Three U.S. Firefighters Killed While Battling Australia’s Wildfires; Destructive Hail and a Massive Dust Storm Descend on Fire-Ravaged Australia (VIDEO)

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By The Blaze. Three American firefighters were killed in Australia while fighting the country’s ongoing wildfires on Thursday, when the air tanker they were flying in crashed. . .

The victims were crew members on Tanker 134, a Lockheed C-130 Hercules that was carrying retardant when it went down in New South Whales. Canadian-based private company Coulson Aviation, the owner of the aircraft, confirmed the tragedy in a news release.
The names of the fallen firefighters have not yet been released, but according to the Los Angeles Times, the U.S. Forest Service confirmed the tragedy in an email on Thursday.

“The wildland firefighting community is a family and when there is a loss it is felt throughout the entire organization,” the email said. “We extend our deepest sympathy to the families of the fallen.”

New South Whales Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons said during a press conference, “Initial reports are that there was a large fireball associated with the impact of the plane as it hit the ground. Unfortunately, all we’ve been able to do is locate the wreckage and the crash site. We have not been able to locate any survivors,” NBC News reported. (Read more from “Three U.S. Firefighters Killed While Battling Australia’s Wildfires” HERE)

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Destructive Hail and a Massive Dust Storm Descend on Fire-Ravaged Australia

By NPR. Australia’s southeast was already dealing with the terrible effects of historic bushfires and huge smoke clouds. Then Canberra, Melbourne and other places were hit by golf-ball-sized hail that destroyed car windshields, killed birds and shredded the leaves off trees.

The Bureau of Meteorology in New South Wales, the country’s most populous state, warned residents of “damaging winds, large, possibly giant hailstones and heavy rainfall” as it issued severe thunderstorm warnings in the east and northeast.

The storms also prompted warnings of flash floods — adding another element of risk to areas that have been hit hard by the fires.


In the Australian Capital Territory, which includes the capital city of Canberra, the weather service reported hail Monday measuring up to nearly 2 inches in diameter — accompanied by wind gusts that were near hurricane-strength.

The storm was intense and fast-moving. The territory’s Emergency Services Agency reported receiving a record 1,900 calls for help — more than three times the average for a storm. All of those calls came in after midday, the agency said.

(Read more from “Destructive Hail and a Massive Dust Storm Descend on Fire-Ravaged Australia” HERE)

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U.S. Student Jailed in China After Critical Tweets About Government

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A 20-year-old University of Minnesota student named Luo Daiqing was arrested in China and sentenced to six months in prison for sending tweets critical of the Chinese government while he was in the U.S., according to court documents reported on by Axios.

The report says that Luo was arrested in his hometown of Wuhan, where he returned after finishing up the spring semester at Minnesota, in July 2019. He was then held for several months and sentenced in November, all for posts that the government referred to as “denigrating a national leader’s image.” . . .

This arrest and sentence could chill any criticism of the government by Chinese citizens, even when they’re in foreign countries. Over the past year, the Chinese police has escalated their fight to censor social media and crack down on critical posts by arresting more and more users who post content that they consider objectionable. (Read more from “U.S. Student Jailed in China After Critical Tweets About Government” HERE)

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China Quarantines Millions After Thousands Exposed to Mutating Virus That Has Killed Many

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China is essentially quarantining Wuhan, a city of more than 11 million people, in response to up to 4,000 people that have been exposed to a mutating Coronavirus that has killed at least 17 people.

“To combat the spread of the virus, which first appeared at the end of December and has killed at least 17 people and sickened more than 500, the Chinese government said it would cancel planes and trains leaving Wuhan beginning Thursday, and suspend buses, subways and ferries within it,” The New York Times reported. “In Beijing, at least 4,000 residents who had been exposed to the virus were kept in isolation, and 300 college students who had had contact with infected people were sequestered in a military camp for two weeks.” . . .

Several cases have been reported outside of China in the United States, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and Thailand.

“Chinese health officials said they had ascertained that the virus started in an unsanitary food market that was selling wild and exotic animals for consumption,” The Washington Post reported. “Snakes were the most likely cause of the virus, five Chinese scientists concluded in a paper published Wednesday in the Journal of Medical Virology.” (Read more from “China Quarantines Millions After Thousands Exposed to Mutating Virus That Has Killed Many” HERE)

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A Third of Israeli Males Are Mentally Unfit for Service

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Nearly half of Israeli youth do not start or finish their military service, with at least a third of males getting exemptions for mental health reasons.

The alarming figure based on IDF data, first published by Yediot Aharonot, shows that 32.9% of men will receive an exemption from the army. With an average of 15% dropping out during their service, nearly half of men (47.9%) do not complete their military service. . .

According to the report in Yediot, the figures show a clear downward trend in IDF enlistment among both sexes. For example, in 2007 a quarter of males did not enlist in the IDF, and in 2015 the figure rose to 26.9% for men and 30% last year.

In addition to the skyrocketing increase in medical exemptions for mental health reasons, the general recruitment figures for combat units have also seen a general decline over the past decade, to less than two-thirds (65%) in 2018 from four-fifths (81%) in 2011. (Read more from “A Third of Israeli Males Are Mentally Unfit for Service” HERE)

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Here’s the Ex-Green Beret Who Allegedly Smuggled an Imprisoned Auto Exec out of Japan in a Box

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A security operative and ex-Green Beret was reportedly part of an audacious plan to smuggle auto executive Carlos Ghosn out of Japan where prosecutors charged him with numerous financial crimes.

Michael Taylor, a former Green Beret who has etched out a long career arranging high-risk rescue missions, took part in the caper, which entailed Ghosn hiding in a box transported into a private jet before being flown to Turkey, The Wall Street Journal reported Saturday.

Taylor’s decision to help Ghosn was borne out of his own experiences in the U.S. judicial system. He pleaded guilty in 2015 on charges that he bribed a Pentagon official to obtain bidding information that helped him fraudulently win $54 million in government contracts, WSJ noted. Taylor said his 14-month stint in a Utah county jail awaiting trial was torturous. . .

The flight took the corporate titan to Istanbul, where Ghosn boarded another private jet for a flight to Lebanon — he arrived in Beirut in December, just before New Year’s Day. Ghosn is a citizen of Brazil, France and Lebanon, none of which have extradition treaty agreements with Japan.

Japanese authorities believe that Taylor, who speaks some Arabic, and an associate wheeled Ghosn in the chest through the lobby of the Osaka airport. Taylor, 59, has worked in the past freeing other people stuck in tight spots. He once helped rescue a New York Times reporter from the Taliban and freed children who were kidnapped overseas, WSJ reported, citing a memo Taylor’s lawyers produced. (Read more from “Here’s the Ex-Green Beret Who Allegedly Smuggled an Imprisoned Auto Exec out of Japan in a Box” HERE)

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11 U.S. Troops Injured in Iran Missile Attack

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While it was initially reported that the Jan. 8 Iranian attack on Iraqi bases housing U.S. troops caused no casualties or injuries, 11 U.S. service members have been treated for injury.

The troops were airlifted to Germany and Kuwait and underwent treatment for traumatic brain injuries and screening, said Col. Myles Caggins, a spokesman for U.S. military command in Baghdad.

“As previously stated, while no U.S. service members were killed in the Jan. 8 Iranian attack on Al Asad Air base, several were treated for concussion symptoms from the blast and are still being assessed,” Caggins told Defense One.

“Out of an abundance of caution, some service members were transported from Al Asad Air Base, Iraq to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany, others were sent to Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, for follow-on screening,” he added. “When deemed fit for duty, the service members are expected to return to Iraq following screening. The health and welfare of our personnel is a top priority and we will not discuss any individual’s medical status.” (Read more from “11 U.S. Troops Injured in Iran Missile Attack” HERE)

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Trump Administration Issues MORE Sanctions Against Iran

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The Trump administration continued to tighten the screws on the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism on Friday as Special Envoy to Iran Brian Hook announced new sanctions against a top general in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which is a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO).

“The United States is listing IRGC Brigadier General Hassan Shahvarpour under section 7031c visa sanctions. General Shahvarpour committed gross violations of human rights against protestors in Mahshahr. He oversaw the massacre of 148 helpless Iranians in the Mahshahr region last November,” Hook said. “General Shahvarpour was in command of units responsible for the violent crackdown and lethal repression around Mahshahr. This is the first designation on an Iranian regime official being taken under the State Department authority from section 7031c authorities.”

Hook noted that the tip-line that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo established last November has received 88,000 tips from the people of Iran.

“Since the violent crackdown on protests last November, the United States has sanctioned two judges and eight other regime officials for their roles in brutalizing the Iranian people. We are continuing to review all information we receive from the Iranian people and will continue to hold more regime officials responsible for human rights violations,” Hook continued. “Over the past week, many Iranians took to the streets again to protest a corrupt government that lies to them. President Trump recognized their courage with his tweets in Farsi this past week standing with the Iranian people. We call on all nations to join our lead, particularly by sanctioning Iranian officials for human rights violations.” (Read more from “Trump Administration Issues MORE Sanctions Against Iran” HERE)

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Report: Radical Islam Still Driving Global Christian Persecution

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Islamic extremism is a primary driver of Christian persecution in eight out of the ten most dangerous places for Christians to live, Open Doors revealed Wednesday in its World Watch List 2020.

In Somalia, for instance, number three on the list of the 50 countries where Christians face the most serious persecution, the violent Islamist group, al-Shabaab “has repeatedly expressed its desire to eradicate Christians from the country,” Open Doors noted.

Some 99 percent of Somali citizens are Muslims, and being exposed as a convert to Christianity results in life-threatening peril, “often leading to on-the-spot execution,” the report observed. “As a result, most Somali Christians keep their faith completely secret.”

The situation has only gotten worse over recent years, the report stated, and Christians in Somalia are so vulnerable to attacks by Islamic militants that “in the interests of security,” Open Doors decided not to publish specific examples of persecution for fear of inciting further violence.

In Libya, on the other hand, various Islamic militant groups have gained control over parts of the country and “Libyan converts to Christianity face abuse and violence for their decision to follow Christ,” Open Doors said. (Read more from “Report: Radical Islam Still Driving Global Christian Persecution” HERE)

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Iran’s Only Female Olympic Medalist Defects Amid Mass Protests Against the Regime

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Iran’s one and only female Olympic medalist said she has defected over the Iranian government’s “corruption and lies.”

Kimia Alizadeh, 21, posted on Instagram on Saturday announcing that she had defected from Iran and permanently left the country for Europe. She slammed the Iranian regime for oppressing women and for largely dictating her own life.

“Let me start with a greeting, a farewell or condolences,” Alizadeh said, according to a CNN translation. “I am one of the millions of oppressed women in Iran who they have been playing with for years.”

She attacked the regime for controlling her life and using her as a tool to bring prestige to the regime.

“They took me wherever they wanted. I wore whatever they said. Every sentence they ordered me to say, I repeated. Whenever they saw fit, they exploited me,” she said, adding that Iranian leaders took credit for her accomplishments.

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با سلام آغاز کنم، با خداحافظی یا تسلیت؟ سلام مردم مظلوم ایران، خداحافظ مردم نجیب ایران، تسلیت به شما مردم همیشه داغدار ایران. شما مرا چقدر می‌شناسید؟ فقط آنطور که در مسابقات، در تلویزیون، یا در حضور مقامات دیده‌اید. اجازه دهید حالا آزادانه، هویت سانسور شده‌ام را معرفی کنم. می‌گویند کیمیا پس از این چیزی نخواهد شد. خودم از این هم فراتر می‌روم و می‌گویم قبل از این هم چیزی نبوده‌ام: «من کیمیا علیزاده، نه تاریخسازم، نه قهرمانم، نه پرچمدار کاروان ایران» من یکی از میلیون‌ها زن سرکوب شده در ایرانم که سال‌هاست هر طور خواستند بازی‌ام دادند. هر کجا خواستند بردند. هر چه گفتند پوشیدم. هر جمله‌ای دستور دادند تکرار کردم. هر زمان صلاح دیدند، مصادره‌ام کردند. مدال‌هایم را پای حجاب اجباری گذاشتند و به مدیریت و درایت خودشان نسبت دادند. من برایشان مهم نبودم. هیچکداممان برایشان مهم نیستیم، ما ابزاریم. فقط آن مدال‌های فلزی اهمیت دارد تا به هر قیمتی که خودشان نرخ گذاشتند از ما بخرند و بهره‌برداری سیاسی کنند، اما همزمان برای تحقیرت، می‌گویند: فضیلت زن این نیست که پاهایش را دراز کند! من صبح‌ها هم از خواب بیدار می‌شوم پاهایم ناخودآگاه مثل پنکه می‌چرخد و به در و دیوار می‌گیرد. آنوقت چگونه می‌توانستم مترسکی باشم که می‌خواستند از من بسازند؟ در برنامه زنده تلویزیون، سوال‌هایی پرسیدند که دقیقاً بخاطر همان سوال دعوتم کرده بودند. حالا که نیستم می‌گویند تن به ذلت داده‌ام. آقای ساعی! من آمدم تا مثل شما نباشم و در مسیری که شما پیش رفتید قدم برندارم. من در صورت تقلید بخشی از رفتارهای شما، بیش از شما می‌توانستم به ثروت و قدرت برسم. من به اینها پشت کردم. من یک انسانم و می‌خواهم بر مدار انسانیت باقی بمانم. در ذهن‌های مردسالار و زن‌ستیزتان، همیشه فکر می‌کردید کیمیا زن است و زبان ندارد! روح آزرده من در کانال‌های آلوده اقتصادی و لابی‌های تنگ سیاسی شما نمی‌گنجد. من جز تکواندو، امنیت و زندگی شاد و سالم درخواست دیگری از دنیا ندارم. مردم نازنین و داغدار ایران، من نمی‌خواستم از پله‌های ترقی که بر پایه فساد و دروغ بنا شده بالا بروم. کسی به اروپا دعوتم نکرده و در باغ سبز به رویم باز نشده. اما رنج و سختی غربت را بجان می‌خرم چون نمی‌خواستم پای سفره ریاکاری، دروغ، بی عدالتی و چاپلوسی بنشینم. این تصمیم از کسب طلای المپیک هم سخت‌تر است، اما هر کجا باشم فرزند ایران زمین باقی می‌مانم. پشت به دلگرمی شما می‌دهم و جز اعتماد شما در راه سختی که قدم گذاشته‌ام، خواسته دیگری ندارم.

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(Read more from “Iran’s Only Female Olympic Medalist Defects Amid Mass Protests Against the Regime” HERE)

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Trump Announces New Sanctions Against Iran

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The Trump administration announced on Friday a series of new devastating sanctions against Iran which U.S. officials said would cut off billions of dollars from the Islamist terrorist regime.

The sanctions were announced by Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo during a press briefing at the White House and come in response to Iran’s latest attacks on U.S. forces in Iraq.

“First, the President is issuing an executive order authorizing the imposition of additional sanctions against any individual owning, operating, trading with, or assisting sectors of the Iranian economy, including construction, manufacturing, textiles, and mining,” Mnuchin began. “And let me be clear: These will be both primary and secondary sanctions. The EO also allows us to designate other sectors in the future as Secretary Pompeo and me think is appropriate.”

“Second, we are announcing 17 specific sanctions against Iran’s largest steel and iron manufacturers, three Seychelles-based entities, and a vessel involved in the transfer of products,” Mnuchin said. “As a result of these actions, we will cut off billions of dollars of support to the Iranian regime, and we will continue our enforcement of other entities.”

“Third, we are taking action against eight senior Iranian officials who advanced the regime’s destabilizing activity and were involved in Tuesday’s ballistic missile strike,” Mnuchin concluded. “Today’s sanctions are part of our commitment to stop the Iranian regime’s global terrorist activities. The President has been very clear: We will continue to apply economic sanctions until Iran stops its terrorist activities and commit that it will never have nuclear weapons.” (Read more from “Trump Announces New Sanctions Against Iran” HERE)

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