News
RCMP Open Investigation into Chinese Police Stations in Canada, Trudeau Backpedaling
The RCMP in Canada has told a press briefing they are investigating reports of undeclared Chinese police stations in the province of Quebec. They stated they are investigating 2 Montreal locations believed to be operating on behalf of the Communist Party of China.
Human rights organizations have accused China of using the stations to threaten and monitor Chinese nationals in other countries. China has denied operating the stations, referring to them as “service centers” for its nationals living abroad.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told reporters Thursday that they are a “very serious concern” for his government.
“We’re in the process of ensuring that the RCMP follows up on this and that our intelligence systems take this seriously,” he said.
According to the Spain-based NGO Safeguard Defenders, which monitors disappearances in China, the stations are among at least 100 in 53 countries worldwide, including the United Kingdom and the United States.
In a report last year, the non-profit said the stations are part of efforts by China’s regime to “harass, threaten, intimidate and force targets to return to China for persecution”.
According to the report, Chinese public security bureaus established “overseas police service stations” across the globe, including two in London and one in Glasgow. It established stations in Toronto, Vancouver, and New York.
The RCMP confirmed in November that they were looking into reports of such service stations operating in the Greater Toronto Area.
The federal force asked Chinese Canadians who may have been targeted by “alleged Chinese police stations” to come forward on Thursday.
“These activities, as well as any other form of intimidation, harassment, or targeting of diaspora communities or individuals in Canada,” RCMP Sgt Charles Poirier said on Thursday.
Federal authorities have previously expressed concern about reports of such stations operating in Canada and the United States.
Attempts by the Communist Party of China to establish a police presence on US soil, according to FBI Director Christopher Wray, “violates the sovereignty and circumvents standard judicial and law enforcement cooperation processes,” he told a US Senate hearing in November.
According to Safeguard Defenders, an alleged Chinese police station has been set up on Broadway in New York City.
According to Chinese embassies in the United States and Canada, the locations are alleged overseas service stations established during the pandemic to assist nationals abroad with driver’s license renewal and other similar matters.
However, Jing-Jie Chen, a Safeguard Defenders researcher, told the BBC that he was skeptical of the Communist Party of China’s explanation.
“If you truly want to support your nationals abroad, you can do so through official channels; you don’t have to do it undercover,” he explained.
The RCMP investigation comes in the wake of allegations that China attempted to meddle in Canada’s two most recent federal elections, reports that have strained relations between the two countries.
Early Wednesday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s main line of defense against accusations that he ignored specific CSIS warnings about Chinese government funding of Canadian political candidates began to fray.
It started with the leak of another secret document: an unredacted committee report never publicly released that, according to Global News, explicitly advised Trudeau’s office of covert funding of candidates ahead of the 2019 federal election.
It went on from there, with Trudeau deflecting questions about what he knew and when by referring to the committee whose report had just been leaked.
And it concluded with an Opposition grilling in the Commons that was a more effective and less inflammatory prosecution of the Liberal case by Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre.
On Wednesday, Trudeau reiterated that the national security and intelligence committee of parliamentarians (NSICOP), whose members have top-secret security clearance, is the best place to weigh highly sensitive CSIS information on foreign interference.
Despite the latest allegations, the committee was a key component of Trudeau’s announcement of new measures to reassure Canadians that their elections were free and fair.
He had asked NSICOP on Monday to look into foreign interference in the previous two campaigns after his government had been hammered in the House of Commons for days.
That committee of MPs and senators is sworn to protect official secrets and has experience and expertise in the field. It investigated foreign interference and submitted a report to the prime minister’s office in August 2019, just two weeks before a federal election was called.
However, the fact that a version of its classified work was leaked to Global News (essentially re-capping the charge that the Chinese government directed attempts to influence nomination campaigns) raises serious concerns, regardless of where the leak originated.
It calls into question Trudeau’s claim that the appropriate body can be trusted to conduct the study that the prime minister claims will restore trust in the electoral system and its safeguards, as well as whether the Trudeau government should immediately appoint a commission of inquiry.
“The entire system is built on trust,” said Stephanie Carvin, a former CSIS analyst and current professor at the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs. “And if that trust is broken,” she says, “people may not want to pass on information from a sensitive source,” or information transfer may be “slowed down.”
“And I don’t think that works for the prime minister,” she added.
It’s unclear whether the unredacted report Global News claimed to have seen came from a parliamentarian, a member of the committee’s secretariat, CSIS, or another agency with access to shared intelligence. It’s unclear whether this was the committee’s final or draft report.
The committee’s MPs and senators have access to secret materials only in a secure environment. They cannot take copies or bring cell phones, tablets, or anything else into the building.
Any unredacted report produced by the committee is sent to the PMO, which forwards it to the national security agencies — CSIS or the foreign electronic intelligence agency, CSE — to screen out information detrimental to national security, harming international relations and defense, or violating solicitor-client privilege, as required by law.
Neither CSIS nor the RCMP responded to questions from the Toronto Star about whether the latest leak is being investigated or whether it undermines their confidence in NSICOP.
The committee’s secretariat said it “is aware of media describing access to a classified version of one of the Committee’s reviews, and cannot confirm or deny the accuracy of that reporting. We are unable to make any further comments at this time.”
House leader Mark Holland, the Liberal cabinet minister in charge of the committee, did not respond to questions sent to his spokesman.
The most recent allegation that Trudeau was aware of Chinese funding and interference as early as 2019 sparked a new round of outrage in the Commons, which Trudeau struggled to refute.
Poilievre dropped the nasty partisan rhetoric from the day before, accusing Trudeau of working against Canadian interests and “covering up” support from Communist rulers in Beijing.
Instead, Poilievre attacked Trudeau like former NDP leader Thomas Mulcair during the Senate expenses scandal, asking basic questions, following non-answers with more “yes or no” questions, and summarizing Trudeau’s precarious position for MPs.
Trudeau refused to say whether anyone in his party, governing caucus or cabinet had received money from a Chinese ruling party-directed influence network.
He only reiterated what he said last fall: “I have no information on federal candidates receiving money from China.”
Poilievre drove home the point that the prime minister “used the tiny technical term ‘candidate,’ which only applies to a limited scenario 30 days before an election. He refuses to answer whether his party or any other received funds directed by Beijing’s communist dictatorship.”
Trudeau stated that Canadians could put their trust in a soon-to-be-named outside expert who would advise on whether or not an inquiry is required.
“To be honest, I know that no matter what I say, Canadians continue to have questions about what we did and didn’t do, which is why an independent special rapporteur will be able to look at the entire landscape and dig deeper into everything anyone knew at any point,” Trudeau told reporters.
According to NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, the latest allegations are “eroding public trust” in Canadian institutions.
“Right now, the prime minister seems like he’s hiding something, and he could just answer those questions by launching a public inquiry. It’s independent, open, and will address Canadians’ concerns,” Singh explained.
However, Singh refuses to make foreign interference a deal-breaker for his party’s support of Trudeau’s minority government, even though he raised the issue with the prime minister in a recent meeting.
Green Party co-leader Elizabeth May believes a public inquiry is required immediately and that Trudeau’s other plan to appoint a “special rapporteur” to study whether an inquiry is required will fail. “That’s not a hunting dog.”
Trudeau is now facing criticism from his caucus over how the government handles the situation.
“In my opinion, this is far larger” than allegations of election interference, said Scarborough-Guildwood MP John McKay, who chairs the Commons national defense committee.
“The Chinese government is an existential threat to the country on multiple levels, and we must confront that.”
McKay stated that it is “not for me to say” whether his government is doing enough or whether a public inquiry into election meddling by China through its consulate offices in Canada is necessary.
“It’s bigger than the election,” McKay explained. “It’s in universities. It can be found at police stations. It can be found at the Confucius Institutes. It is concerned with resource exploitation, etc., etc. I believe it is much larger than that.”
U.K News
UN Calls For Investigation Into Mass Graves Uncovered At Two Gaza Hospitals Raided By Israel
The United Nations (U.N.) Gaza The United Nations has urged for a thorough and reliable investigation into the mass graves discovered at two prominent hospitals in war-ravaged Gaza, which were seized by Israeli troops.
According to U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric, credible investigators must be granted access to the locations. Additionally, Dujarric emphasized the importance of ensuring the safety of journalists in Gaza so that they may accurately report on the facts.
AP – VOR News Image
UN Calls For Investigation Into Mass Graves Uncovered At Two Gaza Hospitals Raided By Israel
Volker Türk, the U.N. human rights chief, expressed his deep shock at the destruction of the Shifa medical complex in Gaza City and Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis. He also mentioned the disturbing finding of mass graves in and around these facilities after the departure of the Israeli forces.
The individual demanded impartial and open inquiries into the fatalities, emphasizing that “considering the current atmosphere of exemption from punishment, this should involve investigators from the international community.”
“Hospitals are afforded significant protection under international humanitarian law,” Türk stated. “The deliberate act of killing civilians, detainees, and individuals who are unable to participate in combat is considered a war crime.”
Vedant Patel, the spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, expressed deep concern over the accusations of mass graves at the hospitals and confirmed that U.S. officials have formally requested information from the Israeli government.
The Israeli military has excavated the bodies that Palestinians had previously buried as part of their efforts to locate the remains of hostages taken by Hamas during their attack on October 7th, which initiated the war. The soldiers conducted a thorough examination of the bodies in a dignified manner and promptly returned those that did not belong to Israeli hostages to their original location.
The Israeli military asserts that it eliminated or apprehended numerous militants who had sought refuge within the two hospital complexes, although these assertions could not be independently confirmed.
CNN – VOR News Image
UN Calls For Investigation Into Mass Graves Uncovered At Two Gaza Hospitals Raided By Israel
On Monday, the Palestinian civil defense in the Gaza Strip said that they had discovered 283 corpses in a makeshift cemetery located within the primary hospital in Khan Younis. This cemetery was established during the recent period of Israeli forces surrounding the hospital. According to the group, during that period, individuals could not inter the deceased in a designated burial ground and instead excavated graves within the hospital premises.
According to the civil defense, certain corpses were identified as individuals who were slain during the hospital siege. Additional casualties occurred as a result of the Israeli military’s incursion into the hospital.
The hospital strikes have decimated Gaza’s health sector, which is already struggling to handle the increasing casualties resulting from more than six months of warfare, according to Palestinian health officials.
The matter of who is eligible or responsible for an investigation remains uncertain.
Dujarric stated that for the United Nations to carry out an investigation, authorization from one of its main bodies is required.
“I believe it is not appropriate for anyone to make premature judgments about the outcomes or the individuals responsible,” he stated. “I believe that the investigation should have both access and credibility.”
Karim Khan, the head prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, emphasized the importance of investigating any offenses committed by Hamas terrorists and Israeli forces during his visit to Israel and the West Bank in December.
According to Dujarric, the unearthing of the graves serves as an additional justification for implementing a cease-fire, resolving the conflict, ensuring increased humanitarian access and the delivery of essential products, providing enhanced protection for hospitals, and securing the release of Israeli prisoners.
NDTV – VOR News Image
UN Calls For Investigation Into Mass Graves Uncovered At Two Gaza Hospitals Raided By Israel
The Hamas assault that initiated the conflict resulted in the deaths of over 1,200 individuals, predominantly non-combatants, and the abduction of roughly 250 captives. Israel reports that the terrorists currently have approximately 100 hostages and the remains of over 30 additional individuals in their possession.
Local health authorities report that over 34,000 Palestinians have died as a result of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza to eradicate Hamas. Approximately two-thirds of the casualties are comprised of children and women. The devastation of Gaza’s two major cities has resulted in a humanitarian crisis, causing almost 80% of the population in the area to seek refuge in other sections of the besieged coastal enclave.
SOURCE – (AP)
Keep a watch on the skies tonight and tomorrow; you don’t want to miss the full pink moon, not the blue moon! According to The Old Farmer’s Almanac, you’ll get the best view about 7:49 p.m. ET.
This is when “peak illumination” occurs. As the full moon rises above the horizon, it will appear brightest and most vibrant to our eyes.
Where should you go to have the finest experience under the pink full moon? The Old Farmer’s Almanac suggests going somewhere with a good view of the open sky. If possible, attempt to select a location where the horizon is not covered by towering buildings or trees.
Although the pink moon will be a stunning sight to behold, it is not as colorful as it appears. It should appear rich amber at first, but it will fade to white as it rises into the night sky.
You may be wondering why it’s called a pink moon when it doesn’t look pink. According to USA now, many of the names we use for full moons now originate in much older Native American traditions. These names were mainly associated with natural events that month.
Pink Moon: Full Moon in April 2024
In April, Phlox subulata, often known as creeping phlox or moss phlox, began to flower. These rosy-hued petals were also known as “moss pink,” which is how the pink full moon got its name.
In February, we watched the snow moon rise in the sky. Last month brought the worm moon, which slightly less appetizing moniker refers to the presence of worms in nature during early spring.
According to Space.com, next month will see the floral moon. This May full moon is named after the abundance of blooms that will appear throughout this spring season.
A “pink moon” is an April full moon named for the early springtime blooms that paint landscapes in brilliant pinks and reds. It’s a celestial sight that signals nature’s rebirth after winter.
The pink hue is caused by sunlight refraction through the atmosphere, albeit it rarely seems that rosy tone.
Still, the name recalls the splendor of spring’s emergence, reminding us of the earth’s natural cycles. For many, the pink moon represents rejuvenation and new beginnings.
FIFA Nears $1 Billion Deal with Apple TV Plus
MIAMI (AP) – The social media corporation established by ex-President Donald Trump has submitted an application for a business visa program that he aimed to limit during his tenure and that numerous of his supporters desire him to reduce if he were to serve a second term.
Trump Media & Technology Group, the company responsible for Truth Social, submitted an application in June 2022 for an H-1B visa for an employee earning an annual salary of $65,000, which is the minimum wage level permitted by the program. According to federal immigration data, the corporation received approval for a visa a few months after. The corporation asserts that it did not employ the worker.
AP – VOR News Image
Trump Called This Visa ‘Very Bad’ For Americans. Truth Social Applied For One
The act of applying for the visa highlights the contradiction between Trump the candidate, who has advocated for a protectionist approach that encourages corporations to prioritize American workers, and Trump the businessman, who has expressed his intention to utilize all available means for his companies. The investment firm established by Jared Kushner, who is both President Trump’s son-in-law and a White House adviser, submitted an application and received approval to employ a foreign individual as an associate through the visa program.
According to a statement from Trump Media & Technology Group, the application was submitted when the company was under previous management. However, it is worth noting that the current CEO, Devin Nunes, who was already leading the company, was involved in the application process when it was initially filed with the U.S. Department of Labor.
The company has never employed, and has no intentions of employing, a worker through the H-1B visa program. The company stated that upon discovering the application, which was submitted under a previous management period, the present management promptly halted the process in November 2022.
The cost for corporations to file an H-1B visa petition is approximately $5,000 per employee. Companies have the ability to retract applications even after they have been granted approval. The data maintained by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services does not include information about visa revocations. However, a representative from the Labor Department, which also monitors H-1B applications, stated that they have no documented evidence of Truth Social submitting a request for withdrawal.
An ubiquitous instrument utilized by technology enterprises.
Technology companies frequently employ individuals through the H-1B program. Prior to assuming the presidency, Trump openly acknowledged his utilization of visas, mostly for the purpose of importing foreign models and a limited number of workers for his hotels and resorts. This information is based on an examination of the petitions filed since 2009.
However, apart from renewing current applications, his companies seemed to have ceased requesting H-1B visas until the creation of Truth Social.
According to the Labor Department, Trump Media & Technology Group submitted an application for an employee to receive a salary of $65,000. The employer is listed as Will Wilkerson, who is a co-founder of the company and a former senior vice president of operations. The employment is located in Atlanta, as indicated by the provided address.
In August 2022, Wilkerson submitted a whistleblower complaint to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, accusing the corporation of committing securities breaches. He lost his job, and The Washington Post reported that he is now actively working with federal investigators. His legal representatives stated that he would refrain from providing any comments.
‘I should be prohibited from using it.’
Trump often discusses the influx of migrants who unlawfully cross the U.S.-Mexico border, but his policy agenda throughout his presidency also involved restrictions on legal immigration, such as family-based visas and the visa lottery program.
AP – VOR News Image
Trump Called This Visa ‘Very Bad’ For Americans. Truth Social Applied For One
During a primary debate in 2016, Trump expressed his disapproval of the H-1B visa program, describing it as both “very detrimental” and “inequitable” for American workers.
“To begin with, I possess extensive knowledge and understanding of the H-1B visa.” And it’s a tool that I frequently utilize, even though I should not have permission to do so. “We should not possess it,” he stated. “Furthermore, it is crucial to acknowledge that I am a businessman and I must prioritize my actions based on necessity.”
Three months into his presidency, Trump issued an executive order titled “Buy American and Hire American.” This order instructed Cabinet members to propose changes that would prioritize the allocation of H-1B visas to applicants who were either well paid or highly talented, with the aim of safeguarding American workers. He has previously asserted that the program was utilized by technology businesses to acquire overseas employees at a reduced salary.
Under his administration, a research conducted by the nonpartisan National Foundation for American Policy revealed that the government was intensifying its examination of cases by issuing additional information requests to companies seeking to employ foreign workers and rejecting a higher number of petitions.
The “Project 2025” handbook, created by supporters anticipating Trump’s potential assumption of power, suggests that the H-1B program should be restructured to function as an exclusive mechanism for attracting the most talented individuals at competitive wages, while also ensuring that American workers are not put at a disadvantage by the program.
Nicolas Morales, an economist specializing on labor and migration at the research department of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, stated that over 60% of the total visas granted are attributed to companies in the professional, scientific, and technical services sectors. Morales stated that he has discovered that the visa program has proven advantageous for small enterprises in maintaining their operations.
Participating in and being selected in the H-1B lottery is advantageous for them. “It enhances their likelihood of survival,” he stated. “Over the next five years, small companies that heavily rely on skilled labor are expected to remain active.”
AP – VOR News Image
Trump Called This Visa ‘Very Bad’ For Americans. Truth Social Applied For One
The applications necessitate employers to affirm that they will furnish foreign workers with equivalent benefits as those provided to U.S. workers, and remunerate them at a higher rate than individuals with comparable expertise and qualifications, or above the standard wage for that particular occupation. Companies are required to notify their workers of the filing by displaying a notice in two locations at the workplace.
A significant portion of the criticism surrounding the H-1B program is to corporations providing foreign workers with salaries that fall under the lower wage brackets. The application submitted by Kushner’s investment firm to employ a foreign worker seems to address the allegation adequately.
The Labor Department approved a document in which Kushner’s investment firm stated that it would provide a salary of $200,000 to this employee. This amount falls inside the highest compensation range for H-1B visas, which are usually granted to individuals who are highly skilled in their industry and hold senior positions. According to recent data from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the company has been granted a visa approval.
Kushner has abstained from joining the Trump campaign and has been actively pursuing his own business ventures by submitting applications for tourism projects in the Balkans.
SOURCE – (AP)
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