[Breitbart] The World Health Organization (W.H.O.) on Monday issued a report on its effort to investigate allegations of sexual misconduct against its staffers around the world.
The report grimly acknowledged that the number of allegations is still increasing, although W.H.O. officials were cautiously optimistic that the numbers are going up because victims feel more comfortable with reporting abuses.
“For the past two years, W.H.O. has intensified our work to prevent and respond to any form of sexual misconduct, sexual exploitation, sexual harassment,” said the organization’s director of Prevention and Response to Sexual misconduct (PRS), Gaya Gamhewage.
“However, the numbers are still going up for the simple reason, I believe, that all the cases have not surfaced yet,” she continued. “So, the numbers will keep going up for some time. But this does not mean that what we are doing is not having any effect. In fact, what we are doing is surfacing this issue, as well.”
“W.H.O. is working on preventing and responding to sexual misconduct related to its own workforce — our staff, our contractors, our implementing partners,” she added.
The crackdown on abuse Gamhewage described was launched in May 2021, when W.H.O. was rocked by allegations of widespread sexual abuse by the personnel it deployed to combat the 2018-2020 Ebola epidemic in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
A number of high-ranking W.H.O. officials were caught lying to conceal the extent of the abuse, much of which was perpetrated by doctors who told Congolese women they could only get desperately needed jobs with W.H.O. if they offered sexual favors in return. A shocking number of women came forward to say they had become pregnant after being forced to have sex with W.H.O. employees.
Similar abuses were reported at other United Nations agencies, including the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and UNICEF, the U.N. health charity for children.
Whistleblowers were told to keep quiet because top management felt containing the Ebola outbreak was more important than investigating sexual abuse claims and firing abusive doctors. When the story finally broke, horrified W.H.O. donors demanded a more aggressive system for investigating and prosecuting complaints, including better protection for accusers and whistleblowers. W.H.O. Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus responded by promising a “profound transformation” of his organization’s “structures and culture.”
The U.N. Office of Internal Oversight Services (IOS) reported investigating 287 allegations of sexual abuse by W.H.O. personnel worldwide over the past year. Some of the new complaints concerned behavior that occurred during the 2018-2020 Ebola mission to the DRC. Africa and the Eastern Mediterranean were the regions with the highest number of complaints filed.
The IOS said “several” of the perpetrators have already been dismissed, and 25 alleged sex offenders have been loaded into the U.N. “Clear Check” database, which would nominally prevent them from ever being hired by a U.N. agency again.
Gamhewage optimistically suggested the rising number of sexual abuse reports means her special investigative unit, which was established after the 2021 scandal, is doing its job.
“With the work we are doing, we are getting complaints and concerns raised. So, I think we should not expect numbers to go down any time soon. What we want is to surface all of the numbers, so Lisa and her team can assess which ones need to be investigated,” she said, referring to IOS Director Lisa McClennon.
“What we are looking for is zero tolerance, not for zero cases,” Gamhewage said.
Critics say W.H.O. remains more interested in covering up the extent of abuses and protecting top officials than making the big changes promised by Director-General Tedros.
In February, two of the experts appointed to a W.H.O. panel on sexual abuse said the “restrictive approach” employed by the organization to investigate misconduct was an “absurdity.” Some of the victims said they have heard nothing from W.H.O. more than four years after filing their complaints.
Now this one IS California.
[FoxNews] A suspected robber armed with a hammer was fatally shot when he allegedly tried to rob a California gun store.
The Livermore Police Department said that before 2:30 p.m. Sunday, a man "wearing a mask, a hooded sweatshirt pulled over his head and gloves" who was "acting suspicious" entered East Bay Firearms.
The man, who has only been identified as a 28-year-old from Redwood, then attempted to rob the gun store owner by swiping a firearm while wielding a hammer, according to witness statements to police.
The gun store owner, who has not been named, grabbed a gun and fired two rounds at the suspected robber.
Officers responded to the store shortly after over a report of a burglary, and found a man suffering from a gunshot wound, who later died on the scene.
Five customers were inside the store at the time of the alleged attempted burglary and were not injured, according to police.
Police said the gun store owner is cooperating and is not a suspect in the case.
DailyMail.com has obtained the 911 call made by Barack Obama's Secret Service agents after chef Tafari Campbell fell off a paddle board on Martha's Vineyard
'We have a male drowning in the back of the property right now,' the agent named Dave tells a dispatcher July 23
Campbell's body was found the next morning in shallow water by a rescue boat and investigators soon declared Campbell's death an accidental drowning
Well...it is a Hobby airport.
[FoxNews] A private plane departed without permission in Texas on Tuesday, colliding with another private aircraft as both were moving on an airfield at William P. Hobby Airport in Houston.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed to Fox News Digital that the incident happened at 4 p.m. local time Tuesday.
Officials said that a twin-engine Hawker aircraft departed without permission from Runway 22 at the airport, when it collided with a twin-engine Cessna C510 that was landing on Runway 13 Right.
The Cessna C510 taxied to the ramp area following the collision, the FAA said.
No injuries were reported on either aircraft, the FAA said.
#3
The black swan theory of events is a metaphor that describes an event that comes as a surprise, has a major effect, and is often inappropriately rationalized after the fact with the benefit of hindsight.
#4
Hobby Airport, while serving as a large commercial hub, has an enormous amount of light charter / bizjet traffic.
Some big money mucky-muck told his driver "leave now" and fly boy didn't wait to get permission to use the runway, and somebody else was still using it. (That's the short version.)
Posted by: ed in texas ||
10/25/2023 9:03 Comments ||
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#5
FAA too busy slow-rolling Musk's launch permits.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
10/25/2023 9:34 Comments ||
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[ZERO] In a deep dive with one of the most controversial figures of modern media, GOP Presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy speaks with Alex Jones on 'The TRUTH Podcast' revealing unsettling insights into modern censorship, geopolitics, and American exceptionalism.
Dubbed "The Most Censored Man In The World", Jones' revelations shed light on the startling decline of free speech and the challenges it presents to the core principles upon which the United States was founded.
"When they censor you and deplatform you they can then steal your identity and misrepresent what you've said."
Jones highlights this as a chilling indictment of the state of modern discourse where narratives can be manipulated by simply silencing dissenting voices, warning Vivek in his usual husky tones that:
[GEO.TV] A video from a brewery in China, showing a worker allegedly urinating into a tank of beer ingredients, has caused significant concerns regarding food safety.
Tsingtao Brewery, a prominent Chinese beer manufacturer, responded to the video, stating that they had reported the incident to the police and implemented measures to prevent contamination.
The video, which surfaced on Weibo, China's microblogging site, shows a warehouse worker, dressed in a blue uniform and a yellow hat, urinating into a container. While the video has gained substantial attention, its authenticity has yet to be independently confirmed.
Netizens have expressed worries about the safety of existing beer raw materials and questioned whether such incidents had occurred in the past. Tsingtao Brewery's shares, traded on the Shanghai Stock Exchange, initially dropped by as much as 7.5% in Monday's early trading before stabilising to a 0.37% decline.
In response to the incident, Tsingtao emphasised its commitment to addressing the matter. The company informed the Shanghai Stock Exchange of the situation and reported that security authorities were conducting an investigation.
Tsingtao further reassured the public that the batch of malt in question was entirely sealed, and their production and operation remained unaffected.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] The Minister of Defense of the People's Republic of China, Li Shangfu, has been dismissed. This was reported by China Central Television.
CCTV: Xi Jinping dismissed Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu
It is clarified that the personnel decision was made by Chinese President Xi Jinping.
That doesn’t bode well for the defense of the Motherland, nor the inevitable conquest of America. Could Hari Seldon be right about psychohistory?
You continue to delight me.
Li Shangfu was elected to the post of Minister of Defense of the People's Republic of China in March of this year. Additionally, in October 2022, Li was elected as a member of the 20th Central Military Commission of the Communist Party of China. The official occupied first place among the members of the Central Military Commission.
As Regnum reported, in September, US intelligence received information that the head of the Chinese Ministry of Defense, Li Shangfu, had been removed from office. According to the American authorities, the then former high-ranking official was under investigation in a criminal case brought against him.
It is unlikely that the resignation of Chinese Defense Minister Li Shanfu can be connected with the visit of a delegation from the Pentagon, says the director of the Institute of Asian and African Studies at Moscow State University. Lomonosov Alexey Maslov . He stated this on October 24 to a Regnum correspondent .
Earlier it became known that Li Shangfu was dismissed. As some media noted, this happened a few days before the arrival of a delegation from the main US military department in China.
“Firstly, in fact, Li Shangfu was suspended a few days ago. And, apparently, his resignation had nothing to do with the visit of the delegation from the Pentagon,” Maslov said.
"Hong Kong newspapers launched a corresponding version in order to at least somehow try to explain what happened. Rather, we should pay attention to something else here. Today a decree was issued releasing an entire group of people from official duties. These include the Minister of Science and Technology and the Minister of Finance.”
As Maslov believes, there is a reason for each of these resignations, but it must be that in the context of serious changes within China related to the economy and military reform, these people were not effective enough. The orientalist recalled that Li Shangfu made very important decisions related to the development of missile forces and the development of the Chinese navy.
“Therefore, it is also not necessary to say that he is not involved in the slowdown of military reform,” the sinologist noted.
He noticed that usually in such a situation rumors appear that some kind of coup was being prepared and that these were, in fact, conspirators.
“But we don’t see this now either. There are no rumors. Moreover, I am now in the PRC and I see that China has reacted to these resignations absolutely indifferently, there are no rumors. Even at the level of idle conversations,” Maslov said.
He agreed that Li Shangfu's star had waned with 100 percent probability. There will be no new take-off, and the now former minister will not be given new attempts. However, it is possible that he, as well as a number of other retired high-ranking officials, may in the future become participants in certain political trials if the Chinese authorities elevate the case to the level of corruption scandals.
Maslov suggested that, apparently, Li Shangfu’s resignation was due to the fact that he did not carry out reforms in the army in the most successful way.
“The modernization of the armed forces is currently underway, which should be fully completed by 2035. And despite the double increase in China’s nuclear potential, it is believed that Li Shangfu did not actively implement these measures. In other words, the Chinese army, as Western observers suggest, is not in the shape it should be in if, for example, the situation around Taiwan escalates critically,” the sinologist noted .
In addition, he agreed that now tougher leaders will come to control the military department of the PRC.
It was previously reported that the decision to resign Li Shangfu was made by Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Prior to this, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning refused to comment on rumors about the “ disappearance ” of Li Shangfu and his being under investigation.
In addition, the Financial Times, citing its own sources in US intelligence, reported that Li Shangfu had lost his position and became a defendant in a criminal case. Some experts have even jumped to conclusions that what is happening indicates chaos among the elite members of Beijing's military and foreign policy establishment.
BLUF:
[Vigilant News] Gunn continued with a strong assertion.
"We have OIA evidence, Official Information Act evidence, that "the government knew every side effect before one single jab was given in New Zealand." The source for her claim can be found here and here.
Gunn declared that the New Zealand government had access to Pfizer’s post-marketing data, which revealed 1,223 deaths and page upon page of adverse events, before the government commenced its mass "vaccination" campaign on March 10, 2021.
The federal budget deficit was $1.7 trillion in fiscal year 2023, the Congressional Budget Office estimates—$0.3 trillion more than the shortfall recorded during fiscal year 2022. Revenues fell by an estimated $455 billion (or 9 percent). Revenues were smaller than in fiscal year 2022, particularly for non witheld income taxes and remittances to the Treasury from the Federal Reserve. Outlays declined by an estimated $141 billion (or 2 percent).
..............................
Given that GDP was growing, this decline in revenues is astounding. It will take a lot of analysis to distinguish the various factors that led to this. Possibilities: tax exemptions for Green projects, far less capital gains claimed, more income via cash and not reported
Posted by: lord garth ||
10/25/2023 08:23 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[11128 views]
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#2
As it comes to light how much of the "COVID stimulus" was out and out fraud, who is surprised that little of it was taxed?
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
10/25/2023 9:29 Comments ||
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#3
I recall an article in the Wall Street Journal that the Inflation Reduction Acceleration Act provided so many tax breaks for electric vehicles and other green fantasies that tax revenue was almost sure to go down.
Posted by: Tom ||
10/25/2023 10:23 Comments ||
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#4
The US gummint does not have a revenue problem. It has a spending problem.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
10/25/2023 10:29 Comments ||
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#5
CA and other States that had disaster events have been able to file taxes as late as Oct., now Nov. 2023, for 2022 Fred and State taxes, pushing that revenue into 2024
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/25/2023 11:00 Comments ||
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"the average model year 2021 EV would cost approximately $48,698 more to own over a 10-year period without the staggering $22 billion in taxpayer-funded handouts"
Thanks for pointing that out. Almost all Californian are eligible for late filing due to disaster declarations. However, IIUC, most people who file get refunds. Also, the penalties for under withholding should have motivated late filers to make estimated payments within the fiscal year 2023 for fiscal year 2023 capital gains or whatever large income bumps they get.
Posted by: lord garth ||
10/25/2023 13:17 Comments ||
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#8
I just paid my Est. Taxes from earlier in the year since I filed earlier this month and my CPA told me what Est. Taxes I should have paid if there were no forebearance
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/25/2023 13:43 Comments ||
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
