/qnotables21/ - ===Q Notables 2021===

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/14997607 (141846ZNOV21) Notable: Australia urged to back Taiwan in China brawl - Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Joseph Wu has conceded the territory may need military support in the event of a conflict with China, MISSING MEDIA/FILES: Taiwanese_Foreign_Minister_Joseph_Wu_says_that_in_the_event_of_conflict_with_China_any_kind_of_help_is_going_to_be_treasured_.jpg

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>>130028

>>130035

Australia urged to back Taiwan in China brawl

JOE KELLY - NOVEMBER 14, 2021

Taiwan’s Foreign Minister has conceded the territory may need military support in the event of a conflict with China and argued that Beijing had been planning “an invasion of Taiwan for a longtime”.

Joseph Wu said that Taipei would never ask Australia, or any country, to “come to war for Taiwan” because “defending Taiwan is our responsibility”. However, he conceded that “any kind of help is going to be treasured” and urged Australia to speak out in defence of Taiwan and uphold the “importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait”.

Asked if Taiwan would need help if war erupted, he replied: “We might.”

The comments were made in an interview with Sky News host Peter Stefanovic for the two-part China Rising program to be aired this Tuesday and Wednesday, with Mr Wu saying that Beijing’s expansionism meant the future of democracy was “going to be in danger”.

“If Taiwan unfortunately has to be taken by the Chinese government, I think the Chinese government will continue to advance,” he said. “I think no one can be immune from the Chinese threat or pressure. And therefore, it is very important for the like-minded partners of the international community to come together, to support each other.”

The program will air just days after Defence Minister Peter Dutton told The Weekend Australian it was “inconceivable” that Australia, as an alliance partner of the US, would not join in a military action if America committed forces to defend the territory against a Chinese ­invasion.

“It would be inconceivable that we wouldn’t support the US in an action (in Taiwan) if the US chose to take that action,” Mr Dutton said. “And, again, I think we should be very frank and honest about that, look at all of the facts and circumstances without pre-committing, and maybe there are circumstances where we wouldn’t take up that option, (but) I can’t conceive of those ­circumstances.”

The comments from Mr Dutton drew a fierce rebuke from the editor-in-chief of China’s Global Times, Hu Xijin, who tweeted that Beijing would retaliate against Australia and attack its military facilities if Canberra involved itself in a war over Taiwan.

“If Australian troops come to fight in the Taiwan Straits, it is unimaginable that China won’t carry out a heavy attack on them and the Australian military facilities that support them,” he said. “So Australia (had) better be prepared to sacrifice for Taiwan ­island and the US.”

The discussion over the fate of Taiwan also comes ahead of a virtual summit between Joe Biden and Xi Jinping after the US President last month appeared to break with the long standing policy of American strategic ambiguity over the Taiwan Strait in a CNN hosted forum.

Responding to a question about whether America would come to Taiwan’s defence if attacked by China, Mr Biden said: “Yes. We have that commitment.” The White House later clarified there had been no change in policy.

Former prime minister Paul Keating told the National Press Club in Canberra last week that Taiwan was “not a vital Australian interest”. He said it was not recognised as “a sovereign state” and Australia should not be drawn into a conflict over the ­island.

But Mr Wu said that, while Australia and Taiwan had no formal diplomatic relations, “we have been able to speak with each other on all kinds of issues”.

“You have a representative office over here in Taiwan and we treat it like a real embassy,” he said. “And the representative from Australia is being regarded as the de facto ambassador over here and she has been recognised.

“We also have an office in Canberra and our office has also been recognised and respected ... And I would like to say that is because we share the same interest, and we share the same values.”

Mr Wu also sounded the alarm on Chinese aggression after Beijing last month made a record number of air incursions near the island territory. He said Taiwan believed the Chinese government had been “planning for an invasion of Taiwan for a long time”.

“They also conducted endless cyber-attacks against Taiwan and ... set up their proxies domestically here,” Mr Wu said.

He said Taipei was developing its ability to wage asymmetric warfare so that “China understands that they won’t be able to take Taiwan over ... in a very short period.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/australia-urged-to-back-taiwan-in-china-brawl/news-story/cb01f3f4ba107a01233e1c533b917532

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/15001898 (150705ZNOV21) Notable: Video: China Rising: Preview to the Sky News Australia documentary - Sky News Australia

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>>130042

China Rising: Preview to the Sky News Australia documentary

Sky News Australia

Nov 15, 2021

Ever since Xi Jinping became China's President, the regime has become more authoritarian.

Every week it seems one step closer to war – not just through heated rhetoric – but through its actions as well.

Part one of Sky News Australia's investigation, China Rising, airs on Tuesday at 8pm AEDT.

It will feature Defence Minister Peter Dutton explaining what would happen if President Xi moved to reunify Taiwan with Greater China.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wo1LIMYY92U

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/15001949 (150722ZNOV21) Notable: Australian nuclear subs can arrive much earlier than 2040, retired US Admiral Harry Harris says, MISSING MEDIA/FILES: Retired_US_admiral_and_ambassador_Harry_Harris_argues_Australia_should_be_able_to_obtain_nuclear_submarines_earlier_than_2040.jpg

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>>130035

Nuclear subs can arrive much earlier than 2040, US ex-commander says

Andrew Tillett - Nov 15, 2021

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Australia should be able to acquire nuclear submarines much earlier than a mooted 2040 delivery date, easing fears of a capability gap, according to a former top US military commander with responsibility for the Indo-Pacific.

In an interview with The Australian Financial Review, retired admiral Harry Harris said the AUKUS agreement the Morrison government struck with the United States and United Kingdom to access nuclear technology “changes the regional balance” amid growing alarm over China.

Mr Harris, a former ambassador to South Korea, also said China’s actions against Australia and other countries had backfired and shown the communist regime was its own worst enemy.

In the latest round of bellicose rhetoric from Chinese state-run media, the editor-in-chief of The Global Times, Hu Xijin, declared it was “unimaginable” that China would not carry out a heavy attack on Australian troops and military facilities if they joined the defence of Taiwan.

Mr Hu was responding to Defence Minister Peter Dutton’s statement in a weekend newspaper interview that it was “inconceivable” Australia would not join US forces if America committed troops to defending Taiwan.

Former prime minister Paul Keating told the National Press Club last week Taiwan was not a vital Australian interest and likened the AUKUS deal to “throwing toothpicks at a mountain”.

But Mr Harris, who will speak at the UBS Australasia conference on Tuesday, said nuclear submarines would be a crucial part of Australia’s national security “backbone” and military projection.

‘Your interests are global’

“It’s a significant capability that changes the regional balance,” said Mr Harris, who headed the US Pacific Command between 2015 and 2018.

“Australia is the country that straddles the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. Australia’s history and your global reach lends itself well to the notion of a nuclear submarine force.

“Your interests are not limited to the range of the Collins class submarines. Your interests are global, and your nuclear submarine force would give you the security backbone to make that global reach a reality.”

To avoid a capability gap, the government will extend the lives of the ageing six Collins class submarines by another 10 years, expecting the first of the nuclear-powered submarines to be delivered by 2039.

But there are growing fears among strategists and defence industry that a gap will emerge anyway should delays hit the nuclear submarine program.

Mr Harris said it should be possible to deliver submarines sooner than that, despite Australia’s lack of nuclear expertise.

“If the three countries involved here – the United States, Great Britain and Australia – put our hearts and minds and resources to the problem set, then I think it can happen a lot faster than 20 years,” he said.

“We put a man on the moon in eight years, and we developed a vaccine for COVID in one year. To put a nuclear submarine in the water flying Australian colours is not an insurmountable task in the far future, if we put our mind to it.”

Mr Harris said it was not as if Australia was starting with a completely blank piece of paper when it came to submarine warfare. The Collins class was already a strong submarine and Australian officers and crew were highly skilled.

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/15002062 (150803ZNOV21) Notable: George Papadopoulos Tweet: Do not be surprised if the intel community burns all their assets used (Downer, Mifsud, Steele, Halper, Turk) in the Russia collusion trap because they understand what Trump and his team knew all along, as did Kissinger, you will need to cooperate with Russia to contain China, MISSING MEDIA/FILES: GP_304.jpg

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George Papadopoulos Tweet

Do not be surprised if the intel community burns all their assets used (Downer, Mifsud, Steele, Halper, Turk) in the Russia collusion trap because they understand what Trump and his team knew all along, as did Kissinger, you will need to cooperate with Russia to contain China

https://twitter.com/GeorgePapa19/status/1459973889602174978

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/15010021 (160701ZNOV21) Notable: Victorian government agrees to changes to proposed pandemic bill as protests continue, MISSING MEDIA/FILES: Victorian_Premier_Daniel_Andrews_has_defended_his_government_s_proposed_pandemic_laws.jpg, Demonstrators_have_vowed_to_maintain_a_presence_at_state_parliament_as_the_pandemic_bill_is_debated.jpg

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>>130009

Victorian government agrees to changes to proposed pandemic bill as protests continue

abc.net.au - 16 November 2021

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The Victorian government has agreed to make significant amendments to its pandemic bill after discussions with crossbenchers following weeks of criticism.

The proposed laws are designed to replace the State of Emergency, which has been used during this pandemic, but had to be regularly renewed.

The Victorian government has said the proposed legislation will create "purpose-built" laws for a pandemic which are no broader than other states and territories.

Overnight, crossbenchers said the government had agreed to several amendments, including:

• Significant reductions in fines for breaching public health orders

• A stronger threshold for declaring a pandemic

• Strengthened human rights protections

• The right to protest to be enshrined in regulations

• Guaranteed resourcing for an independent oversight committee

• Faster publication and tabling of public health advice and orders

• Stronger powers for parliament's Scrutiny of Acts and Regulations Committee

However Victorian Opposition Leader Matthew Guy has described the proposed laws as "an incredible attack on democracy" and protesters have railed against the bill, which is being debated in Victoria's upper house.

Premier Daniel Andrews defended the bill this morning amid criticism it gave the government of the day unprecedented powers with insufficient oversight.

"The bill is filled with safeguards, oversight mechanisms, that far exceed any other state I think, perhaps any other country, " he said.

"I'm hopeful that at the end of the week the Legislative Council will see fit to support the bill."

Victoria's Ombudsman, Deborah Glass, said the proposed oversight committee lacked independence.

"There is no effective scrutiny I think, and certainly timely scrutiny of those powers," she said.

"It does seem unlikely that a parliamentary committee that is effectively controlled by the government of the day is going to act against the wishes of the government of the day."

Victorian Bar president Róisín Annesley QC said the amendments did not go far enough to protect the rule of law.

"The proposed amendments largely address low priority issues and not the most fundamental problems with the bill," she said.

"The major issues include the lack of effective parliamentary control over the minister's pandemic orders and the lack of provision for an independent review of authorised officers exercise of power."

However, Animal Justice Party MP and crossbencher Andy Meddick said the pandemic was not over and the laws were needed to protect the community.

"These changes will ensure Victoria has the most transparent and accountable pandemic management framework in the country," Mr Meddick said.

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/15010034 (160708ZNOV21) Notable: Google launches $1bn investment project in Australia as Morrison talks up government commitment, MISSING MEDIA/FILES: Google_CEO_Sundar_Pichai_announces_the_company_s_1bn_investment_in_Australian_technology_research_on_a_video_feed_as_Australian_PM_Scott_Morrison_left_front_watches_on_at_Google_s_launch_event.jpg, Prime_Minister_Scott_Morrison_poses_with_a_Sherrin_AFL_football_at_Google_s_launch_event.jpg

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Google launches $1bn investment project in Australia as Morrison talks up government commitment

CHRIS GRIFFITH - NOVEMBER 16, 2021

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Google has launched a $1bn investment project in Australia at an event attended by Prime Minister Scott Morrison who spoke of the government’s commitment to technology.

The launch on Tuesday represents a thawing of relations between the government and the tech giant, which has crossed swords with regulators and threatened to withdraw its search engine from Australia when faced with calls to pay for news stories referenced on Google sites.

The event in contrast was upbeat. Speaking on a video link from the US, Alphabet and Google chief executive Sundar Pichai announced Google’s Digital Future Investment program, cited as its biggest investment in Australia yet with the $1bn program to span five years.

Google will join forces with science agency CSIRO and Australian universities to fund projects of national interest, such as the reduction of the Crown of Thorns star fish at the Great Barrier Reef, with an emphasis on the use of cloud computing and artificial intelligence.

The investment does not include any government money.

Google additionally will build a research hub to be located at its Pyrmont, Sydney headquarters. Google Australia managing director Mel Silva said the hub could create up to 28,000 jobs according to an economic analysis it had commissioned.

“We’re looking particularly at hiring our research team who will be based here, and that will be researchers as well as engineers,” she said.

“We’re also looking at building digital infrastructure, which of course spans many, many different industries, and again, through the partnerships, looking at the ways that they will solve big challenges, so lots of different jobs in many categories.”

Launching the event, Mr Pichai cited aims for the investment program. It would help the development of Australia’s digital infrastructure focused on cloud computing. There was the research hub and the opportunity it offers to local technology talent. There was the potential for working with Australian agencies to solve Australian and global challenges, including with CSIRO on energy. There was the collaboration with Macquarie University on quantum computing.

Mr Pichai said the partnership had “immense potential”.

“Australia’s long tradition of innovation can grow and we look forward to working together as Australia builds that future and we can be part of it,” he said.

Mr Morrison said Google’s investment was a “$1bn vote of confidence I believe in Australia’s economy”.

“Whether it’s realising the challenge of digital technology or indeed achieving what is needed to be achieved with low emissions energy into the future, private capital investment, entrepreneurship, collaborating with the world’s best scientists and researchers, innovators that’s what’s the solves the problems, not taxes and regulation,” he said.

“So leadership in digital capability, skills, digital literacy, research, cybersecurity, safety, emerging technologies and AI, and developing industry partnerships with digital leaders such as Google that’s what our digital strategy is all about.

“It is estimated that technology is our third biggest sector, after mining and financial services puts it in some perspective, and this sector is growing four times faster than the rest of our economy. “We’re building an ecosystem that invests in the digital literacy skills of our workforce, that grows our R & D investment, is a magnet for engineers and scientists and technologists, and removes the barriers to innovate behind.

“Sundar and I have talked many, many times, about my desire for Australia to be front and centre in the changes that are occurring, and I genuinely appreciate what they are making here in Australia over the next five years.”

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/15010083 (160736ZNOV21) Notable: Ghislaine Maxwell appears relaxed in pre-trial court appearance - New York court considers jury selection arrangements for trial of British socialite on sex trafficking charges, MISSING MEDIA/FILES: Ghislaine_Maxwell_the_Jeffrey_Epstein_associate_accused_of_sex_trafficking_appears_in_court_with_her_defense_team_during_a_pre_trial_hearing_in_New_York_City.jpg

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>>130038

Ghislaine Maxwell appears relaxed in pre-trial court appearance

New York court considers jury selection arrangements for trial of British socialite on sex trafficking charges linked to Jeffrey Epstein

Victoria Bekiempis - 16 Nov 2021

Less than 24 hours before Ghislaine Maxwell will be in a courtroom with prospective jurors who will decide her fate in a Manhattan federal court sex trafficking case, the former British socialite appeared notably at ease during a proceeding on Monday morning.

One woman, who identified herself as a family member to a court security officer, waved at Maxwell shortly before proceedings started. She carried a yellow legal pad and scribbled notes throughout the proceeding.

Maxwell, her lawyers and prosecutors were appearing before Judge Alison Nathan to discuss the logistics of questioning potential jurors.

Of the roughly 600 people who completed questionnaires earlier this month, Nathan said that Maxwell’s lawyers and prosecutors agreed on 231 who should be called back for further questioning. “I believe that’s a sufficient number,” Nathan said.

Nathan also said she hoped that they would question 50 possible panelists a day, divided into morning and afternoon sessions. Virtually all questioning of potential jurors will be public, Nathan has said.

Maxwell, an alleged accomplice in the late, disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking of minor teens, appeared in good spirits when the proceeding ended around 10.30am, laughing as she spoke with her attorneys. Several of her lawyers rubbed her shoulders supportively.

Maxwell sported a black turtleneck and gray slacks as she was escorted into courtroom 518 of the Thurgood Marshall US courthouse about 9.40am – the first time she has appeared in court wearing something other than shapeless jail scrubs.

She wore black boot-like shoes rather than institutional slip-ons that appeared on her feet at prior court proceedings. She was neither handcuffed nor shackled, and carried a Poland Spring water bottle just like countless others do as they move around New York City.

Epstein was arrested in July 2019 for sex trafficking of minor teens; he killed himself in jail while awaiting trial. Maxwell was arrested one year after Epstein’s arrest – for her alleged role in procuring teenage girls for him between 1994 and 2004.

Audrey Strauss, acting Manhattan US attorney at the time, stated that Maxwell “played a critical role in helping Epstein to identify, befriend and groom minor victims” and that “in some cases, Maxwell participated in the abuse”.

Maxwell maintains that she is innocent. Opening arguments in Maxwell’s trial are expected to take place on 29 November. If convicted, Maxwell faces up to 80 years in federal prison.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/nov/15/ghislaine-maxwell-pre-trial-court-appearance

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/15010088 (160739ZNOV21) Notable: Video: Ghislaine Maxwell's brothers say their sister is innocent of sex trafficking charges - ITV News

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>>130038

Ghislaine Maxwell's brothers say their sister is innocent of sex trafficking charges | ITV News

ITV News

Nov 15, 2021

Two brothers of Ghislaine Maxwell, Jeffrey Epstein's former girlfriend, have spoken out to say they believe their sister is innocent of her sex trafficking charges.

Their interviews will feature in an ITV documentary to be aired after the conclusion of Maxwell's trial.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQicjiBNYN8

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/15012721 (161843ZNOV21) Notable: Hi-tech race to combat China - Australia’s future weapons and cyber defence technologies will be accelerated under the AUKUS and Quad strategic partnerships, MISSING MEDIA/FILES: Scott_Morrison_will_say_quantum_technologies_will_help_protect_us_from_advanced_cyber_attacks_.jpg

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Hi-tech race to combat China

GEOFF CHAMBERS - NOVEMBER 16, 2021

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Australia’s future weapons and cyber defence technologies – ranging from underwater drones to advanced explosives and swarming robots – will be accelerated under the AUKUS and Quad strategic partnerships to combat China’s massive investment in quantum technology and artificial intelligence.

Under a plan to bring forward the development of critical technologies, Scott Morrison on Wednesday will ask governments, universities and industry to target nine priority technologies including quantum, drones, genetic engineering, cyber security, AI, critical min­erals and advanced 5G and 6G communications.

Speaking at the inaugural Sydney Dialogue on Wednesday, the Prime Minister will say quantum technologies would enhance Australia’s defences by “enabling navigation in GPS-denied environments and helping to protect us from advanced cyber attacks”.

Mr Morrison will say the government’s $100m investment in a quantum and new critical technologies blueprint, which includes 63 technologies, would help Australia “take it to the next level”.

China’s world-leading quantum science and technology program and dominance in the critical minerals supply chain has forced the US, Australia and their Indo-Pacific allies to dramatically scale up investment and collaboration efforts.

Flagging Australia’s focus on technology that protects “our ­citizens’ autonomy, privacy and data”, Mr Morrison will warn that “not all governments see technology the same way”.

As the government ramps up its focus on national security ahead of next year’s election, Mr Morrison will position the AUKUS and Quadrilateral Security Dialogue partnerships as critical in strengthening “our co-operation in advanced and critical technologies and capabilities”.

Mr Morrison, who announced the AUKUS trilateral security pact with Britain and the US on September 16, will reveal senior officials are set to report back before the end of the year on a “work plan” outlining high-level co-­operation on security priorities.

“To state the obvious, AUKUS is about much more than nuclear submarines,” Mr Morrison will say. “Our trilateral efforts in AUKUS will enhance our joint capabilities and interoperability, with an initial focus on cyber capabilities, artificial intelligence, quantum technologies, and additional undersea capabilities.

“Our officials will report back to leaders within 90 days of our announcement with a proposed AUKUS work plan.”

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/15012759 (161847ZNOV21) Notable: China meddling ‘staggering’, makes case for interference laws: Defence Minister Peter Dutton, MISSING MEDIA/FILES: Defence_Minister_Peter_Dutton.jpg

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>>130043

China meddling ‘staggering’, makes case for interference laws

BEN PACKHAM - NOVEMBER 16, 2021

Australians would be “staggered” at the amount of intelligence gathered by national security agencies on Chinese Communist Party ­activities in Australia, Peter Dutton says, adding that policies against foreign interference are “backed by the evidence”.

The Defence Minister told Sky News host Peter Stefanovic for the broadcaster’s two-part China ­Rising program that Australia wanted peace in the region, but the nation’s previously cordial ­relationship with China had “changed quite dramatically”.

“Clearly we receive intelligence and we have formed judgments over a period of time, which have been backed up by the evidence,” Mr Dutton said in part one of the program, aired on Tuesday. “I think people would be quite staggered by the amount of intelligence, and the very clear direction that China is now taking.”

He said the 2018 move to ban Chinese telcos Huawei and ZTE from participating in Australia’s 5G network had “aggravated the communist party”, but was “absolutely the right decision to take”.

Former prime minister Tony Abbott also backed the 5G decision, saying China would not contemplate having Telstra run its domestic communications network. “I think a good rule of thumb, particularly when dealing with authoritarian governments, dictatorships, is to say if we couldn’t do it in their country, they certainly shouldn’t be able to do it in our country,” Mr Abbott said.

Former foreign minister Bob Carr was critical of Malcolm Turnbull’s handling of the 5G ­decision, saying it was “like he was a poodle waiting to have his tummy tickled” by then-US president Donald Trump.

He said Australia’s management of the ­relationship had been flawed. “We don’t use diplomacy. Australia is a bunch, in diplomatic terms … (of) bogans,” he said. “We are ripping around in a Monaro, giving a rude signal outside the window, as a writer said recently.”

Former prime minister John Howard said the biggest change in the China relationship since he was in office was “in the attitude of the Chinese leadership”.

“It has become more aggressive,” he said. “It is more difficult now than it has been for 30 years.”

The program, which continues on Wednesday night, follows Mr Dutton’s comments to The Weekend Australian that it was “inconceivable” that Australia would not become involved in a war over Taiwan if the US committed forces to such a conflict.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/china-meddling-staggering-makes-case-for-interference-laws/news-story/430068c45b6421fdec47f598c5e1febf

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/15019936 (171726ZNOV21) Notable: Will the grave injustice to Cardinal Pell be remedied? "Last volume of Cardinal Pell’s Prison Journal released — beautiful spiritual memoir", MISSING MEDIA/FILES: Will_the_grave_injustice_to_Cardinal_Pell_be_remedied.png

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>>129927

Will the grave injustice to Cardinal Pell be remedied?

Last volume of Cardinal Pell’s Prison Journal released — beautiful spiritual memoir

RNS Press Release Distribution Service - November 16, 2021

SAN FRANCISCO — The third and final volume of Cardinal George Pell’s journal he wrote while in prison in Australia, PRISON JOURNAL, VOLUME 3: THE HIGH COURT FREES AN INNOCENT MAN (Ignatius Press), delivers a hopeful and redemptive narrative of a man who was falsely accused of child sexual abuse, incarcerated for 404 days and set free.

While readers know the ending to PRISON JOURNAL, VOLUME 3 — Cardinal Pell was freed from jail after Australia’s highest court overturned his conviction for sexual abuse — they will learn about the incredible support he received from all corners of the world, including more than 3,500 letters sent to him, how his ordeal brought many people back to their Catholic faith, and how all the forces of those who hated him and the Church he stood for ultimately lost.

George Weigel, distinguished fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, author, and commentator, wrote the afterword to PRISON JOURNAL, VOLUME 3, commending the fact that Cardinal Pell holds no grudges and has moved forward with his life post-prison, continuing to inspire others with his humble writings from his cell. But Weigel also demands to know why there has been no investigations into the Victoria justice system and the publicly funded witch hunt of Cardinal Pell by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. He also demands to know “if there are links between financial corruption in Rome and the prosecution of George Pell, they should be identified, not for the sake of retribution, but for the sake of the Church’s credibility and its purification.”

PRISON JOURNAL, VOLUME 3 is filled with the cardinal’s trademark humor and wit but also his authentic relationship with Christ, his yearning to celebrate Mass and his hope for release. He writes about his thoughts on then-President Trump’s governing style ( he “is no gentleman and an unlikely champion of Christians”), his well-wishes for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle as they resigned their royal duties, and his thoughts on ways the Vatican can recover from years of alienating donors.

“A window into the soul of a man enduring the crucible of imprisonment, false accusation, loss of reputation. It’s astonishing what we see through that window: not bitterness and anger, but graciousness and forgiveness of his enemies,” said Robert Barron, auxiliary bishop of Los Angeles, and creator and host of the “Catholicism” film series. “Read this luminous text to see what radical surrender to Christ looks like.”

For more information, to request a media review copy or to schedule an interview with Cardinal George Pell, please contact Kevin Wandra (404-788-1276 or KWandra@CarmelCommunications.com) of Carmel Communications.

https://religionnews.com/2021/11/16/will-the-grave-injustice-to-cardinal-pell-be-remedied/

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/15019989 (171734ZNOV21) Notable: Resist doctrine of 'radical liberalism' says Pell - Australian cardinal urges young British Catholics to defend traditional Church teachings, MISSING MEDIA/FILES: Cardinal_Pell_pictured_here_with_his_book_prison_journal_blamed_paedophilia_scandals_on_moral_and_religious_failures_rather_than_on_structural_faults.jpg

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>>129846

>>130036

Resist doctrine of 'radical liberalism' says Pell

Jonathan Luxmoore - 16 NOVEMBER 2021

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The Australian cardinal who was convicted but later cleared of child sexual abuse charges has urged young British Catholics to defend traditional Church teachings.

Cardinal George Pell also blamed paedophilia scandals on moral and religious failures, rather than on structural faults.

“When I was in the clink, I came away with a deeper conviction that the Christian mix works in so many ways by combining God's love with redemptive suffering and loyalty to the truth,” said Cardinal Pell.

“Some feel that, with paedophilia scandals affecting so many countries, a new sort of Catholic Church is required. But while the figures on abusers and abused are scandalous, representing a cancer and bitter blow, sex abuse come from sinning, not from following the principles of Christian morality”.

The 80-year-old cardinal was presenting the annual St Thomas More Lecture on Saturday for Oxford University's Catholic Newman Society, titled: “The suffering Church in a post-Christian society”.

He said Matthew Arnold had predicted how the decline of religious faith would endanger peace and order in his 1860s lyric poem Dover Beach, but added that Catholics were still “here to stay” a century and a half later, and should assert their presence.

Pope Francis had helped “demythologise the papacy”, using his gifts and “compassion and empathy”, Cardinal Pell added.

However, a “doctrine of radical liberalism” in faith, morals and liturgy had destroyed Church life in some Western countries, and should be resisted by reaffirming “the life-giving truths of Christian teaching on abortion, euthanasia, homosexuality, monogamous marriage and hetero-normativity”.

“The scandal of sex abuse, a profound contradiction of Christian witness, is an expression of weakening faith and also reflects the moral confusion of priests since the 1960s”, said the Australian cardinal.

“But the Church has checks and balances, and it isn't helpful to have the bishops emasculated as people try to take away their power. Although transparency is needed, I don't think here's any advantage in having the Church subjected to government, and more to be gained through the discipline done by Church leaders”.

Pell was Archbishop of Sydney in 2001-2014, later serving for five years as inaugural prefect of the Vatican's new Secretariat for the Economy. Charged with sexual offences against children in his native Victoria, he was jailed for six years in 2019, but had a final appeal upheld in April 2020 by Australia's High Court, which ruled the five counts had not been proved.

The sell-out lecture, attended by Bishop Keith Newton, who heads the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham, and local Catholic clergy, was accompanied by a Pontifical High Mass and black-tie dinner in Oxford's Catholic Chaplaincy in honour of the cardinal, who obtained an Oxford DPhil in 1971 and is a Newman Society patron.

The Newman Society said in a statement that Cardinal Pell'’s reception by the Pope in October 2020 indicated he remained “in good standing” within the Church, adding that society members shared the pain of abuse victims and deplored “the scourge of sexual abuse which has afflicted Holy Church”.

“As important as recognising past failings and ensuring they cannot happen again, however, is recognition of the centrality of justice to our society. This virtue works two ways: ensuring punishment for the wicked, but also sparing the innocent,” the Newman Society said.

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/15024769 (180504ZNOV21) Notable: Judge Alison J. Nathan vets potential jurors for Ghislaine Maxwell trial, MISSING MEDIA/FILES: In_this_courtroom_sketch_Ghislaine_Maxwell_looks_over_her_shoulder_to_the_courtroom_audience_prior_to_the_start_of_jury_selection_in_her_trial_Tuesday_Nov_16_2021.jpg, In_this_courtroom_sketch_Ghislaine_Maxwell_seated_far_left_listens_while_Judge_Alison_Nathan_second_from_right_questions_a_prospective_juror_during_the_voire_dire_portion_of_the_jury_selection_Tuesday_Nov_16_2021.jpg, In_this_courtroom_sketch_Judge_Alison_Nathan_presides_over_the_Ghislaine_Maxwell_hearing_Monday_Nov_1_2021_in_New_York.jpg, In_this_courtroom_sketch_Ghislaine_Maxwell_center_is_hugged_by_attorney_Jeffrey_Pagliuca_as_other_members_of_her_defense_team_look_on_as_she_enters_court_for_the_voire_dire_portion_of_jury_selection.jpg, In_this_courtroom_sketch_Ghislaine_Maxwell_left_sits_with_her_lead_defense_attorney_Bobbi_Sternheim_during_the_voire_dire_portion_of_jury_selection_Tuesday_Nov_16_2021.jpg

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Judge vets potential jurors for Ghislaine Maxwell trial

LARRY NEUMEISTER and TOM HAYS - 16 November 2021

NEW YORK (AP) — Prospective jurors got their first glimpse of Ghislaine Maxwell, the British socialite charged with helping Jeffrey Epstein sexually abuse girls and women, when a judge began questioning them individually Tuesday.

Wearing a black suit, Maxwell hugged her lawyers when she entered the courtroom and briefly sketched a courtroom artist who was drawing her.

Judge Alison J. Nathan’s questions in Manhattan federal court were aimed at seeing if potential jurors can stay impartial in the sordid case against Maxwell.

The 12 jurors and six alternates who will hear the case will not be chosen until Nov. 29, when opening statements will begin. The trial is expected to stretch to mid-January.

Maxwell, 59, has pleaded not guilty to charges she groomed underage victims to have unwanted sex with Epstein. She has vehemently denied wrongdoing.

Each prospective juror sat alone in a jury box for 10 to 15 minutes while Nathan posed questions from about 10 feet (3 meters) away.

“I’m Judge Nathan. Nice to see you in person,” Nathan greeted one potential juror, alluding to two videos that about 600 prospective jurors had watched of the judge describing the case and the jury selection process.

Hundreds were dismissed after filling out a written questionnaire. Nathan expects to question about 230 potential jurors, identified only by number, over several days as Maxwell observes along with her lawyers from a row behind prosecutors. Most of the two dozen spectators spaced apart to guard against the coronavirus were journalists.

Wearing a black mask that matched her robe, Nathan reminded prospective jurors that Maxwell must be considered innocent until a verdict at her trial.

Some prospective jurors said they had heard of Epstein but not Maxwell while others said they had heard of both.

The judge was particularly interested in learning whether any members of the jury pool — drawn from a wide area in and around New York City — could remain impartial after suffering sexual harassment or having bad experiences with law enforcement.

One 68-year-old Manhattan resident said she believed she had experienced sexual harassment “as we know it today.” But she added that it probably wasn’t thought of in the same way at the time and she didn’t believe she’d ever been the victim of serious harassment or abuse.

A 72-year-old Manhattan man seemed amused, if not slightly baffled, when the judge asked him if working around wealthy individuals when he worked as director of training and service for a high-end catering company might affect his ability to be fair and impartial. Maxwell has estimated her assets to be worth $22.5 million.

“They provided my livelihood,” he said with a chuckle.

Epstein was arrested in 2019, but the case against him took a shocking turn when the financier and convicted sex offender killed himself while awaiting trial.

After Epstein’s death, prosecutors turned their sights on Maxwell, his ex-girlfriend.

The wealthy, Oxford-educated socialite is the daughter of British publishing magnate Robert Maxwell, who died in 1991 after falling off his yacht — named the Lady Ghislaine — near the Canary Islands while facing allegations he’d illegally looted his businesses’ pension funds.

Ghislaine Maxwell holds U.S., British and French citizenships and was repeatedly denied bail in the run-up to her trial.

https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-ghislaine-maxwell-drawing-jeffrey-epstein-alison-j-nathan-6bc1f52e3a074e06d5d3e4a46379def0

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/15024795 (180509ZNOV21) Notable: Victim of Broome paedophile Charles Batham speaks out, as timeline of his years on the run emerges, MISSING MEDIA/FILES: Batham_pictured_in_a_TV_report_in_Broome_in_2007_when_some_of_his_offending_was_already_occurring.jpg

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Victim of Broome paedophile Charles Batham speaks out, as timeline of his years on the run emerges

Erin Parke - 17 November 2021

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Disgraced British aviator Charles Batham is behind bars, but the trauma remains real and raw for the two girls he abused.

District Court Judge Lisa Tovey referred to them repeatedly on Tuesday as she handed the 77-year-old the nine-year jail term that makes it statistically unlikely he'll ever be free again.

"Your offending has had a profound effect on both their lives," she said, as Batham sat hunched in the dock.

"You, in my view, sacrificed the innocence of two young girls in the pursuit of your own sexual perversion."

As he sat in the courtroom, Batham appeared healthy and tanned for a 77-year-old who'd spent more than a year in jail.

His distinctive ginger mop of hair was faded to grey, but his posh British accent was evident when he muttered at Judge Tovey to speak up.

'It's a beautiful day to be alive'

The sentencing was long and went into graphic detail about the abuse Batham inflicted on the two young girls.

The court heard both were being raised by single parents in the sunny Kimberley town of Broome; both families were befriended by Batham, who presented as a kind, generous, if eccentric, figure.

Both young women submitted harrowing victim impact statements to the court, describing their fear, confusion and residual trauma.

The pair have never met, but they described eerily similar experiences in the decade after Batham left their lives — the nightmares, the inability to eat and sleep, and the paralysing inability to trust people and form new relationships.

In a statement to the ABC, one of those young girls — now a mother herself, living interstate — was determined to move forward in life.

"I'm proud of myself and it's a beautiful day to be alive," she wrote.

"The jail term is disappointing, as he could spend less time in prison than he spent on the run.

"His age being considered is hurtful, as I still have a long life ahead of me to live with this conclusion."

Timeline of a fugitive

1996 - Arrives in Broome. Lives in a converted red London bus and starts micro-light trike flying school

August 2010 - Child Protection Authorities report rumours about Batham to WA Police.

November 2010 - Detectives search his properties, seizing computers and charging him with possessing child exploitation material and exposing a child under 13 to indecent matter

December 2010 - Batham appears briefly before Broome Magistrates Court and is released on bail.

February 2011 - Batham flees Australia on an Air Asia flight from Perth to Kuala Lumpur

February 2011 – WA Police realise Batham fled when he fails to appear at Broome court hearing. Bench warrant issued and international search begins

April 2011 – Batham is tracked travelling from Britain to France, giving immigration officials a fake name

Early 2013 – Batham is located in Turkey and is arrested by local police, but released on bail and again flees the country

Early 2014 – Batham successfully applies for a new British passport to be issued under the name Charles Edwin Shannon

2014 - 2020 – Batham is unsighted, and the trail goes cold

February 2020 – ABC Kimberley publishes an investigation detailing Batham’s escape and the desire of victims for him to be recaptured

March 2020 – Story generates tip-offs from across Europe that are shared with WA police and result in his arrest at Caorle, Italy

November 2020 – WA Police detectives travel to Italy and extradite Batham

June 2021 – Batham pleads guilty to more than 30 child sex offences

November 2021 – Batham is sentenced to nine years and two months' jail

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/15024803 (180511ZNOV21) Notable: Video: Court hears offending of Bret Anthony Chesworth, caught in Operation Arkstone sting, 'particularly depraved', MISSING MEDIA/FILES: Bret_Anthony_Chesworth_now_55_was_arrested_at_his_New_Lambton_Heights_home_in_November_2020.jpg

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Court hears offending of Bret Anthony Chesworth, caught in Operation Arkstone sting, 'particularly depraved'

Giselle Wakatama - 17 November 2021

A New South Wales paedophile who was a member of a global child abuse network should be eligible for some lenience when he is sentenced because he has contracted COVID and been bashed in jail, his lawyer says.

But prosecutors have argued that Bret Anthony Chesworth's offending was "abhorrent", "particularly depraved" and that the material he was caught with was of "the worst kind".

Chesworth, 55, was arrested by Australian Federal Police at his New Lambton Heights home, on the outskirts of Newcastle, in November last year.

He was the 15th of more than 20 suspects arrested as part of Operation Arkstone, which was established following a report from the US National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

Chesworth was charged with nine offences and pleaded guilty to seven of those in June this year.

The guilty pleas related to the possession of child abuse material and using a carriage service to transmit and access child abuse material between March 2019 and September last year.

He also pleaded guilty to using a carriage service to offend by discussing sexual activity with an underage person and using a carriage service to prepare or plan to procure a person under 16 to engage in sexual activity.

Two charges were dropped, including a bestiality charge against his cavoodle pet dog between December 2019 and November 2020.

'Particularly depraved'

In her sentencing submission in Newcastle District Court, Commonwealth prosecutor Sarah Short said the material seen in the Chesworth case was "of the worst kind".

"It is abhorrent," she said.

"The offending is very, very serious and should be denunciated by this court.

"With the internet, there is no way to shut it down — it is the nature of internet."

Ms Short noted the distress to the children involved and said his behaviour was "particularly depraved, particularly abhorrent, especially a video".

"The offender encouraged his co-offenders to produce material to engage with those co-offenders' children and to really sexualise them," she said.

"If it had been unknown children and children cartoons, perhaps under the offending would be mid-range.

"The offender knew those were someone else's children and he encouraged those co-offenders.

"We are dealing with very young children who are seriously distressed."

COVID-positive and bashed

Defence barrister David Murray argued his client had done it tough already in Parklea prison, where Chesworth became infected during a COVID outbreak.

He said that was extra punishment that had been exacerbated by a second lockdown in response to another outbreak.

"As of Sunday last week Parklea was put into a period of lockdown, 24 hours a day," Mr Murray said.

"There are no clean clothes, no washing is done, to clean dishes in the sink of the cell they have to use hand products, there is no disinfectant and no toilet cleaning products."

Mr Murray also noted his client had been bashed.

"He has been a victim of an assault, punched in the face and had his foot stomped on multiple times," he said.

"As a result he had fractures in his foot and still wears a moon boot on his foot, because there is now very little medical treatment available."

The defence argued the offending was in the mid-range, but the prosecutor disagreed.

Judge Chris O'Brien is due to hand down his sentence on December 10.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-11-17/operation-arkstone-paedophile-bret-chesworth-faces-sentencing/100627578

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/15024830 (180516ZNOV21) Notable: Working together for a free and open Indo-Pacific region - Sumio Kusaka, ambassador of Japan to Australia from April 2015 to January 2019, MISSING MEDIA/FILES: US_Admiral_John_C_Aquilino_commander_of_the_United_States_Indo_Pacific_Command_meets_Japan_s_Prime_Minister_Fumio_Kishida_in_Tokyo_last_week.jpg, Joe_Biden_meets_Xi_Jinping_during_a_virtual_summit_from_the_Roosevelt_Room_of_the_White_House_in_Washington.jpg

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Working together for a free and open Indo-Pacific region

SUMIO KUSAKA - NOVEMBER 17, 2021

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In recent months I have begun to see encouraging signs of a strategic framework in the Indo-Pacific despite the volatility that prevails in the region. The announcement of AUKUS was a welcome development that will be instrumental in re-establishing strategic balance in a maritime zone that has become fraught with tension.

The introduction of nuclear-powered vessels to the Australian navy will provide a strong deterrent against any potential aggres­sor. This audacious act of dip­lo­macy follows a period of intim­idation by Beijing.

AUKUS presents a historic opportunity for Australia and like-minded nations to demonstrate their commitment to uphold­ing the rules-based inter­national order and ensuring a free and open Indo-Pacific, while sending a clear signal to China that bullying will be responded to with firm resolve.

Despite the opening of a dialogue between Joe Biden and Xi Jinping this week, I expect the Biden administration will continue to use all tools to rein in and deter China’s increasing strategic ambitions. Following AUKUS, there are two initiatives that could strengthen US commitment to the region and consolidate the ability of its key allies to contribute to regional peace and stability.

First, the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership has an important role to play in this respect. The Biden administration is said to have begun to consider the possibility of reviving negotiations on CPTPP entry. I see an opportunity for Japan and Australia to work with the US on this front.

Second, it is clear that the regional strategic interests of Australia and Japan are closely aligned. But there remains an obstacle to closer bilateral co-operation – the legal basis for training and joint exercises for the respective defence forces on each other’s territory. The quick ratification of a reciprocal access agreement would greatly enhance our co-ordination and capacity to co-operate.

Another positive development for the region’s strategic outlook is the rising profile of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue. This year alone we have seen two leaders meetings, the first online in March and the second in person in September. The US was pivotal to the establishment of AUKUS and elevation of the Quad. It confronts many challenges at home and abroad yet it is still the only country able to lead resistance to the Chinese government’s increasingly aggressive posture.

Some question the need for AUKUS and the elevation of the Quad. We should not forget that numerous opinion leaders liken the region’s strategic environment to the circumstances of the 1930s that led to the outbreak of the Pacific War in 1941.

Few people today could imagine they might be faced with the prospect of fighting a war. People in the mid-’30s didn’t expect to be entangled in a devastating war either. Eighty years ago, a militant Japan embarked on a horrific war that caused loss of life, suffering and damage on an immense scale. Many countries in the region were profoundly affected, including Australia. We must never ignore the lessons of the past.

Failing to acknowledge and respond to the strategic challenge China poses would be perilous for the US and its security partners. The establishment of AUKUS is compelling evidence the Biden administration recognises the risks and is willing to take action.

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/15024855 (180520ZNOV21) Notable: Future US presidents will back AUKUS: Trump’s China adviser Matt Turpin, MISSING MEDIA/FILES: The_long_timeline_for_Australia_to_acquire_or_build_nuclear_powered_submarines_means_future_US_presidents_will_need_to_support_the_AUKUS_pact_over_several_decades.jpg

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Future US presidents will back AUKUS: Trump’s China adviser Matt Turpin

CAMERON STEWART - NOVEMBER 18, 2021

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The new AUKUS pact will enjoy powerful and lasting bipartisan support in Washington beyond Joe Biden’s presidency, according to the director of China policy in the former Trump White House.

The comments by Matt Turpin, a member of Donald Trump’s National Security Council, will help allay fears that a re-elected Trump or another Republican president could scuttle the AUKUS partnership, leaving Australia without the ability to acquire nuclear-powered submarines.

Mr Turpin, in an interview with The Australian, also praised Defence Minister Peter Dutton’s pledge to support the US in any conflict over Taiwan, saying the comments would be well received on both sides of politics in Washington.

He said Washington saw AUKUS as a natural response to China’s increasingly aggressive posture in the Indo-Pacific, including its economic coercion against Australia.

“It is clear to me that what Beijing has been doing particularly around its economic coercion of Australia led to the AUKUS agreement,” he said. “It is about China and that’s what it was invented for.”

Mr Turpin dismissed fears the Biden administration and congressional leaders were not fully committed to the Australia-UK-US partnership.

“At the very highest levels in the Biden administration as well as from the leadership of both parties on Capitol Hill, the support for AUKUS is very high,” he said.

“The administration is very strong on it and sees it as a ­centrepiece of their (China) policy which fits with their broader national security strategy. I have also seen bipartisan support on Capitol Hill, so it strikes me as very important.”

Mr Turpin, who was the NSC’s China director in 2018-19 and China adviser to the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff at the ­Pentagon from 2013 to 2017, said he believed AUKUS would be fully backed by future administrations, including by a Republican president.

“I think support will continue regardless of the administration,” he said

Mr Trump, who is the Republican frontrunner for the 2024 election despite not yet confirming his candidacy, has yet to make any public comment on AUKUS, although he is a strong supporter of the Australia-US alliance.

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/15025425 (180758ZNOV21) Notable: PM Scott Morrison demands states drop Covid jab mandates and says unvaccinated Aussies MUST be allowed into pubs and restaurants, MISSING MEDIA/FILES: Prime_Minister_Scott_Morrison_and_Reid_MP_Fiona_Martin_visit_the_Tooheys_brewery_in_Sydney_on_Thursday.jpg, While_NSW_will_drop_vaccine_passports_on_December_15_Queensland_will_introduce_them_to_enter_hospitality_venues_on_December_17.jpg, Protesters_participate_in_a_Reclaim_The_Line_rally_against_vaccination_mandates_along_the_Parramatta_River_in_Sydney_on_Sunday.jpg, Scott_Morrison_gave_a_speech_last_week_in_Melbourne_where_he_railed_against_lockdowns_and_said_freedom_must_never_be_taken_from_us_again_.jpg

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PM Scott Morrison demands states drop Covid jab mandates and says unvaccinated Aussies MUST be allowed into pubs and restaurants

CHARLIE MOORE - 18 November 2021

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Scott Morrison has said vaccine mandates to enter pubs and cafes should not be in place after states reach the 80 per cent vaccination threshold.

While NSW will drop vaccine passports on December 15, Queensland will introduce them to enter hospitality venues on December 17 and Victoria has vowed to keep jab requirements in place well into next year.

Mr Morrison, who is under pressure from pro-choice politicians in his party, on Thursday said the only mandates he supports are for health workers.

In a dig at Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, he said unvaccinated people 'should be able to go to a get a cup of coffee in Brisbane'.

'Now it's time for governments to step back and for Australians to take their life back,' he said during a visit to the Tooheys brewery in Sydney on Thursday.

'We aren't in favour of mandatory vaccines imposed by the Government. Businesses can make their own choices on the law but we aren't about telling them or Australians what to do.

'Vaccines are only mandatory in cases where you have health workers working with vulnerable people.

'That's what our medical advice has always been and, as we get above 80 per cent in particular... they should be able to go to a get a cup of coffee in Brisbane regardless of whether you've had a vaccine or not.'

Queensland Deputy Premier Steven Miles hit back at at the prime minister, accusing him of backing 'dangerous fringe elements' such as the anti-government protesters in Melbourne.

Mr Miles said Mr Morrison was undermining the state's pandemic response for his own 'cynical political interests'.

'He is so desperate to claw together a coalition of anti-vaxxers for his own political benefit that he is undermining confidence in our vaccine,' the deputy premier told parliament.

The planned venue mandate has boosted vaccine uptake, Mr Miles said, and was a deserved reward for those who had done the right thing and got the jab.

'They do not deserve to be undermined by a prime minister more interested in currying favour with coffee baron donors and lunatic backbenchers than the health and the jobs of Queenslanders,' Mr Miles said.

It comes after two Liberal senators and Pauline Hanson's One Nation vowed to withhold support from the Government unless Mr Morrison takes action to stop vaccine mandates.

If Queenslander Gerard Rennick, South Australian Alex Antic and One Nation stick to their guns then Mr Morrison will be unable to pass any contested laws next week.

Senator Hanson, who is unvaccinated, has introduced a bill to over-ride the states and ban vaccine mandates.

In NSW 91.4 per cent of over 16s are fully jabbed, in Victoria 88.2 per cent and in Queensland 71.6 per cent.

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/15025438 (180802ZNOV21) Notable: Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Australia has identified 63 technologies that are critical to national security,including advanced cyber, genomics and novel antibiotics, MISSING MEDIA/FILES: Australia_s_Prime_Minister_Scott_Morrison_speaks_as_National_Statements_are_delivered_as_a_part_of_the_World_Leaders_Summit_at_the_UN_Climate_Change_Conference_COP26_in_Glasgow.jpg

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Australia says 63 areas of technology are critical to national security

Colin Packham - November 17, 2021

CANBERRA, Nov 17 (Reuters) - Australia's prime minister said on Wednesday more than 60 areas of technology were critical to the national interest and promised millions of dollars in funding to keep strategic rivals from controlling industries from cyber security to medicine.

In recent months, Australia has pledged to spend billions of dollars to modernise its economy and cut dependence on China by spurring manufacturing in industries such as resources and critical minerals as well as backing low-emission technology.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Australia has identified 63 technologies that Canberra can not allow others to dominate. These include advanced cyber, genomics and novel antibiotics.

"In most cases having diverse well-functioning markets can meet our technology needs, but in some cases – for critical technologies – we need to ensure we can access and use such technologies reliably and safely, in good times and bad," Morrison said in a speech.

“This investment will help secure future economic opportunities for Australian businesses, create local jobs and importantly, it will help keep Australians safe."

While Morrison highlighted 63 technologies, Australia will initially focus on supporting nine. The first of which will be quantum technology. Morrison pledged A$100 million ($73 million) to commercialise quantum research and forge links with global markets and supply chains.

"Australia is working with like-minded countries, liberal democracies in particular, to ensure global technology rules and norms reflect those values – liberal democratic values."

Such is the importance of the technology for Australia, Canberra may also impose restrictions on domestic universities conducting joint research with foreign institutions across the 63 areas.

Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews announced new rules on Wednesday governing universities that are designed to reduce the threat of foreign interference.

Quantum technology, based on core principles of physics, is still in its infancy but has become a darling of investors aspiring to revolutionise industries, from healthcare and finance to artificial intelligence and weather forecasting.

A 2020 report titled "Growing Australia’s Quantum Technology Industry" by the CSIRO, the national science agency, said it could generate over $4 billion and 16,000 jobs by 2040.

The announcement by Morrison was welcomed by Australia's information technology sector.

"Quantum technology has the potential to be a multi-billion dollar industry that generates thousands of Australian jobs," said Ron Gauci, chief executive officer of the industry group, the Australian Information Industry Association.

($1=1.3633 Australian dollars)

https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/australia-invest-73-mln-quantum-tech-it-beefs-up-critical-areas-2021-11-16/

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/15025442 (180804ZNOV21) Notable: Australian Signals Directorate director-general Rachel Noble: Cyber spy boss pushes back on Five Eyes expansion, MISSING MEDIA/FILES: Director_General_of_the_Australian_Signals_Directorate_ASD_Rachel_Noble.jpg

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Rachel Noble: Cyber spy boss pushes back on Five Eyes expansion

BEN PACKHAM - NOVEMBER 18, 2021

The head of the nation’s top secret signals intelligence agency has pushed back at the prospect of expanding the Five Eyes intelligence alliance to meet growing security threats.

Australian Signals Directorate director-general Rachel Noble said democracies needed to stand together, but suggested it was unlikely the nearly 80-year-old spy network of English-speaking countries would admit new members.

Japan last year expressed an interest in joining the tight-knit security alliance, while analysts have suggested India might also be a valuable additional member.

But Ms Noble declared: “The Five Eyes is the Five Eyes.”

She told an Australian Defence Force Academy event hosted by UNSW Canberra that the Five Eyes members – Australia, the US, UK, Canada and New Zealand – shared a close and historic bond.

“Certainly in the signals and cybersecurity space we go back to the second world war and even before that,” she said.

“So when you think about an alliance and a set of relationships, capability and integration that goes back nearly 80 years, it’s sort of a framing issue to go: ‘Oh, can someone just sort of join it today?’.”

Ms Noble said the alliance had helped give Australia a “global edge” over other nations, “and we fully intend to maintain that edge”.

But she said Australia also had valuable intelligence-sharing relationships outside of the Five Eyes alliance.

“We will partner with other countries when it is in our interest to do so,” Ms Noble said.

Her comments came as the US cybersecurity agency identified Iran as the backer of a hacking group responsible for recent ransomware attacks which had affected Australia.

The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency experts in the FBI, ASD’s Australian Cyber Security Centre, and Britain’s National Cyber Security Centre, had jointly reached the conclusion on Tehran’s support for the “APT” or “advanced persistent threat” group.

The group has exploited vulnerabilities since at least March 2021 in Microsoft Exchange and Fortinet software to hack into systems.

Australia rarely names countries involved in state-sponsored cyber attacks, but Ms Noble said such attribution “has a place”.

“It can be helpful in the international debate and awareness raising about the activities of some states that cross lines … about engagement in cyberspace,” she said.

“And frankly, cyberspace is the new vector for espionage. There have long been well understood explicit and implicit lines … and when states cross that, and when it is in our national interest to call them out by name, then we do so.”

Japan’s former defence minister Kono Taro declared in August 2020 that his country was interested in becoming the alliance’s “sixth eye”.

Analysts have also debated the possibility that India might one day join the network, amid growing strategic tensions between New Delhi and Beijing.

The future of the Five Eyes alliance was hotly debated last year after New Zealand Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta criticised the expansion of the Five Eyes’ remit to issues outside the national security sphere.

The move followed New Zealand’s absence from a Five Eyes statement criticising China’s human rights record in Hong Kong.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/rachel-noble-cyber-spy-boss-pushes-back-on-five-eyes-expansion/news-story/2375ba599f82ce24def08b58e1b23f57

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/15025455 (180808ZNOV21) Notable: Oxford University Catholic Society honoured controversial Cardinal George Pell with five course banquet, MISSING MEDIA/FILES: Catholic_society_honoured_controversial_Cardinal_with_five_course_banquet.jpg

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>>129846

>>130036

>>130055

Catholic society honoured controversial Cardinal with five course banquet

Pieter Garicano - 17th November 2021

The Oxford University Catholic Society, the Newman society, has come under fire for inviting the controversial Cardinal George Pell to give this year’s St Thomas More Lecture. The lecture was followed by a drinks reception and five course black-tie dinner held in Cardinal Pell’s honour.

Pell was sentenced to six years in prison in 2019 over five counts of sexual abuse, before his convictions were quashed in 2020. The lecture discussed: “the Church’s suffering in our post-Christian society”.

The St Thomas More lecture is an annual event, which was inaugurated by Cardinal Pell himself when he was Archbishop of Sydney in 2009. The cardinal is an alumnus of the University, having graduated with a DPhil in 1971, and is a Patron of the Society.

The cardinal served as Archbishop of Melbourne and Sydney, becoming a Cardinal in 2001. He was later appointed to be the first prefect of the newly created Secretariat for the Economy for the Holy See. In this capacity, he was considered one of the more powerful figures in the Vatican. More broadly, he was known for his adherence to Church orthodoxy and his public debates with atheists and non-adherents.

In 2017, Pell was charged five sexual assault offences against children. One of these charges was dropped in 2018. The alleged sexual assaults took place when Pell was a priest and later an Bishop in Melbourne.

A jury found Pell guilty of five counts of sexual abuse in 2018, and he was sentenced to serve six years in prison. His first appeal with the Victoria Supreme Court was unsuccessful, before the Australian High Court unanimously voted to quash his conviction. The High Court said at the time that “Making full allowance for the advantages enjoyed by the jury, there is a significant possibility … that an innocent person has been convicted.”

Despite the acquittal, Pell continues to be a controversial figure in the modern Catholic church. The organiser of a protest against the Cardinal’s presence, who is also a practicing Catholic, says: “It is egregious that Cardinal Pell should be speaking about the suffering of the CHURCH when in 2017 Australia’s royal commission into child sexual abuse found that in 1973, “Cardinal Pell was not only conscious of child sexual abuse by clergy, but he also considered measures of avoiding situations which might provoke gossip about it.” This was only released last year because at the time the Cardinal was appealing his own conviction for child sexual abuse.”

The organiser told The Tablet that hosting Pell was “shockingly insensitive” and added: “Cardinal Pell was not only conscious of child sexual abuse by clergy, but he also considered measures of avoiding situations which might provoke gossip about it.”

In response, the President of the Newman society, Vincent Elvin, told Cherwell that: “The Newman Society and our members deplore the scourge of sexual abuse which has afflicted

Holy Church in recent decades” but that “As for those allegations which have not been subject to trial in the judicial system, the Society is unable to make its own judgement on these, but is instead guided by Holy Church. In particular, the reception of Cardinal Pell by the Holy Father in October 2020 is a sign for us of the good standing of the Cardinal within the Church.

“It is on the basis that Cardinal Pell has been exonerated, and received in good standing by members of the Hierarchy, that the Society is confident in its position to mirror those shepherds of the Church by welcoming the Cardinal and inviting him to give the St Thomas More Lecture.

“In the post-Christian society seen in this country and throughout the West, we find that many of the individuals who make up that sacred Body are indeed suffering for their faith. Cardinal Pell’s experiences are a particularly stark example, but ordinary Christians suffer in less obvious and less visible ways.”

Cardinal Pell has been approached for comment through the Vatican.

https://cherwell.org/2021/11/17/catholic-society-honoured-controversial-cardinal-with-five-course-banquet/

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/15025596 (180856ZNOV21) Notable: Former soldier willing to testify against Ben Roberts-Smith, court hears, MISSING MEDIA/FILES: Ben_Roberts_Smith_at_an_earlier_court_date_in_Sydney.jpg

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Former soldier willing to testify against Ben Roberts-Smith, court hears

Jenny Noyes - November 18, 2021

A former soldier who served with Ben Roberts-Smith in Afghanistan has indicated he is prepared to testify against the Victoria Cross recipient, who is suing three newspapers including this masthead for publishing allegations he was involved in war crimes.

The ex-soldier, known as “person 56”, was a member of Mr Roberts-Smith’s patrol in 2012 and participated in missions in Darwan and Fasil. In allegations published in 2018, Mr Roberts-Smith is accused of being involved in the death of handcuffed farmer Ali Jan during the Darwan mission.

It’s one of six unlawful killings that reports in The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Canberra Times accused Mr Roberts-Smith of involvement in. Mr Roberts-Smith, one of Australia’s most decorated war veterans, denies any wrongdoing.

The news outlets are relying on a defence of truth to defend their claims, and have applied to the Federal Court to call Person 56 as a witness when the trial resumes next year.

At an interlocutory hearing in response to that application on Thursday, Mr Robert-Smith’s barrister Arthur Moses, SC, told the court that Person 56 is someone the newspapers allege was “involved in the cover-up of the murder of Ali Jan”.

Mr Moses is seeking to access correspondence between Person 56 and the media outlets’ lawyers, saying the latter has “flipped and flopped and flipped again” in calling him as a witness.

“Despite making those allegations of war crimes concerning Person 56, the respondents appear to have reached an agreement” to not ask him “any other questions in relation to any other matters”, Mr Moses said.

Barrister for the media outlets, Nicholas Owens, SC, denied that there was any “side deal” with Person 56, and noted his attempts to subpoena the potential witness before the trial were denied.

“After the applicant’s cross-examination and the evidence of the Afghan witnesses ... we have been able to, for the first time, establish contact with Person 56,” Mr Owens said.

“He agreed to speak to us about Darwan... We didn’t agree not to ask questions.”

Mr Owens said Person 56 indicated he would object to questions on other topics “on the grounds of self-incrimination” and “we would not apply to have him compelled to give that evidence over his objection”.

He told the court the evidence from Person 56 was “vital” and that it “corroborates the evidence of the Afghan witnesses” and contradicts that of Mr Roberts-Smith.

The planned resumption of the defamation trial at the start of this month was delayed due to ongoing border closures in Western Australia and Queensland, which would prevent witnesses from returning home after travelling to Sydney to give evidence.

The matter will return to court before Justice Anthony Besanko on November 29, with a decision expected on whether Person 56 will give evidence next month.

https://www.smh.com.au/national/former-soldier-willing-to-testify-against-ben-roberts-smith-court-hears-20211118-p59a33.html

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/15032599 (190907ZNOV21) Notable: ‘Naughty guy’: top Chinese diplomat accuses Australia of ‘sabre wielding’ with nuclear submarine deal - Acting ambassador to Australia, Wang Xining, says politicians including Peter Dutton and Tony Abbott are not serving Australia’s interests, MISSING MEDIA/FILES: Wang_Xining_suggests_tensions_between_Australia_and_China_could_result_in_a_Chinese_company_s_lease_on_the_Port_of_Darwin_being_scrapped.jpg

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‘Naughty guy’: top Chinese diplomat accuses Australia of ‘sabre wielding’ with nuclear submarine deal

Exclusive: Acting ambassador to Australia, Wang Xining, says politicians including Peter Dutton and Tony Abbott are not serving Australia’s interests

Daniel Hurst - 19 Nov 2021

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A top Chinese diplomat has likened Australia to “a naughty guy” over the Aukus nuclear submarine deal, saying it jeopardises Australia’s peace-loving reputation and the Australian people “should be more worried”.

China’s acting ambassador to Australia, Wang Xining, said Australia would be branded as a “sabre wielder” rather than a “peace defender” as a result of the plan to acquire at least eight nuclear-powered submarines, which would also affect the nuclear non-proliferation system.

“There’s zero nuclear capacity, technologically, in Australia, that would guarantee you will be trouble free, you will be incident free,” Wang said. “And if anything happened, are the politicians ready to say sorry to people in Melbourne and in Adelaide?”

He also called on Australian politicians to “refrain from doing anything that’s destructive to our relationship” after the defence minister, Peter Dutton, signalled Australia would be likely to participate if the US came to Taiwan’s aid in a conflict with China.

In an interview with Guardian Australia, Wang gave no indication Beijing was about to end the freeze on calls between Chinese and Australian ministers, saying speculation about Australia’s engagement in a military conflict was “not a conducive environment” for high-level talks.

Amid increasing strains in the relationship between Australia and its top trading partner, Wang said he would not be surprised if Canberra decided to cancel a Chinese company’s long-term lease of the Port of Darwin, but asked: “I wonder whether Australia can afford to break another contract?”

Aukus an ‘Anglo-Saxon clique’

Australia cancelled a French contract for 12 diesel-electric submarines in favour of a new security partnership with the US and the UK aimed at acquiring at least eight nuclear-powered submarines – triggering a significant diplomatic backlash from France.

The Morrison government says the decision is driven by the deteriorating security situation in the Indo-Pacific, with the Australian ambassador to the US, Arthur Sinodinos, saying the more capable submarines will allow Australia to “project our power further up” from its shores.

Wang said the Australian people should be worried about the impact of Aukus on the “nation’s branding”, given Australia portrayed itself as a supporter of the international system.

“By trying to acquire a nuclear-powered submarine, it certainly has an impact on the ongoing non-proliferation system. So are you going to be a naughty guy?” he asked, with a chuckle at the end.

Wang said people of his age in China saw Australia as a peace lover, “but nowadays people know that a nuclear-powered submarine is designed to launch long-range attack against a target far away”.

“So who are you going to attack? You are no longer a peace lover, a peace defender, you become a sabre wielder in certain form,” he said.

China is rapidly modernising its own military force, and already has the largest navy in the world with a battle force of about 355 ships and submarines, according to a Pentagon report last month. China currently operates 12 nuclear-powered submarines and, like the US, is a nuclear weapons state.

The Australian foreign minister, Marise Payne, has sought to allay Malaysia and Indonesia’s concerns about Aukus, travelling to south-east Asia earlier this month to say Australia was “one of the world’s strongest proponents of the global non-proliferation regime” and would work with the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Payne reassured her south-east Asian counterparts that Aukus would “make us a more capable partner that is better able to contribute to the security and stability of our region”.

But Wang described the Aukus deal among Australia, the US and the UK as an “Anglo-Saxon clique”, saying it “shows that certain people in your country still have a mentality of concentric stratification of people according to their cultural and ethnic background”.

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/15032618 (190917ZNOV21) Notable: Dangerous disinformation and “arbitrary incursions on liberties” are the technology red lines that Australia won’t allow to be crossed: Foreign Affairs Minister Marise Payne, MISSING MEDIA/FILES: Foreign_Affairs_minister_Marise_Payne_said_global_agreements_on_technology_governance_are_needed_but_there_are_red_lines_Australia_will_not_allow.jpg

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Marise Payne outlines nation’s ‘red lines’ on tech

Joseph Brookes - 19 November 2021

Dangerous disinformation and “arbitrary incursions on liberties” are the technology red lines that Australia won’t allow to be crossed, according to Foreign Affairs minister Marise Payne. On Friday she warned against the unchecked influence of Big Tech, which she said should have been addressed “yesterday”.

Speaking at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute’s Sydney Dialogue on Friday, Ms Payne warned about the threat of disinformation to Australia and its Asia Pacific neighbors, particularly in public health areas like vaccines.

Ms Payne said the federal government was still trying to strike the “balance” between reigning in big tech and protecting free speech and open marketplaces, and time was running out to achieve it.

“My suggestion is we should be starting yesterday, which in fact is what we are doing in terms of the sorts of conversations and discussions that are being had,” she said.

The scrutiny follows an attack on large technology companies by the Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison last week.

“Where there are arbitrary incursions on liberties, where there’s the use of dangerous disinformation, where there’s the theft of intellectual property, or malicious cyber activity and cyber behaviour to undermine stability [then] they are pretty clearly unacceptable,” Ms Payne said at the event jointly sponsored by the government and Facebook parent Meta.

“There are red lines, I guess, that are broadly agreed: technology being used to perpetrate disinformation, social disharmony, or as a propaganda tool. But I think the best antidote to disinformation, frankly, is sunlight.”

Ms Payne said platforms need to both remove dangerous content and promote authoritative sources, something the biggest companies had struggled to do during the pandemic as billions of users spent more time online.

Ms Payne said her department had established a taskforce to “pre-empt” and respond to disinformation and build resilience in neighbouring countries.

“Vaccines have been the best and worst example of this [disinformation] that that I have seen. And, certainly during the last months as vaccines have been the subject of great discussion, I’ve made sure that we’re very focused on that.”

The government was criticised for failing to condemn comments of then-Liberal MP Craig Kelly earlier this year. The rogue backbencher has routinely promoted dangerous COVID-19 misinformation through online platforms. He eventually quit the Liberal party and now sits on the crossbench but has guaranteed supply to the Coalition.

The Foreign Affairs Minister advocated for better governance of the internet in the way “rules of the road” reduce road accidents and remain relatively consistent as technology changes.

Ms Payne said Australia had made it “very clear” where the responsibility for technology governance lies, but a global approach is needed.

“It doesn’t matter where the technology is derived. If we can come together to agree on the sort of rules of the road that we should be adopting in cyberspace, so online, in that way, then the genesis of the technology should not should not be the issue.

“I’m not naive. I understand that is perhaps easier said than done in some ways.”

Meta vice-president of global affairs and communications Nick Clegg said platforms like Facebook do need to be more transparent but it was up to legislatures to establish more ways to do it.

“My own my own view is that in the in the long run, we need something close to a sort of Bretton Woods moment of the internet to create the international institutions to really underpin the principles of openness, transparency, accountability, and privacy, which has made the internet such an extraordinary, extraordinary phenomenon in recent years,” Mr Clegg said.

https://www.innovationaus.com/marise-payne-outlines-nations-red-lines-on-tech/

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/15032649 (190934ZNOV21) Notable: Ex-Japan PM Abe calls for Tokyo's cooperation with AUKUS in AI, cyber, MISSING MEDIA/FILES: Former_Japanese_Prime_Minister_Shinzo_Abe_visits_Yasukuni_Shrine_in_Tokyo_Japan_August_15_2021.jpg

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Ex-Japan PM Abe calls for Tokyo's cooperation with AUKUS in AI, cyber

Kiyoshi Takenaka - NOVEMBER 19, 2021

TOKYO (Reuters) - Former Japanese premier Shinzo Abe, who remains influential in the ruling party, said on Friday Japan should cooperate with the AUKUS security partners the United States, Britain and Australia on artificial intelligence and cyber capabilities.

The AUKUS pact, which was agreed in September and will see Australia acquiring technology to deploy nuclear-powered submarines, is widely seen as a response to Chinese militarisation in the region, particularly in the strategically important South China Sea.

Japan aims to strengthen ties with ally the United States and other friendly nations while bolstering its own defence posture, as it faces Chinese military expansion.

“A key to realising a free and open Indo-Pacific is ensuring like-minded countries’ mid- to long-term engagement with the Indo-Pacific region. From this standpoint, I welcome the formation of AUKUS,” Abe said in a speech at an online forum.

“It is extremely important to carry out multi-layered efforts to promote the peace and stability of the Indo-Pacific region. I believe Japan should engage in AUKUS cooperation in such areas as cyber capabilities, artificial intelligence and quantum technologies.”

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said although AUKUS partnership will begin with nuclear-powered submarines, alliance members expect to accelerate the development of other advanced defence systems including in cyber, AI and quantum computing.

Japan forms the Quad grouping with India and two of the AUKUS members - Australia and the United States. Quad leaders in September held their first in-person summit, which presented a united front amid shared concerns about China.

On Japan’s ties with Australia, Abe said the two countries need to deepen further their special strategic partnership.

“Given the regional security environment which has become increasingly severe, there is a need to elevate Japan-Australia bilateral security and defence cooperation to a new level.”

Abe, Japan’s longest-serving prime minister, stepped down last year due to ill health, but stayed on as a lawmaker and this month took over as the head of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s largest faction.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-japan-defence/ex-japan-pm-abe-calls-for-tokyos-cooperation-with-aukus-in-ai-cyber-idUSKBN2I407R

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/15032652 (190936ZNOV21) Notable: The Sydney Dialogue keynote address: Former Prime Minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe - ASPICanberra

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>>130070

The Sydney Dialogue keynote address: Former Prime Minister of Japan, Shinzō Abe

ASPICanberra

Nov 19, 2021

Day three of the The Sydney Dialogue concluded with a keynote address from Japan’s former Prime Minister, Shinzō Abe.

The Dialogue’s host and STEM journalist, Rae Johnston, provided a short introduction, followed by an introduction from Australia’s former Prime Minister John Howard OM OAC.

The Sydney Dialogue is a world-first annual summit on technology policy.

The 2021 Dialogue was hosted virtually and convened political, business, government and tech leaders with the world’s best strategic thinkers to debate, generate new ideas, and work towards common understandings of the opportunities and challenges posed by emerging and critical technologies.

THE SYDNEY DIALOGUE: tsd.aspi.org.au

#TSD2021 #TheSydneyDialogue2021 #ASPI #PrimeMinisterNarendraModi

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvRDeLrI4Lg

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/15032663 (190944ZNOV21) Notable: The Settling of Accounts in Australia - Cardinal George Pell blames the Secretary of State for colossal losses suffered by the Vatican in a questionable financial transaction in the UK, MISSING MEDIA/FILES: The_Settling_of_Accounts_in_Australia.jpg

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The Settling of Accounts in Australia

In his latest interview with La Stampa, Cardinal George Pell blames the Secretary of State for the colossal losses of money suffered by the Vatican in a questionable financial transaction in the United Kingdom. An assertion that comes as the trial of Cardinal Angelo Maria Becciu is taking place in the Vatican.

FSSPX.NEWS - NOVEMBER 18, 2021

“There was resistance at the secretariat of state. But if the Auditor or one of us in the Secretary of the Economy had been able to intervene upstream, we could have saved all that money spent on buying the London Palace.”

In his apartment located a stone's throw from the Vatican Basilica, Australian Cardinal George Pell, aged 88, received journalists on November 3, 2021, in order to present the Italian version of his book, Prison Journal, in which the high prelate describes in detail his thirteen months spent behind bars.

The opportunity to clarify certain information relating to the financial scandal for which, among other defendants, Cardinal Angelo Maria Becciu, former deputy of the Secretary of State, is accused of having played a key role in a dubious real estate transaction in London .

Cardinal Pell repeats it: if he ended up in prison, it was because of his ideas, which made him hate progressives. “In the Anglo-Saxon world, we are witnessing a real cultural war: I am a conservative, but the strongest opposition to secularization comes from the conservatives, which has not worked in my favor.”

The high prelate evokes a possible link between his prison sentence and his role as the Mr. Clean of the Vatican: “we are talking about a possible link between my legal problems and financial problems: we know that $2.23 million have disappeared in Australia, but in the end, no one is able to explain why,” wonders the cardinal.

When asked about the situation of Roman finances when he took over as head of the Secretariat for the Economy, Bishop Pell paints a rather bleak picture:

“It was still the old world. We had introduced a monitoring and verification solution that everyone now uses. We had discovered 300,000 euros scattered between the various offices. And, for the first time, we had drawn up an annual provisional budget: basic things in short.”

When we talk about the role played in all this by the secretariat of state, the high prelate does not mince words: “it is public now. Becciu proclaimed loud and clear that the auditor had no authority to pass through the doors of the Secretary of State: which was not true, of course. We had the authority, but we were prevented from doing so.”

On the former substitute, pursued by Vatican justice: “Cardinal Becciu has the right to a fair trial, we will see what follows,” comments the cardinal who has never hidden his up-front opposition to the former number two of the secretary of state.

When asked whether he could have spared the Holy See the colossal losses of recent years, the Australian porporato qualifies: “in some cases, no, because 'things' had started before, in others, yes,” he affirms.

And to recall Pope Francis’ support: “the Holy Father said to me, moreover, that I had told him many things which turned out to be correct afterwards.”

On the issue of financial transparency, Cardinal Pell concluded the interview with a smile: “We are moving slowly. I don’t know how that’s going to end up, but we do know where we’re already at. It has been established how the Vatican saw a treasure in pounds sterling slip away with this London property. Just that is progress.”

https://fsspx.news/en/news-events/news/settling-accounts-australia-69857

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/15032728 (191013ZNOV21) Notable: ‘I never expected to lose,’ Catholic Cardinal Pell, who was jailed on sex abuse and then freed, tells Tribune, MISSING MEDIA/FILES: Australian_Cardinal_George_Pell_is_interviewed_at_the_Vatican_Thursday_May_20_2021_Pell_who_was_convicted_and_then_acquitted_of_sex_abuse_charges_in_his_native_Australia_is_in_Utah_promoting_his_latest_book.jpg

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‘I never expected to lose,’ Catholic Cardinal Pell, who was jailed on sex abuse and then freed, tells Tribune

Australian prelate visits Utah, insists the church is “here to stay.”

Peggy Fletcher Stack - Nov. 19, 2021

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Catholic Cardinal George Pell of Australia was found guilty of child sex abuse in December 2018 and spent 404 days in solitary confinement at a Melbourne prison.

During that time, he recorded what he was thinking, feeling and reading — until that conviction was overturned in April 2020.

Pell now has turned his prison ruminations into a three-volume memoir. The 80-year-old cardinal was in Park City this week to speak about the latest edition, “Prison Journal, Volume 3: The High Court Frees an Innocent Man.”

He sat down for an interview with The Salt Lake Tribune on Wednesday. The following has been edited for length and clarity:

How did you feel when you first heard the accusations in 2017 against you?

Oh, I was very worried and aghast. It was a very difficult time. You almost feel physically unwell.

Were you in Rome at the time?

Yes, yes, yes.

So then you went back to face these charges in Australia. Can you briefly tell us about that first trial? What was it like for you?

The first trial went on for quite some time. I never expected to lose it. I mean, there were no supporting witnesses for the complainant. There were about 20 witnesses being called by the prosecution, but most of them gave evidence against the complainant. Not just my lawyers, but the other lawyers believed that I couldn’t be convicted. After the first trial, there was a hung jury. I think they were out for four or five days. … They couldn’t agree. That was a blow to the complainant, who did not want the matter to go forward. He wrote to the authorities to that effect; he was quite happy just to be left to drop it. In their wisdom or otherwise, the police and the prosecutors decided to go ahead for a second trial.

You had lots of folks speaking on your behalf?

I had a very strong constituency, very committed and often people who very much knew the case. But there had been a lot of troubles in Australia with pedophilia. There was a Royal Commission, which ran for some years, investigating all the institutions, not just Catholic institutions. … They revealed that, in some cases, the bishops had not handled the matter well. And so this provoked a very strong reaction in the general public against the crimes and against the inadequate way that was sometimes dealt with. One of the things we could have done better was to have pointed out to the Royal Commission and to the general populace that we had broken the back of the problem in terms of provoking a dramatic, dramatic decrease in the number of crimes from the early to the middle ‘90s. By international standards, the Australian authorities in 1996-97 were early interventionists. But I don’t think we did ourselves any favors by not pointing this out vigorously. … Some people were saying, “He very well might be innocent, but the Catholic Church deserves to take a knock. It’s appropriate that someone suffers a bit like a scapegoat.”

During your time in prison, did you have a computer in your cell to write your memoir?

No, no, no. It was all handwritten on three rather big yellow pads. I wrote three pages, plus or minus, every day.

Did you have a TV in your room?

Yes, it was a bit luxurious. I had a TV, and I also had a shower and a toilet. My cell was 7 or 9 meters long, 2½ meters wide. I had a decent bed with a firm base. The food — there was too much, but it was adequate. Somebody said that must have been horrendous and wasn’t horrendous, it was dull and unpleasant. But many people have suffered much, much more than I do. I mean, it was an Australian, a Western world jail, and they’re pretty civilized places.

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/15032863 (191105ZNOV21) Notable: Video: 'Bit rich to get a lecture': War of words between states, PM heats up, MISSING MEDIA/FILES: Daniel_Andrews_extraordinary_attack_on_PM.webm

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>>130030

'Bit rich to get a lecture': War of words between states, PM heats up

9News Staff - Nov 19, 2021

Premiers and federal ministers are swapping barbs over Prime Minister Scott Morrison's call for states and territories to let Australians "have their lives back" and halt vaccine mandates.

Mr Morrison yesterday slammed the Queensland and Western Australia governments for continuing to impose extra restrictions on unvaccinated residents past the 80 per cent double vaccination level.

Western Australia, Queensland and Victoria have all recently seen large anti-vaccination protests, with WA Premier Mark McGowan forced to close his office after threats to staff, and a man charged over threats in Victoria.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews told Today Mr Morrison's questioning of mandatory inoculation was a dig at ordinary Australians.

"It's not a matter of having a dig at state governments," he said.

"You are having a dig at hard-working people who have got vaccinated."

Mr Andrews said states and territories were forced into lockdown because of Australia's sluggish COVID-19 vaccine rollout.

"We have had to do lockdowns, as the Prime Minister said we had to be in people's lives because there were no vaccines," he said.

"And who forgot to order the vaccines?

"It wasn't the state governments, so it's a bit rich to get a lecture."

Earlier, Australian Labor Party president and former federal Treasurer Wayne Swan launched a withering attack on the Prime Minister, accusing him of "pandering to political extremists".

"I think the PM is behaving like Donald Trump," Mr Swan said on Today.

"He is pandering to political extremists for political gain.

"He's undermining the vaccine rollout in Queensland, in doing so.

"Queensland and WA have done so well through all of the last 18 months but at every stage, the Prime Minister has set out to undermine both premiers."

"It's like Donald Trump without the comb-over."

Mr Swan said the PM was "desperate" in Queensland, but cast doubt on his methods being politically successful.

"The vaccine mandates that were announced here have led to a surge in vaccinations," Mr Swan said.

"Because we didn't have the lockdown, people here haven't been as quick to get vaccinated but in the last week we have seen a real surge and in the middle of that the Prime Minister chooses to get stuck into the Premier about these issues."

However, Defence Minister Peter Dutton hit back, saying the states had signed up to a commitment to reopen the country at 80 per cent full vaccination.

"I just think you cannot segregate a part of the community, even if you disagree with the decision they've made and we are moving into a phase now where we have to live with this virus," he said.

"The Prime Minister has stated a perfectly reasonable position."

He also blamed the Queensland Government for the state's slower vaccine uptake, saying Ms Palaszczuk had been "bagging" the AstraZeneca jab.

Mr Dutton also condemned threats made by some protesters, saying there was "no question" a line had been crossed.

https://www.9news.com.au/national/coronavirus-australia-updates-wayne-swan-attacks-prime-minister-scott-morrison-over-vaccine-mandate-debate/3989a8ba-c840-4baa-9ccb-572e20efaf56

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/15032917 (191131ZNOV21) Notable: ‘Sickening’ use of ‘good character’ references for paedophiles ‘must end’: advocacy group Beyond Abuse founder Steve Fisher, MISSING MEDIA/FILES: Steve_Fisher_of_Beyond_Abuse_wants_an_end_to_the_use_of_good_character_submissions_in_sentencing_child_sex_offenders.jpg

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‘Sickening’ use of ‘good character’ references for paedophiles ‘must end’

MATTHEW DENHOLM - NOVEMBER 19, 2021

Child abuse survivors are ­demanding nationwide reform to end the “sickening” practice of ­pedophiles arguing good character to mitigate their sentences.

Four years after the abuse royal commission recommended restrictions on good character references, Western Australia and the Northern Territory are yet to act, and Western Australia refuses to commit beyond “in principle”.

While the delays are concerning enough for survivors, advocacy group Beyond Abuse has launched a bid for far more sweeping change: to remove any role for good-character submissions in sentencing of child abusers.

“Any role for good character in mitigating sentences should be scrapped in child abuse cases, because of the gravity of the crime and psychological damage that it does,” survivor and Beyond Abuse founder Steve Fisher said.

“We don’t think the royal commission went far enough in that area. There is no way any survivor should have to sit in a courtroom and listen to what a great guy their abuser has been.

“To a survivor this is just ridiculous. It’s something that has to change and something we have just started working on with governments around Australia to try to change.”

The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in 2017 recommended all state and territory governments “introduce legislation to provide that good character be ­excluded as a mitigating factor in sentencing for child sexual abuse offences, where that good character facilitated the offending.”

This was already the case in NSW and South Australia, and ­inquiries by The Weekend Australian have confirmed all other jurisdictions – except WA and NT – have since introduced such restrictions.

The NT government said it ­intended to make the reform as part of a wider review of sexual ­offence legislation. The WA government said it accepted the change “in principle” and was considering a package of reforms to deliver “better justice” for child abuse survivors.

Survivors told The Weekend Australian no one who abused children could be found to have been of good character, and that no amount of past community standing or “good deeds” could diminish the damage they had caused.

They were concerned that, even outside Western Australia and the Northern Territory, jud­ges were still reluctant to reject good-character submissions in sentencing for fear of providing grounds for appeal.

A man, who in 2016 had to ­endure a series of character references provided in support of his childhood abuser, Launceston pathology manager John Wayne Millwood, said the practice was “clearly ridiculous”.

“Pedophiles are by definition not of good character – and anyone who attests to the good character of a pedophile is complicit,” the survivor, who cannot be named, said. “Cover-up, denial and blaming of victims are not ­appropriate responses.”

Millwood, whose character referees included former police minister Frank Madill and six other medics,in 2017 unsuccessfully ­appealed his four-year prison sentence partly on the basis that his “good character” had not been ­adequately considered.

West Australian abuse survivor and former policeman Jarrod Luscombe said no wonderful career or community contribution could lessen the impact on victims.

“It should not come into play just because they’ve sanctimoniously put themselves out there as good people,” Mr Luscombe said. “Behind closed doors they are still a malevolent beast.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/sickening-use-of-good-character-references-for-paedophiles-must-end/news-story/7063e0d11abaa91702aee071e0a12c13

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/15033034 (191224ZNOV21) Notable: GT Voice: Australia has no strength to counter rising Chinese tech - Global Times - globaltimes.cn, MISSING MEDIA/FILES: GT_Voice_Australia_has_no_strength_to_counter_rising_Chinese_tech.png

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>>130052

>>130062

GT Voice: Australia has no strength to counter rising Chinese tech

Global Times - Nov 18, 2021

Australia appears to be counting on an ambitious plan to boost its technological development by protecting and promoting critical technologies, but attention is more focused on how it will hinder already troubled China-Australia cooperation in terms of technology research.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Wednesday released the government's Blueprint for Critical Technologies, which identified a list of 63 areas of technology that were critical to its national interest and would be promoted with funding support. The government will initially focus on nine technologies, including quantum technology, critical minerals, communications, artificial intelligence and cyber security, according to Australian media reports.

The Morrison government didn't specifically mention China in its plan, but most Western media outlets that covered the story suggested that the move is to counter China's rise in key strategic fields, and the plan is expected to be followed by restrictions on domestic universities' cooperation with Chinese institutions.

Such speculation is not entirely unfounded, because on the same day, Australian Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews announced new rules for universities to reduce the risk of foreign interference and transfer of sensitive technology.

Amid the strained China-Australia relationship, the new steps, to a certain extent, highlight Australia's persistent hostility toward China and profound arrogance when it comes to technological capabilities.

Even as Australian trade officials have been seeking for a solution to bilateral trade tensions, Canberra still continues to view cooperation with China through the lens of distorted national security and ideology, seeking to further jeopardize any promising cooperation opportunity. The contradictory moves reflect Canberra's confusion in foreign policy, which will only bring unnecessary economic consequences.

With Australian borders finally re-opened in November, international students are expected to return to Australian universities. Chinese students are the main force of international students in Australia, contributing significantly to the country's fourth largest export industry, international education. If in the future, Chinese students choose to shun Australian schools because of the restrictive academic environment and hostile atmosphere, it's Australia's international education sector that will take the hit. Once universities' revenues decline, so will the amount of money available for scientific and technological research, which ironically runs counter to what the Morrison government seeks to do with the latest moves.

Australia needs to be aware that its approach of promoting key technologies may be derailed by cutting off cooperation and provoking China. Australia appears to be imitating the US' way of doing things, but it doesn't have the same strength as the US. Even the US can only rely on its hegemony to require other countries to cut off technology ties with China in areas like chip research and development and it has so far failed to do so. Australia has far fewer cards to play compared with the US. China won't see major impact from Australia's tech blockade, and it will be Australia itself that will take blows from its arrogant and backfiring efforts.

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202111/1239354.shtml

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/15033098 (191249ZNOV21) Notable: China’s propaganda mouthpiece threatens military ‘nightmare’ for Australian troops in event of war with Taiwan, MISSING MEDIA/FILES: HX_6.jpg

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>>130035

China’s propaganda mouthpiece threatens military ‘nightmare’ for Australian troops in event of war with Taiwan

China’s propaganda mouthpiece has threatened military action towards Australian troops declaring it would be a “nightmare for them” if Canberra mounted a defence of Taiwan.

Tyrone Clarke - November 15, 2021

The editor of the Global Times – China’s propaganda mouthpiece - has delivered a chilling warning of a “heavy attack” on Australian troops should they come to the aid of Taiwan in the event of a Chinese invasion.

Defence Minister Peter Dutton said over the weekend it was “inconceivable” that Australia would not support a US-led action in Taiwan, but the editor of the Global Times issued a harrowing statement in response.

Hu Xijin said Australian troops would be met with a “nightmare” should they enter the Taiwan Strait.

“If Australian troops come to the Taiwan Straits to fight the PLA, that will definitely be a nightmare for them,” he said in one tweet.

“If Australian troops come to fight in the Taiwan Straits, it is unimaginable that China won’t carry out a heavy attack on them and the Australian military facilities that support them,” Mr Hu said in another.

“So Australia better be prepared to sacrifice for Taiwan island and the US.”

The comments come after Taiwan’s Foreign Minister, Joseph Wu, said while the island nation would never ask Australia to “come to war” any help would be “treasured”.

Mr Wu said China’s growing military might and expansionism was a threat to the future of democracy and called on Australia to speak out in defence of Taiwan.

“If Taiwan unfortunately has to be taken by the Chinese government, I think the Chinese government will continue to advance,” Mr Wu said exclusively to Sky News Australia for the upcoming China Rising documentary.

“I think no one can be immune from the Chinese threat or pressure.

“And therefore, it is very important for the like-minded partners of the international community to come together, to support each other.”

While Mr Wu said his country would not request military assistance from Australia, when asked whether Taiwan would require foreign help if a cross-strait war erupted he said: “We might”.

Mr Dutton, meanwhile, said Australia and its allies needed to make sure a Chinese invasion did not occur.

“War would be devastating, there’s no question about that,” Mr Dutton said in the China Rising documentary.

“Even a conventional war, let alone a nuclear war would be devastating. That's why all of us need to take every action we can to prevent that from happening.

“You don't gain the ability to deter from a position of weakness and Australia needs to be in the strongest possible position.”

https://www.skynews.com.au/world-news/china/chinas-propaganda-mouthpiece-threatens-military-nightmare-for-australian-troops-in-event-of-war-with-taiwan/news-story/669244ebb3e69ecb8f959c22c715acca

https://twitter.com/HuXijin_GT/status/1460094654896955406

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/15033103 (191250ZNOV21) Notable: Defence Minister Peter Dutton slams China as a bully amid Taiwan war threat, MISSING MEDIA/FILES: Peter_Dutton_said_Australia_would_not_tolerate_being_bullied_by_Beijing.jpg, Peter_Dutton_said_there_had_been_lots_of_worrying_signs_in_China_s_behaviour_over_recent_months.jpg

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>>130080

Peter Dutton slams China as a bully amid Taiwan war threat

HELENA BURKE - NOVEMBER 18, 2021

Defence Minister Peter Dutton has come down hard on China following a disturbing threat about war over Taiwan, accusing the global superpower of attempting to “bully” Australia.

The editor-in-chief of the Chinese Communist Party’s media mouthpiece The Global Times on Monday warned that Australian troops would face a “nightmare” if they fought in the Taiwan Strait and China would retaliate.

“If Australian troops come to fight in the Taiwan Straits, it is unimaginable that China won’t carry out a heavy attack on them and the Australian military facilities that support them,” the Global Times wrote.

But Mr Dutton refused to be shaken by the warning when questioned about it during a radio interview on Thursday, insisting Australia would stand up to China no matter how many threats were hurled from Beijing.

“We want peace and stability in our region. Nobody wants conflict. But equally, we are not going to surrender our sovereignty. We are not going to be bullied,” Mr Dutton said.

“We are going to stand up for what we believe in and stand with our partners, including the United States, to make sure there’s prevailing peace in our region.”

Mr Dutton condemned Beijing for its aggressive rhetoric, branding the CCP as a bully who refused to respect longstanding international rules and norms.

“This is the conduct of the Communist Party of China. We are not dealing with a democratic regimen. We’re not dealing with somebody who plays by the international rules,” Mr Dutton said.

“The words you quoted (from The Global Times), they’re words of a bully, not an international player.”

Mr Duttons comments come as a new report by a US Congressional body praised Australia’s resistance to Beijing’s attempts at economic coercion over Canberra.

The paper from the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission said sizeable tariffs slapped on Australian agricultural exports to China had a “minimal effect” on Aussie exporters who had successfully found other markets.

However, the report warned this did not mean China’s threat to Australia had been mitigated.

“China’s growing nuclear capabilities raise the risks of unintentional nuclear escalation or a deliberate nuclear exchange during a conventional conflict in the Indo-Pacific,” the paper noted.

Mr Dutton echoed these concerns, saying there has been “lots of worrying signs” in China’s behaviour over recent months.

‘The People’s Liberation Army from China dressed up in uniforms of the coast guard and bumped into vessels from Japan. And we see it on the border with China and India where there are incursions there,” he said.

“The Indians, I know, are very worried about the construction of facilities and infrastructure that the Chinese are building there.

“I think China has very significant responsibilities as one of the world’s great powers to behave according to the rule of international law. That’s all we ask for, and we expect our sovereignty to be respected.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/breaking-news/peter-dutton-slams-china-as-a-bully-amid-taiwan-war-threat/news-story/8d0011f7f53023afcf2f9cbc0efb0d16

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/15033107 (191251ZNOV21) Notable: In the face of an irrational Australia, shouldn’t China be prepared with an iron fist? - Hu Xijin - globaltimes.cn, MISSING MEDIA/FILES: Australian_Defense_Minister_Peter_Dutton.jpg

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>>130081

In the face of an irrational Australia, shouldn’t China be prepared with an iron fist?: Hu Xijin

Hu Xijin - Nov 18, 2021

Australian Defense Minister Peter Dutton on Thursday replied to my warning to his threat toward China. He said, "They're words of a bully, not an international player."

I would like to respond to him again: The US, which Australia is preparing to follow when a war breaks out in the Taiwan Straits, is the world's bully, and Australia's role is like a barking dog.

Last weekend, Dutton said it would be "inconceivable" for Australia not to support the US in an action, if the latter decided to intervene militarily should a war breaks out in the Taiwan Straits. On Monday, I tweeted, "If Australian troops come to fight in the Taiwan Straits, it is unimaginable that China won't carry out a heavy attack on them and the Australian military facilities that support them. So Australia better be prepared to sacrifice for Taiwan island and the US."

Dutton is one of Australia's most radical anti-China politicians. He has been a member of parliament for 20 years and is also a well-known Australian big mouth. He has not only repeatedly attacked and smeared China, but also uttered vicious words against Australia's neighboring countries, such as Australia was "taking the trash out" by deporting criminals born in New Zealand, which caused public uproar.

In China, I am one of the outspoken people. But almost all my critical voices refute severe provocations from the outside world toward China. Chinese people generally do not stir up trouble first. But whoever provokes us must be prepared to be hit back. Over the past two years, Australian officials constantly made public statements or hinted they will send troops to join the fight once a war breaks out in the Taiwan Straits. Some of them clamor that Australian soldiers should be prepared to fight. In the face of such an irrational Australia, shouldn't China be prepared with an iron fist and to punch it hard when needed, teaching it a thorough lesson?

The author is editor-in-chief of the Global Times. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202111/1239360.shtml

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/15033279 (191347ZNOV21) Notable: Defence Department confirms criminal investigation into conduct of Australian commando platoon in Afghanistan, MISSING MEDIA/FILES: Defence_has_denied_an_ABC_Freedom_of_Information_request_for_documents_about_November_platoon_s_operations_in_2012.jpg, The_former_commander_of_November_platoon_Heston_Russell_has_called_for_the_ABC_to_retract_its_story.jpg, US_marine_Josh_worked_alongside_Australian_special_forces_soldiers.jpg, Josh_led_a_US_Marines_helicopter_crew_in_Afghanistan.jpg, Defence_support_services.jpg

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Defence confirms criminal investigation into conduct of Australian commando platoon in Afghanistan

Josh Robertson - 19 November 2021

The Defence Department has revealed there is an active criminal investigation into the conduct of an Australian commando platoon in Afghanistan in 2012.

Defence has refused to release audio recordings and reports relating to missions by 2nd Commando Regiment's November platoon, saying to do so could compromise a current investigation and any future trial.

Last year the ABC reported the allegations of a US marine who said Australian commandos shot and killed an Afghan prisoner after being told he would not fit on a US aircraft during an operation in Helmand province in 2012.

Former November platoon commander Heston Russell later said he was present on operations and denied that his soldiers had ever harmed a prisoner, calling on the ABC to retract the story and apologise.

ABC Investigations lodged a Freedom of Information request seeking audio copies of mission communications in Afghanistan, mission summary reporting, and any complaints or disciplinary action taken against members of November platoon covering June and July 2012, when the alleged killing took place.

In response, Defence denied access to all documents sought by the ABC, saying it could "reasonably be expected to prejudice the conduct of a current investigation of a possible breach of the law."

It said the documents "may be used as evidence by the investigating body".

"The release of this information prior to the conclusion of the investigation could impact the direction of the investigation [and] also jeopardise the outcome of the investigation."

Defence said releasing the documents could also "prejudice the fair trial of a person, or the impartial adjudication of a particular case".

Last year the federal government established the Office of the Special Investigator (OSI) in response to the Brereton war crimes inquiry report, which detailed alleged unlawful killings by Australian special forces in Afghanistan.

Among the OSI's tasks is to investigate potential criminal matters arising from the Brereton report and to develop briefs of evidence for possible criminal charges for referral to the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions.

The ABC asked the OSI whether it was the agency conducting the investigation into November platoon.

A spokeswoman said the OSI did "not comment on specific allegations or investigations".

When contacted by the ABC, Heston Russell said he was not aware of the investigation, nor of investigators contacting any member of his former platoon.

Last year, the ABC ran a story detailing the allegations of Josh (not his real name), a United States Marine Corps helicopter crew chief who flew 159 missions for the USMC's Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 469 (HMLA-469).

Josh told ABC Investigations that his team was providing aerial covering fire for the Australian soldiers of 2nd Commando Regiment during a night raid in mid-2012 during a mission in Afghanistan's Helmand province.

It was part of a joint Australian special forces-US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) campaign targeting illicit drug operations that were financing the Taliban insurgency.

Josh said that as the operation was winding up, the commandos called up the US aircraft to pick them and about seven prisoners up.

He said the Americans only had room on the aircraft for six.

"And the pilot said, 'That's too many people, we can't carry that many passengers.' And you just heard this silence and then we heard a pop. And then they said, 'OK, we have six prisoners.'

"So it was pretty apparent to everybody involved in that mission that they had just killed a prisoner that we had just watched them catch and hogtie," he said.

Josh said neither he nor any of his crew spoke about what had just happened.

"We were all being recorded on our comms," he said.

"All of us were pretty aware of what we just witnessed, and kind of didn't want to be involved in whatever came next."

Josh said he later discussed the incident with his crewmates after returning to Camp Bastion.

"This was the first time we saw something we couldn't morally justify, because we knew somebody was already cuffed up, ready to go, taken prisoner and we just witnessed them kill a prisoner," he said.

"This isn't like a heat of the moment call where you're trying to make a decision. It was a very deliberate decision to break the rules of war."

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-11-19/defence-confirms-investigation-into-november-platoon/100633968

https://www.defence.gov.au/adf-members-families/health-well-being

https://www.openarms.gov.au/

https://soldieron.org.au/about-soldier-on/

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/15033302 (191354ZNOV21) Notable: ‘Tough cop on the beat’: Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner will be created in NSW to crack down on unethical government supply chain practices, MISSING MEDIA/FILES: Landmark_modern_slavery_laws_have_passed_NSW_Parliament.jpg

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‘Tough cop on the beat’: Anti-slavery commissioner to investigate unethical practices

Tom Rabe - November 19, 2021

An independent anti-slavery commissioner will be created in NSW to crack down on any unethical government supply chain practices after landmark modern slavery laws passed the state Parliament.

After more than three years of delay, the new laws will come into effect in 2022 after they passed the state’s Legislative Council on Friday and will apply to the NSW government, councils as well as state-owned entities.

The state and local governments will be required to report on their mammoth supply chains, though amendments for the laws to apply to seasonal agricultural workers were unsuccessful.

The original legislation also sought to require businesses with an annual turnover of more than $50 million be required to report on their supply chains, but the provision was removed by the state government.

The laws had been stalled for three years due to legal and constitutional concerns within the Coalition, with anti-slavery campaigners earlier this year accusing the Berejiklian government of moving to water down the legislation.

NSW Special Minister of State Don Harwin said government agencies would be required to take reasonable steps to ensure that the goods and services they procured were not the product of modern slavery.

“The NSW government is leading by example to require itself – by law – to take action against possible modern slavery in its supply chains. The government can achieve this by maximising transparency in its procurement practices,” Mr Harwin said.

More than 10 faith leaders wrote to the newly appointed Premier Dominic Perrottet last month, urging him to act on the legislation

International Justice Mission Australia chief executive Steve Baird praised Mr Perrottet after the laws were passed on Friday with the support of the government, opposition and Greens.

“While it is disappointing that the NSW government retreated from the strength of its initial commitment, Premier Perrottet has redeemed his government by ensuring key measures have been included,” Mr Baird said.

“The law now establishes a strong Anti-Slavery Commissioner who is properly resourced and truly independent of government – a tough cop on the beat, educating business and shining a light on this issue.”

Analysis of 36,000 supply chains to 60 Australian businesses by consultancy SD Strategies found close to 50 per cent were at “high risk” of modern slavery.

Deputy leader of the opposition in the Legislative Council John Graham said the laws would apply to the state’s largest employer: the NSW government.

“After more than three years, NSW will act on modern slavery,” he said.

Federal modern slavery laws already require companies with a turnover of more than $100 million to report the risk of slavery in their supply chains.

“But even if they have questionable supply chain practices, there are no penalties and little regulatory oversight. This must change,” Mr Baird said.

The state government has committed to lobbying Canberra to tighten the Commonwealth laws.

Greens MP David Shoebridge said he was disappointed the amendment to allow the anti-slavery commissioner to investigate seasonal workers was rejected, the party would continue to push for the laws to be strengthened.

“There are an estimated 40 million people in modern slavery around the world, and this law will ensure we are not contributing to this with public spending,” Mr Shoebridge said.

The International Justice Mission estimated 18 per cent of referrals regarding the online sexual exploitation of children in the Philippines comes from Australia – many of whom are residents of NSW.

https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/tough-cop-on-the-beat-anti-slavery-commissioner-to-investigate-unethical-practices-20211119-p59ah4.html

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/15042123 (200949ZNOV21) Notable: Melbourne’s ‘freedom’ protest fever spreads across the country, MISSING MEDIA/FILES: Police_look_on_as_protesters_gather_in_Melbourne_s_CBD.jpg, Former_Liberal_Federal_MP_Craig_Kelly_mingled_with_protesters.jpg

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>>130030

Melbourne’s ‘freedom’ protest fever spreads across the country

Rachael Dexter, Melissa Cunningham and Tom Cowie - November 20, 2021

1/2

Tens of thousands of anti-government “freedom” protesters have taken to the streets across the country, with the largest turnout in Melbourne, where tens of thousands railed against COVID-19 vaccines, Premier Daniel Andrews and the government’s now-stalled controversial pandemic bill.

As Sydney crowds chanted “Kelly, Kelly, Kelly”, former Liberal MP Craig Kelly yelled unsubstantiated claims about “experimental vaccines” while billionaire Clive Palmer told Brisbane crowds he’d rather “go out of business” than listen to vaccine advice from Queensland’s premier, who he called ‘Palachook’.

“Our rights don’t come from Daniel Andrews. Our rights don’t come from Mark McGowan, our rights don’t come from Palachook. And you know there’s no chook like a Palachook,” he told the crowd.

“Our freedom doesn’t come from Scott Morrison. Our freedom doesn’t come from Anthony Albanese and our freedom certainly doesn’t come from Barnaby Joyce.”

The Age revealed on Saturday that Mr Kelly has recruited a number of key figures in the right-wing “freedom” movement for Clive Palmer’s party.

Independent Victorian MP Catherine Cumming, who is one of the crossbenchers in discussions with the state government trying to pass its pandemic legislation, was among a number of speakers to address the Melbourne crowd.

She sarcastically goaded Premier Daniel Andrews over his criticism of the protests this week for their far-right elements after gallows were paraded in front of Parliament House and he was the subject of death threats.

“So fascists are we Daniel? Am I a Nazi, am I Daniel?” Dr Cumming said to the crowd who laughed and cheered.

“No matter how much misinformation and propaganda you put out there, Victoria is going to win.”

Dr Cumming has appeared regularly at the anti-government protests and has been promoting them online.

She railed against the vaccination of children with a COVID-19 jab and claimed Mr Andrews was “coming after her children”.

The vaccines approved for use in Australia have strong scientific backing as being both safe and effective in preventing COVID-19.

“I want to make this very clear, Daniel, when you come after my children you come after every single Victorian,” Dr Cumming said. “We are together as a freedom family... Good luck Mr Andrews.”

A much smaller counter ‘anti-fascist’ rally of several hundred came out for the first time in Melbourne in opposition to the anti-Andrews government crowd. The Age has seen video of one physical skirmish in which police separated counter-protesters and right-wing activist Avi Yemeni.

“Despite significant numbers in attendance, the protest was peaceful with only one arrest made,” a Victoria Police spokeswoman said.

Melbourne’s rallies came at the end of a toxic week in state politics as Premier Daniel Andrews attempted and failed to pass the pandemic bill that would replace Victoria’s State of Emergency and empower the premier and health minister of the day to declare pandemics and enforce health directions, instead of the chief health officer.

The Andrews government will have to wait until the final sitting week of the year to try and pass its controversial legislation through Parliament as a week of drama ended in an impasse.

Aerial footage showed there was upwards of 10,000 people at the anti-government protest, which began at State Parliament. Organisers claimed 450,000 people came to protest but no crowd counts were supplied for protests by Victoria Police or any other authorities.

The protesters are a loose collective of many sub-groups who oppose vaccine-mandates and passports.

Among them are the hard religious right and Qanon conspiracy followers - as well as many families and people who have lost work for refusing to take a COVID jab. In Victoria the movement has been catalysed this week by opposition to the pandemic bill which is currently stalled in the upper house.

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/15042135 (201003ZNOV21) Notable: Prominent ‘freedom’ protesters back Craig Kelly and Clive Palmer, MISSING MEDIA/FILES: United_Australia_Party_candidate_Craig_Kelly_with_Freedom_activist_Monica_Smit_ahead_of_last_weekend_s_demonstration_in_Melbourne.jpg

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>>130030

Prominent ‘freedom’ protesters back Craig Kelly and Clive Palmer

Rachael Dexter - November 20, 2021

1/2

Some of Australia’s most prominent “freedom” activists involved in the protests unfolding in Melbourne plan to stand for election alongside former Liberal MP Craig Kelly as candidates for Clive Palmer’s United Australia Party.

A number of figures from the “freedom” movement – including one accused of inciting protests during Melbourne’s lockdown – have also directed their support and large social media following to support Mr Kelly, who joined the billionaire mining magnate’s party after quitting the Liberals in February.

Mr Palmer’s party has received more than 1500 nominations for all 151 lower house seats and all Senate seats, and one political expert has forecast that the UAP could hold the balance of power in the event of a hung Parliament at next year’s federal election.

NSW-based Mr Kelly, who quit the Liberals after being reprimanded for propagating unsubstantiated claims about COVID-19 and vaccines, has been campaigning hard in lockdown-fatigued Victoria in recent months.

Protests in Victoria are currently focused on the state government’s pandemic bill, which would transfer public health powers from the chief health officer to the premier and health minister. Critics say the powers are too far-reaching and do not allow for proper parliamentary scrutiny of decisions.

Morgan C Jonas, a well-known social media personality in the protest movement and partner of Reignite Democracy Australia founder Monica Smit, is the most high-profile right-wing protester to announce his political plans with UAP.

“What we need is for real Aussies like you and me to get involved in politics. That is why I recently submitted my candidate application for the United Australia Party,” Mr Jonas announced to thousands gathered at last Saturday’s rally in Melbourne’s CBD.

Mr Jonas said if he was endorsed he would “make it my personal business” to have “criminals like Daniel Andrews, Scott Morrison and Greg Hunt” removed from office.

“Who here is willing to roll their sleeves up and do anything it takes to secure the future of this country?” he called on the crowd, which cheered. “Who is willing to take action, get boots on the ground and play a role in getting them removed?”

Mr Kelly, who was appointed leader of United Australia Party in August, addressed the crowd alongside Mr Jonas last weekend, urging the crowd to help “kill the bill”, referring to the Andrews government’s proposed pandemic legislation and claimed he would “bring (Victorian Premier) Daniel Andrews to his knees”.

Mr Jonas rejected any suggestions he was anti-vax, far-right or peddled conspiracy theories on his webcast which streams four nights a week and has featured guests, including Mr Kelly and Sunshine GP Dr Mark Hobart who is currently under investigation for issuing false vaccine exemptions.

“I’ve got nothing against people taking the jab, but I’m strongly opposed to coercion, threats and mandates,” he told The Age.

Ms Smit stands accused of inciting people via social media by encouraging them to attend anti-lockdown protests in Melbourne in August, including ones where police were injured - two criminal charges of inciting others to contravene the Chief Health Officer’s directions and three counts of failing to comply with a Chief Health Officer direction.

She is fighting the charges and her next court appearance is slated for February next year.

Other right-wing ‘freedom’ activists who have been campaigning against the bill, which is now stalled in the Victorian upper house, have been promoting Mr Kelly or UAP to their large followings. They include Avi Yemeni, Mel Ciechanowicz also known as Mel Ann, Fanos Panayides, Romeo Georges, Dave O’Neegs and Simeon Boikov aka ‘Aussie Cossack’.

Christos Harisopoulo, a 53-year-old semi-retiree from Melbourne’s west who is known in online circles for his satirical “Senator Papahatziharalambrous” character, also confirmed to The Age he had submitted his application to run for UAP. He said his concerns were for “loss of freedoms and medical segregation” and mandatory vaccines, but said he did not believe in QAnon conspiracies, as others within the movement did.

Greg Barton, professor of politics at Deakin University, said the UAP’s courting of fringe groups could prove a successful tactic in the event of a hung Parliament but would no doubt influence the entire political debate.

“It might be that some of these independents ended up in Parliament or it may be that it shapes the Coalition and their rhetoric,” he said. “UAPs preferences are likely to flow to the Coalition.”

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/15042145 (201009ZNOV21) Notable: AUKUS: Australia, US military ‘melded like never before’ - President Biden’s top adviser for Asia, Dr Kurt Campbell, MISSING MEDIA/FILES: Kurt_Campbell_Joe_Biden_s_top_adviser_on_Asia.jpg

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AUKUS: Australia, US military ‘melded like never before’: US adviser

ADAM CREIGHTON - NOVEMBER 20, 2021

President Biden’s top adviser for Asia, Dr Kurt Campbell, has said he expects the US and Australia military to become “melded” together in a way unimaginable twenty years ago, as the AUKUS security pact comes to fruition.

Dr Campbell, one of the architects of the three-nation agreement that also include the UK, said the deal was a response to unprecedented Chinese military build-up in naval ships, nuclear warheads and space capabilities that had profoundly worried nations in the Asia-Pacific region.

“We’re of view that some of this is destabilising, much of it is done in non-transparent manner, and behind the scenes many in Asia are worried about this substantial, dramatic set of military investments,” he said, speaking as part of a fire side chat hosted by the US Institute of Peace in Washington on Friday.

“And some of those steps have led other countries to respond, and AUKUS is one of those responses,” he added.

His remarks followed publication of a damning report by the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission earlier this week that found China’s “unprecedented” nuclear weapons build up had raised the risk of war with the US and provided the People’s Liberation Army with the confidence to invade Taiwan.

The analysis of the communist superpower’s growing economic and military clout, published on Wednesday in Washington, recommended the US drastically clamp down on commercial ties with China and take “urgent measures to strengthen the credibility of US military deterrence”.

Dr Campbell, who was present at the historic virtual meeting between President Xi and President Biden on Monday night, said the Chinese leader made clear “a number of things the US was doing” had caused the communist leadership some “heartburn”.

“And the top of that list is bilateral reinforcing and revitalising our security alliances with Japan, South Korea, with Australia, Philippines and Thailand, AUKUS, and talking to Europeans in more dynamic way about areas of cooperation,” Dr Campbell said.

“President Xi made clear those things from the Chinese perspective represent what they describe as Cold War thinking,” he added.

Dr Campbell said the AUKUS pact “tied Australia more deeply to us”, and both Australia and the UK had made “a fundamental strategic choice to work with the US” in the Indo-Pacific.

“High level” teams in the US, Australia and UK were working on “doing whatever possible to provide the Royal Australian Navy with options to build nuclear subs as rapidly as possible”, Dr Campbell said.

“We realise and recognise and there are some immediate and medium-term challenges; we can’t simply wait for long term solutions … In the next little while we will have more British sailors serving on our vessels, more of our forward deployed assets in Australia,” he said.

Naval supply chain experts have expressed concern American shipyards were too busy to supply nuclear-powered submarines to Australia.

Dr Campbell said the idea China’s application to join the CT-TPP trade grouping, of which Australia was a member, was “for show” was mistaken and China was “deadly serious”.

China in September applied to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, which emerged in 2018 from the remnants of Trans-Pacific Partnership, from which Donald Trump withdrew the US in 2017 in one of his first acts as president.

“The most anxious calls I’ve received about anything we’ve been involved in in the Indo-Pacific have come in aftermath of some of these indications,” he said.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern earlier this month said China should be allowed to join the lucrative 11-nation trading pact provided it met the minimum requirements, putting her at odds with the Australian government which has signalled it could veto China’s application.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/world/aukus-australia-us-military-melded-like-never-before-us-adviser/news-story/5d907f9bbb87a0a8ea165acb8bc52d88

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/15042154 (201015ZNOV21) Notable: Former economy czar Cardinal Pell warns the Vatican is facing major deficit, MISSING MEDIA/FILES: Cardinal_George_Pell_prepares_to_make_a_statement_at_the_Vatican_Thursday_June_29_2017.jpg, Australian_Cardinal_George_Pell_is_interviewed_by_The_Associated_Press_in_his_home_at_the_Vatican_Thursday_May_20_2021.jpg

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Former economy czar Cardinal Pell warns the Vatican is facing major deficit

Cardinal George Pell addressed old Vatican feuds and financial reform efforts during an interview promoting a book about his imprisonment.

Claire Giangravé - November 19, 2021

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VATICAN CITY (RNS) — Former Vatican economy czar Cardinal George Pell warns in a new book that the Catholic institution is facing a growing deficit, but he hopes financial reform efforts have put a stop to money laundering in the small city-state.

Pell’s newest book, “Prison Journal, Volume 3: The High Court frees an Innocent Man,” was published in November and is the final installment detailing his experiences in prison. Pell was jailed for more than a year in 2019 after being accused of sexually abusing minors in Victoria, Australia, and was acquitted on appeal by the country’s High Court in April 2020 for lack of evidence.

The book touches on a variety of subjects, from how the cardinal’s faith and support sustained him during imprisonment, to his political views, but it also addresses “corruption in Rome,” Pell told Religion News Service during a phone interview on Wednesday (Nov. 17).

“I think the main challenge is the Vatican is short of money. That’s the primary reality at the moment,” Pell said, adding that the red balance sheet is due to “years of old-fashioned methodology, incompetence and corruption.”

Pell also pushed back against criticism from Cardinal Angelo Becciu — often portrayed as his rival during his efforts to reform the Vatican’s finances — and questioned Becciu’s transfer of funds from the Vatican to Australia, which some speculate had an influence on Pell’s trial and imprisonment in 2019.

Pope Francis appointed Pell as prefect for the Vatican’s Secretariat for the Economy in 2014, to spearhead the pope’s ambitious plans to reform the Catholic institution’s troubled finances. His time at the Vatican was cut short once he was summoned to court in Australia, but he said he keeps a keen eye on the recent developments in the church’s finances.

“The financial pressures at the Vatican are, really, very real,” he added. “We don’t know how many people are going to heaven or hell, but we do know when we are under financial pressure, and we do know if we’re going broke.”

Financial scandals involving millions of dollars have depleted the Vatican’s coffers for decades. The COVID-19 pandemic, which imposed travel bans in Italy and globally, was a huge blow to an institution that relies heavily on the millions of tourists who visit the Vatican museums every year. According to the 2021 Vatican budget, the institution is bracing for a $60 million deficit.

While Vatican City does not have any debts, the cardinal said, “We’re overspending every year for the last 10 years at least.” The Vatican’s finances have been depleted by faulty investments, such as a $200 million investment in prime real estate in London that ended up costing the institution almost double in dubious fees and commissions.

The property is currently in the process of being sold for a $100 million loss. This controversial investment, made between 2014 and 2019 by the Vatican’s Secretariat of State using funds destined for the pope’s charitable works, is at the heart of a Vatican mega trial of 10 clergy members and employees — including Becciu — accused of corruption, money laundering and abuse of office.

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Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/15042185 (201028ZNOV21) Notable: George Papadopoulos Tweet: Big names to watch moving forward in Durham probe: Victoria Nuland - US embassy personnel (London/Athens) - Alexander Downer, MISSING MEDIA/FILES: GP_305.jpg

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George Papadopoulos Tweet

Big names to watch moving forward in Durham probe:

Victoria Nuland

US embassy personnel (London/Athens)

Alexander Downer

https://twitter.com/GeorgePapa19/status/1461749424158248961

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