China Blasts US As "Empire Of Hacking" After Damning NSA Report Spotlights Beijing
Earlier this week the National Security Agency released a cybersecurity advisory which focused on attempts of Chinese state-backed hackers to gain access to intellectual property such as coronavirus research or advanced technologies, or political and military information.
Tuesday's NSA advisory identified "vulnerabilities" in US systems that have been ârecently leveraged, or scanned-for, by Chinese state-sponsored cyber actorsâ â for example bugs in software like Microsoft Windows or Citrix Systems.
But now Chinaâs Foreign Ministry has slammed the NSA report, calling out the spy agency's 'hypocrisy' and shining a light on vast US domestic surveillance exposed years ago by Edward Snowden. Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian on Wednesday slammed the United States as an an âempire of hackingâ and specifically cited the 2013 Snowden revelations.
How ironic that the main actor in PRISM and the largest cybertheft agency in the world is criticizing others for cybertheft. The NSA spies&attacks US allies, uses its advantages and exploits loopholes for espionage. Indeed, it's âamong the worst offenders of mass surveillanceâ. pic.twitter.com/4bxI6rTa7d
â Spokespersonĺč¨äşşĺĺ ŹĺŽ¤ (@MFA_China) October 21, 2020
âIt is indeed ironic news that the US National Security Agency, as the main implementer of the Prism programme and the worldâs largest cyber espionage agency, publicly accuses other countries of cyber espionage,â Zhao said.
Zhao called the US and specifically the NSA as âamong the worst offenders of mass surveillanceâ in his fiery comments.
Recall that the Prism program as revealed by Snowden involved the NSA gaining backdoor access to major internet companies like Microsoft and Google unbeknownst to the public as part of its years-long practice of sweeping up domestic communications with no warrant.
Zhao also expressly denied widespread allegations that Beijing is involved in the exact same thing which has gotten major firms like Huawei banned in the US and parts of the West, and which has placed particular Chinese apps and software under the spotlight.
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/china-blasts-us-empire-hacking-after-damning-nsa-report-spotlighting-beijing
Seattle Software Developer Pleads Guilty to Wire Fraud for COVID-Relief Fraud Scheme
https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/seattle-software-developer-pleads-guilty-wire-fraud-covid-relief-fraud-scheme
Iran To Import North Korean missiles In 25-Year Military Deal With China
Following the end on the 18th of October of the 13-year United Nationsâ embargo on Iran buying or selling weapons, the roll-out of the military component of the 25-year deal between China and Iran will begin in November, as exclusively revealed by Oil Price.com. After a series of meetings in China on the 9th and 10th of October between Iranâs Foreign Minister, Mohammad Zarif, and his China counterpart, Wang Yi, this military component may now also feature the deployment in Iran of North Korean weaponry and technology, in exchange for oil, according to sources very close to the Iranian government spoken to by OilPrice.com last week. Most notably this would include Hwasong-12 mobile ballistic missiles, with a range of 4,500 kilometres, and the development of liquid propellant rocket engines suitable for intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) or satellite launch vehicles (SLVs). This will all be part of a broader triangular relationship co-ordinated by Beijing and further facilitated by the imminent launch of a new digitised currency system by China.
This sort of co-ordination â between North Korea and Iran and also between North Korea, Iran, and China â is nothing new, although its resumption at such a scale and in such products is. According to a number of defence industry sources - and recorded in various âJaneâs Intelligence Reviewsâ (JIR) - over the first five-year period from the onset of Iranâs ballistic missile program in 1987, Iran bought up to 300 Scud B missiles from North Korea. Pyongyang, though, did not just sell Iran weapons but it was also instrumental in helping Iran to build-out the infrastructure for what has become an extremely high-level ballistic missile program, beginning with the creation in Iran of a Scud B missile plant that became operational by the end of 1988. According to JIR and other defence sources, this early-stage co-operation in this area between North Korea and Iran also included Iranian personnel travelling to North Korea for training in the operation and manufacture of these missiles and the stationing of North Korean personnel in Iran during the build-out of missile plants. This model of knowledge and skills transference, of course, has been a key part of the 25-year deal between Iran and China since it was formally agreed back in 2016, including the training of up to 130 young, fast-tracked officers from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) every year at various military institutions across mainland China. The simple idea of paying North Korea in oil is also far from new, having been a key method by which Iran helped to fund the development of North Koreaâs more powerful Nodong series of missiles as early as the 1990s, according to Kenneth Katzman, Middle Eastern affairs specialist at the Congressional Research Service, in Washington. According to sources close to Iranâs Petroleum Ministry spoken to by OilPrice.com last week, oil shipments are the number one suggestion from North Korea to any country that has oil and wants weapons as a means of payment for any weaponry that Pyonyang has available.
https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/Iran-To-Import-North-Korean-missiles-In-25-Year-Military-Deal-With-China.html
Kamala Harris, Schumer, Cuomo And Feinstein Listed As 'Key Contacts' For Biden-China Joint Venture
Democratic Vice Presidential Candidate Kamala Harris is listed along with other prominent Democrats as a "key domestic contact" for a Biden family joint venture involving Hunter and Jim Biden in the now-bankrupt CEFC China Energy Co., according to Fox News.
An email exclusively obtained by Fox News, with the subject line âPhase one domestic contacts/ projectsâ and dated May 15, 2017, Bidenâs brother, Jim Biden, shared a list of âkey domestic contacts for phase one target projects.â
The email is unrelated to the laptop or hard drive purportedly belonging to Hunter Biden, the former vice president's son. -Fox News
Also included are: "Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.; Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn.; Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif.; Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y.; New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo; New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio; former Virginia Gov. Terry McCauliffe, among others."
The email with the 'key contacts' was sent by Jim Biden to institutional investor Tony Bobulinski, Hunter Biden, Rob Walker and James Gilliar. It is unclear if any of the Democrats listed above were contacted about the "target projects."
Bobulinski is a former Lieutenant in the U.S. Navy, and served as the CEO of SinoHawk Holdings, which he said was the partnership between the CEFC/ Chairman Ye and the Biden family.
As an aside, Bobulinski was notably admonished by Gilliar for mentioning Joe Biden's involvement with their dealings:
In text messages obtained by @FDRLST, Hunter Biden's biz partner James Gilliar admonished Tony Bobulinski on May 20, 2017: "Don't mention Joe being involved, it's only when you are face to face[.]"
And then he brings up Hunter's role in a 2020 Joe Biden presidential campaign⌠pic.twitter.com/XGeyOfbera
â Sean Davis (@seanmdav) October 22, 2020
"I was brought into the company to be the CEO by James Gilliar and Hunter Biden," Bobulinski told Fox News. "The reference to âthe Big Guyâ in the much-publicized May 13, 2017 email is in fact a reference to Joe Biden. The other âJBâ referenced in that email is Jim Biden, Joe's brother."
Bobulinski, in a statement to Fox News, said âHunter Biden called his dad âthe Big Guyâ or âmy Chairman,â and frequently referenced asking him for his sign-off or advice on various potential deals that we were discussing.â
âIâve seen Vice President Biden saying he never talked to Hunter about his business,â Bobulinski said âIâve seen firsthand that thatâs not true, because it wasnât just Hunterâs business, they said they were putting the Biden family name and its legacy on the line."
He added: â I realized the Chinese were not really focused on a healthy financial ROI. They were looking at this as a political or influence investment.â
"Once I realized that Hunter wanted to use the company as his personal piggy bank by just taking money out of it as soon as it came from the Chinese, I took steps to prevent that from happening," he added.
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/kamala-harris-schumer-cuomo-and-feinstein-listed-key-contacts-biden-china-joint-venture
Armenia Launches Ballistic Missiles On Azerbaijan Amid Retreat In Nagorno-Karabakh Region
On the morning of October 22, Armenian forces launched ballistic missiles at targets inside the territory of Azerbaijan. According to the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry, 3 missiles were fired in the direction of the Siyazan region, two in the direction of the Gabala region, and one in the direction of the Kurdamir region. Baku claimed that the strike was aimed at the civilian population and civilian infrastructure. The report provided no details regarding the type of missiles employed. Nonetheless, Armenian forces have so far only employed R-17 Elbrus and OTR-21 Tochka missiles. The Armenian Armed Forces also have several much more modern 9K720 Iskander shot-range ballistic missile systems, but the complex has not yet been employed because the leadership of Armenia is in no hurry to enter a full-out war with Azerbaijan to protect the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (also known as the Republic of Artsakh).
The Armenian Defense Ministry denounced the reports as fake but it should be noted that Yerevan was also denying a ballistic missile strike on the Azerbaijani city of Ganja on October 16, a strike , which killed or injured several dozens of civilians. Later, Armenian sources spent much time marking military objects located in the city on maps. However, the civilian casualties from that strike are the confirmed fact. In their turn, Azerbaijan claims that it has destroyed at least 3 Armenian tactical ballistic complexes. A few of them were struck on the Armenian border area near Karabakh.
On the evening of October 21 and the morning of October 22 , Azerbaijani forces were developing their offensive operations in the Aghdere-Aghdam, Fizuli-Jabrayil, and Zangilan-Gubadli directions. The Azerbaijani military claimed that it had captured important grounds in Gubadli and destroyed the D-20 battery of the 155th artillery regiment of the Armenian Armed Forces in the Khojavend area. In the Aghdere area, Azerbaijani forces allegedly delivered strikes on the 5th mountain rifle regiment inflicting heavy casualties to the Armenians.
According to Azerbaijani President Ilham Alyiev, in the recent operations Azerbaijani forces captured 22 settlements in the districts of Fuzuli, Jabrayil, and Zangilan. These are Gejagozlu, Ashaghi Seyidahmadli, Zargar, Balyand, Papi, Tulus, Hajili, Tinli, Khurama, Khumarli, Sari Babayli, Ucunju Aghali, Hajalli, Girakh Mushlan, Udgun, Turabad, Ichari Mushlan, Malikli, Jahangirbayli, Baharli and Minjivan. Several Armenian T-72 battle tanks as well as BMP-1 and BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicles were also captured by Azerbaijan.
Fierce clashes in the contested region continue as both Armenia and Azerbaijan accuse each other of sabotaging the diplomatic talks on a non-military settlement of their differences. On October 12, Armeniaâs Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan even said that there is no diplomatic solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict at this stage.
https://southfront.org/armenia-launches-ballistic-missiles-on-azerbaijan/
Then they came for the LEFT: Facebook deletes account of biologist & Big Tech critic Bret Weinstein without explanation
Facebook has deleted the account of biology professor Bret Weinstein without explanation, apparently expanding its crackdown on politically incorrect thought to include leftists who defend speech rights and criticize Big Tech.
Weinstein, who rose to national prominence when he opposed a 2017 event at Washington's Evergreen State College banning white people from campus for one day, said Thursday on Twitter that he had been "evicted" from Facebook. "No explanation, no appeal."
Weinstein's tweet included a screenshot of a Facebook notice indicating that his account hadn't followed "community standards" and therefore had been disabled. The notice said the decision had already been reviewed and wouldn't be reversed.
"We are governed now in private, by entities that make their own rules and are answerable to no process," the professor and podcaster added. "Disaster is inevitable. We are living in it."
Weinstein is a full-fledged progressive, having supported self-described Democratic socialist Bernie Sanders for president. He also participated in the Occupy Wall Street protests in 2009. But he's also a classical liberal and participant in the so-called âIntellectual Dark Webâ, where commentators speak out against cancel culture and defend free-speech rights.
The biologist appeared on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast in June, warning about the consequences of woke authoritarianism spreading from college campuses into the real world. As if that wasn't controversial enough, he spoke out against YouTube's demonetization of conservative commentator Steven Crowder in 2019.
Responding to Weinsteinâs banishment from Facebook, Dave Rubin, another liberal who has faced backlash for his positions on free speech and libertarianism, said social-media censorship was inevitably going to spread from the political right to left. "They weren't going to stop with Alex Jones," Rubin tweeted.
They werenât gonna stop with Alex JonesâŚ
â Dave Rubin (@RubinReport) October 22, 2020
Another Twitter commenter said, "We tried to warn liberals, when they tested this out on easy fringe targets like Milo (Yiannopoulos) or Alex Jones, that they were just the first but by no means the last. Can't say conservatives did not warn them."
We tried to warn liberals when they tested this out on easy fringe targets like Milo or Alex Jones that they were just the first but by no means the least. Can't say Conservatives did not warn themâŚâŚđ¤ pic.twitter.com/xMnW9LQfOO
â The Rum Pirate (@bdawg6500) October 22, 2020
Columnist Amy Alkon said that by terminating Weinstein's account without explanation, Facebook leaves no way to "assess whether you indeed violated some standard or whether somebody there high up enough to ax you just wanted you gone." Writer Terry Wayne Carpenter Jr. added that "in the attention economy, social-media companies are de facto First Amendment enforcers."
The era of "corporate rule" has been creeping up on us for a while now.In the attention economy, social media platforms are de facto first amendment enforcers. And 'inalienable human rights' is not what determines what is and is not enforced. THAT, would be stock price.
â Terry Wayne Carpenter, Jr. (@TJCarpenterShow) October 22, 2020
Big Tech has notoriously put its thumb on the scale for Democrat interests, as evidenced in the past week when Facebook and Twitter tried to squelch the New York Post's scoops on alleged influence-peddling by Joe Biden's family. But other voices that oppose more mainstream liberal and neocon dogmas have increasingly been quieted. For instance, Google has slashed search traffic to anti-war and socialist websites, while Twitter has suspended anti-war and Occupy-linked accounts.
https://www.rt.com/usa/504317-facebook-deletes-bret-weinstein/
https://www.rt.com/usa/504317-facebook-deletes-bret-weinstein/
Thanks man, that is what we need someone who can remove anyone baking with an agenda
Child abuse investigation Operation Molto charges 44 Australian men with 350 crimes
Forty-four Australian men are facing 350 charges of possessing child exploitation material after a law enforcement referral sparked a large, nationwide criminal investigation.
Key points:
Some of the alleged offenders have been accused of producing their own child abuse material online
They were also allegedly in possession of material produced by a man arrested by the AFP in 2015 under Operation Niro
The alleged offenders are aged between 19 and 57 years old
Operation Molto, coordinated by the Australian Federal Police-led Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE), has removed 16 children from harm after identifying alleged offenders in every Australian state, as well as the ACT.
The year-long operation started when the ACCCE was given a law enforcement report showing thousands of offenders were using a cloud storage platform to share what the AFP described as "abhorrent" child abuse material online.
Some of the alleged offenders, who are also accused of producing their own child abuse material online, were allegedly in possession of material that was produced by a man arrested by the AFP in 2015 under Operation Niro, which resulted in the dismantling of an international organised paedophile syndicate.
The alleged offenders are aged between 19 and 57 years old and were employed in a range of occupations, including construction, transport, law enforcement and hospitality.
Operation Molto arrests per state
Eleven alleged offenders in Victoria are facing 105 charges; six children have been removed from harm
Eight alleged offenders in NSW are facing 49 charges; one child has been removed from harm
In Queensland, 11 people are facing 114 charges; two children have been removed from harm
Nine alleged offenders in South Australia are facing 67 charges; six children have been removed from harm
Two alleged offenders in Western Australia are facing seven charges however no children were removed
Two alleged offenders in Tasmania are facing five charges and like WA, no children were removed from this state
In the ACT, one person was arrested and will face three charges; one child was removed
Operation Molto, an ongoing investigation, has been supported by hundreds of police and specialists across Australia.
It has also received assistance from the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission and AUSTRAC.
AFP Commissioner Reece Kershaw said while the hard work, diligence and co-operation of police should be recognised, victims remained front of mind for law enforcement agencies.
"Arresting offenders and putting them before the court is only half the battle," he said.
"Identifying victims is a race against time and the ACCCE's victim identification team is relentless in rescuing children from sexual abuse.
"Pixel by pixel, our investigators painstakingly look for clues and never give up and the tools they use give Australian police access to world-leading expertise.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-10-23/australian-men-facing-350-child-exploitation-charges/12805996