US State Department publishes report aimed at defaming BRI

The debts of China’s partner countries in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) have become a major topic in the American media in recent days. A recent study by the US Department of State points to the existence of a bubble of 385 billion dollars in unreported debt of poor countries to Chinese banks. Despite the veracity of the information, the data collection methods used by the Department remain uncertain, and Washington is politicizing the case to carry out anti-Chinese propaganda.

Recently, a research group affiliated with the US Department of State completed a study on the debts of emerging countries to China. Among the main “discoveries” of the group is the supposed existence of a debt bubble of hundreds of billions of dollars contracted by these nations with Chinese banks. The debts would be associated with infrastructure investment projects within the framework of BRI.

Analyzing the recent history of debts involving China, the document points out that before BRI started in 2013, most of China’s loans abroad were carried out by central government financial institutions, which has profoundly changed under BRI. Now, around 70% of China’s overseas loans are being managed by state-owned companies and banks, special-purpose vehicles, joint ventures and private companies.

In an excerpt from the summary of the report, it is possible to read: “These debts are underreported to the World Bank’s Debtor Reporting System (DRS) because, in many cases, central government institutions in LMICs are not the primary borrowers responsible for repayment (…) We estimate that the average government is underreporting its current and potential repayment obligations to China by an amount that is equivalent to 5.8% of its GDP. Collectively, these underreported debts are worth approximately $385 billion”.

Commenting on the case, one of the study’s authors, Executive Director of AidData at the College of William and Mary, Brad Parks, said: “Many foreign leaders who were initially eager to jump on the BRI bandwagon are now suspending or canceling Chinese infrastructure projects because of debt sustainability concerns (…) “What we’re seeing right now with the Belt and Road Initiative is buyers’ remorse”.

In theory, the data point to a disadvantageous scenario for emerging nations that maintain a partnership with China, as they would be continuously indebted with Beijing, creating virtually endless bubbles. And, as we can see in Parks’ words, Washington certainly has an interest in manipulating this data to generate anti-Chinese propaganda and try to stop more countries from signing deals with its biggest geopolitical rival.

https://southfront.org/us-state-department-publishes-report-aimed-at-defaming-bri/

China using Facebook to advertise U.S. counterfeit currency

President of Universal Coin and Bullion Mike Fuljenz revealed that Facebook is failing to ban counterfeit goods on its social media platform and ignoring those repeated warnings is a serious security risk to the American people. On the latest episode of the Sara Carter Show Fuljenz and Carter discussed China’s efforts to advertise counterfeit purses, cosmetics, currency and unauthorized medicinal products.

Fuljenz, a member of the Anti-Counterfeiting Educational Foundation and an Anti-Counterfeiting Task Force, said “we just sent a letter to Facebook about all the counterfeits that are appearing in Facebook ads. And that applies to Wish, platforms like Alibaba, eBay and Amazon.”

“The Canadian broadcast company did surveys on counterfeits it’s not just purses and watches. It’s not just $100 bills, it’s quarters in your change. It’s cosmetics with chemicals. It can be poisonous, it’s airline parts on the planes we find even our fighter jets for US Air Force. It’s medical parts. It’s medicines,” he added.

In the meantime, Facebook has not responded to Fuljenz’s letter. “That’s amazing. Because they censor us all the time there. It doesn’t matter what you write about. You could write about trying to save lives,” Carter said. “Facebook and all of these social media apparatuses are good at censoring. But you’re saying they did not respond to your warning?”

As a result, Fuljenz concludes that China has too strong of a relationship with the U.S. to motivate any change. “We’re dependent on China for production of legitimate products,” he said. “But the society over there looks at counterfeits differently than we do, and has a great impact on us.”

Now, the president of Universal Coin and Bullion helps get counterfeit victims’ their money back after they buy fake gold and currency.

https://saraacarter.com/china-using-facebook-to-advertise-u-s-counterfeit-currency/

Police in Austin Will Stop Responding to Non-Emergencies Like Theft and Burglary

If you live in Austin, Texas, and your house is broken into while you’re gone or someone smashes your car window to take your sound system, don’t bother calling the cops because they won’t show.

As of Friday, police will stop responding to non-emergencies. It’s “reimagining public safety,” according to the interim police chief, Joseph Chacon. The policy change was forced on police because of staffing shortages and recommendations from a task force set up to “reform” the police.

“Please understand, if somebody is in danger, we’re still going to send a marked unit and a uniformed officer to go handle it,” interim police chief Joseph Chacon explained Wednesday, according to KXAN-TV. “But for crimes that may have already happened and are now being reported, we are looking at alternative measures, and that’s what we’re working on now.”

People should call 311 “to report crimes that are no longer in progress, when the suspect or people involved are no longer on the scene and when there is no further immediate threat to life or property.”

In addition to theft and burglary, other “non-emergencies” include:

Animal services

Attempted theft of property

Crashes between vehicles that don’t require a tow, there are no injuries, both drivers have proof of insurance and a driver’s license and neither driver is impaired

Verbal disturbances

Prostitution

Suspicious person or vehicle

Fox News:

“I feel like, in many areas, not just obviously in our sworn officers on the street, but with our property crime technicians in forensics and in our Austin 311 call center, we are experiencing staffing shortages, and, so, I think that I’m going to ask for a little bit of patience. Many times people do have to wait on hold when they’re calling 311 in order to make that report,” the interim chief said.

“If an officer is not necessarily needed, in other words, this is a crime that obviously has already been committed, and we can still get a property crime technician there to take photos, to be able to gather the evidence and to provide a case number and a way to follow up to a victim of a crime, then that may be the most appropriate way, actually, to handle it so that I can free my officers up to keep answering the emergency calls for service where we have a violent crime and people that are actively engaged in criminal activity,” he added.

Perhaps the experience of a North Carolina man whose daughter was in Austin for a bachelorette party with friends when the home they were renting was burglarized would be instructive.

“They proceeded to call the police and were referred to 311, who instructed them to start an online report. And no law enforcement official arrived at the location,” Darin Short explained.

After not hearing back for weeks, he said they received a call Wednesday afternoon saying an officer should contact them within 48 hours, according to the station.

It’s understandable that the police want to keep citizens from calling 911 unnecessarily, but shouldn’t the police be making the determination whether a call should be urgent or not? Wouldn’t you want the police to come to your home immediately if you returned home to find it had been burglarized? What if a “verbal disturbance” were to escalate?

Forcing ordinary civilians to determine the danger inherent in a situation is asking for trouble.

https://pjmedia.com/news-and-politics/rick-moran/2021/10/01/police-in-austin-will-stop-responding-to-non-emergencies-like-theft-and-burglary-n1520991

BAT’s UK Headquarters Oversaw and Financed a South African Spy Ring

High-level employees from British American Tobacco’s U.K. headquarters oversaw a corporate espionage ring in South Africa, buying expensive surveillance equipment that was later used to illegally spy on the company’s competitors, leaked documents show.

Allegations that British American Tobacco’s (BAT) South African unit had bribed law enforcement agents to disrupt its competitors’ operations hit headlines in 2016, but no one has been convicted in relation to the claims.

Now, analysis of confidential documents seen by OCCRP and its partners reveal in fresh detail how the operation worked, including a previously unknown level of involvement from the tobacco giant’s London headquarters.

The material, collated from industry and government sources, shows BAT officials from London received regular reports on the spy ring, participated in planning, and spent tens of thousands of dollars on equipment that was used for illegal surveillance.

In total, BAT signed off on $42.6 million for surveillance between 2012 and 2016, the documents show.

One of the companies targeted, Carnilinx, filed civil charges against the tobacco giant in 2014 after finding a tracking device on one of its vehicles that it believed could be traced back to a security firm contracted by BAT. The civil case was dismissed by a South African court on a technicality, with the judge noting that the outcome shouldn’t be seen as a vindication of the tobacco giant. A criminal case against BAT, which was filed later, is still making its way through the courts.

The scandal left in its wake a revenue agency shaken to its core, and caused a rift of distrust between law enforcement agencies in South Africa.

“Authorities in South Africa have known of BAT’s corporate espionage ring for years. The evidence has always been there, yet nothing has come of it,” said Johann van Loggerenberg, a former executive with the South African Revenue Service who was also a witness in the case.

“There need to be penalties for this kind of behavior or corruption will only continue to flourish.”

BAT disputed the fresh revelations, saying its programs in South Africa were intended to fight cigarette smuggling by providing support to law enforcement, including “intelligence on suspected illicit operators.”

“We emphatically reject the mischaracterisation of our conduct by some media outlets,” the company said in a statement to OCCRP’s partners, BBC Panorama, Bath University’s Tobacco Control Research Group, and The Bureau of Investigative Journalism. BAT U.K. declined to respond to OCCRP’s own questions.

https://www.occrp.org/en/investigations/bats-uk-headquarters-oversaw-and-financed-a-south-african-spy-ring

Pharmaceutical Companies Pay Over $400 Million to Resolve Alleged False Claims Act Liability for Price-Fixing of Generic Drugs

https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/pharmaceutical-companies-pay-over-400-million-resolve-alleged-false-claims-act-liability

North and West Africa: INTERPOL report highlights human trafficking for organ removal

Strategic analysis will support a coordinated law enforcement response in the region and beyond.

A new report from INTERPOL assesses the problem of trafficking in human beings for organ removal (THBOR), which is driven largely by the global shortage in organs for ethical transplant. While organ trafficking exists in all regions of the world, it is of particular concern in North and West Africa where impoverished communities and displaced populations are at greater risk of exploitation.

The strategic assessment report, produced as part of Project ENACT, provides insight and analysis into the issues, to enable law enforcement agencies in North and West Africa to devise the appropriate responses.

Transplant tourism

Organized crime groups are known to be behind trafficking in human beings for organ removal, drawn by the substantial profits that can be made.

Information suggests a wide spectrum of actors are involved in organ trafficking in North and West Africa with connections to the medical sector in countries from Africa and beyond, notably in Asia and the Middle East.

Trafficking in human organs can be done only in the framework of complex networks, due to the required skills (medical specialists, surgeons, nurses), logistics (matching compatible patients and donors), and healthcare facilities (analytical laboratories, clinics, operating rooms).

The report shows probable links between transplant tourism – where a patient travels abroad to buy an organ for illegal transplant – and THBOR in North and West Africa. Either in the context of transplants performed in North Africa with organs illegally sourced in the region, or transplants done elsewhere with illegally sourced organs from nationals from North and West Africa.

Vulnerable communities

Organized criminal groups profit from the desperation of the unemployed, migrants, asylum seekers and refugees to coerce them into selling an organ. Victims of human trafficking for sexual and labour purposes also find themselves at additional risk.

The techniques used for the recruitment and control of the victims are the same as those used for other types of human trafficking, such as promises of job opportunities abroad, as well as the use of threats and violence.

Most often, victim-donors receive a smaller amount of the money than had been agreed with the recruiter or broker, and in some cases they may not get any of the promised payment. Many victim-donors have suffered post-operative complications and health issues.

The socioeconomic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is expected to fuel THBOR as it will likely be easier for brokers to coerce vulnerable individuals to sell an organ to improve their economic conditions. This is exacerbated by the fact that legal organ donations, and therefore transplants, have suffered major decreases since the outbreak of COVID-19.

Actionable intelligence

“While trafficking in human beings for organ removal is not a new phenomenon, it is underreported due to the clandestine nature of the crime, combined with a lack of awareness by law enforcement agencies and the deficiency of information sharing channels between the medical and police sectors,” said Cyril Gout, INTERPOL’s Direct of Operational Support and Analysis.

“This strategic assessment provides INTERPOL member countries with actionable strategic intelligence on THBOR in North and West Africa and will further facilitate law enforcement cooperation among the countries affected,” added Mr Gout.

The report supports law enforcement agencies to set priorities, so as to identify potential victims, investigate trafficking in human being cases that are motivated by the organ trade, and target the criminal networks that facilitate THBOR.

Project ENACT

Project ENACT (Enhancing Africa’s Response to Transnational Organised Crime) seeks to assist police in Africa to adopt proactive strategies to combat organized crime threats, facilitate information exchange and enhance investigative skills.

Project ENACT is funded by the European Union and implemented by INTERPOL and the Institute for Security Studies, in partnership with the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime.

https://www.interpol.int/en/News-and-Events/News/2021/North-and-West-Africa-INTERPOL-report-highlights-human-trafficking-for-organ-removal

DEA, IRS Dismantle Eastern Arkansas Methamphetamine and Money Laundering Organization

https://www.justice.gov/usao-edar/pr/dea-irs-dismantle-eastern-arkansas-methamphetamine-and-money-laundering-organization

Three Current and Former NYPD Officers Charged with Bribery

https://www.justice.gov/usao-edny/pr/three-current-and-former-nypd-officers-charged-bribery

PEDO BUN 1 October 21

33-Year-Old Pedophile From Montana Civilly Committed as a Sexually Dangerous Person

https://www.justice.gov/usao-ednc/pr/33-year-old-pedophile-montana-civilly-committed-sexually-dangerous-person

Tractor-Trailor Driver from Illinois Sentenced for Transporting Minor from Virginia to South Dakota and Engaging in Criminal Sexual Activity

https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdva/pr/tractor-trailor-driver-illinois-sentenced-transporting-minor-virginia-south-dakota-and

Bucks County Man Convicted at Trial of Attempting to Meet an 11-Year-Old for Sex and Related Charges

https://www.justice.gov/usao-edpa/pr/bucks-county-man-convicted-trial-attempting-meet-11-year-old-sex-and-related-charges

Lutheran Pastor Sentenced for Distribution of Child Pornography

https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdil/pr/lutheran-pastor-sentenced-distribution-child-pornography

Oglala Man Indicted on Commercial Sex Trafficking Charges

https://www.justice.gov/usao-sd/pr/oglala-man-indicted-commercial-sex-trafficking-charges

Queensland man charged with possessing child abuse material

https://www.afp.gov.au/news-media/media-releases/queensland-man-charged-possessing-child-abuse-material-2

Brisbane man charged with allegedly possessing child abuse material

https://www.afp.gov.au/news-media/media-releases/brisbane-man-charged-allegedly-possessing-child-abuse-material-0

Newcastle man charged for allegedly producing child abuse material

https://www.afp.gov.au/news-media/media-releases/newcastle-man-charged-allegedly-producing-child-abuse-material

Nearly 50,000 Medicare Patients Died Soon after Getting COVID Shot: Whistleblower

‘They are lying. There is no question they are lying,’ said Attorney Renz. ‘The mantra of ‘safe and effective' must stop after today’s information

A whistleblower has provided government data documenting 48,465 deaths within 14 days of COVID-19 vaccination among Medicare patients alone, according to medical freedom rights attorney Thomas Renz.

The announcement Saturday was made by the Ohio-based attorney, who remains involved in several major cases brought against federal agencies relating to fraud and violations of medical freedom rights.

In his presentation, Renz expressed his appreciation for whistleblowers who were coming forward to provide the public with such important information from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Service (CMS). He described the CMS database as the largest available in the U.S. for the study of COVID-19 trends because it contains the data of approximately 59.4 million Medicare beneficiaries.

One slide showed that the number of “persons who died within 14 days of a COVID-19 vaccine” equated to 19,400 for those younger than 81 years old, and 28,065 for those 81 and over, totaling 48,465 deaths.

“This is raw data,” Renz explained. “There’s no analysis.” And, he emphasized, these death numbers are from less than 20% of the U.S. population.

“Do you want to know why 14 days is important?” he asked. “Because if you die with 14 days, you’re not considered vaccinated.” According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), one is not considered as being “vaccinated” until 14 days after their completed injection regimen, raising the question of whether government authorities have been classifying these fatalities as something other than vaccination-related deaths.

Renz provided screenshots of the “raw data from the Medicare servers,” calling it “a present for the scumbag ‘fact-checkers’ who keep lying.”

“And what I want to know, are you going to fact check the HHS now?” he taunted. “Are you going to fact-check Fauci?”

In July, a whistleblower who works professionally as a computer programmer in health care data analytics, made a declaration under penalty of perjury that CMS data revealed “at least 45,000” vaccine-related deaths due to experimental COVID-19 vaccine injections. USA Today and others “fact-checked” the claim and called it misinformation.

A press release on Renz’s website responds, “Today’s revelations solidify that the ’Trusted News Initiative’ is actually the source of misinformation and propaganda, and that [the] Attorney Thomas Renz Whistleblower was correct all along.”

https://www.globalresearch.ca/nearly-50000-medicare-patients-died-soon-after-getting-covid-shot-whistleblower/5757410.’

The Biden Administration Just Instituted the Largest Food Stamp Benefit Increase in US History

Americans currently on food stamps will see their monthly allotment raised by almost 30 percent, thanks to a change in policy from the Biden administration.

CNN reported that following a review of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Americans who count on money for food will be given an extra $36 a month starting in October.

That is an increase of over 29 percent since before the coronavirus pandemic, and before skyrocketing inflation began creating headaches for not just poor Americans, but for all people living on a budget this year.

According to CNN, before the pandemic began, individuals using the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program were receiving $121 per person, per month.

All 42 million SNAP beneficiaries will now receive $157 monthly after a review by the Department of Agriculture for the 2018 Farm Bill. NPR previously reported this to be the single largest increase in benefits since the inception of the SNAP program.

The increase will raise the $79 billion program’s cost an additional $20 billion, according to The New York Times.

The USDA announced in an August news release that it would bolster spending limits for the program starting on Friday, the beginning of fiscal year 2022.

“As directed by Congress in the 2018 Farm Bill — and with the expressed support of President Biden’s January 22 Executive Order — USDA conducted a data-driven review of the Thrifty Food Plan,” the agency said.

“The resulting cost adjustment is the first time the purchasing power of the plan has changed since it was first introduced in 1975, reflecting notable shifts in the food marketplace and consumers’ circumstances over the past 45 years.”

When raising benefit amounts, the USDA said it took into account current food prices, typical diets, dietary guidance, and nutrients.

“For example, the revised plan includes more fish and red and orange vegetables to align with recommendations in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025,” the USDA said.

“Additionally, the plan was calculated using updated purchasing data — collected from stores versus self-reported by households — to reflect the current price of foods in today’s marketplace.

“The revised Thrifty Food Plan also includes a modest increase in calories to reflect the latest data and support an active lifestyle,” the agency added.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack called the increase in monthly payouts to SNAP recipients an “investment” in the country.

https://www.westernjournal.com/biden-administration-just-instituted-largest-food-stamp-benefit-increase-us-history/

Hillsong founder Brian Houston returns to Australia to face concealing sex abuse charge

Hillsong founder Brian Houston has returned to Australia to face allegations of concealing child sex abuse by his late father.

Mr Houston and his wife Bobbie emerged from a Sydney hotel this morning after two weeks in quarantine.

The pastor was in the United States when his lawyer was served a court attendance notice for the charge of conceal serious indictable offence, accused of failing to tell police when he learned his father abused a young boy in the 1970s.

Despite the abuse of nine boys while a preacher, the elder Houston left the church on a full retirement package which he enjoyed until his death in 2004.

His son released a statement in August which said the charge came as a shock given he had been transparent on the issue.

"I vehemently profess my innocence and will defend these charges, and I welcome the opportunity to set the record straight" he said.

https://www.9news.com.au/national/hillsong-founder-brian-houston-returns-to-australia-to-face-concealing-sex-abuse-charges/216287f5-e9f7-4a17-9246-b4d1fd06ff82

US Service Members File Lawsuit Against Department Of Defense Over Vaccine Requirement

As part of that, they have called for exemptions based on natural immunity.

Army Staff Sgt. Dan Robert, an infantryman at Fort Bragg, N.C., and Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Hollie Mulvihill, an air traffic controller at Marine Corps Air Station New River, N.C., filed the lawsuit in the U.S. District Court of Colorado on Aug. 17.

The filing names Austin as a defendant alongside Secretary of Health and Human Services, Xavier Becerra, and Janet Woodcock, acting commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Both the service members are filing the lawsuit on behalf of themselves and other active duty service members—including those that have survived COVID-19—who have been mandated to have the vaccine.

As per the lawsuit, Robert and Mulvihill claim that Austin had publicly notified them via a memo that they are to be immediately vaccinated and that the Department of Defense (DoD) are “already vaccinating military members in open violation of their legal obligations and the rights of service members under federal law and the constitution.”

Roberts and Mulvihill also based their argument on the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine’s previous emergency-use authorization standing, noting that “Federal Statutes prohibit the use of any unlicensed vaccines whatsoever on service members without their informed consent.”

The plaintiffs are seeking declaratory and injunctive relief because the DoD is “using an Emergency Use Authorisation COVID-19 vaccine.”

Pfizer-BioNTech received full FDA approval on Aug. 23, days after the lawsuit was filed.

The service members also want to create a medical exemption—based on evidence submitted through serologic tests, documented infection, or similar circumstances—for those who were previously infected with the virus and have survived because they have “natural immunity.”

“Neither the President, not the Secretary of Defense, nor the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, nor the Secretary of the Food and Drug Administration have complied with the requirements of those controlling pieces of federal law,” the service members wrote in the court filing.

“Therefore any involuntary vaccination of plaintiffs is a direct violation of federal law, attendant regulations, and the U.S. constitution, denying plaintiffs Equal Protection laws under the 14th Amendment by treating plaintiffs with natural immunity differently that their similarly situated peers in the military who have only simulated immunity, and violating their bodies with an experimental vaccine.”

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/us-service-members-file-lawsuit-against-department-defense-over-vaccine-requirement

ALERT: Taco Seasoning Sold Nationwide Recalled

B&G Foods announced today it is voluntarily recalling 3,867 cases of 23 oz. Tone’s Taco Seasoning Blend, with “best by” dates of SEPT 03 24 and SEPT 06 24, due to the presence of undeclared wheat. A portion of the individual containers within those cases were mistakenly labeled on the back with the back labels for Tone’s Lemon Pepper Seasoning Blend, which does not list wheat as an allergen.

People who have an allergy or severe sensitivity to wheat run the risk of serious or life- threatening allergic reaction if the recalled product is consumed.

https://breaking911.com/alert-taco-seasoning-sold-nationwide-recalled/

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10039985/Pubs-travel-masks-freedoms-NEVER-Covid-19.html

: CANTEEN-SALVAGE & MUSTER-MASTER-DUTY. : STUART: SCHELLER.

https://youtu.be/Gj-pyOGPbNk