Friday, May 7, 2021

In the news, Monday, April 26, 2021


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APR 25      INDEX      APR 27
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from Bellingcat
British investigative journalism website

How GRU Sabotage and Assassination Operations in Czechia and Bulgaria Sought to Undermine Ukraine
Bellingcat first reported on the presence of members from GRU Unit 29155 in Bulgaria at the time when a Bulgarian arms manufacturer collapsed into a coma following what was identified as poisoning by an unknown substance. At that same time, the entrepreneur’s son and the production manager of his factory were also poisoned. A possible second poisoning – again with overlapping trip to Bulgaria by members of GRU Unit 29155 –  appeared to have been attempted a month later, days after Gebrev and his son were released from hospital. We have previously identified and described operations of an elite sabotage unit within GRU Unit 29155. This unit conducts clandestine operations overseas, and we have previously identified its involvement, in addition to the series of poisonings in Bulgaria, in the annexation of Crimea (2014), destabilization attempts in Moldova (2014), a failed coup in Montenegro (2016), WADA-linked surveillance operations in Switzerland (2016-2017), possible destabilization operations in Spain during the Catalonia independence referendum (2017) and the assassination attempt on former Russian spy Sergei Skripal in Salisbury, UK (2018). In the first part of this investigation, we identified a total of six operatives from this GRU unit who were directly or indirectly linked to the sabotage of ammunition depots in Czechia in October 2014 and, possibly, also in December 2014. Bellingcat also discovered that Gen. Andrey Averyanov – the commander of Unit 29155 – traveled undercover to Austria and likely on to Czechia during the time the operation took place. This marked the most senior involvement of a GRU officer in a clandestine operation identified thus far.

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from DW News (Deutsche Welle)
Broadcasting & Media Production Company in Bonn, Germany

Romanian authorities have declared the Russian embassy's deputy military attache, Alexei Grichayev, a persona non grata on Romanian territory, a Foreign Ministry official told local press agency Agerpress. Romanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Bogdan Aurescu informed the Russian ambassador in Bucharest of the decision in a meeting on Monday. The step to remove the Russian official was taken in solidarity with the Czech Republic, which is involved in a spat with Moscow, AFP reported.

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from FEE (Foundation for Economic Education)
RIGHT-CENTER BIAS, HIGH, non-profit organization

Many unemployed workers would earn more staying on welfare than returning to work.
When the government expands during an emergency, it rarely entirely recedes when the crisis has passed. The latest example of this timeless principle comes courtesy of lawmakers on Capitol Hill seeking to make “temporary” supercharged pandemic unemployment benefits permanent. “Democrats on the Hill are pushing President Biden to propose permanently expanding unemployment benefits offered during the pandemic,” Fox News reports. “They are pressing for the changes in federal standards as part of an anti-poverty package Biden is expected to announce next week.” 

Hawkish critics have blasted Biden's plan to end the war in Afghanistan, calling the move “premature.” But a new Brown University report reveals that the true human and economic costs of continuing this conflict are astounding—and growing.

Canadian economist Douglas Ward Allen recently ran a cost-benefit analysis of lockdowns. The trade-off hardly seems worth it.

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from The Spokesman-Review
Newspaper in Spokane, Washington

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