British Retiree May Have Solved Decades-Old Geometry Problem: ‘A Really New Idea’

An amateur mathematician in the United Kingdom may have solved a 60-year-old problem in geometry, garnering the attention of researchers.

CNN reported David Smith, a retired printing technician, has discovered a shape known as an “einstein,” which can be tiled over a surface without the pattern repeating. The outlet noted mathematicians first began working on this problem in the 1960s.

Smith and three coauthors, Joseph Samuel Myers, Craig S. Kaplan, and Chaim Goodman-Strauss, published a paper explaining Smith’s finding.

Smith, who says he is “always looking for an interesting shape,” wrote a blog post to serve as a “scrapbook” of his experiments with non-repeating tiles in which he thanked his three coauthors for the “super human effort” they expended helping him make his work public.

Live Science reported that mathematicians have long debated whether such shapes could even exist and, if so, what form they might take:

For decades, mathematicians wondered if it was possible to find a single special shape that could perfectly tile a surface, without leaving any gaps or causing any overlaps, with the pattern never repeating. Of course, this is trivial to do with a pattern that repeats — just look at a bathroom or kitchen floor, which is probably made up of simple rectangular tiles. If you were to pick up your floor and move it (called a “translation” in mathematics), you could find a position where the floor looks exactly the same as before, proving that it’s a repeating pattern.

Stanford Professor Rafe Mazzeo observed that Smith’s finding could have applications in physics, chemistry, and other fields, per CNN.

“This new discovery is a strikingly simple example. There are no standard techniques known for finding new aperiodic tiles, so this involved a really new idea. That is always exciting,” he said.

Smith told CNN his success in finding novel shapes does not stem from an aptitude for math but instead from persistence and the help of his collaborators.

“I’m not really into math, to be honest — I did it at school, but I didn’t excel in it,” he said. “That’s why I got these other guys involved, because there’s no way I could have done this without them. I discovered the shape, which was a bit of luck, but it was also me being persistent.”

https://www.breitbart.com/science/2023/04/06/british-retiree-solved-decades-old-geometry-problem/

Israel Intercepts 25 of 34 Hamas Terrorist Rockets Launched from Lebanon

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said Thursday night Hamas terrorists based in Lebanon fired nearly three dozen rockets into Israel over the previous 24-hour period.

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh is currently in Lebanon.

In a statement, IDF recorded34rockets were fired, with 25 intercepted by the IDF Aerial Defense array, while five landed in Israeli territory. Another four rocket launches were “under review.”

“Following the rocket fire from Lebanon and sensitivity of recent and upcoming events, the IDF is currently conducting a calm and focused security assessment on the nature of these events,” IDF international spokesman Lt. Col. Richard Hect wrote on Twitter. “We are prepared to face any threat and ready for all operational scenarios.”

The barrage was the largest number of rockets fired from Lebanon since the 2006 war, during which thousands of rockets were launched at Israel. In August 2021, Hezbollah fired 19 rockets at northern Israel, the Times of Israel reports.

The launch came members of the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas traveled to Beirut to meet with officials from the Lebanese terrorist organization Hezbollah.

Hezbollah has not commented on the incident.

IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari told a press conference that Hamas was responsible for the rocket fire, adding it was also behind recent rocket fire from Gaza.

https://www.breitbart.com/middle-east/2023/04/07/israel-intercepts-25-of-34-hamas-terrorist-rockets-launched-from-lebanon/

Report: China May Soon Ban Exports of Rare-Earth Magnet Tech to Weaken U.S., Japan

The Japanese financial newspaper Nikkei Asia reported on Thursday that the government of China is considering banning the export of technology used to create rare-earth fueled high-performance magnets, often used in electric vehicles and other advanced technology.

The report did not cite any sources. Kyodo News, another Japanese outlet, followed with its own report signaling the same potential prohibition from Beijing, claiming that the ban was present in a “proposed revision to its [China’s] export control measures.” Both outlets reported that the potential export ban stemmed from the Communist Party process of updating the nation’s export control list, untouched since 2020.

The news follows growing tensions between China and some of the most influential countries on the rare-earth technology supply chain: America, Japan, and the Netherlands. Japan added 23 items to its export control list last week, most of them materials or technology used to make semiconductors, which often require rare-earth minerals and are pivotal for electric vehicles and other “green” energy. The Japanese move followed a similar one out of the Netherlands that Washington urged the countries to take.

“The U.S. in October imposed sweeping export restrictions on shipments of American chipmaking tools to China, but for the restrictions to be effective it needs other key suppliers in the Netherlands and Japan, who produce key chipmaking technology, to agree,” Reuters reported in March.

China filed a formal complaint over Japan’s moves before the World Trade Organization (WTO) this week, adding to an already existing complaint against the United States.

According to Nikkei, the items on the table for a potential export ban in China include “technology to process and refine rare-earth elements.”

“There are also proposed provisions that would prohibit or limit exports of alloy tech for making high-performance magnets derived from rare earths,” the report continued. “In all, there are 43 amendments or additions in the draft list first announced in December by the commerce and technology ministries.”

The magnets in question are required for electric vehicles. Some of the technology potentially affected by the ban also powers smartphones and “green” energy technology such as wind turbines. Rare-earth minerals also go into the production of computers, fiber optics, and electric generators.

The magnets affected by such a ban are a priority for the Japanese economy, a leader in manufacturing them. Nikkei noted that Japan makes the magnets “while the U.S. produces products that use the magnets.” Japan’s magnet production increased significantly after China banned the export of rare-earth minerals to Japan in 2010, punishing Japan for rejecting China’s claims to Japanese territory in the East China Sea — and leaving Japan to find another corner of the rare-earth supply chain to prosper in.

Japan and China have long maintained an acrimonious relationship, first in response to Japan’s atrocities in China during World War II and, more recently, the result of Japan’s opposition to Chinese communist imperialism in the region. Beijing nonetheless welcomed Japanese Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshimata last weekend to meet with his counterpart, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang, and several other high-ranking officials.

In his meeting with Hayashi, Qin emphasized China’s stern condemnation of Japan’s export controls on semiconductor technology.

“Japan has suffered that pain, and should not help a villain do evil. The containment will only further stimulate China’s determination to become self-reliant,” Qin said, referring to America. The Chinese diplomat accused Washington of similarly “bullying” China with policies to aid American industry in competing with Japanese semiconductor manufacturers.

Following their meeting, the Chinese Foreign Ministry again condemned Japan’s moves, failing to mention Hayashi’s visit during its regular press briefing the Monday after.

“China has made serious démarches to the Japanese side at various levels to express our strong discontent and grave concerns,” spokeswoman Mao Ning said. “The potential export control targeting China will not only affect the industrial and supply chains of semiconductors in the region and the wider world, and will also hurt Japanese companies.”

The Chinese state newspaper Global Times revealed on Wednesday that China had taken a further step in opposing the Japanese moves by filing a lawsuit against Japan at the WTO. The semiconductor export controls, the Chinese Commerce Ministry insisted, were a violation of the WTO’s rules.

https://www.breitbart.com/asia/2023/04/06/report-china-may-soon-ban-exports-rare-earth-magnet-tech-weaken-u-s-japan/

Croatian Border Police Accused of Using Off-Books Means to Intercept, Deport Migrants

ZAGREB, Croatia (AP) – An independent investigative group on Thursday accused Croatian officials and police of using a clandestine WhatsApp group to share sensitive information about migrants trying to enter the country.

It said it believed many of those discussed were later forcibly removed from the country, which is illegal under international treaties. Croatian police denied any wrongdoing.

The Lighthouse Reports group, which spearheaded collaborative investigation among journalists at various European news organizations, said in a report published on Thursday that it received 60 leaked screenshots and managed to identify 33 participants in the encrypted group used between August 2019 and February 2020.

“We found that among them were Croatian high-ranking officials,” the report, “Inside Croatia´s Secret WhatsApp Group,” said. “The WhatsApp group was used to exchange information about apprehensions of more than 1,300 people of mostly Afghan, Pakistani and Syrian nationality.”

The messages often included photos of individuals, their faces clearly visible, some forced to lie face down on the ground or remove their shoes. The group was also used to exchange information about journalists visiting the border area, the report said.

It added that the WhatsApp group “sat outside any official means of communication and away from the usual monitoring procedures, and there are strong indications that the foreign nationals referenced in the messages went on to be subject to illegal pushbacks.”

Croatian officials said they could neither confirm nor deny such communication. Interior Minister Davor Bozinovic confirmed the existence of the police operation Corridor, which is mentioned in the report and which he said was designed to curb illegal migration and people smuggling.

“We cannot know if these messages are authentic,” said Bozinovic. “Corridor II-West is no secret operation. It is an action carried out against migrant smugglers and intensively in the past five years.”

In a separate statement on Thursday, the Croatian Interior Ministry reiterated that the police focus on people smugglers and denied mistreatment of migrants. The use of communication among officers is not forbidden, the statement insisted, adding that all police work is officially documented.

“The fact that some information was exchanged via encrypted application does not mean that the practice of police officers is in any way incriminating or illegal,” said the Interior Ministry statement.

Croatia, an EU member state which joined the travel-free Schengen area this year, has repeatedly faced accusations of pushbacks of migrants, a practice that is illegal under international refugee treaties.

Pushbacks are the act of preventing people from exercising their right to apply for international protection – if they fear for their lives or that they may be persecuted – often by use of force or collective expulsions.

Migrants seek to enter Croatia from neighboring Bosnia or Serbia. They initially come from Turkey or Greece, go to North Macedonia and Serbia and Bosnia and then on toward Western Europe along what is known as the Balkan land route.

The Lighthouse report was done in collaboration with Der Spiegel, Nova TV, Novosti weekly, Telegram news portal and ORF.

In 2019, Lighthouse Reports published video footage of uniformed men in balaclavas beating groups of migrants, saying they were Croatian police. That release resulted in an investigation and removal of police officers from duty.

https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2023/04/06/croatian-border-police-accused-of-using-off-books-means-to-intercept-deport-migrants/

CIA chief admits US ‘blindsided’ by Saudi-Iran deal – WSJ

Top diplomats from Tehran and Riyadh met in Beijing on Thursday to reestablish contacts between the longtime rivals

CIA Director William Burns has told Saudi officials that the United States was caught off guard, after the kingdom agreed to a normalization deal with Iran brokered by China, according to the Wall Street Journal.

During an unannounced trip to Saudi Arabia this week, Burns “expressed frustration” with Riyadh and said Washington “felt blindsided” by its renewed diplomacy with both Iran and Syria, multiple unnamed sources told the Journal on Thursday.

The foreign ministers of Iran and Saudi Arabia held talks in the Chinese capital on Thursday, where they discussed a number of issues related to the new initiative, including reopening embassies in both countries, designating ambassadors, and even a visit to Riyadh by Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi.

After years of strife as regional adversaries, Tehran and Riyadh concluded the normalization pact on March 10 following secret talks mediated by Beijing, agreeing to resume formal diplomatic relations after they cut ties in 2016. The deal marked a major diplomatic achievement for China and a significant shakeup in the geopolitics of the Middle East.

Since the agreement was announced, top diplomats from Saudi Arabia and Iran have spoken on the phone at least three times, and hope to reach compromises on several outstanding issues – namely the war in Yemen, which has raged on for more than eight years and left hundreds of thousands dead.

Tehran is also working to reestablish contacts with the United Arab Emirates, another Gulf monarchy long at odds with the Islamic Republic. Earlier this week, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri said his country had appointed an ambassador to Abu Dhabi for the first time in nearly a decade. Riyadh is also reportedly seeking to reach a similar understanding with Syria, and hopes to invite President Bashar al-Assad for a visit later this year, according to Reuters.

While the White House has welcomed the new diplomacy in public, Burns’ reported complaints to Saudi officials this week could highlight concerns over Beijing’s growing influence in the region. Tensions between Riyadh and Washington have also been on the rise since last year, when OPEC+, a group of major oil exporters led by Saudi Arabia, opted to slash production. The move reportedly “angered” President Joe Biden, who claimed the cut would benefit Russia, another large energy exporter.

https://www.rt.com/news/574335-us-blindsided-saudi-iran/

China spy balloon bursts back into headlines as Biden story crumbles: 'They lied about it'

Rep. Greg Steube said that the administration's failure to give America a complete accounting threatens national security.

The Chinese spy balloon saga burst back into the headlines this week with revelations that Beijing likely gathered far more intelligence than previously acknowledged, raising fresh questions about the Biden administration's honesty and its decision to allow the device to traverse the entire United States before it was shot down.

Intelligence officials confirmed Monday the Chinese balloon gathered intelligence from several sensitive U.S. military sites and transmitted it back to Beijing, despite the administration’s claims if had blocked the transmissions. The device was clearly controlled, in some cases making multiple passes even figure 8s over sensitive sites, the officials said.

Members of Congress told Just the News that the administration's false story not only insulted Americans, it risked national security by lulling policymakers into thinking little had been spied on for several weeks.

"It went over military bases collecting information, which we all knew it was collecting information. And they're like 'Nothing to worry about here or see here,'" Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla.,said Wednesday during a wide-ranging interview on the Just the News, No Noise television show.

"And then even Democrats started being like, 'why are we not shooting this down?' Then after it had traversed the entire continental United States, gotten all this sensitive information, sent it back to Beijing, then they shoot it down over the Atlantic," added Steube, an Army veteran who served on the powerful House Ways and Means Committee.

Fred Fleitz, a retired CIA officer who served as National Security Council chief of staff under President Donald Trump, said career intelligence experts never believed the Biden administration's initial account but it went unchallenged in the news media for weeks.

"It's so amusing because the administration said it was a spy balloon, but claimed it didn't do any spying. Now, as an intelligence officer, I knew that couldn't be true," Fleitz told the John Solomon Reports podcast. Then they had this ridiculous claim that was 'We let the spy balloon fly across the United States because we wanted to spy on the spy balloon.' I knew that wasn't true, either."

When asked about the new intelligence, the Defense Department this week directed reporters to remarks from February in which senior officials said the balloon's intelligence-gathering abilities were "limited," and were similar to what Beijing is likely able to collect through objects such as satellites.

Fleitz said that claim. too. was misleading. "They also lied in that they said, 'Well, look, it doesn't matter because balloons don't gather much information and the Chinese have satellites,'" he explained. "And I told you when we talked about this, that's not true either. Balloons are a very capable intelligence platform. Very valid. The US government uses them."

President Joe Biden was mocked on social media this week after the new intelligence reports surfaced, as critics looped video of his claim he had protected the country. “We were able to protect sensitive sites against collection," the president said back in February.

Fleitz said the president's misstatement was not only a political credibility problem, it signaled to allies and adversaries alike that the United States was willing to be so weak in its response to China's violation of U.S. airspace that it would make up a cover story.

"They're saying things they know are not true. It's all spin. And look, when the President and the White House Press Secretary and Secretary of State repeatedly tell lies about national security, the world's just not going to believe us, they're not going to follow us … . It just makes the world so much dangerous, because America is not able to lead under this President."

Prominent television journalist Bill O'Reilly said the Biden administration's projection of weakness has continued since the Chinese balloon, only emboldening tyrants like Russia's Vladimir Putin and China's Xi Jinping.

https://justthenews.com/world/asia/thursintelligence-community-leaders-condemn-biden-not-taking-more-action-against-spy

Mexican president slams Trump indictment, says case brought for 'political purposes'

Trump and López generally enjoyed amicable relations during their shared tenures as heads of state, though Trump's hawkish immigration policies often led to some tensions in diplomatic discussions.

Mexican President Andres Manuel López Obrador derided the prosecution of former President Donald Trump on Wednesday, saying that legal proceedings ought not to be used to influence elections.

His comments follow Trump's Tuesday arraignment in which the former president pleaded not guilty to 34 counts brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg in connection with a 2016 payment that his then-personal attorney, Michael Cohen, made to Stormy Daniels.

"Supposedly legal issues should not be used for electoral, political purposes. That’s why I don’t agree with what they are doing to ex-President Trump," he said, according to The Hill. "It should be the people who decide."

Trump and López generally enjoyed amicable relations during their shared tenures as heads of state, though Trump's hawkish immigration policies often led to some tensions in diplomatic discussions.

A handful of foreign leaders have condemned the indictment. El Salvador President Nayib Bukele, for example, contended that bringing charges against the leader of the political opposition would undermine American arguments in favor of democracy when condemning comparable proceedings abroad.

"Sadly, it’ll be very hard for US Foreign Policy to use arguments such as 'democracy' and 'free and fair elections', or try to condemn 'political persecution' in other countries, from now on," he tweeted.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, meanwhile, offered more direct support for Trump, saying "[k]eep on fighting, Mr. President! We are with you" and including a photo of the two shaking hands.

https://justthenews.com/world/latin-america/mexican-president-slams-trump-indictment-says-case-brought-political-purposes