dChan - Q Origins Project Archive

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Activity in the disputed waters has stepped up this year. The arrival of more than 200 Chinese fishing boats around a disputed reef in March triggered a diplomatic row between China and the Philippines.

The US reportedly sent a warship to the disputed Paracel Islands this week in what it said was a routine freedom of navigation operation. Chinese state media said it had been sent away with a warning.

The 2016 ruling technically undermined China’s claim to resources within the sea located within its controversial nine-dash line - an ambiguous territorial marker it has been using for 70 years to claim the bulk of the South China Sea. However, it has no enforcement mechanism and China has never recognised the decision.

Five south-east Asian countries have locked swords with Beijing in the resource-rich region: Japan, the Philippines, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei. Australia and the US have no territorial claims.

China also this week revived its criticism of Australia’s human rights record at the United Nations, in the latest sign Beijing has no plans to tone down its rhetoric against the Morrison government.

China’s Foreign Ministry singled out offshore detention centres, the treatment of Indigenous Australians and alleged war crimes in Afghanistan in what it said was evidence of “serious human rights violations”.

“While turning a blind eye to its own human rights abuses, Australia points fingers at other countries’ human rights conditions based on lies and rumours. This fully exposes Australia’s hypocrisy on human rights issues,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said on Monday.

Mr Zhao was the Chinese foreign ministry official who angered Prime Minister Scott Morrison last year by tweeting a doctored photo of an Australian soldier slitting the throat of an Afghan boy. In March this year, he also compared Australian government’s refugee detention centres to concentration camps.

His comments echoed some made by China in Geneva last week at the UN Human Rights Council’s regular review of Australia’s human rights performance.

Mr Zhao said on Monday “hate crimes” targeting African-Australians, Asian-Australians, Muslims and Indigenous people in Australia were serious.

Most of his criticism focused on the treatment of Indigenous Australians during the early days of colonisation, the White Australia policy and high unemployment and low life expectancy among Indigenous Australians.

He reiterated criticism of off-shore detention centres and accused Australian troops of committing war crimes in Afghanistan.

https://www.afr.com/world/asia/china-australia-tensions-flare-over-south-china-sea-20210713-p589bm

Foreign Minister Marise Payne

Statement - Marking the 5th Anniversary of the South China Sea Arbitral Award

12 July 2021

Five years ago today, an Arbitral Tribunal established in accordance with the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) reached a clear and unanimous decision on the South China Sea arbitration between the Philippines and China.

It found that China’s claim to ‘historic rights’ or ‘maritime rights and interests’ established in the ‘long course of historical practice’ in the South China Sea were inconsistent with UNCLOS and, to the extent of that inconsistency, invalid.

The Australian Government has consistently called on the parties to the arbitration to abide by the Tribunal’s decision, which is final and binding on both China and the Philippines.

Our position is guided by our principled support for international law and UNCLOS. UNCLOS sets out the legal framework within which all activities in the oceans and seas must be carried out. It contains clear rules that apply to all countries for maritime claims, the lawful uses of maritime spaces, including freedom of navigation and overflight, and the peaceful resolution of disputes.

Adherence to international law is fundamental to the continuing peace, prosperity and stability of our region. It allows all states – big and small – to resolve disputes peacefully.

Australia will continue to support the right of all countries to seek to resolve disputes peacefully and in accordance with international law, including UNCLOS.

https://www.foreignminister.gov.au/minister/marise-payne/media-release/marking-5th-anniversary-south-china-sea-arbitral-award

Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the Commonwealth of Australia

Chinese Embassy Spokesperson's Remarks - 2021/07/13

We deplore the recent statement by the Australian side on the South China Sea issue. China's sovereignty, rights and interests in the South China Sea have been formed in the course of a long history. They are supported by abundant historical and legal basis and upheld by the Chinese government all along.

The South China Sea arbitration violated the principle of state consent. The arbitral tribunal exercised its jurisdiction ultra vires and rendered an award in disregard of law. The arbitration has major fallacies in fact-finding and application of law and violates UNCLOS and international law. The award of the arbitration is illegal, null and void. China does not accept or participate in the arbitration, nor does it accept or recognize the award.

China and countries concerned have effectively managed differences through dialogue and consultation. China firmly protects the friendly, cooperative relations with regional countries, and firmly safeguards peace and stability in the South China Sea. We urge the Australian side to view the historical merits and facts of the South China Sea issue in an objective manner and stop any political manipulation.

http://au.china-embassy.org/eng/sghdxwfb_1/t1891607.htm

Transcript - Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian's Regular Press Conference on July 12, 2021

China News Service: The 47th Session of the Human Rights Council deliberated on the Third Cycle of Universal Periodic Review on the human rights conditions in Australia. The representative of China criticized human rights problems in Australia. Russia, Syria and the UN Refugee Agency also expressed their concerns. Australian media commented that "the strongest public criticism came from China". What is your take on that?

Zhao Lijian: China's criticism is the strongest because there is solid evidence for Australia's numerous human rights violations.

The systemic discrimination and hate crimes targeting African Australians, Asian Australians and other minorities as well as Muslims and Indigenous people are very serious in Australia. Historically, Australia committed genocide and forced labor against the Indigenous people, which led to massacre and enslavement. The Indigenous population ranged from 750,000 to one million before colonization. But it fell to 74,000 in the 1930s. The Indigenous people were deprived cruelly of their languages and cultural rights. From 1910 to 1970, the Australian government adopted the White Australia policy and assimilation policy. It established English residential schools where the Indigenous students were forced to go so that they were separated from their families and their groups. In the schools, the students were banned from speaking their Indigenous languages, which brought 110 out of the 300-plus languages to the verge of extinction. Australia forced the adoption of nearly 100,000 Indigenous children in white families or specialized institutions to cut their language and cultural ties with their original groups, making them a "stolen generation".

Even till this day, the Indigenous Australians are living in dire situations. From 2018, the average unemployment rate of the Indigenous people is around 20%, nearly four times that of the national average. The average life expectancy of Indigenous Australians is 7.8 to 8.6 years shorter than that of non-Indigenous people. The infant and child mortality rate is twice that of other groups. By March 2020, Indigenous people account for nearly 30% of the incarcerated in Australia, far higher than the proportion of Indigenous population.

In addition, Australia set up off-shore detention centers in third countries, where a large number of immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers are forcibly detained for a long time or indefinitely with their basic human rights gravely violated. Australian troops committed serious war crimes in their overseas military operations in Afghanistan and other places. But they get away unpunished.

While turning a blind eye to its own human rights abuses, Australia points fingers at other countries' human rights conditions based on lies and rumors. This fully exposes Australia's hypocrisy on human rights issues. The Australian side should stop attacking and smearing other countries under the human rights pretext, do some soul-searching and resolve its own human rights issues well.

https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/mfa_eng/xwfw_665399/s2510_665401/2511_665403/t1891450.shtml

Anonymous ID: fb6445 July 13, 2021, 3:38 a.m. No.14112492 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>5769

Australia needs to do some soul-searching and put its own house in order.

SpokespersonCHN发言人办公室

Jul 12, 2021

It's hypocritical for Australia to point fingers at others' human rights conditions based on lies, while turning a blind eye to its own human rights abuses. Australia needs to do some soul-searching and put its own house in order.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRvDLWqz40A

Chinese spy ship returns to waters off Queensland ahead of Defence's largest war-fighting exercise

Andrew Greene - 14 July 2021

The Australian military is closely tracking a high-tech Chinese surveillance ship making its way towards Queensland ahead of large-scale military exercises which begin this week.

Defence sources have told the ABC the auxiliary general intelligence (AGI) vessel Tianwangxing (which translates as "Uranus") is scheduled to arrive on Friday.

The vessel is then expected to monitor the Talisman Sabre 2021 war games involving Australia and the United States, which will be officially opened today.

Defence Minister Peter Dutton confirmed Australian Defence Force (ADF) assets had been closely monitoring the Chinese military vessel for "several days".

"We are aware that the People's Liberation Army (Navy) general intelligence ship Tianwangxing is approaching Australia's east coast via the Torres Strait," he said.

"We have been monitoring its approach to Australia for several days as part of Australia's broader surveillance effort."

In 2019, the same Type 815 vessel was also tracked by the ADF as it travelled to Australia to monitor the biennial Talisman Sabre war games.

The Tianwangxing is fitted with advanced communications systems including several clearly visible spherical domes, which shield dish antennas that collect and intercept radio signals and give it a distinct profile.

"We fully expected a ship of this class to arrive in our region during the exercise and have planned for its presence, as we do for every iteration," Mr Dutton said.

"The presence of similar vessels did not detract from Talisman Sabre 2017 or Talisman Sabre 2019, and we are confident that it will not impede this year," he added.

A military official, who spoke to the ABC on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to comment publicly, said the Tianwangxing was keeping a deliberately low profile.

"The ship is in full EMCON (emissions control) at the moment, only broadcasting signals it absolutely has to," the official said.

"[It is only] responding to calls and hails by insisting that it is operating in accordance with international maritime law".

In a veiled reference to Beijing's activities in the South China Sea, Mr Dutton said Australia "respects the right of all states to exercise freedom of navigation and overflight in international waters and airspace, just as we expect others to respect our right to do the same".

Talisman Sabre is described as "Australia's largest war-fighting exercise", but this year the number of international participants has been scaled back due to COVID-19.

Along with forces from the United States and Japan, this year the activity will also include military personnel from Canada, South Korea, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.

The Chinese Type 815 ship is expected to remain outside Australian territorial waters but within Australia's Exclusive Economic Zone in the Coral Sea as it monitors the fortnight-long war games.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-07-14/chinese-spy-ship-returns-to-australian-waters/100289192

Talisman Sabre Tweet

1 more sleep until #TalismanSabre!

International forces? ✔

#COVID safe? ✔

Geared up & ready? ✔

The opening ceremony will be held tomorrow & #TS21 activities will ramp up over the coming days. Don't miss out on the action & stay tuned on our socials!

bit. ly/TS21-Info-

https://twitter.com/TalismanSabre/status/1414762617638375425

https://www1.defence.gov.au/exercises/talisman-sabre-21

Talisman Sabre Tweet

We are on!

Australia’s largest joint exercise with the US #TalismanSabre is now underway with the opening ceremony held at #AusAirForce Base Amberley.

bit. ly/TS21-

https://twitter.com/TalismanSabre/status/1415144073682378757

https://news.defence.gov.au/capability/show-strength-talisman-sabre

Show of strength for Talisman Sabre

Major Cameron Jamieson - 13 July 2021

The stage is set for the ADF and its United States (US) partners to undertake high-end joint land combat against a capable enemy force during the field component of Exercise Talisman Sabre 21 (TS21).

Starting this month, the ninth iteration of the biennial exercise will see ADF forces advancing to contact as part of a campaign to defeat an enemy force operating along the north-eastern coastline.

The land component of TS21 will focus on a combined Australian-US effort to close with and destroy an enemy force that has lodged and is defending key terrain.

The land manoeuvre will be executed in concert with amphibious and maritime manoeuvre forces, supported by offensive air support, and the overarching coalition joint force operations will be coordinated by the ADF’s Deployable Joint Force Headquarters.

Commander of ADF’s Deployable Joint Force Headquarters Major General Jake Ellwood said the latest TS exercise was essential in guaranteeing that high levels of interoperability were further enhanced between US and Australian forces.

“Talisman Sabre demonstrates that American and Australian militaries can quickly join forces and execute highly complex multi-domain operations in a demanding environment,” Major General Ellwood said.

“The exercise will also provide an opportunity for forces from the United Kingdom and Japan to operate alongside Australian and US forces during the amphibious landings, and some broader participation by forces from Canada, New Zealand and the Republic of Korea.

“Overall, these exercises provide an outstanding opportunity to develop broader interoperability with friends, partners and allies within the region and further afield.”

Major General Ellwood said TS21 was an opportunity to highlight that it is the sum of many capabilities, drawn together through high levels of interoperability, which makes for a highly potent and agile force.

“Our forces will yet again stand ready to operate side by side in any circumstance, be it to provide humanitarian support, to maintain peace or to fight,” Major General Ellwood said.

https://news.defence.gov.au/capability/show-strength-talisman-sabre

Talisman Sabre Tweet

Some shots from todays ceremony!

#YourADF and @DeptofDefense marked the commencement of Exercise #TalismanSabre at #AusAirForce Base Amberley today.

#TalismanSabre2021 #TS21

https://twitter.com/TalismanSabre/status/1415205016952922117

Anonymous ID: fb6445 July 14, 2021, 2:53 a.m. No.14120016 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>0020

Royal Marines Tweet

Down Under…

#RoyalMarines of @40commando have returned to Australia for @TalismanSabre. Commandos began their deployment acting as a 'pre-landing force' to pave the way for larger amphibious forces to land ashore.

Check it out: http://ow. ly/xToN50FsC2a

https://twitter.com/RoyalMarines/status/1413503821683126273

https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/news-and-latest-activity/news/2021/july/09/210709-royal-marines-in-australia

>>14120016

Royal Marines head on training raids in Australia

royalnavy.mod.uk - 09 July 2021

Royal Marines have carried out raids on sun-scorched beaches in North Queensland at the beginning of a busy deployment alongside allies in Australia.

Bravo Company of Taunton-based 40 Commando landed from helicopter carrier HMAS Canberra – flagship of the Royal Australian Navy – alongside troops of the 2nd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, in the Cowley Beach Training Area, nearly 10,000 miles away from their Somerset home.

The commandos attached to the Australian light amphibious infantry to form a ‘pre-landing force’ designed to secure beaches and beachheads to clear the way for larger amphibious forces to land ashore.

The green berets and A Company of the 2nd Battalion carried out patrols before Chinooks and landing craft brought in waves of troops, armoured vehicles and artillery to shore for the main thrust inland, all with Australian Tiger attack helicopters in support overhead.

It marks the commandos’ return to Australia’s eastern coast to continue their work started in 2019, when they also attached to the 2nd Battalion.

“Over the next three days we practised break contact drills, navigation and patrolling through the jungle in our small 12-man team, as well as being shown and taught drills by our Aussie partners,” said Bravo Company’s Marine Sam Eva.

“This included beach marking, their landing drills and their rendezvous point drills.”

The marines swam 400 metres to shore in the waters of the Coral Sea from their landing craft and patrolled into the wilds of the training area, which is in a 19-mile zone on the Queensland coastline and also includes Lindquist Island, one of a string of protected islands in the region.

The commandos were ashore three days ahead of the main force completing their missions and worked in small 12-man teams on a range of intensive training scenarios, before later launching raids via Chinook alongside A Company from HMAS Canberra later in the exercises, known as Sea Explorer.

This was all part of preparations for the upcoming Exercise Talisman Sabre, which is Australia’s largest war-fighting exercise that takes place every two years.

On the sun-scorched terrain and on idyllic beaches, the commandos are spending part of the Aussie winter, in which temperatures can still reach 27°c, attaching themselves to the 2nd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment and training with allies from the USA, Canada, Japan, Republic of Korea, and New Zealand.

Talisman Sabre has been scaled back this year because of Covid-19 guidelines, with a maximum of 2,000 troops from outside Australia taking part in the exercises around the Shoalwater Bay Training Area and Townsville - around 150 miles south of where the marines have been training so far.

“The deployment will give Bravo Company the opportunity to work with their Australian counterparts and other allies, allowing us to strengthen relationships, test each other’s skills and lay the foundations for future joint operations,” said 40 Commando’s Lance Corporal Miller.

Talisman Sabre will include amphibious landings, field and logistics training, urban operations, air combat and maritime exercises.

Bravo Company completed preparations for going Down Under with a mountain training and tactical exercise around Garelochhead in Scotland, including climbing Beinn Ime and Ben Vorlich.

LCpl Miller said: “The aim was to practise our navigation, teamwork and mountain skills while summiting these peaks.

“Over the two days we were fortunate enough to experience some of the most breath-taking views in the UK and also experience every type of weather Scotland had to offer.”

The arduous exercises also included working in small 12-man teams – a part of the evolving way in which Royal Marines’ are working – for the first time for many of the marines and using small drones to assist in making battlefield decisions.

https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/news-and-latest-activity/news/2021/july/09/210709-royal-marines-in-australia

Australia ‘very wary’ of Chinese spy ship sitting off Queensland coast

Anthony Galloway - July 14, 2021

Prime Minister Scott Morrison says Australia is wary of a high-tech Chinese surveillance ship sitting off the Queensland coast monitoring military exercises between Australian and American forces.

The Chinese vessel is keeping an eye on the biennial Talisman Sabre war games involving Australia and the United States, which were officially opened for 2021 on Wednesday afternoon.

The Australian Defence Force has been monitoring the Chinese spy vessel, called the Tianwangxing, for a number of weeks. The auxiliary general intelligence ship, which is fitted with advanced communications systems, is sitting within Australia’s Exclusive Economic Zone but outside its territorial waters.

Similar Chinese ships sat off Australia’s coast and monitored the war games in 2017 and 2019.

Mr Morrison said the vessel was not in Australia’s territorial waters, but the government was still “very wary” of the Chinese ship’s presence.

“We are wary, I’ve got to tell you,” he told radio station 2SM.

“But they are in an area where they are allowed to be, and we know they are there and we are keeping a close eye on it.”

Mr Morrison said Australia supports freedom of navigation in international waters and expected similar treatment when Australian ships operate near China’s territory. Australia has so far resisted conducting freedom of navigation exercises in the South China Sea.

“They’re allowed to be there and the law says they can be there – the Law of the Sea – just like the law says we can be up in the South China Sea,” Mr Morrison said.

“And so we would just simply say that we think the same tolerances and the same appreciation of those international laws should apply.

“Of course we watch them. And they are watching us.”

Defence Minister Peter Dutton said the Australian government “fully expected” a ship of this nature to be arriving in the region during the joint exercises with the US and had “planned for its presence”.

“The presence of similar vessels did not detract from TS17 or TS19 and we are confident that it will not impede this year,” he said.

“Australia respects the right of all states to exercise freedom of navigation and overflight in international waters and airspace, just as we expect others to respect our right to do the same.”

Liberal MP Dave Sharma, a former senior diplomat, said the Chinese ship’s presence “does not strike me as the act of a friendly nation”.

A spokesperson for Defence said it was aware the ship was approaching Australia’s east coast via the Torres Strait.

“Australia monitors all vessels operating in our maritime approaches,” the spokesperson said.

https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/australia-very-wary-of-chinese-spy-ship-sitting-off-queensland-coast-20210714-p589pi.html

Anonymous ID: fb6445 July 14, 2021, 3:47 a.m. No.14120179 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>0184

Murdoch and his press empire fuel anti-China feelings using media as a political weapon

GT staff reporters - Jul 14, 2021

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A survey conducted by the Australia Institute shows that more than 42 percent of Australians believe that China and Australia will go to war sooner or later.

Where are Australians getting this inexplicable unease and fear? Observers and analysts point out that Rupert Murdoch, an Australian-born American media tycoon, has played a major role in this, acting as a sugar daddy behind the global anti-China opinion front.

Murdoch's media empire spans the globe. Through his company, News Corp, he owns a large amount of big name media brands such as The Wall Street Journal, The Sun, The Australian and Fox News.

At the moment, Murdoch and his News Corp seem to be weaving a web of anti-China opinion around the world, willfully using their media power as a political weapon. Meanwhile, widespread anger is brewing with the unrest caused by the unethical "reports" of his media legions.

Agitator of negative feelings towards China

It is no longer news that China-Australia relations are now frozen. But few people probably know that this situation might have been fueled by the media outlets owned by Murdoch's News Corp.

In the early stages of the COVID-19 outbreak, some Australians helped the Chinese Embassy collect medical supplies to support Chinese people in the fight against the pandemic. Unfortunately, these actions were not reported by Australian mainstream media, which instead amplified the rumors that Chinese overseas companies were hoarding medical supplies and causing shortages in the Australian market.

When the epidemic began to rage in Australia, local media turned a blind eye to the fact that Chinese organizations had assisted a number of Australian companies in sourcing epidemic prevention supplies in China but continued to smear China. These claims were ultimately proven to be completely nonsense but they did serious damage to China's image in the eyes of the Australian public.

Observers pointed out that such a consistent negative environment in the public opinion against China is inseparable from News Corp which has the absolute monopoly of the Australian press.

Murdoch controls 70 percent of Australia's print media, notably The Australian, the national daily newspaper with the largest circulation. He also owns Sky News Australia and the most popular website in the country, Australian News.Net.

The Global Times found that it is difficult to see much objective reporting on China in these Australian media outlets under News Corp, who keep hyping the "China threat theory" and repeatedly spin lies on topics like Hong Kong, Xinjiang, Tibet and 5G technology.

In addition to these clichés, they have also created rumors like Chinese "interference" in Australian politics, news reporting, and academic freedom. Fueled by these fake news, some Australians have even come to the absurd realization that anyone in Australia who is not hostile to Beijing is likely to be suspected of being a spy.

The Global Times also learned that the conspiracy theory that "the novel coronavirus disease came from Wuhan Institute of Virology" was first created and spread by News Corp's media.

Australian "celebrity journalist" Sharri Markson has been publishing "exclusives" in News Corp's The Daily Telegraph and The Australian since May last year with a clear "formula" for fabricating anti-China rumors: first, find or create a piece of information out of nothing; second, package it into "top-secret intelligence documents" to create a sense of mystery and credibility; and third, interpret and distort it wildly to slander China.

Even if these stories turn out to be unfounded, after they are amplified by similar news agencies, the slander against China still leaves a bad image.

Murdoch's chain of production of conspiracy theories about China in Australia has also been replicated by News Corp in the UK and the US.

For example, Fox News, an American multinational cable news television channel, has made several statements against intellectual property such as "China's theft of US intellectual property" and "compensation from China for the COVID-19 outbreak," which have manipulated public opinion against China.

(continued)

>>14120179

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Loss in the Chinese market

Murdoch was born in 1931 in Australia. His father, Keith Murdoch, also worked in the newspaper industry but never built a media empire. He left to his son the Sunday Mail and The News, both in Adelaide, which had a low circulation back then. But what Murdoch learned from his father is how to use the power of media as political influence.

Murdoch later travelled to London and since then, British politics has never been quiet. Murdoch was instrumental in both the election of Margaret Thatcher and Tony Blair and, in more recent years, Brexit.

In the US, Fox News has always been the opinion ground of the right-wing conservatives who have continuously tried to make waves in American society.

In May 2020, former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd wrote an article on the Guardian titled "The Murdoch media's China coronavirus conspiracy has one aim: get Trump re-elected." He pointed out that what Murdoch was doing was influencing US presidential politics.

In an interview with Esquire in 2008, Murdoch said that he loved competition and all he wanted is to win.

Therefore, journalism ethnics were never an option in Murdoch's business philosophy.

In order to win, his journalists will go to any lengths, even fabricating stories. In 2011, Britain's News of the World had to close after it was involved in a scandal about the hacking of government officials to obtain news.

Several analysts pointed out that Murdoch is a media baron with no moral bottom line.

Murdoch once harbored the ambition of entering the Chinese market. In 1993, he purchased Star Media and actively participated in the establishment of Phoenix TV. In 1999, he married Deng Wendi as his third wife who also became News Corp's "main helper" to enter China.

However, after failing to get the approval from China's broadcast regulator in 2005, News Corp acquired the evening time slot from Qinghai Satellite TV. It changed the platform logo to bypass supervision and aired some programs from Star TV in the mainland which were later suspended for passing the red line.

Since then, News Corp's business in the mainland has been gradually hampered. It decided to sell its main assets in China in August 2010. At that point, the development center of Murdoch's media group in Asia shifted from China to India.

Come for profit, go for loss. After that, Murdoch's media immediately took a sharp turn towards China.

The eventual backfire

The West, which allowed the expansion of Murdoch's media power, has seen him continue to grow and that has backfired.

In Australia, Murdoch holds enormous political influence.

He has been accused of involvement in several leadership changes in Australia. Australian former prime ministers like Kevin Rudd and Malcolm Turnbull have cited News Corp and its huge influence as a reason for their downfall. Moreover, the few Australian media outlets that News Corp does not own have described Turnbull's fall as a "coup" led by Murdoch.

As a result, Rudd repeatedly criticized Murdoch by calling him "an arrogant cancer on democracy" and launched a petition calling for a royal commission into News Corp's dominance of Australian media, arguing that Rupert Murdoch's media companies employ tactics that "chill free speech and undermine public debate," the Guardian reported.

In Britain, Murdoch's tabloid The Sun has long presented readers with a demonized view of the European Union which has been directly linked with the subsequent Brexit deal. British politics has been in turmoil ever since.

In the United States, Fox News controls the real power of the American right-wing media and was a staunch ally of the Trump administration. In 2016, Murdoch briefly assumed the direction of Fox News and helped propel Trump into the White House by sharply reducing the visibility of Trump's opponents during the election campaign.

The "Foxification" has deeply poisoned American society.

A survey in March found that only 12 percent of Fox News viewers believed that climate change was caused by humans, compared with 62 percent of the rest of the United States.

Murdoch and his media groups are bringing about political chaos and social division in many countries like the US, Britain and Australia, and continues to promote a social anti-intellectual tide and the rise of right-wing forces.

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202107/1228601.shtml

>>14035922

Chinese Consulate General in Sydney Tweet

Papua New Guinea(#PNG) is the third pacific island country to administer Chinese #vaccines across the country, which demonstrates China's firm commitment to making its vaccines a global public good and a practical move to promote building a global community of health for all.

https://twitter.com/ChinaConSydney/status/1415235032394858502

Anonymous ID: fb6445 July 14, 2021, 3:58 a.m. No.14120228 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>0237

Australian exports to China surge to new high

WILL GLASGOW - JULY 14, 2021

Australia’s exports to China have set a thumping new record in the first six months of 2021, underlining the “strategic nightmare” of Beijing’s dependence on West Australian iron ore.

Elevated iron ore prices motored Australia’s goods exports to $US76.8 billion ($103bn) for the first half of the year — up 36 per cent, or more than a third, on the previous record first six months in 2019.

Australia’s share of China’s total goods imports also hit a record high at 6.1 per cent, according to data released by China’s customs officials.

“The total value of goods exports to China hasn’t just eclipsed the previous record high — it has smashed it,” said James Laurenceson, director of the Australia-China Relations Institute at Sydney’s University of Technology.

Australia’s surging exports to China were achieved despite a 15-month-long trade coercion campaign by Xi Jinping’s administration after the Morrison government last April called for an independent inquiry into the origins of the coronavirus.

Imports of iron ore, a key ingredient in steelmaking, have continued to enter China without any trouble at customs.

Huge demand from China’s steelmakers — along with supply problems from rival iron ore producer Brazil — have seen Australia achieve record export levels during the worst period in the bilateral relationship in half a century.

China imports more than 60 per cent of its iron ore from Australia, a situation Australia’s former Ambassador to China Geoff Raby has called a “nightmare” for Beijing’s strategic and defence planners.

The party-controlled tabloid the Global Times said the new trade numbers showed there was an “urgent need for the country to diversify” from Australian iron ore.

“The rapid increase in iron ore prices has greatly boosted the costs of steel production in China, driving up the steel prices and other downstream production costs, which is not conducive to the country‘s economic development,” the Global Times wrote in an editorial.

Beijing’s unofficial ban of Australian coking coal — previously its dominant supplier — has sharply increased the cost of the other main ingredient for China’s steelmakers.

China’s officials have complained about the high price of iron ore and the country’s dependence on Australia as a supplier for more than a decade.

The Rudd government in 2009 blocked an attempt by the Chinese state giant Chinalco to buy Rio Tinto, which along with BHP is the biggest iron ore producer in Australia.

Chinalco still owns 15 per cent of Rio Tinto.

The two companies are together developing the Simandou iron ore mine in West Africa, an ambitious project which Beijing hopes will reduce iron ore prices.

Australian iron ore is far from the only import of concern for Xi’s leadership team.

China’s top source of imports is Taiwan, which it considers a wayward province and was the source of 9.1 per cent of China’s goods imports in the first half of 2021.

Taiwan’s semiconductor industry is the dominant supplier for mainland Chinese tech giants.

The new customs data shows that China’s next five biggest sources of imports in the first half of 2021 were allies of its biggest strategic rival the United States and the US itself.

Japan was in second place with an 8 per cent share, followed by South Korea (7.9 per cent), the US (7 per cent), Australia (6.1 per cent) and Germany (4.8 per cent).

Professor Laurenceson said China has had political disputes with all of its top five import sources.

“So clearly trade and some political tension with China can coexist,” he said.

“But no other exporter is facing the same breadth of trade disruption that Australia is.”

Along with iron ore, liquefied natural gas — Australia’s second biggest export to China — has been undisturbed.

Sales of Australian wool, another resource on which Chinese producers are dependent, are also at record levels.

The wine and lobster industries have felt the most pain.

A more than 200 per cent tariff on Australian wine exports last November shuttered the $1.3 billion export trade almost overnight.

The hugely China-exposed $600m lobster trade has also been devastated after they were added to Beijing’s unofficial blacklist 8 months ago.

US President Joe Biden’s top Asia adviser Kurt Campbell last week warned that Beijing’s punishment of Australia “appears to be unyielding” and advised the Morrison government to settle in “for the long haul”.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/australian-exports-to-china-surge-to-new-high/news-story/c7546f5d17b136239f40e0c639b36b1b

>>14120228

GT Voice: Surging iron ore prices fuel China’s diversification efforts

Global Times - Jul 13, 2021

Despite the continuous decline in volume, China's iron ore imports in June still recorded a rebound in value from the previous month, an indication that it has become an urgent need for the country to diversify sourcing of the commodity.

China's iron ore imports reached 89.42 million tons in June, down 0.4 percent from May, while in US dollar terms, the import value grew 7.43 percent month-on-month to $16.78 billion, according to Chinese customs data released on Tuesday.

Among all the key commodities China imported in the first half of this year, the difference between the trends of the volume and value in China's iron ore trade is the most obvious. While iron ore imports gained 2.6 percent to 560.71 million tons in the first six months, the value of which surged 85.6 percent in US dollar terms to $93.01 billion, showed customs data.

The figures point to the stark fact that with iron ore prices surging to record highs, the urgency of China's diversification efforts has also been raised to an unprecedented level.

The rapid increase in iron ore prices has greatly boosted the costs of steel production in China, driving up the steel prices and other downstream production costs, which is not conducive to the country's economic development. Moreover, it is not just China's domestic industries that have suffered from the overheated prices, the global industrial chain may have also seen the adverse impact of the price transmission. This is because China is also a major steel exporter with total steel exports at 37.38 million tons in the first half of 2021.

At a time when China, as the world's largest iron ore consumer, hasn't sharply increased the import of the raw materials so far this year, there are also doubts as to whether the demand arisen from the global economic recovery was that strong to prop up the rapid climb of iron ore prices in recent months.

Against the backdrop, Chinese regulators have taken measures aimed at clamping down on soaring iron ore prices. Last month, China investigated the trading volume and prices of iron ore as part of its effort to stabilize the domestic market. Yet, it remains to be seen how iron ore prices will perform in the future.

Meanwhile, regardless of how complex the reasons are behind the iron ore pricing, there is a growing consensus that China needs to accelerate its iron ore diversification push in an all-round approach.

While at least 60 percent of China's iron ore imports is from Australia, other iron ore suppliers such as Brazil, India and South Africa are also believed to have the potential when it comes to increased supplies to China. In the first six months of this year, trade between China and South Africa soared 70.4 percent in US dollar terms, followed by trade between China and India with a growth of 62.7 percent, both outperforming the former's trade performance with other major trading partners. The iron ore trade is probably a big contribution behind such spectacular trade performance.

In addition, improving the utilization rate of steel scrap is also considered a necessary move to help reduce China's dependence on iron ore imports. In 2020, China's scrap utilization reached 260 million tons, which is estimated to reach 320 million tons by 2025, according to media reports.

Overall, the adverse impact of the record high iron ore prices on relevant industries has strengthened China's resolve to diversify the supplies of the important commodity, and such effort is bound to pay off as time goes by.

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202107/1228581.shtml

Anonymous ID: fb6445 July 14, 2021, 4:05 a.m. No.14120266 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>0270

US vows to work with Australia to oppose China’s ‘unfair’ trade practices

European Union set to join as third party if dispute between Australia and China moves to next stage at World Trade Organization

Daniel Hurst - 14 Jul 2021

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The Biden administration has vowed to work with Australia to push back against China’s “unfair” trade practices, as the Morrison government seeks international support to fight Beijing’s tariffs on Australian wine.

With the US declaring it has “Australia’s back”, Guardian Australia has learned the European Union is also set to join as a third party if the dispute between Australia and China moves to the next stage at the World Trade Organization.

Trade experts say Australia stands to gain from the involvement of major players such as the EU and US, because they have larger ranks of trade litigation specialists and the wine dispute is likely to be more complicated than the barley tariff fight.

The trade minister, Dan Tehan, is set to fly from Vietnam to Japan on Wednesday as part of a two-week trip seeking to diversify Australia’s trade links amid growing tensions with China and to “champion support for a functioning global rules-based trading system”.

The US, EU, Japan and the United Kingdom are among those to have already joined as third parties in the WTO case on China’s decision to impose hefty tariffs on Australian barley, the first of a series of trade actions taken by Beijing as the relationship deteriorated last year.

But it is understood Australia has not yet received any requests to join the consultations on the more recently launched challenge against China’s tariffs on Australian wine.

In both cases, China has argued the tariffs are justified by Australia “dumping” products at low cost on the Chinese market and propping up the sectors with unfair subsidies – claims Australia denies.

Over the past two weeks, Guardian Australia has made inquiries with a range of countries as to whether they are likely to join as third parties in the case over the wine tariffs.

A spokesperson for the US Trade Representative (USTR) responded that the US was “engaging with allies such as Australia on addressing China’s unfair, non-market, and anti-democratic practices that harm our workers and businesses”.

The USTR, Katherine Tai, and Tehan had committed to enhance cooperation, the spokesperson said, adding: “The United States will pursue those shared objectives through the WTO as appropriate.”

A spokesperson for the American embassy in Canberra also said the US would “work with friends and allies to push back forcefully when we see countries attempt to undermine” the rules-based international order.

“We have Australia’s back against economic coercion, and other countries do too,” the US embassy spokesperson said.

The comments may be seen as an attempt to push back at China’s bid to drive a wedge between Australia and its US ally on trade. Some analysts in Australia also believe Australia suffered collateral damage from the Trump administration’s trade tactics.

(continued)

>>14120266

2/2

A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, Zhao Lijian, last week amplified claims American exporters to China had gained at the expense of Australian exporters.

Zhao said Australia was acting “as a cat’s paw” for the US, and Australians were paying for their government’s “misguided policies”.

“We will not allow any country to reap benefits from doing business with China while groundlessly accusing and smearing China and undermining China’s core interests based on ideology,” Zhao said.

Australia formally requested consultations with China on the wine tariffs late last month, a step that must occur before a WTO panel can be established to hear the dispute.

Guardian Australia understands the EU will join as a third party if the issue cannot be resolved in talks, seeking to ensure WTO rules are consistently and correctly interpreted and applied. That would not mean the EU was taking sides.

The UK said it reserved its rights “in disputes where it has a substantial interest”.

“We will be following the matter closely and look forward to seeing the parties’ submissions in due course,” a spokesperson for the Department for International Trade said.

New Zealand said it had not made a decision to join any additional disputes “at this stage” but noted it frequently joined cases.

New Zealand had joined the barley case “because it raises systemic issues of importance to the effective functioning of the multilateral rules-based trading system”, a Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokesperson said.

“The system is currently facing unprecedented pressures – not least as a result of the trade impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic.”

A source at the Japanese embassy in Canberra said Japan had joined the barley case “to engage constructively from the viewpoint of reinforcing the multilateral free trade system and facilitating peaceful resolution” of the dispute.

The source would not say whether Japan was likely to join the wine dispute, but it was “regularly exchanging views on trade issues with Australian government at various levels”.

“We see the implications of these issues are not limited to those between Australia and China; similar issues have arisen to a number of other counties including Japan,” the source at the Japanese embassy said.

“Japan also has the experience in the past of facing export restrictions by China on rare earths and requested and realised an establishment of WTO panels.”

Canada said it had been speaking on an ongoing basis with Australia to support and strengthen the rules-based trading system, and “continues to assess” whether to participate in the wine dispute. It had already joined the barley case.

“China’s trade remedy duties on Australian barley could have effects on global trade in barley, including on Canadian barley,” Global Affairs Canada said.

Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the trade-reliant country “attaches great importance to the rules-based multilateral trading system” and had participated as a third party in the majority of disputes brought to the WTO over the past year.

Trade experts predict the barley dispute could take two to three years to conclude, while the wine one could take even longer.

Jeffrey Wilson, the research director at the Perth USAsia Centre, said in both cases Australia would have to turn up with a complex set of legal arguments – a task that could be assisted by third parties with greater legal capacity.

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/jul/14/us-vows-to-work-with-australia-to-oppose-chinas-unfair-trade-practices

Pedophile NSW priest placed in custody

Greta Stonehouse - 14 July 2021

A Catholic priest convicted of sexually abusing 12 young boys in NSW, including one he told was "pleasing a man of God", awaits his sentencing behind bars.

Anthony William Peter Caruana, 79, has been found guilty of 26 charges including four counts of homosexual sex, the last being a majority verdict reached on Wednesday before the jury was discharged on a final count of indecent assault.

Judge Robyn Tupman thanked the jurors for all their time and effort following nearly 11 days of deliberation they "studiously attended to," and six weeks of evidence.

She said they were "perhaps overwhelmed by some of the things" heard.

The teacher and dormitory master took advantage of young boys at training, on excursions, in their rooms, and other parts of Chevalier College in NSW Southern Highlands, in the 1980s.

As a rugby coach, he held onto one 12-year-old's genitals while showing him how to pack a scrum, at a swimming carnival he grabbed those of a year-seven boy underwater after calling him over in the pool.

He attacked one 13-year-old multiple times in the band storage room while cleaning musical instruments.

On one occasion he grabbed the teenager's hands, forcing them down his pants, saying words to the effect of "God will love you if you do what I say" and "you're pleasing a man of God" as the boy struggled against his grip.

The former conductor testified that he never indecently touched any of the children, including one to whom he read his mother's monthly letters inside his own private room upstairs and not in the public dormitory.

He claimed his visits to the shower blocks were to ensure "no bastardisation," of big boys bullying the little ones, and denied fondling children in the dormitory saying they would playfully jump on him.

But in 1989 he left the school after complaints were made about his conduct towards those under his authority.

That same year, a questionnaire was filled out in Caruana's handwriting that demonstrated his sexual interest in boys aged 11 to 15.

One response spoke of feeling there might be something wrong with "my sexual problem".

"I was always worried it would be found out and now that it has, it has shattered me," read an answer to a question about having a "bad feeling".

When asked about any desire to change something by "magic", he responded: "This feeling I have towards young boys".

In giving evidence Caruana said he had left out a crucial part of the passage, which should have read "in my dreams".

Despite admitting to his former Missionaries of the Sacred Heart manager that he was a pedophile in the 1990s, in the witness box he said it was all because of "his dreams" that he had been worried.

Judge Tupman said she would recommend that Caruana be placed in "strict segregation given the nature of offences and his vulnerable age," when placed in custody.

Up to 12 of the complainants are expected to write victim impact statements for Caruana's sentence hearing on August 18.

His bail was revoked following the final verdict.

https://thewest.com.au/news/crime/pedophile-nsw-priest-placed-in-custody-c-3400366

Media seeks urgent hearing for Afghan witnesses in Roberts-Smith case

Michaela Whitbourn - July 14, 2021

Media outlets being sued for defamation by Ben Roberts-Smith have asked the Federal Court to hear evidence urgently from four Afghan witnesses in Kabul amid a deterioration in the security situation, but the war veteran’s lawyers say it would be too risky to hold a hearing during Sydney’s COVID-19 outbreak.

Sydney’s growing cluster of COVID-19 cases has wrought havoc with the Federal Court trial and in late June Justice Anthony Besanko called a four-week halt in the case against The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald.

Justice Besanko had scheduled a planning hearing for July 19, with a view to resuming the trial a week later on July 26. However, the NSW government confirmed on Wednesday that a lockdown in Greater Sydney, now in its third week, would be extended by at least another two weeks from Monday.

Lawyers for the media outlets have asked the court to consider resuming the trial for one week only to hear evidence from four Afghan witnesses who will be questioned via videolink from Kabul while the parties appear in a courtroom in Sydney. The witnesses are living in a safe house in Kabul awaiting the call to give evidence.

Counsel for the media companies, Nicholas Owens, SC, has previously told the court “the security situation in Afghanistan is deteriorating rapidly” following the withdrawal of coalition forces.

But Mr Roberts-Smith’s barrister, Bruce McClintock, SC, told the court during an online hearing on Wednesday that “we are very concerned about the public health aspects of such a hearing”.

“Since your Honour adjourned the proceedings two weeks ago, the situation vis-a-vis the virus has worsened very considerably in NSW,” he said. “We are not in any sense trying to prevent the respondents calling the Afghan witnesses, but we do have real concerns about the practicality of doing so and the public health risks.”

About 20 people would need to be present in the courtroom to hear from the Afghan witnesses, Mr McClintock said. He said at least one of the Afghan witnesses was accusing Mr Roberts-Smith of a murder and it would be “unfair and unjust to try and cut back the representation” to mitigate the public health risk.

Mr McClintock said he believed there was a “negligible” chance the trial could resume on its scheduled start date of July 26, and Mr Owens agreed, “unless there is a dramatic change”.

When the trial was adjourned, it had entered its fourth week of what is anticipated to be a run of up to 10 weeks.

Mr Roberts-Smith is suing The Age, the Herald and The Canberra Times over a series of stories starting in June 2018 that he alleges accuse him of war crimes and an act of domestic violence against a woman with whom he was having an extramarital affair. He denies all wrongdoing. The media outlets are seeking to rely on a defence of truth.

Mr McClintock suggested it might be necessary for Justice Besanko to consider relocating the trial to Adelaide or Perth if, for example, Sydney entered a protracted lockdown “for another two months”.

“If we need to keep this case going, depending on what happens in Sydney, it may be necessary to consider those things,” he said.

The parties return to online court on Monday to make submissions on issues related to the Afghan witnesses.

https://www.smh.com.au/national/media-outlets-want-urgent-hearing-for-afghan-witnesses-in-ben-roberts-smith-trial-20210714-p589is.html

Talisman Sabre 2021 Opening Ceremony

Department of Defence Australia

Jul 15, 2021

The official Opening Ceremony to launch Exercise Talisman Sabre 2021 (TS21) took place at RAAF Base Amberley on 14 July 2021. VIPs in attendance included the Minister for Defence Peter Dutton, US Acting Charge d Áffaires Gavin Sundwall, and Chief of the Defence Force Angus Campbell.

Held every two years, TS21 is the largest bilateral training activity between Australia and the United States. This year's exercise also includes forces from Canada, Japan, the Republic of Korea, New Zealand and the United Kingdom

TS21 aims to test Australian interoperability with the United States and other participating forces in complex warfighting scenarios including, force preparation (logistic) activities, amphibious landings, ground force manoeuvres, urban operations, air combat and maritime operations.

All attending participants within the large-scale operations adhere to COVID-19 safe guidelines.

More here: https://news.defence.gov.au/capability/talisman-sabre-kicks-queensland

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQN2fvcVqO0

We are ready - Talisman Sabre 2021

Department of Defence Australia

Jul 15, 2021

Thousands of troops have deployed to the Townsville Field Training Area ready to take part in Australia's largest bilateral training activity with the United States, Talisman Sabre 2021 (TS21).

The ADF conducts the Exercise with the United States Defense Force and a number of other nations every two years to test Australia's interoperability in complex warfighting scenarios. This year Townsville is playing an important part in the activity with military personnel setting off from Lavarack Barracks.

More here: https://news.defence.gov.au/international/sabre-drawn-troops-ready-action

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CgH2b3UA-P8

Ambassador YAMAGAMI Shingo Tweet

Attended opening ceremony of Exercise @TalismanSabre 2021.

Japanese warship and 2nd Amphibious Rapid Deployment Regiment of #JGSDF @ModJapan_en are participating.

Looking forward to many more exercises with Flag of Australia to maintain and strengthen a #FreeAndOpenIndoPacific.

https://twitter.com/YamagamiShingo/status/1415471695859650563

Anonymous ID: fb6445 July 15, 2021, 1:30 a.m. No.14127067 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>7077

Department of Defence Tweet

The Talisman 'Sabre' has been drawn in Townsville, Queensland!

#AusArmy troops have hit the ground running, ready to train alongside their (United States) counterparts.

bit. ly/WeReady-

#YourADF #TS21 #TalismanSabre2021 @TalismanSabre

https://twitter.com/DeptDefence/status/1415581979865718795

https://news.defence.gov.au/international/sabre-drawn-troops-ready-action

>>14127067

Sabre drawn, troops ready for action

Flight Lieutenant Chloe Stevenson - 15 July 2021

The Talisman ‘Sabre’ has been drawn in Townsville, Queensland, for Australia’s largest bilateral training activity with the United States.

Thousands of troops are preparing to deploy into the Townsville Field Training Area in the coming days.

Exercise Talisman Sabre (TS21) is conducted every two years with the United States Defence Force and a number of other nations.

This year, Townsville is playing an important part of the activity, with military personnel setting off from Lavarack Barracks.

Commander 3rd Brigade Brigadier Kahlil Fegan said his forces were ready to hit the ground running with their foreign military partners after the exercise began on July 14.

“Exercise Talisman Sabre is strategically important because it’s an opportunity to train with one of our key coalition partners, the United States, in an environment that prepares Australian forces for high-end warfighting,” Brigadier Fegan said.

“It’s an opportunity for our soldiers – from our senior officers right through to our newest soldiers – to operate with foreign soldiers and understand how they work so if we ever have to work together in a contested environment, we can.

“This year we'll have the great pleasure of being able to train with a number of other nations in our own backyard up in the Townsville Field Training Area, up in the ranges.”

Explaining the exercise scenario for his soldiers, Brigadier Fegan said, in simple terms, it was about helping Australia’s neighbours.

“Our part of the exercise is based around the scenario whereby a fictitious foreign country, offshore to Australia, is dealing with a situation where an enemy force has manifested,” he said.

“As a result, the Australian Government has been asked to send in forces to help deal with that threat and restore that particular nation to normal government and governance.

“So that’s the scenario we are dealing with this year. It is exceptionally complex.

“There’s a lot of detail in it, and that makes the challenge of what we'll be doing with it very exciting.”

Private Jesse Stroud from the 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, said he was excited to get to work out in the training area.

“During Talisman Sabre, I'll be an all-terrain vehicle driver, driving the quad bikes, the six-wheelers,” Private Stroud said.

“The vehicles ferry the stores throughout Talisman Sabre, so we stay pretty close to platoon headquarters.

“Today we are just getting them cammed up [camouflaged] and putting the stores on the vehicles and getting them ready to take up to the high range.

“What I’m looking forward to on Talisman Sabre is doing my job and driving the vehicles.

“This is my first Talisman Sabre, so it will be good to see all the joint services working together.

“We've got US Marines, Air Force, and the Navy involved; just that joint task force, so it will be good.”

TS21 is taking place across Queensland and involves more than 17,000 military personnel, including from the United States, Canada, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.

There are fewer international participants than previous years due to COVID-19 travel restrictions.

Exercise observer personnel from India, Indonesia, France and Germany were based in Australia.

All the foreign forces entering Australia have complied with state quarantine and travel requirements.

TS21 began on July 14, and activities will peak between July 18 and 31.

You can view more images here.

Follow the Exercise Talisman Sabre 2021 action here:

Twitter - https://twitter.com/TalismanSabre

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/talismansabre/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/talismansabre/?hl=en

Exercise Talisman Sabre 2021 - https://www1.defence.gov.au/exercises/talisman-sabre-21

https://news.defence.gov.au/international/sabre-drawn-troops-ready-action

Talisman Sabre Tweet

A #TS21 first

The @USArmy will fire a Patriot missile for first time in Australia during #TalismanSabre.

http://bit. ly/Patriot-AUS

#YourADF #TalismanSabre2021 #AlliesAndPartners

https://twitter.com/TalismanSabre/status/1415515328444911616

https://www.stripes.com/branches/army/2021-07-14/talisman-sabre-exercise-australia-patriot-missile-2145244.html

>>14127084

US Army to fire Patriot missile for first time in Australia during Talisman Sabre

SETH ROBSON - JULY 14, 2021

A combined task force of 17,000 U.S., Australian, New Zealand, Japanese, South Korean and British troops kicked off the biennial Talisman Sabre drills Wednesday in Australia.

The participants include a U.S. expeditionary strike group from the USS America, the amphibious assault ship based at Sasebo Naval Base, Japan, along with 70 fixed-wing aircraft and 50 helicopters, task force commander Australian Army Maj. Gen. Jake Ellwood said in a telephone interview from Royal Australian Air Force Base Amberley in Brisbane.

Live-fire training is scheduled at Shoalwater Bay, Queensland, but participants will range as far afield as Darwin in the Northern Territory and Evans Head, New South Wales.

A Patriot missile defense system will fire from Shoalwater Bay at a pair of drone targets on Friday.

“This will be the first time a Patriot has fired from Australian shores,” Ellwood aid.

The Patriot was brought south by troops from the 38th Air Defense Artillery Brigade out of Sagami General Depot, Japan, according to deputy exercise director U.S. Army Col. Jerry Hall.

The proposal to deploy the missile defense system to Australia was hatched in 2009, he said during the same interview from RAAF Amberley.

A key part of the exercise is getting U.S. and Australian forces to work together with the Patriot, Hall said. The U.S. Army coordinates its employment of the system closely with the Air Force to integrate air and missile defense.

Australian Sen. Jim Molan, a retired major general, wrote in The Australian newspaper May 3 that his country was “more than likely” to experience a missile attack in any conflict between the U.S. and China.

“Many ordinary Australians, not just those who personally -experienced global conflict, are awakening to the sombre reality that war is not just possible in our region, but likely,” he wrote.

Talisman Sabre will also involve space, cyber, land, air and sea operations, Ellwood said.

U.S., Australian, British and Japanese troops will operate together from Australia’s amphibious ship, the HMAS Canberra, he added.

Japanese forces Down Under include the newly formed Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade, a force modeled after the U.S. Marine Corps that’s charged with defending outer islands. The unit sent troops to Talisman Sabre in 2019.

Australia has developed its amphibious forces in recent years, Ellwood said.

“We are capable of significant amphibious operations,” he said, noting the ability of the Canberra and Australia’s other amphibious ship, the HMAS Adelaide, to conduct simultaneous operations during the 2019 exercise.

About 5,000 members of the U.S. expeditionary strike group will not go ashore during the training but about 2,000 other U.S. troops have just emerged from two weeks in quarantine, Hall said.

Getting thousands of troops into Australia during the coronavirus pandemic has been an extra challenge, he said, comparing it to adding another warfighting domain.

https://www.stripes.com/branches/army/2021-07-14/talisman-sabre-exercise-australia-patriot-missile-2145244.html

Melbourne joins Sydney in lockdown as COVID-19 spreads in Australia

Byron Kaye and Renju Jose - July 15, 2021

SYDNEY, July 15 (Reuters) - The Australian state of Victoria was ordered into a five-day lockdown on Thursday following a spike in COVID-19 infections, joining Sydney as the country's two main population hubs battle an outbreak of the highly contagious Delta variant.

From midnight, the state of 6.6 million people was told to stay home except for grocery shopping, essential work, exercise, healthcare and getting vaccinated. The lockdown in Australia's second-largest city of Melbourne is its fifth since the pandemic began a year and a half ago.

Combined with a stay-home order already in force in Sydney, the measure means nearly half Australia's 25 million population is under lockdown.

"You only get one chance to go hard and go fast," Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews told a televised news conference.

"If you wait, if you hesitate, if you doubt, then you will always be looking back wishing you had done more earlier. I am not prepared to avoid a five-day lockdown now only to find ourselves in a five-week or a five-month lockdown."

Melbourne spent about third of 2020 under curfew as the epicentre of the country's initial outbreak, suffering most of Australia's 31,400 cases and 912 deaths to date.

But it had largely avoided new infections while an outbreak in a Sydney beachfront suburb - 900km (560 miles) north - quickly spread through that city and surrounding areas last month.

That changed this week when a team of Sydney furniture movers travelled to Melbourne while infectious and introduced the virus to an apartment building.

By Thursday, dozens of Melbourne venues were listed as virus-exposed including a shopping centre, public transport routes and the famous Melbourne Cricket Ground stadium during a football match attended by thousands of people.

After nearly two weeks without a new case, the state had recorded 18 new infections in the past two days, spooking authorities who have emphasised the ease with which the Delta variant can travel between even passing contacts.

Adjoining South Australia state reintroduced mandatory quarantine for people arriving from Victoria, while neighbouring New Zealand also suspended quarantine-free arrivals from the state. With a "travel bubble" pause already in place with New South Wales, most direct flights between the countries are now effectively grounded.

STABILISING SYDNEY

The Victoria lockdown came as the New South Wales authorities reported a dip in daily cases, prompting hopes that a lockdown in place in Greater Sydney since June 26 will not be extended beyond a scheduled end date later this month.

"Whilst the case numbers are bouncing around, we are seeing a stabilisation. They are not growing exponentially," Premier Gladys Berejiklian said in Sydney.

Berejiklian described the new case numbers as a "welcome drop", but warned infections could rise due to the growing number of infected people moving around in the community, particularly in Sydney's south-west.

Case numbers would still need to drop significantly for the city to leave lockdown, given 28 out of the 65 new infections reported were people active in the community, she added.

Of the more than 900 people in New South Wales who have been infected during the latest outbreak, 73 have been moved to hospital, with 19 people in intensive care. Two deaths have been reported, the first for the country this year.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison, under pressure due to a sputtering vaccination rollout, said he would ask state leaders at a pandemic cabinet meeting on Friday to endorse a new programme of relief payments for businesses impacted by lockdowns.

Lockdowns "should be a last resort but sometimes with the Delta variant you come to that position a lot more quickly than you used to", Morrison said.

Just over 12% Australia's adult population of around 20.5 million have been fully vaccinated, with officials pointing to changing medical advice for vaccines and supply constraints.

https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/australia-tracking-fresh-covid-19-cluster-melbourne-linked-sydney-outbreak-2021-07-14/

Anonymous ID: fb6445 July 15, 2021, 2:39 a.m. No.14127190 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>7192

>>14085909

Lead singer gets 28 years prison for raping girls as young as 12

Lead singer Daniel “Jimmy” Hanson has been sentenced to 28 years’ prison for child rape and sexual assault of girls as young as 12 that he lured using his status as a band front man.

Candace Sutton - JULY 15, 2021

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Lead singer Daniel “Jimmy” Hanson has been sentenced to 28 years’ prison for child rape and sexual assault of girls as young as 12 that he lured using his status as a popular musician.

The former frontman for bands Falling for Beloved and We Built Atlantis bowed his head in the NSW District Court as Judge Penelope Hock read out the sickening details of his crimes.

Beamed into the court from Shortland Correctional Centre in Newcastle, NSW, he kept his eyes cast down as the Judge listed his sexual acts against 14 females, “who were all children with two exceptions”.

She described how he used “a degree of force” and “caused pain” and “trauma” to the girls’ intimate parts during nine years of “unrepentant continual predatory sexual offending”.

In two cases, he put his hands around the girls’ necks, one who was nine years younger than him having had his “hand around her throat and pulling her hair”.

Hanson’s tactics to lure his victims, Judge Hock said, included flattery, threats, and coercion against girls, one of whom was 10 years younger than him.

He would convince the girls to take a bus ride in their school uniform, then he raped and sexually assaulted them at a favourite location, a stormwater drain under an overpass at Jesmond, west of Newcastle.

Other locations included his home, or when he became homeless, the living room of a 14-year-old whose mother had allowed him to sleep there, assaulting the girl two to three times a week for up to three months.

Appearing in prison greens from the maximum security prison in Cessnock, the 34-year-old listened as Judge Hock outlined his typical modus operandi as a well-known entertainer seeking sex from underage girls.

He would meet young girls at his band’s live gigs, flatter them, send them nude photographs, trick them into frightening sexual encounters and swear them to secrecy.

Hanson would use coded references for sexual favours he forced on the girls, calling them “besties things”.

Hanson pleaded guilty to 23 charges of child sex and indecent assault, including having sexual intercourse with a person aged between 10 and 14, and being an adult maintaining an unlawful relationship with a child.

Two offences of persistent sexual abuse of a child carry a maximum penalty of life in prison.

The offences were committed on victims aged from 12 to 22 years, between 2005 and 2014.

In custody since his arrest in 2019, Hanson’s earliest release date will be after a total of 21 years served, in August 2040.

The NSW District Court heard he befriended a 12-year-old year 7 girl on MySpace using the name “Jimmy Beloved” and claiming he was 18 years old.

Actually aged 22 at the time, he flattered her telling her she was “his bestie and she was beautiful”, Judge Hock told the court.

He met her off the bus at Jesmond and took her to the stormwater drain where he indecently assaulted her, then sexually assaulted using force.

When she refused, he became “agitated and insistent” and she “was frightened but wanted to please him”.

On the next occasion, he committed sexual intercourse on the 12-year-old causing her pain, the committed another sexual act.

In messages afterwards, he said: “good girl. It’s our little secret, don’t tell anyone”.

(continued)

>>14127190

2/2

On the third occasion, by which time he’d turned 23, he again caused her pain and when she asked him to stop because it hurt, did not and then “became angry and said he would walk her back to the station”.

One victim who entered a relationship with Hanson recalled a party at which he had become so intoxicated that he passed out and he was angry because people were laughing at him when he woke up.

Hanson then pushed the girl “with such force she fell to the ground”.

On another occasion he became angry and pushed her so that she fell, hitting her head on a cupboard.

Judge Hock described victim impact statements delivered to the court last week as “eloquent” depictions of how their young lives had been devastated by Hanson.

She said the young women had experienced “self harm, feelings of worthlessness, panic attacks” and that one had said, “my teenage years were stolen from me”.

One victim described how Hanson had “love bombed” her when she was a 14-year-old girl, convinced her to wag school and then “raped her at a storm water drain”.

It was one of six victim impact statements read at Hanson’s sentencing hearing last week

The now grown woman described how she had felt “broken and unfixable” with her innocence stolen.

“I was brainwashed into thinking this was something special,” she said, NewsLocal reported.

While “barely a woman” she had become “the victim of sustained and psychological abuse” and had struggled to rebuild her life since.

The District Court heard how the victims’ encounters with Hanson had disastrous effects on their lives, resulting in nightmares, flashbacks, isolation and loss of control.

Court documents revealed between the ages of 18 and 24, Hanson showed sexual interest in young women under 16 and would use his status and popularity to seek sex from fans, going by the pseudonym “Jimmy Beloved”.

Police facts detailed how he would meet young girls at live gigs, ask for their phone number before sending them messages of a sexual nature, including nude photographs.

Then he would lure them into having frightening sex encounters, telling them “it’s our little secret”.

One victim was just 12 when he repeatedly sexually assaulted her.

In a victim impact statement she said he would say, “If you want to be best friend, we have to do besties things”, which was a reference to sexual favours.

Another victim told of her numerous suicide attempts following the abuse, feelings of shame, guilt and fatigue.

“My scars are a constant reminder of what you put me through. Each day is a battle mentally and physically, my first intimate experience was destroyed,” she read to the court.

“I now feel empowered, brave and determined, moving forward and never taking a step backwards.”

A letter written by Hanson was read out to the court, in which he expressed his remorse and claimed “full responsibility” for his actions.

“I am ashamed and embarrassed. The way I acted and what I did are totally unforgivable,” the statement said.

“I’m sorry for the pain and humiliation I have caused these women and their families.

“I won’t ask for leniency, I will use every day of my sentence to better myself, I am deeply sorry and hope my sentence can offer closure to my victims, and a chance to rebuild.”

Hanson’s barrister Peter Krisenthal said the offender had a difficult childhood during which he had been a victim of sexual assault when aged 11 and 12.

“It’s apparent at the time it was all about him, but he can see the malice of his behaviour, he’s accepted full responsibility. That is a powerful way of thinking,” Mr Krisenthal said.

However, Crown Prosecutor Karl Young said Hanson’s offending had taken place over many years and that the former singer had actively sought out young victims.

“There is some limited insight but a psychologist says he maintains distortions about some behaviour and seemed to accept responsibility for his conduct,” Mr Young told the court.

One of Hanson’s victims directly addressed the offender last week, telling him: “Today is the last day I identify as one of your victims.”

https://www.news.com.au/national/crime/lead-singer-gets-28-years-prison-for-raping-girls-as-young-as-12/news-story/c313a7a2c575296a3be5bce3fd7fca93

>>14020172

>>14105569

HIV-positive SA pedophile Jadd William Brooker admits to 38 crimes against children

HIV-positive pedophile Jadd William Brooker is officially one of the worst predators in SA history, having now admitted to 38 crimes against children.

Sean Fewster - July 15, 2021

HIV-positive pedophile Jadd William Brooker has confessed to two more child-abuse crimes – officially making him one of the worst sex criminals in South Australian history.

In the Adelaide Magistrates Court on Thursday, Brooker pleaded guilty to the final two charges that had been laid against him.

He admitted that, at Glenelg between January 1 and February 18, 2017, he produced child exploitation material.

He also pleaded guilty to having communicated with a child, for a prurient purpose, on November 6, 2018.

The confessions mean Brooker now stands to be sentenced, in the District Court, for 38 child-abuse and sex crimes committed over a six-year period.

Brooker, 38, of Glenelg East, has already earned two sentencing discounts for pleading guilty to dozens of child-sex charges.

He will receive up to 40 per cent off his prison time for confessing to seven crimes just weeks after his arrest in September, and 15 per cent for 32 guilty pleas in May.

Previously, the court has heard Brooker expressed his intention to infect adults and children with HIV and filmed himself attempting to do so, meaning a victim had to be tested.

Prosecutors alleged he had committed “category five” crimes – involving acts such as coerced bondage, sadism, torture or bestiality – against six children and teenagers.

They also alleged the 4.5 million files of child abuse material on Brooker’s electronic devices could link him to pedophiles in Australia and around the world.

Investigations into that material led to the arrests of ex-Labor staffer Ben Waters – who on Monday pleaded guilty – ex-corrections officer Stewart Iain Berry and a third man.

Prosecutors last month dropped two of Brooker’s remaining charges but said they would proceed with two more.

On Thursday, Brooker – who has been in custody since his arrest – was remanded in custody to face the District Court in September.

At that hearing, a date for sentencing submissions will be set.

https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/truecrimeaustralia/police-courts-sa/hivpositive-sa-pedophile-jadd-william-brooker-admits-to-38-crimes-against-children/news-story/813889f00436b5892592db39a12c622c

Andrew William Richards pleads guilty to paying $65k to child abusers

This man pleaded guilty to paying child abusers $65,000 to watch kids get victimised – now see him try to claim that he only did it to rescue them.

Sean Fewster - July 15, 2021

An Adelaide man has pleaded guilty to paying child abusers in the Philippines $65,000 to watch their crimes live and online over a 15-year period.

In the Adelaide Magistrates Court on Thursday, Andrew William Richards confessed to abhorrent crimes that leave him liable to serve a 25-year prison term.

Outside court, however, Richards told a different story – insisting he had acted to help law enforcement officials around the world, not encourage harm to children.

He claimed to have spent the money purchasing “17 houses” for orphans to live in, saving them from a life of exploitation, and that he was proud of what he had done.

“I was into child rescue … you’ve got to have pictures and that to win the confidence of the terrorists,” he said.

Asked why he had pleaded guilty, Richards replied: “I’m not going to fight … I want the truth to come out, and it’s going to come out.”

Richards, 62, of Elizabeth, pleaded to two counts of encouraging child sex offences outside of Australia and using a carriage service to access child exploitation material.

He was arrested by the SA Joint Anti Child Exploitation Team in July last year, following investigations by another agency.

The Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre identified and singled out payments he had made, and was making, to persons in the Philippines.

Court documents assert that, since 2006, Richards had paid “known facilitators of child abuse material” approximately $65,000 to view their activities.

During a search of Richards’ home, officers located child abuse material and extensive communication with residents of the Philippines.

Information gleaned during the search was provided to Philippines authorities to try to identify the victims and perpetrators.

On Thursday, after entering his guilty pleas, Richards was remanded on continuing bail to face the District Court in September, when a date for sentencing will be set.

Outside court, Richards said he looked forward to his September hearing.

“I grabbed them to use them for the terrorists, to gain their confidence, so someone could go and do the rescue,” he said.

“I bought 17 houses over the years … it’s where the kids ended up safe and secure because they’re all orphans.

“Everything will come out in the wash at the end … the name of the game is getting into the District Court, then it will all come out.”

https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/truecrimeaustralia/police-courts-sa/andrew-william-richards-pleads-guilty-to-paying-65k-to-child-abusers/news-story/9a0a05b7118a20344e4968c2aad1b3ec

Anonymous ID: fb6445 July 15, 2021, 3:06 a.m. No.14127248 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>3450

State’s venue policy and China link an arts-breaker in Western Australia

PAUL GARVEY - JULY 14, 2021

Performers from regions annexed by China have been barred from appearing at venues owned by the Western Australian government.

Any event linked to the likes of Taiwan or Tibet would be prohibited from hiring most of Perth’s major performance venues under a policy prepared this year by the Perth Theatre Trust.

The policy, which has also been used to bar the Australian Christian Lobby from renting venues across WA, prohibits bookings from organisations “identifying with countries whose political status is unclear or in dispute”.

“This includes countries which have been annexed, occupied or have otherwise declared their independence,” it says.

The hire policy drew a furious response from ethnic groups and foreign policy experts, who said it appeared to be aimed at appeasing China. WA Premier Mark McGowan has been an outspoken advocate for China, by far WA’s biggest trading partner, and has criticised the federal government and Prime Minister Scott Morrison over their handling of Australia’s relationship with the superpower.

Ramila Chanisheff, head of the Australian Uyghur Tangritagh Women’s Association, said the policy was “baffling” and went against Australian values of equality. “It’s just abhorrent to hear, it is difficult to believe, and I would question whether it’s legal,” she said.

Her association is a frequent user of government-owned venues in other states and has never encountered resistance from government agencies.

Zoe Bedford, the executive officer at the Australia Tibet Council, was shocked to learn of the policy and said it appeared a clear result of Chinese pressure. “This sort of interference is definitely creeping into Australian institutions. It’s really damaging, it shuts down free speech and stops people from hearing about human rights concerns in China.”

Michael Shoebridge, the director of defence, strategy and national security at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, said the policy appeared to be squarely aimed at Taiwan, despite engagement with the country being aligned with Australia’s position.

He said if there was increased sensitivity to cultural performances, it should be aimed at Chinese state-directed events that are a “clear” part of China’s plans to build influence in Australia.

“Australia needs to be doing more to engage with Taiwanese entities, including performing arts, business, education and other people-to-people links as a deliberate way of helping reverse the international isolation that Beijing has been inflicting on Taiwan and its people,” he said.

Last year, the Perth Theatre Trust apologised to the Chinese government after it allowed the Taiwanese Acrobatic Troupe to perform at the State Theatre Centre.

Clive Hamilton, a professor of public ethics at Charles Sturt University and author of Silent Invasion: China’s Influence in Australia, said the policy reflected the “unseemly” relationship between China and WA’s political and business leaders.

“I would bet my bottom dollar that the Perth Theatre Trust has been pressured by a Chinese entity in adopting that policy,” he said. “It amounts to a violation of the principle of artistic independence and it’s the type of thing that should never take place in Australia.”

The latest hire policy was approved by the Trust on March 15 and updated again on July 1.

The policy could complicate any events linked to a host of groups from around the world, including any with links to Palestine, West Papua or other disputed territories.

Richard McGregor, a senior fellow at the Lowy Institute, said the WA government’s closeness with China meant it was obvious the policy was aimed at Taiwan. “The WA government is very open about its desire to have enduringly close relations with China and if that means stopping pro-Taiwan groups from booking theatres, that would obviously advance that cause,” he said.

The Perth Theatre Trust was contacted for comment.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/states-venue-policy-and-china-link-an-artsbreaker-in-western-australia/news-story/2adacf08c27fc06a085871df4ca7faf3

>>14064462

Defence minister wary of Taliban turncoats

Daniel McCulloch - 15 July 2021

Peter Dutton has fanned fears Afghan interpreters seeking safety in Australia may have switched allegiances to the Taliban.

The defence minister is under growing pressure over delays in processing visa applications as the security situation in Afghanistan rapidly deteriorates.

Hundreds of Afghan interpreters, contractors and security guards who worked for Australia are seeking protection as the Taliban reclaims control of the country.

Graphic videos have emerged of Taliban tactical and military commanders conducting brutal and bloody reprisals following the departure of allied troops.

Mr Dutton said Australia needed to be wary about which Afghans were allowed into the country.

"We will bend over backwards as we've done to support those people who have helped our defence personnel out but it's not a blanket approval process," he told 2GB radio on Thursday.

"Somebody who was loyal and faithful to us in 2012 or 2013 might now be friends with the Taliban or switched allegiances."

The minister also raised concerns about the scope of some applications.

"There are applicants that have made their application to include extended family members," he said.

"Now, we don't do that. We are not taking cousins and great aunts and the rest of it. It is immediate family."

Mr Dutton raised the hypothetical prospect of bringing somebody out with question marks over their security, only for the individual to commit a terrorist attack in five or 10 years.

"People would rightly condemn us and we're just not going to compromise on the checks and balances we have got in place," he said.

The minister has previously made similar arguments about Lebanese people brought to Australia after a civil war in the 1970s.

"Let's learn from the mistakes we made in the past and make sure we continue to have an intake through the migration program that is in our country's best interests," Mr Dutton said.

"We are generous, that's the reality, and we provide support to those people that have protected and saved the lives of our diggers.

"But in some of those cases, where those people pose a security threat, they are not coming to our country."

https://thewest.com.au/politics/defence-minister-wary-of-taliban-turncoats-c-3407732

Commonwealth prosecutors drop charge against Geraldton man relating to importing child-like sex doll

Francesca Mann - 16 July 2021

A WA Midwest man, accused of importing a child-like sex doll, has had the charge levelled against him dismissed.

The 62-year-old man was one of two Geraldton men charged by the Australian Border Force (ABF) late last year, after officers intercepted two air cargo packages from Hong Kong as part of separate investigations.

He had previously indicated through his lawyer he would plead not guilty to the charge of importing a tier two prohibited good.

But the prosecutor told the Geraldton Magistrate's Court on Monday that the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions (CDPP) would not pursue the case.

In a statement, the CDPP said the matter had been assessed and would not proceed "as there were no reasonable prospects of conviction."

ABF officers also charged the 62-year-old with possessing child exploitation material after a search of his house last year.

He pleaded not guilty to the charges on Monday and his bail was extended ahead of his next appearance in the Geraldton District Court in October.

A second Geraldton man, who was also charged with importing a tier two prohibited good, will face court later this month.

The 65-year-old has not yet been required to enter a plea.

Under the Customs Act, prohibited tier two goods include child abuse material, weapons, some chemicals and human tissue.

The maximum penalty for importing a tier two good is 10 years' imprisonment and fines of up to $555,000.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-07-16/child-like-sex-doll-charge-dropped/100297428

George Papadopoulos Tweet

Alexander Downer accused of spying by US Republicans in Mueller probe | 7NEWS

https://twitter.com/GeorgePapa19/status/1415752992020652036

—

Alexander Downer accused of spying by US Republicans in Mueller probe

Kelly Burke - 25 July 2019

The former Trump staffer at the heart of allegations into Russian interference in the 2016 US presidential election has taken to Twitter to attack the former Australian foreign affairs minister and ambassador to the UK.

George Papadopoulos has accused Alexander Downer of being a "Clinton errand boy and a wannabe spy", after former US Special Counsel Robert Mueller was grilled in a congressional hearing in Washington DC on Wednesday.

The questioning centred on a now-infamous meeting at a London bar in May 2016 between Downer, who was then Australia's high commissioner to the UK, and Papadopoulos, who was working on Donald Trump's presidential campaign at the time.

The final report into Mueller's investigation into whether anyone on the Republican Trump team conspired with Russia to discredit his Democrat opponent - and whether Trump himself then sought to obstruct justice by hindering the investigation - named the meeting in the London bar as the catalyst for an FBI investigation into alleged Russian interference that was launched two months later.

Over gin and tonics at the swank Kensington Wine Rooms in London, Downer says Papadopoulos told him Russia was sitting on damaging material the could derail Hillary Clinton's campaign.

Papadopoulos, who was subsequently convicted of lying to the FBI, has consistently denied this allegation made by his nemesis, who he dubs "the Devil from Downunder" in his memoir Deep State Target.

Papadopoulos claims he was set up by Downer, who was acting for Australian, UK and US intelligence agencies, a claim the former Australian ambassador says is "a little bit sad".

Twitter taunt

On Tuesday, Downer appeared to be goading Papadopoulos on Twitter, by revisiting the Kensington Wine Rooms with his daughter Georgina and tagging the former Trump aide.

"With @GeorginaDowner at Kensington Wine Rooms. I’m spying on her for CIA, FBI, MI6, ASIS, ASIO and many more!!! Another fantastic conspiracy theory is born! @GeorgePapa19"

On Wednesday, Republicans peppered Mueller with questions about whether Downer had been sent to spy on Papadopoulos.

Ohio Republican Jim Jordan listed Downer and an Australian official, Erika Thompson, who was working with him at the time, as two of four "human sources" the FBI used to "swirl around" Papadopoulos.

"In one of these meetings, Mr Papadopoulos is talking to a foreign diplomat (Downer) and he tells the diplomat, 'Russians have dirt on Clinton'," Jordan said.

"That diplomat then contacts the FBI and the FBI opens an investigation based on that fact."

Russian connections

Papadopoulos, a 31-year-old from Chicago, pleaded guilty last year and was sentenced to 14 days' prison for lying to the FBI about his contact with Russian nationals and an inscrutable Maltese identity called Joseph Mifsud, who is believed to have high-level connections within the Russian government.

Papadopoulos claims it was Mifsud who told him Russia had dirt on Trump's presidential rival Clinton.

Devin Nunes, the top Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, suggested Downer was acting as an informant for the FBI.

"So Downer conveys a rumour he supposedly heard about a conversation between Papadopoulos and Joseph Mifsud," Nunes said to Mueller at Wednesday's hearing.

"(Former FBI director) James Comey has publicly called Mifsud a Russian agent.

"Yet your report does not refer to Mifsud as a Russian agent.

"Misfud has extensive contacts with Western governments and the FBI.

"For example, there was a recent photo of him standing next to Boris Johnson, the new prime minister of Great Britain.

"What we are trying to figure out here, Mr Mueller, is if our NATO allies or Boris Johnson have been compromised."

The hearing was shown a photo of Mifsud standing with Johnson.

Trump has claimed the Mueller report completely exonerated him from all allegations of Russian collusion and interference in the investigation.

In his congressional testimony on Wednesday, Mueller said he had not exonerated Trump of obstruction of justice.

But he said charges were never considered because he received legal advice that a sitting president was constitutionally immune from indictment and criminal prosecution.

However, Mueller agreed there was no legal impediment to a president being charged with a crime after leaving office.

https://7news.com.au/politics/world-politics/alexander-downer-accused-of-spying-by-us-republicans-in-mueller-probe-c-365172

‘Why I Spy’: ASIO’s new social media campaign to attract a more diverse group of recruits

The nation’s top spy agency is using Instagram and YouTube to recruit spooks in a new campaign aimed at increasing diversity in its ranks.

DAVID HURLEY - July 16, 2021

The nation’s top spy agency will launch a major recruitment drive on Friday and use social media to try and attract people from across the community.

The Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) “Why I Spy” campaign will launch on the spy agency’s Instagram page, which went live on Wednesday, before being rolled out on YouTube and Twitter.

The agency, which targets terrorists and foreign spies, will tell the stories of current employees to try and attract a diverse set of recruits.

More intelligence officers and analysts – the frontline staff who collect and connect the dots to keep Australians safe – are needed by the agency.

Mike Burgess, Director-General of ASIO, said a key aim of the campaign is to make the secretive agency as open and transparent as it can be.

“(It) highlights the diversity of ASIO’s curious, clever people – and the diversity of jobs we have available. People think spies are Bonds or Bournes, but real-world intelligence work is much more nuanced, and requires a far more complicated mindset,” Mr Burgess said

“ASIO is looking for clever, curious people who can think outside the box.

“There is no ASIO type – people of all types can work at ASIO.

“Our employees include former nurses, zoologists, teachers, engineers, music conductors, tradies, geologists, philosophers, surf lifesavers, lawyers and even journalists.

“Trench coats and fedoras are a fun throwback to our past, but not the reality anymore. Our spies are your neighbours and friends and members of your community. They are carers, parents, grandparents and community volunteers. They pay mortgages, coach sporting teams, look after loved ones.”

As part of the campaign Mr Burgess has shared the story of how he became the nation’s top spy.

After graduating from university he saw a mysterious job ad in a newspaper and rang for more information before being recruited.

One female intelligence analyst describes how she juggles being a mum with catching terrorists.

“My usual week consists of examining terrorist groups, going to the zoo, reading classified material, swimming lessons, briefing senior ASIO managers, and building Lego forts,” she said.

A male intelligence officer described being inspired to work for ASIO after the September 11 attacks.

“If you’d told me I’d grow up to be a spycatcher, I would have laughed at you,” he said.

“My first job was entering data on the night shift for the police … the 9/11 terrorist attacks profoundly changed my priorities.

“I landed a job as an ASIO admin officer and a couple of years later I became an intelligence officer.

“That’s how I caught my first spy. I didn’t catch him in the act … it didn’t play out like a movie.

“It started with a human source providing a scrap of information. We started connecting the dots.”

https://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/why-i-spy-asios-new-social-media-campaign-to-attract-a-more-diverse-group-of-recruits/news-story/f8dbfcda04113a4abeff89f1b5bc7947

https://www.instagram.com/p/CRWNcNeHhsS

https://www.instagram.com/asiogovau

https://twitter.com/ASIOGovAu

Anonymous ID: fb6445 July 16, 2021, 1:54 a.m. No.14134789 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>4793

>>14127084

Talisman Sabre Tweet

Here's a sneak peek of the US military rehearsing the first ever Patriot surface-to-air missile firing in Australia yesterday, with the actual firing taking place this morning at Shoalwater Bay.

Stay tuned for the real footage

http://bit. ly/PAT-AUS

#TalismanSabre #TS21

https://twitter.com/TalismanSabre/status/1415880293442015233

https://news.defence.gov.au/capability/patriot-missile-firing-will-be-first

>>14134789

Patriot missile firing will be a first

Private Jacob Joseph - 16 July 2021

At first glance, the rectangle crates might have looked innocuous, but the two containers loaded onto the US transporter housed some of the American firepower that will soon be on display during Exercise Talisman Sabre.

The pair of MIM-104 Patriot missiles were loaded for transport to a launcher at Shoalwater Bay ahead of the exercise in which they will be fired for the first time in the southern hemisphere.

They had been temporarily stored at an ammo point commanded by Captain Barend Nieuwoudt, of the 10th Force Support Battalion.

“There were a lot of checks and balances done to get these weapons and a lot of research to get the technical data we require,” Captain Nieuwoudt said.

The Patriot guided surface-to-air missile was developed in the 1980s to defend against aircraft and to provide cover for NATO forces against the signatories of the Warsaw Pact.

It was later upgraded to intercept tactical ballistic missiles and has since been deployed to the Middle East by the US and its allies.

Three different types of Patriot missiles are in service, according to US Army air-defence artilleryman Staff Sergeant Brendon Street, with the PAC-2 Patriot missiles to be fired during Talisman Sabre.

“Metal balls inside the missile shoot out and impact the warhead that’s coming in,” Staff Sergeant Street said.

During the firing, it is planned that missiles will track target drones more than 20km away at speeds of up to Mach 4.

Additional live-fire events will include M777 Howitzers and the US High Mobility Artillery Rocket System vehicle-based rocket artillery.

In another first, the advanced field artillery tactical data system will coordinate fires between Australia and United States artillery.

The live-fire will also include F/A-18s and naval gunfire from Australian, Japanese and American ships.

Talisman Sabre officially opened on July 14 with a ceremony in Brisbane.

This year, personnel from Canadian, Japanese, South Korean, New Zealand and UK militaries join a variety of US Defence Forces, including the Space Force, and Australian personnel for the exercise.

After the live-fire exercises at Shoalwater Bay, an amphibious landing will be conducted at Bowen before cavalry and infantry training in Townsville.

The exercise will finish at the end of the month.

Follow the Exercise Talisman Sabre 2021 action here:

Twitter - https://twitter.com/TalismanSabre

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/talismansabre

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/talismansabre

Exercise Talisman Sabre 2021 - https://www1.defence.gov.au/exercises/talisman-sabre-21

https://news.defence.gov.au/international/sabre-drawn-troops-ready-action

https://news.defence.gov.au/capability/patriot-missile-firing-will-be-first

Sydney tightens lockdown as Australia's COVID-19 cases rise

Byron Kaye - July 17, 2021

SYDNEY, July 17 (Reuters) - The Australian city of Sydney on Saturday ordered a shutdown of building sites, banned non-essential retail and threatened fines for employers who make staff come into the office as new COVID-19 cases kept rising three weeks into a citywide lockdown.

Authorities in New South Wales state, of which Sydney is the capital, also banned hundreds of thousands of people in the city's western suburbs - the worst affected area - from leaving their immediate neighbourhoods for work, as they recorded 111 new cases in the prior 24 hours, up from 97 the day before.

The state also recorded an additional death from the virus, taking the total to three since the start of the year and the national total to 913 since the pandemic began.

"I can't remember a time when our state has been challenged to such an extent," NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian told a televised news conference.

The city of 5 million people, Australia's largest, has been under lockdown since June 26, with a planned end date of July 30, after an airport transit driver brought the virus into the community and sparked an outbreak of the highly infectious variant, according to the authorities.

More than 1,000 people in the city and surrounding districts have since tested positive. Of most concern to health leaders is the number of infectious people who were active in the community before they tested positive, with 29 reported on Saturday, in line with previous days.

"We are chasing our tail in terms of the cases," state Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant said at the news conference.

NSW Police Deputy Commissioner Gary Worboys said the "tempo of the police response will increase" across Greater Sydney and regional areas.

Stores that can remain open in Sydney include supermarkets, pharmacies and hardware outlets. All building work must stop until July 30 including cleaning, property maintenance and home renovation, authorities said.

People who lived in three of Sydney's local government districts - with a total population of 612,000 - were banned from leaving their district for work unless they were emergency workers. The city already has a work-from-home directive for businesses, but employers who told staff to attend the office could be fined A$10,000 ($7,402.00).

Neighbouring Victoria state also reported a jump in daily COVID-19 cases to 19, from six the previous day, raising fears it may extend a short lockdown that was scheduled to end on Tuesday.

Victoria and Greater Sydney have a combined population of about 12 million people, meaning nearly half of Australia's population is under some form of lockdown.

All but one of the new cases in Victoria was active in the community before diagnosis, but every case was linked to a known chain of transmission, Victorian Health Minister Martin Foley said.

Australia avoided the high infection and fatality numbers of many other countries in the initial stages of the pandemic due to an assertive response that included closing borders, stay-home orders and economic stimulus measures.

But 18 months on, the federal government faces criticism over its sluggish vaccine rollout. Just over 10% of Australia's 25 million people are fully vaccinated, according to government data, a fraction of the rates in the United States and Britain.

Even so, Australia's death rate from the novel coronavirus, just over 900 deaths out of about 31,500 cases, is still low by comparison.

The Australian economy had surged back to life after dipping into recession last year, but the latest lockdowns and state border closures threaten to tip it back into negative growth.

No other states reported additional cases on Saturday.

($1 = 1.3510 Australian dollars)

https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/rising-covid-19-cases-australias-victoria-state-raise-prospect-longer-lockdown-2021-07-17/

Scott Morrison demands answers over COVID origins after WHO Wuhan lab leak concession

Scott Morrison has demanded answers over the origins of COVID-19 to “protect the world” from further pandemics.

Tyrone Clarke - July 16, 2021

Prime Minister Scott Morrison says the “world deserves answers” around the origins of COVID-19 after the WHO chief declared it was “premature” to rule out a leak from the Wuhan lab.

World Health Organisation Director-General Tedros Adhanom said China now had to cooperate with efforts to further investigate the virus’ origins and conceded there was a “premature push” to rule out a lab leak.

"We ask China to be transparent and open and to cooperate," he said during a news press conference in Geneva, Switzerland on Thursday.

Asked for Australia’s reaction to the Director-General’s statements, Mr Morrison said the Commonwealth had always wanted to know the truth about the origin of the virus “for the sake of world health”.

“What happened and how can we prevent it from happening again? That is just an honest Australian question,” the Prime Minister said.

“We don't know about the lab and whether that was the initiation of this or not. It may well have been, it may not have been.

“I don't have a view either way and I'm not in a position to make that judgement.”

Mr Morrison said Australia had always sought to understand the nature of the virus to “protect the world against a pandemic that has destroyed the lives of millions”.

The virus had also “destroyed the livelihoods of even more, and has destroyed the world,” he said.

“The world needs answers to this and the world deserves answers to this and those who have lost their lives and their livelihoods.

“They deserve answers and Australia will continue to ask the get those answers.”

It comes more than 12 months after the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Marise Payne led the world by calling for an independent inquiry into COVID-19.

The subsequent WHO investigation conducted jointly with Chinese researchers in Wuhan found the virus likely transmitted from bats to humans via another animal.

But calls have grown louder for China to allow another international scientific team to investigate the likelihood of a lab leak from the Wuhan Institute of Virology.

President Joe Biden in May ordered the US Intelligence Community to reinvestigate the origins of the COVID-19 virus with a renewed focus on the lab leak theory.

“The US intelligence community has ‘coalesced around two likely scenarios’ but has not reached a definitive conclusion on this question,” Mr Biden said.

https://www.skynews.com.au/australia-news/politics/scott-morrison-demands-answers-over-covid-origins-after-who-wuhan-lab-leak-concession/news-story/b0f36abb176d41fb2c5d77d3846cbf79

>>14141315

Premature to rule out lab leak: WHO

Sky News Australia

Jul 16, 2021

The head of the World Health Organisation has acknowledged it was premature to rule out a potential link between the coronavirus pandemic and a lab leak.

In a rare departure from his usual position, the director-general conceded investigations into the origins of the coronavirus in China was hindered by the absence of raw data.

He is now urging China to be more transparent.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2WEFoZ9DLw

Anonymous ID: fb6445 July 17, 2021, 1:06 a.m. No.14141323 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>7805

>>14141315

PM says world 'deserves answers' over COVID origins

Sky News Australia

Jul 16, 2021

Scott Morrison has demanded answers over the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic to “protect the world”.

Mr Morrison said the Commonwealth had always wanted to know the truth around the virus’ beginning “for the sake of world health”.

“What happened and how can we prevent it from happening again? That is just an honest Australian question,” the Prime Minister said.

“We don't know about the lab and whether that was the initiation of this or not. It may well have been, it may not have been.

“The world needs answers to this and the world deserves answers to this and those who have lost their lives and their livelihoods."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHuwa2b1-Ok

Australian scientists, environment groups urge UN to put Great Barrier Reef on ‘in danger’ list, criticize govt’s short-sightedness, incompetence

Huang Lanlan and Zhao Juecheng - Jul 16, 2021

Disappointed with Australian officials’ short-sightedness and incompetence when it comes to environment protection, environment groups and renowned scientists in Australia submitted joint letters to UNESCO, calling to put the Great Barrier Reef on its “in danger” list.

The anxious Morrison government is trying to lobby against this change using any means available, according to some observers. Its officials even blamed China for the possible downgrading, which “fully shows the government’s narrow-mindedness and all-pervasive to China,” Chen Hong, a professor and director of the Australian Studies Centre under East China Normal University, told the Global Times on Friday.

In the joint letter that 10 leading ENGOs in Australia sent to UNESCO on Tuesday, CEOs of the organizations noted that poor water quality continues to degrade inshore coral reefs, and Australia’s progress to achieve its Reef 2050 Plan water quality targets has been very slow.

“Representing over 4 million Australians who love the Great Barrier Reef,” the groups recommended UNESCO to inscribe it on the List of World Heritage in Danger, and “to develop corrective measures” to protect this ocean jewel, the letter stated.

Earlier, after UNESCO released a draft decision of suggesting placing the reef onto “in danger” list in June, five Australia’s authoritative coral reef experts also sent a joint letter to show their strong support for it. UNESCO “has made the right decision,” they wrote.

Consideration of whether to downgrade the reef’s World Heritage status to “in danger” is purportedly to be discussed at the ongoing 44th session of the World Heritage Committee (WHC), which is scheduled to be held between July 16 and 31.

The 2,300-kilometer Great Barrier Reef, being included on the World Heritage List in 1981, has suffered great damage in the past decades due to climate change and environment deterioration, marine experts said. In recent years, the reef has “tragically…[undergone] three severe coral bleaching events,” read the joint letter of the five Australian scientists.

Coral bleaching occurs when the coral loses the symbiotic algae they need to survive, explained Wang Yamin, a professor at Shandong University’s School of Oceanography. Several reasons including temperature [rise], pollution and human activity can lead to coral bleaching, it said.

Severe, large-scale bleaching events frequently taking place in the same area is uncommon, meaning the reef there has faced serious ecological threat, Wang said.

“Considering the Great Barrier Reef’s current situation, I think it’s not too much to remove it from the World Heritage List, let alone downgrading its status to ‘in danger,’” he told the Global Times on Friday.

As many as 71 percent of Australians think the Great Barrier Reef is in danger, while 77 percent support the WHC to put it on the ‘in danger’ list, showed a polling conducted by Australian Marine Conservation Society in July.

Nonetheless, ignoring appeals from domestic environment experts and the general public, the Australian government insists on preventing the possible status downgrading of the reef for the sake of its own economic interests, Chen said. He criticized the government as shortsighted, “only considering the short-term commercial benefits” this top tourist destination can bring.

Worse still, the public found that the Morrison government attempts to cover up its incompetence in the reef protection through politicalizing the “in-danger” list. Australia’s environment minister Sussan Ley groundlessly claimed that “there were politics behind” the “flawed” decision, according to a Reuters article in June.

Liberal senator James Paterson even directly linked the UNESCO draft decision to China, which chaired the current WHC, saying the decision was motivated by “geopolitical considerations” “under a chair from China,” reported The Australian newspaper in the same month.

It’s surprising that Australian government regards the draft decision, being made to further protect the reef and its surrounding environment, as an attack from China, Chen said. “Rather than baselessly blaming China, Australia should stop its conspiracy theories and take responsible for its own environmental problems,” he noted.

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202107/1228844.shtml

Anonymous ID: fb6445 July 17, 2021, 1:27 a.m. No.14141365 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>1369

>>14020172

>>14105569

Web of depravity: How a South Australian pedophile ring was busted

It began with a barista, a logistics manager and a perverse conversation – and turned into a fast-spreading child abuse probe that toppled a political spin doctor.

Sean Fewster - July 17, 2021

1/2

A disturbing online conversation between a barista and a logistics manager sparked a child-abuse investigation that has taken down a senior South Australian political adviser.

For the first time, the Sunday Mail can reveal the domino effect that led police from Michael Drennan to Jadd William Brooker, and then to former ALP staffer Benjamin John Waters.

An investigation by SA’s Joint Anti Child Exploitation Team, which is still ongoing, has resulted in at least 10 arrests and almost 50 confessions so far.

And it all began with Drennan – who now claims to be “ashamed and embarrassed” by his crimes – having a truly chilling conversation with Brooker over an encrypted app.

THE FIRST DOMINO

In August 2020, Drennan lived in Ethleton, was working as a barista and making plans to marry his longtime boyfriend.

Away from work, however, the now 34-year-old was using WhatsApp to chat with men involved in the creation, downloading and transmitting of child-abuse material.

Soon he, too, was collating perverse images and videos to swap with like-minded deviants.

The most pivotal of Drennan’s many online conversations was with Brooker – at the time the project manager for a global logistics and transport company.

Drennan asked Brooker, who was based in Glenelg East, if he had “any boy pictures I can see”, saying “I hope I find my boy soon”.

As their disgusting exchange continued, Brooker – who is HIV-positive – told Drennan that he wanted to infect children and adults with the potentially lethal virus.

Days later, when JACET detectives were alerted to Drennan’s online activities and raided his home, they found that conversation still stored in the app.

They very quickly realised Drennan was but the first domino in a much larger scene.

WORST OF THE WORST

JACET detectives moved against Brooker almost immediately and, on his devices and in his virtual storage cloud, found more than 4.5 million images, videos and files.

Among the first 350,000 pieces of data to be analysed were 10,000 examples of child-abuse material, including instances of sadism, coerced bondage and torture.

In excess of 7000 images did not exist anywhere else on the internet – meaning Brooker had abused children in person, filmed his crimes and distributed them.

One veteran detective dubbed it “the worst and most degrading set” of offending he had seen “in 14 years of investigations”.

The “homemade” material depicted Brooker acting upon his sick desire by abusing two teenage males, and so detectives moved to find the young men.

One, they learnt, had already died by suicide as a result of the trauma he had sustained – the other was rushed to have testing for HIV.

But Brooker’s criminality was not limited to his own offending.

In addition to the images, detectives found 50,000 communications between Brooker and other pedophiles, giving them a trail to follow.

As Brooker moved through the court process – and was caught asking his mother to delete his accounts – JACET continued its investigation.

The messages led them not only to their next three targets, but into the halls of Parliament House.

(continued)

>>14141365

2/2

THE ADVISER

In March, JACET stunned the state with two high-profile arrests.

One was a well-known name among SA’s political players – internationally experienced political adviser Benjamin John Waters.

A veteran SA Labor operator for a decade, Waters, 38, had been working for opposition human services spokeswoman Nat Cook following stints with the UK Labour Party.

The other was Stewart Iain Berry, a senior officer and acting manager for the Department for Correctional Services.

Berry, 37, of Port Lincoln, had allegedly used covert video cameras to film adults, children and babies, then shared that material online. He is charged with producing, possessing and transmitting child abuse material and indecent filming.

JACET alleged Waters and Berry could be linked to one another through their unlawful online conversations about children, particularly young males.

They further alleged the men had communicated with a 27-year-old Victorian man who had, in turn, been chatting online with Brooker about sexually abusing children.

Soon after the duo’s arrests, Berry’s counsel informed the court her client was “co-operating fully” with SA Police.

JACET subsequently arrested another SA man allegedly linked to the group.

Detectives also continued work on at least six other prosecutions, all arising from the initial arrest of Drennan.

Those matters are ongoing. Berry and the other SA man have yet to enter pleas.

Drennan pleaded guilty to multiple counts of possessing and disseminating child exploitation material and and was sentenced to two years’ jail, with a 13-month non-parole period.

Brooker confessed to his 38 crimes in three separate chunks, earning himself multiple sentencing discounts along the way. His offences included maintaining an unlawful sexual relationship with a child and possessing and transmitting child abuse material.

Waters, conversely, wasted no time pleading guilty to the charges against him of accessing, possessing and transmitting child abuse material – securing up to 25 per cent off his eventual penalty.

In a stroke of karma, Waters and Brooker will both face the District Court on the same day in September.

https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/truecrimeaustralia/web-of-depravity-how-a-pedophile-ring-involving-several-prominent-south-australians-was-busted/news-story/84ee09fe2771f90198837e1376031d9f

Anonymous ID: fb6445 July 17, 2021, 2:27 a.m. No.14141506 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>1528

>>14035867

Ghislaine Maxwell accused of having ‘near-total amnesia’ over alleged abuse

Court documents reveal she could not recall a single flight with a victim on Jeffrey Epstein's jet, despite logs showing they made 23 trips

Josie Ensor - 16 July 2021

One of Jeffrey Epstein's accusers said Ghislaine Maxwell must have been suffering “near-total amnesia” when she claimed under oath that she could not recall ever flying together on the paedophile's jet, newly released court documents reveal.

Lawyers for Virginia Roberts Giuffre mocked Ms Maxwell’s “extraordinary lack of memory about her involvement in the abuse”, according to documents that were unsealed on Thursday in a victory for Ms Giuffre in her civil lawsuit against the British socialite.

“For instance, (Maxwell) cannot even recall a single flight on Epstein's private jet with Ms Giuffre, even though flight logs show that (Maxwell) had 23 flights with Ms Giuffre while Ms Giuffre was underage”, the attorneys wrote.

Ms Guiffre, who claims she was recruited as a teenager by Ms Maxwell, 59, and forced to sleep with Epstein and his acquaintances, sued Ms Maxwell for $50 million (£36 million) for defamation after she claimed she was lying about the abuse.

“Finally we are getting some transparency. There is hope”, Ms Giuffre wrote on Twitter after Manhattan federal Judge Loretta Preska announced her decision to release them.

The newly released documents from the now-settled 2015 case show Ms Maxwell’s lawyers had sought to limit any disclose of her finances to just her net worth, saying the “scope of [Ms Giuffre’s] requests are overly broad and obviously intended to harass and embarrass Ms Maxwell”.

Lawyers for Ms Giuffre hoped the financial records would help inform any settlement they would reach.

Also among the documents was a handwritten call log of messages left for Epstein in the early 2000s, many of which were from Ms Maxwell.

Some appear to be routine notes on mundane topics - call-back requests and a message from an acquaintance who pulled a muscle and had to cancel a lunch meeting - while several of them mentioned massage appointments.

One includes a request for someone to stay at Epstein’s Florida mansion to “help train new staff with Ghislaine”, while one says someone is going to “meet with Ghislaine and go with her to the Ranch”, presumably referring to Epstein’s New Mexico estate.

Ms Maxwell is currently awaiting trial on criminal charges of sex trafficking, which she denies.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/07/16/ghislaine-maxwell-accused-epstein-victims-lawyer-having-near/

https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/4355835/giuffre-v-maxwell/?filed_after=&filed_before=&entry_gte=&entry_lte=&order_by=desc

>>14141506

Virginia Roberts Giuffre Tweet

Judge Orders Ghislaine Maxwell's Private Documents To Be Unsealed. Finally we are getting some transparency.There is hope.We must maintain vigilant in order for the truth to see the light of day. #FreedomIsntFree #UnityAgainstPedos @ArtisticBlower

https://twitter.com/VRSVirginia/status/1414201724844142599

—

Judge Orders Ghislaine Maxwell's Private Documents To Be Unsealed, Set To Expose Juicy Details About Jeffrey Epstein & Bill Clinton

https://radaronline.com/p/ghislaine-maxwell-judge-private-docs-unsealed-bill-clinton-jeffrey-epstein/

>>14127084

Talisman Sabre Tweet

An Australian first!

The @USArmy MIM-104 Patriot surface-to-air missile has been successfully fired on Australian soil for the first time during Exercise #TalismanSabre2021. Great job to all involved

https://twitter.com/TalismanSabre/status/1416013593812865027

>>14141586

Talisman Sabre Tweet

HERE IT IS

Check out the footage from the first Patriot surface-to-air missile firing on Australian soil yesterday, improving the combat readiness of Australian and US forces.

#TalismanSabre #TS21

@USArmy @AustralianArmy @38thADA

https://twitter.com/TalismanSabre/status/1416212175522312196

>>14141586

First Patriot Missile launch in Australia

Department of Defence Australia

Jul 17, 2021

US military personnel completed the first ever Patriot surface-to-air missile firing on Australian soil at Shoalwater Bay, Queensland, as part of Exercise Talisman Sabre 2021.

Exercise Talisman Sabre 2021 (TS21) is the largest bilateral training activity between Australia and the United States, commencing on 14 July 2021.

Held every two years, TS21 aims to test Australian interoperability with the United States and other participating forces in complex warfighting scenarios. In addition to the United States, TS21 involves participating forces from Canada, Japan, Republic of Korea, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.

The exercise includes a Field Training Exercise incorporating force preparation (logistic) activities, amphibious landings, ground force manoeuvres, urban operations, air combat and maritime operations. Activities will peak from 18 - 31 July across Queensland.

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

U.S. Indo-Pacific Command Tweet

U.S. @PacificMarines with @3dMarineDivision train during #TalismanSabre 2021; a large-scale, bilateral military exercise that enhances the (United States-Australia) alliance & provides peace and stability in the #FreeAndOpenIndoPacific.

https://twitter.com/INDOPACOM/status/1416208530562973696

Anonymous ID: fb6445 July 17, 2021, 3:18 a.m. No.14141653 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>7742

Department of Defence Tweet

Working in partnership

#AusArmy Private Louii Hornibrook will be taking part in Exercise Sea Raider, the amphibious element of Exercise #TalismanSabre.

Standing with Private Hornibrook is (Japan) Seargent Kotaro Tsuda, (United States) Lance Corporal Christopher Hren & (United Kingdom) Lieutenant Jones.

https://twitter.com/DeptDefence/status/1416279014323499010

Anonymous ID: fb6445 July 17, 2021, 3:28 a.m. No.14141676 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>1679

United States Pacific Fleet

Expeditionary Strike Group 7 arrives for exercise Talisman Sabre

Lt. Cmdr. Sherrie A. Flippin - July 16, 2021

CORAL SEA - The forward-deployed ships of Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG) 7, along with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, arrived off the coast of Australia, July 16, in preparation for the biennial bilateral exercise Talisman Sabre (TS) 21.

Led by the Australian Defence Force (ADF), Talisman Sabre 21 is a large-scale, exercise between Australia and the U.S. to strengthen the military to military alliance and enhance our collective capabilities to respond to a wide array of potential security concerns.

“Emerging events in the Indo-Pacific region underscore the importance of presence to ensure a rules-based international maritime order,” said Rear Adm. Chris Engdahl, commander Expeditionary Strike Group 7. “Talisman Sabre 21 allows the U.S. alongside partners and allies, to further enhance our ability to respond to any contingency as part of a joint or combined effort in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific region.”

Conducted biennially since 2005, across northeast Australia with more than 30,000 military participants, Talisman Sabre is Australia’s largest military exercise with the United States and is a demonstration of our strong alliance that is underpinned by deep levels of cooperation and trust built over decades operating and training together.

The U.S. maritime component of Talisman Sabre 21 features the Navy’s only forward-deployed amphibious ready group (ARG), which includes the amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6), the amphibious transport dock ship USS New Orleans (LPD 18) and the amphibious dock landing ship USS Germantown (LSD 42), along with embarked elements of the Okinawa-based 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU).

During Talisman Sabre 21, the America ARG-MEU team will integrate with the Royal Australian Navy, Royal Canadian Navy, Japan Maritime Self Defense Force, and Republic of Korea Navy for maritime operations further enhancing their ability to respond to crises as part of a joint or combined effort. Partner nations will train together to operate and sustain each other in a contested maritime environment, conducting integrated amphibious and air defense operations, as well as tactical maneuvering and replenishments-at-sea.

“Credible, ready forces help preserve peace and prevent conflict. Exercises like Talisman Sabre provide effective and intense training to ensure our forces are capable, interoperable, and deployable on short notice,” said Capt. Greg Baker, commodore Amphibious Squadron 11. “As our forces integrate throughout this exercise we will develop more innovative ways to fight tonight.”

(continued)

>>14141676

2/2

At the heart of Talisman Sabre, the U.S.-Australia alliance dates back more than 100 years, encompassing every modern world conflict since World War I. Maintaining and building trust with like-minded allies and partners is crucial to a free and open Indo-Pacific.

“The 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit and the America Expeditionary Strike Group have been a cohesive unit from the beginning of the deployment, “said Col Mike Nakonieczy, commanding officer 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit. “As we further our Naval Integration we also seek to build enduring, mutually beneficial relationships and invest in training with like-minded partners and allies throughout the region.”

Along with regional alliances and partnerships, the Navy is also a steward of the marine environment wherever its ships operate, including the Great Barrier Reef. Prior to Talisman Sabre, crews received training on environmental protective measures to minimize potential impact on marine life, which the Navy employs in accordance with the Marine Mammal Protection and Endangered Species Acts. Australian environmental advisors have been integrated in every step of the Talisman Sabre planning process.

Likewise, mitigation for the continuing COVID-19 pandemic in partner nations has been a key component of Talisman Sabre planning. U.S. military forces continue to take appropriate force health protection measures, helping to mitigate the spread of COVID while maintaining the commitment and capability to train and operate in the COVID environment.

Together, the forward-deployed ships of ESG 7 and elements of the 31st MEU are operating in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of responsibility to enhance interoperability with allies and partners, and serve as a ready response force to defend peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.

TS21 is a large-scale, bilateral military exercise between Australia and the U.S. involving more than 17,000 participants from seven nations. It is a demonstration of our strong alliance underpinned by deep levels of cooperation and trust built over decades operating and training together. TS21 advances the Indo-Pacific Pathway’s initiative to promote a free and open Indo-Pacific by strengthening relationships and interoperability with allies and partners. TS21 also supports the U.S. National Defense Strategy by enhancing our ability to protect the homeland and address the full range of potential security concerns in the Indo-Pacific.

https://www.cpf.navy.mil/news.aspx/130889

Second Chinese spy ship en route to Australia ahead of US military exercises

Sky News Australia

Jul 18, 2021

A second Chinese spy ship is approaching Australia's coast ahead of a major military exercise with the United States, Sky News can confirm.

The People's Liberation Army general intelligence ship, the Haiwangxing, is approaching Australia's east coast via the Solomon Sea.

Defence Minister Peter Dutton says the ADF has been monitoring the ship's approach as part of a broader surveillance effort ahead of Exercise Talisman Sabre.

Mr Dutton says the vessel, like its sister ship, has acted lawfully during its transit expects it to continue to do so.

"Defence will continue to monitor the presence of these vessels,” he told Sky News.

It is understood the ADF has planned for international interest in the military exercises and has taken steps to safeguard information security of participating forces.

Joint exercises with the US military have historically attracted the interest of China but this marks the first time two intelligence ships have been deployed by Beijing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4yoSeceKMQ

Anonymous ID: fb6445 July 18, 2021, 1:17 a.m. No.14147666 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>7736

>>14145027

Peter Dutton is 'surprised' China has sent a second spy ship to monitor Australian operations

Defence Minister Peter Dutton says by sending a second spy ship, China has "obviously made a decision to have a greater presence".

AAP/SBS - 18 July 2021

Defence Minister Peter Dutton is surprised China has decided to send a second spy ship to monitor Australia-US military exercises off the east coast.

He said it is not unusual for China to deploy a ship during such manoeuvres, having done so in both 2017 and 2019.

"We are surprised there are two vessels, but obviously the Chinese have made a decision to have a greater presence," he told reporters.

"We would expect them to operate and conduct themselves within the rules of international law."

Trade Minister Dan Tehan was also not too concerned, saying all countries have the right to use their ships to monitor exercises.

"The thing that is important is everyone understands that we have rules and we want everyone to adhere to those rules and when it comes to freedom of navigation," he told Sky News' Sunday Agenda program.

"It's the same for our trade rules. There are trade rules in place and we want everyone to adhere to those. That's the best way that you can keep our region free, open, peaceful and prosperous."

Mr Tehan was speaking from South Korea as part of a regional tour that has also taken in Singapore, Vietnam and Japan.

The visit comes at a time of growing trade tensions with China.

"We have stated quite clearly that we want to see our trade diversify," Mr Tehan said.

"We think it is vital to ensure that as markets come and go, as demand for our commodities come and go, that we have got the options there for our exporters."

He said Australia is doing everything it can to keep the region free, open and resilient.

"What we need to be doing on the economic and the trade front is to ensure that we can maintain the rule based system," he said.

"That has meant our region has grown like no other region in the world and has benefited all countries in this region."

https://www.sbs.com.au/news/peter-dutton-is-surprised-china-has-sent-a-second-spy-ship-to-monitor-australian-operations

Ghislaine Maxwell was a 'tyrant' with Jeffrey Epstein victims: book

Accuser Virginia Roberts Giuffre says Maxwell was in love with Epstein and could be a 'tyrant' with his victims

Emma Colton and Andrew Murray - 17 July 2021

One of the most outspoken Jeffrey Epstein accusers said Ghislaine Maxwell was a "tyrant" with the convicted sex offender’s reported victims and was still in love with him despite his "obsession" with young girls.

Accuser Virginia Roberts Giuffre said Maxwell "could be a tyrant, often glaring at her whenever she became distracted from her ‘work.’ It was clear to Virginia that Maxwell was in love with Epstein. But Epstein and Maxwell rarely slept together or shared intimate moments, like holding hands or kissing," according to excerpts of a new book, "Perversion of Justice: The Jeffrey Epstein Story," which will be released on Tuesday.

"Virginia said this was because Maxwell was never able to satisfy Epstein’s insatiable appetite for girls. Maxwell came to accept his obsession as long as those encounters remained purely sexual," the excerpt says.

The book was written by Miami Herald investigative reporter Julie K. Brown, who has written extensively on Epstein, and details that Giuffre met Maxwell and Epstein at former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago country club in 2000 when she was 16.

Maxwell reportedly approached Giuffre at the country club and asked her if she was a masseuse. Giuffre, using the nickname "Jenna," said she hoped to one day become a masseuse, prompting Maxwell to offer her a job interview to work for Epstein.

"Maxwell suggested that Virginia meet [Epstein] to apply for the job. Virginia was skeptical, pointing out that she didn’t have the proper training. But Maxwell assured her that she could learn on the job, noting that it looked as if Virginia was serious about her vocation—based on all the sticky notes she could see poking out of the anatomy book in her hands. She gave Virginia her address and phone number. ‘Why don’t you come by after work?’ Maxwell left, with a cheery, almost motherly goodbye," an excerpt of the book says.

Giuffre took her up on the opportunity, and met Epstein at his lavish Palm Beach home.

"Maxwell had prepped her, telling her to treat the session as a tryout. ‘If you do well,’ Maxwell told her, ‘then maybe you could become Jeffrey’s traveling masseuse, seeing the world and getting paid well for it.’ In the beginning, it all seemed legitimate. Maxwell showed Virginia some techniques, starting with Epstein’s feet, and then moving to his calves, instructing her to use upward strokes to push the blood up his legs," the book says.

Epstein and Maxwell’s relationship with Giuffre grew, with them reportedly asking questions about her childhood and learned she had been a childhood runaway.

During one interaction, the pair "teased" Giuffre for being "a naughty girl," a label Giuffre denied.

"I’m a good girl. I just was always in the wrong places," Giuffre replied.

"It’s okay," Jeffrey replied, according to the book. "I like naughty girls."

"With that, he flipped over, exposing [himself]. She looked at Maxwell for guidance, but the proper English lady was now topless. She began to undress Virginia … ," the book says.

Maxwell has denied having a sexual relationship with Giuffre, but the accuser says that Maxwell and Epstein shared "a kindred hedonism," with Maxwell facilitating his "obsession" with young girls.

"It was an arrangement whereby she would bring him the girls, and he would give Ghislaine the kind of self-indulgent life that she was accustomed to growing up," Giuffre says in the book.

Maxwell was arrested last July and charged with enticement of minors, sex trafficking of children, and perjury.

A federal court in New York unsealed dozens of documents in her sex trafficking case on Thursday, including documents from a previous defamation lawsuit filed by Giuffre against Maxwell.

https://www.foxnews.com/us/maxwell-epstein-tyrant-victims-book

>>14147712

Book excerpt: Herald reporter Julie Brown’s excavation of Jeffrey Epstein’s sordid past

JULIE K. BROWN - JULY 16, 2021

1/3

When Miami Herald reporter Julie K. Brown first began investigating Jeffrey Epstein in October 2016, the case had long grown cold.

Epstein’s victims — now grown women in their late 20s and early 30s — were still traumatized. They had never forgotten how prosecutors in the criminal justice system had failed to protect them and hold their predator accountable for his crimes. The series revealed how Epstein and others involved in his sex trafficking operation were given unprecedented immunity — and the serious nature and scope of his crimes that were covered up.

Brown’s investigative series was published by the Herald in November 2018. Almost immediately, federal prosecutors in New York opened a new criminal case against Epstein — and eight months later, Epstein was arrested by the FBI on sex trafficking charges. With Epstein in a federal jail awaiting trial, Brown and Miami Herald visual journalist Emily Michot traveled to St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands in July 2019 to try to uncover more about the sex crimes he may have committed on his private island in the Caribbean, sometimes referred to as “Pedophile Island.”

This is an exclusive excerpt from Julie Brown’s book, “Perversion of Justice,” published by HarperCollins/Dey Street Books, which will be released on July 20. It can be ordered here.

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/perversion-of-justice-julie-k-brown/1137108722

—

I had been trying for months to carve out some time to visit St. Thomas and take a trip out to Epstein’s “Pedophile Island,” which was also sometimes called “Orgy Island.” Sources on St. Thomas were sending me information about Epstein’s exploits on his island, Little St. James, as well as documents about his purchase of the larger island nearby, Great St. James.

A lot of people suspected that Epstein’s island was being used for sex trafficking. It’s a remote location, accessible only by boat or helicopter, providing a perfect cover for the sexual abuse that victim Virginia Giuffre and other women were alleging happened there.

I was also planning to meet with a source who called himself Chef James. His emails suggested that he knew a lot about Epstein. He told me, for example, that while Epstein was on work release at the Palm Beach County jail in 2008 he spent over $100,000 in catering bills for food that he brought into his “office.” A lot of that food went to deputies who were making upwards of $42 an hour monitoring him.

I thought Chef James may have worked for Epstein but given the avalanche of tips I had to wade through, I honestly didn’t have time to find out who he was.

Both Chef James and another source whom I called Island Mike claimed, without proof, that Epstein had the fix in with the former governor, John de Jongh Jr., and had even hired the governor’s wife, Cecile, to work for him at his St. Thomas-based company, Southern Trust, which was purportedly a data-mining venture.

St. Thomas is a poor island, and it wouldn’t take a lot to get the local politicians to look the other way when it came to doing what Epstein wanted.

In fact, St. Thomas was probably the perfect place for Epstein.

(continued)

Anonymous ID: fb6445 July 18, 2021, 2:08 a.m. No.14147751 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>7752

>>14147749

2/3

On our first night in St. Thomas, Emily and I finally secured two rooms with the help of Island Mike and then set out to meet Chef James at a little restaurant in town.

Mike must have been a little worried about us because he offered to come along and just sit at the bar to keep watch. I wasn’t worried, but Emily, as usual, kept asking questions.

“Who is this guy again?’’

“How do you know him?’’

“So, let me get this straight, you don’t have any idea who he is?’’

In hindsight, I should have done more homework.

That evening, as I was waiting for the Chef, I was exchanging texts with Lauren Book, a Florida state senator and child abuse survivor who had become involved in pushing for an investigation into whether there was any wrongdoing on the part of the Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office in connection with Epstein’s work release scam.

Chef James was supposed to join us about 10 p.m., after he got off work, presumably from his job at a restaurant on the island.

As we waited, Emily became more nervous. I kept texting Lauren about the investigation, wondering whether I should return to the hotel and write a story that night. It had already been a long day, and I couldn’t even recall whether Emily and I had eaten anything.

Then Lauren mentioned that she had received a number of threats, from people who were warning her against pursuing anything connected to Palm Beach Sheriff Ric Bradshaw. This got my attention. This was a gutsy move because Lauren’s father, Ron Book, is one of the most powerful lobbyists in Florida.

I then called Ron to find out more. I knew he was using all his power to determine where the threats were coming from.

“Well, a while back there was this guy who kept sending Lauren these terrible emails, she was afraid for her life,’’ Ron said. “We had to hire security and try to find the guy. He only went by the name Chef James.’’

“Chef James? Are you sure?’’ I said, leaving the restaurant and walking outside so that no one could hear the alarm in my voice.

I told Ron that a guy using that very name was about to come to the restaurant to meet with Emily and me.

“Get out of there fast,’’ Ron said.

I returned to the restaurant and Googled my email for Chef James’ email address. I couldn’t believe it. This guy had sent me more than 50 emails since 2016, well before I even wrote about Epstein. He had first written me about my Florida prison series. Turns out he claimed to be a former inmate at Suwannee Correctional Institution in Florida who had served 25 months for a sex crime he claimed he had never committed.

It was well past 10 and no one had showed up looking for us, so that was a good sign. But as we were paying our bill, two men appeared and sat at the bar, staring at Emily and me. I asked them where they were from, and they told me the Middle East.

Island Mike, who knows everyone on St. Thomas, didn’t recognize them and motioned for us to leave. Seeing that we were getting up to go, they sneaked out first. Mike escorted us out, where the men were standing outside smoking cigarettes. Mike asked for a smoke, and they began chatting.

Mike was still talking to them when we pulled away in our rented Jeep and headed to the hotel. We were both a bit shaken.

We got to our rooms and I could hear Emily next door, piling the chairs and a nightstand in front of her door.

I put my night clothes on, fell into bed and slept so soundly that I didn’t hear my phone or Emily knocking at my door around midnight.

NBC had just published a story about Epstein being found unconscious in his New York jail cell.

(continued)

>>14147751

3/3

When I awoke and checked my phone the next morning, and saw all the messages, I immediately knew that I wasn’t going to be able to make the boat trip to Pedophile Island with Emily and Island Mike that morning.

Reports were sketchy, but it appeared that on Tuesday Epstein had been found unconscious, with injuries to his neck, on the floor of his cell. It was not clear whether he had tried to commit suicide or whether he had been attacked. Initial reports were that Epstein had been moved into a more secure protective custody unit because he had received threats from other inmates.

Depending on which account you read, his cellmate, a corrupt former cop named Nicholas Tartaglione, had either tried to kill Epstein or he had prevented Epstein from hanging himself.

Tartaglione, 51, wasn’t talking. His attorney said his client claimed he was friendly with Epstein and had nothing to do with what happened. He theorized that Tartaglione was being set up because the ex-cop had filed complaints on the prison’s inhumane conditions.

The incident happened in a secure cellblock. The two were housed in a windowless room, infested with insects and rats, with standing water on the floor.

For reasons that remain unexplained to this day, the Metropolitan Correctional Center had bunked a hulking accused quadruple murderer with a 66-year-old nerd with an egg-shaped penis who happened to be the nation’s most famous child molester.

Then the surveillance video of the incident disappeared. Prison officials said it was inadvertently destroyed. Tartaglione had an illegal cell phone. But the government wasn’t releasing its contents.

Epstein’s injuries were not serious, and he was placed on a suicide watch.

Meanwhile, the Capitol police in Tallahassee, Florida, were investigating threats made against a Florida state senator. Lauren Book made an appeal to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to investigate Sheriff Bradshaw’s handling of the Epstein case. Two days later, she got several more calls warning her to stop.

“Little girl, you don’t know what you’re getting into,’’ one of the callers said.

https://www.bradenton.com/news/local/crime/article252712233.html

>>14147712

>>14147749

How Miami Herald's investigation & Jeffrey Epstein survivors helped blow up a sweetheart deal

Miami Herald

Dec 20, 2019

When the Miami Herald launched the Perversion of Justice investigation in November 2018, it awakened the world to a decades-long injustice suffered by dozens and perhaps hundreds of young girls, many of whom had never spoken about their abuse at the hands of Jeffrey Epstein. In 2019, as a result of the Herald’s reporting, the top federal prosecutor for the Southern District of New York revived the case and Epstein was arrested in July. U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman, in announcing Epstein’s indictment, noted that prosecutors were aided in their investigation by “some excellent investigative reporting.’’

See how the investigation unfolded: https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/article238237729.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-u7_j6CWbCU

Ben Roberts-Smith defamation trial to resume to hear from four Afghan witnesses

The court has heard at least one witness expected to say they saw the Australian soldier murder a farmer by kicking the handcuffed man off a cliff and then ordering him shot, an allegation Roberts-Smith denies

Ben Doherty - 19 Jul 2021

Ben Roberts-Smith’s Covid-derailed defamation trial will resume in a week, with the federal court to hear from four Afghan witnesses from a village where the ex-SAS soldier is alleged to have murdered an unarmed civilian in 2012. Roberts-Smith strenuously denies the allegation.

But beyond those witnesses, the already delayed trial almost certainly faces further postponement because of Sydney’s uncontrolled coronavirus outbreak.

The four Afghan witnesses all lived in the village of Darwan in Uruzgan province, when it was raided by Australian SAS forces on 11 September 2012.

At least one witness, the court has been told, is expected to give evidence they witnessed Roberts-Smith murder a farmer named Ali Jan by kicking the handcuffed, kneeling man off a small cliff and then ordering him shot.

Roberts-Smith denies the allegations, and has told the court “there was no cliff … there was no kick”, and that the man purported to be Ali Jan was an enemy “spotter” who was lawfully killed in a cornfield within the military’s rules of engagement.

Roberts-Smith is suing three Australian newspapers for defamation over a series of reports he alleges are defamatory and portray him as committing war crimes, including murder.

The four Afghan witnesses have been housed for several weeks in a Kabul safe house, awaiting their opportunity to give evidence. With the withdrawal of coalition troops from Afghanistan, the Taliban is violently resurgent across the country, recapturing control of dozens of districts and cities.

Thousands of government troops have surrendered or defected – handing over their arms to the Taliban – or have fled across Afghanistan’s borders to neighbouring countries.

While Kabul is not believed to be in imminent danger of Taliban takeover, Nicholas Owens SC, for the newspapers, said it remained a matter of urgency the Afghan evidence was heard.

There was, he said, “a real risk of the evidence of the Afghan witnesses becoming unavailable”.

“There is an ongoing risk to people in Kabul, there are credible reports of imminent terrorist attacks. It’s a dangerous environment, notwithstanding there’s no current threat that it will be overtaken by the Taliban.”

Australian National University emeritus professor William Maley provided evidence to the court of a potential “cascade effect” where large numbers of people who don’t support the Taliban nonetheless switch their allegiance to the terror group for their own safety.

“We’re not going to get an orderly two-week notice period that the Taliban is going to attack Kabul,” Owens said. “If things change, they are going to change very quickly.”

There are fears too, attacks on electricity and communications infrastructure in Kabul could cripple any opportunity to give evidence. As well, with the Taliban seizing more and more territory, witnesses might not be able to return to their homes in southern Afghanistan or come back to Kabul at a later time.

Justice Anthony James Besanko said the Afghan witness evidence would be heard from Monday 26 July, with those witnesses appearing by video link early morning Kabul time.

Beyond the four Afghan witnesses, further progress of the trial appears likely to be delayed further still with continued Covid-19 lockdown orders in force in Sydney and travel restrictions with other Australian states.

The majority of the witnesses – including at least 21 former and serving SAS soldiers – are interstate, and either cannot get to Sydney without an exemption or could not return home afterwards.

The court may be forced to consider moving the trial interstate, but this would bring significant security complications – including moving safes and secure documents, and vetting new court staff – and would take at least two months.

Roberts-Smith, one of the most decorated soldiers in Australian military history, is suing the Age, the Sydney Morning Herald and the Canberra Times for defamation over a series of reports published in 2018. He alleges the reports are defamatory because they portray him as someone who “broke the moral and legal rules of military engagement” and committed war crimes, including six allegations of murder.

The 42-year-old has consistently denied the allegations, saying they are “false”, “baseless” and “completely without any foundation in truth”. The newspapers are defending their reporting as true.

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/jul/19/ben-roberts-smith-defamation-trial-to-resume-to-hear-from-four-afghan-witnesses

Changi POW hero named as serial child abuser

Former Army chaplain Kenley Saunders has been named as an alleged child abuser in a Supreme Court case against the Anglican Church.

Janet Fife-Yeomans - July 18, 2021

Former Army chaplain Kenley Saunders lived a double life as a hero in the deadly Changi prisoner of war camp, but a wicked paedophile back home.

The late padre, who after the war joined St Luke’s at Concord, has been named as an alleged child abuser in a Supreme Court case against the Anglican Church brought by his victim, who as a boy attended the church every Sunday with his parents.

The sexual abuse continued when the boy joined the notorious Church of England Boys’ Society, which was exposed in the child sex abuse royal commission as hiding a network of predators.

Saunders, who died in 1983 aged 82, appointed a colleague, the late Alan Thomas, as a branch governor of CEBS and Thomas is also named in court documents as abusing the boy while on the society’s camps.

The church admits it employed Saunders and Thomas, but claims to have lost all the documents from that time in the mid-1960s.

Through his lawyers, the boy, now a man aged 65, is appealing for parishioners and children from that time to help.

The man’s lawyer Jason Parkinson said the case was a sign the national redress scheme was not working, with average payments at just over $70,000 while courts are awarding common law damages five and six times as much.

“The courts take these cases extremely seriously and the damages are what these victims are entitled to according to the law,” leading child abuse lawyer Mr Parkinson said.

CEBS, which has changed its name in some places to the Anglican Boys’ Society and Boys’ Ministry Australia, was a youth group set up by the Anglican Church for boys aged between six and 16 years, and had various branches within numerous dioceses of the church.

Neither Saunders nor Thomas were among the CEBS leaders named as paedophiles during the royal commission’s hearings.

Saunders enlisted in the AIF as a chaplain at the age of 38 and served in Malaya before he was captured with the 2/18th Battalion by the Japanese at the fall of Singapore in February 1942.

He remained in Changi, where records show he ministered to fellow prisoners and presided over many funerals, until the Japanese surrendered in 1945.

Mr Parkinson of Porters Lawyers said he almost joined CEBS himself as a boy when he went to Sunday school.

“I missed out by a whisker. As I grew up, Sunday school took a back seat,” he said.

He said he did not know when cases like this would stop emerging because generally people do not talk about their abuse until the age of about 55 and the internet had helped by letting them know they are not alone.

https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/truecrimeaustralia/police-courts-nsw/changi-pow-hero-named-as-serial-child-abuser/news-story/a985df1874eead4c981ddf82cd8fd4fb

>>14127248

Western Australia forced to review Taiwan hire ban

PAUL GARVEY - JULY 18, 2021

Taiwan has urged the government of Western Australian to abandon the policy that effectively bars performers with links to the country from venues across the state.

WA Minister for Culture and the Arts David Templeman late on Friday announced that the Perth Theatre Trust’s contentious venue-hire policy – which blocked the hire of state-owned theatres to groups with views at odds with those of the government, or which had ties to China’s disputed territories – would be subjected to a review.

The Perth Theatre Trust signed off in March on a policy to refuse venue hire to organisations “identifying with countries whose political status is unclear or in dispute” – a reference that foreign policy experts have said was aimed squarely at Taiwan.

In 2020, the Perth Theatre Trust made a formal apology to the Chinese consulate after an acrobat from the Taiwanese Acrobatic Troupe raised a Taiwan flag during a performance at one of the trust’s venues.

Oliver Weng, the executive director of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Australia, said in a statement to The Australian that Taiwan was WA’s eight-biggest export market and said stronger ties between the two governments should be fostered.

“Taiwan has a multicultural society, vibrant democracy, dynamic economy and friendly people. Taiwanese performing arts groups have regularly visited Perth and other state capitals to promote cultural exchanges and build people-to-people links,” Mr Weng said.

“We believe such cultural and economic co-operation is in our mutual interest and should be valued and encouraged without let or hindrance.”

WA Premier Mark McGowan has been an ardent advocate for repairing the relationship between Australia and China, describing comments from senior federal politicians and officials about potential conflict with the superpower as “off the planet” and “insane”.

China is by far WA’s biggest export market, consuming the bulk of the iron ore production that delivers billions of dollars of royalties into the state’s treasury each year.

Mr Weng said Taiwan was one of the biggest markets for WA’s iron ore, base metal and copper ore exports. Taiwanese companies are also involved in Fortescue’s Iron Bridge project and the Prelude and Ichthys LNG projects.

“Through our joint efforts, Taiwan came eighth-largest export market and tenth-largest trading partner to Western Australia in 2020,” he said.

The planned overhaul of the policy followed revelations that the theatre trust had blocked the Australian Christian Lobby from hiring the Albany Entertainment Centre and the Perth Concert Hall for an event featuring ACL managing director Martyn Iles.

The ACL had warned that the ban appeared to be in breach of the Equal Opportunity Act, and the trust on Friday rescinded the ban and announced the fresh review after seeking legal advice from the State Solicitor’s Office.

Mr Iles told The Australian that the venue-hire policy’s implications for groups with ties to Taiwan and other disputed territories was “crazy” but consistent with what he said were the “authoritarian instincts” of WA’s Labor government.

“It’s not very surprising to me that they even promote the interests of an authoritarian regime over the interests of nations that are striving for freedom,” Mr Iles said.

Mr Templeman said when announcing the about-face on the ACL that the updated policy would reflect “the values and guiding principles” of the Perth Theatre Trust.

Asked if the reassessment would extend to the ban on groups with links to disputed territories, a spokeswoman for the minister said only that the policy would be “comprehensively” reviewed.

Kevin Carrico, a senior lecturer in Chinese studies at Monash University, said the existing policy’s clause about countries whose status was unclear or in dispute was consistent with Chinese efforts to stifle Taiwan’s international presence.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/western-australia-forced-to-review-taiwan-hire-ban/news-story/d8e5d247b6245b3487e205c7d0e5504c

Anonymous ID: fb6445 July 19, 2021, 2 a.m. No.14153456 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>3459

Coral repair raises hopes for reef as heritage vote looms

MICHAEL MCKENNA - JULY 18, 2021

1/2

The Great Barrier Reef is showing signs of recovery with some of the best coral coverage recorded in years, according to a survey of the natural wonder conducted by the commonwealth’s chief independent marine science agency.

The Australian Institute of Marine Science assessment – which found “minimal impact” from last year’s coral bleaching and increases in hard coral across 85 per cent of the reefs surveyed year on year – comes as UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee meets this week to consider whether the site should be formally declared “in danger”.

The results of the AIMS annual monitoring program, which has been monitoring the condition of the reef since 1985, will be used by Environment Minister Sussan Ley in her final push to lobby committee members against ratifying the draft ruling on Friday.

The institute’s chief executive, Paul Hardisty, said the reef continued to face a significant threat from climate change.

“There is some encouraging news in this report and another good year would continue the recovery process, but we also have to accept the increasing risk of marine heatwaves that can lead to coral bleaching and the need for the world to reduce carbon emissions,” Dr Hardisty said.

The AIMS Long-Term Monitoring Program, the latest results of which will be released on Monday, found coral recovery across all three of the Great Barrier Reef’s regions – northern, central and southern – stretching 2300km along Queensland’s coastline.

A respite from severe weather events over the past year allowed the recovery, the report finds.

Yet while the survey, conducted between August 2020 and April, shows widespread recovery from coral bleaching events in 2016, 2017 and last year, scientists said it might not be enough to avoid the “in-danger” listing.

In the reef’s northern region, hard coral coverage increased to 27 per cent – near its recorded high of 30 per cent in 1988 – from its lowest level of 14 per cent in the 2018-19 survey report, with the central region at 26 per cent, up from its low of 12 per cent in 2018-19. The southern region was found to have 39 per cent hard coral coverage – up from 23 per cent in 2019.

Anything above 30 per cent is considered high coverage.

AIMS researchers also found the severity of bleaching was generally low where it existed and that 75 of the 127 reefs visited had no bleaching. The survey found just four crown of thorns outbreaks across 3000 individual reefs.

(continued)

>>14153456

2/2

Ms Ley, who has spent the past week in Europe lobbying World Heritage Committee members, said the new AIMS survey results showed it was possible for the Great Barrier Reef to recover from environmental damage.

“The report recognises the very real challenges for the reef in the face of changing climates and extreme weather events, but it also underlines the capacity of the reef to recover,” she said.

“The clear message from this year’s survey is that coral recovery can take place, and is taking place, in the right conditions.

“The release of the full report underlines our view that the World Heritage Committee proposed listing had not been based on the latest information.”

Ms Ley has previously accused the World Heritage Committee of blindsiding the government by moving to change the reef’s alert level without consultation or on-the-ground verification.

Marine scientists, including James Cook University researcher Scott Heron, said signs of recovery should not distract from the underlying threat to the reef. “Any improvement in coral cover in this report should not veil the continuing and increasing threat that climate change poses to the health of the reef and the people that rely on it,’’ Dr Heron said.

He added that the increase in coral bleaching events caused by climate change had reduced the time for the reef to recovery.

Queensland Environment Minister Meaghan Scanlon said while the results of the AIMS survey were encouraging, more work needed to be done – in particular, to tackle the threat of climate change. “It’s positive to see that coral resilience and recovery … it’s a sign of the work we’ve done to-date around water quality and research,’’ she said.

“But we need to continue to help the reef with more action on renewable energy and carbon farming to address the impact of climate change.”

Last month, UNESCO said it had recommended the Great Barrier Reef be downgraded to an “in-danger” listing because bleaching in 2016, 2017 and last year had compounded problems of pollution run-off and water quality, leaving no doubt the reef was facing “ascertained danger”.

The government had lobbied the World Heritage Committee to stop an earlier embarrassing downgrade for the reef, with then environment minister Greg Hunt succeeding in holding off the change in May 2015.

The federal and Queensland governments have recently committed new funding and passed stricter run-off laws in a bid to stave off an “in-danger” listing.

Ratifying the decision to declare the reef endangered will require at least 14 votes. Last week, the federal government hosted ambassadors from more than a dozen countries for a snorkelling trip as part of lobbying efforts.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/coral-repair-raises-hopes-for-reef-as-heritage-vote-looms/news-story/6ad83500a5364d7f1696b49be8ebbe3d

Defence Minister Peter Dutton Facebook Post

19 July 2021

Talisman Sabre is Australia's largest military exercise with the United States. Some 17,000 personnel, including 8,000 from the ADF are engaging in multiple warfighting training scenarios. Yesterday I visited their training area at Shoalwater Bay to view a live fire exercise and to speak with personnel. They are working hard together, strengthening the Australian-US Alliance, and improving combat readiness.

https://www.facebook.com/PeterDuttonMP/posts/359299705551839

Talisman Sabre Tweet

Shots of yesterday's #LiveFire

Australian and American have fired on Shoalwater Bay in a combined strike during #TalismanSabre2021.

Stay tuned for the footage!

http://bit. ly/LiveFire21

#AlliesAndPartners #TS21 @DeptDefence @DeptofDefense @USMC @USArmy

https://twitter.com/TalismanSabre/status/1417008095239319552

https://news.defence.gov.au/international/weapons-unleashed-powerful-demonstration

Anonymous ID: fb6445 July 19, 2021, 2:32 a.m. No.14153531 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9692

>>14153524

Weapons unleashed in powerful demonstration

Warrant Officer Class 2 Max Bree - 19 July 2021

A pair of shells flew over the water and slammed into Townshend Island within the Shoalwater Bay Training Area on the afternoon of July 18.

At sea, the five-inch guns of HMAS Ballarat and USS Rafael Peralta unleashed a further barrage of rounds, beginning the Exercise Talisman Sabre 2021 firepower demonstration.

The bombardment didn’t relent as HMAS Parramatta and Japanese destroyer JS Makinami opened fire with guns of their own.

Further inland, a US Marine Corps AH-1Z Viper attack helicopter launched 20mm rockets towards Mount Phipps, accompanied by a UH-1Y Venom helicopter.

They also moved to Townshend Island where the Venom attacked with its minigun, fast-firing .50-calibre rounds and rockets.

Not to be outdone, two ARH Tigers fired 30mm rockets before dropping flares and unleashing a stream of .30-calibre rounds.

They also launched Hellfire missiles over the water at Townshend Island.

A 1000-pound bomb that exploded by the base of Mount Phipps announced an attack run by two F/A-18A/B Hornets.

They tore through the sky above Shoalwater, with loud “burrrrrrrrr” sounds resonating through the area as they strafed with 25mm cannons.

Ground-shaking booms erupted as nine US and Australian M777 Howitzers opened fire, before crews raced each other to launch their remaining nine, high-explosive rounds.

Commanding an M777 was Bombardier Dean Russell, 105th Battery of the 1st Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery, who barked orders as his crew reloaded and fired their gun.

“Not much would survive at the other end,” he said.

“There would be a lot of trees splintering and shrapnel flying around. You’d be wanting to get low if you were there.”

Back at Townshend Island, American F-35 Lightning IIs attacked with bombs and multiple 25mm cannon strafing runs.

US Army and Marine Corps High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) emerged from a hide and together fired a stream of about 20 rockets beyond Mount Phipps.

Task Force Fires commander US Marine Lieutenant Colonel Roe Lemons controlled the system, and said it could hide for months before emerging to deliver long-range precision fires.

“It’s wheeled, it can go anywhere. It’s very easy to hide,” Lieutenant Colonel Lemons said.

“It has the same effects we typically see from aviation, but it can provide that from a ground-based platform.

“We can transport it in anything from a C-130 and up.

“We fly can in, we shoot that mission, then we get out of the area.”

It was the first time in his six-year career that Bombardier Russell had seen HIMARS fire and fast jets attack over the gun line.

“Some of the new guys in the detachment had ear-to-ear grins,” he said.

“It’s amazing to imagine how far HIMARS can shoot and how much ground it can cover on the other end.”

A host of international representatives viewed the demonstration along with Minister for Defence Peter Dutton.

His remarks reminded everyone of the strength of Australia’s 70-year alliance with the US.

“It sends a clear message to anybody who would want to do harm to Australia,” Mr Dutton said.

The demonstration and exercise such as Talisman Sabre also show that Australia can operate on a world-class level with America, according to Mr Dutton.

“Our region has changed significantly in recent years and we need to make sure we have the greatest investment in our people and our equipment,” he said.

“We maximise our capacity to keep Australia safe through a deepening of our relationship with the United States, our Five Eyes partners and others who are contributing to Talisman Sabre.”

Get the latest Exercise Talisman Sabre 21 action here:

Twitter - https://twitter.com/TalismanSabre

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/talismansabre/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/talismansabre/?hl=en

Exercise Talisman Sabre 2021 - https://www1.defence.gov.au/exercises/talisman-sabre-21

https://news.defence.gov.au/international/weapons-unleashed-powerful-demonstration

Talisman Sabre Tweet

Thank you, Townsville!

The city and people of Townsville received a show of gratitude on behalf of #TS21 with a special flypast from @AusAirForce.

#TalismanSabre2021 #TalismanSabre

https://twitter.com/TalismanSabre/status/1416993787830747136

United States Department of Defense Tweet

Capable ✔

Interoperable ✔

Responsive ✔

Combat-Ready ✔

During exercise #TalismanSabre, @3d_Marine_Div and @AustralianArmy are training together to support a peaceful, stable and #FreeAndOpenIndoPacific. Check out @TalismanSabre to see more of the exercise!

https://twitter.com/DeptofDefense/status/1416880519338397697

United States Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III Tweet

Deterrence through partnerships and alliances is critical to America's defense. The @TalismanSabre exercise in the @INDOPACOM theater is a perfect example of that–with 17,000 personnel from Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, the ROK, and the U.K. participating.

https://twitter.com/SecDef/status/1416433534487699460

Anonymous ID: fb6445 July 19, 2021, 2:57 a.m. No.14153576 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>4581

>>14145027

Magnifying legal Chinese ship presence near US-Australian military drill unreasonable: experts

Liu Xuanzun - Jul 18, 2021

Recent coverage by Australian media on the legal presence of surveillance ships of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy near ongoing US-Australian military exercises has been unreasonable magnified, particularly when Western countries like the US do the same on China, Chinese experts said on Sunday.

China has dispatched two Type 815 auxiliary general intelligence ships to locations near Australia amid the Talisman Sabre 2021 large-scale military exercises involving Australian and US forces, Australian news website abc.net.au reported on Sunday.

The Chinese military had not made any announcement on this mission as of Sunday evening.

For the past two versions of the Talisman Sabre exercises in 2019 and 2017, China deployed one surveillance ship to study how US forces interact with their Australian counterparts but this was the first time a second surveillance vessel has been sent, according to the Australian news report.

Both PLA ships are expected to remain outside Australian territorial waters, with one sailing through the Torres Strait toward Queensland and the other approaching from the Solomon Sea, around Papua New Guinea, the report said, adding that the PLA Navy's activity is consistent with freedom of navigation laws under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.

It is unreasonable to exaggerate the legal presence of the Chinese ships as threats when Western countries like the US are frequently conducting close-in reconnaissance activities on China from both sea and air, which are much riskier, a Chinese military expert told the Global Times on Sunday.

The US deployed at least one surveillance ship to the South China Sea in at least 161 days in the first six months of 2021 to attempt to monitor activities of Chinese submarine in the region and provide anti-submarine intelligence support, the South China Sea Strategic Situation Probing Initiative (SCSPI), a Beijing-based think tank, said in a report released last week.

US naval surveillance activities were accompanied by aerial monitoring with more than 2,000 US spy aircrafts conducting close-in reconnaissance on China each year, the SCSPI said.

US warships also frequently trespassed into Chinese territorial waters in the Xisha and Nansha islands and US spy planes often change their identification codes to look like civilian aircrafts when conducting close-in reconnaissance operations, observers said.

Western countries should get used to China's legal maritime activities as the PLA Navy continues to develop, the expert said.

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202107/1228979.shtml

Talisman Sabre 21, Queensland, Australia, 07/19/2021 #KnowYourMil

GEORGEnews

Jul 19, 2021

Highlights to date, of our U.S. Marines assigned to 3d Battalion, 12th Marine Regiment, 3d Marine Division, during Exercise Talisman Sabre 21 on Shoalwater Bay Training Area, Queensland, Australia, July 19, 2021. TS21, the ninth iteration and conducted since 2005, occurs biennially across Northern Australia. Australian, U.S. and other multinational partner forces use Talisman Sabre to enhance interoperability by training in complex, multi-domain operations scenarios that address the full range of Indo-Pacific security concerns.

https://george.news

https://www.todaysmilitary.com/military-life/futures-magazine

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVLQfCsie9c

Australia's COVID-19 lockdowns cover more than half the 25 million population

Renju Jose and Jonathan Barrett - JULY 20, 2021

SYDNEY (Reuters) - More than half of Australia’s 25 million population is under lockdown after a third state imposed movement restrictions on Tuesday to contain the spread of the highly contagious COVID-19 Delta variant.

Australia’s coronavirus case numbers and deaths are well below other developed nations, but the country’s use of lockdowns due to a sluggish vaccination rollout is putting pressure on the national government with polls at their lowest in a year and just months before elections are due to be held.

South Australia, a state of 1.8 million people, imposed a seven day lockdown after detecting five infections linked to a returned traveller, just as neighbouring Victoria state extended a five-day lockdown by a week after it failed to stop new cases.

“We hate putting these restrictions in place but we believe we have one chance to get this right,” South Australia premier Steven Marshall told reporters.

Sydney, the country’s largest city and where the latest Delta outbreak started before spreading to other states, is in its fourth week of a five week lockdown.

New South Wales state, of which Sydney is the capital, logged 78 new cases on Tuesday, from 98 a day earlier, its biggest daily dip since Sydney went into lockdown.

At least 21 of the new cases were infectious while in the community before they were diagnosed, a number that authorities said must be near zero for Sydney’s lockdown to be lifted by a July 30 target date.

“We are seeing more hospitalisations, more admissions to ICU, more people on ventilators - we have to stop the spread of COVID,” NSW Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant said in Sydney, referring to intensive care units (ICU).

Ninety-five people with COVID-19 are in hospitals in NSW, with 27 in intensive care and 11 on ventilators. Five deaths have been reported in the state during the latest outbreak, taking the national total to 915 deaths and just over 32,000 cases.

Australia has used a system of lockdowns, tough social distancing rules and swift contact tracing to suppress the infection rate to a fraction of the levels recorded in other jurisdictions, including the United Kingdom and United States.

However the virulent Delta strain and a low COVID-19 vaccine coverage in Australia, with just over 14% of adults fully vaccinated, is testing health services.

Though 13 million Australians were under lockdown, Federal Health Minister defended the country’s response to the pandemic, saying it had saved thousands of lives.

“The scope and scale between the rest of the world and Australia are immeasurably different and we shouldn’t lose sight of what has been achieved on an extraordinary level,” Hunt told reporters.

LOCKDOWN WOES

A five-day snap lockdown in Victoria state was due to end Tuesday night, but authorities extended restrictions by a week until July 27 as officials sought more time to quell the outbreak.

“There are chains of transmission that are not yet contained that we don’t know about and if we would open up we would see how quickly this runs,” Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews said in Melbourne.

“The speed with which this has moved through the Victorian community confirms that we did the right thing to lock down, and it also sadly confirms that we need more time.”

Victoria reported nine locally acquired cases, from 13 a day earlier, in line with a downward trend and taking total cases to more than 80. Of the new cases, all but one were linked to the current outbreak, officials said.

Virus-exposed locations in Victoria have risen to more than 300 since the first cases were detected a week ago linked to a team of infectious furniture movers from Sydney.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-australia/australias-covid-19-lockdowns-cover-more-than-half-the-25-million-population-idUSKBN2EP2BW

Australia prepares for China retaliation after blaming Beijing for Microsoft hack

Mark Saunokonoko - Jul 20, 2021

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Potentially thousands of Australian businesses and computer networks have been hacked by China on a massive scale, the Australian government has claimed, while bracing for economic and political blowback for publicly blaming Beijing.

Australia has joined the US in pointing the finger at China for a hack of Microsoft Exchange email server software that compromised tens of thousands of computers around the world earlier this year.

Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews said the Chinese government-sponsored attacks "opened the door for cyber-criminals to exploit (Australia's) private sector for illicit gain".

Ms Andrews said the attacks had affected a "wide range" of businesses and sectors worldwide, which would also be reflected in the kind of Australian companies targeted.

The attacks led to a "significant" data breaches and primarily took place in January, she said.

"In the past, Australia has publicly attributed malicious cyber-activity to Iran, China, Korea, North Korea, and Russia.

"Australia publicly attributes cyber-incident when is it's in our interests to do so, especially those with the potential to undermine global economic growth, national security, and international stability."

She said the government knows there will be "serious implications for any attribution" to hacking by foreign powers, "but we also will not compromise our position on sovereignty and national security".

"In this instance, along with our partner nations (including the United Kingdom, New Zealand, United States, Japan), we needed to call out this malicious cyber attack."

She said the Australian government had a "very high level of confidence" China's Ministry of State Security was behind the cyber-attacks.

Hacking attacks from China were becoming more common, she said.

"We can't allow this criminal activity to become a significant hand brake on our economic growth and our digital security."

Ms Andrews said she did not know if any Australian companies had paid ransoms to hackers, because of the attacks.

The US administration and allied nations, including Australia, also disclosed a broad range of other cyberthreats from Beijing, including ransomware attacks from government-affiliated hackers that have targeted companies with demands for millions of dollars.

China's Ministry of State Security has been using criminal contract hackers, who have engaged in cyber extortion schemes and theft for their own profit, according to a senior administration official.

That official briefed reporters about the investigation on the condition of anonymity.

Defence Minister Peter Dutton on Monday night expressed "serious concerns about malicious cyber activities by China's Ministry of State Security".

He said the MSS exploited vulnerabilities in the Microsoft Exchange software to affect thousands of computers and networks worldwide, including in Australia.

"These actions have undermined international stability and security by opening the door to a range of other actors, including cybercriminals, who continue to exploit this vulnerability for illicit gain," he said, in a statement.

"The Australian Government is also seriously concerned about reports from our international partners that China's Ministry of State Security is engaging contract hackers who have carried out cyber-enabled intellectual property theft for personal gain and to provide commercial advantage to the Chinese Government."

Mr Dutton called on China to "act responsibly in cyberspace", abide by its commitments to the G20 and refrain from cyber-enabled theft of intellectual property, trade secrets and confidential business information.

A senior administration official said Australia was among "an unprecedented group of allies… joining the United States in exposing and criticising the PRC's Ministry of State Security's malicious cyber activities."

(continued)

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The Microsoft Exchange Server holds millions of corporate emails, calendars and rostering products and if hacked entire email inboxes could be wiped as well as stolen.

In the wake of the attack, the Australian Signals Directorate's Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) confirmed Australian organisations — thought to be more than 7000 servers locally — had been affected by the hack.

The announcements highlighted the ongoing cyberthreat posed by Chinese government hackers even as the US administration has been consumed with trying to curb ransomware attacks from Russia-based syndicates that have targeted critical infrastructure, including a massive fuel pipeline.

Even though the finger-pointing was not accompanied by any sanctioning of Beijing, a senior US administration official who disclosed the actions to reporters said the US had confronted senior Chinese officials and that the White House regarded the multi-nation public shaming as sending an important message.

That hackers affiliated with the Ministry of State Security carried out a ransomware attack was surprising and concerning to the US government, the senior administration official said.

But the attack, in which an unidentified American company received a high-dollar ransom demand, also gave US officials new insight into what the official said was "the kind of aggressive behaviour that we're seeing coming out of China."

The European Union also blamed China for what it said were malicious cyber activities with "significant effects" that targeted government institutions and political organisations in the EU and its 27 member states, as well as key European industries.

In a statement, the EU's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said the hacking was "conducted from the territory of China for the purpose of intellectual property theft and espionage."

The majority of the most damaging and high-profile recent ransomware attacks have involved Russian criminal gangs.

Though the US has sometimes seen connections between Russian intelligence agencies and individual hackers, the use of criminal contract hackers by the Chinese government "to conduct unsanctioned cyber operations globally is distinct," the official said.

The Microsoft Exchange hack was first identified in January and was rapidly attributed to Chinese cyber spies by private sector groups.

An administration official said the government's attribution to hackers affiliated with China's Ministry of State Security took until now in part because of the discovery of the ransomware and for-profit hacking operations and because the administration wanted to pair the announcement with guidance for businesses about tactics that the Chinese have been using.

An advisory Monday from the FBI, the National Security Agency and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency laid out specific techniques and ways that government agencies and businesses can protect themselves.

The White House also wanted to line up an international coalition of allies to call out China, according to the official, who said it was the first time NATO had condemned Beijing's hacking operations.

A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, asked about the Microsoft Exchange hack, has previously said that China "firmly opposes and combats cyber attacks and cyber theft in all forms" and cautioned that attribution of cyberattacks should be based on evidence and not "groundless accusations."

https://www.9news.com.au/world/us-blames-china-for-microsoft-exchange-email-server-hack/86210eb5-a4c2-48df-a59e-616a61b0f418

Anonymous ID: fb6445 July 20, 2021, 1:35 a.m. No.14159551 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9586

China accuses Australia of hypocrisy over Microsoft server hack accusation

Nick Pearson - Jul 20, 2021

China has accused Australia of hypocrisy over the Federal Government's accusation that Beijing is responsible for a massive hack of Microsoft email server software.

Overnight the Australian government blamed China's Ministry of State Security for the cyber attack.

The Chinese embassy in Canberra has now issued a statement declaring the accusation "groundless", and accused the Australian government of "parroting the rhetoric of the US".

"It is well known that the US has engaged in unscrupulous, massive and indiscriminate eavesdropping on many countries including its allies," the statement read.

"It is the world champion of malicious cyber attacks.

"Australia also has a poor record, including monitoring the mobile phone of the president of its biggest neighbour country, not to mention acting as an accomplice for the US' eavesdropping activities under the framework of Five Eyes alliance.

"What the Australian government has done is extremely hypocritical, like a thief crying 'stop the thief'."

The statement referenced Australian intelligence agencies' attempts to tap the phone calls of Indonesia's President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in 2009.

Chinese newspaper the Global Times, a mouthpiece of the Communist Party, has also been highly critical of Australia.

In an opinion piece published yesterday, the newspaper rejected suggestions that Australia was playing a valuable role in China's economic growth.

"To a certain extent, Canberra's arrogance in overestimating its role to the Chinese economy may explain their political leader's reluctance to acknowledge the sheer fact that Australia should take the full responsibility for the escalating deterioration of bilateral economic ties," the editorial read.

"Since China is the economy that is fully capable of withstanding the losses caused by trade tensions between the two countries, there is no reason or need for China to tolerate Australia provocative actions."

The statement issued overnight from Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews, Foreign Affairs Minister Marise Payne and Defence Minister Peter Dutton said China's alleged hack affected "thousands of computers and networks worldwide".

"These actions have undermined international stability and security by opening the door to a range of other actors, including cybercriminals, who continue to exploit this vulnerability for illicit gain," the statement read.

"The Australian Government is also seriously concerned about reports from our international partners that China's Ministry of State Security is engaging contract hackers who have carried out cyber-enabled intellectual property theft for personal gain and to provide commercial advantage to the Chinese Government."

It is not known if any Australian companies had paid ransoms to the hackers because of the attacks.

https://www.9news.com.au/national/china-microsoft-teams-software-hacking-australia-response-embassy-beijing-chinese-ministry-state-security/2771f8fe-ddc0-43b6-b2bf-d1a4ba0dd3d0

Foreign Minister Marise Payne Statement

Australia joins international partners in attribution of malicious cyber activity to China

Joint media release with:

• The Hon Karen Andrews MP, Minister for Home Affairs

• The Hon Peter Dutton MP, Minister for Defence

19 July 2021

Today, the Australian Government joins international partners in expressing serious concerns about malicious cyber activities by China's Ministry of State Security.

In consultation with our partners, the Australian Government has determined that China's Ministry of State Security exploited vulnerabilities in the Microsoft Exchange software to affect thousands of computers and networks worldwide, including in Australia. These actions have undermined international stability and security by opening the door to a range of other actors, including cybercriminals, who continue to exploit this vulnerability for illicit gain.

The Australian Government is also seriously concerned about reports from our international partners that China's Ministry of State Security is engaging contract hackers who have carried out cyber-enabled intellectual property theft for personal gain and to provide commercial advantage to the Chinese Government.

Australia calls on all countries – including China – to act responsibly in cyberspace. China must adhere to the commitments it has made in the G20, and bilaterally, to refrain from cyber-enabled theft of intellectual property, trade secrets and confidential business information with the intent of obtaining competitive advantage.

Since 2017, Australia has publicly attributed malicious cyber activity to North Korea, Russia, China and Iran. Most recently, Australia joined more than 30 international partners to hold Russia to account for its harmful cyber campaign against SolarWinds. Australia calls out these malicious activities to highlight the significant risk they can pose to Australia's national security or to international stability, which in turn can undermine business confidence and inclusive economic growth.

Australia's cyber security posture is strong, but there is no room for complacency given the online threat environment is constantly evolving. Protecting Australia from malicious cyber activity – be it by state actors or cybercriminals – requires a continuous improvement approach to cyber security practices across all levels of society including government, business and households.

The Australian Government will continue to work with international partners and the private sector to strengthen cyber security, including through the implementation of Australia's Cyber Security Strategy 2020 and Australia's International Cyber and Critical Technology Engagement Strategy. All Australians are encouraged to visit cyber.gov.au for advice on how to protect themselves online.

https://www.foreignminister.gov.au/minister/marise-payne/media-release/australia-joins-international-partners-attribution-malicious-cyber-activity-china

Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the Commonwealth of Australia

Chinese Embassy Spokesperson's Responding to the Australian Side's Remarks on Cyber Issues - 2021/07/20

China firmly rejects the groundless accusations made by the Australian government on cyber issues, following the steps and parroting the rhetoric of the US.

It is well known that the US has engaged in unscrupulous, massive and indiscriminate eavesdropping on many countries including its allies. It is the world champion of malicious cyber attacks. Australia also has a poor record, including monitoring the mobile phone of the president of its biggest neighbor country, not to mention acting as an accomplice for the US’ eavesdropping activities under the framework of Five Eyes alliance. What the Australian government has done is extremely hypocritical, like a thief crying "stop the thief".

As a victim of cyber attacks, China always firmly opposes cyber attacks and cyber theft in all forms, and calls on countries to advance dialogue and cooperation to safeguard cyber security.China put forward the Global Initiative on Data Security last September, and hopes that all countries will respond positively to jointly foster a peaceful, secure, open and cooperative cyberspace, if they genuinely care about cyber security.

http://au.china-embassy.org/eng/sghdxwfb_1/t1893534.htm

>>14159551

GT Voice: Australia’s role to the Chinese economy should not be overestimated

Global Times - Jul 19, 2021

Even during his tour which aims to strengthen Canberra's trading relationships with several Asia-Pacific countries, Australian Trade Minister Dan Tehan didn't forget to express in the media his patience toward mitigating trade disputes with China.

Australia wants to solve its disputes with China through dialogue, the trade minister told Nikkei Asia in an exclusive interview published on Sunday. "We have to remember out trading relationship with China is helping millions out of poverty in China. At the same time, it has helped us maintain our standard of living in Australia. So it's in both countries' interests that the economic partnership continue," Tehan said.

Amid constantly strained China-Australia political ties, it is not the first time that Australian officials have expressed similar hopes of maintaining or restoring strong trade ties with China. Yet, if they do have the sincerity in easing tensions between the two countries, they should at least show it by treating Chinese companies and investment fairly on the economic and trade front, instead of paying lip service to the media.

Maybe it is because some of the Australian politicians still lack a clear understanding when it comes to the dynamic of China-Australia trade. China contributes to more than 80 percent of Australia's trade surplus. By comparison, Australian exports to China accounted for merely 2.79 percent of China's total trade in the first half of this year, showed data from Chinese customs. In this sense, the Chinese market may be important for supporting the Australian economy, but there is no way that trade with Australia could be said to be lifting millions out of poverty in China.

To a certain extent, Canberra's arrogance in overestimating its role to the Chinese economy may explain their political leader's reluctance to acknowledge the sheer fact that Australia should take the full responsibility for the escalating deterioration of bilateral economic ties.

Australia was the first country to ban Chinese telecommunication giant Huawei from the 5G rollout on the grounds of national security, according to media reports. Since 2018, it has turned down a dozen Chinese investment projects. Early in January, Canberra killed an offer made by China State Construction Engineering Corporation to acquire Australian-based construction giant Probuild again on the grounds of national security. In April, the Australian federal government used an anti-China law to tear up agreements signed between the state of Victoria and China on the Belt and Road Initiative. Unless Canberra changes its course of action, or it would be highly questionable what dialogue can do to aid the current situation.

If anything, Canberra has fully displayed its hostility toward China by politicizing trade and investment issues and imposing discriminatory measures on Chinese companies, violating market principles and destroying the trust which formed the bedrock of China-Australia trade. Since China is the economy that is fully capable of withstanding the losses caused by trade tensions between the two countries, there is no reason or need for China to tolerate Australia provocative actions.

In this sense, the best way for Australia to work on the differences is to stop being hostile to China, and begin with treating Chinese companies fairly as a starting point.

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202107/1229053.shtml

‘Anguished’ Ben Roberts-Smith calls for trial to resume

KIERAN GAIR - JULY 19, 2021

Ben Roberts-Smith’s defamation case against Nine newspapers will briefly resume next week to hear evidence from four Afghan witnesses who are sheltering in a safe house in Kabul, as concerns mount over the impact of the trial’s pandemic-induced delay on the Victoria Cross recipient’s mental health.

Barrister Nicholas Owens, SC, acting for Nine, urged the Federal Court on Monday to resume the trial on July 26, warning there was an “ongoing risk” of a Taliban attack in Kabul.

“There is credible reports of imminent terrorist attacks in Kabul, it’s a dangerous environment,” Mr Owens said. “The relevant point there is that we are not going to get an orderly two-week notice period that the Taliban is going to attack Kabul. If things change, they are going to change very quickly,” he said.

On Monday, Justice Anthony Besanko agreed to briefly resume the trial on July 26, but only so the court could hear evidence from the four Afghan witnesses. It comes after the trial was adjourned last month in the wake of the unfolding Covid-19 outbreak in Sydney.

Barrister Bruce McClintock, SC, acting for Mr Roberts-Smith, said it was “imperative” the trial resume, renewing a call last week to relocate the case to Adelaide or Canberra.

“The stress on my client and the anguish it’s causing him is very, very great,” Mr McClintock said. “He’s now separated from his children and can’t see them. He’s stood down from his job to deal with this case.”

“He has come from Queensland, his parents have come from Perth and they are in Sydney for this case. His life is in effect on hold until this case is over.”

Mr Roberts-Smith, 42, is suing The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and The Canberra Times, now under separate ownership, over reports published in 2018 that alleged he committed murder during deployments to Afghanistan. He denies the allegations and says the reports portray him as a war criminal.

He is also suing over reports alleging he assaulted a woman — a key witness in the defamation proceedings — at a Canberra hotel in March 2018.

As part of its truth defence, the newspapers allege that Mr Roberts-Smith committed or was complicit in six unlawful killings in Afghanistan, including their “centrepiece” allegation — the murder of Afghan Ali Jan.

Last month, Mr McClintock told the court that “if someone called Ali Jan did die” in Afghanistan, it was because he was a Taliban spotter who was killed by Australian soldiers within the rules of engagement.

The villagers, however, allege they saw Mr Roberts-Smith kick Ali Jan, allegedly an unarmed farmer, off a cliff while handcuffed in Darwan in 2012. He was then allegedly shot dead by Australian soldiers. A fourth Afghan witness is also expected to provide evidence about Jan being held in custody by Australian soldiers.

Given the risk of a Taliban-led terrorist attack in Kabul, Mr Owens on Monday said the Afghan witnesses may decide that “this isn’t their fight” and that it would not be “worth their while to participate in a foreign western countries court processes for reasons that don’t produce any direct benefit to them.”

“None of the witnesses reside permanently in Kabul, so if the matter were to be put off, there is a question about getting people back to Kabul in the future.”

Mr Owens said travel back to Kabul would involve entering “regional areas in Afghanistan which tend to be more heavily dominated by the Taliban”.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/anguished-ben-robertssmith-calls-for-trial-to-resume/news-story/aee1f679e1245ad897ea02dfd4500336

>>14020172

Leon Ronald Scarffe faces court accused of child abuse and blackmail arising from investigation into Jadd William Brooker

Yet another alleged member of this HIV+ sex predator’s online pedophile ring has faced court – and he has been accused of also blackmailing his young victims.

Sean Fewster - July 20, 2021

An alleged member of the same pedophile ring that included an HIV-positive predator and a top political advisor used blackmail to keep his young victims silent, a court has heard.

The Advertiser can reveal Leon Ronald Scarffe is the latest alleged sex offender to face court on charges arising from the investigation into Jadd William Brooker.

He is one of more than 10 people arrested, by SA’s Joint Anti Child Exploitation Team, in a still-ongoing investigation into a large group of Adelaide-based alleged pedophiles.

Scarffe, 51, of Mitchell Park, appeared in the Adelaide Magistrates Court on Tuesday by video link.

He has yet to plead to one count of persistent sexual exploitation of a child and 10 counts of unlawful sexual intercourse with a person under the age of 17.

Scarffe is further charged with one count of producing child exploitation material and seven counts of disseminating that material online.

He is also charged with five counts of communicating to make a child amenable to sexual activity, and one count of blackmail.

Court documents, filed by JACET, allege the offences took place at Mitchell Park between March 1, 2017 and December 4 last year.

The document allege that, over the three-year period, Scarrfe groomed children online and then recorded himself repeatedly abusing them.

They also allege Scarffe told the children that, if they reported his actions to police, he would send his recordings to their families or publish the material on the internet.

They further allege that, despite his threat, Scarffe had already shared his recordings online with other men.

One of those men, JACET has alleged, was Brooker – who has pleaded guilty to 38 child abuse offences since his arrest in September last year.

Brooker was caught due to conversations, in which he vowed to infect children and adults with HIV, he had online with Michael Drennan – who has been jailed for child abuse crimes.

JACET’s analysis of Brooker’s computers and digital devices sparked the arrests of Scarffe and several other men including veteran Labor political advisor Benjamin John Waters.

Waters has since pleaded guilty to child abuse offences and will next face court in September, on the same day as Brooker.

On Tuesday, counsel for Scarffe said their client would plead not guilty to all 25 charges and asked he be committed to the District Court for trial.

However, as Magistrate Brett Dixon read out the first charge, Scarffe refused to respond with his plea.

“I want to seek further legal advice … I want to speak to my lawyer again,” he said.

Mr Dixon remanded Scarffe in custody to face court again next month.

https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/south-australia/leon-ronald-scarffe-faces-court-accused-of-child-abuse-and-blackmail-arising-from-investigation-into-jadd-william-brooker/news-story/4ccc99755a935774dcd54afba5f439ac

Anonymous ID: fb6445 July 20, 2021, 2:14 a.m. No.14159654 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>9657

Joe and Alan were childhood mates — they never realised they shared a secret

Emily Baker - 19 Jul 2021

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A photo taken of Joe* in 1971 shows him long legged and tanned, his childish face shaded by a large hat as he holds a sturdy stick, ready for adventure.

The group of adults who took the 12-year-old on bushwalks throughout Tasmania gave him a nickname.

Now 63, he has been haunted by those walks in his youth, where he alleges he was plied with alcohol and sexually abused by one of the men.

"They called me Chuck because I used to drink and vomit," Joe said.

"If you saw a 27, 28-year-old man running around with 12-year-old boys in his car, sometimes giving them alcohol, you'd have to wonder."

Drug and alcohol addiction followed Joe into his adult life, eventually leading to what he jokingly referred to as his tour of Tasmania — admission to four different psychiatric wards.

The first incident happened in the alleged perpetrator's spare room before a Saturday morning journey.

"It definitely happened more than once at that house and it happened on some of the bushwalks as well," Joe said.

"I wanted to go bushwalking. I didn't go to find somebody to have sex with me."

Joe gave evidence to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse and tried to have his case prosecuted by police in 2014.

He was told it would not be pursued because of the time that had passed, that his mother's supporting evidence was not strong enough, that a covert call with the alleged perpetrator made from Victoria was not admissible in Tasmania, and that the allegations had been "emphatically denied" during an interview with police.

His drug and alcohol abuse was also listed as a reason his reliability may be questioned.

Joe all but gave up on seeking justice and tried to get on with the life he had built in Melbourne — sober and single.

"I haven't had a lot of success building relationships and having a family of my own," Joe said.

"I have a dog and I've found a good job but it's not a high-level job."

Seven years passed. Then, about one month ago, he received a Facebook message. Maybe he could help this woman in Tasmania?

'Everything just clicked into place'

Julie* was debriefing with her sisters the day after her birthday when one of her siblings said something that made her pause.

Learning of the alleged sexual abuse her father Alan* suffered when he was about 11 led to sadness and rage so white hot it was like nothing she had ever felt before.

"I was like, 'Wow, that's why my dad worked away, why he had the emotions he's had.' Everything just clicked into place," she said.

"I had never thought this would happen within my family. I don't think anyone would think that."

Given the alleged perpetrator's name, Julie became obsessed, trawling Facebook, the phone book and archives at the library.

"What I found in those records was very disturbing," Julie said.

"I found the walks my father had been on."

One by one, she tried to contact those that may have also been on the walks. Some people were interested in helping where they could, some expressed sympathy, some firmly refused to talk.

But within minutes of messaging Joe on social media, he was on the phone.

"He introduced himself, as did I, then we just had an awkward silence, then both started crying," Julie said.

"We knew."

(continued)

>>14159654

2/2

'I've suppressed it all my life'

Alan and Joe's stories are remarkably similar — in fact, the men grew up in Devonport, on Tasmania's north-west coast.

Alan said he was an active child, involved in a lot of sports. His family too was befriended by the alleged perpetrator, and he was invited on bushwalks with the man.

He remembers three separate alleged incidents, also around the early 1970s, and also involving alcohol.

Alan finds it incredibly difficult to talk about.

"I've suppressed it all my life," Alan said.

"And I've led a pretty tricky life, a pretty hard life. A lot of alcohol involved. I've struggled a fair bit."

Reconnecting with Joe and realising the horrors they each went through had led to mixed emotions, Alan said.

"We were mates … haven't seen each other since 71, didn't realise what was going on," Alan said.

"It was a very sad moment or moments. It was just comforting to support each other."

The pair compared stories via text for about three weeks and helped create certainty where time and trauma had made Alan question his own memories.

"Example: I had something in my head where there was alcohol involved, something was nagging," Alan said.

"And [Joe] supported that. I've supported him in other areas as well. I'll be interested to meet him again."

Joe described speaking with Alan as a "remarkable experience".

"It's sad but it's also validating that this guy has come up," he said.

"It's been quite remarkable to connect with another victim."

'Justice would be to have this guy charged'

At his daughter's urging, Alan went to Tasmania Police in January, and was formally interviewed late last month.

"Justice would, to me, [be] to have this guy charged and convicted and his penalty to be paid on some level," Alan said.

"Justice would be to me as well that that happened, not for myself and [Joe], but how many other people have been abused and their lives have been trashed because of what happened to them as children."

A Tasmania Police spokeswoman said she was unable to comment on whether someone was under investigation.

Maurice Blackburn lawyer Zoe Papageorgiou is investigating a civil claim for compensation on behalf of Joe, Alan and other potential survivors of alleged sexual assault within the community.

"At the early stages of a claim it's very much puzzle pieces, and bringing together the puzzle is really dependent on people coming forward," Ms Papageorgiou said.

"The impacts on both men have been quite grave, not only on themselves but their families.

"If we as a community — as well as their legal representatives — can help them by sharing information, that's critical."

Alan said speaking up was difficult but he wanted to ensure other survivors of alleged child sex abuse did not feel alone.

"The message I'd like to get out there to anyone who's been a victim is that it's OK to speak up, and at the end of the day if you don't speak up no-one will be brought to justice."

*Names have been changed

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-07-19/daughters-investigation-into-alleged-sexual-abuse-of-father/100278158

>>14153524

>>14153531

Talisman Sabre 21 live fire mission

Department of Defence Australia

Jul 20, 2021

Participants in Talisman Sabre 21 conducted a live fire activity at Shoalwater Bay Training Area, incorporating different weapons systems from land, air, sea and cyber systems. This “Multi-domain Strike” capability is one of the ADF’s newest joint warfighting concepts.

Synchronising traditional warfare and digital assets, Talisman Sabre 21 participants conducted an attack on a simulated adversary on Townshend Island.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjGT7P2zyKg

Talisman Sabre Tweet

An Australian and US first

#TS21 jump training combined @USAirForce, @USArmy & #YourADF parachutists to conduct military free-fall operations from a U.S. aircraft using Australian parachutes for the first time.

#AlliesAndPartners #TalismanSabre

https://twitter.com/TalismanSabre/status/1417370068418244609

Talisman Sabre Tweet

Building sea combat power

#HMASBallarat, #HMASBrisbane & #HMASParramatta are building navy-to-navy skills by conducting maritime manoeuvres with Republic of Korea Ship Wang Geon, USS Rafael Peralta & @jmsdf_pao_eng Japanese Ship Makinami during #TS21.

#TalismanSabre

https://twitter.com/TalismanSabre/status/1417294763452108814

U.S. Marines Tweet

HIMARS w/ @3d_Marine_Div fire missiles during exercise @TalismanSabre at Shoalwater Bay Training Area, #Australia. #TS21 allows US, AUS and other partners to enhance interoperability by training in complex scenarios that address the full range of Indo-Pacific security concerns.

https://twitter.com/USMC/status/1417246905998974976

GEN James C. McConville Tweet

Soldiers assigned to @38thADA, @94thArmyAMDC fire a patriot missile during bilateral Exercise Talisman Sabre 21 at Camp Growl located in Queensland, Australia. (U.S. Army photo by Maj. Trevor Wild, 38th ADA BDE Public Affairs.)

https://twitter.com/ArmyChiefStaff/status/1417152301496737802

‘Active threat’: China’s cyber-intrusion on British MPs exposed

Latika Bourke - July 21, 2021

London: British MPs pushing to take a tougher stance on Beijing have been told that a cyber attack had been launched against them, a day after Five Eyes nations and allies accused China’s Ministry of State Security of carrying out a fresh cyber intrusion.

The MPs were told that a successful intrusion had taken place and that another was imminent and that co-chairs of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) were the specific targets.

Former Conservative Party leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith who helped found the IPAC told the Commons that he had only learnt of the threat via his IPAC colleagues and not from his own government.

“I understand now that there is intelligence from the Five Eyes sources which shows that there is now a very active and direct threat from the Chinese government aimed directly at the co-chairs of the IPAC,” Duncan Smith said.

The foreign MPs were given the heads-up so they could try to protect themselves by being alert and on the lookout for any unusual cyber activity.

The advice stated that there was an “active threat” against co-chairs of the IPAC, which was formed last year, partly in response to China’s trade sanctions on Australia.

The nature of the threat was not specified but is believed to be cyber rather than physical; crucially, the intelligence was believed to have been gathered by the British.

The IPAC comprises around 200 MPs from 20 legislatures around the world including Australia, the UK, US and Germany and has been dubbed the “nuisance alliance” by Chinese propaganda.

Duncan Smith demanded to know if the British government had received the same intelligence.

“And if so, why have they not informed the co-chairs and others here like other allies have done?” he said.

The IPAC is represented in Australia by the chair of Parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee James Paterson and Labor Senator Kimberley Kitching.

Five Eyes nations and Japan formally blamed China for a massive hack of Microsoft Exchange email server software and asserted that criminal hackers associated with the Chinese government have carried out ransomware and other illicit cyber operations. The charge has been disputed by Beijing.

Earlier this year, IPAC reported to Britain’s National Cyber Security Centre, a major cyber attack it had suffered in March, which took down its website for several hours.

Junior minister James Cleverly said he would not discuss intelligence in public. Cleverly was responding to urgent questions from backbenchers about the Microsoft hack.

The hack of the Microsoft Exchange, which began in January, gave the Chinese access to tens of thousands of computers around the world. Five Eyes countries, Japan, the EU and NATO all named China as the culprit in the first joint attribution that the democracies have made.

A grand jury in the US indicted three Chinese security officials over hacks of companies, universities and foreign government entities.

MPs from all parties slammed the government for not announcing any sanctions or charges like the US has done.

Speaking separately to a Chatham House audience, Kevin Rudd said cyber attacks waged by authoritarian regimes were a “regular reality” when he was prime minister.

“Certainly in our periods in office, it was an active and real concern,” he told former Labour frontbencher David Miliband.

https://www.smh.com.au/world/europe/china-cyberattack-on-british-mps-exposed-20210720-p58bgy.html

Anonymous ID: fb6445 July 21, 2021, 12:57 a.m. No.14166025 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>6027

The US and its allies may not stop China's 'web of hackers', but it can 'deeply embarrass' Beijing

Bill Birtles - 20 July 2021

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Monday night's announcement that China was behind large-scale cyber hacking activities worldwide was unprecedented for the size of the coalition that jointly made it.

Three Australian ministers —Karen Andrews, Marise Payne and Peter Dutton — jointly issued a statement coordinated with the White House, NATO, the European Union, the UK, Canada, New Zealand and Japan.

In it, they accused China of engaging in "malicious cyber activities", in what was described as a "pattern of irresponsible, disruptive, and destabilising behaviour in cyberspace".

But today, Beijing hit back hard and fast, claiming through state media that it was the victim of cyber warfare and alleging three specific attacks on China originating from the US.

The unusually detailed account of the alleged hacking campaigns came as China's government accused Australia of hypocrisy and "parroting the rhetoric of the US".

Beijing also accused Washington of "massive and indiscriminate eavesdropping on many countries", labelling its accusations as "groundless".

The tit-for-tat war of words might appear routine in an era President Joe Biden has described as one of "extreme competition" between the superpowers.

But cybersecurity experts warn the online battlefield is intensifying and will only worsen the already fraught relationship between China and the West.

China operates 'a distributed web of hackers'

The US announced charges against three Ministry of State security employees and a fourth person based on China's southern holiday island of Hainan for their alleged role in hacking foreign governments, companies and universities.

But the details of the attacks and commercial theft came as little surprise to those in the cybersecurity sector.

And it did not appear to surprise the Chinese government itself, which used its state media arms to deploy a counter-narrative within hours.

The Global Times, an unofficial Communist Party tabloid with a track record of stories about Western espionage against China, put out an article claiming three US-based hacking groups launched attacks last year.

"Multiple US hacking groups have exploited vulnerabilities and forcefully targeted important, sensitive websites and servers of Chinese government and Communist Party organisations, plus enterprises and education institutions," the Global Times said.

The article claimed two separate US groups in October last year targeted almost 3,500 computers in China, including a car manufacturing company, a steel company, and multiple universities.

A third group launched a smaller attack mainly targeting Chinese educational institutions mid-last year, according to the report, which didn't attribute the information.

"China tries to make it like for like, but in reality we have very different norms," said Robert Potter, the Canberra-based head of cybersecurity firm Internet 2.0.

"When China hacks for the purpose of espionage, we might not be happy about it, but we don't say they broke the rules.

"Whereas when they steal corporate secrets and confidential information, we call them out."

(continued)

>>14166025

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Mr Potter said the Australian government was less affected in the attack exploiting a vulnerability in Microsoft Exchange servers than some other countries, but there were corporate victims.

And he said the US allegation that China's Ministry of State Security was sponsoring private groups of hackers who engaged in commercial theft was widely known.

"The Chinese operate a distributed web of hackers, so the level of government control over their activities isn't as high," he said.

"I think the government would prefer their hackers have more discipline, but China trades away centralised control for greater effectiveness."

Indictment aims to 'deeply embarrass' leadership

Another cybersecurity expert, Greg Austin, agrees the tactics revealed in the US indictment aren't new, but the urgency to combat them is.

"It shows an intensity within the Biden administration that they've appointed top people to different positions and they've got on top of it in a way the Trump administration didn't achieve," he said.

The US has previously announced indictments for Chinese military personnel over commercial espionage, and it's extremely unlikely the four Chinese nationals charged by American prosecutors would ever face the US justice system.

But more troubling for China's leader Xi Jinping would be the growing unity among Western allies to push back.

"I found it surprising that the EU and NATO have come out at this critical juncture," said Professor Austin, who leads a cybersecurity program at Singapore's International Institute for Strategic Studies.

"I think it bodes ill for the prospect of strong, positive relations between both organisations and China, and sadly seems to validate the Australian government's hardening stance."

He believes the purpose of the US-led indictment is to "deeply embarrass" the Chinese leadership.

"It shows either the Chinese government is approving this [commercial theft] activity or the officials in the provincial Hainan MSS bureau are undertaking activities that violate China's own laws," he said.

China's government has long maintained that it is a victim of cyber attacks and a statement issued by China's embassy in Australia said it "always firmly opposes cyber attacks and cyber theft in all forms".

It also accused Australia of being "extremely hypocritical".

"Australia has a poor record, including monitoring the mobile phone of the president of its biggest neighbour country," it said, referring to the 2009 eavesdropping attempt on then-Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, which was revealed by American whistleblower Edward Snowden.

Australia, the Chinese embassy said, is "like a thief crying 'stop the thief'".

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-07-20/china-rejects-claims-it-was-behind-microsoft-attack/100307006

Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian's Regular Press Conference on July 20, 2021

Reuters: The US and a coalition of its allies on Monday accused China's Ministry of State Security of a global cyber hacking campaign. Do you have any comment on this?

Zhao Lijian: The US ganged up with its allies to make groundless accusations out of thin air against China on the cyber security issue. This act confuses right with wrong and smears and suppresses China out of political purpose. China will never accept this.

China firmly opposes and combats all forms of cyber attacks. It will never encourage, support or condone cyber attacks. This position has been consistent and clear. Given the virtual nature of cyberspace and the fact that there are all kinds of online actors who are difficult to trace, it's important to have enough evidence when investigating and identifying cyber-related incidents. It requires extra prudence when linking cyber attacks with the government of any country. The so-called technical details released by the US side do not constitute a complete chain of evidence.

In fact, the US is the world's largest source of cyber attacks. According to a report of 360, a Chinese cyber security firm, APT groups from North America have sophisticated techniques and abundant resources, and have long been targeting specific industries and institutions. According to statistics from the National Computer Network Emergency Response Technical Team (CNCERT), about 52,000 malicious program command and control servers located outside China took control of about 5.31 million computer hosts in China in 2020. The US and two of its NATO allies are the top three in terms of the number of computers under their control in China. In addition, 360's report also showed that APT-C-39, a cyber attack organization of the US Central Intelligence Agency, has carried out cyber infiltration and attacks on China for 11 years in key areas such as aerospace, science and research institutions, oil industry, large Internet companies and government agencies. The above attacks have seriously undermined China's national security, and the security of China's economy, critical infrastructure and citizens' personal information.

The US is wiretapping not only competitors, but also its allies. Its European allies downplay US moves to use Denmark's intelligence agency to spy on their leaders, while making a fuss about "China's cyber attacks" based on hearsay evidence. This act contradicts strategic autonomy claimed by Europe.

The cyber attack is a common threat faced by all. We always hold that countries should safeguard cyber security through dialogue and cooperation on the basis of mutual respect, mutual trust and mutual benefit. I would like to stress that a handful of countries do not represent the international community, and denigrating others doesn't help to whitewash one's own wrongdoings. China once again strongly demands that the US and its allies stop cyber theft and attacks targeting China, stop slinging mud at China on this issue, and revoke the so-called indictment. China will take necessary measures to firmly uphold its cyber security and interests.

https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/mfa_eng/xwfw_665399/s2510_665401/2511_665403/t1893769.shtml

US enlisting allies to smear China only exposes diffidence: Global Times editorial

Global Times - Jul 20, 2021

On Monday, the US and a coalition of allies accused China of a global cyber hacking campaign that employed contract hackers, Reuters reported. It also said the attacks aimed at dozens of companies, universities and government agencies in the US and abroad, even extorted businesses for financial gain.

On the same day, US federal agencies, including the National Security Council, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the National Security Agency, outlined more than 50 techniques and procedures that "China state-sponsored actors" use in targeting US networks. NBC News said, "The move marks a significant escalation in a decade-long effort by the US to grapple with Chinese government hacking." It highlights a new direction of the US' conflict with China.

A US official even threatened on Sunday that "We [the US and its allies] are not ruling out further action to hold the PRC [China] accountable."

Washington has repeatedly said that the US is under constant cyber attacks. This time, it has roped in its allies in the joint accusation, in a bid to amplify its momentum. It directly named China's Ministry of State Security. It is well known that the security departments of any country are sensitive and confidential. It is impossible to prove its innocence by showing its internal working mechanisms. The US intends to put China in a disadvantageous situation, and China is unable to argue. This will make US's accusations look more like "true."

However, the so-called the Chinese government hiring hackers "to conduct unsanctioned cyber operations globally" is a huge lie. Such a practice cannot be carried out in China's system, and it is completely inexplicable from the perspective of motivation.

China has a strict system of accountability. The US has accused China of cyber attacks for many years. It has become a highly sensitive issue between China and the US. We have to ask: What is the motive and benefit for China to launch large-scale cyber-attacks against the US and severely hit China-US relations as the US has accused? Which piece of information or economic benefit from the US is more important than China's national reputation?

The US even claimed that China has allowed contractor hackers to pursue their personal profit; in other words, China is willing to use its national interests to pay for the interests of those hackers and specific organizations they represent. We don't know whether the US and Western societies controlled by capital have such logic, but it is totally unthinkable in socialist China.

The Western world is unfamiliar with China's system and cyber attacks are difficult to trace. Washington is exploiting them to frame China. Cyber attacks have happened in almost all countries and China has suffered more damage than the US. The US, the global top technology center, has blatantly set up cyber troops, but loudly accuses other countries of launching cyber attacks. How ridiculous!

The US is stirring up new geopolitical disputes by turning cyber frictions into major conflicts among countries. It tries to constantly frame up new accusations on China together with its allies, making China a symbol of the world's "darkness." Since the US has already put labels such as "genocide" and "committed crimes against humanity" on China, any new accusation won't surprise us.

China has been working hard to build a community with a shared future for mankind. We have not been involved in war in foreign countries for a long time. Instead, China is committed to domestic economic development, rapidly improving people's livelihood, and practicing the people-centered governance philosophy. How can such a country be as dark as the US has claimed? It is a shame for the West that such a slander can widely spread in Western ideology. It shows the Western ideological system is decaying.

The slander against China has been excessive. Eventually, the US is defaming itself as a result of the slander. The US cannot exploit these smears to substantively attack China. If the US takes aggressive measures, carries out national-level cyber attacks on China, or imposes so-called sanctions on China, we will retaliate.

There is another scenario. The vicious accusations made by Washington have almost destroyed any trust between China and the US in the field of cyberspace. Their mutual suspicion is bound to significantly increase. There will be a higher probability that both sides could misjudge that the other side is launching cyber attacks. Washington must bear responsibility for this scenario. US allies which follow the US won't benefit either.

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202107/1229070.shtml

US and Australia move to block China buying Digicel

John Kehoe and Andrew Tillett - Jul 21, 2021

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The Biden administration has been in private talks with the Morrison government about working together to stop China buying Digicel’s mobile phone networks in the Pacific and Caribbean.

The move is an early test for President Joe Biden’s “Build Back Better World initiative” to counter China’s Belt and Road Initiative to finance infrastructure projects in developing countries, after a resolution of world leaders at the Group of Seven meeting in June.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison and his national security committee have considered the sensitive issue and the government has been in ongoing dialogue with US officials, Australian and US sources said.

The US State Department and US International Development Finance Corporation (formerly known as the Overseas Private Investment Corporation) have assessed the Digicel situation in their regional neighbourhood in the Caribbean and Central America, while taking an interest in the Pacific, sources said.

There are concerns among national security officials in Canberra that Digicel could be used to spy on neighbouring countries and visiting Australian government ministers, control media communications to disseminate political propaganda for China-friendly Pacific political leaders, and as a patronage vehicle to corrupt the region’s political elite.

Australian and US officials have been in talks about the Digicel situation since last year, when it emerged the telco was under financial pressure from bondholders and might sell assets to a Chinese state-owned enterprise such as China Mobile.

However, the governments are uncertain how much legitimate interest China has in acquiring Digicel and if its Irish billionaire owner Denis O’Brien could be exaggerating China’s interest to create bidding tension and maximise a sale price.

Telstra confirmed on Monday it had been enlisted by the government to potentially acquire a minority equity stake in Digicel’s Pacific mobile phone network assets, in a taxpayer-backed proposal estimated to be worth about $2 billion for ageing 3G and 4G assets in Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Tonga, Vanuatu, Nauru and Samoa.

Telstra may update the market with more information at its financial results on August 12.

Telstra and Optus executives in late 2019 attended meetings in Washington with the US government, think tanks and the technology community to discuss how Western countries can develop 5G and future networks and avoid using Chinese telco Huawei.

Digicel is incorporated in the tax haven of Bermuda and operates across 33 markets, including Jamaica, Haiti, Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, Cayman Islands, Panama and El Salvador.

Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews dodged questions on the government’s willingness to bankroll Telstra’s purchase, but effectively confirmed the potential deal had national security implications.

“While I understand your question, I’m not prepared to make a comment on any of those matters, particularly because they relate to our national security,” she said on Tuesday.

(continued)

>>14166079

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Concerns about Digicel’s assets in countries neighbouring the US potentially being sold to a Chinese state-owned enterprise originated in 2020 under the Trump administration, sources said.

Donald Trump’s then ambassador to Jamaica, Donald Tapia, said in January that Chinese spies had used Digicel’s network to eavesdrop on his calls. Digicel at the time rejected the claims as “without foundation”, according to the Irish Times.

The US government’s interest in Digicel has carried through to the Biden administration, a source said.

At the G7 meeting in the UK in June, the world’s largest advanced economies announced a plan to challenge China’s financing of infrastructure projects in developing countries under Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative.

President Biden touted the so-called Build Back Better World initiative to provide a transparent infrastructure partnership to help narrow the $US40 trillion ($54.6 trillion) required by developing nations by 2035.

”This is not just about confronting or taking on China,” a senior official in the Biden administration reportedly said at the G7.

“But until now we haven’t offered a positive alternative that reflects our values, our standards and our way of doing business.”

Mr O’Brien flew on his private jet to the US last year.

Diplomatic sources said Australia’s former ambassador in Washington and former treasurer, Joe Hockey, helped arrange Mr O’Brien’s entry into the US during COVID-19 border restrictions.

Mr Hockey is working as a consultant for Digicel and has been privately warning interested parties that he has a patriotic interest to prevent China buying Digicel’s assets in the Pacific.

The former treasurer recently returned temporarily to Sydney from his home base of Washington for business and family reasons, a source said.

He declined to comment when contacted.

Australian National University research fellow at the Department of Pacific Affairs, Amanda Watson, said Digicel’s global business had “very substantial” debt challenges and had been forced into a debt restructuring to hold off bondholders.

“Selling off the Digicel Pacific arm could be quite strategic because it is reasonably profitable and could help address the debt,” she said.

“It is certainly profitable in PNG.”

Digicel Pacific generated earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) of $US235 million in calendar 2020.

Any government financial support for a Digicel acquisition would likely be made through Export Finance Australia, government sources said.

Trade and Investment Minister Dan Tehan in June announced the EFA’s powers would be expanded to equity investments in offshore infrastructure in “certain circumstances” to act in Australia’s “national interest”.

The Coalition government is spending almost $100 million to fund two-thirds of a 4700-kilometre undersea cable from Sydney to PNG and the Solomon Islands, to stop Huawei expanding in the Pacific and potentially spying on the region.

The Australia, US and Japan trilateral partnership for infrastructure investment in the Indo-Pacific last October announced $US30 million in funding to finance an undersea fibre optic cable to the Republic of Palau, an archipelago of more than 500 islands, part of the Micronesia region in the western Pacific Ocean.

The spur cable will connect Palau to a new cable which will span the Indo-Pacific region from Singapore to the west coast of the United States.

“Secure and reliable internet connectivity in the region will open up opportunities to boost tourism, business and investment, and to provide better government services, including health and education,” the government said in October.

Australia is also supporting a scoping study of Timor-Leste’s first undersea fibre optic cable, at the request of its government.

https://www.afr.com/policy/economy/us-and-australia-move-to-block-china-buying-digicel-20210720-p58b7u

>>14166079

GT Voice: Will Australia meet Pacific nations’ need for telecom upgrade?

Global Times - Jul 20, 2021

Australia's largest communications provider Telstra Corp said on Monday it is considering buying mobile networks in six Pacific nations, which are currently owned by Jamaica-based telecom company Digicel Group, according to media reports.

The deal, which is still being negotiated, has attracted some attention as some see it as Australia's latest effort to limit Chinese influence in the region.

While such kind of Australian-style saber-rattling against China is not new, it is still a bit funny to see this kind of self-staged performance from time to time. China's economic strength far exceeds that of Australia's when it comes to investing in foreign infrastructure. If Chinese enterprises intend to make infrastructure investment in Pacific nations, what power on earth does Australia have to block China from investing in a third country? Can it compete with Chinese firms in terms of resources or a track record of delivery?

An unusual part of the Pacific network deal is that the Australian government will reportedly finance the bulk of the deal, while Telstra itself is not that interested in the telecom assets across the six nations. According to a Monday report by the Wall Street Journal, citing anonymous insider, Telstra "wouldn't have considered the Pacific acquisition without the government's request."

But the irony is that the Australian government's enthusiasm in the acquisition appears to have been fueled by the speculation that a Chinese company may purchase Digicel's Pacific unit. In fact, Digicel last year already denied the rumored report stating that "We can categorically state there is no basis to this whatsoever and that no approach has been made to us," according to Reuters.

Aside from Australia's reported motivation to invest in mobile networks in Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Nauru, Samoa, Vanuatu and Tonga, perhaps the more critical question for the six Pacific nations is whether the Australia operator has the capability and willingness to make necessary upgrades to the networks once the acquisition deal is done.

With more and more countries accessing 5G networks, Pacific nations also have a desire to upgrade their technology, and that means there will be more for the Australian company to invest in the telecom infrastructure. Last but not least, Pacific nations have their own right to attract and use foreign investment based on their own needs, which should by no means be subject to interference from politically motivated outside parties. Even though there is a long history of cooperation between Australia and Pacific nations, Australia should not take the region for granted.

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202107/1229158.shtml

Japanese envoy says Tokyo ‘struggles every day’ with China

ROD McGUIRK - 21 July 2021

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Japan’s relationship with China was no better than notoriously strained Sino-Australian relations, the Japanese ambassador to Australia said on Wednesday.

Japan’s ties with China are often held up as an example to Australia of how productive relations can be maintained with Beijing despite national differences. But Ambassador Shingo Yamagami said he had encountered a common misperception in Australia about the state of Japan’s relations with China since he took up his post in December last year.

“The nutshell of that argument is Japan is doing far better than Australia when it comes to dealing with Japan’s neighbor, China,” Yamagami told the National Press Club of Australia.

“My simple answer is: no way. I’m afraid I don’t subscribe to such an argument. Why? Because each and every day Japan is struggling,” Yamagami added.

Japan, Australia and other countries needed to join forces to address challenges caused by China’s rise, he said.

“Don’t worry. You are doing an excellent job. We are in the same boat and we should work together,” Yamagami said.

China has become increasingly hostile toward Australia since early last year, when the Australian government called for an independent investigation into the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Relations between the China and Australia have soured in recent years, with Australia blocking Chinese technology and investment in key infrastructure, and China using tariffs and other measures to reduce its imports from Australia.

Former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, president of the Asia Society, a New York-based think tank, a scholar of Chinese history and a former Australian diplomat to Beijing, is among the Australian foreign policy critics who applaud the Japanese example for dealing with China.

Rudd has urged both Beijing and Canberra to “put the megaphone away” in their bilateral dealings. Japan, which like Australia is a close U.S. ally, had managed its relationship with China without retaliatory trade sanctions in recent years through deeds instead of words, Rudd said.

President Joe Biden’s administration and Japan have recently said they will stand by Australia against what they describe as China’s campaign of economic coercion through informal trade sanctions.

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga argues that trade should never to used as a tool to apply political pressure, Yamagami said.

“I applaud the way Australia has faced up to tremendous pressures in a consistent, principled and resilient manner,” he said.

https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-health-china-japan-tokyo-ce5d5bde2554031a5ae81ff85d6a42e1

Anonymous ID: fb6445 July 21, 2021, 1:24 a.m. No.14166108 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>6110

US forces give the nod to closer ties

BEN PACKHAM - JULY 21, 2021

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Australia and the US are in talks to deepen their military co-operation, with plans for new exercises on Australian soil including joint training with American army soldiers.

The aim is to strengthen the interoperability of the nations’ forces amid growing strategic threats, by expanding the frequency and variety of US training missions in Australia.

The proposed exercises with the US army would be modelled on the annual rotation of Marines through Darwin, and use a variety of military training areas including those in Queensland.

The planned training expansion is being discussed ahead of an August meeting of Australian and US four-star generals and intelligence community leaders in Washington.

The annual US-Australia Military Representatives (MILREPS) meeting is a precursor to minister-level AUSMIN talks, which are increasingly likely to be held in Washington this year, despite it being Australia’s turn to host.

“The challenges we face in this region are real,” said a source familiar with the discussions.

“Expanding training opportunities in Australia with American forces makes us that much more interoperable, especially if we can bring in other countries to train with us. That makes both our countries, and our region, more secure and prepared for the future.”

It is understood Defence Minister Peter Dutton and Foreign Minister Marise Payne are planning to head to Washington for the annual “2+2” talks soon after the 70th anniversary of the ANZUS Alliance on September 1. Scott Morrison is also considering visiting the US in September to celebrate the anniversary with US President Joe Biden, as well as address the UN general assembly and attend a potential face-to-face meeting of Quadrilateral Security Dialogue leaders.

This would see him meet Mr Biden, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga.

The push to ramp up joint training with US forces in Australia is consistent with America’s shift in force posture, which aims to build more nimble and geographically distributed capabilities across the Indo-Pacific in preparation for a potential conflict with China. It comes as nearly 17,000 Australian and US personnel participate in Exercise Talisman Sabre – the allies’ biggest bilateral training mission – at Defence facilities across Queensland.

This year’s exercise, which also involves contingents from Japan, Canada, Britain and New Zealand, is being closely watched by two Chinese spy ships, reflecting Beijing’s growing interest in how the nations’ militaries work together.

The Morrison and Biden administrations are also in the midst of delicate negotiations to build guided missiles in Australia using top-secret US technology, and store US weapons and equipment at Top End bases.

(continued)

>>14166108

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Australian Strategic Policy Institute executive director Peter Jennings said practical military co-operation with the US was Australia’s best immediate option to deter would-be adversaries.

“I think what you are seeing is the fulfilment of a strategy that was really set down by Jim Mattis when he was secretary of defence, to give the US military more options to disperse its forces in the event of an attack from China,” Mr Jennings said.

“Australia plays, potentially, a really important part of that because we are sufficiently far enough away, we have infrastructure that can be used, and we are an alliance partner. The benefit for Australia is a larger more regular American military presence here is the best deterrence that we can buy in the short term.”

He said joint training exercises kept the US engaged in Australia’s immediate region, and required it to have a working military strategy in which Australia could assist.

Mr Jennings said the deepening of military co-operation with the US should include more visits by American ships operating out of Darwin, HMAS Stirling, south of Perth, and the nation’s east-coast naval bases. He said it highlighted the strategic importance of the Port of Darwin, which was inconsistent with China’s ownership of the facility.

The Australian revealed last month that Japan was interested in making greater use of Australia’s remote training facilities and weapon ranges, as well as undertaking more joint exercises with the Australian navy.

At the commencement of Talisman Sabre last week, Mr Dutton said Australia and the US needed to work together to deter “egregious forms of coercion and aggression”. “Through military preparedness, we hone our collective readiness to respond to the direst of contingencies, should they be realised,” he said.

US charge d’affaires Gavin Sundwall said no two militaries worked more closely together than those of Australia and the US. “In the face of adversity, whether it be security concerns, combat operations or humanitarian assistance and disaster relief efforts, Talisman Sabre has proven to us time and time again that we are flexible and ready for anything,” Mr Sundwall said. “As our militaries come together throughout this month to train, they help us advance an open, interconnected, resilient, and secure Indo-Pacific, strengthening our relationships and interoperability among key allies.”

The annual Marine rotation through the dry season in the Northern Territory peaked at 2500 US personnel in 2019, with 2200 troops arriving this year due to Covid restrictions.

US strategic bombers, including B-52s, B-1B Lancers and B-2 Spirits, also rotate through Australia’s north, with fuel and weapons storages and a longer runway built at RAAF Tindal near Katherine to accommodate them.

In a first for Australia this week, a US Patriot Missile was fired at Talisman Sabre, prompting speculation the government could purchase the technology to protect exposed Top-End bases.

US troops also demonstrated the country’s High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems – another weapon that could be on Australia’s shopping list.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/defence/us-forces-give-the-nod-to-closer-ties/news-story/cf2b13784e1f889f5950ef911d6c581c

No medical record of Roberts-Smith ‘mistress’ abortion, court told

Ben Roberts-Smith says his ‘mistress’ agreed to go to a Brisbane hospital for an abortion, but a court has heard there are no documents showing she ever did.

Perry Duffin - July 21, 2021

There are no medical records showing Ben Roberts-Smith‘s “mistress” visited a Brisbane hospital, where she allegedly claimed to have an abortion, a court has heard.

The Federal Court on Wednesday held a short administrative hearing, in Mr Roberts-Smith’s defamation proceedings, to effectively check the progress of documents being swapped between Mr Roberts-Smith and Nine newspapers.

Mr Roberts-Smith‘s lawyer, Paul Svilans, told the court Brisbane’s Greenslopes Private Hospital had confirmed there were no medical records to provide to the court.

That is important because Mr Roberts-Smith‘s lawyers had asked for medical records related to a woman he dated who is known only as Person 17.

Nine claims Person 17 became Mr Roberts-Smith’s mistress at the end of 2017 – the soldier told the court he was secretly separated from his wife Emma at the time and it was not an affair.

Mr Roberts-Smith told the court, in his evidence, the relationship with Person 17 fell apart after she told him she was pregnant with his child. The court heard she agreed to travel to Greenslopes Hospital for an abortion.

The SAS veteran said he sent a private investigator to film Person 17 at the hospital because he feared he was being manipulated by the woman and the video showed her leaving Greenslopes looking well-dressed and physically fine.

When she arrived at the hotel where Mr Roberts-Smith was staying, the soldier told the court, Person 17 appeared frail and had a bandaged arm.

The pair argued and, Mr Roberts-Smith said, he showed Person 17 the video of her looking well moments earlier and she changed her story.

“She started to cry and said ‘I didn‘t have the procedure, I had the procedure up in Townsville’,” Mr Roberts-Smith told the court in June.

“I said Townville doesn’t have a clinic. She said ‘I had a miscarriage’ so now I had three stories as to what was going on.”

“(It) gave me great concern that I was being manipulated so I’d stay in the relationship.”

Greenslopes Hospital‘s lack of medical records will likely be important for Mr Roberts-Smith’s legal team after they characterised her as a “fabulist”.

Nine alleges Mr Roberts-Smith committed six murders of unarmed Afghans while deployed as an SAS soldier and also that he physically abused Person 17 at a hotel in Canberra in 2018.

Mr Roberts-Smith launched his defamation lawsuit against Nine saying none of those allegations are true.

Nine has claimed Mr Roberts-Smith struck Person 17 in Canberra after she got drunk at a black-tie dinner with the Prime Minister and military top brass. Mr Roberts-Smith denies these allegations.

Mr Roberts-Smith told the court Person 17 was drunk at the event and fell down stairs when they were leaving.

His lawyers say they have CCTV of the incident and Mr Roberts-Smith says he stayed up all night caring for the injured woman in their hotel room.

The trial will resume next week to hear from Afghan witnesses, some of which are expected to tell the court they witnessed one of the alleged murders in 2012.

https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/truecrimeaustralia/police-courts-nsw/no-medical-record-of-robertssmith-mistress-abortion-court-told/news-story/6be73e8a0eb647d3d48f1e4229e468e5

>>13922496 (pb)

Virginia Roberts Giuffre Tweet

Jean Luc Brunel- Epstein’s right hand man for sex trafficking is appealing to be released from jail in Paris. Let’s make some noise & help the Parisians keep this dangerous man off the streets. #SpeakUp #Epstein #Fight4Justice #France #StandUp

https://twitter.com/VRSVirginia/status/1417676859156819972

—

Jeffrey Epstein accuser testifies against modeling agent in Paris

Giuffre told NBC News in 2019 that Jeffrey Epstein told her he slept with "over a thousand women that Brunel brought in." Brunel denies wrongdoing.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/jeffrey-epstein-accuser-virginia-roberts-giuffre-testifies-against-modeling-agent-n1270959

Anonymous ID: fb6445 July 21, 2021, 2:22 a.m. No.14166280 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>6283

Melbourne couple who kept a grandmother as slave for eight years jailed for 'crime against humanity'

Danny Tran - 21 July 2021

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A Melbourne couple found guilty of secretly enslaving a woman in their suburban home for close to a decade have been jailed for their "crime against humanity".

Kandasamy and Kumuthini Kannan today appeared in Victoria's Supreme Court where they were convicted for subjugating the woman, which ultimately left her in hospital weighing just 40 kilograms.

Kumuthini Kannan, 53, was ordered to spend eight years behind bars.

Her husband, Kandasamy Kannan, 57, was ordered to serve six years.

It is the first time a case solely about slavery by domestic servitude has been aired in an Australian court and, prosecutors say, the longest period of enslavement the nation has ever seen.

But the court heard the couple still did not accept that they forced the Indian grandmother into servitude, and continued to "strenuously" profess their innocence.

The couple's legal team has already indicated that they may be preparing an appeal.

During a sentencing which was watched by almost 200 people, and which stretched to almost three hours, Justice John Champion took aim at the couple.

"Slavery is regarded as a crime against humanity," he said.

"Your offending occurred in the daily presence and with the obvious knowledge and comprehension of your children.

"You set them a deplorable example of how parents should act towards another human being.

"Her life was controlled largely in the privacy of your own home and care was taken by you to keep her true status from others in your community … so that your dirty secret was maintained.

"This court publicly condemns you both for your disgraceful conduct."

Justice Champion today branded the couple as "almost compulsive liars".

"The number and brazen quality of the lies has been nothing short of astonishing," he said.

"I'm quite convinced that you both believe you have done nothing wrong.

"Neither of you have shown remorse or contrition."

Kumuthini Kannan appeared in court from prison where she rocked back and forth during the hearing.

She put her hands to her face as her husband, Kandasamy Kannan, was sentenced.

He sat with his arms crossed and did not react.

The couple's victim, who cannot be named, originally came to Australia to work for them, and was able to return to India both times.

But on her third visit in 2007, she was enslaved by the Kannans and forced to cook, clean and care for the couple's children for eight years. She was effectively paid about $3.39 per day.

Prosecutors now want the court to order the couple to repay the woman for years of servitude.

(continued)

>>14166280

2/2

Victim was 'fading away', weighing 40 kilograms

Justice Champion said the woman allowed the couple to maintain their jobs and their lifestyle, including holidays overseas.

In 2015, the victim's family became increasingly concerned about her welfare and, when they were unable to contact her, Victoria Police conducted a welfare check.

But the officer who went to the Kannan's house was told by the couple that they had not seen her since 2007.

In reality, the woman had been admitted to hospital under a fake name after she collapsed and was found in a pool of her own urine.

"Mrs Kannan called triple-0 for assistance, but not before deciding to take your children to a school concert, leaving [the woman] on the bathroom floor," Justice Champion said.

"You told a litany of lies designed to mislead and distance yourself and your husband from the true circumstances of the person who had been admitted to hospital."

The woman had to be admitted to intensive care and later told authorities she was beaten with a frozen chicken and burned with boiling water.

"She was emaciated and weighed about 40 kilograms," Justice Champion said.

"She was described by a hospital doctor as fading away."

Couple considered slave a family member

The Supreme Court heard that the woman, who is now in her 60s, continues to suffer long-term health effects and will need a catheter for the rest of her life.

The court today heard that she had declined to make a victim impact statement.

But lawyers for the Kannans argued that the woman's claims about being physically abused could not be conclusively proven.

During a pre-sentence hearing, their legal team told the court that they considered the woman a family member, and that she was never shackled.

Justice Champion said the concept of slavery needed to be redefined.

"We must rid ourselves of ingrained images of rows of men chained together at the oars of a galley or men, women and children working in fields in bondage," he said.

"Slavery can be much more subtle than that, and may not involve physical restraint.

"It must be reaffirmed as that possessing or using a person in a condition of slavery is repugnant, degrading of the human condition, and a gross breach of human rights."

He said Kumuthini Kannan was more morally culpable for keeping the woman as a slave, compared to her husband who was more "at arm's length".

Kumuthini Kannan will be eligible for parole in four years.

Kandasamy Kannan can apply for parole in three years.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-07-21/melbourne-couple-who-kept-slave-sentenced/100310094

Brisbane announced as 2032 Olympic Games host city at IOC meeting in Tokyo

abc.net.au - 21 July 2021

Brisbane has won the right to host the Olympic Games in 2032.

The decision was confirmed after a meeting of International Olympic Committee delegates in Tokyo this evening.

Queensland's delegation — including Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner and Federal Sports Minister Richard Colbeck — had to restrain themselves to standing and clapping with COVID-19 restrictions ruling out any close-contact celebrations.

Brisbane's CBD riverside erupted in fireworks as the announcement was made.

Following the announcement, Ms Palaszczuk, Cr Schrinner and Australian Olympic Committee president John Coates took part in the formal signing of the Olympics contract.

Ms Palaszczuk said she was "so excited".

"I have so much pride in my state for our people. Never in my lifetime did I think this was going to happen. It’s amazing," the Premier said.

IOC president Thomas Bach cited Brisbane's alignment with reforms and the Olympic agenda as among reasons for the city's successful bid.

"It's a very sustainable project and it's a project with a great legacy and it's project from a sports-loving nation and this is what it is all about, to see sports-loving Aussies facilitating the Olympic Games. I hope I can still make it till then to be there,'' he said.

The 80 IOC delegates in Tokyo voted 72 to 5 in favour of Brisbane, with three abstentions.

The bid's support from all levels of government and the private sector, Brisbane’s experience in handling major events, a high percentage of existing venues and favourable weather were among the attributes that helped convince the IOC to award the city the Games.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison described the win as a "historic day not just for Brisbane and Queensland, but for the entire country".

"Only global cities can secure the Olympic Games, so this is a fitting recognition for Brisbane's standing across our region and the world,'' Mr Morrison said.

An expanded Gabba stadium will be the centrepiece of the Games, which will run from July 23 to August 8, to be immediately followed by the Paralympics.

Events will be staged at more than 30 venues across south-east Queensland in Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Logan, Ipswich and Redlands.

Two athlete villages are expected to be constructed — one in Brisbane, the other on the Gold Coast.

Up to 14,000 athletes will be accommodated in the Brisbane village in the inner north-eastern suburb of Albion.

The village project has been described as Queensland's largest waterfront urban renewal program.

The announcement came shortly after the Australian delegation made their final pitch for the Games, the third to be held in Australia.

During final deliberations, Brisbane faced little opposition with offers from India, Indonesia, Qatar, Spain and Germany failing to make it past the IOC board stage.

Arguments for Brisbane included Queensland being the fastest growing state in Australia and the fact that hosting the Games would align with a strategy to improve local transport infrastructure and promote economic growth.

It will also position Queensland as a tourism hub in the Asia Pacific region and attract major sports and events to the state, according to Brisbane's bid document released in February.

Australia previously hosted the summer Olympics in Melbourne in 1956 and Sydney in 2000.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-07-21/brisbane-queensland-announced-as-2032-olympic-games-host-city/100311320

>>14036029

Marine Rotational Force – Darwin Facebook Post

20 July 2021

So long, farewell, to you my friends

U.S. Marines with Marine Rotational Force – Darwin, Australian Army soldiers and Japan Ground Self-Defense Force soldiers commemorated the completion of Exercise Southern Jackaroo with a closing ceremony at Mount Bundey Training Area, NT, Australia, June 24, 2021.

(U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Lydia Gordon)

https://www.facebook.com/MRFDarwin/posts/176976244464867

Talisman Sabre Tweet

That #TS21 partnership

Troops from #AusArmy's 16th Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery & the @USArmy's @38thADA, at the Shoalwater Bay Training Area in Queensland, during Exercise #TalismanSabre2021.

(Photo by:) Staff Sgt. Malcolm Cohens-Ashley

#POTD #AlliesAndPartners

https://twitter.com/TalismanSabre/status/1417620353208160258

Gunfire exercise on board HMAS Ballarat - Talisman Sabre 2021

Department of Defence Australia

Jul 20, 2021

HMAS Ballarat conducts a five-inch gun firing off the coast of Queensland, Australia, during Exercise Talisman Sabre 2021 (TS21).

Held every two years, Exercise Talisman Sabre is the largest bilateral training activity between Australia and the United States.

TS21 aims to test Australian interoperability with the United States and other participating forces in complex warfighting scenarios. In addition to the United States, TS21 involves participating forces from Canada, Japan, the Republic of Korea, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.

More here: https://news.defence.gov.au/international/ballarat-adds-naval-gunfire-talisman-sabre

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYG_f5B-6M8

RBS 70 anti-aircraft missile live fire - Talisman Sabre 2021

Department of Defence Australia

Jul 20, 2021

The RBS 70 is a short-range anti-aircraft missile weapons system used by the Australian Army. Soldiers and officers of 16th Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery conducted an RBS70 live-fire in conjunction with the Patriot surface to air missile firing by the United States Army during Exercise Talisman Sabre 2021 (TS21).

Held every two years, TS21 is the largest bilateral training activity between Australia and the United States aimed at testing the ADF's interoperability with the US and other participating forces. In addition to the United States, TS21 involves participating forces from Canada, Japan, the Republic of Korea, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.

More here: https://news.defence.gov.au/capability/regiment-showcases-firing-skills

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ldj7Bh5RRjw

Prime Minister says 'sorry' for problems with COVID-19 vaccine rollout program

Jake Evans - 22 July 2021

Prime Minister Scott Morrison says he is "sorry" for the challenges his government had with rolling out the COVID-19 vaccine earlier in the year.

"I'm certainly sorry that we haven't been able to achieve the marks that we had hoped for at the beginning of this year. Of course I am," Mr Morrison said.

Yesterday, Mr Morrison acknowledged the challenges with the rollout program, saying it was two months behind schedule, but resisted apologising when asked to on FM radio.

The Prime Minister faced growing pressure to acknowledge failures in the program after more than half the country entered lockdown following several outbreaks of the Delta strain of COVID-19.

The Australian Medical Association (AMA) said the Prime Minister's response was the right thing to do.

"I think by manning up to it and actually accepting responsibility, the Prime Minister has demonstrated some leadership qualities that I think all Australians are happy to see," AMA president Omar Korshid said.

Morrison defends 'appeals' to vaccine advisors

Mr Morrison says the vaccination program has hit its stride, with 1 million vaccinations in the last seven days and a record 184,000 doses given yesterday.

"I think I've been very clear that as Prime Minister I'm responsible for the vaccination program," he said.

"That responsibility includes fixing and dealing with the problems that we've had and that is what we have been doing and the vaccination program has turned the corner."

The Prime Minister said that changed advice from the government's immunisation advisory group recommending AstraZeneca doses be reserved for people over 60 had caused vaccine hesitancy and delayed the rollout.

The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) made the recommendation following a number of deaths attributed to a rare blood clotting disorder caused by the AstraZeneca vaccine.

Mr Morrison said yesterday he had been "constantly appealing" ATAGI to reconsider its advice following the Sydney outbreak.

After another two deaths were linked to the vaccine today, Mr Morrison maintained people under 40 should still consider consulting with their doctor about receiving an AstraZeneca vaccine.

"We're all responsible for our own health, and when it comes to informed consent and giving consent to whatever treatment or procedure you may have, or I may have, then I am ultimately responsible for what people do in their health treatment to me," Mr Morrison said.

"The AstraZeneca vaccine is approved by the TGA for people above the age of 18, but there is an informed consent process."

Today he reaffirmed that he respected the body and its advice, but that it was his job to be critical.

"Of course I challenge the advice that I receive, I ask questions, I drill into it," Mr Morrison said.

"You would expect me to do that."

Just under 40,000 people younger than 40 have received an AstraZeneca vaccine since the Prime Minister said last month that the dose is available to anyone who wishes to discuss getting it with their doctor.

More pharmacies coming online to vaccinate

Early plans for the rollout expected pharmacies to be involved in the first half of the year, but a lack of supplies had delayed that until September.

With more supplies arriving this week, Mr Morrison said the inclusion of pharmacies was being brought forward to increase accessibility to the vaccine.

"Right now there are 118 community pharmacies currently vaccinating around the country … by the end of this month there will be 470," he said.

Mr Morrison said in the Sydney local government areas hit hardest by COVID-19, 48 pharmacies were being brought online to deliver AstraZeneca vaccines from next week.

Pharmacies will also be used to administer Moderna vaccines once they arrive in September.

Mr Morrison said the indemnity afforded to doctors to vaccinate people would be extended to pharmacists.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-07-22/covid-vaccine-sorry-prime-minister/100314570

>>14064462

Repatriation flights considered for Afghan translators who worked with Australian troops

Jane Norman - 21 July 2021

Australia is considering sending repatriation flights to Afghanistan to evacuate Afghan nationals who worked closely with Australian forces during the decades-long conflict.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has also confirmed the government is looking to re-establish a diplomatic presence in Kabul, as revealed by the ABC, less than a month after abandoning its embassy.

Since the decision was made to withdraw from Afghanistan, local translators reported they had become the target of fresh Taliban death threats for helping Australia, re-igniting calls for the government to fast-track protection visas for hundreds of staff.

Around 300 Afghan nationals and family members have so far been granted safe haven, and 252 of them have been flown to Australia.

Mr Morrison said the government was assessing applications with "great urgency" and "making steady progress" but acknowledged it was a complex multi-agency process.

"I look forward to having more to say on that in the weeks ahead but we are making steady progress," he said.

"If we have to have facilitated commercial flights to bring them to Australia, I know that Australians would support that."

Repatriation flights would help speed up the process, given commercial options are now limited by National Cabinet's decision to halve the cap on international arrivals.

Presence in Kabul being considered

Australia has shuttered its embassy in Kabul and on June 18 quietly withdrew all remaining diplomats, military and intelligence officers.

Less than a month later, Mr Morrison has confirmed Australia is considering re-establishing a presence in Afghanistan, revealing he'd discussed the issue with other world leaders at the recent G7 summit.

"Were we in a position to safely have Australians in Afghanistan, and providing support to our efforts there, we would," he said.

"It is a matter I have discussed with other leaders, particularly when I was at the G7."

A spokesman for Foreign Affairs Minister Marise Payne said Australia's diplomatic arrangements in Afghanistan "were always expected to be temporary, with the intention of resuming a permanent presence once circumstances permit".

"That remains our position. We continue to engage closely with partners, including the Afghanistan government and coalition member countries.

"We will not comment on intelligence matters."

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-07-21/repatriation-flights-afghan-translators-australian-troops/100311992

Anonymous ID: fb6445 July 22, 2021, 2:10 a.m. No.14172675 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>2682

Paedophile Justin Kenneth Radford: Former Ch9 tape librarian jailed for 18 years

A Central Coast man who filmed himself sexually abusing a young boy before he was caught with thousands of “horrific and depraved” child abuse images and videos has been sentenced.

Richard Noone - July 20, 2021

1/2

Former Nine Network tape library assistant Justin Kenneth Radford faced Gosford District Court on Tuesday after pleading guilty to 17 offences.

The 30-year-old was arrested in February last year after Australian Federal Police (AFP) were tipped off by US authorities about a Snapchat account being used to disseminate child sexual abuse material.

Radford was charged with more than 100 offences but later pleaded guilty to 17 including seven counts of sexually touching a young boy, four counts of using the child to produce child abuse material and disseminating it and thousands of images and videos of child abuse and bestiality material to 19 separate individuals.

The court heard AFP raided Radford’s Wyong home where they seized three mobile phones and a laptop containing an estimated 4416 videos and 11,151 photos of child sex abuse and bestiality material with 56 per cent of the files rated “category 4” being the second worst type conceivable.

The court heard the images and videos depicted penetrative acts with victims ranging from newborns to teenagers and were described as “horrific and depraved”.

Judge Tanya Bright said Radford also filmed himself sexually abusing a young boy 10 times with the intention of sharing the material with other “like-minded” people and showed a “reprehensible and grave” concern for his victim’s welfare.

She said the boy’s parents only became aware of the abuse when informed by AFP officers following Radford’s arrest.

In a victim impact statement the boy’s parents said there was “now way to explain” the hurt his “despicable” offending caused.

Judge Bright sentenced Radford to 18 years in prison with a non-parole period of 12 years.

With time served since his arrest he will be eligible for parole on February 6, 2032.

Judge Bright said she could not be satisfied he would not reoffend.

At his sentencing hearing in June the court heard “it was not clear” what led him from mainstream pornography to child abuse and bestiality material other than he experienced a reduction in his sex drive and started taking drugs.

His barrister said Radford “fell into that group” and started to get aroused again.

An agreed set of facts states AFP Child Protection Operations officers were tipped off from US authorities in January last year about a Snapchat account in Australia being used to share child abuse material.

Internet service provider data showed the subscriber associated with the IP address was Radford, of Wyong.

Radford participated in a field record of conversation during which he admitted he was the user of a Snapchat account created in January 2019 for the sole purpose of sending and receiving “child abuse material”.

“He would find like-minded people using an open source forum on the web then add them to his Snapchat account,” the facts state.

Radford told officers he would use Snapchat to send links to Dropbox or Mega accounts and would rename contacts according to the relationship he shared with them.

“For example contacts who required CAM (child abuse material) to be shared before they would provide the accused with CAM would be renamed with the acronym ‘S2R’ or ‘send to receive’,” the facts state.

(continued)

>>14172675

2/2

A review of Radford’s devices found 10 videos he had filmed of himself abusing a pre-pubescent boy on four separate days from as early as January 2019.

The videos, ranging from nine to 51 seconds, show Radford sexually abusing the young boy who tries to stop him.

The facts state in one video Radford stops the boy from leaving a room before abusing him.

In one email exchange with a fellow paedophile Radford boasts “I have tons! Id (sic) rather not share online though (laughing emoji)”.

“Also please hide or remove these since my names on them haha,” he emailed the man.

Due to the sheer quantity of material in more than 80 Mega and Dropbox links, along with the fact the links were still available for other like-minded persons, AFP officers downloaded nine of the links and had the rest shut down.

On January 16, 2020 Radford forwarded six videos to a user via a Mega link and asked him “Didn’t you say you had baby stuff”.

Radford sent the man a video of the boy he abused and said “I hope to get more of him soon”.

He sent links to another paedophile, who told Radford he “loves playing” with his son and Radford said “I wish I had a son to play with” and “im (sic) so jealous of you”.

Following Radford’s arrest AFP officers established strike force Operation Arkstone, which has led to the arrest of 17 men across NSW, Western Australia and Queensland with more than 800 child sex offence charges being laid.

https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/newslocal/central-coast/paedophile-justin-kenneth-radford-former-ch9-tape-librarian-jailed-for-18-years/news-story/c32882ae63541460b5019f6a05e36e3c

—

Q Post #925

Mar 10 2018 14:49:25 (EST)

This is not about religions or party affiliation.

EVIL is everywhere.

There are no drawn lines.

No boundaries.

Good vs Evil.

Q

https://qanon.pub/#925

—

Q Post #1735

Jul 27 2018 13:13:18 (EST)

There is nothing more precious than our children.

Evil has no boundaries.

https://genius.com/Slayer-evil-has-no-boundaries-lyrics

The choice to know will ultimately be yours.

These people are SICK!

https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2018/07/27/cbs-honcho-les-moonves-will-be-accused-sexual-misconduct-in-latest-ronan-farrow-bombshell-report-says.html

To those who are courageous enough to speak out - we stand with you!

You are not alone in this fight.

God bless.

Q

https://qanon.pub/#1735

Sydney's COVID-19 outbreak throws harsh spotlight on Australia vaccine rollout

Renju Jose and Jonathan Barrett - July 23, 2021

SYDNEY, July 23 (Reuters) - Australia's New South Wales state on Friday reported its biggest daily rise in new COVID-19 cases this year, prompting a tighter lockdown in Sydney and a request for additional vaccine doses which was rebuffed by other state leaders.

State premier Gladys Berejiklian characterised the escalating virus outbreak as a "national emergency" and raised the likelihood that stay-home orders for the country's biggest city would be extended beyond the current end-date of July 30.

"There is no doubt that the numbers are not going in the direction we were hoping they would at this stage," Berejiklian said as she announced 136 new cases in the New South Wales.

The state had urged the federal government to divert additional vaccine doses to Sydney, a request Prime Minister Morrison turned down following a national cabinet meeting with all state heads.

Australia boasted another record day for COVID-19 vaccination with almost 200,000 doses delivered in one day. Morrison, who on Thursday apologised for the slow pace of inoculation, said the latest data signalled the country's vaccination rollout had turned a corner.

"We are not going to disrupt the vaccination programme around the rest of the country," Morrison told reporters in Canberra on Friday.

Total infections in Australia's worst outbreak this year have jumped to just over 1,900 since the first case was detected in a Sydney limousine driver transporting international flight crews in mid-June.

Crucially, at least 53 of the new cases in Sydney were infectious in the community before being diagnosed. Authorities have said that figure needs to be near zero for the to be lifted.

The outbreak of the fast-moving Delta variant was carried to Victoria and South Australia states, forcing authorities to put more than half the country's population in lockdown. That has shut down large sectors of the economy, even as other parts of the world, including Britain and the United States, open up.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Friday suspended for at least eight weeks the so-called "travel bubble" with Australia that allows movement between the two countries without quarantine.

The Trans-Tasman bubble was a rare quarantine-free arrangement in Asia, where countries have kept their borders mostly closed during the pandemic.

Berejiklian said her health officials have advised that the situation in Sydney was a "national emergency," which would typically unlock federal funding and other assistance and would have to be formally declared by the federal government.

There are 137 COVID-19 cases in hospital in New South Wales, with 32 people in intensive care, 14 of whom require ventilation.

Providing some relief, Victoria state officials reported a fall in new daily cases on Friday to 14, adding that 10 of those were in quarantine during their entire infectious period.

Stay-home orders in both Victoria and South Australia are expected to be lifted on July 27.

VACCINE ROLLOUT

With just over 32,500 COVID-19 cases and 916 deaths, Australia has fared much better than many other developed economies, but stop-and-start lockdowns and a sluggish vaccine rollout have frustrated residents.

About 15% of adult Australians have been fully vaccinated, a rate that is well behind many other developed nations, partly after health advice changed over the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine due to rare cases of blood clots among some recipients.

The government is targeting full vaccination of the adult population by the end of the year.

The vaccine programme could be further complicated after New South Wales health authorities said they may need to push out the interval between doses of Pfizer from three to six weeks, in order to free up more first doses, a stance Morrison backed on Friday afternoon.

Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt on Friday said the country's drug regulator has approved the use of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine in children aged 12 to 15.

https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/australias-drug-regulator-approves-pfizer-covid-19-vaccine-12-15-year-olds-2021-07-22/

Australia's TGA finds Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine is safe for children aged 12 to 15

Jake Evans - 23 July 2021

Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine has been approved for children aged 12 to 15 by Australia's medical regulator.

The Therapeutic Goods Administration said the decision was made after careful evaluation, including clinical studies.

"The decision has been made on the basis of short term efficacy and safety data," the TGA said in a statement.

"Continued approval depends on the evidence of longer term efficacy and safety from ongoing clinical trials."

People 16 years and older have already been provisionally approved by the regulator, but the TGA had been asked to look at whether the vaccine was safe for younger people.

Although the vaccine has been approved for this younger age group, they won't be instantly included.

Determining how to include children in the vaccine rollout, including whether to prioritise those with underlying health conditions who are at more risk of serious illness, will be left to the government's immunisation advisory panel.

It is expected to make that decision late next week.

Plan to immediately roll out to vulnerable kids

Health Minister Greg Hunt said those conversations were already "well advanced" within the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI).

"Our plans are in place to roll out what is more likely, on the early advice I have, is that they will fast-track vaccines for 12- to 15-year-olds for the immunocompromised children or those with underlying health conditions," Mr Hunt told Channel 7.

"If ATAGI gives a second green light for the immunocompromised and kids with underlying medical conditions they would be immediately added to what's called phase 1B, they would immediately be able to access the Pfizer [vaccine]."

Other children would have to continue waiting until the rest of the adult population has had the chance to be vaccinated.

Mr Hunt said data from the US, where the vaccine has been available to all children since May, would be considered by ATAGI for making a decision on expanding the vaccine program to all children over 12 when it is received in August.

"If that's a yes, then we will make that available through schools and general programs through the course of 2021," Mr Hunt told ABC Radio Melbourne.

Mr Hunt said the government was considering whether the program would be expanded to all people between 12 and 40 at once, or whether it would be a staged expansion.

That expansion is planned to happen in September or early October.

Earlier this week, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said children should be considered for inclusion in the vaccination program as the Delta variant of the virus was infecting them more seriously.

In the United Kingdom, National Health Service data showed some children were experiencing 'long COVID' symptoms three months after being infected.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-07-23/tga-approves-covid-vaccine-children-teenagers/100316758

Jim Molan friendly fire over China military threat

BEN PACKHAM - JULY 23, 2021

Jim Molan has warned the Australian Defence Force would be defeated within days in the event of a Chinese attack, even with the benefit of $270bn in new military hardware to be delivered over the next decade.

The Liberal senator and retired army major-general, who headed the multinational force in Iraq, has urged the Morrison government to go back to the drawing board to rethink the nation’s defence posture.

As Australian and US troops sharpened their interoperability at Exercise Talisman Sabre in Queensland, Senator Molan said the belief the US would always come to Australia’s aid had left the nation vulnerable.

He said the government – which only updated its strategic and force posture plans last year – was creating an ADF to fulfil the tasks of the past 75 years, not those that lay ahead.

“In relation to what is likely to come down the track, it lacks three things. It isn’t nasty enough, it isn’t big enough and it can’t fight for long enough,” Senator Molan said. “The ADF, even after the $270bn is put into, is unlikely to last even a few days in a high-end conflict with China.”

He said military spending at just over 2 per cent of GDP “in all probability is not enough”. His comments come as the government grapples with the prospect of a major regional conflict within the next decade, without $135bn of planned submarines and frigates that will only begin to enter service in the mid-2030s.

Senator Molan said the Coalition since 2013 had been the best government Australia had seen in relation to national security and defence, but changing strategic circumstances demanded a fresh approach. He said the ANZUS Alliance was Australia’s first line of defence, but US forces were spread globally while China only had to worry about the South and East China Seas.

“An alliance is not an excuse for not taking responsibility for national defence,” he said, noting Australia’s faith in its British allies left it vulnerable in WWII.

Senator Molan reiterated his call for a wide-ranging national security strategy to prepare for the threats Australians would face in the decades to come.

The proposal, which the government has not embraced, would focus on preparing both Defence and civilian sectors, including ports, shipping, supply chains, pharmaceuticals, fuel and essential infrastructure, for a range of realistic contingencies.

He warned “grey zone” activity including cyber attacks and trade sanctions were key threats, along with biological attacks.

Amid growing Chinese militarisation and belligerence towards the West, Defence Minister Peter Dutton recently warned the prospect of a war with China over Taiwan could not be discounted.

The comment followed the 2020 Defence Strategic Update, which said the nation could no longer assume a 10-year warning time before a major conventional attack against Australia.

The accompanying 2020 Force Structure Plan set out a $270bn investment plan to 2030, to purchase new weapons and equipment across all services, including billions of dollars worth of advanced guided missiles.

Mr Dutton said the plan would make “those who seek to threaten our national interests … think twice before doing so”.

“An important element of this is achieved through creating capabilities to hold a potential adversary’s forces and infrastructure at risk from a greater distance,” he told the Australian Strategic Policy Institute war conference.

Senator Molan said the plan would not make any marked difference to the overall size of the ADF, with the addition of just 800 uniformed personnel by 2024.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/defence/jim-molan-friendly-fire-over-china-military-threat/news-story/845b3b378997e2ff893f90ad256cc23c

Anonymous ID: fb6445 July 23, 2021, 2:23 a.m. No.14180641 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>0648

US trade representative backs Australia in trade disputes with China

Reuters - JUL 22, 2021

WASHINGTON (REUTERS) - The United States is "closely monitoring" trade tensions between Australia and China and will support Canberra in addressing China's state-led, non-market practices, US Trade Representative Katherine Tai told her Australian counterpart on Wednesday (July 21).

USTR said in a statement following Tai's meeting with Australian Trade Minister Dan Tehan that the two ministers agreed to continue working to develop a digital trade policy that addresses the needs of workers and recognises "the importance of collaboration among those with open, free, democratic systems."

The Chinese embassy in Washington, DC, did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

Trade tensions between Australia and China, already rocky after Australia banned Chinese telecoms giant Huawei from its 5G wireless network in 2018, worsened since Canberra called for an international inquiry into the origins of the novel coronavirus, which was first reported in central China last year.

China, Australia's largest trading partner, responded by imposing tariffs on Australian wine and barley and limited imports of Australian beef, coal and grapes - moves described by the United States as "economic coercion."

Australia in June challenged the wine duties at the World Trade Organisation.

In May, China's foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said China "has always held that healthy and stable China-Australia relations are in the fundamental interests of both countries."

But Zhao added that the responsibility for the decline in relations between the two countries was not "not at all China's"and that Australia should treat China with "objectivity" and "rationality".

USTR said Tai "conveyed that the United States stands with Australia to tackle this shared challenge and supports rules-based international trade to promote fair, market-oriented trade practices."

She also told Tehan that the United States was committed to engaging with allies, including Australia, to address China's policies that harm US and Australian workers, businesses, and citizens.

The two ministers pledged to continue senior-level discussions on "economic coercion," USTR said.

https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/australianz/us-trade-representative-backs-australia-in-trade-disputes-with-china

>>14180641

Transcript - Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian's Regular Press Conference on July 22, 2021

Xinhua News Agency: According to reports, US Trade Representative Katherine Tai met with Australian Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment Dan Tehan on July 21. Tai noted that the US is closely monitoring the trade situation between Australia and China. She conveyed that the US stands with Australia to tackle this shared challenge and supports rules-based international trade to promote fair, market-oriented trade practices. Ambassador Tai reiterated the US' commitment to engaging its allies, including Australia, to address China's practices that harm their workers, businesses, and citizens. The two sides welcomed continuing senior-level discussions to address non-market practices, including economic coercion. Do you have any comment?

Zhao Lijian: The US remarks completely distort facts and confuse right with wrong.

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. The responsibility does not rest with China.

China doesn't wantonly resort to bullying and sanctions, impose "long-arm jurisdiction", or suppress foreign companies. China always firmly supports multilateralism and the WTO-centered multilateral trading system, develops international economic and trade cooperation in accordance with the principle of equality and mutual benefit. The US is selective in applying the mechanisms and rules under the multilateral trading system. It wantonly started a trade war on China by wielding the stick of sanctions and abused the concept of national security to suppress China's hi-tech companies. It seeks decoupling and suspends supplies, cuts off industrial and supply chains that are formed in the market over years, and seriously violates market economy rules and WTO rules. Yet, it poses itself as a "victim". The labels of "unfairness" and "coercion" can never be pinned on China. The US had better save them for itself.

The US should reflect on itself, redress the mistakes, rather than making irresponsible remarks in disregard of facts.

https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/mfa_eng/xwfw_665399/s2510_665401/2511_665403/t1894390.shtml

Hua Chunying 华春莹 Tweet

China government official

It’s high time the Australian government stepped up efforts to protect & promote the human rights of #AustralianMuslims.

https://twitter.com/SpokespersonCHN/status/1418242469158809602

Japanese Ambassador YAMAGAMI Shingo Tweet

Delighted to welcome to my Residence Mr Matt Anderson PSM, Director of @AWMemorial.

Very much enjoyed our conversation on a wide range of topics as we both have diplomatic backgrounds. (Japan) and (Australia) fought alongside one another in WWI and the Cold War, followed by cooperation in Iraq.

https://twitter.com/YamagamiShingo/status/1418100976548859909

Anonymous ID: fb6445 July 23, 2021, 2:46 a.m. No.14180674 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>0678

Townsville CPIU arrest three people over child sex ring in Operation Tango Rosetta

An alleged child sex ring running out of a quiet Townsville suburb has been shut down in a massive police operation, with two main victims just four and six years old.

AN ALLEGED child sex ring running out of a quiet Townsville suburb has been shut down in a massive police operation.

Townsville Child Protection and Investigation Unit charged three people on Thursday at the closure of Operation Tango Rosetta.

Following a three-month investigation, police allege Stephen Lane, 62, operated the ring out of his Kelso home, organising the exchange of girls out to other people for their own gratification.

Police will allege Lane and his offsiders then extorted people for money, amounting to $50,000 worth of transactions.

Police will allege two girls, aged four and six, were the two main alleged victims subjected to horrific abuse and used as sex servants over the last two years.

Their mothers, aged 41 and 38 years old, were allegedly a part of the ring and willingly exchanged their own children to people in the Townsville area.

These women cannot be identified to protect the victims.

Detective Senior Sergeant Dave Miles said investigators would likely uncover more alleged victims once they combed through stacks of child exploitation material found in raids on Thursday morning.

The material included children aged between one-month-old and 14 years old, police will allege.

“The challenge is to go back over the last two to three years and capture the information, which could include other victims and other offenders,” Sergeant Miles said.

“We believe there is a large networking cohort based on family associations and education facilities. Maybe 10 to 15 more people but we won’t know until we fully examine what we have.”

Sergeant Miles said police will allege the girls were groomed rather than subjected to drugs during the alleged sex slavery.

“It will be a subject of the investigation to figure out how the children were manipulated and coerced into being subjected to these offences.

The alleged victims have spoken to police and are in contact with the Department of Child Safety.

Lane has been charged with three counts of indecent treatment of a child under 16 and two counts of distribute child exploitation material.

A 41-year-old North Ward woman has been charged with three counts of distributing child exploitation material and two counts of indecent treatment of a child under 16.

A 38-year-old Condon woman has been charged with five counts of extortion and two counts of breaching a police protection notice.

They will face court on Friday.

https://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/truecrimeaustralia/police-courts/townsville-cpiu-arrest-three-people-over-child-sex-slavery-ring-in-operation-tango-rosetta/news-story/20609bbb8e96cca0e9755b5c5ea9705a

>>14180674

Lawyer claims woman manipulated into committing child sex crimes by Stephen Lane

A woman who allegedly sexually abused her young nieces, filmed them for money and trafficked them in a child sex ring has been granted bail, as more details come to light about how the horrific acts happened.

Shayla Bulloch - July 23, 2021

A WOMAN who allegedly sexually abused her young nieces, filmed them for money and trafficked them in a child sex ring has been granted bail.

The horrific details of how an alleged sex trafficking ring was orchestrated was aired in Townsville Magistrates Court on Friday as two of the three arrested applied for bail.

A man and two women were charged with 32 child exploitation, servitude and extortion offences on Thursday after police brought a three-month operation to a close.

Kelso man Stephen Lane, 64, is alleged to have been the main offender running the ring where he would exchange young girls for other’s gratification across Townsville.

He has been charged with 11 offences, including indecent treatment of a child, conduct business involving servitude, making and distributing child exploitation material and procure prostitution.

A 41-year-old woman who allegedly offended against her six year old daughter, and a 38-year old woman who allegedly abused her nieces, were his offsiders.

Police will allege Lane sought out single women who had young children, or access to young girls.

He did not apply for bail, but both women tried and the 38-year-old woman who allegedly offended against her young nieces was successful.

Duty lawyer Lisa McNamara stated the woman, who has a mild intellectual disability, was allegedly manipulated by Lane into being involved in the ring.

She was living with her son, sister, brother-in-law and three nieces over the two to three years when the alleged abuse occurred, “sneaking” around her family.

The woman allegedly exploited her nieces, aged between 3 and 15, in return for cash and benefits from Lane.

The girls’ mother sat quietly in court as her sister’s alleged offending was read aloud.

“He was coercing, or in fact induced my client to commit these offences for his own purposes,” Ms McNamara said.

Police will allege they went to great lengths to cover their tracks, deleting messages off each other’s phones and taking steps to remove photos.

Police prosecutor Jordan Theed said the alleged offending was “abhorrent” and strongly opposed the woman’s bail.

“It does appear she was in some ways taken advantage of, by the co-accused in relation to this matter, but … she’s taken advantage of people more vulnerable than her,” Mr Theed said.

Magistrate Steven Mosch, who described the offences as “deplorable”, took into account the woman’s clean criminal history when coming to his decision.

The woman has been banned from communicating with her nieces, her sister and her brother-in-law upon release under strict conditions.

She is not allowed to be alone with any person under 18 years old, except her 14-year-old son. Police do not allege the woman offended against him.

ATSILS lawyer Jake Burke appeared for the 41-year-old woman and applied for bail, but it was refused by Mr Mosch.

The woman’s six-year-old daughter had been taken off her and was now in the care of Child Safety.

The trio will face court again later this year.

https://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/truecrimeaustralia/police-courts/lawyer-claims-woman-manipulated-into-committing-child-sex-crimes-by-stephen-lane/news-story/c286eca05cf2e9d656d0457ee7cbf00e

Aaron Rupar Tweet

Biden highlights the absurdity of QAnon: "The idea that the Democrats or Biden, [are] hiding people and sucking the blood of children … we've got to get beyond this … this is not who we are."

https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1418006739614670850

Artillery joint-coalition live fire - Talisman Sabre 2021

Department of Defence Australia

Jul 23, 2021

In an artillery activity using nine M777 Howitzer cannons, members of the ADF and US Marines have trained alongside each other and then exchanged personnel, as part of Exercise Talisman Sabre 2021 (TS21).

Held every two years, TS21 is the largest bilateral training activity between Australia and the United States, aimed to test Australian interoperability with the United States and other participating forces in complex warfighting scenarios. In addition to the United States, TS21 involves participating forces from Canada, Japan, the Republic of Korea, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.

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

Mike Lindell set August 13 as the date in his bonkers theory that Trump will be reinstated as president

Mia Jankowicz - Jul. 6, 2021

• MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell claimed that Trump will be back in the White House by August 13.

• It’s the first time he’s put a specific date to the groundless theory.

• The 2020 election, which Biden won, will be “pulled down” and the “communists” routed, Lindell said.

MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell has named the date on which he believes former President Donald Trump will take the impossible step of being reinstated as president: August 13.

Speaking to Brannon Howse on the conservative WVW Broadcast Network on Sunday, Lindell said that by that date, Trump’s reinstatement “will be the talk of the world.”

“Donald Trump won,” he claimed. “I mean it’s pretty simple, OK?”

There is no legal path for Trump to be reinstated, as Insider’s Jake Lahut and Grace Panetta reported.

Lindell’s appearance was shared by the Twitter account Patriot Takes, which monitors right-wing media.

“By the morning of August 13 it’ll be the talk of the world, going ‘hurry up! Let’s get this election pulled down, let’s right the right, let’s get these communists out that have taken over,'” Lindell said.

He also said that the election result would change for “down-ticket senators” on August 13.

Lindell has been a leading voice in the conspiracy theory that the 2021 presidential election was subject to widespread voter fraud, and has produced documentaries, rallies and even a social media platform devoted to a pro-Trump perspective.

Through these mediums he has argued that he has assembled a legal case so compelling that Supreme Court justices would have to overturn the 2020 election.

Lindell first floated the idea that Trump would be back by August in a March appearance on Steve Bannon’s “War Room: Pandemic” podcast, though he did not name a specific date.

The idea of Trump’s reinstatement has been influential among conspiracy-minded Trump followers such as the lawyer Sidney Powell, and Trump himself. By June, Trump was telling contacts that he would be reinstated by August, according to The New York Times’ Maggie Haberman.

Multiple cases launched by Trump and his supporters claiming there was widespread election fraud have failed in court.

Lindell himself is the subject of a multi-million dollar defamation suit launched in February by the voting-technology company Dominion, which is central to Lindell’s conspiracy theories.

Lindell responded by counter-suing, citing the First Amendment.

https://www.businessinsider.com.au/mike-lindell-claims-august-13-trump-reinstatement-2021-7

—

PatriotTakes Tweet

Mike Lindell says by August 13, the talk of the world will be to overturn the election and get the communists out. He also said there will be many down ticket senators that will have different election results.

https://twitter.com/patriottakes/status/1412044845246390272

Anonymous ID: fb6445 July 23, 2021, 5:19 p.m. No.14185225 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>5244

U.S. Navy Tweet

Taking a (photo) with friends!

Partner nations sail in formation as part of @TalismanSabre. The exercise consists of a series of training events that reinforce the strong U.S./Australian alliance and demonstrate the U.S. Military’s unwavering commitment to a #FreeAndOpenIndoPacific.

https://twitter.com/USNavy/status/1418375834726019074

>>14185225

Talisman Sabre Tweet

11 ships, 5 nations

#USNSRappahannock, #ROKSWang Geon, #HMASParramatta, #USSAmerica, #USSRafaelPeralta, #JSMakinami, #USNSAlanShepard, #HMCSCalgary, #USSNewOrleans, #HMASBrisbane, and #USSGermantown sail in formation during #TalismanSabre2021.

https://twitter.com/TalismanSabre/status/1418447141060497411

Biden poised to nominate Caroline Kennedy as US ambassador to Australia

Nicole Gaouette and Jeff Zeleny - July 23, 2021

Washington (CNN)President Joe Biden is poised to nominate Caroline Kennedy to serve as ambassador to Australia, three people familiar with the search process told CNN, in one of the highest-profile envoy selections yet by the White House.

Kennedy, the daughter of former President John F. Kennedy, served as ambassador to Japan during the Obama administration. She is a longtime friend, ally and donor to Biden who endorsed the President's candidacy early in the campaign and spoke last summer at the Democratic convention.

A White House spokesperson declined to comment, saying more ambassadors would be announced when the vetting process and the notification to host countries have been completed.

Kennedy's appointment to Australia reflects the high priority the Biden administration is placing on the Asia-Pacific as it deals with an increasingly assertive China in the region and on the world stage. The US and Australia share close trade ties and a robust military relationship, fighting side by side in every major conflict since World War I. The two countries are also members of the "Five Eyes alliance," an intelligence sharing arrangement between the English speaking democracies of the US, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the UK.

If confirmed, Kennedy would come to the job with prior experience specific to the region. A graduate of Harvard University and Columbia University Law School, Kennedy served as ambassador to Japan from 2013 to 2017 as an Obama administration appointee.

In Tokyo, Kennedy worked on military and trade, among other issues, and became the second US ambassador to attend an annual memorial service marking the US atomic bombing of Hiroshima.

Kennedy's prior experience includes work at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, at New York City's department of education, as well as work with her family's foundations. She has edited best-selling books about American history, politics, and poetry, and co-authored two books about civil liberties.

In a reflection of Biden's close relationship to the Kennedy political dynasty, Caroline Kennedy is the second family member he has nominated to fill a diplomatic post. The President has tapped the late Sen. Ted Kennedy's widow, Victoria, to be his envoy in Austria.''

Biden has spoken of the pivotal role the family has played in his own political career, touching on the inspiration he felt as a young man watching a fellow Irish Catholic American, John F. Kennedy, win the White House. Biden shares the experience of deep family tragedy with the Kennedys as well.

Born in 1957, Caroline was only 5 years old when her father was assassinated in 1963. Her uncle Robert Kennedy was assassinated in 1968 and her brother, John F. Kennedy Jr., died in a plane accident in 1999.

In 2009, eulogizing Ted Kennedy, Biden spoke about the debt he owed the late senator – both in helping him get elected and in helping him make it to Congress, where he served for more than 30 years.

Shortly after his election to the Senate in 1972, a car accident claimed the lives of Biden's wife and daughter and severely injured his two young sons. At a memorial for Ted Kennedy in 2015, Biden told the family that without Ted Kennedy's support, he would have abandoned his political career.

"It's close to certain I would have never been sworn in as a United States senator if not for your father, your father's encouragement," Biden said, recalling that he had not shown up for his swearing in and hadn't wanted to.

"I didn't show up the day I was to be sworn in. It was your father, your father, who along with Mike Mansfield, sent the secretary of the Senate to a hospital in Wilmington, Delaware, to swear me in with my boys," Biden recalled, adding that once he arrived in Congress, Kennedy "treated me like a little brother."

https://edition.cnn.com/2021/07/23/politics/biden-caroline-kennedy-australia/index.html

Pedophiles find prey in anonymous app Kik

TESSA AKERMAN - JULY 23, 2021

Scores of pedophiles across Australia have been busted using chat app Kik over the past five years with authorities warning the service’s anonymous nature makes children easy prey.

The American-owned app allows people identified only by a username to share photos and videos, video chat and find or form chat groups such as “kidzonly” which was a forum used by former army major Philip Blowers to share child-exploitation material.

When he was arrested after a tip-off from US law enforcement, Blowers was found to have shared 38 images and four videos containing child-exploitation material multiple times across 36 unique chats with individuals and chat groups.

The father-of-two was sentenced in the NSW District Court last November to five years’ imprisonment and a non-parole period of two years’ and eight months.

eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said the commission and its law enforcement partners have had “serious concerns about Kik for some time”.

“Kik is a messaging app that enables users to remain totally anonymous,” she said. “This makes it easy for predators to pretend to be another child, for instance, and very difficult for young people, parents, or even law enforcement to know who is on the other end of the message.”

Ms Inman Grant said platforms like Kik, that are popular with young people, would always be attractive to predators looking to exploit and groom children.

“While some of the bigger players in the social media field have improved their safety features – for example Tiktok now has the default privacy setting for all registered accounts ages 13-15 set to private – it’s often the smaller, newer apps like Kik which can leave a lot to be desired when it comes to user safety,” she said.

The anonymity is a popular feature with pedophiles including Ramiz Adam who was 19 and 20 years old when he logged on to Kik as ‘Gabriel 16483’ and ‘Trump Supporter’ and connected with more than 4000 users sharing child-exploitation material.

He sent some users photographs of bundles of Australian currency and expensive wristwatches, with comments such as: ‘I want to spoil u babe’ and ‘I can be ur sugar daddy’.

It took Kik more than a week to deactivate another pedophile’s account that he named ‘pedodadlookingforpedomumwithkidsorbaby’ which had a child-exploitation image as the user pic.

The pedophile then successfully set up a new account with the first name ‘Looking4pedos/pedofamily/inmelbouren/’ and another graphic user image.

A BBC investigation in 2018 calculated 1100 cases of child sexual abuse were linked to Kik use across the UK over five years.

According to Kik’s website section for law enforcement, the company will only accept US judicial requests and will only provide transaction chat logs – not the content of the chats.

The company deletes all video and images after 30 days and while iTunes rates the app as suitable for 17+, the Kik website says it’s for people 13 and over.

Kik did not respond to The Weekend Australian’s request for comment.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/pedophiles-find-prey-in-anonymous-app-kik/news-story/7211988d465bcb5a88f07fe56cab3d5d

Australia avoids Great Barrier Reef global embarrassment, but the dangers of climate change remain for the reef

Michael Slezak - 24 Jul 2021

When the scientific advisors to UNESCO recommended the Great Barrier Reef be added to UNESCO's in-danger list, Environment Minister Sussan Ley claimed the process stunk.

She argued it was a result of dirty politics, not science.

So it's a matter of some irony that her victory this week — avoiding an in-danger list for at least another couple of years — comes after some skilled politicking.

If there are claims that politics have swayed outcomes, then let's strip away the politics and look at the facts — the things that actually matter to the reef.

In 2015, the Great Barrier Reef narrowly escaped being listed as "in danger".

And regardless of that decision, and whether it fits UNESCO's criteria this time around, the facts show the reef clearly in danger.

'Dead corals don't make babies'

Mass bleaching events on the reef were a new — but still relatively rare — phenomenon back in 2015. The first one was in 1998 and then there was another in 2002.

The combined impact of those two bleaching events, outbreaks of crown of thorns starfish and severe cyclones mean the reef has lost half of its hard coral cover since 1985.

That rate of loss is unprecedented in the previous 400 years, according to the Australian Institute of Marine Science.

Layered on top of that, the reef was being assaulted by fossil fuel giants developing major infrastructure along its coast.

Three massive LNG plants had just been built in the World Heritage Area on Curtis Island off Gladstone, the construction of which involved dredging.

And Adani was proposing to expand the Abbot point coal terminal, and dump dredge spoil in the World Heritage Area.

Regardless, Australia was spared the embarrassment of an in-danger listing at the time, with stern words from UNESCO about acting on climate change, and the need for the reef's declines to halt and "reverse".

But fast forward six years and Adani's dumping proceeded, mass bleaching events hit three times in five years, and Australia's policies on climate change have not grown in ambition.

The 2016 and 2017 bleaching events wiped out half the shallow-water corals and the next year, coral reproduction dropped by nearly 90 per cent.

"Dead corals don't make babies," Professor Terry Hughes from James Cook University said at the time.

The reef's return

Despite the 2020 bleaching event, the reef has been in a period of recovery since 2019, and the most fast-growing (but also most fragile) corals have boomed, and coral cover in many parts of the reef has today returned to levels not seen since the 1980s.

But the repeated insults have changed the reef, and left it more vulnerable. Those fast-growing corals make up a much greater percentage of the overall cover, and are much more vulnerable to storms, bleaching and predation.

"Because of these vulnerabilities and likelihood of more climate-related severe weather events, future disturbances may result in rapid decline on these reefs," said Dr Mike Emslie from the Australian Institute of Marine Science when their long-term monitoring results were released this month.

Through all this, the official outlook for the reef remains "very poor".

And according to the federal government's Great Barrier Reef Authority: "The window of opportunity to improve the Reef's long-term future is now."

Despite all that, Australia again avoided the embarrassment of a listing this year.

But without Australia taking international leadership on climate change, it's hard to see how it will be avoided in the years to come.

UNESCO has said that Australia's plan for the reef needed to include actions to address climate change, which are in line with the Paris Agreement, which involves trying to stop climate change at 1.5C of warming.

That makes sense, because even at 1.5C of warming, up to 90 per cent of the world's corals could be lost.

And for Australia's targets to be consistent with the agreement, Australia will need to nearly triple its ambition for 2030.

All that certainly sounds like "danger" for the reef.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-07-24/australia-avoids-great-barrier-reef-global-embarrassment/100319950

Uber principle for military strike force

America has invited Australia to join a top secret program for missile strikes on targets compared to Uber as a Pacific shield deterrent.

Charles Miranda - July 24, 2021

Exclusive: The United States military has invited Australia to join its developing of a sensitive program they have likened to the ride sharing Uber service, with an app matching the best missiles to the closest targets.

The US Joint Chiefs Of Staff Chairman General Mark Milley said on Friday it was about “integrated deterrence” – aligning allies in the Indo-Pacific against aggression, with nation’s such as Australia playing a critical role.

He singled out China as the “pacing threat” in the region for which war-avoiding strong deterrence was required.

“We are gearing our capabilities, our programs, our training, our skills, our activities … militarily with China in mind, there’s no question about it,” Gen Milley said on the eve of a US military delegation visit to the Pacific region led by US Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin.

“We will work very closely with Japan, with other countries South Korea, Philippines, Australia and other allies and partners in the region to make sure that we have proper capability to deal with it, whatever comes to us in the future,” he said.

One of those deterrence programs includes the sensitive Joint All-Domain Command and Control (JADC2) framework currently being developed that effectively links sensors that identify targets and threats to the closest war asset to neutralise it whether from the air, land, sea or space.

And in its designing the next-generation, multi-domain command-and-control vision, the US Defense has cited Uber as the unlikely example.

The ride share pulls together reams of disparate data and uses artificial intelligence, machine learning algorithms and two different apps to quickly and efficiently match the right drivers on one app with the right passengers on the other.

Basically, a target could be seen from an air force drone sensor but it would be a naval or land interdiction tasked to attack a target or respond to a threat, with all land, sea, air and space assets operating and speaking with each other on the single same integrated platform.

It is understood principles of the program are being studied at the Talisman Sabre 2021 military exercise in Queensland and NSW, the biennial war games for the US and Australian militaries and other partners including Japan seen as critical for allied force systems interoperability training.

The US military high command confirmed it was important allies were brought into the JADC2 strategy and in “the build” phase now and not as a later “bolt on” since the US would not do anything without its Five Eyes partners the UK, Australia, Canada and New Zealand.

“We’re never going to fight alone, we’re going to fight with partners so JADC2 has got to mean the same thing to them as it does to us,” US Joint Staff director of command, control, communications and computers Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Dennis Crall said.

https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/national/uber-principle-for-military-strike-force/news-story/836cc14a475488c0387256c4f8cc72f0

>>14086073

Huawei hiring former Democratic super lobbyist Tony Podesta

The longtime K St. fixture is back in business after a Mueller-induced hiatus.

BETSY WOODRUFF SWAN and DANIEL LIPPMAN - 07/23/2021

Huawei is hiring Democratic lobbyist Tony Podesta as a consultant, according to two people familiar with the matter. Podesta will aim to help the controversial Chinese telecom giant warm relations with the Biden administration.

Podesta will work to advance a variety of the company’s goals in Washington, according to one of the people. He declined to comment. A spokesperson for Huawei also declined to comment.

Huawei faces a host of challenges in Washington. In February 2020, the Justice Department charged the company with violating the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, or RICO — a key DOJ tool for going after organized crime. DOJ alleged that Huawei helped Iran’s authoritarian government build out its domestic surveillance capabilities and tried to secretly do business in North Korea. The Justice Department has also brought charges against the company’s chief financial officer, Meng Wanzhou. She was arrested in Canada, where she is fighting extradition to the U.S. Huawei and Meng maintain their innocence. Huawei has said the accusations are an effort to “irrevocably damage” its reputation and business, as CNBC has reported.

Huawei is not Podesta’s first major China client. Disclosure forms show that his former company also represented the China-United States Exchange Foundation (CUSEF), which funds a host of activities in the U.S. The University of Texas at Austin in 2018 rejected a funding offer from the foundation because of concerns about its links to the Chinese Communist Party, as Inside Higher Ed has reported.

Podesta — a colorful K St. personality known for his loud ties and elaborate art and wine collection — previously helmed the Podesta Group, his eponymous lobbying shop. But in 2017, special counsel Robert Mueller scrutinized the firm for its work with Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign chief Paul Manafort. Manafort’s team enlisted Podesta Group in its efforts to sanitize the reputation of Ukraine’s Russia-friendly president Viktor Yanukovych.

Podesta was not charged with wrongdoing, but shut down his firm and stepped back from lobbying after Manafort’s indictment. He spent several years in the political wilderness, focused on selling art. In early July, he caught the attention of Washington with a splashy New York Times story revealing he wanted to re-enter the fray.

“I don’t want to recreate what I had, but I sort of miss working, and art alone doesn’t sustain me, because I love politics,” he told the Times.

Manafort has also tiptoed back into Washington. Earlier this week, a Daily Caller reporter tweeted a picture of Trump’s ex-campaign head — his signature pompadour faded to gray — dining at a downtown D.C. seafood restaurant. Manafort spent time in prison before Trump pardoned him.

Podesta is expected to soon pick up more clients. He has known President Joe Biden for decades and is friendly with a number of his advisers. Podesta also lives down the street from former President Barack Obama in the glitzy D.C. neighborhood of Kalorama. His brother John was a counselor for Obama as well as chief of staff to President Bill Clinton.

In addition to Podesta, Huawei recently hired several other representatives: the consulting firm of Lee Terry, a former Republican congressman from Nebraska; lawyer Stephen Binhak; Glenn LeMunyon, who was an aide to former House GOP Whip Tom DeLay; and the consulting firm J.S. Held. The company also retains white-shoe law firm Steptoe and Johnson, paying them $60,000 in the second quarter, according to a disclosure. And the firm has connections to power brokers throughout the nation’s capital. Christopher Fonzone, the general counsel for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, advised the company when he was a lawyer at the firm Sidley Austin. Fonzone told senators he did fewer than 10 hours of work for Huawei. The connection created challenges for his Senate confirmation, but he was still confirmed.

https://www.politico.com/news/2021/07/23/huawei-hires-tony-podesta-500649

The Mehdi Hasan Show Tweet

Do Fox and the Murdochs have blood on their hands for all the disinformation they’ve propagated?

@TurnbullMalcolm: “They certainly have contributed to blood being shed.”

https://twitter.com/MehdiHasanShow/status/1418367879901290496

>>14187418

Former Australian PM Malcolm Turnbull Slams Rupert Murdoch Over Fox’s Involvement in 1/6 Insurrection and Vaccine Hesitancy Push

TODD NEIKIRK - JUL 23RD, 2021

While politics are certainly different in Australia than they are in the United States, Malcolm Turnbull would still be considered to be a Conservative. He is also acquainted with fellow Aussie Rupert Murdoch, having known him since 1974.

The former Prime Minister recently appeared on Mehdi Hasan’s show to discuss Murdoch and how his news network is currently poisoning America.

The host asked, “You mentioned dangerous, you mentioned devastating. So let me just ask you straight up. Do you believe Fox and the Murdochs, by creating what you’ve called in the past a “market for crazy,” by pushing not just election lies and white supremacist propaganda — but also anti-mask, anti-vaccine conspiracies — do they have blood on their hands?”

Turnbull answered, “Well, they certainly have contributed to blood being shed. January 6 could not have occurred without the Big Lie about the election having been promoted and pumped out, as it was by Fox News.”

The former Australian PM continued:

“He knows the vaccines work. But he’s making billions of dollars out of a, you know, a news channel, a news platform, Fox News, which is promoting and enabling all of this vaccine hesitancy. I mean, surely — surely, you would think you would have enough affection for your viewers, not to encourage them to follow a course of action that is likely to result in their illness and death.”

Murdoch has had a strange last year or so. He wasn’t a big fan of Donald Trump and clearly devastated the former president by calling Arizona early on election night. At the same time, he seems to have no interest in reigning in his on air talent.

https://www.politicususa.com/2021/07/23/watch-former-australian-pm-malcolm-turnbull-slams-rupert-murdoch-over-foxs-involvement-in-1-6-insurrection-and-vaccine-hesitancy-push.html

>>14187418

Rupert Murdoch’s Disinformation Media Empire | The Mehdi Hasan Show

The Choice

Jul 23, 2021

An undervaccinated population in the United States where the government literally can’t give Covid-19 inoculations away; the Donald Trump presidency; and the January 6th insurrection on the United States Capitol. There’s a case to be made that none of these things would have happened without Rupert Murdoch and Fox News. Fellow Australian Malcolm Turnbull, the former prime minister, joins Mehdi to discuss Murdoch, Trump, the spread of disinformation and the rise of authoritarianism.

The Mehdi Hasan Show: Insightful reporting and probing interviews that examine the day's events and provide a deeper level of context for the politics of our interconnected society.

Watch The Mehdi Hasan Show on The Choice channel on Peacock TV, weeknights, 7 p.m. ET. Subscribe to the channel for more interviews.

http://peacocktv.com

#RupertMurdoch #FoxNews #Disinformation

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KciyUNMpz74

Talisman Sabre Tweet

Getting to the mission

#Marines with @MrfDarwin departed Townsville in several MV-22B Osprey aircraft last night to conduct night operations during #TS21.

@USMC #AlliesAndPartners #TalismanSabre

https://twitter.com/TalismanSabre/status/1418813239127953408

Australians may face longer lockdown after "reckless" mass protests

Sonali Paul - July 25, 2021

MELBOURNE, July 25 (Reuters) - Australia's New South Wales logged its second-highest daily increase of the year in locally acquired COVID-19 cases on Sunday amid fears of a wave of new infections after thousands of people joined an anti-lockdown protest.

"In relation to yesterday's protests, can I say how absolutely disgusted I was. It broke my heart," Gladys Berejiklian, the premier of the country's most populous state, told reporters.

"I hope it won't be a setback, but it could be," she said.

There were 141 COVID-19 cases reported, down from 163 a day earlier. The outbreak, which began in June, is being driven by the highly contagious Delta variant of the virus, and has now infected 2,081 people in New South Wales. There are 43 people in intensive care, up from 37 a day earlier.

Under fire for a slow vaccine rollout, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said more vaccine supply was not going to ensure New South Wales gets out of lockdown, but what was needed was an effective, properly enforced lockdown.

"Let me be clear - there's not an alternative to the lockdown in New South Wales to get this under control. There is no other magic bullet that's going to do that," Morrison told reporters at a televised media conference.

He called the anti-lockdown protests in Sydney reckless and self-defeating.

While Berejiklian and other state leaders have blamed Canberra for the slow vaccine rollout, critics have said NSW did not enforce its stay-at-home orders, which has led to Delta variant leaks to other states.

At least 38 of the new cases in NSW had spent time in the community while infectious, state health authorities said. Numbers of such cases have stayed stubbornly high even after four weeks of lockdown in Sydney, now expected to be extended beyond July 30.

The state reported two deaths overnight, including a woman in her 30s with no pre-existing conditions.

Despite its struggle with spikes of infections, Australia has managed to keep its epidemic largely under control with a total of about 32,600 cases and 918 deaths.

To help speed up vaccinations in Sydney, the government's official adviser, the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI), on Saturday changed its advice on the AstraZeneca vaccine, urging anyone in the city under the age of 60 to strongly consider getting vaccinated with it.

ATAGI had previously advised against the AstraZeneca vaccine for people under 60 due to concerns about blood clots.

"In the context of the current risk of COVID-19 in NSW and with the ongoing constraints on Comirnaty (Pfizer) vaccine supplies, all adults in greater Sydney should strongly consider the benefits of earlier protection with COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca rather than waiting for alternative vaccines," ATAGI said in a statement.

Morrison said on Sunday the government has secured an additional 85 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine, but they will only be delivered in 2022 and 2023.

"To have those booster shots pre-ordered means we can go into 2022 with confidence," he said.

Australia's Victoria state reported 11 locally acquired COVID-19 cases on Sunday, down from 12 a day earlier, raising hopes the state will end a hard lockdown imposed 10 days ago.

State Premier Daniel Andrews said it was too early to say whether restrictions will be eased on Tuesday, but: "At this stage, though, things are going well."

All of the cases were linked to the current outbreak clusters and all of them were in isolation throughout their infectious period, the state's health department said.

South Australia reported three new cases on Sunday.

https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/australians-may-face-longer-lockdown-after-mass-protests-2021-07-24/

Lockdown protesters plotted on social media

RHIANNON DOWN - JULY 26, 2021

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The violent protests that swept through Sydney’s CBD might have taken the city — and even police — by surprise, but they had been plotted weeks before the lockdown was even declared by a hard-core group of social-media-savvy conspirators.

Many of the same agitators were involved in a wave of similar “freedom” protests that rocked Melbourne during its second wave almost a year ago, with organisers tapping into a network of Covid-19 conspiracy activists and latching on to the “World Wide Rally for Freedom” movement overseas.

Saturday’s protests saw the fringe movement of anti-lockdown and anti-vax sceptics go national for the first time, with thousands of protesters flouting restrictions in Sydney and Melbourne, with rallies also taking place in Adelaide and Brisbane.

Organiser and self-described “vigilante” Anthony Khallouf, who runs website Australians vs The Agenda to fight the “socialist, communist, fascist state” pushing the Covid-19 “scam” — admitted he was surprised by the turnout.

“This was not only a slam dunk, it was a home run, a premiership team going from being 18 on the ladder to destroying Richmond by 100 points,” he said.

Mr Khallouf, who is facing charges of incitement for his alleged role in Melbourne’s protests last year, told The Australian last Thursday that Sydney would be “the main event”, predicting his cause would tap into the frustrations of locked-down Sydneysiders, especially in the southwest.

“It was such a crazy day; co-ordinating an event where there are more than 100,000 people all over the country protesting about the exact same thing, at the exact same time and pulling it off without any problems, is a very proud moment,” he said.

Mr Khallouf said he felt no remorse about any Covid-19 infections that resulted from the protests, despite those who attended being slammed by NSW authorities as “halfwits” and “boofheads”.

“Don’t target people in certain demographics, and then you won’t see the consequences of targeting people, that’s basically it,” he said.

“There are a whole bunch of left-leaning extremists targeting us and people in our community saying you’re an idiot for attending or they’re calling it a ‘free-dumb’ rally or an anti-lockdown protest which it wasn’t — it was called World Wide Rally for Freedom.”

(continued)

2/2

The details of Saturday’s protest had been circulated for weeks on social media, with early chatter about the protest on encrypted messaging app Telegram beginning in late May before Sydney’s lockdown had even begun, according to online discussions seen by The Australian.

In the week leading up to July 24, the protest hit the mainstream with “Sydney CBD takeover” plans being shared on Facebook and Instagram by Sydneysiders frustrated at the extended lockdown as fast as the social media platforms could remove the posts.

Meanwhile, multiple “freedom rally” Telegram groups in each state and city swelled to include thousands of activists, with many swapping protest strategy, plotting how to travel to the city from far away suburbs as well as scripts of “legalese” to tell police if arrested.

Supporters also shared links to content from UK conspiracy theorist David Icke, independent MP Craig Kelly and the US-based Qanon movement, which claims a cabal of Satan-worshipping child abusers secretly control the world.

Group chats on the app seen by The Australian included more than 2300 frustrated Sydney residents, 3800 in Melbourne and one nationwide group with more than 11,000 supporters by Thursday, as well as many spin-off groups.

The turnout at the Sydney protest suggests the cause had found a life outside a niche group of conspiracy theorists.

Many observers put the number of protesters at well over 5000 — more than the police estimate of 3500, though less than the 50,000 claimed by organisers.

The crowds that swarmed Victoria Park before converging at Town Hall comprised many different interest groups including groups of youths brandishing signs with anti-vaccination “pro-consent” slogans, others wearing Donald Trump and Guy Fawkes masks, and some waving flags associated with white supremacy.

One man carried a sign that said “ABC News is Zionist propaganda”, which elicited anti-Semitic cries from nearby supporters, while others railed against the “New World Order” or spruiked religious messages such as “Authority comes from God”.

Former boxer Anthony Mundine, who was recently fined for breaching health orders, was reportedly seen at the protest, as well as TikTok comedian Jon-Bernard Kairouz.

The online tools that brought the movement to a new audience could also be its undoing, with NSW police beginning the painstaking work of combing through social media posts and CCTV to identify those who attended.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/lockdown-protesters-plotted-on-social-media/news-story/4999c6a6e455dc5640124ac39d86d61d

Anti-lockdown protests a coalition of the alienated and the far-right

Miki Perkins - July 25, 2021

Counter-extremism experts say the people behind Australia’s anti-lockdown protests on the weekend came from a loose coalition of far-right, conspiracy and libertarian groups, their numbers swelled by people who feel, rightly or wrongly, disenfranchised by government.

Dr Kaz Ross, who researches Australian far-right extremists and conspiracy groups, described the protests as a “leaderless movement”. They included some high-profile individuals as well as nationalists, so-called “sovereign citizens”, anti-vaccination groups, QAnon and Trump followers, and small business owners.

On Saturday there were also followers of the anti-vaccination group Reignite Australia and members of evangelical Christian churches at the rallies, with some holding signs that read: “Jesus is my vaccine.”

Despite assurances from Facebook that it would remove extremist groups last year, the protests were live-streamed on some Facebook pages.

“It surprised everybody that there was such a big group – a collection of disparate groups who have been working consistently over the whole pandemic to build their support base,” Dr Ross said.

While far-right extremism is not a new phenomenon in Australia, it has been on the rise in the past year in response to federal and state government handling of the coronavirus, she says.

The protests in each city were subtly different, Dr Ross said.

In Brisbane, anti-vaccination sentiments were at the forefront, while in Melbourne the protest signs were dominated by anti-lockdown slogans. The protesters in Sydney on the weekend seemed similar to those at the anti-lockdown protests in Melbourne last year. There was a diversity of people not usually seen at rallies, including those new to public protest, people from a range of ethnic backgrounds, and lots of women.

Meanwhile, the organising in Melbourne had “matured”, with a core group of seasoned protesters streamlining their operations against lockdowns over the past year, Dr Ross said. These include serial protester Matt Lawson, an administrator of an anti-5G Facebook group, who was arrested on Saturday.

Victoria Police has called on members of the public to call Crime Stoppers if they can identify protesters at the rallies over the weekend, warning offenders will be issued with fines, including seven identified organisers who could face charges of incitement.

“I’d urge every citizen who is outraged by what we saw yesterday that if you know who these people are, then tell us and we will take action,” said Assistant Commissioner Luke Cornelius.

Seven organisers had been warned by police not to promote or participate in the protests but nonetheless turned up on Saturday, he said.

Dr Josh Roose, a senior research fellow at Deakin University, said the protesters were brought together by a feeling of marginalisation and a sense they were the victims of governments.

While it was easy to have a visceral reaction to the illegal protests, it was important to recognise this issue wasn’t going away, he said.

“We really have to engage. Not with their ideas – because they have been debunked on many occasions by science – but with the idea they feel alienated with society.

“This is a global issue that, at its heart, comes back to deepening inequality and a deepening disconnect between citizens and the state.”

Extremism researcher Dr Ross said while it was good that people valued democracy and were concerned about protecting individual liberties and freedoms, the anti-lockdown movement misunderstood what democracy means.

“They talk about their rights as citizens, but we also have a collective responsibility as citizens,” Dr Ross said.

And debating the ideas themselves is often counterproductive: “You can’t really debate that idea that the world is run by a satanic cabal of paedophile lizards.”

Better media and political literacy is needed for consumers to ascertain the accuracy of what they consume on social media, she says.

https://archive.ph/r6dbU

Anonymous ID: fb6445 July 26, 2021, 1:04 a.m. No.14200931 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>0934

Revealed: the fringe groups where Sydney’s lockdown protest began

Fergus Hunter and Laura Chung - July 25, 2021

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The organisation of an anti-lockdown protest that turned violent in Sydney on Saturday began in fringe online communities teeming with COVID-19 conspiracy theories, anti-Semitism and debunked views on vaccines.

The widely-condemned protest was linked to a “worldwide rally for freedom” and NSW Police said they were not taken by surprise by the event, having monitored plans as they developed in groups on encrypted platform Telegram and spread further on Facebook and Instagram.

Police on Sunday said they had received more than 5500 tip-offs about attendees and identified more than 200 people involved. More than 350 officers policed the event and a dedicated strike force of 22 officers has since been launched to investigate public health order breaches and any other offences.

“What took us by surprise and what disappoints me so greatly is the level of violence that people were prepared to use. That was unprecedented. That’s not Sydney,” NSW Police Deputy Commissioner Mal Lanyon said on Sunday.

Police arrested 63 people during the protest and 35 have been charged with various offences, including assault of a police officer. At least 90 fines were issued for breaches of the public health orders and two men, aged 33 and 36, were arrested and charged overnight for striking a police horse.

Online activists were promoting protests in Sydney, Melbourne and other Australian locations in the weeks before the July 24 events. Popular anti-vaxxer organisations and figures were among the pages then spreading the message to a larger audience.

Joel Jammal, a Sydney activist who promoted the event on Facebook, spoke on the steps of Town Hall on Saturday, rejecting vaccines and lockdowns.

“The organisers said this must be a peaceful protest,” he told the crowd. “This is not a violent revolution.”

Various national and city-based channels on Telegram, where the plans for the rallies gained momentum, appear to share some of the same organisers. Administrators of the channels have also promoted far-right groups and figures such as the Proud Boys and Avi Yemini.

One of the key organisers in the channels appears to be 24-year-old programmer Harrison Mclean, linked to previous protests in Melbourne. Mr Mclean did not respond to a request for a comment.

In a video posted on his Telegram channel on July 18, Mr Mclean said the protests were about resisting “authoritarian restrictions” and declaring that “we will not comply”.

“This Saturday, the 24th of July, in over 100 cities around the world, we’ll be taking a stand for five important freedoms: freedom of speech, freedom of movement, freedom of assembly, freedom of choice and freedom of health,” he said.

Inside the groups, users have shared a vast amount of conspiracy theories about global warming, the mainstream media, vaccines, QAnon, Freemasons as well as anti-Semitic material.

(continued)

>>14200931

2/2

The gathering in Sydney attracted a diverse crowd numbered in the thousands. It included anti-vaxxers, political activists and people angry at the strict public health orders put in place in response to the outbreak of the highly contagious Delta variant of COVID-19.

Jon-Bernard Kairouz, a 24-year-old TikTok personality who recently attracted attention for revealing NSW COVID-19 case numbers before official announcements, attended the rally and was issued with a fine on Sunday.

Speaking at the event, Mr Kairouz told the crowd: “For everyone that’s here – small businesses, people that are doing it tough – all we want is freedom.”

A man standing next to him as he spoke wore a vest promoting notorious English conspiracy theorist David Icke – who believes an ancient race of reptilian beings secretly rules the world – and the next speaker said COVID-19 did not exist.

Former Liberal Party figure John Ruddick, now running as the Liberal Democrats candidate in the federal Sydney seat of Warringah, posted on Twitter about his attendance at the rally and said he was among those to be fined.

“Just had two courteous police officers at my door to advise I will be getting a $1000 fine for attending the Sydney Freedom Rally,” he said on Sunday. “No problem – I’ll frame it and put it on the wall.”

NSW Police Minister David Elliott said there were a number of “political wannabes” trying to use the protest to make a name for themselves.

“That’s very disappointing. I think those individuals need to reflect if they are suitable for public office,” he said.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said she was “absolutely disgusted” by the protest and warned that participants were endangering those closest to them by attending the illegal gathering.

“Can I say how absolutely disgusted I was. It broke my heart,” she said.

“Millions and millions of people across our state are doing the right thing and it just broke my heart that people had such a disregard for their fellow citizens.”

A number of proposed dates for protests in the coming weeks and months are already circulating among activists on Telegram.

“September too far away,” said one user on Sunday. “This needs to happen sooner whilst we have traction, otherwise the evil side will continue to accelerate.”

“So whenever the next one happens, we need to agree on it and then hype it up,” said another.

https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/revealed-the-fringe-groups-where-sydney-s-lockdown-protest-began-20210725-p58cqm.html

Inside Telegram fringe groups behind protests where conspiracy theories spread

On encrypted messenging apps used to stir up resentment towards lockdowns are threats to state premiers and wild, debunked conspiracies.

Rohan Smith - JULY 26, 2021

On encrypted messenging apps used to stir up tens of thousands of protesters at rallies in Sydney and Melbourne over the weekend are threats to state premiers and wild, debunked conspiracy theories about everything from forced vaccinations to “the great reset” of society.

Shared widely on Telegram and Facebook are messages about storming the press conferences of NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian with an army of “100,000”.

The proponents of “freedom rallies” in Australia’s two largest cities, attended by as many as 30,000 people, are devout followers of QAnon, members of the far-right and prominent anti-vaxxers who refer to the majority in lockdown as “masked zombie slaves” with “nothing inside them at all”.

“The “pandemic” is a cover for a currency reset (aka the Great Reset) and everything that comes along with it is a smokescreen,” one Telegram user wrote in the Sydney Freedom Rally group — an offshoot of the main organising group, the Worldwide Rally for Freedom.

Others call for more extreme measures.

“This won’t end until society collapses or there is a revolution,” another Telegram user wrote.

Protesters who were denounced by state leaders and the Prime Minister on Sunday were buoyed by a small group of politicians who celebrated their efforts to pushback against stay-at-home orders despite the Delta variant of Covid-19 spreading in Melbourne and Sydney.

They include the usual suspects: Independent MP Craig Kelly, One Nation senator Malcolm Roberts and Nationals MP George Christensen — all of whom are wildly popular on social media.

Mr Kelly wrote on Telegram that a photograph of a man allegedly punching a horse at the Sydney rally was “propaganda that would make (Nazi propagandist Joseph) Goebells proud” and was “a coup for the (vaccine) sellers”.

He wrote that the vaccine was “experimental”.

“Those protesting for freedom and against compulsory injections of experimental agents could be painted as violent thugs that abuse animals,” he wrote.

Mr Christensen even spoke at a rally in the Queensland city of Mackay after promoting the event to “freedom lovers” in the days before Saturday’s march.

In the same groups, plans are being made for another protest on Saturday, September 18. But many who attended the weekend’s protests are already voicing concern about the prospect of being identified in the masses of people and hit with a fine.

Those who attended were whipped into a frenzy by speakers, including TikTok comedian Jon-Bernard Kairouz, who was fined for attending.

“I must say I’ve crunched the numbers, I don’t think the cases are going to go up tomorrow,” he told the crowd.

“But from what I’ve calculated there’s over 50,000 people here today.”

Videos from the speech showed the man standing next to him was wearing a vest featuring one of the extreme conspiracy theorists the world has ever known — David Icke.

Icke believes the world is ruled by an ancient race of reptiles.

Police said they were shocked by the level of violence used by protesters.

“What took us by surprise and what disappoints me so greatly is the level of violence that people were prepared to use. That was unprecedented. That’s not Sydney,” NSW Police Deputy Commissioner Mal Lanyon said.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian said she was “absolutely disgusted and disappointed” in those who attended the protest, warning it could lead to a “super-spreading” event.

“We don’t want a setback, and yesterday could have been a setback. Time will tell,” she said on Sunday.

“But I’m just so utterly disgusted, disappointed and heartbroken that people don’t consider the safety and wellbeing of their fellow citizens.”

Police Deputy Commissioner Gary Worboys described the events that occurred on Saturday as “violent, filthy, risky behaviour”.

He said a strike force had been set up to investigate the protest and urged anyone with video footage, photos or any information to submit it to Crime Stoppers.

“The investigation into people’s behaviour yesterday will continue for some time, so I expect over the next few days and perhaps weeks that number of penalty infringement notices will continue to be high,” Mr Worboys said.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said those who attended should reconsider their priorities.

“We can’t vaccinate against selfishness. These people should be ashamed.”

https://www.news.com.au/technology/online/inside-telegram-fringe-groups-behind-protests-where-conspiracy-theories-spread/news-story/6d92de607490f2515c9ee0fa04c713e8

Anonymous ID: fb6445 July 26, 2021, 1:14 a.m. No.14200948 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>0951

Bigger agenda in play to reduce Paris Agreement warming target

GRAHAM LLOYD - JULY 26, 2021

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When UNESCO first announced it would seek to put the Great Barrier Reef on the World Heritage in-danger list this year Australian diplomats suspected foul play from China which holds key positions in the process.

But when the votes were counted at the World Heritage Committee meeting on Friday it was European bureaucracy, international green groups and Norway that had led the charge.

Statements and documents reveal UNESCO has been trying to use the reef to push a bigger agenda for the world to adopt a more ambitious climate target than the formal Paris agreement.

A successful in-danger listing would have fed into frantic G20 talks under way in Naples where adopting a target of limiting warming to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels rather than the Paris Agreement‘s 2C was on the agenda. Those talks also failed to gain traction, with China and India refusing to sign a pledge to phase out coal and other nations favouring the existing 2C Paris target.

Climate change was left out of the official G20 environment and energy ministers communique.

When the dust finally settled at the World Heritage Committee late on Friday the audacious push to list the reef had ended in consensus defeat and wide praise for Australia’s reef management and bold actions to tackle climate change. A possible in-danger listing has been hotly debated for a decade but bringing it to a head now had blindsided the Australian government and left Environment Minister Sussan Ley and diplomatic staff scrambling.

Diplomatic pressure

The in-danger motion was effectively lost when a whirlwind diplomatic onslaught from Australia persuaded 12 of the 21 member countries of the committee to sponsor an amendment.

The amendment said before an in-danger listing could be considered, a UNESCO delegation would visit the site to assess the latest efforts to protect the natural wonder.

The number of countries sponsoring the amendment was not enough to secure the two-thirds majority needed to force the issue.

But in the consensus-driven world of UNESCO diplomacy, the pressure was on other countries to agree. China told the meeting it would support the forming consensus view. Norway was the holdout. Its delegate told the meeting “this is not an exercise in what is fair or not”.

It was about seizing the opportunity to make an example of the Great Barrier Reef to tell the world to get serious about climate change.

“If a site is facing danger it should be put on the list of World Heritage in danger, they said.

“It is not a punishment. It is how we mobilise action and preserve our heritage for future generations.”

Australian negotiators said they had been left with no doubt the reef was being dealt into a bigger campaign.

“We were told essentially that it was being put on the list because we needed to highlight the dangers of climate change,” one official involved in the talks told The Australian.

“It was very much you are doing an outstanding job but really this is about climate change and it will help you if we make it all about climate change because the whole world will help you.

“What became clear to us is there was a lot of lobbying that had been going on to push the in danger listing.

“The speed with which the environment groups came out with joint letters to support it suggests there were campaigns ready to go.”

(continued)

>>14200948

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Bigger picture

Environment groups campaigned internationally to support the in-danger listing as part of a push for tougher climate change action.

“It‘s the first time UNESCO has really taken a stand, particularly in regards to climate change for one site,” Imogen Zethoven, environmental consultant to the Australian Marine Conservation Society said.

“I think it will set the direction for UNESCO and how it relates to climate change in the future.”

A statement signed by notable reef scientists and famous Australians, including rock stars Bernard Fanning and Peter Garret, coral scientist Terry Hughes and businessman Mike Cannon-Brookes, supported the in-danger listing and said a national plan compatible with 1.5C of warming was a critical threshold for the Great Barrier Reef.

At a July 21 press conference, UNESCO marine program co-ordinator, Fanny Douvere, said the reef could not be protected without reducing emissions to limit warming to 1.5 C.

In an interview with the ABCs 7.30 report on July 23, Douvere said the draft decision was “a wake up call we need to go to a 1.5C target aligned with the Paris agreement”.

As UNESCO and environmental groups pushed support for the in-danger listing, Ms Ley marshalled the nation’s diplomatic forces to argue it would be unfair.

A letter was signed by sympathetic nations including Canada, Spain, France, UK, Thailand and the Philippines. Ambassadors from 50 nations were invited to visit the reef to see for themselves.

And Ms Ley flew to Europe to lobby World Heritage committee members directly.

Flawed process

Over a one-week period, Ms Ley met with 18 countries to argue the World Heritage Committee decision-making process on the issue had been flawed.

“We did go over feeling we had been blindsided,” Ms Ley said.

“An immediate in-danger listing is something usually reserved for countries who have been in a long consultation with UNESCO and who have simply not co-operated with what they are being asked to do to manage their site.

“This is simply not the case with Australia, indeed, UNESCO in the same breath was praising our efforts and saying that it was outside of our capacity to address global climate change.

“Our officials believed the decision was a backflip on previous advice from UNESCO that no property would face such a recommendation if it wasn’t foreshadowed in 2018-19, and that we would be consulted well in advance if an in danger listing was to be raised.”

International support

When it came to the vote in China, Uganda argued an in-danger listing would “demotivate” Australia which should be given more time.

It said the Australian government had “a comprehensive set of policies to reduce emissions and uptake of green energy”.

Ethiopia said it appreciated Australia‘s actions on green energy and climate change as well as its financial commitment to safeguarding the Great Barrier Reef and did not support the in danger listing.

Hungry said Australia was already playing a constructive roll to address climate change at an international level and an in-danger listing would be premature.

Russia said no single country could be held responsible for climate change which was a global problem. South Africa commended Australia for the resources it had made available for the reef.

Egypt said an in-danger listing now “would be premature and wrong”.

Brazil said it would give Australia a “vote of confidence” and support a reactive mission before “action with far-reaching consequences can be considered”.

China said it had “listened very carefully to views of members and noted that many agreed to afford more time to the state party (Australia) to further carry out protection work”.

“We support the emerging consensus of this committee”, the China delegate said.

From here, Australia will host a UNESCO delegation to update them on progress of the Reef 2050 plan. A report must be made by February with the issue to be raised again at the 2022 World Heritage Committee meeting.

It is unlikely an in-danger listing will be on the agenda, however. Norway’s amendment for this to happen was also defeated by consensus.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/bigger-agenda-in-play-to-reduce-paris-agreement-warming-target/news-story/39af29cec4f1b773c5132f6205f36c5a

Anonymous ID: fb6445 July 26, 2021, 1:20 a.m. No.14200962 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>0965

Legal payout brings hope for other victims of paedophile priest

Adam Cooper - July 26, 2021

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As the first of Kevin O’Donnell’s victims to report the paedophile priest to police, he paved a courageous path for other abuse survivors to follow.

Now, he hopes the $1.375 million he will receive from the Catholic Church will stand as a landmark settlement that assists O’Donnell’s other victims who are seeking compensation.

“I never let go of the bone. I just kept fighting it. I thought, ‘this is not right’,” said BTZ, as he is known in legal files.

“The Melbourne archdiocese has known I was a victim for 25 years and it’s only in the past couple of months they were forced into mediation to start the conversation about how much money they had to pay me.”

It is 50 years since BTZ was groomed and abused as an 11-year-old boy in Hastings by his parish priest. O’Donnell’s attacks continued until 1976 and included sexual assaults at the priest’s holiday house and on trips away.

By the mid-1990s, when BTZ was experiencing regular flashbacks, nightmares and what was later diagnosed as post-traumatic stress, he contacted support network Broken Rites and police.

Detectives quickly found 11 other victims of O’Donnell. He pleaded guilty and was jailed. He died in 1997, months after his release.

But although O’Donnell is one of Australia’s most notorious paedophiles and the church acknowledged his crimes, the archdiocese made BTZ fight for compensation, which “gutted” him and he spiralled into depression. He went through two rounds with the Melbourne Response scheme and had his case before the Supreme Court over the past 15 months until last week, when the church and its lawyers settled just before a trial was to start.

BTZ’s lawyer, Judy Courtin, said the archdiocese’s acceptance of its liability was significant for her client and 11 others abused by O’Donnell now suing the church, including a woman assaulted in the 1940s.

“We hope all the work, an extraordinary amount of work that has been done, will be favourable for others,” Dr Courtin said.

The Melbourne archdiocese and its lawyers took until the 11th hour to settle BTZ’s case despite facing evidence two senior church figures knew in 1958 that another boy had made an allegation against O’Donnell. Those leaders failed to remove the priest from his parish and regular contact with children.

Years before BTZ went to the police, he also made a report about O’Donnell that wasn’t acted on. In 1986, he told a nun who lodged a report that ultimately reached the then archbishop of Melbourne, Frank Little.

But the archbishop also failed to stand O’Donnell down and the priest continued preying on children, including Chrissie and Anthony Foster’s daughters, Emma and Katie, in Oakleigh. Emma suicided in 2008.

“They acted on it all right. All they did was tell O’Donnell to write a letter of apology [to me],” BTZ said. “Bastards, absolute bastards.”

(continued)

>>14200962

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Chrissie Foster, who harnessed her family’s heartbreak into fighting for sex abuse victims, said any guilt rested with the church for harbouring serial abusers, and not her friend.

“It’s not his [BTZ’s] guilt but that’s the way they [the church] make you feel. It’s total blame at the feet of the Catholic priesthood,” she said.

“[Money] is the only thing in society that we can take from them … they need to pay for every single child that they let this happen to.”

O’Donnell’s crimes destroyed countless lives and have cost the church millions compensating his victims.

In 2014, the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse heard that Melbourne Response had compensated 50 of O’Donnell’s victims and that his crimes accounted for 19 per cent of the complaints made to the scheme.

BTZ wanted his settlement — which is in addition to $72,000 he previously received under Melbourne Response — reported for the sake of other victims and church parishioners. The latter, he said, should be “outraged” by the church’s conduct.

But the compensation was far less, he said, compared to what the church had spent on legal bills fighting his claims through the years, particularly the “brutally insulting” dealings with Melbourne Response.

The archdiocese’s resistance has also appalled advocates who say survivors are re-traumatised at having legal cases dragged out.

“It’s dirty, hardball, adversarial, legalistic battles,” Dr Courtin said.

“Why, why, why with all that evidence [supporting BTZ’s case] would they wait until the day before trial to accept liability? What does that cost?”

Ms Foster felt bullied and threatened by then archbishop George Pell when she and her late husband met him to discuss their daughter, Emma. The Fosters refused the Melbourne Response offer of $50,000 and took legal action which, almost a decade later, brought a $750,000 settlement.

The church’s court tactics “tormented victims even further by denying the truth”, Ms Foster said.

These comments come days after similar criticisms were made against Victoria’s Department of Education and Training over the way it responds to compensation claims made by people abused in schools as children.

The Melbourne archdiocese said it didn’t comment on individual cases.

But a spokeswoman for Archbishop Peter Comensoli said the archdiocese was appalled by historical sexual abuse crimes and had apologised to survivors.

Archbishop Comensoli regularly met with survivors to offer apologies and the church was committed to “a culture that protects the vulnerable, and which listens and seeks to bring healing and justice to those who have been hurt”.

The spokeswoman said the Archbishop understood court proceedings were difficult and could cause traumatisation.

“So we seek to reduce, wherever possible, that occurring. At the same time, we respect the rights of individuals to take whatever action they feel is best for them,” she said.

The arcdiocese’s lawyers, Corrs Chambers Westgarth, declined to comment.

https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/victoria/legal-payout-brings-hope-for-other-victims-of-paedophile-priest-20210722-p58c6z.html

Anonymous ID: fb6445 July 26, 2021, 1:27 a.m. No.14200974 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>0976

One man’s endless crusade to keep paedophile from other kids

VIRGINIA TAPSCOTT - JULY 26, 2021

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When Jesse Elmer returned to his home state of Tasmania in 2008 he was confronted with a memory he had tried to bury for more than three decades.

A man’s hand on his penis at a friend’s birthday party sleepover when he was 12. His own hand being placed on a man’s genitalia. His body paralysed by fear.

The memories plagued him until he knew something had to be done. Mr Elmer messaged a friend who still lived in the Launceston suburb of Mayfield, where he grew up, to ask what had become of the man he says was his childhood abuser.

The man, now aged in his late 50s, of Launceston, had been working with young children for decades.

“I was shocked to find out he had been working as a teacher’s aide for 25 years and also worked at a community sports centre,” Mr Elmer said. “I learned he had access to disabled children as well and I think I felt a responsibility because I didn’t speak up when it happened.”

Mr Elmer said he reported his abuse to Tasmania Police in 2012 and to the Department of Education soon after.

In 2015 during a private meeting Mr Elmer said he was notified the man had been found by Tasmania’s Justice Department to have, on the balance of probability, committed sexual offences against children.

Mr Elmer said he was informed the man had failed an application for his Working With Vulnerable People Certificate despite appealing the decision in the Launceston Magistrates Court.

The man has never been charged with a criminal offence and is now able to reapply for his WWVP certificate as Tasmanian Law permits failed applicants to undergo a new risk assessment after a period of five years has elapsed.

Mr Elmer, who has begged Tasmanian authorities to take action for almost a decade, said he is terrified the man will be able to gain access to children again.

Mr Elmer, aged 12 years old at the time of offending, reported that on two occasions, while sleeping over at a friend’s house, the man instigated unwanted sexual touching and forced Mr Elmer to touch his penis.

“I was asleep and was woken by (the man) with his hand down my pants, fondling me,” his statement reads. “I just froze, I don’t think he knew I woke up. I didn’t say anything to anyone. The first person I told was my girlfriend at the time, who is now my wife, when I was 18.”

The man was Mr Elmer’s friend’s neighbour and frequently babysat at the residence at which the abuse occurred.

“After the first time he abused me I stopped going to my friend’s house until it was his birthday and he invited a group of boys from our Grade 6 class to stay over,” Mr Elmer said.

“I was woken by (the man) again fondling me. He got one of my hands and put it on his penis and testicles. I just froze again. After that I never went back to my friend’s house.”

(continued)

>>14200974

2/2

Police were unable to act on Mr Elmer’s statement so he decided to track down other victims himself and identified some who were willing to speak to the police.

With their permission he passed on contact details to the police.

Mr Elmer decided to confront his childhood abuser, but after locating his mobile number on the internet he saw an opportunity to prove the man was still grooming children.

After posing as a 15 year old boy in texting conversations with the man, Mr Elmer started receiving grooming messages that solicited a meeting as well as the production and sharing of homemade pornographic material.

The messages would later be described as ‘crucial evidence’ for a hearing at the Launceston Magistrates Court.

The man’s application to gain his Working with Vulnerable People Registration was denied based on the testimonies of multiple men.

Department of Justice investigators who conducted the WWVP risk assessment of the man found that “on the balance of probability” he had sexually offended against children and that he had lied to investigators in initial interviews.

Investigators from the Department of Justice also took into account the text messages which demonstrated the man had attempted to groom an underage child as recently as 2013.

Mr Elmer said the inaction of authorities has magnified the initial trauma of his abuse and increased anxiety he had experienced at the thought of children continuing to be exposed to his childhood abuser.

“The lack of action messed me up for a while,” Mr Elmer said.

“It took over three years to get him away from the school and the sports centre.”

Tasmania Police maintain there is insufficient evidence to lay charges.

The Tasmanian Department of Education declined to provide comment in relation to this case.

The man accused of abusing Mr Elmer also declined to comment.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/one-mans-endless-crusade-to-keep-paedophile-from-other-kids/news-story/63f47419a78f928854f5c82c86940fbe

Ben Roberts-Smith defamation trial told radio device was planted on body of dead Afghan farmer

Jamie McKinnell - 26 July 2021

An Afghan villager has told a Sydney court a radio device was planted on the body of a dead farmer the day he was allegedly killed by Australian soldiers in Afghanistan.

War veteran Be Roberts-Smith is suing The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Canberra Times newspapers, along with three journalists, for defamation over a series of articles published in 2018.

One of the central allegations in the reports was that during a September 2012 mission in the village of Darwan, the Victoria Cross recipient kicked a handcuffed, unarmed farmer named Ali Jan over a cliff.

Nine Entertainment Co, the publisher of two of the papers, alleges Mr Roberts-Smith entered into an agreement with Special Air Service Regiment (SAS) colleagues that Ali Jan be executed, before the soldiers attempted to cover it up.

Mr Roberts-Smith denies all wrongdoing and has previously in court recalled encountering a suspected Taliban spotter in Darwan who was legitimately engaged and killed near a cornfield.

Mohammad Hanifa, who says he is Ali Jan's step nephew, today told the Federal Court in Sydney via video link that he and Ali Jan were interrogated and bashed by soldiers during a raid on the village.

Speaking through an interpreter, he said one soldier told him to "shut up" and pointed a pistol at his forehead after he denied being a member of the Taliban.

He said there was also an interpreter with the group and described one of them as a "big soldier" with "blue eyes".

Mr Hanifa said the big soldier punched him "many times" and recalled warning Ali Jan not to smile or laugh.

He saw Ali Jan's hands tied behind his back before the farmer was "kicked really hard" by the big soldier, after Ali Jan again smiled.

"He was rolling down, rolling down, until he reached the river," the witness said.

"The soldier was looking at him, he was standing there and looking at him."

Mr Hanifa said he then heard a shot and saw two soldiers "dragging" Ali Jan.

The witness was shown a photograph of a dead man he identified as Ali Jan, and became animated when he also saw a device in the photograph.

"These other things, the bag and the other device, they were not there," he said.

"They have put these things on his body."

Barrister Nicholas Owens SC, for Nine, asked Mr Hanifa whether he had ever seen Ali Jan carrying a radio that day.

"By God, by God, he had nothing with him," he replied.

"By God, they have put that equipment with him."

Mr Hanifa earlier said that the farmer was not connected to the terrorist group.

"He was providing for his children and he was protecting his family and his property."

Mr Roberts-Smith claims he was also defamed by other allegations in the newspaper articles, including that he bullied his colleagues and committed an act of domestic violence against a woman in a Canberra hotel room.

He also denies those allegations.

The trial has been on hold for a month due to Sydney's COVID-19 outbreak.

It resumed this week after concerns were raised that the deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan may make it difficult to hear from the Afghan witnesses.

The trial, before Justice Anthony Besanko, continues.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-07-26/ben-roberts-smith-trial-farmer-not-linked-to-taliban-court/100323464

Anonymous ID: fb6445 July 26, 2021, 1:43 a.m. No.14201006 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>1009

>>14147712

>>14147749

For writer who broke Epstein case, a rumored Mossad link is worth digging into

Reporter Julie K. Brown isn’t convinced the accused sex trafficker took his own life, and says associate Robert Maxwell may not have been the only one tied to Israeli intelligence

JP O’ MALLEY - 26 July 2021

Did the now-deceased, disgraced financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein have links to the Israeli intelligence community? An investigative reporter for The Miami Herald claims that credible details making the link “are not far-fetched and need to be explored in further detail and examined.”

“It’s not beyond the realm of possibility that Epstein had connections to the [Israeli intelligence community],” says Julie K. Brown, whose book “Perversion of Justice: The Jeffrey Epstein Story” was released on July 20.

“Robert Maxwell certainly had those kinds of connections, and Epstein had a close relationship with Robert Maxwell,” the 59-year-old American journalist told The Times of Israel via Zoom call from her home in Hollywood, Florida.

Brown keenly stresses the striking similarities between Jeffrey Epstein’s death in August 2019 and Robert Maxwell’s death in November 1991. The 68-year-old British media mogul was said to have drowned after falling from his luxurious yacht, the Lady Ghislaine, near the Canary Islands. Spanish police insisted no foul play was suspected in Maxwell’s death, but rumors about how exactly Maxwell died have never gone away. One theory points to a possible suicide. Another claims Maxwell was assassinated by the Israeli Mossad intelligence agency, for which he was secretly working.

Maxwell is buried on Jerusalem’s Mount of Olives. Many members of the Israeli intelligence community attended his funeral. So too did Yitzhak Shamir, Israel’s then-prime minister. Shamir eulogized the British tycoon for the political connections he brought to Israel during the 1980s, and for the money he invested in it.

Two years ago, while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges, 66-year-old American financier Epstein was found hanging in his cell in a Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan. Since then, numerous theories have swirled about Epstein’s true cause of death, making the leap from conspiracy fodder into the cultural mainstream.

According to Brown, “neither the FBI nor the United States Justice Department have convinced me that Jefferey Epstein committed suicide.”

“Why would Epstein give up before he even got to court?” Brown asks. She also points to a number of other murky details: Epstein breaking three bones in his neck before he died, and the fact that the two prison guards who were supposed to be keeping a watchful eye on Epstein in his Manhattan jail cell mysteriously fell asleep at the same time.

“It just defies common sense,” Brown says. “And why are [US] authorities not making the information they do know about Epstein’s death public?”

The Israel connection

One chapter in Brown’s latest book argues that the complex relationship Jeffery Epstein had with the Maxwell family may provide further answers. That history stretches back to the mid-1980s, when Epstein allegedly began helping Robert Maxwell hide money in numerous offshore bank accounts.

Maxwell, a self-made billionaire, was born Ján Ludvík Hyman Binyamin Hoch, into a poor, Yiddish-speaking Orthodox Jewish family in Czechoslovakia in 1923. Maxwell lost both his parents in the Holocaust, and later made his fortune in the book publishing and newspaper industries.

He went on to become a parliamentary representative for Britain’s Labour Party, but the final years of Maxwell’s life were plagued by financial trouble and earned him the nickname “the crook of the century.” Maxwell defaulted on $2 billion worth of loans and subsequently raided millions of pounds from his company’s retirement fund, even stealing from his own staff’s pensions and shares in Britain’s Mirror Group as he refused to face his inevitable bankruptcy.

Following Robert Maxwell’s death three decades ago, Epstein became an important figure to certain members of the Maxwell family, who were then left bankrupt and riddled with debt. Brown notes, for instance, that Epstein attended an event at New York’s Plaza Hotel on November 24, 1991, at which the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research paid tribute to Robert Maxwell.

The author also speculates that Epstein may have even offered financial assistance to Robert Maxwell’s wife Elizabeth when she became a widow. Epstein then became romantically involved with Elizabeth and Robert Maxwell’s ninth child, Ghislaine.

Known to be her father’s favorite child and his most trusted confidante, Ghislaine Maxwell may have been aware of many secrets her father took to the grave relating to his controversial political, financial, and espionage life, believes Brown.

(continued)

Anonymous ID: fb6445 July 26, 2021, 1:44 a.m. No.14201009 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>1012

>>14201006

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A budding relationship

After her father’s death, Ghislaine Maxwell moved from London to New York — partially to escape all of the negative publicity surrounding it, but also to reinvent herself in the city’s buzzing celebrity social circle. This was a crucial component of Epstein and Maxwell’s complex relationship: She connected him to powerful figures who were then beyond his reach such as the Clintons, Donald Trump and Prince Andrew. In return, Epstein bankrolled her.

Brown believes Maxwell was in love with Epstein, but Epstein manipulated her to gratify a sexual obsession he had with underage women, which the journalist describes as “a sickness.”

“Epstein was a [sociopath] who felt he had enough power and money to be above the law,” says Brown. “And he believed he was brilliant enough to manipulate anyone to get what he wanted.”

“How much money Ghislaine Maxwell had when her father died has always been a mystery,” says Brown. “But Maxwell enjoyed the high life, and never had any real career or job, so Epstein supported her financially.

Ghislaine Maxwell is currently charged in the United States with lying under oath and recruiting, grooming and trafficking girls to be sexually abused by Epstein from the 1990s through 2004. The 59-year-old outspoken British socialite has pleaded not guilty, and is presently being held in a New York prison awaiting trial, which is set to begin this coming November. If convicted, Maxwell could face up to 80 years in prison.

“So far, Maxwell is playing the same game with her defense [lawyers] as Epstein did: They are throwing every motion they can against these prosecutors to try to wear them down,” says Brown. “But it probably won’t work because the prosecutors that are handling [the case] this time around are much more dedicated and are not going to give up as easily.”

The best of the worst

Brown has a detailed understanding of how prosecutors can be corrupted in a high-profile case relating to sex trafficking accusations: Her newly-released book began as a three-part series of investigative articles she wrote for The Miami Herald in 2018. They exposed a secret plea deal arranged by Epstein’s lawyers, who undermined and manipulated the US criminal justice system so their client, Epstein, could get a softer prison sentence and ultimately escape federal prosecution.

Brown showed how back in 2007 Epstein was accused of assembling a cult-like network of underage girls — with the help of young female recruiters — to coerce into having sex acts behind the walls of his opulent waterfront mansion in Palm Beach, Florida, as often as three times a day.

Brown’s articles also noted how FBI and court records showed Epstein was suspected of trafficking minor girls, often from overseas, for sex parties at his other homes in Manhattan, New Mexico and the Caribbean.

“This dark and deep obsession that Epstein had [with underage women] was an addiction,” says Brown. “And the victims [I interviewed] told me that if they couldn’t bring him [another] girl, he would get angry at them. I imagine Epstein was doing the same thing with Ghislaine Maxwell, saying, ‘You’ve got to bring me more girls.'”

“One of the ironies of this case is that Maxwell seemed to have moved herself away from Epstein just when my series [of articles] came out,” says Brown. “But then the whole [story] resurrected itself in her life again.”

Based on a 53-page federal indictment, Epstein back in 2008 could have potentially ended up in federal prison for the rest of his life. Instead, the non-prosecution agreement Epstein’s lawyers secretly cut with federal prosecutors at the time shut down an ongoing FBI probe into whether there were more victims and other powerful people who took part in Epstein’s sex crimes.

The deal required that Epstein plead guilty to two prostitution charges in a state court and agree to serve just 13 months in a county jail in Palm Beach, Florida. This essentially made the case that Epstein was only paying for sex, when he actually stood accused of sexually abusing minors.

“To see prosecutors, who are supposed to be advocating for victims, work so closely with Epstein’s lawyers to make this case go away was pretty surprising,” says Brown.

The journalist also exposed how Epstein’s enormous wealth and prestige afforded him extra privileges as he served his prison sentence in a Florida county jail. Brown’s book reveals how Epstein was allowed to visit his office in West Palm Beach for several hours every day. Additionally, during the hours he was inside the prison, Epstein was given access to a computer. On at least one occasion, one jail deputy saw Epstein masturbating while he watched one of his female assistants strip naked for him on Skype.

(continued)

>>14201009

3/3

Toppling dominoes

It was not public knowledge that Epstein and four of his accomplices named in the secret plea agreement received immunity from all federal criminal charges until Brown’s explosive expose was published three years ago.

When the story broke, it led federal prosecutors in New York to open a fresh criminal investigation, which resulted in Epstein being subsequently arrested and charged in the summer of 2019. It also led to R. Alexander Acosta resigning as labor secretary in the Trump administration in July 2019. Crucially, Brown’s story explained how Acosta had helped cut the dodgy deal with Epstein’s legal team back in 2008, when he was a federal prosecutor in Miami.

“When [president] Donald Trump nominated Alex Acosta to be his labor secretary in early 2017, I immediately recognized Acosta’s name as being the prosecutor who was responsible for the [non-prosecution] deal,” Brown says. “And I just wondered, how do [Epstein’s] victims feel about this — because Acosta was responsible for the Labor Department, which supervises human trafficking and child labor laws.”

Brown notes that Epstein’s vast fortune (then estimated to be approximately $500 million) enabled him to hire a so-called legal dream team, which included lawyers such as Kenneth Starr and Alan Dershowitz, with the necessary skills, political connections and aggressive tactics to make sure he could get immunity.

“Dershowitz has his own political connections and knows a lot of different people in the US criminal justice system,” says Brown. “But he is going to be watching Maxwell’s [forthcoming] court case closely to see who she names, and what information she really has.”

Brown’s book also points to accusations by Virginia Giuffre that subsequently surfaced in connection to the Epstein case, which allegedly link Dershowitz’s name to Epstein’s sexual pyramid scheme.

Now in her mid-30s, Giuffre is an advocate for sex trafficking victims and claims Maxwell groomed her when she was still a teenager to be a sex slave for Maxwell, Epstein, Prince Andrew, and other prominent men — including Dershowitz.

This story also recently surfaced in a Netflix documentary called “Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich.” It has led Dershowitz to sue Netflix over what he claims are false allegations made against him in relation to these alleged crimes.

Other high-profile political figures named in Brown’s book accused of participating in Epstein’s international sex trafficking operation include allegations against Israel’s 10th prime minister, Ehud Barak.

Brown says all the accused have the right to be innocent until proven guilty, though she stresses that given the complex history of the Epstein case and the cover-ups it involved, these allegations need to be urgently investigated.

“The FBI, the [US] federal authorities, and law enforcement authorities in Europe should all be looking at the financial and social connections Epstein had with all of these people,” says Brown. “Epstein had a whole group of people helping him to [carry out these crimes].”

“[Epstein] did not do this alone,” she says. “There were plenty of people that either knew about what Epstein was doing, or even participated in what he was doing. This was an international sex trafficking organization that was similar to an organized crime family — so it shouldn’t just end just with the prosecution of [Ghislaine Maxwell].”

https://www.timesofisrael.com/for-writer-who-broke-epstein-case-a-rumored-mossad-link-is-worth-digging-into/

Anonymous ID: fb6445 July 26, 2021, 2:56 a.m. No.14201082 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>1083

Talisman Sabre Tweet

Our nations training together

Troops from #TS21 have descended on the town of Bowen in Queensland, as part of military drills to enhance their war fighting skills in an urban environment.

bit. ly/3i3ylgT

#AlliesAndPartners #TalismanSabre @USMC

https://twitter.com/TalismanSabre/status/1419429819985530882

https://news.defence.gov.au/capability/war-games-begin-bowen

>>14201082

War games begin in Bowen

Private Jacob Joseph - 24 July 2021

A soldier posts a selfie with a barista in Bowen. He’s a member of the opposing force on Exercise Talisman Sabre 21 (TS21), and he’s playing an important role in a fictitious exercise scenario.

Later that day, friendly forces receive word that the opposing force (OPFOR) soldier is winning the hearts and minds of the local population.

The scenario is designed to sound like the real deal. The use of real-time cyber effects and non-Defence training areas (NDTAs) during TS21 is helping close the gap between training and reality according to Commander Combat Training Centre, Colonel Ben McLennan.

“I can’t overstate the value of training in a complicated environment like Bowen,” Colonel McLennan said.

“It’s worth dozens of exercises in Shoalwater Bay or the Townsville Field Training Area.”

Soldiers will navigate local fishermen and neighbourhood dogs to clear an opposing force from the fictional Bowen Island, a region created to allow for as much exercise realism as possible.

The activity will see soldiers conduct a simulated amphibious landing followed by a combined assault from a coalition force of Australian, American, Japanese, UK and South Korean personnel.

To add complexity to the scenario, and in a nod to the real world, soldiers must contend with the public perception of their actions, according to Colonel McLennan.

“We want blue and red to see their effects in the community,” he said.

“If there’s a mistake made by the friendlies, the enemy can exploit that through social media to shape the local population’s confidence in the allied coalition, and even dent their morale.”

For opposing force soldier, Private Luke Armstrong, it was the first time he has seen this level of detail in a training activity.

“On Talisman Sabre 2019, we got the standard brief about the OPFOR picture,” Private Armstrong said.

“This year, they’re making social media posts on behalf of the opposing force that we’re meant to be portraying, which is more like the real world.”

Colonel McLennan and his team had complete freedom to design a bespoke, realistic training scenario that incorporates extensive use of non-Defence training areas. To add extra realism to Talisman Sabre this year exercise areas will include an abandoned coal processing facility, airfields and beaches.

Soldiers will also drill their ability to conduct non-combatant evacuation operations and establish a Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade presence.

More TS21 content is available. Follow us:

Twitter - https://twitter.com/TalismanSabre

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/talismansabre/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/talismansabre/?hl=en

Exercise Talisman Sabre 2021 - https://www1.defence.gov.au/exercises/talisman-sabre-21

https://news.defence.gov.au/capability/war-games-begin-bowen

Anonymous ID: fb6445 July 26, 2021, 11:39 p.m. No.14206587 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>6592 >>1655

George Christensen appears at anti-lockdown rally alongside QAnon supporters

Tobi Loftus - 26 July 2021

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Maverick federal government backbencher George Christensen appeared at an anti-lockdown rally in Mackay and posed just metres from QAnon supporters.

The Member for Dawson was seen standing near signs that read "remove the pedophiles [sic] from power", while other images from the rally — shared to local far-right Facebook accounts and seen by the ABC — showed people wearing shirts with the letter Q on them, as well as signs saying such things as "hey monster, leave those kids alone".

QAnon, a loosely aligned group of online followers, promulgates conspiracy theories, chief among them that there is a global satanic paedophile cult that has infiltrated the highest levels of governments around the world, the media and Hollywood.

In the US, the FBI has labelled the group as a domestic terrorism threat.

When approached by the ABC about the rally, Mr Christensen distanced himself from the group.

"The rally had nothing to do with QAnon and neither do I," Mr Christensen said.

"There were people at the rally who were hardcore Greens who hate coal-mining and me being there doesn't mean I agree with them on mining."

'On our side'

The QAnon signs were framed out of photos of the rally shared to Mr Christensen's Facebook page.

Dr Kaz Ross is an independent researcher into far-right extremism in Australia and said Mr Christensen's attendance at the rally with QAnon supporters would validate conspirators.

"It shows that they believe there are people within the government [who] are supporting them and backing them," Dr Ross said.

"It reinforces a view that they're correct."

Dr Ross said Mr Christensen was popular with particular fringe groups and had built a large supporter base among them.

"I haven't seen any direct support for QAnon from [Mr Christensen], however these people kind of dog-whistle to the QAnon supporters, supporting things like hydroxychloroquine as a treatment of COVID, they'll be against masks and lockdowns, those sort of things.

"And, for the QAnon supporters, it's all sort of a nod and a wink that, 'Yes, he's on our side'."

(continued)

>>14206587

2/2

Attendance slammed

The Mackay rally on Saturday was one of many anti-lockdown protests across Australia over the weekend, including a large one in Sydney where up to 15,000 people attended and another in Brisbane that police said attracted about 7,500 people.

"Our freedoms to speak up, to go out and about, to associate with other people, choose what we wear, choose what we put into our bodies, are under attack from government," Mr Christensen told the Mackay rally.

"Governments of all descriptions, Labor and LNP — which I've got to say to my shame as a Liberal National Party member."

Mr Christensen's attendance at the Mackay rally drew quick condemnation from Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese.

"George Christensen is a member of the government, who is putting out misinformation that is damaging and that's undermining the efforts of those Australians who are making sacrifices to keep each other safe," Mr Albanese said.

"As members of parliament, including George Christensen, we have a responsibility to actually put forward information [that] is factual, not based on quack theories, and not information which is dangerous, that encourages people to risk their own health and the health of others."

Federal government ministers have defended Mr Christensen's attendance at the rally, while distancing themselves from his message.

Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce told RN Breakfast the government had a "responsibility to people's lives" as people would die if "you do down the path of a free for all".

But, he said, everyone had the "liberty to say what they want".

Health Minister Greg Hunt said he disagreed with Mr Christensen's comments, but defended his rights to the "expression of views".

Mr Christensen's attendance at the rally is not the first time he has come under fire during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In March he labelled mask mandates as "insanity" and, in October, he wrote to Queensland's Chief Health Officer calling for the ban on hydroxychloroquine as a COVID-19 treatment to be overturned, despite agencies such as the Therapeutic Goods Administration "strongly discouraging" its use.

In April, he announced he would retire from federal politics at the next election.

Understanding QAnon supporters

Dr Ross said it was important to remember that people who support QAnon — or are "an anti-vaxxer, or [an] anti-lockdown type of person" — were coming from a position of care and concern.

"They're concerned about Australians, they're concerned about democracy, they're concerned about children, they just have a lot of misinformation.

"It's important to remember that they're not necessarily evil people [who] are trying to trash the place — quite the opposite.

"One of the things that we have to do is make sure that any misinformation is adjusted and challenged, and these people are supported to see that their views are not exactly accurate."

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-07-26/george-christensen-qanon-supporters-mackay-rally/100324330

Who’s behind Australia’s anti-lockdown protests? The German conspiracy group driving marches

German-based Worldwide Demonstration helped coordinate rallies across Australia, with their message amplified by local anti-vaxx and ‘freedom’ influencers

Christopher Knaus and Michael McGowan - 27 Jul 2021

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A German-based conspiracy group helped to drive a series of anti-lockdown protests across Australia which saw dozens of people arrested and hundreds fined after violent clashes with police.

Police arrested more than 60 people and fined 107 more after a crowd of about 3,000 gathered in Sydney on Saturday to protest against the city’s lockdown.

Coordinated by a loose network of conspiracy-laced groups, including some with links to the far right, rallies took place in cities across Australia and the globe, with violent clashes between demonstrators and police in Sydney.

Protests against Covid restrictions have become common throughout the pandemic. While billed as peaceful protests, police said they were surprised by “the level of violence that people were prepared to use”.

Prior to Saturday, word of the protests was spread through a collection of Telegram, Instagram and Facebook posts, often amplified by large anti-vaccination and conspiracy pages that have amassed followings in the tens of thousands during the pandemic.

The latest rallies have highlighted the role of a German-based group, named Worldwide Demonstration, which has helped to coordinate protests across the globe, including in various Australian cities.

The group has 45,000 Facebook followers and 70,000 Telegram subscribers on its main accounts alone, and even more on dedicated accounts set up for individual countries.

The group appears to be run out of Germany by individuals calling themselves “Freie Bürger Kassel”, or the Free Citizens of Kassel. Its main Facebook page is administered by two Germans and a third individual in the United Kingdom.

Posts about Saturday’s rallies in Australian cities began on its main Telegram account last month, on 26 June, when it announced the time and location for the Melbourne march. That post was seen by more than 20,000 people.

There were similar posts for marches in Townsville, Cairns, Gympie, Perth, Brisbane and Darwin on 10 July, and then Hobart, Sydney and Adelaide on 21 July, three days before the rally.

The group’s various Facebook and Telegram pages are awash with anti-vaccine and Covid-19 conspiracy theories, as well as other conspiratorial content such as QAnon and Islamophobia.

An investigation by Logically earlier this year revealed that Worldwide Demonstration was behind a wave of 129 coordinated events and protests in March. It also planned similar rallies in May.

The graphics it created for the July marches were shared and adapted into more localised Telegram channels under the banner of “Australia Freedom Rally”.

Messaging about the rallies was amplified by existing local groups and influencers.

In Australia, a Melbourne-based group has helped promote protests throughout the pandemic. The Guardian has previously revealed Harrison McLean, a 24-year-old IT programmer from Wantirna South, had become a key organiser of the protests in that city.

Like many of the organisers, those groups have a significant rightwing bent. In March the Guardian revealed McLean had outlined his plans to introduce his “freedom” group to more radical political views, while expressing deeply antisemitic opinions.

McLean has previously denied being involved in the far-right.

“I am not Far-Right. I am a Libertarian Populist, and I support Freedom of Speech,” McLean posted under an online username, Dominic, in one forum.

(continued)

2/2

On Telegram, Saturday’s anti-lockdown rallies were also being promoted by Australians vs The Agenda channel, which has more than 12,000 members and was involved in the organisation of protests in Melbourne last year.

For more than a week, the Australians vs The Agenda Telegram channel was sharing graphics promoting the “Australia Freedom Rally” and asking for help distributing thousands of paper flyers for the “Worldwide Rally for Freedom”. Those flyers gave a hyperlink to the “Australian Freedom Rally” Telegram channel associated with the Free Citizens of Kassel.

Both groups promoted the protests through its Telegram and Instagram account, which together have more than 30,000 followers. RDA said it was being censored by Facebook in the week leading up to Saturday.

On Friday, Reignite posted locations and dates for the rallies to its 14,000 Telegram subscribers. The post received 19,400 views.

Details of the rally were also being shared by anti-vaccination groups, which do not necessarily have links to the far right.

The Australian Vaccination-risks Network Inc (AVN) was promoting the rally to its 39,533 followers on Facebook, while the Informed Medical Options party shared details of the event with its more than 30,000 followers.

Ariel Bogle, an analyst with the Australian Strategic Policy Institute’s International Cyber Policy Centre, is investigating social media activity in the lead-up to Saturday’s protests. Her preliminary work suggests accounts affiliated with Worldwide Demonstration continue to spread information about the rallies internationally across a range of platforms.

Bogle said questions remained about the links Worldwide Demonstration has in Australia and the manner in which its content and message was adapted and shared by local groups to suit the Australian context.

“I’d say broadly we need to look more into it, but it has spread through the Australian context via a lot of the groups that were involved in previous demonstrations,” she said. “But it has moved into a broader community via a range of mechanisms, but in particular through niche influencers who speak to a specific community.”

While some of the organisers behind the protests have links to far-right elements, the protests were by no means a gathering of the far-right actors. Josh Roose, a senior research fellow specialising in extremism at Deakin University, said while there were elements of far-right rhetoric among the protestors, what they actually shared was a level of marginalisation and distrust in authority.

“There are some similarities and commonalities to the far right in terms of content but these protests are not driven by far right per se,” he said.

“What immediately distinguishes these sorts of protest groups from the far right is that they’re highly multicultural and they’re made up not just of angry men at a patriot rally but also women.

“In both Melbourne and Sydney the people and areas being represented are the areas that have been hit particularly hard by the pandemic. There’s also issues here with the cultures and communities often have a deep-seated distrust of government, often for good reason.”

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/jul/27/who-behind-australia-anti-covid-lockdown-protest-march-rallies-sydney-melbourne-far-right-and-german-conspiracy-groups-driving-protests

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70pvkYIPJ90

Anonymous ID: fb6445 July 27, 2021, 12:07 a.m. No.14206683 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>3619

Landmark Vatican fraud trial of 10 including a cardinal set to start

Philip Pullella - July 26, 2021

VATICAN CITY, July 26 (Reuters) - A landmark fraud trial of 10 people including a cardinal begins in the Vatican on Tuesday in what officials hope will be a turning point in its financial credibility and show that no-one is above the law.

The headliner at the trial is Cardinal Angelo Becciu, 73, formerly a senior official in the Vatican administration, who becomes the most senior Vatican official to be tried for financial crimes.

Pope Francis, who lifted Becciu's immunity so he could be indicted, fired him from his last Vatican post in 2020 for alleged nepotism. Becciu has always maintained his innocence.

Another formerly prominent defendant at the trial, which mostly revolves around the purchase of a building in one of London's smartest districts, is Swiss lawyer Rene Bruelhart, once head of Vatican's Financial Intelligence Unit. He denies all wrongdoing.

The key outsiders are two Italian investment brokers, Gianluigi Torzi and Raffaele Mincione, both of whom have denied wrongdoing.

Hearings on Tuesday and Wednesday are expected to deal with preliminary matters and then the trial is expected to be adjourned until October, when two hearings a week will be held.

It is taking place in a makeshift courtroom in the Vatican Museums because Covid restrictions and the number of defendants, lawyers and journalists make the Vatican's normal courtroom too small.

"I think this trial marks a turning point that can bring about greater credibility of the Holy See in financial areas," said Father Juan Antonio Father Juan Antonio Guerrero, head of the Vatican's Secretariat for the Economy (SPE).

"The fact that this trial is taking place at all means that internal controls worked. The accusations came from inside the Vatican," he told the official Vatican News website.

"DECEPTION, EXTORTION"

In 2014, the Secretariat of State invested more than 200 million euros, much of it from contributions from the faithful, in a fund run by Mincione, securing about 45% of a commercial and residential building at 60 Sloane Avenue in London's South Kensington district.

The indictment handed down on July 3 said Mincione had tried to deceive the Vatican, which in 2018 tried to end the relationship. read more

It turned to Torzi for help in buying up the rest of the building, but later accused him of extortion.

At the time, Becciu was in the last year of his post as deputy secretary of state for general affairs, a powerful administrative position that handles hundreds of millions of euros.

All told, the Secretariat of State sank more than 350 million euros into the investment, according to Vatican media, and suffered what Cardinal George Pell, the former Vatican treasurer, told Reuters last year were "enormous losses".

Becciu is charged with five counts of embezzlement, two of abuse of office, and one count of inducing a witness to perjury. He is also charged with allegedly funnelling of money and contracts to companies or charitable organisations controlled by his brothers on their native island of Sardinia.

Another Sardinian, Cecilia Marogna, 40, a woman who worked for Becciu, was charged with embezzlement. She has denied wrongdoing.

One possible early hiccup is the fact that Torzi, who lives in London, is the subject of an extradition request by Italian magistrates who want to try him for other alleged financial crimes, including fraudulent billing and tax fraud, not related to the London property. read more

His lawyer, Ambra Giovene, told Reuters he cannot leave London before the Italian extradition hearing and so for the time being he has what she intends to tell the Vatican court a legitimate impediment from the trial.

Last year, the pope stripped the Secretariat of State of control over its funds and transferred them to another Vatican department, with additional oversight by the SPE.

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/landmark-vatican-fraud-trial-10-including-cardinal-set-start-2021-07-26/

Afghan farmer tells Ben Roberts-Smith defamation trial Australian soldiers who raided villages are 'infidels'

Jamie McKinnell - 27 July 2021

An Afghan villager has told the defamation trial of war veteran Ben Roberts-Smith he regarded Australian soldiers as "infidels" and those who were killed by them as "martyrs".

Mohammed Hanifa is giving evidence to the Federal Court hearing in Sydney over a video link from Afghanistan.

The 38-year-old was called on behalf of Nine Entertainment Co, the publisher of two of the three newspapers being sued by Mr Roberts-Smith over a series of 2018 articles.

Mr Roberts-Smith claims he was defamed by a number of imputations in the stories, including war crimes, after the papers reported serious allegations about the death of farmer Ali Jan in the village of Darwan in September 2012.

Nine alleges Ali Jan was kicked over a cliff by the Victoria Cross recipient during a raid, then Mr Roberts-Smith entered into an agreement that he be executed before the soldiers covered it up.

Mr Hanifa has this week recalled seeing a "big soldier" with "blue eyes" kick his relative down into a dry creek bed following an interrogation, then hearing a gunshot.

Under cross examination by Mr Roberts-Smith's barrister Bruce McClintock SC, the farmer today agreed that he referred to the soldiers who conducted raids on the village as infidels.

"Yes brother, it is like that," he said through an interpreter.

"That's how people say."

Mr McClintock asked whether Mr Hanifa "hated" the soldiers.

"If they are coming to our houses, go inside to our women, of course that's what you call them — infidels," the witness replied.

"You hate them, don't you?" Mr McClintock repeated.

"No, I don't like them," Mr Hanifa replied.

"You call people who are killed by infidel soldiers 'martyrs', don't you?" Mr McClintock asked.

"Yes, that's it," the witness said.

Mr Hanif was later quizzed about how he was supporting himself during his involvement in the trial.

He told the court a person who had been looking after him on behalf of the parties in the case had paid for his rent, food and travel expenses since he left Darwan for Kandahar and then Kabul.

He said the money was also supporting his wife and four daughters, but denied being given an allowance or any other money for taking photographs relevant to the proceedings.

The Federal Court has also released photographic exhibits showing the village of Darwan where the raid took place.

Mr Roberts-Smith has previously told the court he and his colleagues encountered a suspected Taliban "spotter", or lookout, in the village who was legitimately engaged and shot dead.

On several occasions, Mr McClintock accused Mr Hanifa of lying to the court, including in his observations about the uniform of the "big soldier", which he claimed was wet and had sand on it.

The court has previously heard Mr Roberts-Smith had swum a river to catch a suspected Taliban member before the Darwan raid.

"The evidence you've given about seeing the big soldier wet is completely untrue, isn't it?" Mr McClintock asked.

"Whether you call it a lie that's up to you, but I have seen this person with my own eyes," Mr Hanifa replied.

Mr Hanifa also denied one of his own brothers was a member of the Taliban, killed during fighting.

He said the brother was killed by a cousin.

"You agree, don't you, with the aim of the Taliban to rid Afghanistan of the infidel?" Mr McClintock asked.

"We are not concerned with the Taliban, we are not concerned or connected to the government, we are the public," Mr Hanifa told the court.

Mr Roberts-Smith has denied all allegations published by The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and The Canberra Times, while the newspapers are relying on a defence of truth.

The trial, before Justice Anthony Besanko, continues.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-07-27/afghan-villager-stands-by-roberts-smith-testimony/100326760

‘Wrong morally’: Official photo of Ben Roberts-Smith was altered to hide Crusader’s cross

Anthony Galloway - July 27, 2021

Former special forces soldier Ben Roberts-Smith displayed a contentious Crusader’s cross on his uniform while on duty in Afghanistan, with the symbol later digitally removed by the Department of Defence in a widely distributed photo of the decorated war veteran.

The photo released by Defence at some time near January 2011 shows Mr Roberts-Smith wearing a blank patch on the front of his uniform after exiting a helicopter.

But The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age has obtained the original photo, which was taken on April 6, 2010, revealing Mr Roberts-Smith was in fact bearing the Crusader’s Cross.

Australia Defence Association executive director Neil James said displaying the symbol was “wrong morally” and “counterproductive”.

The symbol dates back to the 11th and 12th centuries when the Crusaders captured parts of the Middle East from Muslim control. Many Muslims find the cross to be offensive, particularly when displayed by western soldiers in their country.

A spokesperson for Defence said it “does not condone or permit the use, display or adoption of symbols, emblems and iconography that are at odds with Defence values”.

Mr James said wearing a Crusader’s cross was “simply unprofessional” and part of the poor cultural standards that were unearthed by the long-running Brereton inquiry.

“We know from the Brereton report that a lot of the things that were allegedly done were due to unprofessional actions,” he said.

“You’re fighting people motivated by Islamist extremism, and you’re in effect kicking an own goal by providing them with propaganda. That’s exceptionally dumb to do in a counter-insurgency war.”

Displaying symbols such as the Crusader’s cross or Spartan-style insignia was widespread within the ADF at the time the photo was taken. In 2018, then-Chief of Army General Angus Campbell issued a directive to commanders that they should stamp out all instances of “death symbology and iconography”.

Under Defence policy, the department can make minor alterations to images for reasons related to operational security or privacy concerns. According to Defence, it has been unable to identify at what stage in the approval process the image was modified and whether this occurred in Afghanistan or Australia.

Australian Federation of Islamic Councils executive member Mohammed Berjauoi said Western forces should not invoke the Crusades when conducting military activity in the Middle East.

“Whoever uses that symbol provokes Muslims and increases anger against the West. It is the wrong thing to do,” he said.

“It undermines the Australian policy, which calls for peace in the world. We know it’s not the policy of the Australian government – but one mistake like this upsets a lot of people and makes them really think about the role of the Australian government in the Middle East.”

The altered image of the former SAS corporal was among several that were publicly released to coincide with the presentation of the Victoria Cross to Mr Roberts-Smith in 2011 and was published on the Defence image gallery. It has been published by multiple media outlets over the past decade, including News Corp papers and The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, as well as the Australian War Memorial.

A spokesperson for the AWM said the image with the blank patch was “supplied by the Department of Defence to the Australian War Memorial and is the only version held by the Australian War Memorial”.

“The photo was available to view on the Memorial webpage soon after the accession date in February 2011 and remained online until it was removed on 01/04/2021 when its status was changed as part of an internal collection management process,” the AWM spokesperson said.

The Australian Federal Police is currently investigating Mr Roberts-Smith over allegations he committed war crimes and intimidated war crimes witnesses. Mr Roberts-Smith has denied all wrongdoing and launched a defamation action against The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald over reports that he allegedly committed murder on deployments to Afghanistan.

The Brereton inquiry, which last year found credible evidence of 39 unlawful killings of Afghan civilians or prisoners by Australian soldiers who were not named, raised the alarm about a “warrior culture” within Australia’s special forces and “the clique of non-commissioned officers who propagated it”.

“Special Forces operators should pride themselves on being model professional soldiers, not on being ‘warrior heroes’,” Justice Paul Brereton said.

https://www.theage.com.au/politics/federal/wrong-morally-official-photo-of-ben-roberts-smith-was-altered-to-hide-crusader-s-cross-20210726-p58cvu.html

Hotel quarantine raid for child abuse material; Border Force seize childlike sex dolls

A string of people have been arrested after childlike sex dolls, videos and photos of child abuse have been uncovered by Border Force investigators.

Natalie O'Brien - July 27, 2021

A Sydney man in mandatory hotel quarantine has been raided by a team of investigators and police and charged with possessing child abuse material that he allegedly smuggled in from the US.

He is one of more than a dozen alleged perverts busted attempting to bring horrific child abuse photos and videos into Australia during the pandemic.

Fifteen travellers attempting to get into Australia have been deported and had their temporary visas cancelled by Australian Border Force officers who have detected more than 240 of incidents of abuse material.

Statistics show the ABF has referred 13 cases of child abuse material, including cases of importations of childlike sex dolls, to the Commonwealth Department of Public Prosecution.

An ABF spokesman said “a reduction of travellers during Covid-19 does not equal a reduction of enforcement at our borders”.

It can be revealed that the Sydney man in hotel quarantine was returning from the United States when he was stopped at Sydney International airport and searched.

The man’s laptop was confiscated before he was escorted to a hotel in Sydney to begin his mandatory Covid-19 quarantine period. While he was in quarantine, a forensic examination of the laptop found more material.

ABF Investigators with NSW Police Force officers then executed a search warrant at the Sydney hotel where the man was staying, arrested the man and seized another electronic device. He has been charged and is in custody.

A select group of ABF officers were last year sworn in and given extra police powers — allowing them to execute search warrants as part of a new pilot program to enhance interoperability and to support joint activities with other agencies.

Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews said she was focused on bringing perpetrators to justice.

“Child abusers take advantage of silence. Talking about the important work this Government is doing to end child abuse helps to pull abusers out of the shadows and into jail cells,” she said.

Ms Andrews said the ABF were making it as hard as possible for people to create child abuse material, possess it, or travel across an international border with it.

“As the results show, this work has not stopped during the pandemic,” she said.

A Japanese tourist caught by ABF officers in possession of more than 1000 videos containing child abuse material was sentenced to 16 months jail by a Perth Judge.

There were also a string of men around the country charged with importing childlike sex dolls.

A Victorian man was arrested in April and charged for importing a childlike sex doll. The 22-year-old Chinese national was arrested after the ABF executed a search warrant on a home in Toorak, Melbourne.

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

And a Brisbane man has become the first person in Queensland to be convicted and sentenced for possessing child sex dolls, after new federal laws were introduced to combat offences.

Terry Dunnett, 45, was jailed in April for to two counts of possessing a child sex doll, one count of attempting to possess a child sex doll, and possessing child exploitation material.

Dunnett was sentenced to two years in jail, but was released on probation. He also placed him on a good behaviour bond for two years and ordered that he pay a $2,000 recognisance surety if he reoffends.

Another 58 year-old Sydney man has been charged for allegedly importing a childlike sex doll and possessing child exploitation material.

ABF officers examined an air cargo consignment in December, which arrived from China. The package was declared as containing a fashion model, but officers who opened the parcel found a childlike sex doll.

The man was charged and was refused bail.

https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/national/hotel-quarantine-raid-for-child-abuse-material-border-force-seize-childlike-sex-dolls/news-story/0c91cde95b60cfb79a7175bc1f40b42a

Firepower capability demonstration - Talisman Sabre 2021

Department of Defence Australia

Jul 27, 2021

3rd Brigade's Battle Group Eagle conducted a demonstration of the capabilities it can provide to the joint force during Exercise Talisman Sabre 2021 (TS21).

Held every two years, TS21 is the largest bilateral training activity between Australia and the United States, aimed to test Australian interoperability with the United States and other participating forces in complex warfighting scenarios. In addition to the United States, TS21 involves participating forces from Canada, Japan, the Republic of Korea, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.

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

Marine Rotational Force – Darwin Tweet

Today marks 68 years since the cessation of hostilities in the Korean War. On this day, we pause to remember those Marines who served in legendary battles from the breakout at Chosin Reservoir to the amphibious landings at Inchon.

https://twitter.com/MrfDarwin/status/1419787112115671041

Pacific Marines Tweet

@USMC with 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, @MrfDarwin, execute airfield assault training as part of Exercise @TalismanSabre 21 (TS21) in Bowen, Queensland, Australia. #PacificMarines #TalismanSabre #ReadyToFight

https://twitter.com/PacificMarines/status/1419797188545187859

Talisman Sabre Tweet

Check it out - @usairforce defenders are flying in!

The Deployed Aircraft Ground Response Element team complete training after exiting from an MC-130J during #TS21 at #AusAirForce Base Tindal.

@USARPAC @INDOPACOM @AusAirForce @USSOCOM #AlliesAndPartners #SpecialForces

https://twitter.com/TalismanSabre/status/1419834381284388884

Julian Assange's Ecuadorian citizenship revoked

ABC/AP - 28 July 2021

Ecuador has revoked the citizenship of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, who remains in a British prison.

Assange received Ecuadorian citizenship in January 2018 as part of a failed attempt by the government of then-President Lenín Moreno to turn him into a diplomat and get him out of its embassy in London.

On Monday, the Pichincha Court for Contentious Administrative Matters revoked this decision.

Ecuador's Foreign Ministry said the court had "acted independently and followed due process in a case that took place during the previous government and that was raised by the same previous government."

Carlos Poveda, Mr Assange's lawyer, said the court made the decision without due process, and Mr Assange was not allowed to appear in the case.

"On the date [Mr Assange] was cited he was deprived of his liberty and with a health crisis inside the deprivation of liberty centre where he was being held," he said.

Mr Poveda said he would file appeals asking for amplification and clarification of the decision.

"More than the importance of nationality, it is a matter of respecting rights and following due process in withdrawing nationality."

Ecuador's justice system formally notified Australia of the decision in a letter responding to a claim filed by the South American country's Foreign Ministry.

Naturalisation is considered damaging when granted based on the concealment of relevant facts, false documents or fraud.

Ecuadorian authorities say Assange's naturalization letter had multiple inconsistencies, different signatures, the possible alteration of documents and unpaid fees, among other issues.

Where Assange is now

Mr Assange has been in London's high-security Belmarsh Prison since April 2019.

He was arrested for skipping bail seven years earlier during a separate legal battle.

Mr Assange spent seven years inside Ecuador's London embassy, where he fled to in 2012 to avoid extradition to Sweden to face allegations of rape and sexual assault.

Sweden dropped the sex crimes investigations in November 2019 because so much time had elapsed.

US prosecutors have indicted Mr Assange on 17 espionage charges and one charge of computer misuse over WikiLeaks' publication of thousands of leaked military and diplomatic documents.

The charges carry a maximum sentence of 175 years in prison.

US prosecutors claim Mr Assange unlawfully helped US Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning steal classified diplomatic cables and military files that WikiLeaks later published.

Lawyers for Mr Assange argue that he acted as a journalist and is entitled to First Amendment freedom of speech protections for publishing documents exposing US military wrongdoing in Iraq and Afghanistan.

In January, a lower court judge refused an American request to send Mr Assange to the US.

But earlier this month, Britain's High Court granted the US government permission to appeal a decision that Mr Assange could not be sent there to face espionage charges.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-07-28/julian-assange-s-ecuadorian-citizenship-revoked/100328868

PM: Lockdowns a 'thing of the past' by Christmas as vaccine rollout ramps up

Sky News Australia

Jul 28, 2021

Lockdowns could be a thing of the past by Christmas should the country reach its “highest vaccination rates possible”.

Although only 13.9 per cent of Australians are fully vaccinated, the nation is administering over one million doses every week as the vaccine rollout ramps up.

With more Pfizer doses expected in the coming weeks, Prime Minister Scott Morrison expects life will be “different” come summer break.

“With what we are seeing, bar any unforeseen events, then I believe by the end of the year we will be in that position, where everyone who has had the opportunity for a vaccine will have had it, and to ensure that Australians have joined that task in achieving the highest vaccination rates possible,” he said.

“I would expect by Christmas we will be seeing a very different Australia to what we are seeing now.

“What we are seeing overseas is when countries do reach those much higher vaccination rates, then that does give their governments a lot more options in the suppression limitations they have to use to deal with the virus; lockdowns become a thing of the past when you are at that level.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9EUXu1KklI

AFP offers help on virus protest websites

Paul Osborne - 28 July 2021

Australian Federal Police investigators could help their state counterparts deal with any online organisers of last weekend's violent anti-lockdown protests.

AFP chief Reece Kershaw told the National Press Club on Wednesday the investigation into the rallies was the responsibility of state police agencies.

But he said the AFP would provide support if requested.

"As far as the federal aspect goes, there are some other probably fake sites going on and other things and we actually do that in a joined way with the state jurisdiction, wherever that is hosted," he said.

"So rest assured we are called when there is a Commonwealth nexus or federal aspect to a state crime. So, that is our jurisdiction, otherwise we don't have jurisdiction."

Media outlets have reported the German-based Worldwide Demonstration group helped coordinate the rallies, which have so far resulted in more than 60 local arrests.

The group has been behind a number of similar protest events around the world.

Asked whether conspiracy sites were being monitored, Mr Kershaw said: "Some of that would be between myself and the intelligence agencies and we rely on them to alert us when there is an attack plan being coordinated online and they refer that to us."

"We have good mechanisms to monitor those groups."

He noted NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller, who has established a strike force to investigate the Sydney rally, said there was no single leader behind the protest.

"It wasn't really organised by a central group, so that makes it difficult."

The Australian Security Intelligence Organisation stonewalled questions about whether it was looking into protest organisers.

"Consistent with long standing practice, ASIO does not comment on groups or individuals," a spokesperson told AAP.

https://thewest.com.au/politics/afp-offers-help-on-virus-protest-websites-c-3529332

Anonymous ID: fb6445 July 28, 2021, 12:22 a.m. No.14213414 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>3420

Coronavirus Australia: Protests show we may be in for a rude shock

JACK THE INSIDER (Peter Hoysted) - JULY 28, 2021

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If you listened carefully in the wake of the anti-lockdown protests across Australia over the weekend, you could hear hundreds of social media accounts being wiped clean or deleted altogether.

One of the organisers of the Melbourne rally, Anthony Khallouf last night sent out an APB on his Instagram account, Australians v the Agendax, urging his followers to delete correspondence with Youssra, another anti-lockdown activist who had been arrested and had her mobile phone confiscated by police.

The urgent message read, “Unsend all your private messages to (Youssra) via Telegram, Instagram and What’s App and remove her from any freedom related groups.”

Khallouf is believed to be in Queensland in breach of his own bail conditions. He was charged with incitement among other offences, including contravene bail conditions some time ago.

I watched the Sydney protests as they unfolded through a series of Facebook Live videos. One of the things that distinguished the protest on the weekend with others is that these protesters happily filmed themselves and others committing offences. Watching them on live feeds was, as the sports broadcasters like to tell us, almost better than being there.

The most alarming message of all turned up on Instagram from an anonymous poster. “I’m in the crowd but nobody knows I’ve tested positive.” It is probably empty mischief but who knows? I guess we all will in a week or two.

Let’s start with a few basic principles. Australians have a constitutional right to political expression.

We don’t have to agree with protesters, but we should agree to their right to assemble peacefully even during a pandemic. The problem is this was not a peaceful assembly. More than fifty arrests were made, more than 500 personal infringement notices were handed out or are in the mail with more to come. Projectiles were hurled at police (in New South Wales this constitutes a form of assault police and comes with a maximum five year jail term. In Melbourne there is a mandatory minimum jail sentence of six months without parole for assaults on police and emergency services workers).

For those in the whataboutery business, the BLM protest in Sydney in June 2020 was deemed a lawful assembly by the NSW Court of Appeal and thus no PINs were issued. Only three arrests were made with a final confrontation between police and protesters coming together at Central Station where approximately 40 protesters were washed down with pepper spray.

For what it’s worth, I thought both protests were incredibly irresponsible but overall, I take the Voltairean view with some caveats.

The anti-lockdown protests on Saturday were planned and signposted by the usual suspects; extreme fringe groups — anti-lockdowners, anti-vaxxers, sovereign citizens.

I’d watched them promote the rallies throughout last week. I thought they might struggle to get more than a couple of thousand along. This had been the case for anti-lockdown rallies in Sydney last year. Obviously, this crowd was a lot bigger, around 15,000 by my estimate. Organisers claimed 50,000. One excitable voice on Telegram suggested one million marchers.

There were few placards at Saturday’s rally and that says the decision to march was made impulsively for the majority of protesters. Not enough time to get to the craft shop for all the bits and bobs to make an amusing placard.

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>>14213414

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So, who were the protesters? Beyond the usual suspects, it was an eclectic group – construction workers, Pentecostal Christians, and a strong Muslim element. There was a smattering of QAnon hobby cultists. There were members from the broad spectrum of the ‘wellness’ community, not simply diet faddists but mixed martial arts enthusiasts, powerlifters, gym junkies. All the colours of the wellness rainbow. There were at least two school teachers, and both are in a spot of bother with their employers. There were protesters from the libertarian right, some of whom proudly boasted receiving PIN notices, a bit like parking the Porsche in a handicap zone. A fine? Who cares?

The sovereign citizen movement unhelpfully suggested to those who received PINs to respond by sending the envelopes back to police with the following bush lawyer nonsense scrawled on the envelope: “No contract. Return to sender. I do not recognise you. I do not understand your intent. I do not have an international treaty with you. No assured value. No liability.”

No one goes to jail for non-payment of fines in New South Wales. Fines are merely sent on to the State Debt Recovery Office and where fines go unpaid, suspension of driver’s licences follow until the fines and costs are paid. I can only imagine there will be a lot more unlicensed drivers on the road in Sydney in six months than there are now.

The surprisingly large number of protesters offers a lesson for NSW Police. VicPol has had a longer experience with what we might broadly call anti-lockdown activists. It has become apparent to me that VicPol has had a significant number of officers working social media, developing intel. It’s not hard. Activists use Instagram and Telegram where they boast and brag of their plans. NSW Police will be better prepared for the next rally when that happens.

There were plenty of troublemakers, but the number swelled due to the fear and anxiety that has arisen from the lockdown and the failure to provide people with any or any appropriate level of income support to see them through. In that respect it was a genuine protest, with many concerned for their futures, and the fundamental business of keeping roofs over heads and food on tables.

The real issue is that these protesters in many instances became subject to the influence of extreme fringe groups for the first time. Many will have fallen into their orbit now.

I keep trying to tell people how serious these fringe groups are and what threats they pose. We all know the best way forward in Sydney and more broadly across the nation is high levels of vaccination.

How much influence anti-vaxxers have in Australia necessarily affects the level of vaccination we get in the medium term. Will we become like the UK with high levels of vaccination, enough to open up our international borders and feel secure that most of the population is as well protected as possible against Covid-19 and its variants or will we go down the US route where impressive early vaccination figures have hit a brick wall and now stand at a desultory 70 per cent, an expression of the political divisions in the US if ever there was one?

We’re about to find out whether we are a smart country or not. We’ll know by the end of the year, but the events of the weekend suggest we might be in for a rude shock.

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/coronavirus-australia-protests-show-we-may-be-in-for-a-rude-shock/news-story/f8c22c122f95c3bd6dcbb0867e16a680

I wouldn’t sign a China trade deal now: Tony Abbott

Latika Bourke - July 28, 2021

London: Former Prime Minister Tony Abbott has told a British audience that there is no way he would sign a trade deal with China today.

Speaking alongside his new boss, the UK Secretary for Trade Liz Truss, the former prime minister said Australia had indulged in “wishful thinking” to believe that the Chinese would become “more like us” as a result of more global economic integration.

As prime minister, Abbott struck the China-Australia free trade deal in 2014 and lauded it as one of his government’s biggest achievements in office.

The agreement was announced with much fanfare when Xi Jinping visited Canberra in 2014 to address a joint sitting of Parliament and was hailed as far more ambitious than insiders had expected.

Abbott said Xi’s promise to Parliament of democracy in China by mid-century had been proven hollow.

“I certainly think it’s been a hell of a wake-up call,” Abbott told the Westminster think tank Policy Exchange. “I don’t think we’ve changed, I think the Chinese government and its actions have changed.”

“I can’t imagine that China and Australia would contemplate concluding a trade deal today, notwithstanding the deal that my government did in 2014, which did produce a big increase in their exports to us but an even bigger increase in our exports to them.

“Because it is hard to trust a country that uses spurious pretexts to block our exports to punish policy positions it doesn’t like.”

He said that when the agreement was struck, the government held a “very benign view of China.”

“In retrospect, it looks like wishful thinking but at the time we were confident that there would be slowly, not just economic, but political liberalisation in China … and that China, in a sense, would become more like us.”

“Perhaps we’ve become more like them in fact, in some ways,” he remarked, before laughing.

Abbott’s comments are likely to be closely watched in Britain where he sits on the Board of Trade, having been appointed to the role last year by Truss - a prominent Brexiteer.

Britain has been keen to strike new deals now it has left the European Union but has only struck one with Australia.

However, an agreement with the United States is unlikely in the short term and there is mounting resistance within the government against any moves to deepen trade links with China following the pandemic.

Truss, a known hawk on China policy, struck a careful tone when asked if greater Chinese economic investment was akin to a Trojan Horse.

“What I think is important is that we work with our like-minded allies to challenge the unfair practices,” Truss said.

“I believe there are currently practices going on, particularly in global trade that need to be challenged, I think it’s right that we deal with it on a practical level,” she added, when pressed.

Wine hit laid bare in new report

China’s tariffs against Australia, imposed during the fallout over the WHO inquiry into the pandemic, amount to billions of dollars in lost trade.

Australia is taking China to the World Trade Organisation, denying Beijing’s accusations of dumping - where goods are deliberately sold at lower value to flood foreign markets.

Under the agreement Abbott struck with Xi, tariffs on Australian wine fell to zero in 2019, spurring an increase in Australia’s share of Chinese wine imports from 28 per cent to 37 per cent in a single year.

Between 2015 and 2020, Australian wine exports to China doubled. But that all came to a halt when in March, China announced tariffs of between 116 to 219 per cent on Australian wine for five years.

A new report from ABARES, Australian wine in China: Impact of China’s anti-dumping duties said Australian exports of bottled wine to China are expected to cease as a result of the average 167 per cent anti-dumping duty.

It said that the impacts would be felt most in the short-term because of the time it takes to develop new markets for the wine that was intended for China.

But even by 2025, the report predicted that only 60 per cent of wine exports destined for China would be sold in new markets.

It said the gross value of wine production would be $480 million in 2025 with grape growers suffering a $67 million hit for growers in the Riverina, Victoria’s north-west and South Australia’s southeast.

https://www.smh.com.au/world/europe/i-wouldn-t-sign-a-china-trade-deal-now-tony-abbott-20210728-p58dif.html

>>14213610

NZ trade growth with China should give Australia pause for thought

Yu Lei - Jul 27, 2021

New Zealand exports recorded a new high in June as China continues to account for the largest share of New Zealand exports, according to Stats NZ, New Zealand's official data agency.

In June 2021, China received 32 percent of New Zealand's total exports, including 44 percent of New Zealand's dairy, 90 percent of logs, and 41 percent of meat, pushing the value of all New Zealand goods exports in the month rose 17 percent year-on-year, Stats NZ said.

While New Zealand economy is a clear case study for benefits of trade with China, its close neighbor's trade tensions with China continue to escalate.

Australian trade with China for almost all industries has plummeted 40 percent amid tensions, Australia's ABC news reported in March. Thermal coal exports to China were down 70 percent in the six months to January 2021, while metallurgical coal had dropped 60 percent. Coal exports dropped 83 percent when comparing the figures from the December quarter of 2019 to the December quarter of 2020, according to ABC news.

Both members of the "Five Eyes," Australia's trade ties with China show a different trend with New Zealand's; here are the major reasons:

Firstly, Australia and New Zealand have different understanding in their position in international community. Being a smaller country than Australia, New Zealand isn't seeking to become a hegemonic state in the South-Pacific region or the second hegemonic state under the US hegemony system in the Asian-Pacific region.

Second, Australia and New Zealand have different strategic priorities and national interests. New Zealand attaches greater importance to economic interests rather than regional hegemony. After all, economic interests are related to the national economy, people's livelihood, and political stability.

Third, Australia and New Zealand hold different attitudes toward their competition with the US in international trade. Exports from New Zealand, the US, Australia, and Canada maintain high degree of homogeneity, especially when it comes to agricultural and livestock products. The US has relatively large agricultural subsidies, but both Australia and Canada appears to remain silent. New Zealand attaches greater importance to the existing markets, and is unwilling to sacrifice its own interests due to the hegemony of the US, and it cannot afford to sacrifice either.

It's no secret that Australia's allies have gladly absorbed market share in China that Australia lost due to mismanagement of the bilateral relationship with its most important trade partner. Australia and New Zealand have fierce competition within the Chinese market in many areas. New Zealand's exports of agricultural products, livestock products, and seafood to China have all increased significantly.

Australia, on the other hand, still relies on rising international iron ore prices, and has continued to allow China-Australia relations to deteriorate. Australia even tries to persuade New Zealand to work with Australia to contain China and jointly safeguard the hegemony of the US in the Asia-Pacific region. Perhaps it is time for Australia to reflect on its China policy: should it continue to sacrifice its own interests to safeguard the US hegemonic strategy?

The author is a chief research fellow at the Research Center for Pacific Island Countries, Liaocheng University, and a research fellow at the Australian Studies Center at Beijing Foreign Studies University. bizopinion@globaltimes.com.cn

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202107/1229776.shtml

>>14050764

>>14206683

Accused cardinal in court as Vatican fraud trial opens and is adjourned

Philip Pullella - July 28, 2021

VATICAN CITY, July 27 (Reuters) - Cardinal Angelo Becciu said on Tuesday he wanted to comply with the wishes of Pope Francis as he attended the opening of a trial in which he stands accused along with nine others of financial crimes.

The once powerful cardinal, who previously had free rein over all Vatican buildings, passed through a metal detector like all the others on entering the makeshift Vatican courtroom, his eyes sometimes downcast.

He then sat quietly through a hearing that lasted nearly eight hours before the trial was adjourned until Oct. 5.

"The pope wanted me to go on trial. I am obedient. I am here," Becciu, wearing a black "clergyman" suit with a priest collar, told reporters before leaving the room.

Becciu, 73, and his former secretary, Monsignor Mauro Carlino, were the only two defendants to attend Tuesday's hearing. Both men have denied all wrongdoing. The others on trial exercised their right to be defended in absentia.

The trial mostly revolves around the purchase by the Vatican's Secretariat of State of a building in one of London's smartest districts.

The prosecution has accused Becciu and other former Vatican officials or employees involved in the deal of embezzlement and abuse of office, among other charges.

He is also charged with funnelling money and contracts to companies or charitable organisations controlled by his brothers on their native island of Sardinia. He denies that charge too.

The trial is taking place in a modern room in the Vatican Museums because the city state's standard tribunal is too small due to COVID-19 restrictions.

A crucifix hung on the wall behind the dais where the three-judge panel sat. Nearby hung a large photograph of Pope Francis, the sovereign monarch of Vatican City.

Among the eight who did not attend were Italian investment brokers Gianluigi Torzi and Raffaele Mincione, both charged with embezzlement, fraud and money laundering. Torzi is also charged with extortion. Both deny any wrongdoing.

During a day dedicated mostly to procedural matters, defence lawyers asked for a long adjournment because they still had not seen all the evidence from indictments issued on July 3.

Torzi's lawyer, Ambra Giovene, said her client, who lives in London, is contesting an Italian extradition request for non-related alleged financial crimes and had a legitimate impediment.

PROMISE NOT TO ARREST

Mincione's lawyers said they wanted guarantees that if he attends the trial he will not be put behind bars in the Vatican, as Torzi was for 10 days in 2020.

The saga began in 2014, when the Secretariat of State invested more than 200 million euros, much of it from contributions from the faithful, in a fund run by Mincione, securing about 45% of a commercial and residential building at 60 Sloane Avenue in London's South Kensington district.

Mincione is accused of deceiving the Vatican, which in 2018 tried to end the relationship with him.

It turned to Torzi for help in buying up the rest of the building, but later accused him of extortion.

At the time, Becciu was in the last year of his post as deputy secretary of state, a position that handles hundreds of millions of euros.

All told, the Secretariat of State sank more than 350 million euros into the investment, according to Vatican media, and suffered what Cardinal George Pell, the former Vatican treasurer, told Reuters last year were "enormous losses".

Francis, who stripped Becciu of his immunity, fired him from his last Vatican post in 2020 for alleged nepotism.

Becciu's lawyers said testimony against him by another Vatican official, Monsignor Alberto Perlasca, should not be admitted because Perlasca was interrogated without legal representation. The prosecution said Perlasca came to them spontaneously.

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/accused-cardinal-court-vatican-fraud-trial-opens-is-adjourned-2021-07-27/

Anonymous ID: fb6445 July 28, 2021, 1:40 a.m. No.14213655 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>3664

Suicidal, stressed Aussie kids flood emergency wards

Lockdowns and online learning are fuelling anxiety among Aussie kids – with some too scared to breathe outdoors due to virus fears.

Natasha Bita - July 28, 2021

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Suicidal and super-stressed children are flooding hospital emergency wards, as the pandemic pushes patient numbers 25 per cent higher.

Lockdowns, domestic violence and online learning are fuelling Covid-19 anxiety and depression among Australian children – with some too scared to breathe outdoors for fear of getting sick, and others worried about the danger of “red zones’’.

The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP) has revealed that emergency hospital visits from children and teenagers with mental health problems has risen between 25 and 40 per cent nationally since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.

And an alarming new survey of 25,000 teenagers, by Mission Australia, reveals a rise in anxiety and depression, especially among teenage girls.

“Trying to find reasons not to pull the plug during Covid-19 TBH (to be honest),’’ a 17-year-old girl from NSW told the survey.

“I was contemplating suicide and I thought no one wanted me around,’’ a 15-year-old Queensland girl said.

Nathan Gunn, 19, who had Year 12 disrupted during Melbourne’s long lockdown last year, has now deferred his university diploma in business.

“I felt very isolated – it was a lonely and depressing time,’’ he said.

“I lost a friend to suicide a few months ago.

“So many people have mental health issues and don’t know what to do about it.

“A lot of people who wanted to go to uni, now aren’t, because it’s so hard to study online.

“Making a living has become so much harder.’’

Mr Gunn, who works casually for youth music charity The Push, wants politicians to pay more attention to young Australians’ problems during the pandemic.

“We are the future of Australia but we don’t feel like we have a voice,’’ he said.

Professor Valsamma Eapen, who chairs the RANZCP’s child and adolescent division, has warned that suicidal ideation, self-harm, eating disorders and panic attacks are growing worse.

“One reason is that children need to be out and about and active and engaged with other kids,’’ she said. “But they are cooped up in a house or apartment and getting on each other’s nerves.

“Families are finding it hard because parents are working from home … the fatigue on the parents’ side is much worse this time (compared to lockdowns last year).

“We’ve had a 25 to 40 per cent increase in ED presentations by children with mental health problems.’’

The Mission Australia Youth Survey found that girls made up two thirds of the teenagers reporting mental health issues, and that the pandemic had affected Victorian teens the most.

Mission Australia chief executive James Toomey called for more support to teach young people how to help themselves when feeling overwhelmed and stressed – including more counsellors in schools.

“We are very concerned that the impact of this virus will continue to have flow-on effects on young people’s lives now, and in the future,’’ he said.

Adolescent psychiatrist Michael Carr-Gregg, who has advised the federal government on mental health, said he had seen “terrible cases where kids have tried to take their own lives and overdosed’’.

“All the markers of acute problems for young people are increasing,’’ he said.

(continued)

>>14213655

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ONLINE SEX OFFENCES, ABUSE RATES SKYROCKET

Trolling, cyber bullying and online sex offences have jumped 30 per cent in the past six months as the pandemic locks more Aussies into work and play online, shocking new statistics reveal.

Nearly 12,000 URLs with offensive online content – most commonly child sexual abuse – were reported to the Office of the eSafety Commissioner this year – 30 per cent more than in the first half of 2020.

Almost 1000 adult cyber abuse claims were lodged – a 48 per cent increase – while cyber bullying complaints jumped 30 per cent to 486.

Communications Minister Paul Fletcher warned Australians to “be prepared for a likely increase in online harms’’ during Covid-19 lockdowns.

He urged parents to monitor their children’s online activity, and for adults to stay civil online.

“From March 2020, during the first wave of Covid and resulting lockdowns, the eSafety Commissioner experienced an unprecedented increase in reports of all online harm types, including abuse, cyber-bullying, image-based abuse and unwanted exposure to illegal and harmful content,’’ he said.

Tough new laws against online abuse passed through federal parliament last month, but will not take force until early next year.

They will give the eSafety Commissioner new powers to deal with cyber-bullying and unmask anonymous trolls.

Adults who post “seriously harmful content’’ online – such as death threats, menacing messages or revenge porn – will risk fines of up to $110,000.

The Australian Federal Police is now using sniffer dogs to detect hidden tech devices containing child abuse images.

Chilling messages intercepted on the Dark Web by AFP officers reveals paedophiles are exploiting Covid-19 lockdowns to groom and entrap

Child abuse material shared online has nearly doubled since the start of the pandemic, with 21,000 notifications flagged to the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation in 2020.

Need help?

Lifeline - 13 11 14

https://www.lifeline.org.au

Kids Helpline - 1800 55 1800

https://kidshelpline.com.au

https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/coronavirus/suicidal-stressed-aussie-kids-flood-emergency-wards/news-story/ef575e12d4e1e2da95d218ce57232472

Man, 21, charged by AFP for allegedly using Twitter to watch child exploitation material

Elise Williams - July 28, 2021

A young man from the Moreton Bay region could face a lengthy prison sentence if convicted of his alleged crimes, after the Australian Federal Police accused him of using Twitter to watch and share child exploitation material.

Shane Patrick Lee, 21, will faced court on Wednesday following the months-long investigation, led by the AFP’s Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCE).

The investigation began earlier this year, after a tip off from the USA’s National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children alerted Australian authorities of the alleged offending.

In April 2021, the AFP executed a search warrant at the man’s Morayfield home and seized one smartphone and a laptop.

The man was issued a Notice to Appear to face Caboolture Magistrates’ Court today, charged under several sections of the 1995 Criminal Code Act.

He’s been charged with one count of possessing child abuse material accessed or obtained using a carriage service, one count of using a carriage service to access child abuse material, and one count of using a carriage service to transmit child abuse material.

The maximum penalty for these offences is 15 years’ imprisonment.

Detective Superintendent Paula Hudson said the charges reflect the AFP’s pledge to protecting children and identifying and prosecuting those seeking to harm and exploit them.

“Individuals who possess, access and transmit child abuse material are part of the problem. They create the market for child abuse material online which causes further harm to children,” Detective Superintendent Hudson said.

Det Supt Hudson said the AFP will continue to work tirelessly to hunt down offenders to ensure those seeking to access children for sexual offences online are prosecuted.

Lee fronted Caboolture Magistrates’ Court, where his matter was adjourned to August 25.

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 or report online.

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.

http://www.accce.gov.au/help-and-support/who-can-help

Advice and support for parents and carers about how they can help protection children online can be found at the AFP led ThinkUKnow – a program designed to prevent online child sexual exploitation.

http://www.thinkuknow.org.au

https://www.couriermail.com.au/truecrimeaustralia/police-courts-qld/man-21-charged-by-afp-for-allegedly-using-twitter-to-watch-cem/news-story/fe43ec278f783c8e1f6603e9778ef573

No jail for childlike sex doll importation

Ethan James - JULY 28 2021

An eBay vendor in Tasmania who imported "vile" childlike sex doll parts from China for financial gain has dodged jail time.

Xinzhe Lin, 29, had pleaded guilty to importing child abuse material into Australia.

The 26 silicone parts arrived in Melbourne in October last year along with legal adult sex toys, including vibrators and lubricant, and surfing equipment.

The shipment was intercepted by Australian Border Force officials who tracked the remainder of the consignment to Lin in Hobart.

During sentencing in the Supreme Court in Hobart, Justice Gregory Geason said the parts were "small or extra small" and would likely be used to simulate sexual intercourse.

"You are to be condemned for importing these vile products," he said on Wednesday.

Justice Geason said there was a real risk the use of such parts would normalise child sexual abuse.

Lin, who was operating an eBay store at the time, imported the parts to sell them online for "financial advantage" and there was no suggestion he intended to use them.

He had previously been issued with a seizure notice in December 2019 by border force officials for importing silicone childlike sex doll parts.

"This was not the first time you had imported childlike sex dolls," Justice Geason said.

A search of Lin's garage by officers found other childlike sex doll parts that did not form part of the police charges.

Lin, who is living in Australia on a bridging visa and may face deportation, was given an 11-month jail sentence that was suspended on the condition he be of good behaviour for two years.

He was not placed on the sex offenders' register.

Justice Geason said Lin was not suitable for a home detention order due to his living arrangements.

https://www.bluemountainsgazette.com.au/story/7360797/no-jail-for-childlike-sex-doll-importation/

Afghan villager tells Ben Roberts-Smith defamation trial he'll tell truth even if it gets him killed

Jamie McKinnell - 28 July 2021

An Afghan villager giving evidence against war veteran Ben Roberts-Smith in a defamation trial has declared he will tell the truth, even if it results in his death.

Farmer Mohammed Hanifa was called by Nine Entertainment Co, the publisher of two of the newspapers being sued in the Federal Court, to appear as a witness via video link from Kabul.

The 38-year-old has told the court he saw "with his own eyes" key events around the alleged murder of a man he says was his relative, Ali Jan, during a raid on the village of Darwan in September 2012.

A central allegation in the stories published by The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and The Canberra Times is that Mr Roberts-Smith kicked Ali Jan over a cliff and entered into an agreement that he be killed before soldiers covered it up.

Mr Roberts-Smith denies the allegations and says a man killed that day was a suspected Taliban lookout.

The newspapers are relying on a truth defence.

Under cross-examination by the veteran's barrister, Bruce McClintock SC, Mr Hanifa was today accused of being financially motivated due to offers of compensation from the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission.

Mr McClintock suggested Mr Hanifa had had discussions about payment for the events of that day, but was told compensation would not be provided for the death of a Taliban member.

"No, brother, I haven't," Mr Hanifa replied through an interpreter.

"By God, I haven't seen any official from the Human Rights Commission … I don't know why you are saying this."

Mr Hanifa was excused when the cross-examination concluded, but launched into a passionate, animated speech on the video link.

"I'm not afraid of anybody, even if I die I will tell the truth," he told the hearing in Sydney.

Mr Hanifa said this was in line with his country's customs and laws.

"If you witness something like a crime, you have to testify about it, even if somebody wants me to go to Australia or the US or any other country in the world," he said.

"I will go there and testify that Ali Jan was a labourer. He was a labourer, he was a labourer, he was a labourer."

Earlier, another of Mr Roberts-Smith's barristers, Arthur Moses SC, told the court his client has been used "like a human pinata", with allegations about him thrown around "like confetti" by the newspapers.

While the trial temporarily resumed this week to hear from Afghan witnesses after delays due to Sydney's COVID-19 outbreak, Mr Moses pushed for certainty around when in November it would resume to hear from Australian witnesses.

Nicholas Owens SC, for Nine, said Australian witnesses should be allowed to file an application to be excused from complying with their subpoenas on the grounds of hardship, but that those applications should be dealt with when the hardship arose.

But Mr Moses said he wanted the Australian witnesses to apply to be excused at least a week before they were due to be called.

He said a 14-day period of isolation may be "the price they pay" for attending.

"My client suffers prejudice every day, without getting into a speech, because the respondents continue publishing articles, as late as yesterday, making all sorts of assertions against him," Mr Moses said.

"He cannot continue a situation where he's being used as a human pinata by the respondents.

"There has to be a day of reckoning in terms of these allegations. They have to be established or proven to be untrue."

Mr Roberts-Smith denies all of the allegations reported in the publications, including that he also bullied former Special Air Service Regiment colleagues and committed an act of domestic violence against a woman with whom he was having an affair.

The trial before Justice Anthony Besanko continues.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-07-28/ben-roberts-smith-a-human-pinata-defamation-trial-told/100329132

>>14036029

ADF, Japanese and US trilateral Exercise Southern Jackaroo 2021

Department of Defence Australia

Jul 28, 2021

Trilateral activity Exercise Southern Jackaroo involved soldiers from the ADF's 1st Brigade - Darwin, Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force, and United States Marine Rotational Force - Darwin.

Designed to enhance regional relationships through urban assault training, engineering clearances, artillery fire missions and live fire activities at a platoon to combat team level, the two-week exercise took place in the Top End at the Mount Bundey Training Area.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQ8OW38UM1I

Anonymous ID: fb6445 July 28, 2021, 2:24 a.m. No.14213739 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>3787

Japanese Ambassador YAMAGAMI Shingo Tweet

Magnificent to see (Japan, Australia) and partners with shared strategic interests gathering in our region.

#FOIP #interoperability

@Japan_GSDF troops participating in Exercise @TalismanSabre had the honour of meeting with the Commander of 1st Division, MAJGEN Jake Ellwood @AustralianArmy.

https://twitter.com/YamagamiShingo/status/1420308245948768264

Anonymous ID: fb6445 July 28, 2021, 2:46 a.m. No.14213787 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>0897

>>14213739

Japan Ground Self-Defense Force - Ground Component Command Tweet

【 #タリスマン・セイバー２１】〈#3ﾂｲｰﾄ〉写真：#陸上総隊 #水陸機動団と豪軍による戦闘訓練（市街地戦闘）ボーウェン市の警戒

Google Translation

[ #Talisman Saber 21 ] < # 3 Twitter Photo: #Ground Component Command #Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade and Australian Army Combat Training (Urban Warfare ) Bowen City Alert

https://twitter.com/jgsdf_gcc_pao/status/1419866779405275144

Anonymous ID: fb6445 July 28, 2021, 3:10 a.m. No.14213840 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>3842

Rosa Maria Maione pleads guilty to the manslaughter of Annie Smith in neglect case that horrified the state

Rosa Maione, the so-called carer of Annie Smith, has pleaded guilty to her manslaughter in the disability neglect case that shocked the state.

Sean Fewster and Rebecca DiGirolamo - July 28, 2021

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The former carer for Annie Smith, a woman with disabilities who was cruelly neglected in her final days of life, has pleaded guilty to manslaughter.

On Wednesday, after several delays and claims her matter was “at play behind the scenes”, Rosa Maria Maione admitted having unlawfully killed Ms Smith in April 2020.

Previously, police alleged Maione left Ms Smith confined to a chair, without nourishing food, for nearly a year while employed as her primary carer.

Although Maione was allowed to remain on bail, prosecutors warned they would seek to have her taken into custody when she faces the Supreme Court in September.

Maione has yet to offer any explanation for her crime – on Wednesday her lawyer, Stephen Ey, said his client would not be making public comment.

“We will say it all in the Supreme Court, thank you, no comment,” he said outside court.

Ms Smith’s only sibling, a younger brother, and her paternal uncle told The Advertiser they had been devastated at every point of the case.

“While nothing will ever make what happened to Annie go away, those who inflicted harm and ultimately caused the death of Annie need to be brought to justice,” Ms Smith’s brother said.

“The faster this happens, the better.”

He said his family were not made aware of the court proceedings on Wednesday until contacted by the media.

“This has been the case since the start of this awful process,” he said.

“We feel ignored in the process and would have preferred to be supplied with this information so we could support each other and be present if able.”

Manslaughter is considered the second-most serious crime under South Australian law and, like murder, carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.

Unlike murder, however, manslaughter has neither a mandatory minimum nor a “tariff” – a benchmark sentence set, by legal precedent, on which an offender’s punishment is based.

The offence has been used for crimes ranging from practical jokes gone wrong, with fatal consequences, to killings just shy of the legal definition of murder.

Maione, 69, was arrested following a painstaking investigation by a 17-strong Major Crime task force, dubbed “Giles”.

Ms Smith, 54, died in Royal Adelaide Hospital the day after Maione called an ambulance to her Kensington Park home.

She died from profound septic shock, multiple organ failure from severe pressure sores and malnutrition, having been admitted with severe ulcerated and infected tissue.

Police alleged Maione left Ms Smith living in a putrid, almost sedentary state – and without nourishing food – for most of a year.

Investigating police described her death as “tragic and most likely preventable”, saying she had been left in “disgusting and degrading” circumstances.

Previously, the court heard police were searching for $35,000 worth of custom jewellery and a large cash inheritance left to Ms Smith.

They were also investigating who took out $70,000 worth of loans in her name.

(continued)

>>14213840

2/2

Ms Smith’s death was also examined by the disability royal commission and sparked a major state inquiry.

In May, Maione’s former employer – Integrity Care SA – blocked the ongoing investigation by claiming legal professional privilege over all material seized from its offices.

Last week its director, Amy June Collins, was banned for life from working in the disability services industry.

Counsel for Maione last week asked her case be delayed saying “matters are at play behind the scenes” – drawing the ire of Magistrate David McLeod.

He warned that, if a plea was not entered, he would review the evidence and determine the future of the case himself.

On Wednesday, Mr Ey offered to enter a plea for Maione on her behalf, but Mr McLeod declined.

Asked if she had unlawfully killed Ms Smith, Maione – standing in the court dock – lowered her head and said “guilty”.

Mr McLeod asked if Maione’s bail should be revoked, but prosecutors said they were content for her to remain under strict home detention conditions for now.

“There’s no application to revoke her bail at this stage,” they said.

“There have been conversations with defence counsel, who are aware that application is likely to be made on the next occasion.”

Mr McLeod ordered Maione face the Supreme Court in September, when a date will be set for sentencing submissions.

Outside court, Adelaide disability advocate Katherine Annear said Maoine’s plea represented “long-awaited progression” in the case.

“Justice for Ann Marie should be the central focus and this includes addressing serious criminal and industrial issues at play in this case and in the NDIS provider space in general,” she said.

Opposition human services spokeswoman Nat Cook said the plea would hopefully signal movement of justice for Ms Smith progressed without further delay or impediment.

“This case is important so as to set a firm agenda in place. A line must be drawn, we must ensure all citizens are safe and well, without threat or fear,” she said.

https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/truecrimeaustralia/police-courts-sa/rosa-maria-maione-pleads-guilty-to-the-manslaughter-of-annie-smith-in-neglect-case-that-horrified-the-state/news-story/09de0332fd49f4af1098e02fbebbbb92

Anonymous ID: fb6445 July 29, 2021, 12:56 a.m. No.14220726 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>6327

Australia's Sydney posts record daily rise in COVID-19 cases, seeks military help

Colin Packham and Renju Jose - July 29, 2021

SYDNEY, July 29 (Reuters) - Australia's biggest city Sydney posted a record one-day rise in local COVID-19 cases on Thursday and warned the outbreak would get worse, as authorities sought military help to enforce a lockdown of 6 million people poised to enter its sixth week.

Australia has struggled to contain an outbreak of the highly infectious Delta variant in and around Sydney in recent weeks, which threatens to push the country's A$2 trillion ($1.5 trillion) economy into its second recession in as many years.

Despite an extended lockdown of Sydney, the state capital, New South Wales recorded 239 locally acquired cases in the past 24 hours, the biggest daily rise since the pandemic begun.

"We can only assume that things are likely to get worse before they get better given the quantity of people infectious in the community," New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian told reporters in Sydney.

Berejiklian said one more person had died from COVID-19, taking the death toll from the current outbreak to 13 and the overall national total to 921.

With little sign that recent restrictions are reducing case numbers, Berejiklian said new curbs would be imposed on the southwestern and western areas of Sydney where the majority of COVID-19 cases are being found.

More than two million residents in eight Sydney hotspots will now be forced to wear masks outdoors and must stay within 5 km (3 miles) of their homes.

With even tighter restrictions set to begin on Friday, New South Wales Police said it had asked for 300 military personnel to help enforce lockdown orders.

“With an increase in enforcement activity over the coming week, I have now made a formal request to the prime minister for (Australian Defence Force) personnel to assist with that operation," New South Wales Police Commissioner Mick Fuller said in an emailed statement.

It was not clear what the military personnel would be doing if deployed, but neighbouring Victoria state used a similar number of troops to assist with running testing centres and checking to see whether people under strict stay at home orders were abiding by the requests.

Representatives for Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Minister for Defence Peter Dutton did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Berejiklian on Wednesday extended the Sydney lockdown by another month, but allowed the majority of construction projects to resume as long as workers do not come into contact with residents.

The restrictions are likely to take a heavy economic toll, with New South Wales accounting for more than a third of Australia's economy.

Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said he expected the national economy to shrink in the September quarter but the ability to avoid a technical recession would depend on whether New South Wales can avoid a longer lockdown.

"With respect to the December quarter, that does depend to a large extent how successful New South Wales, our largest state economy, is in getting on top of this virus," Frydenberg told the Australian Broadcasting Corp.

Berejiklian has said restrictions need to remain as too few people in Sydney are vaccinated amid tight supplies of Pfizer vaccines, which Canberra had hoped to inoculate everyone under 60 years old.

All adults in Sydney have now been urged to seek an AstraZeneca vaccine. But citing rare blood clots, many are reluctant and would prefer to wait several months when Australia is expected to receive additional Pfizer supplies.

Only about 17% of people above 16 years fully vaccinated in New South Wales.

More than 2,800 cases have been detected so far, with 182 people hospitalised. Fifty-four are in intensive care, 22 of whom require ventilation. Two new deaths were recorded, taking the total number of deaths in the latest outbreak to 13.

The outbreak in Sydney leaves many with little to do but watch the Olympics, and Australian athletes said they hoped they could provide a little bit of joy with their performances.

"Just extremely grateful and happy that we maybe sparked some joy in some people's living rooms or something for people to celebrate in the time of lockdown," Spencer Turrin, Australian Rower and Gold Medallist in the Men's Four at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics told reporters in Tokyo.

($1 = 1.3561 Australian dollars)

https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/australia-pm-says-vaccinations-alone-will-not-end-sydneys-covid-19-lockdown-2021-07-28/

Anonymous ID: fb6445 July 29, 2021, 1:17 a.m. No.14220773 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>0789

Worldwide hacking warning issued on how businesses are being compromised during COVID-19

Stephanie Borys - 29 July 2021

Efforts to halt the spread of the deadly coronavirus have inadvertently left Australian businesses exposed to online attacks, according to an alliance of international cyber experts.

In an unprecedented move, the Australian Cyber Security Centre, the United Kingdom's National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), the United States's Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) as well as the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) have joined forces to issue a warning to organisations about how their systems could be hacked.

It lists the top 30 ways online criminals are getting into systems, with weaknesses in remote networks, virtual private networks (VPN) and cloud-based technologies, which are widely used by people working remotely, the most common.

An increase in people working from home to prevent the spread of COVID-19 has resulted in businesses using flawed software to help workers connect, leaving them prime for attack from cyber criminals and other nations seeking to wreak havoc.

The agencies issued their statement in a bid to help organisations better protect themselves from crippling attacks like the Microsoft Exchange email server hack, which exposed tens of thousands of businesses to criminal exploitation.

"The advisory published today puts the power in every organisation's hand to fix the most common vulnerabilities, such as unpatched VPN gateway devices," Paul Chichester from the UK NCSC said in a statement.

“Working with our international partners, we will continue to raise awareness of the threats posed by those that seek to cause harm."

What should businesses watch out for?

The joint cybersecurity advisory lists weak spots in popular software programs such as Microsoft, Atlassian and MobileIron programs as some of the top 30 vulnerabilities being exploited.

While the threat is real, in some cases the solution is easy.

Organisations can avoid being hacked if they patch and update their systems, the advisory states, and its highly technical document provides details on exactly how to fix such problems.

The head of the Australian Cyber Security Centre Abigail Bradshaw said the decision to issue the warning is yet another attempt by security agencies to try and reduce online risks.

"Unless vulnerabilities are urgently addressed, malicious cyber actors will continue to use older known vulnerabilities affecting software used by many organisations including Microsoft Office, as long as they remain effective and systems remain unpatched," she said in a statement.

Businesses were also reminded that they should require employees to use multi-factor authentication to access work networks from home.

Recently the Australian government joined an international coalition in accusing China of being behind the Microsoft Exchange email server hack.

The decision by the United States, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Canada and the United Kingdom to essentially name and shame Beijing showed the size and impact of the attack.

The federal government is attempting to pass legislation it says will help reduce the risk of cyber attacks, while there are growing calls for organisations to be compelled to report when they are hacked in an attempt to ensure similar cases don't happen again.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-07-29/cyber-criminals-covid-new-opportunities-hacking-business-warning/100331294

https://us-cert.cisa.gov/ncas/alerts/aa21-209a

>>14220773

U.S., U.K., and Australia Issue Joint Cybersecurity Advisory

Australian Cyber Security Centre - 28 Jul 2021

WASHINGTON – The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC), United Kingdom’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) released a joint cybersecurity advisory today, highlighting the top Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVEs) routinely exploited by cyber actors in 2020 and those vulnerabilities being widely exploited thus far in 2021. Cyber actors continue to exploit publicly known—and often dated—software vulnerabilities against broad target sets, including public and private sector organizations worldwide. It’s recommended that organizations apply the available patches for the 30 vulnerabilities listed in the joint cybersecurity advisory and implement a centralized patch management system.

One of the key findings is that four of the most targeted vulnerabilities in 2020 involved remote work, VPNs, or cloud-based technologies. Many VPN gateway devices remained unpatched during 2020, with the growth of remote work options due to the COVID-19 pandemic challenging the ability of organizations to conduct rigorous patch management. In 2021, malicious cyber actors continued to target vulnerabilities in perimeter-type devices. This advisory lists the vendors, products, and CVEs associated with these vulnerabilities, which organizations should urgently patch.

“In cybersecurity, getting the basics right is often most important. Organizations that apply the best practices of cybersecurity, such as patching, can reduce their risk to cyber actors exploiting known vulnerabilities in their networks,” said Eric Goldstein, Executive Assistant Director for Cybersecurity, CISA. “Collaboration is a crucial part of CISA’s work and today we partnered with ACSC, NCSC and FBI to highlight cyber vulnerabilities that public and private organizations should prioritize for patching to minimize risk of being exploited by malicious actors.”

“This guidance will be valuable for enabling network defenders and organisations to lift collective defences against cyber threats,” said Ms Abigail Bradshaw CSC, Head of the Australian Cyber Security Centre. “This advisory complements our advice available through cyber.gov.au and underscores the determination of the ACSC and our partner agencies to collaboratively combat malicious cyber activity.”

“We are committed to working with allies to raise awareness of global cyber weaknesses – and present easily actionable solutions to mitigate them," said NCSC Director of Operations, Paul Chichester. “The advisory published today puts the power in every organisation’s hand to fix the most common vulnerabilities, such as unpatched VPN gateway devices. Working with our international partners, we will continue to raise awareness of the threats posed by those that seek to cause harm."

“The FBI remains committed to sharing information with public and private organizations in an effort to prevent malicious cyber actors from exploiting vulnerabilities,” said FBI’s Cyber Assistant Director Bryan Vorndran. “We firmly believe that coordination and collaboration with our federal and private sector partners will ensure a safer cyber environment to decrease the opportunity for these actors to succeed.”

The advisory also directs public and private sector partners to the support and resources available to mitigate and remediate these vulnerabilities from each agency, as well as from other government and industry partners.

One of the most effective best practices to mitigate many vulnerabilities is to update software once patches are available and as soon as is practicable. Focusing cyber defense resources on patching those vulnerabilities that malicious cyber actors most often use should be engrained in the culture of every organization. This approach offers the potential of not only bolstering network security, but also impeding the disruptive, destructive operations of our adversaries.

CISA, ACSC, NCSC, and FBI encourage organizations that have not yet remediated these vulnerabilities to investigate for the presence of indicators of compromise listed in this advisory. If compromised, organizations should initiate incident response and recovery plans.

For additional general best practices for mitigating cyber threats, see the joint advisory from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States on Technical Approaches to Uncovering and Remediating Malicious Activity and ACSC’s Essential Eight mitigation strategies.

The joint advisory can be found here.

https://us-cert.cisa.gov/ncas/alerts/aa21-209a

https://www.cyber.gov.au/acsc/view-all-content/media-releases/us-uk-and-australia-issue-joint-cybersecurity-advisory

Foreign soldiers killed ‘innocent’ Afghans, Ben Roberts-Smith defamation trial told

Michaela Whitbourn - July 29, 2021

An Afghan villager has told the defamation trial of war veteran Ben Roberts-Smith that he hated foreign soldiers and regarded them as responsible for killing innocent people, but he did not support the aims of the Taliban.

Darwan farmer Man Gul has told the Federal Court he was detained for questioning by foreign soldiers with two other men, Ali Jan and Mr Jan’s step-nephew, Mohammed Hanifa. The court has heard that a man matching Mr Jan’s description was killed by Australian troops, but the circumstances in which he died are contested.

Under questioning by Mr Roberts-Smith’s barrister, Bruce McClintock, SC, on Thursday, Mr Gul agreed through a translator that he believed foreign soldiers had been cruel to him repeatedly during raids on his village.

“Yes, it is like that,” Mr Gul replied. “Yes, they killed innocent people and martyred them all.”

“You hate them, don’t you, foreign soldiers?” Mr McClintock said.

“Yes, it is like that,” Mr Gul said.

But Mr Gul said he did not agree with the aims of the Taliban, and both the Taliban and foreign forces had perpetrated injustices against the Afghan people.

Mr Gul agreed he regarded foreign soldiers as infidels but rejected a suggestion by Mr McClintock that in his religion it was “permissible to lie” in some circumstances to infidels.

Both Mr Gul and his fellow villager Mr Hanifa have said a “big soldier” was among the troops who detained them for questioning. Mr Hanifa has also given evidence that the man had “blue eyes, like, kind of brownish” and this uniform was wet and sandy to about his chest.

The court has heard evidence that the two-metre-tall Mr Roberts-Smith waded into the Helmand River on the same day in pursuit of a Taliban insurgent called Hekmatullah. Both Afghan witnesses have said they cannot read or write but the events in question occurred about eight years ago.

Speaking via video link from Kabul with the assistance of a translator in Canada, Mr Gul was asked on Thursday if Mr Jan had been carrying a radio with him on the day of his death, which is pictured near his body in photographs tendered in court.

“No, no, he doesn’t even know how to work out a watch,” Mr Gul said.

Nicholas Owens, SC, the barrister acting for the newspapers, asked Mr Roberts-Smith last month if he had heard “rumours of patrols in the SAS using throwdowns”, the alleged practice of planting weapons or objects such as radios on a body to justify a killing. “No,” Mr Roberts-Smith replied.

He said he had become aware of the term “throwdowns” in the context of them allegedly “being used by other nations”.

Mr Gul said Mr Hanifa and Mr Jan were taken away from him during the questioning and he did not see the “big soldier” again, but Mr Hanifa had subsequently told him that “they kicked [Mr Jan] … and he went down into the river and they dragged him towards the trees”.

Mr Hanifa gave evidence it was the “big soldier” who kicked Mr Jan off a cliff into a dry river bed before he heard shots being fired.

“We didn’t see the person who killed him,” Mr Gul said.

Mr Hanifa has insisted Mr Jan had cattle and sold wood, and was not a Taliban fighter.

Mr Roberts-Smith has denied kicking anyone off a cliff, and has given evidence that he believed a man matching Mr Jan’s description was a “spotter” for the Taliban insurgency hiding in a cornfield.

He said another soldier, known as Person 11, fired the first shots before he fired from behind his comrade.

Mr Roberts-Smith is suing The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald for defamation over a series of reports in 2018 alleging he was involved in unlawful killings during missions in Afghanistan.

The former Special Air Service soldier has denied all wrongdoing and insists he only killed suspected Taliban insurgents during the heat of battle. The news publications are seeking to rely on a defence of truth and are calling four Afghan witnesses to give evidence.

The hearing continues.

https://www.smh.com.au/national/foreign-soldiers-killed-innocent-afghans-ben-roberts-smith-defamation-trial-told-20210729-p58dz5.html

Anonymous ID: fb6445 July 29, 2021, 1:48 a.m. No.14220833 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>0838

Commissioner says AFP has ‘ingenious’ new plan to trap criminals after Operation Ironside

The AFP has ‘another ingenious plan’ to further dismantle organised crime networks after pulling off the Operation Ironside sting.

Helena Burke - July 29, 2021

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Australia’s most powerful cop says the Australian Federal Police has “another ingenious plan” to further dismantle organised crime networks after pulling off the high-profile Operation Ironside sting.

AFP commissioner Reece Kershaw issued the grave threat to those involved in criminal networks at the National Press Club on Wednesday.

“I will provide another warning to organised criminals, outlaw motorcycle gangs, drug traffickers, money launderers and those that believe they will get away with their crimes,” Commissioner Kershaw said.

“The AFP has another ingenious plan. In fact, it was well under way before we revealed Operation Ironside.

“We won‘t tell you what it is. The only thing I will tell you’ll is that we are coming – again.”

Operation Ironside was largest organised crime operation ever untaken in the southern hemisphere, resulting in the arrest of 289 alleged offenders both in Australia and overseas.

Commissioner Kershaw said the majority of charges were related to drug crimes, with almost five tonnes of drugs, $49 million in cash and 138 firearms, explosives and other weapons seized.

At his National Press Club address last year, the commissioner made similar threats to those involved in organised crime.

“I said the AFP will be relentless, we will outsmart you and we will always be a step ahead. I declared the full force of the AFP is coming for you,” he said.

“When I made those remarks, the AFP, together with the FBI, was covertly undertaking what has been referred to in Australia as the sting of the century.”

Back then, Commission Kershaw said he knew Operation Ironside would be significant, but noted the true breadth and scale of drug trafficking and other criminality uncovered by the operation had been “staggering”.

To achieve the 289 arrests under Operation Ironside, the AFP used an encrypted messaging service – AN0M – to monitor the communication of organised crime rings.

Although AN0M was developed by the FBI, Commissioner Kershaw said it was the AFP that made the breakthrough.

“For years, a small team within the AFP and FB, had planned law enforcement’s holy grail: seeing what criminals were planning over encrypted communications in real-time,” Commissioner Kershaw said.

“Those AFP members were the ones who provided the ingenuity to read encrypted messages in real-time. That breakthrough with the platform secretly run by the FBI has been devastatingly effective.”

(continued)

>>14220833

2/2

Commissioner Kershaw warned Australians against having any sympathy for those involved in drug trafficking.

“They are ambivalent to the misery caused by illicit drugs or if civilians are killed in the crossfire in their wars,” he said.

“A crime ring member’s ideology is unadulterated greed through the relentless trafficking of illicit drugs. It drives them. They recruit for it and they kill for it.”

The commissioner lamented that organised crime had killed more Australians than terrorism, highlighting the destruction that drug addiction wreaked on families.

“We have to ensure parents are not buying meth over milk,” he said, declaring nothing was more “gut-wrenching” than hearing a newborn wail as it struggled with methamphetamine withdrawal.

The top cop said the street value of illicit drugs had increased by up to 50 per cent in many Australian states since Operation Ironside began.

Australians pay some of the highest prices in the world for illicit substances, with 1kg of methamphetamine bought for about $1800 in Myanmar selling for $63,000 to $150,000 in Australia. The same amount of cocaine costs about $2300 in Colombia compared to $220,000 to $450,000 in Australia, according to Commissioner Kershaw.

He also noted almost one-third of those arrested under Operation Ironside were allegedly outlaw motorcycle gang members or people working for them.

However, not everyone agrees with the AFP’s hard-line stance.

Commissioner Kershaw’s predecessor Mick Palmer was known for his emphasis on the minimisation of harm when dealing with issues of drug crime.

In the wake of Operation Ironside, Palmer stressed “regardless of how effective police were” at drug busts and arrests, the reality was that this “made no difference” to rates of drug use.

But Commissioner Kershaw made it clear the AFP had no intention of softening its approach.

“We are going to break (crime rings) business model,” he declared.

“We are going to be relentless and do maximum damage to the criminal environment using all of our intelligence partners and in Home Affairs and beyond.”

https://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/truecrimeaustralia/behindthescenes/commissioner-says-afp-has-ingenious-new-plan-to-trap-criminals/news-story/23ac6dc4f6ef57ab3e5c412be94d2a11

>>14050787

New call to review Collaery prosecution

Australian Associated Press - JULY 29 2021

The Australian Bar Association has joined calls for Attorney-General Michaelia Cash to reconsider the controversial prosecution of Canberra lawyer Bernard Collaery.

Collaery, 75, is fighting allegations he unlawfully shared classified information about a 2004 Australian spy operation that bugged the office of East Timor's prime minister during negotiations over oil and gas resources in the Timor Sea.

He was charged in 2018 with breaching the Intelligence Services Act and a directions hearing for his case on Thursday in the ACT Supreme Court was vacated.

An ABA council meeting this week unanimously expressed concerns about the delays in the prosecution and secret nature of proceedings.

"This matter raises two, fundamental rule of law questions as to the fair and open administration of justice - the length of time it has taken to prosecute the matter, and the suppression of evidence," ABA president Matthew Howard SC said in a statement.

"For the public to have confidence in the administration of justice, it is vital that prosecutions proceed in a timely manner, and that the workings of the courts be open to public scrutiny to the maximum extent possible."

The ABA's call for the attorney-general to review the prosecution follows one made by the ACT Bar Association in April when it said the government had spent $3 million pursuing Collaery.

The prosecution stems from his representation of Witness K, an Australian intelligence agent who blew the whistle on the bugging operation.

He was handed a three-month suspended prison sentence in June after pleading guilty to conspiring to reveal classified information.

Others who have criticised Collaery's prosecution include former East Timor president Jose Ramos-Horta, former Victorian premier Steve Bracks and independent federal MP Andrew Wilkie.

Collaery, a former ACT deputy chief minister, was awarded the Australian Lawyers Alliance's 2018 Civil Justice Award for his advocacy for Timor-Leste.

https://www.westernmagazine.com.au/story/7363066/new-call-to-review-collaery-prosecution/

Anonymous ID: fb6445 July 29, 2021, 2:03 a.m. No.14220869 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>0870

China Discovers the Limits of Its Power

Beijing’s confrontation with Australia should have been an unequal contest. That’s not how it worked out in practice.

Michael Schuman - JULY 28, 2021

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“Chewing gum stuck on the sole of China’s shoes.” That’s how Hu Xijin, the editor of the Chinese Communist Party–run Global Times, described Australia last year. The disparaging description is typical of the disdain that China’s diplomats and propagandists have often shown toward governments that challenge Beijing—like Australia’s.

China is now the great power of Asia—or so Beijing believes—but those pesky Australians, mouthing off about human rights and coronavirus investigations, refuse to bend the knee. Beijing has turned to economic pressure to compel Australia to fall in line. “Sometimes you have to find a stone to rub it off,” Hu wrote, of the gum and of Australia. But the Australians have proved impossible to shake, and have instead caused some embarrassment for their image-obsessed tormentor.

The ongoing dispute between Australia and China may seem merely a bilateral affair, fought out in a remote corner of the planet. But it matters around the world.

Australia is a crucial American ally in Asia, so China’s actions toward the country inevitably affect both Washington’s policy and its standing in the region. Australia is representative of many countries: a midsize nation whose economic relationship with Beijing is vital for growth and jobs but, simultaneously, whose politicians and citizens are becoming more concerned about China’s repressive tactics at home and aggression abroad.

The deteriorating relationship between the two countries thus reveals a lot about how China’s leaders can and can’t employ their growing diplomatic and economic power, as well as the options, consequences, and costs for countries, such as Australia, that seek to stand up to Beijing.

Australia “really is a bit of a canary in the coal mine,” Jeffrey Wilson, the research director at the Perth USAsia Centre, a foreign-policy think tank, told me. “You should care about what is happening here, because it’s got lessons for everyone.”

The most important lesson is also the most unexpected. On paper, the outcome of a China-Australia showdown looks like a foregone conclusion. China, a rising power with 1.4 billion people and a $14.7 trillion economy, should trample a country of 26 million with an economy less than one-tenth the size. But in a world wrapped in interdependent supply chains and complex political connections, smaller countries can wield a surprising armory of weapons. The U.S.-led global order, still held together by common interests, long-standing relationships, cold strategic calculation, and deeply felt ideals, isn’t ready to crumble before the march of Chinese authoritarianism either. The story instead offers a more intriguing twist: a China that badly wants to change the world but can’t even change an uppity neighbor.

Chinese leaders “are trying to make an example of us,” Malcolm Turnbull, the former Australian prime minister, told me. “It is completely counterproductive … It is not creating greater compliance or affection.” Quite the opposite, he said: “It is confirming all the criticisms that people make about China.”

That should lift spirits in Washington. Australia is a key pillar of the network of alliances that upholds American dominance in Asia and the Pacific. If anything, Washington’s ties to Canberra are becoming even more important. Australia and the U.S. are members of the “Quad,” a loose grouping with Japan and India that largely seeks to contain China. What happens to Australia, therefore, has tremendous consequences for U.S. power in the Pacific.

“China can’t bash up on the U.S., but it can bash up on its allies,” Richard McGregor, a former Beijing bureau chief at the Financial Times who’s now a senior fellow at the Sydney-based Lowy Institute, told me. “If China can break Australia, then that’s a step to breaking U.S. power in Asia, and U.S. credibility globally.”

Australia’s importance hasn’t gone unnoticed in the White House. President Joe Biden’s top diplomats have been loud and clear in their support for Australia. His Asia-policy czar, Kurt Campbell, said in March that the administration told Chinese authorities, “The U.S. is not prepared to improve relations in a bilateral and separate context at the same time that a close and dear ally is being subjected to a form of economic coercion.” The U.S., he added, is “not going to leave Australia alone on the field.”

(continued)

Anonymous ID: fb6445 July 29, 2021, 2:04 a.m. No.14220870 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>0873

>>14220869

2/3

The dispute between Australia and China has been brewing for years. Like the U.S. and other democracies, Australia embraced engagement with China, and the two economies became entwined in a highly profitable symbiotic relationship: Australia’s treasure trove of natural wealth became indispensable to China’s rapidly expanding industrial machine. The countries even entered into a free-trade agreement in 2015.

The ink had barely dried, however, when Canberra began to grow nervous about Chinese President Xi Jinping’s bellicose foreign policy. Turnbull, who as prime minister from 2015 to 2018 was instrumental in forging Australia’s response, wrote in his book A Bigger Picture that China “became more assertive, more confident and more prepared to not just reach out to the world … or to command respect as a responsible international actor … but to demand compliance.”

Australia more openly criticized China’s encroachments on the South China Sea—vital for Australian shipping—where Beijing built military installations on man-made islands to solidify its contested claim to nearly the entire waterway. Turnbull also grew alarmed by the sums of Chinese money sloshing around Australian politics, spent to sway government policy in China’s favor. That led to new legislation designed to curtail foreign influence. Then in 2018, Turnbull’s government banned Chinese telecom giant Huawei from supplying equipment for Australia’s 5G networks, considering it too much of a security risk to essential infrastructure. Relations really fell off a cliff in April 2020, when current Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s government called for an independent investigation into the origins of the coronavirus outbreak—a prickly issue in Beijing, where such demands are perceived as politically motivated efforts to tarnish China.

Beijing duly went ballistic. (Hu’s chewing-gum comment was part of the angry response.) To force Canberra to back down, the Chinese government unsheathed what has become its weapon of choice against recalcitrant nations: economic coercion. Among other measures, Chinese authorities suspended the export licenses of major Australian beef producers; imposed punitive tariffs on barley and wine; and instructed some power plants and steel mills to stop buying Australian coal. In all, Wilson, of the Perth USAsia Centre, figures that Australia lost $7.3 billion in exports over a 12-month period. Some industries have been hit especially hard: The rock-lobster industry, almost totally dependent on Chinese diners, was decimated after Beijing effectively banned the delicacy.

Canberra wouldn’t budge, though. “We have to simply stand our ground. If you give into bullies, you’ll only be invited to give in more,” Turnbull told me. “There is a lot to be said for nuance and artful diplomacy, but you can’t compromise on your core values and your core interests.”

So far at least, the Australians haven’t had to. Beijing hasn’t been able to inflict sufficient pain to compel Canberra to concede. Wilson notes that the sacrificed exports amount to a mere 0.5 percent of Australia’s national output—not pocket change, but hardly a crisis, either. A few industries have adapted by diversifying their customer bases. Some coal blocked by China was redirected to buyers in India. And there was a limit to how hard Beijing could squeeze: Australian iron ore is the lifeblood of China’s construction industry, and Australian lithium underpins the Chinese electric-vehicle industry.

Beijing’s pressure campaign has succeeded in one important respect, though: souring Australians on China. In a recent Lowy Institute survey, 63 percent of respondents said that they see China more as a security threat than an economic partner to Australia—a 22-percentage-point surge in a year—while a mere 4 percent find their own government more to blame than Beijing for the breakdown in relations.

Girded by such public support, Australia’s usually contentious politicians have forged common cause regarding China, unity perhaps even strengthened by Beijing’s coercive tactics, though critics do take issue with some specifics. “There was probably relative bipartisan unity before, about building up the relationship with China,” McGregor said. Now that the tables have turned, he continued, “it’s sort of a bipartisan view in the other direction.”

(continued)

>>14220870

3/3

None of this has persuaded Beijing to rethink its strategy. From the perspective of China’s leaders, the Australians have trod on too many sensitive toes. In the same way the Australians see changes in Chinese policy behind the collapse in relations, Beijing blames Canberra. Zhao Lijian, a spokesperson for China’s Foreign Ministry, said late last year that the “root cause” of the dispute is “a series of wrong moves” by Australian authorities. Shortly after, the Chinese embassy in Canberra handed out a list of 14 grievances to the local press, which included such actions as unfairly blocking Chinese investments and spearheading a “crusade” against Beijing’s crackdowns in Hong Kong and the far-west province of Xinjiang. (Similarly, but more formally, a top Chinese diplomat gave U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman two lists of complaints Washington had to fix to improve ties during talks in the port city of Tianjin earlier this week.)

How the impasse resolves itself is not at all clear, as both sides continue to slug each other. In April, Australia’s foreign minister canceled two agreements signed by the state government of Victoria as part of Xi’s pet infrastructure-building project, the Belt and Road Initiative, claiming the deals were “adverse to our foreign relations.” Then in May, Chinese officials suspended a bilateral economic dialogue.

Much clearer, however, is what the stalemate tells us about China’s position in the world. Ultimately, Beijing’s attempt to use Australia to warn other countries of the costs of taking on Chinese power has ended up instead highlighting Chinese weakness.

China remains too reliant on the outside world to fully exploit its market leverage, and it still lacks the tools to project its power beyond its own borders in the way that the U.S., for instance, capitalizes on the primacy of the dollar to extend its reach. Rather than scaring other governments into sullen silence, the unsuccessful campaign against Australia could embolden them to stand up to China on issues they consider of core importance.

Australia, however, was able to confront Beijing because of its political unity. That’s a key takeaway from the Australia story. Policy experts spill a lot of ink about the crucial role alliances between countries will play in the coming contest with China. But those international bonds cannot hold firm without corresponding alliances between national political parties and interests within the allied democracies. We can see such a consensus forming in the U.S., another country where a strong position on China is backed by widespread political support.

At the same time, China’s tussle with Australia could have long-term consequences for its economic ties to other countries. Many policy makers are already concerned that economic dependence on China could compromise their national security. The case of Australia could heighten those fears and, as Wilson speculates, lead to “repricing political risk in terms of economic relationships with China.” The Australia situation “will be a story of how governments and businesses around the world have had to reappraise what having an economic relationship with China is like.”

Yet an even darker message emerges from Australia’s example: China may have failed to change Australia, but Australia hasn’t changed China, either. This holds out the terrifying prospect of a new world order marked by almost constant conflict—if not military, then at least economic, diplomatic, and ideological. That is, unless both sides can find another way.

“China has and will continue to behave badly,” Geoff Raby, Australia’s ambassador to Beijing from 2007 to 2011, told me. “China won’t be changing, and we have to find a way of living with a China that is not like us but is big, powerful, and ugly.”

https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2021/07/china-australia-america/619544/

>>14213787

ADF, U.S. and Japanese joint amphibious assault - Talisman Sabre 2021

Department of Defence Australia

Jul 29, 2021

Exercise Sea Raider is an Australian Amphibious Force assault exercise in Queensland, as part of the greater Exercise Talisman Sabre 2021 (TS21).

After the earlier successful Sea Raider assault on Bowen, Australian, U.S. and Japanese soldiers boarded HMAS Canberra and HMAS Choules via landing craft to prepare for the next planned in-scenario amphibious invasion - Ingham, Queensland.

Held every two years, TS21 is the largest bilateral training activity between Australia and the United States, aimed to test Australian interoperability with the United States and other participating forces in complex warfighting scenarios. In addition to the United States, TS21 involves participating forces from Canada, Japan, the Republic of Korea, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4taZmLLnoMA

Anonymous ID: fb6445 July 29, 2021, 2:38 a.m. No.14220927 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>6313

Defence Minister Peter Dutton Tweets

Earlier this week I visited some of our Australian and multinational troops participating in Talisman Sabre.

https://twitter.com/PeterDutton_MP/status/1420313527085015044

—

I first visited HMAS Canberra to witness Australian and US personnel practice joint amphibious warfare skills; followed by observing soldiers of 3rd Brigade conducting urban battle procedures.

https://twitter.com/PeterDutton_MP/status/1420313538480902147

—

The day concluded with a BBQ at RAAF Base Amberley where it was great to speak with RAAF and Army members and to hear from them about their experiences.

https://twitter.com/PeterDutton_MP/status/1420313550409539588

—

Our troops are doing great work; we all should be so incredibly proud.

https://twitter.com/PeterDutton_MP/status/1420313560379392004

TikTok: Data mining, discrimination and dangerous content on the wildly popular app | Four Corners

ABC News In-depth

Jul 28, 2021

TikTok is a phenomenally successful social media platform with more than a billion users scrolling through its endless feeds.

But there is a dark side to the world’s most popular app and a major investigation has uncovered disturbing evidence about how the app operates.

A joint investigation by Four Corners and triple j youth current affairs radio show Hack shows how dangerous content is being served up to unwitting users with sometimes devastating consequences.

Some users accuse TikTok of operating an inherently racist feed that has seen people of colour and disability, effectively muted and marginalised for failing to meet the app’s view of perfection.

Central to the app’s success is data mining, which enables TikTok to harvest vast amounts of information, including facial recognition, to know anything and everything about its users.

Owned by Chinese firm ByteDance, security analysts warn that countries need to take the national security implications of data mining far more seriously and recognise what is going on behind the fun videos.

Read more TS21 news here:

Twitter - https://twitter.com/TalismanSabre

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/talismansabre/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/talismansabre/?hl=en

Exercise Talisman Sabre 2021 - https://www1.defence.gov.au/exercises/talisman-sabre-21

https://news.defence.gov.au/capability/submarines-add-extra-layer-realism-talisman-sabre

Anonymous ID: fb6445 July 31, 2021, 1:54 a.m. No.14236107 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>6111

Talisman Sabre Tweet

How fitting that today is the #InternationalDayOfFriendship?!

We celebrate all the new mates we have made on #TS21.

Read a story of friendship - bit. ly/3rPQHp2

#AlliesAndPartners #YourADF #TalismanSabre2021 #TalismanSabre

https://twitter.com/TalismanSabre/status/1420994464491970560

https://news.defence.gov.au/people/making-new-mates-exercise

>>14236107

Making new mates on exercise

Captain Dan Mazurek - 30 July 2021

Getting to know the Japanese soldiers embarked on HMAS Canberra for Exercise Talisman Sabre (TS21) has been a career highlight for Australian-Japanese soldier Private Louii Hornibrook, from the 3rd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment.

“We’ve been swapping rat packs, comparing training, you know,” Private Hornibrook said after a solid physical training session on the ship’s light vehicle deck (LVD).

With the aircraft lift lowered, there was a strong ocean breeze offsetting the Queensland humidity, making the LVD a popular place to work out.

HMAS Canberra was transiting north towards Ingham in preparation for the amphibious phase of TS21.

The heat didn't bother Private Hornibrook, who grew up on the Sunshine Coast.

His British father and Japanese mother met on holiday before settling in Queensland.

Private Hornibrook's grandfather, who served in the Royal Air Force, inspired him to join the ADF.

“Mum wanted uni, but Army has always been my aspiration,” Private Hornibrook said.

“They just wanted me to have a good career and now they see that I’m happy and saving heaps and enjoying my job, they are pretty proud of me.”

After initial training, Townsville was an easy choice in terms of units.

“I love it. I’m definitely glad I chose 3RAR as my battalion – super-motivated individuals, good rank structure and lots of time to train, so it’s been fun," Private Hornibrook said.

Last week, 3RAR moved from Lavarack Barracks to Bowen where it conducted a mock beach landing before marrying up with US Marines and Japanese soldiers to assault Objective Pepsi: an abandoned coking plant in the middle of town.

From there, the multinational forces loaded onto various landing craft at King’s Beach and embarked aboard Canberra.

This is Private Hornibrook’s first Talisman Sabre and getting to know his Asian and American counterparts had been a great experience.

That said, at the end of the day, it was his friends who made it memorable.

“The best part about the Australian Army is going everywhere with the mates that I’ve come through training with,” he said.

“A lot of us got posted to Townsville, so being able to experience these new things with all my closest mates is probably the best part about it all.”

The tight-knit camaraderie in 3RAR was obvious hearing the banter from Private Hornibrook’s mates as they ribbed him over his TS21 celebrity status, tallying up each click of the camera’s shutter for the payment they'd receive when TS21 was done.

Seeing the American, Japanese and Australian soldiers playing basketball and doing physical training together on the LVD, it was clear mateship isn’t limited to one army.

https://news.defence.gov.au/people/making-new-mates-exercise

>>14036029

Marine Rotational Force – Darwin Tweet

Come out, come out, wherever you are #SouthernJackaroo #YourADF #MRFD #ADF #australianarmy #Australia #Darwin #IIIMEF #Marines #MarineCorps #freeandopenindopacific #JGSDF

June 24, 2021 - @USMC (photo) by Cpl. Lydia Gordon

https://twitter.com/MrfDarwin/status/1421251762493612032

Anonymous ID: fb6445 July 31, 2021, 2:27 a.m. No.14236208 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>6219

Department of Defence Tweet

Ready for action

Preparations are underway for high-end warfighting Exercise #Koolendong, which is set to take place during August and September between elements of #AusArmy's 1 Brigade and the @MrfDarwin.

bit. ly/3f4ic98 #YourADF

https://twitter.com/DeptDefence/status/1420881862625464324

https://news.defence.gov.au/service/communications-ready-koolendong

>>14236208

Communications ready for Koolendong

Captain Peter March - 27 July 2021

Preparations are underway for high-end warfighting Exercise Koolendong, which is set to take place between elements of 1 Brigade and the US Marine Corps Marine Rotational Force Darwin (MRF-D).

The exercise will be held during August and September at the Bradshaw Field Training Area, NT.

The live-fire exercise, which is the concluding activity for the current MRF-D deployment, aims to achieve proficiency in core mission essential tasks and to enhance integration between the two nations.

To ensure successful interoperability from the outset, personnel from 1 Combat Signal Regiment (1CSR) and the MRF-D established a Coalition Communications Formation Node on the Robertson Barracks parade ground for a mission readiness activity to confirm information exchange between coalition networks.

1CSR’s Captain Michael Wiggins explained the importance of these types of pre-exercise activities in order to help identify and address potential issues.

“Here we have Australian soldiers and United States Marines working side-by-side, working to confirm that everything is mission ready before we deploy to the field,” Captain Wiggins said.

“Some of the initial challenges that we’ve come across is from a communications security perspective, getting the integration between their national authorities to be able talk on the same networks within the coalition.”

Communications enable the two forces to not only walk the talk on exercises, but be ready to respond if needed during humanitarian aid tasks or in conflict.

Captain Michael Wiggins said Exercise Koolendong was used to confirm ADF and MRF-D posture for contingency and crisis response in the Indo-Pacific region.

“From a communications perspective, Exercise Koolendong confirms that everything we say about interoperability and the effect we’re able to achieve in the stable barracks environment, is also replicated and achievable in the field or if required, in an operationally contested environment,” he said.

Teams from 1CSR and MRF-D will spend three weeks in the field, communicating across about 6600km2 to keep 4000 troops connected during Exercise Koolendong.

https://news.defence.gov.au/service/communications-ready-koolendong

Australia's east coast battles rising COVID-19 cases

Lidia Kelly - August 1, 2021

MELBOURNE, Aug 1 (Reuters) - Australia's east coast states of New South Wales and Queensland faced an escalating battle against the COVID-19 Delta variant on Sunday, with millions under strict lockdown and authorities urging more testing and vaccinations to rein in the outbreaks.

Sydney and its surroundings, under a stay-at-home order for five weeks already, reported 239 new locally acquired cases of the highly infectious Delta strain, matching the record daily number in the current outbreak that was reported on Thursday.

The city's 5 million residents and those in neighbouring regional centres spanning 200 km (120 miles) of coastline are to stay home until Aug. 28 at least. The total number of cases in the outbreak, which began in mid-June, has reached 3,427.

"I think what is important to know is that there is no roadmap for the Delta variant," NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said.

"The challenge for us is getting as many people vaccinated in August as possible so by the time 28 of August comes around, we have options as to how we can ease restrictions."

Australia's vaccination drive has been sluggish, with only 18% of adults fully vaccinated so far. Brad Hazzard, NSW health minister, said that 70% of the state's population could be fully vaccinated in about four months.

In neighbouring Queensland, there were nine new locally acquired cases of COVID-19, the biggest daily spike in almost a year. More than 3 million residents were put into a three-day snap lockdown on Saturday.

"It is vital (to get tested), anyone with any symptoms at all, it doesn't matter where you are, because I don't know where this virus is at the moment," Queensland's chief health officer Jeannette Young said.

Australia has managed to keep its epidemic largely under control with a total of just over 34,000 cases and 924 deaths. But the slow vaccination drive means that it could be months before the country's borders reopen.

https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/australias-new-south-wales-reports-239-locally-acquired-covid-19-cases-2021-08-01/

Anti-lockdown protest never arrived, but the movement is just getting started

Nick O'Malley - July 31, 2021

A lone man on a unicycle tootled by a bored-looking posse of police officers in an otherwise empty Victoria Park in the warm winter sun at midday, highlighting just how thoroughly authorities had closed the city to protesters.

A week earlier, protesters had gathered here before marching into the city in an anti-lockdown “freedom rally” that turned violent at times and provoked outrage from authorities and fellow citizens alike.

On Saturday, police ringed the city and flooded its parks and public spaces, determined to prevent a repeat of the event.

Taxis and ride-share services were banned from taking passengers into the CBD and police stopped cars at roadblocks on major roads, checking identification and turning away those without a valid reason for travelling into the exclusion zone.

Eight people were arrested across Greater Sydney and more than 250 penalty infringement notices were issued in the high visibility operation, which saw more than 1300 police deployed across the CBD and surrounding suburbs.

Most of the infringements were issued to people for travelling outside their local government area, contrary to the stay-at-home orders, police said.

Olive New watched the operation unfold on her doorstep in St Peters opposite Sydney Park where she has lived for 40 years. Ms New said she welcomed the police presence.

“I think it shows you how worried the government really is about COVID,” she said.

Throughout Newtown, where rallies were rumoured to have been planned, a community known for its sympathy for protest actions generally shared her sentiment.

A large homemade sign propped up early in the morning at Camperdown Memorial Rest Park read, “You give protest a bad name”. On local social media sites, people thanked the police for keeping protesters out.

At Hyde Park police officers gathered in groups at every entrance from early in the morning. No protesters were seen by the media who watched throughout the day.

On the social media channels of some prominent figures in the emerging anti-lockdown protest movement, it was claimed that the rallies authorities feared were never planned in the first place.

One leading figure from last weekend’s rally warned people against attending, saying it was a “trap” set by the media. Others described it as a “false flag” event, using a term favoured by conspiracy theorists who believe governments agents are behind events like pandemics or mass shootings.

Another message being shared on social media showed a flyer for a rally at Hyde Park, tagged with the message, “This event is a police set-up, do not attend.”

Kas Ross, an academic who researches the growing far right movement, said that even though authorities managed to avert protests on Saturday, the movement was likely to grow as long as the lockdown continued.

She said the anti-lockdown movement in Sydney is at a similar stage of growth as it was in Melbourne a year ago.

Dr Ross, who follows the movement on social media platforms, said that those who attended last week’s rally included protesters concerned about loss of civil liberties, as well as opportunists - often from right-wing fringe politics - seeking to raise their public profiles.

It was backed and promoted on social media by an international protest group called Worldwide Demonstration, which has helped organise rallies in cities around the world.

In Melbourne, the movement has also attracted QAnon conspiracy theorists, libertarians and Trump supporters, many of whom have never attended rallies in the past.

“As long as you have the lockdowns going on and people in some suburbs find they can’t leave the house without being questioned by police, while they are seeing pictures of people lying on the beach at Bondi, they are going to get pissed off, and some will protest,” she said.

The well-organised and networked global anti-vaccination movement has also been central to the movement, she says.

Some parts of the movement are already advertising another rally to be held in Sydney later this month, and a Worldwide Demonstration site is promoting a global rally slated for the following month.

https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/anti-lockdown-protest-never-arrived-but-the-movement-is-just-getting-started-20210731-p58epo.html

Covid cocktail given to Trump now recommended for Aussies

Australian Associated Press - 1 August 2021

An antibody cocktail given to Donald Trump when he contracted Covid-19 and now widely used in the United States has been conditionally recommended in Australia.

The National COVID-19 Clinical Evidence Taskforce has made a series of recommendations about the use of casirivimab plus imdevimab, or REGEN-COV, made by US company Regeneron.

The body, which compiles the latest information from peak health authorities managing treatment of the virus in Australia, has put forward REGEN-COV for patients hospitalised with moderate to critical COVID-19 who have no detectable virus antibodies.

Such patients have multiple health risk factors including comprised immune systems.

In these people, the taskforce advises, the risk of death is "probably reduced".

REGEN-COV, given by injection, is made of two monoclonal antibodies mixed together - hence the term "cocktail". They mimic natural antibodies and stop the virus doing as much damage.

It is not currently approved by national drug regulator the Therapeutic Goods Administration. However pharmaceutical company Roche Australia is trying to have the antibody cocktail made available.

"Roche is exploring opportunities to make the investigational antibody cocktail available in Australia and will work with the government on a potential supply agreement if approved for use in Australia," a spokesperson told AAP.

AAP understands Roche is waiting for approval and that this could come through within weeks.

The company's efforts come as severe cases in NSW rise. On Saturday, NSW Health reported 53 people in intensive care, including 27 ventilated. There have been 14 deaths in the state's current outbreak.

The federal health department confirmed on July 29 there had not yet been an application to the TGA for the drug's approval in Australia.

The department said it was aware of the recommendations made by the National Covid-19 Clinical Evidence Taskforce.

"We are actively monitoring COVID-19 therapeutic development that is occurring both in Australia and around the world and are meeting with pharmaceutical companies to discuss progress and the application process," a spokesperson told AAP.

"We are also part of a network of international regulators that meet regularly to discuss the development of COVID-19 therapies."

The research body advises against the use of REGEN-COV for COVID-19 infected people who have antibodies to the virus.

In mild or asymptomatic COVID-19 cases, it recommends the drug's use in research settings only and notes there is no available evidence on the use of the antibody cocktail in children, adolescents, pregnant and breastfeeding women or frail, older people.

The US drug regulator approved the Regeneron therapy for emergency use in COVID-19 patients in late 2020 in an attempt to prevent hospitalisations and worsening disease in patients with mild to moderate symptoms.

The Food and Drug Administration authorised the therapy in adults and children 12 and above and who are at high risk of severe illness because of age or medical conditions.

It is unclear whether the Regeneron drug was what helped former US President Trump recover from the virus.

https://au.news.yahoo.com/covid-cocktail-given-to-trump-now-recommended-for-aussies-010010039.html

YouTube restricts Sky News channel over ‘COVID misinformation’

Josh Butler - Aug 1 2021

1/2

YouTube has restricted Sky News Australia’s channel for a week and deleted several of its videos as part of a new crackdown on COVID ‘misinformation’.

It comes after Sky host Alan Jones was dropped from his column in News Corp’s Daily Telegraph and heavily criticised by former 2GB Radio colleague Ray Hadley following controversial comments on lockdowns and the pandemic.

Despite a relatively small television audience on Foxtel, Sky News Australia has one of the biggest YouTube channels in the country, with 1.86 million subscribers.

By comparison, ABC News has 1.42 million, 9 News Australia 767,000 and 7 News Australia 542,000.

Sky’s YouTube channel published dozens of videos every day, from short news bulletin clips to longer interviews and editorial segments from its ‘after dark’ conservative opinion programs.

But despite an active YouTube presence, Sky News Australia hasn’t published a video on the platform since July 29.

In a statement to The New Daily, a spokesperson for Google-owned YouTube said the channel had been given a “strike” for posting videos that the platform claimed constituted “misinformation” about COVID.

That strike means the channel is restricted from posting new videos for seven days.

“We have clear and established COVID-19 medical misinformation policies based on local and global health authority guidance, to prevent the spread of COVID-19 misinformation that could cause real-world harm,” the YouTube spokesperson said.

“We apply our policies equally for everyone regardless of uploader, and in accordance with these policies and our long-standing strikes system, removed videos from and issued a strike to Sky News Australia’s channel.

YouTube said it doesn’t “allow content that denies the existence of COVID-19 or that encourages people to use hydroxychloroquine or ivermectin to treat or prevent the virus”.

“We do allow for videos that have sufficient countervailing context, which the violative videos did not provide,” the statement continued.

YouTube declined to specify exactly which videos had been removed or how their content breached the platform’s rules.

TND contacted News Corp for comment, but did not immediately receive a response. In a statement on its website, Sky News Australia confirmed the suspension, saying it came after “a review of old uploaded videos.”

“Sky News Australia acknowledges YouTube’s right to enforce its policies and looks forward to continuing to publish its popular news and analysis content back to its audience of 1.85 million YouTube subscribers shortly,” it said.

“We support broad discussion and debate on a wide range of topics and perspectives which is vital to any democracy. We take our commitment to meeting editorial and community expectations seriously.”

(continued)

>>14243180

2/2

Hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin, drugs long used for treatment of malaria and parasites respectively, had been held up by some – including former US president Donald Trump – as possible COVID treatments. However, their use has been dismissed by medical authorities.

When former Coalition MP Craig Kelly quit to sit as an independent, he specifically mentioned ivermectin as a factor, telling TND “I was greatly concerned with what’s happening with some of the COVID treatments”.

Posting on his Telegram channel, Coalition MP George Christensen – a regular guest on Sky News – responded to the YouTube move by demanding “the Australian government must finally take action on Big Tech censorship”.

“A foreign power should not have that much control over what Australians are able to view and listen to online,” Mr Christensen said.

Sky News Australia’s YouTube videos regularly rack up hundreds of thousands or even millions of views. Many of the most popular clips are from their night-time conservative opinion shows, largely focusing on American politics or international affairs, including Mr Trump and the COVID pandemic, or making claims about the “cognitive” performance of current US President Joe Biden.

YouTube’s community standards system sees a channel permanently deleted if it receives three ‘strikes’ within a 90-day period. A warning is given for a “first violation”, the standards set out. However, the rules continue, “if we find your content doesn’t follow our policies for a second time, you’ll get a strike”.

A first strike means that, for a week, a channel is restricted from uploading videos or live streams, and other actions including creating playlists or thumbnails.

“Full privileges will be restored automatically after the one-week period, but your strike will remain on your channel for 90 days,” YouTube’s standards say.

YouTube’s internal policies don’t allow videos that share medical misinformation about COVID, including those that contradict local health advice on treatments, preventions, transmission or social distancing.

Mr Jones’ Sky News show has come under fire from Mr Hadley in recent days. Mr Hadley claimed Mr Jones had been an “apologist” for anti-lockdown protesters who rallied in Sydney and Melbourne last weekend, and that he had given platforms to “conspiracy theorists” and “anti-vaxxers”.

Sky News Australia also posted a correction on its website last month, following a segment where Mr Jones interviewed Mr Kelly about the COVID pandemic and death rates in the United Kingdom. The channel said that clip had been removed from its websites.

Mr Jones also provided an on-air correction during his show on July 19.

Also on Sunday, Sky News Australia expanded with a new free-to-air offering in regional parts of the country through WIN and Southern Cross.

https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/2021/08/01/sky-news-youtube-restricted/

https://twitter.com/ABCmediawatch/status/1417254828774858754

Anonymous ID: fb6445 Aug. 1, 2021, 2:37 a.m. No.14243226 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>3230

How foreign spies are infiltrating Australia

Intelligence experts say a “dormant presence” is lurking in Australia’s critical networks amid a rise in espionage efforts by foreign governments.

David Hurley - August 1, 2021

Foreign spies under the control of overseas governments are feared to have planted digital viruses to disrupt Australia’s critical networks such as electricity, water and food delivery in the event of the country going to war.

The Sunday Herald Sun can reveal intelligence agencies have learned that a “dormant presence” is believed to be lurking in the country’s critical networks, ready to be deployed if Australia becomes involved in a conflict in the region or in a humanitarian crisis.

It can also be revealed that more than 10 suspected spies have left Australia in the past 12 months after being confronted with strong evidence they were involved in foreign interference.

In an exclusive interview with the Sunday Herald Sun, Liberal senator James Paterson, chair of the federal parliament’s powerful intelligence and security committee, said espionage efforts by China in Australia had never been higher and the country is “by far and away the biggest threat”.

Speaking about the spectre of foreign spies having infiltrated Australia’s critical infrastructure, Senator Paterson did not name China directly, but said: “The sobering thing about that is we have had independent experts before the committee say they believe it is likely there is already a dormant presence on some of those critical networks of a foreign state that could be activated in the event of a regional conflict or crisis.

“And that activation could be used to disable Australia internally and to weaken us to prevent us from projecting our power in the region and prevent us from coming to the aid of our friends and allies.”

Malware, or malicious software, is any program or file that is harmful to a computer network and includes viruses, worms, trojan horses and spyware.

The Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) is grappling with the threat of foreign spies more than at any time in its 72-year history.

While the public hear little about the work that goes into sending foreign spies home, Senator Paterson said it is happening frequently.

“It is very real,” he said.

“There is a lot that happens below the surface which will never reach the public record. There are foreign spies and agents of foreign powers who are all the time identified by ASIO and other agencies and called out and leave quietly to avoid embarrassment to their government.”

In March ASIO director-general Mike Burgess revealed the agency had cracked a “nest of spies” that successfully recruited a government official with security access to classified defence technology.

The spies also groomed politicians and tried to get access to sensitive security protocols for a major airport.

https://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/how-foreign-spies-are-infiltrating-australia/news-story/bc54c0422f22f5d1ebdac05dc73c2c82

Anonymous ID: fb6445 Aug. 1, 2021, 2:38 a.m. No.14243230 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>3232

>>14243226

Victorian senator lifts lid on China’s ‘wolf-warrior diplomacy’

A senator has revealed the “shocking” level of Chinese subterfuge in Australia as the escalating trade war leads to a deterioration in relations between the two countries.

DAVID HURLEY - July 31, 2021

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A lot has changed in four years. Back in 2017 the Turnbull government was considering signing an extradition treaty with China.

For many it was a no-brainer. Just another agreement with the country’s biggest trading partner.

James Paterson was 29 at the time and had been in the Senate only a year.

Until then his background was more in economics than national security. But something didn’t feel right to him about the looming deal with China.

Along with MPs Andrew Hastie and Tim Wilson, the young senator threatened to cross the floor and vote against the government.

“I was concerned an Australian citizen could be sent to face a fundamentally unfair justice system that has a 99.9 per cent conviction rate,” he tells the Sunday Herald Sun in his South Melbourne office.

“I was worried it would be another tool of leverage or oppression for the Chinese Communist Party to use against the Chinese diaspora in Australia.

“There are 1.2 million people here who already face threats to family and friends back at home if they don’t uphold and support Beijing’s political objectives in Australia.

“I thought this would be a powerful tool and strike a lot of fear into the hearts of the Chinese community.”

Fast-forward four years and the relationship between Australia and China has undergone a seismic shift. An escalating trade war has led to a rapid deterioration in relations between the two countries.

Australia’s security agencies have stepped up their efforts against foreign interference – with China deemed the No. 1 target.

Two weeks ago Australia joined the US in accusing China of engaging in “malicious cyber activities”, including recently a huge global hack on Microsoft Exchange software that compromised tens of thousands of computers.

“Everything that has happened in the last four years has vindicated that stand. No Australian government today would propose an extradition treaty with China; we have moved on a long way,” Senator Paterson said.

Earlier this year the Liberal senator was appointed chairman of the federal parliament’s powerful intelligence and security committee.

“It has been a steep learning curve over the last five months,” he said.

“China is the biggest player in this space (espionage). They are not the only player, but China is by far and away the biggest threat.”

(continued)

>>14243230

2/2

Since Labor senator Sam Dastyari resigned in 2017 over his links to Chinese businessmen, the national security focus on China has grown.

“The Sam Dastyari affair was the big wake-up call for the system,” Senator Paterson said. “A lot of legislative change has flowed from that, including the foreign influence and transparency scheme and other changes, including banning donations to political parties from foreign entities.”

A huge amount of work by the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation goes on behind the scenes – work the public will never find out about.

In the past year more than 10 suspected spies working for foreign governments have left Australia after being confronted with evidence of their spying.

“Usually it doesn’t require them to be arrested or for them to be charged for them to leave,” Senator Paterson said.

“We just tell their home government that we have identified them and it will be a good idea for them to leave – and usually they pretty quickly do.”

The senator said that since taking on his new role he was surprised at the level of Chinese subterfuge in Australia.

“I was shocked. Since I became the chair and had access to much deeper and broader briefings about their (China’s) activities, even I was surprised,” he said.

“I think Australians would be shocked by the breadth of it.”

“We have seen a very big change in the way China approaches the world.

“They are very determined on the path they are on, and the wolf-warrior diplomacy they are using around the world is not an accident – it is very deliberate.

“They think because they have come to a position of power and prominence – the most powerful they have ever been – that the compromises they used to have to make they don’t have to make anymore, and they can demand and expect more of the world. It is going to be a big challenge.”

The tensions with China are unlikely to go away anytime soon.

The intelligence and security committee held an inquiry recently into the way Australian universities dealt with China.

“I have been concerned about what we have discovered so far and we will report in the next couple of months with a series of recommendations about how to address this,” Senator Paterson said.

“This inquiry was called because we were worried universities were not prudently managing their relationship with China. The inquiry has revealed that in many instances they are not. It is a real point of vulnerability for Australia.”

https://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/victorian-senator-lifts-lid-on-chinas-wolfwarrior-diplomacy/news-story/13565af5619ea4256af5a9b044807e4b

Our resilience has silenced Covid prophets of doom

JENNIFER ORIEL - AUGUST 2, 2021

1/2

You are more resilient than you think. The message from mental health experts is that life in lockdown has been hard for most and misery for some. But the Covid pandemic has done its worst and humanity has survived. Developed nations where the virus took hold early are reaching high levels of vaccination, which should mean an end to the most restrictive public health containment policies. While Australia is playing catch-up, vaccination rates are rising as state governments allow younger people to access vaccines. All of this is good news for thumping Covid and giving hope where mutual suspicion has reigned for too long.

It takes a Christian with chutzpah to bet on Christmas. But the Prime Minister has set his sights on opening the country in time for Santa. On Friday, he met with the national cabinet to hatch a plot against Covid’s grip on power. Armed with modelling from the Doherty Institute, cabinet set vaccination thresholds for charting a path out of the pandemic. When 70 per cent of the population is fully vaccinated, lockdowns will become less likely, some international arrivals will be permitted and vaccinated residents will enjoy greater freedoms such as reduced quarantine requirements.

At about 80 per cent, lockdowns will be “highly targeted”; vaccinated residents will have greater freedom of movement and be permitted to travel internationally. The travel bubble will be extended to other “safe” countries and inbound citizens who have been fully vaccinated will enjoy reduced requirements for re-entry.

The long-awaited end to Covid winter is in sight. Yet psychologists have warned that mental health can deteriorate as societies move out of pandemics. For The Atlantic, the Covid mind is a tale of two stories. The first ran in July 2020. Jacob Stern marshalled research and experts who warned about an impending mental health disaster. Stern observed that a third of Americans were already feeling severe anxiety. Texts to a federal emergency mental health line had increased 1000 per cent.

It was widely believed that people were at risk of post-traumatic stress disorder. There was historical precedent; in the four years following the SARS pandemic, more than 40 per cent of survivors in Hong Kong were found to have a psychiatric illness. There were “delirious patients” in America with “chilling hallucinations”. Stern contended that: “A wave of psychological stress unique in its nature and proportions is bearing down on an already-ramshackle American mental healthcare system.”

A year on, The Atlantic was emerging from dystopia. Psychology professors Lara Aknin, Jamil Zaki and Elizabeth Dunn reported on their efforts to quantify the psychological effects of the pandemic. They examined studies from nearly 100 countries that measured variables such as life satisfaction, anxiety, depression and deaths by suicide.

(continued)

>>14245410

2/2

While there had been an initial and dramatic increase in reported levels of anxiety and depression, including clinically significant forms of psychological distress, recovery began during 2020 “as spring turned to summer”. The researchers found that life satisfaction had remained stable in the year. In some countries, the rate of suicide had declined. The professors cautioned that the studies were limited by methodology, but suggested: “People are more resilient than they themselves realise.”

In Australia, too, researchers have found that, generally, people adapted and found ways to cope with the external shocks brought about by the pandemic. As lead researcher of the Australian Unity Wellbeing Index, Associate Professor Delyse Hutchinson, reported, despite the challenges, personal and national wellbeing scores remained largely within the average range. She attributed it to “the resilience of the Australian community (and) our adaptive capability as a society”.

It is good news for everyone except those seeking to capitalise on Covid-induced psychological distress. Time might heal most wounds produced by the pandemic, but an increase in mental health suffering justifies demands for increased government funding.

However, emerging research indicates that instead of a blanket approach to mental health funding, governments might be better advised to increase funds for specific groups such as the unemployed, people with pre-existing mental health conditions and more serious psychological illness.

The pandemic brought an avalanche of predictions about mental health. The short story was that lockdowns would lead to a mass psychological crisis with long-term effects. In retrospect, it might simply be that, like the rest of society, the media was panicked by the pandemic. But before long, little acts of defiance began appearing on suburban streets like green shoots butting their heads against concrete to greet the sun. Teddy bears were propped up on windowsills to delight children on their Covid-compliant walks. People made friends with neighbours. New communities formed online. And if you tried to buy a breadmaker during lockdown, you soon learned that baking had made a comeback like the 1950s had never gone out of fashion.

Australia’s experience of the pandemic has been relatively benign; we have huddled in the shadow of the beast, not under its scythe. But, like the rest of the world, we have learned human beings are a creative, adaptive and resilient lot. For everyone, there will be a memory from the pandemic of the spirit triumphant. Mine is the moment when tenor Maurizio Marchini took to his balcony to serenade Florence with Puccini’s Nessun Dorma as the pandemic waltzed its danse macabre through the shuttered houses and shattered hospitals of Italy. Nessun dorma: none shall sleep. At last, we can put the prophets of doom on notice. Covid’s days are numbered and Santa Claus is coming to town.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/commentary/our-resilience-has-silenced-covid-prophets-of-doom/news-story/e9e6783e36be4553c155c54a2585055f

Anonymous ID: fb6445 Aug. 1, 2021, 11:45 a.m. No.14245420 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>5424

>>14245410

Vaccination the gold medal we aspire to

SCOTT MORRISON - AUGUST 2, 2021

1/2

Like all Australians, my family has been inspired by watching the extraordinary performance of our athletes in Tokyo. Whether it has been our Queen Machine, led by Emma McKeon in the pool, on the water with our rowers, in the rapids with Jess Fox, or boxer Skye Nicolson baring her heart and soul to the nation after her disappointment and Patrick Tiernan getting to his feet in the final lap of the 10,000m, we are bursting with pride. Not just in what they have achieved, but in what they have overcome to be there in Tokyo.

Of course, these are extraordinary athletes. They have incredible determination and rare skills that enable them to go higher, faster and further than the rest of us. But what I think really endears our Olympians to us all is just how like the rest of us they really are. Ash Barty kicking a footy before a match. Kaylee McKeown’s uncensored joy. Rohan Browning’s mullet. And then you see their families, tearing up, shouting loudly and hugging the breath out of each other.

They come from a place of honesty, sincerity and passion. Where you just push through life’s trials and get on with it.

There may not be gold medals for being a single parent, running a small business, doing night shift at an emergency department or aged-care facility or volunteering for your local surf lifesaving club or bushfire brigade, but if there were, Australia would be high in the medal tally. This is why I have always been so confident that Australia will pull through this Covid-19 pandemic. We won’t let it beat us. We won’t let our frustration get the better of us. We won’t let negativity overwhelm our optimism. We will just put our heads down and keep pressing on.

So far, working together, we have done better than almost any other country in the world in saving lives and livelihoods. We haven’t seen anything like this in 100 years. And it doesn’t come with an instruction manual.

The overseas evidence clearly shows that if we had the same experience of other advanced economy countries, where their Covid death rate has been almost 40 times greater than in Australia, more than 30,000 additional Australians would have died. Together, we stopped this.

And, despite setbacks from recent lockdowns, more than one million Australians were able to get themselves back into work after last year’s Covid recession, as our unemployment rate fell to 4.9 per cent. Now we have to finish the job and get Australians vaccinated. Because that is our path back.

As Prime Minister, I take responsibility for the early setbacks in our vaccination program. I also take responsibility for getting them fixed and that we are now matching world-best rates, with more than 1 million doses every week. The supplies are in place, the GPs, pharmacists and state clinics are getting the job done.

To keep us focusing forward, I have been able to secure the support of our premiers and chief ministers around the country for our national four-step plan to bring this home.

(continued)

>>14245420

2/2

This plan now has clear vaccination targets to drive us on. Right now we are in the suppression phase, where the only way to stay ahead of the new Delta strain is to have quick and short lockdowns.

I wish this was different, but the Delta strain is far more infectious. The science of the Delta strain is the game changer and you can’t ignore it. The tools of testing and contact tracing are no longer enough to enable us to weather limited cases in the community.

We now need 70 per cent of our population aged over 16 to get vaccinated to move to the next phase where we can start saying goodbye to lockdowns. When we hit 80 per cent, lockdowns should become a thing of the past.

I can say this because I asked one of the world’s best pandemic expert scientific organisations – the Doherty Institute in Melbourne – to tell us at what rate of vaccination we can now safely take these steps, and not see it all fall over again and run out of control as we have seen in other countries that have tried.

I also asked our economic experts the same question, about the lockdowns and the cost of restrictions. And they agreed with the medical experts. With this new Delta strain, until we get to 70 per cent, you have to lock down for quick short periods, as this avoids longer lockdowns, where the cost is far greater.

The idea that you can just let this rip and ignore it is not an option. It is fanciful, foolish and dangerous.

To get us through these lockdowns, the federal government is providing timely and direct financial support to individuals and businesses. Through our Covid Disaster Payment, we have already directly helped 774,465 Australians in NSW, Victoria and South Australia with payments totalling $994.5m. This support will now extend to southeast Queensland.

So, 70 per cent is our next mark to get to Phase B and 80 per cent for Phase C. Like you, I wish it were lower. But it’s not. It’s what the detailed scientific analysis of the virus tells us. The science of Covid-19 writes these rules, not us, so we just have to adjust and beat it. If the virus changes again we’ll have to do the same.

If we all work together we can get this done, including getting to the next step before the end of the year. But it is up to all of us. There will be enough supplies. There will be enough GPs, pharmacists and nurses to deliver the jabs. All we now need is you.

So, our gold medal run to the end of year is now well under way. Our Olympians in Tokyo have given us the perfect inspiration to get this done. It’s now up to us.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/commentary/vaccination-the-gold-medal-we-aspire-to/news-story/a4c914567ad24ee565ccad5955131d9f

>>14248043

U.S. Marines Tweet

G'day, mates! @Australian_Navy

#Marines and Sailors of the America Expeditionary Strike Group greet the crew of HMAS Ballarat (FFH 155) during an underway replenishment of the amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6) in the Coral Sea.

https://twitter.com/USMC/status/1421820053029281794

>>14243180

YouTube’s Murdoch ban over COVID lies

Kevin Rudd

Aug 1, 2021

In the midst of a pandemic — more than half the country into lockdown, severe sickness & death, and businesses suffering — Murdoch’s vultures have been caught out lying to the Australian people on basic medical information. And then trying to cover it up. #MurdochRoyalCommission / MurdochRC.com

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2z8tbYj3Rgw

Former NSW MP Michael Johnsen not charged over alleged rape of Blue Mountains sex worker

abc.net.au - 1 August 2021

Former New South Wales Nationals MP Michael Johnsen will not be charged after allegations he raped a sex worker.

Police said the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) recommended there was "insufficient admissible evidence to proceed with charges".

Mr Johnsen resigned from Parliament in the wake of the allegations, prompting a by-election in May in the marginal seat of Upper Hunter.

In a statement, Mr Johnsen said he had been "formally cleared" of the sexual assault allegation by police "with no further action to occur against me".

"I have been vindicated. I am innocent. As stated all along," he said.

The Nationals narrowly held the seat during the by-election in May, but the slump in Labor's primary vote ended the Labor leadership of Jodi McKay who described the result as "devastating".

In his statement, Mr Johnsen also accused Ms McKay and Blue Mountains MP Trish Doyle of abusing parliamentary privilege by airing the claims publicly.

Ms Doyle used parliamentary privilege earlier this year to claim that a "government MP" had been accused of raping a sex worker at a secluded lookout in Ms Doyle's electorate.

Within hours, Mr Johnsen had issued a statement revealing he was the MP at the centre of the allegations.

Other details also emerged, including that he offered to pay the sex worker to have sex in the NSW Parliament and sent the woman a string of lewd text messages and an obscene video while Parliament was sitting.

Mr Johnsen resigned from Parliament over the rape allegations and was removed from the Nationals and Coalition party rooms, and suspended from the National Party.

At the time, Mr Johnsen said his decision to resign was with a "heavy heart" and that he was confident he would be cleared of the alleged rape.

He admitted he was an "imperfect human" but said the alleged crime "just didn't happen".

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-08-01/nsw-michael-johnsen-not-charged-over-rape-allegation/100340798

Fake video purports to show Australian federal police boss plotting to overthrow government

A man has been charged over the recording of someone claiming to be Reece Kershaw talking about plans to remove key members of the government

Elias Visontay - 2 Aug 2021

Hundreds of replica police badges have been seized and a Perth man arrested after an investigation triggered by a fake recording purporting to show Australia’s federal police commissioner describing a plot to overthrow Australia’s government.

On Monday, the AFP announced they had arrested a 49-year-old man from Tuart Hill in suburban Perth on the weekend after they allegedly identified his voice in a fake recording that went viral over the past two weeks in online conspiracy groups.

The recording purports to show AFP commissioner Reece Kershaw speaking about a secret unit of his force and how Australia’s government could be “dissolved”.

In the recording, a man claiming to be Kershaw says he had been approached by groups including the army about an intention to “bear arms on the government”, and how governor general David Hurley would be removed and replaced by a former political candidate.

The man was charged with impersonating a commonwealth public official, with police alleging he claimed to be an AFP official during an unsuccessful attempt to obtain stamps and ID badges bearing the official force’s logo from a commercial business.

He was bailed to appear before Perth Magistrates Court on 16 August. The maximum penalty for his charge is two years in prison.

Andrew Donoghue, AFP commander of investigations in the northern command, said the man was in contact with a group of like-minded people holding “anti-government views”.

Donoghue said his arrest was part of an operation carried out by joint counterterrorism teams – which comprise the AFP, the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation and a state police force – at homes across three states.

In Queensland, officers searched a home in Cairns where a member of the group lived after investigators had tracked three boxes of replica AFP badges ordered to the house. Officers found 470 of the replica badges dumped in a creek near the home.

Donoghue said he expects to lay further charges as investigations into the group continue.

“These are people who believe our systems of government do not apply to them or are somehow illegal and must be usurped. I want to emphasise that this video is complete and utter nonsense, it is not from the AFP,” Donoghue said.

“It has no truth or credibility.”

Donoghue stressed that police “have no evidence that this group has the ability or capability to commit violent acts to overthrow the government”, but said “the behaviour of these people is extremely concerning” and that ongoing investigations are “focused on criminality, not ideology”.

He said the group “wanted to establish a separate strain” of the AFP, and issue a number of arrest warrants for “high profile people”.

Police also searched homes in Brisbane and Townsville, as well as in the rural South Australian town of Peterborough.

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/aug/02/fake-video-purports-to-show-australian-federal-police-boss-plotting-to-overthrow-government

>>14249699

Plot to oust government, replace AFP

Tracey Ferrier - 02/08/2021

A plan to overthrow the Morrison government and arrest senior MPs and bureaucrats has been thwarted by counter-terrorism police.

The bizarre plot also involved setting up an alternative police force and the manufacture of 470 fake Australian Federal Police badges found dumped in a creek in Cairns.

One man has been arrested in Perth and other arrests are expected in coming days.

The group is allegedly behind a fake video circulating online and purportedly from AFP Commissioner Reece Kershaw, calling on people to join the AFP and overthrow the federal government.

One man arrested in Perth at the weekend has been charged with one count of impersonating a Commonwealth public official.

AFP Acting Assistant Commissioner Andrew Donoghoe said the man claimed to be a Commonwealth official during an unsuccessful attempt to obtain stamps and ID badges, bearing the official AFP logo, from a commercial business.

"We are also aware of a shipment of three boxes of replica AFP badges consigned to a house in Cairns. These were found dumped in a local creek and recovered by the Queensland Police," he said.

There were 470 badges in all.

"Inquiries are continuing to ensure no other badges are in possession of this group or any of their associates.

"We have no evidence that this group has the ability or capability to commit violent acts to overthrow the government.

"But the behaviour of these people is extremely concerning and we are continuing our investigation to identify any criminal offences as a result."

Mr Donoghoe said the fake video circulating online demonstrated that "they wanted to establish a separate Australian Federal Police force".

"They had issued several warrants for a number of high-profile government people and they intended to execute those arrest warrants on those people," he said.

He described the video as complete and utter nonsense with no truth or credibility.

The operation to dismantle the group followed a two-week investigation with raids carried out over the weekend in Perth, Brisbane, Townsville, Cairns and rural South Australia.

More arrests are expected.

https://7news.com.au/news/crime/man-busted-over-afp-boss-impersonation-c-3573321

>>14249699

Man charged with impersonating Commonwealth official as search warrants executed in three states

Australian Federal Police - 2 August 2021

A Perth man was charged with impersonating a Commonwealth public official and six search warrants were executed across three states on Saturday as part of a Queensland Joint Counter Terrorism Team (JCTT) investigation into a group of people allegedly impersonating government officials and holding anti-government sentiment.

The Queensland JCTT executed search warrants in Brisbane, Cairns and Townsville, while additional search warrants were executed in Peterborough (SA) and two locations in Perth (including the suburb of Tuart Hill) by the Joint Counter Terrorism Teams in those states. The purpose of these warrants was to disrupt the group’s activities, and collect evidence which may indicate criminal actions.

Queensland JCTT investigators have not found an impending threat to community safety, and have yet to find any evidence the group had the ability to carry out acts they had discussed.

A 49-year-old man from Tuart Hill is scheduled to appear in Perth Magistrates Court on Monday, 16 August 2021. Police will allege he claimed to be an AFP official during an unsuccessful attempt to obtain stamps and ID badges bearing the official Australian Federal Police (AFP) logo from a commercial business. Further enquiries are continuing into this man’s activities.

Police will allege members of the group are responsible for a video that is circulating through social media channels that falsely claims to be a recording of the AFP Commissioner detailing anti-government sentiment and encouraging others to join. The man speaking in this video is not AFP Commissioner Reece Kershaw.

JCTT enquiries identified the man speaking in this recording, and found him to be part of a group of like-minded people across Australia who regularly met online and discussed their shared interest in taking over the Federal Government, including the creation of ‘arrest warrants’ for a number of high-profile politicians and public servants.

Investigators were last week made aware of a shipment of three boxes of replica AFP badges that were consigned to a house in Cairns where a member of the group lived. These three boxes were found dumped in a local creek and recovered by the Queensland Police Service. A total of 470 badges were recovered by police before the execution of search warrants, and enquiries are continuing to ensure the entire shipment of badges has been recovered.

AFP Assistant Commissioner Counter Terrorism Scott Lee said it was concerning a group of people had arranged the manufacture of AFP replica badges and creation of a false video online.

“We have found no evidence this group has the ability – or has actually attempted – to carry out specific violent acts in support of statements made by members of this group. The Queensland JCTT acted early in this instance to stop any potential disturbing activities at the earliest possible stage, and we will not hesitate to lay further charges if more criminal offences are identified,” he said.

“The general public needs to know that a video purporting to be of the AFP Commissioner calling for people to join in a plan to create a new government is complete and utter nonsense – it is not from the Commissioner, it is not from the AFP and has absolutely no credibility. We continue to investigate those we believe are responsible for creating it.”

Queensland Police Assistant Commissioner Debbie Platz, Security and Counter Terrorism Command, urged members of the public with any information relevant to this matters to come forward.

“The Queensland Police Service values the ongoing relationships it has fostered with the Australian Federal Police and Australian Security Intelligence Organisation as part of the JCTT to keep Queensland safe,” she said.

“These types of activities can easily escalate, and we urge members of the community to contact Crime Stoppers or the National Security Hotline with any information of concern.”

The man from Tuart Hill has been charged with one count of impersonation of Commonwealth public officials, contrary to section 148.1 (2) of the Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth). The maximum penalty for this offence is two years imprisonment.

The Queensland JCTT is comprised of members of the Australian Federal Police, Queensland Police Service and the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation.

Anyone with information about extremist activity or possible threats to the community should come forward, no matter how small or insignificant you may think the information may be. The National Security Hotline is 1800 123 400.

UPDATE: Audio from this media conference can be downloaded from Hightail - https://spaces.hightail.com/space/Uy5eonBUKP

https://www.afp.gov.au/news-media/media-releases/man-charged-impersonating-commonwealth-official-search-warrants-executed

>>14249699

Man charged over fake video of AFP chief Kershaw ‘plotting coup’

STEPHEN RICE - AUGUST 2, 2021

A faked video purporting to be a leaked briefing by Australian Federal Police Commissioner Reece Kershaw planning to arrest government leaders for treason is circulating in online conspiracy circles and has been watched more than 100,000 times, with police sources expressing fear that unbalanced individuals may act on it.

Police sources say a man has been charged over the circulation of the videos.

The video claims to reveal Commissioner Kershaw “spelling out the crimes of how our ‘leaders’ have hijacked our Government and how they will be taken down under common law and the constitution.”

Police authorities who track online conspiracy activists have become increasingly alarmed at the proliferation of anti-vax and anti-lockdown messaging inciting violence and armed resistance to lockdown and other restrictions.

“This has already started,” the man purported to be Commissioner Kershaw says in the video. “When are we going to overthrow the Government? ASAP! This is lawful arrest warrants on people who have done wrong by the criminal justice system and we have to arrest them for that.”

The “commissioner” tells potential recruits some of them will be armed but “the last resort is to pull a handgun on someone – we don’t want to do it; we want to do it lawfully and under the 1979 Police Act.”

They will be getting an AFP badge, he says, but “only to be used on the day of the arrests.”

The fake video clip has been posted on dozens of social media sites including pages belonging to celebrity chef Pete Evans, rebel MP Craig Kelly and activists linked to the recent “Freedom Day” protest marches.

The man who calls himself “the commissioner” claims to have a handgun that he brings to meetings to “show people this is not a bloody game. There could be times where your life could be threatened.”

“This is not a coup, this is not a terrorist act,” he says. “If you think you’re going in guns blazing and it’s going to be all fun and games, it’s not. This is not a game. You’re signing on for something that could be dangerous.”

“The people at the top will be removed from their positions,” the man says. The Governor-General Sir David Hurley will be “taken from power completely” and “the true Governor General”– far right activist Teresa van Lieshout – will be installed in his place.

Former One Nation and Palmer United Party candidate Teresa van Lieshout posts videos issuing “arrest warrants” for various politicians, state premiers and chief medical officers for offences including murder and treason.

The Australian understands the audio is of a real Zoom meeting conducted on the Gold Coast by a splinter group connected to the far-right Citizens Initiated Referendum, for the purpose of recruiting gullible volunteers.

The audio of the meeting has then been re-badged with a picture of Commissioner Kershaw and added text to make it appear he is the speaker.

The session purports to be an opportunity for volunteers to sign up for a secret section of the AFP where they will be given firearms and self-defence training.

The Citizens Initiated Referendum claims Australia’s leaders are traitors and the death penalty should be re-introduced for treason.

The group’s website states that “Australia is heading towards a similar fate to Germany before Hitler came along”, and that “Hitler has plenty to teach us.”

The site links to videos claiming that “Jews are a people of robbers” who have “destroyed civilisations by the hundreds.”

The man claiming to be Commissioner Kershaw says in the video: “All you have to do is sign on, learn the basic self defence, be ready for when we give you that direction to be called up, to effect the arrest warrants.

“So long as you’re ready to stand up and effect the arrest warrants and dissolve the political parties that have done wrong, we don’t have a problem with that

“They won’t be able to come in and vax you because we will stop that. That’s why I’m calling upon Australians, men and women, we need you to sign on, to stand up, put on the boxing gloves and get ready to go. Be ready to do your duty, not only as a Federal Police Officer but as a citizen.

“Eventually they’ll pull a full lockdown on us and that’s something we can’t have.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/man-charged-over-fake-video-of-afp-chief-kershaw-plotting-coup/news-story/b9acb20b6be8263a7c3e033a2ce5e6e3

Anonymous ID: fb6445 Aug. 2, 2021, 1:05 a.m. No.14249826 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>7322

Ben Roberts-Smith defamation case adjourned due to Sydney COVID outbreak

Jamie McKinnell - 2 August 2021

The high-stakes defamation trial of war veteran Ben Roberts-Smith has been adjourned for three months due to Sydney's COVID-19 outbreak.

The case resumed temporarily last week so the Federal Court could hear from three Afghan villagers over a video link from Kabul, following concerns about the deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan.

Both parties agreed the case should be adjourned until November 1, as the majority of remaining Australian witnesses are from outside NSW.

Justice Anthony Besanko today agreed, noting the state's stay-at-home orders would be in place until at least the end of August.

"There is at least a reasonable possibility that they will be extended for a period thereafter," he told the hearing in Sydney.

"Even after the stay-at-home orders have ceased to operate, it is necessary to build in a period before any state borders are open."

The judge said there was a need for as much certainty as possible as to the resumption of the trial.

"There are potentially many witnesses still to be called in this trial and the logistical arrangements for these witnesses are substantial," he said.

Mr Roberts-Smith is suing The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and The Canberra Times over stories that reported serious allegations of war crimes, bullying, and domestic violence.

He has denied all of the allegations, while the newspapers are relying on a truth defence.

The court was told Nine Entertainment Co, the publisher of two of the papers, plans to call up to 24 witnesses and 19 are interstate.

Mr Roberts-Smith said he may call up to 19 witnesses.

Both sides have multiple former or current Special Air Service Regiment (SAS) operators on their witness lists.

The veteran's legal team also sought orders requiring any witness who seeks to be excused from attending in person file an affidavit setting out their reasons by late September.

But Justice Besanko rejected that proposal.

"It seems to me undesirable to make such orders in such unpredictable circumstances and in my opinion it is appropriate to maintain a degree of flexibility," he said.

The judge set down a case management hearing in October so questions of witness appearances could be debated.

He also declined to make an order setting a date in February for closing submissions, saying the trial had not reached a point where "sound and sensible decisions" could be made about such matters.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-08-02/ben-roberts-smith-defamation-adjourned-three-months/100342222

Talisman Sabre Tweet

What's it like training with your Australian comrades?

Hear from U.S. Special Operations personnel as they complete jump training with #YourADF from an MC-130J Air Commando II during #TS21.

@USSOCOM @AustralianArmy #AlliesAndPartners

https://twitter.com/TalismanSabre/status/1421289654360358913

Talisman Sabre Tweet

The end of #TS21

#YourADF and International Military personnel who participated in #TalismanSabre this year marked the end of the exercise during a closing ceremony yesterday.

(Australia, United States, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, United Kingdom, India, Indonesia, France and Germany)

But it's not the end of us! We still have lots to show you so stay tuned.

https://twitter.com/TalismanSabre/status/1422034084004573186

U.S. Embassy and Consulates in Australia

Chargé d’Affaires Doug Sonnek Speech: Talisman Sabre Closing Ceremony

August 01, 2021

Talisman Sabre Closing Ceremony – Kissing Point, Townsville

“It is a pleasure to be here with you in Townsville for the conclusion of Talisman Sabre 2021.

Since 2005, Talisman Sabre has created opportunities for the United States and Australia to work closely together to enhance our collective military capabilities.

Over the past month, here in Queensland, our combined militaries have undertaken critical, high-level training exercises to improve the capacity of our servicemen and women to work together.

We were pleased to welcome some ten thousand American Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, Airmen, and Guardians to experience for themselves the close bond our two nations share.

This exercise achieved significant milestones in our military interoperability, including firing the U.S. Marine Corp’s High Mobility Artillery Rocket System here in Queensland.

The ninth iteration of Talisman Sabre was only possible thanks to the Australian and Queensland governments, for enabling this crucial bilateral military training event to proceed safely during a global pandemic.

We also thank all the servicemen and women who have conscientiously adhered to COVID guidelines throughout.

Although this year’s exercise may have looked different due to the pandemic, one thing remains the same: our relationship stands strong.

Despite the challenges of a global pandemic, we have completed this essential exercise, in the presence of our many allies and partners invited to observe.

Talisman Sabre is a critical component in our mission to advance an open, interconnected, resilient, and secure Indo-Pacific.

Exercises such as Talisman Sabre lay the very foundation of our collective response capabilities in the real world.

I personally witnessed our ability to work together when Cyclone Winston devastated Fiji in 2016. I was there when the deadly category five storm struck.

Soon after, Australian and U.S. service members delivered humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.

The way our countries worked together to provide help in a time of great need reinforced to me, and to the world, that our alliance is a force for good, especially for our friends in the Indo-Pacific.

Ours is an Alliance that spans decades, extends far beyond our military relationship, and is celebrated this year by the 70th anniversary of the ANZUS Treaty.

When Australia and the United States came together to sign the Treaty in 1951 at the Presidio in San Francisco, our countries declared formally, and for all time, that we are here for each other.

As we look back on the relationship between the U.S. and Australia, at the same time we remain forward-looking.

Close collaboration on the emerging technologies that will shape the next 70 years of our alliance will also create jobs and grow both economies.

Our alliance is unshakeable, and together we are ready for anything.

We look ahead to new and emerging opportunities to work together to ensure the future security and prosperity of all our nations.

We remain resilient and flexible, as demonstrated at Talisman Sabre across the last few weeks.

We will be where we need to be, shoulder to shoulder with our Australian counterparts, as we have been for decades.

Thank you for joining us at Talisman Sabre 2021, we look forward to meeting once again in the future.”

https://au.usembassy.gov/charge-daffaires-doug-sonnek-speech-talisman-sabre-closing-ceremony/

Anonymous ID: fb6445 Aug. 2, 2021, 1:48 a.m. No.14250019 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>0023

Push to recruit India for Australian wargames

BEN PACKHAM - AUGUST 1, 2021

Defence Minister Peter Dutton has flagged the participation of India in Australia’s biggest wargames with the US, saying he’d like to see the nation’s Quad partner at Exercise Talisman Sabre in two years’ time.

Mr Dutton said the participation of Japan, another Quadrilateral Security Dialogue member, had been a highlight of this year’s exercise in Queensland, which officially concluded on Sunday.

He said he hoped Indian forces would be able to attend Talisman Sabre 2023, and believed the matter was under consideration by the Chief of the Defence Force, Angus Campbell.

The inclusion of India, which invited Australia to its Malabar naval exercise with the US and Japan last year, would further elevate Talisman Sabre’s strategic significance by bringing in the only absent Quad partner.

“It would be great to see India here,” Mr Dutton said. “Obviously the Quad has been quite remarkable. We have had the ability there … to deepen that relationship, and that relationship will continue to be strengthened.”

The inclusion of India in the biennial exercise would likely infuriate Beijing, with Chinese state-controlled media describing Australia’s participation in Malabar as an unwelcome step towards the establishment of an “Asian version of NATO”.

In an interview on HMAS Canberra during Talisman Sabre 2021, Mr Dutton also expressed confidence that the US would allow the sharing of sensitive missile technology with Australian to establish a sovereign guided weapons industry.

“The Americans have trust and faith and that is built on operations like this over many decades,” he said.

“The intellectual property is tightly held, which is completely understandable.

“But there are also capacity constraints in the US, within their system, around manufacturing and production.

“Australia can provide not only a deepening of our own capability, but we can also provide support back into the US system.”

Mr Dutton said discussions with the US on the matter had been “productive”, and were ongoing. His comments come ahead of a planned bilateral meeting between Scott Morrison and US President Joe Biden, and a face-to-face meeting of Quad nation leaders in Washington DC in September.

(continued)

>>14250019

2/2

Soldiers from Japan’s Ground Self Defence Force for the first time joined a multinational amphibious force during Talisman Sabre 2021, launching a combined assault exercise from HMAS Canberra with Australian soldiers, US Marines and British Royal Marine Commandos. A Japanese ship was also involved in the exercise.

“We want a seamless arrangement with our partners and we want to maximise each other’s capability to have a greater combined effect than would otherwise be the case,” Mr Dutton said.

“Our Five Eyes partnerships obviously, historically, have been the underpinning of our training model and our intelligence gathering and sharing.

“But as we see here, with Japan and with many other partners, there really is a very significant collaboration with countries within the Indo-Pacific, and Japan has really stepped up and is an important partner.”

About 17,000 personnel from seven nations – Australia, the US, the UK, Japan, Canada, South Korea and New Zealand – participated in Talisman Sabre 2021, together with 18 ships, 70 fixed wing aircraft and 50 helicopters.

While the Quad is a strategic partnership rather than a defence alliance, all four of its member nations – Australia, the US, Japan and India – are concerned about China’s growing military power, and its willingness to flout global norms.

On HMAS Canberra last week, Australian army Lieutenant Colonel Ryan Barrow said a platoon of Japanese amphibious soldiers had been “completely integrated” in the combined landing force, despite the language barrier.

Lieutenant Colonel Barrow said all of the participants had “fairly similar” ways of operating despite some cultural and language barriers.

“We will always be able to operate together. It is getting that last 10 to 15 per cent to make things even better,” he said.

The Australian Strategic Policy Institute’s national security program director Michael Shoebridge said India’s inclusion in Talisman Sabre was an “absolutely reasonable expectation”.

“The fact that Australia has now joined the Malabar Exercise is another brick in building the Quad relationship,” he said.

“The momentum out of that can be accelerated by Australia reciprocating right away and inviting the Indians to be participants in Talisman Sabre.

“This is exactly what the Quad leaders spoke about in their meeting back in March – they want to use the Quad to address some of the region’s largest problems.

Japan’s participation in Talisman Sabre 2021 comes amid deepening military ties with Australia. The US is also in talks with Australia on expanding the number of bilateral military exercises.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/defence/push-to-recruit-india-for-australian-wargames/news-story/4f1c400bd847c9e3eaf369970d519b77

Anonymous ID: fb6445 Aug. 3, 2021, 1:19 a.m. No.14257276 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>7282

Australia can 'realistically' reach COVID-19 vaccine targets by end of year, infectious disease experts say

The federal government hopes every Australian who wants a vaccine will be offered one by Christmas, but how soon can the nation reach its new vaccine targets?

TOM STAYNER - 2 August 2021

1/2

Australia's COVID-19 vaccine targets to reopen the nation and ease restrictions on vaccinated people could realistically be reached by the end of the year, according to infectious disease experts.

The federal government is promising every Australian who wants a vaccine will be offered one by Christmas.

But there are no hard timelines set for the rollout to be completed.

National Cabinet last Friday outlined a four-stage plan to guide the nation out of the pandemic and towards life without coronavirus restrictions.

Australia is currently in Phase A of the roadmap with just 19 per cent of the eligible population having been fully vaccinated, or around 3.9 million people.

The second stage, which would see eased restrictions on vaccinated individuals and reduce the likelihood of lockdowns, requires 70 per cent of people over the age of 16 to receive two doses.

When Australia reaches 80 per cent vaccination, more restrictions would be released, including removing caps on the number of returning vaccinated Australians, while vaccinated people would be allowed to travel overseas.

But how soon can Australia reach these vaccination thresholds and how will it get there?

Hesitancy 'not an issue'

To reach 70 per cent, the number of double-dosed Australians over the age of 16 will have to reach more than 14.4 million out of more than 20 million.

The nation has averaged around 100,000 vaccines a day throughout the second half of July and at this rate would reach the 70 per cent threshold in mid November.

Professor Peter Collignon, an infectious diseases expert from the Australian National University, said reaching the vaccine threshold by the end of the year was a “realistic” prospect.

“I don’t actually think hesitancy is an issue - there is a sense of urgency for everybody if you look at the queues,” he told SBS News.

“The more supply comes, the more we need to open up availability so people can do it easily.”

Britain, Israel and the United States are currently similar countries to have achieved vaccination levels over 70 per cent, with Canada also not far from reaching the target.

In the US, vaccine hesitancy has resulted in flagging vaccination rates, particularly in some southern states.

But Professor Collignon said he believes the 80 per cent target is not insurmountable for Australia despite the challenge presenting a more difficult task.

“It is a realistic goal,” he said.

“The more supply comes the more we need to open up availability so people can do it easily.”

(continued)

>>14257276

2/2

Supply must get ahead of demand

The vaccine rollout has been delayed by constrained supplies of the Pfizer vaccine and changes in medical advice affecting uptake of the AstraZeneca vaccine.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has indicated he is confident the 70 per cent mark will be reached this year if enough people come forward to receive both jabs.

Health Minister Greg Hunt said the country was on track to ensure every Australian who wanted a vaccine could access one by the end of the year.

“We are on track to achieve this goal,” he told reporters.

“[But] in terms of the 70 per cent and 80 per cent targets that's a challenge for all of us. We're not putting a timeframe on that.”

As the federal government attempts to accelerate the vaccine rollout, it is seeking to make more distribution sites available, including bringing more pharmacies on board.

But Australians aged between 20 and 40 continue to face restrictions on accessing a vaccine depending on their state and territory.

Deakin University epidemiologist Catherine Bennett said opening up the rollout to younger Australians should help bolster vaccination numbers towards reaching the designated targets.

Promises of fewer restrictions should entice many to get the jab, she said.

"[The targets] can be an incentive to people if they actually realise that they can participate in some of those activities in a safer way, because they're vaccinated,” she told SBS News.

“Once that end is in sight, and people can see that it's achievable, then hopefully, it will only accelerate things."

Professor Bennet said if the nation can continue to increase uptake numbers, she believes it can get “on track to complete” vaccine target requirements by the end of the year.

“[But] we won't know until we get our supply ahead of our demand,” she told SBS News.

“We've got a way to go yet and a lot of people waiting to get their vaccine, who will be very glad when when their bookings finally come around.”

'Eligible population' may increase with children

The Australian Technical Advisory Group on vaccines is currently considering whether to approve the Pfizer vaccine for children aged 12 to 15.

On Monday, the vaccine advisory body signed off on their use by children with underlying medical conditions, those who are immuno-compromised or from an Indigenous background or remote community.

If ATAGI does recommend the shots be given to children in this age category, the size of the eligible population would increase.

Labor's health spokesperson Mark Butler has accused the government of bungling the vaccine rollout by not getting supplies out quickly enough.

"We need to see that vaccination rate climb very, very quickly if we're going to protect the Australian population against this highly infectious variant, which is causing lockdown after lockdown," he said.

The vaccines figures also show a lower proportion of people from an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander background have received vaccinations.

As of 1 August, 140,202 people or 24 per cent of people who identify as Indigenous Australians have received at least one dose of their COVID-19 vaccine.

Around 10.8 per cent or 63,116 Indigenous Australians have now been fully vaccinated.

COVID-19 taskforce commander Lieutenant General John Frewen said reaching the vaccine threshold is going to rely on Australians turning out to get the jab.

“It is going to mean that Australians have to turn up,” he told reporters.

“People in Australia really need to keep coming forward to get vaccinated so I encourage them to do so.”

https://www.sbs.com.au/news/australia-can-realistically-reach-covid-19-vaccine-targets-by-end-of-year-infectious-disease-experts-say

Military lockdown gambit exposes Canberra's double standards

Lu Xue - Aug 01, 2021

Three hundred Australian military personnel will begin on Monday to help local police crackdown on residents who flout stay-at-home restrictions amid rising COVID-19 cases, Australian media outlet ABC News reported on Friday.

An outbreak of the hyper transmissible Delta variant of the novel coronavirus continues to grow in Australia. New South Wales broke the record of daily coronavirus cases with 239 new infections reported on Thursday, the highest tally since the pandemic begun, according to Sky News. And news.com.au said that Queensland on Sunday reported the highest increase in infections all year with nine positive cases.

In response to the latest outbreak, Sydney on Wednesday extended its lockdown by another four weeks. But anti-lockdown protests have taken place in Australia against the tight restrictions to address a rise of COVID-19 cases.

The protesters reportedly marched unmasked in Sydney carrying signs calling for "freedom" and threw bottles at mounted police officers. This will make it more difficult to curb the spread of the virus in Australia.

In Australia, a so-called liberal democracy, some of the public tend to be anti-intellectual. They ignore the common sense of public health, refuse to wear masks and object to taking vaccines. In a bid to effectively handle the pandemic, Australia has to take drastic measures.

Canberra has been critical of China's effective response to control the disease. For example, ABC News in April 2020 published an article, which indicated that the Chinese government's efforts to track some of its citizens through software that analyzes their personal data to identify their health status and level of risk for COVID-19 "alarmed" human rights advocates.

Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne said in June 2020 that "some countries are using the pandemic to undermine liberal democracy to promote their own more authoritarian models." An AP News report analyzed she was referencing China and Russia.

Now, quite ironically, it turns out that Canberra plans to send its military personnel to help enforce social lockdown.

"This is a typical double standard on the side of Australia," Chen Hong, a professor and director of the Australian Studies Centre, East China Normal University, told the Global Times on Sunday.

"Judging from the desperate situation in Sydney and the military reinforcement, Australia is aware that the right to life is the most important human rights. To help ensure the effectiveness of the lockdown, Australia's move to send military personnel into Sydney seems draconian among nations," Chen said.

Now, it is known to all that Australia's incessant unwarranted criticism of China in terms of freedom and human rights is not about human rights at all. Instead, Canberra has exploited it to echo Washington's anti-China policy, Chen said. "For a time, the Morrison administration has made use of every opportunity to smear and demonize China by politicizing issues such as lockdowns, QR code inspection, mass vaccination and other measures adopted in China's battle against the Covid-19 pandemic," he noted.

Chen said, "Australia has manipulated the definitions of democracy, freedom and human rights as a political weapon to discredit China. The Canberra government has been handling such concepts arbitrarily to serve their ulterior motives. Their goal is crystal clear that is to attack China."

Against this backdrop, no matter what China does, Australian politicians and media outlets will interpret it as a "Chinese conspiracy". Such a bizarre mentality is neither conducive for China-Australia ties nor an effective response to deal with COVID-19.

The rapid spread of the Delta variant is complicating global attempts to stem the spread of the virus, and it is high time for global cooperation. Coordinating the US government's anti-China strategy by badmouthing China will do no good to Australia.

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202108/1230241.shtml

>>14249826

WhatsApp messages reveal Nine witness’s ‘inconsistency’

KIERAN GAIR - AUGUST 2, 2021

A barrister acting for Ben Roberts-Smith in the war veteran’s defamation trial has urged the Federal Court to admit into evidence WhatsApp messages that allegedly show a key witness for Nine newspapers, Afghan villager Mohammed Hanifa, gave an “inconsistent statement” while under cross-examination last week.

On Monday, Arthur Moses, SC, acting for Mr Roberts-Smith, said WhatsApp messages obtained by the war veteran’s legal team suggested Mr Hanifa, who claimed he witnessed a “big soldier” kick his step-uncle Ali Jan off a cliff, was told by an Afghan official that he could “receive compensation” for Ali Jan’s death.

Last week, Mr Hanifa repeatedly denied giving false evidence during cross-examination about a September 2012 raid on Darwan, and the circumstances surrounding the alleged killing of Ali Jan, who he claims was kicked off a cliff by a big “blue-eyed” soldier and then shot dead by Australian troops behind a berry tree.

In an at times fiery cross-examination, Mr Hanifa was accused by Bruce McClintock, SC, acting for Mr Roberts-Smith, of discussing the possibility of obtaining compensation for Ali Jan’s death with the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission.

At a case management hearing on Monday, Mr Moses told the court that WhatsApp messages from December last year indicated the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission had “mentioned” to Mr Hanifa that “if Ali Jan is your brother or father, file your complaint” and “compensation will be provided.”

He said a representative for Nine in Afghanistan had told the media company’s legal team via Whatsapp about the alleged communication between Mr Hanifa and the Afghan Human Rights Commission.

“The HRC director tells Hanifa some compensation will be provided to affected families by Australians through the HRC in Tarin Kowt,” Mr Moses said.

“He (was) told that there were two groups against each other and one group is facing justice.”

When asked by Mr McClintock last week if he had spoken with anyone from the human rights agency about compensation for Ali Jan’s death, Mr Hanifa said: “I haven’t done that, I haven’t talked to anyone.”

In fact, Mr Moses told the court, the Afghan villager had “spoken to the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission”, had been told that compensation “would be provided to affected families”, and was also told that “if Ali Jan was your father or your brother you could file the complaint.”

“The WhatsApp messages tend to prove that Mohammed Hanifa has made a prior inconsistent statement,” Mr Moses said. “The court should admit the WhatsApp messages.”

Nicholas Owens, SC, acting for Nine, told the court the messages were hearsay because they had not been sent by Mr Hanifa, and that Mr Moses would need to “demonstrate why a hearsay exception would apply.”

The defamation trial was adjourned on Friday and will likely resume on November 1, due to the uncertainty surrounding the Covid-19 lockdown in Sydney.

On Monday, the court heard Nine intended to call a further “24 witnesses, of whom some 19 are interstate”, while Mr Roberts-Smith may call 19 witnesses in reply.

Speaking via an interpreter from Kabul, Mr Hanifa told the court last week that he saw a “big soldier” kick a handcuffed Ali Jan off a cliff. Mr Hanifa said he saw two soldiers dragging Ali Jan behind a berry tree and then heard gunshots. When he next saw Ali Jan, he was dead.

Under cross-examination, Mr Hanifa conceded that he “hated” Australian soldiers. “If they are coming to our houses, go inside to our women, of course that’s what you call them — infidels,” Mr Hanifa said.

“You call people who are killed by infidel soldiers martyrs, don’t you?” Mr McClintock asked. “Yes, that’s it, yes,” Mr Hanifa said. “And that’s how you see them isn‘t it?” “Yes, yes,” Mr Hanifa replied.

The alleged killing of Ali Jan is the centrepiece allegation in Mr Roberts-Smiths’ action against The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and The Canberra Times over claims that he committed or was complicit in six unlawful killings during deployments to Afghanistan.

Nine alleges Mr Roberts-Smith kicked Ali Jan off a cliff, and then agreed with a colleague – Person 11 – that Mr Jan would be shot dead. He denies the allegations and says the reports portray him as a war criminal.

Justice Anthony Besanko will make a ruling on the messages at a later date.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/media/whatsapp-messages-reveal-nine-witnesss-inconsistency/news-story/07076a7626314e9021b469c9cc650b60

‘Serious failings’: Defence quietly releases war crimes inquiry response plan

Anthony Galloway - August 3, 2021

The Department of Defence has released a four-year plan to address the serious and systemic organisational and cultural failings exposed by the Afghanistan war crimes inquiry that commits to determining whether to strip war medals from soldiers by the end of 2021.

The plan was quietly posted on the website of the Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force on July 30, with Defence opting not to release any public statement or inform media about its publication.

Under the plan, Defence aims to come to “initial determinations” on whether to strip medals from soldiers who have committed serious wrongdoing and compensate Afghan victims by the end of 2021. It then wants to deliver a “transformational reform” package over more than four years to the end of 2025, which will address “what went wrong” and prevent and respond to “any future issues”.

The Brereton inquiry last year found credible evidence of 39 unlawful killings of Afghan civilians or prisoners by Australian soldiers, raising the alarm about a “warrior culture” within Australia’s special forces and “the clique of non-commissioned officers who propagated it”.

In a forward to the report, chief of the Australian Defence Force General Angus Campbell and Defence secretary Greg Moriarty said Defence accepted responsibility for the “failings in systems, culture and accountability”.

“Misconduct as serious as that identified and alleged by the Afghanistan Inquiry cannot occur unless there have been serious and systemic organisational and cultural failings,” they said.

“These failings created an environment which allowed Defence’s proud and respected reputation, earned by our professional and ethical personnel over decades, to be damaged by the actions of a few.”

The four-year inquiry by NSW Court Of Appeal Justice Paul Brereton found there was credible evidence of 23 incidents in which one or more non-combatants - or individuals who had been captured or injured - were unlawfully killed by special forces soldiers, or at least at their direction. There were also a further two incidents the report said could be classified as the war crime of “cruel treatment”.

Military sociologist Samantha Crompvoets was commissioned by the Department of Defence in 2015 to produce a report on culture within the special forces, which led to members disclosing claims of unlawful behaviour including alleged war crimes.

Dr Crompvoets, who this week released her book Bloodlust, Trust and Blame, said Defence’s report set out a clear path for reform that must be adopted if it wants an ADF that is “fully battle-ready”.

“This isn’t some woke agenda, this is about ensuring the ADF is as strong and resilient as possible,” she said. “We owe it to men and women who serve, and our veteran community, to ensure these reforms are not compromised.”

In April, the federal government stepped in to stop the 3408 members of the Special Operations Task Group from being stripped of the military honours awarded for their service in Afghanistan. The move to revoke the unit citation was a key recommendation of the Brereton war crimes inquiry, which found credible allegations that special forces soldiers committed 39 murders in Afghanistan.

The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age revealed in June that General Campbell and Mr Moriarty warned Defence Minister Peter Dutton against allowing special forces troops to keep their meritorious unit citation from Afghanistan because it posed a risk to Australia’s moral authority.

A Department of Defence briefing obtained under Freedom of Information laws said a failure to strip the unit of its citation would threaten the “international and domestic reputation” of the Australian Defence Force and cause further harm to Afghan victims.

https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/serious-failings-defence-quietly-releases-war-crimes-inquiry-response-plan-20210803-p58ffk.html

https://afghanistaninquiry.defence.gov.au/sites/default/files/2021-07/Afghanistan_Inquiry_Reform_Plan_0.pdf

Anonymous ID: fb6445 Aug. 3, 2021, 2:08 a.m. No.14257419 🗄️.is 🔗kun >>7424