/qresearch/ - Q Research

PREVIOUSLY COLLECTED NOTABLES

Q Research AUSTRALIA #8

https://pastebin.com/hBYe3Rw5

Q Research AUSTRALIA #7

https://pastebin.com/s0S4vp4V

Q Research AUSTRALIA #6

https://pastebin.com/iLEFtwAA

Q Research AUSTRALIA #5

https://pastebin.com/xjZwJ2Yz

Q Research AUSTRALIA #4

https://pastebin.com/C4iL3ubL

Q Research AUSTRALIA #3

https://pastebin.com/kUJFL7HP

Q Research AUSTRALIA #2

https://pastebin.com/0BfaKkYm

Q Research AUSTRALIA #1

https://pastebin.com/WiJa8rE0

THREAD ARCHIVES

Q Research AUSTRALIA #8

http://archive.vn/jbV2S

Q Research AUSTRALIA #7

http://archive.vn/YT76p

Q Research AUSTRALIA #6

http://archive.ph/DGknZ

Q Research AUSTRALIA #5

https://archive.ph/vlHWs

Q Research AUSTRALIA #4

https://archive.is/B0Z4l

Q Research AUSTRALIA #3

http://archive.fo/xznbY

Q Research AUSTRALIA #2

http://archive.fo/hlJ0W

Q Research AUSTRALIA #1

http://archive.fo/vJ8oH

CURRENT DOUGH

https://pastebin.com/xysDgXmv

Australian academic Kylie Moore-Gilbert transferred to ‘worst female prison in world’

University of Melbourne lecturer Kylie Moore-Gilbert has been suddenly transferred from the notorious Evin prison in Tehran to what is described as one of the worst female prisons in the world — Qarchak prison.

Reza Khandan, the husband of lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh who is incarcerated in Evin prison for her human rights activism, posted to his social media account that Ms Moore-Gilbert was transferred to Qarchak for “punishment reasons” earlier this week.

The transfer is a serious setback for Ms Moore-Gilbert as coronavirus is rife through the Qarchak prison and there are only minute supplies of soap which are sold to the prisoners at inflated prices.

Like the Evin prison, Qarchak is controlled by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Intelligence Organization and last month the US Department of State listed Qarchak as an entity responsible for extrajudicial killings, torture, or other gross violations of internationally recognised human rights.

Ms Moore-Gilbert has been in jail for nearly two years, having been sentenced to ten years jail for spying. In September 2018, she was arrested at Tehran airport as she was about to fly home to Melbourne following an academic tour of Iran.

Mr Khandan said Ms Moore-Gilbert was able to contact him to say of the new jail: “The conditions are very bad I cannot eat anything, I am very disappointed, I am so very depressed.’’

Ms Moore-Gilbert told Mr Khandan she had last spoken to her family about a month ago.

Qarchak prison is in the desert to the east of Tehran and holds more than 2000 female prisoners, but has only 600 beds. Political prisoners are held in the same area as those who have committed violent crimes.

The prison is seriously overcrowded with poor sanitation. Head lice is controlled by shaving the heads of prisoners and washing them with bleach.

Last month Ms Moore-Gilbert was reported to have been beaten by Evin guards because she had defied the authorities by humming. As well as the beatings she may have been drugged to make her more compliant.

Mr Khandan has been trying to monitor the health of various political prisoners after his wife was jailed for 38 years in 2019 for defending female prisoners.

He said earlier this year that Ms Moore-Gilbert’s situation “is absolutely unbearable and would destroy anyone’s soul and mind, and we don’t know what has happened to her in these past two years’’.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/australian-academic-kylie-mooregilbert-transferred-to-worst-female-prison-in-world/news-story/1e37ec1882baa0522f80aea2c24d1a1a

Courtney Love Cobain Tweet

Hey . About my name in Epstein’s address book , it’s creepy as fuck that I’m in that thing I agree. I didn’t know him , never met him , didn’t know who he was. Apparently he collected celebrity phone numbers. The end . Hope he burns in Avici hell. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Av%C4%ABci

https://twitter.com/Courtney/status/1287880759202570240

—

Sarah @dearsarah

Courtney Love says she hopes Epstein "burns in hell" after her name is found in his address book https://flip.it/2GCIG7 She denies knowing Epstein….but not Ghislaine (who, given how many of her Uni friends are in it, was the initial author of the black book).Why not be honest?

https://twitter.com/dearsarah/status/1288005026435043328

—

Virginia Roberts Giuffre Tweet

Hmmmm From what #Epstein told me its a completely different story. Everyone has there own narrative it seems. Just tell the truth- very important for survivors to have all the gaps fillled in so we can ALL seek the justice we deserve. @Courtney

https://twitter.com/VRSVirginia/status/1288105162125398017

—

Courtney Love says she hopes Jeffrey Epstein “burns in hell” after her name is found in his address book

Courtney Love has said she hoped disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein “burned in hell” after she discovered that her name was found in his address book.

Epstein died at a Manhattan jail last year while awaiting trial on alleged sexual assault and trafficking charges of underage girls.

Taking to Twitter, Love wrote: “Hey. About my name in Epstein’s address book, it’s creepy as fuck that I’m in that thing I agree. I didn’t know him, never met him, didn’t know who he was. Apparently he collected celebrity phone numbers. The end. Hope he burns in Avici hell.”

A four part docu-series, Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich, was recently released on Netflix which detailed firsthand accounts of some of the women who spoke out against Epstein.

Describing the series, Netflix said: “Leading up to his 2019 arrest, mysterious tycoon Jeffrey Epstein was accused of abusing women and underage girls for decades, assembling a network of enablers to help carry out and cover up his crimes.

“Epstein came from humble beginnings yet managed to lie and manipulate his way to the top of the financial world. He eventually gained tremendous wealth and power while running an international sex trafficking ring.

“With their frightening firsthand accounts, Epstein’s accusers are the leading voices in director Lisa Bryant’s four-part docuseries Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich.

“By revealing their emotional scars, some for the very first time, the sisterhood of survivors intend to stop predators — and the American justice system — from silencing the next generation.”

https://www.nme.com/news/music/courtney-love-says-she-hopes-jeffrey-epstein-burns-in-hell-after-her-name-is-found-in-his-address-book-2716557

Coming in to say a quick hello, US anon here, main thread baker is taking forever for the next bread.

Hope all you Aussies are doing well.

Defence Minister Linda Reynolds Tweet

Today’s #AUSMIN2020 meeting is underway with an ambitious agenda. @MarisePayne and I are looking forward to working with our American friends @EsperDoD @SecPompeo to ensure our Alliance is postured to respond to the challenges and opportunities in our region.

https://twitter.com/lindareynoldswa/status/1288101832661729280

US praises Australia for not 'bowing' to China

China topped the agenda at AUSMIN with the US and Australian delegations discussing freedom of navigation, electronic warfare and hypersonic technology.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has praised Australia for standing up to China despite "coercive pressure from the Chinese Communist Party to bow to Beijing's wishes".

Mr Pompeo and US Defense Secretary Mark Esper met with Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne and Defence Minister Linda Reynolds in Washington DC on Tuesday for the annual Australia-United States Ministerial Consultations.

The US and Australia committed to pursue increased and regular "maritime cooperation" in the South China Sea and deepen defence science technology cooperation on hypersonic, electronic warfare and space-based capabilities.

"We started this morning by talking at length about the Chinese Communist Party's malign activity in the Indo-Pacific region, and indeed all around the world," Mr Pompeo said at a press conference.

"The United States commends the Morrison government for standing up for democratic values and the rule of law despite intense, continued coercive pressure from the Chinese Communist Party to bow to Beijing's wishes.

"It is unacceptable for Beijing to use exports, or student fees as a cudgel against Australia.

"We stand with our Australian friends."

The US and Australian delegations agreed to the potential expansion of US Marine rotational force joint training exercises in Darwin to include additional partners and allies.

The US and Australia also intend to strengthen supply chains by establishing a US-funded commercially operated strategic military fuel reserve in Darwin.

Ms Payne said Australia has no intention of injuring its relationship with China.

"We are very different countries, we are very different systems, and it's the points on which we disagree that we should be able to articulate in a mature and sensible way," Ms Payne said.

Ms Reynolds and Dr Esper signed a statement of principles on defence cooperation and force posture priorities in the Indo-Pacific to drive Australian-US shared interests for the next decade.

"This includes hypersonics, electronic warfare and space-based capabilities," Ms Reynolds said.

Ms Reynolds confirmed freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea was discussed and Australia's "long history of transiting through the region" will continue.

"Our approach remains consistent," Ms Reynolds said.

Dr Esper did not specifically answer when a journalist asked if the US and Australia discussed deploying additional US troops or intermediate range missiles on Australian soil.

"We had a very wide ranging discussion about the capabilities that the United States possesses and the capabilities Australia possesses, and our desire to advance them whether they are hypersonics or any other type of capability," he said.

"And I think it's important as we think forward about how do we deter bad behaviour in the Indo-Pacific and how we defend the international rules based order, in this case specifically with regard to China."

Ms Payne and Ms Reynolds will undergo 14 days of quarantine when they return to Australia in case they picked up COVID-19 during the AUSMIN trip.

https://www.sbs.com.au/news/us-praises-australia-for-not-bowing-to-china

Australia backs US bid to rally democracies against China

The Morrison government has swung its support behind the Trump administration's push to forge a new alliance of democracies to counter China's muscular ambitions, saying it could be built on the close Australia-US relationship.

At the annual AUSMIN meeting in Washington, the quartet of Australian and US foreign and defence ministers also said they'd step up cooperation on developing new defence technologies in areas such as hypersonics, establish a US strategic military fuel reserve in Darwin, and create a joint taskforce to counter harmful disinformation.

"We will use the Australia-US alliance as the basis to deepen our friendship with others," Foreign Minister Marise Payne told the post-AUSMIN press conference on Wednesday morning (AEST).

"We will build new groupings, cementing friendships, improving our security through a network of nations that share our vision of an open, prosperous and secure Indo-Pacific."

Her comments came after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo last week called for "a new grouping of like-minded nations … a new alliance of democracies" to "change communist China".

But she also used the press conference to underline the independence of Australian foreign policy, which is sometimes at odds with that of the increasingly belligerent and intractable Trump administration.

"We have a demonstrable track record of making decisions in our own national interest," she said. "We don't agree on everything - that's part of a respectful relationship."

Mr Pompeo showered praise on the Australian ministers for accepting the risk of coronavirus and the burden of quarantine to travel to Washington and hold the talks face to face.

"Not many partners would do that for us," he told the joint press conference as he lauded the "unbreakable alliance" and feted Australia's toughness in standing up to China's "intense and continued" political and economic intimidation.

Mr Pompeo said the four ministers' discussion on China had been "at length", and had particularly focused on the threat from Chinese technology companies such as Huawei and ZTE.

Defence Minister Linda Reynolds and Defence Secretary Mark Esper were pressed on whether the American side had urged the Australians to step up their activity in the South China Sea, or to host US offensive weaponry on Australian soil.

Both side-stepped the question, with Mr Esper vowing the pair would defend the international rules-based order and Senator Reynolds saying Australia would remain consistent in its pattern of law-abiding transits through the contested waters.

Deeper defence ties

Senator Reynolds said she and Mr Esper had signed a statement of principles "on alliance defence cooperation and on force posture priorities in the Indo-Pacific", which would "drive the next decade of our defence cooperation".

A US-funded, commercially operated strategic military fuel reserve would be set up in Darwin, and the two countries' defence science establishments would work more closely on hypersonics, electronic warfare and space-based capabilities.

"This will ensure the alliance maintains its capability edge in a rapidly modernising environment, … [and] strengthen our interoperability and also our shared resilience," Senator Reynolds said.

Senator Payne said the US State Department and the Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade would set up a joint working group to "monitor and respond to harmful disinformation".

She didn't offer any details about the kinds of disinformation, or which countries' information operations would be targeted.

Senator Payne was asked to comment on the growing strategic tension between US and China, and again sought to play up Australia's independent stance.

"The relationship that we have with China is important and we have no intention of injuring it," she said. "But nor do we intend to do things that are contrary to our interests."

She also offered a shout-out to the multilateral institutions that are regarded with deep suspicion by the Trump administration.

"The role of multilateral institutions is more important now than ever in supporting our values and strategic objectives as the world responds to the health and economic challenges of COVID-19," she said.

The ministers said they'd discussed strengthening health security in the Indo-Pacific, to help other countries detect, prevent and respond to infectious diseases, including getting access to vaccines.

https://www.afr.com/policy/foreign-affairs/australia-backs-us-bid-to-rally-democracies-against-china-20200729-p55gdp

AUSMIN a thrilling, unexpected triumph for White House

This AUSMIN meeting was a triumph for the Trump administration which was rightly thrilled and probably a little surprised that Australia agreed to the White House’s request to come to Washington.

At this volatile moment in history, Australia has become the model ally for which the US is looking when it comes to confronting a rising and increasingly belligerent China.

The face-to-face annual AUSMIN meeting and press conference between the respective foreign and defence ministers – Mike Pompeo, Mark Esper, Marise Payne and Linda Reynolds – gave the administration the chance to loudly tout what Australia has done on China and in doing so, send a message to other US allies to copy Canberra’s lead.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, in a series of recent speeches, has been pleading with more democratic allies to stand up to Beijing, even if it hurts them economically.

From Washington’s perspective, Australia has ticked all of these boxes and more.

It even led the US in banning Huawei and introducing foreign interference legislation several years ago.

More recently, the Morrison government has won plaudits in Washington for its call for an inquiry into the origins of the coronavirus.

In the face of persistent threats and intimidation from Beijing, the government this month boldly declared China’s absurd and hegemonic territorial claims in the South China Sea to be illegal.

It has also angered Beijing by suspending its extradition treaty with Hong Kong and offering citizenship options in Australia for residents of Hong Kong in response to China’s push to remove freedoms and human rights protections.

Each of these moves have led to threats of reprisals – sometimes implemented – from an increasingly angry Beijing. But they have been carefully watched and warmly welcomed by the US which views China through a dramatically different lens than it did just a few years ago.

During this US election China is under attack from both sides of politics in the US. It has no friends in Washington.

Donald Trump, who has waged a long and still unfinished trade war with Beijing, sees China as largely to blame for the coronavirus which has destroyed the US economy and severely harmed his chances of re-election.

His administration, led by Pompeo, has clashed with Beijing over Huawei, over its unfair trading practices and over its cyber warfare amongst numerous other issues.

It has tried to call China out over these many issues but has been frustrated by the sometimes tepid support it has received from many other allies, particularly in Europe.

Which is why Washington is so pleased that Australia has been willing to openly call Beijing out on some of these issues despite the obvious risk of economic reprisal.

Australia is not saying whether it will take the next step in challenging Beijing by joining the US Navy in freedom of navigation operations in the South China Sea.

For now that may be a step too far, especially as China policy in the US becomes increasingly politicised as the US election creeps closer.

But at the AUSMIN press conference, Pompeo and Esper’s comments contained more ‘thank you’s’ than a wedding speech as they rattled off the list of Australian efforts to hold China accountable for its behaviour.

This was an AUSMIN meeting that went beyond the usual platitudes because both countries are so deeply engaged right now with the question of China.

Among the thanks you’s was the fact that two Cabinet ministers, two department secretaries and the CDF amongst others now have two weeks quarantine to face upon their return.

So was it worth the trip? The Americans certainly think so.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/commentary/ausmin-a-thrilling-unexpected-triumph-for-donald-trump/news-story/c723387a88f0d25fafee6efeadd275ac

Sydney man accused of sexually exploiting a NZ girl

A 23-year-old Sydney man accused of sexually exploiting a young New Zealand girl he groomed through social media has been charged by Australian Federal Police (AFP) after an international tip-off.

The man is expected to face Parramatta Local Court today (29 July 2020) charged with using a carriage service to transmit indecent communication to a person aged under 16, contrary to section 474.27A of the Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth).

He faces a maximum seven years’ imprisonment if convicted.

The AFP’s NSW Child Protection Operations (CPO) team launched an investigation after New Zealand Police reported suspicions that a man in Sydney had posed as a child to send sexually explicit messages to a young girl in NZ and had coerced her into sending photographs to him.

Police identified the 23-year-old man as the suspected user of the social media account and a warrant was executed at his suburban Sydney home on Wednesday, 3 June (2020).

A computer and phone were seized which police allege contains child abuse material, including records of sexualised online conversations with young girls.

AFP Commander Kirsty Schofield, Investigations Eastern Command, said the arrest highlights the AFP’s close partnership with NZ Police.

“Australian and NZ Police stand together in protecting our young people from this abhorrent crime,” Commander Schofield said.

“It is disgusting that adults trawl online platforms to try to engage children in sexualised conversations or to send intimate images, and the distress and harm it causes children is irreparable.

“We work tirelessly with our partners to stamp out this behaviour and prosecute anyone who preys on children – whether that’s online or through physical contact.”

Commander Schofield hopes the allegations in this case will also be a reminder that cyber security is an important conversation for families to have.

“It is important that children feel comfortable talking to adults if they are worried about someone who has contacted them online and not share anything online that they would not tell anyone else about.”

Last year, the AFP's Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE) received almost 17,000 reports of child exploitation – that’s about 45 cases a day.

Between July 2019 and May 2020, the AFP has laid 1078 Commonwealth Child Exploitation charges against 144 people. It compares to 74 summons and arrests; and 372 charges laid in the previous financial year.

The average number of images seized when an offender is arrested has been steadily increasing. In the early-to-mid 2000s, a child sex predator had about 1000 images, now it’s between 10,000 to 80,000 images and videos.

The annual report of the Internet Watch Foundation stated that in 2019 it assessed a webpage every two minutes. And every four minutes that webpage showed a child being sexually abused.

“If it takes a village to raise a child, advances in technology now means it takes a country to keep them safe,” Commander Schofield said. “The AFP will never relinquish this duty.

“The AFP is working around-the-clock with our international and domestic partners to bring to justice those who seek to do harm to our children.”

Members of the public who have any information about people involved in child abuse and exploitation are urged to call Crime stoppers on 1800 333 000.

You can also make a report online by alerting the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation via the Report Abuse button at www.accce.gov.au/report

Editor’s note: Footage of the arrest is available here https://spaces.hightail.com/space/fqsoNTwqJ9

Note to media:

USE OF TERM 'CHILD ABUSE' MATERIAL, NOT 'CHILD PORNOGRAPHY'

Use of the phrase "child pornography" benefits child sex abusers because it:

* indicates legitimacy and compliance on the part of the victim and therefore legality on the part of the abuser; and

* conjures images of children posing in 'provocative' positions, rather than suffering horrific abuse.

Every photograph captures an actual situation where a child has been abused. This is not "pornography".

https://www.afp.gov.au/news-media/media-releases/sydney-man-accused-sexually-exploiting-nz-girl

Melbourne earthquake felt by hundreds of people across the eastern suburbs

Residents across Melbourne's east have reported feeling shaking and a loud blast after a small earthquake was recorded in the area.

Geoscience Australia confirmed there was a Magnitude 2.2 tremor at 7:08pm near Pakenham, about 60 kilometres south-east of the CBD.

Hundreds of people across the eastern suburbs, from Nar Nar Goon to Croydon, reported feeling the tremor.

Olinda resident Suzie Leach said she was watching a TV series with her husband when she heard a "sonic boom" coming from the east.

"Although we did not feel reverberations, we heard them afterwards for quite a few seconds," she told the ABC.

"We went outside. It was unnaturally still and silent. We wondered if it was an earthquake, or if a truck had hit a tree."

Ben Beattie felt the earthquake from Boronia, about 35 kilometres from Pakenham.

"It sounded like a loud rumble rolling in from the distance, almost train like," he said.

"The windows started shaking and then the couch started to shake too."

Blasting noise likely rocks breaking below the earth's surface

In the locality of Kallista, near the Dandenong Ranges National Park, Linda Jones also reported feeling the earth shake.

"Heard a bang and rumble and the ground shook for a few seconds," she said.

Senior seismologist with Geoscience Australia Trevor Allen said hearing a boom or "blasting noise" during an earthquake was common.

"It may be a noise that's resulting from the rocks actually breaking beneath the surface, and that transmits to the surface of the earth as soundwaves," he said.

Dr Allen said it was difficult to know what exactly triggered the earthquake.

But he said tremors were not uncommon in the Pakenham area.

"On average we tend to get an earthquake of around about Magnitude 2 every year in the region, going back 20 years," he said.

He said Gippsland and the Latrobe Valley areas in the south-east of the state were among the active earthquake areas in Australia.

As of 8:30pm no damage from the earthquake had been reported, Victoria's State Emergency Service said.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-07-29/melbourne-earthquake-causes-shaking-sound-across-east/12505320

Resignations in the news

Labor adviser Marcus Ganley ‘quit after sex claim’

A senior adviser working for Labor foreign affairs spokeswoman Penny Wong left his job after being accused by a female party member of serious misconduct.

Marcus Ganley, Senator Wong’s chief of staff, left his position in February after a formal complaint alleging sexual harassment was made to Anthony Albanese’s ­office earlier that month.

Mr Ganley, who now works in a senior position at the ACT’s Chief Minister Directorate, denied the allegations and said his reasons for leaving were “clear to the people who need to know”.

Multiple sources told The Australian that the alleged incident took place at a private Adelaide event in early February.

The Labor leader’s office intervened days after being notified of the complaint, sources with ­detailed knowledge of the discussions said.

Mr Ganley, a New Zealander, came to some prominence in 2017 after being outed as the Labor staffer who had informal discussions with New Zealand Labour MP Chris Hipkins about the section 44 constitutional crisis roiling the Turnbull government.

Mr Hipkins subsequently raised queries about Australian dual citizens during parliamentary questions, leading to a sharp rebuke from Julie Bishop.

“I would find it very hard to build trust with those involved in allegations designed to undermine the government of Australia,” Ms Bishop, the then foreign minister, said at the time.

Mr Ganley resigned from Senator Wong’s office in the sitting week starting February 10 after speaking to her and the Opposition Leader’s chief of staff, Tim Gartrell, sources familiar with the conversation said.

Senator Wong told Mr Ganley she had lost confidence in his ability to run her office.

Mr Ganley departed later that day, but told colleagues he was taking sick leave.

His exit was announced to Labor staff the following week.

The Australian is not suggesting the allegation is true, only that the complaint was made.

The Australian has chosen not to reveal the identity of the complainant to protect her privacy.

A spokesman for Mr Albanese said the complaint had been “resolved to the satisfaction of the complainant”. “We will not comment further on this matter out of respect for the privacy of the complainant,” he said.

There was no investigation and few in federal Labor circles are aware of the reason behind Mr Ganley’s sudden departure.

To complicate matters, Mr Ganley’s partner is employed as an adviser in Mr Albanese’s office.

One female Labor MP, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation, praised Mr Albanese’s office for the handling of the complaint. She said the MeToo movement, which has embroiled the entertainment industry and the judiciary, had largely ignored political advisers in parliament.

Last year, two female Liberal staffers alleged they were sexually assaulted while working for senior politicians. One woman worked for a federal minister and said another parliamentary staffer pinned her down and ripped off her underpants during a sitting week in 2015.

The second was a former adviser in the office of the NSW Speaker, who said another Liberal Party member had come to her house and forced himself on her while masturbating.

Thomas Mooney took over as Senator Wong’s chief of staff in February, after serving as deputy for the previous year.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/labor-adviser-marcus-ganley-quit-after-sex-claim/news-story/f6b860491751dab740f9d808a691d33c

Dassi Erlich Tweet

Head judge Yitzhak Amit told the defence, “Some of the things that happened with this case have never taken place in the history of the establishment of the state of Israel".

https://twitter.com/dassi_erlich/status/1288436146674884608

—

Latest Malka Leifer appeal in Israel heard in secret

Accused paedophile Malka Leifer's appeal against an order for her to stand trial for extradition to Australia has been heard behind closed doors in Israel.

A panel of three judges in Israel's Supreme Court granted the request of the former Melbourne Orthodox school principal's defence team to hold the proceedings in a closed court, expelling members of the press and permitting only advocates of the three alleged victims and Ms Leifer's family, including two siblings and her son, to be present.

"When you're dealing with the medical issues of a person under the mental health act, that person is entitled to secrecy and therefore the hearings were held behind closed doors," defence lawyer Nick Kaufman said.

Despite protests from the prosecution, Ms Leifer, who had appeared on screen via video conference from prison with her head bowed for the start of the hearing, was also dismissed from the hearing when the court was closed.

The appeal takes place two months after a Jerusalem court decided that Ms Leifer, who is facing 74 charges of sexually assaulting female students at the ultra-Orthodox Adass Israel school in Elsternwick, is mentally competent to stand trial for extradition to Australia.

Judge Yitzhak Amit told the defence that the number of appeals was unprecedented even among the most high-profile murder trials. Wednesday marked the case's 70th hearing.

"Some of the things that happened with this case have never taken place in the history of the establishment of the state of Israel," he said.

Yet the defence was optimistic that the Supreme Court had heard their arguments, with lawyer Yehuda Fried saying outside court that Israel's highest court authority had listened to their arguments and "understands that there is a problem here".

Leifer's defence claims the Jerusalem district court decision in May that she was faking illness to avoid extradition was "unreasonable", in light of the fact that she is receiving treatment from the Israeli prison service including daily taking anti-psychotic drugs.

Due to the secrecy of the hearing, the prosecution was unable to comment on what took place inside court, but lawyer Ayelet Rivner-Oron said they were hopeful the court would deny the appeal. "We hope we will be able to proceed with her extradition to Australia," she said.

The three sisters accusing Ms Leifer of child abuse, Eli Sapper, Nicole Myer and Dassi Erlich, released a statement on Facebook calling the trial a "never-ending quest for justice". Ms Erlich stated that the sisters "hope to see Leifer in Australia before the 80th court date".

In a statement to The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald outside the court, Manny Waks, a prominent activist against child sexual abuse, said he believed Ms Leifer would be on a plane back to Australia very soon.

"The due process is part of it, but it is very clear what the decision is going to be," he said.

If Ms Leifer's appeals to the Supreme Court fail, her fate will be decided on September 21 in an extradition hearing at a Jerusalem court. According to her lawyers, the Supreme Court will give its decision on this "complex" appeal in a month's time.

Ms Leifer fled to Israel in 2008 after the allegations first emerged. The process to extradite her has stalled several times since charges were laid in 2013.

Premier Daniel Andrews met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in 2018, telling him the only just outcome was for Ms Leifer to face a jury of her peers.

Adass Israel girls' school was ordered to pay more than $1.1 million in damages to Dassi Erlich in 2015.

In 2016, an Israeli judge found Ms Leifer mentally unfit to face extradition to Australia and she was set free. But she was arrested in February 2018 after a private investigation revealed that she was leading a "normal life" and going about normal daily activities in the ultra-Orthodox settlement of Emmanuel.

https://www.theage.com.au/world/europe/latest-malka-leifer-appeal-in-israel-to-be-heard-in-secret-20200729-p55gqr.html

>>10122611

Dassi Erlich Tweets

#Courtdate70 came & went like it wasn't the 70th hearing in this neverending quest for justice.

Even head judge Yitzhak Amit told the defence that the number of appeals was unprecedented even among the most high-profile murder trials….

1/2

https://twitter.com/dassi_erlich/status/1288460737363374082

—

“Some of the things that happened with this case have never taken place in the history of the establishment of the state of Israel,”

This statement from a Supreme court judge felt validating.

Expect a decision on this mental fitness appeal before extradition ruling Sept 21

2/2

https://twitter.com/dassi_erlich/status/1288460739334684672

QAnon: The online cult that is a danger in the real world

David Aaronovitch - Thursday, July 30, 2020

1/2

Earlier this month, General Michael Flynn, former director of the US Defense Intelligence Agency and national security adviser, took an al fresco oath of loyalty with family and friends and posted it on Twitter, using the hashtag TakeTheOath. At the end of the oath, they vowed, in a phrase that sounds like an overtranslation from The Three Musketeers: “Where we go one, we go all.”

Readers may not know what many of those reading, retweeting or “liking” the general’s video know: that the phrase and the hashtag indicate his support for an online conspiracy theory network that is becoming a cult. It’s known as QAnon. You’ll see its supporters at rallies for Donald Trump, and if you look for its #WWG1WGA abbreviation online you’ll find tens of thousands of references. YouTube offers a cornucopia of QAnon videos. A full range of QAnon merchandise featuring the letter Q and, often, a rabbit is available at all good Amazon sites near you. There are even QAnon candidates in US elections. The president of the United States retweets contributions from QAnon activists.

A decade ago I published a book about modern conspiracy theories. I had studied dozens of them, from the forged Protocols of the Elders of Zion (guess who the infernal plotters were in that one), to “9/11 was an inside job”, via the hidden bloodline of Christ. On the way I looked at “the government is poisoning us” memes, baby sacrifice themes, beliefs in a secret world government, Manchurian candidates, Obama being an undercover Kenyan, accusations that the Clintons had taken to murdering their aides and that the Queen is actually running the world’s banks. All were absurd but some were actually demented. Now imagine one gigantic, compendium theory which puts all of these together – that’s QAnon.

It emerged in 2016 with the release via WikiLeaks of emails from the Democratic National Committee. References in the emails to “pizza” were taken by self-styled online researchers to mean child pornography. This led to a belief worthy of Labour’s former deputy leader Tom Watson that there was an establishment cover-up of violent and even murderous child abuse by prominent Democrats.

Not long afterwards people came across an online bulletin put out by someone calling themselves “Q”, which purported to be the account by a US intelligence insider of a battle between the deep state (baby slayers, kleptocratic bankers, election stealers, mainstream media shills, the Pope etc) and dissident forces. The battle had not yet been fully joined but the day of reckoning was coming. And soon, a comment by the newly elected Donald Trump that “maybe it’s the calm before the storm” was taken as a sign that he was to lead the dissidents against the forces of evil. “What’s the storm?” he was asked. “You’ll find out,” he replied.

Once a phenomenon on the fringes of the internet, the QAnon movement moved mainstream onto Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. The latter was facilitated by the algorithm which recommended videos to users of the platform. So in the same way that I get Marianne Faithfull recommended if I’ve asked for The Dubliners, so people looking at Princess Diana videos might end up with QAnon, and down the rabbit hole they went. (Remember the rabbit?)

(continued)

>>10122782

2/2

Within weeks of being established, some of the best-populated QAnon sites were pulling in several million visits per month. Millions more watched the YouTube videos. There was a Q App (it’s gone now). There are Facebook groups with tens of thousands of members, many of them outside the US, not a few from Britain. People share a camaraderie as evidenced by that slogan (which they love to repeat), reveal to each other that Michelle Obama is actually a man, praise each other for being part of the Great Awakening and predict “The Coming Storm”.

And this was even before the pandemic, which they call, of course, the Plandemic. This week President Trump retweeted something from the “Where we go one, we go all” brother of Michael Flynn, who was promoting as a “fearless warrior for the truth” a doctor who was in turn promoting the virtues of hydroxychloroquine and the uselessness of face masks. This doctor also believes that infertility is caused by demonic spirits.

Up till now people have described QAnon as a conspiracy theory but increasingly I’ve come to think that it’s something else. There are many reports of people of all ages effectively giving up family and friends to stay with their online community. Many are older and plenty of them are women (which is unusual). The commitment is to the group and to its beliefs. Anecdotally, in America at least, many of its adherents appear to be the kind of middle-class people who have lost out since the crash of 2008: subprime mortgage victims and the recently unemployed. People who feel powerless but need to believe that somewhere there’s some meaning to it all.

I think QAnon is our first online cult – a kind of cyber-Jonestown – without a leader, but with sufficient diffuse momentum to generate its own direction. This has been assisted by Facebook’s decision a couple of years ago to try to support “meaningful social interaction” in Facebook communities. After all, one girl’s meaningful social interaction is another boy’s Hitler Jugend. I think it entirely possible that such groups will be able to move beyond cyberspace.

The language of QAnon is of soldiers and warriors fighting battles against evil. It wouldn’t take much for some of those soldiers to think that this fight badly needs to be taken to the physical world. Indeed it would be astonishing if they didn’t. Already there have been several instances of armed QAnon supporters being arrested while carrying weapons. A murder in New York last year of a Mafia boss was carried out by a young man claiming that he was attacking the “deep state”. The FBI is worried that QAnon could yet supply its own Anders Breivik, the far-right mass murderer who killed 77 people in Norway in 2011.

This being 2020, Twitter has recently taken action to remove 7,000 of the most egregious QAnon accounts, but there’s not much that can be done about the more sophisticated and fastest-mutating ones. YouTube has changed its algorithm and partly blocked the rabbit hole. Facebook is still working on its response.

But what is a poor platform to do when the people most effectively spreading this stuff are elected world leaders and three-star generals? The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our sites but in ourselves.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/world/the-times/qanon-the-online-cult-that-is-a-danger-in-the-real-world/news-story/254d61eb32ec728e6181e6a9d9e33ee6

>>10099807

Federal Government seeks access to jailed Australian Kylie Moore-Gilbert, who's been moved to new prison in Iran

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) says it is seeking access to jailed Australian academic Kylie Moore-Gilbert, after she was moved to a new prison in Iran.

Dr Moore-Gilbert, a lecturer at Melbourne University, has already served two years at Tehran's Evin prison after being convicted of spying and sentenced to 10 years in jail.

On Tuesday, a DFAT spokesperson said Iran had confirmed she had been moved from Evin to Qarchak prison, east of the capital.

The spokesperson said Australia held Iran responsible for Ms Moore-Gilbert's "safety and well-being" and was "urgently seeking access" to her.

"Dr Moore-Gilbert's case is one of the Australian Government's highest priorities, including for our embassy officials in Tehran," the spokesperson said.

The statement confirms previous claims from Iranian activist, Reza Khandan, who wrote on a Facebook post that Dr Moore-Gilbert had been transferred to Qarchak prison two days ago as punishment.

He also claimed to have spoken to Dr Moore-Gilbert over the phone.

He said she told him she "can't eat anything" and is "very depressed" and had last spoken to her family a month ago.

Mr Khandan said Qarchak prison only housed prisoners convicted of murder, drug trafficking and financial crimes.

DFAT said the ambassador to Iran recently visited Dr Moore-Gilbert in Evin prison, where she had telephone contact with her family and the ambassador over the past several months.

"I am not a spy"

Dr Moore-Gilbert is a Middle East expert at the University of Melbourne's Asia Institute, specialising in the Arab Gulf states. She has also studied at the University of Cambridge in England.

Earlier this year, in extracts of multiple handwritten letters smuggled out of prison — published by The Guardian and Times of London — she said she had never been a spy and feared for her mental health.

"I am not a spy. I have never been a spy and I have no interest to work for a spying organisation in any country. When I leave Iran, I want to be a free woman and live a free life, not under the shadow of extortion and threats," one of the letters said.

Dr Moore-Gilbert also wrote to her "case manager" in the letter, "please accept this letter as an official and definitive rejection of your offer to me to work with the intelligence branch of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps", the Guardian reported.

"Under no circumstances will I be persuaded to change my decision."

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-07-28/dfat-seeks-access-to-kylie-moore-gilbert-jailed-in-iran/12500978

>>10122856

Influential UK MP lashes ‘hostage takers’ over detained academic Kylie Moore-Gilbert

An influential British Conservative MP has lashed Iran for their “hostage-taking’’ of Australian academic Kylie Moore-Gilbert.

Tom Tugendhat, the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee chairman has made the first significant political criticism of Iran in relation to the incarceration of Dr Moore-Gilbert, who was sentenced to a ten years jail in 2018 on spying charges.

The Australian revealed on Monday that Dr Moore-Gilbert has been moved from solitary confinement in Evin prison to the desert jail hellhole of Qarchak, outside Tehran. She was able to make contact with Reza Khandan, the husband of fellow Evin detainee Nasrin Sotoudeh, to tell him of the transfer.

Dr Moore-Gilbert told him: “I can’t eat anything. I feel so very hopeless. I am so depressed.” She also spoke about being unable to make contact with her family in Australia because she is not allowed a phone card to make international calls.

Mr Tugendhat tweeted in response to a report about Dr Moore-Gilbert on Wednesday, saying: “Hostage taking has no place in diplomacy. The world needs to realise what the Iranian government is doing and who is covering up mass human rights violations.’’

But the intervention of Mr Tugendhat drew swift condemnation from Iran’s ambassador to the UK, Hamid Baeidinejad, who accused him of a “level of hatred towards Tehran that was beyond imagination”.

Mr Baeidinejad insisted the former Army officer’s military record in Afghanistan and Iraq had resulted in a “deep misconception” of Iran.

“He never stops attacking Iran and has deep misconception regarding Iran’s regional policies, which possibly was generated from his earlier association in the Army in Afghanistan and Iraq,” Mr Baeidinejad said.

Dr Moore-Gilbert, who is in her early 30s, has dual Australian and British nationality. She grew up in Bathurst NSW and studied at Cambridge University before joining the University of Melbourne.

Her arrest came in September 2018 when she was about to board a flight from Tehran back to Melbourne after being invited on a study tour in Iran. She was accused of acting suspiciously by a person she had interviewed for her studies.

In a letter smuggled out of Evin prison last year, Dr Moore-Gilbert wrote: “I am not a spy. I have never been a spy and I have no interest to work for a spying organisation in any country”.

The Australian government said diplomats have been trying to see her in her new jail and that they held Iran responsible for Dr Moore-Gilbert’s safety and wellbeing.

“Dr Moore-Gilbert’s case is one of the Australian Government’s highest priorities, including for our embassy officials in Tehran,’’ a spokesperson from the Department of Foreign Affairs said.

Up until now the Australian government has taken a softly-softly approach to their negotiations with Iran regarding Dr Moore-Gilbert, but Mr Tugendhat’s outburst has marked a new strategy – at least from the British perspective.

Mr Tugendhat is influential in the Conservative party and has been instrumental in garnering significant backbencher support to force the Boris Johnson government to reverse their acceptance of Huawei in the 5G telecommunications network.

He has already queried why Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have not been included on Britain’s new independent sanctions program, which freezes the assets of human rights abusers in the UK and also restricts their ability to travel.

He said the failure to include senior members of the Revolutionary Guards was a “striking omission’’.

It is understood because Dr Moore-Gilbert entered Iran on an Australian passport, Australian diplomats have been taking the lead in negotiations with Iran.

Britain has been in lengthy talks with Iran about British-Iranian charity worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe who was jailed for five years in 2016.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/world/influential-uk-mp-lashes-hostage-takers-over-detained-academic-kylie-mooregilbert/news-story/34dc72d2f20fd29c4bc1dbeef781dc19

'FLIGHT RISK' What is the conspiracy theory about Tom Hanks being arrested in Australia?

A CONSPIRACY theory that Tom Hanks was arrested in Australia is making its rounds on social media.

Hanks has not been arrested and the rumors are unfounded.

Social media buzzed about his "arrest" after a meme emerged of Hanks walking around with what looked like an ankle bracelet.

Why do people think Tom Hanks was arrested in Australia?

Facebook users speculated that Hanks had been arrested in Australia after a meme surfaced of the actor walking around with a face covering and an "ankle monitor".

Conspiracy theorists alleged that Hanks was arrested as a part of wider elite-run child sex trafficking ring.

The claim appears to be related to the QAnon conspiracy theorist group who have also accused Ellen DeGeneres and Oprah Winfrey of the same thing.

What is the meme of Tom Hanks allegedly wearing an ankle monitor?

A meme circulating on Facebook started the unfounded accusations against the actor.

The photos in the claim show Hanks in Los Angeles wearing a green bandana face covering on May 20, 2020.

The photo caption reads: “Look who has a new ankle bracelet! Tom Hanks. Some of you don’t know it but Mr. Hanks was arrested in Australia for pedophilia.

"He went on national TV to say he had COVID-19 and he was quarantine himself. Not true. He was in custody for a time then house arrest is in his hotel. Now, he’s a flight risk.”

While his pants appear to be ruffled, there is no ankle monitor visible.

"This is fake! Stop spreading lies before fact checking!" one user commented on the picture.

"Throwing around extreme accusations like is with no evidence is profoundly immoral. Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence," another agreed.

"100% been hearing about this for months. Finally," one instigator commented.

Numerous independent fact-checkers have debunked these claims.

Why was Tom Hanks in Australia?

Hanks was in Australia working on Baz Lurhmann's new Elvis Presley biopic.

How long did him and his wife have coronavirus for?

Tom and Rita both contracted coronavirus in early March.

The couple was hospitalized for several days in Australia before continuing their recovery in quarantine.

They returned home to LA after recovering and continued to self-isolate.

Tom and Rita were the first celebrities to confirm they tested positive for the virus amid the global pandemic crisis.

Speaking to The National Defense Radio Show he explained: "Rita went through a tougher time than I did. She had a much-higher fever and she had some other symptoms.

"She lost her sense of taste and smell. She got absolutely no joy from food for a better part of three weeks."

He added: "She was so nauseous, she had to crawl on the floor from the bed to the facilities. It lasted a while."

Tom, who "had some body aches and was very fatigued", revealed he was "wiped" after trying to do a 30-minute exercise routine.

He said: "Whoever it was, doctor, nurse, would come into our air pressurized room, our isolation rooms. She said, 'How are you feeling?' and I said, 'I just had the weirdest thing. I just tried to do basic stretches and exercises on the floor and I couldn’t even get halfway through."

"And she looked at me through her glasses like she was talking to the dumbest human being and she said, 'You have COVID-19.'"

Upon recovering and arriving back in the US, Tom, 63, and Rita, 63, immediately enrolled in a medical study to determine if their antibodies would be useful for scientists working on developing a vaccine.

Hanks has now revealed that they have now been approved to donate blood because they carry antibodies.

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/12260669/tom-hanks-conspiracy-pedophilia-qanon-facebook-meme/

John Patrick Casey: Catholic priest’s sexual assault appeal fails in Supreme Court

A Catholic priest convicted of sexually abusing two young boys has had his appeal thrown out despite arguing he didn’t receive a fair trial.

WARNING: Graphic

A former Catholic priest and police chaplain’s appeal against his convictions of sexually abusing young boys in northern NSW has been denied despite arguing the Crown’s “sanitised version” of events deprived him of a fair trial.

John Patrick Casey was in charge of a church in the Lismore Diocese when he molested two boys at his parish house at Mallanganee Presbytery, west of Casino, in the mid 1980s.

Casey was in his 30s when he digitally penetrated a boy’s anus as he washed him in the shower and ejaculated towards the head of another boy.

Now 72, and serving a minimum three-year jail sentence, Casey was employed as a police chaplain up until the day of his arrest in July 2015 after his victims finally came forward.

At the second of two lengthy trials, a jury found him guilty in 2018 of two charges including sexual assault of a person under 16 without consent and indecent assault of a person under 16 without consent.

Casey was found not guilty of four additional charges and was sentenced to four years and ten months jail.

He appealed against his convictions in the Supreme Court on the grounds there had been a miscarriage of justice, claiming the judge had not properly explained that the jury could take into account reasonable doubt and the prosecution’s pursuit of him was an abuse of process.

Casey had previously been found not guilty of 16 charges, with a jury hung on another 11 counts, at his first trial in 2016.

It meant a significant portion of evidence heard in the first trial, which the jury found to be unreliable in parts, was unable to be used in the second.

During the appeal, his lawyer Philip Boulten, SC, complained that by the Crown “tendering a sanitised version of the complainants’ evidence, the jury was not provided with the complete picture”.

Mr Boulten also contended the tendency evidence of another alleged sexual assault was admitted into the trial by error and the jury returned an unreasonable verdict.

Police had originally charged Casey with 27 offences relating to 18 allegations of child sexual abuse to which he pleaded not guilty at the 2016 trial.

Ordained in 1974, Casey spent the majority of his time in the church working in the Lismore Diocese and was appointed as one of four regional vicars in the 1990s.

He briefly served in the parish of Ingham in Townsville in the late 1970s before returning to NSW.

He didn’t appear on screen at the Supreme Court on Wednesday when a panel of justices dismissed his appeal.

Casey will be eligible for parole in May 2021.

https://www.news.com.au/national/nsw-act/courts-law/john-patrick-casey-catholic-priests-sexual-assault-appeal-fails-in-supreme-court/news-story/b86fa00345e57d67582cc6b01cfbd38a

Ghislaine Maxwell loses late bid to block deposition's release, quickly appeals

New York: A US judge on Wednesday denied Ghislaine Maxwell's last-ditch effort to keep a potentially damaging deposition from becoming public, as the jailed British socialite defends herself against criminal charges that she aided the late financier Jeffrey Epstein's sexual abuse of girls.

US District Judge Loretta Preska in Manhattan rejected Maxwell's argument that her arrest on July 2 and indictment were "compelling" reasons to continue sealing her April 2016 deposition, and a deposition by an unnamed Epstein accuser.

The depositions came from a now-closed civil defamation lawsuit against Maxwell by one of Epstein's accusers, Virginia Roberts Giuffre.

Maxwell filed a notice of appeal less than an hour after Preska ruled.

She faces a Thursday, US time, deadline to appeal against Preska's July 23 order unsealing dozens of other documents, including flight logs from Epstein's private jets and police reports from Palm Beach, Florida, where Epstein had a home.

Maxwell, 58, pleaded not guilty on July 14 to helping Epstein recruit and eventually abuse three girls in the 1990s, and committing perjury by denying her involvement under oath.

The charges against Maxwell came nearly a year after Epstein killed himself in a Manhattan jail where he awaited trial on sex trafficking charges. If convicted, she could face up to 35 years in prison.

In opposing the unsealing, Maxwell's lawyers had accused Giuffre and federal prosecutors of violating a protective order in the civil case designed to keep Maxwell's deposition confidential.

The lawyers have said the deposition included "intrusive" questions about Maxwell's sex life and could prove embarrassing.

They accused Giuffre, who now lives in Australia and is chief executive of Victims Refuse Silence, of leaking the deposition, and "in conjunction with the government" setting a "perjury trap" for their client.

But Preska said a criminal probe into Epstein's associates already "loomed large" when Maxwell opposed unsealing the deposition in June, and her arrest did not overcome the presumption that the public deserved access.

"This is plowed ground," Preska wrote.

Giuffre has said Epstein kept her as a "sex slave" with Maxwell's assistance.

Maxwell's criminal trial is scheduled for July next year. She is being held in a Brooklyn jail after the judge overseeing that case called her a flight risk.

https://www.smh.com.au/world/north-america/ghislaine-maxwell-loses-late-bid-to-block-deposition-s-release-quickly-appeals-20200730-p55gva.html

US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper Tweets

The #USSRonaldReagan carrier strike group, five Australian warships, and a Japanese destroyer conducted a trilateral naval exercise in the Philippine Sea last week. We and our allies will fly, sail, & operate wherever international law allows. #AUSMIN2020

https://twitter.com/EsperDoD/status/1288523087764496384

—

Even in dark days, America will never lose the ability to dare greatly.

https://twitter.com/EsperDoD/status/1288580119595044866

Stop human trafficking happening in plain sight

Thursday, 30 July 2020, 12:47pm

On the United Nations World Day against Trafficking in Persons today, the AFP acknowledges that our first responders play a vital role in identifying, supporting and seeking justice for victims of human trafficking, and calls on the public not to turn a blind eye to signs.

As the COVID-19 pandemic worsens, we are more reliant than ever on law enforcement officers, social workers, healthcare professionals and non-government organisation staff to notice and report if someone may be a victim of this crime type. However it’s not just up to our first responders. Members of the community can help by knowing the signs and reporting what they see.

Human trafficking is the physical movement of people across or within borders by coercing, threatening or deceiving them for the purpose of ongoing exploitation once they reach their destination.

Often referred to as modern day slavery, AFP Assistant Commissioner Northern Command Lesa Gale said it is happening right here in Australia.

“People may think that human trafficking is something that only happens on the TV or in the movies. But it happens right here in our own backyard, and often it is in plain sight.

“While the Australian Federal Police (AFP) is the lead agency for investigating this crime type, everyone has a role to play in stopping it and we urge the public to be aware,” she said.

The Australian Institute of Criminology estimates that for every victim found there are approximately four victims that remain undetected.

In the 2019-20 financial year, the AFP received 223 reports of human trafficking, including;

• 92 reports of forced marriage,

• 40 reports of sexual servitude and exploitation,

• 29 reports of forced labour,

• 28 reports of trafficking in persons,

• 20 reports of domestic servitude,

• six reports of deceptive recruiting,

• four of trafficking in children,

• three of debt bondage,

• One report of slavery.

Fifty one per cent of forced marriage reports were victims under the age of 18 years. 70 per cent related to offshore marriage and the most vulnerable victims of forced marriage were females between the ages of 15-19 years.

“Thankfully almost half of forced marriage reports we received in the last financial year, resulted in disruption or intervention strategies that stopped the offence from occurring,” Assistant Commissioner Gale said.

The AFP continues its work to raise awareness of human trafficking and forced marriage in Australia through Project Skywarp.

The AFP is also an active member of the Interdepartmental Committee on Human Trafficking and Slavery and Operational Working Groups. We work with international partners through the AFP’s international network, Department of Foreign Affairs and other organisations including the Santa Marta Group, to promote awareness for and combat modern slavery and human trafficking.

The general public has an important role to play in bringing these offences to light. Anyone can come across indicators of forced marriage.

Do you know someone who:

• has a family history of elder siblings leaving education or marrying early

• expresses concern regarding an upcoming family holiday

• exhibit signs of depression, self-harm, attempted suicide, social isolation or substance abuse

• has unreasonable restrictions from their family such as not being allowed out or always being accompanied

• made a sudden announcement they are engaged

• shows evidence of family disputes/conflict, domestic violence/abuse, running away from home or isolation from the community?

If you or someone you know could be a victim of this crime type, please report it by calling 131 AFP (237).

You can join the conversation online by using the hashtags #EndHumanTrafficking and #HumanTrafficking.

Editor’s note: Footage available on hightail - https://spaces.hightail.com/receive/RqbFmypia4

https://www.afp.gov.au/news-media/media-releases/stop-human-trafficking-happening-plain-sight

Border Force officers seizing large number of lifelike child sex dolls ordered online

Border Force has intercepted a worrying number of disgusting and illegal products favoured by paedophiles in parcels sent to Australia.

WARNING: Distressing

Australian Border Force officers have seized a large number of lifelike child sex dolls favoured by paedophiles, ordered online and sent via the post or through air cargo.

Data obtained by news.com.au shows the purchase of the sinister products by Australians continues, with 31 packages intercepted at in the first six months of 2020 alone, the majority in air cargo.

In the 12 months to June 30, a total of 86 childlike sex dolls were seized by ABF, it can be revealed.

“Child-like sex dolls and other child abuse material are symptomatic of the broader global threat posed by child sexual abuse, that’s why the ABF works with its law enforcement and intelligence partners to further investigate these imports,” a spokesman for the agency said.

“ABF officers at our air cargo and mail facilities are actively targeting these dolls, which are a prohibited import and are considered child abuse material.

“The ABF has a zero tolerance approach to child abuse material, including childlike sex dolls, and we use all powers available to us to protect Australians from anyone associated with these sickening activities.”

Earlier this month, news.com.au revealed that one of the world’s largest online marketplaces, Alibaba, contained a number of listings for replica child dolls, including infants and toddlers.

One of the sellers even provided a sickening video of an anatomically correct baby doll, demonstrating how it could be “used”.

Advocacy group Collective Shout conducted an investigation that exposed a number of listings, despite previous commitments from the company to ban the sale of the dolls.

“I’ve been an activist with Collective Shout for 10 years and this is the most disturbing content I’ve seen,” campaigner Melinda Liszewski said. “It is deeply distressing to view.”

The investigation found large numbers of replica child dolls marketed as “young girl”, “flat chest” and “sex dolls for men” sold on Alibaba by 18 different suppliers.

Some of the models were as small as 65cm, which is roughly the height of a six-month-old baby. The dolls discovered for sale ranged in price from $250 to $500.

Another listing was discovered for a vagina sex toy that “bleeds” during use – designed to simulate a broken hymen.

The items are far from harmless, the ABF spokesman told news.com.au.

“Recent research by the Australian Institute of Criminology found that the use of these dolls may lead to an escalation in child sex offences – from viewing online child abuse material to contact sexual offending.

“It is also found that there is no evidence that these dolls have a therapeutic benefit in preventing child sexual abuse.”

In September 2019, new legislation came into effect that made it an offence to possess a childlike sex doll, punishable with up to 15 years’ imprisonment.

“The reforms also amended the definition of ‘child abuse material’ in the Criminal Code to put beyond doubt that it is an offence to, for example, use a carriage service such as the internet to advertise or solicit, or use a postal service to send, a childlike sex doll,” the ABF spokesman said.

“An individual caught in possession of child abuse material, including a childlike sex doll, can be charged with importing Tier 2 goods. The maximum penalty (for attempted importation), if convicted, is up to 10 years’ imprisonment and/or fines of up to $525,000.”

When the listings on Alibaba were revealed, the company took action to remove them and implement a number of “additional measures to prevent the items being relisted”, a spokesperson said.

“We maintain a robust product listing policy that prohibits the listing by third-party sellers of any items depicting or suggestive of sex involving minors, and third-party sellers in breach of the policy are subject to our disciplinary measures.”

ABF encourages anyone with information about individuals importing illicit material, including childlike sex dolls and child abuse material, to report it to Border Watch at australia.gov.au/borderwatch

Where to find help

If you or someone you know is experiencing sexual abuse or family violence contact 1800 RESPECT on 1800 737 732

https://www.1800respect.org.au/

Don't go it alone. Please reach out for help by contacting Lifeline on 13 11 14

https://www.lifeline.org.au/

Men who have anger, relationship or parenting issues, should contact the Men's Referral Service on 1300 766 491

https://www.ntv.org.au/

https://www.news.com.au/finance/business/retail/border-force-officers-seizing-large-number-of-lifelike-child-sex-dolls-ordered-online/news-story/d9dd44c66b1f78ba6ea249a673ef9ddf

Repost from Q Research General #12948

>>10116954 (pb)

China hits back at Australia-US statement on South China Sea, Hong Kong

The Chinese embassy has angrily reacted to a joint Australia-US statement criticising the regime’s actions in the South China Sea.

The Chinese embassy has angrily reacted to a joint Australia-US statement criticising the regime’s actions in the South China Sea and elsewhere, warning “any attempt to pressure China will never succeed”.

Foreign Minister Marise Payne and Defence Minister Linda Reynolds are in Washington, DC for the Australia-US Ministerial Consultations, or AUSMIN, hosted by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Secretary of Defense Mark Esper.

In the joint statement following the meetings, the two countries expressed “deep concern” over hot-button issues including Hong Kong, Taiwan, the “repression of Uyghurs” in Xinjiang and China’s maritime claims in the South China Sea, which are “not valid under international law”.

But the Chinese embassy in Australia swiftly hit back in a statement of its own.

“We firmly reject and oppose the unfounded accusations and attacks against China on issues related to Hong Kong, Xinjiang and the South China Sea made in the recent Joint Statement of Australia-US Ministerial Consultations,” it said.

“Their assertions, in disregard of basic facts, violated international law and basic norms governing international relations and grossly interfered in China’s internal affairs.

“We reiterate that the Chinese side is unwavering in upholding national sovereignty, security and its legitimate rights and interests. We are firmly committed to maintaining regional peace and stability. Any attempt to pressure China will never succeed.

“We urge Australia not to go further on the road of harming China-Australia relations, and truly proceeding from its own interests, do more things that are conducive to mutual trust and co-operation between the two countries.”

https://www.news.com.au/technology/innovation/military/china-hits-back-at-australiaus-statement-on-south-china-sea-hong-kong/news-story/efb2925d910ea9f32af9385ec581a0d3

As US cases soar, Trump says Australia has 'tremendous problems'

Washington: US President Donald Trump has criticised Australia for its resurgence of coronavirus cases, using it as an example of a country that is now having "tremendous problems" dealing with the global pandemic.

As the number of confirmed cases in the US neared 4.5 million on Friday (AEST), Trump pointed to Australia as one of several nations where "they thought they'd really done great" only to have a serious spike in outbreaks.

"This resurgence in cases is occurring throughout large portions of our planet — in Japan, China, Australia, Belgium, Spain, France, Germany, Hong Kong — places where they thought they'd really done great," he said.

"It came back, and in a couple of cases came back very strongly. The virus was said to be under control but new cases have risen very significantly once again. So when you think somebody is doing well, sometimes you have to hold your decision on that. You have to hold your statements."

Trump's comments came despite America having the highest number of infections and deaths in the world, with successive polls showing widespread disapproval over his mishandling of the crisis.

More than 152,000 Americans have died from COVID-19 in the US, while hospitalisations continue to rise. More than 1400 coronavirus-related deaths were reported nationwide on Thursday, US time — roughly one fatality for every minute.

Florida alone, which has a population of about 22 million, set a single-day record for coronavirus-related deaths for a third day in a row on Thursday, recording 253 new deaths and just under 10,000 new cases. Statewide, 6585 residents have died after contracting the virus.

By comparison, Australia, with a population of almost 25 million, recorded 14 deaths and 747 new cases by Thursday night, driven mostly by Victoria's spike in infections. Friday's numbers were lower with 649 new cases in Victoria and eight deaths. Overall, 196 people in Australia have died from the virus.

The President's observations also came after it was announced that his friend, Herman Cain, who had sought the 2012 Republican presidential nomination, died weeks after testing positive for COVID-19.

It is not clear where the 74-year-old contracted the virus. However, Cain was one of several thousand people who attended a Trump campaign rally in Tulsa on June 20, in which most of the crowd did not wear masks.

Cain, who co-chaired Black Voices for Trump, was pictured at the event also not wearing a mask and breaching social restriction guidelines. At a briefing at the White House, Trump paid tribute to Cain as "wonderful man" and "a very special person".

"I got to know him very well, and unfortunately he passed away from a thing called the China virus," he said.

On Twitter, opponents of the President, including actress Mia Farrow - a frequent critic, accused him of "killing" Cain by holding the rally, encouraging people to attend and not requiring them to wear a mask.

https://www.smh.com.au/world/north-america/as-us-cases-soar-trump-says-australia-has-tremendous-problems-20200731-p55h8e.html

Biden presidency could put Australia back in ‘naughty corner’ over lack of climate action

The Morrison government could soon find itself under immense pressure to dramatically improve its climate change policies, with the prospect of a Biden presidency in the United States that could usher in a new era of global climate change leadership that would banish Australia – once again – to the ‘naughty corner’.

Speaking to the Clean Energy Council’s Australian Clean Energy Summit Webinar Series, economist Ross Garnaut speculated that a potential change in the United States presidency could change the game for Australia’s climate and energy policy.

The election of Democratic nominee Joe Biden to the presidency could see a complete turnaround from one of Australia’s leading allies, ousting a Trump administration that has bulldozed US climate regulations, and replacing it with a Democratic president ready to embrace a multi-trillion dollar Green New Deal.

A future United States under a Biden presidency would bring the global superpower back into the fold on climate action and, according to Garnaut, this could see Australia castigated for its recent record as a spoiler in both local and international climate change policy development.

“I do know that current Australian policies would be seen as being an abnegation of the international public interest by a Biden government,” Garnaut told the Clean Energy Council summit.

“We would be in the naughty corner on an issue that will probably be the main issue, other than economic recovery after Covid. And that’s not a very comfortable position for an Australian government to be in.”

This week marked less than 100 days until the election day for the 2020 US presidential election and while that remains a long time in politics, Democratic nominee Joe Biden currently holds a significant lead in polling over incumbent US president Donald Trump.

“[Under Biden] the US is likely to move from being strongly resistant to action on climate change and trying to break up global cooperation on this matter, to being a very aggressive leader of action,” Garnaut added.

Trump has suffered a loss in approval amongst US votes, in reaction to his poor handling of the Covid-19 pandemic, which has seen the US lead the world in both Covid-19 cases and deaths, as well as ongoing violent clashes between Black Lives Matter protesters and enforcement authorities fuelled by Trump’s deployment of federal officers.

Garnaut suggested that a rare positive of the way that Trump has mishandled the Covid-19 pandemic was that it could deliver power to a new president who will embrace strong leadership on climate change.

“How has Covid affected the prospects for the Australian and the global energy transition? The way it has gone is actually highly favourable for the climate transition. That it undermines the legitimacy of the most important climate-denying government in the world, the government of President Trump.

“Nothing is certain in democratic politics, and it’s not certain he’ll be defeated in November, but it’s very likely that he will be.

“The Democratic Party in the US is more strongly committed to strong action on climate change than it’s predecessors in the Obama Administration,” Garnaut added.

While a Biden administration is likely to see the United States re-emerge as a global leader on climate change action, there are opportunities for Australia in a global economy that can flow from a global embrace of a low emission economy.

Biden has already committed to a $US2 trillion investment in clean energy for the United States and will pursue a target of 100 per cent renewables and zero net emissions no later than 2050. It is expected to reverse the withdrawal from the Paris climate treaty that is due to take place one day after the election is held.

Biden’s commitments represent a huge leap forward compared to the Morrison government, which has set no emissions reduction target beyond its weak commitments to 2030 and has no future targets for renewable energy adoption in Australia.

However, Australia holds a huge competitive advantage over other countries in terms of access to both renewable energy resources and the raw materials required to supply global manufacturing markets.

According to Garnaut, to take advantage of that competitive advantage will require advancements in emerging clean energy technologies, particularly green hydrogen, which will allow coal and gas to be displaced from a number of heavy industries.

(continued)

https://reneweconomy.com.au/biden-presidency-could-put-australia-back-in-naughty-corner-over-lack-of-climate-action-29135/

>>10122856

Kylie Moore-Gilbert granted meeting with Australian ambassador to Iran

Exclusive: British-Australian academic will meet diplomat for first time since sudden move to a new notorious prison

The imprisoned British-Australian academic Kylie Moore-Gilbert is set to be granted a meeting with Australia’s ambassador to Iran as soon as Sunday.

Following reports in the Guardian that Dr Moore-Gilbert was seriously unwell in Qarchak prison and had been removed from quarantine because she was attempting to write to the ambassador for help, the state-run Mizan news agency reported she was in “perfect health”.

“Following publication of a claim … of Moore-Gilbert’s unfavourable physical condition, Mizan’s correspondent is informed that the prisoner is in perfect health,” reported the news agency, which is affiliated with Iran’s judiciary.

“On a judicial order, it is planned that this person, convicted of espionage, will meet with the Australian ambassador on Sunday.”

Mizan also denied reports – originating from sources inside Qarchak to the Guardian and to the Human Rights Activists News Agency – of suicide attempts by prisoners held there.

A spokesman for DFAT, Australia’s department of foreign affairs, confirmed Moore-Gilbert would be allowed to meet with the ambassador, Lyndall Sachs.

“The Iranian government has confirmed that Dr Moore-Gilbert has been moved from Evin to Qarchak prison and has advised that our ambassador to Iran will be allowed to make a consular visit to her shortly.

“We hold Iran responsible for Dr Moore-Gilbert’s safety and wellbeing.”

The spokesman said the ambassador had previously visited Moore-Gilbert in Evin and that her case remained “one of the Australian government’s highest priorities”.

Moore-Gilbert has had telephone contact with her family and the ambassador over the last several months. She is serving a 10-year prison sentence after she was arrested at Tehran airport in September 2018 and convicted of espionage following a secret trial.

No evidence of Moore-Gilbert’s alleged crimes has ever been publicly presented. She has denied the allegations against her and the Australian government rejects them as baseless and politically motivated.

Cambridge-educated Moore-Gilbert, a lecturer in Islamic studies at the University of Melbourne, was arrested after attending an academic conference, at which she was invited to speak, in Qom. Fellow conference delegates and an interview subject for her academic work flagged her as “suspicious” to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, who arrested her at Tehran airport as she prepared to fly out of the country.

Concerns for Moore-Gilbert have grown after she was suddenly moved from Evin prison’s Ward 2A to the notorious Qarchak women’s prison, outside Tehran.

Isolated and overcrowded, Qarchak has a reputation as one of the most hostile prisons in Iran. Last month the US state department listed Qarchak as an entity responsible for “extrajudicial killings, torture, or other gross violations of internationally recognised human rights”.

There are also serious concerns over hygiene, with access to soap and other basics limited, particularly given Iran’s significant Covid-19 outbreak, with more than 300,000 confirmed infections and 16,000 deaths.

The Guardian has heard a recording of Moore-Gilbert’s voice from Qarchak, where, speaking Persian, she says: “I can’t eat anything. I feel so very hopeless … I am so depressed.”

While Moore-Gilbert was initially placed in Qarchak’s quarantine section – a week-long Covid-19 precaution for all new inmates – she was moved after two days into the general prison population, sources say, to further cut off her access to the outside world.

“Before she was moved Kylie was trying to seek help from her cellmate to write a letter to Australian ambassador to Iran to visit her urgently,” a cellmate in the quarantine section said in a message smuggled out of the prison.

Moore-Gilbert was physically ill while she was held in the quarantine section.

“After one meal she became sick. Kylie was terrified of the officers … she left me in tears and anxious,” the source said.

(continued)

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jul/31/kylie-moore-gilbert-granted-meeting-with-australian-ambassador-to-iran

>>10123223

Ghislaine Maxwell had 'continuous' orgies with girls as young as 15 on pedophile Jeffrey Epstein's Caribbean island, newly-unsealed documents claim

1/2

Ghislaine Maxwell had 'continuous' orgies with girls as young as 15 on a Caribbean island owned by pedophile billionaire Jeffrey Epstein, newly unsealed court documents have revealed.

The shocking claim is contained within testimony that Epstein's primary accuser, Virginia Roberts, gave to investigators during a 2015 libel case against Maxwell.

The documents were put under lock and key after Maxwell agreed to settle the case out of court, but have now been unsealed under a judge's order after her arrest earlier this month on sex crimes charges.

In them, Roberts - now Giuffre - says Maxwell and Epstein participated in orgies all over Little St James Island with young women who were flown in by private jet.

Asked to describe women she personally saw Maxwell have sexual contact with, she responded: 'There's so many, I don't know where you want me to start.'

'There were blondes, there were brunettes, there were redheads. They were all beautiful girls. I would say the ages ranged between 15 and 21,' she added.

Maxwell participated in sex sessions with them by a pool, near the beachfront, in small huts and in Epstein's cabana, she alleged.

'One occasion stands out,' she said. 'Models were — I think they were models — were flown in. There were orgies held outside by the pool.'

The women - 'beautiful, tall, some were blonde, some were sandy brown' - did not speak English, and conversed in a European language that Roberts guessed was Russia or Czech.

Describing the sex session, she added: 'Ghislaine, myself, Jeffrey, another girl in this blue, outdoor — I don't know what you want to call it. Cabana, that … just a bed could fit in.'

Roberts also alleges that during the deposition that she was trafficked to Europe to have sex with powerful men, including Britain's Prince Andrew and attorney Alan Dershowitz.

She said Maxwell and Epstein constantly reminded her of how powerful their friends were, so that she wouldn't betray them.

'Jeffrey did a lot more of that than she did. But she definitely made it aware that we shouldn't cross boundaries with them,' she said.

Also included in the tranche of unsealed documents are flight logs from Epstein's private jets, police logs Palm Beach, Florida, where Epstein had a home, and email exchanges between Maxwell and Epstein himself.

In one such exchange, in January 2015, Maxwell asks Epstein if 'Shelley' - believed to be one of Epstein's accusers - could publicly state she was his girlfriend.

In response, Epstein writes: 'You have done nothing wrong and i woudl [sic] urge you to start acting like it.

'Go outside, head high, not as an esacping [sic] convict. go to parties. deal with it', he added.

The email exchange appears to confirm that Maxwell lied during a bail hearing, in which she claimed she hadn't spoken to Epstein in over a decade.

Days earlier, Epstein had emailed Maxwell what appeared to be a court statement proclaiming her innocence, which read as if it was written by her.

'Since JE was charged in 2007 for solicitation of a prostitute I have been the target of outright lies, innuendo, slander, defamation and salacious gossip and harrassment; headlines made up of quotes I have never given, statement I have never made,' it reads.

'I have never been a party in any criminal action pertaining to JE.'

The statement also claimed Maxwell had been in a 'very long-term committed relationship to another man' at the time of Epstein's conviction.

'Whilst I remained on friendly terms with him up until his plea, I have had limited contact since,' it continues.

(continued)

>>10136761

2/2

Roberts gave the testimony to investigators after filing a lawsuit against Maxwell in 2015, accusing the British socialite of libel after she branded her a 'liar'.

Maxwell eventually settled the suit out of court for an undisclosed sum, though to be millions, and the documents were put under seal so they could not be made public.

But Judge Loretta Preska ordered swathes of the papers to be unsealed following Maxwell's arrest earlier this month on sex crimes charges.

She is also charged with perjury for allegedly lying under oath during a seven-hour deposition she made during the lawsuit.

On Thursday, Maxwell filed an emergency motion with the federal appeals court in Manhattan to block the release of that deposition, along with one other document.

Lawyers for Maxwell said making her deposition public could make it 'difficult if not impossible' to find an impartial jury for her criminal trial.

The two depositions, and materials that quote from or disclose information contained in them, were expected to remain sealed at least until Monday, depending on how the appeals court rules.

Maxwell, 58, has pleaded not guilty to helping Epstein recruit and eventually abuse three girls from 1994 to 1997, and committing perjury by denying her involvement under oath.

She was arrested on July 2, and has been housed in a Brooklyn jail after a judge called her a flight risk. Maxwell's trial is scheduled for next July.

Epstein was found hanged at age 66 last August in a Manhattan jail, while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges for abusing women and girls in Manhattan and Florida from 2002 to 2005. He had also pleaded not guilty.

CLINTON, GORE, CAMPBELL, KLUM: EPSTEIN'S 'GUESTS' REVEALED

Bill Clinton, Al Gore, Naomi Campbell and Heidi Klum were among high-profile guests that Jeffrey Epstein entertained, Virginia Roberts claims.

Clinton visited Little St James after his presidency ended because he 'owed Epstein a favor', Roberts told investigators in newly-unsealed testimony.

'He never told me what favors they were. I never knew. I didn't know if he was serious,' she said.

The former president stayed in Epstein's private villa where 'orgies were a constant thing,' she claims.

Vice President Gore was also a guest on Epstein's plane, the Lolita Express, as were models Naomi Campbell and Heidi Klum, Roberts claimed.

Orgies also took place on the jet, she alleges.

'There would be sexual conduct, there would be foreplay, there was a bed in there, so we could basically reenact exactly what was happening in the house,' she said.

'It would start off with massaging or we would start off with foreplay, sometimes it would lead to, you know, orgies.'

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8579567/Ghislaine-Maxwell-sex-15-year-old-girls-court-docs-claim.html

Google and Facebook to be forced to share revenue with media in Australia under draft code

Consumer watchdog unveils ‘hundreds of millions’ in potential fines under code drawn up after talks stalled between tech and news companies

Google, Facebook and other digital platforms could be forced to pay hundreds of millions of dollars in fines if they fail to comply with a news media bargaining code released by Australia’s competition regulator on Friday.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission was asked to develop the mandatory code in April by the treasurer, Josh Frydenberg, after negotiations between the digital platforms, the ACCC and media companies stalled, and media companies experienced a sharp fall in ad revenue due to Covid-19.

Dozens of newspapers have shut since the pandemic began, and hundreds of journalists have been furloughed or made redundant in what has been an acceleration of the crisis facing the news industry.

Frydenberg said on Friday it became apparent to the government that progress wasn’t being made in negotiations between the parties on payment for content.

He said the code wasn’t about protecting news media from competition or disruption, but creating a level playing field and ensuring a fair go.

“We want Google and Facebook to continue to provide these services to the Australia community … but we want it to be on our terms. We want it to be in accordance with our law and we want it to be fair.”

The treasurer will decide which companies will be required to comply with the code, but it will start with Google and Facebook. The Australian Communications and Media Authority (Acma) will determine the eligibility of media companies.

The definition in the draft code states they must predominantly create and publish news in Australia, serving an Australian audience, subject to professional editorial standards, and editorial independence from the subject of the news coverage, with revenue exceeding $150,000 per year.

The code would require the tech giants to negotiate in good faith to pay news media for use of their content, and media companies would be able to negotiate as a group with Facebook and Google.

Public broadcasters ABC and SBS are excluded from receiving payments through the code but would benefit from its non-remuneration aspects, Frydenberg said.

If an agreement on payments cannot be reached within three months of negotiation, it can go to arbitration, with a decision needing to be made in 45 days. If the parties do not agree on arbitrators, the arbitration panel appointed by Acma from a list overseen by the regulator will make decisions on payments based on submissions from each party.

The code also imposes a range of minimum obligations on digital platforms. These include providing news media businesses with information about news-related data, providing advance notice of at least 28 days of algorithm changes affecting news ranking – the display of news content and advertising with news content.

The code would also prohibit platforms from discriminating against Australian media outlets covered by the code.

The ACCC would be able to issue infringement notices for minor code breaches, but for larger breaches, there are fines of up to $10m per breach, three times the benefit obtained, or 10% of annual turnover, whichever is greater.

The chair of the ACCC, Rod Sims, told reporters on Friday that given Facebook and Google between them had billions in revenue in Australia the penalties could be “up to hundreds of millions”.

Sims said even if Google turned off Google News in Australia, as it did in Spain, it would still be caught by the code by virtue of the fact that it served news through search results, or on YouTube.

Google Australia said it is deeply disappointed by the code, calling it a “heavy-handed intervention” which will impede the digital economy.

The search giant said the code is not grounded in commercial reality and would benefit large publishers over smaller ones.

“Our hope was that the code would be forward thinking and the process would create incentives for both publishers and digital platforms to negotiate and innovate for a better future – so we are deeply disappointed and concerned the draft code does not achieve this,” the managing director for Australian and New Zealand Mel Silva said. “Instead, the government’s heavy handed intervention threatens to impede Australia’s digital economy and impacts the services we can deliver to Australians.”

“The code discounts the already significant value Google provides to news publishers across the board – including sending billions of clicks to Australian news publishers for free every year worth $218m.”

(continued)

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2020/jul/31/google-and-facebook-to-be-forced-to-share-revenue-with-media-in-australia-under-acccs-draft-code

Repost from Q Research General #12966

>>10131421 (pb)

Nine News Australia Tweet

Conspiracy theories involving a child sex-trafficking ring, a pizzeria and Hillary Clinton has gained momentum on social media, despite no evidence emerging to support the claims. #9News

https://twitter.com/9NewsAUS/status/1288798999542038529

—

A baseless US conspiracy theory found a foothold in Europe. New research shows how

A baseless claim about a child sex-trafficking ring, a Washington, D.C pizzeria, and Hillary Clinton has been passed around among conspiracy theorists for more than three years.

No evidence has emerged to support any part of the story.

But last month, British pop star Robbie Williams used his voice to argue that the claims deserved more attention.

"Yes there was no basement in the particular pizza place, that is not the debunking that I want as a civilian, as a human that is going: 'Hey, this bit, this bit is really f—king weird,'" he asked in a video clip, which has been viewed on Twitter more than half a million times.

Williams' representatives declined to comment to CNN.

The baseless PizzaGate claim emerged during the 2016 election.

Later that same year, a gunman showed up and fired an AR-15 inside the pizzeria, saying he was trying to rescue non-existent child sex slaves.

The claim lies at the heart of QAnon, a wild conspiracy theory that believes politicians, A-list celebrities, and a "deep state" of bureaucrats promote child sex abuse.

To QAnon adherents, US President Donald Trump is seen as a savior figure, secretly fighting to bring down this fictitious cabal of paedophiles.

Now a report by internet trust tool NewsGuard has found that the coronavirus pandemic is helping this distinctly US ideology gain a foothold in Europe.

In the report, NewsGuard notes an increase in QAnon social media groups and pages in April, as lockdowns sparked by the new virus left millions of people virtually confined to their homes.

Coronavirus conspiracies surged alongside the rise in infections.

The hoax theory that global elites were using 5G cellular networks to spread the virus gained traction around the world.

Celebrities including actor Woody Harrelson and singer M.I.A. shared it, and British mobile network operators linked the conspiracy to a string of attacks on UK cellphone towers.

Such claims acted as a "gateway drug" to QAnon, providing Europeans with the "perfect way into" the online cult, Chine Labbe, NewsGuard's Europe Managing Editor, told CNN.

Conspiracy's roots in USQAnon began as a single conspiracy with an anonymous cryptic post on the online forum 4chan in 2017.

The individual behind it - who followers would later call "Q" - made the false claim that Hillary Clinton was set to be arrested.

There was no such arrest.

But similar posts pushing other claims of arrests and "deep state" action kept appearing on 4chan. It's unclear who was behind the posts, or if the same person posted those that followed.

QAnon supporters have likened the initial posts, and subsequent ones, to Hansel and Gretel-like breadcrumbs, or "drops," as they refer to them.

QAnon followers, whose online behaviour has been likened by analysts to a virtual cult, disseminate the unfounded claims, amplifying them with doctored or out-of-context evidence posted on social media in an attempt to support the allegations.

Experts worry that the "dedication QAnon followers have to their beliefs also provides opportunity for foreign interference to use these narratives to their advantage," Aoife Gallagher, an analyst on the Institute for Strategic Dialogue's (ISD) Digital Research Unit, told CNN.

The movement has raised concerns about online harassment.

Twitter banned more than 7,000 accounts, citing its policy of taking action on accounts with "the potential to lead to offline harm."

But while QAnon has its roots in the US - supporting and disseminating baseless theories around mass shootings and elections - it has since turned into an amorphous ideology, appropriating conspiracies from other places that sit with its anti-elite message.

"It is such an easily translatable framework, because it is so meta," Labbe said. "It is about the world elites having a Machiavellian plan, and every country in the world has elites."

(continued)

https://www.9news.com.au/world/coronavirus-qanon-conspiracy-theory-pizza-hillary-clinton-child-sex-trafficking-robbie-williams-5g/90512d9a-de0f-4aa0-9583-dc02da81493f

Coronavirus: Vaccine test clear for more volunteers

A COVID-19 vaccine that has been developed by Adelaide scientists has been shown to be safe in phase 1 trials, and has generated an immune response in human subjects.

The vaccine developed by Flinders University professor Nikolai Petrovsky is the first candidate to clear phase 1 trials in Australia, and one of only a handful that have progressed beyond the first phase of human trials in the world.

Forty volunteers were dosed with the vaccine, dubbed Covax-19, this month. While ­definitive study results are yet to be published, Professor Petrovsky said safety data from the phase 1 trial of the vaccine had been provided to the study’s ethics committee, which had approved further testing in more volunteers, including the elderly, children and cancer patients.

“We have confirmed that the Covax-19 vaccine can induce ­appropriate antibody responses in human subjects,” he said. “We now have preliminary safety data showing there were no significant systemic side-effects in any of the subjects.

“We also have permission to immunise subjects who have ­already had COVID-19 to see if we can further boost their immunity and prevent them getting reinfected.”

Professor Petrovsky, the founder of biotechnology firm Vaxine, is offering to dose aged-care residents at risk of contracting COVID-19 with his experimental vaccine.

“We’ve made the offer to Victoria,” he said. “Obviously our vaccine is still under testing, it would have to be done within a clinical trial but there’s no reason you couldn’t enrol people in Victorian nursing homes into the trial and give them the vaccine which would hopefully then protect them.

“We’re certainly very open to talking to the Victorian government about doing that, which would hopefully have a benefit even if it’s within the context of a clinical trial. We know it’s not going to hurt because we now know that the vaccine is completely safe.”

None of the 40 volunteers who were dosed with Covax-19 reported significant side-effects, and no one experienced a fever. This is in contrast to the phase 1 results of two other vaccines that have now progressed to phase 3 testing, from the University of Oxford and the US biotech company Moderna.

Phase 2 trials for Covax-19, set to involve between 400 and 500 volunteers, are slated to begin in September. Vaxine is also negotiating with other countries on plans for phase 3 trials, which would need to enrol up to 50,000 volunteers, predominantly in countries heavily affected by COVID-19.

There are more than 150 vaccines in development globally, with 21 undergoing human trials.

The University of Queensland also has a vaccine candidate, which this month began to be tested on human volunteers in phase 1 trials.

Vaxine has previously developed a vaccine for swine flu, as well as vaccines for two forms of bird flu. The company has a patented vaccine adjuvant known as Advax, which effectively boosts the immune response in human subjects.

Both Covax-19 and the University of Queensland candidate are protein sub-unit vaccines that ­inject small synthetised pieces of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein into the body to induce an immune response. UQ has partnered with CSL to manufacture millions of doses of the university’s vaccine.

Recombinant protein vaccines work by inducing an immune ­response in the body to invasion by the spike proteins of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19.

These protein spikes surround the surface of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, forming part of the crown or “corona” that gives the virus its name.

In coronavirus infection, the SARS-CoV-2 spikes, called S1 proteins, bind to a receptor molecule on the body’s cells, called ACE2. The virus is then able to invade the cell and replicate extensively. SARS-CoV-2 has a high binding capacity for ACE2, making it highly infectious.

To make a recombinant protein-based vaccine, researchers insert the genetic sequence for the coronavirus’ distinctive spike protein into a cell. The cell then grows this protein. Researchers then purify the protein and turn it into a vaccine.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/science/coronavirus-vaccine-test-clear-for-more-volunteers/news-story/4630426c2aa64b32607581bed4c947cd

Repost from Q Research General #12980

>>10141710 (pb)

Australia backs India over deadly border clashes with China

Australia has taken another subtle diplomatic swipe at China, this time over its long-running and deadly border dispute with India.

For decades, the world's two most populous nations have fought skirmishes along a stretch of land that divides the Chinese autonomous region of Tibet from India.

Last month, India said 20 of its soldiers had been killed in clashes with the People's Liberation Army at a disputed border site in the western Himalayas, in a major escalation of the standoff between the two nuclear powers.

An Indian army patrol had attempted to tear down temporary structures erected by the Chinese military on terrain claimed by New Delhi, setting off a brutal six-hour melee in sub-zero temperatures.

Now the ABC has learnt Barry O'Farrell, Australia's newly appointed High Commissioner to New Delhi, has indicated the Federal Government's support for India in the decades-long dispute.

"Australia urges restraint along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), and supports continued moves towards de-escalation," Mr O'Farrell said in a statement issued by the High Commission this week.

"As I told the External Affairs Minister of India [on Thursday], Australia opposes any attempts to unilaterally alter the status quo, which only serve to increase tension and the risk of instability.

"It is important that the bilaterally agreed principles and norms that have helped prevent escalation or miscalculation in the border areas over many decades continue to be observed."

Foreign Minister urged negotiation

Since the 1960s Australia has not taken sides in the LAC dispute, but diplomatic sources said the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) recently decided to clarify its public position.

When border clashes between Indian and Chinese troops turned deadly last month, Foreign Minister Marise Payne took a more cautious stance, urging both sides to "avoid confrontation".

"Clashes between Indian and Chinese troops in the Galwan Valley, and reports of loss of life, are concerning," she said in a statement issued on June 17.

"During a global pandemic, it is more important than ever that all countries minimise tensions and avoid confrontation in long-standing disputes."

At the time Senator Payne added that Australia was monitoring the situation, but stressed it was a "matter for India and China to resolve through negotiation".

So far, DFAT has declined to comment on what has prompted the clarification of its stance, or whether it has formally conveyed its latest position to Beijing.

The Government's newly stated position on the border dispute comes amid growing expectations that Australia could soon be invited to re-join the Malabar naval exercises involving the United States, Japan and India.

The Government has strengthened its opposition to Beijing's maritime claims in the disputed South China Sea through a formal letter to the United Nations.

The US and Australia also jointly reaffirmed their opposition to the Chinese military build-up in the disputed waters following annual AUSMIN talks in Washington.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-08-01/australia-backs-india-over-deadly-border-clashes-with-china/12513852

Resignations in the news

James Murdoch resigns from News Corp board

James Murdoch has resigned from the News Corporation board of directors, citing disagreements about the company's editorial content.

In a resignation letter sent to the News Corp board dated July 31, Murdoch said his decision was effective immediately.

"My resignation is due to disagreements over certain editorial content published by the Company's news outlets and certain other strategic decisions," he wrote.

News Corporation has confirmed Murdoch’s resignation in a report to the United States Securities and Exchange Commission.

"On July 31, 2020, News Corporation (the “Company”) received a letter from James R. Murdoch tendering his resignation from the Company’s Board of Directors (the “Board”), effective immediately," it said.

"As a result of Mr. Murdoch’s resignation, the size of the Board was reduced to 10 Directors, effective upon such resignation."

James Murdoch, the son of News Corp founder and executive chairman Rupert Murdoch, earlier this year broke ranks over the family company's editorial direction and accused the global media empire of promoting climate denialism.

A spokesperson for Murdoch and his wife Kathryn told The Daily Beast website the couple was "particularly disappointed with the ongoing denial among the news outlets in Australia given obvious evidence to the contrary".

"Kathryn and James’ views on climate are well established and their frustration with some of the News Corp and Fox coverage of the topic is also well known," the spokesperson said.

Murdoch has been on the News Corp board of directors since 2013. He has continued serving as a News Corp board member since giving up his role as chief executive of 21st Century Fox, upon the 2019 sale of Fox entertainment holdings to Disney.

But he has played a less active role in the company than brother Lachlan, who is co-chairman of News Corp and became chief executive of the newly-formed Fox Corporation. Fox Corporation holds remaining assets not acquired by Disney, including Fox News.

Murdoch flagged he would make climate change-focused investments with his earnings from the Disney merger and step away from the family business.

In a statement following his resignation, Rupert Murdoch and Lachlan Murdoch said: "We’re grateful to James for his many years of service to the company. We wish him the very best in his future endeavors.”

Remaining News Corp board members include Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch as well as News Corp chief executive Robert Thomson, lead director Peter Barnes and director Natalie Bancroft.

They also include former US Senator Kelly Ayotte, former Spanish prime minister José María Aznar, and members Ana Paula Pessoa, Masroor Siddiqui and Joel Klein.

News Corp owns Australian newspapers including The Australian, The Daily Telegraph, The Herald Sun and The Courier Mail. It publishes The Wall Street Journal as well as UK outlets The Times, The Sun and The Sunday Times.

https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/business/companies/james-murdoch-resigns-from-news-corp-board-20200801-p55hir.html

>>10136761

Repost from Q Research General #12983

>>10144150 (pb)

Virginia Giuffre Complete Deposition 89 pgs

https://s9503.pcdn.co/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/VIRGINIA-GIUFFRE-deposition.pdf

>>10145477

Repost from Q Research General #12983

>>10144337 (pb)

>https://s9503.pcdn.co/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/VIRGINIA-GIUFFRE-deposition.pdf

Interesting.

Her lawyer won't let her answer WHO gave her the records of her employment at Mar A Lago

George Papadopoulos Tweets

“This was a UK-Australia spying operation, the Israelis helped too”—me in the Washington Post Magazine in 2019.

Always follow the insights from the people who lived the story, not the outsiders. They confuse things. This request by Senator Johnson to the CIA is (fire)

https://twitter.com/GeorgePapa19/status/1289351090610286594

—

My prediction on which countries had a heavy involvement in working with our intel, willfully or coerced, came true. Much more coming

https://twitter.com/GeorgePapa19/status/1289353238848901122

—

Catherine Herridge @CBS_Herridge

NEW: Senate investigators @SenRonJohnson @ChuckGrassley renew push for intel + law enforcement records related to 2016 FBI Russia probe after recently declassified docs generate new leads + reinforce importance of those still held by government agencies…

https://twitter.com/CBS_Herridge/status/1289345448155795457

>>10145477

Alan Dershowitz calls Jeffrey Epstein accuser Virginia Roberts Giuffre a 'serial liar' while once again denying he ever had sex with her

Former Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz is once again denying that he had sex with Virginia Giuffre, who for years has maintained that accused sex traffickers Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell directed her to sleep with him while she was 17 years old.

Dershowitz’s denial follows the release of another batch of court documents from a 2015 defamation suit between Giuffre and Ghislaine Maxwell, unsealed Thursday night.

Giuffre has publicly accused Epstein and Maxwell of sex-trafficking her starting in 2000. Maxwell has denied Giuffre’s claims, which sparked the lawsuit. She has claimed that she had sex with Dershowitz on multiple occasions.

Dershowitz and Giuffre are also suing each other for defamation – a legal battle that was sparked in 2019 when Dershowitz denied the allegations and called Giuffre a liar. That lawsuit has spawned several counter-suits between the two and their respective lawyers.

Both Giuffre and Dershowitz have fought to get the documents unsealed – but for different reasons.

Giuffre has fought to expose what she says was a wide-ranging sex trafficking ring run by Epstein and Maxwell, which implicates a number of powerful people. Dershowitz has said the documents prove Giuffre is dishonest.

“I am gratified that Judge Loretta Preska has ordered the unsealing of documents in the Maxwell case,” Dershowitz wrote in his statement. “I have been requesting the unsealing of all documents, because I have nothing to hide. I did absolutely nothing wrong, and the documents contain proof of my total innocence.”

A representative for Giuffre says the new documents change nothing.

“We have been to this rodeo before with Alan Dershowitz,” the representative said. “He has been recycling the same fantasies of his version of the truth for years.”

Dershowitz, who became a household name when he defended OJ Simpson in his murder trial, had been friends with Epstein in the late 1990s and early 200s. He was also part of Epstein’s legal team that brokered the lenient plea deal in 2008 that allowed the convicted sex offender to spend just 13 months in county jail while working from home for days.

Epstein died by suicide last August in a federal jail while awaiting trial on charges of sex-trafficking.

Giuffre and Dershowitz both claim the documents prove them right

Most of Giuffre’s allegations against powerful men, including Dershowitz, were known prior to the document dump on Thursday. Many of the details were unveiled in a 2,000-page document dump from the same case a year ago, which also led Dershowitz to reiterate his claim that Giuffre was dishonest.

Giuffre has said she was 17 when Maxwell picked her up from now-President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago spa, where she worked at the time. She was hired as a masseuse for Epstein but has said she was groomed by Maxwell to have sex with him and others, including financier Glenn Dubin, model scout Jean Luc Brunel, and former New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson.

Dubin, Brunel, and Richardson have also denied the allegations.

Maxwell was arrested on July 2 on charges related to the procuring and sexual abuse of minors. Her attorneys had unsuccessfully fought to keep defamation documents sealed. Preska ordered them to be unsealed, in part, so that they could be used in the case between Giuffre and Dershowitz.

In his statement Friday, Dershowitz attempted to paint Giuffre as a liar out to get money from wealthy men

He accused her of saying she was younger than she was when she met Maxwell and Epstein, about meeting Al and Tipper Gore on Epstein’s private island, and about President Bill Clinton being flown to the island by Maxwell piloting a helicopter.

“She has roiled three continents with her accusations against politicians and other high profile individuals and yet the media has declined to conduct the kind of investigative reporting that it has rightfully done with regard to other accusers,” Dershowitz said. “I welcome the unsealing of more records and a thorough investigation of all the allegations, and I am confident they will prove what I already know for certainty: that Virginia Giuffre is a serial liar who has deliberately made up stories about me and others in the hopes of cashing in on millions of dollars.”

https://www.businessinsider.com.au/alan-dershowitz-calls-jeffrey-epstein-accuser-virginia-giuffre-liar-denial-2020-7

TikTok: President Trump announces US ban of popular video app

US President Trump has reportedly said he will sign an executive order to ban the immensely popular app which is owned by a Chinese firm.

US President Donald Trump has reportedly announced that popular app TikTok will banned.

The app, which allows users to record short videos, has become hugely popular internationally in recent years.

However, its popularity has caused some consternation around the world due to its Chinese ownership.

CNN has reported that Trump made the announcement on-board Air Force One on Friday, US time.

“As far as TikTok is concerned, we’re banning them from the United States.”

He said he could sign an executive order to bar the app or use other powers.

ByteDance, the Chinese firm behind TikTok, has insisted users data is safe and not shared with the Chinese Government.

It hasn’t assuaged some politicians however who are nervous at how quickly a Chinese firm which holds the personal data of users has been able to grow abroad particularly with younger people.

Some firms have ordered employees to delete TikTok from their phones.

It had earlier been reported that Trump would push ByteDance to sell TikTok due to national security concerns. Microsoft had been touted as a possible buyer.

“We’re looking at TikTok. We may be banning TikTok. We may be doing some other things,” Trump said on Friday, The Guardian reported.

However, later reports have suggested Trump is not in favour of TikTok being bought by a US company and would rather it be banned outright.

India banned the app in recent months after skirmishes with Chinese troops on the two nations’ disputed border in the Himalayas.

AUSTRALIA BAN MOOTED

In early June, an MP was quoted as saying that the Australian government was facing pressure to ban TikTok.

The app has been accused of hiding sinister (and for the most part unproven) links to the Chinese Communist Party behind a fun facade.

At the time, TikTok Australia’s director of public policy Brent Thomas told news.com.au the reports were “not credible”.

The company has said the data of international users is stored outside of China and is not accessible to Chinese authorities.

“Consumers love TikTok in Australia, precisely because we focus on providing an experience that is safe as well as fun,” Mr Thomas said.

“We already have multiple safety measures in place for consumers, and we are continuing to invest in making it even safer.”

TikTok has been downloaded two billion times this year alone.

https://www.news.com.au/technology/online/social/tiktok-president-trump-announces-us-ban-of-popular-video-app/news-story/490354bd57ad8cf6fb9102fbaf62fc40

The threads that don't connect: Covid gives Australian conspiracy theorists a common home

‘Sovereign citizens’, anti-vaxxers, mask refuseniks and far-right extremists see all their wildly disparate beliefs confirmed by coronavirus restrictions

1/3

In the remote border town of Texas in northern New South Wales last month, a police officer pulled over a truck driver after he allegedly crossed into Queensland without providing identification.

In footage posted online, the 33-year-old can be heard asking the officer whether he worked “for the corporation known as the Queensland police in all capital letters?”

He then asks: “Am I a man?”

The officer’s deadpan response – “It’s 2020 mate. What do you identify as?” – got him his own thread on Reddit, but the bizarre interaction is not unique.

Viral footage of people defying restrictions on borders, large gatherings and, in Victoria, the use of face masks, have increasingly peppered Australian news as the Covid-19 pandemic stretches into its eighth month.

This past week a woman who refused to wear a face mask in a Bunnings hardware store in Melbourne became the latest fodder for the news cycle after she described herself as “a living woman” to a bemused employee. A few days earlier, footage of a woman reading from a script as she asked an officer “have I disturbed the peace today?” while refusing to answer questions at a border stop in Victoria also made headlines.

Footage of these encounters and others like them share a similar characteristic: in them, the people challenging police appear to be reading from the same script, a pdf file that has been shared widely across various Facebook groups loosely affiliated with the so-called “sovereign citizen” conspiracy movement.

Described by the Southern Poverty Law Centre in the US as an extremist group, the sovereign citizen movement is a haphazard collection of pseudo-legal beliefs broadly coalesced around the notion that modern government is illegitimate.

“Sovereign citizens believe that they get to decide which laws to obey and which to ignore, and they don’t think they should have to pay taxes,” the SPLC says.

In extreme cases, sovereign citizens in the US have been linked to violence. In 2010 a father and son linked to the movement shot to death two police officers in West Memphis, Arkansas, who had pulled them over in a routine traffic stop. The two men were later killed in a shootout with police.

The movement is rooted in racism and antisemitism, though, as the SPLC acknowledges, many followers are unaware of its origins. Acts of deadly violence have usually directed against government officials.

The Australian wing of the bizarre movement, transplanted here with a few tweaks, is not new. One of its most well-known proponents, a Western Australian, Wayne Glew, had his property and assets seized in 2018 after refusing to pay $300,000 in council rates and legal fees because of a belief local government was unconstitutional.

But in the time of Covid-19 its adherents have found themselves a niche. As governments impose unprecedented restrictions on civil liberties in an effort to control the spread of the virus, sovereign citizens appear to be attempting to take advantage of broad community uncertainty to push their confused agenda.

They are far from alone. Experts say the pandemic has offered an umbrella under which a bevy of fringe conspiracy groups and far-right actors have found common cause. Cam Smith, an independent researcher who focuses on conspiracy theorists and the far right, says links between previously discrete groups including the sovereign citizens, anti-vaxxers, QAnon and anti-5G groups have increasingly blurred during the pandemic.

“It’s a weird moment where all of these groups who usually have their own thing have come together with Covid,” he says. “It doesn’t even really seem to matter if they don’t necessarily meld – they find ways to smooth it over.”

‘Society is obsessed with conspiracy theorists’

The most visible expression of this trend occurred in May, when 10 people were arrested and one police officer was hospitalised after demonstrators gathered in Melbourne to protest against “self-isolating, social distancing, tracking apps [and] 5G being installed”.

The protest, which was promoted on various Facebook groups linked to fringe conspiracy groups including QAnon and various anti-vaxxers, included signs about 5G, China and the Murray-Darling River. Various speakers claimed Covid-19 was a conspiracy orchestrated by “globalists”, while one of the main organisers of the rally, Fanos Panayides, invoked the “mark of the beast”.

(continued)

>>10155115

2/3

Prof Axel Bruns, a leading internet researcher from the Queensland University of Technology, has been researching misinformation related to the planned 5G network during the Covid-19 pandemic. He agrees that under the umbrella of the pandemic, the borders between different corners of internet conspiracy have begun to vanish.

“The example of 5G gives you all of these disparate things: that it’s a dangerous technology because it’s linked to some sort of electro-fog, or that it’s the trigger for some sort of biological weapon, or that it’s linked to the coming of the Antichrist,” he says.

“There can be these five or six totally different threads that don’t really connect, but what it seems to me is that everyone who had some sort of pre-existing conspiracy theory about health, or world government, or religion, they’ve all jumped on to the Covid bandwagon and found a way to connect what’s happening with the virus to their own existing worldview.

“So if you’re against 5G, Covid is either making it worse or is caused by 5G. If you’re concerned by world government taking over, the stay-at-home orders and masks are a sign of that. Everyone is retrofitting Covid into these existing conspiracy theories.”

For the most part these online groupings have negligible impact on the real word. But the new outbreak of a pushback against Covid-19 restrictions poses a new challenge for authorities grappling with the consequences of people indifferent to the potency of the virus.

As Victoria struggles to contain its second-wave outbreak, conspiracy groups continue to flout regulations. This week dozens of people linked to the sovereign citizens movement gathered in a Melbourne gym in violation of restrictions on gatherings.

“A great night together discussing the putrid conduct of the police, government and media lies,” one attendee wrote on social media after the event. “We are strong and won’t bow down to these oppressors.”

Similarly on Friday about 30 anti-mask protesters gathered at Melbourne’s Shrine of Remembrance just before 7am and held a minute’s silence.

It also poses challenges for the social media companies providing the platform on which these communities of misinformation flourish, and the media outlets struggling to come to terms with how to cover such phenomena.

After Cam Smith posted footage of the woman refusing to wear a mask inside a Bunnings store to Twitter, it was quickly picked up by mainstream news networks. An analysis by the ABC found news articles about the incident were the top two stories on social media about coronavirus in Australia over the last week measured by engagements.

She was later featured on the Seven network burning a face mask, before appearing on Nine’s Today Show where she claimed, falsely, that Covid-19 case numbers “are not true” and that the virus was “biochemically engineered intentionally”. When the Today host Karl Stefanovic abruptly ended the interview, it prompted another round of stories about the confrontation.

The public health academic Prof Julie Leask from the University of Sydney is one of Australia’s leading experts on vaccination uptake. She says she has lost count of the number of interviews she’s done on the anti-vaxx movement, and is frustrated by what she see’s as the media’s outsized focus on its hardcore proponents.

“Even the fact you’re doing this story is part of the game,” she says. “It feels like society is obsessed with conspiracy theorists and I still haven’t figured out why. I almost wonder if we’re all attracted to these neat attributions for problems in the same way conspiracy theorists are. If you have a conspiracy theorist who doesn’t want to lock down or wear a mask, you don’t have to acknowledge more complex problems like gaps in our healthcare system.”

But Leask does concede there is a “dilemma” in whether or not media should cover these issues, pointing to polling showing a perhaps larger than expected number of Australians do believe conspiracy theories related to issues such as 5G.

“There is clearly something going on in this pandemic to see so many Australians believing those views,” she said. “The general explanation in my field is in times of uncertainty people will seek more solid, clear-cut explanations to give themselves some comfort. It’s worth noting that and it is kind of concerning.”

(continued)

>>10155141

3/3

When fringe beliefs become destructive

The challenge for media organisation lies somewhere in the tipping point: that is, when fringe beliefs and their proponents begin to slip into the mainstream. In the US, opposition to face masks has found its way into mainstream discourse as an issue of individual freedom in some cases peddled by Republican figures including Donald Trump.

In Australia that rhetoric has so far been confined to the fringes of the debate, with some notable exceptions: when Victoria mandated face masks in public, the Herald Sun columnist, Sky News host and rightwing pundit Andrew Bolt labelled it “virus hysteria”.

There is now no firm data on attitudes towards wearing masks in Australia, though the Victorian premier, Daniel Andrews, has praised the state’s compliance with the new mandate. A survey conducted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics in late June found one in eight people nationally said the pandemic had prompted them to wear face masks.

While it’s hard to know the extent to which anti-mask sentiment has crept into Australia, Leask said the danger was when an issue became divided along “ideological gradients”.

“In the same way that climate change in the 1970s and 80s started to become an issue of, not just do we believe in global warming but ‘by the way this is a lefty idea so if you’re conservative you’re not going to agree with it’,” she said.

“You start to see those leading commentators influencing a larger group of people. If part of belonging to whichever tribe is to also believe ‘it is my right to not wear a mask’ then you might see a greater amount of non-compliance”.

There is no doubt however that online communities linked to conspiracy theories can impact on the real world without necessarily bleeding into the mainstream. In countries including New Zealand, for example, anti-5G activists have been linked to the destruction of phone towers during the pandemic.

In Australia the Guardian has seen leaked Telegram conversations between members of anti-5G Facebook group openly discussing plans to destroy towers.

“Yes I hope we can take action soon, we can definitely burn them,” one woman wrote in April.

“[T]his app isn’t secure enough if we’re going to talk about damaging 5G towers,” another replied.

“I think we should take any discussions regarding physically damaging the towers to an underground level. It’s frustrating going around in circles discussing the negative effects of 5G when we could be actively planning real activism.”

Cam Smith, who has been at the forefront of watching the evolution of various threads of the conspiracy movement, believes one of the most obvious reasons for its escalation during the pandemic could be true: “People are stuck at home and online a lot more.”

“It sounds trite but I’ve seen some of them saying, ‘You know, I was a sheep and then Covid happened and I had time to research,’” he says.

“I think most of them are primed for it, though. They might have had a conspiracy they believed in already and this whole thing has happened and just set them on a path.”

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/aug/02/coronavirus-conspiracy-theory-covid-19-australia-agenda-australian-theorists-groups-anti-vaxxers-antivax-vaccine-face-masks

Hydroxychloroquine is a poor coronavirus treatment but a perfect parable for our times

1/2

The group had all the trappings of medical authority.

Wearing white coats as they stood with serious faces in front of the US Supreme Court earlier this week, they called themselves "America's Frontline Doctors".

In the video of their press conference, which was livestreamed on Facebook, the group promoted a familiar but controversial narrative: that the drug hydroxychloroquine could help treat COVID-19.

They made their claims despite large scientific studies showing the drug doesn't benefit people hospitalised with the disease.

The original clip was removed from Facebook but it lived on, with a retweet from US President Donald Trump and a boost on Instagram from celebrities like Madonna. After that, right-wing and conspiratorial online communities — including those in Australia — made a point of keeping the video available online.

Even a transcript of the press conference, on the website of transcription service Rev, has received more than 800,000 interactions on Facebook, according to data from social media monitoring firm Crowdtangle. It has been posted more than 500 times.

The video controversy is only the latest instalment in the saga of hydroxychloroquine's transformation, from relatively obscure anti-malarial drug to political football.

It first arrived in the spotlight thanks to widespread press coverage and now, in private Facebook groups and in YouTube comment feeds, hydroxychloroquine is no longer just an unlikely medicine for COVID-19.

To believe in its efficacy is often a way to indicate support for President Trump or an ideological scepticism of the medical establishment, entirely disconnected from the science.

"It's a tenet of faith," said Tom Sear, a fellow with UNSW Canberra Cyber at the Australian Defence Force Academy. "All the scientific evidence is doubtful — and there's Trump with certainty."

Where did the hype come from?

As coronavirus spread in early 2020, the world scrambled for a silver bullet and the antimalarial drug hydroxychloroquine — or HCQ — emerged as an early candidate.

Also used to treat lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, it had shown some promise when used against two previous coronaviruses, SARS and MERS.

"The hope was it might be somewhat useful," said Derek Lowe, a long-time drug discovery researcher and author of In the Pipeline, a long-running science blog on the Science Translational Medicine website.

"No-one expected great things out of hydroxychloroquine."

On Facebook, some of the first mentions of the drug as a potential COVID-19 treatment came in mid-February from Chinese media like Xinhua and China Daily but attracted relatively little engagement.

Outside the research community, however, the real attention came after the intervention of a media-savvy French microbiologist named Didier Raoult.

His study, published in the Journal of Antimicrobial Agents in March, tested a combination of hydroxychloroquine and the antibiotic azithromycin on patients with COVID-19 and found that it helped.

But in the eyes of other scientists, the study was decidedly lacklustre. It was small and uncontrolled, which meant there was no group that did not receive the treatment to compare the results against.

But those caveats, and underwhelming results from other trials, ceased to hold much weight in the greater public consciousness after US President Donald Trump weighed in.

On March 19, Trump said the drug could be a "game changer" at a White House news conference with his coronavirus task force. A few days later, he tweeted a link to Dr Raoult's study. It was retweeted more than 300,000 times.

Since March 1, public posts containing the word "hydroxychloroquine" have received at least 55 million "interactions" on Facebook — a measure that includes reactions, shares or comments.

Other cable news characters emerged as willing soldiers in a burgeoning culture war, such as Dr Vladimir Zelenko, a doctor in upstate New York who claimed to have treated patients with a combination of hydroxychloroquine and other drugs.

And in the months since, President Trump and members of his administration have repeatedly returned to the hydroxychloroquine narrative despite the protests of White House medical advisor Dr Anthony Fauci, who has repeatedly stated that all "valid" scientific data suggests hydroxychloroquine is not effective against COVID-19.

The drug has attracted the attention of populist politicians outside the United States as well.

It's been heavily promoted by Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, and the drug even became a political instrument in Australia, when erstwhile MP Clive Palmer bought Facebook ads in March, as well as full-page newspaper ads, promoting his proposal to buy "1 million doses" of the drug to support the fight against COVID-19.

(continued)

>>10155779

2/2

Hydroxychloroquine was seized upon because it offered an appealing narrative, Mr Lowe suggested: a cheap, immediate cure. And if there were naysayers, those were just evil forces at work.

"There was an element of sticking it to the 'big evil' drug companies — 'we're going to use this cheap generic medicine that's been around forever'."

It is a political drug now

Of course, the attraction of a miracle cure is nothing new. But the media and social media platforms can amplify and convert this desire into an article of faith, often tied to politics and identity.

If it were effective, hydroxychloroquine might offer an immediate and individualistic solution that could appeal to those on the right, Mr Sear said, in opposition to more left-leaning values around social responsibility.

"[Hydroxychloroquine is] characterised as a quick fix, a magic cure for the 'problem' of the virus," he said of how the drug is often characterised online.

"It's not a social solution. It doesn't imply we have to work together — and with government — and address larger, more complex, and interrelated issues in society to battle the disease."

Throughout the pandemic, the spruiking of so-called coronavirus "treatments" has been widespread — grifters adapting to the current panic by offering unproven solutions such as colloidal silver.

But hydroxychloroquine is different, according to Elise Thomas, a misinformation researcher at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute.

"The reality is, most of these people have no knowledge of what hydroxychloroquine is," she said.

"From that angle, it does become more of an article of faith, or more wrapped up into an ideological or political narrative as opposed to being an actual industry that ordinary people can participate in."

George Buchanan, a researcher at the University of Melbourne, has been observing online discussions about COVID-19 on platforms like YouTube and Twitter.

Like Ms Thomas, Dr Buchanan has seen hydroxychloroquine picked up by right-wing and pro-Trump circles on social media. He said it remains one of the most discussed potential treatments online.

"HCQ has been the dominant narrative up to this point."

The failure of hydroxychloroquine to emerge as a usable COVID-19 treatment so far can be seen as many things by such groups. It might be "evidence" of the pharmaceutical industry's backing of alternative drugs, for example, or an excuse by the "deep state" to eventually vaccinate everyone.

Ms Thomas described what she calls "conspiracy collapse", where social media platforms bring together many different kinds of sometimes contradictory conspiracies.

"It's a car crash. It's terrifically messy," she said.

"You look at it at the end, and you can't figure out what started where."

What the HCQ misinformation means for a vaccine

The online obsession with hydroxychloroquine seems unabated — not helped by the media's difficulty in reporting the uncertainty inherent in medical science and drug trials.

Just in the past seven days, Crowdtangle data shows Facebook posts on pages and in public groups mentioning the drug have received more than 12 million interactions. And posts from right-wing figures such as Dan Bongino and Rush Limbaugh about censorship of the treatment have been shared tens of thousands of times.

Thanks in part to social media networks and other online coverage, misinformation and conspiracy theories have periodically flowed from the US and Europe into Australia — at times an "information colony", as Mr Sear put it — and hydroxychloroquine is no exception.

Similar statements of belief in the drug and accusations of cover-ups have been shared widely here in recent days thanks to posts from Australian politicians, wellness influencers and anti-vaccination pages.

Whether or not hydroxychloroquine ever becomes a viable coronavirus drug, the evolution of its online narrative has created a template for how to muddy the narrative around potential treatments, and especially around any potential vaccine.

Mr Lowe predicted there is going to be "a lot of craziness" as the vaccine clinical data starts to emerge.

Ultimately, however, what frustrates him most about the hydroxychloroquine hype is the vast gulf between the appealing narrative it offers and the usual way that medical science advances.

Most of the drugs that scientists develop, Mr Lowe said, for everything from cancer to coronaviruses, simply do not work. They fail.

"There aren't very many miracle drugs."

https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2020-08-01/hydroxychloroquine-coronavirus-drug-now-right-wing-ideology/12510812

>>10143641

Resignation of James Murdoch ‘does not absolve him of the blood on his hands’

The 47-year-old is known as the more liberal member of the Murdochs.

James Murdoch’s resignation from News Corporation is the latest example of the political divide in the famed media family.

The youngest son of News Corporation founder Rupert Murdoch resigned from the company’s board of directors on Friday, citing “disagreements over certain editorial content” published by the media empire’s news outlets.

While the nature of the disagreements and the news outlets in question were not disclosed, the resignation follows a number of similar moves in recent years.

In response to his decision Media Matters President and CEO Angelo Carusone said “At the center of Fox News and News Corp. is Murdoch control.

“Today, James Murdoch made it clear that he no longer wants to be associated with the damage that his family’s media properties continue to do to society. The blame going forward now rests squarely with Lachlan and Rupert Murdoch.

“If James Murdoch hadn’t already left Fox Corp. last year, you would have seen him quit Fox Corp. today too.

“It’s hard to blame him. In this year alone, Fox News has put the lives of Americans at risk spreading dangerous medical misinformation about the pandemic, prevented effective government action to save lives and the economy, stoked racial tensions by elevating and promoting white supremacists in the network, and served as a mouthpiece for Trump’s conspiracy theories and extremism.

“The Murdochs’ money comes from making America sicker, weaker, more divided, and less competitive around the world.

“While his action of resigning alone does not absolve him of the blood on his hands caused by decades of Murdoch deceit, it’s an important step to no longer being part of the problem.”

Mr Murdoch was thrust into the public limelight in 2011 when the then-Sky chairman fronted a Commons Culture Media and Sport Committee alongside his father over the News of the World phone hacking scandal.

The fallout from the scandal ultimately forced him to resign from the role in April 2012, with media watchdog Ofcom finding he “repeatedly fell short of the conduct to be expected of him as a chief executive officer and chairman”.

Despite being tainted by the events, Mr Murdoch eventually returned to the role four years later.

Lachlan

James Murdoch, who currently heads private investment firm Lupa Systems, is known as the more liberal member of the Murdoch family, while his more conservative older brother Lachlan is the heir apparent to the media empire.

Lachlan Murdoch is also the chief executive of Fox Corporation, the home of conservative US news network Fox News.

In 2016, when he was serving as chief executive of 21st Century Fox, James Murdoch championed the success of the network, saying there was “no desire to shift the position it has in the market”.

However following his exit from the company in 2019, he openly distanced himself from Fox News, telling The New Yorker: “There are views I really disagree with on Fox.”

That same year Mr Murdoch donated to Pete Buttigieg’s campaign to become the Democratic nominee for US president.

Mr Murdoch’s recent political actions have also stood in stark contrast to his father and brother.

In June, he donated 615,000 US dollars (£467,400) to presidential candidate Joe Biden’s victory fund.

Bill Clinton

His wife Kathryn, who previously worked for Bill Clinton’s environmental charity Clinton Climate Initiative, donated the same amount.

His opposition to the direction of News Corporation’s coverage came to a head in January, when he took direct issue with how the company had covered climate change and its impact on the bushfires in Australia.

A spokesperson for Mr Murdoch and his wife Kathryn told The Daily Beast: “Kathryn and James’ views on climate change are well established and their frustration with some of News Corp and Fox’s coverage of the topic is also well known.

“They are particularly disappointed with the ongoing denial of the role of climate change among the news outlets in Australia, given obvious evidence to the contrary.”

Mr Murdoch’s decision to sever his last formal link to the family business brings to an end what has been an extensive and turbulent career in the industry.

https://www.thelondoneconomic.com/news/resignation-of-james-murdoch-does-not-absolve-him-blood-on-hands/01/08/

'The US enterprise is up for grabs': why the Trump-Biden race is so important for Australia

The choice: ‘America first’ or a renewed alliance. For once, the cliche about this being the most important election in living memory is actually true

1/3

As a career diplomat and former head of Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Peter Varghese has always had to choose his words carefully.

But having moved on from the public service, and free of the need for diplomatic niceties, he offers a stark assessment of the stakes for Australia – and the rest of the world – in the forthcoming US presidential election.

“I think the world can survive four years of Donald Trump; I would be much less confident that the world can survive eight years of Donald Trump,” he says in a Lowy Institute podcast.

Of course, Varghese doesn’t mean it literally – that a second term would spark some sort of mass extinction event. But for countries like Australia that depend on a stable rules-based order, effective global bodies to make its voice heard and open and predictable trading conditions, an extension of Trump’s abrasive “America first” approach poses significant risks.

The complexities for Australia in dealing with the Trump team were on full display last week, with senior ministers in Washington for security talks insisting that the alliance was in “great shape” while resisting pressure from their counterparts on at least two fronts. The American wish list included Australian freedom of navigation operations close to disputed features in the South China Sea and for Australia to extract its citizens from fighting zones in Syria.

While Scott Morrison and his government have now grown somewhat familiar with the vagaries of dealing with the Trump administration, officials are beginning to contemplate two distinct possibilities for the next four years, each with major consequences for Australia.

The election could result in either a second Trump term – with the president emboldened to persist with his isolationist and crash-through approach to world affairs – or the return to a more conventional Canberra-Washington relationship under Joe Biden. The polls currently heavily favour Barack Obama’s former right-hand man, but Australian officials are believed to be planning for either outcome.

‘Renewing’ the alliance under Biden

While Biden would have significant domestic problems in his in-tray – like getting on top of the coronavirus debacle and turning around the crisis-ridden economy – the former vice-president has also vowed to “renew” and “strengthen” US alliances with Australia and other partners. He talks about restoring American leadership while launching new diplomatic efforts to raise the level of ambition on tackling the climate crisis.

Varghese believes a Biden presidency would not simply pick up where the Obama administration left off. “Australia is less than comfortable” with some aspects of the Trump administration’s policy approaches, but a number of those “will probably continue to drive American policy”.

“But I think we will see a more multilateral United States administration under Biden – and for a country that can’t buy or bully its way in the world like Australia, that will be a plus,” Varghese, now chancellor of the University of Queensland, says in the podcast interview.

“I think we will see more sensible, considered alliance management under a Biden administration than we’ve seen under the Trump administration.

“While I don’t expect a Biden administration to be a great champion of trade liberalisation, I don’t think it will be quite as mercantilist in its trade policy as we’ve seen so far in the United States.”

Allan Behm, a former defence strategist who now heads the international and security affairs program of the Australia Institute, says the 3 November election “is of enormous significance to Australia”. An emboldened, re-elected Trump would further accelerate the divide between the US and China and see America “head far, far further into isolationism and exceptionalism”.

“It will be brutal in its dealings with friends and foes alike. It will simply screw everybody,” Behm tells the Guardian.

‘We don’t always agree’

The Australian government, first under Malcolm Turnbull and now Morrison, has tried to make the most of the relationship, even if there have been bruising moments (such as the phone call in which the former reality TV star berated Turnbull over the refugee resettlement deal, and the initial difficulties in securing exemptions to new US tariffs on steel and aluminium).

(continued)

>>10156246

2/3

For the most part, Australia has avoided the turbulence experienced by other US allies such as Japan, South Korea and Germany, which Trump has repeatedly accused of freeloading on defence and exploiting the US on trade.

But in Washington last week, Australian ministers were at pains to insist that Canberra set its own policy, particularly when it came to China. Australian officials believe the idea of sailing Royal Australian Navy vessels within 12 nautical miles of disputed features in the South China Sea would be needlessly provocative, particularly at a time of heightened tensions with China. Australia and the US agreed to deepen defence cooperation more broadly.

Australia would not be drawn into US electoral politics, Morrison insisted on Wednesday. “While we have the deepest and most lasting of friendships and alliances with the United States, that doesn’t mean we always share every view to its minute detail and there is often a difference in nuance or emphasis or timing and, on occasion, in substance,” the prime minister said.

China tensions spill over to Australia

One of the most important issues for Australia in the US election is how Washington manages its relationship with Beijing – because officials view that as “the principal driver of strategic dynamics in our region”.

The Trump administration has adopted an increasingly tough tone – no doubt influenced, in part, by electoral calculations – with the secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, declaring in July that “the freedom-loving nations of the world must induce China to change” because the Chinese Communist party cannot be trusted.

It’s an approach that has alarmed some regional players, with Singapore’s prime minister, Lee Hsien Loong, warning the US against the binary choice of either “colliding with China” or “deciding that you have no stake in the region and [leaving] us to our own defences”.

But many observers believe the hardening of America’s stance towards China is likely to continue regardless of who wins on 3 November, given that there is now broad political support in the US to take a firm line against an increasingly assertive Xi Jinping.

Biden may, however, try to take some of the heat out of the China relationship.

Antony Blinken, a senior foreign policy adviser for the Biden campaign and a former deputy US secretary of state during the Obama years, argues Trump has made strategic errors by failing to properly coordinate with allies and by withdrawing from international institutions – giving China an opening to fill.

“We need to rally our allies and partners instead of alienating them to deal with some of the challenges that China poses,” Blinken told a Hudson Institute event in early July. While taking steps to “deter aggression”, Biden would try to work with China on issues like climate change, dealing with health emergencies, and preventing the spread of dangerous weapons.

It’s an approach likely to be welcomed by Australian diplomats. After Morrison dabbled in Trump-style rhetoric last year by warning against “negative globalism” and unelected global bodies, the Australian government pivoted in the midst of the pandemic to emphasise the importance of multilateral organisations, saying if Australia retreated into isolationism the world order would be shaped by others. While sympathising with Trump’s criticism of the World Health Organization, Morrison has said Australia won’t “throw the baby out with the bathwater” by following the American move to disengage.

On the trade front, Australia has had to team up with the European Union, China and others to build a workaround for resolving disputes after the Trump administration blocked World Trade Organization appointments. Australia also fears collateral damage from an unorthodox trade deal between Trump and Xi that committed China to massively ramp up agricultural purchases from America.

Second Trump term could erode alliance support

Trump’s brash approach in dealing with America’s long-standing allies is not cost-free, according to the former Labor prime minister Kevin Rudd. Rudd fears that a second Trump term – with a continuation of the America First mantra and therefore allies second – could “fray” support for the US alliance in Australia.

The Lowy Institute’s annual poll of Australian sentiment towards global issues lends some weight to this view. While it shows more than three-quarters of respondents value the American alliance, just 51% trust the US to act responsibly on the world stage – about 30 points lower than the Obama-induced high of a decade ago. And just 30% trust Trump to act responsibly on global issues. In the same poll in 2019, two in three respondents agreed that Trump had weakened the alliance with Australia.

(continued)

>>10156261

3/3

Michael Fullilove, the executive director of the Lowy Institute, says that for once, the cliche about this being the most important election in living memory is actually true. “The reason for that is that Australian security depends on the United States, and the whole success of the US enterprise is up for grabs, and the US role in the world is to be decided,” he says.

Fullilove worries that in the event Trump is re-elected, more of the “adults” advising the president would leave the room, “the deep state would get shallower”, and the US would continue with a “semi-isolationist, anti-alliance, anti-free trade agenda” that was at odds with Australia’s interests.

“Scott Morrison has done a good job of managing President Trump, but the bottom line is President Trump doesn’t believe in alliances and his views on alliances and trade and democracy run counter to Australia’s views,” Fullilove says.

Fullilove says a Biden administration would be much more cognisant of allies, so there was unlikely to be a repeat of the turbulence experienced between Trump and Turnbull – but Biden’s team would also have higher expectations of allies.

Climate to ‘roar back as an issue’ under Biden

“It may be harder to say no to a Biden administration,” Fullilove says. “Climate will come roaring back as an issue in US foreign policy under a Biden administration. That would require more action by Australia.”

Biden has vowed to put the US on “an irreversible path to achieve net-zero emissions, economy-wide” by 2050, and to rally the rest of the world to meet the climate threat – indicating that he would “fully integrate climate change into [its] foreign policy and national security strategies, as well as [its] approach to trade”.

Amanda McKenzie, the chief executive of Australia’s Climate Council, believes Trump’s climate stance – including withdrawing from the Paris agreement – has emboldened some within the Australian political system who have sought to frustrate effective action for years. But she says the Black Summer of bushfires “was a big wakeup call for a lot of Australians”.

“I think Biden’s leadership, particularly that $2tn [climate] plan, which is an enormous investment, could have a revolutionary effect globally,” McKenzie says.

“To have the US fundamentally changing its stance and to be much more effective would have a transformative impact globally and countries around the globe would follow suit. It is a pivotal election from that perspective.”

The economist Ross Garnaut has also speculated that a Biden win could lead to Australia being placed “in the naughty corner” on climate policy.

Back to the Trans-Pacific Partnership?

Supporters of the alliance are also watching to see where Biden lands on trade.

John Berry, who served as the US ambassador to Australia from 2013 to 2016 and is now president of the American Australian Association, tells the Guardian he believes Biden would be “more likely to pursue multilateral approaches and solutions” on both trade and climate.

Berry credits Australia with playing a leadership role in advancing the Trans-Pacific Partnership – originally a 12-nation regional trade pact from which Trump withdrew – and he thinks “the reconsideration of TPP will be one of the possibilities actively considered for positive US economic engagement in the region”.

But other former government insiders say Australia may have difficulty pushing a trade liberalisation agenda, regardless of who wins.

“Since Australians like straight talk, I’ll be straight with you on politics: if Trump’s reelected you’re not going to do anything on trade because he’s a protectionist,” Robert Zoellick, a former president of the World Bank, said at a recent event hosted by the University of Sydney’s United States Studies Centre.

Zoellick, the US trade representative in the George W Bush administration when the US/Australia free trade agreement was reached 15 years ago, added that if Biden was elected he would “have a very full plate” so trade may slip down the list.

“He’s got the pandemic, he’s got economic recovery, he’s got racism and sense of inequality, he’s got global climate change, and frankly there’s only so much that a US president can take on,” Zoellick said.

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/aug/02/the-us-enterprise-is-up-for-grabs-why-the-trump-biden-race-is-so-important-for-australia

Prince Andrew 'spent two days alone at Epstein ranch with the tycoon's sex slave'

EXCLUSIVE Court documents make a series of claims, with alleged victim Virginia Giuffre saying she was rewarded with “close to a thousand dollars” by convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein

1/2

Prince Andrew and a girl who claims she was a sex slave for Jeffrey Epstein spent two days alone at the tycoon’s huge ranch, court documents claim.

A manuscript written by Virginia Giuffre says the Duke had “a really good time” and that she gave him “numerous massages”.

Ms Giuffre – who was 17 or 18 at the time – says she was later rewarded with “close to a thousand dollars” by convicted paedophile Epstein.

The sensational claims emerged in a tranche of newly-released court papers which Epstein’s former lover Ghislaine Maxwell, 58, tried to block.

Describing her time with Andrew at Epstein’s 7,559-acre Zorro ranch near Sante Fe, New Mexico, Ms Giuffre writes: “My job was to entertain him endlessly, whether that meant having to bestow him my body during an erotic massage or simply take him horseback riding.

"The mansion was completely empty save a couple of maids who also cooked our dinners for us, and a couple of bodyguards that we hardly even saw at all.”

She claims Maxwell – a longtime pal of Andrew, 60 – arranged for her to go to the ranch, around 2001, but did not tell her who would be there.

“Ghislaine only told me that I was to meet someone there, not sure of whom that was. It wasn’t my place to ask,” Ms Giuffre claims.

When she arrived at the ranch she saw Andrew who, she says, greeted her with the “same old cheesy grin” she had seen when they met up previously in London and New York.

Unlike the Prince’s other visits to Epstein’s homes, the American financier and Maxwell were not present.

Ms Giuffre says after two days with Andrew, she was recalled to New York to debrief Epstein and Maxwell.

She says that during a conversation in the tycoon’s kitchen Maxwell asked: “So… how was the ranch with the Prince?”

Ms Giuffre, now 36 and a mum of three living in Australia, says she replied: “I think he had a really good time, he seemed relaxed and when we said goodbye he gave me a kiss.

“I took him horse-riding, just around the property, we went swimming in the pool and, of course, I gave him plenty of massages. He had a massage at least couple of times each day, really seeming to enjoy his time there.”

Describing the reaction of Epstein and his lover Maxwell, she adds: “Like proud parents, they looked over me with such content. ‘Good, you did really well,’ Jeffrey complimented me.”

She says Epstein gave her “close to a thousand dollars… more than what I thought anybody at my young age could make for a couple of days work”.

(continued)

>>10156632

2/2

During the Prince’s interview with BBC Newsnight last November, he was at pains to suggest he was never alone while at Epstein’s properties in New York, Florida and the Caribbean.

But he was not asked about visiting Zorro.

A former ranch hand told the Sunday Mirror he saw Andrew a couple of times but never “without Jeffrey or Ghislaine”.

The new claims heap more pressure on the Metropolitan Police to release logs kept by royal protection officers.

One former royal bodyguard, Paul Page, has said notes would include times and dates of trips the Prince took. Logs are kept for 30 years.

Forty-seven court documents were unsealed by New York Judge Loretta Preska on Thursday.

They relate to a 2015 civil case between Maxwell and Ms Giuffre. A second wave of papers could be released – subject to an appeal scheduled for next month.

It was in a 2015 affidavit that Ms Giuffre – referred to as Jane Doe 3 – claimed she had sex with Andrew in Maxwell’s Belgravia home, Epstein’s Manhattan townhouse and at an orgy on the tycoon’s Caribbean island.

Her claims were struck out of the civil case by Florida judge Kenneth Marra.

He ruled: “The factual details regarding with whom and where the Jane Does engaged in sexual activities are immaterial and impertinent to this central claim (i.e., that they were known victims of Mr Epstein and the Government owed them CVRA duties), especially considering that these details involve non-parties who are not related to the respondent Government. These unnecessary details shall be stricken.”

In other claims reported yesterday, Ms Giuffre alleges Andrew had “an orgy with numerous other under-aged girls” at Epstein’s Caribbean home – and Maxwell had “continuous” sex with girls and women.

Maxwell was arrested in New Hampshire last month on suspicion of grooming and abusing three girls under the age of 18.

She is also accused of perjury and faces up to 35 years if convicted.

She has pleaded not guilty and is due for trial in New York in July 2021.

Andrew and his legal team have vehemently denied Ms Giuffre’s claims.

A picture shows them together but the Prince said in his Newsnight appearance that he does not recall ever meeting her.

Epstein, 66, killed himself in jail last year while awaiting sex-trafficking charges.

Andrew was pictured walking with the tycoon in New York’s Central Park in 2010, just months after the paedophile was released from prison for procuring a minor for prostitution.

Andrew told Newsnight: “I went there with the sole purpose of saying to him that because he had been convicted, it was inappropriate for us to be seen together.”

The Duke’s spokesperson declined to comment.

But the new claim was met with shock by his friends.

One said: “The Zorro account is a serious inconsistency. Ms Giuffre’s lawyers have always claimed three alleged encounters. And now this fourth allegation. How so? Why has this never been raised before?

“And where is the evidence? I’d suggest you put these questions to her lawyers, not to the Duke.”

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/us-news/prince-andrew-spent-two-days-22454560

—

Jeffrey Epstein Documents

https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/6250471-Epstein-Docs.html

>>10156663

>The new claims heap more pressure on the Metropolitan Police to release logs kept by royal protection officers.

>One former royal bodyguard, Paul Page, has said notes would include times and dates of trips the Prince took. Logs are kept for 30 years.

Met Police destroyed records for the night Prince Andrew allegedly had sex with teenager in London, says former Royal protection officer

Police records that could make or break Prince Andrew’s alibi for the night he is alleged to have had sex with a sex-trafficked teenager have been destroyed.

Scotland Yard made the admission to a former Royal protection officer who told The Mail on Sunday he believed Andrew may have returned to Buckingham Palace in the early hours of March 11, 2001.

Virginia Roberts, then 17, claims she was coerced by paedophile Jeffrey Epstein into having sex with the Prince on the night of March 10 at the Belgravia home of Ghislaine Maxwell. In his infamous Newsnight interview last November, the Duke of York insisted he had spent that night at Sunninghill Park, Berkshire, with his children, having earlier dropped off Princess Beatrice at a Pizza Express in Woking, Surrey, for a party.

Earlier this year the former Royal guard told this newspaper that he recalled making a complaint to his boss about allegedly abusive conduct by Andrew when he arrived at the Palace in a car driven by his personal protection officer.

To confirm his account, the ex-officer – who had a 23-year career with the police – asked for access to his shift roster at Buckingham Palace and other documents. Last week, 149 days after making the request, he finally received a reply from a caseworker at the Met’s Information Rights Unit in Sidcup, Kent. An email said: ‘I conducted a number of searches. However the Retention and Disposal Policy states that Duty Records and Annual Leave records are only held for 2 years. Therefore, there is no information the Commissioner is required to supply you.’

Last night, the former Royal guard said: ‘I am very disappointed. Why on earth did it take nearly five months to respond with such a non-informative answer? I’m also surprised to discover that any records regarding the Royal family and their police protection are destroyed, much less after just two years.’ The disclosure raises the possibility that other documents, including Royal protection officer logs, which would confirm where the Prince was at the times in question, have also been destroyed.

The Met declined to tell the MoS what searches had been conducted or the disposal policy for Royalty Protection department material. Prince Andrew’s representatives declined to comment.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8584291/Met-Police-destroyed-records-Prince-Andrews-Pizza-Express-alibi.html

Virginia Roberts Giuffre Twitter Thread

Hey #GhislaneMaxwell just sitting outside, taking some time to de-stress after you & your lawyers shenanigans. Like the view? If you didn’t abuse 1000’s of minors you would not be staring at your toilet as a piece of artwork. #TimesUp #SpeakOut #WhoIsNext #KidsToo

https://twitter.com/VRSVirginia/status/1289752460920143873

—

Frankie Coffeecake @frankiecoffeeck

What about Trump?

https://twitter.com/frankiecoffeeck/status/1289753731450298368

—

Virginia Giuffre Retweeted

LStarr13 @LStarr13

Trump never went to the island! And, it is under his administration that they all got caught isn't it?! Everyone knew about Epstein, and Weinstein, and Maxwell, but NOBODY did anything did they?

https://twitter.com/LStarr13/status/1289757971304468480

>>10146828

Australian intelligence agencies investigate Chinese-owned TikTok over security concerns

TikTok is facing intensifying scrutiny in Canberra, with intelligence agencies putting the app under the microscope and some MPs pressing the Federal Government to ban it.

US President Donald Trump has also indicated he's on the brink of banning the video sharing app in the United States, which will likely to bolster calls for Australia to follow suit.

The video-sharing app is enormously popular with young people in their teens and 20s, with more than 1.5 million Australians downloading it to their phones.

But analysts say TikTok harvests huge amounts of data, and warn that the Chinese company which owns it — ByteDance — may be forced to share that information with the Chinese Government.

Last month, Prime Minister Scott Morrison declared the Federal Government was looking "very closely" at TikTok.

"If we consider there is a need to take further action than we are taking now, then I can tell you we won't be shy about it," he said.

The ABC has been told that the Federal Government is conducting two complementary investigations into the app.

The Prime Minister has directed intelligence agencies to investigate whether TikTok poses a security threat.

Simultaneously, the Department of Home Affairs is investigating what steps the Government can take to manage any privacy or data security risks it poses.

Home Affairs is also scrutinising the hugely popular Chinese social media app WeChat, which is used by more than 2 million Australians.

TikTok says it will not share data with Beijing

TikTok Australia stores user data in the US and Singapore, and the company insists TikTok users do not have to worry about their personal information being compromised.

In a statement, it said: "TikTok does not share information of our users in Australia with any foreign government, including the Chinese Government, and would not do so if asked."

But some Federal MPs say they are sceptical of that claim, pointing out that Chinese law specifically requires companies to hand over information to the authorities if it is requested.

The ABC has spoken to several parliamentarians who have been privately voicing concerns about TikTok.

Federal Labor MP Anthony Byrne, who is deputy chair of the Joint Parliamentary Committee on Intelligence and Security, has been advocating that TikTok be banned as a retaliatory action if the Chinese Government continues to engage in cyber attacks or economic coercion against Australia.

Other parliamentarians have hesitated about pressing for a ban but say TikTok needs to face greater scrutiny.

Australia will not automatically follow the lead of the United States if the Trump administration does decide to ban the app.

But a US ban would help build momentum for those pressing for drastic action.

The Indian Government's decision to ban TikTok there has also shifted the calculus in Canberra.

TikTok has been lobbying Federal MPs against a ban, suggesting it has been unfairly caught up in escalating geopolitical tensions between China and Western nations.

"We have no interest in being a political football when it comes to global geopolitical issues," the company said in a statement.

"We welcome ongoing discussions with government audiences as we work to remain a safe, fun and creative platform for people to express themselves."

Social media to front inquiry into interference

This month, representatives from TikTok Australia will also front a parliamentary committee that is investigating the threat of foreign interference through social media.

The committee is being chaired by Labor Senator Jenny McAllister, who said there were credible reports TikTok took more data than its users realised.

"I'd like TikTok to explain the way that they protect the privacy of users of their data, and I'd also like them to explain how it is that they moderate content," she told the ABC.

But she said it was premature to call for a ban on TikTok at this stage.

"I think the task of the committee is to try and describe the nature of the problem. If you've got a good handle on the problem, then you can develop solutions — but we're not there yet," she said.

"I think the most likely outcome is there is no one single solution … that's likely to provide a complete answer."

It's not just TikTok facing scrutiny: representatives from Google, Facebook, Twitter and WeChat have also been called to give evidence at the committee.

(continued)

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-08-02/tiktok-under-investigation-in-australia-over-privacy-concerns/12513466

Daniel Andrews declares a STATE OF DISASTER and introduces an 8pm curfew for Melbourne from TONIGHT after 671 new Covid-19 cases with seven deaths - as panic buying begins across state

Victorians will not be allowed outside their homes after 8pm for almost any reason as a state of disaster is declared.

Premier Daniel Andrews brought in the escalated emergency level as the state's worsening crisis shows no signs ending.

Only 73 of the 671 new cases are linked to known and contained outbreaks or complex cases, with 598 under investigation.

Mr Andrews confirmed Melbourne will to go into strict Stage 4 lockdown from 6pm on Sunday after a week of speculation.

The curfew will be in effect between 8pm and 5am every day in Melbourne, and regional Victoria will go back into stage 3 lockdown.

The only reasons to leave home during these hours will be work, medical care and caregiving.

Only one person in a household can go shopping per day and exercise is limited to one hour a day - both must be within 5km from home.

All recreational activity is banned and no more than two people can be together outside, even if they are from the same family or household.

'All of those changes are about limiting the number of people we come into contact with,' Mr Andrews said.

'Daily exercise is just that. It's an opportunity to get some exercise. It's not an opportunity to live our lives as if this pandemic was not real and not here.'

Partners who don't live together will still be able to visit each other.

The new restrictions are in some ways even harsher than the lockdown imposed by New Zealand.

The looming harsher lockdown prompted thousands to flock to shops across Melbourne in a new round of panic buying.

Long lines and full trolleys were seen outside supermarkets as early as 7am - even though they would stay open under stage 4.

Cafes and restaurants will continue to provide takeaway services, but people will not be allowed to dine in.

Police will also step up their checks and increase patrols to stop potential breaches.

Licence-plate recognition technology will be used to identify non-essential travellers, the Herald Sun reported.

It is expected construction sites will remain open and tradies will be given special access to hardware stores.

Public transport will also be continue in a limited capacity, with masks compulsory, and outdoor exercise will be allowed.

The decision to move to Stage 4 restrictions and its announcement rests on the Victorian Government and Premier Daniel Andrews.

Victoria recorded 397 new coronavirus cases and three more deaths on Saturday.

Mr Andrews announced the latest figures with 37 linked to outbreaks and 360 currently under investigation.

Australia's COVID-19 death toll rose to 201 after Victoria on Saturday reported the deaths of a man and two women aged in their 80s and 90s.

The fatalities bring Victoria's death toll to 116. There are currently 5,919 active coronavirus cases in Victoria.

At least 1,008 active cases have been connected to outbreaks in aged care homes.

More than 100 cases have been referred to Victoria Police for breaching stay-at-home lockdown rules.

Experts have been working over the weekend to analyse infection data from the first half of Victoria's six-week lockdown and determine if harsher measures are necessary.

Mr Andrews admitted further restrictions, based on state and national modelling, could prove a 'circuit breaker' for rising COVID-19 cases.

'What we have at the moment are numbers that are too high of community transmission and that is a concern to us.

'It is not a tap you can just turn on or off.'

'They are not decisions that would be taken lightly because there are significant costs … even minor changes have a significant cost,' Mr Andrews said.

Mr Andrews said community transmission remained a top priority and cited 49 'mystery' cases.

'Those community transmission cases are of greatest concern to us.

'The challenge is that they are a mystery and this is all about trying to know as much as you possibly can, as much intelligence and evidence and data as you possibly can.'

Police Minister Lisa Neville said on Saturday more than 200,000 police checks had taken place across the state while more than 452,000 car checks were carried out.

She noted some Victorians were still breaking restrictions and labelled the behaviour as 'appalling'.

'The overwhelming majority of Victorians every day are doing the right thing,' she said.

(continued)

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8584801/Daniel-Andrews-declares-coronavirus-state-disaster-Victoria-8pm-curfew.html

Modern slavery rife in NZ and Pacific Islands, charity claims

One in 150 people are living in "modern slavery" in New Zealand, Australia and the Pacific Islands, according to a new report by a human rights charity.

The Walk Free report identifies cases of forced labour, commercial sexual exploitation of children, and forced marriage in the Pacific.

The report, Murky waters: A qualitative assessment of modern slavery in the Pacific region, said exploitation was fuelled by widespread poverty, migration, and the abuse of cultural practices.

Senior researcher Elise Gordon said they had conducted interviews with law enforcement officers, victim support workers, policy and advocacy stakeholders, and people in the education and training industry in New Zealand, Australia, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, the Solomon Islands, Tonga, and Vanuatu.

"We have heard reports of signs of modern slavery among migrant workers in the construction industry, stemming from increasing foreign investment in Pacific Island communities," Gordon said.

"Also fishing, a major industry in the region, brings with it a poor track record as being notorious for forced labour and human trafficking for labour exploitation."

Modern slavery was likely to increase as climate change exacerbated poverty and migration, Gordon said.

The report was released in the same week the first person to be convicted of slavery in New Zealand was sent to jail.

It said only a third of 54 Commonwealth countries had criminalised forced marriage and 23 nations had failed to criminalise the commercial sexual exploitation of children.

New Zealand did not do enough to stop modern slavery through its supply chain, the report stated.

Walk Free director Grace Forrest said the introduction of a modern slavery Bill should be among the New Zealand government's top priorities after the election.

The Australian government passed a Modern Slavery Act last year.

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/422526/modern-slavery-rife-in-nz-and-pacific-islands-charity-claims

—

Murky Waters - A qualitative Assessment of Modern Slavery in the Pacific Region

Minderoo Foundation, 2020

While previous qualitative research has exposed select forms of modern slavery in the Pacific, this report provides a comprehensive assessment of modern slavery in the region.

The report draws on existing peer-reviewed and grey literature, Walk Free’s 2019 assessment of action taken by governments to address modern slavery, as well as information gathered through semi-structured interviews with anti-slavery stakeholders in eight countries in the region: Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, and Vanuatu. Interviews sought to capture local knowledge on the nature of modern slavery in these countries with regard to forms, victims, sectors at risk, vulnerabilities, key gaps, and practices that offer some hope of solutions.

http://www.respect.international/murky-waters-a-qualitative-assessment-of-modern-slavery-in-the-pacific-region/

http://www.respect.international/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Walk-Free-Foundation-Pacific-Report-03-2020.pdf

U.S. Department of State Tweet

.@SecPompeo on the U.S.-Australia alliance: Our two great democracies face immediate crises like the COVID-19 pandemic and longer-term challenges like the Chinese Communist Party’s ambitions. We are lucky to count Australia as a close partner through it all. #USwithAUS

https://twitter.com/StateDept/status/1289283708952903680

QAnon Has Gone Global

By Mack Lamoureux - July 29, 2020

1/4

The pandemic has led to explosive growth for the QAnon conspiracy, not just in the U.S., but internationally.

Shortly after Jarmo Ekman starts livestreaming his get-together, an older woman walks into view wearing something you wouldn't expect to see at a small Finnish hotel: a MAGA hat. She blows a kiss to the camera and shows off her hat like a model.

“What a beautiful hat,” Ekman says. “As you see there are a lot of Trump fans here, of course, as it is a Q meeting.”

It’s July 11 and around 50 people are meeting at a hotel in Dragsfjärd, a small community two hours west of Helsinki, for a weekend QAnon festival. While walking through the crowd, Ekman stops to speak to a man wearing a nametag made of duct tape with Bono written on it.

“This is the first Q weekend festival ever in this world,” says Bono. On his shirt are the words “QAnon Army Finland.”

“Armies” like this can be found in Germany, France, and the U.K., as well as in Canada, Japan, and Iran. All of them support QAnon, a vast conspiracy theory that Donald Trump is waging a war against the “deep state” made up of elite families, politicians, and celebrities, which also just happens to connected a massive child sex trafficking ring and is currently using COVID-19 to entrench its power.

It’s a conspiracy that’s been able to reach new heights during the pandemic as people around the world desperately search for community and any way to make sense of the chaos. The QAnon community is welcoming to anyone as long as they believe in at least one of the many tendrils that branch out from the theory’s heart—that the world is extremely screwed because of bogeymen behind the scenes, and only those smart enough to see through the veil can fight them. While the actual details of the conspiracy are hyper-focused on the U.S., the broad strokes can be applied to almost anywhere, which helps to explain the rapid growth of QAnon across borders.

Marc-André Argentino, a PhD candidate at Concordia University who studies QAnon and similar far-right movements, recently did a data sweep of QAnon groups on social media. Based on his most recent analysis (which was taken before the Twitter crackdown last week), QAnon has had a 71 percent increase in Twitter content and a 651 percent increase on Facebook since March.

On Facebook, his data showed there were 179 groups with more than 1.4 million members—up from 60 groups and less than a quarter a million members in the same period. During that time, QAnon pages on Facebook doubled, from 63 to 120 pages. Facebook removed a small number of QAnon pages in April but the conspiracy is still growing quickly on the platform.

“Most of (the new groups and pages) appear to be international,” said Argentino. “There aren't a lot of new U.S. groups; the big groups have just grown more. It's places like Austria, Denmark, Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic, Russia, and Israel.

“Germany recently had protesters asking for Trump to come and liberate them from the German deep state. That's fucked up,” he said.

Even Ekman’s Q meeting in Finland has grown. Ten months ago, he held another Q gathering in Helsinki where he was only able to get 19 people out.

(continued)

>>10158806

2/4

Q and the ever-changing conspiracy

While it’s too complex to break down quickly, the broad strokes of QAnon follow that Trump can't explicitly state his plan to the public because he’ll obviously risk the mission. To remedy this an anonymous individual known as “Q,” who gets their name from the "Q-level" security clearance they claim to have, informs the public of the ongoings of the secret war against the deep state. This individual then posts cryptic messages on an online imageboard best known for its ties to neo-Nazis and child porn. Trump’s followers find these messages, known as Q-drops, and decode them.

The conspiracy started on 4chan, one of the more notorious imageboards, in 2017 and has grown mightily from there. The conspiracy has gained notoriety for not only its numbers but also for its elaborate and outlandish theories, including “mole children” being sex trafficked underground, and celebrities such as Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and actor Tom Hanks having been secretly executed and replaced with body doubles.

The movement is fluid and adaptable, so what's popular among the group today may very well be different months down the line. In the United States, 68 believers are running for Congress, some who even have a shot at winning. After coming in first in the primary, prospective Georgia GOP candidate Marjorie Taylor Greene, a vocal QAnon supporter, is headed into a run-off vote. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Greene even offered to help her followers get acquainted with the confusing world of QAnon. The group and its unwavering beliefs have been described as cult-like by some experts, projecting Trump and Q as quasi-religious figures.

QAnon goes North

In Canada, QAnon recently gained the attention of the mainstream press after it was found that a heavily armed man who stormed the gates of Trudeau’s home had posted a QAnon meme. (He has been charged with uttering threats to kill or injure the prime minister; his motives have not yet been determined.)

Blain McElra runs the QAnon Canada page on Facebook as well as a few other Canadian-centric QAnon pages. McElra told VICE he went from 400 members to 2,800 members since the start of the pandemic.

He said he found QAnon shortly after one the first posts by Q in 2017 and helped "decode” it by telling the group the term “Can'' was shorthand for Canada. He's been hooked ever since. McElra said after he and his wife lost their 10-month-old baby, he felt compelled to do whatever he could to “help end the suffering, pedophilia, and trafficking of children.”

McElra views QAnon as a global movement whose first stop is the United States.

“I think of the U.S. as just the first domino and when Trump gets that squared away, the rest of the countries should see results—as the criminals, politicians, corporations, etc., are held to account—so it's just a matter of time,” McElra said.

McElra said he strives for the movement to be as peaceful as possible and is extra diligent when moderating posts. He said he reads and watches everything that is posted on the Facebook pages he moderates but admits it can be a struggle.

"I make a big effort to be a calming effect in my group and I have zero tolerance for anything violent or troublesome in that regard," McElra said. "The emotions are high, people are frustrated, and I feel it is very important to keep this all peaceful."

(continued)

>>10158815

3/4

Many experts have warned that the pandemic has created a conspiracy boom of sorts. On every social media platform, conspiracy communities are growing. Even TikTok has reportedly been dealing with an explosion of young users spreading Pizzagate-style theories in the past few months. Anna Merlan, VICE News reporter and author of Republic of Lies, a book about modern day conspiracy culture, recently wrote that we're experiencing a "conspiracy singularity" that has allowed movements like QAnon, the UFO truthers, and the anti-vaxxers to coalesce.

“This pandemic has created an environment of uncertainty and powerlessness within many aspects of human life today,” says a Media Diversity Institute report from June. “Unfortunately, QAnon has successfully taken advantage of this atmosphere by expanding the scope of the conspiracy theory and using it to spread misinformation and fake news about an already complex and unsolved public health crisis.”

Travis View, co-host of the popular U.S. podcast QAnon Anonymous, said he’s been watching groups pop up all over the world during the pandemic and sees it as a result of people needing community. At the end of the day, that's what QAnon is: an online community.

“This is a function of fact that QAnon seems like a primarily U.S. conspiracy theory but is actually a big-tent conspiracy theory movement,” said View. “So whatever sort of conspiratorial beliefs that you happen to latch on to, you're going to find a home within QAnon."

“What people get attached to more than anything else is the online community of people who don't trust any kind of institutional knowledge,” he added.

'Domestic terror threat'

QAnon growth isn't benign. Followers have been linked to several deaths and crimes over the past three years, such as the killing of an underboss in the New York mob and of a woman who livestreamed her attempt to "take out" Joe Biden. Other believers have gotten into standoffs with police, derailed trains, and conspired to bomb places they believed to be satanic.

According to an intelligence bulletin by the FBI, the feds deemed "fringe conspiracy theories," which includes QAnon, as a domestic terrorism threat. “The FBI assesses these conspiracy theories very likely will emerge, spread, and evolve in the modern information marketplace, occasionally driving both groups and individual extremists to carry out criminal or violent acts,” reads the bulletin, first reported by Yahoo News.

The international QAnon groups aren’t siloed. They work together to produce content. Argentino said he's seen cases of international pages translating propaganda, like popular Q “documentaries,” to provide to other regions. For example, the Quebec QAnon community plays a role in translating propaganda to French and working with groups in France but the French propaganda is also translated for the Italian groups—as French is easier to translate to Italian than English. The German QAnon community helps translate and disseminate propaganda in Austria and Denmark. In each case the propaganda was adapted for its audience, with more socialist and secular propaganda in France than in the U.S., for example.

“These hub communities are starting to influence their own regions and we’re seeing large growth,” said Argentino. “It's creating different communities still based around this Trump movement.”

A QAnon film, Out of Shadows, was recently translated to other languages and has now been viewed hundreds of thousands more times. Other social media accounts or websites have been set up entirely to disseminate translated articles about QAnon, including one on Twitter whose bio explicitly states in French that it was created to “allow non-English-speaking Patriots to follow Q.” The account has accrued almost 10,000 followers in less than a year.

(continued)

>>10158821

4/4

A recent report by the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, a counter-extremism research group, found that while the hashtags are still predominantly posted in the U.S., their prevalence has dropped, which suggests “the conspiracy theory is spreading and taking hold internationally.” The ISD found the top four countries amplifying QAnon conspiracies were the U.S., the U.K., Canada, and Australia, followed by Russia, Indonesia, and Germany. The Media Diversity Institute report found content posted in Dutch, French, German, Greek, and Hungarian, and an increase of support on social media in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Canada, Germany, Greece, and Hungary.

QAnon around the world

Some of the international followers of Q aren’t exactly the rubes that come to mind when discussing outlandish conspiracy theories.

In October 2019, the Guardian found that one of the friends of Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison was a well-known QAnon conspiracy theorist whose wife worked in the PM’s office. Earlier this year a psychologist was removed from Australia’s medical registrar for writing over 300 blog posts promoting Q theories about pedophilic sacrifices and an attempted coup on the U.S. by the Queen of England on his practice’s official blog.

In Germany, an investigation by the German outlet the Local showed that a popular German QAnon YouTube page had grown "exponentially" since March and a Telegram channel grew from 20,000 to 110,000 followers. Recently a German QAnon believer was spotted at a far-right anti-immigration rally organized on Hitler's birthday. Controversial German pop singer and influencer Xavier Naidoo was recently found to share Q theories.

In Iran, a political opposition group called Restart has connections to QAnon. QAnon followers have also popped up in Japan and South Korea.

Mike Rothchild, a U.S.-based journalist who covers QAnon and has written a book on the subject, said he’s seen QAnon hashtags from all over the world and in many languages. However, he is unsure if international followers understand the minutiae of the conspiracy or if they’re just gravitating towards a sentiment like the well-known QAnon slogan, “Where we go one, we go all.” Rothschild told VICE News that he feels international QAnon followers are taking the key QAnon concept—fighting back against the elites and globalists—and applying it to their situation.

“I never expected this to get any international reach,” said Rothschild. “What does some U.S. military intelligence role-playing game have to do with life in Japan or Finland where you have different problems and a much different Bogeyman? I think maybe what we're seeing is that the Bogeyman is always kind of the same for a certain online right-winger.”

Not everyone is surprised. Ekman said he’s not shocked he could get 50 people to a Finnish hotel to celebrate something whose true epicentre is over 7,000 kilometres away. Like many within the Q movement, he believes it's part of something bigger.

"I disagree that Q’s messages have been only centred around U.S. politics. There is great diversity on the covered topics," Ekman said. "There is a global spiritual awakening unfolding, of which Q and Trump are a major component."

Even though he says he was “awakened” to ideas like Q in 2014, he believes he's part of something that's only just begun.

https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/pkym3k/qanon-conspiracy-has-gone-global

Q Research General #12999: CV PANIC in Melbourne, WAKE UP Australia! Edition

https://8kun.top/qresearch/res/10158173.html

Our government is a swamp

https://youtu.be/lxBACF6iNTU?t=3848

Repost from Q Research General #13001

>>10160506 (pb)

AUSTRALIA

Julia Gillard (Former Prime Minister) and Clinton foundation

FBI Focuses on Millions of “Mishandled” $$$ Funneled from Australian Gov to Clinton Foundation

Oh, those skeletons in the Clinton’s closet aka “Pay to Play” continue tumbling out.

It turns out that between 2006 and 2014, Australia under Prime Minister of Australia, Julia Gillard and fellow feminist funneled $88 million of Australian taxpayers fund to the Clinton Foundation and “associated entities.”

During Gillard’s tenure as prime minister, she also donated $300 million of Australia’s taxpayer money to the Clinton-affiliated Global Partnership for Education as exposed in the Podesta emails leaked by Wikileaks back in 2016.

Zero Hedge by Tyler Durden

The FBI has asked retired Australian policeman-turned investigative journalist, Michael Smith, to provide information he has gathered detailing multiple allegations of the Clinton Foundation receiving tens of millions of mishandled taxpayer funds, according to LifeZette.

“I have been asked to provide the FBI with further and better particulars about allegations regarding improper donations to the CF funded by Australian taxpayers,” Smith told LifeZette.

…

Smith names several key figures in his complaints of malfeasance, including Bill and Hillary Clinton and multiple Australian government officials – including senior diplomat Alexander Downer, whose conversation with Trump aide George Papadopoulos that Russia had ‘dirt’ on Hillary Clinton allegedly launched the Trump-Russia investigation (as opposed to the Fusion GPS dossier, of course)[…]

https://www.watcherofweasels.org/fbi-focuses-millions-mishandled-funneled-australian-gov-clinton-foundation/

Repost from Q Research General #12999

>>10158891 (pb)

Digging around looking for a Clinton/Daniel Andrews connection. Found this blog post that asks some interesting questions about Andrews. The date of the photo isn't included in the post but sometime during the last election cycle based on the button. There was no mention of Andrews in the DoS FOIA reading room which is unusual only in that if he had been on her schedule, it would have ordinarily shown up since T. Fitton and others have demanded release of her schedule and appt. books.

May 31, 2020

This photo was sent to us regarding Daniel Michael Andrews.

Daniel Michael Andrews is the current Premier of Victoria, Australian.

"Charles Blackman, is an Australian painter, noted for the Schoolgirl, Avonsleigh and Alice in Wonderland series of the 1950s."

Hillary Clinton is sometimes referred to as ‘Alice in Wonderland’.

Why would Daniel Andrews be holding a badge “I'm ready for Hillary”?

Why is he standing in front of artwork “Into the beautiful garden (1956) by Charles Blackman” which is a series of Alice in Wonderland art?

What is more interesting is Australia mainstream media a few days ago, reported the following:

“The United States threatens to CUT OFF Australia after Victoria ignored security advice to join a controversial trade deal with China”

“The U.S. warns it will 'simply disconnect' from Australia if Victoria sucking up to China becomes a security risk.

Premier Daniel Andrews signed up to the controversial Belt and Road Initiative that provides loans and investment in infrastructure projects.

Victoria is the only Australian state to sign the agreement and has been widely criticised for doing so.

(Blog author's Blackman citation) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Blackman

Blog link: https://operationdisclosure1.blogspot.com/2020/05/australias-mp-daniel-andrews-and.html

Archived: http://archive.vn/B5JCr

Went Back to original search and somethin' somethin' lead to a pic of Andrews w/Clinton on Twitter from 2018. Which led to reading comments which led to Australians being caught in US election interference

.

https://twitter.com/danielandrewsmp/status/995548360173015041?lang=en

Under the influence: Peddling conspiracy in a pandemic

LYDIA KHALIL - 3 Aug 2020

1/2

Lifestyle and wellness personalities are lending conspiracy theorists a glossy sheen, and not without danger.

Celebrity sells – it always has. But in the digital age, the boundaries of celebrity have changed. Once it was the prerogative of movie, sports or music stars to front a fashion label or promote perfume. But nowadays the marketplace is saturated with any number of online lifestyle and wellness “influencers”, social media users who by virtue of their taste, niche expertise or marketing savvy develop audiences of thousands – sometimes millions – who seek to emulate their lifestyle.

And promoting products is only the beginning. Such influencers can have a profound effect in imparting attitudes and beliefs, too.

Most of the time, this is harmless, a new thread in the media milieu. Yet at a time of pandemic, where medical advice is heavily contested and conspiracy theories from the dark reaches of the internet have proliferated, some online lifestyle influencers are amplifying misinformation and disinformation.

In a new twist during the Covid-19 crisis, three formerly distinct online ecosystems – those occupied by lifestyle/wellness influencers, “QAnon” conspiracy believers, and violent extremists – have in some instances become intertwined, through shared conspiracy-related hashtags and wild claims about the dangers of vaccines, 5G and the evils of the “deep state”.

Numerous recent studies and news reports have shown that extremist groups are exploiting the Covid-19 pandemic in an attempt to justify their narratives, recruit followers or incite violence. Extremist narratives have always contained strong conspiratorial elements, and this time is no different. Coronavirus-related conspiracies are deftly interwoven through extremist narratives and mobilisation efforts.

But the connection with online lifestyle and wellness influencers marks a change. This crossover came about after some online lifestyle and wellness influencers became entrepreneurs of conspiracy theories, using them to boost their profiles and to promote and validate their views of wellness. One of the more dangerous conspiracies promoted by lifestyle/wellness influencers are QAnon conspiracies.

The QAnon movement has its origins in the so-called “pizzagate” conspiracy of 2016. In its current form, QAnon alleges that there is a US government insider with a “Q-level clearance” who is communicating cryptically with his followers online. QAnon followers believe there is a “deep state” within the US government that is controlled by a cabal of Democrats and liberal Hollywood celebrities who are also Satan-worshiping paedophiles. Through Q, President Donald Trump was manifested to expose and shut down these ritualistic paedophile rings. During the Covid-19 pandemic, QAnon conspiracy groups and posts have also promoted the idea that the pandemic was, alternately, another deep-state plot, a hoax, and a Chinese bio-weapon, among other health disinformation.

However, QAnon is not only a conspiracy movement. It has also been deemed a domestic terror threat by the FBI. A leaked FBI memo written in May 2019 assessed QAnon believers as “conspiracy-driven domestic extremists” and that QAnon and other crowd sourced conspiracies would “very likely motivate some domestic extremists to commit criminal and sometimes violent activity”.

The memo cited two violent incidents linked to QAnon, but there have been at least three other violent incidents since its publication, with researchers also examining its spread beyond the United States. What started as a US-based pro-Trump conspiracy movement has now gone global and includes a number of proponents in Australia, reportedly including a family friend of the Prime Minister with a substantial social media following.

A recent article by Insider magazine highlighted a number of lifestyle influencers who were posting QAnon conspiracies related to the pandemic. Outlets such as Buzzfeed, Mother Jones and Huffington Post have also revealed a string of other popular lifestyle, design and wellness influencers who have become vectors of Covid-19 and QAnon conspiracies. Some have latched onto the discredited “plandemic” film released in May or QAnon memes, variously claiming the coronavirus is fake, or that the deep state is responsible for spreading the virus, or that pandemic lockdown measures are a tool of oppression. Still others have encouraged followers to attend anti-lockdown protests which have included a number of far-right extremists in their midst.

(continued)

>>10167571

2/2

Ironically, one of the most widely shared erroneous memes about the virus being spread by people in China eating bat soup, which was created and circulated by conspiracy theorists and extremists alike, was itself appropriated from a Chinese online influencer and celebrity vlogger, who said that a video of her eating a local delicacy of bat soup in Palau for her vlog was “hijacked by accounts fanning out malicious panic”.

The intersection between wellness and violent conspiracies seems unexpected, but the wellness movement has its origins in anti-establishment and anti-mainstream medical circles. Scholars such as Charlotte Ward and David Vaos have examined the confluence of new age wellness and conspiracy, which they termed “conspirituality”, an intersection between new age wellness, belief in the dangers of a “new world order” and big pharma, and a shared emphasis on “awakening” and revealing truths.

Until recently, the convergence of wellness and conspiracy in a drive for awakening and societal change emphasised the non-violent and the peaceful. However, the emergence of the QAnon movement has pushed things in a more troubling direction.

The online links between far right, QAnon conspiracy groups and some online wellness and lifestyle influencers have grown during the pandemic, the ensuing lockdown and response to restrictions. Online wellness and lifestyle influencers who peddle QAnon conspiracy theories about the pandemic can potentially drive traffic to online extremist groups through shared QAnon related hashtags such as #QAnon, #TheGreatAwakening, #Plandemic, #GermJihad, #MAGA, #whitegenocide #WWG1WGA or #coronavirushoax. This can also be done when influencers have used memes and iconography also appropriated by right-wing extremists – for example “red pill blue pill”, “falling down the rabbit hole”, or “where we go one we go all”.

More analysis is needed, but there is emerging evidence to suggest that online influencers’ posts related to QAnon are being cross-posted and referenced by extremists groups on online forums. And by promoting conspiracies or “alternative” information in the name of wellness and alternative lifestyles, the online influencers of today can serve, however unwittingly, as a gateway directing users to further, darker corners of the internet.

Social media lifestyle influencers posting about QAnon not only serve to normalise this fringe movement, but can potentially undermine efforts by internet companies to “de-platform” purveyors of disinformation, label misleading posts and weed out prohibited content (as identified in their terms of service). Internet companies such as Reddit have banned QAnon forums for inciting violence. Facebook has banned a number of QAnon pages for inauthentic behaviour ,and Apple has removed a QAnon app from its store. Twitter recently announced it is suspending thousands of QAnon accounts. But QAnon posts still flourish online.

Because lifestyle and wellness influencers generate substantial revenue, have helped build social media businesses, and have not generally intersected with extremist movements before, there is a danger that influencers will escape extremist content reporting and moderation. Furthermore, influencer posts are likely to reach a wider audience than extremist group posts as they are less scrutinised by social media mechanisms monitoring extremist content.

Lifestyle and wellness influencers are particularly challenging because, as numerous surveys have found, influencer marketing has exploded. More and more people are turning to influencers and online personalities for inspiration, recommendations and purchasing advise. Online influencers who’ve latched onto QAnon present conspiracies in an engaging, appealing and relatable manner, often interspersing posts promoting QAnon among stylised photos of fashion, workouts and recipes. The same skills that these influencers use for consumer brand marketing have helped turn an outlandish conspiracy theory into an “acceptable option in the market place of ideas”.

https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/under-influence-peddling-conspiracy-pandemic

About The Interpreter

The Interpreter is published by the Lowy Institute, an independent, nonpartisan think tank based in Sydney. It publishes daily commentary and analysis on international events, and is edited by Daniel Flitton (Managing Editor) and Sam Hendricks (Deputy Editor), along with founding editor Sam Roggeveen (Director of Digital).

We seek a global audience, but our perspective is Australian. Like the Institute itself, The Interpreter has a strong commitment to analytic integrity. Its editorial stance is independent, non-partisan, and directed towards informing and deepening the debate about international policy.

https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/about-interpreter

Liberal MP’s ‘dangerous’ hydroxychloroquine claim asks if Vic premier should be jailed

Firebrand backbencher Craig Kelly has been slammed for sharing “dangerous” messages, asking if Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews could “face 25 years in jail” for not promoting hydroxychloroquine, a drug touted by US President Donald Trump as a coronavirus cure.

Australian authorities have warned hydroxychloroquine, long-used as a malaria treatment, poses “well-known serious risks” such as eye damage and heart attack if used incorrectly, while numerous global studies have returned mixed results.

Labor’s shadow health minister, Chris Bowen, derided Mr Kelly’s recent social media output – with 18 Facebook posts about hydroxychloroquine in the last two days – as a “Trumpian rant”.

Mr Trump has hailed hydroxychloroquine as a miracle cure or treatment for coronavirus, but the drug is not being used in Australia for that purpose.

In March, the Therapeutic Goods Administration said it “strongly discourages” using the drug against coronavirus, outlining “limited evidence for effect against COVID-19, as well as the risk of significant adverse effects” like heart, eye and blood sugar issues.

In a May update, the TGA said “the use of hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19 is strongly discouraged”.

The TGA said Sanofi – a supplier of hydroxychloroquine products – told doctors that “hydroxychloroquine is not approved for use in Australia for treatment of COVID-19 outside the confines of a clinical trial”, citing “an increased number of reports of serious cardiac issues, including deaths, in patients treated with hydroxychloroquine.”

However, Mr Kelly – Liberal MP for the Sydney seat of Hughes –has been sharing vast quantities of news articles and studies on his Facebook page in recent days, calling for the drug to be made more widely available in Australia.

“There is a special place in hell awaiting those that have been part of the war on Hydroxychloroquine for poltical [sic] reasons. They have the blood of tens of thousands on their hands,” Mr Kelly posted on Monday morning.

“COULD THE VICTORIAN PREMIER (and others) FACE 25 YEARS IN JAIL FOR CONTINUING TO BAN HYDROXYCHLOROQUINE?” he wrote in another post, asking whether not making the drug available could constitute ‘workplace manslaughter’.

In another post, the backbencher said “Hydroxychloroquine is obviously not a panacea for severe cases of Covid-19”.

Mr Bowen slapped down Mr Kelly’s claims as did Labor leader Anthony Albanese.

“I was shocked by them, that any member of Parliament would be so irresponsible at a time where Victorians are doing it tough,” Mr Albanese said.

Speaking to The New Daily, Mr Kelly said he wanted to see doctors given the option of prescribing the drug, claiming that not prescribing the drug for COVID was “illogical”.

“Mr Bowen needs to do some homework and catch up with the latest medical science and opinions. It should be up to a doctor, and the patient themselves whether to prescribe the drug or not,” he said.

He accepted there was “mixed results” in various studies on the drug, including some that found it had no effect or even negative effects on patients.

“Well, federal authorities haven’t banned its use, they haven’t recommended it,” Mr Kelly replied, when asked about the TGA’s advice on the drug

“There’s a big difference between not recommending it and banning it.”

The drug is also in national political news for another reason on Monday, with mining magnate Clive Palmer’s court challenge to Western Australia’s border closure allegedly sparked by his hope to promote hydroxychloroquine in Perth.

In April, Mr Palmer said he had purchased almost 33 million doses of hydroxychloroquine.

“He wanted to come to Western Australia to promote hydroxychloroquine to the people of the state as some sort of cure for COVID,” WA Premier Mark McGowan said on Monday.

“All the evidence is not only is it not a cure, it’s actually dangerous.”

“Him coming to Western Australia to promote a dangerous drug, I don’t think was a good thing for our state and I’m pleased that (WA Police) rejected him.”

However, Australians are apparently not heeding warnings with the Border Force seizing thousands of hydroxychloroquine doses in recent months.

“ABF officers are screening medical supplies coming into Australia and have seen a significant spike in detections of the herbal medicine Ephedra and Hydroxychloroquine,” the service said on Monday.

“ABF officers have also seized more than 26,000 tablets of Hydroxychloroquine and Chloroquine between 1 January 2020 and 21 June 2020. Unauthorised importations are referred to the TGA for assessment.”

(continued)

https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/2020/08/03/craig-kelly-hydroxychloroquine-claim/

Labor condemns Craig Kelly’s suggestion Daniel Andrews could ‘face 25 years in jail’ for hydroxychloroquine ban

…..

On Monday the National party MP and former deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce also courted controversy by invoking the billionaire investor and bogeyman of the far rightGeorge Sorosin a comment on interest rates.

Joyce told Channel Seven’s Sunrise that Australia was borrowing from “overseas”, warning that with net public debt on target to reach $1tn “at some stage you’re going to pay it back”.

When the presenter David Koch noted that interest rates were at a historical low of 0.8%, Joyce replied: “Yeah, of course interest rates will go up – of course interest rates will go up.

“Well, did anyone who planned that this will be the lowest interest rates five years ago in history in the history of mankind? Did anybody plan about this 10 years ago?

“I remember when Telecom bonds were at 17%, you know it too. And you have to look at your short-term money rates. You have to look at whether George Soros knows what he’s doing it. He’s planning on interest rates going up.”

Soros is famous for making more than £1 billion by short-selling the British pound in 1992, and has become the target of antisemitic demonisation and far-right conspiracy theories in part because of his philanthropy for liberal and progressive causes.

Joyce told Guardian Australia he “could have referred to a number of people” trading in short-term money markets but had mentioned Soros because he had been the subject of a recent news article, which Joyce failed to identify.

“Interest rates are as low as they’ve ever been and that means the next movement is up. I don’t know about racial views or racial issues regarding Soros but, like him or not, he’s good at picking the market.”

The prime minister’s office has been contacted for comment.

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/aug/03/labor-condemns-craig-kellys-suggestion-daniel-andrews-could-face-25-years-in-jail-for-hydroxychloroquine-ban

—

Barnaby Joyce And Joel Fitzgibbon Discuss Paid Pandemic Leave

Federal MPs Barnaby Joyce and Joel Fitzgibbon joined Kochie and Nat to discuss Victoria's 'Stage 4' lockdown and calls for 'paid pandemic leave' to ensure vulnerable workers with coronavirus or waiting for test results can afford to stay at home.

https://www.facebook.com/Sunrise/videos/287596765681317/

—

QMAP.pub - Players in the Game

George Soros

Billionaire "philanthropist" and investor. Runs many international organizations worldwide. 1st pillar (+) of the global elites (cabal) power structure – controller of people organizations.

https://qmap.pub/players/read/4

President Donald Trump Tweet

Big China Virus breakouts all over the World, including nations which were thought to have done a great job. The Fake News doesn’t report this. USA will be stronger than ever before, and soon!

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1289887533250351110

—

Twitter Moments Australia @MomentsAU

A State of Disaster has been declared in Victoria over the COVID-19 outbreak and Melbourne residents face strict new restrictions including a nightly curfew and limits on movement outside of the home. Here are the details.

https://twitter.com/MomentsAU/status/1289804254215933954

—

Victoria declares a State of Disaster and Melbourne enters curfew over COVID-19 outbreak

Premier Daniel Andrews declared a State of Distaster in Victoria from 6:00 pm on Sunday. Melbourne residents will see stricter restrictions from Sunday evening, including a curfew between 8:00 pm - 5:00 am and staying within 5km of their home for shopping. The move comes as the state confirmed 671 new COVID-19 cases, and a total of 760 "mystery cases" which are cases where authorities have been unable to identify a source of infection.

https://twitter.com/i/events/1289780187668688896

Virginia Roberts Giuffre Tweet

Let the awakened no longer be silent- let us be heard from every corner of earth. No child should be left behind. #KidsToo #DarkToLight #Epstein #Maxwell @KirbySommers @lisapodcasts @bobby_capucci @aplusk @taylorswift13 @RoArquette @THR The tsunami of awakening is happening NOW

https://twitter.com/VRSVirginia/status/1289778254170087424

—

Mark @RealMarkW1

We are with you Virginia and we are many!

https://twitter.com/RealMarkW1/status/1289755599551504386

FROM GENERAL 13014 https://8kun.top/qresearch/res/10166637.html#q10166988

https://www.news.com.au/national/victoria/courts-law/state-of-emergency-vs-state-of-disaster-whats-the-difference/news-story/4272617a2d3b6e42ed232de52d21e131

POWER GRAB

This man sold out to the CCP, now is running a RED DAWN OP

>>10136706

Family of jailed Australian academic 'reassured' by ambassador's visit

The Australian ambassador to Iran has visited jailed academic Kylie Moore-Gilbert in her new prison, reporting she is well and has access to food and medicine.

Dr Moore-Gilbert's family released a statement through the Australian government saying it had been "reassured" by the consular visit on Sunday.

Friends and colleagues of the University of Melbourne lecturer have grown increasingly concerned about her welfare after she was moved to a notorious prison in the desert.

The Cambridge-educated academic, who has been sentenced to 10 years' jail for espionage, had been held in Evin Prison in Iran's capital for nearly two years before suddenly being moved to Qarchak women's prison a little over a week ago. Qarchak, in the desert east of Tehran, holds political prisoners, serious drug offenders and murderers and has been described as overcrowded.

A spokesman for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said Australian ambassador to Iran, Lyndall Sachs, made a consular visit to Dr Moore-Gilbert on Sunday.

"Dr Moore-Gilbert is well and has access to food, medical facilities and books," the DFAT spokesman said. "We will continue to seek regular consular access to Dr Moore-Gilbert.

"We believe that the best chance of resolving Dr Moore-Gilbert's case lies through the diplomatic path and not through the media. Dr Moore-Gilbert and her family have requested privacy."

Friends and colleagues of Dr Moore-Gilbert, along with federal MPs from both major parties, have raised concerns about DFAT's handling of the case, suggesting there should be a more public campaign to raise the profile of her plight.

In a statement released through DFAT, Dr Moore-Gilbert's family said it was thankful Dr Moore-Gilbert had "many strong supporters and friends who love and care about her safe return", but it believed her best chance at release was through diplomatic avenues. It was in close contact with DFAT and the Australian government.

"We remain committed to getting our Kylie home as soon as possible and this is our top and only priority," the family said. "We ask that you continue to respect both Kylie's and our privacy while we concentrate on getting her home."

Dr Moore-Gilbert, who most recently worked as a lecturer in Islamic studies at the University of Melbourne, was arrested in September 2018 while at an educational conference and later convicted of espionage. She has denied all charges against her.

https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/family-of-jailed-australian-academic-reassured-by-ambassador-visit-20200804-p55ifg.html

'I WAS THERE' Prince Andrew WAS at club with Jeffrey Epstein ‘sex slave’ Virginia Giuffre – not Pizza Express, new witness claims

1/2

A NEW witness claims she saw Prince Andrew with accuser Virginia Giuffre at a nightclub — contradicting his insistence he was not there.

Shukri Walker said: “I remember him dancing and chatting with the young girl.”

Teenage Jeffrey Epstein victim Virginia says she was forced to have sex with Andrew after they left Tramp in Mayfair in March 2001.

Andrew denies it and claims he was not even in Tramp on that evening.

He says he remembers the date well because he took daughter Beatrice to a Pizza Express in Woking, Surrey.

But Shukri has no doubts it was the Prince she saw dancing with teenage sex slave Virginia Giuffre at a nightclub — because she said sorry to him after standing on his foot.

Shukri said she turned to apologise after her mishap on the dance floor at Tramp and found herself face-to-face with the Prince.

She recalled: “He was smiling. He said, ‘No problem’.”

Shukri’s account is another blow to the beleaguered royal, who has come under intense scrutiny since 58-year-old Maxwell was arrested last month for conspiring with Epstein to sex traffick women.

Shukri today said she decided to speak out after watching Andrew’s denial during his now infamous Newsnight interview.

She contacted US lawyer Lisa Bloom, who represents a number of Epstein’s victims.

Ms Bloom passed the information on to the FBI.

Shukri said: “When I watched the BBC interview and saw Prince Andrew deny knowing Virginia, saying he has no recollection of that night I had to come forward.

“Because I was there and I do have a recollection of it.”

Shukri said that she and a male friend had been dancing in the club while Andrew was among a group sitting in a corner.

She added: “I can remember exactly where they were sitting.

“They had one of those coolers with ice and a bottle in. In fact probably two of those.

“You could tell they were getting special treatment.

“The man I was with went over there and started talking to them and then came back.

“Then at some point I was dancing with him and stood on the feet of one of the men sitting in the corner and I said, ‘I’m sorry’.

“And he was smiling. He said, ‘No problem’. My companion said that the man who I stood on was actually Prince Andrew.

“I’d never seen a Prince in my life before. I just stood and looked at this man, thinking, ‘Oh my goodness. It’s a real Prince.’

“He was smiling a lot, most of the night.

“He looked like he was having a great time. And he was with this young girl who was close to my own age, perhaps even a bit younger than me.

“They were not that alone. They were with the woman who has just been arrested, Ghislaine Maxwell, and Epstein.

“I will never forget the night because I was told this is a real Prince.

"That’s the moment that stood out for me. I don’t think I would have remembered otherwise.”

Shukri recalled Virginia had an “awkward expression” on her face.

She added: “I do remember the little girl perhaps was a little bit drunk or just had a weird expression, an awkward expression.

“But she wasn’t smiling, it was the opposite of smiles.”

In Virginia’s account of the night of March 10, 2001, Andrew was “sweating profusely” as they danced.

Andrew told Newsnight that was impossible as he has a medical condition which means he does not sweat.

Shukri says she cannot be sure if Andrew was sweating — but claims she did see him wipe his face.

She said: “He was using the back of his hand. I don’t know with all honesty if he was wiping it because he was sweating or just touching it.

“But he wiped at his forehead with the back of his hand when he was dancing several times.

“I remember he was dancing with the young girl and chatting with her throughout the night.”

PUTTING PRESSURE ON PRINCE

Virginia, now 36, says she was forced to have sex with Andrew at Maxwell’s London house.

She says a picture of Andrew with his arm around her was taken there on the same night.

Andrew has said he has no recollection of meeting Virginia and suggested the photo may have been faked.

Maxwell is currently in jail in New York awaiting trial.

Billionaire financier Epstein, a friend of Andrew’s, killed himself in prison a year ago while facing similar charges.

(continued)

>>10176973

2/2

Somalian Shukri said she was even more determined to come forward because she was a sex trafficking victim herself.

She was a teenage refugee from her war-torn homeland when she was trafficked from Kenya to Italy and then London.

Ms Bloom believes Shukri to be a credible witness.

The lawyer said: “All she wanted was to get her story to the FBI as a witness to help Virginia.

“So she wasn’t seeking any money from anyone. She wasn’t looking to bring a lawsuit.”

The FBI decided it did not need Shukri’s testimony.

Ms Bloom said: “They said, ‘We have the story, thank you. And we don’t need to bother her’.”

The lawyer said a second woman had been in touch claiming to have seen Andrew and Virginia together in the club on that evening.

She said she had several phone conversations with the witness, who was too frightened to go public.

Ms Bloom hopes Shukri’s story will put further pressure on Andrew to speak to US prosecutors. She said: “Absolutely they should investigate him.

“You know, if it walks like a duck and talks like a duck, it’s probably a duck and this duck spent a lot of time with Epstein,

“And Andrew’s story always seemed so shady to me.

“He has not released any documents, calendars or journals that would show where he was.”

Andrew was pictured in Tramp on March 13 — three days after it is claimed he was there with Virginia.

He was snapped chatting to Fiona Sangster, wife of racing tycoon Robert.

'SURVIVORS ARE TELLING THE TRUTH'

Virginia claims she was groomed by Epstein and Maxwell after being invited to apply for a masseuse job shortly after her 17th birthday.

She has alleged in court documents they made her have sex with Andrew in London, New York and the US Virgin Islands in 2001.

Last week more of her allegations were revealed during ongoing hearings related to the trafficking charges against Maxwell.

David Boies, Virginia’s lawyer, told The Sun last night: “The more the evidence comes out, the more confirmation there is that the Epstein survivors are telling the truth, and that the denials and attacks of the Epstein enablers and participants are a smokescreen.”

Buckingham Palace has previously described Virginia’s claims as “false and without any foundation”.

It added: “Any suggestion of impropriety with under-age minors” by the Duke of York was “categorically untrue”.

Andrew, 60, has not commented on Shukri’s claims.

But a friend said: “It’s interesting to see how many people have razor sharp recollections of events that took place some 20 years ago.

“It’s difficult to believe that these events can be remembered with such clarity at this distance.”

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/12303489/prince-andrew-was-with-epstein-girl-claims-witness/

Heidi Klum 'Never' Traveled on Jeffrey Epstein's Private Jet, Says Her Lawyer: 'Totally False'

Virginia Roberts Giuffre claimed Heidi Klum was flying on Jeffrey Epstein's private plane in documents from a 2015 lawsuit

Heidi Klum is shutting down claims that she flew on Jeffrey Epstein's private jet.

On Friday, documents from a 2015 defamation case, filed by Virginia Roberts (now Virginia Giuffre) against Ghislaine Maxwell, were opened by a federal judge. In the documents, Giuffre alleged Klum was one of the many high-status celebrities to fly on Epstein's aircraft.

One of the released filings was from a 2011 deposition that Giuffre gave to an attorney in West Palm Beach. Asked at the time who traveled on Epstein's plane, Giuffre mentioned, "Naomi Campbell, Heidi Klum, Bill Clinton and Al Gore," according to WPEC.

A lawyer for Klum tells PEOPLE that Giuffre's claims are "totally false."

"Any reference to Heidi Klum in connection with Jeffrey Epstein is totally false. Heidi Klum’s name and initials were absent from all the flight logs which were released. Many high profile people are listed, but Ms. Klum is not one of them," the America’s Got Talent judge’s lawyer says, adding, "The explanation is simple. She has never been on any of Mr. Epstein’s planes. And that is because she did not know Mr. Epstein and was never on his island."

In a statement to PEOPLE, Klum, 47, says: "I have been watching the news and see that I have been mistakenly named as a passenger on one of Mr. Epstein’s flights. I did not know Mr. Epstein and therefore have never been on his planes, at his homes or his island. I am speaking up as I do not want to be falsely associated with Mr. Epstein and the horrific story surrounding him."

Klum continues: "I stand with the victims who have so bravely come forward and I too want the truth to come out and for justice to prevail."

The new details came one day after U.S. District Judge Loretta Preska ruled to have the documents unsealed. The civil case, which was settled in 2017, involved Giuffre's claims that Epstein sexually abused her as a minor.

According to ABC News, contents of the now-unsealed case could contain hundreds of names of people who worked with or traveled with Epstein, who died in August 2019 almost a month after he was arrested for allegedly sex-trafficking girls.

Epstein has also been associated with Prince Andrew, whose connection with the disgraced financier (and disastrous BBC interview in November discussing his ties to Epstein) forced him to step down from royal duty in 2019.

In the BBC interview, Andrew discussed the sexual abuse allegations made by Giuffre against him, which the prince denies. Giuffre's allegations mention coercion to have sex with the royal three times between 1999 and 2002 in London, New York and on a private Caribbean island owned by Epstein, starting when she was just 17 years old.

A representative for Klum, who has been photographed posing with Prince Andrew at a party in 2000, released a statement clarifying the supermodel’s association with the royal.

"Heidi Klum has met Prince Andrew on two occasions," the statement from her representative begins. "She was first introduced to him in the year 2000 at her first ever Halloween party where they were photographed. He attended that party among several hundred guests and the events team set up the photos with the two of them. Ghislaine Maxwell, who was Prince Andrew’s guest to the event, is in the background of one of the images. Heidi recalls seeing him again about three years ago at a party in Los Angeles."

Maxwell, 58, was arrested by the FBI in early July and pleaded not guilty to all charges after authorities said she allegedly helped longtime companion Epstein groom girls as young as age 14 for sexual abuse — incidents that she allegedly participated in herself.

Maxwell has been charged with six felonies, including conspiracy to entice minors to engage in illegal sex acts, transportation of a minor to engage in illegal sex acts, and perjury. She is being held without bond, and prosecutors describe her as a flight risk.

Maxwell will appear in court again sometime this month. Her trial date has been set for July 2021.

https://people.com/style/heidi-klum-denies-traveling-on-jeffrey-epstein-private-jet/

Part-time Labor staffer John Zhang challenges investigation into possible foreign interference

The national security investigation targeting the possible foreign interference of NSW Labor backbencher Shaoquett Moselmane is being challenged in the High Court by his part-time staffer, John Zhang, whose home and office were raided as part of the inquiry.

Details of Mr Zhang’s legal challenge were made public in NSW Parliament on Tuesday as the upper house prepared to examine a claim of parliamentary privilege sought by Mr Moselmane over key documents sought by the Australian Federal Police.

The documents are understood to include speeches, petitions, questions on notice, committee papers and other material used in the drafting of these items that originated from Mr Moselmane’s office.

NSW Upper House president John Ajaka said that on July 31 the clerk was notified that Mr Zhang’s solicitor had commenced proceedings in the High Court of Australia challenging the legality of the search warrants executed on his home and office.

Mr Moselmane, who has denied being a suspect in the matter, is not party to the High Court proceedings.

“It is understood the proceedings will concern arguments as to the constitutional validity of the offence provisions underpinning the investigation,” Mr Ajaka said.

In late July The Australian revealed that AFP officers had spent two days in the NSW parliament reviewing documents and data originating from Mr Moselmane’s office. They are seeking the documents as part of their inquiry but have been prevented from accessing them due to their privileged status.

It was confirmed on Tuesday that Mr Moselmane, through his legal representative, had sought to narrow the scope of documents being sought, subject to parliamentary privilege.

The AFP investigation has been working in tandem with the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, which confirmed its role in the matter. The inquiry, which has been ongoing for an unspecified amount of time, culminated in June with the raids on the homes and offices of Mr Moselmane and Mr Zhang. It is understood to be focusing on potential interference by the Chinese Community Party.

The NSW parliament’s Privileges Committee was due to examine Mr Moselmane’s documents and make a ruling about whether they could be released, but due to the High Court challenge this has been postponed, Mr Ajaka said.

“Mr Zhang’s legal representative has indicated that, the matter now being before the High Court, the AFP will need to suspend all processing of material and data sought to the warrant until such time as the matter is heard by the court,” he said.

“In the meantime, the documents and other material over which privilege has been claimed will remain in the safe keeping of the clerk and deputy clerk as the agreed neutral third party.”

Mr Moselmane currently remains suspended from the Labor Party and is serving as an independent member of the crossbench.

In a letter addressed from Mr Moselmane to Mr Ajaka, dated June 29 and read out to the parliament on Tuesday, the Labor MP reiterated that he was not a suspect in the investigation. He also said that neither he nor his staff would seek to access his parliamentary computers or telephones while the investigation was ongoing.

“I’ve maintained and continued to protest my innocence as to any wrongdoing whatsoever,” Mr Moselmane wrote. “I seek leave of absence from the house to allow the orderly conduct of both the house and investigations, such that it is, to continue and to that end respect the rule of law and allow the house to conduct its affairs without the unnecessary distraction.”

In his only public statements relating to the raids, Mr Moselmane said his fascination with China began in high school. In addition to visiting the country numerous times over the past decade, he has been a founding member of the Australian Chinese Association and an honorary chairman of the Australian Shanghainese Association. Mr Zhang was also an honorary chairman of the ASA.

Both organisations, according to China analysts, are linked to Beijing’s network of foreign influence operations known as the United Front Work Department.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/parttime-labor-staffer-john-zhang-challenges-investigation-into-possible-foreign-interference/news-story/e7e39dec257b6b42037c67a31db0d7d2

>>10123369

>>10158011

Modern day slavery occurring in Australia

7NEWS Exclusive: A look at slavery in Australia and the disturbing pictures captured by Federal Police in our suburbs.

From children as young as 8 forced to marry to underpaid workers living in squalor for years it's happening at record rates in neighbourhoods across the country.

https://www.facebook.com/7NEWSsydney/videos/modern-day-slavery-occurring-in-australia/1386821954850459

—

AFP lift the lid on 'modern-day slavery' in Australia's suburbs

The Australian Federal Police say “modern-day slavery” is happening on our doorstep.

In the last financial year alone, the AFP has received 201 reports including forced labour, domestic slavery, debt bondage and sexual servitude with victims as young as eight.

Of those, 70 reports were in New South Wales, 61 in Victoria, 31 in Queensland, 19 cases investigated in Western Australia, 15 in South Australia, and five in the Northern Territory.

But experts say it’s the tip of the iceberg with only one in four trafficking cases reported.

“Human trafficking and modern-day slavery is happening here in Australia,” AFP Human Trafficking Operations Det. Supt Paula Hudson told 7NEWS.

For ten years, a quarter of a room in a Sydney CBD unit was home for an Indonesian woman who worked all day for a family in their cafe and then came home to cook, and clean as their personal slave.

The self-appointed masters are now before the courts.

In a similar case, AFP officers raided a unit in the Sydney suburb of Eastlakes where a Malaysian woman in her 20s has been rescued from five years of forced, unpaid work.

Forced marriages

Hudson says forced marriages are the “number one report…we’ve had people as young as eight”.

In one case, a Sudanese family was stopped twice at the airport trying to take their underage daughter overseas to be married.

It’s a practice that is not unique to any one particular country or culture with 48 nationalities represented in reports here in Australia.

While the pandemic lockdown has dealt human traffickers their biggest blow in modern history, the AFP says they will be ready when restrictions ease.

https://7news.com.au/news/crime/afp-lift-the-lid-on-modern-day-slavery-in-australias-suburbs-c-1214179

Anon's wondering if there's intel or com's on what is actually happening to Melbourne as were going downhill and fast. Total lockdown and i think there's alot more to come, 21 flights came into Melb from 2am to 3am with planes and Helicopters, apparently Dan Andrews was there greeting some on people from the flight, and alot of cargo was being unloaded. What was the cargo, vaccine? another virus? We need to know is Q watching? Are we safe? Is there going to be a forced vaccination in the next month with the space of lockdowns? Food now is all of a sudden being becoming scarce when we know farmers are told to dump their food. Can we please get some answers its starting to get worrying. Thanks in advance #WWG1WGA

Morrison vows to tackle Chinese interference

1/2

Scott Morrison and national security chiefs have briefed state and territory leaders on the threat level of Chinese interference, ahead of a major address by the Prime Minister to a US strategic forum warning of the unprecedented militarisation of the Indo-Pacific, cyber attacks and an “assault” on liberal democracies.

Mr Morrison’s speech comes as the government moves to ramp up the nation’s cyber defences, offensive capability and protection of critical infrastructure through its Cyber Security Strategy, which is expected to be approved by cabinet this week.

In a virtual speech to the Aspen Security Forum in the US on Wednesday, Mr Morrison will say Australia will not be a “bystander” in the Indo-Pacific region and will put the nation at the centre of a global security and economic network of “like-minded” economies.

He will warn of the increasing level of foreign interference and proliferation of cyber attacks and the need to expand Australia’s trade relationships beyond its reliance on China.

“Today, the Indo-Pacific is the epicentre of strategic competition,” Mr Morrison will tell the US think tank led by former secretary of state Condoleezza Rice.

“Tensions over territorial claims are growing. The pace of regional military modernisation is unprecedented. Democratic nations face new threats from foreign interference. Cyber attacks are increasing in frequency and sophistication. Disinformation is being used to manipulate free societies. The trade rules that have allowed us to prosper have not evolved to meet new challenges. And economic coercion is increasingly employed as a tool of statecraft.”

Mr Morrison will tell the forum that the “liberal rules and norms of the American Century are under assault” but will call on other democracies to step up and act more cohesively.

“A critical priority is to build a durable strategic balance in the Indo-Pacific,” he will say. “For more like-minded nations to act more cohesively, more consistently, more often. To align. I assure you that Australia is not being passive; we’re acting to shape that tomorrow right now.”

Mr Morrison will say Australia has “welcomed China’s rise as a major economic partner” but cautions that “with economic rise comes responsibility”.

“China has a role to enhance regional and global stability, commensurate with its new status,” he will say.

“Such a role is about the broader global and regional interest, rather than a narrow national interest or aspiration, because global expectations of China are now higher — as they always have been for the US.”

Mr Morrison says China and the US have a special responsibility to uphold the “common set of rules” that underpin international society.

“It means a commitment to rules-based economic interaction. Neither coercion nor abdication from international systems is the way forward,” he will say.

The Australian can reveal that national cabinet leaders were provided a rare national security briefing last Friday that focused heavily on China, as state and territory governments deal with the growing threat of cyber attacks and foreign interference. Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews, who was preparing to move his state into a stage four COVID-19 lockdown, was the only national cabinet leader not to attend the high-level security hook-up.

The Prime Minister’s office would not be drawn on the briefing or the detail of what was discussed.

In June, Mr Morrison warned that Australian governments, critical infrastructure and companies were being targeted by a “sophisticated state-based cyber actor” but did not name China.

(continued)

>>10186848

2/2

Amid calls to bolster Australia’s cyber defences, federal cabinet is expected to approve the government’s Cyber Security Strategy on Wednesday — two-weeks after receiving 60 key recommendations from the expert advisory panel led by Telstra chief executive Andy Penn.

Mr Morrison will use his speech to call on nations to take a “more pragmatic and rounded approach to our global and regional relationships”.

While not naming China — which has slapped tariffs on Australian barley and suspended meatworks exporters after Australia pushed for an independent inquiry into the origins of the coronavirus — the Prime Minister will say that unity can be undermined if “positive political and security relationships are accompanied by abrasive or confrontational trade relationships”.

He will stress that Australia is “not being a bystander” or “leaving it to others” in the Indo-Pacific region and describes international institutions as being most effective when they are “driven by, and responsive to, the society of states”.

“When global institutions and their bureaucracies become unaccountable, when they become vulnerable to manipulation, when they lose the confidence of their membership, they fail in their task to help sovereign nations agree ‘common sets of rules’ to guide their relationships,” he will say.

In addition to increasing Australia’s defence posture, the Morrison government will shift to funding and implementing its national cyber security strategy ahead of the October budget.

The Australian understands the strategy will focus on expanding Australia’s capacity to engage in offensive cyber warfare.

It will also address the need to consider tougher legislative powers around consumer data and enabling security agencies to more effectively support the private sector against cyber attacks.

Earlier this year Mr Morrison announced a $1.35bn decade-long funding increase for cyber security amid industrial-scale targeting of Australian interests.

The strategy will also examine the need to better define critical infrastructure. Mr Penn’s final cyber security strategy advisory panel report, which listed 25 high-priority recommendations, called on the government to review its classification of critical infrastructure to capture “all essential systems and functions in the public and private sectors and supply chains”.

Banking and finance, government, communications, energy, food and grocery, health, transport and water are currently listed as the nation’s eight critical infrastructure sectors.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/morrison-vows-to-tackle-chinese-interference/news-story/668ad96c85bcd467de9b427f424faf03

Australian PM Scott Morrison urges US and China to respect international law, resolve disputes peacefully

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has urged the United States and China to respect international law and resolve their disputes peacefully, as tensions between the two great powers continue to escalate.

Beijing and Washington are enmeshed in an increasingly poisonous series of disputes over trade, espionage and China's military build-up in the South China Sea.

The Federal Government is worried about China's increasing belligerence towards Australia and has been steadily strengthening defence ties with the United States.

But it has also been unnerved by the Trump administration's withdrawal from a host of international organisations, and frustrated by the way it has used America's economic heft to bully other nations in trade disputes.

In a keynote address delivered via video link at the Aspen Security Forum in the US, Scott Morrison said both the US and China had a "special responsibility" to uphold rapidly fraying international rules.

"The liberal rules and norms of the American Century are under assault. 'The jungle is growing back', as [American historian] Robert Kagan has observed," the Prime Minister said.

"We need to tend to the gardening. That means respecting international law and the peaceful resolution of disputes. It means a commitment to rules-based economic interaction. Neither coercion nor abdication from international systems is the way forward."

Mr Morrison also took a veiled swipe at the Trump administration's mercantilism.

US President Donald Trump has railed against free trade agreements and has hit multiple US allies and partners with tariffs as he tries to rebuild America's industrial base.

Australia has escaped largely unscathed, winning an exemption from US steel and aluminium tariffs in 2018.

But last year, the Federal Government had to fight a rearguard action to preserve the exemption after senior US officials tried to kill it.

In the speech, the Prime Minister warned that "the sense of unity necessary among like-minded partners can be undermined if positive political and security relationships are accompanied by abrasive or confrontational trade relationships".

"We should avoid cases where we build closer strategic cooperation, only to see the cohesiveness of those relationships undermined by trade disputes," he said.

And he emphasised Australia's push to balance China by deepening defence and economic links with other major powers in Asia, including Indonesia, Japan and India.

"A critical priority is to build a durable strategic balance in the Indo-Pacific. For more like-minded nations to act more cohesively, more consistently, more often," he said.

Mr Morrison also revisited the controversy he roused last year when he warned against "negative globalism" in international bodies such as the United Nations.

Labor accused Mr Morrison of demonising the United Nations, and in June Foreign Minister Marise Payne used a major speech to emphasise that Australia would not abandon multilateral institutions.

The Prime Minister repeated some of his criticisms of UN bodies at the Aspen Security Forum.

"When global institutions and their bureaucracies become unaccountable, when they become vulnerable to manipulation, when they lose the confidence of their membership, they fail in their task," he said.

"In my Lowy Institute speech nearly a year ago, I described that trend as negative globalism. My view hasn't changed."

But the Prime Minister also emphasised that Australia would continue to press its case within international institutions, rather than stepping back from them.

"As I said then and repeat now, we believe in a positive globalism: where nations like Australia engage directly with others, as equals, in the pursuit of common objectives," he said.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-08-05/scott-morrison-urges-the-us-and-china-to-play-by-the-rules/12524448

>>10146828

>>10157518

'Buyer beware': Prime Minister says there is no case to ban TikTok

Australia will not ban social media platform TikTok after security agencies found the Chinese company did not pose serious national security concerns.

The Australian government is still looking at ways to manage privacy and security risks posed by social media companies such as TikTok and WeChat, but has decided any kind of ban or country-wide restrictions on the applications are not warranted on national security grounds.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Wednesday morning the Australian government had had a "good look" at whether to ban apps such as TikTok and concluded there was "no reason for us to restrict those applications at this point".

But he warned there were still risks that personal data could be sent back to Beijing.

"Australians have to be very aware, and it's not just with TikTok and things like that," Mr Morrison said.

Microsoft is in discussions to buy TikTok in the United States - and possibly its operations in Australia, Canada and New Zealand - after US President Donald Trump gave Chinese company ByteDance 45 days to sell TikTok or face being banned.

The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age revealed last month that Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison had ordered an investigation into the potential security threats posed by TikTok, as well as platforms used primarily by the Chinese diaspora such as WeChat.

The probe was ordered after India has already banned the social media platform and some Liberal MPs had been raising concern about the way in which TikTok collected users' data and whether the Chinese company will be required to share users' information with the Chinese government.

The Australian government will continue to look at ways to manage the privacy concerns posed by social media companies such as TikTok. The Australian Defence Force has already banned the use of TikTok on its devices, and other Commonwealth departments could follow.

Mr Morrison said there was "nothing at this point that would suggest to us that security interests have been compromised or Australian citizens have been compromised because of what's happening with those applications".

"Now, it is true that with applications like TikTok, that data, that information, can be accessed at a sovereign state level. That is not the case in relation to the applications that are coming into the United States. But I think people should understand and there's a sort of a buyer beware process," Mr Morrison told the Aspen Security Forum via a video call on Wednesday morning.

"But people should know that the line connects right back to China and that they should exercise their own judgement about whether they should participate in those things or not," he said.

"There is a greater level of transparency, I would argue, about how applications like WhatsApp and things like that, you know, if you go on one of those, how data is used and managed, that's pretty upfront, relatively speaking compared to TikTok and things like that."

Mr Morrison said the government would "keep watching" the social media apps, but it was up to Australians to understand the "where the extension cord goes back to".

TikTok is the first Chinese tech giant to have a truly international user base.

The company is owned by ByteDance, which runs a separate China-only version called Douyin, that regularly censors content in accordance with regulations enforced by the Chinese Communist Party.

The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States is investigating if the millions of videos uploaded to TikTok daily could give the Chinese government access to a vast facial recognition database.

https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/buyer-beware-prime-minister-says-there-is-no-case-to-ban-tiktok-20200805-p55inl.html

NSW man Justin Radford hit with 80 new child abuse charges

An accused child sex offender whose arrest led to the unravelling of a national pedophile network has been hit with 80 new charges.

Justin Radford, 29, from Wyong on the NSW Central Coast, was arrested in February after a tip-off from US authorities about the online distribution of child abuse material and initially faced nine charges.

Forensic analysis of electronic material seized from Mr Radford had a domino effect, leading to a series of arrests in an Australian Federal Police-led investigation known as Operation Arkstone.

Among those charged in connection to the network were two men from Kendall, NSW, where William Tyrrell vanished on a visit to his foster grandmother’s house almost six years ago.

Police allege members of the network were abusing children, recording their crimes and sharing the material with each other online.

Investigations have been ongoing and Mr Radford on Tuesday appeared in Wyong Local Court on 80 new charges.

He is accused of abusing a child and sharing footage of the abuse.

It is understood police will allege a silver ring worn by Mr Radford helped link him to offending in footage recovered by police.

Evidence was gathered from his electronic devices and cloud storage services.

Detective Sergeant Joel Wheeler from AFP child protection operations said investigators, digital forensic specialists and victim identification experts had combed through footage to identify victims and offenders.

“We are continuing to try to identify others who are involved in this disturbing network, and hunt them down and unmask them from the anonymity of the internet and put them before the courts,” he said.

Investigators expect to identify further child victims of the network.

The new federal and state charges against Mr Radford were: 26 counts of possessing, controlling or disseminating child abuse material; 12 of producing material; eight of using a child under 14 to produce material; one sexual act towards a child under 10; 10 sexual touching of a child under 10; one sexual act towards a child under 10; and 22 counts of disseminating child abuse material.

The investigation began after a tip from the US National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children to the AFP’s Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE) earlier this year.

The ACCCE is spearheading a new, co-ordinated national approach to combating child sex offending.

Operation Arkstone is being supported by US Homeland Security Investigations and its Operation Predator – an international child protection initiative.

Police said in June that they had charged nine men in three states in connection to the network.

The arrests of two men from Kendall, who had never been interviewed over Tyrrell’s disappearance, raised hopes of a breakthrough in the long-running homicide investigation.

While raiding properties linked to the two men, police used high-tech x-ray equipment capable of detecting the presence of a body. The men lived in Kendall at the time three-year-old Tyrrell disappeared.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/nsw-man-justin-radford-hit-with-80-new-child-abuse-charges/news-story/678f25b964de5864c2f2daa1e10e7f7d

>>10186977

Operation Arkstone – Wyong man faces further 80 charges

1/2

Australian Federal Police have laid an additional 80 charges on a 29-year-old Wyong man, who was the first offender arrested under the child protection investigation known as Operation Arkstone.

Operation Arkstone is a national investigation, led by the AFP, which uncovered an Australian online network of alleged offenders accused of abusing and exploiting Australian children, and sharing the abuse online.

The investigation began in early 2020 after a tip-off from the United States' National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children to the AFP's Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE).

The Wyong man was arrested in February 2020 for allegedly distributing and receiving child abuse material online, and initially charged with nine offences. Investigators followed the digital trail from seized electronic materials during the search warrant at his home, to uncover other alleged offenders across Australia and make further arrests, which became Operation Arkstone.

The man appeared before Wyong Local Court on Tuesday, 4 August, and was charged with 80 new offences relating to the abuse of a child known to him, and the sharing of this material online.

The charges were laid as a result of follow-up enquiries by members of the AFP's Eastern Command Child Protection Operations team, including the forensic examination of material seized during the February warrant at his home.

It will be alleged in court that material on the man's electronic devices and cloud storage services linked to him provided evidence he was abusing a child known to him, recording it and sharing images or footage online with other like-minded individuals.

The new charges against the Wyong man include:

* 26 counts of commonwealth charge Section 474.22A(1) Criminal Code Act 1995 Cth),-Possess/control or disseminate Child Abuse Material (CAM) obtained or accessed using a carriage service

* 12 counts of Section 91H(2) Crimes Act 190 (NSW) - Produce Child Abuse Material;

* 8 count of Section 91G(1)(a) Crimes Act 190 (NSW) - Use child under 14 years for production of CAM;

* One count of section 66DF(a) Crimes Act 190 (NSW) - Sexual Act towards child under 10 years for production of child abuse material;

* 10 counts of Section 66DA(a) Crimes Act 190 (NSW) - Sexual Touching - victim under 10 years;

* One count of Section 66DC(a) Crimes Act 190 (NSW) - Sexual Act towards child under 10 years;

* 22 counts of Section 91H(1) Crimes Act 190 (NSW) - Disseminate CAM.

Operation Arkstone is still ongoing and it is likely further victims and offenders will be identified, and further arrests have not been ruled out.

AFP Eastern Command Child Protection Operations Detective Sergeant Joel Wheeler said this operation serves as a warning to online offenders – the internet does not provide an anonymous veil.

"Operation Arkstone has uncovered this network of alleged offenders thanks to the dedicated work of our investigators, digital forensics specialists and our Interpol-trained victim identification experts," Detective Sergeant Wheeler said.

"They had to comb hours of disturbing content looking for clues to find these people allegedly preying on Australian children, to bring them to justice. We are continuing to try to identify others who are involved in this disturbing network, and hunt them down and unmask them from the anonymity of the internet and put them before the courts."

(continued)