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Magyarország
2019. X. 10. Sára, az egykori Duna Televízió első elnök-főigazgatója életének 86. évében, szeptember 22-én hunyt el. A Balázs Béla Stúdió első nemzedékének tagjaként korszakos jelentőségű filmek operatőre volt: Sodrásban; Gyerekbetegségek; Apa; Tízezer nap; Szindbád. Rendezőként olyan filmek fűződnek a nevéhez, mint a Feldobott kő, a Holnap lesz fácán vagy a 80 huszár. Filmes alkotóként a nyolcvanas évek legnagyobb hatású, felkavaró erejű, felbecsülhetetlen forrásértékű, tanúságtevőket megszólaltató dokumentumfilmes irányzatának a megteremtője. E dokumentumfilmek az évtizedekig hallgatásra ítéltek megszólaltatásával a társadalomtudományi kutatásokban is kényszerűen elhallgatott legsúlyosabb tragédiákról, a 20. századi történelem különböző színezetű diktatúráinak kiszolgáltatott egyszerű emberek mérhetetlen szenvedéseiről tudósítottak. Munkásságát számos kitüntetéssel ismerték el - Balázs Béla-díjjal (1968); Kossuth-díjjal (1978); a Magyar Mozgókép Mestere címmel (2005), a magyar filmkritikusok életműdíjával (2012); a Nemzet Művésze Díjjal (2014); a Magyar Művészeti Akadémia Életműdíjával (2017); a Kovács László–Zsigmond Vilmos Magyar Operatőr Díjjal (2018) és a Kossuth-nagydíjjal (2018). Sárát az Emberi Erőforrások Minisztériuma, a Magyar Művészeti Akadémia, az MTVA és a Duna Médiaszolgáltató Zrt. saját halottjának tekinti. Búcsúztatóját, a katolikus egyház szertartása szerinti gyászmisét 2019. október 11-én 15 órakor tartják a budapesti Szent István-bazilikában. Földi maradványait a Galga-menti Turán, családjától kísérve helyezik végső nyugalomra.
2019. X. 10. A 81. huszár. Sára lehetett volna a magyar Kuroszava, miként mestere Szőts is, de ezt idejében észrevették a magyar szellem börtönőrei és kiszorították őket a nagyvászonról. Szőts és Sára élete példázza azt is, hogy miért nem jöhetett létre egy Vajdához hasonló egységes, nagy ívű életmű a magyar filmkultúrában (csak egy vége-hossza nincs, mind ideologikusabb plakátfolyam, lásd Jancsó). Hiányzott hozzá az erőteljesebben jelenlévő hazai társadalmi-politikai erő és az ezt előhívó és megtámasztó, valóban magyar szellemiség. Máig tapasztalható, ahogy quislingjeink megágyaztak a mozgóképpel bódító bűvészetnek. És a ma is létező lengyel filmszakmával szemben, a sok deréktörő magyar kompromisszum jutalma a honi filmkészítő szakma szétszóratottsága lett. Ennek kivédéséhez nem volt elég pár karakán személyiség. A magyar mocsárt kiszárító szellemet csak hajlíthatatlan jellemek hozhatják létre. Amiben a Duna TV-vel rövid ideig úttörőmunkát végzett Sára, hogy innen gyorsan kiebrudalva, majd azt is elmocsarasítsák. Kívülről nézni csak fogcsikorgatva lehet egy Sára kiszorításának alávaló és pökhendi történetét. Egy teremtő ember megbéklyózásával kevésbé az ő sorsát rontják – a méltó alkotók felvállalják ennek az áldozatnak a terhét is –, a világosságot hozó Képzelettől megfosztatva egy nép lelkét ölik módszeresen. Ez a filmgyilkosok valódi bűne. (Forrás: MagyarMűvészetiAkadémia)
Franciaország
2019. X. 3. Figyelemmel követhetjük Franciaország közeljövőben prognosztizált utolsó három napját. Sok milliónyi bevándorló féktelen pusztításba kezd, elfojthatatlan erőszakhullám söpör végig Franciaországon. A megjelenés hetében az eladási sikerlisták élén debütált Obertone: Gerilla című könyve. (Forrás: PestiSrácok)
Greece
5 October 2019 Communist demonstrations broke out in central Athens on Saturday to protest Pompeo's visit. The US top official was in Greece to reinforce cooperation with its NATO ally, signing an amendment to a mutual defense agreement. (Source: DailyMail)
Italy Olaszország
4 October 2019 Papadopoulos, who worked on the Trump campaign, told the Italian newspaper, La Verita, that Renzi had been used by former US president, Obama, to strike a “low blow” against Trump. Sharing the interview on Twitter, Papadopoulos added that “the Italian Spygate story will cost Renzi his political career”. The accusation comes a week after US attorney general, Barr, met Italian intelligence officials in Rome as he reviews the FBI’s investigation into alleged collusion between Russia and Trump’s presidential campaign. The meetings reportedly homed in on Mifsud, a Maltese professor who allegedly told Papadopoulos in 2016 that the Kremlin was in possession of thousands of emails that revealed “dirt” about Clinton. Mifsud, who taught at Link Campus University in Rome, has been missing since October 2017. Italian prime minister Conte has come under fire following reports that he authorised the meetings. (Source: TheGuardian)
2019. X. 2. Kezdeményezte az új olasz kormány, hogy az országban született vagy 12 éves koruk előtt odaérkezett külföldi gyerekek olasz állampolgárságot kapjanak, és ezzel egy időben a választási jogot 16 éves kortól vezessék be. Azzal a feltétellel, ha legalább öt évig olasz iskolába jártak, vagy 3-4 éves, szakmai képesítést nyújtó oktatási intézményt végeztek. Számítások szerint ez összesen több mint 800 ezer Olaszországban élő és tanuló gyermeket és fiatalkorút érinthet, köztük európai uniós állampolgárságú és más bevándorló szülők gyerekeit is. Jelenleg az Olaszországban született külföldi gyermekek 18 éves korukban kérelmezhetik az állampolgárságot, a felnőttkor betöltésétől számított egy éven belül, azzal a feltétellel, hogy életük első 18 évét megszakítások nélkül ott élték le, és családjuk is szabályos tartózkodási engedély birtokában van. A javaslat átrendezheti az olaszországi választók számát és politikai erejét. Az Olaszországban született vagy huzamosabb ideje ott élő és tanuló külföldi gyerekek állampolgárságát a baloldal szorgalmazza. A korábbi balközép kormány az olaszországi születéshez (ius soli) akarta kötni az állampolgárságot, de ez 2015-ben megbukott a parlament felsőházának támogatása hiányában. (Forrás: Mandiner)
Moldova
2019. X. 7. Nemrég jelentősen felerősödött az orosz tevékenység Fehéroroszországban, Moldovában és Ukrajnában. Az ukrajnai fronton Putyin orosz elnöknek sikerült meghatároznia a napirendet, meggyőzve francia kollégáját, Macron elnököt az úgynevezett Steinmeier-megoldás támogatására. A minszki megállapodásnak a részekre bontásáról van szó a következő normandiai csúcstalálkozón (Ukrajna, Oroszország, Franciaország, Németország). Moldovában Moszkva egy kedvező politikai elrendezéssel próbálkozik, melyben Moldova oroszbarát elnöke, Dodon az európaiak által támogatott „oligarchátlanítás” ürügyén ügyesen megszerzi a korlátozatlan informális végrehajtó hatalmat. Ez annak az Európa keleti felében növekvő hatalmi űrnek a következményeként lehetséges, melyet az okoz, hogy az Egyesült Államok de facto kivonul a térségből, miközben az Európai Unió nem képes a helyére lépni. A moldovai ügy rendkívül szemléletes, amikor a NATO keleti szárnyán zajló viharos orosz offenzíva megmagyarázására kerül sor. Ez – főleg – helyi politikai szövetségesek támogatásán és hatalomba juttatásán alapul, akiknek az a szerepük, hogy a célországok nevében elfogadják Moszkva agendáját és alkalmazzák a szuverenitás Oroszország által hirdetett mítoszát. A szeptember 18-i kormányközi találkozó, a moldovai–orosz gazdasági fórum nagyjából 1500 résztvevővel zajlott, Kozak orosz kormányfő-helyettest, különféle orosz régiók hivatalosságait és EU-országokból származó politikusokat is beleértve, akik fokozni igyekeznek kapcsolataikat Oroszországgal. Az orosz felet a mezőgazdasági miniszter, Patrusev fia vezette, apja az orosz Szövetségi Biztonsági Szolgálat (FSZB) egyik volt főnöke és jelenleg az Orosz Föderáció Biztonsági Tanácsának a vezetője. Ezen események nyomán az orosz Kommerszant lap megkérdezte Dodon elnöktől, hogy Moldova kész lenne-e különféle stratégiai aktívumokat eladni orosz cégeknek. A kérdés elsősorban két létesítményre vonatkozott: a giurgiuleşti-i dunai kikötőre, mely amúgy összeköti Moldovát a Fekete-tengerrel, valamint a Kisjenői Nemzetközi Repülőtérre. Moldova gazdasági struktúrájára és az ország kis méretére tekintettel néhány külföldi korporáció könnyen társadalmi turbulenciákba taszíthatja ezt a kelet-európai államot, vagy megzavarhatja a nemzeti választásokat, például a helyi piacok mesterséges bedöntésével. A tengeri és légi kikötők feletti ellenőrzés lehetővé tenné Oroszország számára, hogy biztonságosan Moldovába helyezhesse át a csapatait és a katonai felszereléseit, amit most nehezít az ország Ukrajna általi elszigetelése, mely Kisjenő és Moszkva között helyezkedik el. (Forrás: Főtér / Adevarul)
Russia
October 4, 2019 Russia is helping China build a new missile attack warning system. Russia is effectively creating a military alliance with China, Boyev, director general of Vympel, Russia's major weapons manufacturer, confirmed to Russia's state-run media that the company was working on "modelling" the system for China. Boyev designed Russia's missile attack warning system. This deal will keep Russian defense companies busy for several years. (Source: CBSNews)
Ukraine
October 5, 2019 Zelenskiy prepares for a summit with the leaders of Russia, France and Germany this month to bring peace to eastern Ukraine, where 13,000 people have died in five years of fighting between pro-Moscow separatists and Ukrainian troops. Zelenskiy has spent the last week denying he caved in to Trump’s request and working to claw back international legitimacy, while also trying to remain in the good graces of the United States. Ukraine’s chief prosecutor yesterday made what looked like a gesture to satisfy Trump by announcing a review of past cases involving the founder of a gas firm where Biden’s son served on the board. Zelenskiy has said he thought only part of their conversation would be made public. But the damage was done. And day before yesterday things took a new downward turn. Text messages released by Congress showed Zelenskiy’s diplomatic aide, Yermak, promising to announce Ukraine would open the investigations Trump wanted in exchange simply for an official White House meeting. Some worry attention from the impeachment inquiry could put their head of state on the back foot with Russia, forcing him to cede too much in the upcoming eastern Ukraine peace talks. (Source: APNews)
Vatican
October 7, 2019 Pope seeks ‘courageous’ debate over Amazon priest shortage. Francis’ traditionalist critics, including a handful of cardinals, have called the proposals in the synod working document “heretical” and an invitation to a “pagan” religion that idolizes nature rather than God. The synod is opening with global attention newly focused on the forest fires that are devouring the Amazon. Organizer Cardinal Baldisseri told the bishops there would be no plastic cups or utensils at the meeting, that synod swag such as bags and pens were biodegradable, and that the emissions spent to get more than 200 bishops and indigenous from South America to Rome - estimated at 572,809 kilograms of carbon dioxide - would be offset with the purchase of 50 hectares of new growth forest in the Amazon. (Source: APNews)
October 6, 2019 Pope Francis formally opened a meeting of bishops that will debate whether the Catholic Church should loosen its 1,000-year-old requirement of celibacy for priests. The ratio of Catholics to priests in South America was 7,200 to one, almost four times the ratio in North America in 2017. In parts of the Amazon, the ratio is more than 8,000 to one. The world-wide ratio has risen sharply in recent decades, to about 3,200 to 1 from 1,900 to 1 in 1980. Married men do serve as priests in the two dozen Eastern Catholic Churches that follow the pope in Ukraine, Lebanon and elsewhere. In recent decades, some married Protestant ministers, mostly Anglicans, have been ordained as priests after becoming Catholics. But in the Roman Catholic Church - to which the vast majority of the world’s 1.3 billion Catholics belong - celibacy has been the norm since the 11th century. The Catholic bishops of Germany are already planning to debate priestly celibacy, along with other sensitive issues including homosexuality and women’s ordination, at a national synod starting in December. (Source: TheWallStreetJournal)
Európai Unió
2019. X. 10. Az Európai Bizottság keresetet indít Magyarország ellen a cigaretta minimális jövedéki adómérték alkalmazásának elmulasztása miatt. 2018. január 1. után Magyarországon is alkalmazni kellett volna az uniós jövedéki előírások szerinti minimális adómértéket a cigarettára. Az EU-s elvárás az, hogy a jövedéki adó szintjének el kell érnie a kiskereskedelmi ár 60 százalékát, vagy a 115 euro-t (37 700 forintot) ezer szálanként. A Magyarország által alkalmazott jövedéki adómérték azonban jelenleg sem éri el az uniós küszöbértéket, ami torzítja a más tagállamokkal fennálló versenyt, és ellentmond az uniós egészségvédelmi politikának - írták. (Forrás: Index)
Armenia
7 Oct 2017 The world is on the “brink of a black swan” apocalypse warn security experts. Experts from Germany and the US will debate the dangers of black swans in the presence of Russian, Armenian and other delegates at the World Congress on Information Technology tomorrow. The panel will discuss how the world’s internet and AI-controlled systems will cope in the event of a black swan.
A comment: So those guys are foreseeing an unforeseen event? Interesting. (Source: DailyStar)
China
1 Oct 2019 The People's Liberation Army (PLA), the world's biggest military is with two million men and women in uniform, China has about 280 nuclear warheads, compared with 6,450 for America and 6,850 for Russia. China has unveiled its “ultimate doomsday weapon” during one of the nation’s biggest military parades. The terrifying super-nuke took centre stage at a huge arms showcase held in Tiananmen Square, Beijing, to mark 70 years of Communist rule. The massive Dongfeng 41 (DF-41) missile' speed is 7672 mph, range 9300 miles with 10 nuclear warheads per missile. A Chinese unmanned drone and a WZ-8 supersonic reconnaissance was also presented. /video, photo/ (Source: TheSun): https://tinyurl.com/y63o9pr7
Iran
October 1, 2019 Iran has issued a death sentence for an individual it has accused of spying for the United States. Iranian courts also issued jail terms of up to 10 years for individuals Tehran accuses of spying for the United States and the United Kingdom. Members of the [spy] team were identified last year with strenuous efforts of the Iranian security forces and its agents in Iran's sensitive centers, including the nuclear and defense centers and the country's public infrastructures and most of them were arrested, Esmayeeli said when the alleged spy operations were first announced in July. (Source: TheWashingtonFreeBeacon)
Japan
1 Oct 2019 Artificial blood that can be used by anyone regardless of their blood type and will increase the survival rate of patients has been created by Japanese researchers from the National Defense Medical College. Scientists claim their artificial blood can also be stored for a year at normal temperatures. Blood can normally be kept for only 20 days at chilled temperatures before it spoils. The team’s findings were published in the US medical journal Transfusion. (Source: DailyStar)
Syria
8 October 2019 Kurdish fighters have warned that Turkey's Syrian invasion may allow isis to attempt mass prison breaks as the US backs out of its occupied territories. More than 15,000 isis fanatics are currently jailed in northeast Syria as Turkey plans the cross-border military operation. It's estimated around 2,500 of them are foreign fighters from European countries who have refused to take them back. (Source: TheSun)
Turkey
Oct 9 2019 Turkey and its Syrian rebel allies have launched their military operation into northeastern Syria, President Erdogan said. (Source: Reuters)
7 October 2019 U.S. official says planned Turkish incursion into Syria 'very bad idea'. Turkish President Erdogan, in a phone call with U.S. President Trump late yesterday, sought U.S. support for Ankara's planned incursion, the official said, but added that Trump declined. The Turkish presidency said that during the call with Trump, Erdogan had expressed his frustration with the failure of U.S. military and security officials to implement the agreement between the two countries on a safe zone. The NATO allies agreed in August to establish a zone in northeast Syria along the Turkish border. Turkey says the United States moved too slowly to set up the zone. It has repeatedly warned of starting an offensive on its own into northeast Syria. When asked about Ankara's plan to resettle millions of Syrian refugees back into northeast Syria, the official said: "That is probably the craziest idea I've ever heard." (Source: Reuters)
United States
October 7, 2019 President Trump’s decision to pull back U.S. troops from northern Syria drew quick, strong criticism today from some of his closest allies in Congress. It was condemned, too, by Kurdish fighters who would be abandoned to face a likely Turkish assault after fighting alongside Americans for years against the islamic state. There are about 1,000 U.S. troops in northern Syria. Trump defended his decision, acknowledging in tweets that “the Kurds fought with us” but adding that they “were paid massive amounts of money and equipment to do so.” “I held off this fight for almost 3 years, but it is time for us to get out of these ridiculous Endless Wars, many of them tribal, and bring our soldiers home,” he wrote. If the Turks go too far, he tweeted later, “I in my great and unmatched wisdom” will destroy their economy. Yesterday's announcement followed a call between Trump and Erdogan. The White House said Turkey will take custody of foreign fighters captured in the U.S.-led campaign against the islamic state group who have been held by the Kurdish forces supported by the U.S. The Kurds have custody of thousands of captured islamic state militants. They include about 2,500 highly dangerous foreign fighters from Europe and elsewhere whose native countries have been reluctant to take them back and another 10,000 or so captured fighters from Syria and Iraq. Trump has repeatedly demanded that European countries, particularly France and Germany, take back their citizens who joined the militant organization. (Source: AP)
(October 7, 2019 / November issue) Top military officers unload on Trump. General Chaos. Disdain for process might be the defining trait of his leadership. Trump believes that his gut feelings about things are excellent, if not genius. Those around him encourage that belief, or they are fired. He resists coherent strategy; he believes that unpredictability itself is a virtue. He is reflexively contrary. He has a simplistic and antiquated motion of soldiering. Trump’s pronouncements and orders have already risked catastrophic and unnecessary wars in the Middle East and Asia, and have created severe problems for field commanders engaged in combat operations. Frequently caught unawares by Trump’s statements, senior military officers have scrambled, in their aftermath, to steer the country away from tragedy. How many times can they successfully do that before faltering? Those in command positions monitor the president’s Twitter feed like field officers scanning the horizon for enemy troop movements. A new front line in national defense has become the White House Situation Room, where the military struggles to accommodate a commander in chief who is both ignorant and capricious. In May, after months of threatening Iran, Trump ordered the carrier group led by the USS Abraham Lincoln to shift from the Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. On June 20, after an American drone was downed there, he ordered a retaliatory attack - and then called it off minutes before it was to be launched. The next day he said he was “not looking for war” and wanted to talk with Iran’s leaders, while also promising them “obliteration like you’ve never seen before” if they crossed him. He threatened North Korea with “fire and fury” and dispatched a three-aircraft-carrier flotilla to waters off the Korean peninsula - then he pivoted to friendly summits with Kim, with whom he announced he was “in love”; canceled long-standing U.S. military exercises with South Korea; and dangled the possibility of withdrawing American forces from the country altogether. While the lovefest continues for the cameras, the U.S. has quietly uncanceled the canceled military exercises, and dropped any mention of a troop withdrawal. Out in the field, where combat is more than wordplay, his tweets have consequences. What Trump’s supporters call “the deep state” is, in the world of national security - hardly a bastion of progressive politics - a vast reservoir of knowledge and global experience that presidents ignore at their peril. Despite commanding the most sophisticated intelligence-gathering apparatus in the world, this president prefers to be briefed by Fox News, and then arrives at decisions without input from others. In the long run unpredictability is a problem. Without a coherent underlying strategy, uncertainty creates confusion and increases the chance of miscalculation - and miscalculation, is what starts most wars. He’s kind of shooting blind. Trump resents advice and instruction. He likes to be agreed with. Efforts to broaden his understanding irritate him. He has contradicted and disparaged the intelligence community and presided over a dismantling of the State Department. This has meant leaving open ambassadorships around the world, including in countries vital to American interests such as Brazil, Canada, Honduras, Japan, Jordan, Pakistan, Russia, and Ukraine. High-level foreign officers, seeing no opportunities for advancement, have been leaving. For those commanding America’s armed forces, it’s best to keep binoculars trained on his Twitter feed. There are limits to what the military can solve. The warrior ethos makes units effective because of the values of trust and self-sacrifice associated with it - but the warrior ethos also makes wars less inhumane and allows our profession to maintain our self-respect and to be respected by others. If you treat civilians disrespectfully, you’re working for the enemy! Trump doesn’t understand. The military’s experienced leaders have steered Trump away from disaster. So far. (Source: TheAtlantic): https://tinyurl.com/y6xckqlg
Oct 6, 2019 Why the attorney general is working outside usual channels in review of Russia-probe to seek help from allies in reviewing the origins of a U.S. counterintelligence investigation begun during the 2016 presidential campaign? In Rome, the national-security committee of Italy’s Parliament this past week asked Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte to appear and answer questions about his contacts with Mr. Barr. Far-right opposition lawmakers criticized Mr. Conte for deferring to Mr. Barr’s request. Australian authorities said they were cooperating with Mr. Barr but disputed allegations that one of its diplomats acted inappropriately in 2016 - an allegation at the center of Mr. Barr’s inquiry. British intelligence officials have privately expressed annoyance that it appeared the U.S. Justice Department was going around them to talk to political leaders. Mr. Trump has said he expects the review to show that crimes were committed by his political opponents, but no evidence of that has emerged. He has asked several foreign leaders, including in Ukraine and Australia, to assist Mr. Barr. In May, Mr. Trump ordered leaders of the U.S. intelligence community to “quickly and fully” cooperate with the investigation. Mr. Barr met with Italian officials in August and again late last month. Mr. Conte’s office said Mr. Barr’s review is looking at, among other things, whether U.S. and foreign intelligence services may have worked to prevent Mr. Trump’s election, a theory, favored by Mr. Trump, for which little evidence has emerged. (Source: TheWallStreetJournal)
October 5, 2019 President Trump has ordered a substantial reduction in the staff of the National Security Council. It grew under former President Obama. About 310 people currently work at the NSC. (Source: msn)
October 4, 2019 Chronology of events in the Ukraine scandal. July 25 - Trump holds a 30-minute telephone conversation with Ukraine's new president Zelensky, a former professional comedian who was elected in May. Earlier in July, Trump - without explanation - suspended hundreds of millions of dollars in military assistance to Ukraine, which had been approved by Congress. The aid is eventually released by the White House on September 11. October 3 - Trump openly calls on China as well as Ukraine to investigate the Bidens and dismisses his Democratic opponents as "maniacs" pursuing "impeachment crap." Volker testifies behind closed doors on Capitol Hill. Text messages between US diplomats are released indicating the Trump administration tried to tie military aid to Ukraine to an investigation into the Bidens. (Source: Yahoo / AFP)
A comment: The timeline should begin when Biden forced the ouster of the Ukrainian chief prosecutor to stop the investigation of his son, who for unknown reasons was tapped to be a director of a natural gas company; but probably earlier. Then comes the engagement of a retired UK #$%$ who went to the Ukraine to construct a dossier that was supposed to derail Trump's campaign. Then there is the placement of a FBI spy in Trump's campaign and BS FISA warrants. We cannot forget the invisible hand of Comey, Clapper, and Brennan, concealing the origin of and magnifying the influence of the dossier, all the while working to undermine the presidents authority. If you start there, then you get a completely different telling of this story.
October 2, 2019 The Democratic presidential candidate Sanders (78) had a heart procedure for a blocked artery and was canceling events and appearances. (Source: AP)
October 1, 2019 Bolton declines to share his opinion of Trump's call with Ukraine's President (Source: PJMedia: https://tinyurl.com/y5vsyzqo
Note: Almost all comments show the impression that he may be the one who gave the info to the whistleblower.
October 11, 2019 2016 presidential election investigation fast facts. A look at investigations into Russian meddling during the 2016 presidential race between Trump and Clinton. Select congressional and federal investigations: FBI - In July of 2016, the FBI launched a counterintelligence investigation into possible links between the Russian government and Trump campaign officials. The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence on January 13, 2017 announced that it was conducting a probe of Russian meddling. This investigation and others were sparked by a declassified report from the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) that described a multifaceted effort led by Russian President Putin to interfere with the election by releasing damaging information about Clinton to help Trump. The House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence on January 25, 2017 announced that it is investigating Russia's active measures during the presidential campaign as well as the underlying intelligence that led to the DNI's conclusions about Russia's intentions. ... Special Counsel on May 17, 2017; Deputy Attorney General Rosenstein appointed former FBI Director Mueller as special counsel to lead an investigation into Russian interference and related matters that could result in criminal prosecutions. On March 22, 2019, the Justice Department announced the special counsel's office completed its probe, after 22 months, charges against 37 defendants, seven guilty pleas and one conviction at trial. A redacted version of Mueller's report was released on April 18, 2019. Timeline: April 12, 2015 - Clinton officially launches her presidential campaign. June 16, 2015 - Trump launches his campaign. February 2016 - Flynn, a retired general and former director of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), begins advising Trump on foreign policy matters Flynn became a prominent critic of the Obama administration after he was ousted from the DIA in 2014. March 29, 2016 - Manafort, a veteran GOP consultant, joins the Trump campaign as a strategist to help prepare for the Republican National Convention. April 27, 2016 - Trump delivers his first major foreign policy speech at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington. Russian Ambassador Kislyak is one of the diplomats in the audience. Trump's son-in-law and campaign adviser Kushner later says he shook hands with Kislyak at the event. July 22, 2016 - Days before the Democratic National Convention, WikiLeaks publishes nearly 20,000 emails hacked from the DNC server. July 27, 2016 - During a press conference, Trump talks about Clinton's use of a private email server while she was secretary of state and calls on hackers to find deleted emails. "Russia, if you're listening, I hope you're able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing," says Trump. August 14, 2016 - The New York Times publishes a report that $12.7 million in illegal cash payments to Manafort were listed in a secret ledger linked to former Ukrainian President Yanukovych, who resigned amid street protests. Manafort had worked as an adviser to Yanukovych and his associates dating back at least a decade. August 19, 2016 - Manafort resigns as Trump's campaign chairman. October-November 2016 - Over the course of a month, WikiLeaks publishes more than 58,000 messages hacked from the account of Podesta, Clinton's campaign chairman. January 10, 2017 - Intelligence officials briefed Trump on a dossier that contains allegations about his campaign's ties to Russia as well as salacious rumors about him. The author of the dossier is a former British spy who was hired by a research firm that had been funded by both political parties to conduct opposition research on Trump. May 17, 2017 - Rosenstein appoints Mueller as special counsel to oversee the election meddling probe. June 1, 2017 - In public remarks, Putin says that hacking may have been carried out by patriotic Russian citizens who felt compelled to respond to perceived slights against Russia from America. February 16, 2018 - The Department of Justice announces that Mueller has indicted 13 Russian nationals and three Russian entities for allegedly meddling in the 2016 election, charging them with conspiracy to defraud the United States. March 22, 2019 - Mueller ends his investigation and delivers his report to Attorney General Barr. A senior Justice Department official tells that there will be no further indictments. April 18, 2019 - A redacted version of Mueller's report is released. The first part of the 448-page document details the evidence gathered by Mueller's team on coordination and explains his decision not to charge individuals associated with the campaign. October 8, 2019 - The Senate Intelligence Committee releases the second volume of its report on election interference. The report is critical of the FBI for using a contractor to monitor foreign influence operations. "The apparently outsourced nature of this work is troubling; it suggests FBI either lacked resources or viewed work in this vein as not warranting more institutionalized consideration." (Source: CNN): https://tinyurl.com/y5zzvqor
Globalization
Oct 8 2019 Chinese tech companies - particularly Huawei, Hikvision, Dahua, and ZTE - supply artificial intelligence surveillance technology in 63 countries. Of those nations, 36 have signed onto China’s massive infrastructure project, the Belt and Road Initiative. Experts warned of a number of risks including potential access to data by the Chinese government. Huawei, the world’s largest telecoms equipment maker, has been blacklisted by the U.S., restricting its access to American technology. Washington has dubbed Huawei a national security risk, saying its gear could be used by Beijing for espionage. The U.S. government widened its net to add another 28 Chinese entities to a blacklist called the Entity List. Hikvision, a firm that makes surveillance products, is one of those companies. Dahua, which deals with surveillance equipment, was also added to the list. (Source: cnbc)
7 October 2019 Thousands of climate-change protesters took to the streets in cities around the world today, launching two weeks of peaceful civil disobedience to demand immediate action to cut carbon emissions and avert an ecological disaster. The protests are the latest stage in an global campaign for steps against climate change coordinated by Extinction Rebellion, which rose to prominence in April when it snarled traffic in central London for 11 days. With events like extreme weather, thawing permafrost and a sea-level rise unfolding much faster than expected, Extinction Rebellion says it expects peaceful protests over the next two weeks in more than 60 cities from New Delhi to New York calling on governments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2025 and halt a loss of biodiversity. Scientists say the urgency of the climate crisis has intensified since the signing in 2015 of the Paris accord on curbing global warming. Nearly 70 countries announced plans at a U.N. climate action summit last month to beef up their Paris pledges, but most major economies including the United States and China failed to announce stronger new measures. (Source: Reuters)
5 Oct 2019 Camel flu pandemic fears; it can be transmitted among humans. The virus has killed one in every three people it has infected. The illness is similar to SARS – sudden acute respiratory syndrome – leaving patients suffering fever, a cough, diarrhoea and shortness of breath. A report into the illness said it was responsible for a total of 513 deaths, including three in the UK. The death toll has been highest in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Jordan, Qatar, Oman and Iran. 19 people died in South Korea in 2015 from it. (Source: DailyStar)
2 October 2019 On average, one in five travellers in the United States, France, Britain and Germany had cut air travel by at least one flight in the past year because of climate concerns. Scandinavian airline SAS AB has seen passenger traffic shrink 2% this year, while Sweden's airport operator said it handled 9% fewer passengers for domestic flights this year than in 2018. Both have blamed 'flight shame'. (Source: Reuters)
Space
(October 6, 2019) Hale's polarity laws present evidence for the existence of a well-organized large-scale magnetic field in the solar interior that cyclically changes polarity every 11 years or so. In 1908 it demonstrated a strong tendency for east-west alignment of magnetic polarities in sunspots, with mirror symmetry across the solar equator; and that the polarity in each hemisphere switched orientation from one sunspot cycle to the next. In the following decade his empirical observations: large sunspots pairs almost always show; the same magnetic polarity pattern in each solar hemisphere; the opposite polarity patterns between the North and South solar hemispheres; a reversal of polarity patterns from one sunspot cycle to the next, indicating that the physical magnetic cycle has a period of twice the sunspot cycle period. (Source: www2 HAO UCAR)
October 3, 2019 The challenges to advancing our understanding and description of the coupled plasma and neutral gas that make up the ionosphere and thermosphere (I-T); four major themes associated with coupling to the lower boundary, the generation of currents within the region, the coupling to the magnetosphere and the response of the region reflected in changes in the neutral and plasma density. The wind field at the lower boundary of the I-T is poorly specified and the relative importance of processes affecting the propagation of waves through the I-T and their effects on the plasma is unknown. The currents that flow through the I-T are also dependent on the spatial and temporal development of the magnetospheric energy inputs, which are poorly specified. This development is strongly influenced by the coupling of electromagnetic energy and mass between the I-T and the magnetosphere for which the influences of the ionospheric conductivity are not well described. The poorly understood spatial and temporal evolution of the I-T drivers produces large and small-scale structures in the plasma and neutral density that influence the stability of the region and the generation of plasma density irregularities within it. These challenges require advances in observing the neutral gas density, composition and velocity that are made simultaneously with observations of the plasma density and motions as well as the particles and fields describing the magnetospheric inputs. The modeling capability must be advanced to include better descriptions of the processes affecting the propagation of waves through the region and to incorporate coupling to the regions below and the magnetosphere above at smaller spatial and temporal scales. (Source: www2 HAO UCAR)
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