Trapped inside a car, the adult black bear and cub thrashed about. The horn was blaring and the radio blasting. Outside the car, a second cub ran around in apparent distress by the Connecticut home. State environmental conservation police were called by the startled vehicle owner on the morning of July 15. They opened a door, and the two bears ran off into the woods safe and sound with the third bear. The car’s interior, however, wasn’t so fortunate: It was completely torn apart. The incident in Winsted, in the state’s northwest corner not far from Massachusetts, was documented in photos and video taken by the car’s owner, who captured images of the bears in the car and the resulting destruction on a cellphone. Officials believe they got in the vehicle by opening a door, but it’s not clear how the door then closed. Over a week, there have been three episodes involving bears in Connecticut that were publicly reported by the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection — another sign of the increasing black bear population in the state. On Saturday, a woman reported being bitten by a black bear in a backyard in Cheshire. She suffered minor injuries and declined treatment, officials said. Environmental conservation police found and euthanized the bear, which was taken away for testing. On Sunday, a nearly 500-pound (227-kilogram) black bear was struck and killed by a car on a highway in Torrington, the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection said. While bears have been breaking into cars, trash bins and homes in the western U.S. for a long time, such incidents were rare in Connecticut a few decades ago. They’re now a growing phenomenon. In June, a black bear was shot to death in Canton by a person who claimed self-defense. Last year, a bear barged into a bakery in Avon, scared employees and helped itself to 60 cupcakes before ambling away. In 2022, a bear damaged the insides of two vehicles in Cornwall. There also have been a few non-fatal bear attacks on humans reported in the state over the past two years, and an increasing number of bears entering homes, state officials say. “Always keep your car doors locked if bears occur in your area and never allow them easy access to human-sourced food,” Ethan Van Ness, a senior adviser at the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, said in a statement. State officials said bears began returning to the region in the 1980s and their populations have been steadily increasing. There are now an estimated 1,000 to 1,200 bears in Connecticut, with sightings in all 169 towns in recent years but more concentrated in the state’s northwestern corner. (AP)
Workers have linked the U.S. and Canadian sides of the new Gordie Howe International Bridge spanning the Detroit River, a major step in bringing the monumental project to completion. The connection between southwest Detroit and northwest Windsor was completed on Wednesday, the Detroit News reported. The work took six years, with about 2,000 workers on site every day. The bridge still isn’t finished, though. Work is expected to continue until the fall of 2025. Named for Canadian hockey player Gordie Howe, who spent 25 seasons with the Detroit Red Wings, the bridge will provide another link between one of the busiest points on the U.S.-Canadian border. About a third of all trade between the U.S. and Canada occurs between Detroit and Windsor. The finished bridge will measure 1.5 miles (2.4 kilometers). It will stand 150 feet (45.7 meters) above the river and 720 feet (219.4 meters) high, making it the largest Canadian and United States land port along the two countries’ border and one of the 10 longest bridges in North America. “The impact (the project) is going to have on our country is going to be felt for a generation,” Brian Fraser, the Canadian minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities, said during a news conference on the bridge deck in Windsor on Wednesday. (AP)
A North Korean military intelligence operative has been indicted in a conspiracy to hack into American health care providers, NASA, U.S. military bases and international entities, stealing sensitive information and installing ransomware to fund more attacks, federal prosecutors announced Thursday. The indictment of Rim Jong Hyok by a grand jury in Kansas City, Kansas, accuses him of laundering the money through a Chinese bank and then using it to buy computer servers and fund more cyberattacks on defense, technology and government entities around the world. The hacks on American hospitals and other health care providers disrupted the treatment of patients, officials said. He’s accused of targeting 17 entities across 11 U.S. states, including NASA and U.S. military bases, as well as defense and energy companies in China, Taiwan and South Korea. For more than three months, Rim and other members of the Andariel Unit of North Korea’s Reconnaissance General Bureau had access to NASA’s computer system, extracting over 17 gigabytes of unclassified data, the indictment says. They also reached inside computer systems for defense companies in Michigan and California, as well as Randolph Air Force base in Texas and Robins Air Force base in Georgia, authorities say. The malware enabled the state-sponsored Andariel group to send stolen information to North Korean military intelligence, furthering the country’s military and nuclear aspirations, federal prosecutors said. They’ve gone after details of fighter aircraft, missile defense systems, satellite communications and radar systems, a senior FBI official said. “While North Korea uses these types of cyber crimes to circumvent international sanctions and fund its political and military ambitions, the impact of these wanton acts have a direct impact on the citizens of Kansas,” said Stephen A. Cyrus, an FBI agent based in Kansas City. Online court records do not list an attorney for Rim, who has lived in North Korea and worked at the military intelligence agency’s offices in both Pyongyang and Sinuiju, according to court records. A reward of up to $10 million has been offered for information that could lead to him or other foreign government operatives who target critical U.S. infrastructure. The Justice Department has prosecuted multiple cases related to North Korean hacking, often alleging a profit-driven motive that sets the nation’s cybercriminals apart from hackers in Russia and China. In 2021, for instance, the department charged three North Korean computer programmers in a broad range of hacks including a destructive attack targeting an American movie studio and the attempted theft and extortion of more than $1.3 billion from banks and companies around the world. In this case, the FBI was alerted by a Kansas medical center that was hit in May 2021. Hackers had encrypted its files and servers, blocking access to patient files, laboratory test results and computers needed to operate hospital equipment. A Colorado health care provider was affected by the same Maui ransomware variant. A ransom note sent to the Kansas hospital demanded Bitcoin payments valued then at about $100,000, to be sent to a cryptocurrency address. “Otherwise all of your files will be posted in the Internet which may lead you to loss of reputation and cause the troubles for your business,” the note reads. “Please do not waste your time! You have 48 hours only! After that the Main server will double your price.” Federal investigators […]
As president, Donald Trump went well beyond his predecessors in fulfilling Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s top wishes from the United States. Yet by the time Trump left the White House, relations between the two had broken down after Netanyahu rapidly congratulated Joe Biden on his 2020 presidential victory. On Friday, the two men met face-to-face for the first time in nearly four years in a test of whether the relationship can be mended. Both have an interest in getting past their differences. Trump greeted Netanyahu and his wife Sara with a warm welcome at the Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, saying “Now I’m honored. Come on in, come on in.” As they exchanged kisses, Sara Netanyahu expressed her fondness for Trump, saying “We’ve missed you.” Trump then praised a previous dinner he shared with Netanyahu, saying “It was the greatest dinner I’ve ever had.” The two leaders posed for photos, with Trump locking hands with Netanyahu and saying “Let’s get a good, a beautiful picture.” Trump smiled and gave a thumbs up to the assembled photographers. In a poignant moment, Trump and Netanyahu held up a photo of one of the Bibas children, who was kidnapped by Hamas from Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7. At the request of their grandfather Eliyahu Bibas, Trump vowed to take action, saying “We’ll get that taken care of. For Trump, now the Republican presidential nominee, the meeting could cast him as an ally and statesman, as well as sharpen efforts by Republicans to portray themselves as the party most loyal to Israel. That’s as divisions among Americans over U.S. support for Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza open cracks in what has been decades of strong bipartisan backing for Israel, the biggest recipient of U.S. aid. For Netanyahu, who was in the United States to address Congress and meet with Biden, repairing relations with Trump is imperative given the prospect that he may once again become president of the United States, Israel’s main arms supplier and protector. For both men, Friday’s meeting at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, highlighted for their home audiences their depiction of themselves as strong leaders who have gotten big things done on the world stage, and can again. But Trump’s public statements urging a rapid end to the war in Gaza could add to tensions. One political gamble for Netanyahu is whether he could get more of the terms he wants in any deal on a Gaza cease-fire and hostage release, and in his much hoped-for closing of a normalization deal with Saudi Arabia, if he waits out the Biden administration in hopes that Trump wins. Trump broke off with Netanyahu in early 2021. That was after the Israeli prime minister became one of the first world leaders to congratulate Biden for his presidential election victory, disregarding Trump’s false claim he had won. “Bibi could have stayed quiet,” Trump said in an interview with an Israel newspaperback then. “He made a terrible mistake.” Netanyahu and Trump last met at a September 2020 White House signing ceremony for the signature diplomatic achievement of both men’s political careers. It was an accord brokered by the Trump administration in which the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain agreed to establish normal diplomatic relations with Israel. For Israel, it amounted to […]
The New York judge who ordered Donald Trump to pay a nearly $500 million civil fraud judgment said Thursday he won’t step aside from the case, rebuffing concerns that the verdict was influenced by a brief conversation he had with another lawyer as a “nothingburger.” Judge Arthur Engoron’s eight-page order came in response to Trump’s attorneys’ request that he recuse himself based on a claim by real estate attorney Adam Leitman Bailey that the two had discussed the state law at the heart of the case prior to the verdict. In the ruling, Engoron vehemently disputed the attorney’s description of their February encounter. He wrote that Bailey had accosted him in a courthouse hallway, then followed him down the stairs and onto the street while “droning on” about his interpretation of the law. “I did not initiate, welcome, encourage, engage in, or learn from, much less enjoy, Bailey’s tirade,” Engoron wrote, adding that the “unpleasant occurrence” lasted about 90 seconds. Bailey claimed in an interview published by NBC New York in May that he’d discussed the case with Engoron shortly before the verdict was issued and given him his take on a relevant portion of the law. In a filing last month, an attorney for Trump, Christopher Kise, wrote that the conversation may have violated state rules around judicial communications and had created an “appearance of impropriety and tarnish the integrity of this proceeding beyond repair.” The recusal request cited reports that the New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct had opened an inquiry into the conversation. Engoron responded that he had not been contacted by the commission and was not aware of any investigation. Throughout the high-profile trial, the judge said he’d been frequently confronted by people on the street, in restaurants, parks, and on public transportation. “Sometimes their unsolicited words are complimentary. Sometimes they are derogatory,” he wrote. “Never do they affect my rulings. As with my forced encounter with Bailey, I feel no need to report these fleeting incidents.” He continued: “I would have forgotten all about it by now had Bailey not attempted to burnish his reputation as someone who could influence judges.” Neither Kise nor Bailey responded to an emailed request for comment on the judge’s decision. Engoron ruled on Feb. 16 that Trump lied to banks, insurers and others about his wealth. He found that Trump, his company and top executives — including his sons Eric and Donald Trump Jr. — schemed for years to inflate his wealth on financial statements used to secure loans and make deals. The judge ordered Trump to pay $355 million in penalties, but with interest the total has grown to more than $471 million — including $17.1 million that has accrued since the verdict. The sum will increase by nearly $112,000 per day until he pays, unless the verdict is overturned. Trump posted a $175 million bond in April to halt collection of the judgment and prevent James’ office from seizing his assets while he appeals. (AP)
A powerful Mexican drug cartel leader who eluded authorities for decades was duped into flying into the U.S., where he was arrested alongside a son of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, according to a U.S. law enforcement official familiar with the matter. Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada got on an airplane to the U.S. believing he was going somewhere else, said the official, who spoke on the condition on anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter. The official did not provide additional details, including who persuaded Zambada to get on the plane or where exactly he thought he was going. Upon arriving in the El Paso area, Zambada and Joaquín Guzmán López, a son of notorious drug kingpin “El Chapo,” who was sentenced to life in a U.S. prison in 2019, were immediately taken into custody by U.S. authorities, officials said. Zambada, one of the most powerful drug lords in the world, has been a key target for the U.S. government for years in its bid to take down leaders of the Sinaloa cartel that’s responsible for trafficking huge sums of drugs across the border. U.S. authorities had offered a reward of up to $15 million for information leading to his capture. Zambada’s arrest “strikes at the heart of the cartel that is responsible for the majority of drugs, including fentanyl and methamphetamine, killing Americans from coast to coast,” said U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration chief Anne Milgram. “Fentanyl is the deadliest drug threat our country has ever faced, and the Justice Department will not rest until every single cartel leader, member, and associate responsible for poisoning our communities is held accountable,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement Thursday evening. A lawyer listed for Zambada did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment Friday. Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said Friday that Mexico was still awaiting details about the arrest of the men and was not involved in the operation. He hailed the arrests, though he suggested others could step in to fill the vacuum. That’s why his administration has focused on addressing the root causes of drug use and the associated violence, he said. Mexican Security Secretary Rosa Icela Rodríguez said the plane took off with only the pilot from the airport in Hermosillo, Mexico. The flight tracking service Flight Aware showed the plane stopped transmitting its altitude and speed for about 30 minutes while it was over the mountains of northern Mexico before resuming its course to the U.S. border. “It is a fact that one person went out from here, three people arrived there”, she said. Zambada is facing charges in a number of U.S. cases, including in New York and California. Prosecutors brought a new indictment against him in New York in February, describing him as the “principal leader of the criminal enterprise responsible for importing enormous quantities of narcotics into the United States.” Zambada, one of the longest-surviving capos in Mexico, was considered the cartel’s strategist, more involved in day-to-day operations than his flashier and better-known boss, “El Chapo.” Zambada is an old-fashioned capo in an era of younger kingpins known for their flamboyant lifestyles of club-hopping and brutal tactics of beheading, dismembering and even skinning their rivals. While Zambada has fought those who challenged him, he is known for concentrating […]
A tornado that hit this small, upstate city tore off rooftops, leveled brick buildings and toppled the steeples of two historic churches. No one was killed, but the twister left a debris-strewn scar through downtown and nearby areas. More than 370 homes were damaged. Residents are vowing to rebuild. But some of the damage on July 16 was so severe that the path forward is uncertain for many in this old manufacturing city, where people are more accustomed to digging out from snowstorms than from piles of rubble. Standing by the wreckage of his hot dog, catering and event business a week after the storm, Scott Smith gazed at the ruins of his storage space, which collapsed onto much of his equipment including tables, amusement rides and smokers. The 65-year-old owner of Scotty’s Hot Dogs plans to forge ahead with his enterprises. But he needs to find new warehouse space. “I do plan on rebuilding,” Smith said. “Is it going to be Rome? I would like to believe that.” The 1977 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme that was his first car was crushed. So was his first hot dog cart, which sat among a pile of bricks. “I was hoping to save it for my first grandchild one day, you know, start him or her out,” Smith said. “It’s kind of sad to see it sitting in that debris right now.” The July 16 tornado in Rome, which is home to about 32,000 people, was unusually destructive for this region, with peak winds of 135 mph (217 kph). It traveled for more than 5 miles (8 kilometers) and had an EF2 rating, considered “significant,” on the Enhanced Fujita scale, which rates tornadoes based on estimated wind speed and damage. Only about one in six tornadoes in New York are EF2 or greater, said Nick Bassill, director of the State Weather Risk Communications Center at the University at Albany. The Rome tornado was among 10 confirmed in the state that day. One of them killed an 82-year-old man about 20 miles (30 kilometers) west of Rome who was struck by storm debris. The tornado roared through Rome like a locomotive, Smith said. He and his girlfriend, Wendy Goldenbaum, sheltered in his catering kitchen, holding each other as the building shuddered. In one particularly hard-hit area, four of the five homes that landlord Richard Secor owns likely will have to be demolished, he said, noting that includes one whose roof was ripped off but its occupants were OK. “Everything just lifted up like ‘The Wizard of Oz’ and disappeared,” Secor said. Dozens of businesses already have sought relief funds, Mayor Jeffrey Lanigan said. Allison Graves has been working to haul stuff out of her New York Dance Academy studio, which adjoins a building that collapsed and took down a local landmark mural of a Revolutionary War hero on horseback. That left her building unusable and her plans are up in the air. “Where can we go? What can we do? I have been offered by some local studios some space if I want to go in and use their studios for the time being,” Graves said. Homeowner Willard Harvey is waiting for insurance information to decide how to proceed with his severely damaged house. He has a rural place up north where he and […]
Veteran diplomat Martin S. Indyk, an author and leader at prominent U.S. think tanks who devoted years to finding a path toward peace in the Middle East, died Thursday. He was 73. His wife, Gahl Hodges Burt, confirmed in a phone call that he died from complications of esophageal cancer at the couple’s home in New Fairfield, Connecticut. The Council on Foreign Relations, where Indyk had been a distinguished fellow in U.S. and Middle East diplomacy since 2018, called him a “rare, trusted voice within an otherwise polarized debate on U.S. policy toward the Middle East.” A native of Australia, Indyk served as U.S. ambassador to Israel from 1995 to 1997 and from 2000 to 2001. He was special envoy for the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations during former President Barack Obama’s administration, from 2013 to 2014. When he resigned in 2014 to join The Brookings Institution think tank in Washington, it had symbolized the latest failed effort by the U.S. to forge an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal. He continued as Obama’s special adviser on Mideast peace issues. “Ambassador Indyk has invested decades of his extraordinary career to the mission of helping Israelis and Palestinians achieve a lasting peace. It’s the cause of Martin’s career, and I’m grateful for the wisdom and insight he’s brought to our collective efforts,” then-Secretary of State John Kerry said at the time, in a statement. In a May 22 social media post on X, amid the continuing war in Gaza, Indyk urged Israelis to “wake up,” warning them their government “is leading you into greater isolation and ruin” after a proposed peace deal was rejected. Indyk also called out Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in June on X, accusing him of playing “the martyr in a crisis he manufactured,” after Netanyahu accused the U.S. of withholding weapons that Israel needed. “Israel is at war on four fronts: with Hamas in Gaza; with Houthis in Yemen; with Hezbollah in Lebanon; and with Iran overseeing the operations,” Indyk wrote on June 19. “What does Netanyahu do? Attack the United States based on a lie that he made up! The Speaker and Leader should withdraw his invitation to address Congress until he recants and apologizes.” Indyk also served as special assistant to former President Bill Clinton and senior director for Near East and South Asian affairs at the National Security Council from 1993 to 1995. He served as assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs in the U.S. Department of State from 1997 to 2000. Besides serving at Brookings and the Council on Foreign Relations, Indyk worked at the Center for Middle East Policy and was the founding executive director of The Washington Institute for Near East Policy. Indyk’s successor at the Washington Institute called him “a true American success story.” “A native of Australia, he came to Washington to have an impact on the making of American Middle East Policy and that he surely did – as pioneering scholar, insightful analyst and remarkably effective policy entrepreneur,” Robert Satloff said. “He was a visionary who not only founded an organization based on the idea that wise public policy is rooted in sound research, he embodied it.” Indyk wrote or co-wrote multiple books, including “Innocent Abroad: An Intimate Account of American Peace Diplomacy in the Middle East” and “Master of the […]
When Donald Trump suggested during the 2016 presidential campaign that he might not honor a U.S. commitment to defend other NATO countries if they were attacked, it triggered alarm throughout the trans-Atlantic alliance. With Trump’s “America First” rhetoric drawing cheers from fervent supporters, the future of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization is once again on the agenda. But this time, European leaders acknowledge the alliance must evolve to meet the challenges of the 21st century and say they are ready to shoulder more responsibility for their own defense. A lot has changed in eight years. First, Trump’s presidency forced Europe to recognize that U.S. military support was no longer guaranteed, then Russia’s invasion of Ukraine underscored the threat on its eastern border. Meanwhile, the U.S. has increasingly focused on China’s expansion in the Asia-Pacific, as well as Iran and North Korea. “Confronted with powers such as Russia and China, and a United States whose pivot to Asia seems inevitable, no matter who wins the next election, we Europeans need to do more to ensure our own security,” Josep Borrell, the European Union’s foreign policy chief, wrote last weekend in The Times of London. After relying on U.S. leadership of NATO to protect them with overwhelming nuclear and conventional capability for the past 75 years, European nations must take on a larger role in funding and leading the 32-nation alliance because their interests are increasingly diverging from those of the United States. “We are talking about a NATO which the United States is still part of, but which the United States is no longer the indispensable leader (of),” said Malcolm Chalmers, deputy director-general of the Royal United Services Institute, a London-based think tank focused on defense and security. “I mean, that is what JD Vance and Donald Trump are talking about. They’re talking about a NATO that is transformed and one in which the Europeans take the greatest share of the burden.” NATO grew out of secret talks among U.S. officials after World War II about how to supply military equipment to Western Europe and ensure a coordinated response to any attack by the Soviet Union. The 12 founding members signed the North Atlantic Treaty on April 4, 1949. NATO’s military structure is headed by the Supreme Allied Commander Europe, who is also the commander-in-chief of American forces in Europe. The U.S. is expected to spend almost twice as much on its military this year as all the other alliance members combined, according to NATO statistics. Trump’s skepticism about NATO was underlined last week when he named Vance as his running mate. Vance has opposed U.S. support for Ukraine, has criticized European nations for slashing defense spending since the Cold War, and said it’s time for “Europe to stand on its own feet.” Europe got another wakeup call on Sunday when President Joe Biden, whose strong support for NATO was cemented during standoffs with the Soviet Union in the 1970s, said he would not seek reelection. Vice President Kamala Harris, the likely Democratic presidential nominee, has backed the administration’s position on NATO and aid to Ukraine, but she entered politics long after the Cold War and is better known for her work on domestic issues. “The question is whether she will have that same strong trans-Atlantic view that’s kind of part […]
Vice President Kamala Harris told reporters on Thursday that she’s “ready to debate Donald Trump.” She accused him of “backpedaling” away from a previous agreement for a debate hosted by ABC News on Sept. 10. “I think the voters deserve to see the split screen that exists in this race on the debate stage,” she said after landing at Joint Base Andrews following a trip to Indiana and Texas. The Sept. 10 debate was one of two debates that President Joe Biden and Trump had agreed on. The first one was hosted by CNN on June 27, but Biden has since dropped out of the race and endorsed Harris as his successor. Trump has said he would prefer to shift the debate to Fox News, but he would be willing to face off with Harris more than once. Harris did not respond to a question about having Fox News host a debate. Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung said in a statement late Thursday that debate arrangements “cannot be finalized until Democrats formally decide on their nominee.” “Democrats very well could still change their minds,” Cheung said. Alex Conant, a Republican consultant, said the debate could be “decisive.” “It’s the only time voters really tune in,” he said. This year’s campaign has already shown the potential power of a debate. Biden’s disastrous performance on June 27 revived concerns that he was too old for a second term. His support within the Democratic Party crumbled, and he ended his reelection bid on Sunday. (AP)
Depending on who you ask, the bones that have been sitting in a Tokyo repository for decades could be either leftovers from early 20th century anatomy classes, or the unburied and unidentified victims of one of the country’s most notorious war crimes. A group of activists, historians and other experts who want the government to investigate links to wartime human germ warfare experiments met over the weekend to mark the 35th anniversary of their discovery and renew a call for an independent panel to examine the evidence. Japan’s government has long avoided discussing wartime atrocities, including the sexual abuse of Asian women known as “comfort women” and Korean forced laborers at Japanese mines and factories, often on grounds of lack of documentary proof. Japan has apologized for its aggression in Asia, but since the 2010s it has been repeatedly criticized in South Korea and China for backpedalling. Around a dozen skulls, many with cuts, and parts of other skeletons were unearthed on July 22, 1989, during construction of a Health Ministry research institute at the site of the wartime Army Medical School. The school’s close ties to a germ and biological warfare unit led many to suspect that they could be the remains of a dark history that the Japanese government has never officially acknowledged. Headquartered in then-Japanese-controlled northeast China, Unit 731 and several related units injected prisoners of war with typhus, cholera and other diseases, according to historians and former unit members. They also say the unit performed unnecessary amputations and organ removals on living people to practice surgery and froze prisoners to death in endurance tests. Japan’s government has acknowledged only that Unit 731 existed. Top Unit 731 officials were not tried in postwar tribunals as the U.S. sought to get ahold of chemical warfare data, historians say, although lower-ranked officials were tried by Soviet tribunals. Some of the unit’s leaders became medical professors and pharmaceutical executives after the war. A previous Health Ministry investigation said the bones couldn’t be linked to the unit, and concluded that the remains were most likely from bodies used in medical education or brought back from war zones for analysis, in a 2001 report based on questioning 290 people associated with the school. It acknowledged that some interviewees drew connections to Unit 731. One said he saw a head in a barrel shipped from Manchuria, northern China, where the unit was based. Two others noted hearing about specimens from the unit being stored in a school building, but had not actually seen them. Others denied the link, saying the specimens could include those from the prewar era. A 1992 anthropological analysis found that the bones came from at least 62 and possibly more than 100 different bodies, mostly adults from parts of Asia outside Japan. The holes and cuts found on some skulls were made after death, it said, but did not find evidence linking the bones to Unit 731. But activists say that the government could do more to uncover the truth, including publishing full accounts of its interviews and conducting DNA testing. Kazuyuki Kawamura, a former Shinjuku district assembly member who has devoted most of his career to resolving the bone mystery, recently obtained 400 pages of research materials from the 2001 report using freedom of information requests, and says […]
Russian and Chinese bombers flew together for the first time in international airspace off the coast of Alaska, in a new show of expanding military cooperation that U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Thursday raises concerns. The flights Wednesday were not seen as a threat, and the bombers were tracked and intercepted by U.S. and Canadian fighter jets. But it was the first time that Chinese bomber aircraft have flown within the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone. And it was the first time Chinese and Russian aircraft have taken off from the same base in northeast Russia. “This is a relationship that we have been concerned about throughout — mostly because we’re concerned about China providing support to Russia’s illegal and unnecessary war in Ukraine,” Austin told reporters. The North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD, detected, tracked and intercepted the two Russian Tupolev Tu-95 long-range bombers and the two Chinese H-6 bombers. The aircraft, said Austin, didn’t enter U.S. airspace and only got within about 200 miles (320 kilometers) of the coast. They were, however, within the ADIZ, which begins where sovereign airspace ends, and aircraft must be easily identifiable and file flight plans for authorization in order to meet national security requirements. China and Russia both acknowledged what they called a joint patrol over the Bering Sea, which divides Russia and Alaska. Their growing military relationship has triggered concerns both among NATO allies and with nations in the Asia-Pacific. NATO allies have called China a “decisive enabler” of Russia’s war against Ukraine through its “no-limits partnership” with Russia and its large-scale support for Russia’s defense industrial base. The allies issues a sternly worded statement, approved by the 32 members at their summit in Washington earlier this month. The Russian Defense Ministry said the patrol also flew over the Chukchi Sea, which is on the north side of the Bering Strait, and that the exercises lasted more than five hours. The joint patrol tested and improved coordination between the two air forces, said Zhang Xiaogang, a spokesperson for China’s Defense Ministry. He said it was the eighth joint strategic air patrol since 2019. He declined to comment when asked if it was the first such patrol over the Bering Sea. While Russia’s military has long been active in the north Pacific, China has emerged as a new actor in recent years as its growing navy and air force expand their presence farther from the country’s shores. On Chinese state media, the maneuver was called “a great leap forward in the Chinese Air Force’s actual combat training capabilities,” according to Wang Mingzhi, Chinese military expert interviewed on state broadcaster CCTV. Wang cited the fact that the mission was far away from ground support as well as in unfamiliar territory, saying that it showed support’s ability to operate effectively across long-range missions. Shen Yi, a professor of international politics at Fudan University, wrote in his column that the Chinese flights were to showcase the country’s deterrence, and had symbolic significance in the U.S.-China rivalry. “China’s boosting its capabilities to carry out effective strategic gaming with the United States and to maintain strategic stability,” Shen wrote. “As this system continuously improves, it can effectively deter the U.S.” A photo released by the Russian Defense Ministry showed a Russian Su-30 fighter jet escorting […]
France’s high-speed rail network was hit Friday with widespread and “criminal” acts of vandalism including arson attacks, paralyzing travel to Paris from across the rest of France and Europe only hours before the grand opening ceremony of the Olympics. French officials condemned the attacks as “criminal actions,” though they said there was no sign of a direct link to the Games, and prosecutors in Paris opened a national investigation saying the crimes could carry sentences of 15 to 20 years. “It’s a hell of a way to start the Olympics,” said Sarah Moseley, a 42-year-old traveler waiting at the Gare du Nord station in Paris as she learned that her train to London was delayed by the rail chaos. As Paris authorities geared up for a spectacular parade on and along the Seine River, three fires were reported near the tracks on the high-speed lines of Atlantique, Nord and Est, causing disruptions that affected hundreds of thousands of travelers. Among them were two German athletes in showjumping who were on a train to Paris to take part in the opening ceremony but had to turn back in Belgium because of the closures, and will now miss the ceremony, German news agency dpa reported. “There was no longer a chance of making it on time,” rider Philipp Weishaupt, who was traveling with teammate Christian Kukuk, told dpa. There were no known reports of injuries. French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said France’s intelligence services have been mobilized to find the perpetrators and of “acts of sabotage” which he described as “prepared and coordinated.” Attal said that sabotage and arson that hit key parts of France’s high speed rail network on the eve of the Olympics had “a clear objective: blocking the high speed train network.” He said the vandals strategically targeted the axes from the north, east and west toward Paris hours before the capital hosts the Olympics opening ceremony. It was “a premeditated, calculated, coordinated attack” that indicates “a desire to seriously harm” the French people, the rail company’s CEO Jean-Pierre Farandou said. “The places were especially chosen to have the most serious impact, since each fire cut off two lines,” Farandou said. The incidents paralyzed high-speed lines linking Paris to the rest of France and to neighboring countries, Vergriete said, speaking on BFM television. The attack occurred against a backdrop of global tensions and heightened security measures as the city prepared for the 2024 Olympic Games. Many travelers were planning to converge on the capital for the opening ceremony, and many vacationers were also in transit. French authorities have foiled several plots to disrupt the Olympics, including arresting a Russian man on suspicion of planning to destabilize the games. The Paris police prefecture “concentrated its personnel in Parisian train stations” after the “massive attack” that paralyzed the TGV high-speed network, Laurent Nuñez, the Paris police chief, told France Info television. Also Friday, the French airport of Basel-Mulhouse on the border with Germany and Switzerland was evacuated in the morning and remained temporarily closed “for safety reasons,” the airport said. It wasn’t clear whether there was a connection to the rail attacks. The disruptions hit Paris’ Montparnasse station particularly hard. In the station’s crowded hall, Maiwenn Labbé-Sorin said she spent hours stranded on a train before it doubled back to Paris. […]
Signing an agreement with Russia to stop the war with Ukraine would amount to signing a deal with the devil, a top adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, as pressure mounts on the country to seek an end to more than two years of fighting. A deal would only buy time for Russian President Vladimir Putin to strengthen his army and usher in another, potentially more violent chapter in the war, Mykhailo Podolyak told The Associated Press in an interview Thursday. “If you want to sign a deal with the devil, who will then drag you to hell, well, go for it. This is what Russia is,” Podolyak said when asked about the prospects for a peace deal for Kyiv, whose forces are locked in a bloody war of attrition with Moscow’s troops in eastern Ukraine. “If you sign anything today with Russia, that will not lose the war and will not be legally responsible for mass crimes, this will mean that you have signed yourself a ticket to continue the war on a different scale, with other protagonists, with a different number of killed and tortured people,” he said. It is a view held across Zelenskyy’s camp and reflected broadly among Ukrainians. But it also increasingly comes up against the current of Western pressure, as Kyiv continues to face difficult front-line conditions against Moscow’s larger, better equipped army, as well as uncertainty over the level of future political support from Ukraine’s closest ally, the U.S. War fatigue also appears to be eroding the morale of Ukrainians, who have struggled with constant bombardment, electricity outages and the loss of loved ones. A poll by the Kyiv International Institute for Sociology found that the number of Ukrainians opposed to territorial concessions to Russia in exchange for peace has continued to fall. It was 55% in July, compared with 74% in December. Even Zelenskyy hinted at a willingness to negotiate with Russia for the first time since the 2022 full-scale invasion, suggesting Moscow should send a delegation to the next global peace summit, which is expected in November. But Podolyak insisted that an agreement now would only delay greater violence. “Yes, it can be a freeze of the conflict for a certain time. But this means that the Russian Federation will work on its mistakes and update its own army,” he said. “An aggressor country did not come to the territory of Ukraine to sign a peace agreement . That’s nonsense!” A lasting peace that works for Ukraine would ensure a steady erosion of Russian military might encompassed by the “three tools” often reiterated by Zelenskyy: increased military support, effective economic sanctions and diplomatic pressure to isolate Russia. As he spoke, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba was in China, one of Russia’s closest allies, on a mission to forge closer ties. Podolyak said the goal was to provide explanations for Ukraine’s positions and for why China should play a more “active intensive function in ending the war on the terms of international law.” Few countries are watching the twists and turns of the U.S. presidential election more intently than Ukraine. But Zelenskyy is confident that his government has established good relations with both sides in the U.S, election, Podolyak said. “Ukraine has fine relations … with both the Republican Party and the […]
Former President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle have officially endorsed Kamala Harris’ presidential bid in an awkward video capturing a private phone call between the couple and the current vice president. In the roughly one-minute-long video, Obama tells Harris, “We called to say Michelle and I couldn’t be prouder to endorse you and to do everything we can to get you through this election and into the Oval Office.” Michelle Obama adds, “I am proud of you. This is going to be historic.” Harris expresses her gratitude for the endorsement and their long friendship, saying, “Thank you both. It means so much. And we’re gonna have some fun with this too.” The endorsement comes less than a week after President Joe Biden bowed out of the race, and is expected to boost Harris’ campaign with energy, fundraising, and Obama’s potential presence on the campaign trail. Obama had initially declined to endorse Harris, reportedly over his concerns that she is a weak candidate who likely won’t be able to defeat Donald Trump. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
A recent event brought together a group of distinguished law enforcement officers and community leaders to honor and recognize their outstanding contributions. Among the esteemed honorees was Rabbi Abe Friedman, a long-time community activist and law-enforcement chaplain. During the event, Rabbi Friedman was presented with a proclamation by New York City Mayor Eric Adams, declaring July 22 as Rabbi Abraham Friedman’s day. Mayor Adams praised Rabbi Abe Friedman for his 25 years of dedicated service as a community activist, “working closely with various faith communities and providing support as a counselor and chaplain to law enforcement agencies at both the state and city levels”, said Mayor Adams. The Mayor highlighted Rabbi Friedman’s tireless efforts in building bridges between different groups, offering guidance and support to individuals facing life’s challenges. His compassionate and wise counsel has touched countless lives, earning him well-deserved recognition for his selfless contributions. In addition to the Mayor’s proclamation, the First Deputy NYPD Commissioner presented Rabbi Abe Friedman with a prestigious “lifetime achievement award” from the NYPD on behalf of Police Commissioner Edward Caban. The Deputy Commissioner commended Rabbi Friedman for his commitment to fostering positive community relations with the NYPD over the past two decades. Among the attendees at the event were representatives from various law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, DEA, IRS Criminal Division, U.S. Customs, U.S. Postal Inspection, U.S. Marshals, County Prosecutor’s Office, Port Authority Police Department, Palisades Police Department, Orange County Sheriff’s Office, Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office, New York City Police Department, New York State Police and countless other agencies. Rabbi Bernard Freilich, a senior community leader and New York State police liaison, praised Rabbi Abe Friedman for his years of community activism and dedicated service to those in need. Chief Chaplain Rabbi Alvin Kaz also commended Rabbi Friedman for his unwavering support to law enforcement families during times of hardship. The event served as a tribute to Rabbi Abe Friedman’s significant impact on the community and law enforcement, highlighting his dedication to service and his role in fostering positive relationships between different groups. Rabbi Friedman expressed his gratitude for the prestigious awards bestowed upon him, stating, “I’m humbled by the recognition. My heart is full of gratitude to all members of law enforcement at so many levels for their hard work and sacrifices in keeping our community safe. I am truly thankful for their continued support, both professionally and personally.” Among the honorees were 16 members of the US Marshals task force, who were recognized for their dedication and bravery in pursuing the most dangerous perpetrators and fugitives. US Marshal of New Jersey, Juan Matos credited them for their exceptional efforts in apprehending individuals who pose a significant threat to the community. Another honoree at the event was Superintendent Edward Cetnar of the Port Police Department. Superintendent Cetnar was presented with a Community Appreciation Award in recognition of his decades of public service to the New Jersey State Police and the Port Authority Police Department.
A massive fire ripped through a strip mall on Fair Lawn Avenue in Fair Lawn, New Jersey, overnight on Friday, causing heavy damage to a number of Jewish businesses. The blaze was first reported at approximately 2:30 a.m. and tore through the complex, which houses Roadhouse (a fleishig restaurant), Mashu Mashu Sushi (located inside Roadhouse), Green Dragon restaurant, Dream on Lash salon, Regency Cleaners and Zadies Kosher Bake Shop, which is will known for supplying challah to many tri-state groceries. Zadies Kosher Bake Shop announced on social media that the fire has forced them to close “for an undetermined amount of time.” The bake shop noted earlier this month that July marks the five-year anniversary of a car crashing into their store – as was reported by YWN in 2019. The extent of the damage to the businesses is currently unknown, and officials have not yet released information on the cause of the fire or the full impact on the affected establishments. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
The Knesset has passed a bill that rolls back consumer protections to allow cellphone carriers to continue offering restricted (aka “kosher”) plans to Chareidim. The bill, which passed 60-53, amends the Communications Law to give legal grounds for carriers to lock in subscriptions for Chareidim, which have identifiable digits designating them as part of these rabbanim-approved plans. Supporters of the bill argue that it would “afford hundreds of thousands of consumers guarantees of the integrity of the kosher phone service they’re buying.” However, opponents claim that it “cements control over consumers by rabbis and by carriers guided by financial interests.” The bill’s passage was met with controversy, with Elazar Stern, a religious lawmaker from the Yesh Atid party, accusing the bill’s sponsors of committing a Chillul Hashem by passing it. The bill’s passage comes a year and a half after Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi rolled back previous reforms aimed at integrating Chareidi consumers into the broader cellphone market, which were met with opposition from Chareidi lawmakers and led to riots. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
There were many reactions to the powerful speech delivered by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to a joint session of Congress on Wednesday but the response of Chareidi journalist, Aryeh Erlich, the editor of the Hebrew Mishpacha, was the most thought-provoking. “Hundreds of members of Congress The richest man in the world [a reference to Elon Musk] All US TV channels and hundreds more outside it 80 rounds of applause. 55 standing ovations In the name of 200 million Americans who cheered and cheered and cheered One of the best hasbarah [public relations] events in history But in Israel, The bitter opposition The midget Was unable to rise to the greatness of the occasion. I want to say two simple words: Thank you, Netanyahu.” Erlich continued: “Netanyahu fulfilled his promise to the Lubavitcher Rebbe. Netanyahu spoke in a Jewish (יהודי), believing (אמוני), and Biblical (תנ”כי) manner. That’s what the Rebbe requested of Netanyahu in their meeting 40 years ago. He now fulfilled it brilliantly. And listen to the cheering!” Senator Ted Cruz praised Netanyahu’s speech by stating: “Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech to the joint session of Congress today was Churchillian.” “He understands the gravity of the war in Israel, the existential threat to our Israeli allies, and the staggering risks posed to American national security. The same terrorists who hate Jews also hate Christians. I am proud to stand unequivocally with Israel — they have the right and indeed the obligation to defend their citizens. The US should support Israel as they utterly eradicate Hamas, for as long as it takes.” (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
The bodies of five hostages recovered from the southern Gaza Strip on Wednesday were inside a tunnel located within the Israeli-designated humanitarian zone, officials have revealed. The tunnel, measuring 200 meters long and 20 meters deep, featured several rooms where the bodies were being held by Hamas. The operation in Khan Younis was made possible by intelligence gathered in recent weeks, including information from Shin Bet interrogations of detained terrorists in Gaza. Ahead of the operation, the IDF adjusted the humanitarian zone and ordered Palestinian civilians in the area to temporarily evacuate. The recovered bodies belonged to Ravid Katz, 51, Oren Goldin, 33, Maya Goren, 56, Sgt. Kiril Brodski, 19, and Staff Sgt. Tomer Yaakov Ahimas, 20, all of whom were killed on October 7. The IDF successfully retrieved their remains, which were being held in black body bags, and brought them to Israel for kevurah. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
