[THEPOSTMILLENNIAL] A Missouri high school teacher was taken into custody on child sex crime charges. Seth Brummond, 37, of Greenwood, has been accused of distributing and uploading at least 12 images of child pornography in recent months. He teaches at Lee's Summit High School and was placed on administrative leave following his arrest, the school district said.
According to the Department of Justice, Brummond has been charged with one count of distributing child pornography over the internet and one count of possessing child pornography between September 1 and December 18, 2024. He was arrested on December 19 and is being prosecuted by the US District Court in Kansas City, Missouri.
On September 8, 2024, Lee's Summit coppers received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that a user had uploaded 12 videos of child pornography via the Kik Messenger application. The user was later identified as Brummond. Authorities initiated an investigation into Brummond and placed his home under surveillance on December 19 to serve federal search warrants, KSHB 41 News reported.
Brummond left his home in a vehicle around 6 am and officers followed. Police initiated a traffic stop and took Brummond into custody. Officers seized his iPhone and a computer tower that was located in the trunk of his car.
During an interview with detectives, Brummond allegedly confessed to using Kik for child pornography purposes. He reportedly told authorities that he knew it "was immoral and wrong to view and share" the images and videos.
In a statement to the network, the Lee's Summit School District said Brummond has been placed on administrative leave. The district believes none of its students were involved in the allegations against Brummond, but encourages parents and guardians to contact the police if they have any concerns. He is no longer listed on the school's website.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/15/2025 00:00 ||
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#1
Remember when such employment positions required a Personality Profile test? A test, which had a high success rate of weeding out such perverts.
#3
I ask because the gentleman arrested for his photo collection at the trailing daughters’ elementary school was otherwise a wonderful, if disorganized, fifth grade teacher, beloved of parents, students, and his colleagues.
[NYPOST] Dozens of out-of-town vultures have been busted for sneaking into ritzy neighborhoods in the Los Angeles wildfire evacuation zone to loot abandoned homes — and local police are naming and shaming them as a warning to the rest.
More than 40 people have been bagged by the Santa Monica police for allegedly preying on the thousands of homes left abandoned there and in the neighboring Pacific Palisades.
About 88,000 Los Angeles County residents are under mandatory evacuation orders as the 24,000-acre Palisades Fire and other blazes burn across the region — with tens of thousands more who were preveiously told to flee their homes.
Criminals have taken advantage, flocking to prey on what residents left behind — forcing cops to divert vital resources from fire safety to keep out the low-lifes.
Ten of the suspects named by the Santa Monica Police Department have been charged with burglary, while the others were hit with a laundry list of charges related to drugs, driving, warrants and violating probation or parole.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/15/2025 00:00 ||
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[11131 views]
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[10News] A man wanted by the international police agency Interpol was arrested during a vehicle inspection in San Diego County, Customs and Border Protection officials said.
The arrest of the 44-year-old Spanish citizen occurred in the Dulzura area on Jan. 3, according to CBP officials.
Officials stated a Border Patrol agent on patrol near the U.S.-Mexico border pulled over a "suspicious" SUV on state Route 94 and conducted an immigration inspection.
"During the inspection, the agent discovered that the two passengers in the vehicle were in the U.S. illegally. The driver and passengers were arrested and transported to a nearby Border Patrol station for further processing," according to officials.
Further record checks at the station showed the 44-year-old driver was wanted by Interpol for sexual abuse of a minor and was also in the U.S. illegally.
Officials added, "The man, who had overstayed his visa, was found to be the subject of an INTERPOL Red Notice. A Red Notice is a request to law enforcement worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest a person pending extradition, surrender, or similar legal action. It is based on an arrest warrant or court order issued by the judicial authorities in the requesting country. Additionally, the man had been sought by U.S. Marshals and other law enforcement agencies in recent months due to the Red Notice."
CBP officials said the driver and the two passengers "were processed for removal" and the vehicle they were in was seized.
Interpol was notified of the 44-year-old man’s arrest
[FoxNews] Gov. Greg Abbott threatened the university president for potentially violating Texas law against DEI offices
Texas A&M University pulled the brakes on an upcoming conference trip after Republican Gov. Greg Abbott discovered that only applicants of a particular race could attend.
On Monday, conservative activist Christopher Rufo posted an image of the university promoting the PhD Project’s Annual Conference in Chicago. The application specified that the conference is "designed for historically underrepresented individuals considering business doctorial studies," and only Black/African American, Latinx/Hispanic American or Native American/Canadian Indigenous students were eligible.
"Texas A&M is sponsoring a trip to a DEI conference that prohibits whites and Asians from attending. The university falsely claims that this use of taxpayer funds does not violate the state's DEI ban. @TAMU is supporting racial segregation and breaking the law," Rufo wrote.
The post eventually caught Abbott’s eye late Monday, leading him to threaten the job security of the university’s president if the matter was not corrected.
"Hell, no. It’s against Texas law and violates the US Constitution. It will be fixed immediately or the president will soon be gone," Abbott warned.
The university eventually put out a statement on its X account, reiterating that it does not discriminate based on race in compliance with SB-17, a state law that bans diversity, equity and inclusion offices in Texas public colleges.
"Texas A&M does not support any organization, conference, process or activity that excludes people based on race, creed, gender, age or any other discriminating factor. The intent of SB-17 is very clear in that regard. We will continue to honor both the letter and the intent of the law," the post read.
In a statement sent to Fox News Digital, university President Mark A. Welsh III acknowledged the application in question and conceded the conference itself was "not in line" with the state’s law, canceling the trip altogether.
"While the proper process for reviewing and approving attendance at such events was followed, I don’t believe we fully considered the spirit of our state law in making the initial decision to participate," the statement read. "This particular conference’s limitations on the acceptable race of attendees is not in line with the intent of SB-17, and, as a result, we will not be sending anyone to participate in this conference."
Welsh continued, "Texas A&M faculty and staff attend hundreds, if not thousands, of conferences and other events during the course of each academic year. We need to be sure that attendance at those events is aligned with the very clear guidance we’ve been given by our governing bodies."
The statement was sent to staff and faculty at the Mays Business School.
OH! But this is OK? Because it's against White & Asian students who NEVER practiced racism?
How about, instead, doing what has been done in the last 40 years. When other racially discriminatory educational institutions were found conducting such practices with another colored race?
It many times resulted in the cut of Federal and State funding, the freeze on NEW student loans and various accreditations being lost.
But it's just against White & Asian students.
Those Liberals sure are a racist bunch.
DailyMail.com obtained more than 20 flyers for events at CIA headquarters
They include 'equity assurance training' and a transgender lecture
DEEP DIVE: How Donald Trump won America back
A lecture by the highest ranking transgender officer in the armed forces; a celebration of Loving Day and sessions on 'equity assurance training.'
A trove of flyers obtained by DailyMail.com from serving CIA officers lays bare the extent of the agency's 'diversity, equity and inclusion' work triggering fresh accusations that it is being distracted from its core job of protecting Americans from foreign threats.
But Trump transition insiders say those concerns will be tackled head on by John Ratcliffe, who is the president-elect's pick to lead the agency, and who will be grilled by senators about his plans on Wednesday.
'I suspect Ratcliffe is going to come in like a wrecking ball to the woke deep staters,' said a source familiar with his plans.
'The mission is all he cares about.
'No more politicized intelligence products. No more social experiments.
'Nothing and no one that distracts from the mission of collecting foreign intelligence and keeping Americans safe.'
The list of targets is laid out in more than 20 flyers collected by disgruntled staff.
For Pride Month last year, CIA agents were invited to a lecture by Admiral Rachel Levine, assistant secretary at Health and Human Services, the first openly transgender four-star officer in the armed forces.
A year before, CIA headquarters held a week of events to mark 'Loving Day,' the anniversary of a 1967 court judgment allowing interracial marriages in Virginia.
Then there are support groups for people getting divorced; 'Orange Shirt Day,' to remember indigenous people affected by their experiences in residential schools; 'intentional parenting' sessions; and even lessons in importing dogs from overseas postings.
Officers are invited to join the Multicultural Inclusion Exchange or the Peer Support Cadre.
Some carry the slogan 'DEIA enables mission,' suggesting that diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility help the CIA to do its job.
The events may be appropriate for a consumer-facing hipster coffeeshop but not for agents whose prime focus is on completing the mission, said a former CIA paramilitary operations officer.
'We're the point of the spear for the Agency and we don't have time for this nonsense,' he said. 'And that's what it is: Nonsense.'
The issue will come into focus on Wednesday when Ratcliffe will appear before the Senate intelligence committee for his confirmation hearing.
He is expected to address the topic of the CIA's DEI work in his opening statement as he sets out his broader goals and ambitions.
Posted by: ed in texas ||
01/15/2025 8:59 Comments ||
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#3
It looks like the COA is interfering in domestic politics. How about we take care of that on a priority basis. Let’s also see what part government played in the 60s assassinations. Investigate the gay lectures after we have all of Epstein’s clients in Federal prison.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
01/15/2025 17:53 Comments ||
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[ZERO] Landlords in fire-stricken Los Angeles are jacking rents in violation of California law as thousands of residents seek shelter due to multiple fires burning in the area.
A search of local listings by several outlets reveal several landlords who have raised prices by as much as 124%, flouting a state law that prohibits rent hikes in excess of 10% after a state of emergency has been declared.
California’s state of emergency, declared by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday, bans price gouging for a range of goods and services, including rental housing. That means any rent increase above 10 percent since the start of the state of emergency is illegal for the duration of the crisis.
But since Tuesday, some landlords and their agents have raised prices by more than what California law allows. These price increases come as hundreds, if not thousands, of displaced Los Angeles residents search for interim housing while they figure out their next steps, worsening an already tight rental housing market in the region. -NY Times
One five-bedroom rental in Santa Monica which listed for $12,500 in February 2024 was going for $28,000 per month, an increase of 124%, before it was pulled from the market on Sunday according to Inside Edition's Lisa Guerrero.
#1
Meh. The iron law of supply and demand states that if the rents can’t go up, then application fees and bribes will go up unti a balance point is reached for the new conditions. Exactly the kind of problem they have in New York City. The other piece being people moving to where the total cost of housing is affordable, and most never returning.
#3
I am predicting lots of orders placed for hits by rich demoncrats who have lost their homes.
If I was a democratic politician in California who had acted inline with the idiots who created this mess I would be actively creating a new identity in some country far far from the USA. Along with an Exit Stage Left.
[THEPOSTMILLENNIAL] Deaths in the United States are expected to outpace births for the first time within the next decade. This comes as birth rates have hit record lows in the country in recent years. Widespread use of birth control leads to population decline? Who'da ever guessed?
According to the Congressional Budget Office, projections show that "beginning in 2033, annual deaths exceed annual births." The office projected that the population of the country will increase from 350 million in 2025 to 372 million in 2055, with immigration becoming an "increasingly important source of population growth"
''Without immigration, the population would shrink beginning in 2033, in part because fertility rates are projected to remain too low for a generation to replace itself,'' the CBO wrote in its report. Fertility rates have continued to be lower than the replacement rate, which is 2.1 births per woman.
In 2020, fertility rates were at 1.64 births per woman in the US, however, that number dropped to 1.62 in 2023. The CBO projects that the fertility rate will hover at 1.60 by 2035 and remain about the same until 2055.
The CBO noted, as reported by the Wall Street Journal, that the projections for population growth do not take into account the change of immigration policies that are yet to occur under President-elect Donald Trump ...Never got invited to a P.Diddy party... , but Goldman Sachs has projected the net increase in immigrants colonists at around 750,000 a year for Trump's term.
By the end of the 30-year-long forecast of population growth, the CBO expects it to slow up to an increase of 0.02 annually in the US. In 2024 the population growth was 1.09 percent, largely due to immigration.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/15/2025 00:00 ||
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[FoxNews] The governor of Puerto Rico pleaded for President-elect Trump to intervene after Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro threatened to invade the U.S. island territory.
In a letter addressed to Trump, Gov. Jenniffer González-Colón said, "[J]ust a few days after holding an illegitimate swearing-in ceremony in a desperate attempt to cling to power in Venezuela," Maduro "publicly proposed an invasion of Puerto Rico."
Maduro, who was sworn in for a third six-year presidential term despite international condemnation of his recent reelection as illegitimate, made the threat Saturday at the end of the "International Anti-Fascist Festival" hosted in Caracas. The socialist dictator made an apparent reference to Trump's remarks eyeing U.S. control of the Panama Canal and Greenland, stating: "Just as the North has an agenda of colonization, we have an agenda of liberation." Maduro vowed that the "freedom of Puerto Rico is pending, and we will achieve it with Brazilian troops," according to Latin America Reports.
"This is an open threat to the United States, our national security, and stability in the region," González-Colón told Trump. "I trust your incoming administration will swiftly respond and make clear to the Maduro regime that, under your leadership, the United States, will protect American lives and sovereignty and will not bow down to the threats of petty, murderous dictators."
#3
Venezuela would need ships that work for an amphibious landing. They could be repelled by Carnival Cruise lines. It’s just a ludicrous threat in response to Trump’s Panama statements.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
01/15/2025 17:47 Comments ||
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South Korean authorities have arrested impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol over insurrection accusations related to his December 3 martial law declaration, Sherlocks say
Yoon’s presidential motorcade left the hillside residence where he has been holed up for weeks behind barbed wire barriers and a small army of personal security, and later arrived at the offices of the anti-corruption agency heading the probe.
In a statement, Yoon says he submitted himself for questioning to avoid any violence after more than 3,000 coppers marched on his residence to arrest him from the early hours on Wednesday.
"When I saw them break into the security area using firefighting equipment today, I decided to respond to the CIO’s investigation — despite it being an illegal investigation — to prevent unsavory bloodshed," Yoon says in a statement..
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] South Korea has recorded the launch of several short-range missiles from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). This was reported on January 14 by the Yonhap news agency, citing the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
The launch took place at around 09:30 local time (03:30 Moscow time) from the area of the city of Kange in the province of Chagando towards the Sea of Japan, the authors specified.
The South Korean military has stepped up surveillance and vigilance in preparation for additional launches, maintaining full readiness and closely exchanging information with the United States and Japan on North Korea's ballistic missile capabilities.
As reported by Regnum News Agency, on January 6, the DPRK launched a ballistic missile towards the Sea of Japan for the first time in 2025. DPRK leader Kim Jong-un stated that the new hypersonic missile developed by Pyongyang can overcome any missile defense system (MDS) in the world.
The DPRK may deploy around 250 launchers for short-range operational-tactical missiles around Pyongyang, South Korean television channel KBS claimed on January 8.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] NATO countries intend to radically increase their military presence in the Baltic Sea. This was stated by Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk on January 14.
"The growing Russian aggression forces us to make decisions that are unprecedented in some senses. In this case, we are talking about a radically strengthened NATO presence in the Baltic Sea," Tusk told journalists after the end of the NATO summit of the North Atlantic Alliance in the Baltic region.
The Polish Prime Minister recalled the presence of extensive underwater and surface infrastructure in the Baltic Sea.
Which countries and in what form will strengthen their military presence in the region has not yet been decided, Tusk clarified, adding that the Polish Navy has limited capabilities.
He clarified that all participants in the meeting want to have the right to control ships in the neutral waters of the Baltic, and, if necessary, to detain ships.
As reported by the Regnum news agency, at the end of December 2024, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte promised to urgently consider the issue of deploying the Navy Policing mission in the Baltic Sea to protect infrastructure facilities in the region. According to Finnish media, the alliance will send about 10 ships to the Baltic to protect underwater cables.
Swedish public broadcaster SVT reported on January 14 that a submarine cable in the Baltic Sea connecting Sweden, Lithuania, Germany and Finland had been damaged. Four other cables had previously been reported damaged.
The press secretary of the Russian president Dmitry Peskov emphasized that accusations of Russia's involvement in damaging cables in the Baltic Sea are groundless and absurd. According to the Kremlin representative, such statements are ridiculous against the background of the lack of reaction to Ukraine's subversive activities in the Baltic Sea. It is the Kiev regime that prefers to commit acts of sabotage and terrorism, Peskov noted and recalled the blowing up of the Nord Stream gas pipelines.
NATO countries want to give themselves the right to control ships in the neutral waters of the Baltic Sea, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Tuesday, January 14.
Such control is not possible now, and this is the "biggest problem", but NATO countries have agreed to work on "legal possibilities", Tusk told reporters after the end of the NATO Baltic summit in Helsinki.
"All participants in the meeting and NATO Secretary General [ Mark Rutte ] agreed that protection is needed not only in territorial waters, but also that it will be necessary to control ships outside territorial waters, so to speak, in the middle of the Baltic," said the Polish prime minister.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] The United States is experiencing an acute shortage of chicken eggs due to the H5N1 bird flu epidemic in the country. This was reported by the American television channel CNN, citing Emily Metz, CEO of the American Egg Council.
"We can't make up the deficit overnight. In fact, it takes six to nine months," she said.
According to the publication, more than 17 million laying hens died in the United States in November and December alone. This led to a decrease in the production of chicken eggs and caused a significant increase in prices. The article states that at the end of December, the price of a dozen eggs was $4.33, which is 25% higher than at the beginning of November.
I’ve read that they’re having problems in California, but in Cincinnati Krogers recently ran a special price on a dozen eggs as a loss leader — I don’t remember what it was, not having a good memory for numbers, but it was worth buying two dozen that day instead of my usual package of 18.
Metz linked the outbreak of bird flu to hurricanes that altered the migration routes of wild birds, causing them to fly over poultry farms twice, spreading the virus.
As reported by the Regnum news agency, on January 7, the first death of a person from the H5N1 bird flu virus was recorded in the United States. It is noted that the patient was infected with H5N1 after contact with a flock that included wild and domestic birds.
#2
Was watching a show about Bismark and Tirpitz, and it was like each one of those ships would cost $1.2Billion in todays value. Hold up, wait a minute, what year was this made? 2014. I feel like in 2024 Brandon Dollars it would be around $2Billion each (before any MIC and Big Guy surcharges).
[FoxBusinessNews] "Through soft and pathetically weak Trade agreements, the American Economy has delivered growth and prosperity to the World, while taxing ourselves," the president-elect continued. "It is time for that to change. I am today announcing that I will create the EXTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE to collect our Tariffs, Duties, and all Revenue that come from Foreign sources."
#1
It doesn't collect "foreign money". Tariffs are borne by the US importer who will often pass them on to US consumers.
Of course the expectation is that foreign producers will have to lower their prices in order to stay competitive. That may work sometimes but certainly not always.
In the case of my company it won't. We export a product to the U.S. that has little competition but is in high demand. We won't lower our price (which is fair and well established), so the U.S.consumer will pick up the tab 100%.
Tariffs may work in limited cases when you're facing unfair competition from abroad, often from state actors (or aided by state actors, e.g. China). Blanket tariffs on all foreign goods are never a good idea. Prices will rise and retribution will be much more targeted. Nobody wins.
That said, governments tend to love tariffs just like they love taxes, because they are revenue. That's why the next administration ofdten keeps tariffs in place (Biden did keep many tariffs Trump enacted). But somebody will have to pay the price and often it will be YOU.
Also I have no idea why Trump needs to create a new government agency in order to collect tariffs. What was wrong with the way it was handled up to now?
Posted by: European Conservative ||
01/15/2025 6:04 Comments ||
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#2
"The president-elect also threatened that the European Union must purchase more American oil and gas or else be subjected to "TARIFFS all the way!"
That's an absurd statement. "The European Union" imports nothing, importers from EU countries do. And they will import what they need, and price and conditions must be right.
Importers from EU countries imported much more LNG from the U.S. in recent years (to make up for Russian gas). Demand is slowing down now (somewhat) because the production of renewable energy is up and the LNG market seems saturated at the moment. You don't import what you don't need (or others can supply cheaper and/or faster). It doesn't make any sense to threaten a German machinery producer with higher tariffs because a French energy company doesn't import enough U.S. gas.
We do want a market economy, not a socialist planned economy, don't we?
Posted by: European Conservative ||
01/15/2025 6:33 Comments ||
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#3
What may actually happen, may surprise all of us.
As this could be another one of Trump's well known playing the Media against itself scenarios.
#4
Well, a new org will allow staffing by loyalists.
Reduced task load at the IRS will also allow staff deprecation and redirection, like the armed enforcement bureau.
#6
It seems to me also that this is an opening salvo to get a more serious discussion going. Including in Congress about the need to raise revenue, reduce spending.
And finally, this is more “Trump must be crazy” stuff that I’ve seen suggested elsewhere might be an attempt to keep America’s enemies like Russia, China, and jihadis off balance and waiting to act lest he turn the craziness on them, rather than attacking America at this tempting moment while the presidency sits functionally empty.
However, congress started seeing "Campaign Donations & Board positions & Family employment" and strangely created a lot of Upper Income loopholes and found ways to screw those of us retired and making even a basic income.
#10
America has a $76B trade deficit with Germany (2024) in part because the German government protects certain industries by limiting or eliminating imports from the US. I think most Americans would like the trade balance even out.
#12
@The Walking Unvaxed
Examples? Except for some foods (meat) I'm not aware of many limitations and if they exist they wouldn't go anywhere near to affect the trade deficit.
US exports to Germany are mainly energy (natural gas and oil), cars, data processing machines, electrical appliances, services... No limits on these.
Posted by: European Conservative ||
01/15/2025 11:39 Comments ||
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#13
To be considered is the importation of goods originating in sanctioned nations which pass through one or more partner nations in transit and have counterfeit COO's.
#14
It should be said that Economic barriers between the EU and the United States are relatively low. TTIP would have eliminated almost all of them but Trump stopped negotiations in 2018.
Posted by: European Conservative ||
01/15/2025 11:50 Comments ||
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#15
Maybe tax outflows from illegals to the home countries. Twist the pig's ear, and listen to him squeal.
Posted by: Regular joe ||
01/15/2025 12:45 Comments ||
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#16
Used to be our IRS dollars went into a dedicated account (not the general fund). Congresscritters saw that as too inviting and initiated an action that dumped IRS dollard into the general fund.....where they could get their hands on it.
Perhaps Trump's creation of an "External Revenue Service" is an attempt to keep those dollars away from the congessional thieves ?
#18
America was founded on tariffs. Tariffs were good enough for George Washington and the Founders. Our first two hundred years, that's all America knew. This idea that we should be tax serfs all our lives is sickening. Taxation is theft. It's nice of Trump in trying to move us away from that taxation scheme and back to tariffs.
#19
Somewhere I heard that one of the reasons we have the income tax is because of Prohibition. The people who wanted to ban liquor realized that much of the income of the federal government came from excise taxes on liquor. They realized that if liquor was outlawed, the government would lose a significant source of revenue. So they pushed for the income tax, and then worked to ban liquor.
#21
Yes it's a tax that gets passed on to consumers of imports, directly or indirectly through manufacturing processes. Not much different than existing taxes that hit everything in any contemporary consumer products. From the farmer's bushel to the wildcater's oil head, there's a tax in every hand it passes through.
[GEO.TV] Police in India's southern state of Kerala have arrested 44 men accused of raping an 18-year-old girl over a period of five years, a police official said on Tuesday, in a case that has shocked the coastal tourist resort.
The victim, an athlete who belongs to the so-called lower caste community known as Dalits, told police in a statement that she was sexually abused by 62 people over a period of five years.
Police have identified 58 of those men, some of whom are minors and arrested 44 over the last two days, officials said.
"We have identified the remaining 14 and they would be arrested soon," the Deputy Superintendent of Police in the Pathanamthitta district where the crimes took place, PS Nandakumar, told Rooters.
The case came to light after the girl narrated the gang rape to a volunteer during a gender awareness programme.
Nandkumar, who heads the investigation, said details of how the crimes were committed were still being investigated.
In her statement to the police, the victim said the abuse began when she was 13 after her neighbour allegedly raped her.
Local media reported that four of the accused were minors.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/15/2025 00:00 ||
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Early on Tuesday morning (Jan. 15), a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket sent Blue Ghost and Resilience — lunar landers built by Firefly Aerospace and the Tokyo-based company ispace, respectively — into the final frontier from Florida's Space Coast.
#3
At 4pm Starship blast off on another test flight with a new version of the 2nd stage that is a major design change. For people who like to see big booms the changes are big enough they might see a 2nd stage blow up.
Egypt is currently in a project to flood the Qattara Depression. There are many videos on YouTube about it. The depression is larger than Lebanon and if it can work it is very interesting. Can work is the main point, but scientists are not agreed that it can.
Tunisia and other Sahara countries have similar ideas:
#3
Wouldn't that have some effect on the local 'climate' and maybe even some impact of 'global climate change'? Maybe all that water into the desert would lower the sea level, offsetting the glaciers melting?
Posted by: Bobby ||
01/15/2025 8:10 Comments ||
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#6
Unless it's got a layer of clay under it, I dunno.
Other than that, it's theirs, sure. Go for it.
(There's got to be a significant amount of ordinace in there.)
Posted by: ed in texas ||
01/15/2025 8:57 Comments ||
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#7
Many proposals for this over the past 80 years or so.
A canal to connect it with the Med would be about 60 Miles long. If the canal were wide enough and deep enough the water falling into the depression could generate a lot of electricity, perhaps as much as 200-400 MW with evaporation keeping the water level from rising too much.
But the cost of excavation is enormous and besides excavation, there are many unexploded bombs and mines dating from WWII.
Posted by: Lord Garth ||
01/15/2025 10:15 Comments ||
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#8
^ That's why you have Paleo Chain Gangs dig it
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/15/2025 10:22 Comments ||
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#9
Egypt has such a serious excess of population that they’re building an entire new city to take the pressure off Cairo. They need not look to Gaza for pick’n’shovel bodies to die digging their canal… and the men would be grateful for the opportunity, especially if a death benefit is promised to the family.
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] America has warned China that 'today is not the day to start World War III' as the US Air Force unveiled its latest weapon to combat Beijing's military advances.
The US is 'accelerating tests' and development of its B-21 Raider, a stealth bomber that will be capable of delivering precision long-range strikes anywhere in the world.
The military placed an initial order of 100 aircraft, with experts expecting more B-21 Raiders to be commissioned soon afterwards.
America unveiled the new bomber just weeks after China's military revealed two new combat aircraft of its own and surrounded Taiwan in an unannounced exercise, that was the world's largest naval demonstration since the end of World War II.
Experts warn that by 2027, China is expected to outnumber US forces in the areas west of the international dateline where American forces are deployed.
The People's Liberation Army (PLA) is also rapidly advancing, with American officials warning its pace of modernization is 'unprecedented and far outpacing' US efforts.
'The PLA is the largest and most modern that it has even been. That is risk. That is uncertainty,' 412th Test Wing commander Brig. Gen. Doug Wickert warned during a briefing earlier this month. 'We are the smallest and oldest that we have ever been.'
Wickert, who leads one of the most important Air Force units, further argued the US 'cannot afford' to take a 'step backward', before unveiling the new B-21 Raider and issuing his stark warning to Beijing.
'Today is not the day to start World War III, because we have this,' he said, gesturing to a large projection of the bomber.
That’s just dumb. How many years will it be before the things are on the tarmac and ready to fly?
Edwards Air Force Base is currently 'accelerating' tests of the B-21 bomber and 'delivering integrated capability to the warfighter', Wickert revealed.
'This is one of the many, many things that you are working on right here that will change [PLA] Chairman Xi Jinping's calculus about our readiness,' he said.
The PLA is preparing for conflict, according to US officials, who cited how the Chinese military in December was conducting mock ariel attacks on shipping in Taiwan's waters and formed a two-deep naval blockade to restrict sea and air approaches from the west.
Beijing's new super long range fighter jet also appeared to take its maiden voyage on December 26 last year. The new jet was spotted alongside a Chengdu J-20, the current generation of fighters.
The jet was seen flying with its landing gear open, a standard practice during early testing stages, from the airfield of the Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group, which develops Chinese drones and fighters.
China's new fighter is speculated to have the ability to fly on edge of space and has been designed to target US early warning aircraft and tankers that could not be reached before, according to defense news and analysis website The War Zone.
In addition to testing its new jet, Wickert says that Beijing has also built a full-scale replica of Taiwan's Taichung International Airport in the Gobi Desert, complete with runways, taxiways and parking lots.
Nearby, the PLA has created a life-size outline of a US Navy USS Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carrier and has mock-ups of US destroyers that 'weave evasively through the desert on rails'.
'Do you think we know what they're doing, what they're planning?' Wickert said. 'Based on what you know now, can you update your assessment of the risk to the world and how important our mission is?
'And that's why what we are doing here at Edwards Air Force Base is so very important, because we are developing and modernizing and doing those things that will change Chairman Xi's calculus.'
He added: 'We cannot afford to have to take a step backward because we have a mishap. Our mission is too important.'
Wickert also highlighted the threat of Chinese cyber espionage, noting how at least 'at least a dozen telecom companies' have admitted that their critical infrastructure was 'infected' by Beijing malware, leaving the US and its western allies vulnerable.
'The CCP now knows who my government phone has talked to for at least the last four years, and they're still there and we can't get them out,' he said. 'That's uncertainty. That's risk. And it makes for a very, very dangerous world right now.'
The B-21 is expected to become the backbone of Global Strike Command's bomber fleet and will incrementally replace the B-1 Lancer and B-2 Spirit.
It is a long-range, highly survivable, penetrating strike stealth bomber that will play a major role supporting national security objectives and assisting US allies and partners across the globe.
The weapon system - with each one each one is projected to cost $750 million
…we aren’t going to have any of the things if President Trump doesn’t get the budget under control. Of course, neither will China…
- is manufactured under the Air Force's contract with Northrop Grumman. The B-21 Raider weighs around 30,000 pounds, has a wing span of 172 feet and can reach maximum speeds of 621 miles per hour.
It is touted to be virtually 'invisible' to all enemy stealth radars and will equipped with the latest features in military tech.
'It is designed with an open systems architecture, enabling rapid insertion of mature technologies, and allowing the aircraft to remain effective as threats evolve over time,' according to the US Air Force.
The B-21 Raider is a nuclear-capable craft and the first of its kind to be introduced since the end of the Cold War. Long term, the Air Force hopes to have at least 220 of them to replace old B-1 and B-2 bombers.
The service previously estimated that the program will likely cost at least $203billion over 30 years to develop, purchase and maintain the B-21 fleet.
The B-21 is part of the Pentagon's efforts to modernize all three legs of its nuclear triad, which also includes silo-launched nuclear ballistic missiles and submarine-launched warheads, as it shifts from the counterterrorism campaigns of recent decades to meet China's rapid military modernization.
#1
"Wunderwaffe"
It didn't work the last time.
"Air Force hopes to have at least 220" which will become 100, then 70, then 50 and, maybe, 30. Someone tell Brig. Gen. Doug Wickert that we're broke.
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.
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] 
[ZERO] Landlords in fire-stricken Los Angeles are jacking rents in violation of California law as thousands of residents seek shelter due to multiple fires burning in the area.
...Never got invited to a P.Diddy party...
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