Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 12, 2021, 11:15 p.m. No.13414591   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1239

Magda Szubanski criticised over Jenny Morrison ‘Handmaid’s Tale’ post

 

James Morrow - April 13, 2021

 

Liberal MP Nicolle Flint says Magda Szubanski’s “appalling” attack on Jenny Morrison is another example of the double standards shown to women on the centre-right.

 

The South Australian Liberal MP who announced earlier this year that she was stepping down from politics because of abuse she copped during the last election, was scathing of Ms Szubanski’s tweet about the wife of the Prime Minister.

 

“I cannot believe the appalling personal attacks on Mrs Morrison, especially by Ms Szubanski, a woman who has received one of our nation’s highest honours,” Ms Flint said.

 

“I will be writing to the responsible Minister to once again request a review of the standards to which Australian Honours recipients should be held.”

 

“More broadly, Ms Szubanski’s completely disrespectful comments are yet another example of the double standards demonstrated towards women on the centre-right of politics.

 

“The sisterhood need to stop picking and choosing which sisters to protect; all women deserve to be treated with respect,” Ms Flint said.

 

On Sunday, Ms Szubanski retweeted a photo of a conservatively-dressed Jenny Morrison standing to the side as her husband signed a condolence book for Prince Philip.

 

“I genuinely thought this was a photoshopped Handmaid’s Tale meme. But no. It’s 21st century Aussie life,” Szubanski wrote.

 

She retweeted the photo with a message from a left-wing Twitter account called MFWitches, which wrote, “Good morning to everyone else to whom this feels creepy, chilling, terrifying, ominous, enraging, despairing and utterly, completely f*cking depressing.”

 

Meanwhile a number of prominent female politicians who have been the target of online abuse were quick to hit out at Ms Szubanski for her attacks on Jenny Morrison.

 

“Ms Szubanski has herself been the target of obscene trolls, yet the hypocritical nature of the Left is here on display,” NSW Liberal Senator Hollie Hughes told The Daily Telegraph.

 

“This current cry on behalf of women, of supporting women, is of course only applicable if your politics is left of centre.”

 

Ms Szubanski was recently criticised for not standing up for women when she attacked conservative Queensland Senator Amanda Stoker’s appointment as assistant minister for women, calling her a member of “the small but noisy ‘Christian Soldiers’ faction hijacking the national agenda.”

 

She also retweeted a photo of the Morrison family posing with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, zooming in on Mrs Morrison’s hand, which showed her thumb and forefinger joined over one of her daughters’ wrists.

 

In some segments of the internet, the joined thumb and forefinger, as part of the traditional “OK” sign, is seen as an indication of support for white supremacy.

 

“What’s this little hand signal thingy??”, Ms Szubanski asked in her tweet, which prompted a number of replies from other Twitter users suggesting that Mrs Morrison was somehow signalling support for racist ideology.

 

Many others tweeted responses showing prominent left-wing politicians like US Democrat congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez making the “OK” sign.

 

In the past, Ms Szubanski has claimed that she herself was the victim of online trolling, most recently after she did a public service announcement supporting Victorian Premier Dan Andrews’ draconian COVID lockdown restrictions.

 

At the time, Israel Folau defended Ms Szubanski, saying, “Please stop the anonymous online attacks on Magda Szubanski, who has entered this debate very respectfully.”

 

“She is entitled to express her views – let’s all have this important discussion with love in our hearts.”

 

https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/magda-szubanski-criticised-over-jenny-morrison-handmaids-tale-post/news-story/c7d9ccefa6d58995146d01f1943b1f8d

 

https://twitter.com/MagdaSzubanski/status/1381084653205954560

 

https://twitter.com/MagdaSzubanski/status/1381095931404152833

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 12, 2021, 11:27 p.m. No.13414624   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>4627 >>1279

>>13351022

Will Australia interfere with NZ’s China policy?

 

Qin Sheng - Apr 12, 2021

 

1/2

 

Voices that accuse New Zealand of not being tough enough on China-related issues have been lately emerging in Western countries, especially Australia. New Zealand was even referred to as the "soft underbelly" of the Five Eyes alliance in a report written by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service as early as 2018. The term has been recently hyped up again by Australian media - news.com.au, which said, "There are concerns from New Zealand Five Eyes' allies that it may be the weak link in dealing with China."

 

In the eye of the Five Eyes, there are many incidents that show Wellington's inconsistent acts with them. This January, New Zealand didn't issue a joint statement together with the other four members of the alliance to express "serious concern" about the situation in Hong Kong. Last month, New Zealand refrained from joining 14 countries, including the other four members of the Five Eyes, in questioning the WHO report on the origins of the novel coronavirus.

 

An Australian broadcaster even accused New Zealand of "backstabbing" Australia. Even though such a comment does not represent the attitude of the Australian government, it still reflects Australia's horrible mentality, as well as the country's diplomatic philosophy that puts ideology above everything else. As "the deputy sheriff of the US in the Asia-Pacific region," Australia has positioned itself as the hegemony of the South Pacific region. It sees New Zealand as its little brother who should be in line with it regarding China policies.

 

In fact, New Zealand, as a typical Western country, normally judges international affairs from the standpoint of developed Western countries. However, when Wellington has occasionally raised a different voice, it has caused Canberra deep confusion and discomfort.

 

Australia has an overwhelming advantage over New Zealand in terms of territory, population, and economic size. And it is New Zealand's second-largest trading partner. Thus, Canberra tends to consider Wellington's latest behavior as "backstabbing." However, this highlights the arrogance of some Australians, and also shows extreme disrespect for its neighbor.

 

On the other hand, in contrast to the deteriorating China-Australia relationship in recent years, the China-New Zealand relationship has been going well. In 2017, China overtook Australia as New Zealand's top trading partner. In January, China and New Zealand signed an agreement to upgrade their existing free trade pact.

 

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 12, 2021, 11:28 p.m. No.13414627   🗄️.is 🔗kun

>>13414624

 

2/2

 

During the same period, there was almost no substantive high-level dialogue between China and Australia, as the anti-China wave in Australia's domestic and foreign affairs was rising. The lack of communication and coordination has directly led to the escalating trade frictions between the two countries. Faced with the smooth development of China-New Zealand relations, Australia did not reflect on its own problems, but tried to use its influence to interfere with the foreign policy of its neighbors.

 

In the ongoing confrontation with China, Australia has repeatedly hurt Chinese companies and investments on the grounds of national security. This has been done at the expense of its own companies and people, and now Australia wants its neighbors to join in this lose-lose situation. After Australia issued the ban on Chinese tech giant Huawei, the company has terminated its millions of research and development investments in the country, and closed the research and development center there. High-tech workers lost their jobs, and the development of 5G technology in Australia lagged behind seriously. This decision has brought obvious negative effects on Australia's economic development and technological progress.

 

New Zealand, by contrast, attaches more importance to win-win cooperation and seeks the greatest common ground in bilateral relations from the perspective of development. This is also an important reason for the continuous development and breakthrough of China-New Zealand relations.

 

At present, the strategic competition between China and the US is becoming more and more complicated. As Washington increasingly pushes other countries to take sides, third countries besides China and the US are playing an increasingly important role in this game. Many countries have made an independent choice between following the US in containing China and deepening cooperation with China, in order to safeguard their vital interests.

 

Besides New Zealand, Germany, a critical US ally in Europe and the EU's largest economy, has not joined the US-led group challenging the WHO's report on global tracing of COVID-19 origins. More and more countries respect the facts and follow the trend of the times. In sum, the ideological diplomacy of countries such as the US and Australia is losing its market in international community.

 

The author is an assistant researcher at Asia Pacific and Global Strategy, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn

 

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202104/1220837.shtml

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 12, 2021, 11:36 p.m. No.13414649   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>5310 >>1239

Trump receives 'Champion for Freedom Award'

 

Sky News Australia

 

13 Apr 2021

 

The National Republican Senatorial Committee, a group formed to help the GOP take back the Senate in 2022, has awarded Donald Trump with its inaugural 'Champion for Freedom Award.'

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11gekSn3n0A

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 13, 2021, 12:56 a.m. No.13414892   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1279

>>13389623

Australia’s exports to China hit new highs

 

WILL GLASGOW - APRIL 13, 2021

 

Australia’s exports to China hit a new record in the first three months of 2021 as strong demand for iron ore continues to more than offset Beijing’s strikes on coal, wine, lobster, timber and barley.

 

The total value of goods exports from Australia rose by 20.7 per cent to $44.36bn ($US33bn) in the first quarter of the year, according to data released by China’s customs agency.

 

Exports in March were $17.4bn, the highest monthly total ever.

 

China’s exports to Australia for the three months to the end of March were up 50.5 per cent to $18.5bn.

 

The elevated prices of iron ore and liquefied natural gas — Australia’s two biggest exports to China — has undermined the campaign of economic punishment President Xi Jinping’s regime has waged on the Morrison government.

 

Australia’s ambassador in China Graham Fletcher last month said the lack of impact of the trade restrictions had contributed to the ongoing “stand off” between Beijing and Canberra.

 

“The total impact on the economy, and on [Australian] government policy frankly, is not delivering the result that China wanted,” Mr Fletcher told the Australia China Business Council at a briefing.

 

Beijing’s trade strikes — which Ambassador Fletcher described as “deliberate coercion” — began with a thumping 80 per cent tariff on Australian barley exports, imposed weeks after Foreign Minister Marise Payne last April called for an independent inquiry into the origins of the coronavirus without forewarning her Chinese counterparts.

 

The barley tariff was followed by the suspension of licences for six Australian beef abattoirs, the imposition of a 200-plus per cent tariff on Australian wine that priced the industry out of what had been its biggest market, the banning of timber after Chinese officials said they had detected pests in Australian cargo, and a blacklisting of lobsters and coal which has never been made official.

 

Australia had been the dominant supplier of coking coal to China, the world’s biggest steel maker.

 

Beijing’s ban on coal — which had been Australia’s third biggest export to China, worth $14bn in 2019 — has increased the cost of the steel making ingredient for its local industry.

 

“It just shows the extent to which China is prepared to pay a price itself to make a political point,” Mr Fletcher said.

 

According to numbers by China’s customs, no Australian coal has entered China this year.

 

Despite reports that copper concentrate had also been blacklisted, China’s official numbers show the metal has continued to enter the world’s second biggest economy.

 

Industry in China has been concerned that copper from Chile — the world’s biggest — may be disrupted by a huge wave of coronavirus in the South American country.

 

The China Iron and Steel Association met on Tuesday to discuss the high costs of its resource inputs. Australia is China’s main supplier of iron ore, which continues to trade without interruption.

 

That meeting came a week after President Xi’s top economic adviser Liu He discussed the increase in the prices of bulk commodities with officials.

 

The new trade numbers show the deep complementarity between resource rich Australia’s resource and China, its biggest trading partner.

 

They come after new analysis by the Lowy Institute’s chief economist Roland Rajah found most Australian industries caught up in China’s trade campaign have been able to offset much of their lost income by finding new markets.

 

Australia’s lobster industry - which sold more than 90 per cent of its product to China - and the country’s most China-exposed winemakers have felt the most pain.

 

“Our friends had to bite the bullet,” China’s deputy head of mission at its Canberra Embassy Wang Xining told a separate Australia China Business Council function in February.

 

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/economics/australias-exports-to-china-hit-new-highs/news-story/dda05455c091f0507593a04a5afaa50d

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 13, 2021, 1:10 a.m. No.13414930   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>7342 >>1294

Johnson & Johnson's one-dose COVID-19 vaccine won't be coming to Australia due to AstraZeneca similarities

 

Tom Lowrey - 13 April 2021

 

Johnson & Johnson's one-dose vaccine will not be part of Australia's vaccine rollout, at least for now, after the federal government confirmed it would not purchase any doses from the company.

 

The vaccine is being widely used in the United States and has the advantage of only requiring one dose, unlike the Pfizer, AstraZeneca and Moderna alternatives which all require two doses.

 

The federal government had been in talks with the global pharmaceutical giant about potentially acquiring its vaccine, and the company had previously submitted an application to the Therapeutic Goods Administration for provisional registration.

 

The Johnson & Johnson vaccine is based on similar technology to the AstraZeneca vaccine.

 

A spokesperson for Health Minister Greg Hunt said those similarities were the reason the federal government had decided against pursuing the option any further.

 

"The [Johnson & Johnson] vaccine is an adenovirus vaccine, the same type of vaccine as the AstraZeneca vaccine," they said in a statement.

 

"The government does not intend to purchase any further adenovirus vaccines at this time."

 

The news comes despite the fact the federal government has been considering how to increase Australia's vaccine orders in response to changing advice around the AstraZeneca vaccine.

 

Under new advice, Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine is the preferred option for Australians under 50 due to concerns over an extremely small number of cases of a rare blood clotting condition recorded in recipients of the AstraZeneca vaccine.

 

Late last week it was confirmed an order for a further 20 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine had been lodged.

 

Australia has deals in place with Pfizer, AstraZeneca and Novavax, but the Novavax vaccine is yet to be approved.

 

The federal opposition demanded further explanation about why the government was not pursuing a deal with Johnson & Johnson.

 

Shadow Health Minister Mark Butler said Australia needed to secure more vaccine deals.

 

"With this very important vaccine that's rolling out through the US, will start to roll out through the United Kingdom very soon, if there is a decision not to go with it, what are the reasons for that?" Mr Butler said.

 

"I think this is the problem Australians and Australian businesses are having right now — the communication channels from the government have shut down.

 

"We've got a Prime Minister that's retreated to Facebook and a minister who's making announcements through a spokesperson without clear background information."

 

Millions vaccinated abroad with a single dose

 

As of April 11, nearly 6.5 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine had been administered in the United States, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

 

Because patients only require one dose, full vaccination of a population can be achieved relatively quickly.

 

The vaccine is approved for use in the European Union, and shipments to Europe reportedly began this week.

 

At a press conference with the Prime Minister last Friday, Health Department Secretary Brendan Murphy confirmed the government was "still exploring with Johnson & Johnson".

 

But he also noted that it was a similar type of vaccine to that produced by AstraZeneca.

 

Last week the European Medicines Agency said it was looking into four blood-clotting cases in the US associated with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

 

However, Johnson & Johnson said "no clear causal relationship has been established" between the cases and the vaccine.

 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-04-13/johnson-johnson-covid-19-vaccine-australia/100064454

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 13, 2021, 3:13 a.m. No.13415137   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>7256 >>1307

>>13408002

QAnon Followers Excited by Mike Pompeo ‘Checkmate’ Photo

 

Sabrina Scotus - April 12, 2021

 

Supporters of the QAnon conspiracy theory have got excited in a way only they know how after Mike Pompeo tweeted a photo of him playing chess while eating dried pineapple.

 

The tweet from Pompeo on Sunday night appears to be in support of Taiwan after China banned Taiwanese pineapple imports citing “harmful creatures” that could affect its own crops, which Taiwan leaders argue is more of a political move than any agricultural concerns.

 

“As a proponent of freedom, enjoying some Taiwanese dried pineapple. Checkmate,” Pompeo tweeted while showing a photo of him playing a game of chess.

 

For QAnon supporters, the tweet and picture has nothing to do with international trade disputes, and instead is a coded reference which justifies their beliefs and proof that yet another prediction for their so-called “plan” may still come true.

 

A major part of the QAnon movement is deciphering coded messages which first appeared on 4chan, before later moving to 8chan and 8kun, from a mysterious figure known as “Q” who they believed to have high-level security clearance from the government.

 

These messages, also known as drops or “crumbs,” were seen as clues which were then interpreted to form the basis of what the conspiracy theorists believe, including that there exists a cabal of satanic pedophiles and “deep state” which Donald Trump would expose during his time as president.

 

Since October 2017, thousands of these messages appeared online, with the frequency drastically slowing down when Trump lost the election in November.

 

There hasn’t been a new message since December 8, with a recent HBO series on QAnon concluding that the person who played a major part in writing the messages was not someone with high-level security clearance from the government but actually Ron Watkins, the former administrator of 8kun.

 

The lack of new drops appearing, or the suggestion their leader is actually an infamous internet troll whose site hosted child pornography, has not affected QAnon.

 

Instead of waiting for new messages to guide them, their supporters merely decipher the catalogue of thousands already online to suit their needs, including attempts to suggest world events were long predicted by Q.

 

In this case, QAnon supporters were excited about Pompeo’s use of “checkmate” because the word appears in a drop from May 2020, albeit in a very vague passage about chess tactics.

 

Others also got excited about the placement of Pompeo’s pieces on the chessboard.

 

“If this isn’t comms, I don’t know what is. He literally won the game with his Knight on D5,” one widely shared post QAnon Telegram account with nearly 15,000 subscribers wrote.

 

The account later clarified his post to note that Pompeo has not in fact won the game despite his checkmate comment, but “the Queen is in danger.”

 

For QAnon, D5 is one of a number of phrases, slogans, and mixture of numbers of letters which they see in everyday life and interpret as a nod to their movement.

 

D5 is meant to reference December 5, a date which QAnon supporters believed for the past few years would see a day of reckoning to show they were right. Again, the reason for this is Q referencing D5 in a number of his drops in late 2018.

 

The specifics of what might occur on December 5 was never stated, but QAnon supporters still eagerly awaited the day each year since 2018.

 

Just like hundreds of failed predictions from QAnon, such as Trump carrying mass executions of satanic pedophiles at Joe Biden’s inauguration or returning as president on March 4, no such major QAnon event has happened in December.

 

Despite this, some influential QAnon advocates are still choosing to see Pompeo’s post on Twitter as significant using their own distorted interpretations of world events.

 

“If Mike Pompeo’s latest tweet isn’t comms then I don’t know what is,” wrote the Telegram account Pepe Lives Matter, which has more than 63,000 subscribers.

 

“Pompeo’s checkmate tweet increased my hopium levels by a factor of 17,” it added. The number 17 is significant in QAnon world because Q is the 17th letter of the alphabet.

 

“What Pompeo is showing is that his next move from D5 to F6 will give him total control of the board, including the most important center of the board to dictate the moves going forward to Checkmate!” another QAnon supporter wrote in a Telegram channel with more than 72,000 subscribers.

 

“The position of the board is also showing that no matter what the other side does, Nothing Can Stop What Is Coming…even though the other side has all their pieces still in the game!”

 

https://thelibertybuzz.com/qanon-mike-pompeo-checkmate-tweet/

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 14, 2021, 12:35 a.m. No.13422589   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>2593 >>1272 >>1295

New Victorian Catholic abuse process announced

 

AAP / thewest.com.au - 14 April 2021

 

Abuse survivors in Victoria are being urged to give feedback on the Catholic Church's proposed new process for handling complaints and redress.

 

Pathways Victoria will replace the widely-criticised Melbourne Response model, set up by Cardinal George Pell 25 years ago.

 

The Catholic Dioceses of Victoria have released details of the new scheme and survivors have until May 14 to comment.

 

"It is important that the voices of those who have experienced abuse are heard, and that their feedback helps to shape this new model," the church said in a statement.

 

"This new model will offer a set of compassionate, just and appropriately resourced processes to investigate complaints and respond to survivors, as an alternative to existing options such as the national redress scheme and civil litigation.

 

"It offers a pathway where survivors are listened to, acknowledged, compensated and given care."

 

The church added the proposed scheme would offer an "operationally independent structure" for implementing its national response protocol released earlier this year.

 

It says Pathways Victoria will be "person-centred and trauma-informed".

 

The child abuse royal commission had a series of criticisms about the Melbourne Response, saying it discouraged survivors from contacting police.

 

Cardinal Pell set up the program when he was Archbishop of Melbourne.

 

https://thewest.com.au/news/religion-and-belief/new-vic-catholic-abuse-process-announced-c-2589531

 

 

Public consultation opens on new model for complaints and redress in Victoria

 

Melbourne Catholic - 13 April 2021

 

The Catholic Dioceses of Victoria have announced the opening of a public consultation period for a new process of response to complaints and redress relating to abuse in the Catholic Church. It is important that the voices of those who have experienced abuse are heard, and that their feedback helps to shape this new model.

 

The proposed model, Pathways Victoria, will provide an operationally independent structure for implementing the Catholic Church’s National Response Protocol released earlier this year, and will provide a person-centred and trauma-informed response. This responds directly to Recommendations 7.7 and 16.37 of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. Pathways Victoria will replace the Melbourne Response and Towards Healing processes that have been in place for nearly twenty-five years and will operate alongside the vital and ongoing services of Carelink.

 

This new model will offer a set of compassionate, just and appropriately resourced processes to investigate complaints and respond to survivors, as an alternative to existing options such as the National Redress Scheme and civil litigation. It offers a pathway where survivors are listened to, acknowledged, compensated and given care. For those who seek it, survivors have an opportunity to reconnect spiritually, with the restoration of links with the Church community.

 

Early notification of this announcement was shared with individual survivors and advocacy groups to enable support to be sought where needed, as well as with key stakeholders including the Acting Premier and the Commission for Children and Young People.

 

Survivors, their support persons and others who have lived with the effects of abuse, or have professional experience in this area, are strongly encouraged to be represented in this consultation phase, which will run from 13 April until 14 May 2021.

 

A website has been established for Pathways Victoria, providing background and updates on the proposal, as well as information on how to participate in the consultation phase.

 

https://melbournecatholic.org/news/public-consultation-opens-on-new-model-for-complaints-and-redress-in-victoria

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 14, 2021, 12:36 a.m. No.13422593   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1272 >>1295

>>13422589

PATHWAYS VICTORIA

 

Restorative Journeying with Survivors of Abuse within the Catholic Church

 

The Catholic Church and religious institutions in Victoria are committed to a safe environment for all children and vulnerable persons with safeguarding embedded within its culture and operations. Clergy, employees and volunteers are committed to upholding the right to safety of all persons, and participating in a creating a culture of safety supported by policies, practices and procedures that strive to prevent abuse in the first instance and to respond appropriately and effectively if abuse does occur.

 

Within the Catholic Church and participating religious institutions in Victoria there are currently two models that are available to respond to complaints of historic abuse: Towards Healing and the Melbourne Response. Nationally, there is also now the National Redress Scheme and civil litigation for those who seek compensation to redress past abuse.

 

In light of our contemporary understanding of the impact of abuse and trauma, the Catholic Church and participating religious institutions in Victoria have committed to the development of a consistent and state wide model of responding to complaints. The new approach, called Pathways Victoria, will implement a set of compassionate, just and appropriately resourced professional standards processes based on the National Response Protocol. It will incorporate features from Towards Healing and the Melbourne Response, effectively bringing their processes to a conclusion and providing a new process to investigate complaints and compensate and care for victims. Those who currently receive supports through Carelink will continue to do so. The Pathways Victoria model will offer an alternative to existing mechanisms such as the National Redress Scheme and civil litigation for those who may wish to engage in a pastoral response.

 

It is the hope that a sense of grace will be the light that shines through the new Pathways Model as it considers:

 

• the direct experiential feedback from victims, survivors and their families on the impact and effect of institutional abuse and redress processes

 

• the lessons from the multiple inquiries and report findings.

 

Consultation with victims and survivors who have engaged in the Melbourne Response or Towards Healing will be sought in addition to advice and input from related professionals, victim advocates and others who have been impacted in the community. This input will both inform and shape the way in which the Catholic Church in Victoria responds to future complaints of abuse with the voices of those with lived experience vital to our commitment of restorative journeying with adult survivors of abuse.

 

Through the Pathways Victoria model and processes, the Church and participating religious institutions seek to take responsibility for addressing wrongs that have been committed. The model responds to the need of those who wish to connect at a pastoral level with a one-to-one connection with a care coordinator who will walk alongside victims and survivors on their journey. It facilitates a compassionate approach with the opportunity to restore faith and trust with every step of engagement.

 

We look forward to providing you with further information as the project develops. If you would like to be involved in the Pathways Victoria project, please click the link below to add yourself to our mailing list.

 

https://www.pathwaysvictoria.com/

 

https://www.pathwaysvictoria.com/about-2

 

https://b1150120-7799-40a0-9f2b-795c5d78ff76.filesusr.com/ugd/af9da3_a39983accd314f309f135a4b72dd016a.pdf

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 14, 2021, 1:16 a.m. No.13422670   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>2676 >>1307

We are in a crucial war: not against coronavirus but anti-vaxxers

 

JACK THE INSIDER (Peter Hoysted) - APRIL 14, 2021

 

1/2

 

The Morrison Government’s decision to recommend the restricted use of the Astra-Zeneca vaccines was the right one. It was a good decision taken by the government based on expert advice.

 

It has caused problems, delays in the roll-out but it is easy to get caught up in the fear and anxiety of from a 24-hour news cycle. The success of the roll-out can only be measured a year from today, not in shrieking headlines on a daily basis.

 

Resist the urge to panic. Stay in touch with your general practitioner. Listen to the experts.

 

Most of all, we need to reject the misinformation that is spreading from the anti-vax industry who have found fertile ground for their conspiracy theories and outright lies in the wake of the government’s decision.

 

Last week, The Daily Telegraph caught out an anti-vaxxer “killing off” an intensive care doctor. The doctor was photographed having received her vaccine with an excited thumbs up. The photograph was posted on the doctor’s social media account.

 

The following day, an anti-vaxxer based in, guess where – Byron Bay posted, “Sadly, moments after her vaccination, this lady passed out and fell into a coma … she is still not conscious … doctors fear she will not recover.”

 

In reality, the doctor reported only a little fatigue in the 24-hour period after her shot of the vaccine. She didn’t miss any work. She continues to tend to the sick and injured in a hospital in the NSW’s northern rivers region.

 

This is more grist for the anti-vax mill. It is almost certainly true that anti-vaxxers have killed off more people than all of COVID-19 vaccinations combined.

 

Remember Margaret Keenan, the first woman to receive a COVID-19 vaccine? The anti-vaxxers initially claimed the now 91-year-old was a ‘crisis actor’. She had, the lies went, actually died in 2008 and obituaries were linked to the claims. It was an obvious con and anyone who bothered to read the obituaries in full would have realised the subject of the obit was another Margaret Keenan. Later, on social media they tried to kill her off again, but Margaret Keenan received her second dose of the Pfizer vaccine on December 29, 2020 and she remains as fit as a fiddle.

 

In the distorted world of social media, it is easy to think of anti-vaxxers as almost insurmountable, millions of people, wringing their hands and swapping fictional horror stories online. Yes, it is a multi-billion dollar industry, surrounded as it is from the worst elements or the wellness industry who dismiss medical science, rational thought, and common sense all in one fell swoop.

 

But it would be a mistake to believe the numbers of anti-vax influencers are in the stratosphere.

 

In a report released last month, the Centre for Countering Digital Hate named the top twelve key entrepreneurs in the anti-vax industry, all of them US based, all of them generating anti-vaccine propaganda and exporting it to the world.

 

“Analysis of a sample of anti-vaccine content that was shared or posted on Facebook and Twitter a total of 812,000 times between 1 February and 16 March 2021 shows that 65 per cent of anti-vaccine content is attributable to the Disinformation Dozen,” the report said.

 

That’s 12 people flogging two thirds of the anti-vax lies. The trouble is that the anti-vax content of those twelve people hits millions of people, most of it indirectly through Facebook shares.

 

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 14, 2021, 1:18 a.m. No.13422676   🗄️.is 🔗kun

>>13422670

 

2/2

 

While it is true that social media companies have cracked down on anti-vax content and closed many accounts, it is a case of too little too late.

 

The so called “Disinformation Dozen” according to the CCDH are as follows: Joseph Mercola, Robert F. Kennedy Jr, Ty and Charlene Bollinger, Sherri Tenpenny, Rizza Islam, Rashid Buttar, Erin Elizabeth, Sayer Ji, Kelly Brogan, Christiane Northrup, Ben Tapper and Kevin Jenkins.

 

Space does not permit a comprehensive analysis of each one, but they share many things in common. They are all grifters. They all have made repeated breaches of the terms of service of social media companies. They are often flogging products, sometimes supplements of little scientific value other than giving their addled consumers very expensive piss.

 

https://www.facebook.com/tycharlene.bollinger/posts/4033223516708014

 

Ty Bollinger is a body builder. He flogs supplements. He and his wife made their bones, literally, in the wellness industry by peddling pseudoscience around cancer treatment. In 2015, he urged a teenage girl to reject chemotherapy for Hodgkins Lymphoma. His influence led to her going to Mexico for an alternative treatment. She’s dead now.

 

Joseph Mercola is or was a trained physician. He gave up on medical science, preferring the profits to be made from dietary supplements. He is constantly facing fines and warnings from the US Food and Drug Administration. In 2016, Mercola agreed to pay $USD5.3 million in restitution to patients after federal regulators pulled him up over false claims and suggestions of miracle cures he had made about tanning beds he sold. Always the dollars. Always the grift.

 

Robert F Kennedy Jnr, the son of Bobby Kennedy and nephew of JFK is arguably the granddaddy of anti-vaxxers. Bearing the whiff of legitimacy from his days as an environmental lawyer, Kennedy has been caught out lying on multiple occasions when it came to the COVID-19 pandemic. Remember the nonsense about Bill Gates controlling us through a combination of vaccines and 5G technology? That laughable lie is directly attributable to Kennedy.

 

Christine Northrup is a qualified obstetrician who, like Mercola, prefers the riches to be made from direct sales of health supplements. She’s also dipped more than a toe into the QAnon rabbit hole - memo to QAnon influencers: You have been bilked by nerds, taken to the psychological cleaners by a couple of deeply disturbed human beings on a psychotic power trip.

 

The thing to remember about the anti-vaxxers is COVID-19 is their Alamo. An effective global roll out of COVID-19 vaccines and it is all over for them. Sure, they’ll keep hawking their own cons, but the recruitment drive will slow to a crawl and they’ll be left to shout their demented theories to the walls, flogging their worthless goods to shrinking markets.

 

Likewise, we have to see this as a war. A war against lies, a war against misinformation, a ferocious battle to safely get COVID-19 vaccines into enough arms so we can return to a form of pre-COVID-19 normal. The stakes are incredibly high and we cannot afford to give an inch.

 

Peter Hoysted is Jack the Insider: a highly placed, dedicated servant of the nation with close ties to leading figures in politics, business and the union movement.

 

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/commentary/we-are-at-war-not-against-coronavirus-but-antivaxxers/news-story/9e7fb1bde60ba95d8d88e62b26859285

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 14, 2021, 1:28 a.m. No.13422688   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>2690 >>1239

Spring forward: why Sinodinos is ready to mingle after a ‘hermit-like existence’

 

Matthew Knott - April 14, 2021

 

1/2

 

Washington: Arthur Sinodinos, Australia’s ambassador to the United States, was relaxing at home on a Saturday night last December when the text messages started streaming in.

 

It was Sunday morning in Australia and Insiders was airing on the ABC. Respected press gallery veteran Niki Savva used her appearance on the show to unveil a scoop: Sinodinos, a cancer survivor, was planning to return to Australia. The coronavirus pandemic, she said, had made it difficult for him to do the job and Foreign Minister Marise Payne was in line to fill his spot.

 

People wanted to know: was Sinodinos really leaving Washington after just 10 months? Savva had tried to check the story with him before going on air but Sinodinos missed her messages. So he jumped onto Twitter to correct the record: “Not going anywhere, happy in the service.”

 

“My ears pricked up because I’ve seen this sort of scenario before: people floating things,” Sinodinos says. “Having survived until late last year in this environment, it didn’t seem like a logical time to be going back just as things were about to turn the corner here.”

 

The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age have been told the story was driven by at least one ambitious cabinet member angling to take over the foreign ministry from Payne.

 

Even by the Machiavellian standards of Canberra, weaponising a former colleague’s cancer history for career advancement seems grubby. But Sinodinos, who served as John Howard’s chief-of-staff for a decade before eight years as a Liberal senator, shrugs it off as the stuff of politics.

 

“Comrade, in this business never rule out shenanigans,” he says. “I dealt with it and that was the end of that.”

 

Sinodinos is upfront that his status as a survivor of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma curtailed his ability to participate in the schmoozing that defined diplomatic life in pre-pandemic Washington.

 

As a bone marrow transplant recipient in a country with the world’s highest number of coronavirus cases, he had to take social distancing seriously. Most of his interactions were limited to phone calls and video meetings.

 

“I would go out for the odd gathering but very limited - involving one or two people - and very rarely,” Sinodinos, 64, says of his past year in the US capital.

 

“There was an element of it being a hermit-like existence. It would have been nice to have had more ambassadorial things to do.”

 

That’s rapidly changing. Sinodinos has received both doses of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine, making him one of the 73 million people in the US to be fully vaccinated.

 

On Tuesday (AEDT) he welcomed the Herald and The Age to White Oaks, his official residence in Washington, for his first in-person interview since the pandemic began. Most officials in the Biden administration are also fully vaccinated, meaning real-world meetings are an option once again.

 

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 14, 2021, 1:29 a.m. No.13422690   🗄️.is 🔗kun

>>13422688

 

2/2

 

Although cooped up at home more than he would have liked, Sinodinos has seen plenty of drama since succeeding Joe Hockey in the role last February. As well as the pandemic, he lived through the drama-filled election campaign, the storming of the Capitol on January 6 and the arrival of Joe Biden’s new administration.

 

At first, there were fears in Australia’s foreign policy community that Australia would lose influence in Washington after Donald Trump’s defeat. Trump’s abrasive relationship with many traditional allies allowed Australia’s cachet to rise: Scott Morrison and Emmanuel Macron were the only two leaders to be granted a state dinner by Trump.

 

There were also worries that Biden would turn away from the Asia-Pacific as he focused on rebuilding alliances in Europe.

 

Such anxieties proved unfounded. In March, Biden held his first multilateral meeting since his inauguration with the leaders of “the Quad” nations: Australia, Japan and India. Sinodinos had lobbied hard for the meeting to take place.

 

Soon after, Kurt Campbell, Biden’s “Asia tsar”, announced in The Herald and The Age that US-China relations will not improve until Beijing stops its economic coercion of Australia.

 

The Asia-Pacific region is clearly the Biden administration’s number one foreign policy priority, Sinodinos says.

 

“This administration has put a much greater focus on allies and partners than the previous administration,” he says. “We’ve felt from the beginning more drawn into their processes, particularly when it comes to the Indo-Pacific and China. They are committed to multilateral institutions like the World Trade Organisation.”

 

He continues: “People in our region are getting the message that the US is back and engaged. Under Trump I wouldn’t say the US necessarily went away but the ‘America First’ approach tended to suggest it was ‘America only’.”

 

Sinodinos adds that the Biden administration is more orderly - and usually more predictable - than the Trump White House.

 

Although Australians may be seeing and hearing less of Biden than his predecessor, Sinodinos dismisses the Fox News trope that 78-year old Biden is over the hill and Kamala Harris is running the government.

 

“Even though Biden is not on Twitter and doing press conferences all the time, he is very much in charge. He’s a very active chief executive, he’s not back in the basement in Delaware.”

 

While big functions and parties are still a while away, Sinodinos says he has can now host administration officials and members of Congress at the stately ambassadorial residence.

 

“I’m looking forward to some semblance of normality returning and being able to make use of the splendour of this place,” he says, looking out at the residence’s swimming pool and grass tennis court.

 

“People have adapted to circumstances but enough is enough.”

 

https://www.smh.com.au/world/north-america/spring-forward-why-sinodinos-is-ready-to-mingle-after-a-hermit-like-existance-20210413-p57ite.html

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 14, 2021, 2:04 a.m. No.13422740   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>2744 >>1263

>>13407722

AFP confirms probe into Ben Roberts-Smith video allegations

 

Anthony Galloway and Nick McKenzie - April 14, 2021

 

1/2

 

The Australian Federal Police has confirmed it has launched a fresh investigation into Ben Roberts-Smith for allegedly burying sensitive Defence files in his backyard and is treating an accusation he attempted to intimidate a witness in an investigation into war crimes “as a priority”.

 

Mr Roberts-Smith on Wednesday denied he hid the USB drives in his backyard or that he threatened witnesses to stop them from co-operating with the Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force’s inquiry into war crime allegations.

 

The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald revealed on Wednesday the alleged war criminal kept more than a dozen Department of Defence drone videos of Afghanistan military operations buried in his backyard, including videos watermarked as “secret” and only to be shared among certain NATO forces.

 

The files buried by Mr Roberts-Smith in a pink, child’s lunch box included 13 videos of drone vision taken by NATO military forces in Afghanistan as well as copies of classified operational reports from a Special Air Service mission in Southern Afghanistan and contained images of soldiers misbehaving at a makeshift bar.

 

In a statement released on Wednesday afternoon, the former SAS Regiment soldier said the allegation he “hid” or failed to disclose material to the Inspector-General’s inquiry was false, saying he fully co-operated with the probe. Mr Roberts-Smith, now a senior executive with Channel Seven, also denied threatening any witness or potential witness to the war crimes inquiry.

 

“The allegation that he buried USBs in his backyard is false. This simply did not happen,” the statement said.

 

“Mr Roberts-Smith risked his life for his country, having served in Afghanistan over six years through scores of missions where his safety and that of other members of the SAS was in constant jeopardy.

 

“He does not seek any special treatment because of those facts, but only the same impartial reporting that is the right of any Australian whose acts may deserve public attention. Nine media’s reporting is a parody of responsible journalism, exhibiting both bias and prejudgment.”

 

In a separate email to employees at Channel Seven on Wednesday, Mr Roberts-Smith apologised for comments he made in leaked recordings in which he expressed disdain for colleagues and the business, saying he took “full responsibility” for the remarks where he described the company as dysfunctional.

 

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 14, 2021, 2:06 a.m. No.13422744   🗄️.is 🔗kun

>>13422740

 

2/2

 

Appearing at a Senate estimates hearing on Wednesday, AFP Deputy Commissioner Ian McCartney confirmed federal police opened a new investigation after the matter of the USBs was referred to his agency on March 25.

 

He said it was determined to be a “sensitive” investigation on March 29. The declaration means the probe will be overseen by the AFP’s Sensitive Investigations Oversight Board and new Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews may also be briefed on the matter.

 

Mr McCartney said the AFP had opened an investigation into “aspects of that media reporting” but cautioned he would “prefer not to provide a running commentary” on the probe.

 

He confirmed the AFP now has access to “some material” that was in the buried USB drives.

 

“Some of that material was actually … referred to the AFP by the journalist in question and also by his newspaper,” he said.

 

Mr Roberts-Smith has repeatedly denied committing war crimes or any other wrongdoing and is suing The Age and Herald for defamation.

 

But further evidence obtained by this masthead suggests Mr Roberts-Smith arranged to send at least one anonymous letter to a special forces soldier threatening him that he would “go down” if he did not recant war crimes allegations.

 

Mr McCartney said the allegation was “serious and it is being treated as a priority by the Australian Federal Police”.

 

Several security sources with knowledge of the matter have confirmed the AFP is investigating the alleged threats to intimidate the witness.

 

The files that were in Mr Roberts-Smith’s backyard included one created by an American military specialist embedded with the SAS and altered by Mr Roberts-Smith in 2019. A second file also altered by Mr Roberts-Smith is marked as belonging to the “Department of Defence”.

 

Metadata on some of the documents suggest Mr Roberts-Smith may have shared sensitive files and images with others, including a former member of his SAS patrol team based in the US. The metadata suggests some of the files relate to a 2009 mission in which Mr Roberts-Smith is accused of unlawfully executing an Afghan man.

 

That killing, over which Mr Roberts-Smith has denied any wrongdoing, is the subject of a federal police taskforce that was launched in 2018 and which recently submitted a brief of evidence to the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions.

 

https://www.theage.com.au/politics/federal/afp-confirms-probe-into-ben-roberts-smith-video-allegations-20210414-p57j6g.html

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 14, 2021, 2:36 a.m. No.13422819   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1301

>>13401093

>>13395860

>>13395882

Ghislaine Maxwell’s Family Launches Website as She Endures Over 280 days of Pre-Trial "Torture"

 

''Brother releases powerful video confirming appeal of third bail application rejection''

 

Maxwell Family - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - April 8, 2021

 

New York, NY – The family of Ghislaine Maxwell today announced the launch of RealGhislaine.com, a website developed and maintained by her brothers, sisters, family & friends, the people who have known the real Ghislaine all her life, not the fictionalized, one-dimensional character created by the media.

 

The website features on its Home Page a video message from Ghislaine’s brother Ian, filmed in response to the court’s recent rejection of her third bail application, detailing the “cruel and unusual” conditions of her detention and confirming her decision to appeal this latest ruling.

 

Visitors will find biographical information, interviews and articles, as well as answers to frequently asked questions, legal resources, and links to important bail reform initiatives. The site also details the punishing regime Ghislaine is being subjected to during her extraordinary pre-trial detention

 

“Because of the continuing misinformation, misrepresentation and mischief in much of the media, Ghislaine’s family started this website, an important resource for the public,” said David Oscar Markus, an attorney for the family and Ms. Maxwell. “Ghislaine is innocent and her treatment by the press and the prison is unconscionable.”

 

Ghislaine is currently a pre-trial detainee at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York facing allegations by anonymous accusers that date back 25 years. She has been held in this American prison in effective solitary confinement without bail for 280 days and counting, locked in a six-foot by nine-foot cell sometimes for 12 hours a day. She has a light shone in her face every 15 minutes during the night and endures multiple privations that are impacting her health and ability to properly prepare her defense and all this in the middle of the pandemic.

 

Like anyone else, she has the right to be presumed innocent, a constitutional right which is fundamental to the fairness of the American system of justice.

 

Ghislaine is a wife, a stepmother, a friend to many and a sister to a family that loves her very much. They believe in her innocence and that she will be exonerated at trial.

 

Pending the opportunity for Ghislaine to be able to defend herself in a court of law, RealGhislaine.com will be updated frequently with exclusive content, news, commentary and useful resources to help visitors form a more balanced view about the real Ghislaine Maxwell. Members of the news media and anyone else interested in following her status are encouraged to register for email updates.

 

-ENDS-

 

For more information:

 

Visit RealGhislaine.com

 

Follow @RealGhislaine on Twitter

 

Subscribe to the family YouTube channel

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtdTVeSuUSmSwEvL5RLL53w

 

Media and other enquiries: Justice@RealGhislaine.com

 

https://433da961-4072-4f62-a692-d989a9f700d0.filesusr.com/ugd/ba2454_d6f41f9f8aac4c15b947340db68e6f36.pdf

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 14, 2021, 3:20 a.m. No.13422888   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>2891 >>1294

Anthony Fauci on what the US can learn from Australia's COVID-19 response — and vice versa

 

Tegan Taylor - 14 April 2021

 

While the United States likes to describe itself as the leader of the free world, the coronavirus pandemic has hit it just as hard, if not worse, than many developing nations.

 

No-one knows this better than Anthony Fauci, America's top infectious disease expert, who on Wednesday spoke to an Australian audience as part of an event hosted by the Kirby Institute at the University of New South Wales.

 

Dr Fauci contrasted the "inconsistent response" of the United States with that of Australia's tough border and lockdown policy, which has kept the virus largely at bay here.

 

"At least looking at it from a distance, and then discussing with my Australian friends and colleagues, you had the capability and the uniformity of your citizens that when you shut down, you really shut down very effectively," he said.

 

"I'm sure not everybody in Australia was excited about having to shut things down.

 

"But you did it in a way which was really quite uniform, but importantly, effective.

 

"We had an inconsistent response, which allowed us, unfortunately, to really do worse than essentially any other country."

 

What Australia can learn from the US vaccine rollout

 

In recent months though, the tables have started to turn.

 

The US has been vaccinating millions of people a day, while Australia — although virtually virus-free — has had a sluggish start to its vaccine rollout.

 

So what's changed? The president, for starters.

 

"It was very painful to do, but I had to come out and essentially contradict what [Donald Trump] was saying" — whereas "President Biden wants science to rule".

 

Dr Fauci says hitting the vaccine rollout from as many directions as possible at a grassroots level has been key.

 

"What [Joe Biden] has done, for example, is open up community vaccine centres, get vaccines to the pharmacies, develop mobile units to go out to get the people who are in poorly accessible areas," Dr Fauci said.

 

Mr Biden also got as many people administering the vaccine out into the field as he possibly could.

 

"Those are retired physicians, military personnel, nurses, medical students," Dr Fauci said.

 

"[Mr Biden] made it the very, very top priority. He made equity a very important part of this."

 

And while the US still has a long way to go to protect its citizens, and Australia's vaccine rollout is in its early days, Dr Fauci acknowledged that wealthy nations also have a role to play in ensuring vaccines roll out globally — to protect both rich and poor.

 

"As long as there's the dynamic of virus replication somewhere, there will always be the threat of the emergence of variants, which could then come back," he said.

 

"And even though most of the rest of the world is vaccinated, it can threaten the world that has felt that they've controlled the virus, when they're still quite vulnerable."

 

Lessons from HIV/AIDS

 

Dr Fauci, who directs the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the US National Institutes of Health, was speaking at the Inaugural David Cooper Memorial Lecture, honouring the late Australian HIV/AIDS researcher.

 

While Dr Fauci has become a household name during the coronavirus pandemic over the past year, he's held his position for 40-odd years, advising seven US presidents.

 

A defining moment in Dr Fauci's own career was the AIDS epidemic. And he said lessons learned in the early days of that epidemic in the 1980s have informed his work in the decades since, including his approach to coronavirus.

 

"[AIDS] impressed upon me that new infections have always emerged. They are emerging now. And they will continue to emerge," he said.

 

"So the lesson learnt is that, to the extent possible, prepare yourself as best as you possibly can."

 

Investment in good public health infrastructure and fundamental science is key, he says.

 

Advances in structural biology, X-ray crystallography and mRNA vaccine platforms, which have been quietly happening in labs for years, have made our understanding of the new coronavirus and the rapid development of vaccines possible.

 

He said continuing this investment was our best defence against the next inevitable pathogen that could spark a pandemic.

 

"It's that kind of investment in research so that when you get confronted with an outbreak, that outbreak doesn't turn into a global pandemic."

 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/health/2021-04-14/covid-19-anthony-fauci-what-australia-can-learn-from-us/100068256

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 14, 2021, 3:21 a.m. No.13422891   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1294

>>13422888

Inaugural David Cooper Lecture | Dr Anthony S. Fauci

 

University of New South Wales

 

14 Apr 2021

 

Whilst the COVID-19 pandemic has been devastating in the USA, Dr Anthony S. Fauci has remained a voice of authority and reason, bringing scientific evidence to the fore.

 

Throughout an extraordinary career as a scientist, a physician and a public servant, Dr Anthony S. Fauci has been an adviser to seven US presidents on HIV/AIDS, and domestic and global health issues. A key figure in the global response to HIV/AIDS, his experience of this epidemic has informed his career ever since.

 

As the world struggles to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr Anthony S. Fauci sits down with Tegan Taylor, co-host of the ABC’s Coronacast, to discuss the past, the present and the future – from what we learned from the HIV/AIDS epidemic to what the ongoing impact of COVID-19 will be.

 

The inaugural David Cooper Lecture honours the legacy of the Kirby Institute’s Founding Director. Professor David Cooper AC, who passed away in 2018, was an internationally renowned scientist and HIV clinician, who laid the foundations for Australia’s ongoing global leadership in the fight against the global HIV epidemic.

 

This event is co-presented by the UNSW Centre for Ideas, Kirby Institute and UNSW Medicine & Health.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLVMTn_DePM

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 14, 2021, 11:47 a.m. No.13424966   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>4975 >>1263

>>13407722

Army officer facing sack over debauched party in Afghan bar

 

STEVE JACKSON and BEN PACKHAM - APRIL 14, 2021

 

1/2

 

A high-ranking officer implicated in the debaucherous special forces antics at an on-base Afghanistan bar has been stood down and asked to “show cause” as to why he shouldn’t be sacked.

 

The officer, who was responsible for overseeing ethical standards for much of the army, was this week issued with a termination notice after photographs emerged of him partying with junior soldiers at the unauthorised Fat Lady’s Arms pub set up by Australian troops at their Tarin Kowt headquarters.

 

Now a colonel based in Sydney, he is the most senior figure to face repercussions over the cultural rot in the special forces since they were linked to dozens of alleged war crimes in Afghanistan. The career soldier, whom The Australian has chosen not to name, was a major with the Special Air Services Regiment and commander of its disgraced 2 Squadron when the picture was taken at the bar during the special forces’ ninth rotation in Afghanistan in 2009.

 

In the photograph, he can be seen cheering on a non-­commissioned officer kneeling beside him and pretending to engage in a sex act with a piece of plastic protruding through his military fatigues.

 

The colonel was serving as the G1 of Forces Command — a senior human resources role with vast powers for enforcing cultural and ethical standards — when the photograph was revealed among a cache of images made public on Sunday night.

 

Some of the pictures were taken during a raucous fancy dress birthday bash for a senior non-­commissioned officer at the Fat Lady’s Arms and show one ­soldier in a Ku Klux Klan uniform and burning a cross while others featured off-duty troops simulating lewd sex acts on a separate night out at the bar.

 

The colonel had been poised to take on a highly influential, new position as the director of the Defence Special Operations Training Education Centre.

 

The high-profile role would have seen him given overarching responsibility for leading cultural reform across the army’s elite regiments as well as managing the selection process for ­aspiring special forces members.

 

It is understood he is considering his options.

 

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 14, 2021, 11:48 a.m. No.13424975   🗄️.is 🔗kun

>>13424966

 

2/2

 

The disciplinary action comes after Defence Force Chief Angus Campbell last month told a Senate estimates hearing he had been unaware of the existence of the Fat Lady’s Arms at the coalition base in Afghanistan’s ­Oruzgan province and any soldier found to have drunk there should face the sack.

 

The Australian has been made aware of the identity of several ­officers who allegedly frequented the makeshift pub while on deployment in Afghanistan and who have gone on to hold high-level positions within the army.

 

Defence confirmed it was investigating the lewd exploits carried out by special forces troops at the Fat Lady’s Arms but would not detail how many members it had identified as having visited the bar nor what action had been taken against them.

 

“Defence acknowledges behavioural issues centering on the Fat Lady’s Arms in Afghanistan. The Australian Army is inquiring into these issues,” a spokeswoman said.

 

It comes just months after Justice Paul Brereton revealed the findings of his five-year investigation into alleged war crimes committed by Australian troops between 2005 and 2016.

 

The report, released in November, recommended 19 soldiers be investigated by police in connection with alleged murders of 39 prisoners and civilians and alleged cruel treatment of two others. It found “credible information” that 25 serving or former ADF personnel were involved in serious crimes or at least had been ­accessories to them.

 

It blamed a “warrior culture” within the SASR for creating an environment in which war crimes were allegedly committed and said the existence of the Fat Lady’s Arms demonstrated how the regiment’s ethical leadership had been compromised.

 

At least 10 Special Air Service Regiment soldiers have since been issued with termination notices, as Defence scrambles to respond to the damning report.

 

Justice Brereton did not find any credible information that special forces commanders had any knowledge of or were recklessly indifferent to crimes committed and concealed at patrol commander level, but he said senior officers ultimately bore “moral command responsibility and accountability for what happened under their command”.

 

The photograph of the colonel and revelations that other officers frequented the Fat Lady’s Arms have been seized on by furious SASR troops who believe they have been unfairly criticised in the Brereton report for the regiment’s “broken” culture.

 

They said it was proof that senior officers were not only aware of some of the regimental practices condemned in Justice Brereton’s findings but had also participated in them.

 

The images came to light after allegedly being found on USB drives at the home of decorated war hero, Ben Roberts-Smith, a former patrol commander with the SASR’s 2 Squadron.

 

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/defence/army-officer-facing-sack-over-debauched-party-in-afghan-bar/news-story/a2eb5c5a9bdfa2b0bafe1fa9e8f8abad

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 14, 2021, 11:50 p.m. No.13429478   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>9481 >>9488 >>1239

Joe Biden says it's time to 'end America's longest war', as final Afghanistan withdrawal announced

 

Andrew Greene - 14 April 2021

 

1/2

 

US President Joe Biden says America will finally end its 20-year war in Afghanistan from May 1, with US and allied forces to completely depart no later than September 11 this year.

 

In a White House speech on Wednesday (local time), Mr Biden said there was little justification for the US's continued military engagement in Afghanistan, adding it was time to end the "forever war" launched in 2001.

 

"I am now the fourth American president to preside over an American troop presence in Afghanistan. Two Republicans. Two Democrats," Mr Biden said.

 

"I will not pass this responsibility on to a fifth."

 

There are roughly 7,000 NATO forces still in Afghanistan in addition to the remaining 2,500 US troops.

 

Australia's remaining military personnel in Afghanistan are soon expected to leave alongside their NATO-led coalition colleagues, in coordination with the withdrawal decision.

 

And according to the Defence Department, "Australia currently contributes around 80 defence personnel in Afghanistan" as part of Operation HIGHROAD.

 

On Wednesday, Prime Minister Scott Morrison confirmed his government had been discussing withdrawal plans with the United States and other allies.

 

"Without going into national security matters you can be assured that the Australian government has been working closely with our American partners and allies on these issues," Mr Morrison said.

 

Military insiders believe Australia will continue to provide aid to the war-ravaged country through defence cooperation programs, but the federal government will no longer provide any "in-country support".

 

'Now it is time to bring our forces home'

 

While President Biden's decision to withdraw troops from Afghanistan by September breaks a May 1 withdrawal deadline set by the Trump Administration, it leaves no room for additional extensions.

 

The current withdrawal plan sets a firm end date on two decades of war that has seen more than 2,200 US troops killed, 20,000 wounded and cost as much as $US1 trillion ($1.3 trillion).

 

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he expected the allies to withdraw together but maintained that neither the US nor NATO would abandon the country despite the impending exodus of troops.

 

He and Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin were meeting senior officials from the alliance's 30 members on Wednesday to discuss NATO's future presence in Afghanistan in light of Washington's announcement.

 

"Together, we went into Afghanistan to deal with those who attacked us and to make sure that Afghanistan would not again become a haven for terrorists who might attack any of us," Mr Blinken said.

 

"Now it is time to bring our forces home."

 

There is a summit planned about Afghanistan starting on April 24 in Istanbul that is due to include the United Nations and Qatar.

 

The Taliban, ousted from power in 2001 by US-led forces, said it would not take part in any meetings that would make decisions about Afghanistan until all foreign forces had left the country.

 

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid on Wednesday called on Washington to stick with the deadline established by the Trump Administration.

 

"If the agreement is committed to, the remaining problems will also be solved," Mr Mujahid wrote on Twitter.

 

"If the agreement is not committed to … the problems will certainly increase."

 

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 14, 2021, 11:51 p.m. No.13429481   🗄️.is 🔗kun

>>13429478

 

2/2

 

Withdrawal will diminish intelligence capabilities, CIA director says

 

Some analysts said the departure plan appeared to surrender Afghanistan to an uncertain fate.

 

"There is no good way that the US can withdraw from Afghanistan", said Anthony Cordesman at the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank in Washington.

 

"It cannot claim victory, and it cannot wait indefinitely for some cosmetic form of peace."

 

While successive US presidents have sought to extricate themselves from Afghanistan, these hopes were confounded by concerns about Afghan security forces, endemic corruption in Afghanistan and the resiliency of a Taliban insurgency that enjoyed safe haven across the border in Pakistan.

 

US officials can claim to have decimated terror group Al Qaeda's core leadership in the region years ago, including tracking down and killing the group's leader Osama bin Laden in neighbouring Pakistan in 2011.

 

But CIA Director William Burns said the withdrawal would "diminish" the US's ability to collect intelligence and act on threats in the region, where ties between the Taliban and Al Qaeda still remain.

 

"When the time comes for the US military to withdraw, the government's ability to collect and act on threats will diminish. That's simply a fact," he told the US Senate Intelligence Committee.

 

The Biden Administration will keep "intelligence and military capabilities" in the region to deal with any emerging threats, though Al Qaeda "does not currently possess" the capability for attacks on the continental US, a senior administration official said.

 

'An unknown future awaits us'

 

There is also concern over the impact a withdrawal would have on human rights in Afghanistan given the gains, particularly for women and girls, during the past two decades.

 

"I am worried about my future," said Wida Saghar, a writer and women's rights activist in Kabul.

 

"An unknown future awaits us, when foreign forces leave and the civil war intensifies … then who will think about women's rights? Who will care about us?"

 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-04-14/australians-in-afghanistan-to-leave-with-us-troops/100070342

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 14, 2021, 11:52 p.m. No.13429488   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>9624 >>8091 >>1239

>>13429478

Australia to withdraw all troops from Afghanistan after Biden’s vow to end war

 

Anthony Galloway - April 15, 2021

 

All Australian troops in Afghanistan will leave the country by September this year after United States President Joe Biden announced an end to the 20-year war.

 

Prime Minister Scott Morrison confirmed the final 80 Australian military personnel would return home in September, in line with the United States’ move. The US President decided to leave American troops in Afghanistan beyond the May 1 deadline negotiated between the Taliban and the Trump administration, but has instead set the 20th anniversary of the September 11 terror attacks as the new withdrawal date.

 

“Over the past two years we’ve been reducing our military presence in Afghanistan from a high of over 1500 personnel to around 80 personnel currently. In line with the United States and other allies and partners, the last remaining Australian troops will depart Afghanistan in September 2021,” Mr Morrison said in Perth on Thursday.

 

An emotional Mr Morrison read out the names of 41 Australian Defence Force personnel who had died in Afghanistan since 2001.

 

“This day we dedicate to their memories, we think of their families, their friends, the life they would have lived,” he said.

 

“The conflict has exacted an enormous toll, also, on the people in Afghanistan and to President [Ashraf] Ghani, once again, we stand with them and the complex task of making peace that lies ahead for those people.”

 

The United Nations and academics estimate more than 100,000 Afghan civilians and military members have been killed in the 20-year conflict.

 

Allegations of war crimes by Australian troops in Afghanistan sparked a wide-ranging review and investigation, but Mr Morrison would not say if Australia could have done better in the conflict.

 

“There will be time to talk about those things. Today is not that time,” Mr Morrison said.

 

Michael Shoebridge, director of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute’s defence program, said Australia had clearly made a decision to withdraw from the campaign.

 

“Everybody else is going to go. Biden has done what both Obama and Trump wanted to do - and that’s get a plan for a total US and partner withdrawal from Afghanistan,” he said.

 

Mr Shoebridge said Mr Biden’s announcement was an “emphatic statement” of the US’s re-ordering its priorities to Asia to deal with a rising and more assertive China.

 

“Trump was doing a unilateral approach, while Obama kept taking advice that it had to be conditions-based.

 

“You can’t say you are shifting priorities, without stopping doing something. This is Biden saying the 9/11 counter-terrorism era is over, and the era of strategic competition is here. So he is actually putting flesh on the bones of what he has been saying his priorities are.”

 

Mr Shoebridge said the early phase of the Afghanistan conflict was worth it because the Taliban was giving shelter to Al-Qaeda which was clearly the start of a new global terrorist phenomenon. But he said there was “mission-shift” and it became unclear what the objective was in staying in the country.

 

“The Afghanistan objectives became very mixed - was it about counter-terrorism, or creating a political future in Afghanistan to ensure it was free from the Taliban, or was it a broader nation-building mission? The mission became very muddy over time.”

 

Announcing his plan in a speech at the White House speech on Wednesday, Mr Biden said there was little justification for the US staying in Afghanistan, adding it was time to end the “forever war”.

 

“I am now the fourth American president to preside over an American troop presence in Afghanistan. Two Republicans. Two Democrats,” Mr Biden said.

 

https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/australia-to-withdraw-all-troops-from-afghanistan-after-biden-vows-to-end-war-20210415-p57jeb.html

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 15, 2021, 12:17 a.m. No.13429600   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1279

The true story of how Jackie Chan and Kevin Rudd met as labourers

 

ALICE WORKMAN - APRIL 15, 2021

 

If Jackie Chan ever runs out of film ideas, he could turn to his own spooky family history for inspiration — surviving war, political upheaval and prime minister Billy McMahon. It could be Australia’s greatest untold spy story.

 

His parents, Charles and Lee-Lee Chan, worked as the live-in cook and housekeeper at the US embassy in Canberra for decades after immigrating in the 1960s to work under American ambassador Marshall Green.

 

Charles was a servant in the US embassy in Hong Kong under Green and later trained as a chef. Lee-Lee worked as a housekeeper and laundress at the Hong Kong embassy, where Chan lived as an ­infant.

 

According to Chan, his father was a Chinese nationalist agent who originally fled China for Hong Kong to avoid being captured by rival communists. “My father was a spy hiding in Hong Kong and hiding in Australia at the American embassy for so many years,” he said in 2017.

 

Charles, born in 1915, had a colourful career including time as a military aide, connections with Shanghai gangsters and spying for the ­nationalist Chinese who were eventually defeated by the communist army. After his first wife died from cancer, Charles relocated to Shanghai. There he met Lee-Lee (who once worked as an opium dealer during Japan’s occupation) and fled to Hong Kong, where Chan was born in 1954.

 

Chan was six when his parents left for Australia without him. While they navigated the roundabouts of our nation’s capital, Chan studied martial arts and acrobatics at a Hong Kong boarding school. He didn’t see his parents again until he was 18.

 

Some of the family’s secrets feature in the 2003 documentary Traces of the Dragon: Jackie Chan and His Lost Family. Chan funded the film himself and shot scenes in Canberra with his pipe-smoking father (who reveals his real family name is Fang) before his death. Chan discovers he had two half-brothers (a postman and a pig farmer) living on mainland China from his ­father’s first marriage, and two half-sisters from his mother’s first marriage.

 

Charles and Lee-Lee are buried in Gungahlin cemetery, and the servants’ quarters of the US chief of mission’s residence are named the Chan suites in their honour. The action star’s punching bag still hangs in the attic. And it’s thanks to Australia the world knows Chan as Jackie and not Pao-Pao (his parents’ nickname, meaning cannonball) or by his birth name Chan Kong-sang.

 

While he was studying English at the ACT’s Dickson College in the 1970s, students called him Steve but when Chan took a job as a brickie’s labourer on a Canberra construction site, he recalled: “A guy said, ‘What’s your English name?’ And I said, ‘I don’t have one.’ My friend was a driver for the embassy, his name was Jack.” So Chan became Little Jack, Jacky, and then Jackie.

 

You know who also lugged bricks with tradie Chan? Kevin Rudd. “Jackie Chan and I have a lot in common,’’ Rudd once reflected. “No, we are not both movie stars. No, I am absolutely terrible at martial arts. But in the 1970s in Canberra, we both lived here and we were both builders’ labour­ers. He did the work of three men for one year. I lasted for 24 hours.”

 

The pair met for a rushed hour again during Rudd’s prime ministership when the Australian National University opened the Jackie Chan Science Centre for cancer research. “As my father told me, say less, do more,” Chan said at the opening of his generous donation.

 

“Australia and Canberra really took care of my family for more than 40 years. I have to do something to thank Australia and Canberra.’’

 

It’s part of Chan’s new life philosophy, now he’s worth an estimated $40m. “When I was a child, I was very poor and wanted everything. When I got money, I began buying things. Now I want to give away everything,’’ Chan told Forbes magazine in 2011.

 

“When I give somebody something and see their face, it just makes me so happy.’’

 

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/arts/review/the-true-story-of-how-jackie-chan-and-kevin-rudd-met-as-labourers/news-story/3be8615b77ffa1cae0ac361f124a8b6a

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 15, 2021, 12:30 a.m. No.13429624   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1239

>>13429488

PM holds back tears announcing withdrawal of Australian troops from Afghanistan

 

Georgia Hitch - 15 April 2021

 

Prime Minister Scott Morrison became emotional as he read out a list of Australians killed in the war in Afghanistan and announced Australian troops would leave the country by September.

 

Mr Morrison said the 80 remaining troops would be withdrawn in line with the withdrawal of US troops as announced by President Joe Biden.

 

More than 39,000 Australians were deployed and 41 of them were killed during the decades-long conflict.

 

"The loss is great, the sacrifice immense ,the bravery and courage things we can speak of, but not know of personally," Mr Morrison said.

 

"Many more were wounded, some physically, others mentally and we'll be dealing with the scars, both mental and physical, of their service, for many, many years."

 

Australian forces first entered Afghanistan in October 2001 in support of US troops who were deployed in the wake of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.

 

The Prime Minister said it was "an emotional day" but that despite the toll the conflict took, it was worthwhile.

 

"Freedom is always worth it," Mr Morrison said.

 

"Australians have always believed that.

 

"That is why Australians who have served in our defence forces have always pulled on that uniform."

 

When asked about the allegations some Australian troops committed war crimes while in Afghanistan, Mr Morrison said: "There will be time to talk about those things. Today is not that time."

 

Mr Morrison said the government would continue to support Afghanistan once the troops had left.

 

"Once again, we stand with them and the complex task of making peace that lies ahead for those people," he said.

 

"Australia continues to support the negotiations between the Afghan government and the Taliban.

 

"We encourage both parties to commit to the peace process that so many Australians have died to provide for."

 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-04-15/scott-morrison-announces-withdraw-australian-troops-afghanistan/100071606

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 15, 2021, 1:53 a.m. No.13429808   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1239

>>13429802

U.S. Navy Tweet

 

It's a G'day to #SinkCOVID!

 

#USNavy Sailors & @USMC with Marine Rotational Force Darwin arrive at @AusAirForce Base after documenting negative #COVID19 tests throughout travel.

 

Those who had one #COVID19vaccine were able to receive their 2nd before departing to Australia.

 

https://twitter.com/USNavy/status/1382332875568263169

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 15, 2021, 1:54 a.m. No.13429809   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1239

>>13429802

Marine Rotational Force - Darwin Facebook Post

 

13 April 2021

 

Did you miss us, Australia?

 

The U.S. Marines are back for a historical 10th iteration of Marine Rotational Force - Darwin. The MRF-D rotation demonstrates the U.S. commitment to combined readiness and shared regional security in the Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Marine Corps video by Cpl. Colton K. Garrett)

 

https://www.facebook.com/MRFDarwin/videos/4061916473854956/

 

https://www.marforpac.marines.mil/MRFDarwin/

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 16, 2021, 2:46 a.m. No.13437997   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>7999 >>8013 >>1307

FBI director says bureau is not investigating QAnon conspiracy 'in its own right'

 

Zachary Cohen - April 15, 2021

 

1/2

 

Washington (CNN) - For the second time in as many days, FBI director Christopher Wray acknowledged he remains concerned about potential violence incited by QAnon but despite telling lawmakers that the conspiracy theory is something "we look at very seriously" when it is tied to a criminal act, he made clear the bureau is not investigating the online movement itself.

 

It was a distinction Wray was careful to highlight while testifying before the House Intelligence Committee on Thursday, where he was again pressed on whether the FBI is investigating elements of QAnon and asked to explain the threat it poses given its connection to the US Capitol attack earlier this year.

 

But despite characterizing QAnon as an online "movement" that in some instances "may be an inspiration for violent attacks," Wray reiterated that the FBI's investigative efforts regarding the conspiracy theory have been limited to instances where there are links to a federal crime.

 

"We're not investigating the theory in its own right," Wray told the House panel, echoing remarks he had made the day prior during a hearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee.

 

In both cases, Wray's comments underscore the complex challenge QAnon and other online conspiracy theories pose for the FBI as it investigates the January 6 attack and works with other federal agencies to address the threat of domestic extremism more broadly.

 

Both tasks are complicated by social media's role in spreading potentially dangerous conspiracy theories and domestic extremist messaging, Wray said Thursday.

 

"Social media has become, in many ways, the key amplifier to domestic violent extremism just as it has for malign foreign influence," Wray he told House lawmakers. "The same things that attract people to it for good reasons are also capable of causing all kinds of harms that we are entrusted with trying to protect the American people against."

 

Lawmaker reveals existence of QAnon threat assessment

 

On Wednesday, Sen. Martin Heinrich revealed that the FBI has provided lawmakers with an assessment of the threat posed by QAnon, the existence of which was not previously known until the New Mexico Democrat pressed Wray to explain why the details of that report have not yet been made public.

 

Heinrich, a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, requested a threat assessment on QAnon late last year and received a response from the FBI in February, he said Wednesday before asking Wray why he "cannot or won't tell the American people directly about the threat."

 

Wray committed to providing an assessment that could be released publicly but his testimony offered little clarity about the FBI's investigative work, or lack there of, as it relates to QAnon.

 

"We focus on the violence and the federal criminal activity regardless of the inspiration. We understand QAnon to be more of a reference to a complex conspiracy theory or set of complex conspiracy theories, largely promoted online, which has sort of morphed into more of a movement," Wray said during Wednesday's worldwide threats hearing.

 

"Like a lot of other conspiracy theories, the effects of Covid, anxiety social, social isolation, financial hardship … all exacerbate people's vulnerability to those theories, and we are concerned about the potential that those things can lead to violence, and where it is an inspiration for federal crime, we're going to aggressively pursue it," he added.

 

Wray also noted that the FBI has arrested "at least five self-identified QAnon adherents related to the January 6 attacks specifically," acknowledging a clear link between the conspiracy theory and the insurrection.

 

Is the FBI working to identify 'Q'?

 

Frequently described as a virtual cult, QAnon is a sprawling far-right conspiracy theory that promotes the absurd and false claim that former President Donald Trump has been locked in a battle against a shadowy cabal of Satan-worshipping pedophiles made up of prominent Democratic politicians and liberal celebrities.

 

Members of the violent pro-Trump mob that stormed the Capitol had ties to QAnon, and the conspiracy theory has made its way from online message boards into the political mainstream in recent years.

 

But what steps the FBI has taken to address the threat posed by QAnon, and potentially identify those behind it, remain unclear.

 

Specifically, questions continue to swirl around whether the FBI is working to confirm the origins of QAnon or the identity of its mysterious standard-bearer, known to adherents as simply "Q."

 

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 16, 2021, 2:47 a.m. No.13437999   🗄️.is 🔗kun

>>13437997

 

2/2

 

The threat assessment provided to lawmakers does not delve into the identity of "Q," an anonymous figure whose baseless claim that they are someone with access to the nation's most closely held secrets has often been used to validate Q's cryptic and prophetic social media posts.

 

Heinrich told CNN on Wednesday that the assessment he was given does not cover Q's identity - for a simple reason, he believes, which is that if the bureau does know, it would have been uncovered by an investigation into the matter. So revealing to lawmakers that the FBI has identified the individual or individuals would expose the existence of the investigation, which of course the FBI does not do, he said.

 

Still, Heinrich asked Wray about the public speculation around two individuals who have been suspected of posting as "Q."

 

"You're no doubt familiar with some of the public speculation that Q is really Ron Watkins, the administrator of the internet message board 8con, formerly known as 8chan," Heinrich said Wednesday while questioning Wray on the issue.

 

"Whether or not Watkins is Q, he and his father, clearly, are responsible for hosting the sites and co-opted further in the QAnon conspiracy phenomenon … given the prominent role that QAnon did play in the January 6 attack on the Capitol, what are the potential legal repercussions for those who might be primarily responsible for propagating these sorts of dangerous, and in some cases, violent messages in these forums?" he asked.

 

Watkins and his father, Jim, were featured heavily in the recent HBO docuseries "Q: Into the Storm," in which both men deny being Q and posting from the account.

 

Wray declined to address Heinrich's question about Ron and Jim Watkins directly but did offer some insight into how the FBI views its role in investigating those behind QAnon or other potentially dangerous conspiracy theories.

 

"From the FBI's perspective, from a law enforcement perspective, we try to be very careful to focus on violence, threats of violence and associated federal criminal activity," Wray said.

 

"There may be certain instances where language becomes part of a conspiracy, for example, and there are instances where there are other federal statutes which may be violated, but again, those are complicated questions which I would refer to the lawyers over at the Justice Department," he added.

 

Court documents clearly indicate that QAnon has fueled beliefs of defendants who took part in the insurrection, but whether the conspiracy theory's origins merit criminal investigation has proved to be a difficult jump to make, and there is no indication to date that law enforcement officials are working to determine the identity of the person behind the original message or other similar anonymous social media posts that have emerged in recent years.

 

"Q is a problem, no question. But FBI has come a long way from Edgar Hoover days - they'd need a compelling investigative reason to care, and it's not clear there would be one here beyond gratification. That said, they are very much examining extent to which this content is being amplified (at a minimum) by foreign powers," a source familiar with the effort told CNN.

 

"But it's pretty clear that QAnon originated domestically, and the bar for examining Americans who haven't committed an actual crime is a little higher (and sharing conspiracies isn't usually a crime)," they added. "Obviously, the bar is lowered when it instigates real-life violence, but again there's not a clear line here between QAnon and the violence on Jan 6 - just a lot of dotted lines, maybe. But that could change, certainly."

 

While Wray's comments once again show the FBI's limited investigative bandwidth when it comes to online conspiracy theories like QAnon, other federal agencies, like the Department of Homeland Security, are taking steps to address the issue within the context of a broader push to confront the problem of domestic extremism in the US.

 

"Domestic violent extremism poses the most lethal, persistent terrorism-related threat to the homeland today. In collaboration with our partners across every level of government and in the private sector, DHS is working to combat the spread of conspiracy theories and other false narratives on social media and other online platforms that can radicalize people to violence and fuel domestic violent extremism," a DHS spokesperson told CNN.

 

"DHS is also working with its partners to increase public awareness about and resilience to disinformation," the spokesperson added.

 

https://edition.cnn.com/2021/04/15/politics/fbi-director-wray-qanon-threat/index.html

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 16, 2021, 2:52 a.m. No.13438013   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1307

>>13437997

Senate Select Intelligence Committee Hearing on National Security and Global Threats

 

C-SPAN - APRIL 14, 2021

 

Intelligence agency leaders testified on the current global threats at a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing. Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines discussed the intelligence community’s annual threat assessment report, emphasizing the national security challenges posed by China, Russia, Iran and North Korea. In addition, lawmakers asked about cybersecurity threats, domestic violent extremism, China’s global influence, and the Biden administration’s decision to withdraw troops from Afghanistan. Also testifying at the hearing was CIA Director William Burns, FBI Director Christopher Wray, and the heads of the National Security Agency (NSA) and the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA).

 

https://www.c-span.org/video/?510592-1/senate-select-intelligence-committee-hearing-national-security-global-threats

 

01:07:56 - 01:12:24

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 16, 2021, 3:12 a.m. No.13438073   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1301

Ghislaine Maxwell requests sex trafficking trial be delayed by three months

 

The British socialite's lawyer blamed prosecutors for belatedly adding more charges in March

 

Reuters News Agency / telegraph.co.uk - 16 April 2021

 

A lawyer for Ghislaine Maxwell has asked a US judge to delay the July 12 criminal trial of Jeffrey Epstein's former associate by at least 90 days, blaming prosecutors for belatedly adding sex trafficking charges that frustrate her ability to be ready sooner.

 

In a Thursday night letter, the lawyer Bobbi Sternheim said prosecutors "effectively added a brand new case on top of the existing case" by adding the new charges in a March 29 indictment.

 

Maxwell, 59, has now been charged with eight felonies, and could face 80 years in prison if convicted.

 

"The new charges up the ante," Ms Sternheim wrote to US District Judge Alison Nathan in Manhattan.

 

"A continuance - the need for which is caused solely by the government - is reasonable and necessary in defence of Ms Maxwell. The denial of a continuance risks a miscarriage of justice."

 

A spokesman for US Attorney Audrey Strauss in Manhattan declined to comment.

 

The new charges concern accusations that between 2001 and 2004, Maxwell groomed and paid a girl, starting at age 14, to give Epstein nude massages, engage in sex acts with the financier, and recruited others to offer erotic massages.

 

Maxwell is to be arraigned on those charges on April 23.

 

She previously pleaded not guilty to helping Epstein recruit, groom and sexually abuse three other girls from 1994 to 1997, and to perjury for lying about her role in depositions taken in 2016 for a separate civil trial.

 

In seeking a delay, Sternheim cited the need to review "voluminous" materials including more than 2.4 million pages of documents, 214,000 photos and hundreds of hours of audiovisual files.

 

She also called it "laughable" for prosecutors to defend the indictment's timing by saying travel and safety concerns arising from the Covid-19 pandemic kept them from meeting the fourth Epstein accuser until January.

 

Maxwell was arrested last July, and is jailed at the Metropolitan Detention Centre in Brooklyn.

 

Ms Nathan has rejected bail three times. The federal appeals court in Manhattan is scheduled to hear Maxwell's latest bail appeal on April 26.

 

Epstein killed himself in jail at age 66 in August 2019 after being charged with sex trafficking.

 

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/04/16/ghislaine-maxwell-requests-sex-trafficking-trial-delayed-three/

 

https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/17318376/united-states-v-maxwell/?filed_after=&filed_before=&entry_gte=&entry_lte=&order_by=desc

 

https://www.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nysd.539612/gov.uscourts.nysd.539612.202.0.pdf

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 16, 2021, 3:21 a.m. No.13438087   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1239

Google deceived some Australian mobile users about collection of location data, court finds

 

Jamie McKinnell - 16 April 2021

 

Google could face fines in the "many millions" after the Federal Court found the company misled some Australian mobile and tablet users about how it collects location data.

 

The tech giant was taken to court by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) over on-screen representations it made on Android devices in 2017 and 2018.

 

The case centred on two specific Google settings that affected location data collection; 'location history' and 'web & app activity'.

 

The consumer watchdog claimed Google misled consumers because if 'location history' was disabled but the latter setting was left on, the company continued to collect and use location data.

 

The result represents a partial victory for the ACCC, because the watchdog identified specific user scenarios which constituted contraventions of consumer law.

 

"I am satisfied that Google's conduct assessed as a whole was misleading or deceptive of, or likely to mislead or deceive, ordinary members within the class identified by the ACCC, acting reasonably," Justice Thomas Thawley said in his judgment.

 

"I conclude that Google's conduct assessed as a whole conveyed a representation that having 'web & app activity' turned 'on' would not allow Google to obtain, retain and use personal data about the user's location."

 

The penalty will be decided at a later date and Google could face a penalty of up to $1.1 million per breach.

 

The court will need to decide what it considers a breach and how many occurred but ACCC chair Rod Sims said they will be seeking a penalty in the "many millions".

 

Mr Sims said he was "absolutely delighted" with the result and said it was the first ruling in the world in relation to location data issues.

 

It sent a "very clear message” to digital platforms about the need to be up front with consumers, he added.

 

“Data issues are only going to be more important. It's crucial we get some court rulings in relation to what platforms can and can't do," he said.

 

A Google spokesperson said in a statement the company is "currently reviewing options, including a possible appeal".

 

"We provide robust controls for location data and are always looking to do more - for example we recently introduced auto delete options for location history, making it even easier to control your data," the spokesperson said.

 

Google held 'oh shit' meeting

 

The court heard from experts with expertise in behavioural economics to understand how users approached the task of navigating various screens.

 

That involved a "cost-benefit analysis" and was subject to "behavioural biases", the court was told.

 

The experts engaged on behalf of the ACCC and Google agreed there was a "technological trade-off" between privacy and service quality.

 

The case was run by reference to "classes" of users in three different scenarios, also confined to particular time periods.

 

These included users who set up a Google account for the first time, others who altered their location settings after the initial set up, and those who later considered disabling the 'web & app' setting.

 

Justice Thawley found Google's conduct would have misled some but not all reasonable users in the specified categories.

 

"The number or proportion of reasonable users who were misled, or were likely to have been misled, does not matter for the purposes of establishing contraventions."

 

After an Associated Press (AP) media article covered the location data and settings issue in August 2018, Google urgently held what was internally referred to as the "oh shit" meeting, the court heard.

 

A Google director then circulated documents about what work was being carried out to reduce user confusion.

 

The AP article led to a 500 per cent increase in users disabling both settings, according to internal Google documents.

 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-04-16/google-misled-some-australian-mobile-users-over-location-history/100074292

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 16, 2021, 3:24 a.m. No.13438093   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1295

Chinese national arrested for importing child-like sex doll parts

 

Australian Border Force Newsroom - 16-04-2021

 

A 22-year-old Chinese national was arrested yesterday after Australian Border Force (ABF) officers executed a search warrant at a residential address in Toorak, Melbourne.

 

During the execution of warrants, ABF officers located and seized a silicone lower torso of a child-like sex doll, items of infant clothing, and a flesh-like apparatus consistent with child-like appearance. Six mobile phones and several computers were also seized.

 

The man appeared in the Melbourne Magistrates Court and was charged with Import a Prohibited Tier 2 Good, contrary to section 233BAB(5) of the Customs Act 1901 (Cth) (the Act). The Act provides that child-like sex dolls are a form of child abuse material.

 

Acting ABF Superintendent Investigations, Kelly-Anne Parish, commented on the critical function of the ABF in protecting the community.

 

“Importing child-like sex dolls is prohibited by law, and can attract a penalty of up to 10 years imprisonment,” she said.

 

“When it comes to child exploitation materials, we have a zero tolerance policy,” Superintendent Parish said.

 

Assistant Minister for Customs, Community Safety and Multicultural Affairs Jason Wood thanked the ABF for its role in making Australia a safer place.

 

“This kind of material has no place in Australian society,” Assistant Minister Wood said.

 

“ABF officers should be commended for their focus on stamping out the importation of abhorrent child exploitation material.”

 

The man has been remanded in custody until the committal mention on 22 July 2021.

 

Note to media:

 

USE OF TERM ‘CHILD ABUSE’ MATERIAL, NOT ‘CHILD PORNOGRAPHY’

 

Use of the phrase ‘child pornography’ benefits child sex abusers because it:

 

• indicates legitimacy and compliance on the part of the victim and therefore legality on the part of the abuser; and

 

• conjures images of children posing in ‘provocative’ positions, rather than suffering horrific abuse.

 

https://newsroom.abf.gov.au/releases/chinese-national-arrested-for-importing-child-like-sex-doll-parts

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 16, 2021, 6:11 p.m. No.13443082   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>3089 >>1272

Pell prison journals should fascinate friend and foe alike

 

Peter Craven - April 16, 2021

 

1/3

 

What a strange episode in our history the trials of George Pell were.

 

It is just over a year since the full bench of the High Court in a unanimous decision upheld the appeal of the former Cardinal Archbishop of Sydney over the historic sexual offences of which he had been accused, initially found guilty of in December 2018, and which resulted in his spending more than a year in prison before his release on April 7 last year.

 

The lawyers always doubted that there was a substantive case against Pell and when he was found guilty by the second jury (the first trial yielded a hung jury) his barrister Robert Richter said (risking contempt of court) that we had convicted an innocent man and it didn’t happen very often. He also said that George Pell was a spiritual man and a humorous one and that he would cope with prison like the man he was.

 

Recently, we have seen the publication of two volumes of the Cardinal’s prison journals that may come as a surprise to people who think of him as a thug of Catholic conservatism who deserved everything he got even if he was innocent, for not having done more to prevent the sexual abuse of children by the church.

 

But here is the response of the man who might have played for Richmond to the news of the death, borne of depression, of the former AFL St Kilda captain Danny Frawley: “The more I’m in jail, the more I miss being able to celebrate mass. I knew him as a friendly teenager from my Ballarat years. I so much regretted not being able to offer mass for the repose of his soul and the consolation of his family. My own poor prayers are so inadequate in comparison with the Eucharist. May he rest in peace.”

 

That’s from the second volume of the journals published on Monday, April 19. He sounds like a man of God trying to make the best of his own ordeal, passionately concerned about human souls and “offering up”, as Christians used to say, his own trivial sufferings for the redemptive sufferings of Christ.

 

These prison journals will fascinate friend and foe alike. Who would have imagined that they would read George Pell, brooding on war – he supports the idea of the just war, as in the one against Hitler – quoting Ezra Pound from memory. “There died a million,” he writes, whereas Pound wrote “a myriad”.

 

He also notes that, for all his own support for the Vietnam war in his Oxford days, the poet and sometime Jesuit classicist Peter Levi wiped the floor with his justifications.

 

He also mentions, early on, in the first volume, that – again, at Oxford – he saw philosopher Elizabeth Anscombe (“probably the most formidable intellect I have ever encountered”) kneel publicly outside the Sheldonian Theatre saying the rosary during the awarding of an honorary doctorate to US president Harry S. Truman because she considered the dropping of the atom bomb on Japan a war crime.

 

You don’t go to these prison diaries for anecdote, though, of course, it’s fascinating – not least given anti-war positions – that this warrior-like Catholic conservative who revers Churchill’s speeches lets drop “Bobby was my favourite Kennedy, whom I met on Capitol Hill … full of Irish American charm and respectful of a young Aussie priest. When he was shot my love affair with America was over. It returned, but changed.”

 

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 16, 2021, 6:12 p.m. No.13443089   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>3106

>>13443082

 

2/3

 

David Marr said to me once, without rancour, that he thought George Pell had the temperament to be a first class headmaster and it’s a bit amazing to see a man of such natural authority wrestling with his God and his wretchedness.

 

It’s Richter (“who is not a theist but Jewish” the Cardinal reminds himself) who tells him to read the Book of Job, that blackest and most tragic book in the Hebrew Bible. When Pell does revisit it, he argues for the superiority of the Christian vision of redemption compared to the Jewish conception of human identity disappearing as a cloud dissolves when it goes down to Sheol.

 

This is par for the course and so is his description of the Book of Ecclesiastes (“vanity of vanities … the silver cord is loosed and the golden bowl is broken”) as the most pagan book in the Bible. This is not incompatible with the tough cleaner up of Vatican finances or the unyielding bishop who refused communion to those rainbow-sashed gay activists.

 

What does hit the heart strangely is this kind of thing: “God … give me strength and peace of mind and help my fellow prisoners, especially those who are bad or disturbed or desperately unhappy.”

 

We expect to cop the George Pell who believes in judgment and damnation and the church’s God-given right and duty to preach traditional morality including what should and should not be done in the bedroom. But we don’t expect this kind of prayerfulness or rigour, this implicit compassion.

 

Each of the daily journal entries of some thousands of words ends with a prayer of Pell’s own composition or a quotation of his breviary or from some spiritual classic.

 

So we get Augustine’s yearning to look into the eyes of the most High. “Hide not your face from me. Let me see your face even if I die, lest I die with longing to see it.”

 

And Thomas More’s prayer: “To think my most enemies, my best friends; for the brethren of Joseph could never have done him so much good with their love and favour as they did him with their malice and hatred.”

 

There is a constant emphasis on mercy and forgiveness, even though these journals are the work of a naturally forceful man who is both politically and religiously conservative. He says, eloquently enough, “God will forgive any crime” and adds, not unconvincingly, “If Christianity continues to decline, society will be less forgiving.”

 

He’s sometimes inclined to sound like a high and mighty Catholic version of Israel Folau (“A decent man of simple Christian faith, an old type Protestant”) and admits “starting the Christian defence of freedom of speech and freedom of religion with Folau is not ideal”. But he does want to argue that the promiscuities of sexual liberation are not on.

 

For some of his co-religionists – including those masters of the manners of the world, the Jesuits – Pell probably represents the challenging paradox of how to tolerate the intolerant.

 

He thinks that Donald Trump is “a barbarian” but he’s “our barbarian”: though Trump’s election makes him as opposed to the direct election of an Australian president as he was back at the Constitutional Convention in 1998 when he was a republican of the minimalist Turnbull/Keating variety.

 

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 16, 2021, 6:14 p.m. No.13443106   🗄️.is 🔗kun

>>13443089

 

3/3

 

On the other hand, he sees little to rejoice at in nominally Catholic politicians. “The selective and superficial Catholicism of politicians like Daniel Andrews, and Malcolm Turnbull, to some extent, even helps them implement their un-Christian ambitions. The Trudeaus also come to mind.”

 

Pell is nothing if not militant in his moralism and he’s also an enthusiast for Bob Santamaria and Robert Menzies, even though he liked Bob Hawke as a politician with “a Labor heart” and “a Liberal head” and admits that we owe our current prosperity to Hawke and Paul Keating. He says, too, of Hawke that he loved Australia and much is forgiven him because he loved much.

 

All of this pales compared to the horror of losing his appeal in Victoria. “I was astonished and badly upset,” he writes.

 

It’s fascinating to learn that his appeal barrister, Bret Walker SC, asked his permission to show the draft of the appeal to Tom Hughes, and that Hughes, brother-in-law of Robert the art critic, and father-in-law of Malcolm Turnbull, had offered to appear for Pell, though the man who was attorney-general for John Gorton must have been 95 at the time.

 

Fascinating, too, that Marr said to Frank Brennan during the Victorian appeal that the presentation of the prosecution case was “a f—ing train wreck”.

 

These journals have a thousand facets. The Cardinal and his close associates take a dim view of the progressivist German bishops with their liberal attitudes to faith and morals, in the news earlier this year for initiating a two-year series of talks on what The Wall Street Journal describes as “rethinking church teaching and practice on topics including homosexuality, priestly celibacy and the ordination of women”.

 

And the Australian prince of the church who supports Brexit takes the dimmest possible view of Vatican financial corruption, which he did everything in his power to clean up.

 

Pope’s dreaded interviews

 

At the end of volume two of the prison journals, there is an implicit criticism of Pope Francis: “The Holy Father has given an interview once again on his return flight from Japan. The journalists love these encounters (they have told me so) but I and many others dread them.”

 

If he sometimes sounds in his diaries half-inclined to justify the burning of heretics, that’s part of his general bullishness.

 

These journals are notable for the way a vigorous administrative personality, born to rule, not only keeps himself sane in jail by watching Australian Rules and cricket and every possible variety of religious service including the American evangelicals but also by reading War and Peace (which he thinks is the greatest novel he’s read) and by praying strenuously for the insulted and the injured.

 

He answers the letters of his fellow prisoners, including James Gargasoulas, who drove through a crowd in Bourke Street Mall, and talks calmly of the screams and cries and the Muslim chants.

 

He’s often funny. He writes to an English friend that he feels greater shame at Australia’s cricket loss to England than he does at being in prison. He puts up with strip searches and being spat at. He’s tough as they come but he believes in the good and the quality of mercy.

 

How odd of God to choose George Pell as the medium for this portrait of a good priest. Should that be a good enough priest? Hard to imagine he would claim more.

 

Prison Journals Volume II: The State Court Rejects The Appeal is published by Freedom Publishing on April 19.

 

https://www.smh.com.au/national/pell-prison-journals-should-fascinate-friend-and-foe-alike-20210415-p57jll.html

 

https://qanon.pub/?q=Pell

 

https://qanon.pub/?q=cardinal-george-pell

 

https://qanon.pub/?q=pecking

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 16, 2021, 8:11 p.m. No.13444007   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1239

Liberal Party stalwart Andrew Peacock dies

 

Natasha Rudra - Apr 16, 2021

 

Political tributes have poured in for former Australian Liberal leader Andrew Peacock, who has died in the United States at the age of 82.

 

Mr Peacock was an MP for the Liberal stronghold of Kooyong for 28 years and served as a cabinet minister in three governments.

 

He also led the party in opposition twice in the 1980s.

 

Mr Peacock’s death was announced on Friday night by his daughter Ann. She posted a tribute to her “beautiful, loving, most caring, thoughtful, generous and brilliant father” on Instagram.

 

“You will be so greatly missed, your guidance and deep love for us will live in my heart, we are absolutely devastated,” Ms Peacock wrote.

 

“You will live within us forever and ever.”

 

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Mr Peacock was a great Australian and a treasure of the Liberal Party.

 

“He was one of our greatest Liberals who helped shape Australia and the Liberal Party over three decades,” Mr Morrison said.

 

The Prime Minister also praised Mr Peacock’s “thoroughness, intellect and capacity to make friends far and wide.”

 

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg, who now holds the seat of Kooyong, paid tribute to his predecessor as one of the nation’s political greats.

 

“He championed Liberal ideals and provided strong and good government. He was authentic, tough and possessed a dry sense of humour.

 

“He will be remembered fondly by those on both sides of the political aisle as he played his politics as he pursued life - with vigour, dignity and decency,” Mr Frydenberg wrote.

 

“I will be forever grateful to him for his generous friendship, advice and support.”

 

Mr Peacock was appointed Australia’s ambassador to the United States from 1997 to 2000.

 

He was good friends with Democratic first couple Bill and Hillary Clinton and credited another former US president, George HW Bush, for setting him up with the woman who would become his third wife, American diplomat Penne Korth.

 

The couple later retired to Austin, Texas, the city where Ms Korth went to university.

 

Despite his reputation as a moderate Liberal, Mr Peacock supported Donald Trump in the 2016 election - he told The Australian Financial Review later that he was disquieted by Trump’s performance but still had hope that he would improve.

 

The tributes did not all come from one side of politics. Former Victorian Labor deputy premier Rob Hulls wrote:

 

“As a new and very nervous federal MP for Kennedy in 1990, I remember giving my first speech in Parliament. ALP members in the House, as is the practice, came up and congratulated me. Then, to my surprise, a Liberal MP did as well. It was Andrew Peacock.

 

“Vale Andrew. A decent man.”

 

Mr Peacock is survived by Penne and his daughters Ann, Jane and Caroline, his children with his first wife Lady Susan Renouf.

 

https://www.afr.com/politics/federal/liberal-party-stalwart-andrew-peacock-dies-20210416-p57jzh

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 16, 2021, 9:04 p.m. No.13444349   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>4368 >>1301

Ghislaine Maxwell's claims case against her is 'prejudiced' because Jeffrey Epstein would have cleared her if he was still alive

 

DANIEL BATES - 17 April 2021

 

1/2

 

Ghislaine Maxwell has claimed that the case against her is prejudiced because Jeffrey Epstein is dead - and he would have cleared her of wrongdoing if he was alive.

 

The British socialite, who is accused of being Epstein's top recruiter, said that Epstein would have 'testified that (she) did not engage in the criminal activity with which she is charged'.

 

The claim was ridiculed by federal prosecutors who said it assumed that Epstein would have agreed to testify and that his testimony would 'help rather than hurt the defendant (Maxwell)'.

 

The prosecutors are dismissive about each of Maxwell's claims, calling them 'conspiracy theories', saying they 'strain common sense' and are made up of ' bare assertions and conclusory allegations'.

 

Prosecutors said such an assertion was 'speculative at best'.

 

The claim was in a document filed to the federal court in New York by prosecutors in response to Maxwell's attempt to have the case dismissed.

 

Prosecutors dismiss Maxwell's claim that Epstein's non prosecution agreement he signed in 2007 for having sex with underage girls applies to her as well.

 

Under Maxwell's reading of the agreement, it 'immunized her for future crimes including, for example, perjury offenses that she is charged with committing', the prosecutors said.

 

Such an interpretation would be 'illogical', the document states.

 

The prosecutors say that it is a 'false factual narrative' to suggest that a meeting between lawyers for Epstein's victims and their office in 2016 led to them beginning their investigation of Maxwell.

 

In fact the investigation began two years later after the last known contact between the two parties.

 

However the notes from the prosecutor who attended the meeting do reveal some details about the case against Maxwell.

 

Assistant US Attorney Lara Pomerantz wrote down that based on the conversations she had with the lawyers, who represented Epstein accuser Virginia Roberts Giuffre, Maxwell was the 'head recruiter' for Epstein.

 

One note states there were 'photos of naked girls on Maxwell's comp (computer)'.

 

Giuffre claimed there were cameras all over Epstein's New York mansion which were used for 'extortion' on his powerful and wealthy friends.

 

She had to 'report back' whenever she was loaned out to anyone for sex - she claims the men included Britian's Prince Andrew, allegations he denies.

 

Another note says: 'Maxwell + (blank) took sexually explicit photos of her (Giuffre) regularly'. The document says that 'Maxwell gave photo (of Giuffre) to Epstein for bday @ age 16', apparently meaning Giuffre's 16th birthday.

 

In January, she outlined 12 arguments as to why the charges should be dismissed against her. Her lawyers and the prosecution filed extensive legal documents outlining their arguments.

 

After weeks of debate about redactions those documents are now being made public, with the 239-page rebuttal from the prosecution being released first.

 

Judge Alison Nathan dismissed Maxwell's request to dismiss the indictment, meaning she will have to stand trial.

 

But she did grant Maxwell's request to sever two of the six counts, both for perjury, for a separate trial.

 

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 16, 2021, 9:07 p.m. No.13444368   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1301

>>13444349

 

2/2

 

Prosecutors from the Southern District of New York said that in Maxwell's submissions she argued she has suffered 'substantial prejudice' as a result of the delay in indicting her.

 

During that time Epstein hanged himself in August 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.

 

Maxwell was arrested in July last year and has been in federal custody since.

 

The document states: 'She (Maxwell) contends that the loss of Epstein demonstrates actual prejudice because Epstein 'would have' testified that the defendant did not engage in the criminal activity with which she is charged.

 

'That assertion is speculative at best'.

 

The prosecution memo dismisses the claim by adding: 'To credit Maxwell's argument is to assume that Epstein, after being indicted with federal sex trafficking charges, would have taken the stand, would not have invoked his Fifth Amendment rights, and would have provided testimony that exculpated Maxwell, which a jury would have credited in the face of contradictory trial evidence.

 

'This is an exercise in chain upon chain of conjecture that comes nowhere close to meeting the burden of demonstrating actual prejudice.

 

'The defendant has not and cannot establish that Epstein would have been available to testify in the first instance, much less that he would have voluntarily agreed to testify at her trial in a way that would help, rather than hurt, the defendant'.

 

Earlier this week Maxwell requested to delay her trial, which is due to start in July, to early 2022 to give her time to prepare her defense.

 

Maxwell, 59, is due to appear in court next Friday to be arraigned on the two new charges, trafficking a minor and sex trafficking conspiracy.

 

She has already pleaded not guilty to six counts related to enticing underage girls to Epstein to abuse and perjurying herself in a separate civil case.

 

In her ruling Judge Nathan sided with the prosecutors and said that Epstein's non prosecution agreement, or NPA, 'does not bar this prosecution'.

 

She noted that the deal was 'unusual in many respects, including its breadth, leniency, and secrecy'.

 

But it does not apply to federal prosecutors in New York as the deal was negotiated by US Attorneys in Florida.

 

Nor does the plea agreement cover the charged offenses as it relates only to offenses from 2001 to 2007.

 

Judge Nathan wrote: 'Maxwell contends that the NPA's co-conspirator provision lacks any limitation on the offenses covered. The Court disagrees with this improbable interpretation.

 

Addressing Maxwell's claim that Epstein would have cleared her, Judge Nathan wrote: 'Courts have generally found that vague assertions that a deceased witness might have provided favorable testimony do not justify dismissing an indictment for delay…

 

'…there are also serious doubts under all of the relevant circumstances that a jury would have found testimony from Epstein credible even if he had waived his right against self-incrimination and testified on her behalf'.

 

Judge Nathan wrote that the perjury allegations must be tried separately because trying them with the criminal allegations is likely to be 'unduly prejudicial'.

 

She wrote that it would expose the jury to a 'wider swath of information that is remote from Maxwell's charged conduct'.

 

The judge wrote: 'This presents a significant risk that the jury will cumulate the evidence of the various crimes charged and find guilt when, if considered separately, it would not do so'.

 

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9480697/Ghislaine-Maxwell-claims-case-prejudiced-Epstein-cleared-wrongdoing-alive.html

 

https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/17318376/united-states-v-maxwell/?filed_after=&filed_before=&entry_gte=&entry_lte=&order_by=desc

 

https://www.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nysd.539612/gov.uscourts.nysd.539612.204.0.pdf

 

https://www.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nysd.539612/gov.uscourts.nysd.539612.204.5.pdf

 

https://www.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nysd.539612/gov.uscourts.nysd.539612.207.0.pdf

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 16, 2021, 9:25 p.m. No.13444509   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1301

Jeffrey Epstein’s accusers cannot challenge plea agreement - U.S. appeals court

 

Jonathan Stempel - April 17, 2021

 

A federal appeals court rejected a challenge by a Jeffrey Epstein accuser to an agreement not to prosecute the financier, and to shield his associates from criminal liability for aiding his sexual abuses.

 

By a 7-4 vote, the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta ruled on Thursday that Courtney Wild and other accusers lacked standing under the federal Crime Victims' Rights Act to disturb Epstein's 2007 nonprosecution agreement, though they had been kept in the dark while it was being negotiated.

 

Judges in the majority said they were "constrained" to rule against Wild, despite having "the profoundest sympathy for Ms. Wild and others like her, who suffered unspeakable horror at Epstein's hands, only to be left in the dark - and, so it seems, affirmatively misled - by government attorneys."

 

A decision favoring Wild could have permitted accusers to discuss with prosecutors why Epstein's associates should be charged.

 

Ghislaine Maxwell, the British socialite and former Epstein associate, has said Epstein's agreement required the dismissal of criminal charges in Manhattan accusing her of aiding his sexual abuse of girls.

 

Epstein killed himself in jail at age 66 in August 2019 after being charged with sex trafficking.

 

Wild, now in her 30s, was 15 when Epstein first sexually abused her, according to court papers.

 

"We are disappointed but not surprised," her lawyers, Paul Cassell and Bradley Edwards, said in a joint statement.

 

They pledged to press Congress for changes to ensure that "the rights of crime victims are never again trampled on in this disturbing way again."

 

Epstein's agreement with federal prosecutors in southern Florida arose from his alleged sexual abuses at his Palm Beach mansion.

 

In exchange for immunity, Epstein pleaded guilty to Florida state prostitution charges and served just 13 months in jail. The arrangement is now widely considered to have been too lenient.

 

In court papers made public on Friday, federal prosecutors in Manhattan said the agreement did not bind them and did not give Maxwell complete immunity from prosecution for federal crimes.

 

Maxwell's lawyers did not respond to requests for comment.

 

'TRAVESTY'

 

Circuit Judge Kevin Newsom wrote Thursday's majority opinion. Six of the seven judges in the majority were men, while the four dissenting judges were women.

 

One dissenter, Circuit Judge Frank Hull, said the majority opinion created a "two-tiered justice system" that exacerbated disparities between wealthy defendants and others.

 

She said limiting protections of the victims' rights law to the period after people like Epstein are charged leaves federal prosecutors "free to engage in the secret plea deals and deception pre-charge that resulted in the travesty here."

 

Last April, a divided three-judge panel of the 11th Circuit said prosecutors had no obligation to disclose Epstein's nonprosecution agreement. It later set aside that ruling so the full appeals court could consider the matter.

 

"I don't see this as a loss," Wild said in a statement provided by her lawyers. "The judges agreed that the way were treated was wrong. Without this lawsuit, that wrong would have been swept under the rug and would have repeated itself."

 

In opposing Wild's appeal, the U.S. Department of Justice nonetheless expressed regret for its handling of the matter, and said Wild should be commended for shining a light on Epstein's misconduct.

 

Epstein's agreement had been negotiated by prosecutors led by then-U.S. Attorney Alex Acosta in Miami.

 

A Justice Department investigation found in November that Acosta exercised "poor judgment" but did not recommend sanctions.

 

Shortly after Epstein's July 2019 arrest, Acosta resigned as then-President Donald Trump's labor secretary under pressure over the agreement.

 

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/jeffrey-epsteins-accusers-cannot-challenge-plea-agreement-us-appeals-court-2021-04-16/

 

https://www.ca11.uscourts.gov/

 

https://media.ca11.uscourts.gov/opinions/pub/files/201913843.enb.pdf

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 16, 2021, 10:42 p.m. No.13445048   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1239

Chief of Navy Australia Tweet

 

#HMASAnzac and #HMASSirius took part in the French-led Exercise La Perouse. This rewarding training opportunity has been successfully undertaken by (France, India, Japan and the U.S.). Strengthening Navy-to-Navy relations in the region is vital to enhance #AusNavy’s interoperability & our continued success.

 

https://twitter.com/CN_Australia/status/1382830007614017538

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 17, 2021, 12:37 a.m. No.13445558   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>8193 >>1279

Congressman Mike Gallagher Tweet

 

Thanks to Ambassador Sinodinos and @AusintheUS for this awesome poster, which I will proudly display in my office.

 

In light of the CCP's insane tariffs on Australia, we have a duty as mates to drink Australian wine (and Wisconsin beer).

 

https://twitter.com/RepGallagher/status/1383144537699328003

 

 

Arthur Sinodinos AO Tweet

 

Australian wine and Wisconsin beer, an unbeatable combination. Thanks Mike Gallagher a great friend of Australia and decent, humane universal values.

 

https://twitter.com/A_Sinodinos/status/1383187463515029504

 

 

About Mike Gallagher

 

First elected in 2016, Congressman Mike Gallagher represents Wisconsin’s 8th District in the U.S. House of Representatives. Mike is a 7th generation Wisconsin native, born and raised in Green Bay.

 

Mike joined the United States Marine Corps the day he graduated from college and served for seven years on active duty as a Counterintelligence/Human Intelligence Officer and Regional Affairs Officer for the Middle East/North Africa, eventually earning the rank of Captain. He deployed twice to Al Anbar Province, Iraq as a commander of intelligence teams, served on General Petraeus’s Central Command Assessment Team in the Middle East, and worked for three years in the intelligence community, including tours at the National Counterterrorism Center and the Drug Enforcement Agency. Mike also served as the lead Republican staffer for Middle East, North Africa and Counterterrorism on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Prior to taking office, Mike worked in the private sector at a global energy and supply chain management company in Green Bay.

 

After earning his bachelor’s degree from Princeton University, Mike went on to earn a master’s degree in Security Studies from Georgetown University, a second in Strategic Intelligence from National Intelligence University, and his PhD in International Relations from Georgetown.

 

Mike currently serves on the House Armed Services, and Transportation and Infrastructure Committees.

 

https://gallagher.house.gov/about

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 17, 2021, 2:10 a.m. No.13445768   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1239

>>13429802

Marine Rotational Force - Darwin Tweet

 

Cleared for Landing

 

@USMC UH-1Y Venoms and MV-22B #Ospreys for MRF-D 21.2 have officially landed!

 

#USwithAus

 

https://twitter.com/MrfDarwin/status/1382998979323973634

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 17, 2021, 10:21 p.m. No.13452046   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1307

QAnon congresswoman blasts Rupert Murdoch's newspaper over incest story: 'Shame on them'

 

Bob Brigham - April 17, 2021

 

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) rushed to defend Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) over allegations of underage sex trafficking, but apparently draws the line at incest.

 

The controversial Republican on Saturday linked to a story by the New York Post, which is owned by far-right billionaire Rupert Murdoch of Fox News infamy.

 

The story was on an Australian named Richard Morris who is seeking to change incest laws in 60 countries, but who has received little support.

 

"We haven't moved any mountains yet," he told the tabloid.

 

But reporting on the topic was enough to draw condemnation from lawmaker known as the "QAnon congresswoman."

 

"This repulsive article really just says everything about the media. It just sums it up to exactly what the media is. And what low disgusting level many of them exist on. No wonder everyone is so sick of the news," she wrote.

 

"Shame on them," she said.

 

https://www.rawstory.com/qanon-congresswoman-marjorie-taylor-greene-2652620788/

 

 

Marjorie Taylor Greene Tweet

 

This repulsive article really just says everything about the media.

 

It just sums it up to exactly what the media is.

 

And what low disgusting level many of them exist on.

 

No wonder everyone is so sick of the news.

 

Shame on them.

 

https://twitter.com/mtgreenee/status/1383612009766211594

 

New York Post @nypost

 

'Consensual incest' should be decriminalized, advocates say trib.al/URxC6xC

 

https://twitter.com/nypost/status/1383483200081567751

 

 

‘Consensual incest’ should be decriminalized, advocates say

 

Kathianne Boniello - April 17, 2021

 

Consensual incest advocates are rooting for an anonymous New York parent who wants to marry their own adult child.

 

Australian Richard Morris, who is pushing to change incest laws in about 60 countries, said he supports the legal push in Manhattan Federal Court and that such behavior between consenting adults “should not be criminalized.”

 

He and other advocates have launched about 130 petitions, mostly on change.org, seeking to change incest laws around the world. Most have received little support.

 

“We haven’t moved any mountains yet,” he told The Post.

 

Morris was inspired to fight for those in consenting incestual relationships, he said, after learning about a Scottish case in which a long-separated father and daughter were reunited, started an affair and were then criminally convicted.

 

Fighting for true “marriage equality” is “the right thing to do, isn’t it?” Morris said.

 

“It seems to be as unjust as the law that used to imprison gay people, and the law that used to stop people of different races marrying,” he added.

 

Keith Pullman, who runs the blog Full Marriage Equality, also cheered on the New York lawsuit.

 

“It is absurd to say that an adult can’t consent to marry their parent. That same adult can be sent to war, take on six or seven figures of debt, operate heavy machinery, be sentenced to death by a federal court, and consent to sex with five strangers (and marriage with one of them) but can’t consent to marry someone they love?” he told The Post. “In some of these cases, the genetic parent didn’t raise them and they met for the first time two years ago. Allegations of ‘grooming’ are laughable attempts to deny someone their rights even though it will have no impact on the person objecting.”

 

https://nypost.com/2021/04/17/consensual-incest-should-be-decriminalized-advocates-say/

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 18, 2021, 12:11 a.m. No.13452422   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1268

Alexander Downer Twitter Thread

 

9News Australia @9NewsAUS

 

Former High Commissioner @AlexanderDowner was there when the Queen bestowed the Duke of Edinburgh with his Australian knighthood – an event that stirred great controversy in our country. #9News

 

Special coverage, LIVE on @Channel9.

 

https://twitter.com/9NewsAUS/status/1383405291895607304

 

 

Shawn Simpson @HomerShawn

 

Was also there when foreign governments tried to spy on Trump campaign for the Democrats!

 

https://twitter.com/HomerShawn/status/1383423970259599371

 

 

Alexander Downer @AlexanderDowner

 

Sure!!! What’s happened to that conspiracy btw. It seems to have died

 

https://twitter.com/AlexanderDowner/status/1383525873706422275

 

 

koenig13091999 @koenig13091999

 

Indeed. It was a clever Papadopoulos misdirection to reinvent himself as the victim hero. Quite an effective technique,keep asking a series of questions that seem to cast doubt, don’t seek to answer them & keep asking more. I’m surprised you didn’t pursue this actually, was rough

 

https://twitter.com/koenig13091999/status/1383549787543277568

 

 

Alexander Downer @AlexanderDowner

 

Not worth the trouble. It died out as it wasn’t true!

 

https://twitter.com/AlexanderDowner/status/1383554221811793923

 

 

Shawn Simpson @HomerShawn

 

You keep telling yourself that!

 

https://twitter.com/HomerShawn/status/1383564172768595973

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 18, 2021, 12:26 a.m. No.13452467   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>2472 >>1279

Canberra prepares for Taiwan conflict as tensions escalate

 

Jacob Greber, Michael Smith and Andrew Tillett - Apr 16, 2021

 

1/2

 

The Australian government has sharply escalated its internal preparations for potential military action in the Taiwan Strait.

 

This is part of a broader show of force by the US and its allies at forcing China to back down on its incursions into the island state’s air space and isolate its economic partners.

 

Sources have told AFR Weekend that the Australian Defence Force was planning for a potential worst-case scenario if the United States and China clashed over Taiwan, prompting debate over the scope and scale of Canberra’s contribution to what would be an unprecedented conflict in the region.

 

Options include contributing to an allied effort with submarines, as well as maritime surveillance aircraft, air-to-air refuellers and potentially Super Hornet fighters operating from US bases in Guam or the Philippines, and even Japan.

 

The intensification has been welcomed as long overdue by seasoned Taiwan watchers, who warn that China’s growing aggression towards the island and the renewed US resolve to help Taipei defend itself could spiral out of control and into a catastrophic open conflict.

 

Concern is mounting throughout the region, and Taiwan accuses China of sending 25 military aircraft into its air defence identification zone this week – a record incursion.

 

The chief of Australia’s Defence Force, Angus Campbell, cautioned that conflict in the Taiwan Strait would be “disastrous” and urged Beijing to resolve its differences with Taiwan’s leaders through dialogue.

 

‘Disastrous experience’

 

“Conflict over the island of Taiwan would be a disastrous experience for the peoples of the region,” General Campbell told an Indian foreign affairs conference known as the Raisina Dialogue. “It is something we should all work to avoid.”

 

At the same forum, the heads of the Indian and Japanese militaries were asked if they were collectively planning, as part of a “Quad” effort, to counter China in Taiwan. None responded to the question.

 

US President Joe Biden was preparing to meet Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga in Washington on Friday, where the two leaders are expected to “present a united front on Taiwan” according to a top US official.

 

Long downplayed as one of the more peculiar anomalies of international relations, Taiwan’s disputed status is becoming a big flashpoint between Beijing and Washington. China regards the island as its territory and President Xi Jinping, who successfully quashed anti-China protests in Hong Kong last year with limited push-back from the West, has made “reunification” of the island with the mainland a top long-term priority.

 

At the same time, anti-China sentiment in the US is pushing the Biden administration to take a tougher line against any undermining of Taiwan’s self-rule.

 

Sources and academics said that while a military conflict remained unlikely, Australia wanted to send Beijing a signal that further incursions by Mr Xi’s forces into Taiwan’s territory would not be tolerated.

 

“There is a lot of development and scenario planning going on,” said a diplomatic source of Canberra’s effort. “It is intended to signal you are not going to blink. It is intended to demonstrate you don’t lack commitment.“

 

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 18, 2021, 12:27 a.m. No.13452472   🗄️.is 🔗kun

>>13452467

 

2/2

 

The push coincides with a desire in China to “normalise” incursions into Taiwan and discourage people from investing in the island, which is the world’s most important maker of semiconductor microchips – currently in the grip of a global supply shortage.

 

Coming off last month’s historic Quad meeting between the leaders of Australia, Japan, India and the US, analysts believe Canberra is under greater pressure to anticipate issues that collectively hurt the members of the grouping.

 

“A big issue for Australians to realise is that the US and Japan have said they share our problems,” said Michael Shoebridge, director of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute’s defence program. “The flip side to that is we have to share their problems.”

 

This includes Japan’s direct sovereignty concerns in the East China Sea – one of the world’s busiest shipping routes.

 

“The only way we can push back on Beijing is for us not to be splintered and not see problems the Americans and Japanese have as their problems,” Mr Shoebridge said. “We can’t expect partners like the US and Japan to support us if we don’t stand with them.”

 

One Defence official confirmed to AFR Weekend that planning had been under way, describing the prospect of conflict over Taiwan as a highly complex question for the government.

 

The source said that while the Defence Force had capabilities that could contribute to a Taiwan crisis, the make-up of forces committed would be dictated by the military effects the government sought to make or contribute to. “There has been a lot of thinking done on this and other contingencies – but nothing that you wouldn’t expect the department would be doing as part of prudent military planning,” the source said.

 

A former Defence official said there would be questions in the department and the government over whether the ANZUS pact applied in the event of a strike against Taiwan.

 

Incorporating Air Warfare Destroyers as part of US aircraft carrier groups and deploying Collins-class submarines to bottle up the Chinese navy could be an option but there could be some hesitation to commit naval assets because of the threat to them.

 

The former official said Australia was more likely to contribute air cover, such as maritime surveillance aircraft, air-to-air refuellers, the Wedgetail airborne radar plane and Super Hornet fighter jets, operating from US bases in Guam or the Philippines.

 

A former senior Australian diplomat said that while the possibility of conflict was not zero, it was unlikely because the Chinese were not prepared yet. Occupation of the island would also turn the whole world against China. “And if your ambition was to get through the middle-income trap and consolidate the Communist Party, that might be a dramatic step to take,” the person said.

 

Mark Harrison, senior lecturer in Chinese studies at the University of Tasmania, said that while a full-scale military invasion by China was unlikely and would be signalled weeks in advance, there were also risks if the US and its allies backed China into a corner.

 

“Beijing can also use the threat of war itself as a multiplier of more limited action and from which it might attempt to extract incremental concessions from Taipei.

 

“There are very complex politics in play in Beijing and Taipei with a very weighty history and Canberra policy-makers will need to be fully across all those issues,” he said.

 

https://www.afr.com/world/asia/canberra-prepares-for-taiwan-conflict-as-tensions-escalate-20210416-p57jqv

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 18, 2021, 12:45 a.m. No.13452535   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>2539 >>9729 >>9743 >>1295

From having 'hot curries poured over her head' to being 'held under the stairs like Harry Potter': Fate of 'slave torture' couple hangs in the balance as jury enters its 10th week in epic trial

 

WAYNE FLOWER - 18 April 2021

 

1/3

 

A jury of 12 is expected to finally retire to consider its verdict in Melbourne's engrossing 'slave trial' next week after 10 long weeks.

 

It was still summer when the husband-and-wife, accused of keeping an elderly slave, first faced the jury on February 10.

 

The couple, who cannot be named for legal reasons, will spend an uneasy weekend and could learn their fate as early as Tuesday.

 

Defence barristers for the pair finished their closing arguments on Friday, with Justice Andrew Tinney delivering his final 'charge' throughout the day.

 

The jury has endured months of evidence, which has included shocking allegations of abuse by the couple against their elderly 'slave'.

 

When Justice Tinney ends his directions of law - either on Monday afternoon or Tuesday morning - the jury will at last retire to consider its verdict.

 

The couple has been accused of committing 'crimes against humanity' by keeping the woman captive and working her near to death.

 

The jury has heard allegations their slave had 'hot curries' poured over her head as punishment and lived off just an hour a sleep for years at a time.

 

The elderly woman was found by paramedics in 2015 in a pool of her own urine and weighing just 40kg.

 

The husband and wife have pleaded not guilty to intentionally keeping the woman as a slave between July 2007 and July 2015.

 

The woman was discovered after she collapsed inside the couple's home and they called her an ambulance.

 

Traumatised and with serious medical conditions, she spent more than two months in hospital recovering - and for much of that time nobody knew her real identity.

 

In closing the Crown case, prosecutor Richard Maidment QC said the couple's payments to the woman amounted to just $3.39 a day in exchange for childcare, washing, cleaning and preparing meals.

 

He told the court the pair had fudged their elderly captive's visa documents to allow her to stay in Australia illegally.

 

The woman had hoped to earn enough money in Australia to help support her family in India, the jury was told.

 

'By 6 August 2007 she had become an unlawful non citizen with the full knowledge and connivance of (the couple),' Mr Maidment said.

 

Police believed they were dealing with a real-life Harry Potter when they rescued the woman, the jury heard.

 

Mr Maidment told the jury there was no need to ponder the motive why the couple would risk their reputations and liberty to keep the woman illegally for so long.

 

'The Crown says that is crystal clear. It was crystal clear that they wanted essentially to import a true, tried and tested child carer and domestic servant, knowing that they could pay her next to nothing so that they could continue to live and maintain a five-bedroom home, that they could maintain their lifestyle, that (the female accused) could contemplate a part-time job, three days a week, and also to afford family trips overseas pretty much every year and interstate also on a regular basis,' he said.

 

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 18, 2021, 12:46 a.m. No.13452539   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>2545

>>13452535

 

2/3

 

Mr Maidment said the couple made sure they had treated their alleged slave well in front of the children she had been enslaved to raise.

 

'The children were very fond of her and the notion that they would always be unkind to her or that they wouldn't essentially treat her as part of the household, is ridiculous,' he said.

 

'Clearly, they were going to be concerned about her relationship with the children. Her willingness to work hard. It was important for them to treat her, in many respects, as a member of the household.'

 

But Mr Maidment said it didn't alter the level of control that they had for her.

 

'Or the deep down, disrespect they had for her situation, or their willingness to exploit her in terms of paying her so far below the appropriate remuneration as to amount to an indicator of slavery,' he said.

 

The jury heard the woman had been effectively stranded in her captive home, unable to even use a bus or call for help from her family back in India.

 

'Her world, other than that which the (couple) exposed them to by actually taking her to places like Sydney, like Phillip Island, like Cape Woolamai … was the immediate area of the house, Gillian Road Park and that's about it. So that was her world and the backyard,' Mr Maidment said.

 

'They effectively controlled every aspect of her life, where she went, who she met, controlled her work and her leisure to the extent that she had any and in every practical sense.'

 

The alleged female slaver, who has been painted for weeks as the brains behind the alleged atrocity, maintains the woman is a rotten liar.

 

On Monday, barrister Dr Gideon Boas - for the female accused - told the jury his client's accuser was 'not a witness of truth'.

 

'I do suggest to you that it is only in an alternate universe that the evidence that she gave that she was being woken up by (the accused) every night by having lights switched on, oil poured on her head every night at 4am,' Dr Boas told the jury.

 

'She’ll be drinking hot coffee and then she will just, you know, pour it on my face … and then she will be grab the gravy and pour it on my head,' the woman said.

 

'She will say 'curries not nice' and then she will just throw it on me.'

 

Dr Boas told the jury the federal agents who interviewed his client had believed the alleged victim had been held like the fictional wizard, whom was famously imprisoned under the stairs of his captors in the J.K. Rowling hit books and movies.

 

'So, no doubt the police had in their minds at this stage they were dealing with somebody like Harry Potter being, you know, held under the stairs or something, right?' he told the jury.

 

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 18, 2021, 12:47 a.m. No.13452545   🗄️.is 🔗kun

>>13452539

 

3/3

 

Dr Boas dismissed the woman's claims the alleged slave had been kept confined within the family home for years and insisted she had instead been treated like a beloved member of the family.

 

'You recall this was a Tamil tradition of feeding somebody cake and she acknowledged that was an expression of love and affection,' he told the jury.

 

'Well, there's a photo on p.34, depicts (his client) doing that for (the woman on her) birthday. Love and affection, Tamil tradition. Well, the narrative that she came to give about (his client), as we know, is very different. That was then, this is now.'

 

The jury had heard the woman say under cross examination by Dr Boas that her female captor had bashed her so hard that she had broken her skull.

 

'(She) kicked, broke my skull'. That was the first time she said that,' Dr Boas said.

 

'Of course, there's no evidence whatsoever that (she) had a broken skull.'

 

When the trial opened in February, Dr Boas made it clear the alleged slave had cooked-up the story to avoid being deported back to India after overstaying her temporary visa.

 

Dr Boas told the jury his client actually considered the woman as family and referred to her affectionately as 'grandmother'.

 

He claimed the only crime his client had committed was harbouring the woman after her one-month travel visa had expired.

 

It was fear of prosecution over the visa violation that not only caused the woman to lie to authorities, but the alleged victim to lie about her captivity, the court heard.

 

The Case Against Alleged Slavers

 

A couple accused of keeping an Indian woman as a slave before she was discovered with no teeth and emaciated with sepsis claimed she was treated 'like a king'.

 

The couple are both charged with intentionally possessing a slave and intentionally exercising the right of ownership over a slave between 2007 and 2015.

 

The pair claim they have been framed and have become embroiled in an elaborate extortion attempt.

 

Last week, the Supreme Court of Victoria heard the couple had been heard by police discussing the allegations over phone taps.

 

'“It seems the suggestion is a letter would be produced which would suggest an extortion attempt had been made to extort 10 laks, the equivalent of $18,000 or $19,000 in order to drop the allegations,' Prosecutor Richard Maidment told jurors.

 

The court has heard the alleged victim had no teeth when found by police in 2015.

 

When asked why by police, her alleged keeper claimed she had pulled them out herself and ate only mash.

 

The woman had allegedly been enslaved after two previous visits with the family.

 

The alleged slave was found after she became sick and the woman called her an ambulance.

 

Paramedics found her shivering in a pool of urine in the bathroom.

 

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/melbourne/article-9477927/The-fate-Melbournes-slave-torture-couple-hangs-balance.html

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 18, 2021, 1:04 a.m. No.13452610   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>2615 >>2629 >>1295

>>13228625 (pb)

How a panicked phone call to the ABC newsroom led to a Four Corners investigation and the dismantling of an alleged sex slave cult

 

Elise Worthington - 18 April 2021

 

1/3

 

It started with a panicked call to the ABC switchboard asking to speak to someone in the newsroom.

 

The desperate voice on the other end of the line was begging for help.

 

That initial conversation was the first of dozens that followed a similar pattern — describing how a sex cult was allegedly harming vulnerable young women and despairing that authorities seemed unable or unwilling to intervene.

 

Weeks later, producer Kyle Taylor and I found ourselves at a dodgy regional New South Wales pub being heckled by the locals who had no idea what was going on as we frantically photographed hundreds of pages of tattered "slave journal" entries.

 

They were brought to us in a black bum bag by a woman who alleged she was enslaved, forced into sex work, abused, coerced and threatened by a man she was forced to call her "Master".

 

This is how a five-month investigation by ABC Investigations and Four Corners into former Australian army soldier James Davis and his acolytes, the so-called 'House of Cadifor', began.

 

It ended with a dramatic police raid after Four Corners provided information to the Australian Federal Police.

 

Davis was arrested in the car park of the local hardware store by plain-clothed AFP officers and charged with sexual slavery offences.

 

The journals belonged to Felicity Bourke, Davis's former partner of three years.

 

Her bravery in speaking out and trusting us with her story is what dozens of women and the families of those still living with Davis had been waiting for.

 

We spoke with Felicity many times and met with her on three occasions, each over several days, before we filmed a sit-down TV interview.

 

We spoke to her family, friends and her social worker.

 

We connected her with lawyers and offered counselling.

 

Eventually, we would pass her details, with her permission, on to the Australian Federal Police.

 

Her testimony is what finally led to Davis being charged.

 

For months, we had agonised over how to investigate and navigate such a complex and traumatic story.

 

We spent many hours on the phone and in person, meeting and hearing the stories of dozens of women and several men who had known Davis and his associates over the years.

 

As we continued our research, we came to believe that Davis was using classic cult tactics to indoctrinate the women who followed him.

 

A complex and challenging story

 

We found ourselves surrounded by a fog of trauma, stories of horrendous sexual abuse, rape and violence allegedly perpetrated by a number of different men.

 

Complicating the situation was that many of the alleged incidents they described had occurred within the context of BDSM relationships, which sometimes involved consensual violence.

 

"There's a clear line between BDSM and abuse and that line is consent," one woman told us.

 

But we soon realised that the line between consenting and not consenting had been blurred by power imbalances, peer pressure and coercion, as well as by drugs and alcohol.

 

Some of the women we spoke to had signed contracts consenting to particular sex or violent acts or had agreed in writing to become submissives or slaves to men.

 

They felt trapped, ashamed and like they couldn't say no because they believed they had signed away their rights.

 

That was just one reason they'd never come forward about their treatment.

 

Many were also sex workers with a profound mistrust of law enforcement.

 

We were faced with people who had complex histories of trauma and who were themselves still coming to terms with difficult questions around what had happened to them, often when they were still quite young.

 

Had they consented?

 

Were they able to?

 

Was it an abuse of power?

 

What would it mean for them if they were assaulted?

 

We later learned that there is no such thing as consent to certain offences such as slavery and trafficking.

 

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 18, 2021, 1:05 a.m. No.13452615   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>2621

>>13452610

 

2/3

 

Many of those we spoke to had never told anyone about their experiences before. Some seemed completely numbed to the pain and horror of what they told us.

 

They recalled in graphic detail what had happened to them.

 

Sometimes once they started speaking it was hard to interrupt or get them to stop.

 

They held back little, disclosing the most explicit and violent details.

 

Few wanted to be interviewed formally or go on the record but every person we spoke to helped us open up a dark and murky world that was difficult to comprehend.

 

What we uncovered was a BDSM sex cult allegedly targeting vulnerable young women and coercing them into participating in increasingly violent sexual situations, sometimes filmed and sold for profit.

 

Some of the women went to group sex parties where they were blindfolded, numbered and given drugs and alcohol.

 

Others participated in elaborate ceremonies and signed contracts of enslavement to men, they wore slave collars and were controlled by men who allegedly instructed them to have sex with others for money.

 

A traumatic story takes its toll

 

In the months we spent working on the story, we were sent photos and videos of women being physically assaulted, screaming and crying in pain.

 

They were sometimes tied, bound and gagged, unable to escape.

 

This kind of horrific material would be delivered in emails and texts at all hours of the day and night.

 

There was call after call from women recounting in graphic detail horrendous sexual assaults perpetrated by different men in the BDSM community.

 

Some of these incidents were totally unconnected to the story we were focused on but word had gone around that there were journalists who were investigating and they wanted to help.

 

It felt selfish to cut the call short or react emotionally when I wasn't the one who had suffered.

 

Sometimes I hung up the phone and just cried in despair.

 

I could hear the pain in their voices and knew there was little I could do to help.

 

I received calls and texts late at night. Sometimes from women saying they didn't want to live.

 

I lay awake worried about the impact of our work on the women we spoke to.

 

What if we made things worse?

 

How could we be sure that they were supported after they shared their traumatic experiences?

 

I wasn't a sexual assault counsellor. How was I supposed to respond correctly to what I was hearing?

 

There were guidelines for dealing with survivors of sexual abuse and domestic violence but in many situations, there seemed to be no rule book for exactly how to navigate the complexities involved in this kind of story.

 

I started seeing a specialist trauma psychologist early in the project when I realised I would need support to be able to keep working on such distressing subject matter.

 

One day, sitting at my desk at Four Corners, I was told a detail so horrendous I ran to the bathroom and threw up before crying as I struggled to process the horror of what I had been told.

 

Some days I felt like I was working in slow motion, reading the same sentence over and over again, unable to process it.

 

I was annoyed at myself for being weak, lazy and unproductive.

 

I now understand that was a natural reaction to being repeatedly exposed to traumatic material.

 

I noticed I would sometimes emotionlessly recount graphic details to shocked colleagues who enquired how the story was going.

 

I became keenly attuned to any perceived power imbalances or signs of abuse in society or social situations.

 

At times I felt as though I was viewing the world through a completely different and dark lens that few people could understand.

 

How could such horrendous things be happening with such apparent regularity?

 

How could the world be so bleak?

 

How could so many men do such horrendous things to women?

 

Through therapy, I can see that these are overgeneralisations and thought distortions, which can be a symptom of vicarious trauma.

 

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 18, 2021, 1:08 a.m. No.13452621   🗄️.is 🔗kun

>>13452615

 

3/3

 

Journalists need to take vicarious trauma seriously

 

Vicarious trauma can happen through indirect exposure to traumatic events and can manifest in a range of physical and psychological symptoms.

 

If not addressed, it can lead to ongoing PTSD and other mental health problems.

 

Journalists are regularly exposed to crime scenes, the aftermath of natural disasters, violence, raw emotions from grieving families and other traumatic situations.

 

Many of us have witnessed our colleagues suffer from trauma and PTSD related to their work.

 

Some have been so profoundly affected they've been unable to continue working.

 

To journalists working with traumatic subject matter, I implore you to seek help early and speak openly and honestly about how your work is affecting your mental health.

 

I'm aware I am in the extremely fortunate position of being a journalist in a secure job with supportive bosses and colleagues.

 

I don't know how I would have coped without having access to a qualified professional to debrief.

 

When I started seeing a psychologist, the first thing I naively wanted to know was how I could just simply "not be traumatised" by what I was hearing and seeing.

 

The answer was that without dropping the story altogether, that wouldn't be possible.

 

Instead, I needed strategies to mitigate the trauma from my exposure.

 

The obvious and boring ones I deployed with mixed success were eating and sleeping well, exercising and not using alcohol as a coping strategy.

 

I worked on drawing boundaries around when I would answer calls and respond to texts and tried to clearly separate work and home time, although this wasn't always possible.

 

Kyle and I shared the load when it came to limiting our exposure to traumatic material.

 

There were things I found I simply could not watch or read.

 

Sometimes there seemed to be no rhyme or reason to what I would find triggering.

 

We tried to work on different content during set time periods with breaks in between.

 

There would be something wrong with us if we weren't moved and upset by what we were seeing.

 

But the lesson I learned is that there's no way to not be profoundly affected by horrendous material.

 

What kept us going was the determination of the women who wanted to tell their stories.

 

Authorities often say that they are powerless to act in these matters without people being willing to come forward and to speak up.

 

When we set out to discover what was going on for this story we found something different.

 

We had to make sure we were ready and able to listen.

 

If you have more information contact the AFP on 131AFP (131 237) or email NOSSC-Client-Liaison@afp.gov.au

 

If you are a victim of trafficking or know someone who is contact the AFP on 131AFP (131237) or email NOSSC-Client-Liaison@afp.gov.au

 

https://forms.afp.gov.au/online_forms/human_trafficking_form

 

You can also contact the Red Cross Support for Trafficked People Program on 03 9345 1800

 

https://www.redcross.org.au/get-help/help-for-migrants-in-transition/trafficked-people

 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/backstory/2021-04-18/abc-four-corners-alleged-sex-slave-cult-vicarious-trauma/13303834

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 18, 2021, 1:11 a.m. No.13452629   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1295

>>13452610

Escaping a sex cult: How Australian women were enslaved in plain sight | Four Corners

 

ABC News In-depth

 

15 Mar 2021

 

Warning: This story contains descriptions of extreme violence and sexual abuse that may disturb some readers.

 

On an isolated property in regional Australia, a sex slave cult has been operating in plain sight.

 

A five-month long investigation by Four Corners has found the man running it has a long history of physically and sexually abusing women.

 

James Davis was living with six women he called his slaves until he was arrested and charged with slavery offences by the Australian Federal Police last week.

 

Now, women are speaking out in a bid to help them and encourage others to come forward.

 

Sexual assault support services:

1800 Respect national helpline: 1800 737 732

Lifeline (24-hour crisis line): 131 114

Beyond Blue: 1300 224 636

 

https://www.1800respect.org.au

 

https://www.lifeline.org.au

 

https://www.beyondblue.org.au

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFn3YRQ-puI

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 18, 2021, 11:31 p.m. No.13459791   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>9798 >>8522 >>1295

GuidoFawkes Tweet

 

As you lay asleep in your bed remember there are children who are being tortured and killed for their blood. I am sorry if this upsets you! Honestly I am not sorry! Wake Up you sheep and become Lions! The War is real! The time is Now!

 

https://twitter.com/GuidoFawkes1976/status/1383689258695729161

 

 

Q Post #4908

 

Oct 21 2020 13:41:31 (EST)

 

Sometimes you can't TELL the public the truth.

YOU MUST SHOW THEM.

ONLY THEN WILL PEOPLE FIND THE WILL TO CHANGE.

Crimes against children unite all humanity [cross party lines]?

Difficult truths.

Q

 

https://qanon.pub/#4908

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 18, 2021, 11:47 p.m. No.13459865   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>9867 >>9872 >>1263

Dutton pulls rank on ADF medal ban

 

BEN PACKHAM - APRIL 19, 2021

 

1/2

 

Australia’s special forces veterans who served in Afghanistan will retain their Meritorious Unit Citations unless convicted of war crimes or sacked for poor conduct.

 

Peter Dutton, in his first major public decision in the Defence portfolio, will officially overrule Chief of the Defence Force Angus Campbell’s decision to strip the citations from more than 3000 special forces soldiers as a “collective punishment” for the alleged crimes uncovered by the Brereton inquiry.

 

Mr Dutton will announce the move on Monday – just a week out from Anzac Day – declaring “99 per cent of our ADF personnel serve, and have served, our country with distinction”.

 

Mr Dutton told The Australian the nation would remember the original Anzacs on April 25, “but my focus will be on those who have returned from recent conflicts”.

 

“We honour these young men and women and they will be wearing their unit citation medal with pride,” he said.

 

“Almost 40,000 honoured our country with their service in Afghanistan and Iraq and I couldn’t be more proud of their sacrifice. We honour them and their loved ones this Anzac Day.”

 

In a show of support, Mr Dutton will visit the Special Air Service Regiment – the unit at the centre of the war crimes allegations – at Perth’s Campbell Barracks on Monday afternoon. His ruling will mean soldiers will retain their unit citations unless they are found guilty of a war crime, are sacked as an accessory to an alleged crime, or dismissed for failing to uphold army standards.

 

The SASR’s 2 Squadron, which was linked to the majority of the alleged war crimes, was abolished earlier this year on the CDF’s orders. But Scott Morrison put General Campbell’s revocation of the unit citation on hold after an outpouring of anger from veterans and their families.

 

In one case, the father of a commando killed by a Taliban rocket attack said if the CDF wanted to take his son’s service award, he could ­“collect it himself from my son’s gravestone”.

 

Mr Dutton’s decision follows a distressing week for some veterans with the decision to withdraw Australia’s remaining troops from Afghanistan along with those of the US, amid fears the pullout could pave the way for a Taliban takeover.

 

The Meritorious Unit Citation was awarded to special forces soldiers for “sustained and outstanding warlike operational service in Afghanistan from 30 April, 2007 to 31 December, 2013, through the conduct of counter-insurgency operations in support of the International Security Assistance Force”. General Campbell accepted Justice Brereton’s recommendation in November that the citations be revoked, declaring “units live and fight as a team”.

 

However, he faced immediate pushback from veterans and politicians alike.

 

A petition to overturn the decision attracted more than 50,000 supporters, while the Prime Minister made it clear he was unhappy with the decision.

 

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 18, 2021, 11:47 p.m. No.13459867   🗄️.is 🔗kun

>>13459865

 

2/2

 

Lawyer and former RSL NSW president Glenn Kolomeitz, who was attached to the special operations taskforce in Afghanistan in 2009 and 2010, described the move at the time as a “knee-jerk reaction by those who are supposed to be strategic leaders”.

 

“I’m happy to hand mine in as long as the senior leadership – who all got distinguished service medals for their leadership – hand back their awards,” he said.

 

Justice Brereton’s report for the Inspector General of the Australian Defence Force found up to 25 special forces soldiers were involved in the alleged murders of at least 39 Afghan civilians and prisoners, recommending charges be pursued against 19 of them.

 

Mr Morrison said the government would ensure the actions of a small number of soldiers facing war crimes allegations “do not reflect on the many thousands of others who serve today and who have served before”. “That is how we deal with these issues in Australia … according to the rule of law, the presumption of innocence until proven guilty, and in accordance with the administrative processes that ­operate within the Defence Force.”

 

Chief of Army Rick Burr told a Senate estimates hearing last month 17 Defence personnel had been issued “show cause” notices asking why they shouldn’t be sacked in relation to the Brereton report findings. Eight had since been dismissed, he said. A further “show cause” notice was issued last week to an army colonel after a pixelated photo was published by Nine newspapers showing him partying with junior soldiers in an unauthorised on-base bar in Afghanistan.

 

The now-colonel, who was due to take up a key position overseeing cultural reform within Special Operations Command, is understood to be considering his options.

 

Lieutenant General Burr will tell a symposium in Brisbane on Monday that “good character and sound ethical grounding” are vital aspects of “good soldiering”.

 

“We create strong teams who actively include others and bring people together to be effective and achieve their mission,” he will tell the event.

 

If you are a current or former ADF member, or a relative, and need counselling or support, contact the Defence All-Hours Support Line on 1800 628 036 or Open Arms on 1800 011 046

 

https://www1.defence.gov.au/adf-members-families/health-well-being/services-support-fighting-fit/need-help-now/all-hours-support-line

 

https://www.openarms.gov.au

 

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/dutton-pulls-rank-on-adf-medal-ban/news-story/1fd405366965a34d73dedaf94aaab58e

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 18, 2021, 11:50 p.m. No.13459872   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>5268 >>1263

>>13459865

Peter Dutton and PM 'strongly of the same view' on citation stripping reversal

 

Sky News Australia

 

19 Apr 2021

 

Defence Minister Peter Dutton says he and Prime Minister Scott Morrison are “strongly of the same view” when it comes to overruling a decision to strip soldiers who served in Afghanistan of their unit citations.

 

“The prime minister very strongly supports this position,” Mr Dutton told Sky News.

 

The ruling will mean only individuals who are dismissed for failing to uphold standards or are found guilty of a war crime will be disciplined.

 

Three thousand special forces soldiers were set to be have their citations removed as collective punishment for alleged crimes uncovered by the Brereton Inquiry.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uf9Vl8FEyQw

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 19, 2021, 1:16 a.m. No.13460103   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1263

Government announces royal commission into veteran and serving Defence member suicides

 

abc.net.au - 19 April 2021

 

A royal commission into veteran and serving Defence personnel suicides has been announced, after the government relented to pressure to support the broad-ranging and powerful inquiry.

 

In March, a motion passed both chambers of Parliament supporting the creation of the royal commission.

 

While Prime Minister Scott Morrison did not oppose the motion, the government previously said it wanted to look into the issue through its plan to establish a permanent national commissioner for veteran suicides.

 

Announcing the royal commission today, Mr Morrison said he hoped the commission would be a "healing process".

 

"The royal commission will have a mandate to examine the systemic issues and any common themes and past deaths by suicide of Australian Defence Force members and veterans," he said.

 

"[It will examine] the experience of members and veterans who may continue to be at risk of suicide.

 

"And it will examine all aspects of service in the Australian Defence Force and the experience of those transitioning from active service."

 

Mr Morrison said the royal commission would look at past confirmed and suspected suicides.

 

"Given the sensitive and personal nature of the issues that witnesses may face, the royal commission will be authorised to hold private sessions," he said.

 

"The inquiry will not be about making findings of civil or criminal wrongdoing."

 

In February last year, Mr Morrison announced a plan to create a permanent National Commissioner for Defence and Veteran Suicide Prevention.

 

At that time there were more than 400 known veteran suicide cases dating back to 2001, but that figure has soared over the past 12 months.

 

By comparison, 41 Australian defence personnel have died during the 20-year conflict in Afghanistan.

 

Despite introducing the legislation to establish the National Commissioner last year, it has stalled in the Senate.

 

The PM said the royal commission would work alongside the National Commissioner, who he hoped would have a "forward-looking role" and would implement any recommendations from the inquiry.

 

The announcement comes after sustained lobbying by family members of veterans who have taken their own lives, including Julie-Ann Finney.

 

Ms Finney's son, David, was a petty officer in the Royal Australian Navy.

 

He took his own life in February 2019 after being medically discharged, suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, in 2017.

 

Ms Finney said she welcomed the announcement, saying it was a "long time coming".

 

"Finally, the voices of veterans will be heard. Finally, families can stand up and share their stories," she said.

 

"Today is about veterans. The veterans fighting every day to make it through to the next.

 

"The veterans who we have lost too soon, who live on in too many broken hearts."

 

When asked why it had taken the government so long to support a commission, Mr Morrison said he was "just seeking to get things done".

 

"I'm pragmatic to get the right outcomes for veterans," he said.

 

Shadow Defence Minister Brendan O'Connor supported the announcement, saying the government's National Commissioner plan was always "flawed".

 

"We are glad to see the government has made a decision but it does seem it has done so begrudgingly, belatedly and because of the pressure that has been brought to bear upon them by the veterans community [and] the veterans' families," he said.

 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-04-19/australian-veteran-suicide-government-announces-royal-commission/100078292

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 19, 2021, 1:50 a.m. No.13460196   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>0202 >>0205 >>1239

Former Australian prime minister puts Rupert Murdoch on blast

 

CNN

 

19 Apr 2021

 

Former Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull speaks to CNN's Brian Stelter about Rupert Murdoch, the Australian-born American media mogul whose global empire includes Fox News.

 

#CNN #News

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4P7RkWpS1Wc

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 19, 2021, 1:52 a.m. No.13460202   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1268

>>13460196

George Papadopoulos Tweet

 

Very interesting that the former Australian PM has reared his head again. His governments conduct is reportedly under investigation by John Durham’s team, and Senator Graham called out the Australian ambassador in the US for Alexander Downer’s dubious role in obamagate

 

https://twitter.com/GeorgePapa19/status/1383973257364180995

 

 

Dan Froomkin/PressWatchers.org @froomkin

 

The former Australian PM told @brianstelter earlier today that the Murdoch media empire no longer operates as a conventional news operation. They have "created a market for crazy”.

 

Agree.

 

https://twitter.com/froomkin/status/1383914484373155842

 

 

Malcolm Turnbull @TurnbullMalcolm

 

It isn’t any longer a matter of right or left leaning media. The problem is media, like Murdoch’s, which are propaganda, that make stuff up, run vendettas, promote conspiracy theories and deny science.

 

https://twitter.com/TurnbullMalcolm/status/1383912020177604623

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 19, 2021, 1:55 a.m. No.13460205   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1239

>>13460196

Greg Kelly Tweet

 

SO @TurnbullMalcolm doesn’t KNOW anything about what happened in the Nov. election. Malcolm, real quick: describe for us the constitutional issues surrounding Absentee voting in Pennsylvania, esp regarding the State Constitution. DON’T LOOK IT UP, just SPEW (like u did on CNN)

 

https://twitter.com/gregkellyusa/status/1383956803667460105

 

 

Malcolm Turnbull @TurnbullMalcolm

 

Replying to @gregkellyusa

 

There are Courts to do that. And they did. But here's the thing: a democracy should ensure that every adult eligible to vote is on the roll and is encouraged to vote. And to that end make it easy for people to vote - including by mail - not throw obstacles in their way.

 

https://twitter.com/TurnbullMalcolm/status/1383994150077419520

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 19, 2021, 2:07 a.m. No.13460224   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1301

Prince Andrew offered $7 million to take Epstein lie detector test

 

Emily Smith - April 18, 2021

 

Britain’s Prince Andrew is being offered millions to come to the US and take a public polygraph test about his relationship with the late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

 

Investigative journalist Ian Halperin is offering £5 million pounds (or roughly $7 million US dollars) to Andrew “to come clean and take a polygraph test with a world-leading polygraph examiner,” he tells Page Six.

 

Halperin wants to quiz Andrew, 61, about claims from Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who says she was brought from the US to Britain at age 17 to have sex with the Prince in 2001.

 

In an interview with The BBC’s “Newsnight,” Giuffre said of Andrew, the Duke of York, “I knew I had to keep him happy, because it’s what Jeffrey and Ghislaine [Maxwell, Epstein’s then-girlfriend] would expect from me.”

 

Halperin alleged in his latest book, “Controversy: Sex, Lies, Dirty Money,” that the British royals deliberately threw the media glare on Meghan Markle and husband Prince Harry to divert from Andrew’s links to Epstein.

 

Halperin explained to Page Six of his lucrative offer to Andrew — who despite not having worked in a while doesn’t appear to need the money: “I am giving Andrew a chance to finally clear his name.

 

“I am offering 5 million pounds to Prince Andrew to come clean and take a polygraph test with a world-leading polygraph examiner.

 

“If he passes, my investment group will hand him over £5 million pounds.”

 

Halperin insists he has the cash and alleged, “I’m part of a global investment group to stop child sex trafficking.”

 

Halperin’s book had alleged Andrew was a “sex addict” and a “daring lover,” according to women who claim they were intimate with the British royal after being introduced by Epstein.

 

Halperin said, “One of Andrew’s ex-lovers said he had a sex addiction because he was always second to Prince Charles … He compared his relationship with his brother … to William and Harry.

 

“William is looked at as royal material, just like Charles, whereas he and Harry were the bad boys … This led to his playboy lifestyle. He wasn’t getting attention; it made him feel special to get these beautiful women in his bed.”

 

Halperin has said he uncovered no evidence that Andrew — who has strongly denied allegations that he slept with Giuffre — had sex with underage women, but “there is no doubt that Epstein provided girls to Andrew, and that was the reason they were friends.”

 

In late 2019, Prince Andrew issued a public statement saying he would be willing to help American law enforcement with their investigation into allegations of sex trafficking by Epstein and his associates.

 

FBI agents and federal prosecutors in New York reached out to his lawyers and asked to interview him, but there was no response.

 

Then in January 2020, the United States attorney in Manhattan publicly called out the Prince for breaking his commitment.

 

“To date, Prince Andrew has provided zero cooperation,” prosecutor Geoffrey S. Berman said.

 

A spokesperson for Prince Andrew did not immediately get back to us.

 

https://pagesix.com/2021/04/18/prince-andrew-offered-7m-to-take-epstein-lie-detector-test/

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 19, 2021, 2:32 a.m. No.13460274   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1295

Moreton Bay man charged with child abuse material offences

 

A man from Queensland’s Moreton Bay who allegedly sent a photograph of a naked boy to someone online and discussed abusing the child is expected to face Caboolture Magistrates Court today (19 April 2021).

 

The 29-year-old Morayfield man was arrested by the Brisbane Joint Anti Child Exploitation Team (JACET) on 15 April 2021 and charged with four offences, after police allegedly found child abuse material and records of a sexually explicit chat on his mobile phone.

 

The investigation was launched after the Australian Federal Police (AFP) received a report from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) in the United States about an online user uploading child abuse material to the Kik Messenger platform.

 

Brisbane JACET, which consists of officers from the AFP and Queensland Police, allegedly identified the 29-year-old man as the person using the account.

 

Police arrested the man at a shopping centre and allegedly found child abuse material on his mobile phone.

 

During a search of his home it will be alleged child abuse material was located on a second mobile phone.

 

The man was refused police bail and has been charged with:

 

• One count of using a carriage service to access child abuse material, contrary to section 474.22 of the Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth);

 

• Two counts of possessing or controlling child abuse material obtained or accessed using a carriage service, contrary to section 474.22A of the Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth);

 

• One count of making child exploitation material, contrary to section 228B of the Criminal Code 1899 (QLD).

 

The maximum penalty for these offences range from 15 to 20 years’ imprisonment.

 

AFP Detective Superintendent Child Protection Operations Paula Hudson said the AFP works with partners across Australia and around the world to keep a watch online to protect children.

 

“It takes a network to break a network, which is why these national and international partnerships are so vital to the work of the AFP in stopping child exploitation and sexual abuse,” she said.

 

Members of the public who have any information about people involved in child abuse and exploitation are urged to call Crime stoppers on 1800 333 000.

 

You can also make a report online by alerting the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation via the Report Abuse button.

 

http://www.accce.gov.au/report

 

If you or someone you know are impacted by child sexual abuse and online exploitation there are support services available, visit the ACCCE to learn more.

 

https://www.accce.gov.au/support

 

Note to media:

 

USE OF TERM ‘CHILD ABUSE’ MATERIAL NOT ‘CHILD PORNOGRAPHY’

 

The correct legal term is Child Abuse Material – the move to this wording was among amendments to Commonwealth legislation in 2019 to more accurately reflect the gravity of the crimes and the harm inflicted on victims.

 

Use of the phrase "child pornography" is inaccurate and benefits child sex abusers because it:

 

• indicates legitimacy and compliance on the part of the victim and therefore legality on the part of the abuser; and

 

• conjures images of children posing in 'provocative' positions, rather than suffering horrific abuse.

 

Every photograph or video captures an actual situation where a child has been abused.

 

Editor’s note: Vision from this arrest is available via Hightail - https://spaces.hightail.com/space/oJmpSjKdoL

 

https://www.afp.gov.au/news-media/media-releases/moreton-bay-man-charged-child-abuse-material-offences

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 19, 2021, 2:34 a.m. No.13460278   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1295

Gold Coast man to face court over allegedly possessing child abuse material and child-like sex doll

 

A 43-year-old Gold Coast man is due to appear in court today (19 April 2021) to face child exploitation offences following an Australian Federal Police (AFP) child protection investigation.

 

Officers from the Brisbane Joint Anti Child Exploitation Team (JACET) executed a search warrant at an address in Southport on the Gold Coast on 19 March 2021, after receiving a report from the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) in the United States.

 

The report indicated a person, believed to be in Queensland, was uploading child abuse material using a Google account.

 

During the search of a Southport unit officers located two mobile phones and two external hard drives allegedly containing child abuse material, as well as a child-like sex doll.

 

The man was arrested and ordered to appear before court to face three counts of possessing child abuse material and one count each of using a carriage service to access child pornography, making child exploitation material, possessing a child like sex doll and bestiality.

 

The maximum penalty for this offence is 15 years imprisonment.

 

He is due to appear in Southport Magistrates Court today.

 

AFP Detective Superintendent Child Protection Operations Paula Hudson said the AFP sees a wide spectrum of child exploitation offences before court and this is a timely reminder that child-like sex dolls and child abuse material could desensitise anyone who used them to the physical, emotional and psychological harm caused by sexual abuse.

 

“These dolls are not harmless and the AFP will investigate any activity that reinforces or represents the sexual abuse of children,” Detective Superintendent Hudson said.

 

“This includes sexual gratification using items depicting children, which is why these dolls are legally considered to be a form of child exploitation material.

 

“This arrest highlights the continuing collaborative work undertaken by the AFP and its partners to protect children and identify and prosecute anyone who seeks to exploit and harm them.”

 

Members of the public who have any information about this network or people involved in child abuse and exploitation are urged to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

 

https://crimestoppers.com.au

 

You can also make a report online by alerting the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation via the Report Abuse button.

 

https://www.accce.gov.au/report

 

Note to media:

 

USE OF TERM ‘CHILD ABUSE’ MATERIAL NOT ‘CHILD PORNOGRAPHY’

 

The correct legal term is Child Abuse Material – the move to this wording was among amendments to Commonwealth legislation in 2019 to more accurately reflect the gravity of the crimes and the harm inflicted on victims.

 

Use of the phrase "child pornography" is inaccurate and benefits child sex abusers because it:

 

• indicates legitimacy and compliance on the part of the victim and therefore legality on the part of the abuser; and

 

• conjures images of children posing in 'provocative' positions, rather than suffering horrific abuse.

 

Every photograph or video captures an actual situation where a child has been abused.

 

Editor's Note: Images related to this investigation are available via Hightail - https://spaces.hightail.com/space/SbMGKVwGRR/files

 

https://www.afp.gov.au/news-media/media-releases/gold-coast-man-face-court-over-allegedly-possessing-child-abuse-material

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 19, 2021, 2:45 a.m. No.13460303   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1279

Do allies still have strong trust in US security commitment?

 

Tian Jingling - Apr 18, 2021

 

"Why is Australia building missiles? Because America might hoard all its missiles for itself." This was the title of an article published by Forbes on April 14. "If there is one lesson that nations have learned from the COVID-19 pandemic, it's this: If you don't make a product, then you have to depend on others to make it for you," the author said, adding that "If nations can hoard vaccines, they can also hoard missiles." By hoarding vaccines, Washington has raised allies' doubts against its security commitments.

 

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced on March 31 that the country would begin building its own missiles in close collaboration with Washington. This included potential commercial partners, such as large US weapons manufacturers like Lockheed Martin and Raytheon.

 

During the four years of the Trump administration, the US was constantly weakening its alliance system. This being the case, US allies are not sure whether or not the US would still be a reliable ally in emergency situations such as wars. To some extent, US allies have lost their trust in US' security commitments.

 

Due to the "America First" policy, US allies may have wanted to improve their strategic autonomy and their own defense capabilities. However, the US has many allies, who still rely heavily on the US as a security umbrella. Not all of them have the ability to develop defense capabilities on their own.

 

Take Australia. It will rely on US companies in building missiles because there is a large technological gap between Australia and the US. Technology is the most critical part of building missiles. Therefore, Australia will heavily depend on the US during their cooperation.

 

US allies are in a state of unequal strength in their security alliance with Washington. For example, according to an Associated Press report in March, it has been decades since Australia last manufactured advanced missiles. It currently relies on importing them from allies, including the US. In fact, it is very difficult for US allies to rid themselves on dependency from Washington. They are also very unlikely to have their own security policies or autonomy with weapons or equipment.

 

US allies depend on US' shelter in order to maintain their own security. Some observers in Australia said that Canberra develops its own missiles to cope with the so-called China threat and an ever more unstable situation in the Indo-Pacific region. But when US allies have their own independent security policies, it could become a variable for stability in the region. More importantly, the US will not allow its allies to have their own autonomy - all of the US maneuvers are aimed at serving its alliance system as well as its global hegemonic status.

 

In February, a report by a task force from the Chicago Council on Global Affairs argued that "fraying American alliances and a rapidly changing security environment have begun to call into question the continued America's nuclear security guarantees and threaten the long-term viability of the 50-year-old nuclear nonproliferation regime." Washington's leadership role and US allies' confidence toward the US security commitment did not fall in one day. They were gradually eroded by the "America First" doctrine and many moves of the Trump administration.

 

The US withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement and the World Health Organization, combined with its inconsistent behaviors, has had a major impact. US' previous positive reputation will not resume with Biden taking office. The US will find it hard to restore its leadership role and rebuild the confidence of its allies. Time is needed as the US fulfills its promises to the international community and its allies under a multilateral world, and as it takes on the responsibility as a major power.

 

The author is a deputy director of South Pacific Research Study, Institute of Southeast Asian and Oceanian Studies, China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn

 

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202104/1221364.shtml

 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelpeck/2021/04/14/why-is-australia-building-missiles-because-america-might-hoard-missiles-for-itself/

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 19, 2021, 3:07 a.m. No.13460325   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>8343 >>7230 >>7249 >>7274 >>5324 >>5327 >>5332 >>5337 >>3636 >>8959 >>9579 >>8599 >>3540 >>1245

New Zealand 'uncomfortable with expanding the remit' of Five Eyes, says Foreign Minister

 

Stephen Dziedzic - 19 April 2021

 

New Zealand's Foreign Minister, Nanaia Mahuta, has sent a clear signal that the country will chart a more independent foreign policy, directly criticising efforts to pressure China through the Five Eyes intelligence sharing group.

 

The comments are likely to further inflame tensions in New Zealand's relationship with Australia, which believes the Ardern government is undermining collective attempts to push back against increasingly aggressive behaviour from Beijing.

 

The Five Eyes group – which includes the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada and New Zealand – was originally formed as an intelligence sharing network but has expanded its scope in the past few years.

 

Ms Mahuta today said the group should focus on intelligence.

 

"That's a matter we have raised with Five Eyes partners. We are uncomfortable with expanding the remit of the Five Eyes relationship," she said.

 

"We would much rather prefer to look for multilateral opportunities to express our interests on a number of issues."

 

The comments come only days before Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne visits New Zealand for formal talks with Ms Mahuta and New Zealand’s Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern.

 

Beijing has responded furiously to recent joint statements from the Five Eyes group criticising crackdowns on Hong Kong and Xinjiang, and threatened reprisals.

 

In the last six months New Zealand has joined many of those statements, but has been conspicuously absent from some.

 

Tensions have also flared between Australia and New Zealand over how to handle Beijing, although most of the frustrations have been kept behind closed doors.

 

Earlier this year New Zealand's Trade Minister, Damien O'Connor, irritated Australian ministers and officials after suggesting that the Morrison government should show China more "respect" in order to avoid campaigns of economic punishment.

 

Ms Mahuta has not held back from criticising China — including over its treatment of ethnic minorities in Xinjiang – since taking over the role.

 

But the Foreign Minister said Five Eyes had a "specific purpose" and New Zealand would issue its own statements – or look to "other partners" in the region – when it wanted to lay out its position.

 

"New Zealand has been very clear, certainly in this term since we've held the portfolio, not to invoke the Five Eyes as the first point of contact on messaging out on a range of issues," she said.

 

"They really exist outside of the remit of the Five Eyes. We don't favour that type of approach and have expressed that to Five Eyes partners."

 

The Foreign Minister's comments also cast doubt on moves to expand the diplomatic architecture of Five Eyes.

 

In recent years ministers from all five countries across several different portfolios – including defence, treasury and foreign affairs – have held Five Eyes meetings.

 

Minister outlines new approach to China

 

Ms Mahuta made the comments after giving a major speech designed to reframe New Zealand's approach to its relationship with China.

 

She said New Zealand wanted to diversify its exports in order to reduce its dependence on China, saying "in terms of thinking about long-term economic resilience … there is value in diversity".

 

"Resting our trade relationship on just one country, long term, is probably not the way we should be thinking about things," she said.

 

She said New Zealand wanted mutually respectful ties with China, comparing the relationship to a "dragon and taniwha", in reference to a water-dwelling serpent in Maori mythology.

 

The Foreign Minister stressed the two countries would not always agree, but needed to deal with each other fairly and honestly.

 

"There are some things on which New Zealand and China do not, cannot, and will not, agree," Ms Mahuta said.

 

"It is important to acknowledge this, and to stay true to ourselves, as we seek to manage our disagreements mindful that tikanga [culture, values or customs] or underpinning how we relate to each other must be respected."

 

She also issued a thinly veiled warning about rising debt levels in the Pacific, although she did not single out China.

 

"It's no secret there's a significant level of economic vulnerability across the Pacific," she said.

 

"New Zealand certainty invests in the Pacific … by way of grants, not loans."

 

"If we're really focused on regional stability and opportunity we need to tackle this particular challenge. I hope that conversation can take place with those who seek to invest in the region."

 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-04-19/new-zealand-five-eyes-intelligence-sharing-china-australia/100078834

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 19, 2021, 3:17 a.m. No.13460336   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1245

1st MAW Marines Tweet

 

A UH-1Y Venom assigned to @MrfDarwin arrives after conducting an air movement from East Arm Wharf to Royal Australian Air Force Base, Darwin, NT, Australia. VMM-363 and HMLA-367 joined MRF-D and are prepared to respond to crisis and contingencies in a #FreeAndOpenIndoPacific

 

https://twitter.com/1stMAW_Marines/status/1383372289006206983

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 19, 2021, 11:21 a.m. No.13462856   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>2866 >>1245

Feeding Hate With Video: A Former Alt-Right YouTuber Explains His Methods

 

Focus on conflict. Feed the algorithm. Make sure whatever you produce reinforces a narrative. Don’t worry if it is true.

 

Cade Metz - April 15, 2021

 

1/3

 

In 2018, a far-right activist, Tommy Robinson, posted a video to YouTube claiming he had been attacked by an African migrant in Rome.

 

The thumbnail image and eight-word title promoting the video indicated Mr. Robinson was assaulted by a Black man outside a train station. Then, in the video, Mr. Robinson punched the man in the jaw, dropping him to the ground.

 

The video was viewed more than 2.8 million times, and it prompted news stories across the right-wing tabloids in Britain, where Mr. Robinson was rapidly gaining notoriety for his anti-immigrant and anti-Islamic views.

 

For Caolan Robertson — a filmmaker who worked for Mr. Robinson and helped create the video — it was an instructional moment. It showed the key ingredients needed to attract attention on YouTube and other social media services.

 

The video played into anti-immigrant sentiments in Britain and across Europe. It also focused squarely on conflict, cutting rapidly between shouts and shoves before showing Mr. Robinson’s punch. It also misrepresented what had actually happened.

 

“We would choose the most dramatic moment — or fake it and make it look more dramatic,” Mr. Robertson, 25, said in a recent interview. “We realized that if we wanted a future on YouTube, it had to be driven by confrontation. Every time we did that kind of thing, it would explode well beyond anything else.”

 

Mr. Robertson would go on to produce videos for a who’s who of right-wing YouTube personalities on both sides of the Atlantic, including Lauren Southern, Stefan Molyneux and Alex Jones.

 

The videos were tailored for the “echo chamber” that is often created by social media networks like YouTube. To keep you watching, YouTube serves up videos similar to those you have watched before. But the longer someone watches, the more extreme the videos can become.

 

“It can create these very radical people who are like gurus,” said Guillaume Chaslot, a former YouTube engineer who has been critical of the way the company’s algorithms pushed people to extreme content. “In terms of watch time, a guru is wonderful.”

 

Tech companies, regulators and individuals across the globe are struggling to understand and control the enormous power of YouTube and other social media services. In 2019, YouTube made “important changes to how we recommend videos and prevent the spread of misinformation and hateful content,” Farshad Shadloo, a spokesman for the company, said in a statement. It barred Mr. Molyneaux and Mr. Jones. But extreme videos continue to spread.

 

In time, Mr. Robertson said, he realized that the videos he worked on stoked dangerous hatred. And in 2019, at a conference in Britain run by a left-wing newspaper, The Byline Times, Mr. Robertson distanced himself from his work with the far right. His change of heart was met with some skepticism.

 

“He was presented as a prodigal son,” said Louise Raw, an antifascist activist who was onstage for Mr. Robertson’s mea culpa. “But he has not been held to account.”

 

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 19, 2021, 11:22 a.m. No.13462866   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>2873

>>13462856

 

2/3

 

Now, Mr. Robertson is detailing the ways he and his collaborators searched for confrontations to gain popularity on YouTube.

 

Efforts to contact Mr. Robinson were unsuccessful, and Mr. Jones did not respond to multiple requests for comment. Ms. Southern said she should not be described as a far-right activist, saying she is merely a conservative. She was not involved in “some horrible far-right grift that tried to deceive people into watching our content,” she added. “We were just doing what any other YouTuber does.”

 

Raw footage of the episode in Rome, provided by Mr. Robertson and reviewed by The New York Times, shows that the YouTube video was edited to give the false impression that Mr. Robinson was threatened. The full footage shows he was the aggressor.

 

When the man noticed he was being filmed from across the street, he approached the camera, and Mr. Robinson shoved him into an oncoming car. As the man protested, called Mr. Robinson crazy and told him to live his own life, Mr. Robinson escalated the argument.

 

“There’s one way this is going to go,” he told the man. “You’re going to end up knocked down unconscious.”

 

Over the more than two years he helped produce and publish videos for Mr. Robinson and others, Mr. Robertson learned how making clever edits and focusing on confrontation could help draw millions of views on YouTube and other services. He also learned how YouTube’s recommendation algorithm often nudged people toward extreme videos.

 

“It meant that we did more and more extreme videos,” Mr. Robertson said.

 

Mr. Robertson grew up in Ireland, and after his parents divorced, he moved with his father to a predominantly working-class area in the north of England. Realizing from a very young age that he is gay, he often felt like an outsider. But he said he encountered more overt homophobia when he moved to London for college and walked through the largely Muslim neighborhoods at the East End of the city.

 

After the 2016 shooting at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Fla. — where a Muslim man pledging loyalty to the Islamic State killed 49 people and wounded 53 more — Mr. Robertson developed an extreme animosity toward Muslims, particularly immigrants. His anger was fueled in large part, he said, by videos he watched on YouTube.

 

He began watching videos from mainstream outlets, like an episode of the HBO show “Real Time With Bill Maher” in which Sam Harris, an author and a podcast host, advocated greater criticism of Muslim beliefs. YouTube’s recommendation algorithm suggested more-extreme videos involving personalities like Mr. Robinson, a former member of the neo-fascist and white nationalist British National Party who was born Stephen Yaxley-Lennon.

 

In 2017, Mr. Robertson contacted Mr. Robinson and soon began working with him as a video producer. By the end of the year, he was also collaborating with Ms. Southern, an activist from Canada.

 

Knowing what garnered the most attention on YouTube, Mr. Robertson said, he and Ms. Southern would devise public appearances meant to generate conflict. That December, they attended a women’s march in London and, with Ms. Southern playing the part of a television reporter, approached each woman with the same four-word question: “Women’s rights or Islam?”

 

They often received a confused, measured or polite response, according to Mr. Robertson. They continued to ask the question and sharpened it. Ms. Southern, for example, said it would be difficult for Muslim women to answer the question because their husbands wouldn’t let them attend the march. That caused anger to build in the crowd.

 

“It appears in the videos that we are just trying to figure out what is going on, gather information, understand people,” Mr. Robertson said. “But really, we were trying to find the most incendiary way of making them mad.”

 

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 19, 2021, 11:23 a.m. No.13462873   🗄️.is 🔗kun

>>13462866

 

3/3

 

The thumbnail image for the YouTube video was indicative of a confrontation: a woman screaming as Ms. Southern walked away. As he often did, Mr. Robertson sharpened the video’s visual contrast — lightening the white colors and darkening the blacks — to subtly make the scene seem more dramatic.

 

Ms. Southern described the situation differently. “We asked the question because we knew it was going to force people to question their own political views and realize the contradiction in being a hard-core feminist but also supporting a religion that, quite frankly, has questionable practices around women,” she said. And, she added, they used video techniques that any media company would use.

 

The next year, Mr. Robertson and Ms. Southern traveled as far as South Africa, Australia and New Zealand to create similar videos. Over the lifetime of Ms. Southern’s YouTube channel, according to channel statistics reviewed by The Times, her videos were viewed over 63 million times.

 

More than 71 percent of people who viewed these videos had not subscribed to her YouTube channel. In 2018, at the height of her popularity, at least 30 percent of the views occurred after the videos were automatically recommended to the viewer by YouTube’s algorithms.

 

Mr. Molyneux shied away from the kind of conflict that Ms. Southern embraced. He fashioned himself as an online philosopher. But the material Mr. Robertson edited slipped in “far-right ideas that appealed to the ethnonationalists — the extreme right-wing audience,” he said.

 

In 2018, the pair traveled to Poland for a video that painted the country as a place free of hardship and strife. The subtext was that it was because Poland is predominantly white. In an email to The Times, Mr. Molyneux said, “It was nice being in a country wherein I didn’t have to hire protective security.” He added that he felt the same way when he visited Hong Kong.

 

By early 2019, Mr. Robertson said, he grew disillusioned. There was a noticeable drop in traffic on Ms. Southern’s YouTube channel. Around the same time, YouTube began to remove more videos the company thought encouraged violence and spread misinformation.

 

After an Australian man killed 51 people at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand — driven in part by anti-immigrant beliefs propagated by YouTube — Mr. Robertson realized, he said, that the videos he had made led to the same kind of violence in the Orlando nightclub in 2016.

 

“I felt like I had gone full circle that day,” he said.

 

Now, Mr. Robertson oversees Byline TV, a video offshoot of The Byline Times. He also runs a new organization, Future Freedom, which seeks to de-radicalize right-wing extremists. He is still counting YouTube views.

 

Mr. Robertson recently boasted in a text that in one day a video targeting Mr. Jones, the conspiracy theorist he once worked with, had been viewed over 250,000 times.

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/15/technology/alt-right-youtube-algorithm.html

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 20, 2021, 12:10 a.m. No.13468267   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>8271 >>8290 >>1307

China and Russia 'weaponised' QAnon conspiracy around time of US Capitol attack, report says

 

CNN / 9news.com.au - Apr 20, 2021

 

1/2

 

Foreign adversaries such as Russia and China "weaponised" QAnon messaging to sow further discord among the American population in the months leading up to, and following, the January 6 Capitol attack, according to a new report.

 

The document released on Monday suggests how these countries are not only utilising the same false narratives to peddle disinformation on social media, but also fuelling a conspiracy theory that could incite more violence by domestic extremists.

 

The findings, which are detailed in a report produced by the Soufan Centre, suggest "that foreign states are utilising the QAnon conspiracy theory to sow societal discord and even compromise legitimate political processes," the independent non-profit group, which is focused on global security, said.

 

US officials are keenly aware that state-backed actors from countries like Russia have been amplifying QAnon messaging and federal agencies are investigating that foreign nexus as part of a broader effort to address the threat posed by domestic extremists in the wake of January 6, multiple sources told CNN.

 

FBI Director Christopher Wray reiterated last week that the bureau is not looking into the QAnon movement "in its own right" but tracking how foreign actors are amplifying the conspiracy theory is one of the few areas US officials have been able to explore in an otherwise limited investigative effort.

 

Sources previously told CNN that Russia has been pushing QAnon narratives as part of its long-standing disinformation campaign targeting the US, but Monday's report reveals new evidence that China, Iran and Saudi Arabia have also engaged in similar activity as recently as this year.

 

"Our data collection and analysis has demonstrated that QAnon has been weaponised by America's adversaries," according to Zach Schwitzky, founder of a research company that partnered with the Soufan Centre to produce the report.

 

"Actors from Russia, China, Iran, and Saudi Arabia have all entered the fray amplifying QAnon messaging, most likely as a means to sow further discord and division among the American population."

 

China emerges as top foreign QAnon promoter

 

While the QAnon movement is widely believed to have originated within the US, the report notes that these foreign actors were incredibly active in pushing the conspiracy theory in late 2020 and during the first two months of this year."

 

In both 2020 and for the first two months of 2021, almost one-fifth of all QAnon posts on Facebook originated from administrators overseas," the report states.

 

While the report found that Russian actors were behind the majority of this activity last year, it says China emerged as "the primary foreign actor touting QAnon-narratives online" in 2021, timing that coincides with Beijing's ramp up of disinformation efforts targeting the US more broadly.

 

"Russia, Saudi Arabia, and Iran also contribute to amplifying the QAnon conspiracy theory online to reach a broader audience," the report adds.

 

"Such activity blurs the line between domestic and foreign disinformation, representing a significant challenge for the US government and international action."

 

That problem is compounded by the fact that QAnon "has the potential to incite more acts of violence in the foreseeable future," according to the report, an assessment that echoes concerns raised by officials from various federal agencies, including the FBI, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and elements of the intelligence community.

 

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 20, 2021, 12:11 a.m. No.13468271   🗄️.is 🔗kun

>>13468267

 

2/2

 

A complicated challenge

 

Frequently described as a virtual cult, QAnon is a sprawling far-right conspiracy theory that promotes the absurd and false claim that former US President Donald Trump has been locked in a battle against a shadowy cabal of Satan-worshipping pedophiles made up of prominent Democratic politicians and liberal celebrities.

 

Members of the violent pro-Trump mob that stormed the Capitol had ties to QAnon, and the conspiracy theory has made its way from online message boards into the political mainstream in recent years.

 

A DHS spokesperson previously told CNN that the department is working with its federal partners and those in the private sector "to combat the spread of conspiracy theories and other false narratives on social media and other online platforms that can radicalise people to violence and fuel domestic violent extremism."

 

During her confirmation hearing in January, President Joe Biden's Director of National Intelligence, Avril Haines, also committed to investigating any foreign connections to QAnon, though acknowledged that DHS and FBI are in the lead on such issues.

 

But Mr Wray's testimony last week before the House and Senate Intelligence Committees underscore how the FBI is largely restrained in its ability to investigate elements of the QAnon conspiracy theory despite acknowledging it poses a national security threat.

 

"Like a lot of other conspiracy theories, the effects of Covid, anxiety social, social isolation, financial hardship … all exacerbate people's vulnerability to those theories, and we are concerned about the potential that those things can lead to violence, and where it is an inspiration for federal crime, we're going to aggressively pursue it," he told House members during last week's world wide threats hearing.

 

Mr Wray also noted that the FBI has arrested "at least five self-identified QAnon adherents related to the January 6 attacks specifically," acknowledging a clear link between the conspiracy theory and the insurrection.

 

Monday's report also notes that as of February 8, "at least 27 individuals who participated in the Capitol insurrection on 6 January 2021 were affiliated with the QAnon conspiracy."

 

But while court documents clearly indicate that QAnon has fuelled beliefs of defendants who took part in the insurrection, whether the conspiracy theory's origins merit criminal investigation has proved to be a difficult jump to make, and there is no indication to date that law enforcement officials are working to determine the identity of the person behind the original message or other similar anonymous social media posts that have emerged in recent years.

 

https://www.9news.com.au/world/qanon-conspiracy-weaponised-by-russia-and-china-capitol-violence/d005e2ba-5c9b-4152-96da-7b13aad0577f

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 20, 2021, 12:22 a.m. No.13468290   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1307

>>13468267

The Soufan Center

 

ABOUT

 

The Soufan Center (TSC) is an independent non-profit center offering research, analysis, and strategic dialogue on global security challenges and foreign policy issues, with a particular focus on counterterrorism, violent extremism, armed conflict, and the rule of law. Our work is underpinned by a recognition that human rights and human security perspectives are critical to developing credible, effective, and sustainable solutions. TSC fills a niche role by producing objective and innovative reports and analyses, and fostering dynamic dialogue and exchanges, to effectively equip governments, international organizations, the private sector, and civil society with key resources to inform policies and practice.

 

OUR MISSION

 

The Soufan Center’s mission is to equip key stakeholders – governments, international organizations, the private sector, media, communities, and individuals – with the knowledge and resources needed to understand and address contemporary global security challenges.

 

OUR WORK

 

The Soufan Center engages in research, projects, and events across a broad spectrum of violent threats including terrorism, counterterrorism, violent extremism, disinformation, geopolitical dynamics, and armed conflict, including the impact on civil society, humanitarian action, and the rule of law. Through our daily IntelBrief, we provide focused analysis on specific global security issues. In our comprehensive Research reports, we contribute in-depth analysis and evaluate evolving challenges. With our Events, we engage diverse audiences to drive changes in policy and practice. Through our Projects, we seek to amplify voices and perspectives from the field and build capacities for more nuanced analyses of – and responses to – regional and international challenges. Working closely with a wide range of Media, we share our findings and insights on current events, risks, and responses.

 

OUR HISTORY

 

Founded in 2017 by former FBI special agent Ali Soufan, The Soufan Center is an independent, non-partisan, and registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Led by Executive Director Naureen Chowdhury Fink, our Team is strengthened by diverse professional and cultural backgrounds, including experience in human rights; international development; federal, state, and local government; international organizations; law enforcement; and the military. Each year, The Soufan Center organizes the Global Security Forum, an annual international conference to address evolving security challenges and bring together senior officials and practitioners for innovative exchanges. Through TSC Arabic, The Soufan Center ensures critical research and analysis is available to Arabic-speaking audiences in the Middle East, North Africa, and across the globe.

 

https://thesoufancenter.org/about

 

 

Quantifying The Q Conspiracy: A Data-Driven Approach to Understanding the Threat Posed by QAnon

 

APRIL 19, 2021

 

A May 2019 intelligence bulletin from the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) Phoenix office labeled conspiracy theories as a domestic terrorism threat for the first time. The bulletin mentioned QAnon by name specifically and described the broader movement of “conspiracy theory-driven domestic extremists” as deserving particular attention. “Conspiracy theories promoting violence” was designated one of the most serious aspects of the domestic violent extremism threat in a recently released unclassified report by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI). QAnon is a far right conspiratorial movement that creates and co- opts “theories” to fit an evolving narrative underpinned by the core notion that the “Deep State,” led by a cabal of elitist pedophiles, is leading the United States. These ideas are fueled by occasional messages from an anonymous individual, known as Q.

 

https://thesoufancenter.org/research/quantifying-the-q-conspiracy-a-data-driven-approach-to-understanding-the-threat-posed-by-qanon/

 

https://thesoufancenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/TSC-White-Paper_QAnon_16April2021-final-1.pdf

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 20, 2021, 12:46 a.m. No.13468343   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>8349 >>1268

>>13460325

George Papadopoulos Tweet

 

Learn all about the “five eyes.” It’s at the core of Obamagate and all the headlines moving forward that will break about it

 

https://twitter.com/GeorgePapa19/status/1384317601136865284

 

Washington Examiner @dcexaminer

 

Explainer: What is Five Eyes? washex.am/2QBX1ll

 

https://twitter.com/dcexaminer/status/1384298063859093509

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 20, 2021, 12:54 a.m. No.13468349   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>8350 >>1268

>>13468343

Explainer: What is Five Eyes?

 

Joel Gehrke - April 19, 2021

 

1/2

 

New Zealand Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta’s new speech on her country’s relationship with China attracted international attention, much of which centered on her statement that New Zealand is “uncomfortable” with the idea of criticizing China under the auspices of the Five Eyes.

 

“New Zealand has been very clear … not to invoke the Five Eyes as the first point of contact on messaging out on a range of issues that really exist outside of the remit of the Five Eyes,” Mahuta told the New Zealand China Council. “We’ve not favored that type of approach and have expressed that to Five Eyes partners.”

 

Her comments give a glimpse of debates within a key network of U.S. allies about the purpose of those relationships in a moment of heightened geopolitical tensions.

 

What is the Five Eyes alliance?

 

The Five Eyes network is a bloc of English-speaking countries that share intelligence about potential threats and security issues with a high degree of candor, unusual even among allies. The agreement was signed between the United States and the United Kingdom in 1943 at the height of World War II, but it expanded, as that conflict gave way to the Cold War, to include Australia, Canada, and New Zealand. The group’s geographic reach thus extends from Europe and North America to the Indo-Pacific — across several of the major dominions of the old British Empire, with the most notable exception of India.

 

What do the Five Eyes do?

 

Alliance priorities change with the history of geopolitical threats, but rapid information-sharing is central to the mission of the Five Eyes. “The parties agree to the exchange of the products of the following operations relating to foreign communications: collection of traffic, acquisition of communication documents and equipment, traffic analysis, cryptanalysis, decryption and translation, acquisition of information regarding communication organisations, practices, procedures, and equipment,” the declassified 1946 agreement states.

 

The cooperation is eased by the fact that all five countries speak English and enjoy democratic systems of governance. “The Five Eyes is the closest intel-sharing relationship group that exists,” said former Senate Intelligence Committee deputy staff director Emily Harding, now a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. “Our relationship with the Brits is so close that we share a lot of stuff even before we process it.”

 

The fall of the Berlin Wall heralded the end of the Soviet threat, but the collapse of the World Trade Center at the hands of al Qaeda inaugurated a new mission. “Throughout its history, the Five Eyes alliance allowed its members to pool their complementary capabilities for mutual benefit,” researchers RAND wrote in 2017. “But the alliance may now be facing its greatest challenge — precisely because it no longer faces a single predominant threat.”

 

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 20, 2021, 12:55 a.m. No.13468350   🗄️.is 🔗kun

>>13468349

 

2/2

 

Could Five Eyes membership ever change?

 

China’s intensifying rivalry with the U.S. could heighten the value of the network for strategists in Washington and clarify the purpose of the alliance, but Beijing also puts pressure on the bloc.

 

Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei’s low-cost offer of 5G wireless technology threatened to embed communist spy agencies in the communications networks of U.S. allies around the world, but Australian officials banned the company from their 5G network in 2018, followed by New Zealand imposing a security "test" that Huawei couldn't pass in 2019. Those allied steps strengthened the argument, made by American officials, that the U.K. should also reject the company — a step British Prime Minister Boris Johnson agreed to take in 2020.

 

China has made a rigorous effort to cultivate political influence in both Australia and New Zealand, but the Australian government has taken a stronger stance in response, showing a greater willingness to oppose Beijing in international fora. New Zealand’s meeker posture has alarmed some analysts, but Harding cautioned against over-interpreting diplomatic statements at the expense of understanding the intelligence cooperation underway.

 

“One of the things that's most valuable about the Five Eyes partnership is that we all speak the same language and we all have the general same approach to the world, but there is still some variety in the approach and the thinking in each place,” Harding said. “And the Kiwis are always pretty good about saying, ‘Well, you know, maybe that’s how you guys see things. This is how we see things.’ … A good counterbalance, making you question assumptions. Their analytical service is really quite strong.”

 

As China’s geopolitical ambitions take shape, the U.S. and other allies in the network will have to innovate — and perhaps even expand. Then-Japanese Defense Minister Taro Kono suggested last year that Tokyo’s intelligence agencies join the bloc as a Sixth Eye, but that idea remains under debate, even as Japan works more closely with the U.S. and other democratic allies to manage potential threats from Beijing.

 

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/defense-national-security/explainer-what-is-five-eyes

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 20, 2021, 1:24 a.m. No.13468385   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>8388 >>1301

EXCLUSIVE: ‘Finally.’ Crews begin razing Jeffrey Epstein’s former Palm Beach house

 

Home of late sex-trafficker Epstein finally meets bulldozer

 

Darrell Hofheinz - Apr. 19, 2021

 

1/2

 

“Finally.”

 

That’s the one-word comment developer Todd Michael Glaser offered as crews on Monday began knocking down the infamous Palm Beach mansion that was home to the late sex offender and disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein — a place where he sexually assaulted underage girls and young women in what prosecutors said was a multi-year sex-trafficking scheme.

 

The lakeside mansion at 358 El Brillo Way is being razed to make room for a new house to be developed on speculation by Glaser, who paid a recorded $18.5 million for the property in March.

 

Glaser previously told the Daily News that it would be personally satisfying to him to knock down and replace the house.

 

Palm Beach real estate broker Lawrence A. Moens, who represented Glaser and helped put together the sale, broke his customary rule about not commenting publicly on transactions in which he was involved.

 

“I only got involved in the sale of Jeffrey Epstein's residence to ensure it would be wiped off the map of Palm Beach,” Moens told the Palm Beach Daily News.

 

Permits were issued for the demolition late last week, Town Hall records show.

 

Early Monday, demolition crews from BG Group of Delray Beach used heavy equipment to began pulling down the walls of the mansion. They tore into it again and again, starting on the east side — where vines still clung to the walls, blooming with flowers that were soon crushed — and eating through the house toward the waterfront.

 

By noon, debris littered the ground, as broken windows pierced walls that remained standing. And still intact was much of the second-floor balcony that overlooked the water, connected to the pool patio below by a graceful spiral staircase.

 

The residence had stood since 1952 on an acre facing 170 feet on the Intracoastal Waterway at the end of a quiet dead-end street in the Estate Section. With a total of 14,223 square feet, the three structures being razed include the main house, a pool cabana building and a separate building used by household staff. The swimming pool also is being demolished and filled in.

 

Epstein hanged himself in August 2019 in a New York City jail cell after he was arrested on federal charges of conspiracy and sex-trafficking of underage girls.

 

Fort Lauderdale attorney Brad Edwards represents about 50 clients — in various legal actions — who say they were abused by Epstein. The demolition can be viewed in some ways as cathartic, he said.

 

“I think that the symbolic power of destroying the house of horrors cannot be overstated,” Edwards said. “I can imagine there is going to be some amount of relief that the nightmare of what went on at the house been buried to some degree.”

 

Epstein paid $2.5 million for the Palm Beach house in 1990, Palm Beach County courthouse records show. In 2011, he transferred its ownership from his name to an entity named Laurel Inc., a company registered in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

 

The house was designed in West Indies-style architecture by the late John L. Volk, a prolific Palm Beach architect. Epstein extensively remodeled the house in the mid-1990s, records show.

 

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 20, 2021, 1:26 a.m. No.13468388   🗄️.is 🔗kun

>>13468385

 

2/2

 

‘A white box’

 

When designer Daniel Menard of LaBerge & Menard presented the demolition request to the board in December, he said little remained of Volk’s interior detailing.

 

“I spoke to a person who worked on the … renovation and it appears everything was gutted. So there's nothing left — or very little — of the John Volk period. It's essentially a white box," Menard said.

 

The property offers views of Tarpon Island and Everglades Island, smaller islands that lie just west of the barrier island that comprises Palm Beach.

 

Epstein was initially booked in Florida in 2006 after police said he had sex with underage girls whom he paid for massage sessions at the Palm Beach house.

 

Michael Reiter — the former Palm Beach police chief who years ago led the initial investigation into the accusations against Epstein at the house on El Brillo Way — responded to a request for comment Monday:

 

“The former owner of this house did unmeasurable damage to the lives of countless children and was able to corrupt the legal system to the point that the courts have called it a national disgrace. While it is critical that we learn from this tragedy, it is nearly as important that we follow with doing everything possible to erase any connection of him from our community,” said Reiter, a Palm Beach resident who today runs his own security and investigative firm.

 

In 2008, Epstein entered a controversial plea deal that led to his conviction on two state felony counts that included solicitation of a minor. He served nearly 13 months in the Palm Beach County jail before being released for a year of probation on house arrest until August 2010.

 

His plea deal let him avoid harsher federal charges similar to the ones he was facing in New York when he died.

 

Last week, justices of the federal 11th Circuit Court of Appeal issued a 7-4 ruling that said Epstein victim Courtney Wild had no legal recourse to unravel the 2008 no-prosecution agreement that stemmed from his arrest in Florida.

 

Epstein could have faced a maximum sentence of 45 years in prison had he been convicted on the federal charges he was facing when he died.

 

In July, authorities arrested Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell in New Hampshire on multiple charges related to Epstein's alleged sexual abuse. She remains jailed without bail.

 

New house in the works

 

Glaser spent much of his career in real estate development, restoration and renovation in Miami-Dade County before entering the Palm Beach market about three years ago. Among his most prominent projects in Miami is the 1000 Museum condominium tower downtown.

 

In Palm Beach he has remodeled and sold landmarked houses, and built and sold houses on speculation.

 

Acting opposite Lawrence A. Moens Associates in the March sale was listing agent Kerry Warwick of the Corcoran Group, who represented the executors of Epstein’s estate.

 

The Architectural Commission has not yet reviewed plans for the house Glaser wants to build on the lot. But he told the Daily News last fall it would likely measure about 13,000 square feet. Any design must be signed off by the architectural board.

 

The Palm Beach house was among several homes Epstein owned across the country and in the Caribbean. His historic Upper East Side townhouse at 9 E. 71st St. in New York City sold in March for $51 million after being listed at $88 million, according to published reports. The townhouse sold to an ownership entity linked to retiring Goldman Sachs executive Michael D. Daffey and his wife, Blake, property records show. They plan to renovate the residence, the New York Times reported.

 

An independent victims’ compensation fund has been established. But in addition to victims, others are pursuing money from the Epstein estate, including creditors, according to media reports.

 

https://www.palmbeachdailynews.com/story/news/2021/04/19/work-has-begun-raze-late-jeffrey-epsteins-palm-beach-home/7073935002/

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 20, 2021, 1:45 a.m. No.13468411   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1301

Ghislaine Maxwell attorneys to 2nd Circuit: She’s no monster

 

LARRY NEUMEISTER - 19 April 2021

 

NEW YORK (AP) — Defense lawyers insisted Ghislaine Maxwell is “no monster” as they asked an appeals court Monday for her release on bail so she can better prepare for trial on charges she procured girls for Jeffrey Epstein to sexually abuse.

 

The lawyers told the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that the British socialite has not been given an adequate opportunity to prove that she would not flee if she was allowed to await trial at home under 24-hour armed guard and with collateral posted to support a $28.5 million bail.

 

The attorneys have thrice failed to convince a Manhattan federal judge to release their 59-year-old client. Maxwell faces an arraignment Friday on sex trafficking charges added to an indictment last month.

 

Her trial is set for July 12 on charges alleging she recruited and groomed teenage girls from 1994 to 2004 to provide sexual massages to her one-time boyfriend. Last week, her lawyers requested that the trial be delayed until next January, saying the new charges require months of investigation.

 

Maxwell has pleaded not guilty. Epstein killed himself in 2019 in a Manhattan federal lockup as he awaited trial on sex trafficking charges.

 

As they have repeatedly argued before, lawyers for Maxwell wrote that she is being punished in part because Epstein is out of reach.

 

“She is no monster, but she is being treated like one because of the ‘Epstein effect,’” they wrote.

 

The lawyers urged the 2nd Circuit to “test the actual strength” of the government case by insisting on a more thorough bail hearing where they could prove that each story told by the four people who say they were victims of Epstein and Maxwell “has dramatically changed over the years.”

 

“At first, none of the anonymous accusers even mentioned Ms. Maxwell. As they hired the same law firm, sought money and fame, joined a movement, and only after Epstein died, did the accusers start to point the finger at Ms. Maxwell. Far from corroboration, this is fabrication,” they wrote.

 

A spokesperson for prosecutors declined comment.

 

https://apnews.com/article/new-york-jeffrey-epstein-trials-ghislaine-maxwell-courts-d65e143493bb4eeaeb50897ce464e3f1

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 20, 2021, 2:59 a.m. No.13468522   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1307

>>13459791

>>13459798

Elise Thomas Tweet

 

Prominent QAnon figure Lin Wood is openly calling for "them", a them which includes liberal politicians, anti-Trump conservative politicians, journalists, celebrities and opponents of QAnon, to be killed, in front of a cheering crowd.

 

https://twitter.com/elisethoma5/status/1384094296266067970

 

PatriotTakes @patriottakes

 

“Every lie will be revealed. They are killing our children, send them to jail. Put them in front of the firing squad. They are committing acts against humanity. The penalty for an act against humanity is death. Take them out.”

-Lin Wood

 

https://twitter.com/patriottakes/status/1383709884114341892

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 20, 2021, 11:51 p.m. No.13477187   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>7192 >>7194 >>7600 >>1279

China diplomat’s stinging attack over Huawei

 

NICHOLAS JENSEN - APRIL 21, 2021

 

Senior Chinese diplomat Wang Xining has launched a blistering attack on Australia’s involvement in banning Huawei in other countries, saying “Australia connived with the United States in a very unethical, illegal, immoral suppression of Chinese companies”.

 

“Australia has no glorious role in this regard… Australia was among the first to forcefully accuse Huawei of possible security threat,” Mr Wang said in a National Press Club address.

 

In an effort to ban Huawei, Mr Wang said “the US has mobilised a state power to suppress a particular Chinese company in order to prevent any challenges to traditional businesses.”

 

“They (the US) even went so far as framing and detaining senior executives… such dirty tactics took place in France and also from Toshiba in Japan.”

 

Mr Wang accused Australia of turning other countries against China on the rollout of Huawei, saying “Australia was the first to ban Huawei in the domestic telecommunication industry building and then persuaded others”.

 

“This bewildered me because as far as I know there’s not a single Australia tech communication equipment company that’s on par with Huawei or any other internationally-renowned company in terms of technological advancement… Australia ranked second from the bottom in terms of market digitisation among OECD countries and broadband speeds.”

 

Mr Wang said Australia must resist “the monolithic presentation of China” and embrace a more truthful, objective and sophisticated understanding of Beijing.

 

He also rejected claims that China no longer welcomes foreign journalists, saying “those journalists who we have been reprimanded failed to present a truthful image of China. We never discriminate against any journalists. We only hope foreign journalists in China will present a truthful view of China”.

 

“I think China represents the positive force because we adhere to science, adhere to radical thinking and practice to building social solidarity domestically, and resorting to international collaboration,” Mr Wang said.

 

Mr Wang said he was proud that China had continued to grow and develop, despite the effects of the pandemic, suggesting a strong China translates to a strong Australia.

 

“We like to share our yoke with all partners through the difficulties caused by COVID-19 and sail through this trying time,” he said.

 

However, he warned: “China is not a cow. I don’t think people should fancy the idea of milking China when she’s in her prime and then plot to slaughter it in the end.”

 

Mr Wang defended China’s foreign policy approach to Australia, saying it has always been consistent.

 

“We have done nothing intentionally to hurt this relationship,” he said. “We have seen too many incidents over the past few years that China’s interest has been hurt.”

 

China’s deputy head of mission in Canberra has insisted that relations between Washington and Beijing remain stable and consistent, saying “we don’t have a bad relationship with the US”, adding China’s policy has always remained the same.

 

“What we want is non-confrontation and mutual co-operation and have that principle be adhered to by both sides, China and the US,” Wang Xining said.

 

Asked about the Five Eyes relationship, Mr Wang said China had good relations with its members, highlighting its present links with New Zealand.

 

“We have issues but the issues should be handled according to a standardised, mechanised, bilateral or international forums, like the WHO and WTO.”

 

“Why don’t we follow the mechanism and get things done within that mechanism?,” Mr Wang asked. “You want a rules-based international system and you want rule-abiding countries … So what we (China) do is just follow the rules.”

 

Mr Wang also railed against journalists and the shallow understanding of China that prevails throughout much of Australia and the west.

 

“I want to say the correct wording in English is the Communist Party of China. It’s CPC, not CCP… You make (the mistake) because there is a very shallow understanding of the role of – the Communist Party of China.

 

“It’s amazing to see how the western journalists love to see more trouble and more unrest in China, where my party, my government, my people, look forward to a peaceful influence in society and in the country.”

 

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/china-diplomats-stinging-attack-over-huawei/news-story/edcad65db09246c8c28fff51151f4c79

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 20, 2021, 11:52 p.m. No.13477192   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1279

>>13477187

Senior Chinese diplomat accuses Australia and US of ‘conniving’ on Huawei ban

 

Sky News Australia

 

21 Apr 2021

 

A senior Chinese diplomat has sensationally accused Australia and the United States of collaborating in a “very unethical, illegal, and immoral” way to suppress Chinese state-owned companies.

 

China’s Deputy Head of Mission in Australia Wang Xining attacked the US and Australia for “suppressing” Huawei.

 

Mr Wang told the Press Club on Wednesday Australia was one of the first to ban Huawei from the 5G rollout and actually “persuaded others to follow suit”.

 

Australia blocked the massive state-owned telecommunications company from the 5G rollout under former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull over security concerns.

 

Former president Donald Trump signed an executive order in 2018 prohibiting federal agencies or contractors from using the Huawei network which sparked mass backlash in Beijing.

 

Mr Wang said Australia “connived” with the United States in an “unethical, illegal, immoral suppression of Chinese companies”.

 

The deputy head of mission then went on to attack Australia’s telecommunications industry and claimed Huawei’s “technological advancement” contributed to its banning in the Australian market.

 

“I wonder why your intelligence and security operators has the guts to claim that they know what the threat is posed by Huawei,” he said.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_GiH5RiSwg

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 20, 2021, 11:53 p.m. No.13477194   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1279

>>13477187

Chinese diplomat quotes Churchill while defending Chinese sovereignty

 

Sky News Australia

 

21 Apr 2021

 

Chinese diplomat Wang Xining says Beijing hopes to see a “nirvana” of the relationship between between Australia and Chia but delivered a strong warning to those seeking to undermine the interests of the communist government.

 

He said Beijing was open to “collaboration and cooperation” with Australia but would remain “very strong” in defending their national interests.

 

Speaking at the launch of the 2020 China Story Yearbook, Deputy Head of Mission Wang Xining said he does not agree with “all the analysis” but commended the authors for presenting a “multi-dimensional image of China”.

 

“It is of particular importance at this moment to have truthful objective and sophisticated understanding of China for Australia as a country and for the Australians as a people," he said.

 

Mr Wang pointed to former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill’s quote “never let a good crisis go to waste” and said the Chinese understood the word to encompass both “peril and opportunity”.

 

He added China hopes to see a global “nirvana” in relation to the economy and welfare in the wake of the pandemic.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=byRMMPpTrf8

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 21, 2021, 12:03 a.m. No.13477230   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1245

>>13460325

New Zealand backs “Five Eyes” alliance, but wants human rights raised in broader group

 

Kirsty Needham - Apr 20, 2021

 

SYDNEY (Reuters) - New Zealand expressed support for its Five Eyes alliance with Australia, Britain, Canada and the United States, calling it a "vital security and intelligence partnership", a day after saying it didn't support broadening the group's role.

 

Following a speech on China on Monday, Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta said New Zealand was "uncomfortable" with expanding the remit of the Five Eyes, raising speculation that Wellington didn't back recent Five Eyes statements critical of Beijing.

 

China, New Zealand's largest trading partner, has accused the Five Eyes of ganging up on China by issuing statements on Hong Kong and the treatment of ethnic Muslim Uighurs in Xinjiang.

 

In a statement to Reuters on Tuesday, Mahuta said the Five Eyes remained vital for New Zealand for intelligence, police, border security, defence and cyber cooperation.

 

"New Zealand is a real beneficiary of the arrangement and will continue to actively engage with the Five Eyes alliance as we always have," she said.

 

"There will be some areas on which it's useful to coordinate through the Five Eyes platform; but there will be other areas - human rights for example - where we want to look to building a broader coalition of countries to take positions."

 

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern told reporters on Tuesday that New Zealand was "absolutely reaffirming our commitment to that Five Eyes partnership".

 

Ardern added that sometimes the Five Eyes will make collective statements, and in other cases New Zealand would make statements with Australia, or on its own.

 

"Not every issue we speak as New Zealand is a security and intelligence issue," she said.

 

Australia's foreign affairs minister Marise Payne will travel to New Zealand on Wednesday for meetings with Mahuta and Ardern, the first diplomatic visit between the neighbouring countries since borders reopened both ways.

 

https://whbl.com/2021/04/20/new-zealand-backs-five-eyes-alliance-but-wants-human-rights-raised-in-broader-group/

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 21, 2021, 12:08 a.m. No.13477249   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>7274 >>1245

>>13460325

Japan should join Five Eyes intelligence network, says ambassador

 

Peter Hartcher - April 21, 2021

 

Japan is making progress toward joining the Anglophone world’s post-war spying network known as Five Eyes, according to Japan’s ambassador to Australia.

 

“I am very much optimistic about the near future,” said Shingo Yamagami, who took up his post in December, 2020. He said he “would like to see this idea become reality in the near future”.

 

Australia and New Zealand in 1956 joined the US, Britain and Canada to complete the Five Eyes group and that was the last time any new member was admitted.

 

“Logically, in terms of interests and capability, Japan is the best candidate,” said the head of ANU’s National Security College, Rory Medcalf.

 

“If there’s a country with a fine-grained understanding of China, Japan is it. For most of its life, the Five Eyes has been seen as one unchangeable bloc but I think it’s important to move with the times.”

 

The idea of Japan becoming the “sixth eye” is gaining traction just as New Zealand is expressing reservations about any increase in the network’s reach.

 

Yamagami, formerly the head of the intelligence branch of Japan’s Foreign Affairs Ministry, said: “We keep building specific blocks with the Australian intelligence community and Japanese intelligence community and with the rest of the Five Eyes community.

 

“So this is something that’s really going on on the ground and Japanese politicians and officials are becoming increasingly aware of its importance,” he told The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age in an interview.

 

“It’s a sign of these countries sharing universal values and strategic interests,” he said. All six are democracies and all six see China as a strategic rival.

 

The Five Eyes nations share their electronic intelligence with each other in a continuous, top-secret exchange. Professor Medcalf said that “it’s really about intelligence agencies trusting each other with some of their most sensitive material”.

 

Japan would be a useful addition because it “is believed to have a substantial intelligence collection and assessment capacity of its own”.

 

He said it would be a “major institutional challenge” for Japan to meet the Five Eyes rules and protocols necessary to be fully embraced. It was more realistic to imagine Five Eyes plus one before developing into a formal Six Eyes group.

 

At the same time, NZ’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Nanaia Mahuta, said that her government was not interested in using the Five Eyes group as a diplomatic platform.

 

“We are uncomfortable with expanding the remit of the Five Eyes,” she told the NZ China Council on Monday.

 

“We would much rather prefer to look for multilateral opportunities to express our interests.” Mahuta appeared to be deferring to complaints from Beijing.

 

A Chinese government spokesperson criticised the Five Eyes countries for issuing a joint statement deploring Beijing’s repression of pro-democracy politicians in Hong Kong in November.

 

“No matter if they have five eyes or 10 eyes, if they dare to harm China’s sovereignty, security and development interests, they should beware of their eyes being poked and blinded,” said China’s Foreign Ministry’s Zhao Lijian said at a daily briefing in November last year.

 

Japan is a longtime treaty ally of the US and hosts major US military bases. Yamagami said that for Japan to join Five Eyes the group would require Tokyo to “make a lot of preparation” in “improving Japan’s intelligence community and legislation”.

 

Yamagami described Japan’s relationship with Australia as “excellent” and said that “the sky is the limit”.

 

He said that “the eyes of the world are now on Australia going through tremendous difficulties” under punitive trade sanctions imposed by China’s government.

 

He said that the weekend summit between US President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga “was a good meeting for Australia” because the two leaders specifically condemned use of economic coercion in their joint statement.

 

“Everyone understands what they are referring to, so this is a good step forward”, Yamagami said.

 

Prime Minister Scott Morrison joined Biden and Suga and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the inaugural leader-level meeting of the Quad group in March.

 

The four democratic leaders committed to “a free and open Indo-Pacific” in an indirect rebuke of Beijing’s territorial ambitions in the region.

 

https://www.smh.com.au/world/asia/japan-should-join-five-eyes-intelligence-network-says-ambassador-20210420-p57kv6.html

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 21, 2021, 12:14 a.m. No.13477274   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1279

>>13460325

>>13477249

Washington the one undermining Five Eyes solidarity

 

Zhou Fangyin - Apr 20, 2021

 

New Zealand is opposed to the Five Eyes alliance's expand its remit and take positions on issues such as China's human rights record, New Zealand's Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta said on Monday. She also said Wellington will not provoke or engage with China through the Five Eyes alliance apart from intelligence matters.

 

Mahuta's remarks show Wellington is pragmatic, and has a clear knowledge of the issue. New Zealand is also a member of the West and may have different views on human rights from China. However, New Zealand believes that it is reasonable to raise questions, but it is inappropriate to for the US to build up the Five Eyes alliance into a joint anti-China mechanism.

 

Washington is purely using "human rights" as a cover to suppress and contain Beijing with its allies. The US now sees everything in terms of competition with China, which is very different from New Zealand. Wellington believes that containing Beijing is not beneficial to its national interests. It will be vain to follow the US' lead. Nor does Wellington want its moves and narratives to be hijacked by wily Washington.

 

The New Zealand foreign minister's remarks also serve as a reminder to the other three members that the Five Eyes alliance itself is merely an intelligence-sharing mechanism. Now the US, for its own needs, especially for containing China's development, has expanded the contents of the cooperation among the five countries. It wants to intimidate its members to go along with its anti-China activities. If they indulge the US in doing so, the three countries' relations with China will be fully mastered by the US. This is definitely not the result they want to see.

 

New Zealand's foreign policy, particularly its China policy, differs from the other four members of the Five Eyes. It has to do with how Wellington positions itself. New Zealand has no great geopolitical ambitions. Instead, the country is pragmatic in pursuing its own interests.

 

There are some noises saying New Zealand is undermining the solidarity of the Five Eyes. This reflects the domineering side of Washington. According to its logic, following the US is to maintain the unity of the alliance. Otherwise, it is to destroy the solidarity.

 

The one which impairs the solidarity of the alliance is Washington, which forces other Five Eyes members to join its anti-Beijing chariot. If these countries disagree, they may encounter suppressions from the US. This will increase tensions within the alliance.

 

The Five Eyes is merely an intelligence-sharing alliance. The US now wants other members of the alliance to join the boycott of Huawei, as well as to take a stand on China's so-called human rights issues in Xinjiang and Hong Kong. It is not what an intelligence-sharing alliance should do. Mahuta's narrative is actually an attempt to return the alliance to its original position. Wellington does not refuse to share intelligence, but it disagrees with Washington's desire to steer the Five Eye in the direction it wants to go.

 

Although New Zealand sometimes expresses ideas different from other members of the Five Eyes, especially when it comes to China, this country is unlikely to exit from this alliance in the short-run. But in regard to matters of national interest, Wellington tends to be independent and persistent.

 

The US is reluctant to see New Zealand's withdraw from the Five Eyes. When the US attempts to pursue Five Eyes' expansion, New Zealand's quitting would be negative for the US' plans and designs for the alliance. It is expected the US will, to some extent, appease and rope in New Zealand instead of strong arm it.

 

As a response to US' attempts to expand Five Eyes, Japan has expressed its intent to become the "sixth eye" of the alliance. The Five Eyes is traditionally an alliance consisting of five "Anglo-Saxon" countries. From the perspective of ethnicity, it will be difficult for members of the alliance to accept Japan. Furthermore, even if Tokyo is not a member of the Five Eyes alliance, this country will proactively cooperate with Washington's policy. The US will not receive much more gains because Japan becomes a member of the intelligence-sharing alliance. Therefore, Washington may not approve of Japan's membership.

 

The author is a professor at the Guangdong Research Institute for International Strategies. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn

 

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202104/1221599.shtml

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 21, 2021, 1:13 a.m. No.13477403   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>7409 >>1245

Former US intelligence director backs Turnbull and Rudd’s call for Murdoch media inquiry

 

James Clapper says royal commission into Rupert Murdoch’s empire in Australia a ‘good idea for the sake of transparency’

 

Katharine Murphy - 21 Apr 2021

 

1/2

 

The former US director of national intelligence James Clapper has backed a call by former Australian prime ministers Kevin Rudd and Malcolm Turnbull for a royal commission into the Murdoch media, saying Australia needs to take preventative steps to avoid any slide into “truth decay”.

 

In an interview with Guardian Australia, Clapper, a retired lieutenant general in the US air force and the top intelligence official for seven years under former US president Barack Obama, said Fox News was a “megaphone for conspiracies and falsehoods” in America. He said the storming of the US Capitol on 6 January had demonstrated a clear connection between truth decay and the risk of civil disobedience and unrest.

 

“I have spoken a lot about a phenomenon that is not just in the United States but in other places as well of what the Rand Corporation has very aptly and cleverly called truth decay,” Clapper, who is a CNN analyst, said. “This is the whole business of disregarding facts and objective analysis and empirical data.

 

“Unfortunately, in this country we’ve fallen into two separate reality bubbles, one of which is fomented and amplified by Fox News.

 

“Rupert Murdoch and Fox is part of a larger issue we have in this country. To the extent that anyone feeds, amplifies, expands, embellishes truth decay – that is insidious and dangerous to democracy.”

 

Clapper said his view was an inquiry into the activities of the Murdoch-owned media led by credible people in Australia would be “a good idea for the sake of transparency and objectivity”.

 

The former top US intelligence official entered the fray after Turnbull was interviewed this week by the US cable news network CNN and, in his remarks, drew a link between the “assault on democracy” on 6 January in Washington and the hyper-polarisation “delivered by Fox News and by other players in the right-wing populist media echo system”.

 

“The question you have to ask yourself is, ‘Is America a more divided country than it was before thanks to Murdoch’s influence?’, and the answer must be ‘yes’,” Turnbull said on CNN.

 

The two former Australian prime ministers have spearheaded the royal commission campaign as a means of highlighting the need for greater media diversity in Australia.

 

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 21, 2021, 1:16 a.m. No.13477409   🗄️.is 🔗kun

>>13477403

 

2/2

 

Clapper said there had been an effort in the US after the riot in Washington to put together a bipartisan commission to study the causes and events surrounding the insurrection on 6 January, “but that [had] run into all kinds of difficulty”.

 

He said Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic speaker of the United States House of Representatives, had wanted to establish the commission “a la 9/11 to do a detailed critique of what led to the insurrection and the events of that day – but that [had] run into partisan headwinds because Republicans don’t want to do that”.

 

“We should have, in my mind, and the minds of many other people, we should have a commission similar to what was done after 9/11 for what happened on January 6, and I would certainly think [a commission] would be a good thing for Australia to do.”

 

Clapper said, having watched the storming of the Capitol by enraged supporters of the former Republican president Donald Trump, he was struck by “the fanaticism of the people, the ferocity of their fanaticism – they believed the big lie [that the 2020 presidential election was stolen by the Democratic party] and that’s why what I’m calling truth decay is so dangerous to the fabric of a democracy”.

 

He said Fox News was “the principal media component of this general trend towards truth decay” in the US, and the trend was “quite threatening to the basis of our country and society”.

 

He said the main challenge of establishing any inquiry either in the US or Australia would be “putting together a group of people who would be viewed as objective, and not partisan, to do that”.

 

“But I think it’s absolutely crucial.”

 

Clapper – a regular visitor to Australia – said Australia would be well placed to bolster its institutions and examine any corrosive forces because the country still had time to counter truth decay.

 

“It appears to me from afar that the case of truth decay that Australia might have is not nearly as severe as what we have.”

 

Half a million people signed a petition supporting a royal commission into the Murdoch media and broader issues of media diversity.

 

Both Rudd and Turnbull have appeared before a Senate inquiry into media diversity examining the dominance of News Corp Australia and its impact on democracy – a probe triggered by that petition.

 

News Corp executives hit back strongly against the campaign when they fronted the media diversity inquiry in February.

 

Michael Miller, the executive chairman of News Corp Australasia, dismissed what he termed “sloganeering” about the outsized influence of the editors in the organisation, noting Australia currently had nine federal, state and territory governments – four of them Coalition-run and five Labor-run.

 

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/apr/21/former-us-intelligence-director-backs-turnbull-and-rudds-call-for-murdoch-media-inquiry

 

>https://qanon.pub/?q=clapper

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 21, 2021, 1:27 a.m. No.13477434   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>7446 >>5238 >>1245

Australia’s ambition on climate change is held back by a toxic mix of rightwing politics, media and vested interests

 

Two former prime ministers, Kevin Rudd and Malcolm Turnbull, write the world shouldn’t give up hope on Australia just yet

 

Kevin Rudd and Malcolm Turnbull - Wed 21 Apr 2021

 

1/2

 

It was always expected that Joe Biden’s election would be a massive shot in the arm for international climate action, but the scale of that boost has been genuinely surprising.

 

The new president has now invited 40 world leaders to a virtual climate change summit coinciding with Earth Day this Thursday. China’s Xi Jinping will be there, following productive face-to-face talks last week between Biden’s climate envoy, John Kerry, and his Chinese counterpart, Xie Zhenhua, in Shanghai. Even Vladimir Putin is attending, despite divisions between Washington and the Russian leader over new sanctions.

 

Japan, South Korea and Canada are all expected to announce new medium-term 2030 emissions reduction plans this week, after earlier refusing to do so. Even China – the world’s largest emitter – last week signalled they may also be prepared to do more this decade above and beyond commitments they made at the end of last year.

 

Our country, however, continues to bury its head in the sand, despite the fact that Australia remains dangerously at risk of the economic and environmental consequences that will come from the climate crisis barrelling towards us.

 

Prime minister Scott Morrison’s refusal to adopt both a firm timeline to reach net zero emissions and to increase its own interim 2030 target leaves us effectively isolated in the western world. It also goes against what we signed up to through the Paris agreement – which both our governments worked so hard to secure.

 

According to our independent Climate Change Authority (CCA) and the Australian Energy Market Operator (Aemo), not only should Australia be doing much more as “our fair share” towards global efforts to reduce emissions, but importantly we also now have the capacity to do more.

 

The reality is Australia’s current target, set in 2015, to reduce emissions by 26 to 28% on 2005 levels by 2030 is now woefully inadequate – and was always intended to be updated this year. The Obama administration had exactly the same target as Australia, but aimed to achieve it five years earlier than us, which in reality made it much more ambitious than ours. And this week, the Biden administration is expected to announce a new 2030 pledge twice as deep as Australia’s current effort. This will set a new global litmus test for Australia’s own ambition, which as the CCA has said should be at least a 45% cut by 2030.

 

But, as two former prime ministers representing our nation’s centre-left and centre-right parties, the world shouldn’t give up hope on our country just yet. Thankfully, there is some cause for optimism. Our sun-drenched country has the highest per capita penetration of rooftop solar in the world. And with the right approach, Aemo has said that renewables could go from providing a quarter of electricity market demand on our populous eastern seaboard today to 75% in less than five years. The fact we are in a position to even be able to seize this technological opportunity is in large part due to the introduction in 2009 of a 20% clean renewable energy target for 2020 and the launching of the largest renewable clean energy project in our nation’s history (Snowy Hydro 2.0) by our respective governments.

 

The national consensus for climate action in Australia has also shifted markedly in recent years. Every state and territory government is now committed to net zero emissions, so too are our peak industry, business and agriculture groups, as well as our national airline, and even our largest mining company.

 

The main thing holding back Australia’s climate ambition is politics: a toxic coalition of the Murdoch press, the right wing of the Liberal and National parties, and vested interests in the fossil fuel sector.

 

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 21, 2021, 1:32 a.m. No.13477446   🗄️.is 🔗kun

>>13477434

 

2/2

 

Sadly, instead of seizing this technological opportunity and embracing this newfound national consensus, the government remains hell-bent on a “gas-fired recovery” from Covid-19. Old coal plants still generate around 75% of Australia’s electricity. But these are being replaced by renewables plus storage because they are a cheaper form of generation than the alternatives on offer.

 

Gas has a role to play in the transition, but that role is to steadily diminish as renewables continue to grow. To bet big on the future role of gas is to bet against the best engineering and economic advice coming out of Aemo, and to ignore the scientific advice that more gas in the grid will simply lead to more emissions. The only long-term gas-fired future we should be planning is green hydrogen made by electrolysing water with renewable energy.

 

Australia may be able to get away with showing up empty-handed to this week’s summit, but will find it even more difficult to do as a special guest of the British at the G7 leaders’ summit in June. We would be the only developed country in the room that is not committed to net zero by 2050. And we will find it even harder again to show up empty-handed at the COP26 Climate Conference in Glasgow at the end of the year, given more than 100 countries in the world have pledged to increase their ambition.

 

There are also consequences for this inaction.

 

As the rolling apocalypse of fires and floods in our country demonstrates, Australia is on the global frontline of this climate crisis. Last year’s wildfires claimed dozens of lives, destroyed thousands of homes, wiped out billions of animals, and cost billions of dollars.

 

With more than 70% of Australia’s trade now with countries committed to net zero, the prospect of carbon border taxes being introduced – beginning with the European Union – also leaves us economically exposed. So too does our continued faith in coal as a leading export commodity, especially with many of the 50 proposed new coalmines in Australia already struggling to attract finance. Instead of expanding coal, we should be increasing our support for ground-breaking projects such as the Asian Renewable Energy Hub in the Pilbara region which could allow us to become a green hydrogen supplier for Asia’s clean energy transition. There are also promising new hydrogen projects planned for Queensland centred on Gladstone, a traditional coal port. Building dozens of new coalmines won’t set Australia up for the future; it will lock us into the past.

 

Australians like to think we “punch above our weight” on the global stage. We certainly do when we come to climate change: we emit more than 40 other countries with larger populations, and our per capita emissions are the highest of any advanced economy. This is not a record we should be proud of at all.

 

It’s often fatuously claimed that what countries like Australia do make no difference to the global climate because we account for only about 1.2% of emissions. The reality is that Australia is the third-largest fossil fuel exporter in the world. Our own environment is especially vulnerable to global warming as the recent massive bushfires demonstrated. Our economy is also vulnerable to the transition away from fossil fuels. Denial of the reality of global warming and the need to transition to a prosperous clean energy economy is abandoning our responsibilities as much to Australian workers as it is to the world.

 

Hopefully, at this week’s summit the prime minister will receive the wake-up call the government needs. In the meantime, the rest of the world should not give up on us yet. If our country’s last decade has demonstrated anything – with five prime ministers in just eight years – it’s that political winds can change very quickly.

 

• Kevin Rudd, from the Australian Labor party, was Australia’s prime minister between 2007 and 2010, and again in 2013. Malcolm Turnbull, from the Liberal party of Australia, was prime minister between 2015 and 2018

 

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/apr/21/australias-ambition-on-climate-change-is-held-back-by-a-toxic-mix-of-rightwing-politics-media-and-vested-interests

 

>SHADOW GOVERNMENT.

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 21, 2021, 2:02 a.m. No.13477508   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1305

Ghislaine Maxwell's lawyers are upset that media outlets keep talking about the accused sex-trafficker's sex life

 

Jacob Shamsian - 21 April 2021

 

Ghislaine Maxwell's lawyers are annoyed that media outlets have reported on the accused trafficker's sex life, asking a judge to keep evidence related to her criminal case sealed.

 

In a new filing in the case — where Maxwell faces sex trafficking, sexual abuse, and perjury charges — her lawyers argue the testimony prosecutors seek to unseal is "undeniably private" and should remain under seal.

 

"Every sentence that is publicly released in this case has been widely publicized, in print, broadcast and online media, both within and without this jurisdiction," the lawyers write in the filing. "Quotations from testimony concerning 'three-way sexual' activity and 'sex toys' 'cater to a "craving for that which is sensational and impure"' rather than serve a legitimate issue of public interest."

 

Prosecutors have accused Maxwell of acting as the late Jeffrey Epstein's right-hand woman in an alleged sex-trafficking ring of girls between the 1990s and early 2000s, as well as participating in sexual abuse herself.

 

In the new filing, Maxwell's lawyers bemoan the widespread media coverage of her sex life since a judge unsealed old deposition transcripts from Maxwell and other people in her circle. Maxwell's lawyers ask that Judge Alison Nathan, who is overseeing the case, limit any further unsealing of disposition transcripts.

 

"The testimony at issue is undeniably private: it relates exclusively to Ms. Maxwell's consensual adult sexual activities involving 'sex toys or devices used in sexual activities' and a 'three-way sexual' encounter involving an adult 'blond and brunette,'" the filing says.

 

Maxwell's lawyers also take aim at prosecutors for using a pseudonym for an accuser who says Maxwell sexually abused her as a teenager. They say the accuser has given interviews to the New York Times and ABC News, and for a Netflix documentary.

 

The criminal case, scheduled for trial in July, has involved a long battle over unsealing deposition transcripts from Maxwell.

 

The depositions were taken as part of a civil lawsuit with Virginia Giuffre, who accused both Epstein and Maxwell of sexual misconduct. Prosecutors say Maxwell lied during the depositions, warranting a perjury charge. This week, Nathan granted Maxwell's request to have a separate trial over the perjury accusations.

 

Nathan has in the past refused some of the prosecutors' requests to unseal parts of the transcripts, ruling they were too "sensational and impure."

 

In an earlier round of arguments over unsealing, Maxwell's lawyers argued she didn't understand what questioners meant by "sexual activities" during one of the depositions.

 

"It is entirely unclear how someone may 'be aware of the presence' of these, apparently, spectral objects," the attorneys wrote. "What exactly is a 'device' used in 'sexual activities?' Would bath oil, a tub, or a table qualify?"

 

https://www.insider.com/ghislaine-maxwell-lawyers-upset-media-coverage-sex-life-2021-4

 

https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/17318376/united-states-v-maxwell/?filed_after=&filed_before=&entry_gte=&entry_lte=&order_by=desc

 

https://www.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nysd.539612/gov.uscourts.nysd.539612.217.0.pdf

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 21, 2021, 2:19 a.m. No.13477544   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1261

Resignations in the news

 

John Osborne: Dreamworld CEO unexpectedly resigns

 

DREAMWORLD boss John Osborne has resigned as head of Ardent Leisure’s theme parks division, effective immediately.

 

In a statement to the ASX Wednesday morning, Ardent said chief operating officer Greg Yong would step into the $550,000-a-year role.

 

The statement said Mr Osborne had agreed to consult to the company “on several projects considered to be of strategic importance for Ardent”.

 

Long-time Gold Coaster Mr Yong has held the role of Chief Operating Officer of Ardent Leisure Theme Parks and Attractions (COO) since May 2019.

 

Ardent Chairman Gary Weiss said Mr Osborne was leaving for personal reasons.

 

“Since John’s appointment as Chief Executive Officer of our Theme Parks and Attractions division in November 2018, he has overseen not only the resolution of the many legacy issues facing the business but also skilfully and expertly led the business through the significant challenges arising from the COVID-19 pandemic,” Dr Weiss said.

 

“During his tenure, John has built an outstanding leadership team and positioned the business to restore value for Ardent shareholders over the coming years.

 

“We fully understand John’s wish to spend more time with his family after such a tumultuous period, and we are pleased that he has agreed to remain as a consultant to Ardent to assist in the delivery of several significant projects that are currently underway.

 

“We are delighted that Greg has accepted the offer to become Chief Executive. Greg has substantial experience in the theme parks industry in Australia and overseas and has played a critical role, as a key member of the leadership team, in restoring the performance of Dreamworld and SkyPoint. We are confident that Greg will build on all that has been achieved in the business over the last few years”.

 

Mr Osborne said his tenure had been “challenging and transformational”.

 

“I believe it is an optimal time for me to hand the reins over to Greg so I can spend more time with my family,” he said.

 

“I am incredibly proud of the fantastic leadership team that has been put in place over the last three years.

 

“Greg is an outstanding executive and leader, and I know that he and the team will build on the platform we have put in place and ultimately restore Dreamworld to its rightful position as the best and most successful theme park in Australia.”

 

https://www.goldcoastbulletin.com.au/business/john-osborne-dreamworld-ceo-unexpectedly-resigns/news-story/3f14355f999aa8f79e3036c58bb63ed6

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 21, 2021, 2:23 a.m. No.13477554   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1295

Child sex doll offender Terry Dunnett pleads guilty, released on supervised probation

 

Talissa Siganto - 21 April 2021

 

A Brisbane man has been the first person in Queensland to be convicted and sentenced for the "heinous crime" of possessing child sex dolls, after new federal laws were introduced to combat child abuse offences.

 

Terry Dunnett, 45, today pleaded guilty in the District Court in Brisbane to two counts of possessing a child sex doll, one count of attempting to possess a child sex doll, and possessing child exploitation material.

 

The court heard that in January last year the state's Joint Anti-Child Exploitation Team started investigating Dunnett when Australian Border Force (ABF) officers detected an "anatomically-correct doll" in a shipment from China addressed to him.

 

Several days later, officers raided Dunnett's home at Riverhills in Brisbane's west and discovered two other female dolls depicting estimated age ranges of between four and five years old.

 

Child-exploitation material was also found on a laptop belonging to Dunnett.

 

During a sentencing hearing on Wednesday, the court heard Dunnett had admitted to police on the day of his arrest that the dolls and the exploitation material belonged to him.

 

The court heard he told officers he had purchased the dolls, including the one intercepted by ABF, between 2014 and 2020 from the Chinese e-commerce website AliExpress, with the latest costing him about $400.

 

The prosecution told the court Dunnett should serve an actual term in custody, while his defence lawyer argued a community-based sentence would be more suitable as a psychologist determined he was a "low risk" of actually offending against a child.

 

Judge Orazio Rinaudo sentenced Dunnett to two years in jail, but ordered he be immediately released under probation supervision.

 

He also placed him on a good behaviour bond for two years and ordered that he pay a $2,000 recognisance surety only if he reoffends.

 

In handing down his sentence, Judge Rinaudo said it was "a heinous crime to be involved in the exploitation of children" and that such offences could cause "desensitisation" to child sexual abuse or lead to an escalation of offending against a child.

 

"They are life-like dolls depicting female children with cavities," Judge Rinaudo said.

 

"The risk of the sale of such items objectifying children as sexual beings could be used to groom children for sex."

 

However, Judge Rinaudo said he had to take into consideration Dunnett's early guilty plea and remorse, when determining his sentence.

 

"I'm satisfied that you now understand that possession of these dolls and other items was wrong," he said.

 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-04-21/child-like-sex-doll-court-terry-dunnett-brisbane/100084650

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 21, 2021, 2:47 a.m. No.13477600   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>5342 >>2425 >>1279

>>13477187

A top China academic has cast doubt over Chinese human rights abuses in Xinjiang

 

BEN PACKHAM - APRIL 21, 2021

 

The chair of parliament’s intelligence and security committee has blasted the head of Australia’s top China-focused academic institution after she cast doubt over Chinese human rights abuses against Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang.

 

Professor Jane Golley, the director of ANU’s taxpayer-funded Centre on China in the World, told the National Press Club on Wednesday she had read a “convincing” but anonymous paper contradicting media reports of China’s widespread mistreatment of Uighurs.

 

“Just last week I received a scholarly article that debunks much of what you have read in the Western media on this topic, including the figure of one million Uighurs in detention camps, the pervasive use of forced labour, and of calling it genocide,” she said, standing along China’s deputy ambassador to Australia Wang Xining.

 

“The authors sent it anonymously because they fear the reaction here in Australia by those who are committed to the dominant narrative, fact or not.

 

“This tells me that threats to academic freedom are not confined only to China.”

 

Professor Golley, an economist, conceded she was not an expert on Xinjiang, so could not make a judgment on the report’s veracity.

 

“I have to wait for it to be peer-reviewed by other experts. But what it did tell me is there are some convincing elements of what I read that would run against the dominant narrative that we read in the press.”

 

Senator James Paterson, the Joint intelligence and security committee chairman, said he was astonished Professor Golley would endorse an unverified report over extensive evidence of grave human rights abuses against Chinese Uighurs.

 

“It is concerning to see any academic publicly elevate an anonymous, unpublished article, which has not been peer-reviewed, above the years of scholarly evidence, investigative journalism and reports from reputable human rights organisations, which has exposed what is happening in Xinjiang,” he said.

 

“It’s even worse that the head of one of our pre-eminent taxpayer-funded university centres should do so at the National Press Club. Taxpayers are entitled to expect much higher standards of academic rigour than that.”

 

China strongly denies human rights abuses against Uighurs, arguing that facilities branded detention camps in the West are in fact vocational training centres.

 

Mr Wang told the National Press Club that China was “a positive force in the world”, dismissing a question about an Australian Uighur family seeking information on a relative who had been sentenced to 25 years jail in Xinjiang.

 

“I don’t know every case … whether they are of any particular ethnic group,” he said.

 

Mr Wang said China wanted “every ethnic group to live a good life — and we know how to deal with that”.

 

Human Rights Watch’s Australian director Elaine Pearson said she was “shocked” at Professor Golley’s comments, which came just a day after a Stanford University report found “the Chinese government has committed — and continues to commit — crimes against humanity against the Turkic Muslim population”.

 

Ms Pearson said: “While the Chinese government is in denial about these abuses, and refuses to allow access to UN human rights monitors, it is critically important that foreign governments do act and take strong, co-ordinated action.

 

“This is why we need a UN commission of inquiry to ensure an impartial investigation into alleged violations in Xinjiang.”

 

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/a-top-china-academic-has-cast-doubt-over-chinese-human-rights-abuses-in-xinjiang/news-story/d3db923ab37d3b4d476de5ce2fe113d2

 

https://www.skynews.com.au/details/_6249585315001

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 22, 2021, 12:17 a.m. No.13485007   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>5013 >>5018 >>5027 >>5031 >>5037 >>5047 >>5059 >>5065 >>5072 >>3224 >>3238 >>3500 >>9300 >>9309 >>9394 >>9403 >>9411 >>0714 >>0719 >>5337 >>9937 >>0313 >>9557 >>5127 >>5132 >>5138 >>3511 >>2368 >>1279

Victoria’s Belt and Road deal with China torn up

 

Anthony Galloway and Eryk Bagshaw - April 21, 2021

 

1/2

 

The Australian government has torn up Victoria’s controversial Belt and Road agreement with China, saying it falls foul of the country’s national interest, in a move that will further inflame tensions between Canberra and Beijing.

 

China’s foreign mission reacted swiftly on Wednesday night, warning the decision would put any recovery in the relationship between Australia and its largest trading partner in jeopardy.

 

“This is another unreasonable and provocative move taken by the Australian side against China,” said a spokesperson for the Chinese embassy.

 

“It further shows that the Australian government has no sincerity in improving China-Australia relations. It is bound to bring further damage to bilateral relations, and will only end up hurting itself.”

 

Foreign Minister Marise Payne announced on Wednesday night that the Belt and Road Initiative deal – which tied the state to Chinese President Xi Jinping’s signature initiative to bankroll infrastructure projects around the world – has been cancelled under the Commonwealth’s new foreign veto laws.

 

The federal government also announced it was cancelling two Victorian government education agreements – one struck with Iran in 2004 and another with Syria in 1999. They have been ruled unlawful under the laws passed late last year.

 

Senator Payne said she considered the agreements to be “inconsistent with Australia’s foreign policy or adverse to our foreign relations”.

 

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has been locked in an ongoing feud with the Morrison government over its decision to sign on to the $1.5 trillion global infrastructure initiative, which would have allowed for Chinese investment in Victoria and for Victorian companies to participate in Chinese government projects overseas under the BRI banner. Mr Andrews has always defended the deal on the basis it would provide more jobs and economic opportunities for the state.

 

The federal government and national security experts were concerned that China was using the Victorian agreement as a propaganda win to claim the Victorian government had broken ranks with Australia’s China policy. They are also worried that China was using the BRI to load up poorer countries with debt and reduce Australia’s influence in the region.

 

The Chinese government has maintained the BRI is an economic co-operation initiative, which “upholds the spirit of openness, inclusiveness and transparency”.

 

“It has brought tangible benefits to the participating parties,” the Chinese embassy spokesperson said. “The BRI co-operation between China and the Victoria state is conducive to deepening economic and trade relations between the two sides, and will promote economic growth and the well-being of the people of Victoria.”

 

No financial commitments had been made under the arrangement, which was largely seen as symbolic, but it had driven foreign policy disputes between Victoria and the federal government after more than a year of tension with Beijing. Diplomatic sources in Canberra, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak publicly, said the scrapping of the deal could set a precedent for other countries attempting to balance the economic firepower of China with its international ambition.

 

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 22, 2021, 12:19 a.m. No.13485013   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1279

>>13485007

 

2/2

 

State governments had until last month to provide a list of all of their agreements with foreign governments and Victoria listed its two BRI deals with the Chinese government as potentially falling within the new regime.

 

The Commonwealth ruled that both agreements contradicted Australia’s foreign policy, which has been reworked to compete with China’s infrastructure spending blitz in the region.

 

The new foreign veto scheme requires the Foreign Minister to cancel agreements that states, territories, local governments and universities enter into with an overseas government if they contradict Australia’s national interest.

 

Announcing the new laws last year, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said it was “vital that when it comes to Australia’s dealings with the rest of the world we speak with one voice and work to one plan.

 

“Australians rightly expect the federal government they elect to set foreign policy. While many agreements and partnerships are of a routine nature … Where any of these agreements undermine how the federal government is protecting and promoting our national interests they can be cancelled.”

 

The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald revealed last year that Victoria did not consult the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade before signing a key “framework agreement” with the Chinese government for the BRI on October 23, 2019.

 

While Victoria briefly consulted DFAT on an earlier memorandum of understanding with Beijing in 2018, and made some changes based on its advice, the Andrews government decided not to show the draft version of the more substantial framework agreement to the Commonwealth a year later before signing it. Both agreements have now been ruled invalid.

 

A spokesperson for the Victorian government said the Foreign Relations Act was “entirely a matter for the Commonwealth Government”.

 

“The Victorian Government will continue to work hard to deliver jobs, trade and economic opportunities for our state,” the spokesperson said.

 

Previously Mr Andrews had repeatedly defended the deal, saying last year that it was all about Victorian employment and that Australia’s relationship with China might improve if the Commonwealth focused on jobs.

 

“The agreement, like all agreements that Victoria enters into, and I expect the Commonwealth and other states are no different – it’s all about making sure that more Victorian product is sent to our biggest and smallest customers,” the Premier said in December.

 

“Whether it’s to China or any other part of the world, it’s all about jobs.

 

“We would be probably better off in our relationship if all of us focused on the fact, and I think the Prime Minister and all of us … are all about having the best economic partnerships with customers, large and small, in every part of the world because that means jobs and prosperity and profitability for families back home.”

 

https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/victoria-s-belt-and-road-deal-with-china-torn-up-20210421-p57l9q.html

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 22, 2021, 12:20 a.m. No.13485018   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1279

>>13485007

Decisions under Australia’s Foreign Arrangements Scheme

 

Senator the Hon Marise Payne

 

Media release

 

21 April 2021

 

Australia's Foreign Arrangements Scheme has been in operation since 10 December 2020. The Scheme requires states and territories, local governments and Australian public universities to notify the Minister for Foreign Affairs of existing and proposed foreign arrangements. I have so far been notified of over 1,000 arrangements.

 

States and territories have now completed their initial audit of existing arrangements with foreign national governments.

 

The more than 1,000 notified so far reflect the richness and breadth of Australia's international interests and demonstrate the important role played by Australia's states, territories, universities and local governments in advancing Australia's interests abroad.

 

I thank the states and territories for their cooperation and for what is developing as a cooperative approach under the Scheme.

 

Following review and consideration of arrangements, I can advise that the following four will be cancelled:

 

• Memorandum of Understanding between the Department of Education and Training (Victoria) and the Technical and Vocational Training Organisation, Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, the Islamic Republic of Iran, signed 25 November 2004.

 

• Protocol of Scientific Cooperation between the Ministry of Higher Education in the Syrian Arab Republic and the Ministry of Tertiary Education and Training of Victoria, signed 31 March 1999.

 

• Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of Victoria and the National Development and Reform Commission of the People's Republic of China on Cooperation within the Framework of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road Initiative, signed 8 October 2018.

 

• Framework Agreement between the Government of Victoria and the National Development and Reform Commission of the People's Republic of China on Jointly Promoting the Framework of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, signed on 23 October 2019.

 

I consider these four arrangements to be inconsistent with Australia's foreign policy or adverse to our foreign relations in line with the relevant test in Australia's Foreign Relations (State and Territory Arrangements) Act 2020.

 

I have also decided to approve a proposed Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation on Human Resources Development in Energy and Mineral Resources Sector between the Department of Jobs, Tourism, Science and Innovation of the Government of Western Australia and the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources of the Republic of Indonesia.

 

I will continue to consider foreign arrangements notified under the Scheme. I expect the overwhelming majority of them to remain unaffected. I look forward to ongoing collaboration with states, territories, universities and local governments in implementing the Foreign Arrangements Scheme.

 

https://www.foreignminister.gov.au/minister/marise-payne/media-release/decisions-under-australias-foreign-arrangements-scheme

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 22, 2021, 12:21 a.m. No.13485027   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1279

>>13485007

Federal government swoops in and cancels controversial Belt and Roads deal

 

Sky News Australia

 

22 Apr 2021

 

The federal government has torn up Victoria's Belt and Road agreement with China because it was inconsistent with Australia's foreign policy.

 

The Commonwealth used its new veto laws to cancel four agreements — all negotiated by Victorian authorities — including a 2004 deal between the state's Education and Training Department with Iran and a 1999 scientific co-operation agreement with Syria.

 

The move is expected to further escalate tensions between Canberra and Beijing.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kwfWkPFhNY

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 22, 2021, 12:22 a.m. No.13485031   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>5059 >>5065 >>1279

>>13485007

Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the Commonwealth of Australia

 

Chinese Embassy Spokesperson's Remarks

 

2021/04/21

 

We express our strong displeasure and resolute opposition to the Australian Foreign Minister’s announcement on April 21 to cancel the Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation within the Framework of the Belt and Road Initiative and the related Framework Agreement between the Chinese side and Government of Victoria.

 

The BRI is an initiative for economic cooperation, which follows the principle of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits, and upholds the spirit of openness, inclusiveness and transparency. It has brought tangible benefits to the participating parties. The BRI cooperation between China and the Victoria state is conducive to deepening economic and trade relations between the two sides, and will promote economic growth and the well-being of the people of Victoria.

 

This is another unreasonable and provocative move taken by the Australian side against China. It further shows that the Australian government has no sincerity in improving China-Australia relations. It is bound to bring further damage to bilateral relations, and will only end up hurting itself.

 

http://au.china-embassy.org/eng/sghdxwfb_1/t1870484.htm

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 22, 2021, 12:24 a.m. No.13485037   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1279

>>13485007

China criticises Australia's 'provocative' decision to tear up Victoria's Belt and Road agreement

 

Foreign Minister Marise Payne's decision to scrap Victoria's Belt and Road Initiative infrastructure deal with China has angered Beijing.

 

22 April 2021

 

China has slammed Australia's "provocative" decision to tear up Victoria's Belt and Road Initiative agreement with Beijing, warning the move will further damage bilateral relations.

 

Foreign Minister Marise Payne announced on Wednesday night that the infrastructure deal had been cancelled under new foreign veto powers.

 

China's embassy in Australia responded swiftly, expressing "strong displeasure and resolute opposition" to Senator Payne's announcement.

 

"This is another unreasonable and provocative move taken by the Australian side against China," a Chinese embassy spokesperson said in a statement.

 

"It further shows that the Australian government has no sincerity in improving China-Australia relations.

 

"It is bound to bring further damage to bilateral relations, and will only end up hurting itself."

 

The Morrison government in December granted itself the ability to torpedo deals between individual states and foreign powers under the Foreign Relations Act.

 

The foreign minister can assess such arrangements to check if they align with Australia's foreign policy goals.

 

Senator Payne said four agreements would be cancelled, two of which related to Victoria's Belt and Road deal for infrastructure investment.

 

"I consider these four arrangements to be inconsistent with Australia's foreign policy or adverse to our foreign relations," she said in a statement.

 

Victoria signed a memorandum of understanding in relation to the Chinese regional infrastructure initiative in 2018 and then signed a "framework agreement" with Beijing in 2019.

 

Areas of cooperation included increasing participation of Chinese companies in Victoria's infrastructure program and promoting cooperation of Victorian businesses in China.

 

It also allowed Victoria's engineering and design firms to bid for contracts for Belt and Road Initiative projects around the world.

 

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has previously advised against the cancellation of the deal, saying it would place Victorian jobs at risk.

 

A state government spokeswoman told AAP the Foreign Relations Act was a matter for the Commonwealth.

 

"The Victorian government will continue to work hard to deliver jobs, trade and economic opportunities for our state," she said in a statement on Wednesday.

 

Beijing has previously raised Canberra's veto power as one of 14 grievances damaging to bilateral relations.

 

China has in the past 12 months launched a series of damaging trade strikes against Australia after Prime Minister Scott Morrison called for an independent inquiry into the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

The Chinese government also remains furious with Australia over foreign interference and investment laws and the decision to ban Huawei from the country's 5G rollout.

 

https://www.sbs.com.au/news/china-criticises-australia-s-provocative-decision-to-tear-up-victoria-s-belt-and-road-agreement

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 22, 2021, 12:27 a.m. No.13485047   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>5051 >>1279

>>13485007

Beijing hits back as Marise Payne cancels Daniel Andrews’ Belt and Road agreements

 

BEN PACKHAM and JOE KELLY - APRIL 22, 2021

 

1/2

 

Foreign Minister Marise Payne says she expects more deals to be scrapped following the tearing up of Victoria’s Belt and Road agreement with China.

 

Speaking in Wellington alongside her New Zealand counterpart Nanaia Mahuta, Senator Payne said she anticipated there would be “further decisions” made on agreements between Australian institutions and foreign powers.

 

“They will be informed by my department on the consistency of all of those arrangements with the relevant legal test as it’s set out in the legislation,” she said.

 

She said there was a “fundamental difference” between the governance of New Zealand and Australia.

 

“We are, of course, a federation so states and territories that enter into those agreements are now required to consult and to advise the commonwealth as they do that. The process that I’m going through now is addressing those that have been made in the past.”

 

Senator Payne spoke of her decision to tear up four agreements entered into by the Victorian government concerning Syria, Iran, and China. “The determination that we have formed is that they are not consistent with Australia’s approach to foreign policy and under the legislation will be terminated,” she said. “I do expect there will be further decisions to be made in due course.”

 

China hits back over BRI

 

Earlier, Beijing has hit back after Senator Payne tore up Victoria’s controversial Belt and Road agreements with China, warning the “provocative” move could throw relations between the two countries “into the abyss.”

 

In the first use of new powers allowing the commonwealth to unilaterally veto deals it views as contrary to the national interest, Senator Payne revealed on Wednesday night she had cancelled four agreements — all negotiated by Victorian authorities — including a 2004 deal between the state‘s Education and Training Department with Iran and a 1999 scientific co-operation agreement with Syria.

 

The two BRI deals include the 2018 Memorandum of Understanding between the Andrews’ government and the National Development and Reform Commission of China, and the 2019 Framework Agreement, which built on the earlier deal.

 

“I consider these four arrangements to be inconsistent with Australia’s foreign policy or adverse to our foreign relations in line with the relevant test in Australia’s Foreign Relations (State and Territory Arrangements) Act 2020,” Ms Payne said.

 

A spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy said the move was “another unreasonable and provocative move… against China.”

 

He added: “It further shows that the Australian government has no sincerity in improving China-Australia relations. It is bound to bring further damage to bilateral relations, and will only end up hurting itself.”

 

The Global Times, Beijing’s mouthpiece, went further, quoting Chen Hong, a professor and director of the Australian Studies Centre at the East China Normal University that the move marked a “significant escalation that could push icy bilateral relations into an abyss.”

 

The newspaper reported: “The latest move appears to be a calculated and deliberate step taken by Australia against China and could prompt a response from Beijing”.

 

Senator Payne on Thursday said the new powers weren’t aimed at “any one country” and that Australia would continue to emphasise its commitment to engaging with China.

 

“It is most certainly not intended to harm Australia’s relationships with any countries,” she told ABC AM.

 

“I hope that if there are any concerns they will be raised with the government.”

 

Senator Payne rejected the assertion that Australian producers should prepare for more retaliation from China – despite wine and barley producers being slapped with tariffs, and seafood, coal and timber facing customs issues last year.

 

“Australia is operating in our national interests, we are very careful and very considered in that approach,” she said.

 

“It’s about ensuring we have a consistent approach to foreign policy.”

 

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 22, 2021, 12:27 a.m. No.13485051   🗄️.is 🔗kun

>>13485047

 

2/2

 

Asked this morning if the Biden administration had been in touch with Canberra over the issue, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said: “How we can work together as a global community and in a coordinated fashion as it relates to China is part of nearly every discussion the President has with a European partner or country in the region”.

 

Senator Payne’s move follows an examination of more than 1000 agreements with foreign countries struck by states and territories, local government and universities.

 

Announcing the new powers last year, Scott Morrison said Australia’s foreign policies and relationships “must always be set to serve Australia’s interests”.

 

“One of the most important jobs of the federal government is to protect and promote Australia’s national interest,” the Prime Minister said.

 

“It is vital that when it comes to Australia’s dealings with the rest of the world we speak with one voice and work to one plan.”

 

Senator Payne said she had decided to approve a proposed MOU between Indonesia’s Energy Ministry and Western Australia’s Department of Jobs, Tourism, Science and Innovation.

 

The agreements examined “reflect the richness and breadth of Australia’s international interests”, and the role played by Australia’s states, territories, universities and local governments “in advancing Australia’s interests abroad”, she said.

 

Senator Payne said she would continue to examine foreign arrangements notified under the scheme, which commenced in December last year, but expected the “overwhelming majority” to be unaffected.

 

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews last year defended his state’s deal with China after the Morrison government announced in August that it would push through its Foreign Relations legislation, saying Victoria relied heavily on international students due to its lack of natural resources.

 

“I dare say that given the announcements the Prime Minister’s made … he’ll no doubt very soon be able to list a full range of other free-trade agreements and other markets that we’ll be sending Victorian products to. I look forward to that,” he said.

 

President Xi Jinping’s BRI program is used as a vehicle by the Chinese Communist Party to expand Beijing’s soft power reach into the region, but the deals have raised alarm in intelligence and security agencies over heightening levels of Chinese espionage and coercive influence.

 

Victoria’s BRI framework – deepening co-operation between the state and Beijing on infrastructure, innovation and trade development – was always expected to be one of the first major agreements to fall under Mr Morrison’s Foreign Relations Bill.

 

The Victorian government’s 2019 framework agreement with the National Development and Reform Commission of China saw both sides agree to the establishment of a working group to promote the BRI, to be jointly chaired by Mr Andrews and Vice Chairman Ning Jizhe of the NDRC.

 

Both sides agreed to closer communication – including visits and video conferences – to increase the “participation of Chinese infrastructure companies” in Victoria’s construction program; deepen research and innovation in high-end manufacturing, biotechnology and agriculture; enhance two way trade and strengthen co-operate in the management of ageing populations.

 

Under the agreement, Chinese infrastructure firms were encouraged to establish a presence in Victoria with a view to “participating in the tendering process for Victoria’s significant projects” while the state agreed to send regular delegations of local infrastructure companies to China.

 

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/maris-payne-cancels-daniel-andrews-belt-and-road-agreements-with-china/news-story/9a1056e93952a9d5ba45df47de783e4c

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 22, 2021, 12:30 a.m. No.13485059   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1279

>>13485007

>>13485031

Scrapping BRI deal will hurt Australia: Chinese Embassy

 

Global Times - Apr 21, 2021

 

The Chinese Embassy in Australia on Wednesday criticized a move by the Australian government to cancel an agreement signed between the state of Victoria and China to cooperate under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), warning that the move will bring further damage to bilateral ties and will only hurt Australia.

 

In a statement on Wednesday evening, Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne said that a memorandum of understanding and framework agreement Victoria signed with China in relation to the BRI had been cancelled under new Commonwealth veto laws, claiming "the arrangement is inconsistent with Australia's foreign policy or hurts its foreign relations."

 

It is the first time the Australian federal government has used the new veto law, which permits it to cancel agreements states and territories strike with other countries, media reports. The law has been widely regarded as a move targeting China.

 

Responding to the move, a spokesperson from the Chinese Embassy in Australia said that the move is another "unreasonable and provocative" move taken by Australia against China.

 

"It further shows that the Australian government has no sincerity in improving China-Australia relations. It is bound to bring further damage to bilateral relations, and will only end up hurting itself," the spokesperson said.

 

The Australian move came as China-Australia bilateral relations is at near freezing point, and trade and economic ties have also been seriously disrupted, after Canberra launched a series of anti-China policies.

 

The latest move could further plunge already-frosty bilateral relations into an even lower abyss and threatens further serious disruptions to trade and economic ties, analysts said. That might warrant a corresponding response from China, they added.

 

"To tear up the BRI cooperation agreement from the federal perspective is a gross intervention in the development policy of the state, which will inevitably have a negative impact on the economic development of Victoria in the future," Song Wei, an associate research fellow at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, told the Global Times on Wednesday.

 

Joining the BRI has brought considerable economic benefits to Victoria and created a large number of employment opportunities for the region. Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews also defended the agreement as "more jobs and more trade and investment for Victorians."

 

Furthermore, economic and trade relations between China and Australia will plunge even further, Song noted.

 

Following serious damage to Australian businesses due to tense diplomatic relations, Australian officials have said that they have been reaching out to Chinese officials to address trade issues but have not received any response. Chinese officials criticized Australia for its anti-China policies and urged Canberra to take concrete actions to rectify its mistakes.

 

The latest move is in the opposite direction and could further complicate the relationship, Chen Hong, a professor and director of the Australian Studies Center at East China Normal University, told the Global Times on Wednesday, noting that it completely disregarded the mutually beneficial and comprehensive strategic partnership between Australia and China.

 

"It was of major benefit to Victoria that the agreement at the time did not deal with any sensitive sectors or national security," noted Chen.

 

While the Australian government's decision is very damaging, it was expected, experts said.

 

"There was a belief that the agreement was targeting the BRI agreement when the federal government passed its Foreign Relations Bill, which allows the federal government to override any state agreement under the so-called national security threat," Chen said, adding that if Australia continues on the wrong path, "China will surely respond accordingly."

 

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202104/1221757.shtml

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 22, 2021, 12:31 a.m. No.13485065   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>5068 >>1279

>>13485007

>>13485031

Australia faces serious consequences for unreasonable provocation against China over BRI deals: observer

 

Global Times - Apr 22, 2021

 

1/2

 

Australia has essentially fired a major shot in what could lead up to a potential trade conflict with China and could face serious consequences for its "unreasonable provocation" against China, Chinese experts said on Wednesday after Canberra moved to use what has been viewed as an anti-China law to revoke agreements signed between Victoria state and China on the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

 

By tearing up the agreements, Australia's federal government is not only going over its head to provoke China but also stepping over its state jurisdiction for its own political interests which could be a serious blow to both federal and local economies, observers said.

 

Australian Minister of Foreign Affairs Marise Payne said that a memorandum of understanding and framework agreement the state of Victoria signed with China in relation to the BRI had been cancelled under the new Commonwealth veto laws, claiming that "the arrangement is inconsistent with Australia's foreign policy or hurts its foreign relations."

 

It was the first time the Australian federal government used the new veto law, which allows it to cancel agreements states and territories strike with other countries, according to media reports. The law has been widely regarded as a move primarily targeting China.

 

Responding to the Australian move, a spokesperson from the Chinese Embassy in Australia expressed on Wednesday a "resolute opposition" to the Australian move, calling it another "unreasonable and provocative" action taken by Australia against China.

 

"It further shows that the Australian government has no sincerity in improving China-Australia relations. It is bound to bring further damage to bilateral relations and will only end up hurting itself," the spokesperson said.

 

"The move is not only unreasonable to China but also to Victoria. It is also a deliberate provocation that goes beyond Australia's strength and could result in serious consequences," an observer told the Global Times on Wednesday.

 

While bilateral relations have already plunged to a near frozen state due to a series of hostile actions from Australia against China, including banning Chinese firm Huawei and interfering into China's internal affairs regarding Xinjiang and Hong Kong, the latest move marks a significant escalation that could push icy bilateral relations into an abyss, experts noted.

 

"By using this domestic law, Australia basically fired the first major shot against China in trade and investment," Chen Hong, a professor and director of the Australian Studies Center at the East China Normal University, told the Global Times on Wednesday.

 

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 22, 2021, 12:33 a.m. No.13485068   🗄️.is 🔗kun

>>13485065

 

2/2

 

Chen said that despite previous moves by Australia against China, Beijing has not taken "official response" in terms of trade and investment. However, the latest move appears to be a calculated and deliberate step taken by Australia against China and could prompt a response from Beijing. "China will surely respond accordingly," he said.

 

Australian officials have repeatedly claimed that they have been reaching out to Chinese officials to resolve issues but have not received any response from the Chinese side. Chinese officials criticized Australia for its anti-China policies and urged Canberra to take concrete actions to rectify its mistakes.

 

"Australian officials are fully aware of the consequences of the move, but they went ahead with it… that clearly shows Australia's intention to further escalate tensions with China rather than deescalate," Chen said.

 

That could inflict damage on not only Victoria's local economy but also bilateral trade between China and Australia, experts said.

 

"To tear up the BRI cooperation agreement from the federal perspective is a gross intervention in the development policy of the state which will inevitably have a negative impact on the economic development of Victoria in the future," Song Wei, an associate research fellow at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, told the Global Times on Wednesday adding that "it would also worsen the China-Australia trade relationship."

 

Joining the BRI has brought considerable economic benefits to Victoria and created a large number of employment opportunities for the region, officials have said. Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews also defended the agreement as offering "more jobs and more trade and investment for Victorians."

 

Some Australian businesses, including winemakers and timber firms, have already reported losses in trade with China due to tense diplomatic relations. Last month, China imposed up to 218 percent anti-dumping duties on Australian wines for five years. China also suspended imports of timber and beef from Australia, citing violations of Chinese regulations.

 

Chinese officials stressed that those measures were taken in accordance with its domestic law and regulations to protect Chinese consumers.

 

"China has not officially responded to Australia's actions against China in terms of trade and investment," Chen said. However, Australia's intention to pick up a trade conflict with China is clear which warrants a response from China, according to Chen.

 

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202104/1221766.shtml

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 22, 2021, 12:34 a.m. No.13485072   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>5075 >>5161 >>5169 >>1279

>>13485007

Belt and Road Initiative: Inside Daniel Andrews’ secret China deal

 

DAMON JOHNSTON - APRIL 22, 2021

 

1/2

 

In the midst of the first coronavirus lockdown, one of Daniel Andrews’ senior lieutenants walked into a room where public servants managing the government’s relations with China were sitting, and declared: “We need to get some positive stories up about the BRI! Find some!”

 

If the bureaucrats found some gold, Victorians were never told, because the “positive stories” were never sold to the public. Given the imprecise nature of the Belt and Road Initiative, it is possible the Andrews government didn’t promote them because they didn’t exist.

 

Last May, concern was taking hold within the Victorian government as the Premier’s BRI agreements were catching a dose of coronavirus, the pandemic which started in China.

 

In 2019, Andrews believed breaking ranks with the federal government and signing up to the BRI was a global economic coup for a state. Billions would flow into Victoria, and jobs would boom, he predicted.

 

But by 2020, with COVID-19 sweeping the world, and growing fears of China’s expansionism, Andrews found himself out beyond the wire. Concerns about the real agenda of the communist regime’s global investment initiative were now front and centre.

 

As diplomatic tensions exploded between the Morrison Government and China, Victorian Treasurer Tim Pallas made an astounding intervention to take the side of the communist dictatorship.

 

He said the “vilification” of China by the Australian government was “dangerous, damaging and probably irresponsible”.

 

It emerged the next day, on the front page of The Australian, that the Pallas intervention came as Victoria was locked in critical final negotiations with Beijing to sign the next stage of the BRI.

 

The “framework agreement” underpinning the Victoria-China deal was signed by the Premier and Vice-Chairman Ning Jizhe of the National Development and Reform Commission of the People’s Republic of China on October 23, 2019.

 

The “framework agreement” had gone largely unnoticed. But in 2020, in the grip of the pandemic, it made extraordinary reading.

 

The “co-operation principles” in the nine-page agreement — entitled Jointly Promoting the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road — used exceptionally reverential language to mandate how Victoria should conduct its state-to-superpower relationship.

 

Article 1 states Victoria and China must: “Adhere to the principle of mutual consultation, joint efforts and shared benefits. Bearing the Silk Road spirit of peace, co-operation, openness, inclusiveness, mutual learning and mutual benefit.

 

“Adhere to the principles of business-dominated, market-orientated and government-guided.

 

“The governments of both sides should strengthen co-ordination and guidance, as well as policy support to ensure long-term and sustainable co-operation … stick to all-round co-operation … with a focus on pushing forward important areas and major projects that have a bearing on the long-term interests of the two sides.”

 

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 22, 2021, 12:35 a.m. No.13485075   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>5161 >>5169 >>1279

>>13485072

 

2/2

 

Andrews’ decision to side with Beijing can, in part, be explained by his longstanding close relations with the communist regime. For a progressive Labor leader, Andrews had spent years flirting with Beijing. In opposition, he toured the Great Wall and other sites. Then as premier, he inked the BRI deal.

 

With a dismissive wave of his hand, he set aside the brutality of the communist regime, compartmentalised the human rights abuses of the Uighurs and turned his back on the repression of the democratic protests in Hong Kong. This was all about investment and jobs, and nothing else mattered.

 

Adding to the intrigue of the Premier’s dealings with China was the emergence of a young Chinese-born self-proclaimed global influencer by the name of Jean Dong.

 

Dong, aged in her early 30s, who in 2011 was crowned the Miss Chinese Cosmos Pageant winner, had established the Australian China Belt and Road Initiative organisation and managed to get VIP access to the Premier to lobby him to sign the BRI.

 

In fact, he agreed to attend one of her promotional events. She had recruited former Liberal federal trade Minister Andrew Robb and former Labor Minister Lindsay Tanner to the organisation too.

 

And in taxpayer-funded contracts never fully explained, Andrews’ government paid Ms Dong’s company more than $36,000 to advise it on China’s global commercial play.

 

Ms Dong claimed, in a self-made YouTube promotional video, that she played a key role in getting Victoria to sign up as she embarked on what she described as her “journey of influence”.

 

Many questions about the BRI have been left unanswered by Andrews. While there is no shortage of Chinese links to some of the firms building the Premier’s major roads and tunnels, the actual investment deals that would flow from the BRI were never detailed.

 

It is likely, the BRI memorandum of understanding and the later framework agreement were all about laying down the broad parameters of the China-Victoria relationship, and Andrews hoped this would be the first steps to billions of dollars.

 

For China, landing the Premier’s signature, may well have been the main game because signing a state-based leader delivered the communist regime a global diplomatic victory.

 

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/commentary/belt-and-road-initiative-inside-daniel-andrews-secret-china-deal/news-story/b40e9ef9c398d420d31727fe1f77a02b

 

>INFILTRATION NOT INVASION.

 

>https://qanon.pub/?q=infiltration

 

>https://qanon.pub/?q=china

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 22, 2021, 1:12 a.m. No.13485161   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>5166 >>5169 >>1279

>>13485072

>>13485075

Dan Andrews and China’s Aussie influencer

 

RACHEL BAXENDALE, REMY VARGA and DAMON JOHNSTON - MAY 25, 2020

 

1/2

 

Meet Jean Dong. She is the 32-year-old Chinese-Australian ­businesswoman who by her own description is on a global “journey of influence”.

 

A professionally filmed and ­edited YouTube biography provides an extraordinary insight into the life of the young woman who is emerging as a key player in the unfolding political row over Victorian Premier Daniel ­Andrews’s controversial decision to sign up to China’s Belt and Road Initiative.

 

In the short promotional film, Ms Dong claims to have played key roles in bringing about the China-Australia free-trade agreement, and Victoria’s Belt and Road Initiative deal, telling the story of her journey from student journalist in Beijing, to rubbing shoulders with Australian prime ministers and premiers and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

 

The Australian can reveal that Ms Dong, director and chief executive of the Australia-China Belt and Road Initiative company, was part of a youth delegation sent to China in 2014, alongside Mike Yang, a former adviser to Mr ­Andrews.

 

Mr Yang is credited with being the architect of the strong and ­enduring relationship between Mr Andrews and China’s communist government.

 

Asked whether the pair met each other on the trip, and ­whether they had an ongoing ­association, Ms Dong’s spokesman said only: “Mike Yang had left the ­Victorian government when ACBRI was asked to advise on BRI opportunities.”

 

Mr Yang, who was photographed with Mr Andrews on the Great Wall of China in 2013, has been a vice-president of the Australian Council for the Promotion of Peaceful Reunification of China, an organisation criticised as being a front for spreading pro-Community Party policies and messages in Australia. Mr Yang has defended the group, describing it as nothing more than another Chinese community group.

 

The Australian revealed on Monday that ACBRI was awarded two taxpayer-funded contracts valued at $36,850 to advise the Andrews government on the Belt and Road Inititiative.

 

Ms Dong’s 2015 promotional video, entitled Journey of Influence, shows her standing on a ­bayside promontory with Melbourne’s skyline behind her, speaking of the people she says have been inspirational “sparks” in her life.

 

It was recorded during her time as managing director of Spark Corporation Group — a business she has described as being focused on Chinese investment in Australian agriculture and resources and “expansion of Australian businesses into Chinese markets through strategic partnerships”.

 

“It was my mother that first inspired me that nothing comes easy, but never give up. At the age of three, I started playing the piano,” Ms Dong says, as the video cuts to her engaged in a musical performance.

 

“It was the first female journalists who lived in war zones and promoted peace through reporting the truth that inspired me to understand that having courage and purpose to always keep me motivated to fight for what I believe.

 

“At the age of 11, I challenged the old Chinese media rules and opened the doors for thousands of youth to raise their voice.”

 

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 22, 2021, 1:13 a.m. No.13485166   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1279

>>13485161

 

2/2

 

Ms Dong’s profile when she attended the Australia-China Youth Dialogue in Beijing with Mr Yang in 2014 said she had “enjoyed a rich experience as the editor of Youth newspaper (China) and national reporter for CCTV television station (China)”.

 

China Central Television is the predominant network in mainland China, owned and controlled by the Chinese Communist Party.

 

It is not clear which newspaper Ms Dong was describing in her reference to “Youth”. Asked whether she was referring to the China Youth Daily — run by the Communist Youth League of China — a spokesman for Ms Dong played down her role. “Jean has never been a career journalist,” he said. “She was briefly a volunteer reporter for a high school student newspaper before she came to Australia as a teenager.”

 

Ms Dong studied commerce at the University of Adelaide, graduating in 2009, and gained employment with consulting firm PwC.

 

“At the age of 21 I presented and convinced the PwC Australian leadership to consider Asia growth as a priority strategy and to achieve a clear advantage over its competitors,” Ms Dong says in her video as photos are displayed of her with former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull, then Tasmanian Liberal premier Will Hodgman and former Labor foreign minister Bob Carr.

 

“At the age of 26 I successfully facilitated a mutual and long-term economic collaboration agreement through China-Australia free-trade agreement for both countries,” she says as a photo appears of then prime minister Tony Abbott, Mr Xi and then trade minister Andrew Robb signing ChAFTA. The Australian has established that in 2014 Ms Dong entered the orbit of Mr Yang. The two emerging influential figures in the Chinese-Australian community were delegates at the 2014 Australia-Chinese Youth Dialogue in Beijing.

 

Mr Yang worked for Mr Andrews while he was opposition leader, from 2011 to 2013, and is credited with being the architect of the now Premier’s pro-China strategy. There were only 30 delegates to the Beijing conference.

 

While it is unclear if the pair interacted during the conference, it is the first known association between Ms Dong and someone close to the Andrews camp.

 

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/dan-andrews-and-chinas-aussie-influencer/news-story/1e1763bf4fd699f3eecafa7d27830913

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 22, 2021, 1:15 a.m. No.13485169   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>5174 >>1279

>>13485072

>>13485075

>>13485161

Chinese pageant winner Jean Dong’s meteoric journey to influence

 

DAMON JOHNSTON, REMY VARGA and RACHEL BAXENDALE - MAY 28, 2020

 

1/3

 

“We’ve now reached the most excitin­g part of the competition — we are about to award the crown of Miss Chinese Cosmos Pageant 2011, and the winner is … contestant No 5, Dong Jin.”

 

The Crown casino ballroom in Melbourne erupts and the newly crowned queen radiates confid­ence, waving and soaking in the adulation. A sash, tiara and a giant $10,000 cheque are handed to Dong Jin, the young woman who, the hosts note, prevailed after an exhaustive five rounds of questions that “definitely weren’t easy”.

 

As the victor, she would go on to represent Australia in the Asia-­Pacific finals of the pageant in New Zealand. Dong Jin’s crowning glory was an important step in her transformation into Jean Dong, who in 2011 was getting ready to embark on a self-proclaimed “journey of influence”.

 

It’s a road that in the past week has seen her emerge as a central figure in the political row over Victori­an Premier Daniel And­rews’s decision to sign up to China’s Belt and Road Initiative.

 

The Chinese-born former Adelaide­ University commerce student always seemed destined for bigger things. Her vanity biopic on YouTube says she started playing the piano at the age of three, and was soon playing at the “highest level”.

 

By 11, she was, by her account, challenging old Chinese media rules and opening the doors “for thousands of youth to raise their voices”.

 

And at 21, Dong says she was an emerging figure within consultancy PwC and “convinced the PwC Australian leadership to consider Asia growth as a priority strategy”.

 

Intelligence, drive, dynamism and relentless networking were Jean Dong’s door-openers as she moved to Melbourne and rapidly made her dream of becoming a successful businesswoman and ­influencer come true.

 

She easily rubbed shoulders with political leaders, including Malcolm Turnbull and former NSW premier Bob Carr, during this period.

 

Among the opportunities that winning the 2011 pageant afforded the 24-year-old was a return ticket to the following year’s event to hand over the crown to the next winner.

 

New alliances

 

In 2012, as she sat in the audience as the reigning pageant queen, Dong was in the company of two other Chinese Australians emerging in Victorian politics — Mike Yang and Gladys Liu.

 

Yang was the China adviser to then opposition leader Daniel ­Andrews.

 

He held the job from 2011-13, and is credited with being the ­architect of the now Premier’s strong and enduring — and now controversial — bond with the Chinese communist government.

 

The next year, Yang would accompany a youthful Andrews on an official trip to China, the pair photographed smiling on The Great Wall.

 

Liu, now the federal Liberal MP for the eastern Melbourne seat of Chisholm, was then an adviser to Victorian premier Ted Baillieu.

 

Two years later, while Liu was working for Baillieu’s successor, Denis Napthine, Dong would describe herself in a profile for the October 2014 Australia-China Youth Dialogue as being “heavily involved in advising (the) Victorian state government on ­Australian-Chinese engagement”.

 

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 22, 2021, 1:16 a.m. No.13485174   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>5178

>>13485169

 

2/3

 

Liu worked for the Victorian Liberal Party from 2007-2014, running as an upper house candidate at the 2010 and 2014 state elections, having become known for her prodigious ability to raise funds and mobilise support from Melbourne’s Chinese community.

 

She came under fire last year after she failed to explain why she had been listed as a member of ­organisations linked to the Chinese government’s foreign interference operations when nomin­ating to run for Chisholm.

 

In an interview with Sky News host Andrew Bolt, Liu refused to condemn Beijing’s actions in the South China Sea and continually evaded a question about whether she believed Chinese President Xi Jinping was a dictator.

 

Yang and Liu may have shared a Chinese heritage but they were drawn to different sides of politics. Ultimately, though, they would share very similar political problems: being at the centre of accu­sations they were pushing a pro-Chinese Communist Party agenda through Australia.

 

Chinese-language reports place them both at the 2012 gala event with Dong.

 

It is unclear if they met that night. While Dong, Yang and Liu were in the room, several other Chinese-Australians, who have since emerged as characters of interest in Chinese-Australian relations, were also involved in the pageant and its broadcast.

 

The year Dong was crowned Miss Cosmos, the event was organised by then general manager of Ostar, Holly Zhenghong Huang, who would later become one of ­exiled billionaire Huang Xiangmo’s key lieutenants.

 

Xiangmo was barred entry to Australia after the government rescinded his permanent residency in December 2018 following advice from ASIO over possible foreign political interference.

 

Huang later became general manager of Xiangmo’s property development company Yuhu Group.

 

Media mogul Tommy Jiang had taken the reins of Ostar by the time Dong returned to the Miss Cosmos pageant as the reigning queen.

 

The political donor until last year also ran a global Chinese-­language media company in conjunction with the Chinese Communist Party.

 

Company records show Global CAMG Media Group is 60 per cent owned by Guoguang ­Century Media Consultancy, a subsidiary of state-owned media company China Radio International.

 

Jiang seems to have taken a move back from his media empire, stepping down as director of Ostar and CAMG last year, according to company records, although 10 radio licences remain in his name.

 

As well as being behind the Miss Cosmos beauty pageant, Jiang is credited as co-producing a video of Dong that championed her as an example of Chinese student excellence.

 

The Ostar-run Australian China Elite Business Awards donated $260,000 to the Labor Party in 2013-14, but Jiang is quoted in a Fairfax media article as saying he had donated to both sides.

 

China meeting

 

In 2014, it can be said with certainty that Dong and Yang had come into each other’s orbit again.

 

Both attended the Australia-Chinese Youth Delegation in Beijing. Yang had left Andrews’s office in 2013 but maintained good relations with his former boss, who in 2014 would be elected premier.

 

Dong, who says she worked as a “volunteer” journalist, presented to the delegation on the future of media.

 

She has dodged questions this week as to whether she met Yang on this trip, which was attended by up to 30 young people, saying only: “Mike Yang had left the Victorian government when ACBRI was asked to advise on BRI opportunities.”

 

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 22, 2021, 1:18 a.m. No.13485178   🗄️.is 🔗kun

>>13485174

 

3/3

 

Belt and Road

 

On November 2, 2015, the 28-year-old established one company whose mission statement was crystal clear — Australia-China One Belt and One Road Initiative Ltd. Dong was the director, shareholder and secretary of this ­company.

 

Australian businessmen were appointed to the advisory board, and later two former federal ministers — then Liberal trade minister Andrew Robb and Labor finance minister Lindsay Tanner — would join the board.

 

Both, according to Dong, are paid nothing for their roles on ACBRI.

 

In 2016, trading as ACBRI, it quickly started building a profile from scratch.

 

Its rise to prominence was, in fact, exceptionally fast.

 

By May 2017, a little under 18 months after Dong formed ACBRI, she was flying, moving in the same circles as Andrews.

 

Dong boasted on a website linked to the Chinese consulate that ACBRI had been appointed as a consultant by Andrews to advise his government on what at that stage were secret negotiations to sign up to China’s global investment scheme, which critics claim is more about spreading ideology and power.

 

The website post states: “In May this year (2017), the centre (ACBRI) was appointed as a consultant unit by the Premier of ­Victoria.

 

“The next step will be to assist the state government to sign a co-operation agreement with the Nat­ional Development and Reform Commission and to set up the ‘belt and road initiative’ office.

 

“The centre will be responsible for planning and implementing specific projects, and strive to make Victoria a model for Sino-Australian ‘belt and road initiative’ co-operation.”

 

Dong even pulled off a coup, getting the Premier to address an ACBRI event. The company’s website shows photos of Andrews and Dong ­together.

 

While the date of the event is unclear, the website, which was pulled down this week, quoted the Premier talking about a “new energy” in Chinese-­Victorian relations.

 

Government grants

 

The blossoming relationship between Dong’s company and the Labor government was cemented with the granting of two taxpayer-funded, and undisclosed, consultancies totalling $36,850.

 

By now, Dong’s company was promoting China’s mega global play to the Premier and also being paid by his government to provide advice on the deal.

 

The ACBRI website says in 2015 Dong was invited to meet Mr Xi and was also invited by Aus­tralia’s then trade minister Robb to witness the signing of the ChAFTA trade deal.

 

By her own measure, Dong was rocketing along.

 

Experienced China watchers in Australia have been watching Dong’s progress closely over the past few years.

 

They describe her self-­promotion as “brazen” and consistent with someone wanting to impress decision-makers in Beijing with her network of contacts in Australia.

 

One observer said she had gained a reputation in parts of the federal public service as being “pushy” and had a reputation for trying to “insinuate herself into meetings”.

 

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/chinese-pageant-winner-jean-dongs-meteoric-journey-to-influence/news-story/469e8bab247899a089f05f19f138e2b0

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 22, 2021, 2:27 a.m. No.13485324   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>5325 >>7688 >>1245 >>1279

>>13460325

Australia was blindsided when Five Eyes ally New Zealand backed away from China criticism

 

Anthony Galloway - April 22, 2021

 

1/2

 

Australian officials were blindsided when New Zealand’s Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta criticised efforts to pressure China through the 70-year-old spy alliance known as the “Five Eyes”.

 

“We would much rather prefer to look for multilateral opportunities to express our interests on a number of issues,” Mahuta said on Monday.

 

The language is carefully couched but it has real consequences. Our nearest neighbour did not inform Australia of its position before Mahuta this week voiced her government’s discomfort about the “expanding remit” of Five Eyes. While Wellington’s conspicuous absence from a few joint statements had caused unease in Canberra over the past year, Australian officials did not know about New Zealand’s official opposition to using the spy network to exert diplomatic pressure on Beijing.

 

While there have been other incidents over the past year demonstrating how strained trans-Tasman relations have become, this development is likely to cause diplomatic friction in the coming weeks.

 

The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age can reveal Prime Minister Scott Morrison will visit New Zealand in two weeks to meet with his counterpart Jacinda Ardern. The future of Five Eyes will be a hot topic of discussion. The issue will be discussed at senior levels before then, with Foreign Minister Marise Payne and International Development Minister Zed Seselja flying to New Zealand on Wednesday to meet their counterparts.

 

While no one in the Australian government is seriously suggesting New Zealand is at risk of being booted out of the intelligence-sharing network, Canberra and Washington are concerned by Wellington’s attempt to curtail its expansion. In Canberra, joking references to the “Four Eyes” have only increased in recent months.

 

The Five Eyes group – which includes the United States, Britain, Australia, Canada and New Zealand – was formed in 1941 to share secrets and signals intelligence during World War II.

 

Over the past few years, it has gradually expanded into a diplomatic grouping, issuing joint statements criticising China over crackdowns in Hong Kong and Xinjiang . While New Zealand has joined many of these statements, it was notably absent from some over the past year.

 

Tensions between Canberra and Wellington have been building for years, with Ardern repeatedly criticising Australia for deporting Kiwi citizens and cancelling the citizenship of dual citizens accused of terrorism. But it is the question of how to handle the growing assertiveness of China that has caused the biggest frictions.

 

In December last year, Mahuta offered to mediate a truce between Australia and China and said both parties needed to “concede in some areas where they are currently not seeing eye to eye”. Months later, New Zealand’s new Trade Minister Damien O’Connor suggested Australia should speak with more “respect” and “diplomacy” towards China.

 

Senior officials in the Australian government repeatedly put these interventions down to rookie ministers still learning their brief, and did not necessarily see them as the views of Ardern. However, the latest comments from Mahuta are different.

 

Australian officials were put off by the suggestion that New Zealand was charting a more “independent” course; they believe there’s nothing independent about using your trade relationship with China as a justification for not criticising Beijing. It is Australia, they argue, who has been the one standing on its two feet: the first to ban Chinese telecom giant Huawei from next-generation networks, first to enact foreign interference laws and ahead of the curve on blocking foreign investment in critical national infrastructure.

 

Some Australian officials also dispute Wellington’s assertion that there has been a significant “expansion” of Five Eyes, saying it has always been a diplomatic grouping.

 

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 22, 2021, 2:27 a.m. No.13485325   🗄️.is 🔗kun

>>13485324

 

2/2

 

But there is also sympathy for Wellington’s position in Canberra. New Zealand has not yet faced the economic coercion, or the widespread espionage and foreign interference activity, that Australia has endured. Wellington is at least three years behind where Canberra is at and may only just be waking up to the threat.

 

While Ardern spoke with a more conciliatory tone on Wednesday, she backed in her foreign minister by suggesting that Five Eyes was not the most appropriate forum for issuing joint statements criticising China. She said the statements could be issued by wider groupings of countries or could be as narrow as Australia and New Zealand.

 

“Is that best done under the banner of a grouping of countries around a security intelligence platform, or is it best done around a group of countries with shared values – some of which might not belong to that five eyes partnership?” Ardern said.

 

Rory Medcalf, the head of the National Security College at the Australian National University, said Five Eyes was an “extremely trusted and long-serving intelligence-sharing arrangement” and that was always going to translate into co-ordinating policy as well.

 

“If you trust countries enough to share your most sensitive secrets with them, then surely you are going to often co-ordinate with them on areas of shared interest,” he said.

 

“The point that Mahuta made, and Ardern has reinforced, is that New Zealand would look at other arrangements for co-ordinating policy arrangements. Well of course that’s the case, and Australia has been doing the same thing, whether it’s through the QUAD, bilaterals, trilaterals, etc. If that’s New Zealand’s position then that’s not so gravely at odds with Australia’s position or anyone else’s.”

 

New Zealand’s bid to contain the Five Eyes goes against the grain of where the group is headed. Not only is the grouping being expanded into a strategic and economic partnership to counter China, but countries including Japan want to join it.

 

Professor Medcalf said an ideal future arrangement would be “Five Eyes-plus” whereby other countries such as Japan and France are incrementally brought into the intelligence-sharing arrangement but cautioned “you can’t substitute for 70 years of trust overnight”.

 

“Although Japan is a logical place to look, you have 70 years of institutionalised and highly personalised trust among intelligence and security agencies in the existing Five Eyes countries,” he says. “Our intelligence and security agencies trust the agencies of their Five Eyes partners almost as much as they trust themselves.”

 

Jonathan Pryke, director of the Lowy Institute’s Pacific Islands Program, said New Zealand had been “more insulated” to some of the more serious threats of China’s growing assertiveness than other Fives Eyes nations.

 

He said there were clearly tensions in the relationship between Australia and New Zealand and he hoped face-to-face meetings between ministers and prime ministers could sort out the differences.

 

“Maybe these are strongly held convictions from the New Zealanders and it may reflect the start of a growing schism in the Five Eyes community,” he said.

 

For the time being, Canberra wants to ensure that does not eventuate.

 

https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/australia-was-blindsided-when-five-eyes-ally-new-zealand-backed-away-from-china-criticism-20210421-p57l5d.html

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 22, 2021, 2:28 a.m. No.13485327   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>5332 >>5337 >>3636 >>1245

>>13460325

Australia reminds Kiwis of Five Eyes value

 

Daniel McCulloch - APRIL 22 2021

 

Australia has reminded New Zealand of the importance of the Five Eyes alliance during a meeting of trans-Tasman foreign ministers.

 

Marise Payne met with her New Zealand counterpart Nanaia Mahuta in Wellington on Thursday.

 

Ms Mahuta raised eyebrows ahead of the diplomatic trip by arguing the Five Eyes group should focus solely on intelligence sharing.

 

She does not want the network straying to other matters, such as speaking out against China for human rights abuses in Xinjiang and Hong Kong.

 

Senator Payne stressed the importance of the Five Eyes alliance during the bilateral meeting.

 

"Australia will continue to emphasise the vital nature of the Five Eyes alliance in security and in intelligence," she told ABC radio ahead of the meeting.

 

The foreign minister refused to say whether Ms Mahuta's comments had placed a strain on the coalition.

 

"There is a depth of commitment in the relationship between Australia and New Zealand that is very significant," she said.

 

"In terms of the Five Eyes, what I have found in the last year in particular and certainly in the last little while, is a very significant level of engagement across counterparts."

 

However, during a joint press conference after the meeting, Senator Payne played down the starkly different approaches to the alliance between Australia and New Zealand.

 

She did not criticise New Zealand for its unwillingness to support moving Five Eyes "out of the shadows" and expanding its remit into public diplomacy.

 

"What we see in Five Eyes, which I think is very much shared across the members, is a vital strategic alliance that is key to our security and intelligence interests," Senator Payne told reporters.

 

"A lot of issues with which we deal are dealt with in the shadows, but not all, and some have been able to be dealt with openly and publicly through the Five Eyes process."

 

Ms Mahuta said while the five countries shared common values and principles, the alliance was primarily focused on intelligence and security.

 

"It's not necessary all the time on every issue to invoke Five Eyes as your first port of call in terms of creating a coalition of support around particular issues in the human rights space," she said.

 

Senator Payne said the allies could address issues of concern in whatever forum they deemed appropriate and consistent with their national interests.

 

"But our respect for each other - Australia, the United States, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and Canada - is enduring and continuing."

 

At a separate media conference, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the country's relationship with the alliance had not changed.

 

"Five Eyes remains our most important security and intelligence partnership and that has not changed," she told reporters.

 

"New Zealand also has an independent foreign policy, and that equally has not changed."

 

https://www.illawarramercury.com.au/story/7220154/australia-reminds-kiwis-of-five-eyes-value/?cs=9676

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 22, 2021, 2:31 a.m. No.13485332   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>5337 >>3636 >>1245

>>13460325

>>13485327

Foreign Minister Marise Payne Tweet

 

Today’s Foreign Ministerial Consultations in #Wellington, our first face-to-face meeting since COVID-19, allowed for a deep discussion as friends about shared priorities, including our Pacific partnerships, as we navigate 2021 together.

 

Statement bit. ly/3xhN3qj

 

https://twitter.com/MarisePayne/status/1385098085072662530

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 22, 2021, 2:33 a.m. No.13485337   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1245

>>13460325

>>13485327

>>13485332

Strengthening trans-Tasman ties: Australia-New Zealand Foreign Minister Consultations

 

Senator the Hon Marise Payne

 

Joint statement with

The Hon Nanaia Mahuta

Minister of Foreign Affairs

Minister of Local Government

Associate Minister of Maori Development

New Zealand

 

22 April 2021

 

New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hon Nanaia Mahuta and Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Women, Senator the Hon Marise Payne, met in Wellington today for biannual Australia-New Zealand Foreign Minister Consultations.

 

Minister Payne’s visit is the first official visit to New Zealand by Australia since both countries imposed border restrictions in response to COVID-19 in March 2020.

 

The Ministers welcomed the chance to meet in person for the first time, following the commencement of two-way quarantine-free travel on 19 April.

 

The meeting provided an opportunity to discuss ways to continue and deepen cooperation between Australia and New Zealand to meet the shared challenges facing our region.

 

New Zealand and Australia stand together in facing a challenging global environment. Ministers discussed the importance of promoting our shared interests in an open, resilient and prosperous Indo-Pacific. They reaffirmed their intent to work together to preserve the liberal international order that has underpinned stability and prosperity in the region, and to foster a sustainable regional balance where all countries- large and small – can freely pursue their legitimate interests.

 

The Ministers discussed responses to increasing pressure on the international rules-based system and rising protectionism, and agreed on the need for coordinated regional and global action on issues such as human rights and climate change, including work Australia and New Zealand are doing together to strengthen the climate resilience of our Pacific island partners.

 

The Ministers also highlighted the importance of strengthening gender equality, including promoting women in leadership in the Pacific and initiatives on sexual and reproductive health and rights.

 

Minister Payne and Minister Mahuta agreed on the value of coordinating with other likeminded countries and building broad coalitions on issues of common interest.

 

Ministers also reiterated both governments’ commitment to a resilient and united Pacific region underpinned by robust regional architecture, and to continuing to help Pacific island countries manage the health and economic impacts of COVID-19, including support for the rollout of vaccines.

 

The two Ministers welcomed progress on the Australia-New Zealand Single Economic Market agenda. They acknowledged the contribution quarantine-free travel would make to the economic recovery in both countries, especially in the travel and tourism sectors. The Ministers also discussed the situation of New Zealanders living and working in Australia.

 

The Ministers reaffirmed the closeness and importance of the Australia-New Zealand relationship.

 

“Australia is New Zealand’s closest and most important international partner. It’s appropriate that Minister Payne was the first counterpart I have welcomed from overseas since becoming Foreign Minister” said Nanaia Mahuta.

 

“New Zealand also looks forward to welcoming Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison for our annual leaders’ talks.”

 

Marise Payne expressed appreciation for New Zealand’s warmth and hospitality. “I look forward to continuing our strong tradition of trans-Tasman partnership, working closely with Minister Mahuta to promote even closer economic ties and personal connections between Australia and New Zealand.”

 

https://www.foreignminister.gov.au/minister/marise-payne/media-release/strengthening-trans-tasman-ties-australia-new-zealand-foreign-minister-consultations

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 22, 2021, 2:41 a.m. No.13485346   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>5350 >>1245

Former NSA boss says misinformation a threat to democracy

 

Max Mason - Apr 22, 2021

 

A former director of America’s National Security Agency says misinformation is one of the greatest threats to democratic governments, and social media companies need to take more responsibility for content being pushed out on their platforms.

 

Admiral (retired) Michael Rogers, who is also a former commander of US Cyber Command within the Defence Department, said the challenge presented by misinformation – or fake news – campaigns, largely through social media, can’t be solved by governments or private business alone.

 

“The one that is hardest for a democracy to deal with is the disinformation side, and the Russians are the best there,” Admiral Rogers said in a streamed video chat with Alastair MacGibbon, former cyber-security adviser to Australia’s Prime Minister and now chief strategy officer at local cyber security firm CyberCX.

 

“They’re the most aggressive about it – you saw it play out in their attempts to influence the 2016 presidential cycle for us,” Admiral Rogers said.

 

“They’ve acted very aggressively to use cyber as a tool to keep us in somewhat of a disarray internally against each other, to keep us so we’re destabilised, to undermine our institutions.

 

“That is hard to deal with in a democracy.”

 

Admiral Rogers, who worked under former presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump, joined CyberCX’s global cyber-security advisory board in November 2020.

 

Government slow to grasp fake news

 

Facebook, Twitter and Google have been heavily criticised since the 2016 US election, which brought the surprise victory of Mr Trump.

 

The social media sites and search engine were blamed for circulation of false stories before the election, and the continued spread of misinformation and conspiracy theories such as QAnon, a far-right conspiracy theory that claims a ring of Satan-worshipping paedophiles are battling Mr Trump.

 

Facebook and Twitter, among other social media platforms, have been widely criticised after they were used by Trump supporters to organise riots and the storming of Capitol Hill in Washington in January 2021.

 

Admiral Rogers said that when Facebook, Twitter and Google were founded there was little appreciation of how ingrained they would become in society.

 

“In the United States, we have these series of conventions, for example, that says if you are electronic media or print, a newspaper or a television station, there is a series of broadcast standards you must adhere to.

 

“When we looked at this for social media companies, and you have to go back 20 years now, we said to ourselves ‘Well, people don’t really rely on social media as the primary distribution of content, as their primary way of getting information, as their primary way of developing views of the world around them on different issues. So we don’t really need to put any conventions or standards in place, because it’s secondary, everyone is going to continue to focus on newspapers and television.’

 

“Well, how’s that played out for us?

 

“I do think we need to acknowledge in the social media world, those who host platforms, who project content, have some responsibilities here in this. It can’t be just ‘Hey, it’s not my job, I’m just a host, the content is up to others, I just provide the forum.’”

 

Admiral Rogers said the US, until 2016, did not fully appreciate the level of misinformation that Russia was, and continues to, execute.

 

“It’s not just about a single event like an election. You’re watching them sustain this effort over time. I would argue you see it in Australia and other nations around the world.

 

“Backlash may be too strong a characterisation, but there’s definitely a discussion now that didn’t exist 10 years ago about what is the role of tech within our societies, and what kind of oversights or regulator regimes should be considered for them,” he said.

 

Another major concern was the use of cyberspace to disrupt day-to-day activities in nations across the world, including critical infrastructure such as power, water and finance, Admiral Rogers said.

 

In December 2017, Russian government-backed hackers were credited with a major cyber attack on the Ukraine, which cut power across the northern area of its capital Kiev.

 

“We’ve seen unsurpassed economic activity, huge growth, great economic prosperity powered by this hyper-connected world we live in,” Admiral Rogers said.

 

“The flip side is this dependency makes us ever more vulnerable.”

 

https://www.afr.com/policy/foreign-affairs/former-nsa-boss-says-misinformation-a-threat-to-democracy-20210421-p57l77

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 22, 2021, 2:42 a.m. No.13485350   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1245

>>13485346

CyberCX Cyber Dialogue: In conversation with Admiral Michael Rogers and Alastair MacGibbon

 

CyberCX

 

21 Apr 2021

 

CyberCX Chief Strategy Officer Alastair MacGibbon is joined by Admiral Michael Rogers (ret.) for an in-depth conversation about key trends in the global cyber security threat landscape, predictions for how the behaviour of cyber criminals and nation-state actors will evolve in the year ahead and the latest findings from the CyberCX Annual Threat Assessment.

 

Mike was a four-star Admiral who served under Presidents Obama and Trump, headed the US National Security Agency, commanded the US Cyber Command and was chief of the Central Security Service.

 

He has a unique understanding of the world’s most advanced cyber security technologies and tactics, an intimate knowledge of international threat actors and behaviours, and deep insights into how geopolitical security trends are impacting public and private organisations.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S565KEuUAgw

 

>https://qanon.pub/?q=rogers

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 23, 2021, 12:21 a.m. No.13493224   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>3238 >>1279

>>13485007

Hu Xijin 胡锡进 Tweet

China state-affiliated media

 

A formal agreement has been cancelled so easily. Australians, is your country a uncivilized rogue that deserves stern admonition and punishment?

 

https://twitter.com/HuXijin_GT/status/1384905850423291912

 

AFP News Agency @AFP

 

#BREAKING Australia cancels state's Belt and Road deal with China

 

https://twitter.com/AFP/status/1384821548826177538

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 23, 2021, 12:23 a.m. No.13493238   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1279

>>13485007

>>13493224

Australia leads the world confronting China, for better or worse

 

Eryk Bagshaw - April 21, 2021

 

There will be those who dismiss the scrapping of Victoria’s Belt and Road agreement as merely the end of a memorandum of understanding – a deal that commits no funds and no projects while offering nothing but trouble for its two major players.

 

But nothing could be further from the truth. For China, the BRI represents its greatest global project. It’s a multi-trillion dollar investment vehicle through which Beijing projects its influence and prestige throughout the world.

 

“The East is rising and the West is declining,” China’s President Xi Jinping said in March. The BRI, which sweeps across Asia, the Pacific and into Europe, connecting trade, transport, digital networks and infrastructure, is the embodiment of that ethos.

 

Australia has already infuriated China by banning Huawei and implementing world-leading foreign interference legislation. On Wednesday it set a global precedent by tearing up an agreement similar to one that China has signed with dozens of other countries.

 

Australia’s relationship with China was already broken. This decision pushes the repair job out by years, if not decades.

 

Witness China’s deputy ambassador Wang Xining at the National Press Club on Wednesday three years after the Huawei decision: “Australia was the first to ban Huawei in the domestic telecommunication industry and then Australia even persuaded others to follow suit,” he said.

 

“By doing so I think Australia connived with the United States in a very unethical, illegal, immoral suppression of Chinese companies.”

 

Beijing’s wrath over the BRI decision will be sharper and longer. After nearly four months of relative calm in the rollicking Australia-China relationship, the temptation for the Morrison government must have been to let the agreement sit and gather dust.

 

But this also misstates the fundamental judgment of Australia’s foreign policy leaders. The BRI deal should never have been signed. In doing so, Victoria ventured ignorantly into the waters of sovereignty. Treasurer Tim Pallas subsequently questioned Australia’s foreign policy and Beijing revelled in the disunity.

 

After the government legislated the ability to tear up the agreement if they wanted to, some in diplomatic circles in Canberra believed it had achieved what it desired. It had reasserted control over rogue state policies and sent a signal to Beijing that no more such deals were to be done.

 

Canberra could have gone through the New Zealand and European models. These countries told their telecommunications operators that they should not use Huawei, but they did not explicitly ban the Chinese company. They are likely to take a similar tack with many of their approaches to the BRI.

 

But Australia, which knows the dangers of Chinese Communist Party influence better than most, chose not to take that path. Now, more trade strikes are on the table. Half a dozen industries covering $20 billion in trade have already been hit. Education and yes - even iron ore - could be in the firing line.

 

Australia is once again a world leader. And its exporters will pay the price.

 

https://www.theage.com.au/politics/federal/australia-leads-the-world-confronting-china-for-better-or-worse-20210421-p57laj.html

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 23, 2021, 12:56 a.m. No.13493355   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>3366 >>1245

‘Bankable’: Morrison promotes Australia’s climate record at US summit

 

Matthew Knott - April 23, 2021

 

Washington: Scott Morrison has told a summit of world leaders that Australia is on a pathway to achieve net zero emissions as he hit out at carbon taxes for destroying industries and eliminating jobs.

 

Suggesting that other countries may make impressive climate pledges while failing to deliver on them, Morrison said the international community could rely on Australia because it only made “bankable” promises on emissions reduction.

 

The beginning of the summit, which is being held virtually, was marred by technical glitches. Morrison’s microphone was muted for the early part of his speech, meaning those watching could not make out what he was saying.

 

“Mr Prime Minister, I’m not sure we’re hearing you here,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said before the sound was restored.

 

Morrison’s speech followed an announcement by US President Joe Biden of an ambitious new target of a 50-52 per cent cut in America’s emissions by 2030 based on 2005 levels.

 

The Japanese, British and Canadian prime ministers also used the summit to commit to new 2030 targets.

 

Morrison struck a different tone from many other leaders by saying that Australia was focused on the question of how it could reduce greenhouse emissions through technology rather than setting targets.

 

“Future generations will thank us not for what we have promised but for what we deliver and on that score Australia can be relied upon,” Morrison said.

 

“It’s right to speak to our ambitions at this summit, it’s also right to focus on performance.”

 

Morrison assured Biden and the other world leaders that they could “always be sure the commitments Australia makes to reduce greenhouse gas emissions are bankable”.

 

“We have proven performance, transparent emissions accounting and transformative technology targets to unlock pathways to net zero,” he said.

 

Without announcing a specific timeline, Morrison said: “Australia is on the pathway to net zero.

 

“Our goal is to get there as soon as we possibly can through technology that enables and transforms our industries, not taxes that eliminate them and the jobs and livelihoods they support and create – especially in our regions.”

 

Other leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, stressed the importance of carbon price mechanisms, such as carbon taxes, in their speeches to the summit.

 

Morrison said that Australia was well on its way to “meet and beat” its Paris Accord commitments and that it would update its emissions reduction strategy before the November climate summit in Glasgow.

 

In his opening speech to the summit, organised by the White House, Biden described climate change as the “existential crisis of our time”.

 

“This is the decisive decade,” he said.

 

“The United States isn’t waiting. We are resolving to take action.”

 

Biden said the world faces a “moment of peril but also extraordinary possibilities” when it comes to tackling climate change.

 

“The countries that take decisive action now to create the industries of the future will be the ones that reap the benefits of the clean energy boom that’s coming,” he said.

 

“We really have no choice. We have to get this done.”

 

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga announced that Japan would strive to cut its 2030 emissions by 46 per cent from 2013 levels, up from its earlier goal of 26 per cent. Suga said Japan would try to push the reduction as high as 50 per cent.

 

“It will not be easy,” Suga said.

 

Trudeau announced that Canada would aim to reduce its emissions by 40-45 per cent by 2030 based on 2005 levels, up from 30 per cent previously.

 

Canada was on track to “blow past” its previous climate target, he said.

 

Many speakers at the summit praised Biden for again claiming a leadership role for the US on climate change after his predecessor Donald Trump withdrew the country from the Paris Accords.

 

“I’m delighted to see the United States is back,” German Chancellor Angela Merkel said.

 

https://www.theage.com.au/world/north-america/bankable-morrison-promotes-australia-s-climate-record-at-us-summit-20210422-p57lo4.html

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 23, 2021, 1 a.m. No.13493366   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>3368 >>1245

>>13493355

Scott Morrison resists pressure for new emissions target at Joe Biden climate summit

 

Barbara Miller - 23 April 2021

 

1/3

 

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has refused to bow to pressure from the US to use a global climate summit convened by President Joe Biden to announce an increased target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

 

"We are well on the way to meet our Paris commitments," Mr Morrison told the summit, which laid bare the gulf between Australia and many of its key allies in how best to tackle the climate crisis.

 

"We'll update our long-term emissions reduction strategy for Glasgow", he said, referring to the COP26 climate action conference to be held in Scotland in November.

 

That leaves Australia aiming for a reduction of between 26 to 28 per cent on 2005 levels of greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, an ambition about half the size of the revised US goal.

 

Mr Biden announced the US would aim to increase its Paris target to a reduction in emissions of between 50 to 52 per cent by 2030 on 2005 levels.

 

He told the 40 countries invited to the virtual gathering that there was a "moral imperative" to take action.

 

"The signs are unmistakable. The science is undeniable. But the cost of inaction keeps mounting," Mr Biden said.

 

"The United States isn't waiting."

 

Ahead of the meeting, US officials had said they expected all countries, including Australia, to come to the table with increased ambitions on reducing emissions if there was to be a chance of limiting global warming to less than 2 degrees Celsius and ideally closer to 1.5 degrees on pre-industrial levels.

 

"It's insufficient to follow the existing trajectory and hope that they [Australia] will be on a course to deep decarbonization and getting to net zero emissions by mid-century," a senior official told reporters on condition of anonymity.

 

The official said Australia now "recognises that there's going to have to be a shift".

 

If the running order at the summit was anything to go by no-one was truly expecting that shift to be announced anytime soon.

 

Morrison's speech plagued by technical difficulties

 

Mr Morrison was called on as 21st of 27 speakers, well behind China, Russia, Japan, the UK, South Korea and Canada.

 

Despite the late hour in Canberra, Bangladesh, Brazil and Bhutan were all afforded the opportunity to speak ahead of Australia.

 

State Department spokesman Ned Price later told the ABC the he "wouldn't read more into the order or the sequence than is necessary".

 

"I do not think order was indicative of anything other than temporal sequencing," he said.

 

By the time Mr Morrison's turn came, Mr Biden had already excused himself from the session.

 

When Mr Morrison did begin speaking some of his words were lost due to technical difficulties that plagued a number of segments in the summit.

 

"Mr Prime Minister I'm not sure we are hearing you," US Secretary of State Antony Blinken ventured, before another long pause as Mr Morrison was seen but not heard.

 

Mr Morrison outlined his stated belief that technology trumps climate action targets.

 

He did not commit Australia to achieving net zero emissions by 2050, as more than 100 nations have now done, including the US, UK, Canada, New Zealand, Japan and Korea.

 

China has said it hopes to reach net zero emissions by 2060, an aspiration President Xi Jinping repeated at the summit, telling world leaders that "to protect the environment is to protect productivity, and to improve the environment is to boost productivity".

 

"The truth is as simple as that", Mr Xi stated, saying China was looking forward to working with the US and the international community, "to jointly advance global environmental governance".

 

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 23, 2021, 1:01 a.m. No.13493368   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>3372

>>13493366

 

2/3

 

Beeps, echoes and leaders on mute

 

Technical glitches arose from the beginning of the summit. US Vice-President Kamala Harris's voice echoed as she kicked off the two-day summit by introducing Mr Biden.

 

That set a tone for the event, which also featured random beeps, still more echoes and the accidental disclosure that French President Emmanuel Macron's speech seemed to be taped.

 

Mr Macron was just minutes into a speech about the urgency of climate action when Mr Blinken cut in, saying: "Thank you very much Mr President, I now turn the floor to the President of the Russian Federation, his Excellency Vladimir Putin."

 

Mr Macron's voice continued, however, while the camera switched to the Washington meeting room where Mr Biden, climate envoy John Kerry and Mr Blinken were looking at Mr Putin on a big screen.

 

The sound then cut as a puzzled-looking Mr Putin could be seen consulting with an aide as he waited for his microphone to be opened.

 

For more than a minute, the Russian leader was silent on screen, staring forward and not talking except to turn his head toward aides.

 

"The floor is now to the President of the Russian Federation, Mr Vladimir Putin. Mr President," Mr Blinken continued, inviting Mr Putin to speak.

 

Mr Putin kept waiting as Mr Blinken could be heard saying off-screen: "We may be getting a tape, because that was a tape of Macron."

 

Moments later, Mr Putin delivered his speech, after which Mr Macron's speech started again from the beginning.

 

"We had some technical difficulties," Mr Blinken said.

 

Mr Macron's office confirmed that his speech had been pre-recorded, as he would be travelling to Chad to attend the funeral of late President Idriss Deby.

 

During several leaders' talks, phone-dialling beeps intruded and there were several times when stray voices talked over leaders.

 

Australia creating 'hydrogen valley'

 

On net zero emissions Mr Morrison said the goal was "to get there as soon as we possibly can, through technology that enables and transforms our industries.

 

"Not taxes that eliminate them and the jobs and livelihoods they support and create, especially in our regions.

 

"For Australia, it is not a question of if or even by when for net zero, but importantly, how."

 

In the run-up to the summit Mr Morrison announced investments of $275 million in regional hydrogen hubs and $263.7 million for carbon capture and storage projects and hubs.

 

He told the meeting Australia aspired "to produce the cheapest green hydrogen in the world".

 

"Mr President in United States, you have the Silicon Valley. Here in Australia, we are creating our own hydrogen valley," Mr Morrison said.

 

Mr Morrison said future generations would "thank us not for what we have promised, but what we deliver. And on that score, Australia can always be relied upon."

 

Earlier this week the Prime Minister suggested the desire for climate targets was strongest among urban elites, when he said Australia would "not achieve net zero in the cafes, dinner parties and wine bars of our inner cities."

 

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 23, 2021, 1:02 a.m. No.13493372   🗄️.is 🔗kun

>>13493368

 

3/3

 

'Nothing wrong with bunny hugging'

 

UK leader Boris Johnson indirectly addressed this vein of thought when he told the summit: "This is not all about some expensive, politically correct, green act of bunny hugging."

 

"There's nothing wrong with bunny hugging but you know what I'm driving at friends and colleagues. This is about growth and jobs," Mr Johnson said, after this week announcing his country would aim to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 78 per cent on 1990 levels by 2035.

 

"'Cake have eat' is my message to you", Mr Johnson said.

 

Jobs, jobs, jobs was also the mantra Mr Biden was attempting to drive home as he addressed the summit, outlining a vision where workers were gainfully employed building a cleaner energy grid, capping abandoned oil and gas wells and building the next generation of electric vehicles.

 

The summit was an attempt within his first 100 days in office for the US to re-assert itself as a leader and reliable partner in action on climate change, following a disastrous four years on that front under former US president Donald Trump, who walked away from the Paris agreement.

 

"It is so good to have the US back on our side in the fight against climate change", said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

 

Samantha Gross, director of the Energy Security and Climate Initiative at the Brookings Institution, said the summit had been a success for the US.

 

"I think the most important thing that this summit did was that it happened, it's a coming-out party in a sense for the US," she said.

 

"[It's] saying that we're back."

 

A number of countries did come to the table with increased targets, including Japan which announced that it aimed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 46 per cent by 2030 compared with 2013 levels, up from 26 per cent; and Canada, which was aiming for a 40 to 45 per cent reduction by 2030 on 2005 levels, up from 30 per cent.

 

Ms Gross said "there's time" for other countries including Australia to follow suit ahead of the much-anticipated COP26 in Glasgow.

 

If Australia doesn't, it may find itself slipping even further down the speaking order.

 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-04-23/scott-morrison-rejects-us-calls-for-new-climate-change-target/100087492

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 23, 2021, 1:41 a.m. No.13493449   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1261

>>13389479

Israeli minister to be prosecuted over alleged interference in Malka Leifer extradition

 

Cait Kelly - Apr 23, 2021

 

A former Israeli Health Minister is set to be prosecuted for interfering in the Malka Leifer case by attempting to prevent her extradition to Australia.

 

Ms Leifer, 54, fronted the Melbourne Magistrates Court earlier this month and is facing 74 charges of child sex abuse, including multiple counts of rape, indecent assault and sexual penetration of a child.

 

She is accused of abusing three sisters – Dassi Erlich, Nicole Meyer and Elly Sapper – during her time as headmistress of Adass Israel School in Elsternwick between 2001 and 2008.

 

Israeli media is now reporting the former health minister Yaakov Litzman will be prosecuted for trying to prevent Ms Leifer from being extradited to Australia to face justice.

 

The Israeli police fraud unit has been investigating Mr Litzman for several months after it was alleged he pressured psychiatrists to state Ms Leifer was unfit to stand trial in Australia while the extradition case was ongoing.

 

It is alleged he contacted the three senior psychiatrists who were assessing Ms Leifer on multiple occasions, offering them promotions to find her unfit to travel.

 

Dassi Erlich previously told AAP she had long believed he had tried to interfere with the case, saying she had met him in Israel.

 

“He did not seem to want to talk to us until [he was] repeatedly asked to have a word,” Ms Erlich said.

 

“He looked us in the eye and said – ‘I do not support extradition, and I will not, But I will not intervene.’”

 

Manny Waks, chief executive of VoiCSA, said his organisation had concerns Mr Litzman had been interfering with the case.

 

“Having sat through most of the 70 plus court hearings in Israel, it was clear to me, and to many others, that something was amiss,” Mr Waks said.

 

“When it was announced that Israel Police was investigating Litzman for interfering in this prolonged case, and ultimately recommended that he be indicted, it all made sense.”

 

The sisters are among 10 witnesses set to give evidence against Leifer in a five-day Melbourne Magistrates Court committal hearing scheduled for September.

 

Ms Leifer has long maintained her innocence.

 

Last year the deputy health minister’s office released a statement denying any wrongdoing, continuing to say Mr Litzman was cooperating fully with police.

 

Ms Leifer flew to Israel 2008 but was arrested there in February 2018 over allegations of child sexual abuse linked to her time as head of the school in the 2000s.

 

https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/2021/04/23/israeli-health-minister/

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 23, 2021, 1:43 a.m. No.13493451   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1261

>>13389479

A-G leaning toward indicting UTJ MK Ya’acov Litzman

 

If the accusations are true, Litzman’s meeting with a key witness in the Malka Leifer extradition case would constitute witness tampering.

 

YONAH JEREMY BOB - APRIL 22, 2021

 

Attorney-General Avichai Mandelblit is leaning toward indicting top United Torah Judaism MK and Construction and Housing Minister Ya’acov Litzman for fraud, witness tampering and breach of public trust for allegedly interfering in the extradition of alleged pedophile Malka Leifer, subject to a pre-indictment hearing.

 

Officials would not confirm the leak, though there was a clear sense that the decision was impending.

 

In August 2019, police recommended indicting then-deputy health minister Litzman.

 

In a second case, the police had recommended indicting Litzman for bribery, while police had closed a third case against Litzman due to a combination of insufficient evidence and charges which had expired due to the statute of limitations for when a case could be brought.

 

Despite police recommendations, Mandelblit makes the final decision about whether or not to accept the prosecution’s and the police recommendations.

 

In 2019, the police said that they found sufficient evidence to charge Litzman with trying to influence the opinion of psychiatrists appointed by the Ministry of Health in order to aid Leifer and prevent her extradition to Australia where she was wanted for dozens of cases of sexual abuse that she is accused of committing while serving as a head of school in Melbourne.

 

In a statement, the police said that Litzman, a Gur hassid, attempted to pressure the Jerusalem district psychiatrist into falsely stating that Leifer was mentally unfit to be extradited to Australia to stand trial.

 

The same psychiatrist who originally filed an opinion stating that Leifer was competent to stand trial, allegedly switched his opinion completely after pressure by Litzman.

 

If true, Litzman’s meeting with the key witness in the extradition case would constitute witness tampering.

 

He also is accused of threatening other medical professionals at the ministry if they did not write reports in a way favorable to Leifer.

 

Leifer fled to Israel in 2008 amid allegations that she had sexually abused students at the Adass Yisroel school in Melbourne.

 

She is wanted on 74 charges of child sexual abuse.

 

Leifer was arrested in Israel in 2014, but was released after being deemed mentally unfit for the legal proceedings. She was later rearrested after an undercover investigation found that she lived a normal life and was mentally fit to face extradition.

 

In January, Leifer was finally extradited.

 

A second case investigated by police was about Litzman’s alleged involvement in trying to influence officials in the ministry to work on behalf of a food establishment whose owner is close to the haredi (ultra-Orthodox) politician.

 

Litzman allegedly frequented the establishment during the period in dispute and allegedly tried to prevent the closure of the company, which had been found to pose a health hazard to the public after several people became sick by consuming its products.

 

After health ministry inspectors initially closed the establishment, Litzman ordered a new on-site tour including both him and the officials who had closed it.

 

As part of the tour he told the officials that it should be reopened and that he personally had been eating the food and was fine.

 

Allegedly Litzman even asked about the officials’ salaries in order to probe whether they could be bribed.

 

Though the officials did not go for this offer, Litzman could still be indicted for attempted bribery.

 

The police said that the investigation found sufficient evidence against Litzman to charge him with bribery, fraud, obstruction of justice and breach of trust.

 

The third case, which was closed by police, included potential charges that Litzman tried to influence officials in the health and other ministries to help various prisoners, especially those with sex-crime convictions, to get early releases.

 

While many convicts get early releases, ministers are prohibited from involvement in the process which is based on a series of recommendations by professionals about different issues coming from different ministries.

 

Multiple officials on Litzman’s staff who were also suspects in some of the above cases will also reportedly get off.

 

After the 2019 police recommendation, Litzman’s office responded, “[Deputy] Minister Litzman has worked throughout his years for the benefit of Israeli citizens, with complete transparency and by law. The office of Litzman has a clear, open-door policy to assist the public. This is without discrimination against anyone, and without clarifying the status of those who call for assistance, except under the law and [with] integrity.”

 

https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/ag-leaning-toward-indicting-utj-mk-yaacov-litzman-666080

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 23, 2021, 2:11 a.m. No.13493500   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>3502 >>0664 >>1279

>>13485007

We will never surrender to Beijing: Peter Dutton

 

GEOFF CHAMBERS, OLIVIA CAISLEY and WILL GLASGOW - APRIL 23, 2021

 

1/2

 

Defence Minister Peter Dutton says Australia will never surrender its sovereignty to appease China after the Morrison government tore up Victoria’s Belt and Road Initiative agreements with Beijing.

 

Mr Dutton told Nine’s Today show on Friday that Australia has been clear with China from the start and would not “surrender” to threats of retaliation after Beijing threatened to take legal action over the scuppered deal.

 

“We’re not going to have our values compromised, we aren’t going to surrender our sovereignty,” he said.

 

It comes as Foreign Affairs Minister Marise Payne on Wednesday announced that two Belt and Road agreements would be axed under new laws because they were not in the national interest.

 

Mr Dutton also lashed Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews for “doing the wrong thing” by signing the agreement with China in the first place.

 

“He shouldn’t be entering into agreements that aren’t in our national interest…,” he said. “We are standing up for who we are. We’ve got very important diplomatic relations with many countries including China, but we aren’t going to be compromised by the principles of the Communist Party of China.”

 

Mr Dutton warned that China’s increasingly aggressive behaviour in the region was a “real problem”.

 

“It is a real problem when you look at our part of the world, you look at military bases, when you look at the cyber attacks, all of that is not the action of a friend,” he said.

 

“We need to make sure that, yes, we have an important trading relationship, but China and others need to understand that Australia is not going to be bullied and we’re standing up for our beliefs and that will continue. It will not change.”

 

Mr Dutton was joined on the show by deputy Labor leader Richard Marles who warned that the relationship between Canberra and Beijing needed to be “carefully managed.”

 

Scott Morrison will stare down Chinese threats to launch fresh action against Australia, saying he would always protect the nation’s interests and a world that “seeks a balance in favour of freedom”.

 

As government officials and business leaders braced for retaliation, Beijing on Thursday night said it would “reserve the right to take further actions” after lodging a formal protest with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

 

The decision by Foreign Minister Marise Payne to scrap the BRI deals sparked a furious response, with Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin accusing the Morrison government of “political manipulation and bullying”.

 

He called Senator Payne’s order under the Foreign Arrangements Scheme a “bad” global precedent.

 

“The federal government wantonly cancelled the two sides’ agreement and disrupted and undermined the two sides’ normal exchanges and co-operation and harmed China/Australia relations and mutual trust,” he said. “China rejects and deplores this. We have lodged solemn representations with Australia and reserve the right to take further actions.”

 

He said China urged Australia to “abandon their Cold War mentality and ideological bias”, and “avoid making the already strained China-Australia relations worse”.

 

Following criticism from the Chinese embassy, which claimed termination of the BRI agreements was “provocative” and “unreasonable”, the Prime Minister said “there is one foreign policy of this country”.

 

“The Foreign Relations Act … was designed to protect our national interests by ensuring that there were no other agreements entered into by any other level of government that would conflict with Australia’s national interest,” he said. “What we have done is we have followed through. There have been four agreements the Foreign Minister has terminated in line with that Foreign Relations Act. We will always act in Australia’s national interest to protect Australia, but to also ensure that we can advance our national interests of a free and open Indo-Pacific and a world that seeks a balance in favour of freedom.”

 

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 23, 2021, 2:11 a.m. No.13493502   🗄️.is 🔗kun

>>13493500

 

2/2

 

The Australia-China relationship has been deteriorating since 2017, with Beijing imposing tariffs, and bans on Australian exporters and increasing aggression in the Indo-Pacific region, fanned by Chinese-backed foreign interference and cyber attacks. Mr Wang accused the Morrison government of targeting China and adopting tactics that ran “counter to our comprehensive strategic partnership”, suggesting that previous actions by Australia, such as banning Huawei from 5G and implementing world-leading foreign interference laws, were made using “dubious and groundless reasons” that had poisoned “mutual trust”.

 

“The Australia side reviewed more than 1000 deals and only decided to cancel four; two of them are agreements with China, so Australia’s claim that the decision doesn’t target any particular country does not hold water,” he said.

 

“China has signed BRI co-operation documents with 140 countries and 31 international organisations. Australia is the first and only country to tear apart an agreement.

 

“It has set a bad precedent.”

 

Leading Australian industrialist Malcolm Broomhead on Thursday launched a blistering attack on the Morrison government for cancelling the Victoria’s BRI deal with China. The chairman of mining, oil and gas giant Orica, BHP board member and former head of a pro-BRI organisation said the dramatic axing would damage the nation’s trade relations with China.

 

“Like many people in business, it is just a complete mystery as to what the Australian government is trying to achieve here,” Mr Broomhead told The Australian.

 

“I just don’t understand the deliberate provocation of China which sits at odds with ‘we want to be friends’.

 

“You get mixed messages.

 

“The reality is that every time we do something, we do it in the most antagonistic way and it has got major trade implications for us. I would hope the government understands that.”

 

Mr Broomhead was the chairman of the Australia China Belt and Road Initiative, founded by self-proclaimed Chinese-born influencer Jean Dong, which lobbied Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews to sign the BRI.

 

In recent years, China has slapped a range of sanctions on Australian exports, including coal, wine, barley, timber and seafood, valued at more than $2bn.

 

Under the Foreign Arrangements Scheme, any deal between foreign national governments and universities, local and state governments deemed to be against the national interest can be cancelled by the federal government.

 

Defence Minister Peter Dutton said Australia would not be “bullied by anyone” in exerting its sovereign rights.

 

Mr Dutton said the government would be “very disappointed” if China did retaliate against the decision to abolish the BRI deals signed by Mr Andrews in 2018 and 2019.

 

“We, like China, exert our sovereign rights, and as a proud country, we’re not going to allow our policies, our principles, our values, to be undermined and if you are involved in that activity, then there is going to be pushback by the Australian government,” he told 2GB radio.

 

The Chinese embassy had earlier released a statement expressing its “strong displeasure and resolute opposition” to Senator Payne’s decision to cancel the BRI agreements.

 

“This is another unreasonable and provocative move taken by the Australian side against China. It further shows that the Australian government has no sincerity in improving China-Australia relations,” an embassy spokeswoman said.

 

Mr Broomhead, a veteran business leader, predicted the decision to scrap the Victorian deals would further damage Australian-Chinese business relationship across education, tourism, agriculture and mining. “Where (China) has the ability to source elsewhere, it will be damaging to us. I would hope the government understands that,” he said.

 

“I really want the government to tell us what the strategy is.

 

“They probably have good ideas, I am sure they’re not doing this because they think there is a couple of votes in it, I am sure they have got sound strategic reasons, but they just need to help us understand that.”

 

While the move was being viewed in business circles as yet another blow to political relations, the Australia-China Business Council played down the importance of Senator Payne’s move, saying it was “not unexpected.” Australia-China Business Council national president David Olsson said Australian business leaders had “for some time been preparing for more challenging times ahead.”

 

The Morrison government is expected to announce funding in the budget to aid diversification away from Chinese markets to shield key industries from future measures imposed by Beijing.

 

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/scott-morrison-defies-beijings-cold-war/news-story/880de3c496cb10ccf9f6f4d4332bbcc4

 

https://9now.nine.com.au/today/belt-and-road-peter-dutton-defends-decision-to-scrap-deals-with-bullying-china/cbbeb811-e29e-4896-89de-ab80689133bc

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 23, 2021, 2:28 a.m. No.13493532   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1268

Alexander Downer Twitter Thread

 

Sorry to read the New Zealand FM has downgraded NZ role in 5 eyes arrangement. And they upgraded FTA with China in February while China was imposing sanctions on Australia. Used to be our best mates. Not now.

 

https://twitter.com/AlexanderDowner/status/1384627862133739521

 

 

Aussiebrother-Q.L.D @steven_aus

 

Weren't you apart of the 5eyes agenda when Obama got you to try and frame @GeorgePapa19?

 

https://twitter.com/steven_aus/status/1384804501077389316

 

 

Alexander Downer @AlexanderDowner

 

No

 

https://twitter.com/AlexanderDowner/status/1384807864900931584

 

 

Aussiebrother-Q.L.D @steven_aus

 

“The meeting I had with Alexander Downer … was probably the most bizarre meeting I’ve had in my entire life and I remember it in very vivid detail,” he said.

 

https://twitter.com/steven_aus/status/1384809549119377409

 

EXCLUSIVE: Trump aide speaks of fateful meeting linked to Russia investigation

 

https://www.skynews.com.au/details/_6232808667001

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 23, 2021, 2:42 a.m. No.13493561   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1305

Ghislaine Maxwell sues publishers of a new book on her relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, saying it portrays her as 'already guilty'

 

PETER ALLEN - 23 April 2021

 

Alleged sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell is suing the publishers of a new book that portrays her as 'already guilty'.

 

The legal action against Vice Island - which appeared on French bookshelves last month - comes as the 59-year-old socialite awaits trial in New York while on remand.

 

She has been indicted for the sex trafficking of underage girls, and the enticement of minors, but the case has not been proved.

 

This is why she is suing Albin Michel, the Paris publishers, for gross violation of the presumption of innocence, and is demanding significant damages.

 

There was no immediate comment from Albin Michel after news of the writ broke on Thursday.

 

Their book, L'île de tous les vices (Vice Island) is by the French writer Jean-Gabriel Fredet and focuses on Maxwell's relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, the late multi-millionaire businessman who was found dead in his New York prison cell in August 2019.

 

The convicted paedophile was said to have been involved with Maxwell in running a global sex trafficking ring.

 

Maxwell denies all charges, after being arrested by the FBI in July 2020.

 

Her lawyer Olivier Laude said: 'The publication of this book by Albin Michel constitutes an unacceptable attack on the presumption of innocence of Ms. Maxwell.

 

'Given the imminence of her criminal trial, to present her as already guilty - which this book does - is as repugnant as it is irresponsible.'

 

Mr Laude said Vice Island ignored the fundamental right of the presumption of innocence, and this was why a writ was served on April 15.

 

Maxwell's legal team is calling for Paris judges to pulp all existing copies of Vice Island, and to order that any future copies state clearly that she is entitled to the presumption of innocence.

 

In addition, Maxwell is seeking financial damages for the prejudice suffered, Mr Laude added.

 

Maxwell, the daughter of the later publishing tycoon Robert Maxwell, is half-French and was a frequent visitor to Epstein's £7million Paris property in Avenue Foch, close to the Arc de Triomphe.

 

There have been allegations that young girls were regularly abused inside the apartment, and it is currently considered a crime scene by French prosecutors, who have opened an enquiry.

 

It is claimed that the sex trafficking ring also included 12-year-old twin girls that had been 'recruited' in Paris.

 

Prince Andrew, who was a close personal friend of both Maxwell and Epstein, is believed to have visited the Avenue Foch apartment.

 

Virginia Roberts Giuffre, an American woman, has told lawyers she was forced to sleep with the Duke after being trafficked to him at least three times when she was 17.

 

The claims have always been vehemently denied by Prince Andrew, but Ms Roberts Giuffre has said she is prepared to testify against him in court.

 

The Duke has not been to France since a judicial enquiry was launched into the sex ring in 2019.

 

In the United States, prosecutors have said they want to interview Prince Andrew, but he is yet to speak to them.

 

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9501427/Ghislaine-Maxwell-sues-publishers-new-book-saying-portrays-guilty.html

 

https://www.realghislaine.com/media

 

https://433da961-4072-4f62-a692-d989a9f700d0.filesusr.com/ugd/ba2454_2011ec531dbc4892850f4b69246dba75.pdf

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 23, 2021, 2:59 a.m. No.13493595   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1305

Ghislaine Maxwell to appear in person for first time since her arrest as she pleads to new charges

 

On Friday it will become clear what toll the last nine months in prison have taken on the British socialite

 

Josie Ensor - 23 April 2021

 

Ghislaine Maxwell is set to appear in person for the first time since her arrest last year in a New York court on Friday, where she is expected to plead not guilty to new sex trafficking charges.

 

Ms Maxwell was granted rare permission to attend the usually procedural court hearing by Judge Alison Nathan.

 

The 59-year-old British socialite has already pleaded not guilty to charges of recruiting and grooming teenage girls from 1994 to 2004 to provide sexual massages to her one-time boyfriend Jeffrey Epstein. The latest allegation are more serious, involving the sex trafficking of a minor.

 

Ms Maxwell’s lawyers have been claiming for months that she has lost weight and that her hair has been falling out as a result of the “Kafkaesque” prison conditions in a Brooklyn federal prison. On Friday it will become clear what toll the last nine months in prison has taken.

 

Should they attend, it will also be the first time she sees her husband and members of her family since she was arrested in a dawn raid on her home in New Hampshire last July.

 

It is not known who will attend, but her twin sisters, Isabel and Christine, are both residents of the US. Her brother, Ian, who after months of silence last month launched a PR campaign to get his sister freed from custody, was unable to travel from the UK due to Covid-19 restrictions.

 

Little has been seen of Ms Maxwell's husband Scott Borgerson since the 44-year-old stepped down from his tech company CargoMetrics to avoid being a “distraction”.

 

Due to the coronavirus most hearings in the Southern District of New York are taking place via Zoom or through a dial-in phone line.

 

However, Ms Maxwell requested to appear in person after a January hearing held by videolink was hijacked by 14,000 QAnon conspiracy theorists who illegally streamed the proceedings on YouTube.

 

Those present in the courtroom are required to undergo strict temperature checks and made to wear two masks.

 

Sources close to the Maxwell family also told The Telegraph that Friday’s appearance was about her wanting to “face her accusers head on”, as well as it being a welcome break from her prison cell at Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center.

 

Ms Maxwell’s legal team has applied for bail and been rejected three times.

 

Judge Nathan ruled that with three passports and considerable assets she continued to be a significant flight risk.

 

In the latest appeal, Ms Maxwell even offered to rescind her British and French citizenship in order to leave prison to prepare for her trial at home.

 

Appealing to a higher court, her lawyers told the Second US Circuit Court of Appeals that Ms Maxwell has not been given an adequate opportunity to prove that she would not flee if she was allowed to await trial at home under 24-hour armed guard and with collateral posted to support a $28.5 million (£20m) bail.

 

The bond - one of the largest in US history - comes from joint funds from Mr Borgerson, as well as money put up by family members and friends.

 

Ms Maxwell has claimed she is being scapegoated for Epstein’s crimes and that her continued detention is a form of “sexism”, pointing to the release on bail of a number of notable men who faced comparable charges, including Bernie Madoff, Harvey Weinstein, Bill Cosby, and Dominique Strauss-Kahn.

 

Ms Maxwell’s team has also complained about the conditions of her detention, which brother Ian calls “tantamount to torture”.

 

They say she is housed in a 6ft by 9ft cell with a concrete bed, that guards shine a torch into her room at intervals of 15 minutes through the night and that the prison food is “inedible”.

 

They believe the constant surveillance is a result of prison authorities’ fears that she may take her own life like the former financier, who was arrested in July 2019 on sex charges and was later found dead of suicide in his jail cell.

 

Her attorneys refer to the "Epstein Effect," suggesting the public outrage over Epstein's alleged crimes and subsequent death have "clouded the judgment of the prosecutors into charging Ms Maxwell because it needed a scapegoat."

 

David Markus, Ms Maxwell’s lawyer, is also due to make a statement to the court, over the “legality” of her detainment.

 

Her trial is set for July 12, however, her lawyers have requested that it be delayed until next January, saying the new charges require months of investigation.

 

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/04/23/ghislaine-maxwell-appear-person-first-time-since-arrest-pleads/

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 23, 2021, 3:05 a.m. No.13493606   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1261

Resignations in the news

 

Outspoken Nationals MP George Christensen to quit politics

 

Rob Harris - April 22, 2021

 

Nationals MP George Christensen will end his controversial decade-long career in federal Parliament at the next election, warning of the “broken” state of politics and signalling he won’t go quietly.

 

The conservative Queensland MP – who has been outspoken on social issues and spent up to 10 weeks a year in the Philippines and Thailand over a period of four years while a member of parliament – told the Courier-Mail in a statement he would not recontest his Mackay-based seat at the next poll.

 

He said he had only ever intended to “serve three terms” after first being elected at the 2010 election and only contested the last election to ensure the Coalition held the seat and kept out a “Green-tinged Labor government”.

 

He listed several road projects and the Adani Carmichael mine as his best contributions as an MP. In a video uploaded to his Facebook page, he warned he was concerned about the trend on restrictions on freedoms of speech, abortion, the rights of doctors to promote alternate treatments and the rising of the Chinese Communist government.

 

The member for Dawson said he wanted to spend more time with his family, including his wife April Asuncion, who were “caught up overseas” due to pandemic border closures.

 

The pair met in a karaoke bar during one of the MP’s 28 trips abroad, spending almost 300 days in the Philippines between 2014 and 2018.

 

The Australian Federal Police warned Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull at the time he could be questioned in the Philippines by local police given rising concerns about his payments to women and lengthy stays in “seedy” hotels.

 

After almost a year of inquiries police found no evidence of illegality but raised concerns he remained an ongoing risk of being compromised.

 

Mr Christensen, 42, said in a statement that politics had become dominated by an “activist mainstream media along with other leftists cultural institutions” that were disconnected from the public.

 

“I will have more to say about [the broken politics] down the track,” Mr Christensen said.

 

“While I’m in Parliament until the next election and while there’s still breath in me, I’m going to continue speaking out on the issues that matter, without fear or favour, or the need to get re-elected.”

 

Despite the scandal involving his travel to the Philippines, which earned him the nickname the “Member for Manila” among colleagues, Mr Christensen was re-elected during the 2019 election with an 11.2 per cent two-party preferred swing — aided mainly by One Nation voters.

 

Mr Christensen has threatened on numerous occasions to cross the floor against government legislation since the Coalition came to power and was one of the leading proponents within the ranks to demand a royal commission into the banking sector.

 

He was a vocal support of former US president Donald Trump and a fierce critic of COVID-19 lockdowns, including directions from the Queensland government to mandate facemasks earlier this year.

 

Labor won the seat of Dawson under the leadership of Kevin Rudd in 2007 but it was regained by Mr Christensen in 2010, one of several seats won under Tony Abbott to reduce the Gillard government to a minority.

 

Mr Turnbull revealed in his memoir, A Bigger Picture, last year that he was briefed by then-AFP commissioner Andrew Colvin about Mr Christensen’s “unusually complex online presence” and was told he had been spending “substantial sums in Manila bars and nightclubs as well as making many small payments to women there”.

 

“Against the advice of our embassy in the Philippines, he had been staying in seedy hotels in Angeles City, which was not only recklessly unsafe but made him vulnerable to being compromised.”

 

In a sign of the personal and political fury over the matter, Mr Turnbull told The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age he received a warning from Mr Christensen about what he might write in his memoir.

 

“He sent me a message on one of those immediately dissolving messages on Signal, which said: ‘remember two words: parliamentary privilege; and two more years of it’,” Mr Turnbull said in an interview to promote his book.

 

Mr Christensen at the time attacked media coverage of his visits to the Philippines as a “vile smear” and insisted he did nothing wrong.

 

Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack said Mr Christensen has been a tireless fighter for the people of central Queensland and his decision not to contest the next was “personally momentous”.

 

“George’s decision to step back, spend time with family and pursue a career after politics is one that he has not taken casually,” he said in a statement.

 

https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/outspoken-nationals-mp-george-christensen-to-quit-politics-20210422-p57ln7.html

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 23, 2021, 3:18 a.m. No.13493636   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1245

>>13460325

>>13485327

>>13485332

Andrew Greene Tweet

 

Worth noting the head of ASIS (Paul Symon pictured right) joined @MarisePayne's delegation to New Zealand. Wellington's role in 5-Eyes is all the talk inside intelligence circles at the moment

 

https://twitter.com/AndrewBGreene/status/1385426980993069059

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 23, 2021, 4:28 a.m. No.13493840   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>3848 >>1294

Perth plunged into three-day lockdown over Mercure Hotel cluster

 

Heather McNeill and Peter de Kruijff - April 23, 2021

 

1/2

 

West Australian Premier Mark McGowan has announced Perth and Peel will go into a three-day lockdown, effective from midnight Friday.

 

The news comes after a COVID-19 cluster was identified at the Mercure Hotel Perth on Wednesday with the virus spreading among quarantining guests in separate rooms.

 

A mother, her four-year-old daughter and a Victorian man contracted the virus while in the hotel.

 

The mother and child’s infections were detected on April 16 and five days later were genomically linked to a ‘UK strain’ COVID-positive husband and wife who arrived from India on April 10.

 

Genomic sequencing is underway to confirm the source of the Victorian man’s infection, which was detected on Friday morning.

 

Mr McGowan said the 54-year-old — who arrived from China and was in a room across from the couple from India and beside the UK mother and child’s room — completed his two weeks’ quarantine on April 17 and spent five days in the Perth community as a ‘tourist’.

 

“We now need to assume he was infectious during this five day period,” he said.

 

A female friend the man was staying with in the Perth suburb of Kardinya tested positive to the virus on Friday through a rapid test but her two children have come back negative. Health Minister Roger Cook said the woman was asymptomatic and appeared to be “early on” in her experience of the virus.

 

Health authorities are awaiting results of further close contacts.

 

“We now have two positive cases that have been in our community from April 17,” Mr McGowan said.

 

“We can’t take any chances with the virus, we just can’t.

 

“From midnight tonight, people will need to stay in the Perth and Peel regions and won’t be able to leave unless you have an exemption.

 

“There will be four reasons to leave your house, these are work because you can’t work from home or remotely; shopping for essentials like groceries, medical or healthcare needs … and exercise with a maximum of four people, limited to one hour per day and masks must be worn unless it’s vigorous exercise.

 

“Masks are mandatory from 6pm tonight.”

 

Restaurants, cafes and pubs will provide takeaway services only. Weddings and funerals are permitted with a 100 patron limit.

 

The Fremantle Dockers game against North Melbourne on Saturday will go ahead, but without crowds.

 

About 40 ANZAC Day services in Perth-Peel have been cancelled for a second year in a row and Mr McGowan said it looked like there would be a repeat of last year where West Australians stood in their driveways at dawn instead.

 

The Western Force and Perth Wildcats games on Friday will still go ahead with crowds allowed but the Premier has urged people not to go.

 

Facilities on Rottnest Island are shutting and holiday makers have been told they would be under the same restrictions as other Perth-Peel residents if they stayed.

 

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 23, 2021, 4:29 a.m. No.13493848   🗄️.is 🔗kun

>>13493840

 

2/2

 

Where are the possible transmission sites?

 

The infected man attended several venues across Perth before flying to Melbourne on Wednesday on a plane with 257 people on board.

 

Mr McGowan said anyone who was on flight QF778 from Perth to Melbourne on April 21 at 1.05pm, and had since returned to WA would need to be tested immediately and self-quarantine for 14 days.

 

The Melbourne man did not have the SafeWA App, which people in the state use to check into different locations as a contact tracing aid, but his friend who has tested positive to the virus did.

 

Upon landing in Victoria, the Mercure Hotel case, who was asymptomatic, was contacted immediately by WA health authorities who instructed him to isolate and get tested, as he was deemed a close contact of the other positive cases, all on the sixth floor of the hotel.

 

Following the breach, 17 other guests who had completed their quarantine were identified as having been on the same floor.

 

Chief Health Officer recommended Mercure Hotel close a week ago

 

Chief Health Officer Andy Robertson recommended the Mercure Hotel no longer operate as a quarantine facility on April 14, around the same time the cross-corridor infections would have been occurring.

 

Documents released by the state government late on Thursday revealed ventilation in the 1970s hotel had been identified on April 8 as the riskiest among WA’s 10 quarantine hotels.

 

An engineer who inspected the facility found the corridors had no independent airflow, with oxygen supply leaking from the adjoining rooms.

 

“Given the degree of positive pressure, leakage likely between rooms and corridor,” a table summary read.

 

The Mercure will now become a facility to quarantine seasonal workers from low-risk countries.

 

South West dash

 

The South West region has not been included in the lockdown unlike the previous period of restrictions that were handed down in January when a hotel security guard tested positive to the virus.

 

Deputy Chief Health Officer Paul Armstrong said the government had learned from its previous experience when the South West was let out of lockdown early.

 

“We think the Perth region and the Peel region are contiguous … so that’s where we’ve landed,” he said.

 

“Any of these decisions are a balance between what we perceive to be the risk and the pragmatism and the sort of difficulty in doing things and the practicalities of it.”

 

People who live in the Perth and Peel regions who made plans to travel for the long weekend to the South West will still be able to do so before midnight on Friday.

 

WA Police Commissioner Chris Dawson asked people not to rush, however, and to drive carefully.

 

“We want you to keep safe on the roads. We accept and know many people with plans for this long weekend,” he said.

 

“If you’re driving and you’ve made plans, don’t leave this to the last minute just drive safely and normally.

 

“Logistically the lockdown, we have staged this from midnight tonight for a number of practical reasons.

 

“I can’t deploy police to these vehicle checkpoints for instance on the Perth-Peel boundaries until midnight.”

 

https://www.smh.com.au/national/western-australia/perth-plunged-into-lockdown-over-mercure-hotel-cluster-20210423-p57lwb.html

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 23, 2021, 6 p.m. No.13498580   🗄️.is 🔗kun

Repost from Q Research General #17088

 

>>13491311 (pb)

 

Godspeed, Patriots (WW).

You are the bravest men and women on Earth.

We fight beside you.

We fight for you.

We fight with you.

Your names will never be forgotten.

Your stories will never go untold.

Your love for humanity will never fade.

We are with you (always).

WWG1WGA!

 

“For the Lord I know, has plans for you..”

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 23, 2021, 6:06 p.m. No.13498643   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>8652 >>8728 >>8829 >>8908 >>0805 >>2873 >>0211 >>0268 >>1305

Frail-looking Ghislaine Maxwell makes first appearance to plead not guilty to sex trafficking charges

 

British socialite appeared in person for the first time since her arrest in July after being granted rare permission by the judge

 

Josie Ensor - 23 April 2021

 

1/2

 

It was the day Ghislaine Maxwell had spent nine months and 13 days waiting for - the chance to plead her innocence in front of a packed New York courtroom.

 

An arraignment is usually a procedural affair, particularly in the time of Covid where defendants mostly opt to appear via videolink, but Ms Maxwell was determined to have her moment before the judge.

 

The British socialite on Friday appeared in person for the first time since her arrest in July after being granted rare permission by Judge Alison Nathan.

 

She pleaded not guilty to the two new sex trafficking charges against her, speaking in her clipped British accent only to confirm she understood the charges and was waiving her right to have them read publicly.

 

The 59-year-old had already pleaded not guilty to charges of recruiting and grooming teenage girls from 1994-1997 to provide sexual massages to her one-time boyfriend Jeffrey Epstein.

 

Ms Maxwell’s lawyers have been claiming in various appeals for bail that she has lost weight and that her hair has been falling out as a result of the “Kafkaesque” prison conditions in a Brooklyn federal prison.

 

She did appear frailer than her last virtual appearance in July.

 

Dressed only in a thin baby blue t-shirt and black tracksuit bottoms with her feet in shackles, she crossed her arms tightly as if to warm her much smaller frame.

 

As she listened to the judge she ran her hands through a lank, greying mop of hair that has now grown to shoulder length - no longer the trademark pixie cut she has become known for.

 

Ms Maxwell's sister Isabel, who resides in the US, was in court for the hearing. Dressed in a black beret, glasses and a face mask, she tried to shield herself from photographers.

 

At one point Ms Maxwell turned to wave at her in the public gallery.

 

Her court appearance was the first time she has been seen by a member of her family since she was arrested in a dawn raid on the home she shared with her husband Scott Borgerson in New Hampshire in July.

 

Mr Borgerson, 44, an American entrepreneur, was nowhere to be seen on Friday, however. Her lawyer, David Oscar Markus, declined to say why he had not shown up in support.

 

Little has been seen of Mr Borgerson since he stepped down from his tech company CargoMetrics to avoid being a “distraction”.

 

The defendant's brother, Ian Maxwell, who after months of silence last month launched a PR campaign to have his sister freed from custody, was unable to travel from the UK due to Covid-19 restrictions.

 

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 23, 2021, 6:08 p.m. No.13498652   🗄️.is 🔗kun

>>13498643

 

2/2

 

Due to the coronavirus most hearings in the Southern District of New York are taking place via Zoom or through a dial-in phone line.

 

However, Ms Maxwell requested to appear in person after a January hearing held by videolink was hijacked by 14,000 QAnon conspiracy theorists who illegally streamed the proceedings on YouTube.

 

Those present in the courtroom were required to undergo strict temperature checks and made to wear two masks.

 

Danielle Bensky, 34, a victim of Epstein's who was sat in the public gallery, said she had come to face Ms Maxwell.

 

"To be honest I was too afraid to come to the Epstein trial so this is a new feeling for me to sit there and accept a lot of things. I do think it's hard to sit through it and it's painful, but it's good too, it's healing," she said after the brief 10-minute hearing.

 

Outside the Manhattan courthouse, protesters held up a banner reading: "Epstein is the worst kind of virus".

 

Sources close to the Maxwell family told The Telegraph that Friday’s appearance was about her wanting to “face her accusers head on”, as well as it being a welcome break from her prison cell at Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center.

 

Ms Maxwell’s legal team has applied for bail and been rejected three times. Judge Nathan ruled that with three passports and considerable assets she continued to be a significant flight risk.

 

In the latest appeal, Ms Maxwell even offered to rescind her British and French citizenship in order to leave prison to prepare for her trial at home.

 

Appealing to a higher court, her lawyers told the Second US Circuit Court of Appeals that Ms Maxwell has not been given an adequate opportunity to prove that she would not flee if she was allowed to await trial at home under 24-hour armed guard and with collateral posted to support a $28.5 million (£20m) bail.

 

The bond - one of the largest in US history - comes from joint funds with Mr Borgerson, as well as money put up by family members and friends.

 

In a press conference after the hearing, Mr Markus said he had visited "courageous and tough" Ms Maxwell the previous night in prison and said she was “holding up” but that in his 23 years in the job he has never seen a defendant "treated so poorly".

 

“She’s looking forward to fighting, and she will fight,” he told the gathered media.

 

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/04/23/ghislaine-maxwell-makes-court-appearance-plead-not-guilty-sex/

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 23, 2021, 6:17 p.m. No.13498728   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1305

>>13498643

In court, Ghislaine Maxwell pleads not guilty to new charges

 

LARRY NEUMEISTER and TOM HAYS - Apr 23, 2021

 

NEW YORK (AP) — Ghislaine Maxwell faced her trial judge in person for the first time Friday as lawyers squabbled over exactly when she should be tried on sex trafficking charges that allege that she procured teenage girls for Jeffrey Epstein to sexually abuse at his posh residences.

 

Maxwell, a British socialite and one-time girlfriend of the financier, pleaded not guilty to sex trafficking conspiracy and an additional sex trafficking charge that were added in a rewritten indictment released last month by a Manhattan federal court grand jury. The new indictment stretched the timespan of the charges from three years to a decade.

 

Wearing a prison blue short-sleeved smock, Maxwell sat with her lawyers before U.S. District Judge Alison J. Nathan took the bench in a courtroom where everyone wore masks and sat apart from one another to protect against the coronavirus. Members of the media were in the jury box.

 

Maxwell answered “Yes, your honor” when she was asked if she had seen the indictment and “I have, your honor” when asked if she had ample opportunity to review it.

 

Her lawyers maintain they need months of additional preparation because of the new charges, making it impossible to keep a July 12 trial date. Prosecutors have said the new charges should not require substantial additional work because they add a single victim to the three already described in the indictment.

 

The judge didn't make an immediate decision on a possible new date for the trial, but told lawyers she wants to avoid a long delay.

 

As Maxwell was led out of court by deputy marshals, she kissed two of her lawyers on the cheek through her mask and waved to two spectators, including her sister.

 

Epstein and Maxwell accuser Danielle Bensky, a client of high-profile attorney David Boies, sat among several spectators directly behind the black-haired Maxwell. Her view of the defendant was partially obscured by a man whose black jacket was emblazoned with “US Marshal."

 

“I think it's incredibly vindicating to see her sit there," Benksy said outside court. "I do think that it's hard to do and it's painful, but it's good too.”

 

The Associated Press does not name victims of sexual assault unless they come forward publicly, as Bensky has. Her accusations are not part of the indictment.

 

Outside court, Boies said he hoped to have at least one of over a dozen Epstein accusers he represents at every court hearing involving Maxwell prior to her trial. One of his clients is among the four women whose claims are outlined in the indictment.

 

“I think it's important they have access to what's going on and that the court knows this case is important to them,” he said.

 

Epstein took his own life at a Manhattan federal jail in August 2019 while awaiting a sex-trafficking trial.

 

Maxwell, 59, has been in custody at a federal lockup in Brooklyn since her arrest last July at a $1 million New Hampshire estate where her lawyers say she went to live to avoid the spotlight of media attention and to remain safe from threats. Prosecutors, though, say she took steps to hide her whereabouts and movements.

 

Outside court, Maxwell attorney David Markus called his client “courageous and tough.”

 

He said it was difficult for Maxwell's sister, Isabel, to be in court as well.

 

The lawyer said two of Maxwell's brothers wanted to be there, too, but were unable to come from England because of COVID-19 restrictions.

 

“But they are behind their sister 1,000%,” he said.

 

Maxwell has failed three times in her bid to be granted bail, despite offering a $28.5 million package and agreeing to live with electronic monitoring and armed guards who would ensure she does not leave a New York City residence. The U.S. citizen also has offered to give up citizenship in the United Kingdom and France. A bail appeal hearing is scheduled next week before the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

 

In court documents, prosecutors say Maxwell recruited at least three teenage girls, including a 14-year-old, between 1994 and 1997 for Epstein to sexually abuse. The superseding indictment says another teenage girl was recruited in the early 2000s, when she was 14. The indictment alleges Maxwell sometimes joined in the abuse.

 

A lawyer for Maxwell requested the in-person arraignment Friday, citing “media coverage” and a “debacle” that occurred during a remote hearing in a related civil case before another judge, when members of the public clogged up a line provided by the court for people outside the courthouse to listen in.

 

https://apnews.com/article/ny-state-wire-trials-ghislaine-maxwell-05c7d66a0885da88021a908615c211ba

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 23, 2021, 6:30 p.m. No.13498829   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1305

>>13498643

Ghislaine Maxwell pleads not guilty to new sex trafficking charges

 

Kara Scannell - April 23, 2021

 

(CNN) - Ghislaine Maxwell, the former girlfriend of the late Jeffrey Epstein, pleaded not guilty to federal sex trafficking charges Friday in her first court appearance since her arrest last summer.

 

Maxwell entered the New York courtroom in a dark blue prison outfit with her ankles shackled and her hair, now slightly grayed at the roots, hanging just below her shoulders. She wore a mask, except when she drank water from a plastic bottle.

 

She spoke only to tell the judge she waived her reading of the indictment while her attorney informed the judge she would plead not guilty to the charges.

 

Federal prosecutors filed conspiracy and sex trafficking charges against Maxwell in a superseding indictment last month, alleging she recruited and groomed a 14-year-old girl to engage in sex acts with Epstein as recently as 2004 and paid her hundreds of dollars in cash.

 

The new charges alleged more recent conduct than what prosecutors initially charged. Last summer, Maxwell was charged by New York federal prosecutors with conspiracy and enticing minors to travel to engage in illegal sex acts, and the transportation of minors to engage in criminal sexual activity for allegedly grooming, recruiting and abusing underage girls from 1994 to 1997.

 

She has vigorously denied the previous allegations and pleaded not guilty to the earlier charges.

 

Maxwell, who is being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, asked for the in-person arraignment Friday. One of her sisters was in the courtroom. Also attending the brief court hearing was one of Epstein's accusers.

 

She has been in federal custody since last July, when she was arrested by FBI agents at a secluded mansion in New Hampshire.

 

Lawyers for Maxwell have argued for her to be released on bail, saying jail conditions have caused her to lose hair, weight and the ability to concentrate. But US District Judge Alison Nathan has denied those requests, finding her wealth, international ties and "extraordinary capacity to avoid detection" made her a flight risk.

 

The judge ruled last week that two perjury counts Maxwell faces for allegedly lying in a deposition taken in a civil lawsuit brought by alleged victims will be tried separately. The judge has not yet ruled on Maxwell's request to delay the trial on sex trafficking charges, which is currently set for July.

 

Maxwell was arrested almost exactly one year after federal prosecutors charged Epstein with running a sex trafficking operation between 2002 and 2005 at his homes in Manhattan and Palm Beach, Florida. Epstein allegedly worked with employees and associates to lure the girls to his residences and paid some of his victims to recruit other girls for him to abuse, according to the indictment.

 

Epstein, who pleaded not guilty, died on August 10, 2019, while awaiting trial in federal prison. His death was ruled a suicide by the New York City chief medical examiner's office, but a doctor hired by Epstein's family to conduct an independent autopsy has disputed that conclusion.

 

https://edition.cnn.com/2021/04/23/us/ghislaine-maxwell-not-guilty-plea/index.html

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 23, 2021, 6:40 p.m. No.13498908   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1305

>>13498643

Ian tears into Govt's flailing investigation - flags dubious tactics & lack of due process

 

Real Ghislaine

 

24 Apr 2021

 

Maxwell family slams US Government's investigation of Ghislaine following Epstein death - Calls out dubious tactics, lack of due process and stresses their sister's right to presumption of innocence.

 

Visit http://www.realghislaine.com​

Twitter: @realghislaine

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1PtcyHnqbU

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 23, 2021, 6:51 p.m. No.13498959   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1281

>>13460325

Jacinda Ardern savaged as British Parliament declares treatment of Uighurs ‘genocide’

 

Latika Bourke - April 23, 2021

 

London: New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has been savaged for allegedly sucking up to China and turning her back on the Five Eyes alliance during a historic debate in which British MPs unanimously declared that China was carrying out genocide and crimes against humanity.

 

The vote on the motion addressing Beijing’s repression of the Uighurs in Xinjiang province was carried unanimously, making it the first time in the House of Commons’ history that MPs have passed a genocide motion without dissent.

 

During the debate, Australia was praised for its actions in standing up to China, despite the massive estimated $20 billion cost to the trading relationship. Beijing has blocked lobster, wine, barley and some coal imports since Canberra asked for an inquiry into the origins of coronavirus.

 

But MPs voiced concern about the New Zealand government’s recent comments cautioning against the Five Eyes expanding its remit beyond intelligence sharing — remarks that blindsided Australia but were immediately endorsed by the Chinese.

 

The Five Eyes is a spying network combining Australia’s allies the United States, UK, Canada and New Zealand. Ardern has opted out of several recent public statements criticising China’s increasing aggression, including its crackdown in Hong Kong.

 

Tory MP Bob Seely savaged the stance taken by Ardern, saying she was “in a hell of an ethical mess”.

 

“A prime minister who virtue signals whilst crudely sucking up to China whilst backing out of the Five Eyes agreement, which I think is an appallingly, appallingly short-sighted thing to be doing,” he said.

 

Seely said Britain needed to stand “shoulder-to-shoulder” with Australia.

 

“The Australians are calling out China and they’re doing it at trade risk. We need to make sure that they do not pay an ethical price,” he said.

 

The landmark genocide motion was put forward by Nus Ghani, a Muslim MP and member of Boris Johnson’s Conservative Party. She was one of a string of British MPs sanctioned by the Chinese Communist Party after the British government used Magnitsky legislation — named after a Russian dissident — to sanction Chinese officials responsible for the crackdown in Xinjiang.

 

Ghani said she hoped the historic event would spur Australia — which is refusing to label the human rights abuses in Xinjiang as genocide — into action.

 

“We hope this will send a strong geopolitical signal to our Australian allies,” Ghani told The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.

 

“Like-minded nations must stand together against these atrocities, and be united in their response. By slapping sanctions on elected representatives from around the world, China has brought us even closer together.

 

“We must redouble our efforts in defence of our common values, and Australia is a key and indispensable part of that.

 

“We look to our Australian friends to carry the torch of human rights still further, and make their views about the Uighur genocide known,” Ghani said.

 

Ardern’s office declined to comment.

 

Australian Labor Senator Kimberley Kitching, a co-chair of the Australian wing of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, a group of cross-party MPs from democratic legislatures around the world urging their governments to take a firmer stance on China policy, welcomed the Commons move but said governments needed to act.

 

“Today’s vote in the British Parliament is a clear sign that the world is waking up to the suffering of the Uighur people,” she said.

 

“The international community can no longer be idle in the face of this brutal repression.

 

“Condemning the abuses is not enough. So long as governments fail to take meaningful action to hold those responsible to account then these atrocities will continue.

 

“We only need to look to history to see where this ends,” Kitching said.

 

Rahima Mahmut from the World Uighur Congress told MPs and human rights campaigners: “I thank you all from the bottom of my heart.”

 

https://www.theage.com.au/world/europe/hell-of-an-ethical-mess-jacinda-ardern-savaged-as-british-parliament-declares-treatment-of-uighurs-genocide-20210421-p57kxc.html

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 23, 2021, 7:42 p.m. No.13499300   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>9304 >>1281

>>13485007

The call never came: Victoria’s China deal was done through Premier Daniel Andrews’ office

 

Anthony Galloway - April 23, 2021

 

1/2

 

When Premier Daniel Andrews suggested he wanted to pursue a Belt and Road agreement with the Chinese government, senior officials in Victoria’s jobs department waited to be called upon. That was five years ago. The call never came.

 

The Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources would ordinarily be the area to go to negotiate such an agreement with a foreign government. It had the trade expertise, the Global Victoria offices in China and the links into the Commonwealth’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to make it happen and ensure it was done correctly.

 

Instead, Andrews ran the show out of his own office and department. The deal was kept a closely guarded affair, with Andrews and then-secretary of Department of Premier and Cabinet, Chris Eccles, intimately involved in the process. The jobs department, along with the then-trade minister Philip Dalidakis, were sidelined.

 

A government spokeswoman on Thursday confirmed the process was led by the Premier’s department but insisted the jobs department was kept in the loop.

 

With fanfare, the Victorian government signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Chinese government on October 8, 2018, and a later “framework” agreement on October 23, 2019. While DFAT was consulted on the first agreement, it never saw the second deal until it was announced in the media. The deals signed Victoria onto China’s $1.5 trillion global infrastructure initiative, allowing for Chinese investment in Victoria and for Victorian companies to participate in Chinese government projects overseas under the Belt and Road Initiative banner. Neither deal was ever approved by Andrews’ cabinet.

 

This week, all that work came crashing down. The federal government announced on Wednesday night it had cancelled the two Victorian deals made under Chinese President Xi Jinping’s signature foreign policy, on the grounds that they contradicted Australia’s national interest.

 

With Andrews still on leave recovering from a spinal injury, not a single member of the state government would defend the deal on Thursday. Employment and Small Business Minister Jaala Pulford said cancelling the BRI agreement would not have an adverse effect on the state’s pipeline of infrastructure projects, adding it was “a matter for the Commonwealth government”.

 

National security experts were left wondering: How did we get here? Why did the state government press ahead with two agreements that signed up to another country’s foreign policy effectively against the wishes of Canberra? Why wasn’t it stopped sooner?

 

Had Andrews consulted his own trade and foreign policy experts in the jobs department, they might have told him that Canberra was just waking up to the growing threat of the BRI in the region. The federal government was growing increasingly concerned about China’s “debt-trap diplomacy” under the scheme, whereby developing countries are loaded with unsustainable debts with the intention of extracting economic or political concessions. Canberra had already begun countering China’s growing assertiveness in the Pacific with its own infrastructure packages for the region.

 

Had Andrews consulted his own federal Labor colleagues, they might have told him that while the opposition didn’t rule out supporting individual BRI projects, it was its policy not to sign up to the program as a whole. Had he consulted either then-prime minister Malcolm Turnbull or his successor, Scott Morrison, they might have told him that the politics on China was rapidly changing.

 

Along the way, many theories emerged about why Andrews was so close to China, with seemingly no economic benefit when compared to other states. The links of some of his staffers were put under intense scrutiny.

 

Andrews’s adviser Marty Mei was named a “special consultant” to the Shenzhen Association of Australia, part of a network of groups run by the Chinese Communist Party’s United Front Work Department. His electorate officer, Nancy Yang, once undertook a CCP propaganda training course and last year posted a series of articles and videos on social media suggesting the coronavirus was created by the United States and transported to China by the US Army. Andrews repeatedly defended both of his staffers.

 

Andrews visited China six times as Premier and at least once as opposition leader. He also made all of his ministers visit the country at least once.

 

It also must be said that Andrews’s penchant for centralising decision-making wasn’t confined to the BRI deals; from the Suburban Rail Loop to the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Victorian Premier has always been criticised for avoiding internal stakeholders that may object or have a different point of view.

 

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 23, 2021, 7:42 p.m. No.13499304   🗄️.is 🔗kun

>>13499300

 

2/2

 

The Premier always defended the BRI deals on the basis that they would create more jobs and economic opportunities for his state. But he has never been able to name a single job or project that was created because of his decision to sign up to the BRI.

 

Given Andrews’ lack of consultation, it was easy to see how Victoria failed to read the tea leaves. After all, a year before Victoria signed the MOU, the federal government reached its own BRI agreement with the Chinese government. While this deal only applied to the participation of Australian firms in third party countries, it remains an embarrassment within senior ranks of the federal government and DFAT. It is the deal that dare not be mentioned.

 

And back in 2017, the federal government was sending out mixed messages on BRI. In May of that year, then-trade minister Steven Ciobo, prior to attending the first Belt and Road Forum in Beijing, said: “Australia supports the aims of initiatives such as the Belt and Road that improve infrastructure development and increased opportunities in the Asia-Pacific region.” It also allowed a 99-year lease of the Port of Darwin to a Chinese-owned company in 2015 – a move that would be unthinkable today.

 

The federal government was, itself, slow to wake up to the existential threat posed by China’s growing assertiveness. In 2017, it was forced to back down on a controversial extradition treaty with Beijing amid opposition from Labor and its own backbench.

 

Later that year, the eyes of the senior ranks of the then-Turnbull government finally opened to what former ASIO director-general Duncan Lewis described as the Chinese Communist Party’s intention to “take over” Australia’s political system. In 2018, the Turnbull government passed world-leading legislation targeting foreign interference in politics and other domestic affairs.

 

While 2017 doesn’t seem that long ago, the centre of gravity on the question of China’s rise has completely shifted. This has been sparked by Beijing’s militarisation of the South China Sea, the democratic crackdown in Hong Kong, the detention of more than 1 million Uighurs in Xinjiang’s forced labour camps, and China’s economic coercion against countries that stand up to it, including Australia.

 

Andrews wasn’t ignorant of these issues. Last year, fending off criticism about a Chinese company building a fleet of trains for Victoria being linked to China’s mass internment of Uighurs, Andrews said he did not “agree with everything that is done in every country”.

 

Victorian Liberal MP Tim Wilson, one of the first federal MPs to call for a more assertive foreign policy towards the CCP, says Australia’s journey on rebalancing its relationship with Beijing and reasserting its sovereignty and interests has “been rapid and welcome”.

 

“In 2016 the prevailing view in Canberra was to see the relationship solely through economic opportunity and blinkered to some risks, whereas now a realism has now been normalised,” he says.

 

Labor senator Kimberley Kitching, chair of Federal Parliament’s Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade References Committee, says it was part of the CCP’s strategy to bypass federal governments and create a “wedge” within a country.

 

“The CCP used the Victorian deals as a propaganda tool to spruik the BRI to our neighbours,” she says. “We need to speak with one voice here, because if we don’t, we’re allowing a foreign regime to subvert our national interest.”

 

In 2020, as criticism of the Victorian government’s approach to China escalated, the Morrison government announced new foreign agreement veto laws. The legislation, passed in December, required Foreign Minister Marise Payne to cancel agreements that states, territories, local governments and universities enter into with an overseas government if they contradict Australia’s national interest.

 

Along with the two BRI deals, Payne also announced this week she was cancelling two Victorian government education agreements – one struck with Iran in 2004 and another with Syria in 1999. She warned other agreements could be announced in the coming months.

 

Michael Shoebridge, director of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute’s defence program, says it is now impossible to separate security and diplomatic policy from trade and economics.

 

“Any decision that misses that point leads to really bad decisions like Victoria’s two BRI agreements,” he says.

 

In Canberra, the merging of security and economic policy was occurring as far back as 2017. Andrews just had to look beyond his own department to see it was happening.

 

https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/the-call-never-came-victoria-s-china-deal-was-done-through-premier-daniel-andrews-office-20210422-p57lik.html

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 23, 2021, 7:43 p.m. No.13499309   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>9324 >>1281

>>13485007

'Insidious': Former ASIO boss warns on Chinese interference in Australia

 

Peter Hartcher - November 22, 2019

 

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Former ASIO boss Duncan Lewis has said the Chinese government is seeking to "take over" Australia's political system through its "insidious" foreign interference operations.

 

Any person in political office was a potential target, he said, with the full impact perhaps not apparent for decades.

 

In the only interview Mr Lewis has given since retiring in September, he also urged Australia's Chinese community to help security agencies in the same way local Muslim communities identified threats of terrorist activity.

 

Asked what the Chinese government wanted from Australia, Mr Lewis said: "They are trying to place themselves in a position of advantage."

 

As well as targeting politicians, Chinese authorities were working to win influence in social, business and media circles, he said.

 

"Espionage and foreign interference is insidious. Its effects might not present for decades and by that time it's too late. You wake up one day and find decisions made in our country that are not in the interests of our country," Mr Lewis said.

 

"Not only in politics but also in the community or in business. It takes over, basically, pulling the strings from offshore."

 

Mr Lewis was the director-general of security for five years as head of ASIO, the intelligence agency whose primary job is to guard against foreign interference.

 

He did not single out China during his term in office. When he spoke of malign state actors posing an "existential" threat to Australia, it was a generic reference to foreign governments.

 

But in the post-retirement interview, he said while it was not only China that preoccupied the Australian authorities, it was "overwhelmingly" China.

 

Covert foreign intrusion into the heart of Australian politics was "something we need to be very, very careful about", he said in the interview for the forthcoming Quarterly Essay, Red Flag: Waking up to China's challenge, to be published on Monday.

 

"One spectacular case in NSW was Sam Dastyari. It's quite clear to me that any person in political office is potentially a target. I'm not trying to create paranoia, but there does need to be a level of sensible awareness.

 

"When people talked about [how to define foreign interference in] our political system, I used to get the comment, 'We will know it if we see it'. But not necessarily. Not if it's being done properly. There would be some I don't know about."

 

Former Labor senator Sam Dastyari quit Parliament in 2017 after a series of revelations about his links to Chinese Communist Party-aligned interests in Australia.

 

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 23, 2021, 7:45 p.m. No.13499324   🗄️.is 🔗kun

>>13499309

 

2/2

 

Mr Lewis, formerly Australia's inaugural national security adviser and one-time head of Australia's Special Forces as well as a previous ambassador to Belgium and NATO and secretary of the Defence Department, said the political funding system was especially vulnerable and called for its reform.

 

"I do worry about the issue of financing political parties," he said. "We need a mechanism that maintains parties free of foreign influence."

 

The Turnbull government, with Labor's support, passed laws against foreign interference in 2018. Then prime minister Malcolm Turnbull named Russia and North Korea when he introduced the bills to parliament, but hinted clearly at the primary threat: "Media reports have suggested that the Chinese Communist Party has been working to covertly interfere with our media, our universities and even the decisions of elected representatives right here in this building. We take these reports very seriously."

 

Beijing maintains that it does not spy or intrude on Australia. Even after a Chinese diplomat, Chen Yonglin, defected to Australia in 2005 and warned of the Chinese government's infiltration strategy, the Chinese authorities insisted such claims were baseless and malicious.

 

After he defected from his post as first secretary for political affairs in China's consulate-general in Sydney, Mr Chen wrote that "the Communist Party of China had begun a structured effort to infiltrate Australia in a systematic way".

 

Mr Lewis said Australia's first line of defence was the community: "We need a more prepared community but we have a way to go yet. ASIO can't do it by itself. ASIO is very dependent on the community to be alert, but not paranoid."

 

He said the help of the community was essential in defeating terrorism in Australia. The Muslim community, in particular, supplied invaluable warnings to the police and ASIO and was indispensable to public safety.

 

"The Chinese-Australian community could and should be as vital in the work against foreign covert influence", he said, including against Beijing's United Front and political corruption.

 

The United Front Work Department is an agency of the Chinese government that seeks covertly to extend Beijing's control through organising the Chinese diaspora abroad. Chinese President Xi Jinping has described it as one of the three "magic weapons" of the Chinese Communist Party, together with the People's Liberation Army and party-building activities.

 

https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/insidious-former-asio-boss-warns-on-chinese-interference-in-australia-20191121-p53cv2.html

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 23, 2021, 7:57 p.m. No.13499394   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1281

>>13485007

Australia tearing up formal Belt and Road deal has little exemplary effect

 

Shen Yujia - Apr 22, 2021

 

Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne announced on Wednesday that the federal government would override the Victorian state government's decision to sign up to the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). National security reasons were cited.

 

The move will further plummet the already sour China-Australia relations to a new low. Some Australian experts believe Canberra could have just let the deal lapse and not approve new agreements. But it chose to scrap the deal at this time. This truly shows that Australia does not care about its relations with China anymore.

 

Australia obviously wants to send a signal to the international community and set an example to the other countries which have been cooperating with China under the BRI framework. Among these countries, its close neighbor New Zealand is the first target for this provocation.

 

Payne's announcement to cancel the deal came as she was visiting New Zealand. There has been much media coverage about the divergences between Australia and New Zealand in their handling of China-related affairs. Australia was apparently annoyed by New Zealand Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta's recent remarks that the country was "uncomfortable with expanding the remit of the Five Eyes." There was anger over Wellington making its independent foreign policy. This is a stark contrast to the Australian way of attaching itself tight on the US' anti-China crusade.

 

Indeed, just four months ago in January, Australia also fumed after New Zealand's trade minister suggesting that the country could mend ties with China by showing its government more "respect."

 

Taking her stay in New Zealand as a chance to make the announcement, Payne hopes to sound an alarm bell to Wellington. Australia has long held a sense of superiority over New Zealand as it assumes a more ambitious posture toward a greater regional leadership role. It hopes New Zealand will follow it closely.

 

Some Western scholars believe Wellington is the West's "woke weak link" regarding its role to contain China. In essence, New Zealand's core values are of no difference in comparison to other countries of the Five Eyes alliance. But the geographical situation of New Zealand sharply differs from that of Australia. The "neighborhood" of New Zealand is Australia and Pacific islands. But Australia is situated close to Southeast Asia. So their interests in the region also differ.

 

Wellington is pragmatic. It has signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding on the BRI. It is always willing to participate in the BRI in a third country. This includes offering consulting services to Chinese companies in Pacific countries. But New Zealand is also wary of China's increasing influence in countries such as Fiji.

 

Australia's moves will pile more pressure on New Zealand. But Wellington's foreign policy tends to be stable. Given its position in the international order, Australia will not affect New Zealand's diplomacy unless Wellington thinks that the BRI would pose a national security threat to it. But this possibility is small. Wellington has a clear awareness of its geopolitical situation. It knows it is a country that depends on China in terms of trade.

 

As a loyal follower of the US, Australia is not being wise with its China dealings. Almost every country, which unwarrantedly fears China's influence but highly depends on China, is well aware of this fact. Australia can hardly serve as an example to these countries. Nor can it strong-arm others who have BRI deals with China to back out just because of the Morrison administration.

 

Whereas Pacific island countries are still in the strategic sphere of Australia, some of them may take a wait-and-see attitude toward joining the BRI. China's trade measures against Australia have already made it feel the pain. In the wake of Australia's cancellation of the BRI deals, China can engage more with BRI participant countries to work out more successful projects as showcase. It will be more effective than countermeasures as Australia watches from the sidelines while BRI projects bring economic opportunities to other countries, boosting their relations with China in ways the Morrison government totally misjudged.

 

The author is an associate researcher at the School of International Relations, Sichuan University, and also a researcher at the Pacific Research Center of Beijing Foreign Studies University. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn

 

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202104/1221826.shtml

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 23, 2021, 7:58 p.m. No.13499403   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1281

>>13485007

GT Voice: Australia in over its head with provocative action

 

Global Times - Apr 22, 2021

 

The Australian federal government on Wednesday used a new anti-China law to tear up agreements signed between the state of Victoria and China on the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), in an unreasonable and deliberate provocation against China.

 

Not surprisingly, the move has drawn the ire of officials in Beijing. On Thursday, a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry urged Australia to immediately reverse its wrong decision and stop irresponsible words and deeds regarding the China-Australia relationship, or China will definitely respond "firmly and forcefully."

 

Canberra must have known or even anticipated that its action would draw such a furious response and potentially crippling countermeasures from Beijing. However, it still decided to move ahead with the action. Clearly, Canberra is increasingly unhinged and in way over its head by taking such a suicidal attack on not just China but also its own economic interests.

 

Since the cancellation of the BRI deals, speculation has been rife that Canberra may soon suffer from the wrath of its largest trading partner. Given the viciousness and seriousness of the move, we won't be surprised if China takes forceful countermeasures to inflict serious pain on Australia. With China's comprehensive strength, there are numerous ways for China to achieve that. If anyone in Canberra has doubts about that, just take a look at how China beat back US' trade aggressions over the past several years. And keep in mind, Australia is nothing more than a tiny sidekick of the US.

 

Even though China has not retaliated against the flurry of hostile moves taken by Australia at the behest of the US, many Australia businesses, including winemakers, farmers and seafood exporters, have already suffered due to the downward spiral in bilateral relations.

 

Just last week, media reports said that Australian businesses are eager to address their trade woes by planning to send a high-level trade mission to China as soon as international travel restrictions are lifted. Perhaps rather than preparing for a trip to China, they should pay more attention to how their government is undercutting them and how it plans to help them, because the door to resolving disputes with China may have been shut by their government for the foreseeable future.

 

For a long time, China has called on Australia to take concrete actions to rectify its mistakes in order to ease tension between the two countries, but only to see politicians in Canberra pay lip service, while further poisoning bilateral relations with no regard for the consequences for people and businesses of both countries.

 

By calling all trade disputes with China "economic coercion," Canberra has only fanned the anti-China flame in Australia in dereliction of its responsibility. The recent trade measures China took against Australian products like barley and wine are based on Chinese laws and evidence to protect the Chinese public. Moreover, Australia officials deliberately ignored the fact that it has launched more than 100 anti-dumping and anti-subsidy investigations against Chinese products, while China only initiated four investigations against Australian goods.

 

With the cancellation of the BRI agreements, Canberra once again laid bare that it has no intention of easing tensions with China; instead, it is further seeking to poison bilateral cooperation with its largest trading partner. That just adds to a long list of hostile actions taken by Australia, which was the first country in the world to ban Huawei's 5G equipment and has shamelessly followed the US in every attempt to smear China over issues related to Hong Kong and Xinjiang, among others.

 

There is also another critical aspect of Australia's latest action. By unilaterally canceling the agreements, Canberra also sets a bad precedent for BRI cooperation. Other radical anti-China forces may copy such a damaging move to serve their own interests. That is more reason that countermeasures against Australia may be necessary to send an unmistakable signal that ill attempts to undermine win-win cooperation under the BRI won't let go unpunished.

 

The BRI is a massive economic cooperation plan aimed at improving infrastructure in various countries and regions and benefiting ordinary people. It was in recognition of the huge benefits in terms of infrastructure improvement and local jobs that the Victoria state government signed the BRI agreements in the first place. Now all the cooperative efforts may have been wasted.

 

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202104/1221840.shtml

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 23, 2021, 7:58 p.m. No.13499411   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>9414 >>1281

>>13485007

Australia's continued escalation of tensions prompts Chinese companies’ diversification drive

 

Analysts say nation could hit back hard against provocations

 

GT staff reporters - Apr 22, 2021

 

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Another downward spiral in China-Australia relationship serves as a fresh warning to the Chinese corporate sector that their businesses will not be hijacked by the deterioration of the tensions, industry insiders told the Global Times on Thursday.

 

Souring bilateral ties are already prompting Chinese businesses to think twice in their dealings with Australia, even in some of the most profitable areas, given the prospect of foreseeable trade decoupling between the two.

 

Australia unilaterally escalated bilateral tensions on Wednesday when its federal government tore up an agreement between the state of Victoria and China on the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), becoming the first country to withdraw from the China-proposed, open initiative that has received increasing international participation.

 

In China, the move was seen as an "unreasonable provocation."

 

An anonymous insider of a Guangdong-based natural gas group company, with the annual gas transport capacity up to billions of cubic meters, told the Global Times on Thursday that the company was in preliminary talks with potential suppliers from Australia, Qatar and Russia. However, with the continuous escalation of trade tensions between China and Australia, the company is considering a diversion of its business from Australia to other countries.

 

"Australia was a major focus of our future cooperation project, but we are now concerned that the escalation of trade tensions will bring about more risks and uncertainties to our business," said the insider, and the company will diversify its import sources to reduce these risks if bilateral relations deteriorate.

 

A manager working at a gas-fired power plant told the Global Times on condition of anonymity that the government has an influential sway over energy supply, which is a matter of great significance.

 

"Shifting away from Australia will add some costs, but national interests overweigh costs, and there are plentiful suppliers from countries that have no bilateral trouble with China," the person said.

 

Although there has no a big withdrawal for the energy sector, Chinese experts said that the Australian action, and the continuous fueling of anti-China sentiment by politicians in Canberra, could send bilateral trade and investment ties into a further downward spiral, further exposing the country's weakness as the economy is most dependent on China's.

 

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 23, 2021, 7:59 p.m. No.13499414   🗄️.is 🔗kun

>>13499411

 

2/2

 

As more Chinese businesses and the general public feel Australia's increasing antagonism toward China, a trade decoupling is expected to gain pace in the immediate future.

 

"For Chinese companies, diversifying their import sources will definitely be a trend. It is crucial to emphasize the diversity of sources in this growing trade complex, not only for companies, but also at the national level," Dong Xiucheng, a professor at the University of International Business and Economics told the Global Times on Thursday.

 

Dong said in recent years, Australia has been headstrong in acting as a deputy sheriff for the US, and it has deliberately created troubles. Such action has put energy cooperation between China and Australia in serious peril.

 

Even for iron ore, the most valuable export so far unaffected by tensions, the tremor before an earthquake can be felt. Chinese companies are diversifying their exploitation of iron ore in Africa, such as in Algeria, at a record pace amid soaring prices.

 

A long list of Australia's exports to China, from wine and lobster to timber and hay, ran into problems as bilateral ties took a dive starting in 2018 when Australia became the first country to ban Chinese telecoms firm Huawei's 5G.

 

However, in a matter of months, most Chinese wine importers shifted away from Australia and placed orders in other countries.

 

China's Foreign Ministry asked Australia to reverse its decision over the BRI deal, or, the ministry warned, China will hit back hard.

 

China's deputy head of mission to Australia Wang Xining said on Wednesday that "China is not a cow. I don't think anybody should fancy the idea to milk China when she's in her prime and plot to slaughter her in the end."

 

Chen Hong, a professor and director of the Australian Studies Center at the East China Normal University, noted that tearing up the BRI deal will deny Chinese help in infrastructure, which is overdue for an update and further development, and jobs for Victoria.

 

Australian media outlets also are fueling the flames.

 

On Wednesday, the Sydney Morning Herald carried a commentary describing Australia's approach to China as "meek and muddled."

 

Song Wei, an associate research fellow at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, told the Global Times that the US intends to keep Australia as its pawn in the Asia-Pacific region in its strategy to contain China.

 

The rising uncertainty from continuing frayed relations will force an increasing number of Chinese companies to look for alternatives to Australia, and that will slow the country's post-virus economic recovery, Song said.

 

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202104/1221852.shtml

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 23, 2021, 8:38 p.m. No.13499677   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>9686 >>1295

Three children rescued in the Philippines following Australian child sexual abuse investigations

 

1/2

 

Child sexual abuse investigations by the Australian Federal Police and New South Wales Police Force have led to arrest of two Australian men, as well as the rescue of three children and arrest of two women by Philippine authorities.

 

The children, aged between six and 17 years, were removed from harm after the AFP referred intelligence into the Philippine Internet Crimes Against Children Centre (PICACC).

 

The joint investigation undertaken by the Philippine National Police and the National Bureau of Investigation led to operational activity on 4 March 2021 in Manila. Two women, both aged 27, were arrested in the Philippines for their alleged role as facilitators of online child sexual abuse.

 

The Philippine arrests follow the AFP’s Brisbane Joint Anti Child Exploitation Team charging a 66-year-old Jamboree Heights, QLD, man in August 2020 with multiple child sexual abuse offences. Ongoing investigations by the AFP facilitated the referral to PICACC.

 

On 3rd November 2020, the New South Wales Police Force (NSWPF) arrested a 40-year-old New South Wales man who was allegedly communicating with the same women to pay for online abuse.

 

AFP Child Protection Operations Detective Superintendent Paula Hudson said the AFP worked with partners across the globe to remove children from harm.

 

“AFP child protection investigators work every day to help rescue some of the most vulnerable and bring the people who harm them to justice,’’ Detective Superintendent Hudson said.

 

“For the AFP, this work is about the children we save. Our officers never give up, no matter whether a child victim is based in Australia or overseas.”

 

The AFP’s Senior Officer in the Philippines, Detective Superintendent Andrew Perkins said this was another significant result for all the agencies involved.

 

“This latest rescue in the Philippines demonstrates the effectiveness of the PICACC, of which the AFP via our International Command in the Philippines is a partner agency. It also highlights the success of our relationship with Philippine Authorities as well as our domestic partners in Australia who work to protect children around the world.”

 

New South Wales Police Force (NSWPF) Child Exploitation Internet Unit (CEIU) Manager, Detective Chief Inspector Chris Goddard said these arrests send a clear message to those who prey on the community’s most vulnerable.

 

“The NSWPF continues to work hard to protect children and bring offenders to justice and this latest incident shows the collaborative approach we have with our partner agencies, both nationally and internationally, to investigate internet crimes against children,” Detective Chief Inspector Goddard said.

 

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 23, 2021, 8:39 p.m. No.13499686   🗄️.is 🔗kun

>>13499677

 

2/2

 

Philippine National Police Chief of the Women and Children Protection Centre, Police Brigadier General Alessandro Abella: “These latest results shows that the Covid 19 pandemic will not stop the Philippine National Police Women and Children Protection Centre and our partners from bringing perpetrators of crimes against children to justice. We stand committed to protecting and rescuing vulnerable children from the atrocities of these type of crimes.”

 

National Bureau of Investigation Chief of the Anti-Human Trafficking Division, Attorney Janet Francisco: “The National Bureau of Investigation remains steadfast in our commitment to combatting the sexual abuse and exploitation of children. Together with our national and international partners, we work collaboratively to investigate, arrest and prosecute those who would commit harm against our children, while working tirelessly to rescue those children from harmful situations.”

 

As of 21 April 2021, and since inception of the PICACC in February 2019, the PICACC has undertaken 118 operations that have resulted in the rescue of 372 victims. Eighty-four suspects/facilitators have been charged and thirteen offenders have been convicted. Australian Federal Police facilitated referrals from Australian based investigations has led to the arrest/charge of 35 of these suspects and the removal of 135 of these children from harm in the Philippines.

 

Further details on the PICACC are available:

 

https://www.afp.gov.au/news-media/media-releases/inauguration-philippine-internet-crimes-against-children-center

 

Members of the public who have any information about people involved in child abuse and exploitation are urged to call Crime stoppers on 1800 333 000.

 

https://crimestoppers.com.au

 

You can also make a report online by alerting the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation via the Report Abuse button.

 

https://www.accce.gov.au/report

 

EDITORS NOTE: Media are reminded of their obligations under s15A of the Children (Criminal Proceedings) Act 1987 (NSW) and s105 of the Children and Young Person (Care and Protection) Act 1998 (NSW).

 

Note to media:

 

Use of term ‘CHILD ABUSE’ MATERIAL NOT ‘CHILD PORNOGRAPHY’

 

The correct legal term is Child Abuse Material – the move to this wording was among amendments to Commonwealth legislation in 2019 to more accurately reflect the gravity of the crimes and the harm inflicted on victims.

 

Use of the phrase "child pornography" is inaccurate and benefits child sex abusers because it:

 

• indicates legitimacy and compliance on the part of the victim and therefore legality on the part of the abuser; and

 

• conjures images of children posing in 'provocative' positions, rather than suffering horrific abuse.

 

Every photograph or video captures an actual situation where a child has been abused.

 

**Editor’s note: Vision and images from this operation can be downloaded via Hightail - https://spaces.hightail.com/space/nVXeQgBqKN

 

https://www.afp.gov.au/news-media/media-releases/three-children-rescued-philippines-following-australian-child-sexual-abuse

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 23, 2021, 8:51 p.m. No.13499729   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>9733 >>1295

>>13452535

Identity of Melbourne couple guilty of keeping slave, who weighed just 40kg, revealed

 

The identity of a suburban couple who kept a slave in their Melbourne home for eight years can be revealed for the first time.

 

Caroline Schelle - APRIL 23, 2021

 

1/2

 

A Melbourne couple who paid an Indian grandmother $3.39 per day to be at their “beck and call” over eight years has been found guilty of enslaving the woman.

 

Kumuthini Kannan and her husband Kandasamy were found guilty of intentionally possessing the woman as a slave and exercising the right of ownership of a slave between July 2007 and July 2015.

 

After deliberating for a day and a half, jurors found the pair guilty on all charges on Friday afternoon.

 

The enslaved woman, now in her 60s, was paid just $3.39 per day for cooking, cleaning and taking care of the children during the eight years she was trapped in the Kannans’ home.

 

The names of the couple can finally be revealed after a suppression order on their identity was lifted following the verdict on Friday, despite their lawyers arguing it should be kept secret.

 

Justice John Champion said “the time had come” for the duo to be publicly identified following the 10-week trial.

 

Both now face a maximum penalty of 25 years behind bars.

 

The Indian-born grandmother was at Mr and Ms Kannan’s “beck and call” 24/7 when she was living with them, prosecutor Richard Maidment said.

 

Their motivation to risk their reputation, jobs and potential prosecution to keep her and harbour her was “crystal clear”, Mr Maidment said.

 

“They wanted essentially to import a true, tried and tested child carer and domestic servant, knowing that they could pay her next to nothing so that they could continue to live and maintain a five-bedroom home, that they could maintain their lifestyle,” he said.

 

The victim’s condition was uncovered when she was found shivering in a puddle of urine at the property on July 30, 2015.

 

Paramedics rushed the emaciated woman to hospital where it was found she weighed 40kg, had a temperature of 28.5C had sepsis and untreated diabetes.

 

She had moved to Australia in 2007 and was promised she would get paid for doing the household duties and taking care of the couple’s children.

 

The victim gave more than 30 hours of video evidence which was aired to the jury. Some of it was recorded while she was still in her hospital bed.

 

The woman said she endured horrific abuse including getting beaten with a frozen chicken, having hot water thrown on her and had lost her teeth.

 

“She will take a chicken, frozen chicken, and hit on my head and all that,” she told investigators through an interpreter.

 

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 23, 2021, 8:52 p.m. No.13499733   🗄️.is 🔗kun

>>13499729

 

2/2

 

The woman said in her evidence she had so many chores to complete she was only able to sleep for an hour every night.

 

“If I go and sleep then she will come and pour the water on me and then put the light, and she won’t let me sleep,” the victim said.

 

The enslaved woman was also trapped in the home when the family went on overseas trips and the food cupboard was taped shut, the stove was covered and she was only allowed to use the microwave to cook.

 

Her family had been in regular contact with the woman until 2012 but that dwindled until her daughter sent an email asking for the couple to send her mother back to India.

 

In one response Ms Kannan told the woman “get fcked” and in another: “Tell her to go fck herself”

 

The slave’s family contacted authorities in Australia who launched an investigation.

 

But the lawyer who represented Ms Kannan said jurors shouldn’t trust the victim’s version of events.

 

“Put simply … she was not honest, she was not trustworthy, she was not reliable,” barrister Gideon Boas told the court.

 

He said “harsh and exploitative conditions” do not amount to slavery.

 

Mr Kannan’s lawyer John Kelly SC described the relationship with the slave as one that was comparable to “mother and son”. He said the woman made “no complaint” about the son’s treatment of her.

 

“The one criticism of him that might be levelled against him is that he needed to be more assertive in the household, that’s about it,” Mr Kelly said of his client.

 

When the verdict was handed down Ms Kannan gasped, put her head in her hands and clutched onto her husband.

 

However the pair were granted bail when their lawyers argued there was no one else to care for their three teenage children.

 

The judge asked why they hadn’t made any preparations ahead of the verdict.

 

The pair “effectively placed a gun at the court’s head” because of their failure to consider the possibilities, Justice Champion said.

 

Their bail conditions would be akin to a “lockdown”situation”, Justice Champion said.

 

Mr and Mrs Kannan will return to face a pre-sentence hearing in June.

 

https://www.news.com.au/national/victoria/courts-law/couple-guilty-of-keeping-slave-who-weighed-just-40kg-in-melbourne-home/news-story/0d0d7469ca58590bc2c9dfa3fa35657d

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 23, 2021, 8:54 p.m. No.13499743   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>9745 >>1295

>>13452535

‘I have to obey’: Couple found guilty of keeping slave in Melbourne home

 

Adam Cooper - April 23, 2021

 

1/2

 

A wife and husband have been found guilty of keeping a woman as a slave in their Melbourne home for eight years.

 

Kumuthini Kannan and husband Kandasamy Kannan kept a Tamil Indian woman in their home in Mount Waverley as their domestic servant between July 2007 and July 2015, and paid her the equivalent of $3.39 a day, their Supreme Court trial heard.

 

The victim, who cannot be identified, gave evidence she was on call around the clock every day of the year and had to wash, clean, prepare food and care for the couple’s three children. The woman, who was in her 50s at the time, claimed that on some days she only had time for one hour of sleep.

 

She also claimed Mrs Kannan regularly physically and verbally abused her, including pouring boiling liquids on her and throwing hot tea in her face. The victim said she was also hit with a frozen chicken, cut with a knife and suffered a broken hand when she fell down stairs.

 

Prosecutors successfully argued the Kannans denied the woman her freedom, movement and other rights by not letting her outside the home by herself, denying her proper payment, health care and regular communications with her family in India.

 

The victim was found by ambulance paramedics lying in a pool of her own urine inside the home on July 30, 2015, in poor health and weighing about 40 kilograms, the trial heard. She was later treated in hospital for a urinary infection and undiagnosed diabetes.

 

Mrs Kannan, 53, on Friday gasped and put her hands over her face when a jury found her guilty of intentionally possessing a slave and intentionally exercising power over a slave. She then clutched her husband’s arm when the 57-year-old was found guilty of the same two charges.

 

The wife slumped forward sobbing afterwards as Justice John Champion thanked and discharged the jurors after their efforts. The verdicts came after the jury deliberated for two days following a 10-week trial.

 

Justice Champion later revoked a suppression order which had prevented media naming the pair during their trial. The judge also “reluctantly” granted them bail after the verdict until their pre-sentence hearing given there was no one else to care for their three teenage children.

 

Justice Champion said it was “pretty reprehensible” the couple had done nothing to prepare an emergency care plan for their children. The judge said he only granted bail out of concern for the children’s welfare.

 

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 23, 2021, 8:55 p.m. No.13499745   🗄️.is 🔗kun

>>13499743

 

2/2

 

Prosecutors had wanted the couple remanded because a jail term was inevitable. The offences carry maximum jail terms of 25 years.

 

The Kannans’ trial heard they met the woman in 2004 and that she stayed with them twice before visiting Melbourne in 2007 on a tourist visa.

 

Despite the woman’s family in India believing the arrangement was for her to be paid, the woman became a “prisoner in the house”, said prosecutor Richard Maidment, QC.

 

The woman was illiterate, did not speak English and had no connection to Melbourne’s Tamil-speaking community, Mr Maidment said. Mr and Mrs Kannan wielded “total control” over her, he said.

 

While the woman left the house at times, it was only to parks and on short holidays when accompanied by the family.

 

The couple ordered the woman not to speak to guests in the house, shower once a week so not to waste water and to eat after the family, the trial heard.

 

Mr Maidment said the couple exploited the woman while maintaining their own comfortable lifestyle, which included orders she stay inside the house when the family went overseas.

 

“It was crystal clear that they wanted essentially to import a true, tried and tested child carer and domestic servant, knowing that they could pay her next to nothing so that they could continue to live and maintain a five-bedroom home, that they could maintain their lifestyle … and also to afford family trips overseas pretty much every year and interstate also on a regular basis,” he told the jury in last week’s closing address.

 

During recorded interviews with a federal agent, the victim said of her plight: “What can I do? Helpless. I came here for money so I have to obey and do whatever I was told to do.”

 

Mr Maidment said Mrs Kannan was the aggressor towards the woman but her husband failed to intervene to help her and was complicit in arranging her arrival in Melbourne and staying years after her visa expired.

 

The couple’s lawyers said the woman’s allegations were full of inconsistencies, improbabilities and lies, and told the jury her evidence couldn’t be trusted beyond a reasonable doubt.

 

Gideon Boas, for Mrs Kannan, argued the woman’s evidence was “utterly dreadful” and there was insufficient evidence for the jury to convict his client, as she wasn’t on trial for being bossy, rude, immoral or screaming.

 

John Kelly, SC, said the victim never complained about the “gentle and respectful” way Mr Kannan treated her.

 

Mr Kelly said his client was meek and mild and cut a “fairly marginal and pathetic figure” in the house, and any evidence he was “a slaver” didn’t stack up.

 

The Kannans are to front a pre-sentence hearing on June 29.

 

https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/couple-found-guilty-of-keeping-woman-as-a-slave-in-melbourne-home-20210423-p57lva.html

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 23, 2021, 9:01 p.m. No.13499771   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>9775 >>1263

>>13407722

Ben Roberts-Smith case: Media can’t amend defence but can call on witnesses

 

Adam Cooper - April 23, 2021

 

1/2

 

The news outlets being sued by Ben Roberts-Smith have lost their bid to include in a defamation trial evidence of new allegations of serious criminal conduct against the former SAS soldier over his conduct in Afghanistan.

 

But a Federal Court judge on Friday granted The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald permission to use new evidence of eight Australian soldiers who are expected to detail Mr Roberts-Smith’s involvement in several incidents including the alleged murders of two Afghan men in 2009, to bolster the news outlets’ truth defence.

 

Mr Roberts-Smith, a highly decorated former soldier and Victoria Cross recipient, is suing The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald over reports he allegedly committed murder during deployments to Afghanistan between 2009 and 2012, and that he also allegedly punched his mistress in the face in Canberra in 2018.

 

Mr Roberts-Smith denies the allegations and says the reports are defamatory because they portray him as a criminal.

 

The media will defend the claim using a truth defence at a trial to start on June 7.

 

The news outlets this month applied to Justice Anthony Besanko to amend their defence to include evidence of two more incidents of what they called “very serious criminal conduct” on top of Mr Roberts-Smith’s alleged involvement in six unlawful killings as an Australian soldier in Afghanistan.

 

Justice Besanko on Friday refused the media’s application, but granted the news outlets’ lawyers the right to call on a group of Australian soldiers to give evidence about what they saw and knew about several incidents including the deaths of two Afghan men allegedly unlawfully killed on Easter Sunday 2009.

 

The judge said he was not yet ready to provide reasons for his decisions because of potential national security concerns.

 

Justice Besanko will next week hear arguments on whether the news outlets can include evidence from Mr Roberts-Smith’s former wife, Emma, one of her friends and a man who claims the former soldier attempted to intimidate a witness in an investigation into alleged war crimes.

 

The judge will also next week hear argument on which side presents its case first at trial.

 

Nicholas Owens, SC, for the publishers, said on Friday that it was agreed the news outlets would present their case first given they made the serious allegations, although Mr Roberts-Smith wanted to be the first witness.

 

Mr Owens said the “hybrid model” of Mr Roberts-Smith giving evidence during the media’s case was unworkable.

 

But Bruce McClintock, SC, for Mr Roberts-Smith, said it was his client’s “right” to be the first witness and rejected the suggestion the parties had agreed on a running order.

 

“The plaintiff [Mr Roberts-Smith] brings these proceedings. He wants to get into the witness box first and give his side of the story,” Mr McClintock said.

 

“My client wants to get into the witness box and say what happened in Afghanistan and face cross-examination. It’s something he actually looks forward to.”

 

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 23, 2021, 9:01 p.m. No.13499775   🗄️.is 🔗kun

>>13499771

 

2/2

 

Mr Roberts-Smith bore the onus of proving he was the soldier identified in the contentious media reports that did not name him and that they caused him damage to his reputation, his barrister said.

 

The Australian Federal Police is investigating the 2012 death of Afghan farmer Ali Jan, who was allegedly kicked off a cliff before he was shot dead, and considers Mr Roberts-Smith a suspect, the court has heard. No charges have been laid.

 

The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald this month reported that the AFP was also in possession of material that was stored on USB devices and allegedly buried in Mr Roberts-Smith’s backyard.

 

That material allegedly included Department of Defence drone videos of military operations in Afghanistan and photographs of Australian and American soldiers drinking out of the prosthetic leg of a dead Afghan man at a party in 2012.

 

Mr Roberts-Smith has denied he hid the material or failed to disclose it to the military probe into the conduct of Australian soldiers in Afghanistan, and said he co-operated with the inquiry.

 

Mr McClintock on Friday said his client knew “nothing” about a possible investigation into the latest allegations. On Thursday, another of the former soldier’s lawyers claimed the news outlets should have raised the material with the Commonwealth before publishing the allegations, and alleged their actions were “potentially unlawful”.

 

But Mr Owens on Friday said the AFP had assured the news outlets and their lawyers they were not in breach of any national security laws.

 

Justice Besanko also formally gave the media lawyers permission for some of their witnesses, including four Afghan villagers who allege they saw Mr Roberts-Smith kick Mr Jan off the cliff, to give evidence from their homeland.

 

Mr Roberts-Smith’s lawyers also want three of their witnesses to give evidence remotely because they are based overseas. Among the witnesses expected to give evidence in person for the former soldier is former governor-general Quentin Bryce, the court has heard.

 

A spokesman for Nine, the owner of The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald, said: “Nine is grateful for the court’s permission to lead new evidence from eight Australian soldiers, who will bravely give evidence against Mr Roberts-Smith.

 

“This is in addition to the 12 other soldiers and four Afghan villagers who will testify against Mr Roberts-Smith’s involvement in six unlawful killings in Afghanistan.

 

“But we are disappointed that we cannot present evidence of two more incidents of serious criminal conduct, that would have further strengthened our truth defence. We had hoped that all relevant evidence could be aired in this trial.”

 

If you are a current or former ADF member, or a relative, and need counselling or support, contact the Defence All-Hours Support Line on 1800 628 036 or Open Arms on 1800 011 046.

 

https://www1.defence.gov.au/adf-members-families/health-well-being/services-support-fighting-fit/need-help-now/all-hours-support-line

 

https://www.openarms.gov.au

 

https://www.theage.com.au/national/ben-roberts-smith-case-media-can-t-amend-defence-but-can-call-on-witnesses-20210423-p57lrr.html

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 23, 2021, 9:09 p.m. No.13499801   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>9806 >>1245

All-gender bathrooms proposed for Victorian workplaces and footy ovals

 

Chloe Booker - April 23, 2021

 

1/2

 

Employers could soon be required to include all-gender bathrooms in Victorian workplaces where possible, as sporting organisations prepare to put them in Melbourne’s major stadiums.

 

A WorkSafe review is assessing the duty for employers to provide toilets that accommodate users’ gender diversity under Victoria’s occupational health and safety laws.

 

It comes as the AFL confirmed all-gender bathrooms, including for transgender and gender diverse people, had been factored in as part of the redevelopment of Marvel Stadium due to start this year.

 

The Melbourne Cricket Ground is also looking at providing all-gender bathrooms within the stadium considered the home of Australian rules football.

 

A WorkSafe spokesman said the review would examine its amenities and work environment compliance code, which provides guidance about employers’ obligations under the Occupational Health and Safety Act.

 

“All employers have an obligation to protect their workers from the risks of work-related gendered violence, regardless of their gender identity,” he said.

 

An AFL spokesman said the organisation wanted football matches to be an inclusive and safe environment for everyone.

 

“Part of that journey is working with our stadium partners to continue to upgrade the facilities where possible and ensure the relevant modifications are included in any future works – including in our upcoming redevelopment at Marvel Stadium and the Docklands precinct,” he said.

 

A Melbourne Cricket Club spokeswoman said it was looking at providing all-gender bathrooms at the MCG.

 

“We are currently investigating a number of diversity and inclusion actions within the existing infrastructure of the MCG,” she said.

 

Transgender Victoria co-founder Sally Goldner welcomed the news and said changing WorkSafe’s guidelines would bring them into line with state and federal anti-discrimination laws.

 

“This would make more common sense and less red tape for all organisations [and] make it safe for everyone who doesn’t fit stereotypical ideas about what gender should look like,” she said.

 

The Victorian Pride Lobby co-convenor Nevena Spirovska said all-gender bathrooms needed to be separate from shared disabled toilets.

 

“We welcome WorkSafe reviewing its guidance for workplaces to explore the possibility of providing all gender bathrooms in addition to bathrooms for men, women and people with a disability,” she said.

 

WorkSafe’s compliance code currently stipulates that employers need to provide clean and hygienic toilets, with separate male and female stalls in workplaces with more than 10 workers or where there isn’t a majority of one gender.

 

The Australian Open broke ground last year by providing all-gender toilets at Rod Laver Arena.

 

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 23, 2021, 9:10 p.m. No.13499806   🗄️.is 🔗kun

>>13499801

 

2/2

 

A person’s gender identity refers to whether they see themselves as male, female or anything else and may be different from the sex assigned to them at birth. Their gender expression is how they outwardly show their gender identity.

 

People who are transgender do not identify with the gender assigned to them at birth. People who are gender diverse identify with a gender or genders outside of male or female.

 

In 2018, Etihad Stadium, now Marvel Stadium, put signs on bathrooms welcoming people to use the one they felt best fit their gender identity or expression at a pride game between St Kilda and Sydney.

 

At the time, the MCG said it was open to doing the same.

 

However, now both organisations have confirmed to The Age and Sydney Morning Herald that they welcome people to use the bathroom that best fits their gender identity at all sporting matches and events throughout the year.

 

“The MCC is deeply committed to ensuring we continue to deliver the MCG as an inclusive and safe venue for the entire community,” a spokeswoman said.

 

Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission legal manager Aimee Cooper said not allowing people to use a bathroom based on their gender identity was discriminatory under the Equal Opportunity Act.

 

“Trans and gender diverse people deserve to live a life of dignity and respect, and being able to use the bathroom that aligns with their gender identity is vital for people to feel safe, accepted and respected,” she said.

 

Ms Cooper said all-gender bathrooms eliminated distress and reduced the risk of hate crimes, but whether not providing one could be considered discrimination under the act depended on the workplace or venue’s size.

 

She said it would be harder for larger venues, such as the MCG or Marvel Stadium, to argue providing an all-gender bathroom was unreasonable.

 

Ms Goldner, a transwoman, said workplaces wouldn’t necessarily need to build new bathrooms, but could re-configure existing ones as all-gender toilets at a low cost.

 

She said men’s bathrooms could be changed to all-gender, while women’s bathrooms could be reserved for women, both cisgender (a person whose gender identity matches their sex assigned at birth) and transwomen.

 

“We understand gendered violence, because we’re on the receiving end of it, so we therefore empathise strongly with having still, particularly, some female-only bathrooms. We respect that,” she said.

 

However she said while women’s sense of safety was important, the threat didn’t come from transwomen, and transgender and gender diverse Australians were more likely to be victims of violence than the rest of the population.

 

Ms Cooper said the commission wasn’t aware of any reliable evidence that suggests allowing transwomen to use women’s bathrooms increased risk to public safety.

 

Minister for Equality Martin Foley declined to answer specific questions about whether workplaces and venues should provide all-gender bathrooms, but said: “Everyone, including trans and gender diverse people, should be provided with safe and inclusive spaces.”_

 

The Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry declined to provide a position on whether workplaces should provide all gender bathrooms.

 

Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission 1300 292 153

 

https://humanrights.gov.au

 

https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/all-gender-bathrooms-proposed-for-victorian-workplaces-and-footy-ovals-20210420-p57ksw.html

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 23, 2021, 9:43 p.m. No.13499932   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1245

Arthur Sinodinos AO Tweet

 

#QUAD Ambassadors and US House Foreign Affairs Committee continue conversation on shared vision for an open, inclusive and resilient Indo Pacifc. Great to see @RepGregoryMeeks @RepMcCaul, @RepBera, @SteveChabot

 

https://twitter.com/A_Sinodinos/status/1385346656762310662

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 23, 2021, 9:58 p.m. No.13500013   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1245

>>13429802

Marine Rotational Force - Darwin Facebook Post

 

Loading Up!

 

What’s a time you helped with disaster relief?

 

Following the Timor-Lest Government’s declaration of a state of calamity, due to landslides and floods after being hit by Tropical Cyclone Serojain, Marines with MRF-D and ADF members teamed up with the Portuguese and Timorese Social Club in order to prepare a shipment of flood relief supplies donated by the local Darwin community for Timor-Leste.

 

(U.S. Marine Corps photos by Cpl. Lydia Gordon)

 

https://www.facebook.com/MRFDarwin/posts/4043328989089704

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 23, 2021, 9:59 p.m. No.13500022   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1245

>>13429802

Marine Rotational Force - Darwin Facebook Post

 

Heads up Darwin, Marines will be flying at night throughout the rotation! This training keeps our aviation units safe and proficient, and we’ll do our best to keep it to times that are respectful to the community.

 

(U.S. Marine Corps photo by Staff Sgt. Daniel Wetzel)

 

https://www.facebook.com/MRFDarwin/posts/4048012278621375

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 24, 2021, 1:22 a.m. No.13500664   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1281

>>13493500

Australian defense minister’s comments against China confuse right and wrong: Chinese FM

 

Global Times - Apr 23, 2021

 

Australian Defense Minister Peter Dutton's comments against China including the alleged cyberattacks are ridiculous. China urges Australia to tell right from wrong and make efforts in improving bilateral ties, Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Friday, two days after Canberra scraped a Belt and Road Initiative deal between China and Australia's Victoria State.

 

"The minister's comments confused right and wrong…The predicament that China-Australia ties are facing is caused by Australia, which blatantly interfered in China's internal affairs, harmed China's interests and adopted discriminatory trade practices against China," Zhao Lijian, spokesperson of Chinese Foreign Ministry, said at a daily press briefing on Friday.

 

"However, Australia is pretending to be a victim. It is very ridiculous," Zhao noted.

 

According to Australian media reports, Dutton said on Thursday that Australia will not "surrender" to threats of retaliation from China after Victoria's Belt and Road deal was ripped up, and "we are not going to surrender our sovereignty."

 

He also said that Australia's relationship with its largest trade partner was important, but it was standing up for its beliefs. Dutton claimed China's behavior in the region, including militarization of bases and cyber attacks, is a "real problem," news.com.au reported.

 

Zhao said that Dutton's accusations including the cyber attacks are more suitable for Australia.

 

We urge Australia to tell right from wrong, and make efforts to improve the China-Australia ties, Zhao noted

 

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202104/1221909.shtml

 

 

Transcript - Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian's Regular Press Conference on April 23, 2021

 

FSN: Responding to some of the comments from China yesterday, Australia's Defense Minister Peter Dutton said that Australia will not surrender to threats of retaliation and also said that some of China's actions including militarization and cyber activities were not that of a friend. What's China's response?

 

Zhao Lijian: The comments of Australia's Defense Minister totally confuse black with white. The difficult situation in China-Australia relationship is the result of Australia's moves to grossly interfere in China's domestic affairs and undermine China's interests, and its discriminatory trade practice toward China. It is preposterous that Australia is playing the victim here.

 

As for the so-called cyber attack he mentioned, this label can never be pinned on China. Rather, it suits Australia the best. We urge Australia to see the issue plainly for what it is and make efforts to improve bilateral relations.

 

https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/mfa_eng/xwfw_665399/s2510_665401/2511_665403/t1871098.shtml

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 24, 2021, 1:47 a.m. No.13500714   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>0719 >>1281

>>13485007

Push to cut more Chinese accords

 

GEOFF CHAMBERS and JOE KELLY - APRIL 23, 2021

 

Foreign Minister Marise Payne is being urged to tear up China’s Confucius Institute agreements with universities and the Northern Territory government’s 99-year Port of Darwin lease with Chinese firm Landbridge under Australia’s new foreign arrangements scheme.

 

Senator Payne’s decision to terminate Victoria’s Belt and Road Initiative agreements with Beijing under the scheme, which came into effect late last year, has sparked calls for the Morrison government to move against other Chinese deals.

 

Australian Strategic Policy Institute executive director Peter Jennings, a former Defence Department deputy secretary, said the government should take “decisive steps” to end the 99-year lease of the Port of Darwin.

 

Writing for Inquirer, Mr Jennings said “high on the government’s list for consideration must surely be the dozen or so secret agreements bringing Confucius Institutes on to Australian university campuses”.

 

“The way these institutes function is surely an anathema to what should be a central university value for fiercely independent research,” Mr Jennings wrote.

 

“To sustain the funding flow from Confucius Institutes, universities run the risk that courses on Chinese history or international relations cannot discuss Taiwan, Tibet, Xinjiang, Hong Kong, the illegal annexation of the South China Sea, human rights and other topics discomforting to Beijing. It’s way past time the institutes were closed.”

 

Under the foreign arrangements scheme, Senator Payne has reviewed more than 1000 arrangements between foreign national governments and universities, local and state governments.

 

In addition to cancelling the BRI agreements on the grounds of working against the national interest, Senator Payne scrapped two other deals involving Iran and Syria.

 

Mr Jennings argued that ending the Port of Darwin lease would be “well received domestically, by our key allies and in the region, which looks to Australia to play a strengthening role in security during troubled times”.

 

Beijing reacted with fury during the week to the cancelling of its BRI agreements with Victoria. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said China reserved the “right to take further actions” against Australia.

 

He said it was the first time a BRI deal had been torn-up and that the Morrison government had stooped to “political manipulation and bullying”, urging Australia to abandon its “Cold War mentality and ideological bias”.

 

Defence Minister Peter Dutton on Friday said Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews had done the “wrong thing” in signing the BRI deals and pushed back against criticism from the Chinese Foreign Ministry and Embassy.

 

“He shouldn’t be entering into agreements that aren’t in our national interest and I want to make sure that people hear that message very clearly. We are standing up for who we are and we’ve got very important diplomatic relations with many countries, including China,” Mr Dutton said.

 

“But we aren’t going to be compromised by the principles of the Communist Party of China and the government’s made that very clear.”

 

Mr Dutton said China’s increasingly aggressive behaviour in the region was a “real problem”.

 

“When you look at our part of the world, you look at militarisation of bases, when you look at the cyber attacks, all of that is not the action of a friend,” he said.

 

Labor leader Anthony Albanese said the Opposition supported the government’s Foreign Relations bill but suggested a proper explanation was needed about why Victoria’s BRI deals were cancelled when nothing had happened on the Port of Darwin 99 year lease to Landbridge.

 

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/push-to-cut-more-chinese-accords/news-story/7ec74335fe107fa244549f3679a6cbf3

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 24, 2021, 1:49 a.m. No.13500719   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>0721 >>1281

>>13485007

>>13500714

Time to face down the wolf warriors

 

Beijing’s threats require a united, measured and calm response.

 

PETER JENNINGS - April 24, 2021

 

1/3

 

After another tumultuous week in the Australia-China relationship, four conclusions are becoming increasingly clear. First, we are going to be on this rollercoaster ride for years. National positions are hardening. Neither Beijing nor Canberra will back down and the prospects for negotiation are zero given China’s “wolf warrior” mania.

 

Second, Scott Morrison and his senior ministers look increasingly confident in their stance to seek “a balance in favour of freedom”. The language used about relations with China is careful but is becoming clearer and more definitive. There is something to be said for knowing when your back is hard up against a strategic wall.

 

Third, the Chinese Communist Party’s rhetoric suggests a hint of panic is seeping in. Statements from the Chinese embassy in Canberra and from the foreign ministry in Beijing are as shrill as they are counter-productive, implicitly threatening those who engage in “the despicable tactic of smearing China on the Australian side”.

 

Beijing’s usual Australian support base has largely gone to ground and public opinion has swung significantly against the People’s Republic.

 

A fourth lesson is that, for Australia, our ability to draw on strong alliances and deep friendships with like-minded democracies is the reason we will prevail against Beijing. The challenge is to keep these relationships strong. New Zealand aside, there is a positive international agenda to pursue and a growing interest in Canberra to shape up to this opportunity.

 

Foreign Minister Marise Payne’s decision to cancel Victoria’s Memorandum of Understanding, and Framework Agreement “jointly promoting the framework of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road” ended Daniel Andrews’s embarrassing venture into foreign policy.

 

Beijing’s desire to get state and territory governments to “sign up” to Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road Initiative was designed to undermine Canberra. The federal government and opposition took the view that Australia should not provide a blank cheque endorsement for China’s strategic plan to dominate global transport infrastructure from Europe to the Pacific Ocean.

 

Between 2015 and 2018, 139 countries signed Belt and Road MOUs with China — this was a major political effort, promoted in the developing world with soft loans, to buy international political endorsement for a key Xi policy initiative.

 

The Council on Foreign Relations, a respected US think tank, judges that “the push to get countries to join BRI is likely motivated less by a desire to build infrastructure and more by a goal of increasing China’s narrative power … that Beijing is an economic power on par with the United States”.

 

In effect, Andrews fell hook, line and sinker into a PRC political trap. Imagine an Australian government trying to get a Chinese province to sign a MOU endorsing Scott Morrison’s Pacific step-up. Beijing of course would veto such a deal on the grounds that China’s provinces had no foreign policy business endorsing an Australian strategic objective.

 

While the Chinese embassy decried the MOU’s cancellation as “another unreasonable and provocative move taken by the Australian side against China”, the real provocation here was the naked attempt to turn a state government against the commonwealth, abetted with the usual coterie of Australian influencers and businesspeople intent on making money.

 

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 24, 2021, 1:50 a.m. No.13500721   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>0727

>>13500719

 

2/3

 

Comments from the Chinese embassy have become increasingly incomprehensible. Wang Xining, the mission’s deputy, told the National Press Club: “China is not a cow. I don’t think anybody should fancy the idea to milk China when she’s in her prime and plot to slaughter it in the end.”

 

Perhaps this is why Beijing refused last week to renew licences for Australian farmers to export hay to China’s growing domestic dairy industry?

 

This latest effort in economic coercion, to punish Australia for exercising its political sovereignty, is yet another example of the lack of strategic thinking in China’s actions. Australia exports oaten hay to China’s rapidly growing dairy industry. This is widely regarded as a high-quality, palatable feedstock, preferable to alfalfa, straw or other cereal hays exported by other countries.

 

While the Chinese ban will inconvenience Australian farmers, it is likely they will be able to find other markets for their oaten hay, just as barley farmers did a few months ago. In the meantime Chinese dairy farmers lose access to the best available product for their cows.

 

Contrary to criticism from the opposition, government ministers are picking their words carefully and not reacting to the sillier comments from Beijing. Against the signs of an increasingly panicky Chinese Communist Party, Morrison’s senior ministers look and sound more assured.

 

Payne’s use of Australia’s Foreign Relations Act to cancel Victor­ia’s Belt and Road agreements was calm and sensible, as was Defence Minister Peter Dutton’s measured statement on Friday that “we’re not going to have our values compromised, we aren’t going to surrender our sovereignty”.

 

Payne foreshadowed that while the “overwhelming majority” of foreign agreements would not be affected, it was possible that some would be cancelled.

 

High on the government’s list for consideration must surely be the dozen or so secret agreements bringing Confucius Institutes on to Australian university campuses. The way these institutes function is surely an anathema to what should be a central university value for fiercely independent research.

 

To sustain the funding flow from Confucius Institutes, universities run the risk that courses on Chinese history or international relations cannot discuss Taiwan, Tibet, Xinjiang, Hong Kong, the illegal annexation of the South China Sea, human rights and other topics discomforting to Beijing. It’s way past time the institutes were closed.

 

It’s also past time that the government took decisive steps to end the 99-year lease of the Port of Darwin to a Chinese company, Landbridge.

 

Readers will recall the farcical circumstances in which the port was leased in 2015, at the same time Australian foreign and defence ministers were meeting their US counterparts in Boston and agreeing to “pursue enhanced naval co-operation across all domains, including additional combined training and exercises”.

 

Whatever initial promises for economic development made to the Northern Territory government by Landbridge, the reality is that not much is happening. Landbridge has suspended plans to build a luxury hotel near the port and advises that “if we don’t resume work by end of June 2021 Landbridge will not continue with the project”.

 

So much for a long-term perspective. Meantime, some creative thought applied to the future of the US Marine Corps presence in the Top End, and to Japan’s liquefied natural gas export interests located there, could transform the port into a thriving military and export hub, involving ever-closer co-operation between three of the Indo-Pacific’s most consequential democracies.

 

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 24, 2021, 1:51 a.m. No.13500727   🗄️.is 🔗kun

>>13500721

 

3/3

 

Working with the Australian Strategic Policy Institute last week, opinion polling company TrueNorth Strategy tested public opinion on the Port of Darwin. The nationwide survey found 85 per cent of Australians agreed that the port should be returned to Australian management due to increased tensions with China.

 

The same survey found that 89 per cent of people polled believed Australia and its allies should commit to defending an independent democratic state in our region if it were threatened or attacked by the People’s Republic of China, and 80 per cent supported recent government announcements to expand defence manufacturing to build missiles for our defence force.

 

When it comes to defence and security, governments need to do what is right for Australia’s interests, not necessarily what is popular, but it’s clear that public opinion has been ahead of government on the big strategic issues for some time.

 

A decision to end the Port of Darwin lease will be well received domestically, by our key allies and in the region, which looks to Australia to play a strengthening role in security during troubled times.

 

And so to New Zealand, described by Rudyard Kipling on his visit in 1891 as “last, loneliest, loveliest, exquisite, apart”.

 

Sadly, the word that best describes New Zealand foreign policy under Jacinda Ardern is “apart”.

 

Wellington wants the defence and intelligence benefit of being part of the Five Eyes grouping without ever having to rock what Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta described in a speech last week as, “New Zealand’s diplomatic relationship with the (sic) China has been steadfast for nearly 50 years”.

 

Mahuta’s speech was piled high with platitudes about how important it was for New Zealand “to stay true to ourselves”, but nowhere does that translate into clear expressions of disapproval for Beijing’s bad behaviour, or words of support for New Zealand’s democratic allies.

 

Here’s one example of this evasive moralism: “Matters such as human rights should be approached in a consistent, country agnostic manner. We will not ignore the severity and impact of any particular country’s actions if they conflict with our longstanding and formal commitment to universal human rights.”

 

Does “country agnostic” mean Wellington disapproves of the mass detention centres imprisoning hundreds of thousands of Uighurs in Xinjiang but can’t mention China by name?

 

New Zealand remains an important ally of Australia, one in which we have under-invested over the decades, failing to sustain a measure of common thinking on key strategic issues.

 

We should hope that Payne was able to convey the thought to Mahuta and Ardern that Wellington should keep an eye on how it is travelling with Canberra’s policymakers as much as it worries about Beijing.

 

If New Zealand truly no longer wants to pay its Five Eyes dues, Australia has a vastly more significant and capable partner in Japan. Big strategic thinking would say that it’s time to bring Japan into the Five Eyes fold.

 

Peter Jennings is executive director of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute and a former deputy secretary for strategy with the Defence Department.

 

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/inquirer/time-to-face-down-beijings-wolf-warriors/news-story/3595ecfb2178865f89efb26cf94e7326

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 24, 2021, 2:35 a.m. No.13500805   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1305

>>13498643

Virginia Roberts Giuffre Tweet

 

Ghislaine Maxwell makes first in-person court appearance since arrest |Wish I could’ve been there in person to face my abuser in court.Her attempt at plying for sympathy is plied with the reality of her crimes against minors. #Justice #Enough #SaveTheKids

 

https://twitter.com/VRSVirginia/status/1385774453548752900

 

Ghislaine Maxwell makes first in-person court appearance since arrest

 

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/apr/23/ghislaine-maxwell-court-appearance-latest-jeffrey-epstein-charges

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 24, 2021, 3:45 a.m. No.13500945   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1245

Prime Minister Scott Morrison Facebook Post

 

24 April 2021

 

Lest We Forget.

 

Tomorrow, Anzac Day, is one of the most sacred days in our national calendar.

 

It’s a day to remember, a day for respect and a day to give thanks to those who have served and continue to serve our great country.

 

This year, unlike last, many of our local communities will once again be able to come together to commemorate.

 

However, in WA, that won’t be possible due to the short lockdown. But you can still pay your respects by lighting a candle and standing in your driveway, on your balcony or in your living room as the dawn breaks, as we did last year.

 

We will remember them.

 

https://www.facebook.com/101546263223119/videos/4389933294378043/

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 24, 2021, 3:48 a.m. No.13500949   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1245

Anzac Day Dawn Service 2021

 

ShrineMelbourne

 

This Anzac Day, whether you are in your pyjamas or in uniform; in your driveway, living room or at the Shrine, remember those who gave their all, and join us to light up the dawn.

 

Join us online at 5.40am, 25 April for the Dawn Service.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRpy5apViPQ

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 24, 2021, 3:49 a.m. No.13500950   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1245

UPCOMING LIVE: Anzac Day 2021 - Commemorative dawn services | official broadcast

 

ABC Australia

 

Join us as we go LIVE for the Anzac Day 2021 Sydney Dawn Service, National Commemorative Service and Shrine of Remembrance Service from 4.30am AEST on Sunday, April 25.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v96z4vHXoH4

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 24, 2021, 3:50 a.m. No.13500952   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1245

ANZAC Day dawn service live from Currumbin RSL

 

7NEWS Australia

 

Watch the ANZAC Day dawn service live from Currumbin RSL.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UO4lhobRH8

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 24, 2021, 3:51 a.m. No.13500954   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>5223

Anzac Day 2021 - Live from Washington DC

 

Australia in the US

 

Join us virtually as we commemorate Anzac Day 2021 with a small ceremony in Washington, DC.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUZ53ZHtn10

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 24, 2021, 1:38 p.m. No.13503677   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>3904 >>1245

"They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old;

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning

We will remember them."

 

Lest We Forget.

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 24, 2021, 11:19 p.m. No.13507409   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>7418 >>1245

Anzac Day: Prime Minister Scott Morrison says Afghanistan withdrawal marks end of ‘another chapter’

 

HEATH PARKES-HUPTON - APRIL 25, 2021

 

1/2

 

Australia’s impending withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan marks the closure of “another chapter” in the Anzac legacy, Scott Morrison has said.

 

Delivering a solemn Anzac Day address at a Dawn Service held at Canberra’s Australian War Memorial on Sunday morning, the Prime Minister gave thanks to all whose selflessness had helped make their country “what it is today”.

 

As the nation woke to watch and attend services across Australia, Mr Morrison made special mention of those men and women who served throughout the nation’s “longest war” in the Middle East, the last of whom will soon be coming home.

 

He said they were “the bravest of this generation”.

 

“This Anzac Day another chapter in our history is coming to a close, with the announcement last week of our departure and that of our great friend and ally, the United States, from Afghanistan,” he said.

 

“Australia has been a steadfast contributor to the fight against terrorism. It’s been our longest war.

 

“The world is safer from the threat of terrorism than when the twin towers were felled almost 20 years ago. But we remain vigilant.

 

“However, this has come at great cost. Forty-one Australian lives lost in Afghanistan, whom we especially remember and honour this morning.

 

“More than 39,000 Australians have served on operations in support of Australia’s mission in Afghanistan, many carrying the wounds and scars of war, seen and unseen.

 

“They are the bravest of this generation.”

 

The Prime Minister remembered Sergeant Andrew Russell – the first Australian soldier killed in Afghanistan in 2002 – who died when his patrol vehicle struck an anti-vehicle mine.

 

Sergeant Russell was just 33 and left behind his wife Kylie and his 11-day-old daughter Leisa, who is now studying at university.

 

“Kylie says she is, in so many ways, just like her Dad – she lives with a strong sense of duty,” Mr Morrison said.

 

He also honoured the memory of Sergeant Brett Till, tragically killed while trying to disarm an improvised explosive device in 2009.

 

Sergeant Till, already a father of two, was at the time expecting his first child with wife Bree.

 

“Their child Ziggy will be in high school next year, and I know Brett would be so proud of all his three children and the amazing job Bree has done to raise them,” Mr Morrison said.

 

He said the support of families had sustained our soldiers, sailors, aviators, nurses, padres and peacekeepers, and had also had to “shoulder the burdens that follow service too”.

 

Also receiving special praise this Anzac Day was veteran Sergeant Ricky Morris, a member of an Aboriginal family with more than 20 members who’ve seen active service over the decades.

 

“Ricky says “every medal tells a story” – whether it’s worn over the heart of a veteran or carried by one of their loved ones,” Mr Morrison said. “And that matters so much, especially today.”

 

In his speech, the Prime Minister said although the Anzac story began on the beach at Gallipoli 106 years ago, it was born in the houses, farms, towns and suburbs across the country.

 

“It’s in those places that selflessness, duty, respect and responsibility were learned,” he said.

 

“Where love of family, the community and country is warmed and is kindled in the youngest hearts and the oldest minds.

 

“It is also where the pain of loss is felt most acutely.”

 

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 24, 2021, 11:20 p.m. No.13507418   🗄️.is 🔗kun

>>13507409

 

2/2

 

DAWN SERVICES HELD ACROSS NATION

 

Dawn Services have taken place across the nation as hundreds of thousands of Australians prepare to march on Sunday morning to commemorate Anzac Day in 2021.

 

After coronavirus restrictions effectively resulted in most Australians paying their respects at home or in their driveways last year, the nation has responded strongly with crowds allowed back in 2021.

 

Many services and marches across the country exhausted their ticketed allocation within days of going online, while Queensland events are set to proceed without crowd limits.

 

Temporary fences erected to manage crowds at Melbourne’s Dawn Service did not deter those who missed out on tickets from gathering outside the service area.

 

Members of the public have encircled commemorations at the Shrine despite pleas from authorities to “light up the dawn” at home.

 

Although there was ample space inside the forecourt of Melbourne’s Shrine of Remembrance, many stood watching from outside the fenced off area.

 

The Dawn Service in Victoria was limited to 1400 attendees amid COVID-19 restrictions. In 2019 it’s estimated about 25,000 attended.

 

In Perth, services were cancelled but many turned out to mark the occasion with driveway vigils at dawn.

 

A ticketed Dawn Service was at capacity at Sydney’s cenotaph, while in Brisbane, large crowds turned out without restriction.

 

The decision to limit Dawn Service crowds has caused some upset, however, with 85,000 permitted to attend the AFL’s traditional Anzac Day match later today.

 

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/anzac-day-prime-minister-scott-morrison-says-afghanistan-withdrawal-marks-end-of-another-chapter/news-story/c5fb0cf66b4613970de5b1ffb0883f7e

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 24, 2021, 11:32 p.m. No.13507484   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>7645 >>7832 >>7834 >>1245

Peter Dutton reveals how Australian troops will fight greater threats and uncertainty at home

 

CHARLES MIRANDA - APRIL 25, 2021

 

Exclusive: Australian Defence Forces will return to “core business” in defending Australia’s interests with uncertain times creating new home front threats, Defence Minister Peter Dutton has declared.

 

Speaking on the eve of Australia’s most revered day, Anzac Day, Mr Dutton thanked the more than 39,000 troops who served in the Middle East but said now the focus was on home.

 

He said the skill sets learned in the conflict zone over the past 20 years would serve the nation well as Australia faced multiple threats including the militarisation of bases and islands on our doorstep, notably by China, the level of foreign interference and cyber threats, and the “heavy influence” into our neighbours.

 

Mr Dutton was in Brisbane yesterday and had planned to speak with soldiers of the 3rd Battalion at Lavarack Barracks to commemorate the Battle of Kapyong during the Korean War, when Australian troops slowed Chinese forces advancing on Seoul.

 

However due to WA’s lockdown and restrictions on anyone who had been there recently was forced to cancel., was forced

 

But a constant on his six trips to other barracks so far as he talked to rank and file, “core business” was the message he repeated.

 

He told News Corp Australia yesterday, symbolically like Kapyong, friends and foe needed to know where Australia stood.

 

“Australia has always stood up for our values and sovereignty and for our closest friends and allies and nothing has changed from 70 years ago to this point in history, so we need to make sure we continue to play to our strengths and our friends, and adversaries will know that is always the case,” he said.

 

“The threats are understood and we’ve come to the end of our 20-year engagement in the Middle East, so there is a refocus and pivoting back to our own region that is necessary and it also gives the 39,000 (troops) and those who have succeeded them in the ADF time to rejuvenate.”

 

He said the ADF had been on an almost permanent conflict footing but troops now could catch up and ramp up on training, allow new war fighting acquisitions to arrive and be rolled out and operators to skill up on their use to build greater capacity.

 

As other agencies including ASIO have pointed out, Mr Dutton said there existed “a significant threat at unprecedented levels and that means a huge effort required in country and region as well”.

 

Earlier he said Australia had been clear with China it would not “surrender” to threats of retaliation after Beijing threatened escalating a trade war because Australia cut Victoria’s ties to its Belt and Road Initiative.

 

“I think the focus for the Australian Defence Force is about core business, providing domestic support, keep Australia safe and secure, focus further emphasis and be clear-eyed about capacity in the defence force to keep us safe and secure in uncertain times and our training now reflects that priority,” he said.

 

“The level of foreign interference in our country, the level of cyber attacks, the militarisation of bases across our region, the heavy influence into near neighbours, I think that all creates question marks and uncertainty which we need to monitor and respond to as we need.

 

“The priority at the moment is we have the organisation focused on their core business, making sure they are keeping Australia safe and secure. Equally I have an absolute priority to honour the service of the 39,000 men and women, 41 of whom gave their lives in conflict over the course of the last two decades in Afghanistan and Iraq.

 

“I want them to hear a very clear message of support from me and the government and the public to gain a deeper understanding of the work they were doing there and the fact they saved countries including Australia from terrorist attacks and another 9-11 type event.”

 

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/defence/peter-dutton-reveals-how-australian-troops-will-fight-greater-threats-and-uncertainty-at-home/news-story/4de76c8fbef305181add8f36a60f47b0

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 25, 2021, 12:40 a.m. No.13507800   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1245

ANZAC Day

 

PRESS STATEMENT

 

ANTONY J. BLINKEN, SECRETARY OF STATE

 

APRIL 22, 2021

 

On behalf of the Government of the United States of America, I extend my warmest thoughts to all Australians and New Zealanders as you commemorate ANZAC Day on April 25, 2021.

 

As we reflect on the incredible acts of bravery and sacrifice of the Gallipoli Campaign 106 years ago, I am humbled by the debt of gratitude we all owe to our service men and women. We honor not just the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps, who served during the First World War, but all those who have responded to our nations’ calls to service to defend our shared values and freedom.

 

Since 1915, U.S., Australian, and New Zealand service members have served alongside one another in many global conflicts. Through our strong and deep interpersonal ties, the partnership between our nations continues to grow each year along with the realization that the kinship our armed forces share is more important than ever in helping ensuring a free, open, and inclusive Indo-Pacific.

 

As we remember and honor those who have fallen, I am confident that with our enduring spirit of camaraderie and shared sacrifice we will continue to overcome common challenges. Once again, I express my sincere gratitude to all Australians and New Zealanders on this somber day.

 

https://www.state.gov/anzac-day/

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 25, 2021, 1:21 a.m. No.13507965   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>7973 >>1245

Crowds return for Anzac Day service, but some diggers locked out by fence

 

Simone Fox Koob and Ashleigh McMillan - April 25, 2021

 

1/2

 

Veterans Jay and Alex both served in East Timor and Iraq, but only one was able to get tickets to the Anzac Day dawn service.

 

On Sunday, as day broke over the Shrine of Remembrance, they stood together, separated by a wire fence.

 

After 2020, when coronavirus restrictions meant Victorians were unable to commemorate Anzac Day together, veterans, serving members, their families and the public – many for whom the dawn service is an annual tradition – were grateful to return to the Shrine.

 

This year’s event was capped at 1400 people but dozens of others gathered at a high wire fence erected in line with the state’s COVID-19 public event requirements.

 

John Murphy, from Bundoora, stood at the fence line with his walker on the top of a steep, grassy hill. He said he was disappointed that the site was fenced off and said he didn’t believe the event should be ticketed.

 

“I’d sooner be on the outside without a ticket looking in … I’ve been coming for nearly 30 years,” he said.

 

Another man standing near Mr Murphy said a “dumb … fence” wasn’t going to stop him from coming to the Shrine.

 

Jay, who served with the Australian Defence Force for 10 years full-time and 10 years part-time and completed tours in East Timor and Iraq, said he unsuccessfully tried to get tickets about 10 days ago.

 

“Given it’s an outdoor event, I don’t know how they can fit 85,000 in the MCG and it be OK and only 1400 here,” he said. “It’s quite ridiculous.”

 

His friend Alex, who also served in Iraq and East Timor, said he felt lucky to have been able to get a ticket.

 

He intended to use his time at the Shrine to “pause and remember and reflect”.

 

Inside the fence, among those huddled in silence around the Eternal Flame was Roslyn Devlin, who came from Carlton proudly wearing her father’s WWII medals.

 

“We try [to come every year],” she said. “Last year I was in my driveway with my torch.”

 

At 6.04am, with the Shrine illuminated in red, a bugler played The Last Post.

 

“The years pass, but not the lessons,” said the Governor of Victoria, Linda Dessau AC, before she laid a wreath within the Shrine.

 

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 25, 2021, 1:23 a.m. No.13507973   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1245

>>13507965

 

2/2

 

Kyal and Andrea Rode, who both served for 10 years and were deployed to the Middle East, brought their children Lily, 7, and Michael, 10.

 

Ms Rode said they wanted their children to come to the service each year with them to learn what Anzac Day meant.

 

“It’s to teach them the respect and carry out traditions,” she said.

 

“And it’s also about learning, so they know what it’s all about. We’ve done many dawn services but getting them up nice and early, it’s a lot for them and to stand here and be nice and quiet and wonder why we are quiet.”

 

A total of 1400 people pre-registered to attend the dawn service this year, while around 4000 people took part in the Anzac Day march. In 2019, pre-COVID, 25,000 people attended the dawn service and 12,000 marched.

 

Many others chose to commemorate Anzac Day at smaller, local ceremonies this year, due in part to confusion around arrangements for events in the CBD and the risks associated with the pandemic.

 

Shine of Remembrance CEO Dean Lee said he welcomed the return of veterans and Victorians to the Shrine for Anzac Day. He confirmed it was the Shrine’s decision to erect fencing, in line with the state’s public event framework.

 

“We were asked in return to accept some limitations to protect lives,” he said.

 

RSL Victoria CEO Jamie Twidale said he heard a number of veterans say they would have preferred the fence was lowered or moved.

 

“There’s been fair bit of commentary about COVID rules, but we’re not in Perth and didn’t have to lock down, so it was great day,” Mr Twidale said.

 

“People have really gotten back to things that matter to them - commemorating and spending time with their loved ones.

 

“I understand why the average punter is not across why there can be a larger crowd at the MCG [than the dawn service]. They see the numbers and it doesn’t make sense.

 

“[But at the MCG], each zone is only quite small, so it’s not the same thing.“

 

The Anzac Day march was also affected by crowd caps, but those were extended after initial backlash and confusion about changing arrangements for the event, which was initially cancelled in February.

 

Melbourne veteran Bobby Harrison, 76, said it was extremely important to continue Anzac Day traditions and have veterans pass their stories on to younger generations.

 

Mr Harrison, who was in his early 20s when he fought in Vietnam in 1967, reflected on the lifelong friendships he had made during his service.

 

“You become family,” he said. “You made some terrific friendships that lasted right till today. I spoke to quite a few on the phone yesterday. Sadly they’re starting to feel their years and ill health is catching up with them.“

 

He said it was “nice to see” crowds back at Anzac Day.

 

“I think it’s very important,” he said.

 

https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/crowds-return-for-anzac-day-service-but-some-diggers-locked-out-by-fence-20210424-p57m3s.html

 

 

Q Post #2480

 

Nov 11 2018 13:51:14 (EST)

 

With Respect, Honor, and Gratitude.

Your sacrifice(s) will never be forgotten.

Thank you and God Bless, Veterans!

Q

 

https://qanon.pub/#2480

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 25, 2021, 1:34 a.m. No.13508029   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1245

What can the US learn from Australia's gun reforms?

 

CNN

 

25 Apr 2021

 

Former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd joins CNN's Pamela Brown to discuss what the United States can learn from Australia about gun reform efforts after the country implemented firearms restrictions following a deadly mass shooting. #CNN #News

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2fRwLynn5w

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 25, 2021, 1:59 a.m. No.13508109   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>8115 >>1245

'It's an arms race': The Kiwi cyber firm that shielded Biden's home state during 2020 election

 

Geraden Cann - Apr 25 2021

 

1/2

 

The 2020 US Presidential Election had the highest voter turnout in 120 years.

 

Widespread fear of foreign interference coupled with Donald Trump’s war against the news media had created a storm of suspicion and conspiracy theories that would eventually result in an attempted insurrection at the US Capitol.

 

RedShield – a Kiwi cybersecurity firm based in Wellington – stepped straight into this maelstrom.

 

Redshield was charged with protecting the security of the online infrastructure of Delaware, the home state of Democratic challenger and now-President Joe Biden.

 

Co-founder and chief executive Andy Prow was only willing to talk about this operation because Delaware's chief security officer, Solomon Adote, had already spoken about it.

 

He wouldn’t go into exactly what systems RedShield was protecting, only that they “were integral” to guarding against voter fraud and the voting process.

 

“If you look at a target like a state, during an event like a presidential election, then of course the attacks are everything you would expect to see – and a lot of new things thrown in as well,” Prow said.

 

“If you think as a bad guy: I either want to disrupt and stop the system doing its normal operations, perhaps I want to abuse and be able to use it for my own means. If you look at voting – is there a way to fraudulently place votes, or ways that I can see if things have already occurred?”

 

RedShield’s intellectual property – the actual code and system that makes it work – sits within the likes of Amazon, Microsoft and IBM data centres, allowing the company to scale up in capability and processing power to match attackers.

 

The company has 60 staff members and maintains command centres in the US, UK, New Zealand and Australia, but Prow said incoming attacks in the run-up to the November election didn’t play out as they were portrayed in films.

 

Screens constantly monitored for spikes in malicious activity and attempted hacks, but his team was on the lookout for molehills rather than mountains. The real threat was small attacks hidden among the noise.

 

“The shielding layer is processing millions of requests a minute, so to look at a screen and say ‘well, that’s an interesting spike’ – if I’m a good bad guy you’re not even going to see the spike.”

 

“What I’ll do is throw a million bad things at you, and then 15 minutes later I’ll throw 10 really bad things at you.”

 

When those “really bad things” appear, Prow said a command centre became akin to an emergency room environment.

 

“It’s all hands on deck.”

 

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 25, 2021, 2 a.m. No.13508115   🗄️.is 🔗kun

>>13508109

 

2/2

 

He described the election period as air traffic control combined with a hospital emergency room.

 

Things moved too quickly for humans, so artificial intelligence and machine learning programs combatted the attacks, with people jumping in occasionally to look at something closely.

 

“It starts to get into the territory you don’t discuss, and the reason you don’t discuss, you don’t want to get into the details of different attack styles and the defences against them because it is a battle and an arms race.”

 

The combinations of attacks were of types Prow had never seen before.

 

“It's almost like I’ve never seen that hook, cross, kick, jab in the eye technique before – that’s quite fascinating. And look at that – they did it while putting a bag over my head.”

 

Attacks witnessed against Delaware’s web-facing apps included distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks as hackers attempted to overload websites with tidal waves of traffic, and brute force attacks as they attempted to crack passwords with programs that attempted thousands of combinations very quickly.

 

Playing with the big boys

 

“The reason a little New Zealand company is even shielding the state of Delaware is through the classic Kiwi networks,” Prow said.

 

“We have a brand, as a population and as a country, of we’re a bit different, we get s… done, there is innovation and there is trust.”

 

“They were really happy to take a meeting with a Kiwi crowd.”

 

This was a very different approach to paying hundreds of thousands of dollars for a booth on the middle floor of the RSA Cybersecurity Conference in the US to hawk your cyber wares.

 

Redshield has other government clients, but Prow would not name them.

 

While Kiwi elections don’t get the same level of interference as those in the US, that could change, and Prow said there was a lesson for the Government.

 

“We are all connected to the same big, bad internet.”

 

RedShield was the company that shielded the NZX when a DDoS attack took the stock exchange off-line for six days.

 

However, Prow said the failing that took the exchange offline was not part of the RedShield defences.

 

https://www.stuff.co.nz/technology/300273462/its-an-arms-race-the-kiwi-cyber-firm-that-shielded-bidens-home-state-during-2020-election

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 25, 2021, 2:02 a.m. No.13508124   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>8132 >>8153 >>1295

Global figure returns to Australia to face child sex charges but police case far from over

 

A world-renowned tech expert has been returned to Australia under guard to face child sex claims, as police reveal they are hunting society elites linked to the case.

 

Charles Miranda - April 24, 2021

 

1/2

 

Exclusive: An internationally renowned privacy expert turned one-time fugitive returned to Australia under police escort tlast night to face 18 warrants related to multiple child sex assaults.

 

Simon Davies had for the past 30 years been a global leader on privacy laws and human rights, advising the UN and governments from London, Washington and Australia before News Corp Australia exposed a secret eight-year police sex squad investigation into him.

 

The British citizen was arrested and extradited on a criminal justice visa, in the escort of four NSW Police detectives, on 18 warrants related to child sex abuse of four boys and will appear in court tomorrow before being remanded in custody and quarantined. He denies the charges.

 

But his return to Sydney from the Netherlands last night comes as News Corp Australia can reveal Strike Force Boyd is hunting society elites who visited the homeless shelter Davies ran, over allegations that boys and girls were bought in what has been described as a virtual child brothel.

 

Child Abuse and Sex Crimes Squad Commander Detective Superintendent Stacey Maloney last night declined to go into detail but said no-one should feel immune to prosecution just because of who they are in society.

 

“I think the conversations that everyone is having around sexual violence in the community at the moment is important and just demonstrates the importance of reporting to police but certainly assuring we will take action and no-one is immune from the result of justice being served, no-one is immune,” she told News Corp Australia.

 

It is understood suspects include leading business and community men and women including at executive officer level now dispersed across Australia but at the time based in Sydney where they visited the shelter in Darlinghurst to allegedly shop for boys and girls to sexually abuse for money.

 

The officer declined to go into detail but confirmed they were looking at other suspects and key witnesses.

 

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 25, 2021, 2:05 a.m. No.13508132   🗄️.is 🔗kun

>>13508124

 

2/2

 

One possible witness is a former social worker Richard West who worked at the refuge between 1981 and 1983.

 

Mr West’s location was not known, and there is no suggestion of wrongdoing on his part, but police confirmed he could aid their case.

 

Police have spoken to one person who worked as a social worker at the refuge who recalled a stream of late night visits from businessmen whom he were told were financial backers and to allow them access. He later resigned in disgust, suspecting the worst.

 

Det Supt Maloney praised her team who worked tirelessly for close to a decade to bring Mr Davies back to Australia.

 

“This has been a complex and exhaustive investigation for police who have spent nearly 10 years investigating these matters and a further 16 months navigating the extradition process and the subsequent challenges imposed on worldwide travel due to COVID-19,” she said.

 

The now 65-year-old Mr Davies was deemed a fugitive with Interpol issuing a Red Notice for his immediate arrest after he was tipped off from his London home that Australian police were investigating historical child sex allegations.

 

Mr Davies, a one-time journalist writing for the Sydney Morning Herald, has for the past three decades led the debate and policy on privacy issues including State biometrics and surveillance and founded the influential London-based watchdog group Privacy International.

 

He has strenuously denied all charges against him and using the Homeless Children’s Association shelters as a source of abuse for much of the 1980s before he left Australia in 1993.

 

Police in London were contacted about Mr Davies, who used a range of aliases, as far back as 1999 but no action was taken and he went on to be named in the world’s top 50 most influential data tech experts.

 

https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/national/global-figure-returns-to-australia-to-face-child-sex-charges-but-police-case-far-from-over/news-story/12aed31d54aff8af8636ef826c4dc9fb

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 25, 2021, 2:14 a.m. No.13508153   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1298

>>13508124

Privacy expert charged with child sexual assault offences after global manhunt

 

Jorge Branco - Apr 24, 2021

 

An accused child molester will virtually front a Sydney court today after a global manhunt over allegations dating back to the early 1980s.

 

Privacy expert Simon Gordon Davies was extradited to Australia from The Netherlands on Friday night after a decade-long investigation that culminated in the issuing of an Interpol Red Notice, a global appeal for help and a police flight to Europe in the middle of a pandemic.

 

Police said the child abuse and sex crimes squad received a referral in December 2010 detailing allegations of historic child sex offences between 1981 and 1983.

 

A warrant was issued for the Mr Davies' arrest in September 2016, followed by an Interpol Red Notice — an alert to law enforcement agencies worldwide — in December 2017.

 

That was followed by a global appeal for information in December 2019, at which point Strike Force Boyd detectives thought Dr Davies was living in the United Kingdom or Europe.

 

According to police, Mr Davies handed himself in to a police station in the major Dutch port city of Rotterdam, where he was arrested.

 

What followed was an extensive effort to arrange his extradition to Australia before he was eventually surrendered to NSW police on Thursday at Schipol Airport in Amsterdam and charged with "numerous child sexual and indecent assault offences that allegedly occurred across Sydney between 1981 and 1987."

 

Vision released by the NSW Police Force on Saturday morning shows police escorting Mr Davies, arm apparently in a sling and clad in extensive PPE, jeans and white Adidas sneakers through Sydney airport on Friday night.

 

"This has been a complex and exhaustive investigation for police, who have spent nearly 10 years investigating these matters and a further 16 months navigating the extradition process and the subsequent challenges imposed on worldwide travel due to COVID-19," child abuse and sex crimes squad commander Detective Superintendent Stacey Maloney said, in a statement.

 

"It is a testament to the strength, bravery, and patience of the victims, together with the determination and dedication of police, that charges have now been laid in relation to these alleged crimes."

 

The four detectives who travelled to the Netherlands must now go through two weeks of hotel quarantine, while Mr Davies will appear via video link into Parramatta Bail Court on Saturday.

 

https://www.9news.com.au/national/man-charged-with-child-sexual-assault-offences-after-global-manhunt/4ac89671-07e0-43e8-a030-bf7fea19d660

 

>Hunters become the HUNTED.

 

>https://qanon.pub/?q=hunted

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 25, 2021, 2:37 a.m. No.13508222   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1248

Mike Pompeo has 'kept his cards close' when quizzed on political ambitions

 

Sky News Australia

 

25 Apr 2021

 

Sky News host Sharri Markson says former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has been invited by the Prime Minister’s Office to visit Australia for the Liberal Party National convention in August later this year.

 

Ms Markson also spoke of some “big news” about former US President Donald Trump’s future plans.

 

She said Donald Trump has kept his options open about making another push in the 2024 presidential election.

 

However, Ms Markson said despite Donald Trump doing “very well” last November, it appears he “is now not planning on running for President in the 2024 election”.

 

“Sources close to the President have told me he wants to be seen as a father-figure of the Republican Party.

 

“They say the Trump movement is here to stay but that Trump is not planning to run for President.

 

“Instead, he's in talks about supporting former Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo,” Ms Markson said.

 

"Pompeo hasn't confirmed he'll run and has kept his cards close when asked about his political ambitions in the media".

 

She said Mr Pompeo has a “very strong record as Secretary of State in foreign policy, in Iran and China in particular".

 

“His relationship with Scott Morrison is rock solid, the pair are very close.”

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pN1q3W-5_mI

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 26, 2021, 12:38 a.m. No.13515179   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>5184 >>1248

Top US general pays his respects to Anzac Day in Washington

 

ADAM CREIGHTON - APRIL 26, 2021

 

The most senior figure in the US military attended the Australian ambassador’s residence in Washington DC on Sunday to commemorate Anzac Day, underscoring the strength of the Australia-US Alliance in the Biden administration.

 

Arthur Sinodinos, Australia’s ambassador, hosted the small CovidSafe Dawn Service, which included the ambassadors of the UK and New Zealand, and senior Biden administration official Kurt Campbell, who is co-ordinator for Indo-Pacific affairs on the US National Security Council.

 

Attendees at the ceremony, which took place on a cold, wet morning on the front lawn of the ambassador’s residence, remarked how special it was for the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Mark Milley, to have been among the small group paying tribute to the thousands of young soldiers who died at Gallipoli in 1915.

 

Mr Sinodinos spoke of the “stoicism, Grit and stubborn optimism” of the troops who left Australia and New Zealand to fight in Turkey, which had left and “indelible mark” on Australia.

 

The day had “reverberated through the years to become our most important national commemoration … Over 60,000 Australians were killed and 156,000 wounded, gassed or taken prisoner out of total population less than 5 million,” he said.

 

Mr Sinodinos in his remarks also dwelt on the 1918 battle of Hamel, in northern France, where Americans and Australian fought under the command of General Sir John Monash.

 

“It was the first time Americans were commanded by non-American officers,” Mr Sinodinos said.

 

Antony Blinken, the US Secretary of State, had earlier extended his “warmest thoughts to all Australians and New Zealanders as you commemorate Anzac Day”.

 

“Since 1915, US, Australian, and New Zealand service members have served alongside one another in many global conflicts,” he said.

 

“Through our strong and deep interpersonal ties, the partnership between our nations continues to grow each year along with the realisation that the kinship our armed forces share is more important than ever in helping ensuring a free, open, and inclusive Indo-Pacific,” he added.

 

Rosemary Banks, New Zealand’s ambassador to the US, also spoke, paying tribute also to the “British, French, Indian, and Turkish servicemen” who died that day, and remembering the “enormous sacrifice” the US had also made in the First World War.

 

Five wreaths were laid, including one by General Milley and Dr Campbell, before the group retreated to the drawing room for Tim Tams and coffees with a shot of rum.

 

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/world/top-us-general-pays-his-respects-to-anzac-day-in-washington/news-story/260afba9b18c951f1a45bf129320185e

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 26, 2021, 12:39 a.m. No.13515184   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>5203 >>1248

>>13515179

Arthur Sinodinos AO Tweet

 

Honour to host #ANZACDay dawn service with @NZAmbassadorUS Banks and to welcome Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff #GenMilley to the Residence #Lestweforget @thejointstaff"

 

https://twitter.com/A_Sinodinos/status/1386399153639419905

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 26, 2021, 12:48 a.m. No.13515203   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1248

>>13515184

The Joint Staff Tweet

 

#GenMilley: "On this #ANZACDay, we honor the sacrifices of our Australian and New Zealand brothers and sisters in arms. We are proud to have the honor of serving shoulder to shoulder with you." #HonorThem #LestWeForget

 

https://twitter.com/thejointstaff/status/1386334268415225857

 

Department of Defence @DeptDefence

 

This morning, thousands paused to #LightUpTheDawn during #AnzacDay Dawn Service commemorations held across the country. bit. ly/Anzac-Day21 #WeWillRememberThem #YourADF

 

https://twitter.com/DeptDefence/status/1386148053736853506

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 26, 2021, 12:54 a.m. No.13515223   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>5232 >>1248

>>13500954

Australia in the US Tweet

 

We thank those who joined us virtually in honouring our #Anzacs. We are privileged to remember those that made the ultimate sacrifice and thank those that continue to bravely protect our freedom.

Missed the livestream? Watch the replay

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUZ53ZHtn10

#AnzacDay

 

https://twitter.com/AusintheUS/status/1386359844676976645

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 26, 2021, 12:59 a.m. No.13515232   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1248

>>13515223

Australia in the US Tweet

 

Today our Air & Space Attache conducted a small #AnzacDay ceremony at @ArlingtonNatl. They laid a wreath at the gravesite of PLTOFF Francis Milne - the only Australian military member buried at the Cemetery. #LestWeForget #AnzacDay2021

 

https://twitter.com/AusintheUS/status/1386465531646074888

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 26, 2021, 1:06 a.m. No.13515254   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>5260 >>1248

Marine Rotational Force – Darwin Tweet

 

Lest We Forget

Originally done to commemorate the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps forces from World War I, #AnzacDay2021 recognizes the men and women who served in the Australian and New Zealand armed services in all wars, conflicts and peacekeeping operations

 

https://twitter.com/MrfDarwin/status/1386237760382509056

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 26, 2021, 1:09 a.m. No.13515260   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1248

>>13515254

Marine Rotational Force – Darwin Facebook Post

 

April 25 2021

 

Lest We Forget

Where have you celebrated Anzac Day?

Anzac Day originally commemorated the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps forces from World War I, but now also recognizes the men and women who served in the Australian and New Zealand armed services in all wars, conflicts and peacekeeping operations. With the Northern Territory remaining free of COVID transmission within the community, Marines were able to participate in today’s events to show respects to their fallen, former, and active members.

(U.S. Marine Corps photos by Sgt. Micha Pierce)

 

https://www.facebook.com/MRFDarwin/posts/4054612117961391

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 26, 2021, 1:31 a.m. No.13515316   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>5323 >>1263

Ben Roberts-Smith takes leave from Seven Network role during defamation case against newspaper journalists

 

Matthew Doran - 26 April 2021

 

Victoria Cross recipient Ben Roberts-Smith is taking leave as boss of the Seven Network's Queensland operations, as he pursues a defamation case in the Federal Court.

 

The announcement was made by Seven West's CEO James Warburton in an all-staff email on Monday.

 

Mr Roberts-Smith launched the defamation case against The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and The Canberra Times newspapers over a series of stories from 2018 alleging he committed war crimes in Afghanistan — which he strongly denies.

 

The newspapers reject his claim, and the trial is due to start in the Federal Court in early June.

 

Mr Warburton said Mr Roberts-Smith's leave from his position as general manager Seven Brisbane and 7Queensland would begin immediately.

 

"Ben and I believe this mutual decision is best for both him and our company," Mr Warburton said.

 

"We expect Ben to return to his role upon the completion of his defamation proceedings.

 

"As the trial is currently set down for eight weeks, it's likely this won't be until after August."

 

Earlier this month Mr Roberts-Smith labelled further allegations about his conduct, broadcast on the Nine Network, as "baseless".

 

60 Minutes alleged he had buried USB drives containing purportedly compromising material in his backyard, rather than providing them to police and military investigators.

 

The program also broadcast secret recordings of Mr Roberts-Smith, in which he appeared to say he was indebted to Seven West chairman Kerry Stokes for financially supporting his legal battle and promised to destroy journalists who were publishing stories about him.

 

At the time Mr Roberts-Smith took aim at Nine's journalist Nick McKenzie, arguing he had not put any of the allegations to him before broadcast.

 

The Australian Federal Police have confirmed to federal Parliament fresh investigations into Mr Roberts-Smith had been launched following 60 Minutes' reporting.

 

Last year the Federal Court heard eyewitnesses had detailed to investigators how Mr Roberts-Smith allegedly committed a violent war crime, by kicking a handcuffed Afghan civilian off a cliff in 2012.

 

Mr Roberts-Smith denied the "false allegations", and said the newspapers reporting and defence of the defamation suit were "completely without any foundation in truth".

 

The newspapers scored a win in pre-trial wrangling in April, with Justice Anthony Besanko allowing four Afghan villagers and a member of the ADF to give evidence in the court case.

 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-04-26/ben-roberts-smith-leave-seven-network-role-defamation-case/100095586

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 26, 2021, 1:33 a.m. No.13515323   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>5325 >>1263

>>13515316

Ben Roberts-Smith welcomes Royal Commission, slams treatment of veterans

 

Australia’s most decorated war hero has delivered a scathing attack on the Australian Defence Force and says a royal commission is “desperately needed.”

 

Matthew Benns and Josh Hanrahan - April 25, 2021

 

1/2

 

Australia’s most decorated war hero has delivered a scathing attack on the Australian Defence Force’s top brass for their “disgusting” treatment of veterans and “staggering” lack of direction.

 

Victoria Cross recipient Ben Roberts-Smith said military commanders had run Australia’s longest-ever conflict in Afghanistan from the safety and comfort of Dubai without ever having a campaign strategy.

 

And he thanked the Australian public for pushing for a royal commission into veteran suicides in the face of ­resistance from defence force chiefs afraid “because we’re going to uncover systemic failures and systemic flaws’’.

 

“That is the point of this royal commission … it’s what we need to do to protect the future of the military and more importantly, the people that are willing to sacrifice everything,” he said.

 

Mr Roberts-Smith is suing Nine newspapers for defamation over articles alleging he was being investigated by the Australian Federal Police for killing six Afghans outside of combat and was a war criminal.

 

The expensive legal battle is set to start in June and on Friday former governor-general Quentin Bryce was named as a reputation witness for Mr Roberts-Smith, who now runs Channel 7 in Queensland.

 

The 42-year-old former SAS corporal would not talk about his own experiences but said the treatment of his colleagues when they returned showed that a Royal Commission was desperately needed.

 

“It is a giant step forward for the prime minister to make this announcement and commit to a royal commission,” he said.

 

“It is something that is very much needed given the disproportionate rates of suicide that we see in Australia. We really need to address it.”

 

Mr Roberts-Smith said the person running the commission needed to be independent of the Australian Defence Force and “should not have ever been a service member or indeed anyone who potentially has ever worked in the same forms of government.”

 

He said the problem of veteran suicide lay squarely at the door of the top brass.

 

The “first flaw” in taking care of veterans was that “the psychological screening was a farce”.

 

“It was mostly an exercise designed to cover the senior leadership. It did not create any effect that would be conducive with protecting soldiers, sailors, airmen and mental health,” he said.

 

“We have been let down by our own military. We didn‘t have as many casualties as perhaps we could have because the men and women that serve were bloody good at their job.

 

“And yet now a lot of these issues are stemming from the fact that veterans feel that their own military family is taking that away from them.

 

“It’s disgusting.”

 

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 26, 2021, 1:35 a.m. No.13515325   🗄️.is 🔗kun

>>13515323

 

2/2

 

Mr Roberts-Smith said the public had learnt from the treatment of Diggers returning from Vietnam but military chiefs had not.

 

“We’re very lucky to have a public that’s so supportive,” he said. “In Vietnam people came home and society didn’t understand the conflict.

 

“That was a black stain on our history … but we learnt a lesson from that.”

 

However, he said many soldiers on the ground in Afghanistan were not given an explanation of the reasoning behind the 20-year conflict.

 

“I mean, can you imagine being a 20-year-old man and sent to war, sent to Afghanistan?” Mr Roberts-Smith said. “You don’t really know why you’re there.

 

“And then your mate gets vaporised by an IED because you moved your left foot too much. You come home having not even been in a proper gunfight because you weren‘t allowed to get out and do your infantry job as you’re trying to do. And then you sit there wondering, what was that about?

 

“It’s staggering to me that so many people didn’t understand why we were there.

 

“But it’s not because they were ignorant or that they weren’t great. We actually didn’t have a campaign strategy. It’s pretty staggering.”

 

Mr Roberts-Smith said the SAS were given a better understanding of their mission because they were targeting senior enemy figures.

 

But a political aversion to seeing regular soldiers coming home in body bags meant the special forces were sent back on high rotation.

 

“I have observed that the senior leadership of the military does not accurately report to government the physical position of the force elements of their units,” he said.

 

“I think that’s because people obviously are more worried about their jobs than actually letting people know that you don’t have the right amount of people to do the job, that you’re working your special forces into the ground, that they are deploying too much, that your infantry soldiers are not being utilised in correct roles and tasks.”

 

Mr Roberts-Smith said he was “very proud” of every service man and woman who is “prepared to do something bigger than themselves.”

 

But an inquiry was vital because “we don’t demonstrate enough that we truly care about the individual” and a royal commission would look at caring for the “the health and wellbeing of (those) prepared to … put their lives on the line and put their bodies at risk”. “Every soldier is coming out of Afghanistan with some kind of physical or mental issue,’’ he said.

 

https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/ben-robertssmith-welcomes-royal-commission-slams-treatment-of-veterans/news-story/5554941a267739108642f02ddbe1fe8d

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 26, 2021, 1:42 a.m. No.13515337   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>2368 >>2384 >>2393 >>2894 >>9937 >>9959 >>0328 >>9534 >>5541 >>9618 >>9625 >>7336 >>7468 >>9317 >>8429 >>2368 >>0331 >>0263 >>1281

>>13485007

Potential China war sees audit of deals, including Port of Darwin

 

OLIVIA CAISLEY - APRIL 25, 2021

 

Defence Minister Peter Dutton has said a war with China over Taiwan “should not be discounted” as the federal government considers the appropriateness of thousands of arrangements that might not be in the national interest, including the Chinese ownership of the Port of Darwin.

 

Mr Dutton told ABC Insiders on Sunday that Australians needed to be realistic about China’s increasing militarisation across the region. However, he warned that “nobody wants to see conflict between China and Taiwan or anywhere else”.

 

“I don’t think it should be discounted,” he said.

 

“I think China has been very clear about the reunification and that’s been a long-held objective of theirs and if you look at any of the rhetoric that is coming out of China … particularly in recent weeks and months … they have been very clear about that goal.”

 

Mr Dutton said it was important Australia continue to work with its allies in the region to try to maintain peace.

 

“For us we want to make sure we continue to be a good neighbour in the region, that we work with our partners and with our allies and nobody wants to see conflict between China and Taiwan or anywhere else,” he said.

 

Former prime minister Tony Abbott last week told a seminar in Auckland that the world needed to face up to the threat China poses to democracy.

 

“What’s very real, though, and daily more insistent, is the Beijing government’s determination to retake Taiwan, by force if necessary, at least by the 2049 centenary of the Chinese Communist Party’s takeover,” he said.

 

It comes as the Morrison government moved to overrule Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews’ Belt and Road agreements with Beijing. But questions have now been raised about the appropriateness of other China-related deals that might not be in the national interest, such as Chinese control of the Port of Darwin.

 

Mr Dutton said there were thousands of cases being examined, including the Darwin Port, which entered a 99-year lease under a Chinese owner in 2015.

 

“There are literally thousands of these cases to look at and the Foreign Affairs Minister is working through all of that,” Mr Dutton said. “The advice from Defence in relation to any of these matters will be taken into consideration by (Marise Payne).

 

“If it’s not in our national interest, then obviously she’ll act and I think she is doing exactly the right thing here.

 

“Our sovereignty is incredibly important and our values are important and I don’t think anybody would argue with that.”

 

Last week the Chinese foreign ministry threatened to retaliate for the scuppering of the Belt and Road deals, declaring: “We urge Australia to set aside cold war mentality and ideological bias, view the bilateral co-operation in an objective and rational light.”

 

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said he wanted Australia to continue having a productive relationship with its largest trading partner, “but at the same time we will be clear and consistent with respect to our national interest”.

 

On Saturday, Mr Dutton told The Australian that Canberra had been clear with Beijing that it would not “surrender” to threats of retaliation.

 

“I think the focus for the Australian Defence Force is about core business, providing domestic support, keep Australia safe and secure, focus further emphasis and be clear-eyed about capacity in the defence force to keep us safe and secure in uncertain times and our training now reflects that priority,” he said.

 

“The level of foreign interference in our country, the level of cyber attacks, the militarisation of bases across our region, the heavy influence into near neighbours — I think that all creates question marks and uncertainty which we need to monitor and respond to as we need.”

 

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/potential-china-war-sees-audit-of-deals-including-port-of-darwin/news-story/ab60084d8fd6cb6f7e933d925a60eae4

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 26, 2021, 1:47 a.m. No.13515342   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>2425 >>1281

>>13477600

Academic Jane Golley backtracks on Uighur abuse article

 

OLIVIA CAISLEY and SHARRI MARKSON - APRIL 26, 2021

 

An “anonymous article” casting doubt over grave human rights abuses in Xinjiang, cited by the head of Australia’s top China-focused academic institution, labels female sterilisation as “family planning” and says claims regarding genocide and the incarceration of one million Uighurs are “unsupported.”

 

Jane Golley, the director of ANU’s taxpayer-funded Centre on China in the World, told the National Press Club last week she had read a “convincing” but anonymous paper contradicting media reports of China’s widespread mistreatment of Uighurs.

 

“Just last week I received a scholarly article that debunks much of what you have read in the Western media on this topic, including the figure of one million Uighurs in detention camps, the pervasive use of forced labour, and of calling it genocide,” she said.

 

“The authors sent it anonymously because they fear the reaction here in Australia by those who are committed to the dominant narrative.”

 

The academic paper, obtained by The Australian, downplays female sterilisation in Xinjiang and questions whether the practice could be considered family planning. It also says forced sterilisation in Xinjiang is occurring but isn’t specifically designed for Uighurs or “intended to stop them having any children.”

 

“ … authorities are finally implementing family planning policies in Xinjiang, thereby limiting family size, an interpretation which is supported by the public statement in 2017 that Xinjiang would implement a ‘uniform family planning policy for all ethnic groups,” the article says.

 

Professor Golley told The Australian on Monday she didn’t mean to say what she had said and should have used a word such as “challenged” rather than “debunked”.

 

“I wish I hadn’t raised it (the anonymous article) at all now obviously, now I see how big the backlash is,” she said.

 

China strongly denies human rights abuses against Uighurs, arguing that facilities branded detention camps in the West are in fact vocational training centres.

 

The anonymous report claims that ‘political re-education’ and ‘deradicalisation’ programs in Xinjiang are plausible, but says “vocational training has probably been offered to a greater number of people than political re-education.” It calls on the West to apply a more “normal critical discussion” to the issue.

 

“With China now such an emotive topic for many in the West, the chances of a more rational and objective discussion of Xinjiang look slim,” it said. “But the authors hope that this paper may at least encourage the resumption of normal critical discussion about this most important of topics.”

 

Professor Golley, an economist, conceded she was not an expert on Xinjiang, so could not make a judgment on the report’s veracity. She said that while she did not doubt that human rights abuses were occurring.

 

China’s deputy ambassador to Australia Wang Xining told the same National Press Club address China was “a positive force in the world”, declaring China wanted “every ethnic group to live a good life.”

 

Cyber security analyst and co-founder of Internet 2.0 Robert Potter said the treatment of Uighur Muslims “absolutely qualifies as genocide.”

 

“I think it’s absolutely bizarre for the head of the centre for China in the world and Australia’s premier institution to endorse an article that has yet to be published and is intended to be published anonymously,” he told Sky News on Sunday.

 

Liberal senator James Paterson, the Joint intelligence and security committee chairman, last week told The Australian he was astonished Professor Golley would endorse an unverified report over extensive evidence.

 

“It is concerning to see any academic publicly elevate an anonymous, unpublished article, which has not been peer-reviewed, above the years of scholarly evidence, investigative journalism and reports from reputable human rights organisations, which has exposed what is happening in Xinjiang,” he said.

 

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/academic-jane-golley-backtracks-on-uighur-abuse-article/news-story/3ebd0e29f6aaf5a404c2a3d132900e77

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 26, 2021, 1:57 a.m. No.13515355   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>5360 >>1281

Australian fruits face delays at Chinese ports due to strict anti-virus inspections: sources

 

Chinese firms seek other sources for fruits amid tense ties

 

Yin Yeping - Apr 25, 2021

 

Chinese fruit industry insiders and sources confirmed on Sunday that Australian grapes and other fruits are facing inspections and delays at some ports, as China takes strict measures to inspect imported fruits to stem the spread of the COVID-19 as the global pandemic intensifies again.

 

It remains unclear when a backlog of Australian grapes waiting to be inspected will be cleared, but Chinese importers are already moving to reduce the proportion of Australian fruit due to low profits and worsened bilateral ties, while increasing imports from other sources such as New Zealand and Thailand.

 

Reports of such delays came as bilateral relations further plunged after Canberra used an anti-China law to tear up agreements signed between the state of Victoria and China regarding the Belt and Road Initiative. China has vowed to take forceful countermeasures, but has not announced any so far.

 

Several industry insiders familiar with the matter told the Global Times on Sunday that clearance delays for Australian grapes are mainly due to the ongoing epidemic in Australia and the need to conduct nucleic acid tests on imported fruit to protect public health. This is a normal practice for epidemic prevention, they said.

 

"There are indeed many containers of Australian grapes waiting for inspection at ports … authorities are working extra hours to clear the backlog," a source familiar with the matter told the Global Times on Sunday, adding that it remains unclear when the backlog can be cleared. Other fruit shipments from Australia are also under inspection, the source said.

 

A manager at Shenzhen Huitong, a logistics company based in Shenzhen, South China's Guangdong Province, said that Australian grapes are being stockpiled for nucleic acid tests.

 

"The process can take as long as seven days," said the manager. But the inspection process also applies to many other goods from epidemic-hit countries, the manager added.

 

Some foreign media reports claimed the customs delays "may be the latest casualty" of bad bilateral relations. That also reflected Australian exporters' rising nervousness as their government is relentlessly pulling bilateral relations into an abyss.

 

Reuters reported on Friday that Australian table grapes have been experiencing lengthy delays at Chinese ports for the last three weeks. Citing Jeff Scott, CEO at the Australian Table Grape Association, Reuters said that about 400 or 500 containers that are taking between five and 10 days longer than normal to be cleared.

 

"In the aftermath China moved to limit imports of Canberra's barley, beef, cotton and seafood - and in what may be the latest casualty, Australian grape growers said they are experiencing customs delays," the report said.

 

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 26, 2021, 1:58 a.m. No.13515360   🗄️.is 🔗kun

>>13515355

 

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In the 2019/20 season, more than 220,000 tons of Australian table grapes were grown, with 70 percent exported. China was the largest market for Australian grapes, taking about 41.3 percent of the total, followed by Indonesia and Japan at 8.8 and 7.5 percent, respectively, data from the Australian Table Grape Association showed.

 

However, some fruit importers told the Global Times that they have already reduced imports of Australian fruits, including grapes, since the beginning of this year for multiple reasons "beyond their control."

 

A manager surnamed Li with Yeguo trade company in Guangzhou told the Global Times on Sunday that the market is "unfavorable" for Australian grapes, whose prices are too low to be profitable, and there is also an oversupply.

 

"Previously, the price was around 20-22 yuan ($3.08-$3.39) per kilogram for grapes from Australia and now it's nearly 11.1 yuan," she said.

 

Another trader surnamed Chen also based in Guangzhou, who has been in the fruit import business for years, told the Global Times on Sunday that he is reducing the share of Australian fruits these days because of port delays.

 

He is expanding fruit imports from other countries, in particular New Zealand and Thailand. "Fruits from those countries are gaining popularity these days as more quality seasonal fruits begin the harvest," said Chen.

 

In January and February, China imported 1,238 tons of fresh grapes from Australia, down 38.8 percent year-on-year, with a total value of $5.29 million, down 30.1 percent year-on-year, data the China Fruit Marketing Association shared with the Global Times on Sunday showed.

 

The COVID-19 outbreak has intensified again worldwide and it is reasonable that Chinese customs has strengthened the inspection and quarantine standards and procedures for fresh cold-chain imports, experts said.

 

However, this has caused concern and speculation among Australian businesses, mainly due to the recent deterioration of China-Australia relations, Song Wei, an associate research fellow at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, told the Global Times on Sunday.

 

"Businesses on both sides have negative expectations for China-Australia economic and trade cooperation. Not only will Australian grape exporters overly interpret it, Chinese investors will also actively seek alternative markets, which will directly affect China's direct investment in Australia," said Song.

 

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202104/1222053.shtml

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 26, 2021, 2:10 a.m. No.13515377   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>5380 >>1305

Photos show Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell were VIP guests at White House under Bill Clinton’s reign

 

Newly-surfaced pictures shed further light on former president Bill Clinton’s association with Jeffery Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.

 

James MacSmith / AFP - April 26, 2021

 

Photos unearthed from 1993 show Ghislaine Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein greeting then US President Bill Clinton at the White House.

 

The Sun, which first published the photos, reports Maxwell and her paedophile ex-lover were invited to the White House after Epstein donated money to have the Oval Office refurbished.

 

They toured the East Room and the presidential residence during a reception, the media outlet reports.

 

Previous photos linking Clinton to Epstein and Maxwell include Clinton aboard Epstein’s private jet in 2002 with Maxwell and one of the late billionaires’ rape accusers.

 

Clinton also reportedly had a private dinner with Maxwell in 2014 — years after Epstein was convicted of child sex abuse.

 

Clinton has always denied he ever visited Epstein’s private island in the Bahamas and maintained he never knew of Epstein’s sexual misconduct.

 

But Epstein’s Aussie-based accuser Virginia Giuffre has previously said she was on the island at the same time as Clinton.

 

A book released last year claims that Clinton had an affair with Maxwell.

 

MAXWELL PLEADS NOT GUILTY

 

Maxwell pleaded not guilty to new sex trafficking charges as she appeared in court in person on Friday for the first time since her arrest last summer.

 

The 59-year-old is accused of recruiting underage girls for her former partner, the disgraced US financier Jeffrey Epstein, who killed himself in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial.

 

Maxwell, wearing a blue jail shirt, appeared frail and noticeably older as she walked in to the Manhattan federal court where she was arraigned on a new superseding indictment that prosecutors filed last month.

 

The indictment added a new accuser and extended the time frame of her alleged offences by seven years.

 

Maxwell faces six counts, including sex trafficking conspiracy and sex trafficking of a minor.

 

The alleged crimes occurred between 1994 and 2004, and relate to four women, including two who prosecutors say were just 14 years old when they were sexually abused.

 

The counts are stronger than the earlier charges, which refer to “enticement” and “transportation” of minors to travel to engage in illegal sex acts.

 

Maxwell spoke just three times during the brief hearing, including to say “Yes, your honour” and “I have, your honour” when asked if she had been made aware of the charges.

 

She also waived her right to have the charges read out to her in court. At one point she appeared to wave at someone in court, where her sister Isabel was present.

 

The daughter of late newspaper baron Robert Maxwell denies all the allegations against her. Maxwell’s lawyer entered a not guilty plea on her behalf.

 

Her trial is due to begin on July 12, although her defence team is pushing for more time to prepare.

 

Maxwell faces an effective life sentence if convicted.

 

She allegedly befriended girls with shopping and movie theatre outings, and later coaxed them into giving Epstein nude massages during which he would engage in sex acts.

 

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 26, 2021, 2:11 a.m. No.13515380   🗄️.is 🔗kun

>>13515377

 

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ABUSE ALLEGATIONS AGAINST MAXWELL

 

Prosecutors say Maxwell sometimes participated in the alleged abuse, which occurred at her London home and at Epstein’s properties in Manhattan, Palm Beach and New Mexico.

 

She has also been charged with two counts of perjury, which are due to be tried after her sex crimes trial.

 

The perjury counts relate to testimony she gave in 2016 in a defamation case filed against her by long-time Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre.

 

Maxwell has been denied bail three times since her arrest in July last year.

 

She has repeatedly complained of filthy conditions at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn where she is being held.

 

“She’s not suicidal. She shouldn’t be treated like this,” said one of her attorneys, David Markus, outside court.

 

“It’s only because of the horrible Epstein effect,” he added.

 

Epstein, 66, was a multimillion-dollar hedge fund manager who befriended countless celebrities over the years, including former president Bill Clinton and British Royal Prince Andrew.

 

His suicide deprived dozens of his accusers their day in court and launched countless conspiracy theories, with prosecutors vowing to pursue co-conspirators.

 

“It was painful but it is healing,” said Danielle Bensky, who had accused Epstein of abuse, after attending Friday’s hearing.

 

“After not having a trial for Epstein, yes I do think it will provide some closure for the victims,” she added of Maxwell’s upcoming trial.

 

Maxwell’s arrest intensified the spotlight on Andrew, who vehemently denies claims he had sex with a 17-year-old girl procured by Epstein.

 

https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/world/ghislaine-maxwell-pleads-not-guilty-to-new-sex-trafficking-charges/news-story/9417dee56102d606d7822ac096922116

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 26, 2021, 2:16 a.m. No.13515389   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1294

Facebook removes Craig Kelly's page, says former Liberal MP breached misinformation policies

 

Jade Macmillan and Brett Worthington - 26 April 2021

 

Former Liberal MP Craig Kelly has been stripped of a controversial Facebook page, with the social media giant accusing him of breaching its misinformation policies.

 

Mr Kelly quit the Liberal Party to sit on the crossbench earlier this year after facing backlash from the Prime Minister and health experts for the content he was posting on his Facebook page about COVID-19 vaccines.

 

While he has lost access to his most high-profile page, Mr Kelly has told the ABC he still retained access to a second Facebook page.

 

He took aim at the company, accusing it of having "burnt and torched and incinerated and obliterated" his page, a move he compared to "burning books" to censor him.

 

But a Facebook spokesperson said Mr Kelly had repeatedly violated the site's policies.

 

"We don't allow anyone, including elected officials, to share misinformation about COVID-19 that could lead to imminent physical harm or COVID-19 vaccines that have been debunked by public health experts," the spokesperson said.

 

"We have clear policies against this type of content and have removed Mr Kelly's Facebook Page for repeated violations of this policy."

 

Mr Kelly attacked the decision as "censorship", saying Facebook informed him by text message on Monday morning.

 

"This was the most popular, highly used political Facebook page in the country," he said.

 

"They have basically burnt and torched and incinerated and obliterated from the record, previous comments and previous things that I'd made."

 

Mr Kelly has backed COVID-19 treatments against the advice of Australia's medical authorities and previously shared claims that forcing children to wear masks was a form of child abuse.

 

He also appeared on a podcast where he was interviewed by anti-vaccination campaigner Pete Evans.

 

Mr Kelly denied he was spreading misinformation about COVID-19.

 

"It is not misinformation if you have a difference of opinion," he said.

 

"The idea that they are some purveyors of all truth is just absolutely outrageous."

 

The crossbench MP described his second page as a "parliamentary page", while the now-removed page was one he posted on regularly.

 

"It's a violation of the principles of free speech and quite frankly I'm absolutely outraged by it," Mr Kelly said.

 

"These people are the heirs to those who used to go around burning books because that is effectively what they have done."

 

Labor and the Greens have repeatedly criticised the government for failing to intervene with Mr Kelly's posts sooner.

 

Labor frontbencher Tanya Plibersek clashed with Mr Kelly in a Parliament House corridor, where she accused him of spreading conspiracy theories.

 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-04-26/craig-kelly-facebook-page-removed-covid-19-misinformation/100095622

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 26, 2021, 2:25 a.m. No.13515399   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>5403 >>1248

Neo-Nazis make submission to Parliamentary inquiry into extremism

 

Josh Butler - Apr 26, 2021

 

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Far-right groups claim they have attempted to make public submissions to a Parliamentary inquiry set up to explore the threat posed by extremist movements.

 

The groups claim their input has been rejected by federal politicians, prompting a rare explanation from the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security (PJCIS) that it is still closely considering how to deal with “the sensitive subject” of the inquiry.

 

It comes as tech giants Facebook, Google and Twitter – which will appear before the committee’s landmark first hearings this week – push back on the idea of more regulation and on creating ‘back doors’ to unlock encrypted messaging apps used by extremist groups.

 

The PJCIS inquiry was set up in late 2020 with a remit to investigate “the nature and extent of, and threat posed by, extremist movements and persons holding extremist views” – specifically “lslamist and far right-wing extremist groups”.

 

Now, several of these groups claim to have made submissions to the inquiry.

 

Far-right groups ‘publicly challenge’ Parliament

 

One group, which describes itself as a national socialist and white nationalist organisation – and which The New Daily has decided not to name – used an encrypted social media platform to claim to its followers that the PJCIS “refused to accept” a seven-page submission it said it had sent.

 

In messages seen by TND, one of the group’s leaders said he was concerned the inquiry would lead to the group being proscribed as a terrorist organisation.

 

In the submission, the group’s founder said he wanted to “publicly challenge” the inquiry, and denied the group aimed to use violence.

 

The submission ended with the neo-Nazi group offering its members to appear before the PJCIS.

 

TND has been told by sources close to the inquiry that at least one other far-right group – an Australian chapter of an international organisation – has also sent a submission to the PJCIS.

 

However, just 18 submissions have been published on the committee’s website, all from academics, police agencies, or social media networks, and none from any extremist groups.

 

Sources close to the inquiry, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to security issues related to the PJCIS, said numerous other submissions were still being assessed before being accepted or published.

 

It has led to the publication of a rare statement of explanation on the committee’s website.

 

“The committee has received a great deal of interest in this inquiry and, due to the sensitive subject, is considering various matters prior to publishing evidence received,” it read.

 

“If you have made a submission or provided information to the inquiry and it has not been published, you may be assured that your document is being considered by the committee and is part of the overall evidence received for the inquiry.”

 

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 26, 2021, 2:26 a.m. No.13515403   🗄️.is 🔗kun

>>13515399

 

2/2

 

In previous submissions to the inquiry, Victoria Police warned that right-wing extremist groups were drawing new supporters from wellness and anti-vaxxer communities, using the COVID pandemic and outrage over border closures as a “recruiting tool”.

 

The Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, which recently warned right-wing terror made up 40 per cent of its workload, said the pandemic “exacerbated a range of anti-government, anti-5G, anti-vaccination and pro-conspiracy narratives”.

 

ASIO and the Australian Federal Police will appear before the inquiry on Thursday, with Facebook, Twitter, Google, and a number of anti-extremism academics appearing on Friday.

 

Tech companies push back on regulation

 

In its submission, Twitter said social media companies “have a critical role” but content moderation or banning users “will not solve these issues in isolation”.

 

“There is no one solution to prevent an individual turning to violence,” Twitter said.

 

“This is a long-term problem requiring a long-term response, not just the removal of content,” it said, noting that clamping down on hateful content often saw it move “into darker corners of the internet where they cannot be challenged”.

 

Facebook’s submission said the company banned 250 white supremacist organisations and 900 “militarised social movements” from its platform, including Australian groups.

 

Company executives noted about 0.1 per cent of “views of content” on Facebook contained hate speech, and estimated 0.05 per cent of content views contained “terrorist” speech.

 

In noting that hate groups have migrated to encrypted messaging or social media apps to spread their views, Facebook pushed back on calls for governments to force tech companies to create “back doors” and help law enforcement circumvent secret communications.

 

Facebook’s submission called end-to-end encryption “the best security tool available to protect Australians from cybercriminals”, and said creating back doors through “increasingly interventionist laws” was not the answer to rising extremism.

 

“Facebook is committed to working with law enforcement, policymakers, experts and civil society organisations to develop ways of detecting bad actors without needing access to the content of encrypted messages,” the company said.

 

Google’s submission said it was “unable to provide to law enforcement” the content of encrypted messages, but promised to hand over “a wealth of data” in metadata like call location or phone numbers.

 

“Strong encryption doesn’t create a law-free zone,” Google claimed.

 

https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/2021/04/26/neo-nazis-submission-inquiry/

 

https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Joint/Intelligence_and_Security/ExtremistMovements

 

https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Joint/Intelligence_and_Security/ExtremistMovements/Submissions

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 26, 2021, 2:33 a.m. No.13515411   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>5413 >>1298

‘You can’t go’: Woman’s hellish life as slave for Sydney couple

 

A woman who was forced to work around the clock for a Sydney couple who controlled her life has revealed the chilling way she was trapped.

 

Ben Graham - APRIL 24, 2021

 

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A woman who was brought to Australia by a Sydney couple, who forced her to work 24 hours a day and restricted who she could see and where she could go, has revealed what her life was like as a slave.

 

Court documents reveal she was threatened against leaving, told she couldn’t socialise with others and, when she eventually fled the home, the couple hired a private detective to track her down and bring her back.

 

Joshua and Shiela McAleer, from Rockdale in Sydney’s south, have pleaded guilty to a series of charges relating to their treatment of the woman, including conducting a business involving the forced labour of another person between November 26, 2014, and October 30, 2016, and harbouring an unlawful non-citizen.

 

In a sentencing hearing this week in Sydney, the court heard that the woman — who cannot be named for legal reasons — felt as though she had no option but to go along with the couples’ plans for her to work around the clock for three years.

 

Documents tendered to court show that, in late 2012, Mrs McAleer began searching for a woman from the Philippines to work in her home as a babysitter around the time she was expecting a second child. The plan was for that person to travel on a three-month tourist visa, but that they would overstay it.

 

The victim was working in the Philippines making around 10,000 pesos ($267) a month, and was told by Mrs McAleer that she and her husband could arrange for her to come to Australia — where she could make double her current pay.

 

She was told that she would be doing nanny and ‘maid’ work for around five years.

 

The victim had never been overseas before and thought this would be an exciting way to travel and support her family in the Philippines — who would be receiving her wages directly.

 

The agreed facts state that she believed she would have been able to come home if she didn’t like it in Australia.

 

The McAleers gave her money for a passport and told her that she would have to apply for a three-month tourist visa, which they helped her with.

 

In the application for the visa, the McAleers wrote that the victim would be living with them and that they would take responsibility for her food and travel expenses.

 

Stating that they had a baby due in May 2013, they said the victim would help them with “day-to-day chores” as they had a busy schedule.

 

The victim’s visa — which stipulated that she wasn’t allowed to work in Australia — was granted in April that year and, at that point, she told Mrs McAleer she was concerned about overstaying it.

 

She was told words to the effect of: “You will be okay. It is a good country. Nothing will happen to you here and you won’t tell anyone that you are working, you are just living with us and helping me.”

 

A few weeks later, on May 6, the victim arrived in Sydney and she was told she would not be allowed to go home.

 

Mrs McAleer told her, in words to the effect of: “I have spent a lot of money for you to come out to Australia. You will not go home even if a member of your family is sick or dies.

 

“I will not pay for your ticket to go back home until after five years. You will be my nanny to help with the children and look after the housework like cleaning, washing and cooking.”

 

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 26, 2021, 2:34 a.m. No.13515413   🗄️.is 🔗kun

>>13515411

 

2/2

 

She was told she would not have to pay for rent or food but that she would get $100 a month — in addition to the previously agreed amount being sent directly to her family in the Philippines.

 

The victim was told she needed to ask permission to leave the house and was discouraged from socialising with other Filipinos in the community — despite the fact her English was limited and she didn’t know anybody in Australia. She was told to use a fake name in public and told she couldn’t be in a relationship.

 

When the McAleers found out she spoke to another Filipino and given them her phone number, they made the victim change her phone number.

 

When the woman’s visa expired, she told the couple she wanted to go home.

 

However, she was told, with words to the effect of: “You cannot go home until you pay me for your travel expenses.

 

“If you go back before you pay me back I know people in the Philippines in the police and higher up and who I can hire to harm you or your family if you go home early.”

 

The documents state that she worked on a full-time basis looking after the couples’ children, even sharing a room with them, and she began to work at the couple’s Filipino grocery store 6-7 days a week without pay.

 

“I did not know when I came that I would have to work 24 hours a day. I did not get paid for my work,” the woman said in her victim impact statement.

 

Crown prosecutor Jennifer Single, SC, told the court the woman had so little money that she “couldn’t get a taxi to get to the airport, nevermind a flight back to the Philippines.”

 

As the McAleers’ business expanded, the victim was told to do an increasing amount of work and she complained.

 

Mrs McAleer said words in response to the effect of: ‘Why are you complaining? I am your boss, I am paying for you.’”

 

In October 2016, the victim fled from the Rockdale home.

 

Court documents show that on November 1 that year, Mr McAleer sought the assistance of a private investigator in finding the woman, who he said was his fiancee and that she had gone missing.

 

“I have friends who have told me they have seen her driving around with another mail [sic] in the Sutherland area over the weekend and I have had my suspicions as well for a while now,” Mr McAleer wrote. “I would like you to locate his home address and try to see if (the woman) is with him.”

 

The Australian Federal Police got a tip-off in July 2017 from Anti-Slavery Australia and the couple were issued court attendance notices in October 2019.

 

Last October they both pleaded guilty to several offences relating to the matter.

 

The victim said in her impact statement that, before coming to Australia, she had been happy, had job security and her family.

 

“I felt like a slave but I didn’t say anything,” the woman wrote. “I feel it would have been better not to come (to Australia). I had no power to change my situation”.

 

She has been free and living in Australia for nearly five years now, but she says she still fears the husband and wife.

 

She said she was anxious and still didn’t trust people. But the woman concluded her statement saying “happiness is starting to come back” and “I am stronger now”.

 

The McAleers meanwhile are facing a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.

 

In a sentencing hearing on Thursday, the couples’ barrister James Glisson, QC, told the court his clients had offered to compensate the victim $70,000.

 

They will be sentenced on June 11.

 

https://www.news.com.au/national/nsw-act/crime/you-cant-go-womans-hellish-life-as-slave-for-sydney-couple/news-story/ae62655c35fc942b69eb8cec5ff793bf

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 26, 2021, 11:22 a.m. No.13517899   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>7905 >>7916 >>2894 >>1281

‘Get ready to fight for our liberty,’ Home Affairs secretary ­Michael Pezzullo

 

BEN PACKHAM - APRIL 27, 2021

 

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One of the nation’s most powerful national security leaders has ­declared the “drums of war” are beating and Australia must be prepared “to send off, yet again, our warriors to fight”.

 

Home Affairs secretary ­Michael Pezzullo, who is tipped to take the top job at Defence, said in his Anzac Day message to staff that Australia must strive for peace, “but not at the cost of our precious liberty”.

 

Amid growing tensions between the West and China, with Taiwan a potential flashpoint, Mr Pezzullo said free nations continued to face the “sorrowful challenge” of being “armed, strong and ready for war”.

 

“In a world of perpetual tension and dread, the drums of war beat – sometimes faintly and distantly, and at other times more loudly and ever closer,” he said.

 

“Today, as free nations again hear the beating drums and watch worryingly the militarisation of ­issues that we had, until recent years, thought unlikely to be ­catalysts for war, let us continue to search unceasingly for the chance for peace while bracing again, yet again, for the curse of war.” The message, sent to all Home Affairs staff, came as Defence Minister Peter Dutton warned on Sunday that a war with China over Taiwan could not be discounted. Mr Pezzullo also echoed Scott Morrison — who revealed last year he was haunted by a 1930s-style “existential threat” — saying pre-World Warr II Europe had failed to “heed the drums of war” until it was too late.

 

Noting this year’s Anzac Day fell in the 70th year of the ANZUS alliance, Mr Pezzullo cited two of the US’s most revered military figures — General Douglas MacArthur and president Dwight Eisenhower — for whom war was a last resort.

 

“On this Anzac Day … let us ­remember the warnings of two American generals who had known war waged totally, and brutally: we must search always for the chance for peace amidst the curse of war, until we are faced with the only prudent, if sorrowful, course — to send off, yet again, our warriors to fight the nation’s wars,” he said.

 

“The least that we can do for the host of the dead whom we remember today is to be prepared to face equivalent challenges with the same resolve and sense of duty that they displayed in years past.”

 

Mr Pezzullo has issued Anzac Day messages in previous years, but none have been so pessimistic on the risk of conflict.

 

It followed a blast from Beijing last week, after the federal government moved to scrap its Belt and Road Initiative agreement with Victoria, with the nation’s ­official spokesman declaring “China ­reserves the right to make further reactions over this matter”.

 

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 26, 2021, 11:23 a.m. No.13517905   🗄️.is 🔗kun

>>13517899

 

2/2

 

Australian Strategic Policy ­Institute defence program director Michael Shoebridge said Mr Pezzullo’s warning was in line with the government’s 2020 Defence Strategic Update, which said the ­nation could no longer rely on a previously assumed 10-year warning time before a major conflict.

 

“While surveys like the Pew ­research organisation’s show populations see China under Xi in historically unfavourable ways, the hard work of deterrence ­requires greater public understanding of the risks in our ­strategic environment.,” he said. “Those risks are best communicated calmly, and as the context for all the steps Australia and others need to take to raise the costs for any potential adversary — including China under Xi — of military adventurism.

 

“The focus needs to be on credible deterrence, because success is not about winning some kind of inevitable war, it’s about deterring such tragedy.”

 

Another top defence strategist, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Mr Pezzullo’s comments appeared to be “a job application” to become Defence secretary.

 

“It’s excessive in language and strikes the wrong note — 2021 is not the 1930s. He needs to chill,” the strategist said.

 

Opposition defence spokesman Brendan O’Connor said national security officials should be more cautious in their language about potential conflicts.

 

“Words matter. It is always important when we talk about national security matters and our relationships with other countries to be mindful of how our comments will be received,” he told The Australian.

 

A Taiwan-China clash is looming as the top security threat for the Biden administration and US allies as Beijing ramps up preparations for a conflict with the nation of 24 million that it claims to be an “inviolable” part of China.

 

Chinese President Xi Jinping last week launched three new warships that the country’s analysts said could be used in a conflict with Taiwan. They included a hi-tech amphibious helicopter carrier, a guided-missile cruiser with stealth technology, and an upgraded nuclear submarine.

 

Chinese military aircraft have also been making regular incursions into Taiwan’s airspace.

 

Mr Dutton told the ABC on Sunday that Australians needed to be realistic about China’s increasing militarisation across the region. However, he warned that “nobody wants to see conflict between China and Taiwan or anywhere else”.

 

“I don’t think it should be discounted,” he said.

 

“I think China has been very clear about the reunification and that’s been a long-held objective of theirs and if you look at any of the rhetoric that is coming out of China … particularly in recent weeks and months … they have been very clear about that goal.”

 

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/get-ready-to-fight-for-our-liberty-home-affairs-secretary-michael-pezzullo/news-story/87239deac0153147989ac508d6447046

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 26, 2021, 11:25 a.m. No.13517916   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>7924 >>9854 >>9868 >>9891 >>9570 >>9590 >>5507 >>9317 >>8380 >>6133 >>0263 >>1281

>>13517899

The drums of war are growing louder

 

MICHAEL PEZZULLO - APRIL 27, 2021

 

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Later this year Australia and the US will mark the 70th anniversary of our military alliance. We seek to be militarily self-reliant in all contingencies short of great-power war.

 

Nonetheless, our national defence strategy has at its heart the protection afforded to Australia in the most perilous circumstances by the military might of the US — including by way of the deterrence effect of its nuclear arsenal — and its willingness and preparedness to wage war against a major-power adversary.

 

Of course, before the striking of the alliance agreement in 1951, Australians and Americans had already fought side-by-side in two world wars. The ANZUS Treaty gave formal shape to implied strategic understandings. So, to mark the passing of Anzac Day this year, I should like to draw attention to remarkable — but too little remembered — addresses by two US generals of the army, who in terms of Australian military rank would have been field marshals.

 

General of the army Douglas MacArthur gave an address to the US Military Academy at West Point on May 12, 1962. This general, who had known war over 50 of its bloodiest years, reminded the cadets of West Point that their mission was to train to fight and, when called on, to win their nation’s wars. All else was entrusted to others. MacArthur reminded the cadets that only the dead had seen the end of war and that for so long as war afflicted the human condition, a nation’s warriors had but one dedicated purpose, with all else being secondary.

 

Nor, MacArthur said, should our warriors be thought of as warmongers. On the contrary, warriors, above all people, pray for peace — for it is they who must suffer and bear the deepest wounds, the trauma and too often the death that is the invoice of war.

 

It is left to the rest of us to make the wisest possible choices about sending our warriors to war. It is left to the rest of us to make clear their mission, and to explain why it is that we ask them to face danger and suffer the scar of war.

 

It is left to the rest of us to ensure that our statecraft and diplomacy are effectively pursued. It is left to the rest of us to ensure that the best military strategies and plans are in place, that the required machines and war stocks are to hand, that all scenarios have been explored and tested, and that strategic assumptions have been challenged and reset, as necessary. It is left to the rest of us to mobilise the necessary treasure and resources that are required to support the mission of our warriors.

 

It is left to the rest of us to secure the homeland in their absence, including by way of civil defence, ensuring the continuity of ser­vices and producing the machines and stocks of war. It is left to the rest of us to volunteer our services on the home front, something that typically fell to women in wars of old as the men went off to do the fighting, although today we are increasingly likely to send our female warriors into battle alongside their male comrades.

 

Most significantly this year, we recognise that it is finally left to the rest of us to care for the returned and to honour the dead.

 

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 26, 2021, 11:26 a.m. No.13517924   🗄️.is 🔗kun

>>13517916

 

2/2

 

MacArthur knew Australia well. From 1942 he served as the supreme commander of allied forces, Southwest Pacific area, with his general headquarters in Melbourne and then Brisbane. While addressed to cadets of the US Military Academy, his address could be given today to Australian cadet officers, almost 60 years later, and still could be relevant to the final punctuation mark.

 

Another US general who had known war for more than 50 years was president Dwight D. Eisen­hower, who was also a five-star general of the army.

 

In a speech delivered on April 16, 1953, Eisenhower rallied his fellow Americans and the country’s allies to the danger posed by the amassing of Soviet military power and the new risk of militaristic aggression. Throughout his presidency Eisenhower instilled in the free nations the conviction that as long as there persisted tyranny’s threat to freedom they must remain armed, strong and ready for war, even as they lamented the curse of war.

 

Today, free nations continue to face this sorrowful challenge. In a world of perpetual tension and dread, the drums of war beat — sometimes faintly and distantly, and at other times more loudly and ever closer. Free nations pity the burden of arms that drain the wealth and labour of all — a wasting of strength that thwarts true abundance and happiness for all people. Eisenhower, the general who had known war fully unleashed, the president who was the first human in history with the power to destroy all life, bemoaned the fact every weapon that was made was a theft from those who hungered, who were poor and who dreamt of a better life.

 

Every dollar spent on war machines is a dollar not spent on a school, a hospital, a road or a bridge. Eisenhower, the military man, the president with his finger on the button of global destruction, said this was not a way of life at all. Under the threat of war, it was instead “humanity hanging from a cross of iron”.

 

Let there not be doubt — war shakes confidence in a civilisation’s soul. Who could begrudge the sorrow of Europeans after the horror of World War I? Yet, in their sorrow and their revulsion at the thought of another terrible bloodbath, they did not heed the drums of war that beat through the 1930s — until too late they once again took up arms against Nazism and Fascism.

 

Today, as free nations again hear the beating drums and watch worryingly the militarisation of issues that we had, until recent years, thought unlikely to be catalysts for war, let us continue to search unceasingly for the chance for peace while bracing again, yet again, for the curse of war. By our resolve and our strength, by our preparedness of arms, and by our statecraft, let us set about reducing the likelihood of war — but not at the cost of our precious liberty. War may well be folly, but the greater folly is to wish away the curse by refusing to give it thought and attention, as if in so doing war may leave us be, forgetting us perhaps.

 

The least we can do for the host of the dead whom we remember this Anzac week is to be prepared to face equivalent challenges with the same resolve and sense of duty that they displayed in years past.

 

Michael Pezzullo is secretary of the Department of Home Affairs.

 

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/commentary/the-drums-of-war-are-growing-louder/news-story/bf29fb3cf94b89f84eaeb22fd32d9724

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 26, 2021, 11:28 a.m. No.13517935   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>2489 >>2829 >>3273 >>5102 >>1248

Social media is work of ‘evil one’, says Scott Morrison

 

ELLIE DUDLEY - APRIL 27, 2021

 

Scott Morrison has proposed the misuse of social media could be the work of “the evil one”, instructing a national Christian conference to pray against its “corrosive” effects.

 

The Prime Minister appeared in front of the Australian Christian Church national conference on the Gold Coast last week, where he suggested social media had the capacity to be used as a weapon.

 

“Sure, social media has its virtues and its values and enables us to connect with people in ways we’ve never had before,” Mr Morrison said.

 

“But those weapons can also be used by the evil one and we need to call that out.”

 

Mr Morrison is Australia’s first Pentecostal prime minister, following numerous non-evangelical Christian leaders including John Howard, Tony Abbott and Malcolm Turnbull.

 

In the lead-up to the 2019 election, he famously invited the media into a Pentecostal church service in the south of Sydney, where he was photographed raising his hands in worship.

 

He told last week’s conference he looked for signs from God while campaigning for the top job, and practised the evangelical tradition of “laying-on of hands” and praying.

 

He said he was “called to do God’s work” when he was elected prime minister.

 

Further, he said he received a sign from God while visiting Ken Duncan’s art gallery on NSW’s central coast.

 

“And there right in front of me was the biggest picture of a soaring eagle,” he said, a reference to Isaiah 40.

 

“The message I got that day was, Scott, you’ve got to run to not grow weary, you’ve got to walk to not grow faint, you’ve got to spread your wings like an eagle to soar like an eagle.”

 

He later told the crowd he had practiced the laying-on of hands while visiting the Pilbara region in WA after Cyclone Seroja.

 

“I’ve been in evacuation centres where people thought I was just giving someone a hug and I was praying, and putting my hands on people … laying hands on them and praying in various situations,” he said.

 

“God has, I believe, been using us in those moments to be able to provide some relief and comfort and just some reassurance.”

 

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/social-media-is-work-of-evil-one-says-scott-morrison/news-story/6c465aaf0991f1e48b1eae2540626a60

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 26, 2021, 11:21 p.m. No.13522368   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1281

>>13515337

China says Australia must stick to 'One China' policy after Peter Dutton warns of conflict over Taiwan independence

 

AP/ABC - 27 April 2021

 

China has responded to comments by Defence Minister Peter Dutton, saying adherence to its "One China" policy is a "prerequisite" for the development of Australia-China relations.

 

The reaction from the Chinese foreign ministry came after Mr Dutton said on Sunday that conflict with China over Taiwan should not be "discounted".

 

Speaking to ABC Insiders, Mr Dutton said Beijing was very clear about its reunification goal and people should be "realistic" about activity in the region, citing militarisation of bases across the region.

 

China advises Australia not to send the 'wrong signals'

 

At a daily news briefing, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said China sought "peaceful reunification," and urged Australia to "fully understand the high sensitivity of the Taiwan issue".

 

The Chinese government regards Taiwan as a renegade province that should be united with mainland China.

 

"We hope that Australia will fully understand the high sensitivity of the Taiwan issue, adhere to the One China principle, be cautious in its words and actions, refrain from sending any wrong signals to the secessionist forces of Taiwan independence," Mr Wang said.

 

Mr Wang also called on Canberra to "stop interfering with normal exchanges and cooperation between the two countries," as Mr Dutton warned of further acts on China-related deals.

 

Foreign Minister Marise Payne is reviewing more than 1,000 China-related deals, including a 99-year lease on the Port of Darwin.

 

"If it's not in our national interest, then obviously she'll act," Mr Dutton said.

 

Australia cancelled two infrastructure deals negotiated with China by the Victorian government last week , adding to strains in relations that are at a multi-decade low after Beijing blocked imports of coal and other goods from Australia in retaliation for its call to investigate the origins of the coronavirus pandemic.

 

Separately, in an Anzac Day message to staff, one of Australia's most powerful national security figures warned that free nations "again hear the beating drums of war" as military tensions rise in the Indo-Pacific.

 

Home Affairs Department Secretary Mike Pezzullo warned that the nation must strive to reduce the likelihood of war, but be prepared to "send off, yet again, our warriors to fight".

 

Mr Pezzullo is expected to follow Mr Dutton from Home Affairs to the Department of Defence.

 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-04-27/china-responds-to-dutton-comment/100096928

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 26, 2021, 11:24 p.m. No.13522384   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1281

>>13515337

Australia inflates presence on Taiwan question to show loyalty to US

 

Li Qingqing - Apr 26, 2021

 

Australia continues its attempt to stamp its presence on the Taiwan question. Australian Defense Minister Peter Dutton said on Sunday that a conflict with China over the island of Taiwan "should not be discounted," adding that Australia wants to continue being "a good neighbor in the region" that works with its partners and allies.

 

This is another move of Dutton, a far-right politician, to show loyalty to the US on behalf of Australia. Dutton's position is typical in Australia: By claiming to maintain peace and stability in the region, Canberra is actually hyping disputes and trying to rope in countries that may have conflicts of interests with China.

 

Australia has had discussions on the Taiwan question over the past few decades. Canberra's position on the Taiwan question has swayed and sailed with the wind, which depends on China-Australia relations and China-US relations. Some Australian politicians would hype intervening in the Taiwan question especially when China-US relations are tense.

 

In 2004, then-Australian foreign minister Alexander Downer said that Australia would not be obliged to assist the US in a military defense of Taiwan. But now, China-US relations and China-Australia relations are tense. And as Washington and Tokyo hype the Taiwan question and reach a so-called consensus on underscoring the "importance of peace and stability" in the Taiwan Straits, Canberra wants to chime in.

 

"In the past, people may assume that some of Australia's tough actions were caused by the Trump administration's pressure. But after US President Joe Biden assumed office, it seems that Australia is making its independent decision, trying to please the US and follow the US on questions such as the Taiwan Straits," Guo Chunmei, an expert on Australian studies at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, told the Global Times on Monday.

 

But can Australia really be "a good neighbor in the region?" Obviously not. Canberra does not even care much about its local state's interests, and even places them below geopolitical purposes. For example, Australia recently tore up agreements signed between Victoria state and China on the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). After that, Australia is now scrutinizing the 99-year Port of Darwin deal with China. Dutton said on Sunday that Australia "will act" if the deal "is not in our national interests."

 

The original intent of the BRI and the Port of Darwin was to promote regional economic development and infrastructure construction. However, Australia's moves and statements have disregarded the interests of local states and governments. They need economic development. However, Canberra is depriving local states of their autonomy. Australia may tear up the Port of Darwin deal in the future as well, but its local states and people will have to bear the consequences.

 

"If Canberra does not even care about local interests, how can it take overall regional interests into account or be a 'good neighbor' in the region?" Guo asked.

 

Australia tore up the BRI agreement signed between Victoria state and China, dealing a heavy blow to the already freezing China-Australia relations. Now, Canberra is trying to muddy the waters on the Taiwan question, seeking geopolitical gains by toeing the line of Washington. PLA's firm will to safeguard China's territorial integrity is fully demonstrated. If Australia uses force against China, China will definitely deal a heavy blow to Australia.

 

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202104/1222165.shtml

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 26, 2021, 11:26 p.m. No.13522393   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1281

>>13515337

Transcript - Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin's Regular Press Conference on April 26, 2021

 

AFP: Australia's defence minister said a conflict with China over Taiwan should not be discounted. He said that China has been very clear about reunification. But he also added that Australia wants to continue as a good neighbor. Does the foreign ministry have any comment on this issue?

 

Wang Wenbin: I have noticed relevant reports. I would like to emphasize that abiding by the one-China principle is an important part of China-Australia relations. Taiwan is an integral part of China's territory. The Taiwan question is China's internal affair that bears on China's core interests, and brooks no external interference. We can trace the roots of the current tension in cross-strait relations to the fact that the Taiwan DPP authorities refuse to recognize the 1992 Consensus embodying the one-China principle, and constantly make provocations in pursuit of "independence" in collusion with external forces. China must and will be reunified. We are willing to do our best to strive for the prospect of peaceful reunification, but we will never leave any space for "Taiwan independence" separatist activities in any form. It is hoped that the Australian side will fully recognize that the Taiwan question is highly sensitive, abide by the one-China principle, be prudent in its words and deeds, avoid sending any wrong signals to the "Taiwan independence" separatist forces, and act in ways beneficial to peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and conducive to China-Australian relations.

 

…..

 

SCMP: The Australian defence minister, when asked in an earlier interview whether he accepts the lease on the Port of Darwin, said that if it is found to be not in Australia's national interest, he believes the government will act. I wonder if China has any response to that?

 

Wang Wenbin: China-Australia cooperation in economy, trade and investment are mutually-beneficial in nature. The Chinese government encourages Chinese companies to conduct investment cooperation overseas on the basis of market principle, international rules and host country laws. We will also firmly safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese businesses investing and operating overseas. We hope the Australian side will look at bilateral cooperation in an objective and rational light and stop disrupting normal exchange and cooperation with China.

 

https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/mfa_eng/xwfw_665399/s2510_665401/2511_665403/t1871648.shtml

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 26, 2021, 11:33 p.m. No.13522425   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>2437 >>1281

>>13477600

>>13515342

Academic’s mea culpa on China Uighur abuse comments

 

JANE GOLLEY - APRIL 27, 2021

 

1/2

 

The Australian has asked me to amplify my comments at the Press Club last week about Xinjiang. I am extremely concerned that these comments, which were centred on threats to academic freedom and the need to assess the evidence, may have offended the many Uighurs who I have no doubt are suffering at the hands of an increasingly repressive Chinese government.

 

I am also concerned that my remarks have been misinterpreted by some as a criticism of the academic literature on the topic. This was not my intent. I was sent the anonymous article that I referred to in my speech via a number of Australian China specialists who share my concern that “China debates” in Australia are being stifled: anyone who speaks out about the mainstream, or “dominant”, press narrative is quickly crushed. I have ample personal experience of this, as do a number of my academic colleagues. By referring to this narrative with regard to Xinjiang, I absolutely did not intend to question the scholarly literature that has provided ample evidence of human rights abuses in Xinjiang. And nor did I intend to downplay the significant suffering of individuals who have bravely shared their stories with us.

 

Instead, my intent was to point out that in an increasingly hostile climate, there are scholars and analysts of all ethnicities here in Australia who feel unable to put their names to what they are thinking: for example, that “genocide” may not be the most accurate term for what is happening in Xinjiang. I am not making this judgment myself — I am not qualified to do so. But I am reading widely and speaking with a range of experts to inform myself about it. And I found the arguments laid out in the paper on that point convincing. I also found the arguments against the “one million” figure and the “pervasive use of forced labour” convincing — or at least plausible enough to warrant further consideration.

 

This does not mean I think the number of Uighurs suffering is insignificant (a point which extends to other persecuted ethnic minorities in China, including Mongolians and Tibetans, as well). But I think we need to conduct these conversations openly to ensure the best possible outcome for those who are suffering — while also not destroying the livelihoods of those who are not.

 

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 26, 2021, 11:35 p.m. No.13522437   🗄️.is 🔗kun

>>13522425

 

2/2

 

The example I used to illustrate this point (in brief) was sanctions. Expanding on this point (as I did on Radio National on the evening of April 21), I’ve been thinking carefully about what would happen if Australia were to apply sanctions on Xinjiang — as Mike Pompeo has encouraged us to do — in response to what he has called genocide. What might this achieve and who might it hurt in return?

 

My judgment is that it will achieve very little, as the Chinese government will deny that genocide is happening and, accordingly, will not change its position. Instead, sanctions will hurt the many Uighurs who are voluntarily engaged in labour transfers (a longstanding practice in China, not only for Uighurs), while failing to help those who are being forced into labour against their free will. It will likely cause Beijing to retaliate against yet more of our sectors, hurting Australian businesses and workers as well. Academics working on Xinjiang will also be targeted by Beijing’s retaliatory sanctions — as some already have been — further crushing the academic freedom that is so important for understanding the truth about this highly complex issue.

 

I don’t claim any certainty about the facts that might pertain to Xinjiang. But I think we need to be able to discuss them openly, without being subject to personal abuse. That’s what free speech and academic freedom are all about.

 

May I point out once again: at no point have I denied that human rights abuses are occurring in Xinjiang, on a scale that is horrifying. I have mentioned these abuses in almost every public forum I have been on in the last three years. I also acknowledged them in my Press Club speech, with reference to the debates needed to ensure that we settle on the best possible course of action to achieve the change that is needed.

 

I chose my words very carefully, and I thought long and hard about making the comments that I did. Perhaps I should not have used the word “debunk” — “challenge” might have been better. And perhaps I should have said “some” rather than “much” of the dominant narrative is tendentious. Or perhaps, in hindsight, I should not have referred to Xinjiang at all?

 

But if in making such reference I assist those who are working to improve the plight of the Uighurs, it would be worth all of the Twitter abuse and hate mail I have received as a result. That is why I chose to speak out. I will respect the rights of anyone who disagrees with what I’ve said. I hope in return people will respect my right to speak freely as well.

 

Jane Golley is the director of the ANU’s taxpayer-funded Centre on China in the World.

 

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/commentary/academics-mea-culpa-on-china-uighur-abuse-comments/news-story/71bef8d2d5acca51a246b5b11ed4a08d

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 26, 2021, 11:47 p.m. No.13522489   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>2829 >>3273 >>5102 >>1248

>>13517935

Exclusive: Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s speech at the ACC conference

 

Rationalists Australia

 

25 Apr 2021

 

This is the full speech by Prime Minister Scott Morrison at the Australian Christian Churches Conference on the Gold Coast last week. This footage was broadcast by Vineyard Christian Church.

Discover how you can support the work of the Rationalist Society of Australia: www.rationalist.com.au/

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aziBueAsv6U

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 27, 2021, 12:26 a.m. No.13522636   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1298

Sydney child rapist Bryan Grange: details of harrowing abuse movies emerge

 

Admitted paedophile Bryan Michael Grange has pleaded guilty to more charges of child abuse after a court heard he filmed abuse of a preschooler.

 

Perry Duffin - April 26, 2021

 

New details have emerged about a Sydney paedophile’s rape and molestation of young children as he created and shared a collection of horrific home movies.

 

Bryan Michael Grange’s archive of abuse is so confronting a judge has refused to look at extracts even after police requested she witness the full “depravity” of his actions.

 

Grange, 38, was living near a primary school in Maryong while he downloaded 190,000 child abuse images and videos.

 

He was part of a subscription service that saw him pay $7000 to access encrypted files depicting children being abused.

 

He pleaded guilty to dozens of crimes earlier this year and, on Monday, pleaded guilty to more.

 

The District Court heard Grange repeatedly molested a preschool-aged girl at Maryong over a period of years while recording the abuse.

 

Descriptions of the videos were read aloud in court but are too confronting to publish.

 

Sometimes the girl was asleep, sometimes she was in public bathrooms and she was less than five-years-old during the abuse the court heard.

 

Australian Federal Police raided Grange’s home after the US Department of Homeland Security tipped them off about a Sydney user of a dark web group.

 

Justice Kara Shead heard the AFP raid also uncovered videos and images of Grange raping children when they went through his hard drives.

 

Among the dozens of charges against Grange that is the most serious – sexual intercourse with a child under 10 years old – and it carries life imprisonment.

 

It’s believed only one paedophile has ever been given such a sentence for the same charge and that was Anthony Sampieri who raped a seven-year-old in a Kogarah dance studio bathroom.

 

He died in prison earlier this year before he could appeal.

 

A court has previously heard Grange pleaded guilty to raping and molesting three girls.

 

The fact Grange was abusing children for years and sharing it online means the case, quite unusually, has one prosecutor acting on behalf of the AFP and another for NSW Police.

 

The AFP’s prosecutor handed Judge Shead a sealed envelope containing extracts of the abuse found on Grange’s computer.

 

But Judge Shead said she’d heard enough from the descriptions.

 

“I know you’re urging me to look at the objective seriousness and depravity of the material, (but) I find the descriptions sufficient,” she said, handing the sealed envelope back to police.

 

Judge Shead said she was not convinced by Grange’s legal team that he has “good prospects of rehabilitation”

 

“I do not accept they weren’t hurt or distressed because of their young age,” she said.

 

“A child does not need to be threatened or coerced - particularly a baby. And subjecting a child to the most serious sexual offences… the court does not accept a submission that there was no harm.”

 

Grange sat quietly with a grey shirt, nodding only briefly at his wife in the public gallery when he was led into the room by guards.

 

He will be sentenced in June.

 

https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/truecrimeaustralia/police-courts-nsw/sydney-child-rapist-bryan-grange-details-of-harrowing-abuse-movies-emerge/news-story/ca3b8d02140db166c18bfbbc4616b3e9

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 27, 2021, 1:34 a.m. No.13522873   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1305

>>13498643

Ghislaine Maxwell’s sleep loss in jail concerns judges

 

LARRY NEUMEISTER - 26 April 2021

 

NEW YORK (AP) — Appeals judges hearing bail arguments seemed sympathetic Monday to claims that British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell is unjustly kept awake at night by guards ensuring she doesn’t die in jail like Jeffrey Epstein did while awaiting his sex trafficking trial.

 

Two of three judges on a 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel in Manhattan expressed concern about light shined in her cell every 15 minutes at night as Federal Bureau of Prisons guards make sure she’s breathing.

 

They did not, however, seem necessarily inclined to free Maxwell, 59, on bail before a July 12 trial on charges that she procured teenage girls for Epstein to sexually abuse and sometimes joined in the abuse. She has pleaded not guilty. Bail has been rejected three times since her arrest last July.

 

“Is she a suicide risk or not?” Circuit Judge Richard J. Sullivan asked Assistant U.S. Attorney Lara Pomerantz. “Has the BOP concluded she’s a suicide risk or is it some other reason why they’re shining lights all night long?”

 

Pomerantz said it was a routine guards employed to ensure inmates are breathing. She said guards shine light at the ceiling above where Maxwell sleeps rather than at her eyes when they check her breathing.

 

Her comment was challenged by Circuit Judge Pierre N. Leval, who repeatedly asked if Maxwell posed a suicide risk.

 

“Routine to shine a light into the eyes of every prisoner every 15 minutes during the night? Are you really telling us that?” he asked.

 

“Your honor, I can’t tell you what is done as to all inmates, but what I can say is that we have not been told that she is a suicide risk,” Pomerantz responded.

 

Attorney David Markus, representing Maxwell on appeal, said she is not suicidal.

 

“There’s no evidence she’s suicidal. Why is the Bureau of Prisons doing this? They’re doing it because Jeffrey Epstein died on their watch. And again, she’s not Jeffrey Epstein, this isn’t right,” Markus said.

 

Epstein killed himself in a Manhattan lockup in August 2019 as he awaited trial.

 

“One of the main complaints in the defendant’s briefing is that she is being improperly treated as a suicide risk in a manner that makes her life hell and doesn’t allow her to sleep and makes it very difficult for her to prepare” for trial, Leval said.

 

Defense lawyers have complained that Maxwell is deteriorating in jail, where she is repeatedly searched and is filmed outside her cell. Prosecutors counter that she remains healthy and has been given accommodations other prisoners lack.

 

The judges also seemed concerned that Maxwell isn’t permitted to wear an eye mask that wraps securely around her head.

 

Markus said Maxwell puts a sock or towel over eyes so she can sleep at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.

 

“The government used the word routine to say how Ms. Maxwell’s being treated in MDC. There is absolutely nothing routine about it. She’s being treated differently than any other inmate ever in that institution,” he said.

 

https://apnews.com/article/ny-state-wire-ghislaine-maxwell-4d7e32ad6e1b12a61fe8259fea187663

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 27, 2021, 1:42 a.m. No.13522894   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1281

>>13515337

>>13517899

Major General Jin Yinan mocks Australia as ’white supremacist’

 

WILL GLASGOW - APRIL 27, 2021

 

A Chinese general has mocked Australia’s ability to stop the People’s Liberation Army taking over Taiwan, declaring Canberra’s military contingencies are motivated by “white supremacy”.

 

In an interview with China’s official military media, Major-General Jin Yinan dismissed reports that Canberra had escalated its planning for military action in the Taiwan Strait.

 

“We don‘t need to take it seriously,” said General Jin, who is also professor at the PLA National Defence University, the top military university in China.

 

“(Australia) is not that strong, it’s not that powerful… If it insists on intervening, it will only cause greater damage to Australia itself,” he said.

 

The Morrison government has recently talked with unprecedented directness about a long-feared military conflict in the Taiwan Straits.

 

Over the weekend, Defence minister Peter Dutton warned a war could not be ruled out between China and Taiwan, which Beijing considers a wayward province.

 

And in an extraordinary ANZAC Day message to staff, Home Affairs secretary Michael Pezzullo said the “drums of war” were beating and Australia must be prepared “to send off, yet again, our warriors to fight”.

 

The comments by Mr Dutton and his former chief bureaucrat follow efforts by the Biden administration to shore up support among its allies as it attempts to increase the potential costs for Beijing of any conflict over Taiwan.

 

Last Friday, Chinese President Xi Jinping oversaw the launch of three new warships at a ceremony in the South China Sea.

 

Some interpreted the unusual display of China’s growing naval strength as a sign that Mr Xi is building a force capable of retaking Taiwan, a democratically run island with a population of 24 million.

 

China’s foreign ministry spokesman responded to Mr Dutton’s comments by saying Taipei had constantly made “provocations in pursuit of ‘independence’ in collusion with external forces”.

 

“China must and will be reunified. We are willing to do our best to strive for the prospect of peaceful reunification, but we will never leave any space for ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist activities in any form,” foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said on Monday in Beijing.

 

“It is hoped that the Australian side will fully recognise that the Taiwan question is highly sensitive, abide by the one-China principle, be prudent in its words and deeds, avoid sending any wrong signals to the ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist forces, and act in ways beneficial to peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and conducive to China-Australian relations,” he said.

 

America’s top diplomat in Canberra recently indicated that the Biden administration and Morrison government were co-ordinating over what to do about a conflict in Taiwan.

 

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and his advisers have also been in discussions with US President Joe Biden and his team about the flashpoint.

 

General Jin, a hawkish military adviser to the Chinese government, said Canberra’s commitment would be immaterial to Beijing’s plans.

 

He said if “Australia wants to rush to the front line of the conflict… then let it come, let it walk on the forefront of the conflict… then we can have a good fight”.

 

The Beijing-based PLA strategist — who said he had visited the Australian National University in Canberra in 2012 — argued that many people in Australia believed in “white supremacy”, which made them more likely to go to war.

 

“They always feel that Anglo-Saxon whites and Christian whites should be the leaders of the world,” General Jin said in the interview.

 

“So, on the surface, these people seem to love peace very much and want to stop a war. In fact, it can be seen from their hypocritical words that their goal is that the white-dominated world should not be disturbed.

 

“The white man is the master of the world, and the others are nothing more than belongings of the world. This group of people in Australia are entrenched white supremacists.”

 

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/major-general-jin-yinan-mocks-australia-as-white-supremist/news-story/4c2ab906c55bf670082821f6c6ed85ac

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 27, 2021, 1:53 a.m. No.13522929   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>5208 >>1294

Australia pauses all flights from India amid COVID outbreak, readies aid package of ventilators and other medical supplies

 

Stephen Dziedzic and Georgia Hitch - 27 April 2021

 

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has announced all flights from India to Australia will be temporarily halted, as the South Asian country continues to deal with a record-breaking COVID outbreak that has plunged its medical system into chaos.

 

The pause, which includes repatriation flights into the Howard Springs facility near Darwin, will last until May 15 and the decision will be reviewed before then.

 

Mr Morrison said indirect flights through other cities like Doha, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur had been paused by their respective governments.

 

He also said Australia would send a range of goods to India to help as it struggles with a critical shortage of medical supplies.

 

Australia will send 500 ventilators, as well as 1 million surgical masks, 500,000 P2 and N95 masks, 100,000 goggles, 100,000 pairs of gloves and 20,000 face shields.

 

"I stress this is an initial package, there'll be more to follow," Mr Morrison said.

 

More than 9,000 Australians in India want to come to Australia, with 650 of those considered vulnerable.

 

The news comes after last week's decision by National Cabinet to reduce flights — both commercial and repatriation — from India by 30 per cent.

 

The number of new cases in India was slightly down on Tuesday for the first time in six days, but the country still recorded more than 323,000 new infections.

 

It comes after five record-breaking days, with cases peaking above 350,000 and total infections surpassing 17.6 million.

 

Another 2,771 people have died of the disease, taking the death toll to 197,894.

 

Shutting people out not a solution, Morrison says

 

The Prime Minister said repatriation flights would resume as soon as possible and the most vulnerable would be prioritised on the first planes back.

 

"We don't think the answer is to just forsake those in India and just shut them off," Mr Morrison said.

 

"I don't see this as a problem we have to solve, I see this as a group of people we need to help.

 

"These are Australians and Australian residents who need our help."

 

He rejected criticism that by implementing the pause he was abandoning Australians currently stranded in India, saying the government was focused on bringing people back once it could safely.

 

"This is the challenge of a pandemic, you don't get the perfect of all situations," the Prime Minister said.

 

Mr Morrison also noted that the number of breaches of Australia's hotel quarantine system was low, saying it was "99.99 per cent effective".

 

He said the decision to halt flights into Howard Springs, which has so far not had any community cases from the quarantine centre, was to give the facility time to deal with the overwhelming number of positive cases it is currently looking after.

 

Australians 'all over India' are registering with DFAT

 

Foreign Affairs Minister Marise Payne said there had been an increase in the number of people registering with the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFAT) in recent days as the severity of the outbreak increased.

 

"When I spoke to the High Commissioner this morning we touched on this challenge [of people wanting to return]," she said.

 

"They are all over India, literally in every single corner of the country.

 

"That does make the process challenging but we will stay in touch with them and provide any support we are able to."

 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-04-27/scott-morrison-pause-flights-india-covid-outbreak/100098322

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 28, 2021, 12:09 a.m. No.13529854   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>9868 >>1281

>>13517916

‘Drums of war’ warnings spread across the world to British news

 

Sky News Australia

 

28 Apr 2021

 

Australia’s Home Affairs Secretary Mike Pezzullo warned the “drums of war” were beating louder, which spread across the planet and featured on the front page of The Times in Britain.

 

Secretary Mike Pezzullo wrote a message to the Home Affairs Department for Anzac Day in which he warned the global “drums of war” are beating and Australia should prepare itself for a possible conflict.

 

The story was picked up by the The Times after the comments made waves in the Australian political and media environment.

 

Prime Minister Scott Morrison skipped over the issue when he was asked by Sky News Political Editor Andrew Clennell whether he agreed with the secretary.

 

“Our objective is to pursue peace,” Mr Morrison said.

 

“All of the agency that we have as a country and as a government is designed to achieve that”.

 

Meanwhile former Labor foreign minister Bob Carr weighed in on the issue slamming Mr Pezzullo for “itching for a showdown in the Taiwan Strait”.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ohuSR0kQc1g

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 28, 2021, 12:18 a.m. No.13529891   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>9895 >>0344 >>9779 >>1281

>>13517916

Northern Territory bases‘ $747m boost after ‘drums of war’ warning

 

FINN MCHUGH - APRIL 28, 2021

 

1/2

 

Scott Morrison has denied a pledge to beef up Australian military bases is a warning to China, just days after a top national security chief warned the “drums of war” were beating.

 

The Prime Minister travelled to the Northern Territory on Wednesday, announcing a $747m revamp of four military training bases across the Territory.

 

The upgrades are designed to facilitate joint training exercises and war games with the United States amid rising concern over Beijing’s increasingly assertive stance in the Pacific.

 

But Mr Morrison denied the announcement was a warning to China but insisted Australia would continue to build its capabilities to “keep Australians safe”.

 

“All of our objectives through the activities of our defence forces is designed to pursue peace. That is the objective of our government. That is the path that we are pursuing,” he said.

 

“But to do that in a region as uncertain as this, you need to ensure that you have the defence capability that enables you to protect and defend Australia’s interests in that region.”

 

The announcement came just days after Home Affairs secretary Mike Pezzullo warned the “drums of war” were beating, and Australia should be prepared to send its “warriors to fight”.

 

The comments drew international attention, including on the front page of The Times in London.

 

Defence Minister Peter Dutton on Sunday said conflict over Taiwan should not be “discounted”.

 

Mr Morrison rejected suggestions the comments were inflammatory

 

“I have set out what the government’s purposes are here. I know that’s strongly supported by the Defence Minister, who has simply made a point about ensuring we have appropriate capability. That’s the Defence Minister’s job,” he said.

 

The plan was initially announced in 2019 at under $500m, but Mr Morrison said it had been “significantly upgraded” in a bid to get defence spending to 3 per cent.

 

Mr Morrison said the “environment has been changing” since the initial announcement, but he would not be drawn on whether the upgrade was a response to rising tensions in the region.

 

Labor leader Anthony Albanese backed increased support for the ADF but dismissed the funding as “just another reannouncement”.

 

“Our defence services deserve support more than they deserve a prime minister who seems intent on using them for photo opportunities at each and every occasion,” he said.

 

Earlier, Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews conceded Mr Pezzullo’s tone was “direct” but stressed he did not single out any particular nation.

 

“He was making it very clear that our overarching responsibility is to work towards peace,” she said.

 

“We are always going to be alert, but not alarmed, about threats that may be facing our nation.”

 

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 28, 2021, 12:19 a.m. No.13529895   🗄️.is 🔗kun

>>13529891

 

2/2

 

Mr Pezzullo’s intervention was widely interpreted as a reference to China, which has been locked in an escalating diplomatic stoush with Canberra lasting more than a year.

 

Those tensions were inflamed further last week when the federal government used new powers to scrap the Belt and Road initiative, signed between Beijing and the Victorian government.

 

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin on Tuesday said Australia was “sick” and needed to “take medicine” to repair relations.

 

But Ms Andrews would not be drawn on whether China posed the biggest threat in the region.

 

“I know that you’d like me to quote which nations, but we are very conscious of the various threats that are apparent right across our nation,” she said.

 

Concerns have been raised Beijing could react to the beefed-up security measures in the NT.

 

But China expert Clive Hamilton said Beijing’s reaction should not be factored into decisions on Australia’s defence.

 

“As China militarises further and becomes increasingly aggressive, Australia has little choice but to devote more resources to strengthening defences. Australians will have to get used to it, unfortunately,” he told NCA NewsWire.

 

Australian National University international security expert John Blaxland welcomed the upgrade but hoped it was the “first step” in revamping defence capabilities in the Territory.

 

“It’s really good, timely. It’s important to do. The facilities there need to be made more robust,” he said.

 

But he warned Australia was living in a “false sense of security” during an era in which the US was no longer a sole superpower.

 

“We’re as prepared as we can be when we’re thinking about the old paradigm … when the United States could do almost all of the heavy lifting, and we just contributed a nice little force to go attack alongside the United States,” he told Sky News.

 

He stressed Australia’s military professionalism was “second to none” but warned its capabilities were limited by size.

 

“We are having ourselves on if we think we are in a position to contribute to a major great power contestational stoush with our one-punch force,” he said.

 

“It’s just so small, it’s not that hard to push over. We’re not in a position to think through the implications of a force designed for the peace dividend of the post-Cold War years 30 years ago.”

 

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/breaking-news/northern-territory-bases-get-747m-boost-after-drums-of-war-warning/news-story/2017e1bdf6173a72431b95e8a7910d08

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 28, 2021, 12:31 a.m. No.13529937   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>9942 >>1281

>>13485007

>>13515337

China says Australia is ‘sick’, needs to ‘take medicine’

 

WILL GLASGOW - APRIL 28, 2021

 

China’s foreign ministry has said Australia is “sick” and suggested Canberra needs to “take medicine” after the Morrison government’s most senior diplomat said Beijing wanted to compromise key Australian interests.

 

Speaking in Beijing on Tuesday evening, China’s foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said Australia was entirely responsible for the deterioration of the relationship.

 

Mr Wang cited Canberra’s ban on Chinese telco Huawei from Australia’s 5G network, rejections of Chinese investment in Australia-based companies on national security grounds and the federal government’s tearing up of Victoria’s Belt and Road agreement.

 

“Australia is sick, however it is asking others to take medicine, which will not solve the problem at all,” he said.

 

“We hope that the Australian side will view China and China’s development objectively and rationally, and do more to enhance mutual trust between the two countries and promote pragmatic cooperation, instead of going further and further down the wrong path.”

 

The comments come after a week in which the Morrison government has demonstrated it is no hurry to repair the strained relationship with Australia’s biggest trading partner.

 

Despite an almost 12-month trade retaliation campaign by Beijing, Australia’s total exports to China remain at record highs because of the elevated prices of iron ore and liquid natural gas.

 

That has emboldened the Morrison government, although it has led to widespread economic pain in rural Australia, particularly in the lobster, wine and timber industries.

 

Last week, Foreign Minister Marise Payne announced the federal government was annulling Victoria’s cooperation agreement with China’s Belt and Road infrastructure-led foreign policy, saying it was not in the national interest.

 

Over the weekend, Defence minister Peter Dutton warned a war could not be ruled out between China and Taiwan and in an extraordinary ANZAC Day message to staff, Home Affairs secretary Michael Pezzullo said the “drums of war” were beating and Australia must be prepared “to send off, yet again, our warriors to fight”.

 

Some senior military officials in Beijing have mocked Australia’s capacity to influence the situation in the Taiwan Strait.

 

China’s foreign ministry spokesman’s medicinal comments on Tuesday were in response to a recent speech by Australia’s most senior foreign ministry bureaucrat.

 

Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade secretary Frances Adamson told a University of Adelaide graduating class that China wanted Australia to “compromise on key national interests” before it would resume dialogue and cooperation with the federal government.

 

“As China adopts a more authoritarian approach domestically and asserts itself internationally in ways which challenge and undermine those rules, Australia is experiencing a range of difficulties in its bilateral relationship with China,” said Secretary Adamson.

 

“The Australian government wants a constructive relationship with China where we can discuss differences and work for mutual benefit,” she said.

 

“Governments of other countries want the same or similar, but China expects compromise on key national interests in exchange for dialogue and cooperation.”

 

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/world/china-says-australia-is-sick-needs-to-take-medicine/news-story/cd07e3363bc2431fc1aad1ff771f758c

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 28, 2021, 12:32 a.m. No.13529942   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1281

>>13529937

Transcript - Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin's Regular Press Conference on April 27, 2021

 

China Review News: Frances Adamson, Secretary of Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said while addressing a graduation ceremony at University of Adelaide that "Australia is experiencing a range of difficulties in its bilateral relationship with China…The Australian government wants a constructive relationship with China…but China expects compromise on key national interests". She also stressed "how important it is for global security and prosperity that agreed rules are upheld", adding, "That's in Australia's interests, China's interests, everyone's interests". What's your comment?

 

Wang Wenbin: China always believes that sound and stable China-Australia relations serve the fundamental interests of both peoples. The root cause of the severe difficulties in bilateral relations is that Australia grossly interferes in China's domestic affairs, hurts China's interests and adopts discriminatory trade practices against China. None of the responsibility rests with China. The Australian side used the word "authoritarian" to describe China, but it was among the first to ban Chinese companies from its 5G rollout. It has also vetoed time and again Chinese investments under the pretext of "national security" and wantonly searched Chinese journalists in Australia. It accused China of undermining the rules, but again it blatantly torn up cooperative deals with China and disrupted bilateral exchange and cooperation. Basically Australia is telling others to take the medicine when it is sick itself. How can this solve the problem? We hope Australia will look at China and China's development in an objective and rational light and work to build mutual trust and facilitate practical cooperation instead of going further down the wrong path.

 

https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/mfa_eng/xwfw_665399/s2510_665401/t1871998.shtml

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 28, 2021, 12:37 a.m. No.13529959   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1281

>>13515337

GT Voice: Spiraling of Canberra moves against Chinese interests to backfire

 

Global Times - Apr 26, 2021

 

The Port of Darwin lease with a Chinese company could be the next target of Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Marise Payne, after tearing up the state of Victoria's Belt and Road contract with China, the country's defense minister Peter Dutton suggested on Sunday.

 

Noting that the port lease was one of the thousands of cases Payne was examining, he said that "I think it is a question for Marise to look at these individual cases. If it is not in our national interests then obviously she will act."

 

Even though Dutton did not directly call for a scrap of the lease deal, his remarks were interpreted by Australian media outlets as sending a signal that the Port of Darwin lease with the Chinese company is in danger.

 

In response, a spokesperson from China's Foreign Ministry on Monday expressed hope that Australia could treat China-Australia economic cooperation fairly and stop sabotaging normal business interactions.

 

While encouraging Chinese enterprises to conduct overseas investment and cooperation in accordance with market principles and international rules and on the basis of abiding by local laws, the Chinese government will resolutely safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises investing and operating abroad.

 

The Northern Territory Government inked a 99-year lease for the Port of Darwin to a Chinese company named Landbridge Group in 2015. If the Morrison government intended to go political and interfere with the port project the Chinese company has been running for years, it would mark a sad and new low in bilateral relations, resulting from a clear escalation of Canberra's deliberate provocation against Chinese companies.

 

It is no secret that the animosity that Canberra holds towards China is so strong that it has already blocked dozens of investment deals with Chinese companies in recent years. In August 2020, Chinese dairy behemoth Mengniu Dairy was forced to ditch a A$600 million acquisition deal to acquire Australian dairy brand Lion-Dairy & Drinks after Canberra said the business deal was "not in the national interest" of Australia.

 

If Australia continues to intentionally escalate its hostility by undermining existing cooperative projects involving Chinese companies, it will hurt Chinese investors, but Australian businesses would also suffer greatly.

 

Moreover, Chinese companies that have been abiding by local laws and contributing to the Australian economy should defend their lawful rights by resorting to laws and demand fair compensation, if they were forced to terminate operation due to political reasons.

 

In the case of the Port of Darwin lease, Landbridge has made long-term investment plans for the port, including but not limited to an initial $35 million of new investment in the first five years of its lease.

 

Against the backdrop of the growing anti-China sentiment in Canberra, there are plenty of reasons for us to warn Chinese business entities against the growing uncertainty in Australia. They should heighten their alert there.

 

Precautions are needed for Chinese companies to seek legal recourse to defend their rights and interests. Meanwhile, relevant Chinese authorities should also offer legal assistance to help Chinese businesses, while a response in kind should also be considered.

 

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202104/1222156.shtml

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 28, 2021, 2:07 a.m. No.13530211   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>0215 >>1305

>>13498643

For the fourth time, Ghislaine Maxwell is denied release from ‘horrific’ Brooklyn jail

 

BEN WIEDER - APRIL 27, 2021

 

1/2

 

Ghislaine Maxwell’s fourth request to be released from federal custody was met with the same response as her three previous tries: Denied.

 

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit rejected an appeal by Maxwell of prior decisions by U.S. District Judge Alison Nathan to deny her bail.

 

The decision followed a roughly 30 minute hearing Monday that largely focused on Maxwell’s complaint that she is subjected to regular wellness checks throughout the night that prevent her from sleeping. The appeals court said in its ruling that Maxwell should address these concerns to Nathan.

 

Maxwell’s lawyer David Oscar Markus argued in the hearing that Maxwell’s conditions made it impossible for her to prepare for trial, which is currently scheduled for July.

 

“For the last 10 months she has been held in horrific conditions that make it impossible for her to prepare for her trial,” Markus said.

 

But in a preview of Tuesday’s ruling, the three judge panel pushed back on this argument, asking whether Maxwell’s conditions and situation truly were unique.

 

Markus said Tuesday that he is “heartbroken” in response to the ruling.

 

“If our system tolerates detaining a 59-year old woman with no criminal history and subjecting her to torturous conditions, simply because of her old connection to Jeffrey Epstein, we should all be deeply troubled,” he said.

 

Maxwell, the ex-girlfriend and alleged accomplice of deceased financier and serial abuser Jeffrey Epstein, has been held in the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn for the past nine months as she awaits trial, which is currently scheduled for this July.

 

She was arrested last July and currently faces six charges related to the sex trafficking of minors and is accused of grooming and recruiting four girls for Epstein’s abuse between 1994 and 2004, allegedly participating in the abuse of one of the girls herself. She faces a separate trial on two perjury charges connected to statements she made in two depositions in a defamation suit brought against her by Virginia Roberts Giuffre, an Epstein victim who has said that Maxwell recruited her when Giuffre was about 17 and working as a spa assistant at Mar-a-Lago.

 

Federal prosecutors have argued that Maxwell’s access to extensive wealth, foreign citizenship in the United Kingdom and France — the latter of which doesn’t extradite citizens — and the prospect of decades in prison if convicted make Maxwell a serious risk to flee the country to avoid trial. Maxwell initially gave an incomplete accounting of her finances to federal authorities and her initial bail proposal was short on specific details of what she would offer to guarantee her appearance at trial.

 

Judge Nathan rejected that request as well as two subsequent proposals in which Maxwell offered a bail package worth $28.5 million in assets belonging to her and family and friends, said she would be confined to a residence in New York and offered to renounce her foreign citizenship, among other conditions.

 

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 28, 2021, 2:08 a.m. No.13530215   🗄️.is 🔗kun

>>13530211

 

2/2

 

Maxwell was arrested on July 2, 2020, at a 156-acre New Hampshire property that had been purchased the previous December through a shell company. Maxwell’s name had not appeared in any of the sale documents, according to someone with knowledge of the transaction, and federal prosecutors say she had toured the property using a pseudonym.

 

Maxwell’s arrest came nearly one year after Epstein had been arrested on sex charges in July 2019. Epstein’s earlier abuse of dozens of women and a remarkably lenient 2008 plea deal he struck with federal prosecutors was the subject of the Miami Herald’s 2018 Perversion of Justice series and led federal prosecutors to revisit the case and bring new charges against Epstein in July 2019. He died in federal detention one month later in what has been ruled a suicide.

 

Maxwell has complained bitterly about her conditions behind bars, which her lawyers have said is a direct response to Epstein’s death in custody. Maxwell’s lawyers have said that she is being kept in solitary confinement, the food and water in the jail is unpalatable and that the wellness checks throughout the night prevent her from getting a full night’s sleep. They have complained that the computer she has access to doesn’t allow her to search the voluminous potential evidence turned over by the government, making it extremely difficult for her to prepare for her case, and, in the appeal, argued that her detention is sexist, given that high-profile men such as Harvey Weinstein, Bill Cosby and Dominique Strauss-Kahn have been granted bail in the past.

 

Prosecutors have countered that the conditions of her confinement are designed to protect her and that she is granted more time to access her computer than any other inmate in the Brooklyn facility.

 

Maxwell has been accused by numerous Epstein victims of combing schools and spas to find girls to satisfy Epstein’s sexual appetite and grooming and recruiting those girls for Epstein’s abuse.

 

“Maxwell’s presence as an adult woman helped put the victims at ease as Maxwell and Epstein intended,” said Audrey Strauss, the U.S. attorney in the Southern District of New York, in announcing the charges against Maxwell last July.

 

Giuffre has said that Maxwell and Epstein directed her to have sex with a number of their high-profile friends, including Britain’s Prince Andrew, former U.S. Sen. George Mitchell, former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, hotel magnate Tom Pritzker and prominent defense attorney Alan Dershowitz. All of the men have denied the claims and Dershowitz and Giuffre have each sued each other for defamation.

 

Maxwell is currently scheduled to go to trial in July, though her legal team requested that the trial date be pushed back after prosecutors unveiled a new indictment last month that added the fourth victim and added additional sex trafficking charges. Nathan, the district judge, has said that she will be deciding on whether or not to push back the trial soon.

 

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/state/florida/article250983184.html

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 28, 2021, 2:30 a.m. No.13530268   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>0272 >>1305

>>13498643

Ghislaine Maxwell claims jail guards seized her confidential documents

 

James Hill and Aaron Katersky - 27 April 2021

 

1/2

 

Lawyers for Ghislaine Maxwell are accusing guards at a federal detention center of improperly confiscating and reviewing her legal documents after she met with her lawyers at the facility over the weekend, according to a letter Monday to the federal judge overseeing Maxwell's criminal case.

 

"Ms. Maxwell observed three guards going through the [folder], reading papers and pages of the notebook, dividing papers into two stacks, and leaving the room with the papers," wrote Bobbi C. Sternheim, one of Maxwell's criminal lawyers, in the letter to U.S. District Judge Alison Nathan.

 

Maxwell's lawyers said guards then "intimidated Ms. Maxwell" by standing "knee to knee" over her as she used the bathroom, and threatening her with a disciplinary infraction, the letter states.

 

The latest dispute over the conditions of Maxwell's confinement at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn began on Saturday, one day after she pleaded not guilty to an eight-count superseding indictment alleging she aided and conspired with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in the sexual abuse of four minors between 1994 and 2004.

 

Staff at the jail informed Maxwell's lawyers after the visit that she had violated policy by receiving paperwork from her attorneys that was not in her possession when she entered the visiting area, according to an email from the facility's legal counsel attached to Sternheim's letter.

 

Sternheim called that allegation "inaccurate" and noted that Maxwell and her lawyers were "under the constant watch of four to five guards" with a portable camera and fixed surveillance cameras recording the two-and-a-half-hour visit.

 

"At no time did the guards, who were assiduously watching and filming the legal conference, bring any concern to my attention," Sternheim wrote. "The conduct of which both Ms. Maxwell and counsel have been accused did not happen; and the conduct on the part of the guards was reprehensible."

 

The institution's visitation policy allows detainees to bring materials to a legal meeting that were previously received in the mail, but does not permit carrying out any additional items. "The contents of legal material will be visually scanned, but not read by staff," the policy states.

 

Maxwell's attorneys are threatening legal action over the alleged incident and sent a letter to the facility's lawyer demanding that all video and notes surrounding the Saturday visit be preserved.

 

The documents in question were returned to one of Maxwell's lawyers on Sunday, but Sternheim claimed that it is "unknown whether any seized documents were retained or copied by the MDC."

 

Federal prosecutors in Manhattan declined to comment on Sternheim's letter.

 

The Bureau of Prisons did not immediately respond to an inquiry from ABC News.

 

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 28, 2021, 2:32 a.m. No.13530272   🗄️.is 🔗kun

>>13530268

 

2/2

 

Earlier Monday, another attorney for Maxwell, David Markus, argued before an appeals court panel that Nathan erred in rejecting Maxwell's three attempts to be let out on bail pending trial.

 

"Ghislaine Maxwell is not Jeffrey Epstein," Markus said. "For the past 10 months she has been detained in horrific conditions that make it impossible for her to prepare for trial."

 

Markus argued the government has presented insufficient evidence to warrant Maxwell's remand.

 

"We just want a fair opportunity, a fair chance, so that she can get ready for the trial of her life," Markus said.

 

The appellate judges peppered the government with questions about guards checking on Maxwell every 15 minutes by shining a flashlight in her cell, a practice the government has defended as necessary "to confirm that the defendant is not in distress every fifteen minutes."

 

"To do so, staff point a flashlight to the ceiling of the defendant's cell to illuminate the cell sufficiently to confirm that the defendant is breathing," prosecutors wrote in a February letter to the court.

 

"Is she a suicide risk or not? Has [the Bureau of Prisons] concluded she's a suicide risk? Or is it some other reason why they're shining lights all night long," asked one of the judges during oral argument.

 

"We have not been told that she is a suicide risk," assistant U.S. Attorney Laura Pomerantz said.

 

Pomerantz said Nathan, "is aware of the circumstances under which this defendant is confined" but denied Maxwell release on bail because she thinks she is a flight risk.

 

The appellate judges asked the defense about Maxwell's "ties to foreign countries" and her "significant financial resources."

 

The defense pointed out Maxwell has offered to renounce her foreign citizenships in England and France and to put her assets of more than $20 million into a monitored account.

 

"I'm not sure what else she can do to demonstrate she's not a risk," Markus said.

 

The three-judge panel took the arguments under advisement, but there was no immediate ruling.

 

Maxwell's trial is currently scheduled to begin on July 12. Her lawyers have asked the court to postpone until the fall or winter to allow them time to investigate and prepare for the allegations in the superseding indictment, which added two new charges and a fourth alleged victim.

 

The government opposes the delay, citing, among other reasons, the stress on the alleged victims ahead of the trial.

 

Nathan indicated in a hearing on Friday that she would decide soon whether to grant the defense's request.

 

https://abcnews.go.com/US/ghislaine-maxwell-claims-jail-guards-seized-confidential-documents/story?id=77334691

 

https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/17318376/united-states-v-maxwell/?filed_after=&filed_before=&entry_gte=&entry_lte=&order_by=desc

 

https://www.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nysd.539612/gov.uscourts.nysd.539612.248.0.pdf

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 28, 2021, 2:55 a.m. No.13530313   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1281

>>13485007

Victoria’s axed Belt deal ‘not end of the road’, says James Merlino

 

ANGELICA SNOWDEN - APRIL 27, 2021

 

Victoria’s Acting Premier has dodged questions about the federal government’s decision to rip up the state’s Belt and Road agreement, in his first public ­appearance since the decision was made last Thursday.

 

James Merlino held a press conference at a primary school in Melbourne’s north on Tuesday, almost one week after Foreign Affairs Minister Marise Payne announced the state’s memorandum of understanding with China would be torn up under new commonwealth powers.

 

“My response is similar to ­responses from other ministers who have been out over the past few days,” Mr Merlino said.

 

“It’s a federal government act, it’s a federal government decision. We respect that.

 

“In terms of the broader impact, I assume … that the federal government took all of that into account,” he added.

 

Asked if the state government was concerned about jobs growth now that the China agreement was off the political plate, Mr Merlino responded: “What we will continue to do is exactly what we have done for the past six years — and that is engaging with jurisdictions around the world to maximise opportunities for Victorian businesses and for Victorian jobs.

 

“That has been our focus, whether it is these agreements, whether it’s the work of the Victorian government business offices around the world — it’s about building relationships and building opportunities to create jobs,” he said.

 

The response was in contrast to Premier Daniel Andrews’ prickly reaction to the Foreign Relations bill, unveiled by Scott Morrison in August last year.

 

At the time, the Prime Minister said it would target state government deals with foreign governments and terminate any which threatened Australia’s ­national interest.

 

Mr Andrews questioned Mr Morrison’s focus on the issue during the middle of a pandemic and said: “If the Prime Minister’s got time to be doing those things, then that’s fine for him. I don’t.

 

“I am exclusively focused on fighting this virus and then making sure that we have got the strongest economy that we can possibly have on the other side of this,” Mr Andrews said.

 

“Given the announcements the Prime Minister has made today, he will no doubt be able to list the full range of other free trade agreements and other ­markets that we’ll be sending ­Victorian products to. I’ll look ­forward to that.

 

“Presumably, this approach will include quite soon a very detailed list of alternative trading ­arrangements, alternative free trade agreements, alternative markets. I’ll leave that to the PM to announce, but presumably that’s coming and coming pretty quickly.”

 

In July, Mr Andrews refused to attend classified briefings on Chinese interference at which intelligence and security officials — including Australian Security Intelligence Organisation chief Mike Burgess — were to raise concerns about Belt and Road deals with Beijing.

 

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/victorias-axed-belt-deal-not-end-of-the-road-says-james-merlino/news-story/03de0df4ee5c3a66e822d6512ad44b63

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 28, 2021, 3:03 a.m. No.13530328   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>0331 >>1281

>>13515337

Deal on Darwin Port under the shadows of Australian politicians

 

Ai Jun - Apr 28, 2021

 

1/2

 

After Australia tore up Victoria's Belt and Road agreement with China, will the lease of the Port of Darwin to a Chinese company be next? Conjecture is mounting after Australian Defense Minister Peter Dutton suggested on Sunday the program may be reviewed under the name of "national interests." Former prime minister Kevin Rudd echoed the view on Tuesday, predicting the Morrison administration will "tear up the lease" during an interview with ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) Radio Darwin.

 

The 99-year lease, worth AU$506 million ($393 million), was inked in 2015 between Chinese company, Landbridge Group, and Australia's Northern Territory government. At that time, Canberra was promoting its vision and strategy for developing Northern Australia, hoping to turn the vastly underdeveloped region into a thriving place of manufacturing, clean energy and research and innovation. Yet Australia is short of funding for it, thus the country invited foreign enterprises for investment. The successful Landbridge bid helped resolve the region's issue over the lack of cash for development.

 

In the same year, then secretary of the Department of Defense Dennis Richardson told Australian Senate committee that the rhetoric of Landbridge's lease posing a security risk was "absurd" and "alarmist nonsense." However, six years later, Australia is making a U-turn in its stance. The previous "absurd nonsense" has become a matter of national interests. No one ever provided any evidence. It seems what the lease really is depends on what Australian politicians say based on their political calculations.

 

The lease did not change, but the international environment has. Six years ago, China and the US had stable ties. Yet the US is launching a comprehensive containment against China today.

 

Observers believe that for the Australian government, the so-called national interests is all about following the US' footsteps closely to maintain Canberra's regional hegemony based on Washington's endorsement. And for Australian politicians, only a nod from the US can help them secure a promotion in their personal careers. They could not care less about national interests when it comes to their appetite over their personal political future.

 

Yu Lei, chief research fellow at the research center for Pacific island countries of Liaocheng University in East China's Shandong Province, told the Global Times on Tuesday, "Dutton is a figure with big ambition, so is Foreign Minister Marise Payne, they are both seeking to become prime minister." So when they talk about "national interests," rest assured, it has nothing to do with the country's economy, long-term development or people's living standards, Yu said, adding it is all about their personal gains.

 

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 28, 2021, 3:04 a.m. No.13530331   🗄️.is 🔗kun

>>13530328

 

2/2

 

China poses no threat to Australia's national interests and it has no political ambition to interfere in Australia's affairs, Yu said, adding the Darwin Port lease is a pure business deal with no military purposes.

 

On the contrary, it is Washington who has major strategic needs from the port. In 2019, a US Congressional bill revealed that a total of $211.5 million had been allocated for new "Navy Military Construction" in Darwin as it expanded its military presence in Australia, according to the ABC. In the same year, Australia invested $715 million in naval facilities in the Northern Territory that hosts US Navy warships, Stars and Stripes reported. In 2020, the Australian government announced a $1.1 billion upgrade to the Northern Territory's air force base in a bid to expand Australia and the US' air force capabilities into the Indo-Pacific, reports show.

 

For the US, the Darwin Port is a strategically vital position which could enable US forces to take the Strait of Malacca under control, cutting off China's maritime transportation line, Yu noted. Therefore, amid intensifying competition between China and the US, the issue of Darwin port naturally surfaced. Yet if Australian politicians shred China's lease by stressing "national interests," it will only lay bare their political selfishness, without making any sense.

 

Xu Shanpin, adjunct researcher at the Center for Australia Studies, China University of Mining and Technology, told the Global Times that if Canberra tears the lease up, its inconsistency in words and deeds and the move to break its deals will further erode Australia's national image and credibility.

 

The country's economic development will also suffer from more hardships. "Australia's plan to develop its north has died," Yu said, adding so is its vision on economic transformation, as the country has wrecked too many cooperative projects that could bring it more investment.

 

In Xu's opinion, the already icy political ties between Beijing and Canberra will take another dive, the pace of economic decoupling between the two countries will accelerate, their strategic mutual trust will totally wither, and the possibility of strategic misjudgment will be greatly increased.

 

The author is a reporter with Global Times. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn

 

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202104/1222298.shtml

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 28, 2021, 3:09 a.m. No.13530344   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>0346 >>9779 >>1281

>>13529891

Let war games begin: ADF bases upgraded

 

GEOFF CHAMBERS and BEN PACKHAM - APRIL 28, 2021

 

1/2

 

Scott Morrison has ordered sweeping upgrades of military training bases in Northern Australia to enhance land combat capability and support simulated exercises in a major strategic step-up aimed at expanding “war gaming” with the US and defending the Indo-Pacific.

 

The Prime Minister will ­announce a $747m defence package in the Northern Territory on Wednesday after Home Affairs Department secretary Michael Pezzullo warned the “drums of war are beating” and that Australia must be prepared “to send off, yet again, our warriors to fight”.

 

The upgrades of four training bases include an overhaul of weapons firing ranges, lengthening the Northern Territory’s Bradshaw Field Training Area airstrip to support heavier aircraft and new training facilities for Australian Defence Force personnel and US marines.

 

“Working with the United States, our allies and Indo-Pacific neighbours, we will continue to advance Australia’s interests by investing in the Australian ­Defence Force, particularly across Northern Australia,” Mr Morrison said. “Our focus is on pursuing peace, stability and a free and open Indo-Pacific, with a world order that favours freedom.”

 

Mr Morrison said the investment, part of a $270bn spend across the nation to ensure the ADF can respond to emerging challenges, would also maximise local jobs through a “targeted ­industry plan to contract local businesses throughout the entire supply chain”.

 

“My commitment is keeping Australians safe and keeping Australians in a job,” he said.

 

Defence Minister Peter Dutton said the funding boost would ­ensure the ADF’s land combat capability was “equipped with the technology it will require to maintain our competitive advantage”.

 

Defence strategists on Tuesday urged the government to increase investment in military capabilities to counter the growing threat of China following Mr Pezzullo’s Anzac Day message to staff, which warned of rising strategic uncertainty and growing militarisation.

 

The Lowy Institute’s Sam Roggeveen said Mr Pezzullo’s message was “not pessimistic enough”, ­arguing Australia could not rely with certainty on the US coming to its aid in a conflict.

 

Mr Roggeveen said Australia needed a bigger, more capable ADF which would make the 2 per cent of GDP benchmark for ­Defence spending “look more like a floor than a ceiling”. He said Australia would continue to rely on the extended deterrence of the “US nuclear umbrella”. But in conflicts short of nuclear war, “we need to be more prepared to look after ourselves”.

 

Yet the US military is bolstering its presence in the Top End, with marines arriving in Darwin in groups of between 200 and 500 since February ahead of joint exercises with the ADF. By June about 2200 US troops are expected to be in the NT for operation Talisman Sabre, which will involve a range of training activities including ­humanitarian assistance, security operations and high-end live-fire exercises.

 

WA Premier Mark McGowan took issue with Mr Pezzullo’s comments and urged the Morrison government to “tone it down”. “What good does that do, saying things like that? It’s totally unnecessary, it gets you a headline, no doubt, probably secures you some coverage around the world. And, you know, there may be elements in the community who cheer,” Mr McGowan said.

 

“But it is in no one’s interests, that sort of language. Diplomacy should be conducted diplomatic­ally, by people in elected office, and also by those who are public ­servants.”

 

Mr Morrison also downplayed the comments, saying that Australia’s objective was “to pursue peace” for a free and open Indo-Pacific.

 

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 28, 2021, 3:10 a.m. No.13530346   🗄️.is 🔗kun

>>13530344

 

2/2

 

The training areas slated for upgrades are the Robertson Barracks Close Training Area; Kangaroo Flats Training Area; Mount Bundey Training Area and Bradshaw Field Training Area. The upgrades will support a more effective simulation of conflict to help maintain a world-class military, support greater engagement and combined training with the US under the Force Posture Agreement.

 

The 2020 Force Structure Plan prioritised training and simulation as critical in preparing Defence for present and future missions, and boosting investment in technology to maintain its competitive edge.

 

The US Force Posture Initiatives are considered by the government as a “fundamental pillar” of the ANZUS alliance, supporting shared security and stability interests in the Indo-­Pacific region.

 

Australian Strategic Policy Institute analyst Marcus Hellyer said the Morrison government was sending a message to the Australian people to harden their resolve, and to Beijing that “we’re off the fence”.

 

He noted the ADF still didn’t have a single armed drone in its arsenal, while Azerbaijan, with 3 per cent of Australia’s GDP, had mastered unmanned precision strike capabilities in its recent conflict with Armenia, using off-the-shelf Israeli drones.

 

“Defence needs to get much more serious about what capabilities we can acquire quickly,” Dr Hellyer said. “If there is a war with China, it will be nasty.

 

“The US would expect a far more substantial contribution in any war with China over Taiwan. And if the war were to extend ­beyond the Taiwan Strait, China has ways of applying military force at much greater range.”

 

ANU professor of internat­ional security John Blaxland on Tuesday said Australia was “underprepared for what the future may hold”, with last year’s Defence Strategic Update already “looking relatively limp”.

 

“We have a boutique defence force structured for the unipolar moment of the post-cold war years where the US did the heavy lifting and all we had to do was provide some niche contributions on occasion,” he said. “Those days, if they are not gone, are quickly passing.”

 

He said China’s “gobsmacking” acceleration in military capabilities, and “Wolf Warrior” rhetoric signalled a dramatic ­elevation in the threat faced by Australia. On the weekend, Mr Dutton warned that the prospect of a war with China over Taiwan could not be discounted.

 

China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin on Monday responded to the comment, cautioning Australia to “fully recognise that the Taiwan question is highly sensitive”.

 

“(It should) abide by the one-China principle, be prudent in its words and deeds, avoid send any wrong signals to the ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist forces, and act in ways beneficial to peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and conducive to China-Australian relations,” Mr Wang said.

 

Opportunities for local businesses on the defence upgrade sites announced on Wednesday will be maximised with a target set for at least 10 per cent of the local workforce to be indigenous Australians. In addition, 6.5 per cent of the value of the supply chain is to subcontracted to indigenous enterprises.

 

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/defence/let-war-games-begin-adf-bases-upgraded/news-story/a1a65abdd7c83d2550a67046126f905c

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 28, 2021, 11:21 a.m. No.13532829   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>3273 >>5102 >>1248

>>13517935

>>13522489

Kevin Rudd on religion, politics and Scott Morrison’s speech to the Pentecostal conference

 

Kevin Rudd

 

28 Apr 2021

 

On ABC 7.30 with Leigh Sales.

 

My 2006 essay on “Faith In Politics” is here: https://kevinrudd.com/2006/10/01/faith-in-politics/

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXLKn1PXqpo

 

>One party discusses God.

>One party discusses Darkness.

>One party promotes God.

>One party eliminates God.

>Symbolism will be their downfall.

>The Great Deceiver(s).

 

https://qanon.pub/#4627

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 29, 2021, 1:11 a.m. No.13539434   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>9440 >>1248

Podesta: Quad will demand Australia does more on climate change

 

Latika Bourke - April 28, 2021

 

London: Senior Democrat John Podesta has warned Australia will be confronted by its fellow Quad members over its weak carbon reduction targets as the Biden administration places climate change at the heart of its security agenda.

 

Podesta, a political consultant, chairs the Washington-based Centre for American Progress, ran Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign and co-chaired the Obama transition committee in 2008.

 

Speaking to the podcast Rekindling Hope hosted by Labor’s climate spokesman Chris Bowen and former Labor candidate Sam Crosby, Podesta said Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s insistence that technology will sort out emissions reductions “is just not going to cut it”.

 

“The Biden administration is going to expect a lot more than they got at the summit out of the government,” Podesta said. “Everybody’s moving and Australia is left behind and at the end of the day that’s going to have important consequences.”

 

Morrison is sticking to the Coalition’s goal of cutting Australia’s emissions by 26-28 per cent by 2030 and is resisting pressure to state a goal for the middle of the century. He told Biden’s virtual leaders’ summit last week that Australia was “on a pathway to net-zero” with a goal to “get there as soon as possible” through technology rather than carbon taxes.

 

Morrison has been criticised by Labor, which backs a net-zero target by 2050, but has not yet indicated its 2030 emissions and has no plans to revive a carbon price policy in the future.

 

Biden has praised Morrison’s technology-led approach in personal calls with the Prime Minister and has never publicly rebuked Australia’s targets, although officials in his administration briefed The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald before the summit, saying that following the existing Australian trajectory was insuffient and a shift would be needed.

 

Australia’s major trading partners including the UK, USA, European Union, Japan and Canada have set targets for around 50 per cent emissions reduction by 2030, and have already committed to net-zero 2050 deadlines.

 

But Podesta said both the EU and the United States were poised to introduce carbon border taxes which would hurt the “free riders” in key sectors including steel, cement, aluminium and glass.

 

Former Secretary of State John Kerry, as Biden’s Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, sits on the National Security Council. The Pentagon, US intelligence agencies and State Department have been told to make climate change a priority of Biden’s National Security strategy.

 

“So there’s no question that this has moved way up the international relations and security agenda for the United States and I think the pressure will come on Australia to get with the program,” Podesta said.

 

While the focus of the reprised Quad, comprising India, the US, Australia and Japan, is currently focused on dealing with China’s rising aggression in the region, Podesta said it would soon address climate change.

 

“Right now [Australia] can take some solace from the fact that the architecture around trying to compete [with] and confront China has taken precedence in the Quad but at some point, even in the Quad, India, Japan, and the US are going to turn to Australia and say ‘we’ve got to deal with this issue too’,” he said.

 

Biden’s net-zero emissions goal by 2050 is shared by Japan’s Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga. Both India and Japan pledged higher cuts than originally planned for 2030.

 

However, like Morrison, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not pledge any new goals for slashing India’s carbon output – the developing giant is the world’s third-largest emitter.

 

The informal Quad grouping was created in 2007 at the suggestion of Japan’s then-prime minister Shinzo Abe but was abandoned by Australia by former prime minister Kevin Rudd.

 

As a result of its revival, the four leaders held their first-ever virtual summit in March when they identified climate change as a “priority,” establishing a Quad Climate Working Group.

 

The Prime Minister’s office declined to comment.

 

https://www.smh.com.au/world/europe/podesta-quad-will-demand-australia-does-more-on-climate-change-20210427-p57mwa.html

 

>https://qanon.pub/?q=podesta

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 29, 2021, 1:13 a.m. No.13539440   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1248

>>13539434

Rekindling Hope

 

Rekindling Hope is the new show by Sam Crosby, CEO of The McKell Institute, and Chris Bowen, Shadow Health Minister. This is a show for the nerds - from how we can address the challenges of obesity or corruption and who’s front in line for the US Presidency. This is about rebuilding the progressive cause, rebuilding Labor and rebuilding policy. Join us as we rekindle hope.

 

100 Days

 

APRIL 29, 2021 - MINNIMAL PRODUCTIONS - SEASON 2 EPISODE 1

 

The ultimate Washington power broker John Podesta opens up about how Biden is traveling and how Australia’s climate policy needs to lift its game.

 

https://www.buzzsprout.com/1049989

 

https://www.buzzsprout.com/1049989/8424530-100-days

 

>https://qanon.pub/?q=podesta

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 29, 2021, 1:48 a.m. No.13539534   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>9625 >>1281

>>13515337

Prime Minister says no security concerns raised with him about Darwin Port lease to Chinese company Landbridge

 

Jano Gibson - 28 April 2021

 

The Prime Minister says he would act if national security concerns were raised about any critical infrastructure in Australia, but he has indicated no such advice has been provided about the Darwin Port.

 

Chinese company Landbridge purchased a 99-year lease over the facility as part of a $506 million deal negotiated by the Northern Territory's former CLP government in 2015.

 

But the deal over the strategically important asset has been the subject of ongoing scrutiny and criticism amid rising diplomatic and economic tensions between Australia and China.

 

Last month, a federal parliamentary committee recommended the Commonwealth consider reclaiming Australian ownership of the port if the lease was deemed to be against the national interest.

 

Yesterday, former Labor prime minister Kevin Rudd called on the federal government to conduct and make public a national security review of the port lease.

 

Mr Rudd said the deal had become a political problem for Scott Morrison, because it had occurred under his watch as federal treasurer.

 

But during a visit to Darwin on Wednesday, Mr Morrison defended his handling of the port deal, saying it was the sole responsibility of the former Territory government.

 

"It was not a lease that was approved by the federal government, it was not, that was not something that was subject to federal laws at that time," Mr Morrison said.

 

"And, indeed, as treasurer, I made sure that in the future that such transactions would be subject to federal approvals."

 

The Prime Minister said if any adverse assessments were made by security agencies, he would respond as necessary.

 

"If there is advice from the Defence Department or our security agencies that change their view about the national security implications of any piece of critical infrastructure … then you could expect me, as Prime Minister, to take that advice very seriously and to act accordingly."

 

However, he said he had not received any such advice.

 

The government has repeatedly said the port deal with Landbridge is not subject to the same legislation that recently allowed Victoria's Belt and Road Initiative agreement with China to be rescinded.

 

Mr Morrison was asked if the government was looking at any alternative issues, including Landbridge's contract obligations.

 

"That presupposes a piece of advice from our Defence and intelligence agencies," he said.

 

"And there is not anything before the government that would make that recommendation."

 

NT CLP senator Sam McMahon yesterday said she too had been told that there were no security concerns about the port lease.

 

However, she confirmed she had asked the Foreign Affairs Minister to assess whether Landbridge was abiding by its contractual obligations to improve infrastructure at the port.

 

"If it wasn’t, then the minister would have to make a decision on whether the breach was such that it would warrant some sort of action," she said.

 

Landbridge told the ABC it had met all of its commitments under its agreement with the NT government.

 

"We continue to work collaboratively with the Northern Territory government and our stakeholders to develop and expand Darwin Port's operational capacity," Landbridge Australia's managing director, Mike Hughes, said.

 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-04-28/darwin-port-lease-no-security-concerns-raised-scott-morrison/100101724

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 29, 2021, 1:55 a.m. No.13539557   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1284

>>13485007

China’s top diplomat gives rare public warning to Australia

 

Andrew Tillett - Apr 29, 2021

 

China’s top diplomat in Canberra says it is Australia, not China, that has engaged in economic coercion, and issued a veiled warning that Chinese students and tourists will be reluctant to return post-pandemic because of a hostile environment.

 

Chinese ambassador Cheng Jingye lamented that attacking his country had become the “politically correct” view in Australia, repeating Beijing’s insistence that blame for the deteriorating bilateral relationship rested with the Morrison government.

 

In an hour-long online presentation to Australia China Business Council members, Mr Cheng said it “doesn’t hold water” to claim China had become more assertive.

 

“China has never launched any provocations. As a matter of fact it is the Australian side that is changing its perceptions about China,” he said.

 

“How could China-Australian relations not suffer if China is seen as a threat?

 

“It seems that being tough on China or even attacking China has become a politically correct thing to do. What is more astonishing is that some Australians claim that such provocations and confrontation are ways to safeguard Australia’s values, national interest or security.”

 

While Mr Cheng did not name the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue or Five Eyes network, he said “teaming up in small groupings against China will not work at all. Playing the victim game will not change the nature of the problem”.

 

His rare public comments come after China’s Foreign Ministry slammed the head of Australia’s Home Affairs Department, Mike Pezzullo, as a “troublemaker” after the high-profile bureaucrat warned the “drums of war are beating” and Australia needed to be prepared to send its “warriors” to fight.

 

“Some individual politicians in Australia, out of their selfish interests, are keen to make statements that incite confrontation and hype up threat of war, which is extremely irresponsible and will find no audience,” spokesman Zhao Lijian said.

 

“I have noticed that many people in Australia have expressed disapproval on social media, saying that such inflammatory language are outrageous and extremely crazy.”

 

Tensions between Canberra and Beijing have risen dramatically over the past few years, with Australian businesses bearing the brunt of damage after China launched a series of trade sanctions against billions of dollars of exports in what has been labelled economic coercion.

 

But Mr Cheng accused Australia of inflicting economic damage on China.

 

He said the Morrison government had adopted a “discriminatory” approach towards Chinese investment, which had slumped dramatically, while simultaneously Australian trade to China had held up.

 

Other strikes against China included the “unjustified suppression” of Chinese technology companies such as Huawei and more recently the “unreasonable and irrational” decision to tear up Victoria’s Belt and Road Initiative agreement with China.

 

“The so-called coercion is just a cover-up in order to shift responsibilities,” Mr Cheng said.

 

“Therefore if there is any coercion it must be done by the Australian side.”

 

Mr Cheng repeated Beijing’s other grievances, including “gross interference” in China’s internal affairs – code for criticism of the erosion of democracy and human rights in Hong Kong and Xinjiang – erection of roadblocks to exchanges in education and academic research and “harassment” of Chinese institutions and personnel by security agencies.

 

He also said racial discrimination and reported attacks against Chinese people were a concern, as was “stigmatisation” of China in media coverage. Mr Cheng said he feared this may influence students and tourists over whether to come to Australia when international travel restrictions ease.

 

“All this appears to create obstacles for Chinese travellers to return,” he said.

 

While no minister has been able to speak to their Chinese counterpart for months, Mr Cheng said at the diplomatic level lines of communication remained open and there was a “businesslike” relationship.

 

But at times he struck a more conciliatory tone, with potential for co-operation between Australia and China in areas such as clean energy, health and aged care and regional economic integration, saying the two countries should push for speedy ratification of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership free trade deal.

 

https://www.afr.com/politics/federal/china-s-top-diplomat-gives-rare-public-warning-to-australia-20210429-p57nde

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 29, 2021, 1:59 a.m. No.13539570   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1284

>>13517916

Aussie interests not in minds of saber-rattling politicians

 

Zhang Yi - Apr 28, 2021

 

Australian Home Affairs Secretary Michael Pezzullo, one of the country's top national security officials, warned "free nations" of "the beating drums of war" in his Anzac Day speech on Sunday. He also said Australia should "send off our warriors to fight the nation's wars."

 

Although such hyper-excited remarks did not explicitly name the target, the Australian media have turned to China, especially as Pezzullo's remarks came not long after Australian Defense Minister Peter Dutton said that a conflict between the Chinese mainland and Taiwan "should not be discounted."

 

The zeal of some Australian politicians for war is running high. Pezzullo's saber-rattling approach is currently representative of Australia's top national security circles who are inciting the unwarranted threat of China. Pezzullo is tipped to become defense secretary. Public emotive communiques of his kind, which is supposed to be rare for officials with such a senior role, are gaining ground and could drag Australia into a highly risky scenario. The cabinet of this Australian government reminds us of the Trump team that competed for who was more hawkish toward China. But the outcome of those US politicians does not make people envy.

 

Australian politicians should understand that the Taiwan question is being exploited by the US to contain China's rise and draw allies into its orbit to serve for its hegemonic objectives. Washington has never made the explicit commitment to defend the island of Taiwan in case of a war and it seems that it has no will to change its policy of strategic ambiguity regarding Taiwan. But it is Australia that is jumping high and singing a tune.

 

For politicians like Pezzullo, what he cares is his political leverage and the length of his political life, rather than the interests of the Australian people and regional and international peace. Holding the US tight, finding fault with China and hyping a war is the easiest way to catch media attention, and Australian politicians are more than eager to use it.

 

In the China-Australia ties, it's always the Australian side that took the initiative to undermine the relationship. It is eager to exploit the current tense China-US relationship to show its loyalty to the US. By claiming to maintain peace and stability in the region, reckless Australian politicians are actually hyping disputes and trying to rope in countries that have conflicts of interests with China.

 

These Australian politicians are to blame for the current icy China-Australia relationship. For them, Washington, rather than Canberra, dictates Australia's foreign policy. As the long-held hysterical opinion in Australia has poisoned the atmosphere toward China, catering to such a twisted atmosphere and intimacy with the US can turn into political incentives of these politicians.

 

The Morrison government has already been struggling with the worsening China-Australia relationship. Australia thinks it could lean toward the US if it cuts cooperation with China. To its dismay, the US companies have taken up China's market share that Australian companies used to take. The US lukewarm attitude toward India during its surging cases of COVID-19 should be a lesson for Australia.

 

Australia's China policy has reached a cul-de-sac. China does not seek enmity with Australia, and Australia should avoid proactively turning itself into an enemy of China. If Australia resorts to provocative actions in China's offshore areas, it is bound to face severe countermeasures from China.

 

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202104/1222399.shtml

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 29, 2021, 2:11 a.m. No.13539590   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>9591 >>1284

>>13517916

Australian politicians hyping up war threats are real troublemakers: Chinese FM spokesperson

 

Global Times - Apr 28, 2021

 

Some Australian politicians, out of their personal interests, are eager to stir up confrontation and hype up war threats, which is extremely irresponsible and against the will of the people, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said on Wednesday, in response to the recent "drums of war" remarks made by Secretary of Australian Department of Home Affairs Michael Pezzullo.

 

"They are the real troublemakers," Zhao said.

 

"We urge some Australian politicians to abandon the Cold War mentality, stop making irresponsible remarks and do more things that are conducive to regional peace and stability," Zhao said.

 

He added that he has noticed many Australians have also expressed their dissatisfaction over such remarks on social media and called the provocative comments appalling and insane.

 

China has always been a builder of world peace, a contributor to global development and defender of global peace, and China's development is an opportunity for the world, Zhao said.

 

Australia has long benefited from its cooperation with China, so Australia's ramblings about the so-called China threat are untrue and immoral. It will eventually shoot itself in the foot, Zhao added.

 

In a recent speech, Pezzullo said Australia's military alliance with New Zealand and the US has protected the country, and today "free nations" again hear the "drums of war" beating, which is widely believed by the Australian media to be aimed at China.

 

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202104/1222354.shtml

 

https://twitter.com/ChinaConSydney/status/1387383975585353730

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 29, 2021, 2:12 a.m. No.13539591   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1284

>>13539590

Transcript - Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian's Regular Press Conference on April 28, 2021

 

Global Times: Amid growing tensions between China and the US over Taiwan, Australian Home Affairs Department Secretary Mike Pezzullo highlighted the "protection afforded to Australia" by its military alliance with the US and New Zealand. He said, "Today, as free nations again hear the beating drums… let us continue to search unceasingly for the chance for peace while bracing again, yet again, for the curse of war". Australia must be prepared "to send off, yet again, our warriors to fight", he added. His remarks are believed by many local media outlets to be aimed at China. Does China have any comment on this?

 

Zhao Lijian: Some individual politicians in Australia, out of their selfish interests, are keen to make statements that incite confrontation and hype up threat of war, which is extremely irresponsible and will find no audience. These people are the real troublemakers. I have noticed that many people in Australia have expressed disapproval on social media, saying that such inflammatory language are outrageous and extremely crazy.

 

China has been a promoter of world peace, a contributor to global development and a defender of international order. China's development means opportunities for the world. As a country long benefited from cooperation with China, Australia is being untruthful and immoral with its false allegation of "China threat theory". This will only end up hurting its own interests. We urge certain individuals in Australia to shake off the Cold War mentality, stop making irresponsible remarks and act in ways that are conducive to regional peace and stability.

 

https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/mfa_eng/xwfw_665399/s2510_665401/2511_665403/t1872195.shtml

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 29, 2021, 2:21 a.m. No.13539612   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>9618 >>1284

Australian mother marks nine months in Chinese prison as curious online posts emerge

 

Bill Birtles - 29 April 2021

 

1/2

 

An Australian mother of two detained in China for allegedly leaking state secrets has told Australian diplomats she has been warned her family should not raise her case in the media.

 

Cheng Lei, a former Chinese state-television journalist and news anchor, has repeatedly been denied access to a lawyer and is being held without charge in a Beijing prison.

 

She is being kept in a cell with two others and is brought to a different room once a month for a highly controlled video call with Australia's ambassador Graham Fletcher or other Australian consular officials.

 

For the latest visit this week, she was brought into the room blindfolded, masked and handcuffed by four guards, two of whom were wearing full PPE hazmat suits.

 

She was made to sit in a chair with a wooden restraint affixed across her lap, before having her blindfold and face mask removed for the webcam interview, according to notes of the virtual visit.

 

Guards tightly control the topics that can be discussed but Australian consular officials have learned that Ms Cheng is still not allowed to speak on the phone to her children in Melbourne, aged 11 and nine.

 

In a previous visit in March, held just weeks after her family broke their silence in an interview with the ABC's 730 program, Ms Cheng told Australian officials "she'd been led to believe, in the context of the interrogations, that her family speaking to the media could end up impacting negatively on her case".

 

Australian officials noted "she made this point carefully and said nothing further on the matter".

 

It came after Ms Cheng's niece in Melbourne Louisa Wen, speaking on behalf of the family, called on Chinese authorities to "show compassion".

 

Odd WeChat posts raise questions

 

Since confirming in February Ms Cheng Lei is under investigation for "providing state secrets or intelligence to foreign entities", China's government has provided no other detail on her case.

 

State media has reported on the brief official statements.

 

But a series of posts and videos from several small public blog accounts on the social media app WeChat have emerged in recent months, denouncing Ms Cheng as a "spy" and writing about her in far more detail than what the official state media provides.

 

One WeChat account registered to a woman in Heilongjiang province with the name "Beijing small sweet melon" wrote a post in early April with an elaborate chronology of Cheng Lei's life, titled: "Betraying her motherland, how did CCTV famous anchor Cheng Lei become an Australian spy?"

 

The author mined Ms Cheng's WeChat and Facebook posts, decrying her as "two-faced" for expressing concerns on Facebook in early 2020 about the risk of her family contracting coronavirus, supposedly an unpatriotic criticism of China's containment efforts.

 

The lengthy post also delved into her personal and professional biography, getting some details wrong and making up others, claiming "China has given you everything, yet you counterattack as a tool of the enemy".

 

The same account was used to denounce Chinese-Australian writer and commentator Vicky Xu as a "traitor" earlier this year.

 

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 29, 2021, 2:22 a.m. No.13539618   🗄️.is 🔗kun

>>13539612

 

2/2

 

More mysterious posts emerge

 

Following the initial post about Cheng Lei, another article with similar details was published four days later on a similar WeChat blog called "Movies 369" — at odds with the usual content about celebrities and films.

 

Several more later emerged, some getting basic details wrong, including her name.

 

In the past week, a video titled "Spy CCTV anchor Cheng Lei: For 20 years she hid in state television, stole state secrets, now after being detained, shamelessly claims injustice" was published.

 

"These posts are written by Ministry of State Security (MSS) people to set the public tone," said Feng Chongyi, a Chinese studies specialist at University of Technology Sydney who himself was detained for a week during a visit to China four years ago.

 

"The ministry has its own propaganda department and they decide which way they want to take it to demonise the accused."

 

He also pointed out that mainstream Chinese government media channels usually only reported information officially released by the court.

 

"That is the beauty of Chinese propaganda — it looks like it's just people's opinion," he told the ABC.

 

"The [Ministry of State Security] works in the dark. They create all those fancy names on WeChat to hide their identity.

 

"People need to understand we're dealing with hooligans, not a normal government."

 

What the posts suggest about Ms Cheng's fate

 

Professor Feng believes the dissemination of public information may signal authorities are preparing to charge Ms Cheng, even though they can continually apply for extensions.

 

China has a criminal conviction rate of more than 99 per cent.

 

A relatively quick trial, conviction and a short sentence — including time served before deportation — is viewed by some supporters as the least-worst scenario.

 

But another Australian detained in Beijing for state security crimes, Yang Hengjun, has spent more than two years behind bars without trial.

 

Other experts are cautious, raising the idea that the WeChat blog posts may just be clickbait.

 

"The information looks like it could have easily been sourced from previous interviews Cheng Lei did or gleaned from her social media accounts," said Fergus Ryan, a cyber analyst with the Australian Strategic Policy Institute.

 

"But if the article originally came from the same WeChat account that first posted about Vicky Xu — and it appears it does — that would be a strong indication to me that there is MSS involvement.

 

"If that's the case, I think it's reasonable to conclude that the MSS is seeding that information into the Chinese-information space so that it can be weaponised for propaganda purposes down the line."

 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-04-29/australian-cheng-lei-mysterious-china-blog-posts/100098580

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 29, 2021, 2:35 a.m. No.13539655   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>9665 >>1248

Spy boss says ASIO anticipating terrorist attack in the next year from either right-wing or Islamic extremists

 

Georgia Hitch - 29 April 2021

 

The head of the nation's domestic intelligence agency has told a parliamentary inquiry that it is anticipating there will be a terrorist attack in Australia sometime in the next year.

 

The director-general of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO), Mike Burgess, said while the main security threat remained from Sunni Islamic extremist groups, the growth in right-wing extremism was also a major concern.

 

"Obviously, terrorism threat level remains probable," he said.

 

"Given the growth we've seen in nationalist and racist violent extremism we anticipate there will be a terrorist attack in this country in the next 12 months.

 

"It can come from either ideology and therefore for me doesn't really matter, because they're both capable of conducting acts of violence and that's where we focus."

 

Mr Burgess was later asked to clarify his comments, that he believed an attack could happen within the next year.

 

"We have credible intelligence that individuals and small groups have the capable intent and we, on that basis, assess that there is likely to be a terrorist attack sometime in the next 12 months as we've seen in the last 12 months," he said.

 

"Unfortunately there were two terrorist attacks in this country last year and it resulted in two Australians being killed.

 

"We anticipate that is likely in the next 12 months, that was probable means."

 

Mr Burgess was speaking at an inquiry into extremist movements and radicalism in Australia that's currently being run by the powerful Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security.

 

He said right-wing extremism had grown from 16 to 40 per cent of the agency's onshore terror-related workload over the course of the last three years.

 

The Australian Federal Police's Deputy Commissioner said he backed Mr Burgess's comments about the growth in right-wing extremist groups.

 

"It's the fastest-growing threat, but at this stage it's not the predominant threat," Ian McCartney said.

 

Mr Burgess told the committee a decision to avoid referring to "Islamic" and "right-wing" extremism came after months of discussions with the community and stakeholders.

 

ASIO will now use the umbrella terms of "religiously motivated violent extremism" and "ideologically motivated violent extremism" to describe those seeking to do harm.

 

"We didn't think just assigning political spectrums was helpful," he said.

 

"It's not a ban on other terms and where we need to give colour to a particular form ideology we will call it out."

 

When asked by Labor's Kristina Keneally if there was evidence of extreme misogyny in the messages spread by right-wing groups, the director-general said it went "hand-in-hand" with their broader narratives.

 

"It is the white supremacy racist narrative that does resonate with some Australians, not all, but there are a number that it does and that is of concern," Mr Burgess said.

 

But the ASIO boss went on to make the point that simply being white was not the only criteria for not being the target of the groups as "if you don't believe in their beliefs you will get called out and they will attack you".

 

"Senator Keneally has an example of that, in terms of she's on the receiving end of all sorts of comments by people who don't like what she believes in, and how she's challenging them," Mr Burgess said.

 

"Being white doesn't make you right in their eyes."

 

Internet a 'salad bar of hate'

 

Both Mr Burgess and Mr McCartney spoke about how the Internet was providing avenues for groups to reach out and radicalise people, as well as exacerbate the hate-fuelled messages.

 

"The online environment I think is very much a force-multiplier for extremism," Mr McCartney said.

 

"I have a colleague of mine who describes the internet as a 'salad bar of hate' in terms of what, even at a very young age, a person can access on the Internet."

 

The Deputy Commissioner also said the greatest threat of violent extremism was from people that were "lone actors" who were on the "periphery" of extremist groups.

 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-04-29/asio-anticipate-terrorist-attack-right-wing-islamic-within-year/100103546

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 29, 2021, 2:41 a.m. No.13539665   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1248

>>13539655

AFP backs ban on flags linked to terrorist groups, sharing of extremist material

 

Anthony Galloway - April 29, 2021

 

The Australian Federal Police is pushing for bans on flags and insignia linked to terrorist groups and the spread of extremist material including violent images and videos, saying parts of the criminal law are out of step with community expectations.

 

Deputy Commissioner Ian McCartney said the AFP was particularly concerned about younger people being influenced by graphic material on the internet, which he described as a “force multiplier of hate”.

 

He told a parliamentary inquiry into extremist movements and radicalism in Australia his agency supported the criminalisation of flags promoting terrorism and other terrorist insignia. There were no circumstances where people should be accessing and sharing instructional terrorist manuals, propaganda and graphically violent images and videos, he said, other than for genuine research or journalistic purposes.

 

Mr McCartney said there was a gap in the law, adding: “We think certain aspects of current criminal laws are out of step with community expectations.”

 

AFP figures reveal four of the 26 people arrested over the past year for terrorism offences were “ideologically motivated” extremists with nationalist and racist beliefs. The Australian Security Intelligence Organisation told the inquiry ideologically motivated extremism had grown from about 30 per cent of its priority counter-terrorism caseload to 40 per cent over the past 12 months.

 

ASIO director-general Mike Burgess said there had been two “major disruptions” of ideologically motivated extremist threats since 2016. AFP officials later confirmed in the inquiry this referred to planned attacks in Melbourne, for which right-wing extremist Phillip Michael Galea, 36, was sentenced to at least nine years’ jail; and an alleged plot to attack an electrical substation in NSW.

 

Mr Burgess said law enforcement agencies in multiple states had taken action recently against individuals with links to nationalist and racist groups, “focusing on offences relating to possession of extremist material, racial vilification and wilful damage”.

 

He reiterated the threat of a terrorist attack in Australia was “plausible” over the next 12 months, saying it came from a mix of lone actors and small cells.

 

He said Sunni Islamic violent extremism remained the biggest threat, but ideologically motivated extremism was the fastest-growing threat. ASIO anticipated the threat from white supremacist and nationalist extremism “will not diminish anytime soon”.

 

“We are facing a growing assortment of ideologically motivated violent extremists – both individuals and groups who are driven by a diverse range of grievances,” Mr Burgess said. “This reflects both an international trend and our decision to dedicate more resources to this threat. The face of this threat is evolving.

 

“More often than not, they are young, well-educated, articulate and middle class and not easily identified … These violent extremists are acutely security conscience and adapt their security posture to avoid attention.”

 

The Age and the Sydney Morning Herald revealed dozens of far-right extremists gathered in the Grampians and Halls Gap over the Australia Day weekend, chanting white supremacist slogans, raising their arms in Nazi salutes and waving flags.

 

But Mr Burgess said it was “important to put this threat in context”.

 

“The National Socialist Network is not ISIL; the Grampians is not a caliphate. And while the threat from ideologically motivated violent extremism is real, you should be reassured that ASIO and our law enforcement partners are on the case,” he said.

 

https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/afp-backs-ban-on-flags-promoting-terrorism-sharing-of-extremist-material-20210429-p57ng7.html

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 29, 2021, 2:47 a.m. No.13539684   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1263

Ben Roberts-Smith allegedly threatened to sue his ex-wife over defamation case, court told

 

Jamie McKinnell - 29 April 2021

 

Decorated Australian soldier Ben Roberts-Smith allegedly threatened to sue his ex-wife if she breached a confidentiality agreement while speaking to lawyers acting in his defamation case, a court has heard.

 

Mr Roberts-Smith is suing three former Fairfax newspapers, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and The Canberra Times, as well as three journalists over a series of 2018 articles.

 

The Victoria Cross recipient claims the reports were defamatory and wrongly portrayed him as a criminal due to his alleged conduct while on deployment in Afghanistan, including the alleged murder of an unarmed civilian.

 

He claims the articles contained imputations including that he "broke the moral and legal rules of military engagement", "disgraced his country", bullied a fellow soldier and committed an act of domestic violence against a woman in a Canberra hotel.

 

Mr Roberts-Smith denies the specific events mentioned in the stories took place, while the media companies claim they are able to justify the imputations.

 

Ahead of a lengthy trial beginning in June, the Federal Court today heard lawyers acting for the media companies provided an outline of evidence set to be given by his ex-wife Emma Roberts to Mr Roberts-Smith's legal team.

 

When more detail was requested, they sought an agreement that he would not rely on a confidentiality agreement but never received a response.

 

Barrister Nicholas Owens SC, for the media companies, said Mr Roberts-Smith wrote to Ms Roberts with threats of an injunction, to sue her for damages and to overturn a property settlement.

 

Mr Roberts-Smith's barrister, Bruce McClintock QC, later said he was "simply not in a position" to waive the confidentiality agreement, and also rejected the classification of the correspondence as a threat.

 

"It wasn't a threat," he said.

 

"It was simply a requirement that she obey an agreement she entered into in February this year, only two or three months ago."

 

Mr McClintock said despite the case being "pretty awful already" he would need to cross-examine Ms Roberts to put to her that she is a liar.

 

He suggested his opponents should "re-think what they're doing" because "sometimes you can pay too high a price to air a family's dirty linen".

 

Mr Owens insisted Ms Roberts's evidence will be "carefully limited" so as to relate to matters directly relevant to the case, including allegations of witness intimidation and covert communication with witnesses by Mr Roberts-Smith.

 

The court also heard military witnesses who may give evidence risk consequences of "extraordinary gravity" including accusations of murder.

 

During arguments about the order in which evidence should flow, Mr McClintock said he wanted his client to be the first witness ahead of military witnesses.

 

But he said the position of those military witnesses must be considered due to the gravity of what is alleged against them, including the commission of murder and war crimes of the most serious kind.

 

Mr McClintock said the witnesses had a right to know the extent of the allegations before they were called.

 

He said the starkest examples were two people known by the pseudonyms 'person 5' and 'person 11'.

 

"The consequences for those two men, person 5 and person 11, could be of extraordinary gravity," he said.

 

"Indeed they could be of extraordinary gravity just by giving evidence in chief.

 

"In my submission, people in their positions should be entitled to hear and know the actual evidence against them before they're called upon to respond."

 

Mr Roberts-Smith is claiming damages, including aggravated damages, interest and costs, arguing the articles "brought [him] into public disrepute, odium, ridicule and contempt".

 

The trial begins on June 7.

 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-04-29/ben-roberts-smith-warned-ex-wife-about-confidentiality-agreement/100104166

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 29, 2021, 2:57 a.m. No.13539713   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>9715 >>1272

Cardinal Pell: ‘The duty of the German bishops is to uphold the teachings of Scripture’

 

Courtney Mares - Apr 28, 2021

 

Cardinal George Pell has said in an interview that the situation of the Church in Germany appears “ominous,” underlining that the German bishops must fulfill their duty to uphold the teachings of Scripture.

 

“I think that there is a percentage of the German Church that seems to be resolutely heading in the wrong direction,” Pell said in an interview with Colm Flynn that aired on EWTN April 27.

 

“By that, I mean it is quite clear that a liberalized Christianity, whether it is a liberalized Catholicism or Protestantism, in a generation or so merges into agnosticism. … If you adopt the policies of the world and just go along so that they approve, nobody is going to be interested in that.”

 

Pell’s comments come as members of the Church in Germany are planning on May 10 to hold a day of blessings for same-sex partners, despite the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith’s declaration that the Church does not have the power to bless same-sex unions.

 

Record numbers of Catholics have left the Church in Germany in recent years with 272,771 people formally leaving in 2019.

 

Pell said: “The duty of the German bishops is to uphold the teachings of Scripture, to uphold the teachings of the Church. We stand under those teachings. They’ve got no power to change them – none of us do.”

 

“What is important is what is in the Word of God, what is in the apostolic tradition. And I don’t think that when push comes to shove they’ll and I cross my metaphors cross the Rubicon.”

 

The cardinal followed the situation of the Church in Germany through news articles during his imprisonment in Australia, something he notes in his latest book, “Prison Journal, Volume 2: The State Court Rejects the Appeal,” published by Ignatius Press.

 

During his 404 days in prison before he was ultimately acquitted, Pell said he kept the diary as a “historical record of a strange time.”

 

The cardinal was imprisoned in 2019, the year in which the German bishops launched their controversial “Synodal Way.”

 

The “Synodal Way” is a process bringing together German lay people and bishops to discuss four major topics: the way power is exercised in the Church; sexual morality; the priesthood; and the role of women.

 

When the bishops launched the initiative, they initially said that the deliberations would be “binding” on the German Church, prompting a Vatican intervention.

 

Pell said: “The really important issue for the Church is: Do we teach publicly what Christ taught? Now some of those teachings are quite unpopular: forgiveness, people with no rights like the unborn, people at the bottom of the pile, like prisoners, and then you can move to more controversial areas of family and marriage.”

 

The cardinal added that all leaders in the Church must decide whether or not to speak up about Church teachings at times when that message may be unpopular.

 

“You have all sorts of voices who are trying to crowd us out of the public square and saying we shouldn’t be doing this and that. Well, one of the things I am saying now and to all my successors is: We just have to keep talking,” he said.

 

“And our society will be deeply diminished to the extent it moves radically away from the Christian teachings on love and service and forgiveness.”

 

“And we can already see that in society in the changes that are taking place. We are often concentrating on the losses to the Church of a decline of practice and the departure of believers. That is certainly true, but it has big consequences for society generally, especially when a majority of the people had been Christian."

 

Cardinal Pell will turn 80 on June 8, thus becoming ineligible to vote in a future conclave. Asked how he felt heading into his 80s, the cardinal said he was grateful for the many blessings in his life.

 

"My biggest consolation now is that whatever my imperfections and foolishness, I haven’t thrown my life away on some nonsense cause – like just making money for yourself. I have devoted my life to Christ, to the Church, imperfectly and ineffectively, but I get some considerable consolation from that,” he said.

 

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/247430/cardinal-pell-the-duty-of-the-german-bishops-is-to-uphold-the-teachings-of-scripture

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 29, 2021, 2:58 a.m. No.13539715   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1272

>>13539713

EXCLUSIVE: Cardinal George Pell on his second prison diary.

 

EWTN

 

27 Apr 2021

 

In this EWTN News exclusive, Colm Flynn sits down with Cardinal George Pell in his Rome apartment to talk about the release of his second volume of prison diaries and their contents. In the interview, Cardinal Pell reveals his legal costs amassed to more than $3million. He also talks about his views on the Church in Germany, and his ambition to talk at the next pre-conclave meeting.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JoiGWop2K1E

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 29, 2021, 3:28 a.m. No.13539771   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1248

Pacific Marines Tweet

 

@USMC with @mrfdarwin conduct flight operations during a forward arming refueling point exercise at @ausairforce Base Darwin, #Australia. The exercise was conducted to hone the #Marines' capabilities as a skilled and lethal expeditionary fighting force. #freeandopenindopacific

 

https://twitter.com/PacificMarines/status/1387194855630073856

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 29, 2021, 3:31 a.m. No.13539779   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>9679 >>1248

>>13529891

>>13530344

Marine Rotational Force – Darwin Facebook Post

 

April 29 2021

 

Honorable Mentions

 

Yesterday, the Honorable Scott Morrison, Prime Minister of Australia, met with members of the Australian Army and U.S. Marine Corps for a visit to Robertson Barracks, NT, Australia. Mr. Morrison recently approved a budget of $747 million for the purpose of improving training areas in the Northern Territory for the Australian Defence Force and U.S. Marines to utilize. These improved training areas will allow the U.S. Marines and ADF to train in advanced facilities and live fire ranges.

 

(U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Lydia Gordon)

 

https://www.facebook.com/MRFDarwin/posts/4065108620245074

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 30, 2021, 1:01 a.m. No.13547948   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>7949 >>1307

‘Pastel QAnon’: Instagram conspiracy peddlers a political headache for design giants

 

Cara Waters - April 30, 2021

 

1/2

 

At first glance the Instagram posts look innocuous: pastel-hued sunsets overlaid with text, a black and white shot of a couple embracing in a field of grass.

 

The imagery and the bucolic aesthetic sits well with the type of content posted regularly by countless wellness and parenting influencers. But there’s a catch, as the underlying messages embedded in these posts can be dangerous, spreading baseless QAnon conspiracy theories about child sex trafficking rings or anti-vaccination information.

 

The rise of this content dubbed ‘pastel QAnon’ by extremism researcher Marc-André Argentino is posing a challenge for graphic design platforms such as $19 billion Australian startup Canva and international tech giant Adobe, with both grappling with the problem of their software being used to spread misinformation.

 

Canva’s co-founder and chief operating officer Cliff Obrecht says he is alert to the problem and there are inevitably going to be some “questionable” designs in the 250 million created every month by its users.

 

Canva allows anyone to easily design products including greeting cards, posters, websites and presentation slides.

 

“We have our terms and conditions that are very clear in what we allow and don’t allow,” he says. “We don’t allow anything that propagates untruths that essentially make our world a worse place.”

 

The push to clamp down on the pastel QAnon phenomenon comes amid a growing global debate around where technology platforms must draw the line in censoring uncomfortable and sometimes dangerous activity by their users.

 

The platforms increasingly no longer consider themselves passive services and are actively taking steps to thwart content they object to - Twitter famously blocked former US President Donald Trump, and Amazon refused to host far-right social network Parler on its servers. In Australia, Facebook this week booted out independent MP Craig Kelly for repeatedly spruiking COVID-19 misinformation and former celebrity chef Pete Evans has also had his Instagram and Facebook accounts closed for sharing debunked claims about COVID vaccines.

 

The actions, while lauded by many, have raised concerns of overreach by technology platforms, where they police the behaviour of their users to stifle their freedom of speech.

 

Whether Canva and Adobe will go as far as to block users from their platforms remains to be seen, however, Ariel Bogle, analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, says the services provided by Canva and Adobe to create visually pleasing aesthetics allow potentially dangerous messages to blend in on social media.

 

“It makes things more pleasant to look at but I do think the ability of some of these accounts that share, say anti-vaccination messages or QAnon messages, the ability to maintain aesthetic consistency makes it hard for the casual observer to quickly distinguish conspiracy related messages from more lifestyle messages,” she says.

 

The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald contacted several QAnon, anti-vaccination and sovereign citizen groups about their use of the graphic design platforms.

 

The majority declined to respond, however, anti-vaccination group The Australian Vaccination Network confirmed it uses Canva to create its posts.

 

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 30, 2021, 1:02 a.m. No.13547949   🗄️.is 🔗kun

>>13547948

 

2/2

 

London-based think tank the Institute for Strategic Dialogue monitored the use of QAnon related hashtags and phrases on social media in countries around the world including Australia from 27 October 2017 to 17 June 2020 and recorded 69,475,451 million tweets, 487,310 Facebook posts and 281,554 Instagram posts.

 

ISD researcher Elise Thomas says the coronavirus pandemic saw a big rise in QAnon and other conspiracy theories around the world including in Australia with pastel QAnon providing a “more diluted version” of the messaging.

 

Thomas says locally QAnon theories are often “part of a weird conspiracy stew” mixed in with anti-vaccination sentiment and sovereign citizen groups that argue, for example, that being required to wear a mask contravenes human rights.

 

Checks and balances

 

Obrecht says Canva is working on additional measures to ensure that its design platform is not used to disseminate conspiracy theories.

 

“We’re not like some of these platforms where our users can do whatever they want, we want people to be creating things that have some sort of positive impact on the world or if they’re creating things that have a detrimental impact on the world, we want to stop that,” he says.

 

“So we’re working very, very heavily [on that] right now.”

 

One measure under consideration is to give users the ability to flag content that they think might not be appropriate, as Canva aspires to installing a comprehensive system of checks and balances.

 

“It’s impossible to review every design and nor would we ever do that,” Obrecht says. “But we do want the ability for our customers, our users and people in the broader community to be able to flag the thing that might be deemed to be inappropriate and for us to take a look at that and figure out how we can kind of stop any sort of shitty behaviour in the product.”

 

International giant Adobe, which operates design platform Photoshop, isn’t going as far as Canva at this stage. “These are all super sensitive topics, which, frankly, no one has a great answer to,” Adobe’s Asia Pacific president Simon Tate says. “The good thing is that we’re talking about it, which the industry has never talked about before.”

 

Adobe has signed up to industry organisation Digi’s Australian Code of Practice on Disinformation and Misinformation which aims to address the spread of disinformation online and has created tools to enable authentication of Photoshop images in an attempt to combat image manipulation.

 

“Where are the lines of responsibility blurred between the people that are publishing potentially sensitive or politically abrasive content, and the platforms that they’re using to publish that content?” Tate says. “Adobe and others are looking at it.”

 

https://www.smh.com.au/business/small-business/pastel-qanon-instagram-conspiracy-peddlers-a-political-headache-for-design-giants-20210429-p57nkb.html

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 30, 2021, 1:10 a.m. No.13547962   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1248

Biden could learn from Australia on border policy, says Hockey

 

Matthew Knott - April 30, 2021

 

Washington: Former US ambassador Joe Hockey says President Joe Biden should learn from Australia’s experience on asylum seeker boat arrivals as he tries to limit the surge of migrants on America’s southern border.

 

Hockey said Biden had performed strongly during the first 100 days of his presidency, a milestone the US President reached on Friday (AEDT). But the former Abbott government treasurer said Biden’s softening of predecessor Donald Trump’s tough border policies had been his “Achilles’ heel”.

 

“There are so many lessons learnt by the Australian Labor Party on this issue,” Hockey told The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.

 

“The White House would be well-advised to pick up the phone and speak to some wise old Labor operatives to find out how it went for them taking a more open door approach to the borders.”

 

Although there are differences between the asylum seeker challenges faced by the US and Australia, Hockey said there were obvious parallels.

 

As Labor did during the early days of the Rudd-Gillard era, Democrats have placed a strong emphasis on so-called “push factors” driving migrants to leave their home countries. Republicans have emphasised the “pull factors” drawing migrants to the US.

 

“Instinctively, it doesn’t sit well with the left to sell tough borders as caring and humanitarian,” Hockey said.

 

“It doesn’t sit well with them until it’s too late. But the most caring and compassionate thing you can do is have an orderly immigration and refugee program that gives genuine refugees hope and a process that provides some degree of certainty.”

 

Polls show only about a third of Americans approve of Biden’s handling of immigration, lower than almost all other issues.

 

On the first day of his presidency, Biden suspended Trump’s “remain in Mexico” rule which required asylum-seekers trying to enter from the south to wait in Mexico for their American court hearings.

 

Under Biden’s changes, unaccompanied minors can now enter the US and, after a short period in detention, live in the community while their immigration claims are processed.

 

In March US Customs and Border Protection agents apprehended 172, 331 migrants at the southern border, up from 74,020 in December.

 

Hockey, who served as US ambassador from 2016 to 2020, said he would give Biden an A- for his first 100 days.

 

“There’s no doubt he’s got off to a very strong start. He’s pursued an incredible amount of reform in a short amount of time.”

 

Contrasting Biden with his predecessor, Hockey said: “The style of the two administrations could not be more different.

 

“In the Biden administration there is a quiet steely resolve backed up by team discipline that was clearly absent in the Trump administration.

 

“It’s given Americans - and those involved in public policy - a bit of a breather from the disruption of Trump.”

 

https://www.smh.com.au/world/north-america/joe-biden-could-learn-from-australia-on-border-policy-says-joe-hockey-20210430-p57np8.html

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 30, 2021, 1:24 a.m. No.13548003   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1294

Plan to build Victorian quarantine facility is ‘political smoke and mirrors’: Dutton

 

Rachael Dexter and Sumeyya Ilanbey - April 30, 2021

 

Federal Defence Minister Peter Dutton has shot down a Victorian plan to build a Commonwealth-funded quarantine facility in Melbourne’s north, just a day after it was announced by acting Premier James Merlino.

 

Mr Merlino said on Thursday morning that the state would set aside $15 million to design and plan a 500-bed quarantine facility to house international arrivals on federal land in Mickleham.

 

But the federal government was unaware of the Victorian plans until, almost literally, the last minute. The business case was sent to the federal government at 9.42am on Thursday, moments before Mr Merlino fronted the media to announce the plan, which is entirely contingent on $200 million of Commonwealth funding.

 

On Friday morning, Mr Dutton indicated there was little support from the federal government for a purpose-built facility in Victoria.

 

“I have seen some political smoke and mirrors over my time and I think this is right at the top of the list,” Mr Dutton told Nine’s Today program.

 

“This is a $15 million generous donation from the Victorian government to do the planning for a $700 million bill that they want the Commonwealth to pick up.”

 

Mr Dutton said hotel quarantine was “doing a good job” and described numerous leaks that led to snap lockdowns around the country as “small blips”.

 

“As we are seeing in NSW, where 3,000 people a week are coming into hotel quarantine… as we have seen around the rest of the country, hotels are working very well,” he said.

 

“They are able to be scaled up. It gives us the ability to bring people in, quarantine them and send them back home to get on with their lives.

 

“We have now had half a million people who have come back from overseas for different reasons and it’s working.

 

“We are supporting the states. They’re doing a good job. The contact tracing is working where things might go off the rails, but the fact is that this is a very good model and we will continue to support the states.”

 

Hume City Council, which takes in Mickleham, said they were also unaware of the proposal and had requested an urgent meeting with the Victorian Government.

 

“Council has not been consulted on the proposal prior to today’s announcement and seeks clarification about the ongoing management of the facility,” the council said in a statement.

 

“Our community is concerned about what impact a centre of this size and type will have on local residents’ health and safety and the amenity of the area.”

 

The Victorian government hit back late on Friday morning. Environment Minister Lily D’Ambrosio insisted the federal government was responsible for quarantine arrangements, and the state would continue to engage with the Commonwealth.

 

“The government ought to step up and take responsibility for quarantine,” she said. “The Commonwealth cannot shirk its responsibility on quarantine.”

 

Ms D’Ambrosio described the state government’s $15 million investment for design and planning works as a “significant contribution” towards the project.

 

And she said there would be “ample opportunity” to meet with Hume City Council and local communities about the government’s proposal for an alternative quarantine facility in Mickleham.

 

Mr Dutton’s early morning comments came just hours before a meeting of national cabinet. Travel from high-risk countries, the vaccine roll-out and quarantine arrangements are on the agenda.

 

The Defence Minister also said authorities would investigate reports that passengers from India arrived in Melbourne on Thursday via Doha.

 

Australian players Kane Richardson and Adam Zampa were due to land in Melbourne on Thursday after quitting the IPL. The ABC reports their flight from India came via Doha.

 

That was despite Prime Minister Scott Morrison stating on Tuesday that indirect flights from India through Doha, Dubai, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur had already “been paused by the respective governments.”

 

“So that third country entry point into Australia has already been closed by those key embarkation points to Australia,” he said at the time.

 

On Friday, Mr Morrison told radio station 2GB the government had been given advice about arrangements in Doha that “wasn’t fully correct” and took action to close the loophole on Wednesday evening.

 

He said further action would be taken under the Biosecurity Act on Friday.

 

https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/plans-to-build-victorian-quarantine-facility-are-political-smoke-and-mirrors-dutton-20210430-p57not.html

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 30, 2021, 1:36 a.m. No.13548052   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1248

Clive Palmer to pay $1.5 million after losing Twisted Sister copyright fight

 

Michaela Whitbourn - April 30, 2021

 

Businessman Clive Palmer has been ordered to pay $1.5 million to Universal Music after losing a copyright fight over his use of the Twisted Sister anthem We’re Not Gonna Take It in a string of political advertisements before the 2019 federal election.

 

In a judgment on Friday, Federal Court Justice Anna Katzmann said the former federal MP and United Australia Party founder had infringed Universal Music’s copyright in the 1984 hit and rejected his claims he had penned his own lyrics and used the melody of an 18th century hymn.

 

It was “ludicrous” and “fanciful” to suggest Mr Palmer’s song “Aussies Not Gonna Cop It” was created independently of the Twisted Sister anthem, Justice Katzmann said, and his behaviour in using the song without a licence was “high-handed and contemptous”.

 

“He gave false evidence, including concocting a story to exculpate himself,” she said.

 

Justice Katzmann ordered him to pay $500,000 in damages, $1 million in additional damages in light of the flagrancy of the infringement, and legal costs. Interest on damages will be calculated at a later date.

 

In copyright law, the music and lyrics of a song are separate works. Mr Palmer had claimed he did not infringe copyright in the Twisted Sister lyrics because he penned his own lyrics while “deep in contemplation” in the early hours of one morning in September 2018.

 

He said he was not inspired by Twisted Sister but by actor Peter Finch’s famous utterance in the 1976 film Network: “[I’m mad as hell, and] I’m not going to take this anymore.”

 

He said he developed the concept “Australians are not prepared to accept it” from this nugget of inspiration, and it evolved into the chorus: “Australia ain’t gonna cop it, no Australia’s not gonna cop it, Aussies not gonna cop it anymore.”

 

Justice Katzmann said “this evidence appeared to take everyone else in the virtual courtroom by surprise”.

 

His claims were at odds with evidence a video producer approached Universal on Mr Palmer’s behalf in 2018 to licence the Twisted Sister hit.

 

Mr Palmer had also claimed the hit’s melody was a “rip off” of the 18th century Christmas carol O Come, All Ye Faithful and was not protected by copyright law.

 

Justice Katzmann said he later admitted Universal held the copyright in both the lyrics and melody, but argued his song did not incorporate a substantial part of either work and did not amount to copyright infringement.

 

Separately, he argued any use of the song fell under a “fair dealing” defence for satirical works.

 

Justice Katzmann found he had used a substantial part of the lyrics and the melody by using the chorus of the Twisted Sister hit, widely regarded as the song’s “most prominent feature”. She rejected the fair dealing defence on the basis the song was “not used to satirise anyone or anything”.

 

Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider, who wrote We’re Not Gonna Take It, gave evidence that he realised years later that he had transformed the first six notes of O Come, All Ye Faithful into his famous chorus, but the “key word” was “transformed”. It was unconscious “inspiration, not duplication”.

 

Justice Katzmann said the evidence demonstrated Mr Palmer knew he needed a licence to use the song but “decided to go ahead without one.”

 

The court heard that Universal initially quoted a licence fee of $150,000 to use a re-recorded version of the song, subject to Mr Snider’s approval. Justice Katzmann said Mr Palmer “baulked” at paying the fee. A counter-offer of $35,000 was rejected by Universal.

 

Adam Simpson of Simpsons Solicitors, who acted for Universal, said “the additional damages award of $1 million is one of the highest for copyright infringement in Australia, and the highest in relation to music copyright – and rightly so”.

 

The decision sent a strong message that Mr Palmer’s conduct was “blatant and entirely unacceptable,” he said. It was an “affront to songwriters” to use songs in advertising, particularly political advertising, without permission.

 

Mr Simpson said Mr Palmer had “acted unilaterally” and denied Mr Snider, Twisted Sister and Universal the right to match advertising opportunities with “artistic integrity, ethics and commercial values”.

 

“Today’s decision rights that wrong,” he said.

 

https://www.smh.com.au/national/clive-palmer-to-pay-1-5-million-after-losing-twisted-sister-copyright-fight-20210430-p57nq2.html

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 30, 2021, 2:18 a.m. No.13548207   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>8210 >>5218 >>1305

Ghislaine Maxwell says she got a black eye at Brooklyn federal jail — but doesn’t know the cause

 

Stephen Rex Brown - April 30, 2021

 

Ghislaine Maxwell revealed a photo of herself sporting a black eye Thursday amid her escalating battle with staff at the Brooklyn federal jail she’s desperate to leave.

 

Attorneys for the British socialite claimed Maxwell did not know the cause of the bruising — but that it could be linked to her difficulty getting a good night’s sleep due to Metropolitan Detention Center staff shining a flashlight into her cell every 15 minutes overnight.

 

Maxwell attorney Bobbi Sternheim included the photo in a Manhattan Federal Court filing in a letter asking Judge Alison Nathan to order the Bureau of Prisons to stop shining the light into her cell. Maxwell has said she places a towel or sock over her eyes to avoid being disturbed by the light.

 

The photo is the first public image of Maxwell, 59, since her arrest in July 2020.

 

“While Ms. Maxwell is unaware of the cause of the bruise, as reported to medical and psych staff, she has grown increasingly reluctant to report information to the guards for fear of retaliation, discipline, and punitive chores. However, there is concern that the bruise may be related to the need for Ms. Maxwell to shield her eyes from the lights projected into her cell throughout the night,” Sternheim wrote.

 

Attorney David Oscar Markus, who is also repping Maxwell, indicated sleep deprivation may have had something to do with the bruise.

 

“It’s no surprise that she may have been unintentionally injured trying to keep the light out of her eyes at night. She may have been in that stage of half sleep while being tortured with shining lights. Please keep in mind that it’s been 10 months of bad sleep, inedible food, and undrinkable water in solitary confinement. For absolutely no reason. How would you look?” Markus wrote in an email.

 

The accused underage sex trafficker was unaware of the bruise until she saw her reflection in nail clippers, according to the filing. MDC staff then allegedly threatened to place her in solitary confinement — known as the Special Housing Unit or SHU — if she did not reveal the cause.

 

“The MDC routinely places inmates in the SHU if they have engaged in a physical altercation with other inmates or to protect inmates who are the subject of abuse. It would be ironic if the MDC follows through with its threat to place Ms. Maxwell in the SHU: It would signal that Ms. Maxwell needs protection from the very staff so intent on protecting her, since she has no contact with anyone but staff,” Sternheim wrote.

 

Maxwell was denied bail for a fourth time this week after making arguments that largely focused on conditions at MDC. The 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals ordered that Nathan, the judge overseeing Maxwell’s case, address the dispute over the light shined in Maxwell’s cell.

 

She’s pleaded not guilty to procuring, grooming and trafficking underage victims of multimillionaire sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

 

https://news.yahoo.com/ghislaine-maxwell-says-she-got-194400675.html

 

https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/17318376/united-states-v-maxwell/?filed_after=&filed_before=&entry_gte=&entry_lte=&order_by=desc

 

https://www.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nysd.539612/gov.uscourts.nysd.539612.256.0.pdf

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 30, 2021, 2:20 a.m. No.13548210   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>5218 >>1305

>>13548207

Judge Seeks Answers for Jail's Ghislaine Maxwell Treatment

 

LARRY NEUMEISTER - 30 April 2021

 

A judge ordered the government Thursday to explain why guards repeatedly flash light into Ghislaine Maxwell’s cell overnight, an action her lawyers say may have led to a bruise over one eye as she awaits trial in an alleged sex trafficking conspiracy with ex-boyfriend Jeffrey Epstein.

 

U.S. District Judge Alison J. Nathan issued the order after a lawyer for Maxwell complained that guards threatened to punish her client after Maxwell was unable to explain a bruise above one eye that was noticed on Wednesday night when she saw her reflection in a nail clipper.

 

The lawyer, Bobbi Sternheim, said the 59-year-old Maxwell may have gotten the bruise as she tries to shield her eyes from the light that awakens her every 15 minutes as guards make sure she's breathing.

 

“While Ms. Maxwell is unaware of the cause of the bruise, as reported to medical and psych staff, she has grown increasingly reluctant to report information to the guards for fear of retaliation, discipline, and punitive chores,” Sternheim wrote.

 

Maxwell has pleaded not guilty to sex trafficking charges alleging she recruited teenage girls for ex-boyfriend Jeffrey Epstein to sexually abuse from 1994 to 2004. Epstein, a financier, killed himself in a federal Manhattan lockup in August 2019 as he awaited a sex trafficking trial.

 

A lawyer for Maxwell told a three-judge panel for the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals earlier this week that Maxwell is being treated as if she is a suicide risk even though she is not one.

 

Two judges expressed concern that light is flashed in Maxwell's cell at night, interrupting her sleep.

 

A government lawyer conceded to the appeals panel that Maxwell has not been declared a suicide risk as she argued for Maxwell to remain behind bars prior to a trial scheduled for July 12. Defense lawyers have asked that the trial be delayed until next January.

 

The 2nd Circuit in a brief order upheld the lower court's decision to thrice deny Maxwell bail on the grounds that she is a flight risk. Defense lawyers had offered to put up $28.5 million and hire 24-hour armed guards to prove Maxwell would not flee. Maxwell, a U.S. citizen, also offered to renounce her British and France citizenships.

 

The appeals court directed Nathan to deal with any complaints about Maxwell's sleep conditions.

 

In her order Thursday, Nathan directed the government to find out if Maxwell is being subjected to flashlight surveillance every 15 minutes at night or any other atypical flashlight surveillance.

 

If so, the judge said, the government should explain the basis for doing so and whether Maxwell can be provided appropriate eye covering.

 

Maxwell's lawyer told the 2nd Circuit she had to cover her eyes with a towel or socks because she was not provided with a mask.

 

Ian Maxwell, Ghislaine Maxwell's brother, said in a statement that he was “shocked my sister’s guards didn’t immediately refer her for proper medical care.”

 

“Instead,” he said, “they bullied and harassed her, effectively blaming the victim. The simple solution is to review the round-the-clock security camera footage to see what may have occurred.”

 

He added: "Apart from whatever happened in this ‘House of Horrors,’ I can report that Ghislaine’s family and friends continue to support her. We are confident, once this is over, it will be the prosecutor who has a proverbial black eye.”

 

https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/judge-seeks-answers-for-jails-ghislaine-maxwell-treatment/3028507/

 

https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/17318376/united-states-v-maxwell/?filed_after=&filed_before=&entry_gte=&entry_lte=&order_by=desc

 

https://www.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nysd.539612/gov.uscourts.nysd.539612.257.0.pdf

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 30, 2021, 2:36 a.m. No.13548262   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1261

Brittany Higgins meets Scott Morrison, says he agreed system let her down over rape allegation

 

abc.net.au - 30 April 2021

 

Former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins says she had a "robust" discussion with Prime Minister Scott Morrison at a meeting this afternoon.

 

Ms Higgins, who alleges she was raped by a colleague in a minister's office two years ago, said the conversation was "very difficult on a personal level" and that Mr Morrison had " acknowledged the system had let me down".

 

"It was an honest and frank discussion. It's important that we had it," she said.

 

Ms Higgins said the pair also talked about reforming the legislation that staffers are hired under, known as the Members of Parliament (Staff) or MoPS Act.

 

The act gives MPs the right to sack staffers on the spot if they lose trust or confidence in them, a rule Ms Higgins said created a power imbalance and did not protect employees who come forward with complaints.

 

"We had a discussion about what needs to happen in terms of the MoPS Act, where there needs to be better safeguards," the former staffer said.

 

"We had a robust discussion about the need for an independent authority [for] human resources.

 

"It was robust, but ultimately, in the end, I think there was a consensus that reform needs to happen.

 

"I think that's where we need to be, that's a starting point and that is encouraging."

 

PM: 'I acknowledged her courage'

 

In a statement, Mr Morrison said he was pleased to be able to meet with Ms Higgins "and listen to her views on how we can make parliamentary workplaces safe and more respectful".

 

"I look forward to her participating in the ongoing discussions on this matter through the Independent Review into Commonwealth Parliamentary Workplaces," Mr Morrison said.

 

"Ms Higgins' views and experience will be invaluable to the work of (Sex Discrimination) Commissioner Kate Jenkins.

 

"I acknowledged her courage in coming forward and assisting in this work."

 

A number of reviews were called in the wake of Ms Higgins' allegations, including one by Commissioner Jenkins into the culture towards women in Parliament House, and how it could be improved.

 

Ms Higgins has made it clear that she thinks an independent body should be set up to handle staffers' complaints.

 

At the moment the Department of Finance is responsible for investigating any claims brought by parliamentary staffers, but even if a complaint is found to be true, it has no authority to sanction a parliamentarian or their staff.

 

"I am committed to achieving an independent process to deal with these difficult issues," Mr Morrison said.

 

'Progress moves slowly'

 

Ms Higgins said she was hopeful the meeting would lead to changes to the law and that Mr Morrison would "do the right thing by the women" at Parliament House.

 

"Progress moves slowly. I am hopeful that it's going to happen. I guess time will tell."

 

When asked what she thought Mr Morrison had taken away from their meeting, she replied that she thought he better understood how she was made to feel in the days after she told her then-boss Linda Reynolds that she had allegedly been assaulted.

 

"I think he fundamentally seemed to understand what had happened to me."

 

Ms Higgins has made a formal complaint to police about the alleged incident. An investigation is underway.

 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-04-30/brittany-higgins-meeting-scott-morrison/100107676

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 30, 2021, 5:27 p.m. No.13553273   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>3280 >>3300 >>1248

>>13517935

>>13522489

>>13532829

Don’t give in to identity politics, Scott Morrison urges

 

''GEOFF CHAMBERS - APRIL 30, 2021

 

1/2

 

Scott Morrison has urged Australians not to surrender to “identity politics” and the forces that undermine the community, declaring freedom rests on “taking personal responsibility”.

 

In a speech outlining his values and beliefs, the Prime Minister on Thursday night launched an impassioned critique of the “growing tendency to commodify human beings through identity politics” and elevated the necessity of viewing “people as individuals — with agency and responsibility”.

 

Speaking at a United Israel Appeal NSW donor dinner in Sydney, Mr Morrison set out his vision of morality, community and personal responsibility in the modern world while warning that reducing individuals to their attributes would end in division and a broken society.

 

“We must never surrender the truth that the experience and value of every human being is unique and personal,” he said.

 

“You are more than your gender, your sexuality, your race, your ethnicity, your religion, your language group, your age.

 

“All of these contribute to who we are and the incredible diversity of our society, and our place in the world, but of themselves they are not the essence of our humanity.

 

“When we reduce ourselves to a collection of attributes, or divide ourselves on this basis, we can lose sight of who we are as individuals — in all our complexity and wholeness. We then define each other by the boxes we tick or don’t tick rather than our qualities, skills and character.

 

“Throughout history, we’ve seen what happens when people are defined solely by the group they belong to, or an attribute they have, or an identity they possess. The Jewish community understands that better than any.”

 

Mr Morrison will use the speech, titled You Matter: The responsibility of citizens in building community to achieve national success, to frame the values that will guide his government ahead of the next election, due by May next year, and draw a contrast with the Labor Party.

 

“My message is simple: you matter, you make the difference, you make community,” he said.

 

“And together with family, marriage and association — our clubs, community groups, faith networks, and so much more — these combine as the further building blocks of community, providing the stability and sinews of society that bind us each to ­another.”

 

The speech follows his address to the Australian Christian Churches conference last week in which he cited the works of the late Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks to discuss faith, morality and identity politics in comments that triggered a fresh debate about his religious views as the nation’s first Pentecostal Prime Minister.

 

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 30, 2021, 5:28 p.m. No.13553280   🗄️.is 🔗kun

>>13553273

 

2/2

 

Speaking before Jewish community leaders Steven Lowy, Lance Rosenberg and Jillian Segal, the acting ambassador of Israel Jonathan Peled, Employment Minister Stuart Robert and government MPs Dave Sharma and Julian Leeser, Mr Morrison on Thursday night again cited Rabbi Sacks on the “covenant of community”.

 

He said this was about “not leaving it to another” and urged Australians to reframe their thinking on rights, arguing that citizens should be contributing more to ­society than they expected to receive back from it.

 

“That is the moral responsibility and covenant of citizenship –— not to think we can leave it to someone else.

 

“There is a warning though. Where we once understood our rights in terms of our protections from the state, now it seems these rights are defined by what we ­expect from the state.

 

“As citizens, we cannot allow what we think we are entitled to, to become more important than what we are responsible for.”

 

Mr Morrison said “human dignity” was at the heart of the Judeo-Christian tradition underpinning modern Australian society and it was also foundational for freedom in a liberal democracy. “Human dignity. Everything else flows from this,” he said.

 

“Seeing the inherent dignity of all human beings is the foundation of all morality.

 

“It makes us more capable of love and compassion, selflessness and forgiveness.

 

“Because if you see the dignity and worth of another person, you’re less likely to disrespect them; insult or show contempt or hatred for them; or seek to cancel them, as is becoming the fashion of some. You’re less likely to be indifferent to their lives, and callous towards their feelings.”

 

Mr Morrison said Rabbi Sacks had concluded in his final work Morality that “if you lose your own morality, you are in danger of losing your freedom” as he sought to elevate the Liberal Party’s core value of individual responsibility.

 

“Liberty is not borne of the state but rests with the individual, for whom morality must be a personal responsibility,” he said.

 

“Freedom therefore rests on us taking personal responsibility for how we treat each other, based on our respect for, and appreciation of, human dignity.

 

“This is not about state power or market capital.

 

“This is about morality and personal responsibility.

 

“Morality is also the foundation of true community.”

 

Amid rising tensions in the Indo-Pacific region and China’s increasing efforts to disrupt dem­ocracies, Mr Morrison also said “we stand as a sovereign and free nation in an increasingly uncertain part of the world”.

 

He said community “matters especially” in a democracy. “It’s a tremendous source of strength — that’s why foreign actors seek to sow discord online, by inflaming angers and hatreds, and spreading lies and disinformation

 

“Of course, the right to ­disagree peacefully is at the very heart of democracy, but democracy is also a shared endeavour — and civility, trust and generosity are the currency that mediates our differences.”

 

Mr Morrison also reflected on Australians coming together through the COVID-19 economic and health crises and natural ­disasters.

 

“I’ve been so incredibly heartened to see people from across the country show the best of us this past year, the heroic virtues of our people,” he said.

 

“Through drought, bushfires, floods, cyclones and pandemic, Australians have found ways to support each other and stand with each other … checking in on each other, keeping jobs open, ­volunteering, helping neighbours with their shopping.”

 

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/dont-give-in-to-identity-politics-scott-morrison-urges/news-story/30dd25a7770be73d8fc92b5995b6aa99

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 30, 2021, 5:31 p.m. No.13553300   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1248

>>13553273

PM’s plea from the heart a timely reminder

 

GREG SHERIDAN - APRIL 30, 2021

 

Scott Morrison has answered Kevin Rudd’s challenge and told us exactly what the most important consequence of his religious faith are for his politics: it is the belief that every human being is possessed of an innate human dignity that transcends all other considerations.

 

In a powerful address to the United Israel Appeal, Morrison certainly went beyond his own religious affiliations to speak to the heart of everything that he holds most dear in the human condition. And that is to recognise that in each human being there is a dignity and worth that cannot be compromised or reduced by politics or circumstance or ideology or identity.

 

Morrison sounded a clarion call against identity politics, decrying “the growing tendency to commodify human beings through identity politics”.

 

In a statement of profound ­religious humanism, he rightly declared: “You are more than the things that others try to identify you by in this age of identity politics. You are more than your gender, your race, your ethnicity, your religion, your language group, your age.”

 

These human attributes are important to any person but they are not, the Prime Minister argued, “the essence of humanity”.

 

Humanity is universal in two critical respects. We all, all of us without exception, share in the uniquely valuable quality of our human natures. And humanity attaches first to an individual, not to a group.

 

Morrison lauds community. It is the essence of human solidarity. But community begins with the individual. And one of the individual’s greatest and most defining characteristics is the capacity, and the ineluctable necessity, of moral choice.

 

Human beings are innately free. And that freedom brings ­responsibilities.

 

Morrison’s vision is thus both liberal — in the stress on the ­individual — and conservative, in the stress on the overwhelming importance of community arising from the association of human individuals, and on human responsibility.

 

His vision is not collectivist but it accommodates both community and an overwhelming sense of solidarity with fellow human beings, especially those down on their luck.

 

Morrison paid justified tribute to perhaps the finest moral thinker of our age, the late Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, whose last book, Morality, has deeply affected the PM.

 

Sacks offers a modern guide to the perplexed from all religious backgrounds on the greatest issues of human meaning and social purpose.

 

Morrison did not quote the great classic Christian assertion of universalism, the Apostle Paul’s declaration: “There is ­neither Jew nor Greek, neither slave nor free, neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

 

To have quoted Paul would have been to impart a denominational affiliation to what is truly a universal principle, shared, as Morrison suggested, by the Jewish and Christian traditions, and by many other traditions as well.

 

No doubt someone somewhere will find a bizarre way to distort Morrison’s comments so they can fit the preposterous narrative that he is a Christian fundamentalist imposing a false religiosity on society.

 

The criticisms of Morrison’s recent address to the Australian Christian Churches reached such heights of absurdity as to be beyond a Monty Python parody.

 

Consider the outrage at the shocking revelation that Morrison sometimes prayed for people. Surely in the long annals of government abuses of power, a Prime Minister offering a private prayer for a constituent must rank at least with Stalin’s show trials in infamy, must be a clue to Savonarola-like conspiracy and wickedness.

 

In truth, this supple and heartfelt speech by the Prime Minister is transcendently focused on the dignity of each human being — a vision we can surely all embrace, believer and non-believer alike.

 

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/pms-plea-from-the-heart-atimely-reminder/news-story/ff5d747b9980c471dc57579200f817ae

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 30, 2021, 5:51 p.m. No.13553469   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>3502 >>3946 >>3861 >>8222 >>1248

Future of Army's multi-billion-dollar Battle Management System uncertain amid tensions with Israeli military company

 

Andrew Greene - 30 April 2021

 

Tensions between Australia's military and a controversial Israeli weapons manufacturer are threatening to topple a multi-billion-dollar IT system that allows Army commanders to control units in the field.

 

Defence is refusing to comment on the saga but several sources with knowledge of the dispute say the Army is now moving to scrap its Battle Management System (BMS) produced by Elbit Systems Australia.

 

The digital Israeli technology allows Army commanders to better coordinate various land assets during complex battlefield scenarios, where previously they had to rely on "analogue" methods such as maps and radios.

 

The United States military has for years taken special precautions while operating alongside Australian vehicles that are equipped with the Elbit BMS, because of security concerns about the Israeli technology.

 

Military figures have said simmering tensions between the Defence Department and Elbit Systems Australia have come to a head in recent weeks, with the Army now moving to stop using its existing deployed BMS.

 

One Army source, who spoke to the ABC on the condition of anonymity, described the standoff as a "complete shambles".

 

"People are getting the shits with Elbit exploiting their monopoly to impose huge premiums," the officer said.

 

"And there are definite concerns that the Israelis are backdooring the system for information".

 

The ABC understands Elbit employs 190 staff in Australia, but Defence is now looking to use an American company which is yet to properly establish itself in Australia.

 

A week ago, the ABC sent detailed questions about the contractual dispute to the Defence Department, but it is yet to respond.

 

The ABC has also contacted the federal government for comment, but a response has not been received.

 

A spokesperson for Elbit Systems Australia told the ABC "we will not be commenting at this stage".

 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-04-30/tension-israeli-company-lead-to-uncertainty-over-army-system/100105866

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 30, 2021, 5:54 p.m. No.13553502   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>3946 >>1248

>>13553469

Elbit Battle Management System shut down

 

Katherine Ziesing - 29 April 2021

 

Australian Defence Magazine (ADM) understands that Elbit Systems Australia has been given notice earlier this month to cease use of the existing deployed BMS version with Army, effective from mid next month. The news was given to the company with no explanation as to the reasoning behind the decision, with Defence confirming that they have no interim solution to replace the capability.

 

The program also signed a multimillion dollar follow-on sustainment contract earlier this month which would see elements of the capability upgraded and expanded.

 

At this point, Defence has spent billions on the program over the past decade, with the last contract extension in 2017 signed for $1.4 billion alone.

 

ADM understands that Elbit Systems Australia program employs approximately 190 highly skilled local people across the nation to support this program for Army. There is also a significant local SME workforce that supports the program.

 

Neither Defence or Elbit Systems Australia would comment about the program or its consequences as this article went to press.

 

Background

 

The BMS forms the digital backbone of Army operations. Delivered under Land 200 nomenclature, it is the combination of the following projects/phases:

 

• Land 75 Phase 3.2 & Phase 3.3. Battlefield Command Support System (BCSS)

 

• Land 75 Phase 3.4. Battle Management System – Mounted (BMS-M)

 

• Land 125 Phase 3. Battle Management System – Dismounted (BMS-D)

 

The BMS is the central component of the Battle Group and Below Command, Control and Communications System (BGC3) that is being jointly delivered by the Land 75 Phase 3.4, Land 125 Phase 3A, and JP 2072 Phase 1 projects. It incorporates a mobile, data capable communications system, and be able to exchange combat information with BCSS and other Land BMS.

 

Defence applied to Government to delay First Pass approval for Land 200 Phase 3 Battlefield Command System by 12 months to at least February 2022 due to overall movement in committee approval processes and COVID-19 in October last year.

 

The program came under examination from the Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) with less than stellar results in 2019, noting issues with how the various related programs interacted.

 

“The 2015 sole-source procurement process for the Army’s BMS was ultimately effective, but the procurement was delayed pending resolution of affordability issues affecting Land 200 Tranche 2 as a whole. Defence addressed affordability issues by adopting a ‘design to price’ strategy, significantly reducing project scope and assuming additional risk and cost by taking on the role of Prime Systems Integrator. Defence has assessed that it can achieve value-for-money outcomes following these adjustments,” the report said.

 

ADM Comment: The more research into this decision undertaken, the stranger it gets. No notice. No reason given. No viable replacement. Relatively large extension contract signed less than a fortnight before. No senior Defence figure was in the loop or would admit to being in the loop. Both ministers have been thrown in the deep end with furious questions being asked all round.

 

For a government that has been open in its drive to support intellectual property (IP) transfer from global primes and the practical application of Australian Industry Capability (AIC), the decision is simply baffling.

 

While the program has seen issues over the years (show me a perfect program?) the suddenness of the decision is truly startling.

 

And neither party would speak to ADM about the issue in any form. Stay tuned as more information comes to light.

 

https://www.australiandefence.com.au/news/elbit-bms-shut-down

 

https://www1.defence.gov.au/project/battle-management-system

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 30, 2021, 7:13 p.m. No.13554042   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1248

Japan honors former Australian PM Gillard

 

nhk.or.jp - April 29 2021

 

The Japanese government has announced a list of 4,136 people to be awarded honors this spring for their services to the nation or public. Among them is former Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard.

 

Gillard is one of 117 non-Japanese from 46 countries and territories to be decorated. She will be awarded the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun.

 

Gillard, Australia's first female prime minister, was in office from 2010 to 2013.

 

In an online interview with NHK, Gillard described the award as "a remarkable recognition." While saying she feels "very honored," she added that she sees it as "an award for the people of Australia generally."

 

Gillard was the first foreign leader to visit areas hit by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami. In April of that year, she visited disaster victims at an evacuation center in Minamisanriku Town, Miyagi Prefecture, to encourage them.

 

Looking back, Gillard said she decided on her visit "as a visible way of saying that Japan was coming through this profound period of tragedy and was looking to reopen and reengage with the world."

 

Gillard said she thinks the stoicism and determination of the Japanese people to rebuild and start anew "has propelled Japan through the decade." She said the sharpness of the memories of her visit will be with her for the rest of her life.

 

On bilateral relations, Gillard said she thinks Australia and Japan share a strategic mindset about issues concerning the region and the world. She added that the two countries can work together as friends on various issues, including the coronavirus pandemic, climate change, peace and prosperity, as well as education and development.

 

https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210429_06/

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 30, 2021, 10:07 p.m. No.13555102   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>5107 >>2581 >>1248

>>13517935

>>13522489

>>13532829

Scott Morrison’s partisan interpretation of biblical passages is disturbing for democracy

 

More fundamentally, it is worrying if the prime minister believes God somehow speaks to him directly

 

Kevin Rudd - 1 May 2021

 

1/2

 

When the federation’s founding fathers were framing Australia’s constitution in the 1890s, there was intense debate about whether organised religion should get a guernsey. Fortunately, despite the religiosity of the Victorian era, sounder heads prevailed. Unlike in the United Kingdom, our antipodean commonwealth would have no established religion.

 

Admittedly, “Almighty God” makes a single appearance in the constitution’s preamble, but the founders consciously decided to give divinity no institutional role. Instead, they resolved that our commonwealth should be secular, governed by a secular executive and accountable to a secular parliament.

 

The founders knew too well how much blood had been previously spilled at the intersection of religious fervour and the political powers of the state.

 

This isn’t to discount the profound effect of Christianity on our nation’s history. The churches were largely responsible for our earliest efforts to provide education, health and welfare services for the poor. It took decades for the state to assume primary responsibility for what are now regarded as essential functions of government.

 

Equally, Christians of various denominations have been elected to parliament over the past 120 years. But whether MPs were Christian, Jewish, Muslim, atheist or agnostic, they have conducted the substantive business of parliament in secular terms.

 

Irrespective of whether members’ positions have been influenced by theology, philosophy or pure political pragmatism, the terms of debate have been anchored in rational argument, empirical evidence and party philosophy. In other words, in the great contest of ideas, proposals are forced to stand on their merit, rather than relying on the self-evident “truths” of divine relation. By and large, our secular political system has worked. Our democracy has been stable, and our parliament preserved from the theocratic impulses of our more extreme religious denominations.

 

Whenever concerns are raised about Scott Morrison’s Pentecostal belief, it has become customary to point the finger at my own religious practice as a Labor prime minister of Christian faith. The argument goes: why should Morrison be held to any particular scrutiny since Rudd and his family regularly attended their local Anglican church, calling press conferences in the churchyard?

 

Like many things in political life, this has become an accepted meme of the Liberal National party and the Murdoch media. The only problem is, it isn’t true.

 

Yes, throughout our adult lives, Therese and I have professed Christian faith. She was raised Anglican, myself a Roman Catholic, so we started attending one church together as a family. In Brisbane, we attended St John’s in Bulimba, and in Canberra, St John’s in Reid, for more than 30 years.

 

When I entered politics, journalists would occasionally arrive without invitation to pepper me with questions about the news of the day, either before or after services. It was a convenient stakeout for them. Despite my wishing that they wouldn’t gather there, I learned to stop and answer a few questions outside the church gate to avoid a media circus.

 

I have never believed that God was “on my side” in any election campaign – a position, which if held by any prime minister, would be borderline theocracy – nor have I ever believed that God could speak to me or send me revelations about what to do as a politician.

 

My simple, garden-variety theology is this: the God of the New Testament gives preference to the poor, the outcast and the oppressed and, to the greatest extent possible, I should do the same, while also being a good custodian of the planet.

 

From what we can discern from the public record, Morrison’s political theology is radically different.

 

His tradition, Pentecostalism, often emphasises the highly individualised “health and wealth gospel” – that if you are godly, then you will be both healthy and wealthy. Questions of human sexuality tend to elicit a deeply conservative, fundamentalist answer. The Pentecostal tradition also includes communicating with God through “speaking in tongues” and the ability to discern God’s will by being attentive to those with the prophetic “word of knowledge”. In other words, some Pentecostal leaders believe they can communicate directly with God in the here and now, and then proceed to act as God wishes them to. These Pentecostal tenets can present problems for our secular democracy, as elucidated by Morrison’s speech to a Pentecostal conference on the Gold Coast last week.

 

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 30, 2021, 10:08 p.m. No.13555107   🗄️.is 🔗kun

>>13555102

 

2/2

 

First, Morrison made extensive reference to kings and prophets from the Old Testament. Morrison’s exegesis was highly individualistic. In the case of Isaiah, Morrison’s speech implies that, during the last federal election, God spoke to him through a painting of an eagle (which Morrison interpreted as him being elevated by the divine in his earthly contest against the Labor party).

 

Such a politically partisan interpretation of biblical passages is disturbing for our secular democracy. More fundamentally, it is worrying if the prime minister believes God somehow speaks directly to him.

 

Second, there is a troubling section of Morrison’s speech where he indicates that humans aren’t capable of fixing problems on Earth. Instead, he says, that’s the responsibility of God; and what the country needs, therefore, is the growth of the church.

 

The problem with this approach is that it effectively consigns responsibility for poverty and the despoliation of the planet to powers beyond our control, as we drift to a utopian afterlife. This sort of “millennialism” has been a problem in the church for the past 2,000 years as it diminishes the role of human agency in “fixing” demonstrable social and economic injustices. The logical conclusion is that our best tool to deal with such challenges is prayer, and that’s just a cop-out.

 

Third, the very idea that a prime minister could happily go around “laying on hands” on unsuspecting civilians to impart the healing power of prayer is troubling. The critical thing lacking is the person’s knowledge and consent. This doesn’t seem to bother Morrison, who apparently believes he’s not only the chief minister of the commonwealth but also its chief priest. This is a fundamental breach of the secularity of our political institutions.

 

Fourth, the problem with Morrison’s overall theology – his preoccupation with the kings and prophets of the Old Testament, his diminution of human as opposed to divine agency, and his exercise of priestly functions without permission – is that it undermines the role of reason, evidence and fact in faith.

 

The mainstream church, since the days of St Thomas Aquinas in the 13th century, has considered that faith should be tempered by reason. In the long history of the church, fundamentalist traditions have railed against reason and empiricism, instead emphasising absolute faith as the hallmark of an authentic Christian.

 

By and large, Pentecostalism emerges from this tradition. It is a worldview that sits uncomfortably with the extraordinary powers of the secular office of prime minister.

 

Pentecostal churches have long attracted good, honest, Australians from across the political spectrum – but the reality is the Liberal National party is now deliberately targeting these churches as recruiting grounds. In my own state of Queensland, the Christian right faction within the LNP is substantially Pentecostal. These recruitment drives are pushing that party further and further to the political hard right. Secular rationalists are now becoming an endangered species within many branches of the conservative parties, contributing to the growing polarisation of our politics, as in America.

 

It may be that Morrison has solid answers to my reservations. Before becoming prime minister in 2007, I wrote a lengthy essay for the Monthly magazine that outlined my own positions on the role that Christian belief should play within our secular democracy. It is high time for Morrison to do the same, not least to allay the doubts of Australians who have been deeply disturbed by the grainy footage of his extraordinary remarks last week.

 

I have no doubt that Morrison’s faith is genuine. For some years, we attended the same parliamentary Christian fellowship. My question is not about his sincerity of faith, but the need for him to be absolutely transparent with the Australian people, through the secular marketplace of our national politics, about the precise impact of his Pentecostal theology on Australian public policy and politics.

 

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/may/01/scott-morrisons-partisan-interpretation-of-biblical-passages-is-disturbing-for-democracy

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 30, 2021, 11:38 p.m. No.13555533   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>5538 >>1284

China warns Australia to avoid getting ‘burned’ by colluding with ‘terrorists’

 

FINN MCHUGH - MAY 1, 2021

 

China has accused Australian politicians of colluding with ‘terrorists’ in Xinjiang and warned Canberra it will get “burned” if it continues to back Uyghur activists.

 

The comments are the latest salvo in a war-of-words over the region, where human rights groups warn the Muslim Uyghur minority face horrific abuses.

 

Chinese media has seized on an article, published by fringe political group the Australian Citizens Party, criticising local politicians’ support for the East Turkistan Australian Association (ETAA), a Uyghur advocacy group.

 

The article claimed the ETAA supported terror groups in Xinjiang.

 

Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said this showed Uyghur activists were given a “free pass” in Australia because they criticised China.

 

“It exposed the separatist, terrorist and extremist nature of (the) Xinjiang independence organisation in Australia and the despicable collusion of anti-China Australian politicians with terrorist organisations for selfish gains,” he said.

 

“As some Western media are awash with lies and smears targeting Xinjiang, such objective and rational voices shows that justice will eventually prevail.”

 

The article singled out assistant Defence Minister Andrew Hastie and independent Senator Rex Patrick for supporting the ETAA.

 

Senator Patrick said it was “particularly telling” Chinese media had quoted misinformation from the ACP.

 

“Strange bedfellows at first glance, but not so strange when you think about it,” he said.

 

The ETAA refers to Xinjiang as ‘East Turkistan’ in a move that has angered China.

 

Senator Patrick stressed he had been careful not to follow suit because it is “not immediately helpful” in stopping the abuse of Uyghurs.

 

“The focus of my attention has been to support those members of the Uyghur community in Adelaide and across Australia whose families are suffering the Chinese Communist Party directed genocide and oppression in Xinjiang,” he said.

 

The ETAA website declares Uyghurs are “currently under the brutal occupation of the Chinese Communist Government” in Xinjiang.

 

It calls for Australia to follow its Five Eyes allies in declaring a genocide is underway in Xinjiang.

 

“It exposed the separatist, terrorist and extremist nature of (the) Xinjiang independence organisation in Australia and the despicable collusion of anti-China Australian politicians with terrorist organisations for selfish gains,” he said.

 

“As some Western media are awash with lies and smears targeting Xinjiang, such objective and rational voices shows that justice will eventually prevail.”

 

The article singled out assistant Defence Minister Andrew Hastie and independent Senator Rex Patrick for supporting the ETAA.

 

Senator Patrick said it was “particularly telling” Chinese media had quoted misinformation from the ACP.

 

“Strange bedfellows at first glance, but not so strange when you think about it,” he said.

 

The ETAA refers to Xinjiang as ‘East Turkistan’ in a move that has angered China.

 

Senator Patrick stressed he had been careful not to follow suit because it is “not immediately helpful” in stopping the abuse of Uyghurs.

 

“The focus of my attention has been to support those members of the Uyghur community in Adelaide and across Australia whose families are suffering the Chinese Communist Party directed genocide and oppression in Xinjiang,” he said.

 

The ETAA website declares Uyghurs are “currently under the brutal occupation of the Chinese Communist Government” in Xinjiang.

 

It calls for Australia to follow its Five Eyes allies in declaring a genocide is underway in Xinjiang.

 

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/breaking-news/china-warns-australia-to-avoid-getting-burned-by-colluding-with-terrorists/news-story/6b5b1466b1bbe18d58aec88c7eae0559

 

 

''Why is Canberra boosting Islamist terrorism apologists?''

 

23 April 2021 - Australian Citizens Party Media Release

 

https://citizensparty.org.au/media-releases/why-canberra-boosting-islamist-terrorism-apologists

 

''Australian politicians back East Turkistan terrorism apologists''

 

https://citizensparty.org.au/sites/default/files/2021-04/politicians-back-apologists.pdf

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 30, 2021, 11:40 p.m. No.13555538   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1284

>>13555533

Transcript - Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin's Regular Press Conference on April 30, 2021

 

Beijing Media Network: The Australian Alert Service, the weekly publication of the Australian Citizens Party, recently published an article titled Australian politicians back "East Turkistan" terrorism apologists, revealing how local politicians colluded with the East Turkistan Australian Association (ETAA) to advance an anti-China agenda. Do you have any comment?

 

Wang Wenbin: We also noticed the article. It exposed the separatist, terrorist and extremist nature of "Xinjiang independence" organization in Australia and the collusion of anti-China Australian politicians with terrorist organization for selfish gains. The article points out sharply that the ETAA, an organization closely associated with terrorism and extremism, is "getting a free pass" in Australia just because the country it's targeting is China. The articles ask: "How does Australia deal with threats of extremist violence, and how would Australians feel about a country that promoted organisations that excused extremist violence against us?" As some Western media are awash with lies and smears targeting Xinjiang, such objective and rational voices show that justice will eventually prevail. We urge certain Australian politicians not to stand on the wrong side of history and to stop endorsing anti-China separatist activities and terrorist organizations to avoid getting burned itself. We also believe that more and more people with insight in the world will speak up for justice and tell the truth about Xinjiang.

 

https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/mfa_eng/xwfw_665399/s2510_665401/2511_665403/t1872887.shtml

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 30, 2021, 11:42 p.m. No.13555541   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>5545 >>1284

>>13515337

OPINION: Where are the grown-ups? All this loose talk about China and war is dangerous

 

Bob Carr - May 1, 2021

 

1/2

 

“So what’s the plan?” asked an investor after I had spoken at the Lonsec Symposium about Australia-China relations. Days earlier, Defence Minister Peter Dutton talked war over the Taiwan Strait. His former department head said our “warriors” were ready to go fight.

 

The Foreign Affairs Minister announced she was tearing up two anodyne memorandums of understanding between Victoria and China over the Belt and Road instead of letting them gather mould in Daniel Andrews’ cabinet. The government hinted at a take-over of the Port of Darwin – in reality a wharf, and over which Canberra in any case enjoys total control. Not even in Washington is there talk as loose as this.

 

“There are no grown-ups,” a priest once told French novelist Andre Malraux.

 

What’s the plan? Truth is, there is none. Not for resuscitating the bilateral relationship – say, to the level that other United States allies such as Japan or the Europeans manage with China.

 

Nor for salvaging the lost markets. Since December 2019, barley has been totally lost. Coal is down 98 per cent, wine 97 per cent, crustaceans 89 per cent and beef 47 per cent. But as Professor James Laurenceson has demonstrated, the share of China’s markets enjoyed by other Five Eyes countries has expanded.

 

And US sales of food and beverage to China have risen. As another Frenchman, General Charles de Gaulle, put it, great powers are “cold monsters”.

 

What threat to our sovereignty was averted by the showy diplomacy that accompanied Australia’s exclusion of Huawei – a phone call to Donald Trump from then prime minister Malcolm Turnbull boasting the decision, a leak from our security agencies to let the world know we were campaigning to have the ban adopted by the all other Five Eyes nations? An alternative line was to say we’ve made a decision to protect resilience and security in our network and left it at that.

 

The international inquiry into the handling of COVID-19 might have been secured without our Foreign Affairs Minister’s flamboyant talk of “weapons inspectors”. Martin Parkinson, former head of the Prime Minister’s Department, asked: “What whiz kid dreamt up those talking points?” Did a Young Liberal plop that zinger into the minister’s notes and sit back to watch the explosion? Parkinson also said the contest between China and the US presented us not with a question of choice but of balance.

 

Diplomacy was invented so we could pull off challenges like this one: managing an alliance with the US in which we host bases, buy its F-35s and send troops to its “forever wars” while negotiating a booming trade with China, which soon will be the world’s biggest economy, pulling 850 million of its citizens into the middle-class, able to buy our beef and wine from their supermarkets and come here as our biggest-spending tourists.

 

Working at the balance, and not being fixated on the choice, wouldn’t have required us to moderate our language on China’s repression of Uighurs or the extinction of legal autonomy in Hong Kong. But Canberra gives the impression it wants to turn day-to-day management of a bilateral relationship into an existential crusade, urged on by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, a think tank partially funded by the US, from which commentary on China has become more and more blood-curdling.

 

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 0db8da April 30, 2021, 11:43 p.m. No.13555545   🗄️.is 🔗kun

>>13555541

 

2/2

 

When hardliners like those in ASPI say we are on the eve of a war over Taiwan, they won’t concede participation is still a choice for Australia. As they see it, in the words of the 1915 recruiting song, Australia Will Be There. Japan’s not making that mistake, nor Canada nor New Zealand nor the ASEAN states.

 

The Cold Warriors don’t acknowledge former Liberal prime minister Robert Menzies deliberately steered us away from commitment and Alexander Downer said in 2004 that, on Taiwan, the ANZUS Treaty did not apply. And the Cold Warriors never define how they see the war being won. Nor do the hawks in Washington who want to see the first explicit security guarantee made to the island.

 

Professor Hugh White asks if America is prepared to lose Los Angeles in a nuclear exchange – even as US missiles reduce Shenzhen and Shanghai to hot, radioactive rubble.

 

Henry Kissinger warned in November of “a catastrophe comparable to World War I”.

 

Nationalists in China and the US need to understand that a horrendous war fought over which political order prevails in Taiwan is not worth this price. The issue will solve itself in 50 or 100 years without a blood sacrifice of millions and near-ruin of half the planet.

 

Australian diplomacy ought to be identifying the off-ramps that will avoid this nightmare. Former prime minister Kevin Rudd, writing in Foreign Affairs last month, advanced ideas for enlarging co-operation between China and America, for example, on North Korea, global financial stability, pandemic management and climate. He also urged the kind of crisis communication that the US and the USSR set up after the near-death experience over Cuba in 1962.

 

Promoting this through quiet diplomacy would cast Australia as creative middle power edging forward our own interest and the world’s.

 

Lawrence H. Summers, former US treasury secretary, said of China relations: you can be strong and resolute without being imprudent and provocative. Getting China wrong, he said, “is the greatest threat to America’s national enterprise over the next quarter century”.

 

There may be no adults. There will be no winners.

 

Bob Carr is a former Australian foreign affairs minister and was NSW’s longest-serving premier. He is industry professor of climate and business at the University of Technology Sydney.

 

https://www.theage.com.au/world/asia/where-are-the-grown-ups-all-this-loose-talk-about-china-and-war-is-dangerous-20210430-p57np4.html

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 1, 2021, 12:08 a.m. No.13555653   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>5657 >>1294

Border can’t open until the world is vaccinated: Sinodinos

 

ADAM CREIGHTON - MAY 1, 2021

 

Ambassador to the US Arthur Sinodinos has raised the prospect of indefinite restrictions travel in and out of Australia, suggesting the border couldn’t open until “the world is vaccinated”.

 

Speaking at an online event on Friday at the Washington DC-based Hudson Institute, Mr Sinodinos suggested reopening the border was an “economic imperative” but unlikely to happen soon, especially given popularity of restrictions.

 

“We have major industries like international education which require people coming in, immigration has been big driver of Australian growth and that’s really tailed off. For us there’s a real economic imperative to getting borders open,” he said.

 

“Because we’ve done well on community transmission there isn’t same pressure from the public to get the vaccines out … it’s not like the US and elsewhere where there’s been a real urgency,” he added.

 

Australia’s international border has been shut to foreigners since March 20 last year and returning residents subject to 14 day hotel quarantine, even if vaccinated, at a cost of $3000 per person.

 

“Until the world as a whole is vaccinated, and I’m thinking here of India, and other places, then we’re never going to be completely out of this.

 

“This is a genuine externality problem, or public good problem, where we’re all in this together and people in developing countries being vaccinated is as important as people in our own countries being vaccinated,” the ambassador said.

 

His comments follow Health Minister Greg Hunt’s recent remarks that even if the whole country were vaccinated the border wouldn’t open.

 

In a wide-ranging online discussion with American journalist Walter Russell Meade, Mr Sinodinos played down the impact of the federal government’s tearing up of Victoria’s Belt and Road deal with China.

 

“In terms of how it makes the relationship any worse … I’m not sure about that,” he said. “The relationship has reached a certain equilibrium … I don’t think we can see an early reset.”

 

Mr Sinodinos said in its series of economic sanctions on Australian exports, including on wine, barely and coal, China was trying to set an example to other nations that if they behaved like Australia, they too would face economic consequences.

 

“We’re finding now China increasingly lashing out at any country which appears to be in any way critical or seeking to take then on in terms of their behaviour,” he said.

 

On climate change policy, Mr Sinodinos played down the perception Australia and the new Biden administration were at odds in the wake of President Biden’s climate summit last week, revealing the government would have a “dialogue with the US” on “ambition and technology” in the lead up to the UN’s climate summit in Glasgow later this year.

 

“The reality is Australia reviewed its Nationally Determined Contributions at end of last year, so the thinking within the Australian government prior to the recent climate summit was we have the period until Glasgow to see what more we can do,” he added.

 

The ambassador also dismissed the “stereotype that’s been developing” that New Zealand was a less willing participant in the Five Eyes intelligence network which also includes Australia, the US, UK, and Canada.

 

“They see a lot of value [in the group]. I don’t detect on their part some wish to disassociate,” he said.

 

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/border-cant-open-until-the-world-is-vaccinated-sinodinos/news-story/05be2e90d8e9568734ba85deef113df3

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 1, 2021, 12:09 a.m. No.13555657   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1294

>>13555653

A Conversation with Australian Ambassador Arthur Sinodinos

 

Hudson Institute

 

1 May 2021

 

Join Hudson Institute’s Ravenel B. Curry III Distinguished Fellow Walter Russell Mead and Ambassador Arthur Sinodinos, Australia’s Ambassador to the United States, for a discussion on U.S.-Australia relations and key foreign policy challenges.

 

How can the free world work together to confront threats ranging from the fallout from COVID-19 to coercion that undermines Indo Pacific security and prosperity and the open rules-based order? Ambassador Sinodinos and Walter Russell Mead will discuss U.S.-Australian cooperation on these and other issues at the next installment of Hudson’s Ambassadors Series.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUlq_6RUQfc

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 1, 2021, 12:27 a.m. No.13555694   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1248

Facebook exposes Australia’s vulnerability, says top ex-military man

 

Information warfare is not a new concept, but there is a new war fighting domain that does not distinguish between military and civilian.

 

Charles Miranda - May 1, 2021

 

Exclusive: Facebook’s assault on Australia and revelations a Chinese firm holds our most sensitive data has exposed the nation’s vulnerability and the urgent need to improve sovereign security, Australia’s former Defence information warfare tsar has warned.

 

Major General Marcus Thompson was until last November the Australian Defence Force’s Information Warfare Division chief, before quitting after 34 years in the military to take his cyber security fight into the mainstream public domain.

 

He said information security was so central to our existence yet it remained “a fleeting thought” in the national psyche and foreign State actors continued to launch more aggressive assaults on our systems.

 

Dr Thompson said his priority now was to prioritise national cyber security defence; move Australia’s digital supply chain onshore to protect sovereignty and build our sovereign cyber capability to better support our cyber defences, stimulating national economic growth in the process.

 

Defence now saw cyber security as the “fifth column” domain now in war after land, sea, sky and space, and the public should also recognise its importance.

 

“Information warfare is not a new concept, psychological operations, misinformation operations, military deception has been around since biblical times,” he told News Corp Australia.

 

“But what is new and what we are seeing now is these age old activities in and through this relatively new war fighting domain of cyber space. It is a domain that does not distinguish between military and civilian, it doesn’t distinguish between government and industry and academia and we’ve seen examples all through the Australian economy across all sectors of information warfare of cyber activities being conducted across the economy.”

 

He said his retirement from Defence to join Macquarie Telecom, an Australian cloud, data centre, government cyber security firm, allowed him to contribute to a national debate on cyber protections.

 

“Australian sovereign capability is so important to us,” he said.

 

“We need to be less dependent on foreign entities including those who claim to be our friends. The United States is our friend and long may that be the case and we should celebrate that everyday but as recent events show is Facebook our friend? They took on a democratically-elected government here. I think there is all sorts of questions about digital sovereignty that we need to be debating in this country.”

 

As revealed by News Corp earlier this year, the nation’s most sensitive data including millions of Australian tax and company files held by the ATO and ASIC and sensitive data from government departments including Defence and Home Affairs were being held by a Chinese firm that from 2016 began buying up parts of the then British owned data storage firm Global Switch.

 

That firm, Jiangsu Shagang Group, which part owns Australian iron mining giant Grange Resources, is China’s largest privately owned enterprise whose chairman Shen Wenrong had been a deputy for the Congress of the Chinese Communist Party.

 

Despite a pledge by then Treasurer Scott Morrison that the files would all be moved, the government has struggled to move all its servers to a new home including the Macquarie Telecom $17 million data bunker in Canberra which already supported 40 per cent of Australian Federal and State government agencies and personnel with cyber security, secure internet gateway and cloud services. Global Switch has been retained to hold departmental files under at least 2025.

 

https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/national/facebook-exposes-australias-vulnerability-says-top-exmilitary-man/news-story/082564700fdb2d1a4832ceb8c0dc493a

 

>INFORMATION WARFARE.

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 2, 2021, 12:06 a.m. No.13562235   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>2245 >>1284

>>13362769

>>13362840

Tearing up BRI deal will hit Australia’s influence in South Pacific

 

Qin Sheng - May 01, 2021

 

1/2

 

Australia has stood on the opposite side of the South Pacific countries by tearing up agreements signed between Victoria state and China on the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). China has signed BRI deals with all the 10 Pacific island countries that have diplomatic ties with China. Australia can neither force these countries to cancel the deals, nor can it move its neighbors away. Confrontation with China will not help Australia gain more influence in the South Pacific region.

 

Australia and Pacific island countries have had deep and extensive ties in history, politics, economy and security. As China deepens its relations with Pacific island countries, Australia does not regard China as a positive force promoting development of the South Pacific. Instead, it regards China as a threat and an unwelcomed competitor. Australia is afraid of losing influence in the South Pacific, and such a zero-sum mindset is drifting these regional countries apart from Australia.

 

Since 2018, Australian officials have repeatedly disregarded reality. They have criticized China's infrastructure projects in Pacific island countries and promoted the so-called "debt diplomacy" conspiracy and "China threat" theory. However, BRI projects are based on thorough communication with local governments. Smearing these projects is not only smearing China, but also negatively impacts the governments of the Pacific island countries and the local people. Australia's attack on the BRI has aroused dissatisfaction among leaders of Pacific island countries. For example, Samoan Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele said in 2018 that Australia's criticism of China's aid program is to "question the integrity, wisdom and intelligence of the leaders of the Pacific islands" and may "destroy" Australia's relationship with the region.

 

After the COVID-19 outbreak, Australia has politicized the pandemic and promoted the so-called COVID-19 source investigation in the international community. After the WHO released report on global tracing of COVID-19 origins, Australia joined the US and other countries to question the report. In sharp contrast with Australia, Pacific island countries shared anti-epidemic information and experience with China through video conferences in March and May 2020, which greatly improved their own ability in the COVID-19 fight. The pandemic has not blocked exchanges and cooperation between China and Pacific island countries, but has instead promoted their political mutual trust and bilateral ties. Pacific island countries are still some of the countries with the best control of the epidemic, but Australia has experienced new waves.

 

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 2, 2021, 12:08 a.m. No.13562245   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>2557 >>5432

>>13562235

 

2/2

 

With the paranoid foreign policy against China, Australia will inevitably ignore the real needs of Pacific island countries. During the Pacific Islands Forum in August 2019, Australia emphasized on China-related issues but could not give clear responses on climate change issues which Pacific island countries are most concerned about. Many Pacific island countries such as Tuvalu, Palau and Vanuatu accused Australia of not responding well to climate change. The forum, an important platform for Australia to exert regional influence, is facing a crisis since the election of the secretary general did not comply with rotation rules. In February, five countries including Palau, the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, and Nauru pulled out of the Pacific Islands Forum.

 

Facing the severe challenges of order in the South Pacific region, Australia did not shoulder the responsibilities of a regional power at a critical moment. Instead, the focus of its foreign policy was to confront China.

 

Most Pacific island countries are still developing and underdeveloped countries. Due to historical and geographic reasons, these countries have faced many constraints in their development, and their economic and social development levels are still low. They will need cooperation and help from the international community for a long time in the future. Although Australia is the biggest donor in the South Pacific, it cannot meet the Pacific island countries' development needs all by itself.

 

China's huge advantages in infrastructure construction, clean energy development and digital economy are vital to the Pacific island countries' economic and social development. Facing the impact of the COVID-19, China's cooperation with Pacific island countries in public health is also strengthening. China has assisted the region with many urgently needed materials in the COVID-19 fight, and has offered to donate COVID-19 vaccines to countries such as Fiji and Solomon Islands. If Australia wants to win trust and respect from Pacific island countries, it should first focus on people's urgent needs and the practical difficulties faced by these countries.

 

Australia should become realistic and view China's relations with Pacific island countries from the perspective of a win-win cooperation rather than confrontation. If Australia pressures Pacific island countries to choose sides, it will not only intensify the rift in the South Pacific region, but will also further weaken its own reputation and influence in the region.

 

The author is executive research fellow at Center for Australia, New Zealand and South Pacific Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn

 

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202105/1222551.shtml

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 2, 2021, 11:57 p.m. No.13569454   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>9460 >>1248

Push to teach Satanism in schools

 

A Current Affair

 

3 May 2021

 

The Noosa Temple of Satan want Satanism taught in state schools, saying current religious discrimination laws entitles the group to teach their faith to school students. Originally broadcast on May 1, 2021.

 

Comments are turned off.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6ucUZfL0Tg

 

>PURE EVIL.

>HOW MANY IN WASHINGTON AND THOSE AROUND THE WORLD (IN POWER) WORSHIP THE DEVIL?

>Conspiracy?

>Fake News?

>The World is WATCHING.

 

https://qanon.pub/?q=satan

 

https://qanon.pub/?q=devil

 

https://qanon.pub/?q=evil

 

https://qanon.pub/?q=god

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 3, 2021, 12:01 a.m. No.13569460   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1248

>>13569454

Q Post #1646

 

Jun 30 2018 13:36:13 (EST)

 

You have a choice.

The choice has always been yours.

POWER TO THE PEOPLE.

THEY WANT YOU DIVIDED.

THEY WANT RACE WARS.

THEY WANT CLASS WARS.

THEY WANT RELIGIOUS WARS.

THEY WANT POLITICAL WARS.

THEY USE THE MEDIA.

THEY USE HOLLYWOOD.

THEY USE POLITICAL LEADERS.

THEY ARE LOUD.

GROUP THINK.

PUBLIC SHAME AGAINST THOSE WHO CHALLENGE.

SLAVERY.

THEY KNOW WHAT IS COMING.

IT IS NOW MORE CLEAR THAN EVER.

NEVER IN OUR HISTORY HAVE THEY BEEN THIS EXPOSED.

NEVER IN OUR HISTORY HAVE THEY COME OUT FROM THE SHADOWS TO FIGHT.

THE TRUTH IS CLEARLY VISIBLE.

DEFEND MS-13?

DEFEND THE DESTRUCTION OF OUR BORDERS?

PROMOTE THE FEAR NUCLEAR WAR IF POTUS REMAINS IN OFFICE?

NUCLEAR ALERTS MALFUNCTION?

COMPARE TO HITLER/NAZIS?

PROMOTE VIOLENCE?

PROMOTE HATE?

PROMOTE WAR?

PROMOTE ECONOMIC DECLINE?

PROMOTE NK TO END TALKS W/ POTUS?

PROMOTE IMPEACHMENT FOR NO REASON?

PROMOTE RACISM?

PROMOTE FACISM?

PROMOTE RIOTS?

FORM ANTIFA - VIOLENT GROUP DESIGNED TO INSTILL FEAR IN FREE SPEECH.

HATRED FOR AMERICA.

SHEEP FOLLOW BLINDLY.

THEY ARE SCARED.

THEY ARE LOSING CONTROL.

WE KNEW THIS DAY WOULD COME.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2qIXXafxCQ

WE PLANNED.

WE TOOK CONTROL OVER KEY ELEMENTS.

WE STAND AT THE READY.

WE FIGHT.

DARK TO LIGHT.

GOD BLESS AMERICA.

GOD BLESS PATRIOTS AROUND THE WORLD.

THINK FOR YOURSELF.

TRUST YOURSELF.

COURAGE.

TOGETHER.

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.–That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, –That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security."

"Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong."

Q

 

https://qanon.pub/#1646

 

 

Q Post #4461

 

Jun 13 2020 14:03:17 (EST)

 

Only when evil is forced into the light can we defeat it.

Only when they can no longer operate in the [shadows] can people see the truth for themselves.

Only when people see the truth [for themselves] will people understand the true nature of their deception.

Seeing is Believing.

Sometimes you can't tell the public the truth.

YOU MUST SHOW THEM.

ONLY THEN WILL PEOPLE FIND THE WILL TO CHANGE.

It had to be this way.

This is not another 4-year election.

GOD WINS.

Q

 

https://qanon.pub/#4461

 

 

Q Post #4396

 

God wins.

Q

 

https://qanon.pub/#4396

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 3, 2021, 1:03 a.m. No.13569579   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>9583 >>1284

>>13460325

Jacinda Ardern says differences between NZ and China 'becoming harder to reconcile'

 

ABC/Reuters - 3 May 2021

 

1/2

 

Jacinda Ardern says differences between New Zealand's and China's values and interests are "becoming harder to reconcile" as Beijing's role in the world grows and changes.

 

In a speech at the China Business Summit in Auckland today, the New Zealand Prime Minister said there were issues on which China and New Zealand "do not, cannot, and will not agree", but said those differences need not define their relationship.

 

"It will not have escaped the attention of anyone here that as China's role in the world grows and changes, the differences between our systems — and the interests and values that shape those systems — are becoming harder to reconcile," she said.

 

"This is a challenge that we, and many other countries across the Indo-Pacific region, but also in Europe and other regions, are also grappling with."

 

US says China acting 'more aggressively abroad'

 

Ms Ardern's comments come amid growing tension between China and some of New Zealand's key partners, especially Australia and the United States.

 

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in an interview that aired on Sunday in the US that China had recently acted "more aggressively abroad" and was behaving "increasingly in adversarial ways".

 

Asked if Washington was heading towards a military confrontation with Beijing, Mr Blinken told CBS's 60 Minutes program that: "It's profoundly against the interests of both China and the United States to get to that point, or even to head in that direction."

 

"What we've witnessed over the last several years is China acting more repressively at home and more aggressively abroad. That is a fact," he added.

 

Asked about the reported theft of hundreds of billions of dollars or more in US trade secrets and intellectual property by China, Mr Blinken said the Biden administration had "real concerns" about the IP issue.

 

He said it sounded like the actions "of someone who's trying to compete unfairly and increasingly in adversarial ways. But we're much more effective and stronger when we're bringing like-minded and similarly aggrieved countries together to say to Beijing, 'This can't stand, and it won't stand.'"

 

Ardern says New Zealand will continue to speak out on China

 

New Zealand is facing pressure from some elements among its Western allies over its reluctance to use the Five Eyes intelligence and security alliance, which also includes Australia, Britain, Canada and the United States, to criticise Beijing.

 

New Zealand's Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta said last month she was uncomfortable expanding the role of Five Eyes.

 

"This speech appears to be crafted to deflect surprisingly sharp and severe criticism from commentators after Ms Mahuta's remarks last month," said Geoffrey Miller, an international analyst at the political website Democracy Project.

 

However, the comments do not change New Zealand's overall shift to a more China-friendly, or at least more neutral position, he said.

 

"Ardern and Mahuta are selling the new stance as New Zealand advancing an ‘independent foreign policy’ that is not loyal to any major bloc," he added.

 

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 3, 2021, 1:05 a.m. No.13569583   🗄️.is 🔗kun

>>13569579

 

2/2

 

China, New Zealand's largest trading partner, has accused the Five Eyes of ganging up on it by issuing statements on Hong Kong and the treatment of ethnic Muslim Uyghurs in Xinjiang.

 

Ms Ardern today said New Zealand would continue to speak about those issues individually, as well as through its partners.

 

She said managing the relationship with China was not always going to be easy, and added: "There can be no guarantees".

 

China's Ambassador to New Zealand, Wu Xi, who also spoke at the event, warned that Hong Kong and Xinjiang-related issues were China's internal affairs.

 

"We hope that the New Zealand side could hold an objective and a just a position, abide by international law and not interfere in China's internal affairs so as to maintain the sound development of our bilateral relations," she said in her speech.

 

China is engaged in a diplomatic row with Australia and has imposed trade restrictions after Canberra lobbied for an international inquiry into the source of the coronavirus. Beijing denies the curbs are reprisals, saying reduced imports of Australian products are the result of buyers' own decisions.

 

Ms Ardern said how China treated its partners was important.

 

"We hope that China sees it in its own core interests to act in the world in ways that are consistent with its responsibilities as a growing power, including as a permanent member of the UN Security Council," she added.

 

China to be an issue at this week's G7 meeting

 

Mr Blinken arrived in London on Sunday for a G7 foreign ministers meeting where China is one of the issues on the agenda.

 

In the 60 Minutes interview, he said the US was not aiming to "contain China" but to "uphold this rules-based order — that China is posing a challenge to".

 

"Anyone who poses a challenge to that order, we're going to stand up and defend it," he said.

 

US President Joe Biden has identified competition with China as his administration's greatest foreign policy challenge.

 

In his first speech to Congress last Wednesday, he pledged to maintain a strong US military presence in the Indo-Pacific and to boost US technological development.

 

Mr Blinken said he spoke to Mr Biden "pretty close to daily".

 

Last month Mr Blinken said the United States was concerned about China's aggressive actions against Taiwan and warned it would be a "serious mistake" for anyone to try to change the status quo in the western Pacific by force.

 

The US had a long-standing commitment under the Taiwan Relations Act to ensure that self-governing Taiwan has the ability to defend itself and to sustain peace and security in the western Pacific, Mr Blinken said.

 

Over the past few months, Taiwan has complained about repeated missions by China's air force near the island, which China claims as its own.

 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-05-03/jacinda-ardern-new-zealand-china-relationship-differences/100111844

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 3, 2021, 1:24 a.m. No.13569618   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>9619 >>1284

>>13515337

Dutton vows to call out Beijing and declares everyday Australians are with the government

 

Anthony Galloway - May 3, 2021

 

1/2

 

Defence Minister Peter Dutton has vowed to speak out more openly about China’s acts of aggression, declaring everyday Australians are with the government and understand the threats posed by Beijing.

 

Mr Dutton warned Australia was “already under attack” in the cyber world and suggested the nation’s cyber spy agency would need to be beefed up in the coming years to fight against the escalating wave of hack attacks.

 

In an exclusive interview with The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, Mr Dutton said the Australian Defence Force was prepared for action, saying the country needed to be in a position to defend its waters in the north and west as a clear priority.

 

The comments confirm a recent hardening of the Morrison government’s rhetoric, including towards China, and suggest it wants to have a more public discussion with Australians as it looks to spend more on defence capabilities amid a regional arms race fuelled by China’s growing assertiveness throughout the Indo-Pacific.

 

The Defence Minister last week angered the Chinese government by saying a conflict over Taiwan could not be discounted, while Home Affairs secretary Michael Pezzullo declared the “drums of war” were beating without naming any potential adversaries.

 

The comments sparked China’s ambassador to Australia, Cheng Jingye, to issue a veiled threat that Chinese students and tourists will be reluctant to return to Australia because of a hostile environment.

 

But Mr Dutton was unapologetic about the remarks, saying China had been “very clear about their strategy, their approach and their desires and so pretending it’s not being said or turning a blind eye to it is not in our national interest”.

 

“The views that matter to me are Australians who are living across cities, towns and suburbs across the country. And they know that we are saying is factually based,” he said.

 

“I think part of the public is frankly ahead of where the public debate is because there’s just so much information available online. People see the reported comments of the ambassador and the vice ambassador here, as well as the spokesman out of Beijing.”

 

He said he wanted to have a “more frank discussion with the public” about China’s intentions.

 

However, former Labor prime minister Kevin Rudd said “the public language of Morrison, Dutton and Pezzullo on China, Taiwan and the possibility of war in the last week serves zero national security purpose”.

 

“Australia already has a highly problematic relationship with China,” Mr Rudd said.

 

“Much of this is because of changes in Chinese policy and posture under a much more assertive Xi Jinping. But it is also because Morrison et al. are addicted to the drug of ‘standing up to China’ every day of the week because of its perceived domestic political utility. ”

 

Mr Dutton said he would not rule out naming the countries behind cyber attacks if the government was certain and doing so didn’t reveal any previously secret capabilities of the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD).

 

“Where it’s in our interests to call out – whether it’s Russia or China or North Korea or somebody else – we will call them out,” he said. “There’s a lot of capacity that Australia has in the cyber space that clearly we wouldn’t talk publicly about, but gives us a very significant edge over many adversaries, even sophisticated adversaries.”

 

He said the ASD was “quite remarkable and world-leading” but “there’s more that we need to do”.

 

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 3, 2021, 1:25 a.m. No.13569619   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1089

>>13569618

 

2/2

 

Australian military planners have been increasingly concerned about the threat of “grey zone” warfare, which refers to aggressions that fall somewhere between what we traditionally view as war and peace. It includes cyber attacks, disinformation campaigns, intellectual property theft and propaganda.

 

A state actor, believed to be China, was last year behind a series of cyber raids on all levels of government, industry and critical infrastructure including hospitals, local councils and state-owned utilities.

 

Asked what the country needed to do to defend against grey zone warfare, Mr Dutton said Australians needed to understand that “we’re already under attack on the cyber front”.

 

“Under attack by state actors, under attack from very sophisticated criminal syndicates based in the Middle East, based in Asia and based in Europe,” he said. “So that’s the reality and it’s not seen and there’s no casualties on the battlefield but there are companies and victims every day.”

 

Australia has begun the process of acquiring long-range missiles to protect overseas forces, allies and the mainland, include fitting out Australia’s naval fleet with advanced guided long-range weapons to defend against maritime threats and potentially buying a range of hypersonic missiles.

 

Mr Dutton said the Australian government’s first priority was “continued peace in our region”, but warned the country needed to “have influence in the region to that end”.

 

“Is the Australian Defence Force prepared for an action – whether it’s tomorrow, or in 10 years, or three decades time? Yes, I believe they are,” he said. “The focus has clearly been in Afghanistan for the last 20 years, but Defence has been very focused on our region and preparation in our region for a number of years, and that will continue.”

 

“There are many approaches to Australia from the north and the west and clearly from the east obviously as well. So we need to make sure we are in a position to defend those waters, we need to make sure that we’re in a position to deal with criminal actors who are sophisticated using major naval assets in our waters so protection for our borders and our waters ot the north and west remains a clear priority.”

 

Labor’s defence spokesman Brendan O’Connor said Mr Pezzullo’s comments last week “were not particularly helpful”.

 

“If indeed there is a need to say such things … then they should have been said by a Minister,” he told the ABC’s Insiders program on Sunday.

 

Sam Roggeveen, director of the Lowy Institute’s international security program, said the threat of conflict has increased and some of the reaction to both Mr Dutton and Mr Pezzullo’s comments has been over-the-top.

 

“The chances of conflict remain very, very low. But the point is really that the threat of force as a method of coercion has increased,” he said.

 

https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/dutton-vows-to-call-out-beijing-and-declares-everyday-australians-are-with-the-government-20210501-p57o14.html

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 3, 2021, 1:30 a.m. No.13569625   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>2368 >>1284

>>13515337

>>13539534

‘Strategic own goal’: Defence reviews Port of Darwin’s Chinese ownership

 

Anthony Galloway - May 2, 2021

 

The Morrison government has asked the Department of Defence to review the Northern Territory’s 99-year-lease of the Port of Darwin to the Chinese-owned company Landbridge – a deal that has unsettled national security figures in the federal government since it was signed six years ago.

 

Defence officials are looking at whether the company, owned by Chinese billionaire Ye Cheng, should be forced to give up its ownership of the port on national security grounds under critical infrastructure laws passed in 2018.

 

The federal opposition and national security experts have questioned the deal since it was signed in 2015.

 

Defence Minister Peter Dutton confirmed the National Security Committee of Cabinet had tasked his department to “come back with some advice, so that work is already under way”.

 

Asked whether the options would include forced divestment, Mr Dutton said the government needed to wait for Defence to provide its advice and, “we can look at options that are in our national interests after that”.

 

Mr Dutton’s comments follow Prime Minister Scott Morrison suggesting last week his government would act on the port’s ownership if he received advice from the Department of Defence or national security agencies.

 

“If there is any advice that I receive from the Department of Defence or intelligence agencies that suggest that there are national security risks there then you’d expect the government to take action on that, and that would be right,” Mr Morrison said.

 

Michael Shoebridge, director of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute’s defence program, said he would support forcing Landbridge to divest from the asset but the company should consider doing so themselves.

 

“I would wonder whether it is in the company’s commercial interests to continue operating that port for 99 years in the strategic environment they find themselves,” he said.

 

“I think it’s obvious that if the Darwin port lease was being considered today, the result would not be to lease it to a Chinese-owned company for 99 years.

 

“So with that realisation, how do you undo the damage and more importantly how do you develop Darwin as an increasingly important naval and defence facility in the darker strategic environment we and our partners and allies find ourselves in?”

 

Mr Shoebridge said the alternative to forced divestment was to develop the port around the section owned by Landbridge, “treating that part of Darwin port like the sand in the oyster”.

 

“It seems a strategic own goal for one of the best parts of Darwin harbour to be in the control of a Chinese-owned operator,” he said.

 

In 2015, the NT government signed the $506 million agreement with Landbridge, giving the Chinese company total operational control of the port and 80 per cent of ownership of the land and facilities of East Arm wharf including the marine supply base.

 

The federal government then tightened the foreign investment rules, requiring the Foreign Investment Review Board to approve the sale of critical infrastructure such as ports to private companies.

 

https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/strategic-own-goal-defence-reviews-port-of-darwin-s-chinese-ownership-20210502-p57o49.html

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 3, 2021, 2:18 a.m. No.13569679   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1252

>>13539779

U.S. Marines Tweet

 

Joint Forces

 

The Honorable @ScottMorrisonMP the Prime Minister of Australia, speaks to Maj. David Femea, an aviation combat element operations officer and AH-1Z Viper pilot with @MrfDarwin about aviation capabilities at Robertson Barracks, Australia.

 

https://twitter.com/USMC/status/1388904879427661831

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 3, 2021, 11:59 p.m. No.13577336   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>7341 >>7349 >>7356 >>9317 >>1284

>>13515337

Conflict with China a ‘high likelihood’, says top Australian general

 

Nick McKenzie and Anthony Galloway - May 4, 2021

 

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One of the nation’s top military commanders told his troops that Beijing is already engaged in “grey zone” warfare against Australia and they must plan for the high likelihood this may spill over into actual conflict in the future.

 

The candid and confidential briefing by Major-General Adam Findlay to Australia’s special forces soldiers last year gives the most detailed insight yet made public into how the nation’s top military planners view the threat of China.

 

The then-special forces commander, who has since stepped down but who still advises the Australian Defence Force, highlighted the steps Australia’s military was taking to prevent war but also described a “high likelihood” that actual conflict could break out due to the unpredictable nature of foreign affairs.

 

“Who do you reckon the main [regional] threat is?” General Findlay asked his troops and officers before answering: “China”.

 

“OK, so if China is a threat, how many special forces brigades in China? You should know there are 26,000 Chinese SOF [Special Operations Forces] personnel.”

 

Details of the April 2020 briefing have been obtained by The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald from multiple sources who have requested to remain anonymous because they are not authorised to speak publicly. They say General Findlay told his troops that, if the threat of conflict was realised, the ADF needed to rely not only on traditional air, land and sea capabilities but also on Australia’s ability to use cyber and space warfare.

 

He also highlighted the need for the ADF to reassert its presence and play “first grade” in south-east Asia and the south-west Pacific, describing how the military had uncovered information showing China was seeking to exploit “our [Australia’s] absence” in the region.

 

“We need to make sure we don’t lose momentum … get back in the region,” General Findlay said, highlighting Australia’s close ties to Indonesia.

 

In the past week the Australian government’s language on China has hardened. Defence Minister Peter Dutton has said a war over Taiwan could not be discounted, that Australia was “already under attack” in the cyber domain and that he wants to have a “more frank discussion with the public” about China’s intentions. Mr Dutton said the Australian government’s first priority was “continued peace in our region”, but warned the country needed to be able to defend its waters to the north and west as a priority.

 

Influential public servant Michael Pezzullo, the Department of Home Affairs secretary, warned the “drums of war” were beating.

 

However, former prime minister Kevin Rudd has said the escalating rhetoric “serves zero national security purpose” and risked inflaming tensions with Beijing. Former foreign minister Bob Carr wrote in The Age and Herald that “Australian diplomacy ought to be identifying the off-ramps that will avoid this nightmare” of war over Taiwan.

 

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 4, 2021, midnight No.13577341   🗄️.is 🔗kun

>>13577336

 

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General Findlay’s briefing, however, was never intended for a public or political audience. Rather, he told dozens of highly trained special forces officers and soldiers that “China has game planned” to avoid crossing traditional military red lines and was instead waging a more subtle form of attack.

 

“They know that western democracies have peace, and then, when they cross a line, we get really angry. Then we start bombing people,” said General Findlay, according to the sources.

 

“China said, let’s be smarter. Let’s just play below the threshold, before it goes to war. Let’s achieve things strategically without having war. So, now we have a new dimension.”

 

China was on the one hand talking the language of “co-operation, where we all have happy families”. But, along with the “Russia and North Korea and Iran and all the other aligned states”, Beijing was competing with Australia in “the grey zone”.

 

China had focussed on “political warfare” enabling it to be “achieving strategic affects without going kinetic,” he said. Political warfare involves a country realising its interests by using a range of covert and overt means short of actual war, including trade levers, intelligence operations, foreign interference, diplomacy, and cyber operations. “Kinetic” warfare is a military term for when conflict involves lethal force.

 

China last year imposed more than $20 billion of tariffs on Australia as relations between the two countries worsened, while there was also a wave of cyber attacks on all levels of government and critical infrastructure such as hospitals and state utilities.

 

General Findlay said that to “stop war from breaking out” Australia’s military must compete against the “coercive constraints” imposed on Australia by China. In undertaking its own grey zone missions, Australia’s aim was to “put the adversary at a disadvantage, put us at an advantage” and avoid war.

 

General Findlay also said it was the first time since World War II that Australia was facing a “peer enemy” in China. He said Australia’s special forces must deal with this challenge while embracing the unprecedented reforms sparked by the military Inspector General’s recent findings that soldiers allegedly committed war crimes in Afghanistan.

 

General Findlay said that in embracing the arduous dual task of dealing with the threat posed by China while simultaneously undertaking major reforms, Australia’s military should also embrace the advice of British wartime leader Winston Churchill: “If you are going through hell, keep going.”

 

“We have got a cultural and professional transformation that is more significant than anything else that is going to occur in the ADF,” General Findlay said.

 

“At the same time, we have got to tool up for a new adversary. So this is the end point of the valley of hell that we are going into.”

 

The comments suggest the political establishment is now starting to issue some of the warnings in public that the military was being explicit about 12 months ago.

 

Mr Dutton and assistant defence minister Andrew Hastie have both recently made public statements about the need for the ADF to focus on its core military duties in the wake of the damning November 2020 Inspector General report into Afghanistan war crimes.

 

https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/conflict-with-china-a-high-likelihood-says-top-australian-general-20210503-p57ogv.html

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 4, 2021, 12:01 a.m. No.13577349   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1284

>>13577336

Military commander tells dark story about the threat from China

 

Anthony Galloway - May 4, 2021

 

Major-General Adam Findlay has provided more detail on the threats facing the nation than has previously been publicly revealed.

 

Firstly, the secret briefing by the special forces commander, revealed by The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald, shows just how concerned Australia’s senior military planners are about the escalating threat of China’s “grey zone” tactics.

 

The grey zone – which includes cyber attacks and disinformation campaigns – refers to aggressions that fall somewhere between the traditional conceptions of war and peace. Authoritarian states such as China, Russia, Iran and North Korea are very good at competing in this space, while democracies are just learning.

 

According to Findlay, China has learnt to stay within the grey zone because it knows from history that Western democracies tend to still think in the old binary fashion, and when states cross the line “we start bombing people and we start getting angry”.

 

It is notable that Findlay mentioned the Brereton war crimes inquiry in this context, considering that the Chinese government last year posted an offensive tweet featuring an illustration of an Australian soldier slitting the throat of an Afghan child – a grey zone attack if ever there was one.

 

Findlay said the special forces needed to address the response to the Afghanistan war crimes inquiry “with purpose” so they can finally put it behind them and “get out from this”.

 

“At the same time, we have got to tool up for a new adversary. So this is the end point of the valley of hell that we are going into,” Findlay said.

 

But Findlay’s speech did not stop in the grey zone, and this is where it gets scary. He warned there was a “high likelihood” of a “kinetic war” – a military euphemism for actual warfare encompassing lethal force. He said there are now five warfare domains – land, sea, air, information/cyber and space – and fighting in this multidimensional field will require “a lot of work”.

 

To address these escalating threats, Findlay said we need to do three things: put the adversary at a disadvantage; place Australia at an advantage; and stop war from breaking out. This meant boosting Australia’s military presence in the Pacific and becoming the preferred security partner for countries in the region.

 

This speech was made 12 months ago, and some of Findlay’s rhetorical flourish can be put down to a need to fire up his regiment in the wake of the Brereton inquiry. But the substance is an extension of what Australian officials and politicians are now conveying publicly. This suggests the political establishment is now starting to catch up – at least in public – to the military thinking of last year.

 

Home Affairs secretary Michael Pezzullo drew plenty of criticism last week when he pointed out that while Australia should be striving for peace, the “drums of war” were beating. While his language was colourful, Pezzullo’s statement was unremarkable.

 

No serious person is saying China wants to go to war; they are saying the tensions over a number of flashpoints – including Taiwan – are reaching a point where the danger of a major miscalculation could result in war.

 

Defence Minister Peter Dutton told this masthead over the weekend that Australia needed to protect its western and northern approaches as a “clear priority.” He said he wanted to have a “more frank” conversation with the public on the threats facing the nation.

 

Publicly, Australian politicians and officials are saying the chances of conflict have increased. Behind closed doors, the message is even darker than that.

 

https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/military-commander-tells-dark-story-about-the-threat-from-china-20210503-p57oc7.html

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 4, 2021, 12:03 a.m. No.13577356   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1284

>>13577336

China already engaged in 'grey zone' warfare with Australia: Major General

 

Sky News Australia

 

4 May 2021

 

A top Australian military commander has told soldiers Beijing is already engaged in “grey zone” warfare against Australia and the nation must plan for the likelihood of an actual conflict.

 

Major General Adam Findlay delivered these lines reportedly during a confidential briefing and background conversations.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIMIrE6aKkE

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 4, 2021, 12:05 a.m. No.13577360   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>7367 >>5629 >>5634 >>5643 >>1284

Payne blasts Beijing tactic of ‘debt trap diplomacy’

 

BEN PACKHAM and WILL GLASGOW - MAY 4, 2021

 

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Foreign Minister Marise Payne has attacked efforts to “buy influence’’ and “pick off’’ individual countries in a diplomatic rebuke aimed at China ahead of two weeks of international talks with some of the world’s biggest democracies on strengthening global security.

 

Senator Payne, who will visit London for G7 Plus talks ­before high-level meetings in ­Geneva and the US, said the benefits of free and open societies had “never been clearer’’.

 

Her comments, in an opinion article for The Australian, follow a warning by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken that China was acting “more repressively” and “more aggressively” as it ­pursued greater global influence.

 

As Beijing’s Belt and Road deals have saddled developing ­nations with potentially unsustainable debt, Senator Payne said Australia would work with “indispensable” international partners to show “the demonstrable improvements” that democratic values could deliver to people’s lives.

 

“We do not try to buy influence to advantage our individual countries; rather, we know that a stable, secure neighbourhood of sovereign states, in which we have networks of familiarity and trust, are good, safe places for our people to live and thrive,” she said.

 

“Our focus and our ability to solve practical problems stem from our understanding that these efforts create regional and global stability, not because by doing so we expect to achieve targeted ­influence in individual countries that we pick off as notches on our belts.”

 

After a series of trade sanctions on Australian beef, wine, barley and coal imposed by the Chinese government as retribution for calls for an independent inquiry into the origin of the coronavirus, Senator Payne called for a rules-based trading order.

 

“If there is a spreading of influence it is the spreading of openness, freedom and trade that benefits everybody because we compete fairly based on rules,’’ Senator Payne writes.

 

“It is not a mercantilist approach, rather one that seeks to support a productive and peaceful international community.’’

 

Senator Payne will visit Washington on the final leg of her trip, for the Morrison government’s first face-to-face ministerial talks with the Biden administration.

 

“When it comes to indispensable relationships, there is no keystone of the architecture I have described that is more indispensable than the Australia-United States alliance,” she said.

 

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 4, 2021, 12:06 a.m. No.13577367   🗄️.is 🔗kun

>>13577360

 

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Mr Blinken, who will be at the table with Senator Payne at the G7 Plus foreign ministers’ meeting, said in an interview on Monday (AEST) that China was the one country in the world with “the military, economic, diplomatic ­capacity to undermine or challenge the rules-based order”.

 

“What we’ve witnessed over the last several years is China acting more repressively at home and more aggressively abroad — that is a fact,” he said in an interview with CBS’s 60 Minutes.

 

But he said the Biden administration did not want to “contain China” or hold it back, just uphold the global rules-based order “that China is posing a challenge to”.

 

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, in a speech on Monday, expressed concerns over China’s behaviour, including the way it “treats its partners”, and human rights concerns in Xinjiang. “We need to acknowledge that there are some things on which China and New Zealand do not, cannot, and will not agree,” she told the China Business Summit in Auckland.

 

“This need not derail our relationship; it is simply a reality.”

 

Her comments come amid concerns New Zealand is taking a softer stance on China than its Five Eyes allies.

 

China’s President Xi Jinping — who has told his officials “the East is rising while the West is declining” — said last month the world was in a “phase of fluidity and transformation”. “Instability and uncertainty are clearly on the rise,” he told political and business leaders at the Boao Forum for Asia, China’s biggest annual international gathering.

 

But Mr Xi sought to allay fears about China’s growing military power, accompanied by an increased tempo of operations in the South China Sea, Taiwan Strait and East China Sea, and a deadly clash on its disputed mountainous border with India. “However strong it may grow, China will never seek hegemony, expansion, or a sphere of influence,” he said.

 

Foreign Minister Wang Yi warned the Biden administration in recent days against forming a “small clique” against China.

 

“Some people in the US have repeatedly stated they want to strengthen the rules-based international order. If it is only a rule set by Western countries, it only covers 12 per cent of the people in the world and cannot become a general rule for all countries.”

 

Senator Payne will attend the G7 Plus foreign and development ministers’ meeting from May 4-5 with counterparts from Canada, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, South Korea, South Africa, the UK, US and the ASEAN chair.

 

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/payne-blasts-beijing-tactic-of-debt-trap-diplomacy/news-story/8cbf2d03c1a5b7f58159870004a24b07

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 4, 2021, 12:24 a.m. No.13577468   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>7473 >>7477 >>7485 >>7505 >>1284

>>13515337

Port of Darwin: Chinese owner Landbridge Group ‘here for the state’

 

BEN PACKHAM - MAY 4, 2021

 

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The Chinese company operating the Port of Darwin says it will “actively respond to the call of the state”, as it works toward “the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation”.

 

Landbridge, whose 99-year lease of the port is being reviewed on national security grounds, has argued against claims since the deal was signed in 2015 that it is too close to the Chinese Communist Party to resist doing its bidding.

 

But the company, in a little-watched corporate video posted in late 2019, says it follows Chinese government directives, and is actively working to implement Xi Jinping’s blueprint for a globally dominant China.

 

“Landbridge Group follows the One Belt and One Road to the world, so that the world can feel the speed and strength of Chinese national enterprises,” it says on the video, accessed via the company’s Hong Kong website. “In the future, Landbridge will continue to ­actively ­respond to the call of the state, take the initiative to undertake major national strategic mechanisms, always adhere to the ­national interest … and strive to become the most influential multinational enterprise group on the Eastern Coast of China.”

 

Defence is reviewing the Landbridge lease of the port on the orders of the national security committee of cabinet, amid concerns it could be associated with espionage, sabotage or economic coercion. Australian Strategic Policy ­Institute director Peter Jennings said he hoped Defence “takes this shot at redemption”, after its “dreadful policy error when it concluded in 2015 that the lease was not a problem”.

 

“Darwin is emerging as a strategic location not just for Australia, but for our allies and partners. Control of the port matters even more now than it did in 2015,” Mr Jennings writes in The Australian on Tuesday.

 

He says it is unsurprising ­Chinese businesses “will go to considerable lengths to please the CCP”. “The only sensible national response is to ask what Chinese business support for CCP objectives might mean for Chinese- owned and controlled Australian critical infrastructure — ports, the electricity grid, gas pipelines, information-technology, agricultural businesses — at a time when the CCP is ‘punishing’ Australia,” Mr Jennings says.

 

The chairman of parliament’s intelligence and security committee, James Paterson, said even Chinese business people “with the most innocent and pure motivations” were subject to CCP ­coercion. “There is no such thing as a purely private business in China. Just ask (Alibaba founder) Jack Ma,” Senator Paterson said.

 

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 4, 2021, 12:24 a.m. No.13577473   🗄️.is 🔗kun

>>13577468

 

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Defence Minister Peter Dutton told Nine newspapers this week that his department had been asked to ‘‘come back with some advice” on the Landbridge lease, and ‘‘we can look at options that are in our national interests after that’’. Scott Morrison last week said if Defence or national security agencies had changed their views on the lease, “then you could ­expect me as Prime Minister to take that advice very seriously and act accordingly”.

 

If the government renationalised the port, which Landbridge bought for $509m in 2015, taxpayers would likely be left with a significant compensation bill.

 

Such a move would also further infuriate the Chinese government, which has piled trade bans on more than $20bn of Australian exports over a raft of grievances.

 

China’s foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin last week warned the Morrison government to “stop disrupting normal exchange and co-operation with China”.

 

China’s state-sanctioned Global Times newspaper said the ending of the lease “would mark a sad and new low in bilateral ­relations”. In an editorial, it said Chinese companies needed to prepare for legal recourse to defend their rights and interests against “Canberra’s deliberate provocation”.

 

The privately owned Landbridge Group rejected commentary in 2015 by China expert Geoff Wade, who said the company was “a commercial front intimately tied to state-owned operations, the party and the (People’s Liberation Army)”.

 

Its vice-president in Australia, Mike Hughes, told The Australian on Monday that the company bought the lease to the port “in good faith following a transparent process in 2015”.

 

“Our involvement was reviewed by both (the Foreign ­Investment Review Board) and the Department of Defence at the time and it has been subject to a Senate inquiry,” he said.

 

“We are aware of reports of a new review to be conducted by the Department of Defence and are willing to participate in this ­review as required.”

 

The FIRB, which was consulted in the deal but not required to explicitly sign-off on it, asked ­Defence multiple times for its views on the proposed lease, in 2014 and 2015, and was told it had no reservations about the deal.

 

The government has since changed the law, requiring the FIRB to specifically approve all investments in a “sensitive ­national security business”, regardless of the value of the deal.

 

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/chinese-owner-here-for-the-state/news-story/6e3dec05fd6cdd594bfc478c805af36b

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 4, 2021, 12:25 a.m. No.13577477   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>7485 >>1284

>>13577468

Landbridge Group Worldwide Corporate Video (English)

 

Landbridge Group

 

4 Sept 2019

 

English Version Ver. 15 Aug 2019

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1R8gj0MHZk

 

https://www.landbridge.com.hk/about.html

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 4, 2021, 12:27 a.m. No.13577485   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>7489 >>1284

>>13577468

>>13577477

We need Darwin Port back in our hands

 

PETER JENNINGS - MAY 4, 2021

 

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Defence Minister Peter Dutton has asked his department “to come back with some advice” about the future of the 99-year lease by Chinese company Landbridge of the Port of Darwin. Hopefully, Defence takes this shot at redemption, correcting a dreadful policy error when it concluded in 2015 that the lease was not a problem.

 

Leave to one side that policy snafu and ask what has happened since 2015 that should force a rethink of the lease. The answer is that strategic change is reshaping our region, raising serious risks to stability and forcing fundamental shifts in our Defence planning.

 

First and most obviously, Xi Jinping’s China is on an aggressive course to dominate the Indo-Pacific, supplant the US as the region’s leading military power, weaken its allies and brook no dissent against Beijing’s wishes.

 

In 2017 Australia’s foreign policy white paper said: “The government is committed to strong and constructive ties with China. We welcome China’s greater capacity to share responsibility for supporting regional and global secur­ity.”

 

That line could not believably be written today. The truth of the matter is that Beijing has no interest in sharing responsibility for regional security. In the South China Sea, over Taiwan, at the border with India and in its dealing with Australia, Beijing shows its aim is to destroy the international order and replace it with its own authoritarian control.

 

A second change is that the economic relationship we once welcomed with China is being used by Beijing as an instrument of coercion and punishment. In the view of the Chinese embassy, Australia is responsible for everything negative in the relationship.

 

China’s deputy ambassador told a Canberra audience recently that those who “sabotage the friendship between our two countries … will be casted (sic) aside in history. Their children will be ashamed of mentioning their names in the history.” In this state of mind any Australian point of difference will be treated as “sabotage” to be punished.

 

Third, Xi is consolidating Chinese Communist Party control over Chinese and Hong Kong businesses to ensure they advance the party’s priorities. In 2017 Beijing adopted a National Intelligence Law, saying: “Any organisation and citizen shall, in accordance with the law, support, provide assistance, and co-operate in national intelligence work, and guard the secrecy of any national intelligence work that they are aware of.”

 

The June 2020 National Security Law for Hong Kong claims to apply the same coercive powers over Hong Kong citizens and businesses. Beijing asserts in article 38 of the law that it can apply to anyone, anywhere in the world.

 

At the time of the port lease, some Australian commentators dismissed concerns about Landbridge’s connections to the CCP as “paranoia”. China Matters director Linda Jakobson wrote in The Australian in November 2015: “The existence of armed militias and connections to the party are integral to the way society functions in China.” We just need to have “a higher degree of comprehension of the way China functions” and stop “fearmongering”. What has become clearer is that the CCP under Xi has significantly reasserted party control of the business sector. As Alibaba’s Jack Ma has found, displeasing the party can lead to public disappearance and hefty fines.

 

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 4, 2021, 12:28 a.m. No.13577489   🗄️.is 🔗kun

>>13577485

 

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Not surprisingly, Chinese businesses will go to considerable lengths to please the CCP. Within China, Landbridge markets itself as the “nation’s brand, world’s Landbridge” focused on “actively responding to the call of the state” and contributing “to the realisation of the Chinese dream”.

 

A Landbridge corporate video of August 2019, available on YouTube, makes it clear its head office in Rizhao in southeastern Shandong province sees the Port of Darwin as “building an important maritime co-operation pivot for the One Belt and One Road … to contribute to China a more powerful port strength”.

 

It would be wrong to dismiss such language as just what Chinese businesses do to curry favour with the CCP. Delivering key Xi objectives results in favourable attention from party leaders and access to financing.

 

The only sensible national response is to ask what Chinese business support for CCP objectives might mean for Chinese-owned and controlled Australian critical infrastructure — ports, the electricity grid, gas pipelines, information technology, agricultural businesses — at a time when the CCP is “punishing” Australia.

 

Fourth, American strategy is changing. Under Donald Trump and continuing under Joe Biden, the US military is reshaping its strategy for dealing with China, recognising the risk of conflict in the Indo-Pacific is sharply rising.

 

Washington is rapidly shaping a strategy of “dispersal” of its forces in times of crisis to reduce the likelihood of successful attacks on places such as Guam and Japan.

 

In these scenarios, northern Australia takes on added strategic importance to the security of our entire region. This explains in part why the government added $200m to total a $747m spend on defence training ranges in the north. Remember, just about every litre of fuel, every round of ammunition, every piece of military equipment used at those training ranges will be offloaded at the Port of Darwin.

 

Defence’s 2015 response to the 99-year Landbridge lease was that it was of no concern because it didn’t affect the small navy base, HMAS Coonawarra. The Department of Defence secretary at the time, Dennis Richardson, told a parliamentary committee in October 2015: “We can only look at this in terms of our interests. Does it raise national security concerns for us as a department? It does not. If other people have other issues about foreign ownership of whatever, that is not an issue that concerns us unless it impinges on our interests and responsibilities.”

 

Today, Defence must look at our national security interests in the Port of Darwin, not just how many days patrol boats need to access a wharf. Darwin is emerging as a strategic location not just for Australia, but for our allies and partners. Control of the port matters even more now than in 2015.

 

Because China has launched on a path of regional domination, all Indo-Pacific countries must assess critical infrastructure vulnerabilities inherent in the presence of large Chinese businesses with their obligations to the CCP. This forces an uncomfortable break with past hopes for mutually beneficial business relations, but hard strategic reality must shape what happens from now.

 

Peter Jennings is executive director of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute and a former deputy secretary for strategy with the Department of Defence.

 

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/commentary/we-need-darwin-port-back-in-our-hands/news-story/d289406db780d685fc0b1112b4785475

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 4, 2021, 12:31 a.m. No.13577505   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1284

>>13577468

Gunner backflips on praise for Darwin Port lease and Belt and Road Initiative

 

Sky News Australia

 

4 May 2021

 

Chief Minister Michael Gunner has sensationally reversed his original position on the Darwin Port lease to Chinese company Landbridge after the Department of Defence opened an investigation into the controversial deal.

 

In 2018, the chief minister was full of praise for the both the 99-year lease of the Darwin Port and China’s Belt and Road Initiative.

 

Speaking to a Chinese Australia Business Function he said, “Today our relationship with China is stronger than it has ever been."

 

"In many ways I believe our relationship with China is our gift to Australia”.

 

“The Northern Territory and China are showing the rest of Australia how Chinese investment can work in Australia and how it can work well.”

 

However, on Monday Mr Gunner was critical of the deal and shifted the blame onto the former Country Liberal Power administration who signed the deal in 2015.

 

The Darwin Port cost the Northern Territory government hundreds of millions in upkeep and maintenance before the lease was finalised.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xO9OMeRRnw

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 4, 2021, 1 a.m. No.13577655   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1298

Convicted pedophile who worked at Melbourne Jewish school faces new rape charge

 

David Cyprys, previously sentenced to 8 years in prison for sex crimes, is indicted after accusations from first non-Jewish alleged victim

 

TOI STAFF - 3 May 2021

 

Former yeshiva school guard David Cyprys, a convicted rapist and pedophile, was charged in Melbourne on Friday for rape and other crimes, Australian police said.

 

Cyprys was indicted at Melbourne’s Magistrate’s Court on charges of rape, false imprisonment and aggravated burglary.

 

The incident in question occurred in 2000, when the alleged victim was 16, according to Manny Waks, an activist who was also abused by Cyprys as a child at the Jewish school run by the Chabad movement’s Yeshivah Centre in Melbourne.

 

The new allegation was described by Waks as “violent, brutal and terrifying.” The plaintiff is the first non-Jewish alleged victim of Cyprys, and Waks believes there are more who have not yet come forward.

 

Cyprys, a locksmith who ran a company called Shomer Security, was charged in September 2011 with multiple counts of indecent assault and gross indecency for the alleged sexual assault of students at Yeshivah College in Melbourne between 1984 and 1991. He was convicted of raping one boy and abusing eight others two years later and sentenced to eight years in prison.

 

He was released from Hopkins Correctional Centre in October 2019 and then rearrested and extradited to Sydney in New South Wales, where he faces further abuse charges. Those incidents — alleged sexual assault and acts of indecency — occurred in the Sydney suburb of Bondi in the 1980s, the Sydney Morning Herald reported in October.

 

Waks, who advocates for sexual assault survivors in the Jewish community, urged “anyone who may have been affected to contact the police and to seek appropriate support.”

 

“I’m pleased that more alleged victims of Cyprys are going to the police and that we are finally seeing significant progress in this case. We continue to stand by this courageous survivor and hope that justice will ultimately prevail,” Waks wrote.

 

“It is worth remembering that this is the legacy of former Yeshivah director, the late Rabbi Yitzchok Groner, who was directly responsible for this alleged attack and many others,” Waks charged.

 

In 2015, parents of abused children described the ways Groner, who died in 2008, suppressed complaints of sexual abuse at Yeshivah Centre, continuing to employ Cyprys at the school.

 

Groner was later named in the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse report for covering up sexual abuse allegations against two employees.

 

Waks, who now lives in Israel, went public with his accusations against Cyprys in 2011, after which other victims also came forward. In 2020, Waks was awarded over AUS $800,000 in civil damages from Cyprys.

 

The case is not the only one involving the Australian Jewish school system. Malka Leifer, 54, who was extradited from Israel after a prolonged legal battle, is accused of sexually abusing children while working as a religious studies teacher and principal at the Adass Israel School in Melbourne.

 

https://www.timesofisrael.com/convicted-pedophile-who-worked-at-melbourne-jewish-school-faces-new-rape-charge/

 

Members of the public who have any information about people involved in child abuse and exploitation are urged to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

 

https://crimestoppers.com.au

 

If you or anyone you know needs support, you can contact the National Sexual Assault, Domestic and Family Violence Counselling Service on 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732), Lifeline 131 114, or Beyond Blue 1300 224 636.

 

https://www.1800respect.org.au

 

https://www.lifeline.org.au

 

https://www.beyondblue.org.au

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 4, 2021, 2:16 a.m. No.13578049   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1298

German police make arrests as they shut down large darknet site housing child abuse material

 

AAP/abc.net.au - 4 May 2021

 

German prosecutors say they have busted one of the world's biggest international darknet platforms for child abuse material, used by more than 400,000 registered members, including from the US, Australia and Canada.

 

A joint statement from Frankfurt prosecutors and Germany's federal investigative police agency said that in mid-April three German suspects —said to be the administrators of the "Boystown" platform — were arrested, along with a German user.

 

WARNING: This story contains material that may cause distress to some readers.

 

Authorities said the platform was "one of the world's biggest child pornography darknet platforms" and had been active at least since 2019.

 

Paedophiles allegedly used it to exchange and watch abuse materials of children and toddlers, most of them boys, from all over the world.

 

Prosecutors wrote that they found "images of the most severe sexual abuse of toddlers" among the photos and video material.

 

After raids in mid-April, the online platform was shut down.

 

"This investigative success has a clear message: Those who assault the weakest aren't safe anywhere," German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer said.

 

"That's what investigators work for day and night, online and offline, globally.

 

"We'll do everything within our power to protect the kids from these disgusting crimes."

 

The three main suspects were a 40-year-old man from Paderborn, a 49-year-old man from Munich and a 58-year-old man from northern Germany who had been living in Paraguay for many years.

 

They allegedly worked as administrators of the site and gave advice to members on how to evade law enforcement when using the platform for illegal child abuse material.

 

A fourth suspect, a 64-year-old man from Hamburg, is accused of being one of the most active users of the platform, having allegedly uploaded more than 3,500 posts.

 

Germany has requested the extradition of the suspect who was arrested in Paraguay.

 

The Australian Federal Police assisted German authorities in the investigation.

 

"We look forward to more arrests and children removed from harm as the intelligence is assessed by authorities across the globe," an AFP spokeswoman told the ABC.

 

"If any Australians have used this website, expect a knock at your door by AFP officers."

 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-05-04/germany-police-arrest-three-over-child-abuse-materials-site/100113600

 

 

4 ARRESTED IN TAKEDOWN OF DARK WEB CHILD ABUSE PLATFORM WITH SOME HALF A MILLION USERS

 

Europol Press Release - 03 May 2021

 

Four have been arrested in a multi-agency operation sparked by a German investigation into one of Europe’s most prolific child sexual abuse platforms on the dark web.

 

These arrests were made in Germany (3) and Paraguay (1) earlier this month. The arrested individuals – all German nationals, had various roles in relation to the site seized.

 

The dark web platform, known as Boystown, has been taken down by an international taskforce set up by the German Federal Criminal Police (Bundeskriminalamt) which included Europol and law enforcement agencies from the Netherlands, Sweden, Australia, Canada and the United States.

 

This site focused on the sexual abuse of children and had 400 000 registered users when it was taken down. Several other chat sites on the dark web used by child sexual offenders were also seized on the same occasion.

 

The case illustrates what Europol is seeing in child sexual abuse offending: online child offender communities on the dark web exhibit considerable resilience in response to law enforcement actions targeting them. Their reactions include resurrecting old communities, establishing new communities, and making strong efforts to organise and administer them.

 

The image and video data seized during this investigation will be used for Victim Identification Taskforces organised on a regular basis at Europol. More arrests and rescues are to be expected globally as police worldwide examine the intelligence packages compiled by Europol.

 

The following authorities took part in this investigation:

 

• Germany: Federal Criminal Police (Bundeskriminalamt)

 

• The Netherlands: National Police (Politie)

 

• Sweden: National Police (Polisen)

 

• Australia: Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE), Australian Federal Police (AFP) and Queensland Police Service (QPS)

 

• United States: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

 

• Canada: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

 

https://www.europol.europa.eu/newsroom/news/4-arrested-in-takedown-of-dark-web-child-abuse-platform-some-half-million-users

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 4, 2021, 2:35 a.m. No.13578091   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>8092 >>1284

>>13429488

Troops are Leaving. Will Justice Arrive Soon?

 

Xin Ping - May 03, 2021

 

1/2

 

An end day was put to the longest war so far as Australia is to pull out all its remaining troops in Afghanistan following accusations of war crimes and the U.S. decision of withdrawal. But harm is done, and the scars and wounds will be left open should history was misrepresented, truth veiled again and justice remains undone.

 

The "good war Afghanistan" is just the opposite of its literal sense. In November 2020, the Brereton Report was released after a four-year inquiry into misconduct of the Australian forces in Afghanistan. What the detailed report reveals is, as some people call it, just "a tip of the iceberg" of the atrocities committed by the Australian Defence Force (ADF).

 

The Report "discloses allegations of 39 unlawful killings by or involving ADF members, and separate allegations that ADF members cruelly treated persons under control." Frankly enough, the Report admits that none of these crimes was committed during the heat of battle. The victims were noncombatants or no longer combatants. Still, some perpetrators are serving.

 

The Report also finds that junior soldiers was coerced to take lesson 101 of "blooding" by killing a prisoner. This is how it works: a patrol commander would take a person under control and a junior member would then be directed to kill him. Other soldiers would then feign a combat setting and create a "cover story" for operational reporting and to deflect scrutiny. No one is allowed to say anything. The code of silence ensures a smooth chain of demand and deliberate normalization of cold-blood murder.

 

In fact, independent reporting and investigation has been going on, trying to hold people involved accountable. Photos taken in 2009 show Australian troops drinking beer out of a prosthetic leg of a dead enemy in Uruzgan province, where a Australia military base is located. In 2015, troops stationed in Afghanistan made confessions of misconducts or even explicit war crimes to a researcher, who was supposed to study the Australian military culture. The author, Dr Samantha Crompvoets, was told that members of the Special Air Service Regiment, an elite group in the ADF, cut the throats of two 14-year-old Afghan boys before dumping their bodies in a river because they thought the boys were Taliban sympathizers. Defence documents leaked to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation in 2017 give a full account of the killing of civilians and impunity that ensued.

 

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 4, 2021, 2:36 a.m. No.13578092   🗄️.is 🔗kun

>>13578091

 

2/2

 

The official reactions by the Australian government keep letting the world down. Red flags and warning signs of the troops were neglected, which could have prevented the crimes should actions had been taken in the first place. The reluctance to face facts, the lack of responsibility and failure to reform the military culture seem to have forged the dead cycle of misconduct,disclosure and apologies. Real actions are yet absent. Charges against commandos involved were brought and dropped for reasons unknown. Complaints from locals and human rights groups were dismissed as "Taliban propaganda" or attempts to obtain compensation. The Brereton Report itself determined that responsibility for the alleged crimes "does not extend to higher headquarters."

 

By the same standard the Australian politicians have been accusing other countries, the murder of civilians and other violent crimes in Afghanistan should constitute crimes against humanity, and the criminals should pay their price in accordance with the Geneva Conventions and related protocols. When the domestic trial model in Australia cannot work efficiently and sufficiently, the International Criminal Court may be a proper place to adjudicate on the cases of grave human rights violations. People cannot be killed and forgotten. Afghan people deserve to hear confession and penitence.

 

The Afghan people have called for justice. They are still trying hard. The Afghan government strongly condemns the violations and considers them indefensible. The Afghan Foreign Ministry stated that it was working with the Australian government to investigate the wrongdoing of Australian soldiers in Afghanistan to ensure the perpetrators were identified and brought to justice. An editorial in Afghanistan Times stated that the best that Canberra can do is to investigate war crimes in the most transparent manner.

 

Human rights experts are calling on the Australian government to bring in people directly concerned. Hadi Marifat, executive director of the Afghanistan Human Rights and Democracy Organization, suggested including victims in criminal investigation is the first step toward justice. Shaharzad Akbar, head of the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission, pointed out witnesses from Afghan forces should be involved to help with prosecutions of Australian soldiers.

 

But such candidness may be too much to ask. Australia was already offended and flipped out by a computer graphic depicting murders of an Afghan kid, even calling it a "fake photo". Defending human rights in a serious manner, it turns out, is far more difficult than just waving the banner. Admitting human rights problems head on requires extraordinary courage; addressing mistakes, especially those made by one's own, takes many more times of efforts. As the time for "pack-up and go" is drawing close, Australian and other Western troops should urgently consider what they wish to leave behind in Afghanistan. The options are on the table, peace and stability following an orderly and responsible departure, or persisting intrusion and violations of rights.

 

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202105/1222591.shtml

 

https://twitter.com/zlj517/status/1333214766806888448

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 4, 2021, 2:46 a.m. No.13578111   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1305

Sex trafficking trial of Ghislaine Maxwell, former girlfriend of Jeffrey Epstein, is delayed

 

AP/Reuters - 4 May 2021

 

The trial of Ghislaine Maxwell on charges of aiding her former boyfriend Jeffrey Epstein in the sexual abuse of teenage girls will be postponed until at least spring.

 

The trial of Ms Maxwell was scheduled to begin on July 12, but will now be later in the year at the request of defence lawyers.

 

The delay comes after Ms Maxwell's defence team said they needed at least an extra three months to prepare after prosecutors added sex trafficking charges to the case against her in late March.

 

The new charges in a superseding indictment added a fourth accuser and stretched the timeline of the allegations from three years to a decade.

 

The defence team had asked for the trial to be pushed back to the start of 2022, claiming COVID-19 protocols made it harder to prepare.

 

US District Judge Alison Nathan has ordered the defence and prosecution to propose their "earliest possible" trial date by Monday, May 10.

 

"No additional delay is necessary or in the interests of justice," she wrote in an order.

 

Maxwell, 59, was arrested last July and has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

 

She is alleged to have helped Epstein sexually abuse teenage girls over a decade from 1994.

 

Over that time, she is accused of grooming women for Epstein, who killed himself in a Manhattan jail in August 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.

 

Ms Maxwell's lawyers have applied for bail three times.

 

Judge Nathan has denied bail all three times, finding Ms Maxwell to be a risk of flight.

 

The 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals recently upheld Judge Nathan's decision to reject a $US28.5 million ($37 million) bail package that would include 24-hour armed guards to ensure Ms Maxwell made it to court.

 

Judges on the appeals court expressed concern that Ms Maxwell was awakened every 15 minutes overnight by guards to make sure she was still breathing.

 

They questioned why she was not given an adequate face mask to aid her sleep.

 

Last week, Ms Maxwell's lawyer, Bobbi Sternheim, attached a photo of his client with a black eye to a letter to Judge Nathan.

 

Ms Sternheim said Ms Maxwell did not know where the bruise came from but suggested it could be from her using a sock or towel to shield her eyes from the shining lights.

 

Judge Nathan has ordered an explanation for the sleep disruptions.

 

Ms Maxwell's lawyers maintain their client is being unjustly treated because prison officials are embarrassed that Epstein took his own life while in jail.

 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-05-04/ghislaine-maxwell-trail-delayed-until-spring/100114318

 

https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/17318376/united-states-v-maxwell/?filed_after=&filed_before=&entry_gte=&entry_lte=&order_by=desc

 

https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nysd.539612/gov.uscourts.nysd.539612.266.0.pdf

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 4, 2021, 2:53 a.m. No.13578139   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1298

>>13341833

>>13345132

Ronald Brierley forfeits knighthood after guilty plea to child abuse material

 

Sarah McPhee and Georgina Mitchell - May 4, 2021

 

Sydney-based former corporate titan Ronald Brierley has forfeited his knighthood after pleading guilty to possessing child abuse material and reaching a deadline imposed by New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.

 

The 83-year-old millionaire, originally from New Zealand but living in Point Piper in Sydney’s east, was knighted in 1988 for his contribution to business and the community.

 

He was arrested and charged in December 2019 after police discovered “large amounts of child abuse material” in his carry-on luggage when he was stopped at Sydney International Airport.

 

Ardern set the process in motion to remove the title after Brierley faced Downing Centre Local Court in Sydney on April 1. He pleaded guilty to three counts of possessing child abuse material.

 

“The Clerk of the Executive Council wrote to him on 6 April 2021 on behalf of the Prime Minister, giving him 30 days in which to provide any information that he considered relevant before the Prime Minister made her decision,” a statement from Ardern’s office said on Tuesday. The 30-day deadline ended this week.

 

“Ron Brierley has written to the Clerk of the Executive Council to tender his resignation as a Knight Bachelor. The Queen has been informed.”

 

The corporate raider founded Brierley Investments - once New Zealand’s largest listed company - and also served on the Sydney Cricket Ground Trust board.

 

Ardern said Brierley’s history had been “undoubtedly” rewritten and if the knighthood had not been surrendered, “it would have been removed”.

 

“I think it’s a sad day for the children of New Zealand and, indeed, the world when someone is found guilty of possessing such horrendous images,” she said.

 

His barrister Lisa-Claire Hutchinson told the court in April her client admitted to being in possession of some images, but the exact figure was “in dispute” and lower than the police allege.

 

In court documents, it is detailed that one of the charges Brierley pleaded guilty to relates to possessing “photographs of young girls approximately two years to 15 years of age, in sexually suggestive poses”.

 

The second charge relates to possessing 1615 images on a data storage device, while the third charge relates to possessing one image.

 

Brierley joins a list of public figures to be stripped of royal honours in recent years.

 

The Queen last year directed former Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein’s appointment as an Honorary Commander of the Civil Division of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire in 2004 be cancelled and annulled, and his name erased from the register.

 

Weinstein was sentenced to 23 years in prison over the rape and sexual assault of two women.

 

In 2015, at the order of Her Majesty, veteran entertainer Rolf Harris lost the Commander of the Order of the British Empire honour bestowed on him, one step below a knighthood, after being convicted and jailed for indecently assaulting four girls between 1968 and 1986.

 

Ardern on Tuesday said Brierley could no longer use the title “Sir” and must return his insignia.

 

He has been committed to the NSW District Court for sentence and his case is next listed in Sydney on May 21.

 

https://www.smh.com.au/world/oceania/ronald-brierley-forfeits-knighthood-after-guilty-plea-to-child-abuse-material-20210504-p57oro.html

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 4, 2021, 3:11 a.m. No.13578193   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1284

>>13445558

U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan Tweet

 

The #CCP is engaged in an economic war against Australia, including imposing massive tariffs on Australian wine. @AusintheUS @A_Sinodinos sent me a poster that captures the “spirit” of the Aussies. Looks like a great way to stand for freedom & w/ our friends down under! #mateship

 

https://twitter.com/SenDanSullivan/status/1386702498304495619

 

 

MEET DAN SULLIVAN

 

Dan Sullivan was sworn in as Alaska’s eighth United States Senator on January 6, 2015. Sullivan serves on four Senate committees vital to Alaska: the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee; the Armed Services Committee; the Environment and Public Works Committee; and the Veterans' Affairs Committee.

 

Prior to his election to the U.S. Senate, Sullivan served as Alaska’s Attorney General and Commissioner of the Alaska Department of Natural Resources. As Alaska's Attorney General, Sullivan’s number one priority was protecting Alaskans, their physical safety, financial well-being, and individual rights – particularly Alaska’s most vulnerable. During his tenure he spearheaded a comprehensive statewide strategy – the “Choose Respect” campaign – to combat Alaska’s high rates of domestic violence and sexual assault. Under Sullivan’s leadership, the Department of Law also undertook an aggressive strategy of initiating and intervening in litigation aimed at halting federal government overreach into the lives of Alaskans and their economy.

 

As Commissioner of the Alaska Department of Natural Resources, Sullivan managed one of the largest portfolios of oil, gas, minerals, renewable energy, timber, land, and water in the world. Working closely with Alaska’s Governor and state legislature, Sullivan developed numerous strategies that spurred responsible resource development, energy security, and a dramatic increase in good-paying jobs across a number of critical sectors in the Alaska economy. He also developed a comprehensive plan to streamline and reform the state’s regulatory and permitting system.

 

Sullivan is one of a select number of Alaskan attorneys who has held judicial clerkships on both the highest federal and state courts in Alaska. He served as a judicial law clerk for Judge Andrew Kleinfeld of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in Fairbanks, Alaska and for Chief Justice Warren Matthews of the Alaska Supreme Court in Anchorage, Alaska. Sullivan also served as a judicial law clerk/intern for Judge James L. Buckley on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

 

Sullivan has a distinguished record of military and national security service. He is currently a Colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve. Since 1993, Sullivan has served in a variety of command and staff billets on active duty and in the reserves, including: TRAP Force Commander and 81mm mortar Platoon Commander, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable); Weapons Company Executive Officer, Second Battalion, Fifth Marines; Commanding Officer, Delta Company, Anti-Terrorism Battalion; Executive Officer, Echo Company, Fourth Reconnaissance Battalion; and Commanding Officer, 6thAir Naval Gunfire Liaison Company (ANGLICO). In 2004, Sullivan was recalled to active duty for a year and a half to serve as a staff officer to the Commander of U.S. Central Command, General John Abizaid, spending substantial time deployed in the Middle East, the Horn of Africa, and Central Asia. In July 2013, Sullivan was recalled to active duty to serve with a Joint Task Force in Afghanistan focusing on dismantling terrorist networks and criminalizing the Taliban insurgency.

 

Sullivan served in the Administration of President George W. Bush as the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Economic, Energy, and Business under Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. He focused on fighting terrorist financing, and implementing policies relating to international energy, economic, trade, finance, transportation, telecommunications, and Arctic issues. Sullivan also served as a Director in the International Economics Directorate of the National Security Council staff at the White House.

 

Sullivan earned a B.A. in Economics from Harvard University in 1987 and a joint law and Masters of Science in Foreign Service from Georgetown University in 1993. Dan and his wife Julie Fate Sullivan were married over 20 years ago in Julie’s hometown of Fairbanks, Alaska. They have three teenage daughters: Meghan, Isabella and Laurel.

 

https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/about/bio

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 5, 2021, 12:36 a.m. No.13586735   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>6745 >>3646 >>1252

'Donald Trump's desk' feed lets people share his posts on their Facebook or Twitter accounts. But it's not the same as him tweeting

 

Dannielle Maguire - 5 May 2021

 

1/2

 

Donald Trump has launched a feature on his website that allows his supporters to share his posts on Twitter and Facebook.

 

Mr Trump has been banned from both social media networks for months, making it much harder for him to reach his supporters and influence the global conversation.

 

So this new loophole could be a game-changer for the former president.

 

Is it a MAGA social media network?

 

No.

 

Mr Trump's team haven't tried to replicate Facebook or Twitter to build a new network.

 

Instead, they've tacked on a message board feature to DonaldJTrump.com that allows him to write posts, much like a Tweet or a Facebook status update.

 

It's called From the Desk of Donald Trump.

 

Each post has a button that allows a user to repost that message directly to their Facebook page or Twitter account.

 

However, the post doesn't pull through the entirety of Mr Trump's message so other users can read it straight off someone's feed — they have to click on the link first.

 

The first post from Mr Trump's 'desk' was on March 24.

 

However, the Trump team posted a promotional video today (see above) which is largely being recognised as the feature's official launch.

 

The video starts with a moody graphic of planet Earth spinning in the vast darkness of space.

 

The words "In a time of silence and lies …" flash on the screen over audio from news reports about his social media ban.

 

It then zooms into Florida, transitioning to an image of his Mar-a-Largo home before the words "a beacon of freedom arises" appear in red and white.

 

"A place to speak freely and safely straight from the desk of Donald J Trump," the video continues.

 

Reuters reported the platform was built by Campaign Nucleus, which is the digital services company created by Mr Trump's former campaign manager Brad Parscale.

 

…but apparently, it's in the works

 

Mr Trump's senior adviser Jason Miller said this collection of posts wasn't the social media platform Trump had plans to launch.

 

"President Trump's website is a great resource to find his latest statements and highlights from his first term in office, but this is not a new social media platform," Mr Miller tweeted.

 

"We'll have additional information coming on that front in the very near future."

 

What's he posting?

 

They seem to be in the same flavour as the former president's colourful Twitter musings.

 

A quick scroll of the posts reveals all-capitals phrases such as "FREEDOM OF SPEECH", "THEY KNOW WHAT THEY DID" and "WOKE CANCEL CULTURE".

 

However, the posts don't appear to have been composed in the rapid fashion of his infamous late-night Twitter blasts; they seem slightly more considered.

 

And because it's going through his website rather than being composed direct from his phone, it's possible the posts will have more oversight and even editing from his advisers.

 

Some of the topics in Mr Trump's posts include 2020 election fraud claims, the pausing of the Johnson & Johnson vaccines in the US, being friends with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, and takedowns of his Republican critics Mitt Romney and Liz Cheney.

 

The format does not restrict Mr Trump to the same constraints as Twitter, allowing him to craft lengthier posts.

 

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 5, 2021, 12:38 a.m. No.13586745   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>3646

>>13586735

 

2/2

 

Are Facebook and Twitter allowing this?

 

Both Facebook and Twitter currently allow the posts to be shared on their platforms.

 

Technically, it's just sharing a link to a website — not attempting to imitate a tweet or Facebook post.

 

A Twitter spokesman said sharing content from Mr Trump's website would be permitted as long as the material did not otherwise break Twitter's rules.

 

However any attempts to circumvent a suspension won't be allowed to remain on the platform — so Mr Trump wouldn't get away with creating a new account to imitate his own suspended one.

 

The spokesman said Twitter would be on the lookout for any such cases.

 

Facebook did not immediately respond to a request for comment on how it would treat posts shared from the site.

 

Twitter and Facebook have both removed content posted from other accounts which they ruled were attempts to get around their bans on Mr Trump.

 

Facebook still deciding if it'll reinstate Trump

 

Mr Trump's Facebook page is still online, however, he hasn't been able to post from it since January.

 

The last post from his account came amid the Capitol Hill riots:

 

https://www.facebook.com/DonaldTrump/posts/10166091482665725

 

At the time, Facebook condemned Mr Trump's "use of our platform to incite violent insurrection against a democratically elected government".

 

It froze his account, preventing him from posting further.

 

Facebook said the block would be in place "indefinitely and for at least the next two weeks until the peaceful transition of power is complete".

 

But that ban could be lifted within hours.

 

The Facebook Oversight Board is expected to announce its decision on whether to un-freeze Mr Trump's account on Wednesday morning local time — so that'll be later tonight in Australia.

 

The board is a separate entity from Facebook. It's an independent group of global experts, however, its decisions are binding.

 

If the board rules in Trump's favour, Facebook will have seven days to reinstate his account.

 

But Trump's account will remain "indefinitely" suspended if the board uphold's Facebook's decision.

 

Trump's Twitter loophole

 

During his days (or very late nights) in the White House, Mr Trump was an avid tweeter.

 

So when he was banned from the platform in January, that hit hard.

 

But he found a way to get his message out there without his Twitter account.

 

Once he was done with the presidency, he set up his Office of the Former President, from which he'd send a bunch of statements to journalists.

 

And, at least for a while, journalists were tweeting out the statements in full:

 

https://twitter.com/bluestein/status/1369774057986592768

 

https://twitter.com/MZHemingway/status/1382475007784275969

 

It meant Mr Trump still had a presence on Twitter even though he was banned.

 

"You're seeing that we put out statements from the president, et cetera, et cetera," he said in an interview with Fox News.

 

"And it's getting picked up by everybody, everything we say.

 

"So if I endorse somebody — cause we're endorsing some very good people — it gets tremendous pickup.

 

"I would almost say better than a tweet."

 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-05-05/donald-trump-website-posts-can-be-shared-on-twitter-facebook/100116618

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 5, 2021, 1:35 a.m. No.13586948   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1298

Australian paedophile priest faces extradition to US on fresh charges

 

Farrah Tomazin - May 5, 2021

 

A defrocked Australian Catholic priest who was jailed for indecently assaulting schoolboys in Victoria could soon be extradited to the US to face a fresh set of sexual abuse charges.

 

Former Ballarat priest Paul David Ryan has been indicted in the US state of Virginia on charges of sexual assault against a teenager at a ski resort in 1979.

 

Ryan had been sent to America to receive “treatment” after Melbourne Catholic authorities became concerned about his sexual activity with other seminarians when he was training to be a priest in Melbourne in the 1970s.

 

While in the US, he had been assigned to work in Virginia Beach as an ordained priest at Star of the Sea Parish and its affiliated school of the same name.

 

According to charges filed by Virginia Attorney-General Mark Herring, Ryan took the victim on a ski trip to Massanutten Resort in Rockingham County, Virginia, “under the pretense of a church-sanctioned outing”. Ryan had arranged for the two of them to stay at a house together at the resort, where it is alleged that he sexually assaulted the victim twice.

 

The charges are the latest in a series of abuse claims against Ryan, who was jailed for a minimum term of 17 months in July 2019 over the historical sexual abuse of three boys, aged 14, 15 and 17 at the time of the assaults.

 

One victim had been training to be an altar boy and the other two were students at the Warrnambool Christian Brothers’ College, where Ryan worked as a school chaplain and provided sex education classes.

 

An Age investigation in 2019 also revealed that Ryan was part of a network of paedophiles coalescing in the 1970s around Corpus Christi – the Melbourne seminary that has produced about 1000 priests over almost 100 years, including some of the country’s worst paedophiles.

 

One former altar boy filed a civil claim in court alleging he was taken to the seminary in October 1976 and left to wait in a communal living room with four or five other boys. Ryan then allegedly picked the boy from the group, took him back to a bedroom and sexually assaulted him.

 

“I recall that seminarians would come out through the corridor into the sitting room and select a boy to go back with them,” said the former St Peter’s altar boy. “He selected me by pointing at me and ushering me to follow him.”

 

The latest US charges against Ryan emerged from an investigation by Virginia’s Attorney-General and its state police into whether criminal sexual abuse of children may have occurred in Virginia’s Catholic dioceses.

 

“Our investigation with Virginia State Police into potential clergy abuse in the Commonwealth remains ongoing and I want to encourage anyone who may have more information about this case or any other instances of abuse to please reach out to us as soon as possible,” Mr Herring said in a statement on Wednesday (AEST).

 

“I understand that coming forward with this kind of experience can be difficult or scary, but I pledge to you that, no matter how long ago the incident occurred, we will take it seriously and ensure that you get the support and help that you need and deserve.”

 

The Attorney-General’s office has said it would seek to extradite Ryan. Several accusers in Virginia have come forward against the former priest, now aged 72.

 

Ryan also spent time at Catholic University in Washington DC; a parish in Dayton, Ohio; and outposts for sexually troubled priests in New Mexico and Maryland.

 

https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/australian-paedophile-priest-faces-extradition-to-us-on-fresh-charges-20210505-p57p2e.html

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 5, 2021, 1:36 a.m. No.13586955   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1268

Spy worked for FBI while Donald Trump in office

 

JACQUELIN MAGNAY - MAY 4, 2021

 

Christopher Steele, the ex-British spy who produced the explosive 35-page dossier alleging a conspiracy between Donald Trump and Russia, continued to work for the FBI even when Mr Trump was in the White House.

 

The British Telegraph newspaper has revealed that Mr Steele, who was a former MI6 agent continued to supply intelligence ­reports to the US authorities in 2017, well after Mr Trump’s ­January inauguration, expanding on his initial claims about alleged sexual exploits and prostitutes.

 

This is despite the FBI casting doubt on Mr Steele’s sources following an October 2016 meeting with him in Rome and then dismissing the information after further investigations.

 

Mr Trump has vehemently ­denied the Steele allegations as fake news and a pile of garbage.

 

A new book by Barry Meier, Spooked, details how Mr Steele’s main Russia contact was political analyst Igor Danchenko, who passed on information from a school friend, Olga Galkina, a 40-year-old Russian public-relations executive living in Cyprus.

 

At the time, this late 2016 Rome meeting with Mr Steele was part of the secret counter­intelligence investigation into several Trump associates and the Kremlin that was sparked by a conversation between Australia’s then high commissioner to the UK, Alexander Downer, and one of Mr Trump’s staff, George ­Papadopoulos in May 2016.

 

Mr Papadopoulos had told Mr Downer that Mr Trump would win the upcoming election ­because the Russians had information that could be damaging to Democrat opponent Hillary Clinton. That conversation was then passed onto the Americans.

 

The Telegraph reported that the intelligence gathered by Mr Steele for his second dossier is ­believed to have included further details of Mr Trump’s campaign chairman Paul Manafort.

 

Konstantin Kilimnik, an associate of Mr Manafort, is ­accused of passing Trump campaign polling and strategy information to Russian intelligence sources. Mr Kilimnik is under US sanctions for being a known Russian Intelligences Services agent and there is a $250,000 reward for information leading to his arrest.

 

During a September 2017 FBI interview in London, Mr Steele revealed his company Orbis had “four discrete and hermetically-sealed main agent networks”.

 

It is claimed that the second dossier used separate sources than those who provided information for the first reports.

 

In Spooked, Mr Meier reveals that the public relations company Fusion GPS, which had promoted Steele’s initial dossier to various journalists, then created a non-profit foundation after the 2016 election “that accepted millions of dollars from donors who ­despised Trump and then funnelled money to Fusion GPS and Christopher Steele”.

 

He says in 2017, its first year of operation, this non-profit, called the Democracy Integrity Project pulled in more than $US7m with $US3.3m paid out in fees to a limited liability company linked to Fusion GPS.

 

He also wrote that an entity tied to Mr Steele got $US252,000, or about twice as much as it had received during the 2016 campaign from Fusion GPS.

 

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/world/spy-worked-for-fbi-while-donald-trump-in-office/news-story/a94815e5d1efcdf7e887ba78f5e2ec78

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 5, 2021, 1:51 a.m. No.13586991   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>6995 >>1252

U.S. Department of Defense Tweet

 

Flight mates.

 

A @HiAirGuard F-22 Raptor flies alongside an @AusAirForce E-7A Wedgetail over Oahu, Hawaii. Members of the Royal Australian Air Force provided airborne early warning support during exercise Pacific Edge 21.

 

https://twitter.com/DeptofDefense/status/1389701374548471808

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 5, 2021, 1:53 a.m. No.13586995   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>6997 >>1252

>>13586991

Hawaiian Raptors Fly with RAAF for Exercise Pacific Edge 21

 

Staff Sgt. John Linzmeier 154th Wing Public Affairs - Hawaii Air National Guard - May 3, 2021

 

1/2

 

JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii – Total Force Airmen from Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam completed a multi-faceted, air-combat exercise April 22, flying more than one hundred sorties alongside partners from the Royal Australian Air Force and other U.S.-based units.

 

The exercise, Pacific Edge 21, was hosted over three weeks to provide cost-effective and realistic training, tailored to equip multi-national warfighters with skills to fly, fight and win against advanced threats throughout the Indo-Pacific Region.

 

Mission planners from the Hawaii Air National Guard’s 199th Fighter Squadron and the active-duty 19th FS branded the new exercise Pacific Edge, representing the central convergence of partners who traveled from Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., and RAAF Base Williamtown, Australia.

 

“Training with coalition partners like the RAAF creates a realistic training environment we rarely get to experience,” said Capt. Robert Pupilis, Pacific Edge project officer. “The Indo-Pacific Command’s Area of Responsibility is massive and complex, and it is undeniably necessary for us to be familiar with and ready to fight alongside our coalition partners. Having the RAAF in our Squadron studying threats, mission planning, and debriefing as a team created that realistic environment and fostered a coalition team mentality.”

 

Hawaii Air National Guard F-22 Raptors launched back-to-back sorties while integrating their stealth capabilities with the RAAF’s Airborne Early Warning and Control aircraft, called the E-7A Wedgetail. The platform is operated by an aircrew from the RAAF’s No. 2 Squadron, which uses a powerful radar to monitor the battlespace and relay the information to allied partners in real-time.

 

According to Capt. Robert Pupilis, Pacific Edge project officer, the exercise was distinguished by its narrow scope of integration, allowing aviators to enhance the most fundamental aspects of bilateral warfare. In contrast, larger exercises, such as Red Flag, entail more significant movements and a broader set of training objectives.

 

“[In larger exercises] a lot of lessons learned can get overshadowed by the sheer size of the fight, said Pupilis. “During Pacific Edge, we were able to focus specifically on F-22 and E-7 integration to develop, fine-tune, and test our tactics against advanced threats to bring forward to future exercises.”

 

As the stealth-capable Raptors engaged in combat scenarios with their RAAF ‘mates’ from 2 Squadron, F-16 Fighting Falcons from the 442nd Training and Evaluation Squadron joined the fight while assuming an adversarial role, called ‘red air’ in the fighter community.

 

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 5, 2021, 1:53 a.m. No.13586997   🗄️.is 🔗kun

>>13586995

 

2/2

 

The presence of ‘hostile’ F-16s enabled the Hawaiian Raptors to practice a wider range of combat encounters that could be faced in a real-world conflict. Raptor pilots responded to sequences in which they would protect a high-value airborne asset from an observed threat and other scenarios which involved direct air-to-air engagements from offensive and defensive postures.

 

Daily sorties were also sustained by the delivery of in-air refueling, provided by Hawaii Air National Guard KC-135 Stratotankers from the 203rd Air Refueling Squadron. Reliable access to fuel is a mission-essential component of air combat operations, as fighter aircraft depend on tanker gas to maximize their reach and flight time.

 

While the exercise’s endgame was to validate the ability to quickly combine the airpower of multi-national flying assets into a cohesive fighting force, much of the bilateral growth was achieved through weeks of face-to-face exchanges and the mutual sharing of best practices.

 

“Working with the Hawaiian Raptors has been eye-opening,” said RAAF Flying Officer Angus Ozimec, No. 2 Squadron surveillance control officer. “It’s been an excellent opportunity to see how we can integrate with the fifth-generation platform and become stronger as a team – this has also provided valuable experience we can apply when working with our F-35As back in Australia.”

 

Seventeen Raptor pilots joined RAAF aircrew inside the Wedgetail throughout the exercise to learn exactly what the crew of surveillance control officers and systems officers bring to the fight and how to make the most of their sophisticated monitoring capabilities by interacting directly with the onboard aircraft captain and mission commander.

 

During the Wedgetail ride alongs, Pupilis said that having a Raptor pilot present and listening to the fight helped provide opportunities for real-time feedback and shed light as to what is happening inside the F-22 cockpit during air-to-air engagements.

 

After months of planning and three weeks of execution, Pacific Edge closed out with several invaluable takeaways, including upgrade qualification training for members on all parties and detailed reports and experiences that will ensure USAF and RAAF partners are ready to fly together whenever duty calls.

 

“This exercise absolutely increased my confidence in our interoperability and integration tactics with the RAAF and the E-7,” said Pupilis. “Not only with the platforms but in the warfighters and professionals involved. The Hawaiian Raptors hope to continue working with 2SQN in the future with our local exercises and larger events on the mainland.”

 

https://www.pacom.mil/Media/News/News-Article-View/Article/2593946/hawaiian-raptors-fly-with-raaf-for-exercise-pacific-edge-21/

 

https://www.nationalguard.mil/News/Article/2590857/hawaiian-raptors-fly-with-raaf-for-exercise-pacific-edge-21/

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 5, 2021, 1:56 a.m. No.13587004   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>5507 >>1252

Japanese Ambassador YAMAGAMI Shingo Tweet

 

Honoured to lay wreaths at the Japanese and Australian War Cemeteries in Cowra.

Lest We Forget.

 

https://twitter.com/YamagamiShingo/status/1389736897044307969

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 6, 2021, 12:14 a.m. No.13595127   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>5132 >>5138 >>3511 >>1284

>>13485007

China suspends economic accord with Australia

 

WILL GLASGOW and HEIDI HAN - MAY 6, 2021

 

Beijing has suspended an annual meeting with Australia’s Treasurer and Trade minister – formalising the diplomatic freeze Xi Jinping’s administration has imposed on Canberra since relations unravelled in 2018.

 

The immediate suspension of the China-Australia Strategic Economic Dialogue was apparently in retaliation to the Morrison government’s scrapping of Victoria’s Belt and Road deal and review of the 99-year lease of the Port of Darwin Port by the Chinese company Landbridge.

 

Explaining the decision, China’s National Reform and Development Commission said recent measures taken by the Morrison government had revealed its “Cold War mindset” and “ideological discrimination”.

 

“Based on the current attitude of the Australian federal government towards China-Australia co-operation, the National Development and Reform Commission has decided to suspend indefinitely all activities under the China-Australia Strategic Economic Dialogue mechanism,” China’s top economic planning body said in a statement on Thursday.

 

Despite being billed as an annual meeting when it was announced by the Gillard government in 2013, the China-Australia Strategic Economic Dialogue only met three times in 2014, 2015 and for the last time in 2017.

 

Trade Minister Dan Tehan said it was “disappointing” to learn about the formal suspension.

 

“The Strategic Economic Dialogue, which was last held in 2017, is an important forum for Australia and China to work through issues relevant to our economic partnership,” Minister Tehan said.

 

“We remain open to holding the dialogue and engaging at the Ministerial level,” he said.

 

The Australian dollar was down 0.5pc at US77.07c shortly after the announcement, after trading as high as US77.58c during the morning.

 

The Australian government has previously described the accord — designed to boost trade between both sides and introduce large Chinese investors — as one of the “premier bilateral economic meetings with China”. But relations between the two have plunged into the deep freeze.

 

China’s move is the first official halt to bilateral co-operation after it launched a series of trade bans, tariffs and restrictions on imports of Australian imports, including coal, wine, barley, timber and seafood, valued at more than $2bn.

 

The proclamation comes after the Morrison government scrapped Belt and Road initiatives between the Victorian government and China, which were overseen by the National Development and Reform Commission and which are part of China’s massive infrastructure initiative across Asia and the world.

 

It also comes after Defence Minister Peter Dutton confirmed that his department was reviewing a $500m Port Darwin lease agreement between the Northern Territory and Chinese company Landbridge Group.

 

Darwin is the most important port on Australia’s north coast, the closest to Asia and a base for US Marines who rotate in and out of the country.

 

The announcement prompted a furious response from China, which warned of “serious harm” in the already fractured relationship.

 

Before the suspension announced on Thursday, the last major communication the NDRC had in with Australia was a March 2020 phone call between deputy director Ning Jizhe and Daniel Andrews. Ning reportedly expressed gratitude for the state’s “firm support” for China’s fight against the pandemic and the Victorian Premier’s willingness to “actively explore expansion under the framework of the Belt and Road initiative”.

 

The last minister-level meetings involving China and Australia were in November 2018 — when Foreign Minister Marise Payne and her counterpart Wang Yi held talks at the 5th Australia-China Foreign and Strategic Dialogue — and then defence minister Christopher Pyne’s visit to China in January 2019.

 

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/economics/china-suspends-economic-accord-with-australia/news-story/083c7ba90f9916772919be9c2f295dfb

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 6, 2021, 12:16 a.m. No.13595132   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>5138 >>1284

>>13485007

>>13595127

Proclamation of the National Development and Reform Commission of the People’s Republic of China on the Indefinite Suspension of All Activities under China-Australia Strategic Economic Dialogue

 

2021/05/06

 

Recently, some Australian Commonwealth Government officials launched a series of measures to disrupt the normal exchanges and cooperation between China and Australia out of Cold War mindset and ideological discrimination. Based on the current attitude of the Australian Commonwealth Government toward China-Australia cooperation, the National Development and Reform Commission of the People’s Republic of China decides to indefinitely suspend all activities under the framework of the China-Australia Strategic Economic Dialogue jointly held by the National Development and Reform Commission of the People’s Republic of China and relevant ministries of the Australian Commonwealth Government.

 

https://en.ndrc.gov.cn/newsrelease_8232/202105/t20210506_1279176.html

 

https://en.ndrc.gov.cn/

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 6, 2021, 12:18 a.m. No.13595138   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>5142 >>1284

>>13485007

>>13595127

>>13595132

China’s suspension of economic dialogue mechanism with Australia ‘a necessary step’ to defend national interests: analysts

 

Li Xuanmin - May 06, 2021

 

1/2

 

China’s top economic planner announced on Thursday it is indefinitely suspending all activities under the China-Australia Strategic Economic Dialogue, marking the first time that a diplomatic mechanism between the two countries was frozen on the heels of downward spiraling bilateral relations.

 

The decision sends a clear signal that China is resolute, and prepared to take all necessary moves to defend its national interests in response to Australia’s provocations, and that more measures would follow if Canberra further escalates its anti-China agenda, observers said.

 

The suspension is a strong political gesture and means that more bilateral government-to-government communication avenues would likely to be put on hold, and trade deals would shrink drastically if Canberra does not exhibit good faith measures to repair bilateral relations, analysts said.

 

The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), China’s top economic planner, announced on Thursday that it will indefinitely suspend all activities under China-Australia strategic economic dialogue, which is jointly held by NDRC and the relevant ministries of the Australian Commonwealth Government.

 

The decision takes effect immediately.

 

NDRC said that the decision was based on the current attitude of the Australian Commonwealth Government toward China-Australia cooperation, as some Australian Commonwealth Government officials recently “launched a series of measures to disrupt the normal exchanges and cooperation between China and Australia out of Cold War mindset and ideological discrimination,” according to a statement on the website of NDRC.

 

The China-Australia strategic economic dialogue, an important mechanism under China-Australia Annual Prime Ministerial Meeting and an important tool to cement bilateral relation mechanisms, was launched in 2014. It aims to conduct strategic dialogue on key bilateral economic and investment areas and strengthen economic ties.

 

According to media reports, the latest round of dialogue, or the third round under the framework, was held in Beijing in September 2017.

 

The suspension marks the first time that Beijing has officially frozen diplomatic channels with Canberra, after the Australian federal government, in what viewed as a provocative action against China, uses laws to revoke agreements signed between Victoria state and China on the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in April.

 

“Such suspension is very rare within China’s diplomatic course with major countries, which underscores China’s strong objection to the move and sends a clear warning to Australia that China is determined, and is ready to employ all necessary tools to defend its legitimate interests,” Zhou Fangyin, a professor at the Guangdong Research Institute for International Strategies, told the Global Times on Thursday.

 

“Morrison should respect China’s bottom line and drop the fantasy that China may retreat on its unreasonable provocation,” Zhou said.

 

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 6, 2021, 12:19 a.m. No.13595142   🗄️.is 🔗kun

>>13595138

 

2/2

 

James Laurenceson, Director and Professor at the Australia-China Relations Institute under the University of Technology Sydney, told the Global Times that China’s response is “calibrated,” not a dramatic over or under-reaction.

 

Chinese observers stressed that to date, it is meaningless for China to honor communication mechanisms given Australia’s anti-China stance.

 

“First of all, Australia does not display the right attitude for a dialogue to plow on. And Australia’s unilateral tore-up of BRI deal also shows that any agreement formally signed between China could be scrapped down by any unjustified excuse at any time,” Zhou noted.

 

Australian Trade Minister Dan Tehan said on Thursday that the country is disappointed with China's decision, and “remains open to holding the dialogue and engaging at the ministerial level."

 

The suspension also casts doubt on any China-Australia Annual Prime Ministerial Meeting, analysts predicted. In 2019, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang held the 7th round of China-Australia Annual Prime Ministerial Meeting with Prime Minister Scott Morrison of Australia, and the meeting in 2020 was cancelled amid coronavirus outbreak.

 

The relations between China and Australia have sunk to an all-time low in recent months. But a reverse following the suspension is unlikely in short-term, as Australia shows no sincerity to repair bilateral relations.

 

“It won’t be the first case for an official communication channel to be shut down. Bilateral government-to-government communication would see a reduction in the near future, so as communications between commerce departments, which in turn would not yield new trade deals and cause havoc throughout Australia’s sinking economy,” Zhou said.

 

In April, China's Foreign Ministry requested Australia revoke its wrong decision over the BRI deal, and the ministry also warned that it will hit back hard.

 

A long list of Australia's exports to China, from wine and lobster to timber and hay, have run into problems as bilateral ties took a dive starting in 2018 when Australia became the first country to ban Chinese telecoms firm Huawei's 5G participation in the country.

 

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202105/1222747.shtml

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 6, 2021, 12:59 a.m. No.13595218   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>4952 >>1305

>>13548207

>>13548210

Prosecutors defend nightly sleep checks on Ghislaine Maxwell

 

LARRY NEUMEISTER - 6 May 2021

 

NEW YORK (AP) — Federal prosecutors say Ghislaine Maxwell is not under suicide watch, but it’s still necessary to flashlight into her cell every 15 minutes as she sleeps while she awaits a sex trafficking trial.

 

They told a judge Wednesday that heightened security for Maxwell was necessary because of the nature of the charges she faces, the potential stress she faces in a high-profile criminal case and because of a need to ensure her safety in a cell where she is alone.

 

Maxwell’s lawyers say the light flashing is a response to ex-boyfriend Jeffrey Epstein’s August 2019 suicide as he awaited trial on sex trafficking charges.

 

Maxwell, 59, has been held without bail since July on charges alleging she recruited teenage girls from 1994 to 2004 for Epstein to sexually abuse. She has pleaded not guilty.

 

Prosecutors based their letter on a consultation with lawyers for the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, where Maxwell is held, after a judge requested an explanation for the flashing of light at the ceiling of Maxwell’s cell every 15 minutes while she sleeps.

 

Two judges of the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals recommended the explanations be sought after recently rejecting an appeal of three rulings rejecting bail for Maxwell.

 

They also questioned why Maxwell was not allowed to wear a mask that would shield her eyes at night. Her lawyer told the 2nd Circuit that she puts socks or a towel over her eyes to try to sleep.

 

David Oscar Markus, an attorney who represents Maxwell before the 2nd Circuit, said in an email late Wednesday: “This is positively Orwellian. Prosecutors have parroted a nameless MDC official, who has determined that a detainee, who has not been deemed a suicide risk, must be awoken every 15 minutes for her own ‘well-being.’ What’s next? Bread and water diet to eliminate the risk of diabetes? Please!”

 

In their letter, prosecutors said Maxwell cannot be issued an eye mask because they are not available for purchase in the jail commissary and are thus considered contraband.

 

The trial of Maxwell was postponed this week from July until early fall, though no date has yet been set.

 

Maxwell’s lawyers have said a postponement of the trial was necessary after prosecutors in late March added sex trafficking charges to the case. They also cited what they described as onerous jail conditions that slow Maxwell’s ability to prepare for trial.

 

Maxwell was arrested in July on charges that she recruited three teenage girls for Epstein to sexually abuse from 1994 to 1997. A superseding indictment in March added a fourth teenage girl to the allegations and extended the years of the alleged conspiracy to 2004.

 

https://apnews.com/article/ny-state-wire-ghislaine-maxwell-dc27813d0354bdb3cb8a06b8d13f7a33

 

https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/17318376/united-states-v-maxwell/?filed_after=&filed_before=&entry_gte=&entry_lte=&order_by=desc

 

https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nysd.539612/gov.uscourts.nysd.539612.270.0.pdf

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 6, 2021, 2:25 a.m. No.13595471   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1298

Convicted paedophile Milton Orkopoulos pleads not guilty to historical child sex charges

 

Convicted paedophile Milton Orkopoulos will head to trial on 23 child sex charges after pleading not guilty in Newcastle Local Court.

 

Amy Ziniak - May 5, 2021

 

Disgraced former Labor MP and convicted paedophile Milton Orkopoulos will head to trial over historical child sex charges in the Hunter in the late 1990s.

 

In Newcastle Local Court on Wednesday, the former Lake Macquarie Cr appeared via video link from Nowra Correctional Centre, and pleaded not guilty to 23 charges against him, relating to two alleged victims in Swansea and Belmont.

 

Six charges including cause child under 14 to participate in child prostitution and sexual intercourse with a person between 10 and 16 while under his authority were withdrawn.

 

Court documents revealed Orkopoulos was charged with trying to pervert the course of justice by getting an alleged victim to sign a statutory declaration retracting an allegation of sexual abuse.

 

Other charges he’s facing include aggravated indecent and sexual assault, commit an act of indecency with a person under 16, sexual intercourse with a person between 10 and 16 and supplying the prohibited drug cannabis.

 

Orkopoulos has been committed for trial in Newcastle’s District Court in June, where he will be arraigned.

 

On June 15 last year, Orkopoulos was arrested at Silverwater Jail over 15 fresh historical offences, where police allege the former Swansea MP sexually assaulted two young boys who were known to him on separate occasions in the 1990s, in Lake Macquarie and the Mid North Coast.

 

Some two months later, he was again charged with eight more offences against two young boys in Lake Macquarie between 1999 and 2003, before additional charges were laid late last year.

 

Released from Long Bay prison in December last year after spending 11 years behind bars for 30 child sex abuse and drugs offences, Orkopoulos was sent back to jail after breaking his parole conditions on two occasions.

 

Orkopoulos was sentenced to a two-year community corrections order (CCO) after he pleaded guilty to one count of breaching his parole conditions, with a further four charges of breaching parole taken into account.

 

Orkopoulos used a mobile phone to download Instagram and follow soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo, and used a fellow resident’s mobile to speak with an 11-year-old relative and call his sister.

 

https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/newslocal/the-newcastle-news/convicted-paedophile-milton-orkopoulos-pleads-not-guilty-to-historical-child-sex-charges/news-story/a15de3c7ed18f4a1b3cc2850c8f1f891

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 6, 2021, 2:30 a.m. No.13595489   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1298

Christian Brothers forced to increase payout to John Lawrence, who survived 'degrading, humiliating' sexual abuse

 

Joanna Menagh - 6 May 2021

 

WA's highest court has increased the record million-dollar payout awarded to an elderly man who was subjected to "degrading and humiliating" sexual abuse by Christian Brothers decades ago, with lawyers saying the decision will have implications for other abuse survivors.

 

Last year, 76-year-old John Thomas Lawrence was awarded $1.3 million in damages by a District Court judge after he testified at a trial about the years of physical and sexual abuse and other cruel conduct he endured while living at Clontarf and Castledare boys' homes in the 1950s.

 

Mr Lawrence was brought to Australia from England in 1952 when he was just eight years old, and was subject to protracted abuse, including six rapes at the hands of Christian Brother Lawrence Murphy, who is now dead.

 

'Perpetual fear of rape'

 

In last year's decision, Judge Mark Herron singled out Murphy, saying Mr Lawrence had "lived in perpetual fear and terror of being … raped and sexually abused" by him.

 

Mr Lawrence was also abused by two other brothers and a lay teacher, who are also now dead, in what Judge Herron described as "degrading, humiliating and insulting" abuse that also included neglect, intimidation and other cruel behaviour.

 

"I regard it as miraculous that Mr Lawrence — given the torment with which he has lived since he was first raped, causing him psychiatric and psychological injury, leading to alcoholism, drug overdoses, self harm and suicide attempts — has survived at all," Judge Herron said.

 

The damages payout included a sum of $400,000 calculated to be the interest on Mr Lawrence's "past economic loss" for earnings he missed out on because he was unable to work as a result of the abuse.

 

Laws were introduced in WA in June 1983 to allow for such interest payments to be awarded, but the Christian Brothers argued Mr Lawrence should not be entitled to claim interest at all, or only interest on lost earnings from 1983.

 

Today, in a unanimous decision, the Court of Appeal rejected their argument, finding the judge did have the power "to award pre-judgement interest to Mr Lawrence."

 

The court also upheld an appeal by Mr Lawrence against the way the final sum had been calculated, and ruled his compensation payout should be increased by $168,622.

 

Mr Lawrence, who has been diagnosed with leukaemia and diabetes, was not in court for the decision.

 

Hope other survivors will be helped

 

However, his lawyer Michael Magazanik said Mr Lawrence was "delighted" with the ruling.

 

"He is pleased the Christian Brothers have not been able to take a big chunk out of the court's verdict," he said outside court.

 

"He is even more pleased the court has increased his compensation."

 

Mr Magazanik said Mr Lawrence was also happy that the decision "opens the door wider for other survivors of abuse in Western Australia".

 

"He is still in contact with many other men who have been abused as boys, and he is delighted his win will help them."

 

However, Mr Magazanik said Mr Lawrence had absolutely no sympathy for the Christian Brothers because of the years of abuse they inflicted on him and the terrible consequences he has had to live with for decades

 

Mr Lawrence's compensation payout is believed to be the highest ever ordered by a court against the Christian Brothers religious order.

 

A $2.45 million payout was awarded earlier this year to a man who was abused by a priest at a Perth private school in the 1970s, but that was the result of a settlement with the Archdiocese of Perth, and not court-ordered.

 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-05-06/christian-brothers-forced-to-increase-payout-to-abuse-survivor/100121008

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 6, 2021, 2:40 a.m. No.13595526   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1252

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan

 

Press Release: Japan-Australia Foreign Ministers’ Meeting

 

May 5, 2021

 

On May 5, commencing at 11:50 a.m. (local time: on May 5 at 7:50 p.m. Japan time) for 20 minutes, Mr. MOTEGI Toshimitsu, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, held a Japan-Australia Foreign Ministers’ Meeting with Senator the Hon Marise Payne, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Commonwealth of Australia, during his visit to the United Kingdom, to attend the Meeting of G7 Foreign and Development Ministers. The overview of the meeting is as follows.

 

  1. At the outset, Minister Motegi mentioned that the range of cooperation between Japan and Australia has been steadily expanding, as shown by the development of security and defense cooperation, as well as in the economic field, cooperation on clean energy including Hydrogen, and confirmed that he would work with Minister Payne to continue to develop the bilateral relationship. In this context, the two Ministers confirmed that they would continue coordination with a view to hold the next Japan-Australia Foreign and Defense Ministerial Consultations (“2+2”) at an early timing.

 

  1. In addition, the two Ministers welcomed the fruitful discussions at the Japan-Australia-India-U.S. Leaders’ Video Conference in March and confirmed the importance to continue to accumulate concrete cooperation. They also concurred that Japan and Australia would promote cooperation with other relevant countries including Southeast Asia and Pacific Island countries towards realizing a “Free and Open Indo-Pacific.”

 

  1. The two Ministers also exchanged views and shared serious concerns regarding matters such as China's unilateral attempts to change the status quo and the situation in Hong Kong.

 

https://www.mofa.go.jp/press/release/press4e_002998.html

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 6, 2021, 3:10 a.m. No.13595629   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1252

>>13577360

Foreign Minister Marise Payne Tweet

 

(Australia) & (United Kingdom) bonds are stronger than ever, as our partnership in the #IndoPacific deepens. This morning in London, @DominicRaab & I discussed shared priorities including equitable vaccine access, cyber, Myanmar, Xinjiang & human rights. We welcome the UK #IntegratedReview. @G7

 

https://twitter.com/MarisePayne/status/1389954293499940864

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 6, 2021, 3:12 a.m. No.13595634   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1252

>>13577360

Foreign Minister Marise Payne Tweet

 

(Australia) & (France) are close friends in support of multilateralism, the rules-based international order & cooperation in the Indo-Pacific. France’s Foreign Minister @JY_LeDrian & I discussed defence & security ties & our deepening response to shared challenges in the region.

 

https://twitter.com/MarisePayne/status/1389966863367503872

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 6, 2021, 3:13 a.m. No.13595643   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1252

>>13577360

High Commissioner to the UK George Brandis Tweet

 

Australia’s values are clear, and we are resolute in our defence of liberal democracy.

 

@G7

 

https://twitter.com/AusHCUK/status/1389917859783004160

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 6, 2021, 11:40 a.m. No.13598599   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>8724 >>3540 >>1284

>>13460325

New Zealand torn between Western allies, domestic interests in China stance: experts

 

Chen Qingqing - May 06, 2021

 

New Zealand's back-and-forth attitude on whether to call China's Xinjiang policy "genocide" showed that it is struggling to act in line with its "Western identity" while carefully weighing its own interests with China, Chinese experts said.

 

The New Zealand Parliament unanimously voted for a motion on Wednesday to express grave concern at "severe human rights abuses" against Uygurs in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, calling for the New Zealand government to work with international organizations and partners to end those abuses with all relevant instruments, according to the New Zealand Herald.

 

However, due to pressure from the Labour Party, the term "genocide" was removed before it was put forward, and some observers saw the subtle changing attitude as signaling much more independence in the country's China policy compared to Australia.

 

"We should not count on New Zealand to completely drop the Western-led rhetoric on the Xinjiang issue, given the mounting pressure from the US and other major powers. In addition to misleading storytelling about China's Xinjiang, New Zealand is more or less influenced by the overall environment," Chen Hong, a professor and director of the Australian Studies Center at the East China Normal University, told the Global Times on Thursday.

 

"Such independence has been driving it to strike a balance amid geopolitical wrestling, reflecting its more pragmatic attitude, as it knows where the bottom line is," Chen said.

 

Unlike its close neighbor Australia, which has taken a hysterically harsh stance toward China, New Zealand has also maintained a certain distance from Five Eyes by disagreeing over the role of the alliance. Its foreign minister, Nanaia Mahuta, expressed some concerns over whether the framework needs to be invoked every time on every issue, especially on human rights issues, according to media reports. Some reports also raised questions such as why New Zealand is not on the same page as its allies in confronting China.

 

"It's unlikely that New Zealand will take the same aggressive moves as Australia has, which could also be much smarter," Chen said.

 

The Chinese Embassy in New Zealand voiced opposition on Thursday to the motion by saying that despite the truth and facts in Xinjiang, the parliament made groundless accusations against China over human rights abuses and grossly interfered in China's internal affairs.

 

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202105/1222792.shtml

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 6, 2021, 11:27 p.m. No.13603511   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>3516 >>3526 >>1284

>>13485007

>>13595127

Beijing calls the Morrison government ‘insane’ after Belt and Road retaliation

 

WILL GLASGOW - MAY 7, 2021

 

1/2

 

Beijing has blasted the Morrison government for its “insane suppression” of the Australia-China relationship, as it justified its tit-for-tat scuttling of a high-level economic and trade dialogue with Australia.

 

The suspension of the China-Australia Strategic Economic Dialogue on Thursday was apparently in retaliation to the Morrison government’s scrapping of Victoria’s Belt and Road deal and came after the announcement of a review of the 99-year lease of the Port of Darwin by Chinese company Landbridge.

 

It triggered a sell-off of the Australian dollar, stoked anxiety among China-exposed Australian businesses and was followed by a denunciation of the “wildness of Australian politicians” by a Chinese government adviser.

 

China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman blasted Australia at a press conference in Beijing on Thursday evening.

 

“We urge the Australian side to cast aside the Cold-War mentality and ideological bias, view China‘s development and China-Australia cooperation in a truly objective light, return to the rational track without further delay and correct its mistakes,” Mr Wang said.

 

“It should stop the insane suppression targeting China-Australia cooperation, stop politicising and stigmatising normal exchange and stop going further down the wrong path,” he said.

 

“Australia must bear all responsibility for this.”

 

Speaking in London overnight, Foreign Minister Marise Payne said she was “disappointed’’ that China had suspended economic dialogue with Australia, as it has been a “valuable tool for minister to engage’’ in Treasury and finance.

 

“We have been very clear that we were willing and able to participate in an ongoing Strategic and Economic Dialogue that is ultimately a decision for China … Australia is very ready to engage in dialogue with our counterparts at any level,’’ she said.

 

China-exposed businesses were alarmed at the formalisation of a diplomatic freeze Xi Jinping’s administration had unofficially imposed in 2018 after the Turnbull government banned Huawei from Australia’s 5G network.

 

“Beijing’s decision to suspend the Strategic Economic Dialogue marks a new low in the relationship, one that is of deep concern to the business community,” said Australia China Business Council president David Olsson.

 

“This is a serious diplomatic challenge that cannot be dismissed as just another case of Beijing ramping up the pressure on Australia,” said Mr Olsson, a partner at the Hong Kong-headquartered law firm King & Wood Mallesons.

 

Over the past year, China has imposed trade strikes on more than $20bn of annual Australian imports, including coal, wine, barley, timber and lobster.

 

The Australian dollar on Thursday fell 0.5 per cent to US77.07c after the announcement, but had recovered by Friday.

 

Trade Minister Dan Tehan said it was “disappointing” to learn about the formal suspension.

 

“The Strategic Economic Dialogue, which was last held in 2017, is an important forum for Australia and China to work through issues relevant to our economic partnership,” Mr Tehan said.

 

“We remain open to holding the dialogue and engaging at the ministerial level,” he said.

 

The Australian government had previously described the accord as one of the “premier bilateral economic meetings with China”.

 

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 6, 2021, 11:28 p.m. No.13603516   🗄️.is 🔗kun

>>13603511

 

2/2

 

Mei Xinyu, an adviser to China’s Ministry of Commerce in Beijing, said the decision meant further promotion of trade and economic relations between Australia and China “would be frozen”.

 

Professor Mei told The Australian he was dismayed at the “wildness of Australian politicians” and the fast deterioration of the bilateral relationship.

 

“I cannot predict what further wild things the Australian side will do,” he said, warning Australian politicians should be careful about provoking retaliatory action from the Chinese government.

 

Richard Maude, who was international adviser to prime minister Julia Gillard when the dialogue was announced on a trip to Beijing in 2013, said the Morrison government would have expected retaliation after axing the Victorian Belt and Road agreement.

 

Maude, the executive director of policy at the Asia Society Australia, said the end of the dialogue would be a blow to Australia’s ability to access China’s most important economic decision-makers and solve investment and trade problems.

 

“Trust has collapsed on both sides – a stark contrast to the sense of opportunity and optimism at the time the economic dialogue was created in 2013,” he said.

 

Despite being billed as an annual meeting when it was announced by the Gillard government in 2013, the China-Australia Strategic Economic Dialogue only met three times, in 2014, 2015 and 2017.

 

At that last meeting in Beijing in September 2017, then treasurer Scott Morrison and then trade minister Steven Ciobo agreed that Australia would co-operate on Belt and Road projects in third-party counties.

 

Andrew Robb, who as Trade minister in the Abbott government attended the first and second meetings of the dialogue, said they were the highest level economic and trade discussions held between Australia and China.

 

“To have these meetings cancelled is extremely unfortunate - it makes it more and more difficult to resolve our differences if we don’t have face-to-face discussions,” Mr Robb told The Australian.

 

“It’s going to set us back, further and further, in any attempts to bridge the differences,” he said.

 

At the G7 meeting in London the world’s wealthiest democratic nations called on China to “participate constructively in the rules-based international system’’, allow an independent investigation in Xinjiang and respect Hong Kong’s rights and freedoms.

 

G7 foreign ministers including US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab plus guests Australia, South Africa, South Korea and India issued a joint communique encouraging China to address global challenges including climate change and biodiversity loss, to promote economic recovery from COVID-19 and to support the fight against the current pandemic and prevent future ones.

 

Senator Payne, who attended a dinner at Lancaster House discussing the Indo-Pacific and then had a bilateral meeting with Mr Raab, tweeted that Australian and British bonds were “stronger than ever” as the partnership in the Indo-Pacific deepened.

 

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/dollar-falls-on-chinas-belt-and-road-retaliation/news-story/6ad2aa7b6bb9e638abb73ebb36e3f410

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 6, 2021, 11:29 p.m. No.13603526   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>8366 >>1284

>>13603511

Transcript - Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin's Regular Press Conference on May 6, 2021

 

RIA Novosti: I have two questions. First, the Pentagon said Wednesday it is following the trajectory of Long March 5B rocket expected to make an uncontrolled entry into the atmosphere this weekend. I wonder if you could provide any details? Second, the National Development and Reform Commission announced today its decision to indefinitely suspend all activities within the framework of the China-Australia Strategic Economic Dialogue. Could you give more details? Will it have effect on bilateral economic cooperation?

 

Wang Wenbin: On your first question, as a matter of principle, I would like to reiterate that China is always committed to the peaceful use of outer space and stands for international cooperation in this regard. China is ready to work with all relevant parties to make joint efforts for the peaceful use of outer space and safeguarding space security.

 

On your second question, we always believe that a sound and steady China-Australia relationship is in the fundamental interests of both countries and that bilateral cooperation is mutually-beneficial in nature. That said, mutual respect and mutual trust is the prerequisite of dialogue and practical cooperation between countries. For some time, the Australian side, in disregard of China's solemn position and repeated representations, doubled down on restriction and suppression of China-Australia cooperation projects in trade, culture and people-to-people exchanges by falsely citing "national security" reasons. This has severely damaged mutual trust and undermined the foundation for normal exchange and cooperation. China has no other choice but to make necessary and legitimate responses. The Australian side must take all responsibility for this.

 

We urge the Australian side to cast aside the Cold-War mentality and ideological bias, view China's development and China-Australia cooperation in a truly objective light, return to the rational track without further delay and correct its mistakes. It should stop the insane suppression targeting China-Australia cooperation, stop politicizing and stigmatizing normal exchange, and stop going further down the wrong path.

 

…..

 

FSN: A follow-up on China's decision to suspend economic dialogue with Australia. Is there any impact on trade between the two countries specifically?

 

Wang Wenbin: As I said, for some time, the Australian side doubled down on restriction and suppression of China-Australia cooperation projects in trade, culture and people-to-people exchanges by falsely citing "national security" reasons. This has severely damaged mutual trust and undermined the foundation for normal exchange and cooperation. China has no other choice but to make necessary and legitimate responses. The Australian side must take all responsibility for this.

 

https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/mfa_eng/xwfw_665399/s2510_665401/2511_665403/t1873782.shtml

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 6, 2021, 11:32 p.m. No.13603540   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>8366 >>1284

>>13460325

>>13598599

Transcript - Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin's Regular Press Conference on May 6, 2021

 

Shenzhen TV: In a recent speech to the China Business Summit in Auckland, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said that ties with China are among her country's most important bilateral relations and that New Zealand stays committed to the one-China policy. She also noted the two countries have differences on some issues and need to work to effectively manage and control them. Do you have a comment?

 

Wang Wenbin: We noted relevant reports. The New Zealand leader said that she attaches importance to developing relations with China and reiterated her country's commitment to the one-China policy. We appreciate the statement. China and New Zealand are each other's important cooperative partner, with bilateral relations and cooperation registering many "firsts". The 49-year-long journey since establishment of diplomatic ties proves that as long as we show each other mutual respect, seek common ground and shelve differences, treat one another as equals and pursue win-win cooperation, we should be able to and can achieve sound progress in bilateral relations. China stands ready to work together with New Zealand to forge ahead and break new ground, strengthen dialogue, deepen cooperation, rise above disturbances and work for greater progress in our comprehensive strategic partnership.

 

China is committed to an independent foreign policy of peace. We believe in the equality of all countries regardless of size. We firmly uphold international law, basic norms governing international relations, international fairness and justice. We are committed to advancing the building of a community with a shared future for mankind. China does not intend to engage in systemic competition or ideological confrontation with Western countries. Our development does not come at the expense of other countries' interests. On the contrary, it presents immense development opportunities for all. We are ready to enhance cooperation with all sides including New Zealand to contribute to world peace and development.

 

https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/mfa_eng/xwfw_665399/s2510_665401/2511_665403/t1873782.shtml

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 6, 2021, 11:45 p.m. No.13603588   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1272

Cardinal Pell’s Prison Journal, Vol. 2, details crushing rejection of appeal

 

''High-ranking Catholic cardinal details spiritual reflections of time spent in solitary confinement while unjustly accused of wrongdoing''

 

RNS Press Release Distribution Service - May 6, 2021

 

SAN FRANCISCO — In the second volume of Cardinal George Pell’s prison journal trilogy, PRISON JOURNAL, VOLUME 2: THE STATE COURT REJECTS THE APPEAL (Ignatius Press), the incarcerated Cardinal learns that his appeal was rejected and he must remain in prison. The unprecedented work chronicles Cardinal Pell’s life in an Australian prison as he continues to prove his innocence against unjust accusations of sex abuse. The first volume, PRISON JOURNAL, VOLUME 1: THE CARDINAL MAKES HIS APPEAL, was released last year.

 

PRISON JOURNAL, VOLUME 2: THE STATE COURT REJECTS THE APPEAL covers the time period of July 14, 2019, through November 30, 2019. In this second of three volumes, Cardinal Pell receives the terrible news that his first appeal is rejected. With the same grace, wisdom and calm perseverance displayed in Volume 1, he continues his quest for justice by appealing to the Australian High Court. Glimmers of hope emerge as more legal experts, including non-Catholics, join the chorus of those demanding that this miscarriage of justice be reversed.

 

Cardinal George Pell, as prefect of the Secretariat for the Economy, which had been newly created by Pope Francis to manage the finances of the Vatican, was accused of sexually assaulting choir boys in his former cathedral during the 1990s. So sure that the charges were false, the cardinal voluntarily left Rome for Australia to stand trial. The trial ended in a hung jury, but when the case was retried, Cardinal Pell was found guilty and sentenced to six years in prison. He spent 404 days in solitary confinement until his appeal was unanimously overturned by the Australian High Court.

 

“Two lessons emerge from this astonishing work. The first lesson is the length to which a hate-filled judicial process will go against an innocent man — a process redeemed ultimately by Australia’s High Court, but not before soiling the credibility of a nation’s legal system,” said Charles Chaput, OFM Cap, Archbishop Emeritus of Philadelphia. “The second is the power of a good man’s endurance in the face of humiliation and poisonous deceit. Cardinal Pell is a superb writer and an articulate witness to an inexcusable abuse of law, but also to the triumph of God’s grace. His journal is a marvel.”

 

For more information, to request a review copy or to schedule an interview with Cardinal George Pell, please contact Lisa Wheeler (866-777-2313, ext. 700 or LWheeler@CarmelCommunications.com) of Carmel Communications.

 

https://religionnews.com/2021/05/06/cardinal-pells-prison-journal-vol-2-details-crushing-rejection-of-appeal/

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 6, 2021, 11:59 p.m. No.13603646   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>3650 >>1307

>>13586735

>>13586745

Facebook keeps Donald Trump on ice … for now

 

JACK THE INSIDER (Peter Hoysted) - MAY 7, 2021

 

1/2

 

Social media giant Facebook has decided to keep former President Trump from using its platforms – Facebook and Instagram — in a decision announced on Thursday. Facebook relied upon its Oversight Board, a 20 member independent expert panel who specialise in journalism, free speech and human rights to make the decision.

 

The Oversight Board has recommended the suspension be reviewed within six months.

 

Following the Facebook announcement, the former president issued a statement on his website, Oxford comma and all.

 

“What Facebook, Twitter, and Google have done is a total disgrace and an embarrassment to our Country. Free Speech has been taken away from the President of the United States because the Radical Left Lunatics are afraid of the truth, but the truth will come out anyway, bigger and stronger than ever before. The People of our Country will not stand for it! These corrupt social media companies must pay a political price, and must never again be allowed to destroy and decimate our Electoral Process.”

 

And therein lies the immediate answer to those who believe Trump’s social media bans are a prohibition on his free speech. He’s not gagged. He’s still shouting out vitriol, still huffing in caps where caps shouldn’t be, still clinging to the nonsense that he won the 2020 Presidential election, still full of malice for his political opponents, the latest target, Republican congresswoman Liz Cheney, receiving multiple sprays over the last few days.

 

In fact, just a few days ago, Trump appeared less concerned with his social media ban while enthusing about his new site and its numerous posts.

 

“They’re really much more elegant. And the word is getting out. The tweeting gets you in trouble. You’re retweeting people and find out that the retweets were not so good, because the person – if you didn’t do the research – is not the best… I like this better than Twitter. Actually, they did us a favour,” the former POTUS told the conservative news and opinion channel, Newsmax.

 

But the reality is that Trump and whatever political and commercial ambitions he harbours, require the reach of social media, forums denied to him but available to his political opponents.

 

Trump was banned from Facebook platforms on January 7, the day after the Capitol riot in Washington DC. At the time, the company’s CEO, Mark Zuckerberg described the ban as “indefinite” in a statement on Facebook. “We believe the risks of allowing the President to continue to use our service during this period are simply too great,” Zuckerberg said.

 

The following day, he was banned permanently from Twitter, Google’s YouTube did likewise, Reddit cut their Donald Trump forum and the online gaming forum, Twitch, followed suit.

 

Certainly, it was a very dangerous time in the US. Five people died in the Capitol riots, sometimes called a siege or an insurrection and even more colourfully, an attempted coup.

 

Since then, over 400 hundred arrests have been made.

 

In February, acting US Attorney for the District of Columbia, Michael Sherwin said “the scope and scale of this investigation in these cases are really unprecedented, not only in FBI history but probably US history.”

 

One hundred days after the Capitol riot, the first guilty plea came when Jon Schaffer, 53, a member of the Oath Keepers, an umbrella group for various militia, pleaded guilty to two charges – obstruction of an official proceeding and entering a restricted building with a dangerous weapon. He was facing up to 30 years in prison and now, through a plea deal which saw some of the more serious charges dropped, he is looking at a prison term determined in a pre-sentence hearing as somewhere between 41 and 51 months.

 

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 7, 2021, midnight No.13603650   🗄️.is 🔗kun

>>13603646

 

2/2

 

Many of those who have been charged believe they were only doing what Trump had wanted them to do. The QAnon Shaman, Jacob Chansley, 33, requested a presidential pardon before Trump left office. Chansley’s lawyer tried to argue his client had merely “answered Trump’s call” and that Trump “needed to be accountable” for stirring up the unrest.

 

While Trump was impeached for inspiring the Capitol riots, no conviction was obtained in the Senate. But in the two months between the election and the January 6 tumult in DC, Trump posted all over social media that the election was rigged, Stop the Steal rallies were organised across the country by Trump and his acolytes, with the granddaddy of them all, the rally on January 6.

 

Some of the others who followed him to the precipice and then took that one extra step, include lawyer hired and then fired by Trump, Sidney Powell who had promised to “release the kracken” which turned out to be a damp squib of bizarre conspiracy theories that alleged Denver-based voting machine company, Dominion had conspired with others to steal the election on behalf of Joe Biden. Powell’s defence, filed in March, is that that no sane person would have viewed her statements as matters of fact or substance.

 

Questions arise from that fevered two month period, when does speech become incitement to violence? Should free speech protections include the deliberate and malicious communication of misinformation? Does free speech imply speech without consequence? And how do social media companies, some of them the most powerful corporations in the world, address these issues? Specifically, if Trump’s ban was lifted and he continued to rail on the stolen election conspiracy, how should Facebook act then?

 

Facebook’s Oversight Board concluded the company acted appropriately in banning Trump for repeated breaches of Facebook’s terms of service. But the board also levelled criticisms at Zuckerberg et al for not clearly enunciating those terms of service and acting arbitrarily in imposing an indefinite ban.

 

“In applying a vague, standardless penalty and then referring this case to the Board to resolve, Facebook seeks to avoid its responsibilities,” the Board’s report read.

 

Facebook was a reluctant entry into the business of curation and oversight. It has profited from advertising, often political, that was a cocktail of misinformation, propaganda and outright lies. The creation of its Oversight Board may well be a bit of fluff, an edifice designed to placate its many critics.

 

It is difficult to argue that Trump has been silenced because he is still making a lot of noise. But in a world that sits awkwardly in what is referred to as a ‘post-truth era’, where dangerous cults loom and misinformation is mischievously circulated, denying established truths, where even a pandemic ravaged India is painted as theatrically fake, where people are urged not to believe their eyes but what they are told, the limits of free speech and where social media platforms draw the line is a conversation we all need to have.

 

Peter Hoysted is Jack the Insider: a highly placed, dedicated servant of the nation with close ties to leading figures in politics, business and the union movement.

 

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/commentary/facebook-keeps-donald-trump-on-ice-for-now/news-story/9c7ea6acfe3bae98f8aa485f5badab73

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 7, 2021, 1:39 a.m. No.13603946   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>3861 >>8222 >>1252

>>13553469

>>13553502

Israeli company denies 'security rumours' as Defence removes multi-billion-dollar technology and quarantines Army IT systems

 

Andrew Greene - 7 May 2021

 

Defence has begun stripping Israeli-developed technology from Army equipment because of fears it could be used to harvest sensitive data from military hardware and systems.

 

The company in question, Elbit Systems of Australia, has "strongly" rejected what it claims are "security rumours" connected to its multi-billion-dollar Battle Management System (BMS).

 

However, the ABC can reveal Army Headquarters last month issued a directive ordering Defence to "cease use" of the Elbit BMS Command and Control (BMS-C2) in preparation for a replacement system.

 

"The employment of the BMS-C2 system version 7.1 within Army's preparedness environment is to cease no later than May 15 2021," the order states.

 

Military sources have told the ABC that Defence believes the Elbit technology may compromise sensitive data, triggering a directive that it "not be configured or accessed" on certain Army systems.

 

Elbit's BMS, introduced a decade ago, allowed Army commanders to replace maps and analogue radios with advanced digital, encrypted technology and networks to better coordinate their units in the field and to protect classified information.

 

Army's directive last month also demanded items such as USB memory sticks and software "be withdrawn from issue to users and consolidated and quarantined by signals support staff".

 

"Defence is to cease use of the BMS-C2 in accordance with timings in order to prepare for the transition to an interim Battle Management System capability."

 

In a statement, Elbit Systems of Australia managing director, retired Major General Paul McLachlan, strongly rejected suggestions the company's product posed any risk.

 

"Elbit Systems of Australia strongly refutes the security rumours raised in recent media articles," Major General McLachlan said.

 

"Elbit Systems of Australia utilises secure software development processes in collaboration with the Department of Defence, including the provision of all source code."

 

Major General McLachlan added: "Elbit Systems of Australia will continue to work closely with the Australian Defence Force to deliver its network capability requirements."

 

The Defence Department and federal government are yet to comment on the decision to stop using Elbit equipment, which has begun to receive significant media attention in Israel.

 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-05-07/israeli-company-elbit-systems-of-australia-removed-army/100121238

 

https://twitter.com/AndrewBGreene/status/1390485416164270081

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 7, 2021, 2:10 a.m. No.13604022   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>4224 >>1252

U.S. Senator Ted Cruz Tweet

 

Had a great dinner tonight with President Trump at Mar-a-Lago.

 

He’s in great spirits! We spent the evening talking about working together to re-take the House & Senate in 2022.

 

https://twitter.com/tedcruz/status/1389759331470659586

 

 

Malcolm Turnbull Tweets

 

“re-take the House & Senate in 2022” like you did on 6 January 2021?

 

https://twitter.com/TurnbullMalcolm/status/1390253111869022213

 

 

Dr. Carter Pewterschmidt@carter_pewter

 

Replying to @TurnbullMalcolm

 

C'mon Malcolm, you a former PM of Aus? Openly taking sides…?

 

https://twitter.com/carter_pewter/status/1390253677647175683

 

 

Malcolm Turnbull @TurnbullMalcolm

 

Replying to @carter_pewter

 

Are you kidding? Taking sides? Sure, I am on the side of democracy and the rule of law. I am not on the side of armed mobs trying to overturn an election and hang elected officials. Nor am I on the side of the media that enabled it. What “side” are you on?

 

https://twitter.com/TurnbullMalcolm/status/1390254457896591362

 

https://qanon.pub/?q=X%2FAUS

 

https://qanon.pub/?q=call%20details

 

https://qanon.pub/?q=Threat%20to%20AUS

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 7, 2021, 4:04 p.m. No.13608307   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>8311 >>5963 >>3893 >>3895 >>2438 >>7968 >>1284

Chinese military scientists discussed weaponising SARS coronaviruses

 

SHARRI MARKSON and JACK HAZLEWOOD - MAY 7, 2021

 

1/3

 

Chinese military scientists discussed the weaponisation of SARS coronaviruses five years before the COVID-19 pandemic, outlining their ideas in a document that predicted a third world war would be fought with biological weapons.

 

The document, written by People’s Liberation Army scientists and senior Chinese public health officials in 2015, was obtained by the US State Department as it conducted an investigation into the origins of COVID-19, The Weekend Australian has confirmed.

 

The paper describes SARS ­coronaviruses as heralding a “new era of genetic weapons” and says they can be “artificially manipulated into an emerging human ­disease virus, then weaponised and unleashed in a way never seen before”.

 

The revelation features in an upcoming investigative book on the origins of COVID-19, titled What Really Happened In Wuhan, to be published by Harper­Collins.

 

The chairmen of the British and Australian foreign affairs and intelligence committees, Tom ­Tugendhat and James Paterson, say the document raises major concerns about China’s lack of transparency over the origins of COVID-19.

 

The Chinese-language paper, titled The Unnatural Origin of SARS and New Species of Man-Made Viruses as Genetic Bioweapons, outlines China’s progress in the research field of biowarfare.

 

“Following developments in other scientific fields, there have been major advances in the delivery of biological agents,” it states.

 

“For example, the new-found ability to freeze-dry micro-organisms has made it possible to store biological agents and aerosolise them during attacks.”

 

Some of China’s senior public health and military figures are ­listed among the 18 authors of the document, including the former deputy director of China’s Bureau of Epidemic Prevention, Li Feng. Ten of the authors are scientists and weapons experts affiliated with the Air Force Medical ­University in Xi’an, ranked “very high-risk” for its level of defence research, including its work on medical and psychological sciences, according to the Australian Strategic Policy Institute’s ­Defence Universities Tracker.

 

The Air Force Medical University, also known as the Fourth Medical University, was placed under the command of the PLA under President Xi Jinping’s military reforms in 2017. The editor-in-chief of the paper, Xu Dezhong, reported to the top leadership of the Chinese Military Commission and Ministry of Health during the SARS epidemic of 2003, briefing them 24 times and preparing three reports, according to his online ­biography.

 

He also held the position of professor and doctoral supervisor in the Air Force Medical University’s Military Epidemiology ­Department.

 

Other authors include Zhang Jiangxia and Zhao Ningning, who both served as experiment scientists in the same department.

 

Intelligence agencies suspect COVID-19 may be the result of an inadvertent leak from a Wuhan laboratory, a line of inquiry under active investigation since early 2020. There is no evidence to suggest it was intentionally released.

 

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 7, 2021, 4:05 p.m. No.13608311   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>8319

>>13608307

 

2/3

 

Robert Potter, a digital forensics specialist who has worked for the US, Australian and Canadian governments, and has previously analysed leaked Chinese government documents, verified the ­authenticity of the paper.

 

“We were able to verify its ­authenticity as a document authored by the particular PLA ­researchers and scientists stated,” Mr Potter, the co-chief executive of Internet 2.0, said. “We were able to locate its genesis on the Chinese internet.”

 

There is concern about the high-risk nature of the biological research into coronaviruses Wuhan scientists were conducting, particularly involving “Gain of Function” research where virologists create new viruses that are more transmissible and more ­lethal. Australian Strategic Policy ­Institute executive director Peter Jennings said under Mr Xi’s ­increasing emphasis on civil-military fusion, China’s biological ­research into coronaviruses could be weaponised.

 

“There is no clear distinction for research capability because whether it’s used offensively or defensively is not a decision these scientists would take,” he said.

 

“If you are building skills ostensibly to protect your military from a biological attack, you’re at the same time giving your military a capacity to use these weapons ­offensively. You can’t separate the two.”

 

The document offers an insight into the way senior scientists at one of the PLA’s most prominent military universities were thinking about biological research ­development.

 

It notes how a sudden surge of patients requiring hospitalisation during a bioweapon attack “could cause the enemy’s medical system to collapse”.

 

The document refers to the ­research of Michael J. Ainscough, a former US Air Force colonel, on modes of conflict and bioweapons.

 

That research explains “next-generation bioweapons” as part of a US Air Force program aimed at better preparing American ­national security policymakers and senior members of the military to counter the threat from weapons of mass destruction.

 

Drawing on Colonel Ainscough’s research, the authors conclude a third world war “will be biological” and that “the core weapon for victory in World War Three will be bioweapons”.

 

“Colonel Ainscough’s conclusion states: ‘There are those who say the First World War was chemical, the Second World War was nuclear, and that the Third World War — God forbid — will be biological’,” it reads.

 

“There are two meanings to this: Firstly, the First and Second World Wars were chemical and nuclear wars respectively; and the Third World War will certainly be a biological war.

 

“Secondly, advanced weapons are the key factor in determining the fate of World War III. Colonel Ainscough probably believed that the two atomic bombs forced Japan to surrender, laying the foundation for victory in World War II; so, the core weapon for victory in World War III will be bioweapons”.

 

The study also examines the optimum conditions under which to release a bioweapon. “Bioweapon attacks are best conducted during dawn, dusk, night or cloudy weather because intense sunlight can damage the pathogens,” it states. “Biological agents should be released during dry weather. Rain or snow can cause the aerosol particles to precipitate.

 

“A stable wind direction is ­desirable so that the aerosol can float into the target area.”

 

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 7, 2021, 4:06 p.m. No.13608319   🗄️.is 🔗kun

>>13608311

 

3/3

 

Among the most bizarre claims by the military scientists is their theory that SARS-CoV-1, the virus that caused the SARS epidemic of 2003, was a man-made bioweapon, deliberately unleashed on China by “terrorists”.

 

Scientific consensus holds that SARS-CoV-1 was of natural origin, having crossed the xenographic barrier from Asian palm civets to humans, likely through the sale of wild animals in wet markets in Guangdong province, southern China. The 263-page paper was published in 2015 by the Chinese Military Medical Science Press, a Chinese government-owned publishing house managed by the General Logistics Department of the PLA.

 

The Weekend Australian has confirmed the paper was then obtained by senior officials at the US State Department in May 2020, who were investigating the origins of the pandemic.

 

Former secretary of state Mike Pompeo and his chief China ­adviser, Miles Yu, made a passing reference to it in their Wall Street Journal op-ed in February on China’s laboratories, writing: “A 2015 PLA study treated the 2003 SARS coronavirus outbreak as a ‘contemporary genetic weapon’ launched by foreign forces.”

 

After this, the paper circulated among Chinese dissident communities online.

 

Luke de Pulford, the co-ordinator of the Inter-Parliamentary ­Alliance on China, also received the document and said that while many Chinese papers came across his desk, this one “stuck out”. “If this piece of work is representative of the scientific thinking of those who have advised the top leadership of the Chinese Communist Party, then there are very serious questions which need urgent ­answers,” he said.

 

Mr Tugendhat said: “China’s evident interest in bioweapons is extremely concerning.

 

“Even under the tightest controls these weapons are dangerous. This document raises major concerns about the ambitions of some of those who advise the top party leadership.”

 

Senator Paterson said “these revelations demonstrate exactly why nothing less than complete transparency from the Chinese Communist Party is required about the origins of COVID-19”.

 

“The Chinese government’s failure to fully co-operate with the WHO investigation does nothing to instil confidence in what we have been told so far,” he said.

 

“Only they can dispel speculation about alternative theories of the cause of this pandemic.”

 

World Health Organisation ­director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has previously said there needs to be further investigation into the possibility of a lab accident in Wuhan, criticising his own team’s inquiry — that claimed a lab leak was unlikely — for not being thorough or ­extensive.

 

“Although the team has concluded that a laboratory leak is the least likely hypothesis, this requires further investigation, potentially with additional missions involving specialist experts, which I am ready to deploy,” Dr Tedros said on March 31.

 

“The team also visited several laboratories in Wuhan and considered the possibility that the virus entered the human population as a result of a laboratory ­incident.

 

“However, I do not believe that this assessment was extensive enough. Further data and studies will be needed to reach more ­robust conclusions.”

 

In 2020, the US State Department produced its annual report on arms control agreements which noted: “China continues to develop its biotechnology infrastructure and pursue scientific co-operation with countries of concern.

 

“The United States has compliance concerns with respect to Chinese military medical institutions’ toxin research and development because of the potential dual-use applications and their potential as a biological threat.”

 

Citing a past US government treaty compliance report, the Arms Control Association, an NGO promoting public understanding of, and support for, effective arms control policies, reported that China, along with North Korea, Iran and Syria, had “flagrantly violated” the convention: “The convention has been flagrantly violated in the past … the US government listed, in ­addition to Russia, (Biological Weapons Convention) states-­parties China, Iran, and North Korea, as well as BWC signatory Syria, as possessing offensive biological weapons in violation of the treaty.”

 

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/chinese-military-scientists-discussed-weaponising-sars-coronaviruses/news-story/850ae2d2e2681549cb9d21162c52d4c0

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 7, 2021, 4:14 p.m. No.13608366   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>4218 >>1289

>>13603526

>>13603540

Beijing praises Ardern in-between blasts at Morrison

 

WILL GLASGOW - MAY 7, 2021

 

Beijing has praised New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern in between blasts at the “insane” Morrison government in a blunt attempt to wedge the close ­Tasman allies.

 

After President Xi Jinping’s administration formally suspended a high-level trade dialogue with Australia, China’s foreign ministry portrayed New Zealand as the diplomatic model Australia should follow.

 

Foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin praised a speech Ms Ardern gave on China this week in between rants about Australia’s misbehaviour.

 

“The 49-year-long journey since establishment of diplomatic ties proves that as long as we show each other mutual respect, seek common ground and shelve differences, treat one another as equals and pursue win-win co-­operation, we should be able to and can achieve sound progress in bilateral relations,” he said at Thursday night’s foreign ministry press conference in Beijing.

 

Mr Wang overlooked the key message of Ms Ardern’s speech, which frankly acknowledged the growing list of issues upon New Zealand and China “do not, cannot, and will not agree”.

 

Mr Wang also did not mention the motion the New Zealand parliament passed this week — with Ms Ardern’s clear support — that unanimously declared that ­“severe human rights abuses” were occurring in Xinjiang.

 

Since Australia’s relationship with China imploded a year ago, Beijing has presented New Zealand as an example of a well-­behaving wealthy country.

 

China’s state-controlled media gleefully reported comments by New Zealand Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta last month that Wellington was uneasy about the increased usage of the Five Eyes intelligence grouping as a vehicle for making statements critical of Beijing. Ms Ardern quickly clarified New Zealand’s commitment to the intelligence grouping with Australia, the US, Britain and Canada.

 

In a speech in Auckland on Monday in front of a business crowd, Ms Ardern spoke directly about the increasing difficulties in New Zealand’s relationship with the Xi administration.

 

“It will not have escaped the attention of anyone here that as China’s role in the world grows and changes, the differences ­between our systems — and the interests and values that shape those systems — are becoming harder to reconcile,” she told the China Business Summit.

 

“Managing the relationship is not always going to be easy and there can be no guarantees.”

 

David Capie, director of the Centre for Strategic Studies at Wellington’s Victoria University, said the “key takeaway” from the speech was a clear message to New Zealand’s business community.

 

“Look across the Tasman. As you think about going into business in China, you need to be aware of the risks as well as the opportunities,” he told The Weekend Australian.

 

Beijing has praised New Zealand as a model partner as sanctions have been whacked on more than $20bn of Australian exports and China’s media and foreign ministry have thundered about Canberra.

 

That may have limited Beijing’s criticism this week of the forthright language Ms Ardern used on China and the motion in Wellington condemning the treatment of Uighur people in Xinjiang.

 

“To present New Zealand as the right kind of partner and then turn around and flay it publicly and put it in the freezer is a little hard to reconcile,” Mr Capie said.

 

Meanwhile, the anger at the Morrison government continued as Beijing justified its tit-for-tat scuttling of a high-level economic and trade dialogue after Canberra tore up Victoria’s Belt and Road agreement.

 

“We urge the Australian side to cast aside the Cold-War mentality and ideological bias, view China’s development and China-Australia co-operation in a truly objective light, return to the ­rational track without further delay and correct its mistakes,” Mr Wang said.

 

“It should stop the insane suppression targeting China-Australia co-operation, stop politicising and stigmatising normal exchange and stop going further down the wrong path.”

 

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/world/beijing-praises-ardern-inbetween-blasts-at-morrison/news-story/ec2d51d339502de788e9036a653c5119

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 7, 2021, 4:30 p.m. No.13608464   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>0206 >>1252

Royal Australian Air Force Air Vice-Marshal Catherine Roberts to become Australia's first space commander

 

Andrew Greene - 8 May 2021

 

A senior Royal Australian Air Force officer whose childhood idol was Neil Armstrong will become Australia's first space commander next year.

 

Air Vice-Marshal Catherine Roberts, who is currently the Head of Air Force Capability, will take over the newly created position of Head of Space Division from January.

 

The trained engineer, who has served in the RAAF for 35 years, was awarded a Conspicuous Service Cross for her work in overseeing the introduction of major aviation capabilities.

 

Her appointment as the country's inaugural space commander comes just weeks after Air Force Chief Air Marshal Mel Hupfeld revealed planning was well underway for a new military "space command".

 

"I think we're probably about three or four years behind where I would rather be at the moment, but we're catching up quickly," the chief told the ABC in an interview marking the RAAF's centenary.

 

The soon-to-be Head of Space Division last year revealed her life-long passion for the final frontier in a video address to the Women in Leadership Digital Summit.

 

"The first person I remember ever having a material impact on my ambition was Neil Armstrong," she said.

 

"In 1969, as a three-year-old, I watched on in awe as Lieutenant Armstrong descended the ladder of the lunar lander and uttered the first words ever spoken on the Moon.

 

"It was an incredible moment for humanity and millions of aspiring engineers that were probably created at that moment — I was no different."

 

Air Vice-Marshal Roberts' new role was first confirmed by the Chief of Defence, General Angus Campbell, as one of dozens of several senior appointments and promotions made just before Anzac Day.

 

More than one history-making appointment

 

From next year, the army will also have its first female Deputy Chief, becoming the first of Australia's armed services to appoint a woman to such a senior role.

 

Major General Natasha Fox will take up the role from January, in an announcement first made internally to the military just before Anzac Day.

 

She has deployed to Lebanon, Syria and Israel, and was the Chief of Staff for Joint Task Force 633 in the Middle East where she received an Order of Australia for her service.

 

Officer appointed to tackle war crimes fallout

 

While unveiling a raft of senior appointments and promotions, General Campbell also confirmed Rear Admiral Brett Wolski had already begun working as the head of the Afghanistan Inquiry Response Task Force.

 

The senior naval officer formally begun his work as head of the taskforce in February, before Peter Dutton was appointed Defence Minister.

 

Rear Admiral Wolski's taskforce is a small temporary team established within the Australian Defence Force Headquarters.

 

Its primary role is to prepare Defence to receive and respond to the Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force's inquiry into alleged war crimes in Afghanistan.

 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-05-08/air-force-vice-marshal-catherine-roberts-australia-space-command/100124660

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 7, 2021, 6:18 p.m. No.13609317   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>9344 >>9517 >>1289

>>13515337

>>13517916

>>13577336

OPINION: Ill-disciplined chest-thumping has put war at centre of what’s left of the Australia-China relationship

 

Kevin Rudd, Former Australian prime minister - May 8, 2021

 

1/2

 

The Morrison government’s recent indisciplined commentary on the possibility of Australian military engagement in a future US-China war over Taiwan is both politically juvenile and potentially damaging to our core national security interests.

 

For 50 years, successive Australian governments have not speculated publicly on what Australia would do in the event of a military crisis or conflict over Taiwan. Scott Morrison, Defence Minister Peter Dutton and aspiring defence secretary Michael Pezzullo have spectacularly breached that bipartisan convention over the past fortnight. Classified military briefings have also been leaked. These three have sought to deflect criticism over the precise parsing of their language, but the net effect has been to elevate the idea of a looming war – and Australia’s probable involvement in it – as the focus of the already dysfunctional Australia-China relationship.

 

Previous Australian governments have been tight-lipped about potential Taiwan military scenarios for good reason. Such a conflict would involve the world’s two biggest militaries and likely become the most violent and destructive war in Asia since 1945. Given the horrendous choices that would present the government of the day, Australia should not at this stage compromise the independence and flexibility of our national decision-making. And nobody can predict with any certainty which scenarios might arise between cyberattack, maritime blockade, territorial invasion or something else entirely.

 

In Canberra, Washington, Beijing and Taipei, our officials have done everything possible to prevent any such war from occurring while also forestalling any change to the status quo through the application of Chinese coercion. With Washington, our aim has been to ensure the US has sufficient military deterrence in the region to cause China to defer its longheld ambition to take Taiwan – if necessary by force. In Beijing, we have encouraged China to conclude Washington is determined to defend Taiwan – not least because, if the US failed to act, it would destroy American credibility among its other allies. As for Taipei, we have sought to discourage successive Taiwanese governments from any unilateral declarations of independence (or steps in that direction) that would cross Beijing’s most fundamental red lines.

 

The Morrison government’s adolescent chest-thumping over Taiwan has perplexed the Americans, infuriated the Chinese, puzzled the Taiwanese and bamboozled most of the region. Only seven weeks ago, Joe Biden’s secretary of state Antony Blinken met with his Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi and reportedly intervened on behalf of US allies like Australia, which had been on the receiving end of Chinese economic thuggery. China’s anti-Australian rhetoric had begun to moderate in the weeks following that – at least until Morrison decided to unleash on Victoria over its nebulous and non-binding MOUs on the Belt and Road initiative, followed by this most recent rhetorical fusillade over Taiwan. Taiwan’s own foreign minister Joseph Wu on Wednesday discounted the idea of imminent war. And most of the rest of the region sees Australia’s extravagant public language as spoiling for a political fight with China whereas countries like Japan have systematically consolidated their position with the new US Administration while keeping relations with Beijing on as even a public keel as possible.

 

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 7, 2021, 6:21 p.m. No.13609344   🗄️.is 🔗kun

>>13609317

 

2/2

 

So why have Morrison, Dutton and associates publicly signalled “Code Red” over Taiwan? It’s inconceivable that national security agencies in Canberra recommended this as it serves no national interests. Developing detailed, classified diplomatic and military plans for various Taiwan contingencies is prudent strategic planning. Shooting your mouth off about war in the Taiwan Straits is not. In fact, it’s strategically counterproductive.

 

The only conceivable motive is that the government is determined to fight a khaki election, given the vaccine and quarantine programs are a mess, its credentials with women lie in tatters, and old faithful “debt and deficit” is now rendered toothless given that debt and deficit figures are seven-times bigger than when Labor left office. For the Liberals, China is the best camouflage on offer to wedge Labor as a bunch of pro-commie, peacenik appeasers. Never mind that Morrison can’t even speak to Neil Mitchell without confusing Taiwan and Hong Kong; never mind that Morrison as treasurer allowed the sale of the Port of Darwin to the Chinese; and never mind how the Liberals led the charge into war in Iraq to eliminate weapons of mass destruction that didn’t exist.

 

Then there’s the worst-kept secret in Canberra: the undeclared leadership battle between Dutton and Morrison, where the former views China as the best vehicle to outflank the latter within the Liberal party room. It’s obscene: playing roulette with our core national economic and security interests with the US, China and Taiwan for pure political gain.

 

The truth is China’s growing power, its increasing assertiveness and the specular failures of the Trump administration have made the Australia-China relationship difficult for any Australian government. While Taiwan may not face the direct threat of invasion now, the risk of force being used will become greater by the end of this decade if the regional military gap between the US and China continues to widen in Beijing’s favour – unless, of course, the Americans and Taiwanese can close the gap.

 

These are complex challenges that require leaders of sound, sober and measured judgment. These adjectives are not signs of weakness. They are measures of strength. National security is not a political game. It’s serious. The lives of our men and women in uniform are at stake. However, the Dutton-Morrison performance of the last fortnight puts beyond doubt that this government lacks the temperament to manage the profoundly complex national security challenges that now lie ahead.

 

Kevin Rudd is a former prime minister and foreign minister of Australia.

 

https://www.smh.com.au/world/asia/ill-disciplined-chest-thumping-has-put-war-at-centre-of-what-s-left-of-the-australia-china-relationship-20210507-p57pr5.html

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 7, 2021, 6:45 p.m. No.13609517   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>9530 >>1289

>>13609317

Taiwan shores up allies as China threat looms

 

Taiwan’s Foreign Minister has backed a hardening of the Morrison government’s rhetoric towards China and says it is preparing for a ‘final assault’ by Beijing.

 

Michael Smith - May 6, 2021

 

1/2

 

Taiwan has warned it is preparing for a “final assault” by China as the disputed island territory called on Australia to help defend it against President Xi Jinping’s “expansionism”, which it says threatens democracies around the world.

 

Taiwanese Foreign Minister Joseph Wu backed the Morrison government’s hawkish rhetoric towards China, welcoming comments over the past fortnight by senior Australian government and defence officials who have raised the prospect of a military conflict with China over Taiwan.

 

In an exclusive interview with The Australian Financial Review, Mr Wu called on Australia to pursue “broader relations” with Taipei but stopped short of calling on Canberra to provide military support for now.

 

He said an invasion of Taiwan was “not imminent” but a military confrontation with China was a genuine threat that Canberra understood.

 

“China is engaging in isolating Taiwan from the international arena, trying to engage in disinformation … or hybrid warfare, and intensifying it’s a military threat against Taiwan. [It] seems to be preparing for a final assault against Taiwan,” Mr Wu said in his first Australian media interview since tensions with China over the disputed island territory flared up this year.

 

“I don’t want to say that a war in between Taiwan and China is imminent. But, nevertheless, the Taiwanese government needs to prepare for the war situation. And, in fact, there’s a whole-of-government approach in Taiwan – it’s not only the Ministry of Defence preparing for a possible assault by China militarily.”

 

Mr Wu’s comments are the first official response by Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party, led by Tsai Ing-wen, to signals from senior Morrison government officials that Australia would support any US-led action against China in the Taiwan Strait.

 

He emphasised the need to build a coalition of international support from like-minded democracies to defend Taiwan’s interests. Australia, he said, had a lot at stake given its geographical position in a region facing “very rapid expansion of authoritarian power”.

 

Shared values

 

“Now there’s only one voice [in China]. That is the voice of Xi Jinping. And that is wrong. That is what we see – the expansionism of authoritarian order. And of course we don’t want to see that repeated on Taiwan. Never. That seems to be what China wants to do against Taiwan,” Mr Wu told the Financial Review via videolink from Taipei.

 

“I’m sure the Australian people also have that belief in mind. Freedom, democracy, the protection of the human rights is the value that they treasure, and if that is what they treasure, I’m sure they will look at Taiwan with the shared value and they will think that speaking out on behalf of Taiwan is a great thing to do.”

 

Mr Wu also called on Australia to strengthen economic ties with Taiwan by resurrecting talks for a free trade agreement between the two countries, something New Zealand has managed to do while maintaining cordial relations with Beijing. He also revealed Taiwan would probably submit an application to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade partnership this year.

 

His interview came a week after Home Affairs secretary Michael Pezzullo’s Anzac Day message to his department’s 15,000 staff warning that “war drums are beating” as the prospect of war over Taiwan grows. Defence Minister Peter Dutton has also said a conflict over Taiwan should not be discounted.

 

Sources have told the Financial Review that the Australian Defence Force has also sharply escalated its internal preparations for potential military action in the Taiwan Strait in a move designed to send a signal to Beijing to back down following an escalation of its incursions into Taiwan’s air and maritime space.

 

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 7, 2021, 6:47 p.m. No.13609530   🗄️.is 🔗kun

>>13609517

 

2/2

 

However, the opposition and academics specialising in Taiwan have cautioned against talking up the prospect of war with China when there is no sign that Beijing is preparing to invade Taiwan. While China has ramped up air and sea incursions, experts say it would be obvious months beforehand if People’s Liberation Army troops were preparing to take the island.

 

Mr Wu agreed that military action by China was not imminent, but Taiwan was preparing for that scenario by rallying support from the international community at a time when US President Joe Biden and allies such as Australia and Japan have signalled they are willing to take a tougher stance against Beijing’s aggressive foreign policies.

 

Asked if Australia should provide military support, Mr Wu said it was too early to make that call. He declined to say whether there had been talks between Taiwan’s leaders and senior Australian officials, including Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Foreign Minister Marise Payne, about the issue. Taiwan is expected to be on the agenda when Ms Payne meets Biden officials face-to-face in London this week for the G7 Foreign and Development Ministers’ meeting.

 

“We are not expecting that at this moment. We think that the situation right now is that Australia has been providing Taiwan with essential support for Taiwan’s international participation,” he said, referring to joint statements with the United States in the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue and other forums.

 

“We are happy to see that Australia is playing a bigger and more important role in the Indo-Pacific but talking about the military co-operation and all that in between Australia and Taiwan, that might be [going] a little bit too far. We think that since Australia is going to play a more important role in the Indo-Pacific, more exchanges between the two countries on the situation in this part of the world might be necessary and we will work very hard in that regard.”

 

Ministerial visits

 

Like many countries, Australia abides by a “One China” policy in its engagement with Taiwan, which means there are no formal diplomatic relations with Taipei but it has trade, cultural and other exchanges separate from mainland China.

 

Taiwan, an island nation with a population of more than 23 million, became a democracy in 1987 when martial law was lifted. It was previously controlled by China’s Kuomintang nationalists who fled the mainland after losing a civil war with the Communists. Beijing still considers it a renegade province that will one day return to the motherland.

 

Mr Wu would not be drawn into saying if he thought Australia should allow ministerial visits to the island for the first time in 25 years, saying Canberra had to look after its national interests. He called for stronger ties in areas such as supply chain resiliency and fighting COVID-19 as well as trade. He said Australia should follow New Zealand’s example and reconsider a free-trade deal with Taiwan. Taiwan is Australia’s 14th-largest trading partner.

 

“Looking at your neighbour, New Zealand, they already have an FTA with Taiwan. They are taking away lots of trade opportunities from Australia. So maybe Australia will think about how to strengthen relations, trade relations with Taiwan, by signing an ECA (economic co-operation agreement) with Taiwan,” he said.

 

Mr Wu also called on Canberra to look at Taiwan’s potential contribution to the Trans-Pacific Partnership “in a more serious manner”, and said he personally believed Taipei would submit an application to join the trading bloc in 2021.

 

Mr Wu, who visited Australia in 2013, said he “appreciated” recent public statements by Australia supporting Taiwan. When asked why only Australia was speaking so openly about a possible war over Taiwan, he said US officials had also raised the possibility.

 

“We think it’s good for Taiwan that the international community is paying more attention to the security situation Taiwan is facing. [If] they think that democracy is a value that we need to safeguard against, I’m sure all these countries will think that what China is doing to Taiwan is wrong. And they will come to Taiwan’s support. At least moral support,” he said.

 

https://www.afr.com/world/asia/taiwan-shores-up-allies-as-china-threat-looms-20210504-p57ot5

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 7, 2021, 7:22 p.m. No.13609758   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>9784 >>1289

Australian imports to China slow down as decoupling accelerates

 

GT staff reporters - May 07, 2021

 

China's imports from Australia rose by 13 percent to $14.86 billion in April from the previous month, slowing from the 28 percent monthly import growth rate in March, a trend which analysts said mirrors an accelerating trade decoupling between the two countries as China pushes diversification efforts amid icy bilateral relations.

 

Chinese observers said that the slower growth reflects how Australia's anti-China stance has weighed on economic and trade relations, which were supposed to be complementary and bring mutual benefits. A flattening economic relationship with China could also deal a blow to Australia's post-virus economic recovery.

 

"China's imports from Australia expanded in April because China still bought bulk commodities from Australia, in particular iron ore, whose price had reached record highs. That, in turn, inflated the value of imports," Chen Hong, a professor and director of the Australian Studies Center at the East China Normal University, told the Global Times on Friday.

 

The average price for imported iron ore in April reached $164.40, the highest since November 2011, according to data sent by the Beijing Lange Steel Information Research Center to the Global Times.

 

Analysts noted that the soaring iron ore price has helped Australia offset its losses in the Chinese market in a variety of industries. A long list of Australian exports to China, from wine and lobster to timber and hay, has run into problems, and those exports have almost completely stalled.

 

The volume of iron ore imports also jumped. From January to April, China's iron ore imports increase by 6.7 percent year-on-year to 382 million tons, customs data showed.

 

Some Chinese importers also rushed to stockpile Australian iron ore over political risk-aversion concerns, which also drove up trade in April, the Global Times learned.

 

However, industry observers noted that such imports are likely to continue dwindling this year amid Chinese exporters' push to source iron ore from alternatives such as Africa, and a trade decoupling could gain pace in the immediate future.

 

Starting May 1, China has scrapped tariffs on certain steel products including pig iron, crude iron and recycled iron raw material. Ge Xin, an industry analyst, told the Global Times that the policy will also help China further expand steel imports, reducing Australian import volume. Also, the supply expansion could help curb the overheating iron ore price, thus shrinking Australia's export value to China.

 

Data from the Beijing Lange Steel Information Research Center showed that China imported 713 million tons of Australian iron ore in 2020, accounting for 61 percent of China's total iron ore imports. The share decreased 7.51 percentage points compared with 2019, showing an initial result of China's efforts to diversify import channels to reduce reliance on Australia.

 

The release of the data also comes one day after China's top economic planner indefinitely suspended all activities under the China-Australia Strategic Economic Dialogue, marking the first time that a diplomatic mechanism between the two countries was frozen after the Australian government fired major shots at China.

 

Analysts said Australia's recent provocative action against China could further send trade relations into an abyss, hurting the economy of Australia, which is more reliant on China.

 

"The deteriorating relations, of which Australia is to blame, coupled with Canberra's discriminative moves against Chinese firms, will further hurt Chinese businesses' confidence in investing in Australia," Chen said.

 

In April, the Australian federal government tore up an agreement between the state of Victoria and China on the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), unilaterally escalating bilateral tensions.

 

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202105/1222896.shtml

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 7, 2021, 7:25 p.m. No.13609784   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1289

>>13609758

China’s April imports from Australia rise 49.3%, but a trade decoupling is imminent amid icy relations

 

Li Xuanmin and Yin Yeping - May 07, 2021

 

China's imports from Australia rose by 49.3 percent to $14.865 billion in April, accelerating from the 20.9-percent import growth rate recorded in the first three months as the price of iron ore - a major item China buys in bulk from Australia - surged to a record high. But as China pushes diversification efforts, analysts said a trade decoupling between the two countries is imminent amid icy bilateral relations.

 

In breakdown, China's exports to Australia rose by 19.7 percent to $5.25 billion in April compared with a year earlier, according to the Global Times' calculation based on data released by the General Administration of Customs on Friday. That compared with a 50.5 percent rises in exports in the first three months.

 

Chinese observers expected Australia's anti-China political stance will soon weigh on bilateral economic and trade relations, which were supposed to be complementary and bring mutual benefits to both countries. A flattening economic relationship with China could also deal a blow to Australia's post-virus economic recovery.

 

The release of the data also comes one day after China's top economic planner indefinitely suspended all activities under the China-Australia Strategic Economic Dialogue, marking the first time that a diplomatic mechanism between the two countries was frozen after the Australian government fired major shots at China.

 

"The reason why China's imports from Australia expanded in April is that China still buys bulk commodities from Australia, in particular iron ore whose price has been jumping to a record high. That, in turn, inflated the value of imports," Chen Hong, a professor and director of the Australian Studies Center at the East China Normal University, told the Global Times on Friday.

 

Some Chinese importers also rush to stockpile Australian iron ore over political risk-aversion concerns, which also drove up the trade volume in April, the Global Times learned.

 

But such imports are likely to continue dwindling this year amid Chinese exporters' diversification push to source iron ore from alternatives such as Africa, observers noted.

 

According to data sent by Beijing Lange Steel Information Research Center to the Global Times on Friday, China imported 713 million tons of Australian iron ore in 2020, accounting for 61 percent of China's overall iron ore imports. The share decreased 7.51 percentage points compared with that of 2019, showing an initial result of China's efforts to diversify import channels to reduce reliance on Australia.

 

Bilateral investment and trade ties between China and Australia had already seen a freefall as bilateral relations took a dive, starting in 2018 when Australia became the first country to ban Chinese telecom firm Huawei's 5G participation.

 

To date, a long list of Australian exports to China, from wine and lobster to timber and hay, has run into problems, and those exports have almost completely stalled.

 

Analysts said Australia's recent provocative action against China could further send bilateral trade relations into an abyss, hurting the economy of Australia - which is more reliant on China.

 

"The deteriorating relations, of which Australia is the one to blame, coupled with Canberra's discriminative moves against Chinese firms, will further hurt Chinese businesses' confidence in investing in Australia," Chen said.

 

In April, the Australian federal government tore up an agreement between the state of Victoria and China on the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), unilaterally escalating bilateral tensions.

 

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202105/1222871.shtml

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 7, 2021, 7:44 p.m. No.13609963   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1289

Global Times Facebook Post

 

6 May 2021

 

#China suspends economic dialogue with #Australia, marking the first time a diplomatic mechanism was frozen amid souring ties. The decision represents a substantial and resolute response from China to a major shot fired by Australia. https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202105/1222747.shtml

 

https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=4081425138605022&id=115591005188475

 

 

INFOGRAPHIC: Aussie misdeeds disrupt China-Australia relations

 

Deng Zijun - May 06, 2021

 

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202105/1222813.shtml

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 7, 2021, 7:48 p.m. No.13609998   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>8380 >>8441 >>8933 >>4100 >>1289

China needs to make a plan to deter extreme forces of Australia

 

Hu Xijin - May 07, 2021

 

Given that Australian hawks keep hyping or hinting that Australia will assist the US military and participate in war once a military conflict breaks out in the Taiwan Straits, and the Australian media outlets have been actively promoting the sentiment, I suggest China make a plan to impose retaliatory punishment against Australia once it militarily interferes in the cross-Straits situation. The plan should include long-range strikes on the military facilities and relevant key facilities on Australian soil if it really sends its troops to China's offshore areas and combats against the PLA. In addition to making the plan, China should also reveal this plan through non-official channels to deter the extreme forces of Australia and prevent them from taking the risk and committing irresponsible actions.

 

China loves peace and will not take the initiative to pick a fight with faraway Australia, but Australian hawks must be clear-minded. If they are bold enough to coordinate with the US to militarily interfere in the Taiwan question and send troops to the Taiwan Straits to wage war with the PLA, they must know what disasters they would cause to their country. China has a strong production capability, including producing additional long-range missiles with conventional warheads that target military objectives in Australia when the situation becomes highly tense.

 

The author is editor-in-chief of the Global Times. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn

 

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202105/1222899.shtml

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 8, 2021, 10:51 p.m. No.13618380   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>8388 >>8429 >>8441 >>1289

>>13517916

>>13609998

China advised to bomb ‘Australian soil’

 

A leading voice in Communist China has advised Beijing to bomb Australia and bring “disaster” should Canberra support US military action.

 

Benedict Brook - MAY 9, 2021

 

1/2

 

The editor of a Chinese newspaper considered to be a mouthpiece of the Communist dictatorship has said Beijing should consider “long range strikes” directed at Australia.

 

Editor-in-chief of the stridently pro-Communist Global Times newspaper, Hu Xijin, made the extraordinary comments in an editorial advising Beijing how it should react should Australia join the US in protecting democratic Taiwan from invasion.

 

“Australia must know what disasters it would cause to their country,” he said in the tub-thumping piece published late on Friday.

 

Beijing has long insisted Taiwan must unite with the People’s Republic, either by choice or force. It has become a rallying cry for Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

 

That’s despite Taiwan never having been under communist rule. The island was where the then-Chinese government fled to in 1949 when the Communists took control on the mainland.

 

It is now a democratic nation with many inhabitants seeing themselves as Taiwanese rather than Chinese.

 

The US is not obligated to defend Taiwan, although its policy of “strategic ambiguity” over Taiwan means it reserves the right to do so. If the US did intervene, it’s highly likely Australia would be called on to help in some way.

 

In recent months, China has ratcheted up the tension and its air force has made repeated forays into Taiwan’s air defence zone.

 

On Anzac Day Canberra’s chief national security adviser Mike Pezzullo told staff that the “drums of war” were getting louder. That was widely interpreted as referring to China.

 

‘Long range strikes’ on Australia

 

Writing in the Global Times, Mr Hu said that Australian “hawks” were “hyping or hinting” that Australia would help the US should a military conflict occur in the Taiwan Straits.

 

“I suggest China make a plan to impose retaliatory punishment against Australia once it militarily interferes in the cross-Straits situation,” he said.

 

“The plan should include long-range strikes on the military facilities and relevant key facilities on Australian soil if it really sends its troops to China’s offshore areas and combats against the People’s Liberation Army.”

 

Any assistance to the US in Taiwan would be “irresponsible,” he added.

 

“China loves peace and will not take the initiative to pick a fight with faraway Australia, but Australian hawks must be clear-minded.

 

“If they are bold enough to co-ordinate with the US to militarily interfere in the Taiwan question and send troops to the Taiwan Straits to wage war with the PLA, they must know what disasters they would cause to their country.”

 

The Global Times’ editorials are not necessarily echoed by the Communist leadership but they would be unlikely to be published without Beijing’s blessing.

 

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 8, 2021, 10:53 p.m. No.13618388   🗄️.is 🔗kun

>>13618380

 

2/2

 

Where would Beijing target in Australia?

 

Writing in The Australian on Saturday, the paper’s foreign affairs editor Greg Sheridan nominated a few locations China might want to target on Australian soil.

 

These included the listening station run with the US at Pine Gap, near Alice Springs, which would be key in communicating during any Taiwan skirmish.

 

He also nominated Jindalee Operational Radar Network south of Longreach in Queensland, a signals facility in Geraldton, Western Australia, and Stirling naval base south of Perth where Australia’s submarines are based.

 

Most of China’s missiles are only capable of reaching parts of East Asia. But a number of its Dongfeng range of rockets are thought to have a far longer range and theoretically could reach much of Australia.

 

Late last month, Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced $747 million would be spent on upgrading four key training bases in the Northern Territory which will be used by both Australian and US forces.

 

That follows $1.1bn being committed to RAAF Tindal, near Katherine, Australia’s most important air base in the country’s north.

 

The military boost is seen as a reaction to China’s moves not only on Taiwan but also its colonising of several island and atolls in the South China Sea much to the chagrin of neighbouring nations.

 

Last week, the deep freeze in China-Australia relations sunk further with Beijing announcing it was “indefinitely suspending ” all activities under the China-Australia Strategic Economic Dialogue.

 

The strategic economic dialogue (SED), formed in 2014, is the main bilateral economic forum between China and Australia. It has been used to encourage investment between the two nations and smooth trade and finance talks.

 

The withdrawal is being interpreted as a reaction to the Federal Government ripping up a deal Victoria inked with Beijing to play a role in China’s flagship Belt and Road initiative.

 

“Recently, some Australian Commonwealth Government officials launched a series of measures to disrupt the normal exchanges and co-operation between China and Australia out of Cold War mindset and ideological discrimination,” the National Development and Reform Commission said in a statement explaining the decision.

 

However, the suspension of the dialogue does not have any effect on current trade between China and Australia. The announcement saw no new tariffs levied on Australian imports. Additionally, the dialogue hasn’t met since September 2017.

 

https://www.news.com.au/world/asia/china-advised-to-bomb-australian-soil/news-story/de4d171dd712250401d6b828a0543e34

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 8, 2021, 11:03 p.m. No.13618429   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>8432 >>4213 >>1289

>>13515337

>>13618380

Thinking the unthinkable

 

Australians aren’t used to a defence minister like Peter Dutton speaking to us like adults.

 

GREG SHERIDAN - May 8, 2021

 

1/3

 

When Defence Minister Peter Dutton commented recently that a military conflict in which China attempted to take control of Taiwan by force “cannot be ruled out”, he seems to have sent much of the nation into a nervous panic.

 

In some ways that’s a reasonable reaction; there’s a lot to be nervous about.

 

In other ways the reaction was absurd. Dutton was not warmongering. It is the Chinese themselves who repeatedly say they have not ruled out the use of force to take Taiwan.

 

It is the Chinese who have engaged in a massive military build-up, and it is the Chinese who, on one day in April, sent 28 warplanes into Taiwanese air space.

 

Americans at the highest level of military command have said there is a strong possibility of Chinese forces invading Taiwan. So have Taiwanese government ministers. So have countless strategic analysts.

 

That there is a real chance of military conflict is an undeniable given. What Dutton did that was so strange was to speak, as a defence minister, about critical ­strategic issues to an Australian audience as if they were ­grown-ups.

 

Australians are unaccustomed to a defence minister doing that.

 

Of course, war is unthinkable. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t think about it.

 

Every civilised human being will work to prevent US-China conflict from happening, but it is essential that security planners, and the democratic conversation, take account of the possibility.

 

There are thus two urgent questions for Australia: what would such a conflict mean for us, and is there anything we can do to prevent it?

 

First, some background on Taiwan. It is an island democracy of 24 million, a 24-carat democracy that breaches nobody’s human rights. It has a different history from China but was generally part of China until 1895 when the Japanese took control.

 

After World War II it reverted to mainland Chinese control in 1945. Beijing was then governed by the anti-communist Kuomintang party of Chiang Kai-shek.

 

The Chinese Communist Party defeated the KMT in the Chinese civil war, and Chiang and his forces fled to Taiwan where they set up a government, and a nation, in exile. The KMT was pretty autocratic in Taiwan but it democratised in the 1980s and Taiwan has been stable, peaceful and prosperous ever since, with a free media, hi-tech industries, the peaceful rotation of power and the stable rule of law.

 

So in the past 124 years Taiwan has been ruled directly by Beijing for just four years, the last time more than 70 years ago.

 

When the US established diplomatic relations with Beijing in 1979 it established a diplomatic formula to cover Taiwan. Both Washington and Beijing agreed there was “one China” but they also declared that Beijing would seek reunification through peaceful means.

 

The US passed the Taiwan Relations Act, which commits it to maintaining Taiwan’s security and holds that neither side — neither Beijing nor Taipei or Washington for that matter — can change the status quo by force.

 

The Taiwanese democracy has absolutely zero interest in being absorbed into China’s increasingly harsh Leninist totalitarian system.

 

China’s President Xi Jinping has declared that it must be absorbed and the issue cannot pass “from generation to ­generation”.

 

Given those insoluble conflicts, let’s consider what a very bad case scenario, not necessarily the worst case but a very bad case, of a “kinetic” shooting conflict of some description between the US and China would mean for Australia.

 

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 8, 2021, 11:03 p.m. No.13618432   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>8434

>>13618429

 

2/3

 

There is no chance at all, zero, that Australia could sit out such a conflict. Depending how serious the conflict became, Australia affords a raft of attractive targets for a Chinese military seeking to hurt the US and its military capability.

 

The Joint Defence Facility at Pine Gap is the most obvious. It is a critical link in Indo-Pacific signals intelligence. At a time of US-China conflict it would be focused overwhelmingly on operational intelligence about China.

 

It is also through Australian facilities that the US gets early warning of ballistic missile firings in this part of the world.

 

In a serious conflict, Beijing may want to blind the US, which would make Australian communications facilities high-priority targets. The same probably applies to our over-the-horizon Jindalee Operational Radar Network, which has a long range and would certainly be militarily relevant.

 

The same considerations might apply to our signals intelligence facility at Geraldton, and to the North West Cape facility, which provides the very low frequency signals for communication to our submarines, and seemingly still to US submarines.

 

Beyond these communications facilities, what military contribution might Australia make?

 

Our most important capability would be our Collins-class submarines. These would be out and about for intelligence gathering purposes but might well play a direct role in combat. The Chinese military might think it worth knocking out the Stirling submarine base south of Perth.

 

Let me stress, all this is unlikely. It would have to be a very intense conflict for Beijing to act against these assets. But Beijing’s decision on whether to act would not turn much on our declaratory postures but simply on the capabilities that these facilities provide to the Americans. An alliance is a two-way street. The US alliance is the single most important factor of Australian security.

 

As legendary former US deputy secretary of state Rich Armitage once told an uncomfortable Australian audience: an alliance means I’ll fight and die for you, and you’ll fight and die for me. An alliance is a two-way street or it’s not an alliance at all.

 

In any kind of US-China conflict that went for more than a couple of weeks, say one around a Chinese blockade of Taiwan, it is very likely that Australia would contribute F-35 fighters, Wedgetail command and control aircraft, or electronic warfare Growler aircraft to work as part of the American force. These presumably would operate out of Guam or some other US-allied base.

 

Few countries in the world would suffer more severe or immediate dislocation than Australia in the event of any conflict. If we tried to stand aside and let the Americans alone preserve a democracy of 24 million people in the Pacific, we would destroy the US alliance and leave ourselves uniquely exposed and vulnerable and in a worse security position than we have been at any time since World War II.

 

We could easily get the worst of both worlds, with the Americans determining we weren’t worth fighting for but the Chinese still considering us a US ally and therefore an enemy, while if we stood aside we would of course be in breach of our ANZUS Treaty and we would destroy ANZUS.

 

Article V of ANZUS states: “An armed attack on any one of the parties is deemed to include an armed attack on the metropolitan territory of any of the parties, or on the island territories under its jurisdiction in the Pacific or on its armed forces, public vessels or aircraft in the Pacific.”

 

ANZUS doesn’t formally commit us to war. No treaty ever really does. But it could not survive one nanosecond if it was not triggered by US-China conflict over Taiwan.

 

But we would also suffer immediate and immense economic disruption.

 

The global economy would probably shatter into two rival systems, a US system and a China-dominated system. Even if this happened a little less fully than we might forecast, the consequences for Australia would be huge.

 

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 8, 2021, 11:04 p.m. No.13618434   🗄️.is 🔗kun

>>13618432

 

3/3

 

For a start, all of our exports to China would stop immediately. Whether that was Beijing’s decision or Canberra’s wouldn’t matter. It is completely inconceivable that we could export iron ore to a nation that was at war with the US. It just wouldn’t happen.

 

Finally, both the US and China are such immensely formidable military powers that any war would involve enormous casualties on both sides.

 

Beijing is trying to win the Taiwan conflict without firing a shot by convincing the world that its triumph is inevitable and would be swift, and that resistance is futile.

 

In fact this is not remotely true. Taiwan is 130km from mainland China. It is difficult water to cross and Taiwan is a difficult island to invade. In World War II, US commanders decided Okinawa would be easier to invade than Taiwan.

 

It is true that China has an overwhelming military superiority against Taiwan and that Taiwan has not done enough to make itself an unbearably costly prize. But Taiwan could do this relatively cheaply. Just as Beijing has adopted an asymmetric military strategy against the US, so other nations need to adopt asymmetric strategies against Beijing.

 

If Taiwan deployed several hundred smart sea mines, these would make it all but impossible for Beijing to transport the vast numbers of troops it would need across the Taiwan Strait.

 

Similarly, Beijing would need to mass forces, ships and troops in ports before advancing towards Taiwan. It also would rely heavily on its ground-based air defences against the US. This means those ports and those mainland air defences would be inevitable US military targets.

 

Some commentators ask: what would victory possibly look like in such a conflict? The answer is simple. Victory would consist in the continued independent existence of democratic Taiwan.

 

Michael Shoebridge of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute published a recent piece that argued the Americans would be determined to keep Taiwan out of Beijing’s control. He listed four reasons. One is geography. Beijing’s geo-strategic power and military reach would be massively augmented by taking Taiwan. Continued US military presence in the Pacific would be much more problematic.

 

Two is the principle of democracy. If the US will sell out a democratic ally of 24 million — which incidentally gave up a nuclear weapons program on the basis of US security guarantees — what would a US alliance be worth?

 

Three is Taiwan’s unique role in global semiconductor production. The acquisition of Taiwan by Beijing would be a massive leap in technological capability.

 

Four is the critical question of decisive momentum in geo-strategic competition.

 

Given how utterly disastrous any conflict would be, what can Australia do to help avoid it?

 

Many conflicts are avoided by a credible system of mutual deterrence. If both sides think the cost of conflict is too high then neither side starts a conflict.

 

The US once pursued a certain ambiguity in Taiwan policy. By not absolutely guaranteeing Taiwan’s security it stopped Taiwan from making a formal declaration of independence. But by keeping up the strong suggestion it would support Taiwan, it deterred Beijing.

 

The Joe Biden administration is abandoning the obsolete practice of ambiguity.

 

The era of such ambiguity working is over. It doesn’t work any more with the risk-taking, extremely assertive Beijing of Xi’s presidency. Therefore reinforcing deterrence is the best way to avoid war.

 

Australia does this by doing everything we can to facilitate US involvement in our region, as with the marines in Darwin, and to bolster US capability through our own capabilities, which we should be increasing in any event in our own interests.

 

Some of that even involves a responsible defence minister occasionally talking about it, always carefully, publicly. Preventing war is too important to leave the subject undiscussed or, even worse, unexamined.

 

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/inquirer/thinking-the-unthinkable-about-china-and-taiwan-is-part-of-deterrence/news-story/0eee328f13d7864fe702a27faacbe2e5

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 8, 2021, 11:05 p.m. No.13618441   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>8446 >>1289

>>13609998

>>13618380

‘Outstandingly stupid act’: can Australia actually defend itself?

 

Our military could fight other middle powers and win, but there are gaps in our capabilities that must be filled immediately if we are to hold our own in a major battle.

 

MICHAEL SHOEBRIDGE - May 8, 2021

 

1/3

 

Australia has a highly capable, professional military equipped with small numbers of very complex, extremely expensive aircraft, ships, submarines and land vehicles. Australia could fight other middle powers and win, but Australia should only ever plan to be in a major conflict against a great power if we are in very good company.

 

The idea that Australia should have a military able to fight alone against China is deeply flawed. Fortunately, the prospects of a neatly bilateral conflict between China and Australia are remote. Australia deciding to fight alone would be an outstandingly stupid act of unilateral disarmament that discounted the value of powerful partners, notably the US.

 

While our military has an impressive force, it has large vulnerabilities in being able to sustain itself in combat. It’s been slow to take up the power that comes from low-cost semi-autonomous systems like armed drones and unmanned systems such as sensors, whether in the air, under the sea or on the ground. And Australia is not taking advantage of our “strategic geography” to support how our military and partner militaries can operate in times of conflict.

 

Addressing these gaps in a way that fits with the urgency of our darkening security environment is the best contribution Australia can make to deterring conflict in our near region and in the wider Indo-Pacific — and to being prepared if deterrence fails.

 

To do this, big changes are needed in how all the “consumables” of conflict are supplied. That’s highlighted in the case of advanced missiles, which Australia has only in small numbers that would be consumed rapidly. And we rely on lengthy global supply chains for resupply. Having the best missiles in your military’s “order of battle” doesn’t matter if you run out of them days or weeks into a war.

 

Our military’s expensive manned ships, aircraft, submarines and army vehicles are also vulnerable to the new kinds of weapons that other militaries — China in a big way — have in numbers and which we have so far been slow to adopt.

 

This is about missiles, but also the new and lethal semi-autonomous and autonomous systems that are the force multipliers for modern militaries. The Azerbaijanis used cheap but lethal armed drones to destroy Armenian tanks last year. The Iranians used them to put one of Saudi Arabia’s biggest oil refineries out of business in 2019.

 

In the era of low-cost lethality, our defence organisation is taking the same approach to unmanned systems and missiles that it has to manned systems such as naval ships in past decades: buying small numbers of elaborate, very expensive systems that are hard to get, slow to replace and not made here.

 

As examples: Defence is buying 12 armed MQ-9B drones, based on the Predator used against terrorists in Iraq and Afghanistan, for around $2bn, and four large Triton long-range maritime surveillance drones for $1.8bn-2.7bn, both made offshore.

 

This has to change. Defence needs “consumable” weapons that are able to be used, lost and replaced in large numbers during conflict if the Australian government is not going to get some very nasty surprises in a future war. That could include the loss in combat of Air Warfare Destroyers, Joint Strike Fighters and tanks — together with the men and women operating them. Losing one destroyer’s 180 crew in combat would be 4½ times the casualties the ADF suffered in the entire Afghanistan conflict.

 

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 8, 2021, 11:06 p.m. No.13618446   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>8451

>>13618441

 

2/3

 

Welcome sign that the government understands dangers

 

Such sobering possible combat losses are because potential adversaries have understood the implications of advanced missiles and drones operating with their militaries’ planes, ships and submarines — and they’ve gone beyond small-scale experimentation to supplying their militaries in high volumes.

 

Avoiding such tragic losses will take a radical reordering of thinking for a Defence organisation that’s operated with a peacetime mindset, where “attrition” is about training accidents and equipment wearing out, not brutal contact with another powerful military; where small stockholdings of missiles are lovingly tended and used very sparingly in training.

 

Discretionary missions such as Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan by highly specialised forces with overwhelming technological advantage aren’t Australia’s likely future.

 

There are some limited but refreshing indicators of change that Defence Minister Peter Dutton can welcome and expand. Rapid development of the “Loyal Wingman” drone to operate with the Joint Strike Fighter is one. So is Scott Morrison’s plan to manufacture in Australia at least some of the $100bn in advanced missiles Australia’s military will buy over the next 20 years.

 

Buying Boeing’s large unmanned Orca submarine now would add to Australia’s undersea capability well before the launch of the first Attack-class submarine in the mid-2030s. This would add significantly to the Collins submarine’s combat power. Four Orcas would come at a fraction of a manned submarine’s cost and be in the water more than 10 years faster.

 

Some of these ideas are in the government’s 2020 Force Structure Plan, but on timelines that stretch into or even begin in the 2030s. The shift needs to happen faster and in a much bigger way to give our military considerably more firepower, and for it to be able to survive in a conflict lasting months, maybe years — not days or weeks.

 

That would give Australia a military force able to exert control of our territory and our near region, most logically working with partners across Southeast Asia, PNG and the South Pacific.

 

For this additional combat power to be effective in deterring conflict and keeping our near region strategically benign, though, Australia also needs “places and bases” domestically and in our near region that our military can operate from.

 

Domestically, all roads lead to Darwin as an essential piece of strategic geography to be able to operate naval and air forces. There’s focus now on how to end the lease of the Chinese port operator, but the bigger picture should be Australia investing in a major expansion of the Darwin port for the purpose of multinational naval operations into the Pacific and Indian oceans.

 

That fits with the US “Global Posture Review”, which is looking to disperse its forces in places other than Guam, Japan and South Korea to make them more survivable in conflict with China. Our Quad partners would welcome this Australian move, which is likely to make more sense over coming years.

 

In our near region, if our military is going to be able to project power and deter growing Chinese presence, then the Pacific Step Up needs a rethink. Right now its defence aspect is almost a public relations campaign to make the South Pacific less likely to welcome rising Chinese military presence and access at ports, airfields and other infrastructure.

 

Given the darkening strategic environment, that’s not enough.

 

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 8, 2021, 11:07 p.m. No.13618451   🗄️.is 🔗kun

>>13618446

 

3/3

 

Australia needs to take advantage of our near region’s strategic geography, not just seek to deny that advantage to others. One example would be a bigger Manus Island base in PNG than planned, with Australian Navy vessels based there working with PNG’s patrol boats.

 

That starts with confronting but frank discussions about the emerging security environment with our Pacific island partners, making the case that enabling joint operations and activities with Australia helps bring stability and is fundamental to regional security.

 

For those thinking this plan makes Australia so secure we don’t need our alliance with the US, that’s a mistake. Although the US gets considerable value from Australia as an ally, Australia gains much more from the US.

 

Access to US technology and intelligence, combined with our own research, intelligence and industry capabilities, gives Australia a far more powerful military than we could achieve otherwise. That’s leaving aside the likely enormous advantages through co-operation with the US in emerging areas like quantum computing, artificial intelligence, hypersonics, space and offensive cyber systems.

 

But can we rely on the US in the world we see emerging? The public debate on this neglects the fact that US strategy recognises its own deep need to act with allies and partners to meet the China challenge.

 

That judgment has been driven home by the experiences of the Trump administration, which experimented with unilateralism. The Biden administration learned the lesson from those four years. But it’s also deeply understood in congress, Washington DC, the State Department, think-tank communities and in the giant US defence organisation.

 

The development and use of Chinese power under an assertive Xi Jinping will reinforce this strategic understanding.

 

Australia invests in its own security. That means we’re not just a customer of American security but a contributor to American and global security. Closing some urgent gaps and vulnerabilities in our defence capabilities will make Australia and our world safer, and help deter future conflict.

 

Michael Shoebridge is the director of defence, strategy and national security at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute.

 

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/inquirer/can-australia-defend-itself-in-a-major-conflict/news-story/07acf86438974d9a4574a063a19e32c6

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 8, 2021, 11:10 p.m. No.13618463   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1294

Scott Morrison says Australia will be closed to the world for a long time

 

Our borders will stay closed to the world for now because Australians want to suppress COVID, says Prime Minister Scott Morrison in this wide-ranging interview.

 

James Campbell - May 9, 2021

 

1/2

 

Australia will stay closed to the world for now, with Prime Minister Scott Morrison warning he doesn’t see an appetite to move ­beyond the suppression strategy that has shut the nation’s borders.

 

In an exclusive and wide-ranging interview with News Corp, the Prime Minister made clear there was no plan to alter the government’s approach to the pandemic that has created Fortress Australia.

 

While in the early days of the pandemic Mr Morrison talked about local restrictions from outbreaks as “part of living with COVID-19”, he thinks Australians are not eager for a change.

 

“I don’t see an appetite for that at the moment,” he said.

 

“I think what we’re seeing at the moment is the appreciation of the people that the pandemic isn’t going anywhere.”

 

Mr Morrison said “we sit here as an island that’s living like few countries in the world are at the moment.

 

“We have to be careful not to exchange that way of life for what everyone else has.”

 

It is “different for the UK and the US and Europe because they have been riddled with the pandemic and they can’t turn that back,” he said.

 

“All I know is once you let it back in … you cannot get it out. You’ve crossed that threshold. You move into another dimension.

 

“At this point in the pandemic that is a very uncertain world.

 

“We continue to roll out the vaccination program, over the course of this year, and in the meantime, I intend to be cautious, it’s in my nature.”

 

Mr Morrison said there was not enough evidence on how the current crop vaccines reduced transmission to wind back quarantine.

 

“We don’t as of yet have considerable clinical evidence that tells us transmission is preventable … and so, we’ve just got to wait for the numbers to come in on that, but at this point in time I think Australians want to ­ensure that the way we’re living at the moment is maintained,” he said.

 

Mr Morrison said that given the risk aversion of the state premiers he couldn’t be certain things would change even after the vaccine rollout was completed.

 

“The next big step that can be taken is that Australians who are vaccinated, based on clear evidence that this prevents transmissibility, are able to travel and return to Australia without having to hotel quarantine, and ideally we only have to engage in some sort of home quarantine of a less restrictive nature,” he said.

 

“And indeed, if for whatever reason, a state might from time to time impose some lockdown, then an Australian who is vaccinated might be exempted from those sorts of ­restrictions.

 

“That’s the next step. So ask yourself the question: which state and territory is going to adopt that?”

 

In these circumstances there was no saying when immigrants will return.

 

“I can’t tell you. I don’t know. Now as we look at COVID, it’s not necessarily as a short-term thing. But as a medium-term challenge. That’s where our minds turn.”

 

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 8, 2021, 11:11 p.m. No.13618472   🗄️.is 🔗kun

2/2

 

The PM said it was looking ­“likely” we would need COVID booster shots and Australia would be at the front of the queue.

 

“We have always been and we will continue to be — and that’s why manufacturing capabilities remain a very high priority.”

 

Mr Morrison also said he believed we would have to look at different quarantine regulations for different countries of origin.

 

“I think this will become more stratified. I do. And that is based on the medical evidenced-based risk mitigation approach.

 

“The pandemic has moved through different phases. There was an emergency phase, there’s a recovery phase — we’re still in that — but now I think the risk around the world is different. We need to adjust to that.”

 

Mr Morrison said it was important state governments looked at getting back-to-work plans in the cities.

 

“A lot of (global corporations’) risk settings are based on experiences that are not in Australia. And it’s important, I think, for local settings to drive those decisions for people coming into work. People are going to get on the tram, people are going to get on the bus. And one of the biggest inhibitors to people coming back into cities has been their apprehension about getting on public transport.”

 

ON MP QUOTAS FOR WOMEN

 

Mr Morrison said the obligation on those opposing quotas was to come up with an alternative.

 

“I responded to a question at a press conference — all I said was that I am not opposed to that,” he said. “That didn’t make me the ­principal organising secretary of the movement.

 

“What I meant is I just want more women in the parliament in winnable seats as part of my team. Now if someone has a better idea, knock yourself out.

 

“When I’ve tried to move on this — this has been a big issue for me for a long time — (the response) is ‘oh, we can’t have quotas’.

 

“OK, fine. I understand that point. So what’s your plan?”

 

ON BIDEN AND CHINA

 

“They’ve been tremendous. We are of one mind on the Indo-Pacific — the risks, the issues.

 

“I actually thought I was incredibly ­impressed with Joe Biden in the Quad. Because what he understood, and you’ve probably already heard him say this a few times — he understands that the great issue now is between auth­oritarian autocracies and liberal democracies.

 

“This is the cleavage point. And he gets this.

 

“And his point is, and we agree strongly, that liberal democracies must demonstrate their efficacy in this world, that we are totally committed to it.”

 

https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/scott-morrison-says-australia-will-be-closed-to-the-world-for-a-long-time/news-story/1004927db2de0ad9e821cb8622292808

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 10, 2021, 12:11 a.m. No.13625963   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1289

>>13608307

Australian media slammed for twisting open book as 'evidence' of 'China weaponizing COVID-19'

 

Liu Caiyu and Lou Kang - May 09, 2021

 

The Australian newspaper recently quoted a Chinese book that is openly on sale as a "leaked" exclusive document, in an embarrassing article that smears China over the origins of COVID-19, twisting the book's contents to support its own conspiracy theory that China was engaged in weaponizing the novel coronavirus several years before the pandemic.

 

Chinese netizens and experts slammed the newspaper for losing its professional ethics by drawing any possible clues to back its own political narrative.

 

Quoting a so-called leaked document obtained by the US State Department, The Australian claimed China had been probing whether it could weaponize the coronavirus five years before the COVD-19 pandemic, and even took the document as evidence of China's interest in bioweapons.

 

Yet, the Global Times found the leaked document mentioned by The Australian was a book titled The Unnatural Origin of SARS and New Species of Man-Made Viruses as Genetic Bioweapon. It was published by military doctor Xu Dezhong in 2015 and is on sale on Amazon, although it is out of stock. The book suggests that SARS epidemic during 2002 and 2004 in China originated through an unnatural way of genetic modification originating from abroad.

 

An academic book that explores bioterrorism and possibilities of viruses being used in warfare was interpreted as a conspiracy theory by The Australian, which deliberately and malignantly intends to invent pretexts to smear China, Chen Hong, a professor and director of the Australian Studies Center at East China Normal University, told the Global Times on Sunday.

 

It is a shame for anti-China forces in Australia to back their own ideology against China at the expense of basic professional journalistic ethics, conspiring to twist the real meaning of the book, Chen said.

 

The book alleges with evidence how biological weapons labs abroad successfully transferred the virus to civets or other mammals, and how the animals were brought into markets in southern China at the time. The subject and core argument of the book is nothing like the report by The Australian claiming China was weaponizing the SARS virus five years before the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

The book's author pointed out the noticeable facts that the infected cases at the time were concentrated in the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong, and the island of Taiwan. Other cases were concentrated in countries and regions where Chinese nationals and their descendants lived. More cases showed that among 15 deaths out of the virus in Canada, 13 were Chinese people. "Conspiracies cannot be ruled out that terrorists abroad were developing contemporary genetic weapons to fight against China," Xu wrote in the book.

 

In another claim by The Australian, the idea of Xu's book suggested a use of biological weapons for a predicted third world war. The idea, however, was only an objective enumeration which listed a series of countries developing biological weapons including the US, for the past few years.

 

"The US began its bioweapons research in 1941, after which a great scale of study fields and production plants were built," reads chapter two of the book, "during 1940 and 1945, Japan invaded China with the use of bioweapons and caused a plague in East China's Zhejiang Province and Central China's Hunan Province."

 

In the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, theories also exist that the novel coronavirus may have originated at a US military research institute at Fort Detrick. Chinese experts have been calling for a probe into the US' mysterious bio-labs in order to better understand coronavirus origins, and Russian officials said the US is developing biological weapons in those labs.

 

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202105/1223003.shtml

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 10, 2021, 12:30 a.m. No.13626017   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>6023 >>1307

Want to save the children? How child sexual abuse and human trafficking really work

 

Alexandra Baxter - May 10, 2021

 

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Millions of kidnapped children are imprisoned in underground tunnels, being sexually abused and tortured by a shadowy global cabal of paedophiles.

 

That, at least, is some of the misinformation about child sex trafficking being spread on social media. You’ll also see such ideas being promoted at protests from Los Angeles to London, with hashtags such as #saveourchildren and #endchildtrafficking emblazoned on shirts and placards.

 

The thought of a child being abused, exploited or trafficked for sex elicits a powerful emotional response. These lurid tales have proven to be a potent gateway for mothers (and others) to “go down the rabbithole”.

 

The tragedy is that misinformation is turning well-intentioned people into “digital soldiers” unwittingly working against genuine efforts to eliminate child sexual abuse and human trafficking.

 

The truth about child sexual abuse

 

Statistics on child sexual abuse are never exact. Less than 40% of victims report being abused when children. The average time before disclosure, according to Australia’s Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, is about 20 years for women and 25 years for men. Some never disclose.

 

There are enough robust studies, however, to suggest about one in ten children are sexually abused before age 18 – one in seven girls (14%) and one in 25 boys (4%).

 

A 2000 study for the US Bureau of Justice Statistics found 7.5% of all known female victims under the age of 17, and 5% of male victims, were abused by a stranger. More recent data published in 2016 by the Australian Bureau of Statistics found strangers accounted for 11.5% of sexual abuse of girls under the age of 16, and 15% of boys.

 

The differences between these findings are most likely due to greater awareness reducing opportunities for abuse by “acquaintances” such as clergy, teachers and coaches. In the 2000 data, to illustrate, 69% of molested boys were abused by an acquaintance; in the 2016 data it was about 47%.

 

Exaggerating stranger dangers

 

Even more intense coverage goes to the rarer cases where children are abducted or murdered. Think of the fascination with cases such as the 2007 disappearance of three-year-old Madeleine McCann. But such cases are memorable because they are so rare.

 

The so-called “Pastel-Q” conspiracy theory, however, asserts millions of children a year are being kidnapped and trafficked for sex.

 

This claim rests on misrepresented numbers from missing persons reports. In the case of the US, for example, the claim is that 800,000 children disappear each year. (A similar rate applied globally would mean about 19 million children disappear every year.)

 

In fact, the FBI’s data shows the number of people under the age of 17 reported missing in the US in 2020 was about 365,000. In most cases (based on the several decades’ of data) these missing reports involve a child running away from home or being taken by a custodial parent. Almost half are found within three hours, and more than 99% are found alive. Since 2010, in the US fewer than 350 people a year under the age of 21 have been abducted by strangers.

 

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 10, 2021, 12:32 a.m. No.13626023   🗄️.is 🔗kun

>>13626017

 

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Sex trafficking in reality

 

So no, there’s no evidence millions of children in wealthy nations are being kidnapped by paedophiles.

 

The United Nations’ Trafficking in Persons Protocol defines human trafficking as:

 

“the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation”

 

This means human trafficking doesn’t necessarily require moving a person from one place to another, in the way we think of weapons and drugs being trafficked. It’s not the same as people smuggling. Nor is it exactly the same of modern slavery, although there is broad crossover in definitions.

 

The crucial point of trafficking is the abuse of power to exploit another human being. It thrives in conditions of poverty, economic and gender inequality, corruption and instability. It requires systemic solutions, which the cartoonish constructions of Pastel-Q distract attention from.

 

Trafficking and modern slavery

 

Accurately estimating the true scale of child sex trafficking is, like child sexual abuse, complicated. There is the hidden nature of these crimes, differences in policing and reporting between nations, and little uniformity in how statistics are compiled.

 

But researchers have good reasons to believe this is just the tip of the iceberg. The most commonly accepted estimates of the true number of trafficking victims in the world is about 21 million. About 16 million have been trafficked for labour; about 3 million of these are aged under 18.

 

About 5 million are trafficked for sex – most typically by being coerced into sex work. More than 99% of sex-trafficking victims are women. More than 70% are in Asia, followed by Europe and Central Asia (14%), Africa (8%), the Americas (4%), and the Arab States (1%). About a million are aged under 18.

 

More often, traffickers approach families living in poverty or socially and economically vulnerable girls – such as runaways – offering false promises of affection, work and a better life. Instead the girls find themselves being pressured or coerced into sex work.

 

This was the case with the victims of Jeffrey Epstein, whose intermediaries lured girls aged 14 to 18 with cash to perform massages, then nude massages, then sex.

 

How do we address this?

 

Child sexual abuse and child sex trafficking are both serious global problems. We should all be concerned about them.

 

But they can’t be divorced from the broader conditions that allow many more millions of children and adults to be trafficked and exploited as modern slaves.

 

They require sophisticated, holistic and broad-based legal and policy responses. They will not be tackled by misunderstanding their reality and complexity, and indulging in false narratives that divert attention from the real issues.

 

Which is why more than 130 anti-trafficking organisations have said anybody who lends credibility to these false claims “actively harms the fight against human trafficking”.

 

Alexandra Baxter - PhD Candidate in Criminology/Law, researching human trafficking and modern slavery in Australia, Flinders University

 

https://theconversation.com/want-to-save-the-children-how-child-sexual-abuse-and-human-trafficking-really-work-153288

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 10, 2021, 1:03 a.m. No.13626087   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1263

Fears of Taliban retribution raised in Ben Roberts-Smith defamation case

 

LANE SAINTY - MAY 7, 2021

 

Fears of brutal Taliban retribution against Afghan witnesses in the Ben Roberts-Smith defamation case have been raised in court as parties battle over whether certain documents should, if they exist, stay secret.

 

After the possibility of “barbaric punishment or death” was mooted by a lawyer for the Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force, Mr Roberts-Smith’s barrister Arthur Moses SC retorted that his client might be the one in danger.

 

Mr Roberts-Smith is “the father of two children, has been accused of war crimes against the Taliban and he wears those allegations like a loaded gun every day”, Mr Moses said.

 

Mr Roberts-Smith, a former SAS soldier and Victoria Cross recipient, is suing Nine newspapers for defamation over reports alleging he committed war crimes while on deployment in Afghanistan and punched a woman in a Canberra hotel.

 

Nine will vigorously defend its reporting at an eight-week trial due to start on June 7.

 

Mr Roberts-Smith has subpoenaed the ADF and Australian Federal Police in relation to four Afghan witnesses, the Federal Court was told on Friday.

 

The four people, from the village of Darwan, are expected to testify remotely from Kabul about an allegation that Mr Roberts-Smith kicked an Afghan man named Ali Jan off a small cliff and ordered another officer to shoot him.

 

But Inspector-General James Gaynor has filed a public interest immunity claim against Mr Roberts-Smith’s request, contending the documents – which may or may not exist – should be kept confidential.

 

The case is already subject to extensive national security confidentiality measures.

 

On Friday, lawyers were at pains to say they were speaking only in hypotheticals before the hearing was closed to the public altogether.

 

Barrister Andrew Berger QC said the immunity claim was necessary to protect people in Afghanistan who had co-operated with the Brereton inquiry into Australian war crimes and to ensure Mr Gaynor could continue to carry out his work as Inspector-General.

 

Mr Berger argued the mere possibility of Taliban retribution should weigh heavily in favour of the claim.

 

“The Taliban can and does punish people who are perceived to have acted inconsistently with their ideology and objectives,“ he said.

 

Mr Berger also argued the immunity claim should outweigh concerns about the administration of justice as it was a civil, not criminal, case. “Liberty is not at stake in these proceedings and nor is the protection of the community,” he said.

 

Mr Moses suggested the threat of Taliban retribution could equally apply to Mr Roberts-Smith. “We should just pause for a moment and think what the Taliban may or may not do to someone they think has engaged in such war crimes if they ever got their hands on him or his family,” he said.

 

He said if the Afghan witnesses had previously put forward a version of events about what happened with Ali Jan, Mr Roberts-Smith was entitled to have it.

 

The immunity claim is being supported by the Australian Federal Police.

 

Justice Wendy Abraham has reserved her decision.

 

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/media/fears-of-taliban-retribution-raised-in-ben-robertssmith-defamation-case/news-story/db59c3a82bc821b00e7a3ef78f4b1faa

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 10, 2021, 1:28 a.m. No.13626133   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1289

>>13517916

For whom do Canberra’s war drums beat

 

Chen Hong - May 10, 2021

 

The previous weeks saw a series of militantly strident remarks from Australia's top officials, ranging from Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Defense Minister Peter Dutton to current Home Affairs Secretary Michael Pezzullo, whipping up Canberra's bellicosity toward the one-China principle.

 

The Australian Financial Review on May 6 claimed that Australia has now signaled that its collective pushback to manage China includes drawing the line at the defense of the island of Taiwan. Asked about whether Australia will support Taiwan, Morrison said his government had "always honored all of our arrangements in the Indo-Pacific."

 

There are observers who explain that such pugnacious remarks have been the collateral results of the political infighting within Canberra's Liberal-National Coalition party. Internal wrestling matches for power prod the populist politicians in Canberra to engage in "chest thumping" contests with each other to act as rough and tough as possible over issues related to China.

 

China is not interested in the mind-boggling power struggle in Australian politics, in which the prime minister's office had had a succession of six occupants between 2010 and 2018. Canberra politicians should think twice if they fancy making political gains by means of harming China's national interest.

 

The joint communiqué for the establishment of diplomatic relationship between China and Australia states unambiguously that "the Australian government…acknowledges the position of the Chinese Government that Taiwan is a province of the People's Republic of China." All official interactions between the two countries are based on this basic principle, which also serves as the bottom line not to be challenged or violated in any way at any time by anyone.

 

China's reunification is the sacred mission of the Chinese nation, which is indubitably within its own sovereign domain. Any other country, including Australia, should not poke their noses into this noble undertaking in China's course toward its national rejuvenation.

 

China and Australia were in the same trenches during the World War II against international fascism. Since the two countries established formal diplomatic relationship 49 years ago, bilateral relations have steadfastly developed into the mutually beneficial comprehensive strategic partnership. China's economic takeoff has provided the most important momentum for Australia's economic growth, which also contributes to the peace, stability and prosperity in the region and the world.

 

Any country with political wisdom and strategic sensibility would spare no effort to cherish and nurture such an important and valuable partnership. It is therefore extremely irresponsible and insane if Australia's top brass plans to interfere with China's internal affairs by means of military intervention.

 

There have not been any historical conflicts or territorial disputes between China and Australia. War has never been on the agenda in China's relationship with Australia. However, recently, Canberra seems to be senselessly fixated on actively collaborating with Washington's anti-China campaign, rattling sabers for the most absurd prospect of military conflict with China.

 

There is a rotating US military presence in Australia's top north, where Australia plans to build a special military fuel tank for US armed forces. Australia is also working with the Pentagon to make and deploy guided missiles on its territory. Nuclear submarines and F-35 fighter jets have also been in Canberra's shopping cart.

 

It is an unmistakable fact that China is faced with an increasingly militarizing Australia, which is beating its war drums to prepare for war with its largest trade partner.

 

With its military strength, China has not put Australia on its military radar. However, peace loving as we are, the Chinese people have to be prepared for possible military incursions provoked by Canberra.

 

Australian hawks could play with their war drums, but they'd better also listen to the bell of justice, which always tolls for war mongers.

 

The author is a professor and director of the Australian Studies Centre, East China Normal University. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn

 

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202105/1223035.shtml

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 10, 2021, 2:50 a.m. No.13626313   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1252

Pacific Marines Tweets

 

@USMC with @MRFDarwin and members of the @DeptDefence conduct a site survey in preparation for an upcoming exercise on Tiwi Island, Northern Territory, #Australia. #YourADF

 

https://twitter.com/PacificMarines/status/1390771177560305664

 

 

This year marks the 10-year anniversary of #MRFD, demonstrating the U.S. Marine Corps’ sustained commitment to the Australian-U.S. alliance, combined strength, and presence in a #freeandopenindopacific.

 

https://twitter.com/PacificMarines/status/1390771180307550208

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 10, 2021, 11:57 p.m. No.13633861   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>3866 >>1257

>>13553469

>>13603946

Army may have to fight next war with pencils and paper

 

BEN PACKHAM - MAY 11, 2021

 

The axing of a $2bn battle management system has set back the army’s digital transformation by more than 15 years, leaving commanders facing the prospect of having to fight a hi-tech war using paper maps and pencils.

 

The Australian has learned ­Defence has terminated its relationship with Israeli company Elbit Systems on the advice of the Australian Signals Directorate, which raised the alarm over an alleged back door in its software.

 

The introduction of Elbit’s digital Battle Management System — which incorporates communications, targeting and friendly force tracking — dates back to 2005 and was said to be the army’s “highest priority project”.

 

The system, designed to shift the army “from a paper-based ­system to a modern digital system”, is now being ripped out of army vehicles and computer servers following an order from Defence headquarters.

 

Defence sources said the army would go to July’s Exercise Talisman Sabre — the nation’s largest bilateral war games with the US — without the ability to digitally manage its forces.

 

Defence is currently looking at alternative BMS options used by British and US forces.

 

But sources warned it could be years before the capability gap was overcome, given the long lead times in rolling out complex technologies within Defence.

 

Amid warnings of the growing risk of war with China over Taiwan, one senior defence source warned that the army was “almost non-deployable”.

 

“The holy grail in modern war fighting is digitisation and connectivity,” the source said. “This is like having an iPhone without the operating system.”

 

The source, who declined to be identified due to the sensitivity of the matter within Defence, said it was unclear how any vulnerability had been missed for so long, given the system had been extensively tested with US support. Another senior source warned that the lack of a robust BMS would deny the army “decision ­superiority” against a modern ­digitally managed force.

 

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 10, 2021, 11:58 p.m. No.13633866   🗄️.is 🔗kun

>>13633861

 

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Elbit Systems, which has a 250-strong Australian workforce, said it “strongly refutes the security ­rumours” surrounding its BMS.

 

“Elbit Systems of Australia utilises secure software development processes in collaboration with the Department of Defence, including the provision of all source code,” the company said.

 

The company, whose Aus­tralian managing director Paul McLachlan is a former army commander and head of land systems with Defence’s Capability and Sustainment Group, said it would continue to work to deliver on its contractual requirements.

 

However, according to the Defence order issued last month: “The employment of the BMS-C2 system version 7.1 within army’s preparedness environment is to cease no later than May 15, 2021.”

 

It said USB memory sticks and software must “be withdrawn from issue to users and … quarantined by signals support staff”.

 

The army’s relationship with Elbit Systems Australia was already strained before the alleged security issue was identified, amid a series of cost blowouts and delays.

 

A 2019 Auditor-General’s report found the program — which did go to competitive tender — was marred by poor acquisition processes and ineffective project governance.

 

It found Elbit’s price was “severely unaffordable”, and was already two years late by 2015. A plan to track individual soldiers was also abandoned because the system was considered too unwieldy.

 

Australian Strategic Policy Institute analyst Marcus Hellyer said the rollout of the Elbit BMS had been a long and disappointing saga.

 

“By the end of tranche two, they will have only done a very small fraction of the army‘s vehicles. And because it has taken so long, many of the vehicles will have retired,” Dr Hellyer said.

 

“The biggest category of vehicle they have done is the G-Wagon, which can’t be deployed into battle because it is not protected.”

 

The BMS project was described in 2017 by then chief of army Angus Campbell as the “highest priority project in the army”. The now Chief of the Defence Force said that by networking the army’s individual components, the system would improve command and control across “all aspects of our operations”.

 

“It’s about everything we do,” General Campbell said at the time.

 

Defence did not respond to a request for comment.

 

Labor defence spokesman Brendan O’Connor said the government needed to address the capability gap.

 

“Labor expects our troops to be able to access the technology they need to do their job properly to keep Australians safe,” he said.

 

The removal of the digital capability comes despite a warning by Defence Minister Peter Dutton that a war with China over Taiwan cannot be discounted.

 

Home Affairs secretary Mike Pezzullo also warned the “drums of war” were beating.

 

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/army-will-have-to-fight-next-war-with-pencils-and-paper/news-story/265254751e49696794e8c8bb85d51de9

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 11, 2021, 12:07 a.m. No.13633893   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>3895 >>1289

>>13608307

Beijing denies producing bio-weapons

 

ADESHOLA ORE - MAY 11, 2021

 

Beijing has denied it is producing bio-weapons in response to The Australian’s revelation its military scientists discussed weaponising SARS coronavirus five years before the emergency of COVID-19.

 

The Weekend Australian’s exclusive reporting has raised questions about the origins of the pandemic. The reports were based on a document, written by People’s Liberation Army scientists and senior Chinese public health officials in 2015, obtained by the US State Department.

 

Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying said the country did not develop, research or produce bio-weapons.

 

“China has always strictly fulfilled its obligations under the Biological Weapons Convention,” she said at a press briefing.

 

Ms Chunying also accused the United States of conducting a “smear campaign” against China.

 

“Some in the US take every opportunity to cite and play up so-called ‘internal documents’ and ‘reports’ to denigrate and smear China. However, facts and truth always prove that they are either the offender playing the defendant, or making vicious interpretations by taking words out of context or with presumption of guilt, or spreading sheer lies.”

 

Ms Chunying said the document, obtained by the US State Department, was a “piece of openly available academic work”

 

“It cited relevant research by former US Colonel Michael Ainscough and pointed out that ‘next generation bioweapons’ are part of US air force projects which are aimed at helping the US to better cope with the threat of weapons of mass destruction. The argument by Ainscough shows that it is the US that is researching the technology of genetic engineering applied to bio-warfare and bio-terrorism.”

 

Ms Chunying also said that a number of countries were “gravely concerned” about bio-labs built by the US on its shores and overseas.

 

“People are eager to know: Why did the US set up so many bio-labs around the world? What’s it after? How much sensitive biological resources and information did the US acquire from relevant countries? What activities are carried out at Fort Detrick and its overseas bio-labs? Are they somehow linked to the US research on ‘next generation bioweapons’?

 

“The US owes the international community an honest, transparent and responsible answer to those questions.”

 

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/beijing-denies-producing-bioweapons/news-story/fcd92c6229c6ea5e2ee61f29cee884b5

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 11, 2021, 12:08 a.m. No.13633895   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1289

>>13608307

>>13633893

Transcript - Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying's Regular Press Conference on May 10, 2021

 

Global Times: It is reported that as it conducted an investigation into the origins of COVID-19, the US State Department obtained an internal document written by scientists from the Air Force Medical University of the People's Liberation Army and senior Chinese public health officials in 2015. The paper says that SARS­coronaviruses can be "artificially manipulated into an emerging human­disease virus, then weaponised and unleashed in a way never seen before". What's your comment?

 

Hua Chunying: I note reports on this. Some in the US take every opportunity to cite and play up so-called "internal documents" and "reports" to denigrate and smear China. However, facts and truth always prove that they are either the offender playing the defendant, or making vicious interpretations by taking words out of context or with presumption of guilt, or spreading sheer lies. There are already media reports saying that the document mentioned by the US side is not any classified internal document, but rather a piece of openly available academic work. It cited relevant research by former US Colonel Michael Ainscough and pointed out that "next generation bioweapons" are part of US air force projects which are aimed at helping the US to better cope with the threat of weapons of mass destruction. The argument by Ainscough shows that it is the US that is researching the technology of genetic engineering applied to bio-warfare and bio-terrorism.

 

China has always strictly fulfilled its obligations under the Biological Weapons Convention and doesn't develop, research or produce bio-weapons. China has put in place a complete set of laws and regulations, technical standards and management system on the safety of bio-labs.

 

I also want to point out that many countries are gravely concerned about bio-labs built by the US both within its borders and overseas. It is reported that the US has over 200 overseas bio-labs in 25 countries and regions including Africa, Middle East, South Asia and the former Soviet Union. The sites where some bio-labs are based have seen outbreaks of large-scale infectious diseases. A USA TODAY Network investigation reveals that since 2003, hundreds of lab incidents have occurred in the US biological laboratories where humans had accidental contact with deadly pathogens, leading to epidemics. Since June 2019, US media have been reporting on problems at Fort Detrick. However, nearly two years on, the US government still remains reticent on this. A Russian official recently said that Russia believes that labs under US control along the Russia-China border are developing biological weapons. People are eager to know: Why did the US set up so many bio-labs around the world? What's it after? How much sensitive biological resources and information did the US acquire from relevant countries? What activities are carried out at Fort Detrick and its overseas bio-labs? Are they somehow linked to the US research on "next generation bioweapons"? The US owes the international community an honest, transparent and responsible answer to those question.

 

https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/mfa_eng/xwfw_665399/s2510_665401/2511_665403/t1874669.shtml

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 11, 2021, 12:55 a.m. No.13634048   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1289

New Japanese Ambassador to Australia encourages SA to export more of its wine to the country

 

Japan’s top diplomat, on his first visit to Adelaide, has urged SA winemakers to expand into his country to counter the loss from the Chinese market.

 

Gabriel Polychronis - May 11, 2021

 

There are more than 30 million Japanese wine drinkers waiting to be introduced to quality South Australian wine, Japan’s top diplomat in Australia says.

 

In a wide-ranging interview, new ambassador to Australia Shingo Yamagami urged SA wine makers to diversify their exports, declaring he wanted Japanese to be able to enjoy everything from Penfolds to Fruity Lexia.

 

He made the plea while also revealing senior Japanese officials were still hurt after losing out on the Future Submarines contract five years ago.

 

Mr Yamagami said there was “growing demand” in Japan for SA wine, as the local industry reeled from China’s unrelenting trade tariffs.

 

“That kind of high-quality wine is yet to reach the Japanese market,” he said.

 

Mr Yamagami said Australia was “lagging behind” other nations, such as Italy and France, when it came to exporting wine to Japan.

 

“This is high time for (South Australia) to diversify export destinations,” he said.

 

“Japanese people drink wine like whales; consumption is enormous.”

 

On his first visit to SA since becoming Ambassador in December 2020, Mr Yamagami gave a talk at the University of Adelaide on Monday.

 

“There are over 30 million regular wine drinkers in Japan just waiting for someone to introduce them to the delights of a good Barossa Valley shiraz,” he said.

 

“As much as I love being able to have a nice glass of Jacob’s Creek in Tokyo, what I’d really like is to be able to enjoy the full range of SA wines; from a fancy Penfolds to a Berri Estates Fruity Lexia.”

 

Mr Yamagami is due to tomorrow meet with Premier Steven Marshall, with whom he is expected to discuss wine exports, the state’s hydrogen plans and future space co-operation. “SA was quite fast in coming up with a (hydrogen) strategy and they are ahead in the game,” he said.

 

“In particular, Japan is excited about SA’s endeavour to create the largest green ammonia plant in the world (on the Eyre Peninsula).”

 

He also declared “the sky is the limit” with Japanese-SA space co-operation, pointing to last year’s landing of the Hayabusa2 at Woomera as one example.

 

Meanwhile, Mr Yamagami told The Advertiser there still remained a “great deal of disappointment” among senior Japanese government officials after losing the bidding process for the Future Submarines contract to French company DCNS (now Naval Group) in 2016.

 

“Never in the history of Japan did we enter into the bidding for any foreign country,” he said.

 

“But, because we were urged by the Australian government, we reluctantly decided to enter.

 

“We thought this was going to be Japanese submarines (built in SA).

 

“That is something we should never repeat in our bilateral relationship, there is a great deal of disappointment on the part of the Japanese.

 

“While I am always astonished by the beauty and tranquillity of the Australian ocean, I can’t help but think it would have been even more beautiful and quiet with South Australian manufactured, Japanese submarines in it.”

 

Mr Yamagami, however, left the door open to Japanese companies manufacturing other defence equipment in SA in the future.

 

“It will be possible, but we failed once, we cannot have a second failure,” he said.

 

https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/new-japanese-ambassador-to-australia-encourages-sa-to-export-more-of-its-wine-to-the-country/news-story/7bdfd0649a6f270667605c0ae66fdc7c

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 12, 2021, 12:18 a.m. No.13642264   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>2270 >>0347 >>4626 >>1798 >>1289

‘Battle ready’: Australia’s warning to China in Federal Budget

 

After a year in which Australia’s relationship with China went from bad to worse, there’s an ominous sign in today’s budget.

 

Benjamin Graham - MAY 12, 2021

 

1/2

 

After a year of international relationships being strained by the pandemic, the Australian government says it will pump an additional $1.9 billion into strengthening our national security, law enforcement and intelligence agencies.

 

As Australian troops begin to come home from Afghanistan, the federal budget today said the focus in defence will be shifted to the Indo-Pacific region — after a year of increased tension between Australia and China.

 

As part of this, the government is upgrading four key training areas and ranges in the Northern Territory to ensure our troops are “battle ready”.

 

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said that while Australia had been fighting COVID-19, other threats to our security “have not gone away” — and that the pandemic had raised new challenges.

 

“We need to be prepared for a world that is less stable and more contested,” he said in his budget speech.

 

“This is why we are investing $270 billion over 10 years in our defence capability.”

 

Big spending to counter Indo-Pacific threat

 

As part of the defence splurge, the budget states that the government will work with other nations in pursuit of a “free, open and resilient Indo-Pacific”.

 

In a bid to “protect our interests” in the region – amid rising tensions between China and South East Asian nations in the South China Sea – the government has committed $747 million to upgrade four key military training areas in the Northern Territory.

 

It’s part of the government’s commitment to invest $270 billion in defence capability over the next decade, but it says the focus on the top end will further support our “ability to promote an open and peaceful Indo-Pacific”.

 

It says these upgraded facilities will enable the Australian Defence Force (ADF) to conduct simulated training exercises and ensure its troops “battle ready”.

 

“Essential upgrades will be made to four key military training areas and weapon ranges, including Robertson Barracks, Kangaroo Flats, Mount Bundy and Bradshaw,” Defence Minister Peter Dutton said in a statement.

 

“This significant investment will ensure Australian Defence Force continues engagement with allies and other nations through the conduct of world-class joint training, including the US Marine Rotational Force in Darwin.”

 

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 12, 2021, 12:19 a.m. No.13642270   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>4626

>>13642264

 

2/2

 

Enhancing national security

 

The government says it will also be providing $1.3 billion to the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) over the decade.

 

It says this will support ASIO’s technological capabilities, enhancing its ability to address threats to Australia’s national security.

 

In addition, the government is providing $51.8 million to the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission to enhance its capabilities in combating transnational, serious and organised crime.

 

“The government remains committed to protecting Australians from threats to their security through support to our law enforcement agencies,” the budget states.

 

The government is also spending $42.4 million to improve security arrangements to stop “significant cyber-attacks” on critical infrastructure in Australia.

 

Securing our borders

 

To support Australia’s border protection policies, the government is committing $464.7 million to bolster domestic detention capabilities and a further $38.1 million to support Indonesia with its “irregular migrant population”.

 

It says this arrangement with Indonesia is an “essential deterrent and disruption factor” in stopping illegal immigrants coming to Australia.

 

Wrapping up in Afghanistan

 

While the government has committed to concluding its operations in Afghanistan and pull out ADF personnel by September 2021, it says it will spend a further $181.8 million in 2021-22 to support major ADF operations in the Middle East and the protection of Australia’s borders and offshore maritime interests.

 

It says it will shift its focus to focus to the Indo-Pacific region “in line with the United States and our other partners”.

 

Veteran suicide royal commission

 

The government has also committed to a Royal Commission into Defence and Veterans Suicide, and says it will invest in a “world-class support system” for veterans and their families.

 

It says the spending will be focused on wellbeing, suicide prevention and more funding for critical departmental services to ensure “veterans can continue their meaningful contribution to our nation”.

 

Veterans’ Affairs Minister Darren Chester said the budget builds on existing commitments with an additional $702.6 million to be spent on wellness, support, suicide prevention.

 

https://www.news.com.au/technology/innovation/military/federal-budget-2021-defence-spending-boost-as-china-tensions-rise/news-story/81304c4428be2a8038d1b3fcd490ad18

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 12, 2021, 12:56 a.m. No.13642368   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>2374 >>1289

>>13485007

>>13515337

>>13569625

China accuses Australia of ‘pathological obsession’ with war

 

Michael Smith - May 12, 2021

 

China has used its most influential media outlet to accuse Australia of having a “pathological obsession” with war against China as it claimed the Morrison government had destroyed the bilateral relationship to appease its American “masters”.

 

An opinion piece in the People’s Daily, the Communist Party’s official mouthpiece, this week said the “destruction” of Australia-China relations was being driven by the United States, which it said wanted to use Canberra to try to contain China in the Asia-Pacific region.

 

It noted the government’s review of a 99-year lease by Chinese company Landbridge on the Port of Darwin, the scrapping of Victoria’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) deal and Australian officials’ raising of the possibility of a military conflict with China over Taiwan.

 

“This pathological obsession stems from the diplomatic short-sightedness of Australia being kidnapped by political self-interest. After World War II, the US-Australia military alliance has always been the ballast stone of Australia’s foreign policy,” the article said.

 

“Australia, which is obsessed with the so-called ‘middle power diplomacy’, still has unrealistic assessments of its own strength and international status, trying to increase its value by showing strength to China and strive to become a regional hegemon.”

 

Beijing has long accused Canberra of following the United States’ lead in the region, even though Australia introduced foreign interference laws and restricted Chinese tech giant’s Huawei’s involvement in 5G telecommunications networks before other countries.

 

Tensions with China are expected to intensify in coming weeks if the Morrison government scraps Landbridge’s lease on the Port of Darwin. China last week suspended a forum for regular high-level talks with Australia on economic issues.

 

Bloomberg this week also reported that at least two of China’s second-tier liquefied natural gas (LNG) importers have been instructed to avoid buying shipments from Australia.

 

The report came as China signalled it would import more natural gas from the central Asian nation of Turkmenistan as it seeks to diversify its reliance on Australian commodities such as LNG, coal and iron ore.

 

Defence Minister Peter Dutton said last month that conflict between China and Taiwan could not be discounted, while Home Affairs Secretary Michael Pezzullo warned the “drums of war were beating”. The comments have puzzled observers outside Australia because there is no sign of an imminent attack on Taiwan by China.

 

China has slapped restrictions or tariffs on billions of dollars worth of Australian coal, wine, barley, lobster, timber, and cotton since April last year after the Morrison government called for an international inquiry into the origins of coronavirus. The United States has stepped up exports of some agricultural products to China as part of its phase-one trade deal brokered during the presidency of Donald Trump.

 

“If Australia loses the Chinese market, how much can its American master help? On the one hand, the United States has been unable to take care of its own weak recovery from the epidemic; on the other hand, when Australian agricultural exports to China suffered setbacks, the United States actively seized the market gap left by Australia,” the People’s Daily commentary said.

 

China’s top economic planner, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), said last week it had “indefinitely suspended” its participation in the China-Australia Strategic Economic Dialogue. Trade Minister Dan Tehan said the move was disappointing, but that the government still wanted to engage with China at the ministerial level.

 

China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi this week met senior ministers from Turkmenistan in the central city of Xi’an, where they declared bilateral cooperation in natural gas was the”bedrock” of ties between the two countries.

 

“China sees Turkmenistan as its long-term cooperative partner in the field of natural gas and is willing to negotiate with Turkmenistan on a far-sighted, future-proofed comprehensive co-operation plan,” Mr Wang said in comments published by China’s Foreign Ministry.

 

https://www.afr.com/world/asia/china-accuses-australia-s-of-pathological-obsession-with-war-20210512-p57r80

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 12, 2021, 12:59 a.m. No.13642374   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>2382 >>1289

>>13642368

Google Translation

 

After eating, Australian politicians made the wrong calculation (Observatory)

 

Li Jiabao - "People's Daily Overseas Edition" (May 11, 2021, 10th Edition)

 

The National Development and Reform Commission of China recently announced that it will suspend all activities under the China-Australia Strategic Economic Dialogue indefinitely. As soon as the news came out, the Australian dollar exchange rate and stock market-related indexes fell in response, and there was a "dark hour".

 

Some Australian politicians immediately jumped out and pretended to be innocent. Australian Trade Minister Dan Tehan expressed "disappointment" over China's decision, saying that the Australian government is still willing to "hold dialogue and engage in ministerial-level contacts." Australian Finance Minister Simon Birmingham even took a bite back, saying that "Beijing's reluctance to engage in this kind of dialogue is worrying."

 

Who is the initiator of the destruction of China-Australia relations? A discerning person knows at a glance.

 

Recently, Australia has been rushing along the road of anti-China: the Australian Federal Government has openly torn up the "Belt and Road" memorandum and framework agreement signed between the state of Victoria and China; the Australian Ministry of Defence re-examined the 99-year agreement for Chinese companies to lease the port of Darwin; part of Australia Politicians called for the cancellation of the strategic cooperation agreement signed between Western Australia and China in 2011; some senior Australian officials have also publicly hyped up Taiwan Strait issues, trying to exaggerate the tension in Sino-Australian relations and the possibility of military conflicts… At the same time, Australia has tirelessly claimed , I hope to develop exchanges and cooperation with China. This is a typical trick of saying one thing and doing another thing, but anyone with a bit of IQ can understand that Australia has no sincerity in developing China-Australia relations.

 

"Why is Australia always obsessed with a war against China?" Australia News Network issued such a question.

 

This pathological "obsession" stems from the diplomatic short-sightedness of Australia being kidnapped by political self-interest. After World War II, the US-Australia military alliance has always been the ballast stone of Australia's foreign policy. In recent years, with the relative improvement of China's overall national strength, some American politicians who cling to the Cold War mentality have suffered from "anxiety" towards China, and they regard Australia as a pawn in containing China in the Asia-Pacific region. As many analysts have said, “When Washington’s baton moves, Canberra will dance.” Against this background, Australia’s right-wing politicians are willing to cheer for the anti-China forces in the United States. As a result, Australia, which is obsessed with the so-called "middle power diplomacy", still has unrealistic assessments of its own strength and international status, trying to increase its value by showing strength to China and strive to become a regional hegemon.

 

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 12, 2021, 1:01 a.m. No.13642382   🗄️.is 🔗kun

>>13642374

 

2/2

 

In recent years, Australia has been engaged in political manipulation and has become more and more deeply involved in the anti-China quagmire: portraying China as an "authoritarian country", but taking the lead in prohibiting Chinese companies from participating in the construction of Australia's 5G network for unwarranted reasons; claiming that China is "rule breaking" , But blatantly tore up the cooperation agreement between China and Australia; talked about the so-called "China threat theory", but repeatedly hyped up Hong Kong and Xinjiang-related issues, and grossly interfered in China's internal affairs… This makes one cannot help but ask: Actively act as an anti-China thug in the United States , Even higher than the American master, where does Australia place China-Australia economic and trade cooperation?

 

China has been Australia's largest trading partner for many years. According to data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, Australia’s exports to China will reach 145.2 billion Australian dollars in 2020, and Australian agricultural products, coal, iron ore and other products are highly dependent on the Chinese market. At present, the world economy is recovering from the epidemic with difficulty. For Australia as an export-oriented economy, the importance of the Chinese market is even more self-evident. Destroying China-Australia relations is damaging the foundation of economic and trade cooperation between the two countries, and it will do all harm to Australia.

 

If Australia loses the Chinese market, how much can its American master help? On the one hand, the United States has been unable to take care of its own weak recovery from the epidemic; on the other hand, when Australian agricultural exports to China suffered setbacks, the United States actively seized the market gap left by Australia. Is this kind of lip service allies worthy of the Australian side's expense at the expense of its own economic development and the welfare of the people? The "Canberra Times" website recently published an article saying: "Dangerous remarks about war on China are not in Australia's interests, and the government's China policy should be more mature and more responsible."

 

Advise Australian politicians: A rational view of China's development and correct handling of relations with China can truly safeguard Australia's interests.

 

http://paper.people.com.cn/rmrbhwb/html/2021-05/11/content_3047786.htm

 

http://paper.people.com.cn/rmrbhwb/images/2021-05/11/10/rmrbhwb2021051110.pdf

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 12, 2021, 1:16 a.m. No.13642403   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1298

Paedophile’s sick secret life exposed in Border Force bust

 

To the outside world, he was a hardworking, law abiding citizen. But behind closed doors, the Tinana man spoke of his depraved desire to sexually abuse a child. Warning: disturbing content

 

Carlie Walker - May 11, 2021

 

To the outside world, Matthew James Barsby was a hardworking, law abiding citizen.

 

But behind closed doors, the Tinana man spoke of his depraved desire to sexually abuse a child and had a catalogue of children suffering at the hands of others.

 

It was only when another man drew the attention of Australian Border Force officers that Barsby’s true nature would be exposed.

 

In Maryborough District Court this week, Barsby pleaded guilty to possessing and distributing child abuse pornography, charges that would put him behind bars for just eight months.

 

The court heard that when police seized Barsby’s laptop and phone, dozens of disturbing child pornography photos and videos were located, including images in which children were being anally and orally penetrated.

 

The photos and videos included pre-pubescent and older children, some involved in acts with other children and some with adults.

 

In total, 86 photos and 56 videos were found on Barsby’s devices.

 

The court heard the 45-year-old had no prior criminal history and was employed as a manager at a business in the Northern Territory.

 

Barsby was also in a relationship when the crimes were committed.

 

But he suffered from depression and anxiety, the court was told, and was on medication.

 

Barsby’s offending had come to light when ABF stopped a Malaysian man at Sydney Airport.

 

The message exchange between Barsby and the man, with whom he had discussed what it would be like to feel a child’s small hand or mouth “on his d*ck”, had led police to his door in the rural suburb of Tinana.

 

During the investigation, police found Barsby had been receiving and sending child abuse material with two other users and this catalogue included videos of children being raped.

 

Judge Richard Jones described Barsby’s conversations as “disturbing and disgusting”.

 

“People like you keep the (child abuse) industry alive,” he said.

 

“It’s hard to accept you only recently came to realise it wasn’t a victimless crime.”

 

Judge Jones said the conversations Barsby had regarding the abuse of children showed he had “more than passive interest in the sexual exploitation of children”.

 

Barsby was given a head sentence of two and a half years in prison, with eight months to be served and the rest to be suspended for an operational period of three years.

 

https://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/fraser-coast/paedophiles-sick-secret-life-exposed-in-border-force-bust/news-story/eeef33c7741ce05e40b3a966dc49b359

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 12, 2021, 1:31 a.m. No.13642424   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1257

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III Tweet

 

I had an excellent call with Australia’s MoD @PeterDutton_MP. The Unbreakable Alliance has faced all challenges in its first 70 years, and we stand ready with our Australian mates for the challenges of the next 70 and beyond, strengthening the #FreeandopenIndoPacific.

 

https://twitter.com/SecDef/status/1392275695322210311

 

 

U.S. Department of Defense

 

Readout of Secretary of Defense Austin's Phone Call With Australian Minister for Defence Dutton

 

MAY 11, 2021

 

Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III spoke with Australian Minister for Defence Peter Dutton by phone today, reaffirming the strength, endurance, and resilience of the U.S.-Australia Alliance – the Unbreakable Alliance.

 

Secretary Austin conveyed appreciation for Australian support to premier Alliance activities – especially the 2021 deployment of the Marine Rotational Force – Darwin.

 

Secretary Austin and Minister Dutton committed to sustain progress on Alliance priorities, reiterating their support for collaborative approaches to address security challenges throughout the Indo-Pacific region – working together with other likeminded partners.

 

Secretary Austin and Minister Dutton acknowledged the close alignment in both nations’ perspectives and priorities in addressing pressing regional and global security concerns.

 

Secretary Austin emphasized the importance of maintaining a Free and Open Indo-Pacific – founded on broadly held international rules, laws, and norms.

 

Secretary Austin looks forward to the annual Australia-U.S. Ministerial (AUSMIN) meeting this fall and the opportunity to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Unbreakable Alliance.

 

https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Releases/Release/Article/2603990/readout-of-secretary-of-defense-austins-phone-call-with-australian-minister-for/utm_source/miragenews/utm_medium/miragenews/utm_campaign/news/

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 12, 2021, 1:47 a.m. No.13642453   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>4952 >>1305

Ghislaine Maxwell sex crimes trial in New York slated for November

 

Jonathan Stempel - May 12, 2021

 

A U.S. judge will seek to start Ghislaine Maxwell's trial on charges she procured teenage girls for Jeffrey Epstein to sexually abuse on Nov. 29, rejecting the British socialite's request to begin three weeks earlier.

 

U.S. District Judge Alison Nathan in Manhattan said on Tuesday the later date served the interests of justice because it would let Maxwell's four prosecutors continue without scheduling disruptions.

 

The prosecutors had argued that the complex case, resulting from years of investigation, made letting them see it through to trial "a particularly compelling interest."

 

Nathan said the trial date is subject to courtroom availability and COVID-19 protocols, and that she would seek to conduct jury selection during the week of Nov. 15.

 

Maxwell's lawyers did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

 

One of the lawyers, Bobbi Sternheim, had written that the Nov. 29 date, which is the first Monday after the Thanksgiving Day holiday, would have a "severe and irreparable impact on Maxwell's defense."

 

She said it would keep Maxwell in jail longer, could disrupt jurors' travel plans, and could "cast defense counsel and the defense case in a negative light as jurors impatiently wait for the trial to conclude before Christmas, which it won't."

 

Maxwell has pleaded not guilty to sex trafficking and other charges in an eight-count indictment over her alleged role in procuring four teenage girls for Epstein to abuse between 1994 and 2004.

 

The 59-year-old Maxwell has been jailed in Brooklyn since her arrest last July.

 

Epstein, a financier, killed himself in a Manhattan jail in August 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.

 

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/ghislaine-maxwell-sex-crimes-trial-new-york-slated-november-2021-05-11/

 

https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/17318376/united-states-v-maxwell/?filed_after=&filed_before=&entry_gte=&entry_lte=&order_by=desc

 

https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nysd.539612/gov.uscourts.nysd.539612.277.0.pdf

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 12, 2021, 2:46 a.m. No.13642558   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1298

AUSTRALIAN COMMONWEALTH GOVERNMENT

 

A NEW NATIONAL STRATEGY TO PREVENT CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE

 

MEDIA RELEASE

 

11 May 2021

 

Prime Minister, Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister and Cabinet

 

The Commonwealth Government will provide $146 million over four years for the first phase of a new National Strategy to Prevent Child Sexual Abuse.

 

The Strategy will be a 10 year, whole-of-nation framework to establish a coordinated and consistent approach to prevent and better respond to child sexual abuse in Australia.

 

“Every child deserves safety and protection and today’s new measures will prevent, detect and respond to child sexual abuse committed within Australia, online, and by Australians overseas,” the Prime Minister said.

 

Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister and Cabinet, Ben Morton, said measures being announced today will lay the foundation for the landmark new National Strategy, which will be released in full in September 2021.

 

“The Commonwealth has a leadership and coordination role in tackling child sexual abuse, and many of these measures address our responsibilities under the Commonwealth Criminal Code,” Assistant Minister Morton said.

 

“These measures will deliver on commitments made in response to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.

 

“Any sexual crime against a child is one too many, and this National Strategy aims to deliver ambitious and world-leading measures to prevent all forms of child sexual abuse.”

 

The National Strategy will complement and align with other national policy frameworks, such as the current and future National Plans to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children, and Closing the Gap.

 

Key initiatives include:

 

• $59.9. million worth of initiatives to be delivered by the Australian Federal Police to combat child sexual abuse, including an additional $35.4 million for new frontline operational activities to keep our children safe.

 

• $13.9 million to bolster the capabilities of AUSTRAC, the Australian Institute of Criminology, the Australian Border Force, the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission, and the Department of Home Affairs to equip intelligence, research and border protection agencies to disrupt the cash flow behind child sexual abuse, prevent and disrupt livestreamed child sexual abuse, intercept material and offenders at the border, and enhance our ability to identify offenders within the community.

 

• $4.1 million for the Department of Home Affairs to work with Indo-Pacific partners on regional policy and legislative responses to child sexual abuse.

 

• $2.95 million to help the Department of Home Affairs build relationships with the digital industry to drive a coordinated and collaborative charge against offenders’ exploitation of online platforms to commit child sexual abuse related crimes.

 

• $24.1 million to strengthen Commonwealth capacity to prosecute perpetrators of child sexual abuse.

 

• $16.8 million for the Attorney-General’s Department to enhance and expand legal assistance concerning child sexual abuse.

 

• $10.9 million for the National Indigenous Australians Agency to co-design place-based Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander healing approaches to support survivors of child sexual abuse.

 

• $4.7 million for Sport Integrity Australia to enhance child safeguarding in sport.

 

• $3.0 million to the eSafety Commissioner to deliver targeted online education programs to support parents and families to prevent online harms to children.

 

• $5 million to expand the National Office for Child Safety’s national leadership role to deliver the National Strategy to Prevent Child Sexual Abuse.

 

Further announcements will be made with the full National Strategy, including additional measures to be jointly delivered by the Commonwealth and its state and territory partners.

 

The Australian Government is working with states and territories as well as non-government stakeholders to finalise the National Strategy for release in September 2021. For more information, visit: National Office for Child Safety.

 

https://childsafety.pmc.gov.au

 

https://www.pm.gov.au/media/new-national-strategy-prevent-child-sexual-abuse

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 12, 2021, 3:05 a.m. No.13642586   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1257

Foreign Minister Marise Payne Tweet

 

Good to see Sec @JohnKerry again including to discuss key outcomes from the #ClimateSummit & the $1.1b (Australia) committed to low emissions technology. I look forward to collaborating with the (United States) bilaterally & through the Quad to progress work on climate finance & low emissions tech.

 

https://twitter.com/MarisePayne/status/1392413842190209027

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 13, 2021, 1:25 a.m. No.13650206   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>0210 >>1257

>>13608464

What is Australia's space division, and why is it in the military?

 

Belinda Smith - 13 May 2021

 

1/2

 

It's official: planning is underway for the Australian military to launch its own space division in 2022, with its chief already appointed.

 

It was announced over the weekend that Royal Australian Air Force Air Vice-Marshal Catherine Roberts will lead the division from January.

 

The newly created military space command, which will draw on all aspects of the Australian Defence Force, will "allow us to establish an organisation to sustain, force-generate, operate space capabilities and assign them to a joint operation command if needed", according to RAAF chief Air Marshal Mel Hupfeld.

 

The RAAF chief has said previously that unlike other nations like China and Russia, Australia would not seek to develop technologies to attack enemy satellites.

 

But what does that mean? Why is the proposed Australian space division in the military? And how does it compare to others around the world?

 

Why does Australia need a space division?

 

As far as international movers and shakers in space defence go, you may think Australia is a bit player.

 

But while we may seem like small fry when compared to the likes of the US, Australia already has an impressive track record in communications and observation satellites, said Cassandra Steer, space law lecturer and mission specialist with the Australian National University's Institute of Space.

 

These satellites are particularly important for farming and mining in remote areas, for instance.

 

The Australian Defence Force declined to comment on the division's aims, but protecting these assets is what the new space division will likely focus on, Dr Steer said.

 

"We're facing a huge problem of space debris and space traffic management at the moment, just because of the sheer number of objects we are continuing to launch into space.

 

"I have to keep updating my numbers because SpaceX launches every two weeks, but there are about 3,800 operational satellites in orbit, and an estimated 128 million pieces of debris [smaller than 1 centimetre]."

 

What the division will not do is weaponise space, nor use it to wage war.

 

If not for war, then why is the division in the military?

 

The Australian Space Agency was set up only a few years ago, and it, among other roles, regulates and authorises space-based technology such as weather and land-monitoring satellites.

 

So why does the space division need to sit within the military, if war isn't on the cards?

 

Alongside people in remote corners of Australia, pretty much every aspect of daily life across the nation involves satellites, whether that be banking, weather forecasting or health services — or military purposes.

 

So essentially, Dr Steer said, the issue of "space traffic management" is a safety and security threat.

 

A local space division will let the military develop and sling small satellites into orbit that will not only keep an eye on space debris, but help people on the ground investigate further should a suspicious collision occur.

 

"If something happens to one of our own satellites, particularly the new defence satellites that we will have in the next five to 10 years, [we could ask] was that a nefarious attack? Or was it just a bit of space debris?" Dr Steer said.

 

"It's really hard to know unless you have proper capabilities to track what's in space, and that's what [Australia] will be excellent at — small satellite launch.

 

"It's what the 21st-century space industry is about, much more than launching huge things or launching humans."

 

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 13, 2021, 1:27 a.m. No.13650210   🗄️.is 🔗kun

>>13650206

 

2/2

 

Having a space division within the military also plays a role in space diplomacy.

 

How nations use space is governed by the Outer Space Treaty, which entered into force in October 1967 and forms the basis of international space law today.

 

It was developed primarily as an arms-control treaty for the peaceful use of outer space by the US, the Russian Federation and the UK.

 

"The Soviets and the US and their allies realised that if they wanted to have continued access to space for important technologies, they needed to restrain themselves and each other," Dr Steer said.

 

Globally though, countries have in the past 10 or 15 years started to turn away from that "strategic restraint", she added.

 

"It's quite concerning."

 

A space division in the military will allow Australia to join its allies "and temper the greater powers away from what's happening, and back towards strategic restraint".

 

How will it compare to other countries?

 

Quite a few countries, such as Canada, France, Japan and India, have set up similar divisions, or sections, within their military.

 

Most recently, the UK Space Command officially formed on April 1 this year, and is staffed from the Royal Navy, British Army, Royal Air Force and civil service.

 

The outlier is the US Space Force. It was formed in December 2019 and is the sixth branch of the US military, the first new US military service since the Air Force was spun off in 1947.

 

After initially raising eyebrows, the US Space Force has drawn criticism for its less-than-peaceful efforts.

 

In September last year, for instance, a Space Force squadron was deployed to the Arabian Peninsula, following months of escalating tensions between Iran and the US.

 

"The rhetoric of the US Space Force is actually very problematic," Dr Steer said.

 

"It's starting to set a bit of an escalatory cycle in place, because what [the US] is doing is saying, Russia and China are weaponising space, therefore, we need to weaponise space in return.

 

"But China hears them saying that, and so they ramp up their program, and so does Russia.

 

"And so it becomes this back and forth, a little bit like the Cold War."

 

What does the role of commander entail?

 

While Air Vice-Marshal Roberts will take the reins as commander of Australia's space division in eight months, exactly what her role will involve is not yet clear.

 

But by coordinating Australia's space defence activities, Air Vice-Marshal Roberts will get a feel of the nation's strengths and weaknesses, and likely set about fixing any vulnerabilities, Dr Steer said.

 

"Intelligence is another big part of what we use space for and what Australia has done really well in, so she'll be bringing all of those capabilities under one banner head, so that it can be better coordinated."

 

Having one person in charge of the military's space activities will also allow Australia to better coordinate with, in particular, the Five Eyes allies: the UK, Canada, New Zealand and the UK.

 

"This is a great way to be able to coordinate at the same level as our allies," Dr Steer said.

 

"We need to have someone who's able to speak at that level, because most of our allies have someone at that level."

 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2021-05-13/australia-space-division-military-satellites-air-force-commander/100127978

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 13, 2021, 1:40 a.m. No.13650239   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1298

Investigators battle surge in self-produced child exploitation material

 

Cloe Read - May 12, 2021

 

Investigators are seeing a surge in self-produced child exploitation material, as the availability of encryption services make it easier for paedophiles to live stream child abuse.

 

Officers also face an uphill battle in their investigations as technology continually changes and offenders take advantage of children locked down during the pandemic.

 

Detectives from Task Force Argos, a branch of Queensland Police responsible for the investigation of online child exploitation and abuse, helped rescue 329 children between July 2019 and April 2021.

 

During that period, investigators seized data from more than 144 million media files and arrested 46 offenders on 335 criminal charges.

 

Argos officers also referred a further 538 files for investigation within Queensland and other jurisdictions.

 

Detectives say the surge is the result of suspected paedophiles taking advantage of the pandemic, with offenders actively discussing the opportunities of more children being at home during lockdowns across the world.

 

Reports made by members of the public to the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation increased by 122 per cent during lockdowns in 2020.

 

Argos lead Detective Inspector Glen Donaldson said one of the biggest trends the team had seen was the increase in self-produced child exploitation material.

 

“These are photos or videos created by children themselves, either under duress when the victim of sextortion or sharing consensually with a boyfriend or girlfriend and then the image is unknowingly shared,” he said.

 

“Once these images are shared online, they can never be removed.

 

“Offenders are actively discussing in chat forums that the lockdowns will result in more children being online, providing them with more potential victims to exploit.”

 

The team also reported the use of encryption services now readily available to the public was changing the way offenders operate.

 

Detectives are battling live-streaming of abuse material and online services which allow criminals to operate with a level of protection and anonymity.

 

Inspector Donaldson said the trends were concerning and urged parents to take an active role in their children’s online activities.

 

“The internet is an essential part of modern life and can provide significant social and educative benefits for children,” he said.

 

“However it is also a place where children should be given boundaries with age appropriate supervision to reduce the risk they will become a victim.”

 

He said research from the Office of eSafety Commissioner released earlier this year shows that the number of children contacted by strangers online has risen from one in four to nearly one in three.

 

“Parents need to understand the very real dangers their children can be exposed to online,” he said.

 

https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/queensland/investigators-battle-surge-in-self-produced-child-exploitation-material-20210510-p57qeg.html

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 13, 2021, 2:25 a.m. No.13650331   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>8933 >>1289

>>13515337

ScoMo says preparing for war with China is doing his job

 

Scott Morrison has backed Peter Dutton in warning Australians that we need to be prepared for military conflict with China.

 

dailytelegraph.com.au - May 12, 2021

 

Prime Minister Scott Morrison says it would be “foolish” to not appreciate the potential risks of going to war with China.

 

The PM’s comments came in response Defence Minister Peter Dutton saying a military conflict with China over Taiwan “should not be discounted”.

 

“Of course there are many tensions that exist in the region, and it would be foolish of Australia to not appreciate the potential risks that emerge,” said Mr Morrison on 7.30 on Wednesday.

 

“That doesn’t mean something will happen but any Defence Minister, any Prime Minister of Australia who do not, in consideration of these things, ensure Australians are prepared in these circumstances would not be doing there job.”

 

Mr Morrison supported his Defence Minister’s position, saying it was based off information from their advisers.

 

The statements from the Prime Minister are expected to continue to brouhaha with the country’s biggest trading partner.

 

Late last month, Mr Dutton angered the Chinese when he criticised the country’s position on Taiwan.

 

Mr Dutton said Australia must be “realistic” about China’s antagonistic behaviour, saying: “There is militarisation of bases across the region. Obviously there is a significant amount of activity and there is an animosity between Taiwan and China,” he said.

 

Asked about the prospects of a “battle” over Taiwan, Mr Dutton said: “I don’t think it should be discounted”.

 

Mr Dutton said Australia wanted to continue being a “good neighbour” in the region, adding “nobody wants to see conflict”.

 

“But we do have a difference of opinion with the ideals of the Communist Party of China. Let’s be very frank about that,” he said.

 

Australia does not formally recognise Taiwan at a diplomatic level, but has regularly called for a “peaceful resolution” of differences between China and the small independent nation.

 

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said the communist country wanted a peaceful reunification with Taiwan.

 

“We hope that Australia will fully understand the high sensitivity of the Taiwan issue, adhere to the One China principle, be cautious in its words and actions, refrain from sending any wrong signals to the secessionist forces of Taiwan independence,” Mr Wang said.

 

https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/scomo-says-preparing-for-war-with-china-is-doing-his-job/news-story/c33d6875eddcac2ed1213a77adc25a40

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 13, 2021, 2:33 a.m. No.13650344   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1289

>>13376630

>>13389653

Former NSW Labor staffer John Zhang loses High Court battle over validity of warrants used to seize his property

 

Elizabeth Byrne - 12 May 2021

 

The High Court has upheld Australia's foreign interference laws, throwing out a challenge to three warrants issued in an investigation into an alleged Chinese plot to infiltrate the New South Wales Parliament.

 

Former Labor advisor John Zhang has never been charged, but Australian Federal Police (AFP) seized material from him during an investigation into an alleged Chinese plot to infiltrate the state parliament through the office of Labor backbencher Shaoquett Moselmane.

 

Mr Zhang worked part-time in Mr Moselmane's office for two years from 2018 to 2020.

 

Mr Zhang's lawyers had argued in the High Court that the warrants, used to seize computers, phones and $60,000 in cash from his home, business and NSW Parliament, were not specific enough about the alleged crime.

 

His lawyers also claimed that Australia's foreign interference laws impugned the implied constitutional right to freedom of political communication.

 

But today the High Court threw out the case, finding the warrants were valid and ordering Mr Zhang to pay costs.

 

It found the questions about the imposition on the implied right to freedom of political communication were unnecessary to answer.

 

In its submissions to the High Court, the government said the purpose of Australia's foreign interference laws were "not only legitimate, but serve[d] to preserve and enhance the system of representative and responsible government."

 

"The provisions are reasonably appropriate and adapted to that significant purpose," the government submissions read.

 

Mr Zhang's case escalated tensions between Australia and China, with three Chinese journalists who were part of the WeChat group known as FD (Fair Dinkum) leaving in June last year shortly after being questioned by ASIO.

 

Another two scholars had their visas cancelled.

 

The diplomatic crisis also saw the ABC's Bill Birtles and the Australian Financial Review's Michael Smith evacuated from China.

 

Today's High Court ruling has cleared the way for the AFP to continue its investigation.

 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-05-12/former-nsw-labor-advisor-john-zhang-loses-high-court-battle/100133374

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 13, 2021, 2:38 a.m. No.13650347   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1798 >>1289

>>13642264

GT Voice: Canberra's defense spending means economic carnage

 

Global Times - May 12, 2021

 

Even after single-handedly driving China-Australia ties to a near-frozen state, the Morrison government appears to be dead set on further escalating regional confrontation by substantially increasing investment in defense and national security - apparently to maintain its role of an attack dog for the US' so-called Indo-Pacific strategy aiming to contain China.

 

The Australian federal government plans to spend 270 billion Australian dollars ($212 billion) over the next decade on upgrading defense capabilities to "promote an open and peaceful Indo-Pacific," according to media reports, citing a newly released economic plan by Australia's Treasury Department.

 

The hefty defense and security investment will include spending on upgrading infrastructure facilities aimed at assisting US military as well as other collaborative weaponry projects with the US, media reports said.

 

The spending plan came as some Australian politicians and media outlets have been pushing Australia to join forces with the US if a military conflict breaks out in the Taiwan Straits. In such context, observers generally see the move as a signal from Canberra that it will continue and even escalate its confrontational approach toward China.

 

While it is not all that shocking to see Canberra echoing the US' so-called "Indo-Pacific strategy" to contain China, it is still inconceivable that Australian politicians would be willing to run huge deficits to curry favor with the US. Ultimately, the defense spending could mean more carnage for the Australian economy.

 

According to the Treasury Department's budget plan for the fiscal year starting on July 1, none of its other spending plans could be comparable to the defense spending with the total expenses for the next fiscal year set at A$589 billion. For instance, the government proposed a A$17.7 billion spending on elderly care over five years, falling way short of even one-tenth of the defense budget.

 

Moreover, with such aggressive military spending plan, it is also questionable whether the country's budget deficit will decline in the coming years, as the Treasury claims, after hitting a record high of A$161 billion for the fiscal year ending on June 30.

 

But judging from the way Australian politicians talk and act, they are not so concerned about trade and economic issues that could affect the jobs and livelihoods of millions of Australians. If they were, they would have stopped their unreasonable provocative political stunts that wreak havoc on bilateral relations.

 

Australia's trade ties with China, its largest trading partner, will unlikely improve in the foreseeable future, which has and will continue to add pressure on the Australian economy. As Canberra continues on its confrontational approach, China's National Development and Reform Commission recently halted exchanges with Australia.

 

This week, some media outlets reported that liquefied natural gas (LNG) is regarded as the latest Australian export that could bear the brunt of deteriorating ties. A Bloomberg report stated on Monday that at least two Chinese small LNG importers were told not to purchase Australian LNG next year.

 

While the authenticity of the report remains unclear and China is unlikely to issue export ban without justified reasons, it doesn't mean China won't seek diversification of LNG supplies.

 

In fact, considering the tensions between the two sides and Canberra's reluctance to show even the slightest sign of willingness to repair bilateral ties, China's diversification push may cover more products.

 

It is Australia's relentless and unreasonable provocations that push China to seek such diversification. Certainly, China does not seek to initiate a "trade war," but a comprehensive counter plan is necessary to not just protect China's interests but also deter any potential provocation from Canberra.

 

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202105/1223299.shtml

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 13, 2021, 3:05 a.m. No.13650379   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>0382 >>8777 >>1289

Japan embarks on joint military maneuvers with US, France, Australia

 

Foreign troops practising on Japanese soil sends signal to bearish China

 

asia.nikkei.com - May 11, 2021

 

TOKYO (Kyodo) – Japan's ground troops began Tuesday a large-scale joint exercise with the United States and France for the first time on Japanese soil to increase cooperation in the face of China's growing assertiveness.

 

"ARC21" will be held through next Monday as Tokyo seeks to deepen defense cooperation beyond its U.S. ally with "like-minded countries," Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi said ahead of the drill.

 

France "is the only European country with a permanent military presence in the Indo-Pacific region," Kishi told a press conference in Tokyo. "It is also a like-minded country that shares with Japan the vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific."

 

The move comes as Tokyo and Washington boost their alliance over regional issues including the Japan-controlled Senkaku Islands, which are claimed by Beijing, in the East China Sea amid an escalation of China's maritime assertiveness in the East and South China seas.

 

France has strategic interests in the Indo-Pacific where it has territories, including the French island of Reunion in the Indian Ocean and French Polynesia in the South Pacific.

 

The forces of the three countries will engage in urban warfare drills followed by amphibious operation exercises, according to Japan's Ground Self-Defense Force.

 

On the first three days until Thursday, the troops will be stationed at GSDF Camp Ainoura in Nagasaki Prefecture in southwestern Japan, where they will work together to plan the operations.

 

On Friday and Saturday, the troops will be sent by aircraft to the GSDF Kirishima training ground that straddles Miyazaki and Kagoshima prefectures to engage in an urban warfare drill at the facility, which is designed to look like a remote island.

 

The GSDF rapid amphibious deployment brigade, dubbed "Japanese Marines," will be among the units participating in the exercises. Around 100 troops from the GSDF and 60 personnel each from the French army and U.S. Marine Corps will participate.

 

Japan has been trying to strengthen the Self-Defense Forces' abilities to defend remote islands at a time of increased maritime actions by China, especially around the Senkaku Islands.

 

Four of the U.S. Marines' Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft stationed at the Maritime Self-Defense Force's Kanoya Air Base in Kagoshima Prefecture will join the drills.

 

In line with the drills, the three countries are joined by Australia in exercises in the East China Sea through next Monday.

 

The exercises involve GSDF helicopters landing and taking off from ships of the MSDF and the French navy staying off the west coast of Kyushu, Japan's southwestern main island.

 

The French army units arrived at Sasebo in Nagasaki Prefecture aboard France's Jeanne d'Arc training fleet.

 

As Asia has become a center of global economic growth with China's clout increasing, European nations have adopted Indo-Pacific policies. Britain said in its recent defense and foreign policy review that it will be "deeply engaged" in the region.

 

Britain's aircraft carrier Queen Elizabeth and its strike group, including a frigate from the Netherlands, left Britain earlier this month. During the seven-month voyage, the group of ships is due to make several port visits including Japan to show its presence in the Indo-Pacific region.

 

Germany has also said it plans to send a frigate to the region.

 

Japan is eyeing conducting drills with the two countries during the visits by their vessels, according to the Japanese Defense Ministry.

 

https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/International-relations/Japan-embarks-on-joint-military-maneuvers-with-US-France-Australia

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 13, 2021, 3:06 a.m. No.13650382   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1289

>>13650379

Joint drill by US, allies on Japanese land insignificant: analysts

 

Liu Xuanzun and Guo Yuandan - May 12, 2021

 

The ongoing joint exercises by Japanese, US, French and Australian troops, claimed to "serve as a deterrent to China," is only symbolic and of little military significance, as the drill was put together by participants that have different agenda or are too weak, experts said on Wednesday, while slamming Japan's outdated mindset of rallying alliances for confrontation.

 

The People's Liberation Army (PLA) doesn't even need to make pointed responses to the joint drill since it's insignificant militarily. PLA should make concrete steps in its own development, like it did with recent drills and warship commissioning, said analysts.

 

Japan, the US and France kicked off their first-ever joint military drill in southwestern Japan on Tuesday, with an Australian naval ship also taking part in the week-long air, land and sea exercises, AFP reported.

 

Ten surface vessels from the four countries plus a Japanese submarine will participate in the drill, the report said.

 

Citing a Japanese scholar, the report claimed the drill is a deterrent to China's moves in the East and South China seas, including those over the Diaoyu Islands, which are Chinese territories.

 

"The drill will not be a threat to China, because it was only scraped together," Song Zhongping, a Chinese military affairs expert and TV commentator, told the Global Times on Wednesday.

 

The French troops traveled from afar only to do the US a favor and show presence, and while foreign reports said France has strategic interests in the Indo-Pacific Region where it has territories, including the French island of Reunion in the Indian Ocean and French Polynesia in the South Pacific, it has no core interests in the West Pacific, let alone confronting China, analysts said.

 

If a military conflict breaks out in the region, France will wait and see and even prevent NATO from participating, Song predicted, noting that France and the US have many substantial differences, including on NATO's eastward expansion.

 

Australia's military is too weak to be a worthy opponent of China, and if it dares to interfere in a military conflict for example in the Taiwan Straits, its forces will be among the first to be hit, Song said. "Australia must not think it can hide from China if it provokes."

 

Australia is within range of China's conventional warhead-equipped DF-26 intermediate-range ballistic missile, observers pointed out.

 

AP said on Tuesday that the event will feature urban warfare drills followed by amphibious operation exercises under a scenario of defending a remote island from an enemy invasion..

 

While the amphibious exercises clearly point to the Diaoyu Islands and islands and reefs in the South China Sea, the urban warfare drills could indicate these foreign forces could be practicing interfering in the Taiwan question, because that is where urban warfare is required, analysts said.

 

Despite its severe domestic COVID-19 situation, Japan remains stubborn in hooking in "like-minded" countries for joint military exercises, which is an outdated Cold War mindset and will only build divisions and confrontation, Zhang Junshe, a senior research fellow at the PLA Naval Military Studies Research Institute, told the Global Times on Wednesday.

 

As an invading country defeated in World War II, why is Japan holding offensive exercises like this? Zhang asked. "Japan should learn from history and not let militarism come back to life."

 

While it is possible that China will send a reconnaissance ship close to the site, China does not really need to react to the exercise, as it only needs to make concrete steps in strengthening its military and develop its science and technology capabilities, Song said.

 

The PLA has been making strides in its development, and recently held joint cross-sea landing exercises, conducted aircraft carrier drills and commissioned powerful new warships, all of which are pragmatic, analysts said.

 

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202105/1223303.shtml

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 13, 2021, 3:26 a.m. No.13650406   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>8108 >>1257

U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell Tweet

 

Appreciated meeting today with Foreign Minister @MarisePayne of Australia. We discussed our nations’ efforts to meet shared challenges, from China’s aggression to democracy in Burma and counterterrorism in Afghanistan. It was a good conversation with a great ally.

 

https://twitter.com/LeaderMcConnell/status/1392618555317882886

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 14, 2021, 1:43 a.m. No.13658108   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1257

>>13650406

Foreign Minister Marise Payne Tweet

 

Honoured to meet with @LeaderMcConnell in Washington DC to discuss some of the most pressing issues facing our nations including #IndoPacific cooperation and Myanmar.

 

https://twitter.com/MarisePayne/status/1392834610665459717

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 14, 2021, 1:45 a.m. No.13658111   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>8120 >>8125 >>8134 >>8137 >>8141 >>8147 >>8148 >>8947 >>2432 >>1289

US Secretary of State says Australia will not be left alone to face China coercion

 

AFP / SBS - 14 May 2021

 

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken says the United States will not leave Australia alone "in the face of economic coercion by China", and that such behaviour toward US allies will hamper improvement in US-Sino relations.

 

Washington has repeatedly criticised what it says are Beijing's attempts to bully neighbours with competing interests, and US President Joe Biden has sought to bolster ties with allies in the Indo-Pacific to counter China's growing power.

 

"I reiterated that the United States will not leave Australia alone on the field, or maybe I should say alone on the pitch, in the face of economic coercion by China," Mr Blinken said at a press briefing with Australia's visiting Foreign Minister Marise Payne.

 

"And we've made clear to (China) how such actions targeting our closest partners and allies will hinder improvements in our own relationship with China," he added.

 

China has imposed a series of trade sanctions on Australian exports ranging from wine to coal as tensions between the two countries have worsened in recent years.

 

Successive Australian trade ministers have been unable to secure a phone call with Chinese counterparts since diplomatic tensions worsened in 2020, and last week Beijing suspended all activity under a bilateral economic dialogue.

 

Australia was one of the first countries to publicly ban Chinese tech giant Huawei from its 5G network over security concerns, and last year angered Beijing with its calls for an independent investigation into the origins of COVID-19.

 

Ms Payne told journalists Australia had been clear that it wanted constructive ties with China.

 

"But we won't compromise on our national security or our sovereignty and we'll continue to act to protect that," she said.

 

Australia calls for more powers for WHO after COVID-19 report

 

Ms Payne used the press conference to call for increased powers for the World Health Organisation to investigate outbreaks, after a major report initiated by the WHO found that the declaration of a global emergency should have happened much earlier.

 

Australia has been in the firing line from China, its largest trading partner, over steps including backing US-led calls for a probe into COVID's origins, resulting in Beijing imposing tariffs on key products including wine and cutting off diplomatic and trade talks.

 

Foreign Minister Marise Payne praised recommendations of a panel report released Wednesday and said, "We absolutely support those being taken very seriously".

 

She pointed to recommendations "about increasing the independence and authority of the WHO so that they have explicit powers to investigate pathogens with pandemic potential and to publish information about those potential outbreaks with immediate action without prior approval of national governments".

 

"The independent panel is a very important one in terms of the way forward for ensuring that we avoid the experience that the world, this country, our country, so many countries have had to deal with in recent times and the extraordinary loss of life that it has caused," she said.

 

The panel, led by former Liberian president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and former New Zealand prime minister Helen Clark, found that early responses to the outbreak in Wuhan, China in December 2019 "lacked urgency" and said the pandemic - which has killed at least 3.3 million people and devastated the global economy - was preventable.

 

Mr Blinken, speaking with Ms Payne, renewed US criticism of the original WHO investigation.

 

"The issue is less about assigning blame and more about understanding what happened so that we can take effective action for the future," Blinken said.

 

"There was a failure on the part of the PRC to allow timely access to international experts, timely sharing of information, real transparency when it mattered most," Blinken said of China.

 

President Joe Biden's administration, however, has reversed a decision by previous president Donald Trump to leave the WHO, pointing to plenty of positive work by the UN body and calling for efforts to improve it from within.

 

https://www.sbs.com.au/news/us-secretary-of-state-says-australia-will-not-be-left-alone-to-face-china-coercion

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 14, 2021, 1:47 a.m. No.13658120   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1289

>>13658111

Foreign Minister Marise Payne Tweet

 

(Australia and the United States) are the closest of friends & allies. @SecBlinken & I reaffirmed our commitment to a stable, secure & open #IndoPacific. Our nations’ shared values, interests & history underpin our relationship & enable cooperation including on #COVID recovery, technologies & supply chains.

 

https://twitter.com/MarisePayne/status/1393076283500761092

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 14, 2021, 1:49 a.m. No.13658125   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1289

>>13658111

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken Tweet

 

Great to meet with Foreign Minister @MarisePayne today to discuss our ongoing commitment to the health, security, and prosperity of the #IndoPacific. We look forward to celebrating the 70th anniversary of #ANZUS alongside our friend and ally Australia later this year. #USwithAUS

 

https://twitter.com/SecBlinken/status/1392948506504187909

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 14, 2021, 1:52 a.m. No.13658134   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1289

>>13658111

Foreign Minister Marise Payne Tweet

 

Met with @NSAGov @JakeSullivan46 in Washington DC to reaffirm our nations’ shared commitment to a strong, independent & secure #IndoPacific region & the critical importance of the Quad & vaccination cooperation including through #COVAX.

 

https://twitter.com/MarisePayne/status/1392837483335864325

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 14, 2021, 1:54 a.m. No.13658137   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>2432 >>1289

>>13658111

Marise Payne and Antony Blinken call for ‘real transparency’ from China on Covid origins

 

ADAM CREIGHTON - MAY 14, 2021

 

Foreign Minister Marise Payne and US secretary of state Antony Blinken have called for greater transparency from China over the origins of SARSCov2, amid growing interest in the idea the virus leaked accidentally from the Wuhan Virology Lab.

 

In Washington DC for a series of meetings with US political leaders, Ms Payne said Australia hadn’t changed its view, expressed in April 2020, that “that there should be an independent international objective review into covid19 origins and impact”.

 

Secretary Blinken said the US wasn’t satisfied with a WHO-led investigation, released in March, which concluded the virus more likely spread from bats to human than from an accidental leak.

 

“Yes we support an ongoing investigation to get to bottom of what happened with covid 19. This is so important because we need to understand what happened if we are going to have the best possible opportunity to prevent it happening again,” he said, speaking at a press conference with Ms Payne on Friday morning AEST.

 

His remarks came as prominent scientists called for a deeper investigation into the origin of COVID-19, including the possibility that a laboratory accident released the new coronavirus that caused the pandemic, in a letter published Thursday in the journal science,

 

“In the early days of the pandemic there was a failure on the part of the PRC to allow timely access to international expert … real transparency when it mattered most,” Mr Blinken said.

 

Earlier foreign Minister Marise Payne said she was visiting DC at a time of “great strategic uncertainty and global crisis”.

 

“Australia-US collaboration, along with co-operation among a broad collective of liberal democratic nations, are key to both Australia’s own sovereignty as well as global security,” the Minister told The Australian.

 

“This is the case whether the challenge is responding to COVID-19, countering malign foreign influence and disinformation or preventing cyber attacks,” she added.

 

The minister’s arrival comes amid heightened tension between the US and China and with Russia, and separately, follows the shutdown last week of a major US oil pipeline for days owing to a cyber attack.

 

Evan Medeiros, a US-China relations specialist at Georgetown University, said Australia’s relationship with the US was “entering a qualitatively new stage”.

 

“We are witnessing a further convergence of economics and security interests as the true scope and intensity of the China and Russia challenges present themselves,” he told The Australian.

 

“The good news is that it isn’t 1945 and we aren’t starting from scratch, but the US and Australia will need to broaden their coalition to achieve meaningful gains in a short time,” he added.

 

Senator Payne was the third foreign Minister, after Italy’s and Jordan’s, to visit Washington DC since President Joe Biden took office in January.

 

Richard Fontaine, the chief executive of Center for New American Security, said the minister’s visit signalled “both the strength of the US-Australia alliance and its relative importance given the new team’s focus on the Indo-Pacific”.

 

“The administration has been keen to show that it values allies and wants to work with them, that strong alliances make dealing with China easier, and that it stands with Australia as it endures Chinese economic coercion,” he added.

 

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/world/era-of-great-strategic-uncertainty-and-global-crisis-says-marise-payne/news-story/e5622361565d738344f198100c4b85c8

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 14, 2021, 1:55 a.m. No.13658141   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1289

>>13658111

Payne: US-Australia alliance should embolden others on China

 

Matthew Knott - May 14, 2021

 

Washington: Foreign Minister Marise Payne says the United States’ vocal support for Australia should embolden other countries to stand up to Beijing when the Chinese government threatens their national values and interests.

 

Payne held her first in-person meetings with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Washington on Friday (AEST) as well as meetings with other top Biden administration officials.

 

Payne said the Morrison government is pushing for a more thorough investigation into the origins of the coronavirus while maintaining its belief the virus probably emerged from wildlife rather than a Chinese laboratory leak.

 

At a joint press conference at the State Department, Blinken backed recent remarks by Indo-Pacific Co-ordinator Kurt Campbell that China’s economic coercion of Australia is a roadblock to a normalisation of relations between the rival superpowers.

 

“I reiterated that the United States will not leave Australia alone on the field - or should I say alone on the pitch - in the face of economic coercion by China,” Blinken said.

 

“That’s what allies do.”

 

Blinken said he had told Chinese officials explicitly that “actions targeting our closest partners and allies will hinder improvements in our own relationship with China”.

 

Payne said: “I hope that the support Australia has received from the United States gives confidence to others.

 

“It doesn’t matter where challenges to your sovereignty come from, all countries should know that there is a global community that can support one another in this most basic expectation of nationhood.

 

“As with the freedom of individuals, so with the sovereignty of states.”

 

Payne said Australia stands ready to resume dialogue with China “at any time”.

 

“But we have been open and clear and consistent about the fact that we are dealing with a number of challenges,” she said.

 

Speaking to The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age after the meeting, Payne said other countries can “feel reluctant to engage” with China on issues such as the repression of Uighurs in Xinjiang province but she hopes this will change.

 

“The United States is giving strength to others that it is possible to speak out on these issues,” she said.

 

Both Payne and Blinken said they continue have concerns about the World Health Organisation’s report into the origins of the coronavirus, especially as global investigators were not given access to original data and lab samples in China.

 

But Payne said the Morrison government still believes the virus probably began in wildlife such as bat rather than leaking out of the Wuhan Institute of Virology.

 

“We would still say the most likely hypothesis continues to suggest that the virus emerged from wildlife through an intermediate host,” Payne said.

 

The so-called lab leak hypothesis has been attracting increased attention in both Australia and the US in recent weeks.

 

Republican congressman Mike Gallagher introduced a bill this week that would require the US director of national intelligence to “declassify any and all information relating to potential links between the Wuhan Institute of Virology and the origin of the Coronavirus Disease 2019”.

 

“Now we know certain facts too that stack up in favour of the lab leak hypothesis,” Gallagher said in an interview with Fox News.

 

Adding that he did not know for sure how the virus emerged, he added: “All I’m saying is lets get to the bottom of it. Is there any more important question in the world right now?”

 

During her visit Payne also met with national security adviser Jake Sullivan, climate envoy John Kerry and Samantha Power, the head of the US Agency for International Development.

 

https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/world/north-america/payne-us-australia-alliance-should-embolden-others-on-china-20210514-p57ruj.html

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 14, 2021, 1:56 a.m. No.13658147   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1291

>>13658111

Australia and the US demonstrate ‘democracy delivers’: Payne

 

Sky News Australia

 

14 May 2021

 

Foreign Minister Marise Payne said Australia and the United States can demonstrate “democracy delivers” during a press conference following diplomatic discussions with her US counterpart Antony Blinken in Washington.

 

“Together with our partners, including through groups such as the Quad, Australia and the United States can demonstrate that democracy delivers,” she said.

 

“Transparency and accountability matter, indeed lives and livelihoods depend on it”.

 

Ms Payne said the pair had discussed relationships with China and noted the “clear expressions of support” from Washington were welcomed as Australia works through its differences with the communist power.

 

“Australia seeks a constructive relationship with China, we stand ready at any time, amongst all of my counterparts and colleagues, to resume dialogue,” she said.

 

“I hope that the support Australia has received from the United States gives confidence to others.

 

“It doesn’t matter where challenges to your sovereignty come from, all countries should know that there is a global community that can support one another in this most basic expectation of nationhood.

 

“As with the freedom of individuals, so with the sovereignty of states”.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXC_6vEaP7A

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 14, 2021, 1:58 a.m. No.13658148   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1291

>>13658111

Marise Payne calls for an end to Gaza violence

 

Sky News Australia

 

14 May 2021

 

Foreign Minister Marise Payne has called for an end to escalating violence between Israel and Gaza.

 

She met the US secretary of state in Washington DC this morning, starting a series of meetings to strengthen the alliance between Australia and the US.

 

The leaders conveyed their stance on the Israel-Gaza violence with Ms Payne supporting a stop to any actions which further tensions.

 

The secretary of state reiterated her comments, saying both the Israelis and Palestinians have a right to peace.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lMeGxrPCks

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 14, 2021, 2:32 a.m. No.13658222   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1257

>>13553469

>>13603946

Israeli company Elbit Systems to fight ADF snub on ‘security’ fears

 

BEN PACKHAM - MAY 14, 2021

 

Israel’s biggest publicly listed ­defence company, Elbit Systems, has warned the Australian government it is prepared to wage a sustained legal battle to restore its global reputation after the army recently axed its battle management system over undisclosed ­security concerns.

 

The company told Defence Minister Peter Dutton’s office it was blindsided by the decision, which it said was not based in fact, and it was left with no other ­option but to fight.

 

The Australian has learned one of the company’s top executives is quarantining in Melbourne after flying from Israel for talks with the government.

 

Defence’s surprise move to rip Elbit’s BMS from army vehicles and servers has thrown the service’s command and control processes back to the pre-digital age, after spending $2bn and 15 years developing the capability.

 

The decision is being likened in defence circles to the Seasprite debacle, in which the navy spent more than $1.3bn on 40-year-old helicopters, which were scrapped five years after they were ­accepted for service.

 

Senator Jim Molan will return to parliament next week — midway through cancer treatment — to demand answers from Defence officials on the growing scandal.

 

“Defence cannot afford ­another $2bn failure. It is my view that we cannot afford to start again on the BMS,” the retired major general and former head of operations in Iraq told The Australian. “It is my intention to raise this in Senate estimates under privilege, and in the ­Defence subcommittee.”

 

Defence sources said the Australian Signals Directorate warned of a possible “back door” in the Elbit system, but neither ASD nor Defence would confirm the allegation.

 

The Australian can reveal the company’s Australian managing director, Paul McLachlan, met Mr Dutton’s chief of staff Craig Maclachlan in Canberra this week, seeking answers for the ­abrupt decision.

 

A source familiar with the discussions said Mr McLachlan ­argued Elbit’s source code had been available to Defence for years, and was validated by the US government. He said the decision had caused friendly forces, including those in Britain and Germany, to reconsider the ­security of Elbit’s products.

 

Another source said the decision to axe the system was “so ham-fisted” the contract was only added to Defence’s “projects of concern” list after the orders were issued to get rid of the system.

 

It is understood the company, which is close to Israel’s government, will argue its treatment by Defence is inconsistent with the 2017 Australia-Israel Memorandum of Understanding on defence industry co-operation.

 

According to the Defence order issued last month: “The employment of the BMS-C2 ­system version 7.1 within army’s preparedness environment is to cease no later than May 15, 2021.”

 

It said memory sticks and software must “be withdrawn from issue to users and … quarantined by signals support staff”.

 

The decision has created a massive problem for Defence, leaving commanders facing the prospect of fighting a war using paper maps and pencils.

 

Defence sources said the army would go to the July exercise Talisman Sabre — the nation’s largest bilateral war games with the US — without the ability to digitally manage its forces.

 

Elbit Systems, which has a 250-strong Australian workforce, said it “strongly refuted the security ­rumours” surrounding its BMS. “Elbit Systems of Australia utilises secure software ­development processes in collaboration with the Department of Defence, including the provision of all source code,” the company said.

 

The army’s relationship with Elbit Systems Australia was already strained before the alleged security issue was identified, amid a series of cost blowouts and delays.

 

A 2019 Auditor-General’s report found the program was marred by poor acquisition processes and ineffective governance. The price was “severely unaffordable”, and was already two years late by 2015. A plan to track individual soldiers was abandoned because the system was considered too unwieldy.

 

Sources warned it could be years before the capability gap was overcome, given the long lead times in rolling out complex technologies within Defence.

 

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/defence/israeli-company-elbit-systems-to-fight-adf-snub-on-security-fears/news-story/6117dec92d0c7a8702d60901bc31b43c

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 14, 2021, 2:37 a.m. No.13658239   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1261

NSW MP Gareth Ward stands aside amid police probe into alleged sexual violence

 

YONI BASHAN - MAY 14, 2021

 

Gladys Berejiklian has lost her second cabinet minister in three months after her families minister, Gareth Ward, moved to the crossbench over sexual assault allegations made against him.

 

Mr Ward’s move, little more than a week before a crucial by-election caused by the resignation of a Coalition MP accused of rape, pushes the NSW government deeper into minority and threatens its stability.

 

Mr Ward on Thursday afternoon confirmed that he was under investigation by the NSW Child Abuse and Sex Crimes Squad over “sexual violence related offences” dating back to 2013.

 

Mr Ward, who denies any wrongdoing, said he had learned of the allegations after inquiries from a journalist that day.

 

“I have not been contacted by police in relation to any allegations,” he said. “Until this matter is resolved, it is appropriate I stand aside from my role as minister. I will also remove myself from the Liberal partyroom.”

 

Mr Ward’s departure follows that of former sports minister John Sidoti, who moved to the crossbench in March as an Independent Commission Against Corruption inquiry was publicly launched into his family’s property affairs. He denies wrongdoing and that investigation remains ongoing.

 

The latest developments involving Mr Ward come at a sensitive time for the government, which faces a crucial by-election in the seat of Upper Hunter next Saturday, and the possibility of losing its majority in the lower house of parliament.

 

Upper Hunter was vacated in March by former Nationals MP Michael Johnsen after he, too, was forced onto the crossbench — and later out of politics — over allegations he raped a sex worker, and sent explicit messages while sitting in parliament. Mr Johnsen denies the rape allegations.

 

Police said the allegations against Mr Ward dated back to 2013 and involved a number of incidents — these are understood to extend up until 2015 and they are believed to have been raised with police in recent months.

 

As news of the investigation became public, the shockwave of the allegations rippled through the hallways of parliament.

 

A gathering of the government’s expenditure review committee was cancelled by Ms Berejiklian midway through discussions, with Police Minister David Elliott seen exiting the meeting in frustration and saying: “business has to go on”.

 

Others gathered outside the ministerial offices on level eight of the building, where at least one minister was seen exiting Mr Ward’s office in tears. Mr Ward issued a statement in co-ordination with one distributed by Ms Berejiklian’s office.

 

The Premier said she supported Mr Ward’s decision to step aside.

 

“I was made aware through media reports today that an MP is under investigation by police,” the Premier’s statement said.

 

“I have subsequently received advice from minister Gareth Ward of his decision to step aside as -minister and sit on the crossbench while there is speculation about his future.

 

“I support his decision.”

 

Attorney-General Mark Speakman will assume Mr Ward’s responsibilities.

 

Mr Ward, the minister families, community services and disability services, was elected to parliament in 2011 and successfully increased the margin in his seat of Kiama, on the NSW south coast, at the last state election in 2019.

 

Legally blind due to a genetic condition, he was promoted to the Coalition ministry that year and remains a prominent figure in the Liberal Party’s dominant moderate faction.

 

While regarded by colleagues as a shrewd and capable minister, one who has been invested in his portfolio, the MP has also courted controversy, most recently in March 2020 when he was found naked and disoriented by police officers outside his Sydney apartment.

 

Mr Ward later said he had been under a general anaesthetic for a medical procedure that day. No police action was taken.

 

The Berejiklian government has so far sailed through the COVID-19 pandemic on the popularity of its leader, but it remains vulnerable in parliament and reliant on the support of independent MPs to pass legislation.

 

As a coalition, the government holds 46 of 93 available seats in the lower house; a loss in the seat of Upper Hunter next Saturday would cement the Liberal-Nationals to a minority government.

 

It does not hold a majority of seats in the upper house.

 

Nationals officials are confident they will retain the seat, which is held on a 2.6 per cent margin, but preference flows from independent candidates, along with One Nation and the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party, could deliver a tight contest.

 

Some MPs said on Thursday that Mr Ward’s matter and its proximity to the ballot could also shape the outcome.

 

“It won’t help,” one said.

 

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/nsw-mp-under-investigation-over-sexual-assault/news-story/147d8de8d8e849071b5d945d9b92712a

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 14, 2021, 2:45 a.m. No.13658258   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>8265 >>1261

Tasmanian Liberal Adam Brooks charged by police over firearms offences, resigns from Parliament

 

Alexandra Humphries, Rachel Fisher and James Dunlevie - 14 May 2021

 

1/2

 

Controversial Liberal candidate Adam Brooks will not take his seat in the Tasmanian Parliament and has been charged by Queensland police with being in possession of a handgun, unauthorised explosives and false driver's licences.

 

Premier Peter Gutwein made the announcement shortly before the polls were due to be declared following the May 1 state election.

 

Mr Gutwein said he spoke with Mr Brooks on Thursday evening, when Mr Brooks disclosed he had flown to Queensland and was seeking treatment for his mental health.

 

"Last night he also informed me that yesterday he was visited by Queensland police and he has subsequently been charged with a firearms offence and also in relation to a matter relating to a document," Mr Gutwein said.

 

Mr Gutwein said Mr Brooks had been bailed to appear in court.

 

"Mr Brooks advised me that he is seeking legal advice and intends to defend himself against these new charges," Mr Gutwein said.

 

Mr Gutwein said due to Mr Brooks' "state of health and need to focus on his own personal circumstances, it is his intention not to take his seat in Parliament and to forward his resignation to the Governor today".

 

"I agree with him under these circumstances that that is the only appropriate course of action."

 

Mr Gutwein said Mr Brooks was entitled to the presumption of innocence.

 

Asked if preselecting Mr Brooks was a mistake, Mr Gutwein said he could "only take people at face value and on their word".

 

"In terms of the conversations that I've had with Mr Brooks, over the period leading up to him being a candidate and then throughout the campaign period, he has been emphatic in his denials of the allegations against him.

 

"This is new information, though. I was made aware of it last night at 7:00pm, and as I've said, he was charged yesterday.

 

"I made the decision that under the circumstances of both his mental health and in terms of the fact that he's now facing these new charges, that he won't take his seat in parliament."

 

Unauthorised possession of explosives among charges

 

In a statement, Queensland police said detectives from Moreton District had "charged a 45-year-old Tasmanian man following investigations into alleged weapons offences".

 

The ABC understands that person is Mr Brooks.

 

Queensland police said "information provided to police last week resulted in the execution of a search warrant on a Marine Parade address in Redcliffe on Wednesday night where it will be alleged a handgun and false driver's licences were seized".

 

"The 45-year-old man has been charged with one count each of unlawful possession of Category H weapon, unauthorised possession of explosives and dealing with identity documents."

 

Police said the man was expected to appear in the Redcliffe Magistrates Court on Tuesday.

 

The ABC has reported on allegations made by two women that Mr Brooks misled them after meeting them through dating websites — claims Mr Brooks has vehemently denied.

 

Victorian and Tasmanian police also said that they would not investigate Mr Brooks over allegations he used fake licences.

 

Mr Brooks was elected to the fifth seat in Braddon at the state election, receiving just over 6,000 first preference votes.

 

It means former MP Felix Ellis would be expected to win a recount for the seat.

 

Mr Brooks was first elected to Tasmania's parliament in 2010, and was promoted into cabinet in 2016 before being sent to the backbench soon after for misleading a Parliamentary Estimates Committee over the use of a private email account related to his business, Maintenance System Solutions.

 

He later corrected the record.

 

Mr Brooks ran for state parliament again in 2018 and was re-elected, drawing almost an entire quota of first preference votes.

 

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 14, 2021, 2:47 a.m. No.13658265   🗄️.is 🔗kun

>>13658258

 

2/2

 

Resignation is 'very convenient'

 

Greens Leader Cassy O'Connor said the Premier had "scraped in with a narrow majority on the back of Mr Brooks's votes".

 

"The red flags were there from the beginning and yet Mr Gutwein stood by Mr Brooks until all those votes had come in in Braddon," she said.

 

"Then the day the polls are declared we learn that Mr Brooks is resigning."

 

She said it was "very convenient for the Liberals to ignore Mr Brooks transgressions and his character failings throughout the campaign".

 

"It stinks … Mr Gutwein owes the people of Tasmania a proper explanation rather than once again trying to hide behind a mental health issue," she said.

 

"There is the mental health to consider of the women who've come forward who say they were mislead by Mr Brooks under the alias Terry."

 

She said there are a "whole lot of questions that Mr Gutwein needs to answer".

 

"There are now very serious questions to answer about whether or not he was ever considered a legitimate candidate by the Liberal Party," she said.

 

Labor MP Michelle O'Byrne said she was "extremely annoyed and offended" by the Premier's initial responses to the allegations against Mr Brooks.

 

When the allegations first surfaced, Mr Gutwein said he had better things to worry about than Mr Brooks' love life.

 

"The minister responsible for the prevention of family violence should know that issues of coercion and control, when they're alleged, are not allegations of a 'love life'," she said.

 

"They're allegations of a serious crime and appalling treatment of women."

 

Ms O'Byrne said the Liberals "would accept anything in order to achieve an election outcome".

 

"The Premier was obviously prepared to accept any kind of behaviour from his candidates being alleged without taking action because he was so desperate to deliver those votes and the finances that Mr Brooks provides to Liberal party campaigns in Braddon," she said.

 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-05-14/tasmanian-liberal-adam-brooks-braddon-future/100139460

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 14, 2021, 4:52 a.m. No.13658639   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1272

Cardinal Pell leads Eucharistic procession in Rome

 

CNA Staff - May 13, 2021

 

Cardinal George Pell led a Eucharistic procession Thursday at the Angelicum in Rome.

 

The former Vatican finance czar led the annual procession on May 13, the feast of Our Lady of Fatima, at the institution formally known as the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas, located on Rome’s Quirinal Hill.

 

This was the first time that the cardinal had led the procession, which was canceled last year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

 

Speaking to EWTN News, Pell said: “I’m very pleased to be here. I gather it’s a student initiative, led by students, a wonderful example of faith in practice.”

 

He continued: “I think it’s important after COVID to get back to a regular church routine of prayer and worship. I’m not sure in the long run that COVID will change too much, but it might have given another excuse for us to get a little bit slack, a little bit relaxed, in our approach to our prayer and worship, and we’ve got to battle against that.”

 

The event began with a reflection by the 79-year-old Australian cardinal at the Angelicum’s Church of Sts. Dominic and Sixtus, one of Rome’s titular churches assigned to cardinals.

 

The university church is the titular church of Portuguese Cardinal José Tolentino de Mendonça, archivist and librarian of the Holy Roman Church.

 

The Angelicum is a Dominican institution that traces its history back to 1222, shortly after Pope Honorius III officially approved the Order of Preachers, founded by the Spanish priest Dominic de Guzmán.

 

The cardinal’s address was followed by exposition of the Blessed Sacrament. The monstrance was then carried beneath a golden processional canopy through the university grounds, followed by hundreds of people.

 

Cardinal Pell, the former prefect of the Vatican Secretariat for the Economy, arrived in Rome on Sept. 30, 2020, on his first visit to the city since he left in 2017 for Australia to prove his innocence of abuse charges.

 

The cardinal was imprisoned in 2019 but ultimately acquitted in April 2020 after 404 days in prison.

 

He was unable to celebrate Mass in jail because he wasn’t allowed access to wine. He said that this deprivation heightened his appreciation for the Eucharist.

 

He said: “I had 13 months in jail. I was unable to celebrate Mass and attend Mass. I listened to many Protestant preachers, and I became even more aware of the centrality of the liturgical celebration. It’s a making present of Christ’s sacrifice. It’s an explicit act of adoration. It involves the whole of our persons. It needs faith to be practiced.”

 

“It’s the high point of Catholic life, and we have to learn that, get into it. Most of us do that as we grow up. It’s beautiful and enriching and absolutely central.”

 

The cardinal will turn 80 on June 8, losing his right to vote in a future conclave.

 

Ignatius Press released the second book in his three-volume prison journal on May 3. The book covers the rejection of his first appeal and his efforts to bring his case before the High Court of Australia, the country’s top court.

 

The cardinal told EWTN News: “What is interesting for a person of my age is to see the enthusiasm for silent prayer and adoration among so many young people, young adults, and I think it’s, one, a thirst for transcendence, but also a search for a little bit of quiet and peace because their lives are very, very distracted, very noisy.”

 

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/247645/cardinal-pell-leads-eucharistic-procession-in-rome

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 14, 2021, 4:57 a.m. No.13658651   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1257

‘Entirely undemocratic’: Bernard Collaery to challenge secrecy orders

 

Anthony Galloway - May 14, 2021

 

Lawyers acting for Bernard Collaery will next week challenge a court order requiring large parts of his trial to be held in secret as the long-running case continues into his alleged efforts to expose a secret Australian operation to bug East Timor’s government.

 

The ACT Court of Appeal will hold a two-day hearing on Monday and Tuesday into an order made under national security laws to hold the trial largely behind closed doors.

 

Mr Collaery, the former lawyer for an ex-spy known as Witness K, is challenging an order made by the ACT Supreme Court last year to accept former attorney-general Christian Porter’s application to invoke the National Security Information Act, which governs how courts should handle sensitive information. The NSI Act requires the court to give “greatest weight” to the Attorney-General’s views about the national security implications of a case, which has resulted in large portions of the hearings being held in secret.

 

Mr Collaery, a barrister and former ACT attorney-general, is facing the prospect of jail for allegedly helping his client reveal information about Australia’s bugging operation of East Timor’s government during commercial negotiations to carve up the oil and gas resources in the Timor Sea.

 

Witness K, a former intelligence officer for the Australian Secret Intelligence Service, has indicated he will plead guilty to breaching secrecy laws by revealing Australia’s spying on East Timor, but Mr Collaery is continuing to fight the charges against him. The Witness K case is being held up by disagreements over whether he can access his affidavit that was used by East Timor in international proceedings in the Hague, which his lawyers argue need to be before the court for his sentencing.

 

Mr Collaery is charged with offences relating to the alleged disclosure of information to both the East Timor government and the Australian media.

 

After East Timor commenced legal proceedings in the International Court of Justice and Permanent Court of Arbitration, the two nations signed a revised energy treaty in 2018 dividing the Greater Sunrise oil and gas fields.

 

Human Rights Law Centre senior lawyer Kieran Pender said there was no public interest in prosecuting Mr Collaery and Witness K.

 

“The Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions has the power to discontinue a prosecution at any time. They should exercise that power,” he said.

 

“The Attorney-General’s use of secrecy in this case is entirely undemocratic: it enables the government to concede in closed court that Australia spied on Timor-Leste while continuing to refuse to admit this publicly. The NSI Act should be reformed to better safeguard the principles of openness and transparency that are at the heart of our judicial system.”

 

Mr Pender said the cases of Mr Collaery and Witness K were part of a wider trend - alongside the prosecutions of tax office whistleblower Richard Boyle and defence whistleblower David McBride - which were part of a “dangerous chilling effect”.

 

A spokesman for Attorney-General Michaelia Cash said the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions had applied the NSI Act to “protect national security information in the criminal proceeding”.

 

“As this matter is currently before the courts, it would not be appropriate to comment further,” the spokesman said.

 

“The NSI Act enables the court to make orders to protect national security information in criminal and civil proceedings. It provides a framework for the court to balance the public interests in protecting national security, maintaining the accused’s right to a fair trial, and the principle of open justice.”

 

The NSI Act is being probed by the national security legislation watchdog as part of its inquiry into the secret trial of another former spy, a man known as Witness J, who was convicted of mishandling classified information that potentially revealed the identities of agents recruited by Australian intelligence agencies. The Independent National Security Legislation Monitor last year launched an inquiry into a “unique set of circumstances” which led to Witness J being tried, sentenced and jailed in secret.

 

https://www.theage.com.au/politics/federal/entirely-undemocratic-bernard-collaery-to-challenge-secrecy-orders-20210514-p57rxi.html

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 14, 2021, 5:06 a.m. No.13658692   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1257

Neo-Nazi leader Thomas Sewell arrested during counter-terrorism raid on Melbourne home

 

Chanel Zagon - May 14, 2021

 

Leader of neo-Nazi group National Socialist Network Thomas Sewell has been arrested during a counter-terrorism raid at his home in Melbourne's southeast.

 

The 28-year-old was arrested along with a 22-year-old man at a Rowville property early this morning.

 

Mr Sewell posted "getting raided" on social media just before 5am today, before being escorted out of his home by police on a loudspeaker.

 

Police in a statement said the arrests follow an alleged armed robbery at the Cathedral Range State Park in Taggerty, the state's north-east, last Saturday.

 

Investigators allege a group of men smashed a car window and threatened the passengers inside with a knife, before making off with their mobile phones.

 

No charges have been laid and the investigation remains ongoing, police said.

 

Mr Sewell had been on bail after being charged over a separate alleged violent attack on a security guard at Channel 9's Melbourne headquarters in March.

 

The man allegedly punched the security guard multiple times outside the television network's headquarters in Docklands.

 

The alleged assault was captured on video by Mr Sewell's associate and later posted online.

 

He was charged with affray, recklessly cause injury and unlawful assault over the attack.

 

https://www.9news.com.au/national/neo-nazi-group-leader-thomas-sewell-arrested-during-raid-on-melbourne-home/2ef441c7-bae5-40e7-af05-64d89039add4

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 14, 2021, 5:23 a.m. No.13658777   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1291

>>13650379

Peter Dutton’s ‘shadow aggression’ talks with global allies

 

Charles Miranda - May 14, 2021

 

Regional “shadow aggression” will top the agenda as Defence Minister Peter Dutton plans to visit allies including the United States and Japan as their forces rehearse fighting together.

 

Mr Dutton told News Corp security pacts like Five Eyes and the Quad were essential in maintaining a balance for what he said were “widely understood” challenges and threats in the region.

 

The Federal Government’s Budget papers this week specifically highlighted the importance of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) of the US, Japan, Australia and India which this coming year was to be “an even more prominent pillar of our international agenda”.

 

The East Asia Summit and ASEAN was also seen as critical.

 

Mr Dutton said while COVID-19 had paused his plans for high level visits, meetings were being conducted online, and his troops were conducting essential military exercises with allies.

 

This week the Royal Australian Navy joined land, maritime and air elements from Japan, France and the United States for exercises off the south coast of Japan.

 

These he said were part of the “evolution” of the ADF, to have greater interoperability with allied forces and understand and be more responsive to “grey zone” conflict threats.

 

Defence has long stated defending our shores would involve interoperability in understanding, practice and equipment between allied forces.

 

“We’re still living in a COVID world but I’m very keen to get overseas to visit our friends and allies including the United States and Japan and many others but I think at the moment we are faced with reality of COVID and perhaps have to continue to engage over the internet,” Mr Dutton told News Corp.

 

But he added troops engagement with counterparts was constant and in shadow aggression Australia also stood up for “national values, sovereignty and for our closest friends and allies”.

 

“Helping to build capacity, there is still an enormous amount of respect between the respective defence forces in our near neighbours and Australia, many of them have trained together, many of them attended colleges together, many have fought alongside, we want those relationships to deepen as well and that’s the focus for now … that (ADF) evolution is already underway as you’d expect particularly with Our Five Eyes partners there are many joint operations we work on in our own national interest and in the interest of our Five Eyes partners so that work continues and there is well and truly an understanding of the threats in relation to cyber, so we need to continue to invest in that space.”

 

Mr Dutton said after six years on the National Security Committee, as then Home Affairs Minister now Defence, working alongside ADF chief General Angus Campbell and Navy chief Vice Admiral Michael Noonan had given him great confidence.

 

“I have been supportive for a long time in their work and their build up in capacity, their necessary wading into grey zone issues, cyber attacks and offensives and since I’ve moved into the portfolio all of that has become highlighted to me and there is a lot of challenge in the region and for the decades ahead.”

 

This week Anzac-class frigate HMAS Parramatta began training activity in bluewater combat, amphibious and aviation training elements.

 

Commander of the Joint Task Force, Rear Admiral Mark Hammond, said Exercise ARC21 provided Australia with an opportunity to test interoperability under a shared commitment to a safe and stable Indo-Pacific region.

 

HMAS Parramatta’s Commanding Officer Commander Anita Nemarich, said it would also further develop the capabilities of her ship and crew.

 

“By exercising with our partner navies we build trust and mutual respect which enhances our ability to work together,” she said.

 

https://www.couriermail.com.au/news/national/defence-chiefs-to-meet-as-their-forces-rehearse-fighting-together/news-story/8f844c76974428f1846a1f92de17e8b1

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 14, 2021, 5:49 a.m. No.13658933   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>8947 >>1291

>>13609998

>>13650331

Global Times editor warns of missile attack on Australian soil

 

Australia’s comments about the potential risk of military conflict with China have sparked a shocking new threat.

 

Jade Gailberger - MAY 14, 2021

 

Beijing has fired a warning shot at Australia, saying it should prepare to fend off Chinese missiles as tensions flare between the two nations.

 

The threat follows Scott Morrison saying it would be “foolish” not to appreciate the potential risk of military conflict with China over Taiwan.

 

Hu Xijin, editor of Chinese mouthpiece the Global Times, took to Twitter on Friday to begin the shocking intimidation.

 

“Preparing for war? Then build an antimissile system!” he tweeted.

 

“I believe once Australian troops come to Taiwan Strait to combat against the People’s Liberation Army, there is a high probability that Chinese missiles will fly toward military bases and key relevant facilities on Australian soil in retaliation.”

 

In an interview on Wednesday night, the Prime Minister said many tensions existed in the region.

 

“That doesn’t mean something will happen,” Mr Morrison said.

 

“But any defence minister, any prime minister of Australia who does not, in consideration of these things, ensure Australians are prepared in these circumstances would not be doing their job.”

 

Labor has previously called on the government to tone down its language on China’s threats against Taiwan.

 

Foreign Affairs Minister Marise Payne joined US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday in Washington, where issues regarding the global power were discussed.

 

The US vowed to back Australia as tensions with China escalated, with Secretary Blinken saying the country would “not leave Australia alone on the field”.

 

“Or maybe I should say alone on the pitch, in the face of economic coercion by China,” he said in a joint press conference.

 

“That’s what allies do. We have each other’s backs so we can face threats and challenges from a position of collective strength.”

 

Senator Payne reiterated that Australia sought a constructive relationship with China, after it indefinitely suspended strategic economic dialogue between the two trading partners this week.

 

“We stand ready at any time, amongst all of my counterparts and colleagues, to resume dialogue,” Senator Payne said.

 

“But we won’t compromise on our national security or our sovereignty, and we’ll continue to act to protect that.”

 

https://www.news.com.au/world/asia/global-times-editor-warns-of-missile-attack-on-australian-soil/news-story/3aa7b87da0f1681d1bce9b99a8e4114e

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 14, 2021, 5:52 a.m. No.13658947   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>4100 >>1291

>>13658111

>>13658933

Hu Xijin 胡锡进 Tweets

 

China state-affiliated media

 

Preparing for war? Then build an anti-missile system! I believe once Australian troops come to Taiwan Strait to combat against the PLA, there is a high probability that Chinese missiles will fly toward military bases and key relevant facilities on Australian soil in retaliation.

 

https://twitter.com/HuXijin_GT/status/1392896890220384261

 

https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/scomo-says-preparing-for-war-with-china-is-doing-his-job/news-story/c33d6875eddcac2ed1213a77adc25a40

 

 

Is there any chance that China-US relations can be used as bargaining chip given how bad it’s already become? Your coercion against China is meaningless, but your coaxing may work with Australia.

 

https://twitter.com/HuXijin_GT/status/1393131665526984706

 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-05-14/us-says-australia-wont-face-china-economic-coercion-alone/100137732

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 14, 2021, 6:48 a.m. No.13659310   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1257

US Embassy Canberra Tweet

 

Our Chargé d’Affaires Mike Goldman accepted the National Emergency Medal yesterday on behalf of the families of the three Americans who tragically died while fighting fires in NSW. Their sacrifice remains a constant reminder of the unbreakable bond between our two nations.

 

https://twitter.com/USAembassyinOZ/status/1393088860796514309

 

https://archive.vn/RCnam

 

https://twitter.com/ScottMorrisonMP/status/1220475870667628545

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 14, 2021, 6:34 p.m. No.13664626   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>4639 >>1257

>>13642264

>>13642270

Record $1.3bn boost for ASIO’s war on spies and hackers

 

SIMON BENSON - MAY 15, 2021

 

1/2

 

Australia’s domestic spy agency will move to an artificial intelligence war footing in a technology arms race against the nation’s adversaries as it moves to counter a spike in foreign intelligence services launching sophisticated attempts to steal Covid and vaccine research secrets.

 

It comes as the national security chief warned that the recent shutdown of one of the largest oil pipelines in the US due to a cyber attack could happen in Australia.

 

In an exclusive interview with The Weekend Australian, Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews and ASIO director- general Mike Burgess have revealed that an unprecedented $1.3bn boost to ASIO’s operations in Tuesday’s budget would involve sophisticated AI technology to boost Australia’s security and intelligence capabilities.

 

Ms Andrews said there had been a number of countries identified behind repeated and increasing attempts to infiltrate government, commercial and industrial sources but said it would be wrong to assume China was the focus of the funding increase aimed at countering threats.

 

This week saw the largest investment in ASIO’s operational capabilities in the agency’s 70-year history, as it moves to machine learning capabilities to counter and detect increasingly sophisticated and high-level terrorism and espionage threats.

 

“I know there will be people out there who will see this funding in terms of just the Chinese influence — that will be a mistake to interpret it as that,” Ms Andrews told The Weekend Australian.

 

“There are a number of nations out there. We take a very broad approach and as a government we want to be as proactive as we can in dealing with any of those threats. It would be wrong of us to be focusing on one particular nation when there are a number of threats.”

 

Mr Burgess said that AI would be a major component of the funding, the bulk of which would be rolled out over the next four years, but stressed that it was not designed to equip the agency for mass surveillance programs.

 

The Weekend Australian was granted the first access by media into one of ASIO’s highly sensitive surveillance operations centres in Canberra that tracks the movements of agents and targets across the country in real time.

 

“This is not an investment in mass surveillance. Everything we do in this organisation is proportionate and targeted,” Mr Burgess said. “That’s a fact of law. It’s a fact of practice.

 

“This is the single biggest investment ASIO has had in our seven decades of existence.

 

“The size and scale of that investment is commensurate with the threat that we and other agencies in Australia are dealing with. Threat to way of life, espionage and foreign interference … This continues to be at unacceptably high levels. We are having an effect. But given the complexity of the environment and the global situation we have to continue pressing into that.

 

“That’s why we have won this argument and justification for investment because it is the capability ASIO officers need to operate in a world where you have … rapid adoption of technology.”

 

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 14, 2021, 6:34 p.m. No.13664639   🗄️.is 🔗kun

>>13664626

 

2/2

 

ASIO has long argued for significant investment in AI and machine learning capability using the example of a recent espionage case which uncovered millions of messages from a single device.

 

The AI technology would use algorithms designed to decrypt and decode mass data quickly.

 

“As the country charts our way out of COVID, we have seen attempts to understand why Australia is in the position that it is in,” Mr Burgess said. “We have seen attempts to steal information around vaccine research, what the government is thinking behind the scenes. We have seen nation state spies seeking this information. Espionage has always been a threat but at the moment it is at unacceptably high levels.”

 

While espionage, foreign interference and the potential for sabotage of critical infrastructure were set to outstrip terrorism as the principal security concern for the nation within the next five years, Mr Burgess said terrorism still remained the most serious threat.

 

Referencing the shutdown of the Colonial pipeline last week in the US, which holds almost half of the country’s east coast fuel supplies, Mr Burgess said that similar cyber attacks were a serious risk to Australia’s critical infrastructure.

 

“That’s exactly what could happen here. That’s real — it’s a possibility,” Mr Burgess said.

 

He also revealed that ideologically driven violent extremism had now reached 50 per cent of the agency’s total onshore counter terrorism priority caseload for the first time.

 

“There were two terrorist attacks in Australia last year. Two people were killed and I’m not exaggerating when we know there are individuals in this country who are talking about killing Australians. Threat to life is very much real.

 

“In that context there is much conversation around ideologically motivated extremists … Sunni violent extremism is not diminishing any time soon … Nationalist and racist violent extremists are a problem that must be put in perspective … The two deaths last year came from Sunni and ISIL-related violent extremists.

 

“We have now reached parity in our priority counter terrorism case load.

 

“It is representative of the increased effort in trying to understand this problem.”

 

The technology investment was just as critical to counter terrorism as it was to espionage, with 97 per cent of priority targets using encryption on mobile devices. AI programs could be used to red flag cold cases if they become active again.

 

Mr Burgess said ASIO’s human intelligence capability was good at “collecting the dots”, but that computers would assist in “connecting the dots” at speed. He cited the potential threat posed by 15 convicted terrorists currently serving prison sentences and who are due to be released over the next five years.

 

“I’m pretty confident some of those people have not reformed … We need to understand the threat that might present to the country and these investments help us to the monitoring required from the security intelligence point of view,” he said.

 

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/record-13bn-boost-for-asios-war-on-spies-and-hackers/news-story/7eba87f41b80c0c89ca87513e2a6fe08

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 14, 2021, 7:14 p.m. No.13664952   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1305

>>13595218

>>13642453

Judge will not end Ghislaine Maxwell’s ‘flashlight surveillance’ in jail

 

Jonathan Stempel - May 15, 2021

 

A U.S. judge on Friday rejected Ghislaine Maxwell’s effort to stop jail officials from shining flashlights into her cell at night, which the British socialite said impedes her preparation for her November trial on sex crime charges.

 

U.S. District Judge Alison Nathan in Manhattan said the government offered "neutral reasons" for officials at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn to conduct "flashlight surveillance" of Maxwell every 15 minutes.

 

Prosecutors had said the checkups were appropriate because Maxwell has been housed alone, faced serious charges and might experience stress from the high-profile case.

 

But the judge urged jail officials to consider whether to reduce sleep disruption for pretrial inmates like Maxwell, and impose only protocols that were "necessary for her safety and security" and consistent with the treatment of other inmates.

 

Lawyers for Maxwell did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

 

The lawyers made the request in connection with Maxwell's having allegedly received a "black eye," possibly from her using a sock or towel to shield her eyes from the light. read more Inmates are forbidden from using eye masks.

 

Maxwell, 59, has pleaded not guilty to sex trafficking and other charges for her alleged role in procuring four teenage girls for the late financier Jeffrey Epstein to sexually abuse between 1994 and 1997, and between 2001 and 2004.

 

Nathan wants the trial to begin on Nov. 29, subject to courtroom availability and COVID-19 protocols. read more Maxwell has been jailed since her arrest in July.

 

Epstein killed himself in a Manhattan jail in August 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.

 

https://www.reuters.com/business/legal/judge-will-not-end-ghislaine-maxwells-flashlight-surveillance-jail-2021-05-14/

 

https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/17318376/united-states-v-maxwell/?filed_after=&filed_before=&entry_gte=&entry_lte=&order_by=desc

 

https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nysd.539612/gov.uscourts.nysd.539612.282.0.pdf

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 14, 2021, 7:26 p.m. No.13665040   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>5049 >>1263

>>13407722

Police probe sealed envelopes, scraps of paper in Ben Roberts-Smith case

 

Nick McKenzie and Chris Masters - May 15, 2021

 

1/2

 

A new police taskforce investigating former soldier Ben Roberts-Smith has uncovered scraps of paper with the hand-written names and addresses of SAS soldiers, created as part of an alleged plot to threaten witnesses to a war crimes inquiry.

 

The discovery of the scraps of paper, along with witness testimony alleging that Mr Roberts-Smith was behind the 2018 plot to intimidate witnesses, is the biggest breakthrough yet for the recently launched Australian Federal Police taskforce as it investigates the former soldier for serious criminal offences.

 

If it was proven that Mr Roberts-Smith had sought to threaten any of his fellow Special Air Service Regiment soldiers to stop them testifying at the Brereton inquiry into alleged war crimes, he could face up to five years in jail.

 

The former soldier has denied any involvement in the intimidation plot and is suing The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald over reports detailing his alleged involvement in war crimes, bullying and assaulting a woman.

 

In late April, AFP Deputy Commissioner Ian McCartney told a parliamentary estimates committee that the federal police had in late March launched a new “priority” investigation into Mr Roberts-Smith and that the witness intimidation allegations were being treated “seriously”.

 

Mr McCartney refused to provide the committee with further details and the AFP has declined to respond to inquiries, citing ongoing investigations. But multiple sources with knowledge of the investigation, who were not authorised to speak publicly, said the handwritten scraps of paper contained the names of two SAS soldiers who had served with Mr Roberts-Smith in Afghanistan.

 

Both SAS veterans hold adverse information about the decorated former soldier and both men were ordered to appear before the Brereton inquiry, a major probe into alleged war crimes run between 2016 and 2020 by the military Inspector-General and overseen by senior judge Paul Brereton.

 

Detectives working on the case have also recovered four envelopes containing threatening anonymous messages warning the two SAS soldiers to cover up damning alleged misconduct in Afghanistan.

 

Two of the envelopes were sent to one of the witnesses via a post office servicing the elite SAS headquarters in Perth. They were seized by the AFP in June 2018. The remaining envelopes were never sent. They were recovered by police in March 2020.

 

In 2018, the then chief of the defence force, Mark Binskin, described the sending of the anonymous letters as a disgraceful criminal act aimed at scaring witnesses from testifying before the Brereton inquiry. He said defence had called the AFP in to urgently investigate, although the original police inquiry stalled until the recent discovery of the handwritten notes.

 

That discovery triggered AFP Commissioner Reece Kershaw to launch a new police taskforce. The AFP taskforce is operating in Brisbane and is the third investigating Mr Roberts-Smith.

 

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 14, 2021, 7:29 p.m. No.13665049   🗄️.is 🔗kun

>>13665040

 

2/2

 

Three weeks after Mr McCartney confirmed the investigation, a key police witness had false information about him published by Sydney’s Daily Telegraph newspaper, which incorrectly reported that the witness had been party to the covert recording of Mr Roberts-Smith as he denigrated senior executives and staff at SevenWestMedia. The media company employs Mr Roberts-Smith and previously funded his war crimes inquiry defence.

 

The Daily Telegraph also falsely reported that the witness had worked as a fixer for 60 Minutes, which has reported extensively about Mr Roberts-Smith.

 

In June 2018, the AFP launched investigations into Mr Roberts-Smith in connection to allegations he was implicated in the unlawful execution of prisoners in Afghanistan in 2009 and 2012.

 

Both taskforces have submitted briefs of evidence to the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions that name Mr Roberts-Smith and at least two other SAS soldiers over their alleged involvement in war crimes. Those briefs have been referred to an external counsel, leading barrister David McLure, SC, who is advising the CDPP on whether the evidence is strong enough to warrant a criminal prosecution.

 

The AFP wrote to Mr Roberts-Smith’s lawyers in late 2019, advising them that detectives had obtained eyewitness statements implicating Mr Roberts-Smith in alleged criminal activity in Afghanistan and requesting the Victoria Cross recipient attend a formal police interview.

 

The decision by prosecutors about whether to prosecute Mr Roberts-Smith or any other SAS soldiers for allegedly committing war crimes has been delayed because of the creation by Prime Minister Scott Morrison of the Office of the Special Investigator in January.

 

The OSI is headed by former senior judge Mark Weinberg and is assigned the task of identifying the evidence previously gathered by the Brereton inquiry that can be lawfully handed to detectives seeking to charge suspected war criminals.

 

The Brereton inquiry referred multiple SAS soldiers to the AFP over the alleged unlawful execution of up to 39 Afghans. But while much of the sworn testimony it obtained can be referred to police, significant tranches of inquiry evidence must be withheld from investigators because it was gathered under laws which prevent soldiers’ own evidence being used to prosecute them.

 

Justice Weinberg in February hired senior barristers to comb through the testimony and provide advice about what can be quarantined or released. A senior legal figure aware of this process described it as challenging given uncertainties in the law and the prospect that the mistaken release of testimony to detectives could undermine future prosecutions.

 

The AFP taskforce investigating Mr Roberts-Smith for witness intimidation is not relying on evidence gathered by the Brereton inquiry and is operating separately from the OSI and the two other federal police taskforces.

 

https://www.theage.com.au/national/police-probe-sealed-envelopes-scraps-of-paper-in-ben-roberts-smith-case-20210513-p57rry.html

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 14, 2021, 8:28 p.m. No.13665443   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>5457 >>1298

Child exploitation material arrests, Cairns

 

myPolice Queensland Police News - May 14, 2021

 

Detectives have charged 23 people with multiple child exploitation material offences as part of joint law enforcement investigations with the Australian Federal Police (AFP) since the inception of the Cairns Joint Anti Child Exploitation Team (JACET).

 

The Cairns Joint Anti Child Exploitation Team (JACET) – comprising detectives from the QPS Cairns Child Protection and Investigation Unit and the AFP – have so far executed 23 separate search warrants throughout the Far North and Central regions since the team was established mid-2020.

 

As a result, a total of 23 people have been charged on 148 Commonwealth and State offences since mid-last year.

 

Far North District Crime Group Detective Inspector Kevin Goan said these outcomes were the result of a strong law enforcement partnership.

 

“These arrests show the work being performed by the Cairns JACET team as well as the importance of working with other agency to bring these criminals to justice.

 

“We want to also thank the community who continue to play an important role in us stopping, solving and preventing these types of child abuse crimes, Detective Inspector Kevin Goan said.

 

Australian Federal Police Commander of the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation and Child Protection Operations Hilda Sirec said child exploitation is a crime that is increasing across Australia.

 

“Child exploitation is a borderless crime and we work closely with our partners at the QPS to protect children here in Queensland, across Australia and internationally,” Commander Sirec said.

 

Members of the public who have any information about people involved in child abuse and exploitation are urged to call Crime stoppers on 1800 333 000.

 

https://crimestoppers.com.au

 

You can also make a report online by alerting the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation via the Report Abuse button.

 

https://www.accce.gov.au/report

 

https://mypolice.qld.gov.au/news/2021/05/14/child-exploitation-material-arrests-cairns/

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 14, 2021, 8:30 p.m. No.13665457   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1298

>>13665443

Disturbing number of alleged child porn offenders busted in FNQ

 

Police have revealed how many alleged child pornography offenders have been charged in the Far North since the introduction of a specialised team of detectives targeting the disturbing “crime trend”.

 

Grace Mason - May 14, 2021

 

A SPECIALISED team of detectives operating in the Far North focusing on child pornography offenders could be expanded after new figures showed the had laid charges against almost two dozen people in less than a year.

 

The Cairns Joint Agency Child Exploitation Team launched in July last year, including officers from both the Australian Federal Police and the city’s Child Protection and Investigation Unit.

 

Police bosses revealed on Friday 23 alleged offenders – most from the Far North – have been charged with a total of 148 offences including the making, distribution and possession of child exploitation material.

 

Among those charged was 35-year-old Edge Hill bookkeeper Matthew Stephen Warren who is facing a total of 59 charges – some disturbingly linked to images and videos of babies being sexually assaulted.

 

Mr Warren was arrested in November last year and made an unsuccessful attempt for bail last week with the Cairns Magistrates Court hearing he planned to plead guilty to the offending and was in protective custody within the prison system.

 

He is not accused of any offending against children.

 

Far North police Det Acting Insp Kevin Goan said among the 23 charged there was one accused of actual contact offending against a child.

 

He said the formation of the Cairns JACET team had allowed better targeting of that type of offending in the region.

 

“We don’t know what we don’t know,” he said.

 

“The collection of knowledge, the expertise and the technical know-how … has allowed us to get a much greater picture of the offending.

 

AFP Commander Hilda Sirec, who heads the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation and Child Protection, said the Cairns team had been “operating very effectively” and did not rule out expanding it.

 

The squad – which is the first outside a capital city – currently includes just three dedicated officers, supported by their respective CPIU and AFP branches.

 

“There are always conversations made about growing teams,” she said.

 

“But they don’t work in isolation, if they need resources (they are available).”

 

Police continued to urge Far North residents to report suspicious online behaviour and be aware of who children were engaging with online.

 

https://www.cairnspost.com.au/truecrimeaustralia/police-courts/disturbing-number-of-alleged-child-porn-offenders-busted-in-fnq/news-story/7f608e1b34fe1fd4028104a64078318e

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 14, 2021, 11:09 p.m. No.13666272   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1298

>>13351790

>>13351792

Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation Tweet

 

Trigger Warning: contains content that may be distressing to some people. If you recognise this bathroom, please use the reporting form on our website, http://accce.gov.au/trace. You can also see the feature tile in more detail on the webpage.

 

https://twitter.com/ACCCE_AUS/status/1392359005880684546

 

https://accce.gov.au/report/trace

 

 

Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation

 

Stop child abuse - Trace An Object

 

The smallest clue can often help solve a case.

 

We need your help in the fight against online child sexual exploitation.

 

The below objects have been taken from the background of child sexual abuse images. We are convinced that more eyes will provide more leads and ultimately help to save these children.

 

''TRIGGER WARNING: The following content contains images that may be distressing to some people.''

 

Can you help us recognise these objects?

 

We specifically want to trace their origin (location/country).

 

If you recognise any of these objects, click on the item and provide the ACCCE with the information you have. This can be done anonymously. Once we know where the object is, we will inform the relevant law enforcement agencies to further investigate this lead and hopefully speed up the identification of both the offender and the victim.

 

Out of respect for the victims, we urge you not to share any personal information (recognisable pictures, names, etc.) on social media or anywhere online. Your useful tips can be shared with us in a secure way via this website form. Thank you for your support.

 

https://accce.gov.au/report/trace

 

https://qanon.pub/#1735

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 14, 2021, 11:17 p.m. No.13666298   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>6302 >>2563 >>1294

Former deputy chief doc warns: Australia must reopen borders, prepare for the return of COVID-19

 

Kate Aubusson and Rachel Clun - May 15, 2021

 

1/2

 

Australia’s former deputy chief medical officer has challenged doctors to smash the “false idol” of COVID-19 eradication and prepare the public for the next critical phase of the pandemic: open international borders and the return of the virus in the community.

 

In a speech at the Royal Australasian College of Surgeon’s annual scientific meeting, Dr Nick Coatsworth admonished a “hardcore rump of activist doctors” spreading misinformation and undermining vaccine confidence. He condemned a “rotten, but vocal, few” doctors who used social media to abuse their colleagues, administrators and politicians.

 

His warning came as almost half of the 150 Australians booked on the first repatriation flight from India on Friday were barred from boarding after 42 tested positive for COVID-19, forcing them and their close contacts to remain in the COVID-ravaged nation.

 

“We once again have a responsibility as a profession to calmly reassure the community that vaccines must be taken up when they are offered, that waiting is not a valid option either individually or for the public health, and that ultimately when we allow COVID-19 back on our shores and it circulates in our community, that we are prepared and comfortable for that to happen,” said the infectious disease physician – one of the Commonwealth government’s most prominent public health spokespeople throughout 2020.

 

“I know that will make some, maybe most, in this room and online today uncomfortable.”

 

On Friday, health security experts warned large numbers of Australians wanting to board repatriation flights will test positive for COVID-19 and the federal government had a duty to implement strategies to bring them home regardless.

 

One passenger with a ticket booked on the first flight from India to Australia since the travel ban, who spoke anonymously for fear of losing his spot, said not all passengers had been told their final test results.

 

“We heard that news [that 40 passengers had tested positive] and now we’re very scared,” the passenger said from his hotel room in Delhi.

 

“It’s nerve-racking because I’m pretty sure I don’t have it, but I’m still stressing about it.”

 

Pandemic planning and global health security expert Associate Professor Adam Kamradt-Scott said both the federal and state governments had a moral responsibility to let all stranded citizens return.

 

“We should be bringing them home, full stop,” he said. “The risk is that they will succumb to the illness and die.”

 

The government halted all direct and repatriation flights from India at the end of April in response to a third wave of coronavirus that overwhelmed the country’s health systems.

 

Dr Coatsworth, in his speech on Thursday morning, said Australians had to come to terms with the fact that Australia cannot ride out the COVID-19 pandemic “in an eliminationist bunker”.

 

“It is clear we will not have our borders closed indefinitely. We will not have quarantine stations in perpetuity whilst we aim for the false idol of eradication,” said Dr Coatsworth, speaking in a personal capacity.

 

“At a point in the future when a significant majority of our community is vaccinated, there will be pressure to open our borders. We must not resist that. In fact, when the time is right, we should be leading the calls for it.”

 

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 14, 2021, 11:18 p.m. No.13666302   🗄️.is 🔗kun

>>13666298

 

2/2

 

Dr Coatsworth told this masthead on Friday that Australia must decide what the tipping point will be to emerge from isolation.

 

“It’s going to be difficult as a nation because we are so comfortable at the moment because we did so well in restricting the numbers [of COVID-19 cases],” he said.

 

“What vaccination coverage would the government accept, and would the medical profession suggest, is adequate for opening borders? We don’t know that and I think we need to be honest about that.”

 

The federal government has indicated international borders could be opened in the first half of 2022 when its projections suggest the majority of the population will be fully vaccinated.

 

“The [medical] profession can help the community have a stronger, higher appetite for risk by reassuring them of the effectiveness of the vaccine, the importance of getting vaccinated and the [benefits] of having a vaccinated immune population,” Dr Coatsworth said.

 

“There are a hard core rump of activist doctors who have been anti-AstraZeneca since the start of this year, misquoting and misrepresenting the phase 3 trial data … and in my view substantially undermining the national program”, Dr Coatsworth said.

 

“We were sort of primed already as a community to think that Pfizer was the better vaccine by some prominent voices in the media, and the reality was that was a misrepresentation of the data.”

 

“The thing that really troubled me was that the ability for the public to cope with the messaging around [the rare blood clot syndrome linked to the AstraZeneca vaccine] has been rendered significantly more challenging in light of the misinformation campaign waged in January and February by these individuals.”

 

Many of these individuals, whom Dr Coatsworth chose not to name, had also co-opted the lingo of climate change politics to wage a “phoney war” over aerosol transmission of COVID-19 by calling senior medical leaders airborne transmission “deniers”, Dr Coatsworth said.

 

He condemned a “rotten, but vocal, few” doctors who used Twitter to abuse their colleagues, administrators and politicians.

 

“That is not advocacy, it is not policy debate, it is narcissism thinly cloaked as activism,” he said.

 

Dr Coatsworth told this masthead he did not expect doctors to fall in line regardless of their hesitations.

 

“The fact that there are clinicians out there who want to have a voice is absolutely fine, but there is a big difference between someone who has a medical degree in a particular sub-specialty to our top vaccination experts. But from the public’s perspective it’s difficult to differentiate those voices,” he said.

 

https://www.smh.com.au/national/former-deputy-chief-doc-warns-australia-must-reopen-borders-prepare-for-the-return-of-covid-19-20210514-p57s1u.html

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 15, 2021, 5:03 p.m. No.13671798   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1813 >>1291

>>13642264

>>13650347

Defence spending needs to match the risk of conflict now

 

If Beijing wanted to slow down the growth of Australian-US defence co-operation in the Top End, surely a very clever way to do it would be to take control of the area’s most viable port …

 

PETER JENNINGS - May 15, 2021

 

In an expansionary budget, one area that felt a bit underdone was Defence. Here, the government delivered what it promised 12 months ago: $44.6bn, an increase over last year’s budget of 4.1 per cent in real terms.

 

At any time in the last 25 years a Defence budget growing at that level would have been welcome. But now Australia and the wider region faces the direst strategic outlook perhaps since the end of World War II.

 

It’s clear that Scott Morrison and his ministers understand that the region is facing a crisis brought on by an increasingly bellicose Chinese Communist Party. Taiwan is the immediate flashpoint, with the level of risk peaking in perhaps four to five years’ time. In that period, according to the US Defence Department, the People’s Liberation Army will gain a strong military edge over the Straits of Taiwan in air power, missiles and ships.

 

Would Xi Jinping risk his own future, as well as that of the Chinese Communist Party, to stage an attack on Taiwan? Xi has learned to turn risky situations to his advantage. In the illegal annexation of the South China Sea, in cyber spying and intellectual property theft, the imposition of Communist authority in Hong Kong and in the economic coercion of Australia, Xi took significant risks to strengthen his rule and largely got away with them.

 

Xi will apply the same strategy to Taiwan, using all means short of war and indeed some measures that cross that offensive line right up to the limits of US tolerance.

 

I’ll come to what this might mean for Australia and for the defence budget soon, but first consider a remarkable phenomenon, which is the ability of so many in Australia to deny what is obvious about Beijing’s intentions.

 

Writing in the Australian Financial Review last week, Gareth Evans judged that “no Chinese political or military preparations suggest an invasion is remotely imminent”. That is an astonishing misjudgment. On April 24, Xi presided over a ceremony commissioning three major warships for China’s Southern Fleet.

 

The Communist Party newspaper the Global Times declared: “These vessels will play important roles in solving questions in places like the island of Taiwan and the South China Sea.” Hardly a day goes by without PLA aircraft, often in large numbers, encroaching Taiwanese airspace. Communist Party rhetoric about taking Taiwan by force if necessary is increasingly being used in speeches and editorials.

 

Xi will hope that this show of strength will deter the US and the allies from stepping in and that his aims can be realised short of war, but we all need to understand that the risk of conflict is sharply growing.

 

In Washington on Thursday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Foreign Minister Marise Payne held talks and gave a press conference, underlining the closeness of the alliance relationship.

 

The Secretary of State stressed the Biden administration’s interest in “reaffirming and revitalising America’s alliances and partnerships” and, in the 70th year of the ANZUS Treaty, finding ways for the alliance “to evolve to meet the challenges we face”.

 

Blinken said: “The United States will not leave Australia alone on the field, or maybe I should say alone on the pitch, in the face of economic coercion by China. That’s what allies do. We have each other’s backs.”

 

Understand that the US has every expectation that the requirement for support runs in both directions. Washington wants Australia to do more, and is telling us that the alliance needs to be revitalised, and that challenges will be faced together.

 

This will include working out how to jointly respond to Chinese Communist Party belligerence over Taiwan, which wasn’t mentioned once in the Blinken/Payne press conference. Sometimes you can judge the significance of an issue by the way it isn’t mentioned publicly.

 

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 15, 2021, 5:04 p.m. No.13671813   🗄️.is 🔗kun

>>13671798

 

2/2

 

Back to the defence budget. The Morrison government has delivered everything that it has promised to do in the 2016 Defence White Paper and more, including two additional P-8 maritime surveillance and anti-submarine warfare aircraft and four extra Chinook heavy lift helicopters. There is also an accelerated plan to establish a missile manufacturing capability in Australia.

 

While these are positive steps, the uncomfortable truth is that the bulk of the $270bn allocated over the coming decade to build ships, submarines and other military equipment will only come into service well after the riskiest period for Taiwan.

 

Defence Minister Peter Dutton’s most pressing challenge is to strengthen the Defence Force in the shortest time frame possible. An immediate candidate will be to move quickly on the “life extension” and upgrade program for the Collins submarines. The government should also explore options to add yet more P-8 aircraft to the current 14 airframes, but there are limits to what can be done quickly.

 

A faster way to strengthen deterrence would be to re-open a discussion with the US about increasing the US Marine Corps presence in northern Australia and getting some US Navy ships operating out of our west coast base, HMAS Stirling.

 

When the US Marine presence was being negotiated a decade ago, the initial American offer was to deploy a 7500-strong “Marine Air Ground Task Force”. The Australian government of the day baulked, and instead we had a decade-long slow growth to the current annual marine contingent of 2500.

 

A larger marine presence ultimately hinges on access to a port facility. Consider the thought that if Beijing wanted to slow down the growth of Australian-US defence co-operation in the Top End, a clever way to do it would be to take control of the area’s most viable port, which is exactly what happened in 2015, when Darwin Port was leased to a Chinese company for 99 years.

 

The world has fundamentally changed since then. Now, the opportunity to strengthen a shared US and Australian deterrent posture in the Indo-Pacific needs to be urgently reconsidered.

 

A conflict over Taiwan would be a disaster for all concerned, but disastrous conflicts happen all the time. At this point, the best hope to keep the peace is to change Xi’s calculation about the level of risk the PRC would face if it initiated such a crisis.

 

The only short-term way to strengthening deterrence is by lifting the defence readiness of the democracies.

 

If US President Joe Biden does visit Australia for the ANZUS anniversary, you can be assured this will be the number one item on his agenda.

 

Peter Jennings is the executive director of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute and a former deputy secretary of strategy in Defence.

 

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/inquirer/defence-spending-needs-to-match-risk-of-conflict/news-story/63cf852d0073044110fb22b3644518dd

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 15, 2021, 11:03 p.m. No.13674100   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1291

>>13609998

>>13658947

Three Reasons Why Australia Dares To Stand Up To The CCP

 

Inconvenient Truths by Jennifer Zeng 曾錚真言

 

16 May 2021

 

Have you ever wondered why #Australia, as a relatively smaller country, out of so many countries in the #West, has the guts to stand up against the #CCP?

Three reasons exclusively by me!

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6pNmjh37pc

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 17, 2021, 12:09 a.m. No.13682300   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1257

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to host Scott Morrison later this month

 

Michael Neilson and Derek Cheng - 17 May, 2021

 

How the region will open up to the rest of the world will be a key topic when Jacinda Ardern hosts Australian counterpart Scott Morrison in Queenstown at the end of the month.

 

It will be a "milestone and a pleasure" to resume discussions face-to-face, Prime Minister Ardern said in her post-Cabinet press conference today - but she would not be inviting Morrison to bungy-jump.

 

"I would never ask a politician to do something that I myself would not do with a camera present."

 

Climate change, geo-strategic issues and easing border restrictions will be discussed.

 

"Our borders are quite closely linked, so I'd like to have a conversation - what does our region's re-connection with the world look like?"

 

Last week Ardern talked about the possibility of welcoming vaccinated people into the country before New Zealand's vaccination rollout was finished.

 

She said she wanted to hear Australia's view on the risk of a vaccinated person mingling in an unvaccinated group - which immunologists say could lead to an outbreak.

 

"We're keeping an open mind because we are continuing to see the data and evidence come out. We're not rushing to conclusions either way," Ardern said.

 

"Given our transtasman arrangement, there is real benefit in us talking about how we view that possibility, how our health officials view some of the data on the risk of vaccinated persons in terms of transmission, and our views on vaccine passports."

 

The last meeting they had was in February last year, the day of New Zealand's first Covid case.

 

Morrison, accompanied by his wife, will arrive in Queenstown on May 30 and talks will take place the following day.

 

Ardern and Morrison will engage with Australian and New Zealand business, tourism, and community leaders, and lay a wreath at the Arrowtown War Memorial.

 

They will also attend the Otago Highlanders-Melbourne Rebels game.

 

Ardern has previously used such meetings to press home her dissatisfaction with Australia's 501 deportation policy.

 

Ardern may also seek an update on Suhayra Aden, the former Australian-New Zealand dual citizen alleged by Turkish authorities to be an Islamic State terrorist. Australia revoked Aden's Australian citizenship, prompting a sharp rebuke from Ardern for abdicating its responsibilities to its citizens.

 

Both countries' relationships with China are also likely to be discussed.

 

This follows questions over whether New Zealand's stance on China is soft due to a reluctance to upset its biggest trading partner, and why New Zealand has been absent from some Five Eyes' statements critical of China limiting Hong Kong elections.

 

New Zealand has at times joined the Five Eyes' statements, and other times spoken out on the Hong Kong issue by itself.

 

Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta has said that she was "uncomfortable" using Five Eyes to comment on non-security matters.

 

Last month Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne, in a visit to New Zealand, declined to criticise New Zealand for not endorsing more of Five Eyes' statements.

 

Payne also did not push for New Zealand to take a stronger line on China, saying she had learned "not to give advice to other countries".

 

She said Australia's stance on China has offered "clarity, consistency and confidence", which has contributed to the security and prosperity of the region.

 

Ardern is also leading a business delegation to Australia in July.

 

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/prime-minister-jacinda-ardern-to-host-scott-morrison-later-this-month/6THSF73OQWCO6YV6C4HDMAGPWY/

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 17, 2021, 12:31 a.m. No.13682361   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1298

Former St Joseph’s College student sexually abused by teacher launches new legal action

 

A Geelong man who was sexually abused by a paedophile teacher at St Joseph's College in the 1970s has launched new legal action against the Christian Brothers.

 

Harrison Tippet - May 17, 2021

 

A GEELONG man who was sexually abused by a paedophile teacher at St Joseph's College in the 1970s has launched new legal action against the Christian Brothers.

 

Almost 50 years after he was abused by John Coogan as a teenager, the man will argue the redress he received in the 1990s was inadequate and he should get “decent compensation” for his suffering.

 

His law firm Slater and Gordon says recent legal changes made it possible for victims to get a second settlement from the Church.

 

Coogan, now dead, spent a number of years in jail in the 1990s for abusing children while a PE teacher and sports coach at St Joseph’s College.

 

Slater and Gordon’s client was plied with treats, including beer, by the teacher at school, and offered private athletics training on the beach at Ocean Grove, near where Coogan lived.

 

Coogan repeatedly abused him at that house.

 

“It went on for several months. He told me not to tell anyone. The abuse affected me profoundly,” the victim said.

 

“(It) was effectively like being kidnapped.”

 

Slater and Gordon’s Jane McCullough said the Catholic Church’s so-called ‘Melbourne Response’ locked sex abuse victims into confidential, inadequate, one-off settlements with the Church.

 

But legislative changes prompted by a Royal Commission meant settlements could now be set aside.

 

She said community sports still needed to improve the way they vetted helpers.

 

“We are investigating sexual abuse claims within amateur sporting clubs around Australia following children being subjected to sexual abuse and predatory behaviour by coaches, paid staff, volunteers and parents,” Ms McCullough said.

 

“Stronger regulation is still needed to prevent the wrong people having access to children.

 

“It’s a sad fact that children can be at risk of abuse by simply participating in physical activities within their local sporting club. We have seen it across multiple codes — from junior cricket, to surf lifesaving, soccer and football.

 

Her client said Coogan’s abuse destroyed his promising athletics career and his interest in academic work, and still haunts him today.

 

“Having to continue at the school where my abuser was still teaching was very difficult, creepy in fact,” he said.

 

“Things got pretty mediocre for me at school after that. My grades really suffered. I wanted to leave school as soon as possible.

 

“It’s been more than 40 years of baggage I’ve carried. I never married or had kids. My friends from school days who were not abused have led very different lives.

 

“It’s affected my ability to work properly and keep any sort of job.

 

“As a result of what happened, I’ve abused alcohol over the years and have been diagnosed with anxiety, OCD and a personality disorder.”

 

He said parents at the school in his day expressed concerns about paedophiles but no action was taken.

 

“My mother notified the school with concerns about his relationship with me … a staff member warned Mum to keep an eye on his dealings with me,” he said.

 

“My message to young people being abused or taken advantage of is simply to tell someone. “It might be a medical professional, a school counsellor, or a psychologist.”

 

“Tell someone you trust, who you feel might be able to help you. Don’t bottle it up.”

 

https://www.geelongadvertiser.com.au/truecrimeaustralia/police-courts/former-st-josephs-college-student-sexually-abused-by-teacher-launches-new-legal-action/news-story/b5c3f8b17dfe80221148e1aff9d6329f

 

Members of the public who have any information about people involved in child abuse and exploitation are urged to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

 

https://crimestoppers.com.au

 

If you or anyone you know needs support, you can contact the National Sexual Assault, Domestic and Family Violence Counselling Service on 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732), Lifeline 131 114, or Beyond Blue 1300 224 636.

 

https://www.1800respect.org.au

 

https://www.lifeline.org.au

 

https://www.beyondblue.org.au

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 17, 2021, 12:52 a.m. No.13682432   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1294

>>13658111

>>13658137

US, Australia call for transparency on COVID-19 origins

 

Sky News Australia

 

17 May 2021

 

Former Pentagon adviser Jason Israel says a major thing that came from the US-Australia diplomatic talks was further demands for an independent inquiry into COVID-19 origins.

 

Foreign Minister Marise Payne met with Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Washington DC where the two held a joint press conference.

 

“Australia did say the most likely origin was due to an animal being a part of the chain rather than being part of a failed experiment in Wuhan,” Mr Israel told Sky News.

 

“But (Australia is) still demanding that China provides evidence to the world and actual lab testing data that backs it up.”

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34iyiS3NwCw

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 17, 2021, 12:55 a.m. No.13682438   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>7968 >>1294

>>13608307

Mike Pompeo warns of more Chinese laboratory 'coverups'

 

Sky News Australia

 

17 May 2021

 

Former secretary of state Mike Pompeo says China’s efforts to coverup the origins of COVID-19 is “staggering” and the risk of the pandemic happening again is “very real”.

 

“That evidence continues to accumulate despite of the fact that the Chinese Communist Party will not permit anyone to get any access to the laboratory, to the original materials, to the doctors that were working there.” he told Fox News.

 

“The list of the coverup efforts is staggering”.

 

Mr Pompeo has remained adamant the deadly virus originated from the Wuhan Institute of Virology.

 

"The combination of the circumstantial evidence that we have combined with the intense effort to deny us information about that lab suggests to be strongly that this where it originated,” he said.

 

“The risk of something like this happens again from that laboratory or another Chinese laboratory is very real".

 

Fox News host Maria Bartiromo also asked Mike Pompeo his thoughts on Sky News journalist Sharri Markson’s recent investigation into China developing coronavirus as a bioweapon.

 

“There is increasing evidence that the Chinese Communist Party acted at least with reckless negligence and perhaps even worse."

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_VbacxbgyI

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 17, 2021, 1:10 a.m. No.13682462   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>2465 >>1298

Fourteen children rescued in the Philippines following Australian child sexual abuse investigations

 

17 May 2021

 

1/2

 

Fourteen children, aged between two and 17, have been rescued from alleged child sexual abuse in the Philippines following investigations by the Australian Federal Police (AFP).

 

The children, six girls and eight boys, were removed from harm on 7 May after the AFP International Command Philippines provided intelligence to the Philippine Internet Crimes Against Children Centre (PICACC) and engaged Philippine National Police.

 

The information also led the Philippine National Police Luzon Field Unit (LFU), with support from PICACC, to arrest three women and a man in Bombom, Camarines Sur, for their alleged roles as facilitators of online child sexual abuse.

 

Investigators from the Victorian Joint Anti-Child Exploitation Team (JACET), comprising AFP and Victoria Police, referred information to the AFP International Command in the Philippines after charging a then 68-year-old man from regional Victoria in March with possession of child abuse material, who then engaged Philippines Authorities.

 

The maximum penalty for the offence is 15 years' imprisonment.

 

The linked investigations across two countries highlight the enhanced cooperation between the AFP and its partner agencies in Australia and globally to fight online sexual exploitation.

 

A computer seized from the man contained child abuse material and records of online chat conversations allegedly facilitating 'pay-per-view' child abuse content in the Philippines, police have alleged in court in Victoria.

 

Among the evidence seized by Philippines authorities last week were digital devices containing several child sexual exploitation materials; a sex toy; and several money transfer receipts showing foreigners as senders.

 

The child victims have been placed in the care of a local social welfare office.

 

AFP Commander Todd Hunter, Commander Investigations Southern Command, said the AFP’s expertise stands ready to protect children, regardless of where they may be located.

 

“Our investigators are dedicated to protecting children in Australia from abuse and work with law enforcement across the world to do the same,” Commander Hunter said.

 

“Our message to offenders accessing or exchanging child abuse material online is that we will never stop trying to identify anyone involved in bringing harm to children and bringing them before the court.”

 

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 17, 2021, 1:12 a.m. No.13682465   🗄️.is 🔗kun

>>13682462

 

2/2

 

Philippine National Police Chief of the Women and Children Protection Centre Brigadier General Alessandro Abella said Philippines police were committed to collaborating with international law enforcement agencies to bring this borderless crime to an end.

 

“Our pursuit to rescue and protect children from online sexual exploitation will not stop until we have arrested the last trafficker and abuser doing this vile crime,” he said.

 

The investigation into the 68-year-old Australian man was linked to an earlier Victorian JACET arrest of a man charged by the AFP for allegedly paying for live-distance child abuse.

 

https://www.afp.gov.au/news-media/media-releases/regional-victorian-man-charged-following-rescue-nine-children-philippines

 

Police traced the initial arrest to the Philippines, which led to the rescue of nine children, aged two to 16, and the arrest of a woman by Philippine authorities.

 

As of 10 May 2021, and since its inception in February 2019, the PICACC has undertaken 119 operations which have resulted in the rescue of 386 victims, 88 suspects/facilitators charged and 13 offenders convicted.

 

Of these, 39 suspects arrested/charged and the rescue of 149 victims in the Philippines are a direct result of AFP International Command facilitating referrals emanating from Australian based investigations or intelligence leads.

 

PICAAC is a collective law enforcement effort to combat child exploitation across the Philippines, including representatives from the Philippines, Australia, and the United Kingdom.

 

It involves the AFP, PNP Women and Children’s Protection Centre, National Bureau of Investigation Anti-Human Trafficking Division (NBI AHTRAD), the United Kingdom National Crime Agency (UK NCA), and International Justice Mission (IJM).

 

Members of the public who have any information about people involved in child abuse and exploitation are urged to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

 

https://crimestoppers.com.au

 

You can also make a report online by alerting the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation via the Report Abuse button.

 

https://www.accce.gov.au/report

 

Note to media:

 

Use of term ‘CHILD ABUSE’ MATERIAL NOT ‘CHILD PORNOGRAPHY’

 

The correct legal term is Child Abuse Material – the move to this wording was among amendments to Commonwealth legislation in 2019 to more accurately reflect the gravity of the crimes and the harm inflicted on victims.

 

Use of the phrase "child pornography" is inaccurate and benefits child sex abusers because it:

 

• indicates legitimacy and compliance on the part of the victim and therefore legality on the part of the abuser; and

 

• conjures images of children posing in 'provocative' positions, rather than suffering horrific abuse. Every photograph or video captures an actual situation where a child has been abused.

 

*Editor’s note: Images of the rescue and arrest can be downloaded from Hightail - https://spaces.hightail.com/space/kyBXVrUkD8

 

https://www.afp.gov.au/news-media/media-releases/fourteen-children-rescued-philippines-following-australian-child-sexual

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 17, 2021, 1:19 a.m. No.13682473   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1298

Former BBL cricketer in court on child abuse charges

 

Daniel Cherny - May 17, 2021

 

A former Big Bash League and state cricketer fronted court in Darwin on Monday, charged with possessing child abuse material and grooming a minor after his alleged behaviour was brought to the attention of cricket authorities.

 

Aaron Summers, 25, appeared in front of the Darwin Local Court, with police alleging that his mobile phone contained child abuse videos.

 

Summers played one game for the Hobart Hurricanes in late 2017 as well as three one-dayers with Tasmania, for whom he made his debut in 2018.

 

Summers, a fast bowler originally from Perth, had been due to play in this winter’s NT Cricket 365 tournament, an event run by Cricket Australia and featuring a host of current and former state and BBL players.

 

CA issued a statement to The Age and the Sydney Morning Herald on Monday.

 

“A matter was brought to the attention of NT Cricket and was immediately actioned in accordance with our member protection policy. In line with the policy the matter was referred to the relevant authorities and is now being handled by police,” the statement read.

 

No longer tied to an Australian state or BBL club, Summers earlier this year became the first Australian player to appear in Pakistani domestic cricket, playing for Southern Punjab in the Pakistan Cup. He said at the time that he had hoped the experience would help his path back into state and BBL ranks.

 

NT Police issued a statement in relation to the matter.

 

“Detectives from the Joint Anti-Child Exploitation Team (JACET) arrested a 25-year-old man in Fannie Bay on Friday afternoon for child abuse material.

 

“Police executed a section 3E Crimes Act 1914 (Cth) search warrant on the man and seized a mobile phone.

 

“Police will allege that the man’s mobile device contained a number of videos containing child abuse material. There was also evidence that the man had been in contact with up to 10 children to attempt to procure further illicit photographs.

 

“On 14 May 2021, Northern Territory and Australian Federal Police executed a further section 3E Crimes Act 1914 (Cth) search warrant on the man’s premises in the Darwin CBD. Police found a mobile device containing child abuse material

 

“The man has been charged with the following Commonwealth offences:

 

• Two counts of possess or control child abuse material obtained or accessed using a carriage service, contrary to section 474.22 of the Criminal Code 1995 (Cth)

 

• One count of use carriage service to groom a person under 16 years, contrary to section 474.27 of the Criminal Code 1995 (Cth)

 

“He has been remanded in custody to appear in Darwin Local Court on Monday, 17 May 2021.”

 

In the statement detective acting senior sergeant Paul Lawson said: “The behaviour is despicable. Young people should be able to enjoy their childhood without the fear of predators approaching them for their own appalling intentions. The Northern Territory JACET will continue to work with national and international partners to keep the most vulnerable in our community safe.”

 

https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/sport/cricket/former-bbl-cricketer-in-court-on-child-abuse-charges-20210517-p57smo.html

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 17, 2021, 2:12 a.m. No.13682563   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>0912 >>1294

>>13666298

Virgin CEO calls for open borders, even if ‘some people may die’

 

Stuart Layt - May 17, 2021

 

Virgin Australia’s chief executive has called for the country’s borders to be reopened before the stated goal of mid-2022, saying it made long-term sense even if “some people may die”.

 

Speaking at a business lunch in Brisbane on Monday, Jayne Hrdlicka said she did not agree with the current stated reopening date of “mid-2022” put forward by the federal government in last week’s federal budget.

 

Ms Hrdlicka said she believed, with a viable vaccine in place for a large enough portion of Australia’s population, the country needed to reopen its borders or risk being left behind by the rest of the world.

 

The airline boss said as long as vaccination levels were high enough, and vulnerable people were protected, the country should take the risk of fully opening again sooner than June 2022.

 

“COVID will be part of the community, we will become sick with COVID and it won’t put us in hospital, and it won’t put people into dire straits because we’ll have a vaccine,” Ms Hrdlicka said.

 

“Some people may die, but it will be way smaller than with the flu.

 

“We’re forgetting the fact that we’ve learnt how to live with lots of viruses and challenges over the years and we’ve got to learn how to live with this.”

 

It is estimated more than 3.3 million people have died worldwide from COVID-19 since the pandemic began. In the US, 584,495 people died of COVID-19 between January 2020 and last Friday, according to figures from Johns Hopkins University.

 

Globally, anywhere from 290,000 to 650,000 people die of flu-related causes every year.

 

In countries with vaccination programs further along than Australia’s, there have been good indications that the vaccines have greatly reduced death tolls, Britain this month recording zero deaths from COVID for the first time since July last year.

 

Prime Minister Scott Morrison recommitted to the reopening target of mid-2022 on Monday, saying Australians understood a “cautious approach” was needed to any border reopening.

 

“I welcome the fact that I think Australians by and large share the view that Australia has done incredibly well throughout the course of the pandemic,” he said.

 

“We have been able to not only save lives but save livelihoods as well, and Australians want to see that continue.”

 

The latest Newspoll showed 73 per cent of respondents supported the current border approach and believed they should remain closed until the middle of next year.

 

Ms Hrdlicka’s comments come as Virgin works to put itself back together after the pandemic delivered several blows to the business, which led to it entering receivership temporarily last year.

 

The company was bailed out by American firm Bain Capital with a focus on domestic travel.

 

The airline retired its fleet of Airbus A330 and Boeing 777 jets in favour of smaller aircraft more suited to interstate and short-jump travel within the Australasian region.

 

The company previously maintained that it believed short trips to Fiji and other tourist centres by the end of this year was a “realistic” goal.

 

https://www.smh.com.au/national/virgin-ceo-calls-for-open-borders-even-if-some-people-may-die-20210517-p57sn2.html

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 17, 2021, 2:37 a.m. No.13682626   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1257

‘Not a good look’: Turnbull questions Morrison’s red carpet RAAF welcome

 

Josh Butler - May 17, 2021

 

Former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull says he hopes a red carpet welcome for his successor Scott Morrison at a Newcastle air force base “won’t be repeated”, after an Instagram snap of the guard of honour went viral online.

 

The Department of Defence claimed the official welcome – including numerous Air Force members standing at attention, brandishing Australian flags was “standard protocol”, but Mr Turnbull and fellow former PM Kevin Rudd said they never received such a welcome.

 

The unusual controversy was set off on May 7, when Mr Morrison visited RAAF Williamtown, north of Newcastle in the NSW Hunter region.

 

He was in town to announce $66 million to upgrade the Newcastle Airport runway, to allow larger aircraft to land, which Mr Morrison said would “leverage our significant defence investments at RAAF Base Williamtown”.

 

He flew on his private RAAF jet to Williamtown. A photo of Mr Morrison walking off the plane was posted to his Instagram, showing the PM – wearing a suit, blue tie and face mask – walking along a red carpet, as up to 10 men and women in RAAF uniforms stood to attention.

 

One was holding an Australian flag, another the Royal Australian Air Force Ensign.

 

The photo – with the caption “always good to be back in the Hunter” – was posted to Mr Morrison’s Instagram Story, a popular feature where photos automatically expire after 24 hours. It was not shared on the PM’s other social media channels, but was soon shared across Twitter by Australians curious about the ceremonial welcome.

 

Labor MP Brian Mitchell tweeted on May 9 that it was “right up there with knights and dames”, referring to an unpopular decision from former PM Tony Abbott to revive that system of honours.

 

The New Daily has been told by a senior government source that Mr Morrison’s office did not specifically request the red carpet welcome.

 

The ABC published an article on Monday, with claims from Mr Turnbull and Mr Rudd that they did not recall ever receiving such a welcome when visiting army facilities. Mr Rudd was PM between 2007 and 2010, then again briefly in 2013, while Mr Turnbull held the top job from 2015-18.

 

Mr Rudd’s office told The New Daily he did not believe such a welcome was standard protocol. Mr Turnbull echoed similar remarks.

 

“I don’t recall ever being received by a ceremonial guard like that with flags,” he told TND.

 

“It wasn’t a good look.”

 

Mr Turnbull claimed the ceremony was “more Ruritanian than Australian”, a reference to the mythical kingdom of Ruritania, a fictional nation which is imagined as the setting of fairy tales.

 

“We play down the pomp and ceremony as a rule. So I hope it won’t be repeated,” Mr Turnbull said.

 

Labor’s shadow defence minister, Brendan O’Connor, was also critical.

 

“There is a time and a place for formal protocol, but we don’t expect our leaders to indulge in confected pageantry at the taxpayers’ expense,” he told TND.

 

The New Daily contacted the Department of Defence on multiple occasions since May 9, asking questions about the welcome for Mr Morrison. The department did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

 

While not responding to specific questions, a Defence spokesperson instead directed TND to a press release on its website from Mr Morrison and defence minister Peter Dutton, on the Newcastle airport upgrade.

 

The ABC quoted a Defence spokeswoman as saying the welcome – known as a ‘Ceremonial Stairway Guard’ – was “standard protocol for the arrival of VIPs” including prime ministers.

 

However, the ABC reported it could not find photographic examples of similar welcomes for other ministers, only the PM.

 

Neil James, the executive director of the Australia Defence Association, told the ABC that “generally speaking, a visit by a minister, including the prime minister, is not a VIP visit.”

 

On Monday, South Australian senator Rex Patrick tweeted it was “not the Aussie way”.

 

Labor MP Andrew Leigh tweeted “less of this” with a photo of the red carpet arrival.

 

https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/2021/05/17/scott-morrison-red-carpet-raaf-welcome/

 

https://twitter.com/Senator_Patrick/status/1394075242914455553

 

 

Why did Scott Morrison get red-carpet treatment on airbase visit when previous prime ministers didn't?

 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-05-17/scott-morrison-red-carpet-raaf-williamtown-visit-fact-check/100139660

 

>Optics are important.

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 17, 2021, 11:53 p.m. No.13690912   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1294

>>13682563

Scott Morrison ‘won’t take risks with lives’ when reopening international borders

 

Scott Morrison has reacted strongly to comments made by the boss of Virgin Australia that ‘some people may die’ when borders reopen.

 

Evin Priest - MAY 18, 2021

 

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has slammed Virgin Australia chief executive Jayne Hrdlicka for saying Australia’s borders needed to reopen even though “some people may die”.

 

The Virgin Australia boss said if vaccination levels were high enough and vulnerable people were protected, the federal government should take the risk of opening its international borders sooner than June 2022.

 

The government’s gloomy revision for international travel was projected in last week’s federal budget after Australians put hopes on an initial target to reopen in October this year.

 

On Monday, Ms Hrdlicka said: “COVID will be part of the community, we will become sick with COVID and it won’t put us in hospital, and it won’t put people into dire straits because we’ll have a vaccine. Some people may die, but it will be way smaller than with the flu. We’re forgetting the fact that we’ve learnt how to live with lots of viruses and challenges over the years, and we’ve got to learn how to live with this.”

 

On Tuesday, the Prime Minister labelled the Virgin boss‘s comments as “insensitive”.

 

“Nine-hundred-and-ten Australians have lost their lives,” Mr Morrison said on Tuesday. “Every single one of those lives was a terrible tragedy, and it doesn‘t matter how old they were.

 

“They were someone‘s mum, someone’s dad, someone’s aunty, someone’s cousin, brother, sister, friend.

 

“So, no. I find it very difficult to have any part of what was said there.”

 

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian also distanced herself from Ms Hrdlicka’s comments.

 

“Look, I don't know whether those comments were taken out of context or not,” she said.

 

“I think we need to be very sympathetic and mindful to the fact community safety always comes first.

 

“But in NSW we've demonstrated you can keep the community safe but also push ahead with economic openness, and it’s that right balance that has kept NSW where it is.

 

“We intend to keep that right balance.”

 

There have been growing calls for the federal government to reopen borders and accept a certain level of COVID-19 in the community once the vaccine has been rolled out.

 

But Mr Morrison was defiant in responding, “I‘m not going to take risks with Australians’ lives.”

 

Ms Berejiklian said she did not have a threshold of COVID-19 hospitalisations that was acceptable.

 

“Please, no death is acceptable, please don’t put words in my mouth,” she told a reporter.

 

“I’ve never said that and I never would. We have worked hard in NSW to protect life to keep communities safe and that’s what we’ll do.

 

“(But) there’s no doubt the vaccine program is key to our freedom.”

 

However, Ms Berejiklian did suggest June 2022 was too long to wait to reopen borders.

 

“We can’t have these conversations until we vaccinate the majority of the population,” she said.

 

“We need to get cracking and do the work … but I’m very keen to bring timetables forward.

 

“I don’t want us to be closed off from the world longer than we need to.”

 

https://www.news.com.au/travel/travel-updates/scott-morrison-wont-take-risks-with-lives-when-reopening-international-borders/news-story/e43be24afee7c4014695abbe325162ea

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 18, 2021, 11:40 p.m. No.13699766   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>9777 >>1272

Cardinal George Pell opens up on what he hated the most in jail in interview with BBC

 

JACK PAYNTER - MAY 19, 2021

 

Cardinal George Pell has opened up about what he hated the most during his time in prison during a new interview for the BBC.

 

Cardinal Pell returned to the Vatican in late September last year, six months after he was acquitted of child sexual abuse convictions.

 

Cardinal Pell is the former financial controller of the Vatican and was the most senior Catholic in the world to have been found guilty of historical child sexual abuse before he was freed from Victoria’s Barwon Prison in April 2020 and had his convictions quashed after a two-year legal battle.

 

Speaking to Irish reporter Colm Flynn in an interview aired on the BBC World Service, Cardinal Pell said he wasn’t keen to return to Rome but Pope Francis refused to let his apartment be packed up.

 

“I miss my family and friends, I’ve got a very good circle of friends in Sydney but I’m in contact with them regularly,” Cardinal Pell said.

 

“I wasn’t keen to come back (to Rome).

 

“When I was in jail I asked my secretary to pack up my belongings here, especially my books and send them home.

 

“The word came down from on high to leave the apartment here for me when I might return.”

 

Cardinal Pell said Pope Francis had always been “very supportive” of him, which he was “deeply grateful” for.

 

When asked about his experience while imprisoned in Australia, the former third in charge of the Vatican, said it was the “humiliating” strip searches he hated the most.

 

“Jail is undignified, you’re at the bottom of the pit, you’re humiliated, but by and large I was treated decently,” he said.

 

“The worst single thing I think were the strip searches, the brief humiliating, the ignominy of it is probably the worst of it.

 

“I wasn’t too uncomfortable, a firm base for a bed, a hot shower and that’s very important to Australians, the food, there was too much of it.”

 

Cardinal Pell admitted he was “pretty ordinary” spiritually and at times he thought he may have to wait until the afterlife to get justice and be vindicated of the allegations.

 

“If you believe there is a God, if you believe that ultimately all things will be well, that ultimately in the afterlife there will be peace and harmony and justice, if you really believe that, (it doesn’t) matter what terrible thing might happen to you here,” he said.

 

“It is still terrible but it’s not like a Greek tragedy where for the Greeks there was no afterlife, there’s no possibility of fixing it up, that’s not a Christian perspective.

 

“I was always absolutely determined to fight (the allegations) because I was innocent … and to work hard to get the truth out.

 

“I think the good Lord realised spiritually I’m pretty ordinary so I wasn’t subjected, I wasn’t tempted to despair, I never felt I was on the edge of an abyss, I always realised that God was active.”

 

When acquitting Cardinal Pell of the charges in April last year, the bench of the High Court found there was “a significant possibility that an innocent person” had been convicted “because the evidence did not establish guilt to the requisite standard of proof”.

 

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/breaking-news/cardinal-george-pell-opens-up-on-what-he-hated-the-most-in-jail-in-interview-with-bbc/news-story/775fbc32a8ffc312ddeea735f48c9603

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 18, 2021, 11:43 p.m. No.13699777   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1272

>>13699766

BBC World Service

 

Heart and Soul - Cardinal Pell

 

14 May 2021

 

He was once the third most powerful Catholic in the world, overseeing financial reform at the Vatican. But for Cardinal George Pell, the fall from grace was hard when he was accused, convicted, and imprisoned for sexual abuse in his home country of Australia. It was a huge blow for the Catholic church across Australia.

 

Abuse victim groups celebrated his conviction, however not everyone was convinced, and a debate began to rage as to the credibility of the accusations levied against him, as well as the fairness of his trial.

 

Cardinal George Pell always maintained his innocence, and after spending a year in jail, in a startling twist to the story, Australia's highest court overturned his conviction, seven high court judges unanimously ruling.

 

Today, Cardinal George Pell is back in the eternal city of Rome and living right next to the Vatican. In this Heart and Soul special, Colm Flynn meets Cardinal Pell at his home for a one-on-one extended interview to talk about the accusations that were made against him, the time he spent in prison, and why he decided to return to Rome after his release.

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w3ct2fnr

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/w3ct2fnr

 

https://twitter.com/ColmFlynn1/status/1392602602349682693

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 19, 2021, 2:25 a.m. No.13700239   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1291

>>13328300 (pb)

>>13328317 (pb)

Australia has become even keener US 'deputy'

 

Bruce Haigh - 2021-05-19

 

Former US president George W. Bush referred to Australia as the "deputy sheriff" of the United States in Asia in October 2003. At first, then Australian prime minister John Howard seemed pleased with the descriptor; however, following criticism from Indonesia and Malaysia, he sought to distance himself from it.

 

However, the term stuck, particularly in light of the fact that Australia had just followed the US into war in Iraq when it had no good reason for doing so. The perception persists that Australia remains in that role, although it has not taken much pressure from the US to hold it there. In fact, under current Prime Minister Scott Morrison, it would be fair to say that Australia has become an even keener deputy sheriff.

 

The actions Australia has taken in recent times with respect to China should be seen against the background of this role, as well as the emotional connection that conservative Australians have toward the US, particularly the ruling Liberal National Party and particularly after Donald Trump became US president in 2016.

 

Otherwise, how can the actions of Australia toward China be rationally explained? They defy common sense.

 

The LNP has not adjusted its thinking post-Trump. If anything, it has become more hard-line, such as the federal government canceling the Belt and Road Initiative memorandums of understanding between the Victorian government and China exactly 12 months after Morrison accused China of "fostering COVID-19" through the so-called wet markets of Wuhan, and unilaterally calling for an international investigation.

 

In retaliation for canceling the mutually beneficial Victoria-Beijing BRI pacts, China suspended the China-Australia Strategic Economic Dialogue. Though the Beijing move is largely nominal, it set the scene for a further deterioration in relations.

 

The Wuhan accusation was the trigger on a gun already loaded by Australia's taking the lead to ban Huawei from building its 5G network, undertaken on advice from US security agencies. Responsive trade limits from China followed; however, the economic impact has been hidden from the Australian public by unprecedented levels of borrowing brought about by government stimulus in the face of the COVID pandemic.

 

For years, anti-Chinese sentiment among the Australian public has been fanned by the Rupert Murdoch media empire, which owns 70 percent of the media in Australia. In light of the Australian government's negativity toward China, other media outlets have felt constrained to follow suit.

 

Australia has acquiesced to US pressure to increase its defense presence in the Northern Territory and is considering rescinding the 99-year lease that the Chinese company Landbridge has with respect to the Port of Darwin. At the moment there is no domestic counterbalance to the negativity being fostered within Australia toward China.

 

China no doubt perceives Australian moves as rude ignorance and discriminative animosity toward China. Nonetheless, Chinese "aggression" toward Australia feeds the narrative of the Australian right wing and makes them feel justified in "taking on" China more.

 

And the US is happy enough to encourage the "deputy sheriff" to swing the lead-a no-lose situation for Uncle Sam. The Australians do their dirty work, the Americans lose nothing; in fact, they have gained trade opportunities at Australia's expense.

 

The world knows what the US stands for: It is driven by money and power, not morality, not empathy and not compassion.

 

China can be different. China is a great country and will be a force for good. It does not have to reflect US norms and ways of operating internationally. It can write new rules and deploy new forms of behavior. It should take the lead with confidence.

 

What is obvious is that the world is looking for leadership. China must rise above the petty games dictated by the US and Australia if it is to realize its full potential.

 

The author is a former diplomat and political commentator from Australia.

 

https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202105/19/WS60a46783a31024ad0babfe50.html

 

https://www.pressreader.com/usa/china-daily-usa/20210519

 

https://brucehaigh.com.au

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 19, 2021, 2:36 a.m. No.13700263   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1291

>>13515337

>>13517916

Talk of China war ‘a political strategy’, says Penny Wong

 

BEN PACKHAM - MAY 19, 2021

 

Penny Wong has accused Scott Morrison of failing to understand the Australia-China relationship and “deliberately encouraging anxiety about conflict” with the Asian superpower to secure domestic political advantage.

 

In a prepared speech to launch a new book on China on Wednesday by journalist Peter Hartcher, she argues Australia is “sprinting ahead” of the US policy of “strategic ambiguity” on Taiwan.

 

Senator Wong will say Defence Minister Peter Dutton’s recent warning that war with China over Taiwan could not be discounted and Home Affairs secretary Michael Pezzullo’s claim that “the drums of war” were beating are part of a wider government strategy.

 

“It would take childlike naivety to think these interventions were a coincidence, or to think the Morrison government isn’t deliberately encouraging anxiety about conflict,” she will say. “But it would represent a monumental and catastrophic failure of leadership to see that anxiety realised.

 

“My concern is that not only does (the Prime Minister) not fully comprehend Australia’s interests in relation to China, he doesn’t even seek to.”

 

Amid growing concern in the business community over the Australia-China relationship, Senator Wong will accuse Mr Morrison of putting “political opportunism” ahead of Australia’s national interests. “Australians don’t want their leaders to bow to coercion, but neither do they expect their leaders to recklessly beat the drums of war.”

 

She will criticise Mr Morrison’s error in describing Australia’s position on Taiwan as “One Country, Two Systems” — a reference to China’s governance of Hong Kong — and note his pledge ahead of the Wentworth by-election to shift Australia’s embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.

 

She will also reference his 2019 “negative globalism” attack on multilateral institutions, and his decision not to call out Donald Trump over the Capitol riots.

 

“Foreign policy should not be the prosecution of domestic politics by other means because as I’ve said, in diplomacy, words matter,” Senator Wong will say.

 

Her criticism comes as a new China Matters think tank paper says key laws targeting Chinese interference in Australian institutions “have had demonstrable negative impacts on Australia-PRC relations”.

 

The paper says the Espionage and Foreign Interference Act (2018), the Foreign Influence Transparency Scheme Act (2018), and the Foreign Relations Act (2020) that allowed the government to axe Victoria’s Belt and Road Initiative agreements target connections with foreigners rather than improper conduct.

 

“These three laws are flawed,” the paper says.

 

“They are too widely cast, subjecting large new areas of activity to national security scrutiny, and poorly focused, scrutinising links and connections rather than improper conduct.”

 

The government has stepped up warnings in recent months over the prospect of a conflict with China, after last year’s Defence Strategic Update identified US-China tensions as the nation’s biggest strategic threat.

 

Mr Morrison recently said Australia wanted a peaceful relationship with China where trade between the two countries could again flourish.

 

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/talk-of-china-war-a-political-strategy-says-penny-wong/news-story/9227ae310701cee67c91ba341f93084f

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 19, 2021, 2:53 a.m. No.13700295   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1291

Australia urged to abandon ideological prejudice against China: Foreign Ministry

 

Global Times - May 18, 2021

 

The Australian government needs to listen to rational voices and abandon its cold war mentality and ideological prejudice, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said on Tuesday, in response to a recent call from Australian Industry Group Chief Executive Innes Willox for resorting to rational negotiations to ease China-Australia tensions.

 

The Australian government has for some time frequently taken a provocative and confrontational stance toward issues regarding Hong Kong, Xinjiang and Taiwan that implicate China's core interests and involve the country's major concerns, severely undermining China-Australia political mutual trust and the basis for bilateral cooperation, Zhao told a regular press conference in Beijing.

 

A rising number of far-sighted Australians have voiced concerns about this situation, and they have urged Australia to re-think its China policy and come up with fairly valuable suggestions, the spokesperson commented.

 

"It's hoped that the Australian government can face squarely to the cause of the frustration of bilateral ties, take China's concerns seriously, hearken to rational voices and abandon [its] cold war mentality and ideological prejudice," he continued.

 

He called for more efforts by Australia that would bode well for bilateral mutual trust and economic partnership, and that accord with the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two sides.

 

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202105/1223779.shtml

 

 

Transcript - Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian's Regular Press Conference on May 18, 2021

 

Global Times: It is reported that Australian Industry Group chief executive Innes Willox warned the nation was facing a long-feared "day of reckoning" between its security and economic relationships. He urged the government to calm tensions with China through "negotiation, common sense and diplomacy" and called for an end to inflammatory language. He believed that the industrial and business community should work to avoid an escalation of tensions. Do you have any comment?

 

Zhao Lijian: I noted relevant reports. For quite some time, the Australian government has repeatedly made provocative and confrontational moves on such issues of China's core interests and major concerns as those related to Hong Kong, Xinjiang and Taiwan. This has severely undermined the political trust and cooperation foundation between the two sides.

 

We noticed that more and more visionary people in Australia expressed their concern over this, calling on the Australian government to reflect on its China policy and putting forward very valuable suggestions. We hope the Australian government will face squarely the crux of the setbacks of the bilateral relations, take China's concerns seriously and heed rational voices. Australia should set aside the cold war mentality and ideological bias, and do more things that are conducive to mutual trust and cooperation and are in line with the China-Australia comprehensive strategic partnership.

 

https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/mfa_eng/xwfw_665399/s2510_665401/2511_665403/t1876623.shtml

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 20, 2021, 1:32 a.m. No.13708152   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>8154 >>1291

Who’s to blame for worsening China-Australia relations?

 

Qin Sheng - May 19, 2021

 

1/2

 

Relations between China and Australia are reaching a freezing point. This has become a hot topic of discussion on both sides. The Australian Financial Review published an article on Sunday saying that Australia's business leaders are "frustrated about the disintegration of Australia's relationship with China" and "many executives doing business with China privately blame Prime Minister Scott Morrison rather than an increasingly assertive Beijing."

 

It said that Australia's business leaders wondered why the foreign minister called for an international probe into the coronavirus; why was the government considering tearing up the 99-year lease on the Port of Darwin; and why are politicians talking about going to war with a country vastly more powerful than it?

 

In fact, China wants to know answers to these questions too.

 

Some Australians, however, still blame China for the deterioration of China-Australia relations. They believe China's "economic punishment" against Australia is groundless and has caused losses to the Australian business community and Australian farmers, and even stalled the China-Australia Strategic Economic Dialogue (SED).

 

But every effect has its cause. The suspension of the SED is in response to a series of egregious anti-China policies made by Canberra. China, as a responsible power, rarely suspends or terminates cooperation agreements with other countries through official announcements. The Chinese government's actions are mainly countermeasures due to the all-around and multi-level anti-China actions of Australia.

 

Economically, Australia is not only the world's first country that banned Huawei 5G technology. But it also cracked down on China's investment by introducing The Security of Critical Infrastructure Act in 2018, which led to a continuous drop in China's investment. Even China's Mengniu Dairy's merger and acquisition of Australian dairy enterprises were rejected by the government. In 2020, China's investment in Australia dropped by 61 percent. A series of such anti-China measures was a huge blow to Chinese companies in cooperation with Australia. This will also affect their future investment and business decisions in Australia.

 

Politically, Australia introduced the National Security Legislation Amendment Act and Foreign Influence Transparency Scheme Bill in 2018 to strike Chinese entrepreneurs and persecute China-friendly lawmakers. In June 2020, Australian security authorities forced an entry into houses of Chinese correspondents in Australia, and later in September, they revoked the visiting visas of two Chinese scholars on trumped-up charges. Then in April 2021, Australia became the first country in the world to tear up the Belt and Road agreement with China. This infringed on the development rights of Australian local governments and relevant enterprises, seriously hurting the development of China-Australia relations, and closing the door to dialogue between the two countries.

 

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 20, 2021, 1:32 a.m. No.13708154   🗄️.is 🔗kun

>>13708152

 

2/2

 

In the public opinion field, some mainstream Australian media outlets fabricated lies to hype up the "China threat" theory, and slandered overseas Chinese people, forming an anti-China atmosphere in spheres from economy to politics and to public opinion.

 

In addition, Australia is also acting as a vanguard of anti-China movements for the Western world, demonstrating this presence in almost all international anti-China groups and topics - including COVID-19 tracing investigations, and China's internal affairs on Xinjiang and Hong Kong.

 

In response to Australia's anti-China offensive moves, the Chinese government has been hoping that Australia will introspect and, in the words of Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, "China-Australia relations should be calibrated and set sail again." However, Australia has gone further and further down the anti-China road. This is why the Chinese government has decided to suspend the SED indefinitely. Such a decision is also partly a response to the public opinion of Chinese people who have been angered by Australia's behavior.

 

The political mutual trust between China and Australia has reached a new low. Whether there will be dialogue between China and Australia in the future and how bilateral relations will develop will depend on the attitude of the Australian side. Even if Australia wants to show loyalty and not be abandoned by the US, it should not sacrifice its most important trading partner. Just as a South China Morning Post article put it, following China's ban on a range of Australian products, the US has been steadily 'backfilling' the void left by its ally. Washington will prioritize its own economic needs ahead of its allies, including Australia, despite close ties. Australia should realize these facts.

 

Nonetheless, Australia regards anti-China moves as political correctness, and shows no signs of changing. Besides, Australia is constantly looking for other export markets, reducing its dependence on China and getting ready to "decouple" from China. The two countries' relations are facing the biggest challenge since the establishment of diplomatic ties.

 

The author is executive research fellow at Center for Australia, New Zealand and South Pacific Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn

 

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202105/1223947.shtml

 

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202105/1223943.shtml

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 21, 2021, 1:31 a.m. No.13717832   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>7834 >>1257

>>13507484

Defence declares war on political correctness, bans morning teas aimed at inclusion and diversity

 

Andrew Greene - 21 May 2021

 

The military has been ordered to stop holding morning teas which celebrate diversity and inclusion, as Defence chiefs remind personnel their "primary mission" is to protect Australia.

 

In a directive issued on Friday, the Defence Chief and Defence Secretary told ADF members that "Defence represents the people of Australia" and that it "must at all times be focused on our primary mission to protect Australia's national security interests".

 

"We must not be putting effort into matters that distract from this," General Angus Campbell and Defence Secretary Greg Moriarty wrote.

 

"To meet these important aims, changing language protocols and those events such as morning teas where personnel are encouraged to wear particular clothes in celebration are not required and should cease."

 

The order is in stark contrast to a message issued to ADF members earlier this month, encouraging them to support their LGBTI colleagues on International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Interphobia and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT) on May 17.

 

In the advice issued by Defence People Group, ADF members were encouraged to take part in activities such as "hosting morning teas" and "wearing visible rainbow clothing or ally pins".

 

The advice noted Defence's current strategy to improve its culture, which it argued underlined "Defence's commitment to building capability through inclusion".

 

"By recognising IDAHOBIT, Defence is demonstrating its support for our lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) colleagues, friends and family by standing against prejudice and discrimination, and demonstrating inclusion," the May 3 advice said.

 

"Defence's ability to deliver on government's strategic objectives hinges on how our people choose to interact and conduct themselves, both individually and collectively."

 

Friday's directive to "cease" holding LGBTI events, as well as reversing politically correct language changes, came just days after ADF members took part in IDAHOBIT morning teas across the country.

 

General Campbell and Mr Moriarty said they had "made it clear to all Service Chiefs and Group Heads that combat and organisational capability is to be delivered through our well-developed training and education programs, exercises and operational experience, with respectful behaviours, underpinned by Defence values".

 

Last month the ABC revealed new Assistant Defence Minister Andrew Hastie had told military personnel their "core business" was always the "application of lethal violence" and warned that "mission clarity" was vital to their work.

 

At the time, Liberal backbencher Phillip Thompson, also a former soldier, said Mr Hastie and new Defence Minister Peter Dutton were making sure the ADF was focused on its main tasks.

 

"Having Minister Dutton at the helm and leading our Australian Defence Force, we're bringing back our core values — we've gone a little bit woke over the past few years and we can't afford to be doing that," he said.

 

Defence has been contacted for comment.

 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-05-21/defence-chief-angus-campbell-political-correctness-morning-teas/100156436

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 21, 2021, 1:33 a.m. No.13717834   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1257

>>13507484

>>13717832

‘We are not pursuing a woke agenda’: Dutton bans special morning teas at Defence after IDAHOBIT

 

James Massola and Anthony Galloway - May 21, 2021

 

Defence Minister Peter Dutton has ordered his department and serving military personnel to stop pursuing a “woke agenda” after Defence held morning teas where staff wore rainbow clothing to mark the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Interphobia and Transphobia.

 

Mr Dutton, who has vowed to shake up his department and refocus on its core mission, told The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age he ordered Defence Force Chief Angus Campbell and Secretary Greg Moriarty on Friday to issue a note ending events with “particular clothes in celebration”.

 

“I’ve been very clear to the chiefs that I will not tolerate discrimination. But we are not pursuing a woke agenda,” Mr Dutton told this masthead.

 

“Our task is to build up the morale in the Australian Defence Force and these woke agendas don’t help.”

 

Earlier in the year a note was sent out from Defence to staff urging them to mark IDAHOBIT on Monday by wearing rainbow clothing and ally pins to morning tea events.

 

“Defence ADF and APS employees are encouraged to acknowledge IDAHOBIT in a COVID-safe manner. Examples for activity include hosting morning teas, encouraging discussions regarding the importance of IDAHOBIT, raising awareness of LGBTI rights and wearing visible rainbow clothing or ally pins,” the note said.

 

The goal was to show “support for our lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) colleagues, friends and family by standing against prejudice and discrimination, and demonstrating inclusion”.

 

But on Friday Mr Dutton ordered Mr Campbell and Mr Moriarty to issue a department-wide note banning events where staff celebrate by wearing particular clothes.

 

“Defence represents the people of Australia and must at all times be focused on our primary mission to protect Australia’s national security interests. We must not be putting effort into matters that distract from this,” the new note said.

 

“To meet these important aims, changing language protocols and those events such as morning teas where personnel are encouraged to wear particular clothes in celebration … are not required and should cease.

 

“We have made it clear to all Service Chiefs and Group Heads that combat and organisational capability is to be delivered through our well-developed training and education programs, exercises and operational experience, with respectful behaviours, underpinned by Defence values.”

 

The directive, signed by General Campbell and Mr Moriarty, applied to all members of Defence across the armed forces and the public service.

 

A Defence People Group Communication Plan prepared for IDAHOBIT also told members to use the term partner instead of husband or wife and to check with colleagues “what is your pronoun”.

 

“Do not assume that everyone is heterosexual (straight) or that this is the norm. Avoid using language such as ‘wife’ or ‘husband’ that assumes all relationships are heterosexual,” the document said.

 

Mr Dutton has also reduced the number of public servants stationed in his office to an absolute minimum since taking up the Defence post, in contrast to former minister Linda Reynolds, who had several extra mandarins from the department in her personal office.

 

https://www.theage.com.au/politics/federal/we-are-not-pursuing-a-woke-agenda-dutton-bans-special-morning-teas-at-defence-after-idahobit-20210521-p57u2g.html

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 21, 2021, 2 a.m. No.13717930   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1291

China could have ordered Huawei to shut down Australia’s 5G

 

Peter Hartcher - May 21, 2021

 

The federal government’s cyber spies advised Australia would have had to put 300 separate security measures on Huawei’s equipment to make it safe for the nation’s 5G system but the network could still have been shut down on Beijing’s orders.

 

The Australian Signals Directorate spent more than eight months trying to find a way to make the Chinese company’s telecommunications equipment acceptably safe but ultimately told the Turnbull government the risk could not be contained satisfactorily.

 

Australia was the first country to ban Huawei from its 5G system in 2018, a decision many more have followed. The government of Chinese President Xi Jinping continues to demand that Canberra reverse the veto. It is number two on a list of 14 demands released by the Chinese embassy in Canberra in November as a prerequisite to improving relations. Number one on the list calls for China’s foreign investment to be unrestricted.

 

A senior Australian spy said the main risk was not Chinese spying but that Beijing could order Huawei to disconnect the Australian 5G network altogether.

 

“Here’s the thing that most commentators get confused about with 5G, including some of our American friends,” the spy told this correspondent for the new book Red Zone, extracted in Saturday’s Good Weekend magazine. “It’s not about the interception of telephone calls. We’ve got that problem with 4G, we had it with 3G.”

 

The official said the real problem was that Beijing could order Huawei or the other major Chinese telecoms gear maker, ZTE, “to switch things off, and that disrupts the country – elements of it, or the whole country. That’s why you’ve got to be concerned.

 

“The sewerage pump stops working. Clean water doesn’t come to you. You can imagine the social implications of that. Or the public transport network doesn’t work. Or electric cars that are self-driving don’t work. And that has implications for society, implications for the economy.”

 

For these reasons, he said, the 5G network would be “No.1 on our critical infrastructure list” in need of protection once it was fully operational.

 

Huawei has always insisted that if so ordered by China’s authorities, it would never comply. The prime minister who made the 2018 decision, Malcolm Turnbull, did not believe the company: “One thing you know – if the Chinese Communist Party called on Huawei to act against Australia’s interests, it would have to do it,” he said in an interview for the book. “Huawei says, ‘Oh no, we would refuse.’ That’s laughable. They would have no option but to comply.”

 

Beijing passed a 2017 law that requires all companies, private as well as publicly owned, to co-operate with the Chinese government on any national security matter.

 

But before banning Huawei, Mr Turnbull tried to find a way to make it acceptable: “I went back and forth with Mike Burgess [then head of the ASD and now ASIO’s director-general of security], pressing him to find an effective means of mitigating the risk.

 

“I would have preferred to have all vendors available in Australia, but not at the expense of security.”

 

Mr Burgess assembled a crack team of the ASD’s best hackers, a Red Team tasked to act as Beijing. They were told to use Huawei against Australia.

 

The vulnerabilities they exposed formed the basis for the protection measures the ASD compiled.

 

Mr Burgess and his staff brought the full list of more than 300 measures to Mr Turnbull on A3 sheets of paper. They included that Australia would need to have full and sole access to the source code, full access to hardware schematics and that updates should only be done in Australia.

 

But even then, ASD advised, the risk of shutdown could not be fully mitigated.

 

https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/china-could-have-ordered-huawei-to-shut-down-australia-s-5g-20210520-p57trn.html

 

 

Huawei? No way! Why Australia banned the world’s biggest telecoms firm

 

https://www.smh.com.au/national/huawei-no-way-why-australia-banned-the-world-s-biggest-telecoms-firm-20210503-p57oc9.html

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 21, 2021, 2:13 a.m. No.13717968   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1294

>>13608307

>>13682438

Mike Pompeo Tweets

 

Over a year ago, I told @MarthaRaddatz that the Wuhan Virus most likely came from a lab leak. She stopped just short of offering me a tin hat. The CCP said I was an enemy of mankind.

 

And now? Well, now, the Left wing media is scrambling to get on the side of the truth.

 

https://twitter.com/mikepompeo/status/1395359503302922243

 

 

The origin of the Wuhan Virus matters. We must prevent this from happening again. The facts show the nature of the CCP & how excruciatingly little it values human life.

 

Only the CCP can shine a light on what happened. Bring it on. If I’m wrong, prove it. The world needs to know.

 

https://twitter.com/mikepompeo/status/1395391692577120259

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 21, 2021, 3:16 a.m. No.13718096   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>8101 >>1298

Australian Federal Police respond to disturbing child abuse investigation claims

 

JAMES HALL - MAY 21, 2021

 

A senior federal cop has slapped down claims federal police were unable to execute search warrants on potential child abuse offenders during the height of pandemic because of basic resourcing issues.

 

The emphatic response from Child Protection Operations Superintendent Paula Hudson came after a damning report declared “stretched” and “exhausted” law enforcement officers were struggling to keep up with an alarming surge in online child exploitation, abuse and grooming.

 

The University of NSW research had a global focus, but its lead author Michael Salter provided startling details about the impact to investigations in Australia.

 

“I’m aware that there were police forces in Australia who were not executing search warrants for a period of time during the pandemic simply because they didn’t have their infection control procedures in place to make it safe for police to be in the field,” the criminologist told NCA NewsWire.

 

“And we know that the child protection services had similar sorts of challenges – how do you go out and how do you investigate child abuse complaints when that puts your staff at risk of COVID-19 infection?”

 

But Superintendent Hudson insisted the pandemic was no barrier to targeting child exploitation offenders.

 

She said the Australian Federal Police’s Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE) charged 187 people with 1966 child abuse-related offences in 2020.

 

“If the community thinks that COVID-19 restrictions have stopped the AFP and the AFP-led ACCCE from operational activity to protect children, they are wrong,” the senior cop told NCA NewsWire.

 

“Our investigators continue to operate on both the dark and clear net, ensuring that children are safe and our joint anti child exploitation Teams across the country are executing search warrants on a near daily basis arresting offenders.”

 

Another disturbing finding in the UNSW report, funded by the Australian eSafety Commission, was authorities across the world failed to ramp up operations as reports of offences surged, which Superintendent Hudson said didn’t relate to Australia.

 

“To ensure the protection of children during the COVID-19 pandemic, the AFP bolstered also resources within the ACCCE child protection triage unit and ACCCE covert online engagement team to address the increase in referrals received,” she said.

 

Dr Salter also highlighted significant and concerning ignorance from social media and online gaming platforms that he said let complaints and alerts of abuse go “unanswered”.

 

He said the “clear message” was technology companies needed to step up and take responsibility for the horrific rates of abuse occurring on their social media and online gaming platforms.

 

“We had a range of complaints from many agencies that they were dealing with the overflow from social media companies who just weren‘t responding to reports fast enough and hadn’t invested in online safety during the pandemic,” he said.

 

“So cases and complaints were just going unanswered but, more broadly, their platforms are just so unsafe for children that at a time of crisis there were no brakes to put on, there were no safeguards to raise.

 

“Children were abjectly at risk on these online platforms and there was just nothing that could be done about it.”

 

The criminologist said there was “absolutely no question the epidemic levels of online abuse and exploitation” during the pandemic was “a result of the lack of preventive measures from online platforms”.

 

“To a certain extent, they've tied their own hands behind their back because it’s crazy that the online profile of a user who is sexually exploiting children and the online profile of a legitimate user appear the same to the social media company,” he said.

 

“They haven't designed their platform to make those distinctions.”

 

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/breaking-news/australian-federal-police-respond-to-disturbing-child-abuse-investigation-claims/news-story/0af09629e11701591d33ef05e6b2611b

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 21, 2021, 3:19 a.m. No.13718101   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1298

>>13718096

Western Sydney man charged with possessing child abuse material

 

21 May 2021

 

A 28-year-old Western Sydney man is scheduled to appear in Penrith Local Court today (Friday, 21 May 2021) charged by the Australian Federal Police for allegedly possessing child abuse material.

 

The investigation into an online user allegedly uploading child abuse material online began in November 2020. It followed a report from the U.S. National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) to the AFP-led Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE).

 

AFP officers identified the online user as a 28-year-old man residing in Werrington, NSW.

 

Child Protection investigators and digital forensic specialists executed a search warrant at the man’s residence in Werrington on 25 March 2021, where three mobile phones, an iPad, USB, hard drive and computer were seized.

 

Police examined the seized items and allegedly identified child abuse material on multiple electronic devices.

 

The man was subsequently arrested and charged with five counts of possessing or controlling child abuse material obtained or accessing using a carriage service, contrary to section 474.22A of the Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth).

 

The maximum penalty for this offence is 15 years’ imprisonment.

 

The man was granted bail to next appear in Penrith Local Court on Friday, 21 May 2021.

 

AFP Eastern Command Acting Sergeant Ryan Henderson said there is a real child being abused in the images uploaded and shared online.

 

“Your actions are not harmless, every child who appears in this type of material is re-victimised, re-traumatised and relives the abuse. You as the consumer are inescapably connected to the sexual abuse of children and contribute to the furtherance of this abuse,” Acting Sergeant Henderson said.

 

“We are dedicated and unrelenting in our efforts to identify, arrest and prosecute those who consume this material. It may not be today, it may not be tomorrow, but one day we will come knocking on your door”.

 

Members of the public who have any information about people involved in child abuse and exploitation are urged to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

 

https://crimestoppers.com.au

 

You can also make a report online by alerting the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation via the Report Abuse button.

 

https://www.accce.gov.au/report

 

Note to media:

 

Use of term 'CHILD ABUSE' MATERIAL NOT 'CHILD PORNOGRAPHY'

 

The correct legal term is Child Abuse Material – the move to this wording was among amendments to Commonwealth legislation in 2019 to more accurately reflect the gravity of the crimes and the harm inflicted on victims.

 

Use of the phrase "child pornography" is inaccurate and benefits child sex abusers because it:

 

• indicates legitimacy and compliance on the part of the victim and therefore legality on the part of the abuser; and

 

• conjures images of children posing in 'provocative' positions, rather than suffering horrific abuse.

 

Every photograph or video captures an actual situation where a child has been abused.

 

Editor’s Note: Vision of the arrest is available via hightail - https://spaces.hightail.com/receive/neIp9H02k9

 

https://www.afp.gov.au/news-media/media-releases/western-sydney-man-charged-possessing-child-abuse-material

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 21, 2021, 3:28 a.m. No.13718126   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>8277 >>3239 >>1291

Australian writer Yang Hengjun to face court in China next Thursday over espionage charge

 

Bill Birtles - 21 May 2021

 

An Australian writer charged with espionage in China will be tried in a closed court next Thursday after more than two years behind bars.

 

Yang Hengjun faces a sentence of between three years and life in jail if convicted of espionage — a near certainty in a country with a criminal conviction rate above 99 per cent.

 

China's government has not released any details of what Dr Yang is accused of, making it harder to assess a likely sentence.

 

In previous statements conveyed to family and supporters from his jail cell, Dr Yang denied all accusations against him and said he was the victim of political persecution.

 

A lawyer in Beijing representing the 56-year-old confirmed the hearing scheduled for May 27 at the Beijing Number 2 Intermediate People's court.

 

Dr Yang's Beijing-based wife, Yuan Ruijuan, told the ABC authorities were preventing her husband's lawyer from sharing with her any details about the case because it involved national security.

 

She said it was "very hard to judge" whether her husband would be tried over one day or if it would take longer.

 

Despite the secrecy from prosecutors, some online posts and videos from anonymous accounts have emerged online in recent months denouncing Dr Yang as a "spy".

 

One of his main supporters, University of Technology Sydney (UTS) Chinese studies academic Feng Chongyi, believes such posts are disseminated by people within the State Security Ministry to set the public tone ahead of the trial.

 

A complicated background

 

The ABC has previously reported that Yang Hengjun worked for China's State Security Ministry for 14 years up until the year 2000.

 

Friends say he firmly turned his back on China's government and that he later became a political commentator who advocated for democracy in his online writings.

 

Dr Yang obtained Australian citizenship in the early 2000s, undertook a PhD at UTS and was a visiting scholar at Columbia University in the US at the time of his arrest in January 2019.

 

He had flown into southern China from the US to visit relatives for the Lunar New Year when security agents swooped on him.

 

Despite being detained for a week during an earlier trip to China in 2011, Dr Yang had been a regular visitor to the country, even attending a government banquet in Beijing in 2014.

 

"Australia and China currently have bad relations, so we're concerned this might have a negative impact on his trial," Professor Feng said.

 

Dr Yang is one of two Australians detained in Beijing accused of national security crimes, with former state TV news anchor Cheng Lei detained and imprisoned last August.

 

She is accused of leaking state secrets and has been denied access to a lawyer.

 

The Department of Foreign Affairs has been contacted for comment.

 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-05-21/australian-yang-hengjun-detained-in-china-has-court-date-set/100157350

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 21, 2021, 3:42 a.m. No.13718168   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1113 >>1257

This week in US Politics: Why a meaningless recount in Arizona might be the most important political story of the year

 

Peter Marsh and Emily Olson - 21 May 2021

 

It's been six months since the election, but down in Arizona, they're still counting ballots — 2.1 million of them, to be exact.

 

The Republican-led state legislature subpoenaed them from Maricopa County. Following Donald Trump's 10,457-vote loss in the state, there were widespread claims of fraud circulating among Republicans. Dozens of journalists and two official audits could not substantiate such claims.

 

But the legislature went ahead and handed the ballots over to a company called Cyber Ninjas (yes, really), which is headed by a man who has tweeted unverified election rumours.

 

All day, a hundred or so hired contractors search the ballots for the stuff of conspiracy theories, like secret presidential watermarks and bamboo fibres that could mean the ballots were shipped in from Asia (again … yes, really).

 

The only journalists initially given access were from the highly partisan One America network, which is hosting a fundraiser to pay Cyber Ninjas. And one of Cyber Ninja's 'vetted' counters was photographed on the steps of the US Capitol during the January 6 riot.

 

The whole approach is such a spectacle that even one of the Republican legislators said it "makes us look like idiots". The federal Department of Justice sent a letter warning things might be getting illegal.

 

As of last week, about 500,000 of the 2.1 million ballots have been checked, meaning the whole kit and caboodle is likely to drag on for months.

 

The counting has been on a little pause this week, as the ballots get moved to make room for a few high school graduations and a gun show in the huge, heavily guarded arena. The space, which is normally used for NBA games, is fittingly nicknamed "the Madhouse".

 

Key point: Even if they did find fraud, this wouldn't change the election outcome. Biden beat Trump by 74 electoral college votes, and Arizona is worth 11. And this review has no legal power no matter what it finds.

 

But the expensive, lengthy and altogether questionable process could set a precedent for how states handle election distrust moving forward. A recent poll found that nearly two-thirds of Republicans don't believe Joe Biden won the election fairly.

 

Of course, these Arizona happenings have not gone unnoticed by the man whose name is on the ballot.

 

Donald Trump is reportedly "fixated" on the count in Arizona, and has been issuing statements about the process. A recent one was so verifiably false that the county's top Republican elections official called it "unhinged".

 

Don't lose sight of the big picture here.

 

Two more Republican-backed bills aimed at tightening voter restrictions are working their way through statehouses in Texas and Arizona. At the federal level, the Democratic-backed bill aimed at nationalising voting rights is progressing to a Senate floor vote, but it's not likely to pass given current filibuster rules.

 

Stay tuned on this one folks. Once the graduation banners have been packed away this weekend, the count resumes.

 

Only 1.6 million votes to go…

 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-05-21/us-politics-wrap-trump-arizona-abortion-masks/100151086

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 21, 2021, 4:23 a.m. No.13718277   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>3239 >>1291

>>13718126

Foreign Minister Marise Payne - Statement on Dr Yang Hengjun

 

21 May 2021

 

The Australian Government has been notified by Chinese authorities that Australian citizen, Dr Yang Hengjun (Dr Yang Jun), will face trial on 27 May 2021.

 

Dr Yang has been detained since January 2019 on allegations of espionage. Despite repeated requests by Australian officials, Chinese authorities have not provided any explanation or evidence for the charges facing Dr Yang.

 

Since his detention, Dr Yang has had no access to his family, and limited, delayed access to his legal representation.

 

We have conveyed to Chinese authorities, in clear terms, the concerns we have about Dr Yang’s treatment and the lack of procedural fairness in how his case has been managed.

 

Consistent with basic standards of justice and China’s international legal obligations, we expect Dr Yang to be granted access to his lawyer and to Australian consular officials in advance of his trial.

 

In line with China’s obligations under the Australia-China bilateral consular agreement, we ask also that Australian officials be permitted access to Dr Yang’s hearing on 27 May. This has been a closed and opaque process to date. As a basic standard of justice, access to the trial for observers should be a bare minimum to conform with international norms of transparency.

 

The Australian Government will continue to advocate strongly for Dr Yang’s rights and interests and to provide consular assistance to Dr Yang and his family.

 

Our thoughts are with them during this extremely difficult period.

 

https://www.foreignminister.gov.au/minister/marise-payne/media-release/statement-dr-yang-hengjun-0

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 21, 2021, 7:56 p.m. No.13724392   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>4475 >>1307

Evaluation ordered for 'QAnon Shaman'

 

Mark Hosenball and Sarah N Lynch - 22 May 2021

 

A federal judge has ordered a mental health assessment for Jacob Chansley, the man nicknamed the "QAnon Shaman" who was widely photographed wearing a horned headdress inside the US Capitol during the January 6 riot by supporters of former president Donald Trump.

 

US District Judge Royce Lamberth said he determined that a "competency examination" of Chansley was warranted and ordered that a "psychological examination be conducted".

 

The judge on Friday said the examination should include an assessment as to whether Chansley cannot understand the criminal charges against him or assist in his own defence.

 

Chansley, of Arizona, faces six federal charges including violent entry and disorderly conduct.

 

He was among hundreds of people who stormed the Capitol after Trump gave a fiery speech repeating his false claims that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from him.

 

The mob interrupted the formal congressional certification of President Joe Biden's election victory and the riot left five people dead.

 

Lamberth's order said that Chansley should be committed to the custody of the US attorney-general for "placement in a suitable facility for a competency examination" by one or more psychiatrists or psychologists.

 

Chansley's lawyer, Albert Watkins, said his client needed health care. Watkins said that although Chansley was one of the most recognisable participants in the riot thanks to his headdress, face paint and extensive tattoos, he was not dangerous.

 

Chansley, a Navy veteran, was a follower of QAnon, a conspiracy theory that casts Trump as a saviour figure and elite Democrats as a cabal of Satanist pedophiles and cannibals.

 

https://thewest.com.au/news/crime/evaluation-ordered-for-qanon-shaman-c-2903375

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 22, 2021, 10:29 p.m. No.13732843   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1272

‘I’ve become very Italian’: George Pell enjoys a Roman revival

 

Nicole Winfield - May 22, 2021

 

Rome: Cardinal George Pell is enjoying his first Roman spring since being exonerated of sex abuse charges in his Australia: he receives visitors to his Vatican flat, sips midday Aperol Spritz’s at the outdoor cafe downstairs and keeps up religiously with Holy See news.

 

Pell, who turns 80 in June, is buoyed by the perks of being a retired Vatican cardinal despite his life and career being upended by his criminal trials and 404 days of solitary confinement in a Melbourne lockup.

 

“I’ve become very Italian,” Pell tells a visitor one morning, referring to his daily routine checking coronavirus cases in Italy. “I check the stats every day. But I’m regional: I go immediately to Lazio,” which surrounds Rome.

 

Pell left his job as prefect of the Vatican’s economy ministry in 2017 to return home to face charges that he sexually molested two 13-year-old choir boys in the sacristy of the Melbourne cathedral in 1996.

 

After a first jury deadlocked, a second convicted him and he was sentenced to six years in prison. The conviction was upheld on appeal only to be thrown out by Australia’s High Court, which in April 2020 found there was reasonable doubt in the testimony of his lone accuser.

 

Pell and his supporters strongly denied the charges and believe he was scapegoated for all the crimes of the Australian Catholic Church’s botched response to clergy sexual abuse. Yet victims and critics say Pell epitomises everything wrong with how the church has dealt with the sex abuse problem and have denounced his exoneration.

 

Pell spoke to the Associated Press ahead of the US release of the second volume of his jailhouse memoir, Prison Journal, Volume 2, chronicling the middle four months of his term.

 

“Looking back, I was probably excessively optimistic that I’d get bail,” Pell says now, crediting his “glass half-full” attitude to his Christian faith.

 

Pell still has many detractors – he freely uses the term “enemies” – who think him guilty. But in Rome, even many of his critics believed in his innocence, and since returning in September he has enjoyed a well-publicised papal audience and participates regularly in Vatican events.

 

Pell had returned to Rome to clean out his apartment, intending to make Sydney his permanent home.

 

But he never left. As Italy’s COVID-19 resurgence hit, Pell spent the winter watching as the scandal over Vatican corruption and incompetence that he tried to uncover as Pope Francis’ finance tsar exploded publicly in ways he admits he never saw coming.

 

For the three years that Pell was in charge of the Vatican’s finances, he tried to get a handle on just how much money the Secretariat of State had in its asset portfolio, what its investments were and what it did with the tens of millions of dollars in donations from the faithful.

 

He largely failed, as his nemesis in the Secretariat of State, Cardinal Angelo Becciu, blocked his efforts to impose international accounting and auditing standards. But now Becciu has been sacked, Francis has stripped the secretariat of its ability to manage the money and Vatican prosecutors are investigating the office’s €350 million ($550 million) investment in a London real estate venture.

 

No indictments have been handed down after two years of investigation. But in court documents, prosecutors have accused an Italian broker involved in the London deal of trying to extort the Holy See of €15 million in fees, and they have accused a handful of Vatican officials of involvement.

 

Those same court documents, however, have made clear the entire venture was approved by top officials in the Secretariat of State, and witnesses say Francis himself approved a “just” compensation for the broker. Yet only low-ranking Vatican officials and external businessmen are known to be under investigation.

 

Pell said he is heartened that Vatican prosecutors are on the case, given the tens of millions of euros that were lost in the deal. But he expressed concerns about possible problems in the investigation and wondered if the truth will ever come out.

 

He noted a British judge recently issued a devastating ruling against the Vatican in a related asset seizure case against the broker, Gianluigi Torzi. The judge said Vatican prosecutors had made “appalling” omissions and misrepresentations in their request for judicial assistance, and his ruling essentially dismantled much of their case against Torzi.

 

“He used the word ‘appalling’ about the level of competence,” Pell said. The issues flagged in the British ruling are “a matter for concern,” said Pell, for whom matters of due process are particularly dear.

 

“It’s a matter of basic competence and justice,” Pell said. “We must act within the norms of justice.”

 

https://www.smh.com.au/world/europe/i-ve-become-very-italian-george-pell-enjoys-a-roman-revival-20210522-p57u8o.html

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 22, 2021, 10:51 p.m. No.13732908   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>2911 >>1307

Believers in QAnon and other conspiracy theories reveal how they climbed out of the rabbit hole

 

Gemma Conroy - 23 May 2021

 

1/2

 

For two years, Jitarth Jadeja spent most of his time in the darkest corners of the web reading about conspiracy theories.

 

Mr Jadeja, 33, was an avid follower of QAnon — a baseless, far-right theory that started by alleging then-US president Donald Trump was fighting against a secret group of elites who ran a global child sex trafficking ring.

 

For hours each day, Mr Jadeja devoured cryptic predictions shared by an anonymous online poster called Q on the imageboard website 4chan.

 

Mr Jadeja clung to the shadowy figure's updates until he started noticing that Q was getting things wrong — a lot.

 

In early 2018 for instance, an anonymous poster on 8chan (now known as 8kun) requested Q to ask Mr Trump to say "tip top tippy top" as a shout-out to the QAnon community.

 

Four months after the post, Mr Trump mentioned the phrase in his Easter Egg Roll speech at the White House.

 

The coincidence was almost enough to lay Mr Jadeja's doubts to rest, but if Q had really told Mr Trump to say the phrase, why did it take him four months to mention it?

 

"I thought, if this can be debunked, then that's it," says Mr Jadeja, who lives in Sydney.

 

It only took a quick Google search to find a YouTube video showing clips of Mr Trump saying the phrase on several other occasions.

 

In minutes, Mr Jadeja realised that he had spent two years being led down a rabbit hole of false information.

 

"It felt like the whole universe sort of collapsed inside of me in one second."

 

Out of the rabbit hole

 

Mr Jadeja is among a growing number of people who have abandoned their beliefs in conspiracy theories.

 

While not much is known about these "exiters", online forums suggest he's not alone.

 

QAnonCasualties – a Reddit community for those impacted by QAnon and former believers — has grown to include 158,000 members since it was created in July 2019.

 

And ReQovery — another Reddit support group geared towards ex-QAnon followers — has attracted almost 9,300 members in less than a year.

 

Like Mr Jadeja, Leila Hay, 19, knew that it was time to break up with Q when she realised none of their predictions had come to pass.

 

“I knew that a lot of the predictions had never come true, but I didn’t realise how many had not come true,” says Ms Hay, who lives in northern England.

 

"I was quite embarrassed."

 

While working from home during the pandemic last year, Ms Hay ended up spending her entire summer absorbed in all things QAnon.

 

Although she'd spent less time following the conspiracy theory than others, Ms Hay says shedding her beliefs has been a difficult process.

 

After believing celebrities were sending her subliminal messages through the media, she still couldn't bring herself to watch movies or listen to music months after she cut ties with the conspiracy theory.

 

Ms Hay says she also had moments where she wondered whether Q was right after all, triggering her fear and anxiety.

 

"It took a lot longer to get out of it than it took for me to get into it."

 

Why can it be so hard to let go of false beliefs?

 

We are all prone to embracing the odd conspiracy theory, especially during times of upheaval and uncertainty like the COVID-19 pandemic, says Jolanda Jetten, a social psychologist at the University of Queensland.

 

This is because conspiracy theories seem to offer meaningful explanations that help us make sense of our chaotic and random world — at least for a while.

 

"Conspiracy theories at least temporarily hold the promise that everything is explainable," says Professor Jetten, who is currently exploring how people are drawn into believing in misinformation.

 

"It's an all-absorbing identity, which makes it even harder to get out."

 

Another reason why it's so hard to move away from conspiracy theories is the sense of community they provide, she adds.

 

For many believers, online communities form an important part of their daily lives, providing a place where they can talk with like-minded people who validate their beliefs and shield them from the ridicule and judgement of the outside world.

 

When ex-conspiracy theorists step out of these communities, they lose a support network that brought them a sense of validation, leaving them feeling isolated and alone.

 

"In that sense, it's not any different from [leaving] a cult," Professor Jetten says.

 

"You're on your own in a world that may not feel accepting of you, which I can imagine is a very scary experience."

 

(continued)

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 22, 2021, 10:52 p.m. No.13732911   🗄️.is 🔗kun

>>13732908

 

2/2

 

The right support is hard to come by

 

Fear of judgement and stigma can make it difficult for recovering conspiracy theorists to reach out for help, but the lack of tailored support can also make it hard to find the right kind of help, says Anke Richter.

 

"There are not many counsellors or mental health professionals who really understand [QAnon]," says Ms Richter, New Zealand-based co-founder of Rabbit Hole Resistance, a Facebook support group for people who've been affected by conspiracy theories.

 

"It's going to be a long, hard road for people who have fallen into this to come back from it and find the right help."

 

After visiting several counsellors, Ms Hay knows this feeling all too well.

 

When she opened up to the first counsellor she saw about her "toxic relationship" with QAnon, they said they'd never heard of it.

 

"I was like, 'how am I going to work through this?'" Ms Hay says.

 

"My heart just sank."

 

And while Mr Jadeja says he's found online communities helpful, he wishes there were more in-person groups that could provide regular check-ins and encourage members to delve deep into why they're attracted to conspiracy theories in the first place.

 

Family and friends can help

 

One thing that can help prevent ex-conspiracy theorists from falling back into the rabbit hole is surrounding themselves with people who do not share their past beliefs, says Steven Hassan, a US-based mental health counsellor who specialises in helping people leave destructive cults.

 

Friends and family members of former conspiracy theorists can help by sitting down and trying to get to the bottom of what persuaded the person to believe in false information, Dr Hassan says.

 

But, he says, it's important to frame the conversation in a way that's respectful so the person is able to find their own answers.

 

"Calling them names, telling them they're stupid and ramming them with facts — none of that works."

 

Finding support from people outside of conspiracy theories can also help former believers build a new identity that's free of their past views, Professor Jetten says.

 

"The availability of alternatives is incredibly important for moving out of that scene."

 

It can also be helpful to find common ground with those finding their way out of their conspiracy beliefs and to understand that their attraction to disproved theories often comes from good intentions, Ms Richter adds.

 

"Most end up with those beliefs because they actually really care for the world, or their children's health," she says.

 

Tackling conspiracy theories with kindness

 

It took a kind and patient friend to get Tanya*, 42, to abandon her conspiracy beliefs for good.

 

Tanya began delving into QAnon-related ideas and vaccine conspiracy theories while she was in lockdown in Auckland last year.

 

After posting her views on Facebook, Tanya received a message from a concerned friend, who had a background in science.

 

Over several Zoom calls, Tanya's friend explained how science works and how she separates fact from fiction in her research, such as tracking down reliable sources of information in a sea of content on the web and finding the right journal articles.

 

After talking with her friend, Tanya realised the way she was gathering information online to back up the conspiracy theories she believed in was driven more by fear than logic.

 

But most of all, it was her friend's compassionate approach that helped her see the misinformation she was consuming for what it was.

 

"She took the time to explain a lot of things to me, giving me proper forms of research, rather than what I was doing," Tanya says.

 

"It alleviated a lot of my fear. The world is not that bad, it's OK."

 

Kindness from others has also been key to Mr Jadeja's recovery from QAnon.

 

Shortly after he abandoned his beliefs, he wrote a Reddit post about how he had been misled and the guilt he felt for pulling his father into the rabbit hole with him.

 

While he expected users to "rip me apart", he received waves of supportive comments from the online community.

 

"It was like they gave me permission to retain some semblance of self-worth and dignity," Mr Jadeja says.

 

"They gave me a pathway back to society that I didn't think I deserved."

 

*A name has been changed for privacy and safety.

 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2021-05-23/ex-conspiracy-theorists-reveal-how-they-got-out-qanon/100153732

 

https://www.reddit.com/r/Qult_Headquarters/comments/c045jw/you_guys_were_right/

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 23, 2021, 12:27 a.m. No.13733239   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>1291

>>13718126

>>13718277

China says Payne’s request for access to detained writer ‘deplorable’

 

Michael Smith - May 22, 2021

 

China has described as “deplorable” Foreign Minister Marise Payne’s call for Australian diplomats to be given access to next week’s trial of Australian writer Yang Hengjun.

 

The Australian government confirmed late on Friday that the trial of Dr Yang, who has been detained in Beijing for more than two years and potentially faces life in prison if convicted of espionage, is scheduled to take place on Thursday next week.

 

The trial is expected to be held behind closed doors and Beijing signalled on Saturday that it was unlikely China will comply with the Morrison government’s requests. Canadian diplomats were banned from attending the trial of two of its citizens in March.

 

“The statement by the Australian foreign minister on 21 May 2021 is deplorable,” the Chinese embassy in Canberra said in a statement on Saturday.

 

“The Australian side should respect China’s judicial sovereignty and refrain from interfering in any form in Chinese judicial authorities’ lawful handling of the case.“

 

Ms Payne earlier said the Australian government expected Dr Yang to be granted access to his lawyer and Australian consular officials in advance of his trial. She said China was obligated under a bilateral consular agreement to give Australian officials access to Dr Yang’s hearing on May 27.

 

“This has been a closed and opaque process to date. As a basic standard of justice, access to the trial for observers should be a bare minimum to conform with international norms of transparency,” she said in a statement.

 

Another Australian, journalist Cheng Lei, also remains detained in China on accusations of leaking state secrets. The detention of both Australian citizens on unspecified espionage accusations has been linked to the deterioration in bilateral relations between Australia and China.

 

Dr Yang’s supporter Feng Chongyi, a University of Technology Sydney academic who has been detained in China himself, earlier confirmed the trial date. “The closed door trial is starting at 9am Beijing time on 27 May,” he told The Australian Financial Review.

 

With a conviction rate of 99 per cent, China’s courts are not expected to find Dr Yang innocent.

 

Diplomats from more than 20 countries, including Australia, the US and the UK, gathered in March outside a Beijing courthouse where a trial was under way for former Canadian diplomat Michael Kovrig, who has been detained for more than two years. Canadian businessman Michael Spavor was also trialled on espionage charges.

 

Dr Yang’s trial will take place against the backdrop of deteriorating Australia-China relations, with tensions set to escalate in coming months as the Morrison government prepares to scrap a Chinese company’s 99-year lease on the Port of Darwin.

 

Morrison government officials have raised the prospect of war with China over Taiwan in the past two weeks, drawing strong criticism from the business community and the opposition.

 

Dr Yang was detained after arriving in China on January 19. 2019, Beijing has accused the writer, who had written articles critical of the Chinese Communist Party, of espionage.

 

https://www.afr.com/world/asia/australia-calls-for-access-to-detained-writer-s-china-trial-20210522-p57u6c

 

 

Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the Commonwealth of Australia

 

Chinese Embassy Spokesperson's Remarks

 

2021/05/22

 

The statement by the Australian foreign minister on 21 May 2021 is deplorable. China has repeatedly made clear its position on the case concerning relevant Australian citizen. Chinese judicial authorities handle the case strictly in accordance with law and fully protect the lawful rights of the relevant person. The Australian side should respect China’s judicial sovereignty and refrain from interfering in any form in Chinese judicial authorities’ lawful handling of the case.

 

http://au.china-embassy.org/eng/sghdxwfb_1/t1877856.htm

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 24, 2021, 1:56 a.m. No.13741239   🗄️.is 🔗kun

Notables

are not endorsements

 

#15 - Part 1

Australian Politics and Society - Part 1

>>13345120 Christian Porter: ABC reporter Louise Milligan accused of deleting social media posts

>>13345357 Myanmar’s ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi and Australian adviser Sean Turnell charged under Myanmar secrets act

>>13350508 Tortured by Iran, trolled at home: academic Kylie Moore-Gilbert hits out at vicious attacks

>>13350524 How the Murdoch War Megaphone pulls the wool over our eyes - Dr Tim Anderson on Kylie Moore-Gilbert and Israeli spy allegations

>>13356362 New Defence Minister Peter Dutton warns contractors on submarine, frigate deliveries

>>13362728 Australians Christa Avery and Matthew O'Kane freed from house arrest in Myanmar

>>13369823 Malcolm Turnbull dumped from new NSW Government Net Zero Emissions and Clean Economy Board

>>13369989 Andy Meddick slams AustraliaOne party after supporters of the far-right party gathered in Torquay

>>13390184 Prime Minister Scott Morrison Tweet - Statement on His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh

>>13390206 Q Post #100 - Who is the Queen of England? How long in power? With power comes corruption. What happened to Diana? What did she find out?

 

>>13391053 Christian Porter - Australia's former Attorney General and Minister for Industry, Science and Technology - Big Tech wants him gone

>>13408002 Mike Pompeo Tweet: “Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.” Ephesians 6:11

>>13408100 ‘Utterly unaccountable’: Turnbull labels News Corp the most powerful political actor in Australia

>>13414591 Magda Szubanski criticised over Jenny Morrison ‘Handmaid’s Tale’ post

>>13414649 Video: Trump receives 'Champion for Freedom Award' from The National Republican Senatorial Committee - Sky News Australia

>>13422688 Spring forward: why Arthur Sinodinos, Australia’s ambassador to the United States is ready to mingle after a ‘hermit-like existence’

>>13429478 Joe Biden says it's time to 'end America's longest war', as final Afghanistan withdrawal announced

>>13429488 Australia to withdraw all troops from Afghanistan after Biden’s vow to end war

>>13429624 Video: PM holds back tears announcing withdrawal of Australian troops from Afghanistan

>>13429802 Marine Rotational Force - Darwin Tweet: Did you miss us, #Australia?

 

>>13429808 U.S. Navy Tweet: #USNavy Sailors & @USMC with Marine Rotational Force Darwin arrive at @AusAirForce Base after documenting negative #COVID19 tests throughout travel.

>>13429809 Marine Rotational Force - Darwin Facebook Post: The U.S. Marines are back for a historical 10th iteration of Marine Rotational Force - Darwin. The MRF-D rotation demonstrates the U.S. commitment to combined readiness and shared regional security in the Indo-Pacific region.

>>13438087 Video: Google deceived some Australian mobile users about collection of location data, Federal Court finds

>>13441634 Facebook faces mass legal action over data leak - 530 million people had some personal information leaked, in some cases phone numbers

>>13444007 Liberal Party stalwart Andrew Peacock dies in the United States aged 82

>>13445048 Chief of Navy Australia Tweet #HMASAnzac and #HMASSirius took part in the French-led Exercise La Perouse….undertaken by (France, India, Japan and the U.S.)

>>13445768 Marine Rotational Force - Darwin Tweet: Cleared for Landing - @USMC UH-1Y Venoms and MV-22B #Ospreys for MRF-D 21.2 have officially landed! #USwithAus

>>13460196 Former Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull puts Rupert Murdoch on blast - CNN

>>13460205 Greg Kelly Tweet: SO @TurnbullMalcolm doesn’t KNOW anything about what happened in the Nov. election. Malcolm, real quick: describe for us the constitutional issues surrounding Absentee voting in Pennsylvania

>>13460205 Malcolm Turnbull Tweet: There are Courts to do that. And they did. But here's the thing: a democracy should ensure that every adult eligible to vote is on the roll and is encouraged to vote

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 24, 2021, 1:57 a.m. No.13741245   🗄️.is 🔗kun

#15 - Part 2

Australian Politics and Society - Part 2

>>13460325 Video: New Zealand 'uncomfortable with expanding the remit' of Five Eyes, says Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta

>>13460336 1st MAW Marines Tweet: VMM-363 and HMLA-367 joined MRF-D and are prepared to respond to crisis and contingencies in a #FreeAndOpenIndoPacific

>>13462856 Feeding Hate With Video: A Former Alt-Right YouTuber Explains His Methods - Focus on conflict Feed the algorithm (Lauren Southern)

>>13477230 New Zealand backs “Five Eyes” alliance, but wants human rights raised in broader group

>>13477249 Japan should join Five Eyes intelligence network, says ambassador Shingo Yamagami

>>13477403 Former US intelligence director James Clapper backs Turnbull and Rudd’s call for Murdoch media inquiry

>>13477434 Australia’s ambition on climate change is held back by a toxic mix of rightwing politics, media and vested interests - Kevin Rudd and Malcolm Turnbull - theguardian.com

>>13485324 Australia was blindsided when Five Eyes ally New Zealand backed away from China criticism

>>13485327 Australia reminds New Zealand of the importance of the Five Eyes alliance during a meeting of trans-Tasman foreign ministers

>>13485332 Foreign Minister Marise Payne Tweet: Today’s Foreign Ministerial Consultations in #Wellington, our first face-to-face meeting since COVID-19, allowed for a deep discussion as friends about shared priorities, including our Pacific partnerships, as we navigate 2021 together

 

>>13485337 Strengthening trans-Tasman ties: Australia-New Zealand Foreign Minister Consultations - Senator the Hon Marise Payne Joint statement with The Hon Nanaia Mahuta - 22 April 2021

>>13485346 Former Director of America's National Security Agency, Admiral Michael Rogers says misinformation a threat to democracy

>>13485350 Video: CyberCX Cyber Dialogue: In conversation with Admiral Michael Rogers and Alastair MacGibbon

>>13493355 ‘Bankable’: Morrison promotes Australia’s climate record at US summit

>>13493366 Video: Scott Morrison resists pressure for new emissions target at Joe Biden climate summit

>>13493636 Andrew Greene Tweet: Worth noting the head of ASIS (Paul Symon) joined @MarisePayne's delegation to New Zealand. Wellington's role in 5-Eyes is all the talk inside intelligence circles at the moment

>>13499801 All-gender bathrooms proposed for Victorian workplaces and footy ovals

>>13499932 Arthur Sinodinos AO Tweet: #QUAD Ambassadors and US House Foreign Affairs Committee continue conversation on shared vision for an open, inclusive and resilient Indo Pacifc.

>>13500013 Marine Rotational Force - Darwin Facebook Post: Marines with MRF-D and ADF members teamed up with the Portuguese and Timorese Social Club in order to prepare a shipment of flood relief supplies donated by the local Darwin community for Timor-Leste

>>13500022 Marine Rotational Force - Darwin Facebook Post: Heads up Darwin, Marines will be flying at night throughout the rotation! This training keeps our aviation units safe and proficient, and we’ll do our best to keep it to times that are respectful to the community

 

>>13500945 Prime Minister Scott Morrison Facebook Post - Lest We Forget. Tomorrow, Anzac Day, is one of the most sacred days in our national calendar.

>>13500949, >>13500950, >>13500952 >>13500954 Anzac Day 2021 Dawn Service Livestreams - ShrineMelbourne, ABC Australia, 7NEWS Australia and Australia in the US

>>13503677 ANZAC Day 2021 - "They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old; Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning We will remember them." Lest We Forget.

>>13507409 Anzac Day: Prime Minister Scott Morrison says Afghanistan withdrawal marks end of ‘another chapter’

>>13507484 Video: Defence Minister Peter Dutton reveals how Australian troops will fight greater threats and uncertainty at home

>>13507800 ANZAC Day - PRESS STATEMENT - ANTONY J. BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE - "I express my sincere gratitude to all Australians and New Zealanders on this somber day."

>>13507965 Crowds return for Anzac Day service, but some diggers locked out by fence

>>13507973 Q Post #2480 - With Respect, Honor, and Gratitude. Your sacrifice(s) will never be forgotten. Thank you and God Bless, Veterans!

>>13508029 Video: What can the US learn from Australia's gun reforms? - Former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd - CNN

>>13508109 'It's an arms race': RedShield - The Kiwi cyber firm that shielded Biden's home state during 2020 election

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 24, 2021, 1:59 a.m. No.13741248   🗄️.is 🔗kun

#15 - Part 3

Australian Politics and Society - Part 3

>>13508222 Video: Mike Pompeo has 'kept his cards close' when quizzed on political ambitions - Sky News Australia

>>13515179 Top US general pays his respects to Anzac Day in Washington - Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Milley Mark Milley

>>13515184 Arthur Sinodinos AO Tweet: Honour to host #ANZACDay dawn service with @NZAmbassadorUS Banks and to welcome Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff #GenMilley to the Residence

>>13515203 The Joint Staff Tweet: #GenMilley: "On this #ANZACDay, we honor the sacrifices of our Australian and New Zealand brothers and sisters in arms. We are proud to have the honor of serving shoulder to shoulder with you."

>>13515223 Australia in the US Tweet: We thank those who joined us virtually in honouring our #Anzacs. We are privileged to remember those that made the ultimate sacrifice and thank those that continue to bravely protect our freedom.

>>13515232 Australia in the US Tweet: Today our Air & Space Attache conducted a small #AnzacDay ceremony at @ArlingtonNatl. They laid a wreath at the gravesite of PLTOFF Francis Milne - the only Australian military member buried at the Cemetery.

>>13515254 Marine Rotational Force – Darwin Tweet: Lest We Forget - Originally done to commemorate the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps forces from World War I, #AnzacDay2021 recognizes the men and women who served in the Australian and New Zealand armed services in all wars, conflicts and peacekeeping operations

>>13515260 Marine Rotational Force – Darwin Facebook Post: With the Northern Territory remaining free of COVID transmission within the community, Marines were able to participate in today’s events to show respects to their fallen, former, and active members.

>>13515399 Neo-Nazis make submission to Parliamentary inquiry into extremism

>>13517935 Social media is work of ‘evil one’, says Scott Morrison

 

>>13522489 Video: Exclusive: Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s speech at the ACC conference - Rationalists Australia

>>13532829 Video: Kevin Rudd on religion, politics and Scott Morrison’s speech to the Pentecostal conference - Kevin Rudd

>>13539434 Senior Democrat John Podesta: Quad will demand Australia does more on climate change

>>13539440 Rekindling Hope Podcast - Sam Crosby and Chris Bowen - Washington power broker John Podesta on how Biden is traveling and how Australia’s climate policy needs to lift its game

>>13539655 Video: Spy boss Mike Burgess says ASIO anticipating terrorist attack in the next year from either right-wing or Islamic extremists

>>13539665 Australian Federal Police backs ban on flags linked to terrorist groups, sharing of extremist material

>>13539771 Pacific Marines Tweet: @USMC with @mrfdarwin conduct flight operations during a forward arming refueling point exercise at @ausairforce Base Darwin

>>13539779 Marine Rotational Force – Darwin Facebook Post: Yesterday, the Honorable Scott Morrison, Prime Minister of Australia, met with members of the Australian Army and U.S. Marine Corps for a visit to Robertson Barracks, NT, Australia

>>13547962 President Joe Biden could learn from Australia on border policy, says Former US ambassador Joe Hockey

>>13548052 Video: Clive Palmer to pay $1.5 million after losing Twisted Sister copyright fight

 

>>13553273 Video: Don’t give in to identity politics and forces that undermine the community, Scott Morrison urges

>>13553300 PM’s plea from the heart a timely reminder - "every human being is possessed of an innate human dignity that transcends all other considerations"

>>13553469 Future of Army's multi-billion-dollar Battle Management System uncertain amid tensions with Israeli military company

>>13553502 Elbit Battle Management System shut down - "The more research into this decision undertaken, the stranger it gets. No notice. No reason given."

>>13554042 Japan honors former Australian PM Gillard for service to the nation - awarded the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun

>>13555102 Scott Morrison’s partisan interpretation of biblical passages is disturbing for democracy - Kevin Rudd - theguardian.com

>>13555694 Facebook’s assault exposes Australia’s vulnerability, says top ex-military man Major General Marcus Thompson - INFORMATION WARFARE

>>13556296 In Memorium - Dutch patriot Mrs NarQie - "A great patriot has passed away but we will continue her fight! - WWG1WGA - Mrs. NarQie o7"

>>13569454 Video: Noosa Temple of Satan want Satanism taught in state schools - A Current Affair

>>13569460 Q Post #1646 - NEVER IN OUR HISTORY HAVE THEY COME OUT FROM THE SHADOWS TO FIGHT. THE TRUTH IS CLEARLY VISIBLE.

>>13569460 Q Post #4461 - Only when evil is forced into the light can we defeat it. Only when they can no longer operate in the [shadows] can people see the truth for themselves.

>>13569460 Q Post #4396 - God wins.

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 24, 2021, 2 a.m. No.13741252   🗄️.is 🔗kun

#15 - Part 4

Australian Politics and Society - Part 4

>>13569679 U.S. Marines Tweet: Joint Forces - The Honorable @ScottMorrisonMP the Prime Minister of Australia, speaks to Maj. David Femea, aviation combat element operations officer and AH-1Z Viper pilot with @MrfDarwin

>>13586735 Video: 'Donald Trump's desk' feed lets people share his posts on their Facebook or Twitter accounts. But it's not the same as him tweeting

>>13586991 U.S. Department of Defense Tweet: Flight mates - A @HiAirGuard F-22 Raptor flies alongside an @AusAirForce E-7A Wedgetail over Oahu, Hawaii

>>13586995 Hawaiian Raptors Fly with RAAF for Exercise Pacific Edge 21

>>13587004 Japanese Ambassador YAMAGAMI Shingo Tweet: Honoured to lay wreaths at the Japanese and Australian War Cemeteries in Cowra. Lest We Forget

>>13595507 Japanese Ambassador YAMAGAMI Shingo Tweet: Great to exchange candid views with Home Affairs Secretary Michael Pezzullo AO

>>13595526 Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan - Press Release: Japan-Australia Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, May 5, 2021

>>13595629 Foreign Minister Marise Payne Tweet: (Australia) & (United Kingdom) bonds are stronger than ever, as our partnership in the #IndoPacific deepens

>>13595634 Foreign Minister Marise Payne Tweet: (Australia) & (France) are close friends in support of multilateralism, the rules-based international order & cooperation in the Indo-Pacific

 

>>13595643 High Commissioner to the UK George Brandis Tweet: Australia’s values are clear, and we are resolute in our defence of liberal democracy

>>13603946 Israeli company denies 'security rumours' as Defence removes multi-billion-dollar technology and quarantines Army IT systems

>>13604022 U.S. Senator Ted Cruz Tweet: Had a great dinner tonight with President Trump at Mar-a-Lago. He’s in great spirits! We spent the evening talking about working together to re-take the House & Senate in 2022.

>>13604022 Malcolm Turnbull Tweet: “re-take the House & Senate in 2022” like you did on 6 January 2021?

>>13604022 Dr. Carter Pewterschmidt Tweet: C'mon Malcolm, you a former PM of Aus? Openly taking sides…?

>>13604022 Malcolm Turnbull Tweet: Are you kidding? Taking sides? Sure, I am on the side of democracy and the rule of law. I am not on the side of armed mobs trying to overturn an election and hang elected officials. Nor am I on the side of the media that enabled it. What “side” are you on?

>>13608464 Royal Australian Air Force Air Vice-Marshal Catherine Roberts to become Australia's first space commander

>>13626313 Pacific Marines Tweet: @USMC with @MRFDarwin and members of the @DeptDefence conduct a site survey in preparation for an upcoming exercise on Tiwi Island, Northern Territory

>>13626313 Pacific Marines Tweet: This year marks the 10-year anniversary of #MRFD, demonstrating the U.S. Marine Corps’ sustained commitment to the Australian-U.S. alliance, combined strength, and presence in a #freeandopenindopacific

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 24, 2021, 2:01 a.m. No.13741257   🗄️.is 🔗kun

#15 - Part 5

Australian Politics and Society - Part 5

>>13633861 Army may have to fight next war with pencils and paper - Axing of $2bn battle management system sets back Army’s digital transformation by more than 15 years

>>13642424 U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III Tweet: I had an excellent call with Australia’s MoD @PeterDutton_MP. The Unbreakable Alliance has faced all challenges in its first 70 years, and we stand ready with our Australian mates for the challenges of the next 70 and beyond, strengthening the #FreeandopenIndoPacific

>>13642424 U.S. Department of Defense Press Readout: Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III spoke with Australian Minister for Defence Peter Dutton by phone today, reaffirming the strength, endurance, and resilience of the U.S.-Australia Alliance – the Unbreakable Alliance

>>13642586 Foreign Minister Marise Payne Tweet: Good to see Sec @JohnKerry again including to discuss key outcomes from the #ClimateSummit & the $1.1b (Australia) committed to low emissions technology

>>13650206 What is Australia's space division, and why is it in the military?

>>13650406 U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell Tweet: Appreciated meeting today with Foreign Minister @MarisePayne of Australia. We discussed our nations’ efforts to meet shared challenges, from China’s aggression to democracy in Burma and counterterrorism in Afghanistan. It was a good conversation with a great ally

>>13658108 Foreign Minister Marise Payne Tweet: Honoured to meet with @LeaderMcConnell in Washington DC to discuss some of the most pressing issues facing our nations including #IndoPacific cooperation and Myanmar.

>>13658222 Israeli defence company Elbit Systems to fight ADF axing of $2bn battle management system over ‘security’ fears

>>13658651 ‘Entirely undemocratic’: Bernard Collaery to challenge court order requiring large parts of his trial to be held in secret

 

>>13658692 Video: Neo-Nazi leader Thomas Sewell arrested during counter-terrorism raid on Melbourne home

>>13659310 US Embassy Canberra Tweet: Our Chargé d’Affaires Mike Goldman accepted the National Emergency Medal yesterday on behalf of the families of the three Americans who tragically died while fighting fires in NSW. Their sacrifice remains a constant reminder of the unbreakable bond between our two nations

>>13664626 Record $1.3bn boost for ASIO’s war on spies and hackers - Spy agency will move to an artificial intelligence war footing in a technology arms race

>>13682300 Video: Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to host Scott Morrison later this month

>>13682626 ‘Not a good look’: Malcolm Turnbull questions Scott Morrison’s red carpet welcome at RAAF Williamtown Base

>>13692528 Carolyn2813928 Tweet - Giant pipes coming out from the ground marked with Masonic symbols - 1829 New World Infrastructure Commission - Australis Project West - Bunbury, WA

>>13717832 Defence declares war on political correctness, bans morning teas aimed at inclusion and diversity - " primary mission to protect Australia's national security interests"

>>13717834 ‘We are not pursuing a woke agenda’: Dutton bans special morning teas at Defence after International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Interphobia and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT)

>>13718168, >>13721113 This week in US Politics: Why a meaningless recount in Arizona might be the most important political story of the year

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 24, 2021, 2:02 a.m. No.13741261   🗄️.is 🔗kun

#15 - Part 6

Australian Government Sexual Assault Allegations

>>13376644 A team of five Australian Federal Police officers assembled to examine Brittany Higgins rape allegations

>>13548262 Video: Brittany Higgins meets Scott Morrison, says he agreed system let her down over rape allegation

 

#15 - Part 7

Julian Assange Indictment and Extradition

>>13395990 Vigils planned to mark the second anniversary of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange being detained

>>13408063 Julian Assange supporters hold vigils in cities across the world

>>13408146 Britain is damaging its reputation by keeping Julian Assange in jail, says partner Stella Moris

 

#15 - Part 8

Australian and Regional Resignations

>>13477544 John Osborne: Dreamworld CEO unexpectedly resigns - "We fully understand John’s wish to spend more time with his family"

>>13493606 Outspoken Nationals MP George Christensen to quit politics - "The member for Dawson said he wanted to spend more time with his family"

>>13658239 NSW MP Gareth Ward stands aside amid police probe into alleged sexual violence - "It is appropriate I stand aside from my role as minister. I will also remove myself from the Liberal partyroom.”

>>13658258 Tasmanian Liberal Adam Brooks charged by police over firearms offences, resigns from Parliament - "Seeking treatment for his mental health"

 

#15 - Part 9

Malka Leifer Extradition and Prosecution

>>13389479 Malka Leifer: Former principal of ultra-orthodox Jewish school to face alleged victims

>>13389482 Malka Leifer accusers set to attend court in person to give evidence

>>13389486 Malka Leifer's lawyers say they may probe home life of accusers in child sex offences court case

>>13493449 Israeli minister Yaakov Litzman to be prosecuted over alleged interference in Malka Leifer extradition

>>13493451 Israeli Attorney-General Avichai Mandelblit leaning toward indicting Ya’acov Litzman for fraud, witness tampering and breach of public trust

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 24, 2021, 2:03 a.m. No.13741263   🗄️.is 🔗kun

#15 - Part 10

Australian Defence Force Afghanistan Inquiry

>>13342017 Ben Roberts-Smith: Afghan civilians to testify via video link in former soldier's defamation case

>>13407722 Buried evidence and threats: How Ben Roberts-Smith tried to cover up his alleged crimes

>>13407783 War hero Ben Roberts-Smith hits back at bombshell report

>>13407814 ‘I’m going to do everything I can to f-cking destroy them’: Secret Ben Roberts-Smith audio revealed

>>13407824 Seven stands by senior executive Ben Roberts-Smith over new evidence he attempted to cover up alleged crimes

>>13408195 Ben Roberts-Smith under fresh investigation over burner phones and sealed envelopes

>>13410361 Video: Shocking evidence of potential war crime exposed in major investigation - 60 Minutes Australia

>>13422740 Australian Federal Police confirm probe into Ben Roberts-Smith for allegedly burying sensitive Defence files in his backyard

>>13424966 High-ranking Army officer facing sack over debauched party in Afghan bar - "Fat Lady’s Arms" pub set up by Australian troops at Tarin Kowt headquarters

 

>>13459865 Peter Dutton overrules Chief of the Defence Force Angus Campbell’s decision to strip Meritorious Unit Citation from Special Forces soldiers

>>13459872 Video: Peter Dutton and PM 'strongly of the same view' on citation stripping reversal - Sky News Australia

>>13460103 Video: Government announces royal commission into veteran and serving Defence member suicides

>>13499771 Ben Roberts-Smith case: Media can’t amend defence but can call on witnesses to detail Mr Roberts-Smith’s involvement in alleged murders of two Afghan men

>>13515316 Ben Roberts-Smith takes leave from Seven Network role during defamation case against newspaper journalists

>>13515323 Ben Roberts-Smith welcomes Royal Commission, slams treatment of veterans, says a royal commission is “desperately needed”

>>13539684 Ben Roberts-Smith allegedly threatened to sue his ex-wife over defamation case, court told

>>13626087 Fears of Taliban retribution raised in Ben Roberts-Smith defamation case

>>13665040 Police probe sealed envelopes, scraps of paper in Ben Roberts-Smith case

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 24, 2021, 2:04 a.m. No.13741268   🗄️.is 🔗kun

#15 - Part 11

George Papadopoulos Tweets, Alexander Downer and SPYGATE Revelations

>>13452422 Alexander Downer Tweet: What’s happened to that conspiracy btw. It seems to have died

>>13452422 koenig13091999 Tweet: It was a clever Papadopoulos misdirection to reinvent himself as the victim hero…I’m surprised you didn’t pursue this actually

>>13452422 Alexander Downer Tweet: Not worth the trouble. It died out as it wasn’t true!

>>13460202 George Papadopoulos Tweet: Very interesting that the former Australian PM has reared his head again. His governments conduct is reportedly under investigation by John Durham’s team

>>13468343 George Papadopoulos Tweet: Learn all about the “five eyes.” It’s at the core of Obamagate and all the headlines moving forward that will break about it

>>13468349 Explainer: What is Five Eyes? - Joel Gehrke - washingtonexaminer.com

 

>>13493532 Alexander Downer Tweet: Sorry to read the New Zealand FM has downgraded NZ role in 5 eyes arrangement

>>13493532 Aussiebrother-Q.L.D Tweet: Weren't you apart of the 5eyes agenda when Obama got you to try and frame @GeorgePapa19?

>>13493532 Alexander Downer Tweet: No

>>13493532 Aussiebrother-Q.L.D Tweet: “The meeting I had with Alexander Downer…was probably the most bizarre meeting I’ve had in my entire life"

>>13493532 Video: Trump aide George Papadopoulos speaks of fateful meeting with Alexander Downer linked to Russia investigation

>>13586955 Christopher Steele, ex-British spy who produced explosive dossier alleging conspiracy between Donald Trump and Russia, continued working for FBI while Donald Trump in office

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 24, 2021, 2:06 a.m. No.13741272   🗄️.is 🔗kun

#15 - Part 12

Cardinal George Pell and Vatican Financial Scandal Allegations

>>13350655 Pope Francis holds mass with cardinal he cast out of the Vatican - Cardinal Angelo Becciu

>>13350667 Add another national broadcaster to present an alternative outlook to the ABC, says Cardinal George Pell

>>13350671, >>13350677, >>13350693 Reflection and belief in the quiet Eternal City - CARDINAL GEORGE PELL - theaustralian.com.au

>>13422589 New Victorian Catholic Church process for handling abuse complaints and redress - "Pathways Victoria" replaces Cardinal Pell's widely-criticised Melbourne Response model

>>13422593 PDF: PATHWAYS VICTORIA - Restorative Journeying with Survivors of Abuse within the Catholic Church

>>13443082 Pell prison journals should fascinate friend and foe alike - Prison Journals Volume II: The State Court Rejects The Appeal

 

>>13539713 Cardinal Pell: ‘The duty of the German bishops is to uphold the teachings of Scripture’

>>13539715 Video: EXCLUSIVE: Cardinal George Pell on his second prison diary - EWTN News

>>13603588 Cardinal Pell’s Prison Journal, Vol. 2, details crushing rejection of appeal, spiritual reflections of time spent in solitary confinement while unjustly accused of wrongdoing

>>13658639 Cardinal Pell leads Eucharistic procession at the Angelicum in Rome

>>13699766 Video: Cardinal George Pell opens up on what he hated the most in jail in interview with BBC

>>13699777 Video: BBC World Service - Heart and Soul Podcast - Colm Flynn interviews Cardinal Pell

>>13732843 ‘I’ve become very Italian’: George Pell enjoys a Roman revival

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 24, 2021, 2:07 a.m. No.13741275   🗄️.is 🔗kun

#15 - Part 13

Australia / China Tensions - Part 1

>>13341898 Australia discussing 'contingency' plans with United States over possible Taiwan conflict

>>13341990 Dutton’s appointment in Canberra hints at more hawkish stance on China - Yu Lei - globaltimes.cn

>>13342001 WHO Covid-19 report: New Zealand shuts its eyes to appease China

>>13345084 Australians flagged in Shanghai security files which shed light on China's surveillance state and monitoring of Uyghurs

>>13351013 Video: ‘We must cut China ties I helped build’, says former SA trade minister Tom Kenyon

>>13351022 New Zealand’s failure to call out China throws spotlight on nation’s relationship with Beijing

>>13351607 Covid ‘just China’s first virus threat’, warns Mike Pompeo

>>13351613 Mike Pompeo rallies allies against China threat

>>13355662 Video: Peter Dutton defends against Chinese Global Times censure - Sky News Australia

>>13362769 China winning Pacific vaccine diplomacy war - Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Fiji to accept Chinese Sinopharm jabs

 

>>13362840 Premier of Solomon Islands Malaita province, Daniel Suidani said no to China’s bribe

>>13369853 Australia pressures New Zealand to toe the line of Washington - Yu Lei - globaltimes.cn

>>13369902 Explainer: China’s ‘wolf warrior’ diplomats howl at Xinjiang critics

>>13370895 China Creates Its Own Digital Currency, a First for Major Economy

>>13376098 China denies abuse of Uyghurs in bizarre press conference at Chinese embassy in Canberra

>>13376103 Video: Chinese embassy release propaganda film riddled with misinformation on Uyghur genocide - Sky News Australia

>>13376111 Video: China delivers propaganda speech blaming Uyghur treatment on ‘terrorism’ - Sky News Australia

>>13376601 Contact books of senior Australian diplomats hacked in major ‘phishing’ scam, including US ambassador Arthur Sinodinos

>>13376613 Hundreds of thousands of messages and secret recordings to be used in case against alleged Chinese spy, Di Sanh “Sunny” Duong

>>13376630 former Labor John Zhang allegedly involved in foreign interference plot claims evidence was illegally obtained

 

>>13376630 John Zhang, former NSW Labor staffer allegedly involved in foreign interference plot claims evidence was illegally obtained

>>13382781 Uyghur community leaders in Australia appalled and outraged the government allowed a Chinese Communist Party propaganda parade

>>13382795 Video: Xinjiang is a wonderful land - Chinese Embassy in UK

>>13383087 Vicky Xiuzhong Xu - China researchers face abuse, sanctions as Beijing looks to silence critics

>>13383098 PDF: Uyghurs for sale: ‘Re-education’, forced labour and surveillance beyond Xinjiang - Vicky Xiuzhong Xu / Australian Strategic Policy Institute >>13386278 Taiwan charges alleged spy after outed by Chinese operative who defected to Australia

>>13389499 Free speech debate misses point if Australia continues vilifying China - Li Qingqing - globaltimes.cn

>>13389623 Sanctions fail: exporters defy Chinese trade bans, limiting the damage of Beijing’s punitive economic campaign

>>13389653 ‘Bundles of cash’: AFP considers referring former Labor staffer John Zhang to prosecutors over money laundering

>>13401177 Former Turnbull security adviser and Chinese Communist Party expert John Garnaut auditing universities’ foreign interference risks

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 24, 2021, 2:08 a.m. No.13741279   🗄️.is 🔗kun

#15 - Part 14

Australia / China Tensions - Part 2

>>13408002 Mike Pompeo Tweet: As a proponent of freedom, enjoying some Taiwanese dried pineapple. Checkmate.

>>13408018 Like Australian wine, Taiwanese pineapples have been targeted by Beijing. If democracies are to stand up to Chinese coercion, they will have to join forces.

>>13408224 'Bewitched' Vicky Xu who fabricates Xinjiang story stokes anti-China sentiment in Australia - GT staff reporters - globaltimes.cn

>>13414624 Will Australia interfere with NZ’s China policy? - Qin Sheng - globaltimes.cn

>>13414892 Australia’s exports to China hit new highs - Strong demand for iron ore offsets Beijing’s strikes on coal, wine, lobster, timber and barley

>>13429600 The true story of how Jackie Chan and Kevin Rudd met as labourers

>>13445558 Congressman Mike Gallagher Tweet: In light of the CCP's insane tariffs on Australia, we have a duty as mates to drink Australian wine (and Wisconsin beer)

>>13445558 Arthur Sinodinos AO Tweet: Australian wine and Wisconsin beer, an unbeatable combination. Thanks Mike Gallagher a great friend of Australia and decent, humane universal values

>>13452467 Canberra prepares for Taiwan conflict as tensions escalate

>>13460303 Do allies still have strong trust in US security commitment? - Tian Jingling - globaltimes.cn

 

>>13477187 Senior Chinese diplomat Wang Xining’s stinging attack over Huawei - Accuses Australia of turning other countries against China

>>13477192 Video: Senior Chinese diplomat accuses Australia and US of ‘conniving’ on Huawei ban - Sky News Australia

>>13477194 Video: Chinese diplomat quotes Churchill while defending Chinese sovereignty 0- Sky News Australia

>>13477274 Washington the one undermining Five Eyes solidarity - Zhou Fangyin - globaltimes.cn

>>13477600 Video: Top China academic Professor Jane Golley casts doubt over Chinese human rights abuses in Xinjiang

>>13485007, >>13485013 Victoria’s Belt and Road deal with China torn up - April 21, 2021

>>13485018 Decisions under Australia’s Foreign Arrangements Scheme - Senator the Hon Marise Payne - Media release - 21 April 2021

>>13485027 Federal government swoops in and cancels controversial Belt and Roads deal - Sky News Australia

>>13485031 Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the Commonwealth of Australia - Chinese Embassy Spokesperson's Remarks - "We express our strong displeasure and resolute opposition to the Australian Foreign Minister’s announcement on April 21"

>>13485037 China criticises Australia's 'provocative' decision to tear up Victoria's Belt and Road agreement

 

>>13485047 Video: Beijing hits back as Marise Payne cancels Daniel Andrews’ Belt and Road agreements

>>13485059 Scrapping BRI deal will hurt Australia: Chinese Embassy - Global Times - globaltimes.cn

>>13485065 Australia faces serious consequences for unreasonable provocation against China over BRI deals: observer - Global Times - globaltimes.cn

>>13485072, >>13485075 Belt and Road Initiative: Inside Daniel Andrews’ secret China deal

>>13485161, >>13485166 Video: Meet Jean Dong - Dan Andrews and China’s Aussie influencer - “Journey of Influence” (2020)

>>13485169 Chinese pageant winner Jean Dong’s meteoric journey to influence (2020)

>>13485324 Australia was blindsided when Five Eyes ally New Zealand backed away from China criticism

>>13493224 Hu Xijin Tweet (China state-affiliated media): A formal agreement has been cancelled so easily. Australians, is your country a uncivilized rogue that deserves stern admonition and punishment?

>>13493238 Australia leads the world confronting China, for better or worse

>>13493500 Video: We will never surrender to Beijing: Defence Minister Peter Dutton

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 24, 2021, 2:10 a.m. No.13741281   🗄️.is 🔗kun

#15 - Part 15

Australia / China Tensions - Part 3

>>13498959 New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern savaged as British Parliament declares treatment of Uighurs ‘genocide’, Australia praised for its actions

>>13499300 Victoria’s China deal was done through Premier Daniel Andrews’ office, not the Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources

>>13499309 'Insidious': Former ASIO boss Duncan Lewis warns on Chinese interference in Australia (2019)

>>13499394 Australia tearing up formal Belt and Road deal has little exemplary effect - Shen Yujia - globaltimes.cn

>>13499403 GT Voice: Australia in over its head with provocative action - Global Times - globaltimes.cn

>>13499411 Australia's continued escalation of tensions prompts Chinese companies’ diversification drive - GT staff reporters - globaltimes.cn

>>13500664 Australian defense minister’s comments against China confuse right and wrong: Chinese FM - Global Times - globaltimes.cn

>>13500664 Transcript - Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian's Regular Press Conference on April 23, 2021

>>13500714 Push to cut more Chinese accords - Foreign Minister Marise Payne urged to tear up China’s Confucius Institute agreements and NT government’s 99-year Port of Darwin lease

>>13500719 Time to face down the wolf warriors: Beijing’s threats require a united, measured and calm response - Peter Jennings - theaustralian.com.au

 

>>13515337 Defence Minister Peter Dutton: war with China over Taiwan “should not be discounted” - Potential China war sees audit of deals, including Port of Darwin

>>13515342 Academic Jane Golley backtracks on "anonymous article" casting doubt over human rights abuses in Xinjiang

>>13515355 Australian fruits face delays at Chinese ports due to strict anti-virus inspections: sources - Yin Yeping - globaltimes.cn

>>13517899 ‘Get ready to fight for our liberty,’ Home Affairs secretary Michael Pezzullo

>>13517916 The drums of war are growing louder - Michael Pezzullo - theaustralian.com.au

>>13522368 Video: China says Australia must stick to 'One China' policy after Peter Dutton warns of conflict over Taiwan independence

>>13522384 Australia inflates presence on Taiwan question to show loyalty to US - Li Qingqing - globaltimes.cn

>>13522393 Transcript - Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin's Regular Press Conference on April 26, 2021

>>13522425 Academic’s mea culpa on China Uighur abuse comments - Jane Golley - theaustralian.com.au

>>13522894 People’s Liberation Army Major General Jin Yinan mocks Australia as ’white supremacist’

 

>>13529854 Video: ‘Drums of war’ warnings spread across the world to British news - Sky News Australia

>>13529868 ‘Drums of war beating’ warns Australia as China tension grows - Page 1, The Times Newspaper, UK - April 28 2021

>>13529891 Northern Territory bases‘ $747m boost after ‘drums of war’ warning

>>13529937 China says Australia is ‘sick’, needs to ‘take medicine’ after Morrison government’s most senior diplomat said Beijing wanted to compromise key Australian interests

>>13529942 Transcript - Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin's Regular Press Conference on April 27, 2021

>>13529959 GT Voice: Spiraling of Canberra moves against Chinese interests to backfire - Global Times - globaltimes.cn

>>13530313 Victoria’s axed Belt deal ‘not end of the road’, says Victoria’s Acting Premier James Merlino

>>13530328 Deal on Darwin Port under the shadows of Australian politicians - Ai Jun - globaltimes.cn

>>13530344 Let war games begin: ADF training bases upgraded in major strategic step-up aimed at expanding “war gaming” with the US and defending the Indo-Pacific

>>13539534 Prime Minister says no security concerns raised with him about Darwin Port lease to Chinese company Landbridge

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 24, 2021, 2:11 a.m. No.13741284   🗄️.is 🔗kun

#15 - Part 16

Australia / China Tensions - Part 4

>>13539557 China’s top diplomat in Canberra, ambassador Cheng Jingye gives rare public warning to Australia

>>13539570 Aussie interests not in minds of saber-rattling politicians - Zhang Yi - globaltimes.cn

>>13539590 Video: Australian politicians hyping up war threats are real troublemakers: Chinese FM spokesperson - Global Times - globaltimes.cn

>>13539591 Transcript - Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian's Regular Press Conference on April 28, 2021

>>13539612 Australian mother Cheng Le marks nine months in Chinese prison as curious online posts emerge

>>13555533 China warns Australia to avoid getting ‘burned’ by colluding with ‘terrorists’

>>13555533 PDF: Australian politicians back East Turkistan terrorism apologists - Australian Citizens Party

>>13555538 Transcript - Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin's Regular Press Conference on April 30, 2021

>>13555541 OPINION: Where are the grown-ups? All this loose talk about China and war is dangerous - Bob Carr - theage.com.au

>>13562235 Tearing up BRI deal will hit Australia’s influence in South Pacific - Qin Sheng - globaltimes.cn

 

>>13569579 Jacinda Ardern says differences between NZ and China 'becoming harder to reconcile'

>>13569618 Dutton vows to call out Beijing and declares everyday Australians are with the government

>>13569625 ‘Strategic own goal’: Defence reviews Port of Darwin’s Chinese ownership

>>13577336 Conflict with China a ‘high likelihood’, says former Australian special forces commander Major-General Adam Findlay

>>13577349 Major-General Adam Findlay tells dark story about the “grey zone” threat from China

>>13577356 Video: China already engaged in 'grey zone' warfare with Australia: Major-General Adam Findlay - Sky News Australia

>>13577360 Foreign Minister Marise Payne blasts Beijing tactic of ‘debt trap diplomacy’

>>13577468 Port of Darwin: Chinese owner Landbridge Group says it will “actively respond to the call of the state”, as it works toward “the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation”

>>13577477 Video: Landbridge Group Worldwide Corporate Video (English) - Landbridge Group

>>13577485 Opinion: We need Darwin Port back in our hands - Peter Jennings, Australian Strategic Policy Institute

 

>>13577505 Northern Territory Chief Minister Michael Gunner backflips on praise for Darwin Port lease and Belt and Road Initiative - Sky News Australia

>>13578091 Troops are Leaving. Will Justice Arrive Soon? - Xin Ping - globaltimes.cn

>>13578193 U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan Tweet: The #CCP is engaged in an economic war against Australia, including imposing massive tariffs on Australian wine.

>>13595127 China suspends economic accord with Australia - China-Australia Strategic Economic Dialogue

>>13595132 Proclamation of the National Development and Reform Commission of the People’s Republic of China on the Indefinite Suspension of All Activities under China-Australia Strategic Economic Dialogue

>>13595138 China’s suspension of economic dialogue mechanism with Australia ‘a necessary step’ to defend national interests: analysts - Li Xuanmin - globaltimes.cn

>>13598599 New Zealand torn between Western allies, domestic interests in China stance: experts - Chen Qingqing -

>>13603511 Beijing calls the Morrison government ‘insane’ after Belt and Road retaliation

>>13603526, >>13603540 Transcript - Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin's Regular Press Conference on May 6, 2021

>>13608307 Chinese military scientists discussed weaponising SARS coronaviruses five years before the COVID-19 pandemic

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 24, 2021, 2:12 a.m. No.13741289   🗄️.is 🔗kun

#15 - Part 17

Australia / China Tensions - Part 5

>>13608366 Beijing praises New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern in between blasts at the “insane” Morrison government

>>13609317 OPINION: Ill-disciplined chest-thumping has put war at centre of what’s left of the Australia-China relationship - Kevin Rudd

>>13609517 Taiwanese Foreign Minister Joseph Wu backs hardening of Morrison government’s rhetoric towards China, says Taiwan is preparing for a ‘final assault’ by Beijing

>>13609758 Australian imports to China slow down as decoupling accelerates - GT staff reporters - globaltimes.cn

>>13609784 China’s April imports from Australia rise 49.3%, but a trade decoupling is imminent amid icy relations - Li Xuanmin and Yin Yeping - globaltimes.cn

>>13609963 Global Times Facebook Post: #China suspends economic dialogue with #Australia, marking the first time a diplomatic mechanism was frozen amid souring ties

>>13609963 INFOGRAPHIC: Aussie misdeeds disrupt China-Australia relations - Deng Zijun - globaltimes.cn

>>13609998 China needs to make a plan to deter extreme forces of Australia - Hu Xijin - globaltimes.cn - "The plan should include long-range strikes on the military facilities and relevant key facilities on Australian soil"

>>13618380 Editor of pro-Communist Global Times newspaper, Hu Xijin, advises Beijing to bomb Australia and bring “disaster” should Canberra support US military action

>>13618429 - Military conflict with China: Thinking the unthinkable - Australians aren’t used to a defence minister like Peter Dutton speaking to us like adults

 

>>13618441 ‘Outstandingly stupid act’: can Australia actually defend itself? - Gaps in our capabilities that must be filled immediately - Michael Shoebridge, ASPI

>>13625963 Australian media slammed for twisting open book as 'evidence' of 'China weaponizing COVID-19' - Liu Caiyu and Lou Kang - globaltimes.cn

>>13626133 For whom do Canberra’s war drums beat - Chen Hong - globaltimes.cn

>>13633893 Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying says the country did not develop, research or produce bio-weapons

>>13633895 Transcript - Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying's Regular Press Conference on May 10, 2021

>>13634048 Japanese Ambassador to Australia encourages South Australia to export more wine to Japan to counter the loss from the Chinese market

>>13642264 ‘Battle ready’: Australia’s warning to China in Federal Budget - investing $270 billion over 10 years in defence capability

>>13642368 China accuses Australia of ‘pathological obsession’ with war, claims the Morrison government destroyed the bilateral relationship to appease its American “masters”

>>13642374 "After eating, Australian politicians made the wrong calculation (Observatory)" - Li Jiabao, People's Daily Overseas Edition - people.com.cn

>>13650331 ScoMo says preparing for war with China is doing his job, backs Peter Dutton in warning Australians that we need to be prepared for military conflict with China

 

>>13650344 Former NSW Labor staffer John Zhang loses High Court battle over validity of warrants used to seize his property

>>13650347 GT Voice: Canberra's defense spending means economic carnage - globaltimes.cn

>>13650379 Japan embarks on joint military maneuvers with US, France, Australia - ARC21

>>13650382 Joint drill by US, allies on Japanese land insignificant: analysts - Liu Xuanzun and Guo Yuandan - globaltimes.cn

>>13658111 US Secretary of State Antony Blinken says Australia will not be left alone to face China coercion

>>13658120 Foreign Minister Marise Payne Tweet: (Australia and the United States) are the closest of friends & allies. @SecBlinken & I reaffirmed our commitment to a stable, secure & open #IndoPacific.

>>13658125 U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken Tweet: Great to meet with Foreign Minister @MarisePayne today to discuss our ongoing commitment to the health, security, and prosperity of the #IndoPacific. We look forward to celebrating the 70th anniversary of #ANZUS alongside our friend and ally Australia later this year. #USwithAUS

>>13658134 Foreign Minister Marise Payne Tweet: Met with @NSAGov @JakeSullivan46 in Washington DC to reaffirm our nations’ shared commitment to a strong, independent & secure #IndoPacific region & the critical importance of the Quad & vaccination cooperation including through #COVAX

>>13658137 Marise Payne and Antony Blinken call for ‘real transparency’ from China on Covid origins

>>13658141 Foreign Minister Marise Payne: US-Australia alliance should embolden others on China

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 24, 2021, 2:12 a.m. No.13741291   🗄️.is 🔗kun

#15 - Part 18

Australia / China Tensions - Part 6

>>13658147 Video: Australia and the US demonstrate ‘democracy delivers’: Payne - Sky News Australia

>>13658148 Video: Marise Payne calls for an end to Gaza violence - Sky News Australia

>>13658777 Peter Dutton’s ‘shadow aggression’ talks with global allies - Defence Minister to visit United States and Japan

>>13658933 Global Times editor Hu Xijin warns of missile attack on Australian soil

>>13658947 Hu Xijin Tweet: Preparing for war? Then build an anti-missile system! I believe once Australian troops come to Taiwan Strait to combat against the PLA, there is a high probability that Chinese missiles will fly toward military bases and key relevant facilities on Australian soil in retaliation

>>13658947 Hu Xijin Tweet: Is there any chance that China-US relations can be used as bargaining chip given how bad it’s already become? Your coercion against China is meaningless, but your coaxing may work with Australia

>>13671798 Opinion: Defence spending needs to match the risk of conflict now - Peter Jennings, Australian Strategic Policy Institute

>>13674100 Video: Three Reasons Why Australia Dares To Stand Up To The CCP - Inconvenient Truths by Jennifer Zeng

>>13700239 Australia has become even keener US 'deputy' - Bruce Haigh - chinadaily.com.cn

 

>>13700263 Talk of China war ‘a political strategy’, says Penny Wong

>>13700295 Australia urged to abandon ideological prejudice against China: Foreign Ministry - Global Times - globaltimes.cn

>>13700295 Transcript - Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian's Regular Press Conference on May 18, 2021

>>13708152 Who’s to blame for worsening China-Australia relations? - Qin Sheng - globaltimes.cn

>>13717930 Australian Signals Directorate: China could have ordered Huawei to shut down Australia’s 5G network

>>13717930 Huawei? No way! Why Australia banned the world’s biggest telecoms firm

>>13718126 Australian writer Yang Hengjun to face court in China next Thursday over espionage charge

>>13718277 Foreign Minister Marise Payne - Statement on Dr Yang Hengjun

>>13733239 China says Foreign Minister Marise Payne’s request for access to detained writer ‘deplorable’

>>13733239 Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the Commonwealth of Australia - Chinese Embassy Spokesperson's Remarks - "The Australian side should respect China’s judicial sovereignty"

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 24, 2021, 2:13 a.m. No.13741294   🗄️.is 🔗kun

#15 - Part 19

Coronavirus / COVID-19 Pandemic, Australia and Worldwide

>>13342001 WHO Covid-19 report: New Zealand shuts its eyes to appease China

>>13350803 Video: Seven blood clot deaths in the UK after AstraZeneca vaccine - QLD chief health officer warns “seek urgent advice” if experiencing vaccine side effects

>>13351607 Covid ‘just China’s first virus threat’, warns Mike Pompeo

>>13414930 Johnson & Johnson's one-dose COVID-19 vaccine won't be coming to Australia due to AstraZeneca similarities

>>13417342 Disclose.tv Tweet: FDA and @CDCgov issued a statement to halt the Johnson & Johnson #COVID19 vaccine after six recipients in the US developed a rare disorder involving blood clots

>>13422888 Anthony Fauci on what the US can learn from Australia's COVID-19 response — and vice versa

>>13422891 Video: Inaugural David Cooper Lecture | Dr Anthony S. Fauci - University of New South Wales

>>13493840 Perth plunged into three-day lockdown over Mercure Hotel cluster

>>13515389 Facebook removes Craig Kelly's page, says former Liberal MP breached COVID-19 misinformation policies

>>13522929 Australia pauses all flights from India amid COVID outbreak, readies aid package of ventilators and other medical supplies

>>13548003 Plan to build Victorian quarantine facility is ‘political smoke and mirrors’: Federal Defence Minister Peter Dutton

 

>>13555653 Border can’t open until the world is vaccinated: Australian Ambassador to the US Arthur Sinodinos

>>13555657 Video: Walter Russell Meade: A Conversation with Australian Ambassador Arthur Sinodinos - Hudson Institute

>>13618463 Scott Morrison says Australia will be closed to the world for a long time - Australians want to suppress COVID

>>13666298 Australia’s former deputy chief medical officer, Dr Nick Coatsworth warns: Australia must reopen borders, prepare for the return of COVID-19

>>13682432 Video: US, Australia call for transparency on COVID-19 origins - Sky News Australia

>>13682438 Video: Mike Pompeo warns of more Chinese laboratory 'coverups' - Sky News Australia

>>13682563 Virgin Australia CEO Jayne Hrdlicka calls for open borders, even if ‘some people may die’

>>13690912 Scott Morrison reacts strongly to Virgin Australia CEO comments - ‘won’t take risks with lives’ when reopening international borders

>>13708504 Victorian Travel Permit System - applies to travellers coming to Victoria from anywhere in Australia or New Zealand.

>>13717968 Mike Pompeo Tweet: Over a year ago, I told @MarthaRaddatz that the Wuhan Virus most likely came from a lab leak. She stopped just short of offering me a tin hat. The CCP said I was an enemy of mankind.

>>13717968 Mike Pompeo Tweet: The origin of the Wuhan Virus matters. We must prevent this from happening again. The facts show the nature of the CCP & how excruciatingly little it values human life. Only the CCP can shine a light on what happened. Bring it on. If I’m wrong, prove it. The world needs to know.

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 24, 2021, 2:14 a.m. No.13741295   🗄️.is 🔗kun

#15 - Part 20

Child Exploitation, Pedophilia, Sexual Abuse and Human Trafficking Investigations - Part 1

>>13341833 Millionaire businessman Sir Ronald Brierley pleads guilty to possessing child abuse material

>>13345132 New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern moves to strip Sir Ron Brierley of his knighthood, Wellington College removes signage

>>13351778 Civilian experts in open source intelligence techniques help Australian police track child abusers

>>13351781 Citizen sleuths to the rescue in child abuse cases - If you’ve got an eye for piecing together clues, Trace an Object needs you - https://accce.gov.au/report/trace

>>13351790, >>13351792 Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation - Trace An Object - The smallest clue can often help solve a case - Can you help us recognise these objects?

>>13370228 Video: Cops lay 45 charges against 15 alleged sex criminals busted preying on Northern Territory children online

>>13376526 HIV-positive paedophile Jadd William Brooker to be charged with 100 more offences involving six child and teenage victims

>>13382988, >>13382993, >>13382997 Richard Daschbach - Defrocked US priest revered in East Timor accused of abuse

>>13383114 35-year-old Ipswich man charged with possessing child abuse material

>>13396098 Gerald Ridsdale: Victorian man abused as schoolboy by paedophile priest given $1.5m settlement

 

>>13396102 ‘I can move on’: $1.5 million payout to St Alipius sex abuse survivor

>>13396142 Former American priest who saved lives during East Timor’s struggle for independence, accused of sexually abusing underage girls - Associated Press

>>13396364 Video: Tip-off from Australian Federal Police to US counterparts credited with saving three-year-old girl from further alleged sexual abuse in the United States

>>13422589 New Victorian Catholic Church process for handling abuse complaints and redress - "Pathways Victoria" replaces Cardinal Pell's widely-criticised Melbourne Response model

>>13422593 PDF: PATHWAYS VICTORIA - Restorative Journeying with Survivors of Abuse within the Catholic Church

>>13438093 Chinese national arrested for importing child-like sex doll parts

>>13452535 Fate of Melbourne 'slave torture' couple hangs in the balance as jury enters its 10th week in epic trial

>>13452610 How a panicked phone call to the ABC newsroom led to a Four Corners investigation and the dismantling of an alleged sex slave cult (James Davis)

>>13452629 Video: Escaping a sex cult: How Australian women were enslaved in plain sight - ABC / Four Corners

>>13459791 GuidoFawkes Tweet: As you lay asleep in your bed remember there are children who are being tortured and killed for their blood.

 

>>13459791 Q Post #4908 - Crimes against children unite all humanity [cross party lines]? Difficult truths.

>>13459798 Video: Lin Wood speech at Freedom Conference 2021 - Tulsa, Oklahoma

>>13460274 Video: Moreton Bay man charged with child abuse material offences by Brisbane Joint Anti Child Exploitation Team (JACET)

>>13460278 Gold Coast man to face court over allegedly possessing child abuse material and child-like sex doll

>>13477554 Child sex doll offender Terry Dunnett pleads guilty, released on supervised probation

>>13487880 How the arrest of two accused Australian paedophiles saved children as young as SIX from a horrific 'den of child abuse run by female pimps' in the Philippines

>>13499677 Video: Three children rescued in the Philippines following Australian child sexual abuse investigations

>>13499729 Identity of Melbourne couple guilty of keeping slave, who weighed just 40kg, revealed - Kumuthini Kannan and husband Kandasamy Kannan

>>13499743 ‘I have to obey’: Couple found guilty of keeping slave in Melbourne home for eight years

>>13508124 Video: Simon Davies, internationally renowned privacy expert returns to Australia to face child sex charges - Police reveal they are hunting society elites linked to the case

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 24, 2021, 2:15 a.m. No.13741298   🗄️.is 🔗kun

#15 - Part 21

Child Exploitation, Pedophilia, Sexual Abuse and Human Trafficking Investigations - Part 2

>>13508153 Video: Privacy expert Simon Gordon Davies was extradited to Australia from The Netherlands, charged with child sexual assault offences after global manhunt

>>13515411 ‘You can’t go’: Woman’s hellish life as slave for Sydney couple, Joshua and Shiela McAleer

>>13522636 Sydney child rapist Bryan Michael Grange pleads guilty to more charges of child abuse after details of harrowing abuse movies emerge

>>13577655 Convicted pedophile David Cyprys who worked at Melbourne Jewish school faces new rape charge

>>13578049 German police make arrests as they shut down large darknet site "Boystown" housing child abuse material, Australian Federal Police assist with global investigation

>>13578049 Europol Press Release - 4 ARRESTED IN TAKEDOWN OF DARK WEB CHILD ABUSE PLATFORM WITH SOME HALF A MILLION USERS

>>13578139 Former corporate titan Ronald Brierley forfeits knighthood after guilty plea to child abuse material

>>13586948 Australian paedophile priest Paul David Ryan faces extradition to US on fresh charges

>>13595471 Disgraced former NSW Labor MP and convicted paedophile Milton Orkopoulos pleads not guilty to historical child sex charges

>>13595489 Christian Brothers forced to increase payout to John Lawrence, who survived 'degrading, humiliating' sexual abuse at the hands of Christian Brother Lawrence Murphy

 

>>13642403 Matthew James Barsby - Paedophile’s sick secret life exposed in Border Force bust

>>13642558 AUSTRALIAN COMMONWEALTH GOVERNMENT MEDIA RELEASE: A NEW NATIONAL STRATEGY TO PREVENT CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE

>>13650239 Video: Queensland Police - Task Force Argos Investigators battle surge in self-produced child exploitation material

>>13665443 23 people charged with multiple child exploitation material offences in Cairns, QLD since mid-2020

>>13665457 Disturbing number of alleged child porn offenders busted in Far North Queensland since the inception the Cairns Joint Agency Child Exploitation Team (JACET)

>>13666272 Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation Tweet: Trace An Object - New Image Added - If you recognise this bathroom, please use the reporting form on our website, http://accce.gov.au/trace. You can also see the feature tile in more detail on the webpage

>>13682361 Former St Joseph’s College student sexually abused by paedophile teacher John Coogan launches new legal action against the Christian Brothers

>>13682462 Fourteen children rescued in the Philippines following Australian Federal Police child sexual abuse investigations

>>13682473 Former Big Bash League and state cricketer Aaron Summers in court on child abuse charges

>>13718096 Australian Federal Police respond to disturbing child abuse investigation resourcing claims

>>13718101 Video: Western Sydney man charged with possessing child abuse material

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 24, 2021, 2:17 a.m. No.13741301   🗄️.is 🔗kun

#15 - Part 22

Virginia Roberts Giuffre, Prince Andrew, Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell - Part 1

>>13345077 PDF: Ghislaine Maxwell Blasts Revised Indictment as Prosecutorial ‘Gamesmanship’

>>13351663 Ghislaine Maxwell’s brother Ian Maxwell says 'self-destructive' Prince Andrew will not be a witness

>>13376573 PDF: Ghislaine Maxwell ordered to clean dirty and smelly prison cell

>>13385620 PDF: Rancorous fight over Ghislaine Maxwell's jail conditions heats up - Maxwell "creating a stink by failing to flush her toilet"

>>13389533 @GMaxFacts Twitter Account - This account doesn’t exist - Try searching for another - https://twitter.com/GMaxFacts

>>13395856 @GMaxFacts Twitter Account - Follow us at our new handle @realghislaine - https://twitter.com/GMaxFacts

>>13395856 @RealGhislaine Twitter Account - Developed & maintained by Ghislaine Maxwell’s brothers & sisters. We will continue to fight on behalf of our beloved sister. Follow us for the truth & updates

>>13395856 @RealGhislaine Tweet: Facts must always prevail over fiction. Period. Follow along and get to know the REAL Ghislaine. #FollowFriday #RealGhislaine

>>13395860 'My sister is no monster.' Ghislaine Maxwell's family launches website protesting her innocence and detailing her jail cell conditions as she prepares to appeal her thrice-rejected bail application

>>13395882 Video: REALGHISLAINE.COM - This website has been developed and is maintained by brothers, sisters, family & friends of Ghislaine Maxwell, the people who have known the real Ghislaine all her life, not the fictional one-dimensional character created by the media.

 

>>13395882 Q Post #1713 - The face is never the author. Direct comms come in many different forms.

>>13396274 PDF: Feds call Ghislaine Maxwell’s claims about new charges ‘conspiracy theories’

>>13401093 Virginia Roberts Giuffre Tweet: Replying to @RealGhislaine - Ask your sister what happened after this photo was taken. I am a Real Ghislaine Survivor. I am Virginia Roberts.

>>13422819 PDF: Ghislaine Maxwell’s Family Launches Website as She Endures Over 280 days of Pre-Trial "Torture"

>>13438073 PDF: Ghislaine Maxwell requests sex trafficking trial be delayed by three months, blames prosecutors for belatedly adding additional charges in March

>>13444349, >>13444368 PDF: Ghislaine Maxwell's claims case against her is 'prejudiced' because Jeffrey Epstein would have cleared her if he was still alive

>>13444509 PDF: Jeffrey Epstein accuser, Courtney Wild cannot challenge 2007 plea agreement - 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta

>>13460224 Prince Andrew offered $7 million to take Epstein lie detector test

>>13468385 Video: ‘Finally.’ Crews begin razing Jeffrey Epstein’s former Palm Beach house - Home of late sex-trafficker Epstein finally meets bulldozer

>>13468411 Ghislaine Maxwell attorneys to 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals: She’s no monster

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 24, 2021, 2:18 a.m. No.13741305   🗄️.is 🔗kun

#15 - Part 23

Virginia Roberts Giuffre, Prince Andrew, Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell - Part 2

>>13477508 PDF: Ghislaine Maxwell's lawyers are upset that media outlets keep talking about the accused sex-trafficker's sex life

>>13493561 PDF: Ghislaine Maxwell sues publishers of a new book on her relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, saying it portrays her as 'already guilty'

>>13493595 Ghislaine Maxwell to appear in person for first time since her arrest as she pleads to new charges

>>13498643 Frail-looking Ghislaine Maxwell makes first appearance to plead not guilty to sex trafficking charges

>>13498728 In court, Ghislaine Maxwell pleads not guilty to new charges

>>13498829 Ghislaine Maxwell pleads not guilty to new sex trafficking charges

>>13498908 Video: Ian Maxwell tears into Govt's flailing investigation - flags dubious tactics & lack of due process - Real Ghislaine

>>13500805 Virginia Roberts Giuffre Tweet: Ghislaine Maxwell makes first in-person court appearance since arrest |Wish I could’ve been there in person to face my abuser in court

>>13515377 Photos show Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell were VIP guests at White House under Bill Clinton’s reign

 

>>13522873 Ghislaine Maxwell’s sleep loss in jail concerns judges of 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals

>>13530211 For the fourth time, Ghislaine Maxwell is denied release from ‘horrific’ Brooklyn jail

>>13530268 PDF: Ghislaine Maxwell claims jail guards seized her confidential documents after she met with her lawyers

>>13548207 PDF: Ghislaine Maxwell says she got a black eye at Brooklyn federal jail — but doesn’t know the cause

>>13548210 PDF: U.S. District Judge Alison J. Nathan Seeks Answers for Jail's Treatment of Ghislaine Maxwell

>>13578111 PDF: Sex trafficking trial of Ghislaine Maxwell, former girlfriend of Jeffrey Epstein, is delayed

>>13595218 PDF: Federal prosecutors defend nightly sleep checks on Ghislaine Maxwell

>>13642453 PDF: Ghislaine Maxwell sex crimes trial in New York slated for November

>>13664952 PDF: Judge will not end Ghislaine Maxwell’s ‘flashlight surveillance’ in jail

Anonymous ID: 0db8da May 24, 2021, 2:19 a.m. No.13741307   🗄️.is 🔗kun

#15 - Part 24

Qanon / Conspiracy Theory Hit Pieces, Australia and Worldwide

>>13341936 Capitol Riot Exposed QAnon’s Violent Potential - Masood Farivar - voanews.com

>>13341978 PDF: National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START) releases new analysis of QAnon offenders in the United States

>>13363189 Video: INDECLINE - "American activist collective" group mocks QAnon, Easter by placing over 3K eggs containing Kool-Aid packets around DC - WJLA Staff - wset.com

>>13363220 Video: INDECLINE is an Activist Art Collective founded in 2001. It is comprised of graffiti writers, filmmakers, photographers and full-time rebels and activists

>>13363220 Indecline Projects - Bumfights, Rape Mural, Donald Trump Statues, Freedom Kick

>>13363244 Video: Freedom Kick : Mexico - INDECLINE - Severed head of Donald Trump kicked like a soccer ball

>>13363326 Video: This Is The End - INDECLINE - "We’d like to take a moment, not just to celebrate the fall of the Orange Emperor, but to acknowledge the importance of sustained resistance…"

>>13370328 Shayan Sardarizadeh Tweet: Based on the finale of #QIntotheStorm Q drops are over for good.

 

>>13370328 Shayan Sardarizadeh Tweet: Followers will forever refer to those drops and link them to current events at any given time regardless of context

>>13370328 Q Post #3466 - These people are stupid. Enjoy the show!

>>13376039 Q: Into the Storm set to provide answers on dangerous QAnon cult - Jack The Insider (Peter Hoysted) - theaustralian.com.au

>>13415137 QAnon Followers Excited by Mike Pompeo ‘Checkmate’ Photo

>>13422670 We are in a crucial war: not against coronavirus but anti-vaxxers - Jack The Insider (Peter Hoysted) - theaustralian.com.au

>>13437997 FBI director says bureau is not investigating QAnon conspiracy 'in its own right' - Zachary Cohen - edition.cnn.com

>>13438013 Video: Senate Select Intelligence Committee Hearing on National Security and Global Threats - FBI Director Christopher Wray testifying on domestic extremism and Qanon

>>13452046 QAnon congresswoman blasts Rupert Murdoch's newspaper over incest story: 'Shame on them' - Bob Brigham - rawstory.com

 

>>13468267 China and Russia 'weaponised' QAnon conspiracy around time of US Capitol attack, report says - CNN / 9news.com.au

>>13468290 PDF: Quantifying The Q Conspiracy: A Data-Driven Approach to Understanding the Threat Posed by QAnon - The Soufan Center, New York

>>13468522 Elise Thomas Tweet: Prominent QAnon figure Lin Wood is openly calling for "them", a them which includes liberal politicians, anti-Trump conservative politicians, journalists, celebrities and opponents of QAnon, to be killed, in front of a cheering crowd

>>13547948 ‘Pastel QAnon’: Instagram conspiracy peddlers a political headache for design giants - Cara Waters - smh.com.au

>>13603646 Facebook keeps Donald Trump on ice … for now - Jack The Insider (Peter Hoysted) - theaustralian.com.au

>>13626017 Want to save the children? How child sexual abuse and human trafficking really work - Alexandra Baxter - theconversation.com

>>13724392 Mental health evaluation ordered for 'QAnon Shaman' Jacob Chansley

>>13724475 'QAnon Shaman' Jacob Chansley photographed at Arizona Black Lives Matter rally in June 2020.

>>13732908 Believers in QAnon and other conspiracy theories reveal how they climbed out of the rabbit hole - Gemma Conroy - abc.net.au