Man charged in Oldham modern slavery probe

A man has been charged with committing modern slavery and human trafficking offences in Greater Manchester.

Nelu Nechita, 49, was arrested at his home in Oldham after officers learned people were allegedly being exploited.

Seven potential Romanian victims were discovered.

Mr Nechita was charged with facilitating the travel of two men from Romania to the UK with a view to exploitation and holding them and others in slavery or servitude.

He was also charged with acting as a gangmaster without a Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority licence when he appeared at Stockport Magistrates' Court.

Mr Nechita, of Garthwaite Avenue, is now due to appear before Manchester Crown Court on 17 September.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-manchester-53905059

Facebook blocks Thai anti-monarchy group, vows to challenge 'severe' order

Playing with politics as usual

Facebook on Tuesday blocked access within Thailand to a group that has criticized the country's king but said it was planning a legal challenge to the government's demand that it restrict access to the organization's page.

The move comes amid near daily youth-led protests against the government and unprecedented calls for reforms of the monarchy, in a country that has experienced decades of protests punctuated by military coups. Thailand's strict lese majeste laws forbid "defaming, insulting or threatening" the king or royal family, and carry penalties of up to 15 years in prison.

"Facebook has determined that we are compelled to restrict access to content which the Thai government has deemed to be illegal," a Facebook spokesperson told NBC News in a statement.

"Requests like this are severe, contravene international human rights law, and have a chilling effect on people's ability to express themselves."

https://news.yahoo.com/facebook-blocks-thai-anti-monarchy-115425626.html

Chinese military: Rocket Force drills prepare for possible US nuclear weapons attack

Chinese Rocket Force soldiers respond to a drill scenario in which their base is attacked with biochemical weapons. Photo: PLA Rocket ForceChinese Rocket Force soldiers respond to a drill scenario in which their base is attacked with biochemical weapons. Photo: PLA Rocket Force

Chinese Rocket Force soldiers respond to a drill scenario in which their base is attacked with biochemical weapons. Photo: PLA Rocket Force

The People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force has stepped up its drills for chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) warfare, in what military experts say is preparation for a possible nuclear attack by the United States.

Since April, anti-CBRN exercises have become a major training focus in the Western Theatre Command and with the PLA’s Rocket Force troops, according to online reports and video footage posted on the WeChat social media accounts of the army’s military mouthpiece, the PLA Daily, and the missile force.

One drill video posted online on August 22 showed four first aid brigades from the Rocket Force called to rescue wounded soldiers from a base under a simulated nuclear weapons at night. The base was more than 2,000km (1,240 miles) away and the medical officers and first aid crews also needed to overcome “accidents” and “raids” on their way to the nuclear battlefield, according to the video.

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3098727/chinese-military-rocket-force-drills-prepare-possible-us

>Y/T vid

'Butcher Of Bosnia' Unfit For Genocide Appeal, Lawyers Say

Lawyers for Bosnian Serb military chief Ratko Mladic told a UN court on Tuesday that he was at risk of a "miscarriage of justice" because he was mentally unfit to take part in an appeal hearing against his genocide conviction.

Dubbed the "Butcher of Bosnia", the 78-year-old Mladic has challenged his 2017 conviction and life sentence for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes in the civil war in the former Yugoslavia, including the 1995 Srebrenica massacre.

Mladic was captured in 2011 after years on the run and sentenced to life behind bars three years ago for his role in the 1992-95 war in Bosnia.

This included genocide committed by his forces in the small eastern Bosnian town of Srebrenica, Europe's worst bloodshed since World War II, where some 8,000 Muslim men and boys were slaughtered.

About 100,000 people were killed and 2.2 million others displaced in the Bosnian war, which erupted as communal rivalries tore Yugoslavia apart after the fall of communism.

Mladic, who has been serving his sentence at a detention centre in the seaside suburb of Scheveningen, has appealed against both the conviction and sentence. The prosecution has appealed against his acquittal on wider genocide charges.

https://www.ibtimes.com/butcher-bosnia-unfit-genocide-appeal-lawyers-say-3033944

U.S. Secretary of State Pompeo arrives in Sudan

His visit is part of a regional tour following an accord between Israel and the UAE this month to forge full relations and comes as Israel and the United States push more Arab countries to follow.

"Happy to announce that we are on the FIRST official NONSTOP flight from Israel to Sudan!" Pompeo said on Twitter after taking off from Tel Aviv.

Pompeo will meet Sudan's prime minister and the head of its ruling council during a brief stopover in Khartoum to discuss U.S. support for the civilian-led government and for "deepening the Sudan-Israel relationship," according to the State Department.

The United States has been restoring its own ties with Sudan following the ouster of former Islamist leader Omar al-Bashir in April 2019, and is pushing to be removed from the list of countries that Washington considers state sponsors of terrorism.

https://news.yahoo.com/u-secretary-state-pompeo-arrives-122103102.html

>>10412523

old post from 2016

Mark Zuckerberg Really Wants to Get Facebook into China — Here’s How Hard He’s Trying

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg wants the Chinese ban on his company’s social media service to be lifted.

That’s apparent judging by his busy weekend drumming up PR in China, during which he jogged through Beijing, participated in a two-man panel discussion with Alibaba founder Jack Ma and then held a meeting with the country’s propaganda chief.

https://nextshark.com/mark-zuckerberg-china-trip/

Wireless device makes clean fuel from sunlight, water: Study

Researchers have developed a standalone device that converts sunlight, carbon dioxide and water into a carbon-neutral fuel, without requiring any additional components or electricity.

The device, developed by a team from the University of Cambridge in the UK, is a significant step toward achieving artificial photosynthesis - a process mimicking the ability of plants to convert sunlight into energy.

It is based on an advanced 'photosheet' technology and converts sunlight, carbon dioxide and water into oxygen and formic acid - a storable fuel that can be either be used directly or be converted into hydrogen.

The results, published in the journal Nature Energy, represent a new method for the conversion of carbon dioxide into clean fuels. The wireless device could be scaled up and used on energy 'farms' similar to solar farms, producing clean fuel using sunlight and water.

Harvesting solar energy to convert carbon dioxide into fuel is a promising way to reduce carbon emissions and transition away from fossil fuels. However, it is challenging to produce these clean fuels without unwanted by-products.

"It's been difficult to achieve artificial photosynthesis with a high degree of selectivity, so that you're converting as much of the sunlight as possible into the fuel you want, rather than be left with a lot of waste," said first author Dr Qian Wang from Cambridge's Department of Chemistry.

https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/science-technology/wireless-device-makes-clean-fuel-from-sunlight-water-study-131219

JPMorgan to Pay $1 Billion for Full Ownership of China Mutual Fund JV

SHANGHAI (REUTERS) - JPMorgan is to pay $1 billion for full ownership of its Chinese mutual fund venture, a statement on the Shanghai United Asset and Equity Exchange said on Tuesday, a price tag that analysts said was expensive.

JPMorgan's asset management business is to buy the 49% stake it does not already own in China International Fund Management Co (CIFM), a move which follows Beijing's decision earlier this year to fully open up the mutual fund industry to foreign companies.

The CIFM stake is priced at 7 billion yuan ($1.01 billion), according to the statement on the Shanghai United Assets and Equity Exchange, where Chinese state-owned equities are auctioned.

Fund consultancy Z-Ben Advisors said that pegged the deal at 50 times earnings, and represented a 52% premium over fair value.

"Based on numerous metrics, there is no question that this is an expensive deal," Z-Ben Advisors said in a note. The higher-than-expected valuation reflects the scarce opportunities for buying a Chinese fund house outright, Z-Ben said.

"Is it worth the premium? For JP Morgan they'd clearly say yes."

JPMorgan declined to comment.

China is opening up its capital markets at a faster pace given trade tensions with the United States. Global asset managers including BlackRock and Neuberger Berman applied to set up fully-owned China mutual fund units after regulators in April scrapped foreign ownership restrictions in the fund management industry.

https://money.usnews.com/investing/news/articles/2020-08-25/jpmorgan-to-pay-1-billion-for-full-ownership-of-china-mutual-fund-jv

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