News of the World

[kyonides]

Swiss firm sends Taiwan's 'carrier killer' devices to China for repairs

Taiwan's National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST) has developed the Hsiung-Feng III (雄風三型) anti-ship missile, which has been nicknamed the "Carrier Killer" due to its supersonic speed, range of up to 400 km, and 225 kg warhead. However, Mirror Media on Wednesday (Jan. 4), cited sources as saying theodolites used to calibrate the missiles were sent by a Swiss company to China to make repairs due to malfunctions.
...
According to the magazine, the theodolites used to make measurements on the Hsiung Feng III are made by the Swiss firm Leica Geosystems. The Leica Builder T100/T200 is the firm's highest-end electronic theodolite with unique telescope optics, which can accurately measure various azimuths in only 0.5 seconds, so it is widely used in precision components for aerospace, automotive, national defense, and optoelectronics.
...
The NCSIST had recently discovered that the connector pins on two Leica theodolites had become loose... People familiar with the matter said that the repairs were very fast and after about three months, the two theodolites were sent back to NCSIST in February and May 2022, respectively.

It was not until September that NCSIST personnel checked the import declaration form and other materials returned by Leica Geosystems' maintenance center.
...
The documents revealed the devices had actually been sent back to Taiwan from Qingdao in China's Shandong Province. This means the equipment was repaired in China or was sent to Taiwan via China.
...
Due to some equipment defects, after removing the relevant storage memory cards in the devices during the warranty period, the domestic distributor was required to send them to the original Swiss factory for repairs.

NCSIST stated that after the equipment was repaired and sent back, it took the initiative to find that the import declaration stated that it was exported from Qingdao Jiaodong International Airport ("the original manufacturer'' Asian maintenance center). Therefore, an information technology security appraisal of the devices was carried out immediately to confirm that no malicious programs were implanted...

 They gotta be idiots for sure. Do they really think that the CCP NEVER demands companies like that maintenance center to share as much information as possible with the Chinese intelilgence agency?  
And even that Taiwanese institute prefers to ignore such concerns by belittling them.

Kristi Noem demands answers
after US Government leaks social security numbers of her and family

South Dakota Govenor Kristi Noem is demanding answers on how federal agencies allowed her personal information to become public in the aftermath of record releases from the Jan. 6 committee, as well as how these agencies plan to combat the potential results of this leak.

"My lawyers have asked the @WhiteHouse, the @USNatArchives, and @BennieGThompson which of them is responsible for leaking the Social Security Numbers of me, my husband, my 3 kids, and my son-in-law." Noem tweeted on Friday evening following the leak of her and her loved ones private information. "What specific measures and remedies will be taken to protect our identities?"
...
The night before taking the oath of office for her second term, Noem learned that her Social Security number and those of her immediate family were leaked by the Jan. 6 committee.

Among the hundreds of records posted online by the committee laying out the timeline of the events leading up to the storming of the Capitol was "a spreadsheet with nearly 2,000 Social Security numbers associated with visitors to the White House in December 2020." The list included several high-profile Republicans.

 This is outrageous! How dare they publish sensitive information of anybody like their SSNs?
 I wonder if the Democrats would love to see how their SSNs get posted online or anywhere else. I mean, that's what they did to the South Dakota Governor, and they don't feel any remorse nor tried to prevent it from happening.

Kevin McCarthy delivers first remarks after winning House Speaker:
'Our nation is worth fighting for'

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy officially opened the 118th Congress early Saturday morning, holding the speaker’s gavel and conducting a chamber-wide swearing-in ceremony for new members.

His speakership followed a dramatic week of him slowly winning over 20 Republicans who initially did not support his speakership and defected their votes to other members.

After his victory in the 15th and final vote, McCarthy lauded: "I hope one thing is clear after this week: I will never give up. I will never give up for you, the American people. And I will never give up on keeping our Commitment to America."
...
"As Speaker of the House, my ultimate responsibility is not to my party, my conference, or even our Congress. My responsibility – our responsibility – is to our country," the Californian continued. "Two months ago, you voted for a new direction for our country. You embraced our Commitment to America. And now, we are going to keep our commitment to you."
...
He added: "To [House Minority] Leader Jeffries – there will be times we will agree and many times we will differ. I promise that our debates will be passionate, but never personal. And now the hard work begins. What we do here today, next week, next month, and next year will set the tone for everything that follows."
...
McCarthy also revealed some of his priorities for this session of Congress, which included: investigating China, securing the country’s border, and attempting to eliminate some of the federal debt, which is over $31 trillion.

IRS targeted poorest taxpayers while millionaires went mostly unscathed in 2022

A study of 2022 IRS tax audit data found that a taxpayer in the lowest income bracket is five times more likely to face an audit that would a member of the highest income bracket.
...
The data showed that the IRS conducted 85% of its audits through these letters, which request additional information and documentation related to specific items of interest. Overall audits dropped from 659,003 in FY 2021 to 626,204 in FY 2022 out of 164 million income tax returns filed last year.

The rate of income tax audits for those in the lowest income bracket hit 12.7 per 1,000, compared to 2.3 per 1,000 among theose in the highest – a nearly five-fold increase. The odds of a millionaire facing an audit were around 1.1%.
...
The TRAC report claimed that the lack of attention toward millionaires resulted from "severe budget cutbacks over the years" that forced the IRS to shift its focus to "easy marks in an era when IRS increasingly relies upon correspondence audits yet doesn’t have the resources to assist taxpayers or answer their questions."

A White House spokesperson told Fox News Digital that "President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, which is only beginning to build enforcement for wealthy Americans, will finally force wealthy tax cheats to pay their fair share while making it easier for working Americans to get their tax refunds."
...
The Inflation Reduction Act provides the IRS with $80 billion in future funding to ramp up its audits and potentially target the wealthiest taxpayers.

 Or they'll simply spend those billions in dubious ways to make the average joe pay more and more taxes every year that passes.

Billy Idol honored with star on Hollywood Walk of Fame:
'I couldn't have imagined something like this'

The 67-year-old musician was joined by his girlfriend China Chow, 48, and his family as he attended the ceremony on Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles.

"It really is crazy to find myself getting an award like this, or being honored in this way," the three-time Grammy Award winner said, per a report from People Magazine.
...
"Initially, we did the music back in the mid-'70s during the punk rock time. There wasn't much hope or anything. We decided if there's nothing, there's no future, we're going to do what we love. And that's what I did. I did the music because I loved it. It wasn't for any other reason, really."

The "Eyes Without A Face" hitmaker added,"Anyway, I didn't really think doing this would last very long. We thought maybe six months, maybe a year, maybe two years."
...
Chow and Idol shared a kiss after the star's unveiling. "The Big Hit" actress and the singer have been dating since February 2018.

Idol was also joined by his son Willem Wolfe, 34, and daughter Bonnie Blue, 33, as well as their spouses and children.
...
Idol's star is the 2,743rd star on the Walk of Fame and the first to be unveiled in 2023.