China’s Breeding Giant Pigs That Are as Heavy as Polar Bears
‘Chinese Vice Premier Hu Chunhua warned that the supply situation will be “extremely severe” through to the first half of 2020. China will face a pork shortage of 10 million tons this year, more than what’s available in global trade, meaning it needs to increase production domestically, he said.’
The Left seems to be opting for civil war.
by James Howard Kunstler
“The Democratic Party is doing everything possible to destroy the legitimacy of these institutions — starting with elections themselves. The origins of the RussiaGate hoax will demonstrate that the party itself was behind “interference” in the 2016 election, and enlisted the help of several foreign governments in doing so. That is why they are so desperate to keep the level of hysteria amped to the max. The day may be not far off when a great and chilling silence falls over this mob as they look to the sky and see the indictments raining down.”
China Says ‘Stay Tuned’ for Retaliation Over U.S. Tech Blacklist
“The companies on the blacklist include two video surveillance companies — Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology Co. and Zhejiang Dahua Technology Co. — that by some accounts control as much as a third of the global market for video surveillance and have cameras all over the world.
Also targeted were SenseTime Group Ltd. — the world’s most valuable artificial intelligence startup — and fellow AI giant Megvii Technology Ltd., which is said to be aiming to raise up to $1 billion in a Hong Kong initial public offering. Backed by Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd., the pair are at the forefront of China’s ambition to dominate AI in coming years.”
Scientists say that, using data from the Hubble Space Telescope, they have found evidence of a 300,000-year-long burst of radiation originating 3.5 million years ago from or near the center of our galaxy, erupting through both galactic poles, with effects on the Magellanic Stream, 200,000 light-years away. (EarthSky)
Microsoft says a network of hackers linked to the Iranian government has attempted to access the email accounts of people associated with a 2020 presidential election campaign, as well as prominent Iranian expatriates in the United States. Microsoft has not named the specific campaign which was targeted by Iran. (NBC News)
Tuesday, Oct. 8th, 2019
Republicans criticize Trump’s allowing Turkish invasion of Syrian enclave The White House said Turkey will soon invade an area of northeastern Syria currently held by America’s Kurdish allies, adding that U.S. troops “will no longer be in the immediate area.” The news led to backlash from prominent Republicans, including Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Mitt Romney (R-Utah), and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), who expressed concern that Washington was abandoning its Kurdish allies in the region. President Trump tweeted Monday that he would “obliterate” the Turkish economy if Ankara did anything he considers “off limits.” The State and Defense Departments, meanwhile, have offered some contradictory statements on the matter. The latter said it does not endorse a Turkish invasion, while a senior State Department official said only a handful of troops were leaving. Source: The Associated Press
U.S. forces begin to withdraw from northern Syria, and the U.S. Department of Defense expels Turkey from the Combined Air Operations Centre, effectively preventing Turkey from gathering surveillance information on SDF positions in Syria. (Foreign Policy)
The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces calls the U.S. withdrawal a “stab in the back”. (BBC)
U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham strongly criticizes President Trump’s decision, describing the event as “a big win for Iran and Assad [and] a big win for ISIL”. Former American envoy Brett McGurk mentions the 60,000 SDF-held ISIL detainees, saying that the State Department and inspectors general at the Department of Defense warn they are the “nucleus for a resurgent ISIL”. (The Guardian)
3 scientists win Nobel physics prize for revolutions in cosmology The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences awarded the 2019 Nobel Prize in Physics on Tuesday to James Peebles, Michel Mayor, and Didier Queloz for their “contributions to our understanding of the evolution of the universe and Earth’s place in the cosmos.” Half the nearly $1 million prize was awarded to Peebles, a Canadian-born Princeton professor whose theoretical cosmological framework “is the foundation of our modern understanding of the universe’s history, from the Big Bang to the present day,” the Swedish academy said. Mayor and Queloz, both Swiss, split the other half for their groundbreaking discovery of an exoplanet, or the first planet found outside our solar system. Since their 1995 discovery, scientists have discovered more than 4,000 exoplanets in the Milky Way galaxy. Source: The Associated Press
Astronomers discover 20 new moons around Saturn Scientists from the International Astronomical Union’s Minor Planet Center announced on Monday that 20 new moons have been discovered around Saturn, bringing its total number of moons up to 82. Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system, has 79 moons, including Ganymede, which is nearly half the size of Earth. Saturn’s newly-found moons are all tiny, no bigger than three miles in diameter. “It was fun to find that Saturn is the true moon king,” Scott Sheppard, an astronomer at the Carnegie Institute for Science, told The Associated Press. Sheppard said the moons were spotted this summer via a telescope in Hawaii, and it is believed there could be roughly 100 additional minuscule moons that have yet to be discovered. Source: The Associated Press
Astronomers announce the discovery of 20 new moons around Saturn, adding to the 62 previously known. The new moons comprise 17 retrograde moons in the Norse group and three prograde moons, two of which belong to the Inuit group. (Phys.org)
Monday, Oct. 7th, 2019
Hong Kong emergency law appears to backfire as protesters return in force Hong Kong’s recent ban on protesters wearing masks, which was implemented after Chief Executive Carrie Lam invoked a colonial-era emergency law, appears to have failed as thousands of demonstrators returned to the streets for the 18th consecutive weekend of anti-government protests Sunday. Many of them continued to cover their faces. The rallies grew more chaotic and violent as the day went on. Protesters reportedly set fires, damaged banks and subways, and constructed road barricades, while police fired tear gas and other projectiles. A taxi driver was reportedly beaten by a mob in one district. “It’s backfired,” one protester said, referring to the emergency law. “It’s made us more angry.” Source: The South China Morning Post
The first people are charged with breaking the ban on wearing face masks in Hong Kong. The government of Hong Kong says the prohibition of face masks is needed to end months of violent protests. (The Guardian)
China bans American animated sitcom South Park in response to the episode “Band in China” which parodied censorship in China and Chinese influence on Hollywood. (The New York Post)
Trump green-lights Turkish invasion of Kurdish-held Syrian enclave The White House said late Sunday that Turkey will soon invade an area of northeastern Syria currently held by America’s Kurdish allies, adding that U.S. troops “will not support or be involved in the operation” and “will no longer be in the immediate area.” It isn’t clear from the unusual late-night White House statement what will happen with the 1,000 U.S troops stationed in Northern Syria. President Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke earlier Sunday, and according to Turkey, Erdogan accepted Trump’s invitation to visit the White House in November and expressed displeasure with the pace of U.S. cooperation in creating a “safe zone” in the area where Turkey could resettle up to 2 million Syrian refugees. Erdogan has long threatened to attack the U.S.-allied Kurdish YPG forces. Source: Reuters
Holger Bingmann, head of the Federation of German Wholesale, Foreign Trade and Services, tells journalists German businesses have lost €3.5 billion so far this year due to Brexit. (Deutsche Welle)
A North Korean fishing boat collides with a Japanese Fisheries Agency vessel and sinks off Japan. At least 20 North Koreans are pulled from the water. The Japanese ship had been attempting to warn the North Korean vessel away from Japanese territory. (Bloomberg)
An overloaded ship carrying migrants capsizes and sinks off the island of Lampedusa, Italy, in rough conditions in the Mediterranean Sea. Search and rescue is underway; of at least 50 on board, 22 survivors have been saved and 13 bodies found. The deceased and missing both include pregnant women. The International Organization for Migration states the boat had departed from Tunisia. (Deutsche Welle)
The Supreme Court of the United States opens its 2019–2020 nine-month term with eight of its nine justices present. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who underwent a number of medical procedures for cancer throughout the past year, was present, but Justice Clarence Thomas was absent “due to an unspecified illness.” (Reuters)
A judge rules against U.S. President Donald Trump, ordering him to release eight years of state tax returns to New York officials. The defense makes an immediate appeal to the Second Circuit Court of Appeals, and is granted a temporary stay “pending expedited review.” (BBC)
A bomb on a rickshaw detonates as a minibus carrying new army recruits passes in Jalalabad, Afghanistan. A military spokesperson says ten including a child were killed and a further 27 wounded. (The Washington Post)
The Ukrainian Ministry of Transport announces it has revoked the air operator’s certificate of Ukraine Air Alliance, effective from October 5. The move results from the October 4 crash of an Antonov An-12 owned by the airline, after it ran out of fuel near Lviv, Ukraine. The decision was taken the same day. (The Aviation Herald)
Two protestors who were arrested in Rostov-on-Don 2017 while holding signs seeking resignations from the Russian government, and have been in custody since, are sentenced to over six years each in high-security prisons. They were charged with planning violent mass disturbances, and claimed to have confessed during torture. (The Times)
There are now ‘multiple whistleblowers’ in Ukraine investigations, lawyer says A lawyer representing the whistleblower whose concerns about President Trump’s interactions with Ukraine sparked an impeachment inquiry said Sunday that “my firm and my team represent multiple whistleblowers” in connection with the investigation. The lawyer, Andrew Bakaj, added, “No further comment at this time.” A second lawyer representing the original whisleblower, Mark Zaid, said that a second whistleblower with firsthand knowledge of Trump’s Ukraine interactions has already been interviewed by the intelligence community inspector general. Trump’s evident efforts to pressure Ukraine into investigating former Vice President Joe Biden is now the focus of a House impeachment inquiry. Three House impeachment committees will depose several witnesses this week. Source: ABC News
3 scientists split Nobel Medicine prize for discovering how cells use oxygen Two Americans and one British scientist were awarded the 2019 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine for their work uncovering “how cells sense and adapt to oxygen availability,” the Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institute announced Monday. The discoveries by the three laureates — William Kaelin Jr., Peter Ratcliffe, and Gregg Semenza — “have paved the way for promising new strategies to fight anemia, cancer, and many other diseases,” the institute explained. Kaelin, who works at Harvard, and Semenza, at Johns Hopkins, are American; Ratcliffe, who is British, works at the Francis Crick Institute. The three scientists will equally split the 9 million kronor ($918,000) cash prize. Source: The Associated Press
Sunday, Oct 6th, 2019
Following a phone call between U.S. President Donald Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the White House says that Turkish Armed Forces will launch a incursion into Syrian Democratic Forces-held northern Syria, and that United States Armed Forces will be withdrawing from the region to avoid clashing with its NATO ally. (The Guardian)
The Jordanian government announces it has struck a deal with the teachers’ union to end a month-long strike that affected at least 1.5 millon students. The strike was instigated over pay in light of new austerity measures. (Reuters)
Saturday, Oct 5th, 2019
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan threatens to invade SDF-held areas in Northern Syria “today or tomorrow”, after dubbing joint US-Turkish patrols per the buffer zone agreement a “fairy tale”. (Reuters)
Counter-terror investigators confirm the man who killed four people at Paris police headquarters two days ago was a convert who adhered to a radical version of Islam and had contact with radical Islamists. (BBC)
The European Aviation Safety Agency revokes its authorisation of Ukraine Air Alliance, effectively banning the airline from all airspace in the European Union. The move results from yesterday’s crash of an Antonov An-12 owned by the airline, after it ran out of fuel near Lviv, Ukraine. (The Aviation Herald)
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov visits ally Venezuela, reiterating Russia’s support of disputed president Nicolás Maduro and announcing new trade deals with the economically crippled country. (Reuters)
After acquitting five Muslim men of murder, Thaijudge Kanakorn Pianchana gives a speech complaining of corrupt pressure upon the judiciary, including in this case, to convict without sufficient evidence. He then shoots himself in the chest in court in Yala, but survives. Criticism from judges of the Thai legal system is rare, but rights groups claim Muslims often face trumped-up charges in the region, which is Muslim-majority and suffers from insurgency. (BBC)
A pool of citizens of the United Arab Emirates heads to the polls in the country’s fourth parliamentary election. (Gulf News)
In Lower Manhattan, New York City, four homelessmen are beaten to death and a fifth severely injured while sleeping. A 24-year-old man, also believed homeless, is in custody. (CNN)
In the floor exercise, Simone Bileslands a triple-twisting double backflip in a tucked position. The new skill will be named “Biles 2”, the third element named after her, and will have a FIG difficulty value of J. (PopSugar via Yahoo!)
Friday, Oct 4th, 2019
On the third day of protestsin Iraq, the death toll reaches 100. The government imposes near-total internet blackout. (BBC)
The Iraqi military says “unidentified snipers” have shot four people dead on the streets of Baghdad amid protests, including two police officers, with dozens of others wounded by sniper fire. Reuters reporters witness at least one protester being shot in the head by a sniper, killing him. (Reuters)
An Antonov An-12cargo plane operated by Ukraine Air Alliance runs out of fuel and crashes as it approaches Lviv International Airport in Ukraine. Five of the seven occupants are killed, and the airport closes. (BBC)
Hong KongChief Executive Carrie Lam invokes the colonial-era Emergency Regulations Ordinance and bans the use of face masks in public gatherings. (RTHK Hong Kong English)
A parent is sentenced to five months in prison, a fine of $100,000 and 500 hours of community service for his involvement in the college admissions scandal. (CNN)
Police in South Korea receive confessions from convicted murderer Lee Chun-jae to the serial rapes and murders, which occurred between 1986 and 1991 and left at least nine dead. He denies a tenth murder, now believed to be perpetrated by a copycat. The investigations inspired the movie Memories of Murder and saw 21,000 people investigated. Lee, who is serving life for the 1994 rape and murder of his sister in law, cannot be prosecuted because the statute of limitations has expired. He had been linked to three victims earlier this month by DNA. (CNN)
At a conference in Washington, D.C., Sergio Massa, candidate for the Argentine Chamber of Deputiesfor Frente de Todos, the coalition of candidate Alberto Fernández, says Fernández’s position on Venezuela is clear and that keeping silent about the situation in Venezuela is to “become an accomplice of the government [of Maduro]”. He also is the first member of Fernández’s party to describe Venezuela as a “dictatorship”. (Infobae in Spanish)
Thursday, Oct 3rd, 2019
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announces that the number of deaths caused by vaping-associated pulmonary injury (“vaping illness”) linked to electronic cigarettes has risen to 18, with an additional 1,080 injuries reported. The CDC says the cause is still under investigation. (USA Today)
Amid an impeachment inquiry against him, U.S. President Donald Trump says “China should start an investigation” into presidential candidate Joe Biden. Chair of the Federal Election Commission Ellen Weintraub again explains that “it is illegal for any person to solicit, accept, or receive anything of value from a foreign national in connection with a U.S. election”. (NBC News)
Sources for The New York Times allege that two American diplomats presented a statement for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to sign wherein Ukraine would commit to investigate Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden. (The New York Times)
The End
Zulu Kilo 