Seth Finberg

“Fresh U.S. sanctions on Chinese ballistic missile suppliers are threatening to disrupt Pakistan’s defense ties with Beijing, entangling Islamabad in the superpowers’ tense rivalry, analysts said. Last week, the U.S. State Department imposed sanctions on the Beijing Research Institute of Automation for Machine Building Industry for what it said was the company’s moves to procure equipment for testing Pakistani rocket motors. The new penalties also targeted the three Chinese companies Hubei Huachangda Intelligent Equipment, Xi’an Longde Technology Development and Universal Enterprise, Chinese citizen Luo Dongmei and Pakistan-based Innovative Equipment, for transferring equipment that is controlled under missile technology restrictions. Washington said the equipment was for Pakistan’s Shaheen 3 and Ababeel ballistic missiles. The Shaheen 3 is a land-based medium-range missile with a range of 2,750 kilometers that can reach India and the Middle East.” “The Ababeel is a land-based tactical ballistic missile with a normal range of 1,800 kilometers. ‘This is part of the U.S. larger strategy of economic coercion aimed at containing the Chinese rise rather than aimed at Pakistan,’ Syed Muhammad Ali, an Islamabad-based security expert, told Nikkei Asia. There is little evidence that China is taking part in Pakistan’s nuclear-capable ballistic missile program, Ali added. Islamabad immediately rejected the sanctions as biased and politically motivated. ‘It is widely known that some countries, while claiming strict adherence to nonproliferation norms, have conveniently waived licensing requirements for advanced military technologies to their favored states,’ said Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, spokesperson for Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. China is Pakistan’s largest source of major arms abroad. Between 2000 and 2023, Pakistan received 44% of all arms exports from China, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.” “While the newest sanctions may not hurt Pakistan’s ballistic missile program in the short term, they may leave the country with few options going forward, some experts said. ‘Pakistan has a special defense relationship with China, and it has no other partner to turn to for its missile development needs if Beijing continues to be targeted with punitive U.S. measures,’ said Michael Kugelman, director of the South Asia Institute at the Wilson Center, a Washington-based think tank. The dominance of the U.S. dollar in global markets will squeeze Chinese companies into complying with the measures, said Ayesha Siddiqa, a senior fellow with the Department of War Studies of King’s College London. ‘This dominance can force Chinese firms to be more cautious when dealing with Pakistan in the future,’ she said. The moves by Washington could also draw Pakistan deeper into the China-U.S. rivalry. Pakistan may be able to identify new suppliers down the road, but that could take time.”

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TRAVEL TIPS TO THE U.S. How to carry firearms when traveling #immigrants #immigration #migrants #traveltips #trump #visas #carokinsella #unitedstates #traveltips #firearms

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"Mexico’s states swiftly moved to remake the country’s entire judicial system on Thursday, approving an amendment to the Constitution that would be the most far-reaching judicial overhaul ever attempted by a large democracy. The measure, which would replace the current, appointment-based system with one in which voters elect judges, would put Mexico onto an untested course whose consequences for the courts and the country are nearly impossible to predict. Proponents of the plan argue it would reduce corruption and give voters a greater role in a justice system widely regarded as broken. Critics of the overhaul accuse the Mexican government, which proposed and pushed for the changes, of endangering the rule of law by politicizing the courts, giving Mexico’s ruling party greater control over judges and eroding the country’s checks and balances. The overhaul could see thousands of judges removed from their jobs, from those in local courtrooms to the chief justice of the Supreme Court. And it would drastically restructure a major branch of government responsible for meting out justice across the third-most populous country in the Americas."

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Going to the beach may cost you the ability to travel to the USA….. The U.S. Department of State designated Cuba as a State Sponsor of Terrorism (SST) on January 12, 2021. With limited exceptions, a traveler who is found to have visited Cuba on or after this date is not eligible for travel under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) using an Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) and must apply for a visa to travel to the United States. So, if you are from a European or other country under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) , plan your next beach vacation or trip carefully as tourist visa wait times are 2 years in many countries. You wouldn’t want to go to Havana or Varadero Beach and then be blocked from the easy US Visa Waiver Program and be force to apply for a US tourist visa. Visa Waiver Program Improvement and Terrorist Travel Prevention Act of 2015 Under the Visa Waiver Program Improvement and Terrorist Travel Prevention Act of 2015, travelers in the following categories must obtain a visa prior to traveling to the United States as they are no longer eligible to travel under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP): Nationals of VWP countries who have traveled to or been present in Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, or Yemen on or after March 1, 2011 (with limited exceptions for travel for diplomatic or military purposes in the service of a VWP country). Nationals of VWP countries who have traveled to or been present in Cuba on or after January 12, 2021 (with limited exceptions for travel for diplomatic or military purposes in the service of a VWP country). Nationals of VWP countries who are also nationals of Cuba, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Iran, Iraq, Sudan, or Syria

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Federal Jury Convicts Al Shabaab Operative in Plot to Attack U.S. I attach to this post copy of the indictment. Cholo Abdi Abdullah (34) found guilty on all counts for planning a 9/11-style aircraft hijacking. Evidence showed how meticulously he prepared since 2016: - Studied al Qaeda's 9/11 attacks propaganda - Enrolled in Philippines flight school & obtained pilot's license - Researched "how to breach a cockpit door from outside" - Searched for "tallest building in major U.S. city" - Studied commercial airliner security vulnerabilities - Investigated U.S. visa requirements The plot was part of al Shabaab's "Operation Jerusalem Will Never be Judaized" - launched after U.S. embassy move to Jerusalem. This campaign included the Jan 2019 Nairobi hotel attack where suicide bomber specifically targeted and killed a 9/11 survivor among 21 victims. Abdullah was directed by same senior al Shabaab commander who planned the Nairobi hotel attack. He was arrested July 1, 2019 in Philippines before obtaining commercial pilot credentials. Key convictions: - Providing material support to terrorist organization - Conspiracy to murder U.S. nationals - Aircraft piracy conspiracy - Conspiracy to destroy aircraft - Transnational terrorism conspiracy Faces multiple life sentences. Sentencing: March 10, 2025. AG Garland: "The Justice Department will never stop working to identify, investigate, and prosecute those who would use heinous acts of violence to harm the American people." Case investigated by FBI with support from Kenyan and Philippine law enforcement. #Counterterrorism #NationalSecurity #Justice #Breaking #FBI 📅 November 4, 2024 Source: U.S. Department of Justice

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🔀Russia Sanctions - US enforcement - Drones🔀 🔔 National security and international sanctions keep on reflecting in enforcement cases, addressing all kind of procurement networks, targeting the high priority items, like #drones and their components. As reported by the U.S. Department of Justice, Nikolay Grigorev, 36, of Brooklyn, pleaded guilty today to conspiring to defraud the United States for his role in an illicit export control scheme to ship electronic components from the United States to companies affiliated with the Russian military. ☛ Grigorev utilized a Brooklyn-based corporate entity, Quality Life Cue LLC (QLC), to facilitate the scheme. QLC was registered and controlled by Grigorev and Oloviannikov, with Arkhipov utilizing a QLC email account from Russia. ☛Through QLC, the defendants procured dual-use electronic components for entities in Russia involved in the development and manufacture of drones for the Russian war effort in Ukraine. The most notable of these entities was SMT-iLogic, a Russia-based technology company that was sanctioned in May 2023 for its involvement in the supply chain for producing Russian military UAVs used in Russia’s war against Ukraine. ☛In email and chat communications, the defendants explicitly discussed their efforts to circumvent U.S. export restrictions, including through the use of front companies in third countries, such as Kazakhstan, and they also forwarded invoices listing SMT-iLogic as the recipient of semiconductors and other electronic components purchased from the Brooklyn Company. 👁‍🗨 Are the villains conducting business intelligence? December 2022, in response to negative press coverage of SMT-iLogic, Grigorev forwarded a news article to his co-defendants and stated, “they are already writing about your (sic) guys in articles about how Russia is getting American components for drones.” Corporate Crime Observatory Zülal Özdemir Emre A. #sanctions #tradecompliance #customs #exportcontrols https://lnkd.in/dw-ciCxv

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Addressing any seemingly intractable problem, especially one as complex as the struggle for liberty in authoritarian regimes, requires speaking the truth; however cold and harsh it may be in the short term. Acknowledging realities, even when uncomfortable, is the first step toward meaningful change. Moreover, we must refrain from asking others to undertake tasks or risks in their home countries that we are unwilling to shoulder. This principle of empathy and fairness should guide our actions and strategies. Since the 1980s, I have observed the political turbulence and successes in Latin America and the Caribbean, starting from South Florida. As a young teenager, my passion for these issues was ignited amid the vibrant and politically active immigrant communities that sought refuge and voice in the United States. Now, somewhat longer in the tooth but as engaged as ever, I find myself again in Florida, reflecting on the decades of efforts and the evolving geopolitical landscape. It's clear that if we ever hope to move the needle towards real change, we need to do better. #Nicaragua #Cuba #Venezuela #NGO

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Interesting opinion piece on #outerspace and the race to the moon and beyond. While the author makes some good points, in the race for space dominance, the US and its allies must continue to lead and expand their ambitions, not restrain them. Space is not only a frontier for national security and economic opportunity but also a domain where the US can set global norms and influence the future direction of international space governance. By maintaining a robust presence and pushing the boundaries of space exploration and technology, America ensures it remains at the forefront, driving innovations that benefit our national interests and global advancements. Reducing our space ambitions in the face of a rising China risks ceding strategic ground in an area critical to our future security and economic prosperity, and it may allow other nations to dictate the rules. What do you think? #Florida #spacecoast #China #ArtemisAccords #nationalsecurity #international #exportcontrols #law

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Bonus Words to Justice System and Law Enforcement Vocabulary #Criminology #englishlearning #English #raided #stingoperation #terrorism #lawenforcement #crime #k9unit #canineunit #specialforces #SWAT #specialweaponsandtactics #perimeter #raided #vice #coldcase #bust #raid #gambling #policedogs #handlers #prostitution #arrest #suspects #hostagecrises #widerscope

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Political Weaponization By DNC of Natural Disasters Puerto Rico’s response to Hurricane Maria was marred by local corruption and deliberate obstruction of federal aid, which fueled significant political manipulation. Here’s a brutally factual account of what happened: Puerto Rico - Hurricane Maria (2017) Reality: After Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico, there was a massive federal relief effort to provide aid, but the situation quickly became politicized. While the Trump administration’s initial response was slower than hoped, with logistical challenges, the fed gov did eventually get substantial resources and supplies to the island. However, much of this aid was deliberately withheld or mismanaged by local officials. Warehouse after warehouse full of emergency supplies—water, food, and other vital resources—was later found untouched. Local officials, including members of the territorial government, actively obstructed the distribution of these resources to artificially create a crisis. The purpose of this manipulation was clear: to frame the Trump admin as neglectful and inept, using the suffering of Puerto Ricans as a political weapon. This narrative was amplified by both the media and DNC leaders in the mainland U.S. in an attempt to shift all the blame onto the federal government, despite Puerto Rico’s long history of local corruption and mismanagement. This was a deliberate attempt by the territorial government to push its own agenda while avoiding accountability for its failures. Local Corruption: Puerto Rico has been riddled with corruption for decades, long before Maria. The discovery of the hoarded aid supplies, which were meant to be distributed to starving, dehydrated citizens, incited outrage across the island. This led many Puerto Ricans to turn against their own territorial government, accusing officials of playing political games with their lives. These actions confirmed suspicions that the local government was willing to let people suffer to score political points, and this led to mass protests and public outrage, demanding accountability for the mismanagement and corruption. Brutal Truth: While Trump’s response was imperfect, it is undeniable that much of the humanitarian crisis in Puerto Rico was exacerbated by its own government. Local officials engaged in politically motivated obstruction, deliberately holding back federal aid to create a crisis they could then blame on the administration. This blatant disregard for the lives of Puerto Ricans by their own leaders was unforgivable and exposed the deep-seated corruption within the island’s political structure. The suffering of the people was exploited for political gain, and the territorial government bears significant responsibility for the chaos that unfolded. The territorial government’s actions were an intentional sabotage of relief efforts, driven by political motives rather than concern for their people, and this rightly sparked a backlash from the population.

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The US Senate Select Committee on Intelligence issued an 18 page Review of the CIA's Efforts to Provide Facilitated Medical Care and Benefits for Individuals Affected by Anomalous Health Incidents. The tale of the sonic weapons continues; yet nothing much has changed. The political branches either ignore the story or approach it quite carefully. It is not clear who is driving events, but nothing is clear. . . . except that patterns of power relations in government may be changing in ways that make the 18th century notions of separation of powers either quaint or irrelevant in its traditional imaginary. The test of the report and brief reflections follow. Sonic Inversions-- Reflections and Report: US Senate Select Committee on Intelligence: Review of the CIA's Efforts to Provide Facilitated Medical Care and Benefits for Individuals Affected by Anomalous Health Incidents: Audits and Projects Report 24-01 https://lnkd.in/esaFD7JY

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#illegalgunsintoMexico #gunpipelinetoMexico #Mexico #drugcartels #ironriver #illegalsguns #organizedcrime #usmexicoborder #usamexicoborder #lawandorderusa #mexicolawsuits - Mexico fights to dam "iron river" sending guns from U.S. to cartels During one of the deadliest chapters in its history, Mexico's government devised a new strategy to curb gun violence; it filed two lawsuits.The first, in 2021, included U.S. gun manufacturer Smith & Wesson and one of their wholesalers. The second, filed a year later, against five U.S. gun stores, claimed they engaged in "reckless and unlawful business practices" that supply dangerous criminals. An estimated 200,000 to half million U.S. firearms are smuggled into Mexico every year. Mexico asked American attorney Jonathan Lowy to help cut off the gun pipeline, known as the "iron river." "If you think fentanyl overdoses are a problem, if you think migration across the border is a problem, if you think the spread of organized crime is a problem in the United States, then you should care about stopping the crime gun pipeline to Mexico," Lowy said. "And you need to stop it at its source. Because all those problems are driven by the supply of U.S. guns to the cartels." https://lnkd.in/g3wzHqwi

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“A Chinese-built megaport in Peru could be used by Beijing’s navy, a top US general has said, highlighting the security risks to the US from ‘Belt and Road’ projects in Latin America. Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to inaugurate the $1.3bn Chancay port on the Pacific coast when he visits Peru for a summit in mid-November, amid growing concerns among US security officials that the facility’s size, depth and strategic location make it suitable to host Chinese warships. China’s Cosco Shipping, which has been building the port with a local junior partner, will be the sole operator when it opens after Peru dropped a lawsuit challenging its exclusive status. ‘It could be used as a dual-use facility, it’s a deepwater port,” said General Laura Richardson, outgoing chief of US Southern Command, which covers LatAm and the Caribbean. “[The navy] could use it, absolutely… this is a playbook that we’ve seen play out in other places, not just in Latin America.’” “Twenty-two Latin American and Caribbean countries have signed up to Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative, Xi’s hallmark project to build infrastructure abroad, as China expands its footprint in a region. China is now the biggest trading partner for South America and a major investor in critical minerals, transport and energy projects. A four-star general who served in Afghanistan, Richardson has frequently warned against Chinese and Russian security threats in the region during her three-year stint at Miami-based Southern Command. In April, Richardson visited Ushuaia, Argentina’s southernmost city, where China had proposed building a port to supply the Antarctic. Following what Argentine media reported as strong lobbying from Washington, Buenos Aires opted instead for a US-led facility and also put on ice Chinese plans for a multi-use port 200km up the coast at Río Grande. Beijing insists that commitment to mutual benefit is a cornerstone of its overseas projects.” “The general said she remained concerned about Chinese and Russian activity in Cuba, which has included building spy stations to eavesdrop on the US, and Russian warships visiting Havana. She has also tried to alert Latin American governments to the security risks of adopting 5G infrastructure from Chinese companies such as Huawei, which could open ‘back doors’ into countries’ sensitive data and facilitate hacking or the theft of military or commercial secrets. Huawei has said there is ‘no comprehensible evidence or plausible scenarios’ in which its technology would pose such risk. In August 2022, India and the US protested when the Yuan Wang 5, a Chinese naval vessel used for tracking and surveillance, docked at Sri Lanka’s Hambantota port. The Beijing-funded port was taken over by a Chinese company after Colombo defaulted on debt payments. Richardson said the US and allies needed to counter Beijing’s growing clout by offering other governments commercially attractive alternatives.”

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North Korea's IT Scheme Exposed: Nashville Man Facilitates Dangerous Deception A recent indictment in the Middle District of Tennessee has shed light on #NorthKorea's deceptive scheme to funnel funds to its weapons program through the use of highly skilled IT workers. In this case, a Nashville man, Knoot, allegedly played a key role in facilitating this complex and multi-year scheme. The #indictment reveals a web of deceit involving stolen identities, fraudulent remote IT work, and hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages to U.S. companies. Knoot's involvement in running a "laptop farm" and facilitating the fraudulent remote IT work of North Korean nationals highlights the lengths to which these deceptive schemes will go. As U.S. Attorney Henry C. Leventis emphasized, this indictment serves as a stark warning to U.S. businesses about the growing threat posed by North Korea and the need for vigilance in their hiring processes. The FBI's Cyber Division, along with other agencies, will continue to relentlessly pursue those who aid the North Korean government's illegal revenue-generating efforts. This case should serve as a wake-up call for businesses to be aware of the risks associated with hiring remote IT workers and to be vigilant in verifying the identities and backgrounds of those they employ. North Korea's IT scheme has been exposed, but the threat remains, and it is crucial to stay informed and proactive in protecting against such deceptive tactics. LINK IN COMMENT

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