https://twitter.com/hashtag/syria?f=live
https://twitter.com/IranicaPax/status/1385017314836373512
#Israeli fighter jets attack #Damascus in response to missiles fired from #Syria
https://twitter.com/hashtag/syria?f=live
Breaking Israeli Media: The launch tonight was of an air-to-surface missile launched from #Syria, following an attack by the Syrian Air Force.
A missile fired from the Golan Heights area at our enemy planes.
It is estimated that the shooting to the south was not planned. 1/2
IDF spokesman says an anti-aircraft missile was fired towards Israeli Air Force jets over #Syria, one missile crossed into #Israel and fell in an open area. There was no intent to strike the nuclear reactor in #Dimona.
Saudi-led Coalition Reportedly Destroyed Houthi Drone Launched Against Kingdom
Yemen is torn by a civil conflict since 2014 and it entered new phase after country's president-in-exile Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi requested military support from Saudi Arabia to fight the Houthi armed political opposition movement. Kingdom's military bases and infrastructure has been under permanent attacks since the kingom entered the war in 2015.
The Saudi-led military coalition, fighting against Yemeni Houthis, said on Thursday it prevented a bomb-laden drone attack, Al Ekhbariya TV reported. A "Qasef 2K" drone was fired towards Saudi southern city Khamis Mushait, targeting King Khalid air base, located there, according to Houthis' official statement.
"The shelling is carried out as part of a natural and legitimate response to the rising aggression and the all-encompassing siege of our country," the Twitter post from Houthi spokesman Yahya Sarea reads.
2K .
.
— (@army21ye) April 21, 2021
Hostilities have been continuing in Yemen since August 2014 between government forces and the Houthis, who control northern Yemen, fighting for broader autonomy and representation in government. A coalition of Arab states, formed by Saudi Arabia, has been fighting on the side of president Hadi since March 2015. The Houthis regularly bombard Yemen's neighboring Saudi areas, in response to coalition's attack on northern Yemen and the blockade of the country's crucial infrustructure cites.
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/202104211082696508-saudi-led-coalition-reportedly-destroyed-houthi-drone-launched-against-kingdom/
Data Breach at New England’s Largest Energy Provider
A misconfiguration error has exposed personal data belonging to customers of New England's largest energy provider.
On March 16, Eversource discovered that one of its cloud data storage folders had erroneously been set to open access rather than to restricted access.
The company serves more than 3.6 million electric and natural gas customers in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire.
An investigation into the data breach launched by Eversource's security team found that the unsecured folder contained personal data belonging to customers residing in eastern Massachusetts.
Information exposed in the incident included names, addresses, phone numbers, Social Security numbers, billing addresses, and Eversource account numbers and service addresses.
The folder was secured on the same day that the error was detected, and the company's security team do not believe that the personal information it contains was accessed, stolen, or misused by any unauthorized third parties.
Cybersecurity company CyberScout is handling customer service related to the breach on behalf of Eversource. A "frequently asked questions" document created by CyberScout states that the data breach impacted about 11,000 customers.
The document states that the exposed files were created in August 2019, making the data breach a prolonged incident lasting a year and seven months. It also reveals that the information was stored in an unencrypted format.
One Eversource customer who received written notification from the company that their data had been impacted by the breach shared their displeasure on Reddit.
"I'm definitely not happy with Eversource right now, and I imagine a lot of people are going to be getting these letters over the next few days if they haven't already," they said.
"Organizations need to have security processes and procedures in place when utilizing cloud and on-site servers when exposed to the internet," commented James McQuiggan, security awareness advocate at KnowBe4.
"When organizations start to use any cloud service, it needs to be locked down and restricted access provided to only necessary and authorized users. Infosec and IT departments want to ensure they collaborate with all departments that require an offsite server for development and verify the system is not openly available to the internet,” he added.
https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/eversource-data-breach/
Angry response from China after Australia scraps Belt and Road Initiative
China has furiously responded to the news that Canberra has scrapped a major investment deal, slamming Australia as “unreasonable”.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has scrapped Victoria’s controversial Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) deal with China, calling it “inconsistent with Australia’s foreign policy”.
The decision made late on Wednesday night threatens to inflame already fraught diplomatic tensions between Canberra and Beijing.
Deploying Australia’s powerful new veto powers under legislation passed last year for the first time, the Federal Government ended the deal, warning it was against Australia’s interests.
“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,’’ Foreign Minister Marise Payne said.
“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.”
China hits back at Australia
China quickly hit back at Australia over what it called an “unreasonable and provocative move”.
In a statement, a Chinese Embassy spokesman slammed the decision which is expected to plunge the fractured relationship into greater acrimony.
“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 spokesman said.
“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.”
A formal agreement has been cancelled so easily. Australians, is your country a uncivilized rogue that deserves stern admonition and punishment? https://t.co/1VmZ3oVBwa
— Hu Xijin 胡锡进 (@HuXijin_GT) April 21, 2021
China argues the BRI is an initiative for economic co-operation.
“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 wellbeing of the people of Victoria,” the spokesman said.
https://www.news.com.au/national/politics/belt-and-road-scott-morrison-tears-up-china-agreement/news-story/c3bd926d7d39dbf6898220221dddebd0
Two tonnes of cocaine seized at Miami Beach
The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Tampa, in the US, offloaded more than two tons of cocaine at the Miami Beach base on Tuesday.
The 2495 kilograms of cocaine, worth an estimated $122 million, was seized from a low profile vessel off the coast of Punta Gallinas, Colombia.
A maritime patrol flight spotted the vessel on April 9, and a law enforcement team from the cutter detained three suspects and discovered 87 bales of cocaine.
"This event is the perfect example of numerous key partners unifying our efforts to counter transnational criminal organisations who look to exploit the maritime environment," Lieutenant Commander Jason Neiman said in a statement.
The vessel was destroyed as a hazard to navigation.
The interdiction was the result of multi-agency efforts in support of US Southern Command's enhanced counter-narcotics operations in the Western Hemisphere, the Organised Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force, and High Intensity Drug Trafficking.
https://www.9news.com.au/national/us-two-tonnes-of-cocaine-seized-at-miami-beach/e7fc7aaf-f70e-40b7-a770-4ed906722de6
Xi to Attend Biden’s Climate Change Summit in First Meeting of Two Leaders
BEIJING—Chinese leader Xi Jinping will attend a U.S.-led climate change summit on Thursday at the invitation of President Joe Biden, in the first meeting between the two leaders since the advent of the new U.S. administration.
Biden has invited dozens of world leaders to join the two-day virtual summit starting on Thursday, after bringing the United States back into the 2015 Paris Agreement on cutting global carbon emissions.
Beijing and Washington have persistently clashed over a range of issues from human rights abuses to China’s economic clout over other nations.
In Alaska last month, U.S. and Chinese officials held the first high-level in-person talks that bristled with rancor and yielded no diplomatic breakthroughs.
Last week, U.S. climate envoy John Kerry travelled to Shanghai to meet with his Chinese counterpart in the first high-level visit to China by a Biden administration official. Both agreed on actions “in the 2020s” to reduce emissions.
The talks also marked a resumption of climate dialogue halted during the Donald Trump administration, who withdrew from the Paris agreement.
https://www.ntd.com/xi-to-attend-bidens-climate-change-summit-in-first-meeting-of-two-leaders_600997.html
National Debt Hits $123 Trillion, $800,000 per Taxpayer: Study
A new report found America’s national debt now exceeds $123 trillion. That’s four times the U.S. Treasury Department’s figure of $28 trillion. What does that mean in terms of taxpayer dollars? The $123 trillion figure means close to $800,000 per taxpayer, while the official figure of $28 trillion means around $180,000 per taxpayer. As to why the numbers differ so much, the report states: “Our measure of the government’s financial condition includes reported federal assets and liabilities, as well as promised, but not funded, Social Security and Medicare benefits.” Treasury officials don’t include unfunded benefits because they claim recipients have no right to future payments, only to those under current entitlement laws.
Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich says he’s disturbed by efforts to expand the number of Justices on the Supreme Court. He writes to his state’s senators urging them to oppose the plan. Brnovich’s letter comes as House Democrats introduce a proposal to expand the number of justices from 9 to 13. Expanding the court by four seats would give Democrats just enough seats to overcome the court’s conservative majority.
The Supreme Court has dramatically increased its support for religious freedom under the current Chief Justice. A report says it’s the most pro-religion court since the 1950s. From 1953 until John Roberts became Chief Justice, religious organizations won their cases 50 percent of the time. Now, under Robert’s court, they’ve won over 80 percent of the time.
https://www.ntd.com/deep-dive-april-21-national-debt-hits-123-trillion-800000-per-taxpayer-study_601263.html
NAMED & SHAMED: The “Journalists” Who Went on Chinese Communist Party Junkets, Then Delivered “Favorable Coverage.”
Unearthed documents from one of the leading Chinese Communist Party propaganda groups reveal the names of “mainstream” U.S. journalists taking junkets from the group in exchange for favorable coverage, The National Pulse can exclusively reveal.
The trips often came just before opinion editorials and news reports excusing Chinese Communist Party crimes, or opposing trade showdowns with the nation.
The China-United States Exchange Foundation (CUSEF) was founded by the Vice-Chairman of the “highest-ranking entity overseeing” Chinese Communist Party’s United Front Department, an effort which aims to “co-opt and neutralize sources of potential opposition to the policies and authority” of the Chinese government. “The United Front strategy uses a range of methods to influence overseas Chinese communities, foreign governments, and other actors to take actions or adopt positions supportive of Beijing’s preferred policies,” the U.S. government report continues.
CUSEF uses United Front Department tactics of influence on Western journalists from virtually every Western media outlet: CNN, New York Times, MSNBC, The Washington Post, and many more. According to Foreign Agent Registration Act (FARA) filings with the Department of Justice, CUSEF retained Western lobbyists to aid in their quest to “effectively disseminate positive messages to the media, key influencers and opinion leaders, and the general public” regarding China.
The National Pulse can now exclusively reveal Western journalists – including those praised by President Biden and married to potential members of his White House – who are listed as having accepted trips from the Chinese Communist Party influence group.
Red Handed.
CUSEF newsletter from 2009 and 2010 reveal the following journalists:
Vox Co-founder and New York Times columnist Ezra Klein;
Vox Co-founder Matthew Yglesias;
CNN Senior Political Analyst and The Atlantic Senior Editor Ronald Brownstein;
New York Times Reporter Bradford Plumer;
Associated Press Vice President and Editor Marjorie Miller;
The Hill Editor-at-Large Steve Clemons;
Former NPR Senior Editor Marilyn Geewax;
Former Newsweek and Wall Street Journal Marketplace Editor Kathleen Deveny;
Former U.S. News and World Report Correspondent Tom Omestad;
Chicago Tribune Columnist and Editorial Writer Steve Chapman;
Former National Journal Correspondent Bruce Stokes (And the husband of President Biden’s Deputy Secretary of State nominee who has also taken CUSEF trips);
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Washington Bureau Chief Craig Gilbert;
The Week columnist Shikha Dalmia.
Washington Post columnist Catherine Rampell also identified herself as accepting CUSEF trips, burying a disclaimer on the bottom of two articles “The U.S. and China fight for second place” and “The Olympics gives China a second chance at human rights reforms”:
(Disclosure: My trip is being paid for by the China-United States Exchange Foundation, a Hong Kong-based nonprofit that aims to improve Americans’ understanding of China.)
Pay for Play?
While those named above represent a fraction of the journalists taking CUSEF trips, the influence of the program on participants’ subsequent reporting is easily discerned.
Trip participant Shikha Dalmia penned an op-ed entitled “China Bashing is for Losers” the same year she traveled to China.
Brad Plumer has also lauded the Chinese Communist Party’s climate change efforts, penning pieces entitled “China’s ambitious plan to limit carbon emissions, explained.”
MORE
https://thenationalpulse.com/exclusive/journalists-taking-cusef-trips-for-favorable-coverage/
UK Intel Launches Campaign To Combat CCP Espionage Campaigns Conducted Through LinkedIn.
The United Kingdom’s intelligence agency is launching a campaign combatting foreign espionage campaigns – overwhelmingly conducted by the Chinese Communist Party– against British civil servants.
The “Think Before You Link” campaign is coordinated by the Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure (CPNI), an arm of the United Kingdom’s intelligence agency MI5, and set to launch this week. “While officials would not give details about which countries or social media platforms were of most concern, there is a long history of the Chinese Communist Party using the networking site LinkedIn to ensnare espionage targets,” Financial Times adds.
“Over 10,000 British nationals have been targeted online in the past five years by hostile states such as China, as foreign spies increasingly manipulate professional networking sites to recruit new agents and steal secrets,” Financial Times notes. CPNI, however, alleged this figure was a “conservative estimate”.
“Posing as recruiters, foreign spies lure their targets to meetings in person where they may be subjected to bribery or blackmail in order to obtain intelligence,” the outlet adds.
The campaign follows indictments of researchers and government officials for using platforms such as LinkedIn to identify potential American researchers to exploit:
Last year a US court heard that Dickson Yeo, an academic at George Washington University, had used LinkedIn to target US military and government personnel on behalf of Chinese intelligence. He formed online connections with state department officials, former military commanders, Pentagon employees and think-tank experts with the aim of passing information from them to Beijing.
In 2019, former CIA officer Kevin Mallory was sentenced by the US to 20 years in prison for delivering military secrets to Chinese intelligence after first being approached on LinkedIn.
https://thenationalpulse.com/breaking/uk-intel-conduct-ccp-espionage-campaign/
sure just leave you guns behind…..kek
MSM
Sirens warns of possible rocket attack near Israel's Dimona reactor
Sirens have sounded in the southern Israeli district of Abu Qrenat near the Dimona nuclear reactor, the Israeli military said without immediately providing further details.
Sirens indicated a possible attack on the sensitive area. Israeli media also reported loud explosions in central Israel.
A Reuters reporter about 90 kilometres away from Abu Qrenat heard the sound of an explosion minutes before the military's text message.
Israel's Army Radio said that, if such an attack had taken place early on Thursday, its origin was not immediately clear.
Abu Qrenat is deeper within Israeli territory than the usual range of the rockets of Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip.
Israeli media have said for weeks that air defences in the area of Dimona and the Red Sea port Eilat were being beefed up in anticipation of a possible long-range missile or drone attack by Iranian-backed forces — perhaps from as far away as Yemen.
Tensions are high between Israel and Iran over Tehran's nuclear programme and a recent surge in sabotage attacks, some of which the arch-foes have blamed on each other.
More to come.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-04-22/possible-rocket-attack-near-israel-s-dimona-reactor/100086500
https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/sirens-warns-possible-rocket-attack-near-israels-dimona-reactor-2021-04-21/
Mother's legs erupt in agonising blood-filled blisters 'after getting AstraZeneca's Covid vaccine' - as 34-year-old reveals rare reaction left her wheelchair-bound and fearing she'd need her limbs amputated
Sarah Beuckmann, 34, from Glasgow, had rashes and blisters on her legs
Mother-of-one said they appeared about a week after she got her first dose
British skin experts said the symptoms looked like a reaction to the jab
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9496075/Mothers-legs-erupt-horrifying-rash-blisters-getting-AstraZenecas-Covid-vaccine.html
Gun's aren't prohibited in Russia
Air Force Two-Star General to Face Court-Martial on Sexual Assault Charge
The former head of the Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is headed to court-martial on a sexual assault charge. It may be the first time in modern history an Air Force general has faced such a trial.
A sexual assault charge has been referred to court-martial in the case of Maj. Gen. William Cooley of Air Force Materiel Command, or AFMC, spokesman Derek Kaufman said Wednesday.
"After a comprehensive review of all of the evidence from the investigation and the Article 32 preliminary hearing, I've informed Maj. Gen. Cooley of my decision to move his case to general court-martial," AFMC commander Gen. Arnold Bunch said in a news release. "I can assure you this was not a decision made lightly, but I believe it was the right decision."
n November, the service brought the charge against Cooley, who led the lab for roughly two and a half years. In February, the Air Force convened an Article 32 preliminary hearing, during which a military judge reviewed the charge; the process is similar to a preliminary hearing in civilian court and determines whether there is enough evidence to bring a case to a formal trial.
"This has never happened in the Air Force's history," Don Christensen, president of Protect Our Defenders and a retired Air Force colonel, told Military.com on Wednesday. The advocacy group has been in contact with the alleged victim and connected her with her pro bono attorney, he added.
The Air Force's decision "tells me that there's a strong case here," said Christensen, who was also the service's chief prosecutor.
Following the hearing, Bunch, the court-martial convening authority, reviewed the preliminary hearing officer's report to determine the appropriate disposition.
The charge, which includes three specifications of sexual assault under Article 120 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, stems from an off-duty incident that occurred in August 2018 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, officials said. The Air Force Research Laboratory-New Mexico, part of Kirtland Air Force Base, is headquartered in Albuquerque.
Cooley allegedly "made unwanted sexual advances by kissing and touching a female victim," who is not a service member or Defense Department employee, the release states.
According to the specifications, which were detailed in a charge sheet obtained by Military.com in November, Cooley is accused of kissing the woman on her mouth "with an intent to gratify his sexual desire" without her consent. He is also accused of sexual contact, causing the woman to touch his genitalia through his clothing with her hand without her consent, and touching her through her clothing with his hand without her consent.
The Air Force "will identify a senior military judge and coordinate timing and venue for the court-martial proceeding," the release states. "Jurors, or court members, must either be officers of higher rank, or equivalent grade but with an earlier date of rank to the accused."
AFMC stressed that Cooley is presumed innocent until proven otherwise.
Cooley’s lawyer, Daniel Conway of Gary Myers, Daniel Conway & Associates, could not immediately be reached for comment.
Christensen said there is a possibility the trial may not occur if Cooley reaches a plea deal.
"He could offer to retire instead of going to court, and he could accept that," he said. "It'll probably be a while before this gets to trial [because the Air Force] has to come up with a panel of general officers senior to Cooley that are going to be fair and impartial, and it may take them a while to do that."
Cooley, who was removed from his post in January 2020, was already under investigation at the time by the Air Force Office of Special Investigation for alleged misconduct.
Cooley became commander of the Air Force Research Laboratory in May 2017, according to his official service biography. Prior to that, he was the program executive for programs and integration at the Missile Defense Agency at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama.
"The military has got a long ways to go into solving its sexual assault problem the accountability or lack thereof but it's a good step," Christensen said.
https://www.military.com/daily-news/2021/04/21/air-force-two-star-general-face-court-martial-sexual-assault-charge.html
Daily Mail Sues Google Over Downranked Search Results
The owner of the Daily Mail newspaper and MailOnline website has filed a lawsuit against Google, which they accuse of having too much control over online advertising, and de-ranking Daily Mail articles in google search results, according to the BBC.
The lawsuit claims that Google "punishes" publishers who don't sell enough advertising space in its marketplace.
Google has called the claims "meritless."
Associated Newspapers' concerns stem from its assessment that its coverage of the Royal Family in 2021 has been downplayed in search results.
For example, it claims that British users searching for broadcaster Piers Morgan's comments on the Duchess of Sussex following an interview with Oprah Winfrey were more likely to see articles about Morgan produced by smaller, regional outlets.
That is despite the Daily Mail writing multiple stories a day about his comments around that time and employing him as a columnist. -BBC
[Try searching for any Zero Hedge articles about Wuhan labs or vaccine hesitancy]
According to Daily Mail editor emeritus Peter Wright, Google's tactics are "anti-competitive," and that the Mail's search results were downranked after using online advertising techniques "which were allowing us to divert advertising traffic away from Google to other ad exchanges, which paid better prices - and this was their punishment."
"We think it's time to call this company out," he added.
The Daily Mail online has over 75 million monthly unique visitors in the US alone, according to the lawsuit which was filed in a New York courtroom on Tuesday.
According to Google, the lawsuit is without merit.
"The Daily Mail's claims are completely inaccurate," said a Google spokeswoman. "The use of our ad tech tools has no bearing on how a publisher's website ranks in Google search."
"More generally, we compete in a crowded and competitive ad tech space where publishers have and exercise multiple options. The Daily Mail itself authorises dozens of ad tech companies to sell and manage their ad space, including Amazon, Verizon and more. We will defend ourselves against these meritless claims," she added.
Google also faces an antitrust lawsuit from the DOJ and several states' attorneys general.
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/daily-mail-sues-google-over-manipulated-search-results