Author: CorruptionLedger

Taiwan says 10 Chinese aircraft crossed Taiwan Strait median line

April 1, 2023April 1, 2023 CorruptionLedger No Comments

Ten Chinese aircraft crossed the Ten Chinese aircraft crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait, normally an unofficial barrier between the two sides, Taiwan’s defense ministry said on Saturday, as Beijing continues its military activities near the island.

Nine Chinese fighter jets and one military drone crossed the median line in the 24 hours to 6 a.m. on Saturday, the ministry said in its daily report on Chinese military activities.

Taiwan sent aircraft to warn away the Chinese aircraft, while missile systems monitored them, the ministry said, using standard wording for its response.median line of the Taiwan Strait, normally an unofficial barrier between the two sides, Taiwan’s defense ministry said on Saturday, as Beijing continues its military activities near the island.

Aerospace, All Regions, International Conflict, national-defense, Region Asias, x.japanToday, z-Exclude

Finland Clears Last Obstacle to NATO Entry

March 31, 2023April 1, 2023 CorruptionLedger No Comments

Turkish parliament on Thursday voted unanimously to ratify Finland’s entry into the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, paving the way for Russia’s Nordic neighbor to become the alliance’s 31st member.

The move marks a major reversal for Finland and Sweden, both of which sought NATO membership after Russia invaded Ukraine a year ago. It also marks a sea change for NATO, insofar as Finland guards a border with Russia roughly 1,300 kilometers (800 miles) long.

All Regions, International Conflict, national-defense, Region Asias, Region Europe, Spotlight, x.yahoo

Japan: 3 major electricity companies face record-high ¥101 bil in antitrust fines (Chugoku Electric, Chubu Electric, Kyushu Electric)

March 30, 2023March 30, 2023 CorruptionLedger No Comments

Japan’s antitrust watchdog on Thursday ordered three major utilities to pay a total of 101 billion yen in fines for forming cartels over electricity sales, in a move that goes against the nation’s efforts to free up the electric power market. The amount of the penalty, to be collected from electricity companies based in central,…

more “Japan: 3 major electricity companies face record-high ¥101 bil in antitrust fines (Chugoku Electric, Chubu Electric, Kyushu Electric)” »

All Regions, Enforcement Actions, enforcement archive, reg-enforcement, Region Asias, Regulatory News, x.japanToday, z-ex-enforcement, z-Exclude

US urges Americans to leave Russia ‘immediately’

March 30, 2023March 30, 2023 CorruptionLedger No Comments

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Washington was “deeply concerned” about the development, adding that “in the strongest possible terms, we condemn the Kremlin’s continued attempts to intimidate, repress, and punish journalists and civil society voices.” “We reiterate our strong warnings about the danger posed to US citizens inside the Russian Federation. US citizens residing or traveling in Russia should depart immediately,” the top diplomat said in a statement. A similar message was conveyed by the White House, with Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre stating that the “targeting of American citizens by the Russian government is unacceptable.”

“We also condemn the Russian government’s continued targeting and repression of journalists and freedom of the press,” she added, urging Americans to “heed the US government’s warning to not travel to Russia” or leave should they happen to already be in the country. The call was somewhat watered down by US National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby, who explained Washington was not actually calling upon all Americans to literally leave Russia and was not encouraging news outlets to withdraw their correspondents from the country. Gershkovich, a WSJ correspondent who covers news from Russia, Ukraine, and the former USSR, was detained in the city of Ekaterinburg on suspicion of espionage, Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) announced earlier in the day. According to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, the journalist was caught “red-handed” while trying to obtain Russian state secrets.

Aerospace, All Regions, environment, International Conflict, national-defense, Region Americas, Region Asias, Region Europe, Region Oceania, Region US & Canada, war, x.RT

Macron announces water saving plan; says protests will not stop reforms

March 30, 2023March 30, 2023 CorruptionLedger No Comments

French President Emmanuel Macron sought to rally citizens around a plan to save water on Thursday and stressed that protests will not stop reforms, in a nod to both climate change and an unpopular pension bill.

The water-saving plan includes 50 measures, such as fixing leaking pipes, adapting the way farmers and the nuclear industry use water and making water more expensive for those who use it in excess of basic needs.

“In the face of change, there are necessarily constraints, we must explain them, share them and make each and every one aware of their responsibilities,” Macron said.

This was the president’s first major policy announcement and public outing after weeks focused on the pension bill, which has triggered fierce protests across the country. With the water plan, Macron and his government are looking to move to other topics.

“There are protests, but it does not mean everything must stop,” Macron said.

Aerospace, All Regions, Corruption, government corruption, Protest and Unrest, Region Europe, Spotlight, x.japanToday

US says retaliatory airstrikes in Syria killed eight Iran-backed fighters

March 30, 2023March 30, 2023 CorruptionLedger No Comments

Retaliatory U.S. airstrikes in Syria targeting Iran-backed militants last week killed eight fighters, the Pentagon said Thursday.

The fighters were killed when two U.S. F-15E fighter jets struck facilities operated by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) near Deir ez-Zor province in the eastern part of the country, according to Pentagon press secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder.

Though they were associated with the IRGC, the militants killed were not Iranian, Ryder told reporters.

The U.S. strikes were in retaliation for a drone attack last week at a Syria base that housed American personnel. One U.S. contractor was killed and another was injured along with five service members.

Aerospace, All Regions, environment, International Conflict, national-defense, Region Americas, Region Middle East, Region Oceania, Region US & Canada, war, war crimes, x.yahoo, z-ex-enforcement, z-Exclude

Facebook ‘disappears’ RT Arabic

March 30, 2023March 30, 2023 CorruptionLedger No Comments

“Two weeks we fought with Facebook to restore the suspended page of RT Arabic, with 17 million subscribers,” Manna said on her Telegram channel. “We tried to get an explanation of what triggered the shutdown, because we never got any strikes or comments.” After several awkward non-explanations, Facebook’s customer service “simply wished us luck, closed our case, and turned over the URL to another user,” Manna wrote. “Internet democracy in all its glory!” Facebook blocked the page on March 15, without any explanation or advance warning. Attempts to access the page resulted in the message, “this content isn’t available right now.”

Aerospace, All Regions, environment, International Conflict, Misinformation and Censorship, national-defense, Region Americas, Region Asias, Region Europe, Region Middle East, Region Oceania, Region US & Canada, war, x.RT, z-ex-enforcement, z-Exclude

U.S. sanctions man for trying to arrange arms deal between Russia, North Korea

March 30, 2023March 30, 2023 CorruptionLedger No Comments

The Biden administration has sanctioned a Slovakian man who U.S. officials said attempted to facilitate an arms deal that would have given Russia access to weapons and munitions from North Korea in exchange for aircraft, food and other material.

The Treasury Department announced new sanctions targeting Ashot Mkrtychev, the man accused of trying to arrange the secret deal. Officials said the episode is the latest sign that Russia is searching for ways to replenish its military capabilities as it continues to suffer losses amid heavy fighting in Ukraine.

“We know that between the end of 2022 and early 2023, that [Mkrtychev] worked with North Korean officials to attempt to obtain, as I said, over two dozen kinds of weapons and ammunitions for Russia” in exchange for aircraft, raw materials and commodities, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters on a call. He said any such arrangement would violate multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions.

The Treasury Department said Mkrtychev “confirmed Russia’s readiness to receive military equipment from the DPRK with senior Russian officials,” using North Korea’s official diplomatic name. The department said Mkrtychev worked with a Russian official to locate commercial aircraft that could be delivered to North Korea. Thursday’s sanctions mean all of Mkrtychev’s property and interests in the U.S. or in the possession of U.S. persons are blocked.

_enforcement, Aerospace, All Regions, Enforcement Actions, enforcement archive, environment, International Conflict, national-defense, Region Americas, Region Asias, Region Europe, Region Oceania, Region US & Canada, Sanctions, x.yahoo, z-ex-enforcement, z-Exclude

Russia vs. journalism: Vladimir Putin must release Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich

March 30, 2023March 30, 2023 CorruptionLedger No Comments

In Vladimir Putin’s Russia, the security services routinely torment domestic reporters who dare to expose the truth and now it has extended to the foreign press, arresting Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich. Reporters Without Borders’ World Press Freedom Index ranks the country 155th of 180 nations, declaring that “the government has taken complete control…

more “Russia vs. journalism: Vladimir Putin must release Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich” »

enforcement archive, Misinformation and Censorship, x.yahoo, z-ex-enforcement, z-Exclude

‘Extremely critical situation’ in NATO member’s military – general

March 30, 2023March 30, 2023 CorruptionLedger No Comments

Brigadier General Henrik Lyhne said Denmark’s military is facing what he referred to as its worst staffing issue in decades – a factor which he said will complicate efforts to meet Copenhagen’s NATO obligations. He added that low wages and below-par personnel housing have contributed to an exodus from the armed forces. This, in turn, has led to problems in Denmark supplying troops to the US-led military bloc’s eastern flank in Latvia.

“This is an emergency call,” Lynhe said in an interview broadcast on Monday. “The situation is extremely critical, especially because we lack soldiers like never before. I have been in the armed forces for 40 years, and it has never looked so bad.”

All Regions, Defense and National Security, International Conflict, national-defense, Region Asias, Region Europe, war, x.RT, z-ex-enforcement, z-Exclude