1671: It's The Boyfriend

Just listened to 1671 and the new york heat wave.

As someone who's worked outside for 14 years in Southern Arizona I have a little boots on the ground.

When this heat dome passed through it was toasty, sure. But local news and radio blasted out "Excessive heat warnings" and dangerous heat wave. What was the high in Tucson those days? Announced at 102.

I've lived in Tucson since 07. Ridden motorcycles year round. Sure its warm.

But I know for a fact the first time I heard an excessive heat warning it was issued when we were going to hit 118.

The last few years, still working outside. I've noticed excessive heat warnings be issued over 110.

Always thought to myself, that's strange. That seems lower. But I never could remember at what point they issued the heat warnings.

But since it was registered in my mind at 110. When they issued the 102 excessive heat warning couple weeks ago I couldn't believe it. That's a nice day in the middle of summer for Tucson!

They've slowly lowered the point of issuing excessive heat warnings. And blasting out the dangers over the news and radio.

And also that heat dome was pleasant compared to Phoenix or Tucson over 115.

Signed,

Josh.

$600 purchase price

$30/month anywhere

Hi Adam,

Thank you for the best podcast in the universe! I am about 2 episodes behind, but I came across this article this morning and thought you might be interested in reading it. (My apologies if you have already gone over this.)

I am a 3rd generation farmer in CA and have so much farming information to share with you guys. It is our busy season, but I will try and send more info soon.

And although, the “war on chickens” jingle is one of the best, I believe it is a war on protein (beef, dairy, chicken) and just farmers in general. Noticed I left out pork…as you probably know, the Chinese own the pork industry in the US (Smithfield Foods)…and we don't hear much about the swine do we?

I really enjoy the show and hope you a great day!

Thank you for your courage!

Larkin H.

(Soon to be Dame Malarkey)

Alveo develops rapid, on-farm test for avian flu

The CDC made a call-out last week to CLIA-certified laboratories asking them to create rapid tests for it. Just like they did when covid started and a surplus of rapid tests popped up on the market

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Sun, 23 Jun 2024 17:08

Analysis by WorldTribune Staff , June 19, 2024 Contract With Our Readers

Globalist billionaire George Soros is asking the FCC to waive its rule on foreign ownership of U.S. radio stations so he quickly can buy the Audacy radio empire, which is second in number of stations only to iHeart radio.

George SorosElection interference?

The 93-year-old Soros in February pumped $400 million into Audacy. The network reaches 165 million monthly listeners and includes conservative shows from hosts including Sean Hannity, Dana Loesch, Mark Levin, Glenn Beck, and Erick Erickson.

''But their influence is likely to be muted if the billionaire takes over and imposes his agenda, as has happened with other media acquisitions,'' the New York Post reported on Tuesday.

Soros is pressing the FCC to make an exception to its rule where foreign company ownership of U.S. radio stations is not allowed to exceed 25%. To take control of the Audacy network of stations, most of the money from Soros Fund Management comes from abroad.

Anna Gomez was confirmed by the Senate on Sept. 7, 2023 and sworn in as the FCC's fifth and final commissioner, giving Democrats a 3-2 majority.

''The FCC should not create a special Soros shortcut,'' FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr, a Republican, told The Post this week.

Rep. Chip Roy, a Texas Republican, warned in April of the special treatment Soros is seeking from the FCC:

But instead of going through the usual petition for declaratory ruling process, which would enable the FCC to review and assess those foreign ownership interests as part of its transaction review, the Soros group has asked the FCC to waive that process and put it off until sometime down the road '-- indicating that those foreign stakeholders will be given 'special warrants' in the meantime.

The Soros group says that skipping the foreign ownership review at this time will enable the FCC to expedite its approval of the Soros applications and thus allow them to more quickly realize their ownership interests in, and take the reins at, these hundreds of local radio stations across the country.

Audacy has 220 stations including New York's WFAN and 1010 WINS, as well as Los Angeles-based KROQ, according to bankruptcy filings.

Related : King George (Soros) isn't buying up corrupted U.S. media outlets '' he already owns them , April 24, 2024

Sources told The Post Soros's stake is equal to about 40% of the company's senior debt, which could yield effective control of the media giant when it emerges from bankruptcy.

''When it comes to a broadcast station acquisition of this size and magnitude '' hundreds of radio stations across more than 45 markets '' the FCC needs to run its full and normal review process,'' Carr said. ''The FCC should not be skipping steps or waiving required agency processes.''

A source with knowledge of the deal told The Post: ''The idea that George Soros is buying hundreds of local radio stations right before a national election and will keep broadcasting Sean Hannity and other conservative talk radio hosts on Audacy is not credible.''

Your Choice

Brendan Carr, Update: FCC waivers boost Soros bid to further silence the right with Audacy radio takeover, WorldTribune.com

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Archived Version

Sun, 23 Jun 2024 17:07

Photo illustration by Emily Rabbideau - Photos courtesy of House of Love and Gay Water

Late last year, 33-year-old Justin Ruka of Orlando met a flight attendant at a gay bar. About a month later, Ruka saw a familiar face coming down the aisle during an Alaska Airlines flight to San Francisco.

The flight attendant needed only one guess to know what Ruka was drinking. In a flash, Ruka's tray had two tiny bottles of Tito's vodka, a can of seltzer water and a lime flavoring packet. Voila: vodka soda.

"It's kind of cliche," Ruka said of his drink, but "it was a really nice way to kick off that trip."

The combination of soda water and vodka has long been a fixture of boozy LGBTQ+ life, particularly among gay men. Over time, it has become a cultural touchpoint and somewhat of an inside joke within the community.

The so-called "gay water" has created business opportunities for entrepreneurs ranging from local bar owners to canned cocktail makers.

Multiple gay-identifying men told CNBC that the drink is their go-to because it's low in sugar and calories. It can also lead to less of a hangover compared with alternatives, such as tequila or gin, they said. Some add a lime wedge or a splash of cranberry juice to their vodka soda for extra flavor.

There's little recent data on LGBTQ+ consumers and specific alcohol preferences, despite some showing a higher propensity to spend in the category as a whole. But anecdotal evidence or a peek inside a gay bar prove the drink's unique popularity.

"It's something that you see everywhere," said Lucas Hilderbrand, a film and media studies professor at the University of California, Irvine. He documented gay drinking establishments across the country in his 2023 book "The Bars Are Ours."

Justin Ruka's tray table on his flight to San Francisco

Photo: Justin Ruka

Just look at the listing for "gay water" in the online Urban Dictionary, which explains slang. It names vodka soda with a lemon or lime on the side, calling the concoction a queer man's "perfect gateway to a good buzz and a small waistline."

The libation has been the subject of countless memes and jokes on social media platforms such as Instagram and X. One of those came from Houston-based lawyer Jeff Watters, who called the vodka soda the "gay water" of the nighttime in a post on X. Its daytime counterpart, he said, is Diet Coke .

Some of the lore centers around the notoriously heavy pours from bartenders at gay establishments. Watters said that during a recent Pride Month event hosted at a typically "straight" venue, a friend remarked that Watters' vodka soda might be stronger at an LGBTQ+ bar.

The club soda in the drink, Hilderbrand said, is a successor to tonic water, which was popular in these establishments before 2000. More broadly, he said, sparkling water has long been associated with the gay community: In the 1980s cult classic "Heathers," for example, a bottle of mineral water is left as a clue to persuade police that two dead football players were lovers.

Vodka, meanwhile, has always been a spirit of choice for the community, Hilderbrand said. This can be tied in part to decadeslong efforts by vodka producers to market directly to LGBTQ+ consumers, he said.

'Bread and butter' '-- spiked editionAt Henry's Upstairs in Lawrence, Kansas, a cocktail version of the drink, called Gay Ice Water, is far and away its best seller.

For $9, customers get a combination of lemongrass vodka, chamomile tea-infused vermouth, sherry wine, elderflower and key lime acid. The drink is premixed in a keg, then poured over ice and topped with a homemade tonic water.

"We wanted to take the vodka soda and elevate it," said owner Mary Holt. "People just fell in love with it."

Her team was aware of the gay water moniker when they named the drink, but there was an advocacy angle they also felt was important. When Holt takes Gay Ice Water kegs to external events, she said, its name requires Kansans to acknowledge queer people at a time when LGBTQ+ rights have increasingly become a political football.

In other words, Holt said, people have to "say gay."

The Gay Ice Water cocktail available at Henry's Upstairs in Lawrence, Kansas

Photo: Mary Holt

More than 1,000 miles away, the vodka soda is the most popular mixture in well-known New York City gay bars co-owned by Eric Einstein, including Pieces and Playhouse. The drink accounts for around 3 of every 10 orders, he said.

"It's really our bread and butter," Einstein said. "It's just so commonplace. It's sort of like asking for a pack of gum at a bodega."

Einstein said this affinity for club soda has a business benefit, too. When a customer orders just soda water along with alcohol, the bar saves money, since no flavoring syrup is used for the mixer.

For Brendan Oudekerk, vodka soda is a simple and universally liked refreshment to choose when buying for several friends at once. He said bartenders at the LGBTQ+ venues he frequents in Washington, D.C., know his "Rose Kennedy'' order. Named after the political family's matriarch, the drink refers to a classic vodka soda with a splash of cranberry juice.

"I'd be a bartender at a gay bar, and I would just make the vodka sodas ready to go, because that's all people want," the 34-year-old financial analyst said. "It sounds so basic, but it's true."

Canned cocktails to candlesKnowing the vodka soda's popularity within their community, LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs have formulated the drink into canned cocktails, a beverage type gaining favor.

World of Wonder, the production company behind competition show "RuPaul's Drag Race," launched a "vodka soda citrus" canned cocktail earlier this year. It was one of several released in tandem with the 16th season of the Emmy Award-winning reality program, in which drag queens compete against each other.

"People call it the gay Super Bowl," said Tom Campbell, head of development for World of Wonder and executive producer of the show.

The company's House of Love arm offered samples at viewing parties for the show around the country. That kicked off a market-by-market strategy, where the team builds a retail presence in communities with gay bars already hosting these types of events, according to Campbell.

Attendees of a watch party for the newest season of "RuPaul's Drag Race" in West Hollywood with the House of Love vodka soda citrus drink

Photo: James Delos Reyes

But there's opportunity beyond just geographic locations with bustling gay life, he said. The growing prevalence of drag brunches in communities that haven't typically been deemed queer havens around the country create new entry points. And contestants on the show serve as "built in" influencers for the product, which can also be purchased online, he said.

Campbell said non-LGBTQ+ consumers often follow the community's trends, whether they realize it or not. This can mean a brand or drink that's currently preferred by this group can garner a wider appeal down the road.

"Queer culture is pop culture, and pop culture is queer culture," he said. "Our show is kind of on the cutting edge of what people are thinking, saying, wearing, doing and drinking."

Retail is also central to the business for Gay Water, a startup offering canned cocktail variations of vodka soda. While founder Spencer Hoddeson acknowledged that the name may not ring a bell for those outside the LGBTQ+ community, he said it is important to "create conversations" in aisles through an unabashedly queer brand.

"As a community, a big topic has always been representation in media," Hoddeson said. "But what about representation in your grocery store or your liquor store '-- spaces that people frequent physically?"

Since founding the brand in July, Hoddeson has placed the product on shelves of retail chains Total Wine & More and BevMo. Gay Water can also be delivered within the New York City area through Gopuff or shipped to most states.

Hoddeson said he's run into challenges courting investors who see the LGBTQ+ consumer as a "question mark." His brand came into existence shortly after the meltdown around Bud Light 's relationship with a transgender influencer rattled the alcohol and marketing industries.

But he said the business has also felt a "halo effect" from being an openly queer-run brand. One way that materializes: Allies will show their solidarity by purchasing the product, given its connection to the community.

Read more CNBC analysis on culture and the economyOther brands are jumping on the canned vodka soda trend, including Kylie Jenner's Sprinter line and Boston Beer 's Truly brand. But Hoddeson said he's hopeful shoppers will opt for items that have socially minded missions behind them. For Gay Water, he said, that currently takes the form of product donations to fundraisers associated with LGBTQ+ causes. Neither Sprinter nor Boston Beer responded to CNBC's requests for comment.

Both the House of Love and Gay Water products have 4% alcohol content. The former's vodka soda citrus is 100 calories per can, while Gay Water contains 80.

Drink makers aren't the only businesses focused on the LGBTQ+ community that are capitalizing on the beverage's cultural cachet. The Gay Bar Shop, a specialty retailer, sells an 11-ounce, $49 candle that smells like a vodka soda with a lime garnish.

The product's listing showers its inspiration with praise: "Instead of paying $12 at a crowded bar, light up this candle to reminisce in the scent of the greatest drink ever created."

Here, queer and drinking beerDespite all the fanfare, a dislike for the vodka soda's taste is enough to push people such as Victor Tran away from the pack.

The 24-year-old Virginia resident said he's open to many types of beverages. He starts a typical night out with a mixture of sugar-free Red Bull and vodka, he said. Later on, he'll turn to beer.

"I can see why it's kind of seen as 'manly,' because it's like a frat drink," Tran said. "We need to make beer fun and girly, too."

Disclosure: Gay Water founder Spencer Hoddeson is a former employee of NBCUniversal, which owns CNBC.

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Archived Version

Sun, 23 Jun 2024 16:05

In addition to the formal UN-organized part of COP29, the COP29 host country Azerbaijan also provides an opportunity for the international community and civil society to present solutions and ways forward.

Managed by the host country of COP29, the Green Zone offers an informal space for youth leaders, businesses, researchers, artists, decision-makers from regional and local communities, and a wide range of other civil society players to come together, present and share their vision and ideas for a zero-carbon future through presentations, panel debates, poster sessions and exhibitions.

Those interested in representation in the Green Zone can submit their official applications via the platform

www.cop29greenzone.com. Applications are open until 10 July 2024. Participants may address any queries about the Green Zone to the following email address

GreenZoneSales@dmgeventsglobal.com

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Archived Version

Sun, 23 Jun 2024 12:25

The partnership will bring fans closer to the UEFA EURO 2024' action through exclusive discounts and prizes

SINGAPORE , May 27, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Following the news in March that AliExpress became the first exclusive global e-commerce partner of UEFA EURO 2024', today, AliExpress, an international online retail marketplace, officially welcomes David Beckham as its new global brand ambassador. In this partnership, Beckham will help fans 'Score More with AliExpress' during UEFA EURO 2024'.

David Beckham unveiled as AliExpress global ambassador kicking off with the launch of a UEFA EURO 2024' campaign.The global sport and lifestyle icon will help AliExpress consumers get closer to the action through a new UEFA EURO 2024' campaign that launches today. AliExpress users will have the chance to take part in a series of interactive games to win exclusive discounts and time-limited prizes, including match tickets. AliExpress is investing millions of Euros in discounts, deals and engagement during the games, as part of its increased investment into global consumer experience. In addition, new and eligible AliExpress users will be entered into exclusive lucky draws with prizes to welcome them to the platform.

Click HERE to see the 'Spend Less, Get More' TV campaign which is released today.

During the games from June 14 to July 14 , AliExpress will run an innovative 'Shake and Win' promotion, offering time-limited prizes following each goal of all games. All eligible users just need to log on to the AliExpress app and shake their smartphone once the ball hits the back of the net, for the chance to score great prizes.

"AliExpress is helping fans get even closer to UEFA EURO 2024' this summer, by offering them great prizes as the action takes place on the pitch," said David Beckham.

"AliExpress is excited to welcome David Beckham as our global ambassador ahead of the Summer of Sports that is set to kick off in Europe . Whether you're a football fan or not, I can think of no-one better to show how easy it is to win with AliExpress during UEFA EURO 2024'," said Gary Topp, European Commercial Director, AliExpress.

Continued commitment and investment globally

AliExpress continues to invest in its premium service AliExpress Choice, which offers consumers great selection, speedy shipping and hassle-free returns* as well as millions in discounts and deals during UEFA EURO 2024'.

UEFA EURO 2024 ' takes place June 14-July 14 in 10 host cities across Germany and will see 24 national teams compete.

*Subject to terms and conditions, please check out the AliExpress app and website for more details.

About AliExpress

Launched in 2010, AliExpress (www.aliexpress.com) is a business-to-consumer (B2C) e-commerce platform enabling global consumers to buy directly from manufacturers and distributors in China and around the world. In addition to the global English-language version, the AliExpress platform is also available in 17 other languages. AliExpress is part of Alibaba International Digital Commerce Group.

SOURCE AliExpress

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Archived Version

Sun, 23 Jun 2024 12:14

by David MinorThis is a prophetic word which was given two decades ago by David Minor.

It is dated April 6, 1987. ''The Spirit of God would say to you that the wind of the Holy Spirit is blowing through the land. The church, however, is incapable of fully recognizing this wind. Just as your nation has given names to its hurricanes, so I have put My name on this wind. This wind is named HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD. Because of a lack of understanding, some of My people will try to find shelter from the wind, but in so doing, they shall miss My work. For this wind has been sent to blow through every institution that has been raised in My name. In those institutions that have substituted their name for Mine, they shall fall by the impact of My wind. Those institutions shall fall like cardboard shacks in a gale. Ministries that have not walked in uprightness before Me shall be broken and fall.

For this reason, man will be tempted to brand this as a work of Satan, but do not be misled; this is My wind. I cannot tolerate My church in its present form, nor will I tolerate it. Ministries and organizations will shake and fall in the face of this wind. Even though some will seek to hide from that wind, they shall not escape. It shall blow against your lives, and everything around you will appear to be crumbling, and so it shall. But never forget this is my wind,'' saith the Lord. ''With tornado force it will come and appear to leave devastation, but the Word of the Lord comes and says, 'Turn your face into the wind and let it blow.' For only that which is not of Me shall be devastated. You must see this as necessary.

Be not dismayed, for after this, My wind shall blow again. Have you not read how My breath blew on the valley of dry bones? So it shall breathe on you. This wind will come in equal force as the first wind. This wind too will have a name. It shall be called THE KINGDOM OF GOD. It shall bring My government and order. Along with that it shall be bring My power. The supernatural shall come in that wind. The world will laugh at you because of the devastation of that first wind, but they will laugh no more. For this wind will come with force and power that will produce the miraculous among My people and the fear of God shall fall on the nation.

My people will be willing in the day of My power,'' saith the Lord. ''In My first wind that is upon you now, I will blow out pride, lust, greed, competition, and jealousy and you will feel devastated, but haven't you read, 'Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.'? So out of your poverty of spirit I will establish My kingdom. Have you not read, 'The Kingdom of God is in the Holy Ghost'? So by My Spirit My kingdom will be established and made manifest.

Know this also, there will be those who shall seek to hide from this present wind, and they will try to flow with the second wind. But again, they will be blown away by it. Only those who have turned their faces into the present wind shall be allowed to be propelled by the second wind. You have longed for revival and a return of the miraculous and the supernatural. You and your generation shall see it, but it shall only come by My process.'' saith the Lord.

The church of this nation cannot contain My power in its present form. But as it turns to the wind of the Holiness of God, it shall be purged and changed to contain My glory. This is judgment that has begun to the house of God, but this is not the end. When the second wind has come and brought My harvest, then shall the end come.''

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Archived Version

Sun, 23 Jun 2024 11:53

Security services around Europe are on alert to a potential new weapon of Russia's war '' arson and sabotage '' after a spate of mystery fires and attacks on infrastructure in the Baltics, Germany and the UK.

When a fire broke out in Ikea in Vilnius in Lithuania this month, few passed any remarks until the Polish prime minister, Donald Tusk, suggested it could have been the work of a foreign saboteur.

Investigators have already alleged potential Russian involvement in an arson attack in east London, an inferno that destroyed the largest shopping mall in Poland, a sabotage attempt in Bavaria in Germany and antisemitic graffiti in Paris.

While there is no evidence that any of these incidents across the continent are coordinated, security services believe they could be part of an attempt by Moscow to destabilise the west, which has backed Ukraine.

They point out that after the cold war, foreign intelligence operations consisted of spies and their handlers, but in the era of social media, vandals can be hired, leaving few connections to other attackers as pay-as-you-go saboteurs paid a few hundred euros or in cryptocurrency.

Such is the emerging concern that these hybrid attacks could be the work of Russia that the issue was raised at a summit of foreign and defence ministers in Brussels this week with Dutch, Estonian and Lithuanian security officials all warning of national vulnerabilities.

One minister, who asked not to be named said, they were deeply worried about ''sabotage, physical sabotage, organised, financed and done by Russian proxies''.

Antisemitic graffiti on the Wall of the Righteous outside the Shoah memorial in Paris earlier this month. Photograph: Antonin Utz/AFP/Getty ImagesLast week, Tusk revealed Polish authorities had arrested nine people in connection with acts of sabotage allegedly committed on the orders of Russian services.

He said the crimes allegedly included ''beatings, arson and attempted arson'' with investigators looking into whether Russia was involved in the fire in a shopping centre in Warsaw, a claim the Russian embassy described as a conspiracy theory.

A spokesperson for Ikea said investigations were continuing into the source of the fire in Lithuania but it was among the examples, along with an attempted arson attack on a paint factory in Poland, that Tusk cited in his warning of potential foreign interference.

In April, a British man was accused of orchestrating an arson attack on two units linked to a Ukrainian businessman in an industrial estate in Leyton, east London, after allegedly being recruited by Russian intelligence. The Crown Prosecution Service claimed he was ''engaged in conduct targeting businesses which were linked to Ukraine in order to benefit the Russian state''.

On Tuesday, the Estonian defence minister, Hanno Pevkur, in Brussels for an EU defence summit, said the country had already been the victim of Russian sabotage.

''They have conducted similar operations in Estonia. They hired 10 people to attack the car of the interior minister and a journalist's car. This is normal behaviour of Russia. We are sorry to say but we need to understand that Russia is more and more aggressive towards European countries and also Nato countries,'' he said.

He was referring to incidents in February when the windows of cars belonging to the interior minister, Lauri L¤¤nemets, and a journalist were smashed.

Six people were arrested shortly afterwards, including Russian nationals and dual Russian-Estonian citizens, the prosecutor said.

In Germany, there are also suspicions of foreign intelligence-driven attacks in addition to a wave of cyber-attacks in 2023 by a hacker group linked to Russian intelligence.

Last month, two German-Russian nationals were arrested on suspicion of plotting sabotage attacks including on a military base in Bavaria. The main suspect has been accused of plotting an explosion, arson and maintaining contact with Russian intelligence.

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Firefighters attempt to control a blaze at a warehouse of a Ukraine-linked business in east London. Photograph: London fire brigadeInvestigators in France are considering whether graffiti painted on Paris's Holocaust memorial last week was ordered by Russian security services.

It has echoes of an attack last year when the Star of David was spray-painted on buildings in and around Paris, prompting fears of a recurrence of Nazi-era attempts to identify the homes of Jewish people. Authorities later said they believed the attack may have been a ''demand'' of an individual living abroad.

The attacks, European officials fear, add to an already proliferating disinformation campaign. On Wednesday, several schools around Athens were evacuated after a bomb hoax. Police traced the stunt to a Russian server and said it was aimed at ''disrupting public order''.

EU countries are tracking these events. Lithuania's national crisis management centre (NKVC) has warned businesses including shopping centres and organisations supporting Ukraine to heighten their vigilance.

Vilmantas Vitkauskas, the head of the NKVC, told reporters two weeks ago: ''The threat level is quite high. We urge the public to remain vigilant.''

On Monday, the Dutch national coordinator for security and counter-terrorism warned of the risk of subversive operations in the Netherlands including ''espionage and pre-positioning for sabotage of vital infrastructure''.

In Brussels on Tuesday, the Dutch defence minister, Kajsa Ollongren, said Russia was ''trying to intimidate'' Nato countries, making EU member states vulnerable.

''Yes, we are vulnerable. I think all of us are. We have vital infrastructure. We have seabed infrastructure, we have electricity supplies, water supplies, we're vulnerable to cyber-attacks. We are seeing now in several European countries that Russia is trying to destabilise us and also to intimidate us.

''I think this has been a way that Russia and also the Soviet Union has worked throughout recent history, really; in the 75 years of Nato I think we've seen it often,'' she said.

Nato's secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, has also pointed the finger at Moscow. ''We have seen several arrests across the alliance and different Nato allied countries of people who are accused of arson or sabotage. These are of course ongoing legal processes,'' he said. ''But what I can say is that we have seen increased Russian intelligence activity across the alliance. Therefore we have increased our vigilance.''

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Sun, 23 Jun 2024 11:49

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan '-- Two years after the Taliban banned opium, Afghan farmers turning to alternative crops are discovering that many no longer grow easily here because of the impact of climate change, imperiling poppy eradication efforts.

For decades, farmers in southern Afghanistan relied on opium poppies to make a living in their parched desert landscape. Even as prolonged drought dried out rivers and turned fields so salty that they glowed white in the sun, the hardy poppies flourished.

The Taliban ended that after seizing power in Afghanistan three years ago, banning opium on religious grounds. But farmers in the former poppy heartland say they can't make a living with typical alternatives like wheat and cotton, which have tumbled in price as they've flooded the market since the opium ban took effect. Some other field crops and fruits that once grew here '-- including eggplants, pomegranates and apricots '-- have become difficult, and in some cases impossible, to cultivate because of the harsh conditions that Afghan researchers attribute to climate change.

The Post's Rick Noack reports on Afghan farmers' efforts to shift toward crops other than poppies under a Taliban regime that has banned the flowers. (Video: Joe Snell, Carolyn Van Houten , Rick Noack/The Washington Post)

Some farmers are abandoning their fields. Others are weighing a return to poppy cultivation or are refusing to comply with the ban.

''If they can't cover their expenses, they'll go back to growing poppies,'' said Shams-u-Rahman Musa, a top agriculture official in Kandahar for the Taliban-run government, adding that the government is aware of farmers' frustration. ''We're trying our best to find solutions,'' he said.

If the Taliban fails to engineer a successful transition from poppies to other crops, the impact could be felt well beyond Afghanistan's borders. Afghanistan was the world's largest exporter of opium before the Taliban takeover, according to the United Nations, representing more than 80 percent of global supply before production plummeted last year.

Musa said the government is now trying to identify crops that can grow in dry and salty conditions. While saffron and pistachio are among the most promising alternatives, the choice of variety will be crucial for success. Afghanistan is appealing to other countries to supply modified seeds that are hardy enough to grow here.

A dramatic rise in temperatures

The drop in farming revenue is particularly pronounced in the south of Afghanistan, where about two-thirds of the country's opium poppies were grown before the ban.

While average annual temperatures in Afghanistan have risen by up to 3.2 degrees Fahrenheit over the past half-century, which is twice the global average increase, the trend has been even more dramatic in the south of the country, where temperatures rose by up to 4.3 degrees Fahrenheit, Afghan officials say.

Many trees in Afghan orchards were once able to resist temporary heat waves thanks to deep roots. But groundwater levels in the Helmand River Basin dropped by an average of 8.5 feet between 2003 and 2021. Many climate models predict worsening conditions over the coming decades. Winter precipitation, which is particularly important for farmers, is set to decline significantly in the south.

In the past, rain leached salt out of fields, but prolonged drought has in recent years driven a surge in soil salinity. ''Poppy grows well, but not much else,'' said Abdul Jalal, an irrigation official in Kandahar.

The poorest farmers are hit the hardest. Ataullah Noorzai, a 30-year-old villager in Kandahar province, said his soil has become so salty that he can grow only wheat and barley, which are comparatively resistant to salinity. But his revenue from these crops is so meager that he has already borrowed 550 pounds of wheat from a neighbor to sell in the market and must find a way to repay the loan.

Some of his neighbors have been able to bring in fresh water through canals and wash out much of the salt, then plant more-valuable pomegranates, he said. Noorzai said that he couldn't afford to do this and that his remaining hope '-- that long periods of extensive rain will eventually wash the salt away '-- appears increasingly remote.

Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban government's chief spokesman, said efforts are underway in all provinces to identify new and higher-value field crops and trees that could bring relief to farmers.

At an experimental farm in Kandahar, the previous, U.S.-backed government years ago started testing the resistance of pomegranate trees to heat. Almost 80 types are now grown between bullet-riddled blast walls.

But to the people who work on this farm, the effort to outmaneuver climate change appears to be an increasingly lost cause. Pomegranate trees are viewed by some government officials as a go-to alternative because the roots are so deep that they don't easily dry out. But Jalal, the local irrigation official, said he was shocked to see how poorly the trees grow in desert areas with high salinity.

Even some of the researchers' early successes no longer look promising. Amid prolonged drought over the past years, their peach trees dried out from the inside and had to be cut down, Jalal said, and the experimental grapevines became sunburned.

Farmers' earnings take a hit

The farmers' difficulties bode ill for an opium ban that, initially, appeared to be a success. Last year, satellite images showed that opium production had dropped by 99.9 percent in Helmand and by almost 90 percent in Kandahar, once the heartland of cultivation.

But in the provincial capitals of Afghanistan's south, officials are now concerned about how much wheat and cotton they see coming to market. Even before the current harvest, oversupply of these crops had already begun to push down prices.

While tensions are palpable in the markets of southern Afghanistan, there are some here who benefit. Afghanistan's exports are booming, boasted cotton trader Abdul Manan at a market in Helmand, flashing a broad smile.

But he was soon drowned out by farmers. ''Tell the truth,'' they yelled, ignoring a police officer who was assigned to follow a Washington Post team and stood nearby.

''When I grew poppy, it was five times more profitable and it was way easier,'' said Haji Wazir, 55, a farmer. ''Now, we can't even cover our costs anymore.''

Signs of discontent with the ban are also mounting elsewhere in the country. Last month, violent clashes broke out between opium-growing villagers and security forces in northeastern Afghanistan, where the Taliban has struggled to assert its power. Poppy cultivation in Badakhshan province declined only by about 56 percent between 2021 and last year, according to the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime.

Adding to the frustration and resentment, farmers said, is that wealthy landowners who were able to store poppies before the ban are now able to sell them for export at far higher prices.

Even some Taliban officers assigned to enforcing the opium ban say something is amiss. As Ahmad Jan Frotan went from house to house in central Afghanistan's Parwan province on a recent afternoon searching for violators of the ban, he ''felt pity,'' he acknowledged.

''People lack money,'' said Frotan, a 28-year-old police officer, who studied agriculture while fighting the Americans. He appealed to the Taliban's supreme leader to ''work for all men and women of Afghanistan.''

Hayatullah Rohani, the head of the narcotics department in Afghanistan's second-biggest city, Herat, said he hopes industrialization can replace revenue from opium farming.

Herat is an industrial center, and Rohani wants hundreds more factories to be built. ''Each of them could employ 500 people'' '-- not only farmers but also former addicts, he said.

Over 10 percent of the population was estimated by Afghan officials to use drugs when the Taliban took power three years ago. While more-recent figures are not available, there appear to be few drug users left on the streets of Kabul, Herat and other cities. Thousands were forced into rehabilitation centers.

At a center in Herat, addicts, who are herded by guards wielding sticks, live in cramped buildings that resemble a prison camp.

Rohani was eager to talk about how the men in the center are taught to repair factory equipment and cellphones, in preparation for the country's industrialization. But just as anywhere in Afghanistan, money is tight to run a facility, Rohani complained, including for the swimming pool he had hoped to construct to help with addicts' recovery.

''Unfortunately, the hot season is coming,'' he said.

Mirwais Mohammadi contributed.

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Sun, 23 Jun 2024 11:47

AVIAN FLU TEST: Alveo Technologies is preparing to launch the availability of an easy, quick, hand-held molecular test for H5N1 highly pathogenic avian flu. Photos courtesy of Alveo

Avian flu is a death sentence for birds. The outbreak of 2022 continues and is now close to claiming 100 million birds nationwide.

Michigan has gotten the brunt of it in 2024, with more than 6 million birds having to be depopulated, while the disease has now infected dairy operations and humans.

The longer a flock is infected and the more cycles between birds and cattle, there is concern the virus may mutate '-- eventually enabling easy transmission between humans, potentially creating a pandemic reminiscent of COVID-19. The virus has already crossed to infect four humans in the U.S. and about 30 different animals.

You can't control the unknown, which is why the California-based company Alveo Technologies is preparing to launch the availability of an easy, quick, hand-held molecular test for all highly pathogenic avian influenza strains, including H5N1. It is designed to be rugged and reusable for on-farm use, says Shaun Holt, CEO of Alveo.

''It's cost-effective, easy to use and you get results in around 30 minutes at a fraction of the cost of today's testing methods, which are essentially becoming obsolete given the virus has mutated over time,'' he says. ''Catching it early could prevent it from potentially spreading within the farm to other houses and beyond.''

Works in conjunction with vaccinationWhile rapid detection leads to earlier insight into pathogen spread and supports efforts to secure global health and prevent future pandemics, there's a benefit to having a quick test for vaccinated birds.

Disease, or the potential for disease, can have international marketing implications.

In October, the U.S. blocked the importation of French poultry in response to the start of mass avian influenza vaccination of ducks. Vaccinated poultry can still transmit the virus, Holt says. Because they may show no symptoms, and because there's a lack of rapid, accurate molecular testing, there's no way to know whether the virus is present in a flock without the combination of testing and vaccination.

Currently, avian influenza testing typically takes one of two forms: lab-based PCR or lateral flow tests (LFTs), commonly known as antigen tests. PCR tests are accurate, but they require sending samples to central or nationally approved laboratories for testing.

Results can take days or even weeks to process depending on lab capacity and criticality, Holt says, which delays decision-making at the farm level, increases the risk of infection from one flock or farm to another and extends human exposure time. Lateral flow tests produce rapid results, but they are also not nearly as accurate as PCR and generally lack multiplexing capability beyond a strain or two, he says.

30-MINUTE RESULTS: The tests use tracheal or cloacal fluid samples inserted into a a cartridge and then flipped into the analyzer, which is a bit thicker than an iPhone.

Testing provides a two-pronged approach as vaccination is only 80% to 90% effective. ''Alveo tests are well above 90% sensitivity and specificity, nearly in line with PCR testing,'' he says.

''The old way of testing '-- reactive testing and culling '-- is not going to work in terms of preventing spillover risk going forward [humans and other animals], and it's not working either in terms of containment,'' says Holt, who notes his company has been developing the test for two years.

''Our plan is to launch in Q3 of this year, first in the EU and the Middle East,'' he says. ''It's a much faster path to market for us, and they have poultry vaccination programs in place with specific funding devoted to the testing component.''

Alveo leadership met with USDA in May to begin the process of commercialization. ''A diagnostic test for livestock generally takes roughly two years following the standard process, which we have started in earnest,'' he says of the U.S. regulatory framework. ''Our intent in meeting with USDA was to understand what that path looks like, because we are a U.S.-based company and want to support the U.S. poultry industry.''

How it worksThe tests, which use either tracheal or cloacal sample types, are less than $100 for one test, and validation studies are being conducted to support pooling of five to 10 birds in a single test. Fluids are transferred into a cartridge and then inserted into the analyzer, which is a bit thicker than a mobile phone.

''The software walks you through step by step,'' Holt says. Alveo's platform also provides geo-tagged results that are uploaded to the cloud to give a real-time view of national outbreaks and inform response.

''It's a fraction of the cost of what the government '-- ultimately taxpayers '-- incurs to test in labs,'' he says. ''They've got a lot of people and specialized equipment. The logistics alone, of sampling, handling and shipping, is likely more than what the Alveo test will cost.''

Alveo intends to deploy its molecular testing at the point of need across a broad spectrum of markets and applications, including crop protection, livestock, companion pets, bioprocessing and human health applications.

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Sat, 22 Jun 2024 22:48

911 outage '-- 911 vendor Comtech still investigating why firewall blocked emergency calls. Jon Brodkin - Jun 20, 2024 3:49 pm UTC

Getty Images | artas

A 911 vendor's malfunctioning firewall caused a statewide outage in the emergency calling system in Massachusetts on Tuesday afternoon, the state government said. A Massachusetts government press release issued yesterday said the state's 911 vendor, Comtech, "has advised State 911 that they have applied a technical solution to ensure that this does not happen again."

"A preliminary investigation conducted by the State 911 Department and Comtech determined that the outage was the result of a firewall, a safety feature that provides protection against cyberattacks and hacking," the announcement said. "The firewall prevented calls from getting to the 911 dispatch centers, also known as Public Safety Answer Points (PSAPs)."

Comtech's initial review "confirmed that the interruption was not the result of a cyberattack or hack," but "the exact reason the firewall stopped calls from reaching dispatch centers remains under review," the state said. A full review is continuing.

The 911 outage lasted two hours. Shortly after it began, the State 911 Department alerted local law enforcement and issued a statewide emergency alert to residents advising them to call their local public safety business line directly if they had an emergency.

Advertisement "Although some calls may not have gone through, the system allows dispatch centers to identify the phone number of callers and return those calls. The Department has not received any reports of emergencies impacted during the interruption," the Massachusetts announcement said.

State 911 Department Executive Director Frank Pozniak promised that the department "will take all necessary steps to prevent a future occurrence." Massachusetts has 204 Public Safety Answering Points that received an average of 8,800 calls, combined, per day in 2023.

Comtech announced a five-year contract extension with Massachusetts in May 2024. "Since 2014, Comtech has been developing, implementing and operating a secure, IP-based NG911 [Next Generation 911] system for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts," the vendor announcement said. Comtech says it has provided public safety and security technology for over 25 years and that "service providers, states, and local jurisdictions nationwide rely on our portfolio of mission'‘critical products and services."

911 disruptions happen occasionally and are sometimes caused by broader outages in phone networks. A 37-hour CenturyLink outage in December 2018 that disrupted 911 service for millions of Americans was caused by "malformed packets." In February 2024, a major AT&T wireless outage caused by a botched network update led to warnings that 911 access could be disrupted.

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Sat, 22 Jun 2024 22:41

Researchers at the University of Copenhagen have utilized aerial photos from 1937 to analyze the stability and growth of East Antarctica's ice, revealing that despite some signs of weakening, the ice has remained largely stable over almost a century, enhancing predictions of sea-level rise. Credit: Norwegian Polar Institute in Troms¸

A study using a whaler's forgotten aerial photos from 1937 shows East Antarctica's ice has been stable and even grown, despite some early signs of weakening.

Extreme weather, melting glaciers, and rising sea levels are all indicators that the climate and the world's ice masses are in a critical state. However, a new study from the Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management at the University of Copenhagen reveals a positive anomaly.

Using hundreds of old aerial photographs dating back to 1937, combined with modern computer technology, researchers have tracked the evolution of glaciers in East Antarctica. This area, which spans approximately 2,000 kilometers of coastline, contains as much ice as the entire Greenland Ice Sheet. By comparing the historical aerial photos with modern satellite data, researchers determined the glaciers' movement and changes in size, revealing that the ice has not only remained stable but also grown slightly over the last 85 years, partly due to increased snowfall.

''We constantly hear about climate change and new melt records, so it's refreshing to observe an area of glaciers that has remained stable for almost a century,'' says PhD student Mads D¸mgaard, the study's first author.

The whaling ship Firern, with the Stinson Reliant aircraft on board, near Klarius Mikkelsen Fjell in Lars Christensen Land in East Antarctica. Credit Norwegian Polar Institute

Early Signs of ChangeDespite the overall stability, the research also reveals the first signs of changes in the sea ice surrounding the glaciers, indicating that these stable East Antarctic glaciers might shrink in the future.

''Our results also indicate weakening sea ice conditions, making the glaciers' floating ice tongues more vulnerable and unable to grow as large as seen in the early aerial images from 1937. We know from other parts of Antarctica that the ocean plays an extremely important role and drives the massive and increasing melt we see in e.g. West Antarctica,'' says D¸mgaard.

A Stinson Reliant poton aircraft (callsign LN-BAR) was used for aerial photography. The aircraft had a range of around 1200 km and an automatic Zeiss camera was mounted in the floor of the aircraft. Credit: Norwegian Polar Institute

Hidden From the NazisMost of the images used in the study were captured during a 1937 expedition organized and paid for by Norwegian whaler Lars Christensen. The mission aimed to produce the first maps of this part of East Antarctica, but the maps were never published due to the German invasion of Norway. Since then, the images have been stored at the Norwegian Polar Institute in Troms¸ and forgotten.

When the researchers from the University of Copenhagen read about the expedition, they realized that valuable images were likely hidden in an archive in Norway. They traveled to Troms¸ and reviewed all 2200 images taken during the expedition. They supplemented the Norwegian aerial images with images of the same glaciers from Australian surveys conducted between 1950 and 1974.

''By comparing the historical aerial photos with modern satellite data, we have gained critical knowledge about glaciers that we would not otherwise have had. I think it's fantastic that these old images can be used to generated new research results almost 100 years after they were taken,'' says Assistant Professor Anders Bj¸rk from the University of Copenhagen, who leads the group working with the historical images.

Honn¶rbrygga Glacier in L¼tzow-Holm Bay in 1937 compared to a modern Landsat satellite image from 2023. The 9km long floating ice tongue seen in the 1937 image disappeared in the late 1950s and has not grown back due to weakening sea ice. Credit: Mads D¸mgaard / Norwegian Polar Institute

Potential for Rapid Sea Level RiseThe Antarctic Ice Sheet is receiving increasing attention from researchers, due to its potential for extremely large and rapid sea level rise. Unlike Greenland, very little was known about Antarctica glaciers until the 1990s, when the first good satellite observations became available.

''Early observations of glaciers are extremely valuable as they give us a unique insight into how the ice has evolved through a varying climate and whether current changes in the ice exceed the glaciers' normal cycle of advance and retreat,'' explains D¸mgaard.

Ingrid Christensen, wife of Lars Christensen, took part in several expeditions to Antarctica and is considered the first woman to set foot in Antarctica. Here she is seen in the Stinson airplane in 1937 ready to throw a Norwegian flag over the land area in East Antarctica. Credit: Norwegian Polar Institute

Enhancing Predictive ModelsAccording to the researcher, solid, long-term data is crucial for producing accurate predictions of future glacier evolutions and sea level rise, and this study provides new insights into a vast area in East Antarctica.

''The long time series of glaciers improves our ability to make more accurate models of future ice changes, as the models are trained on historical observations,'' concludes Bj¸rk.

The findings were recently published in Nature Communications , resulting from a collaborative effort involving researchers from the University of Copenhagen, the Norwegian Polar Institute, the Arctic University of Norway, and the Institute of Environmental Geosciences in France.

Overview map of the expedition route in 1936/1937 and the areas investigated by the researchers. Credit: Mads D¸mgaard

More About the StudyOut of 2200 images photographed from seaplanes in 1937, 130 were selected for the analysis.The researchers combined the historical photos with modern satellite data to create 3D reconstructions of the glaciers.The Norwegian aerial images were supplemented with 165 aerial images of the same glaciers from Australian surveys conducted between 1950 and 1974. This allowed the researchers to examine the evolution of the glaciers over different periods and calculate historical ice flow speeds for selected glaciers.Compared to modern data, the ice flow speeds are unchanged. While some glaciers have thinned over shorter intermediate periods of 10-20 years, they have remained stable or grown slightly in the long term, indicating a system in balance.Reference: ''Early aerial expedition photos reveal 85 years of glacier growth and stability in East Antarctica'' by Mads D¸mgaard, Anders Schomacker, Elisabeth Isaksson, Romain Millan, Flora Huiban, Amaury Dehecq, Amanda Fleischer, Geir Moholdt, Jonas K. Andersen and Anders A. Bj¸rk, 25 May 2024, Nature Communications. DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-48886-x

The research was funded by the Villum Foundation.

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Sat, 22 Jun 2024 22:31

MiniApplicationsStarlink Mini is a compact, portable kit that can easily fit in a backpack, designed to provide high-speed, low-latency internet on the go.

What's in the boxStarlink with Integrated WiFi

DC Power Cable

15 m

(49.2 ft)

Starlink with Integrated WiFi

DC Power Cable

15 m

(49.2 ft)

StarlinkPackage Weight6.73 kg (14.83 lbs)Package Dimensions430 x 334 x 79 mm (16.92 x 13.14 x 3.11 in)AntennaElectronic Phased ArrayField of View110 °OrientationSoftware Assisted Manual OrientingWeight1.10 kg (2.43 lb)1.16 kg (2.56 lb) with Kickstand1.53 kg (3.37 lb) with Kickstand & 15 m CableEnvironmental RatingIP67 Type 4 with DC Power Cable and Starlink Plug/Cable installedOperating Temperature-30°C to 50°C (-22°F to 122°F) Wind SpeedOperational: 96 kph+ (60 mph+)Snow Melt CapabilityUp to 25mm / hour (1 in / hour)Power ConsumptionAverage: 25-40WInput Rating12-48V 60WUSB PD Requirement100W, 20V/5A Minimum (with Starlink USB-C to Barrel Jack Cable Accessory)Wi-Fi Technology802.11a/b/g/n/acGenerationWiFi 5RadioDual Band 3 x 3 MU-MIMOEthernet PortsOne (1) Latching Ethernet LAN port with Starlink PlugCoverageUp to 112 m² (1,200 ft²)SecurityWPA2Power IndicatorLED | rear face plate, lower left cornerMesh CompatibilityCompatible with all Starlink mesh systems *Not compatible with 3rd party mesh systemsDevicesConnect up to 128 devicesStarlink Power SupplyProduct Dimensions91 x 44 x 51 mm (3.6 in x 1.7 in x 2.0 in)Weight0.2 kg (0.44 lbs)Environmental RatingIP66 Type 4Operating Temperature-30°C to 50°C (-22°F to 122°F)Power Specifications100-240V ~ 1.6A 50 - 60 HzMounts & AccessoriesThe Starlink Mini Kit comes with a kickstand and pipe adapter in the box which accommodate a variety of setups. Additional mounts and accessories are coming soon on the Starlink shop.

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Sat, 22 Jun 2024 22:23

Two days ago we published my latest bird flu article, ''How (and why) Bird Flu is About to Enter the ''Mass Testing'' Phase''.

Less than 12 hours later Salon published a 3000-word article about bird flu, which dedicates about 2000 of those words to ''experts'' talking about how we're not testing enough [emphasis added]:

'...experts have said that cases are likely flying under the radar. So far this year, three Americans have been infected by H5N1 viruses that started in cows, and all of them recovered, but some experts say that patients may be avoiding doctors or refusing tests''['...]most experts expressed a concern that the lack of data and surveillance is a major issue. Jetelina said the government isn't doing ''even close to enough'' testing on animals and humans.['...]''Testing still seems somewhat random and voluntary. We should be doing more '-- both in cattle and humans,''['...]There is also no legal requirement to report test results['...]Rasmussen said part of the issue with testing is that it requires a collaboration between multiple state and local agencies, as well as the USDA and CDC, which don't always cooperate. It also requires participation and consent from the affected farms.['...]''As a result it's hard to know how much testing has been done and how much will be done going forward,'' Rasmussen said. ''It can differ a lot by jurisdiction.''

Poulsen elaborated and said there are too many ''legal and political barriers'' to testing

The nascent narrative is clear '' ''we need to run more tests, and we need new rules to enforce mandatory testing, we need to cut through agency/state jurisdiction with some new federal law''.

This message '' or some variation of it '' has been repeated in half a dozen more articles since we published our piece just two days ago.

That includes the Guardian (obviously) and the World Socialist Website, who continue their Covid-era policy of abandoning any pretense of being an ''independent'' media outlet and repeating (or even exaggerating) mainstream claims to further their own political agenda.

But the Salon article has more than just some predictable agenda talking points, it also has some (accidentally) revealing insights into potential future developments [again emphasis added]:

''States that are testing more are likely to report more cases.''['...]''I would prefer to see more testing of farm workers and milk'...I would like to see serology to see if workers were infected asymptomatically.['...]He added there is no ''CLIA requirement for animal testing,'' referring to federal lab standards and private labs can do all the testing they want.['...]Jetelina said that even at-home flu tests will likely pick up H5N1 because it's closely related to influenza A['...]''The big challenge will be fall, as we will not be able to differentiate between [seasonal] flu and H5 unless we have a more specific test,''

To be clear, these experts admit in this article:

The more you test the more cases you findAnimal testing is not subject to lab standardsMany of those ''missed'' human cases will be ''asymptomatic infections''At-home tests can't differentiate between ''bird flu'' and common seasonal flu'...which means, when flu season starts in the fall, reported ''bird flu'' cases may rise sharplyRemember this, because this is exactly the kind of information that will get memory-holed when/if the new pandemic narrative takes off in earnest.

In the meantime, let's ask a simple question:

What happens when you start to legally enforce widespread testing to find asymptomatic cases using at-home tests that can't differentiate between your new ''pandemic'' and 'seasonal flu'?

Covid 2: Electric Boogaloo, that's what happens.

Anyway, here's hoping I don't have to use the words ''bird flu'' again for a while.

'....Oh, one more thing, did you know climate change is making bird flu worse?

What else can you do but laugh at this point?

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Archived Version

Sat, 22 Jun 2024 22:20

Fri Jun 21, 2024 - 2:49 pm EDTFri Jun 21, 2024 - 2:55 pm EDT

(LifeSiteNews) '-- On Sunday, June 9, 2024, the historic St. Anne's Anglican Church in Toronto, and its many artifacts and precious paintings, were ''completely destroyed'' in a blaze, to quote Deputy Fire Chief Jim Jessop. The torched church's pastor, Rev. Don Beyers, added that the congregation is ''greatly devastated'':

I'm crushed, I feel for my people. You can't imagine what this is like for a church community to come on Sunday morning to find that everything you worked so hard for and done so much for [is] gone in the matter of an hour.

Authorities said, ''The fire has not been deemed criminal in nature yet,'' thereby implying no foul play.

This may seem to be a reasonable conclusion, at least for those unaware that Canada'--not Egypt or Nigeria'--has fast become the world's epicenter of arson attacks on churches. Over the last two-and-a-half years, over 100 churches have been vandalized, torched, or desecrated in the ''Great White North'' (mapped and listed here).

This phenomenon received a bit of media attention after the first 30 or so churches were torched in the summer of 2021. Since then, and much more quietly'--meaning with as little media attention as possible'--that number has continued to grow to over 100, with the authorities doing little, aside from offering implicit approval for these anti-Christian terror attacks.

Background: According to Canadian ''mainstream'' media'--all of which are left of Left'--unmarked graves of First Nations people were discovered outside residential boarding schools, and the Catholic Church is being accused of sadistically killing its young scholars and trying to cover it up.

The problem, however, is that this widely shared narrative is inherently false (see here and here). These graves were once marked and therefore known, and those buried in them presumably died of natural causes. The deaths, moreover, took place primarily in the early 1800s. Apparently some plague'--epidemics were especially common back then'--broke out in these church-sponsored boarding schools for natives, in part due to the lack of hygiene and proper medical treatment (in comparison to modern standards and technology). As Jeff Fynn-Paul, author of Not Stolen: The Truth About European Colonialism in the New World, writes:

Recent claims of 'hundreds' of graves found at Indigenous schools in Canada'--claims that were propagated by the board of the Canadian Historical Association no less'--have proven to be almost entirely unfounded'... [T]he notion that these schools were set up for maleficent ends has been debunked roundly for anyone who cares to look into it.

But since when did those who hate Christianity care to examine facts when a good pretext is handy? They much prefer to run with claims of innocent young First Nations people being tortured, murdered, and secretly buried by dastardly clerics. As one report states, ''In response to these announcements [of mass graves], far-left radicals have used this opportunity as an excuse to terrorize Catholic and other Christian communities by targeting churches.''

If ''far-left radicals'' have been the foot soldiers, far-left politicians'--that is, the Canadian ruling elite'--have provided them with cover.

RELATED: Trudeau again says nothing after another church suspiciously burns to the ground in Canada

On June 30, 2021, after the first two dozen churches were torched, Harsha Walia, the then head of British Colombia's Civil Liberties Association'--which claims to ''promote, defend, sustain, and extend civil liberties and human rights'''--tweeted in regards to the churches: ''Burn it all down.'' (So much for her championing the ''civil liberties and human rights'' of Canadians; apparently they apply only to some people and not to others.)

Walia is a Punjabi born and raised in Bahrain, so perhaps it made sense for her to respond in this manner. Not only are church burnings routine in the Muslim world, but Pakistan and India are so anti-Christian that they are currently ranked as the seventh and eleventh worst persecutors of Christians in the entire world. In India alone, 2,228 churches were attacked or torched in 2023 (and 160 Christians slaughtered).

RELATED: How India's 'anti-conversion laws' have been politicized to persecute religious minorities

As usual, however, Islamic/Indian hate for Christianity finds an ally in the ''Left.'' Prominent Newfoundland lawyer Caitlin Urquhart merely parroted Walia '--''Burn it all down.'' Heidi Mathews of Harvard Law School described the vandalization and torching of churches as ''the right of resistance to extreme and systemic injustice.'' Gerald Butts, a close confidant of the Canadian prime minister, said the attacks were ''understandable.''

As for the fearless leader of Canada himself, after offering the usual lip service and saying that ongoing church attacks are ''unacceptable,'' Justin Trudeau said:

I understand the anger that's out there '... against institutions like the Catholic Church. It is real, and it is fully understandable given the shameful history that we're all becoming more and more aware of.

Got that? Attacks on Christian churches are ''unacceptable'''--but they're also ''understandable.'' Considering that these two words cancel each other out, Trudeau's was a call for no action'--hence why some 60 more churches have been attacked since he spoke. As Ezra Levant said on July 7, 2021:

He [Trudeau] introduced an anti-hate crime bill in parliament that's targeting mean tweets and Facebook posts, but literally you have church after church being torched by Antifa-style terrorists and he's almost silent on the matter, and his right hand man [Gerald Butts] finds it understandable.

The denial has only continued. After stating that four churches were torched in the days leading up to this last Christmas, 2023, a report states that, ''as it turns out, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police have '-- so far '-- zero evidence that any of the church arsons have any link to anti-Christian animus.''

''None of the, of the files we've solved, showed any particular affinity against the churches whatsoever,'' Cpl. Troy Savinkoff, a RCMP spokesman, was quoted as saying, before emphasizing that there's no evidence that the fires are linked or part of any ''concerted effort'' against churches.

Sounds very similar to the authorities' response'--that is, denial'--to the most recent church torching of June 9, 2024, doesn't it? ''The fire has not been deemed criminal in nature yet.''

That all of these ongoing attacks on churches in Canada are motivated first and foremost by a hate for Christianity is amply demonstrated by the fact that non-Catholic churches'--such as the most recent to be torched, St. Anne's Anglican Church'--are among the many to be attacked or destroyed, even though the official pretext is anger at the Catholic Church. Indeed, even a Coptic church was in 2021 torched to the ground in Canada'--with the authorities, once again, apparently failing to do their duty properly.

What on earth do the non-European Copts, Egypt's native Christians'--who began migrating to Canada over a century after these graves were first dug, primarily to escape religious persecution'--have to do with this issue? Nothing, they just happen to be Christian'--their church boasted a crucifix atop its steeple'--and that's all that matters, all that warrants hate crimes and indifference for them in leftist Canada. Evil, after all, never needs an excuse to manifest itself, though a pretext always offers good cover.

And so, what was once the preserve of the Islamic world'--hostility for and attacks on churches'--is now a regular and acceptable feature of Canada. Considering that radical leftists and radical Muslims believe in the exact opposite things, when it comes to torching churches, they are, rather tellingly, close allies. This speaks volumes about what truly animates them both, and what is'--and always has been'--at the core of their belief systems.

Raymond Ibrahim, author of Defenders of the West and Sword and Scimitar, is the Distinguished Senior Shillman Fellow at the Gatestone Institute and the Judith Rosen Friedman Fellow at the Middle East Forum.

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Archived Version

Sat, 22 Jun 2024 22:19

Ellen Bagley was delighted when she made her first sale on a popular second-hand clothing app, but just a few minutes later, the thrill turned to shock as the 20-year-old from Link¶ping in Sweden discovered she'd been robbed.

Everything seemed normal when Bagley received a direct message on the platform, which asked her to verify personal details to complete the deal. She clicked the link, which fired up BankID '-- the ubiquitous digital authorization system used by nearly all Swedish adults.

After receiving a couple of error messages, she started thinking something was wrong, but it was already too late. Over 10,000 Swedish kronor ($1,000) had been siphoned from her account and the thieves disappeared into the digital shadows.

''The fraudsters are so skilled at making things look legitimate,'' said Bagley, who was born after BankID was created. ''It's not easy'' to identify scams.

Although financial crime has garnered fewer headlines than a surge in gang-related gun violence, it's become a growing risk for the country. Beyond its borders, Sweden is an important test case on fighting cashless crime because it's gone further on ditching paper money than almost any other country in Europe.

Online fraud and digital crime in Sweden have surged, with criminals taking 1.2 billion kronor in 2023 through scams like the one Bagley fell for, doubling from 2021. Law-enforcement agencies estimate that the size of Sweden's criminal economy could amount to as high as 2.5% of the country's gross domestic product.

To counter the digital crime spree, Swedish authorities have put pressure on banks to tighten security measures and make it harder on tech-savvy criminals, but it's a delicate balancing act. Going too far could slow down the economy, while doing too little erodes trust and damages legitimate businesses in the process.

Using complex webs of fake companies and forging documents to gain access to Sweden's welfare system, sophisticated fraudsters have made Sweden a ''Silicon Valley for criminal entrepreneurship,'' said Daniel Larson, a senior economic crime prosecutor.

While the shock of armed violence has grabbed public attention '-- the nation's gun-homicide rate tripled between 2012 and 2022 '-- economic crime underlies gang activity and needs to be tackled as aggressively, he added.

''That has been a strategic mistake,'' Larson said. ''This profit-generating crime is what's fueling organized crime and, in some cases, leads to these conflicts.''

Sweden's switch to electronic cash started after a surge of armed robberies in the 1990s, and by 2022, only 8% of Swedes said they had used cash for their latest purchase, according to a central bank survey. Along with neighboring Norway, Sweden has Europe's lowest number of ATMs per capita, according to the IMF.

The prevalence of BankID play a role in Sweden's vulnerability. The system works like an online signature. If used, it's considered a done deal and the transaction gets executed immediately. It was designed by Sweden's banks to make electronic payments even quicker and easier than handing over a stack of bills.

Since it's original rollout in 2001, it's become part of the everyday Swedish life. On average, the service '-- which requires a six-digit code, a fingerprint or a face scan for authentication '-- is used more than twice a day by every adult Swede and is involved in everything from filing tax returns to paying for bus tickets.

Originally intended as a product by banks for their customers, its use exploded in 2005 after Sweden's tax agency adopted the technology as an identification for tax returns, giving it the government's official seal of approval. The launch of BankID on mobile phones in 2010 increased usage even further, along with public perception that associated cash with criminality.

The country's central bank has acknowledged that some of those connotations may have gone too far. ''We have to be very clear that there are still honest people using cash,'' Riksbank Governor Erik Thedeen told Bloomberg.

BankID is controlled by a consortium of the country's private lenders, including Swedbank AB, SEB AB and Svenska Handelsbanken AB. A number of changes have been implemented to improve its security, as the government investigates the prospects of offering a state-issued digital ID.

''There is dedicated work going on throughout the banking sector to stop the fraudsters, but the police, the political side and the telecom industry need to do their part,'' said Bj¶rn Johansson, Swedbank's head of group fraud prevention. Representatives for SEB and Handelsbanken declined to comment.

For Bagley, the fact that BankID is so commonplace is part of the problem. ''It ends up not really being a security measure, but just another step in using a website,'' she said. ''You don't really think twice about what the BankID app might say you are logging into.''

It's not just consumer scams. Government agencies have adopted BankID to make it easy to set up legitimate businesses in Sweden, which has also enabled fraudsters. Some have used fake companies with phony payrolls to launder money. Through such schemes, organized criminals can turn income from fraud and drug sales into a tool to get bank loans and extract payments from the welfare system.

''That means you can generate profits from crime and then ultimately get a state pension based on that income,'' said Larson, the Swedish prosecutor. ''That is extremely offensive.''

Reported cases of benefit fraud have doubled in the last decade, from just under 9,000 in 2014 to over 23,000 in 2023, according to the Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention. In its efforts to clamp down on crime, the government created a new agency this year solely focused on tracking erroneous welfare payments.

As the scale of the problems grow, banks are introducing measures that will allow additional layers of security, including requiring approval from a trusted second party for large transfers. But for the most part, they're voluntary, with users needing to opt in to set up two-stage authorization or delay payments.

''It's a constant quest to find the right balance between accessibility and security,'' said Peter G¶ransson, a senior security adviser at the Swedish Bankers' Association. ''There will be situations where transfers will be slower '-- and that is already happening '-- but that's the world we live in and I think there is an understanding among customers for that.''

The development has led to calls for banks to bear a bigger share of the burden when their customers are exposed to fraud. In the second half of 2023, payment service providers only footed about 10% of the bill, and the country's financial watchdog has said that Sweden might do well to follow an example from the UK, which from October will require banks to reimburse customers who have been conned into making transfers.

Until similar regulation is adopted in Sweden, the chances of getting money back for users like Bagley are slim. She reported the February incident to Sweden's National Board for Consumer Disputes and has tried to raise awareness through social media, overcoming the feeling of embarrassment for being duped.

''I've heard from so many others who have told me 'I've also been scammed and felt so alone and ashamed','' she said.

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Sat, 22 Jun 2024 22:17

(Se puede leer este art­culo en espa±ol aqu­.)

Senior US government officials knew as far back as 2008 that the possibility of adding Ukraine to NATO was seen as a serious ''military threat'' by Russia, one that crosses Moscow's security ''redlines'' and could force it to intervene.

Yet Western leaders continued insisting that Ukraine would join the US-led military alliance, right up until Russia did indeed intervene in February 2022.

At the annual NATO summit back in 2008, the George W. Bush administration publicly called for adding Russia's neighbors Ukraine and Georgia to the military alliance. NATO's secretary-general declared that the two countries would eventually become members.

But privately, US diplomats knew that this move would be seen as an existential threat by Moscow, and could provoke Russian military intervention in Ukraine.

The former US ambassador to Russia, William J. Burns, who is now director of the CIA, warned in a February 2008 embassy cable that Ukraine constituted a security ''redline'' for Moscow.

The confidential State Department cable was titled ''Nyet Means Nyet: Russia's NATO Enlargement Redlines'' (''nyet'' is Russian for ''no'').

Burns cautioned that the issue of NATO membership for Ukraine ''could potentially split the country in two, leading to violence or even, some claim, civil war, which would force Russia to decide whether to intervene.''

Burns wrote that Foreign Minister Sergey ''Lavrov emphasized that Russia was convinced that [NATO] enlargement was not based on security reasons, but was a legacy of the Cold War.''

The former US ambassador to Russia, and current CIA director, published a prescient analysis that would foreshadow Moscow's actions in 2022:

Ukraine and Georgia's NATO aspirations not only touch a raw nerve in Russia, they engender serious concerns about the consequences for stability in the region. Not only does Russia perceive encirclement, and efforts to undermine Russia's influence in the region, but it also fears unpredictable and uncontrolled consequences which would seriously affect Russian security interests. Experts tell us that Russia is particularly worried that the strong divisions in Ukraine over NATO membership, with much of the ethnic-Russian community against membership, could lead to a major split, involving violence or at worst, civil war. In that eventuality, Russia would have to decide whether to intervene; a decision Russia does not want to have to face.

Burns' warnings came true just a few years later.

US meddling unleashes civil war in Ukraine, destabilizing Russia's neighborThis kind of internal violence did indeed break out in Ukraine, after a US-sponsored coup d'etat in 2014 overthrew a democratically elected government that had maintained a relatively neutral foreign policy, balanced between Russia and the West, and instead installed a staunchly pro-Western and anti-Russian regime.

In response to the 2014 putsch, Russian-speaking Ukrainians in the eastern Donbas region rose up against the coup government in Kiev, which they denounced as an illegitimate Western puppet regime.

Independence activists declared the creation of two new autonomous states, the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics. The Ukrainian government, with Western military support and weapons, has waged a brutal war against these breakaway republics in the Donbas ever since.

Thousands of Ukrainians have been killed, and hundreds of thousands more have been displaced. Ukraine, which shares a massive 2,300-kilometer border with Russia, has been rocked by violence and instability since the 2014 US-backed coup '' and this constant turmoil has had significant effects inside Russia, especially economically.

This was precisely the civil war scenario that Burns had warned about in 2008.

On February 21, 2022, Russia officially recognized Donetsk and Lugansk as independent states. Then on February 24, Moscow launched an invasion of Ukraine, which it said aimed to ''demilitarize'' and ''denazify'' the country.

Russia's goal is to force Ukraine to maintain political neutrality, preventing it from being a Western military outpost that could threaten Russia on its borders, potentially with nuclear weapons.

While Western governments and media outlets portrayed the Russian invasion as the crazy decision of a supposed madman, internal US embassy cables showed that Washington knew as far back as 2008 that its push to expand NATO to Ukraine would result in this exactly this outcome: forcing Russia to intervene.

The world only knows this thanks to the whistleblowing journalist outlet Wikileaks, which published the formerly classified State Department cable by William Burns, and publicized his prophetic warning on Twitter.

'Nyet Means Nyet: Russia's #NATO Enlargement Redlines' '' #Ukraine Cable from 2008 written by #CIA director William J. Burns, then US ambassador to Moscow https://t.co/rOoxmuwIul pic.twitter.com/KGy0PU4Igg

'-- WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) February 25, 2022

Russia requests security guarantees respecting its 'red lines'; US and NATO reject themAt every stage leading up the Russian military intervention in Ukraine in February 2022, the United States and its NATO alliance refused to give substantial concessions to Moscow, sabotaging all serious attempts at a diplomatic solution to the crisis.

Since it signed the Minsk II agreement in 2015, under the supervision of Germany and France, the Ukrainian government has been legally obligated to cease hostilities against the Donbas and create a decentralized system that ensures autonomy for Donetsk and Lugansk.

But Ukraine adamantly refused to abide by Minsk II, and its Western sponsors did nothing to save the diplomatic agreement.

So in December 2021, the Russian Federation sent the US and NATO a series of requests for security guarantees. Principal among these was the demand that the military alliance must not admit Ukraine and Georgia.

Moscow said that NATO membership for Ukraine and Georgia constituted a security ''red line'' '' recalling the language Ambassador William Burns had used in his 2008 embassy cable.

For Russia as a country, regardless of who is president and regardless of the political ideology of the Kremlin, the prospect of Ukraine and Georgia joining NATO poses an existential security threat, given that both nations, which were former republics of the Soviet Union, directly border Russia at geostrategic points.

When Nazi Germany invaded the USSR in its 1941 Operation Barbarossa, it tore through and occupied Soviet Ukraine, to try to cut off Moscow's access to the Black Sea and Caucasus, break off southern cities like Stalingrad, and ultimately surround the Russian heartland.

In its December 2021 request, the Russian Federation insisted that the United States and NATO must respond to its demand for security guarantees with legally binding written statements.

Moscow emphasized that any agreements had to be in writing precisely because NATO has a history of lying to it.

Notes from a 1991 meeting prove that the US, UK, France, and Germany assured the Soviet Union that NATO would not expand east.

It's part of a growing body of evidence that the West broke its promise to Russia.https://t.co/JY3fcuOVPa

'-- Multipolarista (@Multipolarista) February 21, 2022

In 1990, the US, Britain, and France repeatedly promised the Soviet Union that they would not expand NATO ''one inch eastward'' after the reunification of Germany.

This is an undeniable historical fact, a matter of public record confirmed by numerous internal documents from Western governments.

But NATO later broke that promise, and not once or twice but 14 times. All 14 new member states that it admitted were east of Germany, and many had previously been Soviet allies in Moscow's former security alliance, the Warsaw Pact.

A map of NATO expansion

NATO has militarily encircled Russia more and more by the year.

Estonia and Latvia, former republics of the Soviet Union, are already NATO member states directly on Russia's borders.

In fact Western militaries, including those of the United Kingdom and France, were using Estonia to run NATO military exercises just 100 kilometers from Russia's border in late 2021 and early 2022, at the peak of the crisis in Ukraine.

NATO troops have launched a series of war-games in Estonia, less than 2 hours drive from the Russian border.

The ''Winter camp'' exercise includes troops from Britain and France, and involves armoured vehicles and live-fire drills pic.twitter.com/pEHCPYHNfV

'-- Murad Gazdiev (@MuradGazdiev) January 29, 2022

The United States and NATO ultimately ignored Russia's December 2021 request for security guarantees. Leaked copies of their written responses, which they had asked to keep private, show that they refused to grant Moscow any significant concessions, and both insisted that Ukraine could and even should one day join NATO. (NATO's response was particularly aggressive and disrespectful.)

In a speech at the Munich Security Conference on February 19, 2022, the Western military alliance's hawkish secretary-general, Jens Stoltenberg, threatened that ''if Kremlin's aim is to have less NATO on Russia's borders, it will only get more NATO.''

The US-led NATO imperialist alliance provoked Russia right up til the end:

On February 19, a few days before its intervention in Ukraine, warmongering NATO leader Jens Stoltenberg threatened, "if Kremlin's aim is to have less NATO on Russia's borders, it will only get more NATO" https://t.co/tiKDynhYqY pic.twitter.com/kd2n6kZmnL

'-- Benjamin Norton (@BenjaminNorton) February 25, 2022

Instead of respecting Russia's security red lines, the United States and several European countries escalated the situation further by sending billions of dollars worth of more weapons to Ukraine.

Pointing to a Russian troop deployment inside its own territory, near its border with Ukraine, Western governments deployed more soldiers to the region as well, driving up the tensions.

Throughout the entire time, NATO depicted itself as an angelic, innocent ''defensive'' alliance. But Russia understands how high the stakes are, clearly seeing the consequences of NATO's destructive wars on Yugoslavia '' which destroyed and balkanized the country '' Afghanistan, and Libya '' which turned what had been the most prosperous country in Africa into a failed state with open-air slave markets.

US calls for Ukraine and Georgia to join NATO, organizes 2014 coup to remove independent governmentThe 2022 crisis in Ukraine traces its roots back to the NATO summit in Bucharest, Romania in 2008, when the George W. Bush administration publicly called for adding Ukraine and Georgia to the US-led military alliance.

There were internal divisions within NATO, and some members, namely Germany and France, were uncomfortable with the possibility. But NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer declared that Ukraine and Georgia eventually ''will become member nations.''

Ukraine's president at the time was Viktor Yushchenko, a US-backed, pro-Western politician who supported NATO membership.

But in the 2010 presidential election, the Ukrainian people voted for a new leader who promised a more balanced foreign policy, Viktor Yanukovych.

Western media outlets often refer to Yanukovych as ''pro-Russian,'' but in reality he tried to keep Ukraine neutral, sometimes allying with the West and sometimes allying with Moscow.

For Washington and Brussels, however, Yanukovych was too independent. So in 2014, the United States sponsored a coup d'etat to overthrow the democratically elected president.

Far-right extremists and neo-Nazis played a key role as the violent muscle behind this putsch.

Meanwhile, behind the scenes, senior US diplomats like hardline anti-Russian hawk Victoria Nuland were conspiring with friendly Ukrainian politicians to create a pro-Western puppet regime right on Russia's borders.

A leaked 2014 phone recording shows that Nuland and other US officials had handpicked the top officials who would run Ukraine's government after the Washington-backed coup.

The Joe Biden administration brought Nuland back in 2021, appointing her third-in-command of the State Department, where she helped to shape US policy toward Russia, pushing for an extremely aggressive strategy.

Nuland is a key figure in Washington's neoconservative foreign-policy circles. Before she helped run the Obama and Biden State Departments, Nuland was Vice President Dick Cheney's principal deputy foreign policy adviser from 2003 to 2005, during the Iraq War.

Nuland's mentor Cheney has himself made it clear that the United States will never tolerate a strong and independent government in Moscow. Cheney sought to break up Russia itself after the overthrow of the Soviet Union.

Back in 1992, the Pentagon drafted a new belligerent US defense strategy, overseen by a neoconservative ally of Nuland and Cheney, Paul Wolfowitz. It clearly stated that Washington's ''first objective is to prevent the re-emergence of a new rival'... deterring potential competitors from even aspiring to a larger regional or global role.''

The zero-sum game mentality behind this Wolfowitz Doctrine, which insists that the US empire must run the world without any opposition, and which refuses to countenance the possibility of Russia having its own security interests, still undergirds Washington's foreign policy to this day.

The US ''maximum-pressure'' strategy against Moscow that this imperial doctrine has inspired, under the watch of anti-Russia hawks like Nuland, helped provoke exactly what Ambassador William Burns warned about in 2008: a Russian military intervention in Ukraine.

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Sat, 22 Jun 2024 01:49

Climate activist group Just Stop Oil claimed responsibility Thursday for the vandalism of two private jets at an airfield in the United Kingdom after they erroneously believed Taylor Swift's jet had landed, according to the BBC.

The organization said they targeted the airfield because Swift's jet had ''landed hours ago'' there, but airport officials later denied the claim, the BBC reported. Essex Police also arrested two of the activists, according to a press release. (RELATED: Radical Enviros Backed By Rich American Liberals Deface Stonehenge)

Just Stop Oil tweeted a video of Cole Macdonald, one of the two suspects who broke into the airport and vandalized the jets, discussing the act.

ðŸ--¥ Cole Macdonald, 22, from Brighton, is one of the two people who painted jets in the airfield where Taylor Swift's private jet landed hours ago.

ðŸ'¸ Support young people like Cole taking action '-- https://t.co/UwALfVtRmR pic.twitter.com/sH5qO1hyji

'-- Just Stop Oil (@JustStop_Oil) June 20, 2024

''I've spray painted two private jets orange. We need an international treaty against the burning of all oil, coal, and gas. While people are starving, the elite and the rich fly thousands and thousands of feet in the air above us all. Billionaires are not untouchable,'' Macdonald says in the video.

Another video tweeted out by Open Source Intel showed how the two activists gained entry to the airfield by sawing off a section of the fence, and spraying painting the two jets.

Just Stop Oil activists have recently spray-painted an orange color on a private jet'... no idea who owns this jet pic.twitter.com/CDet1sbGuv

'-- Open Source Intel (@Osint613) June 20, 2024

''I would like to reassure passengers and the wider public that we are well prepared and resourced to deal with incidents of this nature,'' Essex Police Chief Superintendent Simon Anslow said.

Following the vandalism, the airport took precautionary measures that included a brief suspension of runway operations, an airport spokesman reportedly said.

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Fri, 21 Jun 2024 08:47

Renovaro is a biotech company with several preclinical drug candidates that is ''committed to curing people with cancers and infectious diseases''. Weeks ago, it voted to merge with ''AI Health'' company GEDi Cube, giving the company a pro-forma fully diluted market cap of ~$567 million.Current CEO Dr. Mark Dybul has a prestigious background (i) serving under Anthony Fauci at the National Institute of Health (NIH) (ii) as Executive Director of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria and (iii) as a tenured professor at Georgetown University.Dybul has been involved with the company since 2017, before it went public. The company went public in early 2018 under a predecessor name, Enochian BioSciences. Dybul stepped into the CEO role in 2021, where he remains today.Then known as Enochian, the company's co-founder, ''scientific founder'', ''inventor'', and largest shareholder was an individual named Dr. Serhat Gumrukcu. CEO Dybul praised Gumrukcu as a ''rare genius'', saying he could be ''the most impactful scientist in generations''. In a now-deleted company video, Dybul praised Gumrukcu's ''brilliance'' and said he created ''some of the most innovative approaches to HIV and oncology'' that he knew of.In May 2022, Gumrukcu, was charged by the Department of Justice over allegations that he conspired to hire a hitman to murder one of the victims of his many scams, a Vermont father of 6 who was taken from his home and executed in a snowbank.A week after the charges, we published a report on the company titled ''Miracle Cures and Murder For Hire: How A Spoon-Bending Turkish Magician Built A $600 Million Nasdaq-Listed Scam Based On A Lifetime Of Lies'', which largely profiled the now-imprisoned Gumrukcu.In that report, we revealed Gumrukcu had faked his entire academic history, including forging his Russian medical degrees, and that he was a magician who had fled authorities in Turkey after being charged over allegations he faked being a doctor to steal money from a terminally ill cancer patient.We also revealed that as a fugitive in the United States, Gumrukcu continued his crime spree, culminating in 14 felony charges in 2017 relating to the fraudulent sale of a home he didn't own, writing bad checks, and defrauding a businessman through a fake energy trading deal.The day after we published our report, CEO Dybul called it ''misleading propaganda'', claiming the magician's study results were still valid. ''The science is the science, and the data are the data''.One month after the murder charges and our report, in July 2022, the company announced that Gumrukcu had faked clinical data relating to the company's HBV and COVID-19 therapies. In October 2022, the company sued Gumrukcu, saying his conduct amounted to ''brazen fraud''. The data was apparently not the data.The company claimed it had ''no reason'' to doubt Gumrukcu's data. Dybul later admitted he and the company knew Gumrukcu had been arrested on 14 felony counts relating to fraud at the time they began working with him, but kept working with him anyway.Dybul ignored other obvious red flags including (i) in 2018 when the company's CFO raised concerns of ''serious financial improprieties'' related to Gumrukcu (ii) when analysts in 2019 pointed out Gumrukcu's suspicious medical credentials and criminal history and (iii) when Dybul was questioned in 2020 regarding a U.S. lawsuit alleging Gumrukcu practiced sham medicine on a terminally ill child and absconded with the parent's $253,000.Enochian Chairman Rene Sindlev also knew of and ignored Gumrukcu's felony fraud charges and previously compared Gumrukcu to Leonardo Da Vinci and Albert Einstein. No board members or key executives resigned despite their inexcusable governance failures.In late 2022, 6 months after the murder charges and 2 months after the company sued Gumrukcu for ''brazen fraud'', the board of Renovaro elected to pay Dybul a $100,000 cash performance bonus on top of his $850,000 annual salary.In March and April 2023, with Enochian almost out of cash and its stock near lows, Chairman Sindlev ''conducted multiple calls and in-person meetings'' with representatives of GEDi Cube, an entity which didn't even exist at the time, later company disclosures revealed.Also on the same day of the LOI and the name change, insiders including Chairman Sindlev quietly acquired millions of shares and warrants at effective prices ranging from $0.65 to $0.713 per share. Renovaro was trading at ~$0.65 at the time.8 days later, Renovaro publicly announced the merger, calling GEDi Cube an ''AI Company'' using ''cutting edge AI/machine learning technology''. Renovaro stock spiked 83% on the day, trading 78.5x its preceding 30-day average volume.At the time of the announcement, GEDi Cube was a 2-month-old entity with ''no operational history'', no product, no revenue and virtually no assets, according to disclosures made months later. GEDi basically consisted of only a term sheet to acquire an entity called Grace Systems, which it claimed had AI technology.Grace Systems was a nearly insolvent tiny startup with no revenue and no commercial ready product after 10 years. It reported having $1,583 in cash on hand with ~$376,000 in liabilities at year end 2022. In April 2023, a Grace subsidiary filed for bankruptcy in the Netherlands.GEDi needed '‚¬1 million to own 51% of Grace, implying a ~$2.2 million valuation for Grace. But the newly formed GEDi entity had next to nothing, so Renovaro lent it the needed $1.05 million to close the deal.During merger negotiations to merge with Renovaro, GEDi then proposed a valuation of $225 million, which Renovaro rejected because GEDi ''generated no revenue and had no projections''.Renovaro and CEO Dybul then apparently negotiated against themselves, relying on a valuation opinion from an unnamed ''AI expert'' that ultimately resulted in Renovaro agreeing to pay $275 million in exchange consideration for GEDi.In brief, Renovaro and CEO Dybul lent GEDi the cash to close the Grace deal at a ~$2.2 million implied valuation, then turned around and merged with GEDi for $275 million in consideration after a hard-fought negotiation against himself.Renovaro has repeatedly touted the importance of ''visionary'' former Intel/Nvidia executive Craig Rhodes as CEO of GEDi Cube. Shareholders likely voted for the deal in part due to Rhodes' background. Rhodes confirmed to us in an email that he resigned in December 2023, a month before the vote, with no apparent disclosure of the key resignation to shareholders.Renovaro also touted the appointment of Lester Russell, GEDi's Chief Medical Officer, in an August 2023 press release. Russell also resigned in December 2023, also without disclosure to shareholders.Renovaro and Dybul also repeatedly highlighted GEDi's ''strategic partnership'' with Nvidia as a key justification for the merger. But the Nvidia ''partnership'' is a free program that over 17,000 companies have joined.In the months leading up to the merger vote, Renovaro enlisted stock promoters, including one previously sanctioned by the SEC, to hype up the GEDi deal and pump shares to retail investors.Dybul now claims that GEDi can provide a ''multiplier effect'' that will enhance Renovaro's pipeline. However, the company's lead candidate remains Gumrukcu's cancer therapy. Dybul still touts the jailed magician's treatment, referring to it in January 2024 as ''the holy grail of cancer research'' and hopes to begin human trials later this year.In an ironic twist, Gumrukcu's husband sued Renovaro's key executives and financiers in January 2024, alleging a range of securities law violations by Dybul and Sindlev, among others. The complaint alleges Sindlev purchased significant Renovaro stock while in possession of material nonpublic information relating to the merger.The complaint also cites damning internal emails to allege Dybul is engaged in a ''wink and nod scheme'' with Renovaro's financier Lincoln Park Capital, whereby Renovaro provides them with non-public information ahead of key company news to help Lincoln Park trade against Renovaro's own shareholders.Gumrukcu and his husband are a key holder of Renovaro, with ~19 million shares, or ~28% of the company. The family of Gumrukcu's murder victim sued him for wrongful death and courts have frozen 12.8 million of his Enochian shares to cover potential damages.Gumrukcu's husband still owns 3.6 million free-trading shares which we expect will hit the market soon to cover litigation costs and defense costs for the upcoming murder conspiracy trial, slated for later this year.In conclusion, if your company co-founder and key inventor turns out to be a con artist magician who (allegedly) murdered someone and faked his scientific data, you can't just change your company name and pivot to AI and hope no one notices.CEO Mark Dybul appears set on trying to run the same shameless scam with a new name. We think he is in a league of his own as far as poor judgment and governance and see inevitable massive downside in shares of Renovaro.Initial Disclosure: After extensive research, we have taken a short position in shares of Renovaro Biosciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:RENB). This report represents our opinion, and we encourage every reader to do their own due diligence. Please see our full disclaimer at the bottom of the report.

This report follows our June 1, 2022 report, ''Miracle Cures and Murder For Hire: How A Spoon-Bending Turkish Magician Built A $600 Million Nasdaq-Listed Scam Based On A Lifetime Of Lies'', which largely profiled the now-imprisoned company scientific founder, Serhat Gumrukcu.

The story of Gumrukcu's rise and fall, where he now sits in prison awaiting trial for a murder conspiracy, has recently been chronicled in a podcast produced by Amazon's Wondery. (Spotify, Apple)

Renovaro CEO Mark Dybul Had An Illustrious Reputation When He Joined The Company, Originally Named Enochian Biosciences, In Early 2018Mark Dybul's path to being Renovaro's CEO started as early as August 2017, when he was awarded shares in the company when it was still private and went under a predecessor name, Enochian.

In early 2018, the company went public as Enochian Biosciences by merging with an OTC-listed company where Gumrukcu had been a consultant. [Pg. 7]

Following the merger, Mark Dybul joined the board. In January 2019 he became Executive Vice Chair, and in July 2021, he officially stepped into the CEO role, where he remains today.

Dybul, who refers to himself as ''The Honorable'' Mark Dybul in his biography and company press releases, is a tenured Georgetown professor of medicine with a prestigious career that has included working under Anthony Fauci at the National Institute Of Health (NIH) and serving as the Executive Director of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria.

Renovaro CEO Mark Dybul (center) and Anthony Fauci (right) (Source: Washington Life)His work in public health has led to brushes with heads of state such as President George W. Bush, Justin Trudeau, billionaire philanthropists such as Bill Gates, and testifying in front of both the Senate and the House of Representatives.

(Bill Gates, Justin Trudeau, and Mark Dybul. Source: MedWatch)Part I: Mark Dybul Turns A Blind Eye To Outrageous Fraud For Nearly Half A DecadeDybul Had Praised The Now-Imprisoned Scientific Founder Of Renovaro (Then Called Enochian) As A ''Rare Genius'', Saying He Could Be ''The Most Impactful Scientist In Generations''When Dybul joined Renovaro, then known as Enochian, it was viewed as a promising biotech company that had come up with prospective cures or treatments for many of the world's most complex diseases such as HIV, cancer, Hepatitis B and others.

At the time, the company's scientific founder, Serhat Gumrukcu, was praised by Dybul as being a ''rare genius'', with Dybul writing in November 2019:

''Dr. G¼mr¼kc¼ is one of those rare geniuses that is not bound by scientific discipline or dogma. He sees connections and opportunities often missed. His ideas are the purest kind: those that seem so obvious and simple once he has conceived of, and explained them.''

Turkish court documents include a character reference for Gumrukcu provided by Dybul in a letter from September 2020 which included this glowing statement:

'''....It is not an overstatement to say he might be the most productive and impactful scientist in generations.'' [Pg. 22]

Current Renovaro Chairman, Rene Sindlev, went a step further, comparing Gumrukcu to the greatest business leaders and thinkers of all time:

''Hold on tight to your shares. Our researcher and inventor is the biotech world's answer to Zuckerberg, Bill Gates and Larry Page. People close to him compare him to Leonardo Da Vinci, Nikola Tesla and Einstein in one and the same person.''

Quarter after quarter, Dybul promoted how the company, then called Enochian, was going to harness Gumrukcu's genius to revolutionize the world of medicine, including in a corporate video subsequently deleted by the company:

''Enochian's inventor, Doctor Serhat, has the type of brilliance that has the capacity to see across discipline in science and connect things that others don't see. And that's exactly what he's done to create some of the most innovative approaches to HIV and oncology that I know of.''[1]

In May 2022, The Claimed Once-In-A-Generation Scientist, Serhat Gumrukcu, Was Charged By The Department Of Justice Over Allegations That He Paid A Hitman To Execute One Of The Victims Of His Many ScamsA Week Later, We Published A Report Showing That ''Doctor'' Serhat Gumrukcu Had Forged His Russian Medical Degrees And Fabricated His BackgroundOur Research Showed He Was Actually A Turkish Magician, International Fugitive And Lifelong Con ArtistOn May 25th, 2022, Gumrukcu was charged by the Department of Justice with a murder-for-hire conspiracy where he was alleged by the authorities to have plotted the execution of a victim of one of his many scams.[2]

A week after the indictment, on June 1st, 2022, we released a report showing how ''Doctor'' Gumrukcu had faked his entire academic history, including forging his Russian medical degrees. In reality, Gumrukcu was a Turkish magician who had fled Turkish authorities after being charged over allegations that he faked being a doctor to steal money from a terminally ill cancer patient.

Our Report Showed That After Fleeing To The U.S., Gumrukcu Embarked On A Fraud Spree, Culminating In His Arrest In California And 14 Felony ChargesAs a fugitive in the United States, Gumrukcu continued his crime spree, culminating in his arrest and 14 felony charges in 2017 relating to the fraudulent sale of a home he didn't even own, writing bad checks, and defrauding a businessman through a fake energy trading deal.

Gumrukcu's jilted business partner on the fake energy trading deal, Greg Davis, threatened to turn him into authorities, which risked de-railing Gumrukcu's biggest scam yet: co-founding the then $600m publicly traded biotech company Enochian BioSciences.

Shortly before the Enochian deal closed, someone posing as a U.S. Marshall appeared at the home of Davis, a father of 6, claiming he was under arrest. The man took Davis out to a snowbank in Vermont and shot him to death.

CEO Dybul And The Company Later Admitted They Knew Gumrukcu Had Been Arrested on 14 Felony Counts Relating To FraudBut They Kept It Quiet And Continued With The Merger, Hailing Gumrukcu As A Genius AnywayProsecutors Would Later Argue That A Key Motivation For the Murder Was To Prevent One Of Gumrukcu's Fraud Victims From Derailing the MergerFederal prosecutors made clear that a key motive for the alleged murder plot was that Gumrukcu was in the midst of closing the merger with Enochian, and that Davis's testimony may have threatened the deal. Per the indictment on Gumrukcu's conspirator:

''That same year, 2017, Serhat Gumrukcu was putting together a successful deal that came together soon after the murder, namely, his significant ownership stake in a biotech company, Enochian Bioscience. Gumrukcu therefore had a strong motive to prevent Davis from reporting yet another fraud, and likely threatening the Enochian deal.'' [Pg. 3]

CEO Dybul would later admit that he and the company knew Gumrukcu had been arrested on 14 felony counts relating to fraud at the time they began working with him, but they kept working with him and hailing him as a genius anyway.

According to our findings, Gumrukcu would have needed permission from his parole officer to attend Enochian's Nasdaq bell-ringing ceremony, marking the start of its public trading on the premier national exchange, due to the felony counts he faced around that time.

(December 18, 2020 Nasdaq bell-ringing ceremony. Pictured [Left to right]: Current Renovaro CEO Mark Dybul, now-Imprisoned Serhat Gumrukcu, Current Renovaro Chairman Rene Sindlev)1 Day After We Published Our Report, Enochian CEO Mark Dybul Called It ''Misleading Propaganda'' Claiming The Magician's Study Results Were Still Valid''The Science Is The Science, And The Data Are The Data''A week after Gumrukcu was arrested on murder-for-hire allegations, and 1 day after we published our report, Enochian CEO Mark Dybul published a letter to shareholders dismissing our work and reaffirming the value of Enochian's therapeutic pipeline:

''Enochian's rigorous foundation is rooted in independently conducted science, and our commitment to the promise of our potential therapies remains strong. Enochian's value as a company is derived from scientific patents that we own or license and the potential these ideas carry to cure or treat some of the world's most widespread, deadly, and intractable diseases'...Shorters of Enochian stock have released misleading propaganda about the company in a thinly veiled attempt to smear its reputation''.

While Dybul's letter criticized our findings, signs of doubt began to emerge. The letter quietly stopped referring to Gumrukcu as ''Doctor'' for the first time.

Dybul's letter ended by distancing the company's future from the fraud and murder allegations of its scientific founder, saying Gumrukcu's findings were still valid:

''The science is the science, and the data are the data.''

1 Month Later, On July 1st, Enochian Announced That Gumrukcu Had Forged Clinical Data Related To His HBV And COVID-19 TherapiesIn October 2022, Enochian Sued Gumrukcu, Saying His Conduct Amounted To ''Nothing Short Of Brazen Fraud''The Data Was Apparently Not The DataJust one month later, on July 1st, 2022, despite Dybul's earlier assurances, the company announced that Gumrukcu had faked clinical data related to Enochian's HBV and COVID-19 therapies:

'''...former scientific advisor Serhat Gumruk§u altered two different sets of animal data generated by third-party research institutions before Enochian's scientists had a chance to review. One data set was for an inhaled COVID-19 treatment study while the other was for an HBV therapy study.''

In October 2022, Enochian sued Gumrukcu, claiming he engaged in a ''concerted, deliberate scheme to alter, falsify, and misrepresent to [the Company] the results of multiple studies supporting its [Hepatitis B] and SARS-CoV-2/influenza pipelines.'' [Pg. 3]

According to the lawsuit, Enochian used Gumrukcu's forged study results as part of its pre-IND submission to the FDA:

''Enochian relied upon Defendants' fabricated ENOB-CV-01 AAV study'-- including the results presented by Defendants above'--in preparing and submitting its pre-IND meeting request and submission package for ENOB-CV-01 to the FDA on September 7, 2021.

Enochian would not have submitted a pre-IND meeting request to the FDA had it known that Defendants fabricated the ENOB-CV-01 AAV study.'' [Pg. 33]

The company alleged Gumrukcu's conduct amounted ''to nothing short of brazen fraud, which has caused Enochian substantial harm.'' The litigation is still ongoing as Gumrukcu sits in a Vermont prison awaiting trial for murder. [Pg. 3]

Enochian Later Claimed It Had ''No Reason'' To Doubt Gumrukcu's Data, But CEO Dybul Had Innumerable Reasons To Doubt Gumrukcu While At Enochian, Including Felony Charges, A History Of Fraud Allegations And Conflicting Professional BiographiesCEO Mark Dybul, has repeatedly claimed he was either unaware of the various red flags surrounding Gumrukcu, or that the company had ''no reason'' to doubt Gumrukcu's therapeutic data. [Pg. 17]

However, Dybul has had ample reason to doubt Gumrukcu's alleged therapeutic breakthroughs during his ~6-year tenure at the company, including ~3 as CEO:

In December 2018, Enochian CFO Robert Wolfe was terminated for raising concerns of ''serious financial improprieties'' related to the hiring and compensation of Gumrukcu, who Wolfe noted was a convicted felon. Mark Dybul was on the board of directors at this time.In 2019, a series of articles was published on Seeking Alpha highlighting Gumrukcu's questionable medical credentials and criminal history. Dybul was Executive Vice Chair of Enochian around the time.In January 2020, Dybul was questioned during an interview about a lawsuit in which Serhat illegally practiced sham medicine on a child who subsequently died, and absconded with the parent's $253,000. Dybul refused to comment.During our initial investigation, we called then and current Chairman Rene Sindlev and asked if he knew of the history of felony charges against Gumrukcu. He responded, ''We did.''Dybul repeatedly failed to protect shareholders by ignoring this astonishing series of red flags relating to his prized scientist.

Renovaro Is The Focus Of An SEC Investigation Since November 2020 That Hasn't Been Disclosed To Shareholders, According To Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA) Request Data From Research Firm 'Disclosure Insight'In a December 2023 interview, when asked about how he has dealt with the ''drama'' around Renovaro, ''the Honorable'' Mark Dybul stressed the importance of transparency during times of crises:

''In crises the most important thing is to stay focused on what your mission is, to remain humble and learn '...and be very transparent'...Be honest about what your problems are and what you're trying to do, what your solutions are, and be transparent about them. And that's precisely what we've done.''

Disclosure Insight (DI) is an investigative organization that uses Freedom of Information Act requests to discover whether companies are the subject of undisclosed SEC investigations.

According to DI, Renovaro has been the subject of an undisclosed SEC investigation since November 2020, which it confirmed as still ongoing as of December 21st, 2023. DI summed up their take on Renovaro as follows:

''We have zero confidence in the management and board of a company with this risk profile that steadfastly refuses to disclose an underlying SEC investigation our work keeps confirming as ongoing.''

(Source: Disclosure Insight)CEO Dybul's Leadership At Enochian Represents One Of The Most Incredible Failures Of Corporate Governance We Have Ever SeenYet, Despite The Circumstances, Not One Of The Company's Executives Or Directors ResignedInstead, 6 Months After The Murder Charges And 2 Months After Suing Gumrukcu For ''Brazen Fraud'', The Board Elected To Pay Dybul A $100,000 Cash Bonus In 2022 On Top Of His $850,000 Annual SalaryThe Enochian saga was one of the most bizarre and outrageous downfalls of a public company we had ever seen.

With virtually no remaining tangible assets, massive legal liabilities, and its co-founder and one of its largest shareholders in jail, one might have expected Mark Dybul and the board to have resigned in shame, dissolved the company or '' at the very least '' express contrition at the inexcusable lack of judgment in supporting one of the great con artists of our time.

Instead, the board and executive team seemed to just move on as though nothing happened. Nobody resigned and company officers began talking about the company's origins '' based squarely on a foundation of fraudulent conduct and faked data '' as though it was a distant memory.

Just 6 months after the arrest of Gumrukcu, the company awarded Dybul a bonus of $100,000 for his ''performance'' during the catastrophic year, in addition to his annual salary of $850,000.

Part II: When All Else Fails, Change The Company Name, Pivot To ''AI'', And Hope No One NoticesAs of its March 2023 financials, Enochian was almost out of money, with just ~$3 million in cash compared to over $11.7 million in current liabilities. [Pg. 2]

With its largest shareholder in jail over allegations of murder for hire and wire fraud, the admission that much of its research was fake, a (still-undisclosed) regulatory investigation and with its reputation in tatters, Enochian as a company appeared to be a near-insolvent husk, consisting of little aside from a pile of legal liabilities.

In March And April 2023, Enochian's Chairman Rene Sindlev Held Talks To Merge Enochian With A Company Called GEDi CubeGEDi Cube Didn't Even Exist At The Time. It Was Formed Months Later, In JuneForging forward with an upside down balance sheet, no revenue stream, and seemingly little to no business operations, the company's management began seeking other ''options to strengthen [the company's] ability to advance its existing product pipeline and enhance stockholder value.''

Starting in April and May 2023, Chairman Rene Sindlev ''conducted multiple calls and in-person meetings'' with representatives of a company called GEDi Cube, which didn't exist at the time, according to later company disclosures.

About a month later, on June 14th, 2023, GEDi Cube was incorporated in the UK, according to corporate records.[3]

On August 1st, 2023, Enochian BioSciences Filed To Change Its Name To Renovaro, Meaning ''Renewal'', Signifying A Fresh StartThat Same Day, Renovaro Quietly Signed A Letter Of Intent To Merge With GEDi CubeRather than taking ownership over his haunting leadership failure, Dybul, along with the rest of the board, simply changed the name of the company.

On August 1st, 2023 the company reported filing a corporate amendment to change its name from Enochian BioSciences to Renovaro BioSciences. The word is a Latin variant for ''renewal,'' which Dybul says represents the company's mission.

That same day, Renovaro CEO Mark Dybul and a director of GEDi Cube executed a letter of intent to merge the entities.

Also On August 1st, Insiders Including Chairman Rene Sindlev Quietly Acquired Millions Of Shares And Warrants At Effective Prices Ranging From $0.65 To $0.713 Per ShareTo Profit Off The Deal, The Insiders Would Need The Stock To Rise On Significantly Higher Trading VolumeEnochian's stock had languished following the unraveling of its dealings with Serhat Gumrukcu. By August 1st, 2023, its stock was ~$0.65, up slightly from June lows of ~$0.40.

On August 1st, Chairman and longtime shareholder Rene Sindlev participated in a financing with a $500,000 investment, per a Form 4 filed later, over 1 month past the legally required deadline. Sindlev received 70,126 preferred shares, convertible to 701,260 shares of common stock at $0.713 per share. Sindlev also received 350,630 warrants to acquire common stock at $0.65 per share.[4] [Pg. 1]

On the same day, another longtime shareholder, Dutch financier Ole Abildgaard, effectively acquired the rights to 3,436,190 shares of common stock for ~$0.713 per share and warrants to purchase an additional 1,718,095 shares of common stock at $0.65 per share, per a Form 3 filed almost 2 months past the legally required deadline.

For Sindlev and Abildgaard to profit off their August 1st stock acquisitions, they would need the stock to rise on significantly higher trading volume.

8 Days Later, Renovaro Finally Publicly Announced The Merger, Describing GEDi Cube As An ''AI Company'' Using ''Cutting-Edge AI/Machine Learning Technology''The Stock Spiked 83% On The Day, Trading Almost 34 Million Shares of Volume, 78.5x Higher Than The Preceding 30 Day Average VolumeInsiders Had Unrealized Gains As High As ~$27.8 Million On An Investment Of Less Than $3 Million, Based On Price Highs In OctoberOn August 8th, Renovaro Chairman Rene Sindlev, CEO Mark Dybul and other representatives from both Renovaro and GEDi Cube met in Cannes, France, to discuss the merger.

Even though Renovaro CEO Mark Dybul had signed a letter of intent (LOI) to merge with GEDi Cube 8 days earlier on August 1st, they did not publicly announce the deal until August 9th:

(Renovaro press release announcing GEDi Cube merger, August 9th, 9am EST)The buzzword-laden press release, which mentioned AI five times, along with ''machine learning'' and AI industry heavyweight ''NVIDIA'', had the desired effect'--the stock spiked as much as 175% on the day, closing +83% after trading almost 34 million shares, 78.5x its average volume over the preceding 30 days.

Renovaro's stock continued to climb in the following months on the hype and excitement of merging with a supposed cutting-edge AI company. By mid-October, it had risen as high as $5.18, up 1,195% from its June lows of ~$0.40 prior to the announcement.

Cumulatively, at the mid-October high of $5.18, Sindlev and Abildgaard's opportunistic share purchases represented $27.8 million in paper gains in a matter of months.[5]

At The Time Of The Announcement, GEDi Cube Was A 2-Month-Old Entity With ''No Operational History'', No Product, No Revenue And Virtually No Assets, According to Disclosures That Came 5 Months LaterGEDi Cube Basically Consisted Of A Term Sheet To Acquire An Entity Called Grace Systems, Which It Claimed Had AI Technology, According To The Later DisclosuresInvestors buying into the claims from Renovaro's merger press release were likely unaware that the company's statements weren't strictly accurate.

At the time, GEDi Cube apparently consisted of almost nothing at all, according to Renovaro's disclosures months later in late December 2023. These disclosures acknowledged that GEDi Cube had ''no operational history'' at the time it was incorporated in June 2023. The same disclosures reported that GEDi Cube had no meaningful assets and could present no prior period financial statements.

The only key 'asset' it seemed to have was a ''Binding Head of Terms'' it had signed in June to acquire a tiny, nearly insolvent startup called Grace Systems.

Grace Systems Was A Tiny Startup With No Revenue, No Commercial-Ready Product After 10 Years, And Was Nearly Insolvent, Reporting $1,583 In Cash With ~$376,000 In Liabilities At Year-End 2022In March 2023, Grace's Co-Founder Announced He Was ''Looking For A New Role''In April 2023, A Grace Systems Subsidiary Filed For Bankruptcy In The NetherlandsFounded in 2013, Grace Systems was a Dutch data science startup that had ''primarily incurred net losses since its inception'' and had ''never generated any revenue relating to its cancer diagnostics AI platform'', according to later Renovaro proxy filings.

Based on its financial statements, Grace Systems was borderline insolvent by mid-2023:

As of December 2022, Grace Systems reported zero revenue and ~$376,000 in liabilities with just $1,583 of cash on hand. It had incurred ~$468,000 in reported losses in the first 9 months of the year. [Pgs. 137-8]In March 2023, the co-founder of Grace Systems, Frank Van Asch, posted on LinkedIn that he was ''looking for a new role'' and ''#OpenToWork''.In April 2023, a Grace Systems' subsidiary filed for bankruptcy in the Netherlands. [Pg. 146]Grace Systems was unable to commercialize its technology over the last decade. According to Renovaro's later disclosures detailing merger risks, it still hasn't done so and may never be able to.

GEDi Cube Needed To Infuse '‚¬1 Million In Capital To Close The Deal To Own 51% Of Grace, According To Its Deal Terms, Implying A ~$2.2 Million Valuation Of GraceBut GEDi Cube Had Almost Nothing, So Renovaro Lent It $1.05 Million In Mid-AugustDays Later, GEDi Cube Closed Its Deal With Grace Systems By Infusing Renovaro's Cash Into The Nearly-Insolvent Grace EntityPer its term sheet, GEDi Cube needed to provide '‚¬1 million to own 51% of Grace, implying a ~'‚¬1.96 million (U.S. ~$2.2 million) valuation of Grace.

But GEDi Cube apparently didn't have the money because it, too, had almost no assets. As a result, days after GEDi Cube signed the August 8th letter of intent to merge with Renovaro, Renovaro made two loans to GEDi Cube that totaled $1.05 million (~'‚¬1 million) on August 11th and 18th.

Just 5 days after those loans, on August 23rd, GEDi Cube merged with Grace Systems, infusing Renovaro's money into the deal '' the combination of a decade-old, nearly insolvent and failed data science company with a newly incorporated shell.

The August merger with GEDi Cube, and simultaneous cash infusion, appears to have staved off Grace Systems' failure, but the newly formed combined company was in an equally precarious financial position.

As of September 30th, 2023, GEDi Cube (then consolidated with Grace Systems) reported just '‚¬1,094,077 in assets and '‚¬2,247,165 in liabilities. [Pg. 137]

During Merger Negotiations, GEDi Cube Claimed A Valuation Of $225 Million, But Renovaro Rejected This As Meaningless Because GEDi Cube ''Generated No Revenue And Had No Projections''Renovaro Instead Relied On A ''Due Diligence Report'' From An Unnamed ''AI Expert'' ''Consultant''Renovaro Seemingly Used The Report To Negotiate Against Itself, Ultimately Agreeing To $275 Million In Consideration For GEDi CubeDuring merger negotiations, GEDi Cube claimed a self-assessed valuation of $225 million. Given its history the proposed valuation was clearly absurd. Renovaro rightly ''did not give any weight to the valuation'' because GEDi Cube ''generated no revenue and had no projections''.

Then things got weirder.

One closing condition of the deal was that Renovaro hire an investment bank to provide a fairness opinion on the value of GEDi Cube. However, Renovaro discarded this condition, meant to protect its own shareholders, based on GEDi Cube's ''lack of financial projections'' which it claimed would render a fairness opinion not meaningful. (Note that investment banks regularly provide fairness opinions on pre-revenue technology and biotech companies.)

Instead, Renovaro enlisted an unnamed ''AI Expert'' to provide a due diligence report. [Pg. 57]

The unnamed AI Expert expressed ''confidence in the viability and the potential for commercialization of GEDi Cube's technology and platform.''

Based on the ''confidence'' of the unnamed consultant, CEO Mark Dybul seemingly negotiated against himself, settling on ''exchange consideration,'' of $275 million in shares for the transaction.

On January 25th, 2024, shareholders voted in favor of the GEDi Cube merger.

Effectively, Renovaro has nearly completed the most bizarre merger we have ever seen, whereby Renovaro lent $1.05 million to a newly-formed GEDi Cube entity for GEDi Cube to buy a stake in a nearly-insolvent data science company at a mere ~'‚¬1.96 million implied valuation, only to have GEDi Cube then flip it to Renovaro for $275 million after CEO Dybul engaged in an apparently hard-fought negotiation against himself.

Despite The Company's Eventual Admission That Much Of The Research By Its Magician Co-Founder And (Alleged) Murderer Was Faked, His Cancer Therapy Is Still The Company's Lead Therapeutic CandidateCEO Dybul Referred To The Therapy As ''The Holy Grail Of Cancer Research'' In A January 2024 Letter To ShareholdersDybul Now Claims That GEDi Cube's AI Can Provide A ''Multiplier Effect,'' Helping Enhance The Company's Upcoming Human Clinical TrialsDespite the company's claim that Gumrukcu had engaged in ''brazen fraud'' by faking scientific data, Mark Dybul remarkably still expects shareholders to believe in the storyline that Gumrukcu's work on cancer was legitimate.

The former magician's cancer therapy, RENB-DC-11, is still the company's lead therapeutic candidate.[6] Dybul cited another doctor and referred to it as ''the holy grail of cancer research'' in a January 16, 2024, shareholder letter.[7]

In the same letter, Dybul referenced how AI can help revolutionize and accelerate the commercialization of ''AI-powered products,'' writing that the combination of Renovaro and GEDi Cube could have a ''potential multiplier effect.''

In an investor deck published on December 1st, 2023, Renovaro wrote, in a slide titled ''what makes our combination so compelling?'':

''We will have the ability to inform and design clinical trials with insights from the deep learning of GEDiCube. We expect this will enable Renovaro to make adjustments for their upcoming human clinical trials''. [Slide 6]

Note that Dybul and the company hope to begin human trials for this cancer treatment later this year:

''The company expects to begin human Phase 1/2 clinical trials of its leading candidate for pancreatic cancer and other solid tumors with poor life expectancy by the second half of 2024.''

Renovaro Repeatedly Touted The Hiring Of ''Visionary'' Former Intel/Nvidia Executive, Craig Rhodes, As CEO Of GEDi CubeMany Shareholders Undoubtedly Voted In Favor Of The Deal Based On Rhodes' Background And InvolvementBut Craig Rhodes Resigned In December 2023, A Month Before The Vote, According To A Direct Email Confirmation From RhodesWe Found No Disclosure Of The Key Resignation To ShareholdersRenovaro has also repeatedly highlighted the experience of Craig Rhodes, CEO of GEDi Cube, as key to the credibility of the transaction.

In Renovaro's August 9th announcement of its intent to merge with GEDi Cube, Rhodes was hailed as having led ''life sciences groups at Intel, Oracle, and most recently, NVIDIA''.

On October 2nd 2023, Renovaro's SEC filing announcing the signing of the definitive agreement to merge was even more lavish with its praise of Rhodes, calling him a ''visionary'' inventor who would lead the company's AI efforts:

''Visionary Craig Rhodes, CEO of GEDiCube, former head of Life Sciences for Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa at NVIDIA, and before that, the leader for the AI divisions of Intel and Oracle. His pioneering partnership brings AI to frontline cancer diagnosis and treatment. Craig's team has already developed proprietary, award-winning technology that can detect lung cancer early with remarkable accuracy. He will lead Renovaro.AI.''

However, on January 8th, 2 weeks before shareholders voted on the merger, corporate filings in the UK show that Craig Rhodes resigned as director from GEDi Cube.

We emailed Rhodes to ask whether he was still CEO, despite the director resignation filing. He confirmed unequivocally that he is no longer involved in the company at all, writing ''I am no longer the CEO and I do not work for GEDi anymore''.

(Source: Email correspondence between Hindenburg investigator and Craig Rhodes)When we followed up asking when he left the board and CEO roles, he replied ''end of December on both accounts''.

Shareholders who voted in favor of the merger based on his involvement likely would have been unaware of this critical departure.

Renovaro Also Hailed The Appointment Of Lester Russell As GEDi Cube's Chief Medical Officer In An August 2023 Press ReleaseRussell Also Resigned In December 2023, Also With No Apparent Disclosure To Renovaro Shareholders, According To A Written Confirmation From RussellOn August 21, 2023, weeks after announcing its intent to merge with GEDi Cube, Renovaro issued a press release announcing its excitement over the appointment of Lester Russell, a ''seasoned expert in clinical medicine and digital health'' according to Mark Dybul's quote in the release.

We reached out to Russell to learn the status of his role. He responded via LinkedIn message saying that he left the company on December 31st, 2023, and referred us to Dybul for any further questions.

Renovaro And Dybul Repeatedly Highlighted GEDi Cube's ''Strategic Partnership'' With Nvidia As A Key Justification For The Merger TransactionReality: The Nvidia ''Partnership'' Is A Free Program Over 17,000 Companies Have JoinedLike many stock market scams, Renovaro's seemingly exciting growth initiatives contain half-truths, at best, that fall apart under even basic critical analysis.

For example, following Renovaro's signing of a definitive merger agreement with GEDi Cube, 'the honorable' Mark Dybul penned a shareholder letter on October 2nd 2023. The letter referenced GEDi Cube's relationship with Nvidia as a key justification for the transaction, saying that the merger:

'''...resulted from a carefully considered strategy to combine strengths and synergize work to elevate patient care by harnessing GEDiCube's AI technology and its strategic partnerships, including with NVIDIA's inception platform''.

Other communications such as Dybul's January 16th, 2024, letter similarly highlighted how GEDi Cube had become a ''formal inception partner'' of Nvidia.

The company's communications, however, failed to mention that the ''partnership'' is a free program for startups that virtually any company can sign up for. As highlighted on Nvidia's website, over 17,000 companies have joined the same program.

The requirements of the program aren't exactly rigorous. Companies must have at least 2 people, ''a functional website'', and have been incorporated sometime within the past 10 years, per the Nvidia membership form.

In The Months Leading Up To The Close Of The Merger, Renovaro Enlisted Stock Promoters, Including One Previously Sanctioned By The SEC, To Help Hype Up The GEDi Cube Deal And Pump Its Shares To Retail InvestorsOver the last several months, Renovaro and Dybul have been featured in a series of YouTube videos, podcasts, and other financial media.

While this attention may seem like organic ''buzz'' driven by Renovaro's GEDi Cube merger, a closer analysis reveals that almost all the content has been published by paid stock promoters, some of whom have been sanctioned by regulators such as the SEC.

For example, on November 21st, 2023, Renovaro was featured in an article from InvestorBrandNetwork (IBN).

IBN is controlled by a stock promoter named Michael McCarthy, who was sanctioned by the SEC in 2017 for the fraudulent promotion of two biopharma companies, both of which collapsed after also being charged by the SEC.

IBN discloses that Renovaro is currently paying $39,000 per quarter for its ''investor relations'' services.

Another bullish article on Renovaro was published on Nasdaq.com by ''investor relations exec'' Ari Zoldan.

While novice investors may at first glance believe the article is endorsed by the Nasdaq exchange, the article discloses that contributor Ari Zoldan is the CEO of Quantum Media Group. Renovaro is a client of Quantum's, according to the article's disclaimer, indicating that the eye-catching title is simply the beginning of another paid puff piece for Renovaro.

In November 2023, a YouTube interview with Mark Dybul was published highlighting Renovaro's cancer pipeline and pending AI merger.

The publisher was Proactive Investors, a well-known paid stock promotion outfit that discloses Renovaro as a client.[8]

Renovaro's slew of paid stock promoters are associated with the worst of wall street- often promoting worthless penny stock scams to retail investors who hope to get in on the next big trend.

Part III: Transparency From An Unlikely SourceSerhat Gumrukcu's Husband Sued Renovaro's Key Executives And Financiers In January 2024, Alleging A Range Of Securities Law Violations By CEO Mark Dybul, Chairman Rene Sindlev, And OthersOn January 16th, 2024, in the run-up to the merger vote, Renovaro filed a bizarre amendment to its proxy statement in response to a legal threat and ''demand letters'' sent to the company by unnamed stockholders.

The company said it believed the allegations in the letters were ''meritless'' but decided to provide more disclosures around the transaction anyway, including a critical disclosure describing the bizarre valuation process that resulted in the exorbitant merger consideration.[9]

The company failed to disclose that the demand letters and legal threat had apparently been sent by none other than the husband of jailed former magician and key Renovaro shareholder Serhat Gumrukcu.

On January 23rd, 2024, Gumrukcu's husband filed a shareholder lawsuit in the Central District of California against several of Renovaro's executives, stockholders, and partners including CEO Mark Dybul and Chairman Rene Sindlev.

The lawsuit includes allegations of corporate waste, breach of fiduciary duty, and unjust enrichment by Renovaro insiders. [Pgs. 4-5]

According To The Complaint, Chairman Rene Sindlev Purchased Significant Renovaro Stock While In Possession Of Material Non-Public Information Relating To The MergerPerhaps most alarmingly, the lawsuit alleges that Renovaro insiders ''continue to unlawfully profit off material nonpublic information related to Renovaro'' and highlights several well-documented examples to support the claim. [Pg. 6]

The suit highlights two individuals '' longtime shareholders Rene Sindlev and Ole Abildgaard'' who purchased Renovaro stock and options before the release of material nonpublic information related to the GEDi Cube merger. It also identifies Lincoln Park Capital, a financier:

''Renovaro's [Board] has engaged in a troubling pattern of authorizing transactions with insiders '...on terms grossly unfair to Renovaro and its stockholders. In most instances, these transactions were effective just ahead of Renovaro's release of positive material non-public information (MNPI).'' [Pg. 9]

The lawsuit called the purchases a ''manipulative scheme'', evidencing how insiders like Chairman Rene Sindlev helped orchestrate the GEDi Cube transaction while also buying cheap shares of Renovaro just ahead of the public announcement of the deal. [Pg. 27]

According To The Complaint, Mark Dybul Is Engaged In A ''Wink And Nod Scheme'' With Renovaro Financier Lincoln Park Capital, Whereby Renovaro Provides Non-Public Information To Lincoln Park Ahead of Key Company News To Help Lincoln Park Trade Against Renovaro's Own ShareholdersIn July 2020 and June 2023, Renovaro entered into two Equity Line Of Credit (ELOC) agreements with financier Lincoln Park Capital whereby Renovaro could require Lincoln Park to buy Renovaro stock. [Pg. 15, Pg.]

According to the complaint by Gumrukcu's husband, Renovaro and Lincoln Park were engaged in a ''wink and nod scheme'' whereby Renovaro sells shares to Lincoln Park at ''spring-loaded prices'' shortly before positive news.

The complaint highlights that in June 2021, Renovaro sold shares to financier Lincoln Park immediately prior to a June 14th announcement of a Pre-IND submission to the FDA and a $29 million stock offering that caused shares to more than double to an intraday high of $12.99.

In another example, the complaint alleged that CEO Dybul coordinated with financier Lincoln Park to immediately begin dumping shares to investors should the stock pump on a positive news release:

To date, Renovaro has paid 835,588 shares to Lincoln Park as a fee for the two agreements, worth approximately $2.8 million at yesterday's closing price of $3.36.

Gumrukcu And His Husband Are Still The Largest Holders of Renovaro (Formerly Enochian), Owning Nearly 19 Million Shares Or ~28% Of the CompanyThe Family Of Gumrukcu's Murder Victim Sued Him For Wrongful Death, And The Court Froze 12.8 Million Of His Enochian Shares To Cover The Potential DamagesGumrukcu's Husband Still Controls 3.6 Million Shares That Are Free To Trade, As Of An Order In Late October 2023With Gumrukcu's Murder Trial Scheduled For Later This Year And With Mounting Civil Litigation Costs, We Expect His Husband Will Dump This Stock ImminentlyMeanwhile, following the Department of Justice indictment against Gumrukcu, the family of the murder victim has sued, alleging wrongful death. The court froze 12.8 million of Gumrukcu's shares, approximately 19% of Renovaro's outstanding stock, as potential compensation should he lose the case.[10] [Pg. 6]

Gumrukcu's husband controls 3.6 million shares which are not subject to the freeze, as of a court order on October 27th, 2023. [Pgs. 7, 9]

Given Gumrukcu's upcoming criminal trial scheduled for October 2024, along with legal costs due to lawsuits from both Renovaro and the family of the murder victim, we expect Gumrukcu's husband will seek to liquidate this stock at the earliest possible opportunity.

Conclusion: There's No Magic Here'--Just A New Name And The Same Shameless Scammers, In Our ViewDisclosure: We are short shares of Renovaro Biosciences, Inc. (NASDAQ: RENB)Legal DisclaimerUse of Hindenburg Research's research is at your own risk. In no event should Hindenburg Research or any affiliated party be liable for any direct or indirect trading losses caused by any information in this report. You further agree to do your own research and due diligence, consult your own financial, legal, and tax advisors before making any investment decision with respect to transacting in any securities covered herein. You should assume that as of the publication date of any short-biased report or letter, Hindenburg Research (possibly along with or through our members, partners, affiliates, employees, and/or consultants) along with our clients and/or investors has a short position in all stocks (and/or options of the stock) covered herein, and therefore stands to realize significant gains in the event that the price of any stock covered herein declines. Following publication of any report or letter, we intend to continue transacting in the securities covered herein, and we may be long, short, or neutral at any time hereafter regardless of our initial recommendation, conclusions, or opinions. This is not an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any security, nor shall any security be offered or sold to any person, in any jurisdiction in which such offer would be unlawful under the securities laws of such jurisdiction. Hindenburg Research is not registered as an investment advisor in the United States or have similar registration in any other jurisdiction. To the best of our ability and belief, all information contained herein is accurate and reliable, and has been obtained from public sources we believe to be accurate and reliable, and who are not insiders or connected persons of the stock covered herein or who may otherwise owe any fiduciary duty or duty of confidentiality to the issuer. However, such information is presented ''as is,'' without warranty of any kind '' whether express or implied. Hindenburg Research makes no representation, express or implied, as to the accuracy, timeliness, or completeness of any such information or with regard to the results to be obtained from its use. All expressions of opinion are subject to change without notice, and Hindenburg Research does not undertake to update or supplement this report or any of the information contained herein.

[1] Anticipating that the company would attempt to remove evidence of its deep connection with Serhat Gumrukcu, we saved the video and re-uploaded it.

[2] The Department of Justice alleged that Gumrukcu conspired with Berk Eratay, another Turkish magician, to help arrange the murder. Eratay specializes in a form of illusion he calls ''Biokinesis'', or the ability to edit ones own genes with your mind.

[3] GEDi Cube Intl. Ltd., was ''initially incorporated in June 2023''. Note that post-acquisition of Grace Systems in August 2023, the entity then assumed the corporate history of Grace Systems which dates to 2013.

[4] Per the SEC requirements, ''Form 4 must be filed within two business days following the transaction date.'' Given the transaction date of August 1, 2023, Sindlev's filing of the form on September 10th, 2023 was well past the statutory deadline, depriving investors of the knowledge that the Chairman bought securities mere days ahead of a material, non-public deal transforming the entire the company.

Abildgaard's form 3 was filed even later, on October 6, 2023. Per the SEC requirements, ''Form 3 must be filed within 10 days after the person becomes an insider''

[5] Calculated based on Sindlev and Abildgaard acquiring the rights to 4,137,450 shares of common stock at $0.713 and 2,068,725 warrants with a strike price of $0.65 for a total of for $2,950,000, and then subtracting this amount from the total value of these shares and warrants at the October 10th closing high price of $5.18.

[6] The ''DC'' in the treatment name refers to dendritic cells. Gumrukcu holds a patent for dendritic cell cancer therapy. The treatment was previously referred to as ENOB-DC-11 when the company was named Enochian and was later renamed RENB-DC-11.

[7] The company still reported $54 million in assets and goodwill related to Gumrukcu's therapies, which are featured in the therapeutic pipeline, and which represented 94% of the company's total assets, as of its last reported September 2023 financials.

[8] Per the ProActive Terms & Conditions, ''In exchange for publishing services rendered by the Company on behalf of any issuer named on the Site, including the promotion by the Company of the issuer in any Content on the Site, the Company receives from said issuer annual aggregate cash compensation in an amount equal to Twenty Five Thousand dollars ($25,000).'' Renovaro appears on that list.

[9] Days later, on January 24th, clearly in response to the demand letters, Chairman Rene Sindlev filed 10 ownership disclosure updates nearly simultaneously, amending prior shareholding disclosures from 2016 to 2023. [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10]

[10] Based on Renovaro's outstanding shares totaling 66,698,144 as of 11/14/2023 which does not factor in the pro-forma issuances implied by the merger. Note that while the court references the 12.8 million shares controlled by Gumrukcu several times in the order, the court later references ''13.8 Enochian shares'' which appears to be a typo.

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By Pete Muntean and Gregory Wallace, CNN Friday, June 21, 2024 10:04AM

FAA investigating Southwest flight that flew just 525 feet above Oklahoma town

The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating a Southwest Airlines flight that descended to just 525 feet above ground as it approached Will Rogers World Airport in Oklahoma City on Wednesday, triggering an altitude warning from air traffic control that it was getting too low.

Southwest flight 4069 was about 9 miles from the airport, over Yukon, Oklahoma, when it descended to the low altitude just after midnight on Wednesday, flight tracking information from FlightRadar24 shows.

"Southwest 4069 low altitude alert," a controller is heard saying in an air traffic control recording by LiveATC.net. "You good out there?"

The pilots' response is not audible.

After the descent stopped, the Boeing 737-800 climbed briefly and then maneuvered for a successful landing at Oklahoma City, tracking data show.

The FAA, in a statement to CNN, said it was investigating the incident, adding: "After an automated warning sounded, an air traffic controller alerted the crew of Southwest Airlines Flight 4069 that the aircraft had descended to a low altitude nine miles away from Will Rogers World Airport in Oklahoma City."

The airlines says it has been in touch with the FAA after the incident.

"Nothing is more important to Southwest than the Safety of our Customers and Employees," the airline said in a statement. "Southwest is following its robust Safety Management System and is in contact with the Federal Aviation Administration to understand and address any irregularities with the aircraft's approach to the airport."

This marks the second recent incident involving a Southwest flight narrowly missing the ground. In April, the crew of Southwest Flight 2786 aborted its approach into Lihue Airport on the island of Kauai but descended to 400 feet above the Pacific Ocean instead of climbing.

The CNN Wire' & (C) 2023 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.

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