Trump’s Right at Kim’s Doorstep

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President Donald Trump arrived in South Korea on Tuesday for a two-day visit, bringing him near North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on a stop that will also feature talks on a trade deal he says hurts U.S. workers.

The second leg of his five-nation Asia trip includes a meeting with U.S. troops, a joint press briefing with President Moon Jae-in and an address to South Korea’s parliament. In contrast to Trump’s warm relationship with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, his dealings with Moon got off to rocky start due to differences over trade and dialogue with North Korea.

“Getting ready to leave for South Korea and meetings with President Moon, a fine gentleman,” Trump tweeted on Tuesday morning. “We will figure it all out!”

Trump and Moon are likely to show a united front against Kim, even while underlying tensions remain. South Korea hosts more than 28,000 U.S. troops and relies on the alliance to deter a North Korean attack.

Pyongyang’s accelerated missile and nuclear weapons program — and a war of words between Trump and Kim — have ratcheted up tensions in North Asia to the highest level in decades. Nowhere is that tension felt more acutely than in Seoul, with a metropolitan area of more than 25 million people and a location in striking range of the regime. (Read more from “Trump’s Right at Kim’s Doorstep” HERE)

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Trophy Hunter Slammed for Rare Snow Leopard Kill

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A picture of a hunter grinning broadly with a dead snow leopard slung over his shoulders has prompted a now-viral online petition calling for him to be “brought to justice.”

American trophy hunter Hossein Golabchi, nicknamed “Soudy,” is seen in a photo that has been circulating on social media, posing with the dead endangered animal with two shots in its hind leg. Golabchi, who is originally from Iran, is believed to have killed the animal in central Asia.

The Care2 petition was launched by Amanda W. of TERA International (Tiger Exotic Animal Ranger Awareness), an organization focusing on the preservation of exotic animals. Amanda started the petition on International Snow Leopard Day 2017 in hopes that “by International Snow Leopard Day 2018 [Golabchi] is brought to justice,” the petition says.

Amanda points out in the petition that, “There’s nowhere in the entire Western Hemisphere (and the rest of the world) that allows anyone to go into Central Asia to ‘trophy hunt’ a snow leopard.” (Read more from “Trophy Hunter Slammed for Rare Snow Leopard Kill” HERE)

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Archaeologists Discover Mysterious Void Deep Within Great Pyramid of Giza

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Archaeologists have uncovered a mysterious enclosure hidden deep inside the Great Pyramid of Giza, the oldest of the seven wonders of the ancient world.

The massive cavity stretches for at least 30 metres and lies above the grand gallery, an impressive ascending corridor that connects the Queen’s chamber to the King’s in the heart of the historic monument. It is the first major structure found in the pyramid since the 19th century.

It is unclear whether the void is a chamber or a corridor, or whether it played any more than a structural role in the pyramid’s construction – such as relieving weight on the grand gallery below. But measurements show that it has similar dimensions to the grand gallery, which is nearly 50 metres long, eight metres high and more than a metre wide.

Scientists discovered the void using sensors that detect particles known as muons, which rain down on Earth when cosmic rays slam into atoms in the upper atmosphere. The muons travel at close to the speed of light and behave much like x-rays when they meet objects. Armed with suitable equipment, researchers can used them to reveal the rough internal structure of pyramids and other ancient monuments.

“We know that this big void has the same characteristics as the grand gallery,” said Mehdi Tayoubi at the HIP Institute in Paris, a non-profit organisation that draws on new technology to study and preserve cultural heritage. “It’s really impressive.” (Read more from “Archaeologists Discover Mysterious Void Deep Within Great Pyramid of Giza” HERE)

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German Army ‘Plans Break up of E.U.’ in War Game

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The German army has war-gamed the break up of the European Union in study of security crises that could face the country by 2040.

Military planners in Berlin played out a scenario in which a growing number of countries follow Britain in leaving the EU, resulting in an “increasingly disorderly” world, Der Spiegel reported.

“The EU enlargement has been largely abandoned, more states have left the bloc,” strategists wrote in a study cited by the magazine.

“The increasingly disorderly, sometimes chaotic and conflictual world has dramatically changed the security policy environment for Germany and Europe.”

Der Speigel said the study could inform German armaments programs in the next several years. (Read more from “German Army ‘Plans Break up of E.U.’ in War Game” HERE)

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New Technology Could Stop Truck Attacks in Urban Areas

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The Swedish government wants to test so-called “geofences” to stop vehicle attacks by automatically slowing down trucks in urban environments.

Geofences is a recent invention that haven’t been tested at a larger scale. A GPS device is attached to the vehicle to control its speed within virtual perimeters. Heavy vehicles would not even be allowed to enter certain areas without a working device.

The Swedish capital of Stockholm suffered a truck attack in April after an Uzbek man, who was ordered to be deported, killed five people on a busy shopping street. Authorities have since put up 60 concrete barriers around the city, and they now want to test the new system as early as next year. (Read more from “New Technology Could Stop Truck Attacks in Urban Areas” HERE)

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Yemen Ports Closed After 17 Killed in Aden Attack Compared by Saudis to ‘Act of War’

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The Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen closed off the land, sea and air ports to the Arab world’s poorest country early Monday after a rebel-fired ballistic missile targeted Riyadh, blaming the launch on Iran and warning it could be “considered as an act of war.”

The coalition’s statement ramps up tensions between the ultraconservative Sunni kingdom and its Shiite rival Iran, both of which have interests in Yemen’s yearslong conflict. The bloodshed continued Sunday as an Islamic State-claimed militant attack in Aden killed at least 17 people.

In a statement, the coalition accused Iran of supplying Yemen’s Houthi rebels and their allies with the missile launched Saturday toward the Saudi capital’s international airport.

Iran has backed the rebels, but denies arming them. The Houthi militants have said their Volcano-variant ballistic missile is locally produced.

The Saudi-led coalition’s statement said the closures would be temporary and “take into account” the work of humanitarian and aid organizations. The war has claimed more than 10,000 lives and driven the Arab world’s poorest country to the brink of famine. (Read more from “Yemen Ports Closed After 17 Killed in Aden Attack Compared by Saudis to ‘Act of War'” HERE)

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Investigation: Foundations Gave Millions to Groups Accused of Terror Ties

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Major American foundations have given millions of dollars in funding to Islamic organizations accused of having ties to radical Islamist movements or designated terrorist organizations and a group of activists are trying to convince them to stop.

Groups like Islamic Relief Worldwide, which some countries have banned for allegedly funding Hamas and other terrorist organizations, have received millions of dollars from corporate charities like the GE Foundation, community foundations like the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, and independent foundations like George Soros’ Open Society Foundation.

Researchers with the Middle East Forum, an activist group devoted to promoting American interests abroad, identified the financial stream from American foundations to seven Islamic groups with radical ties: Islamic Relief Worldwide and its sister organization in the United States — Islamic Relief USA, the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), the Muslim American Society (MAS), the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA), the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC) and, despite rebounding from highly damaging terrorist allegations in 2008, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR).

The various foundations have given $5.8 million to these seven groups since 2000, IRS filings show, with $5.6 million of that taking place since 2008.

In total, 46 corporate foundations, eight community foundations, nine private foundations and one donor-advised fund have given money to these seven groups. (Read more from “Investigation: Foundations Gave Millions to Groups Accused of Terror Ties” HERE)

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The Big Reveal: The Story of How 470,000 Documents From Osama Bin Laden’s Compound Finally Got Into the Open

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On the penultimate day of the Obama administration, less than 24 hours before the president would vacate the White House, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper issued a press release meant to put to rest what had been a pesky issue for his office. “Closing the Book on Bin Laden: Intelligence Community Releases Final Abbottabad Documents,” the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) announced. “Today marks the end of a two-and-a-half-year effort to declassify several hundred documents recovered in the raid on Osama bin Laden’s Abbottabad, Pakistan, compound in May 2011.” Accompanying the press release were 49 documents captured during the raid, bringing the total number of documents made public to 571.

For anyone who had paid even casual attention to the long-running debate over the Abbottabad documents—a group that doesn’t include many journalists—the ODNI announcement was cause for a chuckle. Closing the book on Osama bin Laden? The final Abbottabad documents?

In the heady days immediately after the May 2 Abbottabad raid, President Obama’s national security adviser, Tom Donilon, had described the intelligence haul brought back from Pakistan by the Navy SEALs and CIA operatives as extensive enough to fill a “small college library.” A senior military intelligence official who briefed reporters at the Pentagon on May 7, 2011, said: “As a result of the raid, we’ve acquired the single largest collection of senior terrorist materials ever.” . . .

The answer: The self-proclaimed “most transparent administration in history” had spent more than five years misleading the American people about the threat from al Qaeda and its offshoots and had paid very little price for having done so. Republicans volubly disputed the president’s more laughable claims—the attack on the Benghazi compound was just a protest gone bad, al Qaeda was on the run, ISIS was the terrorist junior varsity—but the establishment media, certain that Obama’s predecessor had consistently exaggerated the threat, showed little interest in challenging Obama or the intelligence agencies that often supported his spurious case. (Read more from “The Big Reveal: The Story of How 470,000 Documents From Osama Bin Laden’s Compound Finally Got Into the Open” HERE)

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Kim’s Disaster: North Korean Nuclear Base Collapses, Killing at Least 200 People

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Information emerging from furtive North Korea indicates that a tunnel at the regime’s nuclear test site collapsed last month after a nuclear test, killing about 200 people.

A report from Japanese broadcaster TV Asahi, citing unnamed sources, said 100 people were killed in an initial collapse around Sept. 10, and another 100 died in a rescue operation.

Other reports put the date of the collapse as Oct. 10. No official North Korean announcement was made about the date of the collapse.

North Korea’s massive Sept. 3 test caused multiple tremors and landslides in the region, according to Reuters.

Even before news of the tunnel collapse emerged, Western analysts had said the region might be unfit for more nuclear tests.

Reports that a tunnel collapsed triggered fears that radioactive material might also leak out.

Nam Jae-cheol, the chief of South Korea’s Korea Meteorological Administration, said Monday some type of collapse was likely.

“Based on our analysis of satellite imagery, we judge that there is a hollow space, which measures about 60 to 100 meters (in length), at the bottom of Mount Mantap in the Punggye-ri site,” he said. “So, should another nuke test occur, there is the possibility (of a collapse).”

Asked then whether an earthquake could trigger a release of radioactive materials, Nam said, “Should it sink, there is a possibility,” according to the South Korean Yonhap News Agency.

September’s hydrogen bomb detonation resulted in a 6.3 magnitude earthquake. Aftershocks led to a 3.4 magnitude quake on Sept. 23 and a 2.9 magnitude quake on Oct. 12.

Earlier this month, experts speculated that North Korea’s test site might have suffered irreversible damage.

“The explosion from the Sept. 3 test had such power that the existing tunnels within the underground testing site might have caved in,” said Kim So-gu, head researcher at the Korea Seismological Institute.

“I think the Punggye-ri region is now pretty saturated. If it goes ahead with another test in this area, it could risk radioactive pollution,” he added, as reported by Reuters.

A more powerful underground detonation at the current site could be “potentially suicidal,” not only because of damage from past tests, but also due to potential eruptions at Mount Paektu, a volcano only about 60 miles away, according to Kune Yull Suh, a professor of nuclear engineering at Seoul National University.

The website 38 North, which tracks North Korean activities, reported that the Punggye-ri nuclear test site did sustain damage from the last test.

It said there were “numerous landslides throughout the Punggye-ri Nuclear Test Site on the slopes of Mt. Mantap (and beyond) resulting from North Korea’s sixth nuclear test. These disturbances are more numerous and widespread than seen after any of the North’s previous five tests.” (For more from the author of “Kim’s Disaster: North Korean Nuclear Base Collapses, Killing at Least 200 People” please click HERE)

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NASA Imagery Casts More Doubt on Women Who Claim They Were Lost at Sea

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By Gabrielle Okun. NASA imagery casts more doubt on the story of two women who claimed they were lost at sea for five months before being heroically rescued last week.

Jennifer Appel and Tasha Fuiava’s story grows more suspicious due to NASA imagery showing weather inconsistencies with their tale, reported The Associated Press. The women claim they were lost at sea after a huge storm with 30-foot waves and hurricane-like winds occured the night they took off.

The images do not show any severe weather when they set sail in Hawaii. (Read more from “NASA Imagery Casts More Doubt on Women Who Claim They Were Lost at Sea” HERE)

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Inconsistencies Cast Doubt on Hawaiian Women’s Tale of Sea Survival

A growing list of inconsistencies is casting doubt on the harrowing tale of survival by two Hawaii women who say they were lost at sea for months.

The U.S. Coast Guard says the women never activated their emergency beacon. The sailors tell The Associated Press that they chose not to use the beacon because they never felt they were in imminent danger . . .

Key elements of the women’s account are contradicted by weather reports and basic geography of the Pacific Ocean. (Read more from “Inconsistencies Cast Doubt on Hawaiian Women’s Tale of Sea Survival” HERE)

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