, as well as to be aware of the signs of an insect bite.

Sources:

Leishmaniasis, la enfermedad que se fortaleció con el Tren Maya – Corriente Alterna (unam.mx)

About Leishmaniasis | Leishmaniasis | CDC

Washington State Woman Calls 911 After Being Hounded by Up to 100 Raccoons

Sheriff’s deputies in Washington’s Kitsap County frequently get calls about animals — loose livestock, problem dogs. But the 911 call they received recently from a woman being hounded by dozens of raccoons swarming her home near Poulsbo stood out.

The woman reported having had to flee her property after 50 to 100 raccoons descended upon it and were acting aggressively. She told deputies she started feeding a family of raccoons decades ago and it was fine until about six weeks earlier, when the number showing up went from a handful to around 100.

“She said those raccoons were becoming increasingly more aggressive, demanding food, that they would hound her day and night — scratching at the outside of her home, at the door. If she pulled up her car, they would surround the car, scratch at the car, surround her if she went from her front door to her car or went outside at all,” a deputy said. “They saw this as a food source now, so they kept coming back to it and they kept expecting food.”

It was not clear what caused their numbers to balloon suddenly. Both the sheriff’s office and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife determined no laws were broken.

“This is a nuisance problem kind of her own making that she has to deal with,” authorities said. Video from the sheriff’s office shows raccoons milling around trees, and deputies who responded to the call observed 50 to 100 of them.

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife said under state law it is illegal to feed large carnivores, such as bears or cougars. While municipalities or counties may have local statutes forbidding the feeding of other wildlife, it is currently not against state law to do so.

Regardless, the agency discourages people from feeding wildlife. Raccoons, for example, can carry diseases, and food can also attract predators such as coyotes and bears.

An agency wildlife conflict specialist has met with the woman, who has stopped feeding the critters.

“The raccoons appear to have started dispersing now that they are no longer being fed, and we are glad for a positive outcome to this case,” said a county official.

Poulsbo is about a 90-minute car and ferry ride northwest of Seattle.

Source:

Washington state woman calls 911 after being hounded by up to 100 raccoons | AP News

ICC Can Try Cases Of Alleged Executions Of Ukrainian POWs

ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan speaks at the roundtable in The Hague on 8 Oct. This is the same lawyer who prosecuted Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu and Russian President Vladimir Putin for war crimes. (Photo: RFE/RL)

The International Criminal Court (ICC) is entitled to try cases of the alleged execution of Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs).

According to the latest data published by the Ukraine’s Prosecutor-General’s Office, investigators have so far obtained information on the execution of 93 Ukrainian prisoners of war by the Russian military.

The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine presented a report in March about the execution of at least 32 Ukrainian POWs in 12 separate cases between Dec 2023 and Feb 2024.

In Mar 2023, the ICC’s pretrial chamber issued warrants for the arrest of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova, Russia’s commissioner for children’s rights, charging them with the deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia — a war crime under international legislation.

Meanwhile, Former US Marine Trevor Reed has been sentenced in absentia by a Russian court to 14 1/2 years in prison, on charges he joined the Ukrainian Army as a mercenary.

Trevor Reed vaulted into the news in 2020 when he was sentenced to nine years in a Russian prison on an assault charge he denied. (AFP File photo)

The Russian Investigative Committee said on October 9 that Reed enlisted with Ukrainian forces in May 2023 and participated in combat operations in the Donetsk region.

Reed’s participation in the war became public in Jul 2023 when he was injured by a mine explosion while fighting for Ukraine. He had been transferred to Germany for medical care.

In April 2022, Reed, who by then had served nearly three years in a Russian prison, was exchanged for Russian pilot Konstantin Yaroshenko, who had been serving a 20-year sentence in the US for drug trafficking.

Reed’s conviction in absentia comes days after two other Americans were convicted and sentenced by Russian courts.

Stephen Hubbard (72) was sentenced by the Moscow City Court on 7 Oct to six years and 10 months in prison on charges of being a mercenary and fighting against Russia in Ukraine.

Robert Gilman (30), another former US Marine, was sentenced to seven years and one month in prison for assaulting a prison official and a state investigator.

Both cases follow a pattern of high-profile arrests and detentions of Americans in Russia, which are part of Moscow’s broader strategy to exert pressure on Washington and use these AMCITs for future prisoner swaps.

Sources:

https://www.rferl.org/a/icc-war-crimes-russia-ukraine-executions/33152240.html

https://www.rferl.org/a/trevor-reed-marine-ukraine-trial-ansentia-russia-sentence/33152282.html

US Issues Solar Storm Watch After Large Outburst From Sun

An image released by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory shows a solar flare, the bright flash in the center of the image, on 3 Oct Credit: Solar Dynamics Observatory/NASA, via AP

Periodically, the sun spews out gigantic eruptions of particles into the solar system. Sometimes, when the solar eruptions are aimed right at Earth, the particles may create brilliant auroras in night skies in many parts of the planet. Then there are other occasions when the battering can damage satellites, mangle GPS signals and knock out power grids.

On Wednesday, a federal center issued a space weather severe storm watch after sun-watching spacecraft observed a large solar flare emanating from a sunspot in the sun’s northern hemisphere, accompanied by an explosion of particles known as a coronal mass ejection.

The charged particles from the latest event — protons, electrons and helium nuclei — are speeding at more than 2.5 million miles per hour and are expected to start slamming into the Earth’s magnetic field on Thursday morning Eastern time.

But the geomagnetic storm could last about 36 hours. If the storm reaches the severe level, the auroras in the Northern Hemisphere could stretch down into the middle of the US, potentially as far south as Alabama.

On top of the terrestrial super-storms wracking the American south, now comes an extra-terrestrial storm that may hamper the communications network during recovery operations.

Sources:

The New York Times and NASA

Israeli Forces Demolish Homes in the Occupied West Bank

Israeli forces demolished two homes under construction in a town west of Salfit, in the central occupied West Bank.

Local sources told the Wafa news agency that military bulldozers demolished the two houses in az-Zawiya, which belonged to local Palestinians.

The agency also reported Israeli soldiers fired tear gas at Palestinian civilians at the Hamra military checkpoint, in the northern Jordan Valley, while a mosque in Khirbet Tana was attacked by settlers.

Settlers entered and vandalized the mosque and smashed solar panels that generated electricity for it.

The cartoonist, Amos Biderman, explained in an interview with The Times of Israel that he meant to suggest that Mr. Netanyahu’s “arrogance” and policies on settlement construction in the West Bank had provoked “a disaster in Israel-US relations on the scale of 9/11.”

Sources:

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/10/10/live-israel-kills-medics-in-lebanon-as-siege-on-north-gaza-enters-6th-day

https://yalibnan.com 10/31/2014

Ohio MAGA Militant Pleads Guilty to Felony Charges for Attacking US Capitol on 6 Jan

Dustin Martin (30) of Grove City, OH, pleaded guilty to a felony charge of civil disorder and a misdemeanor charge of disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds before US District Judge Loren L. AliKhan. Judge AliKhan will sentence Martin on 7 Feb 2025.


The FBI arrested Martin on 21 June 2023, in Ohio.

His accomplice, Cody Lee Tippet, was previously sentenced to 30 days in prison for his seditious role on 6 Jan 2021.

These two young men threw their lives away with these federal felony convictions over a misguided belief of white supremacy and the hateful lies of Donald J. Trump.

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

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

Source:

https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/pr/ohio-man-pleads-guilty-felony-and-misdemeanor-charges-actions-during-jan-6-capitol

Ukrainian Missile Attack Kills Six North Korean Officers Near Donetsk

You wonder if any of the six North Korean officers were any of these lickspittles surrounding Kim Jong-Un. Photo: Reuters

Six North Korean military officers were among about 20 military personnel killed in a Ukrainian missile strike on Russian-occupied territory near the city of Donetsk. Three North Korean servicemen were also wounded.

The DPRK officers were reportedly visiting the front lines as part of an ‘exchange of experience’ program.

That’s some experience they received!

The attack came after Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky accused North Korea of providing weapons to Russia.

Ukrainian intelligence officials said last year that North Korean military personnel, including engineers, were operating in Russian-occupied territory. Russia was planning to mobilize North Korean laborers for various construction projects in occupied Ukrainian territory.

And speaking of experience, for which battles, campaigns, or wars did these above North Korean generals earn all of these impressive-looking awards? North Korea hasn’t been at war since 1953.

America’s part-time Soldiers (Army National Guardsmen, Army and USMC Reservists) have more combat experience than these bloated uniformed popinjays.

Nota Bene: During the Vietnam War, South Korean soldiers fought Viet Cong guerrillas and the NVA; the ROK also deployed forces to Iraq in the early 2000s.

Source:

https://www.rfa.org/english/news/korea/ukraine-russia-missile-attack-10062024234530.html

Japanese Encephalitis Cases Reported in Taiwan, Nepal

The mosquito species _Culex tritaeniorhynchus_ and other related _Culex_ species are efficient vectors of the JE virus and breed in wet areas such as rice paddies. Vector control is difficult because potential breeding sites are extensive.

In Nepal, 63 people have been infected with the mosquito-borne zoonotic viral disease since June 2024. As of 22 Sep 2024, 17 people, including children, have died from JE infections this year.

This JE outbreak has been detected in 29 Nepal districts, including those in the Kathmandu Valley, which is located at 5,000 feet, where virus-carrying mosquitoes are found.

Nepal’s health department estimates that about 12 million people, out of a total population of 31 million, are at risk of JE in 2024. Additionally, many of the one million visitors to Nepal this year may need protection from JE.

Taiwan health authorities announced the 3rd Japanese encephalitis case this year.

Health officials say the man started showing symptoms on 24 Sep 2024 and was hospitalized 1 Oct 2024.

Officials suspect a pigsty within two kms of his workplace as the origin of the mosquitos.

Authorities have taken measures to eradicate the contagious disease-carrying mosquitoes, which breed in places like rice paddies and ponds. Pigs play an essential role in the life cycle and serve as an amplifier host without suffering from the disease. They maintain prolonged high-level viremia, which allows mosquitoes to get infected easily.

The only measures to prevent JE infection are vaccination and avoidance of mosquito bites.

While there are very few local JEV cases in the US, the CDC cautions the millions of Californians who travel west to Asia and Pacific Ocean countries to protect themselves from infection.

In the US, Valneva SE’s IXIARO (JESPECT) vaccine has been approved by the US FDA and CDC for many years. This safe and effective vaccine is authorized for most children and adults traveling to Japanese encephalitis endemic areas.

As of 5 Oct 2024, IXIARO is available at travel vaccine clinics and pharmacies in the US.

Source:

https://www.precisionvaccinations.com/nepals-japanese-encephalitis-outbreak-claims-17-lives-2024-10-05

Trump and Putin Have Had ‘As Many as Seven’ Private Phone Calls Since Trump Left the White House

What are these two chatterboxes always talking about? Saving the planet? (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Former President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin have apparently communicated several times since Trump left office in 2021, according to Bob Woodward.

CNN obtained an advance copy of Woodward’s revealing new book War, which went behind the scenes of President Joe Biden’s administration and touched on Trump’s time in office as both navigated recent foreign conflicts with world leaders. Among the revelations was Trump’s seemingly special treatment of Putin, including during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Woodward wrote that a former Trump aide recounted being told to leave a room so Trump “could have what he said was a private phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin.” Woodward adds: “According to Trump’s aide, there have been multiple phone calls between Trump and Putin, maybe as many as seven in the period since Trump left the White House in 2021.”

In 2020, Woodward writes, Trump had “secretly sent Putin a bunch of Abbott Point of Care Covid test machines for his personal use.”

“Please don’t tell anybody you sent these to me,” Putin said to Trump, according to Woodward.

“I don’t care,” Trump replied. “Fine.”

“No, no,” Putin said. “I don’t want you to tell anybody because people will get mad at you, not me. They don’t care about me.”



Putin understands English (and speaks German), but rarely speaks it publicly. You can hear him in the YouTube link below. Trump and Putin do not need an interpreter. The two greatest threats to American national security are Donald J. Trump and his former national security advisor, disgraced US Army Gen. Michael Flynn.

Sources:

https://www.mediaite.com/

Kitten Comes Up to Man in His Front Yard, Brushing Against His Legs, Next He’s on His Shoulder, Ready to Stay

Roman and Janna had never had a cat, but a kitten inexplicably appeared in their yard, seemingly delivered by the mysterious workings of the “cat distribution system.”

Elvis the kitten. Janna at TikTok@jannaclavelli

The kitten approached Roman in his front yard, brushing against his legs. Next, he got on Roman’s shoulder and decided to stay. They named the kitten Elvis.

Janna at TikTok@jannaclavelli

With the help of the online community, Janna gave Elvis a warm bath, kitten food, and a flea comb to help clean him up. Elvis was so calm, soaking up every ounce of love and attention.

Janna at TikTok@jannaclavelli

Elvis likes to “help” when Janna does chores. Janna at TikTok@jannaclavelli

Janna at TikTok@jannaclavelli

Janna never imagined how this small, furry creature could become the missing piece she never knew she was searching for. “I had been struggling with anxiety… but since Elvis entered our lives, it has all gone away. I didn’t know I needed him till he came.”

More on Elvis on TikTok @jannaclavelli.

Source:

https://www.lovemeow.com/kitten-man-yard-shoulder-stay-2669360756.html