News of the World

[DerVVulfman]

SECOND SHOOTING IN LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY
2 DEAD, 4 INJURED, SUSPECT AT LARGE

Not even a week passed since the high-profile massacre at the Old National Bank where gunman Connor Sturgeon open fired where he previously worked for three years.  But now, a new attack, it it was within a crowd of hundreds.

In Chickasaw Park at approximately 9 p.m, it happened.  The police responded immediately and found two dead from gunshot wounds.  And four were transported by either personal vehicle or by EMS to the University of Louisville Hospital.

As of right now, we have no witnesses to this incident. We do know that hundreds of people were in the park at the time of this shooting. Hundreds of people were in the park at the time of the shooting when someone started shooting into the crowd, hitting at least six people. We are asking that anyone with information on this shooting please come forward.

But this and the shooting by Connor were not the only ones this week. Other shootings had occurred with more lives lost between the two.

ALABAMA MASS SHOOTING AT A SWEET 16 BIRTHDAY PARTY
FOUR DEAD, 28 INJURED, AND NO WORD ON SUBJECTS

Sergeant Jeremy Burkett of Alabama's Law Enforcement Agency confirmed that 28 individual were injured during the shooting, some in critical condition.   But worse, four were killed during the birthday event.  And Sergeant Burkett refused to answer if there was a subject or not.

Most of the victims were teenagers, while some were noted as parents of a few teen present.

COSTA RICA'S DRUG TRADE
BLAMED FOR HOMICIDE SPIKE

Costa Rica had logged over 600 homicides last year, Limon being the epicenter with five-times the national average.  Now, President Rodrigo Chaves scrambles for answers as to why this is, amidst all the public outcry .

Martín Arias, the deputy security minister and head of Costa Rica’s Coast Guard, said Limon’s violence stems from disputes over both the control of cocaine shipped to Europe and the marijuana sold locally.

In January, authorities dismantled a ring working to smuggle drugs through the container port. Cocaine has been secreted into walls of the steel containers and even packed among pineapple and yucca headed for Spain and Holland.

Foreign drug traffickers used to pay Costa Rican fishermen to bring gasoline to their smuggling boats.

The Limon port’s shipping business – both legal and illegal – has placed it at the center of violence.

“In Limon, there are four strong criminal groups competing for the drug market,” said Randall Zúñiga, director of Costa Rica’s Judicial Investigation Department. These groups clash, and “generally the people who die are sellers or members of the criminal groups.”

But the violence has not been confined to Limon or to those involved in the drug trade.

EU WARNS HUNGARY & POLAND
OVER UKRAINIAN GRAIN BAN

WARSAW, April 16 (Reuters) - Unilateral action on trade by European Union member states is unacceptable, the bloc's executive said on Sunday, after Poland and Hungary announced bans on grain and other food imports from Ukraine to protect their local agricultural sectors.

After Russia's invasion blocked some Black Sea ports, large quantities of Ukrainian grain, which is cheaper than that produced in the European Union, ended up staying in Central European states due to logistical bottlenecks, hitting prices and sales for local farmers.

The issue has created a political problem for Poland's ruling nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party in an election year as it has angered people in rural areas where support for PiS is usually high.

"We are aware of Poland and Hungary's announcements regarding the ban on imports of grain and other agricultural products from Ukraine," a spokesperson for the European Commission said in an emailed statement.

"In this context, it is important to underline that trade policy is of EU exclusive competence and, therefore, unilateral actions are not acceptable."

"In such challenging times, it is crucial to coordinate and align all decisions within the EU," the statement added.

Polish government spokesman Piotr Muller told state-run news agency PAP the government was in constant contact with the European Commission about the issue, and that the ban was possible due to a security clause.

Poland and Hungary have been embroiled in long-running conflicts with Brussels over issues including judicial independence, media freedoms and LGBT rights, and both have had funds withheld due to concerns over the rule of law.

Ukraine's farm minister Mykola Solsky talked to Hungarian counterpart Istvan Nagy on Sunday and underlined that unilateral decisions were unacceptable, the Ukrainian farm ministry said in a statement. The two agreed to talk again soon, it said.

The ministry said on Saturday that the Polish ban contradicted existing bilateral agreements on exports, and called for talks to settle the issue.

[kyonides]

Sudan updates: Blinken calls leaders, urges cease-fire

United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken has spoken to leaders of rival armed forces in Sudan and urged an immediate cease-fire, the State Department said.

Blinken, "expressed his grave concern about the death and injury of so many Sudanese civilians due to the sustained, indiscriminate fighting," State Department spokesman Vedant Patel said.

A cease-fire would "permit the delivery of humanitarian assistance to those affected by the fighting, the reunification of Sudanese families, and allow the international community in Khartoum to make sure its presence is secure," Patel said in a statement.

Blinken also said that a US diplomatic convoy came under fire in the country, but those inside were unharmed.

"I can confirm that yesterday we had an American diplomatic convoy that was fired on. All of our people are safe and unharmed. But this action was reckless, it was irresponsible and of course unsafe," he told reporters in Japan after G7 talks.

Fierce clashes erupted over the weekend between forces loyal to Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the head of Sudan's transitional governing Sovereign Council, and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) head Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, who is deputy head of the council.

At least 185 people have been killed and more than 1,800 injured.

If you ever thought this was just an internal power struggle , you better think it twice.

Egyptian MiG-29s Captured By Militia In Sudan

As fighting between rival government factions intensifies across much of Sudan, the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, or RSF, recently claimed to have taken control of an airbase in the north of the country where Egypt has deployed MiG-29M/M2 Fulcrum multirole fighter jets. The status of the jets and the airbase are currently unclear, with the confused situation being typical of the violence in Sudan.
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The RSF is currently engaged in fighting Sudanese military units loyal to Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the head of Sudan’s transitional governing Sovereign Council. The RSF leader, Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, is also the deputy head of the Sovereign Council. With these two leaders sharing power, it had been planned that the RSF would merge with the regular army.

With those plans now in tatters, a video released by the RSF on Saturday afternoon showed what it claimed was the capture of Merowe (also known as Marawi) Air Base, around 186 miles north of the Sudanese capital Khartoum. While this is a Sudanese Air Force base, it was hosting an unknown number of Egyptian Air Force MiG-29M/M2 jets at the time.

There are numerous reports stating that these aircraft, together with Egyptian military personnel, were deployed to Merowe Air Base to take part in joint exercises, namely the Nile Eagles-2 joint maneuvers, which took place in March. However, there are also suggestions that the Egyptian MiGs are more of a permanent presence at the base, which would explain why the contingent was still in Sudan at this time, despite those maneuvers having ended.

For up-to-date information on this matter, click here.

Brazil welcomes Russia's Lavrov amid US criticism

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov visited Brazil on Monday and expressed gratitude to the South American country for its controversial efforts to mediate the Ukraine conflict.

"As for the process in Ukraine, we are grateful to our Brazilian friends for their excellent understanding of this situation's genesis. We are grateful (to them) for striving to contribute to finding ways to settle it," Lavrov said, sitting alongside his Brazilian counterpart, Mauro Vieira.

In regards to the Kremlin-backed invasion of Ukraine, Vieira told journalists that Brazil sees sanctions against Russia as causing negative impacts for the global economy. He added that Brazil supports an immediate cease-fire in Ukraine.

Lavrov also met with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who has raised eyebrows in the West with his recent comments on Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.
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Following the meeting between Lavrov and Vieira, US national security spokesman John Kirby said, "Brazil is parroting Russian and Chinese propaganda without at all looking at the facts,"

"The most recent comments by Brazil that Ukraine should consider formally ceding Crimea as a peace concession is simply misguided, especially for a country like Brazil that has voted to uphold the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity (at the UN)," he said.

Brazil, however, rejected the US' comments.

"I don't know how or why he reached that conclusion but I do not agree at all," Brazil's Vieira said, referring to the remarks from Kirby.

Russia jails Putin critic Vladimir Kara-Murza for treason

Russian opposition politician Vladimir Kara-Murza was found guilty on charges of treason and denigrating the military by a court in Moscow on Monday.

The critic of President Vladimir Putin was sentenced to 25 years in prison.

Kara-Murza voiced the opposition slogan "Russia will be free" in court after the sentence was announced.

It's the harshest sentence of its kind since Russia criminalized criticism of its military soon after its invasion of Ukraine last February.

His lawyer, Vadim Prokhorov, told DW that "considering his health conditions it is effectively a death sentence."

After the trial, the court said that it found Kaza-Murza guilty of spreading "false" information about the military and of being affiliated with an "undesirable organization."

A German Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said "we condemn this judgment in the strongest possible terms," and that it showed "the shocking level repression has now reached in Russia."

The US State Department said "Mr. Kara-Murza is yet another target of the Russian government's escalating campaign of repression," with France's Foreign Ministry issuing a similar statement.

First Navalny and now Kara-Murza. How many other dissidents will the Russian government put in jail because they opened their mouths to call it out?

Colombia: FARC rebel group 'ready' for peace talks

A breakaway group of Colombia's FARC rebels on Sunday said it was ready to start peace talks with the governmentpeace talks with the government from next month.

The government has yet to confirm the talks. However, the announcement by the Estado Mayor Central (EMC) group would be a boost for leftist President Gustavo Petro's quest for "total peace."

Since the start of April, EMC leaders have held meetings to finalize pathways to the negotiations with the government.
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The EMC is one of two breakaway factions of the FARC and is made up of former leaders and fighters who rejected a 2016 peace deal.

The other dissident faction is the Segunda Marquetalia, which took up arms again in 2019.

Top EMC commander Ivan Mordisco said Sunday that "we can begin to build the road map that will allow Colombia to eradicate the causes of the conflict."

Mordisco also called on the rival National Liberation Army (ELN) guerrilla group "to end the war between our two organizations."

Syria: US helicopter raid hits senior 'Islamic State' leader

US Central Command (Centcom) said on Monday that its forces in northern Syria had conducted "a unilateral helicopter raid" in the early morning targeting what it described as a senior "Islamic State" (IS) Syria leader "responsible for planning terror attacks in the Middle East and Europe."

"The raid resulted in the probable death of the targeted individual," Centcom said, also describing him as an operational planner for the group. "Two other armed individuals were killed on the target."

The short statement said that no US troops were wounded, no helicopters damaged and that Centcom did not believe civilians were killed or injured in the operation.

A Central Command spokesman said additional details would be provided soon.

Syria's White Helmets, a civil defense group operating in opposition-held areas of northern Syria, said it transported two people wounded during the raid to a local hospital. Officials there later said the injured people had died.

A third person was killed when the US forces landed for the raid, the White Helmets said.

The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, which partners with the US in anti-IS operations in northeast Syria, said that the operation was launched from a base in Kobani and targeted a military site belonging to what it described as a Turkish-backed armed opposition group near the Turkish border.

The British-based monitoring group the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also reported a US helicopter raid and "violent clashes."

SpaceX calls off Starship rocket launch

Elon Musk's SpaceX was forced to delay its first launch attempt of its giant Starship rocket due to a technical issue, the company said on Monday.

The rocket, one of the biggest and most powerful ever built, was supposed to launch Monday morning from SpaceX's private spaceport, Starbase, in southern Texas.

It is designed to carry cargo and people to the moon and Mars. The SpaceX "team is working towards next available opportunity," the company said in a statement.

Elon Musk, the founder and CEO of the company, tweeted that a "pressurant valve" on the rocket system appeared to be frozen and they were standing down from launching the rocket into space Monday.

Starship is the tallest rocket system ever built — 120 meters (394 feet) tall, or about 10 meters taller than Saturn V that took the first human crew to the moon in 1969. In comparison, the Statue of Liberty together with its pedestal is 93 meters tall.

[DerVVulfman]

This past December, Kyonides made the following report.

Some time ago, we had learned about China opening and operating secret police stations in several places around the world, including New York City and a couple of places in Canada. Yet, there's something I'd like to emphasize here.

China Operates Over 100 Police Stations Worldwide, Some WITH ASSISTANCE From Host Nations

The rights group Safeguard Defenders has revealed an additional 48 overseas China-run police outposts bringing the total to 102 stations. Some were set up with help from the host countries.
...
The report revealed that besides providing ostensibly administrative service, these stations also serve more sinister purposes, such as, tracking down, arresting, and extraditing people wanted by the CCP, including dissidents who disagree with the regime and its leader Xi Jinping.
. . .
. . .
Ireland and the Netherlands have closed the Chinese police stations that were discovered in their countries, and iInquiries are being conducted in Spain. Canada has filed official complaints to the Chinese Ambassador over reports of unofficial Chinese police service stations operating in Canada.

In a follow-up, please be aware...

FEDS CHARGE TWO FOR RUNNING
COVERT POLICE STATION FOR CHINA
TO CHASE DOWN DISSIDENTS IN NY

The arrest part of a sweeping crackdown on Bejing's influence campaign in the U.S.

Charged this Monday in Federal Court were "Harry" Lu Jianwang and Chen Jinping for conspiring as agents for the Chinese government and obstruction of Justice for opening the covert Chinese outpost in Manhattan's Chinatown in 2022.  In the charges, Lu helped Chinese Security officials in locating dissidents in the U.S., and was asked to participate in demonstrations against the Falun Gong, a religious movement the Chinese Communist Party is seeking to eradicate worldwide.

This prosecution reveals the Chinese government’s flagrant violation of our nation’s sovereignty by establishing a secret police station in the middle of New York City. Such a police station has no place here in New York City—or any American community
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Lu and Chen, of Manhattan, were allegedly directed to do China’s bidding, “including helping locate a Chinese dissident living in the United States.

The two not only acted as agents on behalf of China, but attempted to obstruct justice by deleting their eMails and communiques with an official of the Chinese Ministry of Public Security after discovering the FBI probe. 

As the charges against the two  were brought fourth, 44 other defendants were changed in two other complaints in the same Federal Court for various crimes, also acting on behalf of China. And of them, more than 30 were members of a Chinese police force called the 912 Special Working Group, a 'Troll Farm' that made fake online accounts and proceeded to spread Chinese state propaganda to overwhelm any anti-CCP speech.

What was NOT covered in this article was the degree of pressure exerted upon those dissidents, including threats against their family still living in China.

BEATING VICTIM'S DAD RAGES AGAINST

NADLER AND SCHUMER AT HOUSE JUDICIAL FIELD HEARING

OVER VIOLENCE IN NEW YORK

Witnesses testified about crime under D.A. Bragg's watch, smeared by critics like Nadler as a circus act or a sham.

I called Mr. Schumer’s office, another Jewish New Yorker, numerous times. No one called us back.
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You have Jewish roots here, and behavior like this enables DA Bragg to just do whatever he wants to do.  We wouldn’t vote for Mr. Schumer again. … And if I lived in Manhattan, I wouldn’t vote for you, either.

The man's son was wearking a yarmulke and was attacked by by a pack of men who allegedly hurled anti-Semitic slurs. D.A. Bragg received outrage when he offered the one who hurled the slurs a 6-month plea deal, the others on bail now with sentences as low as 3 1/2 years, despite being both felony charges and a hate crime.

But there were more complaints such as the mother of a murdered army vereran who now chairs the non-profit Victim Rights Reform council.

When Alvin Bragg came into office, he was handed a strong, trial-ready murder case and gang assault case against all our of these individuals.
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He dismissed — completely dismissed — gang assault and murder indictments against two of the defendants clearly on video participating in the brutal, savage slaughter of my son, Hason was kicked, punched, stomped and stabbed nine times by four individuals whom he did not know, nor had he done them any harm.

Four siblings attacked the 35 year old married father of th322 outside a Harlem apartment building. Two of the brothers were sentenced to twenty years.  But a third was sentenced to only seven years while the fourth is already out after only 14 months time served.

Travis will be out in the next 18 months. Mary Saunders — this savage is currently walking the streets of Harlem like she didn’t just participate in the brutal slaughter of another human being — home with her family, home with her children.

If that’s not a threat to public safety, I don’t know what is.  And as far as the Manhattan district attorney’s office, if he’s receiving one penny of federal dollars, you need to pull that funding until he starts doing his damn job and prosecuting crime.

U.S. Representative Elise Stefanic, New York's top Republican in the House of Representatives, praised the victims who testified as she chided the critics who attempted to smear them.

What have Republicans focused on? We focused on giving victims a voice. We focused on crimes.

Members of the committee also heard testimony from the attorney for Jose Alba, the bodega worker who was infamously charged with murder while defending his own life, stabbing a man who attacked him inside his store and was clearly on video acting in self defense.

Note that the hearing comes as supporters of D.A. Bragg cite recent dips in some of N.Y's crime such as a decrease in anti-Semetic crime, though the numbers are in fact up 55% from the same time period in 2021 before Bragg took office.

[kyonides]

Germany Says It Delivered Patriot Missile Battery To Ukraine

Berlin has delivered a Patriot air defense battery and missiles to Ukraine, the German Defense Ministry (MoD) announced Tuesday on its website.

The Patriot system, along with additional trucks, was added to the category of “delivered” military assistance this week as part of Germany’s $2.41 billion commitment of lethal and non-lethal aid to Ukraine.

This is the first confirmed delivery of a Patriot battery to Ukraine. The U.S. has also promised to deliver an MIM-104 Patriot air defense system, but the Pentagon on Tuesday again declined to say whether it has been delivered yet.

“We don’t have any updates on this end and will allow the Ukrainians to announce any arrivals when they’re ready to do so,” Army Maj. Charlie Dietz, a Pentagon spokesman, told The War Zone Tuesday afternoon.

In February, Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, the Pentagon’s top spokesman, told reporters at the Pentagon that delivery of the Patriot battery will be “expedited.” But he did not offer specifics.

During a media briefing last month announcing that the Ukrainian air defense troops training at Fort Sill, Oklahoma had wrapped up their U.S. training and left for Europe, Ryder declined to say when the U.S.-promised MIM-104 Patriot air defense system will arrive in Ukraine.

Last Friday, Col. Yuri Ignat, the Ukrainian Air Force spokesman, said he had not seen the Patriot.

Speaker McCarthy set to visit Israel, address Knesset

United States House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy announced on Tuesday he will give a speech in front of a full session of the Israeli Knesset during his upcoming trip to Israel.

McCarthy, a Republican from California, will be the first US House speaker to address the Knesset in 25 years. In 1998, Newt Gingrich was the first and last to do so.

McCarthy, along with a bipartisan delegation of 20 Republican and Democratic members of Congress, is slated to arrive in Israel on April 30 as part of the Jewish state's 75th Independence Day celebrations.

"My first trip abroad as Speaker will be a return to Israel to commemorate their 75th year of statehood. The US-Israel relationship is as important as ever, and I’m proud to accept @AmirOhana’s invitation as the 2nd Speaker of the House in history to address the Knesset," McCarthy tweeted, referring to Israeli parliament speaker Amir Ohana.

'Nazis are losers, will die miserably': Schwarzenegger fights antisemitism

...says the son of a WW2 Nazi officer.

Action film star and former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger published a 12-minute YouTube video last month calling on people to fight rising antisemitism and urged movements spreading hate against Jews to stop.

In the video, Schwarzenegger talked about his visit to the Auschwitz concentration camp in 2022 and the thoughts that came to him after his tour. His goal was that something like this should never happen again.
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He explained he was reaching out to people who may have "heard some conspiracies about Jewish people or people of any race of gender or orientation and thought, 'That makes sense to me.'"

He continued: "Nazis? Losers. The Confederacy? Losers. The apartheid movement? Losers. I don't want you to be a loser."

Schwarzenegger added: "It's easier to make excuses that the Jewish people conspired to hold you back than it is to admit that you just needed to work harder. It's easier to hate than it is to learn.

But I gotta admit he has a point. It's our own responsibility to improve our skills and work hard.

Britain plays down impact of US leaks, says some information untrue

Britain on Tuesday played down the impact from the leaks of highly classified US intelligence documents online, saying some of the information being circulated from them was untrue and manipulated, without offering specific examples.

A 21-year-old member of the US Air National Guard accused of leaking top secret military intelligence records online was arrested last week and charged with unlawfully copying and transmitting classified material.
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Still, Ben Wallace, the British defense minister, told reporters in Washington that he observed inaccuracies in his review of the published information. He urged the public to be skeptical of the leaked material.

"I'm not going to comment on a specific part of the leak, but I have seen in our media a number of inaccuracies, significant inaccuracies, or manipulation of information," Wallace said.
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He said the leak had "absolutely not" damaged relations with the United States and would not strengthen Russia or weaken Ukraine in their conflict.

Reuters reviewed some of the leaked documents, which included one that asserted that Britain, the United States and other countries had military special operations forces operating inside Ukraine. The Pentagon has said US forces in Ukraine operate from the embassy and help track US weapons provisions to Kyiv to help it defend itself against invading Russian forces.

The Washington Post reported on a leaked Defense Intelligence Agency assessment it says it obtained that anticipated 2023 will end without any Ukraine battlefield breakthrough for either side.

Without commenting on the documents themselves, Wallace expressed confidence in Ukraine's battlefield momentum, played down the idea of a stalemate and dismissed any characterization of the war as a "frozen conflict."

 It would be different if they had claimed EVERYTHING was a lie...

 Perhaps some of you still remember what happened some time ago when Iranian forces hit the Ukrainian airplane that transported travelers from Ukraine, Canada and other countries to Europe. Well, this is what happened to the idiot who shot it down.

Iranian air defense officer sentenced to 13 years for downing Ukrainian plane

An Iranian air defense commander was sentenced on Sunday to 13 years in prison for downing a Ukraine International Airlines flight over Tehran in 2020, with families of the victims rejecting the ruling as a "sham verdict."

On January 8, 2020, 176 people were killed after an IRGC Tor M1 surface-to-air missile system shot down Ukraine International Airlines flight 752 over Tehran, just hours after the IRGC fired ballistic missiles at a US base in Iraq in retaliation against the US assassination of IRGC Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani.

In total, 20 hearings were held on the case, during which a total of 117 plaintiffs registered complaints, according to the Mizan news agency, affiliated with Iran's judiciary.

According to the report, the commander of the Tor M1 system thought that the aircraft was a cruise missile and, without obtaining the necessary permission and contrary to instructions, he fired two missiles at the plane.

The court found that the commander shot down the passenger plane due to "ignorance of the subject and a mistaken idea of the discovered target, and a belief that the target was hostile and approaching."

The commander was also ordered to pay compensation to the parents of victims who demanded it and additional punishments are being considered for the commander as well, according to Mizan.

At least nine other individuals received prison sentences of between one to three years, including the then-commander of the air defense of the IRGC Air Force. Additional punishments are being considered for these individuals as well.

The report noted that the decision in the case is preliminary and that the parties involved can file appeals within the next 20 days.

The Iranian government has in the past promised to pay each of the families of the victims $150,000 in compensation.

Yes, a woman can get killed for not wearing a so called hijab but a military service man that shoots down a whole plane full of civilian passengers would only spend around 13 years in prison.

 Do they really think justice has been served properly here?

[kyonides]

Surveillance fears as China resumes construction on fifth Antarctic base

China is increasing its Antarctic footprint according to new satellite imagery collected by a Washington-based thinktank that shows construction has resumed for the first time since 2018 on the country’s fifth station in the southern polar region.

Beijing has sought to develop new shipping routes in the Arctic and expand its research in Antarctica, but western governments worry its increasing presence in the polar regions could provide the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) with better surveillance capabilities.

The new station, on Inexpressible Island near the Ross Sea, is expected to include an observatory with a satellite ground station, and should help China “fill in a major gap” in its ability to access the continent, the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) said in a report.

CSIS used satellite images taken in January to identify new support facilities, temporary buildings, a helicopter pad and foundations for a larger main building at the 5,000 sq meter (53,820 sq ft) station. It estimated that construction could be done by 2024.

“While the station can provide tracking and communications for China’s growing array of scientific polar observation satellites, its equipment can concurrently be used for intercepting other nations’ satellite communications,” CSIS said.

The station is well positioned to collect signals intelligence over Australia and New Zealand and telemetry data on rockets launched from Australia’s new Arnhem Space Centre, it said. Once finished, the station is expected to include a wharf for China’s Xuelong icebreaker ships.

CSIS told Reuters that while the US still maintains a larger research presence in Antarctica – including the biggest facility in its McMurdo station – China’s footprint is growing faster. China’s fifth station will be 200 miles (320km) from the McMurdo station, it said.

U.N. Protests Alleged Pentagon Leak Claiming U.S. Spied on Antonio Guterres

A spokesman for United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the agency had formally lodged a complaint with the American government after alleged Pentagon leaks published by the Washington Post indicated Washington was spying on Guterres’s private communications.

The leaks referring to United Nations operations were part of a much larger alleged trove of confidential documents that both the Washington Post and New York Times claimed surfaced in chat room discussions on the video game social media site Discord, beginning as early as January, and circulated online for months. Last week, law enforcement officials arrested 21-year-old Jack Teixeira, an Airman First Class in the Massachusetts Air National Guard, in relation to the alleged leaks. The media outlets breaking the story claimed Teixeira shared the classified intelligence in a bid to impress friends in the video game chats, citing unnamed individuals who participated in the chats with Teixeira.

Department of Defense Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh told reporters on Monday that it does not yet know just how many documents were exposed in the alleged leak.

During a daily press briefing on Tuesday, Guterres spokesman Stéphane Dujarric accepted a question asking for comment on the alleged leaks related to the director-general, particularly regarding Guterres’ attempts to visit the wartorn Tigray region of Ethiopia. In response, Dujarric confirmed that the United Nations had formally rebuked the United States for allegedly spying on Guterres.

“These documents which were basically distorted summaries of the Secretary-General’s conversation. We have now officially expressed to the host country our concern,” Dujarric said, “regarding the recent reports that communications of the Secretary-General and other senior UN officials have been the subject of surveillance and interference by the US Government.”

Judge Denies Bragg’s Attempt to Stop Subpoena, Dealing Win to Jordan

Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) will get to question a former prosecutor of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office after a judge ruled Wednesday that a subpoena Jordan issued to the prosecutor was enforceable.

U.S. District Judge Mary Kay Vyskocil wrote that the subpoena, which Jordan sent to Mark Pomerantz two weeks ago, had a “valid legislative purpose.”

“It is not the role of the federal judiciary to dictate what legislation Congress may consider or how it should conduct its deliberations in that connection,” Vyskocil wrote. “Mr. Pomerantz must appear for the congressional deposition. No one is above the law.”

A spokesman for Jordan celebrated the victory in a statement, saying Vyskocil’s decision “shows that Congress has the ability to conduct oversight and issue subpoenas to people like Mark Pomerantz.”

Pomerantz’s deposition before the House Judiciary Committee, of which Jordan is chairman, is scheduled for Thursday at 10:00 a.m., but Bragg’s counsel has filed an appeal and is seeking emergency relief from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in a last-minute attempt to prevent Pomerantz’s testimony.

Russia’s Top Diplomat Thanks ‘Most Loyal Partners’ in Venezuela Visit
namely the Foreign Minister Lavrov

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov arrived here on Tuesday to meet with dictator Nicolás Maduro and other members of the Venezuelan socialist regime.

Venezuela is the second destination in Lavrov’s five-day Latin American tour that kicked off with a stop in Brazil on Monday, where he met with Brazilian radical leftist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and his foreign minister, Mauro Vieira. Lavrov is scheduled to visit Cuba and Nicaragua after visiting Venezuela.

Maduro announced on Monday during the premiere of his new television show Con Maduro+ (“With Maduro Plus”) that Lavrov’s visit to Venezuela aimed to “review all the subjects of Russia-Venezuela cooperation, of Russia’s presence in Latin America and the Caribbean for the good of our region, of world geopolitics.”

Lavrov started his itinerary in Caracas with a meeting with Maduro’s top diplomat Yván Gil at the Casa Amarilla (“Yellow House”), a historical building in the center of Caracas that serves as the headquarters of the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry.

After their meeting, where they reviewed bilateral agreements, both foreign ministers held a joint press conference where they committed to uphold “the principles of the Charter of the United Nations” and reaffirmed their respective regimes’ alliances and mutual support against sanctions imposed by the United States and the European Union against them.
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“Undoubtedly, Venezuela is one of Russia’s most faithful partners,” Lavrov said. “We are united by friendly relations and also by similarities in our positions, ties of friendship, and sympathy between our peoples. Our relations have gone through various trials, crises, pressure, but our ties, despite everything, will continue to develop.”

“We will do everything possible to make Venezuela’s economy less and less dependent on the whims and geopolitical games of the United States or any other actor in the Western camp,” the Russian top diplomat continued. “We will favor any way for the Venezuelan economy to become independent of the United States’ and other Western pressures.”

ÚLTIMA HORA | Canciller de Rusia ratifica respaldo al régimen de Maduro y repudia acciones de EEUU contra Venezuela: “Hemos acordado medidas para ampliar cooperación” https://t.co/1lfT2DnSVd pic.twitter.com/OjRhHH6Mof
—  (@AlbertoRodNews) April 18, 2023

Russia Foreign Minister confirms their support to the Maduro regime and repudiates the actions of the US against Venezuela: 'We have agreed upon measures that will expand our cooperation.'

Former Defense Official: Afghans Evacuated to the U.S.
Included Known Bomb Emplacers

The Biden administration evacuated planeloads of unvetted Afghans to the United States, including some who were known improvised explosive device (IED) emplacers, according to the recent testimony of a former defense official involved in the evacuation as a civilian volunteer.

Simone Ledeen, former deputy assistant secretary of defense for the Middle East, testified Tuesday that Afghans released into the U.S. had been found in a Department of Defense’s watchlist to have emplaced IEDs.
...
She elaborated in her written testimony:

A Department of Defense whistleblower has alleged that 324 individuals evacuated from Afghanistan were allowed to enter the U.S. despite appearing on the Defense Department’s Biometrically Enabled Watchlist (BEWL).

Ledeen, who served in the DOD under Trump, became involved in the evacuation after a friend solicited her help in trying to help evacuate an Afghan interpreter who had served with U.S. special operations forces and his family who were stuck outside the airport. Ledeen had served in Afghanistan as a U.S. official in 2005 and 2009-2010 and had experience with the U.S. special operations community. She also served as the acting deputy assistant secretary for special operations and combating terrorism under Trump.

Germany: Suspect still on loose after Duisburg gym stabbings

Police in Duisburg believe a man aged around 30 acted alone when stabbing and seriously wounding four people at a gym in the western German city on Tuesday evening.

The suspect was still on the loose on Wednesday morning following an unsuccessful manhunt after the suspected knife crime.

Investigators have opened a preliminary attempted murder case.

There are no surveillance cameras in the gym in Duisburg's old town. Police, therefore, have been struggling to reconstruct the exact course of events. Investigators do not suspect a homicide but a confrontation of one or more of the victims with the perpetrator, the public prosecutor said.

"There are no indications of a rampage," she said. The exact circumstances of the altercation are still under investigation, she added.

Russia: Putin critic Ilya Yashin loses appeal on jail term

A court on Wednesday rejected the appeal of Kremlin opposition politician Ilya Yashin for his 8.5-year prison sentence on convictions for criticizing the Russian military.

"The verdict of the Moscow Meshchansky Court should be left unchanged," ruled a judge during the Wednesday hearing.

Yashin said that he was convicted for "speaking the truth" over Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

"In prison, I met murderers, rapists, and robbers who have received lesser sentences for their crimes," said Yashin.

In court, Yashin predicted that Russia will look differently in the future, with "thieves and murderers" removed from power.

"I realise that, once free, I will become one of those who will have to clean up this bloody mess," he said.

Yashin was sentenced in December last year over a livestreamed YouTube video in which he talked about atrocities in Bucha near Kyiv, where civilians were found dead in the streets after Russian troops withdrew from the area.

In the video, Yashin discussed reports by Western journalists of atrocities and was doubtful of Moscow's claim that such reports are staged as a "provocation" against Russia.

[DerVVulfman]

IRS WHISTLEBLOWER CLAIMS
POLITICAL INTERFERENCE
IN HUNTER BIDEN INVESTIGATION
Claims the Biden Administration is mishandling the investigation, and has evidence.

My client wants to come forward. He is not a political person, he is not a social media person, he is not coming here with a political agenda. He has "been at the IRS for more than 10 years" as a special agent, who is "trusted with international investigations.

My client is a career law enforcement officer who is respected within the IRS and he teaches other agents how to properly do investigations He knows when to spot when investigative steps aren't done in a traditional way to get to the truth.

He has spotted and observed things that are done differently in this particular matter…and he wants to talk about them and he believes that they were influenced by politics.

The lawyer for Hunter Biden, Chris Clark, already began attacking the Whistleblower coming forward, claiming that the Whistleblower was committing a felony by disclosing information about the ongoing tax investigation. Biden's lawyer followed up by stating it an abuse of power to disclose information about a private citizen's tax matters.

Uh huh...  And how did CNN get Trump tax records that they attempted to release time and time again?

In response to the Biden lawyer, Mr. Lytle replied that his client knew he was going to be attacked, but still wished to come forward and tell the truth. And he wished to reach out to both Republicans and Democrats on the hill.  Mr. Lytle also added that Clark's attack doesn't "help whistleblowers as a whole", noting that Congress has whistleblower programs in place because of such misconduct.

Lytle sent a letter Wednesday to top Republicans and Democrats throughout both houses of congress, stating his client already went through internal channels and made protected disclosures through the IRS, U.S. Treasury Inspector General, and the Department of Justice itself.

He has further stated that his protected disclosures "contradict sworn testimony to Congress by a senior political appointee"... aka has committed felony perjury.  Reports have suggested that the senior political appointee is none other than Attorney General Merrick Garland himself, his testimony this March - and last year - that the Hunter Biden investigation is being independently conducted without interference.

Hunter Biden has been under federal investigation since 2018, it based on his tax affairs resulting from the discovery of suspicious activity reports regarding funds from China and other sources.  It was only revealed in 2020 that the FBI subpoenaed the infamous Biden laptop over an existing money laundering investigation.

BIDEN CAMPAIGN BUSTED!
PUSHED FALSE LETTER OVER
HUNTER'S LAPTOP
The former acting CIA Director admits to organizing the 50 colleagues to attack the Hunter Biden Laptop Story, and gives sworn testimony calling out Anthony Blinken.

In private sworn testimony, Morell told the House Judiciary Committee that Antony Blinken, now Secretary of State, was the senior campaign official who reached out to him "on or before" Oct. 17, 2020, three days after The Post published an email from the laptop suggesting Hunter had introduced his Ukrainian business partner to his father, then vice-president Biden.

Until Blinken’s call, Morell told House investigators that he had no intention of writing any statement exonerating Biden.  But he agreed that the conversation with Blinken “triggered … that intent” in him.

Over the next two days, Morell gathered signatures from 51 former intelligence officials, including himself and four other former CIA directors, including John Brennan and Leon Panetta.  Morell testified that he sent an email telling Nick Shapiro, former Deputy Chief of Staff to Brennan, that the Biden campaign wanted the statement to go to a particular reporter at the Washington Post and that he should send the statement to the campaign as well.

It is apparent that the Biden campaign played an active role in the origins of the public statement, which had the effect of helping to suppress the Hunter Biden story and preventing American citizens from making a fully informed decision during the 2020 presidential election
…
This concerted effort to minimize and suppress public dissemination of the serious allegations about the Biden family was a grave disservice to all American citizens’ informed participation in our democracy.

Jordan and Turner have asked Blinken to hand over all documents and communications relating to the letter and provide the House with the identities of everyone involved.

[kyonides]

Spurned by Biden, Israel Asks China to Help Contain Iran Threat

Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen asked China to “influence” Iran to cease developing its illegal nuclear weapons program, inviting Beijing to play a bigger role in the Middle East as relations with the United States under leftist President Joe Biden have deteriorated.

Cohen made the request in a conversation on Monday with Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang, a day before held a massive parade to mark its annual “Army Day” in which it once again threatened to destroy Israel. President Ebrahim Raisi specifically vowed “the destruction of Haifa and Tel Aviv” and debuted what appeared to be new military hardware, a drone model not yet seen in public.

Qin reportedly spoke to both Cohen and Palestinian Authority diplomat Riyad al-Maliki on Monday, apparently seeking a mediation role for China in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestinian terrorists. Qin’s overtures follow a shock announcement in March that the Chinese Communist Party had intervened in the conflict between Iran and Saudi Arabia, leading talks between the rivals’ respective governments that resulted in the two sides agreeing to reopen embassies in their countries and restore commercial flights to each other.

China has long been an ally of the Iranian Islamist regime, part of a growing axis of anti-American states prominently including Russia, Venezuela, Syria, and North Korea.
...
Similarly, the Biden administration has alienated Israel by sternly criticizing the government’s attempts to reform its judicial system – an internal, sovereign matter – and Biden himself refusing to invite Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House, even after his underlings had said publicly that Netanyahu should expect an invitation soon.

Alec Baldwin to Skate as Prosecutors Drop
Criminal Charges in Fatal ‘Rust’ Shooting

Recently appointed special prosecutors Kari Morrissey and Jason Lewis are expected to file papers shortly to dismiss the involuntary manslaughter claims against Alec Baldwin without prejudice, according to multiple reports, with Deadline first reporting the news on Thursday.

“We are pleased with the decision to dismiss the case against Alec Baldwin and we encourage a proper investigation into the facts and circumstances of this tragic accident,” Baldwin attorneys Luke Nikas and Alex Spiro told Deadline.

The filing “without prejudice” means prosecutors could theoretically resurrect the case at some point in the future.

Rust armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed is still facing criminal charges in the case, according to Deadline.

Baldwin had pleaded not guilty to the involuntary manslaughter charges brought by New Mexico prosecutors. The actor was facing the possibility of spending a maximum of 18 months in prison if found guilty on the involuntary manslaughter charge without a firearm enhancement.

As Breitbart News reported, Baldwin was no longer facing the prospect of spending five years in jail after prosecutors in New Mexico downgraded the charges against him. Prosecutors removed the weapons enhancement charge against him — which carried a maximum sentence of five years — after the actor’s lawyers successfully argued that the applicable law went into effect after the on-set shooting accident.

Trump Endorses Using Military to Crush Cartels: ‘I Would Do That’

Former President Donald Trump told Breitbart News exclusively that he supports a proposal from Reps. Michael Waltz (R-FL) and Dan Crenshaw (R-TX) that would authorize the use of military force against Mexican drug cartels to target the criminal enterprises and dismantle them.

“I would do that,” Trump said when asked about the congressmen’s Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF) legislation that they have recently proposed.

Trump had earlier this year released a policy video in which he explained he supported using the military to target the cartels, but this is the first time he has weighed in on the specific proposal before Congress to do so. In response to Waltz’s AUMF plan, Mexican president Andrés Manuel López Obrador has said he opposes it and even threatened to interfere in U.S. elections to help Democrats and oppose Republicans in response to it.
...
Trump, in his exclusive interview here with Breitbart News last week after his speech at the National Rifle Association (NRA) annual gathering, noted that he does in fact have a good relationship with Lopez Obrador.

Trump called Lopez Obrador a “gentleman,” even though he is a “socialist” and argued that if elected back to the White House he believes he would be able to work with the Mexican leader to crush the cartels and use U.S. military assets to help.

Russia Warns South Korea Against Arming Ukraine

Russia on Wednesday warned South Korea against sending weapons to Ukraine after Seoul opened the door to possible military aid to Kyiv in the event of a large-scale civilian attack.

An ally of Washington, Seoul has provided non-lethal and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine, but has so far ruled out military aid.

But South Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol told Reuters on Wednesday that “if there is a situation the international community cannot condone, such as any large-scale attack on civilians… it might be difficult for us to insist only on humanitarian or financial support.”

The Kremlin said the start of arms supplies would mean indirect involvement in the Ukraine conflict.

“Unfortunately Seoul has taken a rather unfriendly stance,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

“The start of arms supplies will indirectly mean a certain stage of involvement in this conflict,” he added.

Israel to Send Greece Spike Anti-Tank Systems for $400 Million

Israel has signed a 1.44-billion new Israeli shekel ($400 million) deal with Greece to provide Spike anti-tank systems.

The Greek government earlier approved the purchase of 17 Spike NLOS (non-line-of-sight) missile systems for Hellenic Army anti-armor units for $293 million.

The Rafael systems include 340 missiles.

Athens also approved the purchase of 100 Spike NLOS missiles for the AH-64A Apache helicopters of the Hellenic Army Air Corps for $49 million.

“This project joins a series of agreements between the State of Israel and the Hellenic Republic, and further emphasizes the strong partnership between our countries and our defense establishments, as well as our mutual commitment to ensuring regional stability,” The Times of Israel quoted Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant as saying.

“The Spike missiles will strengthen the Greek army’s portfolio of operational tools and we expect further expansion through strategic collaborations in the near future,” Rafael CEO Yoav Har-Even added.

 I wonder if this means that Greece can't trust Erdogan's Turkey anymore, thus feeling the dire need to get advanced weaponry before it's late for them.

Rep. Mark Green Reveals Alejandro Mayorkas Impeachment Charges

Green laid out the charges during a morning hearing on April 19, as Democrats defended Mayorkas with a fog of praise and pleas for more migration into the jobs and homes needed by Americans:

Mr. Secretary, you took an oath where you swore to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic, and to faithfully discharge the duties of the office. Your job is to protect the homeland. And one of those obvious duties is to secure the United States’ sovereign borders and to implement the laws duly passed by Congress.

However, you have not secured our borders, Mr. Secretary, and I believe you have done so intentionally.

There is no other explanation for the systematic dismantling and transformation of our border into a lawless and dangerous open border.

You’ve asserted in the past that it’s an issue of resources. But the numbers show a very different story. In just the two years of your tenure, more people have crossed our southern border into the United States than in the previous 12 years of two administrations combined.

[kyonides]

US Approves Turkish F-16 Fleet Upgrades for $259 Million

The US State Department has approved upgrades worth $259 million for the Turkish F-16 fleet.

The proposed upgrades include “software upgrades of the Operational Flight Program avionics with the Automatic Ground Collision Avoidance System,” the Defense Security Cooperation Agency explained.

They also include “hardware modifications to enable integration of the Multifunctional Information Distribution System Block Upgrade II.”

The upgrades will help improve the aircraft’s safety and interoperability with NATO, the Pentagon agency stated.

The approval follows Ankara approving Finland’s accession to NATO.

However, Ankara’s larger request for 40 F-16 aircraft from the US has been in limbo since 2021, when Washington expelled the country from the F-35 program over its purchase of the Russian S-400 air defense system.
...
The country has been upgrading 35 Block 30 aircraft under the OZGUR project, retrofitting the aircraft with a suite of locally-developed avionics and systems, according to Aviation Online.

Brazilian Navy, EDGE to Jointly Develop Anti-Ship, Supersonic Missiles

The Brazilian Navy and EDGE have signed an agreement to jointly explore long-range anti-ship and supersonic missile development.

The collaboration will leverage their collective expertise in missiles and related military technologies to support their mutual goals.

“Signing a joint development agreement with EDGE… will expand the range of capabilities for Brazilian and allied forces to achieve their missions,” Brazilian Navy Vice Adm. Marco Antonio Ismael Trovão de Oliveira stated.
...
Under the initiative, the navy will provide its missile portfolio and fleet for testing, while the UAE-based technological group will deliver electronic warfare and smart weapons solutions to develop cost-effective, high-performance missiles to meet global demand.

The teaming is expected to produce advanced national defense capabilities, build relationships with other partners, and expand global exports.
...
EDGE Group showcased its tactical products for Latin American customers earlier this month during a 4-day defense and security expo in Rio de Janeiro.

Throughout the event, the company signed cooperation agreements with industry partners to expand its market in the region.

Turkish Unmanned Surface Vessels Fire Torpedoes for First Time

Two Turkish unmanned surface vessels (USVs) fired lightweight torpedoes for the first time during a recent sea trial, the country’s defense agency has announced.

In a video uploaded on social media, the armed USVs Marlin and MIR were seen sailing at high speed before stopping to launch what appeared to be recoverable exercise torpedoes (REXTORP).

The event demonstrated the two state-of-the-art ships’ anti-submarine warfare capabilities.

It also allowed the Turkish Defence Agency to test the fixed-mount torpedo launcher developed by local firm Aselsan.

Apart from REXTORP, the USVs can launch NATO-standard torpedoes such as the Mk44, Mk46, Mk54, and soon the ORKA lightweight torpedo from Roketsan.

Iran Army Gets 200 New ‘Strategic’ Drones

Iran’s defense ministry has delivered the army with more than 200 new drones equipped with missile capabilities and electronic warfare systems, state media reported on Thursday.

In a ceremony broadcast on television, Defense Minister Mohammad-Reza Ashtiani handed over “more than 200 long-range strategic drones” to army chief Abdolrahim Mousavi, the official news agency IRNA said.

Produced by the Iranian defense ministry, the drones are designed for reconnaissance and strike missions, and can carry air-to-air and air-to-surface missiles, IRNA said.

Foreign ministers of Iran, Jordan agree to 'meet as soon as possible'

The foreign ministers of Iran and Jordan spoke on Thursday and agreed to meet "as soon as possible" in order to discuss relations between the two countries.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry stated that "Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian confirmed during a phone conversation with his Jordanian counterpart of Tehran's willingness to develop the relationship and cooperation between the two."

It was stated that they will "continue meetings in order to reach understandings based on future relations to establish cooperation, and to contribute to strengthening security."

Bizarre Plot To Steal Russian Jets Ends In Ukrainians Charged With Treason

An undisclosed number of Ukrainian service members have been charged with treason, the Ukrainian State Security Service (SBU) announced Thursday, after a bizarre plot to convince Russian pilots to steal their aircraft apparently backfired. As a result of the ensuing Russian investigation, its forces launched a "massive missile attack" on Ukraine's "Kanatove airfield on July 23, 2022.” It killed a commander, wounded 17 airmen, destroyed two fighter jets and caused “significant damage” to the airstrip and several buildings, SBU stated in a release.

Just two days after the deadly attack, Bellingcat Russia investigator Christo Grosev described the plot in a Twitter thread as a “crazier-than-fiction story of triple-agents, fake passports and faux girlfriends.” Bellingcat, he said, was chronicling this plot as it unfolded, via a documentary about “one of the wackiest counter-counter-intel operations of all time.”

It was a tale, he said, that Russia's FSB security agency falsely accused him of being involved in.

The genesis of this operation was based on a new Ukrainian law offering money to Russians who provide Kyiv with military hardware, Grosev said.
...
He was quick to point out that the operation “was not a project of either SBU or GUR [Ukraine's Defense Intelligence Directorate]. (If it were, there'd be no way we would - or want to - get access to it). It was organized by maverick ex operatives whom we got to know” via a previous Bellingcat investigation.

“Several Russian military pilots were approached and even sent ‘proof-of-access’ videos from inside their planes, in each case bearing a separate number hand-written on pieces of paper. Some of the footage from the inside of the planes was quite detailed and enlightening.”
...
“This bizarre mutual-deceit game came to an end when the FSB realized no one will show up at any of the suggested meet-ups (FSB were keen to identify Ukrainian agents), realizing they've been burned,” Grosev wrote. “And the Ukrainians realized they're likely not getting a real pilot either.”

Still, it was a win for Ukraine, Grosev wrote.

“While Russia is presenting today this as a coup for its counter intelligence, in fact the operation was a serious blunder for the FSB, disclosing unintentionally identities of dozens of counter intel officers, their methods of operation, and their undercover assets.”

 Seriously, I wouldn't ever come up with such a crazy plan that could have ended way worse than it actually did. Couldn't they go ask some superior officer to get some help from their intelligence group or some military expert?
I guess it's fair to judge those idiots for being just a bunch of traitors.

[kyonides]

Chicago Employees Fired for Not Getting
a COVID-19 Vaccine Must Be Reinstated

Workers in Chicago who were fired for not complying with the city’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate must get their jobs back, a judge said in a new ruling.

City officials violated multiple parts of the Illinois Public Labor Relations Act by imposing the mandate without negotiating with unions representing the workers over the effects of the mandate, including consequences for not getting vaccinated, Administrative Law Judge Anna Hamburg-Gal said in a 78-page ruling dated April 19.

The mandate itself was not subject to bargaining because the vaccination requirements were “integral to [the city’s] ability to maintain a functional workforce that was capable of carrying out public services during a global pandemic,” Hamburg-Gal said. But that didn’t remove the need to bargain over aspects of the mandate.

“Even where an employer’s decision to implement a management policy is not subject to negotiations, the Act requires good-faith collective bargaining over the effects of that policy decision on the terms and conditions of employment of bargaining unit employees,” the judge said.

Effects that should have been negotiated included sick leave availability for workers who were injured by a vaccine and discipline for failing to report vaccination status or failing to get vaccinated, according to the ruling.

No emergency removed the bargaining requirements for the mandate, which was imposed on Oct. 8, 2021, the judge said.

‘Park Outside’: GM Recalls 40,000 Pickups to Fix Fire Risk

General Motors is recalling certain Chevrolet Silverado medium-duty trucks for model year 2019 or later, following the discovery of a potential leak in brake fluid that could result in a fire.

Potentially 40,428 vehicles could be affected. They include 4500HD, 5500HD, and 6500HD models with model years between 2019 and 2023, according to documents posted by U.S. safety regulators on Saturday.

The vehicles may have a brake pressure sensor assembly that allows brake fluid to leak and cause a short circuit. That in turn increases the risk of a fire that could occur when the vehicle is either driving or parked.

GM advises owners with potentially affected models to park outdoors and away from structures until the recall repair is done. Vehicles with model years before 2019 used a different design.

GOP Lawmaker Sees Potential Biden Impeachment
as Hunter Biden Probe Intensifies

Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.), a member of the House Oversight Committee, has stated that information presented by an IRS whistleblower might bring President Joe Biden to the point of impeachment.

“This is just the very tip of the iceberg. This very brave IRS agent coming forward, I think, will just start it,” Burchett said in an interview with Fox News host Maria Bartiromo. “They’re talking about impeaching Biden. How could we not impeach Biden if this does, in fact, reach him?”

The whistleblower, who claimed to be with the IRS for more than 10 years, sent a letter to Congress on Tuesday seeking legal protection in exchange for information showing how “preferential treatment and politics” have been infecting the probe into alleged tax violations by Biden’s son Hunter.

The letter, delivered by attorney Mark Lytle, also claimed that the whistleblower has proof that would “contradict sworn testimony to Congress by a senior political appointee” and involve a “failure to mitigate clear conflicts of interest in the ultimate disposition of the case.” There has been speculation that the “senior political appointee” was Attorney General Merrick Garland.

While the letter didn’t mention Hunter Biden by name, Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.), chairman of the House Oversight Committee, said in a statement that he was “deeply concerned” that the Biden administration may be “obstructing justice by blocking efforts to charge Hunter Biden for tax violations,” and that his colleagues have been “wondering all along” about the apparent inaction of the DOJ and IRS.

The IRS whistleblower came out after former CIA official Michael Morell testified to the House Judiciary Committee that, in the weeks leading up to the 2020 presidential election, then-Biden campaign adviser Antony Blinken orchestrated a letter signed by 51 former intelligence officials dismissing the explosive Hunter Biden laptop story as mere Russian propaganda.

Public-Service Strike: Union ‘Fed Up’
With Pace of Talks but Ottawa[, Canada] Blames Union

Talks between the federal government and the union representing 155,000 striking public servants appeared mired in communication issues on Saturday as both sides accused the other of obstructing negotiations and being too slow to respond to key developments.

The head of the Public Service Alliance of Canada held a news conference to blast Ottawa’s Treasury Board for its failure to respond to a revised contract offer and called on the prime minister to help hasten the pace of contract talks.

But the office of Treasury Board President Mona Fortier fired back an hour later, saying efforts to meet with the union went unanswered on Friday, and a Saturday afternoon meeting was cancelled nine minutes after being arranged.

The union’s president, Chris Aylward, said he was still waiting for a response to new proposals tabled on Thursday evening. Fortier’s office acknowledged the new offer but challenged Aylward’s timeline.

It said the union was “unreachable at the common issues table” all day on Friday. It reached out again through a mediator on Saturday with plans to put forward a revised offer of its own at 1 p.m., but accused the union of thwarting those plans.

DeSantis Seeks Major Disaster Declaration From White House

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said he will ask the Biden administration to declare a major disaster for Broward County.

“Today, Governor Ron DeSantis announced he will request a Major Disaster Declaration for Broward County due to the catastrophic impacts of unprecedented flooding in Southeast Florida,” DeSantis’s office said in a statement. “If granted by the White House, a Major Disaster Declaration will provide a wide range of federal assistance programs for individuals and public infrastructure damaged by the floods.”

More than 2 feet of rain fell in some parts of the county on April 12. The 1-in-1,000-year deluge left some parts of the county with up to 3 feet of water.

Australian Children Spending More Time on Screens, Less Time Reading

The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) released new statistics on April 21 after analysing how much time children spend in front of a screen by tracking the number of hours they spent watching TV, using the internet, and playing games or participating in activities through screen-based portable devices such as consoles, smartphones, or tablets.

Statistics found that the percentage of children aged between 5-14 years using screens remained around the same when compared with 2017-18 data at around 90 percent. However, the amount of time spent using screen-based devices has since increased dramatically, with nine in ten children spending at least one hour a week using screen-based devices.

“Of children doing screen-based activities, 40 percent were spending 10-19 hours, but there has been an increase in the percentage of children using screens for more than 20 hours a week, from 16 percent to 24 percent,” Michelle Ducat, ABS head of education statistics, said.

Reading has became less prevalent in older age groups, with only 63 percent of 12 to 14 year olds taking up reading, 76 percent of five to eight year olds.

“Reading for pleasure was considerably less popular than screen-based activities, with 72 percent of children reading—down from 79 percent in 2017-18. Around one third of these children read for two hours or less a week.”

Children who participated in creative activity also fell to 59 percent in 2021-2022 compared to 63 percent in 2017-18.

Eric Adams Says ‘Migrant Crisis’ Has ‘Destroyed’ New York City

Adams made the remarks during a panel discussion hosted by the African American Mayors Association in Washington, D.C., on April 21.

“The city is being destroyed by the migrant crisis,” Adams said.

Adams made the remarks a day after signing an executive order that extended for another five days the state of emergency in New York City related to the influx of illegal immigrants.

“The City now faces an unprecedented humanitarian crisis that requires it to take extraordinary measures,” Adams said in the order.

Over 55,000 foreigners claiming to be seeking asylum due to the threat of violence and persecution in their home countries have arrived in New York City over the past year, according to City Hall.

New York City Comptroller Brad Lander said in an April 7 report that the city has had to scale up its shelter provision by over 75 percent due to the influx. As of early March, the city was providing shelter to over 30,900 asylum seekers.

The Mayor’s Office of Management and Budget has estimated the full cost of providing shelter and other services to people claiming refugee status at around $1.4 billion in 2023 and another $2.8 billion the following year.

This is weird. Even if a judge  informed Bragg that he had won the appeal allowing him to freeze the subpoena, today the DA simply dropped his case against the Republican congressman. Thus the newspaper is claiming that the former prosecutor can declare before congress.

Bragg Drops Case Against Jordan,
Allowing House GOP to Depose Ex-Manhattan Prosecutor

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has dropped his effort to quash a congressional subpoena to a former prosecutor who worked in his office, a congressional aide told The Epoch Times in a statement on Friday.

“This evening, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office withdrew its appeal in Bragg v. Jordan. Mr. Pomerantz’s deposition will go forward on May 12, and we look forward to his appearance,” Russel Dye, spokesperson for Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), chair of the House Judiciary Committee, wrote to The Epoch Times in a statement.

“Bragg caved. Jim Jordan won,” the House Judiciary Committee wrote in a statement on Twitter Friday.

The development wrapped up a legal clash between Bragg and House Judiciary Republicans, whereby Bragg had attempted to stop the lawmakers from requesting testimony from Mark Pomerantz, a former prosecutor who investigated former President Donald Trump’s finances. Pomerantz left Bragg’s office in February 2022 in protest of Bragg’s initial unwillingness to bring an indictment against Trump.

A grand jury, encouraged by Bragg, brought an indictment against Trump in late March, prompting Jordan to initiate a probe into what he calls a “politically motivated” prosecution against a former president. Jordan subpoenaed Pomerantz to seek his testimony as a part of that probe. In response, Bragg sued the House Judiciary Committee and Pomerantz to prevent Pomerantz from testifying.

[kyonides]

Is the world going nuts as of late?
Well, at this very same moment we could say for sure that it has not been boring at all if we pay close attention to certain news.

Costa Rica’s Rincon De la Vieja Volcano Registers Strong Eruption

Today, April 21st, in Costa Rica, the CNE has reported sudden strong activity from the Rincon de La Vieja Volcano in the northern province of Guanacaste.

The CNE’s statement explained that a volcanic cloud was released, reaching up to 7500 meters (over 8000 feet) in the air. It was also reported that materials from the volcano’s lagoon were expelled to the northern side of the cone and had reached several surrounding rivers. The explosion occurred at 3:57 in the afternoon, and at this time, there was no further information about the event’s impact or current activity.

Volcanic eruptions can be devastating, causing damage to the environment, homes, and infrastructure, as well as posing a significant risk to human life. However, the CNE has been working tirelessly to monitor the situation and ensure the safety of the local communities.

In the past, Costa Rica has experienced volcanic eruptions from other active volcanoes such as Arenal and Turrialba. These events have highlighted the importance of preparing for natural disasters and developing effective evacuation plans to keep people safe.

It is crucial for tourists and locals alike to remain informed about the current situation and to follow the guidelines set out by the authorities. While the CNE has not yet released any further information about the Rincon de La Vieja Volcano, it is essential to stay alert and prepared for any potential developments.

Costa Rica’s National Emergency Commission is closely monitoring the activity of the Rincon de La Vieja Volcano. While the recent eruption has caused concern, the CNE is working diligently to ensure the safety of local communities. It is important for people to stay informed and follow the guidelines set out by the authorities in order to remain safe in the event of a volcanic eruption.

The last eruption had taken place back on March 15th.

Two earthquakes strike Kepulauan Batu, Indonesia

Two earthquakes measuring nearly magnitude 6 struck Kepulauan Batu, Indonesia, in the morning hours on Sunday, according to the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC).

The first earthquake, pegged by the EMSC at a magnitude 6.1 struck Kepulauan Batu early Sunday, followed by another 5.8 magnitude quake just hours later.

The first earthquake was at a depth of 43 km (26.72 miles) while the second was at 40 km (24.85 miles), EMSC said.

Israeli-Ukrainian volunteer captured,
killed by Russian forces in Bakhmut

An Israeli-Ukrainian volunteer who joined Ukrainian forces to fight against Russia's invasion was captured and executed by Russian military forces in Bakhmut, according to reports by Ukrainian media outlet Ukrinform.

Oleksandr Dubovik, whose call sign was Partyzan, was reportedly killed on December 23 after being seriously wounded and captured by Russian soldiers in Zaitseve, in the Bakhmut region.

As per the Urkainian report, Dubovik was born in Dnipro before making aliyah to Israel. In February of last year, as Russia began its invasion of Ukraine, Dubovik reportedly returned to Ukraine to volunteer in the military.
...
Oleksandr is survived by his wife and two children, nine and two years old. His parents, as well as his younger brothers and sisters, live in Israel, as per the report.

Iran says its navy forced US submarine to surface as it enters the Gulf

Iran's navy forced a US submarine to the surface as it entered the Gulf, Iranian navy commander Shahram Irani told state television on Thursday, in the latest report of an apparent confrontation between Iranian and US forces in the Gulf.

"The US submarine was approaching while submerged, but the Iranian submarine Fateh detected it and carried out... maneuvers to force it to surface as it went through the Strait (of Hormuz). It had also entered into our territorial waters but ... it corrected its course after being warned," Irani said.

"This submarine was doing its best, using all its capacities, to pass in total silence and without being detected," Irani said. "We will certainly reflect international bodies the fact that it had violated our border."

The US Navy said earlier this month the nuclear-powered, guided-missile submarine Florida was operating in the Middle East in support of its fifth Fleet, based in Bahrain.

The US Navy's Fifth Fleet, based in Bahrain, denied what it called Iranian "disinformation."

Students protest Iran's supreme leader Khamenei after he rejects referendum

Iranian students protested against Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei last week after a speech in which the supreme leader rejected the idea of holding a referendum on controversial issues in Iran.

During the speech, Khamenei referred to a statement seemingly made by one of the students in support of a referendum.
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"How is it possible to hold a referendum, to talk about issues that can be advertised, from all sides? In general, a country is involved in debate and discussion and polarization for six months in order to make an issue a referendum. Should we hold a referendum on all issues? That is, the cases are not such that one can [pass over them] so easily."

The supreme leader called on the students to "not be rash" and to "not nationalize a local problem."

"Sometimes an incident occurs in a corner of the country, some student organization comes to make this a national issue; it's wrong. This is to the detriment of the country," said Khamenei.

It is unclear if the supreme leader was referring to the wave of protests that swept Iran in recent months, of which many of the demonstrations took place on university campuses and high schools.

Khamenei additionally blamed Iran's "enemies" and "the malicious media" for making Iranians "pessimistic."
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During the speech, a student stood up and shouted at Khamenei "you say transparency...but every day something bad happens to people," according to BBC Persian.

After Khamenei stated that "time is up" a group of students stood up and began shouting at him. Khamenei appeared to try to start speaking again, but was cut off by the students repeatedly and eventually stated "Peace be upon you" before the video cut off.

Russia expels 20 German diplomats after mass expulsion from Berlin

Russia said on Saturday it was expelling a number of German diplomats in a tit-for-tat move, although Germany did not immediately confirm any expulsions of its own.

Russia's state-run RIA Novosti news agency said, without citing a source, that Germany was expelling more than 20 Russian diplomats.

A German Foreign Ministry official said Berlin and Moscow had been in contact about their respective representations in the last few weeks, and that the arrival of a Russian government airplane in Berlin was connected to the issue.
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It did not disclose the number of diplomats involved, but said its own expulsions were "reciprocal," and that it would significantly limit the maximum number of staff at German diplomatic missions.

It said Germany's ambassador had been told of the moves at talks on April 5.

Foreign states start evacuations from Sudan as battle rages

Some foreign nationals began evacuating from a Red Sea port in Sudan on Saturday, even as air strikes again rocked the capital Khartoum after a week of fighting between rival commanders that has killed hundreds of civilians across the nation.

The bloody onslaught of urban warfare has trapped large numbers in the Sudanese capital. The airport has been repeatedly targeted and many residents have been unable to leave their homes or get out of the city to safer areas.

The United Nations and foreign states have urged rival military leaders to honor declared ceasefires that have mostly been ignored, and to open safe passage both for fleeing civilians and for the supply of badly needed aid.

With the airport closed and skies unsafe, thousands of foreigners - including embassy staff, aid workers and students in Khartoum and elsewhere in Africa's third largest country - have also been unable to get out.

At least nine killed, over 60 injured in triple suicide bombing in central Mali

At least nine people were killed and more than 60 wounded when a triple suicide bomb attack destroyed about 20 buildings in the central Mali town of Sevare early on Saturday, a spokesperson for the regional governor said.

All of those killed and wounded in Saturday's blasts were civilians, Yacouba Maiga, the spokesperson, told Reuters by phone. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.

Mali is the epicenter of a violent insurgency that took root in its arid north following a Tuareg separatist rebellion in 2012, and Sevare is home to a major Mali military base and troops from the U.N. mission in Mali.

Since the rebellion, militants with links to al Qaeda and Islamic State have spread to countries in the Sahel region south of the Sahara and more recently to coastal states, seizing territory, killing thousands and uprooting millions in the process.

Images shared on social media showed several buildings including a petrol station destroyed by the blast, as well as injured people being given assistance. Reuters could not independently verify the images.
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The attack comes two days after the chief of staff of Mali's interim president, and three others were killed in an ambush.