Police rush procession, beat mourners at funeral for slain Al Jazeera journalist

Shireen Abu Akleh, 51, is laid to rest on Mount Zion in funeral attended by at least 10,000 Palestinians; Abu Akleh, killed during Jenin clashes, was widely beloved by Palestinians

Israeli police rushed the funeral procession of the late Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, beating mourners who raised Palestinian flags and nearly toppling her casket, as thousands of Palestinians arrived to grieve for the widely beloved correspondent on Friday.

Over ten thousand Palestinians paid their respects to Abu Akleh — killed during a firefight early Wednesday between Israeli troops and Palestinian gunmen in Jenin — during a long, tense funeral procession that wound across the city from Sheikh Jarrah to the Mount Zion cemetery.

The clashes at Saint Joseph’s Hospital erupted after Palestinians sought to carry Abu Akleh’s coffin on foot, waving several Palestinian flags, to the Old City. Police had designated that the procession would begin at the Jaffa Gate, less than two miles away.

Officers rushed the crowd, beating mourners in an apparent attempt to force them to take down the Palestinian flags. Police fired stun grenades in an attempt to disperse the crowd, including towards those carrying Abu Akleh’s casket, which almost toppled to the ground.

Police later claimed that mourners near the coffin had thrown rocks and objects at police during “violent riots.”

“Officers had to disperse and repel the rioters and make arrests in order to allow the funeral to take place,” Israeli police said in a statement, adding that six people had been detained.

In footage from the scene, no such stone-throwing is evident before police rushed the crowd, although some Palestinians were later filmed throwing objects during the clashes.

“They brutally attacked us because we bore the Palestinian flag and we wanted to carry her on our shoulders [to the Old City],” said one Palestinian witness, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/police-rush-procession-beat-mourners-at-funeral-for-slain-al-jazeera-journalist/

UAE ruler Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan dies at 73

Country declares 40 days of mourning for its leader; Crown Prince Mohamed bin Zayed, long the de facto ruler, is expected to succeed

The United Arab Emirates’ President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al-Nahyan died aged 73 on Friday, state media said, after battling illness for several years.

Sheikh Khalifa’s rule since 2004 saw his country’s meteoric rise on the international scene.

“The Ministry of Presidential Affairs condoles the people of the UAE and the Islamic world… on the passing of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al-Nahyan on Friday, May 13,” the official WAM news agency said.

The ministry announced a 40-day period of mourning and a three-day suspension of work in all ministries and the private sector beginning Friday, including flags to be flown at half-staff.

The late head of state was rarely seen in public since a stroke in January 2014, and the country has largely been ruled by his half-brother Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, known colloquially as MBZ.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/uae-ruler-sheikh-khalifa-bin-zayed-al-nahyan-dies-at-73/

What to know about this weekend’s abortion rights protests

“Bans Off Our Bodies” will host anchor rallies in Austin, New York City, Chicago and Los Angeles, with more protests planned in other cities such as Cleveland, St. Louis, Denver and more.

https://thehill.com/changing-america/respect/equality/3487580-what-to-know-about-this-weekends-abortion-rights-protests/

Canada to Deploy a General and Staff to Latvia for New NATO Unit -PM Trudeau

OTTAWA (Reuters) -Canada will deploy a general and six staff officers to a new NATO unit in Latvia that will help plan, coordinate and integrate regional military activities, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Thursday.

In response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Canada expanded and extended its participation a North Atlantic Treaty Organization's battlegroup there that also includes troops from Italy, Spain, Poland and Slovakia.

The general and staff officers will "be part of a first of its kind unit," Trudeau told reporters at a joint news conference with Latvian Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins. "It'll serve as a continued important part of our enhancements to NATO's defense and deterrence capabilities."

Canada has almost 700 members of its armed forces deployed in Latvia, a small Baltic state that shares a border with Russia.

The Latvian prime minister welcomed Canada's participation in a new "multi-divisional headquarters" there.

"That is a step in the absolute right direction," Karins said. "It's primarily a message to Moscow and to (President Vladimir) Putin that we are dead serious about defending ourselves."

https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2022-05-12/canada-to-deploy-a-general-and-staff-to-latvia-for-new-nato-unit-pm-trudeau

Russia pushes for UN investigation of military biological activities in Ukraine — envoy

"As soon as the collection of materials is completed, we will submit them to the UN Security Council for an investigation," Russia's Permanent Representative to the UN Vasily Nebenzya said

Russia intends to submit materials to the UN Security Council for conducting an investigation into military biological activities in Ukraine as part of international agreements, Russia's Permanent Representative to the UN Vasily Nebenzya said on Friday at a UNSC meeting that Russia called to discuss US biolaboratories in Ukraine.

"We have already built up a significant amount of material directly pointing to a violation by the US of the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention, he said. "We continue to collect and analyze these materials."

"Given that the US refuses any constructive discussion on this topic, we plan to use the mechanisms provided for in Articles 5 and 6 of the BTWC (they provide for the possibility of submitting evidence to the UNSC to initiate an investigation - TASS)," the envoy said.

"As soon as the collection of materials is completed, we will submit them to the Council for an investigation," Nebenzya said. "We hope that this will make it possible to permanently stop military biological activities that threaten international peace and security, and hold the perpetrators accountable.".

https://tass.com/politics/1450685

Twitter allows White House to make ‘clearly false’ claim that COVID vaccine wasn’t available until Biden era

The Biden administration has claimed to fight misinformation at all costs, even establishing a "Disinformation Governance Board," and Big Tech outfits like Twitter have flagged posts they claim contain misinformation on important issues like coronavirus vaccines.

Yet while the White House shared bogus info itself on Thursday about vaccines, Twitter has yet to note the inaccurate message to many users.

"When President Biden took office, millions were unemployed and there was no vaccine available. In the last 15 months, the economy has created 8.3M jobs and the unemployment rate stands at 3.6% — the fastest decline in unemployment to start a President's term ever recorded," the White House’s verified Twitter account wrote.

https://www.foxnews.com/media/white-house-shares-misinformation

Vote From Home: Pelosi Says House Democrats Don’t Have To Show Up to Work for 6 More Weeks

Meanwhile, Biden COVID adviser and 'architect of Obamacare' calls for more masking, less travel, bans on indoor dining

"It's time for Americans to get back to work and fill our great downtowns again," President Joe Biden said during his State of the Union address on March 1. "People working from home can feel safe to begin to return to the office."

Months have passed, but Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) refuses to take the president's advice. The leading Democrat announced on Friday that House members could continue to work from home and vote remotely until June 28, at which point she will consider an additional extension.

Pelosi, who is best known for violating COVID restrictions to get her hair done at a fancy salon and flaunting her $24,000 freezer stocked with $12 pints of luxury ice cream as ordinary Americans struggled to make ends meet, previously extended the remote working period on March 28, four weeks after Biden's remarks.

A Washington Free Beacon investigation found that as of March 18, many Democratic offices on Capitol Hill and throughout the country remained closed. In April, the Free Beacon reported that Senate cafeteria workers were at risk of losing their jobs because so many Democrats refused to show up to work. Unlike Pelosi's colleagues in the House, however, senators are still required to vote in person.

The day before Pelosi announced the extension of the remote working period, the Washington Post published an astonishing opinion piece by Zeke Emanuel, the former Obama health care adviser, a.k.a. "the architect of Obamacare," who serves on Biden's COVID-19 advisory board.

Emanuel, 64, has written that he hopes to die at the age of 75. In his article for the Post, the so-called health expert urged Americans to stop acting like the COVID-19 pandemic is over. "This conventional wisdom is gravely wrong," he wrote. "I will continue to wear my N95 mask, limit my air and train travel, and avoid eating at indoor restaurants." In essence, he argued that such measures should remain in place until our nation's health experts can figure out what the hell is going on with "long COVID" and the small percentage of patients who continue to report symptoms more than four weeks after being infected.

So much for living life to the fullest. Josh Barro, a prominent Biden supporter, said Emanuel's article was "just another reflection of how public health people are weirdos." (Fact check: True.)

https://freebeacon.com/democrats/pelosi-work-from-home-forever/

PROSPECTIVE JUROR QUESTIONNAIRE. Signed by Judge Christopher R. Cooper on 5/11/2022. (lccrc1) (Entered: 05/13/2022)

https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.235638/gov.uscourts.dcd.235638.134.0_5.pdf

ORDER RE: 119 NOTICE of Objections to Defendant's Proposed Trial Exhibits. See full Order for details. Signed by Judge Christopher R. Cooper on 5/13/2022. (lccrc1) (Entered: 05/13/2022)

https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.235638/gov.uscourts.dcd.235638.135.0_5.pdf

41.5K people died within 21 days of Covid-19 Vaccination in England & a further 291K died within 6 months

Data published by the Office for National Statistics reveals that 41,449 people sadly died within 21 days of receiving a dose of the Covid-19 vaccine in England between 1st January 2021 and 31st January 2022, and a further 290,915 people sadly lost their lives within 21 days to 6 months of being vaccinated.

The Office for National Statistics is the UK’s largest independent producer of official statistics and the recognised national statistical institute of the UK. It is responsible for collecting and publishing statistics related to the economy, population and society at national, regional and local levels.

Its latest dataset on deaths in England by vaccination status can be found here. It contains a large amount of data on age-standardised mortality rates for deaths by vaccination status between 1 January 2021 and 31 January 2022: 16 March 2022.

Table 3 of the dataset contains data on the total number of deaths by vaccination status due to all causes among the entire population of England. The following table shows the numbers as they are presented in the dataset –

https://expose-news.com/2022/05/13/41k-dead-21-days-covid-vaccination-england/

https://www.ons.gov.uk/file?uri=%2fpeoplepopulationandcommunity%2fbirthsdeathsandmarriages%2fdeaths%2fdatasets%2fdeathsbyvaccinationstatusengland%2fdeathsoccurringbetween1january2021and31january2022/referencetable20220316accessible.xlsx

Anonymous Challenges Russia's Supposed Cyber Prowess With Repeat Rosatom Breach, Leaks Data on Clients And Contracts

Apart from vodka, Matryoshka dolls and Vladimir Putin, Russia is also famous — even feared — for its army of hackers. But since Kremlin's invasion of Ukraine in February, Russian government agencies, financial institutions, oil and gas companies and even close circuit cameras across the country have come under relentless cyber attacks from Anonymous, the international decentralized hacking collective and movement.

Anonymous' campaign has been highly effective: it hacked and defaced Russian websites and pried out sensitive information and data from Russia's business and government entities. The collective has promised it will not stop its crusade until the Kremlin ends its war against Ukraine and its latest exploit has been to hack none other than Russia's state-run nuclear energy behemoth Rosatom. Interestingly, it is the second time in less than three months Anonymous has breached Rosatom. The latest attack is bigger than the first one carried out in March, and despite the Kremlin's supposed prowess in the cyber realm, it has not been able to prevent this repeat intrusion into one of its most valued companies.

Anonymous' KelvinSecurity — the same group that hacked Nestle and leaked crucial data of the multinational company and its clients — was also behind the latest Rosatom breach, which scooped out 800,000 documents. Most of the documents are about the nuclear energy company's affiliates and clients.

Rosatom, with a 2020 revenue of $1.2 trillion, specializes in nuclear energy and supplies a fifth of the transcontinental country's electricity. It is also one of the largest exporters of nuclear technology and products in the world.

This time, the hacking collective leaked 5.63 GB of data from the Rosatom Customer System. The KelvinSecurity team told International Business Times that the breach this time is more damaging to Rosatom than the March hack.

A key KelvinSecurity member who uses the Twitter handle @Ksecureteamlab said this the exploit this time "directly affects (Rosatom's) clients." A different team from the collective had leaked 15.3 gigabytes of data from Rosatom in March, which included an email address hosted on ProtonMail, a free encrypted email provider.

The KelvinSecurity team plans to initially release "about 10,000" documents from the latest hack "to expose the Russian company." This first set of documents, according to the group, impacts the company's clients as it includes contracts with clients and even its customers' personal information and passport details.

https://www.ibtimes.com/anonymous-challenges-russias-supposed-cyber-prowess-repeat-rosatom-breach-leaks-data-3505131

Funny how the so called freedom fighters are working to help the deep state - C_A front

CEO Of Private Equity Fund Sentenced To 97 Months For $133 Million Bank And Securities Fraud Scheme

https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/ceo-private-equity-fund-sentenced-97-months-133-million-bank-and-securities-fraud

25 Indicted in Erie-Based Drug Trafficking Ring

https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdpa/pr/25-indicted-erie-based-drug-trafficking-ring

Syria: Israel Fires Missiles on Central Town, Defense Systems Activated

This is the third reported airstrike within a week against targets affiliated with the Syrian regime ■ A Syrian military source says that five people were killed and seven were injured, including a child

Israeli missiles targeted central Syria on Friday, killing five people, including a civilian, and ignited fires in farmlands in the area, Syrian state media reported.

The official news agency SANA said the missiles were fired at the town of Masyaf in the Hama countryside, adding that several of them were shot down by Syrian air defenses. An unnamed military official was quoted as saying that five people were killed, including a civilian, and seven were wounded.

https://www.haaretz.com/middle-east-news/syria/.premium-syrian-defense-systems-responding-to-hostile-targets-state-media-reports-1.10798442

“Unfortunate that in a Time of War, We Spend all the Time Blaming our own President” – Top Democrat Steny Hoyer Announces War on Russia

So, we’re at war?

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer complains that Americans are attacking Joe Biden during wartime:

“It is unfortunate that in a time of war, we spend all the time blaming our own president.”

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2022/05/unfortunate-time-war-spend-time-blaming-president-top-democrat-steny-hoyer-announces-war-russia-video/

Federal Appeals Court Reinstates Texas Law Prohibiting Social Media Companies from Banning Users Based on Viewpoints

A federal appeals court on Wednesday reinstated a Texas law that prohibits social media companies from banning users based on their political views. The law will take effect immediately following the ruling.

Governor Abbott signed the new law last September 9, prohibiting the social media giants from banning users based on their political views and requiring them to produce regular reports of removed content, create a complaint system, and disclose their content regulation procedures, according to Texas Tribune.

U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman blocked the law in December after NetChoice and CCIA filed a lawsuit claiming that the law violated their right to free speech under the 1st Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. According to Judge Pitman, social media platforms are protected by the First Amendment and have the right to moderate content.

On Wednesday, a three-judge panel of the New Orleans-based Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals granted a motion to stay to allow Texas to implement the law while the state’s appeal continues.

Reuters reported:

The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel did not explain its reasoning for granting the state’s request for a stay of a December order by U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman in Austin, Texas, who had found that social media companies’ 1st Amendment rights would be harmed by allowing the law to take effect.

The order included a footnote that the three-judge panel, comprised of Circuit Judges Edith Jones, Leslie Southwick and Andrew Oldham, was not unanimous, though it did not say how it was divided. The judges were appointed by former Republican Presidents Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush and Donald Trump, respectively.

A lawyer for the plaintiffs challenging the law — internet lobbying groups NetChoice and the Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA), whose members include Twitter, Facebook and Google — did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Nor did the office of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, which is defending the law.

NetChoice and CCIA said in their lawsuit that the law violated their right to free speech under the 1st Amendment of the U.S. Constitution by barring them from exercising editorial discretion over their private platforms.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2022/05/federal-appeals-court-reinstates-texas-law-prohibiting-social-media-companies-banning-users-based-viewpoints/

ACT Senate candidate Li Fuxin linked to Chinese government's foreign influence arm

A Senate candidate billing himself as a choice for social harmony has a long history of activity with the Chinese government's main arm of overseas influence, the United Front Work Department.

Key points:

Dr Li Fuxin has held positions on at least seven groups linked to the Chinese government's main arm of overseas influence

The candidate says he has not had contact with any of the groups for "two or three years"

He says he's running as an independent and is not influenced by the Chinese government

Canberra-based Dr Li Fuxin — the founder and principal of a Chinese language school — announced his intent to run for Australia's upper house as an independent in late March.

While he declared he was running on a platform of multiculturalism, education and business, he was less forthcoming about the fact that, in recent years, he has cultivated important ties to Beijing, mainly through senior positions within provincial arms of the United Front Work Department.

The United Front Work Department has been described by Western governments as a key element of China's President Xi Jinping's strategy to conduct influence operations targeting foreign nations.

Other aspiring Australian politicians have been involved with the United Front Work Department in the past — Victorian Liberal MP Gladys Liu was found to have links to it — but few have held so many executive positions as Dr Li.

"If people are members — and, certainly, if they're office holders in United Front-linked organisations — then their duty is to work on behalf of the Chinese Community Party," said Clive Hamilton, author of two books on the role of the Chinese government's covert influence operations around the world.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-05-14/act-senate-candidate-li-fuxin-linked-to-china-influence-arm/101065860

'Depraved' female paedophile, 37, who raped young girl with two men, filmed the abuse to share online and said she wanted to 'kidnap, rape, torture, kill and then eat children' is jailed for life

A 'depraved' paedophile who raped a young girl with two men and filmed the abuse so it could be shared online has been jailed for life.

Vicki Bevan had discussed with another man their desire to 'kidnap, rape, torture, kill and then eat children' after sexually abusing them.

A judge today told Bevan and her two co-accused, Paul Rafferty and Tony Hutton: 'The scale of depravity represented by your combined offending really beggars belief, representing as it does your collective perverted sexual conduct.'

Bevan, 37, filmed and photographed the girl being abused and the images were shared online - which led to their downfall when they were found on a mobile phone.

Liverpool Crown Court heard that Bevan was caught out after police seized the phone from a man, not before the court, which revealed 458 pages of highly sexualised WhatsApp conversations with Bevan and indecent images.

'The contents of some of those chats is truly, truly shocking. Even allowing for some people's capacity for perversion - some of these conversations are beyond disturbing,' said Judge Andrew Menary, QC, the Recorder of Liverpool.

The court heard that Bevan's parents have spoken of having brought her up in a loving environment and knowing right from wrong and describe how their lives having 'fallen apart' because of her offending.

They want nothing more to do with her and the judge imposed a lifelong restraining order on Bevan to keep away from them.

The defendant, from St Helens, pleaded guilty to a total of 34 sex offences including one joint rape charge and five sex assaults with Rafferty and one charge of sex abuse jointly with Hutton.

Rafferty, of St Helens, was jailed for ten years with an extended licence of four years. Hutton, 62, also of St Helens, was jailed for four years.

Judge Menary told Bevan, who showed no emotion, that in the WhatsApp conversations with the other man there were 'hundreds of messages in which you discussed in graphic details your shared desire to kidnap, rape, torture, kill and then eat children after sexual abuse.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10813709/Depraved-paedophile-37-raped-young-girl-two-men-jailed-life.html

Paedophiles must be CASTRATED, Pauline Hanson says, as she calls for a national child sex offender register so Aussies can find out if they're living next door to a pervert

Pauline Hanson is calling for paedophiles to be chemically castrated

She also wants a national child sex offender register introduced

It would publish the names, aliases, geographical area, current photo and list of identifying features of child sex offenders

There are more than 17,000 convicted paedophiles in Australia and more than half of them re-offend within four years

Pauline Hanson has called for pedophiles to be chemically castrated along with tougher penalties for sex offenders.

The One Nation leader also called for the establishment of a national database of paedophiles, after responding to questions on the issue from Daily Mail Australia.

'I support chemical castration and tougher penalties for paedophiles, and the establishment of a national database of paedophiles,' she told Daily Mail Australia.

'People are very concerned about their children’s safety and they want strong laws and penalties for those convicted of paedophilia,' Ms Hanson said.

'For sex offences not involving children, I consider it appropriate for the presiding magistrate or judge to determine the appropriate penalty under the relevant law.'

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10811811/Pauline-Hanson-demands-chemical-castration-paedophiles.html

Miley Cyrus, Ariana Grande, and others join Planned Parenthood in ad campaign promoting the right to kill unborn children

Dozens of entertainers and musical artists — including big names like Ariana Grande, Billie Eilish, Megan Thee Stallion, and more — have signed on to an ad from Planned Parenthood declaring they are being "robbed of our power" by losing the right to kill their unborn children.

The full-page ad ran in the New York Times Friday days after a leaked Supreme Court draft majority opinion for Dobbs vs. Jackson Women's Health Organization indicated the court will uphold Mississippi's 15-week abortion ban and overrule its landmark Roe v. Wade decision. This action by the court would end the constitutional right to kill unwanted children before they are born and activate so-called trigger laws in 26 states that would ban or restrict abortion access.

In response, Planned Parenthood, the nation's number one abortion provider, has launched a "Bans Off Our Bodies" campaign to oppose the Supreme Court's expected decision and pro-life laws. The New York Times ad is part of that campaign.

"Our power to plan our own futures and control our own bodies depends on our ability to access sexual and reproductive health care, including abortion," the ad states.

"We are Artists. Creators. Storytellers. We are the new generation stepping into our power. Now we are being robbed of our power. We will not go back — and we will not back down," the signatories declare.

In addition to those mentioned, the ad was signed by numerous celebrities including Kendall Jenner, Selena Gomez, Olivia Rodrigo, Shawn Mendes, Camila Cabello, Demi Lovato, Halsey, Hailey Bieber, Camila Mendes, Lili Reinhart, Madelaine Petsch, Karlie Kloss, Ariana DeBose, Madelyn Cline, Hailee Steinfeld, Dove Cameron, FINNEAS, Hayley Kiyoko, Madison Beer, Phoebe Bridgers, Joey King, Peyton List, Lauren Jauregui, Jenna Ortega, Storm Reid, Tinashe, Meghan Trainor, Tommy Dorfman, Melanie Martinez, Liza Koshy, and Maia Mitchell.

"These young artists are encouraging their fans to join them in speaking out in support of the right to access sexual and reproductive health care, including abortion," Planned Parenthood said in a statement.

"Should the Supreme Court take away the constitutional right to safe, legal abortion, young people stand to lose the most. So many of us — who grew up with the understanding that Roe was settled law — could have never imagined that our own children would have fewer rights and less freedom over their own bodies and futures," said Planned Parenthood President Alexis McGill Johnson.

"What we see in young people from all walks of life is that they aren’t backing down — not today, not ever. Like the artists who signed on to this ad, their resolve to keep bans off their bodies is a source of hope during a dark time, and we are determined to keep fighting alongside them, for them," she added.

https://www.theblaze.com/news/miley-cyrus-abortion-rights-planne-parenthood

Saudi Arabia Hires Rothschild to Help Oversee Binladin Group Overhaul

Saudi Arabia’s finance ministry has hired Rothschild & Co. to help oversee the restructuring of the kingdom’s biggest construction conglomerate Saudi Binladin Group, according to people familiar with the matter.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-05-12/saudi-arabia-hires-rothschild-to-help-oversee-binladin-overhaul