Police Arrest Man for Allegedly Photoshopping President’s Face Onto Porn

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A South African man was arrested Monday for allegedly photoshopping President Cyril Ramaphosa’s face onto pornographic images.

The 34-year-old man allegedly edited and then distributed the images with not only the face of Ramaphosa superimposed, but also Police Minister Bheki Cele and his wife, the Associated Press (AP) reported, citing police. The man will appear in court Tuesday in the South African capital of Pretoria. He is charged with violating the Cyber Crimes Act, which regulates the accessing and processing of digital data.

The alleged culprit distributed the images on social media, and also went one step further and sent them to police officers, police reportedly said. Law enforcement began investigating the incident sometime in May when the images were first being distributed, police spokesman Philani Nkwalase told the news site TimesLive, according to AP. (Read more from “Police Arrest Man for Allegedly Photoshopping President’s Face Onto Porn” HERE)

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Ukraine Admits It Assassinated Russian Propagandists

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The head of Ukraine’s military intelligence service has said in an interview that Kyiv has assassinated Russian propagandists.

Major General Kyrylo Budanov made the admission to the Ukrainian YouTube channel Rizni Lyudi. According to a translation by the independent Russian-language outlet Meduza, Budanov said that Ukraine had “successfully targeted quite a few people” associated with Kremlin propaganda since the start of the war nearly 15 months ago.

Budanov did not provide any names of individuals that Ukraine has allegedly targeted, but several well-known, pro-Kremlin figures have been killed or wounded inside Russia since the start of the war.

Among the more high-profile incidents was last August’s car-bomb killing of Darya Dugina, the journalist daughter of Aleksandr Dugin, an ideologue known as “Putin’s philosopher.” (Read more from “Ukraine Admits It Assassinated Russian Propagandists” HERE)

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Sure Sounds Like Biden Has Changed His Mind on F-16s for Ukraine

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President Joe Biden, while meeting with G7 leaders in Japan this week, reportedly “endorsed” plans to train Ukrainian pilots to fly U.S-Made F-16 fighter jets, according to a Friday morning dispatch from The Associated Press.

The AP’s report cited “people who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss Biden’s private conversations with allies” and explained that the training program would would happen in Europe, beginning “in the coming weeks.”

This significant step toward equipping Ukraine with American air power is another escalation of U.S. support for the country’s fight against Russia, though it remains unclear from which country the F-16s for Ukraine would come. (Read more from “Sure Sounds Like Biden Has Changed His Mind on F-16s for Ukraine” HERE)

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4 Kids Found Alive Two Weeks After Plane Crashes in Jungle

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Four children, including an 11-month-old baby, were found alive in the Colombian jungle more than two weeks after their plane crashed and killed every adult on board.

The miraculous news was shared by President Gustavo Petro following an intense search carried out by the country’s military, firefighters and civil aviation authority officials.

The doomed plane crashed into the thick jungle on May 1, killing the pilot and two other adult passengers aboard. . .

The four surviving children from the country’s Indigenous community are ages 13, 9, 4, and the infant. . .

Rescuers found discarded fruit consumed by the children and improvised shelters made from jungle vegetation during their rescue effort. (Read more from “4 Kids Found Alive Two Weeks After Plane Crashes in Jungle” HERE)

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Top Taiwanese Official Responds to Biden’s Remarks About Us Troops in Taiwan

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A top Taiwanese official responded Monday to the Biden administration repeatedly clarifying President Joe Biden’s remarks about Taiwan, saying the U.S. can have “different interpretations” about the “One China” policy, but that there is also “One Taiwan.”

Biden has vowed to send U.S. troops in the event of a Chinese attack on Taiwan, seemingly departing from a decades-long practice of U.S. non-commitment to military action. In response, the Biden administration scrambled to maintain that the U.S. stands by its “One China” policy and does not encourage Taiwanese independence.

“I think we have different interpretations for the so-called ‘One China’ policy. I also agree with [the] ‘One China’ policy, but I would add ‘One Taiwan’ as well,” You Si-kun, the president of the Taiwanese Legislative Yuan, told the Daily Caller.

Under the “One China” policy, the U.S. recognizes that the Chinese government is the only government but merely acknowledges the Chinese position that Taiwan is a part of China. Officially, the policy of “strategic ambiguity” means that the U.S. has an unofficial relationship with the island.

China maintains the “One China” principle, which argues that Taiwan is a part of China and denies that there are two different countries. (Read more from “Top Taiwanese Official Responds to Biden’s Remarks About Us Troops in Taiwan” HERE)

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A Side Skirmish in Russia-Ukraine War Flares up in South Africa

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It’s thousands of miles from the front lines, but South Africa suddenly finds itself in the thick of a diplomatic dust-up over the war in Ukraine, and over whether the man who started the war should be welcomed here later this year.

Pretoria‘s busy weekend featured President Cyril Ramaphosa speaking by phone with both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy, addressing a slew of murky allegations that South Africa had secretly sold weapons to Moscow. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken put in a call to South African Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor, seeking to clear the air on an incident that has strained relations between the two capitals.

The diplomatic dancing began Thursday after U.S. Ambassador to Pretoria Reuben Brigety went public with U.S. suspicions that a Russian ship, the Lady R., had picked up badly needed ammunition, guns and other equipment when it docked near Cape Town in December.

“Weapons of war were loaded onto that vessel, and I will bet my life on that assertion,” Mr. Brigety told reporters.

The ambassador later met with Mrs. Pandor who claimed that he “apologized unreservedly,” but in a tweet, Mr. Brigety said he had merely “corrected any misimpressions left by my public remarks.” There remained, he added, a “strong partnership between our two countries.” (Read more from “A Side Skirmish in Russia-Ukraine War Flares up in South Africa” HERE)

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China Expands Targeting of U.S With Russian-Style Covert Influence Operations

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China’s government is expanding the use of covert influence operations targeting the United States and is expected to exploit the White House-congressional clash over the debt limit crisis as part of growing anti-U.S. activities, the director of national intelligence said.

The most recent DNI annual threat assessment warned that China’s efforts are nearing the aggressive intensity of similar covert disinformation operations from Russia, including the use of intelligence agents, cybertools and social media to meddle in U.S. elections, weaken national security laws and exacerbate domestic divisions.

“Beijing’s growing efforts to actively exploit perceived U.S. societal divisions using its online personas move it closer to Moscow’s playbook for influence operations,” the assessment states.

The report described Russian disinformation as one of the “most serious foreign influence threats to the United States.”

Avril Haines, the director of national intelligence, disclosed in congressional testimony on May 4 that China is expected to use the looming government crisis over raising the debt ceiling in its anti-U.S. influence campaigns. (Read more from “China Expands Targeting of U.S With Russian-Style Covert Influence Operations” HERE)

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Chinese Diplomat Expelled From Canada After Alleged ‘Intimidation’ Campaign Against Anti-Beijing Lawmaker

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Chinese diplomat Zhao Wei has been expelled from Canada after allegedly participating in an intimidation campaign against an anti-Beijing lawmaker.

Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly released a statement Monday declaring Zhao “persona non grata” and expelling him from the country, saying the conduct Zhao allegedly engaged in was unacceptable. Zhao was accused by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) of targeting Canadian opposition lawmaker Michael Chong, who had been critical of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) over its treatment of Uyghur Muslims, Reuters reported.

“I have been clear: we will not tolerate any form of foreign interference in our internal affairs. Diplomats in Canada have been warned that if they engage in this type of behaviour, they will be sent home,” Joly said. “This decision has been taken after careful consideration of all factors at play. We remain firm in our resolve that defending our democracy is of the utmost importance.” (Read more from “Chinese Diplomat Expelled From Canada After Alleged ‘Intimidation’ Campaign Against Anti-Beijing Lawmaker” HERE)

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U.S. Patriot System Behind Downing of Russian Hypersonic Missile: Ukraine

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Ukraine has confirmed it successfully shot down a Russian Kh-47M2 Kinzhal hypersonic missile over Kyiv on Thursday, clarifying earlier conflicting reports over whether one of the state-of-the-art weapons had been destroyed.

The announcement was made on Saturday by Lieutenant General Mykola Oleshchuk, commander of the Ukrainian Air Force, who described it as a “historic event” on the social media platform Telegram.

Russia launched a wave of missile and drone attacks at Ukraine on Thursday, most of which were intercepted by air defense, one day after two drones exploded near the Kremlin in Moscow. Russian authorities said the drones were “a planned terrorist act” aimed at assassinating President Putin, though Kyiv has denied having any responsibility.

The Defense Express, a military-focused Ukrainian website, first reported one of the intercepted missiles was a hypersonic Kinzhal on Friday, publishing photographs it said showed the downed missile. (Read more from “U.S. Patriot System Behind Downing of Russian Hypersonic Missile: Ukraine” HERE)

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Ukraine Denies Trying to Assassinate Putin

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Russia said Wednesday it had shot down two drones at President Vladimir Putin’s Kremlin residence in what it called a Ukrainian “terrorist” assassination attempt.

Kyiv insisted it had “nothing to do” with the alleged attack, suggesting it was “staged” by Moscow, while the US said the report should be taken with a “shaker of salt”.

“We do not attack Putin or Moscow,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on a visit to Finland.

“We defend our villages and cities.” (Read more from “Ukraine Denies Trying to Assassinate Putin” HERE)

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