Canada suspends arms exports to Turkey over Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict

A view of the wreckage after Armenian army's alleged attacks with long-range missiles, in Azerbaijan on 5 October 2020 [Resul Rehimov/Anadolu Agency]

October 6, 2020

Canada has suspended arms export permits to Turkey over concerns that it is using its technology in the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region.

“In line with Canada’s robust export control regime and due to the ongoing hostilities,” announced Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne, “I have suspended the relevant export permits to Turkey, so as to allow time to further assess the situation.”


In line with 🇨🇦's robust export control regime and the ongoing investigation, I have suspended the relevant export permits to #Turkey.

🇨🇦 calls for measures to be taken immediately to stop the violence and protect civilians. pic.twitter.com/mCLmjWKq4G
— François-Philippe Champagne (FPC) 🇨🇦 (@FP_Champagne) October 5, 2020

According to CBC, Champagne was responding to calls by Armenian Canadians to halt the export of sophisticated drone technology to Turkey following reports that Ankara had deployed dozens of unmanned drones against Armenian forces.

The executive director of the Armenian National Committee of Canada (ANCC), Sevag Belian, urged the federal government to “immediately halt all Canadian military aid to Turkey” and also called on it to condemn Azerbaijan’s actions.

Footage released late last month by Azerbaijan claiming to show its own armed drones targeting Armenian air defence units has been questioned by arms experts who believe that it is actually footage of Turkish-produced drones equipped with Canadian sensors and laser targeting-systems.

Last week a report issued by Project Ploughshares, a Canada-based arms control group, suggested that the drones used by Azerbaijan had been equipped with imaging and targeting systems developed by L3Harris Wescam, a Canadian subsidiary of US defence firm L3Harris.


Armenia/Azerbaijan fighting rages – Cartoon [Sabaaneh/MiddleEastMonitor]

“Canada’s export of WESCAM sensors to Turkey poses a substantial risk of facilitating human suffering,” explained the group, “including violations of human rights and international humanitarian law.”

Turkey supports Azerbaijan but has denied Armenia’s accusations that it has sent fighters and deployed fighter jets in the conflict. It has responded to Canada’s move with claims that Ottawa is employing double standards.

“Turkey expects Canada to follow a policy free of double standards and to act without being influenced from those opposed to Turkey,” said the foreign ministry in Ankara. “There is no explanation for blocking defence equipment exports to a NATO ally while… Canada does not see any harm in exporting arms to countries that have military involvement in the crisis in Yemen.”

Armenia uses image of gun-wielding priest as Azerbaijan declares state of war


The image of a gun-wielding priest used by Armenia on Twitter as Azerbaijan declares state of war [armenia/Twitter]

September 28, 2020

Azerbaijan yesterday declared a state of war in some of its cities and regions following attacks by Armenian forces on military and civilian sites over the weekend.

The decision was made in a meeting of Azerbaijan’s National Assembly yesterday, in which it enforced partial measures in its border regions which could temporarily restrict some rights and freedoms of Azeri citizens and foreigners due to the conflict.

It came after Armenian forces reportedly targeted Azerbaijan’s military positions and civilian areas around the Armenia-occupied Nagorno-Karabakh region, igniting border clashes that have left dozens dead on both sides.

Azeri forces have reportedly captured seven villages in the region since the clashes, but Armenia has denied that claim.

The conflict between the two sides also prompted clashes on social media, in which Armenia’s official Twitter account – handled by its Foreign Ministry – posted a picture of an Armenian priest wielding an assault rifle and holding a crucifix, with the caption “Faith & Power!”


Faith & Power! #StopAzerbaijaniAgression #StopAliyev #KarabakhNow #NKpeace #NKstrong #ArtsakhStrong #ՀԱՂԹԵԼՈՒԵՆՔ pic.twitter.com/ql9cZkpYdu
— Armenia 🇦🇲 (@armenia) September 27, 2020


Many have viewed that tweet as an effort to provoke and add a religious element to Christian-majority Armenia’s historic enmity against Muslim-majority Azerbaijan.

Turkey’s Foreign Ministry also weighed in on the renewed border clashes, pledging and assuring its support for Azerbaijan while condemning Armenia’s alleged aggression. In a statement, the ministry’s spokesman Hami Aksoy said yesterday that Armenia’s attack “is a clear violation of international law and causing civilian casualties. With these attacks, Armenia has once again shown that it’s the biggest obstacle before regional peace and stability.”

He added that “Azerbaijan will definitely use its right to self-defense in order to protect its people and territorial integrity.”

It is not only Turkey’s government that has declared its support, but also the owner of its renowned Bayraktar drone manufacturer, Selcuk Bayraktar. In a tweet today, he shared a video of Azeri forces’ drone strikes against Armenian forces, expressing his support for Azerbaijan only months after his company sold its Bayraktar TB2 drones to the South Caucasian nation.

🇦🇿 #Azerbaycan https://t.co/LmpViTgkoG
— Selçuk Bayraktar (@Selcuk) September 27, 2020

Various actors in the international community have urged for an end to the conflict between the two countries, with the European Union calling for an “immediate ceasefire”, French President Emmanuel Macron expressing his “deep concern” and calling for “an immediate end to hostilities”, and­ UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres saying he is “extremely concerned”.

Relations between the two former Soviet nations have been particularly strained since 1991, when Armenia occupied the Upper Karabakh region, known as Nagorno Karabakh, despite it being an internationally-recognised territory belonging to Azerbaijan.

The region has remained occupied by Armenia ever since, even though the occupation has been constantly urged to withdraw following four UN Security Council and two UN General Assembly resolutions.

PRIMITIVE ACCUMMULATION OF CAPITAL

Israel founders were ‘thieves’, Israeli historian says

October 6, 2020 

Israeli historian Adam Raz, 21 December 2018 [Indonesian Solidarity Against Zionism/Facebook]

Early Jewish settlers in Palestine “looted Arab property”, a new book by an Israeli historian has said, adding “authorities turned a blind eye”.

In what has been described as the “first-ever comprehensive study” by Israeli historian Adam Raz described “the extent to which Jews looted Arab property” during the Jewish gangs’ attack in 1948 on Palestinians and their homes, and explains why Ben-Gurion said “most of the Jews are thieves.”

Writing in Haaretz, Ofer Aderet’s review of Raz’s book was entitled: “Jewish soldiers and civilians looted Arab neighbors’ property en masse in ’48. The authorities turned a blind eye.”

Another senior writer at Haaretz, Gideon Levy, commented that the words “most of the Jews are thieves”, “wasn’t uttered by an antisemitic leader, a Jew hater or a neo-Nazi, but by the founder of the State of Israel, two months after it was founded.”

Levy said that the Israeli authorities “turned a blind eye and thus encouraged the looting, despite all the denunciations, the pretense and a few ridiculous trials.”

The looting served a national purpose: to quickly complete the ethnic cleansing of most of the country of its Arabs, and to see to it that 700,000 refugees would never even imagine returning to their homes

The Israeli writer added: “Even before Israel managed to destroy most of the houses, and wipe from the face of the earth more than 400 villages, came this mass looting to empty them out, so that the refugees would have no reason to return.”

Levy also said that the looters “were motivated not only by ugly greed to possess stolen property right after the war was over, property belonging in some cases to people who were their neighbors just the day before, and not only by the desire to get rich quick by looting household items and ornaments, some of them very costly…, but they served, consciously or unconsciously, the ethnic purification project that Israel has tried in vain to deny all through the years.”

“Almost everyone took part” in the looting, he added, which “was the small looting, the one that proved if only for a moment that ‘most of the Jews are thieves,’ as the founding father said. But that was mini-looting compared to the institutionalized looting of property, houses, villages and cities – the looting of the land.”

“Denial and repression” were part of the reasons why heads of Jewish community allowed the looting of Arab property in Palestine. He said: “Thirst for revenge and drunkenness with victory after the difficult war might perhaps explain, even partially, the participation of so many.”

Levy said that “the looting reflects not only momentary human weakness but is intended to serve a clear strategic goal – purifying the country of its inhabitants – words fail.”

Concluding his article, Levy said: “Anyone who believes that a solution will ever be found to the conflict without proper atonement and compensation for these acts, is living in an illusion.”

He asked Israel to “think about the feelings of the descendants, the Arabs of Israel and the Palestinian refugees, who are living with us and alongside us. They see the pictures and read these things – what crosses their minds?”

He answers: “They will never be able to see the villages of their ancestors: Israel demolished most of them, to leave not a shred,” noting that “one small stolen souvenir from the home that was lost might cause a tear to fall.”

Adding: “Just ask the Jews enraged over any stolen Jewish property.”

Over 1m Palestinians displaced, 166,000 homes demolished since formation of Israel

October 7, 2020 

Israeli excavators demolish some of constructions belonging to Palestinians for allegedly being unauthorized at Dora district in Hebron, West Bank on September 23, 2020 [Mamoun Wazwaz - Anadolu Agency]

October 7, 2020 

Israel has demolished nearly 166,000 Palestinian homes since it was established on the land of Palestine in 1948, a report by the Land Research Centre of the Arab Studies Association in occupied Jerusalem has revealed, adding that more than one million Palestinians have been displaced as a result of the occupation.

“During the first nine months of the year 2020, the occupation forces demolished 450 homes and facilities, and also pushed some Palestinians to demolish their homes with their own hands,” the centre added.

The report also highlighted that the Israeli regime had adopted the policy of limiting construction by Palestinians, forcing them to resort to building their homes without permits.

Israel occupied the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, during the 1967 Six Day War. It justifies the demolition of Palestinian homes by saying that they lack building permits, despite the fact that Israel very rarely issues such permits to Palestinians.

The Zionist state, meanwhile, approves the construction of thousands of residential units within illegal settlements built on occupied Palestinian land.

The centre added that Palestinians based in occupied East Jerusalem alone are in urgent need of 25,000 residential units.

Palestinians believe the true purpose of the restrictive planning regime is to empty the city of its indigenous Palestinian inhabitants.

Last month, it was reported that the number of building permits Israel granted Palestinians in the occupied territories decreased by 45 per cent in the second quarter of 2020.

The UN’s Office for Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) noted in an April 2019 report that in East Jerusalem “a restrictive planning regime applied by Israel makes it virtually impossible for Palestinians to obtain building permits.”

Thousands of Palestinian homes face demolition as Israel refuses building permits

The building permits are charged at extortionate prices and are unaffordable for most Palestinians, creating a legal loophole for Israel to annex more land and to leave Palestinians in limbo by preventing them from developing infrastructure.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also announced that he will plans to annex more areas in the occupied West Bank, in accordance with US President Donald Trump’s “deal of the century”, despite widespread criticism from the international community.

The proposal gives in to Israel’s demands while creating a Palestinian state with limited control over its own security and borders.

Israel’s widely practiced policy of home demolitions targeting entire families are acts of illegal collective punishment and come in direct violation of International Human Rights Law.

Middle East Monitor

about 3 years ago

ZERO building permits were issued by Israel in 2015 !

Israel tightens #Palestinian construction in Area C - #OccupiedPalestine

MEMO infographic by QUAD Business House

Remembering Saladin’s liberation of Jerusalem
On 2 October 1187, Ayyubid Sultan Salah Al-Din (known in the West as Saladin) liberated Jerusalem from the Crusaders nearly a century after they captured the holy city from the Fatimid Caliphate

October 2, 2020 

On 2 October 1187, Ayyubid Sultan Salah Al-Din (known in the West as Saladin) liberated Jerusalem from the Crusaders nearly a century after they captured the holy city from the Fatimid Caliphate.

What: Saladin’s liberation of Jerusalem

Where: Palestine

When: 2 October 1187

The Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem

With a cry of ‘Deus vult!’ – Latin for ‘God wills it’ – head of the Roman Catholic Church Pope Urban II ignited the flame for the Crusades in 1095, urging Christian Europeans to go on ‘armed pilgrimage’ to Jerusalem and reclaim the Holy Land from Muslims. An army of 100,000 undertook the mission, forming the First Crusade.

On 15 July 1099, Jerusalem, which had been recaptured by the Fatimids from the Seljuks the year before, fell to the Crusaders after a brutal siege which lasted for over a month.

Their victory laid the foundations for the establishment of the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem.

Saladin’s rise to power

At the time, Muslim forces in the Middle East and North Africa region were divided, with power struggles between and amongst the Sunni Seljuks in the Levant and the Shia Fatimids in Egypt.

Sultan Nur Al-Din Zengi, who ruled much of the Syrian province of the Seljuk Empire between 1146 and 1174, sought to unite all Muslim forces between the Euphrates in Mesopotamia and the Nile in Egypt in order to defeat the Crusaders.

Saladin, who was born in 1137 into a Kurdish Sunni military family had gone on a military expedition on behalf of Nur Al-Din to Egypt alongside his uncle Shirkuh to help the wazir (adviser) to the Fatimid Caliph Al-Adid, Shawar, to resolve internal power struggles and assert his rule. However, Shawar, the effective ruler of Egypt, soon allied with the Crusaders against Shirkuh and the Zengids.

Upon the personal request of the Caliph Al-Adid, Shirkuh came back to Egypt to fight off Crusader incursions. He later had Shawar executed and, despite being Sunni, was appointed wazir by the Shia Caliph. But Shirkuh died soon after, and Saladin was appointed wazir in his place.

Saladin consolidated his position in Egypt and, upon the Caliph’s death, became ruler of Egypt and abolished the Fatimid Caliphate.

Indeed Nur Al-Din extended his dominance across large parts of the Muslim world, but he died before he achieved his ultimate goal of liberating Jerusalem. Defeating other claimants to Nur Al-Din’s throne in Syria, Saladin was proclaimed sultan.

Saladin had spent over a decade unifying Muslim cities under Sunni rule. He established the Ayyubid dynasty and asserted his rule over Egypt, Syria, Upper Mesopotamia, the Hejaz, Yemen and much of the North African coast, finally realising Nur Al-Din’s dream.

In 1185, Saladin agreed to a truce with the Crusaders, allowing him time to deal with political problems in the Muslim world and raise a large army.

Two years later, in 1187, French Crusader Lord of Oultrejordain Raynald of Châtillon raided a Muslim caravan, violating the truce.
Saladin’s siege of Jerusalem

After unifying Muslim lands under his rule, Saladin was ready to take on the Crusaders in light of Raynald’s violation of the truce. The Kingdom of Jerusalem was, at this time, also internally divided.

On 4 July 1187, Saladin’s armies scored a great victory at the Battle of Hattin near Tiberias, the most pivotal defeat to befall the Crusaders. Crusader King Guy de Lusignan and many Crusader princes and lords, including Raynald of Châtillon, were captured. Saladin killed Raynald in fulfilment of a vow that he made following the latter’s murderous attacks against Muslims.

After the Battle of Hattin, which dealt a major blow to both the morale and military might of the Crusaders, Saladin moved against many Crusader states and conquered almost every Crusader territory in the region, clearing the path to retake Jerusalem.

The holy city had become a refuge for most of the Crusaders of the Levant, and fighters who fled previous defeats against the Muslims. They held out in defence of Jerusalem as Saladin’s forces descended on the city and besieged it.

The Muslim army bombarded the city walls using catapults and tried to storm the city several times. After a 12-day siege, on 2 October 1187, the leader of the Christian forces, Balian of Ibelin, surrendered the city.

In contrast with the bloody takeover by the Crusaders who massacred 40,000 Muslim and Jewish inhabitants upon entering Jerusalem in 1099, the handover to Muslim control was peaceful. The Crusaders were given safe passage out of the city and Christian places of worship were left intact. Arab Christian communities were allowed to stay.

After 88 years in the hands of the Crusaders, the Muslims, led by Saladin, entered Jerusalem once again.

Jehan Alfarra
j_alfarra October 2, 2020 
 | Published in: Israel, Middle East, On this day, Opinion, Palestine, Videos & Photo Stories

The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.

‘We are all Awais Al-Rawi’ Egyptians post on Twitter

October 2, 2020 at 2:22 pm | Published in: Africa, Egypt, News

Awais Al-Rawi was shot in the head by policeman in his home in Egypt, 1 October 2020 [Mostafa/Twitter]

October 2, 2020 at 2:22 pm

Social media users are comparing the shooting of Awais Al-Rawi by Egyptian police to the killing of George Floyd in the US.

On Wednesday, Awais was shot in the head in his family home in Luxor, Upper Egypt, by policeman after he objected to them insulting and abusing his father and entering the house without a warrant.

Floyd, a black American, was killed after a policeman kneeled on his neck whilst his colleagues looked on, earlier this year.

Awais’ death has also drawn comparisons with Mohamed Bouazizi, the Tunisian street vendor whose self-immolation sparked the Arab Spring.

The killing of Awais has further galvanised protesters, who have been demonstrating in Egypt’s countryside and Upper Egypt for almost two weeks now against soaring living costs and widescale house demolitions.

The demonstrations have been labelled the ‘galabiya uprising’ in reference to the traditional dress typically worn in the countryside.

READ: Egypt prepares for second Friday of rage

Social media users are posting under the Arabic hashtag, We are all Awais Al-Rawi, in reference to the We are all Khaled Saeed Facebook page, which was created to protest police torture and corruption and which went on to spark the 2011 revolution.

Khaled Saeed became an icon of victims of police brutality in 2010 after images of his battered corpse circulated on the internet.

Despite the fact that the 2011 revolutionaries asked for an end to police violence, it has got worse under the current regime.

Early in September protests broke out in Giza after a young man, Islam the Australian, died of suspected torture after objecting to a policeman insulting his mother.

READ: Egypt court sentences 6 men to death over killing policemen

Last Friday’s day of rage saw police kill 25-year-old Sami Wagdy Bashir in Al-Blida village in Giza Governorate with live ammunition.

Egyptians have today backed a call by whistleblower Mohamed Ali who asked them to take to the streets for the second Friday of rage, or for the Friday victory.

Ali asked them to fill the squares in main cities, which have so far been devoid of protests due to the large security presence, which he believes will have more of an impact.




Egypt police kill Luxor man then shoot mourners at his funeral

October 1, 2020 at 11:42 am | Published in: Africa, Egypt, News

Awais Al-Rawi [osgaweesh/Twitter]

October 1, 2020 at 11:42 am

Egyptian police killed a man in Luxor during a raid on Wednesday after he objected to police physically and verbally assaulting his elderly father and arrested his brother.

Eyewitnesses say police shot Awais Al-Rawi in the head in front of his family after troops and armoured vehicles descended on his village. This came moments after Al-Rawi stood up to an officer who had insulted and slapped his father.

A video posted under the trending Arabic hashtag, Friday we’re coming out in our millions, shows police shooting into crowds of mourners who gathered for his funeral.


الشرطة تهاجم المشيعين في جنازة شهيد #الأقصر#الشرطه_في_خدمه_الكلب pic.twitter.com/nvMRVeHoKp

— قناة الشرق (@ElsharqTV) September 30, 2020


Egyptians have been protesting since 20 September against the ruling regime after soaring prices have left people unable to eat and house demolitions have left them homeless.

The protests were called for by whistleblower Mohamed Ali, who last year ignited anti-regime protests after his allegations of corruption.

The bulk of the protests are taking place in rural areas and Upper Egypt, away from the heavy security presence in the main squares in cities, which has led to them being labelled the galabiya uprising.

Egypt: Video of a man sexually assaulting 5-year-old boy sparks outrage

Security forces have responded brutally, using tear gas, live bullets and ammunition against demonstrators.

Last Friday, on the day of rage, police killed 25-year-old Sami Wagdy Bashir in Al-Blida village in Giza Governorate with live ammunition.

Earlier this week the public prosecution announced it had released 68 children arrested since the start of the demonstrations, some who had been detained for a week.

Two of the children, Yahya Khairy Abdel Qader and Muhamad Ahmad, were Nubian boys arrested after demonstrating in Aswan.

Following their arrest, protesters gathered in front of the Interior Ministry headquarters in Aswan demanding their release.

Some 400 people have been arrested since the start of the galabiya uprising.

Most have been accused of trumped up charges typically levelled at political protesters, including joining a terror group and disseminating false news.Egypt police kill Luxor man then shoot mourners at his funeral

October 1, 2020 at 11:42 am | Published in: Africa, Egypt, News

Awais Al-Rawi [osgaweesh/Twitter]Awais Al-Rawi [osgaweesh/Twitter]

October 1, 2020 at 11:42 am

Egyptian police killed a man in Luxor during a raid on Wednesday after he objected to police physically and verbally assaulting his elderly father and arrested his brother.

Eyewitnesses say police shot Awais Al-Rawi in the head in front of his family after troops and armoured vehicles descended on his village. This came moments after Al-Rawi stood up to an officer who had insulted and slapped his father.

A video posted under the trending Arabic hashtag, Friday we’re coming out in our millions, shows police shooting into crowds of mourners who gathered for his funeral.

الشرطة تهاجم المشيعين في جنازة شهيد #الأقصر#الشرطه_في_خدمه_الكلب pic.twitter.com/nvMRVeHoKp

— قناة الشرق (@ElsharqTV) September 30, 2020

Egyptians have been protesting since 20 September against the ruling regime after soaring prices have left people unable to eat and house demolitions have left them homeless.

The protests were called for by whistleblower Mohamed Ali, who last year ignited anti-regime protests after his allegations of corruption.

The bulk of the protests are taking place in rural areas and Upper Egypt, away from the heavy security presence in the main squares in cities, which has led to them being labelled the galabiya uprising.


Security forces have responded brutally, using tear gas, live bullets and ammunition against demonstrators.


Last Friday, on the day of rage, police killed 25-year-old Sami Wagdy Bashir in Al-Blida village in Giza Governorate with live ammunition.

Earlier this week the public prosecution announced it had released 68 children arrested since the start of the demonstrations, some who had been detained for a week.


Two of the children, Yahya Khairy Abdel Qader and Muhamad Ahmad, were Nubian boys arrested after demonstrating in Aswan.

Following their arrest, protesters gathered in front of the Interior Ministry headquarters in Aswan demanding their release.

Some 400 people have been arrested since the start of the galabiya uprising.

Most have been accused of trumped up charges typically levelled at political protesters, including joining a terror group and disseminating false news.

RIP

JAMAICAN DUB PIONEER BUNNY LEE HAS DIED

The record producer and label head helped spread Jamaican music such as reggae internationally

• PATRICK HINTON
 
• 7 OCTOBER 2020

Legendary Jamaican record producer and record plugger Bunny Lee, also known as Striker Lee and real name Edward O'Sullivan Lee, has died aged 79.

Dancehall Mag reports he suffered “heart failure” at an undisclosed hospital in the Corporate Area.

Speaking to Dancehall Mag, Annette Wong-Lee, mother to four of Bunny Lee’s children, said: “The doctors said it was a respiratory failure, like a heart failure. He had gone to change his catheter at the hospital, he had a full time nurse with him, his son, Edward Junior had gone to buy food.When Edward Jr. called the nurse to check on him, she was crying, he asked her what happened, she said ‘personal problem’ and then the doctor called him to say he should ‘come now’, so immediately he knew something was wrong”

Jamaican broadcaster Clinton Lindsay said Lee had been “battling kidney problems for the past few months” when announcing his passing.

Born in Kingston in 1941, Lee first began working in the music industry as a record plugger for Duke Reid’s Treasure Isle label in 1962.

After moving into record producing, he grew into a hugely influential figure in Jamaican music and its worldwide proliferation. After setting up his Lee’s label in the mid-1960s he helped bring music by John Holt, Slim Smith, Delroy Wilson, Peter Tosh and Horace Andy to the world, spreading the sound to the UK by licensing the music to labels such as Island Records and Trojan Records.

As a friend and collaborator of King Tubby, he also helped pioneer dub music, utilising his skill as an electrical engineer and studio effects.

In 2008 Lee was awarded the Order of Distinction by the Jamaican government for his contribution to the country’s music.

A number of prominent artists and labels have paid tribute to Bunny Lee.

David Rodigan wrote on Twitter: “The Reggae world has lost another iconic figure; Bunny ‘Striker’ Lee was unquestionably one of the most charismatic and inspirational record producers in Jamaican music with a phenomenal catalogue of hits. He drove the music forward across the decades & will be sorely missed.”

Trojan Records wrote on Twitter: “Jamaican music giant, Bunny Lee, has very sadly passed away. Bunny was massively influential in shaping Jamaican music, starting as a record plugger in the 60’s, then, as a pioneering producer, from the rock steady era through to the dancehall years of the 1980’s.”

Pressure Sounds wrote on Twitter: “Very sad news for everyone at Pressure Sounds, Bunny Lee sadly passed away yesterday. A huge character and creative force in the business. He will be missed. RIP Mr Lee.”

QUACK QUACK

Trump ‘symptom-free,’ has COVID-19 antibodies after hospitalization: doc


By Ebony Bowden October 7, 2020 

White House physician Sean Conley

 WHO IS A CERTIFIED QUACK


WASHINGTON — President Trump continues to show no symptoms of COVID-19 and now appears to have antibodies for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes the disease, his doctor said Wednesday.

“The president this morning says ‘I feel great!’ His physical exam and vital signs, including oxygen saturation and respiratory rate, all remain stable and in normal range,” physician to the president Dr. Sean Conley said in a memo released by the White House.

“He’s now been fever-free for more than 4 days, symptom-free for over 24 hours, and has not needed nor received any supplemental oxygen since initial hospitalization,” he added.

Conley also revealed that the president’s lab work from Monday showed “detectable levels of SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies.”

It’s unclear if antibodies make you immune to the coronavirus but they may help to ward off future occurrences of infection, according to the US Food and Drug Administration.

The president is continuing to recover in isolation in the White House residence after a three-night stay in Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.

He and the first lady tested positive for the virus on Thursday evening and more than a dozen of his associates and White House employees have now contracted COVID-19.

At a press conference before his patient’s release from the hospital on Monday, Conley told reporters he was very pleased with the commander-in-chief’s recovery, but warned he was not out of the woods yet.

Trump, 74, has been active on Twitter since returning home, telling followers he’s looking forward to returning to the campaign trail and debating Democratic nominee Joe Biden in Miami on Oct. 15.

MORE TRUMP QUACKERY

HIS SO CALLED DOCTOR IS A BONE CRUNCHER,

A CHIROPRACTOR BY ANY OTHER NAME 

 

Billionaires' wealth rises by almost 30% amid pandemic - UBS

Jeff Bezos, head of Amazon, can be seen on the fringes of the company`s novelties event. Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos tells Jamal Khashoggi`s fiancee Hatice Cengiz:Andrej Sokolow/dpa - Archivo


The wealth of the world’s billionaires has been rising during the ongoing pandemic up to a record high of $10.2trln.

According to a report from UBS, the super-rich increased their fortunes by 27.5% from April to July despite market turmoil.

In contrast to the millions of people around the world who have lost their jobs and are getting by thanks to government schemes, billionaires had mostly benefited from betting on the recovery of global stock markets.

UBS said billionaires’ wealth had hit “a new high” after it broke its previous record of $8.9trln reached at the end of 2017. The number of billionaires has also hit a new high of 2,189, up from 2,158 in 2017.

Josef Stadler, the head of UBS’s global family office said: “Billionaires did extremely well during the Covid crisis, not only [did] they ride the storm to the downside, but also gained up on the upside [as stock markets rebounded].”

Stadler said billionaires typically have “significant risk appetite” and were confident to gamble some of their considerable fortunes.

Stadler has previously warned that the yawning inequality gap between rich and poor could lead to a “strike back”.

“Wealth concentration is as high as in 1905, this is something billionaires are concerned about. The problem is the power of interest on interest – that makes big money bigger and, the question is to what extent is that sustainable and at what point will society intervene and strike back?”

 

Boeing to consolidate US 787 production in cost-saving move

UNION BUSTING BY MOVING TO RIGHT TO WORK STATE

Boeing will shift some 787 plane production from its Everett, Washington, site pictured here, to its South Carolina factory; Everett will continue to produce other Boeing planes

Boeing will consolidate manufacturing of the 787 Dreamliner plane to one plant in the US, ending production of the wide-body jet in Washington state, the company announced Thursday.

The move follows earlier announcements by Boeing that it would slash production of the jets to six per month in 2021 from 14 due to weak demand for airline travel because of the coronavirus.

The US aviation giant has not announced staffing cuts as a result of change, but made clear production for several models would continue in Washington.

The company needs to "look at every opportunity to adapt, preserve our liquidity and be more competitive in a very different commercial market," Stan Deal, head of Boeing's commercial plane division, said in an email to staff.

"To ensure we can be effective in a market that will be smaller in the near-term, and one that will have different demands from our customers long-term, we made a decision earlier this morning to consolidate 787 production in South Carolina after months of detailed and thorough study."

Boeing said it had not yet determined how the shift would affect staffing in Everett, Washington and North Charleston, South Carolina.

About 900 employees work on the 787 at the Everett site, which as a whole has 30,000 workers—although the current number is lower because some staff is working from home.

Headcount in South Carolina at the start of 2020 was 6,869, a Boeing spokeswoman said.

Boeing began manufacturing the 787 in Everett in 2007 before starting production in South Carolina in 2019. Only the South Carolina plant is equipped to build the current Dreamliner models, which are bigger than the initial versions, the company said.

"Our team in Puget Sound will continue to focus on efficiently building our 737, 747, 767 and 777 airplane families, and both sites will drive Boeing initiatives to further enhance safety, quality, and operational excellence," Deal said.

In July, Boeing reported a loss of $2.4 billion through the first half of 2020, the result of an airline industry downturn and the hit from the grounding of its 737 MAX following two deadly crashes.

The company has announced plans for additional job cuts following a 10 percent headcount reduction.

Chief Executive Dave Calhoun said in July he thinks it will be about three years before the airline industry recovers to pre-coronavirus levels.


Explore further Boeing to suspend production at Washington state complex

© 2020 AFP