Islam - Current Day > BBC Broadcaster's 'Death to Israel' Rant; al-Shabaab attack vehicle in Kenya

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BBC broadcaster in ‘death to Israel’ rant

Regular BBC Arabic contributor Mayssaa Abdul Khalek also called on Arab states

to attack Israel on Twitter

David Rose

JANUARY 19, 2023 10:00

BBC

A journalist hired by the BBC has ranted “death to Israel” on social media and described it as “occupied Palestine” live on air, the JC can reveal.

Regular BBC Arabic contributor Mayssaa Abdul Khalek, a Lebanon-based reporter, also called on Arab states to attack Israel on Twitter, alongside links to her broadcasts for the corporation.

She was on Twitter and called on Arabs to attack Israel, or she called on Arabs to attack Israel on Twitter?

The disclosure comes despite a JC campaign which has revealed a catalogue of anti-Israel bias in BBC broadcasts and has led to the establishment of parliamentary inquiry due to start later this year.

In a live report, Ms Khalek, who describes herself as a “BBC Arabic co-host”, described a Hezbollah rocket attack on northern Israel as an attack on “occupied Palestine”.

Khalek's tweet in which she sends a ‘message to the Israeli enemy’

Three rockets had been launched against the Israeli border town of Metula, which she then called “an imperialist colony”.

The town is located at Israel’s northernmost point, inside the internationally-recognised 1967 border with Lebanon.

During the 2006 Lebanon war, the town’s population was forced to flee as it was bombarded by Hezbollah rockets.

During a live report in May 2021, Ms Khalek described how a Lebanese man had died, saying, “he and a group of youths were hit by RPGs that Israeli military shot at them during their attempt to cross the border fence in front of the imperialist colony of Metula”.

Without interruption by the presenter interviewing her, she went on:

“These events also come after three rockets were launched yesterday from South Lebanon towards occupied Palestine.”

She also used the phrase “occupied Palestinian territories” to describe Israel in a tweet linked to the same broadcast, which contravenes BBC guidelines. Last week, after she was contacted by the JC, the post was deleted.

Ms Khalek has used the social media account to publicise 30 broadcasts she has made for the BBC, alongside anti-Israeli material. 

In March last year, she liked a tweet commemorating Diaa Hamarsheh, a terrorist who died in a gun battle after killing a rabbi, a policemen and three civilians in Bnei Brak, near Tel Aviv.

Then in November she described “the enemy, Israel” alongside photographs of a Palestinian rally and a teenager holding up a sweatshirt with the slogan “Freedom for Palestine”.

A December 2017 post under a photo of the late Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir read: “The Arabs are in a deep slumber… Confronting Israel was limited to statements of denunciation that do not make us fat, do not satisfy our hunger, and do not restore our Jerusalem to us.”

A post on the Syrian war in February 2016 began with the phrase “Death to Israel”. It went on: “Is it your business to resist the Arab countries or Israel? Oh, sorry, Israel is an ally of your friend Russia, and they coordinate in the Syrian war.”

Last month, the JC revealed that the BBC had dropped the Palestinian pundit Abdel Bari Atwan who has defended numerous terrorist attacks, including the Munich massacre and the recent knife assault on author Sir Salman Rushdie. BBC Director-General Tim Davie had previously defended his contributions.

At the same time, Arabic channel staff were told they must abide by BBC guidelines on bias and that their output would be monitored. They were also informed that almost half the channel’s 150 jobs would go as part of BBC cost-cutting.

In September, media watchdog CAMERA Arabic, which later also translated the words used by Ms Khalek, disclosed that in a broadcast about Palestinian prisoner Nasser Abu Hmeid, who was suffering from cancer, BBC Arabic failed to mention that he had been convicted of the murder of seven Israelis. 

At the time, a BBC spokesperson said that the correspondent “should have explained the background”. However, in late December, after his death, BBC Arabic again failed to mention Hmeid’s killings in an online report. Following a complaint by CAMERA, the BBC acknowledged the error again.

A BBC spokesperson said: “Mayassa Abdel Khalek is not a BBC News Arabic co-host or presenter. She is a contributor invited on occasion to talk about Lebanon.

“In a live and brief interview held May 14th 2021, when Ms Abdel Khalek delivered her analysis on rockets fired from Lebanon on May 13th 2021, she should have been challenged when she described Metulla as a ‘colony’.

"Further, when Ms Abdel Khalek commented on the intended target of the rockets, the presenter should have disputed her remark that they were headed to ‘occupied Palestine’. They were presumably launched towards northern Israel, which the BBC wouldn’t describe as ‘occupied Palestine’.

“We do not ban guests from appearing on the BBC. Careful judgements are made and will continue to be made about the guests we invite on and the context in which we hear from them.”

"Careful judgements", Sounds like it!

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Woman killed, 8 wounded in al-Shabaab attack on PSV in Mandera

The rest of the passengers in the motor vehicle escaped with injuries.

Al Shabab militants.

A woman was Monday killed and eight others were injured after al-Shabaab militants attacked a public service vehicle plying the Banisa- Mandera road, Mandera County.

The vehicle had 12 occupants when the gunmen attacked it, police and survivors said.

Locals said the attackers opened fire between Sarman and Olla.

The rest of the passengers in the motor vehicle escaped with injuries.

Local officials said they have been sighting terrorists in the area planning to launch attacks.

The area is near the porous Kenya-Somalia border which is usually breached by terrorists.

Police said they suspect the attackers were targeting the four-wheel drive car.

On Sunday, January 15, the Somali-based Islamist terror group attempted to conduct a sectarian attack in Takaba by targeting another PSV vehicle but was baulked by the local Muslim community.

Witnesses said some of the passengers on board refused to cooperate with the attack on the vehicle forcing the attackers to flee.

Northeastern regional police boss George Seda said the attacker escaped soon after the incidents.

He said one victim who was injured in the Banisa incident was stable in the hospital.

There are fears of more attacks planned in the area amid heightened vigilance.

The border region has borne the brunt of repeated attacks from the militants who are at times aided by residents.

The terrorists at times plant explosives on the routes used by security agencies and attack them.

Somalia has not had a stable government after the fall of Siad Barre in 1991.

Somalia is a devout Muslim society, obviously incapable of governing itself.

Ozzone 7-21 > The knowledge of our own poverty is what brings us to the moral frontier where Jesus Christ accomplishes His work.

 

Unlike the Law of Moses, Jesus doesn't set the Sermon on the Mount as rules to be accomplished, but rather as promises that can be accomplished when we receive Him as Saviour and as Lord of every part of our lives.

Islam - Current Day > Jihadi Jack to be Welcomed to Canada? Brit Convert to Islam Plans Massacre in London

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A Terrorist, an enemy of Canada, an ISIS icon who never set foot in Canada, must be welcomed here. What utter lunacy!

Canadian federal court orders repatriation of four citizens

detained in Syria

By Patrick Hilsman

   

Fighters of Syria Democratic Forces take part in a search operation inside the al-Hol camp for refugees, some of whom

are family members of suspected ISIS militants, in al-Hasakah governorate, northeastern Syria, on August 26. 

On Friday, a Canadian court ordered the government to repatriate four Canadian citizens held in detention in al-Hasakah. 

File Photo by Ahmed Mardnli/EPA-EFE

Jan. 21 (UPI) -- Canada's Federal Court has ruled that the government must repatriate four of its citizens being held in detention centers in northeastern Syria run by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces.

"There is no evidence any of them have been tried or convicted, let alone tried in a manner that recognized or sanctioned by international law," reads the text of the court's decision Friday.

One of the four men, Jack Letts, dubbed "Jihadi Jack" by media outlets, admitted to having joined ISIS during a 2019 interview. Letts, who is a dual national of Canada and Britain, had his British citizenship revoked in 2019.

Tens of thousands of ISIS suspects, as well as their relatives, are held in SDF-run detention camps. Amongst them are a number of foreign nationals suspected of coming to Syria to join the Islamic State.

On Thursday, the Canadian government agreed that it would repatriate 19 Canadian women from the Kurdish lead administration in northeastern Syria.

A Human Rights Watch investigation found that, as of 2022, more than 42,000 foreigners were being held by the SDF. According to the investigation, the majority of the foreign detainees are children.

UK: Teen converts to Islam, plots jihad massacres in London

JAN 22, 2023 9:00 AM 

BY ROBERT SPENCER

Jihad Watch

Yet another convert to Islam somehow gets the crazy idea that his new religion, which every authority in the Western world assures us is peaceful, enjoins him to commit violence against unbelievers. Authorities, as always, couldn’t possibly be less interested in this recurring phenomenon.

Teenager Admits Planning Terrorist Attack in London 

Homeland Security Today, 

January 21, 2023:

A teenager has admitted to planning a terrorist attack in London – before being arrested by officers from the Metropolitan Police’s (Met) Counter Terrorism Command.

Matthew King, 19, of Essex was arrested by Counter Terrorism officers as part of a proactive operation in May 2022. Enquiries subsequently found that he had planned an attack targeting police officers and a member of the armed forces.

He had also carried out hostile reconnaissance at several locations over several months and had discussed committing a mass casualty attack on members of the public….

Commander Richard Smith, who leads the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command, said: “It was not clear when or where King intended to carry out his attack, but he had conducted a significant amount of hostile reconnaissance. In online conversations, he talked about committing an indiscriminate attack on the public. Disturbingly, he also spoke about targeting police officers and army personnel….

An investigation into King was launched in April 2022 after information was received about concerns over his extreme Islamist mind-set. Further enquiries were carried out and King was arrested at an address in Essex on May 18….

He had visited and filmed a London barracks and a police station, as well as recording officers at train stations, and outside a criminal court.

Enquiries found that he had taken steps to obtain a knife online, and he also planned to travel abroad to join Daesh.

It sounds like someone who wanted to commit a massacre and managed to find validation for his insanity - The Religion of Peace!

Essex Live -

A teenage Islamic State fanatic from Essex wanted to “torture, mutilate and kill military personnel” as he prepared to stake out a British Army barracks in Stratford, east London. Matthew King's other targets for a potential knife attack included a police station, railway station, and Stratford magistrates’ court.

King, 19, from Wickford, also spoke of his desire to travel to Syria to join Islamic State, bought “tactical gloves” and goggles and registered with an online knife retailer, according to court documents. At a hearing at the Old Bailey on Friday, King, pleaded guilty to the preparation of terrorist acts between December 22, 2021 and May 17, 2022.

Judge Mark Lucraft KC adjourned sentencing until April 14 and ordered a pre-sentence report which will look at the issue of the defendant’s dangerousness. Judge Lucraft stressed it was in King’s “best interests” to help those preparing the report and the teenager replied: “Understood.”

Military Madness > Truth - The First Casualty of War; US Announces $6.25bn to Ukraine in 2 Weeks; Britain and Sweden to Add to the Carnage

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NATO countries are providing Ukraine with extraordinary amounts of weapons. Some are doing it out of stupidity, some because the leaders of the governments hold shares in companies that manufacture weapons, and some are doing it as a means of wealth transfer from ordinary tax-payers to the wealthy, military, industrial oligarchs who support them financially. 

These things are for sure in this epoch madness:

Russia will be backed into a corner until it comes out in a new and terrifying way;

The billions of dollars spent on industrial death machinery, could have actually made the world a safer and better place;

The Global warming frenzy has been completely ignored in this theatre;

The suffering of Russian-speaking people in the Donbas has been totally ignored by the press and western governments;

The Pentagon support of dozens of biochemical labs in Ukraine is being ignored;

The Pentagon support of the NAZI (not neo-nazi) AZOV Batallion which has terrorized Donbas for more than 8 years now, is being ignored.

NATO countries, especially the USA, forced this proxy war with Russia, in part, to stop NordStream 2 from providing natural gas to Europe, and causing havoc in Europe's energy sector.

NATO countries are also trying to destroy the Russian economy

The provision of heavy artillery, tanks, missiles, etc will result in the deaths of thousands of soldiers and civilians and will push the economy of Ukraine back many years.

Ukraine cannot afford to buy these weapons systems, they are paid for by ordinary tax-payers of the donating countries.

Truth is the First Casualty of war.

 

U.S. announces $2.5B military package for Ukraine

By Darryl Coote

   

The State Department on Thursday announced a $2.5 billion military package for Ukraine that includes

Stryker armored vehicles. File photo by Keizo Mori/UPI | License Photo

Jan. 19 (UPI) -- The United States on Thursday announced a $2.5 billion military assistance package for Ukraine that includes hundreds of armored vehicles as well as air defense systems but no tanks despite Kyiv's repeated calls for the front-line combat machinery.

Poland has declared that it will send Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine - see next article, last para.

The package, announced and approved by Secretary of State Antony Blinken, is one of the largest the United States has committed to for Ukraine and comes two weeks after a $3.75 billion drawdown from U.S. stockpiles was approved and a day before a group of ally nations are to meet in Germany to discuss military support for the war-torn country.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has incessantly called on ally nations that have been arming him in his fight against Russia for more advanced and modern weapons, with his most recent requests being for Western tanks and air defense systems needed to recapture regions of the country seized early in the war by Russia and to shield cities and infrastructure from Moscow missile attacks.

Though some countries have said they are willing to provide tanks to Ukraine, the United States has been reluctant to do so, stating it does not object to other nations supplying it with the weaponry but that it will continue to provide Kyiv with weapons it sees that are necessary.

During a press conference Thursday, Pentagon press secretary Sabrina Singh told reporters the issue of sending Abrams tanks is one of "sustainment," stating the U.S. tanks are more difficult to maintain than those that other nations can supply.

"Just doesn't make sense to provide that to the Ukrainians at this moment," she said.

Instead of tanks, the package announced Thursday contains more than 550 armored vehicles, including 59 Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicles and 90 Stryker Armored Personnel Carriers, among others.

National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missiles Systems, High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems and eight Avenger air defense systems were also included, on top of tens of thousands of rounds of ammunition, missiles and other equipment.

The package is the 30th drawdown from Pentagon stockpiles and lifts U.S. military support to Ukraine amid the Biden administration to some $27.5 billion.

Blinken in a statement announcing the package said the United States will continue to "rally" international support for Ukraine.

"We have seen incredible solidarity from our allies and partners, including at today's Ukraine Defense Contact Group, and we applaud the more than 50 countries who have come together to make significant contributions to support Ukraine," he said.

"Russia alone could end this war today. Until it does so, we will stand united with Ukraine for as long as it takes."

Kremlin forces for months have been targeting Ukraine's critical infrastructure and cities, devastating its energy systems and killing civilians. A strike on a residential building in the city of Dnipro late last week killed more than 40 people, and scattered rescuers to search through rubble for survivors.

The Department of Defense has been increasing its delivery of air defense systems to Ukraine, seeing them as a way to defend against such strikes.

"The Kremlin's most recent air attacks against Ukraine's critical infrastructure again demonstrated the devastating impact of Russia's brutal war in Ukraine," the Pentagon said in a statement Thursday. "This package provides additional NASAMS munitions and Avenger air defense systems to help Ukraine counter a range of short- and medium-range threats and bolster Ukraine's layered air defense."

Zelensky had yet to comment on the package as of Thursday night, but in his nightly address described the mission of Ukraine and its partners is to ensure Russia achieves none of its military goals, for which they require modern Western tanks.

Negotiations for the weapons are ongoing, he said.

During the day, European Council President Charles Michel was in Kyiv for talks with the Ukrainian president and said that he "firmly" believes tanks must be delivered, and suggested in a speech before the Verkhovna Rada Parliament that they may be included in a forth coming military package.

"The coming weeks and months will be decisive," he said. "You need more. More air defense systems, more long-range missiles and ammunition and, most of all, you need tanks. Right now."

On Thursday, representatives from Britain, Estonia, Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, Denmark and several other European nations met ahead of the meeting in Germany and committed to "collectively pursuing delivery of an unprecedented set of donations, including main battle tanks, heavy artillery, air defense, ammunition and infantry fighting vehicles."

"We recognize that equipping Ukraine to push Russia out of its territory is as important as equipping them to defend what they already have," the countries said in a joint statement. "Together, we will continue supporting Ukraine to move from resisting to expelling Russian forces from Ukrainian soil."

What madness!

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Sweden, Britain provide new weapons, missiles for Ukraine

By Patrick Hilsman

   

The Swedish government has announced a $415 million aid package for Ukraine which includes the Archer artillery system. Photo by Stridsvagn122/Wikimedia Commons

Jan. 19 (UPI) -- Sweden and Britain on Thursday both announced packages of military aid for Ukraine, including weapons and missiles, prompting a warning from Moscow.

The office of the Swedish prime minister on Thursday announced a $415 million "three-part support" package that includes Archer artillery systems.

"This includes recoilless rifles with ammunition, anti-tank weapons, assault rifles, mine clearing equipment, Combat Vehicle 90 (CV90) with ammunition, and light anti-armor weapon Robot 57 (NLAW), worth [$415 million]," the text continues.

The Swedish government has also asked the armed forces to prepare for the transfer of Archer B artillery systems and ammunition to Ukraine.

The Archer B artillery system is a self-propelled howitzer, with a range of approximately 21 miles, which can be extended by using specially modified shells. It also has the capability to fire a salvo of artillery shells and then rapidly move to another location, a feature that could help Ukrainian artillery crews avoid Russian counterfire.

Artillery has become crucial to Ukrainian forces who are trying to take out Russian command and control centers behind the front lines while holding off Russian advances in the eastern Donetsk region.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked Sweden for the upcoming aid in a tweet Thursday.

"Sincerely grateful to the Government of Sweden & @SwedishPM for the new military assistance package to Ukraine. CV90 IFV's, Archer self-propelled howitzer & NLAW ATGMs are powerful weapons that [Ukraine's] army needs to liberate our land from the Russian invader together to a common victory," Zelensky wrote.

The British Secretary of Defense, Ben Wallace, announced that his county would also be supplying additional weapons to Ukraine Thursday.

"We're going to send another 600 Brimstone missiles into theater which will be incredibly important in helping Ukraine dominate the battlefield," Wallace told reporters.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov denounced the provision of military supplies to Ukraine during a call with journalists Thursday.

"The discussion itself about the permissibility of supplying Ukraine with weapons that will allow it to strike at Russian territory -- although Ukraine already has weapons with which it constantly strikes at our new regions -- is potentially extremely dangerous," he said. "It will mean bringing the conflict to a new qualitative level, a level that will not bode well for European security."

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin III met with his German counterpart Thursday to discuss aid to Ukraine. The German government has said they would provide Leopard 2 battle tanks to Ukraine, if the United States also delivers tanks.

On Wednesday, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said his country is ready to deliver its own German-built Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, even without German approval.

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Bits and Bites > The Netherlands to Ban Pugs and other Designer Pets

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Dutch to ban unhealthy designer pets

Charlotte VAN OUWERKERK

Fri, January 20, 2023 at 7:55 AM PST

The Netherlands wants to ban pets such as flat-faced dogs and cats with folded ears, which look sweet but suffer "miserable" health problems, the government said on Friday.

Dutch Agriculture Minister Piet Adema said he would seek to outlaw the ownership of the designer breeds and to ban photos of them in advertising or on social media.

"We make life miserable for innocent animals, purely because we think they are 'beautiful' and 'cute'," Adema said in a statement.

"That is why today we are taking a big step towards a Netherlands where no pet has to suffer from his or her appearance."

Despite sought-after looks that have made them a favourite with celebrities and a fixture among social media influencers, such pets suffer from a range of health conditions.

The Dutch minister said that owners often "have the best of intentions but are often unaware of the dark side of their pets' appearance".

"This subject touches me as a minister but also as a human," added Adema.

The government would now work out a full list of affected breeds, he said, adding that it could take some time.

But the public broadcaster NOS said squish-faced pugs could be among those banned.

The Netherlands banned the breeding of pets that are affected by their appearance in 2014, but some animals were still being traded illegally or bought from abroad.

The proposed new rules are designed to close a loophole so that it will also be illegal to own them.

In 2019, the Dutch government updated the rules to specifically apply to dogs whose snout is less than half the length of their skull.

- 'Out of breath' -

"Dogs with snouts that are too short are constantly out of breath, making them gasp throughout their life," Adema said in a letter to parliament setting out the proposal.

"Dogs that have a deviant skull shape may suffer from a permanent headache.

"Cats with folding ears have deviated cartilage which can cause them a lot of pain."

The fold-eared felines would definitely qualify for a ban, as was already the case in the Flanders region of neighbouring Belgium, the agriculture ministry said.

Military Madness > Russia Threatens Nuclear War over Ukraine

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NATO countries are completely aware of the fact that you cannot destroy a nuclear country without the possibility of nuclear war, yet they continue to press with increasing pressure leaving Putin without a way out. If it's getting rid of Putin that they are trying to accomplish, they should know that his replacement could be worse.

Russia threatens nuclear war if it loses in Ukraine

By Evan Simko-Bednarski

January 19, 2023 1:34pm  Updated

NYPost

A Kremlin insider warned Thursday that Russia could start a nuclear war if it lost its conventional war in Ukraine.

Dmitry Medvedev, deputy head of Russia’s security council and a close ally of President Vladimir Putin, made the threat in a post on the Telegram messaging app.

“The loss by a nuclear power in a conventional war can provoke the outbreak of a nuclear war,” Medvedev wrote in a post criticizing Western powers ahead of a Friday meeting in Germany to discuss further military support for Ukraine.

Medvedev, who served as Russia’s president from 2008 to 2012, added, “The nuclear powers do not lose major conflicts on which their fate depends.”

Dozens of Ukraine’s allies are set to meet Friday at Ramstein air base in Germany to discuss the next round of military aid to Ukraine, ahead of an expected increase in fighting in the spring.

Dmitry Medvedev, deputy head of Russia’s security council, said a military defeat for Russia in Ukraine could spark a nuclear war.

Kommersant Photo / Polaris

While multiple countries, including the US, Germany and France, have committed in recent weeks to providing Ukraine with armored fighting vehicles, the allied nations are reportedly at odds over sending Kyiv large battle tanks.

Over the past 11 months of war, both Ukrainian and Russian forces have relied on the Soviet-era T-72 battle tank as the mainstay of their armored forces. Kyiv has been pushing its Western allies to send more advanced armor, such as Germany’s Leopard 2 tank or the American M1 Abrams.

Ukrainian leaders have argued that the more capable tanks would allow them to break through a front line that has remained relatively static in the months since Ukraine’s successful fall counteroffensive.

Ukrainian State Emergency Service firefighters carry a wounded woman out of the rubble from a multistory building

after a Russian rocket attack on Dnipro, Ukraine. AP

Military medics carry a soldier wounded in a battle to an evacuation vehicle near Kremenna in the Luhansk region,

Ukraine, Monday, Jan. 16, 2023. AP

Smoke rises as Donetsk's emergency employees work at a site of a shopping center destroyed.

Smoke rises as Donetsk’s emergency employees work at a site of a shopping center. AP

Since the beginning of Russia’s invasion of its neighbor in February, the Kremlin has rattled its nuclear saber in an effort to discourage Western intervention. Medvedev’s comment, however, is the first time Moscow has admitted the possibility of defeat.

Asked if Medvedev’s nuclear rhetoric indicated an escalation in the crisis, Kremlin flack Dmitry Peskov said no.

“It absolutely does not mean that,” Peskov said.

Russia’s longstanding doctrine allows for the use of nuclear weapons after “aggression against the Russian Federation with conventional weapons when the very existence of the state is threatened,” Peskov said.

It's time for Ukraine and Russia to sit down and form another Minsk Accord. One that Ukraine will actually keep. One that will forbid the financing of the Nazi Azov Batallion by America. One that will stop the slow genocide of Russian-speaking people in Ukraine's eastern provinces.

One thing is most likely - If Russia goes down because of this war, they will not go alone.

Corruption is Everywhere > Vietnam President Resigns; Lid Coming Off the EU Parliament Bribery Scandal

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Vietnam President Nguyen Xuan Phuc resigns

By Joe Fisher

   

Vietnam’s President Nguyen Xuan Phuc announced he will step down from his position following a number of changes among the country’s leadership in recent days.

File Photo by John Minchillo/UPI | License Photo

Jan. 17 (UPI) -- Vietnam's President Nguyen Xuan Phuc announced he will step down from his position following a number of changes among the country's leadership in recent days.

Phuc is the third high-level official to either resign or be dismissed from his position this month following the dismissal of two deputy prime ministers, Pham Binh Minh and Vu Duc Dam. The National Assembly will meet Wednesday to make the resignation official.

As president, Phuc played a key role in Vietnam's Communist Party and its policymaking committee, the Politburo. In a statement by his party he was thanked for his service, but it was also noted that he was responsible for violations by those serving under him.

Other government officials who served with Phuc are facing criminal charges related to corruption and misconduct.

"As he was well aware of his responsibilities to the Party and the people, Phuc filed a request to resign from his positions and retire," said the statement obtained by VN Express International.

In 2022, the Communist Party prosecuted or disciplined some 539 members in an effort by general secretary Nguyen Phu Trong to rein in corruption.

Is this extraordinary level of corruption peculiar to Communists? Or is it common to all government parties? It is definitely not restricted to Vietnam.

Vietnam has greatly increased its efforts to rid the corruption among its government officials and business leaders, increasing the investigation of corruption cases by 50% in 2022, engaging in 453 investigations.

Phuc served as prime minister from 2016 to 2021 before being elected president in April 2021.

Former deputy prime minister Dam was ousted in connection with a scheme involving the distribution of COVID-19 testing kits. One of Dam's primary responsibilities was leading the country's pandemic response.

Did he have a deal with the party that he would resign if they stopped investigating him? What do you think?

Former European Parliament member to give details in bribery scandal

Obviously, being a member of the European Parliament does not require a moral compass as a prerequisite.

By Clyde Hughes   

Former European Parliament member Pier Antonio Panzeri agreed on Tuesday to cooperate with authorities

in connection with the bribery scandal. Photo by Stephanie Lecocq/EPA-EFE

Jan. 17 (UPI) -- Former European Parliament member Pier Antonio Panzeri said on Tuesday he will work with prosecutors investigating an alleged bribery scheme.

Panzeri agreed to offer "revealing, truthful and complete statements" about third parties involved in the scandal as well as his own involvement "if applicable" in exchange for a possible reduced prison sentence, Belgium's federal prosecutor said.

Prosecutors accuse Panzeri of accepting money from the governments of Qatar and Morocco in exchange for influencing decisions in the parliament.

Panzeri, who served in the European Parliament from 2004-2019, is charged along with three others for money laundering, corruption and participating in a criminal organization after police found nearly $1.62 million in bags of cash at several locations around Brussels, including Panzeri's home.

The Belgian prosecutor said in its ongoing investigation that Panzeri will tell detectives details showing if foreign countries, including Qatar, illegally influenced the parliament's work, how the bribery scheme operated and who was involved.

He is also expected to turn over financial documents connected with his arrangements with those countries and who directly benefited.

Panzeri also agreed to admit to bribery, pay a fine and forfeit the assets he obtained, said to total more than $1 million.

An Italian court ruled on Monday that the Panzeri's daughter Silvia Panzeri could be extradited to Belgium because she allegedly knew of her father's activities. She has denied the allegations.

The scandal also ensnared Eva Kaili, a Greek legislator, who at the time served as the European Parliament's vice president.

Kaili was removed from her European Parliament post in December after being arrested in connection with the scheme.