/qnotables20/ - ===Q Notables 2020===

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/12664164 (220909ZJAN21) Notable: Alexander Downer Tweet: After 4 1/2 years of reading on Twitter crazy conspiracy theories about me being a spy and how I was part of a treasonous attempted coup against president Trump and I would be hanged or sent to Gitmo, I guess that’s coming to an end!, MISSING MEDIA/FILES: AD_18.jpg, AD_19.jpg

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Alexander Downer Tweets

After 4 1/2 years of reading on Twitter crazy conspiracy theories about me being a spy and how I was part of a treasonous attempted coup against president Trump and I would be hanged or sent to Gitmo, I guess that’s coming to an end!

https://twitter.com/AlexanderDowner/status/1352227780922994694

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Mind you, the mad conspiracy theories from the Left are just as bad! As is their extraordinary hate. I must hold the Australian record for allegations on Twitter for crazy conspiracy theories!

https://twitter.com/AlexanderDowner/status/1352228641250283521

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InMyHumbleOpinion @IMHO1969

Actually Durham was named as a Special Counsel so Biden Admin couldn't end the investigation.

Stay tuned.

https://twitter.com/IMHO1969/status/1352228523482746881

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For ever! There was no conspiracy involving me as Durham knows!

https://twitter.com/AlexanderDowner/status/1352231684268122116

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InMyHumbleOpinion @IMHO1969

Perhaps you were just a useful idiot?

https://twitter.com/IMHO1969/status/1352231872579792898

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Or maybe it’s just nonsense! Which it is!

https://twitter.com/AlexanderDowner/status/1352232761717739524

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/12664225 (220923ZJAN21) Notable: Video: Biden ‘should stop’ Trump’s impeachment to unite America: Alexander Downer - Sky News Australia

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>>182208

Biden ‘should stop’ Trump’s impeachment to unite America

Sky News Australia

21 Jan 2021

Former foreign minister Alexander Downer says if President Joe Biden wants to unite the country, he should stop the impeachment of Trump and “just move on”.

“I think they should abandon the impeachment process and then just move on and try to win over some of those 74 million people,” Mr Downer told Sky News.

Mr Downer said Joe Biden would need to take the sting of partisanship out of the presidency considering his two predecessors were “extremely partisan”.

“There’s no doubt Donald Trump was a partisan president, so was Barack Obama before him,” he said.

“Joe Biden’s CV suggests he can bring the two sides together, but we’ll just have to see.”

Mr Downer said Joe Biden’s recent signing of an executive order to stop building the wall to Mexico will leave him confronted with people moving from the central America to the United States.

“That’s going to be one of his really big issues early on, how does he unite the country when dealing with issues like that? We’ll just have to wait and see.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGEuwILUWUw

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/12664403 (220950ZJAN21) Notable: Chief Minister Michael Gunner extends official invite to US President Joe Biden to visit the NT - Madura Mccormack - ntnews.com.au, MISSING MEDIA/FILES: US_President_elect_Joe_Biden_and_incoming_US_First_Lady_Jill_Biden_arrive_for_Biden_s_inauguration_as_the_46th_US_President_at_the_US_Capitol_in_Washington_DC_on_January_20_2021.jpg, The_front_page_of_the_NT_News_on_November_15_2011_in_the_lead_up_to_US_President_Barack_Obama_s_visit_to_Darwin.jpg, US_President_Barack_Obama_and_Prime_Minister_Julia_Gillard_wave_to_the_crowd_during_Mr_Obama_s_visit_to_Darwin_in_2011.jpg

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Chief Minister Michael Gunner extends official invite to US President Joe Biden to visit the NT

CHIEF Minister Michael Gunner will officially invite freshly inaugurated US President Joe Biden to visit the Northern Territory – diplomatically offering to protect him with “complimentary crocodile insurance”.

Mr Gunner, in an official letter seen by the NT News , will extend an offer to Mr Biden and First Lady Dr Jill Biden, or Vice President Kamala Harris, to follow in the footsteps of former President Barack Obama and visit the Territory.

“While I recognise that the COVID-19 pandemic currently makes international travel difficult, we would love to host you in this special part of the world, as soon as it is safe to do so,” Mr Gunner said.

The Chief Minister highlighted the Territory’s growing strategic role in the “security of the Asia-Pacific region, the close military relationship of the US and the NT through annual joint-training exercise Marine Rotational Force Darwin (MRF-D), and the ability of Territorians to show him a “bloody good time” as reasons for Mr Biden to visit.

Mr Obama was the last US President to visit the NT, making a pit stop in Darwin as part of his trip to Australia in 2011, where MRF-D was announced alongside then prime minister Julia Gillard.

The NT News famously welcomed the arrival of Mr Obama in 2011 with a front page photograph of the President, offering him free crocodile attack insurance with the Territory Insurance Office.

Sealing the move into tradition, Mr Gunner, in his invitation, reassured Mr Biden that “every President who visits the Northern Territory receives complimentary crocodile insurance”.

But COVID-19 border restrictions mean the trip is likely to be delayed.

“Obviously it would be better to wait until the COVID situation is better, because rules are rules and the safety of Territorians comes first,” Mr Gunner said. “Any overseas arrival to the Territory has to quarantine, even the leader of the free world.”

In his first address to the nation, President Biden called for a lowering of the national temperature and to “end this uncivil war that pits red against blue, rural versus urban. Conservative versus liberal”.

His first day in office included signing three executive orders – a mask mandate on federal property, support for under-served communities, and rejoining the Paris climate accord.

https://www.ntnews.com.au/news/politics/chief-minister-michael-gunner-extends-official-invite-to-us-president-joe-biden-to-visit-the-nt/news-story/5f046f08f2ee38bb5c20d4e2cc3cb164

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/12664755 (221038ZJAN21) Notable: As Biden acts, the prime minister stays silent on QAnon (and his family friend) - David Hardaker - crikey.com.au, MISSING MEDIA/FILES: A_QANON_PROTEST_IN_WASHINGTON_DC_IN_OCTOBER_2020.jpg, A_SCREENSHOT_OF_A_PRIVATE_MESSAGE_SENT_TO_TIM_STEWART.jpg, JESSE_STEWART_S_TWITTER_ACCOUNT.jpg

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As Biden acts, the prime minister stays silent on QAnon (and his family friend)

As the far-right QAnon conspiracy theory faces a crackdown under the Biden administration, questions are once again raised about Scott Morrison's connections to its supporters.

DAVID HARDAKER - JAN 22, 2021

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The threat posed by the extremist right wing QAnon conspiracy movement is set to be targeted by the incoming Biden administration’s top intelligence agency in the wake of the movement’s growing influence in US politics.

The movement was prominent in the January storming of Capitol Hill, where QAnon adherents played a role in attempts to overturn the US election in favour of Donald Trump.

In Australia though, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) is still refusing to make any comment on the close friendship that exists between the family of Scott Morrison and a family which includes two of Australia’s leading QAnon followers.

The prime minister’s wife Jenny Morrison is best friends with Lynelle Stewart, whose husband Tim Stewart is a highly visible QAnon proponent in Australia. The Stewarts’ son Jesse, 22, is also a fervent QAnon backer. At the same time Lynelle Stewart has been on the government payroll, drawing a salary as an assistant to Jenny Morrison. In days gone by the families have mixed freely together.

The PMO has maintained a policy of silence on the QAnon question stretching back to Inq’s revelations in late 2019. Back then Inq documented how Tim Stewart claimed to have influence on the prime minister when it came to the wording of Morrison’s 2018 national apology to the survivors of institutional child sex abuse.

In one text message Stewart promised that “disturbing information” he had been given on school sex education would go “straight to Scott”. Stewart had gained a large following among QAnon adherents under his Twitter handle of Burn Notice (@BurnedSpy34), at one point reaching well over 30,000 followers before the platform moved to suspend QAnon accounts.

In the months since Trump lost the US election in November 2020 Tim Stewart and his son have barely taken a backward step in their support for the movement. The conspiracy, which has moved from the fringes of US politics to centre stage during the Trump years, grew around the idea that Trump was placed in the White House by an anonymous official named “Q” to cleanse the world of Satan-worshipping, paedophile elites who allegedly populate the so-called “deep state” and control the levers of power.

A YouTube video shows Tim Stewart and son Jesse (using their pseudonymous Twitter names Burn Notice and Negan_HQ, respectively) in a lengthy discussion with US QAnon supporters on a channel called the “Patriot Transition Voice”. The name is a reference to the “patriot” takeover of the United States being planned by QAnon.

Recorded two weeks after Trump lost the election, the channel displays the QAnon hallmark fusion of esoteric religion, supposed patriotism and revolutionary fervour. It is an article of faith, of course, that the election was stolen from Trump.

“Pray — behold the hand of God as he delivers us from tyranny”, the video says in its introduction over a backdrop of rolling biblical clouds dissolving into a sepia image of the founding fathers huddled over the US constitution. Those words appear to be a portent of the conflict to come. “Believing they could steal our freedom without a fight, again they were wrong” it warns.

At the time the video was made there was much to look forward to. Trump lawyer Sidney Powell would be filing the court actions which they believed would overturn “fraudulent” election results. Tim and Jesse Stewart were welcomed as cherished Aussie brothers before an hour and a half or so of conspiracy banter.

Despite Twitter’s vow to suspend the accounts of QAnon proponents, Jesse Stewart continued tweeting until only yesterday under the name of Negan (@Negan_HQ) — styling himself as a fictional tough guy from the Walking Dead television series. Jesse Stewart also has an account on the far right-wing platform Gab, a platform which appears to be a digital shrine to the glory of Donald Trump.

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/12664814 (221048ZJAN21) Notable: Video: Trump was a 'demagogue president' and 'sociopath', says former FBI director Comey | 7.30 - ABC News In-depth

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Trump was a 'demagogue president' and 'sociopath', says former FBI director Comey | 7.30

ABC News In-depth

22 Jan 2021

James Comey became an unwilling central player in the 2016 US election campaign when, as head of the FBI, he oversaw investigations into Hillary Clinton's use of a private server for emails, and subsequently an investigation of the Trump campaign’s links with Russian interference in that election.

Later sacked by Donald Trump, he became a vocal critic of the outgoing US President.

In a new book, he reflects on what is needed to restore trust in America's institutions and politics.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wppaGkzIDek

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/12676265 (230234ZJAN21) Notable: Will deplatforming make QAnon and the far-right fade away or radicalise further? - James Purtill - abc.net.au, MISSING MEDIA/FILES: Will_QAnon_survive_being_kicked_off_mainstream_social_media_Deplatforming_has_had_a_marked_effect_on_the_spread_of_misinformation.jpg, _We_must_end_this_uncivil_war_that_pits_red_against_blue_said_Joe_Biden_in_his_inauguration_speech.jpg

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Will deplatforming make QAnon and the far-right fade away or radicalise further?

James Purtill - 23 January 2021

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As President Joe Biden was sworn in this week, QAnon forums descended into despair, confusion and wounded anger.

"It's over and nothing makes sense," read one message thread title on the largest of these forums.

"He sold us out," a believer wrote.

"It's revolution time."

Earlier that day, as Donald Trump departed the White House, another wrote, "It simply doesn't make sense that we all got played."

It's fair to say those who follow the QAnon conspiracy theory, which held that Mr Trump would retain power, bring down the "deep state" and expose a far-reaching child-sex-trafficking ring, are shocked right now.

Believers (who are estimated to number in the millions) are grappling with the reality of President Biden and the very public failure of their prophecy.

But as the new Commander-in-Chief calls for an end to "this uncivil war", there are big questions around what happens to QAnon and the rest of the far-right — where does the pent-up and frustrated energy of that movement go?

This is a political question, but also a tech one.

Having delayed action for years, tech companies were decisive after the Capitol was stormed. They quickly removed, banned or effectively took offline large chunks of the far-right internet. This action is now called the 'Great Deplatforming'.

But will QAnon followers and other Trump supporters linger in an online netherworld of 'alt-tech' chat forums?

Will they vanish or — concentrated in these small private groups — be radicalised further?

Marked decrease in posts inciting violence

Two weeks after the Great Deplatforming experiment, it seems to have had profound, measurable effects.

On January 6, insurrectionists stormed the US capitol and disrupted the confirmation of election results in the House and Senate.

Shortly after, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and other social media sites announced their removal of President Donald Trump's accounts due to concerns of further incitement to violence.

That same week, Amazon, Apple and Google severed business ties with Parler — a platform that advertises itself as a conservative free-speech platform — to prevent a continued spread of "dangerous and illegal content".

Next, Facebook deleted reams of content alleging election fraud and Twitter banned tens of thousands of QAnon-related accounts.

These actions are part of the reason why Q followers are now lamenting the inauguration of President Biden in out-of-the-way chat forums, as opposed to whipping up a storm on mainstream social media.

Advance Democracy, a Washington-based organisation that combs social media for posts inciting violence or spreading misinformation and conspiracy theory, recorded a drop in these kinds of posts after the Great Deplatforming and in the lead-up to Inauguration Day.

Of note, there were hundreds of thousands fewer QAnon tweets compared to the barrage two weeks earlier.

"Much of the content explicitly promoting violence has been removed from the mainstream platforms online," the head of the organisation, Daniel J. Jones said.

"After actions by Twitter, Facebook and others, there is far-less organising occurring on open channels.

"Deplatforming decreases the chance of further radicalisation and sends a strong signal that the promotion of violence and baseless conspiracy theories is unacceptable behaviour."

But Mr Jones, a former US Senate staffer who led the investigation into the CIA's use of torture, urges caution.

"The possibility of violence being planned on closed channels exists," he added.

"We have seen numerous QAnon accounts move to [social networking platform] Gab and calls for violence on unmoderated and closed channels."

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/12677517 (230411ZJAN21) Notable: Pilot David Rodgers 'flew Prince Andrew in Epstein's private jet' and 'sex slave was on board' - Christopher Bucktin - mirror.co.uk, MISSING MEDIA/FILES: David_Rodgers_was_tracked_down_by_The_Mirror.jpg, Bill_Clinton_and_Ghislaine_Maxwell_board_Epstein_s_private_jet.jpg, The_plane_was_nicknamed_the_Lolita_Express.jpg, The_pilot_s_claims_provide_the_most_detailed_independent_testimony_to_the_courts_about_Andrew_s_friendship_with_the_late_paedophile.jpg, Prince_Andrew_and_Jeffrey_Epstein_were_spotted_walking_together_in_New_York_s_Central_Park.jpg

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Pilot 'flew Prince Andrew in Epstein's private jet' and 'sex slave was on board'

Christopher Bucktin - 22 JAN 2021

This is the pilot who claims to have flown Prince Andrew with Jeffrey Epstein and his alleged teenage sex slave accuser Virginia Giuffre.

Pictured for the first time, David Rodgers refused to talk about the royal, his paedophile financier pal or any of the victims who claim they were abused.

When tracked down by the Mirror in Lake Worth, Florida, the 67-year-old airman said: “I can’t talk.”

He claims Andrew flew at least 10 times on the billionaire’s jet – allegations that have thrust Andrew into the FBI investigation into Epstein.

The Prince has categorically denied ever meeting Giuffre, who claims he had sex with her four times when she was 17.

But Rodgers’ logs provide the most detailed independent testimony to the courts about Andrew’s friendship with the paedophile, placing pressure on the dad-of-two to speak to the FBI.

The Mirror found the pilot living close to the Florida airport from which Epstein flew his victims. His wall of silence mirrors that of other pilots who ferried Epstein and his alleged madam ­Ghislaine Maxwell, 59.

Rodgers’ LinkedIn profile still lists him as an employee of Epstein NES LLC company. Between 1995 until 2013 he wrote an entry on the flight manifests for each trip he flew for the pervert, who killed himself in prison in 2019.

Andrew, 60, has denied “being good friends” with Epstein. But Rodgers’ flight manifests claim to show him at all four locations where the billionaire had homes, including Florida and his private US Virgin Island, Little St James.

He also flew Giuffre, now 37, to London in March 2001, where she claims she first had sex with the Duke.

A source said: “David has complied with the FBI and others investigating those who enabled Jeffrey’s offending. He was trusted with his most prized and high-profile friends not only the Prince but Bill Clinton too.

“He is adamant he didn’t see any wrongdoing as he flew Epstein, his cronies and the girls around.”

Andrew’s first flights on Epstein’s old jet, a ­Gulfstream, were logged in February 1999. In May the following year, he took a trip from New York to Florida with the American tycoon and others.

On March 31, 2001 Rodgers claims he flew the Duke and Giuffre from New Mexico to Florida. According to court circulars, Andrew had an evening engagement in London on March 28, 2001, and one on April 2 2001.

Rodgers alleges Giuffre was on another flight with the Prince to the Virgin Islands on April 11.

The last trip the royal is said to have taken was on September 1, 2006.

Flight logs do not feature Andrew’s name, but the initials A.P. They had been used for Epstein’s chef Adam Perry Lang.

Buckingham Palace insist court ­circulars from the time disprove the claims. It refused to comment tonight.

But a friend of Andrew’s said: “David Rogers claims simply don’t stand up to any kind of objective scrutiny. The Duke was elsewhere on numerous occasions that the initials AP appear.”

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/us-news/pilot-who-flew-prince-andrew-23370007

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/12679672 (230758ZJAN21) Notable: ‘Critical’: Biden orders review of domestic violent extremism threat - Eric Tucker - smh.com.au, MISSING MEDIA/FILES: The_January_6_2021_riot_at_Capitol_Hill_has_increased_urgency_to_tackle_the_domestic_terror_threat_in_the_US.mp4

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>>182173

>>182189

‘Critical’: Biden orders review of domestic violent extremism threat

Eric Tucker - January 23, 2021

Washington: US President Joe Biden has directed law enforcement and intelligence officials in his administration to study the threat of domestic violent extremism in the United States, an undertaking being launched weeks after a mob of insurgents loyal to Donald Trump stormed the US Capitol.

The announcement on Friday, local time, by White House press secretary Jen Psaki is a stark acknowledgement of the national security threat that officials see as posed by American extremists motivated to violence by radical ideology.

The involvement of the national intelligence office, created after the September 11, 2001, attacks with a goal of thwarting international terrorism, suggests US authorities are examining how to pivot to a more concerted focus on violence from extremists at home.

The threat assessment is being coordinated by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security, and will be used as a foundation to develop policy, the White House said.

The National Security Council will do its own policy review to see how information about the problem can be better shared across the government.

“The January 6 assault on the Capitol and the tragic deaths and destruction that occurred underscored what we all know: The rise of domestic violent extremism is a serious and growing national security threat,” Psaki said, adding that the administration will confront the problem with resources and policies but also “respect for constitutionally protected free speech and political activities.”

Asked whether new methods were needed, she said: “More needs to be done. That’s why the president is tasking the national security team to do exactly this review on the second full day in office.“

Representative Adam Schiff, the Democratic chair of the House Intelligence Committee, said it was “critical” that the Biden administration appeared to be prioritising the threat of domestic extremism.

“In particular, far-right, white supremacist extremism, nurtured on online platforms, has become one of the most dangerous threats to our nation,” Schiff said.

The riot at the Capitol, which led last week to Trump’s second impeachment, raised questions about whether a federal government national security apparatus that for decades has moved aggressively to combat threats from foreign terror groups and their followers in America is adequately equipped to address the threat of domestic extremism.

It’s an issue that has flared repeatedly over the years, with different attacks — including a shooting rampage at a Pittsburgh synagogue — periodically causing renewed debate over whether a law specific to domestic terrorism is needed.

It is unclear when the threat assessment will conclude or whether it will precipitate law enforcement and intelligence getting new tools or authorities to address a problem that officials say has proved challenging to combat, partly because of First Amendment protections.

FBI Director Chris Wray said last fall that, over the past year, the most lethal violence has come from antigovernment activists, such as anarchists and militia types.

Law enforcement agencies are under scrutiny for their preparations for January 6, when a violent mob of Trump supporters overran the police and stormed into the Capitol.

Scores of people are facing charges so far, including a man who was photographed wearing a “Camp Auschwitz” shirt, as well as people identified in court papers as QAnon conspiracy theorists and members of militia groups.

https://www.smh.com.au/world/north-america/critical-biden-orders-review-of-domestic-violent-extremism-threat-20210123-p56wd4.html

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/12688030 (240008ZJAN21) Notable: Julie Bishop, Donald Trump's daughter, and the Australian Government's three-year fight for secrecy - Dan Conifer and Michael McKinnon - abc.net.au, MISSING MEDIA/FILES: Former_foreign_minister_Julie_Bishop_and_Ivanka_Trump_in_the_United_States_in_2017.jpg, Ivanka_Trump_1.jpg, DKMU7PZVAAEFpdT.jpg, DKMU7PUVoAAKGL2.jpg

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Julie Bishop, Donald Trump's daughter, and the Australian Government's three-year fight for secrecy

Dan Conifer and Michael McKinnon - 24 January 2021

1/3

In a small room in an exclusive Manhattan hotel, an eagerly sought meeting is finally taking place.

The Chairman's Office inside New York's Palace Hotel has hosted business titans and political powerhouses.

Its walls are lined with books. Its wood panels date back to the 1880s. Atop a mantlepiece, its clock permanently sits at 4:00.

On this occasion, the occupants are the then-United States president's daughter, Ivanka Trump, and Australia's foreign minister, Julie Bishop.

"She's charming, delightful, a very intelligent and committed young woman," Ms Bishop said soon after.

It was presented as a chance encounter on the sidelines of the 2017 United Nations General Assembly.

In reality, its manufacture began months before that sunny September day in New York.

Using freedom of information laws, the ABC has obtained a series of documents that reveal an outline of the diplomatic chase that led to that rendezvous.

But four years after that meeting — and with Donald Trump no longer in office — Australia's Foreign Affairs Department (DFAT) continues to fight against the public knowing more.

Ivanka Trump joins the White House, creating an opportunity

It's late March 2017 and Ivanka Trump is officially joining the administration as an adviser to her dad.

This is a family-friendly White House — Ivanka's husband, Jared Kushner, is already there as a senior adviser.

The story hits The New York Times website early Thursday morning Canberra time.

Foreign affairs bureaucrats inside their sprawling Canberra headquarters are soon taking note.

Taking a much keener interest, 500 metres away atop Capital Hill, is the office of foreign affairs minister Julie Bishop.

As minister, Ms Bishop has pioneered a previously unheard-of concept in international relations: 'fashion diplomacy'.

"We will promote our stylists, our designers, our manufacturers, our photographers, our magazines, indeed our raw materials — our cotton and leather and wool, precious stones and pearls and gems," she said launching the policy.

"Indeed, I've already charged our overseas embassies and high commissions and posts to host events for our fashion designers during the major fashion shows.

"Already we've held fashion events in our posts in New York, London, Paris, Islamabad, New Delhi and Jakarta."

Now, in the inner sanctum of the United States government was a fashion label owner, 35-year-old Ivanka Trump.

The first daughter's brand was targeted at young women, with its handbags, shoes and dresses sold throughout the United States.

Her brand, also called Ivanka Trump, has its flagship store inside Trump Tower, where she's also worked for the family empire.

Locking down a meeting proves difficult

Within about a month, wheels are in motion. Draft plans for an event involving the pair have been written up.

In early May, a senior adviser in Ms Bishop's office emails the Australian embassy in Washington.

"Hi Paul, wanted to make sure you were fully aware that we have had further contact from Ms Trump's office [this morning]," the email read.

Paul Griffiths heads the embassy's political branch. He is a long-term, senior diplomat, having served in Indonesia, the Philippines and South Korea.

Things look promising. A meeting is arranged involving the minister's office, diplomats in Canberra and in Washington.

It's scheduled for 8:30am Canberra time the next day. That's 6:30pm Washington time.

Mr Griffiths is invited, as is the boss of the Americas division, Julie Heckscher. These are senior people. Securing this meeting is a priority.

There's a trip planned for July, where the foreign minister will meet Caribbean prime ministers before flying north to the US. Adding an Ivanka Trump encounter would be ideal.

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/12703964 (250516ZJAN21) Notable: China talks only if there are no conditions, Scott Morrison says, MISSING MEDIA/FILES: Prime_Minister_Scott_Morrison_with_Chinese_President_Xi_Jinping_in_2019.jpg

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China talks only if there are no conditions, Scott Morrison says

GREG BROWN and ROSIE LEWIS - JANUARY 25, 2021

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Scott Morrison says he will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping only if there are no conditions for restarting dialogue, as he warned that Beijing’s global outlook had become “more inconsistent” with Australia’s sovereign interests.

The Prime Minister’s warning came as Foreign Minister Marise Payne said Australia’s and America’s relationships with China would be closely watched as US President Joe Biden began his four-year term in the White House.

Without specifically naming China, Senator Payne declared Australia would “support adherence to international rules and norms, promote transparency and stand against malicious behaviour such as economic ­coercion, human rights abuses and the use of disinformation’’.

After months of China slapping restrictions on Australian ­exports, Mr Morrison said he was open to meeting China’s leaders to work through problems in the relationship as long as there were no ­policy conditions to holding talks.

The Chinese embassy last year released a dossier of 14 grievances Beijing had with Australia, including negative media coverage of China, foreign investment decisions, foreign interference reforms and critical commentary on the CCP by Coalition MPs.

“We are always open to meet,” Mr Morrison said. “We are open to meet whenever but … it is a no-conditions meeting.

“I know what the 14 points are; so does everyone else. If they are the conditions then it will be a while before we meet. But we are happy to meet and work through these issues and discuss them.”

Mr Morrison said there had been a “slow turn” in the relationship with China and rejected claims it had deteriorated last year because of any single decision of his government.

“It has been happening for years,” he said. “The suggestion this has happened all on a dime I think is wrong. And we have seen these changes happen now for some years. The relationship has obviously changed, not over any one thing but over time.

“There have been changes where I think the sovereign position of Australia and the outlook of China, well those things have become more inconsistent.”

Labor has been critical of the Morrison government for leading calls for a probe into the origins of COVID-19 rather than waiting until there was a global consensus on the need for an inquiry.

The World Health Organisation inquiry into the pandemic was supported by more than 120 countries, eventually including China, but Beijing has voiced fury at the Morrison government‘s early demand for the probe.

China has progressively frozen out Australia during the Turnbull and Morrison governments — initially because of the exclusion of Huawei from Australia’s 5G network and the introduction of foreign interference laws — and refused to take phone calls from or meet cabinet ministers despite attempts to establish dialogue.

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/12704138 (250539ZJAN21) Notable: As Joe Biden says, this great US-Australia alliance will only grow stronger - Foreign Minister Marise Payne, MISSING MEDIA/FILES: Then_US_vice_president_Joe_Biden_delivers_a_speech_on_US_Australia_relations_in_Sydney_in_2016.jpg

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>>182221

As Joe Biden says, this great US-Australia alliance will only grow stronger

MARISE PAYNE - JANUARY 25, 2021

1/2

President Joe Biden’s clear and strong Inauguration Day commitment to seek unity and bipartisanship is reassuring and important, valued by Australia and the world. Australia wishes him, and all political interlocutors in the US, the very best in this endeavour. It is up to Americans to carry that forward, but Australia will be cheering them on.

A united America is a strong America, and a strong US is overwhelmingly in Australia’s interests.

Our values and perspectives align so closely that a future circumstance in which our foreign policy interests diverge to such an extent that our alliance and our close friendship is not of substantial mutual benefit is difficult to envisage. Our alliance is incredibly stable.

However, the evolving set of international challenges means that the way our two countries work together must also necessarily evolve.

The federal government is not blind to the fact that the US has gone through a difficult political period. Those around the world who had confidence in American institutions, and their democracy, have been proved right. There has been a constitutional transition of power to the new administration.

The US will continue to provide strength, stability and leadership to the world as it always has. In doing so it will champion the liberal democratic, market-based values we share.

It is only reasonable, indeed, expected, that Americans should have a long and thoughtful conversation about the role they want to play in a more complex and challenging world. Australia has long made it clear that we do not expect the US single-handedly to uphold the security and prosperity of the region and the world.

We are consistently and constructively playing our part in supporting that vision for our Indo-Pacific region. Through our strong and growing partnerships in the Pacific and Southeast Asia, our proactive support for the role of existing groups such as ASEAN — which in 2019 released its vital Outlook on the Indo-Pacific — and new multi-country groupings such as the Quad, our increased defence spending and development of paths to build greater stability in our region through health and economic recovery measures, Australia is a strong leader and partner.

We want any US administration to be able to point to Australia when an American asks why their nation should be doing the heavy lifting around the world.

We have worked well with the Trump administration over the past four years towards these ends, including one of the most substantive and successful AUSMIN meetings ever held, and two unprecedented ministerial-level Quad meetings. Former secretary of state Mike Pompeo was a forthright, no-nonsense friend and partner, ambitious for the US relationship with Australia and for the cause of democratic freedoms.

We will work positively with the Biden administration, many of whose key team members are well known to us and good friends to Australia — including President Biden himself and, pending confirmation, my new counterpart, Secretary of State Tony Blinken. As Australia’s Minister for Women, I cannot overstate the significance of Vice-President Kamala Harris’s inauguration for women and girls around the world.

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/12704226 (250549ZJAN21) Notable: Special Forces soldiers issued “show cause” notice in the wake of war crime allegations will submit defence on why they shouldn’t be sacked from the military, MISSING MEDIA/FILES: Australian_Army_Special_Operations_Task_Group_soldiers.jpg, Chief_of_the_Australian_Defence_Force_General_Angus_Campbell_delivers_the_findings_from_the_Inspector_General_of_the_Australian_Defence_Force_Afghanistan_Inquiry_on_November_19.jpg, Australian_armed_forces.jpg

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Special Forces soldiers to defend themselves over war crime allegations

Special Forces soldiers issued a “show cause” notice in the wake of the war crime allegations will submitting a defence on why they shouldn’t be sacked from the military.

Adella Beaini - January 21, 2021

A group of Special Forces soldiers issued a “show cause” notice in the wake of the Brereton report’s findings will be submitting their defence on why they shouldn’t be sacked from the military.

The soldiers who received the notices in November are members of the now disbanded Special Air Service Regiment’s 2 Squadrons as well as the regiment’s 3 Squadron suspected of being “accessories” or ”witnesses” of alleged murders carried out by other SAS soldiers.

On Friday the SAS members will individually submit the written response through their lawyers, giving their version of events and justifying why they shouldn’t face administrative action.

But a source close to some of the 13 elite soldiers accused of being dishonest when called to give evidence before the inquiry said the process had “taken its toll” with many members left “distraught”.

“It’s been heartbreaking watching them so distressed, losing weight and relationships breaking down,” a source told The Daily Telegraph.

“They don’t even have the camaraderie that got them through their war deployments as they’ve been commanded not to talk to each other.

“As proud Australians, we are all so confused by our country’s actions.”

A Defence spokesman said they would be considering any written response that soldiers provide as reasons why they shouldn’t be terminated.

“Outcomes of each case could range from termination to no further action, based on the delegate’s consideration of each individual’s response,” a spokesman said.

“This process takes time. Legal, welfare and command support is provided to anyone who is subject to administrative action.”

He said each matter would be considered on a “case-by-case basis”.

“Administrative action can include termination, censure, reduction in rank or formal counselling.”

It follows the release of a report, commissioned by the Inspector General of the Australian Defence Force, alleging special forces soldiers were responsible for the murder of at least 39 Afghans.

The Brereton inquiry focused on events between 2005 and 2016 and interviewed 423 witnesses.

Other special forces members may eventually be discharged or face a range of disciplinary sanctions, including formal warnings.

A special investigator has been created within the Australian Federal Police to investigate the allegations from the inquiry, and a special prosecutor has been appointed within the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions to handle any court cases.

Any prosecutions of ADF personnel could take years, as some of the evidence gathered by the IGADF is not admissible in a civilian court.

Soldiers were compelled to answer questions in the internal Defence probe, going against the civil principle of the right against self-incrimination.

Anyone who may be feeling distressed can contact the following organisations for support:

Defence all-hours support line: 1800 628 036

Defence Family Helpline: 1800 624 608

Open Arms: 1800 011 046

https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/special-forces-soldiers-to-defend-themselves-over-war-crime-allegations/news-story/36b704ca43ee993d25c8cae0a0b7efd3

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/12705499 (250848ZJAN21) Notable: Accused sex predator principal Malka Leifer extradited to Australia, MISSING MEDIA/FILES: Malka_Leifer_2nd_L_is_pictured_boarding_a_plane_at_Ben_Gurion_Airport_in_Israel_Leifer_is_being_extradited_to_Australia_to_face_prosecution_for_historic_sex_crimes.jpg, Malka_Leifer_a_former_Australian_teacher_accused_of_dozens_of_cases_of_sexual_abuse_of_girls_at_a_school.jpg, EG_1.jpg

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Sex-charge principal Malka Leifer extradited to Australia

Accused sex predator Malka Leifer has been put on the plane from Israel to Melbourne, capping a near decade-long campaign by the sisters she is alleged to have abused to have her face court in Australia.

The 54-year-old former Jewish school principal was handed over to Victoria police officers in Tel Aviv on Monday after the extradition order her lawyers in Israel fought tooth and nail to avoid was finally executed.

She was escorted on to a commercial flight only hours before a COVID lockdown on air travel in and out of the Jewish state was to come into force.

A spokesman for Attorney-General Christian Porter said the Australian government was aware of reports in Israel that Ms Leifer had been extradited, but it did not comment on the logistics of such retrievals.

Ms Leifer faces 74 charges involving the sexual assault and rape of the three sisters who were students at the Adass Israel ultra-Orthodox Jewish school before she fled home to Israel when her alleged crimes were exposed in 2008.

It is not yet clear where Ms Leifer will complete her 14 days of quarantine on arrival in Melbourne.

Covid-19 Quarantine Victoria said the issue was a matter for Victoria Police, given she will be in police custody.

A spokeswoman for Victoria Police said that with the extradition process underway and the matter before the courts, it would be “inappropriate” to comment.

“All enquiries regarding extradition should be directed to the Attorney-General’s office.”

The Australian has sought a response from Victorian Attorney-General Jaclyn Symes.

The young women complained to Victoria police three years later, and in 2014 Australia applied for Ms Leifer’s extradition.

But she was able to drag out the proceedings by feigning mental illness, according to Israeli prosecutors acting on behalf of the Australian government. In 2016, the case seemed dead in the water after a judge in Jerusalem suspended the extradition.

But the fiction unravelled when Ms Leifer was secretly filmed out and about, living what appeared to be a normal life when she had claimed to be unable to leave the house due to her to her mental state.

Israeli Justice Minister Avi Nissenkorn signed the extradition order last December, only days after the country’s highest court rejected her final appeal.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/sexcharge-teacher-malka-leifer-on-way-back-to-australia/news-story/13571c3672840da13d4e02abfb6c6527

https://twitter.com/emilygian/status/1353587678915170306

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/12705544 (250854ZJAN21) Notable: Israel extradites Malka Lefier, wanted for sex crimes, to Australia, MISSING MEDIA/FILES: Leifer_boarding_the_plane_on_her_way_to_Australia.jpg, Malka_Leifer_extradited.jpg, Malka_Leifer_in_court.jpg

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>>182224

Israel extradites Malka Lefier, wanted for sex crimes, to Australia

Former teacher accused of sexually abusing several former students at a Jewish school in Melbourne set to face 74 charges of child abuse in her native Australia; extradition comes after 6 years of legal battles

Israeli authorities on Monday extradited Malka Lefier, wanted on 74 charges of child sex abuse in Australia, following a six-year legal battle that had strained relations between the two governments.

The former teacher accused of sexually abusing several former students at a Jewish school in Melbourne, had been fighting extradition from Israel since 2014. Leifer maintains her innocence and the protracted court case and repeated delays over her extradition drew criticism from Australian officials as well as the country's Jewish leaders.

Ynet obtained images of Leifer boarding a plane at Ben Gurion Airport early Monday, her ankles and wrists shackled. At the airport, Leifer was met by Australian law enforcement officials, who arrived in Israel to accompany the woman.

She was then taken on a flight to Frankfurt, Germany, from which she would later fly back to Australia to stand trial on 74 charges of child sex abuse.

In December, the Supreme Court rejected a final appeal against her extradition, and then Justice Minister Avi Nissenkorn signed the order to send her to Australia. "I promised that I would not hinder the extradition order, and that's what I have done. Malka Leifer's victims will finally earn an act of justice," Nissenkorn wrote on Twitter.

Her lawyer, Nick Kaufman, confirmed the extradition. “Preliminary hearings will be held in the coming days, without Malka Leifer physically present, as is required by Australian law. Meanwhile she will be held in a women's detention facility in Melbourne - where I hope her rights and halakhic requirements will be respected.”

Manny Waks, head of Voice against Child Sex Abuse, an organization representing Leifer's victims, said in a statement that "this is an incredible day for justice!"

"We can now truly look forward to Leifer facing justice in Australia on the 74 charges she is facing," he said.

The Magen Association for the Protection of Children, which has been aiding Leifer’s alleged victims, also welcomed the extradition. "We stand by the victims and encourage them ahead of the next fight within the Australian justice system… We will fight with all our might so that Israel ceases to be a refuge for sex offenders and that a similar extradition saga will not be repeated.”

Accusations against Leifer began surfacing in 2008, it was then that Israeli-born Leifer left the Ultra-Orthodox school where she worked as a principal and a teacher, and returned to Israel where she has lived since.

In March 2012, an arrest warrant was issued against her in Australia.

In 2014, Australia filed an extradition request and Leifer was put under house arrest while her extradition proceedings began in Israel. In 2016, the district psychiatrist ruled that Leifer was not fit to stand trial, bringing the extradition proceedings to a halt.

Private investigators, however, later revealed that Leifer was functioning independently. In December 2017, she was documented walking around her residential neighborhood in Jerusalem, shopping and waiting at the local postal office. A court-issued psychiatric panel later concluded that Leifer had faked mental illness to avoid prosecution, renewing the extradition process.

Critics, including Leifer's alleged victims, had accused Israeli authorities of dragging out the case for far too long, while Leifer claimed she was mentally unfit to stand trial.

https://www.ynetnews.com/article/rJ7fHeh100

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/12705574 (250858ZJAN21) Notable: Malka Leifer extradited to Australia to face child sexual abuse charges, MISSING MEDIA/FILES: Malka_Leifer_has_maintained_her_innocence_during_the_six_year_legal_battle.jpg, Sisters_Elly_Sapper_Dassi_Erlich_and_Nicole_Meyer_accuse_Malka_Leifer_of_child_sexual_abuse.jpg

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>>182224

Malka Leifer extradited to Australia to face child sexual abuse charges

Former Melbourne school principal Malka Leifer has been extradited from Israel to face sexual abuse charges in Australia.

Ms Leifer was escorted out of Israel on Monday morning local time, just before the international airport was shut down because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Israeli media reported she would be flown to Germany and then to Australia, where she faces 74 charges in Melbourne.

Ms Leifer is accused of abusing three sisters during her time as headmistress of Elsternwick's Adass Israel School between 2001 and 2008.

She left for Israel in 2008 and Victoria Police first submitted a request for her extradition in 2014.

Six years later, and after years of court proceedings, Israel signed an extradition order in December.

Ms Leifer has maintained her innocence during the drawn-out legal battle.

Nick Kaufman, Ms Leifer's lawyer in Israel, confirmed to the ABC his client was on a plane to Australia.

Dassi Erlich, one of her accusers, said simply on Twitter after hearing the news: "Leifer is on the way back to Australia."

Ms Leifer's case was repeatedly delayed as she fought extradition charges in Israel.

In January 2020, a panel of psychiatrists concluded the 54-year-old was faking her mental illness to avoid extradition. Israel's District Court ruled she was mentally fit to be extradited six months later.

The country's Supreme Court rejected her final appeal against the extradition in December.

The six-year legal battle at times strained relations between Israel and Australia.

Federal Attorney-General Christian Porter, who discussed the case when he travelled to Israel in 2019, said the Government did not comment on the logistics of extradition arrangements until the process was finished.

"Victorian authorities are responsible for the physical return of Ms Leifer to Australia now that the legal extradition process in Israel has concluded and she has been found suitable for surrender to Australian authorities to face the charges against her," Mr Porter said in a statement.

"Both the Attorney-General and Minister for Foreign Affairs have expressed their thanks to the Israel Government for its assistance and cooperation to bring this long-running process to a conclusion to allow for the extradition of Ms Leifer to Australia where she faces serious sexual assault allegations."

The Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council said it welcomed news of Ms Leifer's extradition "with enormous relief".

"This has been an extremely long journey, and while it is not over yet, progress today has been dramatically gratifying," the council's executive director, Colin Rubenstein, said.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-01-25/malka-leifer-extradited-to-australia-to-face-sex-abuse-charges/13090106

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/12705589 (250902ZJAN21) Notable: Dassi Erlich Tweet: Leifer is on the way back to Australia. #leiferonthewayback, MISSING MEDIA/FILES: DE_65.jpg

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>>182224

Dassi Erlich Tweet

Leifer is on the way back to Australia.

#leiferonthewayback

https://twitter.com/dassi_erlich/status/1353587091645423616

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/12709747 (251926ZJAN21) Notable: Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Australian Federal Police identify 245 victims of child exploitation by predator posing as popular YouTube star

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HSI, Australian Federal Police identify 245 victims of child exploitation by predator posing as popular YouTube star

WASHINGTON — An investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Australian Federal Police (AFP) resulted in the arrest of a 25-year-old Australian citizen who is now facing a total of 247 charges related to 245 alleged child victims in the United States.

In 2019, HSI special agents in Tallahassee, Florida, received information from the Leon County (Florida) Sheriff's Office (LCSO) regarding the exploitation of minors throughout the U.S. by an individual in Australia. The individual was masquerading as a popular YouTube star in order to befriend minor females and gain their trust. He then blackmailed the minor victims and instructed them to film themselves doing various sexually explicit acts, many of which involved physical contact with other minors and/or animals.

HSI reached out to the AFP to help identify the predator in Australia. With the assistance of Western Australia Police (WAPOL), AFP quickly identified the subject in Western Australia and initiated Operation ESK. HSI Canberra provided support to Operation ESK by obtaining subscriber details from YouTube for the offender, and both the previous and potential victims. Forensic examination of the subject’s social media account led to the identification in October 2020 of 112 U.S. victims of online child exploitation and upon continued investigation an additional 134 by January 2021. The subject was arrested by AFP and is currently in custody.

“Child exploitation is a heinous crime that is happening far too often on social media sites used by our children,” said HSI Regional Attaché for Oceania, Adam Parks. “These investigations will continue to be our top priority to ensure that children around the world are protected from sexual predators. Thanks to our close partnership with the Australian Federal Police and Western Australia Police, we were able to identify this predator and protect future children from falling victim to this monster.”

Operation ESK is a joint investigation between HSI Canberra, AFP, and WAPOL, with assistance from HSI Tallahassee, LCSO, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE).

HSI is the principal investigative arm of DHS and a vital U.S. asset in combatting transnational crime and threats. One of HSI’s top priorities is to protect the public from crimes of victimization, and HSI’s child exploitation investigations program is a central component of this mission set. HSI is recognized as a global leader in this investigative discipline, and is committed to utilizing its vast authorities, international footprint and strong government and non-government partnerships to identify and rescue child victims, identify and apprehend offenders, prevent transnational child sexual abuse, and help make the internet a safer place for children. The HSI International Operations Division is the Department of Homeland Security’s largest investigative presence overseas. Division personnel serve as liaisons to governments and law enforcement agencies across the globe and work side-by-side with foreign law enforcement on HSI investigations.

https://www.ice.gov/news/releases/hsi-australian-federal-police-identify-245-victims-child-exploitation-predator-posing

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/12712039 (252319ZJAN21) Notable: Video: Sexual assault survivor and advocate Grace Tame named 2021 Australian of the Year - ABC News

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>>182231

Sexual assault survivor and advocate Grace Tame named 2021 Australian of the Year | ABC News

ABC News (Australia)

25 Jan 2021

The 26-year-old who helped lead the fight to overturn a law preventing sexual assault survivors from speaking out has been named Australian of the Year for 2021. Read more here:

Sexual assault survivor and advocate Grace Tame named 2021 Australian of the Year

https://ab.co/3sXexPU​

At 15, Grace Tame was groomed and raped by her 58-year-old teacher at a private girls' school in Hobart.

Her abuser was jailed for his crimes, but Ms Tame was not able to speak about her experience publicly under Tasmania's sexual assault victim gag laws, despite the perpetrator and media being free to do so.

She became the hidden face and catalyst of the #LetHerSpeak​ campaign, a victim who could not be shown or named in the media.

Family and domestic violence support:

1800 Respect national helpline: 1800 737 732

Women's Crisis Line: 1800 811 811

Men's Referral Service: 1300 766 491

Lifeline (24 hour crisis line): 131 114

Relationships Australia: 1300 364 277

NSW Domestic Violence Line: 1800 656 463

Qld DV Connect Womensline: 1800 811 811

Vic Safe Steps crisis response line: 1800 015 188

ACT 24/7 Crisis Line: (02) 6280 0900

Tas Family Violence Counselling and Support Service: 1800 608 122

SA Domestic Violence Crisis Line: 1800 800 098

WA Women's Domestic Violence 24h Helpline: 1800 007 339

NT Domestic violence helpline: 1800 737 732

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=giTvpwh1VDM

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/12712168 (252330ZJAN21) Notable: Australia Day honours: Former PM Malcolm Turnbull’s ‘significant contributions’ duly recognised, MISSING MEDIA/FILES: Former_prime_minister_Malcolm_Turnbull_with_former_governor_general_Peter_Cosgrove_during_a_swearing_in_ceremony_at_Canberra_s_Government_House.jpg

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Australia Day honours: Former PM Malcolm Turnbull’s ‘significant contributions’ duly recognised

ROSIE LEWIS and ADESHOLA ORE - JANUARY 25, 2021

On the day he resigned as prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull remained “very optimistic and positive” about Australia’s future.

He had just lost the Liberal Party leadership for a second time in his 14-year political career after enough of his colleagues lost faith in his prime ministership following a decade-old ideological divide over energy and climate change policy and an ongoing ­rivalry with his predecessor, Tony Abbott.

Proving Australia has moved on from those turbulent days in federal politics, Mr Turnbull, who was Liberal MP for Wentworth from 2004 to 2018, will be awarded the Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) on Tuesday for his eminent service to the people and parliament of Australia.

It was given because of Mr Turnbull’s “significant contributions” to national security, free trade, the environment and clean energy, innovation, economic reform and marriage equality — he was the prime minister to deliver same-sex marriage.

The 29th prime minister’s business and philanthropic pursuits were also celebrated in the AC, which is typically awarded to former prime ministers.

Former NSW Nationals senator Sandy Macdonald and former Liberal member for Groom William Taylor will be made Members of the Order of Australia.

Former South Australian Labor premier Jay Weatherill will be awarded an Officer of the Order for service to the state and his focus on early childhood and tertiary education.

Since retiring from state politics in 2018 after a 16-year career, Mr Weatherill has campaigned for early learning reform, voiced support for free childcare and called for states and territories to take over commonwealth funding of early learning centres.

The former Labor leader most recently undertook a comprehensive review of the ALP’s 2019 election loss with former federal Labor MP Craig Emerson.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/australia-day-honours-former-pm-malcolm-turnbulls-significant-contributions-duly-recognised/news-story/ba32f1a5c6c36e0c45c2198c2a360ff8

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/12712187 (252332ZJAN21) Notable: Use Biden agenda to commit to net zero: Malcolm Turnbull, MISSING MEDIA/FILES: Former_prime_minister_Malcolm_Turnbull_says_climate_change_was_his_unfinished_business_as_leader.jpg

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>>182233

Use Biden agenda to commit to net zero: Malcolm Turnbull

David Crowe - January 26, 2021

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Former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull has urged the Morrison government to end a policy “vacuum” on climate change by seizing on the new agenda from US President Joe Biden to commit to net zero emissions by 2050.

Mr Turnbull, made a Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) in the Australia Day Honours list, named climate change action as one of the main “unfinished” policies of his leadership.

But he said Prime Minister Scott Morrison would “absolutely” face pressure to commit to net zero greenhouse gas emissions as the new US administration sought more ambitious pledges worldwide.

“Energy and climate policy remains a vacuum at the federal level and that is because of the toxic politics,” he said.

“I’m hopeful that with Biden elected as President the change will make it easier for Morrison to switch to a more rational climate and energy agenda.”

Mr Turnbull was one of 845 people named in an Australia Day list that included scientist and mathematician Cheryl Praeger of Perth, Rabbi John Simon of Melbourne and former tennis player Margaret Court, who were also awarded ACs.

Women received 210 awards, or just under 37 per cent, and Governor General David Hurley said more work needed to be done to achieve gender parity and diversity in other areas.

“I am determined to make sure that the Order of Australia reflects the diversity and breadth of our community,” he said in a statement.

Speaking to The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald on Monday, Mr Turnbull said Mr Biden’s victory meant there was “absolutely” pressure on the Morrison government to commit to net zero emissions by 2050, in line with commitments from the US and other countries.

“Scott does not have strong views on climate, in my experience. I don’t think it’s an issue that particularly motivates him, one way or another. So he views it in a political way, I think, above all,” he said.

“He’s very concerned to not allow the right to undermine him the way they undermined me on this issue.

“So if Lachlan Murdoch would be to switch his views on climate, that would be enough of a leave pass to get on with it.

“It’s about that poisonous combination of right-wing populist politics within the Coalition, right-wing media, principally Murdoch, and the fossil fuel lobby.”

Mr Morrison has talked of achieving net zero emissions some time in the second half of this century but avoided a commitment to 2050, even as Japan and South Korea say they will achieve the target by that date, while China aims for 2060.

“We’re working hard to work out when that can be achieved, not through taxes, but by technology and the smart innovation of companies and researchers and scientists here in Australia as part of our technology roadmap,” Mr Morrison said in Queensland last week.

The federal government’s latest projection, issued last month, said the Technology Investment Roadmap would help cut emissions to 436 million tonnes in 2030, which is 29 per cent below 2005 levels, but critics of the policy have dismissed the assumption and called for stronger action.

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/12714217 (260221ZJAN21) Notable: Jeffrey Epstein victim Virginia Roberts Giuffre provided key evidence to French police to secure arrest of late pedophile's model agent friend Jean-Luc Brunel, charged with multiple counts of rape, MISSING MEDIA/FILES: Jeffery_Epstein_victim_Virginia_Roberts_Giuffre_has_provided_enough_evidence_to_French_officials_for_the_late_pedophile_s_model_agent_friend_Jean_Luc_Brunel_pictured_to_be_charged_with_multiple_rapes.jpg, Virginia_Giuffre_37_pictured_is_now_the_key_witness_in_the_prosecution_of_Brunel_75_after_claiming_that_both_him_and_Prince_Andrew_60_used_her_as_their_sex_slave_.jpg, Prince_Andrew_was_like_his_friend_Maxwell_a_regular_visitor_to_Epstein_s_mansion_flat_in_Paris_where_many_of_the_worst_crimes_against_girls_are_said_to_have_taken_place.jpg

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>>181913

>>181923

EXCLUSIVE: Jeffrey Epstein victim Virginia Roberts Giuffre provided key evidence to French police to secure arrest of late pedophile's model agent friend Jean-Luc Brunel, charged with multiple counts of rape

1/2

Jeffery Epstein victim Virginia Roberts Giuffre has provided enough evidence to French officials for the late pedophile's model agent friend Jean-Luc Brunel to be charged with multiple rapes, DailyMail.com can reveal.

Virginia Giuffre, 37, is now the key witness in the prosecution of Brunel, 75, after claiming that both him and Prince Andrew, 60, used her as their 'sex slave'.

The two men vehemently deny any wrongdoing, but in December Brunel was remanded in custody in Paris after being charged with multiple rapes of Giuffre and a separate case of sexual harassment against an unidentified complainant.

It followed dozens of women saying Brunel abused them while running an underage sex ring with Jeffrey Epstein, who committed suicide in prison in 2019.

Almost all of the accusations leveled against Brunel are from the 1970s, 80s and 90s, meaning they fall outside the 20-year limit for prosecuting sex crimes in France.

This meant that Brunel was considered 'untouchable' by police who nicknamed him 'The Ghost' as he carried on living and working in the French capital, while frequently traveling abroad on scouting assignments and holidays.

But in November Giuffre responded to an online English language appeal by French magistrates for alleged victims to come forward.

'Ms Giuffre now lives in Australia but responded to the appeal,' said an investigating source. 'She was interviewed remotely, and provided considerable evidence against Brunel.

'She said that she was raped by Brunel in the early 2000s, including in 2001. This was a considerable breakthrough for the enquiry.'

It meant that the alleged crime was well within the statute of limitations, and therefore prosecutable.

Officers were set to arrest Brunel in January following further enquiries, but on December 16 he was intercepted at Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris with a one-way ticket to Dakar, capital of Senegal, in West Africa.

'This led to his immediate arrest and he was placed in custody,' said the source. 'The multiple rape charges solely relate to the testimony of Virginia Giuffre, and not any of the other alleged rape victims.

'The sexual harassment indictment is nothing to do with the Epstein case, and instead relates to incidents in 2016 following a complaint by another woman who has not gone public.'

The 'multiple rapes' of Virginia Giuffre – now a mother of three who was called Virginia Roberts before her marriage – were said to have mainly taken place at Epstein's home on the private island of Little Saint James, in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Giuffre had produced sworn testimonies saying that both Brunel and Prince Andrew attacked her there.

According to French law, a French citizen such as Brunel can be tried in France for offences committed abroad.

Others said to have been involved in the sex ring include Epstein's ex-girlfriend, the British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, 59, who is currently on remand in the USA after being charged with the trafficking of underage girls and the enticement of minors.

Prince Andrew was, like his friend Maxwell, a regular visitor to Epstein's mansion flat in Paris, where many of the worst crimes against girls are said to have taken place.

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/12727992 (270616ZJAN21) Notable: Former Victorian attorney-general Martin Pakula says he is "very pleased" Malka Leifer will soon face an Australian court, MISSING MEDIA/FILES: Alleged_child_sex_offender_Malka_Leifer_is_set_to_arrive_in_Melbourne_from_Israel.jpg

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>>182224

Vic MP 'very pleased' Leifer to face court

Former Victorian attorney-general Martin Pakula says he is "very pleased" Malka Leifer will soon face an Australian court.

Leifer, an ex-principal of a Jewish girls' school in Melbourne, is close to completing her long-awaited extradition from Israel to face child sexual abuse charges.

She is expected to touch down at Melbourne airport aboard a connecting flight from Singapore as early as Wednesday, Nine News reports.

It will be the first time Leifer has been on Australia soil since 2008, when she fled to Israel after learning three of her former students intended to file a complaint with police.

Mr Pakula on Wednesday welcomed the news Leifer had finally been extradited.

"I'm sure those people who have been agitating and clamouring for her to return will be very pleased that at long last her day in court will come," the racing minister told reporters.

"I'm very pleased that has occurred."

Leifer will go into hotel quarantine for 14 days once she returns to Melbourne.

It is believed she could virtually appear before Melbourne Magistrates Court as early as this week for an initial hearing.

Leifer will be entitled to apply for bail.

The flight is the final leg of Leifer's extradition which started with her boarding a Frankfurt-bound plane at Tel Aviv on Monday, just hours before the closure of Israel's airports due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Pictures published by local media showed Leifer about to board a flight wearing handcuffs and legcuffs.

She is wanted in Australia on 74 charges of child rape and sexual abuse stemming from her time as principal at Melbourne's Orthodox Addas Israel School.

The Victorian government on Tuesday welcomed Leifer's extradition.

"Our position has always been clear - Malka Leifer needs to return to Victoria to face these very serious allegations," a spokeswoman said.

"Our thoughts are with the people who have continued to advocate for her return and we acknowledge how significant this next step is for them."

Longtime victim supporter Manny Waks said it was unclear how long her case would take to progress through Victoria's legal system given its COVID-driven backlog.

Israel's Supreme Court approved her extradition order in December and Justice Minister Avi Nissenkorn approved the order the following day.

In a tweet, Mr Nissenkorn wrote: "I promised that I would not hinder the extradition order, and that's what I have done. Malka Leifer's victims will finally earn an act of justice."

Leifer's final failed appeal followed 74 hearings in Israeli courts, which have been drawn out on the basis of her mental illness claims.

After fleeing Australia in 2008, she was first arrested in Israel in 2014 only to be freed from house arrest on the condition she undertook psychiatric assessments.

An independent undercover investigation proved Leifer was feigning mental illness and she was re-arrested in 2018.

https://thewest.com.au/politics/law-and-order/malka-leifer-close-to-melbourne-arrival-ng-s-2046927

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/12728282 (270719ZJAN21) Notable: Cambodian children abused by paedophile Geoffrey Moyle could receive compensation, MISSING MEDIA/FILES: Geoff_William_Moyle_pleaded_guilty_to_11_offences.jpg, The_District_Court_building_in_Adelaide_s_CBD.jpg

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Cambodian children abused by paedophile Geoffrey Moyle could receive compensation

An Adelaide court is considering whether it can order a paedophile to compensate his abuse survivors in South-East Asia, with the judge suggesting the payments would be an Australian first.

Geoffrey William Moyle, 47, has pleaded guilty to 11 offences, including nine counts relating to the sexual abuse of children in Cambodia between 2002 and 2005.

The court heard the children were "forced to be in brothels".

Moyle is awaiting sentencing in the South Australian District Court, which heard that the Cambodian survivors were seeking compensation from their abuser.

But Judge Paul Cuthbertson said he needed to further examine the law, and the intention of Parliament when laws allowing compensation to be ordered during criminal proceedings were enacted.

He said ordering compensation be sent overseas would likely be an Australian first.

"There haven't been any cases in Australia, so everyone is coming out of this fresh, and there are a number of issues that I'm wondering about," he said.

"I'm not saying there isn't an answer to it somewhere, but I'm not aware of it."

The court was told the Director of Public Prosecutions would not be asking Judge Cuthbertson to order the survivors be granted compensation because they could launch civil action against their predator.

But Judge Cuthbertson questioned how a poor child from Cambodia would do that.

"It would be a big thing for a poor individual in Cambodia to run a civil case in Australia," he said.

He added that if he did make an order for compensation, he was unsure how much to award them given $5,000, for example, could be a "fortune" in Cambodia.

Jonathan Wells QC, who is representing one of the survivors for free, told the court that the reason compensation was being sought was because Moyle had assets, including a house in Adelaide.

He asked Judge Cuthbertson to "freeze" those assets until the issue of compensation had been sorted out.

"It ensures there's not any steps taken to reduce any equity in that property," he said.

Mr Wells also told the court that his client wanted Moyle to be physically present in court when her impact statement was read to the court.

Moyle has sore back, lawyer claims

State laws allow a victim to request their perpetrator attend court to hear their statement, rather than appear via video-link from jail.

But Heath Barklay QC, for Moyle, told the court that his client had a sore back and could not travel from Mount Gambier Prison to Adelaide to attend court in March.

Judge Cuthbertson has requested a report from prison authorities to determine if Moyle can travel in a car, rather than a prison van.

In his online profile, which has since been deleted, Moyle stated he worked in Cambodia for a decade as the South-East Asia director of an international engineering consultancy company.

It stated he was "retained" by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) as a "specialist" under its Aid Advisory Panel.

But DFAT said he had never worked for the department.

Moyle's case will be back before the court tomorrow for argument about whether his assets should be frozen.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-01-27/victims-of-paedophile-geoffrey-moyle-could-be-compensated/13094642

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/12728346 (270735ZJAN21) Notable: Opinion: What Australia needs from the new Biden administration - Alexander Downer - afr.com, MISSING MEDIA/FILES: Joe_Biden_needs_to_meet_three_objectives_in_the_Indo_Pacific_Bloomberg.jpg

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Opinion: What Australia needs from the new Biden administration

Alexander Downer - Jan 26, 2021

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The greatest diplomats have three qualities. First, they understand their own country’s priorities and interests and the moods of their own people. Secondly, they have the intellectual capacity to grasp the history and the zeitgeist of the country to which they’re accredited. And thirdly, through a combination of intellectual prowess and networking, they are able to exercise influence over the government to which they are accredited.

So now we have a new administration coming in to office in Washington. From our chief diplomat – the foreign minister – down, Australia needs to start exercising these qualities and fast.

First and foremost, I’m sure the embassy in Washington, led by the ambassador, is furnishing Canberra with a large amount of information on the likely positions of the Biden administration on issues of significance to Australia. If precedence is any guide, the embassy will be flooding Canberra with cables based on conversations with incoming members of the administration and people who know them well. That is good information to have.

But DFAT and other key departments should be doing much more than that. They should be formulating a strategy document designed to brief ministers and our diplomats in Washington on how to steer the Biden administration in the direction we want, particularly in the Indo-Pacific region.

Being the foreign minister is no easy job. You can’t just legislate to make things happen. Frequently, you have to use every imaginable legitimate and legal means to try to influence other countries. At this time, our foreign minister and other ministers have to influence the incoming Biden administration, not just wait to hear what they plan to do.

There are three very simple geopolitical initiatives we should be pressing on the Biden team. First, we should make it clear to them that peace in the Indo-Pacific region must be underwritten by a balance of power. That means not just a continuing United States presence in the region but that the United States needs to work with and treasure its allies. Just calling a country an ally is not enough. The Americans need to consult and listen to the advice that, in particular, we and the Japanese may give them.

Part of the commitment by the Americans to their allies must include a continuation of the Quad arrangement with Australia, Japan and India. There must be a commitment to continue to work with those countries on issues as diverse as military training and cyber security.

The big point is, if stability is to be achieved in an environment where China is not just getting stronger but has become arrogant and aggressive, the Americans need to remain strategically oriented towards the Indo-Pacific region and collaboration with their allies.

Secondly, the new administration should be told by Australia that for the Indo-Pacific region to thrive there must be an agreed framework for all countries in the region to collaborate. That framework needs to be underwritten by both the rule of international law and by the institutions of the region. In particular, institutions like APEC, the East Asia summit and the ASEAN Regional Forum all help to provide a diplomatic grid within which the region’s nations are able to work together.

The United States has to show real commitment to these institutions. The President must attend the East Asia summit and the APEC summit, and the secretary of state needs to participate in the ASEAN Regional Forum. These critical institutions cannot be left to their deputies.

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/12728366 (270743ZJAN21) Notable: Bernard Collaery: East Timor spy trial delayed after government refused to let barrister Bret Walker SC join defence team, MISSING MEDIA/FILES: Former_ACT_Attorney_General_and_lawyer_Bernard_Collaery_will_fight_allegations_he_breached_espionage_laws.jpg, The_ACT_Supreme_Court.jpg

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Bernard Collaery: East Timor spy trial delayed after government refused to let barrister Bret Walker SC join defence team

Bret Walker will represent whistleblower lawyer Bernard Collaery in the East Timor bugging case, despite ‘resistance’ from the government

Government bureaucrats tried to “resist” top barrister, Bret Walker SC, from getting involved in the case of whistleblower Canberra lawyer Bernard Collaery, a court has heard.

Collaery, a Canberra barrister and former politician, will likely face trial on espionage charges late this year or early next year, accused of divulging information to the ABC about a team of Australian spies bugging East Timorese government offices during high-stakes negotiations over lucrative oil and gas fields in the Timor Sea.

The trial has so far been delayed by a so-called “war” between Collaery and the government over whether the trial should be held in open court.

Collaery’s lawyers have unsuccessfully argued that the public and media should be allowed to attend the trial, and are appealing a decision which will see it heard in closed court under national security laws.

The ACT Court of Appeal on Wednesday heard Mr Walker — often described as Australia’s best barrister — bumped into Collaery before Christmas and volunteered to lead the appeal, but lawyers for Commonwealth Attorney-General Christian Porter refused to sign off on him joining the high-powered legal team.

Attorney-General Department bureaucrats have the power to vet defence lawyers working on national security cases because they have access to top secret evidence.

Justice John Burns said on Wednesday: “What really concerns me is the delay in approving Mr Walker as being a member of the defence.

“There seems to be no excuse or explanation.”

Government lawyer Tim Begbie said Collaery already had a strong legal team, including at least four top barristers, and that the appeal hearing would be delayed if Mr Walker joined the team.

Mr Begbie described Collaery’s case on appeal as a “coverall shotgun style appeal” and “not a scalpel”.

The Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions’s barrister, Chris Tran, said his client didn’t want the case delayed any longer and that the appeal was only about whether the trial would take place behind closed doors.

Ken Archer, one of Collaery’s barristers told the court Mr Walker has unmatched expertise in national security laws, having previously been the independent monitor for national security legislation.

“His involvement should be welcomed by the Commonwealth,” he said.

Justice Burns said the appeal “possibly goes to something which is more significant than the charges itself, that is, whether justice is seen to be done by the public”.

The appeal is set to be heard later this year, likely in April.

https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/newslocal/canberra-star/bernard-collaery-east-timor-spy-trial-delayed-after-government-refused-to-let-barrister-bret-walker-sc-join-defence-team/news-story/4bec8ed3d457ed2b9b68815e8a26c2b4

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/12728411 (270754ZJAN21) Notable: Morrison should learn from past for China reset - globaltimes.cn, MISSING MEDIA/FILES: China_Australia.jpg

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Morrison should learn from past for China reset

Global Times - Jan 26, 2021

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Amid strained China-Australia relations, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Monday he is ready and willing to meet with the top Chinese leader, but only if there are no preconditions to holding the talks. Previously, Dan Tehan, Australia's new trade minister extended an olive branch to his Chinese counterpart, saying he wants "very constructive engagement" with Beijing in a bid to repair worsening China-Australia relationship.

The positive signal from those remarks is that Australia hopes to make a new beginning with China in the new year. However, what is important here is not what Australia has said, but what real actions it will take.

China-Australia relations have fallen off a cliff, reaching the rock bottom since official diplomatic relations were formally established in 1972. The bilateral trade and people exchanges have been impacted severely. But over the past year, we have noticed that some Australian senior officials, including the prime minister, send some signals of hope for dialogue. But at the same time they have been taking actions that have continually hampered China-Australia relations.

Canberra is still stressing that Beijing is to blame for the breakdown of China-Australia relations. On the one hand, Morrison said he is open to talks with Beijing, on the other, he emphasized that he refuses to cede any ground over "Chinese grievances" with Australia in return for restarting diplomatic dialogues. However, the fact is Australia is the culprit for the broken bilateral ties.

Australia was the first country to ban Chinese high-tech company Huawei from the 5G rollout using security as an excuse. It followed the US to declare China's South China Sea claims "illegal," and took the lead to call for an independent investigation into the origins of COVID-19. These hostile actions toward China have won Australia a label as the vanguard for the US' anti-China campaign.

A long-time diplomatic dilemma facing Australia was how to strike a balance between China, its largest trading partner, and the US, its security ally. But now, Australia regards China's rise its biggest diplomatic challenge. Its diplomatic focus has shifted from maintaining a balance between Beijing and Washington to working far more closely with the US to totally contain China.

Australia's domestic conservative politics have exacerbated the country's hostility toward China. Flourishing right-wing conservative forces, growing domestic populism, and white supremacy have given rise to opportunism in Australian politics. For anti-China politicians, hyping up the "China threat" theory easily attracts public attention. Under such an unhealthy atmosphere, Australia's attitude toward China has deteriorated sharply.

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/12739329 (280500ZJAN21) Notable: Claims of "Catholic conspiracy" partly behind The Age newspaper's decision to publish story about Cardinal George Pell's child sexual abuse conviction, MISSING MEDIA/FILES: The_Age_s_former_editor_has_defended_a_decision_to_publish_a_story_about_George_Pell_s_abuse_trial.jpg

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'Conspiracy' claim in Pell contempt case

Karen Sweeney - JANUARY 28 2021

Claims of a "Catholic conspiracy" were partly behind a Melbourne newspaper's decision to publish a story about Cardinal George Pell's child sexual abuse conviction, a court has heard.

The Age newspaper, journalists and editors are facing contempt charges over articles published after Cardinal Pell's now-overturned conviction in December 2018, over alleged breaches of suppression orders.

Australian media were banned from reporting the verdict in the case until February 2019 because Cardinal Pell, who has since returned to Rome, was due to face a second trial.

The Age's then-editor Alex Lavelle, who left the job last year, was called to give evidence in a contempt trial in Victoria's Supreme Court on Thursday.

He defended his decision to publish a story which did not name Cardinal Pell, but made references to the court order prohibiting publication of a story about a "high profile" Australian who had been convicted of unnamed offences.

Lavelle said the decision was in part sparked by readers contacting the paper and reporters questioning why the story was not being run.

The story was published internationally and gained widespread attention on social media.

Among the suggestions was that The Age was choosing not to publish because it was part of a "Catholic conspiracy" to cover up the conviction, the trial before Justice John Dixon heard.

Lavelle said he originally considered running a story on the day of the verdict, but ultimately decided to wait until the news had broken elsewhere.

"My opinion at the time was the news would be published somewhere or spoken about somewhere or leaked out on social media," he said.

That happened overnight and the story was published on December 12.

"It became apparent that it was worth exploring whether we could prepare a story that wasn't going to break any law - suppression or contempt - that would tell the readers why we weren't able to run this story."

Lavelle told the court in his 25-year career as a journalist he had never faced charges for contempt or breaching a suppression order, and that the had a "very low" appetite for taking those sorts of risks.

Ahead of publication he referred to the story in internal emails as "controversial", a remark which he explained on Thursday.

"This was potentially an unprecedented situation where there was a suppression order in place but it was a feeling that the news of the trial would leak out," he said.

The case, which began in April 2019, is continuing.

https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/7103780/conspiracy-claim-in-pell-contempt-case/

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/12739668 (280531ZJAN21) Notable: Dassi Erlich Tweet: Leifer has arrived in Melbourne., MISSING MEDIA/FILES: DE_66.jpg

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>>182224

Dassi Erlich Tweet

Leifer has arrived in Melbourne.

https://twitter.com/dassi_erlich/status/1354368033926516736

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/12739732 (280538ZJAN21) Notable: Adass Israel School defends response to Leifer fallout, MISSING MEDIA/FILES: Malka_Leifer_has_faced_a_Victorian_court_for_the_first_time_on_charges_of_child_sexual_abuse.jpg

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>>182247

Adass defends response to Leifer fallout

Adass Israel School has defended its response to allegations made against former principal Malka Leifer, now charged with child sexual abuse.

Leifer faced Melbourne Magistrates Court via video link on Thursday after landing back on Australian soil 13 years on from allegedly fleeing to Israel.

She did not apply for bail and is due to face court again, also via video link, on April 9 for a committal mention. She has previously denied all allegations.

Leifer, escorted by Victoria Police, completed the final leg of her extradition from Israel on Wednesday night.

She touched down at Melbourne airport aboard a commercial flight from Singapore at 8.44pm and was taken into 14-day quarantine.

Adass principal and chief executive officer Aaron Strasser defended the school's response to allegations originally made against Leifer in 2008 in a staff letter this week, seen by AAP.

Mr Strasser said Adass reached out to former students in Australia, Israel and the US and organised an evening in each locale with a mental health professional.

He also recognised Leifer's presence in Australia "may evoke a range of reactions" for the school community, with further support being offered to former students and parents.

"We want to assure you that Adass Israel School fully supports the legal process in place and will do all that is requested by authorities to assist in the processing of this case," Mr Strasser said in the letter.

Adass president Benjamin Koppel said student safety and wellbeing was the school's highest priority and responsibility.

"We have zero tolerance for abuse of any kind," Mr Koppel said in a statement to AAP on Thursday.

"While this case is currently before the courts, we are unable to comment specifically on the allegations or the details of the case at hand."

Wednesday's flight was the final leg of Leifer's extradition, long-awaited by Dassi Erlich, Nicole Meyer and Elly Sapper, who filed police reports in 2011 after she allegedly abused them.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews on Thursday said the three sisters and former Adass students had shown a "dignity and courage" that was "quite amazing".

He said he had sent a text of best wishes to the sisters on Thursday morning.

Mr Andrews also said he was confident Corrections Victoria had a system in place to ensure Leifer does not pose a public health risk.

Australia's Attorney-General Christian Porter noted Leifer's arrival marked the end of a long and complicated legal battle.

It began with her boarding a Frankfurt-bound plane at Tel Aviv on Monday, just hours before the closure of Israel's airports due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Pictures published by local media showed Leifer about to board the flight wearing handcuffs and legcuffs.

Israel's Supreme Court approved her extradition order in December and Justice Minister Avi Nissenkorn approved the order the following day.

Leifer's final failed appeal followed 74 hearings in Israeli courts, which were drawn out on the basis of her claims of mental illness.

After fleeing Australia in 2008, she was first arrested in Israel in 2014 only to be freed from house arrest on the condition she undertook psychiatric assessments.

An independent undercover investigation proved Leifer was feigning mental illness and she was re-arrested in 2018.

https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/7102971/adass-defends-response-to-leifer-fallout/

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/12759610 (292232ZJAN21) Notable: We won’t bail out sex case principal Malka Leifer: Adass community, MISSING MEDIA/FILES: Malka_Leifer_at_the_North_Melbourne_Police_Station_on_Thursday.jpg

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>>182247

We won’t bail out sex case principal Malka Leifer: Adass community

One of the most senior figures in Melbourne’s Adass community has denied funding the legal ­defence of accused pedophile Malka Leifer, as calls mount for the ultra-Orthodox school to ­explain its role in her escape from Australia 13 years ago.

President of the Adass Israel Congregation and Adass Israel school board member Benjamin Koppel told The Weekend Australian on Friday that the ultra-orthodox community was “definitely not” paying the former principal’s legal fees.

“Never had, never will,” he said.

Ms Leifer faced Melbourne Magistrates Court on Thursday, charged with more than 70 counts of sexual abuse, 11 of them rape. She did not apply for bail.

The former Adass principal is represented by high-price ­defence barrister Tony Hargreaves, who did not return The Weekend Australian’s calls on Friday.

Her arrival in Australia on Wednesday night represented a win for her accusers — sisters Dassi Erlich, Nicole Meyer and Elly Sapper — who fought a decade-long battle for her to be extradited from Israel.

Abuse survivor advocate Manny Waks said the reality of the extradition had taken days to sink in but the Adass Israel School still had questions to answer over its role in Ms Leifer’s late-night escape from Australia in 2008.

“There is also the Adass Israel leadership, who have steadfastly refused to publicly apologise for their part, for their role in facilitating Malka Leifer’s escape from justice,” he said from Israel.

“If they had done the right thing and gone to the police when the allegations surfaced in 2008, we would not be where we are today.

“Those sisters would not have had to be re-traumatised by going through an entire extradition process.”

The 54-year-old principal fled Melbourne with four of her eight children hours after a crisis meeting of school board representatives agreed to pay her airfare to Israel knowing of complaints that she had sexually abused nine girls. The allegations were not reported to police.

Victorian Supreme Court judge Jack Rush found in a scathing 2015 civil trial judgment that the Adass Israel School board had sought to cover up her alleged wrongdoing, finding its conduct demonstrated “a complete disregard” for Ms Leifer’s alleged victims and a “disdain for due process of criminal investigation”.

A spokesman for Adass declined to comment as the matter was before the courts, referring to a previous statement that said they were fully supportive of the legal processes in place.

Mount Scopus Memorial College rabbi James Kennard has long supported the sisters and said he believed questions lingered over Ms Leifer’s exit from Australia.

“I think there are questions that must be answered around how and why she was allowed to leave in the way that she left and, yes, there are questions the school must answer,” he said.

Ms Leifer fought against returning to Australian after the government applied for her extradition in 2014. She was declared mentally unfit to face trial in 2016 but was captured on video by private investigators living a normal life in 2017.

Ms Leifer will appear via video link at Melbourne Magistrates Court on April 9 for a committal mention, where she is expected to enter a plea.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/we-wont-bail-out-sex-case-principal-malka-leifer-adass-community/news-story/6dd3795083363ef9a835c01ed423b816

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/12759698 (292245ZJAN21) Notable: Afghan henchman ‘used ADF troops’, says Dutch journalist Bette Dam, MISSING MEDIA/FILES: Oruzgan_s_former_police_commander_and_a_local_strongman_Matiullah_Khan.jpg

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Afghan henchman ‘used ADF troops’, says Dutch journalist

AMANDA HODGE - JANUARY 29, 2021

The Australian military’s heavy reliance for its intelligence in ­Afghanistan on a notorious strongman led to “unnecessary killings” that should be scrutinised in a broader review that goes beyond the scope of the Brereton ­inquiry, a former Afghanistan-based investigative journalist says.

Dutch academic Bette Dam, a veteran Afghan war correspondent and author, says while the Brereton report last November focused on the actions of “rogue special forces soldiers”, the Australian Defence Force went into Oruzgan not understanding the complex tribal rivalries that led some leaders to denounce others as Taliban.

“By elevating strongmen with vested interests, their intelligence was compromised from the start,” she writes in The Weekend Australian. “They (ADF) allowed themselves to be used by local ­allies, who competed with each other for Western military resources to empower themselves as tribal leaders. Some then used those resources to target their rivals.”

The man responsible for much of the false intelligence was ­Matiullah Khan, Oruzgan’s police commander and a local strongman who — thanks to international intervention — became a powerful and wealthy political player.

“Anyone not with him was an enemy, and he labelled all his ­enemies Taliban,” Ms Dam says of the former strongman who was assassinated 15 months after Australian troops pulled out of Oruzgan in December 2013.

“This dangerous man — ­notorious for having tied a man with rope to the back of a car and dragging him around until he died — was ingrained in local deals and local rivalries.

‘‘He was the nephew and henchman of the former governor. And he was Australia’s main ally in Oruzgan.”

Despite his notoriety, Khan is not mentioned in the Brereton ­report, which probed alleged war crimes by the Special Air Service, specifically the murders of 39 non-combatants in ­Afghanistan whose deaths were filed under “Taliban” in field reports.

Yet he was considered a key ally of the ADF during its time in Oruzgan, as his dead uncle and ­former Oruzgan governor Jan Mohammad had been of American forces.

Ms Dam, who teaches at the prestigious Sciences Po in Paris, says, both men routinely directed Australian and US forces against their rivals — not the Taliban but tribesmen from ­Barakzai and Achekzai, Hotak and Tokhi.

“Today, those leaders are Taliban and their areas are Taliban strongholds,” she says.

Australian soldiers were not the only ones accused of failing to verify intelligence received from local sources in Afghanistan before acting on it with often deadly force.

In May 2009, Australian-born lawyer and UN special rapporteur Philip Alston wrote that international troops were frequently failing to crosscheck ­information, and that he had been told by many Afghan government officials that false tips had often led to the killing of innocent civilians in targeted night raids.

Counter-intelligence was not listened to, as Justice Paul Brereton also noted in his report. ­Afghans who complained were discharged as unreliable.

“Most Australian soldiers, no doubt, believed they were killing diehard Taliban”, and not tribesmen who had been antagonised by the sitting Afghan government and the US,’’ Ms Dam says.

She admits the media was also often blinded by the “master narrative” of the war on terror.

She cites mass reporting of the “first Taliban attack on a UN convoy” in 2007, which turned out to be a false-flag attack organised by a local ally, Asadullah Khalid, to prevent the destruction of his poppy fields.

Khalid is now Afghanistan’s Defence Minister.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/defence/afghan-henchman-used-adf-troops-says-dutch-journalist/news-story/dc752c0becc00b5b397cd3bc4d775285

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/12759711 (292247ZJAN21) Notable: How flawed information created a ‘Taliban’ threat - Bette Dam - theaustralian.com.au, MISSING MEDIA/FILES: Oruzgan_Chief_of_Police_Brigadier_General_Matiullah_Khan_greets_Commander_Joint_Task_Force_633_Major_General_Craig_Orme.jpg

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>>182253

How flawed information created a ‘Taliban’ threat

BETTE DAM - JANUARY 30, 2021

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When is a Taliban not a Taliban? In Oruzgan, where Australian troops served from 2006 to 2013, it was when false intelligence led to avoidable killings.

Australia is investigating alleged war crimes by the Special Air Service, specifically the murders of 39 clear non-combatants in Afghanistan whose deaths were filed under “Taliban” in field reports that too often went unchecked.

The crimes the Brereton inquiry discovered deserve the full glare of legal scrutiny. But a broader review of Australian operations is also warranted because the Australian Defence Force’s reliance on dubious intelligence sources in Oruzgan led to unnecessary killings too.

The Australians were often informed by local allies with vested interests. Counter-intelligence was not listened to, as Justice Paul Brereton also noted in his report. Afghans who complained were discharged as unreliable.

The man responsible for much of this false intelligence was Matiullah Khan, Oruzgan’s police commander and a local strongman who — thanks to international intervention — became a powerful and wealthy political player.

Anyone not with him was an enemy, and he labelled all his enemies Taliban.

This dangerous man — notorious for having tied a man with rope to the back of a car and dragging him around until he died — was ingrained in local deals and local rivalries. He was the nephew and henchman of the former governor.

And he was Australia’s main ally in Oruzgan.

Brereton doesn’t mention this cruel right arm of the special forces in his report, but to understand where the ADF mission veered from the on-the-ground realities in what became Australia’s longest war, it helps to put his role in the larger context of the war.

The US special forces were the first to arrive in Oruzgan after 9/11 and they backed the local governor, Matiullah’s uncle Jan Mohammad Khan, who used his time in power to install allies from his Popalzai tribe in positions across the province’s 10 districts.

The US assumed, since it was paying for these men’s loyalty, that they shared the same ideology: to kill the terrorists or Taliban.

But was that so?

Australian diplomat Fred Smith, who spent several years working in Oruzgan, wrote in his book The Dust of Oruzgan of a conversation with two so-called local “Taliban” who explained to him that “there was no Taliban in the area in 2002”.

In those early years “everyone wanted to join the government”, one of the men recounted. “We even gave up our weapons. But then the government turned people into Taliban. In the second year of Jan Mohammad Khan, my nephew was killed by a police commander.”

That didn’t only happen in Oruzgan. It is still not widely understood that in the first years after 9/11 most of the Afghan Taliban — including their leadership — had left the battlefield and were looking to surrender.

This potential end to the war was ignored by the US, which viewed al-Qa’ida and the Taliban as similar threats, and the storyline was soon dropped by the media. Instead of using diplomacy to set-up an inclusive government, the US and its allies sent troops.

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Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/12760280 (292347ZJAN21) Notable: ‘She took them into her home’: Leifer chaplain knew alleged victims, MISSING MEDIA/FILES: Alleged_paedophile_Malka_Leifer_returned_to_Melbourne_on_Wednesday_after_13_years.jpg, Ms_Leifer_s_alleged_victims_Sisters_Elly_Sapper_Dassi_Erlich_and_Nicole_Meyer.jpg

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>>182247

‘She took them into her home’: Leifer chaplain knew alleged victims

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A woman appointed by the Victorian government to provide religious counselling to accused paedophile Malka Leifer while she is in custody has been removed after it was revealed she knew two of Ms Leifer’s alleged victims.

Sources close to the alleged victims have told The Age that the chaplain, Shani Aron, has been stood aside by Corrections Victoria following complaints from members of the Jewish community over a perceived conflict of interest.

The revelations raise serious questions over how Corrections Victoria’s vetting process allowed Ms Aron, a member of the ultra-orthodox Yeshivah community, to take on the role, which would have involved regular meetings with Ms Leifer in prison.

Ms Leifer fled Australia in 2008 after sisters Elly Sapper, Dassi Erlich and Nicole Meyer accused their then teacher of sexually abusing them at the ultra-orthodox Adass Israel school between 2004 and 2008.

The Age can now reveal that Ms Aron’s husband, Raphael Aron, offered two of the alleged victims counselling services in the years after Ms Leifer allegedly sexually assaulted them.

After the regular counselling sessions, the girls would join the Aron family for dinner.

“Shani took these girls into her home,” said one source close to the victims, but who asked not to be named.

“They were distraught and felt betrayed by Shani; they had a close relationship.”

Following 13 years of campaigning, Ms Leifer was extradited from Israel this week, landed in Melbourne on Wednesday evening and faced court on Thursday on 74 charges including rape, indecent assault, sexual penetration of a child and committing an indecent act with a child.

Ms Leifer, who has long maintained she is innocent, did not apply for bail and will remain in custody until her next court appearance on April 9.

Like every prisoner in Victoria, Ms Leifer is entitled to chaplaincy support while in custody.

Ms Aron was this week approved via Corrections Victoria and the Jewish Prison Chaplaincy Victoria, a government-funded charity, to be Ms Leifer’s chaplain.

Members of Melbourne’s Jewish community voiced concerns that Jewish Prison Chaplaincy Victoria is led by Benjamin Koppel, the president of the Adass community that Ms Leifer was a part of when she fled Australia in 2008.

In response to questions on Wednesday a spokeswoman for Corrections Victoria, a government department, said it had “clear policies” that prevented conflicts of interest for chaplains.

“Any suggestion that Corrections Victoria does not undertake due diligence in relation to these services is refuted in the strongest terms,” the spokeswoman said on Wednesday.

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Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/12760466 (300007ZJAN21) Notable: Video: Some QAnon Supporters Checked By Reality Seek A Way Out - David Klepper - huffpost.com, MISSING MEDIA/FILES: Some_QAnon_Supporters_Checked_By_Reality_Seek_A_Way_Out.mp4

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Some QAnon Supporters Checked By Reality Seek A Way Out

“Hi my name is Joe,” one man wrote on a Q recovery channel in Telegram. “And I’m a recovering QAnoner.”

David Klepper - 01/28/2021

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PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Ceally Smith spent a year down the rabbit hole of QAnon, devoting more and more time to researching and discussing the conspiracy theory online. Eventually it consumed her, and she wanted out.

She broke up with the boyfriend who recruited her into the movement, took six months off social media, and turned to therapy and yoga.

“I was like: I can’t live this way. I’m a single mom, working, going to school and doing the best for my children,” said Smith, 32, of Kansas City, Missouri. “I personally didn’t have the bandwidth to do this and show up for my children. Even if it was all true, I just couldn’t do it anymore.”

More than a week after Donald Trump departed the White House, shattering their hopes that he would expose the worldwide cabal, some QAnon adherents have concocted ever more elaborate stories to keep their faith alive. But others like Smith are turning to therapy and online support groups to talk about the damage done when beliefs collide with reality.

The QAnon conspiracy theory emerged on fringe internet message boards in 2017. At root, the movement claims Trump is waging a secret battle against the “deep state” and a sect of powerful devil-worshipping pedophiles who dominate Hollywood, big business, the media and government.

It is named after Q, an anonymous poster who believers claim has top-secret government clearance and whose posts are taken as predictions about “the plan” and the coming “storm” and “great awakening” in which evil will be defeated.

It’s not clear exactly how many people believe some or all of the narrative, but backers of the movement were vocal in their support for Trump and helped fuel the insurrectionists who overran the U.S. Capitol this month. QAnon is also growing in popularity overseas.

Former believers interviewed by The Associated Press liken the process of leaving QAnon to kicking a drug addiction. QAnon, they say, offers simple explanations for a complicated world and creates an online community that provides escape and even friendship.

Smith’s then-boyfriend introduced her to QAnon. It was all he could talk about, she said. At first she was skeptical, but she became convinced after the death of financier Jeffrey Epstein while in federal custody facing pedophilia charges. Officials debunked theories that he was murdered, but to Smith and other QAnon supporters, his suicide while facing child sex charges was too much to accept.

Soon, Smith was spending more time on fringe websites and on social media, reading and posting about the conspiracy theory. She said she fell for QAnon content that presented no evidence, no counter arguments, and yet was all too convincing.

“We as a society need to start teaching our kids to ask: Where is this information coming from? Can I trust it?” she said. “Anyone can cut and paste anything.”

After a year, Smith wanted out, suffocated by dark prophesies that were taking up more and more of her time, leaving her terrified.

Her then-boyfriend saw her decision to move on from QAnon as a betrayal. She said she no longer believes in the theory, and wanted to share her story in the hopes it would help others.

“I was one of those people too,” she said of QAnon and its grip. “I came out on the other end because I wanted to feel better.”

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