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RE: News of the World - kyonides - 01-10-2024

US NEWS

Election Year Has Begun
Border Crisis
Some Large & Very Polemical Articles

EUROPEAN NEWS

Several Articles

MIDDLE EASTERN NEWS


Quote:Gaza Strip schools fostered the depraved sensibility that fueled the Oct. 7 butchery perpetrated by Hamas jihadists in southern Israel. While Hamas exercised dictatorial authority over the whole of jihadist indoctrination in Gaza, the Palestinian Authority (PA) produced the textbooks and lesson plans, and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in significant measure administered the schools. The defeat of jihadism in Gaza will not be complete without a fundamental reorientation of its educational system.
...
IMPACT-se (Institute for Monitoring Peace and Cultural Tolerance in School Education) provides indispensable English language documentation of the training for terrorism inscribed in UNRWA Arabic language textbooks and other Hamas educational materials. The training falsifies history, encourages submission to government-sanctioned doctrines, and fosters loathing of Jews, Israel, America, and the freedom and democracy central to the West. Hamas’ savage rampage on Oct. 7 through Israel’s border communities was not a hideous departure from central tenets of Gazan education but rather gave faithful expression to them.

In “Al-Fateh—The Hamas Web Magazine for Children: Indoctrination to Jihad, Annihilation and Self-Destruction,” IMPACT-se examined 145 of the Hamas publication’s issues, from September 2002 to April 2009. Al-Fateh’s “consistent educational message to its young readers,” according to IMPACT-se, “mirrors that of the Hamas movement’s ideology and includes scathing hatred, disdain, delegitimization and demonization of the other—the West, especially the US and Europe, the Jews, Israel and Zionism—as well as a call for establishing an Islamic state in entire Palestine and the annihilation of the State of Israel through violent liberation of the land in jihad.”

Al-Fateh—in Arabic, “The Conqueror”—portrays “Jews as enemies of mankind and killers of prophets,” IMPACT-se shows. Rejecting compromise, negotiations, and peace agreements—those in operation and the pursuit of new ones—Al-Fateh advocates “total commitment to an armed and violent jihad, especially of the suicidal kind.” Through “its pervasive indoctrination of the younger generation into the cult of martyrdom,” Al-Fateh contributed to forming “the next generation of suicide bombers to join the violent jihad.”

So they literally have proofs of UNRWA working to incite Palestinians to attack and kill Jews, and accept the losses as part of their so called cause. Confused Guys, genocide never stopped being a war crime.

ASIAN NEWS

A Couple of Articles



RE: News of the World - kyonides - 01-11-2024

US NEWS

Several Articles

AFRICAN NEWS


Quote:Gambia's soccer team was flying to the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) on Wednesday evening when a serious incident on board the plane headed to the Ivory Coast forced them back within nine minutes from take off.

The plane experienced a sudden lack of oxygen in the cabin after supply failed, causing several players to pass out and fall asleep. The flight, which had just left the airport in Gambia's capital Banjul, was forced to return and make an emergency landing as oxygen supplies on board were dangerously low.

Saidy Janko, a former Manchester United player and a Gambia player, wrote on Instagram about the incident, describing how the "lack of oxygen" affected players.
...
According to Janko, the situation "got worse" while in the air, "leaving the pilot with no other option than initiating an emergency landing back in Banjul airport nine minutes after takeoff." The player writes that, had they not returned to Banjul, "the consequences could have been a lot worse."

The 28-year-old player said he was grateful for averting a potential tragedy, but slammed his country for what he called an "unacceptable" situation.
...
AFCON is the main international men's soccer competition in Africa, which was held for the first time in 1957 with only three participating nations. It's now held every two years and involves 24 teams.

THE WAR IN UKRAINE

3 Articles



RE: News of the World - kyonides - 01-13-2024

US NEWS

Several Articles

EUROPEAN NEWS

Several Articles

ASIAN NEWS


Quote:The Chinese Defense Ministry on Friday sought to bully Taiwanese voters by warning it will “smash any Taiwan independence plots,” implicitly threatening the Taiwanese if they make the “wrong” choice by voting for Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) candidate William Lai Ching-te on Saturday.

Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman Zhang Xiaogang said Taiwan’s purchase of upgraded U.S. F-16 fighter jets would not “stop the trend of complete reunification of the motherland.”

“The Chinese People’s Liberation Army remains on high alert at all times and will take all necessary measures to resolutely crush any form of ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist plots and firmly defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Zhang said.

China has previously framed the Taiwanese election as a choice between “peace and prosperity” versus “war and decline.”

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said on Friday refused to answer questions about Taiwan’s elections, describing them as “China’s internal affairs.”

MIDDLE EASTERN NEWS

2 Articles



RE: News of the World - kyonides - 01-14-2024

USA

Many Articles

EUROPE

Many Articles

MIDDLE EAST
3 Articles



RE: News of the World - kyonides - 01-15-2024

USA

Many Articles

ASIA

A Few Articles

MIDDLE EAST


Quote:Barak Ayalon, a man in his 40s, and his mother Miri Ayalon, 76, were killed when an anti-tank missile slammed into their home in the border community, in an attack claimed by the Hezbollah terror group.

Barak Ayalon was declared dead at the scene by Magen David Adom medics, while Miri Ayalon died a short time later after being rushed to a hospital in serious condition.

A 74-year-old man, identified in media reports as Barak Ayalon’s father, was treated for acute anxiety, MDA said.

The deaths were the first civilians killed by Hezbollah since a November attack on electrical workers whom Hezbollah appears to have mistaken for soldiers. (Breitbart News was present near the border shortly before that attack.)

The attack came after the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) located and killed Hezbollah operatives who had infiltrated into Israel.

But i haven't seen anybody in the international community crying out that Hezbollah is committing war crimes against humanity, even if they are committing them! Angry

LATIN AMERICA

3 Articles

EUROPE

A Few Articles



RE: News of the World - kyonides - 01-16-2024

USA


Quote:Fire trucks and ambulances reportedly rushed to the White House Monday morning around seven o’clock after a “prank caller” claimed the residence was on fire and someone was trapped inside.

The incident represents the latest swatting event against political officials. Dangerous swatting events appear to have first been instigated by Democrat prank callers against political opponents.

The prank call at the White House forced fire trucks and ambulances to rush to a snow-covered White House, the Daily Mail reported.

After arriving, the District of Columbia Fire and Emergency Medical Services and the U.S. Secret Service determined the incident was a false alarm.

“Fire in the White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue,” a Washington, DC, dispatcher said at 7:04 a.m.

Authorities gave an “all clear” order at 7:15 AM.

President Joe Biden was located at Camp David on Monday morning, far away from the residence.

Authorities traced the prank call to an apparently spoofed phone number, a source told CNN.

“Someone who was reached at the callback number for the 911 report indicated they did not place it, a source told the Associated Press, indicating it was likely spoofed,” the Daily Mail reported.

Well, now Biden can tell the public that he understands what fire victims might feel for he still remembers the time when his White House almost turned into charcoal. Laughing


Quote:President Joe Biden told reporters this weekend his administration’s decision to remove the Yemeni Houthi terrorist group from the State Department’s list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) was “irrelevant.”

On the same day – Friday – Biden responded to a question asking if he thought the Houthis meet the definition of a terrorist organization, “I think they are.”

Biden dismissed the State Department’s terrorism designations in Allentown, Pennsylvania, where he was touring local businesses shortly after the United States Central Command (CENTCOM) announced a flurry of targeted airstrikes on Houthi targets in Yemen.
...
Houthi attacks in the Red Sea have resulted in a 90-percent drop year-on-year in container ship traffic through the Red Sea and Suez Canal between January 2023 and 2024 and a massive diversion of ship traffic to Africa, where the ships will transit around South Africa’s Cape of Good Hope. As of Friday, the Shanghai Containerized Freight Index (SCFI) documented an increase of over 300 percent in the cost of shipping per container.

The Houthis launched an overthrow of the legitimate Yemeni government in 2014 that prompted the ongoing civil war in the country. Formally known as Ansarullah, the Houthis are a Shiite terrorist organization with close links to Iran, the world’s foremost state sponsor of terrorism. Their official slogan is “A*** Akbar, Death to America, Death to Israel, Curse on the Jews, Victory to Islam.”
...
One reporter asked Biden whether he believed the Houthis fit the definition of a terrorist group or not, to which Biden answered in the affirmative. As a follow-up, another reporter asked, “how soon are you [Biden] willing to designate them as such?”

“It’s irrelevant whether they’re designated,” Biden responded, according to a transcript published by the White House. “We’ve put together a group of nations that are going to say that if they continue to act and behave as they do, we’ll respond.”

Biden appeared to be referring to Operation Prosperity Guardian.

The president’s declaration of the State Department’s FTO list as “irrelevant” ran afoul of comments by his National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby, who told reporters on the same day that the administration believed the FTO list was relevant enough to “review” the absence of the Houthis on that list.


Quote:The state of Massachusetts is asking private homeowners to take in illegal aliens as the state runs out of room to house the thousands of border crossers who are still flooding into the Bay State.

Massachusetts is the only state that has a state-wide “right to housing” rule for homeless families. And with that rule in mind, Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey (D) has repeatedly asked legal residents to open up their homes to illegal immigrants for whom officials are having a hard time finding beds.

Healey declared a “state of emergency” over the influx of illegal aliens in August, saying in her declaration, “There are currently nearly 5,600 families or more than 20,000 individuals in state shelter, including children and pregnant women.”

One solution Healey and her allies have suggested is housing migrants in private homes.

Days after Healey’s declaration, Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll (D) told the state, “Most importantly, if you have an extra room or suite in your home, please consider hosting a family. Housing and shelter is our most pressing need and become a sponsor family.”

The state is currently housing more than 1,400 families in 40 hotels in 28 cities around the state at taxpayer expense — and free for the illegal aliens. According to FAIR, the average stay for these families is 14 months of free room and board.

Now it looks as though the state is reaching out to non-governmental groups to step up the pressure on homeowners to take in [im]migrants.

I wonder why there are not many people yelling out like mad people after listening to such a stupid request. It's pretty much the same as asking the taxpayers to let totally unvetted immigrants that might have committed several crimes in other nations to stay at their homes, expecting them to never do anything terrible to their wives or kids just because.

But wait! Stop There's more non sense coming your way! Happy with a sweat


Quote:Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis claimed on Sunday that the allegations of a corrupt relationship with her top prosecutor investigating former President Donald Trump are based on racism.

Willis’s decision to cite race as a motivating factor behind the accusations underscores the left’s political ideology, which often seeks to weaponize a politically sensitive issue to justify power.

  1. Willis’s defense was the first time she publicly spoke about the accusation.
  2. Willis and her prosecutor previously did not dispute the allegations.
  3. A spokesperson for Willis’s office told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution she would respond in court filings.
  4. Willis’s comments came after a court filing by Mike Roman, a political operative and co-defendant of Trump in the Georgia election case, who alleged four explosive facts about Willis’s conduct while prosecuting Trump.
...
Willis said she hired three prosecutors, one of whom is black, referencing Wade. She further stated that the accusations against her and Wade were leveled because political opponents are using the “race card.”
...
“Who’s playing the race card when they only question one [Wade]? Isn’t [it] them playing the race card?” she asked. “I’ve been doing almost 30 years [sic].”

Willis also ranted about Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), who asked Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr and Gov. Brian Kemp ® to investigate Willis and her relationship with Wade.

Willis conveniently forgets the fact that she picked the black guy as her boyfriend and colleague in the prosecution of Donald J. Trump. Nobody forced her to do so, she did it out of the blue. Nothing would change even if the guy were white or Asian or Latin American.

And there are unforeseen consequences of her leftist attitude. Just keep reading Book to find that out!


Quote:An illegal alien, accused of causing St. Johns County, Florida, Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Michael Kunovich’s death, says his “constitutional rights” have been violated and he is the victim of police brutality as well as racial profiling.

As Breitbart News reported, 19-year-old illegal alien Virgilio Aguilar-Mendez of Guatemala was arrested in May 2023 and has been charged with resisting an officer with violence and manslaughter in connection with Kunovich’s death.

Aguilar-Mendez’s defense attorney, Phillip Arroyo, told First Coast News that has threatened to file a federal lawsuit if St. Johns County prosecutors do not drop their charges against his client.

“Mr. Virgilio was a victim of police brutality. He was a victim of racial profiling,” Arroyo said. “He was a victim of violation of his fourth, fifth, and sixth amendment constitutional rights. Those who are responsible for this abuse will be held accountable.”

Arroyo also said the charges against Aguilar-Mendez are some “of the greatest injustices he’s ever seen” in the court system, calling them a “grave injustice” and “disheartening.”

The threat of a federal lawsuit comes as a local judge recently found Aguilar-Mendez incompetent to stand trial and ordered him to undergo competency treatment while he remains in St. Johns County custody.

According to police, on May 19, Kunovich lawfully attempted to pat down Aguilar-Mendez while he was sitting outside of a closed business. Aguilar-Mendez, instead of complying, tried to flee from Kunovich. When other officers got involved, Aguilar-Mendez continued resisting.

Eventually, Kunovich was on the ground in a struggle with Aguilar-Mendez who attempted to grab the officer’s taser off his person. The struggle lasted for more than six minutes. Afterward, Aguilar-Mendez was handcuffed but pulled out a pocketknife, which was quickly taken from him.

Following the struggle with Aguilar-Mendez, Kunovich collapsed on the ground. First responders administered lifesaving measures, but he was pronounced dead after being rushed to a nearby hospital.

So it has become a poor excuse for Killer criminals to claim they've been targeted because of their race or look instead of admitting that they committed actual crimes and should pay for that with a jail sentence.

Anyway, since they wanted to play the skin color card, here's a Reporter report on what's been truly happening to black people in America for over a decade.


Quote:Mass immigration, and primarily illegal immigration, disproportionately makes black Americans poorer by reducing wages and crowding out the workforce, the United States Civil Rights Commission detailed in a briefing report from 2010.

The bombshell report, conducted in 2008 and published in 2010 by the U.S. Civil Rights Commission, interviewed several experts and researchers reviewing the impact of mass immigration on black American communities.

The report addressed “the consensus by panelists that there is a negative effect on wages of low-skill black workers and the range of the negative effects,” and found that the nation’s importation of tens of millions of illegal aliens and legal immigrants over decades has only exacerbated the problems of America’s poor and working class.

Annually, the federal government gives green cards to more than a million legal immigrants in addition to about 1.2 million foreign nationals who are given work visas to take American jobs. At the same time, there are an estimated 15.5 million illegal aliens in the U.S. today.

Black men, the report showed, are most negatively impacted by illegal immigration because they are “disproportionately employed in the low-skilled labor market, where they are more likely to be in labor competition with immigrants” with about 6 in 10 adult black men having a high school diploma or less.


Quote:The Los Angeles Police Department recently implored the federal government for permission to give guns to illegal aliens who are set to be awarded police powers to detain and arrest American citizens.

The state already passed a law in 2022 giving authorities the power to allow non-citizens qualified to work under President Barack Obama’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) rules the ability to become police officers. But that law did not authorize them to be armed because they are not qualified to be armed in civilian life, either, because they are not legal citizens.

The first graduate class of nine illegals will become sworn officers in 2024, according to Just the News.

With that impending graduation, the Los Angeles Board of Police Commissioners unanimously approved a policy detailing how DACA recipients can be legally armed to serve as police officers so they can shoot down possible suspects, many of whom would be legal American citizens.

Michael Moore, the chief of police in Los Angeles, told Fox News that the department is trying to cajole the Department of Justice to alter its rules to approve of arming illegals.

“We’ve worked closely with the Department of Justice at the state and federal level to express the fact that we desire to form a model policy that we think meets this moment and is the state of the law and provisions of immigration policy in the United States,” Moore said.

That proposal sounds a hell of a lot to communism / mob rule to me. Sarcasm
Here's ANOTHER good reason why it should NEVER be approved.


Quote:A 61-year-old Chicago woman is reportedly brain dead and may not live after she was beaten during a robbery on a train, prosecutors say.

The suspect in the case is an eight-time felon who is on parole for a separate robbery involving a police officer, CWB Chicago reported Wednesday.

“Judge William Fahy granted the state’s petition to detain Mijawon Johnson, 36, as a public safety threat during a hearing at the Leighton Criminal Courthouse. State officials have also moved to revoke his parole,” the outlet said.

An image shows the suspect in the case:

Johnson was apparently caught on surveillance footage allegedly trying to swipe the woman’s bag as she rode the Red Line train on January 4.

He is accused of repeatedly hitting her in the head and stomach and stomping on her body before leaving the train.

After she was found unresponsive, the victim was put on a ventilator. Prosecutors say she is brain-dead and not expected to live very long.



RE: News of the World - kyonides - 01-19-2024

USA

Several Articles

LATIN AMERICA


Quote:The kidnappings continued even after Mexico’s President was forced to admit that his government didn’t rescue a group of 32 migrants that cartel gunmen had kidnapped, but in fact, it was the cartel that released them.

Last week, Tamaulipas authorities, with help from Mexican Army soldiers, raided a house in the border city of Reynosa, where they rescued 61 migrants. The migrants were from Guatemala, Ecuador, and El Salvador and were reportedly being kept against their will in a stash house. However, authorities and military forces did not arrest any of the kidnappers who held the migrants against their will.
...
As Breitbart Texas reported, on December 30, a group of Gulf Cartel gunmen in at least five SUVs stopped a passenger bus and kidnapped 32 migrants who were inside. The gunmen were able to leave before law enforcement arrived and moved the migrants to a stash house. They held the migrants hostage for days until they released them. The case became a national scandal after Mexican authorities tried to take credit for the rescue, with federal officials claiming it was the result of a coordinated effort. Days later, Mexico’s President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador was forced to state that the cartel had simply released the migrants on their own accord.

After their release, authorities moved the 32 migrants to the border city of Matamoros, where they stayed in some shelters awaiting their appointments with U.S. authorities to make asylum claims.

EUROPE

Some Articles



RE: News of the World - kyonides - 01-21-2024

USA


Quote:The licensing group that owns the sports mag has terminated its agreement with The Arena Group to continue publishing the magazine three weeks after Arena missed a $2.8 million payment, a deficit that breached the magazine’s licensing deal, according to Front Office Sports.

Authentic bought SI out from Meredith in 2019 for $10 million. If it continues publishing, the magazine will turn 70 years old this August.
An email announcing the decision says in part, “We were notified by Authentic Brands Group (ABG) that the license under which the Arena Group operates the Sports Illustrated (SI) brand and SI-related properties had been officially revoked by ABG. As a result of this license revocation, we will be laying off staff that work on the SI brand.”

“Some employees will be terminated immediately,” the statement continued, “and paid in lieu of the applicable notice period under the [the union contract]. Employees with a last working day of today will be contacted by the People team soon. Other employees will be expected to work through the end of the notice period and will receive additional information shortly.”

The union representing the Sports Illustrated employees responded by demanding that Arena continue publishing the magazine.

EUROPE


Quote:The United Kingdom has successfully used an “advanced future military laser” to shoot down an aerial target for the first time.

The British Ministry of Defence hailed a “milestone” on Friday after a successful test of its “DragonFire” high-powered laser weapon that it hopes will increase the military’s accuracy in targeting aerial targets such as drones while reducing the need for ammunition.

The laser-directed energy weapon (LDEW) is claimed to have the ability to hit a precision target the size of a coin from a kilometre away. Although the exact range of the weapon is classified, the ministry said that it can engage with any visible target.

The MoD said that the average cost of firing the laser is around £10 per shot, meaning that the weapon has the “potential to be a long-term low-cost alternative to certain tasks missiles currently carry out.”

Both the British Army and the Royal Navy are currently considering adopting the weapons system as a part of their future air defence apparatus, the ministry said.


Quote:Germany’s defence minister presented a less alarmist take on the Russian threat than some NATO colleagues, saying that while society has to “wake up” to the threat, a Russian attack on NATO is not likely at the moment.

European military leaders seem to be singing from the same hymn sheet, with politicians and generals following one another in rapid succession in recent weeks to warn of war with Russia in five to ten years.

Germany’s Boris Pistorius has followed suit, speaking to newspaper Der Tagesspiegel in an interview marking his first anniversary as national Defence Minister, quoting experts warning of a Russian attack.

Yet, Pistorius’s comments were less strident than others, including the senior military officer in NATO Admiral Rob Bauer, who told journalists this week he saw it as a positive if civilians felt compelled to buy preparedness supplies after hearing the remarks of military leaders, saying society needs to change its attitude towards war. Instead, Pistorius said that while there was a Russian threat in Europe that hadn’t been seen for decades, “At the moment I don’t think a Russian attack is likely.”

Citing his own military experts, the German defence boss said they expected a “a period of five to eight years in which this could be possible”, saying it was understandable that a country like Sweden had made more alarmist noises of late, because their geography — much closer to the Russian border — puts them “in an even more serious situation”.


Quote:German lawmakers on Friday approved legislation easing the rules on gaining citizenship and ending restrictions on holding dual citizenship. The government argues the plan will bolster the integration of immigrants and help attract skilled workers.

Parliament voted 382-234 for the plan put forward by center-left Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s socially liberal coalition, with 23 lawmakers abstaining. The main center-right opposition bloc criticized the project vehemently, arguing that it would cheapen German citizenship.

The legislation will make people eligible for citizenship after five years in Germany, or three in case of “special integration accomplishments,” rather than eight or six years at present. German-born children would automatically become citizens if one parent has been a legal resident for five years, down from eight years now.

Restrictions on holding dual citizenship will also be dropped. In principle, most people from countries other than European Union members and Switzerland now have to give up their previous nationality when they gain German citizenship, though there are some exemptions.

The government says that 14% of the population – more than 12 million of the country´s 84.4 million inhabitants – doesn´t have German citizenship and that about 5.3 million of those have lived in Germany for at least a decade. It says that the naturalization rate in Germany is well below the EU average.

In 2022, about 168,500 people were granted German citizenship. That was the highest figure since 2002, boosted by a large increase in the number of Syrian citizens who had arrived in the past decade being naturalized, but still only a fraction of long-term residents.


Quote:Russia’s parliament will consider a law allowing for the confiscation of money, valuables, and other property from those deemed to spread “deliberately false information” about Moscow’s military actions, a senior lawmaker said Saturday.

Vyacheslav Volodin, speaker of the State Duma, wrote in a Telegram update that the measure would apply to those publicly inciting “extremist activities” or calling for the introduction of sanctions against Russia, as well as those “discrediting” the armed forces, a criminal offense under a law adopted as part of Moscow’s crackdown on dissent after it sent troops into Ukraine in February 2022.

“Everyone who tries to destroy Russia, betrays it, must suffer the deserved punishment and compensate for the damage inflicted on the country, at the cost of their property,” Volodin said. He added that under the law, those found guilty of “discrediting” the army also face being stripped of any honorary titles.

Volodin said the bill would be brought to the Duma, Russia’s lower parliamentary chamber, on Monday.

The existing law against “discrediting” the Russian military, which covers offenses such as “justifying terrorism” and spreading “fake news” about the armed forces, is regularly used to silence critics of the Russian President, Vladimir Putin. Multiple activists, bloggers and ordinary Russians have received long jail terms.

AFRICA


Quote:Julius Malema, the leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), one of South Africa’s larger opposition parties, has vowed that he will send weapons to the Hamas terrorist organization if his party forms part of his country’s next governing coalition.

Hamas is a Palestinian terrorist organization that intends to destroy Israel and create an Islamic state. Its charter also calls for murdering Jews all over the world. It is funded and armed by Iran, which seeks to spread its terrorist influence worldwide.

Nevertheless, Malema, who leads a radical black nationalist and communist political party, has vowed not only to defend Hamas, and to break off diplomatic relations with Israel, but to arm the terrorist group so that it can continue its murderous activities.

The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) distributed Malema’s remarks on Tuesday, though they date to October.
...
Malema is notorious for his fulminations against white South Africans, and has vowed to use force to seize white-owned farms, despite the fact that such policies led to the near-starvation of Zimbabwe next door. He has also championed the use of the song, “Kill the Boer [Farmer],” and has faced repeated court accusations that the song incites racial hatred and anti-white violence.

ASIA


Quote:Multiple newspapers in Japan reported this week that the government of conservative Prime Minister Kishida Fumio is seeking to establish contact with former President Donald Trump in anticipation of his potential return to the White House.

Trump won a decisive victory in the Iowa primary caucuses the week, defeating his three opponents by the largest margin in the history of the Republican Iowa caucuses. One of the three, businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, dropped out of the race and endorsed Trump, leaving Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley in the race. In the increasingly likely possibility that Trump is nominated and runs against incumbent President Joe Biden, recent polls indicate that he is attracting enough support in key states to potentially win the presidency.

During his first term in office from 2016 to 2020, Trump made Japan a priority in his foreign policy. The first world leader to meet with him following his election victory in 2016 was the late former prime minister of the country, Abe Shinzo, who developed a close friendship with the president. Kishida, the current prime minister, served as Abe’s foreign minister.

The left-leaning Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun reported on Wednesday that Kishida may have sent another former prime minister, Aso Taro, to establish contact with Trump’s team during a recent visit to America. Aso is currently serving as the vice president of Kishida’s and Abe’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and is considered highly influential following his term as prime minister.

In the United States between January 9 and 13, Aso reportedly “spoke at an event sponsored by a U.S. think tank and met with U.S. government officials,” according to Asahi, “But according to sources, Aso also tried to meet with former U.S. President Donald Trump, who is on the comeback trail.”


Quote:North Korea announced on Friday that it tested a nuclear-capable underwater attack drone, a weapon that could theoretically wipe out entire port cities.

North Korean state media said the test was intended as an intimidating response to United States-South Korean military drills.

“The Underwater Weapon System Institute under the DPRK Academy of Defense Science conducted an important test of its underwater nuclear weapon system ‘Haeil-5-23’ under development in the East Sea of Korea,” Pyongyang’s Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.

DPRK stands for Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, the North Korean regime’s preferred name for itself. “Haeil” is the name North Korea assigned to a series of undersea drones it has been working on since 2012. Only a few of the earlier tests were publicized, but dictator Kim Jong-un claimed on Friday he has overseen no fewer than 29 tests over the past decade.

“Our army’s underwater nuke-based countering posture is being further rounded off and its various maritime and underwater responsive actions will continue to deter the hostile military maneuvers of the navies of the U.S. and its allies,” KCNA wrote, quoting an unnamed North Korean military official.


Quote:The Taliban terrorist organization that rules Afghanistan urged its neighbors in Iran and Pakistan to show “restraint” after the two nations bombed each other, allegedly to diminish the threat of ethnic Baloch separatist groups to their respective governments.

The Iranian Islamist regime engaged in strikes within Pakistani territory on Tuesday, reportedly killing children and prompting Islamabad to withdraw its ambassador to Tehran and demand respect for its sovereignty. Two days later, the Pakistani military bombed the Iranian province of Sistan and Baluchestan, which it borders, for allegedly the same reason.

The exchanges of aggression caused international concern in the broader context of Iran’s dramatic expansion of terrorist activities during the tenure of American President Joe Biden, which most recently included the bombing of a residence in Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan, and some sporadic airstrikes in Syria. Pakistan is one of the world’s few established nuclear weapons powers, while Iran has been illegally pursuing nuclear weapons for decades. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) warned in November that Iran appeared to be enriching uranium at a rate far beyond what is necessary for peaceful nuclear development and again complained this week that the regime was not allowing its inspectors to do their jobs properly.

Abdul Qahar Balkhi, a spokesman for the Taliban’s “foreign ministry,” responded to the exchange of fire across the Iranian-Pakistani border by declaring the Sunni terrorist organization is “alarmed.” The terror organization, which waged a two-decade insurgency against the U.S.-backed government of Afghanistan before overthrowing it under Biden in 2021, called “on the two neighboring countries to exercise restraint.”

Balkhi added that, thanks to the Taliban’s conquest of Kabul, the region was allegedly enjoying “newfound peace and stability” and “both sides should direct efforts towards further strengthening regional stability and resolving disputes through diplomatic channels and dialogue.”

Iran claimed the strikes in Pakistan on Tuesday were necessary to subdue the threat from Jaish al-Adl, a Baloch separatist group seeking to carve out a country for the ethnic group out of parts of both Pakistan and Iran.

MIDDLE EAST


Quote:A senior official from the Iran-backed Houthi terrorist army of Yemen told Russian media Friday that Russian and Chinese ships can pass safely through the Red Sea without fear of attack.

The Houthis have largely shut down the vital Red Sea shipping lane by attacking vessels under all other flags with drones, missiles, and hijacking squads.

Houthi official Mohammed al-Bukhaiti told Russia’s Izvestia newspaper that the Houthis are targeting ships headed for, owned by, or linked to Israel.

“As for all other countries, including Russia and China, their shipping in the region is not threatened,” he claimed. “Moreover, we are ready to ensure the safe passage of their ships in the Red Sea, because free navigation plays a significant role for our country.”

The Houthis have, in fact, targeted ships with no connection whatsoever to Israel, so their claims about careful targeting have little credibility, but they would probably refrain from hitting Chinese or Russian vessels, as both nations are allied with their patrons in Tehran.

Bukhaiti vowed that terrorist attacks on shipping would continue despite limited U.S. and British airstrikes against Houthi missile launch sites.

LATIN AMERICA


Quote:The U.S. State Department imposed sanctions on former Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei on Wednesday, banning him and his sons from entering the United States because of his alleged “involvement in significant corruption.”

The sanctions were issued three days after Giammattei left office at the end of his four-year term and following the inauguration of his successor, leftist President Bernardo Arévalo, who took office on Monday.

In a press statement issued on Wednesday, spokesman Matthew Miller asserted that the State Department has “credible information indicating that Giammattei accepted bribes in exchange for the performance of his public functions during his tenure as president of Guatemala.”

“The United States has made clear that it stands with Guatemalans who seek accountability for corrupt actors,” the State Department said. “Over the past three years, we have taken steps to impose visa restrictions or sanctions on nearly 400 individuals, including public officials, private sector representatives, and their family members for engaging in corrupt activities or undermining democracy or the rule of law in Guatemala.”

“Corruption weakens the rule of law and democratic institutions, enables impunity, fuels irregular migration, hampers economic prosperity, and curtails the ability of governments to respond effectively to their people’s needs,” the statement continued.

The sanctions imposed on Giammattei bar him from entering U.S. territory. The ban also extends to Giammattei’s adult daughter Ana Marcela Giammattei and his two adult sons, Alejandro Eduardo and Stefano Giammattei.


Quote:Nicaragua’s communist regime reportedly kidnapped Catholic priest Ezequiel Buenfil Batún on Tuesday, the latest arrest in its ongoing persecution campaign against the Nicaraguan Catholic Church.

The priest’s abduction reportedly took place less than 72 hours after dictator Daniel Ortega ordered the banishment of 19 members of the Nicaraguan Catholic leadership to the Vatican. The 19 had been kept as political prisoners under criminal sentences of varying length. Among the best-known of those imprisoned was Monsignor Rolando Álvarez, the bishop of Matagalpa, who had been sentenced to 26 years in prison for “treason” due to his outspoken criticism of Ortega’s regime.

Buenfil, a Mexican national, served as the director of the San Juan Neumann Convent, located in the city of Chinandega. The convent belongs to the Consecrated Missionaries of the Most Holy Savior Foundation, a non-governmental organization (NGO) that the Ortega regime forcefully shut down on Tuesday alongside 15 others. The Ortega regime has closed down more than 3,500 NGOs since 2018.

Nicaraguan lawyer and researcher Martha Patricia Molina, who documents the Ortega regime’s persecution of the country’s Catholic Church, confirmed the priest’s kidnapping to local media outlets and newspapers. Molina told La Prensa on Wednesday that it remains unknown if the priest has been expelled from Nicaragua.



RE: News of the World - DerVVulfman - 01-21-2024

Quote:President Biden's climate czar, John Kerry, gave a fiery response after he was confronted Tuesday by a reporter in Switzerland who asked about his carbon footprint.

"What's the carbon footprint of these events every single year that you come here? Do you think it's worth it — peasants paying for your crimes?" Avi Yemini, an Australian reporter with independent outlet Rebel News, asked Kerry who was walking on a street in Davos, Switzerland.

"That's a stupid question," Kerry responded.

"Nobody ever suggested that. Don't make up stupid questions," he said when asked a follow-up question about why his carbon footprint didn't matter.

Kerry — who is in Davos to attend the annual World Economic Forum (WEF) summit, which largely focuses on environmental issues like climate change and achieving net-zero ambitions — added that he has done a "huge amount" to combat climate change. Security personnel escorting Kerry between WEF events ultimately blocked Yemini from asking further questions.

Yemini later said in a social media post that Kerry "found it difficult to justify his carbon footprint in attending the World Economic Forum each year in Davos."

Shortly after taking office in 2021, President Biden appointed Kerry to the role, a position that hadn't previously existed and didn't require Senate approval, and gave him a spot in the president's Cabinet and National Security Council. The SPEC office is housed at the State Department and has an estimated $13.9 million annual budget with approval for 45 personnel.

Since assuming the role, Kerry has traveled worldwide, attending high-profile climate summits and diplomatic engagements in an effort to push a global transition from fossil fuels to green energy alternatives. In addition to attending multiple United Nations global warming summits, he has attended multiple WEF conferences.

But Kerry has received criticism for his carbon footprint, including his past use of a private jet owned by his family. According to flight tracking data obtained by Fox News Digital in July 2022, a Gulfstream GIV-SP jet owned by Kerry's family made a total of 48 trips that lasted more than 60 hours and emitted an estimated 715,886 pounds, or 325 metric tons, of carbon over the course of the Biden administration's first 18 months.
Sarcasm I need point out that the moment Fox Digital broke that news that Kerry sold the plane to a NYC hedge-fund, then started saying he has no private jet. He still uses them all the same.



A terrorist by any other name...
Quote:After two months of Houthi attacks on merchant vessels in the Red Sea, President Biden is finally redesignating the Iran-backed, Yemen-based group as a terrorist organization — partially reversing his decision to remove the label in February 2021.

Wednesday’s move comes 23 months after Secretary of State Antony Blinken knocked the Houthis from the lists of “Foreign Terrorist Organizations” (FTO) and “Specially Designated Global Terrorists” (SDGT), undoing one of the final actions by the Trump administration before its departure from office in January 2021.

Now, the White House has opted to restore the Houthis to the specially designated global terrorist list — but not the FTO list.

National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters at the White House Wednesday that the SDGT redesignation for the Houthis allows the US a “measure of flexibility in terms of humanitarian assistance” to the people of Yemen, which has been ravaged by civil war for nearly a decade.

“A big reason why we delisted them literally on day one was to address a dire, dire humanitarian situation on the ground,” Kirby said. “Today it remains dire in many cases – the Houthis are more concerned about getting weapons and capabilities and attacking ships in the Red Sea than they are about the humanitarian situation.”

The restored SDGT designation allows Washington to “give aid organizations a higher level of comfort that they’ll be able to provide this assistance without running afoul of sanctions,” he added.

The US plans to issue “a number of licenses” to absolve organizations attempting to bring aid to Yemen from having to abide by associated sanctions, according to the NSC rep.

“The license, as you know, is basically like a waiver,” Kirby said. “It’s a carveout when you have a sanctions regime that allows for certain goods to continue to flow despite the sanctions regime.”
Sarcasm + Confused How many missile and drone attacks from the Houthis against commercial and civilian vehicles did it take for Biden to put them back on the Global Terror List? It was former President Trump that put them on in the first place while also taking a tough stance against their backer, Iran.



Quote:Rep. Maxwell Frost, D-Fla., was mocked on social media Wednesday for telling Republicans to pass a bill to remove the Statue of Liberty along with their "bigoted" immigration law.

A House Oversight and Accountability Committee hearing on immigration discussed H.R.2, the House GOP’s Secure the Border Act, the comprehensive border security and immigration bill passed back in May. The bill would restrict the asylum process for people crossing the border and require resumed construction on the border wall.

The freshman congressman was one of many Democrats who attacked the bill, though he also produced a mock bill to remove the Statue of Liberty for Republicans to also pass.

ep. Maxwell Frost, D-Fla., was mocked on social media Wednesday for telling Republicans to pass a bill to remove the Statue of Liberty along with their "bigoted" immigration law.

A House Oversight and Accountability Committee hearing on immigration discussed H.R.2, the House GOP’s Secure the Border Act, the comprehensive border security and immigration bill passed back in May. The bill would restrict the asylum process for people crossing the border and require resumed construction on the border wall.

The freshman congressman was one of many Democrats who attacked the bill, though he also produced a mock bill to remove the Statue of Liberty for Republicans to also pass.
Serious  Let's be fair, shall we? There is a complete and stark difference between legal immigration and illegal immigration, and the current administration is completely (and dare I say criminally) negligent in its duties. On top of that, the sheer number of TERRORISTS apprehended in Fiscal Year 2023 hit over 700. In 2019, there were NONE attempting to cross.



Quote:Hunter Biden was loaded in more ways than one in October 2018, federal prosecutors alleged Tuesday in a scathing response to the first son’s attempt to dismiss weapons charges against him.

Five years after the now-53-year-old’s sister-in-law-turned-lover Hallie Biden dumped Hunter’s firearm in a trash can behind a grocery store in Delaware, FBI officials re-examined the pistol.

Agents removed the sealed Colt Cobra 38SPL revolver from a state police vault to photograph the weapon sometime last year and found white powder on the pouch that held the weapon, a court filing from special counsel David Weiss revealed.

“An FBI chemist subsequently analyzed the residue and determined that it was cocaine,” the 52-page document read.

“To be clear,” the prosecution motion added, “investigators literally found drugs on the pouch where the defendant had kept his gun.”

Weiss’ team was responding to a motion to dismiss the gun charges filed by Hunter Biden’s lawyers last month.

In the rebuttal, Weiss’ team recounted the evidence it had to confirm that the troubled first son was using illicit drugs at the time he completed a background check to buy the pistol and stated he was not addicted to any illicit substance, committing a federal crime in the process.

At another point in the rebuttal, prosecutors referenced Hunter Biden’s 2021 memoir “Beautiful Things” in which he “made countless incriminating statements about his years-long drug usage.”

“The defendant’s choice to sell a book containing these admissions not only made the government’s case against him stronger but also increased a potential prosecution’s general deterrence value,” Weiss’ team wrote.
There is way more in the article.   Police But let me point out that the FBI government form (the FBI NICS 4473 <available here>) requires you to answer under penalty of perjury (a Federal Felony) if you are a convicted felon, were dishonorably discharged and were the unlawful user of illegal drugs. Hunter perjured himself three times. And with this, his attempted sobriety defense is now completely shot (pardon the pun).


RE: News of the World - DerVVulfman - 01-22-2024

Quote:WASHINGTON (Reuters) -A man convicted in 2010 of plotting to blow up New York City synagogues and a Jewish community center, and shoot down military planes, was ordered to be released from prison by a judge who said the defendant was part of a group manipulated by the FBI.

Four men, who became known as the "Newburgh Four," were caught up in a scheme in 2009 to attack the synagogues and community center, and launch stinger missiles at military aircraft, driven by what the judge describes as overzealous FBI agents and an "unsavory" confidential informant.

U.S. District Judge Colleen McMahon had already ordered the three other men in the group - Onta Williams, David Williams and Laguerra Payen - to be released last July.

The fourth man, James Cromitie, described as the ringleader by the government, was ordered released by the judge on Friday.

The judge called the case "notorious" and described the men as "hapless" petty criminals who were "easily manipulated" by the government in a sting operation.

Cromitie's lawyer was quoted in the New York Times as saying the judge's order was "at least some kind of vindication for what we believe was a tragic miscarriage of justice."

The four men were convicted of terrorism charges in 2010 and sentenced to 25 years in prison. Friday's order by the judge asked for Cromitie's sentence to be cut to time served plus 90 days. It did not reverse the conviction.

Judge McMahon said that Cromitie was a small-time "grifter" who was broke and unemployed when he was enlisted in the FBI-driven plot and provided fake bombs to plant in exchange for $250,000 in the "jihadist mission." Cromitie enlisted the other three men to serve as lookouts, according to the judge.

"The three men were recruited so that Cromitie could conspire with someone," the judge said. "The real lead conspirator was the United States. .... The FBI invented the conspiracy; identified the targets; manufactured the ordnance."

Cromitie was recruited by longtime FBI informant Shahed Hussain, whom the judge called a "villain." The judge wrote that Hussain's role was to infiltrate mosques and spot people who could be potential extremists.

Hussain offered "heavenly and earthly rewards, including as much as $250,000" to Cromitie "if he would plan and participate in, and find others to participate in, a jihadist 'mission,'" according to the judge.
So an FBI informant recruited Cromitie and gave him a plan to follow, and then the FBI busts them for it?  That's straight up entrapment if I ever heard it. 

Makes you wonder more about Ray Epps telling people to storm the Capital on January 6 and then gets a sweetheart deal.





Quote:A brief history of how Alaska became part of the United States: Russia sold it in 1867 for $7.2 million, a deal considered to be mutually beneficial at that time. Nowadays, Alaska, a detached piece of the USA, stands as one of the fifty states constituting the country and has been an integral part of it for over 150 years. Nonetheless, the Russians aren't content with this.

Interestingly, Vladimir Putin appears to have rethought the sale of Alaska to the Americans. It's not a joke: he's trying to give the impression that his influence extends not only to his country's future events but also plans to rewrite the past. Therefore, he signed a decree rendering the sale of Alaska illegal.

This is likely the beginning of a request for its return from the United States.

Putin and his propaganda specialists persistently build an image of Russia as an empire that makes demands against its neighbors and, if unheeded, resorts to war and other consequences. As witnessed in previous years with Georgia and Moldova, Ukraine experienced similar tactics as it was attacked by its neighboring country in 2022.

It appears that Moscow has claims against the United States now.

Vladimir Putin signed a decree declaring the sale of Alaska to the USA as illegal. This action signals the start of a demand for the territory's return and potentially entering into conflict with the superpower. However, this is just political posturing today, and no rational person would suggest that Russia could assault the United States. Nonetheless, as the saying goes, a continuous drip can erode a stone.

"Before Americans seize our properties abroad, they should remember, we also have something to reclaim." - stated Vyacheslav Volodin, the chairman of the State Duma, during a plenary sitting in the summer of 2022. At the time, Russians reacted nervously to the US-imposed sanctions on Moscow.

This propaganda tactic may not intimidate Washington's authorities but perfectly illustrates the Kremlin's new approach to international politics and its respect for agreements. Today in Russia, a fact clear and not disputed for years - that the Americans purchased Alaska legally in 1867 for $7.2 million - means nothing.

Interestingly, Alaska plays a significant role in the relationship between both countries. The USAF bases and USARAK (American Arctic military forces) are stationed here. Centers found in Fort Greely and Eielson are equipped with advanced machinery through which Americans could quickly launch an attack on Russia, including nuclear warheads.

Notably, Russia employed a similar propaganda mechanism in the case of Crimea, which was legally transferred to Ukraine during the USSR era. The result of this incident under Vladimir Putin's regime is well known.
So what?  He used this type of propaganda to attack Crimea. Then said he was going to take part of Ukraine to free it from Nazis. Now using this to legitimize what?  An attempt to legitimize influence in Alaska?





Quote:Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar (R-FL) ejected Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) from a House committee hearing on US-Cuba relations, accusing Lee of spreading “communist propaganda.”

Rep. Lee wrote, “I was just kicked out of a House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee hearing on Cuba policy because the Republican Chair didn’t like my views.”

“I’d share the livestream, but Republicans cut out the sound when I stood up to defend myself & call them out,” claimed Lee.

Salazar, a Cuban-American, defended her action by stating that Lee, a non-member, was not entitled to speak without the committee’s consent.

Rep. Salazar explained, “Today, I exercised my authority as Subcommittee Chairwoman to not allow an off-Committee Member to spread communist propaganda during my Cuba hearing.”

“Members are not entitled to join any Committee proceedings without full consent of the Committee Members,” she continued.

Lee, a proponent of normalizing US-Cuba relations, argued that she was silenced and that Salazar’s actions undermined democratic principles.

Rep. Salazar said, “Barbara Lee tried to disrupt an important discussion about the Biden Administration’s lenient policies toward the Cuban regime.”

“Barbara Lee is a communist sympathizer who was a personal friend to Fidel Castro, has visited Cuba 21 times, and has been a mouthpiece for the Cuban Regime since 1977,” continued Salazar.

Lee claimed, “She’s trying to silence me.”

“And what her move was today demonstrated that she really doesn’t believe in democracy. She believes in only her point of view; she does not believe in the inclusion of different points of views when we talk about Cuban policy,” alleged the lawmaker.
The incident underscores the ongoing debate over US-Cuba policy, with Salazar advocating for a tough stance and Lee pushing for normalization and an end to the embargo.
So during a hearing over Cuba policy, a woman who is not part of the committee and is a known friend of Cuba's Castro wonders why someone who is 'in-fact' Cuban kicks her out of the committee? Dense.


“He ran a really good campaign,” Donald Trump said of Ron DeSantis, who dropped out of the presidential race and backed Mr. Trump earlier on Sunday.
Quote:Former President Donald J. Trump on Sunday thanked Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida for endorsing him after suspending his campaign, calling Mr. DeSantis — once a top rival whom Mr. Trump spent significant time bashing in his speeches — “gracious.”

Speaking to a packed house at a historic theater in Rochester, N.H., Mr. Trump called Mr. DeSantis’s wife, Casey, a “really terrific person.” And he said that Mr. DeSantis “ran a really good campaign.”

“I will tell you, it’s not easy,” Mr. Trump said. “They think it’s easy to run this stuff, right? It’s not easy.”

He went on: “But as you know, he left the campaign trail today at 3 p.m.,” adding, “And in so doing, he was very gracious, and he endorsed me, so I appreciate that.”



Quote:Alec Baldwin has been charged with involuntary manslaughter for the 2021 shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the movie "Rust," according to court documents filed on Friday in Santa Fe, New Mexico. These are new charges filed after earlier charges against Baldwin were dropped in April.

Special Prosecutor Kari Morrissey filed the felony charges based on additional testimony given to the grand jury from seven witnesses listed in the indictment.

Prosecutors said in October that they were calling a grand jury to look into new evidence and would seek to re-charge Baldwin. They said that "additional facts" had come to light about the fatal shooting that occurred during filming on the outskirts of Santa Fe on Oct. 21, 2021.

Baldwin, a coproducer as well as star of the film, was pointing a gun towards Hutchins during a rehearsal when the gun went off, killing her. Director Joel Souza was also wounded in the shooting. Baldwin has said he was told that the gun was "cold," or unloaded, and that he did not pull the trigger.

"We look forward to our day in court," said Baldwin's attorneys, Luke Nikas and Alex Spiro of Quinn Emanuel, in a statement Friday.

Both Baldwin and the armorer on set, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, were charged with manslaughter in January 2023 following a lengthy investigation. Gutierrez-Reed is slated to go to trial in February.
Prosecutors dropped Baldwin's charges in April, saying at the time, "This decision does not absolve Mr. Baldwin of criminal culpability and charges may be refiled."

Friday's charges came after prosecutors received new analysis of the weapon from experts in ballistics and forensic testing, the Associated Press reported.

Baldwin and other "Rust" producers are also facing several civil lawsuits related to the shooting.

Production on the film resumed last spring in Montana, and wrapped up in May.