#United Nations Disarmament Commission

[disarmamentawarenessday]

Holy See Statement During The General Exchange Of Views At The United Nations Disarmament Commission.

First, allow me to congratulate you on your election as Chair of this commission and assure you of my delegation’s support. 

In one week’s time, we will mark the 60th anniversary of the promulgation of Pope John XXIII’s encyclical letter, Pacem in Terris, written in the aftermath of the Cuban Missile Crisis. 

Earlier this year, Pope Francis emphasized the letter’s continued relevance in a world that sadly feels fear and anguish due to the renewed prominence of the nuclear threat in the context of the war in Ukraine.[1] Pope Francis went on further to reaffirm the immorality of possessing nuclear weapons, given that their employment, even by accident, could lead to “appalling slaughter and destruction.”[2] Such a risk, as well as the growing consciousness of the catastrophic humanitarian and environmental consequences of nuclear weapons, necessitates a reconception of security that moves away from a balance of arms toward integral disarmament. In this regard, the Holy See calls on all States to join the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). 

Tragically, the lessons of the Cuban Missile Crisis are being forgotten and numerous arms control treaties have been discarded, reflecting a paucity of trust internationally and accelerating a worrying trend toward rearmament. 

This growing mistrust even reaches beyond Earth’s atmosphere into the celestial domain. In this regard, the Holy See welcomes the General Assembly’s recent adoption of resolution 77/41, which “calls upon States to commit not to conduct destructive direct-ascent anti-satellite missile tests.” Indeed, my delegation hopes that this commission can foster dialogue to build consensus on this issue, while also promoting transparency and confidence-building measures (TCBMs) in outer space. Such measures would not preclude, but rather lay the groundwork for an eventual legally binding agreement prohibiting the weaponization of outer space and weapons that threaten space objects. An agreement along these lines would prevent an arms race in outer space and ensure that all outer space activity fosters cooperation, rather than mistrust, and serves the common good.

Mr. Chair, 

Let us not forget that “existing disarmament treaties are more than just legal obligations. They are also moral commitments based on trust among States and among their representatives, rooted in the trust that citizens place in their governments, with ethical consequences for current and future generations of humanity.” Therefore, adherence to, and respect for, international disarmament agreements and international law is not a form of weakness but rather, it is a source of strength and responsibility since it increases trust and stability.

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

By H. E. Archbishop Gabriele CacciaApostolic Nuncio and Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations.

Statement of the Holy See at the General Exchange of Views at the United Nations Disarmament Commission during the 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly.

[mossadspypigeon]

Bro be acting like the International Court of justice didnt rule that Iserael is committing a genocide.

Did opp evens watch the case, the stacks of evidence proving that Iserael is in the wrong or are u did the propoganda succesfully blind u?

a. i’m not a man 😂

b. sweetie, do you even know what the icj ruled? because it wasnt that 😂😂

and yes dingus, i watched the entire thing. i watched israel’s defense too. did you?

the former president did interviews to address how this was misinterpreted by the media.

in addition, let’s get into the actual DOCUMENT

not only was it biased and they admitted they did not take israel’s history or oct 7 into account, but there was no rulling that israel committed genocide. the ruling was that israel COULD commit genocide 😂😂 and that it needs to adhere to laws it’s already adhering to to make sure genocide does not happen.

the wording is stupid af, which is why you idiots misinterpreted it so badly. plus hamas hopped on it.

essentially all it does is explain the laws israel and palestine are held to. it also states israel is in “breach” of natural resource laws, but it doesnt take into account that fatah and hamas rule these areas, not israel.

for the “settlement policy,” the court ruled that israel MAYYYYYY be in breach, which does not mean it is.

transfer “MAY” be forcible.

it also talks about “settler violence” while providing no proof or evidence of actual violence. or admitting that most of that is in response to PALESTINIAN violence. hence the bias.

btw? it isn’t a fucking official, actual ruling. it’s an OPINION, as they stated.

also, one side is completely represented here and the other is shunted. israel’s sites and property being destroyed was not discussed. oct 7 wasnt either and the icj refused to see the evidence.

the un btw, is a body taken over by dictators:

former secretary generals even admit there has always been bias against israel.

the current secretary general was a friend to arafat and visited putin in russia. the council of disarmament is headed by IRAN.

the UN human rights council is 64% dictatorships. its head is the ambassador from morocco, a country that is essentially an ethno state. “Morocco has been considered a repressive country for its restrictions on basic human rights, including freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, and the right to criticize officials.”

they elect reps from dictatorships to leadwrship positions concerning refugees, human rights, women, and children. iran was the head of the commission for the status of women for awhile. IRAN. plus the members of the councils are 60%+ from dictatorships and countries committing actual abuses. this means the MAJORITY of the membership of these councils are from countries without basic freedoms. hmm, i wonder if they might have an agenda here.

so you really think the UN is neutral? that it isn’t lying to you? the UN chooses israel to shit on so no one pays attention to the nasty shit the majority of its members’ countries do.

also? the majority of holocaust experts have decried calling this a genocide.

take for instance Father Patrick Desbois, whon studied mass graves of Jews from the Shoah:

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/amp/news/256393/french-priest-and-holocaust-expert-takes-on-those-who-attempt-to-link-jesus-to-hamas-cause

[underthewingsofthblackeagle]

         This video was produced by the Foreign Press Association and published on the YouTube channel of the Don't Extradite Assange (DEA) campaign on February 19, 2022. With permission from the DEA campaign, we have published this video on our channel to raise awareness of this issue in Germany and worldwide. Visit the DEA campaign's YouTube channel here:  /deacampaign            ABOUT NILS MELZER. Prof. Nils Melzer is the Human Rights Chair of the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights. He is also Professor of International Law at the University of Glasgow.          On 1 November 2016, he took up the function of UN Special Rapporteur on Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. Prof. Melzer has served for 12 years with the International Committee of the Red Cross as a Legal Adviser, Delegate and Deputy Head of Delegation in various zones of conflict and violence. After leaving the ICRC in 2011, he held academic positions as Research Director of the Swiss Competence Centre on Human Rights (University of Zürich), as Swiss Chair for International Humanitarian Law (Geneva Academy) and as Senior Fellow for Emerging Security Challenges (Geneva Centre for Security Policy), and has represented civil society in the Steering Committee of the International Code of Conduct for Private Security Service Providers. In the course of his career, Prof. Melzer has also served as Senior Security Policy Adviser to the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, has carried out advisory mandates for influential institutions such as the United Nations, the European Union, the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Swiss Federal Department of Defence, and has regularly been invited to provide expert testimonies, including to the UN First Committee, the UN CCW, the UNSG Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters, and various Parliamentary Commissions of the European Union, Germany and Switzerland. Prof. Melzer has authored award-winning and widely translated books, including: “Targeted Killing in International Law” (Oxford, 2008, Guggenheim Prize 2009), the ICRC’s “Interpretive Guidance on the Notion of Direct Participation in Hostilities” (2009) and the ICRC’s official handbook “International Humanitarian Law – a Comprehensive Introduction” (2016), as well as numerous other publications in the field of international law. In view of his expertise in new technologies, Prof. Melzer has been mandated by the EU Parliament to author a legal and policy study on “Human Rights Implications of the Usage of Drones and Robots in Warfare” (2013) and has also co-authored the NATO CCDCOE “Tallinn Manual on the International Law applicable to Cyber Warfare” (Cambridge, 2013), and the NATO MCDC “Policy Guidance Autonomy in Defence Systems”, (NATO ACT, 2014).          Throughout his career, Prof. Melzer has fought to preserve human dignity and the rule of law through the relentless promotion, reaffirmation and clarification of international legal standards offering protection to those exposed to armed conflicts and other situations of violence.

[jbfly46]

Need a job? Here’s a list of federal agencies you can apply to for employment:

- Administrative Conference of the United States

- Administrative Office of United States Courts

- Advisory Council on Historic Preservation

- Agency for International Development

- Agriculture Department

- Air Quality National Commission

- Air Transportation Stabilization Board

- American Battle Monuments Commission

- Amtrak Reform Council

- Antitrust Modernization Commission

- Appalachian Regional Commission

- Architect of the Capitol

- Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board

- Arctic Research Commission

- Armed Forces Retirement Home

- Arms Control and Disarmament Agency

- Assassination Records Review Board

- Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation

- Broadcasting Board of Governors

- Census Monitoring Board

- Central Intelligence Agency

- Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board

- Christopher Columbus Quincentenary Jubilee Commission

- Civil Rights Cold Case Records Review Board

- Civil Rights Commission

- Commerce Department

- Commission of Fine Arts

- Commission on Immigration Reform

- Commission on Protecting and Reducing Government Secrecy

- Commission on Review of Overseas Military Facility Structure of the United States

- Commission on Structural Alternatives for the Federal Courts of Appeals

- Commission on the Advancement of Federal Law Enforcement

- Commission on the Future of the United States Aerospace Industry

- Commission on the Social Security Notch Issue

- Committee for Purchase From People Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled

- Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements

- Commodity Futures Trading Commission

- Competitiveness Policy Council

- Congressional Budget Office

- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

- Consumer Product Safety Commission

- Coordinating Council on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention

- Corporation for National and Community Service

- Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency

- Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency for the District of Columbia

- Crime and Security in U.S. Seaports, Interagency Commission

- Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission

- Defense Department

- Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board

- Delaware River Basin Commission

- Denali Commission

- Education Department

- Election Assistance Commission

- Electronic Commerce Advisory Commission

- Emergency Oil and Gas Guaranteed Loan Board

- Emergency Steel Guarantee Loan Board

- Energy Department

- Environmental Protection Agency

- Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

- Executive Council on Integrity and Efficiency

- Executive Office of the President

- Export-Import Bank

- Farm Credit Administration

- Farm Credit System Insurance Corporation

- Federal Accounting Standards Advisory Board

- Federal Acquisition Regulation System

- Federal Communications Commission

- Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation

- Federal Election Commission

- Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council

- Federal Housing Finance Agency

- Federal Housing Finance Board

- Federal Labor Relations Authority

- Federal Maritime Commission

- Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service

- Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission

- Federal Pay, Advisory Committee

- Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council

- Federal Register, Administrative Committee

- Federal Reserve System

- Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board

- Federal Trade Commission

- Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission

- Financial Stability Oversight Council

- General Services Administration

- Government Accountability Office

- Government Ethics Office

- Government Publishing Office

- Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council

- Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation

- Health and Human Services Department

- Homeland Security Department

- Housing and Urban Development Department

- Illinois and Michigan Canal National Heritage Corridor Commission

- Immigration Reform Commission

- Independent Counsel Office

- Indian Arts and Crafts Board

- Indian Claims Commission

- Indian Gaming Commission

- Information Security Oversight Office

- Institute of American Indian and Alaska Native Culture and Arts Development

- Institute of Museum and Library Services

- Inter-American Foundation

- Interagency Council on the Homeless

- Interior Department

- Internal Revenue Service

- International Boundary and Water Commission, United States and Mexico

- International Broadcasting Board

- International Development Cooperation Agency

- International Joint Commission, United States and Canada

- International Trade Commission

- James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation

- Japan-United States Friendship Commission

- John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Review Board

- Joint Board for the Enrollment of Actuaries

- Justice Department

- Labor Department

- Legal Services Corporation

- Library of Congress

- Marine Mammal Commission

- Maritime Administration

- Medicare Payment Advisory Commission

- Merit Systems Protection Board

- Millennium Challenge Corporation

- Mississippi River Commission

- National Aeronautics and Space Administration

- National Archives and Records Administration

- National Bipartisan Commission on the Future of Medicare

- National Capital Planning Commission

- National Commission on Libraries and Information Science

- National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States

- National Council on Disability

- National Credit Union Administration

- National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities

- National Gambling Impact Study Commission

- National Indian Gaming Commission

- National Institute for Literacy

- National Labor Relations Board

- National Mediation Board

- National Park Service

- National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak)

- National Science Foundation

- National Security Council

- National Transportation Safety Board

- National Women's Business Council

- Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation

- Nuclear Regulatory Commission

- Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board

- Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission

- Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight

- Office of Government Ethics

- Office of Management and Budget

- Office of National Drug Control Policy

- Office of Navajo and Hopi Indian Relocation

- Office of Personnel Management

- Office of Science and Technology Policy

- Office of Special Counsel

- Overseas Private Investment Corporation

- Panama Canal Commission

- Peace Corps

- Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation

- Postal Rate Commission

- Postal Regulatory Commission

- Postal Service

- President's Commission on White House Fellowships

- President's Council on Integrity and Efficiency

- Railroad Retirement Board

- Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board

- Regulatory Information Service Center

- Resolution Trust Corporation

- Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation

- Securities and Exchange Commission

- Selective Service System

- Small Business Administration

- Smithsonian Institution

- Social Security Administration

- State Department

- State Justice Institute

- Surface Transportation Board

- Susquehanna River Basin Commission

- Tennessee Valley Authority

- Thrift Depositor Protection Oversight Board

- Trade and Development Agency

- Transportation Department

- Treasury Department

- Truman Scholarship Foundation

- U.S. Commission on Civil Rights

- U.S. Enrichment Corporation

- U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum

- U.S. Information Agency

- U.S. Institute of Peace

- U.S. International Development Finance Corporation

- U.S. International Trade Commission

- U.S. Office of Special Counsel

- U.S. Sentencing Commission

- United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims

- United States Court of Federal Claims

- United States Court of International Trade

- United States Institute of Peace

- United States International Trade Commission

- United States Postal Service

- United States Trade and Development Agency

- Veterans Affairs Department

- Vietnam Education Foundation

- White House Commission on Presidential Scholars

- White House Office

- Women's Bureau

- Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 10.14 (after 1950)

1066 – The Norman conquest of England begins with the Battle of Hastings. 1322 – Robert the Bruce of Scotland defeats King Edward II of England at the Battle of Old Byland, forcing Edward to accept Scotland's independence. 1586 – Mary, Queen of Scots, goes on trial for conspiracy against Queen Elizabeth I of England. 1656 – The General Court of the Massachusetts Bay Colony enacts the first punitive legislation against the Religious Society of Friends. 1758 – Seven Years' War: Frederick the Great suffers a rare defeat at the Battle of Hochkirch. 1773 – The first recorded ministry of education, the Commission of National Education, is formed in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. 1774 – American Revolution: The First Continental Congress denounces the British Parliament's Intolerable Acts and demands British concessions. 1791 – The revolutionary group the United Irishmen is formed in Belfast, Ireland leading to the Irish Rebellion of 1798. 1805 – War of the Third Coalition: A French corps defeats an Austrian attempt to escape encirclement at Ulm. 1806 – War of the Fourth Coalition: Napoleon decisively defeats Prussia at the Battle of Jena–Auerstedt. 1808 – The Republic of Ragusa is annexed by France. 1843 – Irish nationalist Daniel O'Connell is arrested by the British on charges of criminal conspiracy. 1863 – American Civil War: Confederate troops under the command of A. P. Hill fail to drive the Union Army completely out of Virginia. 1884 – George Eastman receives a U.S. Government patent on his new paper-strip photographic film. 1888 – Louis Le Prince films the first motion picture, Roundhay Garden Scene. 1898 – The steam ship SS Mohegan sinks near the Lizard peninsula, Cornwall, killing 106. 1908 – The Chicago Cubs defeat the Detroit Tigers, 2–0, clinching the 1908 World Series; this would be their last until winning the 2016 World Series. 1910 – English aviator Claude Grahame-White lands his aircraft on Executive Avenue near the White House in Washington, D.C. 1912 – Former president Theodore Roosevelt is shot and mildly wounded by John Flammang Schrank. With the fresh wound in his chest, and the bullet still within it, Roosevelt delivers his scheduled speech. 1913 – Senghenydd colliery disaster, the United Kingdom's worst coal mining accident, claims the lives of 439 miners. 1915 – World War I: Bulgaria joins the Central Powers. 1920 – Finland and Soviet Russia sign the Treaty of Tartu, exchanging some territories. 1923 – After the Irish Civil War the 1923 Irish hunger strikes were undertaken by thousands of Irish republican prisoners protesting the continuation of their internment without trial. 1930 – The former and first President of Finland, K. J. Ståhlberg, and his wife, Ester Ståhlberg, are kidnapped from their home by members of the far-right Lapua Movement. 1933 – Germany withdraws from the League of Nations and World Disarmament Conference. 1939 – World War II: The German submarine U-47 sinks the British battleship HMS Royal Oak within her harbour at Scapa Flow, Scotland. 1940 – World War II: The Balham underground station disaster kills sixty-six people during the London Blitz. 1943 – World War II: Prisoners at Sobibor extermination camp covertly assassinate most of the on-duty SS officers and then stage a mass breakout. 1943 – World War II: The United States Eighth Air Force loses 60 of 291 B-17 Flying Fortresses during the Second Raid on Schweinfurt. 1943 – World War II: The Second Philippine Republic, a puppet state of Japan, is inaugurated with José P. Laurel as its president. 1947 – Chuck Yeager becomes the first person to exceed the speed of sound. 1949 – The Smith Act trials of Communist Party leaders in the United States convicts eleven defendants of conspiring to advocate the violent overthrow of the federal government.

[nuclearweaponseliminationday]

High-level Meeting on International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons - General Assembly, 79th session.

Achieving global nuclear disarmament is the highest disarmament priority of the United Nations. It was the subject of the General Assembly's first resolution in 1946, which established the Atomic Energy Commission (dissolved in 1952), with a mandate to make specific proposals for the control of nuclear energy and the elimination of atomic weapons and all other major weapons adaptable to mass destruction.

Watch the High-level Meeting on International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons - General Assembly, 79th session!

[christinamac1]

Holy See: 'Nuclear deterrence is an illusion'

Addressing the UN Disarmament Commission in New York, the Vatican Permanent Observer to the United Nations reaffirms that the logic of deterrence is illusionary and calls for the adoption of a binding international treaty to regulate artificial intelligence modelled on the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. By Lisa Zengarini, 4 Apr, 24,…

[nucleartestsday]

Statement During The Opening Of Working Group I On Nuclear Weapons.

By H. E. Archbishop Gabriele Giordano Caccia, Apostolic Nuncio and Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations,

Statement at the United Nations Disarmament Commission During the 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly.

[ollie603]

Helen Clark - A deeper dive into her biography

Within her own website contains a biography of Helen Clark, listing pivotal moments in the politician's life.

Childhood

"Helen Clark was born on 26 February 1950 in the maternity wing of Waikato Hospital in Hamilton, the eldest child of Margaret and George Clark. She was brought up and spent much of her childhood on their farm in Te Pahu.

She went to Te Pahu Primary School, and then was sent by her parents to Auckland to attend Epsom Girls' Grammar School as a boarder."

Early political career

"In 1968 Helen Clark enrolled at the University of Auckland in a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in political studies and going on to a Masters. After graduating, she became a lecturer in the Department of Political Studies. In 1981 she was elected as the Member of Parliament for Mount Albert, an electorate she represented until retiring from Parliament in 2009.

1984–87, in the first term of the David Lange-led Fourth Labour Government, Helen Clark was Chair of both the Foreign Affairs and Defence Select Committee and the Disarmament and Arms Control Select Committee. In this role she played a major part in New Zealand’s validation of a nuclear-free policy, which the country endorses to this day.

From 1987 to 1990, in the second term of the Lange administration, Helen Clark was a Cabinet Minister. She held numerous portfolios including housing, health, and conservation. In 1989–90 she also served as Deputy Prime Minister. In 1990, she was appointed to the Privy Council, becoming the first woman in New Zealand to hold those offices.

After the Labour Government lost the 1990 election, Helen Clark was Deputy Leader of the Labour Party and of the Opposition until 1993, and then Leader of the Labour Party and of the Opposition until 1999. Following the 1999 election, the New Zealand Labour Party was able to form a governing coalition and Helen Clark was sworn in as Prime Minister of New Zealand."

Helen Clark as Prime Minister of NZ 1999-2008

"Helen Clark as Prime Minister also held the portfolio of Arts, Culture, and heritage. During her nine years as Prime Minister, New Zealand enjoyed strong economic growth, low unemployment, and notable investment in public services. Helen Clark set clear objectives for sustainable development and climate action, two areas she is still engaged in today."

Helen Clark as the Administrator for the UN development programme

"From 2009 to 2017 Helen Clark served two terms as Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme, the first woman to do so.

She was also Chair of the United Nations Development Group, a committee consisting of the heads of all UN funds, programmes and departments in charge of development issues.

In 2013, after she was appointed to administer UNDP for a second term, Forbes named her the 21st most powerful woman in the world. She was the only New Zealander to make the list."

Helen Clark as a global leader in sustainable development and gender equality

"Helen Clark is currently involved in a range of international organisations. She is Patron of The Helen Clark Foundation, and chairs the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health, The Global Leadership Foundation, and The Global Commission on Drug Policy, and other advisory boards and commissions.

In July 2020, Helen Clark was appointed by the Director-General of the World Health Organisation to co-chair the Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response. The Panel published its main report, COVID-19: Make it the Last Pandemic in May 2021.

Helen is one of the three Presidents of Chatham House, and a member of the Board of Directors of the Club de Madrid, the world's largest forum of former heads of state and government."

The Helen Clark Foundation

The Helen Clark Foundation was founded in 2019. It is a non-profit, non-partisan public policy think tank committed to generating and promoting policy research and debate in New Zealand. The organisation’s core values are inclusion, fairness, and sustainability, and the areas of research have included productivity, perinatal and maternal mental health, sustainable cities, and health equity. .

Anyone interested in a well-functioning democracy, and the future of effective public policy in New Zealand is invited to become a member and support The Helen Clark Foundation.

[filosofablogger]

Actions Speak Louder Than Words

Actions Speak Louder Than Words

Yesterday was International Day For The Total Elimination Of Nuclear Weapons.  No, I am not making this up and yes, I am serious. Following the High-level Meeting on Nuclear Disarmament held at the United Nations on 26 September 2013, the General Assembly adopted resolution A/RES/68/32 calling for “the urgent commencement of negotiations in the Conference on Disarmament for the early conclusion…

[disarmamentawarenessday]

Statement by the Holy See UN at the United Nations Disarmament Commission During the 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly.

Allow me to start by congratulating you on your election as chair of this Working Group and assure you of the Holy See’s support.  In his annual message for the World Day of Peace, Pope Francis lamented that “The war in Ukraine is reaping innocent victims and spreading insecurity, not only among those directly affected, but in a widespread and indiscriminate way for everyone, also for those who, even thousands of kilometres away, suffer its collateral effects.” In this way, the conflict offers a macabre preview of the devastating consequences that a nuclear war would have for all humankind.  In the face of such a threat, Pope Francis stresses: “We can no longer think exclusively of carving out space for our personal or national interests; instead, we must think in terms of the common good, recognizing that we belong to a greater community, and opening our minds and hearts to universal human fraternity.” Thankfully, this Commission offers us an important opportunity to address the issue of nuclear weapons in the spirit of such fraternity. Arriving at consensus in this forum has proven difficult in the past; however, the broad inclusion of all States within the Commission makes it unique within the nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation regime. While we may disagree on the relative merits of various components of the regime, the present nuclear danger obligates us to commit to dialogue regarding principles for achieving of a world free of nuclear weapons. In this regard, any consensus outcome from this Working Group would be a welcome development, even if it may lack the ambition preferred by most States.  Mr. Chair,  In this regard, the Holy See expresses its deep regret that the States parties to the New START Treaty have decided to forego the semiannual data exchange. At a time of heightened tensions, transparency with regard to nuclear arsenals is more vital than ever. In this regard, my delegation calls on States possessing the greatest number of nuclear weapons, to engage in a good faith dialogue on the issue before the last vestige of nuclear arms control is lost to the detriment of global security. 

Thank you, Mr. Chair. 

[alexsmitposts]

The Secret Agenda of the World Bank and IMF The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) work hand in glove – smoothly. Not only are they regularly lending huge sums of money to horror regimes around the world, but they blackmail poor nations into accepting draconian conditions imposed by the west. In other words, the WB and the IMF are guilty of the most atrocious human rights abuses. You couldn’t tell, when you read above the entrance of the World Bank the noble phrase, “Our Dream is World Free of Poverty”. To this hypocrisy I can only add, ”…And we make sure it will just remain a dream.” This says both, the lie and the criminal nature of the two International Financial Institutions, created under the Charter of the United Nations, but instigated by the United States. The front of these institutions is brilliant. What meets the eye, are investments in social infrastructure, in schools, health systems, basic needs like drinking water, sanitation – even environmental protection – over all “Poverty Alleviation”, i.e. A World Free of Poverty. But how fake this is today and was already in the 1970’s and 1980’s is astounding. Gradually people are opening their eyes to an abject reality, of exploitation and coercion and outright blackmail. And that, under the auspices of the United Nations. What does it tell you about the UN system? In what hands are the UN? – The world organization was created in San Francisco, California, on 24 October 1945, just after WWII, by 51 nations, committed to maintaining international peace and security, developing friendly relations among nations and promoting social progress, better living standards and human rights. The UN replaced the League of Nations which was part of the Peace Agreement after WWI, the Treaty of Versailles. It became effective on 10 January 1920, was headquartered in Geneva Switzerland, with the purpose of disarmament, preventing war through collective security, settling disputes between countries, through negotiation diplomacy and improving global welfare. In hindsight it is easy to see that the entire UN system was set up as a hypocritical farce, making people believe that their mighty leaders only wanted peace. These might leaders were all westerners; the same that less than 20 years after the creation of the noble League of Nations, started World War II. *** This little introduction provides the context for what was eventually to become the UN-backed outgrowth for global theft, for impoverishing nations, around the world, for exploitation of people, for human rights abuses and for shoveling huge amounts of assets from the bottom, from the people, to the oligarchy, the ever-smaller corporate elite – the so-called Bretton Woods Institutions. In July 1944 more than 700 delegates of 44 Allied Nations (allied with the winners of WWII) met at the Mount Washington Hotel, situated in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, United States, to regulate the international monetary and financial order after WWII. Let’s be sure, this conference was carried out under the auspices of the United States, the self-declared winner of WWII, and from now on forward the master over the financial order of the world – which was not immediately visible, an agenda hidden in plain sight. The IMF was officially created to ‘regulate’ the wester, so-called convertible currencies, those that subscribed to apply the rules of the new gold standard, i.e. US$ 35 / Troy Ounce (about 31.1 grams). Note that the gold standard, although applicable equally to 44 allied nations was linked to the price of gold nominated in US dollars, not based on a basket of the value of the 44 national currencies. This already was enough reason to question the future system. And how it will play out. But nobody questioned the arrangement. Hard to believe though that of all these national economists, none dared question the treacherous nature of the gold-standard set-up. The World Bank, or the Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), was officially set up to administer the Marshall Plan for the Reconstruction of war-destroyed Europe. The Marshall Plan was a donation by the United Stated and was named for U.S. Secretary of State George Marshall, who proposed it in 1947. The plan gave $13.2 billion in foreign aid to European countries that had been devastated physically and economically by World War II. It was to be implemented from 1948 to 1952 which of course was much too short a time, and stretched into the early 1960s. In today’s terms the Marshall plan would be worth about 10 time more, or some US$ 135 billion. The Marshall Plan was and still is a Revolving Fund, paid back by the countries in question, so that it could be relent. The Marshall Plan money was lent out multiple times and was therefore very effective. The European counterpart to the World Bank-administered Marshall Fund was a newly to be created bank set up under the German Ministry of Finance, The German Bank for Reconstruction and Development (KfW – German acronym for Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau”). KfW, as the World Bank’s European counterpart still exists and dedicates itself mostly to development projects in the Global South, often in cooperation with the World Bank. Today there is still a special Department within KfW that deals exclusively with Marshall Plan Fund money. These funds are used for lending to poor southern regions in Europe, and also to prop up Eastern European economies, and they were used especially to integrate former East-Germany into today’s “Grand Germany”. Two elements of the Marshall Plan are particularly striking and noteworthy. First, the reconstruction plan created a bind, a dependence between the US and Europe, the very Europe that was largely destroyed by the western allied forces, while basically WWII was largely won by the Soviet Union, the huge sacrifices of the USSR – with an estimated 25 to 30 million deaths. So, the Marshall Plan was also designed as a shield against communist Russia, i.e. the USSR. While officially the Soviet Union was an ally of the western powers, US, UK, and France, in reality the communist USSR was an arch-enemy of the west, especially the United States. With the Marshall Plan money, the US bought Europe’s alliance, a dependence that has not ended to this day. The ensuing Cold War against the Soviet Union – also all based on flagrant lies, was direct testimony for another western propaganda farce – which to this day, most Europeans haven’t grasped yet. Second, The US imposition of a US-dollar based reconstruction fund, was not only creating a European dollar dependence, but was also laying the ground work for a singular currency, eventually to invade Europe – what we know today, has become the Euro. The Euro is nothing but the foster child of the dollar, as it was created under the same image as the US-dollar – it is a fiat currency, backed by nothing. The United Europe, or now called the European Union – was never really a union. It was never a European idea, but put forward by US Secret Services in disguise of a few treacherous European honchos. And every attempt to create a United Europe, a European Federation, with a European Constitution, similar to the United States, was bitterly sabotaged by the US, mostly through the US mole in the EU, namely the UK. The US didn’t want a strong Europe, both economically and possibly over time also militarily (pop. EU 450 million, vs US pop. 330 million; 2019 EU GDP US$ 20.3 trillion equivalent, vs US GDP US$ 21.4 trillion. Most economists would agree that a common currency for a loose group of countries has no future, is not sustainable. In comes the European Central Bank (ECB), also a creation inspired by the FED. The ECB has really no Central Bank function. It is rater a watch dog. Because each EU member country has still her own Central Bank, though with a drastically reduced sovereignty. Out of the currently 27 EU members only 19 are part of the Euro-zone. Those countries not part of the Eurozone, i.e. Czech Republic, Denmark, Hungary, Sweden – and more, have preserved their sovereign financial policy and do not depend on the ECB. This means, had Greece opted out of the Eurozone when they were hit with the 2008 / 2009 manufactured “crisis”, Greece would now be well on her way to full recovery. They would not have been subject to the whims and dictate of the IMF, the infamous troika, European Commission (EC), ECB and IMF, but could have chosen to arrange their debt internally, as most debt was internal debt, no need to borrow from abroad. In a 2015 bailout referendum, the Greek population voted overwhelmingly against the bailout, meaning against the new gigantic debt. However, the then Greek President Tsipras, went ahead as if the referendum had never taken place and approved the huge bailout despite almost 70% of the popular vote against it. This is a clear indication of fraud, that no fair play was going on. Tsipras and / or his families may have been coerced to accept the bailout – or else. We may never know, the true reason why Tsipras sold his people, the wellbeing of the Greek people to the oligarchs behind the IMF and World Bank – and put them into abject misery, with the highest unemployment in Europe, rampant poverty and skyrocketing suicide rates. Greece may serve as an example on how other EU countries may fare if they don’t “behave” – meaning adhere to the unwritten golden rules of obedience to the international money masters. This is scary. *** And now, in these times of covid, it is relatively easy. Poor countries, particularly in the Global South, already indebted by the plandemic, are increasing their foreign debt in order to provide their populations with basic needs. Or so they make you believe. Much of the debt accumulated by developing countries is domestic or internal debt, like the debt of the Global North. It doesn’t really need foreign lending institutions to wipe out local debt. Or have you seen one of the rich Global North countries borrowing from the IMF or the World Bank to master their debt? – Hardly. So why would the Global South fall for it? Part corruption, part coercion, and partly direct blackmail. – Yes, blackmail, one of the international biggest crimes imaginable, being committed by the foremost international UN-chartered financial institutions, the WB and the IMF. For example, the whole world is wondering how come that an invisible enemy, a corona virus hit all 193 UN member countries at once, so that Dr. Tedros, Director General of WHO, declares on 11 March a pandemic – no reason whatsoever since there were only 4,617 cases globally – but the planned result was a total worldwide lockdown on 16 March 2020. No exceptions. There were some countries who didn’t take it so seriously, like Brazil, Sweden, Belarus, some African countries, like Madagascar and Tanzania – developed their own rules and realized that wearing masks did more harm than good, and social distancing would destroy the social fabric of their cultures and future generations. But the satanic deep dark state didn’t want anything to do with “independent” countries. They all had to follow the dictate from way above, from the Gates, Rockefellers, Soroses, et al elite, soon to be reinforced by Klaus Schwab, serving as the chief henchman of the World Economic Forum (WEF). Suddenly, you see in Brazil, a drastic surge in new “cases”, no questions asked, massive testing, no matter that the infamous PCR tests are worthless according to most serious scientists (only sold and corrupted scientists, those paid by the national authorities, would still insist on the RT-PCR tests). Bolsonaro gets sick with the virus and the death count increases exponentially – as the Brazilian economy falls apart. Coincidence? In comes the World Bank and / or the IMF, offering massive help mostly debt relief, either as grant or as low interest loans. But with massive strings attached: you must follow the rules laid out by WHO, you must follow the rules on testing on vaccination, mandatary vaccination – if you conform to these and other country-specific rules, like letting western corporations tap your natural resources – you may receive, WB and IMF assistance. Already in May 2020 the World Bank Group announced its emergency operations to fight COVID-19 had already reached 100 developing countries – home to 70% of the world’s population with lending of US$ 160 billion-plus. This means, by today, 6 months later and in the midst of the “Second Wave” the number of countries and the number of loans or “relief’ grants must have increased exponentially, having reached close to the 193 UN member countries. Which explains how all, literally all countries, even the most objecting African countries, like Madagascar and Tanzania, among the poorest of the poor, have succumbed to the coercion or blackmail of the infamous Bretton Woods Institutions. These institutions have no quarrels in generating dollars, as the dollar is fiat money, not backed by any economy – but can be produced literally from hot air and lent to poor countries, either as debt or as grant. These countries, henceforth and for pressure of the international financial institutions will forever become dependent on the western masters of salvation. Covid-19 is the perfect tool for the financial markets to shovel assets from the bottom to the top. In order to maximize the concentration of the riches on top, maybe one or two or even three new covid waves may be necessary. That’s all planned, The WEF has already foreseen the coming scenarios, by its tyrannical book “Covid-19 – The Great Reset”. It’s all laid out. And our western intellectuals read it, analyze it, criticize it, but we do not shred it apart – we let it stand, and watch how the word moves in the Reset direction. And the plan is dutifully executed by the World Bank and the IMF – all under the guise of doing good for the world. What’s different from the World Bank and IMF’s role before the covid plandemic? – Nothing. Just the cause for exploitation, indebtment, enslavement. When covid came along it became easy. Before then and up to the end of 2019, developing countries, mostly rich in natural resources of the kind the west covets, oil, gold, copper and other minerals, such as rare earths, would be approached by the WB, the IMF or both. They could receive debt relief, so-called structural adjustment loans, no matter whether or not they really needed such debt. Today these loans come in all forms, shapes and colors, literally like color-revolutions, for instance, often as budget support operations – I simply call then blank checks – nobody controls what’s happening with the money. However, the countries have to restructure their economies, rationalizing their public services, privatizing water, education, health services, electricity, highways, railroads – and granting foreign concessions for the exploitation of natural resources. Most of this fraud – fraud on “robbing” national resources, passes unseen by the public at large, but countries become increasingly dependent on the western paymasters – peoples’ and institutional sovereignty is gone. There is always a corrupter and a corruptee. Unfortunately, they are still omni-present in the Global South. Often, for a chunk of money, the countries are forced to vote with the US for or against certain UN resolutions which are of interest to the US. Here we go – the corrupt system of the UN. And of course, when the two Bretton Woods organizations were created in 1944, the voting system decided is not one country, one vote as in theory it is in the UN, but the US has an absolute veto right in both organizations. Their voting rights are calculated in function of their capital contribution which derives from a complex formula, based on GDP and other economic indicators. In both institutions the US voting right and also veto right is about 17%. Both institutions have 189 member countries. *** Covid has laid bare, if it wasn’t already before, how these “official” international, UN-chartered Bretton Woods financial institutions are fully integrated in the UN system – in which most of the countries still trust, maybe for lack of anything better. Question, however: What is better, a hypocritical corrupt system that provides the “appearance”, or the abolition of a dystopian system and the courage to create a new one, under new democratic circumstances and with sovereign rights by each participating country?

[lkabonginexile]

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Smedley Butler

United States Marine Corps general, two time Medal of Honor recipient, activist, lecturer, official, and writer

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I served in all commissioned ranks from Second Lieutenant to Major-General. And during that period, I spent most of my time being a high class muscle-man for Big Business, for Wall Street and for the Bankers. In short, I was a racketeer, a gangster for capitalism.

Major General Smedley Darlington Butler (July 30, 1881 – June 21, 1940), was a United States Marine Corps major general, the highest rank authorized at that time, and at the time of his death the most decorated Marine in U.S. history.

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Quotes Edit

War is just a racket. A racket is best described, I believe, as something that is not what it seems to the majority of people. Only a small inside group knows what it is about. It is conducted for the benefit of the very few at the expense of the masses.

From a speech (1933)

I spent thirty-three years and four months in active military service as a member of this country's most agile military force, the Marine Corps. I served in all commissioned ranks from Second Lieutenant to Major-General. And during that period, I spent most of my time being a high class muscle-man for Big Business, for Wall Street and for the Bankers. In short, I was a racketeer, a gangster for capitalism.

From a speech (1933)

I believe in adequate defense at the coastline and nothing else. If a nation comes over here to fight, then we'll fight. The trouble with America is that when the dollar only earns 6 percent over here, then it gets restless and goes overseas to get 100 percent. Then the flag follows the dollar and the soldiers follow the flag.

From a speech (1933)

War is a racket. It always has been.

I wouldn't go to war again as I have done to protect some lousy investment of the bankers. There are only two things we should fight for. One is the defense of our homes and the other is the Bill of Rights. War for any other reason is simply a racket.

From a speech (1933)

"My interest is, my one hobby is, maintaining a democracy. If you get these 500,000 soldiers advocating anything smelling of Fascism, I am going to get 500,000 more and lick the hell out of you, and we will have a real war right at home."

Reply to Gerald MacGuire, after being asked to organize WWI veterans (for military support) in a fascist-coup of FDR, as related by Butler in testimony before Congress, 1934. A reporter (a Butler confidant) testified MacGuire said, "We might go along with Roosevelt and then do with him what Mussolini did with the King of Italy." Which was, made him a figure-head.

War is a racket (1935) Edit

Full text online

War is a racket. It always has been. It is possibly the oldest, easily the most profitable, surely the most vicious. It is the only one international in scope. It is the only one in which the profits are reckoned in dollars and the losses in lives.

It is possibly the oldest, easily the most profitable, surely the most vicious. It is the only one international in scope. It is the only one in which the profits are reckoned in dollars and the losses in lives.

A racket is best described, I believe, as something that is not what it seems to the majority of the people. Only a small "inside" group knows what it is about. It is conducted for the benefit of the very few, at the expense of the very many. Out of war a few people make huge fortunes.

In the World War [I] a mere handful garnered the profits of the conflict. At least 21,000 new millionaires and billionaires were made in the United States during the World War. That many admitted their huge blood gains in their income tax returns. How many other war millionaires falsified their tax returns no one knows.

How many of these war millionaires shouldered a rifle? How many of them dug a trench? How many of them knew what it meant to go hungry in a rat-infested dug-out? How many of them spent sleepless, frightened nights, ducking shells and shrapnel and machine gun bullets?...How many of them were wounded or killed in battle?

Out of war nations acquire additional territory, if they are victorious. They just take it. This newly acquired territory promptly is exploited by the few -- the selfsame few who wrung dollars out of blood in the war. The general public shoulders the bill.

And what is this bill? This bill renders a horrible accounting. Newly placed gravestones. Mangled bodies. Shattered minds. Broken hearts and homes. Economic instability. Depression and all its attendant miseries. Back-breaking taxation for generations and generations.

For a great many years, as a soldier, I had a suspicion that war was a racket; not until I retired to civil life did I fully realize it. Now that I see the international war clouds gathering, as they are today, I must face it and speak out.

But what does it profit the men who are killed? What does it profit their mothers and sisters, their wives and their sweethearts? What does it profit their children? What does it profit anyone except the very few to whom war means huge profits? Yes, and what does it profit the nation?

There are 40,000,000 men under arms in the world today, and our statesmen and diplomats have the temerity to say that war is not in the making. Hell's bells! Are these 40,000,000 men being trained to be dancers?

A few profit – and the many pay. But there is a way to stop it. You can't end it by disarmament conferences. You can't eliminate it by peace parleys at Geneva. Well-meaning but impractical groups can't wipe it out by resolutions. It can be smashed effectively only by taking the profit out of war.

The normal profits of a business concern in the United States are six, eight, ten, and sometimes twelve percent. But war-time profits -- ah! that is another matter -- twenty, sixty, one hundred, three hundred, and even eighteen hundred per cent -- the sky is the limit.

Of course, it isn't put that crudely in war time. It is dressed into speeches about patriotism, love of country, and "we must all put our shoulders to the wheel," but the profits jump and leap and skyrocket -- and are safely pocketed.

I spent 33 years and four months in active military service and during that period I spent most of my time as a high class muscle man for Big Business, for Wall Street and the bankers. In short, I was a racketeer, a gangster for capitalism.

I helped make Mexico and especially Tampico safe for American oil interests in 1914. I helped make Haiti and Cuba a decent place for the National City Bank boys to collect revenues in. I helped in the raping of half a dozen Central American republics for the benefit of Wall Street. I helped purify Nicaragua for the International Banking House of Brown Brothers in 1902-1912. I brought light to the Dominican Republic for the American sugar interests in 1916. I helped make Honduras right for the American fruit companies in 1903. In China in 1927 I helped see to it that Standard Oil went on its way unmolested. Looking back on it, I might have given Al Capone a few hints. The best he could do was to operate his racket in three districts. I operated on three continents.

What business is it of ours whether Russia or Germany or England or France or Italy or Austria live under democracies or monarchies? Whether they are Fascists or Communists? Our problem is to preserve our own democracy. And very little, if anything, has been accomplished to assure us that the World War was really the war to end all wars.

Yes, we have had disarmament conferences and limitations of arms conferences. They don't mean a thing. One has just failed; the results of another have been nullified. We send our professional soldiers and our sailors and our politicians and our diplomats to these conferences. And what happens?

The professional soldiers and sailors don't want to disarm. No admiral wants to be without a ship. No general wants to be without a command. Both mean men without jobs. They are not for disarmament. They cannot be for limitations of arms. And at all these conferences, lurking in the background but all-powerful, just the same, are the sinister agents of those who profit by war. They see to it that these conferences do not disarm or seriously limit armaments.

[newstfionline]

Headlines

The world’s most expensive cities (Economist) For the first time in its 30-year history, the Worldwide Cost of Living Survey from The Economist Intelligence Unit gives the title of the world’s most expensive city to three places. Singapore marks its sixth straight year at the top of the rankings, and is joined there by Hong Kong and Paris. The survey, which compares prices across 160 products and services, finds that living costs in all three cities are 7% higher than in New York, the benchmark city. Two Swiss cities, Zurich and Geneva, and Osaka in Japan also have higher prices than New York; Copenhagen and Seoul cost the same as the Big Apple. Strong economic growth in the United States in 2018 led to a sharp appreciation of the dollar and a rise up the rankings for 14 of the 16 American cities for which prices are collected. The highest climbers were San Francisco (up 12 places to 25th) and Houston (up to 30th from 41st); New York itself moved up six spots to seventh and Los Angeles rose by four places to tenth.

Donald Trump impeached (Foreign Policy) President Donald Trump became just the third president in U.S. history to be impeached on Wednesday, as the U.S. House of Representatives voted 230 to 197 and 229 to 198 to charge him with obstruction of Congress and abuse of power, respectively. The votes mostly fell along party lines, after lawmakers engaged in nearly 12 hours of debate over the articles of impeachment. But Trump, the first to face impeachment heading into an election year, is almost certainly not going to be removed from office after a trial in the Republican-held Senate.

U.S. deports Mexicans far from border, may send others to Guatemala (Reuters) The United States began flying Mexican deportees to the interior of Mexico on Thursday and a senior U.S. official said Mexicans seeking U.S. asylum could be sent to Guatemala, as the Trump administration seeks to further limit border crossings.

Chilean lawmakers approve popular vote on Pinochet-era constitution (Reuters) Chile’s Congress on Thursday gave the green light to a referendum on changing the country’s constitution next year, a central demand of protesters whose mobilizations brought the nation virtually to a standstill over the past eight weeks.

Scottish leader calls for second independence referendum (Foreign Policy) Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon will demand the right to hold a new independence referendum today--a challenge to Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the British Parliament, which must approve of any plan for a new vote. Sturgeon will request that Parliament transfer that power to Scotland’s legislature, setting up a potential constitutional showdown.

Catalan separatist leader jailed by Spain had immunity as an MEP: EU court (Reuters) A Catalan separatist leader jailed by Spain was entitled to immunity as a member of the European Parliament, the EU’s highest court ruled on Thursday in a decision that could put Brussels on a collision course with Spanish authorities.

French PM, unions fail to break pension strike deadlock as Christmas looms (Reuters) The French government failed to break the deadlock over a planned overhaul of the pension system on Thursday, prompting union leaders to reaffirm the continuation of strikes over the Christmas holiday season.

Lights out for multilateralism? Alarm as U.N. faces cash squeeze. (Reuters) During talks on disarmament at the U.N.’s Geneva headquarters last month, alarm bells went off in the chamber to indicate that delegates had infringed new cost-cutting rules that restrict the length of meetings. Screens and microphones were also shut off, forcing ambassadors to shout their speeches across the hall.

Russian security officer dead, 5 injured in Moscow shooting (AP) An unidentified gunman opened fire Thursday outside the Moscow headquarters of Russia’s top security agency, killing one officer and wounding five others, officials said. The FSB said the shooting occurred near its main headquarters on Lubyanka Square, less than one kilometer from Red Square.

Turkey pitches refugee resettlement plan (Foreign Policy) Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan recently presented the United Nations with a detailed plan to resettle 1 million Syrian refugees along a 20-mile stretch of Turkey’s border with northern Syria, FP’s Colum Lynch and Lara Seligman report. The plan would require more than $26 billion in foreign aid, with Turkey promising access to schools, hospitals, mosques, and sports arenas. If it goes forward, it would be one of the largest public construction projects on occupied land in modern history.

India’s Protesters Dig In Their Heels (Foreign Policy) Thousands of people nationwide marched against India’s new citizenship law again on Wednesday, in part in response to alleged police brutality against student protesters. In recent days, India’s government has sought to clamp down on the protests. Authorities in New Delhi imposed an emergency law that prohibits large gatherings after clashes between demonstrators and police--many on Muslim-majority university campuses. Today, the state of Karnataka enacted a similar ban in at least three cities including Bengaluru, where multinational companies such as Uber and Walmart’s Flipkart are based. India has also responded with its preferred tactic: shutting down the internet in affected areas.

Nationwide digital surveillance (NYT) China is ramping up its ability to spy on its nearly 1.4 billion people to new and disturbing levels, giving the world a blueprint for how to build a digital totalitarian state. Chinese authorities are knitting together old and state-of-the-art technologies--phone scanners, facial-recognition cameras, face and fingerprint databases and many others--into sweeping tools for authoritarian control, according to police and private databases examined by The New York Times. Once combined and fully operational, the tools can help police grab the identities of people as they walk down the street, find out who they are meeting with and identify who does and doesn’t belong to the Communist Party. The United States and other countries use some of the same techniques to track terrorists or drug lords. Chinese cities want to use them to track everybody.

2 Firefighters Die, 3 Hurt as Wildfires Ravage Australia (AP) Two volunteer firefighters died Thursday while battling wildfires ravaging Australia’s most populous state, forcing Prime Minister Scott Morrison to cut short his family holiday as authorities braced for temperatures to soar in New South Wales at the weekend.

Libyan Force Attacking Tripoli Gives Militias 3-Day Deadline (AP) A Libyan force fighting to capture the country’s capital from the U.N.-supported government based in Tripoli on Friday gave the militias defending the city a three-day deadline to pull out.

Nigeria’s Ex-Attorney General Held by Financial Crimes Agency Over $1.3 Billion Oil Deal (Reuters) Nigeria’s former attorney general was detained by the country’s financial crimes agency upon his return home on Thursday, the commission said in a statement, as part of an investigation into one of the oil industry’s biggest suspected corruption scandals.

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 10.14 (before 1950)

1066 – The Norman conquest of England begins with the Battle of Hastings. 1322 – Robert the Bruce of Scotland defeats King Edward II of England at the Battle of Old Byland, forcing Edward to accept Scotland's independence. 1586 – Mary, Queen of Scots, goes on trial for conspiracy against Queen Elizabeth I of England. 1656 – The General Court of the Massachusetts Bay Colony enacts the first punitive legislation against the Religious Society of Friends. 1758 – Seven Years' War: Frederick the Great suffers a rare defeat at the Battle of Hochkirch. 1773 – The first recorded ministry of education, the Commission of National Education, is formed in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. 1774 – American Revolution: The First Continental Congress denounces the British Parliament's Intolerable Acts and demands British concessions. 1791 – The revolutionary group the United Irishmen is formed in Belfast, Ireland leading to the Irish Rebellion of 1798. 1805 – War of the Third Coalition: A French corps defeats an Austrian attempt to escape encirclement at Ulm. 1806 – War of the Fourth Coalition: Napoleon decisively defeats Prussia at the Battle of Jena–Auerstedt. 1808 – The Republic of Ragusa is annexed by France. 1843 – Irish nationalist Daniel O'Connell is arrested by the British on charges of criminal conspiracy. 1863 – American Civil War: Confederate troops under the command of A. P. Hill fail to drive the Union Army completely out of Virginia. 1884 – George Eastman receives a U.S. Government patent on his new paper-strip photographic film. 1888 – Louis Le Prince films the first motion picture, Roundhay Garden Scene. 1898 – The steam ship SS Mohegan sinks near the Lizard peninsula, Cornwall, killing 106. 1908 – The Chicago Cubs defeat the Detroit Tigers, 2–0, clinching the 1908 World Series; this would be their last until winning the 2016 World Series. 1910 – English aviator Claude Grahame-White lands his aircraft on Executive Avenue near the White House in Washington, D.C. 1912 – Former president Theodore Roosevelt is shot and mildly wounded by John Flammang Schrank. With the fresh wound in his chest, and the bullet still within it, Roosevelt delivers his scheduled speech. 1913 – Senghenydd colliery disaster, the United Kingdom's worst coal mining accident, claims the lives of 439 miners. 1915 – World War I: Bulgaria joins the Central Powers. 1920 – Finland and Soviet Russia sign the Treaty of Tartu, exchanging some territories. 1923 – After the Irish Civil War the 1923 Irish hunger strikes were undertaken by thousands of Irish republican prisoners protesting the continuation of their internment without trial. 1930 – The former and first President of Finland, K. J. Ståhlberg, and his wife, Ester Ståhlberg, are kidnapped from their home by members of the far-right Lapua Movement. 1933 – Germany withdraws from the League of Nations and World Disarmament Conference. 1939 – World War II: The German submarine U-47 sinks the British battleship HMS Royal Oak within her harbour at Scapa Flow, Scotland. 1940 – World War II: The Balham underground station disaster kills sixty-six people during the London Blitz. 1943 – World War II: Prisoners at Sobibor extermination camp covertly assassinate most of the on-duty SS officers and then stage a mass breakout. 1943 – World War II: The United States Eighth Air Force loses 60 of 291 B-17 Flying Fortresses during the Second Raid on Schweinfurt. 1943 – World War II: The Second Philippine Republic, a puppet state of Japan, is inaugurated with José P. Laurel as its president. 1947 – Chuck Yeager becomes the first person to exceed the speed of sound. 1949 – The Smith Act trials of Communist Party leaders in the United States convicts eleven defendants of conspiring to advocate the violent overthrow of the federal government.