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https://news.yahoo.com/china-threatens-detain-u-citizens-135530156.html China is threatening to detain U.S. citizens in response to Justice Department prosecutions of researchers linked to the Chinese military, the Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday. The Justice Department has indicted several Chinese researchers who worked in the U.S., accusing them of attempting to conceal their connections with the People’s Liberation Army. U.S. intelligence officials believe that a small number of Chinese researchers have been involved in gathering intelligence for the P.L.A. When the State Department ordered the closure of the Chinese consulate in Houston, the department also ordered China to remove all P.L.A.–connected researchers from the U.S., the Journal reported in August. Chinese diplomats have been issuing warnings to their American counterparts that if the Justice Department continues its prosecutions of P.L.A.–linked researchers, U.S. citizens in China could run into legal troubles, people familiar with the matter told the Journal. China began issuing the threats after the U.S. arrests of those researchers. The State Department issued a level-3 travel advisory in September for Americans planning to visit China. A level-3 advisory is the agency’s second-highest travel advisory, and is implemented “due to serious risks to safety and security” of travelers. “The [Chinese] government arbitrarily enforces local laws, including by carrying out arbitrary and wrongful detentions and through the use of exit bans on U.S. citizens and citizens of other countries without due process of law,” the State Department’s warning states. “U.S. citizens traveling or residing in [China] or Hong Kong, may be detained without access to U.S. consular services or information about their alleged crime.” China detained two Canadian citizens in 2018 after the chief financial officer of Huawei was arrested in Canada. The imprisonment of the two Canadian citizens was seen in that country as a form of “hostage diplomacy,” in this case an attempt to scuttle the extradition of the Huawei CFO to stand trial in the U.S. on charges of fraud.

https://news.yahoo.com/queen-grants-rare-royal-pardon-115502386.html https://www.southwarknews.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Steve-Gallant-810x504.jpg A convicted murderer who used a narwhal tusk to confront the London Bridge attacker in 2019 will see his 17-year prison sentence reduced under a royal pardon, according to the Ministry of Justice. Steve Gallant, 47, was on his day release at a conference organized to help rehabilitate prisoners when the attacker, convicted terrorist Usman Khan, fatally stabbed two people in the Fishmongers' Hall, close to London Bridge last November. Images of him chasing Khan across the bridge with a 5-foot narwhal tusk quickly spread around the world. Gallant has received the royal prerogative of mercy by the Queen, for his "exceptionally brave actions ... which helped save people's lives despite the tremendous risk to his own," a spokesperson for the Ministry of Justice told the BBC. The last time a murderer received a royal pardon in the UK was 25 years ago. The 47-year-old was jailed in 2005 after killing a former firefighter outside of a pub in the northeastern city of Hull. Under the pardon, he will be able to reduce his prison sentence by 10 months and can apply for parole in June 2021. In a surprising twist of events, the family of the killed firefighter, Barrie Jackson, has supported the decision. "I have mixed emotions — but what happened at London Bridge goes to show the reality that people can change," Jackson's son, Jack, said, according to the Guardian. Jack also said he would not rule out meeting his father's killer in the future. Gallant was one of a handful of civilians who tried to thwart the terrorist attack on the iconic bridge on November 29 and were praised for their heroism. Khan, who had previously served a prison sentence for terrorism-related charges, had also been invited to the Learning Together event as a rehabilitating offender out on license. At the event, the 28-year-old, who was wearing a fake explosive belt, pulled out a knife and started stabbing people, killing two of the conference coordinators, Jack Merritt, 25, and Saskia Jones, 23. He was later shot dead by police. Gallant, who was inside Fishmonger's Hall at the time, took an antique 5-foot narwhal tusk from a wall to use as a weapon and chased the terrorist on to the bridge. "I could tell something was wrong and had to help. I saw injured people. Khan was stood in the foyer with two large knives in his hands. He was a clear danger to all," Gallant later said, according to the BBC. Merritt, who was a course coordinator for Learning Together, had mentored Gallant while he was behind bars. Gallant described him as a "role model and friend." Merritt's father David, 55, said: "Steve fully deserves this pardon or reduction in sentence. It is fantastic. He was very close to Jack and he turned his life around and reformed. I am really pleased for him," according to the Guardian. Speaking about his conviction for murder, Gallant said: "It is right I was handed a severe penalty for my actions. Once I'd accepted my punishment, I decided to seek help. When you go to prison, you lose control of your life. Bettering yourself becomes one of the few things you can do while reducing the existing burden on society," the Guardian reported. "Steve feels a debt of gratitude to all those who helped him to achieve a royal prerogative of mercy. He is passionate about using his knowledge and experiences to help others steer away from crime," Gallant's solicitor, Neil Hudgell, said, according to the BBC. https://i2-prod.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/incoming/article4617549.ece/ALTERNATES/s615b/1_Steve-and-JackJPG.jpg

BIG PHARMA PLEADS GUILTY: DOJ officials announce that Purdue Pharma, the makers of OxyContin will plead guilty to three criminal charges, including conspiracy to defraud the United States, as part of an $8 billion settlement. Experts blame OxyContin for contributing to America's opioid crisis, which has claimed over 470,000 American lives in the last 20 years. The settlement does not release the company's executives or owners from criminal liability. Purdue, which filed for bankruptcy protection last year facing an onslaught of litigation, is in discussions to plead guilty to charges that include conspiracy, violations of an anti-kickback law and misbranding under the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, two of the people said. A plea agreement would require approval of Purdue’s bankruptcy judge. One of the negotiated terms of Purdue’s proposal to settle thousands of other opioid lawsuits is that it resolve the Justice Department probes. https://youtu.be/1l1EIhFY4t0

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/20/technology/google-antitrust.html By Cecilia Kang, David McCabe and Daisuke Wakabayashi Oct. 20, 2020 486 WASHINGTON — The Justice Department accused Google on Tuesday of illegally protecting its monopoly over search and search advertising, the government’s most significant challenge to a tech company’s market power in a generation and one that could reshape the way consumers use the internet. In a much-anticipated lawsuit, the agency accused Google of locking up deals with giant partners like Apple and throttling competition through exclusive business contracts and agreements. Google’s deals with Apple, mobile carriers and other handset makers to make its search engine the default option for users accounted for most of its dominant market share in search, the agency said, a figure that it put at around 80 percent. “For many years,” the agency said in its 57-page complaint, “Google has used anticompetitive tactics to maintain and extend its monopolies in the markets for general search services, search advertising and general search text advertising — the cornerstones of its empire.”

Sean Connery died today at the age of 90. He lived a long life. An amazing actor. And even more amazing voice. https://i.ani.me/0283/2524/images-86.jpeg The original James Bond. https://i.ani.me/0283/2532/images-85.jpeg https://i.ani.me/0283/2528/images-87.jpeg Rest in Peace.

RIP the woman beater. Sometimes you just gotta slap a bitch! Not my words. Hahaha! ROFL https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oo0d1zTAFKA

Now I remembered that Joe found it hilarious too Lolz https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9n4hAPAa-0

https://www.npr.org/2020/11/03/930849489/sri-lankan-navy-villagers-save-120-whales-after-mass-beaching Sri Lankan Navy, Villagers Save 120 Whales After Mass Beaching https://youtu.be/s-d9Ty9_7fQ

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/03/world/asia/hong-kong-rthk-arrest.html Hong Kong Journalist Arrested After Investigating Police Misconduct Bao Choy, a producer for the public broadcaster RTHK, reported on the police’s slow response to a mob assault last year. By Austin Ramzy and Elaine Yu Nov. 3, 2020 HONG KONG — The police in Hong Kong arrested a prizewinning journalist on Tuesday whose work had exposed the authorities’ delayed response to a mob attack on antigovernment protesters last year, intensifying concerns about a crackdown on press freedom in the semiautonomous Chinese city. The journalist, Choy Yuk-ling, who also goes by the name Bao Choy, is a producer for Radio Television Hong Kong, or RTHK, a public broadcaster. The network’s news programs have attracted official criticism for investigations into the Hong Kong police, who have been accused of using excessive force against the protesters and turning a blind eye to assaults on them. Ms. Choy worked on some of the most notable inquiries into police conduct, including a prizewinning episode of the program “Hong Kong Connection” that examined the slow response by officers to a mob attack on a group of protesters and commuters in a train station on July 21, 2019. Ms. Choy, who is employed by RTHK on a freelance contract, was arrested on Tuesday afternoon. The police said they arrested Ms. Choy for making a false statement about why she was obtaining license information from a publicly accessible database. Such offenses could be punishable with fines of $645 and six months’ imprisonment. In an investigative documentary that aired in July, one year after the mob attack, RTHK journalists looked up the license plates of vehicles caught on video transporting the suspected assailants and traced them to community leaders in the territory’s outlying villages. Hong Kong’s traditionally freewheeling news outlets have met with increased difficulties in recent years, including a loss of advertising from companies afraid to anger China and reporters arrested and attacked with pepper spray while covering last year’s protests. A new national security law imposed by Beijing at the end of June has compounded the risks for journalists, stifling reporting on potentially sensitive subjects. ImageRTHK, Hong Kong’s public broadcaster, has been under pressure from establishment lawmakers and pro-Beijing groups to curb its aggressive reporting. RTHK, Hong Kong’s public broadcaster, has been under pressure from establishment lawmakers and pro-Beijing groups to curb its aggressive reporting. Credit...Lam Yik Fei for The New York Times Foreign news outlets in the city have also faced obstacles, including difficulty renewing visas for journalists. The New York Times said in July that it would move some of its operations from Hong Kong to Seoul, South Korea, citing visa delays and uncertainties created by the security law. RTHK, which is a government department staffed in part by civil servants, has been under growing pressure from establishment lawmakers and pro-Beijing groups to curb its aggressive reporting, particularly about other government agencies. On Tuesday, Amen Ng, RTHK’s spokeswoman, declined to comment further without more details of Ms. Choy’s arrest. The Hong Kong Police Force faced widespread criticism after protesters accused them of ignoring calls for help during the train station attack in the Yuen Long district. At least 45 people were injured when men carrying sticks and metal bars set upon commuters and protesters inside the station and aboard a subway train. More than a year later, the police have moved to decisively change the narrative about the assault. In August, the police arrested a lawmaker who filmed the attack and was wounded during it. The police also said in August that it had taken them 18 minutes to arrive on the scene after receiving emergency calls and not 39 minutes as they had previously said. VIDEO ‘Please Stop Beating Us’: Where Were Hong Kong’s Police? After a violent mob attack in Hong Kong, protesters accused the police of ignoring their calls for help. We reconstruct what happened that night. July 29, 2019 RTHK’s investigation into the station attack was just part of its work that has received scrutiny. This year the broadcaster suspended “Headliner,” a long running satirical show that frequently mocked the police. It also reopened an internal investigation into complaints about Nabela Qoser, a journalist well known for her pointed questions to government officials. The government began a formal review into the RTHK’s operations in July after the broadcaster ran in April an interview with a World Health Organization official, Dr. Bruce Aylward, who was asked whether Taiwan should be allowed to participate in the global health body. Taiwan, a self-ruled island that China considers part of its territory, had been excluded from the health organization because of pressure from Beijing. Hong Kong’s secretary for commerce and economic development, which supervises RTHK, accused the broadcaster of having breached China’s official stance toward Taiwan.